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Shuten Order Game Review
Two-thirds of it range from good to excellent… but in a 60-hour game, that still means around 20 hours of mediocre-to-bad gameplay.
― I'm far from an expert on this particular matter, but I'm not sure there's any game out there that's quite like Shuten Order. Created by Kazutaka Kodaka of Danganronpa and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy fame, it is at its heart a visual novel, first and foremos...
SANDA Volume 1 Manga Review
This is a series about how the innocence of children has become so coveted to the point of becoming perverse, so what better person to set things on the right path then Santa Claus himself.
― From the creator of BEASTARS comes a series about the mythological creature known as Santa Claus. I didn't know what to expect when I read that out loud, but it's about as wacky and zany as you would expect from...
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon Novel Review
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is a magic realism exploration of grief and the intersection of life and death.
― What do the living owe the dead? What do the dead do for the living? There's no answer to these questions here. Still, Mizuki Tsujimura, author of Lonely Castle in the Mirror and A School Frozen in Time, encourages readers to think about them in this bittersweet, beautiful story about a...
Yandere Dark Elf: She Chased Me All the Way From Another World! Anime Series Review
Are Dark Elves your fetish? Are yandere girls? Well, if so, congratulations. If not… well, it’s best to simply move on and forget you saw anything at all.
― Are Dark Elves your fetish? Are yandere girls? Well, if so, congratulations. This show is for you. If not… well, it's best to simply move on and forget you saw anything at all. Yandere Dark Elf is one of those shows that knows what it is and who ...
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Game Review
The sheer variety on display is catnip for people who love tinkering with robots, and you'll have plenty to chew throw once you have your perfect mechanical soldier.
― The original Daemon X Machina was a fun mech battle game, but it unfortunately passed by most audiences without much notice. Developer First Studio took stock of the situation and did everything in their power to ensure that their sequ...
Mechanical Marie Volume 1 Manga Review
Only one volume in, I’m already rooting for Marie and Arthur’s future happiness together.
― With an absurd premise that requires suspension of disbelief on several levels, Mechanical Marie is nevertheless a delightfully sweet and funny high society romcom that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish, leaving me eagerly anticipating not only the remaining five volumes in this short series, but also ...
The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows Anime Series Review
This is one of those shows that is more than the sum of its parts. While it uses clichés left and right, it almost always goes beyond them to add an extra layer or two.
― Much of The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows is cliché to say the least. We have a standard Western fantasy world, an overpowered hero who doesn't realize he isn't normal, and a harem of demi-human girls all vying for his ...
Brain Damage Manga Review
If you like Junji Ito, it’s a good time to discover Shintaro Kago as well.
― All short story collections are mixed bags. That's not a pejorative statement about short stories by any means; it's simply the nature of the beast. Brain Damage, a collection of four horror tales by manga creator Shintaro Kago, defines this tendency. When it's good, it's very good, playing with horror and comedy in equal me...
Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact Game Review
If you're getting into Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact, then you have to know you're doing it purely for the love of the game.
― Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact is a frenetic and often fun fighting game experience, but the mix of modern and classical fighting game sensibilities makes it such an acquired taste that it is likely too unique a brew for most people to enjoy. While this review experienced a slight...
Kill Blue Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
By its second volume, Kill Blue isn’t quite as good as it started.
― There are a lot of stories about second chances spanning all demographics of manga, anime, and light novels. In most of those cases, the protagonist of the story desperately wants a chance to go back and fix a mistake or rectify a problem, and many others wallow in the nostalgic notion that life was somehow better in high school. Bu...
mono Anime Series Review
mono is an anime where the slice of life is done right, and makes for a worthy successor of its sibling series Yuru Camp.
― When I shipped up to Anime Boston this year, I distinctly remember a big banner advertising mono on display for any ongoers mozying their way up the escalator. Its display almost seemed boastful, as if it wanted to swallow people going further and further up the escalator with m...
To Sir, Without Love: I'm Divorcing You Novel Review
If you’re looking for true love, it’s in short supply in this series – in a healthy way, at least.
― Last year, I reviewed the first volume of the manga adaptation of To Sir, Without Love: I'm Divorcing You. I said at the time that the story was somewhat uncomfortable, and that, paradoxically, it would have benefited from being slightly more explicit, and that I was curious to read the original light...
Farewell, Daisy: Jun Mayuzuki Short Story Collection Manga Review
Mayuzuki’s sheer unpredictability and gleefully ribald storytelling are a breath of fresh air.
