Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha – Episode 10/11

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Episode 10

This was a solid episode with great parts for Merchant and Hero, but primarily a setup episode (which makes sense, since 9 knocked down most of the dominoes set up so far). I can’t wait for Demon Kings reaction to the mess her allies have made. I’m kind of assuming it’ll take a united Demon/Southern Nations alliance to bail them out of this one.

Also, Merchant and Dragon Princess work well together. They’re both ambitious, goal-oriented, and vain, but their specialties are both opposing and complementary, Dragon’s bluntness is a good counter to Merchant’s scheming, and their conversations show their mutual respect. Hero made a good call introducing these two.

I’d talk more about details and themes, but I’ve been watching/writing on a freaking bus. Next time!

Episode 11

This show always manages to use the fewest possible words to get a point across. “I have no troops to spare. Can you deal with them?” “Yes. But would it anger you if I said I did not want to fight the demons?” “…we cannot afford a fight on two fronts.”

Bam, there we go. Hero’s motivation, the king’s pride, his ultimate ceding to the needs of the moment, which allows Hero to further his goal of integrating the two cultures by allowing for straight diplomacy – all covered in three brief lines of dialogue. Plus, neither of these characters have a particularly great way with words, yet this dialogue is a perfectly believable, snappy argument between the two of them that never oversteps into open hostility – this is how Hero has learned to negotiate. It really continuously amazes me that this story wasn’t written by a professional… although obviously this adapation was, and has succeeded in distilling the essence of these characters into the snappiest possible exchanges. Such sharp work.

8:45 – It’s not the characters. It’s the dream. Our world, the real world, is so far away from passing the hill – and we’re not even trying. Our very systems of economy prevent justice, prevent equality, prevent true freedom… we live as wage slaves distracted by our shiny 21st-century toys. But seeing these characters fighting so hard against the forces that shape our world, against our weak, human nature… it’s pretty goddamn inspiring.

15:42 – Spells spells explosions explosions bleh. This show is no good at this kind of stuff, and I kind of wonder why they even bother – like, they just introduced that army as a conflict this episode, did they really exist just to inject a little false tension and then be teleported away with a massive dose of magicy bullshit? I’ve said before that my least favorite parts of this show are when it tries to work as an actual fantasy story, and that’s still true – whenever it veers into total fantasy-land nonsense, it both counteracts the ways this story actually reflects reality, and just doesn’t come off as very distinctive or engaging. Hopefully this is all going somewhere.

16:38 – A really, really tidy bit of storytelling here. Normally, these large-scale fantasy battles are just a clusterfuck of things happening with no real stakes – all sound and fury, basically. Here, they cut back for a moment, using two lines of dialogue to establish the student soldier as an intelligent man (well, a good student, at least), and then letting his message to the troops quickly lay out both the terms and stakes of this battle. That way, the audience is actually invested in the events as they happen, because they understand something of the strengths of each side, as well as the stakes. Beautiful economy of scene-setting – action scenes only really work if the audience can actually tell who’s winning or losing.

18:58 – SEE?!?!? “She’s nearly become the King of Evil.” OH NO, NOT THE KING OF EVIL! Isn’t that EXACTLY the kind of BULLSHIT SIMPLISTIC STORYTELLING this show is ENTIRELY A REACTION TO?!?!? GAH that makes me mad.

23:13 – Oh no, she’s manifested the KING OF EVIL’S EVIL SCYTHE OF EVIL. Fuuuuuck you.

Okay, seriously, the last thing, like literally, absolutely, positively last thing this show needed was a dramatic showdown between the representative of all good and the representative of all evil. Like, what’s the point of all this other stuff if, in the end, humanity is saved not through negotiation, compromise, science, and education, but through the guy with the biggest sword? What does that actually say about anything? Hell, maybe next episode love will save the day, and we’ll all learn a valuable lesson about the importance of sharing.

Still, everything outside of this aggravating high fantasy bullshit was excellent. The merchant and students in particular had some really choice material, and there was a lot of sharp, efficient storytelling throughout. But man, this “spirits of the ancient kings” stuff just couldn’t be less warranted. And honestly, it’s so far beneath this show that I have to assume next episode is going to subvert it. Positive thinking!

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha – Episode 9

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Management: This episode was one of those rare moments that remind me of the power of artistic expression.

Episode 9

Some nice little details here that hint at the way the average citizen perceives the momentous events of the past few years – first with them referring to the scholar as a “Goddess” (something I’m sure she’d have mixed feelings about, considering her views on education and the church), as well as commoners mistaking the messenger for their king. To these people, the political machinations of church and state are obviously far removed from their lives, and it’s nice that the show can so subtly and offhandedly acknowledge the esoteric nature of our heroes’ game of thrones.

…and then I watched straight through to the end. And forgot to breathe. And I think I even cried a little bit.

