Tag Archives: Demon Slayer

Mid-Spring 2023 Anime Ranking

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01. [OSHI NO KO] (Ep. 1-11) – This is the anime of the season and it pretty much does live up to the hype. The characters are well-written and likeable; there’s a mystery and some social commentary; and generally, the balance of light and darkness hits the mark.

(Streaming at HIDIVE)

02. VINLAND SAGA SEASON 2 (Ep. 13-24) – Snake is an impressive character; even Thorfinn respects him. Their fight in ep. 16 is easily the highlight of the season. Also, I’m very glad to have Survive Said The Prophet back with the new OP “PARADOX.” It’s a perfect fit.

Tragedy abounds as Thorfinn’s and Canute’s opposing trajectories veer toward a clash.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. MY HOME HERO (Ep. 1-12) – The animation is certainly not amazing, but this story about a man trying to get away with murder after protecting his daughter against her abusive yakuza boyfriend is smart and riveting. The premise is a nice departure from the usual anime fare, and Suwabe Junichi is great as the daddy.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. My Love Story with Yamada-kun at LV999 (Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru) (Ep. 1-13) – I love the fashions in this anime, and the characters are very cute. I do think the 2 leads have chemistry, and I was rooting for them, but it bothered me that he had to rescue her so. many. times. If I was Akane, I would personally be mortified if the guy I liked witnessed me over-drinking on multiple occasions and doing stuff like distractedly walking into traffic.

Also, while I applauded Akane for taking the high road with Runa after what the younger girl did to her, I didn’t think Runa deserved to be let off the hook so easily. In short, Runa is the worst thing about the show.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion (Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei ni Itta Riyuu) (Ep. 1-12) – This isekai mystery/romance has some surprising superficial similarities with My Love Story with Yamada-kun at LV999, including the appearances of the lead characters and the way they started their relationships, but otherwise it feels like a completely different animal. While the character designs are sufficiently attractive, I think I might have liked this more if the animation, and especially the colour palette, looked a little more high-budget.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Skip and Loafer (Skip to Loafer) (Ep. 1-12) – This wholesome, feel-good anime about an unlikely group of friends drawn together by a unique but unassuming classmate, is objectively a better show than the preceding two on this list; but the slice-of-life/high school setting just doesn’t draw me in as much from week to week.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. THE MARGINAL SERVICE (Ep. 1-9) – Entertaining in a so bad, it’s good kinda way, which I believe is the way it is intended to be enjoyed. Well I could do without the pervy mascot character, but I’m having fun with this stupid show.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES (Ep. 1-8) – So derivative of Harry Potter as to be distracting, and the main character is an unbelievable cream-puff-obsessed idiot. We are trying to give this a fair shake, but its shounen trappings are getting somewhat tedious.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. DEMON SLAYER S3: Swordsmith Village Arc (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Katanakaji no Sato-hen) (Ep. 1-5) – We kinda have a bad habit of losing interest in long running shounen anime, and Demon Slayer was heading in that direction for us. While we did make it through all of season 2, much of it felt like a slog.

So after the first (feature length) episode this season, my sister and I discussed if it was time to drop; I actually argued to give it a bit more time to see where things were going. However, the second episode had us completely bored out of our skulls. At that point, the only thing that could save it was if they suddenly cast not one, but both, of our favourite VAs into the next episode. And well, the rest is history ’coz we’re still on board.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

ALSO STARTED:

Hell’s Paradise (Jigokuraku) (ep. 1-3) – but I felt the level of violence and grotesqueness was out of proportion to the quality of the narrative. The short time I spent with Hell’s Paradise was enough to convince me that colourful flower arrangements are creepy, and I’ll probably never be able to see them as lovely again.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Mid-Winter 2022 Anime Ranking

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In keeping with tradition, this will serve as my quarterly anime post. However, due to various challenges lately, my anime-ing opportunities have been compromised and only a handful of titles from our viewing list qualify for ranking this time around. I can’t really say if these are necessarily my favourites or not.

1.  Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) Final Season Part 2 (overall ep. 76-85) - Talk about an overpowered hero!  Eren's plan is devastating.  By now, friends and enemies alike are thinking of opposing him.  But is there any hope?
(streaming at Crunchyroll and Funimation)
2.  My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru) (ep. 1-10) - Teenaged otaku introduces fellow high-schooler to the world of cosplay.  Heart-warming adventure and romance ensue.
(streaming at Crunchyroll and Funimation)

The next set of shows, the Sōma trio if you will, are high on our priority because we have a Saitō Sōma stan in the house.

