Twelve Kingdoms – 37/38/39 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

Alright, I don’t know where to begin this week, so let me just say: Holy shit Twelve Kingdoms. That was fantastic. What a way to end a 15 episode long arc. To save people from spoilers, I am going to start with the production. But if you want to get into the meat just skip this and head on down, I’ll see you there.

So, the production, it was weird. Twelve Kingdoms continues to be wildly inconsistent in its animation/art style. Some scenes everyone will be perfectly on model and it will look great. Meanwhile others a character will have a wildly disproportionate sided hand or their artstyle will change completely. Almost as if it was outsourced or something, I don’t know. But then we get something like the 2nd half of episode 38, or all of episode 39, that look great. I’m going to have to look into who directed which episode before the final review for this, because that really seems to be the determining factor. Because when the shot composition is just right, the sequence of them, Twelve Kingdoms comes out looking grand. Enough about production though, let’s talk narrative, cause god damn shit went down.

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Fall 2020 Summary – Week 12

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: There are still a few final episodes left to air this season, but this is our final recap post of 2020. With the new season preview finished, our attention will soon turn to winter first impressions and the Anime of the Year post due in mid-January. Before that, however, Amun has a bone to pick with a handful of second stringers he’s been watching, and Lenlo and I give our final verdicts on the usual summary post suspects. (There’s no Blurb on Titan this time around – make your voice heard if you want Armitage to keep writing about it, even in this column’s absence.) Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!

Fire Force – Since I stopped blogging about it

Amun: I stopped my weekly review of Fire Force around episode 11, but I’m back with an update on how the rest of the season went. In two words: the same. There were instances of absolutely ridiculous animation quality (see the last couple of episodes)….and a whole lot of weird service and head scratching plot directions. At no point in the season did I feel that Fire Force found its groove or even understood the kind of show it wanted to be – comedy? action? horror? ecchi? Strange to say about an anime, but Fire Force never took itself quite seriously enough, which is a shame. The random edginess was unenjoyable – not sure about Uncle-Shinigami-who-was-really-into-little-boys. The Maki storyline was fine I guess, and Tamaki sort of got a redemption episode? Just overall, I can’t help but be disappointed in the unfulfilled potential – looks like instead of the meh ending (like Soul Eater – by the way, what was up with that moon?), we got it here in the middle. Rumour has it the next season is the last, so hopefully it finishes strong – but I would be surprised.

Taiso Samurai – 11

Wooper: Barring a couple of Big Bird’s loony appearances, this finale was wholly unenjoyable and unsatisfying. The Jotaro/Leo connection was unimportant in the end, as Leo’s last-minute spectatorship of his friend’s routine created a brief feel good moment and nothing else. Jotaro’s successful quadruple flip and ensuing victory over Tetsuo were a surprise to no one, I’m sure, and the last-ditch effort to make Tetsuo a human being was too little, too late. The whole sequence with Rei running through the airport to stop Leo from leaving made me wonder why their previous conversation in episode 10 was necessary. If he was going to be convinced by an extended reference to his favorite ninja movie, couldn’t the show have pulled off the same thing without the prelude from the previous week? I like the concept of Rei quoting her mom’s signature film both to motivate her friend and reaffirm her interest in acting, but the moment came across as pretty limp given Leo’s recent irrelevance. We only got to see two seconds of his ballet performance before cutting to a truncated credits roll, for crying out loud. But hey, at least it’s over – the greatest gift I’ll receive this holiday season is never having to write about Taiso Samurai again.

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I watched Black Clover so you don’t have to: The 151 Episode Shonen Check In

by Lenlo, posted in Black Clover, Currently Watching:, Finished Series: Action, Reviews by Lenlo, Special Articles

Bleach. Naruto. One Piece. The Big Three, a legendary trio of Shonen anime/manga that dominated the community for over a decade. Properties so successful that they continue to inspire creators to this day. However all things must one day end and only One Piece remains in its original form. The mangaka Eiichirou Oda is still chugging along to this day. As Bleach ran its course, My Hero Academia rose to fill its shoes. And as Naruto: Shippuden wrapped up in 2017, the manga ending 3 years prior, the question became: What would take its place? Running for over 150 episodes straight, there is one series that has clearly made a play for that position. But does it succeed? This is the story of Black Clover, its first 151 episodes and the troubled production found within. Is it worth it? Should you give it a shot? Let’s find out together.

