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ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1134

Kuma’s flashback illustrates one of the many unique strengths that this series has over others: the ability to hint at an idea and wait to deliver on it for decades.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 13

There are things Loli could do to make herself less stereotypically cute, but she doesn't want to compromise herself to become a hero.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

Please, Yostar Pictures, just let this show die. I'll read the manga, I promise. You don't need to hold Fighter D and his friends hostage anymore.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ SERIES FINALE

In a show full of mysteries (the most important of which have all been – mostly – satisfyingly resolved), the most enduring mystery is Kujirai B herself.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ SERIES FINALE

I doubt it will take very much time before the entire world agrees to collectively shrug its shoulders and pretend that this misbegotten anime never existed in the first place.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 13

While I'm not excited to return to monster of the week shenanigans, this is a good example of that formula firing on all cylinders.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ SEASON FINALE

Nothing says “I’m a demon masquerading as a butler” like those torture devices he crams in Sieglinde and Wolfram’s mouths.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 13

There are only ten more chapters in Anne of Avonlea, and I don’t expect Anne Shirley to take more than two episodes to wrap it up.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 47

Loulan always knew it had to end this way.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ SERIES FINALE

Aharen-san is always surprising me. And true to form, yeah, that was not the ending I expected.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ SEASON FINALE

These four girls basically bang each other on stage so passionately that a packed audience of women sees it and concludes, “hey, we should try that.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ SEASON FINALE

While their experiences together have left scars both literal and metaphorical, these are simply signs of growth and their feelings for one another.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ SEASON FINALE

Yachiyo is, and has always been, the best of us.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ SEASON FINALE

In terms of ill-advised story choices, this episode takes the cake.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ SEASON FINALE

This finale could have been an hour, and I still would have questioned if there was room for everything it tried to pack in.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 12

We finally put an end to our first real villain of Vigilantes with the entire thing being framed as a fairly intense squabble between a father and daughter.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 12

While the overarching political tension remains, the fundamental relationship dynamic between Beryl and Rose is no different than every other former student.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 23

So far as being a functional season of television is concerned, Loser Ranger is a lost cause.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 12

While parts of it are a little heavy-handed, the conclusion to Keigo's story arc is largely pretty satisfying.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 12

We're at the level where there is just no guarantee that any given scene won't have Lazarus suddenly becoming an Austin Powers-style parody of itself.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 12

The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl is a fluffy series that reminds me that not everything has to be “outstanding” in order to be a good time.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 12

Sieglinde’s arrival on English soil and her escape from Germany are almost afterthoughts this week.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 12

Davy is like an even more impish Anne.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 12

While this is the second of our Queen-centric episodes, it’s not really about Queen. It's about Bowa.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 12

It’s a rare show where I’ll be more satisfied if the central couple don’t end up together.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ SERIES FINALE

I wouldn't call this ending bad necessarily, but it's definitely a muddled one
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 12

If Yaiba is going to be a proper homage to Kid Goku, then it only makes sense for him to have a childhood fiancée he conveniently forgot about.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 12

I respect that the new boy band comes out swinging as a cartoonishly vain squad of buffoons (note the phonetic similarity between “Bacchus” and “bakas”).
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ SEASON FINALE

It's a mid-season finale that certainly leaves the audience with a lot to chew on, but the plot we were already smack in the middle of does not get enough of a chance to meaningfully resolve.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

This season of Wind Breaker ends, fairly enough, with a look back at the beginning.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 11

Here we are at the final cliffhanger of the series!
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 12

The only decent episode of Your Forma so far featured graphic dismemberment, so I’ve been thinking a bit more that that could be just what the show needs to pep things up a bit.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 11

The staff crafts an animated tone poem that eschews words and minimizes the plot to touch a more primordial means of communication. It is an appeal to living.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ SERIES FINALE

Philia was never “too perfect.” She was a person who was made to believe she was nothing more than a title and magic power.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 11

I love Aharen and Raido as individual characters, but I super love them as a couple. Protect AhaRaido at all costs.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 11

Isn’t this Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX in a nutshell? Established characters attempt elaborate schemes, only to be foiled again and again by Kazuya Tsurumaki’s OCs.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 11

Sentiment has come full circle to bite Yu in the butt and there's nothing he can say or do about it.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1133

We can’t help but wish things could be different and long for the world that might have been.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 11

I genuinely don't know where this is going to go and that's a good thing.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 11

This is a lot of screen time dedicated to what you already know about Rose from the second she walked into frame: she loves Beryl because all his former pupils do.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 11

At least Leohart has a good reason for what he's doing.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 11

To say that there has been a lot of buildup when it comes to seeing the titular X in action would be an understatement. Yet, what we get is not even a fight.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 22

This culmination of Hibiki's story is such a ludicrously stupid and sudden development that I paused the episode for a few minutes because I could not stop laughing.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 11

This show has never shied changing up its formula, but it's only now that Witch Watch is ready to show its true hand.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 11

This episode hurt my heart.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 11

I am convinced that every aspect of this production that isn't directly related to animating cool fight scenes was unceremoniously tossed off to some cramped back office filled with overworked and underpaid interns.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 11

There are so many moving parts that it’s by no means a foregone conclusion that everything will work out for our heroes.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 11

If Onimaru is gonna stick as our main baddie for the long haul, I can only hope the show finds more to do with him than what it has now.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 11

