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Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 4 Anime Series Review
This is probably the worst season of this show so far.
― It's very easy to clown on Rent-A-Girlfriend because it does a lot of things wrong as either comedy or drama. It's a story that follows a protagonist who doesn't really have likable qualities, and anytime those likable qualities are showcased, they are either immediately walked back, or they're not strong enough to compensate for the sheer amou...
Wandance Volumes 8-10 Manga Review
Kabo gets closer to the beat, but the distance between him and dance is growing.
― One of the most delightful things about Wandance is that it continues to buck narrative trends repeatedly. In other sports/club stories, the focus would be on the way the team seems to lack cohesion, while one character or another fails to live up to their promise. Here, people do well sometimes and not so well other t...
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Review
This is the best these three games have ever been, and the features included ensure that these games remain enjoyable as intended for years to come.
― Capcom's trek through the Mega Man franchise continues with Mega Man Star Force! Originally released on the Nintendo DS, the Star Force games serve as a continuation of the setting from Mega Man Battle Network. And if you're too young to have enjoyed t...
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake Game Review
Despite its disappointing combat, the pitch-perfect aesthetics and classic folk-horror vibes make this journey back to the haunted grounds of Minakami Village one that is still well worth experiencing.
― With horror games of both the independent and blockbuster variety experiencing such a boom in recent years, it was only a matter of time before Koei Tecmo revived the Fatal Frame franchise, which has...
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Box Set Manga Review
At times, Gabimaru’s surprisingly vulnerable, and even a little adorable – like a white-haired, fluffy murder-puppy.
― It's telling that the Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku manga is unavailable to read directly on the Shonen Jump app, at least not on Apple devices. It can only be read digitally via the Shonen Jump website. This is no doubt due to the manga's much higher-than-average (at least for Shonen ...
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Game Review
While it might require some trial and error, you’re sure to have plenty of fun experimenting with a wide array of playstyles and eventually find a fighting style that suits you perfectly.
― I wouldn't blame you for feeling skeptical that the mechanics of Monster Hunter—which either famously or infamously, depending on who you ask, can often go into granular levels of detail—would translate well as a ...
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Volumes 7-10 Manga Review
Building on earlier information and seemingly throwaway comments and characters, the story continues to delight as it pushes its characters to develop in meaningful ways.
― One of the strengths of Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun is that it rarely lets anything become a one-off joke. Ameri's surprisingly demure alternate self in volume six not only makes Ronové look even more ridiculous, but it als...
One Piece Live-Action Season 2 Review
This feels like the best version of a live-action One Piece that we ever could have dared to hope for. Hail to the King of the Pirates, baby.
― Netflix's live-action adaptation of One Piece should never have worked. We've already seen how hard Hollywood has struggled to adapt manga and anime that keep at least one foot in the realm of recognizable reality (or need I remind you all of Netflix's doome...
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 1st STAGE Review
There were a wealth of reasons to go into Steel Ball Run with mitigated expectations, which is why I'm so thrilled to say that this extra-long premiere is incredible by any measure.
― After years of speculation and anticipation, David Production is finally animating STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the seventh part of Hirohiko Araki's long-running manga series and what's generally considered ...
Food Diary of Miss Maid Volumes 1-4 Manga Review
Despite it being about food, whether or not this manga will have you eating well is something up for debate.
― Oftentimes, my dinner is the biggest highlight of my day. I get so hungry that my appetite becomes insatiable, resulting in that moment mid-afternoon where I inevitably scroll through whatever food porn comes across my YouTube home feed (we're up to taking up a good third of the page). There...
Étrange Overlord Game Review
A charming musical RPG the likes of which we haven't had in too long, but is there enough substance to go with the sweetness?
― Shohei Niikawa is best known for the Disgaea games, and longtime fans can rest assured that his newest game, Étrange Overlord, continues his penchant for madcap humor, stunning dramatic twists, and charming characters. But while the charm and humor of the Marl Kingdom games ...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria Volume 13 Novel Review
It feels like this is the moment author Fujino Omori has been striving for: when Lefiya and Bell are fully running parallel to each other.
― Although this side story started out being about Aiz, it's really about Lefiya. That has been increasingly apparent as the books progress. Still, volume thirteen really cements the idea, and it feels like this is the moment author Fujino Omori has been striving ...
Oshi no Ko Volumes 3-8 Manga Review
This is a dark, haunting revenge tale with a side order of unsettling insights into the murkier side of the Japanese entertainment industry.