That was incredible. A perfect thesis statement for the show, drawing in the ideas of freedom and servitude, the importance of education, critical thinking, and self-improvement, the tyranny of assumed righteousness, the resonance of a personal god… I see now that the older maid’s personal journey is the true victory the show is attempting to portray: the freedom to imagine a better tomorrow, a freedom so many forces wish to take away. That vicious attack by the guards, by far the most violent thing the show has portrayed, a card the show has held until this exact, crucial moment… her final resolution that her dignity as a human being is worth more than her life. This was one of the most powerful scenes I’ve ever watched.

I’d argue there have been pacing issues and occasional missteps along the way, but if it led to this… this is riveting, inspiring stuff. This is why we make art.

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha – Episodes 7-8

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Episode 7

Thoughts as I go…

I’ve just finished burning through Nisemonogatari (which I really need to start a discussion on the brilliance of), so when they showed that super-gratuitous full body shot of Female Knight in her soaked shirt, my first thought was, “jesus, I thought Hero considered her something like a sister, is that really his perspective on her?” Then the camera shifted to Hero, who was showing no embarrassment or reaction of any kind, and I realized that was just good old-fashioned exploitative fanservice from a director who doesn’t really care about respecting his story or characters. Bleh.

The true sign of a civilized society: Orange Soda.

The scene with the crusade counsel is interesting to me. On the one hand, it’s nice that up till now, the show has been careful to portray most characters not as villains, but merely as people with differing goals, since a truly “evil” person has no inherent motivation and is normally just a symptom of bad writing. However, there have certainly been characters with no nuance in their portrayal – the man being sentenced to death here, as well as the commander that led the sea forces to a rout, come to mind. Meanwhile, I can’t think of a character with substantially different goals from the protagonists who hasn’t been convinced to join their side with relative ease (the merchant is the best example here). This seems kind of troubling to me as far as the future of the show’s conflict is concerned, but I could see the crusade continuing to act as a character/force similar to Heath Ledger’s Joker – a force so unreasonable and unconcerned with the protagonist’s value system that only extreme measures by the protagonists can counter them. I had a conversation in last week’s thread regarding whether the intentional setting of the crusaders against the island demons was an example of those “extreme measures,” and my personal takeaway from that was that it was quite possibly the intent, but if so, should have been more directly addressed in the show itself. If the crusade continues to be extremely relevant, it’ll give the show an opportunity to do just that.

Kinda depressing that the issues Demon King raises about the nature of education still undermine the progression of human knowledge, culture, and equality today.

Hm, love triangle stuff. I mean, it’s pretty silly to have this stuff taking up so much space… after all, anyone who was only watching this show to see a generic romance has probably long since left at this point. But this scene at least was pretty funny to me – Knight and Demon King have a great rapport, and Demon King uses her very mediocre negotiating skills to get the bed is a good gag. Eh, whatever.

Oh my god, could that ending have been any worse. The last fucking thing this show needs is a cartoonish cabal of one-note villains cackling madly. ANTAGONISTS DO NOT NEED TO BE DISNEY VILLAINS. WHYYYYY.

Episode 8

This wasn’t an “I like the little things” style of episode – this was just a damn fine half hour of television. It pushed all the major plots forward, developed several major characters, bounced personalities off each other in new and believable ways, and was entertaining throughout. A few more episodes like this, and Maoyuu could become one of my favorite shows period.

I was particularly happy to see the silly love triangle resolved almost immediately in a way that really fit for the Knight’s character. Not only that, but her sadness and desperation about being left behind mirrored the Hero’s own early fears about his place in the new world – and these fears are far from unfounded. The dwindling importance and prestige of a dedicated warrior class is a truth of the post-feudal world that has inspired countless great stories, including my personal favorite film Seven Samurai. Tying that evocative fear to Knight’s personal story is a mark of great storytelling.

I loved the last scene; I think this might have been the moment when Hero fully came into his own as a character. He’s not supposed to be dynamic – he’s the rock who holds everyone together. I loved the song as well, and the fact that their immediate instinct was to minimize the collateral damage of the church’s actions, not directly fight against them. The foreshadowing of Older Maid’s distrust of their new stability also made her immediate resolve both believable and poignant.

I think they’re using the church fairly well, and am relieved the maniacal laughter of last episode didn’t result in any absurd supervillain shenanigans. Though the church in this world is less insidious of an institution than the actual medieval church (which mixed its scriptures with cannibalization of native stories and real, demonstrable technological advances to help the medicine go down), its actions are still understandable, and will still present huge obstacles for our heroes.

This show is getting really, really good.

Maoyuu Maou Yusha – Episodes 5-6

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Management: Same disclaimer – I still haven’t formalized my style here. Hopefully getting less ranty though, and also totally falling in love with this show.

