Author: Lenlo

Kemono no Souja Erin – 5/6/7/8 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kemono no Souja Erin, Throwback Thursday

Welcome all, to week 2 of Kemono no Souja Erin! This week is the conclusion to what I view as our “prologue”. We’ve got mystery, tragedy, and mediocre comedy! Lots to talk about this week so lets dive in!

So before we get to far into it I want to talk about the music. 8 episodes is enough to get a feel for that I think. Composed by Masayuki Sakamoto, Erin’s OST is really interesting to me. Most of the time it doesn’t have much going on, it’s very much in the background and doesn’t announce its presence. But every now and then it switches to these folksy insert songs, from childhood lullabies like “Lalalila Lalila” to these more emotional, family oriented songs I have yet to find the name for. While the core stuff doesn’t wow me, these are really good! And every time they come up they leave an emotional impact I wasn’t expecting, really accentuating a scene. They aren’t meant to be diegetic, as Soyon is still talking to Erin over the song. Yet they feel diegetic, and that gives them this extra unexpected weight.

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Vinland Saga S2 – 23 [Two Paths]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Vinland Saga

Welcome all, to the penultimate episode of Vinland Saga Season 2! Vinland Saga continues riding high this week with another heart wrenching episode. I’m going to do my best to avoid repeating myself this week, there are only so many times you can call something the “Best Anime of the Season” before it starts to get old. But it’s true. It is. Now lets jump into it.

The core of this weeks episode was the climax of Vinland Saga’s thematic arc as well as Thorfinn and Canute’s meeting. Personally? I absolutely loved everything about this. Yeah, it ends without conflict and they sort of just walk away from each other. On a purely physical level, you might see it as anticlimactic or unsatisfactory. But thematically? Narratively? This is the conclusion for both of them. As Canute puts it, Thorfinn came to him with nothing but a request. No manipulation, no ulterior motive, no plot or plan to trick him into something. Just a genuine, heartfelt, honest request. This is probably one of the few truly honest interactions Canute has had since becoming King. He can simply…open up to without fear of being taken advantage of or judged. And it’s because of that, this proof that the Vikings can produce someone like Thorfinn, that he chooses another road.

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Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 – 10 [Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kimetsu no Yaiba

Welcome all, to the penultimate episode of Kimetsu no Yaiba’s third season! This week is all about Kanroji, the premier waifu of the season, from her backstory to her fight with the Upper Four. We have a lot to talk about this week, so lets dive in!

So, Kanroji. This is her episode. And you know what? It’s not bad. Overall I’d call it an improvement over the last few Tokito-centric ones. And you know what I think the biggest contributor to that? Her combat style. Everything about it is simply far more visually appealing. Her ballet-like movement, the poses, the moonlight flashing off her sword and the patterns it draws in the air Even the after effects of her attacks on the wood, the little burn marks and ash left hanging in the air. Kanroji has all the flare that has been missing from the rest of the season. It’s a damn shame she has so little screen time, because I think she could have made the arc much more memorable on that front.

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Dr. STONE S3 10 – [Science Wars]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dr.STONE

Welcome all, to another week of Dr. STONE! This week our girls go on an infiltration mission while our boys play with magnets. I promise that isn’t a joke, it’s actually what happens. Don’t believe me? Then lets dive into the episode!

Overall this was a pretty standard week for Dr. STONE. Some comedy with Kohaku, a serious moment with Ginro and a fair amount of science with Senku. It seems that Dr. STONE has found a pattern it really likes, and it’s one I think works well. What really makes it work though I think is how Dr. STONE is constantly switching up its groups. Splitting them off and merging them back together, giving each member moments to play off of others in new combinations. Stuff like Gen and Kohaku’s back and forth, or Kohaku and Amaryllis manipulating their way through the Palace. These are different from say… Senku’s relationship with Gen, or Senku and Kohaku. Different pairs lead to different jokes and banter. Overall, I like it.

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Kemono no Souja Erin – 1/2/3/4 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kemono no Souja Erin, Throwback Thursday

Welcome all, to another season of Throwback Thursday! As I said before, this time we are covering Kemono no Souja Erin, also known simply as Erin, a 2009 fantasy drama from Production I.G. and the same creator who wrote Seirei no Moribito, a personal favorite of mine. Before we jump in, a quick word: This is a long series. 50 episodes! As such, I’m going to try to do 4 episodes a week. However I make no promises about being able to keep up that pace. As such, some weeks will be 4 episodes, some 3, some might even be 2 if I get particularly busy with Grad School. I apologize, I will try to get through this in a reasonable pace so we can get to The Big O, but it’s a long god damn series. So with that out of the way, on to the show!

So first up, let’s talk about Erin’s production. My initial impressions are that… It’s fine? There’s nothing particularly impressive about Erin’s visual style to me. The character designs especially feel a little off-putting, with faces leaning more towards an anime aesthetic then say Seirei no Moribito’s more realistic one. In fact there’s really only 2 things that stand out at all: The backgrounds and the stylized Touda sequences. The backgrounds are these nice, large watercolor-like spreads. They aren’t tremendously detailed but they are rather stylized, and I think they help cover up some of Erin’s compositing issues, both 2D and 3D. As for the stylized Touda sequences, these are rare but when they do happen they are quite striking. Bright colors, sharp lines, styled almost like ancient cave drawings of monsters. They really fit the beastial Touda. Overall while Erin isn’t to impressive visually, I wouldn’t say it’s bad either.

