Winter 2020 Summary: Week 10

22/7 – 09

Mario: 22/7’s attitude towards the idol industry is amusing. Cynical, but also accepting the fact that “being an idol is all about being exploited”, this attitude, plus the fact that they are willing to be manipulated by the orders of the Wall (yeah, the Wall is a massive jerk this week), make the cliffhanger very intriguing. How these girls deal with the new order will tell you exactly the ambition of this show. As for the main story this week, well, Ayaka is the main focus this week and as per 22/7’s standard, the flashback is way more interesting than the current event. In fact, except from taking open air onsen and eating hot pot, our girls do nothing. Ayaka’s flashback though, about her chemistry to her sisters is much more well-developed. Depending on how you look at the show, 22/7 is either smarter than it lets on, or blindfolded by how it does acknowledge the exploitation aspect of the idol industry, yet does nothing but accepting it.

ID:Invaded – 11

Wooper: I’ve got to hand it to whoever is handling series composition for this show: they’re bending over backwards to tie all of its illogical developments together. Every time Sakaido said “which must be why” during his fits of mid-sandstorm rationalization, I lost five IQ points. After every reference to Fukuda or Hondomachi’s brain holes giving them convenient mental functions, I took a shot. Every time John Walker was painted as a mastermind despite the impossibility of his influence, I fell deeper into an anime-imposed stupor. After half the episode, I was dumb, drunk, and drowsy – the perfect state of being to watch ID:Invaded. But hey, we learned John Walker’s true identity and saw Kiki wearing a bio-suit in a state of suspended animation! At least the show is playing its strongest cards at the appropriate time.

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun – 09 

Mario: hmm, I might drop this show as it doesn’t resonate to me at all and the tone is still all over the place. For every solid twist like the fact the main villain girl is bound by contract with Hanako twin brother, we have Nene acting loudly or someone saying creepy lines. The story progresses naturally, but at this point I’m not sure if it can wrap up in the last 3 episodes and I’m pretty sure that I won’t follow the second cour if it happens. As for the plot, Nene goes back to Hanako’s timeline before he dies, and it could work to really know who Hanako is and what is his deal with the “twin-brother”.

Oshi ga Budokan – 09

Wooper: The New Year’s episode brings with it a much-needed dose of reality, as ChamJam take a month’s break from performing, and Eripiyo is subjected to the needling of her normie relatives over the holidays. Nonstop live shows and fan events will put any idol series in a serious rut, since the “moral” of those stories will inevitably be, “Support your favorite idol!” Even without their weekly concerts, though, the scenes where the ChamJam girls hang out or visit a shrine together feel like miniature performances. That’s part of the fantasy that OshiBudo is selling, I guess, but I’d have loved to see them step away from their clearly-defined personas during the break. Adding humanity to your characters will make people identify with them more strongly – unless your fanbase is totally delusional, that is.

Somali to Mori no Kamisama – 09

Mario: After some highs that were the last few episodes, this week Somali goes back to its small roots. It’s not like they are treading familiar path either, as this episode we see something new from Somali – Golem dynamic: Golem bakes a cake for her for the first time. If you enjoy the soothing feeling of the first few episodes, then this one will be up to your valley. In the second half our duo meets up with some past friends and visit the dentist, this part is amusing how they fit the character designs into its worldbuilding. Overall, it’s an enjoyable if a tad bit plain journey from Golem and Somali.