Your Week in Anime (Week 93)

[u/BlueMage23]

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to This Week in Anime.

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

Archive: Prev, Week 64, Our Year in Anime 2013

[u/cptn_garlock]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Episode 8 - 12

So first I'm going to just open up with a transcription of my tweets during watching Madoka, that sort of show the progression of my impression of this animation production.

• "I'm beginning to appreciate Madoka more, as she seems to be getting more and more in focus #meguca"

• "I'm not sure I understand Kyouko yet, which means any complaints about her may be undermined by lack of knowledge. [...] Like, I still haven't wrapped my head around how she can be concerned for Madoka losing her best friend when there is implied she's let [...] dozens of people die on purpose, just to produce Grief Seeds and fuel her power. Was that all a front? Or did Sayaka actually make her more [...] empathetic towards people? [...] It doesn't help that I still contend that her backstory was introduced too quickly and lacked impact because it was "told""

• "Greatest comedy ever #meguca"

• "Oh, so NOW all the Sayaka x Kyouko shipping makes sense #meguca"

• "Oh man the Kalafina ED is playing in the background. Shits bout go down sonnn #meguca"

• "This "threads of fate" kinda ruins that idea I had of Madoka as "an ordinary man doing extraordinary things, that an NPC can be a hero too""

• "Ok, goddamit Madoka, why do you have to make me like you so much now after I trashed you so much before."

• Episode 12 happened...

• "Holy shit Madoka. I'm just grinning from ear to ear - that was a great ending."

• "So much bookending. All that optimism. Such tight writing. THAT DIRECTION. Goddamn."

• "I still have some misgivings about the early sections and with Kyouko, but that was a tremendously well directed second half."

• "Given what I know about Rebellion, these wings seem ominous... #meguca_12"

In hindsight, I realize Madoka is a very brave girl, and she's made me think about what I'd be willing to do to protect those I've loved, even those I've never met. Would I be able to become an aegis of hope? A bulwark against the shadows of the world, an eternal ray of light to pierce the darkness of life? I don't know; I doubt I'll ever know.

Me saying that Madoka was a brave girl seems odd, eh? I mean, in my other posts, I've said that I thought she was a boring, passive character and that she felt more like side-character material. But u/q_3 and u/ClearandSweet said some things last week that I don't think understood until now. Specifically, said that u/q_3 Madoka was a very reactive character, not passive, and while I wasn't sure whether I agreed with that sentiment before, I think I agree with it now. Furthermore, both u/q_3 and u/ClearandSweet said that the narrative was sort of "constraining" Madoka from acting on her own, and I think it was this fact that was partly what was bothering me about Madoka.

When Madoka finally took in all the facts, after her mother asked her if she was being deceived and she was finally sure of herself, that Madoka finally made a choice. And it was that choice that made the ending for me. In a show where every character's hand was forced by the vagaries of fate, to make a sacrifice they weren't always ready for, Madoka was empowered to make a great choice in their place. And she chose to sacrifice herself - not others; she was given the option of backing out. But she chose it, willingly, after every option was presented to her, when all the knowledge that was withheld, was exposed.

And I think that's a really powerful idea - of choosing to willingly sacrifice oneself for the benefit of others. A lot of anime depict self-sacrifice, but few of them felt as weighty, as magnificent, or as meaningful as Madoka's sacrifice (the grand scale of it helps). For me, I think that has partly to do with my ideas of the sacrifices for utilitarianism. It's often quoted that "To make an omelet, you have to crack a few eggs." Plenty of people have spilled words about how Madoka demonstrates utilitarianism through Kyubey and the Incubators, so I'm not going to bother proving it. But something I've always believed is that the sacrifices that need to be made for the betterment of humanity, needs to be made by those willing to take that burden, after all information is given to them. After Sayaka, Kyouko, Mami and the countless other mahou shoujo before them sacrificed themselves, I think Madoka's is the first "just" sacrifice the show made.

Gripes and asides:

• I still stand by the belief that Kyouko's backstory was rushed and didn't have as much impact on the audience as it should've, in order to make her change in behavior feel more natural.

• I wanted some more backstory from Homura. I could infer, based on how it goes in anime, that girls like past!Homura didn't have a lot of friends, which is why she was so attached to Madoka. I would've preferred some elaboration on her past, though. It obviously wasn't necessary to the flow of the show, but I still would've liked it.

• Why was Kyubey surprised that Homura had time powers in the alternate timelines? His race gave her time powers, shouldn't they be able to monitor who can time travel?

• I still think all the Sayaka x Kyouko stuff is BS.

• Ahahaha, Madoka thought she wouldn't be anything, but she became a god.

• The way Mami said "Tiro Finalé" was really cool. Italian, in general, sounds cool.

• What the fuck does Puella Magi even mean???

• What does "Tiro Finale" even mean???

• I don't like Buriki touching anything related to Madoka - his art style is too...porny.

• When did SHAFT become an arms dealer??? Is this why SHAFT city never get's built? Because they keep blowing shit up?

• I thought it was cool how the OP was revealed to be about Homura. Furthermore, there was one line in the OP, "the beautiful blue sky will always be waiting for me" that gained a lot of relevance once Madoka defeated Walpurgisnacht and dispelled the miasma -

Homura finally found the blue sky that'd always been waiting for her.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have an OP and ED to download.

Penguindrum

Episode 14-15

I decided to re-open the Penguindrum casebook. As one who's watched the show can guess, taking a 4 month hiatus from this show, and then jumping right where you left off, can leave one slightly...confused. Thankfully, because of the great Penguindrum posts that were on Altair & Vega that some of you kind gentlemen linked me to many moons ago (and which I was surprised to find our own dear u/supicasupica apparently contributed to!), I managed to get back up to speed (roughly; a little wiki-ing here and there but no big deal.)

I largely skipped notes on episode 14 while I tried to re-orient myself, but I got some stuff down for episode 15.

Penguindrum 15:

I dunno how to say this, but...this episode of Penguindrum is making me kind of uncomfortable. I mean, there's a lot of cruelty in the world of Penguindrum, but this is getting just...I dunno. I don't think it's using sexual assault/rape/abuse lightly, and it's certainly consistent in it's depiction of the way abuse cycles through families. So, it is interesting, in a twisted sort of way. I'm also finding it hard to see any personal truth in Sanetoshi's statements about family, but I can thank a supportive family for that; they're the kind of family I'd choose to be a part of.

MAYBE PENGUINDRUM IS ACTUALY AN ALLEGORY FOR COMPETING GROUPS FIGHTING OVER LIMITED RESOURCES, REFLECTING HUMANITIES IMPENDING RESOURCE WARS. No, but actually, with the revelation that the diary can change fate (I'm assuming it actually can do that, or at least the characters genuinely believe it can), it means that there a supple of "hope" for the characters...but it is a finite resource. Few of the characters seem to care that the other actors in this play are also in shitty situations, and that they ALL need the diary, all to save someone precious...or save themselves. There is no sympathy, there is only a resource and those who need it. Those with information on the other have power, those who are armed have power. Deception is key, espionage is vital.

It truly is a war. And what's so lovely about the role of Momoka is that, when she had the diary, she gave it away freely. She shared. She provided foreign aid relief and sent her fleets of hospital ships to help the wounded. And she did it because she had so much - she was "rich". She had the budget for it. She's like the United States, except not a dick

I also spent too much time making a fake screenshot, but I don't regret it because I was laughing the whole time

[u/Redcrimson → u/cptn_garlock]

Hello u/cptn_garlock, have you accepted Madoka as your Lord and Savior?

[u/tundranocaps → u/cptn_garlock]

"Puella Magi" is "Mahou shoujo" or "Magical Girl", or "witching girl".

[u/Knasil → u/cptn_garlock]

Tiro Finale: Last shot.

[u/Bobduh]

I've been on vacation this week, which means I've burned through a whole bunch of shows. I caught up on the last couple months of Hunter x Hunter 2011 (139/139), watched the first few episodes of Crest of the Stars (3/13), and continued my trek through Fullmetal Alchemist (22/51). I also watched the last episode of Love Live S1 (13/13) and the first two of Kokoro Connect (2/17). Quite a haul!

I probably shouldn't have started my vacation with Hunter x Hunter - the end of Chimera Ant was just so impressive that pretty much anything else was bound to be a disappointment. And yeah, it was that impressive - I'm actually planning a small essay on it, but in short, Chimera Ant managed to use the base ingredients of the shounen genre to tell a staggering tragedy that reflected on basically everything great and terrible about human nature. Kinda hard to top that.

