Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 15

Posted on by

Well folks, we’re really in the shit now. After a grueling series of episodes dedicated to the fight for the challenger seat, both Harada and Haruka emerged victorious, proving they can still compete on the highest level. For both of these characters, their final matches turned out to be difficult but ultimately joyous celebrations of the time they’ve spent both with and apart from the sport. In a season that’s consistently emphasized how Chihaya and Taichi’s freedom to only prioritize karuta will end after high school, Harada and Haruka have emphatically demonstrated that growing up and accepting responsibilities apart from the sport need not diminish your passion, or your hunger for the top seat. It’s been an exciting, thematically compelling, and consistently poignant arc, and I’m happy for both of them.

Unfortunately, pretty much exactly the moment Harada declared victory, Arata also declared he was in love with Chihaya. Meanwhile, while pursuing Suo, Taichi oh-so-casually announced that he’s already Chihaya’s boyfriend. The time of competition has ended, and it seems the time for bare knuckle love triangle shenanigans has come. Secure your hard hats and protective goggles, folks – this is gonna get messy.

Continue reading →

Girls’ Last Tour – Episode 12

Posted on by

Well everyone, the day has come. I’ve been putting off watching this episode for a simple, familiar reason: as long as I don’t actually watch the last Girls’ Last Tour, the show never has to end. The adventures of Yuu and Chi have turned out to be some of the most beautiful, thematically rich, and moving episodes I’ve experienced. Confronted with the last episode, I’m forced to admit how much I don’t want this journey to be over.

Simply following these girls as they traverse the ruins of their great city is an enchanting experience all by itself, mournful and yet also hopeful, with each new episode offering its own visual wonders and artifacts to discover. On top of that, Yuu and Chi’s reflections on this world, unbound by our preconceptions regarding “proper living,” regularly poke at the heart of the human condition, forcing us to reflect on what we believe and pursue, and what will ultimately last. The show’s frank acknowledgment of the ephemeral nature of all things is balanced by its last and greatest strength: the clear and loving bond between Yuu and Chi, a tether protecting them, and also giving all of their adventures meaning and a sense of joy. Lost in a world whose end is inevitable, Yuu and Chi cannot hide behind any promises of future glory or ultimate reward; what joy and solace they find in this place is found each day, in their uncovering of this lost world, and in the love they bring to each other.

It seems a little ironic, then, that I’ve put off this last episode for so long. As Girls’ Last Tour itself states, everything ends, but that should be no cause for despair. Let’s enjoy this last episode, and remember the show fondly, without regrets. What the future holds, we cannot know – but as Yuu says, if you stick around, something good is bound to happen.

Continue reading →

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – Episode 2

Posted on by

Hello folks, and welcome back to your regularly scheduled Eizouken gushing. In contrast with my first writeup, which I actually wrote while watching the show’s premiere for the very first time, I’ve actually watched Eizouken’s second episode twice already already – and at this particular moment, there is nothing I would rather do than watch it a third time. Alright, that’s a lie – I’d actually rather watch the third episode again, which I’ve only seen once so far, but that will have to come AFTER I finish this dang writeup.

Incidentally, if you’re looking for a deep dive into the production details behind this incredible anime, I’d strongly urge you to check out kViN’s in-depth articles over at the Sakuga Blog. I can say without hyperbole that kViN is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable animation enthusiasts in fandom, that he has raised the level of fan discourse regarding anime production in general, and that he’s also one of the nicest guys I know. I can’t hope to match his depth of insight regarding production staff, but I’m hoping to at least partially make up for in enthusiasm what I lack in expertise, and maybe even offer a few clever observations of my own. As a show specifically about the joy of artistic creation, Eizouken’s first three episodes have charmed and moved me more than any anime I’ve seen in quite some time, and I’m eager to share my delight in this show with you. Let’s get back to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Continue reading →

Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 14

Posted on by

The karuta hour has come again! We return to Chihayafuru at the climax of an incredibly intense battle, as Arata and Harada grapple for the right to challenge Master Suo. Though I expected this match to be a dramatic highlight, I could never have predicted how much time and energy Chihayafuru would dedicate to this battle. In a season that’s seen entire tournaments come and go over the course of an episode and a half, Harada and Arata’s battle has already taken up two full episodes by itself, and now seems poised to consume a third.

I’m certainly not complaining, though – this battle, and its Haruka/Megumin compliment, feel like like the culmination of season three’s most central and compelling themes. What it means to grow up or grow old with karuta is a question all of Chihayafuru’s stars have been asking themselves, whether they’re nearing retirement, hoping for a late-career comeback, or simply wondering how karuta can fit into a post-high school lifestyle. In Harada and Arata’s battle, karuta’s past and future collide, with Arata calling his grandfather’s spirit back to the playing floor, and Harada responding with a vigor that argues however our bodies age, our passions need not be diminished. It’s been an riveting battle, and I’m eager to see how it ends. Let’s get to it!

