Author Archives: Bobduh

Attack on Titan – Episode 10

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Yeah, that’s right, Eren’s a superhero now. The fuck you gonna do about it?

Episode 10

2:30 – Jeez, I forgot this battle’s been going on for six damn episodes. I guess the constant flashbacks will do that…

2:50: Speak of the flashback…

3:42 – “My tummy hurts!” This show has such a weird sense of humor. At this point, the number of despair faces and despair speeches we’ve run through in the past few episodes has definitely tipped into the realm of self-parody, but you’re actually supposed to take most of them seriously, and then there’s a joke like this that basically acknowledges how wide-eyed despair has become almost every character’s default expression. But aside from the silly gag, it doesn’t actually separate itself from the serious despair scenes in any tonal way. For a show that puts so much stock in maintaining its grim atmosphere, it seems weirdly flippant about how easily it can be perceived as comedy

4:30: Carpenters and stonemasons must make a killing in this world, what with all the constant holes in walls and roofs from the soldiers flinging themselves around

5:32 – Great, so when Eren claims to not be a titan, the captain opens fire – but when he actually morphs into one, he orders everyone to hold position

6:18 – “I heard the cannons fire…” For this episode, the role of flashback will be played by Armin’s narration

6:30 – Flowers? Hm. Odd bit of foreshadowing there – no idea what it could mean yet

7:04 – “We can’t negotiate with the garrison.” Isn’t there a single person in the chain of command who isn’t a goddamn idiot with no ability to process new information? I mean, I get that taking the risk of trying to negotiate with people who just cannon’d you is probably a bad call, but this captain is just such an openly incompetent and antagonistic character that it’s frustrating having the plot be dictated by his insane ramblings

7:56 – “Eren, we’ve got other matters to attend to.” Thank you Mikasa. Freakin’ Eren monologuing himself into another cannon barrage…

8:17 – “Hold your fire! I’m getting dust in my eyes!”

8:55 – “That explains the lack of durability and functions.” So his power basically manifests titanism designed to fulfill his current base desire? That works. Still monologuing with cannons pointed at him, though

11:03 – Yesss, develop Armin. He’s been static for too long, and these other two desperately need a competent person who thinks before they act

11:18 – That said, the flashback meter is going crazy right now

12:09 – “Using these powers strategically, as part of the military…” YES. PLEASE.

14:01 – That’s right, Armin. Believe in the Eren and Mikasa who believe in you!

14:27 – “I’ll use my brain even while I’m talking!” Is that… not what he usually does?

17:25 – Legitimately nice speech by Armin there – appealing to their camaraderie as soldiers was a good call. I wonder who’s gonna appear at the last moment to stop this idiot captain?

17:41 – PIXIS?!?!

17:59 – “You go take command of the reinforcements.” Why is anyone letting this man take command of ANYTHING?He couldn’t fucking strategize his way through a ham sandwich

Also, I accidentally paused to type this at the most perfect moment [RES ignored duplicate image][1] . Armin, you are beautiful

19:07 – Man, I get the feeling Pixis and I are gonna get along just fine

20:38 – “It was just something I came up with to give people hope Eren’s power could get us out of this.” Wow. This one sentence hopefully puts all those despair faces into perspective. If this is actually a thematically meaningful statement, it also explains the focus on the irrationality of the soldiers when dealing with Eren earlier – this show might actually be interested in the irrational nature of human optimism, pessimism, and morality, and have characters actively manipulating either their subordinates or the general populace for the greater good. That’s a really compelling idea, and one I hope the show continues to pursue

Also, if it is true, it basically means Eren is this world’s Batman – “the people need a symbol” and all that

21:46 – “Will you give it a shot, or not?” I understand how drama-wise we need to keep up the momentum, but this seriously doesn’t seem like how an intelligent commander would take the news of a trump card as critical as Eren’s powers. His abilities seem very literally to be the difference between survival and extinction – they should test the goddamn things, and devise exactly how they can be best employed. Sure, it’ll mean more titans enter Trost – but Trost doesn’t seem strategically significant anyway. This is not something you throw away in a gamble

And Done

Whew! That one finished strong, though once again it started pretty slowly. That seems to be the pattern with this show – every episode starts with a pile of slower exposition and character-checking-in, and then moves to a dramatic finale that pushes the plot forward a bit. I’m honestly not the biggest fan of this format; at least this episode, it felt like the scene with our dynamic trio concealed by dust went on far too long, even if it resulted in some long-overdue character development for Armin. Ten episodes in, I still feel like we’re setting up the pieces for the game to come – establishing the various interactions between the characters, giving each squad member a base level of conviction and a specific strength to contribute, exploring Eren’s power. And I’m not actually against that in any way – I just think the pacing seems slow for scenes that essentially amount to worldbuilding and exposition.

Still, I’m certainly enjoying the show – I like the world they’ve created, I like the idea of a show based on the human side of military strategy, and the direction is pretty endearingly melodramatic. But I can’t help feeling I’m still waiting for it all to kick into high gear.

Fortunately, this shit is 2-cour. My body is ready.

Katanagatari – Episode 3

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Today’s syllabus:

This show so far seems pretty direct in its intentions (a classic drama of identity, legacy, and impermanence cast in a stylized version of an evocative era dipped in Isin’s witty comedy and stabilized by two standout lead characters and a variety of creative self-contained adventures… okay maybe that’s actually not so direct after all), so I’ll probably just be talking about characterization and elements of craft. I’m also pretty much programmed to like something as meta and storytelling-focused as Togame’s focus on her memoirs, so that might get some love too. Either way, I hope it continues to be as good as those first two episodes.

Episode 3

0:38 – Man, these backgrounds are gorgeous. #1 art design.

