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ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 8

While everything about the tone of this screams that it is a gag anime with your typical magic reset button—it's clear by now that it's anything but.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 22

It's an odd miss for a series that's otherwise done pretty well with doling out drama in the previous few episodes, even more so given that rhythm is a key element of this episode!
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 9

I did not expect this tonal – and qualitative – heel-turn, in what is undoubtedly Your Forma’s best episode to date, by a large margin.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 8

Raido is anime boyfriend royalty. Bring this king his crown.
ep. review
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 8

A few weeks ago, Yachiyo said that she ired the ability to change. This week, massive upheavals for both the Gingarou and herself create far more complicated feelings.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 8

Nyaan stone-cold vaporizes a dude and everything else is set-up to get to that pivotal moment.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 8

Captain Celebrity is the antithesis and also a shining example of what we commonly expect from heroes who act in a public service capacity.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 8

Allucia may have had other plans, but Beryl manages to deflect them both in and out of the ring.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 8

Despite my complaints, I am still having a generally good time here, but the speed at which this show is burning through material isn't doing it any favors
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1130

We know infinitely more about the God Valley incident than ever before, but not all of our questions are answered nor is everything shown on camera.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 8

Even when Witch Watch isn't at its absolute funniest, there's so much going on in how it executes its jokes that I can't help but respect the craft.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 8

Bomb threats? Insurgents? Potential war? Who cares! This week The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl tosses all of that out the window in favor of three vignettes about how everyone loves Sophia!
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 8

Who does Kudo see when he looks into Kujirai’s eyes? Who is he thinking of as he caresses her bare skin?
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 8

Cyan's existence forces us to rethink the very nature of superpowers in the world of To Be Hero X.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 8

This episode isn't about resolving the business side of things as much as it is about getting more clarity on Yu's resolution as a creator.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 8

Fire Force has always had fun playing up how genuinely out of touch with reality Arthur is, and this just might be the show's crowning achievement in that regard.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 8

This is a shiny but empty bauble of an anime that is going to need to pull off a hell of a last-minute surprise to make up for all of its wasted potential.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 8

Episode eight has, without a doubt, the most unhinged recitation of Hilaire Belloc’s poem “The Frog” I have ever heard.
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 19

Maybe the titles for the previous chapter and this one should have been swapped, because I was seriously lost in confusion.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 8

It wasn’t hard to guess that whatever was coming this week was going to be awful. The episode isn’t called “His Butler, Joyous” or “His Butler, Elated.”
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 7

In which our heroine starts to wonder if killing people might be bad.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 43

Jokes about how Maomao can’t bring herself to eat a frog and the way she constantly has to talk herself out of giving away or selling Jinshi’s hair stick can’t quite hide the menace bubbling to the surface this week.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 8

Their foursome is not yet a proper band, but they're only a few steps away from making sweaty and ionate music together.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 21

At the risk of sounding like a simpleton, I am happy to have the fights back in Wind Breaker.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 7

There was a lot to like here and a lot of nice set up for the future, but it feels like every episode, I still find something that pokes me the wrong way.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 8

I feel like I keep harping on about the director's insane decision to skip adapting the first novel, but every episode has hinged on important plot details from that missing story arc.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ Episode 8

If I were Mia, I’d just pack up and go to Parnacorta and leave Girtonia to rot.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 7

This episode is equal parts political satire and Apollo 13 pastiche, with Ponko prevailing as the cutest demagogue/rocket engineer on the planet.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 7

This story is better when it allows its characters to take action, and that’s exactly what happened this week.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 7

Maybe Aharen is just really into Disn—oh, sorry, I nearly misspoke. I obviously meant Denisy. As in, Tokyo DenisySea.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1129

It’s the kind of long-term payoff few creators ever get the chance to even attempt, let alone execute on.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 7

This one’s for the romantics.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 7

