Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Watamote – Episode 4

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Welp, I just finished eight straight episodes of Shinsekai Yori, so it’s time to take a break from my self-serious thinking cap mode and watch Tomoko make a goddamn idiot of herself. Let’s do this.

Episode 4

0:26 – “Wow, it’s late. I’ll just read one more post.” I feel like there’s a specific ratio here between standard introverted teenager moments and “jesus christ Tomoko you are one crazy fuck” moments

1:56 – That kanji garden  – another pretty striking visual gag. It’s a tribute to the director that I can’t imagine how half these jokes would work in 4koma – many of them use elaborate visuals to great effect

5:24 – I like the visual gag of having her eating the sandwich with that blank stare while her mental self ponders from the window . Again, nice visual flourishes all over the place in this show

5:43 – And another great visual gag. Fuck anime characters, I want anime characters 

6:01 – Dear god Tomoko.  Welp, clearly they’re setting her up for a fall

6:22 – Aaand there it is 

7:01 – Cheer up Tomoko, one day you’ll be cute enough to… get molested

8:23 – I mentioned a couple episodes ago that I preferred it when Tomoko had a straight man to knock her down, but I think this might actually be funnier.  Having no-one there to derail her insane line of thought just drags it out to the weirdest places. This is some self-consciousness performance art shit

8:47 – “Maybe there’s nothing good about being liked by perverts.” Yes, Tomoko! Are you actually learning some… “Maybe I’m just more woman than they can handle.” Nope, not learning a thing

10:42 – Well I guess we’re going to some particularly weird places  today. Molestation humor! For the kids!

11:25 – Rape jokes. For the kids!

This show’s a dumb gag comedy, so it seems kinda misguided to give any element of it a second thought, but it’s playing in a very weird space here. The show’s normal modus operandi is to have Tomoko express some horrible, psychopathic thought, and then be “punished” for it with an ironic put-down from reality. So now she expresses envy and hatred towards the other girls for being attractive enough to be sexually assaulted, and is being… punished with simulated rape.

…hm. Well, she is admitting this situation is horrifying, and obviously the show isn’t actually pro-rape  or anything (I will never stop using that gif jesus christ I can’t believe that exists whyyy). But still. It’s quite the situation to play as comedy.

14:08 – Tomoko you have lost your goddamn mind 

16:16 – Oh god, panty shopping with Tomoko. What is the worst possible way they could end this…

18:17 – Ladies and gentlemen: What Kirino actually looks like 

18:36 – No Tomoko you put them in your pocket oh god

19:03 – So perfect . I actually don’t get any of the cringe instinct I was expected from this show – Tomoko’s too ridiculous and the whole thing is too farcical. It’s only funny to me

19:25 – My little sister can’t be this indicative of the otaku deep end 

20:30 – That is a beautiful image 

And Done

That ending was perfect. Her dad is a champion.

Welp, weirdly rapey joke aside (and as I said, that didn’t actually come across as mean-spirited or anything, I’m just not a rape-joke fan), that was actually a great episode. It made me realize the show actually kinda shines in Tomoko’s headspace – when her fantasies aren’t immediately shot down, they have time to build on themselves in completely insane directions, and the occasional jabs of reality complement them really well. This only works because the direction makes her fantasies so entertaining. It’s tricky making such a pure, plot- and character-bereft comedy not get stale, but I think Watamote’s doing a solid job

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 4

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Last episode was probably the most entertaining and fast-paced episode of the series so far, with its’ only competition being the library arc from the first season. Whatever they had to do to get us to this arc, it seems to be working.

Episode 4

2:28 – I have to admit I’m kind of a sucker for Shiori’s embarrassed gurgling noises

3:01 – SO CONFLICTED. Shiori’s storyline is actually adorable, but the more any of these characters step outside of their archetypes and become likable as distinct characters, the more the fact that this is essentially a harem becomes an actual problem for the storytelling (unless you want a School Days on your hands). It’s a Catch-22 of good character writing being almost fundamentally incompatible with the kind of silly, flippant genre satire that makes this show work. You can’t have your parody and eat it too – and parodies generally don’t taste very good, anyway

3:35 – “It’s really interesting, can I read the rest?” Regularly lying and manipulating people for the greater good? No problem. But praising bad storytelling? Keima, what have you become?

5:24 – Man, Shiori’s gonna be piiiissed. She might even shake her fist half-heartedly or something

5:45 – “It’s not trying to hurt me!” Splat

6:36 – Man, one minute I’m complaining about the show’s format, the next Keima’s getting called on his shit by a creepy floating doll. Well played, TWGOK

6:43 – “She’s pretty observant for a doll.” Are you accustomed to dolls being somewhat less observant?