2:11 – Dem OP lyrics – the beauty of the flower in the wind as it falls. Big red warning light

Pointing that out kinda makes me want to talk about foreshadowing in general, but that topic might require a full essay or something. For now, I’ll just say that after a certain point in media consumption, huge, unbelievable twists generally just cease to exist. To paraphrase Dr. Manhattan , most good stories carry reflections of their whole in every facet – their themes, their tone, the underlying structure, all consistent throughout. This doesn’t mean shows should hammer on the foreshadowing – it means that for many styles of stories, they really shouldn’t have to, because the pieces just fit. I think Madoka might be anime’s most flawless example of this, at least among shows I’ve seen – every element of that show’s structure, characterization, narrative, and themes are all perfectly representative of each other. And in most cases, “foreshadowing” is really just good storytelling – like in a musical arrangement, narrative strains should often be introduced lightly, one note at a time, so their ultimate prominence arrives as a seamless element of the whole.

By the way, I’m not trying to imply all stories should be predictable or anything – I’m saying internal consistency lends storytelling weight. It’d be pretty impossible to see the first couple episodes of Kino’s Journey and extrapolate the rest from there, but that show still has plenty of internal thematic and narrative consistency. For more classically structured shows, the beats are generally more transparent, but the specifics don’t have to be – I don’t know what the stories the rest of this show tells will be, but I can hazard a guess at where the character’s emotional arcs will take them, and what will happen at the end.

3:04 – The size contrast between them is always pretty crazy

6:40 – The crimes of all the restless shrine maidens are crimes against their family or family name, and this denies them inner peace. Ding ding ding

8:42 – “Two of the swords that General Kyuu could not.” Wait, have we heard that name before?

12:47 – “They are most likely tied together by fate.” You don’t say!

16:18 – Our unfaithful samurai shares Togame’s white hair, and as the show just pointed out, hair doesn’t get like that without some serious cause

19:33 – Man, this ninja is camp as fuck. The villains all seem to completely agree with Togame’s thoughts regarding characterization in epic storytelling. “S-so… cool…”

20:02 – Even if they are crazy, these shrine maidens are still adorable

25:42 – “Sympathy tactic, failed.” Sorry lady, Shichika’s pretty much true neutral – his loyalties do not correlate to any standard morality

This “sword-as-strength” stuff is interesting, but I don’t think they’ve fully explored it enough for me to comment yet. But it’s clear that between this episode, last episode, and Shichika’s status as a swordless swordsman, it’s something they’re going to continue working with

26:18 – “It’s because I’m a sword. My body and soul don’t move for anyone but Togame.” Oh. Well. There’ssomewhere they’re going with this – sword as emotional support, swordsman as complete human. It also fits with his absolute neutrality, since a weapon does not care who it strikes, and concerns of morality only lie with the swordsman

28:36 – “I also slew my father.” Well doesn’t that just horrifically complicate everything

36:00 – “Yes, I believed in it. It was my everything.” This identity stuff is interesting, but it pretty much articulates itself. I’m getting put out of a job

36:54 – “Father died, along with every one of his disciples.” Yeeeep. Identity, legacy, impermanence.

38:05 – Her bandit outfit is similar to Togame’s. Her current outfit mirrors the shrine itself

45:35 – I like Togame’s hesitance to control him here. I’m not sure exactly what the message is – whether it’s that she doesn’t want to admit the blood is really on her hands or not, or whether she just doesn’t want to admonish him in general, but it makes for a nice little parallel with the whole fate thing. Neither of them really have control of the situation, and so they’re just playing their roles to whatever end this must go

And Done

Breaking news: this show is still good. The consistency of its themes and their articulations make it actually harder to write about, since I feel like I’m pretty swiftly repeating myself. Tune in next time!

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru – Episode 10

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OreGairu! Finally.

Last week set up the ideal conflict for our There’s-no-way-I’d-fall-in-lovebirds. Concealing her previous run-in (lul) with Hikki pretty much puts the lie to Yuki’s entire philosophy – if she’s not above lying about that, her bluntly honest persona and declarations of moral superiority are dust. The acknowledgment of both how artificial her standards are and her own inability to match them would be quite the blow to her – ostracized by her own lack of social grace and living in the shadow of her sister, she doesn’t have a whole lot else to lean on.

Meanwhile, Hikki’s doing his best to revert back to his callous and well-defended initial self, but his own respect and feelings for Yuki are definitely going to make that difficult. In spite of his own “better” judgment, he values their time together – but forgiving her and accepting her lie would mean breaking with his own angry and self-satisfied view of human interactions, and the power balance between them has always relied on each of them maintaining their own brittle confidence anyway. Forgiving and forgetting would involve a lot of honesty and trust that I don’t think either of them are really ready for.

Fortunately, we have Yui there to break the ice and trample headlong through their silly little psychological games.

This one’s gonna be good.

Episode 10

0:40 – Just sitting in silence at opposite ends of the table. Yeah, seriously, you two are super mature

4:28 – Hikki’s certainly much more negative than he was at the start – he’s taking things much more personally. I also like Yui’s jerk friend still sticking up for her

5:30 – “You’re Haru’s sister, right? Her festival was amazing” Man, this episode is laying on the wound-salt like crazy

6:56 – God, their interactions are just painful to watch. If neither of them actually cared that much, there wouldn’t be any problem – but they’re both so proud, and they really do value each other’s respect, and the power structure of their banter is just way too fragile. FIX THIS OREGAIRU

7:32 – “I’ve decided to suspend the club.” Nooo! NOOOO! This is how it happens! Not with a big cathartic fight – you just let that waiting argument simmer, but you never address it, so you avoid interaction altogether and the relationship just fades away

8:19 – “Working together is a part of growing as well.” Yuki sits, staring downward, hand on her chin. She keeps her thoughts to herself

10:15 – Man, it is just painful to see Yuki’s confidence this damaged. From her perspective, taking this job is great, though – she can avoid coming clean with Hikki by avoiding the situation entirely and recovering her ego elsewhere – by directly competing with her sister’s legacy

14:21 – OH GOD HIT THE BREAKS WHAT IS HARU DOING HERE

14:30 – “She put on a concert. It was amazing!” ”I. Know.”

