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Dead Mount Death Play ‒ Episode 4
Iwanome is a Columbo-type detective, who puts on a bumbling and harmless-looking facade to lure suspects into a false sense of security, hoping they might let something slip.
My Home Hero ‒ Episode 5
From start to finish, this is an amazing episode of My Home Hero.
One Piece ‒ Episode 1060
If there is ever an episode where the direction and cinematography elevated the material, it would be One Piece episode 1060.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc ‒ Episode 4
While “Thank You, Tokito” isn't necessarily the flashiest episode of the series, it has enough of the ol' slice-n'-dice sakuga to keep the dopamine flowing from the cold open to the end credits.
Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage ‒ Episode 3
After two episodes of mostly fluffy excursions starring Bojji and Kage, this week we shift focus to Queen Hiling and Daida.
Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion ‒ Episode 4
This episode at an extravagant ball tests the limit of the series' oft-times mediocre animation.
The Dangers in My Heart ‒ Episode 5
I love this little ball of anxious, overthinking energy. It feels like I'm watching a younger version of myself, constantly second-guessing the intentions of those around me, even if the simplest answer is the right one.
TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Season 2 ‒ Episode 4
Overall, I guess the lesson for today's kids is to "be careful when showing public displays of affection because your creepy roommate will catch you and make fun of you for it." I'm joking, of course.
Hell's Paradise ‒ Episode 5
The episode tries to tie Sagiri's resolve to her unconventional upbringing. However, I would have preferred if this had been established earlier instead of having a half-episode dump of unapologetic sexism.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury ‒ Episode 16
Given the gravity of her big reveal in an episode lousy with massive moments two weeks ago, it makes perfect sense for this one to round back to Girlboss Gendou.
Heavenly Delusion ‒ Episode 5
This week focuses on fleshing out Maru while the school side of the story takes a backseat.
My Clueless First Friend ‒ Episode 5
Welcome back to another episode of Taiyou Takada: Unconscious Lady-killer. However, as we saw last week, he's not as unaware as he seems.
A Galaxy Next Door ‒ Episode 4
It doesn't need the supernatural angle, because what makes this work is the emotional give and take, and that only needs people who are willing to show that they care.
My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 ‒ Episode 5
That undesirable date between Akane and the fervorous fanboy is the center of this episode's conflict and tension, and it absolutely succeeds at selling that sort of stressful encounter.
Magical Destroyers ‒ Episode 4
If you look at it on the surface, “R U Ready” might just be the single dumbest twenty minutes that Magical Destroyers has yet produced, and that's really saying something.
Birdie Wing -Golf Girls' Story- ‒ Episode 17
The true brilliance of Birdie Wing's story shines in its revolutionary realization that all narrative gaps and roadblocks can be solved by the golf mafia. I'm not kidding.
Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! ‒ Episode 4
Megumin and YunYun are once again in the spotlight, and I don't think that's ever going to be a bad call on the creators' part.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles ‒ Episode 4
This is an episode that proved that Mashle can do stuff with its satirical elements apart from base dunking, so hopefully, it can parlay that into even more complex plots and character interactions.
Otaku Elf ‒ Episode 4
I feel like I should love Yolde because she's an adorable, tiny, sharp-tongued dark elf. In practice, however, I wonder if she's fully living up to her entertaining potential.
The Legendary Hero is Dead! ‒ Episode 4
It's not a great place to be, honestly, since it paints what are seemingly genuine attempts at drama as unserious and disposable, even when they're not meant to be.
Yuri Is My Job! ‒ Episode 4
It's an act of betrayal—not only of her confidence but of her self-sacrifice as well.
Dr. Stone: New World ‒ Episode 4
With its lack of connection to the humanity behind our characters, it's the first episode of Dr. Stone in a long time that feels more like busy work than anything else.
The Ancient Magus' Bride Season 2 ‒ Episode 4
This week's episode hits pause on the plot to dig into Chise and Elias' relationship and their individual feelings for one another.
Oshi no Ko ‒ Episode 3
Hey Kana, do your shoulders hurt? From carrying this episode?
KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World ‒ Episode 4
It's easily KamiKatsu's best episode to date, but that's like saying it's your most tolerable bout with food poisoning.
Skip and Loafer ‒ Episode 4
Episode four continues the gentle, soaking rain of feel-good charm that this series exudes with every single interaction, its characters acting like honest-to-God human people.
Vinland Saga Season 2 ‒ Episode 16
This anime has been firing on all cylinders for so long that I've forgotten what it's like not to be immersed in peak anime drama week after week.
Insomniacs After School ‒ Episode 3
While it's unfortunate that insomnia is barely brought up in this episode, it's nice to see Ganta and Isaki genuinely excited about their newly-founded club.
Dead Mount Death Play ‒ Episode 3
Now that the status quo has been established—a reincarnated lich, a zombie assassin, and a criminal hacker living together in Shinjuku—where does the story go from here?
One Piece ‒ Episode 1059
One Piece Episode 1059 maintains the various plots and setups from the previous week with solid energy but not much substance to work with.
Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion ‒ Episode 3
Raeliana may still be acting under the assumption that this is all a farce designed to save her life, but it's starting to look an awful lot like Noah is not operating by the same rules.
The Dangers in My Heart ‒ Episode 4
The show does an excellent job of only showing us things from one perspective, as it allows Anna to ride that line between being insightful and an idiot.
TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Season 2 ‒ Episode 3
In a very cynical world where people are constantly second-guessing themselves, it's nice to come across a couple that is so sure of themselves.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc ‒ Episode 3
With Zenitsu out of the picture (for now), I'm honestly surprised at how fine I've been with Demon Slayer's decision to be shamelessly and exuberantly silly for a full quarter of a season.
Hell's Paradise ‒ Episode 4
With each passing episode, this “paradise“ gets creepier and creepier.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury ‒ Episode 15
After the events of the previous episode, pretty much everyone is going through a rough time, so what better time than now to round back to Guel Jeturk?
My Home Hero ‒ Episode 4
I have mixed feelings about this episode. It completely does away with the best aspect of the series so far: the husband/wife pair teaming up to cover up a murder.
Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Obviously, Megumin and Yunyun are the big stars. Basically any time one or the other is on screen, hijinks ensue. That's a great place for a show to be!
Heavenly Delusion ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Heavenly Delusion is one of my favorite series airing this season. Its blend of post-apocalyptic horror, conspiracy, and human tenacity provides plenty to chew on, provided you don't mind biting through some bone and gristle as well.
My Clueless First Friend ‒ Episode 4
What's the sign that Takada is truly a good friend to Nishimura? When he realizes this week that the nickname “Grim Reaper,” no matter how cool it is to him, may be hurtful to her.
My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 ‒ Episode 4
I wonder if the actual long-term point of this show will be Akane using her interactions with Yamada as a vector to grow more self-actualized as a real adult, leveling herself up more than any love story.
Magical Destroyers ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Magical Destroyers contains the same devil-may-care energy and manic self-indulgence that some of my favorite anime comedies have possessed, and that's what made the premiere such a treat to behold.
A Galaxy Next Door ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Can a romance flourish between one young man and his extra-terrestrial manga assistant?
Birdie Wing -Golf Girls' Story- ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
Since we're about two-thirds of the way through the series now, we're approaching the logical lowest point for these characters. This is where we'd expect to see the most friction between Aoi and Eve.
Otaku Elf ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Like talking with a beloved older relative, hearing about the old days also forms the emotional core of Otaku Elf that lets it rise above being a mere sketch comedy.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
While I would have been happy to see Mash directly dedicated to dunking on all these Dumble-dorks, giving them swirlies, stuffing them into lockers, and the like, I will admit it's for the best that our hero isn't that mean-spirited.
Dr. Stone: New World ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
Science is only half of what makes Dr. Stone so great. The other half is the human moments.
Yuri Is My Job! ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
It was the moment when she could have chosen to live for herself rather than for the approval of others. However, she instead chose to double down to an insane degree, with only her best friend knowing about her true nature.
Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
art of what drew me to the original series was emotionally intelligent writing, but these first two episodes lacked any gravitas. The first season already did the contextual legwork, Treasure Chest of Courage needs to capitalize on it.