7:18 – “You better clean up the mess you made!” And then we got a shot of her actually diligently putting the books away

8:54 – “You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with those other girls. Luna, get rid of him!” Sorry Keima, I’m siding with the doll on this one

9:28 – I like the contrast between the angry goddess ranting and the blank-faced doll just zooming around wildly

9:45 – “I’ll grind you to paste!” “That’s not very beautiful. Are you really Tsukiyo’s partner?” Trust Keima to be more concerned with the shoddy character dynamic than the death threats

10:29 – Oh COME ON. Damnit ladies, pull yourselves together!

10:36 – “It was fate.” “WHAT? YOU hit on ME, DICK.” This episode’s pretty fantastic

10:59 – “KISS ME.” Just hit him again, Tsukiyo

12:53 – “This man cannot know I exist.” I’d probably have advised against announcing your name and title before attacking him with telepathic powers then

13:20 – I guess awakening your goddess powers feels, uh, pretty good

14:08 – “I wonder who issued that order?” Haqua and Nora’s boobs gravely ponder this question

15:18 – Dat wing envy

15:38 – “Carry me.” I like how her mini-wings are all “well, get on with it”

15:55 – Dat love energy envy

16:21 – “You should not speak so freely with other women.” Oh god, this is gonna get ridiculous.

18:14 – Oh right, that’s why I liked this show in the first place. A protagonist who’s basically allergic to shitty plotting

19:52 – Goddamnit Haqua we do not have time for this. Let’s just get back to…

19:59 – OH GOD DAMNIT.

20:48 – “She can’t love you more than Tenri!” “Well, technically, the evidence clearlyCHAIR

Nice. Back on solid, ridiculous ground here, with Keima being the only character living in a rational but oddly simplistic universe

21:56 – “It’s my fault. I realize you and Tenri have it harder than the other girls.” Did he just mentally relocate Diana from “reliable ally” to “another one of these goddamn children I have to herd”? This is like Gosick syndrome – the man with one brain cell is a king in the land of idiots

And Done

Goddamn is this show silly. I think the Gosick comparison is actually pretty apt, except this is an intentional comedy – it’s just one competent person trying to herd a gaggle of harem-archetype cats. Do your best, Keima-kun

Uchouten Kazoku – Episode 4

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So, we’ve had three vignettes so far, each helping to illustrate the relationship between Yasaburou and his world, as well as his somewhat love-hate relationship with responsibility. He’s resentful of it, but actually a natural at it, and seems easily the most capable of his father’s four sons. But he himself values freedom, exemplified through his infatuation with the whimsical, apparently dangerous Benten. Though each episode so far has been fairly self-contained, this one seems like to be a direct follow-up to the last, portraying the festival that will likely bring Yasaburou’s family into direct conflict with the tanukis they no longer have any social power over. It seems like every episode has forced Yasaburou to exercise his natural gifts for negotiation and leadership in more and more direct ways, and the high stakes of a drunken mid-air family feud strike me as a pretty natural next step.

Or, you know, this show could do whatever it wants to. Its mastery of storytelling is clearly beyond my depth, so I’m happily on for the ride either way.

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Monogatari S2 – Episode 4

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We’ve got mysteries regarding Araragi, Shinobu, the tiger, and the old HQ, and it’s pretty likely most of them are the same one. Let’s get to it.

Episode 4

0:17 – Chapter FIFTY-TWO? Isin you beautiful bastard

3:09 – Casually diagnosing why she’d be turning back into Neko. I like it

4:10 – Holy shit it’s a parent. Also, pretty brutal dressing-down here

5:14 – “People can run away from things they don’t like. But if they just avert their eyes, they’re not running.” Interesting way of framing it

I guess she figures Hanekawa needs some tough love here – but what does this character actually know? Well, thisis Monogatari, every character will generally know everything they need to know about anyone else’s exact mental state for the current arc’s point to be made.

I also liked the shift from Hanekawa happily adopting the fake family role given to her by the sisters, and then her equally quick shift back to “I didn’t help Araragi. My situation isn’t a big deal” when the mother calls her on her pretending

6:10 – A new (old?) challenger approaches?

6:59 – We are getting so spoiled on visual design this season

7:32 – “I’m a half-vampire freelance vampire hunter, if the cash is good.” A half-vampire spirit detective who works only for personal gain and dresses in all white with blond hair. So he’s an intentionally blatant foil for Araragi?

