Category: Weekly Summary

Wooper: Merry Christmas, everyone! Whether you’re spending the holidays with family and friends or you’re All Alone on Christmas Eve, I have a gift for you: a brand new weekly recap post! It might not seem like much compared to our impending winter impressions or the upcoming 2021 Anime of the Year bonanza, but hey, at least I got you something. Happy reading, and I hope your December to January transition is a safe and healthy one.

Aggretsuko S4 – 1-5

This is the first time in four years that Retsuko has taken a backseat in her own show, and I’m not convinced it was the right call. She’s currently part of a romance subplot involving hesitant leading man Haida and a handful of co-workers who range from well-meaning to meddlesome. While Tsunoda the Love Expert’s lectures in the office AV room are chuckle-worthy, Haida’s indecisiveness is mostly just annoying, as he’s bailed on a dinner date with Retsuko and refused an invitation into her apartment despite being head over heels for her. The show takes plenty of opportunities to point out Retsuko’s impatience with his cold feet, making the date they went on in episode 5 feel more like a dream sequence than anything else; I’m still half-convinced that it took place in one of their imaginations. I think I’d have preferred Retsuko to play a more significant role in the season’s larger plot: the restructuring of her company by an ambitious new president named Himuro. He’s the sort of single-minded profit seeker who views the company’s accounting department as nonessential, which puts him into conflict with the star of the season: Director Ton. Who knew that three years after being introduced as the series’ primary antagonist, Ton’s fight to retain all of his employees amidst downsizing would make him a hero? The glimpses of his home life (especially those involving his hilarious twin daughters) have added a lot to his character, and I’m excited to see how Ton turns the tables on Himuro once I get through the rest of season 4.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Weeks 11-12” →

Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu – 8

Wooper: This episode peaked early, as its funniest gag arrived just before the OP kicked in. It’s pictured above on the left – the “?!” represents the confusion of Komi’s ancestors at her claim that they’d had a nice graveside chat. In reality, she’s so awkward that even her internal dialogue earned a silent “…” when visualized on screen, which means even dead people are more expressive than poor Komi. That lack of expressiveness continued with diverse results, as she was able to play a board game with her cousin for the first time, and even got out a full (if fragmented) sentence to Tadano during their time at the Bon festival. It’s interesting to note that while a lot of anime treat matsuri as climactic events, Komi-san inserted its festival into the middle segment in one of its middle episodes. That’s probably an indicator that it’s on a different schedule than most romcoms, which typically aim for a confession at a fateful moment in their finales. Komi-san is on another sort of journey, it seems: pushing its heroine to the point where she’s comfortable around others (not just the guy she likes). I can appreciate that mission, just as I appreciated the perfect deployment of side characters Yadano and Nakanaka in this episode. Each girl had a tiny appearance at just one booth during the festivities, both of which made the most of their competitiveness and delusion, respectively. A fine episode on the whole, even if its sappy final segment was a bit much for me.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Week 10” →

Wooper: Another week, another solo appearance. I might as well retitle these posts “What’s Wooper Watching?” (Not a bad idea for a separate column, actually.) The three shows discussed below are getting regular coverage at this point; Stone Ocean would have been a great one-off addition, but I’m hopelessly behind on JoJo’s. I’ll surely throw in a few words about Aggretsuko’s fourth season when it drops in mid-December, so at least there’ll be something new to read in a week or two. See you then!

Star Wars: Visions – 7

“The Elder” is the second of Trigger’s two contributions to the Visions anthology project, as well as the driest of the seven I’ve seen thus far. Dry isn’t an adjective commonly applied to Trigger works, but it’s appropriate for the way this dialogue-heavy story was laid out. A drifting Jedi Master and Padawan sit in their spaceship for a while and discuss which planet they should explore next, eventually settling on an exceedingly gray and rocky one, which they explore for a bit. They stumble upon an old Sith, the last of his kind (an inversion of the light/dark balance in “The Ninth Jedi”), and have a brief lightsaber duel resulting in his death. And that’s it! Notice how the story opens on two men with no goal or destination in mind. They’re only motivated to visit a particular planet because one of them senses – you guessed it – a disturbance in the Force. Their Master/Padawan dynamic created a lot of opportunities for sagely sayings from the former, which seemed to be the aspect of the production most attractive to the director. Even after his opponent was defeated, he went right back into sage mode, talking about the inevitability of time and the proper mindset for strengthening oneself. I don’t mind a little philosophy in Star Wars stuff, since the Jedi are essentially a religious organization, but all ”The Elder” managed to depict here was a day in the life of a long-winded, lightsaber-wielding patrolman.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Week 9” →

Super Crooks – 1-2

Wooper: I went into Super Crooks completely blind, so I had no idea it was a superhero – or more accurately, supervillain – series. Turns out it’s a “mature” take on the genre in the same vein as The Boys or Invincible, which in this case means comically large-scale violence and implied sex. The violence showed up in episode 1, a high school origin story for newbie hero Johnny “Electro Boy” Bolt, with all the Spiderman theft that entails (the “hero” even has a crush on his bully’s girlfriend). Compulsory scenes of Johnny confiding in his nerdy best friend and trying on his first costume had my eyelids drooping, but the over-the-top carnage of his superhero debut (which ended with a bunch of dead pigs in a public swimming pool) managed to wake me up. Cut to episode 2, set in the present day, where an adult Johnny is released from prison and the exposition begins to flow. Tales of powerful enemies and a shadowy villain organization were all over the second script, but they were neither illuminating nor tantalizing enough to hook me. For all the show’s clunkiness, it’s amusing to see Bones tackle this material, even if its stiff visuals tell us it was hardly a priority. The substudio that produced it is also working on Mob Psycho 100’s upcoming third season, but hey, I doubt anyone would protest that Super Crooks was sacrificed at the altar of Mob’s wondrous animation.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Week 8” →

Blade Runner: Black Lotus – 1-2

Wooper: Black Lotus is yet another of Sola Digital Arts’ CG reimaginings of classic sci-fi properties. Kenji Kamiyama (who also directed the Star Wars: Visions episode discussed below) and Shinji Aramaki have been pumping these out for a few years, and now it’s Blade Runner’s turn to get the Barbie treatment. So what’s the verdict, setting aside my distaste for the primitive 3D art style? After two episodes, I’d call it a passable replication; the rainy neon streets, murky lighting, and Vangelis-inspired soundtrack evoke the original film, but only superficially. (I haven’t seen 2049, so it may be that Black Lotus’s vacant streets are a more accurate reflection of Villeneuve’s sequel, but they certainly can’t hold a candle to the bustling exteriors of Ridley Scott’s version.) The story is a wisp of a thing with an amnesiac protagonist (Elle) and a handful of fight scenes to mask the absence of atmosphere. Most of the characters lean too far in one direction or another – the friendly black market trader is too helpful, while the corrupt senator is too evil. Episode 2’s final moments served as a pretty good hook, though – the show skillfully cut between Elle being hunted in both the past and the present, leading to a cliffhanger that honestly surprised me. I wouldn’t recommend this series to many people, but Blade Runner superfans can rest easy knowing it’s got a shade of promise.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Weeks 6-7” →

Wooper: Just me again this week. Our State of the Season post will replace this column next Tuesday, and it’s looking like a heated one – lots of conflicting opinions on the fall’s anime so far. I’ll be back on the 23rd with impressions of one or two new things, hopefully with a friend or two in tow.

PokeToon – 6-7

PokeToon is an anthology project consisting of short pieces set within different regions in the Pokemon universe. There’s tremendous variety between each episode’s art and animation styles, which is the sort of thing I love – all the more so when the perennially underrated Studio Colorido is involved. Their work on last year’s Twilight Wings established them as the go-to group for vignettes in this world, and they’ve only improved their batting average here, handling four of PokeToon’s seven episodes thus far. That includes episode 6, an adorably spooky tale about a girl who turns into a Gengar while exploring her school after dark. I found the story’s climax to be genuinely suspenseful, and then surprisingly emotional once the tension had been resolved, thanks to the age-old ‘character steps from darkness into light’ trick (bolstered by Colorido’s standout lighting, which is second only to KyoAni’s). Here’s a link to [I Became a Gengar?!] as part of a playlist with the earlier episodes. Be advised that it doesn’t contain the most recent one, a less impactful but still attractive story about a trio of boys who rescue an abandoned Snorunt. Its shorter runtime and limited animation make it one of the series’ minor offerings, but its art design, which borrows from felt and paper cutout animation, is worth seeking out if you like those styles.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Week 5” →

Wooper: It’s a solo recap post for your boy this week, which I’m fearing may happen more than once this season (despite my practice of pestering my co-writers). I’m trying to give my impressions on at least one unique anime each week, so titles like PokeToon, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Super Crooks, and Aggretsuko S4 will likely appear in this column as the fall season stretches on. Even if there’s something new to talk about every Tuesday, though, it helps to have some-one new to talk with me. Know what I’m saying, fellow authors?

Deji Meets Girl – 1-5

There are dozens of full-length anime series, particularly comedies, whose airy senses of humor would work better in short form. On the other hand, most shorts wouldn’t benefit from longer runtimes, as their premises are bite-sized to begin with. Deji Meets Girl is a notable exception to that second rule, because it’s trying to build a legitimate relationship between its main characters – an Okinawan part-time worker and a teen idol on vacation – but it keeps running up against the restrictions of its format. It’s unfortunate that this clash keeps occurring, because I like a lot of things about this show. The thick linework grounds the characters in reality even as they experience supernatural happenings (plus it reminds me of Gal & Dino, which I love to the moon and back). The animation is strong (especially in the premiere), the color palette shifts to match the new phenomena introduced in each episode, and all the teasing in the script is executed in good fun. At just 90 seconds per episode, though, it’s too chopped up to build anything substantial between its two leads. That’s too bad, because if Deji had gotten five minutes to work with each week, it could have fought for a spot on my year-end list.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Week 4” →

Lupin III Part 6 – 2

Mario: Sherlock goes full Kingsman mode in this second episode (they missed their chance of using an umbrella instead of Sherlock’s walking stick but that’s just me) and yes, he manages to kick all the Lupin team’s asses. This episode is light on plot as it concentrates heavily on action set pieces. Lily is indeed the daughter of poor dead Watson and the last thing she remembers is that Lupin killed her father. Of course this is a red-herring but that is enough for Sherlock to confront Lupin and get his former partner’s daughter out of danger for good. The set pieces are fun and awesome and for that I’m looking forward to more Lupin to come.

Kaguya-sama S3 – PV

Wooper: Most anime PVs are pretty barebones, featuring a few bits of animation and a bunch of character intro stills matched with voicework from their respective seiyuu. A handful of PVs each season are fully-fledged trailers, pulling impressive cuts from a show’s first few episodes and smartly stringing them together to create a picture of how the anime will look and feel. And then there’s Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, which just dropped an entire ten-minute episode to promote its upcoming third season. As if that weren’t enough, its story revolved around Ishigami and Shirogane’s excitement at their favorite manga adaptation getting a third season; I don’t know what the most self-referential anime comedy of all time is (Gintama? Osomatsu-san?), but Kaguya-sama just gave it a run for its money. This PV was a big surprise, and a very welcome one, given its hilariously authentic look at concealing your love of anime to escape the judgment of your non-otaku friends. The resolution, in which Shirogane proclaimed all people who have ever seen a single anime to be otaku, had a great handle on the sort of comedic hyperbole necessary to sell that sort of breakdown. Kaguya even made a reference to the classic WMT series Anne of Green Gables, confirming her Best Girl status once and for all. Great stuff all around – looking forward to season 3 in April of next year!

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Week 3” →

Wooper: New fall season, same old column recapping the last seven days in anime. I’m glad to be joined by Mario and Lenlo for the weekly summary’s return – join us as we express our pleasure and disappointment (mostly the second one) with a bunch of second episodes, plus a handful of summer leftovers.

Sakugan – 2

Mario: While in the premiere I complained about Sakugan’s rushed pacing, in this second outing it suffers from the exact opposite problem: it just wastes way too much time on the battle between father-daughter mecha and the kaijus. As a result, many better elements from last week were omitted – the backgrounds are blurred, the world-building is non-existent. To its defense, the CG models and fights aren’t too distracting, and Gagumber and Memenpu (what bad sounding names) make up for an unlikely but energetic duo to watch. There’s an implication that these kaijus target them specifically, which suggests that they might consider Gagumber as a threat to them. Now, it marks the end of the introduction arc as the duo leaves their town and embarks on new adventures. And hopefully it still engages me so I can follow along.

