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Dandelion Anime Series Review
Traces of Gintama's heart and hilarity are definitely here, but each episode goes on five minutes too long in service of a tacked-on climax.
― Gintama is one of the most celebrated comedy manga of all time. Hideaki Sorachi smashing aliens into the tail-end of the Sengoku era was every bit as bold as when Akira Toriyama dropped dinosaurs and mechs (and eventually aliens) into Journey to the West. What...
A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation Anime Series Review
This noble’s vacation might be gentle on the eyes and ears, but recommending it is another story.
― A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation centers around a young duke, Lizel, who is magically transported into a kingdom he does not recognize. He gets by through becoming an adventurer, hiring a bodyguard, Gil, and together they wander the kingdom as part of a vacation where serendipity holds the rein...
Alien Nine Blu-ray Review
It's undoubtedly a unique experience: a little cute, a little off-putting, a little horrifying, and more focused on being intriguing rather than satisfying.
― Anime OVAs can feel like a lost art nowadays. Gone is the era of many lavishly animated, often ultraviolent indulgences funded by dubious sources. So, too, are the subsequent times of esoteric direct-to-video experiments largely comprised of vi...
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Mini-Episode Cut Anime Review
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is a must-see as an upcoming summer release—just wait for the full-length cut.
― Two jaded-looking adults chatting as they smoke caught my attention when I saw the announcement of this anime adaptation. As a working professional, I'm more inclined to watch a slice-of-life anime that features characters around my age group over an action title, especially one th...
Mononoke The Movie: Chapter III – The Curse of the Serpent Anime Film Review
Visually stunning, musically strong, filled with supernatural mystery and action, and continuing to highlight the plight of women in feudal Japanese society, The Curse of the Serpent is a fantastic capstone to the trilogy.
― While each of the previous two Mononoke films is a stand alone story that shares a single location and a few overlapping characters, The Curse of the Serpent is the first of the ...
The Case Book of Arne Anime Series Review
The first episode of this anime is really good at defying expectations. The rest of the series, not so much.
― Let's address the elephant in the room here: the key visual is misleading, as are the plot summaries on Crunchyroll and IMDB. All of The Case Book of Arne revolves around the girl Lynn first and foremost. However, the first episode is anime-exclusive, deviating from the original RPG Maker ga...
The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom Anime Series Review
Tiara has very little agency in her own story. Things happen to her and one of the men in her life step in to rescue her. She is the damsel in distress rather than the hero.
― We've hit the point where, each cour, we get at least one or two villainess anime. However, most of those are either comedy or drama-based or a mixture of both. The vilainess character either tries to change their fate or plays...
Hotel Inhumans Anime Series Review
While I enjoyed my time spent at Hotel Inhumans, it undoubtedly has room for improvement going forward.
― Despite my initial disappointment in discovering that Hotel Inhumans was not, in fact, all about a gang of creepy monster-folks all living together under one roof, I was immediately intrigued with what the show is actually about, which is a series of episodic stories all dealing with various kill...
Zatsu Tabi -That's Journey- Anime Series Review
This is a very useful guide for visiting EVERY prefecture if you’ve got the money, while also emphasizing it's okay to make detours if you miss out on your planned destination.
― If you could go to Japan, where would you want to go? It's a question every anime fan has asked before. Plenty of anime often double as tourism ads for specific prefectures, so it only makes sense that they'd want to visit t...
Creamy Mami: Forever Once More Anime Review
Creamy Mami: Forever Once More gives you enough to understand the new material and is a successful coda.
― If you want to watch Studio Pierrot's original magical girl TV series, you are, as of this writing, largely out of luck. While the series received a crowdfunded DVD release back in the days of Anime Sols and was later streamed on RetroCrush, the DVDs are out of print, and RetroCrush no longer st...
Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider Episodes 15-24 Anime Review
When it comes down to it, the main theme of this anime is the power of love.
― With the back half of Tojima Wants to Be A Kamen Rider, the plot solidifies into one interconnected arc. Bat Man is taking a stab at world domination through the Japanese idol industry. Rather than turning only the strongest into Combatmen, Bat Man has turned every possible Japanese idol into one—and that's only step one o...
Detective Conan: FBI Intervention Anime Series Review
This has certainly been the lowest point of this creative endeavor.
― I knew it was only a matter of time before the series reached this point. Given the unorthodox nature of these episodic releases and the impressive awkwardness of the original Black Organization episodes, I had a feeling TMS would run into this particular problem. It's impressive that it took this long for this issue to surface. Th...
Kunon the Sorcerer Can See Anime Series Review
The greatest (and saddest) irony of Kunon the Sorcerer Can See is that the show itself just isn't very pleasant to look at.
