Vinland Saga – 8 [Beyond the Edge of the Sea]

by Lenlo, posted in Vinland Saga

I hope everyone had a better weekend than Thorfinn, because Vinland Saga was not kind to him. This week he gets his duel with Askeladd, a peek into Askeladd’s worldview and finally Thorkell makes his anime debut. Let’s dive in!

Starting off, let’s take a look at the major themes of Vinland Saga this week. Thors’ philosophy of nonviolence has permeated the series since he was first introduced. It is something Vinland will be revisiting time and again. This week though we see it contrasted with what Thorfinn has become and how conflicted he is because of it. Wishing to live up to his father’s ideals, but also his own desires. This of course ties in to another theme of the episode from Askeladd, IE Freedom. The idea that no man is truly free, that everyone is a slave to something. We will focus on this the specifics of this later. For now though, it’s important to note that Thorfinn is currently caught between two competing ideals, those mentioned prior. And this idea of peace and violence for personal satisfaction is something every character will explore in a different way.

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Carole & Tuesday – 17/18 [Head Over Heels/ Only Love Can Break Your Heart]

by SuperMario, posted in Carole & Tuesday, Currently Watching:

In episode 17, Etergun receives the spotlight when he basically got the rug pulled off his feet and gains some back at the end of the episode. While the event played out is too quick for me to register his loss, it feels hilarious nonetheless that such a guy with high-esteem like Etergun can feel low and depressed at times. After all, he has to fight between Good Etergun vs Bad Etergun in his head, and the way he was scammed by his Pinocchio AI is a hood tweak on the beloved character. One thing that I feel amiss though, is that there is little to no interaction between him and Carole & Tuesday. Well, he did crash into their house but there’s hardly actual conversation between them, and guess who he wanted to sing for his new song? ANGELA. Well, isn’t that a betrayal of sorts? Kidding aside, the way he and Tao have a totally different approach towards AI music, but are pretty much acknowledge other’s style is another high note for me.

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Carole & Tuesday – 15/16 [God Only Knows/ A Natural Woman]

by SuperMario, posted in Carole & Tuesday, Currently Watching:

The last two episodes of Carole & Tuesday give the focus on 2 one-off characters, and frankly it doesn’t surprise me that these characters leave a much bigger impact than our central characters. Both Desmond and Flora have so much screen presence and the way the approach music, as well as how music affects their lives, leave something substantial to talk about. The show also provides a rare occasion where I greatly enjoy the whole music playing in these episodes. The music feel grandeur, and they pack with emotions unlike those songs from Angela. Not only do they serve as interesting characters on their own, they help broadening Carole & Tuesday’s own approach into music. As a whole, Carole & Tuesday the series sadly trades any thematic complexity for accessibility. If you were looking for a show with depth, you might come off disappointed.

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Kimetsu no Yaiba – 21 [Against Corps Rules]

by Lenlo, posted in Kimetsu no Yaiba

This week in Kimetsu no Yaiba is, for the most part, a calm one. As we wind down this arc Yaiba shows us the cracks in the Demon Slayers, Rui’s backstory and more of Muzan’s manipulative side. Let’s dive in!

Starting off, the flashback opening. As much as I was dreading the possible empathization of Rui, I think this was actually pretty good. As it focused more on Muzan than many of the previous flashbacks, mostly likely because Rui was a Moon. I will admit it was rather confusing to open an episode with it, as I was lost for a moment. But once everything was established the content managed to stand on its own. I am still not the largest fan of these, as using them to bookend every single arc has started to get old. I felt it could have been delivered as we went through Rui’s family. But getting Muzan in this one burst really helped it. Splitting the focus from an already defeated foe with our ultimate big bad, continuing to build him up. Sadly, with the manga still ongoing, we probably won’t get him though.

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Mix – 19-20 [Do You Envy Them?/In the Hands of a God]

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Sports, Mix

I said in last week’s post that Mix cares about all its characters, but really, these two episodes made that case most strongly. Just about the only member the show couldn’t find time for here was the owner of the ramen place where Haruka works part time. The opening of episode 19 was so focused on Ryou that I felt he might be the series’ new protagonist, before the pivot to a baseball-heavy episode 20 that gave us some of Koma, Imagawa, and Nango’s finest moments. You probably failed to recognize at least one of those names (I had to look up all three), but Mix didn’t forget them for a second. The main cast wasn’t neglected, either – Touma underwent a surprising development, while Otomi’s place in the background gave us another angle from which to appreciate her candid personality. I couldn’t be more pleased, really.

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Dr.STONE – 8 [Stone Road]

by Lenlo, posted in Dr.STONE

Everyone, this week is a big week for Dr.STONE. A lot of important things happen. We meet Suika, Senku creates Ramen and most important of all, Dr.STONE gives us our first major roadmap. Let’s jump in!

Starting off, let’s talk about the ever so important roadmap. We will be getting a few of these as we go through the series, and they act as arcs of sorts. Detailing our end goal and what Senku has to accomplish to get there. I have always enjoyed these roadmaps myself. Showing a bunch of the little details involved, yet never really downplaying how difficult these steps will be. While I can’t speak for the validity/exactness of the science, the general idea behind it seems sound enough as well. It would be very interesting to get an actual scientists interpretation of it all. Overall though I think it’s a novel idea on how to structure an arc. Not around a villain, but a goal with a clear end and pathway. The only question being how the characters will accomplish each goal.