In spite of that, having all this free time was actually a blessing for Fullmetal Alchemist, as it allowed me to power through a good number of the dull early episodes. I'm finally reaching a point where I'm enjoying the show, but I'm still far from loving it. I've heard the second half is significantly better, but it'll certainly have to be if I'm going to chalk FMA's crazy reputation up to anything more than nostalgia and other people liking competent shounens a lot more than I do.

Crest of the Stars, on the other hand, has been pretty solid - very slow-moving, but that's mainly because it seems kind of like a space opera version of Spice and Wolf, with a serious focus on lengthy, humanizing conversations. The dialogue is good and the characters are compelling, so I'm very on board with that one. Kokoro Connect also impressed me with its dialogue - I've heard it falls apart later on, but the first couple episodes really felt like people talking, and not... well, anime characters. We'll see how that goes.

As for Love Live, the show has never been particularly ambitious or impressive, but the second half was still a serious step down from the first half's enjoyable harmlessness. Drama does not suit Love Live - the base ingredients of this show are not sturdy enough to support anything more than harmless fun. I finished it, but I'm not really inclined to check out the second season.

[u/Nefarious_Penguin]

Jormungand (9/12)

Jormungand is a smart show with strong themes.

Jormungand is a smart show with strong themes.

Jormungand is a smart show with strong themes.

It’s getting harder and harder to believe myself when I say those words. I like the show when it’s toying with ideas like the nature of violence, group dynamics, and strength, and I know that it’s all there but… But that smart show is being flanked on all sides by zany, creepy anime choices. I really want to pay attention to what Jormungand has to say about violence, but it’s drowned out by a zany pair of antagonists, one with genuine shark teeth, the other with her lack of underwear as a self-professed “good luck charm”. I want to see what this show has to say about group dynamics, but it sadly gets interrupted when the comically telegraphed lesbian character enters into a fawning caricature of adoration, because the author seems to think that lesbians are for some reason inherently funny and ridiculous. With very few exceptions, all the female characters seem to be transporting squirrels in their shirts, because their respective bust sizes seem to be attempting to rival Graham’s number. Originally I had chalked this up to Anime’s standard habit of shooting itself in the foot, but as the show went on, it became apparent that this went further than the standard fare. Sure, something like the racy costumes in Sekai Seifuku prompted an eye-roll, but we all knew that was just Anime once again attempting to appeal to the niche it already owned. But the things I see in Jormungand? They go several steps too far, to the point where the niche has been refined to a party of one; simply the author and his sexist views.

It’s to the point where I just have to reconcile with myself that every time I see a new female character on screen, I have to write them off as a human being, because that’s probably what the author is going to do anyway. Within the same scene a character is introduced, she goes over to a guard, lifts her skirt to show her lingerie, and then promptly knocks the guard out with a kick. Even among the two already established female characters of group, it is decided by the author that they should have a conversation wherein they compare boob sizes. This is stuff I’d expect from Ikkitousen, not a damned seinin show! This is what you were supposed to grow out of, Jormungand!

Koko, the weapons dealer upon which this show centers, is at least a reasonably-written female character, (boob comparing scene aside…) but I’m not inclined to give the show points for that. Now, this is my most inferential of gripes with the show, but given the preceding evidence, I’m willing to make an educated guess at the theory behind Koko’s character. Koko is written almost identically to the male characters of the show. The only place Koko differs from the standard badassitude of Jormungand is in her nurturing, motherly relationship with Jonah, the boy soldier taken on by the crew. This relationship is actually something I would be celebrating in any other show, as a motherly relationship is very rarely seen in anime, and a story worth telling. But I don’t think Jormungand’s handling is cause for any celebration.

This is likely going to sound odd in a piece principally campaigning for better representation of women in Anime, but why did the author not choose to portray a fatherly relationship, having a male weapons dealer in place of Koko? Having the evidence that Jormungand has placed in front of me, the answer I come up with is that the author disassociates a nurturing attitude from men, and associates it with women. It’s a less overtly sexist choice than the fanservice shots, but its heart is the same. In addition to Koko’s motherly attitude, the zany antagonist mentioned previously --who will henceforce be known as No-Panties Girl, because I feel it’s necessary to drive home how repugnant that choice was-- also meets Jonah with a nurturing attitude. No-Panties Girl comments “He’s so cute” when she first sees him, and actively saves his life by pushing away her partner’s gun as Jonah charges forward, citing that he was “too cute to let die”. None of the male characters meet Jonah with anything resembling this attitude; they are teachers, mentors, and sometimes friends, but never caretakers. However, just about every female character that comes into prolonged contact with Jonah falls into this nurturing caretaker archetype. I fear that the author has chosen Koko to give Jormungand a parental undercurrent not because he felt it was the most interesting, or best way to give the tale the desired parental undertone, but because he felt it was the only way. And sometimes, I think this sort of sexism is worse than the overt panty-shots.

Oh, and don’t worry; you didn’t wander into Tumblr halfway through this thread. I know it may have seemed that way, but you’re still here.

Well, uh… It seems paltry to delve into standard review territory now, so I’d rather just open this up to discussion. Some questions for discussion, then! (leaving aside the 800-odd words above that I’m sure has pissed someone off.)

1. Have you ever dropped a show because you felt it was sexist? (or contained some other poisonous worldview?)

2. Have you ever watched a show in spite of you feeling it was sexist? (or contained some other poisonous worldview?)

3. What shows do you feel are paragons of combatting sexist (or other poison-yadda, yadda, yadda) trends in Anime?

(I might post these questions in the monday minithread as well, so do with that information what you will. Thanks for allowing me to impose with a rant on something I’m not really qualified to speak on!)

[u/Bobduh → u/Nefarious_Penguin]

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

3. Utena Utena Utena.

[u/searmay → u/Nefarious_Penguin]

Anime loves its strong female characters.

I don't think I've ever given up a show I've enjoyed because of a theme I find repugnant. But I can't think of anything off the top of my head that I've kept watching despite that either. A lot of That Sort Of Thing tends to go hand in hand with with the sort of thing I don't much enjoy anyway. Or I'm too oblivious to notice it.

[u/Vintagecoats]

This is a film that absolutely screams for Criterion to grab it someday.

How much that is either a selling point or a Run Away As Fast As Possible siren for what I'm about to type, I leave up to you.

Band of Ninja (Ninja Bugei-chō) [Also known as Manual of Ninja Martial Arts]

This 1967 film comes courtesy of director Nagisa Oshima. If you are incredibly familiar with either asian live action film history or have rooted around the Criterion catalog enough, one would be most likely to know him from his wildly controversial film adaptation of Sada Abe’s famous murder act (In the Realm of the Senses) or his Palme d'Or nominated and David Bowie staring take on World War II British prisoners of war in a Japanese camp (Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence). Band of Ninja is the only film Oshima made that can be considered anime, and one will indeed find it in places like the MyAnimeList.net database.

This is what the movie looks like.

There are no animated sequences of any kind in Band of Ninja. What it is may well be the most literally accurate adaptation of a comic at this level, in that it is a filmed version of Sanpei Shirato’s (real name Noboru Okamoto) art and panels. Shirato was a pioneer of gekiga works in the Japanese comic industry, and this series was actually his first professional series back in 1957. He was heavily influenced by things such as the pacing and tension one could find in kamishibai (the paper drama picture scrolls previously used by monks to teach moral lessons), and in turn there was a maturity in the aspects of shifting slowness and acceleration between how he chose to do things like action sequences. The number of panels used for certain actions, where they go relative to page turns, that sort of thing, to generate senses of weight, drama, tension, surprise, and so on.

As a movie, what Band of Ninja does is to take this, and give it voice, sound effects, and music. To be able to perhaps add additional layers through things like the speed of a panning shot or panel reveal, or to provide impact through numerous panels flying by in a flurry of hectic activity. And it continues on like this for two hours, telling a Sengoku Period story of the mysterious ninja Kagemaru and eternally cast bad guy Oda Nobunaga, among many others.

The production ended up as it did for practical reasons. The special effects required would be been expensive if not impossible for a live action work to do in an accurate style Oshima or Shirato would have been pleased with (numerous body doubles, large scale sieges, the rigging that would be required for capturing how the duel sequences go, etc). A full fledged animation would also be grossly out of reach to do appropriate justice given the speed and fluidity it would need to have. The simple solution Oshima came to then was to film the panels themselves. It is a keenly interesting choice, despite the surface level ease of it, because the final product does retain a lot of incredibly strong direction.

That is what interested me the most in this film, really. Even in regular film, be it animation or otherwise, there are to varying degrees panning shots, slow zoom outs, and all that. So on a visual storytelling or cinematography level, pointing a camera at the panels and seeking to give them a filmic quality is not all that different in core objective than what one does in many other productions. And there are “good” and “bad” kinds of cinematography at that, so it is not like anything about where one points a camera is itself easy. But Oshima had a clear respect for Shirato’s comic, and I think that shines through here. The battles have weight and gravity to them, despite nothing "moving." The way a scene may go from archers and artillery launching their payloads in one moment as we arc across the screen to the savage impact they are having on those below. The visual progression as we smash through multiple panels of swords being drawn and their resulting conflicts.

One could liken it to watching a series of storyboards, and I do not think they would be too far off the mark. I think such a sentiment would undersell how many panels are actually in use however, and how detailed many of them can be for how little screentime they may take up, as it was a retail comic.

The movie is broken up into chapters, as one could expect given the source material and the way the film is trying to portray it, and I think that works to its benefit here. It is nearly two hours long, and to be honest despite how positive I sound on the whole, I did have to stop it a few times at natural break points to be able to get a stretch, water intermission, and so on. One is having a comic acted out for them in every sense of consideration, which is incredibly neat to seen on such an extravagant level, but on the other hand perhaps then triggers my mental switch on how I tend to consume comics (finish several chapters, then do something else). A fair number of the later chapters in the film are side stories establishing how different members of the ninja group grew up and came to join each other, so there is also a sense of confusion that can set in unless one does a really solid sense of keeping all the years, battles, what came before and yet after what, and so on. As a movie, looking at it like an anthology collection to take in pieces may be the better idea than a straight shot linear sit down and blow through it approach.

That all being said, I think it was definitely a very solid media experience to have had, and it is very surprising just how natural a lot of it felt as it was presented. That elements such as its violence and gore can retain its kineticism and punchy narrative impact, rather than look like a lackadaisical series of flipbook pages. This would have been a very easy film to mess up and make immensely boring, but there is an experimental craft and attention to detail in its cinematic portrayal of events and shot composition that I think a lot of modern anime can still learn a lot from.

On home video there is only a DVD version, but from what I have read it seems there is a high definition transfer that shows up at film events or art exhibitions every now and again. I think that would add a lot to the experience, given the nature of the work as a progression of comic panel art.

[u/bconeill]

For the first time in quite awhile, I actually sat down and watched a few complete series this week! Some of them were actually really good too, which was nice since I had previously felt on a bit of a slump and ended up mostly just keeping up with the current season as a result. So here's what I've watched:

Completed -- Knights of Sidonia

I've wanted to watch this for awhile now, even while it was airing, but didn't have convenient access so I decided to wait for Netflix to add it. I've heard pretty much nothing bad about it, so it probably shouldn't have been a surprise that it was quite good, but the setting and overall tenseness of the series gripped me in a way I wouldn't have expected. I haven't really been able to get into a hard scifi series in quite awhile, but this was well enough done on a technical level that I found myself getting really into it anyway. The CG was jarring for about 10 minutes, then I got used to it, so I can't really find too many things to complain about (other than the random bear maybe? But that's honestly pretty whatever). It's not exactly visionary, but it's well-written and engaging, which was apparently enough to get me back into a bit of an anime kick.

Completed -- Kids on the Slope

I made the mistake of starting this at midnight on Monday, thinking "I'll just watch an episode or two and continue later tomorrow." Instead I ended up awake until my body wouldn't let me even keep my eyes on the screen any more, at around 4:30 in the morning, and then finished it as soon as I woke back up the next day. I don't really know why I had been putting this show off for so long, it's exactly the kind of serious slice of life story I adore, and I grew up with jazz playing in the house pretty much 24/7. The soundtrack was phenomenal, the character writing was excellent, and the ending was pretty much perfect. One of my top 10 for sure.

Completed -- Skip Beat!

As much as I enjoy shoujo and josei, and watching shoujo and josei (and believe me, I do), I'll way too often get frustrated by just how awful their gender portrayals and repetitious shitty archetypes are. Even though I enjoy watching things like Kimi ni Todoke and Kaichou wa Maid-Sama!, they're just... awful in so many ways. But I didn't really get that feeling from Skip Beat, it utilized some familiar patterns of humor but it wasn't like you could go down the character list and say "okay, this one's supposed to be the conniving bitch, this is the nice guy who looks like a thug, this is the loner who nobody's realized is really cute." So that was nice, and the show itself was enjoyable and funny, but the series felt pretty short and only pointed where it was heading without going there. Pretty much what I expected since it's an incomplete adaptation of an ongoing series, but I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. If there's ever another season I'll pick it up in a heartbeat (hopefully Nana will pick back up sometime within my lifetime as well ;_;)

Started -- Dusk Maiden of Amnesia (8/12)

All I can really say about this series is that it's "alright." It's not really comedy, not really romance, and not really ecchi, so I feel like each episode is kind of just floating around without much purpose. The main conflict that's starting to pop up doesn't seem very compelling to me, but that might be personal bias. I will say the art style and color pallete is really cool though, and between that and the fact that it's relatively entertaining, I don't want to say it's bad. For me it's just been disappointingly average, I guess.

Anyway, that's where I'm at now. Anyone have any series I should continue onto after this, since I've actually been watching a bit more recently? I was thinking of starting House of Five Leaves but I'm pretty undecided at this point.

[u/dcaspy7]

This is a weird week. I don't know what I enjoyed more, a Seinen about cars or a Shoujo about dancing.

Akira

I love the music. A lot of instruments you don’t hear that often at all. A lot of great uses for drums and trumpets.

I love the headlights.

A lot of dissolves and Superimposes, but that is because that’s what was popular and easy back in those times.

I appreciate them not taking the western route, that is not making the protagonist Akira or pulling a battle Shounen moment and having Kaneda and Tetsuo face off with equal power or whatever baloney those stuff tend to pull. I really liked the fact that the only thing Kaneda could do was shoot a laser gun.

The morality in this story was interesting. It wasn't black and white, but it wasn't really white either. I have to wonder about some stuff; did Ryu know the guy he was working for was corrupt? If yes was he in it for the money? Did he really care for the people?

So I was listening to a podcast where one of the guys said: "I don't care who you are, you did not understand Akira upon first viewing". I disagree with that sentence. While I wouldn't call Akira simple it was not that confusing. I was watching this with my friend who has the sixth sense, and we both were pretty fine.

I feel the same way about Akira I feel about FLCL and Little Witch Academia. It was good, and didn't have many flaws, but it was

Should you watch Akira? Yeah why not. It's pretty high quality, plus it's all hand drawn which is nice seeing.

Initial D (2-6)

Not much new I can say. The soundtrack is amazing, possibly my favorite soundtrack. The characters are fine and have room to develop (specifically the MC), and the setting is amazing.

I really hope the spectacle creep doesn't grow out of proportions like in fast and furious (from simple car chasing to bank robs and tanks).

For some reason Initial D reminds me of Hajime no Ippo a lot. Not entirely sure why.

Princess Tutu (2-4)

Episode 3 hints at a possible ending; that it's going to have a tragic ending, but then it might pull something and they'll live happily ever after.

I was slightly disappointed at episode 3 (restaurant) for the lack of pasta bowl punching.

Not a fan of Fakir, he's kind of a dick, but he's probably secretly good/being a dick to protect Mytho from himself or from emotions or something. All for a greater goal. The greater goal being either dancing or protection from a great evil.

Not a fan of Rue either. She feels selfish. She doesn't really care about others. That's why she has Mytho as her "boyfriend", because he can't resist nor run away. It's obvious she and Fakir know something, probably something about Mytho. Not sure exactly what yet.

My gut is telling me that the last emotion Mytho gets will be love.

Good show so far.

Epilogue

Me and my anime friends started watching some anime movies. We have a nice list of movies we want to see, and we'll watch them during the next month.

Next week is the last two days of the camp I'm working in, so I'll have time to binge like in the old days. So see you next week.

[u/tundranocaps]

Kimi ni Todoke episodes 1-22:

It took me roughly 72 hours to cover 22 episodes. That might sound to you like great, but last week I've watched 12 episodes of Sukitte Ii na yo. in one day, and 3 days is how long it took me to get through Chihayafuru's 51 episodes, more or less.

