Well folks, we’ve finally arrived at the winter season’s halfway point. Last year’s winter season turned out to be that year’s best by far, and though I don’t think this year is quite measuring up to that standard, it’s still been a terrific season by any metric. The crown jewel of the season is clearly Mob Psycho 100, which has actually improved substantially from its already-terrific first season, but we’ve got great continuing shows, great anime-originals, and a pretty diverse genre distribution on the whole. For better or for worse, the age of CG has arrived, and though shows like Kotobuki and Kemurikusa aren’t necessarily the most visually impressive, they’ve consistently demonstrated that fundamentally strong storytelling always shines through. I’ve personally fallen off The Promised Neverland for the moment, but that’s not really a knock on its quality – its production just seems pretty specifically aimed at new viewers, with its focus on cliffhangers over atmosphere making it a little slow for someone who’s already experienced this story. And with JoJo powering through one of its strongest segments altogether, I’m basically guaranteed that any given week in anime will at the very least not be boring. It’s a bumper crop this year, and I’m happy to take stock of the highlights so far. Let’s get to it!
Tag Archives: Run with the Wind
Winter 2019 – Week 5 in Review
Terrific news, everyone – the anime wasn’t universally great this week, and so for once, I actually have something to talk about in this opening blurb. It’s frankly gotten harder and harder to come up with new ways to say “these cartoons kick ass, everything is awesome” every week, so I’m grateful for a little inspiration courtesy of this week’s contenders. While Run with the Wind and Kemurikusa pulled off a pair of their strongest episodes yet, Mob Psycho took a narrative turn that seemed weirdly out of sync with its prior material, and The Magnificent Kotobuki basically coasted on its fundamental strengths. Neither of those are particularly serious Anime Crimes, but in a season that features three of my favorite directors and JoJo besides, I’m going to take whatever quibbles I can get. Let’s get on with the grumping then, as we run down another week in anime!
Winter 2019 – Week 4 in Review
God damn you guys I am watching way too much anime. It’s currently almost noon on Wednesday, and I still haven’t released the Week in Review because I tripped and got buried under a pile of new episodes. Sure, I could maybe have planned the week better and gotten this work done some time before now, but then how would have I found the time to watch the latest Mob Psycho four or five times? It’s a conundrum with seemingly no answer, and considering this post is already late, we’re certainly not solving it today. Let’s roll out the list and burn down another week in anime!
Winter 2019 – Week 3 in Review
There’s too friggin’ much good anime, you guys. We’re now over three weeks into the winter season, and I’m still so buried in worthwhile shows that I’m struggling to manage it all. I’ve been doing my best to cram in lingering episodes of Mob Psycho, my two CG-heavy properties seem to actually be getting better over time, and there are still plenty of things I haven’t even gotten the chance to continue. I’ve been hearing good things about Endro!’s later episodes, and Dororo could well be the best dang show of the season, but I am doing my best here. And I suppose Too Many Good Shows is always the best problem to have, even if it does turn all my Week in Review posts into monumental undertakings. Even if I haven’t caught up on everything, I’ve caught up on plenty already, and I have piles of thoughts to share with all of you. Let’s break down at least a slice of this season’s bounty in one more Week in Review!
Winter 2019 – Week 2 in Review
Hello all, and welcome to the new season’s first Week in Review! I’m still kinda scrambling to catch up on everything (I still haven’t watched Mob Psycho’s latest episodes, since I’m determined to trick my housemates into watching that one), but I’ve definitely got more than enough thoughts for a rambling Week in Review. So far, this season is looking to be an unusually fun one – that is, the proportion of shows I’m watching just because they’re propulsive entertainment, rather than harrowing psychological inquiries or whatnot, is pretty high. I suppose it’s not surprising that a season featuring both TATSUKI and Mizushima’s returns would be a particularly bubbly one, but I’m certainly enjoying it! Between that and the season’s many other contenders, all I’m really lacking at this point is a character drama on the level of After the Rain or whatnot. Fortunately, I’m also complementing this season with imports of Bloom Into You from last season, meaning I’m currently enjoying an extremely balanced diet of excellent anime. Let’s explore the bounty then, as we run down this season’s stars in the Week in Review!
