Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Episode 1

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Note: it’s pretty much impossible to fully discuss Madoka without getting into some spoilers, so be aware that later events will occasionally be referenced in these writeups!

Considering its placement on my top shows list, it would not be presumptuous to say I’m probably a fan of Madoka Magica. I’ve watched the show several times, and enjoyed it more each time; I’ve written a rambling essay on its film sequel that only touched on the things I loved about the show proper. It seems perhaps slightly unwise to jump from a project as ambitious as Hyouka right into something I’m as attached to as Madoka, but this whole Wrong Every Time experiment has been a series of unwise decisions, so here we are. Let’s get right into it.

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One Piece – Volume 3

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The battle between Luffy and Buggy’s pirates concludes in this volume, across a trio of chapters that basically split the difference between slapstick and traditional action. While Buggy came across as intimidating in the earlier Nami chapters, Luffy outclasses him pretty handily, and so any attempts at tension here are mostly about Buggy putting either Nami or Luffy’s hat in danger. Even Buggy’s special power no longer comes across as dangerous – it’s more a tool for slapstick, where Buggy’s ability to send his top half flying becomes a lot less powerful when Luffy can still kick his bottom half in the junk. Buggy’s power kinda sucks, but it sure is good for gags.

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ERASED – Episode 10

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Noooooo. Nooooooooo. Noooooo o o o o o ooo.

ERASED did it. It did the worst thing it could do, and it did it bad. Holy crap this episode. What a mess.

I’m so sad. This show was really good. Why would it do this.

noooooooo

review here, losing-it notes below

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Active Raid – Episode 10

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Active Raid had a uniquely disappointing episode this week, and that was pretty much the only unique thing about it. This was basically the platonic ideal of “phoning it in” – there was no personality or creativity in any element of this episode’s construction, it was just one hundred percent an episode designed to get the characters from one narrative point to a different one. I’m a character person, so I don’t generally watch the kinds of shows that traffic in nothing plot beats like this, so I guess that at least made it a somewhat novel experience for me? Crap episode, though. Real bad.

You can check my full thoughts on The Nothing over at ANN, or my notes below!

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Terror in Resonance – Review

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Time for another review! This time I got a chance to revisit one of my favorite shows from 2014, and actually found it even more enjoyable in retrospect. Knowing from the start that the thriller stuff would be kind of silly made it easier to focus on the show’s actual strengths; its plot is functional and sometimes over-the-top, but that doesn’t really take away from the show’s strong ideas or gorgeous execution. The show feels filmic in a way only KyoAni shows tend to match, and it’s kind of astonishing how gracefully the show’s ideas are illustrated, considering this is the same show that also features friggin’ airport chess. Its weaknesses ultimately feel almost inconsequential to me; it’d be nice if this show were actually perfect, but it’s still really damn good.

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

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Comparing Comedies: Konosuba vs. Dagashi Kashi

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My new editorial is up! I took a bit of a different approach this time, as I contrast two shows in order to talk about the craft of comedy and show goals. Konosuba and Dagashi Kashi happen to offer a pretty convenient comparison, and for once I’m actually current on two anime comedies at once, so here we are! Comedy’s a lot of fun to discuss even if I don’t generally think anime comedies are very good – regardless of my feelings on individual jokes, it’s always interesting to interrogate what shows are actually trying to accomplish. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the piece!

Comparing Comedies: Konosuba vs. Dagashi Kashi

Konosuba

Winter 2016 – Week 9 in Review

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Anime stayed pretty respectable this week, offering up reasonable episodes all around. It seems like Rakugo’s going to the only show I can call truly great by the end of this season, though. ERASED just has too many moments where its thriller mechanics drag down its more compelling variables, and though Grimgar is quite interesting and unique, it’s also a very uneven production. The season’s second tier is also somewhat questionable; Konosuba and Dagashi Kashi both regularly gesture towards jokes that don’t work in the slightest, and Active Raid is pretty much just an average crime procedural. The season has managed to hold together to the point where I’m not actively disappointed, but I’m still very ready for the much richer spring season to begin.

That said, at least Rakugo continues to knock it out of the park every week. So let’s start right there as we run ’em down!

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Rokka, Episodes 5-8 – Review

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The second collection of Rokka has come in, and fortunately, this set of episodes turned out to be far superior to the first. Having the first four episodes of your show be a boring feint in a genre you’re not particularly good at seems like a weird choice, but now that I’ve actually passed the early episode doldrums, it turns out Rokka is actually a perfectly entertaining mystery/action thing. Its character writing may not be great, but that doesn’t matter when all the characters are doing is tossing theories about traitors back and forth. And the cast is diverse enough in their motives and personalities to make this an engaging whodunit adventure. I’ve heard awkward things about the show’s final act, but this middle segment was plenty of fun.

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

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Spring 2016 Season Preview

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Spring is upon us! Well, technically spring is still almost a month away, at least if we’re talking in anime terms, and when are we ever not talking in anime terms. But still! We’ve only got a few short weeks before the spring season arrives to assail me specifically with way too many shows to watch, and so that means it’s time once more for me to run down the stuff I’m actually excited about. As usual, I’m only going to bring up the shows that actually look interesting to me, and the reasons I specifically find them interesting – there are plenty of resources to give you synopses of the whole list, and besides, the preview guide means that I’ll have exhaustive commentary on even the dregs of the season when they actually arrive. But even limiting the list to shows I’m actively anticipating, we’ve still got a broad and respectable selection of hopefuls this time. There are manga favorites and returning champions and new challengers, a diverse menagerie to suit all anime palettes. So let’s start at the shows I’m most anticipating and run ‘em down!

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Hyouka – Episode 22

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And here we are, at the very last episode of Hyouka. It’s a tremendous episode, but I almost don’t want to write about it – after several months of cataloging all of this show’s beautiful twists and turns, I really don’t want it to be over. Rewatching this show has reaffirmed my opinion of it as Kyoto Animation’s crown jewel, a masterpiece of a production that’s about as good as any show can be. It’s understated and graceful and grand, a full-bodied production that marries intimate character work to some of the most consistently great framing and animation in any television anime ever. It’s a show worth holding close, an achievement I can only hope they’ll one day match again.

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