C3-bu – Episode 8

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Hopefully today will see the triumph and downfall of the reign of Chairman Yura. Let’s do it!

Episode 8

4:45 – Well, the episode’s called “Does a Commander Have to be Heartless?” So I assume this will end with the “character experiences their lowest point” moment, where Yura’s teammates finally stop putting up with her abuse. Hopefully she’ll manage to pick herself up without Kanbaru’s intervention

Kinda funny to me that due to the nature of anime seasons, a whole slew of “character experiences their lowest point” episodes are cropping up this week – this, Uchouten Kazoku, Gatchaman Crowds, Free!… narrative structure is pretty predictable, I guess, and structure generally dictates the turn hits around the two-thirds point, which then curves upwards into the road to redemption and climax

Incidentally, I like this episode’s game format. Seems like a very good way to keep the drama continuous and force the characters to interact with a variety of teams

4:50 – Nice face 

6:59 – That’s right.  Suck it up ya goddamn sissies

7:25 – Well I’m sure this won’t come up again 

Saying that makes me want to do an entire writeup from the perspective of someone who is utterly blind to story convention and completely surprised by every predictable plot turn, but that might be too self-indulgent even for me

8:21 – Goddamnit can’t you fuckups do even one thing right 

8:41 – I bend over backwards for you shitstains and this is how you reward me? 

9:06 – Yeah jeez that’d be crazy . Although in all fairness, there is a chance they’ll save that for an episode or two, and have Yura’s dictatorship blow up before she gets the chance to compete with Rin here

9:39 – Night airsoft in the woods?  These guys must love broken ankles

9:54 – Dat’s hardcore 

11:12 – Fortunately, our team is composed of little girls 

12:37 – What have I become?!? 

14:01 – Dun dun dun . I like how characters always raise their hands when it starts raining to confirm that yes, that is in fact rain which is falling on you

14:51 – That bitch insulted Sonora’s teachings!  That’s it – I’m gonna try really hard and not have any fun andbeat her! That’ll show her!

15:23 – Yura’s minister of propaganda  is working overtime today

20:15 – Pretty intense duel . Definitely one of the better ones so far, though it’s still kinda weightless, since they didn’t really set up the parameters of this warehouse fight beyond “we found them – oh no, it’s an ambush!” Players are hit or not depending on whether its convenient for the plot at that time.

That said, this is more about the emotional payoff than the sports one. But this show spends too much time focusing on the sports/action element to really get away with slacking off on setting up comprehensible action setpieces

21:06 – YURA YOU HAVE BESMIRCHED THE NAME OF AIRSOFT 

21:24 – I’m a sucker for big unsubtle tricks like this shot . Gatchaman was also having a lot of fun with the lighting this week

And Done

Great development at the end there. Now the brewing discontent of Yura’s teammates will be swept under the rug because they actually won, and Yura’s the only one who knows anything is wrong. I look forward to much suffering going forward!

Uchouten Kazoku – Episode 8

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Well, the plot’s afoot now. Yajirou’s part in his father’s death, though obviously not anything approaching full blame, will definitely be quite the scandal for the election. Yasaburou has so far managed to indulge his ultimately compassionate and dutiful nature while still maintaining his air of aloof ne’er-do-wellhood, but this trial will likely force his hand.

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Monogatari S2 – Episode 8

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So, Araragi and Shinobu, time travelling buddy cops trying to find their way back to the future. Or, as various people have pointed out, simply waiting for the future to happen on its own, since technically neither of them actually age. But wouldn’t that result in double Araragis and double Shinobus? I guess they could always just wait until present day again and then kill their doppelgangers… or wait, no, they don’t have to, they can just wait until the extra ones (not extra technically, just them in the future-past) head back in time. And that works whether this is a new timeline or simply a point in the past on the original one. Problem solved!

I like time travel.

Episode 8

1:03 – Baiting Kizu once again. KyoAni have some competition in the troll olympics

1:56 – These two have a great dynamic. Actually, most of the characters in this show have a pretty decent rapport, outside of Nadeko I guess. One of the many things that makes this a harem-but-not-really – I mean, structurally it is a harem (well, more of a supernatural/psychological thriller in a harem shell), and everybody pretty much loves Araragi, but almost all the conversations are an even back-and-forth based on friendship, not romantic tension. In fact, many conversations seem to possess sexual tension but not romantic tension, which is much more rare in anime, or at least rarely done in a way that isn’t just fetishizing a character for the sake of the audience. And legitimately good banter is a precious thing.

3:37 – Eh, lesser OP. I wonder if we’ll get another Platinum Disco?

4:01 – For the plot to work, obviously. That’s how time travel always works.

Incidentally, holy fuck does getting precise screencaps suck in this damn stream.

