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Well, Fena Could Have Been Better
2021 seems to be a year when genres of shows that I usually like generally disappoint me. Then again, that doesn’t have to be a designated year. It…
What Could Have Been: Gainax’s Brief Stint as Video Game Consultants
The reputation of Gainax is one that looms large among anime fans. The studio’s iconoclastic origin story and the meteoric rise of Hideaki Anno, its star creator, have…
Dropped – What Could Have Been (Anime Vers.)
Again inspired by Phoenix’s series of posts. My manga version is here.
Hakone-chan, Hakumei and Mikochi, Heybot!, Reborn!, The Demon Girl Next Door
Dropped – What Could Have Been (Manga Vers.)
Inspired by Phoenix’s Dropped post series.
Inu X Boku Secret Service, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist-, Phoenix
This Isekai could have been a Fantasy novel
Over Limit Skill Holder / Aura the Guillotine / The Girl from the Other Side / Digital Minimalism / Yakui The Maid
Sakugan | Episode Five: It could have been better.
This Bureau guy doesn’t seem so bad after all. In the words of Gagumber, they (Merooro and Memenpu) are both “nerds”. Which for once worked against Gagumber because…
TenSura – 50 – This Could Have Been an E-mail
In past seasons TenSura has overindulged in “standing around talking” episodes that serve exclusively as setup. Here we get perhaps the most egregious one yet, and to be honest,…
Oh, What Could Have Been: Maku Musubi Final Review
Maku Musubi by Hotani Shin is a manga that hooked me instantly. Its story—that of a high school girl who abandoned her dreams of becoming a comic artist…
How Monolith Soft Changed Nintendo | Game Studio Spotlight
Grab AtlasVPN Special deal for 82% OFF https://get.atlasvpn.com/CanipaEffect ! #ad Canipa breaks down the work of Monolith Soft, particularly their work on the Xenoblade series, and how their unique…
Animal Crossing, Legend of the Crystals: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Kill la Kill, Knights of Sidonia
Gundam F91: What Could Have Been (Plus, Mecha March Announcement)
At the risk of other blogs out there announcing their events before me, like a certain Lita Kino last year, I will hereby do it here with a…
Saki Zenkoku-hen Episode 1 Could Have Been Improved By…
…Actually animating things. As much as I love Saki, the folks at Studio Gokumi tried my patience with this Saki premiere episode. I understand that it costs money…
An Uncomfortable Look at Who I Could Have Been – Gachikoi Nenchakujuu
Well, well, well if it isn’t another live action adaptation of a manga series I’ve never read. This comes as a surprise to no one at this point,…
Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part I
So, we are in the final category of “Dropped” the series, manga. Which, if you can guess by my previous posts, I am much more of an avid…
Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan
Arata: The Legend, Blue Exorcist, Bokurano, Detroit Metal City
Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part II
Welcome back to another edition of “Dropped”! This is part of a larger circle of titles I’ve dropped over the years in previous categories and posts on my…
Dropped – A look at what could have been – Anime Part II
Welcome back to “Dropped”! This is a series of posts where I talk about a bunch of titles that at one point or another I started and then…
Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan
Black Butler, Naruto, Tokyo Ghoul, The Prince of Tennis, Prince of Tennis: Mini Theater
Dropped – A look at what could have been – Anime Part I
Welcome back to “Dropped”! This is a series of posts where I talk about a bunch of titles that at one point or another started and then stopped…
Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan
Fullmetal Alchemist, InuYasha, Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits-, Aggressive Retsuko, Aggretsuko
Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part IV
So now, we have reached the finale! For both my “Dropped” series, and for the manga edition of this series. It feels like a long time coming, since…
Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part III
Welcome back to the third installment of the “Dropped”, the manga edition. By now, you guys know the drill and may or may not be curious as to…
The Beautiful Melancholy of What Could Have Been: In Defence of Uchiage Hanabi
This one's about escapism.
Katsuhiro Otomo's Domu Pilot: An Unnerving Movie Adaptation That Could Have Been
Domu remains a cursed affair: forgotten in the shadow of Otomo's more famous creation and repeatedly stumbling in attempts to bring it to a broader audience. It remains…
Dropped – A look at what could have been – Asian Cinema and Dramas
Lately, I’ve been thinking about my dropped list. Mostly because I’ve found it way more interesting to see what people stopped and started, verses what they’ve finished. Finding…
Where Have I Been?
In the last few months…. ok maybe more the last year or so you may have noticed a slow down in posts from yours truly. At first, a…
Where Have I Been?
Well this is a bit awkward. It’s been a while since I have written on here and I am not really sure what I should say about that.…
Where Have I Been?
Fuck. I mean this is bad. I’ve been telling myself to continue writing in my spare time for months, but stuff kept getting in the way. At first,…
Where the Fuck have I been?
