Year: 2006
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Berserk – 1 – An introduction to obsession
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Berserk – 1 – An introduction to obsessionI’m just going to come right out and say it — Berserk is my favourite anime of all time. I became an anime fan because of Naruto, but Berserk and its alluring quantities of bloody violence, epic action and tragic friendship immediately captured my heart and held onto it ever since. I still remember having…
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D.Gray-man – 12 – Limitless sacrifice?
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/ ReviewsRead More →: D.Gray-man – 12 – Limitless sacrifice?Like most of its Shonen Jump brethren, D.Gray-man is weakly balanced on a thin line between generic and fun. Just this evening I’ve caught up to episode 12 and feel torn by the somewhat superficial character development. Moody bishonen Kanda is a good example of how utterly archetypal some of these characters are – to…
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MP3 Spotlight: Highlights of Welcome to the NHK!
Read More →: MP3 Spotlight: Highlights of Welcome to the NHK!Looking back on 2006 we have seen a handful great series come and go, but even fewer great soundtracks have enlightened our senses. And when I say great, I mean music you can listen to at home, at work and on the bus. Toshio Masuda’s beautifully sparse work on Mushishi was a relaxing and naturally…
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Welcome to the NHK [END] – And so dies the NEET
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK [END] – And so dies the NEETIt was cute to see NHK end with a role reversal between Misaki and Satou – there are big differences between a lazy hikkimori and having a genuinely mixed up life. In spite of his personal problems Satou was always a fairly normal person just in need of tough love. When his parents’ money dries…
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Again the fate of the world is in the hands of 14 kids (Bokurano)
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Again the fate of the world is in the hands of 14 kids (Bokurano)Its been a while readers, 7 days to be precise, and as we all know, 7 days on internet may as well be a lifetime. I won’t labor you with the details, but suffice to say that this gradual slow down in blogging is sadly down to cliche reasons; I have found a new job…
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Observations of Everything: Bye-Bye November
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Read More →: Observations of Everything: Bye-Bye NovemberStill hopelessly hooked on… Black Lagoon (2nd Barrage) Episode 19 and counting The bog-standard Naruto fillers would be a lot more interesting if they managed to nab the creative bastards working on Black Lagoon. With that said the 2nd season has often flattered to deceive and appears to be more content to up the ante…
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Welcome to the NHK! – (Never) Learning to Fly
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – (Never) Learning to FlyHaving just finished watching episode 19, this must be the first time I’ve left off Welcome to the NHK feeling happy! It was fantastic to see a smiling Torotoro-san biking around and about the streets of Tokyo; you can see in his grinning face that suddenly life is worth living again. Despite Satou’s constant whining,…
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Reflecting on Kemonozume – Too cool for otaku
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Reflecting on Kemonozume – Too cool for otakuIt’s fair to say that the creative staff “working on” (more like playing with) Kemonozume must have had so much fun, from flying heads and sexed up monkeys to a perverted old man shoving a pair of severed female arms down his skanky speedos – this is a show that clearly had no pretension of…
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US TV and anime: innovation and degeneration
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Read More →: US TV and anime: innovation and degenerationWhen I became an anime fan in 2003 what appealed to me (perhaps more than anything else) were serial stories (like Naruto – my first fansubbed anime) with gradually developed characters; personalities that could grow from despicable bastards to likable rogues, or fall from grace to become evil incarnate. At the same time American TV…
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Giant Robo – Man-size anime
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Giant Robo – Man-size animeAbly piloting his nuclear powered giant robot (sensibly dubbed "Giant Robo"), Daisaku Kusama is a brave young kid charged with the every day fate of saving the world. We join his story with his team mates in the internationally renowned "Experts of Justice" jumping (and teleporting!) from country to country fighting off the monstrous terrorists…
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Kemonozume – 10 – Sex-starved monkeys and eating fish with giant detectives
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Kemonozume – 10 – Sex-starved monkeys and eating fish with giant detectivesSince we’re now hitting the final couple of episodes, Kemonozume is building up to an action packed climax. The villain, or “big boss”, has turned out to be the fat Ohba – I liken his bizarre appearance to that of a clown, and deep down, we’re all scared of clowns – their smiley made-up faces…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 16 – The Ultimate NEET
