Welp, time for terror. Twelve’s betrayed Nine in order to save Lisa, Shibazaki’s learned the truth, and Five is as ridiculous and show-warping as ever. Let’s see what happens next!
Category Archives: Episode Writeup
Shounen Hollywood – Episode 11, Barakamon – Episode 10
Great episodes from both Barakamon and Shounen Hollywood this week. The two shows actually kind of play off each other, in a weird way – both are tackling questions of making a career out of art and performance, and both cushion those questions with strongly grounded slice of life. They’re a nice pair.
Sword Art Online – Episode 11, Shounen Hollywood – Episode 10
Sword Art Online took a long journey into exposition-land this week, while last week’s Shounen Hollywood pulled off one of the most confident concept episodes I’ve ever seen. There is no justice in this world.
Zankyou no Terror – Episode 9
Time again for terror! Lisa’s been captured, Twelve’s made his choice, and Nine stands alone. With three episodes left, it seems unlikely this will all end in smiles and rainbows, but I’d sure like for Lisa and Twelve to get out of this, at least. That may defeat the show’s purpose, though – Nine’s anger is just as understandable as their connection, and no one can really escape the world they’re born into. All you can do is adapt or burn the damn thing down.
Incidentally, vestenet made a great post about Zankyou’s historical context over at Isn’t It Electrifying. I’d definitely check that out to see some of the more specific unrest and political circumstances Zankyou’s building on!
Alright, let’s get to terror.
Sword Art Online II – Episode 10, Barakamon – Episode 9
Two of this week’s ANN posts are up, featuring somewhat lesser episodes for both Sword Art Online and Barakamon. Sword Art Online in particular was a real head-shaking disappointment this week – after all my tentative hopes, Sinon’s arc managed to find her collapsing into Kirito’s arms after all. This author just can’t friggin’ help himself…
Zankyou no Terror – Episode 8
A new Zankyou! And it couldn’t come soon enough – with both Barakamon and Zankyou on break, last week was pretty much a barren anime wasteland. I’ve had to sustain myself by actually paying attention to what’s happening in videogames, which is something I would never recommend to any human being. Anyway! The last episode of Zankyou was Hollywood as all hell, but I doubt the entire show is suddenly going to tumble into meaningless action movie territory. I’m guessing this episode will be more of a cooldown, and Zankyou’s generally at its best when it gives its ideas room to breathe – plus, I’m very interested in seeing how the events of last episode impact both the relationships of our three young terrorists and Shibazaki’s career prospects. Let’s get down to terror!
Shounen Hollywood – Episodes 1-8 Overview, Episode 9
Aaand here’s my next piece, covering both the first eight episodes and then the newest one separately. I picked this show up out of necessity, but it’s actually been quite enjoyable, and much smarter than you’d expect from an idol show. I legitimately recommend it to anyone looking for a show about the cynical side of the entertainment business, or a more meditatively paced slice of life in general.
Sword Art Online II – Episodes 1-8 Overview, Episode 9
My first posts over at Anime News Network have gone up, covering that venerable institution of anime, Sword Art Online. I’m actually starting off with two posts – one covering overall impressions of the first eight episodes, one specifically covering episode nine. I hope you enjoy them!
Sword Art Online II – Episode 8
And we’re back! Last episode was kind of a breather/intermission piece, apparently matching the beginning of this arc’s second book, but hopefully this one will put us back in the action. I feel like the more the show dwells on slow Kirito drama scenes, the less it’ll hold together – the show’s production is solid, but its writing is still bad, meaning the more propulsive scenes are generally going to be the highlights. Which is a frustrating thing to admit, because Iwant this show to work on an emotional level, but I feel like that would require both better writing (though it has been improving!) and a legitimate acknowledgement of ALO’s existence. I dunno. Tough place to be, SAO, but you’ve dug yourself this hole. Let’s see you lightsaber your way out of it.
Incidentally, SAO posts are going to undergo a shift next week, as… well, you’ll see. So for this current series, I’d like to say it’s been a weird, weird pleasure to write these for all you guys. Like Kirito, I hope all of you continue to strive for the horizon… even if, unlike Kirito, you actually have to work for it.
Zankyou no Terror – Episode 7
And we’re back! It’s time for TERROR CHESS. I’m really hoping TERROR CHESS won’t dominate this episode, because it seems like a pretty silly idea, but I’m still excited to see where our various heroes end up. Okay, I lied, I’m mainly just excited to see what happens with Lisa and Shibazaki. Let’s go!