Winter 2013 – Week 5 Anime Review

This week: why I don’t consider Senran Kagura an ecchi anime anymore, wondering about the comedy in Zetsuen no Tempest, the diversity of karuta opponents in Chihayafuru 2 and remembering the forgotten Reiko in Shin Sekai Yori.

Autumn 2012 – Week 5 Anime Review

This week: some deserved recognition for the underapperciated Kamisama Kiss and why I continue to love it, the committee approach to detectives in Psycho-Pass, the captivating sceneries and environments of Sword Art Online, and the awkward ecchi fanservice in K.

Summer 2012 – Week 10 Anime Review

This week: outshining the Sengoku characters in Sengoku Collection, thoughts on the commitment to its plot in Tari Tari, an inability to grow-up in Space Brothers, and what I wish we saw more of in Hyouka.

Sakamichi no Apollon – 8

Of the five characters tangled in these unstable and perplexing romances, Yurika is the only one to achieve any success.  Among the chaos, discomfort, and pain, Yurika has remained true to her original ambition while others have faltered or collapsed under pressure. Unwavering from her plan and courageously facing all hardships and adversity, Yurika has persevered and found the only romantic happiness in Sakamichi no Apollon.  The reason for such an accomplishment is the mere fact that she has yet to redirect her feelings from one potential lover to another.  This dedicated direction, or perhaps more fittingly acceleration, is responsible for the first successful romance in this anime.

Spring 2012 – Week 8 Anime Review

This week: an unexpected character trait for astronauts in Space Brothers, a neglected storyline for a main character in Tsuritama, how the girls of Upotte!! will be unable to adapt to our society, and telling sweet, little lies in Hyouka.

Sakamichi no Apollon – 5

Humor is a storytelling device used for a variety of purposes.  Some anime rely on it heavily to deliver entertainment whereas others use it as an adjunctive to lighten the mood or to alleviate tension.  Placement and timing of humor can produce significant effects, too, such as modifying the direction of the story or revealing sensitive character information.  Still, humor can serve no meaningful purpose as well and exist simply to generate a few laughs.  Because of its numerous outcomes and generally positive influence on the scene, characters or story, humor is ubiquitous throughout anime.  Sakamichi no Apollon is no exception either, and it uses it quite effectively to narrate its story as we saw in this episode.

Spring 2012 – First Week Impressions (Part 1)

This post reviews Ozuma, Space Brothers, Natsuiro Kiseki, and Accel World.