Yearly Archives: 2016

The Rolling Girls – Review

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Welp, I went back to check out the Rolling Girls one more time, and it… went pretty much the same as the first time. The Rolling Girls is full of so much stuff I absolutely love, from its art design to its character focus to its worldbuilding, that it’s kinda painful to reflect on how the final product couldn’t pull itself together. The show had everything going for it, but its team just couldn’t write their way out of a paper bag. It’s a terrible shame.

You can check out my full review over at ANN.

The Rolling Girls

Summer 2016 – Week 12 in Review

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Oh god it’s happening. We’re already halfway through September, final episodes are beginning to broadcast, and the season is well and truly ending. While I’ve gotten somewhat used to the seasonal panic of the preview guide, I certainly haven’t gotten used to the fact that we’re all that much closer to death. Fortunately, that’s exactly what anime is good for – frittering away the idle hours with cartoon entertainment to avoid the lurking specter of our own inevitable mortality. So let’s set aside our dreary, perpetually fraying existence for a while, and RUN DOWN SOME SHOWS!

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Mob Psycho 100 – Episode 11

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Reigen was ascendant in this week’s Mob Psycho, making the most of his reentrance from the first minute to last. I was very curious about how he’d actually fit into this arc, and having him start off by accidentally winning the loyalty of all the Claw also-rans was a pretty great start. This episode also had plenty of Mob Psycho’s usual pleasures – some visually creative reactions, some truly gorgeous highlight cuts, and a light sprinkling of emotionally satisfying reunions and conversations. Mob has really grown into a great character by now – I was skeptical for a while, but at this point, he can easily sell moments like his genuine relief on seeing his brother okay. Earned character warmth is an extremely valuable dramatic quality.

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!

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Mawaru Penguindrum – Episode 10

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Shoma awakes in Penguindrum’s tenth episode, and seems not much worse for wear. In fact, Ringo seems far more changed by Shoma’s accident than Shoma himself – standing outside in the hallway, she seems legitimately concerned for Shoma for perhaps the first time. Now, with the diary torn in half, Ringo’s own mission seems somehow less important than the health of someone she can actually call a friend. The two have aired all their baggage now, and as Ringo listens outside, she learns Shoma doesn’t even blame her for the accident. For once, it seems like a tragedy might actually bring Penguindrum’s characters closer together.

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Orange – Episode 12

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Orange continued to rally this week, offering an episode that felt even more sharp than last week’s shrine visit disaster. Actually getting inside Kakeru’s head made for a poignant and claustrophobic experience, giving a real tangible weight to his feelings of guilt and hopelessness. Naho can’t tell Kakeru the truth because she’s Naho – Kakeru can’t tell his friends the truth because he’s trapped in a cycle of self-loathing that only isolates him more and more over time. Orange is handling its heaviest elements with some real sensitivity here.

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my brief notes below!

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Why It Works: The Living World of Ancient Magus’ Bride

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The Ancient Magus’ Bride’s first prequel episode came out last week, so of course I had to dig in for Why It Works. This adaptation is definitely doing a strong job of capturing the offhand style of magic that makes the manga so charming, even if its story isn’t really focused on the relationship that keeps it strong. My only real complaint is the somewhat impersonal CG layouts – I briefly mention them in this article, but they were certainly at the back of my mind pretty consistently through my viewing. But aside from that, this was a beautiful and very atmospheric premiere!

Why It Works: The Living World of Ancient Magus’ Bride

The Ancient Magus' Bride

 

Nichijou – Episode 7

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That time has come again. Pull up a seat, grab a snack, and let’s dive into another episode of Kyoto Animation’s stupidly brilliant and brilliantly stupid comic masterpiece. There are some changes to the formula this time, as the show seems to have established what passes for a sense of normalcy, but Nichijou is still full of its sharp, absurd, and very endearing gags. We’re all busy people, so let’s get right to it and watch some cartoon madness.

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Our Aimless, Priceless Days: Tamako Love Story

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“Here’s a song about nothing and everything at once / all the minutes and the months / nothing and everything at once.”
– Superchunk

Today is probably not going to be an exciting day. I have a couple of articles I should finish, starting with this longer essay on Tamako Love Story. I’ll work through a few emails as well, and then probably go out for lunch. In the afternoon, I’ll get more work done and then maybe spend some time with my housemates. I might end the day by going to see a movie, or possibly just lounge around and play some videogames.

A day like that can fade into the blur of days, as they pile up and turn into moments and memories and years. When we look back, such days can often disappear entirely. Humans have a tendency to try and make narratives out of the discordant world we live in; things outside of our control happen according to a tangible pattern, while our own lives contort themselves to present villains and victories, turning points and moral conclusions. Lives lived fade into peaks and valleys, where a simple day of doing what you must and living until the next becomes a lost fragment of the whole.

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Orange – Episode 10

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Management: Woops! I apparently forgot to post this one back when it should have gone up. Here it is now!

Orange is frankly starting to drag for me in basically all respects. The show has played its hand – at this point, basically every facet of Naho and Kakeru’s feelings have been thoroughly considered, and most of the emotional peaks just kinda resemble emotional peaks we’ve already seen before. It’s pretty clear that a full television season was not a great choice for adapting this material. Ah well.

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my very limited notes below!

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Summer 2016 – Week 11 in Review

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Surprise surprise, another fine friggin’ week in anime. With this season leaning so heavily into pure entertainment shows over emotional or thematic blockbusters, it can be easy to take weeks like this for granted – I laughed and cheered throughout, but wasn’t truly surprised by anything. But as I said in this week’s Love Live editorial, the craft of fun should never be taken for granted. This season’s shows have worked hard to keep me entertained, and the fact that basically every show this season fits into the “goofy good time” slot doesn’t make it any less impressive of a collection. So let’s run down this season’s silly shows once more, as another strong season begins to come to a close!

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