Mario: Welcome back to our Weekly Summary Column, I am the new host for this season, Mario. After a frantic first impression period, we are getting more stabilize now and starting to settle on our weekly offerings. I still need to catch up with leftovers from last season such as Blade of the Immortals and Babylon (yep, that Whore of Babylon) and maybe some other shows this season like 22/7, but that’ll be for the next post. Enjoy the roundup and tell me which shows you are following this season or even which shows you want us to cover here. We’ll take that into consideration.
ID:INVADED – 2-4
Wooper: ID:Invaded is my pet show of the season (not to be mistaken with my Pet show of the season). It’s not a critical darling like Eizouken or a surprise hit like Somali, but its high-concept procedural story and unconventional character designs have led me to favor it above most of this winter’s offerings. The plot: brilliant detective Sakaido solves his cases by entering the subconscious of serial killers, rendered as fractured, perilous mindscapes which he must navigate to uncover their identities. One of the things I appreciate most about Invaded is that, despite the magnitude of its premise, the characters aren’t swallowed by it. They have existing workplace relationships and personal histories, even if they’re not the focus of the show. Sakaido’s relationships with the more traditional cops and analysts on his team provide a nice foundation for his bloody backstory, which becomes clear in episode 3. After we learn what horrors he’s experienced, the show begins to demonstrate the influence and the existential detachment that comes from diving into people’s unconscious minds. The show is too verbose at times, and not every subconscious world is as interesting or well-designed as the last, but it has me intrigued enough to consider it a priority watch each week.
Somali to Mori no Kamisama – 2
Mario: I consider Somali episode 2 better than the first one (the premiere has a clumsy exposition part that nearly turns me off for good). The second episode has our Golem and Somali meeting other casts, so we both learn more about the world, and see how the chemistry between them all play out. The end of the episode also reveals more about Golem’s health and that adds to some urgency in regards to their journey. Golem and Somali also has a solid relationship where they grow fond of each other. But saying all that, I still can’t fully embrace the show and I do feel it loses its steam even after just 2 episodes. The fact that Somali is human could pose a potential threat given other beings are likely to consume her should they know – and I think the show will go there, but for now, we don’t sense any of that danger anywhere. And I know I just mentioned about the “urgency” but in truth, I don’t feel any sense of “hurry” at all. If I have to put my finger on why I’m still skeptical about the show, I’d say that its formula is too safe and predictable for now that it never full grasp me. Shake things up a bit would do the show better, I reckon.
Haikyuu!! To the Top – 2
Lenlo: Haikyuu is a weird one for me. I undoubtedly still love and enjoy the series, it’s sports anime at its purest. I find Hinata’s journey through Shiratorizawa’s training camp to be great and enjoy how he has to find himself. Change something up from the one-trick-pony he has been up until now. But something just feels… off, about this season. It’s really hard to pinpoint, but the animation, the art, it doesn’t have that X-Factor, that spark, that made me love the last 3 seasons. Hopefully either time will change this, or I can figure out what it is. And regardless, I am going to enjoy this season of Haikyuu. It’s just a matter of whether it manages to match the last 3.
Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun – 2
Mario: After 2 episodes, my feeling about Hanako-kun remains mixed at best. I feel its tones are all over the place, switching between faux-horror and cutesy in a span of seconds, and mostly it falls flat for me. On the other hand, I still enjoy its art designs, and with the second episode the show expands its universe with a new character and some new mysteries (that are based mostly from rumors, I like it). This week also sheds some light to the dark past of titular Hanako-kun, and maybe, he’s not as nice as the show has framed him so far. That is to say there’s certainly room for some serious character development along the line, but for now the tonal issues are hard to ignore.
Pet – 2
Mario: I only watched the second episode of Pet and most likely I won’t attempt to give it another try. But let me say that Pet episode 2 is way better than the first one, and it’s meant to be a double episode. The second episode expands the concept of the first one and explains (quite intriguing, too) the process these two guys attempt to alter the Hawaiian-shirt guy’s memory. Just watching it I have a strong feeling that the guy who created this knows what they are talking about. The said process of going through someone’s mind, searching for their memories, their peak and valley, and attempt to alter them without destroying (or in their own term, “crushing”) their memory is certainly a main strength of Pet, and so far I’d say it’s trippy and fascinating. The problem with that, however, is that the show sacrifices everything else for that. Characters writing suffers the most, as those guys are just tools for the plot, and we have an extremely hateable character out of the gate. It’s a sign of bad writing when you write someone with no redeemable quality – he just has that one-dimensional. This second episode might justify the inept approach in the premiere, but it’s not enough to justify why I want to watch more of it.
Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita – 2-4
Wooper: Do you like predictably-written jokes about scientists trying to quantify human emotion? How about girls in lab coats and tights? If you answered yes to either question, this show is for you. Personally, I learn towards the latter rather than the former, but RikeKoi is fun enough that I plan to keep up with it for a full cour. Episode 3’s reveal that the main couple had a Fateful Childhood Encounter was cute, and straight woman Kanade’s exasperation at their cluelessness was the cherry on top. Really, Kanade is the reason to watch the show, even if she doesn’t have the sex appeal of the female lead Himuro or the clear personality quirks of the supporting characters. I really like the voicework from Natsuko Hara, who entered the seiyuu biz at the ripe old age of 28. Her voice doesn’t have that artificial sheen you expect to hear in otaku-targeted shows, which works to her benefit here as the only sensible character in the room. Even when Kanade isn’t on screen, though, the show’s formula works pretty well, especially now that they’re getting out of the lab and visiting amusement parks and other date spots. I don’t know if I’ll ever mention it again in this column, as the show is pretty light on bloggable content, but it’s good enough to get the lightest of recommendations from me.
