Rating: 4.5 (of 5) The Tale of the Heiki is a 12-chapter epic assembled no later than the early 14th century from a collection of oral traditions. It chronicles the rise and fall of the Taira (aka Heiki) warrior clan in 12th century Japan, events which brought the Heian Period to an end and directlyContinue reading “Special Review: The Heike Story”
Author Archives: Theron
86 episode 20
Rating: 4.5 (of 5) After yet another week off, 86 is back to remind us once again why it is, at worst, one of the year’s best series. And it does so despite dodging the one opportunity it had for an action scene by only showing the aftermath. Avoiding animating the skirmish was not aContinue reading “86 episode 20”
A Few Thoughts About Live-Action Cowboy Bebop
Rating: 3 (of 5) NOTE: I was going to just let this pass without full comment, but on request of a reader, I have decided to go ahead and post this, late to the game as it is. While I always liked and respected the quality of the original Cowboy Bebop series – and, inContinue reading “A Few Thoughts About Live-Action Cowboy Bebop”
The Faraway Paladin episode 9
Rating: 3.5 (of 5) Apparently, I have been doing it wrong all these years in fantasy RPGs. The correct way to bring down a wyvern is not to use arrows or a sword or attack spells; it’s to wrestle it to the ground and break its neck bare-handed. Granted, that’s not a feat that aContinue reading “The Faraway Paladin episode 9”
Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night
Rating: 4.5 In 2012, the anime series Sword Art Online debuted. Despite nitpicking about its shaky logical foundations, the compelling dual gimmicks of its premise – players trapped in a VR MMO game, actions taken there have real-life life-or-death consequences – won out and turned the series into an immediate smash hit. That began oneContinue reading “Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night”
The Faraway Paladin episode 8
Rating: 3.5 As Will has begun his journey, his knowledge of the world has steadily expanded. With the meeting of additional traveling companions, it jumps forward in leaps and bounds. In a meta sense, this is the most important development in this episode, though if you were to ask Will, another discovery is far moreContinue reading “The Faraway Paladin episode 8”
86 episode 19
Rating: 3.5 After watching this episode completely twice, I cannot help but wonder if it might have looked a bit different if the series had not run into production issues big enough to necessitate two off weeks out of the previous three. It makes more animation conservation moves than normal, plays atypically vague on itsContinue reading “86 episode 19”
Fall ’21 Weekend 9: Recaps and an Overlooked Gem
The 9th weekend of the season features an unusual coincidence: both of the series I was episode-reviewing are resorting to recap episodes, and in both cases production issues can be presumed to be the cause. (However, this was not a sudden change in either cases, as the “Special Edition” nature of this week’s episode wasContinue reading “Fall ’21 Weekend 9: Recaps and an Overlooked Gem”
The Faraway Paladin episode 7
Rating: 4 (of 5) Given the way last episode ended, the expectation was that this episode would be more action-intensive. Indeed, we do get that – sort of. While this episode does have a few decent scenes of Will (later with Menel’s support) wiping out lower-level demons, the length and staging of those fights remindsContinue reading “The Faraway Paladin episode 7”
86 episode 18
Rating: 4.5 Throughout its run, 86 has occasionally stretched its narrative a bit to end episodes on certain dramatic beats. For the most part, the series has successfully pulled that off because of the skillful way that it has staged these scenes and the seamless addition of new content. In the case of this episode,Continue reading “86 episode 18”
USA Anime 