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Back to Summer '24
Narenare -Cheer for You!- eps 1-3
Cheer up!
Another P. A. Works original in which group of people come together and bond over something. Not as good as previous stuff like SHIROBAKO, Sakura Quest and Aquatope, but some likeable characters.

My Deer Friend Nokotan ep 8
Deer God!

And Spring '24
Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again ep 5
Regaining memories.

The Duke of Death and His Maid s3 eps 4-6
Visit from old relatives and a dance party.

DEAD DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION (dub) eps 0-2
Hanging around.
Episode 0 sets up what happens eventually, so it's a bit jarring to then go back in time with episode 1 switching between two different times as well getting a little confusing.
I can see plenty of similarities with Goodnight Punpun, deadbeat parents, horny teenagers, uncertainty about the future, weird goings on and the great art, even if this seems like it'll be a bit lighter overall.
 
Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells (Japanese audio) - Episodes 10-12 (Completed)
Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- Season 2 (Japanese audio) - Episodes 10-12

Failure Frame is a revenge isekai similarly to ARIFURETA and while I own the first three novels I've not yet read them. Considering my experience with ARIFURETA I figured jumping into the anime first would be better to keep my expectations balanced. Fortunately the pacing in this adaptation was pretty decent in my opinion, and the same goes for the story and characters, but the problem lies with its animation and production because it's pretty bad. The CG for the character models I actually think was pretty decent and that's probably because I can tolerate that sort of style thanks to Polygon Pictures, but you can't have 2D and 3D models switched around each time as it's very jarring. Had Seven Arc Pictures put in more time on the quality of the animation I think the adaptation would have aged better. Is it as disastrous as ARIFURTA Season 1? Definitely not but its not going to appease a wide audience. I am definitely down to watching a second season as I liked everything else about it.

Recommendation: Worth a watch for die-hard isekai fans and those who can tolerate bad animation.
 
Ergo Proxy episodes 19 - 23 (Complete): The ending does manage to stick the landing. But I do think the first few episodes (1-3) and the middle (10-18) were the best part of the series. The last stretch has a few issues but it's still easy to love. Because under all the observations about subjectivity and its musings on abstract concepts is core cast with delightful chemistry. Pino is the best. She’s adorable and adds a lot of life and energy to the show that could otherwise devolve into monotonous drama without her. 8/10

  • A series focusing thus heavily on pairs and reflections really should not have surprised me with the reveal of the doppelgänger. The evidence is overwhelming that Vincent AKA Ergo Proxy is being hounded by an identical copy. Which will make rewatching this very interesting.
  • The series ultimately revolves around a structure where everyones superior looks like a God to them. And above that superior is someone they also view as a God and describe in increasingly religious terms. All the cryptic taunts create a coherent narrative once it is all revealed. But it filtered through the subjectivity of someone furiously arguing against how they hate their role in this world and their master, while also lying to convince the core cast to do as they say.
  • The unfortunate double beat of having two different ‘return to Romdeau’ episodes saps the final arc of its vitality as they share a lot of similarities. The ‘fake’ arrival is definitely the more interesting of the two as it is an episode about pushing Vincent Law’s identity crisis to new extremes. It’s an episode hinging on Vincent being so lost and confused that he is ready to believe that he is a dissociative identity created by Re-L troubled mind after betraying the ‘real’ Vincent to act on his behalf. Which makes him Re-L’s interpretation of who Vincent is and what he wants. But because this is a trap fuelled by his doubts: the episode is about Vincent’s mental image of Re-L and constructing an image of what he thinks that she thinks he is. An episode I’m going to need to do some research into just to explain clearly.
  • The series handles subjectivity in an interesting way with touch being the defining aspect of existence that allow the characters to break through the limits imposed on them. A brutish example is Vincent literally fist fighting his creator’s creator to prove his existence. But really it’s that Re-L’’s struggle to maintain control when everyone is conspiring to find the truth is the tactile sensations that connect her to reality. That trust in her own senses gives Re-L the ability to both rationally examine the facts to poke holes in events but also allows her to make intuitive judgments about the case (that Vincent can’t because he’s losing track of reality).
 
