Author Archives: Bobduh

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 5

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Today we’re continuing our journey through Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha! I’ll admit, I still haven’t made much sense of the “lyrical” part of that title, but we’ve certainly had plenty of magical girl. In fact, last episode introduced our second magical girl, a mysterious stranger from Yuuna’s home planet who introduced herself by electrocuting a kitten half to death. She also knocked Nanoha the fuck out, and generally made an intimidating spectacle of herself in the course of nabbing a Jewel Seed. Rough day for the home team all around.

Beyond its actual narrative beats, last episode also did some work in solidifying Nanoha’s tone, themes, and visual storytelling. Not only did the introduction of this new girl give the show’s family focus more context, but the emphasis on her black and yellow aesthetic also returned us to the evocative art embellishments of the first episode. Episode four wasn’t terrific on the whole, and the show’s slice of life elements in particular could really use some tuning, but it was a solid step up for the series, and seemed to indicate we’re finally getting to this show’s core conflict. Let’s see what shenanigans these girls get up to in number five!

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Fall 2018 – Virtually Every First Episode Retrospective

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Well folks, it’s that time again. With nearly every fall premiere now on the books, and me having also watched nearly all of those premieres, it’s time for me to break down what’s worth watching, what’s worth skipping, and what contains so much dark energy that merely glancing in its direction may scar your soul. It’s a serious duty, and I take it very seriously. Anime criticism is no joke!

As for this season in particular, I am thrilled to report that The Anime Is Good. After two straight seasons where I found myself having to stretch for a reasonable watch schedule, we are once again inundated with far too many good shows, in genres ranging from romance to drama to action to comedy and beyond. Several of this season’s premieres were genuinely stunning, far more offered sturdy entertainment from start to finish, and there were even some borderline efforts that still seemed like they might bloom into something wonderful. As usual, you can check out the full list of reviews over at ANN (check for Nick Creamer), or find quicker thoughts and my overall rankings below. Let’s celebrate some fresh new anime!

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My Hero Academia, S3 – Review

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Today on ANN, I’ve got my review of the latest season of My Hero Academia. This season was definitely less consistently excellent than season two, but its highs might have been even higher. Both All Might’s conference with Midoriya’s mother and his subsequent fight probably count among my top five My Hero Academia episodes, and there was plenty else to enjoy besides. I hope you enjoy the review!

My Hero Academia, Season Three

Precure Hugtto – Episode 4

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Alright folks, let’s get back to Precure Hugtto! The show’s most recent episode was interesting and a little unexpected – instead of either directly advancing the central narrative or introducing us to another Cure, it focused more on fleshing out the context of Hana and her friends’ lives. There was some exposition related to Harry’s past and the nature of their enemies, but the bulk of the episode was simply dedicated to exploring Hana’s home town, meeting new people, and adding texture to her relationship with her friends and family.

I really appreciate that focus, personally. One of the things I like about shows like Ojamajo Doremi, and children’s anime more generally, is that they tend to embrace a communal approach to storytelling that emphasizes how we all live in a larger society, and are all connected to each other in a variety of ways. Anime aimed at teens often tends to adopt the worldview of teens – their perspectives are often narrow, families are barely present or absent entirely, adults are either fools or villains, and the immediate substance of a protagonist’s personal interests reign over all. That’s a fine and appropriate choice for many narratives (and given my love for Monogatari, I’m certainly capable of appreciating the emotional myopia of friggin’ teens), but it’s refreshing to counterbalance that with shows aimed at parents and their children, which in their general positivity and willingness to embrace overt moral lessons tend to actually come off as more mature in their view of society. And authenticity of the perspective aside, it’s simply nice to watch a show that loves its cast, loves its setting, and wants us to love them too.

Given that episode concluded by closing us back in on Homare, I’m guessing this next episode will guide us through her formal introduction to the team. If the hair scheming holds up, Homare will be a yellow cure, which I believe generally slants towards the spunky/sporty member of the team? I know blue cures tend to echo the Sailor Moon “blue is the nerd” approach, but I’m not really all that clear on the general trends beyond that. Regardless, with all this gentle setup behind us, I’m eager to explore more of Hana’s world. Let’s jump right back into Precure Hugtto!

