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One Piece ‒ Episode 737
"This partial-filler episode pads things out just as much as anything else and doesn't aspire to do more."
Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III ‒ Episode 29
"Okay, now I know I'm not imagining it – Sailor Moon Crystal's third season is using a lot of yuri imagery."
Series Premiere: Kumamiko - Girl meets Bear (Episodes 1-3)
"It's a sharp and unique little comedy, at the very least hard to forget, an anime like nothing else out there."
Series Premiere: Shōnen Maid (Episodes 1-2)
"If you're in the market for an amusing sitcom with a likable cast and crisp visuals, it should make a welcome addition to your spring anime list."
Series Premiere: Re:Zero (Episodes 1-3)
"Its obvious light novel trappings might drive some viewers away, but the series has already shown more to itself underneath the surface."
My Hero Academia ‒ Episode 3
"So far, MHA is constantly finding that balance between extremely traditional Shonen Jump property and something more."
Series Premiere: Flying Witch (Episodes 1-2)
"It leans heavily towards the atmosphere end of the atmosphere-comedy spectrum, but it's hard to complain about a show this charming and solidly constructed."
Series Premiere: High School Fleet (Episodes 1-2)
"It's an easy recommendation for fans of cute girls doing military things, and it's approachable enough to entertain viewers outside of its core demographic."
Season Premiere: The Asterisk War ‒ (Episodes 13-15)
"Character interactions are where the series shines brightest."
Series Premiere: Ace Attorney (Episodes 1-3)
"It's as close to the game as you can get, resulting in a show with ho hum production values that takes few if any risks."
Series Premiere: Big Order
"Takes what could have been an interesting premise and somehow manages to make it feel both overstuffed and devoid of anything important actually happening."
Concrete Revolutio - Episodes 14-15
"The first two episodes of Concrete Revolutio: The Last Song, especially the second one, are more cohesive than almost all of season 1."
Ushio & Tora ‒ Episode 29
"This episode was heavy on flashbacks and world-building, but managed to keep its focus on a fight in the present, leading to a rare half hour of riveting action that lines up chess pieces in the background."
Series Premiere: Kiznaiver (Episodes 1-2)
"There's a potentially great show hiding in Kiznaiver. The mix of Trigger's visual exuberance and Mari Okada's hyper-emotive storytelling seem like a fertile match, and Kiznaiver seems to at least be trying to be exactly that theoretical show."
Season Premiere: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part Four (Episodes 1-3)
"Between Angelo the friendly neighborhood serial killer and the Nijimura brothers, there's a definite theme of evil coming from the inside and spreading its way outward."
Series Premiere: The Lost Village (Episodes 1-3)
"The Lost Village is an extremely ridiculous show."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 456
"Itachi's Story is still the most entertaining filler arc in years, but its blunders are becoming increasingly difficult to overlook."
Season Premiere: And you thought there is never a girl online? (Episodes 1-2)
"The story is at least giving itself room to develop a deeper story while spinning its romantic comedy antics."
Season Premiere: Twin Star Exorcists (Episodes 1-2)
"It's a familiar story being presented with such genuine enthusiasm that you can't help but want to go along for the ride."
Season Premiere: Bungo Stray Dogs (Episodes 1-2)
"The generally lighthearted tone helps keep things much less dark than they could be, although the ending theme certainly suggests that things could go in that direction later."
Season Premiere: Joker Game (Episodes 1-2)
"Joker Game is already offering viewers a world with rich and varied perspectives, even if the way they express those views is not remotely subtle."
One Piece ‒ Episode 736
"After several dozen or so episodes of pure fighting, nuggets of information like this feel so refreshing."
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III ‒ Episode 2
"The positive changes to this season of Sailor Moon Crystal seem to be sticking so far, not just with its transformations but also with its character interactions and plot progressions."
Series Premiere: My Hero Academia (Episodes 1 & 2)
"The first two episodes of My Hero Academia are as indicative of the genre as you can imagine when it comes to plot, but the execution makes it shine so much stronger."
Season Premiere: Ushio & Tora (Episode 27)
"It appears that Tora has literally met his match, and this show has given me nothing but reasons to be excited for what happens next."
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 14
"I'll give the series the benefit of the doubt on this one, but the last thing Assassination Classroom needs to do is to start making up plot twists as it goes along."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 455
"Although a decent chunk of episode 455 is taken from previous installments, this week's Naruto Shippuden adds a number of intriguing new details to a story we all thought we knew."
One Piece ‒ Episode 735
"We're still in the calm before the huge post-arc info dump comes, and all the characters who need out are packing up and heading home."
Series Premiere: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III
"I realize that it might be too early for a celebration, but it really looks like the third season of Sailor Moon Crystal is going to be far superior to the first two."
