spring 2017

The Royal Tutor – Episode 5: “Assailed by the Greatest of Trials”

One torte, two torte, red torte, blue torte.

The King of Glanzreich (a.k.a. Viktor) (a.k.a. The God of War) (a.k.a. Dad) returns to the palace to check up on his boys, but our Proud Papa isn’t all teary eyes and hair ruffles. He’s not just here as a father, but as a king appraising his heirs–and a certain someone’s abysmal test score has put him right in the cross hairs. Now poor Leo has to go from zero to 60 points in three days or lose his right to the throne. Even worse: His dad is going to be Very Disappointed in him.

Click here for the full post on Anime Evo!

The Royal Tutor – Episode 4: “The Princes Go To Town”

To market, to market, to buy a fat book.

Heine organizes a field trip into the city of Wiener (I know, I giggled too) so the princes can see how the common folk live firsthand. With their tutor as their guide, the boys follow their hearts and stomachs to new joys and troubles, learn a few lessons along the way, and even fit in some time for a pair of good deeds. I told you they were good boys.

Click here for the full post Anime Evo!

Rule of Three Review: Spring 2017 Anime Digest

Feels like only yesterday we were talking about the Spring premieres. They grow up so fast…!

It’s a great season for sequels, a good season for fantasy, and a not-too-shabby season for female protagonists. The watch list hasn’t shrunk much at all since the premiere digest (although a few shows could easily drop off in the coming weeks), so this is more of a check-in than a culling. Maybe that bodes well for Spring’s staying power?

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The Royal Tutor: Episodes 2-3

Please take your seats, class. The weekly posts will now begin.

From a bouquet of impressive sequels and promising new series, I have plucked a silly, warmhearted comedy about teachers, students, and the gap between appearances and reality to cover weekly for Anime Evo this season. Hey, it can’t all be intense, analysis-heavy rakugo performers, magical girls, and gangsters, y’know! Sometimes a gal’s gotta giggle about her precious trash boys, too.

Click here for the full post on Anime Evo!

Panning the Stream: Spring 2017 Premieres Digest

Don’t mind me, just drooling over a fresh batch of titles.

Even though some series are heading into their third episodes, believe it or not this post is not belated! The spring premiere season decided to stretch itself out over the course of two solid weeks, and once I struck (ah-hem) all those Amazon shows from my schedule, it wasn’t long enough to justify two posts. Rolling ’em into one made sense.

Y’all know the drill: New series get divided into three categories (Yes, Maybe, and Nope), then I make a note of any shows I didn’t mention and any sequels I’m catching. The list isn’t terribly long, but there’s a fair amount of charm and some solid potential, especially if you like fantasy (and I do). Hopefully I can help you find a new show to add to your watchlist, too!

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Panning the Stream: Spring 2017 AniFem Premiere Review Digest

Venturing out to explore the new anime season.

We tossed some coins and drew some lots and, in addition to The Royal Tutor, I covered a trio of other premieres for AniFem this season:

And in case you missed it, I also published my usual Premiere Digest where I talk a little about All The Shows (that aren’t on Strike) as well. Check it out if you’re curious!

Panning the Stream: The Royal Tutor – Episode 1

They’re good boys, Brent.

There’s a subgenre of anime that I’ve recently become quite fond of, which I like to call “cute girls behaving badly.” The idea is simple but subtly subversive: Take your standard cute-girl character designs and then imbue them with traits that aren’t considered cute at all. No wide-eyed innocence or endless compassion here; nope, these gals are selfish, short-sighted, egotistical, and/or just plain lazy. They’re rarely malicious and they often have redeeming or (sym)pathetic qualities, which makes them relatable or at least funny, but they’re hardly what you’d called heroic ideals. They are, as we’ve talked about before, trash characters.

The Royal Tutor is that, but with pretty boys.

Click here for the full review on Anime Feminist!