Hi everyone. Everybody okay after that episode? I think everyone who watched this week’s DanMachi needs to take a moment and have a circle hug. Just some nice pats on the back, some nice happy thoughts.
Alright, if everyone’s feeling a little better, let’s talk about this episode a bit.
Continue reading “DanMachi 2 – 8 [Killing Stone (Ephemeral Dreams)]”
Well then! Fire Force is moving along at a brisk pace. Most other shows draw out the suspense of “whodunit” for at least a few episodes. Fire Force? Nope, it took like one and a half. Also this episode included the cat girl – and…it was well done. I found myself actually cheering for her character, despite absolutely loathing her for the past 7 episodes.
Cydonia Festival is approaching and our girls want to go out with a bang. That’s like, the mentality of every rookie band in their first big gig. The intention fails miserably though, because 1) they’re not the type of flashy band to begin with and 2) before them, Etergun and Angela’s over the top performance completely blows the stadium away. Also happening this week, we have the conclusion of the Angela stalker subplot, Jerry’s attempt to bring Tao to his political side, and Tao acting cool for a change. Overall, this is another typical Carole & Tuesday episode: girls on their episodic quest with a strong performance (in fact, this is my favorite song of theirs), the conflict is raised and resolved a bit too quickly (the stalker’s subplot), and at the end of the day, as I’ve said since the beginning of its run, Carole & Tuesday the series doesn’t necessarily aim for complex narrative or to break any new ground, but it goes for accessibility and can work as an inspiration for those indies who want to break out to the bigger stage.
I’m glad that Kanata no Astra doesn’t beat around the bush with the game changing revelation last week. Once they learn about Quitterie and Funi’s DNA match, they figure out themselves being clones from their respective single parents. It makes total sense as one of the common themes they all share is the neglectance from the parents, by design no less. But allow me to take a moment to dissect how good and bad this revelation gets. In order to do that I’m gonna address it from most to least effective. At its most effective, this twist asks the very question of their existence. They have been born as lab tests and now are being thrown away by their original selves. The weight of it sure is hard to dismiss. Secondly, as soon as we learn about the truth, we proceed to the perspective of the adults, who make it clear that they wanted to erase their clones from existence. It partly works as a tense reminder of threats of them returning home: there’s no home to begin with. On the less positive side, they do want to return home! Goddamnit, why don’t you just settle down somewhere and perhaps enhance yourself with skills and experience first?
For some, Cop Craft might not deliver the ambition it promises in its first two episodes: the production values is still barebone for one, and it lacks the central narrative focus for another, it still burns through the material like gasoline on top of that. But for me, I enjoy Cop Craft much better when it isn’t dealing with heavy-handed overarching plot. The universe in Cop Craft is seedy, corrupt and crimes-ladden, but the show flirts around with its dark settings with light tone and even pokes fun at its absurdity. Sure, aliens are obssessed with human’s porno mags because why not, and in the case of episode 7, a politician gets tangled up in alien prostitute’s ring. Episode 7, titled “Girls on Ice”, remains one of the best episodes in Cop Craft, seemingly because it weaves seamlessly between its dark subject matters and lightheart screwball moments, making the case in this episode fun to follow and still has room for more thoughts if we want to dig a little deeper.
Continue reading “Cop Craft – 07/08 [Girls On Ice/ Smells Like Toon Spirits]”
I respect when a show doesn’t treat the viewers as idiots. What that means in practice is not writing out easily contrived situations where someone acts illogically, just as a plot device or to get out of a pinch. This week on DanMachi, I would say everyone acts logically as the episode comes down from the night in the Pleasure Quarter.
Continue reading “DanMachi2 – 7 [Fox Person (Renard)]”
As expected, Kanata no Astra offers many foods for intriguing thoughts on the table, and a revelation that is pretty much a game-changer here. But first let’s get into the new card of this week, the awoken of Polina, a former astronaut. As with any other Kanata no Astra plot threads, and I mean it in the best possible way, every answer is followed two more bigger questions. Just like the kids (and us), Polina is just as surprised when she finally gets rescued by our leads… just to learn that they had been stranded themselves. The most question mark about her, however, lies on her reaction upon learning the year she wakes up. By her expression, I suppose that something she expected to happen doesn’t happen in this timeline. That might have to do with what the adults have been scheming all the way.
So I missed writing about last week’s flame fest due to travel so let’s make it a double header this week! Not the best two episodes to stick together, but we’ll make it work somehow.
Continue reading “Fire Force 6/7 – Spark of Promise and Investigation of 1st”
In episode 17, Etergun receives the spotlight when he basically got the rug pulled off his feet and gains some back at the end of the episode. While the event played out is too quick for me to register his loss, it feels hilarious nonetheless that such a guy with high-esteem like Etergun can feel low and depressed at times. After all, he has to fight between Good Etergun vs Bad Etergun in his head, and the way he was scammed by his Pinocchio AI is a hood tweak on the beloved character. One thing that I feel amiss though, is that there is little to no interaction between him and Carole & Tuesday. Well, he did crash into their house but there’s hardly actual conversation between them, and guess who he wanted to sing for his new song? ANGELA. Well, isn’t that a betrayal of sorts? Kidding aside, the way he and Tao have a totally different approach towards AI music, but are pretty much acknowledge other’s style is another high note for me.
Continue reading “Carole & Tuesday – 17/18 [Head Over Heels/ Only Love Can Break Your Heart]”
The last two episodes of Carole & Tuesday give the focus on 2 one-off characters, and frankly it doesn’t surprise me that these characters leave a much bigger impact than our central characters. Both Desmond and Flora have so much screen presence and the way the approach music, as well as how music affects their lives, leave something substantial to talk about. The show also provides a rare occasion where I greatly enjoy the whole music playing in these episodes. The music feel grandeur, and they pack with emotions unlike those songs from Angela. Not only do they serve as interesting characters on their own, they help broadening Carole & Tuesday’s own approach into music. As a whole, Carole & Tuesday the series sadly trades any thematic complexity for accessibility. If you were looking for a show with depth, you might come off disappointed.
Continue reading “Carole & Tuesday – 15/16 [God Only Knows/ A Natural Woman]”