anime

Rule of Three Review(ish): Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

And here we have an announcement that will surprise absolutely no one.

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Despite extra work hours and winter illnesses and basketball games and frankly not having the time to cover another series this season, especially one as dense and historically grounded as Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju… I am, in fact, doing exactly that! Because I love this show and I want to talk about it. So screw sleep. I can sleep in the spring.

I’m covering this one over at Anime Evo, so click here for the full post, where I lay out the overarching story for any newcomers and then dig into the narrative and cinematographic choices of the third episode. Come along, friends. We’re gonna have ourselves a grand old bleary-eyed time.

Panning the Stream: Sequels and Carryovers Edition (Winter 2016)

There are precious few familiar faces, but some are rather precious.

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This may be the briefest sequel/carryover post I’ve ever written thanks to a shortage of sequels, some odd licensing issues, and personal viewing preferences. Still, the few there are have a lot of fond memories attached to them, so that should be a good sign going forward. Hit the jump for fairy tales, thieves, and urban legends.

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Panning the Stream: Dagashi Kashi, Aokana, Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle, Konosuba

Don’t change that dial! Or maybe do…?

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I held off posting this ’cause I was waiting on stragglers, but Reikenzan still isn’t licensed and the rest of this batch has been sitting in my queue for too long, so I figured we’d go with what we have. If Reikenzan gets licensed and makes the watch list, I’ll talk about it in a Rule of Three Review. I’ll also toss out the world’s shortest Sequels & Carryovers post tomorrow, as is custom, but consider this the last Panning post for new series.

We’ve got comedy and fantasy, with varying success. Hit the jump to knock ’em out. Continue reading →

Snow White with the Red Hair – Episode 13: “The Red That Spins Fate”

New season. New challenges. Same beautiful show.

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After a busy premiere weekend characterized more by mediocrity than anything else,  Snow White with the Red Hair returns to brighten a cloudy Monday and the winter as a whole. The art is gorgeous, the music vibrant, the interactions natural and charming, and the story handled with steady-handed grace. It’s quintessential Snow White, and it’s a delight to have it back.

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Panning the Stream: Dimension W, Grimgar, Schwarzesmarken

Winter may not be bright, but things are looking up a little.

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The weekend premiere deluge is at last at an end, so Panning posts should come a little slower and less frantically for the next couple days. It was a matter of quantity over quality, that’s for darn sure, but out of the muddy stream comes, if not a pile of gold nuggets, then at least an edible fish or two. Hit the jump for a trio whose caliber varies as wildly as their settings.

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Panning the Stream: Girls Beyond the Wasteland, Nurse Witch Komugi R, Luck & Logic

The long weekend continues.

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I’ve been buried under premieres for the last two days and am still not fully caught up (I do have to sleep and socialize and run errands sometimes, y’know!), but I wanted to give you something today, so lo, a trio of new shows. This season has been marked by middling premieres with sparks of potential, and so we see that again a little here. It’s also been marked by just plain old lackluster premieres, and so we  see that again here, too. Hit the jump for flickers and, er…not so much.

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Panning the Stream: BBK/BRNK, Divine Gate, Pandora in the Crimson Shell, PSO2

The many dimensions of animation.bbk1-1

I’m still playing catch-up thanks to a busy work week, so you’ll pardon me if these are on the short side. Nothing in this batch to make me quite as over-the-moon excited as Erased or Shouwa Genroku, but I had more fun than I expected from a pair of them, despite how ugly the animation looked at times. Hit the jump for CG and DG and all the rest.

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Panning the Stream: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Active Raid, Norn9

Excuse me while I flail a bit.

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I said during my Erased meet ‘n’ greet that there were two new shows that pinged on my radar this season, and we just found the second one, and it did not disappoint. There’s other stuff, too, and some of it was pretty okay and some of it was pretty bland, but really, I’m mostly here to talk about historical fiction and performance art. Hit the jump for words so glowing you could warm your hands on them.

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Panning the Stream: ERASED, Prince of Stride, Haruchika, Phantom World

On your mark, get set, stream!

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As a reminder, I watch every licensed premiere and do at least a brief writeup about them. I’ll do full meet ‘n’ greets for shows that caught my interest enough to warrant it. Everything else gets a blurb explaining what I liked, didn’t like, and why the show might not or didn’t make the cut.

And into the new season we go! While it’s not what I’d call a dazzling start by any stretch, there’s still one standout and some solid middle-ground potential, too. Oh, and KyoAni animating a lot of bouncing boobs. Mustn’t forget that.

Hit the jump for sleuthing, striding, and servicing. More or less in that order.

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