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Ono Natsume works are largely hit-or-miss for me: I really liked ACCA, but deeply disliked House of Five Leaves. Unfortunately, Ristorante Paradiso falls into the latter category - falling further into the josei harem-ish demographic while providing even less interesting exposition. Simply put: this anime is boring.

This may be a character-driven slice-of-life, but the direction and writing unfortunately do not captivate the audience at all. Presumably, it's the stories of young woman Nicoletta getting to know the elder employees of a restaurant and their interpersonal relationships, but most of the stories are... very mundane. Get over your ex-wife already! Just ... have an honest conversation with your estranged mother! Thus, the corresponding dialogue also isn't groundbreaking and you just don't end up having much of an emotional connection to any of the characters.

The art is very reflective of Ono Natsume's art style, which isn't actually terrible if you're used to it, and the color scheme is quite warm and nice for an SoL set in Rome. Unfortunately, the slower pacing of dialogue and a lack of any aesthetically interesting shots (face close up to face close up to face close up) stifles any interest in really paying attention to the screen.

Unless you like old spectacled men. Then this is the 10/10 anime for you.

An anime adapting a 90's Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and man was it a boring one. Nice art direction but far too many tropes to take the plot seriously.

In the modern day of 2025, we see so much isekai soft-fantasy that a true hard-fantasy setting would be a welcome reprieve from the gimmicky plots plaguing the industry. However, Record of Lodoss War, despite a traditional fantasy, leans /too far/ into the traditional aspect. Based on the author's contribution to a TTRPG settting, it unfortunately combines all the tropes of LOTR races, classes, and setting with the tropes of the most 90's shonen ... anime you've ever seen. It's so predictable, it could basically be considered the model species of the Hero's Journey. Joseph Campbell would downright cream his pants watching this. Damsel-in-distress elves in scanty clothing? Dwarves with axes? Childhood friend priest? Berserker mercenary? Evil goddess resurrection plot? Got them all.

The only saving grace of this show, and what it's known for, is Deedlet, the high elf. Wait sorry, I meant the art and animation. It's got great art direction and looks quite good for something from 1990 - you do feel that you've been dropped into a fantasy island in the middle of a war, even if the world building was more lackluster than the actual LOTR. The animation, on the other hand, yo-yos between quite good to bad. The dragons, for instance, are essentially stills with some animated flames at times. Charizard vs Articuno got better animation in Pokemon. Some of the action gets good movement while others feel clanky and uninspired. But overall, it's a pretty show that will at the very least, satisfy a 90s retro fan.

In an attempt to make BL less problematic, Umibe no Etranger came up with a relatively wholesome romance plot that is also bad and directed in a manner that is incoherent.

I don't read/watch BL but I am very open to works in other mediums handling LBGT issues, especially as they tackle social issues in increasingly creative approaches. Whether Umibe intended to go down the more modern and grounded take of gay romance or to make a BL that was more palatable than the modern problematic BL... I couldn't really tell.

It gives off the cute, wholesome vibes of say, Josee or Ride Your Wave, but ... for a short run time (one hour), it somehow decides to tackle abrupt time skips, flashbacks, and a relatively explicit sex scene. This wouldn't be terrible if done artistically, but the direction is horrid - none of these scenes appear with warning and this movie simply does not have transitions. Shots are quick, don't match movements, and you may find yourself in a different spatial or temporal setting within seconds with no idea of how the characters got there - either physically or emotionally.

Talking about emotion, there's very little characterization of the characters beyond a few boohoo points, and there is little chemistry between the leads. Hell, the female childhood friend fiancee who asks for a kiss probably had more chemistry with the lead.

The art is nice, and the animation isn't bad. But ultimately, I would prefer Doukyuusei with its slightly problematic writing but significantly better direction and art, than this movie: yeah the plot is progressive and non-problematic, but who cares???

A shoujo isekai without the main tropes of shoujo anime nor isekai anime. The world-building is complex, the characters well-written. This show suffers from age and its source material but holds up for a watch.

Twelve Kingdoms is an early-day isekai that fully embraces its take on Chinese-inspired fantasy. Its start is brutally slow as it uses its Japanese high schoolers to essentially exposition dump; it doesn't help that all of them are also excruciatingly incompetent at standing up for themselves and having any sense of self-preservation. However, main character Youko eventually grows a backbone and develops a sense of self, which ... is one of the recurring highlights of this show - many of the main heroines are completely insufferable at the start of their arcs but undergo character growth that really makes you fistpump in their finales.

