Tag Archives: HIDIVE

Mid-Spring 2025 Anime Ranking

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01. LAZARUS (Ep. 1-10) – The world is going to end for humanity, after a scientist reveals his widely used pain-relief drug, Hapna, is actually a ticking time bomb. A group of misfits is tasked to find him, with the goal of obtaining an antidote.

I really like that Axel’s parkour and prison breaks are believable because his inability to stay still for long is so well-demonstrated. Miyano Mamoru is a natural fit in the lead role here. In general, the characters and voice acting are great. And the action scenes – wow, truly phenomenal!

I wish they would give Hersch a more generic outfit though. Her usual clothes are too distinctive (and ugly) to wear every day.

Other criticisms: There are maybe a few too many coincidences. And there is a strange, dreamlike, lack of urgency to everyone. Why would people go so out of their way to protect their own agendas when everyone is going to die?

Regardless, this sort of anime is my jam, and I look forward to it every week!

02. TO BE HERO X (Tu Bian Yingxiong X) (Ep. 1-11) – The narrative consists of individual story arcs with no clear connection so far. Additionally, the order in which they are presented is not even linear. Anyway, the stories are good, and intriguing, though I fear I may need to re-watch once I know what’s actually going on.

Going in, I was a bit unsure about the CG animation, but there was no need to be wary as it looks really good.

The soundtrack, including the OP and ED, are great! Sawano Hiroyuki delivers again!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. KOWLOON Generic Romance (Ep. 1-10) – The retro setting seems at odds with the modern-day devices and futuristic object floating in the sky. And the main character might be a clone? Kowloon Generic Romance is definitely unique and mysterious and very interesting.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season) (Ep. 33-46) – The sheer amount of medical and scientific knowledge that Maomao possesses defies credibility, in my opinion. And it’s also quite the stretch that she’s kept her blinders on for so long about Jinshi’s secret, when she’s so morbidly curious about literally everything else.

Regardless, this show is consistently well-written and Maomao is a great lead. I am not personally watching for the potential romance aspect; but for those who are, there’s finally some development here.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. Anne Shirley (Ep. 1-10) – Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Classic Canadiana, countless publications, TV and movie adaptations. Despite growing up in Canada, it all somehow eluded me. Typical story of my life: it took Japan to make a modern anime to reel me in!

Anne is really charming. This is basically a slice-of-life tale, but the story moves fast – each episode finds her about a year older!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Rock is a Lady’s Modesty (Rock wa Lady no Tashinami deshite) (Ep. 1-11) – A pretty fun show about proper young ladies letting loose and being true to their heavy metal hearts. Also, because of how repressed they usually have to be, it’s understandable they find it refreshing to be able to cuss each other out too. However, I will posit that there’s a difference between blunt honesty and verbal abuse!

Real life metal band BAND-MAID not only provides the OP song, but also the music played by the girls; so it looks and sounds really authentic!

(Streaming at HIDIVE)

07. Apocalypse Hotel (Ep. 1-9) – The world has ended for humanity long ago, but the Gingarou Hotel in Ginza, run by robots, continues to operate, eventually providing hospitality to extra-terrestrial guests.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl (Gorilla no Kami kara Kago sareta Reijou wa Ouritsu Kishidan de Kawaigarareru) (Ep. 1-9) – I tend to have a soft spot for anime featuring super strong, female, reluctant heroes, and Gorilla God fits the mould. The supporting characters are sufficiently pleasant too.

I love that Sophia routinely gets different hairstyles and outfits depending on the situation. However, it is hard not to notice the increasing use of recycled footage otherwise.

The most annoying thing, well maybe it’s just a personal pet peeve, is that most of the characters’ names are derived from the animals they are blessed by. It makes no sense, since the blessings are not hereditary, and are not received until one is in their teens. It goes so far as to be a spoiler, since the show doesn’t reveal everyone’s animal god right away; but you know.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. The Shiunji Family Children (Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi) (Ep. 1-9) – Okay, incest/harem anime are pretty far off the beaten path for me! If it weren’t for Umehara Yuuichirou in the starring role of Arata, I never would have found my way here. Surprisingly, it’s not nearly as trashy as I anticipated, partly because Arata is a decent guy and a good brother to his siblings. He is rightfully weirded out when his sisters start thinking of him as potential romantic partner material once they learn they are not blood-related.

