Anime Reviews

[Review] Bodacious Space Pirates

While the mania for them waxes and wanes, pirates are an indelible part of the international pop culture landscape. So, too, with the introduction of science fiction literature about space travel, began the tried and true technique of combining various genres, concepts, and story frameworks …Read more »

[Review] Pita-Ten

April 10, 2016

Brittany Vincent

Pita-Ten could possibly be one of the cutest anime series of all time if it weren't for creator Koge-Donbo's Digi Charat series. It's still in the running for a close second, however, with its innocent themes, sugary-sweet characters, and the unlikely friendship between a young …Read more »

[Review] Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

April 9, 2016

Daryl Surat

The following phrase is not one I’ve bothered saying for the last decade: the new Mobile Suit Gundam TV series is actually rather enjoyable so far! Iron-Blooded Orphans is an “alternate-universe” Gundam series, which means it’s set completely stand-alone from any other anime with Gundam …Read more »

Ojisan and Marshmallow: A Cute, Satisfying Anime

April 8, 2016

Norbert Daniels Jr.

Ojiisan and Marshmallow is the cutest little anime to come out of last season. Based on the manga by Rekomaru Otoi, the show follows Iori Wakabayashi as she tries to get a date with her co-worker Habahiro Hige, an oblivious man in his thirties with …Read more »

[Review] Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist

April 6, 2016

Brittany Vincent

What if we all lived in a world where lewd jokes could land you in prison? Shimoneta: A Boring World Where The Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist explores that reality, and while the idea is bleak on its own, the series is an engaging …Read more »

[Review] Those Who Hunt Elves

April 2, 2016

Joseph Luster

Because Those Who Hunt Elves was released before 2000 I found myself considering it a "recent relic." It's definitely in that odd pocket of time that saw plenty of anime saturating the American market, but it still falls before the dark period of awkwardly advancing …Read more »

Utawarerumono Pushes Just the Right Fantasy Buttons

March 26, 2016

Paul Thomas Chapman

At the beginning of Utawarerumono: The False Faces , a confused young man wanders aimlessly through the snowy wilderness, barefoot and wearing only what appears to be a thin hospital gown. Soon the poor fellow is attacked by a colossal centipede and a gigantic blob …Read more »

[Review] Boys’ Love Anime Dōkyūsei Hits All The Right Notes

February 22, 2016

Matt Schley

As popular as the boys’ love genre is, BL stories don’t often get the big-screen treatment. But this past weekend saw the Japanese release of the A-1 Pictures-produced Dōkyūsei ( Classmates ), an anime film based on the manga by Asumiko Nakamura and directed by …Read more »

[Review] Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

February 15, 2016

Paul Thomas Chapman

Before Panty & Stocking with Garter Belt pushed the boundaries of good taste, before Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann redefined struggle on a cosmic scale, even before Neon Genesis Evangelion rewrote the rules of the mecha subgenre, a studio of fans-turned-animators known as Gainax made waves …Read more »

[Review] Comet Lucifer

February 12, 2016

Paul Thomas Chapman

Strange things are afoot on the science fiction world of Gift, the setting for the original 2015 TV anime Comet Lucifer, which is directed by Yasuhito Kikuchi and Atsushi Nakayama and features animation from 8-bit. Set sometime in the indeterminate future, Comet Lucifer takes place …Read more »

BBK/BRNK is a Fairly Bland CG Anime

February 10, 2016

Norbert Daniels Jr.

BBK/BRNK (pronounced Bubuki Buranki) is one of those shows you can guess a surprising amount of information about just by looking at a promotional image like the one above. Frankly, it’s not that impressive of a feat if you’ve been casually keeping up with anime …Read more »

[Review] Concrete Revolutio—Superhuman Phantasmagoria

February 7, 2016

Ink

Ranging from helpful to destructive, beings with capabilities beyond those of ordinary humans abound on Earth yet are seldom seen. Although society is at peace with this cloaked cohabitation, that status quo is sustained largely only through a law that bans the use of superhuman …Read more »

Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū Puts a Unique Art on Display

February 5, 2016

Norbert Daniels Jr.

There’s a lot of anime centered around the arts. While we’ve seen plenty about pop stars and even a few about anime and manga themselves, I think this might be the first one to be about rakugo. Rakugo is a traditional Japanese form of entertainment …Read more »

[Review] Aquarion Logos

February 3, 2016

Ink

Ever since it dared to use language to define its surroundings and itself, humanity distanced itself from a pure world. At least that’s what Kenzaki Sougon believes. Unfortunately for the unwittingly inherent transgressors of the present day, Sougon’s got his hands on syringes filled with …Read more »

[Review] Wakako-zake

February 3, 2016

Ink

Wakako-zake adapts random, stand-alone chapters from Chie Shinkyu’s ongoing manga of the same name, which depict Wakako Murasaki during her after-work indulgences at various izakayas. Normally a two-minute anime that literally consists of, in its entirety, a 26-year-old eating a meal and drinking a beverage …Read more »