Author Archives: Bobduh

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Review

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My journey into KyoAni’s past has finally brought me to back to Haruhi Suzumiya, which was… well, not as friendly or endearing as it felt when I left it. Beyond the show itself aging like a sack of wet tomatoes in the sun, the fact is, I have aged too, and that means Haruhi herself is less enchanting than she is constantly abusive and a misery to be around. Still, it was a solidly rewarding experience running back through these episodes, seeing what things really do hold up and what things don’t work anymore. Haruhi was a pretty key show for me, so I didn’t mind stopping by to catch up.

You can check out my megasized review over at ANN, or my copious episode notes below!

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Mawaru Penguindrum – Episode 11

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The contradictory pull of fate guides all actions in Penguindrum’s fatalistic eleventh episode. The theme is established quickly here, as Kanba heads to the estate of the red-haired woman in pursuit of the diary. Caught in the middle of painting Kanba’s portrait, his tormentor talks of how “the canvas doesn’t lie,” and that the Kanba she paints is more honest and true than the untrustworthy Kanba of the real world. Kanba’s current nature is capricious and mercenary, but by capturing him in painting, this woman can maintain the love she once felt for him like a perversion of Dorian Grey. While Momoka’s perfection is assured because of her absence, Kanba’s current presence undercuts his meaning for this woman, and thus she creates her own version. An object of adoration’s “true form” is the form which is most meaningful to us.

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March comes in like a lion – Episode 5

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We finally got a full expose on Rei’s childhood this week, which was about as horrifying and suffocating as imaginable. March’s execution is still a mixed bag, beyond stuff like its uneven animation – the show just doesn’t feel confident enough to discard the parts of either its source material or SHAFT quirks that don’t work in this format/narrative. It’s still a show I’m very much enjoying, but it’s frustratingly short of the show it could be.

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

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Why It Works: SHELTER’s Animation Genius

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So yes, I technically may have used SHELTER as an excuse to ramble about Idolm@ster again. Those may ultimately be the facts as they are presented – but is that a crime you could convict me for? Could ANYONE fault me for using this clearly valid opportunity to talk about why Megumi Kouno is extremely good? I present myself to the people: let he among you who is without moe cast the first stone.

Why It Works: SHELTER’s Animation Genius

Idolmaster

Nichijou – Episode 14

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Is it time for more Nichijou?!? FUCK YES IT’S TIME FOR MORE NICHIJOU. In fact, to be totally honest, it is basically always time for more Nichijou – but this exact moment is a subset of Always, and so we have certainly arrived at an appropriate time for Nichijou shenanigans. The show’s last episode actually dipped the furthest into legitimate pathos the show has ever gone, offering some very endearing scenes between Nano and the professor and ending on Nano finally getting the okay to attend school. Will this merging of the show’s two main threads change its fundamental nature? All I know is I should stop writing, since writing is not watching Nichijou. LET’S DO THAT INSTEAD.

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G Gundam – Episode 1

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Hello and welcome! Today I’m starting on a new notes project – G Gundam, the most hot-blooded and over-the-top of all Gundam properties. G Gundam actually embraces the camp inherent in giant robots, and harkens back more to classic super robots than the variably serious scifi stylings that Gundam helped bring to the genre. I’m not really fond of super robots on the whole, but I can enjoy a robot show executed with great flair or personality (Giant Robo, Turn A Gundam), so I guess we’ll have to see where this one falls. Let’s get right into the action!

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Girlish Number – Episode 4

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Girlish Number’s going down a pretty interesting route at the moment. The central anime production is already crashing and burning, but it seems like the show isn’t particularly worried about that – instead, it’s going to follow this cast as they emerge from the ashes, leading their media mix enterprise regardless. Kuzu-P still feels like a monstrous caricature, but I’m finding it interesting how well his ideas are actually working out here. I’m not exactly sure where Girlish Number is going with all this, but we’ll find out soon enough!

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

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Sound! Euphonium 2 – Episode 5

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Yeah, this episode was a triumph. After four relatively low-key episodes, Euphonium finally let loose with an episode whose energetic first half was still dwarfed by its titanic performance segment. I obviously love the subtle stuff, but it sure is impressive to see what only this studio can do when they really let loose. Glad to have you here, Euphonium.

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

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Fall 2016 – Week 4 in Review

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This was a workhorse week in anime. We’re several weeks out from the premieres, meaning most of this season’s shows have more or less established their tone and structure, but we’re still also some distance from the sort of narrative shakeups that often mark the midpoint of one season productions. That point in the season means many shows are entering a bit of a lean period at the moment – demonstrating their fundamental quality, but not really dazzling with any new talents. Yuri on Ice and Flip Flappers have largely settled into their genre spaces, Girlish Number and Euphonium each hit some mid-sized dramatic turns, and JoJo just kept chugging along. Weeks like this put the onus on me to come up with new stuff to talk about, so thanks a fuckin’ lot, anime. Fortunately, after possibly more than a hundred of these Week in Reviews, I’ve learned how to spend a lot of time talking about basically nothing. So if that sounds like fun to you, pull up a chair and take a seat as we RUN THESE SHOWS DOWN!

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Planetes – Episode 15

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With Fee and Yuri both having earned a scattering of focus episodes, the only one-note characters remaining in the debris section were the buffoonish bosses and long-suffering temp worker Edel. Those bosses remained buffoons this week, but Edel finally got a chance to shine, pinning down a winding episode that broke from fourteen’s close focus to check in on basically all of the show’s minor characters. Things are stirring together now, even if anything approaching a focused narrative still seems very far away.

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