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Is there any hope for your dreams once you get to a certain age? Kafka's the guy who cleans up after a kaiju attack. A once hopeful to be on the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defence Force (JAKDF), he is now past his prime and resigned to his fate as a lowly cleaner. When he meets a young and upcoming JAKDF trainee, something sparks some inspiration in him and maybe that's what attracts the strange creature that merges with him and grants him kaiju powers of his own. Now he has a second chance of realising his life's dream and winning the attention of his crush. But ... the kaiju are not going to make it easy and he can't reveal his true nature lest he be labelled a monster himself.

This show rests on the charisma of the main character Kafka. I related to him as a past-middle age man myself working in an industry full of young-guns with bright talents and fast minds. Kafka's relationship with his trainee group grows from him being the laughing stock to commanding respect as a master tactician even without them knowing his hidden power. It was great to see a series that examines the themes of ageism this way. This first season only barely introduces the large ensemble of characters so I'm hoping that future series will spend a bit more time with the side characters to develop them.

The show also has a great sense of humour with Kafka at the centre of a lot of silliness.

I'm not the greatest fan of monster fighting action. I don't get that much enjoyment watching giant beasts throw cars and break buildings but they keep it all pretty interesting by having the monsters use different powers which require the defence team to adjust their tactics. There's also some interesting boss monsters that have some mysterious extra powers and the mystery of what exactly is living inside Kafka.

The animation is high quality and they do a good job of communicating the scale of the monsters. There's also a lot of squishy kaiju gore which becomes a point of humour for the show.

I'm looking forward to season 2.

When you cheer for someone, aren't you really cheering for yourself? That's one of the themes examined in this surprisingly deep racing sports anime.

I don't have a lot of experience with sports anime so maybe this is pretty common, but I was surprised at how deep this story was on the characters and also how little racing there actually was. The focus is on two main characters, a photo-journalist (Koya Madoka) and a F4 racing driver (Haruka Asahina). The two become connected after Koya photographs Haruka in tears after losing a race. The photo attracts praise for Koya but Haruka is not so happy ... with it. Koya becomes inspired by Haruka's mission to win a F4 race.

From there, the story explores the two main characters and we learn some of their respective tragic back-stories and current issues. Their friendship deepens throughout the season so that the final race at the end of the season has real emotion behind it.

There are many secondary characters that are instrumental to the story: the rivals and their rich sponsor, Haruka's mechanics, Koya's ex-wife and a romantic story-line between the mechanic's daughter and a driver on the other team. I found all of these B-plots to be compelling and satisfying at the end.

The themes are what really got me though - an exploration of the morality of photo-journalism and the impacts of PTSD on relationships. I was not expecting that kind of material to appear in a racing anime! There were also the more usual ones: the mindset of competition, ambition, tradition and teamwork.

The animation is really good but I found the look of the race-track to be a bit off: it seemed like there was a lack of shading and missing detail that gave the races an old computer-game feel: a black ribbon on a plain green field with some stands in the distance. Other than that, I found all the other aspects very good, especially some incredible camera movements in the final episode that were very clever and cool.

The characters in this are the stars. They feel so real because of their range of emotions, sense of humour and choices. Their body language also brings them to life.

The animation is beautifully detailed but also energetic. The characters are always moving, even when sitting still. Some other moments are brought to life by the clever POV and effects that convey the emotion of the characters. The lighting was beautiful.

This story is very emotional but not through swelling violins and long closeups of tearful faces. The story is tragic but the characters are stoic, trusting the audience to react in their own way.

Can an entry level Japanese sports car beat the best of the European supercars? Maybe: If all cars are made equal by a weight-to-grip ratio rule. That's part of the premise of MF Ghost. Some other details are that it's a future where all cars have gone EV, so there is nostalgia for racing the classic petrol cars of 2020s. I'm not sure why it had to be set in the future - maybe it's to preserve the timeline since this is a sequel to a previous racing series called Initial D.

This anime follows Kanata Rivington, a young half English, half Japanese man who has ... travelled to Japan hoping to find and reunite with his father. He also happens to be an incredible racing driver and soon enters the Japanese MF Ghost competition as an unknown rookie.

Kanata is staying with a host family who had a connection with his late mother. Their daughter Ren immediately develops a crush on Kanata. She is secretly an Angel in MF Ghost which is a group of models who provide "fan service" for the race. When not in her makeup, the Clarke Kent affect kicks in and no-one recognises her as the mysterious Number 7.

Other characters include the top fifteen racers (dubbed the Godly fifteen) and Kanata's mechanic Ogata.

The cars are all pretty classic, including three Porsches, a Lamborghini Huracán, a Ferrari and more. Then there's the Japanese cars: a Nissan GT-R, a Honda Civic RS, a Honda NSX and Kanata's car: a Toyota 86 GT. All of these are lovingly animated with the details that make them special. The races show these cars from many angles and they become characters themselves.

The races are really fun and exciting. They focus on many different battles going on throughout the pack. Kanata is an underdog so has to battle his way up from the bottom. The drivers all have seemingly super-human abilities when it comes to knowing their cars - but Kanata especially has many tricks up his sleeve. The races are commentated by the actual commentators of MF Ghost, the mechanics and drivers talking over headsets and also the inner dialog of the drivers as they strategise through the course.

Off the racetrack, there are plenty of character moments as Kanata builds friendships with the other drivers and explores a nearby town with Ren in search of the location of a photograph of his father.

