Do you remember when you first fell in love? Awash in all those giddy, uncertain emotions that were swirling about you in a kaleidoscope of feelings and sensations? Yeah, well, when I first fell in love, mankind had just discovered the wheel, OK? It’s been a long time. Still, with what you get from “Tsuki ga Kirei” (“as the moon, so beautiful”), it is a reminder of those days.
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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…)

Steampunk is a term that confuses me. I mean, I think I know what it is, but I cannot always be certain of it. I bring this up, as I wonder if this is a steampunk series, or one with an unusual idea and merely looks like steampunk. This is the world of “Clockwork Planet” (“Kurokkuwāku Puranetto”). (more…)

This is a strange romantic ‘comedy’, sharing more in common with “Nisekoi” than anything else, except there is a true sense of not knowing what is actually going on by those to whom all of this anger is directed. This is the life of “Masamune-kun no Ribenji” (“Masamune-kun’s Revenge”). (more…)

I have a problem with long-format shows and that is: when do I give the review? When I reviewed “Toriko”, I ended up giving the reviews after 52 episodes had been dispensed. I was going to do it with this show, but it closed up shop at 50, so no “Year-End Review” approach for this one. But long-format shows have another, more pressing, issue and that is being interesting throughout the run. Some shows can pull it off; others limp to the finish line and a couple I’ve seen just end without concluding and leave you hanging for either a real end or just fade into the distance. And so we are at this particular one, “Sousei no Onmyouji” (“Twin Star Exorcists”) . (more…)

I have mixed opinions on music shows. Sometimes, they hone in too much on the music portion of it and let the rest of it fall away. Other times, there is too much inner turmoil and that saps whatever interesting parts of the show that were working. So, for me, it’s a mixed bag. And in a lot of instances, I really can’t get behind the music. It just sits there for me. This offering, “Fuuka”, is a double music show. (more…)

I always have a problem with anime movies, in that I am aware of the merest tip of the iceberg that comes to a regular cinema on its own (although I am having troubles with “The Red Turtle” and that’s a Studio Ghibli offering). A tremendous amount of them just go drifting past, so it is a bit or a workout to be able to find them without having to go to some special showing in a theater no one can find at exorbitant costs to view it and you have but one weekend to grab any of the four total showings. And the next nearest theater for it is 600 miles away. That is why when I run into an anime movie, I grab it and take my chances.

Such is the case with “Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda” (“The Anthem of the Heart”, subtitled “Beautiful Word Beautiful World”). At its heart, it is a love story, but how we get there is a tad unusual. (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…)

I remarked that the Japanese will do an anime on anything. Although this is a caliber of romance, it is a more mature effort. This is no high school rom-com, but something more serious. However, it is packaged around the struggles to create a new dictionary. So, you are immediately thinking ‘How dull can that be?’ And, in a broad sense of thing, yes, it is rather dull. I mean, you are just doing research work to make this project fly, as you track down the real meaning of words. It’s the old Connotation vs. Denotation battle that my Freshman English teacher used to hammer into us as we dissected poetry…..but I have digressed again. It’s tough being an old man. (more…)

Although I really enjoyed this show, there is a certain degree or caliber of sexism in it. I’ll explain that as we proceed. OK, so it’s another school-based rom-com. What are the odds of that!??! (more…)