Horimiya – 07 [You’re Here, I’m Here]

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Romance, Horimiya

One of the cool things about anime OPs is that they sometimes change as a show progresses. New characters may be added to foreshadow their appearance in the story, and scenes may be swapped in or out to indicate a change in tone. I tend to watch OPs all the way through each week to spot these changes – a habit that paid dividends in this episode, which traded shadowy, isolated shots of Horimiya’s cast for summery group scenes. Images of chalkboards and record players were brightened to match this sunnier outlook, and the penultimate shot of Miyamura walking away from his reflection was edited to depict his acceptance of himself. The overall message is clear: the characters have found friends who love and support them, which has made their world a bit brighter. I like a lot of these changes, but I’m saddened by the loss of this cut, which was my favorite from the original OP. If any manga readers know the context for Miyamura’s mistreatment of those sunflowers, let me know!

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Winter 2021 Summary – Weeks 6-7

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: The recap post was on hold last week in favor of a bigger column, but three of us are back with a vengeance. Midseason fatigue is setting in where some of these shows are concerned, so prepare yourself for mockery, indifference, and swings of the executioner’s axe. How many shows will survive the next five weeks? At this rate, not many.

Reincarnated as a Spider – 06

Amun: Major plot updates this time out – no, not that kind of plot, you pervs. Without spelling it out, some major oddities in the OP/ED are now explained – mainly why are there multiple spiders. We also got some interaction with the hero and we found the weird girl from the OP who bites the world! Major developments, indeed. Meanwhile, Ms. Spider (who cares what her human name was) is still fighting and eating…and becoming more and more likely to be a Demon Lord. But more importantly is getting good food. Because that’s what really matters in isekai these days – next, she’s going to open a restaurant, staffed by sob-storied locals while she goes adventuring. Isekai is going great, guys…

Back Arrow – 06/07

Wooper: More like Bad Arrow, am I right? It’s hardly a stretch to say this is a bad show, and my tolerance for bad shows is low to begin with, so why am I still watching? My enjoyment of this anime could definitely be labeled ironic, but Back Arrow’s creators seem to be operating from a place of irony, as well. How else could one explain an episode that takes place at Pretty Boy Farms, a facility where human experiments cause their hot male subjects to sparkle nonstop? How about the hastily-invented plot point of Shu’s bomb collection, the discovery of which allowed Ren to escape suspicion, just as planned? The issue with this kind of writing is that it narrows the line between tongue-in-cheek and idiotic to a hair’s breadth – Arrow’s “betrayal” in the Pretty Boy episode was a nearly unbearable example of the latter. Still, the fact that it’s only week 7 and the Granedger crew have already made it to the wall means that there’s a lot of plot left in the tank, and it would be a shame to deprive myself of whatever chuckle-worthy moments emerge in the future. That’s my current justification, anyway.

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SK8 the Infinity – 6-7 [Steamy Mystery Skating/We Don’t Balance Out]

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Sports, SK8 the Infinity

The screencaps above are a pretty good summation of my thoughts on SK8’s last two weeks. The vacation episode was bright and lively, while the angst episode was, well, angsty. The two weren’t totally divorced from one another, as the seeds of Reki and Langa’s breakup were carried through both installments until they bore fruit at the end of episode 7. That sort of continuity is a good thing, but when the payoff at the end is so emotionally blunt, it makes me wish the show would stick to the fun stuff. In that spirit, let’s start with the positives and talk about “Steamy Mystery Skating” after the jump!

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Jujutsu Kaisen – 19 [Black Flash]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

This is it, it’s here, Kimetsu no Yaiba Jujutsu Kaisen episode 19! I would call that a joke but Jujutsu Kaisen really tried to pull out all the stops this week. From big flashy fight sequences to some emotional moments, it tried. But does it succeed? Well lets talk about that.

Starting off, production was all over the place. The animation was incredible of course. From Itadori’s kick sequence to Hanami’s flowers and tree growth. It’s all very dynamic, moved well and looked great. The problem is that the composite was complete shit. More often than not the characters didn’t look like they belonged in the world. Whether it be the utterly terrible splashing water or CGI forest once again standing out, it was bad. Of special note is the running sequence atop Hanami’s branches which just feels like an inferior version of Yutaka Nakamura’s work on the first My Hero Academia movie which you can find here. I don’t want to criticize Keiichiro Watanabe to much. The vines/trees and the actual character animations are fucking incredible as you will see in the clip below. But they don’t fit together well, with Itadori’s run seeming to float above the environment.

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Dr. STONE S2 – 6 [Prison Break]

by Lenlo, posted in Dr.STONE

Wooo more Dr. STONE! This week Chrome channels the collective intelligence of the modern world to enact the most daring escape in 3 millennia. And the best part is that’s only slightly hyperbole. So without further ado lets dive in!

This was a big week for Chrome and Dr. STONE as a whole. It was effectively the culmination of Chrome’s story these past few cours. His final transformation from a “primitive” to a full on science user. No help, no Senku, just using what he had learned and his own ingenuity, and I really like how it was presented. Dr. STONE opened the episode by introducing Yo and using him to reestablish how different Chrome is from more “modern” people. After all, even as meat heads they have a modern education and know a basic amount of science. More than you would expect a “primitive” to know at any rate. But Dr. STONE uses this to remind us that science has no barriers, anyone can use it if they put their mind to it. Whether it be a modern day genius like Senku or a “simple primitive” like Chrome.

