The cicadas are singing a summertime symphony when they are suddenly disturbed by a thudding sound. The dull thump repeats over and over, displacing the indolent hum of the insects from the soundscape with a driving rhythm to give the early morning hours a sense of direction and purpose. Gradually, we draw nearer to the… Read More First Impression: Ippon Again!
Most often, Christmas anime episodes are either a light-hearted, slice-of-life-style celebration of established friendships and romantic relationships, or they’re the culmination of some kind of dramatic arc, with everything working up to a snowy love confession or its heart-breaking prevention. In the land of anime, Christmas is a time of showcasing relationships and romance. This… Read More 12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 2: Deaimon’s Small Christmas
It’s the weekend and Youko and Airi are off on their Yamaha Serow for an adventure in Shuumatsu Touring! They are traveling the coastal route to Tokyo, hitting all the famous tourist spots along the way. Or at least trying to? If you squint, maybe you can see the resemblance between the glossy promo pics… Read More Review: Touring After the Apocalypse, Vol. 1
Drones hover in the bright morning sky as a driverless bus pulls to a stop in a cheery watercolor town. The mood is peaceful and full of promise. Or at least it would be, if Serufu had not spaced out and messed up her high school entrance exam, much to the chagrin of her neighbor… Read More First Impression: Do It Yourself!!
Well, no one lost an arm and a leg in the opening, so we’re off to a happier start to an alchemist tale, and on October 3rd, no less! This alchemist story opens with a quick flashback to an eyeless Sarasa bidding her equally eyeless parents farewell as they go to work. But being anime… Read More First Impression: Management of a Novice Alchemist
This is it, folks! The final installment. We didn’t quite make it to 13, and there was no beach episode, but otherwise, we hope we were able to do justice to the tone, heart, and charm of slice-of-life in our summertime special devoted to this beloved genre. Thank you for joining us on this laid-back… Read More The Things We Learn from Slice-of-Life
When we kicked off this summertime series celebrating slice-of-life, I ended my introduction with the hope that over the weeks to come, we’d be able to highlight the heart of God in this humble genre, and maybe even convince you that he loves slice-of-life too. Well, I think my fellow writers have done a splendid… Read More Summer of SoL: Slice-of-Life as Parable