Spice & Wolf episode 24

Rating: A- Last episode ended with Lawrence, Holo, Elsa, and Evan all fleeing Tereo, which is unquestionably the smart and safe move for all of them. However, as becomes apparent during their flight on Holo’s back, the smart and safe move isn’t necessarily one that everyone can live with. And that provides the grounds forContinue reading “Spice & Wolf episode 24”

Oshi no Ko episode 21

Rating: B+ Last episode ended with a bombshell declaration: genetic evidence that Taiki Himekawa is Aqua’s (and thus also Ruby’s) half-brother. It follows up with another revelation that is stunning in an anti-climactic fashion: that Himekawa’s parents both died in a double-suicide many years earlier, and so the man Aqua has been seeking for allContinue reading “Oshi no Ko episode 21”

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”

Oshi no Ko episode 14

Rating: B+ Oshi no Ko has never been a series that pulls its punches when it comes to commentating on the entertainment industry, and boy, this episodes hold nothing back, either, as it delves deeper into matters concerning manga-ka and the process of transferring established work into other media. It’s so pointedly unflattering that muchContinue reading “Oshi no Ko episode 14”

Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 16

Rating: B+ Of all of the story arcs in Spice and Wolf, this arc is maybe my least favorite, and the content covered by this episode is a big part of the reason why. Some would say that it’s because of Amati, who’s one of the least-liked of all of the guest characters in theContinue reading “Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 16”

Oshi no Ko episode 13

Rating: A- Despite the regular cast mostly being relegated to supporting roles, the aptly-named episode “Game of Telephone” is, in its own way, nearly as searing an episode as the first season’s “Egosurfing” was, though for substantially different reasons. It’s about the conflicts that can arise within the multimedia creative process, cast within the frameworkContinue reading “Oshi no Ko episode 13”

Oshi no Ko season 2 (episode 12)

Rating: A Oshi no Ko was, by any reasonable measure, one of the biggest titles of 2023, and one of the hardest-hitting as well for the content it covered. Hence it was, by far, my most-anticipated title for the Summer ’24 season (if not the whole year). I am pleased to say that its firstContinue reading “Oshi no Ko season 2 (episode 12)”

Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 12

Rating: B+ Last episode ended with Lawrence seemingly in deep trouble, though this time viewers don’t have to rely on meta knowledge to know that the worst for Lawrence is now past; with Holo around, humans are a much bigger threat to Lawrence than wolves. The irony here is that, while those humans find outContinue reading “Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 12”

Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 11

Rating: B+ Even if I hadn’t read the source novel or seen the original adaptation, I think I still would have seen all the major twists in this episode coming. While the series can pull off some genuine surprises, those are predicated more on readers/viewers not fully understanding how things work in a practical senseContinue reading “Spice & Wolf (2024) episode 11”