glumski

Despite being yet another Disney-produced Star Wars series, 'Andor' sets itself apart both by tone and by intent. Unlike other recent works like 'The Mandalorian', 'Ahsoka', or even the sequel movie trilogy, 'Andor' does not try to expand the Star Wars universe in new directions but instead returns back to the roots, featuring the Empire as the oppressively powerful antagonist, and directly tying into the original movie trilogy. The end of the second and final season of 'Andor' concludes with the start of 'Rogue One', which itself concludes with the start of the original 'Star Wars: A New Hope'.

As such, 'Andor' is also terribly derivative. Its titular protagonist, Cassian Andor, is also the protagonist of 'Rogue One'. Other characters known from the original 'Star Wars', such as Mon Mothma, the leader of rebellion, have their own storylines in this series. Additional characters and events are referenced repeatedly, and as such 'Andor' isn't quite suitable for an audience unfamiliar with at least 'Rogue One' and 'A New Hope'.

The story of 'Andor' begins five years before 'Star Wars IV' and follows a number of characters as they are directly or indirectly involved in the build-up of the Rebellion against the Empire. In addition to Cassian Andor and Mon Mothma, there is also Luthen Rael, who serves as a sort of spymaster for the incipient rebellion, Dedra Meero, who works in the Imperial Security Bureau (essentially the Empire's KGB or CIA), Syril Karn, a fervent security officer on the hunt of Andor, and many others. Unlike typical Star Wars fare, these characters are multi-faceted and undergo severe development over the five year span to the end of the series.

This also sets the tone for the series. There are no lightsabre-swinging Jedi, no magic Force powers, but instead political intrigues, violent incursions, and calamitous uprisings. 'Andor' is a thoroughly mature series, where some episodes are almost entirely devoid of action, building up to a greater finale.

This pace is perhaps the series' weakest point. Episodes are typically bundled in trilogies, two to set up the action of the third. While the initial episodes are certainly not boring, they very much are slow. Personally, I thought that the second season was especially sedate at setting up, taking a full seven episodes to finally culminate in a furious escalation in its eighth episode, which I consider one of the best TV episodes I've ever seen. The fast pace is kept for a total of three remarkably excellent episodes, before 'Andor' spins down and instead focuses on setting the stage for 'Rogue One' and 'A New Hope'.

In total, 'Andor' is a hot recommendation if and only if you have an interest in the Star Wars franchise and at least some knowledge of 'Rogue One' and 'A New Hope'. I'd certainly love to see more works that follow ordinary people in their fight against the Empire; to me, this seems considerably more interesting than the usual Force shenanigans. The mature and unromanticised atmosphere is extremely welcome as well, as it has been in other high points of the franchise like 'Rogue One' or the final few episodes of 'The Clone Wars'.

'Gunbuster'/'Aim for the Top' is rightfully considered a SciFi anime classic. While the epic space opera plot is somewhat reminiscent of Space Battleship Yamato, the show certainly has its unique flavour. Although the first one or two episodes are not all that serious as one may expect, the last few are a masterpiece of suspense and emotional impact. That said, the show is often sappy and even campy, somewhat one-dimensional, and certainly predictable.

Featuring two female leads is something I didn't expect from a Mech-centred anime of the late 80s. However, except for the final episode, one of those characters has an emotional breakdown at least once per episode that may very well be described as overly hysteric. Also, the women's uniforms consist of a cropped T-shirt on top of a high-leg swimsuit. Make of that what you will.

While the show features no graphic violence nor anything sexual, there is a surprising amount of bare breasts in Gunbuster. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when at the series' emotional high point one of the characters dramatically tore at her uniform and one of her boobs flopped out. C'mon, guys.

So, in total, there are more than just a few points where by modern standards you'll have to rub your neck in mild embarrassment. Other than that, Gunbuster is a surprisingly good show.

(This is based on the modern English dub, which is quite good.)

"I'm in Love with the Villainess" has all the parts of a generic romantic isekai romance: an elite academy filled with nobles and commoners, magic based on the four classical elements, three rich princes that are the most eligible bachelors, and the bitchy rich girl that's the antagonist. The show's only claim to fame, as it so loudly pronounces in its title, is that the protagonist is not chasing after one (or all) of the princes but instead after the antagonist. And indeed, the main character is unashamedly in love and not afraid to hide it, bringing a unique flavour to a genre that has been overwrought with such stories.

What truly sets the show apart is that it treats the titular girl-girl romance as something ordinary. Where other shows either keep things so vague that the entire romance has to be read beween the lines or otherwise drag it into hilarity, this show's Rae Taylor is genuinely in love with her crush, just like the protagonists of other isekai romance are genuinely in love with their heretosexual love interests. This may not seem like much, especially when applying Western standards, but it's fairly spectacular for an anime.

Furthermore, the protagonist genuinely is a fresh take on the "modern person thrown into a magical world" premise, and Hannah Alyea as her English dubbed voice is performing excellently.

Other than that, I'm afraid that the show checks all the boxes of a highly generic isekai romance, only slightly deviating at the end when hinting at a dark future that the love interest has to be protected from. It is, thus, not a particularly exciting show unless you have never watched a romance before. Still, the characters are likeable and the romance is actually heartwarming. The production values are also decent, and the show has neither graphic nudity nor gratuituous violence, making it enjoyable even for young teens.