Author: Lenlo

Mob Psycho 100 S2 – 4 [Inside ~Evil Spirit~]

by Lenlo, posted in Mob Psycho 100 II

This week Mob Psycho hits us full force with its unique style. Reigen and Mob get a new job, we meet a bunch of new psychics and a villain makes a questionable tactical decision. Lets jump in!

First off, Mob Psycho went a little crazy with the animation this week. Almost as if to make up for the character focus of last week, as if that was an issue. We got straight up animated renditions of manga panels, slow motion shots, bright colors, wild camera angles and more. Personally, I loved it. I find Mob Psycho’s willingness to go wild with its animation, go off model or use unique mediums, one of its best features. Mob Psycho is, even in its quieter moments like Rock Paper Scissors, always visually interesting. It really makes you wonder why Mob Psycho is so unique in this. I attribute it to BONES, who had absolutely no chill this week, and you know what’s funny? This was all setup for the big sakuga explosion we can expect next week! This was the appetizer!

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Dororo – 4 [The Story of the Cursed Sword]

by Lenlo, posted in Dororo

This week Dororo returns to its episode demon slaying, as our intrepid duo combat a cursed blade! We have flashbacks, family issues and regained body parts galore! And you know what? I loved it all, so lets jump right in.

Now, last week I was a bit nervous about Dororo. I found some of the washed out visuals and scrappy animation to be a let down. This week, while it hasn’t gotten rid of those issues, Dororo made me realize that they won’t be as prevalent as I had feared. The chosen color palette has its uses, the limited animation will be… limited, and the however episodic it might be, everything will come together. I will, of course, hit on each of these as we go, but before we get out of technical aspects, I want to say I enjoyed the layout of this episode. Dororo started and ended on the same note, Hyakkimaru standing in the rain, yet the context of each was completely different. Its hard to say he is the same person as he was at the start, because he grows over the episode. I loved it.

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Paranoia Agent – 1 [Enter Lil’ Slugger] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Paranoia Agent, Throwback Thursday

Hello all and welcome to another round of Throwback Thursday, with this seasons special guest, Paranoia Agent! Satashi Kon through and through, lots of weird beautiful things are happening, so let’s jump right in!

Starting off, some details for how this is going to go. Planetes was a 26 episode series, so we did 2 episodes a week so we could get through it in a season. Paranoia Agent is a 13 episode series, so we will be doing 1 episode a week. A nice and easy pace. As for Paranoia Agent itself, you can tell its Satoshi Kon right from the get go. He has a very personal, odd style, which I love. I think you can see it most in his focus on lips and mouths, faces in general. You can see it to a great extent in Tokyo Godfathers, but his faces are always… not droopy, but fluid. Detailed in how the mouth and the skin around it moves. It could almost be described as plump on some characters. Regardless, it’s an iconic and brilliant style that I love.

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Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru – 14 [You’re Not Alone]

by Lenlo, posted in Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

Welcome all to another episode of Kaze Fui, Best Boy Simulator 2019. This week we have some more qualified times, lots of wholesome bonding and a hint mystery. Lets dive in!

Starting of light and happy, I loved Kaze Fui’s attention to detail this week. All of our boys, aside from Yuki and Prince, tanning from all their running in the sun. Makes it clear time has passed, to go along with the running montage they had. We also get to see how this has started to effect some of our boys, such as Kings short interview segment. He seemed to sit up straighter, with more confidence, and the Ekiden line is a real conversation starter for an interview. While I am sure Haiji didn’t intend for this to happen, not entirely, it is not to see King’s job search getting addressed. Seeing him move forward on that front. Lastly, I am pretty sure Kurahara was smiling throughout this entire episode, and I loved it. Our boy deserves a little happiness after all his emotional struggles.

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Dororo – 3 [The Story of Jukai]

by Lenlo, posted in Dororo

Airing at the same time as Mob Psycho, completely independently, Dororo also managed a somber, character driven episode. This week we learn more about Junkai the prosthetic doctor, Hyakkimaru’s past, and the world at large. Let’s dive in!

Dororo started off in a very dark place this episode, which contrasted oddly with the beautiful sunset behind it. Before I get into the story aspect of that darkness though, I want to talk about the visuals. A large portion of this episode was in grey scale, or with lots of browns. As effective as it was in some scenes, I was largely not a fan of it. It made multiple parts of the episode visually dull, and this is a visual medium. Especially when compared to the striking reds and oranges that Dororo opened with or we sometimes saw in the middle. Could it be argued the grey scale is what helped those scenes stand out more? That helped the important parts rise higher? Yes, easily. Its a strong argument. I just don’t know if the across the board grey scale was worth how much it provided those scenes.

