Category Archives: Review

My Hero Academia, Volume 8 – Review

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Alright, let’s talk My Hero Academia. This latest volume gave me one of the strangest sources of frustration I’ve experienced regarding manga – feeling annoyed that a certain arc wasn’t padded out. Normally I’d be all for skipping through the dramatically irrelevant fights of Deku’s final exams, but for this story, I can’t think of many things I’d more like to see than the secondary characters of Class A battling against professional heroes. It’s a testament to this manga’s great cast and fun fights that I basically want filler battles.

You can check out my full review over at ANN.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid – Review

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Today I’ve got a streaming review of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid! The show obviously charmed the hell out of me, so I was happy to talk about it at greater length. Maidragon is one of those shows whose weaknesses are so clearly partitioned that they don’t really affect my enjoyment of the whole; the show’s side characters aren’t very good, but they don’t really impact the power of the show’s domestic material at all. And the comedy is strong throughout, making for a generally excellent ride. I hope you enjoy the piece!

You can check out my full review over at ANN.

Steins;Gate: The Movie – Review

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Today I’ve got a review of the Steins;Gate movie, which was… well, pretty bad. Also tedious, superfluous, and dramatically inert. It was somewhat nice just to see these characters again, but watching them go through the motions of a clearly uninspired story just wasn’t a particularly good time. Ah well.

You can check out my full review over at ANN.

Bakemonogatari, Volume 1 – Review

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Today I finally reviewed the first Bakemonogatari print volume, which was… well, not great. Pretty much everything that’s good in this novel was conveyed as well or better in the anime, and there’s plenty here that was mercifully cut in the adaptation. Monogatari is one of my favorite anime franchises, but I’m not really compelled to continue reading these.

You can check out my full review over at ANN.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 6 – Review

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Today I’m back with the latest Ancient Magus’ Bride. This one’s a bit of a mixed bag – the fantastical adventures are as strong as ever, but Alice’s story felt like it was held down by the author’s awkwardly vague impression of what her life might actually be like. Still, I can’t blame the author too much for trying to write beyond her comfort zone. And the second half is still pretty great!

The Ancient Magus Bride – Volume 6

Kizumonogatari, Part III – Review

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I finally got to see the last film of the Kizu trilogy this week, and yeah, it was definitely a time. I’d say this was probably the weakest of the three films, but the first two set an extremely high bar, and I think this one still sits comfortably among them. This act also features the story’s most brutal and unexpected dramatic turns, and since I already knew those were coming, it was probably a bit less of a gut-punch than a first time viewer. My review doesn’t really contain any spoilers, so have at it!

Kizumonogatari, Part III

UQ Holder, Volume 8 – Review

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Today we’re catching up on UQ Holder a bit, running through the manga’s recent training arc. There’s really not much to say about this one that I didn’t already say in my review, and I’ve got thirty million things to get to today, so HAVE AT IT!

You can check out my full review over on ANN.

Nichijou – Review

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IT’S TIME FOR MORE NICHIJOU TALK. Unsatisfied with simply rambling about every episode right here, today I’ve got a review of Kyoto Animation’s comic revelation over on ANN. It was actually really tough to talk about Nichijou’s strengths on a macro level – explaining the jokes doesn’t really do them justice, and much of the show’s strength comes in its precisely combined details of execution. Still, hopefully I conveyed the gist.

You can check out my full review over at ANN.

Kemono Friends – Review

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Today on ANN, I offer just a few more words on last season’s Kemono Friends. It’s been a fun show to discuss through the season, offering unique points of critique in both its strengths and weaknesses. Many shows are just generally polished or generally crummy, but Kemono Friends’ strange, imbalanced qualities kept it interesting all along the way. I hope you enjoy the review!

You can check out my piece over at ANN.

Ninja Slayer From Animation – Review

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Today I reviewed Ninja Slayer, which was… well, basically everything I dislike about Trigger shows, compressed into five minutes of comedy, and then stretched out into twenty-six episodes of torture. Ninja Slayer was a real struggle to get to, as it apparently hoped I found its one big joke hilarious enough to sustain two entire goddamn seasons of content. From its repetitive humor to its “it’s bad, but we know it’s bad, so it’s good now!” visual aesthetic, Ninja Slayer was pretty much the laziest of comedies from start to finish. Thanks, Trigger.

You can check out my full review over at ANN.