― The greatest (and saddest) irony of Kunon the Sorcerer Can See is that the show itself just isn't very pleasant to look at. While far from an artistic disaster, it is not hard to see the consequences of the obviously limited resources and time that the crew at Platinum Vision ...
I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World TV Special Review
As with the series proper, pause at nearly any point, and the resulting screenshot looks great. It's once the show is in motion that things get dire quickly.
― When last we left off in the TV series proper, Yuuya had defeated his first Vile—Yuti, the divine archer's disciple—and we got a few scenes of in the credits showing what happened next. The first part of this special expands on those epilogue ...
Patlabor EZY: File 1 Anime Film Review
Patlabor EZY makes giant robots as boringly mundane as possible—and therein lies its brilliance.
― Patlabor EZY makes giant robots as boringly mundane as possible—and therein lies its brilliance. This is a world where giant robots are as commonplace as any other piece of large construction equipment. Of course, some use them for crimes (Google “Killdozer” if you want a real-world example), and so the...
The Irregular at Magic High School THE MOVIE - Yotsuba Succession Arc - Anime Film Review
The Irregular at Magic High School THE MOVIE - Yotsuba Succession Arc - serves as the emotional capstone to the story so far. The truth behind Tatsuya and Miyuki's origins is laid bare, as are their feelings for each other.
― *This review contains major spoilers for both the various The Irregular at Magic Highschool TV anime and this film as well. As humans, we love stories about overcoming challenge...
Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express Anime Series Review
This series makes the most of its limited runtime thanks to fantastic dialogue that feels unlike anything you run across in the vast majority of modern anime.
― With 12 episodes running three-and-a-half minutes on average, the entirety of Milky☆Subway can be watched in 44-minutes—48 minutes if you also include the prequel short, Milky☆Highway. Yet, this series makes the most of its limited runtime th...
Star Detective Precure! Episodes 1-12 Anime Review
Star Detective PreCure is a welcome return to form for the franchise.
― It is an absolute delight to have a good season of Pretty Cure again. You and Idol Precure♪,
the previous entry in the franchise, was the weakest season since Tropical-Rouge Precure, and generally failed to live up to its direct predecessors, Soaring Sky! Precure and Wonderful Precure. But Star Detective Precure is a return to fo...
Tales of Wedding Rings II Anime Series Review
The story is as bland and unimaginative as they come, without much of anything to give it any much-needed oomph.
― Pretense is king in the realm of romance—especially harem anime. By Arceus, there must be an excuse, no matter how canned or flimsy, for love interests to, say, share an indirect kiss, fall on top of each other, or for one of them to need to give the other mouth-to-mouth. That's simply h...
Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None Season 1 Anime Series Review
Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None is hampered by its own premise as much as it is helped.
― Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None is far from the first “banished from the heroes' party” fantasy story in recent years. In fact, it hits many of the key tropes of this sub-genre. Orhun is looked down upon by his party members for being weak—yet he's actually both the logistical linchpin and the strongest memb...
Summer Pockets Anime Series Review
For better or for worse, Summer Pockets is a quintessential Key anime.
― If you like your anime despair in “but surrounded by romanceable girls” flavor, there's a pretty good chance that you're already familiar with Key—or at least, familiar with their works, whether it's their visual novel source material or the anime adaptations that several of them have. But if you're not, Key is a visual novel st...
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar Anime Series Review
Dark Moon: the Blood Altar, isn’t necessarily a good show, but it’s definitely a good time.
― It's impressive how much of the Dark Moon franchise has made it into English. Created by HYBE, the Korean boy band ENHYPEN, and the Japanese boy band &Team, the series originated as a Wattpad webnovel and a webtoon simultaneously, and then as an anime – all three of which are available as of this writing. (P...
Daily Life of a Part-time Torturer Anime Series Review
The title does not lie: this really is a torture to watch. Just not in the way you’d think it is.
― The problem with The Daily Life of a Part-Time Torturer is not that it's too dark to be funny. It's just not funny, period. The premise is half-baked, the characters aren't goonish enough, and there's nothing hyperbolic in the situations or the dialogue. The main joke of the show is that it juxtaposes ...
Chitose is in the Ramune Bottle Anime Series Review
As an author, it's only worthwhile inverting reader expectations of your protagonist if you intend to do something truly special with them eventually.
― I've been dreading writing about this series. Initially, I was really hyped for this light novel adaptation, which started airing back in Fall 2025. Several English-speaking friends had raved – repeatedly – to me about how great the translated novels...
