I am kind of absurdly hyped for this upcoming season. My favorite studios, my favorite writers… basically the only way to improve it would be if Gen Urobuchi personally gave me a new show and a puppy. This lineup is stupid. I guess I’ll run it down in order of personal hype intensity?
The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 7
Alright, one goddess to go, let’s get to it.
Episode 7
0:24 – What Elsie’s been up to: Established
4:56 – I like how Keima himself has no silly pride outside of his game-mastery. Since he’s not really dealing with emotional issues any more, he’s basically just making himself a different kind of moe for each of the girls
9:15 – His dark powers grow stronger
10:22 – Think faster, Lelouch
12:24 – Wow, he’s really reaching. Well, everyone in this world is a stereotype anyway, I’m sure it’ll work out
13:19 – I figured after the last two episodes that we were done with all the wacky double-date shenanigans, but they are seriously committing to this one. But that particular romcom scenario never tends to end well…
13:55 – I don’t even… See, normally these scenes play out with the protagonist (man or woman, this cliche is gender-neutral) simply trying to keep the two dates from running into each other. Here, he’s perfectly happy trying to seduce everyone simultaneously. Goddamn, Keima
15:14 – This scene is amazing
18:44 – I think he’s earned a beating this time
18:57 – Fortunately for Keima, characters in this game-world are entirely incapable of reading moods or subtext
And Done
Welp, Keima’s fucked. He got too ambitious and deservedly had it blow up in his face. Ayumi being an adult about the situation is going to make his secret harem ending pretty difficult – apparently dating three members of the same band is just one too many.
Great episode. It was one of the funniest of the season, both because he and Ayumi have a great dynamic and because the wacky misunderstanding double-booked-date hat trick is inherently ridiculous. That approach also answered my biggest complaint about last week’s episode, which was that it played its simple romcom narrative extremely straight – this week started off with one cliche (the sick visit), rudely merged it into another (the double-booked-date), and then had Keima actually attempt to double-win the date, which is completely insane and also extremely Keima. Better luck next time, Lelouch.
Monogatari S2 – Episode 7
Day late on this one – it’s been a very busy weekend. Anyway. New arc today. I’m assuming we’re back on Araragi (which I’m kinda meh towards) and the arc is apparently about Hachikuji (also pretty meh towards), but this season has blown past my expectations so far, so I’m just trying to come in at true neutral. Let’s roll.
Episode 7
0:44 – Clearly a face we can trust.
1:07 – A three second pause… alright, I’m just gonna let Isin’s dialogue do its own thing until pieces come together in a way that might make sense. The first arc of this season kind of spoiled me, but I’m kind of used to thinking of this show’s dialogue and its visuals as two separate shows that happen to run at the same time. So my notes will probably be a bit more me-focused (just jotting down details until they pull together), since I’m not gonna pontificate on what I don’t think I actually understand. So:
Traffic light metaphor. The pause where all motion is stopped, everywhere.
1:32 – “If I designed the system, I’d make sure the lights were never all green. Everyone prefers safe over dangerous.”
1:41 – They’re really grinding in a very simple statement. We’ll need a couple more reflections to triangulate an actual point, though
1:51 – “When the world is filled with green lights signaling safety, it’s more dangerous than anywhere.”
Again, basically self-notes here. The show is highlighting and underlining this concept, so I’ll want these statements written out to reference against
2:29 – “Half the lights being green just means half the risk. If you want to be safe, don’t cross sidewalks.” That’s something more, since it’s actually nonsense, and a kind of dangerous nonsense too. Hm
3:34 – Araragi, haven’t you realized yet you live in a world where half-baked semi-profundities always come back to bite you in the ass? Often literally, too
Nice shot there, by the way
4:11 – This is gonna be fun
5:01 – Her design is so bizarre. Like a non-anime fans’ idea of an anime character. It definitely helps make her seem like some kind of creepy homunculus
5:21 – Even if I didn’t already know, it’d be pretty easy to tell this is gonna be a Hachikuji story. All this crap mirroring Hachikuji’s life story and first arc. Isin can get so self-indulgent sometimes…
5:57 – That’s awesome. I’m glad she finds that phase as embarrassing as I found it annoying
6:11 – That is an incredibly good question
7:08 – I like how the absurd, empty-stage nature of their world makes this a pretty great gag
8:12 – Hm. Why is Araragi so put off by her assumption that he’s a human?
