Episode Review — Anime
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Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke ‒ Episodes 16-17
It's not like I was expecting Rosemyne and Wilfried to throw a raging house party now that their parents aren't home.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You ‒ Episode 5
In an age where loud voices are quick to equate “age gap relationship” to “bad and exploitative,” I appreciate a more holistic and thoughtful depiction of this kind of relationship and the joy it can bring the people in it.
Draw This, Then Die! ‒ Episode 6
It's finally Comitia time, and with that comes one specific disappointment.
The Elusive Samurai Season 2 ‒ Episode 4
This is an iron-clad rule that applies to literally all stories told across every medium humanity has yet conceived: Everything is better when you add a bunch of goofy puppets.
Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games ‒ Episode 5
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a biting sadness underpinning otherwise funny or exciting scenes in this series.
Chainsmoker Cat ‒ Episode 6
What the hell, man? Chainsmoker Cat is supposed to make me cackle with lewd innuendos and crass fart jokes, and here I am shedding real human tears over the melancholy lives of these cartoon catgirls.
Tomb Raider King ‒ Episode 5
Joo-Heon actually had to go back and list the dozen or so relics he had already acquired, and I had to play it twice to make sure I caught them all.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess ‒ Episode 4
Reirin is refusing to play the game, while Keigetsu is playing to win.
Thunder 3 ‒ Episode 5
Once again, all I want is for the funny little cartoon people to smash the evil aliens to pieces. Is that too much to ask for?
I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day ‒ Episode 5
People need to die to keep a war going, and there isn't a solution to the problem so much as there are just ways of mitigating the damages.
Saga of Tanya the Evil II ‒ Episode 5
The most competent—those who can see the situation without bias and are willing to speak truth to power—are being removed from positions of power. This, of course, includes Zettour.
Clevatess Season 2 ‒ Episode 5
She already managed to figure out the perks of being an undead abomination; you can bet that our heroine will find out how to make the most of being a cute little rat monster with a giant tail.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity ‒ Episode 2
This show’s production value has given it every opportunity to really zhush up anything it wants, and this is maybe the first time that it just hasn’t been able to do that.
Ghost in the Shell ‒ Episode 5
I’d love an up-to-date anime version of Dominion from Science SARU, by the way, just sayin’. Hint. Hint.
Red River ‒ Episode 5
At this point, I’d honestly suggest dropping this and reading the manga instead.
Iron Wok Jan! ‒ Episode 5
Iron Wok Jan is the kind of series where the culinary arts are so extreme that their very depiction requires the production team to break the fourth wall and explain themselves.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 ‒ Episode 29
Matching Yasashiki up with Kusuri and the other fun-size friends is naturally a great idea just for visual gag purposes, and I hope it's the sort of thing that continues.
One Piece (2026-) ‒ Episode 1172
I’d say a solid four minutes of the runtime is just this one attack, but man, it really does sell the idea that you’re watching the end of the world.
Goodbye, Lara ‒ Episode 5
This is Lara's walking on knives moment.
The World Is Dancing ‒ Episode 6
The truth is, Oniyasha is not a dancer. He is simply filled with an overwhelming love for the stories of the earth and the people who toil in it, and dance is the only way to exorcise those stories from his soul.
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 4 ‒ Episode 18
It’s rare to see Clara have a serious moment, albeit for a Clara-value of “serious.”
Sparks of Tomorrow ‒ Episode 5
Sparks of Tomorrow doesn’t recognize what actually makes its characters interesting or trust its own premise to be appealing, and is rapidly becoming a slog to watch week after week.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III ‒ Episode 6
This episode is all about the feelings behind why Rudeus has a panty shrine in his hidden basement that he is unable to let go of.
You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 ‒ Episode 5
Although I wouldn't have been too upset with some light Valentine's Day fluff, getting some actual progress with Yamada and Nishi turns what could have been a much simpler episode into a nice little milestone.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm ‒ Episode 17
I really enjoy it when powerhouse authors like Hiromu Arakawa flex their storytelling skills by setting up plot twists early on—long before we even come to know the rules of the world that support said twist.
Draw This, Then Die! ‒ Episode 5
I would be lying if I said that the manga that Fujimori drew to express herself wasn't incredibly sweet.
The Elusive Samurai Season 2 ‒ Episode 3
The best comparison that my broken brain can conjure up is this: Watching The Elusive Samurai is basically the modern anime equivalent of catching an episode of The Muppet Show back in its heyday.
I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day ‒ Episode 4
The fact that there is a forbidden spell that can be used to bring somebody back to life and that doing so seems to make them immortal by default feels like too easy an answer to just casually get revealed in a class the next day.
Tomb Raider King ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
I'm not sure who this is supposed to appeal to, but I know it ain't me.
Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
These girls would fit in very well in the Melty Blood scene, with how good they’ve gotten at making tournaments happen even in the unlikeliest places.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You ‒ Episode 4
I’m coming to Supermarket Smoking week after week for moments that make me blush and gags that make me smile, and this latest episode delivers both in spades!
