Goblin Slayer: You Don’t Have to Save the World to Save Someone’s World
Fantasy loves heroes. Chosen ones. Legendary swords. Ancient prophecies. Demon Lords threatening the entire world. Heroes destined to stand against them. Goblin Slayer isn’t really about those people. Somewhere in this universe, somebody else can worry about saving the world. Our hero has goblins to kill. That might sound like a joke. Sometimes, it is. […]
Outlaw Star: Go Find Your Place Among the Stars
Space is the final frontier. But apparently, nobody told Gene Starwind it was supposed to be respectable. There are pirates. Assassins. Magic bullets. Ancient mysteries. A catgirl who could probably bench-press you. And spaceships that occasionally settle disagreements by punching each other. Welcome to Outlaw Star. At first glance, this 1998 space western is exactly […]
Guilty Crown: Heavy Is the Head That Wears the Crown
It has one of anime’s greatest soundtracks. One of its coolest power systems. Political revolution. A viral apocalypse. Remote-controlled mecha. And a protagonist who will occasionally make you want to reach through the television and shake him. Welcome to Guilty Crown. At first glance, this 2011 anime feels like somebody threw dystopian science fiction, Code […]
86—EIGHTY-SIX: Spearhead Squadron and the People Who Refused to Be Forgotten
They don’t have graves. Most don’t even have bodies left to bury. Sometimes all that’s left is a name. A drawing. A piece of metal. And someone who remembers they existed. Welcome to Spearhead Squadron. At first glance, 86—Eighty Six looks like another grim military science-fiction anime. Young soldiers pilot machines against an overwhelming mechanical […]
Dragon Ball Super: Why It Made Dragon Ball Feel Alive Again
There was a time when Dragon Ball felt finished. Kid Buu had fallen. Peace had returned. Dragon Ball GT had taken its final bow. For years, Dragon Ball lived mostly through memories. It survived in Toonami reruns, Budokai tournaments with friends, worn-out manga volumes, and endless debates over who would win between Goku and Superman. […]