Lenlo is sick! I’m sorry.

Hello everyone! So I’m sure you’ve noticed but both the Eighty Six and Kimetsu no Yaiba posts have been late. Well I’m afraid to say the same is going to happen to The Vision of Escaflowne and the reason is simple: I’m sick as shit. I just do not have it in me to write up the posts, I’m laid out. Combine that with Christmas and well… Suffice to say there will be no posts this week. Hopefully I will be feeling better and able to do a double feature next week for everything. Until then though you will have to go without me.

 

And that’s it for my announcement! I figured you all deserved to know why everything was delayed so heavily. I hope you all have a merry Christmas and I’ll see you next week, or 2022 at the latest.

Fall 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards

Seasons change, but Star Crossed Anime stays the same… is what I’d like to say, but things are changing around here, too. SuperMario, one of our veteran contributors, has decided to take a step back from episodic posts beginning this fall. He’ll still be assisting with season previews and first impressions on a quarterly basis, though, and we’ll be glad for his continued presence on the site. The rest of us will be plugging away at a sneaky-good batch of fall anime, plus a new Throwback Thursday series after Lenlo’s coverage of Haibane Renmei wraps up in a couple weeks. The results of our First Episode Awards can be found after the jump, as well, so click through for our early read on the season’s offerings. Will any of our picks land in the Anime of the Year post this January? You’ll have to stick around to find out!

Fall 2021 Lineup

Lenlo
– 86: Eighty Six
– Kimetsu no Yaiba S2
– Throwback Thursday

Wooper
– Heike Monogatari
– Weekly Summary column

Amun
– Ousama Ranking

Armitage
– Blue Period

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards”

Full Metal Daemon Muramasa Visual Novel Review – 90/100

It’s tough being a visual novel fan as we are the niche within a niche within a niche. Anime fans are likely to read manga and some even read light novels and some may even read web novels. But rarer than that is the anime fan that reads visual novels. So being a western VN fan can be quite painful when you see that some of the most highly lauded visual novels remain in a language you do not understand. Thankfully in recent times a lot of greatest hits of the Visual novel industry have been localised but among the white whales of long sought after localisations is Muramasa. Sadly the rights to localise this title lay in the hands of JAST who is a company rather known to take years for a single release and seem to have an iron grip on all Nitroplus works. Considering how long it takes for them to do a single release many thought that we may never be able to experience Muramasa. But straight out of nowhere JAST announced that Muramasa would release within a month pretty much catching the entire VN community off guard. Thus here we have it, the once claimed untranslatable VN is now available to read for English audiences. I might as well say from the outset that this is one of those VN were going in blind is the best option and while I will be avoiding spoilers it may be best to experience this on your own before looking at this review provided you are interested. That said if you don’t have an interest then maybe this little review of mine could get you intrigued. If you wish to know if I recommend this visual novel then my answer is absolutely yes. Continue reading “Full Metal Daemon Muramasa Visual Novel Review – 90/100”

Summer 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards

I’ll spare you the doom and gloom about this season’s anime lineup. Putting aside the dearth of worthwhile new series, summer is a time to relax and unwind, and it’s in that spirit that we’re only picking up three new shows: Sonny Boy, Aquatope, and Dragon Maid. Are there a handful of other bloggable titles among the weeds? For sure, but that’s why we have a Weekly Summary column, which Amun has volunteered to run this quarter. Apart from that, Star Crossed Anime’s next three months will be lighter than usual, but hey, fewer posts to read (and write) means more time to spend wrangling our unwieldy backlogs. Seasonal stuff will start coming down the pipe soon – hope you have a breezy summer.

EDIT: After a seismic third episode, it looks like Armitage now intends to blog Kageki Shoujo on a regular basis, so we’re one step closer to full strength. You love to see it!