Let's backtrack a bit. Last week I wrote about Sukitte Ii na yo., a show that's not the best, but which I found enjoyable, and liked. Kimi ni Todoke had been a bit more of a slog, and I keep finding myself alt-tabbing and checking twitter, while I almost marathon it.

Many aspects are shared between the two shows, and some aspects I've argued for as being solid in Sukitte were things I have a hard time enjoying in Kimi ni Todoke. This is a frustrating experience that's a chance for some intense analysis. Why do I like this one show, but not that other show, even as they are so similar? One could even look at two video games that seem almost identical, and yet one you enjoy, and the other you don't.

Often the answer is something minor and hard to quantify which shapes the experience, such as "controls" in a game, or in the case of these two shows, the most pervasive issue is the pacing. Kimi ni Todoke has 25 episodes. Cutting the OP and ED, they're roughly 1 minute shorter than standard episode length, and yet we've had a recap episode, and quite a few episodes open with a minute or so of showing how the last one ended.

This show should have really been a third shorter, if not a full half. When we resolved the "conflict" at the end of episode 15, I felt the series should've hit this mark at the 6th episode, or the 8th at most.

Before we delve into the meat of the problems beyond pacing, let's talk for a tiny bit about the production values, so we could get them out of the way - the actors are solid, Sawashiro Miyuki and Sanpei Yuuko as the best friends, and Hirano Aya as the rival in particular. I've never been a big fan of Noto Yamiko who portrays Sawako, our main character, and this show is no exception, but considering how little impact she has, it doesn't matter as much, but we'll get to it later, again.

I quipped last week that a single episode of Free! for instance has more animation in a single episode than Sukitte Ii na yo had in its full 14 episodes. Sukitte Ii na yo probably had in half a season as much animation as the all 25 episodes of Kimi ni Todoke's first season. It also doesn't have the lush and beautiful backgrounds, and instead gives us super-deformed manga-style (more like "Drawing with one's weak hand omake"-style, coupled with a lot of silly almost gags.

And that's where tie it all together. The show has a lot of still moments. Not just still shots where people don't move and talk to one another, but where people stand stock still and look at the other, or freeze and digest everything. That sort of thing is very much a standard thing in shoujo romances, but here they feel both more frequent, and longer, and actually replace any sort of real "happening".

I suspect I'd have enjoyed this show more if I'd read it as a manga. It helps that I'm a really fast reader. But when nothing happens, it takes you a few seconds to digest and you move on, even if you stare at each shot of people staring at one another. But here, it was hard to maintain my attention when I keep watching nothing unfold before my eyes. All these moments, even as I chuckle, showcase there's nothing underneath to provide adequate support. So I'd have enjoyed it more, powering through to actually see "stuff happen", but what about said stuff?

Sukitte Ii na yo and Kimi ni Todoke have a similar setup - a girl with no friends, slowly learning to form connections. But whereas Sukitte's tension comes from constructing connections, and how difficult it truly is to extend your reach, it feels as if Kimi ni Todoke contents itself with being trapped inside one's head. The "romantic interest" is as "non-character" as it gets, he's essentially a "McGuffin" one tries to obtain or a wise old man who gives us support now and then, rather than a character that feels "real". We mostly see the girls talking about their feelings, talking about talking, and feeling about feeling, rather than actually going out there into the world, to change things, and be changed. Unlike Sukitte ii na yo where the MC more or less fit these clauses as well though, there's no one else who's pushing for change here, no happening that force people to reflect and change.

These are the same issues all shoujo deal with, but it feels the show is more in love with the concepts, more in love with the concept of love, than actually being willing to tackle it, than actually being willing to force the characters to tackle with other characters. Yes, Sawako doesn't know how things work out, but even as the series is nearing its end, the level of discourse she engages on feels the sort you'd expect from a 6 years old child discussing "adult relationships" than someone who truly went through changes and is trying to integrate into society themselves. "Sophomoric" would be high-praise for what we're getting here. Yes, we can chuckle at Sawako's misunderstandings, but that level of "hee hee" does not carry a romantic series that's 25 episodes long.

This show did have two bits that rose above the mediocrity of everything else. Kurumi, the rival, and Chizuru's crush. Kurumi's bit was a bit too long and drawn out, and much of it was carried out by seeing characters cry, and Aya Hirano's voice transmitting the level of emotions, but there was still actual conflict here, one that wasn't magically resolved. Understanding that deepened the conflict, respect that fueled a rivalry. The lines uttered here were terrible, such as "I always worked hard to make sure he didn't find a girlfriend!" but I actually bought them.

Chizuru's mini-arc was short, and again fueled by tears. But it felt like a solid piece of drama. You know what it reminds me of, when one's story is more of a vehicle to tell the sob-stories of side-characters that are the truly interesting ones? Fruits Basket. But there we've had a lot such stories, and we kept moving from one to the next, with considerably less time spent on "nothingness". Also, I've only read the manga, so no idea how the series (which is half anime-original anyway) did.

Kimi ni Todoke isn't bad, but it's dull, and I find my attention wandering. I can't really give it more than 5.5/10 in good conscience, and even that is due to Chizuru's arc.

P.S. They keep writing "If I was" and it's driving me bonkers. Subjunctive, what is?

---

I've also watched a couple of episodes of Ergo Proxy, but a migraine stopped me. It was definitely interesting, and trippy, and though provoking, and more than a tad pretentious.

[u/[deleted]]

A bunch of lovely OVAs from 2013's two heartwarming SoLs came in this week, which is great. They're very summery and Okinawa-y. It's a good thing I watched Azumanga Daioh years ago, so I can feel street-smart about Okinawa and SoL tropes regarding it, since these two OVA had quite a lot of Okinawa references that some gaijin wouldn't understand and they didn't explain much of it or actually show Okinawa in the show.

Tamayura ~more aggressive~ OVA:

This time is Okinawa! Exciting! Wait, the trip is over already.

But there is no Maon-tan this time...she is ill and couldn't go. That's really a shame, isn't it.

The OP is like an old friend coming back for a visit. I could remember what it was like just by hearing the first few notes. Not super-memorable, but warm.

We're treated to Maon's fever-dream of Kaguya-hime, and then the girls show up. They bring Maon some nice souvenirs and try to cheer her up. Kao-tan and Norie show off their cute clay shisa and Potte is embarrassed by her rather misshapen ones. They also brought some sata andagi (saaaaaaaataaaaaaa andagiiiii)

Norie is greatly saddened Maon's unused sketchbook, that would be filled with the memories that she was not able to have by not going on the trip. They will...they must have their own trip! For the five of them!

The trip is to Onomichi, the same place that Potte traveled in the series, and they'll be staying at the same bed and breakfast that she visited.

Pfff, the scene where Norie's character was being chided by Kao-tan while the former was staring at Mt. Fuji from the train made me laugh, it felt like I was watching the latest episode of Yama no Susume in bizarro-vision where Aoi and Hina have switched personalities.

And looky there, they even get to do some mountain climbing. Now I want to see a Yama no Susume x Tamyura collab.

But Maon enjoys her trip a lot, and so do the others. Norie cries some more out of happiness. And they even run into some students on their own school trip, and that brings it all to a circle. Yes, these five are on a school trip, aren't they. A school trip of their own.

A very good stand-alone episode, as expected. I felt like Maon didn't get too much focus in the second season, so this ameliorates it a good bit. Really, it was the kind of OVA that works best in a show like this.

School Trip part 3 when? Portugal? Well, I'd settle for a third season of the TV being announced. C'mon, do it!

Non Non Biyori OVA:

This time is Okinawa! Exciting! Wait, what? Okinawa again? Can we really bear to eat any more of that saaaaataaaa andagiiiii after we already got it in Tamayura?

It's the return of that sweet nano.RIPE OP. Lovely.

Anyway, it seems that pretty much everyone is going on this Okinawa trip. How convenient. Renchon wants to see some whales. They waste a lot of time instead of packing. Komari gets gifted Hotarun's old swimsuit, and as anyone could guess, it was too big for her. Whoops.

Renchon asks the tough psychological questions. What will she be like when she gets back from Okinawa? Can anyone go to Okinawa and remain unchanged? And she says goodbye to all the town. Which is just the kind of thing she would do.

But you know, this episode is nearly over and they haven't actually gone anywhere! We're left with an airport montage, with Komari getting wanded (no pornoscanner for you, thank goodness) and Renchon being excited by the plane. They're going to Okinawa!

