The cliffhanger of episode 11 left me wondering – was Haiyore! going to stick to its insane guns for the season finale, or sell out and go the conventional route? The answer, I guess, is somewhere in between. There are definitely screwball comedies where warmth is a big part of […] Read more
I never thought all that much about Kimi to Boku during its run, but now that it’s ending I’ve become aware that I’m really going to miss it. Fittingly for a show that never worried too much about plot, KtB leaves the airwaves forever with an episode as thoughtful and […] Read more
Nothing Urobuchi Gen does is ever less than fascinating, and Fate/Zero is no exception. But I find myself questioning whether there was any lasting meaning to the whole experience. In the end I think F/Z couldn’t escape the prison of Fate/Stay Night. Whatever else Urobuchi wanted to do with this […] Read more
In the end, Ozma remains what it always was – not quite a move and not quite a series, and never quite able to achieve the heights possible had it been one or the other. It seems odd, I admit, to be blogging a season finale a day after doing […] Read more
In the midst of so many new series of note, one more wistful goodbye… I love Mirai Nikki, and watching an anime of a series you love is always a scary prospect. As odd a series as this is, I really wasn’t sure how it would make the transition to anime. It’s […] Read more
I think Symphogear may take the term “suspension of disbelief” to an all-time record level. In a good way. What do you get when you mix Gundam, Madoka Magica and TTGL and tell someone to make an anime out of it for $22.50 and a bag of chips? Probably something […] Read more
OK, I really have to know – just what the heck is in the ramen bath? Seriously now, you’re combining two of my favorite Japanese things – onsen and ramen – and you aren’t going to show it? What a gyp – but I’ll admit, I found this last episode […] Read more
What a strange trip watching Inu X Boku SS turned out to be. An interesting thing happened this week: the sales figures for the first volume of Inu X Boku came out – and they were good. Very, very good in fact – about 11K in the first week. But […] Read more
Maybe I’ll start re-watching this series next Tuesday… There’s not much left to be said about Chihayafuru that I haven’t already said in blogging 25 episodes. I love it – I love it to pieces, and I’m gutted that it’s over. The series is a mortal lock to make my […] Read more
The anime community as a whole seems to take Bakuman almost entirely for granted, but I promise you, I never will. And with episodes as spectacular as the second season finale, hopefully more and more viewers will clue in to what an underappreciated gem this is. Readers of the blog […] Read more