Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Monogatari S2 – Episode 18

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Look, the arc’s damn title is “Shinobu Time.” I don’t care if Shinobu already stole Mayoi’s actual title arc. Shinobu’s just a way better character than Mayoi, and if Mayoi ends up stealing this one, I will not be pleased. I don’t watch Monogatari for Mayoi/Araragi’s rambling, pointless conversations or “haha Araragi’s a pedophile” jokes – shit like that almost had me dropping Bake right in the middle of Snail, and has always been the centerpiece of the “in spite of…” list that silently follows any “Monogatari is fantastic” statements by me. Yeah, I know some people like it – they have that right. Personally, I’m hoping even Isin isn’t troll enough to name the arc Shinobu Time and then screw me like this.

Super mad about cartoons! Alright, let’s watch some damn Monogatari.

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Kyousogiga – Episode 4

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I’m guessing it’s time for a Yase episode. Eager to see how her own feelings reflect on those of her siblings – Kurama and Myoe each want out of the Mirror Capital for their own reasons, and I assume Yase will have a still different take. Let’s find out.

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Kill la Kill – Episode 5

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Alright. I’m not sure this is the episode to do this, and actually hoping it’s that episode probably borders on masochism all by itself. I’m fairly confident this is the show to do this. Fraying anyway, might as well commit, right? “Kill la Kill might be the show that finally drives me crazy!” Haha funny laffs. Yeah. Okay. Let’s see if we can just maybe hold it together.

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Kyoukai no Kanata – Episode 5

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And we’re back! Excited to see where this goes. Last week’s episode did a lot of work to bolster my faith in this series – I didn’t really care about Mirai’s sadsack past in the first half, but the second established a legitimate bond between the main two, giving Mirai a little substance and retroactively adding some interesting undertones to Akihito’s upbeat facade, pursuit of Mirai, and other relationships besides. A lot of efficient work for one I CAN’T CONTROL THE RAGE INSIDE ME RAAAH light novel sequence.

Speaking of which, yeah, this is obviously all Dark Flame Master as fuck. That doesn’t really matter to me – virtually every plot is a variation on other plots, and all I care about is the execution. Will they sell me on these characters to the point where I care, where I feel? Will the scenes be visualized and directed in such a way to create a compelling mood, tone, or world? Will it be about something, and will what it has to say be articulated well enough to have some resonance, or even some truth? This all seems like a very calculated effort, but in practice it really isn’t – if these things work, I’ll know they’re working because I’ll give a damn. Because in spite of all crustiness to the contrary, I’ll naturally care about what’s happening, and what this piece can show me.

Alright, enough of my own melodrama. I’ll let the show handle that.

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Kyousogiga – Episode 3

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Not sure how I’m gonna format this. Kinda just want to watch this show straight through. We’ll see!

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Monogatari S2 – Episode 17

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That’s three top-tier arcs in a row. Monogatari, I don’t know what they’ve put in your drinking water, but I like it. This arc is ostensibly about Shinobu, who’s one of my favorite characters, but I’ve heard it’s actually heavy on Mayoi, my least favorite, so I guess we’ll see if they keep it up. But this season has given me no reason to expect disappointment – Monogatari is one of the most compelling anime of the last few years, and S2 has been far and away the strongest set of episodes. Bring on Shinobu Time.

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Nagi no Asukara – Episode 4

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Last week’s episode was wonderful. This show has actually jumped over the hypewagons (this week’s incredibly Kill la Kill notwithstanding) to be one of my favorites of the season – hopefully it stays this smart and well-paced. We’ve already run through a massive amount of development for Hikari, and it seems like he’s already gained the maturity necessary to let go of Manaka, so I’m eager to see where it goes from here.

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Kill la Kill – Episode 4

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-EDIT- Now that I’ve finished the episode, my original intro seems wholly inappropriate for this ridiculous tone. SO FUCK THAT LET’S KILL LA KILL.

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Kyoukai no Kanata – Episode 4

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Jesus, fourth episode? That’s a third of the season. So where are we at?

Well, in the middle of a big fight, I guess. But that’s not really what I meant.

This show’s doing alright so far. I like the world, and the way they’re depicting it, a whole lot. I think the direction here is solid – less powerful than KyoAni’s top shelf stuff, but still evoking a strong mood. I actually really like the way they’re handling the action scenes – people have been complaining they’re not very grounded, and while that may be true, I think they’re succeeding at conveying suspense and a kind of wonderment at the powers of this world. Plus I’m not a person who tends to give a shit about action scenes, so either way I have no problems there.

Most of the characters, too. I like Akihito, I like his dynamic with the literature club members, and I like the way the show handles dialogue exposition.

Really, it’s just…

It’s just Mirai.

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Kyousogiga – Episode 2

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Let’s try this out.

I’m not really qualified for this one – and by that I mean I haven’t read Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass for like fifteen years. Maybe that’s better – I kinda want this story to stand on its own anyway, and not just be a winking set of references. So far, that does seem to be the case – or at least this season’s first new episode was pretty much perfect in that regard. A beautiful little fable, already full of evocative characters and neat little ideas. Great visual aesthetic. A lovely romance illustrated through the fewest possible strokes. And Myoe at the center – a character whose desire to escape his padded wonderland lends a grounded humanity and relatable theme to a very distinctive fantasy. As far as single episodes go, that first one really couldn’t have been better.

Feeling a little sleepy at the moment, which has actually led to some of my better writeups, but is probably not a trick I should expect to rely on. Unlike Kill la Kill, this show isn’t just manic – it seems to be both manic and smart. My bad knee is acting up too, which means this could very well be the best show of the season. Guess I’ll do the best I can.

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