Parakasha

Shangri-la Frontier is an interesting watch if you're keeping up with the world. It's not a particularly complex anime by any means, but it explores a genre so often-treaded, yet stands out among its contemporaries. No, not because it's a dumb fun show without a grim twist like other MMO-set media, nor is it a weird harem romcom power fantasy. It's interesting because of how it mirrors modern conventions of game design, tying them into its storytelling style to craft both a world and narrative that lends itself to further elaboration. But, you might ask, what do I mean by that? Shangri-la Frontier is set... See full review

This is a review I wrote on August 8th, 2022. I'm only posting it now for the sake of doing so. I've since read and caught up with the manga, and it's one of my favorite stories of all time. With that, I hope you can appreciate the early thoughts I had after finishing the first season and being left in awe. ... When I started Vinland Saga, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. It was like my every other decision to watch or read something: spontaneous. I knew nothing of what I was about to watch, only that it had Vikings. So, hopefully, you would be happy to hear how pleased per se I was with it... See full review

Time to talk about this absolute gigachad of an anime. I've given it about a week since I finished, and NOW I feel it is best to discuss Back Arrow. I said immediately after finishing it that I gave it a 9 out of 10, and I haven't backed down from that score. This is one of the most incredible shows I've seen in a long-ass time, but before I can get to any of that, I want to talk about the credentials on it.

Back Arrow is an original 24-episode anime that aired from the Winter to the Spring of 2021. It was directed by Gorou Taniguchi (Planetes, Infinite Ryvius, Gun x Sword, and most famously Code... See full review

This review is more of a quick summary of what the show is about and my thoughts on it. You can tell how much passion I have for the topics that Yofukashi no Uta handles, so I only hope that this will push others to see it in the same myriad lights I do or build upon it more meaningfully than I could (since its topics aren't exactly my forte). But here is my lite looking-into of Yofukashi no Uta, aka Call of the Night: As people exist, they are defined by the things they surround themselves with. To continue walking forward on your own path is a liminal experience we call growth. Everyone might be... See full review

I'll say it outright. I love Hajime no Ippo. Words can't do it any measure of justice, but while it might be folly to do so, I will try. Never has a show kept me at the edge of my seat for nearly its entire duration, and we aren't talking about some 12-to-24-episode hard-hitter. Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting is an unbridled 75-episode series that ran between 2000 and 2002, complete with three OVAs and successive sequel series I still haven't watched, all based on a manga that's been ongoing since 1989. It covers the first 30 volumes of the manga, or 35 if you throw in the OVAs, out of 61 volumes covered... See full review

Ranking of Kings is a very fun show. Formulaically, it's as Shounen as it gets, yet it boasts a mature understanding of a few important lessons everyone must learn. The most important of all these lessons, however, is forgiveness. The author is a genius for handling the themes he did with the elements he chose to present. One thing I adore about the show is how so many of the problems that arose came out of communication issues, but these issues laid only within everyone but Bojji. Bojji, who is deaf and therefore cannot talk, still perfectly gets his points across due to how he resonates his emotions with... See full review

Hourou Musuko, aka Wandering Son, is a show I appreciate and give special merit to for how it handles gender identity. However, over the course of the plot, I found that besides certain elements here and there pushing the heroine down, it was rather idyllic in structure. While Nitori, our protagonist, did go through a lot of bullying, in the end, most of everyone came around in support of her. It is really nice to be able to picture something like that happening, but given the setting, it's really hard to believe at times. Let me explain why that is, though. Hourou Musuko follows a cast of junior high... See full review

The events of what transpired in the final episode are still whirring through my mind. It has given me much to think over, as well as much to emotionally process. I came very near to crying many times over the course of the show. However, a certain part of me feels as though the message it has is partly no longer for me, as I've already gone through the process of learning its lesson. That is not to say, however, that I didn't appreciate what it was trying to say; I very much did. But that's enough of being cryptic. Allow me to explain what the show is about. Rakka is a Haibane born into a world where... See full review

On my escapade into Type/Moon media at the advent of my introduction to anime, I cannot say verily that I was gripped, or that I really understood its draw. I can only regrettably look back upon a past of poorly-fueled hatred for Kinoko Nasu's works. As of my reentrance into Type/Moon with the Kara no Kyoukai films some two years ago, I garnered a reappreciation for the media at large, coupled with the personal studies I took upon myself that only added to my new-found adoration. Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files has become a work that I deeply appreciate for its handling of one of my favorite characters... See full review