Category Archives: Reviews

Farewell Satoshi Kon

It’s difficult to express the disappointment I felt when I learnt of Satoshi Kon‘s passing last week. Since then, many heart-felt tributes have been published and half-way through writing this, I started wondering whether it was worth posting at all. … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Editorials, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Can you make a giant killing happen inside of you?

This is a show about football (out of respect to Bateszi I’ll avoid using the word soccer…). The featured team, East Tokyo United (ETU), is dysfunctional. ETU’s fans are running away, the team keeps losing managers and players and worst … Continue reading

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

The town where nothing ever happens: FLCL & I

Frankly, I lack the words to talk about Satoshi Kon’s passing; there are others who have said and will say things more eloquently. Instead, I offer you a diversion: FLCL. I meant to write this post a while back, but … Continue reading

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

This is the Naruto I remember

There were times when I considered dropping Naruto.

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

One Piece, or when the anime is better than the manga

Before I start, a preamble: One Piece is a great anime. Ever since our little agreement a month back I’ve been tackling the series, from 229 onwards at a pace of about 3 or so episodes a day. Unlike the … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Opinions on current anime

Although the vast majority of my recent scribblings concern mostly older series, I am (and have been) keeping up with some newer anime, too. Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu is a name that suggests parody, but this new fantasy series … Continue reading

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

You’re gonna carry that weight

What is the ending of Cowboy Bebop trying to say? It feels like such a waste. Spike doesn’t have face Vicious, he could just stay with Faye and Jet, leave Mars and fly away, but he doesn’t.

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 30 Comments

Naruto & child soldiers / The thrilling tragedy of Kakashi Gaiden

Does Masashi Kishimoto think about how children are depicted in Naruto? Ninja are tools of war, after all, and Konoha trains its children to become ninja; isn’t that wrong? On a base, moral level? Of course, Naruto is intended as … Continue reading

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

Low-brow good times [Occult Academy first impressions]

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about anime over the past year, it’s that these Anime no Chikara projects start out strong, only to have me lose interest after four episodes. When faced with the latest offering in the project, … Continue reading

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

Get back to watching One Piece

One Piece. Oh, man. Where do I start.

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , | 18 Comments

The curious case of Kannagi

Watching anime for a long time (I’m talking years, really,) one can fall into certain patterns of viewing. I’ve grown accustomed to knowing what I like, and what I don’t, and picking the anime I watch according to my own … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Why didn’t you shoot? I meant to. – Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

The thing is like a wolf. The thing is a wolf. Thus, it is a thing to be banished. I’ve been an anime fan for a long time. At 22, the portion of my life in which I’ve been a … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Horrible fun / Exhuming Ga-Rei -Zero-

If just because there’s something exciting about proving yourself wrong every now and then, I’m trying to watch a bunch of recent series that I’ve snubbed or otherwise ignored in past. This all started when, on a whim, I began … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Shoujo fantasy Gurren Lagann: Sense of Wonder by Akemi Hayashi

Reality is rarely as poetic, but then, a dream is not supposed to be real. Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Next time, let me see a Matsuri Special.”

Something about the transience of adolescence never fails to inspire. More often than not we wake up, 20, fully grown, and confused as to how we got there. For this reason, mangaka like Kamio Youko are a particularly rare breed. … Continue reading

Posted in Manga, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

People with cold hands have warm hearts (Air Doll review)

Two years is a long time. Just two years ago, I’d seen very few Japanese live-action films, only to eventually realise that my interest in anime was linked to a broader fascination with the whole spectrum of Japanese art; what … Continue reading

Posted in Live action, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Sora no Woto: apocalypse moé

I’m not an admirer of the moé aesthetic, so my initial response to Sora no Woto was one of indifference; just more moé, I thought; not interested. That’s always my default reaction to a series like this, but the thing … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

The tide of violence

I’ve read only 26 chapters of Vinland Saga so far but its quality is such that I have to admit it’s already one of my favourites. Thorfinn is the main character, an Icelandic warrior joined with a band of Viking … Continue reading

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