Nisekoi Review: Bright Colors and Shiny Eyes

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I’ve said it before: I’m quite susceptible to pretty colors, cute things and fun. Niskeoi (SHAFT, 2014), based on the Weekly Shounen Jump manga by Naoshi Komi, has all of those things. Now, having all those things in your show does not a good anime make, and at times Nisekoi kind of teeters on the edge between being a good show and a not very good one. But, fortunately, Chitoge and company land on the good side more frequently than they do the other. And so, for looking pretty, being pretty and for having Nao Toyama as Chitoge, Nisekoi garners a fluffy 6/10 from me (Ranking).

Nisekoi, Raku x Chitoge

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One Week Friends, Episode 9

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There were a lot of dangers for One Week Friends coming into this episode, and, sadly, it seems the show just couldn’t avoid all of them. As I go on here, keep in mind that One Week Friends has been in my top 4 shows of the season since week one, and so I hold it to a higher standard. I’m about to be somewhat rough with this show, and its because my expectations were not met and I felt the show got away from the things that make it exceptional, tumbling into the mundanity of the rom-com-drama genre in places.

One Week Friends just isn’t built to handle big drama, but that’s what the show tried to pull off this week.One Week Friends Continue reading →

One Week Friends, Episode 8

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Ah, man. I cried a lot watching this episode. It started with Shogo throwing the towel in Hase’s face in one of the best reactions to a PDA I’ve ever seen, and then came the walk…but we’ll get there. Brains Base is doing fantastic work on One Week Friends, but this episode took things a step farther. The writing and direction continue to be excellent, and really the whole package of this show amounts to what Kotoura-san could have been. Parts of this episode started to remind me of Toradora! and comparing anything to my third favorite anime of all time is a huge compliment. So, about this episode….

One Week Friends

“Oh, a beach episode? Seen one, seen them all.”
How wrong I was…

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selector infected WIXOSS: Episode 7

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Sure, there are some problems with this show, starting with the characters. But, it’s time to stop pretending that the sense of foreboding each episode creates isn’t a noteworthy feat in itself. Some shows do things better than other shows, and selector infected WIXOSS does a great job of controlling atmosphere each week, and has been doing it since the very first episode. Creating an appropriate atmosphere for your show isn’t enough to make a show great on its own, but it’s foolish to disregard a show’s good traits because not all of its parts are of equal quality.

selector infected WIXOSS

With toys like that, no wonder Tama likes to battle.

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Nyarko-san (Season 1) Review

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The fun thing about re-watching shows is that it gives you an opportunity to really crystallize your reasons for why you did or did not like a show. I’ll admit; I don’t re-watch shows often, because as a relative newcomer to anime, I’m constantly feeling like I haven’t seen enough of the classics, haven’t seen enough “good” shows, haven’t seen enough of anything. And then, sometimes, I just kick all that to the curb and watch something I know will make me happy. For the last few weeks, this has been Haiyore! Nyarko-san (Xebec, 2012).Nyarko-san, Nyaruko-san

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Critical Thinking, Anime, and You

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We all watch anime for different reasons. Some of us want a time sink, some of us want entertainment, some of us want an artistic experience, some of us want a combination of things from our anime, even differing our expectations by show. And when we’ve seen a show we love, for whatever reason, we usually want to tell people about that show. It is one of the great pleasures of encountering any form of media: finding something you like and sharing it with others.

Yet, many of us (myself included) struggle to articulate what it is about a show that drew us in, and struggle to defend our favorite shows from the negative criticism of others. And on the other side, many of us fail to effectively communicate our problems with a particular show.

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Spring 2014, Week 5: Highlights of the Week

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Note: I recently stated an ask.fm profile, so come ask me a question at ask.fm/iblessall and follow me on Twitter at @iblessall to see my answers!

So, I’m trying out a new weekly feature here. Each week, I usually end up wanting to talk more about some shows than I do others, but wanting to talk about at least some shows nonetheless. So, when my anime week ends on Thursday with Ping Pong, I’ll be publishing some of my highlights from the week. These won’t necessarily the best moments of the week; in fact, I fully expect to find some huge frustrations and annoyances creeping into these posts. However, I’m hoping these posts will at least allow me an outlet to rant and rave as I need each week.

Welcome to Week 5!

Love Live! Season 2

Things got serious this week on Love Live! 2

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