Me & Roboco Anime Movie Review
I somewhat appreciate the shameless cribbing of more successful works, but Roboco the manga is more than just riding off the coattails of Gintama.
― For the longest time, Me & Roboco has been described by Jump fans as Shonen Jump's Family Guy. Often going viral for its volume covers lifting directly from other series like Jujutsu Kaisen or My Hero Academia, it's common to perceive it as riding off th...
Iczer Girl Iczelion Anime Review
Schoolgirl Nagisa will be drawn into an intergalactic skirmish and have to find what she really cherishes before she can use the power of Iczelion.
― Iczer Girl Iczelion is a two-episode 1994 OVA in the Iczer franchise, although it occurs in an alternate timeline from Iczer-One, with which it shared direction from Toshihiro Hirano. This OVA is a self-contained story that does not require any knowledg...
Tune In to the Midnight Heart Anime Series Review
For something with “heart” in the title, this anime doesn’t express a whole lot of it.
― Tune in to the Midnight Heart is such a visual disasterpiece that I'm amazed my eyes could get through it all. And I knew what I was in for by the time the second episode rolled through. As if not being cursed with PowerPoint Presentation-styled animation wasn't bad enough, the anime pours more salt in the wound ...
You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! Anime Series Review
I never felt entertained for more than one moment every five episodes, and the gimmick overstays its welcome quickly.
― I love romantic comedies, and I will always jump at the opportunity to watch or review the latest ones each season. Despite that, I was never super fond of the childhood friend trope. While it can sometimes play into speed-running relationship-building between two characters, since ...
Dagger of Kamui Anime Movie Review
From the snow-shrouded mountains to the desert of Western America, from samurai and shinobi to cowboys and Indians, Rintaro’s vision for this classic tale of a half-Ainu boy and a lost pirate treasure is epic.
― It's always interesting to finally see a masterwork by a master craftsman. Most Americans' first encounter with Rintaro was the theatrical release of CLAMP's X. With an uneven translation and...
DIGIMON BEATBREAK Episode 13-24 Anime Series Review
While Beatbreak's early episodes had already shown it to be perfectly capable of operating as a good piece of cyberpunk media, the extent to which this arc successfully tackles all of the heavier themes attached to that elevates it into a great one.
― With its first dozen episodes, Digimon Beatbreak successfully proved to not only be a solid modernization of the Digimon franchise, but also one capabl...
Farming Life in Another World Season 1 Anime Series Review
This is a charming romp, and a mindless one, too.
― Here it is, y'all. Another fresh plate of mindless isekai fluff served al dente. It's got farming. It's got food. It's got Jojo's references. It's got vampires, ogres, and dragons taking on the form of cute anime girls. Cliche? Perhaps. Substantial? Not really. Boring? As a fellow once said, it's all a matter of perspective. You already know the dri...
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Film Review
Watching this movie felt like I was strapped into a Mario-themed roller coaster
― I should probably start with some positives first right? I already praised the first Super Mario Bros. movie for its amazing animation and attention to detail. Super Mario Galaxy somehow ups all of that to such a degree where I can confidently say that this isn't just one of the best looking Illumination movies ever pro...
Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten Season 1 Anime Series Review
The color beige has more flavor and personality than this anime.
― While it's generally a good rule of thumb that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten is the kind of anime where the title pretty much tells you exactly what you're in for: An “I want a maid that works for free, but also, she lets me squish her cheeks, and rest my head on her lap, even though I h...
Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior Anime Series Review
The villainess leanings of the anime’s story make for a charming watch, imperfect as it all is.
― A lot of fantasies and fairy tales treat their villains more as obstacles than real characters. They're generally vile beings whose sole purpose is to cast curses, poison apples, and eventually get thwacked by the good guys. The reverse, I think, is part of the appeal of villainess isekai. We want to see...
Pokémon Horizons Season 3 - Rising Hope Part 2 Anime Series Review
The show is still taking advantage of the timeskip to tell a slightly more mature story; most of the cast is given a lot more depth, the symbolism is stronger, and the animation has greatly improved.
― The status quo has shifted, the villains are in power, and the Rising Volt Tacklers are on the back foot. But now that they're finally back together, it's time to start launching a counterattack or at ...
Demon King's Daughter Is Too Kind!! Anime Series Review
The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!! is, in a word, harmless.
― Whether you find The Demon King's Daughter is Too Kind adorable or irritating is going to come down to your feelings about artificially cute kids. Doux, who appears to be somewhere between three and five years old, is a squeaky-voiced moppet with a tendency to shriek “waiii” at every opportunity. She lisps, she giggles, and she makes ...