5:23 – Yeah, because saving a little girl 11 years ago isn’t going to affect anything else. Araragi is not a very good time traveler. Then again, if anyone ever was, time travel stories would be exceedingly boring

5:56 – Goddamnit Araragi. For someone who was expressing questions of parallel timelines an episode ago, you sure are flippant about making massive shifts to the course of peoples’ lives. His martyr complex is not gonna do history any favors

6:13 – I can’t believe Shinobu is the one talking sense into him

7:19 – Yes. This is how the butterfly effect works

7:36 – This makes no sense literally, so I have to assume we’re digging at the theme of this arc. Much like that first conversation about red versus green lights. Which works well with Hachikuji’s existence as an apparition, an eternal red light who can never proceed. Not that they’ll necessarily take it there, but Isin tends to scatter a whole lot of relevant Lego pieces, so I generally just poke pieces into each other until they seem to fit

8:57 – Goddamnit you two stawp

9:59 – Loli Hanekawa. We have jumped the shark

10:18 – Man, Shinbou and his sweet visual gags. A montage of street signs to simulate the experience of rolling down the street. Nice

11:04 – You’re fired. You’re fired. Everyone’s fired

12:36 – If you want to stop being mistaken for a pervert, you should stop being such a goddamn pervert, Araragi

12:38 – This entire episode is just fanservice of Araragi and Shinobu being adorable together. THEY’VE FOUND MY WEAKNESS

13:15 – Very nice

13:44 – Everyone involved is enjoying this arc far too much. New team: also fired

16:26 – Our hero

16:46 – Yes, Araragi. By all means, convince her you’re no one suspicious

17:52 – This is such an insane changeup from the last arc. But I guess Hanekawa arcs are heavy psychological drama, and Hachikuji arcs are pretty close to straight comedy

21:46 – I love the shrine’s color scheme

And Done

Oh jeez, saving a life fucked up the entire present. WOOPSIE-DAISY ARARAGI. Goddamnit. You can’t express some understanding of time travel dynamics and then BREAK THE ONE FUCKING RULE OF TIME TRAVEL. Jesus. What am I gonna do with these kids

Gatchaman Crowds – Episode 7

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I’ve been excited for this one all week. The confrontation has occurred, Hajime has kind of rubbed Rui’s nose in his own hypocrisy, and no hope of an alliance is in sight. Is Rui actually gonna take off his damn makeup and be honest with them? Not likely – he’s obviously very proud and he seems somewhat incapable of seeing other perspectives. Is it war, then? Possibly, though I don’t know what that would do theme-wise. Either way, I think we’re at the breaking point.

Episode 7

0:02 – Nice shot . I bet this’ll be a cheery episode

0:11 – Another really nice one . This show occasionally has animation issues, but its direction and aesthetic are extremely solid

1:07 – Rui’s losing it. 

2:01 – The only other intelligent Gatchaman . He’s a good influence on these kids

4:19 – Simple trick with the lighting here , but it works nicely.

Not sure why I’m on a visual kick this week. The show has kind of set its thematic pieces in place, I guess – we know Hajime and Rui’s philosophies quite well at this point, so all that’s left is to let some dominoes fall

4:27 – Accidental pause reveals another fantastic Hajime face 

5:06 – And Utsutsu is drawn into the light 

5:18 – Bleh.  Another too-much-information moment from Pai. Annoying to see in a show that so often assumes the viewer actually has a brain

6:52 – HOW REAL IS THIS GETTING

7:49 – This escalated quickly 

8:58 – NOT THE TIME FOR A MONOLOGUE 

10:19 – Hurray for leadership 

10:50 – Hajime knows what’s up. She doesn’t blame people for it, though 

11:29 – Awesome shot 

11:41 – Rui has no trouble deciding.  But that has its own pitfalls

God, I love how mixed this show’s feelings are on all its ideas. Well, except for Hajime’s uber-person-hood, I guess

12:21 – Rui’s no fool.  He knew it was hypocritical, but was willing to use any means to establish a world where things like Crowds hopefully wouldn’t be necessary. Another great shot

12:42 – It’s nice having Sugane be the one who makes a connection with Rui, not Hajime. They can talk on equal ground, whereas Hajime stands above everyone, even if she is well-meaning in her lecturing

13:18 – I like Berg Katz mockingly reflecting all of Joe’s melodramatic move names. Just grinding in how old-fashioned and irrelevant this style of hero is, which works both for his character and for this show’s goals

13:42 – Oh god we got the first meeting flashback. Joe’s been throwing out death flag after death flag all show, but that’s probably the last straw

Incidentally, is there actually a respectable term for “death flag”?

14:24 – So apparently OD’s real goddamn powerful. And also an unstable risk, or something. Guess that ominous moment in the OP is relevant

14:48 – Even Pai’s suit has stubby little legs 

17:32 – Dear lord . Also, didn’t want to pause it at the time, but I liked how Berg Katz was mocking him for only doing what he could as an individual human being, as opposed to being the kind of hero the show itself is so sceptical about

18:03 – Might not work this time, Hajime.  Some people just want to watch the world burn

18:14 – Her favorite question. 