― Jun Mayuzuki is one of my current favorite manga authors, mainly for her most recent work on the still-ongoing Kowloon Generic Romance (the excellent single-season anime adaptation concluded only last season). I jumped at the chance to review this collection of her early manga work, some of which predate ...
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Game Review
If you've never played a farm sim before, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar might be a great place to start.
― There's a major difficulty when it comes to reviewing Story of Seasons games: they're slow. Moment-to-moment gameplay is repetitive (you're doing the same tasks daily over and over), the game can take a long time to throw new wrinkles in the formula at you, and even fervent playing means that i...
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Game Review
This a must-play game for both existing Shinobi fans and newcomers alike.
― Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is the perfect balance between modern sensibilities and nostalgia, making it one of the best action-platformer games of 2025. This will inevitably gain comparisons to Koei Tecmo and The Game Kitchen's Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound which was released last year due to both utilizing similar ninja archetypes,...
The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon, Shadow of the Sea Novel Review
Whether you read the old English editions or missed them, it's worth picking this up, because you don't have to be an isekai fan (modern or otherwise) to appreciate a book this good.
― The isekai genre has taken a hit in recent years. For many, the term has become inextricably linked with storytelling shortcuts, male power fantasies, villainesses, and other tropes that have become so paper-thin from ...
I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! Anime Series Review
This is an anime defined by its crazy tonal dissonance that vacillates between light-hearted/sexual comedy and over-the-top grimdark tragedy.
― I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! is an anime defined by its tonal dissonance. On one hand, it's the light-hearted tale of a man reincarnated in a sci-fi world who is determined to become an evil galactic overlord. However, the trick is that he's ...
Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice Volume 1 Manga Review
In its first volume, Ichino's series is a lot of silly fun, utilizing familiar genre beats and making them enjoyable, even if they're nothing new.
― Ryo Ichino's Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice is, more or less, a combination of two familiar manga romance tropes: the adult who turns into a child and the hot guy pet. English-language readers will probably best remember them from Matsuri Hino's MeruP...
Short Game: Mitsuru Adachi's High School Baseball Collection Manga Review
Mitsuru Adachi’s short and sweet baseball anthology is an absolute home run!
― While piecing together Slam Dunk's English publication history last year, I spoke with a few industry veterans about the challenges faced by sports titles in the North American market. One of those experienced pros was Ed Chavez, the publisher of Denpa. As we chatted about these sports-specific hurdles, Chavez and his team...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Minor Myths and Legends Volume 2 Novel Review
Minor Myths and Legends’ second volume may not be quite as fascinating as the first, but it’s still a good read.
― Any creative writing teacher worth their salt will tell you that a writer needs to know eighty percent more about the story's world than the reader does. The reason is that the author knowing all the details about their world allows them to write a story where everything makes sense, eve...
Food for the Soul Anime Series Review
This anime had me eating good in more ways than one.
― For moe junkies and slice of life fanatics everywhere, this spring season has exemplified all the reasons why we keep coming back to the genre in the first place. If mono tickled the more comedic side of slice of life through its sillier, at times hyperbolic gags, then Food for the Soul is all about the genre's calming, cozier side. This is a cha...
Yes! Precure 5 Episodes 25-49 Anime Review
The story continues strong in the second half of the series, and central to that is the idea that being a team is a major facet of the way these Cures function.
― From one perspective, it's a good thing that Yes! Precure 5 has two sequels. Although the middle series, Yes! Precure 5 GoGo, remains legally unavailable in English as of this writing; the adult third series Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloo...
Tower Dungeon Volume 1 Manga Review
Nihei’s eye for composition shapes many scenes with bizarre yet effective angles that truly conjure an air of terrifying verticality.
― I can only imagine that Tsutomu Nihei recently got into roguelike fantasy RPGs, and that must have inspired his latest manga, which is in many ways quite different from his usual work. Best known in the west for Blame! and Knights of Sidonia, his manga tends to be fu...
My Melody & Kuromi Anime Series Review
If you have a little Sanrio fan in your home who wants to watch this, I’d suggest watching it with them, because there are some genuinely scary elements to what at first looks sickly-sweet.
― Although Sanrio characters (and character goods) are popular among all age groups, there's an assumption that the animated features are for a younger audience. My Melody & Kuromi at first does nothing to challen...
Takopi's Original Sin Anime Series Review
How do you recommend media that is so soaked in tragedy, shock value, and inherently horrific subject matter?
― There are some shows out there that are just inherently difficult to recommend to people. This isn't because the media in particular is bad or poorly written, rather it's because the journey that the media puts you on is far from a happy one. How do you recommend media that is so soaked in...
