[12 Days of Anime] Day 9: SPY x FAMILY

It is with shock looking over the 2022 season that I realized SPY x FAMILY only began airing this year, with its two seasons spanning across multiple seasons and ending out this fall just as great as when it started in the spring. Back when it first aired, I remember the hype surrounding the anime adaptation, the love manga fans had for this unconventional family and the hope that the transition would treat the material with respect and care. As an anime-only fan, I didn’t have any particular expectations other than my usual for quality writing and characterization. SPY x FAMILY over delivers on the character writing, giving us a large cast of characters who each exhibit their own quirks, both public and private.

[12 Days of Anime] Day 2: BIRDIE WING’s Bullet to the Brain

While there were a number of entertaining series starting off the year in the winter, very few at the time jumped off the screen in a manner unique from the other. When you considered sports-focused shows specifically, the field narrowed even further–Tribe Nine certainly proved itself creative with its handling of futuristic baseball. However, it wasn’t until the spring with the unveiling of anime-original BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- that I felt something truly special. Where else could I imagine something as ridiculous as a shot through a moving train and off a rake to the green, or an underground, transformable, full-size golf course?

[Review] Love After World Domination

I’ve gotta give credit where it’s due–I would have missed Love After World Domination if not for a friend’s recommendation. The super sentai setup and bright colors gave me expectations of unfunny gag humor and cheesy references. Both gags and references are assuredly present, but the cheese is delightfully delicious and the humor usually spot on.

Kaiseki Anime Podcast Episode 103 – Spring 2022 Season Review

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:20 The Dawn of the Witch
• 04:30 Fanfare of Adolescence
• 05:55 Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie
• 07:03 Skeleton Knight in Another World
• 08:11 Thermae Romae Novae
• 11:00 Vampire in the Garden
• 12:15 Aharen-san wa Hakarenai
• 14:05 Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 3
• 17:25 Dance Dance Danceur
• 20:00 Date A Live IV
• 21:07 Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness
• 25:49 The Executioner and Her Way of Life
• 27:20 The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody
• 28:00 Healer Girl
• 31:33 Heroines Run the Show
• 34:30 I’m Quitting Heroing
• 35:56 Love After World Domination
• 38:16 TIGER & BUNNY 2
• 40:28 Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs
• 43:16 BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story-
• 46:06 The Demon Girl Next Door S2
• 46:53 Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic-
• 48:53 Komi Can’t Communicate Part 2
• 51:37 SPY x FAMILY
• 53:34 Ya Boy Kongming!
• 56:00 Aoashi
• 56:30 Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
• 56:55 A Couple of Cuckoos
• 57:12 Love All Play
• 57:27 Summer Time Rendering
• 57:57 Outro

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You can find Kaiseki Anime Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Play. Subscribe to us now! Please also take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts—these reviews increase our visibility to new viewers, as well as gives us the feedback we need to improve.

If you have any questions or comments, let us know by commenting below, through Twitter with #KaisekiAnimePodcast, or on our personal Twitter accounts.

Music Credits:

• “Clover 3” by Vibe Mountain
• Summer Time Rendering OP 1: “Hoshi ga Oyogu” (星が泳ぐ, “The Stars Swim”) by Macaroni Enpitsu
• “Seasons” by roljui

[Review] BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story-

If you had asked me last year what I’d think about watching a golf anime, I probably would have laughed before launching into a whole list of reasons why I probably wouldn’t watch it, starting with pure boredom for the sport to outright dislike for its large use of land. Now we’re hitting summer and BIRDIE WING is probably one of my more anticipated sequels for the coming year. There are few other new shows this past season to get me this excited for a continuation.

[Review] SPY x FAMILY

I’m writing this at a bit of an appropriate time–right at the tail end of a family visit that has taken over our lives for the past week. I had all these plans to finish the spring shows on a timely schedule and write all my reviews before the summer shows hit, but here we are now with several new episodes already out and I’m still stuck finishing up steps 1 & 2. Thanks, Mom! I’ve found some down time in between the sightseeing and eating, so what better place to start than with another family, SPY x FAMILY.

Kaiseki Anime Podcast Episode 102 – SPY x FAMILY, & A Couple of Cuckoos

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:04 SPY x FAMILY
• 17:43 A Couple of Cuckoos
• 27:26 Outro

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You can find Kaiseki Anime Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Play. Subscribe to us now! Please also take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts—these reviews increase our visibility to new viewers, as well as gives us the feedback we need to improve.

If you have any questions or comments, let us know by commenting below, through Twitter with #KaisekiAnimePodcast, or on our personal Twitter accounts.

Music Credits:

• “Clover 3” by Vibe Mountain
• SPY x FAMILY OP: “Mixed Nuts” (ミックスナッツ, Mikkusu Natsu) by Official Hige Dandism
• “Seasons” by roljui

[Review] I’m Quitting Heroing

I’m going to keep this review on the shorter side since I already spoke recently about my appreciation for this show amidst a slew of recent similar series; however, I did want to give an update with my final thoughts. While my positive reactions from before still stand true, the overall impression is forgettable. I’m Quitting Heroing did well enough to entertain me this past spring, but I don’t see myself remembering details into future seasons largely due to its unremarkable graphics and flat characterizations.

[Review] Healer Girl…Might Just Soothe Your Heart if You Let It

Where it all began

It’s time to say farewell to our musical of the season, one I’m sad to see go but from which I hope many other works take inspiration. Healer Girl was not without its many flaws (see my other post), but it showed us the possibilities for a more music-driven narrative, one that blends song and dance into the storytelling.

[Review] Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness

Leaving your hometown and exploring a new world, be that in the city or country, a neighboring state or a whole different nation with its own language, can be life changing. Beliefs are challenged and even changed for something wholly different, and we can end up feeling like completely different people. I strongly relate with this given my flight from home almost a decade ago, and encourage others to do the same whether or not they feel they need it because of the personal confrontation that ensues from such a drastic shift in perspective.

What does that have to do with Deaimon? Admittedly not much for the vast majority of the setting, since we spend most of our time in the same Kyoto hometown; however, the implications are there with our main character and those who surround him. As much as this anime fits into the healing nook of series, it also questions the necessity of independence and the possible consequences that follow.