Spiderus

STORY A string of tragedies leaves a young American boy the sole heir to his family's estate in the UK. It is an adventure of ups and downs for him to leave is friends behind and be forced to learn the life of an aristocrat.  CHARACTERS This series freatures Ceddie, a sweetheart who only sees the good in people, making him one of the only people to ever treat his grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, with honest compassion and trust. His grandpa is quite selfish and violent to start, but somehow the unrequited love coming from his grandchild sparks a change of heart in the old man. It isn't a quick... See full review

If I had the means, I would pay you to watch this with no further context. If you read the synopsis already, fine, but don't read the reviews and walk in blind! I promise it'll be the best worst hour and a half of your lonely night. STORY This is quite the statement piece by Tezuka, warning against the horrors that might come from DNA research experiments. The story follows Ryo as he is the only one to love his weird "cat", Bagi, whom his father brought from the street near the lab his wife works at. Bagi seemed like your completely  n o r m a l  pink kitten, until she kept growing... See full review

The Day the Earth Moved makes you really appreciate life and your basic needs being fulfilled every day. The concept of 'you're not promised tomorrow' is quite frankly terrifying. I could get hit by a car, have a work accident, or be crushed under my own house in an earthquake and I'd never see it coming. It can be crushing to wonder about these infinite possibilities, so this movie explores the importance of being kind, proactive, and positive in the limited day we have together. Ironically, it's in being so positive that I find fault with this show. My main beef is with some of its morals. On one hand... See full review

Story (7/10) Kai lives in a village near the sea that took his father's life 5 years ago. He still sees that day in his dreams - one of his fathers final acts was tossing Kai his esteemed ocarina used to speak with whales. In the present, after another storm much like the one before, Kai and his little brother discover a white whale calf stuck in a tide pool. It's mother hovers nearby, useless to free it. The brothers enjoy befriending the whale, Peek, until the secret is let out, a sea circus takes Peek, and it's up to Kai to return the whale to its mother. Animation (9/10) Gorgeous, gorgeous... See full review

Here's something that'll transform your average evening into one full of adrenaline and tears. Motorcycle Legend has so much to offer yet hardly anyone knows of it! It's a stand alone film that goes beyond simple brain candy. It's a brain feast. The story itself ain't novel, but if you do a cliché well it can still turn into a worthwhile film. I enjoyed the dynamics between the two main racers, where a punch to the gut is a hello and they never get along. They're cute, and badass at the same time. I'm also a simple sucker when it comes to gang and street brawls, bullies getting it handed to em, and... See full review

If you enjoyed Disney's Atlantis or Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky, here is a great show for you! The animation even feels like a mix between these two companies' styles, as well as the family friendliness they series emit. We also love to embrace the kiddy overall moral: never quit following your dreams, and they will come true. STORY Jane loves her brothers George (a typical circle glasses ancient legend enthusiast) and William (the mad-at-the-world adopted boy) unconditionally and can't believe it when George has been reported as executed just months after the start of his travels to the East... See full review

The movie remake of this series recaps the events of this series well, however there is a noteworthy difference in the experience of watching 52 episodes versus a 103 minute film. Foremost, by watching this version of Dog of Flanders you truely get to feel what daily life for Nello is like. The easy pace of every episode creates the illusion of following every moment of Nello's life, from his hard work delivering milk to Antwerp, playing with Allois, or drawing on the hillside, you're connection to this sweet, honest young boy develops right along with his growth as a child and as he finds his... See full review

STORY Anne, like many of our favorite protagonists, is an orphan. Throughout the series she will be handed from one family to another, often only being appreciated for being useful (cleaning the house, prepping dinner, washing infinite diaper rags, babysitting 4-8 children...). It's a long journey before Anne will find someone who truly loves her and can afford not to ditch her when hard times strike. She builds a handful of close relationships as she spreads joy in each town she's in, so you do shed a few tears each time she is torn from them and must move yet again. CHARACTERS Anne "with an e"... See full review

A demon with a scalpel and his assistant strawberry will save your life when no one else can... for the low low price of ¥100,000,000.

STORY Black Jack survived being exploded as a kid only because of the amazing skills of Dr. Honma. In the present, he has become just as skilled as that late doctor. BJ always charges killer amounts, but even though he can seem heartless in that sense sometimes you see light shine through his cold façade. Anyone who's sick didn't have a choice to be that way, so who can blame them? Why BJ charges so much is never explicitly stated, so we are left to... See full review

Sebastian is searching for a mother who'd promised to return to pick him up one day. He doesn't know what she looks like, but has left anyway... Why would he leave home so soon, before she could get back to him? The answer, or fault, to that would be a "White Monster" which Sebastian befriended  - this monster, Belle, is really just a sweet and highly intelligent Pyrenees dog. Honestly this dog alone is more cunning, heroic, and useful than the entire cast and Sebastian would have died 100 times if she hadn't been around to save him. Plotwise we have a sweet story of a young... See full review