The Legendary Hero is Dead! ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Be it sharp rapport, goofy visual gags, or just a comedic premise versatile enough to perpetuate humor, there are many ways to make a show like this work. So far, The Legendary Hero hasn't managed any of that, and it's a slog.
The Ancient Magus' Bride Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
After a whole five years' absence, The Ancient Magus' Bride has at last returned from the land of fae, and it is in no hurry to explain itself.
Vinland Saga Season 2 ‒ Episode 15
What Thorfinn wants is something truly radical: a world wherein the reasons to do any harm to another human being are simply never allowed to take root in the first place.
TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
There's a good reason to assume that this season might focus more on introducing new characters to expand the world while also getting a bit more into Tsukasa's mysterious backstory.
Insomniacs After School ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
The show misdirects you into thinking that it's going to be this supernatural ghost story, only to make you realize that it's just about teenagers that need a good night's sleep.
Oshi no Ko ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Fortunately, Oshi no Ko has made good on the hype promised by its explosive first manga volume, and now we're primed to see how deep and dark this rabbit hole can go.
The Dangers in My Heart ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Don't judge a book by its cover. The Dangers in My Heart ended up being the exact opposite of our reviewer's expectations.
Hell's Paradise ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
Outside of the fact that the series is absolutely gorgeous with vibrant colors, sharp sound design, and spectacular animation sequences, there is a genuinely intriguing story here.
BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE
But BOFURI's biggest surprise was always how entertaining it could make its particular brand of overpowered player action, and that carries it through to the end.
My Home Hero ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
In a normal mystery story, Tetsuo would be the quick-thinking criminal and Kasen the genius everyman detective. Read on to find out how My Home Hero twists this expectation.
KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
The characters are awful. The jokes are foundationally unfunny even when they're not being undercut by terrible delivery. If the show can't even deliver on its defining feature, we're in for a long, long season.
Dead Mount Death Play ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
With the first episode's twist out of the way, episode two focuses on murderer Misaki and whether the audience can still sympathize with her.
Skip and Loafer ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
If viewers don't specifically relate to Mitsumi's brand of anxiety, one of the other characters is sure to feel familiar.
My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
I'm happy to have a heroine like Akane, a messy girl failure whose "chemistry" with Yamada amounted to her simply ricocheting off of him in a way that served both of them well.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
Did I mention that this episode has Tanjiro training with a badass six-armed mechanical doll thing? Because that badass six-armed mechanical doll-thing is pretty friggin' sick.
One Piece ‒ Episode 1058
One Piece episode 1058 is a fine enough entry, though the pacing issue begins to rear its ugly head, and the entire proceeding seems a bit drawn out.
My Clueless First Friend ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
For those who have experienced bullying, My Clueless First Friend could be the needed confirmation that things can get better.
Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion ‒ SERIES PREMIERE
As of the second episode, I imagine at least a few people are rooting for her to do her time with Duke Noah Wynknight and then run off with Sir Adam Taylor, the knight the duke assigns to her as part of their bargain.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury ‒ SEASON PREMIERE
Chickens are coming home to roost as we find out the truth behind Suletta and Aerial's origins.
Vinland Saga Season 2 ‒ Episode 14
Vinland Saga's greatest strength is the deft way in which Makoto Yukimura has weaved these tales of violence and tragedy with such soul-shattering empathy for the victims of the world's worst circumstances.
BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. Season 2 ‒ Episode 11
The big draw for this episode is that it is really showing off this time.
One Piece ‒ Episode 1057
Ultimately, what makes this episode so strong to me is that it focuses on the main cast of One Piece—the Straw Hats!—through the emotional beats and stories they still have to tell.
Buddy Daddies ‒ SEASON FINALE
The SpyxFamily comparisons were inevitable, but Buddy Daddies defines itself as a worthwhile story about found family, grief, and discovering what makes life worth living.
Vinland Saga Season 2 ‒ Episode 13
The peace that Thorfinn and Einar have been reveling in cannot possibly last, not in this world that they've been chained to, especially when so many storm clouds are converging over their heads.
