We’re here with a double header for My Hero Academia, with one pretty important episode…and one filler. Let’s go!
Continue reading “My Hero Academia – 67/68 [Fighting Fate/Let’s Go, Gutsy Red Riot]”
Welcome to the second official State of the Season! I’m your host, Amun, and joining us are the esteemed Wooper, Mario, and Lenlo! For Fall of 2019, the anime community awaited more sequels than Star Wars – surprisingly, some first-season hidden gems lurk among these established franchises.
In this State of the Season, we’ll take a look at the shows we’re enjoying, make some bold claims, and crown one (well, several actually) Midseason Masterpiece, plus deride the shows that failed to hold our attention. Us writers then head to the anime confessional booth, where we’ll admit our guilty pleasures for the season. From the confessional to the altar we go, where we serenade the season’s waifus (…and a Firearm?!). Bringing it home are the shows we’re watching that aren’t airing, followed by a roundtable of one of this season’s most anticipated originals: Beastars.
From all the authors here at Star Crossed, we hope you enjoy!
Continue reading “State of the Season – Fall 2019”
This episode marks the beginning of the next chapter after introduction phase in the first five episodes. This week it’s all about expanding its unique settings. Many new players are introduced, most notably Juno, the female underclassmen grey wolf, and Gouhin the Panda, who all make a nice first impression. This week is also the first time we see the outside world, and most significantly, the black market. In addition, the core themes about “being true to their nature” takes a sharp progression in this episode, which forces Legosi to re-access what his feeling is for Haru. It’s a truly knockout episode in every sense.
This episode of Fire Force…was all over the place. I can’t decide if the show loses points for being so absurd or gains them back for being self-aware. At any rate, we have some back stabbing, some donkey riding, and … Shinra, you’re killing me here.
Continue reading “Fire Force – 16 [We are Family]”
It’s a slower episode this week for Psycho-Pass 3 but there is so much to unpack when it comes to details of the characters and how it relates to the latest case of the candidates for the governorship of Tokyo. There are family connections, hidden pasts and plot threads that point to something far bigger. Continue reading “Psycho-Pass 3 – 03 [Herakles and the Sirens]”
Episode 4 is kind of a testing game for Legosi’s own nature, but from a new angle they haven’t approached before. Instead of testing his relations towards the herbivores, Beastars introduces Bill the Tiger, another carnivore who is the exact opposite with Legosi. Bill embraces his own nature and is proud of it. He’s macho, isn’t afraid to speak his mind and always wanted to be in the spotlight – your typical alpha dominant type. It’s quite clear how this Bill character is built as a foil for Legosi and further pushes our grey wolf to come to term with his animal instinct, and then some. The “then some” part is ultimately a small dose of rabbit blood that boils Legosi’s own blood. Make no mistake, the vial of blood reminds both Legosi and Bill of their nature. Whereas Legosi sees it as a curse, Bill regards it as something he’s entitled to have. I can clearly see Bill’s argument over this, as up until the second stage performance he walks a fine line between embracing his predator side and getting along well with the rest. As for Legosi, this vial of blood also reminds him strongly of Haru and all his guilt towards harming her.
I guess that if you want an anime to illustrate how the economic crash of 2008 transpired, Psycho-Pass has definitely has you covered here. It’s actually cleverly written into the current case and really shows the limitations of the Sybil System where committing white-collar crime can go undetected and has the potential to be more far destructive than simple violence. It’s a rather ingenious way to bypass the system by loaning people money and letting the housing market forces do the rest. The nature of the crime doesn’t make it conclusion any less thrilling when the new inspectors have some hidden talents of their own like parkouring over an entire block of building or winning a gunfight against a shotgun-wielding gangster. Can we just appreciate how good the animation and music is in this entire sequence? I would dare say that this is the constantly best-looking production of the season that is on par with some anime movies and the music is a delightful collection of new songs, remixes and classic themes that defined the first season.
Continue reading “Psycho-Pass 3 – 02 [Teumessian Sacrifices]”
What?! “I thought MHA was delayed this week”, you say. Well fear not! We have last week’s MHA review to hold you over (never mind that I was going to do a double header and rugby messed up my plan).
Continue reading “My Hero Academia S4 – 3 [Boy Meets…]”
Fire Force has officially kicked off their second cour, and it comes complete with new songs, new characters, and new insights into the world. Here we go!
Continue reading “Fire Force – 15 [Blacksmith’s Dream]”
When it comes to Psycho-Pass content, it doesn’t rain, it pours. Over the last month, the three Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System movies have been released and subbed as well as season three kicking off with forty minute episodes apiece. In today’s market of endless adaptations, isekais, and trashy throwaway shows, Psycho-Pass is the only original sci-fi anime franchise of the past decade to have any staying power as evident by its multiple media efforts. I love its mature take on a future with a computer system governs its citizens through a criminally-based number and a police force with handheld energy guns. Mandatory viewing of the Psycho-Pass: The Movie as well the sinners of the system Trilogy are required. Those movies don’t really have anything to do with the opening episode but have story elements that I’m certain will become relevant down the road.