Fermat no Ryōri Episodes 1-5 Anime Review
This show has all the tools it needs to be great; it just needs to find the best way to utilize and bring the most out of those tools.
― Cooking is something that many people take for granted. There are so many unique combinations and ideas that go into making a single dish. Even when a meal can be prepared by anybody due to its simplicity, there are so many little details that help elevate the overa...
Bullet/Bullet Episodes 9-12 Anime Series Review
Even if you fail in making the world a better place, someone who sees you fail may be inspired to continue in your stead.
― The first part of BULLET/BULLET ended on a climax that would have, in most stories, led to a lower-class uprising. After all, Gear gave the working-class people proof that not only was their daily hard work being exploited by the upper class (who lived in a beachside paradise) b...
I Wanna Be Your Girl Volume 1 Manga Review
This is a nuanced story that deftly explores what it means to become an ally while diving into the teenage trans experience.
― Over the years, I've seen imprints come and go—most often because they were founded on half-cocked ideas that just didn't have the opportunity to fully form. With the release of Ink Pop's first manga title, Umi Takase's I Wanna Be Your Girl, I believe this brand-new imprint h...
Teppeki Honeymoon Volume 1 Manga Review
Sakae and Ena's relationship walks a very fine line in this book.
― Meca Tanaka is no stranger to shoujo manga – she debuted in 1998 and has been consistently creating manga ever since. Teppeki Honeymoon is the latest of her works to be translated into English; Viz released both Meteor Prince and The Young Master's Revenge, Tokyopop translated Pearl Pink back during the publisher's first incarnation,...
Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers Anime Series Review
This anime is a failure on pretty much every conceivable level.
― This is an anime for only the most hardcore of Guilty Gear fans. Even if you've played the latest game in the series, Strive, and loved it, you're going to be lost when viewing this anime unless you're already fully acquainted with every other game in the series. While this anime will occasionally throw you a bone when it comes to som...
The Shiunji Family Children Anime Series Review
This show left me with a certain type of anger.
― This show left me with a certain type of anger. At first, I thought that I was just having a knee-jerk reaction to the overall premise of the show. Incest is a relatively taboo subject, and anime is no stranger to utilizing it in a variety of different ways. Most of the time, it's generally played up as a type of risque situation to generate drama. So...
You and Idol Precure♪ Episodes 13 - 24 Anime Series Review
It simply could be that it’s not meshing with me personally as much as nearly every other season of Precure, but something about this simply isn’t working as well as it ought to, and that’s a shame.
― Perhaps this is a “me” problem, but I had hoped for more from You and Idol Precure♪ in its second cour. Even recognizing that this is a lighter, fluffier season than those that preceded it, there's some...
Alternative [Self Liner Note] Manga Review
For those of you who love 90’s alt rock, this one-shot manga might prove to be your cup of (pennyroyal) tea.
― This one-shot manga fell into my lap because, well, of course it would. I love guitars, I love anime and manga about guitar players. And when you've got 90's grunge music thrown into the mix, you've got the most obvious pick in the world. Manga creator Chiaka Yagura's Alternative [Self Liner...
Iwakura Aria Game Review
If you're a fan of The House in Fata Morgana or The Dark Maidens, this is a game you'll want to play.
― We tend to view the past in either a rosy light or a gently-tinted sepia one. Yes, bad things happened long ago, but it was still a simpler time – no internet, no constant assault by phones, just a world that seems not quite real, if not better. Iwakura Aria, an original visual novel from MAGES, ab...
Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre Comic Book Review
Despite these sometimes-too-outrageous elements, Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre sticks the landing and provides a unique experience in the process.
― Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre is a fun and fantastical romp in a unique setting with familiar faces. There is a lot of interesting fun to be had with this title. Tom Scioli writes and illustrates it, providing a consistent sense of vision across all ...
Lupin the IIIrd: The Immortal Bloodline Anime Film Review
Thematically, this story asks the question: Does the world need the likes of Lupin III and the gang? Would things be better without them?
― The Lupin the IIIrd sub-series of Lupin the Third, first introduced in 2012's Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, has been sporadically getting new entries for a decade now—with Lupin the IIIrd: The Immortal Bloodline (Lupin the IIIrd The Movie: Fujimi...
Raging Clouds K-Comic Review
Raging Clouds is a story about how women can find their way out of a world that seems desperate to tie them down.
