“Once upon a time, there was a maiden with wings of freedom. The man who loved this maiden thought, ‘if I could just bind those wings, we would never be apart, even for a moment.’ But when the man wrapped the maiden’s wings in a magical shawl, the wings fell off immediately, and the woman died.”
Category Archives: Episode Writeup
Kuuchuu Buranko – Episode 4
Alright, let’s check back in with Kuuchuu Buranko. Where we last left off, Kuuchuu Buranko/Trapeze was very slowly shaping itself into a relatively watchable show. Unfortunately, Trapeze just isn’t there yet – outside of its wild stylistic digressions, the narrative substance of these episodes is just totally unsatisfying. Its characters are simplistic, its stories aren’t engaging, and its solutions to all of its heroes’ problems don’t make any sense. There is just nothing to draw from this show in an emotional or intellectual sense, outside of how it uses mixed media to… well, use mixed media? Even there, its juxtaposition of various different realities within a single frame doesn’t often lead to any larger dramatic effect beyond “this looks weird” or “this is disorienting” or “this color scheme sure isn’t attractive.” The show reminds me of Mind Game or the first isolated episode of Kyousogiga – visual noise, experimentation seemingly designed only to prompt more focused creators to say “ah, I can see how that could be used in an actual narrative.”
I suppose this takeaway just reflects the fact that I don’t really come to anime, or media in general, for experimentation for its own sake. I love creative shows, but I see experimentation like this as a tool, not a goal – unique images are nice, but if they’re not being used to bolster some meaningful dramatic effect, they’re probably not going to impress me. Concrete Revolutio’s divergent character art echoed its nature as a hero history pastiche that emphasized what a living part of our world heroes are. The Tatami Galaxy brought us into the kaleidoscopic mind of its protagonist, letting us see the world he saw, brimming with possibility. Trapeze hasn’t really reached that point yet, but I suppose we’re still relatively early in the series. Let’s check out episode four!
Chihayafuru S2 – Episode 19
Today we’re continuing our journey through Chihayafuru, as the team tournament finals draw towards an end! With all the establishing work Chihayafuru has recently done, this battle has felt like a validation of nearly every major character’s personal journeys, be it in a small way or a completely worldview-shaking one. While Tsutomu and Tsukuba have already fallen, our remaining three competitors each have their own fire driving them forward, whether it’s Taichi coming to terms with Arata’s presence or Chihaya finally internalizing Kana’s emotive approach to card reading. And of course, this is the last team match of the year – the last chance to shine as a group, and demonstrate their dedication to team karuta.
That “value of team karuta” point reflects what seems to be this match’s most unexpected dramatic focus, its impact on Shinobu. We learned at the end of the first season how karuta had essentially been Shinobu’s only friend, and thus she’d established a close emotional bond with the cards over time. Last episode, that knowledge was given context through learning that the adults in her life had intentionally isolated her from any peers her own age in order to foster that talent, actively forcing her to see karuta as a lonely activity. Given that history, it made perfect sense that Shinobu would have come to resent and eventually disdain team karuta, validating her own unhappy experiences by embracing the idea that team karuta is a fundamentally frivolous activity. If team karuta is bad, Shinobu wasn’t missing out, and her loneliness is just a necessary consequence of her excellence.
Of course, as it turns out, team karuta kicks ass, even if it’s not quite as serious and competitive as solo karuta. Arata framed the value of team karuta as its ability to draw new people into the sport they love, underlining the fact that even Shinobu’s lonely road demands other players – but for Shinobu, the more convincing argument seems to be Chihaya and Rion’s desperate match, a match as high-level and furious as the most competitive singles battles. Chihaya is reaching out to Shinobu without even realizing it, communicating a desire for friendship in the only language Shinobu has ever known. However this battle turns out, I hope Shinobu learns something from this day, and starts to escape her unhappy shell.
Alright, that’s probably more than enough preamble. Let’s dive right into Chihayafuru!
Magical Lyrical Girl Nanoha – Episode 2
Let’s get right back to Magical Lyrical Girl Nanoha! Nanoha’s premiere was an interesting but deeply imbalanced episode, even down to things like having Kou Yoshinari delicately animate precisely one random dinner scene. In larger terms, I really liked how Akiyuki Shinbo’s many creative visual choices consistently sacrificed a sense of stable reality to further bolster each individual scene’s dramatic purpose. The actual visual tricks employed here (simplified color schemes, racking focus, ostentatious movement into depth, etc) don’t actually correlate to many of the visual embellishments SHAFT would later become known for, but the underlying philosophy of compromising on visual congruity for the sake of dramatic impact seems consistent through both. In visual terms, Shinbo asks more of our suspension of disbelief than the vast majority of shows, and the results aren’t always successful, but are pretty much always interesting. I don’t really care that this show is a little messy – I’m here to find the interesting stuff, and Nanoha certainly fits the bill.