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 16 – The Ultimate NEETThere was always going to be a twist behind the real world identity of Mia. “She” was too perfect, Satou loved her too much, and NHK! isn’t about Satou being in love. I certainly didn’t see it being Yamazaki though – jeez, that was cruel of him. And then there is the flash-forward to Satou’s…
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Red Garden – 3 – Theatrical heart break
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Red Garden – 3 – Theatrical heart breakEpisode 3 of Red Garden is the best yet; the viewer leaves this instalment drenched in suspense, mystery and blood, and all the while we’re slowly beginning to understand what’s happened to the girls – or rather, how they died! There are still big question marks hanging over why they were all together on *that*…
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Kemonozume – 9 – Old habits die hard
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Kemonozume – 9 – Old habits die hardStill on the run from the Kifuuken, we join the love birds Yuka and Toshihiko aimlessly wandering down vast and empty roads when they are offered a lift by an old married couple. Their journey (squeezed inside a white van) is a chance for them to reflect on their young relationship, inspired by the beautiful…
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Kemonozume – 8 – Hard violence, hard sex, hard feelings
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Kemonozume – 8 – Hard violence, hard sex, hard feelingsAt the beginning of this episode a boy student is excitedly kissing his innocent girlfriend for the first time. They hold each other in an emotional embrace, it is a pivotal moment in their lives, “Ah the day has finally come, Takako-Chan’s warm, soft, slippery thing is in my mouth…”. But the boy gets too…
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Red Garden – 2 – Expensive shirts and werewolves
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Red Garden – 2 – Expensive shirts and werewolvesI do love mysterious horror stories, especially when the viewer is as much at a loss as to what is going on as the characters themselves. The supernatural Red Garden is growing with this creeping intrigue, it’s bizarre and confusing and a lot of my interest is now centred on eventually finding answers. In some…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 14 to 15 – MMORPGs destroy lives… mmmk?
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 14 to 15 – MMORPGs destroy lives… mmmk?The relentless waves of depression continue unabated with these two episodes as Satou (hardly recovered from his suicidal exploits) stupidly falls foul to the life sucking world of MMORPGs. These highly addictive and never ending online games are undoubtedly one of the major forces behind what is becoming a worldwide epidemic of hikkimori, but what…
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Mushishi – 26 – And so ends a landmark anime production
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 26 – And so ends a landmark anime productionAs if to confirm its audacious brilliance, central character Ginko hardly even appears in this final episode and it was still one of the highlights of the Mushishi TV series. Again bursting with its trademark melancholic tone, this was yet another natural blend of touching storytelling that mixes a retrospective and sad human drama with…
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Death Note – 2 – Hiding behind a notebook
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Death Note – 2 – Hiding behind a notebookI’m surprised by just how fast Light is losing grip on reality. In only this second episode he coldly considers killing his family if they were ever to piece together his part in the (now world famous) mass-murdering case, while later he shows no signs of regret upon murdering (using the Death Note, obviously) a…
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One Piece – Winning without even throwing a punch
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/ ReviewsRead More →: One Piece – Winning without even throwing a punchIt’s funny how we spend hours upon hours watching anime, often only for but a few short minutes of absolute pay off. I watch One Piece for these transcendental moments; don’t get me wrong, it’s a consistently fun show but every so often, it raises itself to a rare point of pure emotional resonance with…
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D.Gray-man – 2 – The end of the world is nigh
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/ ReviewsRead More →: D.Gray-man – 2 – The end of the world is nighEpisode two is our first proper introduction to the spiritual world of D.Gray-man and clear references are drawn from Christian religion (“Noah’s ark”) to better illustrate the show’s strong supernatural themes with an interesting theological substance. To believe in exorcists, ghosts and demons, the obvious truth is that one must then also believe in god.…
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Red Garden – 1 – Colourful teenage exuberance
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Red Garden – 1 – Colourful teenage exuberanceMany people couldn’t be bothered with Vision of Escaflowne because the character designs sported big noses. The almost-ignored Fantastic Children suffered from this same shallow discrimination. I dare say both of these are modern classics, and now Red Garden will face the exact same battle against a community that largely considers the likes of Kanon…
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Black Blood Brothers – 1 – Elegantly swift bishounen attacks!
