Akudama Drive – 7-8 [The City of Lost Children/Black Rain]

by SuperWooper, posted in Akudama Drive, Currently Watching:

It’s difficult to follow an all-star episode like “Brothers,” as this doubleheader can attest. My disappointment with “The City of Lost Children” was so great, in fact, that it delayed this post by a week. After the spectacle and weight of episode 6, we got a decidedly less impressive-looking showing that nevertheless boasted a cool setting in Expo Park – which was absent for 33% of the time, due to a lengthy flashback. Even the central object in the underground park, a rocket that Brother wanted to ride to the moon, was just an excuse to get that flashback off the ground. Its eventual launch was an anticlimax that spilled into episode 8’s beginning, making me fearful for the show’s chances this week, but thankfully it was more my speed. More than appealing to my personal sensibilities, though, it was specifically interested in Swindler, who seems a hundred times more authentic now than she ever has before. All it took to give her some nuance was to pair her with a cute kid instead of a sociopathic gang. Who knew that writing was so easy?

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Twelve Kingdoms – 25/26/27 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and welcome to another post about Twelve Kingdoms! I know it’s a bit late-ish, but blame the holiday. This was a pretty eventful week for all 3 of our leads, so lets just jump right into it.

Starting off, I think I figured out the point of these three stories. The thread that connects them all, beyond simply being girls or their positions in society. Simply put, it’s understanding life in this world. Understanding what it is like to live in the kingdoms. None of them have every actually lived a day in these peoples shoes. Shoukei lived in a palace, and while Suzu worked she did so in equivalent luxury, immortal and free from the worlds woes. Meanwhile Nakajima was in constant conflict before being thrust into the highest rung of society. Each of these girls brings a unique perspective to this question, each with their own histories and motivations. It’s an unexpected, but welcome shift in the series and I can’t wait to see what Twelve Kingdoms does with it. Now, how about we talk specifics after the break?

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Fall 2020 Summary – Weeks 7-8

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: After making way for our quarterly State of the Season post last week, the recap post has returned with a value-sized installment. I might fall down on the job where my episodic reviews are concerned, but the weekly summary arrives on time, come hell or high water. There’s a new show under Lenlo’s microscope before the jump, plus double episode impressions for the usual suspects afterwards. Have at ’em!

Heaven’s Official Blessing – 4/5

Lenlo: A new addition to the lineup, by popular request! This was a slow but important two weeks for HOB. Where the first arc sought to establish the world and the setting, this one dedicates itself entirely to character relationships. Specifically between our lead and Xie Lian and our Antagonist (?)/Love Interest (?) Hua Cheng. And across both of these episodes I can say… it did a pretty good job of it. I’m not a big fan of BL, mostly because romance isn’t my genre. But the interplay between Lian and Cheng was rather interesting. Lian, a heavenly official trying to suss out who Cheng really is, and Cheng who could be simply playing with Lian or legitimately interested. This early into the series it’s too early to truly tell one way or the other. But for what I expected to be two boring episodes, HOB did a great job playing them off each other and establishing this relationship and I am looking forward to more.

Oh and one last thing of note that I almost forgot, there was some great visual alliteration in these two episodes. I especially liked the story of how Hua cheng earned his name with the white flower, both speaking to his own history as well as to when we first met him a few episodes ago. How he helped Lian, leading him through the forest under his umbrella. It was well done!

Kamisama Ni Natta Hi 06/07

Armitage: To paraphrase one of Shakespeare’s most well-known sonnets, “Thou art a Lolicon, yes?” In all seriousness though, this show is best when it’s not being serious at all. While we finally got back to the shady boy-hacker from Episode 3 and were presented with a head-scratching reveal at the end to tide us over till next week, I don’t know exactly how I feel about it. I mean, I guess this isn’t a fantasy show anymore. Well, it was always just winking at that possibility but now, it’s pretty much embraced the sci-fi genre altogether. Which I mean… yeah, sure. Feels a little shoehorned but the red herrings were there too. There’s also a love triangle being set up at the heart of our narrative though unlike other love triangles (read: Harems) in anime, I actually don’t mind multiple girls falling head over heels for our protagonist, as Sota is a very likeable one. Though, honestly if you were to ask me to choose between this show trying its hand at new ways to incorporate drama into its story or the viewers being treated to 12 episodes of Sota and co. shooting a movie, I’d choose the latter all day, every day.

Continue reading “Fall 2020 Summary – Weeks 7-8” →

Jujutsu Kaisen – 8 [Boredom]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

Welcome all to another week of Jujutsu Kaisen! Apologies for the wait, it’s been a busy weekend and all things considered, not much happened this episode. Still, without further ado, lets jump right into it!

What do I mean by “not much happened”? Simply that this week was more of a transition episode than anything else. It transitioned us from Gojo’s fight into the next arc, setting up conflicts and introducing the new “antagonists”. I put that in quotes because its fairly obvious that Toudou at least will become an ally later on. For now though, he serves as the big obstacle Fushiguro must overcome. Beyond that brief skirmish though, Jujutsu Kaisen mostly dedicates this week to character time. Expanding on our side characters and Gojo’s own conflict with the Jujutsu Conservatives. This is a good thing of course, not every week can be a high octane sakuga fest. Turning things up to 11 loses its appeal if you are always at it. It does mean though that, outside one or two cuts, there wasn’t any big animation to gush over.

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Twelve Kingdoms – 22/23/24 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

Welcome back to my Twelve Kingdoms watch! This is an important week, as we finally return to Nakajima’s queenly story. This week see’s political intrigue, budding rebellion and… two new side stories? It’s a lot to talk about so lets dive right in!