― Oshi no Ko is what Kaguya-sama: Love is War's author Aka Akasaka did next, this time delegating artistic duties to Scum's Wish creator Mengo Yokoyari. Those expecting another light-hearted romcom are likely to be surprised: this is a dark, haunting revenge tal...
Kill Blue Volumes 3-5 Manga Review
Even if Fujimaki’s love of sports gets in the way at times, these three volumes of Kill Blue still make for a fun read.
― This trio of manga volumes rises and falls on its sportsy aesthetic. It's here where you can really, really tell Kill Blue was penned by the same mangaka who did Kuroko's Basketball (Tadatoshi Fujimaki), and he's definitely not gunshy about showing off his roots. He's got characte...
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea Anime Film Review
This film is not centered around Rimuru—and this ingenious choice is why the film works as well as it does.
― My favorite aspect of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime as a series is how much focus it puts on actions having consequences—most notably the unintended variety. Once again, this movie puts this idea front and center. With his immense magic powers and modern-day knowledge, it can be eas...
Ace of the Diamond Volumes 1-5 Manga Review
If there’s one thing that shines through in these first five volumes, it’s how much creator Yuji Terajima loves baseball.
― Do all sports manga about scrappy kids from tiny teams in the middle of nowhere start the same? It can certainly feel like it at times, and you could be forgiven for thinking that Ace of the Diamond is just Ao Ashi with baseball instead of soccer or [insert name here] with baseb...
Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest Anime Series Review
This is another “banished from the party” story that shows off the typical fantasy flair without giving too much thought to its substance.
― The biggest chip this anime has on its shoulder is its style. The Banished Court Magician Aims To Become The Strongest has moments of storytelling and lore that show their potential, had they not been buried underneath the usual bout of standard fantasy anime tr...
You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! Chapters 1-47 Manga Review
It's a miracle that I didn't hate MY childhood friends by the time I sat down to write this review.
― We're all familiar with the childhood friend trope, right? Often, this is an element or subtrope of a larger trope that a slice-of-life or romantic comedy series revolves around. For example, a childhood friend may be one of the girls in a harem or the main love interest in a slow-burn romance. Howev...
BEASTARS Final Season Part 2
While I still appreciate the juicy meal that was BEASTARS, the final bite was far from the most satisfying.
― Just like that, the anime that made a lot of people question whether or not they're actually furries has ended officially. But does it end on a high note? As someone who read and quite enjoyed the manga, it was interesting seeing exactly how things deviated. This is not a one-to-one adaptatio...
Dangers in My Heart Volumes 1-8 Manga Review
Where Kyotaro is prone to over-thinking and wrongly attributing negative motivations to others, Anna is almost pathologically open, and endearingly quirky.
― It's telling that author Norio Sakurai uses the German loanword “karte” instead of “chapter” for every installment of her most famous manga, The Dangers in My Heart. It's used in Japan to refer to a hospital inpatient's medical chart. Second-yea...
Baki The Grappler Volume 7-8 Manga Review
When beating the crap out of other people just isn’t enough, Baki turns to a giant ape for help getting stronger.
― Narrator Disclaimer: Baki The Grappler is not intended to illustrate martial arts in any meaningfully realistic way. Check with your doctor before continuing physical activity with broken bones and ruptured limbs. Baki The Grappler is a primer in unrealistic bloodsports. It's both amazi...
The Water Magician Anime Series Review
All in all, The Water Magician is proof that subverting clichés just for the sake of it does not make an entertaining story.
― *Note: This review contains major spoilers for The Water Magician. As someone who has seen more isekai anime than they can count, watching The Water Magician is a uniquely baffling experience. At its most basic, it's built on the premise of an isekai genre-savvy protagonist, ...
BEASTARS Volumes 5-22 Manga Review
This is not a series that will make it clear everything will be all right, as it doesn't offer solutions to its problems, even by the very end.
― BEASTARS is such a fascinating series on paper, with themes and setups that are beginning to seem more commonplace. Using anthropomorphic, furry characters as an allegory for real-world issues can have mixed results, especially when the separation between s...
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7—Steel Ball Run Volumes 1-5 Manga Review
Steel Ball Run is easily Jojo’s most bizarre adventure yet.
― Even by Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (JJBA) standards—which, to be clear, is an absurdly high bar to clear—Steel Ball Run (SBR) is absolutely, positively, aggressively, relentlessly, and lovably capital-W Weird. As vast as it is, the world of manga simply doesn't get wilder than this. Dare I say, SBR is easily Jojo's most bizarre adventure yet...
The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince Game Review
The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is a narrative platformer steeped in fairy tales.