That said, the exposition dump that is present in every arc is substantial, and the naming scheme, inspired by Chinese kanji, becomes repetitive and confusing without some knowledge of Chinese characters or Japanese kanji (epitomized best when someone travels from the kingdom of Kei to the province of Kei). The court politics can get interesting, but ultimately fall flat considering this show is a character-driven narrative. The themes are nice, but the parable-like nature of the storytelling can also come off too strong for the older viewer.

The art and amazing is what you would expect from a 2002 Pierrot production - not amazing, but at least serviceable. Colors are chosen because no one had adjusted to digital yet, and backgrounds don't feel particularly inspired. The entire design of the Twelve Kingdoms map gives me an aneurysm - remind me to never create fictional geography that symmetric.

All things said, I finished this show and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't quite the home run some people say it is, but the world building and narratives carry it pretty far; it was certainly an ambitious project and it is a shame the last few volumes were never adapted (and some of the side plots never finished). Take a watch if you have the time.

An amazingly animated movie with beautiful visuals, but drags too much to be a particularly captivating movie.

Modeled somewhere between the 1927 German film and Tezuka's manga, it provides a criticism of industrialist oligarchy and presents a view of warfare that resounds quite strongly in our tech-dominated world in 2025. Overall, not a bad way of addressing the themes of workers and technology.

The animation is incredible - I was often caught surprised at the raw amount of animated ones used for many scenes, and the realism in movement despite the Tezuka-inspired designs is something you simply don't see much of today. The CG isn't ... amazing, but sparsely used and serviceable considering the work.

Unfortunately, the lengthy world building and poorly fleshed out characters fail to inspire much interest or emotional investment from the viewer. While you root for the underdog and against those industrialists, the plot comes off cartoonish and you just begin to hope the movie finally gets to the point.

Objectively very good from a production standpoint, but unfortunately wouldn't sit through it again.

Underrated movie that has aged incredibly well over the years.

The plot is nothing particularly special, the title is essentially what you get - a vampire hunter. But the magic for this movie is in the absolutely breathtaking backgrounds that are so meticulously drawn throughout. To accompany, the animation for this work is nothing short of amazing - smooth, gripping animation that keeps your eyes glued to the screen and had me audibly yelling "what the hell" when ones were being animated for a cool-as-heck sword flip of a ring. Character motivations are relatively flat and perhaps under-developed, but the visual intrigue of ... their backstories are choreographed and presented in chilling fashion, in a true "show don't tell", every-frame-a-painting directorial masterpiece. The settings are grandiose, the action makes use of the setting, and the eyes are treated to a spectacle throughout.

This movie is what vampire hunter movies should be like, and what modern movies should aesthetically aspire to regardless of genre.

For full transparency, this is my first foray into the Macross franchise.

For its age, this is a very pretty anime with impressive background art and very solid animation, though most notably in its Itano circus scenes and battle fights. If this was pure sci-fi, would definitely solidify as it one of those series that demands a watch for its impact on anime mecha.

But while the complaint that idols in space converting aliens to CULTURE might be falling on deaf ears to adherents of this franchise, it is unfortunately so off-putting as a plot point that it simply requires a mention. This movie desperately ... wants to give a strong "I drink respect women juice" message throughout, whether through its weird alien men vs alien women background lore or shoehorned "machismo pilot that sexually assaults his partner" plot point. It almost comes off as one of the late Shinzo Abe's fertility messages or something that desperately should be broadcast in South Korea these days. But I digress - an idol platform on a major space fortress is a hilarious, almost campy addition to a traditional mecha anime, and probably not for the better.

The love triangle and how it's addressed also doesn't seem to help resolve whether this is a respect women movie or simply a wish fulfillment anime - though I suppose it is at least admirable that they decided to not have the protagonist pursue the idol and go for a mature woman (though one that still subscribes to traditional female roles in said relationship). Baby steps for the mid-80s, I suppose.

It's a beautiful movie everyone should watch to understand why this franchise exists, but damn is the messaging whack. FOR THE CULTURE!

Anthology movie of various animation greats. Very hit and miss set of shorts here, but if you're looking to expand your animation repertoire, this is probably not something you should skip.