Oh, also there’s a narrative. So far, Nanoha’s stuck pretty closely to a tried and true magical girl template, with its own notable features being its unusually thorough elaboration of Nanoha’s everyday life, as well as the heavy dash of science fiction worldbuilding. That worldbuilding seems to indicate Nanoha is something of a compromise between a standard magical girl’s show and a more general action platform, and with Nanoha having just conjured her big magical girl clobbering stick, I’m guessing it’s time for the show to follow through on that action promise. Let’s get to it!
Chihayafuru S2 – Episode 18
Folks, we’re watching more Chihayafuru and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. My foot has been put down. I know the risks, I know the consequences, and I’ve made my decision – it is time for Chihayafuru, and that is unequivocally that.
Now that that’s settled, let’s take stock of where we’re at. The finals of the team tournament has seen Chihaya suffering yet another injury, and while it now seems impossible that she could compete in tomorrow’s singles tournament, she’s still holding on against her current opponent Rion. Last episode did a thorough job of establishing Rion’s personal circumstances and very lopsided play abilities, painting her as an opponent who has little chance of becoming a general purpose threat, but who can instantly become a monster when the right card speaker is at the stand. Like their early quiz show-trained opponents, Rion seems like an enemy designed to stress-test Chihaya by matching her own strengths, except Rion is actually a relatively well-rounded opponent, while Chihaya has sprained her dang finger. All the while, Shinobu sits in the front row, learning through the ferocity of Chihaya’s match that team karuta is just as legitimate as singles karuta. I’m not exactly thrilled to watch Chihaya engage in some My Hero Academia-style “victory comes first, I’ll fix my bones after that” desperation, but I am excited to see Shinobu fall for Chihaya’s karuta, and I’m eager to learn how this match resolves either way. Let’s dive right into one more episode of Chihayafuru!
Princess Tutu – Episode 10
The first image of Princess Tutu’s tenth episode evokes all of its theoretical protagonists, displaying Fakir’s sword, Ahiru’s pendant, and Rue’s black slippers and feather all in a row. With each of their fantasy-identity markers scattered on the stairs like that, the narrator’s retelling of the story of Cinderella feels like it could apply to anyone. All three of our heroes don a heroic mantle and new identity in order to reach out to Mytho, and all three struggle at the distance between their fantasy selves and ordinary lives. Sacrificing of themselves and playing unhappy roles and warring with each other over a goal they seemingly share, they are each haunted by the narrator’s final question: “did the prince really love that maiden named Cinderella?”
Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 30
Let’s get back to Ojamajo Doremi! Doremi’s last episode was frankly amazing – not only did it feature the long-awaited return of Loyal Dog Doremi, it even doubled down with Heroic Horse Doremi, turning a random treasure hunt into one of Doremi’s most entertaining episodes yet. Doremi can knock it out of the park when it comes to the emotional stuff, but it’s also capable of farcical episodes so inventive and energetic that they rival pretty much any comedy out there.
That episode also made great use of Ojamajo Doremi’s continuously expanding cast, finding smart ways to use a variety of Doremi’s classmates, all of her immediate friends, and even both the teacher and nurse. Doremi’s always been something of an ensemble production, but it feels like we’re now reaching a point where the show has established enough characters that it can pull off far more sprawling stories than before. “Doremi chases down her missing magic item” doesn’t sound like the most ambitious narrative, but structurally, we bounced between over a dozen major characters in twenty minutes, something only possible because the show’s dedicated prior time to building up all those characters. With that in mind, I’m not worried by the fact that I can’t imagine this episode topping that one – the show is clearly making the most of its new dramatic tools, and I’m excited to see where it leads us next. It’s time to cast some spells with our ridiculous Ojamajos!
Chihayafuru S2 – Episodes 16-17
The team battles continue in Chihayafuru! There’s no time for messing around anymore – with the Fujisaki team fully introduced and the reader already reaching for the first card, it’s looking like this episode will be the first act of the team finals from start to finish. We’ve also got a wide variety of subconflicts set up for this tumultuous climax, so let’s quickly break down where we’re at on that front!
