Anime has always been very good at delivering this sort of story, and I wish we got more examples of it than we do.
Dec 24, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 04
Atarashii Joushi certainly doesn't beat around the bush. In that sense Kinjou, the new guy at the office, seems to fit right in.
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 07
I think it's worth reiterating my view that the current plot twist is kind of messed up.
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 05
This week was probably the most shameless episode of Atarashii Joshi wa Do Tennen yet, and the weirdest too.
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 10
On the whole this ep was more like a Blu-ray extra than a real episode of the series, with all that implies.
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 11
It's great that Shirosaki is so protective but Momose needs to take control of his life here.
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 08
This is not high art by any stretch of the imagination, but it's hard not to smile.
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 09
That the Japanese need series like these to reassure them that it doesn't have to be like that is sad as Hell, but it's nice to have one…
Patron Pick Fall 2023: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 06
There were several interesting elements in this episode of Atarashii Joushi, along with the usual handful of guffaws.
Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen – 03
The only word that insistently pops into my mind after that episode is "shameless" in a good way, of course).
First Impressions – Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen
Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen is a bit of a sleeper in a season without many of them, so as such this premiere was of considerable interest.
Second Impressions – Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen
Cute? Yes. Silly? Very. But underneath that Atarashii Joshi speaks with authority about the brutality of the human experience.
Patron Pick Fall 2024: Negaposi Angler (Negative Positive Angler) – 12 (End) and Series Review
Truth be told, I had a pretty strong suspicion that Negposi Angler would reel this one in.
Patron Pick Fall 2022: Koukyuu no Karasu – 13 (End) and Series Review
I sort of had a feeling this series was going to stick the landing. Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 12
Sooner or later the humans have to figure out that the entire premise of their presence here is a sham. Read more
Patron Pick Winter 2024: Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi (Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!) – 12 (End) and Series Review
There's no bait-and-switch happening with Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi - people just see what they want to see.
Patron Pick Fall 2022: Koukyuu no Karasu – 12
This was perhaps the first time an ep of Raven in the Inner Palace actually felt like a self-contained piece of work. Read more
Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru – 12 (End) and Series Review
I think it's fair to say that Yamamoto Souichirou has been treated very well by anime. Read more
Patron Pick Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 12 (Season Finale)
That explains why the exposition with this series seemed glacially slow. Read more
Patron Pick Fall 2024 – Negaposi Angler
We’re still solidly in slice of life mode here and ignoring elephants.
Overtake! – 12 (End) and Series Review
Like all good sports anime, Overtake excels at both the competition and the story of the people taking part in it.
SSSS.Dynazenon – 12 (End) and Series Review
Perhaps more than any art form I know, anime is at its best when crafted by people who truly love it. Read more
Revenger – 12 (End) and Series Review
In an era where original anime are rarely worthy of the name, Revenger was a breath of fresh air and a welcome outlier. Read more
SK∞ – 12 (End) and Series Review
We always give more chances to shows that have it and lose it than ones that never had it in the first place. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 06
Doing the expected in an entertaining way seems to be the order of the day. Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 06
That was pretty disturbing on multiple levels Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 07
Wow, that was one hell of an infodump (no pun intended). Read more
Patron Pick Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 06
Mononogatari is growing into its premise, albeit slowly. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 09
Helck getting a look at the darker side of demonkind seems like it might be a moment. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 08
This was very much an expected return to form for Helck. Read more
Patron Pick Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 08
The first name thing was a bit of a disaster, but the die is pretty much cast. Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 08
For me, once a series has established that plot armor doesn't exist, I'd rather it not revel in demonstrating it ad nauseam. Read more
Patron Pick Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 09
I don’t think it would be inaccurate to call Mononogatari a slow build sort of show. Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 09
Talk about flower power. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 13
At long last Helck takes us on a journey to the past - Helck's past, where so much of the foundation of the story takes place.
Patron Pick Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 11
I've always had the sense that this adaptation was never doing more than skimming the surface of the source material. Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 11
That was certainly a dark turn. Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 07
Jigokuraku seems to waver between Hunter X Hunter and Monster Hunter. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 04
Good choice, Patrons. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 05
Pairing off Helck and Vermilio was pretty clearly fated to happen, and the possibilities here are obvious. Read more
Patron Pick Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 05
The voters have spoken. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2024: Shoushimin Series – 08
For me at least the ship has long since sailed on Shoushimin Series being remotely realistic.
Patron Pick Summer 2024: Shoushimin Series – 07
It’s always a bit of a minefield when pure slice-of-life series get serious in their final episodes.
Patron Pick Summer 2024: Shoushimin Series – 04
Was this interesting? I guess sort of, though that's very much in the eye of the beholder.
Patron Pick Summer 2024: Shoushimin Series – 05
Can you imagine "The Chinese Restaurant" or "The Parking Garage" with little or no humor? Do you want to?
Patron Pick Summer 2024: Shoushimin Series – 09
Fun fact - the seiyuu playing Kawamata Sanae is named Osanai.
Mieruko-chan – 12 (End) and Series Review
Mieruko-chan has some big blemishes but the stuff it has to get right in order to work, it generally does. Read more
Sabikui Bisco – 12 (End) and Series Review
I wouldn’t say it was a whimper, but I was hoping for a bigger bang. Read more
Sonny Boy – 12 (End) and Series Review
Great works of art are rarely created by committees - they're created by individuals who follow their vision wherever it leads them. Read more
Tonikaku Cawaii – 12 (End) and Series Review
The euphoria of being close to someone you're in love with is a feeling quite unlike anything else in the human condition, and rarely do you see it…
Ryman’s Club – 12 (End) and Series Review
Given the considerable affection I have for this series, I'm relieved to have things end on a positive note after all. Read more