Author Archives: Bobduh

March comes in like a lion – Episode 4

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March comes in like a lion spent an entire episode in its goofier, comedy-happy mode this week, which inevitably resulted in a weaker episode overall. I like these characters well enough that such episodes are still far from unpleasant, but the show has just not found graceful ways to integrate the comedy of the manga. The slice of life elements are clearly key to the structure of the whole, so hopefully the show eventually gets a better grasp on its own material!

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

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Why It Works: JoJo’s Equal-Opportunity Drama

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I took a few weeks away for the start of the fall season, but I couldn’t stay away from JoJo for long. This week I go into another of JoJo’s general-purpose strengths – the way it’s so genuinely invested in not-so-thrilling adventures that it drags the audience along as well. It’s pretty much a constant for JoJo, but I figured a week where Kira faced down a cat-plant was as good a time as any to discuss it!

Why It Works: JoJo’s Equal-Opportunity Drama

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Nichijou – Episode 13

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It’s time for more Nichijou! Today we actually will arrive at the series’ halfway point, which is certainly a tragedy. There basically aren’t any shows like Nichijou out there – even if there are other witty comedies, Nichijou’s execution seems impossible to match. It dedicates all the genius and resources any TV production could muster to jokes about friends walking into pies, or cats being adorable. It is a rare and precious thing, and so all I can do to celebrate it is BURN RIGHT THROUGH ANOTHER ONE LET’S GO YEAAAAH.

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Shugo Chara – Episode 1

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Today we’ll be jumping into a late-00s adaptation of a fairly well-regarded manga, Shugo Chara! Well, I say it’s well-regarded, but my own experience with the manga is limited to noticing my youngest sister bought it back when I was in high school. But my sister has pretty solid taste in manga, and so far, Shugo Chara bears that out.

Shugo Chara stars Amu Hinamori, a fifth-grade student who’s known as a cool, punky girl at her school. Amu’s dress style and fiery way of speaking make her an object of admiration at her school, but also isolate her. People don’t want to get to know Amu – they want to bask in the light of her assumed persona.

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Kizumonogatari Part Two: Nekketsu – Review

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Kizumonogatari is back, and holy crap this second act. The original novel was already as violent and sexually charged as anything in the series, but transposing that to film resulted in one of the most gloriously over-the-top sensory experiences imaginable. It still seems absurd that this film exists at all. I’m so happy it does.

You can check out my megasized review over at ANN!

Kizumonogatari Nekketsu

Girlish Number – Episode 3

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The shoe at least partially dropped in this week’s Girlish Number, forcing Chitose to… well, quickly learn how to act at a light novel-ready level and thus avoid much personal growth altogether. I was still happy to see this episode challenging Chitose, even if its resolution was pretty convenient, and I assume this means things will hopefully get tougher for her going forward. Chitose is a jerk, and jerks who are unchallenged by the world don’t make for the best protagonists. As long as Girlish Number doesn’t let her get away with being herself, it’ll continue to be a very entertaining show.

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

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Sound! Euphonium S2 – Episode 4

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Sound! Euphonium 2’s fourth episode ended up more or less resolving the Yoroizuka/Nozomi conflict, which was unexpected but very welcome. The show’s definitely had trouble making this a story worth caring about, but this episode nailed its big dramatic moments while acting as a clear demonstration of a new KyoAni director’s unique talents. KyoAni have such a reliable and growing team that I’ve recently found myself enjoying their productions purely in how they let more and more of these creators demonstrate their talents. They were low on directors for a little while there, but their next generation is terrific.

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

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Fall 2016 – Week 3 in Review

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Anime is so friggin’ good this season. I thought I was lucky last season, given my sturdy crop of half a dozen reliably entertaining shows, but this one is offering a solid handful of shows that could easily be the best anime of a normal season. Yuri!!! On ICE is consistently funny and extremely propulsive, Sound! Euphonium is every bit the equal of its predecessor, Girlish Number is giving Watari Wataru an easy canvas to riff on, and March comes in like a lion might still be my favorite thing I’m watching. With Flip Flappers and Izetta each offering their own very different strengths, pretty much every kind of show I like is solidly represented here. I remember noting in the spring season that all I was lacking was a strong character-focused story – well, I may not be getting a Conrevo-style themey-wemey show this time, but I think I can be content with this embarrassment of character-focused riches. Anime is being very good to me, so let’s stop with the rambling and RUN THESE SHOWS DOWN!

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Welcome to Night Vale – Episode 1

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It’s generally a bad sign when I have to try and diagnose some work’s appeal in terms of cultural trends as opposed to aesthetic merit, but that’s kind of where I fall with Welcome to Night Vale. I’d heard about the show briefly in some other contexts – it played a central role in the legitimately entertaining story of Dashcon’s rise and fall, and The Mountain Goats’ Heel Turn 2 debuted on it, so I’d actually listened to a couple minutes while skipping to that. But taken in full, I just can’t really see the appeal here. So I guess I’ll explain it, and then maybe you guys can figure it out?

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March comes in like a lion – Episode 3

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March comes in like a lion finally spent basically a whole episode in its reflective, melancholy tone this week, and the results were predictably excellent. The show’s random tonal switches and jokes are such an isolated weakness that I actually don’t really feel that put off by them – they’re awkward, but when it comes to all the stuff that counts, March is excellent. I’m looking forward to following these characters for a long time!

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

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