Summer 2021 Lineup

Lenlo
– Sonny Boy
– New Throwback Thursday series (vote here)

Wooper
– Fumetsu no Anata e
– Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon S

Mario
– Shiroi Suna no Aquatope

Armitage
– Kageki Shoujo

Amun
– Weekly Summary column

Continue reading “Summer 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards”

Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song – 13 [Fluorite Eye’s Song]

There isn’t a weekly summary this week and after writing about it for two months, it wouldn’t be fitting to have nothing published for the final episode of Vivy. Many times before, I would see anime that have great opening episodes before crashing and burning as it crosses the finish line. Frankly, I’m just happy if a show could manage to hold itself together the entire way. Thankfully, Vivy managed to stick the landing even if it was predictable with its excellent execution of its themes and Wit Studio’s direction.

Continue reading “Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song – 13 [Fluorite Eye’s Song]”

Spring 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards

Wooper: Spring has finally sprung, and with it comes one of the biggest anime seasons in a long while. Over the past two weeks, we’ve published our thoughts on 30 different premieres, but there were a dozen others that we skipped for the sake of time and/or self-respect. Despite those omissions, however, I feel pretty good about our new lineup. We’ve got follow-ups to a pair of 2018’s best shows, adaptations of a beloved manga and an acclaimed light novel, and a promising original project that’s managed to fly under the radar thus far. Lenlo’s Throwback Thursday column will continue uninterrupted, and our weekly recaps will return as a home for everything we’re watching that isn’t receiving full write-ups. We’ve got the results of our First Episode Awards after the jump, as well – that’s our way of saying goodbye to the limbo of first impressions season, and hello to the grind of weekly-ish blogging. Wish us luck!

Spring 2021 Lineup

Lenlo
– 86: Eighty Six
– Megalo Box S2
– Throwback Thursday series (vote here)

Wooper
– Fumetsu no Anata e
– SSSS.Dynazenon

Amun
– Odd Taxi

Mario / Armitage
– On hiatus

Continue reading “Spring 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards”

Winter 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards

Wooper: Much of the recent talk around the Star Crossed water cooler has been unusually optimistic. Winter 2021 looks to be a promising season for anime – the best in a couple years, at least. Whether you’re into blockbuster franchises, slice of life sequels, or original projects, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy. In light of this excellent slate of shows, we’re taking on more blogging duties than usual. Writing machine Lenlo is up to four posts per week, and both Aidan and Mario are back to cover personal favorites. Our weekly recap columns will be returning soon, as well, so you can expect a veritable flood of content from us each week. Oh, and our Best of 2020 post is going live in just a few days, as well. We hope you enjoy!

Winter 2021 Lineup

Lenlo: Jujutsu Kaisen, Dr.STONE: Stone Wars, 2.43 Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu, Spice and Wolf (Throwback Thursday)

Mario: Beastars S2, Wonder Egg Priority

Wooper: SK8 the Infinity, Back Arrow Horimiya

Aidan: Re:Zero S2 Part 2

Amun: Weekly Summary duty

Armitage: Studying for entrance exams

Continue reading “Winter 2021 Coverage & First Episode Awards”

Fall 2020 Coverage & First Episode Awards

Wooper: Finally, our quarterly ritual of gorging on new premieres has come to a close, and we’ve emerged with a handful of blogging prospects. Our team will be covering the six shows in the grid above, plus Lenlo will carry on with his usual Throwback Thursday column. Our weekly recap posts will resume, as well, offering brief thoughts on Majo no Tabitabi, Dragon Quest, and others – I’ll do my utmost to keep them on schedule. Will this season fall short of expectations, or will it propel a handful of series into our eventual Top 10 for the year? Stick with us to find out, and click through to see the results of our First Episode Awards!

Fall 2020 Lineup

Lenlo: Jujutsu Kaisen, Twelve Kingdoms, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (intermittent)

Wooper: Akudama Drive, Taiso Samurai

Amun: DanMachi S3, Kamisama ni Natta Hi (w/ Armitage)

Armitage: Adachi to Shimamura, Kamisama ni Natta Hi (w/ Amun)

Mario: On vacation

Aidan: Waiting for Re:Zero S2

Continue reading “Fall 2020 Coverage & First Episode Awards”