Spring 2023 Super Post with Amun

by Amunchet, posted in Anime Reviews, Reviews by Amunchet

Welcome to my last-minute reflections on Spring of 2023.  There are many reviews in this post instead of a focus on a specific show (hence, the “Super Post” designation), so be warned of the length!

TL;DR: I was pretty disappointed by several of the marquee shows, so the following post may be flame inducing.  I’m not that worried, but if differing opinions on anime triggers you (not to be confused with the studio, lol) then be warned…I might have some not nice things to say about some of this season’s shows.

Let’s go!
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Kemono no Souja Erin – 9/10/11/12 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kemono no Souja Erin, Throwback Thursday

Welcome all, to week 3 of Kemono no Souja Erin! This week continues our time with Jone, teaches us a bit more about honey bees, and drops some politics on us before tossing our next big plot-hook at us. We have a fair bit to talk about this week, so lets dive into it!

First we have episode 9, “Honey and Erin”. This one was a whole lot of Erin learning about her new home, about bees, and what Jone does. Getting to know him, getting acquainted with the house, learning about his way of life. Basically last episode she was still reeling from losing her mother, this episode she starts adapting to her new circumstances. That doesn’t mean that Soyon is in the past, Erin still spends a decent amount of time reflecting on her. Whether it be a comment from Jone that makes Erin think of her or something else that triggers a memory, Soyon is still going to be important for a while moving forward it seems. And that’s good! Losing a parent like this should be a pivotal moment in a kids life. It’s only a problem if the show wallows in it, which Erin doesn’t appear to be doing.

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Vinland Saga S2 – 24 [Home]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Vinland Saga

Welcome all, to the final episode of Vinland Saga Season 2! I won’t call this the grand finale, as that was last week. This one is more like an epilogue, the wrapping up of loose ends and a look towards the future. It’s a pleasant, happy ending to a story filled with loss and war. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now lets dive in!

All things considered, this was a rather quiet episode of Vinland Saga. A nice and relaxing one after the last couple that were emotional climax after emotional climax. As I said in the intro, in a lot of ways this feels more like an epilogue then it does a finale. And personally? I like that. It makes the season feel… Final. As if, assuming we never get a season 3 adapting more of the manga, we have gotten a complete story. And I think that’s a really good thing. A show shouldn’t end saying “But wait there’s more and you’ll have to wait to see it”. It should end in way that, if the next season never gets greenlit, we can feel satisfied. And with the way Vinland Saga tied it all back to season 1? I think it did just that.

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Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 Anime Review 48/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Action, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Reviews by Lenlo

Another year, another season of Kimetsu no Yaiba. As what is most likely the most popular, and profitable, current Shounen series being produced, it’s no surprise Kimetsu no Yaiba got a 3rd season. The thing probably prints money. So you would expect at least some of that money to make its way back into the series, either in the form of grander visuals, longer schedules, larger time frames, better writing, etc. Yet the sad truth is that we don’t appear to be getting any of that. In fact it appears to me that this 3rd season, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith Village, is the worst season we’ve got yet. Why could that be? It’s still directed by Haruo Sotozaki, still animated by Ufotable, and the original story still Koyoharu Gotouge. So why then is this the least excited I’ve ever been for the series? Let’s dive in and find out, but before you go on, which demon slayer hashira are you?

Be warned, this review contains major unmarked spoilers for Kimetsu no Yaiba Seasons 1/2 and minor unmarked spoilers for Season 3. It also contains major Season 3 spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 Anime Review 48/100” →

Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 – 11 [A Connected Bond:Daybreak and First Light]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kimetsu no Yaiba

Welcome all, to the double-length grand finale for Season 3 of Kimetsu no Yaiba! With double the runtime we have a fair amount to talk about this week, so lets jump right in!

Starting off my immediate question is: Did this need to be double length? Did it really? Personally, I would say no. Cut out a lot of the more useless flashbacks, the last minute tricks, the extended back and forth’s, this could easily have been a single episode. The only reason to make this a double feature is to add a bit of weight. That said, as far as endings go… This ain’t bad. In fact it’s better then I was expecting. We got a nice visual/setting change as the sun came up, a shocking amount of legitimately emotional gravitas, the first in the season, and some actually decent comedy. As far as endings go, this is more then the season deserved. At least until Yaiba managed to shoot itself in the foot. Again.

