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ep. review

Roll Over and Die ‒ Episode 4

All good yuri stories need a secondary pairing that is not-so-secretly more compelling than the main couple, and Sara and Neigass may have what it takes to fill those shoes.
ep. review

Champignon Witch ‒ Episode 5

The key difference between the “good” witches and the “bad” ones is whether or not they work specifically for the people in power. If you do, you’re “good.” If you don’t? Not so good.
ep. review

Chained Soldier Season 2 ‒ Episode 4

When it comes to engineering truly deranged sexcapades that will cross every boundary of taste and common decency, Chained Soldier, like life, always finds a way.
ep. review

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1 ‒ Episode 52

If nothing else, I’m excited to see all of the Hakari x Kirara couples-cosplay this episode is sure to inspire come convention season.
ep. review

The Holy Grail of Eris ‒ Episode 4

Cecilia has fallen into the same mistake that most people seem to when it comes to Constance: she interprets the famous Grail sincerity as being synonymous with “foolishly innocent.”
ep. review

Oshi no Ko Season 3 ‒ Episode 3

This episode is based on an unlikely premise: that a sex worker's tweet would be taken so seriously, it could put a TV show in jeopardy.
ep. review

Hana-Kimi ‒ Episode 5

This episode hurries through its tensions curiously quickly, partially because Mizuki seems to be an unusually self-aware teenager.
ep. review

SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table ‒ Episode 4

Yuki swears she was just teasing the stuck-up (but undeniably cute) Princess who still had stuffing spilling out of her stump of an arm, and I am inclined to believe that she is telling us the truth. Probably. Maybe.
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ Episode 17

The episode is too brightly lit and lacking in atmosphere to even evoke the slightest of viewer unease.
ep. review

Hell's Paradise Season 2 ‒ Episode 3

THIS episode feels like the true start of season two.
ep. review

Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers ‒ Episode 4

Now, all that front-facing character work is being projected over a legacy series that's getting…a bit busier than I might like already.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 ‒ Episode 17

Koichi is still very much in over his head compared to the other heroes.
ep. review

The Darwin Incident ‒ Episode 4

To put it another way, Charlie has committed the classic blunder: he's not acting as if he lives in a society.
ep. review

Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter ‒ Episode 4

There's an increasing desperation to Aresh's actions when he's with Seiichiro, from his desire to be called by his first name to his carefully correct pronunciation of Seiichiro's.
ep. review

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk ‒ Episode 3

Discussion questions: What does it mean for Ichimura to set the pace for this relationship?
ep. review

Fate/strange Fake ‒ Episode 4

This week, we dive full steam into the chaos of this Holy Grail War with our first non-one-on-one battle.
ep. review

Golden Kamuy Final Season ‒ Episode 53

Golden Kamuy is rapidly becoming the anime I’m most excited to watch week after week, and I love that it’s finally earning the flowers I’ve longed to shower it with.
ep. review

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 ‒ Episode 2

This episode shows how a little story can tell a lot.
ep. review

Wash It All Away ‒ Episode 4

While I’m not exactly wowed yet, there’s enough substance here to pique my interest.
ep. review

You and I Are Polar Opposites ‒ Episode 3

As much as Miyu's cartoon antics helped to carry the first two episodes, it's great to see that the rest of the cast can also pull their weight
ep. review

Journal with Witch ‒ Episode 4

“Having someone around constantly is enough to tire me out.” It's a sentiment most introverts can intimately relate to.
ep. review

Dead Account ‒ Episode 3

You know that this is going to be a tough episode to sit through when the animation fails to show something as simple as pouring a cup of tea.
ep. review

Gnosia ‒ Episode 15

I have to give Gnosia credit for consistently delivering well-crafted episodes that make it bearable to get through two straight weeks of people standing in a circle while they attempt to out-logic and out-lie one another.
ep. review

Trigun Stargaze ‒ Episode 3

Say what you like about CG in anime, but there’s no way this scene could be portrayed so dynamically in hand-drawn animation.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 15

It turns out that our boy Shinra isn't just any old savior: He is literally the Fire Force equivalent of Jesus H. Christ Himself.
ep. review

Chained Soldier Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

So far as pure, unadulterated sleaze is concerned, this might represent the peak of Chained Soldier's shamelessness.
ep. review

Roll Over and Die ‒ Episode 3

I can't say I expected Roll Over and Die to touch upon the modern antivax movement, but it is nevertheless a welcome thematic contour.
ep. review

The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife ‒ Episode 3

The appeal of the show isn't in the big story moments, it's in the casual interactions.
ep. review

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1 ‒ Episode 51

After this episode I’m finally prepared to say that Jujutsu Kaisen is back and better than ever!
ep. review

Tamon's B-Side ‒ Episode 4

Faced with the possibility that his position as the face of F/ACE isn’t as secure as it might’ve once seemed, Tamon takes Utage to a festival.
ep. review

Sentenced to Be a Hero ‒ Episode 3

Norgalle’s delusion is that he actually believes in the social contract that nobility has always purported to embody, and he is noble and tragic in equal parts.
ep. review

SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This is a sublime and dreamlike saunter through a blood-soaked horror show.
ep. review

Champignon Witch ‒ Episode 4

The Fire Magician’s insistence that the boy be killed is not only ignoring the fact that Luna has no one and no hope of having anyone, but also that she’s clearly opposed to people dying.
ep. review

The Holy Grail of Eris ‒ Episode 3

As Terry Pratchett said in his novel Maskerade, “There's a kind of magic in masks. Masks conceal one face, but they reveal another. The one that only comes out in darkness. I bet you could do just what you liked, behind a mask ... ?"
ep. review

Oshi no Ko Season 3 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I could write an entire review about the new OP and ED alone.
ep. review

Hana-Kimi ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I appreciate it when adaptations make changes, even if they’re a bit silly. It’s a bit like a game of spot the differences
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ Episode 16

Since her last appearance, Yukime seems to have done some soul-searching.
ep. review

The Darwin Incident ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

The humanzee finding his place in the world is, ostensibly, a key component of this story, and it'd be nice if the writing takes him somewhere on that journey, apart from being a wry Reddit response.
ep. review

Wash It All Away ‒ Episode 3

Despite a dramatic start, this episode just whizzes by a little too nonchalantly. Not that that’s a bad thing, though.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 ‒ Episode 16

It's weird that the show sort of sidesteps the main characters here.
ep. review

Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This is a reboot that's a rocking good time, and I haven't even managed to pick out a best boy yet!
ep. review

Hell's Paradise Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I'm glad I went back to refresh myself, because it is impressive how many moving parts this show can juggle.
ep. review

Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

What’s the only cure for Seiichiro's magic problems? An injection of someone else’s magic. This is a BL series. I’ll give you three guesses how that’s going to work, and the first two don’t count.
ep. review

Golden Kamuy Final Season ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Golden Kamuy is quietly one of the best manga to ever do it, and I’m thrilled to say that the anime is finally starting to live up to that legacy.
ep. review

Journal with Witch ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I have a vault stuffed with compliments that I wish to pay Journal with Witch, both as a story and as an adaptation. I'm sad I can only dole them out one at a time.
ep. review

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Hello everyone, and welcome to Gender and Anime Studies 205.
ep. review

Fate/strange Fake ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

A huge chunk of these first three episodes is a love letter to the predecessor of Fate, Tsukihime.
ep. review

Dead Account ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

For a show that literally has “dead” in its name, I should have known the premise was dead on arrival before I started it.
ep. review

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This episode isn’t about the immortal elf. It’s about Stark.
ep. review

You and I Are Polar Opposites ‒ SERIES PREMIERE

You and I Are Polar Opposites may not be the most laugh-out-loud funny rom-com of the season, but it's making a strong case for being the most charming.
ep. review

To Your Eternity Season 3 ‒ Episode 14

"Where One Belongs" makes for such a powerful, beautiful, and achingly human sentiment for us to linger on, for now.
ep. review
ep. review

Sentenced to Be a Hero ‒ SERIES PREMIERE

This show pulls the ripcord right from the jump and challenges the viewer to hang on for the ride.
ep. review

Gnosia ‒ Episode 14

Once again, I am left feeling like Gnosia is a game about playing a game that would be much more fun as a game to be played instead of a show to be watched.
ep. review

Trigun Stargaze ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

All of the major players have finally appeared; now I really want to know what they get up to next.
ep. review

Wash It All Away ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Kinme lets herself be defined by her occupation, which, considering how so many people do the same, isn't too far off from reality.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

While I do still have some issues with the first season that are echoed a bit in this premiere, even at its worst this show is still a ton of fun.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I'm happy to report that Fire Force arrived this week with a pallet stacked high with the goods, and all of it was special-ordered just for us.
ep. review

Roll Over and Die ‒ SERIES PREMIERE

Can the director of Big Order and the power of yuri combine to elevate the “kicked out of the hero's party” subgenre? I'm cautiously optimistic.
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

For all that it’s primarily a simple supernatural shonen adventure show, Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube sure can pack a mean emotional punch at times.
ep. review

Tamon's B-Side ‒ SERIES PREMIERE

Consider watching new episodes of Tamon’s B-Side and Oshi no Ko season 3 back-to-back each week for a Barbenheimer-esque experience.
ep. review

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Jujutsu Kaisen rose to prominence in the anime scene thanks to being really good at hype moments and “aura farming” while being passable at everything else, and these opening episodes confirm that season three is going to be more of the same.
ep. review

Champignon Witch ‒ SERIES PREMIERE

Although Tachibana Higuchi isn’t retelling any specific fairy tale, Champignon Witch owes a lot to the fairy tale canon.
ep. review

The Holy Grail of Eris ‒ SERIES PREMIERE

The Holy Grail of Eris isn’t a typical villainess story, if it is one at all.
ep. review

DIGIMON BEATBREAK ‒ Episode 14

While it wasn't a terrible episode, round two of the Glowing Dawn vs Tactics left me a bit underwhelmed
ep. review

Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider ‒ Episode 14

This week’s episode is about two things: character growth and world building.
ep. review

