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The Blood Spray of Goemon Ishikawa was a pretty good watch for a Lupin movie. That being said, there were a few things I was disappointed in. For example, we did not see much of Lupin in action or any of his antics. We mostly see Lupin as a side character along with the others while Goemon is the main character in the movie. While this should be ok, the reason I complain about this because in the previous movie, Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone, Lupin still had more of a hands on role even though Jigen was the main focus of the story. There wasn’t really ... any mystery to solve in this movie and the plot was straight forward. Goemon loses his honor with the death of his boss, then must reclaim his honor by taking on the assassin in a duel. Lupin and the gang were mainly just a plot device, as in they didn’t do much of anything except play damsel in distress. Another issue, I never quite understood why the bodyguards left their boss to die just for saying “Where’s Goemon?” They actually just walked away as their boss was being crushed by rubble. Where they jealous of Goemon? Even so, I do not believe we saw enough of the characters interacting with the boss of Goemon to really justify some sort of angst they would have against them. Another point, Fujiko had no purpose in the film besides being fan service. Don’t get me wrong, that is her major role in the series anyway, but it lacked the back stabbing, double crossing charm to it. Fujiko has the tendency to help shake up the plot and add some twist… She did none of that she had a few lines and aside from using a bong provocatively and incorrectly, Fujiko did not offer much fanservice either. Lstly, we never did find out who hired Hawk to assassinate Lupin and the gang…at all. We get a few hints that is could be potentially linked to the previous movie, but nothing concrete. Despite these concerns, just seeing the movie to mainly see Goemon in action was a treat well unto itself.

So despite the massive animation and ost improvements, is Diebuster better than Gunbuster? Well… Yes, but not without it’s drawbacks. I noticed while watching Diebuster, that my enjoyment was a LOT higher than when I watched Gunbuster. I soon realized that this was because the visuals were are a lot better and not as grating to watch. However, if you take away Diebuster’s improved animation, that’s the main thing it has. Even while I was watching Diebuster I still had questions, and found that much of the plot direction was confusing as hell. Only reason I didn’t object much was the fact the animation made ... the Mecha battles so much more pleasing to watch. For starters, Gunbuster stressed how in space, time moves differently, but in Diebuster that concept is almost never addressed except for the end but that can wait. As per usual, the fact we need kids to pilot a robot to save the universe is, ONCE AGAIN, never addressed. Honestly, it is no secret I like Diebuster way more than Gunbuster, but I have a good reason. I would describe Gunbuster as the precursor to the trainwreck that became Evangelion. While Diebuster, would be the precursor to the glory that is Gurren Lagann! Diebuster was just better in my opinion, they made their main protagonist into a kamen rider meets Master Asia from the Gundam series(look it up). Yes some points in the story became flat out ridiculous, but they were ridiculous in a good way like Gurren Lagann! Unlike Gunbuster, which was ridiculously similar to Evangelion and don’t get me started on that hot mess. Diebuster’s characters were more engaging, but I still feel like on Nono and Lal’C were really running the show. I did find it to be a nice homage to Gunbuster at the end where Lal’C used the same outfit Noriko used. However, I feel like the ending where it is hinted that Noriko and Amano are coming back after their 1,000 year hiatus, again no one ever explained the time lapse in space but who cares. All and all, Diebuster made me hopeful that if there is a Gunbuster 3, it can still be further improved and the third might be a winner. However, I’m not asking for it, Diebuster was a good enough end to the series.

Tokyo Ghoul:Void was a very entertaining read. Each story had it’s own uniqueness which can stand out on their own. However, the real beauty of the stories, is that they are all connected to each other. For example, Morimine manages to make appearances in almost all of the stories and it is not just him. It’s this sense of the stories being connected by a certain case which show that the characters are not isolated from each other. Each person has their role to play in the grand scheme of things. I highly recommend this book if you are fan of Tokyo Ghoul and if ... you are not I suggest you read it anyway and try to get into the series. Though mostly I mean read the manga then watch the anime(dear god) but I won’t rant about that again. I suppose one drawback of the interconnections of the story is, if you pay close attention to details, it can become a lot easier to know the direction of where each story is going MOST of the time. However, you need to pay attention to fine details to get some of the subtleties of the story and the various connections it makes. All and all I recommend giving this book a chance if you are looking for a short read to help occupy some free time.

I can’t say much if there even is an overarching plot. The formula follows that each major arc will usually revolve Tomoya having to help one of the girls solve a specific problem. By doing so we get and in depth look at all the female character’s backstory and motivation. Which helps to show off character development as we see the characters overcome their problems. The animation is very box standard in my opinion. Clannad knows when to look bright, colorful and happy and when to be dark and sad. It is especially known to look fluid during scenes with Tomoyo which is nice to ... see. Clannad season one is a good anime with an interesting story. Sure, it has it’s problems, but if you are a fan of romance and dramas is implore you to give it a chance, like my roommate told me. I haven’t regretted watching it since.

The story is very simple in nature, but the real beauty of the anime is the execution of the story. They have a phenomenal animation that helps to really show off the high points of this anime. The fluidity of the fight scenes, the epicness of Saitama just being Saitama. The best part of the animation is it doesn’t just make Saitama look epic, but it also manages to give other characters time to shine. One-Punch Man is a very fast paced anime. It doesn’t have a slow start like most Animes, you are thrust into intense action from episode 1 and on. ... The Beauty of One-Punch Man is that accomplishes what it needs to do. It comes in gives us intense action, decent comedy and leaves without us feeling bored or repetitive of the episodes.

This movie really helped to give a creative spin in blending romance and supernatural genre together. It wasn’t a typical boy meets girl, they actually played with that trope a lot with this film along with successfully managing to mess with the audience’s perception of events. This movie has a lot of aspects to draw people in. Kimi no Na wa has romance, supernatural elements, some time travel. They all come together to give a very impactful and interesting story. The movie doesn’t drown on too long and doesn’t grow boring. The movie opens up immediately into the plot which cause viewers to question what ... is going on causing them to become engaged in the story and wonder where all the plot points are going. I highly recommend checking this movie out as I believe it has a little bit of something for everyone. Interesting plot development, good character dynamics, and a heartwarming story.

While this may have been a good anime it is time. Gunbuster has become very dated through the sands of time. The plot was archaic and borderline ridiculous at times. I felt as if only the main characters, Noriko and Amano got any noteworthy development. Every other character either fell off by the wayside or became a stepping stone for the main characters to develop. Looking at you Smith… A lot of this movie was never properly explained to my liking. For example: why the hell do we need teenage kids to pilot a mech to save the planet?! What is this Evangelion? Oh wait… ... In addition, why did time not move in space, but on earth several years would always pass by in one sitting? That and I personally can’t even find any attachment or investment in the characters at all. They seemed like cliches, which given it’s time might have been acceptable, but not now. Some of this complaints I will give for possibly being an OVA instead of the actual six episode series, but I can’t be asked to sit through that mess.