― Once upon a time, there was a wolf. She lived in the dark forest and sang to the moon in a beautiful voice. A young prince snuck out of the castle to listen to her song, but when he tried to see her, her monstrous instincts forced her to react, scratching out his eyes. The wolf felt terrible about this because ...
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Volumes 2-6 Manga Review
Iruma’s early adventures fully coalesce in this set of volumes with its shorter arcs.
― It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that, since Ameri's father's name is Henri, her name is almost certainly meant to be Amélie. That's really neither here nor there, but it does add an interesting extra layer to one of the major plotlines in this set of volumes: Ameri is a closet shoujo manga fan. N...
MARRIAGETOXIN Volume 2-11 Manga Review
For a series with the word TOXIN in the title, this series is anything but TOXIC.
― When I reviewed the first volume of MARRIAGETOXIN, I wrote it off as a fairly solid action series with a very lovable lead. The idea of a socially awkward yet incredibly capable assassin willingly throwing himself into harm's way for the sake of protecting his sister was a solid setup, and I very much thought that the...
Dynasty Warriors Origins: Visions of Four Heroes Game DLC Review
Visions of Four Heroes is really good in unexpected ways, but fails to deliver what I really wanted.
― Dynasty Warriors Origins: Visions of Four Heroes is a conflicted DLC that somehow manages to overdeliver and miss the mark all at once. I'm going to be blunt: this DLC was not at all what I expected. I very much enjoyed the base game of Origins, which was a robust and modern take on a franchise that...
Cat's Eye Episode 7-12 Anime Series Review
What we got certainly wasn't bad, but it was also fairly forgettable, and for a new interpretation of an old classic, it's hard to think of a more disappointing outcome than that.
― I walked away from the first half of the Cat's Eye remake feeling mostly unimpressed, as the combination of its bland capers and even blander central romance didn't leave a whole lot to latch onto. To its credit, the seco...
Always a Catch! Volumes 2-5 Manga Review
At its heart, this is a romp of a story about an atypical young lady bulldozing her way through the world.
― If I had to sum Always a Catch up in the easiest way possible, I would say that it's May I Ask for One Final Thing? but with a heroine who is as goofy as possible. Like Scarlet, Maria “Mimi” Annovazzi is as strong as she can be and has an incredible skill for punching people, but she lacks Sca...
Mario Tennis Fever Game Review
Mario Tennis Fever won’t turn up the heat for everybody, but it could be sick as hell for the folks who play the game competitively.
― First and foremost, I should note that Nintendo and Camelot Software's Mario Tennis Fever is, for all intents and purposes, a fighting game. There's a story mode and various trial modes to help new players learn the controls. The many characters that make up this game...
Puniru is a Cute Slime Season 2 Anime Series Review
The show went out on a limb and took a big swing for some heavy subject matter.
― Season one of Puniru is a Kawaii Slime was pretty solid. In a lot of ways, the show felt very nostalgic from its setup, to its comedy, to its animation. Season two continues many of the elements I enjoyed about the show before. The animation is above average with very creative directing. There are throwbacks and referen...
MAO Volume 23 Manga Review
While Sana remains conspicuous in her absence, they now know where Daigo has been: in Natsuno’s eyes.
― Nine hundred years is a long time to go without answers. All of the former members of the Goko Clan have done their best with their unexpected time in the world, but none of them have had any true notion of why they continued to live – or even what truly caused the downfall of their group back in t...
My Awkward Senpai Anime Series Review
This is an adorkable anime in every way.
― My Awkward Senpai is a workplace anime that often denies its romantic comedy flavorings even when they are so obvious and in the audience's faces. I went into this series blind, so naive me expected a more grounded story about the 9-to-5 grind and the relationships that form between senpai and kohai. That proves foolhardy by the end of the first episode. The...
Resident Evil Requiem Game Review
It may not be the best of the Resident Evil adventures to come out these last few years, but Requiem probably represents most Resident Evil experience that this new generation has cooked up so far.
― We've been enjoying the fruits of Capcom's Resident Evil Renaissance (their REnaissance?) for several years now, and I feel like Resident Evil Requiem represents a fascinating culmination of everything t...
Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord Volumes 4-6 Manga Review
Wealth and magic can make life easier, but making friends can save the world.
― In Volume 1-3, we were presented with a kind of manga The Sims scenario, as Van gathered around him people willing to help him transform this “unnamed” village into a prosperous town. In Volume 4-6, the story continues to build on Van's blueprints, as the town builds defenses, weapons, and a military capable of wielding t...
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar Novel Review
Dark Moon: the Blood Altar is the literary equivalent of a Twinkie.
