Girlish Number continued with its excellent parent-focused material this week, using time away from Chitose to let Kazuha and Momoka have some of the show’s most emotionally effective material yet. I’ve been enjoying these vacations from our lead terror, but I’m hoping the show will able to grant her some of the sensitivity it’s offered her friends in the final act. Chitose may be a gremlin, but she’s our gremlin.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!
This week in anime felt a little lonely, courtesy of March taking a sick day, but the rest of our contenders did their best to liven things. Flip Flappers and Euphonium had unexpectedly ordinary episodes (at least for those shows’ definitions of ordinary), but Girlish Number continued to focus on strong character writing over industry commentary, which is definitely where the show shines. Kira found himself with yet another ridiculously specific serial killing-enabling power, and Yuri on Ice decided it was time to introduce a tragic incest narrative and make Yurio a catboy. All in all it was a pretty standard week down on the anime farm, but I still found a thing or two worth talking about. Let’s run ‘em down!
Jeez, some shows sure are a load of dirt. Jinsei definitely counts among the worst shows I’ve reviewed for ANN, lacking the fundamental sadism of something like Psycho-Pass 2, but more than making up for that in pure bland mediocrity. As I say in the review, Jinsei is one of those shows you watch and then feel you’ve consumed nothing at all. Thanks for nothing, Jinsei.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my fatigued notes below!
Alright, time to watch G Gundam’s second episode! I’m assured by my feed that the show actually takes a while to get good, but my feed is full of liars and filthy robot-likers, so I am not fooled by their conniving ways. G Gundam will have to live or die on its own merits, based on my stringent and robot-suspicious dramatic senses. PROVE YOURSELF, G GUNDAM!
Hello again! For this week’s Why It Works, I focused on a roughly three minute scene from the latest March, and basically unpacked it into an investigation of Rei’s personality and the nature of teaching and media salesmanship. It’s always nice when some offhand element of a show gestures towards a larger topic like this, and I had a bunch of fun writing this one. I hope you enjoy the piece!
Why It Works: March comes in like a lion Explains Shogi
Planetes’ seventeenth episode was an oppressive demonstration of the inhumanity inherent in the exploration of space, and of the corporate institutions that erect themselves to foster and defend that inhumanity. That was a heavy episode, and was itself following an episode focused on post-traumatic shock, so it’d make sense for the debris crew to finally got a break this time. And in fact, they do end up getting a break: a permanent one. The debris section is disbanded. You’re all fired.
Natsume’s Book of Friends has long been one of my shortlist shows – the shows whose reputations are so strong that I essentially know I’ll get to them, and so it’s just a matter of when. Of course, the “when” is its own serious hurdle in my case, since I’ve moved from being so slow about getting through backlist that it barely moves to so overwhelmed by other things I literally need to watch that it doesn’t really move at all. I get through a handful of personal watches a year at this point, which makes it a great relief when someone decides to support something like Planetes, or Nichijou, or Natsume’s Book of Friends.
Sound! Euphonium had a pretty subdued episode this week, and seemed to be in something of a dramatic transition period. Mamiko’s clashes with her family were the most compelling moments here, but those generally rode on the inherent nature of the conflict or the show’s terrific voice acting more than astonishing visual execution. Certainly not an ostentatious episode, but still a pretty reasonable one. And of course, small Kumiko is very good.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!
Girlish Number succeeded by almost jettisoning Chitose entirely this week, instead focusing on the frankly more sympathetic Kazuha and Momoka. Both of those two have legitimately understandable anxieties about their career, and they were smartly contrasted all through this episode. The close focus on characters that I’d hoped to see from this show is pretty much immediately coming to pass, so I don’t really have many complaints today!
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
Hell yeah I reviewed the Girls und Panzer movie. Mizushima’s Tank Fight Extravaganza turned out to be exactly what was advertised: awesome tank action from start to finish, basically no filler whatsoever. I’m sure my general preferences in anime make it seem like I’m not really a fan of action at all, but action instilled with an actual sense of fun is great. Also, you have to, you know, be good at constructing satisfying action scenes. Girls und Panzer excels at both of those things, so the movie was a blast. Check out my full review below!