Chainsmoker Cat ‒ Episode 5
Can anyone think of a more wholesome way to cap off an episode than by having a terrified bungee-jumping streamer squirt out a cat-piss rainbow to color the sky with those vibrant ammonia hues?
Thunder 3 ‒ Episode 4
So far, this adaptation has ruined the visuals and looks likely to fail in every other regard too.
Saga of Tanya the Evil II ‒ Episode 4
In a very real way, as she lacks an innate moral compass to guide her, Tanya is only as evil as the world we've built allows her to be.
Clevatess Season 2 ‒ Episode 4
While our heroine has been forced into pretty dire circumstances, this will all clearly be worthwhile if it means getting a canon confirmation of Alicia's adorable fursona.
Red River ‒ Episode 4
There’s some value in understanding how the march of time and increased knowledge changes the way popular culture portrays relationships. But Red River is barely making any effort at all beyond “he kissed her forcefully, it must be love.”
Ghost in the Shell ‒ Episode 4
It’s a dark as hell episode, at least conceptually, and little moments like these really help brighten the existential gloom.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Reirin is such a Disney princess; she’d make Cinderella blush at her own pessimism.
One Piece (2026-) ‒ Episode 1171
Dinner ain’t ready, but the pot is about to bubble over.
The World Is Dancing ‒ Episode 5
There is no rival in this universe that will inspire more terror and tension than a pissed-off theater kid.
Iron Wok Jan! ‒ Episode 4
Akiyama Jan is a culinary mastermind, ten steps ahead and three char-broiled layers deep in his planning.
Goodbye, Lara ‒ Episode 4
When Himeka sees Ouji with another girl, she knows the pain of Andersen’s mermaid dancing at her love’s wedding. When Lara observes it, she relives the moment when her prince rejected her for being different, for being a mermaid rather than a human.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
This was as fun a way as ever to kick off the final part of this all-timer of a battle shonen series.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III ‒ Episode 5
Rudeus has really forced this whole polycule situation upon Roxy and Sylphie—and you've got to feel for the half-elf girl especially.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 ‒ Episode 28
Idols aren't anything without someone to idolize them, and these girlfriends have a hugely unproblematic fan in their boyfriend.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm ‒ Episode 16
Hayato and Asuma want to make Yuru a willing collaborator. The problem is, they don't have anything he wants.
You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 ‒ Episode 4
Since Taira and Azuma's dynamic is almost always played for drama, it's a welcome change of pace to see them bouncing around with the same cartoony expressions as our main couple
Sparks of Tomorrow ‒ Episode 4
Sparks of Tomorrow is rapidly becoming the most frustrating anime I’m watching this season, and I really hope the borderline harmful ideas it's elevating are accidental rather than intentional.
Draw This, Then Die! ‒ Episode 4
The manga breakdown was very informative, and the new character dynamics seem fun, but hopefully the show doesn't try to keep up this pace all the way until the end because it is noticeably jarring.
Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke ‒ Episode 15
A giant toad swallowing Brigitte and Rosemyne whole is more of a minor inconvenience (to say nothing of, I'm sure, appreciable for some choice members of the audience).
KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE ‒ Episode 4
If you liked gyaru Misato, then get ready for scene Kaji.
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 4 ‒ Episode 17
Iruma’s two most obvious rivals for the throne aren’t small potatoes, even without the family angle.
The Elusive Samurai Season 2 ‒ Episode 2
That right there is the last known lithograph of a kid who just got fatally struck by the ten-ton semi-truck of puberty.
Chainsmoker Cat ‒ Episode 4
Somehow, seeing that reference banana get slapped all over Yani’s cheeks feels dirtier than whatever Tatsuro is actually going to include in her next hentai.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
While there are plenty of high profile and more impressive anime coming out this season, Supermarket Smoking is the one I most enjoy cracking open a cold one and vibing out to, and am excited for these hangouts to continue as the summer goes on.
Saga of Tanya the Evil II ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
War is the ultimate sunk-cost fallacy—and, in the end, everyone loses.
Thunder 3 ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Run, puny aliens. The Toddler Cometh.
I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
What should and shouldn't be normal is a constant thematic beat that resonates throughout these episodes.
Clevatess Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
If our trusty heroine is going to play the role of gumshoe and solve Drel's mystery, she will have to rely on her wits, her guile, and her deep wellspring of…er, charm? Sure, let's call it “charm.”
The Ghost in the Shell ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Science SARU’s approach is altogether much looser, their style like the free-form jazz of anime: experimental, wild, and unpredictable.
One Piece (2026-) ‒ Episode 1170
The real star of the show for me was the environmental destruction.
Red River ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
If you’re not into following the manga’s pacing quite so faithfully, it could be a lot to sit through, especially since the art and animation are not, shall we say, visual treats.
Iron Wok Jan! ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
I am - ahem - hungry for more.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm ‒ Episodes 13-15
Yuru knows it is his habit to use survival and the clarity it brings as a way to avoid processing his emotions.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Jaadugar easily sets itself apart in story, setting, and art. Once Sitara finds her footing in the narrative, it's anyone's guess what will happen next.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
Mushoku Tensei is not the story of a reincarnated man becoming a hero—or even a better person. It's the tale of a deeply flawed man finding happiness.