9:16 – Must every plot element mirror another one, Isin? Katanagatari is actually one of my all-time favorite shows, but in Monogatari I think he mixes it up too much between cute parallels and meaningful ones
9:28 – This one seems more relevant. Professing resurrection in a story about another dead girl
10:21 – I’d like to see a map of this town of theirs
10:36 – Seriously, I’d hire this urban planner in a second
11:06 – Seems relevant
12:42 – Oh please. Bring back Hanekawa!
14:07 – You know how I sometimes complain about Isin using his characters as self-indulgent mouthpieces? Well, I do, and Fuck This
14:47 – It only makes sense. Another distinctive shot
15:27 – Well this episode escalated quickly
18:01 – Manipulating Araragi 101: Play to his hero complex
18:26 – She takes his watch, and then once he no longer has control of it, uses it to confirm his sense of time. Hm
19:53 – I foresee no problems with this
20:25 – This conversation is actually awesome. Time travel is always nonsense, so “going forward in time takes less energy, just like salmon!” is pretty much par for the course
21:04 – And now he’s actually trying to clarify whether he traveled through time physically or just adopted his old physical self. You’d think if he were this thoughtful about time travel, he’d have asked maybe one or two of these questions before leaping through the giant scary time-gate
21:34 – Yeaah, she is being super weird about this watch
22:04 – This is extremely adorable
And Done
Welp, ya fucked around with time travel, what did you expect?
So I guess that answers the question of Hachikuji’s relevance. Are we actually right around her Time Of Death now? Eh, plot is details, let’s talk about the craft.
This episode definitely leaned into some of my least favorite Isin-isms, mainly through the extremely cute plot mirroring and self-indulgent, character-irrelevant banter. The first half just felt clunky as hell, and Shinbou didn’t really get much of a chance to strut his stuff as far as visual-plot-illuminating goes. That’s pretty much par for the course with Hachikuji stories, even though Hachikuji has yet to actually appear – there is no sexual charge to her and Araragi’s relationship, so the camera doesn’t have all that much to talk about. The second half was a lot of fun though, mainly because Shinobu and Araragi have a very endearing buddy-cop dynamic, and because time travel is just loads of fun in general, and actually improved through the presence of genre-savvy characters. Definitely not as strong a start as the first arc, but obviously it’s going places.
Uchouten Kazoku – Episode 7
Whew. I’ve been busy cavorting with old friends all weekend, and I’m really not much of a social dude, so it is extremely satisfying to have something as calming and excellent as Uchouten Kazoku to come back to. Last week’s episode focused on that most alarming of incongruencies, the fairly blase attitude everyone takes towards tanuki-eating. As I’ve said elsewhere, while this show normally does a tremendous job of grounding its fantastical leanings in such universal conflicts and emotions that they appear almost mundane (or beautiful, but beautiful in a way that reflects all moments of sudden and unexpected beauty, not just unbelievable ones), the disconnect between these characters’ acceptance of the tanuki-eating and its inherently horrifying nature is a little hard to square. Or at least it is for the show’s two central characters – Yasaburou and Benten.
Not that this is a bad thing. In fact, the complexities of each of their feelings, and the way Yasaburou often treads around emotions and responsibilities he knows he will have to address, is one of the show’s great strengths. And considering how strong this show’s character writing is, I’m not really worried about that emotional disconnect; last week someone hypothesized that the disconnect is probably a strong indicator of where the show still intends to explore, and I’m inclined to agree.
