Category: Reviews by Lenlo

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” →

Megalo Box: Nomad Anime Review 83/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama, Megalo Box, Reviews by Lenlo

Megalo Box first aired in the Summer season of 2018. Part of the 50 year anniversary for the legendary series Ashita no Joe it was… satisfactory. It brought anime fans back to a different time, an older time, in ways good and bad. Yet despite ostensibly being an “Original” Megalo Box was so heavily tied to Ashita no Joe that it couldn’t escape the comparisons. The story felt like a retelling of something we got 50 years ago, smashed into a 13 episode season. And while some, myself included, still enjoyed the series it felt like something was missing. In Nomad we find that something. While while watching Nomad I felt like I was watching Megalo Box for the first time. The real Megalo Box, more than just a copy of Ashita no Joe, what the series was always meant to be. And I love it.

Created by TMS Entertainment, jointly written by Katsuhiko Manabe and Kensaku Kojima, and directed by You Moriyama I give to you my Summer 2021 Anime of the Season: Megalo Box: Nomad. Let’s dive in

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Megalo Box: Nomad. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents.

Continue reading “Megalo Box: Nomad Anime Review 83/100” →

86: Eighty Six Anime Review 65/100

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

War stories with giant robots and a dash of racism are pretty common in anime. You have everything from classics like Code Geass, Gundam and Gurenn Lagann (depending on how you define “classic”) to the more cult-hit works like Muv-Luv and uh… Gunbuster? Can you tell I don’t watch much mecha? Regardless this year sees a new show try its hand: 86: Eighty Six. A Light Novel adaptation written by Asato Asato, created by A-1 Pictures and Directed by Toshimasa Ishii, Eighty Six looks to take an existing idea and perfect it. And judging by all the press and the reactions I’ve seen in the community it appears to have done just that. But does it deserve the praise and accolades it has been receiving? Let’s find out!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Eighty Six. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “86: Eighty Six Anime Review 65/100” →

Spice and Wolf Season 1 Anime Review – 81/100 – Throwback Thursday

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

Ah the late 2000’s, I remember you well. For those that remember what anime conventions are like, at least before the world shut down, there’s always a yearly fad. 2019 had Demon Slayer haoris, 2016 had My Hero Academia classroom outfits and 2013 was the year of Attack on Titan jackets. Of course the 2000’s were no different. From Naruto to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya there was no escape. Today I want to talk about one of those fads. Originally written by Hasekura Isuna, directed by Takeo Takahashi and produced by the since silent studio Imagin, I bring to you one of the titular works of 2008: Spice and Wolf. So without further ado, lets jump into it!
Continue reading “Spice and Wolf Season 1 Anime Review – 81/100 – Throwback Thursday” →