10:02 – Goddamnit Isin. You lead an episode up to some kind of confrontation and resolution involving Neko, Shinobu, Araragi, and Kanbaru in the ruins of the old construction site, then skip like twenty chapters so Hanekawa can interrupt a meeting between a bunch of people we’ve never seen before. This is some high-quality trolling right here

10:52 – “There’s nothing I don’t know.” “She said it, so full of confidence.” Hanekawa’s getting run over this arc, jeez. Now they’re even belittling her catchphrase?

11:25 – Is it just me, or is this episode going insane with the head tilts?

It also seems like they really are gonna address some of Hanekawa’s fundamental issues. They’re finally demanding she deal with a problem herself, and not look away, pretend everything is normal, and let either Neko or Araragi fix everything

11:27 – “You don’t even know that you don’t know anything.” She’s doing that on purpose!

12:07 – Another beautiful one. I could make a damn gallery out of this, Uchouten Kazoku, and Gatchaman Crowds

14:40 – “Their names are the same. It’s a bit too clever to be a coincidence.” Oh Senjougahara, you and your lack of respect for the fourth wall

15:05 – “Trauma… oh, that sounds like a pun.” Jeez, I bet this scene was fun to translate

16:04 – “The places where you spent the night burned down.” Alright, that’s confirmed. …or at least it’s confirmed that Isin wants us to think that’s the link

18:08 – “I’d associate fire with a heart in love.” Hm. The self-deception stuff is already covered by Neko, and she already admits she’s in love with Araragi. Hm…

19:47 – The worst face. Goddamnit Fire Sisters…

And Done

Envy? Really that simple? Hm.

Well, this arc has definitely done good work in humanizing Hanekawa, though it feels like every single character becomes more like a human being when Araragi isn’t around (except for those damn Fire Sisters). And now she’s writing a letter to herself, which is a pretty cute way to make a connection – but she still hasn’t admitted that sheis Black Hanekawa, and that this “other side” of her isn’t an aberration, it’s just the other half (or possibly majority) of her emotions. She’s also taking a pretty half-assed approach to resolving her feelings for Araragi, at least so far – hopefully next episode will resolve this with a little more fireworks.

Gatchaman Crowds – Episode 3

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Despite being my second-favorite show of the season, I’m still not really sure what’s going on with this show. I thinkit might be intentionally skewering the self-serious conventions of its’ genre, but it also might just be trying to tell an interesting story, or talk about social networking, or something? Well, regardless of what its’ actual goals are, Hajime clearly stands at the center of them – she’s already successfully initiated diplomacy with the Gatchamans’ main adversary, and in general seems a lot smarter and more self-assured than her manic pixie exterior would lead you to guess. Let’s see what the fuck happens this week.

Episode 3

0:05 – Is it just me, or are we getting an unusual number of visually distinctive and appealing  shows this season?  My top three – Uchouten Kazoku, this, and Monogatari – all basically have an entirely distinct but uniquely beautiful visual vocabulary, which isn’t usually the case. I’ll take it!

0:22 – Defeat your enemies through arts and crafts.  What a heartwarming message

1:47 – I like how he’s reading a magazine about the latest in dart technology 

2:01 – “They might be a life form with a hive mind.” Yeah, this social networking/collective consciousness stuff is clearly going somewhere

2:23 – I wonder if she’ll  ever serve any purpose beyond looking ridiculous

3:02 – I guess that answers that 

5:06 – This OP is so perfect for this show. Stylish, silly, fun.

6:15 – “Filing a civil suit isn’t that difficult.” It’s a really interesting concept they’re playing with here, and not too far from a collection of our current internet/social media resources. Sort of a formalized integration of our LinkedIn skill sets and expertise with a broader version of Twitter that also includes the gamification companies are using with stuff like FourSquare. It’s a simple and completely believable concept, and it’s clearly at the heart of what this show will actually be about – I really, really want to see where they’re going with this

Weird to think a show this upbeat and ostensibly unserious might end up being the spiritual successor to Lain…

7:16 – Another think my top shows have in common: gender-ambiguous central characters .

7:57 – “It’s a matter of connecting job seekers with employers. If they can connect directly, why would they need a middleman?” That makes for a pretty weird parallel with the fact that a dwindling need for middlemen is gonna screw our entire economic system soon enough. Not that I think this show is actually going to discuss the onset of a post-labor economy, it’s got enough on its’ plate

9:10 – “The world’s so complicated now that even excellent leaders might not be able to turn things around.” Is this show going to be about everything?