DEAD DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION (dub) eps 3-5
Episodes 4 and 5 shift into yet another timeline. This time to when our main 2 meet in elementary school, but it brings with it a plot hole as it's revealed that the pair saved a scout of the invaders and talk with it and it shows them a number of gadgets including one that Ouran finds in the main timeline, but doesn't seem to know what it is despite using it before!? Maybe their minds get wiped or something?
BTW the ED is a banger!
 
HeatGuy J episodes 24-25 & HeatGuy J: Toriko - Angel Special (Complete. An early 2000s anime that’s been an overdue watch and was a solid one overall.) 3.5/5

Hells (Film) Stylish but the pacing was a mixed bag and led to a film that could have been stronger. 3/5

Hell Teacher Nube episodes 1-6
 
Darker than black ep 1 to 10: This is one of those series that starts with an intriguing idea, but does not really focus on it and instead focuses on less interesting side stories. Those stories are mildly entertaining to me, but I feel like I'm waiting till the real plot starts.

Hakumei and Mikochi ep 13: Such a nice and gentle series. I had to cry this episode. Only the OVA left, I don't want it to end..
 
HWR said:
HeatGuy J episodes 24-25 & HeatGuy J: Toriko - Angel Special (Complete. An early 2000s anime that’s been an overdue watch and was a solid one overall.) 3.5/5

Hells (Film) Stylish but the pacing was a mixed bag and led to a film that could have been stronger. 3/5

Hell Teacher Nube episodes 1-6
Click to expand...
Why oh why, did I sell my HeatGuy J dvds? 😭
 
Final Yamato

A fitting end to the Space Battleship Yamato saga.

It's a very long film (it held the record for the longest animated film for a long time) but uses the time well (much better than previous films did) and I really liked the fact that it had a proper ending with a satisfying epilogue. It's not as visually interesting as Be Forever Yamato but I do now understand why there is a certain generation of Japanese anime fans that adore this film.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Episodes 21 - 26 [Final]

Brilliant up to the very end, GitS: SAC has held up very well on this re-watch and I've really enjoyed watching it again. I'm looking forward to revisiting 2nd Gig at some point later in the year. The opening theme is still a fantastic tune that I listened to in full on every episode.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX - Episode 7

Another good episode and I like the direction the series seems to now be heading in, the next episode preview was intriguing.

Youma - Episodes 1 & 2 [Final]

A tedious supernatural ninja OVA that will be fun to review on the podcast.

Exper Zenon

A simplistic early 90's OVA that was right up my street. It did nothing special or original but I found it very entertaining and lapped up it's aesthetic.

HWR said:
HeatGuy J episodes 24-25 & HeatGuy J: Toriko - Angel Special (Complete. An early 2000s anime that’s been an overdue watch and was a solid one overall.) 3.5/5
Click to expand...

I watched 1 episode on MTV in the mid 00's then picked up the DVD boxset in a Play.com (remember them) sale for £5 a few years later and it's been in the cellophane ever since. One day I will get round to watching it 😂
 
DEAD DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION (dub) eps 6-8
Seeing the Light and graduation.
Whoa, episode 6 went hard. Still in the elementary school flashback Kadode goes full Light Yagami and uses the gadgets the invader gives to her to impart her justice and then when Ouran confronts her and they fall out, Kadode ends up committing suicide!! Then it's back to the current time!
I think that maybe it could be a test by one of the invaders on Ouran as she was talking to one before the flashback started. It's possible some of the stuff that happened didn't really happen. Kadode kills a politician, but if I got my characters right he's still alive, as is, of course, Kadode and another small clue is that the plushy they used to disguise the invader was back in full order in Kadode's bedroom in 1 of the other 2 episodes I watched today.
 
A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof episode 7 Photogenic.

Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World Season 2 episode 7 Hiding in the dark.

Hell Teacher Nube episodes 7-20
 
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