Mario: With Jibaku entering its 2-part episodes, I will skip it for a week. Other than that, it’s business as usual here. We nearly reach the end of this Winter Season now, and with the coronavirus glooming around the corner, schools, works and shops shutting down, I wish you guys stay safe and maybe spend these extra free time to catch up with anime that you have missed.
RikeKoi – 11-12
Wooper: This show stopped being fun the moment it entered dramatic territory. Himuro’s jealousy of Kanade and embarrassment at breaking her present for Yukimura were both painful in their presentation. Episode 11, in particular, was so bad that I had to avert my eyes from the screen multiple times just to get through it. The explanation of Himuro’s fateful trip on the stairs (which caused the present to break) was pitiful, as well. As it turned out, everything that happened in episode 11 was according to mangaka Yamamoto’s master plan, except for the moment when Himuro slipped and fell. When Yukimura points out that her scheme would have failed if not for that coincidence, her response was, “But she *did* trip, so there!” Pretty lame for a series with a science-based gimmick. The kiss in episode 12 (and the post-kiss analysis just before the final moments) fared much better, but the lousy setup that brought the show to that point prohibited me from sharing in the main couple’s happiness. At least the show is finally over, I guess.
Oshi ga Budokan – 10
Wooper: There was some nice animation in this one. ChamJam’s comeback performance, characters swooping across the frame in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, Kumasa fretting over his secret being revealed – it all looked great. Maina’s internal monologues might be unbearably saccharine, but there was plenty of humor to make up for it, the best of which was Eripiyo’s voice-replacing whiteboard. Why don’t more comedies make use of the sore throat trope, I wonder? Having people write instead of speak presents all sorts of opportunities for wordplay, character-breaking expressiveness, inadvertent reveals, etc. On the more dramatic side of things, we got another Maki/Yumeri scene that pushed their relationship into “perhaps it’s not just bait” territory. The only way I’d watch more of this show is if those two got their own spinoff. That’s not likely to happen, but based on the next episode preview, it seems that Maki will be getting a minor spotlight next week, so I’m actually looking forward to it!
ID:Invaded – 12
Wooper: To give you an idea of how busy this episode was, nearly every image I wanted to use would have spoiled a character death. The past two weeks were also busy, but not in the same way – they concerned themselves with explanation rather than action. Instead of complicating itself with “dream within a dream” storytelling, this episode dove into John Walker’s subconscious and used it as a hub to connect everything that’s happened so far. The mask motif present within his well communicated his plan without the need for swaths of exposition, which allowed the show to do other things with that time. Sure, there were bits of nonsense, like Chief Hayaseura somehow killing himself at the exact moment his mind was launched into his well, or another of Hondomachi’s special abilities being revealed, but there were some really effective scenes, too. Everything having to do with Fukuda was great, even his arithmomania (I’m choosing to believe the “It’s pretentious” line was the show poking fun at itself). They finally chose a decent insert song this week, too. Given how enjoyable this one was, I’m cautiously optimistic about next week’s finale.
Somali to Mori no Kamisama – 10
Mario: We got into the flashback territory this week of the first encounter between Golem and Somali. To be frank, there’s not much surprise in their chemistry here (the only new thing we learn is that Somali comes from human’s slaves – but it’s also not a new sight in that universe. As for the present, Somali wanted to make a gift for Golem, and she is at risk now that the others know she’s a human. It’s setting itself up for a big climax, but I’m not lying to say that I still prefer the show to shake up a little to its formula.
22/7 – 10
Mario: It’s still hard to get a good idea what 22/7 wants to accomplish for the tide-turning twist last week. So far, they play it completely straight. The girls, and most particularly the agency, follow the Wall order, disband, return to their normal lives… and I’m still waiting for the punchline. The whole thing might again be a criticism to the Idol industry where our girls realize that they are being exploited and manipulated this whole time, but without a proper resolution this message won’t hold any credibility. The main focus is back to Miu and Nicole now (Nicole remains the only one who still hasn’t had her own episode yey), which I rather enjoy. Will they form 22/7 again even that defies the Wall’s order? It’s most likely to go that route but I still need it to be well-earned. Let’s wait and see.