Starting off, the side stories. I’m not yet sure how I feel about what Twelve Kingdoms is doing. Not in a negative way, of course. This isn’t the first time Twelve Kingdoms has gone off on a weird storytelling tangent. Our entire last arc was basically a self-contained history for a character that we probably won’t see again in the anime. No, I am sure Twelve Kingdoms will manage to balance these three stories well between each other. It’s more that I don’t yet understand what connects these stories, these three characters. 2 of them, Nakajima and Suzu, are Kaikyaku, that one makes sense. Meanwhile Suzu and Shoukei are both effectively peasants, or have inverted each others roles, etc. Similar also holds true for Shoukei and Nakajima, queen and fallen princess after all. But so far, these connections seem very nebulous. Only option is to wait and see, I suppose.

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Adachi to Shimamura – 04+05+06 [High School Girls on Holiday | Adachi’s Question | White Album]

by Armitage, posted in Adachi to Shimamura, Currently Watching:

Oh, don’t mind me.

I’m just here posting weekly episodic reviews for Adashima weeks after I was actually expected to.

Now, we’ve been here before, haven’t we?

I’m gonna give you reasons for the delay, you’re gonna be understanding as always while also secretly rolling your eyes at my unprofessionalism. So, why not we just skip past all that and jump in to the meat and bones?

Yes, sir. You at the back. Thank you for voicing your approval. Let’s begin then! Continue reading “Adachi to Shimamura – 04+05+06 [High School Girls on Holiday | Adachi’s Question | White Album]” →

State of the Season – Fall 2020

by SuperMario, posted in State of the Season

Mario: With 3 staff members moving house and everyone rushing to get their whatchamacallit done before Christmas, this Fall season (and Spring here!) has undeniably been busy. But that chaos of so-called real life doesn’t stop us from following and checking back on a ton of current seasonal anime and the classic ones. This season has been heavy on action with a couple of fun surprises along the way. In particular, we have a talking cat, a talking panda, a talking bird, a talking crocodile, a self-proclaimed alien girl, a self-proclaimed goddess, a self-proclaimed mind reader and a self-proclaimed immortal harakiri man (can you guess all the shows?), so you know this Fall season isn’t short on weirdness and is full of excitement. This time 5 of us will be doing this round-table post, with plenty of hot takes, contradictions and influences and even a heartwarming exchange among us writers around the corner. Read on and enjoy: 

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

Lenlo: Akudama Drive, Golden Kamuy, Tian Guan Ci Fu and Haikyu. Nothing too crazy, all things considered.

Wooper: I’m liking the Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken reboot, but I write mini reviews of each episode for our weekly recap posts, so I don’t know if it qualifies. I’ll go with Jujutsu Kaisen as a backup, since it looks nice and tries hard not to be a boilerplate battle shounen.

Amun: Tonikaku Kawaii – this show is just heartwarming and wonderful and it just makes me happy.  On the same note, Kuma Kuma is far better than it has any right to be (somewhat of a Hamefura for the season).

Armitage: The volleyball boys have been great as always and Talentless Nana has been very dumb but very entertaining. Also, Tian Guan Ci Fu is a glorious piece of entertainment which many people might not even have on their radar due to it being a Chinese animated production.

Mario: Akudama Drive has been a consistently fun ride with loud, crazy characters and impressive production quality.

Continue reading “State of the Season – Fall 2020” →

Taiso Samurai – 06 [Samurai Father and Daughter]

by SuperWooper, posted in Currently Watching:, Taiso Samurai

I’ve been opening these posts with some variation of, “I can’t believe Jotaro wasn’t the focus of this episode!” for three weeks now, so it’s about time I stop being surprised whenever it happens. His training camp’s overlap with Rei’s birthday is the origin of the conflict here, so he’s at least involved in the plot, but it’s his daughter’s feelings that Taiso Samurai is interested in exploring. Quite simply, she’s overburdened. Going to school, doing the shopping and cooking for the family, putting on a smile for her dad even when he puts himself first… It’s too much for a nine year old girl to bear. Though this week’s resolution sees her cling tearfully to her father, I couldn’t help but feel like he got off easy. No parent enjoys seeing their child cry, but such a straightforward and cathartic expression of sadness made their subsequent reconciliation a piece of cake. We probably won’t get a story about fatherhood to follow up this depiction of a difficult childhood, and that’s a damn shame, because it’s precisely what Rei deserves.

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Tian Guan Ci Fu – Animation Appreciation

by Lenlo, posted in Random Anime Recommendations, Special Articles

Welcome everyone, to round 2 of me making a fool of myself to talk about Chinese animation, this time featuring Tian Guan Ci Fu or Heaven’s Official Blessing. Just like the last series we talked about, Fog Hill, odds are you haven’t heard of it. And if you have then congratulations, you anime hipster you. Just like last time, this isn’t actually a review and is in no way meant to be taken as such. In fact the series is still airing right now, having just shown its 4th episode on Bilibili. Rather I just want to talk about its production and the cool things going on in the Chinese animation scene right now. So let’s just jump into that shall we? Directed by Haoling Li and made by studio Haoliners Animation League, this is Heaven’s Official Blessing!

So first up, who the hell is Haoling Li and Haoliners Animation League? Unlike Samsara Studio from my last post, these two have actually been around the block a few times. Haoliners is based in Shanghai, China, and according to their website was founded by Haoling Li in 2013. Prior to this, Haoling Li primarily worked as a storyboard artist on projects for Shanghai Television, though I was unable to find which ones. Meanwhile Haoliners is a different story, their earliest works being Lu Shi Dai and Man Tou Riji, the second co-produced with Studio Lan. Since then they have done steady work, airing consistently on Bilibili and QIY streaming platforms, slowly growing their staff. It wasn’t until 2018 that they achieved their “western debut” so to speak with their contribution to the anthology series Flavors of Youth.

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