Winter 2015 – First Impressions (Part 2)

This post reviews: Death Parade, The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls, Assassination Classroom, The Rolling Girls, Soukyuu no Fafner – Dead Aggressor: Exodus, and Yoru no Yatterman.

12 Days of Anime (2014) – Day 2 – Favorite Anime Episode of the Year

Every year, I make an attempt to determine what single episode of every anime that I watched that was my absolute favorite. For some years, the decision is easy, such as 2011 (Puella Magi Madoka Magica episode 10) and 2012 (Sengoku Collection episode 18). For other years, it’s a real challenge. It’s demanding when you’re trying to decide between a number of exceptional episodes with no clear choice. For me, 2014 is the latter with three candidates vying for the honor of my favorite episode of the year. And since I remain undecided on this evaluation, still mulling my opinions for each, I’ll present the three episodes here to illustrate what I am going through.

12 Days of Anime (2014) – Day 3 – Catching up on Anime Movies

I’ve been terrible with staying current on anime movies. As you can probably guess from how I struggle to stay on time with my TV anime and with my blog posts, you can imagine how difficult it is for me to be up-to-date on all the anime movies that air every season. And with my movie backlog continuing to grow and grow, I made a decision early on in 2014 to make an effort to watch anime movies this year… and not just the ones that air, but to go back and catch up on all the ones I’ve missed.

12 Days of Anime (2014) – Day 5 – Shingeki no Kyojin Picture Drama

The anime specials that are included as bonus materials on BDs and DVDs are frequently overlooked and underappreciated as individual anime. Yes, these specials are certainly subpar compared to their respective parent anime, but considering their limited animation budget and restrained writing, it’s unfair to categorize these shorts in the same venue as we do with TV anime. In fact, quite a few of these BD/DVD specials succeed as genuinely entertaining in spite of these restrictions, supplementing these serious TV anime with lighthearted comedy and mild fanservice. And if you want an example of an effective and rewarding BD/DVD special anime, look no further than the Shingeki no Kyojin Picture Drama, a 9-episode series with the main cast as chibi characters enduring constant hardships during their days in the military training program.

Autumn 2014 – Week 2 Anime Review

This week: why episode 13 of Yama no Susume Second Season might be the best episode of anime of 2014, distress and worry that Psycho-Pass 2 will be a fanservice anime or a shell of its former self, examining why the melee choreography of the fights of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works are so enjoyable, and concerns over the evolving comedy in Amagi Brilliant Park.

Autumn 2014 – First Impressions (Part 4)

This post reviews: Parasyte (Kiseijuu), Garo: Honoo no Kokuin, Shirobako, Ore Twintail ni Narimasu and Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.

Autumn 2014 – First Impressions (Part 2)

This post reviews: Magic Kaito 1412, Cross Ange, Sora no Method, Grisaia no Kajitsu, Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis, and Gugure! Kokkuri-san.