― Everyone is holding Amélie down. Dutch society of the mid-sixteenth century tells her that she must be the perfect wife, cooking, cleaning, and supporting her husband, as well as sleeping with him whenever he wants. Hans, the husband in question, tells her that she should focus on house...
Donkey Kong Bananza Game Review
There is no such thing as a perfect work of art, but Donkey Kong Bananza gets about as close to perfection as possible.
― One of the first video games I can remember playing as a young tyke was my dad's copy of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest on the Super Nintendo. When I was old enough to get a Game Boy Pocket of my own, one of the first purchases ever made with my allowance was a copy of ...
I Left My A-Rank Party Season 1 Anime Review
This is a show where the first half definitely stands out more to me because of its found family theme and the fact that the character dynamics were put more front and center. But unfortunately, we began to lose steam by the second half.
― I will admit, sometimes I'll enjoy a good isekai or generic fantasy story because I need something to play in the background while I'm doing other work. My experie...
Shadow Labyrinth Game Review
Has PAC-MAN come a long way since Symphony of the Night? I’m not sure.
― As 2024 came to a close, Prime Video's Secret Level threw viewers for a loop with Circle—a strangely dark reimagining of video game forefather, PAC-MAN. Not long after, Bandai Namco Entertainment revealed that the animated short was a stealth teaser for an upcoming Search Action title, Shadow Labyrinth. Since the announcement, ...
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 Game Review
This game drags its feet so hard you would think it had 2 ton weights strapped to them.
― Man, I was so excited when this game started up because it really just throws you right into the swing of things. There's no extended prologue or even much of a summary. One of the first screens you see once you boot up this game for the first time is you're thrown into a fight with a simple command list in the ...
Maebashi Witches Anime Series Review
The real secret sauce of Maebashi Witches is that it fearlessly tackles thorny topics with an uncommon degree of sensitivity.
― Maebashi Witches is a “just trust me” anime. The premiere is much clumsier than I would like, and to be frank with you, I bounced off it when I first watched it. Among the chaotic mélange of a motormouth heroine, wisecracking mascot, local Maebashi landmarks, bizarre aesthet...
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Game Review
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound brings the gory franchise back to its 2D roots in a fun way.
― Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound feels like a game straight out from the 1980s and 90s, especially with its story and higher difficulty threshold. The game's plot is rather one-note, with Kenji vowing to take revenge on the demons and Kumori attempting to double-cross the Demon Lord. Eventually, both Kenji and Kumori develo...
Tamagotchi Plaza Game Review
It's a little ridiculous that a game meant for such a young audience wouldn't be a lot more clear and direct with its instructions.
― When I first got ahold of Tamagotchi Plaza for my Nintendo Switch 2, I was shocked to see the little doodads I used to carry around in those plastic egg toys as full-blown video game characters. My surprise made more sense when I realized that I wasn't just utterly out...
Who Made Me a Princess Volumes 7-9 K-Comics Review
The storybook-style epilogue confirms what readers have hoped for since the beginning: that here, living her own life, Athanasia truly becomes the Lovely Princess.
― The fact that Who Made Me a Princess is a double-isekai story has largely been left by the wayside for several volumes. It's easy to forget that this is Athanasia's third try at life: her second as the princess, following one in modern S...
Kowloon Generic Romance Film Review
If you thought the anime of Kowloon Generic Romance was rushed, that's nothing compared to the movie.
― I came to Chihiro Ikeda's live-action movie adaptation of Kowloon Generic Romance having watched the anime but without having read Jun Mayuzuki's still-ongoing manga. I'm aware that the number one criticism of the anime from manga fans is that it rushes through the material, and I could figure as m...
Yaiba Omnibus 1 Manga Review
While the anime is great looking enough that I imagine it'll be most people's preference for experiencing this series, the manga has just enough of its own strengths to be worth checking out on its own.
― With the new Yaiba anime currently on air, and quickly proving to be one of the most impressive looking action shows of the year, the folks at Viz Media have also seen fit to release the original ma...
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince Season 1 Anime Review
7th Prince has some cool ideas that I desperately wish it pursued to any meaningful extent. But instead, we got a royal snooze fest.
― I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability (henceforth 7th Prince) is an anime that, on paper, sounds cool and, dare I say, relatable enough. I mean, if we were all fortunate enough to be reincarnated into wealth and power...
Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray Season 1 Anime Review
The first season of the story of Oguri Cap stands apart from its previous Uma Musume brethren—and arguably stands above many of them.