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Fate/Stay Night Heaven’s Feel – II Lost Butterfly Anime Review – 91/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Reviews by AidanAK47

Long time no see and strap in cause this is going to be a long one. I will preface this review with the assumption that you have seen the first movie of this trilogy and this movie as well as the assumption that whomever is reading this knows what a command spell is. So basically expect spoilers after this first paragraph while I place my general thoughts at the beginning. To throw my final estimate on this right now I will say that Heaven’s Feel II is just as good, if not better than the movie preceding it. Ufotable truly have done great work in bringing this route to life and with two movies out of three adapted as well as this then as long as Ufotable doesn’t make any major missteps in the last movie this will be considered a perfect adaption with only nitpickers trying to amplify its flaws(Take note that nitpicking is to follow this paragraph.) The animation is steller, the music is…well I think Kajura held herself back enough to make my usual complaints of her less evident, the adaption of the source ultimately makes it better by cutting out the bloat and extending fight scenes which were originally nonexistent and the atmosphere and pacing is engaging from start to finish. For those curious I will confirm that yes there is a sex scene in this movie though temper your expectations as it is a sex scene on the level of which you would see in a PG rated romantic comedy. So I am afraid you will once again have to rely on doujins if you require some porn. Funny as it is though I would say that the strongest element of this movie isn’t the fight scenes, character interactions or the further developments of the holy grail war. But the show stealers here is when the story veers into horror as it’s there where Kajura’s soundtrack truly excels and highlights the utterly unnerving nature that the villain of this piece is. The “shadow” captures a near Lovecraftian level of unknown malevolence and any time it’s on screen is a showcase of just how powerless anyone is to oppose it. The combination of CGI and 2D animation makes it truly otherworldly and unsettling, almost making the uncanny effect its advantage. The story is dark to the point of giving Fate/Zero competition as developments long awaited and wished are finally happening to the cast. If there is a detriment it would be that some great scenes with Illya and Kirei were cut to make the runtime reasonable which is understandable but somewhat disappointing. So if you have already watched the first movie and was interested enough to move on to the second then I doubt you need my encouragement to continue.

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Mononoke -3 [Sea Bishop Part 1] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Mononoke, Throwback Thursday

Ah, another week, another terrifying horror arc from Mononoke. This week we meet a character who is both new and old, get to take a ride on a ship, and see some of the Medicine Seller’s hidden personality. Let’s jump in!

Starting off, lets go over the setup and premise for this arc. Instead of a brothel, it looks like Mononoke is going for more of a naval story this time. Though not without its own continued flare. Turning the entire ship into a sort of mobile aquarium, covering it with flags and such. There are no attempts to stick to reality here, because the whole thing is presented as a stage play still. The dramatization allowing it to sell everything while still keeping the horror I feel. Mononoke also setup the mystery this week rather quickly. Immediately going to the compass and the magnetic bar. No questions as to what happened, just who. What I liked about this though is that Mononoke took the time to give each character motivations. Reasons for doing so, even our lead. It’s the sort of thing a mystery thrives on.

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State of the Season: Summer 2019

by SuperWooper, posted in Other:, State of the Season

Wooper: Like a summer heat wave that just won’t end, anime is forever new in the eyes of seasonal watchers. Here at Star Crossed, we grind out countless episodic posts in an effort to keep up, but today we’re doing something a bit different. We’ve decided to call it “State of the Season” – a quarterly report on what we’re watching, what we’re most enjoying, and what we’ve dropped like a hot potato. This is our first time doing this sort of round table post, so it’s a chance for you to see which of our writers you’re most aligned with, and who among us has bottom tier taste. Ready? Let’s get started!

 

What show are you enjoying that you’re not reviewing?

Amun: Granbelm.  Normally I’m not into Mech or Mahou Shoujo, but this is pretty good.  Latest episode is lit!

Wooper: Dumbbell. It’s this year’s Yuru Camp – informative CGDCT that builds its characters enough to create real friendships between them.

Lenlo: Dumbbell. Everything tells me I shouldn’t enjoy what is basically a fanservice workout show. Yet I am all about that Fitmoe life, I enjoy the educational part of it, and Machio is a lovable beefcake. Sidenote: I hated Yuru Camp >.>

Mario: Two shows for me, the first one being Wasteful Days of High School Girls. I have a soft spot for these slice-of-life comedies that play with character tropes, but even then nothing prepares for this show’s quirkiness. I enjoy the tongue-in-cheek humor and I love every character. The second show is Lord El-Melloi II, which manages to make the whole Fate universe interesting in my eyes. And that is such an accomplishment.

Helghast: Ramming my way through Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba since I heard about the hype surrounding episode 19’s final five minutes. It’s alright so far with ufotable’s stellar animation propping up the show. 

Armitage: Dumbbell for me too. It’s such an easy watch. And each week, I feel more motivated to get off my couch and you know whispers exercise.

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