15:57 – What’s Haru’s game here? Is she really just that cruel?

16:29 – Or is she trying to make it impossible for Yuki to run from the situation?

17:20 – Nope, pretty cruel!

18:40 – “You should rely on others before it gets to that point.” They’re really emphasizing that theme this episode, which makes sense for this conflict, and hopefully is the reason Haru chose to isolate Yuki – she wants to force her to approach people from a position of mutual support and some degree of trust, not just leadership/superiority. And of course that kind of admitting your own fallibility would certainly resolve this Hikki situation quickly, too

It’s certainly not out of character for Hikki to remain on the sideline through all this, but it’s still kind of sad to watch. Not that Yuki would be interested in anything she could construe as pity from him right now

20:33 – Aw man, and just as I say that, he decides he can’t take it any more

And Done

Well, that was painful. They’re setting the tension as high as possible for this last act, and even introduced a character basically just to make life horrible for Yuki. The show itself is being pretty damn merciless here – she was already trapped in a lie regarding her philosophy, and now the festival is making her defend that philosophy in the face of basically everyone around her, with no support from Yui or Hikki. Well, until the end there, when Hikki’s empathy and obviously still-present respect for Yuki made him finally speak out and take the fall for what she really wanted to say. I think this is the longest the show has ever ridden some particular emotional status quo, but it’s not wasting time – it’s building tension towards some (likely horrible) breaking point. I’ve kept saying I want more Yuki development, and we’re certainly getting that – vicious, paradigm-breaking, Shinji Ikari-style Yuki development.

Fortunately, that happens to be my favorite kind.

Hataraku Maou-sama! – Episode 10

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I really liked last episode. I like this show a whole lot in general. Just, you know, throwing that out there.

But…

Well…

Ugh, fuck it. Cue the beach episode.

Episode 10

3:23 – Alright, outsider knowledge or no, this has every hallmark of another one-off adventure. This show has obviously settled in to being fairly episodic with interspersed small arcs, so I’m guessing we’re currently in the low ebb between last episode’s arc conclusion and the final one. For the moment, the show seems to have forgotten about Emi’s run-in with a magical assassin entirely

5:20 – I like how the camera angles for these two phone calls are actually indicative of the specific genre of show each one is representing – the transition from Chiho’s close-ups in her brightly lit room to the shadowed, looming shots used for Suzuno is a joke in itself. The tonal disconnect between the romcom and fantasy drama is played for laughs in plenty of obvious ways, but there are lots of nice little subtle ones too

6:48 – Well, here we go

7:22 – Okay, that Emi face is actually pretty great

9:04 – This actually isn’t so bad, since Maou gives so few shits, and the camera’s not being a creepy asshole. We might yet survive this day

9:33 – Do they keep poisoning Alsiel just to make him even more moe?

9:44 – Lucifer has very good taste 

10:28 – So I guess we’re getting a second haunted house episode? Damnit, Maou!

14:49 – Apparently they wanted to make an episode where the girls looked at lizards, and goddamnit if they were gonna let anyone stop them

17:42 – Holy shit, it looks like something might actually happen!

20:31 – And there it is. Confirmation that Sentucky is our shadowy assassin (and also a some-part-angel), setting up the last act to follow this episode’s breather

And Done

Eh. While that episode wasn’t as bad as I feared it might be fanservice-wise, it was just… well, kinda boring. Virtually nothing of importance happened, the entire male cast was pretty much out of commission for its running time, and there weren’t too many standout jokes, either. Last episode had an actual underlying conflict, progressed the overarching plot/character relationships more, and was more consistently funny – this one definitely fell back into that 6-7 territory of post-arc doldrums. Fortunately, the last moments promise actual momentum in the near future, and this show is always much stronger when it’s building towards something. This was pretty bleh, but it was an unsurprising kind of bleh, and I’m still excited for whatever the last act holds.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge – Episode 10

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Welp, didn’t do no homework this week. Looks like I’ll have to rely on the episode’s own merits and a little dash ofinspiration[1]  … well, maybe a generous dollop[2]   of inspiration to fill the airtime. New arc, I’m guessing! The party’s over, sharktooth is dead, and the overarching plot has progressed six or seven centimeters. Meanwhile, Kiri and the Queen have taken it upon themselves to fully earn that PG-13 rating, pulling off a scene that I feel only slightly weird calling one of the strongest moments of the series. In an effect similar to how this show frequently acts as an unintentional parody of its ostensible genres, the show overall kind of represents that wacky contradiction of so many anime – it’s consistently and resolutely stupid and ridiculous, but its core revolves around these moments of well-directed awkward intimacy that come off as inconceivably superior to virtually any other stabs at the topic. Honesty really is the word with this show – it’s dumb and self-indulgent in a way that reveals a mangaka being kind of maybe a little bit unwisely honest with his audience, and all of its best moments revel in the relatable honesty of this show’s One Good Thing, the relationship between Iwai and Kiri.

That said, I don’t think we’re getting any of that this episode. Even if the previous episode hadn’t devoted the last act of its running time to stampeding their relationship forward, we just ended a “significant” plot arc. I get the feeling we’re now reentering exposition territory, and the show will proceed to set up the dominoes for its next arc in the only way it knows how – incredibly ineptly. If there’s anything legitimately praiseworthy awaiting me in the next 23 (okay, for me it’s more like 45) minutes, it will come as an honest and cherished surprise.

Thus, inspiration[3]  .

Episode 10

0:17 – WE KNOW YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS

0:57 – Oh hey, that’s another thing I like about this show – a clearly physically frail girl being self-assured and knowing/articulating what she wants. Female characters showing emotional strength and resolve is something we need more of – but again, in one of the many bizarre ironies of this show, half of its scenes also tend to revolve around Iwai being restrained or almost molested, sooo…

1:17 – Oh man, dem happy snuggles. Aw yeah[4]  

2:03 – This show’s attempts at thrilling mysteries are so adorable. Am I really supposed to care about her hair not growing back, Crime Edge? What could this possibly mean?!?

