Rating: A- One of the neatest aspects of this series is the depth of its cast. Maomao and (to a lesser extent) Jinshi are clearly the stars, but all four of the high-level concubines also have their strong appeals: Gyokuyou is the clever and mischievous one (as we see again in this episode), Lihua isContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 38”
Category Archives: Episode Reviews
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 34
Rating: B+ To this point the series has studiously eschewed mystical explanations for anything, always going with the approach of the level-headed Maomao finding the practical explanation for events that may seem supernatural to the uninformed. You’d expected that to continue to be the case with a night where Yinghua drags Maomao to a nightContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 34”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 33
Rating: A Many fans of the novels and manga are eagerly anticipating the upcoming episode explaining why a frog is featured in the OP. For me, though, the most anticipated episode of this cour of the series is this one, the one which dealt most squarely with Empress Dowager Anshi and the previous Emperor. DespiteContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 33”
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 14
Rating: A- Appropriately titled “The Warriors of the Goddess,” episode 14 features a lot of dramatic action scenes involving said warriors, but despite the War Games winding down to its final stages, that’s not the main focus or point of the episode at all. Instead, the focus is much more on what motivates those warriors,Continue reading “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 14”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 31
Rating: B+ The episode titled “The Shrine of Choosing” primarily involves one mystery while also setting up another. Unlike many other mysteries in the series, though, these aren’t life-or-death matters or (necessarily) connected to a bigger plot. Instead, these are mysteries which delves into the history of the setting. The one that’s being set upContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 31”
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 11
Rating: B The saying “it’s always darkest before the dawn” is practically a writing guideline for shonen action shows, and it is one that has often applied to this franchise, too. The situation isn’t at its absolute lowest point yet as the episode ends, as Hestia and her allied gods are all still safely inContinue reading “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 11”
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 9
Rating: A- Given Hestia’s persistently undignified behavior, it can be easy to forget that she is actually a goddess. Even with her divine powers curtailed, she is still the supreme power in Orario within her domain: that of purity. Unfortunately for Freya, that domain is the one that stands most directly opposed to the allureContinue reading “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 9”
Special Preview: Solo Leveling – ReAwakening
Rating (compilation part): 3 (of 5) Rating (new episodes): 3.5 (of 5) Solo Leveling is returning to TV for the Winter 2025 season, and this special theatrical presentation provides both a roughly 80 minute compilation of the first season and an advance look at the first two episodes of the second season. It was outContinue reading “Special Preview: Solo Leveling – ReAwakening”
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 8
Rating: A- In all heroic stories where things go bad, there is a turning point. In the case of this arc, that “point” is the entirety of episode 8. No action in this episode can single-handedly carry that distinction, but taken together numerous actions set the path forward for climbing out of the hole thatContinue reading “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 8”
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 3
Rating: B+ One point that often gets underemphasized in discussions and analyses about this franchise is how much the structure and nature of familias can vary. Some (like Hestia Familia) function like a true family, while others function like businesses (Ishtar and Dian Cecht), fraternal organizations (arguably Loki Familia), spy groups (Hermes Familia), civic groupsContinue reading “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V episode 3”
USA Anime 