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Spice and Wolf S1 – 5 [Wolf and Lovers’ Quarrel] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Spice and Wolf, Throwback Thursday

We’re back with another episode of Spice and Wolf! This week Holo and Lawrence reunite and… not much else happens. Yet for some reason, I don’t mind it. So without further ado lets dive into it.

I typically try to start these posts off on a positive note, something to get us going. But since I can only think of one negative for this week, lets start there instead: The opening scene. I tried my best to follow it, I really did. But Spice and Wolf is going a mile a minute with these economic theories and plans to strong arm a King. I had to rewind and rewatch the segment a few times to really understand what they were saying. Part of that is because I’m just an idiot when it comes to economics but I do think they could have slowed it down a bit. What I caught across those rewatches though did make sense. The back and forth between Lawrence and Marlheit, basically haggling and threatening each other to free Holo, was good. I just wish I could follow it easier.

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Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World 2 -20 [The Beginning of the Sanctuary and the Beginning of the End]

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World

Is White Fox trying to make thirty minute episodes the new standard? For if they are I am most definitely not opposed as I like having a meaty episode to dig into each week. We also have the appearance of the new ending for the cour which admitly is far better than the new opening. Looks to be representing the more hopeful outlook of the second cour and the song has a nice beat that reminds me of the first ending but more uplifting. Otherwise today we have yet another flashback which I previously stated White Fox would be better avoiding as things have been slow with numerous flashback episodes. That said today’s episode was good and perhaps the change of scenery mitigated the stagnation of another flashback episode. Regardless this looks to be the end of all the flashbacks and we can finally move forward with resolving the problems of the Sanctuary.
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Horimiya – 06 [This Summer’s Going to Be a Hot One]

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Romance, Horimiya

This week gave me just what I wanted from Horimiya: more clownish behavior from an absentee father whose daughter clearly resents him! The episode was bookended by dad scenes, which you’d think would provide the opportunity for at least one honest family conversation, but most of his dialogue led to punchlines instead. Complaining about being a stranger in his own home, failing to recognize Miyamura after his makeover, interrupting his daughter and her boyfriend just as they were about to kiss… These sorts of gags are typical of feel-good romcoms, but Kyousuke is far from a feel-good dad, so they feel out of place to me. This series has already shown us the scars resulting from Hori’s lack of attachment to her mom, so why is her father’s neglect being played for laughs? As a matter of fact, why is he still hanging around the house that he so rarely visits?

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2.43 Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-Bu – 6 [The Laughing King and Crybaby Jack]

by Lenlo, posted in 2.43 Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu

I know, I know, this Volley-Bu post is woefully late. In my defense however the episode was also dreadfully boring! I suppose boring is still an improvement on last week though huh? Without further ado, lets dive into this weeks rant on Volley-Bu!

Like I said, this week was a slight improvement from the last, mostly because it focused on someone else. As thankful as I am for that though, I don’t think this rival team introduction quite worked. The idea behind this episode is pretty sound. Volley-Bu is introducing us to the rival team relatively early so that we have time to get to know them. That they get a whole episode dedicated to them is actually pretty good! But the problem is that this came out of absolutely nowhere and wasn’t properly setup nor presented very well. Volley-Bu spends the entire episode hyper focused on Fukuho Tech, the new team, but it fails to present them through our leads eyes. We barely even see our leads reactions or thoughts about Fukuho Tech until right near the end. While it works for establishing them as characters, it fails to build much tension.

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State of the Season – Winter 2021

by SuperWooper, posted in State of the Season

Wooper: If you’ve been keeping your finger on the pulse of the anime fandom this winter, you’ve seen no shortage of proclamations that this is the best seasonal lineup in years. Some of us here expressed similar sentiments back in January, but that was a simpler time – one characterized by loosely-informed optimism, rather than weeks of compounded evaluation. Now that we’ve got a six week picture of the season, where do our writers stand? Totally validated, utterly betrayed, or somewhere in between? Read on to see how the Star Crossed crew is feeling midway through 2021’s first quarter.

What show are you enjoying that you’re not reviewing?

Mario: Sk8 has been a lot of fun. Yes, it’s your typical sports anime with larger-than-life personalities, but it’s gotten many things right so far. Reiki and Langa have that sweet brotherly bond, the races are always exciting to watch, and is it just me, or would ADAM fit in seamlessly with the Utena universe? On the sequel front, Yuru Camp delivers with every single episode and it’s just a blast to watch week to week.

Armitage: In order to give other shows a fair chance, I’ll try my best and not answer “Attack on Titan babyyyy” for all the positive responses in this seasonal check-in. So, yes. Best of the rest for me would probably be Wonder Egg Priority simply because of how ambitious and anomalous it feels while watching. Yes, it borrows from like 10 different places but it still manages to feel wholly original and even in a season absolutely brimming with quality like this one, there’s simply nothing else quite like it.

Amun: Since I’m not technically reviewing any shows this season (tehe), all of them! Special shoutout to Spider Isekai though – it’s been way more enjoyable than I expected. Sure, it’s low budget, but the spider MC really carries – something about the movements and use of the 8 legged expressive palette keeps me coming back every week. Obviously Wonder Egg has been superlative as well.

Lenlo: Quite a few! This is actually one of my most active seasons in a long time. From sequels like Beastars S2 to new originals like Sk8 and Wonder Egg, this season is packed for me.

Wooper: Attack on Titan’s fourth season has been pretty good thus far. It’s got many of the same problems as the Wit seasons, plus the baggage of being a strict visual downgrade, but the story’s leap across the sea has added a welcome layer of complication. So what if the new characters are painted just as broadly as the old ones? Titan is running almost entirely on plot at this point, which is precisely what makes it so addicting.

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