3:41 – There she is. Our mysterious OP loli. And so the endgame begins

3:51 – And she drops like fifty bloody knives on the floor. Mystery: solved!

4:28 – Did she really have to be naked for that scene? C’mon Crime Edge, Loliball starts in a month. You’re slightly better than this

I do like the disembodied voice getting in that extra little bit of pointless world-building narration about these incredibly fascinating not-quite-Killing-Goods

5:02 – I’m glad the camera was there to assure us her crotch landed okay

5:37 – Wait, is this episode actually gonna be about the adorably awkward aftermath of their newly intensified relationship? Because I could watch that show all day

6:46 – “I should go somewhere where there’s a lot of people.” “Sure, I’ll go shopping for you in a place with lots of people.” I feel like even talking about this plotting makes me actively stupider. But hey, if it gets them back together, fine

7:45 – Oh jeez, a loli with two fangs? Somebody call the OreImo discussion thread

8:03 – And Iwai freaks out about being called onee-chan. I am a fucking psychic

8:09 – And she’s a tsundere ahahahahaha

10:08 – The Zewulfa! Of course! Seriously, speculative fiction writers? Don’t do this. Every time you introduce a fantastical element into your story, there better be a good goddamn reason for it. If you’re writing about why the wielders of Segurthorgor must harness the Light of Hibbledibibbledi to prevent Zimpop from summoning the Belshugga, nobody is going to give a shit

10:36 – That was the least masculine sprint I think I have ever seen. Seriously, rewind to 10:32 or so and let Kiri’s limp-wristed jitter-walk play. Poetry

10:37 – Yet again, Iwai’s crotch survives the landing

12:03 – Goddamn, see? The show spends five freaking minutes establishing a routine loli opponent, and then tosses off fifteen seconds of Kiri endearingly struggling to internalize the relationship lessons of the class trip. What is with this balance

12:11 – What is up with Kiri’s pants? Are they like, jeans with leg warmers on the outside?

12:45 – I also agree that the backflipping knife-throwing loli assassin is more important than your girlfriend’s hair at the moment!

14:04 – “Her small body and soft skin… there’s no doubt that she’s still a child.” Kiri please, I’m already hot and bothered as it is

14:51 – I’m fairly certain the Naruto run doesn’t actually make you go faster, loli Kirino

15:47 – “Unlike your ridiculous scissors, my Killings Goods were made-to-order.” That’s a pretty neat trick! Oh wait, I just thought of something… you know what would make for a pretty good fabricated Killing Goods? A fucking gun

16:23 – This fight is intensely silly and also surprisingly well-choreographed

16:45 – Wait, hold the fuck up, since when can Kiri do crazy backflips and shit?

16:56 – I’d watch it[5]  

18:37 – Dat plot thickening. So, in a normal show where I was actually invested in the narrative proceedings, this father stuff would be a pretty solid call on the writer’s part. Dramatic developments can’t just be generically dramatic, they have to reflect on and illuminate the characters involved, and dredging up dark family secrets is a fairly cheap but routinely effective way of scoring on that count

Of course, this show isn’t actually about families, it’s about awkward and misunderstood sexuality. So either this father-daughter stuff is about to get super weird, or else the writer just read in a book somewhere that this is how actual writers tell stories, and goddamnit if he’s gonna be put down by those hoity-toity writers with their coherent storytelling and their understanding of thematic structure

18:57 – “I really wanted to remain cool in your eyes.” This, on the other hand, is perhaps the first time an episode of this show has articulated and stayed true to a single thematic idea for a whole 20 minutes. Their shedding of the expectations they put on themselves to artificially be of worth to each other (her with the hair, him with his displays of bravado) is a great idea, and this episode’s insistence on making a coherent point of that relationship shift is, well, very surprising. Sorry, Crime Edge

20:35 – Wait, so the witch’s name is actually just Witchy? Goddamnit Crime Edge, I just spent like two whole paragraphs respectfully analyzing you and then you go and pull some shit like this

20:59 – But enough about murder. Puppies!

And Done

Man, Lolino is pissed.

So yeah, signs point to this resolving with Lolino learning to respect bonds in general and expand her definition of family, but who gives a shit about any of that? This episode had a knife-flinging loli assassin doing the dance of death with a suddenly incredibly limber Kiri, along with mutual relationship troubles regarding Iwai and Kiri’s inability to satisfy their lovers, insofar as those abilities correlate to “ability to grow hair super good” and “ability to murder people with barber’s shears.” Structurally, it pretty much did everything I expected, and set up our last few episodes of sheer insanity fairly solidly – but I certainly wasn’t bored! At this point, if worst comes to worst they could just murder a character every episode and skid into an at least reasonably entertaining conclusion – it certainly wouldn’t betray my expectations or anything. Although, trimming the cast like that might cut into the storytelling potential, even if the shear audacity of the decision results in some immediate buzz.

I’m sorry. I’ll see myself out.

Seriously though, I do think I’ve earned some kind of severance package.

Sorry, sorry.

Sorry.

Katanagatari – Episodes 1/2

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Okay, I’m gonna keep this reasonably sized if at all possible. Briefly…

Katanagatari! I’m actually pretty excited this one was picked, mainly because it’s always sort of hung on the borderline of shows I should probably get to, but ehhh the new Hunter x Hunter is out and I’m kinda tired anyway and etc etc etc. I really love what I’ve seen of the visual style, and the adaptation’s by White Fox, who’ve brought us both Steins;Gate and Hataraku Maou-sama! Both of those adaptations have significantly impressed me – I feel Steins;Gate deftly managed the herculean feat of adopting a VN with multiple routes in a way that actually made sense as a single central narrative, and Maou-sama has regularly juggled written humor, animation, and storytelling in a way that constantly reveals how much they’re refining the source material. So I’m guessing this show is in good hands studio-wise.