9:57 – “Are you being stingy with your power?” So it’s looking like whoever’s empowered this guy is a being similar to the old dude powering the Gatchamen

10:45 – “What if their wife just went into labor? When you think about it that way, don’t you feel less angry?” Her philosophy’s always a bit smarter than it looks. Even though she is a naturally empathetic person, she’s not stupid enough to believe everyone has a valid reason for everything – it also just results in a better personal quality of life if you frame these things in a positive way

12:19 – So “X” illegally and intrusively monitored the production of this milk, but because of that they were able to warn people it might be unsafe. Yep, I guess we’re talking about everything

13:07 – “Isn’t it a ruse? We can’t just take stuff from the internet at face value.” This show’s getting serious on its’ ideas. I might have to switch to just recording thematic clues for sorting later at this point

13:32 – “Anyway, we should consult the principle.” Relying on older/central forms of intelligence or authority versus the collective. But of course X isn’t actually the collective, or hasn’t been portrayed as such yet

15:02 – “THE MIIIILK!” And Hajime saves the day again. She is too good at this job

16:13 – “Mission Complete!” “Is that an indication of how many people still don’t trust information from GALAX?” I wonder how long it’ll be before they complicate the worth of the collective, anonymous intelligence. This episode’s clearly pretty dedicated to showing what it can do for good and why people would want to trust it over traditional systems, but that can’t last

16:40 – “Adverse effects of a vertical society.” But that kind of runs contrary to the earlier point of smart leadership being made powerless by the modern world. So the point is then that collective action is the only source of real power, but it can still be stymied by the old systems?

17:45 – “You can’t just blindly follow the internet.” Wait, now Hajime’s even rationally admitting the counterpoint? She’s maybe a little too ahead of the game. But hey, if they can craft a compelling story around an actually intelligent, confident, extroverted, and goal-oriented protagonist, I will be all the more impressed

20:40 – And the crazy teeth lady thing once again gets someone falsely accused. Breeding distrust in strangers…

And Done

“We’ll have to use the Crowds,” huh? Pretty apt name for the kind of power he’s apparently been given.

This show just keeps getting more interesting. This episode heavily downplayed the fantasy-ish elements in favor of the much more interesting near-future social networking stuff. It poked at a lot of very interesting ideas, but it still hasn’t really raised a counterpoint to the value of its’ systems – one quarter in, it’s basically only proposed GALAX as a force for good. Additionally, as the story begins to gain more grounding, Hajime’s superhuman ability to resolve everything will swiftly become less appropriate. I’m not actually worried about either of these things – the show has demonstrated a remarkable ability to play to its strengths so far, and I’m confident the issues it’s raising will be complicated shortly. In fact, I’m only liking this show more and more.

C3-bu – Episode 4

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This show was solidly three-episode-ruled out, but now the threads are all saying it’s gone completely nuts, which seems much better than the other thing it was going. Let’s see it!

Episode 4

1:48 – Nice, changing the OP to match the dramatic turns. I like that, but it’s not why I picked this back up. What’s gonna happen today…

2:44 – “The world around me transformed into a desert battlefield.” Oh god it’s not just a metaphor. She actually cray

3:01 – “Am I weird?” “Drink your tea, dear.”

3:28 – “The winner is the one who has the most fun.” What kind of bullshit hippy-dippy rules you playing by, Kanbaru?

5:50 – Jeez, she is seeing all kinds of shit . I am all for a moe SoL where the protagonist is literally driven insane by how idyllic her high school life is

7:04 – “Would you want to talk to him if he appeared to you?” Jesus christ don’t give her any ideas

7:30 – “He died too early for a girlfriend.” Virgin spirits. The most powerful kind

10:00 – “Then you and the target will be zero meters away.” That’s gotta be the most incoherent morale speech I’ve ever heard

10:05 – And the show admits it. Good stuff

10:44 – The other girl just derping in the background  is really stealing this scene. This episode’s a lot funnier than the last couple

11:51 – what 

13:40 – Oh god her delusions are talking to her oh god

15:04 – What is even

15:47 – “Will you help me?” “I will!” When did this become Escaflowne what is happening

16:18 – “Yours is a great power that can assimilate the world.” When did this become Haruhi what is happening

17:12 – “Choujiro? My teacher called the gun that.” When did this become Bleach what is happening

17:48 – “You should decide whether you want to leave him to his fate or help him.” No, you should seek medical attention

18:07 – “I got a call saying he was killed in action.” WHAT is this show DOING

20:03- WHAT 

20:23 – Cute girls doing cute things 

21:36 – “Didn’t he survive?” So now she changes history with her airsoft delusions

And Done

Holy fuck I hope they’re committing to this. This show is WAY better than the other one. Oh man that was ridiculous. Gainax, you literally waited until the last possible moment to impress me – the episode after I decide to drop the show, you just go insane. Fantastic.

