East Meets West #24: The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya .vs. It’s A Wonderful Life

It's not uncommon to have an episode of an anime set around the Christmas period, such as in Toradora, Digimon Adventure, and basically every single slice-of-life show (K-On, Lucky Star, Azumanga Daioh to name a few). However, very few worthwhile Christmas anime movies have been made, as opposed to the barrage of Western movies dedicated …

Anime Review #83: K-On! The Movie

So yeah... it appears there's some unfinished business regarding K-On! that I must attend to. About a year ago I thought I had finally finished analyzing the intricacies of KyoAni's high school musical slice-of-life - that of the characters, music, and the numerous comfy hijinks they put themselves through. But, it turns out, even after …

Anime Review #78: A Silent Voice

I got a question for you guys. Has anyone heard of A Walk To Remember? It was a 1999 novel written by American bestselling author Nicholas Sparks. It chronicled the blossoming romance between a high school jock and a terminally ill female classmate of his. It was adapted into a film three years later, which …

Anime Review #77: Chuunibyou – Take On Me!

Ah, good old Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai (Love, Chuunibyou, And Other Delusions). After Clannad came out some six years prior, this was Kyoto Animation's second throw at the high school romance subgenre. Needless to say, when I watched it, I was less than enthralled. Expectations ended up lower than initially anticipated, as schizophrenic characters …

Anime Review #75: K-On!

So yeah, last July I watched all two seasons of K-On! - you know, that show about five girls who spend their after-school days drinking tea and playing with musical instruments. While in the midst of watching this show's first season, I asked the question on Twitter: "Why is everything and everyone in K-On so …

Anime Review #72: The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya

Bear with me all, but I'm going to be reviewing a movie today - but not in consecutive posts like what I did last year. Fifty-one Anime Reviews earlier, I reviewed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the anime featuring the titular manic high school girl with a penchant for world-building at whim, and her motley …

Anime Review #67: Hyouka

Anyone who's been to my Twitter is probably aware about how highly in regard I hold Hyouka. Indeed, I'm quite the promoter when it comes to this high school mystery series, and I've been on record retweeting stills of certain characters from this show, liking a bunch of photogenic posts associated with it, promoting this …