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ep. review

SAND LAND: THE SERIES ‒ Episode 9

The big revelation for this episode is that our heroes walked into a perfect trap.
ep. review

Sengoku Youko ‒ SEASON FINALE

His final, lung-tearing scream is both terrifying and heartbreaking, signaling that Jinka – or at least the part of him that can still reason – realizes just how much he's lost and hurt in his pursuit of power.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1099

Episode 1099 does a good job reviving the audience's fear of Rob Lucci and co while also raising the stakes enough to keep things interesting.
ep. review

Urusei Yatsura ‒ Episode 35

I would like to see more episodes focusing on Lum's perspective or seeing her go on adventures with the crazy gadgets that she develops.
ep. review

Shangri-La Frontier ‒ SEASON FINALE

My favorite part of the finale of this anime was when Bilac was explaining to Sunraku that he needs to be more conscious that he is the main character and that his actions have consequences.
ep. review

The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

If I haven't made it abundantly clear already, The Dangers in My Heart is now one of my favorite anime of all time.
ep. review

Solo Leveling ‒ Episode 12 (SEASON FINALE)

Do we ever really change? That's the question at the core of this, the final episode of season one
ep. review

Ninja Kamui ‒ Episode 8

It leads to Mike drunkenly serenading Emma at karaoke about the importance of trust which is probably the single funniest thing the show has done and is the biggest highlight of the episode.
ep. review

The Witch and the Beast ‒ Episode 11

Even without Guideau as his official companion, Ashaf is an engaging protagonist.
ep. review

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE

Mash has to succeed at classwork and tests if he wants to avoid expulsion.
ep. review

Bucchigiri?! ‒ Episode 11

Zabu's relationship with Matakara is simple, but it's sincere and presented with just enough heart to get you to feel something.
ep. review

Delicious in Dungeon ‒ Episode 13

The silhouetted sequence of Falin bubbling on the floor beneath the elf's magical power was terrific.
ep. review

Brave Bang Bravern! ‒ SEASON FINALE

Smith, Isami, and Lulu end up buck naked, crying, happy, and hugging at the end, in what is somehow the least sexual scene in the entire series thus far.
ep. review

Metallic Rouge ‒ Episode 12

For a few seconds, the absurdly convoluted plot and setting trappings fade away in favor of a single gesture of reconciliation and trust shared between our two heroines.
ep. review

Gushing Over Magical Girls - SEASON FINALE

In the end, Gushing Over Magical Girls truly becomes an analysis of someone's interfacing with their BDSM fetishism and its impact on their relationships.
ep. review

SAND LAND: THE SERIES ‒ Episode 8

With every episode, I continue to be impressed by Sand Land.
ep. review

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic ‒ Episode 12

This show is the epitome of unrealized potential.
ep. review

Sengoku Youko ‒ Episode 12

This episode still features some important and impactful moments for our characters, but it is, first and foremost, a rip-snorting good time full of hotblooded beatdowns.
ep. review

Villainess Level 99 ‒ SEASON FINALE

This was always entertaining, and since that's the goal of television shows, I'd call this more of a success than not, ugly CG dragons and other visual issues aside.
ep. review

Urusei Yatsura ‒ Episode 34

Overall, it's not my favorite episode of the season, and I would almost recommend skipping it. It doesn't feel like there's a real payoff to any of the setup, and the humor felt repetitious or drawn out.
ep. review

Shangri-La Frontier ‒ Episode 24

This episode did lean into a lot of the show's strengths, tapping into what it means to be a gamer who likes to explore and experiment in a new area.
ep. review

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life ‒ SEASON FINALE

This final episode puts the final nail in the coffin of the series' title – Rishe is anything but a villainess, and she never has been.
ep. review

The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 ‒ Episode 24

It's time for the school trip—which means plenty of potential for a lot of classic romantic comedy hijinx!
ep. review

Solo Leveling ‒ Episode 11

Are these fights visually interesting? Absolutely—especially in the fight with Igris. The problem is that it's eye candy and nothing more.
ep. review

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ‒ SEASON FINALE

If there is a single thing that ties this final episode of Frieren together, it is the theme of legacy.
ep. review

Ninja Kamui ‒ Episode 7

When Lil is defeated, he's sure that Higan will kill him on the spot. Instead, Higan says that he's gonna make sure he dies slowly.
ep. review

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 2 ‒ Episode 23

If an all-powerful hyper wizard, like this series' big bad, is questioning if the world can be changed on that level, then you know it's going to be an uphill battle.
ep. review

Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga ‒ Episode 12

Man, “Hidden Feelings” is a weird episode of Blue Exorcist.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1098

I got the feeling that Dr. Vegapunk was spending a bit of World Government money on the side to build up his Mall-of-Tomorrow island.
ep. review

Bucchigiri?! ‒ Episode 10

Arajin has now spent two full episodes doing nothing on the sidelines, waiting for either Matakara or Senya to seek him out and explain things without ever taking the initiative.
ep. review

A Sign of Affection ‒ SEASON FINALE

While it might not be the most eventful season-ender you'll ever see, it stays true to what made A Sign of Affection so enjoyable all season.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries ‒ SEASON FINALE

