Wooper: With the Winter 2020 preview under construction, and piles of anime to cram before AOTY season arrives, it’s sometimes a miracle these blurbs are written at all. Still, fall has been good to us in terms of variety, so it’s only fair that we repay the favor. Here are our weekly thoughts on the shows that didn’t make the blogging rotation.
No Guns Life 9
Amun: NGL had a bit of a quieter week – I’m surprised to see the transition to another arc. I’m assuming this will be the final arc of the cour plus cliffhanger for the eventual second season (I think it’s done pretty well, so I’m hopeful). Necessary new character introductions, bust size joke, and some Juzo trauma for the Beruhumahumahuma executive – all perfectly serviceable as a setup for the big finale.
Kabukichou Sherlock 9
Wooper: I’ve lost my patience with this show. Irene’s abrupt death and Kirisaki Jack’s utterly forgettable appearances aren’t the final straw, but they’re pretty close to it. I know that Irene is very likely alive, and it might not even be Jack under the mask, but the show ought to imbue these sorts of deceptions with more weight. When a Sherlock-themed show ends on a cliffhanger that questions Moriarty’s involvement in Irene Adler’s murder, and it can’t even bring you to care about the answer, that’s when you know the whole thing is a wash. Watson’s whining about his lack of usefulness to Sherlock was pitiful, as well, unless it was some metacommentary on his irrelevance to the plot as as whole. And can somebody explain the purpose of the swoopy-haired detective’s bungling romance subplot? The girl is in it for the money one moment, then making things official the next, and riding him in bed two scenes after that. The only way this show can recover is if she ends up being Kirisaki Jack herself.
Mugen no Juunin: Immortal 10
Mario: This is another tough week to watch for Blade of the Immortal. I’m sure the rape content will divide viewers here, but for me it still works as this episode “fleshes out” Hyakurin’s character. The point here is that even when she has to endure immeasurable amounts of cruelty, injustice, and violence, she still independently stands firm. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This episode further groups Manji and Magatsu, who is on the quest of killing Shira. Interestingly, it’s not the rape scene but Hyakurin’s flashback that serves as the most heart-wrenching moment in this episode and tells you exactly how she became who she is now. Overall I still consider this episode a success, even if both our mains’ screen time is limited and the overarching plot moves very little forward.
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun 10
Wooper: Well, that sure was a game of dodgeball, as well as the clearest evidence yet that Iruma-kun runs in a shounen magazine (the same one as Beastars, actually). There were a lot of tropes that I didn’t appreciate in this episode, especially the scene right after the game where the teacher explained what we already knew while repeated footage played in the background. That sort of thing has been anime’s stock in trade for over 50 years at this point, so I wouldn’t complain if it didn’t feel so damn out of place. Climbing to the second demon rank may only encourage Iruma to keep ascending the ladder, which I’ll be okay with, so long as their climaxes don’t involve dialogue-heavy action scenes with speed lines all over the place. I will say that, though our main boy’s victory feels a bit hollow, it was good to see Asmodeus try his hardest against his personal idol. Their relationship has felt very one-sided recently, but Azz-Azz is quite powerful in his own right, and we got a nice reminder of that this week.
Hi Score Girl II 7
Mario: As far as plot goes, this is a straightforward episode of Hi Score Girl: Haruo and Oono spend time playing games before the tournament begins. We have seen this pattern before: they spend time together, they duel, and they again leave apart. That is no way a spoiler (as I haven’t read the manga up to this point), but imagine a wedding cake and this development is its top ring now. Which also means, it strips back to the bare minimum characters and plots: only Oono and Haruo and their love for arcade games, and for each other. As such, it more than delivers. As much as I love Hidaka, Haruo and this silent girl have a great spark together – and now they both acknowledge their feelings for each other. There’s still a sad, tender feeling beneath the surface (just like how nostalgia works when you remembers about the past), but at least right at this moment these kids enjoy their lives to the fullest.