And then, of course, they’re adapting a work by Nisio Isin.

Honestly, I’m not the biggest Isin fan. I do like how much of his individual voice and personality goes into his work – the characters in Monogatari speak like characters in no other shows. But a part of that is because they speak in a way no human beings ever would – he stylizes his dialogue to the point of near self-parody, and often uses his characters’ mouths as faucets for his own insane ramblings, adding very little to the narrative or characterization.

And of course, that’s his style, and that’s what a lot of people like about Monogatari. And it might seem weird for me to be so critical of Isin, what with the amount of ink I’ve spilled covering Bake and Nise – but honestly, almost everything that impresses me about that series can be attributed directly to Akiyuki Shinbo. His visual flare makes scenes that would be tedious vibrant, and his precise and goal-oriented direction makes a series that on paper would come across as pretty sketchily focused on the questionable sex drive of its writer actually rise as a fairly progressive and scarily ahead-of-its-class comment on sexuality and the medium. Isin himself is creative and driven, but what I get out of Monogatari exists largely in spite of him.

That’s not to say I generally dislike his stuff – I think his storytelling fundamentals are solid (the base concept of Monogatari is excellent, regardless of my feelings on his dialogue), I think he has occasional moments of dialogue or character-writing brilliance (the stars episode of Bake, every scene with Kaiki in Nise), and I pretty much have to respect such a distinctive and uncompromising voice. But without the counterweight of someone as talented as Shinbo, I can’t help but be a little worried this will end up being twelve episodes of Isin stand-ins bantering about nothing while holding swords.

Alright, that’s enough prologue. Let’s get right to it.

Episode 1

2:12 – Worries about direction so far unfounded. Excellent first scene

6:14 – Fears about Isin seem unfounded as well. These characters seem much more grounded than anyone in Monogatari

7:48 – …yeah, it’s still definitely Isin, though

9:01 – I like her soldier-appropriate bluntness, and I like his offhand confidence. This will probably be a good pair

13:45 – “You said no?” Great gag there. For a strategist, she’s not particularly adaptable – repeatedly going ahead with her preplanned strategy for situations regardless of actual circumstances

23:40 – I like these characters, but there is a bit of that problem I was anticipating – Isin just lets himself go entirely when it comes to dialogue, and without a very dynamic visual style (though I do like the character designs), it makes scenes drag on. But this is the first, establishing episode, so they’re dumping a lot of exposition and establishing the initial character rapports. Hopefully their relationship itself will be dynamic and interesting enough to maintain momentum in the future

24:40 – “Does everyone from the mainland talk as much as this?” I’m really liking this guy

29:00 – The ninja insulting his father’s style prompts maybe his first unreserved display of emotion… no, wait, that was when the ninja damaged “the house his father built.” So yeah, pretty clear where our protagonist’s priorities lie

36:51 – Right in the gut! Welp, glad they didn’t drag out that tired trick

37:23 – “Can’t recognize faces that quickly.” That’s pretty great

40:31 – Hahahaha. Trying to turn him against her by explaining how all her actions stem from reverence for her father? Yeah, that’ll sway him

And Done

Very nice! That episode cleaned up nicely in the second half, and that last speech was excellent. Shichika’s motivation and respect for Togame are abundantly justified, though her own feelings towards him will take some more explaining/expanding (plus, so far her status as a strategist has mostly been played for laughs – it’ll be nice to see she isn’t entirely terrible at her job). The visual design is great, and both protagonists have strong, distinctive personalities. Their epic quest is suitably epic and questy. Isin’s tendencies towards endless wordiness haven’t been stifled entirely, but they’re certainly more controlled than in Monogatari, particularly in the second half, and Shichika’s personality seems like it will act as a natural buffer against the banter. More, please!

Episode 2

1:43 – Jeez, complaining about him sticking out, Togame? You’ve got main character written all over you

2:44 – I really do like this art style for the characters, with each of them being defined by such distinctive repeating colors and symbols. Shichika’s new outfit maintains the brown leaf visual motif of his prior one, which also matches the actual shape and color of his hair – he’s perfectly recognizable even in silhouette

4:23 – “I can’t kill them? Is that a mainland custom?” Man, basically everything Shichika does makes me like his character more. He doesn’t really have anything resembling a default sense of morality – he just has specific things he values, and otherwise acts in the most direct and unassuming manner possible. Togame’s certainly a solid articulation of her style of character, but Shichika seems to actually be pretty damn unique

7:31 – What do you even call a scene like this? Togame’s too proud and Shichika too blunt and unconcerned with standard customs for this to actually read as very tense – it’s like they’re already an old married couple. Isin certainly has some ideas about intimacy

10:31 – I like how he takes one step for every three of hers, as well as how well their personalities are portrayed in their walking body language alone

12:11 – “No matter how I worded it, that ninja stood out more than you.” C’mon Togame, surely you can appreciate the novelty of a protagonist who gives this few fucks.

Also pretty typical of Isin to draw attention to how interesting his protagonist is

13:15 – “There’s a ninja who always speaks backwards.” “What’s the point of that?” “He’s trying his hardest not to be boring.” Are we still talking about ninjas, or are we referring to shitty writers at this point? Like how so many films after Pulp Fiction thought unorthodox structure and witty banter were the key to success – no, it’s mainly just making something that’s good

13:45 – “The readers will come to understand you better.” Curse you Isin, who told you I was weak to meta storytelling humor?!?

15:40 – Yeah, Isin’s pun-based nonsense from Bake just tends to bore me, but if his banter is going to be about the annoying hoops crappy writers set for themselves, I am totally on board with this

19:18 – I like how they don’t even need an interior monologue for him anymore, I can still hear “Why won’t she stop talking. Why won’t she stop talking.”

19:47 – Who’s this grandmotherly narrator, anyway?

