Seiren’s third arc is almost at its close this week, and dear lord do I not have any more words to spend on this show. Blurrrgghhhhh. That’s all I got. Seiren is nothing. It offers me nothing to talk about. It’s probably not the worst show I’ve reviewed weekly, but it is almost certainly the most Nothing show. This is a seasonal workout I was not expecting.
You can check out my review over at ANN, or my limited notes below.
Today I conclude my article on Dragon Maid’s recent Yamada episode, spending a good thousand words to break down maybe a minute of animation. LIVIN’ THE DREAM.
This episode very easily supported this close of a reading, and I was happy to get the chance to write about it. This also offered me a chance to articulate how animation is inseparable from storytelling in a more general sense, and how thinking of animation as “wasted” is generally a pretty absurd idea. I doubt this will fix the general mess that is discussions of KyoAni dramas, but hey, gotta try.
Why It Works: Dragon Maid’s Yamada Touch, Part Two
Today we return to Ojamajo Doremi! From my side, this is actually the day our first fascist in chief is being sworn in, so goddamnit, I need something to bring a little joy into the world. And Doremi certainly fits the bill – a beautiful children’s show with a broad cast and thoughtful worldview, it’s a spot of light in the fast-encroaching darkness. Make art, do public work, be kind to the people around you – do whatever you can to bring a little warmth to the world, everybody. We could all use a little more of it.
Today I reviewed Ninja Slayer, which was… well, basically everything I dislike about Trigger shows, compressed into five minutes of comedy, and then stretched out into twenty-six episodes of torture. Ninja Slayer was a real struggle to get to, as it apparently hoped I found its one big joke hilarious enough to sustain two entire goddamn seasons of content. From its repetitive humor to its “it’s bad, but we know it’s bad, so it’s good now!” visual aesthetic, Ninja Slayer was pretty much the laziest of comedies from start to finish. Thanks, Trigger.
You can check out my full review over at ANN.
And here we are. The final episode of Nichijou. It’s been a terrific ride, and as often happens near the end of a great show, I’m actually feeling pretty alright about its ending. I certainly complained enough in the intros leading up to this one, but at this point, I’m just happy to know the show ends strong, and truly is an unmatchable comedy from start to finish. Nichijou is a unique kind of masterpiece, demonstrating an understanding of comedic timing and creativity of both conception and execution that puts it in a class of its own. Sometimes anime is good.
Alright, let’s get right to this.
Today we begin Bakemonogatari’s hella controversial fourth arc! Yep, it’s time for Nadeko. I had a bit of a tough time writing about this one, but not really because of the Nadeko material itself – more because this episode’s structure made it difficult to establish a single thesis and then explore it throughout a variety of scenes. Fortunately, I’m pretty sure the second episode will offer an extremely straightforward opportunity to explore What’s The Deal With Nadeko, so I’m looking forward to that. And this one was still a very strong episode!
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
The anime was very cheery this week! I mean, I expect that from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, but even sadsack productions like Rakugo and March comes in like a lion turned in remarkably optimistic performances. I certainly didn’t mind that – frankly, it feels like all of us could use a little sunshine as the winter trudges to its end. And these were certainly well-earned strokes of positivity, given what the characters in both of those shows have recently suffered. With all that on top of this week’s wonderful episode of Dragon Maid, this was a pretty alright week in anime land. Let’s start with those reliable dragons and RUN THIS WEEK DOWN!
The winter season is drawing to a close, which means it’s once more time to look forward and see what the future might bring. This current season was a bit of a wash, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – next season isn’t looking great either. Frankly, if you’re not anticipating at least one or two of this spring’s big sequels, it might be worth calling a mulligan on this one. Outside of Masaaki Yuasa’s new films, there are basically no noteworthy projects by any of the creators I generally keep tabs on – no Matsumoto, no Mizushima, no Nakamura, and nothing by Kyoto Animation period. Couple that with a slate of dire-looking premises and previews, and you’ve got the recipe for a fresh season of playing videogames and catching up on backlog. Personally, I recommend the first one – I normally only get excited about a couple games a year, but this year’s already brought us Resident Evil VII, Nier Automata, Nioh, and Breath of the Wild, with Persona 5 still on its way. Those are some pretty great videogames!
But of course, you’re here for anime. The good news is, if you are in the market for sequels, this season has some extremely promising ones. The Eccentric Family counts among my favorite shows of all time, and both My Hero Academia and Rage of Bahamut have strong predecessors to live up to. As usual, my list won’t cover every show – you can check basically any resource to find that, along with handy synopses. I’ll just be running down the shows I’m actually excited about, along with what specifically sticks out to me. So let’s start with my most anticipated shows and run this coming season down!
At last, March comes in like a lion allowed its characters to be briefly happy. After the terrific but harrowing Shimada arc, it was a wonderful treat to see Rei and Shimada actually enjoy their visit to Shimada’s hometown, and also great to check in with the Kawamoto siblings again. There was even some charming character animation in the last act, a genuine rarity for this show. Thanks for being kind this week, March.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
Seiren pulled off one of its best episodes this week, demonstrating the unique mix of weirdness and naturalism that can occasionally make it a pretty solid show. I’m still not actually invested in this romance, probably because I just can’t bring myself to care about Shoichi, but I can at least believe in it, which puts it ahead of the first two arcs. Baby steps, Seiren.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.