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Anime Reviews

The Apocalyptic End of Akudama Drive: Swindling Death with a Smile

Akudama Drive was an unpredictable, exciting and, in the end, emotionally moving anime: the kind of story that gets exponentially better with each episode, to the point where even half-way through, you realise that what you’re watching is becoming quite special. It begins in such a chaotic way too, all blood and thunder, “a storm in a teacup”, I thought, only for the Akudama Drive ending to literally nail my heart to the wall. I didn’t expect to care so much about Swindler, Courier, Brother and Sister, but here we are, and now it’s time to explain why this is such a great series!

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Anime Reviews

Moriarty the Patriot episode 1 anime review

The villain from Sherlock Holmes is re-framed as a righteous young avenger out to deliver his own delivish brand of karmic justice, the law be damned.

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Anime Reviews

The Gymnastics Samurai episode 1 anime review

It’s fair to say I didn’t come away from The Gymnastics Samurai feeling inspired by feats of physical mastery.

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Anime Reviews

Akudama Drive episode 1 anime review

An edgy, Western-media inspired “all villains” story that is as fun and violent as it is vapid.

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Anime Reviews

Jujutsu Kaisen episode 1 anime review: an electrifying introduction

Like Parasyte and Devilman before it (and I suppose you could even lump Naruto in here too), Jujutsu Kaisen is the story of a boy losing control of his own body.

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Anime Reviews

Deca-Dence episode 1 – 5 anime review

Deca-Dence is an anime of dueling aesthetics: a gritty human world akin to Attack on Titan being bossed by a society of walking toys. Sounds weird? Well, that’s why I’m watching it!

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Anime Editorials

Why do anime fans dislike Japan Sinks: 2020?

I’ve read more than a few people describe this anime as a “dumpster fire”, but I don’t think that’s fair. In my opinion, it’s one of the best anime of 2020, but one thing’s for sure: it’s now definitely the most underrated. I’ve already talked about how it wasn’t made for anime fans by contrasting it directly with anime du jour Re:Zero, but let’s dig into the complaints a bit more. What exactly is it about this series that anime fans hate?

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Anime Editorials

Re:ZERO vs Japan Sinks: anime for fans vs anime for everyone

A few weeks ago, I made a second attempt to watch Re:ZERO. It’s not exactly an unpopular show, so I figured that maybe the first time around it just caught me at the wrong time. People often speak about it with a sense of reverie, suggesting that it “may seem like just another isekai fantasy, but it’s actually a much deeper story than that!”. I’ve even seen it compared to Berserk, which to me is the highest praise one can laud upon an anime series, and from then on I was like, “Okay, I must’ve been wrong about this!”.

12 episodes later and…

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Anime Editorials

What is your personal anime golden age?

For me, a personal anime golden age is any consecutive run of 3 years in which the highest number of your favourites are gathered. 3 years may seem arbitrary, but I’ve chosen this specific range because, at least from my experience, the vast majority of anime fans tend to live and die in that time, leaving behind their lists and blogs as if time suddenly stood still, their scribblings, once filled with such joy and passion, now mere archives for the future generations of warbling young otaku to laugh at and build on, and so it continues. Anyway… before this all becomes a bit too existential, let’s crack on, shall we? Hi, I’m your local anime ghost, also known as bateszi, and here’s my personal anime golden age.

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Anime Reviews

The ending of Sing “Yesterday” for Me was a betrayal

The ending of Sing “Yesterday” for Me was a betrayal. I know that sounds dramatic, but allow me to explain.