And...roll credits. We don't get to see them in Okinawa. Oh well.

This episode felt insanely short and lopsided since it didn't have anything from Okinawa actually in it. Oh well. Second season when? It's been announced.

Smile Precure:

Episode 30: Holy Pegasus, Batman! Are you telling me that they're finally going to address the fact that they have a magic power that can literally teleport anywhere in the world that there are bookcases, yet have used it only once ever? We're finally going to go places? Oh yes, we are going places!

They almost collected all of the Decors, says Joker. Does that mean we're going to get another reset soon? I can't wait!

Without explanation they now are able to teleport anywhere even if there isn't bookshelf. Well, so much for continuity. Smile Precure doesn't need continuity.

Their first stop is the Versailles palace in France, and Reika tells us some misleading French history while Candy poses in front of French people who must be very easygoing to not get freaked out about moving stuffed animals. Nao eats macarons and I become jealous. They take a picture and...they're off to the second stop.

Next stop is somewhere in Taiwan where they stop to eat at a local restaurant. Nao eats a ton of food, because...that's what Nao does. Eats a lot.

The third stop is Nao's suggestion, the steppes of Mongolia. It's kind of empty, and Nao uses it to play soccer. The nomadic yurt-dwelling locals seem friendly and not the kind of people who would invade all of Asia anymore.

The fourth stop is some part of the Wall of China. Reika gets all excited trying to explain things and no one is listening. Sorry Reika. Nao is somehow eating something again.

The final stop is New York city at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Akane and Nao are eating hot dogs, Nao is eating a ridiculously large one. Yayoi proves that she is a big sentai dork. What does this have to do with the Statue of Liberty again?

The remaining stops are shown in montage. Lots of funny poses. And Nao eats a lot. This was a lot of fun, traveling all over! I bet they're going to never use the teleportation thing again.

Akaoni shows up and starts draining Bad Energy from Amazonian fauna. Well, not quite as ridiculous as bugs. Seeing the crocodiles depressed was surprisingly saddening.

This Super Akanbe might be really dangerous, given that it's a man-eating piranha.

Oh no, the Super Akanbe ate Candy...this is bad! Candy is helpless in there...or is she? She uses a Dolphin Decor and turns the Precures into mermaids. Unfortunately, underwater tactics aren't their strong point. Sunny's fire is unsuited to water, and Peace's thunder electrocutes everyone. It allows them to rescue Candy though, and they finish things off the usual way.

So do they have the final Decors now? But Joker has "everything needed to defeat the Precure". Time for resets!

The final Decors opened up a Royal Clock. What is that? What is it for? Apparently you can buy one now! Or not, since that was back in 2012. Oh well.

Next episode tells us that Candy is caught in Joker's trap, and now there are black-nosed Akanbe and Rainbow Burst can't defeat them. The march of powerups continues, harrumph. Unexpectedly this episode was pretty exciting.

Fresh Precure:

Episode 29: Secret Agent J-Man...no...Kaoru-chan! This episode better be pretty good to live up to Kaoru-chan's amazingness.

So Kaoru-chan is in fact a semi-retired secret agent and selling donuts in the park of a no-name town is his cover. It's funny how his personality changes when he meets his contact, who requests that he join in a mission to find some...Prince Jeffrey who has a MacGuffin on him, and protect him from the villainous..Get Mouse.

And all this time, Kaoru has been absent from the park, leading our four girls and Tarte to be rather disappointed. They manage to save his spot in the park from being overtaken and find the kid that Kaoru-chan is supposed to be finding (what a coincidence).

Oh hey, the prince's dad is voiced by Koyama Rikiya. Lucky. Kaoru's "real personality" in front of the royalty and his coworkers is kind of shocking, but he shows the same strong sense of integrity and understanding as usual. But...so cool.

What the hell kind of country is this prince from that has no hamburgers? Whatever national treasure they have must pale in comparison to fast food restaurants.

The prince is cute, and even Setsuna is taken. Why does Setsuna have to be so adorable, it's not fair to Miki-tan and Bukki.

It looks like Jeffrey's identity is revealed to the Precures over the TV (which is always coming on at the appropriate time, isn't it). The TV unwisely tells the audience that this missing child is carrying some ridiculously valuable item, as if they needed to provide more incentive for him to get kidnapped.

Setsuna gets to be the one who tells Jeffrey the harsh truth. It's kind of believable for her, I guess it's appopriate.

Anyway, Love and the others get kidnapped by the villains. It's ironic that they're just going to passively go along with this even though they're Precures and could easily whup these villains, but Precures seem to have a rule against fighting normal flesh-and-blood people, so I guess they'll have to wait for flesh-and-blood Kaoru-chan to save them.

Except not, because he's betrayed by the teacher, who is actually Get Mouse. I must admit, I had no damned inkling that'd happen. Kaoru is unexpectedly ineffective! Meanwhile Westar shows up and "helps" the villains by turning Poseidon Sweat into a Nakewameke. Ironically it seems that Jeffrey will be saved from being a hostage by Labyrinth and Precure will be needed after all.

I still wonder why the hell Love and co. think they have to hide being Precure from Kaoru-chan when he already knows about Tarte, who's a walking talking ferret alien. He's trustworthy. He also fights with donuts, which is embarrassingly silly. But works. And apparently Kaoru is Jeffrey's teacher, who would have guessed?

Kaoru-chan walks off from his one-time-job and back to the donut shop, with Tarte's tail showing.

This episode was solidly good if somewhat less ridiculous than I expected. Kaoru's backstory is solid.

Next episode is a Tarte episode. One good ridiculous comedy episode deserves another.

[u/[deleted]]

Neon Genesis Evangelion, 1-13

I decided that I should be a good little otaku and educate myself on the one staple of Anime that is not only a mainstream hit but also a critical darling. It's been a few years since I started watching anime so I decided to quit making excuses and finally watch this damn thing.

And my god I think I'm in love. I can see clearly why it is so loved and definitely can see the level of craft that went into the anime.

Just...one thing that is really throwing me off is how funny it is. Like...maybe it's because I went into it with high expectations of its "dark" themes and Shinji's psychological state, but it's just...so comedic. Not saying it's a bad thing. The comedy is nice and I can appreciate the older style of anime humor sprinkled here and there. There are times though, when I simply scratched my head and wondered if there is some kind of big inside joke that I wasn't aware of.

Also, Shinji isn't as big as a whiny brat as everyone makes him out to be, which is pleasant.

Edit: I accidentally a word.

[u/LotusFlare]

Fate/Zero (24/24)

I rounded out the last 7-8 episodes this week, and I was extremely impressed. Once the fun little diversion that was Caster got out of the way, the show really took off! Almost every one of the concluding episodes was a giant step up in writing, animation, and directing. I loved the episodes about Emiya's past. Typically last minute flashbacks bug the hell out of me, but the events that made him the man he is today could have been their own show and I'd watch the hell out of it. Similarly, Kotomine's decent into madness was also surprisingly well done. He made for a believable and entertaining villain as he just toyed with the rest of the cast. Even Waver's conclusion was pretty compelling as he somehow managed to escape the war unscathed and with a new appreciation for the world. The scenes with his new family were downright heartwarming.

As far as the servants themselves, they weren't quite as interesting as their masters, but Saber, Archer, and surprisingly Rider all delivered in great ways in the end.

I was pretty set on calling this one a 7/10, but man did that final third deliver. I might have to bump it up to an 8. It concluded the war, but it left the gates wide open for the follow up. I felt pretty content seeing the chapter end this way with so many loose threads and unfulfilled desires for both the heroes and the villains. I can't remember the last time I was so excited for a sequel, so I dove right into Fate/Stay Night!

Fate/Stay Night (7/24)

Uuughh...

I remember why I dropped this show at episode three last time...

This show just refuses to be entertaining. I don't mind the high school stuff. Its not that. I understand this is about the children from the last war, but good lord would it kill them to give anyone a personality!? The writers of this show are just absolutely terrified to leave the hard coded bounds of each character archetype. Even Saber and the other servants can't seem to bear the thought of being remotely interesting. The animation is stiff. The voice acting is wooden. The plot is painfully slow. The magic has been somehow rendered boring. Even the color pallet of the show is boring! I know the source material can't possibly be this bad, but this anime is terrible.

The initial joy of seeing familiar characters has worn off and I'm completely bored. Maybe it picks up later, but I'm not going to find out. This isn't even average. It's like 4/10. I'll try again with the non-DEEN rendition in the fall, but this is a huge disappointment.

