Tweekums

Saito Hojo and Akane Sakuramori are in the same class at school and they can't stand eachother. One day their lives are turned upside down. Their wealthy grandparents have recently married having rejected an arranged marriage to each other decades before. Now they decide that Saito and Akane should marry! They could reject the suggestion but to do so would lead to them losing the support of their grandparents and thus have to give up on their life dreams. They wed and move in together but are determined that nobody at their school will find out. Inevitably they start to grow closer to each other. Matters are complicated by the fact that Akane's friend Himari has feelings for Saito.

I thought this was a fun series. There may not be too many surprises but it manages to be enjoyable with some nice character development. There is both drama and humour as their relationship progresses. Character designs and animation are both pretty good. Overall a decent romantic comedy anime that is worth a watch if you enjoy the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

As this French murder mystery series opens Commandant Raphaëlle Coste requests files relating to a case; the ones she receives are not those requested but prove to be linked to the case. This leads to her heading to the archives. Here she meets autistic archivist Astrid Nielsen. This, as the saying goes, is the start of a beautiful friendship. They are totally different characters; Raphaëlle is somewhat chaotic while Astrid feels uncomfortable with anything unexpected. Each episode sees them taking on a new case. Away from the investigations we see various aspects of our protagonists' lives and gradually their characters develop thanks to their friendship.

'Case of the week' mystery series are far less common than they used to be; this shows that there is still a place for the genre. It is very much character led but the cases are still interesting. They are entertaining and nicely varied, often with a touch of humour. The characters are great; obviously Astrid and Raphaëlle are the most important but the secondary characters impress too. The cast does a great job; Lola Dewaere is a delight as Raphaëlle but it is Sara Mortensen who steals every scene she is in as Astrid, her hands and eyes constantly moving... something that isn't commented on till a child asks her about it in season four. Overall I'd recommend this to all fans of Euro-crime dramas.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

The goddess Nolyn summons three heroes to the world of Mildgard but something went wrong; she also summoned Takumi Iruma, a Japanese salaryman. As he can't be returned she gives him the alchemy skill. He hopes to live an easy life but his amazing ability draws attention on him; not all of it positive. As is the way with such series he soon has several female friends.

This is yet another entry to the isekai genre; it is decent enough and fun while watching but ultimately fairly forgettable. The characters are fairly typical of the genre; I particularly liked Maple, the 'killer spider' who is tamed by our protagonist. The character designs and animation are pretty good. Overall I'd not call this a must see but it passes the time well enough if you are a fan of the genre.

Overall I'd not say this is a must watch but it is fun enough if you enjoy the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.