Omohide.com

The quirk of reviewing longer series is that their appeal so often depends on the slowly developed attachment they allow you to form with their characters and setting – something which is often hard to communicate in words, and is a direct result of the gentle pace that these series can afford.  Kemono no Souja Erin takes full advantage of its length of fifty episodes – it takes us though many years in the life of its protagonist,…

Note: posts which contain episode numbers in the title may contain spoilers – read reviews instead for spoiler-free opinions.

Though the majority of this arc featured gentle development of Erin and her raising of Lilan, the end of episode 39 appears to signify that the show is ready to approach the resolution of the overarching plot.  The various threads of the story thus far – Erin, the Grand Duke, the Queen, Damiya, and…

Note: posts which contain episode numbers in the title may contain spoilers – read reviews instead for spoiler-free opinions.

I think I have a somewhat firmer idea of where the plot of Kemono no Souja Erin will be heading with regards to the overarching conflict, which will no doubt intersect at some point with Erin’s personal growth thusfar.  Much time has been spent building up the background between the Queen and the Grand Duke, and the factions…

Note: posts which contain episode numbers in the titles will likely discuss plot developments during those episodes – read reviews instead for spoiler-free articles.

I first sampled “Kemono no Souja Erin” some time back, when it had first begun to air.  As I was following another show at the time, I wasn’t able to give it more than a brief trial (one episode) and it drifted away from my mind.  However, it is…

Studio Ghibli,which for decades has been dominated by the “old crowd” – Suzuki, Miyazaki, and Takahata – has made occasional attempts at cultivating younger talent in the past.  Ocean Waves was initially envisioned as an exercise for younger staff, and occasional films such as The Cat Returns or Tales from Earthsea have all been attempts to bring new directors into the forefront.  However, the studio has never really managed to find a proper spiritual successor to Miyazaki,…

I’ve often claimed (with some degree of hyperbole) that Planetes is one of the best kept secrets of anime.  While it does not enjoy the same level of awareness and popularity as some of its monumental brothers in the same genre, tucked within this 26-episode series is one of the most satisfying character-oriented shows you will find.  This is an important aspect of Planetes – the show is about characters, unlike sci-fi shows which derive their drama…

Sword of the Stranger is a 2007 film by BONES centering around a young boy and two warriors who are drawn to him due to various circumstances.  The film is set in feudal Japan, with more than a few similarities to…..

On April 4th, 1978, Japan was introduced to a series called Future Boy Conan, a 26-episode series which marked the directorial debut of a man who was then a seasoned animator – Hayao Miyazaki.  The anime is a loose adaptation of a novel by Alexander Tide…

Yojou-han is an 11-episode series by Madhouse, directed by Masaaki Yuasa and adapted from a novel written by Tomihiko Morimi.  The story follows a nameless college student (fans usually refer to him simply as Watashi) as he pursues…..

The original Oofuri was a big hit with me, despite the fact that I generally have an aversion to sports stories.  While Touch, an Adachi series, involved baseball, Oofuri was the first series I watched that was unashamedly centered entirely on baseball..