Afterimage

And it doesn’t let up as Courier rides out into the city’s...

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 16:00:45 +0100

And it doesn’t let up as Courier rides out into the city’s outskirts, the silent desolation of his landscape; that leave-less tree, the broken moon shining in the twilight and being hounded by those clearly pilotless flying machines, the sense of hopelessness seeps right in. I was rooting for Brother and Sister to make it to the mountains too, but it was a bitter-sweet feeling, because so much had been sacrificed to carry them there.
The Apocalyptic End of Akudama Drive: Swindling Death with a Smile

Cutthroat isn’t exactly a typical protagonist, is he? None...

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 09:00:54 +0100

Cutthroat isn’t exactly a typical protagonist, is he? None of the Akudama are, but Cutthroat’s probably the most egregious: an insane serial killer with a clearly unhealthy fascination with Swindler that eventually explodes into mountains of dead bodies and a swirling, intoxicating lust for blood… So yeah, not exactly typical!
The Apocalyptic End of Akudama Drive: Swindling Death with a Smile

Swindler is the touch paper that ignites a revolution, and in...

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 18:00:30 +0100

Swindler is the touch paper that ignites a revolution, and in doing so, truly becomes the Akudama Swindler (and finally gets her own cool intro-sequence too!) but behind her smile is the self-confidence of a person that’s finally found a purpose in her life and seems content even with a lightsaber(!) stabbed through her heart: it’s the face of a person that’s won. You can’t ignore the Christ-like symbolism of her being pinned to a cross-shaped slab of blood-splattered concrete either, and it doesn’t half look cool; just like everything else in Akudama Drive, everything, even death, is a beautifully rendered moving image.
The Apocalyptic End of Akudama Drive: Swindling Death with a Smile

There’s an undeniable sense of ennui about Rikuo and Shinako, a...

Sun, 28 Jun 2020 22:25:03 +0100

There’s an undeniable sense of ennui about Rikuo and Shinako, a melancholy that bleeds into every scene, be it the blue moonlight as Rikuo throws out the trash, the warm glow of the streetlights as he bumps into Haru, or the flash of a speeding train as it passes Shinako, her head down on her way home from work, there’s something just slow and lonely about Sing “Yesterday” for Me, an overriding feeling of inertia as life just passes by. It’s a story told through what isn’t said.
The ending of Sing “Yesterday” for Me was a betrayal

BNA: Brand New Animal episode 1 anime review

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 22:16:58 +0000

BNA: Brand New Animal episode 1 anime review

Tsubame asks her parents, “What did you think of my animation?”...

Sat, 21 Mar 2020 21:12:46 +0000

Tsubame asks her parents, “What did you think of my animation?” You often read people saying, “Art for arts sake” but I think that’s misleading. Creation is a form of expression, an expression that’s crying out to be acknowledged. Something can be so abstract, yet so personal.
Humanity between the lines: Tsubame in Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Sumito Ōwara’s art has a lively and loose feel (one may even...

Sat, 18 Jan 2020 22:32:54 +0000

Sumito Ōwara’s art has a lively and loose feel (one may even say, easy breezy!). He isn’t concerned with drawing beautiful, delicate girls, rather, he’s emphasizing their frantic energy, burgeoning talent and playful sense of humour. Every page is packed with little touches.
From manga to anime: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Dorohedoro is idiosyncratic. In other words, it’s really weird,...

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 22:50:59 +0000

Dorohedoro is idiosyncratic. In other words, it’s really weird, to the point where there’s nothing else in anime that compares. It’s gory and full of grotesque monsters, but it’s also quite funny. Definitely more funny than scary. Everything is run-down, dirty and overcrowded, yet there’s life around every corner, happily crawling by. Q Hayashida has created a dismal, filthy world and populated it with a bunch of cheerful monsters. That’s really what comes across most of all in this first episode, that Dorohedoro is full of life. It’s a master-class in world building.
Dorohedoro episode 1 anime review

I love that, for once, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! isn’t a...

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 22:49:32 +0000

I love that, for once, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! isn’t a high-school anime drenched in melancholy and nostalgia. The girls seem like real, imperfect little brats, awkward and stick-like, living in the moment. They aren’t walking on eggshells, their voices are rough and passionate. Passion is the keyword here. Well, passion and love.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! episode 1 anime review

Somali and Golem live in a candy-coloured wonderland where...

Sat, 04 Jan 2020 21:52:13 +0000

Somali and Golem live in a candy-coloured wonderland where danger and magic are but a heartbeat away. It’s really imaginative and fun to watch.
Somali and the Forest Spirit was a surprise

In a story filled with violence, Vinland Saga preaches pacifism,...

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 21:23:18 +0000

In a story filled with violence, Vinland Saga preaches pacifism, that to be a true warrior is to find some meaning to your life beyond hate, even if it means forgiving the man that killed your father.
The End of Vinland Saga: An Inevitable Tragedy

Kaiba is not perfect. It’s rushed towards the end as a...

Wed, 29 May 2019 05:00:29 +0100

Kaiba is not perfect. It’s rushed towards the end as a resolution is sought, and some episodes aren’t as coherent as others, but it’s easy to forgive an anime series that’s still so unique. Even after 11 years, it’s a refreshing example of what anime can be: nothing looks like Kaiba, it has such a unique aesthetic that separates it from the time in which it was made and, combined with what it’s trying to say, imbues it with a timeless quality.
Destroying her identity: the timeless, terrifying world of Kaiba

In Kaiba, almost everything is disposable. Chroniko’s memories...

Tue, 28 May 2019 21:00:28 +0100

In Kaiba, almost everything is disposable. Chroniko’s memories are discarded in such a nonchalant way: removed by a crooked doctor, her memories join millions of others floating in orbit around her planet, her unfulfilled dreams glowing like fireflies in the endless dark of space, indistinguishable from millions of others. It’s just the insignificant manner in which her whole life is just thoughtlessly discarded that destroys me. It’s as nihilistic as anime can be.
Destroying her identity: the timeless, terrifying world of Kaiba

That enigmatic quality is a large part of Boogiepop’s charm. The...

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 08:55:57 +0100

That enigmatic quality is a large part of Boogiepop’s charm. The Boogiepop at Dawnstory arc begins with Boogiepop and Echoes meeting in a strange place: the sky is red and there is rubble everywhere. Could they be wandering through a post-apocalyptic Earth millions of years into the future? We never find out and it’s probably for the best that we don’t: the truth is never as interesting as what we might imagine.
Boogiepop and Others anime review: If only…

Emma’s strength is her empathy. She trusts in others when Norman...

Sun, 24 Mar 2019 18:37:07 +0000

Emma’s strength is her empathy. She trusts in others when Norman and Ray won’t. She may seem carefree, but there’s a sense of empathy, and therefore responsibility, about her that marks her out as the leader amongst them.
You cannot save the world on your own: The Promised Neverland episode 11

Hype for the new anime season!

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 22:21:02 +0000

Hype for the new anime season!

A warm heart in the grim worlds of Dororo & Rurouni Kenshin

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 10:00:26 +0000

A warm heart in the grim worlds of Dororo & Rurouni Kenshin

Sun, 17 Mar 2019 21:00:09 +0000

A warm heart in the grim worlds of Dororo & Rurouni Kenshin

Sun, 17 Mar 2019 10:00:19 +0000

A warm heart in the grim worlds of Dororo & Rurouni Kenshin

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 17:00:07 +0000

A warm heart in the grim worlds of Dororo & Rurouni Kenshin