It’s funny, fun, and unique, allowing Beryl and Miwi to work together, which makes way more sense than a typical fantasy fight against bandits or monsters or what have you.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 7

From his little speech about the "Special Love Seat" at the end of the episode, we learn all we need to know about this arc's supervillain.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 7

It's nice to have an episode that goes more into the business side of things.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 7

What happens to Yaomay and Kudo when their summertime ends?
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 7

These effectively moody scenes are where Lazarus ceases to be an awkward attempt at executing a high-energy sci-fi thriller and becomes an extended music video for the show's consistently excellent soundtrack
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 7

Everyone has known a Keigo or two in their lives, and if you don't think you know a Keigo, you are the Keigo
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episodes 17-18

Outside of the ittedly distracting dips in animation quality, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! is continuing to deliver on the promise so disappointingly squandered last season.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 7

“Any sufficiently advanced technology,” wrote Arthur C. Clarke, “is indistinguishable from magic.”
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 7

Even with how quickly the story is moving, it somehow feels like not much happened this week.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 7

It's interesting to me that after all of the things that Anne Shirley has left out it decided to show something that's only mentioned in the book.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 7

If Fire Force is successfully presenting one of the most casual and inconspicuous characters in the whole show as a genuinely creepy threat to be reckoned with, then it must be doing something right.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 7

This clears up why the narrative introduces Tina and Tamaki together. It's not rushing into cacophony; it's dovetailing their arcs together, like melodies in a fugue.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 20

I'm very down with the roly-poly tactic. It is cute, crucially, but it's also appropriate for Nirei's disposition, while also fitting as a basic "starter" move from Suo's style.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 6

I never expected to watch an episode of anime all about the impracticalities of having enormous breasts, but here we are!
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 7

Sorry, WTF?
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 6

Love is in the air. Any sparks that fly between Yachiyo and this week's extraterrestrial guest are punctuated by the show's oddball sense of humor.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 6

I'm conflicted about this episode because I'm unsure what it was trying to say.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ Episode 7

Three of four Girtonian characters in The Too-Perfect Saint don't believe in themselves.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 6

Aharen’s siblings aren’t the only ones feeling especially grateful for her this week.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 6

Machu's struggles may be universal, but the story is becoming increasingly reliant on the viewer’s assumed knowledge of Gundam canon to do the heavy lifting.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 6

Who doesn’t love a grueling, magically empowered sword duel in a church where warriors push themselves to the limit?
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 6

This episode feels like a throwback to the early days of fanfiction: we’ve got both the cabin fic and the blanket fic!
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 6

Yang Cheng is Miles Morales to E-Soul's Peter Parker.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 6

While I would have been alright if we didn't see much progress with Morihito and Nico's relationship, it's great to see that the romance in this show can hit as well as its jokes.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 6

This episode is perhaps the most lore-dense the show has been so far.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 6

I will bet dollars to donuts that the show is going to hit the reset button yet again next week, and not one bit of this ludicrous farting around will have mattered at all.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 6

Is it witchcraft, or is it just ergotism?
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 6

I'd still like this show to have more on offer beyond some cool fights and slapstick, but if that's most of what we'll be getting, I can only hope it leads to more episodes that look as spectacular as this one.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 6

Anne may still be stubbornly insisting that she despises Gilbert Blythe while he quietly pines for her, but perhaps the truth is to be found in her fiction.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 6

Rion is much braver than I would ever be if I was in her situation.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 6

“Beyond Prayer” mostly delivers on its potential and serves up a heaping helping of good old fashioned anime whoo.
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 6

Putting on this front for years has worn Tina down, and in true Rock Lady fashion, she expresses that frustration in a totally bonkers way.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 42

The late emperor is inescapable. He's dead, and has been for some time, but his ghost and the ghosts of his crimes remain in the rear palace.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 19

Within Bofurin, Tsubaki's gender-boundary-crossing self is an icon of the team's strength in accepting all into their numbers.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 5