30:58 – “I’d be the laughing stock of my dead fathers.” Man, sins of the fathers left and right up in this show!

Also some nicely underplayed jokes throughout, like her justifying her elaborate outfit by musing on how it protected her from the sword

31:40 – “I am most definitely a swordsman.” I wonder if they’re doing something with the implications of that term. I’ll keep an eye on it

43:00 – “I just wanted to protect something.” More parallels with Shichika. I like where these ideas are going

17:15 – This whole speech about the importance of final words is giving me a baaad feeling

And Done

Again, fun stuff. The style is great, the characters are excellent, and I’m interested in seeing where they take these themes of family, legacy, and impermanence. I get the feeling I’m probably missing a decent bit of cultural relevance, what with my only passing familiarity with the spiritual side of classical Japanese swordsmanship, bushido, and the tenor of the warring states period, but it’s such a vivid and interesting setting regardless that I can’t feel too bad about that. It also can’t be an accident that three of the four developed characters (our main two and this second episode opponent) are trapped in cycles brought on by their family – that plus the fact that Shichika and Togame ought to be born enemies makes me think there’s pretty much no way this series will end happily. I know it’s an odd comparison, but this show is kinda reminding me of Cowboy Bebop – the snappy protagonists, the distinctive and comprehensive style, the distinct but thematically linked episodic adventures, and that base theme of living in the inescapable shadow of your past…

Anyway. Starting to ramble at this point. These episodes were really interesting, and I’m looking forward to more.

Fundamental Biases and Art Evaluation

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Management: This one was a really excellent question, and this topic is definitely something that critics need to be more willing to engage with and admit to. Hopefully this little confession won’t invalidate all my future criticism or anything.

You’ve previously talked about the distinction between personal enjoyment and artistic evaluation, and how what you like isn’t necessarily the most artistically impressive anime. Could you talk a bit about any fundamental biases you’ve noticed in your own anime appreciation/evaluation?

Oh, I’ve got a ton, in both the positive and negative directions.

On the positive side, I’ll definitely slant towards introspective and character-focused works over narrative or theme-based ones, though obviously this can change based on my perception of how well they accomplish what they try to do (Madoka’s all narrative and theme, and I absolutely love it). It generally goes Character->Theme->Narrative for me. I’m also a sucker for great or even decently well-articulated romance, and can follow one well-written and intriguing character through a generally mediocre show. I think pretty much the only things Ano Natsu had going for it were okay dialogue and decent chemistry between the main romantic pair, and that was all I needed to finish it. I also highly value snappy dialogue, and interesting narrative or pacing tricks and experiments (like the mini-arcs Gargantia builds out of various thematic points). I also really like imperfect shows that reveal a very distinctive creative vision, or, at the opposite end, shows that reveal a great mastery of storytelling craft fundamentals.

On the negative end, I could not care much less about setting and worldbuilding – they’re close to irrelevant to the way I evaluate art, and while I prefer a nice background world to a generic one, either way it’s window dressing for me. A character whose personality seems designed to make the audience happy, or moderate general fanservice, will rapidly sink a show for me. Leaden dialogue will sink a show even if the visual design is great and the story fairly well plotted. Narrative or dramatic cheating will often sink a show, particularly if that show wants you to invest in the reality of its world. Visual design in general is secondary to what I like about anime – again, if it’s got it, great, but it’s not what I’m there for and it won’t save a show. Sound design is also gravy – I’m in shows for characters, themes, and storytelling, and while everything outside of the writing can do great things to supplement or raise up those elements, they will pretty much always be supplementary, not central to my appreciation. Some shows do rise above this – KyoAni, the Monogatari franchise, and recently Brain’s Base have done a great deal of their character-building and storytelling through visual cues. This I really appreciate, and would like to see more of.

That’s all I can think of at the moment, but everyone has a million of them, and it’s a really interesting topic.

Suisei no Gargantia – Episode 9

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Last week’s episode was great, and time is now running out – if this show wants to make any thoughtful and unrushed points, it’s going to have to make extremely good use of the Flange-Gargantia separation. Considering the slow pacing of the show so far, I’m very interested in seeing how we’ll reach a satisfying conclusion in the episodes we have left. Let’s get to it.

Episode 9

0:34 – Well, I guess that answers that question. No wasting time here – directly from the separation to the moment of truth. I like this – last week already gave us all of Amy’s and Ledo’s reservations, we don’t need to repeat that. It’s time to see the consequences of their choices

1:04 – The glow of the whalesquids makes it seem very likely that the theory of them being critical to the glowing waters is correct, especially since this show actually is pretty careful about what that turquoise blue represents thematically

5:45 – Well, that explains that – both Pinion’s personal feelings towards the whalesquid, and his conviction that disturbing their territory is valuable. Seriously, if I didn’t have the meta genre awareness to know these sorts of decisions always turn out badly in media (arguments based on visual thematics don’t really translate well to the real world… “obviously attacking the whalesquids is a bad idea, their glow is the same color as Amy’s eyes!”), I’d be completely on board with Ledo, Pinion, and Flange – their decisions are completely reasonable

8:54 – “Look at all those lightbugs! That spray of water was glowing!” Chances of whalesquid being critical to current earth ecosystem has risen to 78%

9:32 – Oh jeez, what kind of horrific industrial plant will this be? Are we gonna find out how humans created whalesquids, or how they destroyed the original earth? Or will this just be a big explosive deathtrap waiting to happen

11:37 – I actually like Pinion well enough as a character, but I kind of wish they’d seeded this brother stuff a little more consistently throughout. I know the main focus here is more the battle of ideals between Gargantia and Ledo, but I think they could have complicated that a bit more with Pinion’s personal grudge without devaluing his general argument – for instance, if that flashback had come earlier in pieces, people probably would have had less complaints about Pinion’s mission being based too much on conjecture. I get the feeling this is another consequence of the show having multiple writers – it’s difficult to micromanage the distribution of narrative strains like that when you’re not writing the whole story yourself

13:43 – Classified Information. Beautiful. So yeah, that likely confirms a vast chunk of the hypothesized connections – humanity’s own culpability in the state of the earth and creation of the hideauze, a set of information that would only make for less dedicated soldiers, resulting in it being conveniently classified.

