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.
Platinum End – 2
Lenlo: You know… I really wasn’t expecting this to become a Super Sentai show yet here we are. A man dressed up in power rangers armor fighting bank robbers in broad daylight, living out his dream. On a more serious note Platinum End continues to be the edgiest thing airing this season with it’s wanton murder, overt sexualisation and all around… well edge. This contrasts oddly with the leads desire to live a happy and fulfilling life after surviving his suicide. Were this subject being handled by a less over the top writer I would think there is a lot of potential here. But the way Ooba writes doesn’t really lend itself to any kind of subtle exploration. This was fine in Death Note and Bakuman because of their subject matter. But I think suicide, depression, not fitting into the world etc isn’t something that his style lends itself to well. Maybe he will prove me wrong and we will get a bit more depth to these characters! For now though everyone is so over the top that I can’t really take it seriously.
Taishou Otome Otogibanashi – 2
Mario: Have you ever heard of Manic Pixie Dream Girl? It’s a stock character about a girl that exists solely to save the boy from their own misery. Well, Yuzuki is the godmother of all Manic Pixie Dream Girls as she not only serves as the main boy’s love interest but also takes care of him and literally gives him a shoulder to cry on. Whenever the show treads that route it feels heavy-handed to me and rubs me in the wrong way. Part of that is because I feel Yuzuki’s character is there just to support this poor boy, and the other part is the overtly extreme way Tamahiko’s father treats him. Announcing him dead because he’s handicaped? How worse can it get? Thankfully, in the second half where the show focuses on the great time the duo spend in Tokyo it becomes charming. The art really steps up big time here and produces what I can argue as one of the best looking shows this season (only slightly below Heike Monogatari and Ousama Ranking). Now with the introduction of the new cast, Tamahiko’s sister, let’s see how the show deals with the dynamic. I really hope it doesn’t go too melodramatic. It’s just not the show’s strong suit.
Kaizoku Oujo – 9-11
Wooper: Kaizoku Oujo has nearly reached the end of its voyage, but the sailing has been rough in this third act. Abel’s obsession with Helena overshadowed both episodes 9 (their backstory) and 11 (their reunion), causing the questions of Fena’s destiny and the true nature of Eden to be sidelined in the meantime. We’ve gotten all sorts of impressive sights and scenes in their place, including a breathtaking island rising from beneath the ocean’s surface and Fena dancing gracefully across a lattice stage, but are they sufficient compensation for the show’s detour onto Abel Avenue? I don’t believe so. The mother/daughter connection between Helena and Fena didn’t bear fruit in the end – I say “in the end” despite not having seen the finale because Helena has already carried her soulmate off to the next world, leaving Cody as the final boss. At least, I think that’s what’s going on. His claim to be the “storymaker” of Fena’s life (which strongly reminded me of Princess Tutu) is sure to lead to a climactic moment where she defies his expectations and proves to be the master of her own destiny, or some such nonsense. I’m mildly interested in how or why Cody assumed the form of Fena’s father in the most recent episode, but I’ve mostly lost hope for a satisfying ending. Show is still pretty as a picture, though.
Takt Op. Destiny – 2
Mario: After going all out with its production and plot last week, it comes to no surprise that the show takes it slow this time. Perhaps way too slow as we get to the beginning of this duo special bond, and that entails 15 minutes of the main dude holed up in his basement to play piano all he likes. I’m sure they feel the importance of establishing the dynamic between Takt and Destiny before they gain supernatural abilities, but the circumstances where they first meet is still very vague to me, and in addition to that Takt is one boring male lead. The visual still looks nice, although not as polished as last week due to no big battle this time, but the plot remains its weakest asset. We’re here for more action so hopefully it steps up again once the story is set into place.
Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu – 2
Lenlo: Komi-san feels so looooong. Maybe for some people this is a good thing, they get the feeling of a lot of content in such a short amount of time. But for me I got through the third “story” of the episode and checked the time to find there were still 9 minutes left and I couldn’t believe it. I guess this is what happens when you watch what is essentially a weekly 4-page gag comic adaptation and you don’t care much for the comedy. One or two got a chuckle but not nearly enough to justify a full 23 minute episode of time. Oh well… least the show still looks pretty.
Star Wars: Visions – 1
Wooper: Star Wars goes full Western – that’s basically all there is to this first episode of the Visions anthology series. A reformed Sith wanders into a dusty town, protects its residents from an umbrella-wielding villain (the spokes of the umbrella are lightsabers, naturally) and her Stormtrooper henchmen, and hits the road in search of a new village to liberate. I’m not a big Star Wars fan, but I thought I’d cover each of Visions’ nine installments over the course of this season – I like multi-studio projects, and this one will provide consistent fodder for the column. This opening episode by Kamikaze Douga (most commonly recognized for their 3DCG work on the early JoJo OPs) didn’t give me a lot to chew on, though. The black and white visuals caused the red lightsaber flashes and blue and green blaster fire to stand out, but what were they all in service of? I can at least appreciate the varied Stormtrooper designs – in contrast to their canonical appearance, each of their uniforms were slightly different, though the sketchy video filter applied to the entire episode made those differences tough to spot at times. That effect, along with the digital grain and black and white aesthetic, made me suspect that Kamikaze Douga were attempting to mask the less flattering aspects of their animation with a pile of stylistic distractions. Still, “The Duel” looked pretty good on the whole – I just hope future stories in the series are a bit meatier.
