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On the surface The Summer Hikaru died explores a common fear, and as such it is one that is often explored in horror movies. What if a person you loved changed into something unrecognizable? Do you push them away, or try to connect with the person they've become? Naturally, this fear is twisted into something more threatening in a supernatural horror format. What if they literally died and came back as something else that could potentially harm you and your family? This manga follows teenage boy Yoshiki after his best friend (and one sided crush) Hikaru mysteriously disappears and reappears. Hikaru looks the same as ... ever, but Yoshiki can tell that something is wrong. Following Yoshiki's confrontation with Hikaru about this, the monster that has replaced Hikaru's appearance changes, and it confesses it's love to him. Yoshiki reluctantly agrees to keep Hikaru's replacement a secret. That is the basic summary, but there are plenty of different directions this could go that you should really experience for yourself. Beyond the body horror seems to be themes of grief and repressed homosexuality, as well as subtext to read into. I won't spoil any explicit plot details, but I'd encourage you to stop reading this and check it out it out if a bl with pretty art, toxic but engaging romance, and body horror sounds appealing to you.

So the first thing you'll notice about this manga is that it looks great. The art is a bit uncanny to be sure, but it's drawn skillfully. The detailed background art and visual horror create an oppressive atmosphere. This detail carries over to the character art as well, so much so that even comedic scenes take on a strange grotesqueness. I'd even criticize this aspect for the tonal dissonace that it creates, but it's a small issue. The author draws facial expressions so skillfully that you can glean lots of information on characters from them. Being a body horror manga, that aspect is of course given extra care. When it gets supernatural, it takes on a surreal quality. Strangely, I'd even say that the transformations of Hikaru take on a strange air of eroticism. That sounds out of place, but the author understands that the line between fear and attraction is thin. This plays a big part in what I think is another strength of the manga: characterization.

One of the most best things about this manga, at least by my estimation, is the confidence the author seems to have in the reader. Yoshiki having had feelings towards the previous Hikaru isn't outright stated, but it is assumed that the reader will pick up on it. It's stated that the village Yoshiki lives in views homosexuality as some kind of curse, and the insecurity this creates in him is shown subtly. The camera's gaze and the little things he says all convey this, like his apparent guilt over staring at Hikaru shown through the shadow on his face. His fear of and attraction to Hikaru's transformations also conveys this idea. He's also coping with grief in an unhealthy manner, and this is shown through the almost experimental way he's sometimes drawn. But Yoshiki is not the only important character, and Hikaru also has some depth. His character is harder to parse, but he does have interiority. He's more delicate than his outgoing demeanor would suggest, understandably since being a literal monster means his position in Yoshiki's life is fragile. He's also adorable in a childish sort of way. Our two main characters form a codependent relationship based on a fear of being alone, something very human and compelling in a messy sort of way. The rest of the cast is pretty barebones, but there are some intriguing side characters like Yoshiki's little sister.

At the moment it is unclear where the story will be going so I'm not going to discuss it in depth, but the strength of the characters and art are enough for me to give it a wholehearted recommendation if you have a stomach for horror and some sad subject matter. Very stong first impressions, I give it a 7.5/10

I don’t know what I was expecting going into The Journey of Elaina. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it seemed like it was going to be the gem of the season. And what do you know? It is definitely an underrated gem, along with the almighty god Kodaka’s Akudama Drive.

First of all, the show looks pretty nice. The world has a nice fantasy feel, character designs are all cute. Elaina looks unique enough. The magic is animated very nicely. The art and animation in this show is definitely a plus.

The story is episodic, and has been been compared to shows like Kino’s Journey. ... If that kind of thing is your kind of thing, you’ll probably enjoy this show. Each episode involves Elaina meeting a new character with their own story and circumstances. We see their struggles, and see how their story ends. Despite the cutesy atmosphere of this show, the episodic stories.... aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. They’re sad, sometimes even a little disturbing. Of course, there are only 4 episodes, but this show seems to be a bit on the darker side despite the first two episodes bring fairly light hearted and relaxing. It’s definitely a plus in my opinion. Also, witches! How often do we get an anime about witches? I honestly don’t know the answer to that question, but I don’t watch many animes about witches at least.

Our main character Elaina is a breath of fresh air in the anime protagonist world. Unlike many protagonists, she is not always morally just, and makes a lot of selfish decisions. She’s a bit on the narcissistic side (episodes begin with her talking about how lovely she is, it’s pretty clear she’s not the humblest), although I suppose high self esteem is admirable in its own way. It’s not all flaws though. Elaina is an intelligent prodigious student of magic. She may not be the humblest, but at least she’s not entirely selfish. She’ll help someone out if she feels a connection to them, and she’s pretty adorable in her own right. The side characters all have distinct personalities and likable enough, impressive considering how little screen time they get.