Free! – Episode 4

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Welp, three episodes in and the fourth awaiting. Last time, it was around week four that I went more or less literally insane on Crime Edge fever. These are different times and I’m a different man, but cracking is never really that improbable. So just… just give me a moment to get the demons out.

If I may be briefly indulged, I have to say I have a whole goddamn lot of respect for comedians. And I mean actualcomedians here, people who make real jokes with setups and punchlines and creativity and wit and insight and storytelling and tone, who don’t go for easy targets, who don’t play off in-crowd camaraderie just to tell an audience what they always wanted to hear. I’m not talking about hur dur what a wacky 4koma situation[1]   orlulz we are both fanz of anime[2]   or WOOPSIE DAISY I SLIPPED AND NOW TITS[3]  , I am talking about COMEDIANS goddamnit. And I don’t want to say my elitist preferences regarding lulz are because I have more developed taste in comedy or anything, but they are because that is exactly true.

There was a point here.

Right. As far as actual comedians go, I have tremendous respect, because comedy is goddamn hard. First, it certainly is a legitimate art form – it requires creativity and personality and an understanding of pacing and structure, and at its best it can conjure insight and common humanity in a method all its’ own. Second, one of the great challenges unique to comedy is that it’s inherently built on revelations or surprises – sometimes it shocks the audience, sometimes it surprises them by combining old thoughts in new ways, sometimes it merely rephrases the mundane to make it the absurd or profound. Meaning comedy requires a constant infusion of novelty, and cannot be built on craft alone. Meaning every single joke needs to reach further, think deeper, and try harder than the one before.

Meaning goddamnit you guys I did not sign up for this. I HATE THESE COMEDY WRITEUPS. Fuck this shit, fuck this show, fuck you people.

Let’s swimming.

Episode 4

0:00 – Fun fact: I actually wrote that one on Tuesday to cut down on prep work, utterly sober. One day I will do a writeup and it will just be one continuous scream.

0:00.1 – Addendum: In all seriousness, all the love[5]  . You are my favorite community

0:13 – It’s a tough decision.[6]   What if Rin’s there?

That actually is a great gag though. I am continuously perplexed by the amount of moe they are able to wring out of Haruka.

You know, I actually think I might be able to enjoy moe more when it’s applied to a gender I’m not attracted to, since combining it with actual attraction to make this “Look at this adorable thing, helpless thing! DON’T YOU WANT TO FUCK IT?!” combination just doesn’t work for me

1:11 – “What’s Med. R? Is that someone’s name?” Ohhh, so they added glasses-pusher to give us an audience proxy, too. Man, these guys know how this genre structure works!

Should I do a bit more on that one? Uh, briefly: you know how so many sports or action shows/films/books/etc center their story on some kind of newcomer or rookie? Well, that actually serves a ton of purposes – it saddles you with an automatic underdog, it provides for a fully articulated heroic journey, it optimizes the opportunity for surprises, etc. But one of the critical roles it serves in any story where a game with established rules is central to the drama is that it lets other characters directly explain those rules and concepts to the camera without it coming across as clumsy exposition – if they have to explain it to the rookie, then letting the audience know how everything works comes across naturally

Sorry if you already knew that or it was obvious. Moving on!

1:26 – “Man, even if it’s justified, this much exposition seems kinda boring. How can we… oh, right. Manservice[7]  .”

1:50 – I feel like they’re getting some pretty distinct expressions[8]   out of these more angular and older-looking character designs. KyoAni are pretty much expression masters (though White Fox[9]   are giving them some competition)

Damnit, this episode is giving me too many real things to talk about! Stop being interesting, Free!

1:58 – “It’s my brother’s old regimen.” Gasp![10]   Seriously can’t tell if the show is pushing these undertones or if all-male sports shows are just naturally homoerotic

3:30 – Well, at least I know ONE thing[11]   the show is selling!

3:36 – …and selling…[12]  

3:44 – …and COME ON NOW, REALLY?[13]   IS THAT EVEN A REAL STRETCH?!?

3:55 – Wow, they didn’t even make a joke about that. Man, at least Monogatari puffs up its’ smut by pretending to be about, like, perspectives and shit

4:13 – Glasses you stop being a sex object[14]   this instant!