Pure speculation, but don’t tell me Lala, the girl he actually likes, is his blood-related sibling for real. That would be groan-worthy; but it would serve as an ironclad reason he cannot end up with her, and he has to consider looking in-house instead!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

10. I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! (Ore wa Seikan Kokka no Akutoku Ryoushu!) (Ep. 1-4 + select episodes only) – This isekai sci-fi comedy is gratuitous and somewhat misogynistic. It does have its humorous moments, but I really cannot recommend this show! I only started watching because of my sister. And she only watched because Hirose Yuya plays a bit part. It got to the point where she was checking the end credits for his name before deciding whether or not to continue each episode.

I expected Shiunji Family Children to be trash, but it was not even close compared to I’m the Evil Lord.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Mid-Summer 2024 Anime Ranking

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01. [OSHI NO KO] (Ep. 12-22)

(Streaming at HIDIVE)

02. YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master (Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai) (Ep. 14-19)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. Suicide Squad ISEKAI (Ep. 1-10 complete)

(Streaming at Hulu)

04. Senpai is an Otokonoko (Senpai wa Otokonoko) (Ep. 1-11)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. Twilight Out of Focus (Tasogare Out Focus) (Ep. 1-11)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. The Magical Girl and The Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies (Katsute Mahou Shoujo to Aku wa Tekitai shiteita.) (Ep. 1-11)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. Egumi Legacy (Ep. 1-10) – Voice actor Eguchi Takuya’s unique character designs in glorious animation. To be honest, I’m not sure I get it, but this work is one of a kind, that’s for sure!

(Streaming at YouTube)

Notable Drops:

Delico’s Nursery (4 episodes) – Certainly, the message that child-rearing is as important a job as any other is a meaningful one. But I don’t know. When your other job is crime-solving, and people are out there dying while you and everyone on your team are changing diapers and looking after the kids, it does make me question your priorities.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

The Elusive Samurai (Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi) (3 episodes) – It was not bad, by any means; the animation especially, looked great. But I just felt too much discomfort reconciling the very violent and disturbing narrative elements (eg. torture and murder of children) with the comedic content. Well also we have a tendency to be less interested in action dramas starring child-protagonists.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Mid-Winter 2024 Anime Ranking

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I’m adequately enjoying most of what we’re watching, however this is yet another season in which I have no clear favourites.

01. 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsu suru) (Ep. 1-9) – Riche says she won’t do any work, that she wants to live a carefree life. But all that means is she won’t do the official duties expected of the betrothed of royalty. In her idle time, she is working her butt off, fixing the economy, curing diseases, and trying to stop a war! And ultimately, she hopes to avoid suffering an untimely death yet again.

The Prince Theodore arc was weak, and strained my interest in the show a lot; but subsequently the narrative has picked back up, now that elements of Riche’s past lives are coming together.

For a villainess-do-over-genre anime, I wasn’t expecting anything special in the animation department, but 7th Time Loop has some pretty nice-looking fights. And the ballroom dancing scene was the best of the 3 shows in this category that we’re watching. Yes that’s right: 3! The others are Doctor Elise and Villainess Level 99; and yes they both happened to have a ballroom episode too. However, I think I prefer the more subdued colour palette of the other 2 anime.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

02. FRIEREN: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) (Ep. 17-27) – With most anime, I usually find that the fights and action scenes don’t do that much for me; and I prefer the quieter character-building moments. It’s the opposite with FRIEREN, though. The fights are really interesting and smart, while the slice-of-life sequences come off as slightly boring.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) (Ep. 13-23)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. Chained Soldier (Mato Seihei no Slave) (Ep. 1-12) – My sister has a new Roman Empire, as it were (I just learned this phrase recently lol), and it’s seiyuu Hirose Yuya. So expect us to be watching more of his works going forward, starting with this raunchy harem anime, which is certainly outside our usual zone of interest.

Considering the ecchi and nudity, Chained Soldier is surprisingly not as exploitative as one might expect, since it’s the females who hold most of the power in this society. And yes, it’s actually pretty funny too.

(Streaming at HIDIVE)

05. Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord (Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura-Boss desu ga Maou dewa Arimasen (Ep. 1-9)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Doctor Elise (Gekai Elise) (Ep.1-9)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. Mr. Villain’s Day Off (Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san) (Ep. 1-9)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. A SIGN OF AFFECTION (Yubisaki to Renren) (Ep. 1-8)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. The Witch and the Beast (Majo to Yajuu) (Ep. 1-7)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

ALSO STARTED:

HIGH CARD Season 2 (Ep. 13-17) (Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Classroom of the Elite III (Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season) (Ep. 1-6) (Streaming at Crunchyroll)

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)