Funny thing. This episode of Kai to Otome to Kamikakushi reminded me of Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge. And the funny part is, I don’t remember ever saying that about another anime. Like, not once (though maybe I have and forgot). Crime Edge is such a deeply weird series that – while it does have a lot of old Gainax aura (and Gainax staff) in itself, there’s just not much that’s anything remotely like it. Crime Edge was a series that was broadly disliked but which I loved, so coming from me this is a compliment. I don’t find Mysterious Disappearances to be on the same level, but it’s certainly ..read more

As someone who’s pretty geeky about spirits, I’m enjoying Bartender quite a lot. The question for me is whether there’s enough to justify covering it. We’re basically looking at a series about mixing cocktails here. There’s some personal drama and a hint of comedy in the shaker too, but really, this show is the art and science of being a bartender. That’s interesting, but I’m on the fence about whether I can write enough about it every week to have it on the schedule. This is a season that’s mostly bubble to begin with, so those decisions get a bit tougher. You can never go wrong adding Uch ..read more

Thank you once again to Nicc for commissioning this piece. Writing about the life and work of a legend like Toriyama Akira just after his untimely passing seems like the most natural thing in the world.  Why wouldn’t someone like me do that?  But here’s the thing: I don’t know Toriyama’s work very well.  I tried to get into Dragon Ball, and it never grabbed me.  I’ve never even waded into any of his other works (though I will check out the new Sand Land anime at some point).  So in truth, I’m pretty ill-suited to tackle this job. But then, there are things I do know ..read more

One thing about Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid – it doesn’t have a lot of peaks and valleys. There are exceptional episodes and some arcs are better than others, but in the main this series is extremely consistent. It does what it does with minimal fanfare (the budget makes sure of that), and makes the most out of every moment. That contributes to its generally unappreciated nature, I think. But that nature is also why it’s something of a miracle it’s getting three seasons, which makes it seem ungrateful to complain about the CGI and the episode count being just a bit short of what it ideal ..read more

Going by the season preview – lots of series with very few sure things – Spring 2024 figured to be very crowded around the middle of the pack. Bubble territory. I wouldn’t say The Fable was one I had ticketed for that, but it was far from a lock just the same. The premiere more or less set the stage for that – it was pretty good without making much of an impression. But it also played as if it were strictly setting the table, with the dining experience not beginning into the story’s arrival in Osaka. Like most of the season’s shows in this tier, The Fable’s second episode was a step up from ..read more

The trend with this season’s early bubble candidates has been a positive one. Second episodes (Astro Note and Bartender for example) have tended to be better than their premieres. That certainly applies to Tonari no Youkai-san, which I probably liked the best of those three to begin with. The mythology was expanded nicely, and there was more tonal diversity than in the mostly sweet first episode. I don’t think this is going full despair, but you definitely saw that little hint of a darker side grow into full-on expectation. It didn’t click with me until the character Betobeto-san popped up ..read more

Never has a series been more aptly-named when you’re in my line of work. Trying to spot the next kaijuu animanga franchise is an ongoing enterprise for me. And one certainly doesn’t have to squint too hard to see Kaiju No. 8 as filling the bill. There’s no doubt whatsoever that this anime is going to be huge, because the manga already is. The only question is how huge. Will it be another Tokyo Revengers or Blue Lock (I think JJK/KnY levels are probably unrealistic), or “just” a big commercial hit? Oft-times with this monsters my instant take is puzzlement as to what the fuss is all about. I ..read more

OP: “poi” by Saucy Dog If I had to pick the most underrated studio in anime, I’m pretty sure it would be Pierrot. The general attitude towards them seems to range from ignored to derided. But Pierrot has had more series in my yearly Top 10 lists than any other studio, and there’s a reason for that. When Pierrot adapts, they usually get the most important stuff right. Their adaptations are faithful in tone and substance, even if not generally lavish in terms of production values. And they tend to wind up on considerably better than average projects too. That’s not surprising, as I t ..read more

OP: “Kyoshinsha no Parade -The Parade of Battlers-” by -otoha- One episode in, and I can say that Kuroshitsuji slips into this setting as comfortably as if it were the finest Saville Row bespoke suit. The fit, in other words, is perfect. Context is everything, and while the “Hogwarts Arc” trend is problematic, Black Butler is a series that was born to do it. It makes perfect sense from a plot standpoint – no illogical contortions are needed to get here. And equally as important, aesthetically speaking it just couldn’t be more seamless. Toboso Yana could write this in her sleep (tho ..read more

Looking back on the premiere of Astro Note, I would say it was more interesting than actually good. I mean it wasn’t awful or anything, but the humor was kind of spotty and the obvious tack it was sailing on seemed a little forced.  Well, this second episode was clearly better in my book  – and not just a little better, a lot.  There were a number of reasons for that but they add up to a marked improvement, which is what really counts. One of the first things that appealed to me here was that Astro Note overtly acknowledged the Maison Ikkoku connection, which somehow makes a ..read more