We are reaching towards midway of this season where shows start to settle down and we have a firm ideas of which shows we wanna follow till the end. As for me, I decided to skip both Asuka and Domestic Girlfriend for now. I’m still mildly curious about then, but in the season where I find other 10 shows have much more to offer, “mildly curious” ain’t gonna make it. For this last two weeks, Mob Psycho 100 delivered one of the best piece of sakuga action in years, Kasuga-sama had its first meh episode, Run with the Win continues to deliver and I’ve heard good things from Dororo (which I still need to catch up). In fact, only my blogged shows remain in a quiet side of the conversation. They have their own appeal but they’re niched, to put it nicely. For the 4 shows remained here, I must say I enjoy them thoroughly. It’s such a nice set of shows that for the first time since several seasons I’d anticipate all them right after its airings. Now without saying too much let’s get run them down:
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (ep04-05)
Damn it, Shield Hero. It raises many head-scratching issues but it still manages to hold my attention and investment. For every touching moment of Raphtalia standing up for Naofumi we have to endure awful treatments from basically everyone against him. For all plot building of her becoming free from slaves (which is actually good) the next thing we know we have her binding the slave contract again. For all the chemistry between the fast-runner chicken and Naofumi we have the twist of it transforming into a loli naked girl. Why, Shield Hero? WHY? I was perfectly fine with the chicken being just an eccentric chicken. I was perfectly fine with him NOT gathering a harem team. And yet I’m still down to follow it. I know the only reason to explain all that is that I like trashy shows.
Gotoubun no Hanayome (ep04-05)
We reach the Firework arc and Gotoubon sacrifices some of its fast-paced jokes to make the story more coherent, which works out fine for me. These last two episodes provide an opportunity to build up two older sisters of the family, and how Futaro eventually have to deal with their issues. While I tend to agree that the sisters can appear tropey and fanservicey, there’s also no denying that each of them has their set goals, personalities and issues, thus making them totally distinct from each other, at the same time relatable. Nino’s wish to bring all the sisters together to the festival is totally legit, and Ichika’s reason for not participating makes equal sense. Furato also steps up to be a good foil for these girls, and in this arc he has to come to term of what he view about their relationships. I can’t believe I’m saying this but how the hell does a show about a boy dealing with five identical big-boobs sisters can be this good?
Endro! (ep04-05)
“Delightful” is how I’d describe Endro, a show that constantly twists around its own adventure conventions, at the same time never forgets to have fun. While other parody shows would try hard on comment on the stupidity of the tropes, Endro goes for a more matter-of-fact irony. For instance, we have Princess who fated to fall for the Hero. The only problem is… the Hero is a girl. This Princess then determined to love her anyways because it’s her fate to do so. Then own main character decides to help others not because it’s the heroic things to do, but because she’s herself. It’s silly, of course but it shines in its ability to balance between not taking itself too serious and too lightly at the same time. Episode 4 is the band’s typical adventure quest and it still provides heap of fun. And loli Demon Lord is still the best girl for me. She steals all the scenes that she has.
Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue. (ep04-05)
While at first I initially thought this show couldn’t get any more healing, this past two episodes manage to up its own standard in terms of delivery. First, the show expands its cast, both human side and per side, and now I can truly feel the warm of the town where these people live in. The additional characters are a delight so far, from a potential love interest to the neighbor dog to our cat’s little brother, they all add up to give the show little extra something. Second, our titular cat and writer has come to the stage where they are on the same page. These first episodes are delightful in the ways that although their train of thoughts are completely different, they still share something mutual. This episode 5 was the first time where they can communicate exactly how each other thinks and feels, and that’s both warm and wonderful. In addition, there’s a good amount of development from both Subaru the writer and Haru the cat and they’re both grown considerably from the first time we met them. This show is a total winner so far.
I do like Shield Hero, I think there’s the struggle you say, since more than the framing of these issues, it is the implication of these issues that take a bit out of a story that could have been told (in a more PC way?) appropiate way. Since I’ll have liked more if it were Raphtalia’s story. I still like the knight & squire relationship they have, because if it were frame more in this way than master and slave it might not be as hated.
What I suppose adds to the underdog aspect is that in a meta way the internet talks similarily to the antagonistic views the character has in the series itself.
In regards to the problematic aspects I do agree they’re hard to defend. Since while women can be as evil as men, perhaps framing for murder could have been more palatable than an issue (that let’s be honest) we don’t know how to talk about it. Perhaps instead of him buying a slave he could have tried to save a village in the first wave and have her found as survivor. Or if we have the slave mark erased perhaps they could have make a new contract framed in a more consensual way, like if any dies the other also (though again that could sound like marriage and little girl, and it also will feel weird that the teacher is put on the same level as the student, so I don’t know). The new issue, I do need more information since it could either go like the Slime isekai pandering or it could genuinely be a daughter more than a romantic interest (I mean he did took care of the egg).
All in all, I suppose the drama drives my interest in this show. Which if just taken as it is, I find it ok, not bad or great.
From what I’ve read of the Web Novel so far, Firo might be able to turn into a girl for fanservice, but is not part of Naofumi’s harem. He doesn’t show any interest in her and she doesn’t seem to show any romantic interest in him either. There is at least one other character later on who does seem to be interested in him, but that occurs much later and since she is much younger than him Naofumi disapproves of it. There is another girl who joins the party later on as well, but she is interested in one of the other heroes rather than Naofumi.
At the moment I feel the author is putting Naofumi more like a father figure than young protagonist. His relationship with the girls is distant, utilitarian, but also he does acknowledge their needs. I mean a whole episode to give Firo clothes than aren’t shredded each time she transforms (I do wonder if she grows up, if the clothes also accomodate to that change).
Where’s the Ekoda-chan coverage?!?