Winter 2020 Summary: Weeks 7-8

by SuperMario, posted in Weekly Summary

Mario: Welcome to week 8 where we somehow only have one month left before the new season starts. Crazy, right? I still have lots to catch up on, especially Kuutei Dragons and Blade of the Immortal, so hopefully I can watch those in time for the next post. For now, enjoy our thoughts on these second tier shows.

ID:Invaded 8-9

Wooper: I had a good handle on episode 8 as I watched it. The show spent a great deal of time in Momoki’s desert psyche, which functioned as the setting for Sakaido and Fukuda’s miniature buddy movie. Moisture conservation tricks, quicksand escapes, and encouraging banter got them to their destination: a cockpit with Kiki Asukai’s name on it. Surely Hondomachi and Sakaido would meet up in Kiki’s mind this week, I thought, and get to work on another mystery. Nope! As of yesterday’s episode, this show has become Inception: Serial Killer Edition. It turns out that Kiki is really Kaeru, whose dreams play host to murderers summoned by John Walker. Sakaido is caught somewhere between half a dozen dreams, all of which take place in the past, giving him a chance to catch the Challenger before his family is murdered. There’s no time for celebration, though. His new mission is to kill all the serial killers who are conveniently attracted to Kaeru’s brainwaves. This wasn’t just a conceptual left turn – this was a deliberate swerve off a cliff. Is there any hope of coherence for the last four episodes? Guess we’ll find out soon enough…

22/7 – 6

Mario: I only had time for episode 6 of 22/7, and it’s easily my least favorite episode out of this show. To its credits, I found the show’s characterization a tad bit more grounded than typical idol shows. I suppose the reason is that they are based on real idols instead of fictional ones, there’s a ring of honesty in the characters. Like the beginning of this episode where baby Reika fighting for her life feels genuine. In addition, I’m glad we get into the conflict as trivial as this one because when you think about it, teenage girls are usually fret about these tiny little things. But it doesn’t lessen the fact that this episode is boring and insignificant as hell.

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Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – 8 [The Grand Shibahama Festival!]

by Lenlo, posted in Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Welcome one and all to what is my favorite episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken yet. I laughed, I cried, and I all around loved it as 25 minutes felt like it went by in 5. So enough preamble, lets just jump into it.

Right off the bat, I have to admit, I legitimately teared up during Eizouken this week. I could feel the passion bleeding through the screen throughout the episode. But the part that really got me, that hit the hardest, was the Robot Club President. I loved his run through the campus, you could tell that this was the best day of his life. Both from the VA work of yelling out the OP to their anime to the ugly cries of joy under the costume. Terrify the neighborhood with spine-chilling Scary Halloween Costumes. It was simply infectious. It was a moment bought not through some grand battle or terrible stakes, no one was in danger here. Rather Eizouken created it through the combined passion and works of its characters. All of them pushing towards a singular goal that, even when at odds, they all loved. And it culminated both in the video and in this run.

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Magia Record – 07/08 [I Want to Go Home With You/ You Definitely Shouldn’t Respond]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Such a shame for a show that has one of the most impressive productions of the season such as Magia Record that its story can’t match up. Magia Record’s story has one fundamental issue: it’s currently a show where the main protagonists are in search for the plot. That’s why the show feels meandering at times, and its game mechanics are more relevant than ever with new quest/ new rumors. The worst part of it all is how the main storyline of Iroha looking for her lost sister Ui is repeatedly put into sideline, with each mystery case doesn’t have any direct connection to it. I, in particular, was waiting for some dreadful things to happen to Iroha when the luck countdown reaches zero, turns out though that nothing really happens at all. Throw in the already-confusing mix, we have the cult group Wing of Magius with questionable motive and even more questionable activity, Kyouko (one of my favorite characters in the original) randomly shows up and leaves as much impact as a mosquito bite.

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The Case Files of Jeweler Richard – 06/07 [Perilous Turquoise/ The Jade of Succession]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, The Case Files of Jeweler Richard

I certainly didn’t see that coming at all. While Housekishou Richard-shi still utilizes its episodic format, the last two episodes reveal some backstory regarding our pretty boy and very quickly that plot thread becomes my favorite part of the show. So far, we see Richard as an all-too-perfect specimen that it’s hard to regard him as a full-fledged human. Not until the closing scene of episode 6 that is. Throughout the previous episodes we have seen how Richards always ticks off whenever people (especially Seiki) comment on his good look, and episode 6 expands on that with the case regarding scammers who try to sell their fake gems to young girls. Normally this could be a cause for our local hero Seigi to stir up, but surprisingly it’s Richard who does. Richard’s scheme is a bit far-fetched if you ask me, but it’s all the service of that flashback at the end. It turns out that Richard used to be a schemer who uses his good look to deceive customers, and with that he suddenly appears to be much more complex than he normally lets on.

