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A missed opportunity: Jormungand
Read More →: A missed opportunity: JormungandI 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 giving up. I realised I had to stop half-way through episode 3, when child soldier…
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Being swept away
Read More →: Being swept awayI 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, and underscored with probably the finest insert song ever used in anime, too. I’m using…
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Sexuality in anime: Mine Fujiko and Faye Valentine
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Read More →: Sexuality in anime: Mine Fujiko and Faye ValentineLike 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 a while.
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Hot Topic Meets Anime in Ergo Proxy
Read More →: Hot Topic Meets Anime in Ergo ProxyRemember when goth, and by extension Hot Topic, reigned supreme? Ergo Proxy is basically an anime peopled by fans of Hot Topic. The setting is gritty, and the main character wears black outfits, steal tipped boots and heavy mascara. The color palette skews towards grey and black, and even when the show uses other colors,…
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Giving Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence a second chance
Read More →: Giving Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence a second chanceWhen I first saw Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence I left the screening unimpressed. At the time, it felt like a confusing trip through a philosophical morass. I disliked the Major’s lack of screen time as I loved her central role in the associated TV series. Still, when I heard that Bandai planned to…
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The state of Noitamina and Thermae Romae
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Read More →: The state of Noitamina and Thermae RomaeIt’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 once was. Chihayafuru is a good example of what’s meant by that; a series that…
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Returning, being a superficial anime fan and Rinne no Lagrange
Read More →: Returning, being a superficial anime fan and Rinne no LagrangeIt’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. I just stopped watching anime. Winter hasn’t helped, either. Although a notoriously poor time for…
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Shadow of the Colossus
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Read More →: Shadow of the ColossusUnless 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 the culture for nearly a decade and knowing how deeply some are into it, it’s…
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But I'll be Peter Pan forever: To Aru Majutsu no Index and I
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Read More →: But I'll be Peter Pan forever: To Aru Majutsu no Index and IIt’s a common story. A Saturday night, no plans. What do I do? Seek out a new anime to watch, of course.
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Madlax aka What's wrong with the anime industry
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Read More →: Madlax aka What's wrong with the anime industryYoung women with gun skills? Check. Mysterious organization that runs the world? Check. Quasi-religious mysticism? Check. Noir only lasted one season, but if you started watching Madlax and thought it was Noir Season 2 I wouldn’t blame you. Madlax isn’t a complete copy of Noir, it does tread new ground after about 20 episodes or so. And…