The World Is Dancing ‒ Episode 4
The shogun needs something that can reach beyond laws and might to unite the people of Japan, and our hero is just the young seedling that he needs to plant in the garden of the nation's future.
Sparks of Tomorrow ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Sparks of Tomorrow doesn’t technically do anything wrong, but it also doesn’t do enough right in its script to merit these stunning and inventive visuals.
Goodbye, Lara ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
All it takes is a glance at the heroine’s hair color to know that it plans to acknowledge the pop culture heritage of Andersen’s 1837 story, but even with that, it’s also planning to make its own mark on the Little Mermaid’s heritage.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
It's 100 Girlfriends bigger, longer, and uncut, and this season has already shown that it can go so far that the universe, the heavens, and broadcast standards cannot contain it. God (of Love) help us.
You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
Even if not all of these relationships are moving as swiftly as I'd like them to, it looks like there'll still be no shortage of ways to watch these opposites figure each other out.
Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke ‒ Episode 14
Rosemyne's doing her best to play the good cop for these folks, and they're still terrified of her influence. It's even more apparent why that is once Ferdinand steps in to play bad cop.
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 4 ‒ Episode 16
Not just anyone can be Opera.
Draw This, Then Die! ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
After finishing episode three, I felt the need to sit down and start working on my own projects. If every episode in the upcoming weeks continues to elicit that emotional response, then I am going to get a lot of work done.
The Elusive Samurai Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
These crazy little child-soldier gremlins will do anything for Tokiyuki. What's a little spilled blood and casual warfare when it means the young master can have his perfect meal?
KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
In between the romantic pratfalls, Kaiju Girl Caramelise uses monstrosity as a metaphor that manages to both cut wide and cut deep.
Chainsmoker Cat ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
These cats are committed to earning their godforsaken yuks, even though Yani's wretched farts should be registered as felony-grade weapons of chemical warfare.
The World Is Dancing ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
While it is compelling to have Oniyasha find the spark of inspiration by learning a little about the birds and the bees, there’s only so much that the kid can (or should) learn from watching two actors pretending to go at it from a hundred yards away.
One Piece (2026-) ‒ Episode 1169
Probably 25% of the episode’s runtime is Nami making an absurd face at the nonsense her captain and others are getting up to, but that’s not a bad thing.
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 4 ‒ Episodes 14-15
Much as I enjoy longer story arcs, these two episodes are important. They give the characters time to breathe, but also to showcase their growth and development.
Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke ‒ Episode 13
A fight with a giant magic tiger is a great way to frontload the appeal for the show before it settles into more business and side-hustle management for the last third of the episode.
Ramparts of Ice ‒ SEASON FINALE
As is right and proper for the end of a season, both the main couples scoot right up to the verge of everything changing.
MAO ‒ Episode 14
Go ahead, Queen Takahashi, reheat your nachos. You earned it.
One Piece (2026-) ‒ Episode 1168
It’s a bit like being an hour into Return of the King and finding out that Aragorn has an evil twin brother, Waragorn, who fights for Sauron.
Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA ‒ SEASON FINALE
Awajima does not exist. But similar schools, similar students, and similar stories exist in Japan and abroad, and their truths can resonate with Shimura's fiction. I know mine has.
MARRIAGETOXIN ‒ SEASON FINALE
Marriagetoxin might not be the strongest show of either of its genres this season, but Gero's quest for a bride offered enough good time that I'm up for seeing more of any new bachelorettes or assassins he'll meet along the way.
MAO ‒ Episode 13
I’m starting to worry we’re going to have even more slower episodes yet, before we get any kind of update with regards to what happened between the Byoki, Mao, Sana, etc.
Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring ‒ SEASON FINALE
This anime winds up amounting to less than the sum of its already ill-fitting parts.
Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke ‒ Episode 12
Rosemyne is rocking her cozy little red-and-green holiday ensemble while I'm sweating buckets in California's streets in June. My suspension of disbelief can only keep up so hard with my dehydration.
Wistoria: Wand and Sword Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE
Overall, this season of Wistoria can perfectly be described as a “mixed bag."
Needy Girl Overdose ‒ SEASON FINALE
The ending of Needy Girl Overdose is the goal for everyone trying to live their best life.
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 4 ‒ Episode 13
At age fifteen, Iruma Suzuki finally has a place to belong.
Snowball Earth ‒ SEASON FINALE
An anti-climactic final fight that ends before it can even begin makes me wonder why it was even there to begin with.
Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE ‒ SEASON FINALE
We’ve ended at the point the series was always heading towards: Senku’s triumph over the Stone World.
The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King ‒ SEASON FINALE
Despite a happy conclusion to the romantic plotline, I can’t say that this ends on a positive note.
MARRIAGETOXIN ‒ Episode 12
While this episode certainly goes above and beyond in dishing out an action packed climax to this arc, it's not exactly the strongest.
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