Amun: As I laze around this season, Firechick is back with a different kind of review – a game!
Continue reading “Guest Post: Unearthed Treasure with Firechick – Digimon Survive (85/100)”
Category: Anime Reviews
Guest Post: Unearthed Treasure with Firechick – Do It Yourself (78/100)
Amun: Hey, it’s the first show of these guest posts that I’ve seen! Firechick is back with last year’s “Do It Yourself” (I have a ton to say, so join me in the comments!)
Continue reading “Guest Post: Unearthed Treasure with Firechick – Do It Yourself (78/100)”
Guest Post: Unearthed Baubles with Firechick – The Golden Bird (70/100)
Amun: For a change of pace as we start off our summer season, Firechick takes a quick trip back to the 80s with The Golden Bird.
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Vinland Saga S2 Anime Review – 92/100
The last time a seasonal anime impressed me, affected me, this much was 2018’s Run With the Wind. Not because of any surface level similarities, one is about kids in college running track and this is about Vikings and farming. Rather it’s because of their similar themes of finding oneself, of accepting who you were and resolving to be better, of just taking that next step regardless of how hard it seems. Upon hearing that it should then, for those that know me or have looked at my previous reviews, come as no surprise that I absolutely loved this season of Vinland Saga. Directed once again by Shuuhei Yabuta, his 2nd ever directorial credit, and this time animated by Studio MAPPA, Vinland Saga returns to once again dominate its season. But this time it does so with plows, not swords, sweat rather than blood, and wheat instead of arrows.
Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Vinland Saga Seasons 1 and 2. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Vinland Saga S2 Anime Review – 92/100”
Spring 2023 Super Post with Amun
Welcome to my last-minute reflections on Spring of 2023. There are many reviews in this post instead of a focus on a specific show (hence, the “Super Post” designation), so be warned of the length!
TL;DR: I was pretty disappointed by several of the marquee shows, so the following post may be flame inducing. I’m not that worried, but if differing opinions on anime triggers you (not to be confused with the studio, lol) then be warned…I might have some not nice things to say about some of this season’s shows.
Let’s go!
Continue reading “Spring 2023 Super Post with Amun”
Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 Anime Review 48/100
Another year, another season of Kimetsu no Yaiba. As what is most likely the most popular, and profitable, current Shounen series being produced, it’s no surprise Kimetsu no Yaiba got a 3rd season. The thing probably prints money. So you would expect at least some of that money to make its way back into the series, either in the form of grander visuals, longer schedules, larger time frames, better writing, etc. Yet the sad truth is that we don’t appear to be getting any of that. In fact it appears to me that this 3rd season, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith Village, is the worst season we’ve got yet. Why could that be? It’s still directed by Haruo Sotozaki, still animated by Ufotable, and the original story still Koyoharu Gotouge. So why then is this the least excited I’ve ever been for the series? Let’s dive in and find out, but before you go on, which demon slayer hashira are you?
Be warned, this review contains major unmarked spoilers for Kimetsu no Yaiba Seasons 1/2 and minor unmarked spoilers for Season 3. It also contains major Season 3 spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 Anime Review 48/100”
Dr. STONE S3 Anime Review 75/100
Whether or not it’s actually the case, hat tricks feel kind of rare in anime. A 1st season? Simple enough, get your adaptation. A 2nd? Good job, you held out, already in the upper half. A 3rd?! Well that’s when you start thinking a show might actually get adapted all the way to end. And it’s those hallowed halls that Dr. STONE is stepping into. Animated by TMS Entertainment with original story by Riichirou Inagaki and original art by Boichi, Dr. STONE returns with a new director at the helm, Shuuhei Matsushita. How will his take on the best non-battle-battle Shounen currently being made compare to that of the original director, Shinya Iino? Can he bring it back from the brink after the dip that was Season 2? Well I’ll give you hint: Abso-freaking-lutely. This is the best season of Dr. STONE yet. So without further ado, let’s jump in!
Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Dr. STONE. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Dr. STONE S3 Anime Review 75/100”
Guest Post: Unearthed Treasure with Firechick – Kamichu! (84/100)
Amun: Firechick is back with another throwback: Kamichu! Check it out!
Rating: 84/100
Kamichu is an anime that I vaguely knew about, mainly through looking through Anime News Network, but it didn’t really catch my interest when I was younger. If I had watched this when I was a kid, I probably wouldn’t have liked it. But I was bored one day and decided to sit down and watch Kamichu, since I wanted something different to watch…and I’m really glad I did, because Kamichu is absolutely adorable and criminally underrated. It hasn’t even gotten a blu-ray release over here, and the last time it got released in America was in 2008, when FUNimation rescued it along with other Geneon titles to put out since Geneon kicked the bucket. I even like this series enough that I actually bought the old FUNi DVD boxset recently.
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Wolf’s Rain Anime Review – 89/100 – Throwback Thursday
The early 2000’s were a rough time for anime. It produced some incredible works, from Welcome to the NHK to Tokyo Godfathers, my favorite animated movie ever. However it was also smack-dab in the middle of the industries transition from cel animation to digital. Entire pipelines changed, the animation process became completely different, leading to a glut of poorly produced, visually abysmal series. It was in this time that Studio Bones was born. One of the more prolific studios still working today, Bones had to get it’s start somewhere. And it’s one of their earliest works that I am here to talk to you about today. I present to you, originally written by Keiko Nobumoto, directed by Tensai Okamura, with music written and performed by Youko Kanno, the early 2000’s Sci-Fi adventure: Wolf’s Rain. Let’s dive into it!
Oh and really quick before we get to deep, just ignore the Omegaverse tags if those are still there. Those are stupid and have nothing to do with the series. There is no Alpha/Beta/Omega crap. Just enjoy the cool Wolves dangit. Onwards we go!
Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Wolf’s Rain. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Additionally this review also covers the 4 episode OVA containing the true ending to the series.. Continue reading “Wolf’s Rain Anime Review – 89/100 – Throwback Thursday”
Guest Post: Unearthed Treasure with Firechick – Princess Arete (85/100)
Amun: Now for something a little different…a review from our very own chat-boxer extraordinaire, Firechick! Since I’m being lazy and taking the season off, I figured the least I could do is help some other voices be heard. Without further ado, here’s our first guest post of the season – Pricess Arete!
Hello everyone! For those who may not know me, I’m Firechick or Juliko. I’m just your average 30-year-old autistic woman who’s loved anime, manga, and video games since I was a child. I’ve followed the Star Crossed Anime Blog since 2007, and reading Psgels posts helped inform a lot of my current tastes in media, even if we didn’t always agree on which shows we considered good (For example, I love Jewelpet Twinkle but he didn’t). I also have a LiveJournal account, and I’ve been writing my own reviews on it since 2011, though I’ve been reviewing in general since 2010. I was just recently given the opportunity to actually post my reviews here, even with my non-existent experience with running a website and using HTML. How could I possibly pass this opportunity up? I’m going to call this Unearthed Treasure, where I review various anime, manga, and games similar to how Psgels did it, complete with his rating system. If I’m talking about something I feel is terrible, it’ll be Unearthed Garbage, and if its meh, Unearthed Baubles. I’ve written a LOT of reviews, so I have plenty of material to stick on here. I don’t know if I’ll have this be a weekly or bi-weekly series yet, as that’s still up in the air, but I do hope you enjoy my dumb little reviews regardless. So to begin my tenure on the blog I’ve followed for so long, I’m going to post a review I wrote back in November 15th, 2022, about an anime movie that Psgels talked about on here previously: Princess Arete.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Unearthed Treasure with Firechick – Princess Arete (85/100)”