Be Forever Yamato: Star Blazers: Rebel 3199 Episodes 15-18 Anime Review
Perhaps I’m at my happiest with “spaceship go shooty blam bang oooh pretty colors."
― Forget my concerns about REBEL 3199's relative lack of action in my review of the preceding four episodes. The first three episodes of this next release quartet (also titled The Incandescent Galactic War) comprise essentially wall-to-wall intense space battleship combat from beginning to end, and for those viewers w...
Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 4 Anime Series Review
This is probably the worst season of this show so far.
― It's very easy to clown on Rent-A-Girlfriend because it does a lot of things wrong as either comedy or drama. It's a story that follows a protagonist who doesn't really have likable qualities, and anytime those likable qualities are showcased, they are either immediately walked back, or they're not strong enough to compensate for the sheer amou...
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 1st STAGE Review
There were a wealth of reasons to go into Steel Ball Run with mitigated expectations, which is why I'm so thrilled to say that this extra-long premiere is incredible by any measure.
― After years of speculation and anticipation, David Production is finally animating STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the seventh part of Hirohiko Araki's long-running manga series and what's generally considered ...
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea Anime Film Review
This film is not centered around Rimuru—and this ingenious choice is why the film works as well as it does.
― My favorite aspect of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime as a series is how much focus it puts on actions having consequences—most notably the unintended variety. Once again, this movie puts this idea front and center. With his immense magic powers and modern-day knowledge, it can be eas...
Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest Anime Series Review
This is another “banished from the party” story that shows off the typical fantasy flair without giving too much thought to its substance.
― The biggest chip this anime has on its shoulder is its style. The Banished Court Magician Aims To Become The Strongest has moments of storytelling and lore that show their potential, had they not been buried underneath the usual bout of standard fantasy anime tr...
BEASTARS Final Season Part 2
While I still appreciate the juicy meal that was BEASTARS, the final bite was far from the most satisfying.
― Just like that, the anime that made a lot of people question whether or not they're actually furries has ended officially. But does it end on a high note? As someone who read and quite enjoyed the manga, it was interesting seeing exactly how things deviated. This is not a one-to-one adaptatio...
The Water Magician Anime Series Review
All in all, The Water Magician is proof that subverting clichés just for the sake of it does not make an entertaining story.
― *Note: This review contains major spoilers for The Water Magician. As someone who has seen more isekai anime than they can count, watching The Water Magician is a uniquely baffling experience. At its most basic, it's built on the premise of an isekai genre-savvy protagonist, ...
Cat's Eye Episode 7-12 Anime Series Review
What we got certainly wasn't bad, but it was also fairly forgettable, and for a new interpretation of an old classic, it's hard to think of a more disappointing outcome than that.
― I walked away from the first half of the Cat's Eye remake feeling mostly unimpressed, as the combination of its bland capers and even blander central romance didn't leave a whole lot to latch onto. To its credit, the seco...
Puniru is a Cute Slime Season 2 Anime Series Review
The show went out on a limb and took a big swing for some heavy subject matter.
― Season one of Puniru is a Kawaii Slime was pretty solid. In a lot of ways, the show felt very nostalgic from its setup, to its comedy, to its animation. Season two continues many of the elements I enjoyed about the show before. The animation is above average with very creative directing. There are throwbacks and referen...
My Awkward Senpai Anime Series Review
This is an adorkable anime in every way.
― My Awkward Senpai is a workplace anime that often denies its romantic comedy flavorings even when they are so obvious and in the audience's faces. I went into this series blind, so naive me expected a more grounded story about the 9-to-5 grind and the relationships that form between senpai and kohai. That proves foolhardy by the end of the first episode. The...
Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter Anime Series Review
There's not much to Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter beyond girls crushing on Allen as he helps them overcome their issues.
― You can't talk about this series without addressing the elephant in the room. Much of this series' drama and humor revolves around our three female magic students and their crush on Allen. Tina, Ellie, and Lynne constantly get jealous of each other and pretty much every ot...
April Showers Bring May Flowers Anime Series Review
With the deliberate pacing of the romance plot, there's plenty of room for character introspection.
― No one in April Showers Bring May Flowers is perfect. That might not sound important, but it truly is, particularly as the series goes on. There's a tendency in this style of high school romance to make a few people seem larger than life, as if their outer beauty reflects an inner saintliness that ma...
There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… ~Next Shine~ Episodes 13-17 Anime Review
Originally, the series was a bit unclear about why Renako was in denial or always quick to run away from the romantic advances of others. This arc makes it explicitly clear that she does not think she is a good person who is deserving of any of that love.
― There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… was an interesting series that mixed funny comedic hijinx with solid character writing. While...