Love Live! Superstar!! – 9-12

Wooper: Well, I did it. I finished my first Love Live anime – and perhaps my last. It finished on a high note, with a series-best performance in “Starlight Prologue” (those piano chords during the final chorus had me jamming), and I loved that the final ED featured the whole group singing all the way through, rather than as individuals. After a nailbiting loss at the Tokyo tournament, the girls’ resolution to win next year opened the door for a potential sequel – but I don’t know if I can handle another string of episodes like the ones that led up to the finale. The comedy took a big hit for me over the last month, going from fun showcases of group dynamics to disasters like episode 9’s embarrassing livestream. A lot of the drama surrounding Sumire and Kanon’s lack of confidence was driven by scripts that had nothing else on their mind, leading to scenes like Sumire leaping into some bushes to catch a tiara (a symbol of Keke’s confidence in her) which had been blown away by the wind. If you read that sentence without raising an eyebrow in disbelief, you’re much more suited to this show than I am. There are lots of things to enjoy about Love Live – fun characters, creative storyboarding, smart fusions of 2D and 3D choreography – but its emotional logic is beyond me.

Continue reading “Fall 2021 Summary – Week 2” →

Amun: It’s been my pleasure hosting you for this summer season.  With fall upon us, I’ll be handing the reins off to Wooper again.  Not to worry though, I’ll still be here for my hot takes on the latest shounen trash!

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Slime Isekai – 12 [FINAL]

Amun: Slime Isekai finishes out the second half of its sophomore season…to mixed results. Frankly, this season spent far too much time talking and far too little time doing – the first half was basically a political conference. The second half, and the finale in particular, were some good old fashioned beatdowns that were quite cathartic given Clayman’s nonsense. We also have the looming spectre of the final boss baddie, which I’m not entirely sold on. As far as finales go, this one was pretty good – especially with all the homages (most of all being the clown’s “You’re already dead”). I actually want to see more of the other Harlequins troupe members in coming seasons, because they’ve turned into decent characters. All in all, a pretty good season (more the back half than the first), and an excellent OP – I’m pretty happy. Amun’s unofficial grade: 7/10 (5/10 being average).

Kaizoku Oujo – 7-8

Wooper: When a fictional character spends a great deal of time pondering the meaning of their existence, it’s sometimes a sign that the author who created them isn’t sure of that meaning either. That seems to be the case where Fena (the “Pirate Princess” from this series’ title) is concerned, at least if episode 8 is any indication. A slow-moving installment designed to give the characters time to recuperate from a naval battle, the episode played host to a lot of ponderous dialogue about who Fena truly is. An ordinary girl? A princess? A witch who puts everyone she encounters under her spell, as Shitan seemed to reveal? We won’t find out until reaching Eden, the story’s final destination, but for now she exists as an object of fascination for three men and not much else. Many of their conversations with her have involved grand proclamations and desirous stares – it’s all getting to be a bit tiresome. I would have loved to see her level up as a pirate or learn more about her destiny before reaching this point in the story, but as long as one or both of those checkpoints arrive before long, I’ll be alright. Plus there’s still the memory of Fena’s excellent episode 7, with its ship-shredding cannon fire and climactic boarding mission, to tide me over until the next big set piece.

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom – 12/13 [FINAL]

Amun: I criticized Realist Hero before the season as a poor man’s Amagi Brilliant Park. Turns out…I was right. But, as I surmised, it wasn’t all bad – in fact, it wasn’t that bad at all. Realist Hero set realistic expectations, and met them. And you know what, that should be commended. I expected a straightforward power-fantasy, slightly political isekai. I got that, with serviceable characters, a moderate harem, and a plot with enough interesting situations to keep me engaged. Is it likely a high schooler makes all of these great judgement calls? No way (I’m also very concerned about Japan’s libido after seeing some of these recent protagonists – no wonder the population is declining). These final two episodes had some nice moments: I particularly liked the singing of the conquered national anthem, with the full expectation of execution. Solid moment. The season was wrapped up well, with the future conflicts pretty well telegraphed – I foresee an adequate amount of character creep, with a few new harem additions. A good way to judge your true opinion of an anime is to react to news of a sequel; in Realist hero’s case, I’m looking forward to it.

Continue reading “Summer 2021 – Weekly Summary Week 13 [FINAL]” →