Dr.STONE – 11 [Clear World]

by Lenlo, posted in Dr.STONE

Ladies and Gentleman who actually read these posts, this is an important week for Dr.STONE. As this week we meet Kaseki, perhaps the greatest old man of the season. Dr.STONE doesn’t stop there though. Introducing us to the wonders of glassmaking and giving us another heartfelt moment of technological progress. Enough of that though, in we go!

Starting off, Dr.STONE once again makes us appreciate the modern world through technological advances. The whole thing with Suika’s glasses was, in my opinion, beautiful. From discovering her issue, to making it clear this isn’t a defect or flaw. Dr.STONE really sells how much of an issue this would be in ancient times. Then, when it comes time for the grand reveal, the series knows when to hold back. No one says a word when Suika puts the helmet on. Letting her facial expressions and the scene itself sell the moment. Rather than telling the audience how to feel, it shows us. As someone who needs glasses in their day to day life, I loved it. It’s Dr.STONE once again slow-rolling the audience, without ever really screaming in our face, “APPRECIATE TECHNOLOGY”. If anything, the series sort of throws that at us back with characters like Kinro.

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Mononoke – 6 [Faceless Monster Part 1] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Mononoke, Throwback Thursday

And so begins another arc of Mononoke, though this one is shaping up to be my favorite so far. This week we get the introduction of a new spirit and a commentary of personal perception, wrapped in a fast paced episode. There is plenty to talk about, so let’s just dive in.

Starting off, the production. Visual wise, this week wasn’t particularly different from any other. There aren’t really any big set pieces in a series like Mononoke. We won’t be having someone like Nakamura coming in for a cut or two. What Mononoke did have this week though, was some fantastic pacing and direction. Really setting this arc apart from the others, simply in how fast it is. Zashikiwarashi was short, and slowly paced until the 2nd episode. Sea Bishop was long and slowly paced throughout the whole thing. Faceless Monster however is quickly paced, right out the gate. Throwing us right into the middle of the mystery, making the setup just as important as the final reveal. After the slow pace of the last arc, it’s very refreshing, and really drags you into the series immediately. As for the content itself, I enjoyed that to.

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Mix – 21-22 [If…/Affection for His Sister]

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Sports, Mix

It is well and truly baseball season on Mix, as one game leads straight into another in this doubleheader. I often refer to multi-episode posts that way, but this is the first to live up to the name. Meisei’s fluke of a win against Kaiou West paves the way for a pitcher’s duel in their destined semifinal match against Toushuu, where Touma exceeds all expectations (especially those of his brother). The series found some time for humor, parental pride, and extra-diamond rivalries during these two weeks, but baseball was the show’s prolonged focus for the first time in a long while. Overall, I’d say it managed the change-up with aplomb.

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Kimetsu no Yaiba – 23 [Hashira Meeting]

by Lenlo, posted in Kimetsu no Yaiba

This week Kimetsu no Yaiba picks up right where we left off last time. As Nezuko confronts her demonic side, Tanjiro doesn’t know when to quit while he is ahead and our two favorite boys return. Enough of that though, onto the episode itself.

This week was much better than last week, and I think I have identified why. Last week, Yaiba spent the entire 23 minutes in a single scene, the same location. However much happens in that scene, is established in that scene, it still left me feeling like we hadn’t really gone anywhere. Overall it gave me a feeling that things had slowed down, regardless of what actually occurred. Something to break it up would have really helped I think. As far as this week though, Yaiba does just that. Transitioning us out of the Hashira meeting as we follow Tanjiro. Then bringing us back at the end to close out the episode without really losing the thread of what was happening. Even if the same amount of things happened in both episodes, this one felt more progressive. Which I feel is important. Enough of that though, onto the meat.

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Dr.STONE – 10 [A Flimsy Alliance]

by Lenlo, posted in Dr.STONE

This is a tough week for Dr.STONE, as it has to follow up the brilliant “lightbulb” of last week. However, for as much as it serves as cool-down episode, I think this week succeeds. As Dr.STONE temporarily closes the book on Tsukasa, introduces a new antagonist for the Village, and a great alliance is formed. Let’s dive in!