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Blood Brothers – 1 – Elegantly swift bishounen attacks!I was quite determined to find fault with Black Blood Brothers – I took my fair share of melodramatic bishounen-horror in Night Head Genesis and eventually rejected it, so I feared more of the same from this show. Typically I was wrong. While it won’t win many end-of-season plaudits for originality, Black Blood Brothers at…
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Death Note – 1 – Wicked, manipulative and morally deranged
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Death Note – 1 – Wicked, manipulative and morally derangedDeath Note is a Shounen Jump anime, but forget the generic conventions those two words invoke. Just like Bleach, this is a story that depicts the soul reaping world of “Shinigami” but where Bleach’s version of the afterlife is jammed with pouting pretty boys and nothing else, Death Note’s vision is dark, cold and lifeless.…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 13 – In a word, depressing
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 13 – In a word, depressingFor some odd reason, I was expecting Satou to be the hero of this episode, but today I doubt he will ever be a hero – just like Yamazaki says, people “like him” aren’t suited to dramatic ends. In a word, depressing. Hitomi is selfish and cruel, her reasons for coming back into Satou’s life…
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Black Lagoon – 13 – People call it spinal reflex
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 13 – People call it spinal reflexMadhouse Studios have an exceptional talent for adapting manga – BECK, Monster and now Black Lagoon, they clearly devote a lot of careful thought to developing a specific style for their works; almost inevitably, they craft absolutely unique anime. I feel safe in saying that Black Lagoon’s flair for attention grabbing will never fade, such…
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Pumpkin Scissors – 1 – Faith in humanity after all
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Pumpkin Scissors – 1 – Faith in humanity after allI’m getting worried about the fall anime season; there is too much to watch. Putting aside the immediate favourites like Death Note and Black Lagoon (these two are unmissable in my eyes) the likes of Pumpkin Scissors and D.Gray-man have proved just as fun and action packed, so where does one (desperately trying to be…
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D.Gray-man – 1 – Completely coherent and mysteriously atmospheric
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/ ReviewsRead More →: D.Gray-man – 1 – Completely coherent and mysteriously atmosphericAnyone remember Pierrot Le Fou from Cowboy Bebop? How can we forget that floating fat man, screaming with insane laughter as he tears his way through the landscape. I know D.Gray-man may not have the kung-fu style of Spike Spiegel, but “The Earl of Millennium” looks just like Pierrot Le Fou, and also happens to…
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Honey & Clover II – Wallowing in the aftermath
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Honey & Clover II – Wallowing in the aftermathIt was always going to be one of those dreaded moments when Honey & Clover finally finished up – an empty feeling, my mind swirling in miscellaneous doubt and irritating confusion. What do I watch now? I had my ups and down with this second season, perhaps borne from episode after episode of frustrating romantic…
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New layout, same person
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Read More →: New layout, same personDeveloping in the background for a fair few weeks now, I’m pleased (though… perhaps relieved is a better word?!) to finally unveil the colourful new layout of “Bateszi Anime Blog”! In an attempt to break away from my conventional (boring) grey style, I’ve ended up with a “passionate” red colour scheme – gasp – if…
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Welcome to the NHK! – Anime or manga? Yawn
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Read More →: Welcome to the NHK! – Anime or manga? YawnAnime or manga, one is inevitably better than the other – whether it’s just another case of elitism or not, you can always bet on the jumped up manga fans hating the anime adaptations of their favourite stories. This is because the voices you hear in your head will always sound better in comparison with…
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Naruto – 201 – Weapons of mass destruction
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 201 – Weapons of mass destructionIt’s those damn terrorists again! As we’re all aware, the war on terror knows no bounds, and now, not even our anime is safe! The beloved hidden village of the leaf (known to gurning locals as Konoha) has become the target of crafty suicide bombers – who could have suspected berserk eagles with explosives strapped…
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Hunter X Hunter – First Impressions
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Hunter X Hunter – First ImpressionsI make no secret of my affection for Shounen Jump anime, from Dragonball Z to Rurouni Kenshin, by way of Naruto and One Piece, it’s a genre – incredibly formulaic though it is – that I drag myself back to again and again, pumped and ready for another sweaty training montage and trash talking decidedly…
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Naruto – 200 – Filling time with ninja
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 200 – Filling time with ninjaIt has been a while since I last caught up with Naruto – still its a series I treasure deep within my heart, but these ever enduring “filler dark ages” are even dwindling the concrete enthusiasm I once felt for master Rock Lee and his “spring time of youth”. True to Naruto’s emphasis on fighting…
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Sci-Fi Harry – Does exactly what it says on the tin
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Sci-Fi Harry – Does exactly what it says on the tinUneducated and ignorant, my first taste of this most leafy of seasons is the earnestly dubbed “Sci-Fi Harry”. I knew absolutely nothing of this show before today and the only reason I figured I’d give it a try is because of the wonderfully unprentious name. It is literally what it says on the tin –…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 9 – Sparkling festival fireworks
