Hey guys, it’s Rand. I wanted to let you know what I’ve been doing while having an unprecedented hiatus. I know it’s needed to take breaks when it is truly needed but this is some…
Jul 9, 2021 • Subscribe
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Fall 2021 Check-in
We're at the point with anime where a lack of big surprises is itself unsurprising. Read more
Winter 2021 Check-in
I haven't had occasion to say it for a long time, but Winter 2021 is starting to resemble a pretty good anime season. Read more
Summer 2021 Check-in
I've gotten about what I expected out of the season so far, but I wasn't expecting much. Read more
Spring 2021 Check-in
Both anime and I have changed a lot since we last had a season like this. Read more
2021 Summer Three-Episode Check-In
The deluge of spring left us with a light summer, but that doesn't mean there aren't gems worth keeping.
Auto-tagged The Duke of Death and His Maid, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Kageki Shojo!!, Peach Boy Riverside, RE-MAIN
2021 Winter Three-Episode Check-In
This season truly encapsulates the duality of anime: everything made us either really excited or really tired.
Auto-tagged Cells at Work!, Cells at Work! CODE BLACK, WONDER EGG PRIORITY, 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team, I★CHU
2021 Spring Three-Episode Check-In
We may not be sure where some of these shows are going, but we can't look away!
Auto-tagged Burning Kabaddi, JORAN THE PRINCESS OF SNOW AND BLOOD, To Your Eternity, Those Snow White Notes, Tokyo Revengers
2021 Fall Three Episode Check-In
This is a Fall of firsts--including the tentative death of Netflix jail (kinda). Join us as we check in on some hotly anticipated adaptations.
Auto-tagged Taisho Otome Fairy Tale, takt op.Destiny, The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut, Ranking of Kings
New Beginnings – Q2 2021 Check In
It’s been nearly two months since my last post on this blog. Sorry for the impromptu hiatus. My dad had spinal surgery and helping him through recovery and…
Winter 2021 Check-In, Week of 3/7/2021
Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve felt like writing something about what I’m watching and not about something more abstract (though I enjoy, in my own way, putting my…
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 9 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210308/1615193859.5875.29060.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 9 [Check-In]
Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun thankfully gets back on track as it dedicates its latest episode to resuming the thorough erosion of Tomozaki's social shell – proving to be pretty sweet…
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 5 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210208/1612779459.3492.25765.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 5 [Check-In]
Offering yet another great showing, Wonder Egg Priority pushes out a fourth episode that's in fantastic shape; Crafting a strong personality through thematic subtext that boiled elegantly into…
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 10 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210315/1615790859.6316.29553.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 10 [Check-In]
Horimiya bounces back with an episode of actual substance - anxious relationship drama layered over a spongy cake of insecurity.
Auto-tagged Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, WONDER EGG PRIORITY, Horimiya
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 1 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210111/1610360888.1309.22806.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 1 [Check-In]
New year, new season of anime, same coverage. Let's rundown a heap of new shows and see how they stack up.
Auto-tagged LBX Girls, Idoly Pride, Scar on the Praeter, BACK ARROW, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 6 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210215/1613373459.4000.26334.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 6 [Check-In]
This felt like a return to form for Horimiya - decisive in the bigger picture with what it wants to accomplish and competent in executing its moment to…
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 2 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210118/1610964056.1903.23956.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 2 [Check-In]
Layered, poignant, and elegantly articulated - Wonder Egg Priority had a fantastic debut made even more impressive considering this is Wakabayashi's first time directing a full-length series
Auto-tagged Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Scar on the Praeter, The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter, Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 4 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210201/1612169259.2986.25160.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 4 [Check-In]
Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu is back and with a fourth outing that is challenging for a lot of viewers - concerning itself deeply with sexually touchy…
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 12 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210329/1616999259.7159.30484.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 12 [Check-In]
Wonder Egg Priority’s expected competence proceeds – a focused, workman-like episode that does its job in demystifying the Accas in a gradually grim way, inevitably fitting in snuggly…
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 7 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210222/1613980059.4425.26821.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 7 [Check-In]
The positive streak for Wonder Egg Priority continues, extending a favorable combination of grim inquiry, intimacy, and insightful character vignettes for all to enjoy.