The sound in this show doesn’t really stand out to me. Elaina has a voice that fits her, and the rest of the cast does fine. All good here

This show has been a very pleasant surprise, and it’s one of the best of the season. I’d definitely recommend it as long as you don’t mind an episodic story.

Toilet Bound Hanako Kun is a very unique manga
Endlessly entertaining, the kind of thing that really puts a smile on my face. Or just makes me feel sad.
Sometimes it’s cute and funny, sometimes it’s dark and depressing.
Not like Made in Abyss, it’s not nearly as gruesome. It’s more subtle with the occasionally dark themes it presents. It’s not really “disturbing” in any way.
The art is amazing, creepy and cute all at the same time. It’s the kind of art that works for comedic cute moments and works for the occasional darker moments. It’s remarkably detailed and consistent, and something that you can appreciate even ... if you hate the story. The character designs are all extremely cute and unique too.
One big strength in this manga are the characters. They’re all very VERY cute. I have never found myself hating any of them. They’re the kinda characters you want to protecc. I would say the least likable is the protagonist Nene. She’s a bit useless, and in love with being in love. Her defining feature is her radish legs. Yes, really. But despite her more annoying aspects, she’s pretty adorable in her own radish way. Hanako and Minamoto are better, two very good boys with lovable personalities.
The story of the manga is simple with no real overarching story line, at least not at this point in the manga. However, it just works and is compelling enough to keep you entertained throughout. Though the story itself is not the selling point of this manga. The comedy is a bit hit or miss, but overall it all just works.
This manga is very fun to read, and easy to marathon. If you want an entertaining manga to spend time on in times of quarantine, it’s a good read that I would enthusiastically recommend. Easily one of my all time favorites.

Oh man. First of all, I’d like to say that like season one, Dawn of the Deep Soul is not for the faint of heart. It’s dark, and one scene is particular struck me as particularly horrific. I won’t go into spoilers, but it’s not what you might think. (It truly was subarashii) I would also like to get something else out of the way. You probably expected this, but this movie does contain some uncomfortable fan service. It’s not nearly as blunt as season one, but it’s still present, so keep that in mind.

The art and animation in this movie was certainly something to ... behold. The animation is slick, and the art is polished and detailed. The background art is stunning studio ghibli tier stuff, and the monsters move with the same frightening intensity as they did in the first season. One fight scene struck me as being rather similar to Mob Psycho, and uh... if you’ve seen Mob Psycho, you’d know that that is very high praise.

The music in this movie was also beautiful. While I prefer the soundtrack to season one, it is still absolutely amazing. The song from Myth and Roid at the end credits is absolutely phenomenal, and I fell in love with it the moment I heard it in the trailer. Nothing from the ost really caught my attention other than that, but there were no problems with the music whatsoever.

This movie covers the Ido Front arc, which is widely considered the best. Believe me, it is for good reason. The movie was good in the beginning, but the build up to the final tragic moment made me feel like I was going to start crying at any moment. I don’t want to say anything more, because it best to simply experience it for yourself.

In conclusion, this movie is good. It’s really good. If you love Made in Abyss, then I assure you, you will love this movie. It was a wonderful watch, and I’m sure I will be rewatching I soon.

Toilet Bound Hanako Kun! Oh, what a name! What is this, seasonal degenerate trash? No. Toilet Bound Hanako Kun, as of episode 4, is a hilarious comedy with a supernatural ghost almost every week. Unique in premise, excellent in practice.

Story: 8
The premise, while amusing and unique, really isn’t all that special. A common urban legend, Hanako San, is in fact a boy! Oh, the horror! Jokes aside, the plot seems to be jumping from ghost to ghost every 1-2 episodes or so. Of course, is what I’ve heard is correct, this light hearted story structure will eventually change into something darker, which I’m looking forward ... too. Not too much has happened so far as a whole, this is mostly just introducing important characters and developing their personalities. Definitely an 8/10.

Art: 9
If the poster is any indication, this is where the show shines. The colors are bright, with a strong grasp of atmosphere and a consistent color palette. The character designs are striking and memorable, with a unique art style identical to that of the manga. It’s impressive how accurate the art is, and the line art is smooth, with few noticeable flaws. The animation itself isn’t smooth, it’s stiff, with manga style panels often sliding onto the screen. This doesn’t detract from the experience however, but instead amplifies the comedy.

