As we wind towards the end of the fall season, I’m happy to report this was another very strong week in anime. Though I’ve come to expect consistent greatness from Gridman and Thunderbolt Fantasy, it was actually my sports dramas that most impressed me this week. There have been times when I’ve felt a sense of distance or reservation regarding both Run with the Wind and Tsurune, largely because of their sometimes strict loyalty to genre convention. But between Tsurune’s perpetually captivating, beautifully realized tone and Run with the Wind’s consistent character development payoffs, this week saw both of them demonstrating they are indeed exceptional examples of the form. When a week in anime’s weak link is friggin’ JoJo, you know you’re in a pretty good spot. Anyway, all those thoughts and more as we scroll further down this very page, and sail through another Week in Review!

This week’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was once again a bit of a lull episode, in spite of being largely consumed by a high-energy fight scene. Well, I say “in spite,” but the focus on that fight scene may actually have been part of the problem – as I’ve said before, Golden Wind seems more effective as a thriller than an action show, with its buildups generally possessing more tension and style than its payoffs. In light of that, it should theoretically have been the extended introduction of the Hitman Squad that carried the day here, but their debut felt both genre-rote and emotionally hollow; that big reveal of the fate of their partners took far too long, and seemed to assume an investment in this crew that the show hasn’t really given us time to develop. As for the fight itself, it certainly didn’t help that Narancia’s Stand is both utterly straightforward in terms of its powers and also a tiny plane, necessitating a heavy reliance on CG animation that undercut JoJo’s generally alluring visual compositions. And when you couple all that with the fact that Narancia himself hasn’t really been characterized as anything but a complete dumbass, you end up with an episode that wasn’t all that compelling in terms of its drama, characters, or visual appeal. Hopefully the rest of this hitman squad arc fares better!

SSSS.Gridman had yet another barn burner of an episode this week, as the slow simmer of Akane’s alienation and bitterness ultimately boiled over with the show’s most exciting battle yet. It’s normally the somber first half of a given Gridman episode that really appeals to me, but the combination of genuine horror and character payoff contained in this week’s battles made them just as exciting. I loved the forlorn, misshapen design of the kaiju Akane just kinda tossed off this week, heavily relating to her inability to find any passion in this work, and the ways that resignation played out in the design itself. And the grim creature which emerged from that kaiju felt like Gridman’s most overt tip of the hat to Evangelion yet, a creature whose otherworldly design, mocking laughter, and savage, leaping movements placed it somewhere between an angel and an Eva unit.

This episode also did a fine job of giving Anti some much-needed character development. There’s certainly a sense of pathos contained in Anti’s quest for a purpose, but he’d been developed more through moody visual compositions than actual narrative movement so far, and so giving him a concrete turn was a necessary choice. At this point, my biggest concern for Gridman is how well it’s going to tie up Akane’s character story; this episode certainly succeeded in illustrating her loneliness and self-loathing (her speech about the unlovable, inhuman nature of kaiju was clearly more about herself than the giant monsters), but I’m not really at the point where I actually find her sympathetic. Maybe that itself is part of the point? Regardless, Gridman’s been doing a wonderful job so far, and I have plenty of confidence it’ll draw to a satisfying resolution.

Run with the Wind’s tenth episode was absurdly charming on the whole, and directly tackled a conflict the show has been building all season – the fact that at his current pace, Prince had absolutely no chance of ever improving enough to actually qualify for the relay. Turning Prince’s improvement into a simultaneous illustration of how much Kakeru has grown was a very smart choice, and went a long way towards not only fleshing out the two of them as people, but also bringing the whole team together into a group that convincingly like and care about each other. It would have been easy for this turn to come off as dramatically contrived, considering their long-standing animosity, but Kakeru’s shifting feelings throughout this episode actually felt like a very clear reflection of the growth he’s been going through all season, and in particular the dramatic change in his attitude from last week. And after most of a season of Kakeru defiantly looking forward at all times, seeing him connect with Prince on his level, excitedly develop training routines, and ultimately sacrifice his own run for the sake of his teammate was a wonderful payoff. Run with the Wind has done a great deal of careful work in terms of building up its characters and group dynamics, and I get a feeling the show is only going to get more rewarding as its stars come to genuinely believe in each other.

This week’s episode of Tsurune was perfectly satisfying in terms of its overt drama, and did an excellent job of bouncing unexpected members of our core team off each other in compelling ways. Nanao revealing his true reason for competing was a nice splash of characterization for both him and Onogi, and I felt the show built quite convincingly to Minato’s first successful shot (which was a terrific visual spectacle in its own right). That said, I feel my own greatest takeaway from this episode was basically the confirmation that it is satisfying and even refreshing simply to witness this show’s visual compositions. While basically all KyoAni shows have their own visual identity, Tsurune’s visuals trend towards clean geometric shapes, generally minimalist compositions, and an overarching sense of depth at basically all times. As a result, the show feels visually “fresh” and sparse in a way that goes beyond individual shots or cuts; the sensation of watching the show is like that of drawing a breath of cold morning air, a brief and cleansing shot to the system. I’m not sure if my recognition of this quality is a reflection of either my increasingly holistic approach to media engagement or simply me going insane, but I’m enjoying the experience while it lasts!

Finally, Thunderbolt Fantasy was in top form this week, as the Enigmatic Gale’s machinations reached their fruition and the Rational Skeptic Monk did his best to kill basically everyone. I wasn’t sure which bit of Lin’s victory I liked more – Lin savoring the Hunting Fox’s despair at being discovered, or his subsequent genuine anger at his adversary apparently taking all this failure in stride. Lin’s entire reason for existence is to bring pompous people low and then gently whisper “lol y u mad tho,” and so having him discover the Hunting Fox isn’t actually pompous, but rather uses that affect as a feint, was a beautiful way to “defeat” him. Pair that wonderful conversation with Lang’s extremely well-executed fight against the monk, and you end up with top shelf Thunderbolt even before you factor in Lin’s “reason” for saving Lang. You can’t trust many things the Enigmatic Gale says, but when he tells you “I have no idea who that was, but anyone who chuckles that irritatingly needs to go,” I feel inclined to believe him.