Author Archives: Bobduh

The Lost Village – Episode 11

Posted on by

We’re in the endgame now, and The Lost Village is doing its best to juggle the needs of an actual narrative with its own wilder inclinations. This episode managed that balance with relative grace; it wasn’t as consistently laugh-out-loud funny as some of the earlier episodes, but it actually did a lot of work to bring this story to a real conclusion. In fact, so much was resolved here that it seems likely the last couple episodes will be able to go big in a more satisfying way, bringing all the remaining story threads together. Let’s end this thing with a bang.

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

Continue reading →

One Piece – Volume 8

Posted on by

The Baratie arc came to an end in this volume, concluding with as much dignity as it could muster. As before, a great deal of this volume’s weakness came down to the fact that Don Krieg is just not a particularly exciting opponent. Volume six deliberately undercut him by using him as a prop to build up a more threatening opponent, and volume seven dawdled through a series of fights with underwhelming underlings. Even Don Krieg’s theming isn’t particularly compelling – his main gimmicks are a focus on “military might” and his wide variety of weapons, neither of which serve to make him particularly threatening. Don Krieg is altogether pretty much a failure of an antagonist.

Continue reading →

Mawaru Penguindrum – Episode 1

Posted on by

So. Penguindrum. One of the thorniest, richest anime of recent years, a show that draws on classic tales and modern traumas to craft a story full of weird textural inferences and strangely poignant moments. Penguindrum is many things, but before anything else, it is a clear reflection of the style of Kunihiko Ikuhara. Ikuhara’s only directed three original anime over the past twenty years, and in spite of that, he is one of the most lauded and influential creators in the medium. He’s also as close as a medium as collaborative as anime can get to an auteur – famously difficult to work with, his shows share a common identity that mark them as indelibly his (even when they’re lifted by contributions from his often brilliant collaborators). Penguindrum exhibits all of his core qualities, so before I get into this show specifically, let’s talk a bit about what makes Ikuhara tick.

Continue reading →

UQ Holder, Volume 6 – Review

Posted on by

UQ Holder arrived at another peak in this volume, with the Santa arc’s second half offering both big visual thrills and some legitimate emotional sensitivity. The manga deliberately and somewhat unexpectedly sidelines basically all its established characters in order to give Santa’s story more room, a choice that really ends up paying off. Santa is one of the most compelling characters introduced in the manga so far, so I hope this is a sign that the central dynamics will continue to improve.

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

Continue reading →

Spring 2016 – Week 10 in Review

Posted on by

Anime was plenty strong this week, full of epic punches and cathartic emotional revelations and long afternoon naps. JoJo added another feather to this arc’s already outrageously festooned cap, and My Hero Academia finally started in on its higher-tier material. The Lost Village and Flying Witch both did the kinds of things you hope for from those shows, and Concrete Revolutio seems to be sticking the landing by smartly tethering its overall ideas directly to Jiro’s personal development. The season would be strong even if the more questionable shows actually did fall apart, but it’s nice seeing that even stuff like The Lost Village and Kiznaiver are rallying for their last acts. This is a season to be proud of.

Continue reading →

Summer 2016 Season Preview

Posted on by

And so another season slowly marches to its end. Spring 2016 has been a pretty fantastic season, all things considered. Personally, this has has been the best season for a solid year, but even outside of my own genre preferences, this season had pretty much something for everyone. I wasn’t even watching a fair number of this season’s biggest shows, but between Concrete Revolutio, Kiznaiver, JoJo, Flying Witch, The Lost Village, and My Hero Academia, I had plenty to enjoy every week.

But soon, all of that will be coming to an end.

Continue reading →

Flying Witch – Episode 9

Posted on by

Flying Witch was its usual pleasant self this week, offering good gags with Akane and plenty of information on the myriad benefits of eating radishes. Chinatsu made the most of her screentime as always, and though there was nothing quite as compelling as the cafe’s guests, there was still plenty to enjoy throughout. I can’t imagine anyone could still be watching Flying Witch and feeling surprised by anything that happens; the show is absolutely even in its consistency, always hitting its tonal marks and offering solid jokes without ever straying from its usual mood.

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

Continue reading →

Kiznaiver – Episode 9

Posted on by

Jeez, what an episode this was. Kiznaiver is always a very pretty show, but this episode was gorgeous from start to finish, full of wonderfully dynamic shots and great transitions making use of the show’s equally excellent sound design. The writing was a little more suspect, as always, but even there, the best moments were really worth celebrating. Kiznaiver’s not quite hitting the ceiling it could have shot for, but it’s still offering plenty to love every week.

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

Continue reading →

The Lost Village – Episode 10

Posted on by

Welp, any fears that The Lost Village would get more coherent as it moved towards its conclusion were pretty much put to rest this week. The theme here seemed to be “let’s do every single reveal at once, thus rendering them all meaningless.” It was a bold and characteristically Lost Village tactic, and it worked like gangbusters – nothing here made sense, none of it had any impact, Mikage and Lovepon better sort this shit out. If The Lost Village doesn’t come down to a climactic battle between Lovepon and Koharun, I will be deeply disappointed.

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

Continue reading →

Goodnight Punpun – Volume 1

Posted on by

Solanin is a story about young adulthood, written by Inio Asano at the point when he was experiencing the feelings he was transcribing. It’s a great story, but it is very much about that moment – that specific kind of freedom, that specific kind of fear. A Girl on the Shore is similarly concerned with the specific emotions of a listless, emotionally deadened adolescence, and that story ends when its exact emotional moment concludes.

Goodnight Punpun is a work that seems to be striving for true emotional universality. And so Goodnight Punpun is about a bird.

Continue reading →