― Every great hero deserves an origin story, and that even—especially!—includes the funny big-eating horse girl Oguri Cap from Uma Musume. This obviously isn't the only franchise where a comic-relief background character can undergo this kind of drastic promotion to pr...
Senpai no Kohai Manga Review
Hanakage Alt’s Senpai no Kohai is, in its slender volume, a beautifully sweet love story.
― Sayuri knows that it's hopeless to fall in love with a straight woman. That's an academic consideration, of course, when in her final year of college, she fell head over heels for Risa. The adorable first year consumed all of Sayuri's thoughts, no matter how hard she tried to avoid them, and when she graduated...
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns Anime Film Review
The problem with this film is not the story being told but rather how that story is being told
― Akaza Returns is not a film without high points—especially to fans invested in every aspect of the story and world. Zenitsu and Shinobu both reach the climax of their arcs, and we finally learn the complete backstories of what drives them. We also get a rematch between Tanjiro and Akaza—now with Giyu work...
Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy Game Review
Surely, there are better dungeons to delve somewhere out there.
― Did you know that those cute little slime-things from the Puyo Puyo puzzle games originate from a series of dungeon crawlers from the early 90s? If you didn't, I don't think anyone could blame you, since the franchise has only ever had a single western release in its decades-long history. It was called Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great ...
Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man Volume 1 Review
In this, Spider-Man and Ultraman are kindred spirits, and I'm not quite sure what I expected their connection to be but I like this angle as a way to bridge these two very different characters.
― Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man is a solid start for an Ultraman and Spider-Man that hits most of the notes you would expect. The premise here is simple enough and totally in keeping with crossover tales o...
Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua Part 3 Anime Series Review
We need to find the remaining of Lucius' Pokémon, including the Black Rayquaza. All of that sounds really exciting, right? So why is half of this batch of episodes so boring?
― Training is over and it's time to leave Paldea. Liko, Roy and Dot are stronger than they ever have been before, but now it's time to resume the journey to find Laqua. But first we need to find the remaining of Lucius's Pokemon...
Dinner Table Detective Anime Series Review
If it’s a worthwhile mystery anime you’re hungry for and The Dinner Table Detective is what’s on the menu, you’re going to starve.
― First impressions are important. Titles are often a key part of an anime's first impression; ipso facto, an anime needs to have a good title that captures the essence of the show. But I'm not sure about “The Dinner Table Detective” as a title. It captures anything but m...
Spider-Man: Kizuna Manga Review
Spider-Man: Kizuna is a rather cartoony story, but succeeds at highlighting the appeal of Spider-Man in a traditional Japanese manga.
― With great power comes great responsibility! These words permeate throughout most, if not all, Spider-Man media, as it is the very mantra of the character himself. The ethos of Spider-Man revolves around a perfectly normal guy being pushed into situations where he is...
No Sleep for Kaname Date – from AI: The Somnium Files Game Review
It would be best for fans of AI: The Somnium Files to manage their expectations.
― If you have not played AI: The Somnium Files, I do not recommend you pick up the new side story, No Sleep for Kaname Date – from AI: The Somnium Files. I don't recommend you do anything other than go into the eshop of your platform of choice and purchase the absolute masterpiece that is the first game of the series. If...
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved Anime Film Review
It is through the relationship between Kanna and her father that the film explores the concept that neglect is abuse.
― On its most basic level, this is a movie about family. In the lore of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, dragons don't have family units. They don't love their young and tend to see them only as battlefield companions or eventual rivals. However, thanks to her time in the human world, Ka...
Bullet/Bullet Episodes 1-8 Anime Series Review
On its most basic level, this first arc of episodes is a story of the rich exploiting the poor, and the poor accepting it.
― This first set of eight episodes is the story of a heist gone wrong—or one gone right, depending on your point of view. Gear, our starry-eyed youth, is a kid enraptured by the idea of an outlaw lifestyle who is being held back by his love for his sickly father figure. However, ...
Sword of the Demon Hunter Episodes 1-13 Anime Series Review
After an impressive start, this period supernatural show is hampered by terrible action scenes and squandered potential, but it's still watchable and interesting.
― We're midway through Sword of the Demon Hunter, with the two-cour series due to resume on July 15, and it's still tricky to evaluate as a whole. As the amusingly generic title suggests, it's a period supernatural drama, mostly set in 1850...
I Tamed My Ex-husband's Mad Dog Volumes 1-3 K-Comics Review
Don’t pick up I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog if you’re looking for a light, romantic read.
― It may seem disingenuous to say this, but I Tamed My Ex-Husband's Mad Dog is one of those stories that gets very dark, maybe darker the longer it goes on. Certainly, the covers make that case, although as we all know, you can't always judge a book by one. (Or by their titles, for that matter.) But even among...
Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Game Review
Unfortunately, for all of its improvements and refinements, this Director's Cut cannot truly be called the definitive version of Yakuza 0.
― Going back to Yakuza 0 after all of these years was a fascinating experience. On the one hand, this is a decade-old entry in a franchise that has since exploded in its popularity and ambitions, all of which is thanks in large part to this particular prequel's su...
Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine Anime Film Review
I would put this in my top three Detective Conan movies.
― The Black Organization is the primary antagonist in the Detective Conan franchise. While the abundance of filler in the main anime series causes their presence to get buried, when even a single member makes an appearance, that's when you know that an episode is important. The organization ties all of the major plot points of the series togeth...
Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl Anime Film Review
Virgin Punk is the most gorgeously animated 35 minutes of ultraviolent anime I've ever seen.
― Virgin Punk is the most gorgeously animated 35 minutes of ultraviolent anime I've ever seen. Every frame has an unreal level of detail. The action itself is smooth, clear, and impressively choreographed. The direction is likewise a masterclass in visual storytelling, and more than a bit of rotoscoping has b...
SHIROHIYO - Reincarnated as a Neglected Noble Episodes 6-12 Anime Series Review
Shirohiyo manages to glide to a stop, like a sled on a hill that’s not quite steep enough for good sledding.
― The ending of Shirohiyo: Reincarnated as a Neglected Noble: Raising My Baby Brother With Memories From My Past Life isn't conclusive. I think many of us saw that coming; not only is it the norm for anime series based on long-running light novels, but it also couldn't have reached a solid fin...
Persona5: The Phantom X Game Review
I found the original Persona 5’s story to be particularly resonant and engaging, so this is an unbelievably disappointing downgrade so far.
― Love them or hate them, games featuring prominent gacha mechanics are big business. While initially more the domain of mobile platforms, we've moved on technologically since the heady days of (decade old!) Fate/Grand Order's one billion US dollar annual earnin...
I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class Volume 1 Manga Review
There’s the potential for a stronger story if the rest of it can continue leaning into the exploration of social expectations that this first volume presents, and it’s planted enough seeds that I think it could get there.
― Although I enjoy my share of high school rom-coms, I'll admit that I was a bit wary of this one going in. While you can't always tell much about a series based on its title, light...
Unico: Awakening and Unico: Hunted Manga Review
This story is like a child's imagination come to life.
― Osamu Tezuka is a legend in the world of animation and manga. Not only is this man responsible for some of the most iconic series of all time, but his stylistic influences can still be felt to this very day. Many of his franchises, like Astro Boy, continue to persist into the modern day with adaptations or re-creations. So when I heard that one...
Nue's Exorcist Volume 1 Manga Review
Nue’s Exorcist is the sort of book that’s more fun the less you think about it.
― The history of the nue is long in Japanese yokai lore, dating back to at least the Heian period, when it was described in Heike Monogatari as a chimera-like creature composed of bits and pieces of snake, chicken, tiger, tanuki, and monkey. Different variations on the theme followed, but manga fans may best know it as th...
I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Season 2 Anime Series Review
I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Season 2 is perfectly “fine” at what it sets out to do.
― I've been sitting here for ages racking my brain for the correct adjective with which to describe this series. “Mediocre” is too negative, as is “middling,” as both would suggest I didn't enjoy my time with it. I guess I'll stick with this one: it's “fine”. I've Been Killing Slimes ...
Spacewalking With You Volume 1 Manga Review
This American Manga Awards nominee is an unflinchingly honest and compassionate look into the lives of two neurodivergent teens just trying to get through life.
― Recently, I've found myself searching for works that leave me with a sense of catharsis—stories that send me through emotionally wrought tunnels and leave me coming out of it like I'd just gotten something off my chest. Thanks to a strong r...
CITY Volume 1 Manga Review
CITY revels in the casual charms of our lives, delights in our mundanity, and provides more than a few chuckles along the way.
― The first volume of CITY is a delightful slice of life slapstick romp that asks very little of the reader while eliciting a lot of great feelings. CITY is a simple work at face value. Three young women – Midori, Ayumu, and Wako – all go to Mont Blanc University in a city na...
KPop Demon Hunters Anime Film Review
Sony and Netflix's anime-influenced action-musical KPop Demon Hunters is energetic popcorn entertainment with great senses of style and humor.
