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The Apocalyptic End of Akudama Drive: Swindling Death with a Smile
Read More →: The Apocalyptic End of Akudama Drive: Swindling Death with a SmileAkudama 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…
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Moriarty the Patriot episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Moriarty the Patriot episode 1 anime reviewThe 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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The Gymnastics Samurai episode 1 anime review
Read More →: The Gymnastics Samurai episode 1 anime reviewIt’s fair to say I didn’t come away from The Gymnastics Samurai feeling inspired by feats of physical mastery.
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Akudama Drive episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Akudama Drive episode 1 anime reviewAn edgy, Western-media inspired “all villains” story that is as fun and violent as it is vapid.
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Jujutsu Kaisen episode 1 anime review: an electrifying introduction
Read More →: Jujutsu Kaisen episode 1 anime review: an electrifying introductionLike 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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Deca-Dence episode 1 – 5 anime review
Read More →: Deca-Dence episode 1 – 5 anime reviewDeca-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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Why do anime fans dislike Japan Sinks: 2020?
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Read More →: 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…
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Re:ZERO vs Japan Sinks: anime for fans vs anime for everyone
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Read More →: Re:ZERO vs Japan Sinks: anime for fans vs anime for everyoneA 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,…
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What is your personal anime golden age?
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Read More →: 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,…
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The ending of Sing “Yesterday” for Me was a betrayal
Read More →: The ending of Sing “Yesterday” for Me was a betrayalThe ending of Sing “Yesterday” for Me was a betrayal. I know that sounds dramatic, but allow me to explain.
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My anime diary: A Place Further than the Universe & Smile Down the Runway
Read More →: My anime diary: A Place Further than the Universe & Smile Down the RunwayI suppose I’m not the only one turning to the comfort of their anime backlog right now? I don’t feel like I have much patience at the moment and would much rather digest a finished story than be left hanging by one that’s still on-going. Anyway, I figured I’d watch Smile Down the Runway since…
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Appare-Ranman! episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Appare-Ranman! episode 1 anime reviewAn anime original from P.A. Works, Appare-Ranman! is the story of Appare, a scientific genius cum adventurer from Japan, entering into a larger than life car (some may say, wacky!) race across the US.
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The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED episode 1 anime review
Read More →: The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED episode 1 anime reviewA fun and satisfying debut that feels in many ways like a throwback to late Nineties anime like The Big O and Cowboy Bebop, albeit with a less masculine and more homoerotic subtext for the Noughties.
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Kakushigoto episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Kakushigoto episode 1 anime reviewThe chaotic story of a responsible Dad that’s also a pervy ecchi manga artist.
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Gleipnir episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Gleipnir episode 1 anime reviewGleipnir’s first episode pings between being a fascinating psychological thriller and a creepy erotic comedy. It starts weird and only gets weirder.
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Sing “Yesterday” for Me episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Sing “Yesterday” for Me episode 1 anime reviewSing “Yesterday” for Me is an easy anime to love and, quite frankly, I fell pretty hard for it.
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Wave, Listen to Me! episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Wave, Listen to Me! episode 1 anime reviewIn Wave, Listen to Me!, we’re dragged into Minare’s world: the world of a hungover and bitter adult, looking to regain some momentum in her life and ranting into the void whilst she waits.
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Tower of God episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Tower of God episode 1 anime reviewIn whatever medium, Tower of God is a messy story, filled with anachronistic touches, that’s somehow still quite addictive.
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Winter 2020 anime season: a final say
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Read More →: Winter 2020 anime season: a final sayThe snow outside is melting, the birds are singing and the flowers are blooming. Ever so quietly, even as the world feels like it’s frozen in time, Spring has crept up on us guys, and with us now on the eve of another wave of new anime, I thought it would be fun to rundown…
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The End of Blade of the Immortal: a merciless fate, stained in blood
Read More →: The End of Blade of the Immortal: a merciless fate, stained in bloodAt times, extreme and horrifying, at others, awe-inspiring and beautiful, but does 2019’s Blade of the Immortal anime capture the strange magic of Hiroaki Samura’s chanbara epic?
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BNA: Brand New Animal episode 1 anime review
Read More →: BNA: Brand New Animal episode 1 anime reviewBNA could well be Studio Trigger’s Devilman: a story boiling over with racial tension and supernatural action, and yet still, undeniably, a Studio Trigger anime: just bloody good fun.
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Humanity between the lines: Tsubame in Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
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Read More →: Humanity between the lines: Tsubame in Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!“I realised something working on it. That to me, life is about working on stuff like this. And there’s nothing I can do about that, now.” Tsubame on falling in love with animation in Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! I was still at school when I realised what I wanted to do with my life,…
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Tower of God gets an anime: the exciting webtoon blazing a trail
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Read More →: Tower of God gets an anime: the exciting webtoon blazing a trailThe popular webtoon Tower of God is getting an anime series in April, but what is it? Heck, what is a webtoon? Let’s dive into the future of comics!
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The cancelled ero anime stream: Interspecies Reviewers
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Read More →: The cancelled ero anime stream: Interspecies ReviewersWhen sex and anime collides, something has to give! Interspecies Reviewers is the horny anime that broke Funimation.
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Noi Problem: The Awesomely Weird Characters of Dorohedoro
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Read More →: Noi Problem: The Awesomely Weird Characters of DorohedoroLooking like a cross between professional wrestlers and the Cenobites of Hellraiser, the characters of Dorohedoro are awesomely weird. Weird because it’s like watching Pinhead and Freddy Krueger sit down for a cup of tea in-between murdering a bunch of people and stuffing their bloody remains in a bin bag, and awesome because, well, what…
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The Ethical Dilemma at the End of Weathering With You
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Read More →: The Ethical Dilemma at the End of Weathering With YouWeathering With You is another archetypal, gorgeous Makoto Shinkai film, but something about its ending is a bit… off. Allow me to explain.
