Category Archives: Anime

First impressions: The exiled heavy knight can afford all this fancy animation but not a decent premise

Judging from the synopsis alone, The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System has all the hallmarks of being a complete throwaway. Yet another isekai, yet another hero who is underestimated because he gets saddled with a seemingly useless job (heavy knight, this time), so on and so forth. And yet, the animation quality is so lavish. Not only that, the voice actors driving this story are no slouches either. The main character has played other big roles such as Jinshi in The Apothecary Diaries. Meanwhile, his female counterpart is Shion Wakayama. The first few minutes of the first episode drops you immediately into the thick of the action without any context whatsoever. Just a bunch of unfamiliar faces engaging in high-octane combat over and over. Even when there isn’t action, we get all these dutch angles. Sure, this Film 101 technique is hardly mind-blowing, but it’s one hell of a step up from your average bread-and-butter isekai. I mean, just look at the shadows here. I would expect this from Madhouse or KyoAni, not… wait, who makes this show again? To put it bluntly, there’s a lot of money in this generic ass bitch of an anime. Continue reading

The Ramparts of Ice Ep. 14: Half-banger, half-whimper

Huh, was that the last episode? It has to be, since we’re already in July. I dunno, I guess I half-expected something to happen between Koyuki and Minato. More specifically, I half-expected Momoka to make a play at Minato, and since he’s been feeling as though he’s crossed a line with Koyuki, he might accept Momoka’s feelings. ‘Cause this is what this show is all about, right? This show is all about awkward teen love — so awkward, that you end up in situations you might not want to be in, because you’re young, stupid, and don’t know what to do. In fact, we almost get that. Continue reading

First impressions: The villager levels everything up but his personality

Right off the bat, The Villager of Level 999 tell you that monsters have encroached on real world Japan. As a result, so has classic RPG mechanics such as a class system. We’re all assigned a role at birth. Some people are warriors, some are mages, so on and so forth. Well, that’s certainly one way to do it. But why would you need to be a mage when you have the power of gun? Why would you need to be a mage when you can safely shoot down monsters from a distance with a drone? The answer, apparently, is because modern technology has somehow disappeared from the world. This is an alternate universe where society has devolved back to a fantasy medieval setting with kings and demon kings. Even so, what happened to the rest of the country? Even if people no longer know how to create a smartphone — even if we no longer have modern conveniences like an electric grid or modern plumbing — where are the ruins? Where have the skyscrapers gone? Or the extensive subway system? Where is the evidence that we once lived? My point is, why make it Japan at all? Why isn’t this just a generic fantasy world. After all, it sure as hell looks and feels like one. Continue reading

First impressions: The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Tropes

In The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power, there are two sisters — one talented and one not so talented. Unfortunately, Fiora, the talented sister, despises Caroline, the younger, not so talented sister. She doesn’t even try to hide it either. It’s full mask off right from the start, because there’s no subtlety in anime. Fiora resents Caroline, because their mother died in childbirth. Sounds like yet another classic case of anime characters desperately needing therapy. But this is set in some quasi-medieval European setting, so you can’t expect to find licensed shrinks running around, offering their services. So what’s the next best thing? Daddy dearest, surely. Continue reading

Everything Else: Spring 2026 Leftovers

They were just roommates, tho! Continue reading