Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 2 episode 2

Rating: B+ This episode firmly falls into the “events while traveling” part of the series, which many fans of the franchise would argue is where the series is at its strongest. Indeed, even though this isn’t one of the series’ more exciting and impactful episodes, there’s still a lot to like and a lot ofContinue reading “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 2 episode 2”

Oshi no Ko s3 episode 2

Rating: B+ One of the recurring themes of the franchise has been the somewhat cynical notion that nearly every successful move in the entertainment industry – even ones that seem fully spontaneous to a layman – has actually been carefully calculated. When characters in this franchise have acted without rigorous planning and intent (Akane slappingContinue reading “Oshi no Ko s3 episode 2”

Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise

Yumeminga Paradise, which screened in American theaters on January 19th, is a direct sequel to Zombie Land Saga Revenge. Though it does provide a brief summary of past events from both TV seasons at its beginning, this is not an entry point for the franchise, as full familiarity with all previously-established characters is assumed. TheeContinue reading “Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise”

Oshi no Ko s3 episode 1

Rating: A- The season’s opening episode is a very busy one, but remarkably, not a rushed-feeling one. It uses a sharp, efficient pace to update the audience on what has happened in the six month interlude since the release of the “Pop In 2” video and lay out the current state of affairs for allContinue reading “Oshi no Ko s3 episode 1”

Winter 2026 Preview Guide

Final Update: 1/16/26 at 11:11 p.m. EST Welcome to my seasonal Guide! The debut schedule can be found here. I expect to cover every full-episode series that will be debuting this season and is available in streaming form, including many of the sequels/returning series. The ones I will NOT be covering (because I’m not caughtContinue reading “Winter 2026 Preview Guide”

2025 in Review: The Best and Strangest of the Year

As we say good-bye to 2025, it’s time to take a look at the year as a whole rather than just the highlights of individual seasons. 2025 may have broken the record set in 2024 for anime titles either debuting or airing new seasons, as by my count over 210 non-kiddie titles made the schedule.Continue reading “2025 in Review: The Best and Strangest of the Year”

Isekai Quartet 3, episode 11 (season finale)

Episode Rating: A- Series Rating: B+ We’ve seen this franchise do massed battles featuring all of the characters for its climaxes three times before (including the movie), so how can the franchise mix that up? By making the climactic battle a musical, of course! Technically this is just following up from episode 10, where ClassContinue reading “Isekai Quartet 3, episode 11 (season finale)”

The Apocalypse Files #3

Episode 12 was clearly the series’ final episode, so it’s time for one last look at all of the strangeness and a general look back on the series as a whole. While there’s more natural splendor to experience here, the real highlight of the episode is something that fans have been longing for almost sinceContinue reading “The Apocalypse Files #3”

Special: Isekai in Audiobooks 2

Back in March I did a look at non-Japanese isekai stories based on their audiobook versions. Audiobook listening has since become an almost daily activity for me (and a staple on lengthy drives), and I have continued to mix a fair number of non-Japanese isekai series in among audiobooks of light novel series. Hence it’sContinue reading “Special: Isekai in Audiobooks 2”