Category: Reviews by Lenlo

RWBY: Ice Queendom Anime Review 43/100

by Lenlo, posted in Finished Series: Action, Reviews by Lenlo, RWBY: Ice Queendom

The year is 2013. You’ve just finished Highschool and you’re attending your favorite local convention, RTX, in line for the world premier of their new show. For the past 6 months you’ve binged their trailers. You’re hyped. You recently got into this “anime” thing, and you trust Monty Oum implicitly. How can you not? His passion is infectious. The doors open, you take your seat, the lights go down and the screen plays… RWBY. Fast forward almost a decade later. RWBY is on it’s 9th season and Monty Oum has tragically passed away. For one reason or another you’re just not in love with the series anymore, watching each season in a vain hope for the magic of years gone by. And then you see it. Studio Shaft, Directed by Toshimasa Suzuki, planned by Gen Urobuchi with designs by Steins;Gate’s Huke… RWBY: Ice Queendom. Hope. It doesn’t last long.

P.S. I decided to just skip a post for the final episode since it’s really just going over everything we already know and reintroducing us t the canon timeline of the show. The food fight was kinda nice, wish that effort had been put elsewhere though. On with the review!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for RWBY: Ice Queendom as well as Rooster Teeth’s original RWBY. Continue reading “RWBY: Ice Queendom Anime Review 43/100” →

Welcome to the NHK Anime Review 95/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday, Welcome to the NHK

When in your life you watch a show can matter just as much as the show itself. Perhaps you first found Tokyo Godfathers and its story of found family right after your parents divorce. Or Tatami Galaxy while in your freshman year of University. It could even be as simple as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood being your first anime ever. The show might be good, fantastic even, but the when is what made it timeless for you. How do I know this? Because that’s exactly how I felt as I watched Welcome to the NHK. Created by Tatsuhiko Takimoto and directed by Yuusuke Yamamoto, with music produced by Masao Fukuda and animated at Studio GONZO, I give to you one of my new Top 10 animated series ever made. Without further ado, lets dive in.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Welcome to the NHK. It also contains major spoilers in some sections, but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Additionally, this series contains depictions of depression, abuse and suicide, which I will mention in this review. You have been warned. Continue reading “Welcome to the NHK Anime Review 95/100 – Throwback Thursday” →

Dance Dance Danseur Anime Review 86/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Dance Dance Danseur, Finished Series: Romance, Reviews by Lenlo

Everyone has a type. Whether it be fighting games, Shounen battle anime, even who they like to date. Everyone has something that they can point to and say “I like that, give me more”. Well after 450 anime, after Welcome to the Ballroom, Princess Tutu and so much more, I think I’ve figured out one of mine: Fancy dancing. And after this season, I think I can narrow it down even more: Ballet dancing. The entire aesthetic is something I can’t get enough of. And it’s thanks to the subject of this review, my favorite anime of the Spring 2022 season, that I figured that out. Produced at Studio MAPPA, originally created by George Asakura, Directed by Munehisa Sakai of Zombie Land Saga with music by Michiru I give to you: Dance Dance Danseur. Let’s jump into it.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Dance Dance Danseur. It also contains major spoilers in some sections, but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Dance Dance Danseur Anime Review 86/100” →

Now and Then, Here and There Anime Review 71/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Now And Then, Here And There, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday

There are few anime that I’d describe as profoundly “uncomfortable”. I’m not talking about rampant pedophilia or the questionable relationship with the word “consent” in some series. I just ignore those. What I mean are works that, through their themes and stories, really make you understand what it means to live through these events. I’m talking about works like Serial Experiments Lain and its exploration of our relationship with technology. Or Perfect Blue and how it can feel to lose your own identity. And while this series doesn’t quite reach the same heights as those other two, it certainly makes a respectable try. Created and directed by Akitarou Daichi, animated at studio AIC and with music by Taku Iwasaki, I give to you the subject of today’s review, the turn of the millennium dystopian tragedy: Now and Then, Here and There. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Now and Then, Here and There. It also contains major spoilers in some sections, but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Additionally, this series contains depictions of rape and sexual abuse, which I will mention in this review. You have been warned. Continue reading “Now and Then, Here and There Anime Review 71/100 – Throwback Thursday” →

86: Eighty Six S2 Anime Review 42/100

by Lenlo, posted in 86 - Eighty Six, Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo

Sequels are always difficult to write reviews about. Usually, barring any major production or authorial changes, you can tell if you will like it just by your reaction to the first season. With minor shifts up or down for whatever the current content is about. My recent Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen review is evidence enough of that. But sometimes… sometimes you have the unfortunate case where a sequel falls short. Where for whatever reason, be it changes in production, writing staff or simply going on longer than it should, the series falls off. Animated at A-1 Pictures, directed by Toshimasa Ishii and originally created by Asato Asato, 86: Eighty Six Season 2 is, sadly, one such case. Why is that the case? What could have happened between season 1, something I enjoyed, and this to fall off as hard as it did? Well, lets jump in and talk about that.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Eighty Six Season 2. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “86: Eighty Six S2 Anime Review 42/100” →

Kimetsu no Yaiba S2 Anime Review 68/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Action, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Reviews by Lenlo

Sequels are beautiful, dangerous things. More often than not you already know what to expect. Is it a series you enjoyed? Then it’s a guaranteed good time. And if it’s something you didn’t? Then you can skip it without having to worry about what could have been. Indeed, it’s rare that a sequel goes off and does it’s own thing, that it wildly changes from whatever formula made it successful before. Why would you when it can bring you the sort of success Kimetsu no Yaiba is experiencing right now? That’s right, Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and animated by studio Ufotable, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen takes everything you loved about the first season and doubles down on it. Love the fights? The entire season is one big one. Love the visuals? I dare say this season has some of the best yet. And the narrative? We will get to that.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Kimetsu no Yaiba Seasons 1 and 2. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Kimetsu no Yaiba S2 Anime Review 68/100” →

The Vision of Escaflowne Anime Review 79/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo, The Vision of Escaflowne, Throwback Thursday

If you’re a fan of Mecha odds are you’ve heard of Shouji Kawamori. The man has done mechanical design for movies like Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell to a few Gundam Wing OVAs and even Eureka Seven. He’s been in the industry, working on robots, for over 40 years now. And in that time he’s come up with a few original series of his own! But of those only a few can truly be said to have been written by him. One is Aquarion. Another is Arjuna. And the last, and very first he ever did full composition for himself, is what we are here to talk about today. Directed by Kazuki Akane of Noein fame and animated by the studio defined by Mecha, Sunrise, I bring to you: The Vision of Escaflowne. Lets dive in.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for The Vision of Escaflowne. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “The Vision of Escaflowne Anime Review 79/100 – Throwback Thursday” →

Haibane Renmei Anime Review – 86/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense, Haibane Renmei, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday

Yoshitoshi ABe is, or at least should be, a pretty recognizable name. You’ve no doubt seen his work and influence across many series while watching anime. From the illustrations for the original novels of Welcome to the N.H.K. and All You Need Is Kill to providing original character designs for the technological horror series Texhnolyze and Serial Experiments Lain. ABe’s art has a distinctive, gritty quality to it that you don’t often see in modern Moe-fied anime. And for me that begs the question: What kind of stories is he trying to tell with this art? Well it seems we have our answer. Directed by Tomokazu Tokoro, animated by the now defunct studio Radix and created/storyboarded by Yoshitoshi ABe I give to you Haibane Renmei. So without further ado let’s talk about some cute angel girls within a not-so-cute story.
Continue reading “Haibane Renmei Anime Review – 86/100 – Throwback Thursday” →

Sonny Boy Anime Review – 38/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo, Sonny Boy

Let’s start this by just ripping the band aid off: Sonny Boy is a disappointment. Both created and directed by the acclaimed Shingo Natsume of Space Dandy fame and animated by Studio Madhouse, Sonny Boy was well equipped to become the darling of the Summer Season. And early on its run, it appeared to be just that! Intriguing plots and characters were introduced, the world began to expand, it was engaging! But then it kept expanding. Questions kept being asked and no answers were given. Time and space became figments of our imagination and Sonny Boy itself seemed to forget that it was supposed to be telling a story. The whole thing quickly transformed from “Abstract exploration of growing up” to “Meandering arthouse with no idea what it wants to say”. At least, that’s my take on it. The purpose of this review is to explain how I got there.

So lets jump in.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Sonny Boy. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents.
Continue reading “Sonny Boy Anime Review – 38/100” →

Spice and Wolf Season 2 Anime Review – 70/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Finished Series: Romance, Reviews by Lenlo, Spice and Wolf, Throwback Thursday

Sequels always have it rough. If they change to much they risk losing their original audience. Yet if they change to little then their old audience could grow bored. Sequels to established properties have it even worse as the story is already set out before them. If they change that then fans will get upset, yet more often than not this original work isn’t paced or planned for an episodic anime format. It is this trap, this catch 22, that the subject of this review falls into. Now produced by Studio Brain’s Base, originally written by Hasekura Isuna and once again directed by Takeo Takahashi I give to you Spice and Wolf Season 2. Now with 100% more animation! So without further ado lets talk about economics and fox-eared waifu’s!
Continue reading “Spice and Wolf Season 2 Anime Review – 70/100 – Throwback Thursday” →