Lately, my content has been a little sparse. I went from posting thrice or four times a week to posting maybe once. So, I do want to apologise…
TenSura – 35 – The Conditions Have Been Met
Once he began eliminating soldiers of Falmuth by the thousands in service of his goal to evolve into a Demon Lord, it marked the official end of the…
[Spotlight] Have Your Say! Otome Survey – Let’s Help Create an Otome Game
I was contacted by a small dev team situated in Tokyo to help signal boost their survey. They want to know what otome fans want the most out…
Game Spotlight – The Dungeon of Lulu Farea
One of the more interesting developments in the RPGMaker community is people realizing that they don’t have to use the default built-in Dragon Quest battle system. At first,…
What Have You Been Up To?
I mean, I’m a professor. I’m on lockdown here so I’m teaching from home, but now it’s finals time and all I have to do is figure out…
Okazu Community Standards Have Been Updated
I cannot believe that in 2020 I have to say this, but recently there have been a spate of really grotesque comments by supposed fans here on Okazu.…
Crunchyroll Originals Have Been A Disaster
Callum May evaluates the streaming services attempts at original content and Crunchyroll's questionable lack of clarity about its own projects, including its seemingly shuttered Tokyo studio.
Might Have Been: World Beach Volley
[Might Have Been tracks the failures of promising games, characters, and companies. This installment looks at World Beach Volley , released ...
The delightful world of what could have been Sailor Moon – Project Y i.e. Saban Moon and Team Angel Commentary
I have a confession to make: I never got hype of Sailor Moon despite being a 90’s kid. You can begin throwing tomato’s… But I was at least…
Anime that Could Have Gotten the 4Kids Treatment, But Didn’t!
After being inspired by some very enthusiastic PreCure fans, I recently started watching the first season of the anime Pretty Cure. I have to admit that I really…
Indie Spotlight: Everdate – Let’s Play: The Dating Game
Leeanne Krecic (aka Mongie) is creating a visual novel, Everdate based, on their super popular webcomic series, Let’s Play! To help bring the game to life, Mongie Studios…
Studio Chizu Shares Vision of the Future at JX '23
Studio producer Yuichiro Saito emphasized family as the global core value, which the studio uses as a compass to “chart a map” into a “brighter, more hopeful future.”
Belle Automata Game Review [Indie Spotlight]
Released: March Developer: Jellyfish Parade Genre: Sci-Fi, Otome, Amare, Romance Platform: Mac/PC/Linux TW: The full version of this game contains brief flashing and blinking background effects. If you have a sensitivity to these…
Belle Automata Game Review [Indie Spotlight]
Released: March Developer: Jellyfish Parade Genre: Sci-Fi, Otome, Amare, Romance Platform: Mac/PC/Linux TW: The full version of this game contains brief flashing and blinking background effects. If you have a sensitivity to these…
Pick of the Week: It Must Have Been the Roses
SEAN: Come on. We all know what it is. This is the last time we can pick it, so it HAS to be the 5th and final volume…
All my idols have been she/her’ed
“My ideals were tested and ultimately came out victorious, but not without a few scars. To recreate myself I had to kill something. She was beautiful, but now…
Guessing Game (10) Studio Ghibli Edition
Okay, just like it says in the heading – let’s go with a Ghibli-themed guessing game: two of their most famous films here (and also my least fav…
This Week in Anime - Do You Have Pokémon Nostalgia?
Ready to bid farewell to Ash Ketchum and his timeless adventures? Not quite? We get you. Join Nick and Nicky this week as they explore the 25-year legacy…
SEASON: A Letter to the Future Game Review
SEASON: A Letter to the Future is a beautiful narrative adventure game developed by Scavenger Studio. Leave home for the first time to collect memories before a mysterious…
Actala: The Hero’s Shadow Demo Game Review [Indie Spotlight]
💙INDIE SPOTLIGHT💙Actala: The Hero’s Shadow Demo Game Review. Please give this post a read and like, share, subscribe, or leave a comment! corereviewsblog.com Thank you! #CoreReviews #IndieSpotlight #Actala…
The Anime You Should Have Been Watching… In Winter 2012
If viewers have only time to watch the very latest shows, and online discourse focuses only on the contemporary, is all anime destined to be forgotten once its…
The Anime You Should Have Been Watching… in Fall 2012
10 years later, which Fall 2012 titles are still continuing today, and which have fallen into obscurity?
No Pokémon Cards on the Shinkansen?! A Game Sparks Debate
There are basic rules you should follow when riding Japan's shinkansen bullet trains. But is abstaining from Pokémon card games one of them?
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC: The Teal Mask Game Review
An intriguing story can't hide how appallingly poor The Teal Mask DLC runs on the Switch system.
An Everyday Love Game Review [Indie Spotlight]
Released: November 9th, 2022 Developer: Hollow Rose Studios Genre: Otome, Amare, Slice-of-Life, Contemporary, Romance, Visual Novel TW (spoilers): Medical trauma, body talk/discomfort, death, workplace abuse, biphobia/family abandonment, car accident injury Platform:…