― You've read the manhwa and watched the anime – why not read the novel as well? Possibly because it's 888 pages long. Like the BTS novel 7 Fates Chakho, Dark Moon is an exercise in Wattpad madness – a story that ties in with a K-pop boy band and casts them all as various supernatural versions of themselves in a complicated story. Th...
Trigun Maximum Manga Review
The world Vash lives in is so well fleshed-out in its manga incarnation, and the stakes for survival of its populace much higher.
― You know when you've been overdoing something when aspects of it begin to bleed into your dreams. So it has been the past few weeks for me and Trigun. Not too long after closing my eyes, my mind is filled with images of spiky-haired red-trenchcoat-wearing gunslingers, cr...
Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter Anime Series Review
There's not much to Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter beyond girls crushing on Allen as he helps them overcome their issues.
― You can't talk about this series without addressing the elephant in the room. Much of this series' drama and humor revolves around our three female magic students and their crush on Allen. Tina, Ellie, and Lynne constantly get jealous of each other and pretty much every ot...
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Volumes 10-13 Manga Review
After the first-class mage examination, mighty demons take on Frieren and Denken in both the present and the past.
― Frieren: Beyond Journey's End continues to surprise and entertain and has established a process to do so. Every large arc will require Frieren and Fern to understand magic just that much better. They will come up against their own limitations and analyze their enemies' weaknesses. Star...
I Want Your Mother to be With Me! Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
This is ultimately a story about recognizing that you don't have to stubbornly tackle everything on your own.
― Being a single parent is never easy. Raising a child demands a lot of time, expenses, and responsibilities that most couples would find difficult to manage. But being a single parent means that you're trying to fill all of those responsibilities by yourself, which naturally comes with sacri...
April Showers Bring May Flowers Anime Series Review
With the deliberate pacing of the romance plot, there's plenty of room for character introspection.
― No one in April Showers Bring May Flowers is perfect. That might not sound important, but it truly is, particularly as the series goes on. There's a tendency in this style of high school romance to make a few people seem larger than life, as if their outer beauty reflects an inner saintliness that ma...
PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse Game Review
While its story elements come together in a snug, fantastical narrative, the first entry's gameplay shortcomings remain, and this new game's shift away from spookier, creepier plot beats left me wanting.
― Anime News Network was provided an advanced review copy of this game. Nearly three years since the release of PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, Square Enix and developer Xeen are back w...
Holy Boy Novel Review
I can already tell Holy Boy is one of those titles that is going to stay with me for a long time. When I first began reading it, I realized I’d need to close the covers or else I’d be up all night following its characters into the most unsettling recesses of their distorted minds.
― You don't need to look very far into real life events to see how idol singers bring out the worst in a select few of th...
There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… ~Next Shine~ Episodes 13-17 Anime Review
Originally, the series was a bit unclear about why Renako was in denial or always quick to run away from the romantic advances of others. This arc makes it explicitly clear that she does not think she is a good person who is deserving of any of that love.
― There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… was an interesting series that mixed funny comedic hijinx with solid character writing. While...
Drops of God: Mariage Volume 8-10 Manga Review
To find the perfect match of food and wine, we must travel the world and try new things, then come home and appreciate the familiar.
― Twice in Volume 9, someone rolled their eyes at someone else's melodrama during the big showdown, and I was 100% there for it. It actually made me like the whole story better. The first half of this arc is spent redeeming Chef Mikasa, the accomplished French chef whos...
Firefly Wedding Volumes 2-4 Manga Review
With richly detailed art and well-considered characters, Firefly Wedding is a traffic accident that you can’t look away from.
― If the first volume of Firefly Wedding set off warning bells in your head with its harsh story and themes of unwilling marriage and sexual predation, you may want to skip the rest of this series. It is hard to think of another ostensible romance that has as many flashing red...
Fureru. Anime Film Review
This is the kind of material that’s bread and butter for screenwriter Mari Okada, who as usual, brings a sharp eye for what makes human beings tick.
― The internet is awash with think-pieces discussing the “male friendship recession.” In our fast-moving, fragmented Western society, where once tightly-knit communities have been replaced by hyper-individualism, and face-to-face communication by digital...
Tougen Anki Episodes 13-24 Anime Series Review
This is hands-down, one of the worst shounen series I think I've ever seen.
― I was very harsh with the first half of this season of Tougen Anki. I thought this show was a by-the-numbers shounen that barely had anything new or inventive to bring to the table. Anything unique it did bring was vastly undercooked to the point where it barely mattered at all in the grand scheme of things. I thought the d...