19:31 – They’re conveying barely attached to this reality  pretty well

19:42 – Something she can’t understand.  That reoccuring “everyone having fun” thing points to a common humanity that Katz lacks. Hajime’s shocked for the first time

20:08 – Her faith in our nature was shaken.  But it’s not always misplaced 

20:40 – Rui, asking for help and advice?

21:35 – Really hammering on that “bright future”/”when is the world brightest” thing today  – starting with Utsutsu’s conversion, ending here

And Done

Sooo, is Joe dead? He seemed pretty dead, but Utsutsu’s powers are pretty broken, so I dunno. Somehow I don’t think that episode-ending tea party would be appropriate if Sugane’s mentor had bit the bullet.

Anyway, sweet episode. Shit finally hits the fan, and I’m happy to see them finally turning towards Berg Katz. I like how pretty much everyone’s view of both human nature and the power of social media has been examined and discarded by the halfway point, and I’m interested to see what Rui does going forward. I particularly like how Rui finally got his act together this episode – Hajime’s accusations last time didn’t force him further into his own self-delusion, but instead made him resolve to actually attack his own hypocrisy. And when his powers were broken, he freely admitted his rhetoric had been hypocritical all along.

Bunch of other random interesting stuff. All the Gatchamen got some development, and Pai straight up abandoned his subordinates. I hope that results in some changes in their structure – Utsutsu and Sugane almost certainly have far more faith in Hajime than Pai, and even if Hajime’s willing to let this slip, I doubt Sugane will.

This show is full of fun surprises, and at this point I just want to marathon the damn thing out. Watching shows as they air really sucks sometimes.

-edit- Just realized that Pai’s early jealousy about OD being good at managing them plays well into this episode’s mini-arc of tearing down his leadership ability. So that’s actually nice, in retrospect.

Summer 2013 – Week 7 in Review

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Management: I think a lot of people find this format more friendly/useful than the timestamp writeups, and I write these things either way, so I think I’ll be posting them here going forward. Also, feel free to let me know anything you’d like more of in the comments.

This week was so good. My top two shows for this season are swiftly becoming two of my all-time favorites, and both of them had fantastic turns this week that seemed to indicate a honing of focus for the second half. Those first:

Uchouten Kazoku 7: This episode got me right in the gut. It started off extremely strong, with one last beautiful Benten vignette before returning the focus to the brothers. But the key here was the ending. This whole episode, the perspective shifted subtly but in a crucial way – while Yasaburou was still prominent, the focus this week was on illuminating the various sides of his put-upon older brother, Yaichirou. Seeing the contrast in his behavior towards the professor (calm, deferential), his rivals (confident, authoritative), and his brothers (childish, honest) really drove home the fact that his family is the one thing he truly relies on and lowers his guard towards. Which made the final scene, when his brother confessed to his role in their father’s death, absolutely heartbreaking. Yaichirou starts off essentially begging his brother to be innocent, and falls apart with a cry and collapse when he is let down. Right now, the political issues are secondary – this is Yaichirou realizing the one thing he trusts cannot be relied on. In a narrative sense, this moment clearly points towards what conflicts will cloud the second half of this show. But in its own context, it is one more incredibly personal and relatable moment in a show absolutely brimming with them, and its tragedy does nothing to diminish its beauty.

God, I hope this show maintains this quality to the end. So far I think it’s a goddamn masterpiece.

Gatchaman Crowds 6: Not to be outdone (by much, seriously, that Kazoku episode killed me), Gatchaman Crowds pulled out all the stops this week. The cliffhanger meeting from last week was delayed only so the existence of Gatchamen could become public knowledge, and the repercussions of this were as predictable as they were awesome. While the Gatchamen went to ground, Rui was forced to act – the existence of actual superheroes would throw a serious wrench in his “everyone’s a hero, no-one’s a hero” master plan. And so he arranges a meeting with Hajime through a fun set piece demonstrating the power of GALAX, ending with a clash where Hajime takes all of five minutes to acknowledge, question, and dismantle Rui’s philosophy. Hajime ain’t nothing to fuck with. Sugane and Hajime’s relationship also progressed this episode, with Sugane finally getting it through his thick skull that Hajime is far smarter than any of them. This show is heating up.

Monogatari S2 6: It sure is tough being the first seed in a season with two of the best dark horses in recent history. This episode of Monogatari got a bit too indulgent and pointlessly Isin-ish in the first half, but the second half was a lot of fun. Shinobu’s lack of fucks regarding the dynamics of time travel, and Araragi’s extremely valid and well-thought-out concerns (which he only mentions after the fact, of course, because at the time a girl had said she needed his help), made for an extremely entertaining ride. These two have one of my favorite dynamics in the show, and sending them off on a buddy cop time travel story promises all kinds of great shenanigans.

Free! 7: Thank god. Last week’s slice of life tedium feels thoroughly behind us, because this week saw a new episode director (the one behind K-On and Tamako Market, surprisingly) inject a massive infusion of visual distinction and purpose into the proceedings. