Fall 2019 Summary – Week 9

Wooper: Even as much of the West plunges into the madness of the holiday season, Japan keeps pumping out the good stuff week after week. Mario and Amun are still high on their favorites of the season, but one of my early frontrunners might not survive as part of this column much longer if it keeps slipping each week. That’s alright, though – our attention will soon shift to season previews, first impressions, and AOTY discussion. For now, though, here are some thoughts on a few seasonal shows we’ve been digging!

Hi Score Girl II 6

Mario: It all comes down to this. After Haruo x Hidaka match, after Oono x Hidaka challenge, it’s fitting that the final showdown between Oono and Haruo is going to end it once and for all. It’s also very fitting that this final match will be a SFII tournament in Osaka, when Haruo won but utterly felt that he didn’t deserve it. It takes witnessing Hidaka hugging Haruo for Oono to strengthen her resolve regarding Haruo, and it takes seeing Oono’s sad expression for Haruo to be honest with his feelings. Despite all the teases, Haruo has a good number of good people who are behind his back, but ultimately it’s between the main players now. The stakes are higher than ever (even without Haruo knowing it, they’re high for him as well). I also really enjoy the way Oono’s sister behaves when she finds out about Oono leaving soon. She’s the most outspoken character of this cast but we can sense a lot of feelings flowing through her at that time: guilt that she dumped all the responsibility on her sister, the sadness on Haruo’s behalf, her own sadness as well. It’s hard not to root for them all (and maybe scream at Oono’s parents for being dickheads. :))

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun 9

Wooper: Ever since Iruma acquired the Ring of Solomon, there’s been a question of how his character could evolve without falling back on its all-powerful magic. This episode answered that question with a training arc dedicated to dodgeball, of all things. Rather than present Iruma with an obstacle that would require a magical solution, it created a clever mythology for “execution cannonball,” a modern version of an archaic contest once held by demons. Even though the game is essentially a human one, Iruma still struggles to master it due to his skill at dodging things. So we watch as he dodges, and dodges, and dodges, then finally catches a ball in his practice sessions – and that’s the majority of the episode. Apart from that fun initial concept, the actual meat of the thing is overcooked and unseasoned. I much prefer this show when it’s in comedy mode, instead of worrying about Iruma’s rank at school, but his conversation with Ameri last week hinted at a shift toward the latter. We’ll see rather the show can achieve a good balance to close out 2019.

Kabukichou Sherlock 8

Wooper: Sherlock has been slumping for me recently, and this was my least favorite episode yet. There’s simply too much going on in this script, between Irene’s addition to the cast, a weekly case about parental custody that’s quickly forgotten, an ex-journalist dabbling in child labor violations and human trafficking (who dies midway through the episode), a trans actress dealing with financial woes (who dies at the end of the episode), the reappearance of Kirisaki Jack… This series has an irreverent strangeness built into its DNA, owing to the combination of its lurid setting and its hijacking of Sherlock Holmes mythology. If you layer four poorly-connected plot threads on top of an already abnormal premise, the result will be about as appealing as Sherlock’s chocolate-topped tamago kake gohan. I can tolerate only a couple more of these multi-mystery pileups before I consign the show to my cold case files.

No Guns Life 8

Amun: Dear NGL – that was pretty good. I’m not 100% sure I would have made a heartwrenching story in the middle of two metal-weapon-people shooting and smacking the joint oil out of each other, but hey – this action anime makes us feel! Our heads may be metal but our hearts aren’t! Yeah! Also nicotine withdrawal is apparently really scary if you have a gun for a dome. Other important points are ole Blue Lips racing ahead in the yacht race (for “ships”…get it? Still on team Mary, personally) and Golden Head getting BIG SNIPED. In all seriousness (or as much as you can considering a cast of cranium cannons), NGL is transitioning well from the first minor villain to the real big baddie (spoiler: it’s always the tech company). This episode gave me feels, in a good way, and action, in a great way – plus, the comedy here is consistently on point. Can’t say enough good things about this show – clearly my AOTS at this point.

Mugen no Juunin: Immortal 9

Wooper: This was another of the excellent self-contained portraits that Immortal has painted this season. Both Manji and the various sword schools whose members have recently populated the show took a week off, leaving Rin to do all the heavy lifting. Thankfully, she managed to carry that weight in a show of determination we hadn’t previously seen from her. In order to pass through the Kobotoke gate in pursuit of Anotsu, she conspired with a guide to adopt another woman’s backstory, which she sold to the gate’s overseer with conviction. The biggest shock of the episode was, of course, the newly-formed scar below her navel, which Rin suffered in order to complete her deception. I loved that the scene’s vocal accompaniment paused just before the reveal of the scar, as if even the onlooking chorus was waiting with bated breath. Another credit that must be given to the episode is its conclusion, where Rin cries upon finding her purse 10 ryo lighter. One might take this scene at face value and assume that her tears were caused by financial worries, but I believe she cried at the memory of her mother and father’s deaths, which she called to mind in order to pass through the gate.