Touring After the Apocalypse Volume 4-6 Manga Review
Everyone is dead, everything is destroyed, let’s go on a road trip!
― In the early volumes of Sakae Saito's post-apocalyptic landscape bike tour, we met Youko, a young human, and her companion Airi, an artificial humanoid of some kind, who are traveling around Japan on a Yamaha XT225, known as the Yamaha Serow. This small motorcycle allows for off-road and street riding. With no people to repair infr...
Scarlet Anime Film Review
Is Scarlet Mamoru Hosoda’s best film? No. But is it an above-average film worth watching? Absolutely.
― It's obvious from nearly the first scene of acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda's newest film that Scarlet draws from the Shakespearean play Hamlet. Character names and basic plot points are ripped straight out of the play—and Scarlet herself is an obvious female proxy to the titular prince. However, ...
Romeo is a Dead Man Video Game Review
A zany story and over-the-top characters, along with an avant-garde and polychromatic presentation, clash with somewhat simplistic combat mechanics and camera issues.
― Suda51 is a Japanese game developer who needs no introduction. Known for games like Lollipop Chainsaw, No More Heroes, and Shadows of the Damned, his studio Grasshopper Manufacturer continues to take the enigmatic approach in storytel...
Hana-Kimi Omnibus Volumes 4-6 Manga Review
It’s got its ups and downs for certain, but this omnibus of the beloved shoujo manga mostly remains a fun read.
― After a slow start, what better way to kick things up than with a school festival? Here we have arrived at one of the more exciting parts of Hana-Kimi's early phases. It approximates itself towards a tournament arc with the way it opens up; what better way to show off than by having the h...
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Game Review
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties ends up improving on the original experience enough to make it well worth the time of anyone that wants to check out this early chapter of Kazuma Kiryu's sprawling life story.
― Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties presents the Like a Dragon franchise at an interesting crossroads. Now that the series has achieved a degree of mainstream recognition and success that its original fans...
Let This Grieving Soul Retire! Season 2 Anime Series Review
There is a single joke at the core of this anime: No matter how far the odds are stacked against him, Krai is always going to win—and it's going to be completely by accident.
― There is a single joke at the core of Let This Grieving Soul Retire!: No matter how far the odds are stacked against him, Krai is always going to win—and it's going to be completely by accident. Now, you might think that knowi...
You and Idol Precure♪ Episodes 37-49 Anime Review
You and Idol Precure♪ has, I have come to realize, one very specific problem: it plants the seeds of meaningful storylines and then doesn’t bother to water them.
― You and Idol Precure♪ has, I have come to realize, one very specific problem: it plants the seeds of meaningful storylines and then doesn't bother to water them. Nowhere is this better seen than in the case of Kaito. Although he's not a ma...
My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha Anime Series Review
This is an anti-hero story so lacking in proper hamminess that there’s hardly a single bit of pork on the bone here.
― There's a part of me that feels there's a much better comedy buried underneath this tale of fantasy melodrama. We have a klutzy warrior girl who doesn't know her own strength and a weird girl who thinks she's a cat. A leading maid's underlings try to trollishly and absurdly seize pow...
Pokémon Horizons: Season 3 - Rising Hope Part 1 Anime Review
Pokémon Horizons does the unthinkable and actually lets the characters age!
― Pokémon Horizons was already doing a lot to break the unspoken rules of the original Pokémon anime. Rising Hope continues that trend by doing the unthinkable and actually integrating a time skip as the catalyst for a new arc. Unlike other anime that might just use a time skip for the sake of changing your character's design...
The Many Worlds of Takahata Isao Book Review
At last, Anglophone readers have an in-depth academic study of the director Isao Takahata, taking us through the depth and breadth of his work.
― This is the first English-language book-length academic study of Isao Takahata, spanning nearly fifty years of his work, from Horus, Prince of the Sun in 1968 to The Tale of the Princess Kaguya in 2013. It's an anthology, with most of the writers taking one...
Nioh 3 Video Game Review
For a lot of folks, Nioh 3 might sound like some form of divine punishment. For sickos who crave a truly hardcore descent into bloody hell, though, Nioh 3 is just plain divine.
―
I am a hardcore fan of the Dark Souls games and their legion of siblings, cousins, and imitators, but even I have to regard the Nioh franchise with a certain amount of dark reverence. The Dark Souls games have become legend...
Wandance Volume 6-7 Manga Review
Is it enough to feel the beat and dance, or does everything need words, too?
