Wizard Barristers - Episode 12 (Completed)

Wizard Barristers hasn't exactly been a series with a realistic eye for legal proceedings, but surely even in this world a defendant asking the subject of his crime to be his defence barrister is highly irregular?

Regardless, this is exactly the position that Cecil finds herself in at the behest of Makusu, although to her surprise he reveals that the reason for this is that he wants to make

Saki - The Nationals - Episode 12

Last week's episode of The Nationals saw Kiyosumi finally pulling into the lead as our titular character's own monstrous power came to the fore - but is that lead going to stay in place as we reach the final hands of the match?


Of all people, it's the supposedly ordinary Suehara who finally brings Saki's winning run to an end, shifting them into second place.  With Kiyosumi now effectively

Space☆Dandy - Episode 13

What on Earth (or beyond Earth, more importantly) could drive a robot to drink coffee?  As somehow who loathes the stuff, what would possess anyone to drink coffee?  One of these questions, at least, is proffered by the season finale of Space Dandy.

Of course, the robot in question is QT who, having spent some time bemoaning his colleagues wasteful human traits, finds himself entranced by a

Wake Up, Girls! - Episode 12 (Completed)

Where there's blame there's a claim, but no amount of compensation is going to help Yoppi overcome the ankle injury which looks all set to ruin both her and her group's chance in the Idol Festival final.

Naturally, Yoppi herself tries to put on a brave face and hide her injury from her colleagues, but it quickly becomes clear that something is wrong during the group's rehearsal, and there's

Nisekoi - Episode 12

Just when it seemed like Raku had discovered and confirmed his "promised girl", up pops another - so is it Kirisaki or Onodera who's the girl he made a promise with ten years previously?

For all of her tough talk about how it couldn't possibly be Ichijou, Chitoge is clearly keen to find out whether Raku is the subject of her cherished (albeit mostly forgotten) memories, and after some

Sakura Trick - Episode 12 (Completed)

It's nearly time to say goodbye to Mitsuki and those in her year as graduation time rolls around... but not before a farewell party at her house!

Although this whole event is supposed to be a surprise party, Mitsuki is already very much aware of what's going on, even if she perhaps wasn't expecting for herself and Sakai to be provided with an entire bucket filled with green tea pudding.  As the

Samurai Flamenco - Episode 22 (Completed)

Sawada seems to have Samurai Flamenco on the rails, but can he break Goto to fully realise his plan?

After flashing through Goto's experiences immediately following the disappearance of his girlfriend to explain why he messages himself as her and - more importantly - why he cherishes one particular message of hers, we reach the crux of Sawada's plot.  Put simply, he wants either Goto or Hazama

Kill la Kill - Episode 24 (Completed)

The Original Life Fibre's journey might have been brought to a grinding halt, but the final battle is still a daunting one, with both Ragyo and Harime determined to see their plan to subjugate humanity succeed.

Not only that, but they also seem to hold a lot of the cards - with these "final bosses" seemingly unassailable and the mechanics of their plan protected by a vast barrier, is there any

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! REN - Episode 12 (Completed)



Rikka and Yuuta's "contract" might finally be settled and set in stone now Shichimiya is out of the picture, but it seems that this isn't the end of the matter for Rikka.

After some puzzlement as to why she isn't acting like her usual self around Yuuta, it's Satone who breaks the news to Dekomori and Nibutani - Rikka wants an "enhanced" contract with her boyfriend.  As it turns out, this isn't

Golden Time - Episode 24 (Completed)

Just as he'd expected, Banri Tada's memories are about to vanish as if they were never there, and the end of the school festival sees all of his life since his accident simply dissolve as he returns home with his mother, leaving nothing more than a distraught group of friends in his wake.

Although Banri has plenty of notes from his "other" self, upon returning home he seems more than happy not

Silver Spoon Season 2 - Episode 11 (Completed)

Hachiken's dreaded return home to pick up some of his brother's study notes for Mikage all seems to be going smoothly - he's bumped into and managed to impress some former schoolmates, and it seems that his house is empty leaving him free from bumping into his father.

Of course, a boy's luck can only run for so long, and before leaving he finds himself not only meeting his parents but being

Nagi no Asukara - Episode 25

The Ofunehiki is drawing ever closer, but in a sense that almost takes a secondary importance in this week's Nagi no Asukara as its cast finally begin to properly sift through their tangled emotions.


It's Miuna who seems to be the week's emotional punching bag once again however, as having to rescue Manaka's pendant containing her feelings from the sea after it was dropped in there by Akira

Saki - The Nationals - Episode 11

Her normal role is that of playing defence, but when the going gets tough, the shrine maidens get supernatural, and Iwato is about to unleash the full extent of her powers upon her unsuspecting opponents.

While some may usher their abilities in quietly, the extent of Iwato's influence soon becomes clear, as first one then another tile set seems to vanish from the board for the other players,

Wizard Barristers - Episode 11

Time is running out (and so is the animation budget) in this week's Wizard Barristers, as Macal's sinister plan to summon Lucifer kicks into full force.

For Butterfly Law Offices, this means that it's their turn to be invaded, where it quickly becomes clear that resistance will be futile.  What their brief resistance does allow, however, is for Cecil to gain some further distant from her

Space☆Dandy - Episode 12

Dandy and company bringing in low-rent aliens to Scarlett for payment is nothing new, but now these new alien specimens are so pathetic that they payout is less than the administrative costs of handling them.

In light of this, Scarlett suggests that Dandy shouldn't come back until he brings back a suitable impressive alien; something like, oh, I dunno... a Chamelonian.  Of course, our hero is

Sakura Trick - Episode 11

There's a new student council president in the house in this week's Sakura Trick, and whaddya know she's a bit of an oddball.

"Sumisumi" as she's known (although don't call her that to her face, Sumi Otokawa is her actual name) is more than a little disappointed that the school doesn't have any budget available to do anything as a thank you to the departing third years, but it comes to her

Nisekoi - Episode 11

Chitoge and Raku are now on first name terms, but in the latter's case at least it still doesn't exactly trip off the tongue - especially when Onodera's around...

Such thoughts are interrupted by Tsugumi, who appears bringing word of an important event - namely Kirisaki's birthday.  What's more, she's arranging a surprise party for her "master", and of course all of our usual suspects are

Space Brothers - Episode 99 (Completed)

Yes, it's true, this is the end for Space Brothers... at least, it is for now, but with a prequel movie on the way surely this story is one that we'll revisit further again in the future?

Anyhow, Mutta's concerns for his missing brother have escalated to the point where his primary concern should probably now be his own future, after a major lapse of judgment caused a critical issue during a

Wake Up, Girls! - Episode 11

They've made it to the final of the Idol Festival in Tokyo to stake their claim as an official rival of I-1 Club, but now the Wake Up Girls have to face up to the fact that none other than I-1 Club themselves have effectively pinched their best song.

Just as both group and management are pondering the ways they can detach the devious Hayasaku limb from limb, up pops the man himself to declare

Kill la Kill - Episode 23

It's time for the final showdown - well, the almost final showdown - so it's all hands on deck to prevent Life Fibres from taking over the world.  And by that, I mean that even Mako is on-hand with her rebuilt Goku Uniform to lend a hand.

If Mako makes the early running in protecting the Naked Sol from invading Covers look easy, the bad news is that things only get tougher and tougher as she

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! REN - Episode 11

Shichimiya's battle with herself was almost won... but Yuuta had to come back and ruin it all, leaving her running from the scene in tears.

In fact, Yuuta has himself a handful in terms of pretty much all of the girls around him - in the wake of that little slice of drama, a rain-soaked Rikka has been left with a cold but refuses to sit still as she seeks to go somewhere that she point-blank

Samurai Flamenco - Episode 21

Haiji Sawada's reign of terror continues in this week's Samurai Flamenco, and having already struck at many of Hazama's allies his next target is an obvious one - the members of Mineral Miracle Muse.

Although Mari escapes unscathed, her two group-mates aren't so fortunate as both are caught up in a coffee poisoning incident.  The better news for Hazama is that Kaname has regained consciousness

Golden Time - Episode 23

To compound Banri's misery at being dumped by Koko, she's now about to walk out of the festival club too - something which he simply can't countenance.


