That’s three top-tier arcs in a row. Monogatari, I don’t know what they’ve put in your drinking water, but I like it. This arc is ostensibly about Shinobu, who’s one of my favorite characters, but I’ve heard it’s actually heavy on Mayoi, my least favorite, so I guess we’ll see if they keep it up. But this season has given me no reason to expect disappointment – Monogatari is one of the most compelling anime of the last few years, and S2 has been far and away the strongest set of episodes. Bring on Shinobu Time.
Nagi no Asukara – Episode 4
Last week’s episode was wonderful. This show has actually jumped over the hypewagons (this week’s incredibly Kill la Kill notwithstanding) to be one of my favorites of the season – hopefully it stays this smart and well-paced. We’ve already run through a massive amount of development for Hikari, and it seems like he’s already gained the maturity necessary to let go of Manaka, so I’m eager to see where it goes from here.
Formative Experiences and Character Writing
Management: Been a while since I’ve done a general criticism post, eh?
Question:
Are shows starring adults meaningfully different from shows starring teenagers? How about college students versus high school students? I ask because in many shows (Working! versus Servant x Service, etc), the differences seem largely superficial – the humor and character interactions all carry over.
Kill la Kill – Episode 4
-EDIT- Now that I’ve finished the episode, my original intro seems wholly inappropriate for this ridiculous tone. SO FUCK THAT LET’S KILL LA KILL.
Fall 2013 – Week 3 in Review
Unless three or four shows spontaneously turn terrible, this season’s ridiculous set of shows is going to kill me. I don’t even
Kyoukai no Kanata – Episode 4
Jesus, fourth episode? That’s a third of the season. So where are we at?
Well, in the middle of a big fight, I guess. But that’s not really what I meant.
This show’s doing alright so far. I like the world, and the way they’re depicting it, a whole lot. I think the direction here is solid – less powerful than KyoAni’s top shelf stuff, but still evoking a strong mood. I actually really like the way they’re handling the action scenes – people have been complaining they’re not very grounded, and while that may be true, I think they’re succeeding at conveying suspense and a kind of wonderment at the powers of this world. Plus I’m not a person who tends to give a shit about action scenes, so either way I have no problems there.
Most of the characters, too. I like Akihito, I like his dynamic with the literature club members, and I like the way the show handles dialogue exposition.
Really, it’s just…
It’s just Mirai.
Kyousogiga – Episode 2
Let’s try this out.
I’m not really qualified for this one – and by that I mean I haven’t read Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass for like fifteen years. Maybe that’s better – I kinda want this story to stand on its own anyway, and not just be a winking set of references. So far, that does seem to be the case – or at least this season’s first new episode was pretty much perfect in that regard. A beautiful little fable, already full of evocative characters and neat little ideas. Great visual aesthetic. A lovely romance illustrated through the fewest possible strokes. And Myoe at the center – a character whose desire to escape his padded wonderland lends a grounded humanity and relatable theme to a very distinctive fantasy. As far as single episodes go, that first one really couldn’t have been better.
Feeling a little sleepy at the moment, which has actually led to some of my better writeups, but is probably not a trick I should expect to rely on. Unlike Kill la Kill, this show isn’t just manic – it seems to be both manic and smart. My bad knee is acting up too, which means this could very well be the best show of the season. Guess I’ll do the best I can.
Nagi no Asukara – Episode 3
Adolescent hormones bubbling, narrow paradigms broadening, sisters in rather immediate jeopardy. Let’s get to it!
Kill la Kill – Episode 3
WELL HERE WE ARE AGAIN. I hope you enjoyed your six days, twenty-three hours, and thirty-seven minutes back in reality, everyone. Well, it was technically six days, twenty-two hours, and thirty-fiveish minutes for me… fuck these writeups. But anyway! We’re here. I hope none of you fuckers Lost Your Way, because the powers that be have promised this episode will fuck shit up. Let’s Kill la Kill.
Fall 2013 – Week 2 in Review
This season has way too many shows. It needs to stop that. Stop having shows.