― Since Ichirin won their first team competition, by the rules of manga, it is time for a humbling loss. Once again, Wandance bucks the trend. The Ichirin dance team, led by On-chan and the only other male member, Iori, who has a lot of experience in dance battles, shows up and does surprisingly well. Iori takes the individu...
Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits- Season 2 Anime Review
While the content of this season is a lovely balance of ayakashi lore, peril, and cozy cooking, it doesn't come to anything remotely close to a satisfying conclusion at the end of episode twelve.
― It was a long wait to continue the story of Aoi Tsubaki and her quiet adventures in the Hidden Realm in anime form. (Viz has been releasing the manga right along, although as of this writing the novels rem...
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Game Review
A worthy remake of a fan-favorite Dragon Quest that newcomers will love—but oldtimers might want to take advantage of the higher difficulty mode...
― You'd be forgiven for having some number of misgivings about Dragon Quest VII Reimagined; the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy isn't everyone's cup of tea, and while the previous Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past remake on the 3DS is app...
Fire Force Volumes 11-20 Manga Review
There’s a certain point one comes to when reading Fire Force where it’s best to set aside one’s critical faculties and be swept along by the pyroclastic silliness.
― In my recent review of Fire Force volumes 1-10, I lauded Atsushi Ohkubo's apparently final manga series for its accomplished art, excellent character design, goofy humor, and exciting battles, while expressing frustration at the intrusiv...
The Camphorwood Custodian Anime Film Review
While there are some minor issues with The Camphorwood Custodian, overall, this is an enjoyable film.
― When I go into films, one of the first things I pay close attention to is the story and narratives presented to me. The reason for this is that, no matter the visuals or camera work, if a story is engaging, other aspects of the story can be forgiven. However, The Camphorwood Custodian forced me to ...
Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe Anime Film Review
If deep character explorations and interpersonal drama are your cup of tea, you'll get your fill. If you're just in it for giant robots fighting each other, you'll get that too.
― Like with the first Hathaway film, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe is a character-driven movie more than a plot-driven one. While the story is step-by-step building towards Mafty's impending attack on the Earth Federation Leader...
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 Next Gen Update Review
The game moves at lightning speed, and this next-generation update helps oil up the gears to keep them chugging along with the action.
― The Next Gen update for One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 adds yet more reasons to play one of - if not the - best One Piece games on the market. If you are unfamiliar with the base game, let me bring you up to speed. One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 is another in the long-run...
Li'l Miss Vampire Can't Suck Right Anime Series Review
There’s a slow-paced, low-stakes, soporific vibe to proceedings that means Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right is best imbibed in small portions to avoid losing consciousness.
― Back in September 2025, when I reviewed the first volume of this anime's source manga, while I wasn't overly enamoured with it, I stated, “I think Li'l Miss Vampire Can't Suck Right is likely to translate well to anime.” Was I...
Wash It All Away Volume 2-5 Manga Review
Near the gleaming beaches of Atami, a small cleaning service can ensure that your clothes are just as bright.
― This manga, written and illustrated by Mitsuru Hattori, has a relaxed, somewhat distanced feel, even as we run around town with Wakana. The narrative is trying to do several things at once, and some of those things it does well, while others feel like a dissonant note to the whole. To begin...
Code Vein II Game Review
If the original Code Vein is “Anime Dark Souls,” Code Vein II is “Anime Elden Ring.”
― 2019's Code Vein is very much a game built on the Dark Souls foundation. It plays similarly in most ways, but two things set it apart from that series: its anime-inspired art style and its focus on plot and characters (more than on environmental storytelling and collecting brief snippets of lore from item descripti...
Record of Ragnarok Season 3 Anime Series Review
In a world where rapid changes are frequent and often unrequested, it can be comforting to have a show that is consistent almost to a fault.
― Record of Ragnarok Season 3 is precisely what it purports to be – no more, no less. Dear reader, I'm not completely sure how to approach this review. In part, that is because this work is exactly what it says on the tin, no surprises and no curveballs. I would...
Detective Conan: Rivals Of The Great Detective Part 2 Anime Series Review
It's this span of episodes that showcases what makes Detective Conan so great.
― Rivals of the Great Detective continues to showcase some of the stronger elements of the Detective Conan franchise. I can continue to question the release order or overall plans for the franchise's global release until the sun explodes, but instead, I'll channel all of that energy into reviewing these batches of episodes...
White Note Pad Manga Review
White Note Pad is a story that demands introspection.
― Tomoko Yamashita is adept at writing stories that explore humanity. Although not many of her works have been translated into English, the two anime adaptations she's garnered – The Night Beyond the Tricorner Window and Journal with Witch – both amply demonstrate her thoughtful exploration of identity, gender, and sexuality alongside complex emot...
