Oregairu S2 – Episode 11

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This week, we finally got something that I’ve actually been hoping for for a while – a Hayato focus episode. Hayato’s a compelling character who’s very different from the majority of the cast, so it was nice to see him given some time in the spotlight. And I definitely made the most of it in my writeup – yeah, other stuff happened, but this was Hayato’s day goddamnit! Though I do somewhat regret not being able to also highlight Iroha’s top-tier trolling this time, from interrupting Yukino’s birthday part in order to ask her about rumors to doing that ridiculous slow motion arm-flip run towards Hachiman. Iroha is pretty good.

Here’s my Hayatotastic ANN review. Notes below!

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The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan – Episode 11

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Another surprisingly very good episode of Nagato Yuki-chan! This one even managed the noteworthy feat of respecting the huge shift of last week’s episode while giving the show a very steady path forward. The key here was the fact that all three of our protagonists reacted to Nagato’s shift in both understandable and reasonable fashion, not drawing out artificial drama but also making the most of the drama that does exist. Nagato’s behavior in particular was pretty heartbreaking, but her friends being both reasonable and anxious in their own ways worked very well. Where the hell did this show come from.

Here’s my full ANN post. Notes below!

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Sound! Euphonium – Episode 10

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Another extremely strong episode of Euphonium this week, though I know many people were understandably disappointed. Personally, I agree that the framing so far has seemed really supportive of some kind of romantic tension between Kumiko and Kousaka, but as long as the storytelling stays this good, I’m pretty fine with wherever this all goes. All I know is this episode made terrific use of all the character development so far, playing the characters against the main ideas in a way that felt natural and dramatically satisfying. Euphonium continues to impress.

Here’s my big ol’ episode post. And lots of notes below!

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Spring 2015 – Week 10 in Review

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Another very fine week in a very fine season. Oregairu and Euphonium both pulled off characteristically wonderful episodes this week, but the real surprises were JoJo and – I’m serious – Nagato Yuki. On the JoJo side, the Dio-Kakyoin fight managed to not only be exciting and entertaining, but genuinely beautiful. And on the Nagato Yuki side, an abrupt shift in tone resulted in an episode that was almost equally beautiful in its own way, slow-building and melancholy and just brimming with a compelling, deeply felt sense of atmosphere. Color me extremely surprised!

Alright, enough preamble. LET’S RUN ‘EM DOWN.

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The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 1 – Review

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Manga trawl continues, with another very solid series! This one may go in any manner of weird directions, since its premise is so incredibly loaded, but the story so far is just totally enchanting. It’s basically holding to one of my favorite styles of magic, the one that builds off of old stories and treats magic as beautiful and dangerous and tends to feel vaguely European. It’s a style I strongly associate with Diana Wynne Jones, since her Chrestomanci stories were very formative for me, and it’s used well here. Definitely worth a look.

Here’s my full review over at ANN. Notes below!

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Oregairu S2 – Episode 10

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We had a lighter episode this week, as the student council issues essentially worked themselves out now that the emotional issues tying all these characters down were cleared up. It was great to see the whole team working together again, with the scenes from the halfway point onward all demonstrating the stuff that was initially so appealing about this show. Hikki and Yukino have a great conversational dynamic, and Iroha’s become a pretty natural extension of the whole group. The characters are able to honestly express that they care about each other now, meaning it feels a lot less stifling just watching them interact. It’s just rewarding to spend time with these characters now.

Anyway. Here’s my more thorough thoughts on the key scenes, and you can find my notes below!

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The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan – Episode 10

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Aw shit, stuff actually happened this week! Like, BIG stuff! Not “this retroactively justifies me watching an entire season of a low quality slice of life” big, but certainly “wow, this episode was really rewarding for its own sake” big. The execution just really, really stepped up for this episode’s Big Shift, and the result was one of the more effectively moody episodes I’ve seen in a long time. Great work, Nagato Yuki team.

Alright, that’s enough beating around the big spoiler this week. Here’s my full ANN post, and you can check out (spoiler-filled, of course) notes below.

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Summer 2015 Season Preview

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What, you guys want MORE anime? There’s plenty of good anime still sitting there on your table! There’s Euphonium and Oregairu and BBB, and I hear people over on twitter are even watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes! There’s good shows from the last few years and good shows from before Ghibli was even a thing, and you’re here complaining that you need something new? Typical. Just friggin’ typical. You know, this is the problem with anime fans these days – the second you have something good, it’s already old news. There’s no pleasing you!

Well, I for one have had enough, and in light of my disgust with your attitude, I’ve been talking with the heads of anime, and they’ve all agreed. You guys don’t deserve more anime, and so this summer, you’re going to have to survive on like 2.5 new shows worth watching. We’ll see how much you clamor for new toys when the season lineup is Gatchaman Crowds and then Six Days Without Gatchaman Crowds. Have fun.

Alright, let’s run down what shows seem at least moderately tolerable. And remember, this is on you.

(also, as always, you can check out the full list at anichart, where you can also get synopses if you want them. I’m just going to be running down why I’m compelled to highlight any of these shows)

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Sound! Euphonium – Episode 9

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A somewhat lesser episode of Euphonium this week, split evenly between friendship and anxiety. There were good moments scattered throughout, and the cast remains strong, but I guess basically anything would feel like a comedown after last week. My favorite scene here was easily the Kaori-Haruka centerpiece – in just a bare handful of scenes, those two have managed to define themselves and their friendship in sharp and poignant strokes. Their conversation here reflected a great deal of the central concerns of Euphonium, from friendship to personal excellence to the fear of wasting your precious time, and having them essentially be stuck as the unhappy counterweight to Kousaka is a really inspired choice. This show’s base variables are really damn good.

Here’s my full review. More notes below!

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Spring 2015 – Week 9 in Review

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I should have something piercing and salient to say here, but really I’m just staring at all the stupid faces I chose for the episodes this week and giggling to myself. Goddamnit Takeo. Goddamnit Shinji. Hurray for silly anime faces.

Anyway, some anime came out this week. It wasn’t the best week, outside of Oregairu having one more Holy Shit Good episode, but most of the episodes were reasonable nonetheless. Let’s run ’em down!

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