Winter 2015 – First Impressions (Part 1)

This post reviews: Yuri Kuma Arashi, Kantai Collection (KanColle), Junketsu no Maria (Maria the Virgin Witch), and Koufuku Graffiti.

Winter 2014 – Week 9 Anime Review

This week: how the cinematography aided in the visually magnificent episode plant planet of Space Dandy, thoughts on the resolution of Gotou’s girlfriend in Samurai Flamenco, remembering the first half of Magi, and trying to make sense of what Manaka lost in Nagi no Asukara.

Summer 2013 – First Week Impressions (Part 3)

This post reviews: Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!, Silver Spoon, Gatchaman Crowds, Choujigen Game Neptune the Animation and Fate⁄Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya.

Summer 2012 – Season Review

So, yeah, the Summer anime season ended quite a while back, but it’s never too late (or is it?) to provide my final thoughts, opinions, assessments, and evaluations on the various anime that aired over our warmer, sunnier months.  We’ve had plenty of time to watch and enjoy these shows and now it’s time to assign their final scores before they become little more than fond or funny memories or entries in our detailed anime histories.  So, just how well did every show do according to my personal preferences?  It’s time to explore and score the 2012 Summer anime season one last time!

Moyashimon Returns – 11 (Finale)

What made the original season of Moyashimon a celebrated and beloved anime were its awkward and lively characters and the zany comedy that accompanied the lives of freshmen at a wacky agricultural university outside of Tokyo.  The second season, Moyashimon Returns, was doomed to mediocrity from straying from this effective recipe, instead opting to delve heavily into drama and introduce new characters who never assimilated to the golden standard of this anime.  However, this occurrence of a sequel failing in comparison to the original is not something exclusive to Moyashimon.  In fact, I’d be inclined to say that’s the norm for sequels in anime, a disheartening trend based on a number of critical factors.

Moyashimon Returns – 8

What makes Moyashimon an interesting anime is how it handles its distinguishing device.  The gambit that individualizes Moyashimon from the rest of anime, Sawaki’s ability to see and characterize microbes from the naked eye, does not dominate the anime nor is it essential to any storyline or characterization besides trivial matters and various educational oddities.  Instead, the anime is above its remarkable gimmick, able to manufacture a product beyond floating organisms and their often inconsiderate quips.  That is to say, Moyashimon is an anime that could survive without its imfamous device, without its microbiological brethren, a trait that most anime cannot even fathom to try.

Summer 2012 – Mid-Season Review

These middle weeks of the Summer anime season serve as a highly appropriate period to provide evaluations, grades, and rankings on each of the anime we’re following.  Here, you’ll find my reviews for each of the anime I’m following for the Summer 2012 season.