Cosmic Princess Kaguya! Anime Film Review
What do you get if you smash together The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter with the online-sphere riffs of BELLE and a dash of Revolutionary Girl Utena's sapphic affection?
― What do you get if you smash together The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter with the online-sphere riffs of Belle and a dash of Revolutionary Girl Utena 's sapphic affection? You get a chromatic storm like the fantasy sci-fi musical Cosmic Pri...
Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise Film Review
Zombies battle aliens in the Zombie Land Saga movie, which isn’t as funny as the show but reminds us why Tae Yamada is Legendary.
― The strongest quality of Zombie Land Saga's first two seasons that this movie mostly lacks is the power of surprise. The TV series excelled at taking huge swerves, dishing out the most absurd comedic situations interspersed with unexpected heartwarming moments. The movie...
Love Through a Prism Anime Series Review
For all the brickbats that you could throw at it, Netflix's sumptuous new romance series set in 1910s London is admirably well-made and thoroughly entertaining.
― Love Through a Prism is the lavish new period romance anime series. It's mostly set in England of the 1910s; it's animated primarily by Wit Studio (though with a plethora of collaborating studios in the credits); and it's co-written by Boys...
Inexpressive Kashiwada and Expressive Oota Anime Series Review
I wanted a spin on the usual “opposites attract” story, and that’s exactly what I got. Perhaps I wanted it a little too much.
― I feel like I was the only person on the face of the Earth who was the least bit excited for Inexpressive Kashiwada and Expressive Oota. Why not? I enjoyed the first episode enough, with its solid direction and its spin on the archetypal “opposites attract” premise. He's an ...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – Urðr Hunt Special Edition Anime Film Review
This film is essentially a remastered compilation of several video game cutscenes, and that origin ultimately hampers what could have been an interesting feature film.
― 10 years ago, the director and writer behind anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day took her shot at a Gundam entry with Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. Between Tatsuyuki Nagai's underrated skill as an action director (A Certa...
Alice in Wonderland: Dive in Wonderland Film Review
This modernized film of Alice in Wonderland is pleasant in places, but it's too mediocre to justify a cinema release.
― Maybe you've had the experience of waking in the early morning, turning on the TV, hopping channels, and stumbling on a kids' fantasy cartoon that you've not seen before; not a TV episode but a stand-alone cartoon special or film. Honestly, it's not a great cartoon in terms of its s...
Hell Mode Volumes 2-3 Light Novel Review
In a word, Hell Mode has thus far been tedious.
― I get what Hell Mode is going for by having its protagonist—a 35-year-old gamer named Kenichi, who's renamed Allen upon his waking up in this new world—reincarnated into this generic RPG world as a baby. Born into this new world, our protagonist doesn't have to grapple as hard, if at all, with the logistical difficulties that come with being overnight...
Whoever Steals This Book Anime Film Review
Whoever Steals This Book is, unfortunately, one of those films that is 100% style over substance.
― Whoever Steals This Book is a film filled to the brim with imagination. Mifuyu's adventure takes her into wonderfully realized storybook worlds. There's a Japanese fairy tale filled with surreal visuals, a noir detective story portrayed with a black and white color palette and film grain over the top, ...
Baki The Grappler Volumes 5-6 Manga Review
This is a manga in which a thirteen-year-old bulks up by eating and training so effing hard he hits galaxy brain mode and bulks up in ways that are impossible.
― Having defeated Kureha Shinogi, despite the man's intimate knowledge of the human body gained at the cost of dozens of other's lives, Baki almost immediately seeks his next fight. He's spotted fighting 100 delinquents at once, knocking out o...
My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
Kazuki is a very boring, nothing character that is strictly driven by his survival and he needs to spend most of the story riding a very thin line.
― On the one end, I do appreciate a series that really likes to just cut out all the fat. When Death Flags starts, we don't get any set-up or preamble about our protagonist's past life or how he found himself in the circumstances that he does. He just wak...
The Greatest Wolf of My Life Volume 1 K-Comic Review
The Greatest Wolf of My Life is an immensely entertaining story in its first volume.
― In any other manhwa, or manga or light novel, a pop star moving into the apartment next door would be the first sign of a budding romance for an ordinary young woman. Not in Ran's The Greatest Wolf of My Life - for Eunbyul, having Kang Bin show up in the shabby rooftop studio next door to hers, it's the beginning o...
