Accel World - 12

Under the circumstances Niko could have come up with a more sensitive gift than that – but it’s the thought that counts, I guess.

Eureka Seven: Astral Ocean - 11

If you want intrigue and mystery, this episode of AO should be your one-stop shopping for the week.

Aniblog Tourney: On to the Elite Eight

Don't ask me how it happened, but Lost in America's Cinderella tourney journey continues - we got past SSAB and earned a place in the Yellow Bracket finals against Canne's anime review blog. The Endless Elite Eight match goes live on Friday 6/29/12 at the usual 2000 UTC Update: We're live!  Just click here to vote.  More thoughts after the fold...

Who's That in the Podcast??

Well, there goes the mystique...

Sankarea – 12 (End) and Series Review

As much as Sankarea has stymied my attempts to understand it at every turn, it can be no surprise that it ended in a stubbornly mysterious manner.

Sakamichi no Apollon – Series Review

Any anime fan should fervently hope that Watanabe Shinichiro doesn’t wait nearly so long to direct his next TV anime.

Sakamichi no Apollon – 12 (End)

Whatever else you might think of the final episode – or of the eleven that preceded it – I think it’s hard to argue that Watanabe-sensei isn’t a directorial genius of the first order.

Tsuritama - Series Review

If you distilled pure happiness into 22 weekly minutes of sight and sound, you’d have something a lot like Tsuritama.

Tsuritama – 12 (End)

What’s the worst thing about falling in love with an anime like Tsuritama?

Shirokuma Café - 13

This week Shirokuma Café proved beyond any doubt that it can do a serious episode very well.  My question is: will the fans consider that a good thing?

Kingdom - 04

A funny thing happened on the way to episode four of Kingdom…

Jormungand – 12 (Season Finale)

As we end the first season of Jormungand – as we should, with Jonah and Koko squarely in focus – my thoughts are right where they were when I read the manga: there’s nothing else quite like this series.

Summer 2012 Season Preview

Boy, Spring 2012 sure has been a heck of a season, hasn’t it?

In an odd way, I’m glad Summer 2012 looks like a mediocre season.  Frankly, Spring has exhausted me – there are too many good shows clustered on the same days (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday) and in general, and the workload has been more than I can comfortably handle.  Summer will be a chance to scale back, catch up on RL, and possibly check a few older series of the bucket list of shows I’ve been meaning to finally watch.  Full previews of the Summer shows are below the fold, and the Summer Season Poll is in the sidebar.

Kokuriko Zaka Kara

“From up on Poppy Hill”

Aniblog Tourney - Round of 16 vs. SSAB (Updated)

And so it goes - we've reached the Round of 16 and a touch matchup against Sea Slugs Anime Blog. I'm surprised to still be alive in this thing - but since I am, let's keep it going a little longer! Please click here to vote!

Further thoughts after the fold...

Zetman - 13 (End) and Series Review

Anime’s fastest-moving adaptation in ages screams to a close with a finale straight out of the Alan Moore playbook.

Otoyomegatari - 24

“The Feast”

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san – 12 (End) and Series Review

The cliffhanger of episode 11 left me wondering – was Haiyore! going to stick to its insane guns for the season finale, or sell out and go the conventional route?

Kimi to Boku 2 – 13 (End) and Series Review

I never thought all that much about Kimi to Boku during its run, but now that it’s ending I’ve become aware that I’m really going to miss it.

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE - 37

At long last – for an episode at least – Gundam AGE has fulfilled its potential and become the series I always hoped it would be.

Ginga e Kickoff - 11

That definitely would not have been my guess about who that guy was…

Hyouka - 10

Well, they still didn't answer the question in this arc’s title…

Uchuu Kyoudai - 13

For my entire life I’ve tried hard to be a 3D ant.  I just didn’t realize it until now.

Hunter X Hunter 2011 - 36

The question here was always whether Hunter X Hunter could possibly follow up the tour de force display of episode 35.  The answer, unequivocally, is yes.  A resounding yes.

Nazo no Kanojo X - 12

Two words for that episode: “absolutely fantastic”.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra – 11-12 (Season Finale)

“Skeletons in the Closet/Endgame”

Fate/Zero – Series Review

Nothing Urobuchi Gen does is ever less than fascinating, and Fate/Zero is no exception.  But I find myself questioning whether there was any lasting meaning to the whole experience.

Fate/Zero – 25 (End)

“And they lived happily ever after…”

Hourou Musuko - 110

“Unbalanced”

Weekly Digest: 6/22/12 – Kingdom, Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna, Accel World

It’s been a mighty impressive week for action scenes in anime.

Eureka Seven: Astral Ocean - 10

Out came the children running.
All the little boys and girls,
With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls,
And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls,
Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after
The wonderful music with shouting and laughter.

 
- Robert Browning, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”