Continue reading →

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – Episode 1

Posted on by

NEW YUASA NEW YUASA NEW YUASA. If you’ve been around this site long enough, you probably know that Masaaki Yuasa is one of my favorite directors, and frankly one of the most noteworthy anime directors by any reasonable metric. Yuasa’s works melt and weave between visual styles, embracing animation’s ability to convey a sensory experience through visual transformations. They tend to be both visually astounding and also far more compelling as narratives than most of the medium – Yuasa never writes down to his audience, and generally picks only the best source material to transform into animation. And here at the start of 2020, this animator’s animator is tackling an even more animation-celebratory work, as he adapts a story that overtly celebrates the miracle of animation, and the joy of collective artistic discovery. Let’s dive into the first episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Continue reading →

Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 4

Posted on by

As winter approaches my drafty New England apartment, there’s nothing I’d like more than to escape to somewhere warm and sunny, where the beaches are plentiful and the Pokemon always happy to see you. Pokemon Sun and Moon’s anime has been a relaxing and very charming adventure so far, and really does feel like a little slice of anime vacation. The show’s first three episodes have possessed little sense of urgency, and I actually really appreciate that; instead, the show has held closer to something like a slice of life tone, simply reveling in Ash’s process of getting to know the Alolan residents, and going on adventures with his new friends. The show’s narrative trajectory embodies its ethos: enjoying Pokemon is not about winning or losing, but about the fundamental joys of friendship, discovery, and competition. Let’s see what new adventures await in the next episode of Sun and Moon!

Continue reading →

Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 13

Posted on by

Folks, it is wonderful to see you all again. After an end of December dominated by family activities and an early January consumed by the preview guide, I can at last return to my regularly-scheduled reader projects. And you know what that means: it’s time for more goddamn Chihayafuru.

When we last left off, Chihayafuru’s two most senior competitors had each pulled off victories of inches, just barely defeating their much younger opponents. But along with speed and reaction time, youth also blesses us with tremendous stamina – and as Harada and Haruka’s own stamina is used up, their chances of securing a second win become that much slimmer. Harada’s response to this reality is to immediately forfeit the second round, thus giving himself a chance to recover his strength for the deciding match. That leaves Haruka to face Megumin alone, as her anxieties about aging, guilt regarding her children, and complicated relationship with her own professional legacy all collide.

Haruka has become this season’s breakout star, with her and Harada’s feelings expanding Chihayafuru’s emotional scope from the pains of adolescence to the compromises and disappointments of adulthood. Her fear of aging out of karuta is palpable, and though this season has consistently emphasized that change is inevitable, I can’t help but really really hope she wins. Let’s see how she fares against Megumin in the second round!

Continue reading →

Rilakkuma and Kaoru – Episode 3

Posted on by

June arrives in Rilakkuma and Kaoru, heralded by a torrent of cool, unending rain. Though most narratives are guided by the course of their protagonists’ journeys, Rilakkuma and Kaoru instead follows a month-by-month schedule, a choice that can feel either comforting or anxiety-inducing, depending on your perspective. Adult lives don’t necessarily follow “protagonist’s journeys,” or really clear narrative arcs in general. After a first act defined by the guiding trajectory and lofty promises of education, we are thrust out into the world, and forced to accept that we are no longer main characters.

Continue reading →

Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 12

Posted on by

Alright folks, buckle in for more Chihayafuru! We’re a week behind after I foolishly took a week off for holiday affairs, and the challenger tournament finals won’t wait. Chihayafuru’s last episode set us up for a fairly unusual pair of matches, with the contrast of eastern and western representatives also neatly falling upon generational lines. In the east, two separate generations of older karuta players are fighting to demonstrate they’re still just as talented as any of their younger peers. Dr. Harada must battle not just his opponent Arata, but also his failing knees; meanwhile, Haruka’s attention is unavoidably divided by her obligations to her family, and as Sakurazawa noted, her reaction time and game sense can’t match her talent in her prime.

Over in the western corner, we’ve got a pair of snot-nosed upstart kids who should really accept they’ve got all the time in the world to become champions, and let their long-suffering elders take the crowns this time. Both Arata and Megumu are obviously sympathetic characters in their own right, but neither of them need this the way Harada and Haruka seem to, and both of the older contenders are such sympathetic characters that it’s hard not to root for them. Regardless of how the matches play out, we’ve got a thorough understanding of the strengths of all of today’s contenders, and I’m eager to see how their styles collide. Let’s get back to Chihayafuru!

Continue reading →

Simoun – Episode 21

Posted on by

Let’s return once more to the troubled skies of Simoun! The show’s previous episode was one long, somber dirge, as all of Chor Tempest struggled with Mamiina’s death in their own ways. With the actual, senseless consequences of war made so inescapably clear, Tempest seemed on the verge of dissolution. The team’s theoretical rocks, Aaeru and Para, both blamed themselves, while Neviril sank into the familiar grief she’s been struggling with all season, and Floe decided to leave altogether.

What ultimately saved them was not their own ability to rise out of tragedy, but instead the uniting influence of a common enemy. The military’s callous discarding of Mamiina’s remains brought the team together in rage, before Onashia’s gift of Mamiina’s braid reminded them that ultimately, the only support structure they can now rely on is each other. Once protected by their religious status, military importance, and inherent class advantages, the sybilla have discovered that as Simulacrum society disintegrates, none of their old guards can now be trusted. The only people still at their side are their fellow sybilla; the squadmates they once bickered with, but now realize are their only true friends. Let’s see how Neviril’s team hold together through one more episode of Simoun!

Continue reading →