Harada-sensei was robbed. I know that he’s not a main character, and I recognize that this tournament has kept Taichi and Arata in view since the beginning. Given that prior focus, it’s only natural that Arata, who made it all the way to the Western qualifier finals, would get the spotlight here. But Harada-sensei is the underdog in all of this! Battling against knee pain and general exhaustion, fighting to prove himself a worthy competitor despite his age, striving for a second shot at the Meijin after losing the title match decades ago – what storyline could possibly be better? Arata is my boy and everything, but the drama of this episode is ultimately the result of his poorly-timed bathroom break.
With the end of the decade is drawing near, it’s time for me to revisit one of my favorite franchises of this last decade – and my all times as well – Monogatari series. Monogatari series is one rare show that despite its extreme visual style and convoluted storytelling, it still draws a delicate fan-following and becomes one of the most popular and enduring franchises the last ten years have to offer. With an “Off-season” is around the corner (of which there is no official announcement for anime adaptation as of yet but hey, do you seriously think that Shaft will get pass this golden egg? – and of which I’m mixed about: it’s time to move on), the 10-year era from 2009-2019 follows the completion of Monogatari’s main arc, spawning 15 plus mini-arcs and an entire cast larger than a football field. Monogatari has its ups and downs for sure, and we will get to that in this ranking of all the Monogatari arcs, from worst to best.
Of course, as per any ranked list, there’s some rules that needed to mention here. Some arcs that consists of several mini stories – will be included as one (like the Sodaichi arc). This gets tricky, though, when you scroll back to the Bakemonogatari season, which contains 5 mini-arcs of the same theme, and the Japanese novels and English publishions differ in the way they arranging (split into 2 in the former and into 3 in the latter). I will go with NisiOisin’s original intention – 2 small arcs. ONA’s Koyomi Vamp and trilogy-movie Kizu are included as well, that make it a total of 18 arcs. Without further ado, let’s chase them down:
THE SKIPPABLES
18. Koyomimonogatari
[Koyomi Stone -> Koyomi Dead] / 12 short episodes
If there is one bad tendency of Monogatari series (it has quite a few, which I will run them down later), it’s that the series is too fond of its characters, to the point it doesn’t mind just spending time with them, even without any context whatsoever. This is essentially the existence of Koyomimonogatari, which contains 12 stories about Koyomi encountering with each girl over the course of 12 months. Except from the final chapter which is relevant to the main story (thus the only one you’ll need to watch), the rest is filler. To make it worse, the girls often shine because they have a personal arc. In this case, they just tab on their dominant traits and their usual banters with Koyomi and this results in them being one-dimensional. “This novel was written on a 100% out of whim.”, said NisiOisin, and that pretty much sums up this mobile-app adaptation, although he pretty much says this to all of his novels so take this with a grain of salt.
17. Tsukimonogatri
[Yotsugi Doll] / 4 episodes
Tsuki suffers from carrying the weight of the main arc and functions less as an independent chapter. The arc raises an interesting question about Araragi’s vampirinism, but proceed to do very little with that. The fact that it features Yotsugi as main character, whom is my least favorite girl (she’s grown on me since but she’s still the least favorite) doesn’t really help either. In addition, there is an extended bath scene between Araragi and Tsukihi which functions more as a reply to the infamous Toothbrush scene and one I consider my least favorite sequence of an entire franchise (another bad tendency of Monogatari series: fan-service is dealt up to 11 – sometimes I can get pass it, most of the time I just scratch my head). It’s also a curse for Tsukimonogatari to release right after a string of many great Monogatari arcs, so it’s unavoidable that this chapter feels like a massive letdown.
Once again, this week we have a double feature as I catch up on a week of missed Vinland. We have a lot to cover, as Canute meets his father, Thorfinn meets a blast from his past and Askeladd sees Bjorn off. Let’s dive in!
As always, before getting into the story, we have to open on Vinland Saga’s production. And in my opinion, there is a lot to love here. From Wits flowing fight animation, to some fantastic cinematography and detailed line work. For the first, you can see it most prominently when Thorfinn is training with the bucket. A short but sweet dash of combat in an otherwise dialogue focused episode. For cinematography, I am spoiled for examples, so much so it’s hard to pick from. It ranges from the obvious, with viewing Askeladd through the spider’s web, to the inspired. Such as how the assassination attempt was cut at the start of Episode 21. Really helping to sell what was happening until Askeladd revealed it all to us. And none of this is mentioning the detailed linework in the closeups. Suffice to say, I think Vinland Saga looks good. Continue reading “Vinland Saga – 20/21 [Crown/Reunion]”→
Wooper: With the Winter 2020 preview under construction, and piles of anime to cram before AOTY season arrives, it’s sometimes a miracle these blurbs are written at all. Still, fall has been good to us in terms of variety, so it’s only fair that we repay the favor. Here are our weekly thoughts on the shows that didn’t make the blogging rotation.
