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Rising Impact Season 1 Anime Series Review
I walked away from the first half of this series feeling reasonably entertained despite a rough start; it eventually managed to veer into something fun, if a bit uninspired.
― While it can be hard to gauge how well anime generally performs on Netflix, if there's one series that's undoubtedly been a success for them, it's Nakaba Suzuki's The Seven Deadly Sins. So much so that they've been consistently...
The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 3 Anime Series Review
Despite my grievances with how the story is told, I cried like a baby by the end. The Duke of Death and His Maid feels like it can only be described as wholesome edging.
― We have finally approached the end of this journey. When I first watched The Duke of Death and His Maid, I didn't think I would grow as emotionally attached to these characters as I did. What I thought would be a light yet digestib...
Bartender Glass of God Anime Series Review
Like a cocktail, the ingredients are all there, but they've been blended without skill or care, lacking fizz, leaving only a hint of the flavor and kick of the original.
― Despite my intense personal dislike of alcohol (for no profound reason other than it makes me feel ill and I hate the taste), I nonetheless love the original 2006 TV anime adaptation of the Bartender manga. In the same way that Lai...
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Game Review
Trails Through Daybreak is a phenomenal RPG that provides a strong opener for the next era in the series while also serving as an excellent starting point for newcomers.
― The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is a phenomenal RPG that provides a strong opener for the next era in the series while also serving as an excellent starting point for newcomers. The Legend of Heroes series—often simpl...
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Game Review
Elden Ring's DLC dares to ask the question: Can a solid story, an impressively designed, vertical world, and tons of cool new weapons offset the punishing combo of hyper-aggressive enemies and a flawed leveling system?
― I love Elden Ring. Even after years of avoiding the “Soulsborne” games due to constantly hearing about their punishing difficulty, the lure of a world created by George R. R. Martin ...
Twilight Out of Focus Volumes 1-4 Manga Review
Twilight Out of Focus treats difficult subjects with respect and doesn’t lean into melodrama unless its in service of the plot, while the characters read like believable high schoolers, disproportionately confident and squirming with anxiety at the same time.
― Twilight Out of Focus, a mature-rated BL series published by Kodansha, may have first come to the attention of English-language readers when ...
A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics Anime Series Review
Despite refocusing away from overt fantasy trimmings, A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics remains persistently and delightfully bonkers.
― Reverse isekai as a genre hasn't been done to death as definitively as its unreversed sibling. In A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics, the parallel world conceit is primarily employed to provide us with two very different fish-out-of-water characters and mine their odd situations f...
YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master Episodes 1-13 Anime Review
YATAGARASU is a work of art. That's not just a statement on the careful details of the images and animation; it's an overall assessment of how the entire series is put together.
― Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master is a work of art. That's not just a statement on the careful details of the images and animation, although those are beautiful; it's an overall assessment of how the entire s...
As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill Season 1 Anime Series Review
This is a tale full of comedy and heartwarming moments—scenes of triumph and scenes of despair. However, throughout it all is a sense of hope that one good man can bring peace and prosperity to a failing empire.
― The first few episodes of this series follow a simple, predictable pattern. Through chance, Ars discovers a promising talent and tries to recruit them. However, each person has problems or ...
DEMON SLAYER -KIMETSU NO YAIBA- The Stage Part 1 Review
I was originally skeptical at first but it didn’t take long for this production to win me over with its talent, production values and overwhelming charm.
― The more popular something is, the more mediums it is adapted into. Demon Slayer has taken the world by storm and is hands-down one of the most popular shonen series airing right now. Its original manga has sold tremendously well, merchandise is f...
Urusei Yatsura 2024 Anime Series Episodes 37-46 Review
Grab the series by the horns and tune into the crazy adventures of our stubborn cast.
― When it was first announced that there would be a reboot of the Urusei Yatsura series, I was genuinely surprised. The series already has some fairly beloved anime adaptations and original animations. Given the tropes that the original manga spearheaded back in the eighties, I just wasn't sure if there was a place ...
The New Gate Anime Series Review
I love the concept of The New Gate. I also quite enjoy the characters and the story. What I don't enjoy, however, is this particular adaptation—especially when it comes to the animation.
