And Yet the Town Moves follows Hotori Arashiyama, a chaotic high schooler secretly working at her grandmother's quirky maid café in a classic Tokyo shopping district. Produced by Studio Shaft and airing in fall 2010, this slice-of-life gem blends suburban surrealism, philosophical musings, and the warmth of the shitamachi community into a non-linear, episodic format that finds the extraordinary hidden within the beautifully mundane rhythms of everyday adolescent life.
Continue Reading
In the second half of our Judge (1991) anime review, we explore how the OVA weaves Japanese Buddhist mythology into a cynical corporate thriller. Examining the Court of Ten Kings, Emma’s Mirror, and the deliberate lack of traditional character arcs, we break down why this visually uneven but conceptually fascinating release earns three stars as a stark, uncompromising look at office sin and inescapable supernatural justice.
Set in a smog-choked future Newport, Dominion Tank Police follows rookie cop Leona Ozaki and her beloved mini-tank Bonaparte in a 4-episode 1988 OVA based on Masamune Shirow's manga. The series leans hard into comedy over plot, delivering chaotic firefights, lovable misfits, and a surprisingly nuanced trio of villains — a blast if you don't take it too seriously.
Nightsong of Splendor (Kasei Yakyoku, 1989) is a 4-episode OVA set in Taishou-era Tokyo on the eve of the Great Kanto Earthquake. Director Osamu Dezaki weaves a tragic love triangle between a wealthy heiress, her maid, and a conflicted Yakuza operative. Against a backdrop of class, tradition, and impending disaster, the series asks how much one is willing to sacrifice for love — and lets the earthquake answer for us.
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.
Iria: Zeiram The Animation is a six-part 1994 OVA following bounty hunter apprentice Iria as she survives an unstoppable bioweapon called Zeiram and unravels the corporate conspiracy behind it. Produced by Ashi Productions and directed by Tetsurou Amino, the series blends sci-fi action with emotional weight and a visually distinctive frontier aesthetic. It doesn't overreach its ambitions — it meets them cleanly, making it a worthy relic of the OVA boom era.
Judge (1991) is a 48-minute corporate horror OVA where a meek salaryman moonlighting as the Judge of Darkness prosecutes embezzlers and killers in a Buddhist hell courtroom. Office gossip, sexual politics, and jungle assassinations all funnel into the Court of Ten Kings, where Enma’s mirror strips away self-justification. It’s a cynical, salaryman-era morality play that asks what justice looks like when human law fails.
This Clannad anime review traces its origins as a hit KEY visual novel and dissects why the 2007 TV adaptation struggles despite its legacy. From one-note heroines and emotionally manipulative plotting to Kyoto Animation’s polished visuals and evocative score, the series lands as a decent, low-investment slice-of-life rather than a standout drama. Its true value lies in setting the emotional stage for the far stronger After Story sequel.
"The Girl Who Leapt Through Space" follows aimless Akiha Shishidou, who teams with crazy AI Leopard, cop Itsuki, and robot Imo-chan amid colony chaos and shadowy threats. Haphazard plot lacks logic, frustrating MC dominates, but vibrant 2009 art and solid voice acting shine. Avoid unless you crave facepalms—dumb sci-fi mess.