To Your Eternity Season 3 ‒ Episode 13

In the end, the only one that will be able to truly save Mizuha is Mizuha herself.
ep. review

Gnosia ‒ Episode 13

I suppose any shakeup of the status quo is going to be a relief, both for the audience and our heroes.
ep. review

DIGIMON BEATBREAK ‒ Episode 13

No matter how the newfound rivalry between the Glowing Dawn and Tactics ends up playing out, it seems like it’ll at least be fun.
ep. review

Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Stairway to Adulthood- OVA

This OVA almost feels like a bit of a monkey's paw where I was given more of what I wanted, but not in the way that I wanted it.
ep. review

With You, Our Love Will Make it Through ‒ SEASON FINALE

While the emotional crux of the characters and the tender moments are incredibly well done, I don't think the show really knew what it wanted to do with its setting at all.
ep. review

A Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace ‒ SEASON FINALE

The show was always about those little moments of celebration in the life of a creative person, so the finale should follow suit.
ep. review

One Punch Man Season 3 ‒ SEASON FINALE

This finale, much like the rest of this season, is completely content with riding the coattails of the phenomenal first season, and I could not be more disappointed.
ep. review

Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider ‒ Episode 13

What? You actually thought this was a Kamen Rider show and not the sequel to an often-overlooked 2003 anime?
ep. review

Gnosia ‒ Episode 12

It's the inability to provide any sense of emotional or thematic progression that is making Gnosia into a show that feels like less than the sum of its parts.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ SEASON FINALE

It has everything a feast needs: smiling Nico Robin, food and songs, smiling Nico Robin, tearful tributes, smiling Nico Robin, and best of all: smiling Nico Robin.
ep. review

This Monster Wants to Eat Me ‒ SEASON FINALE

Lest it leave us on too healthy a note, This Monster Wants to Eat Me wraps up the season with a reminder that love and pain walk hand in hand.
ep. review

The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess ‒ SEASON FINALE

If anything, a subversion would be a betrayal of its exploration of the crappy cliches that teenagers feel drawn to, at least at this point in the story.
ep. review

Spy×Family Season 3 ‒ SEASON FINALE

When Loid is approaching his apartment, he thinks to himself that it feels like forever since he’s been home. Just “home,” not “Loid’s home” or “Operation Strix’s home,” home.
ep. review

A Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace ‒ Episode 12

The theme of this episode is all about how the connections we foster with people.
ep. review

With You, Our Love Will Make it Through ‒ Episode 11

Finally, we start getting something a little bit juicy besides the…actual juicy stuff.
ep. review

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

This is a final episode that’s about as good as Chili’s ribs: not the best out there, but immensely satisfying nonetheless.
ep. review

Ranma ½ ‒ SEASON FINALE

Who could this be, and how are they incompetent enough to make this mistake? He'd have to be blind, stupid, or both.
ep. review

Gachiakuta ‒ SEASON FINALE

The show about the stinky little trashboy who flings poop at his mentors and smiles with all of the grace of a meth-fiend baboon has proven to have a shockingly deep and nuanced emotional core.
ep. review

Dusk Beyond the End of the World ‒ SEASON FINALE

This was, in my opinion, the worst anime of the season.
ep. review

Isekai Quartet 3 ‒ SEASON FINALE

Perhaps in their own respective series, our heroes will find a little bit extra inner strength—strength provided by the multiverse-spanning friendships they were never meant to have during the silly school life they never experienced.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1154

Big News Morgan is like an affable cousin you see around the holidays: always a delight to catch up with, but he’s still the same as the last time you saw him.
ep. review

My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's ‒ SEASON FINALE

I'm a big fan of any show that sets up a moral dilemma and has the characters resolve it—but leaves it up to the audience to decide whether our heroes did the right thing or not.
ep. review

Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

Oguri Cap is the main anime vanguard of the franchise at this point, and why shouldn't she be? She represents the show's modern form, heralded by butt-rock openers and strained, sweaty facial expressions.
ep. review

GINTAMA - Mr. Ginpachi's Zany Class ‒ SEASON FINALE

While I haven't had a terrible time with this spin-off, much like Takasugi last week, I question if this was all worth bringing Gintama back from the dead.
ep. review

The Fated Magical Princess: Who Made Me a Princess ‒ Episode 15

Is it worth being annoyed that The Fated Magical Princess chose to abandon the manhwa in its final few episodes? I’m still trying to decide.
ep. review

Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! ‒ SEASON FINALE

Unfortunately, I think it suits this series to end on such an underwhelming note.
ep. review

DIGIMON BEATBREAK ‒ Episode 12

Even though this episode marks the end of Digimon Beatbreak's first cour, in many ways it feels like its true beginning
ep. review

Touring After the Apocalypse ‒ SEASON FINALE

The lush, verdant landscapes of this empty, crumbling future Japan will remain in my memory for a long time.
ep. review

To Your Eternity Season 3 ‒ Episode 12

For as much as I am enjoying this third season of To Your Eternity, I fear the story may be falling into a pacing trap

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