Welcome to the first, and possibly only, edition of Shonen Check-In. How’s that for a pretentious start eh? Had to get people hooked in early. Don’t worry, this isn’t that kind of post. The long and short of it is that, for various reasons, I decided to catch up on the first 151 episodes of Black Clover. Like many I dropped it early back in 2017, in the first cour in fact, maybe even the first episode. Between Asta’s screaming, the questionable production and the almost… blatantly generic plot, I had 0 interest in another new Shonen. But over these last 3 years Black Clover has somehow survived and the fan base has only grown. They sing its praises, they keep saying “It gets good, it gets good!” Well I am here to check that assertion. I watched Black Clover so you don’t have to. But maybe… maybe you should.

(Disclaimer: This is not a review, there is no number score, I just wanted to talk about Black Clover damnit.)

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Winter 2021 Anime Season Preview

by SuperWooper, posted in Seasonal Previews

Wooper: 2020 may be on its last legs, but the tradition of milking anime franchises to death is still going strong. That’s right ladies and gents, it’s Sequel Time. We’re getting second, third and fourth helpings of some of the most popular series in recent years – so many that we couldn’t cover them all in this preview. Attack on Titan’s ongoing conclusion and Re:Zero S2’s continuation are massive events, of course, but at least one other isekai sequel went unmentioned here, along with a handful of shounen offerings. In their place we’re covering a few original projects, of which there are a surprising number this winter (half of them involve idols, though, so we opted for the other half). As always, we haven’t commented on every new show, but all of them should be listed in the poll below, so let us know what you’re most excited for this winter. Enjoy the rest of your December, and we’ll see you on the other side!

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What will you be watching this winter?
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Middling Expectations

Tenkuu Shinpan

Studio: Zero-G
Director: Masahiro Takata
Series composition: Touko Machida
Source: Manga

Mario: As the first output from Netflix’s batch of original anime in 2021, Tenkuu Shinpan looks middling at best. It’s the kind of title that has an intriguing hook but once it wears off there isn’t much beyond it. It’s based on a manga by Tsuina Miura, the creator of Ajin. While I like some aspects of Ajin, here’s the interesting part: Miura actually left the project after the first volume and some fans sarcastically say that his departure is the reason why the manga stays good. The PV looks unintentionally hilarious from what I saw, with a shirtless masked murderer with an axe chasing a girl in broad daylight. Director is a newbie, and the gal handling Series Composition was behind some oddly-paced shows such as 7 Seeds, Runway de Waratte, and Caligula. I won’t hold my breath over this.

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Jujutsu Kaisen – 12 [To You, Someday]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

Welcome all to another week of Jujutsu Kaisen! Apologies for the slight delay, I was a tad busy yesterday and wasn’t able to get around to the episode. But oh boy what an episode it was. We had murder, anger, conflict and maybe even a few emotional moments. All that and more in this weeks episode, so lets dive in!

Starting off, lets talk production! There were a lot of fun shots this week, both in terms of animation and stills. Animation wise, Mahito continues to be a treat. His malleable body and fighting style lend itself to some really creative sequences. Whether it be his arms flailing about or the ripples in his body from Itadori’s punches. Add on his exaggerated manic expressions and you have some fun stuff! Meanwhile with stills Jujutsu Kaisen once again went the heavily stylized route, to great success. Although it has minimal movement, Sukuna and Mahito’s mocking laughter and the display of their faces above Itadori was incredibly striking. I love hos Jujutsu Kaisen continues to prominently display the characters teeth for scenes like this. It almost works like a caricature, bringing out important facial features to more clearly communicate things to the viewer. So yeah, all around, this episode looked pretty good!

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DanMachi 3 – 11/12 (Ultra Soul/Argonaut) FINAL

by Amunchet, posted in Currently Watching:, DanMachi 3

Watching episode 11 had me so anxious for the finale. This isn’t like last season, where by the time the final two episodes came along, all hope was lost. No – this was anxiety born of seeing far too many “almost” good endings. Well fear not, gentle reader – DanMachi capped off an absolutely superlative season… and stuck the landing!  Let’s go!
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Akudama Drive – 10-11 [Babel/War Games]

by SuperWooper, posted in Akudama Drive, Currently Watching:

These two episodes were absolutely stuffed with plot developments, character deaths, and big reveals. There’s no way I can comment on everything they had to offer in a regular-sized post, and I’m not so enamored with Akudama Drive that I’d give it a Great Pretender-length review. So I’m going to do what every pop culture journalist in 2020 does when they’ve fallen behind schedule: churn out a low-effort list article. Here are the major events of “Babel” and “War Games” ranked from worst to best (with their associated episode in parentheses). If you’re keen on playing with the newest and the best hacks and cheat codes, you can check out  new world hack here and find out for yourself.