Fureru. Anime Film Review
This is the kind of material that’s bread and butter for screenwriter Mari Okada, who as usual, brings a sharp eye for what makes human beings tick.
― The internet is awash with think-pieces discussing the “male friendship recession.” In our fast-moving, fragmented Western society, where once tightly-knit communities have been replaced by hyper-individualism, and face-to-face communication by digital...
Tougen Anki Episodes 13-24 Anime Series Review
This is hands-down, one of the worst shounen series I think I've ever seen.
― I was very harsh with the first half of this season of Tougen Anki. I thought this show was a by-the-numbers shounen that barely had anything new or inventive to bring to the table. Anything unique it did bring was vastly undercooked to the point where it barely mattered at all in the grand scheme of things. I thought the d...
Scarlet Anime Film Review
Is Scarlet Mamoru Hosoda’s best film? No. But is it an above-average film worth watching? Absolutely.
― It's obvious from nearly the first scene of acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda's newest film that Scarlet draws from the Shakespearean play Hamlet. Character names and basic plot points are ripped straight out of the play—and Scarlet herself is an obvious female proxy to the titular prince. However, ...
Let This Grieving Soul Retire! Season 2 Anime Series Review
There is a single joke at the core of this anime: No matter how far the odds are stacked against him, Krai is always going to win—and it's going to be completely by accident.
― There is a single joke at the core of Let This Grieving Soul Retire!: No matter how far the odds are stacked against him, Krai is always going to win—and it's going to be completely by accident. Now, you might think that knowi...
You and Idol Precure♪ Episodes 37-49 Anime Review
You and Idol Precure♪ has, I have come to realize, one very specific problem: it plants the seeds of meaningful storylines and then doesn’t bother to water them.
― You and Idol Precure♪ has, I have come to realize, one very specific problem: it plants the seeds of meaningful storylines and then doesn't bother to water them. Nowhere is this better seen than in the case of Kaito. Although he's not a ma...
My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha Anime Series Review
This is an anti-hero story so lacking in proper hamminess that there’s hardly a single bit of pork on the bone here.
― There's a part of me that feels there's a much better comedy buried underneath this tale of fantasy melodrama. We have a klutzy warrior girl who doesn't know her own strength and a weird girl who thinks she's a cat. A leading maid's underlings try to trollishly and absurdly seize pow...
Pokémon Horizons: Season 3 - Rising Hope Part 1 Anime Review
Pokémon Horizons does the unthinkable and actually lets the characters age!
― Pokémon Horizons was already doing a lot to break the unspoken rules of the original Pokémon anime. Rising Hope continues that trend by doing the unthinkable and actually integrating a time skip as the catalyst for a new arc. Unlike other anime that might just use a time skip for the sake of changing your character's design...
Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits- Season 2 Anime Review
While the content of this season is a lovely balance of ayakashi lore, peril, and cozy cooking, it doesn't come to anything remotely close to a satisfying conclusion at the end of episode twelve.
― It was a long wait to continue the story of Aoi Tsubaki and her quiet adventures in the Hidden Realm in anime form. (Viz has been releasing the manga right along, although as of this writing the novels rem...
The Camphorwood Custodian Anime Film Review
While there are some minor issues with The Camphorwood Custodian, overall, this is an enjoyable film.
― When I go into films, one of the first things I pay close attention to is the story and narratives presented to me. The reason for this is that, no matter the visuals or camera work, if a story is engaging, other aspects of the story can be forgiven. However, The Camphorwood Custodian forced me to ...
Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe Anime Film Review
If deep character explorations and interpersonal drama are your cup of tea, you'll get your fill. If you're just in it for giant robots fighting each other, you'll get that too.
― Like with the first Hathaway film, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe is a character-driven movie more than a plot-driven one. While the story is step-by-step building towards Mafty's impending attack on the Earth Federation Leader...
Li'l Miss Vampire Can't Suck Right Anime Series Review
There’s a slow-paced, low-stakes, soporific vibe to proceedings that means Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right is best imbibed in small portions to avoid losing consciousness.
― Back in September 2025, when I reviewed the first volume of this anime's source manga, while I wasn't overly enamoured with it, I stated, “I think Li'l Miss Vampire Can't Suck Right is likely to translate well to anime.” Was I...
Record of Ragnarok Season 3 Anime Series Review
In a world where rapid changes are frequent and often unrequested, it can be comforting to have a show that is consistent almost to a fault.
― Record of Ragnarok Season 3 is precisely what it purports to be – no more, no less. Dear reader, I'm not completely sure how to approach this review. In part, that is because this work is exactly what it says on the tin, no surprises and no curveballs. I would...