One Piece ‒ Episode 1056
This episode is about fighting, and whew Lord it's the good stuff.
"Ippon" Again! ‒ SEASON FINALE
Thus ends "Ippon" Again!, a thoroughly charming sports series all the way through.
Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown ‒ SEASON FINALE
Truth be told, I'm happy to say goodbye to the previous story arc and move on to (hopefully) greener pastures.
Spy Classroom ‒ SEASON FINALE
It is only fitting that this season of Spy Classroom would end with its favorite kind of episode: a mostly tangential flashback to a one-off story that happened before the big mission.
Tsurune: The Linking Shot ‒ SEASON FINALE
Ultimately, it's not really about what happens but who's making it happen: “Practicing kyudo has introduced me to so many people,” Minato tells Masa. Now that it's time to say goodbye, I realize that I will miss these people quite a lot.
Tomo-chan Is a Girl! ‒ SEASON FINALE
The underlying plot with Tomo's dad being this random last-minute obstacle in the way of these two progressing in their relationship felt a little bit unneeded but I'd be lying if I said the buildup to the end of this episode left me unsatisfied.
High Card ‒ SEASON FINALE
There are a lot of motives and ideas that are introduced in this episode that feel like they were foreshadowed or brought up earlier but I for the life of me cannot remember them being elaborated on.
BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. Season 2 ‒ Episode 10
One has to wonder how much the admins of New World Online were taking Maple's all-loving teamwork approach into account in designing this event's mechanics.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 ‒ SEASON FINALE
Reality is much more subjective than you'd think because it comes down to perspective.
In/Spectre Season 2 ‒ SEASON FINALE
While this dinner date lacks the likable characters and grandiose plotting of the prior arcs, it more than makes up for that by alternating between droll hilarity and steely justice.
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill ‒ SERIES FINALE
Like nearly every episode before it, this final episode relies on the series' familiar formula to such a degree that, if it weren't for the somewhat schmaltzy end-credits sequence, you'd barely even recognize that it was the finale to anything.
Vinland Saga Season 2 ‒ Episode 12
This entire episode stands as a kind of manifesto against the sort of violent spectacle that so many stories, including the previous season of Vinland Saga, will romanticize and exploit for cheap thrills.
Buddy Daddies ‒ Episode 11
If you strip away all the fantastical elements of their job, this episode is about two men losing custody of their daughter and trying to decide whether to continue their lives without her.
One Piece ‒ Episode 1055
If you can't enjoy a cyborg dinosaur pew-pewing the place up with laser beams, then what can you enjoy?
Tsurune: The Linking Shot ‒ Episode 12
“The Linking Shot” may have been the penultimate episode of Tsurune: The Linking Shot, but it felt in many ways like a finale.
Handyman Saitō in Another World ‒ SEASON FINALE
The craftsmanship wasn't always perfect, but like a reliable local handyman, you could always count on it to show up and get the job done.
"Ippon" Again! ‒ Episode 12
Michi might be full of spirit, but she's also been performing well above her usual skill level for this tournament, and eventually, she was going to hit a wall.
BLUELOCK ‒ SEASON FINALE
We're finally going to get out of Blue Lock and have Ego put his money where his mouth is.
Trigun Stampede ‒ SEASON FINALE
If there's one thing this finale made me realize, it's that STAMPEDE desperately needed to have more episodes in order for me to feel the full impact.
Giant Beasts of Ars ‒ SEASON FINALE
Giant Beasts of Ars manages to stick the landing in the final episode, though it can't quite escape the issues that have plagued it for the whole season.
Revenger ‒ SEASON FINALE
“So beautiful, yet so melancholic.” A fitting line for the show and its finale. Revenger ends its great season on a terrific note in episode 12.
Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown ‒ Episode 12
This standalone episode was good, ramping up the tension and drama with reveals just as big as season one's finale. But I can't trust Tokyo Revengers to not make the same mistakes over and over.
Spy Classroom ‒ Episode 11
I find it difficult to care about the conflicts and triumphs of these characters when the show keeps reminding me that this is all a ridiculous cartoon world that occasionally demands to be treated like a real story with real stakes.
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