FIF#260-Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You

For hapless business worker Sakaki, all he has in life to cheer him up are his smokes and the pretty check out girl, Yamada, at his local Supermarket.  When he arrives one night and Yamada isn’t there, Sakaki despairs.  That is until he is summoned behind the Supermarket Yamada’s beautiful coworker, Tayama, to share a smoke.  Completely unaware of her true identity, Sakaki starts up an unlikely friendship with this blunt but well meaning beauty as they continue to smoke behind the supermarket together.

 
I’m not a smoker but damn if Anime doesn’t somehow make it look cool and appealing, from Spike Spiegel to Revy and the Lagoon Company.  And then this title pops up on my Crunchyroll feed.  I don’t know what it’s about, I mean the title couldn’t be that on the nose, could it?  All I know is there’s a really cute Anime girl having a smoke with a guy and they look pretty chill.  Is that really all this show needs to be successful?  The answer after the first episode is…well…yeah maybe.
 

T5W#576-Top 5 Big Titles Coming Fall 2026

2026 has seen yet another incredibly showing of Anime for the world to enjoy.  From the return of Jujutsu Kaisen and Ghost in the Shell to newcomer champions like Daemons of the Shadow Realm & Marriagetoxin, there’s no shortage of favorites to peruse this year. With Summer 2026 winding down, all eyes look to the new titans of the Fall to take the stage and show us what they’ve got.  Old friends return, new stories begin and new iconic characters make their way to the big screen.  And just what am I looking forward to in the next couple of months?  Let’s find out on todays Top 5 Wednesday as I count down my Top 5 Big Titles Coming Fall 2026.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind

In a desolate land where hope is but a memory and the Wastelands are ruled with an iron fist by King Kano and the Black Dragons.  No one dares oppose him, save for one.  Blinded by betrayal, a young warrior named Kenshi must learn to harness new skills and powers under the tutelage of the last of the Lin Kuei, Kai Liang, formerly known as Sub Zero.  Together, they will seek justice and redemption against, braving a storm of brutal battles and impossible truths to restore hope to the future. 

When I first heard about Mortal Kombat Legends and heard the first title was “Scorpion’s Revenge” I naturally believed these animated features would be hyper violent stand alone stories, origin or otherwise, centered on a singular MK character with maybe an appearance or two from others.  Unfortunatley, as good as it was, Scorpions Revenge wasn’t a Scorpion focused tale and Battle of the Realms only had a couple of good character moments and awesome fight scenes to stop it from ending up on the same level as Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.  With the third entry of the Mortal Kombat Legends series I’m finally getting what I was hoping/expecting from these animated films and it’s easily the best of the three so far, even if it does tap into some unexpected corners of the MK universe that, to my knowledge, no ones really a fan of.
 

FIF#259-Daemons of the Shadow Realm

The peaceful life of young villager Yuru is shattered when a special ops unit from another time storms his home and slaughters the inhabitants.  Rescued by unknown forces, Yuru learns the life he’s been living is a lie and this his village is hidden behind a sheild that hides it from the modern day.  Thrust into a new world, Yuru begins a quest to find his long lost sister, Asa, discover the secrets behind his lifelong deception, and learn to master the power of otherworldly beings known as Daemons.

 
Daemons of the Shadow Realm probably didn’t show up to the Anime scene looking to answer a particular question but it did anyway: What if M. Night Shamylan’s The Village was actually good and delivered on that infamous twist ending (and maybe added a pinch of Rahxephon for good measure)?  The answer is one of the best debut episodes of an Anime in recent memory thanks to an explosive opening that raises so many questions, makes you squirm at the carnage and keeps your eyes open to spot which character design from a certain beloved Anime classic you might spot next.
 

T5W#575-Top 5 Thoughts on the Kingdom Hearts IV D23 Updates

Disney’s D23 event took place this past weekend and brought some major announcements and previews for upcoming…well everything from the announcement of the cast for the MCU X-Men movie to the first trailers for Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2 and Frozen III.  However, I doubt anyone expected Kingdom Hearts IV to get such a substantial amount of attention.  Director Tetsuya Nomura and several key developers and voice actors, including Haley Joel Osment (Sora) and David Gallagher (Riku) took to the stage to drop some new updates for the highly anticipated sequel.  Though my relationship with Kingdom Hearts is kinda strained after KHIII, I’m willing to eventually dive back in and get caught up much like I have with Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth (finally finished the latter btw, what a game).  So on today’s Top 5 Wednesday, I’ll be sharing my Top 5 Thoughts on the Kingdom Hearts IV D23 Updates. 
 
Before we get started though, I’d like to dedicate today’s Top 5 Wednesday to the memory of actress Hayden Panittiere, who sadly passed away last weekend.  Whether you knew her from Heroes, Nashville or Kingdom Hearts’ Kairi, hers is a talent that will be forever missed.  We raise our Keyblade high in her memory.