Animes about the arts are a high abundance genre. Having just completed one about rakugo, I was interested in kabuki. I do not know if this is the show to fully explain the art form, but we have a goodly attempt with “Kabukibu!” (more…)

I guess I will never understand the Japanese fascination with maids. Yes, my favorite anime, “Mahoromatic”, is about one, but never anything like this kind of situation. She was merely an android; this one is, well…. Greetings are extended from “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid” (“Kobayashi-san Chi no Meidoragon”). How can you get a dragon maid? Well, it’s nice that you asked. I’ll bring out some green tea and cookies and explain it to you. (more…)

Hooray, (or, perhaps, hooboy) another stupid rom-com, and this one is more inane than its predecessors, but it is executed in a rather charming way. Although the title is “Love Tyrant “ (“Ren’ai Bōkun”, also known as “The Very Lovely Tyrant of Love”), it could also be called “Kiss Note” and there are a ton of references made in that direction. Dang, her notebook looks like that of its cousin. Oh, down to the story….. (more…)

This is a show that had a terrible capsule description, in that you thought you were getting into the thrilling and exciting world of…negotiations! Yes, I can feel you getting all a-quiver as we delve into land sovereignty issues and treaty discussions. Fortunately, this series is nothing like that at all. In fact, it is a rather tense and terse drama about meeting and dealing with an extra-terrestrial who possesses enormous powers. This is “Seikai Suru Kado”, (stylized as “KADO: The Right Answer”). (more…)

This is a show with a fairly standard concept, but brought forth in disturbing and dangerous realities. The idea is very simple: what if your artwork came to life and invaded YOUR world? A caliber of reverse isekai? Thus, the approach to “Re:Creators” (“Re:Kurieitāzu”, stylized as “Re:CREATORS”). (more…)

Yeah, OK, sure. We have another, another offering in the “Girls Who Save the World” genre, but this one has more of an edge than I have seen in other shows of this type, especially with the massively capacious title of “Shūmatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii Desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii Desu ka?” (also known as “Sukasuka”, and its English title “World End” or “What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?”) (more…)

One of the problems with these short-pull series is that they seldom get aired through the normal channels. You then have to hunt them down and that can sometimes be a workout. I can’t comments as to why they exist in the first place, as I don’t know the artistic reasons to bring forth a show that only has 10-minutes segments for its run of twelve episodes. I also don’t know why Adam Sandler is still making films, but there you go. In any case, “Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys” takes a seriously weird look at juvenile delinquents and cross-dressing. (more…)

There are a lot of shows about video games in anime. It certainly seems to be a strong genre, although it’s more action/adventure oriented than merely watching some otaku NEET trying to beat the Final Boss on the 99^th Level of “The Tower of the Abyss” or whatever you wish to call it. But this show, “The Silver Guardian” (“Gin no Guardian”) puts an interesting twist on things. (more…)

Although this is a magic show, it is miles away from what you are used to, even with the mediæval flavor. It is a land where man and beast live. It is a time where common folk are in fear of witches and the Beastfallen. It is a situation where the Beastfallen are in fear of others, despite their size and numbers. This is the world of the “Grimoire of Zero” (“Zero kara Hajimeru Mahō no Sho”, or “Starting the Magical Book from Zero”). (more…)

Oh, no, how did this happen? I watched a show that was BOTH giant fighting robots and CG animation! Am I crazy from the heat? Missing a critical enzyme? On the verge of being deported? What could have led me to such a series? Well, sit down in front of the fireplace (it’s summer; there’s no fire in there, merely deadly spiders and a ton of creosote) and I’ll explain “ID-Ø”. (more…)