After chasing her down, he correctly guesses the real reason for their break up, that being that Koko simply can't stand the thought of being around and in love with a Banri who disappears along with his post-accident memories.  With this all

Silver Spoon Season 2 - Episode 10

Having finally urged Mikage to be honest with her family about her own dreams and future career plans, we're somewhat cruelly left hanging until the end of the episode to see exactly how that conversation panned out.

However, in the immediate aftermath as this week's instalment begins, it's clear that Mikage's parents have accepted that she doesn't want to take over the ranch.  So, what next?  

Nagi no Asukara - Episode 24

Although it wasn't exactly as Tsumugu might have planned it, his feelings for Chisaki are finally out in the open, leaving him little choice but to follow through and explain them to her in detail.

Unfortunately for him, that isn't enough to make Chisaki fall into his arms - far from it in fact, as she rejects him entirely and runs off.  But is Chisaki simply lying to herself?  It's Kaname (of

Spring 2014 anime preview guide

As per usual, I've written and compiled a new season preview guide over at UK Anime for the Spring 2014 season, and also as per usual I've nearly forgotten to link it here.  So, to resolve that - here's a link to my spring 2014 anime preview guide!




Spring 2014 anime preview



As spring seasons go, it's a pretty quiet one in terms of stuff I'm really excited about, but there's a good ten or

Space☆Dandy - Episode 11

Whether you're the leader of an evil organisation or not, forgetting to return a library book is always a concern.  The goods news is, when you're the leader of said evil organisation, you can just invade and destroy the planet bugging you with reminders to return the book.

This is no ordinary book however, and what's more it's been stolen, which is in no way related to the super-rare alien

Saki - The Nationals - Episode 10

Toyone Anetai has been towering over her opponents - both literally and figuratively - as part of the final set of matches in this current game, but with the object of her attacks focused upon Himematsu's Suehara Kiyosumi find themselves not too far behind in second place as the first half of this game comes to an end.

Given Toyone's propensity for "chasing" the riichi calls of others, it seems

Wizard Barristers - Episode 10

Come the end of last week's Wizard Barristers, Cecil seemed to have landed herself in decidedly hot water as rival forces swirl around her, leading to her trying to escape from Shizumu with some assistance from Kiba Sameoka, even though she really isn't sure who or what she's meant to be running from.

It's ultimately Moyo who saves her from both factions as their magical battle threatens to get

Space Brothers - Episode 98

In the wake of news about his future as an astronaut, Hibito has simply gone missing without a word to anybody - a state of affairs which might be more worrying for Mutta were it not an occurrence that he's had to deal with before while growing up with his brother.

Nevertheless, it's a worrying turn of events that naturally distracts Mutta from his all-important CAPCOM training, which in turn

Nisekoi - Episode 10

Continuing with their school trip, and following on from last week's bathhouse incident, it's time for Nisekoi to continue its run of highly original ideas with... a test of courage!

While Raku's heart is pounding the next time he sees Chitoge the morning after the night before, Kirisaki herself seems to be as cool as a cucumber - or rather, she's simply better at hiding her nerves.  Regardless,

Sakura Trick - Episode 10

In contrast to some rather mild and enjoyable weather here, it's a cold day in the world of Sakura Trick this week... cold enough for snow, in fact.

This unexpected meteorological arrival fills Haruka with excitement - a little too much excitement perhaps, leading her to suggest that maybe they should eat their lunch outdoors.  Rather more sensibly, the rest of the group dismiss the idea without

Wake Up, Girls! - Episode 10

After all of the recent tensions, it seems that everything has been resolved between the various members of Wake Up Girls, and not a moment too soon with the Idol Festival organised by I-1 Club's head honcho looming.

As a result, much of this week's episode deals with the preparation for the Tohoku region's preliminary round of the contest, as the group practice doggedly, organise their outfit

Kill la Kill - Episode 22

Against all odds, Ryuko has managed to break free of the uniform-turned-prison that is Junketsu, turning the tables once again in the battle for the future of humanity.

It seems, however, like Ryuko might have made one miscalculation in her recovery - pinning Harime to a wall with her half of those infamous scissors.  Far from dead, Nui is simply angry, and now that she has both halves of the

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! REN - Episode 10

She might have been slow to realise is in spite of all of her interactions with both Yuuta and Rikka of late, but a shocking fact has suddenly come crashing down upon Shichimiya - the realisation that she's in love with Yuuta.

