×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Episode Review
Archives

Filters
All Anime Manga Novels Games Music Merch Events Industry People Live-Action Korean
Text-only Compact View
Text-only List View
Text-only Grid View
List View with Images
Grid View with Images
ep. review

CITY The Animation ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

CITY the Animation is so utterly charming and so completely itself that I now have a hard time remembering a world where it never existed.
ep. review

Sakamoto Days ‒ Episode 13

The biggest goal of this episode is moving one fight to the next.
ep. review

Sword of the Demon Hunter ‒ Episode 15

After last week's bizarrely pointless episode, this week's is decent enough, assuming you're happy with talk-heavy period drama.
ep. review

Ruri Rocks ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

You have to be some kind of weird pervert to create strong art, and I'm inclined to welcome the animators getting their rocks off in service of something as overall lovingly crafted as Ruri Rocks.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 16

While this episode does well at establishing how well Miharu fits in with our band of misfits, its most exciting development has nothing to do with him.
ep. review

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

The opening gambit creates something of an emotional retelling of prior events but not a literal one, and I think it works exceptionally well.
ep. review

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Even in a super-strong anime season, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun manages to stand out.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 16

Who's ready for the most awkward dinner party ever?
ep. review

Bad Girl ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Even with the jokes landing more often than not, a lot of the other parts of Bad Girl are serviceable to forgettable.
ep. review

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This is another consistently strong arc of Rascal Doesn't Dream. It remains both grounded and poignant despite the supernatural twist.
ep. review

With You and the Rain ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This show succeeds by letting its gentle tone carry the story.
ep. review

Secrets of the Silent Witch ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Monica’s social anxiety—which is so great she developed a new way of using magic without the need to chant just so she didn’t have to talk in front of people—is a complex issue stemming from two sources.
ep. review

Call of the Night Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

The thrust of this part is that Anko is a serious threat with a personal vendetta, so her attack needs to look intense and deranged, and I'd call that a mission accomplished.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 16

As we start Anne of the Island, Anne's off on new adventures as a New Woman.
ep. review

Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

If this were a Danganronpa game, Dr. Chelsea would be “the Ultimate Geographer."
ep. review

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Well, we're back for Round Four.
ep. review

DAN DA DAN Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I fully expect this second season of DAN DA DAN to remain one of the premiere anime that absolutely everyone should be watching.
ep. review

New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This is like pulling off Twin Peaks: The Return but with decidedly more dildos and giant disembodied vaginas on-screen!
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ Episode 4

Miki and Nube are as dumb as a box of rocks in this episode, though it would be a lot less funny if they weren’t.
ep. review

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

In these first three episodes of the new season, it's safe to say things have gone to crap for our heroes.
ep. review

Clevatess ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Clevatess is merely one beast winding his way through a dark, violent, and cruel world, and the scars it bears on account of all this bloodshed run deep.
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I love the look of vintage, pre-digital anime, and Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube pleasingly scratches that aesthetic itch.
ep. review

Sword of the Demon Hunter ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

The new cour starts with an unexpected flashback to Jinta’s pre-demon life in Kadono, but it’s very thin fare.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1136

Episode 1136 may very well have cemented Kuma as one of - if not the - most tragic figures in the entire series.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 15

Anne remarks that she's coming up to a bend in the road and that she's not sure she ought to go round it, and that sums up the feel of the episode nicely.
ep. review

Sakamoto Days ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Fighting Saw gives Shin and Lu the opportunity to learn how they stack up against the rest of the underworld.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 15

With Miharu's addition to the main cast, the truth has at last been revealed: Witch Watch has been drip feeding us a reverse harem all along
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 15

This episode does two things at once: 1) gives us Ghostblade's origin story and 2) recontextualizes his actions in Loli's.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 14

Only in a show as silly as this one can a bird ninja somehow feel bland compared to its usual standards.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1135

The way Bonney’s powers manifest through the stories of Nika imparted by Kuma is a very poetic moment - and of course, the best poetry culminates in a knockout punch from an inflated super-fist.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 14

Anne meeting her ideal tragedy in human form is portrayed in such a way as to show us how Anne herself is growing up.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 14

Uron Mirage is back with a vengeance and it's here to remind viewers why this story is nothing less than peak fiction.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 14

Loli's heroics this episode are largely unseen.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

All that's left is to hope it won't be too long until we meet up with everyone again.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ SEASON FINALE

I hope the next season will be stronger with all the teases about quirk experiments and a new villain.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 13

With how much of a violent bad boy he is, you might be asking how Wolf fits into the show's usual comedy, and the answer is: beautifully.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1134

Kuma’s flashback illustrates one of the many unique strengths that this series has over others: the ability to hint at an idea and wait to deliver on it for decades.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 13

There are things Loli could do to make herself less stereotypically cute, but she doesn't want to compromise herself to become a hero.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

Please, Yostar Pictures, just let this show die. I'll read the manga, I promise. You don't need to hold Fighter D and his friends hostage anymore.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ SERIES FINALE

In a show full of mysteries (the most important of which have all been – mostly – satisfyingly resolved), the most enduring mystery is Kujirai B herself.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ SERIES FINALE

I doubt it will take very much time before the entire world agrees to collectively shrug its shoulders and pretend that this misbegotten anime never existed in the first place.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 13

While I'm not excited to return to monster of the week shenanigans, this is a good example of that formula firing on all cylinders.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ SEASON FINALE

Nothing says “I’m a demon masquerading as a butler” like those torture devices he crams in Sieglinde and Wolfram’s mouths.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 13

There are only ten more chapters in Anne of Avonlea, and I don’t expect Anne Shirley to take more than two episodes to wrap it up.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 47

