AJnet Anime Club

AJ dives into Peach Girl expecting teenage romance and instead gets completely sucked into its ridiculous drama. Between Sae’s manipulation, Toji’s stupidity, and Kairi being the only person with any sense, this one had him yelling at the TV.

Baki and Kengan’s underground fighters finally collide, but an inconclusive main event and too many teased matchups leave the crossover feeling unfinished.

AJ takes a look at Rozen Maiden, an anime about living dolls, deadly sibling rivalry, ancient 4chan memes, and one of the worst fathers in anime. Beneath the frilly dresses and tea parties is a surprisingly dark and entertaining series.

The Elusive Samurai has a strong story, clever battles, and an interesting take on Japanese history. Unfortunately, it also has characters who seemingly can’t go five minutes without screaming, making stupid faces, or ruining a serious moment with a joke.

My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s isn’t groundbreaking, but its overpowered protagonist, mysterious world, and hints about previous heroes kept me interested. Now I just want to know what the hell happened to the teacher.

I avoided Beastars for years because I assumed it was furry anime. It turns out the talking animals, predator-prey tension, complicated romance, and surprisingly clever worldbuilding make it much better than I expected.

Gearless Joe fights his way from fixed underground matches to boxing glory, then faces an even harder battle with grief and redemption. Megalobox is an underrated fighting anime that deserves more attention.

AJ checks out Chainsmoker Cat, an anime that takes the cute cat girl fantasy and drags it straight through an ashtray. It’s crude, disgusting, occasionally hilarious, and built almost entirely around watching a collection of deeply dysfunctional cat girls make terrible decisions.