Episode 5

It’s always the little things that make this show for me. This time, Hero’s quiet frustration at how he can deal with the issues of the occupied cities, ending with “What would Demon King say… follow the money” just felt like such a great moment to me. I thought he was too undeveloped at first, but now I see they’re playing the long game with his characterization and growth, and it’s paying off in scattered treasures like that one.

Another nice moment – the two younger maids surprising Demon King and Head Maid with presents for a festival the audience was never informed of. It works well to further the contrast of the dedicated, goal-oriented lives our main characters are living against the ephemeral celebrations that make up a normal character (or person)’s life.

And finally the entire last third was fantastic once again. From Demon King’s monologue on the bed onward, the writing was perfect and the VAs once again proved their ridiculous chemistry and talent. In a show that has a romantic subplot but isn’t really about romance, it’s even more important to make the most of each romance-focused scene, so they don’t drag the show down or feel out of place. This one raised the bar.

Episode 6

A solid episode.

There were a couple nice touches in the depiction of the battle: throughout, it was depicted as a messy and stilted affair, with numbers and positioning being the most relevant factors. Very nice, and one of the thousand ways this show takes an ax to the unrealistic and frankly tedious conventions of fantasy stories. Then at the end, I loved the moment when a few soldiers uncertainly shout “we won?” before it devolves into cheering – this very nicely sums up the delirious and scattershot nature of what I assume larger medieval battles must be like.

I loved the song used during the Knight’s battle. I enjoyed the battle itself as well, but the song lent it more of a feeling of a dance than a duel, which nicely contrasted against the brutish, mechanical nature of war as waged by the non-OP characters.

Still loving the backgrounds all around.

Demon King’s boobs are still ridiculous. Yes, they’re referenced as big in the source material too, but come on. It’s frustrating having to look past something like that design in a show that does so many other things so well.

So their plan was really to scare the crusaders into falling back into a flanking position? That seems kind of sketchy to me. It also seemed like they set up the two forces for maximum casualties on both sides (by forcing the demons to retreat through an exhausted army). While this may well help defuse the war effort, it seems pretty out of character for at least Hero, if not Demon King as well. Am I misinterpreting something here?

Overall I very much enjoyed it though, as my complaints were minor elements and most of the episode was strong stuff. I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying the technical elements of this show; I figured it would be one I enjoyed in spite of the direction/animation just based on the themes and story, but the music, direction, and background art are all stellar, and really help to sell the world of the show. I’ll miss this one when it’s over.

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha – Episodes 1-4

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Management: Since Maoyuu came out last season, I hadn’t yet settled on my standard writeup style, and so these are looser structurally, more based on my personal impressions/opinions, and definitely more willing to be confrontational and make less-supported value judgments. All that said, they still do contain a great number of my thoughts on the show, and I consider this show fairly brilliant, so I think they’re worth archiving.

Episode 1

Why do character designers do things like those boobs in shows that are otherwise good. It’d be like if Lawrence in Spice and Wolf looked like Jojo – are people really watching a slow-burning, economics-focused comedy/romance for the huge tits? If you want to make your characters look absurd, then work on a straight ecchi comedy, don’t fuck up something actually worthwhile.

On a brighter note, I thought the adaptation was pretty smartly done in a couple ways, in particular by spreading the relevant war information across the characters most affected by it. It both broke up the straight lecture format of the opening, and introduced characters in a way that immediately explained who they are and how they’ll be relevant. Having side portions with Hero’s companions was also a good call, though I’m not a fan of the comic relief wizards… although I’m basically not a fan of silly comic relief characters in any shows, so that’s no surprise.

Regarding the rest of the art, I actually thought the faces were very expressive, and in motion seemed much more distinctive than I’d expected. I also very much liked the backgrounds and set designs throughout – portraying a dreary world vividly is no easy feat, and they combined some great “magical realism” drawings with that kaleidoscope colored background style very nicely.

The VAs did as well as I’d expected, that is to say, pretty much perfectly.

OP was meh, but that might be because I’m comparing this show so directly to Spice and Wolf, and that has maybe the best OP of any show.

Overall there was way more good than bad, and along with Shinsekai Yori (and possibly Sakurasou, if it continues to improve at the rate it has been), this will probably succeed in being one of the highlights of the season.

Episode 2

I think I liked this episode a bit less than last week’s, but that’s mainly because I’m really not a fan of the Head Maid’s speech with the runaways. Considering this story works so hard to take a practical approach to most other societal problems, merely adopting the runaways seems kind of like a cop-out of a resolution, and I don’t really get the point of her “insect” rant – I mean, they pretty much are slaves, how the hell are they supposed to take charge of their lives? Not sure what they could have done there though, and the older sister is a great character to have around, so not a big deal.

The rest was great. The Horo/Lawrence VA pair have an incredibly chemistry, which is a strange thing to notice in an anime, but I think really true for these two in particular. Ami Koshimizu in particular has a fantastic ability to bounce between extreme confidence/strength and awkward vulnerability, or (especially) combine the two. It’s a common trick in anime (pretty much the definition of tsundere), but I don’t think anyone else does it better.