Sound:10
I honestly have no problems with the music or voice acting in this show. All the lines are delivered well, and the op is a total banger. The Ed is more melancholic, with the beautiful whiteboard style animation blending perfectly with the gentle music.

Character:9
All the characters are distinct and likable. Hanako Kun is adorable, with a wonderful wholesome personality. Nene is a good but sometimes selfish person, and receives excellent development very early on. The side characters are all cute and likable, or have a tragic undertone of hidden depth. Either way, the characters are great.

Enjoyment:8
Watching this show is very fun, and I’d definitely recommend it.

Overall: 8.4
This show is great, with good characters, great art, and great music. Definitely take some time to watch it. Even if you dislike it now, stick with it and it might improve.

When you get an anime adapting a critically claimed manga with fantastic art, your first thought is usually
GAAAAAAHHhhHHhHHhhH NOT AGAIN
Luckily for us, the adaptation of Dorohedoro, a manga I unfortunately have not read, seems to be a pretty decent adaptation.

Story:8
Dorohedoro is known for its wacky and nonsensical plot. And this certainly lives up to that. If I were to tell someone I was enjoying this show, and explained the plot.... they would probably think I was a bit weird. At least, weirder than normal. Let me explain it to you. A half crocodile man bits down on the heads of wizards so the ... man living in his throat can determine if they are the one who transformed his head into a crocodile. Although, I can’t give the plot anything lower than an 8. It may be strange, but it manages to be entertaining and interesting.

Art:8
Now. This is what I and many other people were worried about. However, I am happy to report that the CG is surprisingly decent. The background art is detailed and stunning, and the CG animation is watchable. Some shots look cheap, most of them due to the look of Caimans head. However, there are plenty of good looking scenes that balance out the bad, so definitely an 8/10.

Sound:9
Definitely one of my favorite parts of the show. The OP is one of my favorites this year, and ED 1 has another fantastic song. ED 2 is more fun, not too weird but not normal either. Overall, the music and sound design in the show is really good.

Character: 10
Easily the best part of the show. All the characters are fantastic, fun and likable. This is one of the few shows that doesn’t really have villains, just morally gray characters that care about each other and have fun personalities. Only anime can make something like this work. A wacky story driven by a colorful cast of rich characters.

Enjoyment:9
This is shaping up to be my favorite show of the season! I didn’t think I would like this as much as I do.

Overall:9
Give it a shot! It most certainly is not for everyone, but those who do stick with it will be rewarded with fun characters and eccentric plot.

Ah, what a simple and relaxing feelsy show to start out the year. Somali and the Forest Spirit is a breathtaking work of art, with adorable characters and an equally adorable father daughter relationship. The story is simple, with undertones hinting at a tragic ending. The more technical aspects of this show are even better. The soft pastel colors in the backgrounds and the strange yet beautiful monster designs all give the impression of reading a story book. It works as a strangely Undertale like fantasy world. The osts are all pleasant to listen to, with a relaxing op and ed. The characters all manage ... to be cute, and the relationship between Somali and the Golem is adorable and heartwarming. Definitely one of the best shows this season.

I’m going to be honest. This show is underrated as hell. Boogie pop was a very unique viewing experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The animation was consistently strong, with a very entertaining story that I loved every second of.


Story-8
Many people complained that the story was confusing and an incomprehensible mess. I personally understood most of it, even if I was a bit puzzled at times. The story was smart, with a collection of intriguing mysteries. I personally enjoyed the King of Distortion arc. It was trippy, sure, but it was a very unique mystery. It was well paced and interesting. That is exactly what ... I want to see from this kind of show.

Art-9
Consistently strong. The direction was excellent, with some very good action scenes mixed in. It had a few bits that weren’t as impressive as the rest, but overall it was very good. Facial animations near the end of the show were especially impressive.

Sound-10
I love the music in this show. The opening was a total banger. Myth and Roid never disappoint. The osts used throughout the show were strong, but the opening is still stuck in my head long after my initial watch.

Character-6
Probably the weakest point in the series. Boogie pop is a relatively interesting character, but many of the villains were slightly.... ah... cheesy. I honestly don’t remember a lot of the characters. It was okay, but not the best.

Enjoyment-8
I genuinely enjoyed this show! It had a unique atmosphere, plot, and was overall very well executed.

Overall-8
Definitely give it a watch! It’s not for everyone, but it’s still quite enjoyable. Even if you don’t like it, the opening is something worth listening to over and over again.