Chihayafuru S3 – 08 [As Friends and Strangers]

by SuperWooper, posted in Chihayafuru, Finished Series: Sports

Last week I labeled Mizusawa’s class trip an obvious maneuver to isolate Chihaya from the rest of her Class A rivals. To the show’s credit, though, it made the most of the opportunity, with many of its strongest karuta players making appearances. Even though we were blessed with an Inokuma match just a month ago, I was grateful for her return, and Sakurazawa’s competitive fire being rekindled is good news for more than just Eromu. Sudo was released from the penalty of his losing bet, and Harada-sensei’s bear mode was in full effect, proving that he’s still a beast even at age 57. Meijin Suou and Queen Shinobu made unconventional appearances at the West Japan qualifier, too, as foreshadowed last week. These are all worthy characters, but the real stars of the episode were Taichi and Arata. Were they able to carry the show with Chihaya sidelined in Kyoto? Fortunately, the answer is yes.

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Beastars – 08

by SuperMario, posted in Beastars, Currently Watching:

Beastars is in pretty good shape this week, as far as the narrative is concerned. We have a great amount of scenes between lovestruck Romeo & Juliet Legosi & Haru in this episode, and Beastars tangles its chemistry web by exploring the chemistry between Louis and Juno. I will start first with what I feel didn’t work too well this week, Juno’s development. When Louis comments that she’s overconfident, my immediate reaction was “nah”. We first saw her literally being bullied just 2 weeks ago, and the way she’s falling for, and declaring her love to Legosi is way too quick. I don’t see any chemistry between her and Legosi, although it’s by design since Legosi doesn’t really think much of her (but Hidaka in Hi Score Girl is basically the same role and she has such strong chemistry with Haruo and she’s the best girl, so…). 

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Neon Genesis Evangelion – 4 [Rain, and After Running Away/Hedgehog’s Dilemma] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

You know, I wasn’t expecting Neon Genesis Evangelion to actually give me exactly what I asked for. Typically I want something from an anime, and I am ignored, because I am some random guy on the internet. But this week Evangelion decided to listen, just once. Man, am I awesome. So without further ado, lets jump in and start talking about Shinji’s mental breakdown!

Starting, let’s clarify what this episode is about. This week Evangelion focuses in on Shinji’s character, really diving in to his issues from the first 3 episodes. Not just showing them to us, but helping define both sides of the problem. Showing us both Shinji’s insecurities and how he deals with things, and how Misato is coping and trying to connect with him. Showing a very real issue of miscommunication. and really making it clear how little they know each other. Its exaggerated a bit at times, but hey that’s drama. And my favorite part about all of this is that Evangelion didn’t just sweep it under the rug in a single episode either. Sure, I am not the biggest fan of whining Shinji, but whining Shinji with progress is a whole other beast. And that is exactly what we get, the start of Shinji working through his issues. Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 4 [Rain, and After Running Away/Hedgehog’s Dilemma] – Throwback Thursday” →

A Closer Look: Babylon and the Male Gaze

by SuperMario, posted in Random Anime Recommendations, Uncategorized

We’re currently moving to the new domain, so I figure it’s the perfect time to celebrate the event by writing this little essay. If you read my Babylon’s weekly summary you’d know that I am mixed on Babylon as a whole, but there’s one segment in that messy show that rile me up, that I find myself still thinking about it even now, and even inspires me to envision a whole new tale in response to it. I won’t trouble your time with the latter, though, but I’m here to critique that particular segment through a specific lens. There is no spoiler and it’s about the flashback of one character, so I encourage all readers, even to those who haven’t watched Babylon, to read through this mini tiny think-piece. [UPDATE: If you want, you can watch that sequence right after the jump, from the beginning to 11:40), no prior knowledge of the show required)

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Fall 2019 Summary – Weeks 7-8

by SuperWooper, posted in Other:, Weekly Summary

Wooper: It’s Thanksgiving and Black Friday week in the U.S., but we’ve got a new site to promote, so the flow of fresh content must proceed. Lenlo is off someplace being a responsible adult, but the rest of your weekly summarizers are on the case, this time with some bonus dual-writer impressions. Enjoy!

No Guns Life 6-7

Mario: Okay, I took over the writers board for No Guns Life this week. These two episodes focus on the new arc of Over-Extended assassination and for me this arc so far embodies many core aspects of NGL to great affect, from its body vs machine theme to the conspiracy behind using these Over-Extended as tools for war. As with most new arcs, the show introduces many new characters and although I’m not too fond of their designs, they are a bunch of interesting characters. You can see the CG models here and there but overall I think the show does a decent job of animating it. It’s a constant surprise for me to see that NGL still holds up week after week. Here’s hoping that it can land the ending soundly.

Amun: Much love to Mario for chiming in! I agree with everything he says, especially about the CG – I’m loving Cronen though. He started off a bit flat, but he brings an element of professionalism and rule following that the rest of the underworld cast has been lacking. Like Juzo, I agree that the major strength of the season has been the consistency of each episode – also have my fingers crossed for a good landing!

