Burst Angel, also known as Bakuretsu Tenshi, is Studio Gonzo’s 2004 mecha-action series about pastry student Kyohei Tachibana cooking for mercenaries Jo, Meg, Sei, and Amy in a chaotic, gun-legal future Tokyo. This mixed 24-episode review finds catchy designs, solid late CGI, and a likable Jo, yet criticizes filler-heavy storytelling, stereotypical characters, unused Kyohei, and fan service that outpaces plot. Action fans may still enjoy the ride.
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Yukio’s anti-kaiju pilot Tetsuo wakes after eight years of cold sleep to a planet locked in ice. Studio KAI’s Snowball Earth has a strong frozen-Earth hook, grief, and CGI mecha-versus-kaiju fights, yet the series barely moves in 13 episodes. Tetsuo stays awkward and unwilling, losses play as gags, and the finale shrugs off its villain. Season 2 has already been announced, but this first cour is slow and unfinished, maybe.
Episode 2 opens with a DBZ-style recap, then Elymas refuses Arus’s party to hog EXP. He dumps points into Oath of the Heavy Armor, disarms a level 16 spider, and fires Rampart Reflection. Poison proves no man is an island. The F-rank guild mocks Heavy Knight until solo-farmed stones hit the counter. GoHands shoots the forest like Predator. Recap annoyed me. Episode 3 has me hooked.
Episode 3 of Yowayowa Sensei skips the numeric score and leans into fan service from the balcony. Abikura unpacks with Hiwamura-sensei, trips into lingerie, then joins a home visit where Yuki Yukishita grabs the teacher and steals the episode. The back half works harder: school, a bunny suit, Mizuki, and a helper’s huddle pointed at the ghost-themed camp. HIDIVE’s Cho-Yowayowa cut stays the same mixed bag.
A subtitle rewatch of Vampire Hunter D (1985) reframes the Streamline classic. Ashi Productions’ frontier gothic blends Western grit with vampire nobility, and original dialogue sharpens D, Doris, Count Magnus Lee, and L’armica beyond the dub. Uneven animation and Komuro’s synth score mark its era, yet every motive lands cleanly; what Macek softened still matters. D rides off; Doris never gets a goodbye—seven out of ten.
Episode 4 of My Status as an Assassin picks up the “child of blight” cliffhanger and turns it into a sister feud, a Holy Tree duel, and a flashback that overexplains everything. Akira won’t draw his blade. Amelia wants her name said out loud. Kilika fights on a lie her father built to spare her. The score carries a budget fight. The hooded instigator walks away.
Lesson 2 of Yowayowa Sensei, Weak and Wimpy After School, widens the roster without changing the grade. Mizuki Mukubayashi storms the rumor mill, Akemi Abikura spoils the neighbor teacher, and Brain's Base keeps the bait-and-switch comedy running. HIDIVE is serving the uncensored Cho-Yowayowa cut. The gym class is slow, yet the second half is clearer about the audience, and this first take still sits at 6.5.
Netflix’s The Ribbon Hero reimagines Osamu Tezuka’s Princess Knight as a theatrical, sometimes brutal feature from Yūki Igarashi. Princess Sapphire survives Silverland’s fall, scrapes by in Goldland, and awakens as the Princess Knight against the Nergal and a faith that feeds orphans to keep the peace. Unique designs, Takarazuka-coded acts, and gray morality outweigh CG seams. Dead stay dead. Hope costs. Recommended if Flip Flappers energy matters more than clean exposition.
The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System opens with ceremony, betrayal, and exile. Elymas Edvaughn lands the “trash” Heavy Knight class, gets disowned, and walks into Rondalm knowing Magic World’s real meta. GoHands packs flashbacks, busy fights, and restless camera work into a brisk premiere. Between Malice’s cold smile and OP skill trees, Episode 1 sets a clear revenge engine—and makes the two-cour run feel worth the ride.