3.  The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saiseijutsu) (ep. 1-9)
(streaming at Funimation)
4.  Sasaki and Miyano (Sasaki to Miyano) (ep. 1-9) - Teenaged otaku introduces fellow high-schooler to the world of BL.  Heart-warming adventure and romance ensue.
(streaming at Funimation)
5.  ORIENT (ep. 1-9)
(streaming at Crunchyroll)

Other shows I’m fairly keen on:

RANKING OF KINGS (Ousama Ranking)
(streaming at Crunchyroll)
Salaryman's Club (Ryman's Club)
(streaming at Crunchyroll)
LOVE of KILL (Koroshi Ai)
(streaming at Crunchyroll)

Rounding out our list:

Tokyo 24th Ward (Tokyo 24-ku) (ep. 1-7)
(streaming at Crunchyroll and Funimation)
Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc (ep. 5-9)
(streaming at Crunchyroll)
TRIBE NINE (ep. 1-7) - The OP and ED are great.  The actual anime looks to be more style than substance.
(streaming at Funimation)

On a side note, I am pleased that a surprising number of shows we’re following this season (Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, TRIBE NINE, ORIENT, Genius Prince, Salaryman’s Club) feature rock songs as their OPs rather than the usual pop tunes. The most notable is the explosive (and explosively successful!) opener for Attack on Titan, “The Rumbling” by SiM. Of course, I was a fan of SiM’s previous theme songs for the other Shingeki series, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis and Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul. (In fact, I would argue that the OP was the single best thing about Genesis.) SiM deserves their success for “The Rumbling,” which is loud and powerful and a perfect fit for the final chapter of Attack on Titan. I recommend checking out the official music video too; it neatly references the show.

Jacquie’s 2019 Year in Review

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How’s this for procrastination? Check it out! Better late than never, right?

☆ Top 10 Anime

#1. VINLAND SAGA (24 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019 to Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Amazon)

#2. THE PROMISED NEVERLAND (Yakusoku no Neverland) (12 episodes)

Aired Winter 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#3. The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Second (Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These – Seiran) (12 episodes)

Aired Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#4. COP CRAFT (12 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019
(Streaming: FUNimation)

#5 Dr.STONE (24 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019 to Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#6. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (26 episodes)

Aired Spring 2019 to Summer 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#7. Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) Season 3 (22 episodes)

Aired Summer 2018 and Spring 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#8. [given] (11 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#9. Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious (Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore TUEEE Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru) (12 episodes)

Aired Autumn 2019
(Streaming: FUNimation)

#10. PSYCHO-PASS 3 (8 double-length episodes)

Aired Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Amazon)

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

☆ Anime Songs TOP 7 COUNTDOWN:

Going in the opposite order now…

07. “MAYDAY” by coldrain feat. Ryo from CRYSTAL LAKE (Fire Force OP2)

06. “Iruimi” by JUNNA (BEM ED)

05. “Sight Over the Battle” by OLDCODEX (ULTRAMAN Theme)

04. “Gurenge” by LiSA (Demon Slayer OP)

03. “Touch off” by UVERWorld (THE PROMISED NEVERLAND OP1)

02. “Take On Fever” by OLDCODEX (Tokunana OP)

01. “MUKANJYO” by Survive Said The Prophet (VINLAND SAGA OP1)

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The following music categories are not necessarily anime-related, though they kind of happen to be.

☆ BEST FULL-LENGTH ALBUM


“THE SIDE EFFECTS” by coldrain
Favourite tracks: SEE YOU, STAY THE COURSE
(Available on iTunes Canada, Spotify)

Runner up:
“Anti” by HYDE
Includes previously released songs: Who’s Gonna Save Us, Mad Qualia, Fake Divine, After Light, Zipang, and his worthy cover of Duran Duran’s Ordinary World.
Favourite album track: Another Moment
(Available on iTunes Canada, Spotify)

Honourable mention:
“LADDERLESS” by OLDCODEX
Favourite tracks: Sight Over the Battle, Deeply Mind
(Available on Spotify)

☆ BEST SINGLE (A-side & B-sides)


“Take On Fever” by OLDCODEX (Take On Fever, Nasty, painting of sorrow)
(Available on Spotify)

Mid-Summer 2019 Anime Ranking

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A small anime load is going to be the norm now, as work and obligations continue to keep us busy. Also, I will confess that I recently caved and rescinded my One Game Policy™. I now play Ikemen Vampire as well as Ikemen Sengoku on a regular basis. They are fun and rewarding, but they do divert quite a bit of time and attention away from anime and life.

The anime series that we started and dropped this season numbered nearly as many as the titles we ended up sticking with. Some prominent shows that fell by the wayside include to the abandoned Sacred Beasts, FIRE FORCE, Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit, Multi-Target Attacks!, and Ensemble Stars!. Kochouki: Wakaki Nobunaga might be on the chopping block too.


01. COP CRAFT (ep. 1-9) – A fish-out-of-water, visible minority (alien) rookie cop gets paired with grizzled (human) veteran. Yes, we’ve seen this set-up a million times before, not only in anime, but in western entertainment as well. But even though there’s nothing special about the premise, or the animation quality, and everybody seems to be criticizing the show, I guess I don’t care about that stuff, because I still like it!

I believe it’s all in the execution. From the confident storytelling, to the impeccable comic timing, to the nuanced characters (side characters too!), and most of all the stellar script, COP CRAFT is really smart; and I find it to be highly enjoyable. I also appreciate the realistic way COP CRAFT touches on various social issues topics such as race relations, sexual orientation, and politics.
(streaming at FUNimation)


02. VINLAND SAGA (ep. 1-9) – Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Viking anime before. This one is a really well-written (and violent) tale of a young boy named Thorfinn losing his innocence and growing into a warrior obsessed with vengeance. I don’t know much about the events of the Middle Ages, so I’m learning a little bit of history from watching this show.

The first 3 episodes originally aired together, but we had to take a break between 2 and 3 in order to prepare ourselves for what was obviously coming.

I wonder that no one tells the whole truth to Thorfinn. I mean, Askeladd is clearly not a good guy, but he was more the weapon, not the rightful target for revenge. Honour had nothing to do with it, after all; Askeladd was hired to do a job, and he had to do it.

The opening for this anime is so good. Survive Said The Prophet’s melodic and metal “MUKANJYO” pairs beautifully with the dramatic character imagery, epic vistas, and constantly moving camera work to produce the best opening/ending credits sequence I’ve seen this season, and maybe so far this year.
(streaming: Amazon Prime)


03. [given] (ep. 1-10) – There’s a lot to like about [given]. As a band anime, it probably ranks up among the likes of NANA and BECK. The characters are all likeable, and the performance animation and music are quite good too. In addition, [given] is a sensitive and subtle story of the budding romance between the 2 leads, which gets a bit angsty, but not to the point of melodrama.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


04. STARMYU High School Star Musical Season 3 (ep. 1-11) – Hoshitani really, really wants to perform together with all his friends for the Opening Ceremony, which leads to trouble with the current Kao Council. That is actually the whole plot. And you know what? It’s stupid, but it’s enough. The magic of STARMYU is in the great cast. The characters are consistently loveable and funny (well, most of them), and true to their personalities. While I do miss Ootori and Hiiragi, STARMYU in general has not lost its charm, even well into its third season.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


05. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (ep. 14-23) – The stunning sakuga and gorgeous art toward the end of the spider arc had social media all abuzz. While it certainly looked impressive, I was personally more entertained by the (filler) episodes which led up to that arc. That’s because Zenitsu and Inosuke are such great characters. I mean I kind of feel sorry for Tanjirou that he has to put up with these crazies, but they are funny! My favourite part was how upset Zenitsu got when he was forced to part with that kid he was supposed to have been protecting.

At the conclusion of the spider-demon arc, the show tried to humanize the villain by showing his past, a typical occurrence in shounen storytelling. But it was way too little, way too late. After all the evil we’d seen him do, there was no way to justify that, and his origin story fell flat.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


06. Dr. STONE (ep. 1-10) – Senkuu is undeniably wise, not only in his scientific know-how, but also in his philosophical worldview. However, I have to question his leadership skills if at only the third episode, when the world as they know it has a population of 4, he already needs to make gunpowder!

Anyway, it’s very easy to root for Senkuu to be successful in reviving the world because obviously, science is cool.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


07. Ace of Diamond (Diamond no Ace): Act II (season 3) (ep. 14-24) – It’s been a really long time coming, but in the rivalry between Seido pitchers Sawamura and Furuya, Sawamura is consistently outperforming Furuya lately, and actually looking like the main character that he is! Coach Kataoka is even starting him in the important game against scary fast Hakuryuu High School. Let’s hope Sawamura continues to hold his own against their strong batters and audacious base-stealers.

It might not always be evident from the way he acts, but Miyuki is a remarkable captain for his team, passing on his knowledge to the junior members, and sadly, also preparing his pitchers for a future that won’t include him.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


08. Fruits Basket (2019) (ep. 14-22) – We were getting a bit tired of the usual formula, which is: Tohru encounters the Souma-of-the-week.

Fortunately, eps. 21-22 shifted the focus to Tohru’s friend Hanajima, showing her past and explaining how she came to be the way she is now. Up until that point, she had been a pretty gimmicky character. This flashback story impressively and unexpectedly humanized her.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


09. BEM (ep. 1-7) – This is another 50th anniversary reboot project of which I’m not familiar with the original source or previous adaptations. It might be the fault of the dated franchise, but many of the villains are so cringingly ridiculous, they would have been right at home in the parody anime Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!.