In the overall arc, there is Kanata's search for his father, the mysterious machinations of the races organisers and Kanata's progress towards the finishing podium. I'm assuming that Kanata will eventually become number one with his incredible skills but maybe they will drag it out over a number of seasons.

The downside for me is the sexism portrayed by the MFG Angles. It sometimes seems like the show is critiquing the objectification of these women but then they undercut it by frequently panning the camera over their bodies. It's like the producers of the anime are afraid all the teenage boys will stop watching if they don't get an eyeful of hot teenage bods every ten minutes or less. It's just too much.

Overall, I'm really enjoying this series and currently waiting each week as the second cour is being simulcast.

When a movie has ADHD: Redline. In the future there's a racing event where the cars have rocket engines and are allowed to shoot at each other and basically engage in combat. The event organisers decide to hold the final as an illegal incursion on a highly militarised planet with a hostile government.

The plot focuses on two racers JP, an egotistic hot shot with a greasy pompadour and Sonoshee, a beautiful young racer who wants to prove herself. There's a large cast of side characters including JP's mechanic and parts dealer, the other racers, the leaders of the Roboworld army and the race organisers. There ... is not a lot of character development, just enough to set up JP and Sonoshee as romantic interests and some background on the other racers and rivalries. JP's relationship with his mechanic Frisbee is also given some screen time and might be the most substantial character development.

The action scenes that take up the bulk of the movie are all insane and high speed. This effect is achieved partly by show many things at once that the viewer doesn't have time to take in the whole shot before it is over. Sometimes there will be a crowd of aliens on screen with so much going on that there is no way to focus on any of it. Other times, the cars flash by so quickly that it's hard to keep track of what's happening with each of the drivers.

The animation is garishly colourful, with thick outlines and crowded chaotic frames. The characters are allowed to distort and bend like cartoon characters. The same goes for the cars that warp and bend with speed and stress.

If you're in the mood for something chaotic and silly but with a large serve of frenetic racing action, then give Redline a look.

What happens when people stop having faith in gods? Do the gods also lose faith in humanity or can they find a place in the world, even if it's just a place in the hearts of a few friends and maybe even some romance? Why is Lawrence drifting through life while others seem to be achieving success around him? Is he waiting for some higher calling or maybe to fall in love?

Spice and Wolf is a remake of a popular anime and manga. It follows Kraft Lawrence (aka Spice) and a wolf spirit named Holo. Lawrence is a travelling trader who is hoping to buy ... a store once he can save up enough money but also doesn't seem that intent on ever settling down. Holo is a wolf spirit who has a magical connection to wheat and can transform into various things like wheat, a giant wolf and a teenage girl with cute little wolf ears and a big bushy tail.

Holo asks Lawrence to transport her back to her home town after being away for hundreds of years. Along the way, Holo helps Lawrence with his various trading schemes and they become close. The plots are based around trading and give a basic introduction to how markets are affected by various forces including world events, price bubbles and powerful organisations such as "The Church". The Church is a religious organisation similar to Christianity with cathedrals and priests but the specific doctrine is not revealed apart from believing in one true god who supplants pagan gods.

The show has comedic elements, mostly based around Lawrence's awkwardness at Holo's relentless flirting and emotional blackmail. Likewise, their romance has fits and starts. It seems that Holo is always testing Lawrence and Lawrence is likewise trying to understand if he can really have a relationship with a hundreds-year-old spirit wolf in the form of a teenage girl. As with a lot of anime, you have to reconcile the cultural differences for yourself to be able to enjoy it. The problem of age in anime is just "one of those things" that is debated but never resolved. Japanese culture may shift on the matter but it's not changing quickly. Having said that, the idea of "chaste" love is prevalent. Holo and Lawrence flirt but they never do more than hug.

Otherwise, It's not all dialog, drama and romance though, there are a few action packed episodes too, where Holo uses her wolf powers to fight off bad guys.

It's beautifully animated and has a peaceful, melancholy feel to it.

Apart from a bit of light trade theory, this show touches on questions of faith, meaning and character. The Church is an ominous presence that forces characters to take sides and wrestle with the tension between following their own spiritual path or accepting the dominance of organised religion for the sake of safety. While that might seem far away from anything we experience today, we are often challenged with moral and ethical tensions that are the same: the institution vs the individual. Narrow mob thinking vs openness. Conformity vs diversity. Spice and Wolf celebrates adventure, romance and faith in the goodness of people.

This beautiful and contemplative comedy fantasy anime tells the story of Frieren, along with her two teenage companions, apprentice Fern and warrior Stark, as she sets out to retrace a memorable journey.

On the way, there is adventure and a lot of reflection on the nature of relationships and spiritual values such as kindness, joy, humility, justice and respect. The tone of the show is contemplative with lots of flashbacks but there are also moments of fantasy magic fighting action and relationship drama.

The characters of Fern and Stark are fun counterpoints to Frieren. Where Frieren is detached and a bit in the clouds, Fern is serious ... and passionate where as Stark is immature. Through flashbacks we also get to know Frieren's former party.

Earlier episodes are self contained but as it progresses, there are two larger arcs, the second with a larger set of fun side characters who we get to know through the arc.

I really enjoyed this show, the reflective nature of it brings depth to the characters and world so that the action has much more meaning and you are much more invested in the outcomes. The conflicts tend to be drawn out and broken up with flashbacks which really ratchets up the tension. I also enjoyed the gentle humor and the slow-burn romance between Fern and Stark.