An American Writer's Thoughts on Japanese Animation

The Unbreakable Mold – Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms Spoiler Review

You know, I often try to start these with some kind of pithy introduction, or by relating this week’s anime somehow to my experience as a reviewer or as a person. But what am I really supposed to say in that phase about Mecha-Ude? I mean, I could spin a yarn, but I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that just like people looking for recipes don’t want the cook’s life story, you don’t want mine. So what’s Mecha-Ude?

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Strategic Gem – Ya Boy Kongming Spoiler Review

I’ve heard a lot of weird premises in my time with Anime. It’s a topic I’ve gone over before, but I will spare you and just skip to the part where, though I’ve become somewhat used to it, the idea of the legendary tactician of the Three Kingdoms Zhuge Liang (better known by his courtesy name of Kongming) manifesting in modern Tokyo to use his ancient strategic mastery towards making a singer girl into a star… you still kind of notice that.

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The Search for the Tone – Ultramarine Magmell Spoiler Review

Taking place in a world where, if space shots are to be believed, an eighth continent has risen from the Pacific Ocean, Ultramarine Magmell regards this new world of harsh and even supernatural survival, where explorers brave countless dangers both known and unknown in search of riches and hope.

We will be following search and rescue instead.

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A Grimm Fate – Grimm’s Notes the Animation Spoiler Review

Shows that have to include “the Animation” in their title don’t have a great track record, do they? Which is to say, most of them that follow that scheme seem to be mobile gacha adaptations, which are a troubled corner of the already troubled video game to screen pipeline.

I may have said this in the past, but it doesn’t need to be this way. Video Games can have amazing stories, even if the addition of “viewer” agency tends to lens how those stories are told. Even mobile gachas, while no doubt rife with no-effort cash-grabs, include engaging tales told with memorable characters. There are barriers to adaptation, and some uncomfortable choices can be made, but with a good base material and a clever and invested studio involved, it could be done. It could even be amazing.

Considering that the game itself shut down entirely in about a year after this thing came out, though, I’m going to lower my expectations. The pitch is fractured fairy tales? Let’s just hope that it’s better than later RWBY seasons.

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To all the Cyberpunks – Armitage III Spoiler Review (OVAs + Dual Matrix)

Oh, classic Cyberpunk, how I’ve missed you. I might be more partial to more optimistic sci-fi, in part because it’s so rare, but there’s just something absolutely exquisite about the occasional piece of media willing to display some adroitly grim and rebellious retro-future stylings – dark shadows, menacing greebles, body horror, bizarre fashion, fanservice, and of course a good slathering of ye olde ultra-violence.

Armitage III is determined to deliver.

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