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.
Psycho-Pass 3 – 06 [Caesar’s Gold Coins]
Chihayafuru S3 – 09 [I Recall How My Own Efforts Were in Vain]
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.
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Fall 2019 Summary – Week 9
Wooper: Even as much of the West plunges into the madness of the holiday season, Japan keeps pumping out the good stuff week after week. Mario and Amun are still high on their favorites of the season, but one of my early frontrunners might not survive as part of this column much longer if it keeps slipping each week. That’s alright, though – our attention will soon shift to season previews, first impressions, and AOTY discussion. For now, though, here are some thoughts on a few seasonal shows we’ve been digging!
Hi Score Girl II 6
Mario: It all comes down to this. After Haruo x Hidaka match, after Oono x Hidaka challenge, it’s fitting that the final showdown between Oono and Haruo is going to end it once and for all. It’s also very fitting that this final match will be a SFII tournament in Osaka, when Haruo won but utterly felt that he didn’t deserve it. It takes witnessing Hidaka hugging Haruo for Oono to strengthen her resolve regarding Haruo, and it takes seeing Oono’s sad expression for Haruo to be honest with his feelings. Despite all the teases, Haruo has a good number of good people who are behind his back, but ultimately it’s between the main players now. The stakes are higher than ever (even without Haruo knowing it, they’re high for him as well). I also really enjoy the way Oono’s sister behaves when she finds out about Oono leaving soon. She’s the most outspoken character of this cast but we can sense a lot of feelings flowing through her at that time: guilt that she dumped all the responsibility on her sister, the sadness on Haruo’s behalf, her own sadness as well. It’s hard not to root for them all (and maybe scream at Oono’s parents for being dickheads. :))
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun 9
Wooper: Ever since Iruma acquired the Ring of Solomon, there’s been a question of how his character could evolve without falling back on its all-powerful magic. This episode answered that question with a training arc dedicated to dodgeball, of all things. Rather than present Iruma with an obstacle that would require a magical solution, it created a clever mythology for “execution cannonball,” a modern version of an archaic contest once held by demons. Even though the game is essentially a human one, Iruma still struggles to master it due to his skill at dodging things. So we watch as he dodges, and dodges, and dodges, then finally catches a ball in his practice sessions – and that’s the majority of the episode. Apart from that fun initial concept, the actual meat of the thing is overcooked and unseasoned. I much prefer this show when it’s in comedy mode, instead of worrying about Iruma’s rank at school, but his conversation with Ameri last week hinted at a shift toward the latter. We’ll see rather the show can achieve a good balance to close out 2019.
Hoshiai no Sora – 08
The list of unsupportive and abusive parents grows even longer with this episode, as Nao, Mitsue, and Yuta’s mothers join a handful of others in stifling their children’s self-expression. Yuta’s situation is the big one, given both the story and major themes on display this week, but we can start with Nao, as the mystery caller from the previous post-credits scene ends up being his mother. I was expecting the culprit to be either Toma’s mom or Maki’s dad – the former in a misguided attempt to reduce the burden on her son, or the latter as a means of sabotaging Maki’s friendships. Instead, Nao’s mom is a typical achievement chaser, pushing cram school onto her clearly uninterested child and telling him to quit that lousy sports team, already. She’s so locked into her own perspective that she asks her preteen son, “How could a barbecue be any fun when you can’t drink alcohol?”
Chihayafuru S3 – 08 [As Friends and Strangers]
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
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…).
Neon Genesis Evangelion – 4 [Rain, and After Running Away/Hedgehog’s Dilemma] – 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
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)
Fall 2019 Summary – Weeks 7-8
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.
Fire Force – 18 [Secrets of Pyrokinesis]
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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