Author: SuperWooper

Fall 2020 Summary – Week 9

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: Dragon Quest? More like Dropped Quick. We’ve got an oddball series in its place for this recap post, plus some thoughts on a handful of seasonal anime. Has Haikyuu season 4.5 finally turned the corner onto Sakuga Street? Will China’s latest sleeper series maintain its momentum? Should I have put a third question after the first two? You’ll have to read on to find out!

Gal and Dino 8-9

Wooper: If you’re one of the 12 people who were watching Gal and Dino before COVID kicked it half a year into the future, here’s your alert that the show is back – and better than ever, honestly. It’s found a sweet spot between Pop Team Epic’s absurdism, Galko-chan’s friendliness, and Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro’s chill vibes. Episode 8 put emphasis on the show’s warmth, as the gang celebrated Dino’s birthday with trick candles and gifts of cup ramen (to his unceasing delight), before transitioning into a bonkers live action scene that parodied Detective Conan, Mission Impossible, and Haruhi. Episode 9 moved in the opposite direction, going from PTE levels of mixed media (including simulated chalk animation and a marker-illustrated dream sequence) to a lovely confirmation of Dino’s happiness at Kaede’s apartment. Most people didn’t care about this show when it dropped back in April and won’t care about it now, but it’s got more heart than they’ll ever know. I love little things like Kaede carefully stepping over Dino’s tail (after injuring him several weeks ago), or Nanami working up the courage to ask a new friend over for dinner. Gal and Dino is both strange and sweet – a winning combination in a year that’s otherwise been uniformly bitter.

Haikyu To the Top Part 2 – 09

Lenlo: Look, there’s only one word I can use to describe this episode, and you all already know what it is: HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPE. I’ve been really critical of Haikyu this season up until now, rightfully so I say. The tension has been lacking and the production has been inconsistent to say the least. So you cannot imagine how relieved and thankful I am that they managed to nail this episode. Inarizaki’s motto has always stayed with me more than the other schools. Just like Atsumu, I didn’t really get it at first, but it was this scene in the manga that always made it work. “We don’t need the memories”, forever pushing forward, the depiction of the team, the discussion about hunger and how it feels to watch someone enjoy a good meal. It’s one of the best in the series for me. And the receive, oh god the receive. This is what the ballboy arc was building towards, this singular moment, and it was beautiful. The voice over, the momentum of the ball and Hinata’s flip, I love it. It’s competing for my favorite episode of the season off of those two scenes alone. So yeah, it was a bloody good episode of Haikyu. But you already knew that.

Armitage: Yup. Easily S4’s best episode yet. The shot of Hinata’s trembling hands after completing that receive is up there with the very best climactic moments Haikyuu has given us. Please let the rest of the season be this well-animated, anime gods.

Continue reading “Fall 2020 Summary – Week 9” →

Taiso Samurai – 7-8 [Training Camp Samurai/Intensive Samurai Training]

by SuperWooper, posted in Currently Watching:, Taiso Samurai

This is the end of the road for my full Taiso Samurai writeups. Cobbling together this post was like trying to build a bird house with a hammer but no wood, and I’m not interested in repeating the experience. With just three episodes left, I’m very likely to finish the show, and there’s a decent chance it’ll be mentioned in our weekly recap columns, but its meandering story isn’t something I’m willing to spend too much brain space on next month. December already has a winter preview to write, a Best of 2020 post to plan, and a real life holiday season to prepare for (among other things). Meanwhile, Taiso Samurai’s narrative feels less diverse and more distracted the closer we get to the end. Accordingly, this will be a bit of a “Why I Dropped It” post, but my thoughts on both episodes can be found after the jump, too.

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Akudama Drive – 7-8 [The City of Lost Children/Black Rain]

by SuperWooper, posted in Akudama Drive, Currently Watching:

It’s difficult to follow an all-star episode like “Brothers,” as this doubleheader can attest. My disappointment with “The City of Lost Children” was so great, in fact, that it delayed this post by a week. After the spectacle and weight of episode 6, we got a decidedly less impressive-looking showing that nevertheless boasted a cool setting in Expo Park – which was absent for 33% of the time, due to a lengthy flashback. Even the central object in the underground park, a rocket that Brother wanted to ride to the moon, was just an excuse to get that flashback off the ground. Its eventual launch was an anticlimax that spilled into episode 8’s beginning, making me fearful for the show’s chances this week, but thankfully it was more my speed. More than appealing to my personal sensibilities, though, it was specifically interested in Swindler, who seems a hundred times more authentic now than she ever has before. All it took to give her some nuance was to pair her with a cute kid instead of a sociopathic gang. Who knew that writing was so easy?

