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”
Category: Uncategorized
Which is the better Full Metal Alchemist?
There is a great debate raging among Star Crossed authors – which is the better Full Metal Alchemist series?
Join us on discord: https://discord.gg/y4TtTgxcp4, go to that #chat-box room, and go to pinned messages (at the top right) to vote! Give us an “O” for original and “B” for Brotherhood!
Make your voice heard! (Original gang, rise up! ^_^)
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]”
META – Chat Box Update
This post isn’t about anime, but about the little chatbox on the right of the site. There’s nothing wrong with it, but this is 2021, so we’re trying out new things! Specifically, for those of you on Discord, a new channel called #chat-box was made. We’re looking at replacing the Chatango box with an on-site client for that. Read on!
Continue reading “META – Chat Box Update”
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”
Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World 2 – 04 [Parent and Child]
Let me introduce you to the best episode of the second season so far, if not one the best episodes in the series.(Episode 15 remains my top pick with 18 second but this is certainly up there) Re:Zero can sometimes be considered a deconstruction or subversion of the Isekai genre, I myself may have referred to it as such maybe if I look through my old posts, but the fact of the matter is that if it was so then it was subverting tropes that had not even been established yet. Re:Zero is actually one of the granddaddys of the Isekai Genre alongside what can be considered the real kickstarter, Mushoku Tensei(People often wrongly attribute Sword Art Online with the monicar and while the webnovel of that certainly came before Mushoku Tensei, the factors and tropes commonly associated with the genre as well as the popularisation of the concept that lead to many MANY imitators most definitely belongs to Mushoku Tensei. Which is getting an anime by the way.) That was a tangent but essentially in a way Re:Zero acts as a criticism of what the genre would become just by the fact that the tropes that defined it hadn’t been set so the author simply addressed what by accounts most Isekai should address. Namely that a person who is Isekaied to another world did in fact have a life that could affect others before being transported away.
Continue reading “Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World 2 – 04 [Parent and Child]”
Summer 2020 Anime Coverage & First Episode Awards
Mario: I’m pretty sure that since I have taken this blogging job back in 2016, this is by far the season with the least number of shows airing. But on the bright side, this season is where we have the most writers blogging, as Aidan comes out of his hibernation for his beloved Rem Re:Zero, and most of us at least take one show under our belt. Without further ado, here’s the Spring Seasonal Coverage of Star-Crossed Anime:
SUMMER 2020 BLOGGING SCHEDULE
Aidan: Re:Zero 2
Mario: Oregairu 3, Weekly Summary
Lenlo: Fugou Keiji: Balance:UNLIMITED, Japan Sinks, Gunslinger Girl (Throwback Thursday), and irregularly, A Woman Called Mine Fujiko
Wooper: Great Pretender, The God of High School
Amun: Fire Force 2
Armitage: Deca-Dence, Manga Musings on Monday
FIRST EPISODE AWARDS
Best First Episode
(The Death Note Award)
(The Death Note Award)
GOD OF HIGH SCHOOL
Likely Spent All Their Efforts on the First Episode
(The Kyoukai No Kanata Award)
(The Kyoukai No Kanata Award)
GOD OF HIGH SCHOOL
Best Animation
(The Samurai Champloo Award)
(The Samurai Champloo Award)
DECA-DENCE
Season Sleeper
(The Gargantia Award)
(The Gargantia Award)
GIBIATE
Worst First Episode
(The Bleach Award)
(The Bleach Award)
DOKYUU HENTAI HXEROS
Exceeded Expectations
(The Hyouka Award)
(The Hyouka Award)
GOD OF HIGH SCHOOL
Most Disappointing First Episode
(The Berserk Award)
(The Berserk Award)
NO GUNS LIFE S2
Best Continuation
(The Natsume Book of Friends Award)
(The Natsume Book of Friends Award)
OREGAIRU S3
Best Background Art
(Made in Abyss Award)
(Made in Abyss Award)
JAPAN SINKS