― In concept, The New Gate is just this side of fan fiction. It takes the first arc of Sword Art Online and uses it as a launching pad to tell its own story. Basically, its central question is, "What if Kirito was tr...
Tadaima, Okaeri Anime Series Review
I can't blame anyone who saw "omegaverse" and decided that the show was not for them, but part of the joy of reviewing media is the discovery of a series that defies your expectations.
― There's a good chance that the particular subgenre that Tadaima, Okaeri belongs to has scared a lot of viewers away. The series, based on the manga of the same name by Ichi Ichikawa, is what's known as "omegaverse," ...
Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again Anime Series Review
This series is conceptually very unique, and some might find it worth watching just for that. But its execution still leaves plenty of room for improvement.
― Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again, henceforth referred to as Young Again, has come out at a weird time. On the one hand, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Delicious in Dungeon both feature older protagonists and are both very recent and high...
A Few Moments of Cheers Anime Film Review
Yu and Daisuke are facing what may be the end of their art. This film is about their pain and suffering and the looming decision they face: is it time to finally give up on their art?
― When it comes down to it, A Few Moments of Cheers is a film about the artist's struggle. The film is focused on three artists: Kanata (a 3DCG artist), Yu (a singer), and Daisuke (a painter). Kanata is at the beginning...
Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- Game Review
Successfully balancing fresh and familiar content and expanding on its own story, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- ranks among the all-time best video game remakes I’ve ever played.
― It's hard to overstate just how big a deal the official English language release of Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- (TBGM) is. Until very recently, English-speaking fans of Type-Moon—the creators of Tsukihi...
Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era Anime Film Review
The more you know about the real-world events the film adapts, the better it gets. And frankly, I've had as much fun researching what really happened as I did watching the film.
― *Note: This review contains moderate spoilers for Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era. The basic concept of Uma Musume is that "horse girls" are reincarnations of racehorses from our world who find themselves wi...
My Name Is Shingo Perfect Edition Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
This science fiction horror story from the early days of computers and robotics is fascinating, even as it takes its time getting to where it's going.
― If you're only familiar with Kazuo Umezz's previously released titles from Viz's current Perfect Edition run, My Name is Shingo may surprise you. That's not because it's more science fiction than horror or features a central romance, but because this...
Who Made Me a Princess Volumes 1-3 Manhwa Review
Gorgeous art and an interesting mix of subgenres make this manhwa a must-read.
― In The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, heroine Ailette's greatest desire is to be reborn into what she calls a “child-raising romantasy,” a subgenre of isekai where the heroine, an ordinary woman in her previous life, ends up starting from babyhood as the pampered princess of a powerful ruler. She doesn't mention that...
Let's Do It Already! Volume 1 Manga Review
Let's Do It Already's first volume is frothy, but this still reads like a fluffy shoujo romance. It's less of a sexy comedy than its copy implies, but it's still a fun read if you're a genre fan.
― Ah, high school love – when some teens begin navigating the waters of relationships and their physical components, eager to learn what their bodies can do and do it with the people they're crushing on. The...
A Ballad of Sword and Wine Danmei Novel Review
This pitch-perfect enemies-to-lovers novel might be too dense for those new to the genre.
― If you're a BL fan who hasn't discovered danmei (Chinese homoerotic romance novels), now is a great time to jump on the bandwagon – just maybe not with A Ballad of Sword and Wine as your first title. It's a good book and will improve even more as the story continues. Rather it's that this is the densest danmei...
This Monster Wants to Eat Me Volume 1 Manga Review
Is Shiori a friend, foe, love interest, or some combination of all three? With the sexual meaning of “eat” also present in the text, it's hard to know.
― Yuri mermaid horror. That's not word salad, it's the genre identifiers for Sai Naekawa's manga This Monster Wants to Eat Me, a dark literary folktale about a high school girl and the mermaid who's protecting her until she reaches the perfect stage o...
Sherlock Hound Anime Series Review
Whether or not the many adventures Sherlock Hound goes on in this series are new takes on old classics or completely new adventures, they're wacky and enjoyable if a bit formulaic and repetitive, all the same.
― Although the English title of this Japanese-Italian anime is Sherlock Hound and characters in the English dub refer to the titular detective as "Sherlock Hound," no other version of this anim...
