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A nice cutesy anime that repeatedly makes you feel better than the protagonist at 'taking hints'. The story is predictable. Here are two characters who are seemingly the polar opposite of each other socially,but something will keep drawing them in. Yamada & Ichikawa are excellent characters and "Dangers in my Heart" does a great job with their interactions. That's where this romantic anime elevates itself. In fact,the anime does a great job bringing to life the interactions between all characters involved. The dialogues are superb and convey that winsome feeling of liking,longing and love in teenage years very well. The animation and music could've been ... better but the anime is more character and word heavy so it didn't matter much.

The anime relies heavily on it's MC,Maomao,even though the story and side characters add a lot of weight to the viewing experience. The series is set in Medieval Japan where women were not really encouraged to gain education and apply themselves. With an assortment of a lot of strong characters,'The Apothecary Diaries' plot points function as a plank to show us the intelligence,knowledge and wisdom of our protagonist while also furthering an overall narrative. The side stories are cool too and one remains invested in majority of them. Thankfully,the show doesn't emphasis much on a possible romance. They have kept the door open but it's ... being handled extremely well. Any poor development on this side has the potential to derail the whole anime so kudos to the writers for some smart ropewalking on this aspect.

The series is insightful,intelligent and entertaining. I love & laugh whenever Maomao gets excited on seeing exotic herbs. Her unusual nature is the life of the show. The anime pleasantly surprised me & I loved Season 1 .

'Jigokuraku' is an anime that starts at breakneck speed.You get character development,new characters,evolving mythology & evolving character dynamics all at once.This pace falls drastically from ep 4 & it feels like a different show.Most likely the makers wanted to win the audience from the get go & the audience,now eager to know what happens next will keep tuning in every week(I was no different) The story's MC Gabimaru is born in a murderous,'fighter' clan.He has exceptional surviving & fighting abilities.He's apparently been trying to protect his wife while the situation worsened leading him to wage an all-out battle.Thus he has to escape the state & ... is declared a fugitive worthy of death.This brings us to Sagiri.A woman born into the 'executioner' clan.However,she has a tender heart & seems ill-suited for this cold work.Yet she has to carry out her clan's family business so to speak.Her inner struggle is interesting & the dialogues are good.Soon we are introduced to many more criminals.And soon it is declared that to escape the death penalty all these criminals must bring the elixir of immortality from an island.If they return empty handed they'll be killed,if they waver the accompanying Asaemon(executioners) will kill them.This forms the crux of what happens in the season.

It is easy to understand why the show is one of the most popular animes of the season.An OP central character who inspite of his dark deeds turns out to be a gentleman,a chance to 'ship' many relationships & an interesting mythology.However,the show meanders thematically & lacks soul.I have seen this trope of tough guy being actually a nice guy deep down many,many times.With rising budgets & rising acceptance of visual violence amongst the masses the characters are built to be monsters & then suddenly shown to be human.An old idea done well is still a good idea but in 'Hell's paradise' it would've been better if they kept Gabimaru a cold,killing machine rather than this emotional being who will rise up to save every woman's honour.Then we have this dude who adapts within seconds & just knows what the enemy's weak spot is.Then we have a blind guy who can sense movements & kill endlessly.As the number of character deaths wane,the seriousness of the threat also wanes.What good is the villain when key characters don't die? It all ends in Ep 13 with things being restored to factory settings with fewer characters remaining.

The action is mostly quiet good but it gets really boring with our 'heroes' never losing to these seemingly life threatening obstacles.In fact,very few side characters bundle.A lot of saves are convenient.The relationships criss-cross inorganically & the narration lacks flow.The emotional aspects also seem very forced.

The show was disappointing for me since there are so many ideas & so much potential but it is mostly laid to waste.

While the sci-fi concepts explored in 'Vivy' may not enthuse the uninitiated,the show works at an emotional level.Vivy is an AI whose sole purpose is to make people happy with her singing.How this Vivy becomes Diva and discovers more and more about herself is the basic premise of the show.The stakes rise with every 'mission' and Vivy's state of mind is quiet clear at all times.This keeps us invested in her story as our respect for her struggle grows with every passing ep.The side characters have decent backstories and seamlessly find their place in the narrative.No side character overstays it's welcome except when the show ... wants to make a point about the emotional gravity of the character's mission."Vivy" also boasts of some excellent animation,watch out for the fight sequences...each successive one tops the other.I liked the chemistry b/w the fast talking,no nonsense Matsumoto and Vivy.While having very different ideas about the events that transpire,both intersect in their actions.Matsumoto can pretty much do anything,Vivy has to try harder..both physically and mentally.This struggle again involves us more deeply in her character.The songs were mostly underwhelming for me.But I liked how the voice actor mapped Vivy's character development.