If there's one truth about being a first-year teacher, it's that you always want students like Paul Irving but end up with students like Anthony Pye.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 46

Loulan may not have made her peace, but she’s certainly made her bed, and that’s something Maomao doesn’t quite know how to deal with.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 11

Yayoi is the portrait of institutional wealth—a beautiful façade that disguises the cruel capitalist machinations ticking behind every step and gesture.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 11

If Fire Force names an episode “The Great Kaiju Battlefront,” I am duty- and honor-bound to get unreasonably excited for it.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 10

I feel a bit disappointed when it comes to this episode. It feels full of wasted opportunities.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 24

Endo's more of a representation than a character in his own right at this point, but he's a cool representation who does so effectively for the more well-defined characters.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 10

Tamako is an obnoxious and hilarious little stinker who exacerbates every facet of this farce into a full-blown fracas. The apple doesn't fall far.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ Episode 11

We’ve seen time and time again in this series how Philia will always put herself last, no matter what the cost.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 10

Pronounced shifts between grayscale and color set the mood as the story ramps up.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 11

“What a sad electronic junk-heap of wasted concepts and opportunities this show has turned out to be.”
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 10

That there aren’t more musical episodes of non-musical anime is a tragedy that you could make a 3–5 minute ballad about.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 10

At last we learn the relationship between Knuckleduster and the bee girl.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 10

I like Beryl being invested as a parent beyond just food and shelter, as he stays invested in Mewi’s progress at school and promises to help her with reading.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 21

Does any of this mean that the show is good, again? Oh, goodness, no. It's merely somewhat less bad.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 10

At least we got to see Sophia and Louis being adorable this week. I feel that makes up for a lot.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 10

No high school comedy would be completely without a student council, but as always, this show never does anything normally.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 10

While Trust can beat fear, as we have seen through Lin Ling, it is Hope that is its true weakness.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 10

If eyes are the mirrors of the soul, then what does that make eyeglasses?
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 10

I certainly didn't expect such an ending.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1132

It’s quite charming to watch Kuma grow into fatherhood and raise Bonney.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 10

All Lazarus has to offer us at this point is the dramatic equivalent of Lucy pulling the football out from under Charlie Brown's feet for fifty years in a row.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 10

It’s hard to argue with Sebastian being at his devilish best, simultaneously caring for Ciel and gleefully ripping open a tank like my cat Ollie trying to get into the recycling.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 10

It's hard not to respect this show's commitment to pumping out the silliest villain concepts imaginable.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 10

This episode brings us to the end of the first novel, which means that, as some of us feared, both Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island have significantly fewer episodes to use.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 10

I understand why Tamaki has been a divisive character, so I just want to say that I was totally right about her, and you doubters owe both of us an apology.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 10

I found Scop the Talking Mole's return pretty enjoyable, even if the extended chronicles of his fanciful adventure to Tokyo are literally only here to waste everyone's time with a bunch of silly nonsense.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 45

It’s hard to say which of the many disastrous decisions made by the Shi clan truly brought the army to their gates.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 23

I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe this storyline should have gone on a little longer.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 9

It was only a matter of time until we got an episode like this where we set some concrete rules about Satoko's powers.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 10

The moment supposed protagonist Echika Hieda appears, any sense of engagement in this show dissipates for me.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ Episode 10

Philia’s entrance in Girtonia is her most triumphant moment in the series.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 9

In what might end up the series' greatest accomplishment, the combination wedding & funeral is beautiful, macabre, funny, sad, and a fitting synthesis of its cosmic themes.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 9

It’s refreshing to see an anime reminding us that it's okay to have hobbies—including hobbies that have little or no connection to your larger goals.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 9

Is this a Universal Century sequel or an alternate universe or some fanfiction? YES, all of the above!
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 9

This is probably the best episode of Vigilantes that we've gotten to date.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1131

Kuma and Ginny are adorable and tragic in equal measure.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 9

This week's adventure hinges on problem-solving that does not require Beryl’s swordsmanship, which helps make him feel like a more complex character and adds variety for the audience.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 9

It’s a good thing that the gorilla god is such a fun character, because by this point it feels clear that The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl is less about Sophia becoming a knight and more about how everyone loves her.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 9

Will this be the final plot of the season?
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 9

While Witch Watch’s bread and butter is still comedy, episodes like this do a great job of showcasing that it has more range than just good jokes.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 9

Who knew French toast could be such a relationship deal-breaker?
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 9

For most of its runtime, “Death on Two Legs” makes it feel like Lazarus is just actively screwing with its audience.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 9

Now that Cyan is free, it looks like the Orphanage Director is trying to make Luo into her villain archrival.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 20

If the last episode of Go! Go! Loser Ranger! had me feeling like we were suddenly skipping whole episodes in between important scenes, this week, we may as well be leapfrogging over the top of entire seasons.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 9

There’s a sort of tragedy about Wolfram.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 9

While this isn’t the most exciting episode, it provides the show with a much-needed opportunity to slow down before the big showdown.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 9

Matthew has always made sure that Anne feels loved and wanted. It’s the greatest gift that anyone could give her, and ultimately more important than any scholarship or academic honor.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 9

In Fire Force, it is impossible to separate the actions of a fate-ordained hero of legend from the barely coherent ramblings of a deeply traumatized idiot. I wouldn't have it any other way.

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