Sword Art Online pulled its classic trick this week, attaching half of a pretty solid episode to half of a really terrible one. I really don’t know how it does it – pretty much every time the show pulls itself together, it’s basically guaranteed to exist directly in the presence of some of the show’s worst bullcrap. This time it was a half-episode where literally nothing happens. But hey, at least we got to see some animation afterwards!
Hunter x Hunter, why do you have to remind me of all the reasons it’ll be so hard to say goodbye to you?!? Uuugh.
I didn’t really expect this episode to start with a ten minute monologue on karmic cycles, the nature of the soul, and the ways human failings perpetuate themselves, but given everything that’s happened so far, it ended up being pretty damn appropriate! This was essentially a bookend to the themes and questions of Chimera Ant, and served to tie it in nicely with the questions of consequence and forgiveness that have dominated the Election Arc. Just like Ging tells his son, Kite tells our penitent koala that you can’t run away from the consequences of your actions. The koala (I wish he had a name, it’s kind of absurd to refer to him that way, but eh, HxH) gets pretty esoteric in his musings on the nature of fate and consequence, which is appropriate for the tone of Chimera Ant. That arc struggled constantly with the awkward contradictions of our nature – but here, with Kite actually present, the answer appears simple. “No one will allow you to take your own life and hit the reset button. You must live, and apologize to me every day.” Our natural instincts may perpetuate cycles of violence, but we can individually rise above that instinct. When you apologize, you have to promise to do things differently next time.
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!
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 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.
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.
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…
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!
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.
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!