Mugen no Juunin: Immortal 7-8

Wooper: Oh lawd, that dog scene at the end of episode 7 was Not Good. Immortal’s cold opens present objects and symbols that are important to each story (the dog, in this case), but there’s no way those dirty rainbow filters and bouts of manic laughter were justified after the decapitation came to light. Hamasaki’s version of the story thus far has been a tone piece, but this just seemed tone-deaf. Even putting the dog aside, these were the show’s most brutal installments yet, largely because of Shira’s violence against prostitutes. The girl in the first one receives an especially tragic death, due to the symbolism of her glass ornament and the way it was positioned between the camera and her corpse. Watching him immobilize and then rape the second woman in episode 8 was nauseating, but there was something more than shock value at play there; Shira’s psychotic display forced Rin into action, even though he’s an ally in her fight against the Itto-ryu. Her thirst for vengeance has seemed absolute in the past, but now she’s willing to cut down someone like Shira, even if it lowers her odds of bringing Kagehisa to justice. Unfortunately, Rin isn’t a strong enough fighter to finish him off, but I have faith that she’ll get there before the series concludes.

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Fire Force – 18 [Secrets of Pyrokinesis]

by Amunchet, posted in Currently Watching:, Fire Force

I realized that while Fire Force has had many of the shounen troupes (some ad nauseam- see Cat girl), it’s been missing a training arc.  We had a tournament really early on (that got kind of derailed), we’ve had fanservice, fights, enemies-turned-friends….but we haven’t had a good, ole-fashioned, protag powerup.  Well, this week, we get it – and with the strongest Fire Soldier too!
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My Hero Academia – 69 [An Unpleasant Talk]

by Amunchet, posted in Currently Watching:, My Hero Academia

My first post on the new, shiny site!  Big shout outs to everyone who worked to get it up and going – Lenlo especially for shouldering the brunt of the technical issues and migration.  Everyone pitched in though, and it was a great feeling seeing everything come together!  Now we can stop playing with WordPress and get back to watching great anime!  Like MHA!
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Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These – 17-20

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These

We have our second batch of LOGH episodes and while the previous batch focused on the stirring of rebellions within both civilizations, this batch has the focus of those coup d’etats being executed and the consequences therein. I find the contrast between the two to be fascinating as both governments are undergoing the same problem but the perspectives are quite different. The Lippstadt alliance being the former privileged upper class attempting to reclaim their status all the while preparing to backstab each other if they succeed. Meanwhile the National Salvation Military Council are the very definition of the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” as they certainly have the best interests of the people at heart but their methods are more or less a repeat of the very thing that birthed the Goldenblum dynasty in the first place. It’s hard to claim that you are here to provide salvation while pointing guns at the people you claim to save.

I truly feel sorry for Merkatz in the Lippstadt alliance. He’s a man that clearly doesn’t want to be there and sees exactly how the whole thing is going to turn out. He wouldn’t even be there if he wasn’t blackmailed into participation yet he still tries to do his job to the best of his ability. Yet despite this the nobles of the alliance pretty much seem determined to rush into their own demise. Merkatz is the sensible man trying to herd a bunch of entitled selfish brats into saving themselves. He let them lose a battle on purpose hoping that would teach them some humility and get them to finally take Reinhard seriously. But instead they double down on their pride and fall straight for Reinhard’s traps, congratulating themselves all the while. Merkatz pain and frustration is all too visible when having the leader of the alliance walk straight into a trap, having to save said dumbass and then have that dumbass yell at him for not coming sooner. It’s a sad fact that this very thing echos current times far too well with people forced to make stupid moves all because of some incompetent man-child at the top of the command chain. The nobles of the Lippstadt alliance are a cautionary tale of just what is produced when someone is fostered under a social class of unearned privilege. Truly it’s almost a joke with how the Lippstadt Alliance more or less falls apart due to its own incompetence. Reinhard almost doesn’t have to do anything, the nobles do all the damage for him. From shooting their own ships to make an escape to killing one of their most loyal generals due to suspected treachery orchestrated by Reinhard. Continue reading “Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These – 17-20” →

Vinland Saga – 19 [United Front]

by Lenlo, posted in Vinland Saga

Another week, another fantastic episode of Vinland Saga. If last week dialed in on Canute, then this week was all about Thorkell and by extension Thors. And boy did I enjoy it. As Vinland Saga dives into their shared history, Thorkell’s regrets and Canute’s future. So without further ado, let’s dive in.

Before we get to the meat however, like always, PRODUCTION. WOOOOO TECHNICAL STAAAAAAAATS. Everyone’s favorite I know, but it’s something I love, so I am gonna keep talkin about it. Once again, Vinland Saga gave us two ends of the spectrum this week. From the fantastic animation of Thorkell’s short fight with Thorfinn, to the CGI boats on the ocean. Now to be fair, the CGI boats actually weren’t the bad. The pan out really helped hide the lack of detail, and there was enough going on on screen to distract you while they were there. The same can’t be said for the CGI soldiers in the background for a number of scenes, but hey. At least they were standing still so it might pass your notice if you weren’t paying attention. For the most part though, I enjoyed the picturesque visuals of it all. Now onto the meat! Continue reading “Vinland Saga – 19 [United Front]” →

Beastars – 07

by SuperMario, posted in Beastars, Currently Watching:

With this episode I have a good grasp of how to approach Beastars: it’s that of a grand star-crossed Greek play. That would fall neatly in place with the drama performance within the show, and explains Legosi’s heightened expression of love and jealousy at the end. This week, Beastars goes through the love quadrilateral and informs us about the chemistry between each pair. Everyone, especially Louis, encourages Legosi to go out with Juno, and certainly Juno has some affection towards our main boy. Legosi, however, turns her off with his talk about biology (it’s more like chemistry to me) and it’s quite clear that he only has Haru in his mind. Poor Juno who is already lost in a battle before it even starts.

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