Chio’s School Road sets itself an odd challenge – create a whole series based on walking to school in the morning. On the surface this seems daft given how boring and uneventful the daily run to school can be, but constraints can also be a great stimulus for creativity and we have that in spades […]
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya made enormous waves when it hit the anime community back in 2006. With two TV series’ and a movie in the mix, Madman’s timely release of all of this into a single collection has created a great opportunity to go back and revisit all the crazy antics of the SOS […]
Ocean Waves marked the first time in Studio Ghibli’s history where the directorial duties were handed over to someone other than co-founders Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata back in 1993. With Madman’s recent blu-ray release in hand, let’s dive into this interesting experiment in Ghibli’s back catalogue. Ocean Waves treads somewhat familiar ground by telling […]
I came away from Food Wars Season 1 surprisingly impressed – while the fan service was a little silly, the ridiculous passion for food and teen drama made for an entertaining romp. With Food Wars Season 2 now available on Blu-Ray it’s time to see how they keep that momentum going. Food Wars Season 2 […]
So two years ago I postulated that the only way we would ever see Toei’s 1990s adaptation of Sailor Moon in HD was if Madman could magically access an equally magical restoration from a Japanese release. Which actually happened, and I’m still in shock. So now we have Sailor Moon Complete Season 1 on Blu-Ray […]
Food Wars has earned something of a reputation for its fusion of passionate food-analysis and copius fan service. The question lies in how the balance of these two elements will play out and if the narrative is strong enough to escape the fleshy grasp of its protagonists. Food Wars Complete Season 1 kicks off the […]
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 […]
A pool episode, a beach episode, and a festival episode, what more could you ask for? When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace has everything a shameless harem needs to be successful! But can it truly be called shameless? Notwithstanding the basic school setting coupled with uninspired character archetypes, Supernatural Battles presents a main character who genuinely deserves the awkwardly placed […]
Nisekoi’s first season, on the whole, managed to succeed on its own terms by challenging its harem tropes through improved characterisation. The second season picks up directly from the conclusion of its predecessor with interesting results. Nisekoi Season 2 kicks off with Chitoge lamenting that she has a thing for Raku as a carry over […]
A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd was a short-run TV series from a few years back that was produced as part of a wider multimedia franchise that has its roots in the adult visual novel world. For the anime adaptation they’ve decided to sacrifice the adult content to explore the property as a slice […]