Lakan knows that she's not well but it doesn't matter to him now that he's finally reunited with her.
ep. review

Undead Unluck ‒ SEASON FINALE

Akira's story climaxes in the thrilling moment when he draws a copy of a time manipulation artifact and sacrifices over a century of his lifetime to bring Rip back to his adult form.
ep. review

Brave Bang Bravern! ‒ Episode 11

Not only do we have Bravern tackling Isami to the ground while shouting “I love you!”, we also get to see Superbia try delicious fish.
ep. review

The Witch and the Beast ‒ Episode 10

The Witch and the Beast is by no means a perfect adaptation but this is a perfect episode of The Witch and the Beast.
ep. review

Chained Soldier ‒ SEASON FINALE

Despite all of the crazy stuff that has happened since Yuuki joined the 07th Regiment, it doesn't feel like much has changed for anyone.
ep. review

Delicious in Dungeon ‒ Episode 12

Senshi almost blows up the entire party by cooking in a big flammable ring of dragon guts.
ep. review

Metallic Rouge ‒ Episode 11

“A show starring puppets controlled by hands you can't see.”
ep. review

Villainess Level 99 ‒ Episode 11

Yumiella found herself stumbling around a confession of love for Patrick, attempting to figure out how he felt about her and managing to nearly botch the entire thing.
ep. review

Gushing Over Magical Girls ‒ Episode 12

The aftermath of any big scene has to include time for some comedown and aftercare, and that's exactly what the girls of the Gushing world are working towards this week.
ep. review

Sengoku Youko ‒ Episode 11

You'd think undergoing supernatural training, multiple new power-ups, and losing an appendage last week would prompt our heroes to chill out for a bit and collect themselves, but nope.
ep. review

SAND LAND: THE SERIES ‒ Episode 7

With episode 7, Sand Land moves beyond what both the manga and film covered. However, this means there is a major issue to overcome right off the bat.
ep. review

Shangri-La Frontier ‒ Episode 23

Hey, remember when there was a massive in-game world-changing event that happened just a few episodes ago that was set to change the entire trajectory of how our players would interact with the world moving forward? Those were good times, right?
ep. review

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ‒ Episode 27

Serie offers Fern all she has to become her apprentice—limitless knowledge and power. And Fern's immediate response? “What? No.”
ep. review

Solo Leveling ‒ Episode 10

Jinwoo's life along with his current lifestyle is on the chopping block.
ep. review

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life ‒ Episode 11

The way Arnold refers to Rishe as “my future wife” indicates his disbelief that the future will ever come to pass.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1097

One Piece episode 1097 is a solid entry, though it is almost entirely exposition with mixed levels of engagement.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries ‒ Episode 23

Lakan's history is wholly tragic, from his father's rejection to the de facto loss of his would-be wife and daughter.
ep. review

The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 ‒ Episode 23

If Kyotaro is supposed to be the insecure teenage boy who tries to hide behind a veneer of dark complexity, then Adachi is the type who tries to hide his insecurities with bravado.
ep. review

Ninja Kamui ‒ Episode 6

It's one thing for the show to fridge Higan's family for motivation but it's another thing to do the same to Emma.
ep. review

Bucchigiri?! ‒ Episode 9

Arajin has distanced himself from his Matakara so much that he has to be pushed into even speaking to his friend again.
ep. review

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic ‒ Episode 11

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic is the right way to defeat the Black Knight!
ep. review

Delicious in Dungeon ‒ Episode 11

The party's plan to take down the dragon is a pretty smart one.
ep. review

Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga ‒ Episode 11

Rin's attempt to “bring Renzo back” by impersonating him was the highlight of the episode.
ep. review

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 2 ‒ Episode 22

It's not just about the strong protecting the weak, it's about accepting and respecting others and using your power for them.
ep. review

A Sign of Affection ‒ Episode 11

This week transitions through several different plot points without changing or resolving much of anything and winds up feeling pretty aimless.
ep. review

Brave Bang Bravern! ‒ Episode 10

We get a preview of the bad ending so to speak, a vision of things going awry should Lulu, Bravern, and Isami fail.
ep. review

Undead Unluck ‒ Episode 23

As with every other Negator in Undead Unluck, Akira's powers manifested in the exactly perfect way to ruin his life forever.
ep. review

The Witch and the Beast ‒ Episode 9

Unfortunately, the smartest writing in the world can't salvage this episode's “climactic” battle scenes.
ep. review

Gushing Over Magical Girls ‒ Episode 11

In this episode alone, the anime breaks new ground by featuring giant nun feet and characters getting swallowed up by giant slime monsters.
ep. review

Urusei Yatsura ‒ Episode 33

While it doesn't feel like any development is carrying over from one episode to the next, I do find myself respecting Ataru more as a character from episode to episode.
ep. review

Chained Soldier ‒ Episode 11

I have to give the segment props for one of the most idiotic and absurd power-ups I've ever seen. It involves Himari unleashing her fury and might with what I can only describe as An Afro Made of Guns.
ep. review

Metallic Rouge ‒ Episode 10

Watching a Metallic Rouge episode with an intelligible thematic and emotional core is a welcome surprise.
ep. review