#7: Wonderful Christmastime (10)
I’m already cheating with the structure of this post, and right off the bat I’m cheating a bit more. This wasn’t a major event, but rather a small scene that played right before the midpoint of the episode; still, it was saccharine enough to earn the last place slot with ease. Not long after the mass murder of hundreds of civilians by the Execution Department, Akudama Drive thought it would be a nice idea to play an uplifting musical sting as Sister experienced her first snowfall. The main issue here was that the scene functioned as a montage, so the wintery orchestral piece also accompanied images of cops suppressing crowds with beam swords and, most jarringly, Doctor lounging next to the corpse of a recent victim. Tone-deaf doesn’t begin to describe it.

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Twelve Kingdoms – 34/35/36 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

This is the home stretch for Twelve Kingdoms people! The final 12 episodes, the final cour, and we begin with open rebellion. All of our leads have found each other, swords have been drawn and bullets fired. So without further ado, lets dive into this weeks three episodes!

So starting off… whew that shit got dark. I knew it could, we saw in the first cour where Twelve Kingdom’s was willing to go. But it’s been awhile since then, things have been… not necessarily positive, but not dark. It wasn’t until Shoukou’s introduction a few episodes back that this started to change. But now? Armed revolution, children (more children) murdered in the street, shot? I’m not complaining of course, Twelve Kingdom’s has ramped this up very naturally, narratively and visually. Early on, most of our scenes took place in the day. But as the story has progressed, as we have gone to war and people have died? They took place further and further in the day. Shifting the whole color palette of the show to lead into this. I hadn’t even thought about how dark it was getting right up until the gunshot, that’s how well it worked.

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Fall 2020 Summary – Week 11

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: Just two more weeks until 2020 can finally be put to rest. Here at Star Crossed, the Winter Preview is a key step in bidding farewell to each calendar year, so we’re hard at work on that project as you read this. But that busyness couldn’t stop us from offering our thoughts on these penultimate seasonal episodes – we had to lay the foundation for our final verdicts, after all, which ought to arrive next week-ish. See you then!

Golden Kamuy S3 – 11

Lenlo: Jesus, Golden Kamuy, that was easily the tensest episode of the season and possibly of the year. I really don’t know how to describe this without spoilers, so let’s just say everything came to a head this week. Sugimoto and Asirpa finally meet again, which means so does Ogata and Sugimoto, and Tanigaki and Kiroranke, and basically every character combination you can think of. Combine that with a treasure hunt that only one person knows the answer to and a whole bunch of guns and you have something going on. All in all, I loved this episode and I don’t know how to talk about it without spoiling everyone.

Maou-jou de Oyasumi – 11

Wooper: After cameos in episodes 8 and 9, Cubey finally revealed herself as a succubus who admires Princess Syalis for her popularity, not her evil counterpart from a parallel universe. I suppose it’s better that the show kept it simple, since it allowed the quest formula to be maintained after a few leaps in logic. Syalis’ ruthless training of her new body double ironically ended in her own death, which wasn’t tough to predict, but it’s the way she died that really sold the segment: drifting off to sleep while plummeting toward a fiery lake, satisfied with a job well done. Of course, the castle’s cleric revived her in time for the next chapter, where the other characters got a peek into her dreams. This was the spot where her relationship to the Hero was revealed to all parties involved, giving him a bit more to do than usual. As a matter of fact, the Demon Lord confronted the Hero face to face in this episode, though it was just a small gag about the man’s willingness to trust an obvious enemy. I haven’t mentioned the Hero in these miniature blurbs much, which is due to a lack of column space and his distance from the main characters, but also because I don’t find him especially funny. I’ll be interested to see whether his character “works” in next week’s finale.

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Jujutsu Kaisen – 11 [Narrow-minded]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

Y’all know the drill by now, it’s time for another week of Jujutsu Kaisen! This week see’s the conclusion of Mahito’s fight, Yoshino making a new friend and Itadori getting caught up in it all. So without further ado, lets dive in!

Production wise, I think this week looked good. Park’s camera angles were still there in the Mahito fight but they were more contained this week. Easier to follow, if that makes sense. Last week he kept switching sides or doing 360 degree spins around characters/scenes. It made the space and the characters positions within said space difficult and annoying to follow. This week though he manages to rein it in a bit, not breaking the 180 degree rule, etc. All the while keeping the wilder and expressive character animation. All in all, I think this episode was a success production wise and I’m looking forward to seeing more from Park in the future! Obligatory production talk out of the way, lets get into what y’all really care about, narrative!

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