Ultraman: Rising Anime Movie Review
Visually, the movie looks pretty solid as it takes some strong cues from the Spiderverse films with some stylistic flourishes. The iconic transformation is one of the coolest shots of the whole film.
― So some full disclosure here: I'm not exactly what one would call a tokusatsu expert. In general, my experience doesn't extend too far beyond watching early seasons of Power Rangers as a kid and watchi...
The Horizon Volumes 1-3 Manhwa Review
There's a sincerity about the story that goes a long way toward making this readable and engaging, even if dark dystopias aren't your preferred genre.
― It's not hard to see why JH's three-volume manhwa The Horizon has been nominated for an Eisner Award. Something about the series screams “critical darling” in that most literary ways – everything about its bleakness, its metaphors, and its late-break...
River's Edge Manga Review
For most of us who have lived through high school, the idea that it's "the best time of our lives" is a lie perpetuated by people who have forgotten high school.
― For most of us who have lived through high school, the idea that it's "the best time of our lives" is a lie perpetuated by people who have forgotten high school. Kyoko Okazaki's bleak single-volume story River's Edge is not interested in g...
The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses Season 1 Anime Series Review
The first few episodes are so boring and uninspired that I can't recommend the anime. However, the back half is good enough that I am actually looking forward to the second season.
― When something is called a "mixed bag," the image conjured up is one of the numerous good and bad aspects, all combined at random. While that phrase could technically be used to describe The Café Terrace and Its Goddesse...
Baki Hanma vs. Kengan Ashura Anime Special Review
This is the strongest Kengan Ashura episode and one of the weakest Baki episodes.
― This is the strongest Kengan Ashura episode and one of the weakest Baki episodes. While the interesting match-ups and novel character dynamics elevate Kengan, the lackluster fights and uninspired art and animation bring down the Baki half of this crossover. Still, more Baki is welcome, with there being no confirmation...
Samurai Warriors 4 DX Game Review
These games front-load the fun and give the player a type of spectacle and power fantasy that can only really be found within this series.
― Samurai Warriors 4 DX is a great Warriors title through and through, and a surprise port dropped out of the blue for us to enjoy. Like hot-blooded warlords mustering armies in past eras, even the mere mention of the Warriors games gets people gathering into warr...
Kengan Ashura Season 2 Part 1 Anime Series Review
This is not an anime for people who like martial arts or combat sports; this is an anime for people who like Dana White's Power Slap and enjoy seeing people inflict novel harm on each other.
― I finally cracked the code on Kengan Ashura after watching the twelve episodes that make up the first half of its second season. While it likes to style itself as a martial arts series that elevates various fig...
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Game Review
While people understandably don't want to encourage Atlus to keep trying for two bites at the apple, this one is worth it.
― There's no ignoring the Grimalka in the room with this one: Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is an Atlus Remake. And with the original Shin Megami Tensei V only being three years old, folks have plenty of trepidation towards Vengeance. The good news is that if you haven't played...
Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture - Part 2 Anime Film Review
If the first part of Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture was bringing the story back to its roots, this second part is all about reminding us what sprang from those roots.
― If the first part of Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture was bringing the story back to its roots, this second part reminds us what sprang from those roots. Lelouch inadvertently and intentionally changed the world, and many things c...
Look Back Anime Film Review
Even if some small details are still missing, when finished, Look Back should, without a doubt, be acclaimed by most people.
― Creating a manga is like creating a TV series: every week, readers wait for a new chapter to be published in their favorite magazine, and then they can also buy a full "season" when a compiled volume is published. Tatsuki Fujimoto is very familiar with this process as he seri...
Synduality: Noir Season 2 Anime Series Review
Synduality: Noir perhaps ends up better than other video game tie-in series, but in the larger mecha genre, it's still an also-ran.
― This second cour started as a big fat question mark. While the first half of Synduality: Noir had occasional drama, most of its runtime was all about chilling with its extended cast as they got into cool robot fights. While that lent the show a lot of charm, it meant t...
Kengan Ashura Season 1 Part 2 Anime Series Review
Unfortunately, Kengan Ashura isn't dumb fun often enough to be enjoyable, and its politics make it a slog to get through.
― The back half of season one of Kengan Ashura — confusingly labeled "Part II" on Netflix and with episode numbers that reset to 1 through 12 — is better than the first part of the season. Unfortunately, that isn't saying much, as this martial arts anime opens with an incredibly w...
Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf Anime Series Review
The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie.
― The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie. This track as this anime is an adaptation of the quietly seminal Garōden martial arts novels written by Baku Yumemakura, the first of which premiered in 1985. If you like shows ...
Mysterious Disappearances Volume 1 Manga Review
Mysterious Disappearances' first volume probably won't blow you away. But how it plays with urban legend and classic Japanese literature hopefully hints at more interesting usages to come.
― What does the original manga version of Mysterious Disappearances offer that the anime does not? Nipples. Specifically, Sumireko's nipples, in both adult and child forms. (Notably, in her youngest form, they're l...
A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Season 1 Anime Review
On the surface, there's nothing remarkable about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special, but somehow, the execution manages to rise above all its basic tropes and clichés.
― Writing off A Returner's Magic Should Be Special would be very easy. On the surface, there's nothing remarkable about it: a standard magic academy, a basic time loop story, and characters whose names are way too on the mark. But so...
T・P BON Season 1 Anime Series Review
T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime.
― I adore classic sci-fi, especially when it involves time travel and grand adventure. T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime. Based on a 1978-1986 manga by Doraemon co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio, this ultra-shiny modern adaptation from studio BONES and director M...
Kengan Ashura Season 1 Part 1 Anime Series Review
I can't recommend the series, nor think that any hypothetical viewer would enjoy it, but it is the kind of trash TV that's rewarding to dissect.
― Have you ever wondered what Baki would be like if it had a conservative bent instead of queer undertones? Well, look no further because the answer is Kengan Ashura! While Kengan is trying to convey the same spectacle and white-knuckle action of the long-ru...
My Picture Diary Manga Review
In the Eisner-nominated work, Maki Fujiwara chronicles her daily life with her husband, lionized mangaka Yoshiharu Tsuge. Though deceptively simple at first glance, a foundation of abuse is slowly revealed.
― At first blush, Maki Fujiwara's My Picture Diary does what it says on the tin. It tells the story of her daily life as a housewife and mother, spending time with her daily activities, noting the...
Genesis Climber Mospeada Streaming Anime Review
Mospeada is a work very much of its time, riffing on ideas and tropes that were all the rage when it was made, and doesn't do anything exceptional with them.
― It can be easy for even longtime fans to forget that alongside Macross, there were two other 80's sci-fi anime that got Frankenstein-ed into what we'd eventually call Robotech. While this isn't the first time one of those series has made it to...
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Video Game Review
Here we have a from-the-ground-up remake, but does this beloved classic still hold up in a modern sense, or is that praise just nostalgia talking?
― It's nice when Nintendo surprises us with a remaster or re-release of one of their more difficult-to-obtain games. The original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the Nintendo GameCube is a classic for many. However, since the game was never re-rele...
Cupid Parasite: Sweet & Spicy Darling Video Game Review
With seven full routes and one mini-route with a character from the previous game, if you enjoyed Cupid Paradise, Sweet & Spicy Darling is worth playing.
― The first order of business is this: if you haven't played the original Cupid Parasite otome game, there isn't much point in picking up Sweet & Spicy Darling. There is one new route for this sequel, but even that relies on you knowing the backgrou...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Astrea Record Novel One Review
When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad.
― When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad. That's assuming, of course, that you weren't prepared for it going in. The fate of Astrea Familia is well-known to readers and viewers (and players) of the various Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon iterations, and the most recent season of ...
Fairy Princess Minky Momo Episodes 31-46 Anime Series Review
This is where the series earns its place in anime history, setting a precedent that other magical girl shows will follow.
― It's a moment of magical girl history, right there on the screen: in episode forty-six of Fairy Princess Minky Momo's original 1982-83 television series, Momo is hit by a truck and dies. Even putting aside the question of whether or not this is Truck-kun's first victim, this is ...
Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Part 2 Anime Film Review
This is a movie I never want to watch again. However, this is not because it's bad. Rather, it's a testament to just how incredible this film is.
― Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Part 2 is a film I never want to watch again. However, this is not because it's bad. Rather, it's a testament to just how incredible this film is. The film is full of well-developed and memorable characters—especiall...