Detective Conan: Rivals Of The Great Detective Part 2 Anime Series Review
It's this span of episodes that showcases what makes Detective Conan so great.
― Rivals of the Great Detective continues to showcase some of the stronger elements of the Detective Conan franchise. I can continue to question the release order or overall plans for the franchise's global release until the sun explodes, but instead, I'll channel all of that energy into reviewing these batches of episodes...
Cosmic Princess Kaguya! Anime Film Review
What do you get if you smash together The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter with the online-sphere riffs of BELLE and a dash of Revolutionary Girl Utena's sapphic affection?
― What do you get if you smash together The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter with the online-sphere riffs of Belle and a dash of Revolutionary Girl Utena 's sapphic affection? You get a chromatic storm like the fantasy sci-fi musical Cosmic Pri...
Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise Film Review
Zombies battle aliens in the Zombie Land Saga movie, which isn’t as funny as the show but reminds us why Tae Yamada is Legendary.
― The strongest quality of Zombie Land Saga's first two seasons that this movie mostly lacks is the power of surprise. The TV series excelled at taking huge swerves, dishing out the most absurd comedic situations interspersed with unexpected heartwarming moments. The movie...
Love Through a Prism Anime Series Review
For all the brickbats that you could throw at it, Netflix's sumptuous new romance series set in 1910s London is admirably well-made and thoroughly entertaining.
― Love Through a Prism is the lavish new period romance anime series. It's mostly set in England of the 1910s; it's animated primarily by Wit Studio (though with a plethora of collaborating studios in the credits); and it's co-written by Boys...
Inexpressive Kashiwada and Expressive Oota Anime Series Review
I wanted a spin on the usual “opposites attract” story, and that’s exactly what I got. Perhaps I wanted it a little too much.
― I feel like I was the only person on the face of the Earth who was the least bit excited for Inexpressive Kashiwada and Expressive Oota. Why not? I enjoyed the first episode enough, with its solid direction and its spin on the archetypal “opposites attract” premise. He's an ...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – Urðr Hunt Special Edition Anime Film Review
This film is essentially a remastered compilation of several video game cutscenes, and that origin ultimately hampers what could have been an interesting feature film.
― 10 years ago, the director and writer behind anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day took her shot at a Gundam entry with Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. Between Tatsuyuki Nagai's underrated skill as an action director (A Certa...
Alice in Wonderland: Dive in Wonderland Film Review
This modernized film of Alice in Wonderland is pleasant in places, but it's too mediocre to justify a cinema release.
― Maybe you've had the experience of waking in the early morning, turning on the TV, hopping channels, and stumbling on a kids' fantasy cartoon that you've not seen before; not a TV episode but a stand-alone cartoon special or film. Honestly, it's not a great cartoon in terms of its s...
Whoever Steals This Book Anime Film Review
Whoever Steals This Book is, unfortunately, one of those films that is 100% style over substance.
― Whoever Steals This Book is a film filled to the brim with imagination. Mifuyu's adventure takes her into wonderfully realized storybook worlds. There's a Japanese fairy tale filled with surreal visuals, a noir detective story portrayed with a black and white color palette and film grain over the top, ...
A Wild Last Boss Appeared! Anime Series Review
In an anime landscape where video game isekai are standard issue, A Wild Last Boss Appeared! is easily one of the more ambitious—and certainly better animated—such titles.
― We never technically learn the name of the protagonist of A Wild Last Boss Appeared! (henceforth WLB). In fact, we only catch brief glimpses of what he actually looks like. Still, we do learn that he's one of the all-time best pl...
Black Jack - The Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Review
Before Ameku, M.D., before House, there was only one name to call when medicine got weird – the infamous unlicensed surgeon, Black Jack.
― Osamu Tezuka, often called “The God of Manga” (in many cases by himself), has certainly given us many iconic characters—Astro Boy, Sapphire the princess with two hearts, and his epic Phoenix. Among these is the instantly recognizable Black Jack, a man with mismatc...
Shabake Anime Series Review
Shabake may have flown under a few radars as it was airing, but it's a solid show that deserves more attention.
― If you've been watching anime and reading manga for a while, you're probably familiar with the basic ayakashi, or spirits and supernatural beings, that crop up frequently. The kappa, the kitsune, the tanuki, the nopperabo…it'd be easy to assume that these and a few others make up the bulk...
Yano-kun's Ordinary Days Anime Series Review
Every episode is a gift for anxious anime girl reaction face screenshot lovers.