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Fall 2018 – First Impressions, Part One

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Somehow, some way, a new season has already begun. Though the new shows are more of a trickle than a flood at this point, we’ve already got some strong contenders for the fall, including highly anticipated returning favorites and a welcome number of total surprises. There’s also been some crap, but hey, there’s always crap, and part of the fun of preview week is getting to briefly wade through the swamp that is the full spectrum of modern anime (at least, that’s what I tell myself). As usual, you can check out the full list of previews over at ANN, or check below for my own scores and links to individual show pages. We’ve got a lot of cartoons to get through, so let’s get started!

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Summer 2018 – Week 13 in Review

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Welp, show’s over, folks. Planet With already finished up last week, and with our last two contenders having now handed in their final assignments, the building is pretty much empty. This wasn’t really the most fortuitous week in summer anime – My Hero Academia essentially ended on a transition point, while Revue Starlight’s last episode was quite likely also its worst episode. Still, there are points worth poking at, and as long as I’m here, we might as well do one last session. Starting with our tragic stage girls, let’s run the summer’s final week down!

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Why It Works: Here’s Why You Need to Catch Up with Planet With!

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With the summer season well and truly over, the time for subtlety has passed. More people absolutely need to watch Planet With, and so today I offered my final hard sell, trying to sum up all the many things that made this series so special. I’m sure you all have heard me gush about this series more than enough at this point, but for some reason Crunchyroll gave me a platform, and goddamnit I’m gonna use that platform for what I consider good. PLANET WITH FOREVER.

Here’s Why You Need to Catch Up with Planet With!

Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 3

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After barreling out of the gate with what was essentially a two-part opening episode, Evangelion’s third episode sees us slowing down for a moment, and adopting what you could theoretically call the show’s “neutral mode.” Evangelion’s narrative builds over time, but its episodic angel attacks echo many of its giant robot predecessors, with Shinji as the not-so-gallant hero defending Tokyo-3 from an inventive range of new horrors. Episode three does indeed ramp up to a new angel attack, but this episode isn’t really about that fight, or rather, the fight is just one final illustration of the points it makes all throughout. This episode is about Shinji’s own personal alienation, and its illustration of Shinji’s headspace is as tense and immediate as any terrible monster could be.

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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 4

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Alright folks, we’re strapping in for another episode of Nanoha! Last we checked in on this series, Nanoha had just fired a giant magical girl railgun at an evil tree, thereby saving her town. Personally, the most exciting part of that whole climax for me was the epilogue, where we learned the damage dealt by that tree was permanent. Magical girl shows often depend on a return to the status quo between isolated adventures, so I’m intrigued by Nanoha’s choice to allow for lasting, dramatic consequences, and hope it signals the show’s coming transition out of its initial, relatively familiar formula.

Outside of that, I’ll be frank – these first three episodes have been pretty darn messy so far, with only the visual creativity of the first elevating it into something truly noteworthy. Fortunately, having consulted my Nanoha-enjoying friends on twitter, it appears the consensus is “yep, Nanoha’s early parts are kind of a mess.” That relieves my fear that I’m just missing whatever it is people love about this show, and makes me eager to see where this rambling story leads. Nanoha is a very significant property in recent magical girl history, and given this site’s already been taken over by a mix of Doremi, Tutu, and Precure, it’s only appropriate that Nanoha hangs around too. Let’s see how this show handles the aftermath of its first truly consequential battle!

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Summer 2018 – Week 12 in Review

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Hey all, and welcome back to the Week in Review. The summer season is basically over at this point, as Planet With turns in its final assignment and my other airing shows prep for their own finales. This season was ultimately, obviously pretty top-heavy, as the dropoff between what I actually stuck with and what I could have picked up pretty much always felt precipitous, but I still ended up with a fair amount to talk about, and I’m guessing all three of this season’s heavyweights will end up on my end-of-year list. Planet With’s presence on that list is basically assured – in fact, I’m guessing that one will be duking it out with Violet Evergarden and whatever the fall’s best show is for my top pick of the year. Revue Starlight and My Hero Academia are a little more iffy, but both of them have demonstrated great strengths throughout this season, and I’ll be sad to see them go. Starting with the season’s clear champion, let’s poke at the summer season one more time!

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