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Dorohedoro – 07 [All Star Dream Game]

by SuperWooper, posted in Dorohedoro, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense

This is my new frontrunner for Best Episode of the Season. I had heard rumors about Dorohedoro’s legendary baseball chapters, but this thing surpassed my vague expectations by several miles. What’s most impressive about it is the huge number of genres and moods it cycles through, despite featuring one of the craziest sporting matches in anime history during its second act. Hell, the baseball game itself was a pitch perfect mix of action, comedy, drama, horror, and even a dash of romance. I usually take notes while watching episodes I plan to blog, but for this one? Not a chance. The whole thing ought to be experienced, rather than analyzed, but I’ll try my best to put out something decent. Hit the jump if you want to read my thoughts instead of just re-watching the episode, for some reason.

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Runway de Waratte – 7 [Aura]

by Lenlo, posted in Runway de Waratte

Runway de Waratte did it again, doing great with half the episode and falling apart in the 2nd. It’s a shame that a show can have such a compelling character in Chiyuki, and such a boring on in Itsuko. Still, no use whining without proof, lets dive in! And apologies for the wait, I was guesting on the r/anime awards livestream and that took up some time.

First up, the good, which is mostly Chiyuki. Seriously, Chiyuki is the best character in this show. Everything that is wrong with Itsuko is good with her and her story. We need only look at this episode for proof. Throughout the first half, Chiyuki actively faces challenges and discrimination. Runway doesn’t just tell us that short models have it tough, but actively shows us. With Hasegawa’s manager putting her down, the client putting her in the back, etc. We actively see her struggle to get work, passing out her card and doing her best to network. She brings multiple sized heels and sells herself based on the contents of the shot. All the while not being so proud as to whine about the work like the other models. None of this even really goes into her character, which is great.

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Neon Genesis Evangelion – 21/22 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

Welcome to this weeks episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, as presented by the History channel. This week we get into the history of one major character and multiple tertiary characters. Touching on everything from the origin of Angels to Asuka’s family! So without further ado, lets dive in.

Starting off, we have an infamous scene I want to look at this week. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it, it’s the elevator. And my opinion is… it’s not as bad as people joke. I understand what Anno was going for here, portraying the awkward silence between these two characters. Showing rather than telling, until eventually Asuka cracks, since Rei never would. That makes sense. However, it’s not near as brilliant as the supporters say, it serves its purpose. The issue though is that this was an incredibly dull 50 seconds of a mostly static image. Nothing really happened to break it up, excluding Asuna coughing once. There was no elevator music to keep someone even slightly invested. It just say there, until the viewer checked their stream/video to make sure it hadn’t froze. So from a narrative standpoint it works, but entertainmentwise it fails miserably.

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Chihayafuru S3 – 18/19 [The Storm Will Soon Carry Me/Bring a Life of Everlasting Love]

by SuperWooper, posted in Chihayafuru, Finished Series: Sports

Early in Chihayafuru’s first season, a young Arata told his new friend, “If you become the best in Japan, you become the best in the world!” He was speaking, of course, about karuta – the obsession of nearly every character in the series. There’s no money or fame to be gained from playing it, but an obscure sort of glory awaits two winners at Omi Jingu each year. Their victory places them atop a list of seven billion people, most of whom will never hear of karuta, much less sit down to play a game. Nevertheless, the allure of being the world’s best is sufficient to attract a small but devoted crowd of competitors. These two episodes are dedicated to four of them, each of whom play the game for different reasons, but all of whom fiercely desire to stand at the summit of the karuta world. Let’s go through them one by one, shall we?

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State of the Season – Winter 2020

by SuperWooper, posted in State of the Season

Wooper: Give yourselves a round of applause for making it to mid-February, everyone! Your reward is our third ever State of the Season post, where our regular contributors talk about which seasonal anime they’re enjoying (and which ones they aren’t). This won’t be quite the hot take bonanza it’s been in seasons past, since Amun’s real life has demanded real attention in 2020 thus far. Mario, Lenlo and I are here to talk about our winter favorites, though – read on to see which writer has the best viewing habits and opinions.

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

Mario: Dorohedoro. It says a lot that after halfway point it still manages to surprise. While it can feel random at times, I’m more eager than ever to see what kind of madness and trippiness and bloodiness Dorohedoro is gonna throw at me next. And I’d take them all with pleasure. Also, Kyokou Suiri with its lengthy dialogues but ultimately enjoyable chemistry between its cast.

Lenlo: Dorohedoro. I almost regret not trying to take it up from Wooper, because this thing is madness. Every week we go a bit further down the rabbit hole, down Dorohedoro’s special brand of insanity, and I love it. I have very little idea what’s going on, but I honestly don’t think that’s very necessary to enjoy the show at a base level. It’s there if you want some silly fun and it’s there if you want something with little bits of info hidden around every interaction.

Wooper: Eizouken, for sure. I love both anime and metacommentary, so a series that deals with the creative process, the intersection of finance and art, and the medium of animation is right up my alley. It doesn’t hurt that the characters have great designs and dialogue, either. No matter what the motion picture club gets up to each week, it’s sure to be informative and entertaining.

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