Wooper: I’m a couple days behind the schedule I set for myself in the last check-in post, but two days’ procrastination is a sizable improvement over three weeks. Most of these series are still operating at a very high level, and that’s not even including stuff like Akane-banashi or Yomi no Tsugai, which I’ll probably end up saving for my EOY binge at this rate. Whether there’ll be an AOTY post to potentially highlight shows like those isn’t a sure thing, but it’d make a fitting end to my time as a blogger. That’s for future me to worry about, though – for now, here are a few slightly belated thoughts on spring’s middle chapter.
Dorohedoro S2 – 5-6
It’s astounding how many plot threads Dorohedoro can carry while maintaining coherence, and I use that word purposely despite the mystery surrounding multiple characters’ identities. The dream sequence at the end of episode 6 wasn’t quite a match for the one Caiman experienced at the magic school earlier this season, but its location inside a human body and use of sludge as a motif (including the shot immediately after the dream ended) did connect it to Ai’s leap into Hole’s toxic lake during episode 5’s flashback. With Aikawa emerging from a trough of black sludge during the dream, it seems likely that he’s connected to Ai, and if Caiman is the one doing the dreaming, then he probably is, too. Ebisu’s return to her childhood home and encounter with her demonic doppelganger were carried between these two episodes, as well, and I imagine Fujita’s use of her dragon powder to protect her corpse (soon to be reanimated by Kikurage) will have significant consequences for his character. Episode 6 also gave us another big battle scene – one so massive that it exposed the magma basin beneath the hot spring inn where Caiman and Nikaido had been reconnecting (apparently for the last time). Between En proving his spore-infesting ability to defeat even magic-resistant foes and Risu being reborn as the seemingly invincible Curse, the power level of this show has skyrocketed halfway through its second season.
Nippon Sangoku – 5-6
Ever since Nippon Sangoku’s military plot has taken on a more political dimension, the show has slowed down enough that I can digest each episode without furrowing my brow in concentration. All war is political, of course, but I’m referring specifically to the power struggle between the emperor’s advisors, Taira and Ryumon – and now Taira’s diminutive son Tonotsugu, positively drowning in his military uniform during the imperial meeting in episode 5’s first half. With the emperor sweating bullets at the thought of defying his father-in-law and Tonotsugu wielding his daddy’s influence out in the world, Ryumon is unable to prevent 35,000 Yamato troops from marching into an obvious trap, but that mandate sets up some very funny scenes: a Borderlands agent hysterically suggesting that Ryumon’s forces defect to Seii, and a showdown between Tonotsugu and the immediately magnetic General Sugoh on the way to the troops’ destination, for starters. The welcome feast held by Seii upon Yamato’s arrival even featured a miniskirted idol trio acting as post-apocalyptic “geisha,” and the predictably fawning reception to their performance serves as a clear parody of Japan’s modern entertainment industry.
All that humor gave way to some serious samurai drama at the end of episode 6, however – you always know things are getting serious when an anime plays its ending theme over continuing animation, then keeps going after that. With a significant amount of the Yamato army involved in Seii’s false annexation plot, a path is cleared for enemy troops to march into Yamato, and they meet their first real resistance at Kuzuryu Castle, where Seii general Kura demands the head of opposing castellan Satou. Though he’s clearly willing to die to secure a peaceful surrender, Satou’s young charges refuse to hand over their superior, leading to a showdown with traditional Japanese instruments not only playing in the background, but animated and intercut with the combat scenes. Shamisen, taiko, the whole nine yards – even though Nippon Sangoku is set in the future, the jidaigeki vibes were off the charts, and this is just the start of what’s sure to be a larger war between these two post-Japan kingdoms. My only issue is that Aoteru and Tsune-chan have taken a back seat as the show works to set up this conflict – hopefully they’re promoted to more critical positions in the coming episodes.
Awajima Hyakkei – 5-6
Awajima Hyakkei delivered its most complex episode yet (let’s pretend 7 and 8 haven’t already aired) with “Awajima Ghost Stories,” the first one without character names or illustrations on its title card. Those inclusions were previously helpful in focusing my attention in the right direction, since this show moves between the past and present in ways that aren’t always obvious (especially since Awajima’s school uniforms remain nearly identical in both time periods). Without them, I was more than a bit adrift during my first viewing of episode 6, but reviewing it clued me into the parallels between three new adult characters and the former students at the heart of the flashback-heavy second episode. Both trios contained a girl who quit Awajima due to social pressure and a future teacher at the school, bringing forth themes of lingering regrets (the ghosts in the titular “Ghost Stories”) and educational instruction as penance. Somehow there was also room in the script to explore the relationship between Sumiyoshi (one of the newly introduced adults) and her daughter, who attends Awajima in the present, continuing the show’s study of mothers processing their little girls’ successes or failures in the arts. There’s so much thematic strength here that even when you’re not sure which character you’re looking at or what decade they’re inhabiting, a strong point of view is always being transmitted.
The first half of episode 5 was also tied to a past story point, albeit a minor one – Asami, the girl who cried at the thought of sharing bathwater with other students. That phobia seems to have stemmed from her religious upbringing, though the show doesn’t spell that out in so many words. Instead, it explores the psychology of her self-imposed isolation from her peers, bringing her shame to a boiling point during a phone call with her mom after she’d enrolled at Awajima. As someone who also grew up in a religious household (albeit one of the “mainstream” ones that Asami wished she’d been born into), I was impressed with this episode’s focus on the intersection of religion and social dynamics, especially through Asami’s past friendship with another girl belonging to the same “cult” (as it’s called at one point), which brought a pleasantly nostalgic touch to a heavy subject.
Witch Hat Atelier – 5-6
My favorite moment from either of these episodes was the overcast picnic enjoyed by Qifrey and three of his four apprentices, made possible by a nifty bit of rain-repelling magic. That might seem like an odd choice given the previous episode (number 5) saw Qifrey perform a much more elaborate spell, conjuring a water dragon so immense that it flooded a labyrinthine city. Still, the smaller stuff did more for me this time, because I was already unengaged by the maze subplot before laying eyes on episode 5. The Fullmetal Alchemist-esque humor during what ought to have been a terrifying survival scenario wasn’t going to change my mind, either, though Coco’s unconscious encounter with the Brimmed Cap witch was kind of intriguing. I’m assuming that monochromatic meeting took place in her dream, the aftereffects of which would have caused the sleepiness from episode 6’s rune practice scenes. We also met Olruggio in that one, who apparently lives at Qifrey’s atelier – not sure why he didn’t tell Coco to avoid his watchful roommate if there was a risk he might turn her over to the Knights Moralis, but Ol’ Ruggy-o ended up being a big softie, so no harm, no foul. WHA might not make the next check-in post, as it’s only the art and animation that I really like about the show, but maybe the next pair of episodes will work some magic on me.
