Finished: 16th July 2026

The Summer Hikaru Died (2025)

Aboslutely incredible. I was hooked the entire time and would have devoured it in only a couple of days if I didn't deliberately make myself space it out more to savour it. The premise is instantly gripping and watching the relationship between Yoshiki and the replacement Hikaru grow, Hikaru learn to be human and yearning for somewhere to belong, the unravelling mystery surrounding the village and the true nature of what Hikaru really is.... oh it was all so good. No notes. Yoshiki's emotional turmoil feels so real despite the supernatural situation because as others have pointed out his struggles with sexuality cannot be removed from it. The journey of how he comes to terms with this new Hikaru and eventually accepts that he is not the Hikaru he loved but he loves the entity for separate reasons and cannot bear to lose him not only because of his love for Hikaru, who he has grieved so many times over, but because of his love for the entity. The horror is impeccable throughout with the body horror and supernatural mystery of this small village pairing perfectly with Yoshiki and Hikaru's emotional conflict.

The animation is gorgeous and I love the artstyle. My favourite thing is how mixed media elements are weaved in throughout, like how they implement photography. It bolsters the anime's uncanny atmosphere, in my opinion, but also connects the audience more to the village of Kubitachi, making it feel real and lived in. It's just so good. I cannot wait for season two and am interested in picking up the manga.

Finished: 4th July 2026

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)

I've been meaning to watch this anime for years and years since my friend who's a huge fan recommended it to me, but I'm terrible at watching new shows so I've only now got around to it. I'm glad I finally watched it!! It was so engaging I got through it in a couple of days. The characters are fantastic - Kyoko and Homura are my favourites. Homura in particular is so well written it hurts! I picked up on how magical girls represented the way vulnerable girls are taken advantage of early on and I think that was a plus as I could develop that observation further the more I watched. The way Kyubey speaks to the girls is so reminiscent of subtle grooming tactics it's genuinely chilling - the way the girls are made to believe they have autonomy and are making the choice to make a contract out of their own will so therefore feel responsibility for things that are ultimately out of their control stood out to me. The way they become isolated from their friends and family. The themes throughout are really resonant.

I also loved the art direction and the mixing of different styles to create a chaotic, disordered feel. The surreality of the witch labyrinths is spellbinding and I always looked forward to seeing what the theme of the next one would be. The colours in the show are gorgeous especially in regards to the lighting and the set pieces. Overall, I really liked this anime and appreciated the underlying themes of predatory behaviour and the normalisation of violence against girls.

Finished: 1st July 2026

LEGO Ninjago: Sons of Garmadon (2018)

I remember watching this as a 13 year old when it first aired, but this is my first time revisiting it. The plot is very engaging and surprisingly well written, which is never something I have high expectations for when revisiting Ninjago. You can definitely appreciate the darker atmosphere they were aiming for, but it's of course balanced out with the usual LEGO lightheartedness. The new characters are welcome additions and the main & returning characters didn't ever have me wondering what the point of them was. Cole remains my favourite from when I was a kid lol.

I will say, rewatching Ninjago as an adult has reminded me of how much the show leans into the mashing up of American, Japanese and Chinese culture without really putting in the effort to understand the latter two. It becomes especially obvious in this season due to the inclusion of oni all. This brand of cultural mish-mash is pretty integral to Ninjago's identity, but it can still be distracting sometimes.