Rating: Doing these two episodes together was not originally planned, and while episode 52 does, to a degree, set up episode 53, the focus of each is distinctly different, so hardly anything is gained by looking at them together. Hence I will mostly be covering them separately here. Episode 52 One thing I’ve always appreciatedContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episodes 52-23”
Author Archives: Theron
A Tale of the Secret Saint episodes 2-4
Episode 2 Rating: B Episode 3 Rating: B+ Episode 4 Rating: B I hadn’t originally intended to do episode reviews for this series, and this is one that I may only do every 2-3 weeks instead of weekly. However, a number of developments – not the least of which is the surprisingly quality of thisContinue reading “A Tale of the Secret Saint episodes 2-4”
The Apothecary Diaries episode 51
Episode Rating: A Looking good at being convincingly ugly is, in my opinion, one of the hardest artistic feats for an anime title to pull off, and in that realm, this series has few equals. That this episode pulls that off well without making a spectacle of it is far from the only reason I’mContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episode 51”
The Apothecary Diaries episode 50
Episode Rating: A- Maomao has a well-earned reputation for being very selective in what details she chooses to pay attention to; she’ll often ignore (whether consciously or not) things she’d rather not dwell on, such as Jinshi’s clear-to-others romantic interest in her. Nowhere in this series is that more in play than in the secondContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episode 50”
Summer 2026 Wrap-Up
Now that all of the Summer 2026 series I was following have (finally!) finished airing, let’s look at how they fared. Because I ended up watching an ungodly number of series this season, not every title I followed is going to be covered here; the only ones listed are ones where I have changed myContinue reading “Summer 2026 Wrap-Up”
The Apothecary Diaries episode 49
Episode Rating: A- The whole plot of the Shi family may be over but the consequences of it aren’t, a fact which hangs over the story as it progresses into its post-Inner Palace era with the beginning of season 3. Little reminders of it are everywhere in this episode even as it starts to setContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episode 49”
Fall 2026 Preview Guide
Final Update: 4:32 p.m. EDT 10/13/26 Welcome to my preview guide for the Fall 2026 anime season! For a list of what is debuting when, check out the Seasonal Schedule, which should be fully ready by the evening of 9/27 EDT. Per usual, I am covering nearly every debuting/returning series that isn’t a short orContinue reading “Fall 2026 Preview Guide”
Saga of Tanya the Evil II episode 12 (season finale)
Episode Rating: A Overall Series Rating: A- Compared to its first season, OVA, and movie, this season of Saga of Tanya the Evil has had a remarkably low military action quotient. Granted, it hasn’t really needed it since it’s (capably) leaned much more heavy into its philosophical and military drama angles, but that is partContinue reading “Saga of Tanya the Evil II episode 12 (season finale)”
Crunchyroll Sneak Peak – Fall 2026
On Monday 9/21 Crunchyroll offered up a sneak peek at five series that will either return (in one case) or debut (in the other four cases) during the Fall 2026 anime season. Each was presented back-to-back with only a brief introduction in between, and the whole thing was preceded by a Bananya Halloween special thatContinue reading “Crunchyroll Sneak Peak – Fall 2026”
Saga of Tanya the Evil II episode 11
Episode Rating: A With its penultimate episode for this season, Saga of Tanya the Evil continues to blend in more elements from World War 2, and it uses those to help steer the story towards the painful inevitability it’s been facing towards for several episodes now: extreme measures are going to have to be takenContinue reading “Saga of Tanya the Evil II episode 11”
