Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 9

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Buckle up folks, it’s time for another episode of Nanoha! The show actually seems to be moving towards its endgame at this point, as Nanoha joins up with the space force and Fate recommits to gathering those dang jewel seeds, each of them all the more strongly resolved to succeed. It frankly feels like we’ve only been with these characters for a very brief time, but Nanoha has never been a show that’s busy with overt narrative happenings – it focuses steadily on a variety of small, incidental moments, and tends to only have one major “plot event” per episode. That’s a perfectly reasonable narrative style, and last episode’s phenomenal conversation between Fate and Arf easily demonstrated its value.

Arf’s efforts to save Fate from her mother’s abuse have turned out to be Nanoha’s most poignant and well-observed material so far, offering a stark and well-written counterpoint to Nanoha’s own happy and mutually trusting family. Meanwhile, Nanoha’s recent engagements with the space force have expanded the show’s dramatic scale, and established a universe so primed for adventure that it seems strange we’re almost at the finale. Obviously shows actually get sequels because they turn out to be successes and the investors decide a second season’s worth the effort, but Nanoha’s world in particular feels like a story that’s practically begging for sequels. But before we can get to any of that, we’ve got Fate and Nanoha’s epic clash to witness. Let’s get right to it!

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Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 42

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Get in the car losers, we’re watching Doremi! Doremi’s last episode saw a return to the show’s most classic and venerable form, where Doremi and her friends use their magic to help some classmate solve an important personal issue. Taniyama’s passion for shogi was relatively specific, but his struggles with his parents were universal, and as usual, the show’s solutions turned out to be sensible and sympathetic throughout. Leaning on their teacher Seki-sensei for a problem that involved changing the minds of a classmate’s parents was an excellent choice, and the use of a Bad Card meant that magic was only necessary to solve magical problems; for the personal problems of their classmates, simply being a good friend and supporting their passion was the key.

Episode forty one was classic Doremi all around, but I’m guessing we’ll be returning to witchier conflicts now – not only are Onpu and Majo Ruka still up to no good, but Doremi also has to make up her level three test. The level three test episode was one of the most visually inventive and generally engaging episodes of this show so far, so I’m ready for a reprise whenever Doremi is. Whether it’s sympathetic classmate stories or fanciful magic adventures, Doremi always offers something worth celebrating. Let’s see what this week’s episode has to offer!

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Princess Tutu – Episode 18

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A beautiful shot opens Princess Tutu’s eighteenth episode, as our latest fairy tale opens on an array of candles and swords, a shrine framed with the silhouetted town in the distance. The first words of our framing tale imply this will be a Fakir-focused episode, as we learn that “once upon a time, there was a knight.” Sworn to protect his kingdom, the knight “never faltered in his duty, no matter what it was. He did not even falter in taking the life of his lover. That was what he took pride in. But the knight could not do anything but carry out his duty, and even after his death, he still seeks a duty to carry out. They say the knight, who became a ghost and now haunts this world, holds in his hand the blood-stained sword that pierced his lover’s breast.”

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The Woman Called Fujiko Mine – Episode 4

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Alright folks, it’s time for more adventures with master thief Fujiko Mine. I’m happy to be more excited for this viewing than ever before, as the show’s terrific third episode went a long ways towards emotionally investing me in this overall narrative. I’m guessing a great deal of that simply came down to Goemon, who actually developed a pretty charming relationship with Fujiko, if a mostly one-sided one. While Lupin and Jigen both kept their emotional distance and generally acted like hard-boiled spy thriller props, Goemon was vulnerable and silly and honest at basically all times, making for a very endearing counterpoint to the show’s natural self-seriousness.