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Vinland Saga S2 – 22 [The King of Rebellion]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Vinland Saga

Welcome all, to another episode of Vinland Saga! This is a big week, perhaps the best episode of the entire season. We have a lot to talk about this week so lets just dive right into it!

Starting off I want to talk about last weeks episode a bit, and how I hope this one cleared things up. There was some confusion, not just here but in other communities I am part of, that questioned why Thorfinn didn’t just… Beat them up. Or dodge away. Or literally anything other than the punching bet. Well that’s something I think Vinland Saga answered pretty clearly this week: What kind of peace negotiator comes with a drawn sword? Thorfinn is committed to non-violence, not just for himself but in demonstrating it to others. And that’s what this bet was. A demonstration, neigh a condemnation of violence in all its forms. He didn’t take the bet on some stupid “I’ll just take anything the world throws at me”, he had a plan to avoid most of the damage. And it’s because of that plan he felt comfortable with this choice.

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Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 – 9 [Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kimetsu no Yaiba

Welcome all, to another week of Kimetsu no Yaiba! This episode sees the conclusion of one fight and Kanroji’s appearance in the other. Is either good? Or is it more of last weeks disappointment? Let’s find out!

Starting off with the positive, this week saw a conclusion to the Upper Five fight. And you know what? I’ve decided I liked it. Yeah, it was a tad anti-climactic. And I still don’t think the Mist Breathing is very good for animation, though it makes for some great still shots. But overall I’m content. There were no gimmicks, no tricks or last minute twists. Just a straight up fight with a fully self-realized Tokito finishing the guy off. Considering what’s been going on with Upper Four, that was rather refreshing. I was expecting some kind of “This isn’t my final pot” sort of bullshit. And we even got some growth from Tokito to, some showing of emotion. It’s a bit weird, the kid is still very un-emotive aside from some random rage. But you know what? I’ll take what I can get.

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Dr. STONE S3 9 – [Beautiful Science]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dr.STONE

Welcome all to another week of Dr. STONE! Apologies for the delay on this one, I had to get the seasonal preview out as well. Anyways without further ado, lets dive into the episode!

Overall I thought this was a great episode. A good mix of both Dr. STONE’s unique brand of comedy and its more serious narrative. The best example of this of course being Ginro. At the best of times he’s this stupid wreck of a human, a complete coward who look for any opportunity to get out of work and escape responsibility. It makes for some amusing jokes at times. But seeing him struggle with that as he’s confronted by Kinro’s statue, his desperate attempt to escape carrying him on his back before resolving not to run not because it’s the right thing but because he cares specifically for his friend. Mmm, it’s just good shit. Dr. STONE really sold his “Coward that does what’s necessary” energy. Think of him like Zenitsu from Kimetsu no Yaiba, but much more narratively compelling and much less annoying.

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Summer 2023 Season Preview

by Lenlo, posted in Seasonal Previews

Lenlo: It’s here folks, another season is on the horizon! You might notice something different about this one. It’s just me! Don’t worry, I just assume everyone is busy. That or this place is mine now. Whatever the case, there are a decent number of series worth keeping an eye on this season. From returning behemoths like Jujutsu Kaisen and Mushoku Tensei to new blood like Helck and Zom 100, not to mention some weird originals like Ayaka. On top of that you have all the Isekais that I either refused to engage with when creating this post or that I just legitimately over looked. Lucky for me I watch at least one episode of everything when a season starts, so anything missed will be covered there. For now though, lets dive into what I will be paying attention to this season. And don’t forget to vote below and let me know what you’ll be looking out for as well!

What will you be watching this spring?
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Wolf’s Rain Anime Review – 89/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday, Wolf's Rain

The early 2000’s were a rough time for anime. It produced some incredible works, from Welcome to the NHK to Tokyo Godfathers, my favorite animated movie ever. However it was also smack-dab in the middle of the industries transition from cel animation to digital. Entire pipelines changed, the animation process became completely different, leading to a glut of poorly produced, visually abysmal series. It was in this time that Studio Bones was born. One of the more prolific studios still working today, Bones had to get it’s start somewhere. And it’s one of their earliest works that I am here to talk to you about today. I present to you, originally written by Keiko Nobumoto, directed by Tensai Okamura, with music written and performed by Youko Kanno, the early 2000’s Sci-Fi adventure: Wolf’s Rain. Let’s dive into it!

Oh and really quick before we get to deep, just ignore the Omegaverse tags if those are still there. Those are stupid and have nothing to do with the series. There is no Alpha/Beta/Omega crap. Just enjoy the cool Wolves dangit. Onwards we go!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Wolf’s Rain. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Additionally this review also covers the 4 episode OVA containing the true ending to the series.. Continue reading “Wolf’s Rain Anime Review – 89/100 – Throwback Thursday” →