Auto-tagged WONDER EGG PRIORITY, Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 11 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210322/1616390859.6745.30029.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 11 [Check-In]
Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun gets ever closer to its conclusion and evidently, is only getting stronger along the way.
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 8 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210301/1614590859.5216.27706.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 8 [Check-In]
Associating with a character's drama naturally demands moving beyond yourself, and understanding someone's own lived experiences and resulting perspective even if it's mostly foreign to you.
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
![Featured image for Winter Anime 2021 Week 3 [Check-In]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210125/1611562856.2416.24541.jpg)
Winter Anime 2021 Week 3 [Check-In]
Presented with the opportunity of success or failure, Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? enthusiastically chooses the latter - offering a third episode that's visually embarrassing and narratively unimpressive…
Auto-tagged Horimiya, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, SK8 the Infinity, WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Looking to the Future – Q1 2021 Check In
I suppose like most people when I started this blog, I wanted it as a place to air my feelings. And over the last two – three years,…
Brief Blog/Life Update
First off, it’s good to be back to regular posting after that brief period of inactivity! So here’s a few quick updates on what I’m working on right…
Winter Simulcast Check-in, Week of 1/10/2021
I thought I’d try something new this season, since I’m watching a lot of anime (by design; I’m seeing how much anime I can watch concurrently and whether…
Chatty AF 145: 2021 Summer Mid-Season Check-in
Vrai, Mercedez, and Peter dig deep to find the winners of a somewhat sparse season.
Winter Simulcast Check-In, Week of 1/17/2021
Hi, all. This post should be significantly shorter than the previous check-in, mostly because I’m just cleaning up a few episodes of shows that hadn’t had second episodes…
Chatty AF 151: 2021 Fall Mid-Season Check-in
Dee, Vrai, and Peter check in on the Fall season, from plucky princes to rollerblading tokusatsu heroes.
Chatty AF 135: 2021 Winter Mid-Season Check-in
Vrai, Peter, and Caitlin check in on the 2021 Winter season, from beefy skate boys to overworked cells.
Chatty AF 139: 2021 Spring Mid-season Check-in
Caitlin, Peter, and Mercedez check in on the 2021 Spring season!
Blog Goals & Resolutions for 2021!
Happy New Year! Let’s talk big changes for 2021. :)
Summer 2023 Check-in
This season looks pretty typical of the age, but it's not as straightforward as it appears. Read more
Winter 2024 Check-in
Winter 2024 is definitely a one-horse race for the winner’s circle, but “place” and “show” are another matter.
Summer 2022 Check-in
No season with Made in Abyss is a bad season. Read more
Spring 2020 Check-in
If the current global situation was the elephant in the room for the Season Preview post, this time around it's the titanosaur in the broom closet. Read more
Retail Check-In 5
Krystallina's checking back in on retailers! What can you now do on Poshmark? No more Target on Thanksgiving? And good luck finding a PS5!
Summer 2024 Check-in
It's weird to have one of my top-ranked shows in terms of expectations also be one of the biggest surprises of the season.
Fall 2024 Check-in
This season isn't a mass-produced model, that's for sure.
Retail Check-In 4
It’s time for another news roundup — this time, about price increases and lawsuits! Dollar Tree’s Name Becomes Less Literal For years, as long as you had a…
Brief Check-In Post
Hi folks! So my life got really interesting these past few months, as a sudden hiatus, comeback and now just this. I also tend to shy away from…
Winter 2022 Check-in
As to the meal anime in 2022 looks to be, Winter is less an appetizer and more an amuse-bouche. Read more
Fall 2023 Check-in
Fall 2023, at 61 series, is one of the biggest anime seasons of all-time. But quality doesn't always follow quantity.
Spring 2024 Check-in
Bigger isn't always better where anime seasons are concerned.
Fall 2022 Check-in
It's a strong season - but is its bite as big as its bark? Read more
Summer 2020 Check-in
Sometimes the illusion of normalcy is all we have. Read more
Retail Check-In 2
News has been dominated by the global COVID-19 pandemic — and for good reason. But still, there have been other news articles that may not have gotten the…
Fall 2020 Check-in
The world is still gripped by the pandemic, but anime production has - for now - returned to some semblance of normalcy. Read more
Retail Check-In 3
With vaccine distribution ramping up everyone's adjusting to the new normal, which means developments in the retail sector that Krystallina covers this week.
