Another Retrospective: A Rundown of the Genres and the Quality Therein

Another once again delivered in the best way possible, by setting things up for disaster plot-wise and killing somebody off needlessly in the process. At this point, I’ve given up all hope of ever taking this show seriously, so I’m just rolling with what they send my way regardless of whether it deserves to have been penned or not. However, a thought crossed my mind as I read illogicalzen’s lengthy yet fascinating post on the presence of horror elements in anime regardless of whether they fit the description or not. Maybe I’ve been looking at this show the wrong way, criticizing it solely on the basis of its horror tag rather than the whole package.

Read Full Post »

A Brief Farewell to Franken Fran, My Gateway Manga

The recent abrupt end of Franken Fran heralded the ending of an age: An age of hopelessly anticipating the next chapter of our reanimated doctor hopelessly screwing up the lives of those around her. I can’t say it was all that expected, what with the episodic nature of the manga, nor was it all that anticipated for it to end like other long runners. As the manga that got me reading others of its kind, and the one that I kept recommending to friends to get them into the medium, it had an irregular, abscessed place in my heart.

If any of my readers haven’t given this a look and they have the stomach for Lovecraftian body horror, dark humor, and pulpy B-Movie storylines, I cannot recommend this manga enough for some quick reading. And if they enjoy it, the mangaka is coming out with another serial soon that will hopefully be available online in a few weeks. So thanks for all the fun times, Franken Fran. You will be missed.

Read Full Post »

Persona 4 Episode 20: Here’s to You, Filler!

Most people lament filler in all its forms, and for good reason. It’s often a sign that the people in charge don’t want to catch up to the source material just yet, and so j delay the audience with subpar episodes meant to put another week between them and what they’re anticipating. I don’t think it needs to be said that some shows are infamous for this, particularly certain long-running shounen series, giving them a large hatebase specifically for that reason. But of course, there are shows that always prove themselves to be the exception, and Persona is certainly at the top of the list.

Read Full Post »

Nisemonogatari Episode 8: Speculation of the Deep Meaning Behind Assisted Dental Hygiene

When writing about Nisemonogatari, this week’s episode in particular, the train of thought is likely to lead to one of two topics: Incest, or the lack of trust that Koyomi has for Karen after the last stunt that manifests in ways that intentionally make the viewer uncomfortable. Saying that the two don’t meet is going a bit far, considering that the show makes sure that they go hand in hand like peanut butter, and sardines that taste surprisingly good with peanut butter. 

Read Full Post »

Gyo OVA Review: Don’t Waste Your Time

"'Sup guys?"

When adapting something like Gyo, the inevitable must be asked: Do you play it completely straight faced without a hint of irony, or do you throw a few winking nods to the audience in subtle ways? Apparently Ufotable’s approach was to imitate the most clichéd of disaster flicks and show the whole thing with hardly any intentional comedy, opting for the former method. And let it be said right here that so much went wrong… but I can’t entirely blame the studio for crapping out what they did.

Read Full Post »

Mirai Nikki Episode 19: Yukiteru’s Finest Hour– A Retrospective

The past few episodes have been quite a metamorphosis for Yuuki, mostly for the better as far as entertainment value is concerned. He’s transformed from a sniveling, spineless, dependent momma’s boy into a slightly less spineless teenage boy who happens to have issues to resolve regarding his mother’s death. Yuno’s definitely rubbed off on him, as have Seventh and Ninth in less obvious ways. There are a number of changes that went underway as his situation worsened and his sanity slowly corroded, mostly as his former life was stabbed and otherwise snatched from him before his eyes.

Read Full Post »

Natsume Yuujinchou Shi Episode 7: Fleshing Out the Exorcists

In Natsume Yuujinchou, there is no faction more underrepresented than the exorcists, specifically the Matoba clan. While they’ve become more important in the plot as the series has continued and built on itself, they’re still mysterious people who we don’t know much about. Why do they do what they do? How do they justify the purification and bondage of youkai? Are their purposes really so selfish that they’ll eliminate anybody in their way? Through the power of flashbacks, episode seven of the fourth series attempts to answer these questions, giving us a fair glimpse behind the mysterious masks that shield the exorcists.

Read Full Post »

The Top Five Reasons to Enjoy Symphogear

Every day is a Mega Deth Party when you watch Symphogear!

Ever since beginning its mercifully short 13 episode run, Symphogear has become something of a running joke among those still watching in the aniblogosphere. There’s very little irony in what’s being done; it’s simply one bad design choice after another with no respite, and it becomes infinitely more entertaining than it’d be if the people helming it actually had any idea how awful a show they were making. I know of maybe one blogger that actually likes it, and even they admit that it’s a guilty pleasure.

In what I consider the objective sense, there’s very little to redeem this show. Its pacing is schizophrenic, the plot is a million times more convoluted than it needs to be, and none of the characters are likable. All of this is compounded by an overproduced soundtrack and mediocre animation, which do nothing to dissuade criticism. If it weren’t so god awful that it actually becomes funny, I would have dropped this piece of shit a long time ago. However, there’s the occasional moment of unintentional (or what I hope was intentional) brilliance, one that instantly stretches a smile over my face each episode. Here are the top four such moments thus far. Why four? Because I couldn’t even think of five that could constitute their own entries.

Read Full Post »

Nisemonogatari Episode 7: Senjougahara’s Finest Hour

Episode seven of Nisemonogatari saw the conclusion of the Karen Bee arc, which ended up introducing one of my absolute favorite anime villains and indulging the audience in more of the breathtaking animation that has so characterized the series before. While Karen and her illness played a smaller role than what was expected, seeing Kaiki wax philosophical with Koyomi and Senjougahara in their final confrontation was well worth the subdued role of the arc’s namesake. To be frank, no other show could get away with continuing to end confrontations with protracted conversation and debate, and that’s saying a lot for the overall quality of Nisemonogatari that it continues to do so without frustrating.

Read Full Post »

A Completely Genuine Defense of Another, Episode 6

There are more than a few shows that manage to defy genre conventions and differentiate themselves from their contemporaries as a result, through means such as inserting comedy where it otherwise wouldn’t be present, or introducing deep sociopolitical messages in otherwise fluffy stories. Another, being the brilliant show that it is, manages to follow in this same vein. After a few episodes of predictably gruesome deaths (Umbrella through the throat? Yawn), episode six of Another has begun to break new ground and push the very boundaries of anime through witty scenes of whimsy and the acceptance of Kouichi and Mei’s new lives of relative nonexistence.

Read Full Post »