Granted, Goemon isn’t the main character of this show, but I feel like simply having Fujiko gain a real friend will make her own story that much easier to invest in. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine possesses a sense of overwhelming style and self-conscious Cool that makes it often thrilling to watch, but that style also tends to disallow any of the honest, intimate character moments that most appeal to me in fiction, and so my journey so far has been a somewhat bumpy road. Having Fujiko interact with people she quasi-trusts or considers equals helps, as will the natural escalation of the show’s drama, as we move from relatively safe and self-contained heists to ongoing narratives that consistently test Fujiko’s limits. And with the third episode ending on a shot of that ominous owl, I’m guessing we’ll be running into truly threatening foes sooner rather than later. Let’s dive right into another episode of The Woman Called Fujiko Mine!

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Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 41

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Folks, it is absolutely time for more Ojamajo Doremi. The show has become a genuine favorite of mine, and offers a desperately necessary slice of optimism in a unforgivingly harsh world. I won’t lie to you – these last few years have rigorously tested my own optimism, as well as my faith in my fellow man. With my own country led by a man who essentially embodies all that is small and cruel about humanity, and a global rise of nationalism and xenophobia accompanying him, it’s become more difficult than ever to believe the future will be better than the past. As Donald Trump’s every hateful pronouncement earns righteous cheers from his supporters, I have to question whether the average person is simply less kind and empathetic than I assumed – whether our public commitments to charity and kindness were only ever aspirational, and whether our fundamental nature actual trends more towards cruelty and selfishness.

Fortunately, Doremi’s skies are in no way clouded by these unhappy thoughts. Doremi’s characters genuinely care about each other, and for the most part do their best to be kind. I’m not so naive as to believe the real world could ever be like Doremi’s, but the optimism of Doremi and its creators gives me a little hope, too. Doremi is a show that believes in people, and the sincerity of its creators, the passion of its artists, and their collective love for these characters come through in every episode. People might not actually be as fundamentally decent as Doremi posits, but to think otherwise leads only to despair. We have to believe in each other, and do our best to honor that belief in others. Great, empathetic media can foster that hope, and Doremi is a shining example of the form. Let’s dive into another episode of this beautiful and profoundly necessary show.

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Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 5

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Neon Genesis Evangelion’s first several episodes all essentially slot into their own two episode arcs, each centered on their own emotional conflict, and each with a unique Angel used to better illustrate those conflicts. The first two episodes centered on Shinji’s introduction to NERV, and being introduced to both his new caretakers and the threat he would be facing. The second pair center on his feelings of depression, and his slow process of coming to terms with living in Tokyo 3. And here in our third mini-arc, we at last find ourselves with enough grounding to expand our focus outside of Shinji Ikari. In this third arc, we focus for the first time on the mysterious Rei Ayanami.

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Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 40

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Settle down kids, it’s Doremi time and that’s final. In our last episode, Ojamajo Doremi proved it can actually weave Onpu’s ongoing antagonism into the show’s usual classmate-focused mode, as she brainwashed a hapless upperclassman into briefly falling for our orb-haloed heroine. “Doremi in love” episodes are always a bunch of fun, and this one was no exception, while also benefiting from one of the strongest sets of layouts the show has put together yet. Between last episode’s love drama and the episode before’s kaiju shenanigans, it feels like Doremi’s visual mastery of its own drama is improving over time, which is almost frightening to me. If Doremi gets too much more visually appealing, I’m not sure any of us will have the power to stop it.

Beyond its own inherent appeal, last episode also ratcheted up the urgency of dealing with Onpu’s witch delinquency (witchlinquency?). She’s not casting constant illegal spells at Ruka’s command – she actually just is That Bitch, and even Ruka is totally unable to control her. She’s also made it perfectly clear that she feels no guilt or responsibility for her actions, so it’s probably going to take a disaster closer to home to make her realize what a turd she’s being. Whether this week sees us challenging Onpu directly or rambling through more classroom drama, I’m eager to see whatever’s in store. Let’s dive into another episode of Ojamajo Doremi!

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Bloom Into You – Episode 3

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Buckle up folks, it’s time for another episode of the altogether excellent Bloom Into You. The show’s first episode offered a poignant and consistently convincing glimpse into our heroine Yuu’s worldview, and the followup extended that grace of illustration to her “friend” Touko and the greater world around them. So far, director Makoto Katou’s fondness for rich colors and saturated lighting have aligned perfectly with Bloom Into You’s dramatic intentions, creating a world that can alternately feel lonely and claustrophobic or as fancifully beautiful as a shoujo confession scene. The careful execution of sequences like Touko kissing Yuu have created a consistent and fascinating tension between the world as Yuu experiences it, and the world as she’s been led to believe it’s supposed to be. The conflict playing out in Yuu’s thoughts is thus beautifully echoed by the world around her, resulting in a show whose visual style perfectly mirrors its dramatic priorities. When you couple that compelling aesthetic holism with the show’s generally strong dialogue and compassionate approach to its core conflict, you end up with an altogether excellent high school drama. If the show can keep this up, we’re in for a very rewarding journey. Let’s embark on our next episode!

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Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 39

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Pack it in folks, it’s time for more Ojamajo Doremi. The show’s last episode featured a welcome return to the show’s most reliable and rewarding mode, as we were introduced to Doremi’s classmate Ryota and his profound love of giant monsters. Like many of Doremi’s best episodes, there was no clear moral hook to Ryota’s tale – it was simply a quiet story about the hurt we can cause each other as friends, the legitimacy of all our passions, and the need to forgive. Its conclusion may have been boosted a bit by the introduction of a magically summoned kaiju, but that didn’t make it any less of a sensitive human story.

That episode also demonstrated that the presence of Onpu and Majo Ruka won’t necessarily be dominating our ongoing narrative. Onpu is basically just another classmate now, and though Majo Ruka is obviously up to no good, whatever good she’s not getting up to is apparently transpiring somewhere else. I’d like to see some stories that rope Onpu more directly into Doremi and the others’ lives, but so far she’s been pretty much an entirely antagonistic figure, and I’m not sure the show is going to make her sympathetic before we formally clash with her and Ruka. In light of that, I’d be fine with basically any direction this episode could take – classic classmate drama, Onpu-centric story that humanizes her a bit more, or direct confrontation with Ruka that also gives Onpu more substance. As long as it’s not more witch frogs, I think I’m good.

Alright, that’s enough preamble. Let’s see what’s in store for Doremi and her long-suffering friends!

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Bloom Into You – Episode 2

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Today we return to the so-far excellent Bloom Into You, and take another stab at surviving the teenage experience! The show’s first episode demonstrated a variety of unique strengths, from its attractive backgrounds and purposeful direction to its fairly convincing characterization and dialogue. Yuu’s insecurities and overall personality already feel reasonably well established, though she’s still mostly been characterized in terms of her feelings towards romance. Touko is a bit further away from us, but that’s expected and intentional – episode one was largely from Yuu’s perspective, and Touko is a mystery to Yuu.

The show is also demonstrating an extremely welcome sensitivity when it comes to gay relationships. I’m used to the inherently salacious “this is such a scandal” approach of shows like Citrus or Love To-Lie Angle, but here, two girls potentially being in love is treated with genuine sensitivity. Not only are Yuu and Touko’s feelings treated with respect, but the show has already naturally illustrated the inherent social pressure to conform to your assumed sexuality. Scenes like Yuu’s friends lamenting that her lack of interest in boys means they “can’t have girl talk” demonstrate how young gay people aren’t just beset by out-and-out bullies and bigots; the base assumptions of a heteronormative society can leave us isolated even from our closest friends.

Finally, I’m also very intrigued by Bloom Into You’s fractured relationship with shoujo storytelling. The show opened with Yuu outright declaring her fascination with love as depicted in adolescent fiction, and the first episode constantly presented a negotiation between interrogating shoujo storytelling and outright embracing it for its own purposes (like for Yuu’s fairy tale introduction to Touko). I’m fascinated by the uneasy relationship between not just our lives and our expectations, but also reality and the fictions we make of it, so Bloom Into You’s restless dance with fantasy is also very compelling to me. With all that said, let’s dive into another episode!

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