First off, Chihaya actually doesn’t seem like she’ll be the focus of this match, at least in an emotional sense. She just went through a focus match against Megumu, and beyond that, Chihaya’s attachment to this match is fully an extension of her desire to succeed with her team. There will certainly be plenty of Chihaya material, but my read so far is that her segments will focus on a combination of figuring out her mysterious opponent and general “we’re doing it together” team emphasis.
Taichi seems like a more reasonable focus character, and it seems like he himself is framing beating this Arata-resembling opponent as him mentally overcoming his Arata-related insecurities. With Arata actually in the building, it seems very likely that Taichi’s big turn and Arata’s long-awaited appearance will end up overlapping.
Tsukuba is our third potential focus character, and his regret over not noticing Kana’s injury last time leaves me suspecting this may be the point where his selfishness as a competitor is directly addressed. Tsukuba has always played for himself at the expense of the team, but here in the team finals, his attitude and the overall spirit of the event may come to blows at last.
Beyond those three, I somewhat doubt Tsutomu will be prioritized, and get the feeling Nishida will just be a sturdy role player like usual. Of course, if you extend our scope beyond Chihaya’s team, we’ve got ongoing character arcs focused on Arata, Shinobu, Retro-kun, Hanano, half the members of the Fujisaki team, and plenty of other people I’m sure I’m forgetting. The dominoes are stacked up and ready to fall here in the long-awaited team finals. Let’s get right to it!
Chihayafuru S2 – Episode 15
It’s time to continue our journey through Chihayafuru! Having just defeated Megumu and her unexpectedly talented teammates, Chihaya’s team is basically against the ropes at the moment. Chihaya herself lost, Nishida also failed, Tsutomu only won because of a fifty-fifty guess, and Kana is so wiped out she’s asked Tsukuba to take her spot in the finals. In terms of in-universe stamina, the team is likely exhausted, and facing down opponents who themselves beat our school’s closest rivals in an effortless, 4-1 victory.
In more metanarrative terms, this feels like a fight that could theoretically go anywhere, but will most likely end up being a dedicated celebration of team karuta. My reasoning for that is pretty simple – this is the very last match that our crew will compete in as a team for a full year, and the joy of playing karuta as a group has always been one of Chihayafuru’s most enduring threads, so this is basically the last, best chance to center a conflict on that particular theme for a long time to come. Additionally, the board pieces have been deliberately set up to allow a dramatic team match to further several character arcs. Tsukuba, whose fatal flaw has been his selfishness and unwillingness to trust in the team, needs to learn to care about his teammates’ fortunes, and contribute to an effort that’s greater than himself. Arata, who’s spent full seasons pining for his friends, is now primed for a dramatic appearance that revives their spirits and rekindles their friendship at their lowest point. And even Shinobu has now been characterized as a person defined by loneliness and contemptuous of team karuta – I frankly think her turn might have to wait for the third year, but it’s still very relevant here.
Maybe none of these variables will be used in the ways I expect, but regardless, I’m very excited for the finals. Our heroes have come a long way and earned many victories, and they’re currently all fitted with resonant personal arcs primed to add a human component to all this tactical drama. Chihayafuru is an extremely confident narrative, and we’re arriving at what almost has to be a dramatic peak. Let’s get to the fireworks!
Simoun – Episode 13
Let’s continue our rambling journey through Simoun! Looking back on our recent history, it feels like the show’s last couple episodes have neatly demonstrated Simoun’s extremely variable dramatic range. At times, like in Floe’s focus episode, Simoun rises to become a simultaneously immediately thrilling and thematically rich war thriller, exploring the complexity of individual motivations within an oppressive social order, and smartly contrasting Class S yuri melodrama against a searingly appropriate dystopian background. At other times, like in Kaimu’s episode, the show can get lost in awkward digressions, center its emphasis on drama we’ve been given no reason to invest in, and essentially forego anything resembling a coherent dramatic structure. Simoun’s first act was deeply constrained by this messiness, and it’s only been in the last few episodes that things have pulled together into a propulsive story.
Series composer Sho Aikawa and script writer Mari Okada are both infamous for exactly that kind of narrative incoherence (well, at least they are to me, and I’m the one who gets to make all the damning declarations here), but each of them have also written true masterpieces, and are absolutely writers worthy of respect. I’m guessing Simoun will continue to bear both the messiness and the brilliance of its creators, and am excited to see it all unfold. Let’s jump right into one more episode of Simoun!