First Impressions

Megalo Box is a Love Letter to Anime’s Past

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Remember two years ago when Studio Wit released Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress? To this day, that show’s greatest strength was its artwork and how it called back to the anime of the 80’s in both character design, shading and even how the characters evolved. It was a beauty to behold and I’m happy to hear that the series is going to continue despite the first season’s lackluster narrative.

The few anime from the 80’s I have seen I have LOVED. Gunbuster is easily one of my favorite OVAs ever made and even the 80’s anime I have not seen speak volumes through the artwork I’ve stumbled upon. For this reason, I am delighted that TMS Entertainment has decided to further pay homage to the animation of yesteryear with Megalo Box. Continue reading →

Mid-Season Checkup – DARLING in the FRANXX

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The spring Anime season is upon us and everyone is either watching Violet Evergarden now that it is on Netflix or the new season of My Hero Academia. Meanwhile, I’m over here still watching Darling in the Franxx, the collaboration between Trigger and A-1 that I covered a couple months ago. So before everyone forgets about it, I thought I would cover the show thus far and see how it has been shaping up as it enters the second half of its 24-episode run.
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First Impressions of DARLING in the FRANXX

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Studio Trigger, to me, is the darling (pun not intended) of the Anime industry. It didn’t start that way, mind you. The hype and praise surrounding it was merely built on the staff list and the ridiculous expectations of fans who were bound to be disappointed when Kill la Kill wasn’t perfection. Factor in several other duds like Ninja Slayer or the second Little Witch OVA and it starts feeling like Trigger was all talk.

Thankfully, with shows like Kiznaiver or Space Patrol Luluco, Trigger is starting to really earn the hype it garnered at the beginning. It is a studio overflowing with creativity, exploring new avenues and other genres with every project, even if they don’t always have a ton of money. Perhaps to rectify that specific issue, Trigger has partnered with A-1 Pictures to produce Darling in the Franxx, a brand new mech anime from the director of The Idolm@ster, Atsushi Nishigori.
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First Impressions of Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond

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It’s been two years since the end of Blood Blockade Battlefront, arguably the best show of 2015 and one of my personal favorite Anime of all time. You can check out my review of season one here.

Now, I won’t act like I didn’t have my doubts going into the currently airing sequel. I was cautious after hearing that Rie Matsumoto would not be directing this time around. The loss of one creative mind can mean a big difference in determining whether the ship will sail or sink. Thankfully, Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond has not just sailed in its first three episodes, it has soared.
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