Ringtail Reviews

Hey there, and welcome back to Ringtail Reviews! I hope you're excited for more Yurei Deco, because I  certainly am. Last episode represented a turn for the show as we were introduced to Berry's new life as a Yurei, and it also presented an important discussion of augmented-reality-enhanced gender presentation through the character of Mitsumame. I love that the show broached this subject in the first place, even though I thought its treatment was a little surface level—it wasn't outwardly judgmental towards Mitsumame or anything, but it seemed reluctant to directly label the character as queer or transgender, and never deepened the discussion past "This masculine person uses Decos to present as a cute girl." But still, given the current state of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in the world at large, I'm happy for as many pieces of media as possible to bring up these subjects. Even if Yurei Deco isn't screaming TRANS RIGHTS in the way that Stars Align did, it's s...

Hello and welcome back to my journey through Yurei Deco! I've really been enjoying my time with the show so far, although that feels like a weird sentiment after its third episode  brought up tough topics like corruption in the justice system and the way the ruling class manipulates information to oppress people they don't want visible. But none of that is a mistake—the show is intentionally and remarkably light  despite the weight of its subject matter, peppering in big ideas on top of its mystery-adventure premise.  If I'm being honest, that approach has given me pause a couple times. Is the show actually making deep statements about these ideas, or am I reading more into it than the script is bringing? Is it right to present such deeply troubling topics in the context of a lighthearted action-adventure cartoon?  The short answer to both of those questions, at least in my opinion, is no. Yurei Deco's first three episodes might be gesturing at some of their ideas br...

Hello, and welcome back to my watchalong of Yurei Deco! Last episode saw the revelation that Tom Sawyer Island is, in fact, not so great of a place, with an authoritarian government that employs people around the clock to censor images that don't fit its "Everything is Awesome" narrative. It was also a bit of a barn-burner, spending a not insignificant amount of runtime on chases and action scenes. I'm personally hopeful that we get a little more time with the worldbuilding and thematic side of things in this episode since that's the Good Stuff that got me hooked, but no matter what, I'm sure it'll be fun. Let's find out what the third episode has in store!

Hello and welcome back to my watchalong of Yurei Deco! The show's first episode  was about as good as a premier can get, with dense worldbuilding that's already doubling as a strong critique of the modern internet and social media. Beyond that, the show's just enthralling from moment to moment—the visual style's great, Berry's a charming little rascal of a protagonist, and the worldbuilding is hitting the perfect balance between the plausible and the fantastical. I spent much of my time after the first episode just wanting to know as much as I could about this world, even though I'd never actually want to live there. With the basics having been established and a confrontation with the enigmatic Phantom Zero brewing, I'm excited to see what's next. Let's get back to it!

Summer's here, the heat's unbearable, and multiple governments are failing before our very eyes. But what's that, you ask? The anime?  Well, the anime's actually not so bad!  I've seen some general grumbling that this season feels slower than the last, but while it's true that there aren't as many big-name crowd pleasers as in  spring 2022 , the best shows of this season might be on track to outclass it. I'm of the opinion that a season's only as good as its top shelf, and in that respect, we're doing just fine. I had plenty of thoughts about the premiers I checked out, which I've listed below for your reading pleasure. I also want to give a quick mention to Made In Abyss , an often great show with disturbing tendencies that have made me reluctant to catch up on its currently airing second season.  But as for the rest, let's get to it! Tier 1: Must-Watches Yurei Deco Finally—after months, our first great theme show of the year has arrived...

Hey all! Today, I’m starting a journey into one of the newest and most promising anime of the year, Yurei Deco . Simply by virtue of being animated by Science Saru—the boundary-pushing studio cofounded by legendary director Masaaki Yuasa — Yurei Deco was already one of my most anticipated shows for this season, given the studio's stellar recent track record with Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and last year’s masterpiece The Heike Story . Still, I went in with a few slightly concerning unknowns: the series composition by sci-fi veteran Dai Satō , who’s written for classics and stinkers alike; the directing by up-and-comer Tomohisa Shimoyama , who hasn't directed much despite being in other industry roles for years; and most importantly, the reports of increasingly tumultuous labor conditions at Science Saru as the studio takes on an unsustainable number of new projects. Despite those concerns, I’m pleased to report that Yurei Deco ’s first episode was fascinating, with a bold,...

If there’s one word to describe the best anime released in 2021, it's ambition .    I think that’s important because modern anime tends to be homogenous and insular. If production committees aren't releasing as many isekai adaptations as possible, they're often greenlighting quick genre ripoffs to cash in on the latest trends or churning out rushed sequels to proven properties. It’s not so different from what happens in other mediums, but anime has a weird specificity to its mass-produced power fantasies, idol show knockoffs, and gacha-game tie-ins. But 2021 felt different. To be more specific, 2021’s top shelf contained the most jaw-dropping assortment of shows I've seen since I started watching anime seasonally. I’d seen enough great shows by halfway through the year that I’d already filled a top-ten list—and then they just kept coming . There were amazing shows of every stripe: impassioned war stories, Lynchian arthouse dramas, emotive slices-of-life, muted romance...