The major issues people seem to have are the lack of novelty and apparent plot holes.However,for anyone who has seen enough media lack of novelty or it's presence is never a swing factor.What matters is what aspects are explored,how they are explored,etc."Vivy" uses time travel to bring out a wider spectrum of emotions from our MC,as her character development continues.She's the only familiar part of the world across many decades.So it's not a show that is pretending to be the bible on time travel,it uses TT as a plot point and it works well.Regarding the plot holes I don't think they are apparent unless one watches with a pen and paper.Watched ep by ep I never felt cheated by the show.It's one thing to conjure up some plot points and quite another to have them make the show incoherent."Vivy" can be considered guilty of the former alone.An anime that sweeps you off your feet in a non-critical viewing,can be forgiven in these aspects.

'Odd Taxi' is a fantastic anime.I was hooked right from the first ep.Our MC is Hiroshi Odokawa.He is a Walrus,41 year old and a taxi driver by profession.He seems like someone who has seen a lot in life.He's smart,great with faces but lonely.He has a strong sense of justice,as is revealed through the course of the show.However,the show doesn't revolve around him alone.There is a plethora of characters all with great backstories.For an anime that has so many characters,the character designs are superb.There is no character that seems generic or hard to remember.Almost all of them are given great backstories that tie-in with the current ... time.This keeps you invested even in the threads of side characters.The show is not afraid to go into dark places.In fact,there is very little 'nice' here.There is very good commentary on contemporary trends like social media.The anime covers many age groups and seems to understand their POVs quiet well.To top it all the central story is very good and keeps everything connected.

'Odd Taxi' gets everything right: the character work,sound design,voice acting,story,backdrop,dialog,character arcs and how they all criss-cross or intertwine.The show is fast paced and there is no lingering on any aspect.The anime trusts it's audience to note some threads and there are interesting clues here and there.Amidst all this it never relies on any fan service.There are no big-breasted girls here to distract from the story or even as comic relief.Everything in the show feels organic.This is an excellent piece of writing from Kazuya Konomoto.

I know I am late on this but if you haven't seen it yet then I highly recommend you do.

Very solid follow up.While there isn't as much character development as S1,there is a lot of new stuff & new dynamics that enter the fray.I love how the show is able to give so much credence to every character: all of them have well-chalked out personalities,backstories and character moments.While initially I was a bit hazy there are some amazing eps which establish these 'side characters' as concrete.Iruma keeps running into danger but we see how he has affected those around him.In his quiet and unassuming way,he's managed to change almost everyone him very deeply.Ameri is another fantastic addition to the long list of great characters ... of the show.After the central character,she clearly stands out as a close runner-up.There is a lot of action,more mythology building,new relationships,some 'evil',comedy,romance and the full shebang.

As usual the season ends where you are left wanting more.If the anime can keep this up it will be well on course for the 'one for the ages' tag.

"Horimiya" is just...very nice.The animation is good,the color palette is bright as can be and the dialogues though cheesy at times,are good enough.However,the show has nothing new to offer.I got baited by the hype around the show and the high MAL rating.I have no issues with the show though.It's easy to understand why the show is so popular.At a time when humans have been forced to be cooped up,faced with harsh economic realities and so forth,"Horimiya" offers a nice escape.It almost restores your faith in humanity.Even the 'bully' has a conscience.


Unfortunately,the anime works hard to stay away from dark subject matters.It touches upon or suggests ... some dark matter but shies away.As an example,early in the show Hori's mom seems to be a single mom: always bogged down with work and unable to be at home enough.This puts additional burden on Hori.However,all this amounts to nothing as one fine day Hori's dad shows up quiet nonchalantly.There is no explanation given whatsoever of his lack of responsibility.Why does Hori have to get all the groceries? Why does she have to do so many chores? Why does she need to pick up Sota everyday? And there is no animosity between them or even between Hori's mom & him! "Horimiya" always runs away from such serious topics after briefly touching upon them.So why touch upon it in the first place? As others have noted this seems like a hollow attempt to give more depth to the characters.This attempt fails because the show just moves on to the next light hearted moment.All characters are nice,no one is plotting or scheming,no one holds grudges and everyone is quiet uncomplicated.Thus,there is very little complexity or depth in the premise.As I mentioned even the bully is supposed to be a decent guy.There are many 'tsundere' moments which exist only for laughs & don't seem to be character moments.Hori is a masochist but as usual that is also glossed over.Some nods to bisexuality & homosexuality exist but they are also soon forgotten.The backstories of many characters seem inconsistent,it's just incoherent with their personalities(Remi is ditzy enough to forget about budget papers & asks them to be thrown even without checking again.However,she is a big bibliophile) The show ends on a romantic high with Hori shown in her full glory and Miyamura having overcome his past.


Seen episode by episode,the anime is like the nicest thing ever.But seen back to back or just with some memory of the incidents in previous eps,the anime starts to fall flat."Horimiya" is like a pleasant fever dream,the type the more you think of it the less pleasure you get and the more strange it seems.Watch it if you want an escape.

The major strength of "Beastars" has been it's surprising emotional depth,excellent character work & great writing.Season 2 delivers on all these while taking the ideological battle a bit further.While the first season impressed with continuous analogies with human life,S2 doesn't waste any time at repeating it.Our characters have all had their arcs and we meet them as changed people.However,the new season is far more testosterone fueled than the first one.

As usual herbivores & carnivores continue to be put in precarious situations with each other.The anime treats every aspect of animal life with humanity(or "bestiality"?) "Beastars" manages to give a brilliant overview of the philosophical tidings ... of every animal.One is an idealist,one keeps running away from himself,one is completely cynical & there is this one character whose idealism stands out in the sacrifice & burden it brings with it.

The dialogue on the anime is absolutely top notch.It gives the characters so much depth & brings out their personalities so well.It is also amazing how everyone manages to be true to themselves while still causing trouble for someone else.While I could watch 10 seasons of all these characters coming to terms with their world,I felt Season 2 ended perfectly.

Highly recommend it.

In a city that was rebuilt from scratch,the law enforcement system identifies criminals as "Akudama"(the backdrop is a bit similar to "Psycho Pass") Soon,some of the most notorious Akudama come together on the payroll of a mysterious entity.These are also the most skilled ones: one character can hack through anything,one has superhuman strength and endurance,another can drive a bike that even Batman would be proud of while yet another character can heal wounds at the drop of a hat and so on."Akudama Drive" starts out all guns blazing.The first 3-4 episodes were some of the most entertaining anime I have watched in recent times.However,it's the ... 2nd half of the series where the creators decide to take a hard tonal shift,that things come crashing down.What was turning out to be a fun watch with characters doing superhuman stuff just for shizz and giggles turns into a meditation of what is wrong and what is right.This is an age old idea and "Akudama Drive" does manage to present it differently.I don't mind the idea even but it seems inconsistent with how the anime was panning out upto that point.In the end,"Akudama Drive" is basically a Michael Bay version of "Shiki" where the viewer is asked to question whether the law enforcers are actually moral enough.What is even the difference between them and Akudama?


"Akudama Drive" has a lot of flashes of brilliance.Had it been tonally consistent this could've been a great show.Inspite of a very good finale,the show missed out an opportunity to involve us emotionally.The sudden stubornness of one character and her one-minded focus for her "sister" just come out of thin air.Thus,the character work falls flat because the emotions of one very important character are not explored well enough.It almost seems like you are watching a different show.The animation,the voice acting,the music and the overarching mythology are all very good.However,they are still unable to redeem the anime.Watch it for it's high entertainment value and if you can overlook some glaring deficiencies.

"Kami No Tou" is a strange one.MAL kept recommending the show and there was a lot of hype around it.I have not read the Manhwa but it has a very high 8.8 rating so it must be good."Kami No Tou" is very well animated.The music is nice and the character designs are quiet unique.It's usually fairly entertaining too.But there is little more I can admire about it.

These are the complaints I had,by the time half of the season had aired.The next few episodes were more of the same.However,now that I have watched the finale,the anime makes more sense & it's not as incoherent as earlier."Kami ... No Tou" features the quintessential land-of-paradise kind of temptation for all our characters.They are told that they'll get answers to all questions at the top of this tower,they could even become Gods(thus,the name 'Tower of God') The story mainly revovles around this wide-eyed,naive character named Bam who seems to have been born yesterday.In many regards,he's like a baby.However,his innocence is a big sell for the other characters since their drive is ambition and only ambition.Everyone wants to climb the tower & reach the top for some reason or the other.It's only Bam who seems to care very little about climbing the tower.He's just obsessed with one girl named Rachel.One fine day,he finds himself 'competing' with others to climb the tower.Neither the viewer nor the MC seem to know how he got there.Now,the show is frustratingly slow in revealing it's inner workings.And there is little to no character development.Inspite of a roster of many characters,the writers fail to convey their personalities adequately.The anime offers extremely little information and barring a handful of characters there is no backstory for anyone else.There is another angle to the show: For every 'step' of the Tower there is a 'test'.These tests too,suffer the same drawback of being inadequately explained.I mean of course,no one wants spoon-feeding but unless I am invested in the characters or very interested in how the characters will play around the rules of the test why would I care? "Kami No Tou" is like a cool game with good graphics that everyone is playing so you play it too,lest you fall out of favor among some people.We are supposed to keep watching this show wishing they tell us more.The show could've worked had the tests been very interesting,but as I elucidated that's not the case.There is another character,Kuhn,who seems to be the most interesting of the lot.He's composed,smart & distant but the fact that we know so little about him doesn't help the viewing experience.Our MC,Bam turns out to be a strange MC.Except learning cool tricks out of some 'latent potential' there is little that changes in him.On paper,Bam seems like a great character to have as an MC but I could never get invested in his arc.Rachel is the most developed character as of Season 1,& the writers did a very good job here.

The last episode finally gave Bam some personality.The finale gives me hope that the new season will tell us much more about everything that is going on rather than sheepishly guarding the 'secrets' without any rhyme or reason.I am going with a generous 7/10.If you get to the finale,this is still a good series.But my issue is that there is little to keep you glued until then.