Anyway. Enough nonsense.
Summer 2013 Halfway Point: Season So Far
Management: Sequel to this post. My general thoughts so far on the winners, losers, and casualties of my summer season.
This has been a very good season, and though there hasn’t been anything I enjoy as much as I enjoyed OreGairu in the spring, I think the top show is technically better this time. But the top tier is really good all around. In descending order:
Gatchaman Crowds – Episode 6
Rui and Hajime, finally meeting! High-Minded Ideals x Informed, Selfless Proletariat OTP. Let’s get to it!
Episode 6
2:12 – Awww, Rui walks away? What a goddamn tease that cliffhanger was
2:27 – Okay, that almost makes up for it. Gatchaman unveiled! For a second there I was worried they wouldn’t shove the plot ten steps forward today
3:52 – Ahh, I see. Even without actually confronting him, this kinda forces Rui’s hand – there’s no way Gatchamen won’t be considered an alternative to GALAX
5:10 – I can never get enough of their sweet pad
5:37 – Pai’s voice is amazing. Aya Hirano is so good
6:32 – Pai can’t decide anything without a higher authority deciding it for him . No wonder Hajime doesn’t respect their rules
7:53 – These two are not the best at conversation
8:43 – “I’m j-just following you so you won’t do anything crazy!” “Oh, that so?” C’mon Hajime, don’t tease the poor boy
9:09 – Hajime’s lack of faith in the primacy of social networking
9:31 – “A whim? I’m not that irresponsible.” And then that long look from him. Nice to see that misconception finally get some resolution
10:58 – Again he abuses his powers for what he perceives to be best for everyone . Constantly contradicting himself and hopelessly naive, but legitimately passionate and high-minded. I really like this character
16:09 – I’m sure Rui was quite proud of his demonstration . Everyone contributes a little bit and great things are accomplished
16:28 – Hajime always makes a point of being referred to by her name, but Rui introduces himself by his title and source of power
18:14 – And he can’t help but seek praise for his own contributions
20:17 – “Were all those heroes yesterday your friends?” “What are you talking about?” Don’t bullshit me . So good. I kind of don’t care if Hajime is too perfect, it’s still fun seeing her kick ass
And Done
Oh man, that was definitely as satisfying as I’d hoped. Hajime not unexpectedly sees both the strengths and failings of Rui’s plan pretty much immediately, and Gatchamen have gone public. And we get a bunch more development of the Sugane-Hajime dynamic, with Sugane finally getting it through his thick skull that Hajime’s easily smarter than the rest of them. I’d say “things will start moving faster now,” but things pretty much always move at top speed in this show. Bring on the next one!
C3-bu – Episode 7
Alright, C3-bu. You’ve done it. You tricked me with your Gainax pedigree, you tricked me with your well-crafted first episode, and you tricked me with your totally insane fourth one. You’ve strung me along with idle promises for half a season, and you’ve successfully tricked me into just liking you for your own merits.
Goddamnit.
Episode 7
0:36 – Holy shit. Is Yura’s need for acceptance gonna drive her to start juicing with illegally powered-up airsoft guns?
1:55 – This show certainly plays pretty fast and loose with its tone . Moe bonding to sniper fire in five seconds flat
3:51 – Illegally modified guns? Eren Yura don’t give a shit .
4:27 – Looking for more cake? Well too bad, the school festival is over
4:50 – Well they’re certainly playing up Rin as the would-be assassin. Which of course means she was just there to protect them from the assassin or something. Unless they’re actually playing this straight, in which case holy shit, the rival just tried to kill those girls
5:11 – I’m glad they actually address her case of almost got hit by a car syndrome , plenty of shows pretty much accept “almost got hit by a car” as cause for a serious injury all on its own
6:36 – Okay, now they’ve already guessed it’s Rin, that pretty much guarantees it’s not her
8:18 – Ah, the classic “pour out your worries to your not-actually-sleeping role model” maneuver. A genre staple
9:56 – If they keep talking about this studying thing I’m gonna stop believing this is actually a Japanese school
Alternate joke: “Yeah, studying ass! So… so we can kick it. At the tournament.”
