The absurdly-named Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is an iteration of the transported-to-fantasy-world story that tries to distinguish itself by being, like, realistic, man. I found its overuse of the worst anime cliches irritating and wound up frustrated by its refusal to engage its own premise.
Kara no Kyoukai/Empty Boundary

There’s
no way you all could have known about my passion for detective fiction
and its history, but spending my first days after surgery reading a
supernatural-noir-hardboiled story about badass women was wonderful and I
thank you all. (more…)