Author Archives: bateszi

About bateszi

A huge bloody nerd. I apologise in advance. I live in Cambridge, England. That's not an excuse, by the way.

A missed opportunity: Jormungand

Posted on May 11, 2012 by bateszi

I really wanted to like Jormungand. It’s a series about illegal arms dealers and child soldiers, which is not exactly typical fare for anime and sounds interesting. Comparisons to 2006′s fantastic Black Lagoon abound, then, but after 3 episodes, I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Being swept away

Posted on April 14, 2012 by bateszi

I have many a faint and fond memory of Eureka Seven, but wasn’t sure how to feel about news of its sequel. It ended with a quite profound sense of finality, after all. Everything that needed to be said, was, … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Sexuality in anime: Mine Fujiko and Faye Valentine

Posted on April 7, 2012 by bateszi

Like any potentially great anime, the new Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna has given us much to talk about already. It’s a beautifully animated, adult series the like of which we haven’t seen in TV anime for … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Editorials, Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The state of Noitamina and Thermae Romae

Posted on March 11, 2012 by bateszi

It’s fair to say that, critically, 2011 was a poor year for Noitamina and (with Guilty Crown in tow) is currently at its lowest ebb. It’s now suffering from an identity crisis, no longer the bastion of josei anime it … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Editorials, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Returning, being a superficial anime fan and Rinne no Lagrange

Posted on March 3, 2012 by bateszi

It’s been a while since my last post. Around a month, in fact. Through-out February, I took something of a break from anime. I’ve been keeping up with One Piece, but that’s about it. This wasn’t a planned thing, either. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Shadow of the Colossus

Posted on February 5, 2012 by bateszi

Unless you count my yearly flings with Football Manager, I’ve never been much of a gamer. Even still, I bought myself a Playstation 3 in December. Stepping into today’s world of consoles is intimidating at first. I’d been divorced from … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Video games | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Because you need a little violence in your life: Dr. Mohiro Kitoh’s fabulous depression

Posted on January 14, 2012 by bateszi

One thing we may deduce about author Mohiro Kitoh from Bokurano and Narutaru is that he probably had a few bad experiences growing up. It’s otherwise very difficult to understand why his stories about children are quite so fucked-up. Case … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Editorials, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

An odyssey in Haruhi Suzumiya

Posted on December 12, 2011 by bateszi

I sat through all of Endless Eight, or rather, I nearly did. I fully intended to, which is the important thing.

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , | 18 Comments

On Wolf’s Rain

Posted on November 26, 2011 by bateszi

I first watched Wolf’s Rain in 2003, just as I was beginning to ramp up my interest in anime. I remember a few things about it: being absolutely traumatised by its ending and being spell-bound by Yoko Kanno’s music. Following … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

We offer up our heart’s blood: Courage and spirit in Shingeki no Kyojin

Posted on November 12, 2011 by bateszi

Since writing my first post on the manga series Shingeki no Kyojin (the official English title is apparently Attack on Titan,) it’s been licensed for an English-language release by Kodansha USA, whilst a Japanese live-action movie has also been announced … Continue reading →

Posted in Manga, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The eyes of a wolf: Ben-To’s awesome

Posted on November 1, 2011 by bateszi

There’s a few different tactics one can employ when approaching a new season of anime. You can either jump straight in during the first week or wait a while longer for the dust to settle; neither choice is perfect, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Blood-C: one long descent into chaos

Posted on October 16, 2011 by bateszi

Series like Blood-C catch my eye. At some point during its airing, I got the impression it was bad: the weekly reviews at Sea Slugs and Moe Sucks say as much and more, but since finishing, I’ve also read takes … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

A family in One Piece

Posted on October 5, 2011 by bateszi

Whitebeard was always a big, strong guy, then he ate the Earthquake fruit and became feared the world over. He could’ve turned the planet upside-down, but didn’t. He was a cool guy, and watching him lead his men in such … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged | 3 Comments

This place of dreams and ghosts

Posted on September 25, 2011 by bateszi

It was around this time last year that I started watching Aria. I loved the first series, but stalled at some point during the second (Aria the Animation.) This week, though, I came back to it. It felt new to … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Editorials, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

A cloud prairie

Posted on September 8, 2011 by bateszi

I’ve fallen behind on anime recently. I’m not sure if that’s down to a lack of interest in what I’m watching or if I’m just not in the mood for anime at the moment, but I’m feeling quite ambivalent about … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Editorials, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

No. 6 and homoeroticism in anime

Posted on August 15, 2011 by bateszi

It’d be hard to watch No. 6 and not notice how homoerotic it is. I’ve now seen up to episode 5 and it’s notable how blunt it’s becoming in suggesting that Shion and Nezumi are in love. This is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Editorials | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Changing the flow of time

Posted on July 25, 2011 by bateszi

Time travel always seemed like a cool concept to me. I could go back in time, make some money and live an easy life. That’s just an immature way of looking at things, though. When I imagine going back, I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Editorials, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Reflections on terrorism in Code Geass

Posted on July 19, 2011 by bateszi

Reflecting on the struggle of Region 11 through eyes not tethered to the real world. Continue reading →

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , | 15 Comments