It’s also funny to see Horo, the character semi-oblivious to economics but incredibly wise regarding human nature, play Demon Queen, the character with a frustratingly overdeveloped head for economics but no ability to deal naturally with people.

Senjougahara’s VA is such a good choice for head maid. Didn’t realize the same actress played Senjougahara and Homura Akemi – those are some damn fine career highlights.

The Queen attempting to woo Hero with high school debate logic was amazing.

Episode 3

Management: Missed the discussion for this one. Apologies.

Episode 4

Wow, the first half of this episode was the best one yet, and then the Hero gets that ridiculously standout conversation with Head Maid. So far, he’d been very lightly developed compared to the Demon Queen, but then he goes and directly addresses his insecurities about his place in this world transformation, his value to the Queen, and his reasons for exiling himself in this way, while also struggling and coming short of directly admitting these things. That conversation alone added so much to his character, and all the side characters are continuing to get great scenes of their own. To me, this episode moved the show up from solid to great.

Attack on Titan – Episode 4

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Last episode displayed a couple new strengths that both surprised me and gave me a good deal of hope for the show going forward – an ability to pull off great jokes using melodramatic direction tricks, and a genre savviness towards classic war films that led to great, evocative story-sharing and character-building scenes between the recruits. It was definitely my favorite episode yet, and has raised my expectations for this show kinda considerably. Now we just need to see how these new tricks hold up when the Titans come knocking.

Episode 4

0:15 – Categorizing them as the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan instantly made me think of Shadow of the Colossus. This is a good thing

0:52 – Where have I seen this OP before? Oh right, on everything

4:04 – I think I’m just a total sucker for these strategic assessment styles of battle-anime, but I’m loving this stuff

5:25 – Yeah, this stuff just kills it for me. I love character analysis, and when that’s actually put to narrative purpose by having some mastermind character critically assess the usefulness of a core cast… well, let’s just say I had a really fun time with Code Geass

8:15 – “Sometimes a soldier can’t back down… like right now!” -faceplant-

Were there this many jokes in the manga? I really like how the show is balancing drama and release at the moment, but it’s a very different rhythm from the first act – I guess those first two episodes were basically supposed to act as a prologue of the level of tension we’ll eventually build back up to.

9:47 – I’m really liking this stuff. They established her personality and worldview in no time during a pretty exciting sparring match that also furthered Eren’s own thinking. Very tidy storytelling

12:30 – Yeah, this show’s JoJo as fuck. Applying the exact same level of dramatic action-line pans and close-ups to this whole “’Safe living is a farce!’ ‘Fuck you buddy!’ ‘Cool it idiots.’ ‘…okay Mikasa.’ ‘Goddamnit I’m so jealous!’” scene pretty much proves to me that this show is utterly in control of its own seriousness level, and is happily riding the “we love this scenario and are utterly committed to it, but fuck you if we don’t get to have some fun with it too” line

13:05 – Oh Sasha, you beautiful bastard you

14:10 – Once again, this show uses the “we’ll be right back” screens (what’s the actual word for them?) to impart some actually interesting, specific information. A good trick. Also, I extend my deepest sympathies towards the few members of that top ten who haven’t already received a few scenes’ worth of characterization. Your sacrifice will not be in vain

15:07 – I paused here just to actually check the manga and make sure I hadn’t somehow skipped chapters, but… yeah, unless there are huge flashbacks beyond the point I read to, pretty much all this training stuff was just added for the anime. Awesome. So happy to see an adaptation actually get ambitious and try to think how to best serve the core concept, not just how to directly translate the original text. All of this training stuff has been great, and has served so well to establish a diverse set of characters that I already have some attachment to. Excellent, excellent work

16:36 – “I don’t care if I die so long as I can be useful.” Well maybe using that big analytical brain of yours instead of feeding it directly to a Titan would actually serve that purpose kinda well, Armin

18:07 – No side characters stop being happy that means you gonna diiiiieeeee

19:30 – YES! POTATO LIVES!

I don’t why I ever doubted her. Good to have you with us, Potato

AND DONE

JESUS CHRIST THAT WAS EPIC. Oh man was that ending ever fucking amazing. Timing on the Colossal Titan appearance: amazing. Potato’s epic heroism in saving Samuel: amazing. Eren’s totally badass taking control of the situation as the music crescendo’d: amazing.

I had my doubts before, but this episode was so fucking good. I loved the end of the training, I loved the ways they established a core set of recon troupes that I already know and care about, I loved the mix of self-aware humor, JoJo-esque winking drama, and legitimately effective badass drama, the visual style is still really solid…

Okay, this show has entirely proven itself to me. That was sweet. Can’t wait for the next one.

