“I’m the older brother and you’re the younger brother” OK, I’m hooked. Simply put, this was a much more engaging chapter than the first – hardly surprising, really, given the weight of exposition in the first chapter. Adachi-sama doesn’t milk the suspense for too long, giving us answers to most […] Read more
These two shows appear to be headed in opposite directions… Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna – 11 Regrettably, Lupin III wasn’t at its best this week, which leads me to wonder if we’re going to be finishing on a disappointing note. It’s not really a surprise that the […] Read more
As many different styles, shapes and sizes as great anime come in, how alike they are is more striking than how different they are. Fundamentally, if a series is going to meet the threshold of greatness, it has to be rooted in characters we can relate to and emotions that […] Read more
“Defensive Universal Confrontation Keeprs”. The more you know. Every season (if I’m lucky) there’s one show that I totally and unreservedly love, and no matter how much I admire and enjoy the other top series, that feeling is always unique to that one show. Chihayafuru, Cross Game, Ikoku Meiro… For […] Read more
Hey, who got heartwarming in my irreverence? Two chapters today, as different as day and night (or the white and black in a panda’s fur). I enjoyed the first, chronicling Penguin-san’s broken heart at the hands of Penko-san, though it doesn’t rank among the best Shirokuma has had on offer. Basically, the […] Read more
“A Tiny Wind” There’s no Sankarea on TV this week, courtesy of the UEFA Tournament going on in Poland and Ukraine. But we do have this OAD, which acts as a sort of prequel to the series. And given the sizable detours the show has taken over the last month, […] Read more
Or is it 03? I’m not really sure… First things first – the animation was definitely better this time. It’s still not going to win any awards and there’s still too much CGI where CGI shouldn’t go – but better. Perhaps the crush of CGI in the premiere was a […] Read more
“The lady doth protest too much, Methinks.” – Shakespeare, “Hamlet” Act III It took a little while for this adaptation of Jormungand to hit its stride, but it’s now right there with the best series of the season. It’s hard to say just why that is, given just how note-faithful […] Read more
“Amagi Kouga’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” Yes, that stuff hitting the fan is exactly what it looks like, and there’s lots of it – take cover. Most of it blew directly into Kouga’s face sadly for him, and that crack you heard may just have been the […] Read more
“Meisei’s Ace” Adachi Mitsuru has never been shy about borrowing from himself. The lack of variety in his character designs is legendary to the point where he mocks himself for it on a regular basis. All of his stories revolve around high school, sports and romance – usually with a […] Read more