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Fall 2020 Summary – Weeks 7-8

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: After making way for our quarterly State of the Season post last week, the recap post has returned with a value-sized installment. I might fall down on the job where my episodic reviews are concerned, but the weekly summary arrives on time, come hell or high water. There’s a new show under Lenlo’s microscope before the jump, plus double episode impressions for the usual suspects afterwards. Have at ’em!

Heaven’s Official Blessing – 4/5

Lenlo: A new addition to the lineup, by popular request! This was a slow but important two weeks for HOB. Where the first arc sought to establish the world and the setting, this one dedicates itself entirely to character relationships. Specifically between our lead and Xie Lian and our Antagonist (?)/Love Interest (?) Hua Cheng. And across both of these episodes I can say… it did a pretty good job of it. I’m not a big fan of BL, mostly because romance isn’t my genre. But the interplay between Lian and Cheng was rather interesting. Lian, a heavenly official trying to suss out who Cheng really is, and Cheng who could be simply playing with Lian or legitimately interested. This early into the series it’s too early to truly tell one way or the other. But for what I expected to be two boring episodes, HOB did a great job playing them off each other and establishing this relationship and I am looking forward to more.

Oh and one last thing of note that I almost forgot, there was some great visual alliteration in these two episodes. I especially liked the story of how Hua cheng earned his name with the white flower, both speaking to his own history as well as to when we first met him a few episodes ago. How he helped Lian, leading him through the forest under his umbrella. It was well done!

Kamisama Ni Natta Hi 06/07

Armitage: To paraphrase one of Shakespeare’s most well-known sonnets, “Thou art a Lolicon, yes?” In all seriousness though, this show is best when it’s not being serious at all. While we finally got back to the shady boy-hacker from Episode 3 and were presented with a head-scratching reveal at the end to tide us over till next week, I don’t know exactly how I feel about it. I mean, I guess this isn’t a fantasy show anymore. Well, it was always just winking at that possibility but now, it’s pretty much embraced the sci-fi genre altogether. Which I mean… yeah, sure. Feels a little shoehorned but the red herrings were there too. There’s also a love triangle being set up at the heart of our narrative though unlike other love triangles (read: Harems) in anime, I actually don’t mind multiple girls falling head over heels for our protagonist, as Sota is a very likeable one. Though, honestly if you were to ask me to choose between this show trying its hand at new ways to incorporate drama into its story or the viewers being treated to 12 episodes of Sota and co. shooting a movie, I’d choose the latter all day, every day.

Continue reading “Fall 2020 Summary – Weeks 7-8” →

Taiso Samurai – 06 [Samurai Father and Daughter]

by SuperWooper, posted in Currently Watching:, Taiso Samurai

I’ve been opening these posts with some variation of, “I can’t believe Jotaro wasn’t the focus of this episode!” for three weeks now, so it’s about time I stop being surprised whenever it happens. His training camp’s overlap with Rei’s birthday is the origin of the conflict here, so he’s at least involved in the plot, but it’s his daughter’s feelings that Taiso Samurai is interested in exploring. Quite simply, she’s overburdened. Going to school, doing the shopping and cooking for the family, putting on a smile for her dad even when he puts himself first… It’s too much for a nine year old girl to bear. Though this week’s resolution sees her cling tearfully to her father, I couldn’t help but feel like he got off easy. No parent enjoys seeing their child cry, but such a straightforward and cathartic expression of sadness made their subsequent reconciliation a piece of cake. We probably won’t get a story about fatherhood to follow up this depiction of a difficult childhood, and that’s a damn shame, because it’s precisely what Rei deserves.

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Akudama Drive – 06 [Brother]

by SuperWooper, posted in Akudama Drive, Currently Watching:

All of Akudama Drive’s episodes are named after famous crime or action movies: Se7en, Reservoir Dogs, Dead Man Walking, etc. Each film title has some relation to the plot of its anime counterpart; for instance, “Mission Impossible” was the name used for the characters’ improbable boarding of the Shinkansen, while “Speed” refers to the episode where the same train hurtles toward oblivion (in that movie it was a bus, but the parallel sort of holds up). This week’s title is “Brother,” which is the first Japanese film to be featured, and it’s probably the weightiest parallel yet, thematically speaking. It should be noted that I haven’t seen Brother, but I did read a Wikipedia plot synopsis ten minutes before writing this post (very professional), so there will be spoilers for both that film and this episode of Akudama Drive after the jump.

