With most Fall season series hitting episode 6 this week and a few of the earlier-starting ones hitting episode 7, it’s time to get the ball rolling on a mid-season look at how a couple of dozen series this season are faring. Per usual, I am dividing this into two parts to keep it fromContinue reading “Fall 2026 Mid-Season Report, part 1”
Tag Archives: Review
A Tale of the Secret Saint episodes 5-7
I had considered waiting until the end of the Fourth Knight Brigade arc (which constitutes the second original novel) to do another review, but since the arc surprisingly looks to be stretching into episode 8 and there’s plenty enough to talking about already, covering just these three episodes will be fine. Like with episodes 2-4,Continue reading “A Tale of the Secret Saint episodes 5-7”
The Apothecary Diaries episodes 52-23
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”
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”
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”
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)”
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”
Saga of Tanya the Evil II episode 10
Episode Rating: A Episode 10 is aptly named “A Way to Survive,” as that statement perfectly encapsulates the goal here: both the military and apparently now even the politicians are looking for a way for the Empire to come out of this war intact. Key figures in the military have long recognized that the warContinue reading “Saga of Tanya the Evil II episode 10”
