Toradora’s second episode is essentially one entirely self-contained love story, though its participants don’t really understand that. I wondered in my last writeup if my memories of Ryuji and Taiga’s rapport were a little rose-tinted, and whether Taiga’s tsundere schtick would get tiresome in the long run. Well, I am happy to report that that’s absolutely not the case – these two are still wonderful together, and through this episode, we see them essentially perform their first dates, first fight, and first reconciliation, ultimately arriving at a comfortable and engaging neutral. I’m always on the lookout for more romances about couples who are already in a relationship, and though Ryuji and Taiga would argue heatedly to the contrary, I’m now realizing that part of this show’s strength is that in many ways, it’s already there.
Category Archives: Episode Writeup
Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 26
Let’s get right back to Ojamajo Doremi! It’s been a while on my side since I had a chance to write about Doremi, and I’m very excited to be back. Not only is Doremi just a generally charming show, but last episode saw us reaching the end of the Majo Ruka arc, meaning we’ll likely be returning to episodic conflicts starring Doremi’s classmates. Ruka’s arcs had its highs and lows, but the stories focused on Doremi’s classmates tend to demonstrate the show at its best – thoughtful, often very poignant, and generally just solidly written. Even at its most mundane Doremi is a pretty satisfying show, and when it comes to highlights like Hadzuki’s rabbit episode or Ai’s harmonica story, Doremi can match basically any show out there for emotional power. Let’s see what we’ve got this time!
Princess Tutu – Episode 2
Princess Tutu’s second episode begins with an echo of its original prologue, telling the story of the storyteller and his characters, the crafty raven and the tragic prince. But this time, the story continues, as if lines had been secretly appended to its unfinished pages. We learn now that the prince took out his own heart to seal the raven, and that his heart was shattered in the process. Scattering across the town, the shards of his heart turned this town into a place where stories and reality intermix.
March comes in like a lion – Episode 40
March hit it out of the goddamn park this week, building off last week’s relatively reserved episode to turn the second half of Yanagihara’s story into one of the show’s best episodes to date. This episode’s skillful match of tactical drama, grounded emotional conflict, and overarching, fanciful metaphor made for a gripping and beautiful watch, once again demonstrating that March can find poignant humanity in pretty much anyone’s story. What a great show.
You can check out my full review over at ANN.
Simoun – Episode 9
The moment has arrived at last! In the midst of an attack by the fierce savages to the north, Neviril has finally been forced to make her choice. Of course, “forced” is the wrong choice of word there – one of the key recurring points of the show so far is the importance of being able to make your own choices, and make them in your own time. Nevertheless, the violence of the highlanders’ actions seems to have shaken Neviril awake, and driven her to recapture the confidence and air of authority that once made her such a natural leader. And Aaeru’s corresponding admission of uncertainty, her fear in the face of this horror, ended up being exactly what Neviril needed to hear. The two are different in every way, from their outlook and attitude to their upbringing and reputations, but both of them are driven by a fundamental uncertainty. That uncertainty may eventually lead them to question the assumptions of their rigid society, but for now, I’m content to let it inspire them to kick some serious highlander ass. With the dream team finally assembled, let’s see Chor Tempest take flight!
March comes in like a lion – Episode 39
March comes in like a lion made its long-awaited return this week, offering more of the oppressively intimate and often fatiguing character drama we’ve come to know and love. Up this week was Yanagihara, a regular member of the local shogi association who’d never really gotten much focus before. Yanagihara’s deal is “lion in winter, oldest class A competitor, and bearer of all his absent friends’ shogi dreams,” and this episode did an excellent job of making that deal a lived experience. March is back folks, and still really damn good.
You can check out my full review over at ANN.
Chihayafuru S2 – Episode 2
Let’s get back to Chihayafuru! The first episode of the show’s second season introduced a girl who’ll presumably be the team’s newest member, the altogether charming Hanano. Hanano is petty and scheming and exactly the kind of sharp-edged character this largely wholesome crew really needed. I’d actually expected us to get a crew member who fulfills this caustic tonal role a long time ago, but I’m still very happy to see her now, and looking forward to seeing how she settles into the overall group dynamic. We’ve also got plenty of traditional Chihayafuru drama to look forward to, and given the first episode was basically all “Hanano is a horny gremlin who doesn’t give a crap about karuta,” I’m eager to see how this episode actually hooks her into the sport, or at least the team. I mean, maybe she’ll actually remain at “karuta is boring, but Taichi is hotter than the seven hells,” but I have to assume she’ll get a bit more texture than that. Either way, she’s an endearingly cynical on-screen presence, and I’m eager to see what this episode brings. Let’s get right to it!
Princess Tutu – Episode 1
Today we embark on one of my most anticipated backlog titles, Princess Tutu. By reputation, I know Princess Tutu to be one of the most highly regarded anime of all time, and easily one of the best shows specifically intended for children. I also know that it is a story about stories, and that it’s one of the crown jewels of its director Junichi Sato’s catalog. Sato would be magical girl and children’s anime royalty even without Princess Tutu – after all, he directed both the first two seasons of Sailor Moon and a great deal of Ojamajo Doremi, two other towering standouts within the field. And even today Sato remains an influential figure, from his highly lauded slice of life productions like Aria to his ongoing work with the Pretty Cure franchise.
Flip Flappers – Episode 10
Flip Flappers’ tenth episode opens with Papika in a mood we’ve basically never seen her in – insular and depressed, crouched alone in the dark, reflecting on this mysterious “Mimi” figure. It’s an appropriate starting point for an episode that essentially tears up Flip Flappers’ status quo, abandoning its largely episodic structure and setting pieces in place for the grand finale. This is far from Flip Flappers’ best episode, but unlike episode eight, that’s not really its fault. This is an unabashed transition episode, and though its turns aren’t all the most graceful, it’s all working in service of the great cataclysm to come.
ef – A Tale of Memories – Episode 10
Let’s get back to A Tale of Memories! We’ve been slowly winding our way through this production for a while now, and I’m certainly having a fine time with it. The show is divided between two very different narratives, but its obsession with the idea of truly existing and leaving an impact on the world carries through each of them. On the Hiro/Rei/Miyako side, Miyako is the most stark example of this theme, constantly panicking at the thought of being neglected until she simply fades away. On the Renji/Chihiro side, Chihiro has obvious reasons to be preoccupied with memory and the nature of being, assailed every day by questions and fears regarding her ability to truly engage with the world, as well as whether the active voice in her mind is even really “her.” That thread, along with the show’s wild visual experiments, have kept Ef engaging regardless of its romantic twists and turns, which have stuck to more traditional melodrama territory. My preference for the show’s thoughts on memory over its romantic drama likely informs my preference for the Chihiro story over the Hiro story, but I’m certainly enjoying both the show’s halves, and am very interested in seeing how all of this comes together. Let’s get right to it!