Love always remains: a twenty-year-late review of Porco Rosso

It’s been twenty years but love remains as fresh and sweet as I could ever hope for.

Recovering from Crisis: From Up on Poppy Hill anime review

I was inevitably skeptical after seeing Tales from Earthsea. Going in the high-fantasy route might not work well for Goro Miyazaki. In this anime, he went in a different direction by making down to earth, drama anime. I am glad to say that it was the right choice.

The Bittersweet Impermanence of Life: Mai Mai Miracle review and discussion

We meet and then we part. We live and then we die. On the surface, Mai Mai miracle felt like someone holding on to sweet nostalgic memory. But in fact, the anime was more about dealing with the impermanence of things in life. Memento Mori in children’s movie…I’m impressed! (this article contains spoilers)

The Hardest Thing is Saying Goodbye: review of Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below

What a beautiful anime we have here! Makoto Shinkai’s has always been making pretty-looking anime with his characteristically slow pace and rather poignant theme. In this latest entry, Shinkai plunged fully into fantasy genre and the result was…interesting.

Debate between positive and negative persona of Canne: Hotarubi no Mori e -anime review

For a movie that seemed to be universally loved, what’s there to debate about? Well, let’s find out!

Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops -Angel Wings- anime review

What’s with the excessively long name? All it does was to remind me that this is another remake (the fourth, to be exact) from this long running series of Doraemon movies. As the name implies, this is the remake of 1986 movies, Doraemon: Nobita and the Steel Troops. Be warned that you are about to read the most biased review from me because not only did the 1986 version was my favorite Doraemon movie but also one of my all-time favorite anime.

Kara no Kyokai: The Garden of Sinners: Short anime review part 7/7 – Murder Speculation (Part 2) and overall impression

Review: It’s been quite a journey watching Kara no Kyokai. With each episode, more information is revealed, the mysterious world of this show gets clearer and the ultimate message starts to emerge. Despite the countless murder cases, the vaguely explained supernatural lore and the headache-inducing discussion about ‘the origin’, Kara no Kyokai is ultimately a love story, albeit a bloody one. Luckily, I like both love and blood.

Kara no Kyokai: The Garden of Sinners: Short anime review part 6/7 – Oblivion Recorder

Review: After the fantastic Paradox Spiral, it is almost impossible to watch Oblivion Recorder without feeling like it is just filler. The relative inferiority is too stark to be overlooked. But that does not mean that this episode is bad especially compared to the general standard.

Kara no Kyokai: The Garden of Sinners: Short anime review part 5/7 – Paradox Spiral

Review: This episode is simply breath taking. For a moment, I thought this is the end because everything the previous four movies have laid out seems to be reaching its peak in this episode; The action is mind-blowing, the villains are revealed, all the main characters have to get through their most difficult obstacles yet and finally transform into greater being. Like I said, it feels like a climax, a fantastic one.