This is an episode with a singular joke at its center that is pushed and prodded in every single direction until slamming headlong into a wall of dark comedy depression.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ Episode 6

Prince Julius is that most dangerous of political figures: someone who thinks he’s much cleverer than he is and couples that with a total disregard for the well-being of the citizens.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 6

Even potentially interesting plot points are rendered meaningless.
ep. review

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2 ‒ Episode 5

We were due for an episode more primarily concerned with sincerity to balance out the goofiness of this show.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 5

I understand the theme, but I just don't think it was set up properly.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 5

They may have beaten and eaten a sandworm, but it's time for the Gingarou Hotel to face an even more formidable foe: fermentation.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 5

Even as GQuuuuuuX offers an increasing number of reasons to watch in and of itself, the parts that get me the most excited are the throwbacks to the original show.
ep. review

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman ‒ Episode 5

Even in our world, we see how often evil is not some grand act but the callous and repeated everyday villainy of taking advantage of others.
ep. review

Gorilla God's Go-To Girl ‒ Episode 5

Sophia doesn’t dally in taking care of the bomb and the bombers, and that lets us know that when the chips are down, she’s absolutely ready to take action.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1128

Even with the bar set so high, I wasn’t prepared for how strong this episode was.
ep. review

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc ‒ Episode 5

Werewolves versus demons – which one would win in a fight?
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 5

If the first arc of To Be Hero X didn't exist, this episode would play very differently than it does.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 5

This week's episode answers a very scientific question: “What's better than one failgirl witch? Two of them!”
ep. review

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2 ‒ Episode 16

The whole point of an anime adaptation is to bring a static story to life with vibrant visuals and interesting direction, and this show only ever manages to accomplish that maybe 50% of the time.
ep. review

Kowloon Generic Romance ‒ Episode 5

While Kudo’s raising all kinds of red flags with his shifty behavior, Kujirai’s similarly odd response is to appreciate that she’s now seen a side to him no one else has.
ep. review

Lazarus ‒ Episode 5

'Pretty Vacant' didn't just disappoint me; it's the first episode of Lazarus to tick me off.
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 5

Hopefully, we'll get more substance from this series as it goes along, but with how overly silly the last couple of episodes have been, I'd like to see that kick in sooner rather than later.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 5

Anne Shirley isn’t perfect, but this episode shows that its heart really is in the right place.
ep. review

Fire Force Season 3 ‒ Episode 5

I wish that Studio David could muster up more of that showmanship that made some of the previous seasons' best fights so memorable.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ‒ Episode 41

It's interesting to think that Jinshi, Suirei, and Shisui have all been playing a role, especially when contrasted with Maomao, Luomen, and Lakan, all of whom are unabashedly themselves at all times.
ep. review

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? ‒ Episode 5

Oh right, Rion! I completely forgot you were here!
ep. review

Rock is a Lady's Modesty ‒ Episode 5

This isn't about one genre of music winning over another. It's about embracing your ions and being authentic to yourself, however messy that gets.
ep. review

Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof ‒ Episode 4

This week, this dark comedy takes on a new target: yuri anime.
ep. review

Wind Breaker Season 2 ‒ Episode 18

The hang-out-ability of this anime is as instrumental to its vibe as boys getting their faces broken.
ep. review

Apocalypse Hotel ‒ Episode 4

This is my favorite anime episode of the year to date. Everything that Apocalypse Hotel does well is done even better here.
ep. review

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ‒ Episode 4

It feels like not a lot was done with this episode.
ep. review

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom ‒ Episode 5

We already knew that Philia’s family was behind most of the trauma she underwent, but it still feels important to understand that it was her aunt who trained her.
ep. review

Your Forma ‒ Episode 5

I can’t help feeling there’s essential background information about this world and characters that I’m missing.
ep. review

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX ‒ Episode 4

Leave it to me to be the resident Gundam naysayer this week.

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