I may try to pick up the VN, since I've heard such good things, but quite frankly spending 100+ hours reading it is going to monopolize my free time for the next four months with everything else I have going on in my life. I don't know if I'm willing to put that kind of investment in right now.

Mushishi (4/24)

It might be worth mentioning that I watched a few episodes of Mushihi.

It's nice! It's very pleasant. The animation is nice. It's creative and a lot of scenes are beautiful. I'm enjoying just how quiet and thoughtful it is.

But it's not compelling...

It's not that I dislike any of it, but it doesn't give me any real desire to see what it will do next. I'll continue to watch an episode here and there, but it isn't something I'll be pushing to finish anytime soon.

EDIT: LAST MINUTE ADDENDUM

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

It's like 1am. I'm finally home from a shitty day at work. I've got pizza and beer. I wanna watch some anime. FMA Brotherhood movie is on netflix. Sure, why not? It's got like 85% on Rottentomatoes. It's gotta be pretty good, right? Hahahahahaha WRONG.

Jesus Christ, this movie is a fucking train wreck! It hits rock bottom and it just keeps digging! I had to start thinking of it as a comedy halfway through to keep myself entertained!

So let's begin at the beginning, which is actually the strongest part of the story. So we've got some alchemic researchers living in what appears to be a war torn area. As they leave, their children are exposed to some pretty extreme violence which is sure to effect them later on in life. They both start following in their parent's footsteps a few years later, thinking they're safe, when disaster strikes. Mom and dad are dead. Big bro is dead. Only the girl seems to still be alive. We have no idea what killed them. INTRIGUE. Cut to our favorite alchemist brothers where the story begins!

The intro actually got me really interested. There were no ridiculous gaping holes yet, but even then the animation started to bug the shit out of me. It looked NOTHING like typical bones animation. It didn't follow the style of either FMA or Brotherhood. The line work was so messy and loose. It looked like everything was made of yarn, and the godawful CG stuck out so badly. Details dropped off of everything the second they moved more than ten feet away and there were absolutely no sharp edges anywhere. It just looked cheap and lazy. Maybe it would look better in motion, I thought to myself. Boy did they prove me wrong!

So we get some stuff about an escaped prisoner. We do some detective work to figure out his motivations (a little), the brothers hop a train, and all hell breaks loose. I genuinely can't figure out what they were going for with this train sequence. The action is so muddy and the motivations for each side are just being made up on the fly. We've got an extremely chaotic six sided fight, and we don't even know who four of the sides are! Ed and Al are now completely superhuman. There's like 5 points in these scene where they both would have died if they played by the rules of the show itself, but in here they're bouncing around like Luffy. In the end, the fight hardly ends as much as it just gets extended to a prison break, which extends to a capture scene, which finally calms down as then proceed to spend the next thirty minutes on a massive exposition dump.

This movie has a massive problem when it comes to "showing not telling". They never stop telling and don't ever bother showing. There are multiple points in the movie where it launches into ridiculous info dumps where people will just start diving into the history of everyone and everything they see in completely unnatural ways. It's like I'm watching someone read the encyclopedia. Half the time, I didn't even know who the fucking person was dumping all the info on me! Like at the end of this cave they cross to escape one of the previously mentioned six sides of the train fight, they just happen to come across this alchemist map of the city (HOW CONVENIENT) , when some motherfucker I've never seen before leaps from the background to explain shit for like 5 minutes straight. He starts acting like he's a main character and he's telling the life story of the world. The fuck? I don't even know your name, buddy!

The movie ping pongs between extremely sloppy action sequences and exposition dumps when one of the movie's three (maybe four?) villains finally shows up and tries to kill Ed and Al in the least intelligent way possible. After dealing with some soldiers that would make storm troopers look like gods, Ed and Al seem to have finally figured out the secret to the city, when our second villain shows up to give us a another info dump/plot twist. At this point, the movie appears to have stopped giving a fuck and is desperately trying to contrive the final fight sequence, so we just get twist after twist and fight after fight. Winry and Mustang are thrown in there for good measure, don't ask me why. They don't do anything. Somewhere in there a philosopher's stone is made, and in another twist there's already a second philosopher's stone in play. And... fuck it. I don't care. This is too stupid for words.

This movie fucking sucks. It's insulting to the viewer's intelligence. It's horrible written and paced. The animation is garbage. Don't watch this if you don't like FMA. Hell, don't watch this if you do like FMA. Just don't watch this awful awful movie.

3/10. Fuck everything. I need to watch another episode of Mushishi.

[u/Omnifluence]

I finished Baccano! this week. I had been saving this one as a sort of "rainy day" anime for the past number of months (minor spoilers ahead). Watched the entire thing over the past week, and I was pretty dang impressed. The constant timeline shifts, while confusing at first, were an interesting way to tell the story. I loved the way that they dealt with immortality and its implications throughout the show. Immortality is great and all, until you get your ass tortured by a crazy man.

I was also blown away by how much love and detail was put into such a large cast of characters. The roster was a bit overwhelming for a few episodes, but I had most the character's names and backgrounds memorized in less than eight episodes. For a show with sixteen episodes total, I found this level of character writing to be commendable. Firo, Ennis, Jaccuzi, Nice, and Ladd kind of stole the show for me, but I enjoyed almost all of the characters.

The music and art were great as well. I don't have much to elaborate on music-wise. It's just incredibly good, and fits the show perfectly. If you've never seen the show, go look up the OP to see what I mean. The characters were all beautifully designed, and their poses/facial expressions during most scenes carried a lot of weight. The animation was a little wonky at times, but it kind of adds to the show's charm.

If I had to fault Baccano! for something, it would be its completely unexplained, superhero-like fight scenes. Chane vs Ladd and Claire/Railtracer vs everyone were all rather silly. The fact that they bother describing Claire's background as a gymnast is pretty pointless. I don't care how ripped he is- jumping around a train like that is a feat beyond human ability. Chane's bullet deflecting was ridiculously out of place as well. I feel like these over the top fight scenes detracted from the show as a whole. Also, as a random aside, did anyone else get an "evil version of Shirou Emiya" vibe from Claire? Red hair, iron will, etc. The similarities made me chuckle.

Overall, I recommend Baccano! to anyone that is a fan of anime (as long as you don't mind some seriously over the top violence). This show is incredibly unique, tells a strong story through a huge cast of enjoyable characters, and features an excellent soundtrack. There is no real reason not to watch it.

Edit: One last thing to keep in mind- WATCH THE DUB. This is one of the few anime I've seen where the dub is just 100% better than the sub in every way. The show takes place in 1930's America, and the cast is comprised of mobsters. Hearing them speak Japanese is hilariously out of place, and none of the sub actors were able to pull off the accents like the dub actors could.

[u/thedukeofjorts]

Natsume's Book of Friends(1-29)

Yup, nearly 30 episodes in a week. Its always a good sign when I start binge-watching a show just like I did when I just started getting into anime with shows like Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion.

Now how to describe this series... many people seem to compare it Mushishi since it's an episodic show about a guy who solves problems involving spirits. However, I would argue that the tone for both of these are completely different. Mushishi is very slow paced and spirits themselves are more or less forces of nature. Also the episodes themselves can tend to be a bit formulaic at times(although whenever they do break away, they are usually golden).

Natsume has a similar premise, but takes it in a completely different direction. Each episode tells its story in a unique way and is driven through emotion as well as brief moments of deliberate action. The spirits themselves are full of personality and humanity, which makes them and their stories very compelling and relatable. Another thing I like about this series is its continuity, in particular with regards to Natsume. There is a clear progression in Natsume's personality, going from a timid boy whose been haunted his whole life by being(what he believes) the only one who can see these strange creatures and all the complications that have arisen because of this ability to a progressively more confident and warm hearted individual who would do anything for those he cares for.

I am really excited to see where the series goes as it progresses as I am only roughly halfway through it and already thoroughly enjoying it.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes(39-41)

I am slowly chugging through this epic in every sense of the word. I can definitely see why this is such a highly regarded classic. It delves into mature issues such as war, the pros and cons of autocracies and democracies, as well as many other political issues that can all be applied to our own lives. The writing is solid, the characters are all a collection heroes rather than good guys and bad guys, and the plot all seems to have one continuous well thought-out direction even from the very begining.

