An American Writer's Thoughts on Japanese Animation

The Clothes Make The Romance – My Dress-up Darling Spoiler Review

Well, here we are at the end of Feburary, taking a look at one more show with romance in its DNA. Like Tonikawa this is also a fairly recent show with a second season announced. In fact, the first season is less than a full year old at this point. Sometimes I find it odd to review a show where I think “I could have done that as a seasonal entry” but here we are with time marching inexorably forward.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking My Dress-up Darling is otherwise like Tonikawa, though. Tonikawa was a rather soft slice of life with hints of magic. My Dress-up Darling is a fully reality-grounded ecchi comedy. For being well-regarded recent romances, they actually have surprisingly little in common.

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Well, at least it asks nicely – Onegai☆Twins Spoiler Review

Well, it’s still Feburary, the month that tends to get dedicated to romance, so let’s look at a very strange little love story about a boy and the girls who might or might not be his twin sister – Onegai☆Twins (or “Please Twins!”, which I refuse to use translated because it’s awkward to construct sentences around). It’s less taboo than it sounds.

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The Moon Maiden and the Man Named Nasa – Tonikawa Spoiler Review

Slice of Life edging towards Slice of Nothing hits a little different when its intentional, doesn’t it? Shows like Tonikawa (short for “Tonikaku Kawaii”, which translates to something like “generally cute” and which can also be referred to as “Fly me to the Moon” after its subtitle or “Over the Moon for You” after its English subtitle), as well as others I’ve reviewed in the past, prove that you don’t always need a fancy story with a lot of drama happening in order to carry a show. It’s just if you don’t have that, you need to know what you’re doing and generate the proper pace and atmosphere to support it, unlike last week’s topic of review.

So, what’s the premise of Tonikawa? In short, it’s about a couple that get married essentially as soon as they meet. Those of you versed in late 90’s sitcoms may already be groaning (depending on your taste), but this story really is ultimately its own.

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Real Spite – Nisekoi: False Love Spoiler Review (Both Seasons)

Last week when I took a look at the second season of Muv Luv Alternative I mentioned that there were certain other RomComs that left me baffled at the idea that we couldn’t get an adaptation of that story’s RomCom phase, Muv Luv Extra. Nisekoi is the hollow shell of a program I was alluding to most when I made that remark.

It is, honestly, baffling how this show doesn’t work given the degree to which it seems to have everything lined up in its favor. It has an interesting premise with a lot of potential for humor and/or drama (at least, that’s the case for one of the two major premises), its voice cast really give the show their all and represent some characters that at least should be extremely memorable, and it comes from studio Shaft, which has a deep well of creativity and style that helped bring Madoka Magica, Mekakucity Actors, and Bakemonogatari to life. Yet somehow, with all those stunning advantages, they managed to produce Nisekoi.

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Takeru Shirogane’s Wild Ride, Anime Edition – Muv Luv Alternative Season 2 Spoiler Review

Another year, another season of the troubled Muv Luv Alternative anime has come and gone. For those just joining us, I looked at the first two visual novels, the Alternative Visual Novel, and the first season of this show last year. I will try my best to keep this newbie-friendly, but we are talking about season two of an adaption of part 3 of a saga, so into this review some references must fall.

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In the Name of the (Blood) Moon – Lunar Legend Tsukihime Anime Spoiler Review

Last week I ended up wishing for a better vampire. Well, no matter what else I can say about Lunar Legend Tsukihime, I will get at least that – not difficult given the bar that was set. Was my search vindicated, or did I wish on a horrifying monkey paw with predictable results? Let’s find out.

Before really digging in, I feel the need to mention that I have not actually read/played the Tsukihime visual novel. I say this because, despite not being a player, I’m all too aware that fans of the VN absolutely despise this adaptation. Unlike Muv Luv Alternative where I could talk intelligently about what was or wasn’t done in taking the original medium and bringing it to the screen, I’m approaching this as an anime-only viewer, someone who went in knowing only the vaguest of snippets from the broader Nasuverse.

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Prophecy of a Failed Vampire – A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives Spoiler Review

Let’s talk about Vampires. Few mythical creatures seem to have captured quite as much worldwide attention as the blood-sucking undead. Perhaps it’s because they’re a resonant idea when used for horror – a monster that is active when most humans are vulnerable and that acts as a predator on humanity. Perhaps it’s because there’s a lot of baked-in sexuality to the modern vampire (as well as many mythical predecessors), evoking some pretty deep fantasies.

Or perhaps it’s because they’re versatile – as might be guessed from those first two points, there’s a huge range of possibilities with vampires, from the zombie-like infected of I am Legend (the original book, mind you), to the charming but deadly children of the night that come to us from Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, and Vampire: the Masquerade; from neighborhood nobodies as with Call of the Night’s Nazuna Nanakusa to terrifying powerhouses like Kizumonogatari’s Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. There are a lot of ways to do Vampires. So it’s kind of frustrating when we get a vampire show where you could call the vampire just about any supernatural name and have it stick just as well.

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Equivalent Exchange – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Spoiler Review

In history, the “Magnum Opus” or “Great Work” was a term for the alchemical pursuit of the protoscience’s greatest goals, particularly the Philosopher’s Stone and the process it would make capable, turning base metal into gold. It was thought to be a process of iterative refinement, not just for the raw materials that would be worked into higher forms, but spiritually for the alchemist himself, becoming a purer being closer to the divine with each step, the creation of the stone and the betterment of the self inexorably intertwined with the causal link unclear.

Take what you will from that factoid, it’s time to look at Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

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Dante’s Gate – Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) Spoiler Review

“Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.”

That one little speech is, for many Anime fans of my age, one of the most emblematic of their early experience with the medium. The 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime isn’t just a classic; it’s notable as a pioneer and gateway for tons of fans. And so, it was inevitable that I would have to delve into it on this blog some time.

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The Perils of Purgatory – Angel Beats Spoiler Review

Happy Boxing Day everybody! It’s time to talk about a favorite few topics this time of year: Heaven, “Feel Good” material, and Animes that I personally have some degree of spite towards. Every year, somewhere around the Winter Solstice and that other regional holiday I’m sure nobody celebrates, I take a look at at least one show that really grinds my gears. This year, that show is Angel Beats.

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