Season Premiere: Sailor Moon Crystal (Episode 27)
"I realize that it might be too early for a celebration, but it really looks like the third season of Sailor Moon Crystal is going to be far superior to the first two."
Season Finale: Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū (Episode 13)
"It's only halfway complete, but Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju already stands among the best that anime has to offer."
Season Finale: Dagashi Kashi (Episode 12)
"The show ends where it began, with a bunch of likable teenagers enjoying their time together as they amble very slowly towards the future."
Season Finale: Utawarerumono (Episode 25)
"Even if there turns out to be a third season on the way, U2warerumono is best left forgotten."
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 13
"Once again, we have a divided episode where one half clearly outshines the other."
Season Finale: Gintama (Episode 316)
"As the Farewell Shinsengumi Arc comes to a close, viewers are forced to say goodbye to the staff of Odd Jobs Gin-chan for the fourth time."
Series Finale: Myriad Colors Phantom World (Episode 13)
"While the series may be a bit of a disappointment overall by KyoAni standards, neither it is it a train wreck."
Season Finale: Mr. Osomatsu (Episode 25)
"Even in its curtain call, the show managed to subvert viewer expectations and serve up a heaping helping of irreverency."
Series Finale: Snow White with the Red Hair (Episode 24)
"Snow White with the Red Hair proves that not every story has to be epic and change your world."
Season Finale: Dimension W (Episode 12)
"Overall, Dimension W started out promising, stood on shaky ground until about episode five, and then threw itself off of a cliff."
One Piece ‒ Episode 734
"As last week's episode finished off with the final blow of the Luffy vs. Doflamingo fight, this week is mostly about getting the reactions of the enormous supporting cast."
Series Finale: Schwarzes Marken (Episode 12)
"It's a finale with some disagreeable elements but on the whole, it's a satisfying conclusion to the story."
Season Finale: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash (Episode 12)
"This was never an easy story – but in the end, it is one worth watching."
Season Finale: Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (Episode 25)
"This episode conveyed big changes on the horizon for each main character through a thoughtful, slow buildup that has me both excited and scared."
Season Finale: Haikyu!! Second Season (Episode 25)
"Once again, the show excels in depicting the aftermath of an emotional game."
Season Finale: BBK/BRNK (Episode 12)
"BBK/BRNK got pretty ambitious with its storytelling in the latter half of the season, and this episode is simply too short to offer a proper ending to every side story."
Season Finale: Luck & Logic (Episode 12)
"While this episode of Luck & Logic neatly concluded its story arc and deftly set up a plot for its upcoming season, there was nothing particularly special about it."
Season Finale: God Eater (Episode 13)
"Though it was a more momentous than usual episode, it left too many loose ends unresolved, and if we don't get a second season it's going to hurt."
Series Finale: Durarara!! (Episodes 35-36)
"This finale was never going to be able to live up to the promise of 62+ bloated episodes, so covering the major bases as well as it did is worth its own special flavor of applause."
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū ‒ Episode 12
"We've reached That Moment, foreshadowed throughout the entire series and included in the title."
Dagashi Kashi ‒ Episode 11
"Overall, this episode felt a bit more sedate than usual, but it was otherwise pretty much textbook Dagashi Kashi."
Season Finale: GATE (Episode 24)
"This episode does cover most of its bases, but it never much captures a feeling of tension or energy."
Season Finale: Heavy Object (Episode 24)
"I'd hesitate to recommend this to anyone who doesn't enjoy fictional technical details, but its intended audience will find a competent show that only gets better over time."
Season Finale: Girls Beyond the Wasteland (Episode 12)
"Ultimately, I can't call this a good show, but it did turn out charming in ways that I didn't expect."
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 12
"Unfortunately, this episode's second half doesn't measure up to the first."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 454
"This week's outing reminds us that Itachi's backstory is all about tough decisions, moral ambiguity, and personal sacrifice."
Series Finale: ERASED (Episode 12)
"Overall, ERASED is definitely not as good as the show it could have been, but it's still a very reasonable show."
Season Finale: Haruchika – Haruta & Chika (Episode 12)
"This final episode achieves strong emotional closure by giving us what we want most from each of these characters in a slow, satisfying, natural way."
Season Finale: Active Raid (Episode 12)
"The title of this season's final Active Raid, “For Whom Does Order Exist?”, seems like a pretty good question for a better show to explore."
Myriad Colors Phantom World ‒ Episode 12
"This feels much more like a series approaching a midway point than an end."
Gintama ‒ Episode 315
"For the second week in a row, comedy is thrown out the window, but the show remains riveting and the Farewell Shinsengumi Arc has outdone even the stellar Shogun Assassination storyline before it."
Season Finale: Prince of Stride: Alternative (Episode 12)
"“End of Summer and Beyond” is less about telling the story of the race and more about capturing a mood."
