Dance Dance Danseur – 9 [I Wanna Get Better, Too!]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dance Dance Danseur

Welcome everyone, to another week of Dance Dance Danseur! Apologies for the wait on this one. I haven’t stopped, just been rather busy since I started grad school and its left me feeling a bit more tired than expected. Excuses aside though, lets jump right into this weeks episode!

This was an interesting week, as we seem to be coming to a head on both Jumpei and Luou’s stories. Or at least this arc of them. Jumpei’s is going about as I expected, he’s been offered the scholarship by Oikawa and must now choose between her and Chizuru. About what I predicted right? But there’s an added layer here from Danseur that I wasn’t expecting: Natsuki and Miyako. I said last week that I wasn’t expecting any kind of romance to happen this season, but now we have a full blown triangle situation. And on top of that, they both seem to represent something different in the story. Like Miyako is personal expression, feelings, romantic love and everything we saw Jumpei exhibit in the Swan Lake performance. Meanwhile Natsuki seems to almost represent the institution of ballet itself, the ideal Jumpei seems to be striving towards. It’s… interesting.

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Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These – 34-36

by AidanAK47, posted in Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These

For once my choice to split these posts into three episode summaries works to my benefit as we got a three part closer to our season of LOGH. It’s a wonder if I can find enough to talk about for a full post as in general this is mainly action and strategy which oddly enough are usually LOGHs weakest episodes in the original series. I have likely mentioned it once, twice, if not many times but the original LOGH is not something you watched for the space battles. While there are certainly aspects of the original series which beat out the remake like episodes which gave better perspective to certain conflicts and design choices, if it’s one area the remake beats the original it’s in visual presentation. The original had its moments of great animation, for the most part battles meant watching boxes fire lasers at each other. The remake gives these battles a much needed visual punch even if the end result is still along the lines of boxes firing lasers at each other.
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Welcome to the NHK – 3/4 [Welcome to the Beautiful Girls!/Welcome to the New World!] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Throwback Thursday, Welcome to the NHK

Welcome back everyone, to another week of Welcome to the NHK! We are covering 2 more episodes this week as we watch Sato be pulled further and further down the Hikikomori rabbit hole. Will he be able to find his way out? Or will he become a pitiful fool forever? Lets talk about that!

Starting off lets talk about the production, because NHK had some really cool shots this week. The standout to me being the White Whale/Captain Ahab sequence in episode 3 as Sato experiences Google image search for the first time. It was so creative, I absolutely loved the crosshatch shading, pink tint and full on sailor outfit. NHK may not be consistently animated but it is consistently creative, and it’s great. This wasn’t the only time in the episode I thought this either! Sato running out the door into a burst of light, or his slowly degrading visual health. NHK did a great job with the visual metaphors in these episodes. Really helping to sell what is happening more than any narration can. The only bad part, visually, was in episode 4. Though I will wait to talk about that until we get there. Now on to the episodes themselves!

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Spy X Family – 8 [The Counter-Secret Police Cover Operation]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Spy X Family

Welcome everyone, to another (late) episode of SpyXFamily! I apologize for the delay. Memorial Day weekend has been busy for me and I wasn’t able to watch this episode until now. You know how it is, what with family and everything. No more excuses though, it’s time to get on with the show!

This was another pretty standard week of SpyXFamily. And by standard, I mean what is quickly becoming the standard: A great mix of wholesome family moments and layered, clever comedy. About the only negative thing I can say this week is that this sort of bottle episode, taking place primarily for one scene in one location, didn’t leave much room for any impressive animation. It had some expressive faces, which were nice. Yuri, Loid, Anya and Yor all had some very amusing reactions. But none of the movement was particularly impressive or technical. This isn’t that big a deal, SpyXFamily is a comedy series and all the jokes still landed, so mission accomplished. I think of it more as a missed opportunity to heighten the source material like has been done before. Considering the length of the show though, maybe we shouldn’t ask to much.

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Dance Dance Danseur – 8 [Oh, I Wanna Do It Again!!]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dance Dance Danseur

Hello, and welcome to another week of Dance Dance Danseur! This is an odd episode if I’m being honest. There are scenes I really like, but also ones I find really concerning. Which is which? Lets jump in and find out!

So if I’m being honest, visually, this episode looked pretty rough. There were a few good shots with Natsuki practicing alone, and her jump/dance with Jumpei in the second half was fine. But by and large the episode relied on static models and flashy post-processing backgrounds rather than smooth or intricate character animation. There simply wasn’t much impressive going on! And beyond that? I think the episode was kind of a mess. Characters had rough, imprecise linework all over the place. It felt like we were zoomed in on wide-shot low-detail versions of the designs. I’m all for rough, thick linework. But that’s not Danseur, that isn’t a stylistic choice. It’s just evidence of MAPPA Melt starting to set in.

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Welcome to the NHK – 1/2 [Welcome to the Project!/Welcome to the Creator!] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Welcome to the NHK

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another season of Throwback Thursday. This time we are watching the otaku-fueled think piece Welcome to the NHK. There’s a lot going on here, with a lot to talk about, so lets jump right in to it!