Loulan always knew it had to end this way.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ SERIES FINALE

Aharen-san is always surprising me. And true to form, yeah, that was not the ending I expected.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ SEASON FINALE

These four girls basically bang each other on stage so passionately that a packed audience of women sees it and concludes, “hey, we should try that.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ SEASON FINALE

While their experiences together have left scars both literal and metaphorical, these are simply signs of growth and their feelings for one another.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ SEASON FINALE

Yachiyo is, and has always been, the best of us.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ SEASON FINALE

In terms of ill-advised story choices, this episode takes the cake.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ SEASON FINALE

This finale could have been an hour, and I still would have questioned if there was room for everything it tried to pack in.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 12

We finally put an end to our first real villain of Vigilantes with the entire thing being framed as a fairly intense squabble between a father and daughter.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 12

While the overarching political tension remains, the fundamental relationship dynamic between Beryl and Rose is no different than every other former student.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 23

So far as being a functional season of television is concerned, Loser Ranger is a lost cause.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 12

While parts of it are a little heavy-handed, the conclusion to Keigo's story arc is largely pretty satisfying.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 12

We're at the level where there is just no guarantee that any given scene won't have Lazarus suddenly becoming an Austin Powers-style parody of itself.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 12

The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl is a fluffy series that reminds me that not everything has to be “outstanding” in order to be a good time.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 12

Sieglinde’s arrival on English soil and her escape from Germany are almost afterthoughts this week.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 12

Davy is like an even more impish Anne.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 12

While this is the second of our Queen-centric episodes, it’s not really about Queen. It's about Bowa.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 12

It’s a rare show where I’ll be more satisfied if the central couple don’t end up together.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ SERIES FINALE

I wouldn't call this ending bad necessarily, but it's definitely a muddled one
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 12

If Yaiba is going to be a proper homage to Kid Goku, then it only makes sense for him to have a childhood fiancée he conveniently forgot about.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 12

I respect that the new boy band comes out swinging as a cartoonishly vain squad of buffoons (note the phonetic similarity between “Bacchus” and “bakas”).
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ SEASON FINALE

It's a mid-season finale that certainly leaves the audience with a lot to chew on, but the plot we were already smack in the middle of does not get enough of a chance to meaningfully resolve.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

This season of Wind Breaker ends, fairly enough, with a look back at the beginning.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 11

Here we are at the final cliffhanger of the series!
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 12

The only decent episode of Your Forma so far featured graphic dismemberment, so I’ve been thinking a bit more that that could be just what the show needs to pep things up a bit.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 11

The staff crafts an animated tone poem that eschews words and minimizes the plot to touch a more primordial means of communication. It is an appeal to living.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ SERIES FINALE

Philia was never “too perfect.” She was a person who was made to believe she was nothing more than a title and magic power.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 11

I love Aharen and Raido as individual characters, but I super love them as a couple. Protect AhaRaido at all costs.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 11

Isn’t this Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX in a nutshell? Established characters attempt elaborate schemes, only to be foiled again and again by Kazuya Tsurumaki’s OCs.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 11

Sentiment has come full circle to bite Yu in the butt and there's nothing he can say or do about it.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1133

We can’t help but wish things could be different and long for the world that might have been.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 11

I genuinely don't know where this is going to go and that's a good thing.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 11

This is a lot of screen time dedicated to what you already know about Rose from the second she walked into frame: she loves Beryl because all his former pupils do.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 11

At least Leohart has a good reason for what he's doing.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 11

To say that there has been a lot of buildup when it comes to seeing the titular X in action would be an understatement. Yet, what we get is not even a fight.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 22

This culmination of Hibiki's story is such a ludicrously stupid and sudden development that I paused the episode for a few minutes because I could not stop laughing.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 11

This show has never shied changing up its formula, but it's only now that Witch Watch is ready to show its true hand.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 11

This episode hurt my heart.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 11

I am convinced that every aspect of this production that isn't directly related to animating cool fight scenes was unceremoniously tossed off to some cramped back office filled with overworked and underpaid interns.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 11

There are so many moving parts that it’s by no means a foregone conclusion that everything will work out for our heroes.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 11

If Onimaru is gonna stick as our main baddie for the long haul, I can only hope the show finds more to do with him than what it has now.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 11

If there's one truth about being a first-year teacher, it's that you always want students like Paul Irving but end up with students like Anthony Pye.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 46

Loulan may not have made her peace, but she’s certainly made her bed, and that’s something Maomao doesn’t quite know how to deal with.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 11

Yayoi is the portrait of institutional wealth—a beautiful façade that disguises the cruel capitalist machinations ticking behind every step and gesture.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 11

If Fire Force names an episode “The Great Kaiju Battlefront,” I am duty- and honor-bound to get unreasonably excited for it.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 10

I feel a bit disappointed when it comes to this episode. It feels full of wasted opportunities.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 24

Endo's more of a representation than a character in his own right at this point, but he's a cool representation who does so effectively for the more well-defined characters.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 10

Tamako is an obnoxious and hilarious little stinker who exacerbates every facet of this farce into a full-blown fracas. The apple doesn't fall far.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ Episode 11

We’ve seen time and time again in this series how Philia will always put herself last, no matter what the cost.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 10

Pronounced shifts between grayscale and color set the mood as the story ramps up.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 11

“What a sad electronic junk-heap of wasted concepts and opportunities this show has turned out to be.”
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 10

That there aren’t more musical episodes of non-musical anime is a tragedy that you could make a 3–5 minute ballad about.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 10

At last we learn the relationship between Knuckleduster and the bee girl.

For all articles, see the archives