fall 2016

Flip Flappers – Episodes 2-3

Down the rabbit hole we go~

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The Fall anime season is off to a strong start and I had my pick of great (or at least fun) series to tackle weekly for Anime Evo. After much geeky deliberation, I’ve opted to skip the safe bet (Yuri on Ice) and gamble on my other autumn favorite: Flip Flappers, for my money the strangest and most imaginative show of the season.

It’s also one of the toughest to figure out in terms of where it’s going or what it’s trying to do, so for this first post I thought I’d do my best to connect some dots and offer up some theories on the ideas and themes kicking around inside this enigmatic little series. Head on over to Anime Evo to join me on my new adventure!

Panning the Stream: Fall 2016 Premieres, Round 2

Lions and udon and Motes, oh my!

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The deluge is more-or-less over and it’s left me swimming in a massive watch list. I’m excited for what looks to be a strong fall season, but also a bit overwhelmed. In order to keep myself from drowning in titles, there’s no “On the Fence” category this time–if I’m not actively excited for the next episode, then it’s almost certainly not getting a second look.

The wild part is this isn’t even everything! Girlish Number won’t air in the U.S. until Wednesday, and The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu) premieres Thursday. I didn’t want to sit on this post for that long, though, so we won’t worry about them for now. If either is worth mentioning (and I suspect at least The Great Passage will be), I’ll roll them into my “Rule of Three” digest. For now, hit the jump for a group of new series that I can’t wait to see more of.

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Panning the Stream: Fall 2016 Premieres, Round 1

Hey ho and away we go!

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We’re roughly halfway through the Fall premieres, so now’s as good a time as any to compile a shortlist and talk about ’em. As usual, I’m watching all licensed new shows and any relevant sequels and giving you at least a few thoughts on each of them. The Josei Next Door: Sitting through everything, so you don’t have to!

I’ve divided them into three categories: “Guaranteed Three Episodes,” “On the Fence,” and “Slush Pile.” Actually, make that four categories–I’m rolling some sequels/spin-offs into this one, too. There’s a fair amount in that fence-sitting group because, while there haven’t been a ton of out-and-out awful shows, outside of Yuri on Ice there wasn’t anything that really “wowed” me, either. Some solid foundations and a fair amount of variety, though, so hopefully it’ll build well on itself, and you’ll all be able to find something that catches your eye, too.

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