Bem, Bela, and Belo are humanoid youkai who go around defeating evil monsters in order to protect humans. Their goal is to become human again someday.

So no surprise when, in ep. 7, Bem lectured Belo that he must not kill a scumbag who was experimenting on human and animal captives because it’s their policy to not kill humans. But then, Bem proceeded to release all of the creatures from their cages and allowed them to maul the guy to death. Umm okay, Bem, as long as your conscience is clear.

When it comes to gritty, dark, supernatural anime, COP CRAFT scratches my itch this season a lot better than BEM.
(streaming at FUNimation)

Mid-Spring 2019 Anime Ranking

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It’s a very light season for me this time. (Spoilers below up to the stated episodes for Demon Slayer, The Rising of the SHIELD HERO, and Ace of Diamond.)


01. Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) Season 3 (ep. 50-55) – All the years of buildup has led to this. We are finally getting some answers to the ongoing mysteries, many of which date back to the very first season, which aired in 2013. Our main group of characters is front and centre for the action now and every episode is concise and riveting. We are really going places – even to the Basement!
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


02. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (ep. 1-10) – The very best gory shounen series avoid falling into grimdark by balancing the heavy stuff with healthy doses of smart humour. Demon Slayer follows in this tradition, making it a fun show to watch despite all the tragedy and violence and horror. Incidentally, Attack on Titan is another great example, even if it hasn’t been very funny lately, for obvious reasons.

Though the art style is a bit of a departure from recent ufotable productions, the animation quality is reliably stunning.

What’s more, the characters are well-written and the family bond between Tanjirou and Nezuko is touching. When, in one of the early episodes, eldest brother Tanjirou expressed his desire to give to his sole-surviving sister all the things he would never be able to give to his other siblings, it just broke my heart.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


03. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 5: Ougon no Kaze) (season 4) (ep. 25-33) – Bucciarati and co. are getting closer to uncovering the Boss’s identity, but the price they pay is steep. As for the new villains, Doppio is insanely nuts while Secco and Cioccolata are insanely frightening.

Can we give a medal to Mista’s stand, Sex Pistols? Those hard-working little guys are big heroes!
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


04. The Rising of the SHIELD HERO (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari) (ep. 13-22) – Pacing-wise, a couple of the battles dragged on a bit too long this cour. And asking the Heros to get along and work together is still like pulling teeth.

At long last, it was nice to see Naofumi finally get some vindication, while Malty was exposed as a liar and schemer. Not sure it makes sense she’s still allowed to roam free and continue attempting to harm people though…
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


05. Fairy gone (ep. 1-9) – It’s a little slow-moving and convoluted at times, but I’m still enjoying the show and its fantastical post-war European-like setting. Some of the characters have laughably weird names, though, such as Free Underbar and Bitter Sweet!
(streaming at FUNimation)


06. Dororo (ep. 13-21) – Still kind of hit or miss for me. Again, the underlying family drama and nice-looking art are great, but the monster-of-the-week episodes, such as the ones featuring the shark demon and the creature that caused people to speak in opposites, still leave something to be desired.


07. BUNGO STRAY DOGS (ep. 26-34, or Season 3 ep. 1-9) – It would probably have been better if the events of the previous seasons were fresher in my mind. As it is, it’s a little difficult to keep track of the now huge cast of characters and all their motivations. In spite of that, I’m enjoying it okay.

Kudos to the show for producing yet another amazingly attractive opening sequence, again featuring stunning plays on light and shadows.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


08. Ace of Diamond (Diamond no Ace): Act II (season 3) (ep. 1-10) – Admittedly I am no expert in sports nutrition, but I do have some general background in health, and I wonder about the dietary requirements for the team members. Of course it’s important that they eat enough even if they’re too tired to feel hungry, but can choking down 3 bowls of rice really be good for anyone?

Anyway, Act II has been less interesting to me than some of the previous material because of the early focus on new characters rather than our leads Sawamura, Furuya, and Miyuki (although it’s getting better – Sawamura gets to pitch!) Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of recap, but that’s not really anything new.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


09. Fruits Basket (2019) (ep. 1-10) – Honestly, I was never a super huge fan of the original anime, but I remember enjoying it enough to be curious about this new and improved reboot. I’m maybe a little less tolerant of plot contrivances than I used to be (of course, there’s always a reason for Tohru to accidentally turn the Souma guys into their zodiac forms), and I still find Kagura to be annoying as heck, but on the whole, the show is fine as light shoujo entertainment.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)