Aku no Hana – Episode 4

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Welp, I guess I better take a break from drinking the tears  of disappointed moe lovers to fester in our inherently wretched and filthy human nature for a while. Buckle up kids, it’s Aku no Hana.

Episode 4

0:42 – Man, screw those dumb, dirty Alaskan seals. You never needed them anyway!

1:40 – God, those “their faces are hideous” comments were so freakin’ off-base. If they want a character to come across as attractive, they definitely have that power, as Saeki demonstrates here – most of the discomfort this show likes so much is in the framing, not the actual physical design

2:43 – Oh man, a whole new, also wildly tonally inappropriate OP? I like it – it’s got a great “circus funhouse of demented horrors” feel that does indeed describe this show

5:05 – Nakamura’s wise to his bravado. We can’t have him going and developing any self-worth on us here!

6:08 – That same argument with mom, that same wistful shrug from dad.

I think the formal structure of this show works really well for its goals as a mood piece. The way it settles into these rhythms of specific establishing shots, specific points in Kasuga’s day, specific repeated conversations – not only does it very sharply illustrate Kasuga’s changing mental state (since it’s contrasted against a situation where all the other variables remain familiar), but it also works almost like a slowly building song, where the melody remains the same but new elements frame it in harsher and harsher context as the tension rises. I wish more shows gave few enough fucks to attempt structural tricks like this

7:09 – Oh man, Kasuga’s flailing, derpy-armed happy run. That guy

8:18 – See, now it wants these characters to look awful. These weird, off-kilter closeups highlight the style, making them more like abstract animals with shining teeth. Because to Kasuga they’re just a bunch of uncomprehending animals anyways

12:55 – Omigod her faaaaace. They picked a really damn good Nakamura – her smile is terrifying

17:23 – Kasuga nooo. God, he lets her have so much power over him.

20:20 – He’s not you, Nakamura. Even if you get him to think he is, he still won’t be you.

I was actually very impressed by Kasuga’s defense of himself here – not only did he make a strong guess at Nakamura’s motivations, he also displayed the kind of honesty even his interior monologue tends to avoid when he asked her to let him enjoy a normal date. But Nakamura’s psychological issues are far worse than his (in fact, his aren’t even really issues, he just has the pompous faux-intellectual superiority of precocious, introverted teenagers), and her personality is far stronger as well. She’s gonna do some damage to this kid

And Done

Whew! Survived another one.

I think the direction wasn’t quite as powerful in this one, and the variety of necessary plot-advancing conversations kinda made the claustrophic mood a bit less pervasive (partially because it meant we couldn’t get as much of Kasuga’s painful inner monologue, and partially because they had to cut back on the incredibly creepy music), but even a not-incredibly-uncomfortable episode of Aku no Hana is pretty damn great.

I get the feeling next week’s will be perhaps the most uncomfortable one yet – they’ve set up the episode so it starts precisely as Kasuga would begin to panic about this date situation. I’m very much looking forward to it, in that way you look forward to things which will be horrifically painful. What’s that called again?

Oh right.

Masochism.

Well, shit.

OreGairu – Episode 4

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First, a brief anecdote from this morning. I promise it’s relevant.

So, I was out jogging this morning, listening to the endlessly classic Emergency & I[1] . It’s a defeated, cynical album, and most of its songs are drenched in the panic, ennui, and loneliness of mid-20s existence. Frankly, it’s kind of a weird choice to go running to, and it’s not doing anything to make the miles easier. But then I hit You Are Invited[2] , which always seems to come out of nowhere – a sappy, hopelessly optimistic reminder that “You are so needed / if you really want to go / you are invited, for all time.” I come panting to a stop at a traffic light, and as I look down to hit the button, I see someone has placed a sticky note on the pole reading simply “You are beautiful.”

Seriously, that actually happened.

But anyway, that’s kind of how this show makes me feel. It’s relentlessly cynical, and it doesn’t pull any punches, and life is not easy for Hiki, both because high school sucks and because his personality naturally sets him against all the wonderful things he could be experiencing. But if anyone were to ask why I love this show, I’d say it has to be because all this great writing and wonderful characterization and brutal cynicism works in service of an inherent, underlying optimism that I can really respond to. I can’t buy optimism untested by experience – optimism like that has no relation to my own life, and doesn’t make me feel like a show understands me. But optimism in the face of all evidence? Optimism in spite of everything life’s thrown against you, in spite of your own personality’s attempts to shield you from pain by suppressing hope?

That’s fucking beautiful.

Anyway. Sorry. I really like this show.

Episode 4

0:58 – “When I see her underwear, I just think, ‘Yep, that’s 100% cotton.’” – Thank you, OreGairu. Jesus christ.