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle Anime Film Review
If you're a Haikyu!! fanatic, or if you can overcome this background knowledge hurdle, you're in for a pretty good time and some of the best editing to come from an anime in recent memory.
― To begin, I should note that this film is a continuation of the Haikyu!! anime and a canon adaptation of the manga. As such, if you're not caught up on the anime or at least generally aware of the franchise and i...
i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!- Anime Film Review
i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!- is a movie best described as having big Saturday morning cartoon energy when it comes to its catchy high notes and off-key attempt at deeper storytelling.
― Admittedly, when I walked into Anime Central to review i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!-, I envisioned the film as the typical fare of idol dancing via 3D models in dizzyingly pastel-rich environments with little to ...
My Oni Girl Anime Film Review
Narrative dissonance aside, the heart of My Oni Girl still shines through its jumbled ending: that folks should speak their minds even when it hurts.
― Upon first glance, My Oni Girl has all the hallmarks of a Studio Ghibli-inspired romp. You've got a globe-trodding adventure with odd-couple protagonists, a myriad of wonderfully drawn vistas, titular mouthwatering glamour shots of Japanese delicacies...
The Unimplemented Overlords Have Joined the Party! Novel 1 Review
The book feels like a deliberate combo of SAO, Log Horizon, and Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town, and that works better than you might expect.
― If this story feels familiar, that's on purpose. In their afterword, author Nagawasabi64 says that they've noticed that the "trapped in a VRMMORPG" genre made popular by SAO has fallen out of favor, which made them want to ...
Bloody Sweet Volumes 1-2 Manhwa Review
This is a good series to check out if you like more bite with your vampire romances.
― Going into Bloody Sweet, I expected to find a fluffy rom-com about a girl and the vampire she accidentally gets attached to. Instead, I found a story about a bullied high school girl whose bullies are smart enough to evade all of the checks and balances the school has put in place. When Naerim accidentally awakens ...
I Want You to Make Me Beautiful! – The Complete Manga Collection Review
The benefit of being committed to such a simple setup is that the story knows exactly what it needs to do to invoke the maximum emotional response for this type of story.
― I Want You To Make Me Beautiful is a simple story that does everything it sets out to do. At its heart, it's a straightforward story about moving on from the pain of a bad breakup and reinventing yourself into something better. Th...
Street Fighter Masters Volume 1: Fight to Win Graphic Novel Review
Honestly, you're getting a solid collection of character art with some disposable comic stories where you might get to enjoy some out-of-context obscure CAPCOM cameos.
― As a lifelong fan of Street Fighter, it's easy to get excited about the potential of seeing my favorite fighters doing stuff in different mediums. The flip side is that Udon Entertainment's hold on the comic treatment of the characte...
Pokémon Horizons Episodes 13-23 Anime Series Review
Pokémon Horizons continues to display some of the best the franchise offers with great character work, creative setpieces, surprisingly strong direction, and a focus on a plot that continues to feel engaging.
― Pokémon Horizons felt like a breath of fresh air as a new mainline Pokémon series. With a more timid and empathic main character and a stronger emphasis on the adventuring aspect of being a Po...
You and I Are Polar Opposites Volume 1 Manga Review
You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable.
― You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable. You and I Are Polar Opposites is based on the tried-and-true formula of a thousand romantic comedies: Suzuki is a popular girl, and Tani is the class nerd. She's bright and perky,...
Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way With You Volume 1 Manga Review
This steamy manga's appeal is going to depend on how much you can stomach a female protagonist who kicks off the romance by assaulting her former fiance.
― This is a tricky one. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way with You is, to all appearances, a story that opens with a sexual assault. Agnès has been betrothed to Crown Prince Lucilleur since childhood, and she's been in love with him just as...
Healer for the Shadow Hero Volume 1 Manga Review
Healer Nanna's powers have one very unique caveat: she has to have sex with the person to heal them. See why Rebecca Silverman calls it "a cute story, decently racy, and generally good, fluffy fun."
― One of the fun things about Seven Seas' Steamship line of racy manga aimed at a female audience is finding which romance tropes are prevalent in any given release. While every genre has its tropes and s...
The Dangerous Convenience Store Manhwa Volume 1 Review
The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well.
― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
Made in Abyss Volumes 11-12 Manga Review
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.
― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
Slam Dunk Anime Episodes 61-101
As Slam Dunk reached its final stretch, I can see why this series is considered the sports classic that it is today.
― This is the largest batch of Slam Dunk episodes that I've reviewed thus far. Originally, I wanted to review the show in more even seasons, but given its overall pacing and release, it wasn't easy to find a moment where it felt right to stop and start again. However, as we approached ...
Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture - Part 1 Anime Film Review
Making a sequel to Code Geass is a daunting task. But with its fantastic main character and a story that doesn't undercut what came before, Rozé of the Recapture is on the right track.
― Making a sequel to Code Geass—especially one set close to the end of the series—is a daunting task. Any story that involves an ongoing war massively undercuts both the finale of the original anime and the sacrifices ...
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! Anime Series Review
If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.”
― If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.” Shiki and Fuyuki's interactions are a mixture of playful (and sometimes sexual) teasing and heartfelt feelings as the two come to value each other. They have real chemistry—and that drives the anime stra...
trapezium Anime Film Review
Based on the novel by former Nogizaka46 member Kazumi Takayama, trapezium asks its audience to follow one girl who will use anything, and anyone, to achieve her dream.
― Trapezium is a strange movie, to say the least. On the surface, it's a rather simple movie that explores youth, their dreams, and the lengths they'll go to achieve those dreams. It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in the veneer of the...
Nude Model: Tsubasa Yamaguchi Short Stories Manga Review
Each story is like a dark portal into a realm of human sexuality that society usually sweeps under the rug, but I can't look away.
― Nude Model delivers on the promise of its lurid title. This manga, consisting of three equally intense short stories, is charged with eroticism and danger, with epiphanies lurking around every corner. Created by Tsubasa Yamaguchi, Nude Model is nothing like her most wel...
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Video Game Review
I cannot imagine how Square Enix could top themselves after this.
― Final Fantasy VII Rebirth initially launched on the last day of February, and if you look at the date of this review's publication, you will immediately be able to discern one thing about this second entry of the FF7 Remake series: It is gargantuan. The first game got plenty of praise (and plenty of flak) for taking the relatively sh...
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster Video Game Review
With a new Nintendo Switch port available, even more gamers can experience Enoch's transcendental adventure across the world. How does it fare on Nintendo's portable device?
― El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was a curious game when it released in 2011. The world wasn't quite ready for it then, but time (and a PC port) helped people accept it. With a new Nintendo Switch port available, even more...
Shaman King Flowers Anime Series Review
Ultimately, my biggest problem with Shaman King Flowers is that it mostly just feels like a set-up to a much larger story that has yet to actually happen.
― [Warning, this review will contain major spoilers for the ending of Shaman King (2021)] If there's one thing that can be counted on with battle shonen properties, it's that any of them that go on long enough will inevitably get some sequel series...
The Grimm Variations Anime Series Review
The Grimm Variations is one of those shows that tries. It almost tries too hard, and the result is that some of the tales are beyond recognition, while others play it too safe.
― At the end of The Grimm Variations, Charlotte, the real-life younger sister of the Brothers Grimm (who were, in fact, only two of many Grimm brothers), remarks that she would like to see fairy tales where the protagonists ar...
BLUELOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- Anime Film Review
Makes Nagi an even more interesting and nuanced character, but the last 10 minutes almost upends the film's otherwise interesting plot.
― BLUELOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- is a retelling of the early events of BLUELOCK through the eyes of Nagi and Mikage. However, that's not to say this is a recap or compilation film. Rather, a good 70% of the film is newly animated footage as the story follows their...
SAND LAND Video Game Review
SAND LAND is a curious game that combines an eclectic set of gameplay features into a well-realized package that, despite its flaws, is perfectly solid and more than the sum of its parts.
― SAND LAND is a curious game that combines an eclectic set of gameplay features into a well-realized package that, despite its flaws, is perfectly solid and more than the sum of its parts. Going into this one, all ...
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar Volumes 1-2 Manhwa Review
Some books are good. Some books read like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but you can't stop reading and enjoying them. Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is one of those.
― Some books are good. Some books are not and read sort of like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but even though you recognize that they aren't objectively filled with literary merit, you can't stop rea...
Wonderful Precure! Episodes 1-12 Anime Review
You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. Wonderful Precure! could move too slowly for some viewers. But these episodes are full of unmitigated joy.