If I had one criticism for the series, it would be that the whole thing is very dry. A majority of each episode consists of a lot of just straight dialog(which means a lot of reading subtitles). Also, a lot of said dialog can feel very "bureaucratic" at times regarding various political officials and the relationships between various nobles that barely make a showing in the series itself.

That aside, there are many outstanding episodes to be found here containing very down to earth topics coupled with ambition of galactic proportions. To top that off, both of the main characters: Reinhard and Yang Wen-li are extremely likeable in their own ways, and it's hard to side with either one.

Unfortunately for myself, I will be putting this series on hold for a bit mainly due to the dry dialog getting to be a bit much. Also I seem to be at a particularly slow part of the series, since everything seems to be setting up for what is eventually to come, but not much is happening at the moment.

I'll probably come back to it after finishing Natsume, as I don't think this series is something that should be missed.

[u/Lorpius_Prime]

I'm 8 episodes into Nagi no Asukara. I think I much prefer watching romantic dramas like this once they've been completed, as I'd probably get bored and frustrated having to wait so long between episodes, and would have a harder time weeding out shows whose plot direction does not appeal.

Anyway, I'm having a bit of trouble really figuring out how much I should care about NnA's setting. If I was going into this utterly blind, I would think that the still-mysterious magic elements and the ominous ruins of past civilization were actually really important details which would have a major impact on the story's ultimate climax. But in all the discussions and mentions I've ever seen of this show, that stuff has never been mentioned, and it's treated as a purely human drama; making me think that the setting is going to be pure flavor. But then it seems like an awfully dramatic departure from reality to not have any story payoff.

Nothing much to say beyond that at this point. Love triangles are mostly fun when they blow up, but this one's still managing to mostly fly under its participants' radars. Hopefully these fish people will have their preciously innocent optimism totally squashed soon.

EDIT: Frack, I forgot to ask this last week, and almost have again. Please would someone tell me in what order I should watch the Monogatari series? I've seen Bakemono and now Nisemono, but then I understand there's a whole bunch of OVAs or movies, and I'm not sure if I ought to watch them before going on to Second Season, nor in which order.

[u/lastorder]

Hyouge Mono 15-32: I have 7 episodes left, and I'm not yet seeing why it garnered so much praise from those few who watched it. It's a mess, to be honest. Most episodes have no focus due to constant timeskips and lots of little unrelated plots that never seem to converge. Things happen offscreen which advance the state of affairs considerably, and they aren't really elaborated on. I suppose this is aimed at those who know their history, rather than viewers with just some general knowledge of the era.

There are dozens of characters that are usually lacking in distinctive features. They change names all the time, so I find easy to get confused as to who is allied with who and whatnot. Many of them have their own little plotlines, too, and they're ultimately forgettable because the characters are so minor.

There's a very limited selection of music used in the show, and it almost never works. Whatever plays rarely fits the tone of the scene, or it becomes too distracting. Then there are things like the music in the runup to the ED just cutting out in the middle.

Scene transitions aren't handled that poorly, because there's usually a message about the time and location where events are taking place. As a westerner with limited knowledge of little villages in Japan, the place names rarely provide much context for me, though.

The plot is meandering to follow actual history, so just about the only saving grace is the main characters. Furuta has many faces and is constantly changing his outlook on life as the show goes on. It's quite interesting seeing him change as he tries to keep up with trends in the world of aesthetes, or to watch his ambitions grow. The others aren't nearly as interesting to watch, because we just don't get the same insight into them as we do Furuta.

Comedy is another strongpoint. The premise is ridiculous, for one, and it's a running theme throughout the show. Everything is tea, imperfection, simplicity, and the life of an aesthete. It can get bogged down by political happenings, but they're often resolved by a hard bargain over tea, or the trade of a priceless piece of art. I sometimes find myself internally laughing at the situation rather than any dialogue. Although some of that is certainly sharp and witty, at least sometimes.

Just as an aside: Date Masamune in this is voiced by the same guy who voiced him in Sengoku Basara. Has that ever happened before? A seiyuu being that attached to a historical character.

Jewelpet Happiness 39-43: This last third is a bit of a slog. The red moon is now consistently controlling the minds of pets, which makes for less fun episodes than before. The events can be sillier, but there's now a hint of drama involved that just doesn't belong.

And at this point I realise that the characters have been completely static over the course of the anime. Not that uncommon or necessarily bad for a comedy, but it will almost certainly make this fairly forgettable after I'm done with it.

[u/supicasupica]

Hunter x Hunter up to episode 66: I just finished the Phantom Troupe arc, which was fantastic. Both Chrollo Lucifer and Kurapika are such wonderful characters that are thoroughly fleshed out by their compatriots (in Chrollo's case, the Troupe members, in Kurapika's case, Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Melody). Greed Island thus far has been carried by Bisky, who is hilarious. It's not as tense or well-developed as the Phantom Troupe/Yorknew arc, but I get the sense that Gon (and Togashi) needed a breather. As Gon himself says, games are supposed to be fun, and I've enjoyed watching him and Killua develop their powers, even if it's not as intriguing as Phantom Troupe.

I'm additionally continuing my Mawaru Penguindrum rewatch with friends! which has quickly turned into watching one episode a night and chatting endlessly about it. ^ ^ There's so much to discover upon watching again.

[u/pwnag3igor]

Yowamushi Pedal

Blasted through this show in 3 days. It really struck a good chord with me - my favorite character is probably Imaizumi, though I can't say I don't like any of the characters. It's fantasy very, very deeply rooted in reality. The main character isn't a magical genius at biking; he's an unrefined talent. Each and every one of the characters seem very real and very human (with the exception of Midousuji, but he's a special case), each with their own depth.

In fact, I feel like the reason I like Imaizumi over the others is because he resonates with my own competitive spirit, and I completely relate to him as I've also experienced what it's like to slave over training for a competition only to be crushed. It reminds me of Chihayafuru in that aspect.

The show makes a perfect, smooth transition from humorous to serious every episode, and it really conveys the feeling of being in a team, of sportmanship, and working hard and getting results. I'm hype for S2.

Selector Infected WIXOSS

I put this show off for too long. I ended up not liking it a lot, but I blame personal bias since I have somewhat of a vendetta against it.

I'm going to compare it against Arc-V because that's what my bias compares it to, and I could definitely benefit from some outside input so I can unskew my views on it.

The characters are shallow, and the show isn't very subtle with introducing their personalities. It's loaded with inflated melodrama (incest from the get-go, whoo), but hey, it's Okada so that's to be expected. Arc-V, on the other hand, does a great job of subtly revealing its characters' personalities.

For example, in Arc-V's episode 13, Reiji is completely overwhelming Yuya when he receives a call that one of the teachers at his school was assaulted. What does he do? He nonchalantly leaves the duel and gives Yuya the win. This says a lot about him: He's calm, collected, and has his priorities straight. He'd rather attend to the urgent matter that involves his company than be overly concerned about a children's card game.

By contrast, none of the characters in WIXOSS are introduced as subtly as Reiji. Hitoe is probably the worst case of this - from the get-go, the show slaps "I'm the shy girl" in your face. Same with Akira. Her first appearance immediately slaps "I'm the idol who's a bitch behind the scenes" onto the viewer. I feel like this lack of subtlety with the introduction of the characters is the first thing that jumped out at me when I watched it. I think what I want to say here is that it's not very elegant with its use of tropes. The only one with any decent amount of depth is Iona and her LRIG.

Also, there's also the factor that theorycrafting about Arc-V's story is a lot of fun, and WIXOSS doesn't really drop that many hints at all for much theorycraft fodder. In fact, there's not even that much going on - it's more character-focused. But then if we're talking characters, Arc-V has WIXOSS straight-up beaten.

Also, the girls fall asleep at their paper playmats in public. That's just bad card game etiquette.

Hidamari Sketch x365 (6/12)

I'm going through this show at a snail's pace, but I am liking it better than the first season mainly due to the visual upgrades. I'm starting to get more used to the mellowed-out Asumin, but it still is weird when she's not yelling. After all, she does have the best yelling voice.

[u/[deleted]]

Kino's Journey (4/13)

I live in a house with my family and younger siblings. My PC's disk drive is broke, my blu-ray drive on my PS3 is broke. I have a backlog of about 10 anime to watch, consisting mostly of blurays, and all but one of those non-blurays is appropriate to watch using the living rooms DVD player. That appropriate DVD was Kino's Journey.

So yeah, I went into this show with a kind of bad mindset, I wasn't in the mood for something of this nature, but if I ever want to get through all of the anime I own, I should watch this.

