Fall 2019 Summary – Week 4

Wooper: The weekly recap is back, packed with impressions of worthwhile shows that we weren’t able to blog due to a severe case of sequelitis. I say “we,” but it’s just Lenlo and I running things this time around. Mario recently burned himself out by watching Literally Everything, and I stepped in to blab about No Guns Life in amun’s stead this week. They might be back next time, or they might not! Until then, we hope you enjoy these scattered thoughts of some of the season’s better offerings.

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun 4

Wooper: This episode delivered on the feeling of fun that I want from Iruma-kun. Clara (the green-haired genki girl) received a double feature last week, which was okay, but the show halted its exploration of demon society to give her that spotlight. This time, Iruma is assigned to a class full of misfits boasting nearly a dozen named characters, each of whom have a quirk that gives the classroom scenes an absurd sense of possibility. The biggest addition, both literally and figuratively, is Sabnock, a hulking man whose only aspiration is to become the Demon King. Thus the show kills two birds with one stone: we get a fun macho personality added to the cast, and we hear from him about the process of climbing hell’s military ladder. Clara’s character was also put to wonderful comedic use in the background, whether she was measuring Sabnock’s height with a yardstick, getting eaten by carnivorous plants, or checking out a flight course with magically conjured binoculars. Telling a single story per episode is definitely my preferred format for this series, rather than splitting it into two halves like last week – everything feels fresher and funnier without the need to juggle two distinct plots.

Mugen no Juunin: Immortal 4

Lenlo: Blade did another weird thing this week. As it took some of Makie’s backstory, which was in the 200 pages of cut content, and put it are the front of this weeks. Choosing to use that instead to build up our Antagonist’s relationship with his grandfather, which itself got sped through. Sure, the pacing of the episode itself was fine enough, but the overall story is just burning through content. Rearranging it to fit each individual episode, without much regard for what it does to the overall story. Surprising no one, adapting 30 Manga Volumes into a 2 cour season is not a good idea. That said, I still enjoyed bits of it. I like Kagehisa and his world view, though I wish Blade was giving us more time and exposure to it instead of this chunks torn from the manga. It’s also nice to see our lead getting called out for effectively abandoning her style. And even though she is getting some training from Manji, it still isn’t enough. My major complaint though, production aside, will continue to be the overarching pacing.

No Guns Life 3

Wooper: No Guns Life continues to add layers to its dystopian setting, create fun conversations between starkly-designed characters, and flaunt its 3DCG backgrounds without shame. This week’s biggest surprise is Tetsuro using his ability to control Juuzo, which actually makes perfect sense when you consider their opposite positions. I thoroughly appreciate that Tetsuro took the matter into his own hands this way, instead of the show grinding to a standstill after their disagreement. As a result of this logical progression, we had time to meet two new characters: a cyborg assassin and her handler. They begin the episode as antagonists, but gain a bit of nuance once we realize they’ve taken their current job in exchange for relief from the cyborg girl’s suffering. Nearly every character in this show is carrying a heavy burden, which would be exhausting if not for some of the campier moments. The best of these arrives when Juuzo and a mafioso butt foreheads during a staredown, and Juuzo slowly raises his coffee cup to his lips to take a sip. The mix of gritty sci-fi and private eye parody is really working so far.

Kabukichou Sherlock 3

Wooper: I’d say this was my least favorite of the three episodes released so far, owing in part to the digitally assembled backgrounds that constantly caught my eye. The appearances of traditional-looking chairs or lamps are so few and far between that their presence is jarring. That’s been an issue since the start, though – the issue unique to this episode is that the case is solved with minimal foot traffic. Sherlock and company visit the scene of the crime, take a quick trip to the prime suspect’s home, then go back to the crime scene, where the case is solved. There’s no skulking around East Shinjuku on somebody’s tail, or time spent scouring the city for clues. Only one detective aside from Sherlock is involved, as well – he displays a humorous obsession with a pop star involved in the murder, but apart from that, the episode runs thin on personality. The construction of its mysteries isn’t this show’s focus, so when neither its characters nor its colorful city can pick up the slack, the resulting lack of punch is going to be felt.