the very relatable frustrations of an office lady

spoilers for series 4

I didn't feel series 4 as much as the previous ones. I liked the 1st half where everyone finally accepts that Haida is shy and they just let him be. I didn't like the preposterous 2nd half. Since when is Aggretsuko about Retsuko kicking her boss n her boyfriend out of a skyscrapper window to their death? Or that Mission Impossible scene? Hwhy Netflix Hwhy?

symbolism for days

solid sci-fi concepts from the colossus Masamune Shirou

this alludes to so many themes: the sex/yakuza/idol industry connection; working conditions for idols; catering to fantasies; fans; gender, identity and gender role expectations... enjoy!

zero fanservice. this anime is close to perfection for me

the one which Osamu Tezuka was least involved with and therefore the one which sucks the least out of the Animerama Trilogy *runs away*

the series is barely animated for the action to be of any interest but with outstanding music, dem cel-painted 90s backgrounds and a faithful adaptation of one of the best arcs in all of manga, this is bloody good. the perfect foil for older anime fans to moan about how 'they don't make them like this anymore'

what's that, the Golden Age arc again? oh, alright then

remember when Caska had dark skin? I swear she gets whiter with each iteration 

I too shed a single, manly tear for the last decent adaptation of Berserk

just another day at the office

a fleeting but beautiful moment for players who bat for both sides. also character development blah blah whatever 

'just this once, everybody lives!' The Doctor. I guess that's one way to end a dark action fantasy

my regulator Yuasa blew it out of the water again. if you can see past the sex and violence

a monster-of-the-week series with equal parts sweet-as sword fights and heart-wrenching human drama 

I like this. it's good fantasy. people be adventuring, people be grappling with morals, there be dragons, OMG THE MUSIC pump it straight to my veins

series 3: oh sorry, was series 2 not esoteric enough for you?

chilling wartime propaganda. of course they didn't animate a neighbour being reported and then carted off screaming by the authorities, never to be seen again

some out-there humour. just up my street. wtf was that ending, though?

gayer and better than that 'make an orderly queue for the D'/stay night. thanks Gen!

the Major is finally allowed to wear bottoms

each character's priority is to put everyone else in their place. delightful interactions ensue

Kintarou goes on an odd-jobbing adventure around Japan after dropping out of uni

yes, it's not like the manga, sob, sob. like Stephen King said: if you loved the book, it's still there for your perusal

SPOILERS FOR FINAL EPISODE

so you're telling me that during that 2 day long rape or any time after the thought never crossed Kiruko's mind 'Robin sure isn't acting like himself, you know how I am in someone else's body, maybe someone else is in Robin's body... also Robin is suddenly rubbish at defending himself'. that would be consistent with Kiruko being smart and cool-headed like he has been in every other episode, rather than just 'why did Robin make that face when he saw me' end of thought train

Mediator-san is clever and cynical, a lady after my own heart. the episodes are shown in reverse chronological order

I'm never too old for an anime that has friendship and positivity coming out of its ears, but HxH is on this list because it has consistently good and nuanced characters; they carry the plot, not the other way round

the plot slowly unravels into what I think is the best finale in anime. the 'wolf howl' at the end is genius

I love reading reviews, opinions etc on anime to see how they compare to my own. while we were all watching the same Jouran, it transpired I was having the opposite experience to the opinions I was reading. I binge watched it and enjoyed it! it seems like people were saying both that the twists are predictable and that the anime didn't go in the direction they wanted it to -_-. there are 2 things that made it enjoyable for me:

SPOILERS

1. I like the pacing.

ep.1 was the weakest for me because it looked like it might be the same old edgy premise that descends into cheese like Sirius the Jaeger or To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts but it improves from ep.2 when it starts making sense and again from ep.6 when the straightforward revenge plot is resolved. the creators have themes to explore and only 12 eps to do it, there's no time for crotch shots

2. I like the emotional core.

I like the characters and therefore the slow moments where they interact with each other. there's breathing room between fights to explore the themes and I was so immersed in the dialogue that I didn't stop to knit-pick the plot inconsistencies, of which there are some

I have opinions about the characters and this is my platform - SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING

Sawa - the main message of the story - revenge is a waste of time and ultimately unsatisfactory; spend your time appreciating the little things and those you love, as you may die at any moment. that's why her death scene is so prolonged, she rushes home and tries to squeeze in as many happy memories with Asahi as she can, as only in that moment it fully dawns on her that her life is not to be squandered. death done well

Jin - the world of Jouran is a morally ambiguous one where life is very cheap and power is all that matters. Jin is a survivor, that's his whole point. the only freedom he carves for himself is to (not) kill people in defiance of his master. that's why his suicide is so dumb. for him to 'win' he must realise that his life is worthwhile too and keep living despite his past actions. I hope if there's a 2nd series it turns out he didn't kill himself, otherwise, death done badly

Makoto - just when I thought they presented the character well - you only find out he's not born a man when Jin humiliates him - they go and give the only trans character the tragic sexual/romantic obsession subplot. really original, thanks. and they were really determined to see this cliche to the end even though it doesn't make sense - he gives Sawa the way out, wanting her to live a quiet life but then does a 180 and says her living a quiet life does not fit his fantasy anymore. also, Makoto's transformation is a very feminine form, which to Makoto himself would be most monstruous and abominable but there is no precedent to this established with the other transformations. Makoto, you deserve better

Elena - she's great and her relationship with Sawa is great. I guess she's the closest thing to a comic relief character

Asahi - her struggle between the duty to avenge her parents and the suppressed realisation that she's better off without them is well presented, I thought. I don't like the blue eye bullshit at the end but I guess they have to set up something in case there's a 2nd series. Sawa's tribe are posited as the right way to live, they don't use their powers to impose utopia on anyone else, rather, they remove themselves from the equation by living in isolation. so Asahi ending up in the village is the true happy ending

Rinko - when you can't be bothered to give a character a personality so you give them a gimmick, like drinking. why does she pursue Sawa after Tokugawa is defeated? because revenge needs to be Sawa's undoing. miss plot device is worst character

KADO the series is a bit like Interstellar the film: an interesting, science-heavy plot unfolds, until the whole 'the power of love is stronger than science/logic' has a steaming piss all over it