Overpowered protagonists, ugly character designs, excessive gags, anti-climatic narratives. As an anime viewer, you quickly learn to recognize such things as the bane of the genre: They sink so many potentially cool stories! But… what if those things were to work the other way around? To enhance, surprise, and make a tale great? Can you… Read More Mob Psycho 100: The Cunning of the Light
As the episode begins, we are introduced to Tenshi Dei, whose first name means “angel” in Japanese, while his surname means “God” in Latin. Tenshi, though, doesn’t look as imposing as this name suggests. In fact, he’s just a timid boy who used to sing in a church choir when he was little, and in… Read More First Impression: KAWAGOE BOYS SING -Now or Never-
Revolution has come to the Empire of Tearmoon and Mia, its First Princess, is experiencing her worst nightmare. Stripped of her rank, jailed in a dark cell, and force-fed rotten food, she is then left without any distraction, except for the diary she dutifully writes. Three years on, she finally sees daylight again, only to… Read More First Impression: Tearmoon Empire
“Be forewarned that what’s to come isn’t a very pleasant story.” So says Goro, a blue-haired schoolboy who is about to tell us how he became…God? We meet him as he admires videos of idol singer Honoka on the rooftop of a school where the students wear ridiculous shirts without sleeves. I’d be sad, too!… Read More First Impression: KamiErabi GOD.app
Destiny can be ironic. Or so feels Ragna, the all-powerful dragonslayer, as he turns reptiles into liquid silver on a land covered in ice. The lethal techniques he has honed throughout his life would have been helpful in the past, back in the year 480 of the Sun Age, when he was a teenager and… Read More First Impression: Ragna Crimson
When The Great Passage is halfway through, life kicks in like a tsunami. Editorial machinations, illustrious yet sloppy collaborators, unexpressed feelings, family matters, time jumps. But in the middle of the storm, the dictionary project and the ideal it represents stay the course. But what ideal is that? “Life.” “Love.” “Purpose.” “Enterprise.” “Death.” These are… Read More The Gospel as the Great Passage, III: Words and Life
It’s a difficult day for Lady Vermillio, a powerful fire sorceress with an administrative position in the Demon (Oni) Realm. After the death of Lord Demon Thor, the customary gladiatorial games were convened to appoint a worthy successor. A human hero, Helck—kind, muscular and good-natured—has taken advantage of the rules to participate and may become… Read More First Impression: Helck