I once mentioned (and frequently do so) that you can find an anime on almost any topic. This one is really strange, “The Dragon Dentist“ (“Ryū no Haisha”). It takes place in an alternate universe, a time when dragons existed and did take to the skies. (more…)

I always have a concern when you see a good anime and then someone at Corporate decides that they need to make the most of things, you know, strike while the iron is hot, and so start cranking out questionable product. “Attack on Titan” did it twice. First, for “Monster Theater”, which worked, as it was a bit of comic relief from a show that offered none and with “Attack on Titan: Junior High” which didn’t work, as it seriously undermined all of their efforts. (more…)

I initially shied away from this show. Aside from the rather difficult pronunciation of the title, “To Be Hero”, the capsule and accompanying picture was a bit difficult to take. However, when you get into the show, it is the same kind of disjointed run you have seen with “One-Punch Man” and “Mob Psycho 100”, in that you have a hero that really doesn’t know what to do with himself or his life, either before or after. And some kind of hero! (more…)

This is an odd series on a variety of levels. I feel that they could have done fuller episodes of this and really explored the unusual relationship between these two people. Or perhaps they wanted it that episodic, as their encounters are that episodic. In any case, “Tawawa on Monday” (“Getsuyōbi no Tawawa”) explores a caliber of casual meetings and greetings in the same vein as “Same Time, Next Year”. (more…)

It’s time to notice new trends! What is the new trend that I am seeing? “Episode #0”!

You may call them ‘one-shot’ or ‘test balloons’ or ‘toss-offs’. They are NOT OVAs, as there has to be a series tied to it before it can be an OVA. Yeah, yeah, sure, sure. We can argue that an OVA has honestly nothing to do with any given series, so, in an open sense, it is an OVA. But I have seen them tied to a series, so I consider them part and parcel of the whole series effort and not just some one or two episode escapade to see what can be done with a story. (more…)

One thing about a majority of the short-pull series that I see is that many of them are based from 4-koma strips and, boy howdy, does it show! It’s not much more than set-up, joke, punch line, we all have a good laugh and that’s the end of the episode. Next! It almost seems more trouble than it is worth, but these shows can also be quite enjoyable. I tend to think of them as a proving ground for future writers and directors to test the waters without investing a whole lot into it, especially if it tanks. (more…)

OK, lest I sound like a sour old man (“Hey, you kids, get off of my lawn!”), there is nothing wrong with all-girl animes…..to a point. It’s just that you need to have something more than moe girls or full-figured femmes or luscious ladies cluttering up the screen. I do like (wait for it)…plot. Wait a tick…..why does this opening sound so familiar? Because this show, “Pan de Peace” (“Pan de Pīsu”, “Peace through Bread!”), is honestly no different than “Usakame”, save that instead of tennis, it’s bread. (more…)

OK, lest I sound like a sour old man (“Hey, you kids, get off of my lawn!”), there is nothing wrong with all-girl animes…..to a point. It’s just that you need to have something more than moe girls or full-figured femmes or luscious ladies cluttering up the screen. I do like (wait for it)…plot. We actually started off with “Teekyu”, which began as a sports comedy manga (and the title is a pun on the Japanese word for ‘tennis’. Things like that are lost on me). They then had a spinoff, “Usakame”, which is named for the high school these four ladies attend and they belong to the tennis club. (more…)

A fetish is an unnatural desire towards a want or need, whether it be black underwear or leather straps or Hello Kitty. I bring this up, as “Ojisan to Marshmallow” (“Ojisan to Mashumaro”) is a caliber of fetish show, except our hero, Habahiro Hige, is drawn to marshmallows, and it is more than drawn, it is a compulsion. (more…)

Well, we all knew far too well that there was going to be a second season of “”, (“Shinmai Maō no Tesutamento”) as so much was left unsettled at the end of the first season. This one is called “BURST”, which I assume relates to Mio’s blouse. I mean, even from what you can see here, she is on the verge of having her breasts explode out of it. This is still a very ecchi, very perverted show, despite all the battles and violence that ensues.

The main idea is that Mio (redhead, center) is still the Demon Lord’s daughter and if we can either co-opt her or absorb her power, we can control both the Demon Realm and the Real World. Our little clan must do what they can to stem the rising tide of combativeness and keep the delicate balance between both factions on an even keel. (more…)