Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Orange – Episode 9

Posted on by

Orange is still meandering its way towards a conclusion. There were good moments in this episode, but that’s all I’m really expecting from the show at this point – even beyond its slowly drowning production, there’s just not enough substance to Naho’s feelings to really support an entire TV anime. A story can feel true to life without being good storytelling, and that’s basically what we’ve arrived at here – yes, Naho’s the kind of person who would let her feelings run in circles forever, but unless the show can articulate new truths in those feelings over time, that’s not really meaningful from an audience perspective.

Anyway! You can check out my full review over at ANN.

Orange

Why It Works: Tsumugi’s Great Adventure

Posted on by

Today I got to write a piece on Sweetness & Lightning for the first time, which was nice. The show honestly doesn’t offer that much to dissect a lot of weeks, but the Tsumugi-focused episode was a clear standout, so I had plenty to talk about. Hope you enjoy the piece!

Why It Works: Tsumugi’s Great Adventure

Sweetness & Lighting

Nichijou – Episode 3

Posted on by

The Nichijou train continues, as I fire off a series of staid, thoughtful reactions to three girls dunking on each other and a robot with a giant key in its back. This episode was framed from the perspective of Nano and the professor’s cat, and cats are good, so this was a good episode. I also spend some time rambling about the various dramatic roles played by the three high school characters. There’s lots of jokes to laboriously critique today, so let’s get right to it!

Continue reading →

Mob Psycho 100 – Episode 7

Posted on by

Mob Psycho finally had a weaker episode this time, after a fairly consistent streak of excellence. The way this episode was weaker makes me think the show is trying to hit some later arc in the manga, but either way, it resulted in a somewhat unsatisfying middle phase of Ritsu’s current arc. ONE isn’t the most insightful of social scientists, and speeding up his stories only emphasizes that – Ritsu and Shinji were both shortchanged by this episode’s pacing, and the conclusion suffered for it. Hopefully we’ll be back on track next week!

You can check out my full review over at ANN.

Mob Psycho 100

Mawaru Penguindrum – Episode 8

Posted on by

Episode eight starts with a crack of thunder, as Ringo drags her creepy self up from beneath the floorboards. Framed in jolts of lightning and hideous shadows, Ringo’s attempted consummation is anything but romantic – and of course, that’s the only way it could work. By framing Ringo’s actions as a horror movie, Penguindrum both clearly demonstrates that it doesn’t agree with her actions, and also somewhat stylizes and thus softens the dramatic impact of Ringo actually trying to rape someone.

Continue reading →

Orange – Episode 8

Posted on by

Orange has achieved new heights of “will they or won’t they” assholery, following up last episode’s mutual confession with the reveal that Kakeru doesn’t want to date Naho because he might eventually hurt her. As simultaneously infuriating and true to his character that was, it wasn’t really my big problem with this episode. The real issue here is that Orange’s production has at this point entirely sunk, meaning it’s shifted from occasionally attempting to portray the illusion of movement to just kinda sequencing still shots in a row. It’s a shame when a show that so desperately needs strong animation is so entirely bereft of it.

You can check out my full review over at ANN!

Orange

Why It Works: Yukako’s Fairy Tale

Posted on by

I returned to JoJo again this week, unable to avoid the temptation of talking about a Yukako episode. Unfortunately, this article isn’t really about how Yukako herself is awesome – it’s more about the framing of her Cinderella story, and the influences it’s drawing on in both a narrative and visual sense. Hopefully that still sounds pretty entertaining!

Why It Works: Yukako’s Fairy Tale

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Nichijou – Episode 2

Posted on by

Welp, I’m still burning through Nichijou, and it’s still offering a wild menagerie of jokes to comment on. As with the first episode, I found enough to comment on just within my notes that I’m making the second episode an article in its own right. These are almost turning into accidental time-stamp writeups, which is very craft of you guys to trick me into doing. Let’s get right to episode two!

Continue reading →

Wandering Son – Episode 5

Posted on by

There is no one unifying point of Wandering Son’s fifth episode. As summer trudges towards its end, all of Wandering Son’s stars deal with the approaching cultural festival in their own way. Secrets are revealed, angry resolutions are made, and incompatible desires drift and collide in small ways. And through it all, Wandering Son’s consistent framing presents them as isolated in their world, tiny figures almost lost in a space beyond their control.

Continue reading →

Mob Psycho 100 – Episode 6

Posted on by

Ritsu got a focus episode this time, and what an episode it was. Ritsu’s feelings are even more intense and self-focused than Mob’s, and between that and his generally more analytical personality, I was getting mild Flowers of Evil vibes all through this one. I was also impressed with how well the show is making use of its secondary cast – I’d figured characters like the delinquent or body building dudes would just be one-off gags, but they’re actually turning into endearing people I want to see more of. Nice work, Mob Psycho!

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!

Continue reading →