― This delightfully wholesome high school romcom flew under the radar for most anime viewers during the Fall 2025 anime season, and that's a huge shame, as Yano-kun's Ordinary Days is one of the sweetest examples of its genre. Central to the show's charm is the leading lady and audience viewpoint character, Kiyoko Yoshida...
Fate/strange Fake – Episodes 1-4 Review (Special Screening)
As a longtime fan of the Fate franchise in general and Fate/strange Fake in specific, it was everything I hoped for and more.
― The full series of Fate/strange Fake has been a long time coming. Written by Ryohgo Narita of Durarara!! fame, the book series has been ongoing since 2015 with the first novel getting an animated TV special, Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn-, back in 2023. Last year, the ...
Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution Anime Film Review
If you're expecting a coherent re-telling of this arc or a chance to rewatch your favorite action cuts uninterrupted, prepare to be disappointed.
― If you've seen the trailers, you're probably aware this comes packaged with a recap of the entire Shibuya Incident. On paper, this seems like a way to catch up viewers who haven't seen this arc in preparation for the new episodes. Here's the thing: the mo...
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End - Part 1 SE & Part 2 LE Blu-ray + DVD Review
At the end of the day, it’s all about the people we meet along the way...
― Looking back at the brisk autumn nights of 2023, I can't help but remember the visceral initial reaction I had to the first few episodes of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Despite not being much for fantasy, my heart dropped when the titular character realized she'd lost someone dear to her and never once told him how much he ...
Be Forever Yamato: Star Blazers: Rebel 3199 Episodes 11-14 Anime Review
This season of Space Battleship Yamato is one of the timeliest sci-fi anime I’ve ever seen.
― With the fourth REBEL 3199 “movie”, titled “The Aqua Sasha,” we reach the midpoint of this glossy modern retelling of 1980's Space Battleship Yamato movie Be Forever Yamato and TV show The Bolar Wars. Comprising episodes 11-14, these recently appeared on Crunchyroll at some point soon after their October the...
Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull Anime Film Review
This movie just might be the best distillation, the most coherent adaptation of this material, whether it's for the established fans or the anime-only audience learning about it for the first time.
― A series defined by duality, the FUUTO PI anime managed to balance the double tasks of being a sequel story for fans of the original Kamen Rider W tokusatsu series, as well as a series that allowed new v...
Fermat no Ryōri Anime Series Review Season 1 Part 2
Not only does this show address my issue with the lack of mathematics, but it even uses that as a plot point, tying into the larger narrative.
― After watching the first five episodes of this season, my biggest complaint was that Fermat set up a very interesting premise that it wasn't fully utilizing. The show sold itself under the idea of a protagonist who utilized mathematics in the world of cookin...
JUNK WORLD Stop-Motion Movie Review
Certifiably bonkers stop-motion work of cinematic madness.
― Director Takehide Hori is an auteur in every sense of the word – his singular, obsessive vision saw him single-handedly produce the thirty-minute stop-motion short Junk Head 1 back in 2013. So rapturously received was his debut work that he spent seven years expanding it to feature-length format, with the full Junk Head movie seeing interna...
Cat's Eye Episode 1-6 Anime Series Review
While this seems like a relatively functional introduction to Cat's Eye, it's hard not to feel like you might be better served with the 80s anime instead.
― While Shonen Jump is mostly associated here in the west with big action titles like Naruto or Jujutsu Kaisen, the magazine has always had a bit more variety beneath the surface than it's usually given credit for. All sorts of unique series have m...
Grand Blue Dreaming Season Two Anime Series Review
Grand Blue Dreaming is back with a fiery, if not incredibly idiotic, vengeance. And I’m all for it.
― After seven years of being in limbo, Grand Blue Dreaming is back with a vengeance. Its second season is still as dude bro as ever, with its “beer and tits” style of slapstick littering practically every frame. You can almost imagine being in the frat house as you're watching it, with the room reeking...
Detective Conan: Rivals Of The Great Detective Anime Series Review
I'm not sure if this was always the intention or if these episodes were a direct response to the first batch of episodes that TMS put out, but it looks like more episodes of Detective Conan have been adapted that now add some much-needed context.
― Those mad lads did it! I'm not sure if this was always the intention or if these episodes were a direct response to the first batch of episodes that TMS p...
Angel's Egg Anime Film Review
Surreal and beautiful, Mamoru Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano's Angel's Egg anime film remains an enigmatic entry in both creators' careers.
― Mamoru Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano's Angel's Egg remains an enigmatic entry in both creators' careers. Years out from his iconic directorial turn with Ghost in the Shell, Oshii wrote the film's story with Amano before the artist touched Final Fantasy. Just a hair's br...
