The Cel Block: Anime Reviews & Analysis for the Gen-X Fan

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ēlDLIVE (2017) Review — The Space Cop Show That Almost Got Out of Its Own Way

ēlDLIVE is a mid-tier 2017 space cop shonen that echoes the energy of classic sci-fi anime while exploring heavy themes of childhood trauma and guilt. Though Studio Pierrot’s budget constraints and a sluggish middle act hold it back, the surprisingly raw emotional arcs make it worth watching. If you enjoy nostalgic extraterrestrial world-building and character growth over flashy animation, this flawed series truly earns its score.

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Berserk of Gluttony Season 2 Is Official — And Fate's Hunger Isn't Close to Satisfied - Pinned Up Ink

After nearly three years of silence, Berserk of Gluttony is officially returning for a second season. Announced on April 26, 2026, the confirmation comes with a teaser visual showing Fate and Roxy in what appears to be a story-forward moment. Studio ACGT is attached, though release dates and streaming details remain unconfirmed. For fans of dark fantasy that doesn't flinch, this one's worth watching closely.

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Gun×Sword: Grief, Revenge, and Mecha on the Frontier - Pinned Up Ink

Gun×Sword follows Van, a drifter with no past and one purpose — find the man with the claw. Wrapped in a mecha-Western skin, this 2005 Gorō Taniguchi series builds a quiet meditation on grief and arrested identity, using Van and Ray Lundgren as mirror images of the same wound. Honest about its limits and committed to its ending, it rewards patient viewers who grew up on G Gundam and s-CRY-ed.

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No Game No Life Is Back — And We're Not Ready (But We're Getting Ready) - Pinned Up Ink

No Game No Life Volume 13 has arrived in Japan, ending a three-year wait since Yuu Kamiya's Volume 12. At 392 pages, this new entry pushes Sora, Shiro, and crew toward a 6,000-year climax in the Demonia and Devil Arc. Pinned Up Ink reflects on the anime legacy, acknowledges the unfinished light novel backlog, and invites fellow fans to catch up before the English release drops.

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S-Rank Adventurer Review: Wasted Potential at Its Finest - Pinned Up Ink

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer opens with a genuinely moving premise — a retired adventurer raising a foundling daughter — then fumbles it. The first three episodes earn their setup, but the back half loses its engine once the reunion resolves. Weak animation, a stalling protagonist, and underdeveloped side plots drag this Fall 2023 series below its potential. The light novel does it better. Score: 6.5/10.

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No Game No Life Volume 13: The Gamer Siblings Return - Pinned Up Ink

No Game No Life is a visually stunning and surreal Isekai anime that follows genius siblings Sora and Shiro. Transported to the fantastical realm of Disboard, they discover a reality where every conflict is resolved entirely through intense gaming. Driven by their ultimate desire to defeat the God Tet, this highly gripping series offers a brilliant twist on the genre, blending deep strategy with comedic brilliance.

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Iron Wok Jan 2026 Trailer: 90s Anime Culinary Combat - Pinned Up Ink

Studio TROYCA has just dropped a fiery new character trailer for the 2026 anime adaptation of Iron Wok Jan. Directed by Ei Aoki, this aggressive culinary series revives the cutthroat, anti-hero energy of the 1990s. Trading cozy cooking tropes for raw, high-stakes kitchen warfare, the show promises a heavy metal, win-at-all-costs adrenaline rush that VHS-era anime fans and lovers of unapologetic protagonists have been starving for.

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Trapped in a Dating Sim Season 2 Returns July 2026 - Pinned Up Ink

After a four-year wait, Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs is officially returning for Season 2 in July 2026. Studio ENGI, director Kazuya Miura, and the full voice cast are back. The story picks up from Volume 3, pushing Leon into darker political territory as the Principality of Fanoss invades and rival nobles move to have him imprisoned.

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Devil May Cry Season 2 on Netflix: Dante vs. Vergil - Pinned Up Ink

Netflix's Devil May Cry returns on May 12, 2026, dropping Dante into an all-out dimensional war against his estranged twin brother, Vergil. Guided by Adi Shankar and animated by Studio Mir, the highly anticipated eight-episode second season promises game-accurate visuals and fluid combat. As the Sparda brothers clash, the series dives deep into their shared childhood trauma, unresolved grief, and the heavy burden of their bloodline.

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