Given Yuuta's "contract" with Rikka, Satone knows that there's nothing that she can do about the situation and thus tries to rid herself of her thoughts and feelings

Samurai Flamenco - Episode 20

He might have faced off against Prime Ministers and aliens, but Samurai Flamenco might be about to meet his toughest opponent yet... a middle school kid.


Certainly, Haiji Sawada makes an instant impression by blowing up Hazama's apartment before introducing himself properly as the building burns.  It seems that, having met Samurai Flamenco in his formative crime-fighting days, Sawada was

Golden Time - Episode 22

Given how quickly it has come, surely Banri's life - or at least his relationship with Koko - isn't going to fall apart so quickly just like that, even in light of Banri running away from his meat party turned heart-to-heart with his friends?

Banri himself is certainly convinced that despite having irrefutably just dumped him, Koko will be back soon enough.  However, his long wait shows no signs

Silver Spoon Season 2 - Episode 9

Hachiken has finally had enough of being left out of other's conversations and problems for his own good, and with Mikage clearly suffering in the wake of the news about Komaba's farm being declared bankrupt it's time for him to put his foot down.

Try as she might to dissuade him from getting involved and further hurt by her family's predicament, Hachiken simply won't budge on the matter,

Nagi no Asukara - Episode 23

The revelation that Manaka has lost the ability to love, alongside her memories of who she might once have been in love with, is clearly not good news - what's more, it also opens up a period of open reflection from all of those around her.

For Hikari, his thoughts all remain firmly focused on what he, or anyone else, can do to resolve this issue for Manaka - unfortunately, this coupled with his

Wizard Barristers - Episode 9

After the events that occurred to Cecil and her colleagues in the US and Canada respectively, there are lots of questions to be asked about exactly what's going on and why those at Butterfly Law Offices seem to be the ones in the line of fire.

Of course, Cecil has a greater understanding of exactly what's going on here, and to her eyes it all seems to pertain to her mother's trial and life

Space Brothers - Episode 97

It's New Year's eve for the Nanba household, and with their parents visiting the US for the occasion Mutta and Hibito can relax and enjoy the company (and some impressive impressions from their dad).

However, Hibito is far from his usual self as he mooches in the back yard rather than spending time with his family, and when quizzed by Mutta about it he wastes no time in casually announcing the

Saki - The Nationals - Episode 9

Usuzumi's power is about to build to a crescendo yet again, and this time around Usuzawa is showing no signs of blocking it as she hopes to see Nodoka play right into their mutual opponents hand.  Is Nodoka's insistence that there's nothing supernatural in the world of mahjong about to come back to bite her?

Not on this occasion, no, as the hand fizzles out without incident.  From here, blows

Space☆Dandy - Episode 10

In a new high watermark for unreliable narration, it seems that the universe of Space Dandy is a universe at war, with two factions - the Gogol and Jaicro empires - duking it out while trying to develop the super-weapons that will give them the upper hand in this conflict.

Not that any of this is much more than tangentially related to Dandy and company's adventures, as an issue with the Aloha Oe

Nisekoi - Episode 9

Having started to delve into the truth behind her first love, Chitoge is more than a little keen to do some digging and find out more... however, her plans are scuppered by a planned school open-air field trip.

As you might imagine, the entire trip turns into a particularly heavenly brand of Hell for Raku, starting with the assignment of "teams" within his class, which leaves him sharing the

Sakura Trick - Episode 9

It's almost the New Year in this week's Sakura Trick, so of course while Haruka and Yuu spend time with their respective families they also make sure they have some time to spend with each other, if only via the phone.

Mind you, it seems that a phone call with Haruka is hard work, as she tries to persuade Yuu to sing along to embarrassing song lyrics amongst other things.  However, the real

Wake Up, Girls! - Episode 9

Given their current difficulties, it seems like an opportune moment for the Wake Up Girls to take part in a team-building training camp, and with Kaya offering up cheap accommodation (and lots of saury) on account of her aunt running a hotel in Kessennuma there are no real obstacles in the way of making this a reality.

Thus, it's off to this town we go, where we're faced with a striking reminder

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! REN - Episode 9

At the behest of Kumin's aunt, it's time to head off for some fun (and work) in the sun to offer her a hand in her beach-side restaurant due to said aunt's husband throwing his back out - is the seaside all set to be the location for one of Rikka's greatest battles?