4:21 – Seriously these camera angles are unstoppable[15]  

4:39 – Alright if I pause every time this show objectifies Glasses I’ll never get anywhere. But I do like that Gou just straight-up admits she’s forgotten the plot and it’s all biceps to her

4:54 – I’m not the only one who sees those penguins, right?[16]   Just making sure

5:19 – Man, Rei just gracefully sinking[17]   to the bottom of the pool actually had me laughing out loud. I forgot how good KyoAni are at physical comedy

5:32 – “Haruka-sempai… why do you swim?” Jesus Gou, getting into the deep philosophical questions already? Give it time, we haven’t even had tea yet

6:00 – “But I think he’d be a little closer to his dream if he were with you guys.” THE ANTS ARE A METAPHOR FOR TOGETHERNESS.[18]   Jesus KyoAni, you’re gonna have to try harder than THAT to impress me

6:27 – It’s actually awesome to see the rival say this[19]   pretty much immediately. Very tired of rival sycophant #387

6:40 – It all comes down to talent, eh? Sorry, I don’t buy it[20]  

That’s right, I’ll plug last season’s shows if I want to. Just how I roll[21]  

6:55 – “They haven’t even been working out,” he mutters, disgusted. Flinging the hand towel over his shoulder, he walks out all in a huff

7:10 – And then he goes for a run. It’s obviously pretty presumptuous to say, but I’m kind of jealous of people who find such satisfaction in competition – all my demons are related to my artistic output, and I can’t quiet them by just being even meaner to my body. A shame

7:30 – Man, I had this expression for like all of high school[22]

7:53 – Bow before your overlord. 

This episode’s straight-up very funny. Which actually makes writing about it harder. Conflicted!

8:29 – Oh my god Rei’s laugh is great

8:50 – Even goggles won’t stop him from glasses-pushing . To whoever declared they’d be covering glasses-pushing duties – that still counts!

9:44 – Rei really does add a lot to this series.  Genki and bighands are too upbeat and Haruka is too moe (and by moe I mean lobomotized) to really add enough flavor to the dynamic

9:57 – Laughed as he sank again. So good

10:01 – Man after my own heart, Haru-chan 

10:30 – And they just cut away from Sensei. This episode is really goddamn funny!

That said, my drunk is escalating faster than this episode is ending. Power through!

11:22 – “The water doesn’t like you.” “A more appropriate analogy would be.. a submarine.” See, I can’t just pause and say “hey look, the show made another great joke.” Free! you are killing me

11:51 – I am continuously laughing what is wrong with my body.  Man, applying classic glasses-pushing techniques to swimming is just endless entertainment

12:58 – “I believe the color also plays a psychological role.” Or the entire process plays a psychological role. Because this is just some magic dancing shoes shit applied to mostly-naked men

13:33 – How’d this suddenly become the best comedy I’d seen in years?  Free, you weren’t nearly this good last episode. What the fuck happened?

14:05 – Because why not 

14:28 – Don’t worry Gou,  it was hard on all of us 

14:36 – “Now I know how guys feel when they go shopping with girls…” Ohoho, directly addressing how this show plays with traditional narrative gender roles, Gou? Hmmm…

14:59 – “Well, this is awkward.  Should I tell him he looks great in that suit? Shit, no, that’s stupid, we haven’t really talked in years. God, what would we talk about, anyway? Did we even have anything in common beyond swimming? I wonder if he picked up the new One Direction album. Fuck, no, that’s stupid, HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW YOU ANYMORE.”

15:01 – “I like swimming.” 

15:57 – Look, we get it.  It’s your catchphrase. Everyone’s real happy for you

16:05 – And a thousand pens hover restlessly over a thousand possible doujins 

16:09 – I’d say it writes itself, but that’s not true. It’s actively writing itself 

17:34 – Why is it so funny every time??? 

18:47 – It really only gets better . Watching this makes me think no other studio actually understands how jokes work or something. Timing, people. Setup. Expectations. Don’t linger on the dismount. Jeez

Anyway, this episode’s structure is also classically sound comedy stuff. An internal arc built through a series of comic but actually relevant conflicts (Rei can’t swim!) resolved by the addition of a variable actually moving the central plot forward (Rin’s “I need you” speech)

19:45 – “Just dive in.” “…what?” “Dive in… with your heart.” “That doesn’t help.” That might actually be my favorite joke. Don’t you get it, Rei? HE’S TRYING TO IMPART A MEANINGLESS SHOUNEN MORAL

21:21 – Yes, obviously the graceful freedom of the noble butterfly  inspired him to swim. Great work, Free

And Done

Jesus, that episode was actually good! Consistent humor! Excellent pacing! What the fuck!