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Fall 2020 Summary – Week 6

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: Last week I said that we might be skipping our weekly recap for a seasonal check-in, but then Amun came through with some impressions to give us three whole writers in one post, and I couldn’t pass that up. We’re approaching levels of blog contribution that shouldn’t be possible! Next week will be our Fall 2020 State of the Season shindig, but for now, we’re here to gab about the newest wave of weekly anime. Enjoy!

Tonikaku Kawaii – 06

Amun: Not in my normal strike zone of shows, but I find myself watching Tonikaku Kawaii first on the weekend anime binge. With a simple premise and a tiny cast, Tonikaku Kawaii should fall under the category of show that gives you cavities and I avoid like the plague. Tonikaku Kawaii banks on, and makes light of, some common early onset romantic issues – but it’s done in such a light hearted way that you can’t help but cheer on our silly, spacy couple as they bumble through the beginnings of married life. I’m sure you could find some criticisms of the perverted bath owner or the meddling little sister, but for now, it’s cute and that’s all you really need to know.

Golden Kamuy S3 – 06

Lenlo: I never know what to expect with Golden Kamuy. Some weeks it’s light hearted gallows humor with a sprinkle of drama, other weeks like this one that recipe is flipped on its head. Sadly it’s in weeks like this that I really start to see the cracks in the series. Drama is not Golden Kamuy’s strong suit, to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, the sniper battle was fun. I really liked the double misdirect in regards to Ogata’s position, and how his strategy actually laid him flat for the rest of the episode. Pair that with Shiraishi’s introspection and you have some decent drama. But I didn’t care much for Ogata’s flashback, all things considered. It didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about him as a character, and while it introduced a bit of guilt, it’s not something I really see it acting on. All in all it felt like it existed to pad runtime. Not in the worst way, it fit the show and reminded us just how much of a cold bastard he is. But it definitely wasn’t the most interesting thing in the episode.

Continue reading “Fall 2020 Summary – Week 6” →

Taiso Samurai – 05 [Battling Samurai]

by SuperWooper, posted in Currently Watching:, Taiso Samurai

Here’s another Taiso Samurai outing where the script sidelines Jotaro, who seems to be the main character in name only. Last week it was all about Leo and Rei, and this time we’re focusing on Tetsuo and… the NHK Cup broadcasters? I’d have said “the other competitors,” but they’re so lacking in presence, both in screen time and personality, that they hardly factor into my memory of the episode. Given the upcoming Chinese training camp plot, this new crop of gymnasts are certain to recur – even if they’d been created merely to get steamrolled by Tetsuo, though, they ought to have been given decent designs. Without a reason to remember them, it’ll be tough to generate interest in any Japanese gymnasts apart from Jotaro or Tetsuo going forward.

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Great Pretender Anime Review – 78/100

by SuperWooper, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense, Great Pretender, Reviews by SuperWooper

From an aesthetic point of view, Great Pretender is my favorite TV anime of 2020. I’ve spoken plenty about art director Yuusuke Takeda in previous posts, but since this is the last time I’ll be writing about this show for the blog, allow me to recap: he’s one of the best and most prolific visual designers in the industry today, and Great Pretender is one of his most striking works. His brash juxtaposition of color was a great fit for such a sharp, fast-moving series – as were the angular designs of legendary character artist Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Tasked with creating an entirely adult cast, he opted to give them prominent noses and messy hairdos, incorporating plenty of detail while still allowing the animation team room to breathe. They did their nimblest and most acrobatic work in the show’s first arc, but even as Great Pretender settled in for the long haul, it maintained a sense of liveliness sufficient to absorb you in its story.

So why the caveat that it’s my favorite only in aesthetic terms? What disqualifies it from being the runaway AOTY that I initially hoped it would be? And on the flip side, what does Great Pretender do right that most other series wouldn’t dare to attempt? Read on for one man’s thoughts on one of the year’s most original anime.

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Akudama Drive – 05 [Dead Man Walking]

by SuperWooper, posted in Akudama Drive, Currently Watching:

It’s still too early to say if we’ll ever return to the sustained mayhem of Akudama Drive’s earliest offerings, but breathers like this episode aren’t so bad. Sure, the visuals might not be delivering in every single scene, but in terms of transitioning us into the show’s midgame, it did a fine job. There’s a departure and a new rivalry within the Akudama camp, and the Executioners are strengthening efforts to bring them in, putting the recently suspended Master and Pupil in a tough spot. Was there enough room for the show to say something meaningful about its characters during all this repositioning? I’d say no, but that’s certainly not for a lack of trying.

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