11:13 – And her coup is a success. In their leader’s name their leader is abandoned. This is some Orwellian shit right here
12:26 – The transformation is complete. Fun is dead
14:04 – Yesss, Yura. Forget their petty complaints. It’s all for the greater good!
18:40 – This would all be more impressive if anime hadn’t already taught me there’s nothing more powerful than a team of little girls
And Done
Wow, Rin’s a dick. Anyway, pretty slow episode today, since aside from that early sniper fire it was basically all slowly showing Yura’s descent to the dark side. Which I guess is necessary for the story, but kinda standard stuff without much flourish, so not the most exciting thing to watch. Next week should be fun, though.
Summer 2013 Halfway Point: Week in Review
Management: Speculatively calling this the first half of a two-parter on the summer season. This half will focus on the specific episodes that have marked the halfway point in my schedule (I’ll probably add in Monogatari after it airs), and the upcoming one will cover my thoughts on the overall series so far.
So! Halfway through the summer season, and there really haven’t been any crazy upsets so far. My top tier is still Uchouten Kazoku, Gatchaman Crowds, and Monogatari, but I’m enjoying the also-rans as well. Let’s check in on what the crap everybody was doing this week.
Free! 6
This episode felt kinda tedious to me. I think this show has pretty much only three things that make it watchable to me:
- The concept is funny and results in some cute subversions of genre tropes
- It’s very pretty and the direction is occasionally inspired
- The better episodes are actually very funny in their own right
Unfortunately, this week focused on the character relationships, and KyoAni’s slice of life characters are always too thin to afford compelling character drama. I mean, I love character-focused stuff, it’s my favorite thing, but for character-focused stuff to be compelling you need characters with a little more depth than “the genki one,” “the glasses-pusher,” etc. Bleh.
Uchouten Kazoku 6
I didn’t like this episode as much as the last two, but its first and last acts were still tremendous and heartfelt and beautiful. However, the centerpiece of this episode was a long conversation that I’m frankly still trying to figure out. Tanukis being eaten by humans (and that just being accepted as something that happens sometimes) has always been the point of greatest disconnect between this show’s fantastical flourishes and sharply grounded character conflicts, and this episode basically dove directly into that disconnect, presenting a long monologue by the mild-mannered but strongly pro-tanuki-eating professor, complete with a flashback where Yasaburou’s father displays absolute complacency towards being eaten, and only professes a hope that he doesn’t ruin an otherwise agreeable hot-pot. And Yasaburou is pretty much charmed by him!
I just don’t know how to square this – perhaps on a thematic level eventually all these contrasting viewpoints will fit into neat holes regarding the value of a life well-lived (we’re actually pretty close to that point, I think), but on a more practical character-empathy level, I just can’t relate to the way these characters treat the tanuki-eating. Which is frustrating, since this show is normally incredibly good at grounding its fantasy in universal human emotion. So while I can’t say this was a “bad” episode, it was certainly a tough one for me to wrap my head around.
C3-bu 6
C3-bu is also turning out to be more slice of life than I could have hoped for, but fortunately this show is more fun in concept, more creative in execution, more regularly funny, more dramatically sound, and populated with much better characters than Free. I’m actually just enjoying this show on its own merits at this point – Yura’s personal issues are being handled with more grace and thoughtfulness than I expected, and it really knows how to handle either a fantasy-world or standard gag setpiece. You’ve won me over, moesoft.
The World God Only Knows S3 6
TWGOK slowed down the pace this week, which I guess is fitting for the Shiori episode. Shiori’s inner monologue was both funny and relatable, and her own fantasy-world imaginings are always great, but this story itself felt far more lazy and convenient than this season has been so far. I feel this show’s strengths are its humor and its habit of pointing out and subverting cliche story structures, but this one just played entirely by the book – Keima’s plan was very simple and it worked perfectly. It was perfectly watchable, but I was still kinda disappointed.