A lazy boy learns about the power of helping others - aaand the power of rice. Taro is a lazy kid freeloading at his grandma's house. He's so slothful he doesn't even bother playing with other kids, and eats constantly instead. What kind of demon child is this that wakes up his own grandma at midnight demanding food?!? Get the chancla. Anyway, his village is in rough condition and although everyone works hard they still starve... it's too mountainous to grow rice there. While out playing with animals in a very Snow White fashion, Taro ends up going WWE on a wizard (it's based on a fairy tale alright?... See full review

The world is doomed... let us sit back and watch a 12 year old in a giant lion suit fight for our livelihoods, shall we? ....What? We are supposed to help him?? Fine... but only after half the season goes by. STORY Ken and his twin cousins have blood connections to an ancient good god, who had once battled to protect the Earth from - of course - an evil god! Millions of years later, Ken (piloting Liger, a biosuit left him from his god) and his friends must prevent the rebirth of said evil Dragon god... He feasts on human suffering and hatred, so his followers have begun crushing buildings and... See full review

Take Astro Boy and make it twice as tragic, mysterious, and dark. STORY Jiro wakes up with almost no memories, but it doesn't take long for him to realize he's a machine - a special one that sits in limbo between being a robot and a human, as he possesses a conscience like that of a true human heart. This heart of sorts is incomplete however, and he and the children of the doctor who created him must work to complete this device before Jiro is shaped by more evil than good. It's a difficult task when Jiro is wrestling with so many emotions while also feeling like he's a monster unfit to even be seen by... See full review

As much fun as this show presents, it actually delves into themes I didn't expect from a slice of life yokai drama. These themes hit especially hard to any students watching. The acknowledgement of the shallowness of relationships as you enter adulthood hurt to see as it's much too true for the friendships I have right now, and it's also generally relatable to our screen-focused society today. This series also reaches out to say that some people simply can't be saved,  no matter how much effort you put in - they've got to make those choices for themselves... it sucks to feel like you've failed by not... See full review

An adventure that is very "come and go". It seems that whenever Marco gets a lead to where is mother is she's moved and he has to set out once again in pursuit. This can seem repetitive, but on his journeys he is met with wonderful strangers who help him on his way. Such wholesomeness is truely healing to the spirit, and the simplest of acts like giving free bread or offering a shabby roof to sleep under are great gifts to poor Marco. It's a sweet show that's slowly paced as you watch this kid go alone from Italy to Argentina! I found the settings to be quite different from what we're used to... See full review

STORY World Masterpiece Theatre is back at it making our hearts ache over a tragic tale about a young child... Now that her father's passed away, Perrine will suffer hardship after hardship on her long journey to meet her estranged grandfather. If traveler life wasn't tough enough with bad weather and competing business rivals, there's also illness and rugged terrain to overcome. This does not even encompass the challenges that go along with being so poor (do we buy food or camera equipment necessary to make more money? where will we sleep tonight? etc.) The pacing might be slower than average, but there's... See full review

This was a show I avoided at first because I thought it might be too giddy and happy-go-lucky since it's about a super optimistic street performer girl having adventures. But BOY was I totally wrong. STORY World Masterpiece Theatre strikes again with a tale about an orphan that'll bring you both great times and tears. In this series we follow Remi as her life changes day to day - things get progressively more challenging, but amidst it all she sticks with her ever positive mentality and "moving forward" attitude. I refrain from going into much detail on the actual story itself to save... See full review

STORY A kid who feels no remorse for the tricks he has always played on the farm animals finally faces karma in the form of a tiny mythical creature called a tomte. He catches it and picks on it of course, and earns himself a curse: to be skunk down the tomte size himself! Now his journey of neverending challenges begins as he comes to understand the animals he once cared so little for. On his journeys with the flock of geese he accidentally joined, he'll encounter countless dangers which will help reshape his flawed, selfish personality. The show comes to be full of environmental messages in addition to... See full review

"Wherefore art thou, Umao-san?" "Ushiko-san--!"  STORY Kyosuke and his family move to a new town, yet again, after their paranormal powers had been noticed where they previously lived. What do these said powers entail, you may wonder? From teleporting into the wrong bathrooms or hypnotizing himself accidentally to obey any command, to swapping bodies with his toddler cousin or traveling through time to fix some mistakes, there are many troublesome, and awkward, events to be had. Follow this indecisive kid as he makes new "relationships" at this new school full of... See full review

Sum: If screaming loudly and spamming the same moves won't save the day, my undying spirit and friendship sure will! STORY I understand that this series was most definitely targeted towards an audience younger than myself, however the number of unexplained things in this story made the whole experience feel too baseless to be properly enjoyed. The plot is already following the good old cliche of a dark overlord vs. a band of virtuous teenagers in the special power suits. These said suits, the very focus of the show, is where my main issue arises - how the heck did these kids end up with them? ...We do get... See full review

If the previous posts have yet to convince you of this anime's greatness, I know I could never persuade you with my mediocre reviewing skills. So, I'm not even gonna try. I'm simply going to keep shouting this from the rooftop- SIT YO WEEB SELF DOWN RIGHT NOW, AND WATCH. THIS. MASTERPIECE. THANK YOU~♡ Special note: I'm not a superfan of romance and I even loved this! It's not in your face and it's really only there for the drama and extra conflict.

