The glow-in-the dark covers are a nice touch.

The Dimension W anime ran for 12 episodes during the Winter 2016 anime season. I liked it a lot more than I was expecting—specifically, good enough that I started buying the manga. It took four years, but I have the final (16th) volume now. This took a bit longer than I would have liked, but the manga itself was still ongoing when the anime ended. (The manga completed in June 2019.) Ideally, there would be less time between when an anime ends and when its source material wraps up. I, for one, would much rather watch original anime or adaptations of properties that have already concluded, but those types of shows do seem to be in the minority. At least four years no longer seems like an extraordinary amount of time to wait after an anime stops airing before finding out how the series ends. I'm not sure if that's necessarily a good thing, though. I have to admit it's a little troubling to notice how fast years seem to whip by now.

Also, the faces are top-rate.

The first time I watched the first season Bubuki Buranki, I didn't think it was very good. It wasn't until after Epizo's introduction that the show really clicked for me, although I enjoyed the fight between Kinoa and her ex-boyfriend during which his attacks consisted entirely of literal flashbacks to their Meet Cute and early relationship. Upon re-watching the first season, though, I loved the show and its absurd excuses to feature giant robots punching things at the whim of angry teenagers making faces. Perhaps I was just late in appreciating the motivations and relationships among the various factions.

What, did Asuka move in?

Season two of Bubuki Buranki picked up where the first season left off, and is generally about as good, albeit without some of the same highs. I did enjoy Kaoruko's addition to the show, even though I was often afraid I wouldn't. Notably, she works for me as a character because most of her scenes are absurd rather than emotional. I was afraid BBK/BRNK: Hoshi no Kyojin would belabor too much on how much it hurt her to be abandoned and not enough on how much it hurt to have her tits burned off. (Don't worry, they grew back.)

"Ode to Joy."

I do have a complaint about the second season, though: Not enough Reoko. The first season didn't have enough Reoko either, but at least she had a lot of scenes taunting opponents while ripping them apart or carrying on bombastically with her face covered in blood. Season-one Reoko is an adult's fantasy; she embodied a way of life where giving a fuck is subordinate to getting shit done. Season-two Reoko, on the other hand, is an adolescent's fantasy; she personified a goal and embodied the object of other people's ideology. I guess that's fair, given the intended audience of anime in general, no matter how much I'd like a third season of Bubuki Buranki to adopt adult characters as its leads, even if they happen to be worthless adults with uncertain futures.

You can also buy them over the Internet, but good luck getting one that hasn't melted.

I spotted a Meiji chocolate bar at an Asian supermarket and immediately recognized it as the confection Airi's father from Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) tried to steal, ruining his life in the process and causing little Airi to grow up in a broken home.

According to Detective Conan, shoplifters turn to murder next.

It tasted pretty good, but really not delicious enough to throw your life away for it. For reference, it's not as good as the Galaxy or Cadbury chocolate bars from the United Kingdom, but it's definitely better than a Hershey bar from the United States.

P.S. Spoilers, I guess.

It didn't actually cost me seventy-six hundred yen.

Due to the friendly currency exchange ratio of the U.S. dollar to Japanese yen, I import a lot more Japanese merchandise these days. These goods include the first Blu-ray set for Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!, my fourth-highest-rated show from the 2016 winter season according to my chart. Notably, I don't currently have any plans to do the same for any other series from that season, to include the three shows I ranked higher than Konosuba. There are a variety of reasons for this.

Sure, just stand there watching her sleep. It's not weird or nothin'.

I only started watching Nijiiro Days (Rainbow Days) because I thought it was going to be about a dude getting cockblocked by his friends as he attempts to hook up with some girl from his school. It turns out I was dead wrong about a critical part of that premise (his friends are actually trying to help him get with the girl), but it also turned out the show is pretty good even without cockblocking, jerkface friends.

Surprise, everyone.

If you've been paying attention to the winter 2016 anime season at all, you probably noticed Boku dake ga Inai Machi (officially localized as ERASED, but sometimes colloquially Bokumachi) was a heavy favorite early on to be the season's best show. Personally, I had a few problems with the series preventing me from rating it quite so high, and a significant number of fans also grew dissatisfied with the show's second half, but ERASED is still regarded as one of this winter's best anime, despite some issues with the ending.

FOX ONE.

Episode 23 of Gate: Jietai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri featured the most realistic depiction of an airborne operation I've ever seen in an anime. Although I guess I need to qualify that statement by mentioning the second-most realistic depiction of an airborne operation I've ever seen in an anime is the first episode of, uh, Coyote Ragtime Show. You know, the part with the maids. Nevertheless, the mere fact that the Japan Self-Defense Forces conducted the operation in phases—eliminating air defense and establishing air supremacy first before dropping paratroopers into Empire territory—is leaps and bounds ahead of the sort of thing you see in most anime ostensibly about war. Heavy Object, I'm looking in your direction....

I want to read Ranko's "grimoire."

Chuunibyou has changed. I supposed technically it's evolved. Or perhaps ascended to a higher plane. If you associate chuunibyou with its roots, it's apparent the term's meaning had already transformed beyond its original usage by the time it started appearing prominently in anime. Nonetheless, when I say it has changed, I'm referring more generally regarding how chuuni characters themselves have appeared within anime over time.