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Mob Psycho 100 S2 – 3 [One Danger After Another ~Degeneration~]

by Lenlo, posted in Mob Psycho 100 II

Another week, another episode of Mob Psycho, though this week is a little different. Last time was all action and comedy. This time, Mob Psycho takes a more somber, character driven tone, and I love it. So that said, let’s dive in!

Like I said, this week Mob Psycho was much more subdued than previous episodes. There were very few flashy lights or pretty sequences, instead focusing almost entirely on Mob’s character development. Since Reigen is with Mob virtually all the time, it also helps build his character as well. A sort of 2 for 1 deal. Personally, I loved it. It really helps Mob Psycho be more than just another Shounen series. This character focus makes the action sequences mean so much more, especially since the biggest ones are tied to Mob’s emotional state. Gives it a depth that other series can’t reach. With all that said though, how about we hop into some specifics now?

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Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru – 13 [And Then Start Running]

by Lenlo, posted in Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

Kaze Fui returns, contending with and maybe even beating Mob Psycho for best episode of the week! We have introspection, backstory, and the team coming together to protect their emotionally stunted friend! Lets charge in!

Everything about Kaze Fui this week was fantastic. From the narrative to the VA’s. But one I want to hit on before we get into spoilers that is often overlooked is the sound design. Yuki Hayashi did an amazing job this week. Some of the music played during this episode fit perfectly with what was happening on screen. Hiromi Kikuta also did a great job this week. The buzzing static noise during the flashbacks confused me at first. I thought maybe my audio was breaking down. But once we cut back to present time and it went away, once I realized it was a purposeful effect, I loved it. I loved how it got louder and louder the closer Kurahara got to his breaking point. The visuals getting more static filled as we went through. Kaze Fui really nailed the emotions this week. But now, onto details!

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Planetes Anime Review – 84/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Planetes, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday

If there is one thing I have lost watching seasonal anime, it is patience. Every week I expect something to happen, some kind of payoff, to make watching that week worth it. Luckily, Planetes as brought that back to me. Its depth of writing, characters, and general structure belay an anime of a different age. Before Moe and Sis-con took over the seasons. Back when a series was allowed to take things at its own pace, and actually finish its story rather than languishing in sequel hell. Of course, what else can you expect from the first work of Makoto Yukimura, the author of currently published Vinland Saga.

Lets jump in!

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Dororo – 2 [The Story of Bandai]

by Lenlo, posted in Dororo

Hello and welcome to show number two for me of the new season! Dororo is an interesting one, based on a 1960’s manga, with this being its second adaptation. This week we meet another demon, learn our leads name and that not all spirits are bad. Let’s dive in!

Visually, Dororo is sort of a mixed bag for me. One on hand, I love the older style it has going for it, and much of the lack of detail allows the animators to have some fun. On the other hand though, the feet are blobs, and everything is a green/brown. I also noticed some rather static scenes that, compared to the first episode, left me wanting. Overall though I think Dororo is good. We know from the first episode that when it wants to, it can look gorgeous. It’s just that this week was rather subdued, as our first intro to what the day to day for the series will be. With that done, now I can get to the actual meat of the episode.

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Mob Psycho 100 S2 – 2 [Urban Legends ~Encountering Rumors~]

by Lenlo, posted in Mob Psycho 100 II

Hello and welcome to the first outright perfect episode of anime of 2019! Mob Psycho 100 knocked it out of the park this week in every respect, so let’s just jump right in!

Right off the bat, Bones is out in full force animation wise. Everything about this episode, visually, was fantastic. Even in drab, rain-slick scenes they found a way to introduce color to a drab landscape. And that isn’t even mentioning the wholly unique perspectives or styles for animation. Take for instance the straight up street fighter/fighting game reference. Done entirely in Mob Psycho’s style, it was a fantastic gag. Then there was one of my favorite styles, which only appears in Mob Psycho, the paint on glass effects. For depicting other worldly spirits, I think it does a fantastic job of showing that etherealness. Add on to all of this the sheer amount of sakuga throughout the episode, from Dimple jumping between trees, to the flowing sludge of the monster spirit, and you have a feast for the eyes. 2 weeks in and Bones has already won Animation. Wow.

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