You wouldn’t think a bright, stop-motion story about a young woman and her three stuffed animal friends would offer such consistently piercing meditations on aging and purpose, but here we are. Rilakkuma and Kaoru’s first episode offered a direct and familiar punch to the jaw, centered on the difficulty of maintaining contact with friends as you move into adulthood, and the fear of being left behind by the people you love. In the end, Kaoru’s friends didn’t all suddenly reappear in a glorious refutation of those fears; after all, that process of separation is an inescapable fact of adulthood. It’s not all sunshine and roses – in fact, it’s more often about coming to terms with imperfect circumstances, and finding the joy in what you can. Kaoru can’t rekindle her college friendships, but she can sit and watch the stars by the riverbank, and maybe that’s enough.
Author Archives: Bobduh
Scorching Ping Pong Girls – Episode 10
The preliminary matches have all been concluded, and the record stands at two matches to our brave and gallant heroes, and two matches for our fiendish, nefarious villains. After their enemies ruthlessly cut down Hokuto and Hanabi, Suzumegahara’s heroes rallied back with Mune and Kiruka’s doubles match, followed by Agari’s close win against Mozuyami’s captain Zakuro. Now, with Koyori’s faith in her own play having been restored by Agari’s victory, it’s time for the true battle. You folks ready for battle!? You folks ready for BLOOD?!?!?
I’m pretty excited personally, if you hadn’t guessed. But I don’t think I’m alone here – this series has literally spent two-thirds of its running time hyping up this particular match, with Kururi having been framed as the “true threat” of Mozuyami from the very start. Additionally, Scorching Ping Pong Girls’ core theme is “finding a positive, fulfilling reason to play,” and Kururi represents the most unhealthy negative articulation of that theme. Early on in the season, the show’s central emotional conflict was Agari learning to play for the joy of play itself, instead of the brittle comfort of having her skills validated. The moment that conflict was resolved, the narrative essentially introduced Kururi as a super-Agari, someone even more invested in table tennis as a source of validation, rather than personal joy. Will Koyori’s joyful play and inherent puppy-ness convince Kururi to play for her own sake, and realize that seeking her own happiness is also the best way to make Zakuro happy? I mean, probably, but I still wanna see how we get there. LET’S GET TO IT!
Girls’ Last Tour – Episode 8
I didn’t really intend for tragedy to always return me to Girls’ Last Tour writeups, but here I am again. This has not been an easy summer for me, and Girls’ Last Tour is pretty much where my headspace is – “getting along with the feeling of hopelessness” and all of that. At its core, Girls’ Last Tour is a story about death specifically, and about things ending more generally. The decaying civilization that Chi and Yuu struggle through is a reminder of the impermanence of all things, the kind of reminder that makes it impossible to live without acknowledging your own impermanence. Yuu and Chi cannot console themselves with “our lives will be remembered,” “our actions will contribute to a greater cause,” or anything else that implies a kind of eternity – the crumbled streets they putter through stand as a guard against any such illusions, emphasizing that all things eventually end.
As we make our own way through lives full of restless action and ambitious plans, perpetually reflecting on impermanence isn’t necessarily a helpful exercise – yeah sure, it may all turn to dust eventually, but we still gotta work and eat and take care of each other. But when you are reminded of impermanence, and lose something that cannot be replaced, it helps to have stories like Girls’ Last Tour, which acknowledge that loss while insisting that life is worth living even though life will end. There is so much beauty in this world, and I am forever thankful for the stories that acknowledge both the beauty and the sorrow, and greet the inevitable tragedies of living with honesty and hope. Living is its own meaning, and love is its own reward. Let’s return to the irrepressibly joyous Girls’ Last Tour.
Summer 2019 – Week 12 in Review
Alright folks, pile in, pile in. The summer season isn’t technically over yet, but we’re basically there – Granbelm and Carole & Tuesday still need to pop out their last episodes, but Given is already over, and the fall premieres are just a week ago. That’s frankly a terrifying thought to me, as I feel like I’ve been perpetually trying to catch up this entire season, and have no idea how I’m going to power my way through O Maidens and Vinland Saga. But hey, that’s a problem for another day – for now, I’ve got plenty of rambling thoughts on the week’s cartoons to share with you all. Without further ado, it’s the Week in Review!
Why It Works: Given is One of the Best Anime Dramas of the Year
No subterfuge or trickery in this title; Given has concluded, it’s absolutely one of the best shows of the year, and I felt duty-bound to sell it as hard as I possibly could. I say “one of” in the post title, but honestly, there’s not really any competition for that title; it just is the best character drama of the year, full stop. Incredibly convincing dialogue and rich, vulnerable characters, terrific layouts and bold, uplifting dramatic turns; Given was altogether stunning, and I’m thrilled it ended so well. By the last few episodes, I’d transitioned fully into “as long as they don’t fuck up, this will be a classic” viewing, and guess what, they didn’t fuck up. If you haven’t watched Given and you like the sort of stuff I tend to like, you should probably give it a try. If not, maybe one more article will convince you!