I don’t know where that came from, and it kinda only makes my job harder, but I’ll take it! Pretty honestly impressed here; in my mind, this episode shifted the show from “an amusing experiment in anime gender norms cast in a very typical genre shell” to “an actually witty and kinda self-aware experiment in gender norms cast in a very typical genre shell.” That’s a good shift! That is a very good shift!

Also Gou is a great audience stand-in, Rei makes the overall team dynamic much, much funnier, and the comedic pacing is just awesome. Holy shit guys, this show just got kinda good!

Watamote – Episode 3

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Not much to say on this one, it’s a pretty simple show. I don’t know how they’ll fill twelve episodes at the moment – normally comedies have to either evolve or gain purpose to avoid becoming stale, and so far it’s seemed like actually humanizing Tomoko to the point where either I or the show care what happens to her would basically destroy the main source of humor – that it’s funny when terrible things happen to her. But I figured this show would be terrible before the first episode and I figured it would fall apart before the second, so I’m pretty resoundingly 0 for 2 on Cassandra-ing this very improbable comedy. Let’s see where it goes.

Episode 3

0:57 – I actually didn’t find this joke very funny  (and man, they are really bad at making Tomoko not look adorable – though I guess her looking adorable is kind of one of the key points keeping her from being a truly unsympathetic protagonist, a trick which has a shallowness to it I think she’d appreciate), but I still think it’s a good joke – it was set up well and used good direction to slowroll itself. Oh god, I’ve reached the point where I no longer experience joy, I just tap my chin and think “yes, yes, effective use of delayed expectations there”

1:20 – This OP remains the show’s best joke, and one of the only times I actually feel sorry for her for being trapped in that perspective

2:35 – Her being such a silly, adorable thing also helps. I guess I find hideously maladjusted but still believable and opinionated characters a lot more cute than the drooling ones anime normally tries to sell me

2:52 – “IT’S NOT HERE!” It’s not surprising to me I like this but couldn’t enjoy the manga – so much of this works because of the extremely good direction and timing

3:42 – “Satire is short lived. Why is that? Well, social satire is very much a product of the topics and events of its time.” Dear god, a meta-commentary joke on the satirical nature of this show set as the background of the actual joke? Watamote, you just bought yourself another episode no matter what happens in this one

4:41 – “You think this is funny?” “N-n-no…” Alright, it’s pretty hard not to feel sorry for her when she’s actually forced to interact with people. Goddamn, though. I’m a pretty huge introvert myself (I say, having rushed home from my job to sit in my room and write about anime), but was high school really like this for some people? This is a hard, hard life

8:11 – “I-it’s raining…” Oh man, I actually do understand that instinct of feeling awkward trapped in a space with strangers, but jeez. Thank god Hayama’s  there to act nice and pick up the slack

8:55 – “What’s with all this sweat?” Stop talking stop talking stop talking

11:05 – And Hayama brings back a new umbrella! A shame there isn’t an actual full-time Hayama in this show, but that’d probably result in more character development than we’re looking for

14:56 – It’s too damn bad they’re not gonna get financially rewarded for committing this hard  to this show. Dem otaku aren’t big fans of hard truths, huh?

15:15 – I like how Major Tomoko still has the bags under her eyes

16:56 – “It’s your sister in a uniform. Perks you up, doesn’t it?” “No.” Unfortunately for all of us, the sales numbers disagree

And Done

Well, they’re certainly not running out of horrible things to happen to and be said by Tomoko. A great victory for cringe comedy in general!

Attack on Titan – Episode 14

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Confession time: I actually haven’t watched this show since episode 13 three weeks ago. I thought that episode was reasonable, but at that point the show’s issues had basically lost me as a committed viewer, and I didn’t think doing writeups would accomplish anything but annoy people.

However. What I’ve seen from episode 14 reviews is that it at least moves forward, regardless of whether I will like the direction it moves in or not. Currently I’ve got some free time and I’m not particularly interested in working on my backlog, which is shameful but what can you do. I kinda want to catch up on this show, but my thoughts from here on out are going to be fairly honest.

Second confession time: I haven’t thought this is a good show in a long time. I thought it started as a bleak, melodramatic shounen in a fairly compelling world, and the only thing more episodes have added to that assessment is “has horrific, glacial pacing.” I’ve gone kind of easy on it in my writeups because people like it a lot and pissing people off through attitude alone means they won’t read or consider anything I have to say. But unless this show immediately shapes up, these writeups might start becoming just a little Crime Edgey.

