Gonzo
Girls, Guns, Propellers and…
Strike Witches feels a lot like one of my all time favorite anime, Battle Athletes Victory. There’s similarities, a convenient excuse for teenage girls to be the only hope for mankind, an international cast of characters, aliens, the dead parent of the clueless main character as a central figure, and the girls in Battle Athletes [...]
Kuniko Isn’t Funny
As much as I’m enjoying the slow unfold of details in Shangri-la, the attempts at humor bug me way more than its issues in plot and pacing. Anime directors love sudden inserts of humor in dramatic scenes and I’m usually down with it, I mean these shows are supposed to be amusing, but the humor [...]
Shangri-la, Turning Point
At the end of Shangri-la, episode 9, Kuniko discovered something harsh, something cruel. The burden of leadership isn’t the water on your back. The true burden of leadership is the price paid by those who put their faith in you. Tough lesson, Kuniko. How will you react? You’ve been pretty cavalier and found it easy [...]
Turning Kuniko in Akihabara
Akihabara soothes the otaku heart. Can you feel it? The world in Shangri-la somehow becomes a little more real when we follow Kuniko to Akihabara — damn, otaku are annoying people.
Mahjong No Go
So far, I’m enjoying Saki, but I’m a sucker for tournament stories. Angelic Layer, Princess Nine, and Fighting Spirit have all been on my Top 10 list. What can I say, I like the bittersweet. I don’t know if Saki is on that level and I’m still neutral on the possibility — fan service and [...]
Shangri-la: In the Dark Ocean of Trees
Episode two was boring and didn’t do much to advance the story or the characters. All we learned was jungles are bad places, people still play lotto, and this is one twisted loli: I’ll give it a few more episodes. Hopefully, the premise of Shangri-la can survive the production.
