It’s time for more Nichijou! Today we actually will arrive at the series’ halfway point, which is certainly a tragedy. There basically aren’t any shows like Nichijou out there – even if there are other witty comedies, Nichijou’s execution seems impossible to match. It dedicates all the genius and resources any TV production could muster to jokes about friends walking into pies, or cats being adorable. It is a rare and precious thing, and so all I can do to celebrate it is BURN RIGHT THROUGH ANOTHER ONE LET’S GO YEAAAAH.
Category Archives: Episode Writeup
Shugo Chara – Episode 1
Today we’ll be jumping into a late-00s adaptation of a fairly well-regarded manga, Shugo Chara! Well, I say it’s well-regarded, but my own experience with the manga is limited to noticing my youngest sister bought it back when I was in high school. But my sister has pretty solid taste in manga, and so far, Shugo Chara bears that out.
Shugo Chara stars Amu Hinamori, a fifth-grade student who’s known as a cool, punky girl at her school. Amu’s dress style and fiery way of speaking make her an object of admiration at her school, but also isolate her. People don’t want to get to know Amu – they want to bask in the light of her assumed persona.
Girlish Number – Episode 3
The shoe at least partially dropped in this week’s Girlish Number, forcing Chitose to… well, quickly learn how to act at a light novel-ready level and thus avoid much personal growth altogether. I was still happy to see this episode challenging Chitose, even if its resolution was pretty convenient, and I assume this means things will hopefully get tougher for her going forward. Chitose is a jerk, and jerks who are unchallenged by the world don’t make for the best protagonists. As long as Girlish Number doesn’t let her get away with being herself, it’ll continue to be a very entertaining show.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
Sound! Euphonium S2 – Episode 4
Sound! Euphonium 2’s fourth episode ended up more or less resolving the Yoroizuka/Nozomi conflict, which was unexpected but very welcome. The show’s definitely had trouble making this a story worth caring about, but this episode nailed its big dramatic moments while acting as a clear demonstration of a new KyoAni director’s unique talents. KyoAni have such a reliable and growing team that I’ve recently found myself enjoying their productions purely in how they let more and more of these creators demonstrate their talents. They were low on directors for a little while there, but their next generation is terrific.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
Welcome to Night Vale – Episode 1
It’s generally a bad sign when I have to try and diagnose some work’s appeal in terms of cultural trends as opposed to aesthetic merit, but that’s kind of where I fall with Welcome to Night Vale. I’d heard about the show briefly in some other contexts – it played a central role in the legitimately entertaining story of Dashcon’s rise and fall, and The Mountain Goats’ Heel Turn 2 debuted on it, so I’d actually listened to a couple minutes while skipping to that. But taken in full, I just can’t really see the appeal here. So I guess I’ll explain it, and then maybe you guys can figure it out?
March comes in like a lion – Episode 3
March comes in like a lion finally spent basically a whole episode in its reflective, melancholy tone this week, and the results were predictably excellent. The show’s random tonal switches and jokes are such an isolated weakness that I actually don’t really feel that put off by them – they’re awkward, but when it comes to all the stuff that counts, March is excellent. I’m looking forward to following these characters for a long time!
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my extremely limited notes below.
Eureka Seven – Episodes 5-6
Alright, time for some Eureka Seven! It’s been a while since I watched any of this one, so I’m very ready for some surfing robots. Once I’ve cleared up Brotherhood, Eureka Seven will probably be the biggest of the semi-modern gateway anime I really have to commit to, just to see one more big piece of anime history. So let’s get right to it!
Nichijou – Episode 12
Hello and welcome to another episode of Nichijou! We’re nearing the halfway point of the series, which means it may be time for some of the show’s greatest secrets to be revealed. Will Mai tell her friends about the event that keeps her up at night? Will the professor break the terrible news to Nano and Sakamoto? Will the red light-green light pair finally settle their differences and find happiness?
Yeah, I don’t expect anything like any of that to happen. Let’s watch some goddamn jokes.
Girlish Number – Episode 2
Girlish Number’s second episode wasn’t quite as entertaining as the first, but it had a lot more structural work to do, so I’m happy to be forgiving. My main concern now is exactly how farcically the show will present its take on the industry – too much absurdity and incompetence, and it just won’t feel like a world at all. But the dialogue is still very strong, and that does a lot of work by itself.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
Sound! Euphonium S2 – Episode 3
Oh jeez, Sound! Euphonium was really good this week? How friggin’ predictable.
Yeah, this episode was great. Given a cohesive thematic center through Kumiko’s repeated reflections on competitions, full of sharp conversations featuring some as-of-yet underutilized characters, it basically did everything I’d want from a Eupho episode. And that gorgeous performance by Asuka at the end was basically a cherry on top – the show didn’t need that moment, but it’s sometimes those accidental encounters that end up the most meaningful. Euphonium is a hell of a show.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!