I have decided that I don’t want ‘straight-ahead’ super heroes any more. I get kind of tired of whatever Marvel/DC have to offer in the way of ‘serious’ stories. I feel you have to have a silly story, keep the ‘serious’ aspects of it, but turn the genre on its head. This was done quite well with “One-Punch Man” and continues with “My Hero Academia” (“Boku no Hīrō Akademia”). (more…)

I sometimes like to tell the story about my 40-year flirtation with anime and how I felt the genre turned on me numerous times, which forced me to leave it numerous times. I want you to know that I was thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to bailing again and all because of the frustration generated by this series, “Code Geass: Akito the Exiled” (“Kōdo Giasu Bōkoku no Akito”). As far as I was concerned, this anime was a deal-breaker and would have closed out my Seventh Attempt at Anime, but I’m now made of sterner stuff and toughed it through, although I did take a ‘vacation’ from anime, as I was so angry. I will explain the show and then I will explain the betrayal. (more…)

I wonder if it is due to the sheer amount of anime I see, not only throughout the course of the year, but at any given time. It’s just because I see shows that I have seen. Well, more to the point, I see shows that have a similar idea to one that I have seen recently, so I end up comparing how they tell their tale to each other, rather than allowing it to stand alone. But why would you want to watch something that you have already seen? Thus, the concern regarding “Bungo Stray Dogs” (“Bungō Sutorei Doggusu^”, “Literary Stray Dogs”). (Note #1: I also have seen in as “Bungou”, so you may want to check both spellings if you wish to track down this series). It’s just that a lot of it smells like “Blood Blockade Battlefront”. Now, to the story: (more…)

The anime company “Trigger” (or “Trigger Studio” depending on whom you are speaking to) comes up with a lot of wild and woolly shows like “Inferno Cop”, “Kill la Kill” and “When Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace”. I bring this up, as their latest offering is in the same visual vein, but tackling a deeper subject, so it can’t be readily dismissed out of hand. I am speaking of “Kiznaiver”. (more…)

One of the functions of anime is to push boundaries. It can’t always be giant fighting robots, or a high school rom-com with witches or espers or someone who thinks they are God or a look at an alternative history with hip-hop samurais. Yes, there is a danger in this approach, as you can frighten off the more timid souls who are afraid to leave their comfort zone and you end up being cult.

The only reason I found this older offering (2004; a lifetime in anime) is that I ran across an article about “15 Must-Watch Forgotten Anime” movies (well, I own four of them, so it wasn’t that big of a deal to me). It’s just this one, which was rated at Number 2, takes anime and animation and science fiction and violence and sex and bounces it on its noggin for 50 head-twisting minutes (well, actually 43; you have about seven minutes of credits). The short-hand to this film would be if FLCL took the brown acid, THIS is what you would get: “Dead Leaves” (“Deddo Rībusu”). (more…)