Fall 2023 What-I’m-Watching Summary – Week 2

Hello everyone! Like I said in the last preview, I’m bringing back the weekly summary. These aren’t going to be anywhere near as in depth or long as my normal posts, just me rambling a bit about what else I’m watching this season. I’d wager each will be about a paragraph long. Still, my hope is that these will give everyone a place to talk about the rest of the shows this season. Some of these might have this opening blurb if I have anything to say, like if I have to take a break or something for travel, but most probably won’t. Anyways, announcement out of the way, lets go!

Frieren – 5 [Phantoms of the Dead]

This was a pretty cool episode, and alleviated a fair number of my fears after the big premier. Remember when I said I was concerned about the journey? That as much as I loved the show, I wasn’t 100% on it? Well that was because I was afraid it would become more of an “adventure” and that Frieren would lose sight of what made me love it, the way it examined the passage of time and what it means. Luckily though, that wasn’t the case! Already, one episode in on this journey, and we have a conversation about legacy, grief and how we remember our loved ones. Stuff like Fren saying she would be fine, only to have a harder time facing Heiter’s “ghost” than she thought was nice. Same for Freiren’s almost offended reaction to Himmel’s, as well as even his “ghost” telling her to shoot him. The monster’s own power backfired on it! On top of that we also meet Stark, Eisen’s protégé, like they are almost rebuilding the party they had all those years ago with the next generation. It’s cool, and I’m looking forward it.

To touch on Stark real quick, I’m not huge on him yet. Zenitsu from Kimetsu no Yaiba has made me really wary of “Coward” fighters. And I get that isn’t his thing, he’s not a coward he’s just untested, and even when faced with a dragon he still stood up to it. Plus his relation to Eisen, who has his own past about running away and regretting it, makes it pretty clear he will grow as they journey. He’s also not at all weak, having carved that channel in the mountain, so he won’t hold them back. So it’s not that I hate him, I don’t. I just don’t love him as much as I do Frieren yet, which I think is fair.

Undead Unluck – 2 [Union]

I don’t understand why Undead Unluck looks as good as it does. Why does it feel like golden-era Studio Shaft decided to show up and have their way with my silly action-comedy series? Seriously, look at this episode, at the OP and ED. How is this one of the best looking shows of the entire season? And it’s not just that, Undead Unluck is taking a section of the manga widely regarded as the worst the series ever is and is making it… fun. From fantastic presentation of powers, such as focusing on Shen’s eyes, Andy’s regeneration and the myriad of wide shots, to solid pacing and toning down a lot of the sexual assault/ecchi jokes. They’re still there of course, and generally the worst parts of the episode. Stuff like Fuuko stripping, dick jokes, etc. But the adaptation manages to lend them an emotional bent that wasn’t really there in the original series, not as much at least. It’s clear the director knows where the show goes, where it’s strengths lie, and is choosing to bring those out much earlier on. It’s great! I’m incredibly happy with this adaptation.

 

Shangri-La Frontier – 2 [A Peculiar One]

While not super deep or emotionally resonant in any way, this episode of Shangri-la was fun. You have to understand, I play MMOs. I played WoW back in Vanilla. I play FF14 now, even though I’m on a break until the next expansion. I love these games and their communities. It’s why, for all that I hate what it’s become, I still enjoy Sword Art Online’s Aincrad arc, as well as Log Horizon. And Shangri-la is tapping into that love heavily. The grinding, the community, seeking out challenges, etc etc. Combine that with an MC that seems to be legitimately having fun, with no real stakes like their lives or anything on the line, and it’s just that: A fun watch. Shangri-la continues to be a simple, uncomplicated popcorn watch for me. And I’m having a good time with it. Maybe that will change, as this episode hints at something greater with none of the “Unique” bosses having been killed yet. But until it dives into that, until it starts to go down the drain, I’m going to keep watching it for a good time.

Overtake – 2

This episode was a definite step down from the pilot. Narratively the whole thing was just… weird. Why is this photographer shoving his face into a sport with 0 research, acting like he’s coming up with new ideas when all he’s done is think of Sponsors and Advertisement? It’s also a little insulting that he flies in, thinks he can help them out monetarily, yet hasn’t done any research on the cost of things like tires etc. That whole interaction, the whole premise of him being there, just came off kind of cringe. I wish he had approached this passion with a bit more nuance and intelligence. Because that passion is still good! Don’t get me wrong, Overtake still has a lot of potential. Like the episode still looked great, with some fantastic shot compositions and visual metaphors, framing people in different ways as their relationships changed, using food to visually show someone opening up to the idea of accepting help, etc etc. It has the ability to be good. It just needs to not rush things and treat its characters like people.

MF Ghost – 2 [Shocking New Generation of MFG]

Ok, this is it, this is what I was wanting from an Initial D show. Eurobeat and fast cars, that’s the only reason to watch MF Ghost. Everything in the car was a good time. I had fun just watching him drive around the track, the classic “Is that the legendary 4 wheel drift?!” style moments. It’s a good time. The issue is everything else. Everything not in the car is still kind of inconsistent and kind of sucks. Luckily the racing is all we’re here for, so who really cares?

Under Ninja – 2 [I Want to Be a Ninja]

I vouched for you Under Ninja. I gave you the benefit of the doubt when no one else would. And this week you betray me. Not only has Under Ninja still not wrapped up that fight at the school, something that should only take a few moments, it’s also gotten even worse with its jokes. The bra scenes? The dick severing? The god damn breast milk man?! What are these, why are they here, why do we need them? I’m fine with some weird humor, hell our lead getting caught trying on a bra because they were curious was fine. But why is it taking up so much of the episode? Maybe it would be fine if the actual fights/ninja scenes looked better, but this week they were a joke. The breast milk man fighting the dick severing foreigner? It looked like shit. And why do they have clothing that can turn people invisible, is this Naruto now? What about the UN and global government conspiracies, why can’t we just stick with a street level style of show? Under Ninja piqued my interest with the pilot and it’s already lost it. A shame. I’ll give it one more episode before I drop it.

Goblin Slayer – 2 [The Red-Headed Wizard Boy]

Finally we have Goblin Slayer. Ah Goblin Slayer. At it’s strongest when it’s just a guy killing goblins with nothing more than a ball of twine, a paperclip and a plastic cup. The MacGyver of murder. This week we return to that, as Priestess gets to lead the group on a mission for the first time. We fight some goblins, kill a troll, use our environment, all the classic shit, and it’s a good time. The wizard is kind of annoying, true. But he brings something to the show I never would have expected Goblin Slayer to care about: He makes Goblin Slayer question his entire career. He introduces the idea that, despite killing literal thousands of goblins, has he really accomplished anything at all? Has he measurably decreased the number of goblins, lowered their threat to those in the area? Or has it all been nothing more than a drop in the bucket? Honestly, I didn’t think Goblin Slayer would never bother to ask this question. I thought it would be content to stay a simple edgy action show. So the fact it’s being brought up makes me… kind of excited, to be honest. That plus the fact that Priestess actually failed, she couldn’t lead the mission and had to rely on Goblin Slayer at the end? It’s setting up some solid arcs, and I’m here for it.