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episode 24
"U2warerumono keeps derailing anything that could be dramatically cathartic into another series of time-filler battles."
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 24
"Somehow, the series has made us care enough about these little jerks to want to see them happy."
One Piece ‒ Episode 733
"The fated day has finally come, as the final episode of Luffy vs. Doflamingo has arrived."
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 23
"What is mostly lacking in this episode is Shirayuki herself."
Schwarzes Marken ‒ Episode 11
"In a setting predicated on paranoia and backstabbing, it seems only fitting that yet another round of betrayals and power grabs plays out in this next-to-last episode."
Dimension W ‒ Episode 11
"The direction remains weak, the animation quality has plummeted, and the art style has been brought down by a series of increasingly questionable character designs."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 24
"Iron-Blooded Orphans pushes our feelings to the limit with a heartbreaking half hour filled with loss, betrayal, and the horrors of war."
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ‒ Episode 11
"What could possibly be worse than seeing your friends die because of your own failure?"
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 24
"It's an incredibly tense game, right up until the last second before the ending credits, and it really pulls out all the stops to get this moment right."
BBK/BRNK ‒ Episode 11
"It's common for a show to lose some of its emotional punch when it tries to deliver a lot of information at once, but BBK/BRNK actually manages to do the opposite."
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū ‒ Episode 11
"It's a refreshing bit of happiness after the tragic spiral of the last three episodes."
Dagashi Kashi ‒ Episode 10
"As with many of the show's best episodes, this week was all dedicated to one extended storyline, with all of the leads hanging out and being their usual endearing selves."
Luck & Logic ‒ Episode 11
"The battles make this filler episode tolerable, so they're bound to make the inevitably cliché happy ending watchable too."
God Eater ‒ Episode 12
"By itself, the episode features tense moments and gripping action, but as part of a whole, I had some plot concerns that showed through the cracks."
Heavy Object ‒ Episode 23
"A hostage rescue mission sees the crew finally get a break from the arctic conditions of the last few story arcs, as they set up shop in a sunny mountain range."
Girls Beyond the Wasteland ‒ Episode 11
"In depicting its final crunch time, Girls Beyond the Wasteland is accurate yet uninspired as usual."
Lupin the Third (TV 2015) ‒ Episode 24
"Lupin III is not the type of franchise where everything needs to make perfect sense."
GATE ‒ Episode 23
"If one of your primary interests in GATE has always been the hard-core military action then this episode will not disappoint."
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 11
"It feels like this is a decisive moment in the show's ongoing clash of educational philosophies, and the dramatic tension jumps up a notch as a result."
Active Raid ‒ Episode 11
"This was a reasonably successful episode of Active Raid; not thrilling, not tedious, just another movement towards the end."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 453
"After sitting through several months of material that served up an abundance of unintentional laughs, it's nice to see an episode that makes a conscious effort at bringing the funny."
ERASED ‒ Episode 11
"This week's ERASED started right where the last one left off as far as storytelling goes."
Haruchika – Haruta & Chika ‒ Episode 11
"This episode is an exciting prelude to an increasingly promising finale."
Myriad Colors Phantom World ‒ Episode 11
"Though most of its attempts at humor still come off flat, this episode has something that most of the previous episodes haven't: heart."
Gintama ‒ Episode 314
"The joke count clocks in at zero this week, but you'll be so swept up by the action and the plethora of game-changing revelations that you'll hardly miss the humor, even if it is the show's greatest strength."
Prince of Stride: Alternative ‒ Episode 11
"The Stride competition was great, fantastic even, but this week it came at the price of pretty much every other element of the episode."
Season Finale: Konosuba (Episode 10)
"...never forgets its snarky wit or clever twists on game mechanics even in the face of crisis."
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 22
"Shirayuki comes off as a stronger character when she admits her weakness."
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 23
"Through two interconnected stories, episode 23 starts off as a humorously inflated slice-of-life tale before transitioning into an exercise in surrealism."
Dimension W ‒ Episode 10
"This episode wasn't as much of a step down as the last one, but that doesn't mean that the show has improved."
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episode 23
"We may be two episodes from the end of The False Faces, but we're going to spend the entirety of episode 23 running around the city like chickens with our heads cut off."
Schwarzes Marken ‒ Episode 10
"Frankly, I'm a little surprised that the series didn't drag this climax out for another episode, which leaves me wondering what the show is going to do for its final two episodes."
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ‒ Episode 10
"Ranta far outdoes the other party members in rashness, stubbornness, and even noise level, and Haru is starting to wonder if this is really okay."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 23
"Trust nobody on this week's episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans."
Durarara!! ×2 The Third Arc ‒ Episodes 9-10
"Durarara!!'s endgame continues to prove that there's no such thing as a negligible person."
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