Oreshura - I Happen to Like Junk Food Sometimes

Harem shows are trash. They're garbage, junk food for the mind that doesn't have any meaning in their narratives. They are a genre that hasn't evolved in any meaningful ways since the 90s and does not intend to change because they still are met with a fair degree of success. Despite filling the market every season, very few of them are any good.

...Wait a second, very few? As in, more than none?

One-Punch Man - Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too

I usually don't try and put my thoughts out on shows around the time I've watched them because many of them need time to stew so I can look in retrospect, see how memorable they were and whether there was any part of the craft that was particularly good or bad. The psychological term is "the recency effect" where you will be more likely to look at things you've seen recently in a more positive light, although when it comes to this sort of thing it's possible I can have an initial terrible reaction that mellows out. Now why am I talking about this here? Well, because I can't imagine my reaction to One-Punch Man changing with time.

Fighter's Radiance - Fight Scene Brilliance

 Moreso than most genres, anime thrives on action. Whether it's violence for the sake of violence or something trying to be more poignant, a large majority of anime is centered around action scenes. This is why I think it's strange that by a large margin, anime fights tend to be somewhat mediocre.

I personally have high standards for what I consider to be a good fight scene. Many people praise action sequences in shows like Kill la Kill or One-Punch Man but I find them to be average at best but usually quite bad. But let's start the new year with some positivity. Rather than picking apart why those action scenes don't work, I think it might be a good idea to point out what can make a fight scene truly unforgettable.

Giant Gorg - Gorg Don't Give a F

I'm not going to pretend like there was any "golden age" of anime, that the 80s was "better", that hand-drawn is superior to computer-assisted or even go into my meta tirades against the industry. Every time period has good stuff and bad stuff. That's not what I'm here to talk about. Instead: Giant Gorg. Gorg is a sign of what happens when passionate people get the chance to make exactly what they want to make.

No Game No Life - Cheatcodes Allowed

How far does a concept carry a show? I ask this because No Game No Life had gained quite a few viewers with its concept: a world where all conflicts are settled with games. This, coupled with its unique art style and the first couple episodes being very solid, made me quite hopeful that it would actually manage to be good. That was a bad idea, I should've gone in with lower expectations.

Zambot 3 - But Who's Going to Thank You?

Ah, yes, Zambot 3. As far as I know, this was the first major deconstruction of super robot series and, I feel that in many ways, it is the most complete one. Of course, someone from the outside looking in could easily misconstrue Zambot as a regular 70s robot anime. Everything, from the design to the music, looks like it's playing things straight. That is entirely the point.

Resurrection "F"'s Biggest Missed Opportunity

I feel bad having a complaint about Resurrection "F". Freeza has been my favorite Dragon Ball villain since childhood and hearing he was going to return for a new movie had me so stoked. So my having a problem with the climax feels awful, like spitting in the face of Toriyama after he gave me a great present just because it wasn't perfect. Honestly, it is a really great film and Freeza is just as good a villain now as he was years ago, plus the switch of focus from energy struggles back to martial arts for the most part was a welcome change. I still love how they treated Freeza, but it had a bit of a miscalculation right at the climax of the film, something that I think could have been an easy fix that would have improved it overall. Since I'm mostly talking about my impressions about the climax and not a full review, be forewarned that this entire article will have spoilers and assume the reader has already seen the film.

Seitokai no Ichizon - It's Not Your Harem!

"Harem" has carried a stigma with it for a long time. "Light Novel" is the same, same with "slice of life", and so has "Studio DEEN." So believe it or not, Seitokai no Ichizon is a light novel harem slice of life by Studio DEEN that I consider one of the most well made comedy anime out there. The thing that I don't get is how it was so massively overlooked when inferior shows have been turned into franchises.

NEEDLESS - ARE YOU READY TO THE ACTION?

There are anime. There are MANLY anime. And then there are anime that are so MANLY that you get testosterone poisoning just from watching them. NEEDLESS (yes, the title is supposed to be entirely capitalized) is of the third category. Think Scryed, but with more T&A, more muscles, and much more comedy. But enough about that, let's get to the review.

Vividred Operation - Warning: This Review Contains Butts

Let's get to the bottom of things. Vividred Operation is a storm of cliches, filled with gratuitous service shots, and is one of the cheeziest things you could ever watch. That said, it seems to be aware of this status and comes off as something that one could either love or hate. However, from my experience the world's response to Vividred was a collective, "Eh, whatever." It's the kind of series that people know about but don't really discuss much, and what they mostly know about it comes in the form of butts.

Raikoh's Reviews - Hajime no Ippo

I'm going to just spoil this review: I love this show. Like, I can't think of any legitimate complaints about it. So if that's all you wanted... I guess review over? If you want me to explain why Ippo is great, hit the jump.

M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane - Massively Misestimated Masterpiece

In the spirit of Halloween, let's have a horror anime review. Now, I'm not that familiar with the horror genre, but I'm trying to get more into it. In looking around, though, I've had some difficulty finding many legitimately good, scary anime. It might be because all the horror writers in Japan are more interested in making movies, or maybe that the more psychological and subtle Japanese style of horror doesn't mesh very well with the more action oriented anime. I first thought I would want to review Betterman, but instead I figured that I'd prefer to review M3, which SPOILER ALERT ended up being one of my personal favorite anime of all time.