Edge of Time Anime Film Review
While Edge of Time fails as a cohesive anthology film, that doesn't mean the short films within aren't without promise—well, some of them anyway.
― Edge of Time's greatest flaw becomes more obvious with each minute that passes while watching it. Despite the film's claims to the contrary, this is not a cohesive anthology. Rather, the connections between the four short films are superficial at best—and...
Tougen Anki Episodes 1-12 Anime Series Review
The problem with Tougen Anki is that it presents tropes without showing why they work or why I should care about them.
― There unfortunately comes a certain point where you watch enough media in a specific genre, where it becomes hard to get invested in a show that isn't doing anything more than what is expected. A show could be doing everything “right," like having high production values, great voic...
Cultural Exchange With a Game Centre Girl Anime Series Review
Very few times have I seen an anime where the cuteness felt this forced and contrived.
― By all means, this should have really been my thing. Cute girls doing arcade things? A chillaxed environment where not a thing goes wrong? A lead whose design has shades of Sakura and Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura, albeit color-swapped? All of these screamed “yes” to me. It took me just several episodes in to rea...
Kamitsubaki City Under Construction Anime Series Review
KAMITSUBAKI wears its ambition on its sleeve, and with a clearer vision of what it wanted to accomplish and how it would do that, it could’ve been something really special.
― Kamitsubaki City Under Construction (henceforth Kamitsubaki) is one of the worst types of disappointing anime: the type that gets your hopes up because it actually started out being pretty cool. Kamitsubaki opens up in a city, v...
100 Meters Anime Film Review
There’s a profound sense of weight, of sheer muscle-shredding, teeth-grinding effort during the running scenes.
― “Wow, the main character sure looks like Rafal from Orb: On the Movement of the Earth,” I thought during 100 Meters' opening few minutes, where young protagonist Togashi tutors his classmate Komiya in sprinting. Turns out that the movie, directed by On-Gaku: Our Sound's Kenji Iwaisawa, is...
Dealing with Mikadono Sisters Is a Breeze Anime Series Review
This isn't just a love story, it's also one about family, insecurity, imposter syndrome, and the overall pressures of living up to the expectations forced on you by others.
― Are you looking for an anime about sisterhood to fill the empty hole in your heart that The Quintessential Quintuplets left? Then I might have an anime for you! I'm kidding…mostly, but the idea of a harem show specifically revol...
Labyrinth Anime Film Review
At the end of the screening of Macross' Shoji Kawamori's latest film, with my head in my hands, I sighed to myself, “How in hell’s name am I supposed to review this?"
― Within the first few minutes of director Shoji Kawamori's Labyrinth, protagonist Shiori laments that “without smartphones, humanity would be doomed”. From the events that later transpire, I suspect Kawamori's opinion is quite the oppo...
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince Season 2 Anime Review
I doubt this season of 7th Prince is going to convert people who didn’t care for the first.
― On paper, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability (henceforth 7th Prince) doesn't seem like the type of show that would benefit from having any given season focused on one singular story arc, as opposed to a small handful of shorter ones that last 1–4 episodes...
Isekai Quartet The Movie: Another World Anime Film Review
Isekai Quartet The Movie: Another World is clearly made by a group of people who have an insanely in-depth knowledge of all the series they're combining.
― When it comes down to it, the main selling point of Isekai Quartet as a whole is watching characters from across entirely different series interact—and often in comical ways. Does this film do this as well as the TV series? The answer is a simple ...
The Obsessed Anime Film Review
While not without its issues, The Obsessed is a film well worth watching. It's full of fun, silly, moments and yet manages to delve into true human tragedy as well.
― Giuseppe is a man existing in his own little world where his current obsession overrides everything else. However, that doesn't mean he is selfish or cruel—it's more like a sickness he has no control over. Moreover, his obsessions often...
You and Idol Precure♪ Episodes 25 - 36 Anime Review
You and Idol Precure♪ is struggling to make its two halves merge in what feels like a relevant way. It's like all of the pieces are there, but they've been assembled incorrectly.
― You and Idol Precure♪ is not what I was hoping for, and it pains me to admit this. It is, as has been mentioned, absolutely possible to merge idols and magical girls – it's really a subgenre in its own right. Likewise, the...
Miru: Paths To My Future Anime Series Review
Mostly, MIRU is a fairly disposable anthology, yet it is far better than I expected a corporate advertisement to be.
― Although initially released in Japan in April 2025, this five-episode sci-fi anthology oddity didn't show up to stream worldwide until late September. It allegedly appeared slightly earlier on Samsung's proprietary streaming platform in the US, but as probably only five people watche...
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