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The Four Horsemen of the Patriarchy: Part 5 Touga

Despite their positions of power, the members of the Student Council are largely self-destructive. Saionji has no control of his emotions, to the extent that it leads to his eventual downfall at the end of the Student Council arc. Miki is so idealistic and naïve that it poisons his relationships with those who don’t adhere to his views. Juri’s cynicism blinds her to the potential in others. Utena is able to defeat them not necessarily because of her own talent, but because of their fatal flaws.

Kill la Kill: Episode 02 – 11 Review

I’ll be totally honest: after the first episode of Kill la Kill, I watched the second and gave up hope of having the motivation to go on. I just wasn’t very interested. The plot was lacking, the characters were god-awful obnoxious, and the fan service was too blatant to be taken seriously.

Yowamushi Pedal – First Impressions

The start of high school always means selecting a club for new students. For Onoda Sakamichi, it seems like an easy choice. Being a closet otaku to whom Akihabara is the promised land, and wanting nothing more than to have friends he can talk about anime and manga with, it’s definitely be the anime club.

Beyond the Boundary – First Impressions

Kyoukai no Kanata is this season’s offering from KyoAni, based on a novel series. While it does hit a lot of their normal tropes—mainly Kuriyama and her endearing klutz personality—there’s a lot that seems to be going on in the background that is promising.

Galilei Donna – First Impressions

From its description, Galilei Donna has the potential to be either amazing or a glorious train wreck: three moons, inhabiting the female bodies of Galileo’s descendants, are pursued by international agencies.

Yu-sibu – First Impressions

Sometimes even the most persnickety among us anime connoisseurs desires to mellow out and seek refuge in the warm bosoms of guilty pleasures, and this ridiculously long-named anime promises to be just the thing. Thus begins my report on I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job, or the Japanese shortened title Yu-Sibu.

The Four Horsemen of the Patriarchy: Part 3 Miki

Miki, the secretary of the Student Council, is in seventh grade and the youngest member by far. He is also the most “normal” (as far as that goes in this series) and likable of the student council, and throughout the show usually treats Utena and Anthy with dignity and respect. He is highly intelligent and sometimes serves as the innocent, virginal foil to his compatriots. But innocence can lead to black and white thinking and one being easily manipulated, as is the case with Miki and his virgin/whore complex.

The Four Horsemen of the Patriarchy: Part 2 Saionji

We first see Saionji through Utena’s eyes. Unnoticed, she watches as Saionji and Anthy quarrel outside of Anthy’s rose garden, until Saionji slaps her across the face. Utena is horrified as Saionji prepares to strike her again, but Touga catches his hand before he can, ending the confrontation.

The Four Horsemen of the Patriarchy: Part 1

Revolutionary Girl Utena is, without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite anime of all time. As a teenager, I fell in love with it for its beauty, its surreal story, and Utena’s incredible strength…I’ve come to realize that Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of the most honest commentaries on gender roles and agency I’ve seen in any medium, from any country.

Nagi no Asakura – First Impressions

The only reason this anime even came up on my radar this season is due to the breathtaking animation photos of the scenery in this world circulating the internet. I’m really not a huge fan of the slice of life romantic anime genre. In my experience it’s always some kind of coupling of two characters who are childhood friends about to enter a new school and must overcome the challenge of….