Yuuta is oblivious to any such implications as the regular group arrives and sets out working hard at getting the cafe up and

Kill la Kill - Episode 21

From heroine to villain in a flash, Ryuko is ow seemingly under the complete control of Ragyo and, perhaps more importantly, Junketsu, as she continues her rivalry with Satsuki with their roles now reversed.

For her part, Satsuki is now clad in Senketsu and seems adept in all of the powers at his disposal... or is she?  As his long-standing wearer, it quickly becomes clear to Ryuko that

Samurai Flamenco - Episode 19

It's now six months after Samurai Flamenco triumphed in his final battle, and it seems as if evil has truly been eradicated from the face of the Earth, leaving Hazama with little to do... apart from prepare to be voted as the President of the World, that is.

Indeed, things are quiet in every walk of life - Goto has little to do but deal with lost children in his job with the police, the biggest

Golden Time - Episode 21

Understandably, Banri is feeling pretty rough after his "attack" in the middle of the festival during last week's episode, and the fallout from that incident and its impact upon the festival club certainly isn't helping matters.

Even so, Koko isn't exactly too happy at Banri's attempts to run away from whatever ailed him that day, yet he still refuses to talk to her about it and explain exactly

Silver Spoon Season 2 - Episode 8

Life is full of disappointments... and not all of them surround cheese as it turns out, at least according to this week's Silver Spoon.

Try telling that to Mr. Nakajima however, who re-emerges after some time away for "personal reasons" having seemingly powered up and become a man on a quest... a cheese-making quest.  Before they know it, both Mikage and Hachiken are roped into his little

Nagi no Asukara - Episode 22

It seems that Uroko is at large on the surface, and he's put all of his abilities to full use by providing Tsumugu with a rather untimely distraction which he's understandably keen to get rid of.  But where is this scale of the Sea God exactly?

Although simply searching for him seems to be proving entirely fruitless none of the group are keen to give up, and so they decide to play a little

Saki - The Nationals - Episode 8

It seems as if Usuzumi is about to unleash her full power upon the national tournament, and there's nothing that anyone can do to stop Eisui's diminutive walking wardrobe malfunctioning from doing so.  Or is there?

As Usuzumi warms up to her task, it seems that this is Sae Usuzawa's time to shine, and she reveals her own power - the ability to quite simply block her chosen opponent's hand from

Wizard Barristers - Episode 8

Now that their run-in with a dangerous criminal is done and dusted, and with any problems caused by their use of magic negated, it's time for Cecil and Hotaru to complete their Canadian trip after saying goodbye to wannabe Wizard Barrister Kaede.

Having been met by Cecil's father with a rifle at their destination, any misunderstandings are quickly cleared up once Cecil arrives on the scene and

Space☆Dandy - Episode 9

Meow has another hot tip for a potentially rare alien, and seemingly never learning from past experiences Dandy is all set to try his hand at capturing it.  But where to start given that its home planet, Planta, is surrounded by a strong magnetic field?

Well, it just so happens that QT has fixed up their ship's teleporter, making reaching the surface of the planet easy... at least, they can

Space Brothers - Episode 96

While Mutta is taking a bit of a break and dancing the night away with Serika, our attentions in this week's Space Brothers turn to Kenji Makabe and his current state of affairs.

If nothing else, Kenji is certainly busy, with his wife just weeks away from giving birth to their second child, Fuuka keeping him occupied and work providing him with testing and training on a project so secret that he

Nisekoi - Episode 8

Now that any confusion regarding Tsumugi's gender has been cleared up, everything is back to normal for Kirisaki's bodyguard... well, as normal as it can be when you're a gun-wielding hit-man looking to uncover the truth about your charge's relationship.


The trouble is, Tsumugi isn't feeling too well - her heart races, her face flushes and her mind goes blank, but only when a certain person is

Sakura Trick - Episode 8

An invitation to a family friend's wedding gives Haruka a chance to take a friend along with her - no surprises for guessing who that might be...

Unfortunately, the vagaries of mobile phone reception means that Yuu mishears this invite to a friend's wedding as an offer for Haruka and Yuu themselves to get married, and flustered though she is by the prospect she has no qualms about accepting this