Usagi-tei

Kids Return has no US stream, rental or purchase in September 2026. A view from Japan on Takeshi Kitano’s 1996 boxing film: why it skips the training montage, and why the schoolyard ending is the scene people here still quote.

Madoka Magica streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu in the US. All 12 TV episodes tell a complete story: here is what the four films add, and the order.

Ten anime set in rural Japan, picked by someone who grew up there: Natsume's Book of Friends, Non Non Biyori, Wolf Children, Only Yesterday, Totoro and more. What each one gets right about inaka life, and where to stream it in the US.

Ten anime set in real Tokyo, sorted by neighbourhood by someone who lives here: Akihabara in Steins;Gate, Ikebukuro in Durarara!!, Shibuya in Jujutsu Kaisen, Asakusa in Sarazanmai. Which locations are real, and where to stream each one in the US.

Ten anime with no romance plot at all, picked by a fan in Japan: Vinland Saga, Haikyu!!, Frieren, Golden Kamuy, Monster and more. No love triangles, no will-they-won't-they. What each one is about instead, and where to stream it in the US.

Ten anime where the music is the point, picked by a fan in Japan: Your Lie in April, Sound! Euphonium, Forest of Piano, Liz and the Blue Bird, Whisper of the Heart and more, plus two for jazz. Which performances are real, and where to stream each in the US.

Ten anime that take depression, anxiety and isolation seriously, picked by a fan in Japan: March Comes In Like a Lion, Welcome to the N.H.K., Blue Period, Evangelion and more. Honest notes on how heavy each one is, and where to stream it in the US.

Ten anime that finish in a single season, picked by a fan in Japan: Cowboy Bebop, Odd Taxi, Edgerunners, Madoka and more. No cliffhangers, no waiting for season two. Where to stream each one in the US.

Ten anime about food and cooking, picked by a fan in Japan: from Delicious in Dungeon to a ramen obsessive, a two-minute drinking show and the noodles in Flavors of Youth. Why each one makes you hungry, and where to watch it in the US.

Sugii’s 1985 Kenji Miyazawa adaptation streams on Crunchyroll and free with ads on Roku and Pluto TV. The director’s own reason for casting the whole film as cats, what Haruomi Hosono’s score does, and who should not start here.