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Last edit: 2021-12-27
I try to add enlightening commentary, but let's face it:
I'm far from perfect.

For cartoons that are not listed in the encyclopedia please click here.
    EDIT: 2020-12-31
    I have seen two three videos that examine the concept of "classics" from distinctly different perspectives:
  1. Gigguk | Garnt Maneetapho

  2. Mother's Basement | Geoff Thew

  3. Bonsai Pop | Mike ?
EDIT: 2020-04-11
In this video YouTube user Gigguk (Garnt Maneetapho) talks about SAO in the context of gateway anime.
    2 Videos That Share a Common Theme:
  1. "The Greatest Thing Anime Has Done"|Gigguk (Garnt Maneetapho)
  2. "A Love Letter to a Place Further than the Universe" | Isla McTear (Line/link added 2020-06-24)
EDIT: 2020-06-10
3 Different Perspectives On the Importance of The Ending EDIT: 2021-05-10
Geoff Thew ("Mother's Basement") has a fascinating video essay on the concept of "sakuga".
EDIT: 2021-12-27
10 Anime That Are Fantastic But Hard To Recommend
Anime only continues to get more and more mainstream, but these are 10 anime we wouldn't want to recommend even though they're great.
By Jacob Buchalter
(posted on cbr.com on 2020, Mar 30)
Seen/Read All (public list) Rating
Yamibo - Darkness, the Hat, and the Travelers of the Books (TV) Masterpiece
Theron Martin wrote:
All-in-all, Yamibō is a series which requires some patience. Many (though admittedly not all) of its vignettes are stronger than what they may initially appear to be, enough so that they balance out the weaker elements, and the series does eventually make sense. Give it your trust and you should be rewarded.
  • Jean-Karlo Lemus & Monique Thomas sorta recommend it.
  • See entry in "Recommended by Others (public list)"
  • This wiki is necessary reading.
  1. 1&2 espionage and terrorism on an overnight train.
  2. ep.#3: the beginning of the backstory involving "Jill" & "Gargantua".
  3. ep.#4: ep. 2/3
  4. ep.#12 is a real tear jerker. What will the last episode be like?
    The ending is ambiguous. So life is a circle? Or is it fated?

    My base rating is 9/11; but I like the OP & ED, so I'm increasing it to 10/11. But episode #12 makes me rank it at 11/11.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (OAV) Excellent
A 2-part 60 minute slice-of-life.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Quiet Country Cafe (OAV) Excellent
A 2-part 65 minute slice-of-life.
Yosuga no Sora - In solitude where we are least alone (TV) Excellent
DarthGlorik review

Joey Does Reviews:

Redstrife X

Chi

Chi (part #2)

BlackCriticGuy

  1. Because YouTube user DarthGlorik recommended it; I will watch it until the bitter end. So the setup of a couple of orphan fraternal twins move to a rural area and the episode wastes no time getting into both harem and ecchi territory! I am disappointed in DarthGlorik.
  2. I didn't notice it in the 1st episode, but there are ecchi shots in the 2nd ED. And, of course, more harem antics.
  3. So, finally, there's a serious kiss; but this is a harem/ecchi show -- so it probably doesn't mean anything. There seems to be a quota for a certain amount of ecchi/episode -- excluding the 2nd ED, that is.
  4. Not exactly hentai, but definitely NSFW!
    And let's not forget the fanservice in the two-part ED!
  5. OK, so this is definitely the uncensored version. Still, it is nice to see romance actually occurring in this series ─ too often a series ends before either party confesses to the other.
  6. Sibling DNA tests come back negative.
  7. "I hate Nao" ─ a love triangle.
  8. "It's hot....." ─ a love triangle continued.
  9. Sora admits her fear to Nao.
    "Don't remove my wasteband."
  10. So Sora finally admits to herself her incestuous desires for Haruka.....
  11. Incest revealed.
  12. Pro: Turns out the OP has foreshadowing in it.
    Con: I will need to rewatch; I think that I'm missing some things.....
  • I couldn't help but be reminded of the reviews that I've come across of School Days; I do not know if the comparison is apt.....
  • So, apparently, this series is an adaptation of a visual novel. The VN is about a boy with a harem; each girl's arc is adapted and when that arc ends an ending title card is shown that says "Fin" in the lower-right corner.
Your Lie in April (TV) Masterpiece
The video linked to below is quite spoilerific.....
"What's in an OP? - The Truth Behind Your Lie in April"|Geoff Thew ("Mother's Basement")
your name. (movie) Very good
Makoto Shinkai
moderately funny
great graphics

The central plot premises are not explained.

Why I Hate Your Name (Kimi no Na wa)

What's in an OP? - The Heartbreaking Beauty of Your Name

"Your Name: What's Missing From Life?"|Bonsai Pop (Mike)

Yuki Yuna Is a Hero (TV) Good
Yume kara, Samenai (OAV) Decent
  • This was produced in '87 as an OAV, but the animation is worse than Super Dimensional Fortress Macross which was a TV production from '82/'83.
  • This practically reads like a morality play.
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