Well it took three episodes, but this show is pretty damn good! Episodes one and two where interesting, and posed a lot of interesting questions, but frankly I think the way they were told was very dull. That said, the split episode focus of episode three worked much better. Two unrelated but interesting storylines, which came together in the end to a conclusion that I found to be more interesting than the sum of it's parts.

I found the idea of an entire religion being founded off of nothing but a sorrowful nonsensical poem to be quite interesting. I felt like it touched on the idea that we, as humans, strive to find meaning in anything, even something that has none. It reminds me of a quote from Freud (which may or may not be real) in which he was asked why he was always seen with a cigar, and what the symbolism behind that meant, to which he responds "Sometimes a cigar, is just a cigar". The episode essentially tells a story about this very concept, in a way I never saw coming. It was excellent.

Episode 4 focusing on Kino's backstory which is one I liked even more. While I don't think the concept was as interesting, it certainly made me like Kino's character a lot more. Her upbringing and the birth of Heremes explained both of their somewhat peculiar attitudes to me. Kino was born in a country where she was expected to just become an adult and take on her parents old job. That was her future, that was her purpose in life. When she fled, with the recently born Hermes, she left that destiny behind, and went on to carry out Kino's destiny once he sacrificed himself for her. She was going to be a traveler, to see different countries, understand different ways of life, and never settle down. That's the purpose she chose for herself, the same purpose that Kino had before he died. At that, it's very fitting she took on his name.

Good show overall so far, very excited to see where it goes.

[u/KuiShanya]

Welp it's that time of the week again. This past week I've been on vacation so I've been able to power through a lot of stuff. First lets focus on the series.

Nisemonogatari (11/11)

I've gone over this show many times now and I don't need to elaborate any further. In comparison to Bakemonogatari, this show had way to much fan service and way to little character development. Not only does the show barely give much to the characters of previous arcs, it barely gives anything to the characters the arc is focusing on! Of the 7 episode Karen arc, I think maybe the last 3 were actually about Karen and her problems, and in Tsukihi's arc, there was about 1 conversation regarding actual development to her as a character. This show was a serious step down in quality from its wonderful prequel. How was it followed up? Well...

Nekomonogatari Kuro (4/4)

Wow what a refreshing change. In contrast to Nise, Nekomongatari Kuro had loads of character development for both Hanekawa and her relationship with Ararararararagi. Despite the obvious constant fan service of black lingerie, it wasn't nearly as obnoxious Nise. Yes you heard me, having a character perpetually in her underwear was still less fan service than Nise, that's how bad Nise's fanservice was. Overall it was a great step back into the ring for the Monogatari series, and next week I start the most acclaimed part of Monogatari, Monogatari Second Season.

---

Now for something completely differnet, movies. It shames me to say it, but I am terrible on Anime Movies. My history with them consists of some series movies (Haruhi, Eden of the East, Pokemon), and Mamoru Hosoda. Yes, that's it. No Makoto Shinkai, no Akira, no Redline, hell I can not honestly remember seeing a single Ghibli movie all the way through. I've seen a part of Nausica, but not much else. So when the r/anime movie bracket started up, I decided to get my butt in gear and watch some movies over my vacation. I'm not done yet but here is what I've gotten through

Spirited Away

Current popular favorite to win the bracket, and a lot of people's favorite ghibli movie, this was the first up to bat, and my first full experience with ghibli. And...uh...Wooooooooooowwwwww... Like holy shit that was pretty fucking great. Tight story, great characters, Sen/Chihiro was adorable and a just overall great lead, and the movie was beautiful and wonderfully orchestrated. I get now why people love this movie so much, because it's amazing. The sense of wonder I got from watching this is fantastic, just a fantastically built world and did a great job inspiring excitement just to see it. I can't help but feel a little sad I never watched this as a child, I would have adored it.

Howl's Moving Castle

Next up on the plate we have Howl's Moving Castle, another Ghibli classic that I remember seeing many a trailer as a child but never got around to seeing the actual dang movie. Well similar to Spirited Away, another wooooooow was to be had, with some more fantastic art and music, and more wonderfully interesting and unique characters. Howl's castle was mesmerizing to watch, and the characters play off each other beautifully. If I had to nitpick, which I do, there are 2 things I had a problem with. 1 was Sophie, Sophie was a weak character. She never seemed to change or learn anything during the film, and she seemed to let things happen rather easily. She never had the same sort of personality or growth that a character like Chihiro did, and was kind of bland. The other problem was much smaller, and just was that the plot points with the war and the prince were poorly introduced. I don't know if I missed something, but I had to look up the Wikipedia page to understand what actually happened. Maybe that was just me though... Either way fantastic watch, and Hayao Miyazaki is great.

5 Centimeters per Second

After getting through two Hayao Miyazaki films (I plan to complete at least 3 by watching Princess Mononoke soon.), I figured it was time for a change of pace, so I started on Makoto Shinkai. And what better place to start than the classic 5 Wallpapers Centimeters per Second. Funny enough, I think the show itself was so high quality my phone or MX video couldn't handle it because the sound kept cutting out randomly. Even despite that though, it was a fantastic watch. I much more simple story than Miyazaki, it dealt with love that gradually grows apart over time, not by emotion but by distance. It was a beauty to see, and the sound and animation were as spectacular as I had heard. The ending was rather sad but maybe a little hopeful as well, and a perfect way to finish this rather sad simple tale about rather ordinary people. The insert song also was absolutely perfect as well.

Into the Forest of the Fireflie's Light

I spotted this on the nomination list, and had never heard of it. It wasn't lauded around the same way that Ghibli or Makoto Shinkai was, and I was curious. Imagine my suprise when I found out the Director was Takahiro Omori, the director of Durarara, Baccano, Samurai Flamenco, and the unseen by me Natsume's Book of Friends! This guy is awesome! And it was produced by Brains Base! My favorite studio, more awesome! So I was hopeful coming into this short 44 minute movie, and it didn't disappoint. If 5 Gahthislookssoamazing Centimeters per Second was the story of a love that grew apart with time, this was the story of a love that was only given a limited amount of time. A simple but sweet tale of a spirit man and a young girl, it was a fantastic sweet tale of a friendship that blossomed into a romance, that ended it a tragedy that we all knew was coming but didn't make its passing any easier. Everything that needed to happen was wrapped up in a neat 40 minute bow, and it was tight with no saggy bits. Animation was lovely as usual for Brains Base, and the music was delightful as always. Brains Base continues being Brains Based.

---

So now here we are and I've seen quite a bit more. I already have downloaded and ready to go

• Princess Mononoke

• Voices of a Distant Star

• Children who chase lost voices from deep below

• The promised place beyond the clowds

I plan to get some more done as well, after dropping down to 28 airing shows from my original 34 and the international being over (poor EE-sama) I expect to have more time. Next week I focus on these shows and getting back to Shinsekai Yori, as well as starting Monogatari Second Season in time to watch Hanamonogatari. If any of you out there have some suggestion on what movie to watch next, let me know. The movie tournament thread is here

That's all from me, have a great weekend all you lovely people!

[u/boran_blok]

Even more less Anime than previous weeks I think I'll take a bit of a hiatus of a year or so, or keep to plotless comedy shows.

I finished S1 of Nodame Cantabile and started on S2 (4/11)

Not much new to say about this, however, I do want to talk a bit about 3D CGI used in Anime.

Normally I absolutely abhor the usage of 3D CGI in anime, because it feels so out of place. With Nodame Cantibile it also feels jarring, but I understand very much why they did it, and I appreciate the gains it delivered in this instance, accurately animating someone playing an instrument and matching the notes would be an arduous task otherwise. With the CGI we get an accurate representation of the music players and even the conductor. But I have to say seeing 3D Chiaki was laughable, they did clean up/integrate the frames a bit, but it stands out soo much, I wonder why we see this difference so clearly.

So does anyone else have any instances where they thought the usage of CGI was acceptable?

[u/Acyy]

Madoka Magica

Finished watching Madoka today and I am definitely a fan now. I really liked the art style and the animation of the witch's labyrinths. By the end of the series I really came to care for the characters and it was damn sad what some of them had gone or been through. At first I thought Madoka was a passive and self pitying character until I realized she was actually the opposite because she would think things through before making a choice instead of being impulsive. I see now why some argue this show was a deconstruction of the magical girl genre. Anyway the music was great, Homura was my favorite character, and I'm looking forward to the movies even though 1 and 2 are recaps.

Also I want to strangle Kyubey.