Fire Force is an anime that shows more than it tells. For that reason, I’ve saved up two episodes to have something more to talk about than a simple recap. Let’s go!
Continue reading “Fire Force – 9/10 [Spreading Malice/Promise]”
Wooper: Are you ready for the season of sequels? We’re getting 15 this fall – that’s the most since spring 2018, which boasted nearly 20. What makes this season special, though, is that 7 of those 15 follow-ups belong to high profile franchises. That means a huge number of anime fans will be following multiple sequels this season. Even putting aside blockbuster properties like Sword Art Online, Seven Deadly Sins, and Food Wars, we found seven continuations that were worth bringing to your attention. And for those of you who prefer first seasons and original works, there are plenty of those here, too. With five writers currently on board, we’ve got a thorough mix of tastes and preferences represented in this preview, so we hope you find something to get excited about this fall.
We’re bringing back expectation tiers this time, so you can tell at a glance what we’re really hyped for, and what qualifies as a mere curiosity. With 19 shows being previewed, there are a bunch we won’t be covering, but they’ll appear in the poll below. Let us know what you’re interested in – we’ll take the results into account when deciding what to blog this October.
Studio: Anima&Co.
Director: Harume Kosaka
Series composition: Yuichiro Higashide
Source: Original
Amun: Everyone has something where their head tells them no, but their heart says yes. For me, I gamble on original anime works – I’m really hoping to stumble upon the next big hit. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still trying (I guess I saw the first episode of Re:Zero in Japan before the hype, so that counts, right?). Also, I have a soft spot for straight man rookies thrown into exotic situations – I can’t help it.
Tokunana is exactly such a project. With a composer who was previously an eroge company’s in-house writer (and did Fate/Apocrypha, to be fair) and director Harume Kosaka, an industry veteran without a major project to call his own, Tokunana has low expectations. As an anime original, this looks like a second rate Ghost in the Shell.
BUT. The trailer looked good, character designs look crisp, and as long as the plot can stay on point, this could be a nice, one season action show. For the staff’s sake, you can’t help but hope that this breaks out as the next Battlefront Blockade – it’s unlikely, but I keep my hopes up until I see the first couple of episodes.
Studio: Revoroot
Director: Kiyotaka Suzuki
Series composition: TBA
Source: Novel
Mario: In any anime season, there is always a show or two that is destined to shake the waters – one that’s bold but utterly inconsistent, and sharply divides the audience. I’m thinking of Vatican Miracle Examiner or Kado the Right Answer a few years back, and it seems to me that Babylon is going to fit the slot. The premise about a prosecutor investigating and unveiling a whole underground conspiracy sure sounds juicy, and add to that, the original writer behind the novel is none other than the guy who wrote Kado’s script. Then we have the director who is behind other ambitious but messy works: FLCL Alternative and Psycho-Pass 2. Can’t say the art style in the PV looks that attractive, but even if this show turns out to be a hot mess, at least I’m sure that I won’t be bored by it.
Welcome all to another subdued week of Kimetsu no Yaiba everyone. This week is rather quiet comparatively, as we focus in on a few specific characters. Exploring Shinobu’s motivations, Tanjiro’s effect on others and Yaiba’s breathing techniques. So without further ado, let’s dive in.
Starting off, Zenitsu is really losing a lot of the good-will he earned recently. It’s not that the voice is bad, I think Hiro Shimono does a great job selling it. The range is impressive and his ability to be this god damn annoying is… impressive. But the character himself seems to have turned the dial back up to 11. Screaming about women, whining about medicine, and just seeming to take umbrage with every little thing. It’s not that I don’t believe such an individual can exist, more that I just detest the archetype in the first place. The sad thing is that we don’t even really have Inosuke to balance him out. Previously in the Wisteria House, Inosuke sort of reined him in with his own antics.Yet right now Best Boy is, rightfully, morose and subdued. A shame that one characters arc sort of takes away from another’s.
Continue reading “Kimetsu no Yaiba – 24 [Rehabilitation Training]”
DanMachi, you’re making this hard.
Overall, this season has been incredibly disjointed…the latest episode (10) is a perfect example of that. It’s like half the animation team is working on one fight, while the interns get the other (and debatably more important one!) In the same episode!
Continue reading “DanMachi2 – Episodes 9/10 (Berbera/Argonaut)”
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.
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.
Continue reading “Mononoke – 6 [Faceless Monster Part 1] – Throwback Thursday”
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.
Continue reading “Mix – 21-22 [If…/Affection for His Sister]”
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.
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.
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.
Continue reading “Mononoke – 5 [Sea Bishop Finale] – Throwback Thursday”