Holy crap, it’s time for the Week in Review. Having just finished working on the preview guide this past weekend, I had to hustle to catch up on what I wanted for today, and still haven’t really gotten the chance to expand beyond my four must-see properties. Fortunately, those must-see properties are offering more than enough entertainment to sustain me, between the reliably ridiculous action of Thunderbolt/JoJo and the newfound pleasures of Run with the Wind and Gridman. Gridman in particular is really stunning me so far; the show is building on styles of characterization and shot composition that echo some of my all-time favorite anime, while effortlessly carving out its own identity all the while. Even with relatively limited overall animation, Gridman is able to sell its world at all times through its gorgeous scene setting and purposeful, highly active direction. Let’s dispense with the preamble, then, and get right to this week in anime!
Tag Archives: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Fall 2018 – Virtually Every First Episode Retrospective
Well folks, it’s that time again. With nearly every fall premiere now on the books, and me having also watched nearly all of those premieres, it’s time for me to break down what’s worth watching, what’s worth skipping, and what contains so much dark energy that merely glancing in its direction may scar your soul. It’s a serious duty, and I take it very seriously. Anime criticism is no joke!
As for this season in particular, I am thrilled to report that The Anime Is Good. After two straight seasons where I found myself having to stretch for a reasonable watch schedule, we are once again inundated with far too many good shows, in genres ranging from romance to drama to action to comedy and beyond. Several of this season’s premieres were genuinely stunning, far more offered sturdy entertainment from start to finish, and there were even some borderline efforts that still seemed like they might bloom into something wonderful. As usual, you can check out the full list of reviews over at ANN (check for Nick Creamer), or find quicker thoughts and my overall rankings below. Let’s celebrate some fresh new anime!
Why It Works: Here are the Shows to Cram Before the Fall Season!
Well, I’d guess that title pretty much says it all, right? With the fall season basically upon us, it seemed about time to hype up all the great shows that will be gaining new sequels in the future. I’m not really sure either JoJo or Monogatari need the help, but I was happy to find another excuse to rep Thunderbolt Fantasy, and it’s not like promoting those titans could actually hurt. Anyway, if you know me well you probably already know what I’m selling, but if not, please enjoy these recommendations!
Here are the Shows to Cram Before the Fall Season
Fall 2018 Season Preview
Well folks, the fall season’s approaching, and I could not be happier to for once actually have good news. After two relatively light seasons in a row, it’s looking like fall will be delivering us a genuine bounty, offering a handful of obvious can’t-miss productions and plenty of other potential favorites besides. Contrary to what you might believe, I don’t really enjoy being negative about media – I’d much rather celebrate good things than sneer at failures, and this coming season offers plenty to celebrate.
As usual, my preview list here won’t be including every single coming show – you can check out anichart for that list, along with all their various synopses. Instead, I’ll specifically be highlighting the shows I’ve got high hopes for, and explaining whatever caught my attention, be that a strong staff, excellent source material, particularly impressive PV, or whatever else. The right execution can make any narrative compelling, and an intriguing premise doesn’t mean much if the staff can’t follow through on it, so I’ll mostly be leaning on production-side resources to guide me here. Starting from my most anticipated prospects, let’s run this exciting season down!
Why It Works: The Thrilling Tales of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part Two
Today I conclude my journey through the first four arcs of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and presumably get everyone prepped for the coming fifth season. I know I’m very lucky to be living in the era of an actual, committed JoJo adaptation, and at this point, it almost doesn’t feel like a proper anime season if I don’t have a JoJo to rely on. It’s been a long wait for arc five, and I’m beyond thrilled to get to it. I hope you enjoy the piece!
The Thrilling Tales of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part Two
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable – Review
Today I reviewed the latest of JoJos, Diamond is Unbreakable! This one ultimately rose to be my favorite season, in spite of not really matching the continuous, breakneck entertainment of Battle Tendency. Diamond is Unbreakable just offered so much good stuff, so many great ideas and characters and battles, and all of it framed within the most strangely compelling premise the show has found. I’ve heard both good and bad things about the coming season, but I’m happy this one turned out so well.
You can check out my full review over at ANN.
Top Ten Anime of 2016
And somehow, another year has come to a close. This has been a strange year for me – as my first full year of wholly anime-related employment, it’s been often terrifying, sometimes uplifting, and always exciting. I’m not sure it means anything that my move to freelance coincided with the world catching fire, but hey, things happen. At least I also write for Crunchyroll now!
As far as anime itself goes, this has been a very solid year in general. The industry is currently at a somewhat unsustainable level of production, and though foreign streaming and other forms of revenue are putting the industry in a more stable place financially, that still hasn’t adjusted the workflow mechanisms that keep animators so terribly underpaid. That will have to change eventually, but as far as the actual shows go, there were plenty of anime I had a great time with this year, and solid hits in a wide variety of genres. In fact, this year’s crop was so good that I even have some honorable mentions! That’s honestly kind of unusual for me – I generally struggle getting to ten shows without including stuff I’m not totally sold on. So let’s start right there, and run down the shows that just barely missed the list before we count off the final ten!
Fall 2016 – Week 12 in Review
Welp, the year is coming to an end. 2016 has been a tough year for the world at large, and a stressful year for me personally, what with transitioning entirely to freelance work the year before. Fortunately, 2016 was also a pretty excellent year in anime – there wasn’t anything I loved on the level of a Shirobako or an Eccentric Family, but the breadth of the year’s top tier was pretty dang remarkable. This season in particular was a real standout, offering a substantial portion of the shows that’ll make up my final top ten. We’re arriving at final episodes now, which is sad, but I’m never unhappy to see good shows end strong. Let’s run these titles down, and get ready for whatever 2017 may bring!
Fall 2016 – Week 11 in Review
Most of the shows I’m watching were pretty fantastic this week. Alright, I’m watching six shows, so we can more specifically say four of six. JoJo is nailing its final battle, Chitose is actually becoming a sympathetic character, Flip Flappers is pulling its story together, and March is drawing all possible pathos out of Rei’s anger and resentment. That’s a pretty good ratio! So yes, Euphonium may have dedicated a full episode to a nonsense conflict, and Yuri on Ice may still be a generally underwhelming sports production, but frankly, the standards are quite high this season. With all my shows having around two episodes left, this is still easily looking to be the best season of the year, and a season any year would be proud of. The coming winter may be a bleak wilderness, but let us remember: sometimes anime is good. Continue reading
Fall 2016 – Week 10 in Review
We’re coming to the close now. With 2016 ending on America electing its first Russia-approved candidate, it’s a little hard for anime to really shock me, and so I’m perfectly fine with embracing stability in my Japanese cartoons. The fall’s highlights all seem to be ending strong at this point – Euphonium has risen from a weak middle arc to some stunning Asuka-focused material, Flip Flappers is actually making a coherent transition into its more straightforward endgame, and Yuri on Ice is finally giving Victor the focus he needs. And if strong new episodes aren’t enough for you, I also made posts I’m happy with for fans at either end of the pool: a next step recommendation list for new fans, and a dive into Studio Pablo’s background work for regulars. But these posts are for celebrating the week’s anime, so let’s get right back to that and RUN THIS WEEK DOWN!