2:07 – Okay, this little sister actually does totally come off like a Monogatari character. I’ll give them that one

4:00 – Goddamnit, I go through that whole sappy opening monologue, and of course the OP just outright states, “Fairytales are rarely full of happiness – I know that, but that’s where I want to go.” Thesis established

7:10 – “She was a healthy, graceful girl.” Goddamnit Hiki you can be so gross sometimes.

9:00 – Ooh, glad to see this guy again. Hiki will hate it, but he’s a good influence on him

10:12 – Man this stuff is so well done. Of course Hiki sees self-confidence and charisma as some magical force that requires a title only he’s perceptive enough to articulate

10:45 – I also love Yuki’s “Source: Me” bits of wisdom. They’re a funny gag, but they’re also perfectly appropriate for someone who’s attempting to basically become a living model of superior human behavior

13:35 – Goddamnit this show is impossible to write about. How useful is it for me to just continuously point out “Smart, funny, well-written, smart, I know that feel, good characterization, smart” at every little thing? Screw you OreGairu

14:32 – Okay, I guess I can at least say that I think this episode conceit is another great angle to attack teen psychology and how much your experience is based on perception. It’s a graceful way to bring our protagonists’ acidic perspectives into contact with social dynamics they normally wouldn’t have any interest in, and would merely trivialize in the way Yuki already did.

15:22 – Trying to grill your alpha-girl friend? Bad idea, Yui. You are so much worse at this than she is

18:10 – Very cute, Hiki. Define friendship in such a specific way that you automatically exclude anyone even vaguely similar to yourself. Man, high school’s hard enough, why we gotta make it so much harder on ourselves?

18:38 – Does this work? They’re barely even playing his androgyny for laughs, now – or at least, if there’s a joke here, it’s that Hiki has just decided he’s totally comfortable with being into it. It’s not a real comment on sexuality as a spectrum instead of a tally mark (or, god forbid, a choice), but I think anime is still probably a good fifteen years away from progressive sexuality anyway

…though KyoAni is developing that swimming anime… hmm…

18:55 – Oshit, Hiki can see it [RES ignored duplicate image][3]

19:47 – Every episode of OreGairu there are like five moments that make me think, “How has no other anime made this point before?” This thing about a group friendship being dependent on its catalyst member is something everyone has experienced, but it’s just one of those awkward life truths that never makes it into media

21:30 – This is also great. It would be too easy to just let Hiki grow with people like Yuki around – he needs to learn to respect and appreciate friendships with people utterly unlike him as well

And Done

Welp, not much to reflect on here. This show is still the best, and still finds new ways to frame identity and social structures in high school, as well as new insights into how people think and behave, as well as further exploration of Hiki and Yuki’s self-defeating attitudes. And the dialogue’s great, and it’s really funny, and weekly problems are diverse and well-executed, and it has a genuine love for all of its characters. Keep doing your thing, OreGairu

Hataraku Maou-sama! – Episode 4

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Maou-sama! Last episode had a whole lot of exposition and worked hard to develop starting relationship dynamics between everybody except Maou. I thought that stuff honestly dragged the episode down a little, at least comedy-wise, but I accept that stuff like that kind of has to be established. So, now that all the story homework has been done, hopefully the show can cut loose and be fun and endearing and hilarious all the fucking time. Let’s get to it.

Episode 4

1:42 – This is the first time I notice the brutal irony of those classic derpy OP lines like “Put a smile on!” and “Your future’s waiting for you!” in the context of main characters working minimum wage to hold down a shitty one-room apartment. Ouch

Am I just projecting all this cynical class commentary here? I mean, the jokes wouldn’t work otherwise, right?

2:15 – Flashbacks?! Character development?! Be still my heart

3:15 – “The priest’s prayers will protect us.” Oh yeah, that was cynical class commentary alright. What was I thinking, doubting this show? It has about as much faith in modern society as I do

5:28 – She’s the daughter of an angel?

Okay, am I allowed to start thinking this show is actually smart, and does stuff for real reasons, at this point?

Because that concept gives me all sorts of ideas.

Like… her expecting to live within a just society where they are guarded by larger, benevolent forces, has now been replaced by her understanding that any peace (advancement) she gains will only be gained by her own hands, which itself is only possible because she was born into a position of importance. Meanwhile, her father, who was born into a position of no importance, is swallowed by the system and forgotten by its caretakers

Is the thematic relevance of that to the class-structure stuff on the human side too much of a stretch? It seems pretty solid to me

6:15 – Omigod, what is Maou’s backstory gonna be? Are we really gonna hit “we are all products of our environment, trapped within arbitrary and uncaring structures, and only through human connection can we hope to rise above?” Oh man I’m getting thematic poignancy shivers

6:52 – “Is that the Sasaki you’re referring to?” Yesss coherently weaving exposition into the natural requirements of their conversation yesss. It’s so easy to forget in a comedy (well, this episode hasn’t actually been funny yet, but regardless), but no show can get away with poor dialogue fundamentals. FUNDAMENTALS!

