Strictly Anime

We discuss our spoiler-free Fall 2022 anime first impressions. We all knew this insane season was coming, but now that it's here it's easy to say that we're being spoiled with so many amazing anime to round out the year. We go through everything we're watching this season and share our initial thoughts, especially about some of the shows everyone is talking is about.⁠ Join our Discord: https://dis...

We review Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Thanks to our amazing patrons, we finally watched this anime that everyone's been talking about. Studio Trigger found the perfect blend of animation, color, design, and music, and told a compelling story about the dangers of becoming less human and falling into a vicious cycle. We discuss everything that impressed us about this show, as well as a few things we fel...

We review Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun (Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou). Riko, Reg, and Nanachi’s adventure takes them to a strange village where they learn almost anything is possible in the abyss. This second season does not hold back, and delivers plenty of intense moments through stunning animation. We discuss all the secrets of the Golden City and how this seaso...

We review Odd Taxi. As unassuming as this anime appears to be, it has so much to offer through a huge cast of characters, intricate storylines, and masterful writing. This show did not get the initial viewership it deserved, and we're here to talk about why. Join us as we discuss all the reasons this show is a must-watch, and why the recap movie is a must-skip.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.g...

We review the second season of Rent-a-Girlfriend (Kanojo, Okarishimasu). It's all the spice you'd expect from this harem, mixed in with a decent amount of character development and plot progression. Kazuya and Chizuru grow closer despite Kazuya's headaches growing bigger and his pants growing tighter. We discuss our best girl rankings, who's problematic and who's pointless, and Kazuya's trials and...

We discuss the worst rated anime on MyAnimeList. We ask ourselves, “What went wrong?” as we grapple with lots of horrific animation, bad writing, and an overabundance of production issues. Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thestrictlyseries Website: https://www.thestrictlyseries.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestrictlyseries Tw...

We review Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi). One of Hayao Miyazaki's most popular works, this film tells the story of a young girl growing up as she experiences many life lessons along her journey to save her parents. Courtney watched this movie many times as a kid, but Karl is watching it for the first time. How will their opinions compare about this beloved film? Tune in to find out!...

It's the long-awaited, highly-requested review of Domestic Girlfriend (Domestic na Kanojo). Yes, we were brave enough to dive into one of anime's more recent and notorious dumpster fires. Tune in to find out if we think Hina or Rui is best girl, and whether we think this show is simply trashy or straight-up trash.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.pa...

We review Tokyo Godfathers. It's Christmas in August as we discuss one of Satoshi Kon's more unexpected films. This heartwarming comedy follows three homeless protagonists on their journey to reunite a baby with her family. We get in the holiday spirit early, talking about the themes of Christmas and family that are present throughout this wild, crazy ride propelled by nonstop coincidences.⁠ Join...

We celebrate our 100th episode the best way we know how: by letting our listeners roast our taste in anime and roasting them back! It's the roast of Strictly Anime where we shared our anime lists with our patrons and Discord members, asked them to choose one of our questionable anime ratings, and tell us why our taste is trash. We also invited them to share their anime lists so we can roast them i...

We discuss our favorite villains in anime. What makes these villains our favorites? Some are memorable, some we connect with emotionally (whether that emotion is love or hate), and some are just weird. Join us as we talk through all the villains and antagonists that made our lists.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thestrictlyseries Websi...

We're joined by David and Jordan from Shonen Flop to rank anime dere types! We go through a list of the 10 most common dere types, slotting them into our own rankings based on which we love and hate the most. Who had tsundere at the top of their list? How did we feel about the controversial yandere? Tune in to hear all the dere types and characters across anime and manga as David and Jordan bring...

We review Mob Psycho 100 II. Mob isn't the only one improving in the second season. In addition to great character development, season two drastically improves on the animation and choreography, bringing us a never-ending stream of ⁠amazing fights. We discuss all the ways the second season is stronger than the first, as well as the parts of the season that fall flat. Join our Discord: https://disc...

We discuss our spoiler-free Summer 2022 anime first impressions. This season is starting off with quite a few surprises, including shows that have quickly hooked us in or completely subverted our expectations. Plus, there's an anime full of tsundere guys that's right up Courtney's alley. Join us to find out everything we're watching and hear all our thoughts on the start of this season!⁠ Join our...

Courtney reviews the second season of The Rising of the Shield Hero (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari) ft. Ash from Simping for Senpai Podcast. Courtney won't be joined by Karl this week because he hasn't seen the anime. However, she's not alone as Ash from Simping for Senpai Podcast is joining the show to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. How does this season compare to the previous? Which n...

We review season two of Komi Can't Communicate (Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu.). The shy goddess and the stumpy boy are back and Karl is excited to talk more about his waifu. We're introduced to a new set of Komi's friends, so naturally we compare them to the friends she made in season one. We also gush over the increase in romantic development between Komi and Tadano (and also between Tadano and Ka...

We review the first half of Spy x Family season one. This show has taken the anime world by storm as weebs get to experience an actual family dynamic among three characters who aren't technically family. But with all the buzz about Spy x Family, did it live up to the hype or was it over-hyped? We share our differing opinions along with the rest of our thoughts on what is undoubtedly one of the big...

We're celebrating Father's Day by talking about the best and worst fathers in anime. After our recent episode dedicated to anime moms, we realize that anime dads are a bit more questionable and divisive.⁠ Whether they're biological or adoptive, some of the dads on our lists are amazing, some started off bad but are working to better themselves, and some are just pure evil.⁠ Join our Discord: https...

We talk about how the anime rom-com genre never changes. Inspired by the "Anime Rom-Com Starterpack" posted on Reddit, we take a look at some of the most common elements found in these shows and discuss whether the genre has become formulaic. We also asked our Discord members to send us their favorite rom-coms which we share at the end of the episode along with our own thoughts on those...

We review Baccano! With its huge cast of characters, multiple timelines, and intertwined storylines, there's a lot going on in this anime that left us confused. We discuss the good and the convoluted, as well as how this anime compares to other stories that use a similar, non-linear storytelling style.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/th...

Live recording of our panel "Waifu Wars: The Tournament Arc" at Anime Central 2022. We gathered some of the best and most popular waifu in anime to battle it out in the ultimate tournament arc. We pit them against each other, selected brave volunteers to defend their waifu, and asked the audience to vote for the winner of each round until one character was crowned best waifu in anime!⁠ V...

We're joined by Som from Anime Summit to create our tier list of the most well-known, bad anime tropes! ⁠From accidental fan service, to filler episodes, to 100-year-old lolis, we discuss the way these tropes are used in anime and how they're received by fans. Find out where we placed each trope and which one Karl regrets searching on the internet.⁠ Check out Anime Summit Podcast on Spotify, Apple...

We review Mob Psycho 100. Mob might be a calm and plain kid but his anime is a wild and crazy ride. The humor hit, the animation was insanely varied and intense, and Mob and Reigen have an interesting dynamic. We talk about all this, plus what we wish was done better in season one.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thestrictlyseries Websi...

We're celebrating Mother's Day by talking about the best and worst mothers in anime. It's a rare occasion when anime parents are actually present and play a significant part of the story, and we've gathered together some of the mothers to discuss what influence they have on their children, how they care for and raise them, and whether they deserve love or hate.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.g...

We review Wolf Children (Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki). This anime film follows the story of Hana, a mother who must navigate the struggles of raising and protecting her two half-wolf children. We talk about the soundtrack, Ame and Yuki's journey to decide their paths in life, Hana's perseverance, and much more. We also debate whether there are "furry" moments in this movie.⁠ Join our Di...