Category Archives: Episode Writeup

March comes in like a lion – Episode 3

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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.

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Eureka Seven – Episodes 5-6

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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!

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Nichijou – Episode 12

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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.

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Girlish Number – Episode 2

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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.

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Sound! Euphonium S2 – Episode 3

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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!

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Popee the Performer – Episodes 1-4

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Welp, somebody paid for some Popee the Performer notes, and you all know what that means. All I really know about Popee is that it’s an insane CG shock-comedy spectacle and that @shinmaru has very honorably matched my dedication to Speedwagon with his own psycho clown avatar. I really don’t know what, i craft I’ll be able to glean out of this experience, but I’m beginning to suspect you guys fund these things just to see me try and spin meaning out of bullshit, so hopefully my generous benefactor will be satisfied either way. Let’s get right into Popee the God Damn Performer!

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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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