D-Fragments! - Let's Spin the Wheel of Characters

You know how I said comedies are hard to grade in my Azumanga Daioh review? Yeah, well, D-Frag is one of those anime that leave me with a total mixed bag. I know that comedy is subjective, and I don't know what most people think about it, but I think that to many viewers, D-Frag could be hit and miss. It certainly was to me. But the reason for this is actually largely in part to the style of the show, and could be intentional. So, what do I think of D-Frag in general? Let's start with the basics.

What's Wrong With Being an Otaku?

Just recently, an Anon asked an interesting question.

"Hey, Raikoh, I have a problem I've been having for a while. See, I've been watching this anime called "Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood" with my dear mother, but I've come a problem. We've gotten through the first 13 episodes, but over that course, I was watching it through my mother's perspective, who never watched anime at all, and my empathy suddenly left me feeling like I was watching this hyperactive animation with unrealistically shifting emotions and expressions, and a sense of humor that nobody outside of the Asian region would get.

Think you can help me out here? My liking for anime has suddenly diminished by quite a few levels and I think I'm starting to hate it, which is something I seriously hope is not happening."

It's probably something most anime fans face at some point, though the exact series to do it varies. I know that I personally faced a conundrum with "do I really like this?" some time in the middle of Bleach. Now, I might not be the most well-rounded anime fan (my area of expertise is mecha, and even on that front I haven't gotten around to watching some of the classics like Zambot 3, Bokurano, or hell, even TV Patlabor - and I know that a big group of mecha fans would tear me apart for that last one), but I've been around the block a few times so I think I can try and come up with an answer.

Summer 2014 Anime Reflections

With the coming of the new season, I think it might be a good idea to look back on all the anime I watched in the previous season and give some real quick recaps as to what I thought of them. It'll help keep the site active and at least semi-topical. Couple of disclaimers: I decide what I'm going to watch before the season starts and stick to it, and my choices are usually going to be mostly mecha. I only watch the big popular titles if they pique my interest. Also, I probably don't watch as much currently airing anime as other big anime fans because I have a backlog that isn't getting any smaller (in fact, it's getting bigger) that I try to chisel away at instead of watching a series that may or may not catch my eye. So, without further ado...

Armor Hunter Mellowlink - Tactical Action and Drama

I'm somewhat lukewarm in my enjoyment of VOTOMS. I love the setting and the visual design, but I feel like it's been rather stagnated by Chirico having all the focus. Now, I do enjoy Chirico, but I feel that with something as rich in potential as VOTOMS, more spinoffs should be taking place. To that end: Armor Hunter Mellowlink.

Musings of a Fate Fan: Is Shirou Sexist?

It's one of the most divisive issues when it comes to Fate/Stay Night: you either love Shirou or you hate him. Anybody whose known me for an extended period would know that Shirou is one of my favorite protagonists out there, and flat-out favorite characters. I see him as a sort of role model, as embarrassing as it might sound to look up to a fictional character.

One of the most common reasons I see for people hating Shirou, though, is the way he acts in the "Fate" route towards Saber. Now, obviously the things he tells her sound very sexist (like "girls shouldn't fight"), but I've sat down and thought over all three routes of the visual novel, trying to deconstruct why he acts in that manner in one route and not the others, and realized that they aren't as controversial as they may sound... At least, the way I analyze the story, themes, and characters. If you want to hear my perspective of it, then read on.

Why it's Time to Stop Worrying About CG Mecha

Here's something I've felt like talking about for a while: computer animation in mecha shows. CG is present in all sorts of media, and becoming increasingly regular, but one area where CG is notably controversial is in mecha anime. I think it's because it's incredibly common in the modern anime market, to the point where it's rare to see any robot shows where the mecha aren't computer generated. Naturally, as a purist, I am of the opinion that nothing beats good old fashioned hand-drawn machines. That said, I'm not really sweating the recent advent of computer-generated robots in newer anime.

Why We Need the New "Unlimited Blade Works" Adaptation: A Review

Boy, I've been putting off watching the "Unlimited Blade Works" movie for a long, long time. But in lieu of the new announcement that the upcoming anime series of "Fate/Stay Night" will be adapting the route, I figured now was the perfect time to check it out and see just what I think of it.

I'll be frank: not a fan of the movie. I'm very much a purist when it comes to this sort of thing (especially when it's an adaptation of my favorite route), and the issues I have with the movie are a bunch of little nitpicks that just sort of add up. Now, of course there's the issue of trying to fit the story of a 20+ hour visual novel route into a movie under 110 minutes, but the issue is that even if you want to sit back and just take it as eye-candy fanservice for the established fan base, it just doesn't work for me personally. Without further ado, let's start.

Raikoh's Reviews: Harmonie

The New Animator Training Project is a treat. Every year, we get short 25 minute snippets of some raw productions. They aren't trying to become a franchise or sell anything, which gives them a certain charm. Stories that are written just because somebody had a story to tell, and the very idea of wanting to train new animators means that they will no doubt have some great production values. Case and point: Harmonie.