Tag Archives: Fantasy

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Six

“The witch knows the deep magic but there is a magic deeper still, which she has never known, for her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. In the stillness, in the dark before time ever began, there … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Five

At the end of the last episode we caught a glimpse of Aslan for the first time, but this week he is very much the focus of the whole episode and we get to see him in his full glory. … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Four

Back in the first episode, Mr Tumnus complained that it is “always winter, and never Christmas; think of that!” This week, Christmas finally arrives in Narnia, quite literally, because Peter, Lucy and Susan get to meet Father Christmas, who has … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Three

For the second week in a row, Edmund is by far the most interesting character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Last week we discussed how his lying was discovered, and whether he would react to that with … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Two

In the first episode, Edmund made the ironic comment that, “in the country, nothing ever happens.” This week he learns how wrong he was, becoming the second of the children to meet somebody in Narnia, but whereas Lucy was lucky … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode One

Last Christmas I wrote about the 1984 BBC adaptation of The Box of Delights, in a popular episode-by-episode series of articles. The obvious follow up to that is another series that captivated me as a child, the spiritual successor to … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!

One of the most popular subgenres of anime is known as isekai, where somebody escapes their humdrum, human existence to live in a fantasy world. I can understand the popularity, because it’s pure escapism, but I’m not sure there’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Haibane Renmei

This series is 20 years old now, and watching it today is a reminder of how much anime has moved on in the last couple of decades. There is generally a lot less movement in the animation nowadays, but watching … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Zoku Owarimonogatari

Owarimonogatari was a magnificent end to the Monogatari anime adaptations, tying up pretty much all the loose ends from a large number of previous episodes. It felt like a fitting tribute to all the main characters. But what happens after … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Owarimonogatari II

Endings are tricky things to get right, and few anime series even run long enough to get to the point of concluding their stories. Strictly speaking this is not quite an ending, for reasons we will discuss later, but it … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Owarimonogatari I

As we travel through life we tend to collect emotional baggage. The older we get, the more we will be able to look back on past friendships and other associations and wonder what we could have done differently. There will … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Koyomimonogatari

At first this season feels like an odd backwards step for the Monogatari franchise. We begin with a prequel to Bakemonogatari, with Koyomi and Tsubasa investigating a minor mystery concerning a shrine in their school’s gardens. It all seems oddly … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tsukimonogatari

The title of this miniseries in the Monogatari franchise is a tricky one to translate, with an ambiguity of meaning that is probably beyond the understanding of somebody trying to dip a toe into the Japanese language like me, but … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Shakugan no Shana Final

Shana has always been an uneasy mix of teenage relationship issues and fantasy battles, and those two aspects of the series have never been well integrated. We have had whole episodes that focus on school life, followed by whole episodes … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Koimonogatari

We have reached the final, six-episode arc in the second full season of Monogatari, and the focus is mainly on two protagonists. Hitagi Senjogahara has been largely neglected as a character for a very long time, her relationship with Koyomi … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Onimonogatari (Review and Fanservice Debate)

We have reached the penultimate arc in the second season of Monogatari, a four-episode story titled Shinobu Time. It is an absolutely magnificent run of episodes, for reasons I will enumerate later in the article, but first I need to … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Art, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Otorimonogatari

After a little detour to watch Hanamonogatari, we are back with Monogatari: Second Season for a four-episode arc titled Otorimonogatari. The title loosely translates as “Decoy Story”, although as is often the case there are subtleties in the use of … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Art, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Hanamonogatari

Regular visitors to the Junkyard will remember that I have been watching the second season of Monogatari, and have so far written about Nekomonogatari (White) and Kabukimonogatari, which leaves three arcs still to watch. I have paused from that season … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Art, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Kabukimonogatari

The second season of Monogatari continues with Kabukimonogatari, a four-episode arc. If Nekomonogatari (White), which proceeded it, felt like there was not enough story to stretch to five episodes, this is quite the opposite. A complex butterfly effect plot is … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Art, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Nekomonogatari (White)

I have previous watched, enjoyed and written about Bakemonogatari, Kizumonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Nekomonogatari (Black). Next up in the sprawling Monogatari saga is the longest season of all, Monogatari: Second Season. It is a run of 23 episodes, but consists of … Continue reading

Posted in Anime, Art, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment