Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Log Horizon II – Episode 14

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Once again, one of Log Horizon’s one-off diversions ends up being one of its best episodes. This one wasn’t an unexpected character study like William’s speech, though – it was just all the stuff Log Horizon normally does, except executed way better than usual with an entirely new cast. Natural worldbuilding, fun characters, a very cute riff on Journey to the West, and some actually solid fight scenes. If this is a sign of things to come, we’re in for a real treat in this Kanami-Nureha-Shiroe conflict.

Here’s my full ANN post. Notes are below!

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Yuri Kuma Arashi – Episode 1

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Hey guys! So, this isn’t exactly a classic time stamp writeup, but I took a whole damn lot of pictures during the first episode of Bear Storm, and plenty of notes besides, and so I figured I might as well assemble what I do have. What writeups I eventually settle on is still an open question – I might actually be covering this show for ANN (you can check out my more structured thoughts on this episode over there), I might do my own writeups, or I might collapse in a heap if I try to do any more work than I’m currently doing. We live in a world of uncertainty.

I will say I loved this first episode, and that there’s plenty of rich stuff to dig into already, and that it’s clear that Ikuhara hasn’t given up on any of the stuff that makes his work so compelling. Watching an Ikuhara show feels like some kind of thematic symphony – different repeating refrains and meaning-infused symbols all flow past each other and reflect on one another, the variant ideas charging all of his points with the depth of interconnectedness that only narrative can achieve. It’s a hell of a ride. Let’s run this first episode down!

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Parasyte – Episode 13

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And we’re back, with a real sad-sack episode for Shinichi. Kana’s dead, his girlfriend doesn’t trust him, Tamiya is sending private investigators after him… things aren’t going so great for our hero right now. We also got some pretty interesting developments on the parasite side, which I end up spending most of this episode’s article rambling about. Doing a lot of rambling in general at the moment – preview week’s in full swing, I’m alternating between sleeping, doing ten hour shifts, and writing about cartoons, and the weather outside is approaching the opposite of livable degrees. I might be hallucinating, because I’m pretty sure I also watched a show about lesbian bears. G’bye everybody…

Here’s my full post on ANN. Hopefully lucid notes below!

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Log Horizon II – Episode 13

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Today’s episode was a derpy Valentine’s Day thing. Not much you can really say about it – sometimes Log Horizon has silly episodes, this was one of those days. The most notable thing this week was Serara’s adorable outfit – I guess there was also some plot-relevant stuff with Nureha, but that story hasn’t gotten interesting yet, so I’ll just pay attention to the main characters eating cake.

My full ANN post is here, and notes (such as they are) are below!

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Parasyte – Episode 12

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Not the best episode this week – Kana’s story just didn’t feel that well-integrated into the rest of the narrative, and this episode in particular was not that gracefully constructed. The Shinichi-Migi material was stellar, though, and the ending was quite good. I’m certainly excited to see the larger-scale questions of the parasite politician and the government response come into focus again.

Here’s my full ANN piece. Notes are below!

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Log Horizon II – Episode 12

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Largely an epilogue for the season’s first half this week, though Shiroe’s resolution to the money problem was very well-considered. I don’t really have any idea what they’re planning to do with the Tetra reveal, or if that’s just a thing that happened I guess. I am certainly looking forward to seeing Nureha’s empire return to relevance, though. Log Horizon II’s first half definitely ended on a strong note in this last arc, so hopefully that momentum carries through into our next adventure.

Full ANN post is here. Notes below!

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Sword Art Online II – Episode 24

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It’s over. Dear lord, it is finally over. I know that it’s not actually over – I still have to review Extra Edition for ANN, and the looming threat of a third season always hangs overhead. But for what it’s worth, SAO ended on about as high of a note as the show has ever reached – not only was this episode sharp aesthetically, it actually legitimately tied this arc’s themes together in a graceful way. I’ve had problems with SAO, I am very sure you know, but even with a couple serious dud episodes, Mother’s Rosario has turned out to easily be the show’s best arc. Plenty of reasons for that – a lack of Kirito, an actual character focus, a new perspective on the show’s central ideas – but the sum total of it means I can’t really complain. It’s been quite a ride, Sword Art Online. Now get the fuck out of here, you little scamp.

My full ANN post is here. Notes below!

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Sword Art Online II – Episode 23

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SAO tricked me again this week, pulling off a surprisingly effective episode after last week’s absurdity. The story didn’t necessarily get “better,” but its variables were used more thoughtfully, and the execution was stellar. Even in Fairy Dance, the lion’s share of SAO’s aesthetically effective moments were the ones in the real world – Sugu’s story didn’t land for a variety of reasons, but it was often solidly expressed nonetheless. This episode somehow arrived at a pretty respectable end for Mother’s Rosario, so nice job, SAO.

My full ANN post is right here. Notes below!

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Log Horizon II – Episode 11

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Time for this week’s installment of Watching People Narrate Videogames, Triple Threat Raid Edition. This episode was actually pretty great! It couldn’t possibly compare to William Massachusett’s speech (I will never get tired of that speech or that name), but I don’t even really consider that thing a Log Horizon episode. This was a Log Horizon episode, and a very good one at that. Log Horizon is finally getting to describe the actual meat of raid combat, and seems almost giddy to tell us everything it finds fun about these crazy battles.

You can check out my full ANN post here. Notes and such below the cut!

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Parasyte – Episode 11

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Parasyte took a moment to catch its breath this week, and so we got little vignettes from a variety of narratives. Which was a lot of fun, actually – Kana’s a pretty endearing mix of confidence and naivety, and that central fight scene was a totally unexpected visual bounty. Almost weirdly so, in fact – so far I’ve felt Parasyte’s atmosphere has generally been more effective than its big action setpieces, but that scene’s action was great. I’ve always liked the way the schoolyard fights generally resolve in one or two quick, brutal strikes, and applying that style to an extended fight made for a really tremendous sequence.

Here’s the full ANN post. Rough episodic notes are below the cut!

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