No Guns Life 9
Amun: NGL had a bit of a quieter week – I’m surprised to see the transition to another arc. I’m assuming this will be the final arc of the cour plus cliffhanger for the eventual second season (I think it’s done pretty well, so I’m hopeful). Necessary new character introductions, bust size joke, and some Juzo trauma for the Beruhumahumahuma executive – all perfectly serviceable as a setup for the big finale.
Kabukichou Sherlock 9
Wooper: I’ve lost my patience with this show. Irene’s abrupt death and Kirisaki Jack’s utterly forgettable appearances aren’t the final straw, but they’re pretty close to it. I know that Irene is very likely alive, and it might not even be Jack under the mask, but the show ought to imbue these sorts of deceptions with more weight. When a Sherlock-themed show ends on a cliffhanger that questions Moriarty’s involvement in Irene Adler’s murder, and it can’t even bring you to care about the answer, that’s when you know the whole thing is a wash. Watson’s whining about his lack of usefulness to Sherlock was pitiful, as well, unless it was some metacommentary on his irrelevance to the plot as as whole. And can somebody explain the purpose of the swoopy-haired detective’s bungling romance subplot? The girl is in it for the money one moment, then making things official the next, and riding him in bed two scenes after that. The only way this show can recover is if she ends up being Kirisaki Jack herself.
MHA is one of my favorite shows. But I have to admit that the pacing this season has felt odd. I think what’s disconcerting is Season Four feels like an introductory season…despite having 3 prior (and a movie). We have had several backstory episodes and a couple first day of work/setting introductions – not normal fare four seasons in. Someone could start watching from Season 4 and feel like the story is just starting off – granted, they would be incorrect, but that’s the impression I’ve had so far. Continue reading “My Hero Academia – 70/71 [ GO!!/Suneater ]”→
Episodes 19 and 20 of Fire Force are a tale of Two Anime. One is a fan-service filled mess, with uneven gags mixed in among mismatched action sequences. The other is an epic, and I mean EPIC, Fire Sniper Duel. Okay, so Episode 20 wasn’t actually all that bad, but it sounded more dramatic when I said it that way. In case you need more convincing…how often do you get to see a cute little nun straight up merc someone with a pipe?
Beastars again ups its games considerably this week, offers a darker and deeper takes to its themes. While there is a lot going on in this episode, they’re all interweaving and heading towards the same direction. It’s such a smart move, for example, to delve into Louis’s troubled past at this point of time. Not only we have a great grasp of his character and why he is the way he is now, we can also see the difficult choice and sacrifice he has to make, between Haru the girl he loves and his life goal. This flashback sure is cruel and terrifying – as terrifying as the current day’s plot – Louis remembers his past as a caged prey waiting to be butchered. Although unable to speak nor write, he holds his dignity high and that impresses his later-adoptive father (still, a cruel way to test his resolve). It’s the past that Louis’ trying to forget, but it’s also the past that ties with him and makes him the way he is now: full of pride, determined to be on top.
Hello all, and welcome to a double feature for Dr. STONE! Apologies for the missed week, but work called and I had to fly to Brussels. Such is the busy life of an adult. Regardless, it’s time to catch up! Onto the last two weeks of Dr. STONE.
Starting off, a general overview of the two episodes we are covering this week. It was a lot of the more human focused bits. Once again dialing in on how Science changes the villagers lives, giving purpose and such. From creating stoves to stay warm during winter to the “brain vs brawn” dynamics. Along with some just plain weird stuff, like Gen’s little working song. Still, while I don’t agree with all of these messages, that they exist at all makes for some interesting topics to talk about this week. As far as production goes, Dr. STONE once again keeps it all rather static. Lots of still shots, occasionally very pretty ones, with speed or focus lines to give the illusion of motion. It should be rather obvious by now, but Dr. STONE is not a particularly good looking show. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 22/23 [The Treasure/Wave of Science]”→
The plot thickens as Psycho-Pass’s spider web of connections splinters off in unforseen ways as it’s all starting to come together for the final two episodes.
What’s this? A Chihayafuru post going up the same day that the episode released? Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. I happened to have some spare time today, but more than that, “I Recall” was the rebound that the show needed after recent events, ping-ponging between half a dozen characters in two locations with great results. Years from now, when people look back on the third season, this episode will be seen as a stepping stone on the way to the Meijin and Queen title matches – but it accomplished much more than that. Sure, the matchups for the East and West qualifier finals are now set, but some of the best material here revolved around people who didn’t participate in the tournament. And then there’s Taichi, whose crushing loss in round 3 was given little time to resound, but whose character arc will certainly pivot on this moment.
