Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Oregairu S2 – Episode 8

Posted on by

Hoooly shit this episode. This was the one we’d been waiting for – the one the whole show had been building up to, really. Sensei finally gives Hachiman a full diagnosis, and Hikki responds by doing what he always should have done, but never really could do until now – telling the truth. That second half was just a goddamn rollercoaster, employing all of this season’s heightened emotive storytelling tricks to hammer home the most honest moment in this friendship to date. This was definitely an episode.

My megasized ANN review is here. Plenty of notes below!

Continue reading →

Sound! Euphonium – Episode 7

Posted on by

Euphonium’s rainy day episode knocks it out of the park. Aoi’s long-hinted exiting of the band sends ripples all across the group, and Haruka is really given some time to shine as we dig into her very understandable leadership insecurities. We also got the first big questions regarding the almost-too-perfect Asuka, and Kumiko’s side neatly reflected all of this with her worries about losing one friendship and solace in the warmth of her new ones. I’ve got a fair number of notes on this one, since a lot of this episode’s strengths came in tiny details, so let’s get to it!

Here’s my full episode review. Notes below!

Continue reading →

Oregairu S2 – Episode 7

Posted on by

And we’re right back into the dramatic thick of it this week, with Hachiman finally grappling with his own identity issues only to be demolished by Yukino. There were a lot of individual excellent scenes this week, and the show is continuing to use framing and body language to elevate its stellar conversations. I particularly liked the two long, silent cuts – the first with Hikki and Iroha as they’re crossing the street, and the second when Rumi gave Hikki the silent treatment. Yui also got another great scene this week, and the banter between Hikki and Iroha is really growing on me. They actually seem more comfortable together than either of them do with many of their other friends, since they don’t have anything to prove to each other. As Hayama sadly notes, she feels more comfortable relying on him than the friends she refuses to be more honest with.

Here’s my full episode post. Lotsa notes below!

Continue reading →

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan – Episode 7

Posted on by

Well, this sure is a show that I am watching. Roughly twenty minutes of it, once you remove the opening and ending songs. It helps that one minute of that running time is situated before the opening, which gives me a little sense of momentum at the opening. And I can generally make it a good six or seven minutes in before I begin checking the time remaining.

In this week’s Nagato Yuki-chan, the characters got on a train and then looked at some souvenirs. In next week’s episode, I suspect they will take a bath. Stay tuned.

Here is my very sad episode review. Sad notes are below.

Continue reading →

Sound! Euphonium – Episode 6

Posted on by

This was a less tightly focused and mood-based episode than the last, but still very good in its own way. We returned to some Kyoto Animation House Comedy this time (which was fitting, since I learned this was largely anime-original), and the results were about as consistently funny as KyoAni can ever be. KyoAni are just way better at understanding the rules of comedy than most studios, and so even an episode like this in a show with a generally different tone can come off as enjoyable. The characters bounce off each other well, the small moments are captured with signature grace, and the central themes keep bubbling to the surface. I’m reaaally hoping we get that split-cour announcement some time soon…

My full writeup is available here. Semi-useless notes down below!

Continue reading →

Oregairu S2 – Episode 6

Posted on by

Things finally lightened up this week, as Hachiman was tasked with dealing with the fallout of his “solution” from last time. Being the student council president already sounds like a crappy job for him, but not getting any credit for it, being sabotaged by the actual president’s inability to handle conflict or responsibility, and not even being able to share the burden with his friends? Yeah, this is one shitty bed Hikki has made for himself. My favorite parts of this episode were the understated scenes between Hikki and Yui in the first half, but the ridiculous meeting with Iroha’s “collaborators” was pretty damn funny. I guess we could use a break from all the crazy tension.

My full ANN review is here. Notes after the cut!

Continue reading →

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan – Episode 6

Posted on by

Well, this episode sure sucked. It was basically a steady parade of the laziest jokes available to anime, punctuated by occasional silly faces. But hey, at least that makes one show I’m watching easy to write about…

My extremely dry review is available here. Notes below!

Continue reading →

Sound! Euphonium – Episode 5

Posted on by

We had another top tier episode this week, as the show’s focus honed in on what felt like one full 24-hour day in the life of Kumiko (I know there was a timeskip after the first half, but still). The show moved from midday gags to sweltering afternoon heat to melancholy goodbyes and all the way back to morning, capturing arrestingly lived-in moments all the while. I really can’t say enough good things about this show’s control of tone – we’ll have to see how that works through what I assume will be a more dramatic second half, but so far, the show is making all the right moves.

Here’s my oversized ANN review. Notes below!

Continue reading →

Oregairu S2 – Episode 5

Posted on by

The student council arc resolved in an uneasy peace this week, with Hachiman convincing Isshiki to rescind her own club request. Of course, this solution isn’t actually great either for Hachiman’s group or for the school overall – once again, he chose a slash and burn solution that only solves the most immediate problem. Joining the student council probably would have been the best thing for all three of our protagonists, but that’s the kind of thing Hikki can only realize once he’s already been told. Life is tough for our brittle little teenagers!

My full episode review is here. Notes below!

Continue reading →

Sound! Euphonium – Episode 4

Posted on by

I wasn’t as big of a fan of this episode as the last several, but this is still a very good show, and now I at least can actually see how this show might end within a single season. Kumiko remains great, Taki got another standout episode, and everything’s still pretty and well-written and at least reasonably composed. Sound! Euphonium continues apace.

Here’s my full ANN writeup. Notes below!

Continue reading →