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Dr. STONE S3 Anime Review 75/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Dr.STONE, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo

Whether or not it’s actually the case, hat tricks feel kind of rare in anime. A 1st season? Simple enough, get your adaptation. A 2nd? Good job, you held out, already in the upper half. A 3rd?! Well that’s when you start thinking a show might actually get adapted all the way to end. And it’s those hallowed halls that Dr. STONE is stepping into. Animated by TMS Entertainment with original story by Riichirou Inagaki and original art by Boichi, Dr. STONE returns with a new director at the helm, Shuuhei Matsushita. How will his take on the best non-battle-battle Shounen currently being made compare to that of the original director, Shinya Iino? Can he bring it back from the brink after the dip that was Season 2? Well I’ll give you hint: Abso-freaking-lutely. This is the best season of Dr. STONE yet. So without further ado, let’s jump in!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Dr. STONE. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Dr. STONE S3 Anime Review 75/100” →

Dr. STONE S3 11 – [With This Fist, A Miracle]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dr.STONE

Welcome all, to the final episode of Season 3 of Dr. STONE! This week sees Kohaku break a rock, Senku connect with his dad and the team find the platinum. A fair amount going on this week, so lets dive into it!

So as far as finales go, Dr. STONE is a weird one. The actual content is good, there’s no denying that, and we will talk about that as we go. But as an experience… This feels more like the half-way point of a season then an actual finale. Yes, the platinum was retrieved and we know what our next steps are. But no one on the ship has been saved yet. Kohaku/Ginro/Amaryllis are still stuck in the Inner Palace. Ibara/Moz/Kirisame are still out there, and still dangerous. Nothing has really been resolved. It’s more like we’ve finally reached a point where both sides are on equal footing and a real conflict can start to take place. Like things are going to start heading towards a climax. And that’s a bit of a shame, because this is very much a “Wait for next season” sort of ending.

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Kemono no Souja Erin – 5/6/7/8 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kemono no Souja Erin, Throwback Thursday

Welcome all, to week 2 of Kemono no Souja Erin! This week is the conclusion to what I view as our “prologue”. We’ve got mystery, tragedy, and mediocre comedy! Lots to talk about this week so lets dive in!

So before we get to far into it I want to talk about the music. 8 episodes is enough to get a feel for that I think. Composed by Masayuki Sakamoto, Erin’s OST is really interesting to me. Most of the time it doesn’t have much going on, it’s very much in the background and doesn’t announce its presence. But every now and then it switches to these folksy insert songs, from childhood lullabies like “Lalalila Lalila” to these more emotional, family oriented songs I have yet to find the name for. While the core stuff doesn’t wow me, these are really good! And every time they come up they leave an emotional impact I wasn’t expecting, really accentuating a scene. They aren’t meant to be diegetic, as Soyon is still talking to Erin over the song. Yet they feel diegetic, and that gives them this extra unexpected weight.

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Vinland Saga S2 – 23 [Two Paths]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Vinland Saga

Welcome all, to the penultimate episode of Vinland Saga Season 2! Vinland Saga continues riding high this week with another heart wrenching episode. I’m going to do my best to avoid repeating myself this week, there are only so many times you can call something the “Best Anime of the Season” before it starts to get old. But it’s true. It is. Now lets jump into it.

The core of this weeks episode was the climax of Vinland Saga’s thematic arc as well as Thorfinn and Canute’s meeting. Personally? I absolutely loved everything about this. Yeah, it ends without conflict and they sort of just walk away from each other. On a purely physical level, you might see it as anticlimactic or unsatisfactory. But thematically? Narratively? This is the conclusion for both of them. As Canute puts it, Thorfinn came to him with nothing but a request. No manipulation, no ulterior motive, no plot or plan to trick him into something. Just a genuine, heartfelt, honest request. This is probably one of the few truly honest interactions Canute has had since becoming King. He can simply…open up to without fear of being taken advantage of or judged. And it’s because of that, this proof that the Vikings can produce someone like Thorfinn, that he chooses another road.

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Guest Post: Unearthed Treasure with Firechick – Kamichu! (84/100)

by Amunchet, posted in Anime Reviews

Amun:  Firechick is back with another throwback: Kamichu!  Check it out!

Rating: 84/100

Kamichu is an anime that I vaguely knew about, mainly through looking through Anime News Network, but it didn’t really catch my interest when I was younger. If I had watched this when I was a kid, I probably wouldn’t have liked it. But I was bored one day and decided to sit down and watch Kamichu, since I wanted something different to watch…and I’m really glad I did, because Kamichu is absolutely adorable and criminally underrated. It hasn’t even gotten a blu-ray release over here, and the last time it got released in America was in 2008, when FUNimation rescued it along with other Geneon titles to put out since Geneon kicked the bucket. I even like this series enough that I actually bought the old FUNi DVD boxset recently.
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