I would say this is a solid white chocolate Kit Kat anime - not as good as it would be if it were milk chocolate Kit Kat level, but tastey and sweet nonetheless. STORY We know the drill - your normal high school boy gets absorbed in a dangerous adventure against his will and grows to accept it. The plot follows Ushio as he fends off monsters, rival Beast Spear candidates, and avoids being eaten by the yokai he freed from his shed basement... Tora. There's pretty much constant fighting going on even as you get into some of the backstory behind the spear, which I actually quite liked.  ANIMATION Pretty... See full review

I've been on a youkai-theme anime binge lately and this one was truely fantastic! ...Where are the fans?? STORY I love being thrown into a new world just like the main character is. Arata just got hired for a new job, not fully understanding the scope of what it entails... It's an obvious shock then to find out that fairies, gods, and demons are real! And... he can talk to them?! The rest of the plot follows Arata and his coworkers, mainly Seo (that's a man btw) and Kyouichi, as they solve mysteries and help youkai around the city stay peaceful in coexistence with humans. The pacing (not revealing too much... See full review

STORY A remote village possesses special "gods" that certain people, Seki, command with their mind. Each has differing abilities and strengths, but all are made of... wood. Not wanting to follow the path the village laid before him, Kyohei chooses to leave to try to forget all his very traumatic histories there. He attends a university in Tokyo and awkwardly befriends a D-cup chick at a drinking party and it's all la-dee-da until his insane childhood buddy Aki breaks out of prison and starts trying to drag him back into the world he was trying to escape... The storytelling of this series was... See full review

Note: review based on both seasons! No spoils~☆ There are plenty of critical reviews about this show - it's a stereotypical story with a character duo that's been used a thousand times - but I'll tell you that this series was still very enjoyable! Yes, the mc is cliché as vanilla ice cream, but his mannerisms and the gradual overcoming of his fear of yokai were really fun to watch. He's just a thoughtful emotional bean like any one of us, with his own family issues like most too. His partner/boss is just hot and cool, and is always trying to shoulder tough times on his own. This ain't any new... See full review

STORY ...I sat here for a solid 5 minutes and couldn't find the brain cells to tell you what this is about. This ain't a show I'm suggesting you watch, so the remainder of this review does contain spoilers. The plot of this series was just... a disappointment. With such slow pacing I was always hoping for things to pick up around the next corner, but like everything else in this show it's more of a Spiral that leaves you endlessly searching for more, and all you find is the emptiness in the center. The ideas of aliens living among humans, secret galactic relations, and ancient Shingu powers all sound... See full review

STORY Mikan's smart but cold-hearted best friend moved away suddenly, leaving her in the dark and seemingly ignoring her all summer. Turns out, Hotaru wasn't just a genius - she's a magical genius - and is stuck in an academy where you cannot contact the outside world! The only way to see her is obviously running away from home and getting enrolled then. This is where Mikan is pulled into a whole new world full of extraordinary individuals, tough classmates, and a very heirarchal system with her at the bottom. Follow this overly optimistic girl as she faces the bullying of her more gifted peers, the... See full review

*Based on both seasons STORY A mere peasant with the writing talent of a log won't be able to explain this without giving things away, so you'll have to trust me when I tell you that the plot of this series is top tier, totally mindblowing, and possesses so much originality I'm still in awe. The writing is mastermind, the pacing perfect. Several layers of complexity are weaving together as characters are in a constant state of action and mystery. The syrup on top is a story that never strays off course, keeping you purely sucked in. I've never been taken on such a riveting trip, so if you crave for any... See full review

STORY Note you do NOT need to have any prior Black Jack knowledge to watch this - I didn't. As a medical student, it is against the law for Hazama to perform surgery yet. However his luck of being thrown into dire situations with people dying right before his eyes is insane, and he isn't going to let some measly law stop him from saving their lives - be it an incredibly difficult case that no other doctor is willing to attempt, an enemy at war, or a complete stranger, all their lives matter to him. What makes this plot so amazing, besides the constant drama and intensity, is the topics it touches... See full review

The challenges of a whimsical, germaphobic soccer player. Even the soccer gods favor Cleanliness Boy- I mean Aoyama-kun. Obviously from the title you can tell this ain't any average sports anime. Each episode highlights Aoyama being flamboyantly perfect and cool, or dives into the minds of any of the other side characters. Half his teammates provide you with slapstick comedy, and the others have a bit more angst and passion. Really only Aoyama holds their team's rank together - but ironically the soccer playing, winning and losing, isn't the point of this series. This is a show that centers on its cast... See full review