8:25 – I said in the pre-text that I was hoping the show could get back to straight comedy now, but this drama is all just… kinda… good. Hm.

9:30 – “My lord, please punish me!” Alsiel when will you stop being Best General

10:04 – Way too much dramatic tension here. Emilia’s coworker is gonna go crazy on her any second now

11:40 – Nevermind, it was an Emilia’s-character-arc moment. False alarm!

13:28 – I really love how Emilia’s default evil stare comes off with that silly-ass bandage on her head

14:35 – It’s weird, this episode isn’t really all that funny, but I’m still really enjoying it. I just like these characters, and think the dialogue is really natural and good, I guess. It’s also nice to watch a show where, even if there’s fantasy stuff thrown in, most of the runtime is dedicated to adults dealing with adult problems

15:21 – “May I unleash the Dullahan?” There’s a point

16:20 – This is awesome. They’re basically outlining the “humor” conceit of the show – that it’s ridiculous a dark lord would be living as a model working-class citizen – but because of the context this episode has provided Emilia, it doesn’t come off as funny at all – it’s devastating to her to have the force she’s built her identity around living in opposition to betray her expectations this way. And it’s actually working. What is this show doing to my heaaad

17:35 – Oh man, and now they’re taking it from the other side – sure, this show’s cynical streak casts it in terms like burning fields and murdering fathers, but the obvious parallel here is the callous obliviousness of the upper class to the realities of the system that supports them. When did this show get so driven and smart?!

19:30 – Oh, awesome. I was hoping they’d use Miki-T for something like this

And Done

Hm. That was really interesting. It wasn’t really funny, or… well it did have some good jokes, but it didn’t come off like an episode of a comedy at all. It was a slice-of-life/supernatural drama/character story/biting social commentary.

And a pretty damn good one.

I don’t even know how to feel about this. It doesn’t feel like the show we started with, but it’s certainly also a show I really like. Maybe this will be a brief arc before establishing a new status quo? Maybe the creators are wary of running their same base jokes into the ground with repetition, and are curving towards drama, theme, and character to give the show more staying power? I can’t even guess yet… but I’m still eager to see what happens next. They certainly have my attention.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge – Episode 4

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I trust those echoing cries are but a figment of my ever-fraying mind. I welcome the madness, now; perhaps it might offer succor, some measure of release from the guilt of what I’ve done.

I warned him, the damn fool. Gods be merciful, I warned him. And yes, I admit it – I followed him down that hair-streaked path. Aided and abetted; perhaps my complicity may in some measure make me culpable for those unearthly events, whose creeping specter haunts my waking hours. But as I pen my recollection of those spine-crawling phenomena, memories which even now summon the distant snipping of phantom clippers to my tortured ears, I beg you to believe me ignorant of their true import – I knew not then the bewitching danger of that siren Hair Queen, nor the hideous strength of those damnable Killing Goods.

I first encountered my associate Kiku in a ramshackle salon, seeking shelter from the pelting rain of one more malevolent New England downpour. Oh, how the hills of that forsaken land breathe with foul intent! But I digress.

Steeped in shadow, his distinctive hair-tuft mutton chops and the ominous shears at his side branded him as some manner of ne’er-do-well. He had a wild look about him, and spoke like a man possessed – like a man whose very actions were driven by the contrivances of poorly conceived narrative inevitabilities. However, his easy manner and clear passion for our mutual craft won me over in short order. We passed the time talking lightly of our trade, until, in a sharp crack of thunder, the figure lurking in his shadows was illuminated in sable and gray. As her frightful ebon tresses crossed my eyes, I could swear the wind whispered, gently, softly…

Episode 4

0:00: Her form mimicked that of a young girl, but I remained unconvinced. By some lamentable trick of her summation – perhaps that too-girlish curl of her cheek, or her bulbous, dinner-plate eyes – she came across as almost too much a young girl, like a proto-girl conjured by unpronounceable sorceries to disarm and provoke some feral protective instinct. She clung to my new companion with a tightness that belied all agency, as I struggled with my own unwelcome urges to pet her head.

0:15 – Gesturing wildly, he spoke in whispers of a great discovery, and I was forced to still my excitement. Could he have discovered some clue to reviving the dead, or perhaps a map to that accursed Lost City of Leng? No, he assured me. Apparently, his scissors could cut her very special hair.

He begged me for my aid, nigh-hysterical with the burden of these cutting shears, and also the hair. How could I refuse a fellow craftsmen?

Thus began, through a series of events remarkably improbable yet surprisingly tiresome and unworthy of recollection, my time shadowing Kiku and his majestic Hair Queen at a Japanese finishing school.

2:45 – In hushed tones, he haltingly admitted to having been cutting her hair on a daily basis. I laid a reassuring arm on his shoulder even as my mind reeled at the staggering depths of depravity to which my companion had descended. Yet I could not deny my own fascination with his journey, and perhaps even a hint of jealousy at the reckless abandon with which he had surrendered himself to the carnal pleasures of unchecked hair-cuttery.