Genius Party - great recognizable symbology that serves perfectly for the movie. Really appreciate the idea of outward inspiration, internal passion, and the electric spread of ideas that is so inherent to art. Great technicality in effects animation.

Shanghai Dragon - I hate narratives involving incompetent children as a focal point as it often involves watchers' frustration, but I was shut up by the end. The importance of "incompetent" children unfettered by ... practicality and society, allowed to exhibit their own creativity, was actually really well told by this short and I appreciated it. The heavy use of CGI spaceships was... a bit excessive, but I think it fit the overall idea well, and the style used for the drawing animation was a good addition.

Deathtic 4 - sorta horrific visuals but I guess that's the point of a zombie movie. Audibly laughed at some of the slapstick humor so I guess this short succeeded in what it desired to achieve. Campy? but fun.

Doorbell - meh concept, meh execution. The ideas introduce a concept of creepiness, but just not overall directed well enough to give more atmospheric vibes. Animation is also clunky. Like some of the end concepts (the idea of many selves chasing each other?) but not enough to redeem the whole thing.

Limit Cycle - the most pretentious animation I've ever watched, by far. Just let me read a philosophy book bro.

Happy Machine - Yuasa wanted practice for Kaiba I guess. Really amazing animation, concepts were clearly pulled out of a hat though. Major Scavengers Reign vibes, with a sorta dark ending regarding the futile? cycle of life.

Baby Blue - now this is youth!! Probably one of Watanabe's best directorial works, ironically enough. Poignant, nostalgia-driven, and some nice laughs here and there without excessive melodrama. But why the hell does he have a grenade?

Novel execution for an anime, but baffling premise.

Flag is probably most well known for presenting its entire narrative through first person POV shots, mostly through found footage by the two journalist protagonists' cameras or cameras placed conveniently on war machines. It's certainly an admirable approach and contributes meaningfully to the theme of journalistic importance, but this limitation can find itself in tricky corners.

The main narrative point of this story is for main character Shirasu to document a UN special forces team to recover a symbolic flag that she had previously taken a photo of. While the world-building may have been more appreciated in ... other contexts, the overt usage of decked-out killing machines, elaborately militarized religious cults, and clandestine operations to cover up the entire mission by the UN over a single flag becomes straight comedy near the end. Sorry, a cool photo of a flag does not simply quell a civil war.

While the documenting of soldiers as human via photojournalism is an interesting idea, the naivety of Shirasu (despite her being a lauded international journalist in a country engulfed in civil war) coupled with a reluctance to really deep dive into the corruption of Western military institutions, i.e. the UN, slowly devolves into a whitewashing of Middle Eastern neo-colonialism. Presenting soldiers as honorable people who failed to prevent the genocide in Rwanda and looking to redeem themselves doesn't mesh well with POV shots of them obliterating landscapes with mecha machine guns.

The animation isn't bad, but the CG robots are out of place aesthetically and narratively. Shirazu's voice actress sounds as out of place as the situations Shirazu herself is in 90% of the time (why are you in the middle of a firefight, girl?). The ending is a confusing neoliberal mess. But points for trying something new.

This show is extremely not good, but whether you will enjoy this fully depends on your appreciation of the original R2 season. Did you enjoy the campy fanservice and ridiculous plot points leading to questionable climaxes in R2? Perfect, Roze the Recapture is perfect for you.

There's not much to say about yet another questionable cash-in for the Code Geass franchise. An unwillingness to explore the deeper depths of the Geass supernatural aspect, relatively poor CG mecha combat, and terrible Okouchi-level writing surpassing even Valvrave make this movie-turned-ONA series unwatchable even by modern Code Geass standards. The main characters' relationship raises questions ... near the end and is never fully fleshed out, and the main villain reveal made me choke from laughter. It seems even CLAMP couldn't decide whether to create a gay or straight fanservice protagonist, and decided "why not both?"

But I am a man raised by the campy legacy of our emperor Lelouch, and any reason to indulge myself in Code Geass trash is a journey I am willing to take. Do I want cameos from every CG franchise entry in the span of 5 minutes while in the middle of a laughably impossible genocide plot? Hell yes, thank you Okouchi!

My only complaint is that we couldn't even have gotten the amazing S-tier mecha cinematography from Akito the Exiled in this show. But hey, at least we got Leila.