Hoshi no Samidare

Note: This will cover both versions but focus mainly on the manga, with some spoilers ahead.

Hoshi no Samidare is an example of a cult classic manga doomed by a very bad adaptation. I had it on my list for years until I decided to read it just as I watched the anime two years ago but even if I didn’t do that I would have noticed the issues within the anime, as many anime-only people... read more

One day, college student Yuuhi Amamiya is approached by talking lizard Sir Noi Crezant. Crezant immediately launches into a fantastical story: the powerful mage Animus intends to destroy the Earth with his Biscuit Hammer, a huge contraption looming high in Earth's orbit. Earth's only hope lies with the princess and her Beast Knights, whose task is to protect the princess and defeat Animus.

Yuuhi is chosen as the Lizard Beast Knight, and despite his misgivings, is quickly forced to defend himself from a golem created by the mage. He is saved by his neighbor, the princess Samidare Asahina, and swears loyalty to her. However, the princess does not intend to save the Earth at all. She lets Yuuhi in on her real motivations: to prevent Animus from destroying the Earth, only to then annihilate the planet by her own hand.