17:10 – HOLY SHIT

18:48 – HOLY SHIT

And Done

Ahahahaha. Oh man, slice of life indeed.

So I guess the “humanity created the hideauze” hypothesis was, uh, correct. In a fashion. And it certainly makes sense why the Alliance would classify that information! Also, Ledo basically just single-handedly committed genocide. Are these evolvers actually sentient? The last one seemed to be, but the others didn’t really try to communicate in any way – are they basically saying the original evolvers have shifted to being more primal organisms, or has the show just withheld any hints of sentience for the sake of this reveal?

At the moment, I can’t fully sort out how I feel about this turn. I didn’t really want the show to demonize the Alliance, and I still think Ledo’s actions are reasonable from the position of the life he’s lead, but I feel like literally humanizing the hideauze is too easy of an answer. One thing that is very interesting to me is that Ledo felt absolutely no remorse about murdering all those obviously human pirates earlier on, but is completely devastated by this development – I think we can either chalk that up to character development or to his loss of faith in the great guiding light of the Alliance, or both.

Hm… yeah, overall, I think this works. There’s really no way anyone involved in Flange’s crew could have predicted they be wrong in this way – their actions are all still reasonable, and this basically just makes the larger space conflict one more in a series of conflicts where central powers dehumanize an Other to make for more committed soldiers. The other themes are still intact. We’re good to go.

With that cleared up… holy shit! Ledo just murdered like a thousand post-humans! And learned his life mission has been to murder thousands more! I think the show was basically completely neutral on the idea of the evolvers in the first place, which is awesome – I hate it when shows just pull out “meddling with nature is bad, fuck science,” and here it was obviously not the research itself, but humanity’s own gut reactions to things they don’t understand, as well as just the general fear of the times, that caused the current horrific conflicts in space. That’s awesome. The flashback itself told its story very well, and that scene where Ledo was absentmindedly incinerating the larva was chilling in its own right. And yes, of course, we finally got to that dark, cynical center at the core of every Urobuchi truffle – I honestly wasn’t sure if this show was going to go there, but, well, it went there. I also think we’ve resolved the separation in about as clean a way as possible – at this point, Ledo is clearly through. No possible outcome here could have been more devastating than this – I don’t know how he’ll recover. I am desperately hoping his reunion with Amy comes next episode, because it seems pretty obvious he’s not gonna get over this one alone.

Goddamn you guys. Goddamn.

Attack on Titan – Episode 9

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So! Lotta questions this week. Eren’s back, and was either controlling or actually became the fabulous-haired Titan. He’s apparently regenerated, as well. Where are they going with this?

Well, we certainly have clues – in particular, the foreshadowing from the first couple episodes is looking to finally become relevant. That shot of the syringe, his father talking about showing Eren whatever craziness goes on in their basement… obviously they didn’t include those moments for shits and giggles. Some crazy science has been done to Eren, and I’m guessing in the semi-near future that will likely be investigated. I can’t remember if we know what happened to Eren’s father, either – as I recall, he was last reported missing, right? So that and the basement itself are two valid threads to follow, and the idea of our squad performing a stealth investigative mission deep into Titan-controlled territory sounds pretty awesome.

But first our heroes should probably deal with all those fucking Titans wobbling around. Let’s get to it!

Episode 9

2:57 – Another flashback? Jeez.

It must be tough figuring out how to balance a show with this much exposition – one full episode of backstory, Titan attack. Two full episodes of training and character-introducing, Titan attack. Etc. I’m not sure this show (or manga, I guess, depending on how loyal they’re being to the source) has quite gotten the balance right yet – I’d like to see more of the information we receive portrayed in a more organic way, and not through direct monologues or flashbacks

3:14 – I guess we’ve found Sasha’s big sister?

4:26 – Haha, damn, this guy gets his own theme song? Looks like we got a badass here

6:00 – Man, this episode’s like an AMV of itself

7:15 – Damn! I mean, doing spinning flips and killing titans to J-rock is cool and all, but that was an actually nice little “you did good, soldier” speech he whipped out! I might actually like this character

8:25 – Now here’s the flashback we’ve been waiting for…

8:48 – That’s pretty brutal – any soldier who gets swallowed whole gets to die in digestive fluids, surrounded by dead friends serving as reminders of how hopeless their fight is. Cheery!

9:19 – The mystical flashback within a flashback. We need to go deeper

10:06 – “I’ll kill them with my own hands!” With your own hand, Eren. Let’s not lose sight of the important things, like dismemberment

11:35 – So it seems like he is pretty berserky in Titan mode. Probably for the best, story-wise

Also, is it just me, or is this Armin’s default expression?  Your face is gonna get stuck like that, Armin

12:49 – Again, that exposition pacing… I like how the end of the flashback immediately jumps to the next relevant moment in the story, but, I mean, how valuable was that Eren flashback in the first place? We learned Eren became a titan. Which we already knew. I guess we learned that he still kinda consciously controls it? That doesn’t seem worth a full flashback for, though. Most of the flashback was dedicated to Eren’s despair in the titan – maybe that’s key because him becoming a titan is dependent on an incredibly desperate emotional state, or something? I guess that could justify it…

14:50 – I guess I might also be misinterpreting the pacing of this episode because I assumed the last episode wasn’t actually the all-clear sign for the battle of Trost… but yeah, actually, the only conflict propelling the last couple episodes was the need for fuel to retreat to safety, so I guess they figured this cooldown phase is the best time to both introduce characters and get flashbacks/exposition out of the way. It still feels kinda uneven to me

15:12 – Man, you don’t have to tell us the balance between Mikasa, Eren, and Armin. Give the audience a littlecredit here

16:08 – “Don’t understand the question? That’s just what a titan would say!” Fuckin’ bureaucracy man

17:58 – It’s nice that someone actually acknowledges picking fights with Mikasa probably won’t end well for humanity in general

19:18 – “ARE YOU AN EOTEN.” Come on, Eren, you KNOW this one!

