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Mar 15, 2023 • Subscribe
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Patron Pick Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 06
Mononogatari is growing into its premise, albeit slowly. 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 Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 05
The voters have spoken. 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 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 Winter 2023: Mononogatari – 12 (Season Finale)
That explains why the exposition with this series seemed glacially slow. Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 10
Jigokuraku may be turning into the sort of series I was hoping it would be. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 10
This show has the chops to go full comedy when the mood strikes it. Read more
Patron Pick Summer 2023: Helck – 07
Wow, that was one hell of an infodump (no pun intended). Read more
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 09
Talk about flower power. 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 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 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 Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 06
That was pretty disturbing on multiple levels 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 Summer 2023: Helck – 08
This was very much an expected return to form for Helck. 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 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 – 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 Summer 2023: Helck – 04
Good choice, Patrons. Read more
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 Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 17
This return is really long overdue.
Patron Pick Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 24
Seriously, this guy is the nitrogen of Japanese actors.
Patron Pick Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 23
This is Haru time, make no mistake.
Patron Pick Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 19
I kind of knew pretty early on that I should never have dropped Trillion Game.
Patron Pick Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 22
Trillion Game has a secret weapon - Haru and his balls of steel.
Patron Pick Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 18
Some things are just destined be be niche, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Patron Pick Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 20
Not for the first time I think Trillion Game is a pretty un-Japanese story in many ways.
Patron Pick Winter 2025: Trillion Game – 21
You know it's a momentous episode when you get an eleven-"bababa" exclamation as we did this week.
Winter 2023 Impressions: Mononogatari, Ayakashi Triangle, Nier:Automata
Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari Short Synopsis: an exorcist with a deep hatred for tsukumogami goes to a family of human-spirit hybrid and observes the dynamic. Amun: I’m very mixed…
Ayakashi, Ayakashi Triangle, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari, Tsugumomo, Possessions
Patron Pick Spring 2023: Jigokuraku – 13 (Season Finale)
There's definitely the core of something rather good here, and we managed to see a fair bit of it in the second half of this season. Read more
Patron Pick Fall 2022: Koukyuu no Karasu – 10
It says something for how persuasive Koukyuu no Karasu's good points are that it keeps doing the things it does that annoy me and I'm still on-board. Read…
Patron Pick Summer 2024: Shoushimin Series – 10 (Season Finale)
Ironically given the series' title and theoretically its central theme, Shoushimin suffered from nothing about it really being extraordinary.
Patron Pick Spring 2024: Bartender: Kami no Glass – 10
Anime don't get into philosophy too often and when they do, rarely rise above the level of a fortune cookie.
Patron Pick Winter 2024: Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi – 05
This is now a love triangle of sorts, undeniably. But it doesn't bother or even annoy me because of the way it's being handled.
Patron Pick Winter 2024: Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi – 06
Obviously a high school student having a curfew isn't in itself unusual, but it's pretty obvious that Tsubasa's home life is.
Mononogatari Episode 10
After the previous action-heavy episodes, this week we returned to something more comically light-hearted and some bits of focus to the progress between Hyoma and Botan's relationship.
Patron Pick Winter 2024: Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi (Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!) – 10
Well, I think we have our answer to the "four seasons" question I posed after Episode 6.
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 – 06
There were several interesting elements in this episode of Atarashii Joushi, along with the usual handful of guffaws.
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 – 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 – 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 – 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 2024: Negaposi Angler (Negative Positive Angler) – 10
It’s sort of ironic that an episode about a typhoon was the calm before the storm.
Patron Pick Fall 2024 – Negaposi Angler
We’re still solidly in slice of life mode here and ignoring elephants.
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 – 04
Was this interesting? I guess sort of, though that's very much in the eye of the beholder.