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From manga to anime: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
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Read More →: From manga to anime: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is probably the best anime of the Winter season, so let’s review what we can of its manga and learn a bit more about how a certain mangaka came to live out the dreams of his lively characters.
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Dorohedoro episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Dorohedoro episode 1 anime reviewQ Hayashida’s bewildering horror manga is finally animated! Dorohedoro is a dismal, filthy anime that’s teeming with cheerful monsters and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
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Haikyuu!!: To the Top episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Haikyuu!!: To the Top episode 1 anime reviewIt’s been four long years but finally, the majestic Haikyuu!!, one of the best sports anime of the last decade, returns for its fourth season.
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ID – Invaded episode 1 anime review
Read More →: ID – Invaded episode 1 anime reviewID – Invaded is caught between two worlds. One, an awesomely weird dreamscape modeled after Inception and Minority Report; the other, an overly-wordy police procedural.
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Pet episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Pet episode 1 anime reviewPet is a low budget, vaguely homoerotic supernatural thriller that recalls the pulpy late-night anime of the Noughties. As such, it won’t win praise for its subtly, but is still a pretty good time.
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Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! episode 1 anime reviewKeep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is a love-letter to anime and, more broadly, the boundless potential of animation. It’s also really fun.
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Somali and the Forest Spirit episode 1 anime review
Read More →: Somali and the Forest Spirit episode 1 anime reviewSomali and the Forest Spirit was a surprise: an evocative fairy-tale anime told from a new Dad’s perspective.
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The End of Vinland Saga: An Inevitable Tragedy
Read More →: The End of Vinland Saga: An Inevitable TragedySet during Danish Prince Canute’s (King Cnut the Great) rise to the English throne, Vinland Saga begins in 1013 AD as the Vikings pillage their way across a beleaguered England. In their midst is the Icelandic boy-warrior Thorfinn, a precocious child hell-bent on exacting revenge on the man that murdered his father: Askeladd.
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Hype for Blade of the Immortal
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Read More →: Hype for Blade of the ImmortalTo use modern parlance: Blade of the Immortal is problematic, but that’s fine. I don’t read manga or watch anime to feel clean and like everything’s okay. Quite frankly, I’d much rather be dragged through the mud by a story, and with a guy like Hiroshi Hamasaki at the helm, I wouldn’t expect any less.
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The False End of Attack on Titan: “Eren will reach the sea for me!”
Read More →: The False End of Attack on Titan: “Eren will reach the sea for me!”Nothing is ever as great as you imagine. When a dream becomes real, it inevitably loses some of its magic.
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Destroying her identity: the timeless, terrifying world of Kaiba
Read More →: Destroying her identity: the timeless, terrifying world of KaibaI have dreams. I want to do something with my life. I want to be remembered. In my own little world, everything revolves around me. Isn’t it terrifying then to imagine a world where all of those important feelings, the very things that make you what you are, can be compressed into a memory ‘chip’…
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Okay to delete: forgetting meaningful anime
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Read More →: Okay to delete: forgetting meaningful animeAs soon as I’ve finished an anime series, no matter how meaningful it was to me, it’s strictly consigned to the past and starts gathering dust in the parts of my mind marked ‘Okay to delete’.
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Spring status update
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Read More →: Spring status updateAs I reflect on how things have been going for the blog since November last year, I’m satisfied that I’ve been able to post something new most weeks. I feel like I’m into the routine of writing about anime again. The Winter season was good for me: from Dororo and The Promised Neverland through to…
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The Promised Neverland anime review: Vulnerable & compulsive
Read More →: The Promised Neverland anime review: Vulnerable & compulsiveThe Promised Neverland was great. At some point during its run, I started watching new episodes as soon as they were out. Every episode seemed to end on a massive cliffhanger, teasing me to the point of screaming (in frustration, but I know where your mind’s going!) I can only speak for myself and it’s…
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Boogiepop and Others anime review: If only…
Read More →: Boogiepop and Others anime review: If only…Boogiepop and Others is many things, but an anime for casual viewers it is not. Unless you’re willing to give it your full attention, it will leave you behind. One measly episode a week is not nearly enough to keep track of such a complicated web of things: to be honest, I’ve spent the last…
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You cannot save the world on your own: The Promised Neverland episode 11
Read More →: You cannot save the world on your own: The Promised Neverland episode 11What a treat episode 11 was. At this point, I have to say I think this anime is as good an adaptation as fans of The Promised Neverland could have hoped for. It’s the best kind of escapism: I lost myself watching this episode, it flew by so fast, and I can hardly stomach that…
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Spring 2019 anime preview
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Read More →: Spring 2019 anime previewI could end up watching a lot of anime come April.
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A warm heart in the grim worlds of Dororo & Rurouni Kenshin
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Read More →: A warm heart in the grim worlds of Dororo & Rurouni KenshinWatching Dororo has helped me realise that Kazuhiro Furuhashi is one of my favourite anime directors. He is the man responsible for directing the breathtaking Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen) which is a marked departure from Kenshin’s much lighter TV series and tonally has much more in common with Dororo. In short,…
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A light inside the darkness: The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu)
Read More →: A light inside the darkness: The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu)The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu) is about creating a dictionary. The people involved invest decades of their lives into its singular craft, which is no small feat. The series begins as Mitsuya Majime joins the dictionary’s editorial team. He’s a weird guy, introverted, but fascinated by words. Switched from a different job that he…