Top Ten Anime of 2018
Hello folks, and welcome to the end of another dang year. 2018 has been a pretty terrifying and seemingly endless year out in the real world, as empires crumble and we draw ever closer to climate-prompted apocalypse. Fortunately, the world of anime seems largely unperturbed by our coming oblivion, and offered plenty of delights in all sorts of genres throughout this year. As a contributor to Anime News Network’s preview guide, I watched almost every single full-length premiere this year, and did my best to keep up with everything that seemed worth watching. Even then, a few shows managed to slip through the cracks – Bloom Into You will likely earn a spot on this list once I’ve caught up with it, and I still haven’t found the time to watch Hisone and Maso-tan, among other things. In spite of that, I watched a hell of a lot of anime this year, and am eager to share my favorites with you.
The anime this year was so good, in fact, that I actually have a few honorable mentions. First off, the third season of My Hero Academia was a generally excellent time, though it unfortunately peaked hard at the end of its first half. There’s also Megalo Box, which was a thrilling action spectacle that felt just a tad too archetypal for me to truly love. And finally, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure‘s fifth arc has been a wild and creative adventure so far, and would easily make this list in a year with fewer standouts. I’m also not including anime films, both because I feel they don’t really make for a meaningful direct comparison with shows, and also because nobody wants to read a list that’s just Liz and the Blue Bird repeated ten times. With that covered, let’s get to the reason we’re all here. It’s time to run down my top ten anime of 2018!
Fall 2018 – Week 11 in Review
We’re nearly at the finish line now, folks! With all of this season’s various contenders handing in their eleventh or twelfth episodes, it was climax time for this week in anime… or at least, it would have been, if two fifths of my viewing schedule weren’t continuing into the winter, and Tsurune basically adhering to its own personal two-weeks-late timetable. Nonetheless, we still had plenty to celebrate all through this week’s episodes, from the subtle pleasures of Run with the Wind and Tsurune to the bombastic insanity of Thunderbolt Fantasy and JoJo. I’ve actually got a whole bunch to talk about, so let’s skip the lengthy preamble and get right to it. It’s time to run down another Week in Review!
Fall 2018 – Week 10 in Review
As we wind towards the end of the fall season, I’m happy to report this was another very strong week in anime. Though I’ve come to expect consistent greatness from Gridman and Thunderbolt Fantasy, it was actually my sports dramas that most impressed me this week. There have been times when I’ve felt a sense of distance or reservation regarding both Run with the Wind and Tsurune, largely because of their sometimes strict loyalty to genre convention. But between Tsurune’s perpetually captivating, beautifully realized tone and Run with the Wind’s consistent character development payoffs, this week saw both of them demonstrating they are indeed exceptional examples of the form. When a week in anime’s weak link is friggin’ JoJo, you know you’re in a pretty good spot. Anyway, all those thoughts and more as we scroll further down this very page, and sail through another Week in Review!
Fall 2018 – Week 9 in Review
At the three quarters marker of the overall season, this would normally be the point where shows start ramping up towards their final acts, and setting the pieces in place for whatever confrontation is likely to dominate their last couple episodes. However, with two of my shows continuing into winter and Tsurune so delayed in its broadcast, this turned out to mostly be just another week, as shows like Run with the Wind and JoJo turned in relatively workmanly episodes, and only Gridman truly swung for the fences. In truth, the big story this week was probably my continued efforts to catch up on Bloom Into You. I enjoyed the show’s first episode, but fell off it due to a combination of my already-full schedule and the fact that Bloom Into You wasn’t on Crunchyroll. That’s turned out to be a big mistake; four episodes in, Bloom Into You is already shaping up to be one of the best character dramas of the year, and a strong contender for my end-of-year list. It won’t make it on that list without a fight though, so let’s take a moment and see how all of its seasonal compatriots are holding together. It’s time to run down the Week in Review!
Fall 2018 – Week 8 in Review
As we continue into the second half of the season, all my anime contenders seemed to have settled into themselves at this point, offering a variety of sturdy and compelling episodes. The highlight this week was Yamada’s star turn on Tsurune, but there was plenty to enjoy in Gridman as well, and Run with the Wind is still probably the most consistent new show of the season. I was sad to bid goodbye to the Mistress of Cruelty over in puppet theater country, but outside of that admittedly personal complaint, I really don’t have much to gripe about. It’s a good season, folks! Good dramas, good action, good anime all around. That might make for repetitive Week in Review intros, but it also makes for a very happy Nick. Let’s get right to it then, and see what we’ve got to celebrate as we break this week down!