In an Ikebukuro full of rival gangs like the G-Boys, Majima Makoto is a neutral mediator to whom anyone can come with a problem to solve. Thus he is one of the people helping to maintain a delicate…
Oct 6, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
First Impressions – Ikebukuro West Gate Park
I'd like to think there was something to this franchise that made it such a hit. Read more
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 01
「北口スモークタワー」 (Kitaguchi sumoukutawaa) "North Exit Smoke Tower" I’d like to think there was something to this franchise that made it such a hit.
Ikebukuro West Gate Park
The ingredients for a simple but effective crime thriller are here, which may make wonder why you have heard so little about it. The reasoning becomes apparent: despite…
First Look: Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Ikebukuro: where you will apparently never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. In this violent and crime-ridden district, where yazkuza and youth street gangs rule…
First Impression: Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Ikebukuro is a thriving commercial and entertainment district northwest of downtown Tokyo. But beneath the rich veneer lies a seedy underbelly of gangs and drugs. Makoto Majima, despite…
First Impression: Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Ikebukuro is a thriving commercial and entertainment district northwest of downtown Tokyo. But beneath the rich veneer lies a seedy underbelly of gangs and drugs. Makoto Majima, despite…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – Episode 1
It’s not a terrible premiere, but it felt like the series was more interested in throwing us into the chaotic world of Ikebukuro without establishing why we should…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – Sweet Summer Child
Ikebukuro West Gate Park looks like it might be fun to visit but I don't think I would want to live there.
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 08 – Soft Landings
The stinger for this week is only a few moments long: a toddler playing with a toy plane falls off a balcony and lands in a bush. He’s…
Getting by in Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Gangs, drugs, underground life, immigration issues, shady deals, single mothers trying to stay afloat, and many more. For a title like Ikebukuro West Gate Park (shortened as IWGP),…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 03 – Chasing Views
Like myself, Majima Makoto is the age where he missed out on the big YouTube content creation boom, and marvels how people can make so much money off…
Anime Taste Testing: Ikebukuro West Gate Park
A PSA on Japan’s stance against drugs. Remember kids, weed is evil!
Anime Taste Testing: Ikebukuro West Gate Park
A PSA on Japan’s stance against drugs. Remember kids, weed is evil!
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 06 – Knights and Shadows
Ikebukuro is a town of balance, and that balance ensures peace. But one otherwise ordinary night, a group from the G-Boys Hiroto Faction are pulled from their van…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 09 – Trouble in Paradise
There is a lot to sift through this week, but I’ll give IWGP this: there’s no other current show that makes people sitting at tables and talking quite so…
Anime Series Like IWGP: Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Ikebukuro is a haven for violent gangs, and also the home to Makoto Majima. In order to protect his friends, Makoto mediates different disputes. However, when things go…
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, Heaven's Memo Pad, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Maji, No Guns Life
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 07 – Mars (Enterprises) Attacks!
“Everyone’s so worried about me…What am I, a little boy?” I doubt the people warning Makoto are doing so because they think he’s a kid, but because there is…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 05 – The Golden Land
IWGP has done a great job mixing up Majima Makoto’s cases-of-the-week thus far, underlining how valuable someone with his skills and relationships can be to a diverse array…
Why You Should Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park
We have been blessed with many great anime series this Fall 2020 season. With new thrillers such as Talentless Nana, fresh Shounen series like Studio Mappa’s beautifully animated…
When They Cry, Higurashi: When They Cry - GOU, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Talentless Nana
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 12 (Fin) – The Troublesome Troubleshooter
With Takashi out of commssion the G-Boys are rudderless and eager for revenge, and Kyouichi isn’t above acquiring guns from the yakuza in order to gain the advantage…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 04 – Knowing the Whole Story
Last week was a half-baked and tedious exploration of the online content culture featuring an unlikable YouTuber. But that was just one episode of a show that is…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 11 – Nightmare on Sunshine Street
If I haven’t already, I’ll go on record now: Thus far I’ve always enjoyed the IWGP stories that aren’t directly related to the G-Boy/Red Angel dispute, like when…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 10 – Moving Past the Hate
You have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.” But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park: The Tokyo Revengers I Wanted?
Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet! Hanime on Anime here, and welcome to another brand new review. And, believe it or not, today’s show has been on my…
Fall 2020 First Impressions: Golden Kamuy S3, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
Golden Kamuy S3 Short Synopsis: Golden Kamuy resumes as Sugimoto sets out for Sakhalin in search of Asripa. Along the way they will hunt criminals, fight large mammals…
Gate, Golden Kamuy, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
Second Impressions Digest – Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Noblesse, Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko
Not the order I would have expected to rank these going in. Read more
Gate, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, By the Grace of the Gods, Noblesse
IKEBUKURO WEST GATE PARK REVIEW — WHAT IT IS AND ISN’T
The current anime season is coming to an end so this post might count as a recap, as well as my observations and general thoughts on the show.…
Weekly Digest 10/29/20 – Noblesse, Ikebukuro West Gate Park
I enjoy it when a series takes the time to make characters distinct, even when they're satellite to the main story. Read more
Weekly Digest 10/22/20 – Noblesse, Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Apart from fans of the source material ripping it, it seems as if almost no one is talking about Noblesse. Read more
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – Denshi no Hoshi by Ishida Ira
Once again, I was looking for something interesting on Funamation’s streaming site and came across a new anime called Ikebukuro West Gate Park. I found at least one…
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – 02 – New Kids on the ‘Bukuro
It was just the G-Boys in Ikebukuro, until one night at the Global Ring a young lad with fiery red hair and angel wing tattoos captivated a crowd…
The Herald Anime Club Meeting 160: Ikebukuro West Gate Park Episode 2
The Herald Anime Club returns to Ikebukuro West Gate Park for its second episode. This time, they trade wacky weed for workers' rights.
Horimiya – 01 (First Impressions) – Not Just Being Nice
What if there was a rom-com airing concurrently with Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki that did away with game metaphors and meditations on the right way to live? But was instead just…
Loving Yamada at Lv999 – 01 (First Impressions) – Not Just a Band-Aid
Kinoshita Akane (Minase Inori) had a boyfriend who got her into MMO gaming, only to dump her for another girl he met in-game. The guy’s last text to…
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie – 01 (First Impressions) – My Shield and Defender
So many rom-coms play will-they-won’t-they for the entire season (or three!) before the couple officially exchanges confessions or starts dating, making shows like this almost a novelty. Izum…
First Impressions: Dropout Idol Fruit Tart
Ino Sakura had always dreamed of becoming an idol, and finally gets her chance to move from the countryside to Tokyo to pursue her dream. However, as it…
IT’S JUST A DREAM… RIGHT? FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Remember the IRL fujoshi friend I mentioned? It’s Just a Dream… Right? was a title recommended by her and I just found the time to sit down and read it…
Tower of God – 01 (First Impressions) – They’re Just Like You
This is the story of Rachel, the girl who climbed the tower so she could see the stars, and Bam, the boy who needed nothing but her. I…
First Impressions: The West Wind Brigade
The West Wind Brigade was one of the most enjoyable factions from Log Horizon. Enjoyable enough to net them a spin-off series of their own!
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart – Ep. 1 (First Impressions)
Nadeshiko quit camping and became an idol. She’s still broke though.
Jujutsu Kaisen – 01 (First Impressions) – A Troublesome Curse
Itadori Yuuji, the necessary third member of his school’s Occult Club, is a freakishly talented athlete, but he fends off demands from the track team coach because he’s…
Shachibato! – 01 (First Impressions) – Zzzzzzz
My impressions of Shachibato are…non-existent. Its world is okay-looking but the characters that populate it are so bland and their adventuring is almost offensively lightweight and low stakes.…
Shibuya Station’s Hachiko Gate Just Became a Gigantic Mess
Going to Shibuya Station? Be warned that a change to the Hachiko Gate due to construction will slow you down.
The Apothecary Diaries – 01 (First Impressions) – A Big Promotion
Maomao (Yuuki Aoi) lives a simple but fulfilling life in Imperial China as an apothecary, growing medicinal plants, making medicines, and making deliveries to clients in the red-light…
Mars Red – 01 (First Impressions) – On a Silver Platter
Tokyo, Japan, 1923: Major Maeda Yoshinobu is escorted to a maximum-security underground prison at Tsukishima Island housing a single inmate: Misaki, an actress who was performing Salome at the…
Tenten Kakumei – 01 (First Impressions) – A Bundle of Unexpected
We start with a pretty girl who looks like she’s in trouble, surrounded by horned wolves. A young adventurer rushes to her aid, but she tells him not…
A Couple of Cuckoos – 01 (First Impressions) – Family Knots
Umino Nagi is a straight-A student at a good school who spends most of his time studying and battling his academic rival. He was also accidentally switched at…
Darwin’s Game is Just Stupid | First Impressions
No spoiler TLDR at second to bottom paragraph. Darwin’s Game is an absolute dumpster fire of a show, possibly the worst this season. The only reason I was…
2.5 Dimensional Seduction – 01 (First Impressions)
Okumura Masamune is a 2nd year high schooler and proud otaku who considers the manga/anime character Liliel his waifu and detests 3D girls, until one of them suddenly…
VTuber Legend – 01 (First Impressions) – #WakeUpAwayuki
VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream stars Sakura Ayane clearly having a hell of a good time as the voice of Kokorone…
VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream