Category: Weekly Summary

Wooper: The fall season is in full swing, which means now is the perfect time to offer weeks-late commentary on some summer anime! I’ve actually had most of these entries written for a while, but another collaborative anime project (which I’m hoping to post before year’s end) delayed the finishing touches. Posts on current series (especially Star Wars Visions and the Tatsuki Fujimoto anthology) will start rolling out in a week or so, but for now, here are my closing thoughts on some of summer’s lesser-seen series.

Captivated By You – 3-5

I was wondering when the Junji Ito-looking dude from this show’s original promo poster would show up. Turns out it wouldn’t be until “Nikaido Behind Me,” a two-part story comprising episodes 4 and 5, which featured an entirely different cast than the first three. I’d have been satisfied if the show had remained at its original all-boys high school until the end, continuing to connect all its stories through the inscrutable Hayashi, but I’d say the detour was worth it for episode 4 in particular. Its Rashomon-style presentation created an interesting relationship between Medaka, an ordinary high school kid, and Nikaido, a willfully gloomy classmate of his, with a mid-episode perspective switch revealing that the latter boy modeled his persona on the former’s temporary misfortune. Though the truth regarding that inspiration is never fully revealed to either character, Medaka quickly learns to see beyond Nikaido’s front, allowing the show to effectively comment on the topic of perception versus reality. (The sequel episode, which followed their class on a trip to Okinawa, offered much less to chew on.)

As for episode 3, I found it to be the weakest of the bunch, though it did manage to address the subject of bullying without inventing a puppy-kicking villain to get its message across, as anime often do. Hayashi played a role in giving the episode’s one-off protagonist the courage to face his tormentor, but the story’s resolution was too tidy, and the closing guitar track gave me ‘corporate training video’ vibes. All in all, Captivated By You didn’t exactly captivate me, but its sister series did – thoughts on that show’s final episode can be found after the jump.

Continue reading “Summer 2025 Check-In – Fall Edition” →

Wooper: I’m still alive, and so is the blog. Being this far behind on currently airing anime is nothing out of the ordinary for me, but when you couple that viewing lag with this column’s supposedly “biweekly” schedule, I’ve definitely dropped the ball this summer. The fall season preview will be punctual, though, going up a week from today. It’s likely to be on the shorter side, as there aren’t too many shows we’re looking forward to next season – but hey, at least it’ll come out when it ought to!

The Summer Hikaru Died – 6-8

The Summer Hikaru Died continues to be one of the standout series of the season, with its two median episodes comprising its lightest and darkest material yet. A decent portion of episode 6 served as an excuse for the show’s teenage cast to spend time together, shooting the breeze, lighting fireworks, and nursing crushes on each other. Tertiary character Yuuta deserves a special mention as one of the better class clowns anime has offered in recent years – both his dual-wielding sparkler display and his freestyle rap were good fun, and his voice actor’s command of English has allowed for a couple nice jokes. Things got a lot less lighthearted as the story progressed, however, with Asako’s spiritual sensitivity compelling Hikaru to make an attempt on her life, which he only aborted due to Yoshiki’s arrival.

That fed into the palpable tension of episode 7, where it slowly became clear that Yoshiki was planning to free his hometown from the grip of the entity possessing his best friend. The direction here was excellent, juxtaposing their class’s beautiful rendition of “Shadow of Our Days” with foreboding images like his father’s revving chainsaw and a washcloth obscuring the vision of one of his mother’s customers at her salon (reflecting Yoshiki’s attempt to blindside his friend with a knife). In the wake of that murder plot’s failure, Hikaru ended up relinquishing half of his supernatural power as a sacrificial gesture, and his newfound weakness ended up coming into play during episode 8, where the boys were attacked by a malevolent spirit after spending the day researching local folklore. Even if it’s not obvious from my sporadic coverage, I’m very interested to see how their uneasy alliance will progress from here on.

Continue reading “Summer 2025 Check-In – Weeks 6-8” →

Wooper: One week late and two weeks behind, but hey, I’m glad to have gotten this post up at all with the start of a new school year bearing down on me. It ought to be easy as pie to cover just four shows in a season offering many more worthwhile ones, but my motivation is in short supply at the moment. Until it returns, here are some thoughts on a few summer anime, including one that’s nearly ended, two that ended the same day they premiered, and one that I’d place near the top of its class.

Karaoke Iko! – 2-4

Over the past few weeks, there have been conflicting reports about whether this show would have four or five episodes, but it looks like we have a definitive answer now: there will be a fifth episode, but it won’t air until late September. I’ll gladly take more Karaoke Iko, but I won’t exactly be chomping at the bit to see number 5, given how self-contained the first four were; this show turned out to be a minor gem, and its pacing was a major reason for that. The built-in humor of its premise took the front seat in episode 2, starting with Oka’s strenuous chorus-related nightmare and gradually lightening the mood with yakuza hijinks so it could close with a much funnier dream. But that anxiety about his changing voice still remained, so episode 3 doubled back to ground the show in his insecurities, including the nature of his relationship to Kyouji, whose violent occupation began to overshadow his kindhearted nature. Honestly, I hadn’t expected Karaoke to go as far as it did – a lead character braining a former subordinate with a metal briefcase was shocking, even if he did it to protect Oka. And then there was the off-screen car crash, which really had me believing Kyouji had “gone to hell,” in the show’s words. Oka believed it too, and while my one criticism of the series is that it slightly oversold his grief in the concluding episode, his strained requiem was the best possible way he could have confronted his fear. And now it’s on to Captivated by You (Muchuu sa, Kimi ni) – hopefully it can surpass its already impressive sister work beginning next week.

Continue reading “Summer 2025 Check-In – Weeks 4-5” →

Wooper: July is nearly over, yet I’ve only ventured so far as to watch a trio of late premieres and a handful of second episodes for this post. I’ll have to play catch-up before the next one, though I’m likely to cover just four shows, with several of my summer favorites missing the cut. Panty & Stocking is better experienced than it is analyzed, Ruri no Houseki I’d rather watch at my own speed, and Takopi’s Original Sin may get a full series review in the future (no promises). For now, let’s run down what’s on tap in alphabetical order, starting with a doubly-named heist anime.

Bullet/Bullet – 1

Seong-Hu Park’s newest show aired too late to be included in our summer impressions, but despite its late start, there are already eight episodes available (with the remaining four coming in mid-August). I’ve only sampled the first of the bunch, and based on that truncated trial run, I don’t think it’ll join the biweekly rotation this season. My biggest disappointments are the car chases – 3D vehicles (which are poorly equipped for the series’ beloved drifting shots) are one thing, but the drab six lane highway where the mayhem takes place is what really deflates them. How are there no other cars on the road at the time of the episode’s central heist, especially when its (seemingly inaccurate) timeline places it at noon? Well, whatever. My overall enjoyment of last season’s Lazarus proves that I can roll with plot holes, so let’s talk about the characters, which are Bullet/Bullet’s X factor. We’ve got a talking polar bear and a robot with four distinct personalities (each voiced by different seiyuu), neither of whom are immediately lovable, but both of whom are strange enough to earn another shot. Then there’s Gear, the human auto mechanic and amateur parkourist who was more tolerable than I expected. The presentation here leans away from seriousness, at least so far, and Gear’s short temper, weakness for beautiful girls, and wiggly celebration upon completing the trio’s heist made him the leader in the goofiness department. This premiere didn’t win me over, but its amusing cast means the show may earn another shot before year’s end.

Continue reading “Summer 2025 Check-In – Weeks 2-3” →

Wooper: We interrupt your regularly scheduled first impressions to bring you one man’s overdue post on the recently concluded anime season. My thoughts on one show in particular proved difficult to wrangle, but eventually I managed to get something on the page, so here’s the last of spring’s biweekly check-ins. As for whether the column will continue into the summer, I haven’t made my final decision yet – you’ll have to stay tuned to find out!

Shin Samurai-den Yaiba – 12-13

After Yaiba’s supercharged confrontation with Onimaru a couple weeks ago, these two episodes brought the intensity down to a familiar level. As of episode 13, we’ve returned to searching for elemental orbs, battling animal-themed ogres and encountering pseudo-historical samurai – but before that, we met new character Yamato Nadeshiko and learned of her history with Yaiba. Her name is identical to a phrase meaning “ideal Japanese woman,” so of course she seeks to marry Yaiba and become a perfect wife, but in spite of that silly premise, I really liked the six year flashback to their first meeting. Her attempts to mimic his moves in the jungle (where she was on an expedition with her father) were endearing, and the electro-rock track that played behind that montage had a suitably fun, adventurous vibe. In the present, her mastery of the naginata made for some decent fight scenes, though they were mostly comedic in nature despite her romantic determination. The info she provided about the Dragon Orb eventually sent the whole crew on a journey to Lake Biwa, where Yaiba and Sayaka were faced with a giant octopus possessed by the spirit of Miyoshi Seikai (a folkloric hero from the Sengoku period). Apart from some computerized waves here and there, the lake scenes played host to excellent animation, especially when Yaiba used his momentum to surf atop the water while riding a broken plank. He ended up with the wrong artifact by the end of the episode, but elemental orbs are just about the coolest MacGuffins there are, so I’m down for an extended artifact hunt if that’s where the show is headed.

