I grew up obsessed with fantasy novels but, in my twenties, I’ve struggled to be enamored with fantasy anime. The plots generally feel re-hashed, characters carbon copies of each other and there’s generally not much to surprise. Depending on your view, the number of ‘isekai’ (transported to a fantasy world)-type anime series around today could … Continue reading
Katsuhiro Otomo, the man behind standout anime films such as Akira and Metropolis, is one of those staple names in the anime director world. So, I was keen to check out Steamboy, a 2004 film re-released by MangaUK. This retro steampunk-esque story, set in Victorian England, is a great watch for the family and therefore … Continue reading
I’m usually somewhat sceptical about series that are based on video games, mainly because I expect them to be not-so-subtle marketing tools. In spite of my reservations, I was keen to check out God Eater because it looked pretty damn cool. God Eater is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which terrifying monsters known as … Continue reading
When was the last time you ate food that was so damn good it made your clothes fly off? If two of your favourite things in life are food and anime, you can’t go wrong with Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma). This series is the perfect mix of mouth-watering, hilarious, dramatic and over-the-top, and I didn’t even realise … Continue reading
School Live! (Gakkou Gurashi!) crept up on me, almost like a zombie epidemic creeping up on an unsuspecting populace. Oddly enough, this series sits in two categories I normally don’t watch – high school/slice of life and zombies. But I’d heard it had been well received when it originally released in Japan so, hoping to … Continue reading
With a social media name like SengokuSophie, it should be pretty obvious that I have a slightly obsession with Japan’s Sengoku period (Warring States period). As a history nut, samurai are awesome and, as a long-time anime-watcher, samurai in anime tend to be cool and good-looking too. While there are loads of anime series with … Continue reading
One Punch Man was released in Japan in 2015 and was hyped up by the anime-watching community worldwide. I missed the hype train when it pulled into the station but now that MangaUK is releasing it for UK audiences (17 July), I finally had a chance to watch it myself. For me, the big question … Continue reading
I should start this anime review by pointing out that I wasn’t a huge Digimon fan when I was younger. I was a die-hard Pokemon fan and in my mind you could only be one or the other, although I would secretly glimpse episodes of Digimon then deny it. Digimon was a staple series for … Continue reading
If My Love Story!! (Ore Monogatari) was a person I’d hug it to death. I never realised how badly I needed this series in my life. I watched this entire series with a silly grin plastered across my face – it’s simply joyous and cute and hilarious! My Love Story!! is a high school romance … Continue reading
Here’s an idea for a game to play while watching Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions – take a drink every time someone says ‘I activate my trap card’! Out this week from MangaUK is Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions, the follow-up movie to the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series that many of you will remember … Continue reading