― You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. While there are distinct similarities between all iterations of the long-running Magical Girl franchise, recent years have done their best to maintain the...
Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Part 1 Anime Film Review
Part District 9 meets O Maidens in Your Savage Season, part grimdark deconstruction of Doraemon.
― Many anime films are adapted from manga and Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is no exception. Usually, a film will cover a single arc of the greater plot—giving the story on screen a solid beginning, middle, and end. However, this is not the case with the first Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destructi...
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Game Review
People might think of this game as a celebration of the energy and experimentation of RPGs past, a tribute to a time when archetypes and genre conventions hadn't yet calcified and anything was fair game. And for once, they'd be right.
― There's a point that Lady Perielle returns to often when people ask her why Nowa, a young warrior from a small village, is the leader of the resistance front against ...
Classroom of the Elite Season 3 Anime Series Review
However, for all the good to be found in the season, there is a notable flaw: its pacing.
― On most levels, Classroom of the Elite Season 3 falls into the category of being "more of the same." After all, the usual story pattern remains intact: Some new threat comes for Ayanakoji's class, and he pulls strings from behind the scenes, eventually coming out on top. That said, this season does its best to...
Ragna Crimson Manga Volume 11 Review
Ragna Crimson volume 11 effectively ends the first major arc of the manga and encapsulates all of the strengths and struggles of what has come thus far.
― Ragna Crimson Volume 11 effectively ends the first major arc of the manga and encapsulates the strengths and struggles of what has come thus far. The volume is essentially broken into three pieces: the battle, a flashback with Ultimatia and Wolteka...
Kurayukaba and Kuramerukagari Anime Movies Review
These tenously-linked films sport impressive world-building and mechanical designs but suffer from undercooked plots.
― Streaming worldwide on Crunchyroll on the day of their Japanese theatrical release, does the distribution pattern of these one-hour-long thematically-linked movies mark a new strategy for the Sony-owned service? I can't see anything similar happening with massive properties like Dem...
SPY×FAMILY Code: White Anime Film Review
The anime dub premieres tonight in Los Angeles, but is the Spy x Family film a must-see or an easy skip?
― Let's start this review with a bit of a litmus test to see whether you'll enjoy this film or not. Does the idea of an extended sequence about a little girl trying desperately not to poop—to the point where she starts having surreal hallucinations—sound like the height of comedy? If yes, you've f...
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Volume 1 Manhwa Review
This is for the ones who knew the Red Wedding was coming, gleefully chuckled when the film Bridge to Terabithia grossly misled parents, and always read the book before seeing the movie.
― This one's for the smug readers, the ones who knew the Red Wedding was coming, who gleefully chuckled when the film for Bridge to Terabithia grossly misled parents as to what it was about, and who always read the bo...
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons Graphic Novel Review
It's kaiju and pirates in this ahistorical take on the dragons found on old treasure maps—but it doesn't quite deliver on its fantastic elevator pitch.
― The elevator pitch for Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is fantastic—a voyage of Sir Francis Drake to find the Dead Bishop's treasure, only to find forbidden seas filled with the kaiju of the Godzilla franchise, presented as a pirate's tall tale by a...
Canine Detective Chris: The Shiba Inu Detective Tracks Down the Stolen Jewels! Novel Review
Canine Detective Chris, one of the four launch titles for Yen Press' middle-grade light novel imprint, digs into several of the trends in middle-grade mystery that make it so appealing, chief among them the intelligent animal of its title.
― Mystery is one of the staples of middle-grade fiction, alongside fantasy and school stories. From The Westing Game and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. F...
Banished from the Hero's Party Season 2 Anime Series Review
A new, compelling villain and a pleasant romantic backdrop makes for a deeply satisfying show.
― Despite the off-putting, typical-for-light-novels word salad of its full 15-word title, the first season of Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside was one of my highlights of the Fall 2021 season. For one, it wasn't an isekai, and it mixed low-stakes slice-of-lif...
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage Anime Series Review
As before, Second Stage's biggest strength is in its complex, nuanced character development and dynamics.
― I was a little surprised when Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage failed to win enough ANN reader votes for weekly streaming reviews of its second season, as I'd been under the impression the first season was pretty popular. I guess I was wrong. To several of my internet buddies, each succ...