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic ‒ Episodes 9-10

I've been saying it all season: Too little, too late.
ep. review

Sengoku Youko ‒ Episode 10

This episode does a lot to make up for the faults of the previous episode—putting our main characters back in the driver's seat while providing some solid spectacle.
ep. review

Shangri-La Frontier ‒ Episode 22

There's some nice setup and some cute moments but this feels like nothing more than a transitional episode overall.
ep. review

Villainess Level 99 ‒ Episode 10

Unlike other villainess/otome isekai stories, the game's plot is alive and well in this one, and it's forcing Alicia's hand.
ep. review

Ninja Kamui ‒ Episode 5

Despite a warning from his mysterious benefactor that this is a trap, Higan is so juiced up on revenge that he rushes in and starts carving up ninja mooks left and right.
ep. review

Solo Leveling ‒ Episode 9

With this new inner calmness, Jinwoo questions his humanity.
ep. review

Urusei Yatsura ‒ Episode 32

There's a surprising amount of guilt swirling around Ataru throughout this episode.
ep. review

The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 ‒ Episode 22

"Are we dating?" I nearly fell out of my seat from pure cuteness overload just hearing that line because those three simple words perfectly sum up this entire episode.
ep. review

Bucchigiri?! ‒ Episode 8

This is the beating heart and personal tragedy the show has needed for a long time.
ep. review

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life ‒ Episode 10

She has been forcibly reminded of Michel's dangerous discovery – black powder.
ep. review

Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga ‒ Episode 10

Izumo gets one final, emotional opportunity to connect with her mother.
ep. review

The Witch and the Beast ‒ Episode 8

Helga gets her first kiss, and Guideau prepares to step out of the coffin for the first time since the premiere.
ep. review

A Sign of Affection ‒ Episode 10

When Itsuomi just casually brought the phone to Yuki without playing interference, it was genuinely a shock.
ep. review

Undead Unluck ‒ Episode 22

This episode takes a more abstract route by focusing on a duel between psychic incarnations of Andy and Victor.
ep. review

The Apothecary Diaries ‒ Episode 22

The most important reveal this week is that Lakan has prosopagnosia or face blindness.
ep. review

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 2 ‒ Episode 21

His simple-minded reaction to the reveal, even in the face of the superpowered opponent he's staring down, maintains the series' approach to flippant comedy.
ep. review

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ‒ Episode 26

Rather than an endless stream of zoltraak magic, we see spells unlike anything we have seen before.
ep. review

Delicious in Dungeon ‒ Episode 10

The party meticulously plans an attack on graph paper that will inevitably go sideways the second they step into the room.
ep. review

Brave Bang Bravern! ‒ Episode 9

A giant mecha robot lady experiences human emotions for the first time and has a magical space climax.
ep. review

Chained Soldier ‒ Episode 10

This week's “reward” was maybe the least sexy bit of fan service that Chained Soldier has ever delivered.
ep. review

Gushing Over Magical Girls ‒ Episode 10

Utena's going to get someone together canonically in this show, and if that includes a full-on lesbian sex scene, well, at least she's taking care of all of you in the audience as well.
ep. review

Metallic Rouge ‒ Episode 9

The plot moves, but it moves too fast to find footing. The characters are all here, but they're flattened. The themes and social commentary are apparent but neutered, simplified, and frequently contradictory.
ep. review

Sengoku Youko ‒ Episode 9

This should be a pivotal, emotionally compelling sequence for the audience as all the disparate parts of Jinka's arc come to fruition, but it falls terribly flat.
ep. review

Villainess Level 99 ‒ Episode 9

Patrick's not her only friend, which may be confusing to her, mostly because she's reluctant to see Eleonora as a friend.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1096

Just 10/10 stuff all around.
ep. review

Shangri-La Frontier ‒ Episode 21

From the little that we've seen, Katzo is a professional gamer, and it would be cool if we could see that expertise play a part in the game, comparing them to Sunraku's game exploit intuition and Arthur's trickery.
ep. review

The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 ‒ Episode 21

Love can be dangerous, as Kyotaro and Anna have to face a stalker.
ep. review

Urusei Yatsura ‒ Episode 31

My favorite joke in the episode is the game of spot-the-difference, where it just became a case of "Hey, look at this," and most of it wasn't very funny.
ep. review

Ninja Kamui ‒ Episode 4

Without the dazzle of cool ninja fights to distract from it, all of the issues with the show's writing are laid bare.
ep. review

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ‒ Episode 25

It's not the planning or magic slinging that is the highlight of the episode. Rather, it's the flashback to the last meeting of Frieren and Serie.
ep. review

Solo Leveling ‒ Episode 8

The episode also looks back at the characters who went with Jinwoo into the double dungeon to see how their goals have changed—or haven't—due to their harrowing experience.
ep. review

Bucchigiri?! ‒ Episode 7

Instead of advancing any of our characters' arcs after the climactic fight, it returns to the same holding pattern as before.
ep. review

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life ‒ Episode 9

To Kyle, Arnold is the embodiment of shadow, cloaking any potential help under a dark surface that adds a chill to the air.

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