First up we need to talk visuals. While the animation isn’t anything to write home about, Yuusuke Yamamoto’s direction does a lot to cover for that. NHK has some pretty creative visual metaphors, augmented with some snappy direction and scene editing. I’m talking about creative camera angles or smart use of close ups and expressive faces to really sell a scene. I especially like the detail put into the environment, really hammering home the listless and stagnant nature of the Hikikomori lifestyle. Aside from a few overly perverted scenes, which if we are being honest fit into the Otaku headspace very easily, I think NHK earns passing marks. And maybe, as we leave the house and get out more, the animation will have more room to shine and we can see more of those detailed environments! Only time will tell. Now on to the spoilers!

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Spy X Family – 7 [The Target’s Second Son]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Spy X Family

Welcome back everyone, to another episode of SpyXFamily! I have another really good episode for you this week, a fantastic balance of comedy and wholesomeness, so lets jump right into it.

Like I said, I think this was another absolutely perfect episode of SpyXFamily. The balance of comedy to wholesome family moments was spot on. Giving us just enough to laugh at while still progressing the family dynamics. Meanwhile the jokes themselves were, once again, layered and filled with punchlines. The best jokes in SpyXFamily’s arsenal are the ones that play on character expectations, with multiple characters being present and having their own punchline, as well as audience knowledge of what is actually going on. As an example, lets take a look at my favorite joke of the episode: Anya apologizing to Damian while Loid watches on.

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Dance Dance Danseur – 7 [Ah, I’m So Embarrassed]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dance Dance Danseur

Welcome back everyone, to another episode of Dance Dance Danseur. This week continues Jumpei’s journey of learning what ballet really is while Luou figures out the power of friendship! Or rivalry. Unsure which yet, to be honest. Regardless, lets jump into the episode!

Starting off I want to say that this was a very good looking episode. It didn’t have any big, flashy, explosive sequences like episode 5, true. However it did have a lot of incredibly solid character acting. Especially the Russian dancer! It’s very rare that an anime describes someone as “graceful” and then the animation actually backs that up. The way this guy moved was so smooth, it’s like he was animated on 1s rather than 2s. He certainly stood out compared to everyone else, that’s for sure. On top of that the scene of everyone doing pirouettes looked great as well. Obviously not to the same degree, aside from Luou who continues to be beautiful, but good nonetheless. I especially liked the focus on posture and axis for Jumpei, who has been struggling with the basics. More than anything though, I think this episode was directed beautifully.

Lets take a look at an example.
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Now and Then, Here and There Anime Review 71/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Now And Then, Here And There, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday

There are few anime that I’d describe as profoundly “uncomfortable”. I’m not talking about rampant pedophilia or the questionable relationship with the word “consent” in some series. I just ignore those. What I mean are works that, through their themes and stories, really make you understand what it means to live through these events. I’m talking about works like Serial Experiments Lain and its exploration of our relationship with technology. Or Perfect Blue and how it can feel to lose your own identity. And while this series doesn’t quite reach the same heights as those other two, it certainly makes a respectable try. Created and directed by Akitarou Daichi, animated at studio AIC and with music by Taku Iwasaki, I give to you the subject of today’s review, the turn of the millennium dystopian tragedy: Now and Then, Here and There. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Now and Then, Here and There. It also contains major spoilers in some sections, but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Additionally, this series contains depictions of rape and sexual abuse, which I will mention in this review. You have been warned. Continue reading “Now and Then, Here and There Anime Review 71/100 – Throwback Thursday” →

Spring 2022 Summary – Weeks 4-6

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: A midseason offering from Wit Studio is as good a reason as any to write a check-in post, so here I am. There are a couple other anime I’m saving for a rainy day (Paripi Koumei and Healer Girl), so no thoughts on those for now – just continuing my Kaguya-sama streak and revisiting my premature claim that Summertime Render would be tops this season. Hope everyone is enjoying their spring so far, both in real life and in the world of animation!

Vampire in the Garden 1

Turns out Wit’s new vampire show is a five part mini-series, so I’m only previewing the first part here. I was disappointed by the length at first, but even 12 episode shows can collapse under their own weight these days, so concentrating your ambitions into a smaller space seems logical. And Vampire in the Garden is an ambitious project, make no mistake – it’s set in an alternate universe and centers on a costly human/vampire war, resulting in societal stratification and technological advancements that slot neatly into its world. What it doesn’t offer is innovation, since it borrows heavily from other dystopian fiction, especially ‘humans vs. monsters’ series like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Attack on Titan. There’s even a “wall of light” that keeps vampires out of humanity’s central stronghold – you probably don’t need three guesses as to where that concept came from. The story of a human and a non-human leaving their feuding tribes to search for a better life is similarly derivative, but Vampire in the Garden does a fine job selling the human side of things; Momo’s gentle temperament, love for outlawed art forms such as music, and fraught relationship with her mother leave her with few options but to flee her oppressive surroundings. We still need more details about vampiric society and Fine’s place within it, but now that they’ve escaped together, those ought to be forthcoming. I’ll watch this one until the end for sure, but based on the first episode, my expectations are set to “competence.”

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