Mario: I’m here this week feeling a bit more optimistic about anime than last few weeks, after reading a news where they confirmed that a lot of shows, most notably the ones that have been outperformed this season (though, it makes perfect sense) have already finished production: Yesterday wo Utatte, Arte, Hamefura and Bookworm Isekai with Tower of God, BNA and Kaguya-sama are nearly finished. In the midst of such unstable time it’s certainly impressive that these shows manage to be ahead of their game. In movie news, Nakitai Watashi wa Neko o Kaburu (A Whisker Away) will scrap its theatrical release for Netflix-exclusive streaming on June 18) – a move that I think other anime movies will eventually follow.
Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro – 02/03
Mario: I know the fourth episode just came out this morning but it makes more sense to group episode 2 & 3 together as they are in the same arc. Episode 2’s case was weird… having the main cast as the main culprit in a Rashomon style and whole cast of side characters (based from actual writers of the period) just pop up and have a round table regarding the murder. It’s certainly not something you see very often, and I still enjoy its attractive arts and detailed backgrounds. It’s certainly risky to portray the main characters as unreliable narrators, given they are our eyes and ears to that world. The resolution makes sense in that aspect, as it successfully gives the reasons why there are gaps in our characters’ testimonies. The biggest thing that put me slightly off, however, is how the show treats death/ murder too easy. A girl dies in the scene, but all we got is the bunch of wannabe “detectives” sitting around the table and dissect the event of the murder. You could argue Ishikawa showed some sympathy towards her death, but let me remind you that more than anyone he could’ve saved the girl – even if she was already sick, would you let her die in such a horrid way? And yes, Ishikawa is a jerk.
Ascendance of a Bookworm – 19
Amun: I’ve been surprised at how consistent Ascendance of a Bookworm is. Most shows go up and down, but wow, has Ascendance remained absolutely constant. Definitely not the highest highs (although the first season’s magical smackdown of the high priest was pretty good), but with almost no full episode misfires, Ascendance is just solid. This week sees Main stepping into her role of orphanage director, some political drama, etc. All that’s well and good, but most interesting to me is that she’s found a fruit that can absorb mana (which coincidentally is really helpful for her paper) – what will happen next?! I’m not clairvoyant (or have read any source material), but 19 episodes in, I can confidently say Ascendance is a known quantity – and a good one at that.