Continue reading “Spring 2025 Check-In – Weeks 12-13” →

Wooper: For anyone wondering when the summer season preview will go live, you can expect it in two or three days. For the rest of us, spring hasn’t yet sprung its last, so I’ve got more thoughts on the usual suspects, with the exception of Kowloon Generic Romance, whose four remaining episodes I’ll round up at the start of next month. Taking its place this week is a niche web series by one of my favorite modern anime directors – no prizes for guessing its title before clicking through, but I’ll be highly impressed if you do.

Apocalypse Hotel – 10-11

Just two weeks after Apocalypse Hotel aired its ninth and arguably strongest episode, it may have topped itself with number 11 – a mostly wordless trip through what remains of the Ginza district 600 years after humanity’s abandonment of Earth. Ponko’s increasing managerial duties created an opportunity for Yachiyo to take a day off, and she spent it in atmospheric style, initially strolling between familiar locations such as the robot scrapyard and the hotel distillery’s wheat field. Eventually she began traveling to new places: a still-functioning pachinko parlor, the Ryuko Fudo-son shrine, and the National Diet Building in the neighboring Nagatacho district. Along the way, she communed with both animal life and nature as a whole, leading to her discovery of a fallen service robot with which she shared a model. The respect with which Yachiyo took a crucial chip from that robot’s body gave me the impression that she viewed it as a part of the Earth, just like the creatures she encountered on her journey, though the script’s silence wisely left the moment up to interpretation. The whole story served as an excellent showcase for the series’ background art, too – an area where episode 10 lacked, given its mostly interior settings. Still, there were some highlights to its Detective Conan-esque proceedings, particularly the reveal that Ponko had given birth to a healthy daughter, Tamako. The comedy of the episode’s two identical-looking hotel guests (one a serial bomber and the other a “cosmic detective”) gave rise to some fun scenes, but there wasn’t much acknowledgment of the story’s underlying morbidity, which I thought was disappointing. Still, I consider Apocalypse Hotel to be one of this spring’s best shows, and I’m praying that it finishes strong next week.

Continue reading “Spring 2025 Check-In – Weeks 10-11” →

Wooper: Now that the calendar has rolled around to June, I’m starting to think about our next season preview, but with a different perspective than usual. I often view new batches of anime as welcome distractions from the disappointments of the previous crop – but even though some of these spring shows aren’t meeting my lofty expectations, I still regard the season as a good one. Even as I look into what will air this summer, I find myself pinning fewer hopes on future shows and more on the current ones to come to satisfactory conclusions. That said, I wasn’t totally enthused with everything I watched over the last two weeks, as you’ll discover should you read on!

Kowloon Generic Romance – 8-9

In each of these two episodes, there was a “what we know so far” segment worked into the script, designed to help audiences keep straight all the workings of the illusory Kowloon Walled City. Episode 8’s segment took the form of a chat room conversation between Yaomay and Yulong, while episode 9’s was presented as an intelligence report from Yulong’s assistant to Miyuki’s father. The only new piece of information in either scene was Yaomay’s realization that it’s been midsummer for the entire six months she’s been living in Kowloon – other than that, these were just recaps. In my view, some (if not all) of this time should have been spent on Reiko and Kudo’s relationship, as they felt more detached from the story than ever despite their relationship taking its biggest step forward. The reveal at the end of episode 8 that they’d slept together landed with a thud rather than a bang, and was immediately overshadowed by a freeze frame of Reiko’s phone, which displayed a date from two months in the past. I’m not saying the show should have gone in a more sexually charged direction, but the gap between their previous conversation and the shot of them in bed the next morning left something to be desired. This week’s episode gave their pairing a bit more support, contrasting Kudo’s memory of Kujirai B’s trademark French toast with Reiko’s ignorance of the recipe, which resulted in a rift growing between them. I’m tempted to describe that plotline as too little too late, though, given the pace at which the show’s humanity is being overtaken by its Zirconian mystery.

Continue reading “Spring 2025 Check-In – Weeks 8-9” →

Wooper: Now that we’re more than a month removed from our first impressions period, the shine is starting to come off some of this season’s offerings. Don’t get me wrong – I still think there are lots of worthwhile shows airing right now, but the longer an anime goes on, the more opportunities it has to disappoint you. Two of my most anticipated series coming into April were Kowloon Generic Romance and Gundam GQX, and as of right now, I wouldn’t put either of them near the top of the spring anime pyramid. That being said, let’s jump into this post with a few grievances, shall we?

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – 6-7

It’s become apparent that series composer Youji Enokido is less interested in GQX’s “main characters” than he is in adding to its jumble of parts from past Gundam series. These episodes borrowed from Zeta Gundam (the 1985 follow-up to the original TV anime), dropping characters like Bask Om and concepts like Cyber Newtypes into an assassination plot that blew up in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, the trio of youngsters who were once introduced as the show’s protagonists took a backseat, ultimately getting separated after their dull-ass love triangle crumpled like wet newspaper. Flashbacks to an argument between Machu and Nyaan (underpinned by their rivaling affections for Shuuji) played throughout episode 6, which was named “The Plot to Assassinate Kycilia.” Given that title, most of the episode was spent laying the groundwork for the attempted murder of a character who was created nearly 50 years ago, so I’m not sure how to express just how inconsequential Machu and Nyaan’s quarrel felt in the midst of all that. Then, while the assassination plot was unfolding this week, Machu was busy trying to steal enough money to travel to Earth with her boy toy, who ended up getting sucked into another dimension anyway. I’m being more than a little reductive here, but it does feel as though GQX is keeping its fresh-faced trio around solely because Gundam isn’t Gundam without teenage pilots. At least Nyaan joined the Zeon cast (who are essentially the new main characters) at the end of this week’s episode, I guess?

Continue reading “Spring 2025 Check-In – Weeks 6-7” →

Wooper: We’ve cycled through all sorts of names for these check-in columns over the years, but the most appropriate one for this week’s post might be “catch-up,” as I watched three episodes of some of these shows in an effort to get current with the spring season. That’s a lot for an old man who rarely watches weekly anymore, but I’m enjoying my (temporary) return to the habit. I think I’ve settled on these five shows as the ones I’ll cover every two weeks, but there may be extras that pop in from time to time, including this one:

Lycoris Recoil: Friends Are
Thieves of Time – 1-4

I’m not a LycoReco fan, but I do have an affinity for short anime, so I decided to dip my toes back into the franchise for Friends Are Thieves of Time, whose episodes thus far range from two to four minutes. Not all of them have been released yet, but of the ones that have, episode 3 was my favorite, riffing on the series’ iconic poop parfait with a new potty-themed dessert. The moment of that new menu item’s reveal is bound to be one of the best parts of this mini series, so I won’t spoil it before the jump – unfortunately, it has to compete for presentational space with squealish voice acting and aggressive use of the show’s ending theme. Those two issues are constants in FAToT, but for those of you with an established love for this cast, the moments when the characters’ voices continue through the credits will probably tickle your brain. All four of these episodes take place entirely at the LycoReco cafe, so there’s been minimal action so far, but the character animation has been quite good. The horror-themed fourth installment takes a big swing (as big as can be taken in four minutes, anyway), while the first two episodes are more chill, Chisato/Takina centered affairs. One of them even features a conversation about what they’ll do on their upcoming Hawaii trip, indicating that Thieves of Time takes place before the end of the first season – that’s a nice piece of continuity for existing fans.

Continue reading “Spring 2025 Check-In – Weeks 4-5” →

Wooper: I’m long past my aniblogging prime, but I had to come out of retirement for a spring season like this one. While others may lament its lack of big name sequels or ready-made reincarnation fantasies, yours truly is having a blast keeping up with its wide variety of shows. I’ve got my criticisms where some of the following nine series are concerned, but I plan to move forward with most of them, and there are a handful more that might appear in future check-in posts, even though I didn’t write them up this time. If you were planning to sit this season out, you’d better reconsider – when it comes to anime, you’ve got to watch while the watching’s good!

Lazarus – 2-3

I’m a little perplexed as to why the tone of this show is still so chill. If humanity is set to perish in a month’s time, then why does episode 2’s shootout between various government agencies and organized crime groups have such a comedic anticlimax? Why would the cops ever let Chris and Leland into the home of the doctor responsible for humanity’s impending extinction? Why spend valuable runtime on Axel using his martial arts skills to win a one-on-one basketball game at a homeless encampment? Actually, that last scene was pretty cool – and it’s that sense of coolness that will keep me tuning in to Lazarus every week, even if its plot doesn’t make a lot of sense on a macro level. The combat animation continues to excel, and episode 3’s trip to Istanbul (reached via above-ground hyperloop) featured dozens of beautiful backgrounds. I’m not attached to any of the characters at this point, however. The show enjoys pairing off its secret agents and sending them to different locations, but I wish it would focus on one mission per episode and let the whole team collaborate. Maybe it’ll get there as they close in on Dr. Skinner’s location – assuming that ever happens.

Continue reading “Spring 2025 Check-In – Weeks 2-3” →