Lacks plot and focus. Has elements of action, thriller and drama, but manages to be none of them.

Boy and his mother in an online fantasy game. Crude but not as superficial as one may expect. Fails to reach its potential as both the comedy and themes can go further. But motherhood is lifted up and celebrated.

Nice artwork. Simple and crude storytelling, but it’s not bad for what it is.

Looks good enough with solid performances. But the initial pacing is too slow and the comedy falls flat.

Solid production and performances. Nicely shot. Thoroughly entertaining and funny film on cooking and the hospitality industry.

Good production and performances. Not bad and I want to like it more, but the writing is just not quite right.

Young woman learns of best friend’s suicide from years of abuse. She then steals her ashes to give her a proper send-off. Tight, good pacing. Solid effort. Nicely drawn.

This series follows five-year-old Yotsuba and her father as they settle into their new home. Simple and innocent slice-of-life comedy. Nicely drawn.

Twins swap places in a story about survival and finding one’s direction. Solid performances all around. Shot conventionally but nicely edited. Simple plot but the characters, relationships and themes make it more complex than it appears.

Afterlife and judgement psychological thriller. Visually solid. Mildly intriguing initially but not particularly gripping. Overall, tries a bit too hard.

Not the worst ever but unfocused and clumsy plotting and pacing with too many conveniences.

Looks slick and good voice acting but the plot and themes of this boy and girl android pseudo-romance are contrived. Tries to be emotion porn and fails.

A series about a woman and her alien colleague. Takes an ordinary, almost slice-of-life approach. Well-written, deadpan and amusing.

Solid production but the plot is uneventful. Autopilot pacing. Relies on performance to carry the series.

Ghost in the form of J-drama. A bit slow initially. Not bad writing but the execution is B-grade-ish.

High school slice-of-life romance drama with time travel. Not a particularly original premise but still decent production and execution.

Short 6-episode teen romance drama. Relatively simple and predictable but nonetheless satisfying enough for what it is.

Another classic mecha anime. Strong characters, emotionally charged. Truly cinematic execution.

Solid coming-of-age, slice-of-life romance. Can argue about plotting and pacing but it is emotionally realistic.

Racing action can be better executed but plotting and pacing are not bad so far. Interesting and entertaining enough to keep one interested.

Solidly enjoyable slice-of-life drama-comedy about a 27-year-old given a chance to relive the final year of high school.