Classroom of the Elite – Episode 3

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Classroom of the Elite got pretty pulpy this week, as I’d always kinda figured it would. There are certainly very interesting ideas at the heart of this series, but its ear for character voice is almost non-existent, and a lot of the mechanics of this story seem mostly designed to facilitate backstabbing and shocking reveals and all that nonsense. That kind of show can be good too, but this one didn’t really handle its pulp all that gracefully. But hope springs eternal!

You can check out my episode review over at ANN, or my notes below.

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Summer 2017 – Week 3 in Review

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Hey all, and welcome back to the Week in Review. As I mentioned in last week’s post, this season’s utter dearth of watchable shows has left me without all that much material to riff on, meaning that for now, I’ll be extending the Week in Review to basically anything I’ve been up to media-wise over the last week. Even if airing shows aren’t giving me my fix, I am still a loyal consumer of all that nerd media we use to paper over the holes in our lives, and am happy to share my thoughts with you! But for now, let’s start off with the week’s actual anime hits, and see where the journey takes off.

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Saga of Tanya the Evil – Review

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Today I’ve got a review of Saga of Tanya the Evil, one of my unexpected highlights from the winter season. Tanya’s first impression was the trashiest of all trashy trash, and though the ultimate show wasn’t exactly great literature, it turned out to be both a very good kind of trash and also a legitimately sharp show. It’s always nice when an anime surprises you, and I enjoyed writing about this one. Hope you like the piece!

Saga of Tanya the Evil

Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 16

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Let’s get right back to Ojamajo Doremi! I recently watched a couple episodes of Aikatsu, and frankly was so unimpressed that it actually made me appreciate Doremi all the more. An upbeat sensibility is one thing, but Doremi’s mix of strong characters, great aesthetic strengths, and consistently thoughtful messages make it a legitimately excellent show by any standards. Doremi isn’t “great for a kid’s show,” it’s just good television. Let’s see whatever new adventures this episode brings!

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Why It Works: Terminal Fuzzy Wuzzies in Tsuredure Children

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This week on Why It Works, I took the opportunity to rep this season’s terrific Tsuredure Children. The show’s consistently excellent dialogue allows it to get away with sequences that would almost certainly feel sterile in a lesser show, and I’m happy to have a chance to show it some support. Anime shorts tend to get ignored by a lot of the community (myself included), but Tsuredure Children is just as strong as any full-length I’m currently watching. I hope you enjoy the piece!

Terminal Fuzzy Wuzzies in Tsuredure Children

Aikatsu – Episode 8

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Let’s keep on riding this Aikatsu train! The last couple episodes have both been a very fun time, so it seems like we may have finally shrugged off those early episode blues. Aikatsu #6 turned out to be almost as silly as I’d hoped from this show, while #7 had an oddly sharp take on twitter. I don’t really expect this show to have much to say regularly, but if it can maintain the last two episodes’ combination of reasonable storytelling and general charm, I’ll be more than content. Let’s see what today’s Aikatsu brings!

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Casshern Sins – Episode 18

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Let’s gather round for some Casshern Sins! Last episode was a pretty crucial one for the series – not only did it basically set Casshern on a direct, overt quest to save this world, it also provided critical context for Leda’s character. Leda is no longer the show’s most threadbare central pillar, and now actually feels like a pretty reasonable person. I’m still not really sold on Dio’s conflict, but everything else here is resolving Casshern Sins’ apocalyptic storytelling in suitably mythic fashion. The old man has received the key, and now Casshern must journey to find the truth about Luna. Let’s head out!

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Classroom of the Elite – Episodes 1-2

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We’re starting off this season’s ANN weeklies with Classroom of the Elite, which offered a pretty intriguing opening pair of episodes. I’m kinda guessing this show will get weaker as it goes along, but a strong start with a whole lot of social relevance is still a fine thing. My review ended up sprawling out in order to touch on all of this one’s various thematic parallels, so you guys get plenty of Fresh Content today. Hope you enjoy the piece!

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my episode two notes below.

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Summer 2017 – Week 2 in Review

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Hey all, and welcome to the Week in Review. It’s time to get ruthless this week – with preview week having finished and all of the new shows starting to demonstrate their actual stamina, we now enter the time where we learn what truly survives, and what hits the seasonal chopping block. If abandoning all these new shows wasn’t enough, the density of preview week meant I also had to take some time off from last season’s continuing shows, meaning it’s also time to reassess which of those I really care about. Long story short, Re:Creators is getting the boot, and I’ll have to think about whether I’m catching up on Sakura Quest. This is going to be a lean, lean season, but I’m trying to make the most of it. Let’s run this week’s contenders down!

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Chihayafuru – Episode 6

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Let’s get back to Chihayafuru! When we last left off, Chihaya and Taichi had successfully rekindled Arata’s passion for karuta, meaning it might be time to actually compete again! But I’m guessing the first order of business will be establishing Chihaya and Taichi’s school club, which means it’s also likely time to introduce some new characters. I’m totally cool with that – Chihaya’s been great, but Taichi and Arata both often feel like they’re stuck in her shadow, and I’d appreciate some characters who are less clearly infatuated with our admittedly charming lead. Either way, let’s get right to it!

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