Category Archives: Episode Writeup

March comes in like a lion – Episodes 1-2

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And with March comes in like a lion, we’ve got all three of my episodic shows up and running. March is very excellent so far – its tone can sometimes feel disjointed and its comedy can be pretty bad, but its characters and framing are easily strong enough to make up for those issues. Some shows can get by purely by conveying a character’s headspace as well as this show’s first episode – the fact that it seems the character development going forward will be just as strong is gravy. I’m having a great time with this one!

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my episode two notes below.

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Planetes – Episode 14

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You know, I was ready to get extremely mad at this episode. Based on the setup of the first half, it looked like the show was going to throw half a dozen new wrenches into Tanabe and Hachi’s relationship, delaying progress purely for the sake of more juicy, artificial drama. But while this episode was a little heavy on the will-they-or-won’t-they stuff, it actually pulled their story together with some real grace. Tanabe and Hachi’s relationship has at times been Planetes’ weakest element, but it turns out you can’t keep a good ship down.

(I’m sorry)

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Nichijou – Episode 11

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As of the time of this writing, I’m currently only funded through eight episodes of Nichijou. This is episode eleven. I do not give a fuck. Nichijou is fantastic, I will watch it whatever the consequences, this is the hill I will die on. If anyone is actually reading this now, that hopefully means the funding has actually reached this point. Don’t ask current me how much Nichijou he has watched since then. You will not like the answer.

Anyway, that’s enough preamble. LET’S GET RIGHT TO THESE NICHIJOUS.

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Girlish Number – Episode 1

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Girlish Number has begun, and it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from Wataru Watari versus the industry. The characters and dialogue in this one are already terrific, and I was happy to see those strengths matched with some great expression work all throughout. Hopefully this one keeps it together!

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

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Sound! Euphonium 2 – Episodes 1-2

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Sound! Euphonium has returned, and holy shit these reviews are going to kill me. I feel like I’ve actually gotten more thorough in my episodic posts since the first season, and those were already some of the most consistently oversized reviews I did for ANN. KyoAni may be the death of me, but it is a fine death indeed!

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

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Kokoro Connect – Episode 2

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Kokoro Connect’s second episode has arrived, and with it an “explanation” of sorts for the show’s body-swapping shenanigans. Apparently, their trials have been prompted by a mysterious figure known as Heartseed, who possesses the body of their teacher Goto to explain his reasoning. Or lack of reasoning, as the case may be – Heartseed comes off as aimless and apathetic, and his tormenting of the show’s stars is framed as no more than a whim of boredom. They can’t tell others about their secret, because that would be a bother. They can’t hope to end their struggle, because it’s just going to end when Heartseed tires of it. All they can do is keep on keeping on.

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Nichijou – Episode 10

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WHAT THE FUCK IS UP EVERYBODY IT’S TIME FOR NICHIJOU. We’re finally into the double digits now, and Nichijou shows no signs of slowing down. As before, I’m still holding out for whenever the show’s two main casts actually collide, but it’s not like Nichijou’s been running out of ideas or anything. This is a mad, mad world where basically anything can happen, and then I have to somehow try and turn that madness into formal craft critique. It’s a very stupid system we’ve created, but hey, that’s Nichijou. LET’S GET TO IT.

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Planetes – Episode 13

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Having long explored the winding corridors of Seven, spent at least a dozen missions cramped inside the Toy Box, and twice visited the moon, this week’s Planetes took us somewhere the show had never visited – the earth itself. With Fee’s heroic exploits leaving the crew without a ship, the debris team was given some needed time off to visit friends and family. And so we finally visited Hachi’s home, as Tanabe and Yuri tagged along to meet his mother and brother.

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Mob Psycho 100 – Episode 12

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Mob Psycho had a pretty fiery conclusion this week, one that actually arrived at a more or less satisfying thematic endpoint. ONE’s thoughts on society are clearly still deeply conflicted, but his analysis of Claw seemed pretty sharp here, and concluding on Reigen’s call for kindness felt like basically the only way to positively react to his view on the world in general. And of course, the big action highlights were as excellent as ever, and it was nice to check in with everyone before finishing up. Mob Psycho turned out to likely be the strongest show of the season, something I really wouldn’t have guessed coming in. Nice work, everyone!

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

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Orange – Episode 13

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Welp, Orange finally finished up this week, offering sturdy conclusions to both the Naho/Kakeru romantic drama and the gang’s attempts to save Kakeru in general. Those two scenes basically justified this episode, even if the connective tissue was a little shaky – the first offered one of the sharpest descriptions of depression this show has managed, and the second was just a richly earned moment of friendship and catharsis for everyone involved. Orange didn’t really end up a good show, but it certainly had its moments.

You can check out my full review over at ANN!

Orange