This was written by the guest writer, Jasmin Influenced by: Daoism and Onmyōdō With this post, I’d like to start a new series in which I want to consider the use of religious tropes and images in either well-known or current Anime. Since I am a self-confessed lover of monsters and magic, this first blog…
Category: Anime Reviews
One Punch Man Impressions
Who knew boredom and apathy could be so entertaining? One Punch Man, so far, has plenty of all three. Saitama approaches superheroing as a hobby. What’s his main problem as a part-time superhero? Outside of supervillains attacking during grocery store sales, Saitama struggles with being too powerful. One Punch Man explores what happens when a…
Tokyo Ravens
Tokyo Ravens lacks focus. So many anime fall into this trap! The story cannot decide if it wants to be a magical action-adventure or a slice of life story. Throw in a sketched out magic system, reincarnation, cults, and shake well. The story tries to do too much. Harutora Tsuchimikado is the usual block-headed shonen character….
Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends
Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends is a raunchy, fluffy anime. The story follows a collection of weird misanthropes who form a high school club to help them learn how to make friends. Kodaka Hasegawa is a half-English exchange student who people avoid because of appearance and delinquent reputation. Together with the equally abrasive Yozora…
Mayo Chiki!
Every once in awhile I like to watch a fluffy, silly anime. Mayo Chiki! is certainly one of those…on the surface. Underneath the light-harem antics and relationship tangle waited a surprising theme. First, my usual summary. Kinjiro – nicknamed Jiro – is a nice high-school guy with a problem. He is terrified of girls, and…
One Week Friends: Lessons on Friendship
One Week Friends examines the value of friendship and the work it takes to build a friendship into something deeper. This slice of life story sometimes drops into sap when some aspects are overplayed, but it provides good lessons on friendship. Kaori Fujimiya, the ice queen, ignores everyone and eats alone. Yuki Hase thinks her cute. Driven by his…