Allyson Johnson

TV/Film Critic and Freelance Writer at Freelance

TV & Film Critic. Co-founder, Editor-in-Chief @InBetweenDrafts . Words at @CambridgeDay @Pajiba @ButWhyThoPC (she/her/hers) 🌈 [email protected]

Articles

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 5 Review

1 week ago | butwhytho.net | Allyson Johnson

One of the most significant hurdles that My Hero Academia: Vigilantes faces is the steep hill it scales to achieve the same charm and recognition as its predecessor. The most important difference is My Hero Academia’s expansive ensemble and how much we care about those characters. Koichi (Shuichiro Umeda), Knuckleduster (Yasuhiro Mamiya), and Pop Step (Ikumi Hasegawa) are all likable and interesting enough. Still, none have yet to reach the same level as the characters we’ve met in this world.
To Be Hero X Episode 5 Review

1 week ago | inbetweendrafts.com | Allyson Johnson

It would be a stretch to say that, by Episode 4, we begin to understand what To Be Hero X is about. But, at the very least, with Ling becoming a hero in his own right as The Commoner, we at least seemingly understood the story’s rhythm. Of course, that is torn to shreds after the death of Moon and is further thrown into disarray in To Be Hero X Episode 5 as the story pivots to a new character.
Thunderbolts Review - InBetweenDrafts

1 week ago | inbetweendrafts.com | Allyson Johnson

Florence Pugh and an impressive third act elevate Thunderbolts far beyond the most recent Marvel films. Marvel isn’t so much a well-oiled machine as it is a factory line these days.
My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 Review

2 weeks ago | butwhytho.net | Allyson Johnson

Slight but charming, My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 opens the world beyond the three characters we’ve met. “Top Runner” also gives us a look at a character who existed on the margins of the original series, allowing his personality to shine and work against the likes of Koichi (Shuichiro Umeda). It might not be the most exciting installment, but it remains endlessly winsome as it reestablishes a world we thought we knew.
To Be Hero X Episode 4 Review

2 weeks ago | inbetweendrafts.com | Allyson Johnson

To Be Hero X Episode 4 makes one thing abundantly clear: there’s no predicting this series, huh? One of the thrills of watching the gargantuan ambition of To Be Hero X, a Chinese-Japanese original Donghua series and the third season of the To Be Hero anthology franchise, is how many twists and turns it takes within singular scenes. Its unpredictability is its magic.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 16 Review

2 weeks ago | inbetweendrafts.com | Allyson Johnson

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 16 is a critical moment in the series. And not just because the anime is perilously close to catching up to the manga. In “Festering Resentment,” we watch as the series makes a crucial pivot as Maomao’s intellect finally comes to bite her, something she’s been wary of since the series premiere. With the return of Suirei (Kaori Nazuka), the woman who seemingly cheated death in Season 1, Maomao (Aoi Yūki) is presented with a very real, very immediate threat.
Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4 Review

2 weeks ago | butwhytho.net | Allyson Johnson

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4 offers a welcome reprieve that allows the characters to settle into their roles. Season 2 began with action, and while Episode 3 saw the dust settle, “Senpai’s Teachings” fully allows the show to acclimate itself as it begins a fresh journey. Really, more than anything, it’s necessary downtime that helps them develop. While the series loves to embroil itself in the latest brawls, the best moments come in the human ones between characters and outside of the fighting.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Episode 3 Review

2 weeks ago | inbetweendrafts.com | Allyson Johnson

Following the relentless but necessary lore dump of Episode 2, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Episode 3 brings us back into the present day. It’s a relief for newcomers who’ve yet to fully immerse themselves in the franchise’s longevity (which began in 1979.) While Episode 2 is integral to the series as it highlights the striking difference that catapults this timeline of events, it’s the protagonists of GQuuuuuX that we’re invested in.
A Failure To Accelerate

2 weeks ago | butwhytho.net | Allyson Johnson

Bullet Train Explosion misses the mark despite its high-octane premise and a director who understands how to use spectacle to deliver scathing messaging about governmental ineptitude. Directed by Shinji Higuchi (Shin Godzilla), his latest lacks bite. For a name as goofily on the nose as this, we expect fun and mayhem as characters rush around to try and survive while maintaining public decorum. Instead, the film waffles about for half the runtime in dire need of a dopamine hit.
My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 Review

3 weeks ago | butwhytho.net | Allyson Johnson

Now that the official setup to the world is completed, My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 gets to work in establishing the big bad. But what makes “Bee” such a charming installment is how the three main characters, Koichi (Shuichiro Umeda), Pop Step (Ikumi Hasegawa), and Knuckleduster (Yasuhiro Mamiya) interact with one another as three individuals who are drawn together by circumstance. One of My Hero Academia’s main draws is its sprawling ensemble’s strength.