I was commenting on the sudden influx of outdoor animes. This is another of those outdoor shows, but, boy howdy, what a place to be going to! “A Place Further than the Universe” (“Sora Yorimo Tōi Basho”) is certainly grand in its scope and reach, although certain aspects fizzled a bit. But, let us venture forth! (more…)

I am not certain what starts a trend, but there is some trigger. Usually, one company does a particularly themed show, it really takes off and then everyone else rushes to produce a show in that area or sub-genre. I had this with a ton of biking shows a couple of years ago and now, I am seeing it with outdoor shows. I ran into a short pull series about girls who hike up mountains and now, I am given “Yuru Camp”(“Laid-Back Camp”). (more…)

I find myself drawn to crime drama animes, as there is enough going on to garner my interest and the evil guys can get genuinely evil. Such is the case with “Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens”. You may feel it is another hitman tale, but that merely scratches the surface. (more…)

Hybrid shows are always a problem, in that they want to be all things to all people, but they are not always capable of fulfilling the promise. Such is what you get with ”Dame×Prince Anime Caravan” (also known as “Damepuri”). It wants to be both dramatic and comedic, but it just doesn’t know the best way to pull it off. (more…)

Rating systems are always odd, as it is someone else’s opinion as to what that threshold is between being a child and being an adult (of sorts). It also varies by country so what is OK for one land is verboten in another. I bring this up, as this is kind of the plot of “R-15”. (more…)

Steampunk is a genre that I genuinely do not fully understand. I can grasp bits and pieces of it and I have seen a few steampunk-themed shows. I even saw “Steampunk”, the anime movie, but I am uncertain what it wishes to accomplish. I bring this up, because the series I just viewed, “Code: Realize − Guardian of Rebirth”, is a strong entry into Steampunk, even though it started out as a video game. (more…)

There is always a problem with having a large cast in an anime, in that everyone needs to be there all the time. However, for this show, “Yōkai Apāto no Yūga na Nichijō” (“Elegant Yokai Apartment Life”), it actually works in its behalf not to showcase them all at once. You see, there are a few key people who need to be there, but the rest can come in and go out, as it befits their character and the plotting. (more…)

At its core, this show is no different than “Future Diary” or “Eden of the East”, where a group of people (in this case, twelve) are brought together to slug it out for domination in a single-night event. Thus, we have “Juni Taisen” (“12 Wars”). There are twelve ruling families, each one a representative of the Chinese Zodiac. (more…)

Calloo callay! Our favorite demon bureaucratic wonk is back for a second season of marvelous mayhem in “Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 2” (“Hōzuki no Reitetsu”). (more…)

This is the oddest looking show I have seen in some time. And I don’t mean wild and crazy as with “Dead Leaves”; I mean it more like ‘Why are they all built so oddly?’ Look at how long their legs are and the hips come off more like a U-joint of some construct. And that the show is CG just adds to the visually unsettling nature of things. Thus, we come to “Houseki no Kuni” (“Country of Jewels” or “Land of the Lustrous”) and the tales of all of these gems. (more…)