A Wild Last Boss Appeared! Anime Series Review
In an anime landscape where video game isekai are standard issue, A Wild Last Boss Appeared! is easily one of the more ambitious—and certainly better animated—such titles.
― We never technically learn the name of the protagonist of A Wild Last Boss Appeared! (henceforth WLB). In fact, we only catch brief glimpses of what he actually looks like. Still, we do learn that he's one of the all-time best pl...
Drops of God Season 2 Live-Action Series Review
Sometimes the only way to save something you love is to destroy it utterly. Sometimes, destroying what you love doesn't save anything at all.
― Drops of God, Season 2, has some of the absolute finest acting I have ever seen. Which is both wonderful and devastating, as this sequel to the live-action television series on Apple TV is a difficult and very tightly wound sequel to the live-action televisio...
My Awkward Senpai Chapters 1-104 Manga Review
What starts as comedic social awkwardness soon becomes an example of someone that is a workaholic and plagued by a deep fear of emotional dependency.
― I always find it at least a little bit funny when a series portrays an incredibly capable person in a field that requires a lot of social interaction only for the twist to be that they actually have no social skills whatsoever. Maybe there are some pe...
Fire Force Volumes 1-10 Manga Review
Fire Force has so many other positive aspects that it seems absurd that the author should want to torpedo his chances of a wider audience by so prominently featuring such prurient, out-of-place fan-service.
― Man's fascination with fire dates back to the primeval ages. Fire on demand was one of the very first technologies, and its transformative effects, once harnessed, led directly towards the machi...
10Dance Live-Action Movie Review
Worlds collide on the dance floor as two men with the same name learn how each other moves
― The movie begins with Shinya Suzuki. He is a ladies' man, a laid-back yanki of a dancer. Half Cuban, half Japanese, he longs for his island home. He lives in a tropical enclave in Japan, but is outwardly uninterested in dancing on the international stage. For reasons he cannot identify, he finds himself const...
Elden Ring Nightreign The Forsaken Hollows Game Review
Despite its clear ups and downs, Elden Ring Nightreign The Forsaken Hollows is well worth the asking price of $15.
― Since its release, Elden Ring Nightreign has had more than a few major updates. From harder versions of each boss (which basically add an entire new phase to each fight) to a new way of playing that not only increases the difficulty the more you win but also doubles the amount of chara...
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon Game Review
The beginning of the end of the Trails saga sets off for the only worthy setting: space!
― Falcom's Trails series represents a truly massive epic in the making: twelve RPGs produced over the course of 20 years that tell the ongoing story of personal, political, and industrial change in a fictional world. After 20 years, the series is making the jump to its final frontier: space. Being a Trails neophy...
Hana-Kimi Omnibus Vols. 1-3 Review
The beloved shoujo manga still maintains its charm after thirty years, even if the narrative reveals a few old cracks here and there.
― Towards the end of Hana-Kimi's second volume, Hisaya Nakajo wrote that before Hana-Kimi's success, she never penned a story that went beyond six chapters. She might not have expected her manga to achieve such international popularity either, even as she hastily drew ...
Kaya-chan Isn't Scary Volumes 2-4 Manga Review
It’s not quite as good as its most obvious sibling, Mieruko-chan, but it’s still a fascinating take on the ghost story.
― When I reviewed the first volume of Yuritaro's Kaya-chan Isn't Scary manga for the Manga Guide, I said that it was basically Mieruko-chan but in kindergarten. That holds true for the next three books, as the milder elements are gradually overshadowed by the horror, only deepening ...
Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights Visual Novel Review
Temirana is a light, sweet game that’s easy to pick up, put down, and play when you have the time and it’s long enough to feel worthwhile while also being short enough to feel like you can play to completion.
― How much time do you have to sink into an otome game? If the answer is “not tons,” consider picking up Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights. It's not a short game by any means, ...
Black Jack - The Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Review
Before Ameku, M.D., before House, there was only one name to call when medicine got weird – the infamous unlicensed surgeon, Black Jack.
― Osamu Tezuka, often called “The God of Manga” (in many cases by himself), has certainly given us many iconic characters—Astro Boy, Sapphire the princess with two hearts, and his epic Phoenix. Among these is the instantly recognizable Black Jack, a man with mismatc...
Shabake Anime Series Review
Shabake may have flown under a few radars as it was airing, but it's a solid show that deserves more attention.
― If you've been watching anime and reading manga for a while, you're probably familiar with the basic ayakashi, or spirits and supernatural beings, that crop up frequently. The kappa, the kitsune, the tanuki, the nopperabo…it'd be easy to assume that these and a few others make up the bulk...
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