Ya Boy Kongming! Road to Summer Sonia Anime Film Review
Some of the best-looking musical sequences are so heavily improved upon their original versions that they alone justify watching this film, even if you know the original by heart.
― Compilation films are such a weird thing in anime, are they not? We accept their existence because there are a million of them. If American TV shows started cutting up full seasons into 2 hours and throwing five minutes o...
High Card Season 2 Anime Series Review
High Card is a show that seems to live by the rule of cool, but the problem is that the lore of High Card isn't always that interesting at best and downright perplexing at worst.
― The first half of High Card had an issue with establishing an identity. My biggest problem with the first handful of episodes was that it felt like the show couldn't decide what kind of story it wanted to tell. Did it want...
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp Anime Series Review
In many ways, watching this show is at least mildly annoying.
― In case you missed it, Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp is making a very real attempt to align its heroine with real-life nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale. Her last name, Clorence, is meant to rhyme with "Florence" (and the manhwa translation spells it "Clarence," so the subtitles are trying to play this link up), her count...
Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Anime Series Review
Unfairly overshadowed during the Winter 2024 season by heavyweight titles The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash is a surprisingly high-quality fantasy.
― Unfairly overshadowed during the Winter 2024 season by heavyweight titles Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash is a surprisingly high-quality fantasy anime from Studio Massket – it's their...
Sasaki and Peeps Season One Anime Series Review
In its animated incarnation, Sasaki and Peeps is Overstuffed Smörgåsbord – The Anime.
― Sasaki and Peeps surely represent the end stage of the Japanese light novel explosion. We've run out of endlessly iterative and overcomplicated isekai power fantasy concepts, flashy and violent psychic battling's getting old, and magical girls have been deconstructed over and over until there's nothing left but ru...
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! Anime Series Review
It could look better, but don't let that stop you from watching this kind, mature romance.
― Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!: it's like My New Boss is Goofy, but actually gay. It would be easy to glibly write this series off that way, and there are distinct similarities between the two, not the least of which is that both series explore the bonds between men who work a...
Tis Time for "Torture," Princess Anime Series Review
Despite its best efforts, Torture Princess' humor is mostly one-note and has little to leave audiences wanting more.
― The more jaded fans among us would be forgiven for fearing the worst for this anime that prominently features the loaded word “torture” in its title. After all, the series composer is Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, the same screenwriter who composed such infamous anime adaptations as Redo of Hea...
The Demon Prince of Momochi House Anime Series Review
The Demon Prince of Momochi House absolutely could have been more than this and I'm sorry it isn't, but to damn it with faint praise, “mediocre” is at least better than “bad.”
― It's difficult not to watch The Demon Prince of Momochi House and compare it to Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. That's not because they're similar stories – apart from falling under the shoujo demographic and fan...
Tales of Wedding Rings Episodes 1-12 Streaming Anime Review
What you're left with is a dull fantasy with stock, underdeveloped characters with uninteresting relationships that never look as good as they insist they should.
― The isekai subgenre is no stranger to harems. These days, it seems like every Tom, Dick, or Harry who gets transported to a fantasy world is instantly gifted with a gaggle of giggling girls glomming over his gormless gonads. Tales of Wedd...
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid Anime Film Review
The second part of a double-feature currently in U.S. theaters, when Sakuta finds he's become invisible, he'll have to face some significant changes in his life to create the future he wants.
― As an overarching story, The Rascal Does Not Dream series hit its central climax in the 2019 film Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl. The previous film to this one, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Vent...
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out Anime Film Review
In theaters as a double-feature, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out changes up the formula for a unique yet satisfying film.
― As a fan of the previous Rascal Does Not Dream anime, this film is not at all what I expected. Up until this point, the series has followed a set pattern. Our protagonist Sakuta becomes involved with a young woman who is dealing with some aspect of growing up—be ...
Rooming With My Two Lovers Volume 1 Manga Review
Rooming With My Two Lovers does something that I wish a lot more BL stories would do: the characters sit down and have a proper conversation like adults.
― Rooming With My Two Lovers is a series that I wouldn't say I liked when it started. In many ways, it falls into the typical conventional trappings you'd see in most other adult BL stories. There is this emphasis on teasing and gaslighting in a way...
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