Review: Smile down the Runway – The Complete Season (Blu-Ray)

High school student Chiyuki Fujito dreams of becoming a runway model and representing her father’s company and modelling agency, Mille Neige, on the fashion runways of Paris. However, despite her beauty and professionalism, Chiyuki faces constant rejection in the world of fashion due to her short stature. Similarly, her classmate Ikuto Tsumura also dreams of […]

Review: Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (Blu-Ray)

Known as the Clan of the Separated by outsiders, the Iolph are figures of legend who maintain youthful appearances and live for hundreds of years. They spend their days weaving hibiol, a cloth that records their stories and the passage of time, remembering the days when the world was filled with legends like flowers that […]

Review: A Silent Voice (Blu-Ray)

A Silent Voice is a movie that accomplishes several seemingly impossible balancing acts at once. Characters that initially appear despicable are allowed some semblance of reconciliation in a narrative punctured with such sadness opposite moments of complete catharsis and joy. It feels like a film that could have so easily suffered from severe tonal whiplash, […]

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Review: Seiyu’s Life Complete Series (DVD)

Seiyu’s Life’s premise is refreshingly interesting – self-referencial seiyu career drama/slice of life/coming of age-character based story with a big emphasis on the nitty gritty quirks of working in Japan’s highly-competitive and internationally recognised voice talent industry. As a long-time fanboy why wouldn’t I jump at the chance to check it out? Seiyu’s Life follows […]

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Review: Snow White with the Red Hair (Blu-Ray)

Bearing little relevance to its namesake, Snow White with the Red Hair is a relaxed anime that leaves a lot to be desired. The most appropriate word I found to describe it would be “basic”. While the medieval setting in the anime is preferable over the typical school backdrop, it wasn’t utilised to its full potential. Furthermore, […]

Review: Death Parade (Blu-Ray)

There’s an art to finding the right balance between the aspects of a show with a serious story line, and in the realm of anime this scale is often tipped in favour of repetitive gags. Thankfully, through the clever use of universal themes in a unique setting, Death Parade stands out as both thought provoking as […]

Review: Samurai Flamenco Complete Series (DVD)

Masayoshi Hazama is a model with dreams of becoming a real-life superhero, so he takes to the streets donning his superhero persona, Samurai Flamenco. But without superpowers or a fancy crime fighting suit,  Masayoshi has to start small, and spends his nights targeting teenage loiterers, litterbugs, and purse snatchers. While performing his heroic duties, Masayoshi […]

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Review: Shirobako (DVD)

At a glance, Shirobako is just another show where the entire premise is cute girls doing cute things, but it completely circumvents expectations with its relatable characters, insight into the anime industry, and heartwarming story. It’s no stretch to say that Shirobako goes far beyond any show of its calibre has ever gone, wonderfully combining drama and […]