Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Kill la Kill – Episode 16

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Alright, secrets time? Can we have some secrets time now? Because I could really use a little narrative/thematic momentum here. Last week promised us shocking revelations, and delivered… well, a boilerplate shounen “I fight for my friends” speech. Which, as several have pointed out, is honestly all I probably should have been expecting – Ryuuko’s always been simpleminded and belligerent, I really shouldn’t have been expecting some nuanced philosophy to counter Satsuki’s craziness. Her most cogent argument was basically “the ends don’t justify the means” – whatever your aim is, you shouldn’t go trampling cities over it. Which doesn’t really mean anything, in the abstract – we need to know what Satsuki’s aims actually are before we can discuss whether her actions are justified. If I want a pizza and am willing to pay for one, the ends justify the means – if Satsuki’s pizza is “saving the world” and her method of payment is “beat up some rival schools,” then yeah, I’m all for it. But so far her philosophy is too questionable and goals too vaguely defined to justify anything, so hopefully this episode will directly address that.

Alright, enough rambling. Let’s Kill la Kill.

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Sekai Seifuku – Episode 3

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I’m actually kind of surprised at how much I’ve been looking forward to this episode. This show is just a lot of fun – it’s witty, colorful, and endearing, and has a great sense of humor that isn’t tied to any single gag. Basically, the world itself is funny – a world where the Great Ruler Kate actually makes sense, a world where those meddling do-gooders can be fooled by flipping the sign on your secret base, a world where you decide to conquer the world just because you want a bigger family. When your world is inherently funny, you don’t have to stretch too far for jokes, which is good – trying too hard is the easiest way to kill almost any joke.

Not that making jokes look natural and effortless is easy, either. They have to emerge naturally while still being witty – the fact that the base world plays with your viewer’s expectations in a way conducive to humor doesn’t mean you get to slack off.

And trying too little is also death – even when you’re going for simple jokes, that just puts that much more weight on every tool you do use. You can’t just have a character make a funny face – first the audience has to buy into that character, then the audience has to buy why that face would be funny relative to that character, then you have to perfect your pacing and direction, and even then the face better friggin’ convey what you’re trying to convey, since so much of the humor in funny faces is based in “wow, that expression makes complete yet ridiculous sense,” not just the face being silly.

Basically, humor sucks. I don’t know why anyone would try to be funny, it’s too much work and no-one appreciates it. As far as art forms go, it may be the one that gets the least credit relative to the work involved.

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Kill la Kill – Episode 15

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I am goddamn excited you guys. After a long, continuously baiting first season, a defiantly resolution-lacking finale, and two more episodes of buildup, I am ready for this universe to fucking explode. I already know they’re going big this episode, and I couldn’t be happier to hear it. Let Ryuuko find her own philosophy, let Satsuki’s master plan be revealed, let the entire narrative erupt into an impromptu musical number – just do something crazy. Something I haven’t seen before. If this is following in the Gurren Lagann model, then this episode should herald the end of Kill la Kill Part One, and I’m ready to see it go out in a blaze of glory.

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Sekai Seifuku – Episode 2

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Well, here we are. Sekai Seifuku had the easily strongest premier of this admittedly weak-ass season, and though that first episode was mainly very pretty, very silly, and very endearing, this show is possibly the only one that shows the potential to go somewhere. That’s based on a couple very specific strengths, with the central one being the fact that it’s actually got a talented writer. That’s something you can’t fake – the first episode consistently hit a variety of styles of jokes, and even featured a solid speech from the protagonist that pointed to some possible themes while also demonstrating his own personality and bias in a very natural way.

But of course, this is also the show about a little girl in a ridiculous outfit conquering the world. So if it just remains the “I’ll share my snacks and the world with you” variety hour, that’s pretty okay too.

Anyway. Let’s see what we’ve actually got.

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Kill la Kill – Episode 14

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And here we are again. Senketsu in pieces, Mako shipped off to war, Ryuuko filled with conviction only to be slammed immediately back down by Rusemaster Nui. Back at the end of the first half, I was somewhat frustrated the show hadn’t kicked into changing-the-paradigm gear yet – last week certainly did work on that front, but we’re not there yet. At this point, with the episodes ahead outnumbered by those behind, it’s time for Kill la Kill to put up or shut up – with no more time left to dick around either narratively or thematically, if it wants to continue sleeping on the couch, it’s gonna have to get to work.

You hear that, Kill la Kill? Get off the fuckin’ couch, Kill la Kill. Go out and get a fuckin’ job!

Ahem. Anyway. Let’s go to war.

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Chuunibyou S2 – Episode 2

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Still covering this, I guess. I mean, I don’t know. It’s Chuunibyou, you guys. I suppose as the person actually writing the piece, I shouldn’t be the one questioning the reason for its existence, but… yeah. It’s Chuunibyou. My analysis is it will probably be chuuni as fuck and also adorable. What added value can I actually provide?

Well, I am watching it while eating a delicious sandwich. I guess I could…

Alright, here’s Bobduh’s guide to making italian subs.

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Sekai Seifuku – Episode 1

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Alright. It’s all up to you, Sekai Seifuku. Space Dandy is too silly, Chuunibyou’s just Chuunibyou, and Hoozuki turned out to be like Lucky Star except somehow even more dull. If any show is going to end up this season’s dark horse candidate, it’s gonna have to be you. Don’t let me down!

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Kill la Kill – Episode 13

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TIME FOR KILL LA KILL YOU SHITHEADS. Aw man, it has been a while. Maybe it’s actually out of kindness that Trigger left us not with a cliffhanger, but with a kind of underwhelming plot-resolver – that certainly made the vacation break somewhat more bearable. Then again, my permanent neural link to twitter has informed me this episode has some serious holy shit moments in store, so I guess I shouldn’t be taking anything for granted.

Anyway. Hope you all enjoyed your new year/holidays/satanic gatherings, and it’s good to see your cold, anonymous handles again. Let’s ring in the new year with some KILL LA KILL.

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Chuunibyou S2 – Episode 1

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Hey guys. Bobduh here, maybe talking about the best show of the season. Or maybe talking about nothing at all. Who knows! Anyway, I have a secret.

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Monogatari S2 – Episode 26

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And here we are at the last episode. We’ve had a fantastic arc to send off a fantastic season, and I’m very ready for Kaiki’s Last Stand. If this is his last story, he couldn’t have fabricated a better one – and even if he’s lying, he’s selling it well enough that I’m sure he’d consider it more valuable than the truth. Which, even outside the context of Kaiki’s philosophy, has always been one of the points here – as Kaiki said last episode, sentiments are only meaningful in the context of a personal reality. Is an unvarnished, “objective” world really more truthful than seeing the world through a given character’s personal reality? Nobody actually lives in that objective world – it is a commonality that is true to no-one. Much better to tell the truth through the lie of a personal, self-influenced reality – at least that is true to someone.

Anyway. Be it either Nadeko or Kaiki, it’s looking like someone’s personal reality is about to draw to a close. I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk through the personal reality of my experience of Monogatari.

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