20:17 – Bam, there we go. Basement mission established

And Done

Whew! What a finale! Man, that whole episode I was pretty lukewarm on the pacing and heavy exposition, and then that last scene combines a high-tension action scene with a critical flashback that furthers the central mystery of the show and the journey of the main character at once, as if to prove to me the show just didn’t feel like being fast-paced earlier.

Eren displayed some pretty crazy control over his titanification at the end there, basically making just enough of a titan to be a shield for Armin/Mikasa. Once again, I’ll be interested to see how well they can maintain stakes now that Eren essentially has a superpower, and what limits they might impose to keep up the tension. Next week should be pretty interesting.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru – Episode 9

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Alright. With the camping arc over, we now have five episodes left to develop our main characters. I’m told our current LN-eating trajectory is leading towards some kind of festival finale, and the show has been alluding to Yuki’s problems too often for her situation not to play a pivotal role in the episodes to come. That’s awesome – she’s a great character and clearly has the most strongly built defenses, and since the camera follows Hikki so closely, any development of her pretty much implies he’s going to learn more about her home situation. Over these past several episodes, they’ve clearly become something resembling friends, but I doubt Yuki will take his learning more about her hangups willingly – there is infinite potential for really awesome drama there. Let’s see it through.

Episode 9

3:10 – Oh man, that slanted half-acknowledging stance when you really don’t want to be added to the conversation but also don’t want to come across as entirely rude, so you split the difference and just look ridiculous.

4:08 – I love Hikki’s sister’s incredibly obvious schemes

5:09 – Jeez, Hikki uses that defensive sideways stance all the time. Adorable, and again indicative of how you can convey a lot of personality through subtle visual cues alone. This show isn’t visually ostentatious, but it’s pretty carefully directed

6:08 – “Trying to find meaning behind pure coincidences or random events is a bad habit unpopular guys have.” This is both true and possibly aimed at every other goddamn romantic comedy.

6:58 – Yui just waiting for him to haltingly act like a normal human being and suggest wandering around. All these characters bounce off each other so well

7:20 – A nice trick, contrasting Hikki’s verbal philosophizing of himself with Yui’s visual appreciation of the world around her. Again, solid direction

7:56 – Also amused by the thought that if he were with Yuki instead, they’d be in total agreement on analyzing and selecting the most temperature-appropriate activity for this juncture

9:25 – I could listen to Hikki monologue all day. It’s such a poignant stage of maturity – he’s confident in his total assessment of the little status games the people around him are playing, but he lacks the confidence, drive, or maturity to rise above them. He’s perfectly content just stating the rules aren’t fair and thus he doesn’t want to play – meanwhile, Yui might not be able to articulate the rules that well, but she’s perfectly capable of enjoying the evening on its own merits. Hikki’s confidence and sense of self are based on his ability to analyze the systems, but ultimately that’s just another way of being trapped by those systems

11:10 – “Can’t take honest complement without undercutting it.” Check check check

13:00 – Oh man, Yuki’s not gonna like this. Her sister’s giving out some pretty key info about their home life, and I’m guessing that in her mind, this will change the power dynamic between her and Hikki in a pretty intolerable way

13:19 – “That means Yuki’s not gonna be chosen again.” Jeez, so she knows about Yuki’s feelings… and she pitiesher. That’s gotta sting

14:27 – It’s kind of fitting that with a character as guarded as Yuki, we actually learn far more about her when she isn’t even there

15:18 – Silly of me to hope for an awkward response from Hikki. Of course he’s already rationalized a prepared deflection for a question as dangerous as “do you like her”

15:34 – Genre awareness is making me wonder when the scene where we finally see Yuki in her yukata is gonna happen, but they might actually omit that trope. I do like how this show doesn’t just blanket attack tropes, and instead has a knowing love-hate relationship with them

16:28 – “Not looking back at the past is sort of my policy.” Hikki, your whole life philosophy is based on idolizing the simplistic “lessons” you’ve learned from the past

18:10 – “The more you know, the more problems you have.” Can’t really deny that one

18:43 – They are foreshadowing some upcoming Yuki conflict really hard here. I can’t imagine Hikki’s heroic rescue going well for anyone

19:22 – It’s nice that they’re bookending this episode with Hikki’s declaration of disbelief in fate and Yui’s confidence that they were fated to meet someday. Writing!

And Done

Oh man, that ending was brutal! So much good stuff in this episode – even at the very end, there was the nice parallel where Hikki himself interrupted both Yui and Yuki as they were likely about to tell the truth and damage his cynical view of the world, drawing a nice portrait of how self-generated his system really is. Great, charming moments between Hikki and Yui, a whole lot of perspective on Yuki’s situation, and man, that last speech… gah, I can’t fucking wait for next week. This show.

-edit- Still thinking about that ending, and I didn’t really go deeply into it originally, so I might as well add an actual comment. The conflict they’re brewing here is pretty much perfect, not just because it pulls in all the actual dramatic strands they’ve established so far, but also because it acts as a direct attack on both Hikki and Yuki’s philosophies. Hikki himself admits the standards he was holding Yuki to are ridiculous – his ability to forgive her for betraying his illusions is going to require some kind of acknowledgment that his pessimism about human nature is unsustainable. And on the other side, the standards Yuki holds herself to are absurd, and yeah, she’s basically been betraying her own philosophy from the moment she pretended not to know Hikki. They both know their perspectives can’t last, but they’re both proud and defensive, and so the situation will probably only get worse. I think Yui’s going to have to break the ice on this conflict, and however it resolves, something’s going to have to change.

This is going to be a long week…