Attack on Titan 18
This episode was definitely a step down from the previous two (which I very much enjoyed), and felt a bit like one of Trost’s renowned “oh shit this story doesn’t correlate to our number of episodes let’s check in with everybody maybe take five for a flashback and move the plot forward seven inches” episodes. The first half was more excitement with the female titan, who’s apparently beginning to favor some style in her kills, but the second half consisted of people getting up into some trees and wondering why they were in them. I’m not worried, since the female titan represents a much more immediate threat than Eren not remembering he was human or the giant boulder ever did, and this show is still leagues better in its second half, but that second half was still not particularly engaging stuff.
Hunter x Hunter 92
This arc has gone totally nuts, and this episode was a nuts cherry on a nuts cake. Desperate giant-ant surgery was witnessed, vows of parenthood and brotherhood were made, and now a minor army of powerful monsters with hallucinogen-prompted designs have begun spreading out to conquer the world. This show is basically my definition of entertainment.
Gatchaman Crowds 5
This show never lacks for ambition, does it? This episode focused on the not-so-secretly most important character, Rui, and had him basically set out his thesis statement on his ideal, communal, utterly crowdsourced society. Showing its usual respect for easy answers, this speech was immediately shut down by one of his subordinates rightly calling him a naive, idealistic fool, and promptly hanging up on Rui to go play with his adorable daughter.
Rui’s plan has always had a number of internal inconsistencies, with his belief in a human nature that’s far less reliable than he thinks certainly being one, but another being the fact that for all his rhetoric regarding the death of heroes and the equality of his system, he is king of his powers. He decides when they’re used, he pulls the trigger, he is judge jury and executioner. This episode was the breaking point on that internal tension, when the collapsing tunnel finally prompted him to make himself the hero-celebrity he’s never wanted to be. Now he’s finally going to come into direct contact with Hajime, who is perhaps the only human being who truly represents the spirit of community his hundred were supposed to embody. This show just keeps getting better and better.
And the rest
Monogatari was a recap this week, and I’ve officially dropped Watamote – the show seems to really not have any aspirations outside of humorously and deservedly dumping on Tomoko, and that’s just not too compelling to me. I’m very excited for next week, though – a new arc in Monogatari, a new day in Uchouten Kazoku, and the long-awaited confrontation of Gatchaman’s two leads promises plenty of action, excitement, and thoughtful understated character drama. My favorite things!
Free! – Episode 6
Hey gang! Hope you liked last week’s present, cause this week you’re getting NOTHING. That’s right, no cards up my sleeve, no conceits in reserve, I just got off a ten hour shift in my first week back from my two week vacation and I’m sipping this here beer and I’m straight-up gunslinging. Off the cuff, off the chain, no refills, no refunds. Wait, yes refills. Many such. Rei’s out getting himself drowned in the goddamn ocean and Makoto’s drowning under Tragic History and basically everybody’s drowning under the sexual tension of Haru-chan x Water-kun. Enough dilly dallying it’s time for FREE.
Episode 6
0:30 – Urobuchi approves of this plot turn.
And seriously, I’m beginning to doubt Haru’s philosophy of playing his cards so close to the vest. If Makoto’s the only overtly competent Free!, I don’t know how any of them will get out of this alive
1:11 – Just think, this may very well be the last time .
Also not really sure how his chest is supposed to work, there. Just checked my own chest for reference, and failed to notice any carapace-esque bone structure
That’s right, downgrading from lunatic concept pieces to complaining about unflattering frames of animation. On firetonight!