Now as I said, this week was for the most part slower than last week. As it spends its time establishing new threats and having Gen make a decision. Yet, enough happened outside/around that, to make it feel like a lot happened in a short amount of time. The big one though that really broke up the episode was Magma’s reappearance. Oof, how was that for a surprise? It effectively broke the episode in two. Ending the jovial nature carried over from last week, for a more focused one with the upcoming Grand Bout. It also had some of Dr.STONE’s most brutal animation. Really selling Gen’s assault and setting Magma up as a villain. Even as a manga reader, I had forgotten what had happened between the Lightbulb and the Grand Bout. A pleasant surprise for me. Now though, onto the details.

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Mononoke – 5 [Sea Bishop Finale] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Mononoke, Throwback Thursday

Fair readers, if the first arc of Mononoke was a Horror, this one is without a doubt a tragedy. As the Sea Bishop closes with unexpected twists, deep seated guilt and somber tune. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

This week, Mononoke closed out its second arc, the Sea Bishop. Compared to the first, it could hardly be called horror, though elements of that were there. A kind of internal horror, one of character and internal strife. Similar in ways to Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Though much more subdued I feel, since that secondary nature really only came out near the very end of the arc. For me it felt more like a character study, or perhaps a tragedy of some kind. Without a doubt at least the Bishop’s character is a tragic one I feel, though we will get into that later. Suffice to say though, before getting into spoiler territory, that I quite enjoyed this finale. I think Mononoke did a great job with presentation, with plenty of tiny details to pick up on throughout. But enough of that, onto the meat.

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Kanata no Astra – 10 [Culprit]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Kanata no Astra

I hope you watched the episode before reading this review because there’s heaps of spoilers below.

Kanata no Astra’s plot sure gets thicken quickly, as this week it drops two Earth-shattering (pun-intended) twists: the first being the disparity between Astra’s history and the Earth’s, and the second being the revelation of the traitor. Again, fair shares of great and not-so-great developments towards the Earth/ Astra plot. On one hand, I just love how the reveal doesn’t betray anything the show has built up so far. In fact, when the kids (and we) realize that the dead planet they tumbled right at the start was indeed the Earth, it all adds up in terms of significance. The journey has always been the journey from Earth to Astra, from one civilization to the next. If we’re talking about the leaf from ancient to new society, our kids walk that very step. Function-wise, this new flush of information makes sense how the kids came across the ship in the first place. On the other hand, Polina’s reaction to all that is just… so self-serious and I’m not sold one bit of that. Yeah, the Earth as she knows it might be destroyed, but if she aware about the comet hitting the Earth, she can figure out that they could’ve come from the new planet, right?

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Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note – 07-09

by HelghastKillzone, posted in Currently Watching:, Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note

Until the end of the season, Lord El-Melloi II will be adapting its fourth and fifth volume of Rail Zeppelin storyline. I can see why the director went with an anime original content for the first half as the first three volume would have worked better as movies rather than weekly episodes. It’s all builds up to a magical train where are Mystic Eyes up for auction, murders and Gray not backing down from a servant fight.

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Cop Craft – 09 [A King Maker]

by SuperMario, posted in Cop Craft, Currently Watching:

While I am all for show that moves at its own pace – thus having the length as they see fit, Cop Craft would benefit better if it fits the whole body-swap affair into one single episode in my opinion. I know it sounds contradicting to my usual complain of Cop Craft (too rush), but looking back to this case I realize that the plot isn’t at all dense to merit that much length. I don’t necessarily think of it as a flaw, either, just to say that the whole decision-making regarding which chapters to adapt and how long for each case have been… weird.  Still, our Tilarna’s desperation to take the crossbow back, and the realization when she wakes up to find a guy seeing her butt-naked (no sexual tension, but still… HAHA), are all hilarious moments. Even more hilarious when you realize that if they have done nothing, the result would be the same anyways (the crossbow being destroyed negates the effect it had). While this case might appear to be slight, imagine what devilish things could have happened if this magical bow falls to the wrong hand. As for me, the body-swap story is still a delight.

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DanMachi 2 – 8 [Killing Stone (Ephemeral Dreams)]

by Amunchet, posted in Currently Watching:, DanMachi

Hi everyone. Everybody okay after that episode? I think everyone who watched this week’s DanMachi needs to take a moment and have a circle hug. Just some nice pats on the back, some nice happy thoughts.

Alright, if everyone’s feeling a little better, let’s talk about this episode a bit.

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