Anime was plenty strong this week, full of epic punches and cathartic emotional revelations and long afternoon naps. JoJo added another feather to this arc’s already outrageously festooned cap, and My Hero Academia finally started in on its higher-tier material. The Lost Village and Flying Witch both did the kinds of things you hope for from those shows, and Concrete Revolutio seems to be sticking the landing by smartly tethering its overall ideas directly to Jiro’s personal development. The season would be strong even if the more questionable shows actually did fall apart, but it’s nice seeing that even stuff like The Lost Village and Kiznaiver are rallying for their last acts. This is a season to be proud of.
Yearly Archives: 2016
Summer 2016 Season Preview
And so another season slowly marches to its end. Spring 2016 has been a pretty fantastic season, all things considered. Personally, this has has been the best season for a solid year, but even outside of my own genre preferences, this season had pretty much something for everyone. I wasn’t even watching a fair number of this season’s biggest shows, but between Concrete Revolutio, Kiznaiver, JoJo, Flying Witch, The Lost Village, and My Hero Academia, I had plenty to enjoy every week.
But soon, all of that will be coming to an end.
Flying Witch – Episode 9
Flying Witch was its usual pleasant self this week, offering good gags with Akane and plenty of information on the myriad benefits of eating radishes. Chinatsu made the most of her screentime as always, and though there was nothing quite as compelling as the cafe’s guests, there was still plenty to enjoy throughout. I can’t imagine anyone could still be watching Flying Witch and feeling surprised by anything that happens; the show is absolutely even in its consistency, always hitting its tonal marks and offering solid jokes without ever straying from its usual mood.
You can check out my review over at ANN, or my notes below.
Kiznaiver – Episode 9
Jeez, what an episode this was. Kiznaiver is always a very pretty show, but this episode was gorgeous from start to finish, full of wonderfully dynamic shots and great transitions making use of the show’s equally excellent sound design. The writing was a little more suspect, as always, but even there, the best moments were really worth celebrating. Kiznaiver’s not quite hitting the ceiling it could have shot for, but it’s still offering plenty to love every week.
You can check out my full review at ANN, or my notes below!
The Lost Village – Episode 10
Welp, any fears that The Lost Village would get more coherent as it moved towards its conclusion were pretty much put to rest this week. The theme here seemed to be “let’s do every single reveal at once, thus rendering them all meaningless.” It was a bold and characteristically Lost Village tactic, and it worked like gangbusters – nothing here made sense, none of it had any impact, Mikage and Lovepon better sort this shit out. If The Lost Village doesn’t come down to a climactic battle between Lovepon and Koharun, I will be deeply disappointed.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!
Goodnight Punpun – Volume 1
Solanin is a story about young adulthood, written by Inio Asano at the point when he was experiencing the feelings he was transcribing. It’s a great story, but it is very much about that moment – that specific kind of freedom, that specific kind of fear. A Girl on the Shore is similarly concerned with the specific emotions of a listless, emotionally deadened adolescence, and that story ends when its exact emotional moment concludes.
Goodnight Punpun is a work that seems to be striving for true emotional universality. And so Goodnight Punpun is about a bird.
Spring 2016 – Week 9 in Review
Anime held pretty darn steady this week. In a season this strong, I’m not forced to watch shows that I have to pray for every week – the only inconsistent show I’m watching is Kiznaiver, and even that has established a really strong rhythm over the last several episodes. Concrete Revolutio had a very rich episode this week, and Flying Witch continued to make strong use of the magical cafe for fantasy and humor. Luluco was crap, but hey, Luluco’s been crap for a few weeks now, even that’s not a surprise. I’ve still got plenty (of Conrevo) to discuss though, so let’s start with the conclusion of Koichi’s whirlwind romance and RUN ‘EM DOWN!
Gankutsuou – Episode 1
There are a number of angles you could use to approach Gankutsuou. You could talk about the studio, Gonzo, although that conversation would end roughly where it begins – Gonzo have barely created a handful of noteworthy shows over their career, and Gankutsuou’s director isn’t particularly tied to that studio. You could talk about that director, Mahiro Maeda, whose career has spanned early Studio Ghibli, a variety of guest positions on shows as varied as Giant Robo and Kill la Kill, and who has seemingly joined many frustratingly talented creators at that great Studio Khara in the sky.
Or you could talk about the fact that Gankutsuou actually has source material.
Flying Witch – Episode 8
Flying Witch really made the most of its new setting this week, letting a sequence of unexpected cafe patrons import all the charm and whimsy an episode could need. I think the first sequence with the ladybugs must have been my favorite – the combination of Anzu’s nonplussed “oh yeah, they come here on dates a lot” and her mother’s greeting being returned with little wing-waves was just perfectly understated comedy material. But the vast majority of the material here landed well, so all I can really complain about are a couple moments of oversold jokes. Flying Witch is good stuff.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
Kiznaiver – Episode 8
Kiznaiver’s eighth episode couldn’t match the ridiculous highs of the seventh, but I wasn’t really expecting it to. It was still a very respectable episode suffused with a strong sense of atmosphere, elevated by Kiznaiver’s reliably terrific direction and sound design. The show would be in classic territory if its writing were just a bit sharper, but as is, it’s still a very respectable character drama with a variety of noteworthy strengths. I continue to be thrilled with the prospect of this director having a long career ahead of him.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!