An American Writer's Thoughts on Japanese Animation

Robot Zombies on Motorcycles! – Blassreiter Spoiler Review

There are some credits that you really have to sit up and take note of. I’ve talked at length about Studio Trigger and their particular brand of madness, but I have, perhaps, been remiss in mentioning Gen Urobuchi as well. He’s primarily a screenwriter, responsible for a number of original concepts, including shows like Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and Madoka Magica. The former was something of a divergence from what he’s more famous for, while it’s said (though perhaps apocryphal) that he had to have his involvement in the latter concealed until after the third episode aired.

Why? Because this guy is nicknamed “Urobutcher”, and is well known for his dark, tragic, and often nihilistic stories, as well as his habit of slaughtering the casts of his shows, often including even likable characters to whom other writers would give a great deal of plot armor. He does have other offerings, including things like Gargantia and the film Expelled from Paradise that don’t exactly follow that pattern, but there’s a reason that Urobuchi has that reputation. 2008’s Blassreiter is no doubt part of his bloodthirsty reputation, a tortured and apocalyptic story in which Urobuchi actually manages to get more death moments for named characters then there are named characters in the show.

It’s also a show about robot zombies who sword fight while riding motorcycles.

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Seasonal Selection – 86 Episode 18 (S2E7)

86 is a show that knows how to move deliberately. This episode was essentially entirely dedicated to buildup and setting the stage, with the actual attack on the “Morpho” rail cannon being saved for next week. Along the way, of course, we get loads of character building and some neat looks into the machinery of government and the military.

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Cyberpunk Road Trip with a Double Dose of What The Hell – Ergo Proxy Spoiler Review

Ergo Proxy is a show that goes through metamorphosis as you watch, sliding from one plot to another without ever really losing the core line of what made it interesting and unique. It’s a strange dive with a philosophical bent, the likes of which typically makes for great cyberpunk. Rather than talking more in abstract about the show, though, it seems prudent to jump right in.

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Seasonal Selection – Shikizakura Episode 6

All things considered, this show can be kind of charming. True, just about anybody who’s engaged with any sort of media has seen this plot a million times before, but for that one person who is experiencing the time-worn “plucky young outsider gets superpowers and steps up to save the day” storyline for the first time? They could have gotten far worse introductions to said tired outline that try less and achieve less than Shikizakura does. For the rest of us it remains the kind of thing where you can probably turn your brain off, but it’s acceptably entertaining in that regard.

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Tales from the Memory Hole – Pandora Hearts Spoiler Review

So, apparently there exists a show called Pandora Hearts. I put it that way because, despite having seen it and engaged with it, I often struggle to remember that this show exists, much less what its content was like. With effort I can summon recollections regarding Pandora Hearts, but honestly and for a different reason as is usual this is a hard one to review.

And the funny thing is, this doesn’t at all seem like it should be a forgettable show in any way. It features its main boy get banished to a strange and esoteric hell, only to team up with that dimension’s top dog, an entity known both as Alice (and styled as a palette-swapped Alice in Wonderland in her human form) and the Blood-Stained Black Rabbit (or B.Rabbit). Add in battles against gribbly monsters, time abnormalities, changed identities, delves into lost memory, and grand conspiracies and you would think you’d have a recipe for a show that would at least be memorable.

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Seasonal Selection – 86 Episode 17 (S2E6)

In the Republic, the fighting has become fierce, with Lena managing a forward command post as the Alba citizens scatter in terror. But more than that, we’re concerned with that attack that hit the Federacy, and what it might mean for the eighty-six and their new homeland.

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