― Why don't we have more action musicals? Lin-Manuel Miranda has theorized, “Action movies, musicals, and porn movies are all fighting for the same storytelling real estate. When you can't talk anymore, you sing, fight, or f*ck.” KPop Demon Hunters is rated PG...
Cosmic Censorship Volume 1 Manga Review
Confusion works decently well to keep readers on their toes, although if you like to fully understand what's going on at any given time, this may not be the book for you.
― According to the dictionary, a “censor” is, among other things, a wartime official who reads all communications to delete classified or dangerous information. That's not too far off from the way we more typically see “censor” and ...
Leviathan Anime Series Review
Leviathan is a poignant and moving war story in a time when we need tales that shine bright through the darkness.
― Around this time last year, Netflix announced that it would be home to the next project from Studio Orange (Trigun Stampede, Beastars) and Qubic Pictures (Eden), Leviathan—an anime adaptation of the alternate history World War I novel trilogy written by Scott Westerfeld and illustrated ...
BLACK BLOOD Manga Review
If you are or have ever been a connoisseur of the clang-clang, rest assured that Kuku gets it, and has provided a book that delivers.
― The surface-level selling points of a story can often be all it needs. The premise of Hayate Kuku's BLACK BLOOD certainly lends itself to the potential of denser themes: the nature of the human soul, the validity of suppressed and manipulated emotions that make peopl...
Once Upon a Witch's Death Anime Series Review
This story about an improbably cheerful witch under a deadly curse is hampered by dull early episodes and a cliffhanger which may not be resolved, but it's still enjoyable and worthwhile.
― In Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service, the plucky title witch no sooner turned thirteen than she left home to make a living in a faraway town. Kiki, though, had it easy compared to Meg Raspberry, the heroine...
Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate Volume 1 Manga Review
This is the sort of series I fully expect to see evolve over its ten-volume run. It’s as much about learning comfort levels and respect as it is about learning who it is you are or want to be.
― Note: I will be using he/him pronouns in this review, since as of this volume, that's what Makoto uses. Gender can be a performance. Because of socially mandated gender norms, that's true even if you identify...
Unaware Atelier Meister Anime Series Review
The potential The Unaware Atelier Meister had makes it all the more disappointing that it turned out to be such a letdown.
― Overpowered anime protagonists are always in vogue and usually find themselves front and center of the anime zeitgeist. And yet, perhaps in part because of that, they've become dime-a-dozen, and it's a lot harder than it used to be for them to stand out, to say nothing of the e...
Watari-kun's ***** is About to Collapse Volume 1 Manga Review
This book felt like watching somebody slowly wind a guitar string. Are they tuning the instrument, or do they want the wire to snap?
― Have you ever finished reading a volume of a manga where you just feel unnerved by the end? When I first picked up Watari-kun's ****** Is About to Collapse, I was expecting a semi-tragic story about two siblings trying to persevere in a new environment after losing th...
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: The Movie Anime Review
In many ways, Macross II is a product of its time—for better and for worse.
― Often regarded by fans as the red-headed stepchild of the Macross franchise, 1992's six-episode Macross II OVA series was rights holder Big West's attempt to make a sequel to seminal 1984 movie Macross: Do You Remember Love (DYRL) without the involvement of original creators Studio Nue. As a result, this is the only Macross...
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Battle Destiny Remastered Game Review
It's incredibly easy to load up, blow up a few robots, drop the points in your robot, then do it all again a few minutes later.
― Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Battle Destiny Remastered is a fun enough title for what it is, but it struggles to feel like more than a solid port of a decent game. Battle Destiny Remastered is a port of the original PS Vita title, launched back in 2012. The original title was o...
Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You Season 1 Anime Review
The anime's presentation lets down what is otherwise a good story.
― Even though I am a self-described (and other-described) Book Person, I try very hard not to get too caught up in the idea that the originating novel or manga is always going to be better than the TV adaptation. But sometimes it turns out to be true, and this is one of those cases. Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You does work bette...
Farmagia Anime Series Review
The original character designs of Farmagia are penned by Hiro Mashima, which results in Fairy Tail bleedover leaking all over the place.
― It's hard to resist calling Farmagia a “dumpster fire” when the show starts with a giant fiery monster wreaking havoc on the landscape. Granted, the anime does creep into that territory on more than several occasions, but it doesn't quite land there. For me, dumps...
Lupin the IIIrd: Zenigata and the Two Lupins ONA Review
Lupin the IIIrd: Zenigata and the Two Lupins is both a fantastically directed political spy thriller and an exploration of Zenigata and Lupin's odd-yet-enduring relationship.
