Somehow, some way, a new season has already begun. Though the new shows are more of a trickle than a flood at this point, we’ve already got some strong contenders for the fall, including highly anticipated returning favorites and a welcome number of total surprises. There’s also been some crap, but hey, there’s always crap, and part of the fun of preview week is getting to briefly wade through the swamp that is the full spectrum of modern anime (at least, that’s what I tell myself). As usual, you can check out the full list of previews over at ANN, or check below for my own scores and links to individual show pages. We’ve got a lot of cartoons to get through, so let’s get started!
Summer 2018 – Week 13 in Review
Welp, show’s over, folks. Planet With already finished up last week, and with our last two contenders having now handed in their final assignments, the building is pretty much empty. This wasn’t really the most fortuitous week in summer anime – My Hero Academia essentially ended on a transition point, while Revue Starlight’s last episode was quite likely also its worst episode. Still, there are points worth poking at, and as long as I’m here, we might as well do one last session. Starting with our tragic stage girls, let’s run the summer’s final week down!
Why It Works: Here’s Why You Need to Catch Up with Planet With!
With the summer season well and truly over, the time for subtlety has passed. More people absolutely need to watch Planet With, and so today I offered my final hard sell, trying to sum up all the many things that made this series so special. I’m sure you all have heard me gush about this series more than enough at this point, but for some reason Crunchyroll gave me a platform, and goddamnit I’m gonna use that platform for what I consider good. PLANET WITH FOREVER.
Here’s Why You Need to Catch Up with Planet With!
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 3
After barreling out of the gate with what was essentially a two-part opening episode, Evangelion’s third episode sees us slowing down for a moment, and adopting what you could theoretically call the show’s “neutral mode.” Evangelion’s narrative builds over time, but its episodic angel attacks echo many of its giant robot predecessors, with Shinji as the not-so-gallant hero defending Tokyo-3 from an inventive range of new horrors. Episode three does indeed ramp up to a new angel attack, but this episode isn’t really about that fight, or rather, the fight is just one final illustration of the points it makes all throughout. This episode is about Shinji’s own personal alienation, and its illustration of Shinji’s headspace is as tense and immediate as any terrible monster could be.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 4
Alright folks, we’re strapping in for another episode of Nanoha! Last we checked in on this series, Nanoha had just fired a giant magical girl railgun at an evil tree, thereby saving her town. Personally, the most exciting part of that whole climax for me was the epilogue, where we learned the damage dealt by that tree was permanent. Magical girl shows often depend on a return to the status quo between isolated adventures, so I’m intrigued by Nanoha’s choice to allow for lasting, dramatic consequences, and hope it signals the show’s coming transition out of its initial, relatively familiar formula.
Outside of that, I’ll be frank – these first three episodes have been pretty darn messy so far, with only the visual creativity of the first elevating it into something truly noteworthy. Fortunately, having consulted my Nanoha-enjoying friends on twitter, it appears the consensus is “yep, Nanoha’s early parts are kind of a mess.” That relieves my fear that I’m just missing whatever it is people love about this show, and makes me eager to see where this rambling story leads. Nanoha is a very significant property in recent magical girl history, and given this site’s already been taken over by a mix of Doremi, Tutu, and Precure, it’s only appropriate that Nanoha hangs around too. Let’s see how this show handles the aftermath of its first truly consequential battle!
Summer 2018 – Week 12 in Review
Hey all, and welcome back to the Week in Review. The summer season is basically over at this point, as Planet With turns in its final assignment and my other airing shows prep for their own finales. This season was ultimately, obviously pretty top-heavy, as the dropoff between what I actually stuck with and what I could have picked up pretty much always felt precipitous, but I still ended up with a fair amount to talk about, and I’m guessing all three of this season’s heavyweights will end up on my end-of-year list. Planet With’s presence on that list is basically assured – in fact, I’m guessing that one will be duking it out with Violet Evergarden and whatever the fall’s best show is for my top pick of the year. Revue Starlight and My Hero Academia are a little more iffy, but both of them have demonstrated great strengths throughout this season, and I’ll be sad to see them go. Starting with the season’s clear champion, let’s poke at the summer season one more time!
Why It Works: Here are the Shows to Cram Before the Fall Season!
Well, I’d guess that title pretty much says it all, right? With the fall season basically upon us, it seemed about time to hype up all the great shows that will be gaining new sequels in the future. I’m not really sure either JoJo or Monogatari need the help, but I was happy to find another excuse to rep Thunderbolt Fantasy, and it’s not like promoting those titans could actually hurt. Anyway, if you know me well you probably already know what I’m selling, but if not, please enjoy these recommendations!
Here are the Shows to Cram Before the Fall Season
Princess Tutu – Episode 15
We open Princess Tutu’s fifteenth episode with an entirely new tale, as our narrator tells us the story of a man who fell in love with a doll. “Perhaps the man’s love made itself felt, for one day, the doll came to life and began to dance.” This transformation thrilled the man, who believed a doll could never betray his love, and that he would now possess the world’s most pure and innocent love all for himself. “But the doll, who had been given life, rejected the man’s love and fell in love with a different man.”
Hugtto! Precure – Episode 3
Settle in folks, it’s time to watch more Precure! I’ve been greatly enjoying this storied magical girl franchise so far, and am very happy to continue. The show’s second episode was relatively conventional, all things considered – it essentially just served as Saaya’s introduction to the team, establishing her personality, feelings of personal inadequacy, and initial friendship with our girl Hana. As far as all that goes, while the show’s production values remain excellent, Saaya’s personality felt a little familiar to me, and I’m guessing we’ll need a bit more time for her to develop a truly convincing rapport with our main lead. Outside of seriously dedicated thematic vehicles like Madoka Magica, a great deal of the strength of magical girl shows I’ve seen has come down to their character writing, and Hugtto isn’t quite there yet with anyone outside of Hana.
Fortunately, Hana herself remains a fantastic lead, and the threats arrayed against these girls are still decked in intriguing fragments of thematic resonance. If the show keeps up its current pace, we might be formally meeting the yellow cure this week, but I’d also be happy to see the show either further explore the nature of its villains or simply put in some time developing Saaya and Hana’s relationship. Either way, I expect the show to remain joyful and beautiful throughout, so there’s really no losing here. Let’s see what episode three has in store for our young heroes!
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 2
I’ve always loved Neon Genesis Evangelion’s inventive and gleefully melodramatic episode titles, and none more so than the iconic “Unfamiliar Ceiling/THE BEAST.” Like so many of Eva’s narrative devices, the concept of an unfamiliar ceiling has become an anime trope unto itself, but here in its original incarnation, that title card feels like the essence of Eva in miniature. The first half’s title embodies Evangelion’s careful capturing of specific and alienating lived moments; the second half is the roar of violence lurking just beneath those moments’ surface. Eva doesn’t do pre-OP cold opens – it introduces its new drama directly, and its punctuation for that drama comes in the form of thunderous title drops. So much of Evangelion’s dramatic strength is a result of its utter confidence in its own tone, and these striking white-on-black mini-poems contribute greatly to that sense of solemnity and impact.