Dissecting Everything Since 2008

Anime Review: Drops of God

Explainer Anime and Manga normally are my jam. Give me a show or a book about something I don’t know a lot of the nuts and bolts about, and then have characters explain that to an audience perspective character who knows as much as I do. It’s why for September on the podcast I do Explainer anime alongside adaptations of literature. So, Drops of God should be my jam. It’s about a character who is unfamiliar with wine getting plunged into the wine world, and I’m from a state with a reputation for good wine. Sadly, it didn’t work for me.

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By Alexander Case, ago

Manga Review: Oh! My Goddess (Series)

When I got into anime and manga in middle school and high school, there were four main manga I read off and on. Ranma 1/2. Ghost in the Shell. Blade of the Immortal. Oh! My Goddess. Ghost in the Shell was short, a relatively quick read. The others were longer, and it was hard to figure out where you were in a particular series and I never finished them. However, now I’ve completed one of those – Oh! My Goddess.

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By Alexander Case, ago

Manga Review: Record Journey Volume 1

Record Journey Volume 1 is a very fun little anthology manga, with the journey here not necessarily being one made by the characters finding records, but rather people on journeys that end up being touched by music on vinyl. While there are some common plot threads between chapters, the key focus of the manga is about how people are brought together through the act of listening to music, both in general or on vinyl in particular.

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By Alexander Case, ago

Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell (2026)

For decades, Ghost in the Shell has been defined in popular culture less by Masamune Shirow’s original manga, but by its adaptation by Mamoru Oshii. Both in terms of its art style and its characterization of The Major. The first season of Stand Alone Complex came close, with Motoko being shown as Bi, and with her hacking Batou at one point so he’d punch himself in the face. However, this year, we got a new adaptation from Science Saru, which kept with the character designs from the source manga, and also the characterization.

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By Alexander Case, ago