2:19 – YES. OUR HERO RISES . May or may not be losing my grip on reality here, cause I don’t think I’ll be able to revert to non-Yagami Haru at this point
2:41 – Just a moment to survey the scene, but the conclusion is obvious. Rei’s foolish pride, Makoto’s generous heart… dear god, has my tower crumbled so soon?
I can’t help it you guys what is wrong with meee
2:50 – Boys may not go to the restroom together, but Frees sure do
3:00 – Both dead, of course. The grief washes over me for a moment, and is swiftly replaced by disappointment. This will surely complicate getting to regionals
3:17 – Water-kun has betrayed Haru-chan . Not sure I can watch this
4:44 – No bullshit here. I’m amazed they’ve shifted from the usual shenanigans to making this scene work , even if genre-awareness means I know Rei and Nagisa were saved by a friendly manatee or something
4:57 – “At least… we’ll always have… the doujins…”
5:18 – AHAHA oh man trolled so hard . You want that kissu? Too fuckin’ bad
5:32 – It really is amusing the tropes this show is playing with
6:32 – Sure, I almost drowned… but more importantly, Makoto seemed really upset . It’s good these guys are keeping their narrative priorities straight
7:01 – Jeez Makoto, freezing up when you see your friend drowning? What kind of goddamn sissy sad-sack are you?
7:24 – Jesus christ that body. How old is Makoto again? Well, I guess technically we’re counting in Yoko-years
7:40 – What is my takeaway supposed to be from this scene? Is it just latent angry-nerdy-teenagerdom that makes me see all masculine bonding as incredibly sexual?
7:50 – Wow, way to ruin the mood you goddamn second-string wobble-chests
8:11 – This wishy-washy male bonding shit has gone on long enough . First Makoto propositions him, now everybody’s all touchy-feely about Rei’s feelings… this is bullshit. Haru is laying down the fucking law
8:37 – This drama is so silly. It’s a good thing nobody’s paying attention to what they’re talking about
8:46 – 10,000 BDs or bust! That pause actually made me laugh out loud
9:00 – DID SOMEBODY SAY HAUNTED LIGHTHOUSE?!?
9:27 – Oh thank god someone said something
10:19 – Great work KyoAni. You are living up to your potential
10:48 – What is this show. What am I doing with my life
11:35 – Sure, why not. Aprons for everybody! Get it all out, Free
12:16 – Wait, how the fuck did they find edible mackerel in an abandoned lighthouse? Goddamnit these plot holes. My suspension of disbelief is lying in tatters
13:41 – I think I’ve only just realized what “like K-On, but with boys” actually implies. There is no end to this suffering
13:50 – And you thought they’d deny you shouta Rei!
14:53 – Ohmygod yes HaruxWater CANON MOTHERFUCKERS
15:37 – Seriously, is this what this genre is actually like? I hate you. All of you. I hate every single one of you.Damnit KyoAni
17:52 – I like all of this . He wasn’t even that close to the man, but it was still an affecting childhood experience. Not overplayed, but still understandable. Nice work
19:09 – Theirs are the chests that will pierce the heavens.
Ugh, cheap joke. Gimme a do-over
19:46 – Alright, yes, we’ve bonded. Great work, team
20:39 – I have to admit he has lovely eyes
And Done
Jeez, that episode was… pretty dull. Right? Am I right? Seriously, great, fisherman story, we got Makoto’s tragic history out, but… well, as I clearly stated in the user manual, KyoAni’s slice of life stuff bores me to tears. And make no mistake, this episode was slice of life as fuck – bonding moments, sewing circles, lighthearted haunted lighthouses… Goddamn, you guys, this show isn’t pulling any punches. Here’s hoping we make it out of this alive.
Criticism versus Nitpicking and Grounded Conflict
Question:
What separates a legitimate criticism of a show from nitpicking? Can one complaint be more “valid” than another, if they’re both things the show is actually lacking or doesn’t explain or whatnot? And is there a scale for this stuff – do fifty tiny complaints add up to one big one, or does it require some single significant failing to constitute a legitimate criticism?