Dagashi Kashi – Episode 8

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This week’s Dagashi Kashi was another episode of Dagashi Kashi. The first half here was actually one of the show’s most endearing segments, as the gang got together to hang out and tell ghost stories while a typhoon raged overhead. It was nice to see how the overall group dynamic has settled at this point, as all four of the friends seem very comfortable with each other, and all contribute something different to the group. Based on the show’s advertising, I’d expected Hotaru to be more of a comic device/unreachable love interest than just another slightly weird main character, but the show is much stronger for the choices it’s made. The second half here was weaker, but Dagashi Kashi is still a fine time.

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

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Hyouka – Episode 21

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As the heated feelings of the festival have cooled, Hyouka’s last pair of episodes have focused on Oreki and Chitanda almost at the expense of that arc’s starring pair. That hasn’t really been a problem; in fact, it’s more appropriate for the fall and winter season to prioritize those two, given theirs are the feelings that are actually moving close to real, honest expression. But a great deal of time has now passed in this world, and as Valentine’s Day and the end of their first high school year approach, it’s clearly time to revisit Mayaka and Satoshi’s tempestuous relationship. Mayaka has been very patient, but she can’t sit around waiting for Satoshi to grow up forever.

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Kaiba – Episode 1

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Eternal life is a pretty tempting concept, but in truth, any actual path there would probably turn out something like Kaiba. Even just in this first episode, a strange and compelling world feels fully established, complete with firm social strata and quirks of social engagement. In this world, minds and bodies can be separated, letting people truly try on someone else’s shoes, or even continuously switch bodies to live indefinitely. This doesn’t result in a golden age – it results in the rich buying bodies off the poor to maintain themselves, and many poor families being reduced to a collection of minds inhabiting one rickety shell. When one character’s brother has his mind forcibly removed by some flying creature, the remaining family members jokingly bicker over whether they should return him to his body or sell the frame for cash. It’s a dark world Kaiba is establishing, but it’s pretty much exactly the world the show’s conceit would create.

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ERASED – Episode 9

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Another fine episode of ERASED this week. This one was more plot-focused than the last (I know, gross), but it had plenty of individually strong scenes, and even some nice character moments with Mr. Yashiro. I don’t really know how I’m supposed to take those scenes, really – the show just doesn’t have enough characters for him to not be a reasonably likely choice to be the killer, and so it’s hard to fully engage with bonding scenes between him and Satoru. But awkward narrative mechanics aside, the scenes were well-constructed enough, so I guess I can’t really complain.

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

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Active Raid – Episode 9

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And Active Raid gets another notch in the Good column. The show’s actually developing a pretty good ratio at this point – there have certainly been some weaker episodes, but the greater majority have been solid ranging to excellent, and it seems like the show will actually be pulling together well. It’s still “just” a procedural police drama for the most part, and lacks the vivid strengths in character, themes, or aesthetics that might make it truly shine, but it’s a competent and often very engaging slice of what it is. Not every show needs to set the world on fire.

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

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My Hero Academia, Volume 3 – Review

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My Hero Academia continues to be just the most consistent dang shounen action spectacle on the block. That really is something worth celebrating – very few manga hit their genre notes as cleanly and engagingly as My Hero Academia, and when the manga’s overall polished is combined with how friggin’ likable all of its characters are, you get something that is as pleasant and engaging to read through as a manga can be. It’s the kind of story you could chew through forever over a long afternoon, and having to review it in sub-arc chunks like this is a little agonizing. My Hero Academia was born to be an anime action hit, and I’m really hoping Bones knock this one out of the park.

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

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Winter 2016 – Week 8 in Review

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Anime was good this week! Basically every show I’m watching had a solid episode, and some impressed with legitimate highlights, too. Both Konosuba and Dagashi Kashi have now established their character relationships firmly enough that they can often just coast on audience investment, and ERASED pulled off a real stunner this week, focusing largely on Hinazuki’s feelings for the first time. Grimgar executed a major action sequence with characteristic emotional grace, and Rakugo Shinju continued to be just as great as it always is. This season has a fairly light spread of shows, but you don’t really need catalog depth if the first couple tiers are holding strong. Let’s get right into this week’s highlights and RUN ‘EM DOWN!

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Dagashi Kashi – Episode 7

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Dagashi Kashi continued on its fluffy, relatively harmless way this week, offering another episode largely focused on the endearing relationship between Kokonotsu and Saya. The show is a pretty simple thing, but it’s charming enough, and it’s nice to see a show like this regularly imply character information not through direct exposition, but through the offhand decisions they make. It’s not a paragon of understated storytelling or anything, but it definitely trusts the viewer to make inferences about feelings and motivation, and I really appreciate that trust. It’s kind of the opposite of the problems ERASED can sometimes have, in fact – when that show hammers on its dramatic notes, it feels like the creators think the audience is a bunch of idiots. When this show lets Kokonotsu demonstrate his feelings on the past without actually saying anything, it feels like the creators are trusting the audience enough to know they care.

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

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Blast of Tempest – Review

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So yep, following up on my exploration of the first episode, I ended up marathoning Blast of Tempest and putting together a streaming review. The end result was frankly pretty unsatisfying – I know some people love this show, but it’s just such a messy thing that I could only rarely feel legitimately invested. It rambles and overtells and often feels like it lacks a strong throughline, failing in terms of storytelling fundamentals even as it impresses in terms of personality and creativity. It’s certainly an interesting show, and the cast is great, and I don’t regret watching it… but I can’t say it’s a show I’d actually recommend. Still, for better or for worse, I now feel like I’ve pretty much seen all the acclaimed 2013 anime. So I guess that’s something?

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

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Hyouka – Episode 20

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Hyouka’s twentieth episode opens with a small light growing through a crack in the wall. As the light expands, silent shots of gardening supplies creating a sense of peace in a small space, until the silence is broken by Oreki’s breath. Clearly some time has passed since the last episode, the truth of which is confirmed by Oreki’s first words. “Hey, Chitanda. Do you think the saying, ‘what you do on New Year’s, you repeat all year’ is true?” And Chitanda gives him a thoughtful but comfortable reply as the camera hones in on their new level of intimacy, simultaneously expressing their emotional proximity and the claustrophobia of their situation. But it’ll take them a while to reach that point of closeness. First, Oreki needs a reality check.

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