Rating: A- For long-time franchise fans, this week is the most exciting of times: the debut of an arc completely new to anime form for the first time in 15 years! With “Church Girl and Miller Boy,” this adaptation finally diverges completely (if possibly only temporarily) from the original adaptation by beginning animation of theContinue reading “Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 20”
Author Archives: Theron
Summer ’24 Mid-Season Report, part 1
The week of 8/11 marked the official halfway point of the Summer 2024 season, so it’s time to take a look at how various series have been faring. Though I watched at least the second episode of most series this season, I persisted past episode 3 with “only” 23 of them. Somewhat to my surprise,Continue reading “Summer ’24 Mid-Season Report, part 1”
Oshi no Ko episode 18
Rating: A Last episode delivered a remarkably effective exploration of one of the series’ more minor regular characters, so it’s only fitting that the focus should now shift to the major ones – in particular, Kana and Akane and the rivalry between them. And forget that both of them are romantically interested in the sameContinue reading “Oshi no Ko episode 18”
Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 19
Rating: B+ Original novelist Isuna Hasekura is most commonly lauded for the way he uses medieval (and sometimes modern) economics as foundational plot elements in his story arcs, but another area he excels at is driving tension. Even if you know what’s coming – whether because of reading the novels or seeing the first adaptationContinue reading “Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 19”
Oshi no Ko episode 17
Rating: A- Episode 16 cast its net wide, addressing all the subplots feeding into the debut of Tokyo Blade and even a few peripheral points, too. Episode 17, which actually begins the play, is almost the polar opposite: its second act narrows the focus almost exclusively to one character, for better or worse. And onContinue reading “Oshi no Ko episode 17”
Special: August Debuts
Date: August 7, 2024 Two late-starting anime series are debuting today, so let’s take a Preview Guide-style look at both of them. Delico’s Nursery Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. Rating: 3 (of 5) This one has the unusual pedigree of being based on a stage play by Kenichi Suemitsu, who also wrote theContinue reading “Special: August Debuts”
Oshi no Ko episode 16
Rating: A Oshi no Ko‘s anime adaptation has never found itself shy on content, but this may be the most packed regular-length episode in the series to date. Even though its plotline is relatively simple – we’re watching the final preparations for the debut of the Tokyo Blade play – so many different character pointsContinue reading “Oshi no Ko episode 16”
Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 18
Rating: B We’re in the fifth episode of the current arc, and as in the last two arcs, Lawrence is stressing out over the current financial crisis. This time the stakes aren’t potentially deadly, but a different kind of death potentially awaits him: the prospect that Holo might leave him. And while Lawrence is theContinue reading “Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 18”
Oshi no Ko Episode 15: “Emotional Acting”
Rating: A In the days leading up to the airing of this episode, I engaged in a discussion on another site about whether or not this story actually needed the reincarnation angle. Could a story which eliminated that and Ai, and was just about ordinarily-gifted twins working their way through various aspects of the entertainmentContinue reading “Oshi no Ko Episode 15: “Emotional Acting””
Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 17
Rating: B Fundamentally, Spice & Wolf is the rare fantasy series where conversations, much more so than actions, carry the weight of the series. The only other episode in the series to date where that is as evident as it is in this one might be episode 2, but this time around Holo isn’t involvedContinue reading “Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 17”