Given is One of the Best Anime Dramas of the Year
Ojamajo Doremi Sharp – Episode 6
You guys, I think it’s about time for more Ojamajo Doremi. This year has been frankly terrible on the whole, with the summer of 2019 being marked by tragedies both personal and professional, and my own life undergoing some terrifying shifts as I do my best to resemble a functioning adult. But through all of that external calamity, Ojamajo Doremi has remained a consistent source of comfort and joy, with both its aesthetic charm and emotional warmth keeping me steady through the storm.
Ojamajo Doremi is one of those lovely shows I can enjoy passively and actively at the same time; it never asks too much of its audience, but every scene is still full of glimmering details of art design and storytelling. Additionally, its evolving narrative and rotating cast of all-star directors means every episode feels genuinely new, while still maintaining its comforting structure, and still presenting the Maho-dou as a place you can feel safe at the end of the day. Comfort food gets a bad rap sometimes, but a show being comforting doesn’t have to mean it’s also simplistic or unchallenging; Doremi tackles tough subjects with unflinching maturity, while simultaneously presenting a universe defined by mutual love and calming, familial beauty.
Last episode’s drama only enhanced that feeling of comfort, as the wholly regrettable Oyajii at last made his exit from the narrative. With our girls likely returning to either classwork or baby problems, let’s see what’s in store in the next Ojamajo Doremi!
Simoun – Episode 19
Alright everybody, let’s get back into another episode of the rich and beautiful Simoun! Episode eighteen saw the Holy Empire suffer a tremendous breakdown in its traditional structure, as the decision by Onashia to hold a ceremonial funeral for the foreigner Angulas served as the last straw for a great deal of Simulacrum’s military. Having seen their own sacred traditions trampled on, as well as having learned that Onashia’s loyalty isn’t even necessarily tied to their own country, has essentially broken the power that custom and ceremony had over them. Where once they deferred to the religious branch and its priestesses, they have now lost their faith and respect in these institutions, and without faith or tradition, it turns out the people holding all the guns ultimately also hold most of the power.
Of course, the crisis of faith that is now splintering Simulcrum’s government has been playing out on a more personal level all through this series. Characters like Aaeru, Neviril, and even Floe have consistently grappled with what it means to be a symbol, a soldier, and an individual human being at the same time, with various members of our team all settling on their own relationship with faith, and reasons to fight. And outside of the specific priestess-versus-soldier conflict, characters like Para have struggled mightily with the fear of leaving a comfortable assigned role, and embracing their own messy personal desires. The way these larger societal assumptions and structures shape these characters’ lives and even identities has been illustrated thoughtfully from the start, and I’m eager to see how they all cope as those structures begin tumbling down. Let’s get to it!
Summer 2019 – Week 11 in Review
We’re arriving at the season’s endgame now, as all of our summer contenders marshal their forces for their assorted finales. As misunderstandings are cleared up and final stakes are clarified, shows often reveal their most fundamental natures here – the conflict, relationship, or central idea they hold most closely, and are willing to stake their last and most consequential episodes on resolving. Given has turned out to be most fundamentally a romance, surprising no one, while Carole & Tuesday continues to use its efficiently sketched human characters to reflect on modern society in general. And Granbelm, well…
I guess we should start with that one.
Why It Works: It’s Time to Get Caught Up For Next Season’s Chihayafuru!
With one of my favorite goddamn shows premiering in just a few short weeks, it seemed about time to sing the praises of the endlessly entertaining Chihayafuru. It’s hard to summarize Chihayafuru’s appeal in just a few hundred words, but I did my best to highlight how it’s one of those rare and wonderful shows where your investment in the tactical mechanics of sports drama is always rewarded, often in ways you’d never expect. Here’s the piece!
It’s Time to Get Caught Up For Next Season’s Chihayafuru!
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 13
Neon Genesis Evangelion’s thirteenth episode opens on a shot of the NERV offices in disarray, as we pan across a desk stacked with loose papers, scattered electronic apparatus, and a worryingly placed coffee cup. The pan concludes by settling on the source of this disorder: Ritsuko Akagi, NERV’s chief technology officer, currently in the midst of a maintenance check on NERV’s Magi supercomputers. Ritsuko praises her assistant Maya for her efficient system checks, but when she notices an error, she takes over and demonstrates a typing speed and mastery of engineering far exceeding her star-struck assistant. The two central axis of this episode are thus immediately set: NERV’s physical layout and electronic mechanisms, and the brilliant technical chief who rules over these machines.