Lupin III Part 6 – 1
Mario: Okay, so this episode 1 is the REAL introduction to this new season of Lupin III, with a brand new setting (this time we’re in London, England) with new supporting players. That one of the supporting players is the one and only Sherlock Holmes is honestly the icing on the cake. Many die-hard fans could be disappointed at this episode because finally, Lupin III gave in for CG car chases. Long gone is the cool hand-drawn fast & furious-type and the CG does stick out like a sore thumb. In terms of story, we have Sherlock who has passed his glory days (I like that) but the lack of Watson, plus the appearance of young child Lily are unusual. Based on how our Sherlock is still stuck in the past I would assume something tragic happened to our poor Watson and that maybe Lily was his child. As the starter of the new season, I’d say this episode hits right at the middle mark. It successfully establishes the settings and the key players, but I don’t feel it’s as fresh or exciting as previous entries.
CG cars? Oh dear . Well as a Lupin fan I am not giving up on part 6. I just need to finish part 5. Also I have to say I am dissappear with Fena. It had potential but the questionable story decisions bland characters and short episode count has soured the series for me. Shame. Honestly the show should have been about Fena and the female pirates
It’s a common problem with “fun” media these days, especially in the West, that they need to be about something more than just being a simple adventure romp through shoving in something that’s supposed to be thought provoking or philosophical for the sake of artistic merit, just to show that they aren’t “mindless” or even “poorly-written” drivel to the snobs and critics who sneer at such work, especially since we’re finally coming out of the nightmarish period where everyone wanted to be Michael Bay. But really, all it does is drain away the fun that we should be having to begin with, especially when that’s done in the wrong hands. I blame the MCU for this trend, especially as it’s getting criticism from other filmmakers for being little more than theme park rides or something, and they’re desperately trying to come off as more than just disposable entertainment.
It’s unfortunate then, that this trend is starting to bleed into the entertainment sectors of other parts of the globe, and Fena is sadly one of those examples. Too many cooks came in to try to make this adventure romp about pirates and samurai into something about the nature of pre-determined fate through storytelling and destiny and all that other philosophical thought-provoking crap that’ll inundate lots of viewers in its finale that it spoils the broth and nullifies everything that came before this twist, as if it’s being done to handwave the numerous problems the series has over its runtime (i.e. “Cody/the Observer/God made the story and characters shallow to begin with because he wrote them that way!”).
Not saying that “fun” and “though-provoking” are mutually exclusive though. You just need to blend both properly, which sadly, so many haven’t in that bid to come off as important or high art, especially in their bid to reach Marvel’s “standards” of storytelling.
Do you have a blog or someting? jk. keep up the good work
And going back to Marvel now that reviews for their next film are out and Fena utterly capsized in its finale. That Eternals film from Marvel, where they desperately wanted validation and approval from film snobs by hiring a promising director that won Best Picture at the Oscars, shot on location to show all of those beautiful landscapes instead of green screen, hired high-paying prestige actors for an ensemble piece, did all of the virtue signaling for brownie points, and make it look like high art through beating the viewer with its constant philosophical and contemplative moments.
And despite all of that, it’s still just another superhero film, one based a bunch of goofy mythological Jack Kirby comics, that did not get the overwhelming praise and accolades that Marvel and Disney probably wanted and expected. This is what happens when “fun” media becomes ashamed of even wanting to be “fun”, especially to prove a tiny loud minority of “snobs” like Martin Scorsese wrong.
If it helps, the Love Live Nijigasaki anime is a lot more restrained with its drama and emotional beats, though that’s because it was written by different staff than the usual LL staff.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 1 is a love letter to Akira Kurosawa (aka the most influential Japanese movie director ever).
The story setup, the character vignettes, the hard boiled protagonist, the duel itself and even the choice of the black and white visuals (Kurosawa’s movies are from the Black & White movie era) are all homages to Kurosawa.
The reason why it seems going “full western” is due to the fact that the western genre iself is heavily inspired from Kurosawa’s works (the most famous example: “The Magnificent Seven” is a western adaptation of “Seven Samurais”).
Also Kamikaze Douga is not the only studio of the Visions project that chose to go for a Kurosawa inspired short (Akakiri, the last one is also heavily insipred, though in different way).
This is probably because by going full Kurosawa the short is ALSO an homage to George Lucas and the original Star Wars.
Lucas himself is a big Kurosawa fan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEJ6CzG9zVcI) and he pointed multiple times that Kurosawa movies (especially “the Hidden Fortress”) were a big inspiration in the making of Star Wars.
I actually had “Star Wars meets Seven Samurai” as the opening line of that blurb for a while, but I opted for a more general comparison since it didn’t seem right to compare “The Duel” to a three hour film with a richer story and a much larger cast. The episode was clearly intended as an homage, but it didn’t accomplish much else – it only hinted at complexities of the ronin’s past once or twice before he drifted out of town. I know it was only ~11 minutes long, but to be frank, I expected more. Hopefully some of the anthology’s later episodes will deliver.