3:03 – That silver-haired girl. Byouinzaka, she called herself – or at least, that was the pronunciation given her name by our course, mortal tongues. Her slack-eyed stare and lack of all emotional affect brought that Innsmouth look sharply to mind, with all its foul, fish-faced connotations.

3:21 – “You’re just a difficult person to approach,” my friend responded reassuringly, deftly failing to address her twin addictions to syringe injections and incestuous heavy petting.

3:47 – Kiku smiled at her, and for a moment I wondered if he himself were beginning to think her behavior normal. How far had his hair-raving madness spread?

4:25 – As the Innsmouthian needle-addict extended her arm towards the Hair Queen, I could not help but see the situation as some achingly misguided perversion of a classical love triangle. A cruel joke indeed

5:15 – A smile cracked the fish-woman’s face as the Queen forgave her, brightly forgetting her earlier attempts at obvious murder. But, I glumly reflected, in a world marked by Hair Queens and needle-obsessed fish-women, what’s a little attempted murder between friends?

6:37 – Despite all my protestations, as well as the direct premonition of the obvious consequences by the gutter-voiced fish-woman, Kiku resolved to accompany his Queen to an antique dealership her father frequented, despite living within a world whose sole distinctive feature was the presence of antique murder tools, murder tools which had in fact been used to kill that selfsame father who frequented that exact dealership. I resignedly shuffled behind, though my own steps were not marked by dramatic slow-pans and resolute sepia freeze-frames

6:57 – As the golden-haired maiden spoke, I could not help but wonder at her intonation. Could she be a child of fabeled kTsun Dhere? That lost land fabled for its mighty walled citadels and tendency towards swift, utterly disproportionate retaliation? I quelled my excitement forcefully, well aware of the danger any unchecked emotion might provoke in a kTsun Dherany rage-maiden.

8:05 – As Kiku gazed at the piano, my own thoughts turned to darker concerns; how simple would it be commit murder with such a device? After all, if syringes and hair shears were somehow comparable murder-tools to a sledgehammer, surely a piano might contain equivalent murder-relevant potential?

8:55 – Kiku’s steely gaze confirmed my own thoughts – he too had realized we were in the presence of an Author. I readied myself for action, but was struck dumb as Kiku continued his stare, which I now saw was in fact blank, and had not realized anything at all

11:41 – A second glance confirmed both our suspicions – the man did in fact have triangles for teeth

12:25 – The man’s words confirmed what I had suspected all along, the only rational conclusion – that the woman whose hair grew really long every night had the power to grant wishes

12:45 – Despite my distrust of saw-tooth’s sneer, I had to admit he had a rakish, anti-heroic charisma

13:09 – Sawtooth sneered, and then helpfully exposited both the first and last name of the woman who he already knew. I was grateful to receive the information

14:30 – As the rope dug in to the remarkably inept policewomen’s neck, Kiku stared grimly, waiting until all possible strangely sexualized camera angles could be exhausted. As the woman finally passed into unconsciousness and possible brain damage, he smartly cut the noose

14:55 – As the man explained his unearthly power, I realized Kiku had in fact not cut the rope, and had been merely standing and watching the woman die. The rope cut itself

15:14 – Did sawtooth consider himself Batman? Or perhaps Rorschach, but with a better suit? I pondered these questions gravely as a freeze-frame of Kiku’s face flashed backwards in a crude imitation of dramatic foreshadowing

16:33 – As I glumly wondered if my companions had realized the obvious implications of the amply bussomed woman’s song, the irritatingly PowerPoint-derivative freeze-frame once again answered the question for me

17:11 – As the policewoman lustily confessed to her perversion, I breathed a sigh of pity, confident in the relative mundanity of my own hair-related fantasies

18:15 – The stern fire-haired girl exposited glumly on the dalliances of the upper class, but my attention was drawn to the neon-painted ears, eyes, and lips that floated lasciviously before me. Was I losing my own grip on reality? Would I escape this hell with my sanity intact?

20:07 – “I’m deaf, so I wouldn’t understand that,” he explained to his lover of some number of years.

20:32 – Her lips parted in a seductive blush as they romantically explained to each other their roles and Killing Goods-related titles

Epilogue

As I tossed and turned in my unyielding bed, I reflected on the events of the day. What import could be drawn from their scattered and relentlessly sexualized nature? Perhaps some message on addiction… or perhaps… high society… or… the nature of perversion, and the commonalities of our human lusts?

No, I decided, breathing a sigh of relief and sinking into merciful slumber.

They didn’t mean anything at all.

And Done

Jesus christ you guys. Don’t expect me to do that again. Fuck.

This show’s still awesomely terrible though. See you next week.