― I'm a big fan of the adult-audience aimed Lupin the IIIrd series of shows and ONAs. Starting with The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, each of these has told the early adventures of our antiheroes with a large helping of ultraviolenc...
DAN DA DAN Season 1 Anime Blu-ray Review
DAN DA DAN’s first season is more than just a kooky and spooky teenage romance; it’s the best deal in anime right now.
― If you've been following the latest and greatest in anime, there's a good chance that you're well acquainted with the first season of Dan Da Dan. A quirky, and often spooky, action-romance comedy that landed with general audiences and critics when it aired last fall. With that in ...
All You Need Is Kill Anime Film Review
It’s a shame that a film making such idiosyncratic choices in its merging of 3D and 2D visual languages in animation keeps falling into rather predictable patterns
― It's appropriate that Hiroshi Sakurazaka's light novel All You Need is Kill, a story about trying something again and changing just a little bit each time, is getting a repeat adaptation. But it would be a disservice to the new film by K...
Outsiders Volume 1 Manga Review
Outsiders is a book that should have been better.
― Does this sound familiar? A teenage girl with a sense of being disaffected and socially dislocated, one day discovers that there's a whole supernatural world right under her nose, and becomes involved with a hot werewolf and a handsome vampire. It's not just Twilight that uses that setup, although it probably remains the most famous example of the p...
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Game Review
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is the gold standard that all PS2 remasters need to adhere to.
― Originally a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army separates itself from Atlus's other games. One aspect is that the story's tone sits between Shin Megami Tensei and Persona's. It's not as apocalyptic as Shin Megami Tensei, but y...
ChaO Anime Film Review
This Little Mermaid-inspired film just won at Annecy - come discover the charms that helped it to do so.
― There have been many stories – even just told with animation – about love going beyond cultural lines, appearance, even specifically love between man and mermaid. As the film settles in to its premise, ChaO has a lot of work to set itself apart from these other films. Director Yasuhiro Aoki buil...
Bye Bye, Earth Episode 11-20 Anime Series Review
Nonsensical as this twenty-episode fever-dream of a show is, I can’t deny the potency of its mad imagery.
― After finishing the second half of LIDEN FILMS utterly inscrutable anime adaptation of Tow Ubukata's Bye Bye, Earth novel series, I had to lie down for an hour so that my poor, confused brain could attempt to parse all that it had experienced. I don't know whether that helped, but the color-dre...
Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! Volume 1 Novel Review
This is, at its heart, a send-up of otoge isekai.
― No matter where you trace it back to, the subgenre of isekai where someone is reborn in the world of, specifically, an otome game, has become popular. It's not as well-loved (strictly in terms of popularity) as villainess or OP isekai, but there are enough stories that use it as a setting to make it deserving of its specific subgenre. It's got a bit...
Puniru is a Kawaii Slime Season 1 Anime Series Review
Puniru Is a Kawaii Slime is throwback to the mid-late 2000s, when we had an abundance of slice of life comedies focusing on a tsundere boy and an overly hyperactive girl.
― In a lot of ways, you could consider Puniru Is a Cute Slime as a throwback to the mid-late 2000s when we had an abundance of slice of life comedies focusing on a tsundere boy and an overly hyperactive girl. We have a bunch of imma...
Manie Manie: Neo Tokyo Anime Film Review
This collection still stands tall as a time capsule for an essential era in the history of Japanese anime.
― It's always wonderful when classic, out-of-print anime make their way onto legal streaming services. While a full-blown restoration on a nice home-media format would obviously be ideal, the fact that we can sit here in the year 2025 and watch Manie Manie: Neo Tokyo at all is something to be th...
100 Meters Anime Movie Review
Debuting at Annecy, 100 Meters is a gorgeous work from the creative team behind On Gaku: Our Sound and the creator of Orb.
― If you were to map the film onto the circumstances of its making, Kenji Iwaisawa's feature debut ON-GAKU: Our Sound fit perfectly—a project made by self-taught animators about embracing your love of art despite your level of talent. His sophomore feature 100 Meters is less clea...
Jinsei Anime Film Review
There is an eclectic collection of influences at play in Jinsei, from acclaimed Norwegian comedy-drama The Worst Person in the World to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey
― It's easy to reduce Jinsei, 30-year-old Ryuya Suzuki's feature directorial debut, to this year's On-Gaku: Our Sound. It's not like the two films have nothing in common, either. Both share a sheer sense of independent filmmaki...
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