Alright. As long as we’re clear. As always, nothing I say is a personal attack on anyone, it’s just my feelings towards the media I am watching. 3-2-1 let’s jam.

Episode 14

0:14 – I have always liked this show’s visual aesthetic. Good to see it again.

0:32 – Goddamnit Levi. Well, I guess if you design a character specifically to be a fan-favorite badass, he’s gonna be a fan-favorite badass

0:42 – “I’ll make this piggy squeal. Nobody except me is up for the job.” That’s right, Eren. HE’LL LEARN YA

1:28 – God these Guns ‘n Roses video OPs. Love it

2:19 – Vague hints at a female Titan scattering that OP. Also loved how the song did that exact same “crazy repetitive progression solo-key change-even more furious progression solo” trick the first one did. Makes me want to go play some goddamn guitar

2:28 – I like that shot. Says a decent amount about their society and current situation without saying a word

2:56 – “But then there might be another food shortage…” Holy shit, a larger context for their conflict? Count me in

3:28 – That’s also some pretty efficient conflict-characterization there. The aristocracy only think of an unknown variable like a sympathetic Titan in terms of how it might upset the current balance of power, whereas the proles see it as an almost religious figure. This episode is doing a lot of work to make me like it in very short order

4:44 – A trial to remove him as a threat to the current societal order? Well, it’s not subtle, but it’s certainly about something

5:40 – “Unfortunately, all I can do is argue my case against the police.” I also like how they’re actually making a clean distinction between the executive calls Pixis can make in the heat of battle and his influence during peacetime. Man, if I’d known this episode was gonna be good I wouldn’t have prefaced it with all those dire caveats

6:50 – The trial’s this afternoon? Fantastic. Granted, the last afternoon we witnessed took about seven or eight episodes to get through, but I have a feeling they know that’s not a trick they can get away with often

8:10 – “I won’t have to live my whole life like this, right?” And here’s an internal monologue I can actually get behind. He’s frankly accounting the various weights on his mental state – this is a far cry from the “what am I doing? what’s going on? why are people yelling at me?” Titan-daze of the post-Titanification monologues

9:04 – “Hiiiiiii! I’m Zoe and this is Mike. He smells people, don’t worry about it.” So I guess all the Recons are weirdos

9:33 – And he’s on the trial floor? Man, what happened to the Titan that would spend an entire episode debating whether to say you’re a human or not? Not that I’m complaining

10:06 – They don’t really care about the dignity of the accused, huh?

12:22 – “He’s from the church of the walls… of course their superstitious jibber-jabber would set itself as an obstacle against human enlightenment.” I know when I’m being pandered to, Titan. Casting religion as a malevolent farce will not buy you my love

14:24 – “You look upon the greatness of the Walls, which defies human understanding…” Okay, that’s just such a beautiful articulation of this bullshit that I have to applaud. “Just look at this feat of human engineering which is slightly beyond my ability to grasp! Surely you must see the glory of God!” Adorable

17:08 – “He straight-up murdered those dudes at nine years old. Can we really entrust him with the future of mankind?” Playing on people’s silly emotional vulnerabilities to cloud the actual issues. I like it!

21:00 – “I can easily kill him.” “I’ve made my decision.” Oh man, so awesome. The Recon corps prove themselves just as capable of playing on people’s emotional weaknesses to sway this charade of a court – kick the shit out of Eren to generate sympathy for him as a human, then switch to an all-or-nothing proposal from a position of shock and strength. Great stuff

And Done

Wow! I really enjoyed that one! It’s honestly been a while since I could say that about Titan – it was fast-paced and introduced a lot of new ideas and actually put all that “manipulating public sentiment for the greater good” stuff that had been vaguely hinted at before front and center. I love how the Recon forces’ legitimate argument was obviously stronger than the Police’s, but they still had to resort to cheap disorienting tricks to win the trial, since that’s just how the game is played. And now Eren and Levi are off on an adventure? Hopefully next episode maintains this pacing, and doesn’t linger on incredibly dragged-out goodbyes or anything – either way, this was a very good episode.

Uchouten Kazoku – Episode 3

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Alright! Time for the easily best show of the season. By virtue of its subtle plotting, incredibly naturalistic and understated dialogue, confident, meditative pacing, and realistic focus on family ties and community, Uchouten Kazoku has almost certainly lost the interest of the anime community at large. That’s okay! Turns out we still get actually good shows even when we consistently prove the community isn’t ready for them. I’m not bitter! Nope, definitely not bitter. Don’t think anyone could possibly accuse me of being bitter. Anyway!

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