18if – Episode 1
Sometimes the best way to describe an anime is to say “it’s very anime,” and that’s kind of where I am with 18if.
All Articles
-
-
DIVE!! – Episode 1
Y’all, I promise I did my best to watch this premiere without comparing it relentlessly to Free!. I swear. It’s just that the show wants me to make that comparison, is the thing.
-
Convenience Store Boyfriends – Episode 1
If you really need a blandly directed series with snail-like pacing this season, just make it Restaurant to Another World. At least that one has a dragon in it.
-
[Links] 28 June – 4 July 2017
Premieres are starting in earnest as Pride Month comes to a close in the US.
-
Fastest Finger First – Episode 1
There’s a lot of potential for a fun competition-centric series here, but it’s marred by panty jokes and a strong whiff of Trinity Syndrome.
-
Elegant Yokai Apartment Life – Episode 1
This is almost inevitably going to draw comparisons to Natsume’s Book of Friends, that it almost certainly can’t live up to. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad series.
-
Restaurant to Another World – Episode 1
As I began watching this premiere, something funny started to happen – time was slowing down around me, until even the most infinitesimal sigh of non-anticipation stretched across the crossroads.
-
Battle Girl High School – Episode 1
There are 14 character introductions in 24 seconds as they sit in a classroom, doing their best to extol the one trait which will tell each of them apart, as their names flash up next to each of them on screen. It’s a lazy, overdone approach to introducing large ensembles, and one which suggests endearing audiences to the characters is a low priority.
-
Love and Lies – Episode 1
This is a nightmarish, dystopian premise that’s overflowing with possible avenues for pointed social commentary, and Love and Lies… uses it to tell a milquetoast high school romance?
-
Chatty AF 13: SHIROBAKO watchalong – episodes 19-24 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
We made it through our first watchalong! Huge thanks to special guest Miles for joining us every week to talk about SHIROBAKO.
-
Clean Freak! Aoyama kun – Episode 1
“Comedic germaphobia” is not a good way to endear me to a series. So color me as surprised as anyone that I walked away from this one feeling endeared.
-
Knight’s & Magic – Episode 1
It’s been twenty-four minutes, and I’m still waiting for Knight’s & Magic to do something meaningful with its hook.
-
Fox Spirit Matchmaker – Episode 1
This summary gives you the impression that Fox Spirit Matchmaker is a sweet, straightforward show with a consistent formula. In actuality, it’s a bit of a mess.
-
[Links] 21-27 June 2017
This is a rough week for news, folks. Content warnings for sexual assault, child abuse, homophobia, suicide, and racism.
-
Chatty AF 12: SHIROBAKO watchalong – episodes 13-18 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
This week we’re continuing our watchalong series with special guest Miles, started recently with Shirobako.
-
How My Hero Academia confronts shounen sexism
The success of My Hero Academia can be attributed to many factors, but most prominent among them, at least to me, has been Horikoshi’s ability to break from traditional narratives to create a truly unique story. One such example is in his handling of female characters in that shounen staple: the tournament arc.
-
[Links] 14-20 June 2017
Best and worst (pictured) dads, genderqueer students, and ethical fandom practices.