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 9 – Sparkling festival fireworksAn unusually positive and uplifting instalment of NHK!, I wasn’t planning on commenting on this episode but the sparkling festival fireworks always get me. So bright, so beautiful, so romantic. Even Yamazaki gets some lovin’. This is so far the best episode, a dizzy mixture of jilted love and romantic despair, it astutly comments on…
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The sudden realisation of a tired anime fan
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Read More →: The sudden realisation of a tired anime fanI’ve had so much fun watching Giant Robo for the first time this weekend – an impossibly epic, jaw dropping spectacle set against frame after frame of sprawling neon-lit cityscapes and the kind of fluidic action packed excitement you just don’t see anymore in modern anime – it has again sparked that raw enthusiasm for…
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Mushishi – 25 – Even without eyeballs, tears run
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 25 – Even without eyeballs, tears runAlthough it would be harsh to say Mushishi had been in the doldrums of late, I must admit that the episodes succeeding number 20 have often flattered to deceive. It still looks as gob-smackingly beautiful as ever, but feels like more of a remote beauty, something I can admire but hardly love. I’m rejoicing then…
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Elitism within anime circles
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Read More →: Elitism within anime circlesFor many people being an anime fan is like holding on to precious secret deep within one’s soul – and if said secret were suddenly revealed, it would lose all value and be cast aside like last weeks old news. Mirroring the music scene when the underground trendy band signs for a major record label…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 8 – Meet the parent
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 8 – Meet the parentIt’s time to meet the parents, only Satou doesn’t have a girlfriend, or a job, or a life outside of his apartment, making the whole arrangement pretty awkward from the get-go. If only Robert De Niro was his Dad – what laughs we would have! Judging by his mother’s phone call in the previous episode,…
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Trapped in an ice cold back log hell: September
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Read More →: Trapped in an ice cold back log hell: SeptemberSuch is my addiction to the routine of watching anime – I horde a ridiculous amount of fansubs, promising myself I will catch up with them sooner or later, yet knowing deep down that it may never happen. As I enviously cast my eyes across the blogsphere, I usually get the urge to write one…
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Elfen Lied – 8 through 10 – Subverting the cute
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Elfen Lied – 8 through 10 – Subverting the cuteAgain Elfen Lied defies it’s pretty style and delivers a trio of episodes that are anything but. Subverting the look of its cute characters, it clearly delights in extreme mental and physical abuse — the disgusting bludgeoning of a helpless young puppy aptly symbolises how innocence and weakness is exploited in Elfen Lied, and that’s…
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Night Head Genesis – Psychic bishounen, brotherly love
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Night Head Genesis – Psychic bishounen, brotherly lovePsychic bishounen, brotherly love – Night Head Genesis is quite clearly aimed at the yaoi fan girls, yet an over abundance of melodrama and an almost laughably over the top collection of villains fails to render this completely unwatchable. It’s trashy, homo-erotic and somewhat dull, but for now I do intend to watch more of…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 7 – Is Misaki Real?
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 7 – Is Misaki Real?Although it’s not nearly the “best” series airing at the moment, I often watch Welcome to the NHK! as soon as it’s downloaded. I have the first 6 episodes of Bokura Ga Ita stocked up, another four of Legend of the Galactic Heroes and even the most recent Honey & Clover- but it seems (whether…
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Kemonozume – 1 – Delicious gut-munching innovation
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Kemonozume – 1 – Delicious gut-munching innovationThe moment I clapped eyes on its highly evocative promo art, I knew I’d love Kemonozume. It just looks so damn cool, completely in another league to the typical “doll face” anime style; here characters look and move like real people, the fluidity of movement and facial expression oddly fascinating. Forget following the narrative- simply…
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Black Lagoon – 12 – BOOOOOM! HEAD SHOT!
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 12 – BOOOOOM! HEAD SHOT!So that’s it then, no more Black Lagoon for (at a guess) a couple of years. I really loved watching this series; after a hard day at work, when it’s a tough ask to even keep your eyes open let alone watch and read anime, Black Lagoon shone like a bloodied beacon of hope. I…
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Honey & Clover II – 7 – Bleeding with a flickering hope in life
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Honey & Clover II – 7 – Bleeding with a flickering hope in lifeAs far as hyperbole goes, this was quite possibly my favourite episode of Honey & Clover II. No doubt I could say that after every episode- but this seventh instalment particularly deserves praise for violently jamming the second season in a completely different (and darker) direction. It’s not that I was getting sick of the…
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Black Lagoon – 11 – The prelude to carnage
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 11 – The prelude to carnageAfter the previous couple of unrelenting maid bashing episodes, the eleventh instalment of Black Lagoon was always going to seem a tad watered down in comparison. And so it proves- the penultimate “Lock’n Load Revolution” has more talking than shooting, and is almost entirely aimed at building up an initially convoluted race between an ambitious…
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Noein – And so we reach the end
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Noein – And so we reach the endI feel like I’ve been watching Noein for years now and writing this entry is daunting. Complex multi dimensional time travel, heart breaking tragedy and gut wrenching friendships. Here is a series bursting with ideas and without breaking into an essay length review, it’s hard to do justice to the sheer narrative majesty of Noein.…