Monster Hunter Stories finds its feet in this set of episodes which sets up an interest metaphor between grieving Cheval and the Blighted monsters. ― Monster Hunter Stories Ride On had some struggles in its first two sets of episodes, but here in part three, it feels as if it's finally gotten to where it needed to. The central theme of the show has always been “kinship,” and up to this point, that's ...

review

1 comments

UQ Holder! GN 11

Sep 25, 10:53

1 comments

manga

UQ Holder’s eleventh volume offers a sometimes unsatisfying but generally well-executed sampling of all the manga’s various priorities. ― It sure has taken a while to get here. First introduced all the way back in volume seven, this volume sees the Mahora Martial Arts Tournament finally on the immediate horizon. We aren't there quite yet, and unfortunately, a great deal of this volume does feel like ...

column

4 comments

Shelf Life - Twin Star Exorcists

Sep 24, 14:57

4 comments

anime

Twin Star Exorcists is finally out on bluray, and Gabriella Ekens is here to take it for a spin. PLUS: all of this week's DVD & bluray anime releases! ― Holy crap, we have a lot of new releases this week. You'd almost think it was the beginning of the holiday rush or something. Well, no matter how many titles get shoved out the door in a single week, we'll be here to cover them. Welcome to Shelf Lif...

column

19 comments

Answerman - Why Doesn't Anime Record Voices Before Animating?

Sep 24, 12:00

19 comments

anime

Western animation - particularly the big-budget mainstream kind - tend to record performances before they animate, but when it comes to anime, this is rarely the case. Why is that? Justin gets into it. ― James asked: Some time ago, you stated that one of the major differences between western animation and Japanese animation is that, in western animation, all dialogue is recorded first, and then the ...

game review

3 comments

Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle

Sep 24, 11:00

3 comments

games

Capcom resurrects a bunch of their classic arcade brawlers with a seven-game collection. Do they still put up a fight? ― Brawlers. Beat 'Em Ups. Belt-Scrollers. Double Dragon Clones. Punk Punching Parades. Those Arcade Games That Mom And Dad Always Said Were Too Violent For You Back in 1988. Whatever you call them, they never quite got their moment on top. True, they were staples of arcades in the la...

review

6 comments

UQ Holder! GN 10

Sep 23, 13:10

6 comments

manga

UQ Holder’s tenth volume leans heavily on Akamatsu’s laziest tendencies, trending far more harem than action spectacle. ― Ken Akamatsu's works have been a balancing act between harem shenanigans and fantasy aspirations, ever since Love Hina's mild-mannered Keitaro was spirited away by a squad of zeppelins. Negima more or less split the difference between these goals, offering legitimately thrilling a...

column

54 comments

The List - 7 Times Western Music Invaded Anime

Sep 22, 12:00

54 comments

anime

From Radiohead to the Backstreet Boys, here are 7 times Western music found its way into some of your favorite anime opening and closing theme songs. ― A recent article about the potential death of the 90-second anime song intro got me thinking about some of my favorite opening and ending sequences. I realized that while the vast majority of anime credit songs are in Japanese (with a few English fla...

review

0 comments

Escape Journey GN 1

Sep 22, 10:34

0 comments

manga

Escape Journey is one of those BL manga that struggles to hit a note between “romantic” and “kind of upsetting.” ― Escape Journey is one of those BL manga that struggles to hit a note between “romantic” and “kind of upsetting.” It's the story of a relationship that could be termed unhealthy from some points of view, and like many of what are known as “Old Skool” romances, consent isn't always a given...

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