Author Archives: Bobduh

Sekai Seifuku – Episode 2

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Well, here we are. Sekai Seifuku had the easily strongest premier of this admittedly weak-ass season, and though that first episode was mainly very pretty, very silly, and very endearing, this show is possibly the only one that shows the potential to go somewhere. That’s based on a couple very specific strengths, with the central one being the fact that it’s actually got a talented writer. That’s something you can’t fake – the first episode consistently hit a variety of styles of jokes, and even featured a solid speech from the protagonist that pointed to some possible themes while also demonstrating his own personality and bias in a very natural way.

But of course, this is also the show about a little girl in a ridiculous outfit conquering the world. So if it just remains the “I’ll share my snacks and the world with you” variety hour, that’s pretty okay too.

Anyway. Let’s see what we’ve actually got.

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Kill la Kill – Episode 14

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And here we are again. Senketsu in pieces, Mako shipped off to war, Ryuuko filled with conviction only to be slammed immediately back down by Rusemaster Nui. Back at the end of the first half, I was somewhat frustrated the show hadn’t kicked into changing-the-paradigm gear yet – last week certainly did work on that front, but we’re not there yet. At this point, with the episodes ahead outnumbered by those behind, it’s time for Kill la Kill to put up or shut up – with no more time left to dick around either narratively or thematically, if it wants to continue sleeping on the couch, it’s gonna have to get to work.

You hear that, Kill la Kill? Get off the fuckin’ couch, Kill la Kill. Go out and get a fuckin’ job!

Ahem. Anyway. Let’s go to war.

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Winter 2014 – First Impressions, Part Two (Chuunibyou S2, Nisekoi, Sakura Trick, Hoozuki no Reitetsu, Sekai Seifuku)

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Management: As you may have noticed, I’m rolling these “first impressions” into my standard Week in Review posts. Hope nobody finds that unforgivable.

And with this week, we have our full set of premiers. And what a set it is!

Well, not really. Pretty mediocre set, to be frank. Having checked out the first episodes of close to everything that sounded interesting, I’m beginning to think this will actually be a great season to dig into the ol’ backlog.

Not to say there’s nothing I’m enjoying. Running it down…

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Chuunibyou S2 – Episode 2

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Still covering this, I guess. I mean, I don’t know. It’s Chuunibyou, you guys. I suppose as the person actually writing the piece, I shouldn’t be the one questioning the reason for its existence, but… yeah. It’s Chuunibyou. My analysis is it will probably be chuuni as fuck and also adorable. What added value can I actually provide?

Well, I am watching it while eating a delicious sandwich. I guess I could…

Alright, here’s Bobduh’s guide to making italian subs.

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Why Don’t Anime Characters Ever Have Parents?

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Question:

Why is it so rare that main characters in anime actually have parents? Or if they do have parents, they’re away on an extended trip, or just never show up in-show. Given how unlikely it is any teenager would be left to their own devices in real life, it seems weird that this comes up so often in anime.

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White Album 2 and the Futility of Everything

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“My bridge is burned, and perhaps we’ll shortly learn/That it was arson all along/Can we just get home, sleep this off/Throw some ‘sorry’s’ and then/Do it all again.” – Frightened Rabbit, Late March, Death March

So, I just watched White Album 2, and holy shit you guys. Holy shit. Don’t even know what to say, but I gotta say it anyway. Let’s get through this one together.

White Album 2 has a very dim view of human nature. Not even Evangelion dim, where cruel things happen to broken people pretty much continuously. Evangelion is optimistic – it features plenty of hardship, but the message it puts forth about its characters is fundamentally a positive one. White Album 2 is, like, School Days dark. Everyone’s awful and selfish and wrong. Nobody learns, everyone suffers, the moral is sadness. It’s a hard show for me to square any real intention on, much less enough of a point to actually write a coherent essay. In the end, nobody really wins, and the only question you’re left with is the one the characters ask themselves – where did it all go wrong?

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Sekai Seifuku – Episode 1

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Alright. It’s all up to you, Sekai Seifuku. Space Dandy is too silly, Chuunibyou’s just Chuunibyou, and Hoozuki turned out to be like Lucky Star except somehow even more dull. If any show is going to end up this season’s dark horse candidate, it’s gonna have to be you. Don’t let me down!

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Kill la Kill – Episode 13

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TIME FOR KILL LA KILL YOU SHITHEADS. Aw man, it has been a while. Maybe it’s actually out of kindness that Trigger left us not with a cliffhanger, but with a kind of underwhelming plot-resolver – that certainly made the vacation break somewhat more bearable. Then again, my permanent neural link to twitter has informed me this episode has some serious holy shit moments in store, so I guess I shouldn’t be taking anything for granted.

Anyway. Hope you all enjoyed your new year/holidays/satanic gatherings, and it’s good to see your cold, anonymous handles again. Let’s ring in the new year with some KILL LA KILL.

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Chuunibyou S2 – Episode 1

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Hey guys. Bobduh here, maybe talking about the best show of the season. Or maybe talking about nothing at all. Who knows! Anyway, I have a secret.

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Winter 2014 – First Impressions, Part One (Space Dandy, Noragami, Nobunagun, D-Frag!, SoniAni, The Pilot’s Love Song)

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New season! Action and excitement and maybe a handful of new shows worth watching. I’m actually doing distressingly well relative to my own preview – every show I was anticipating has proven watchable so far, and we’re not even a third of the way through the shows I listed. Let’s run down the new highlights.

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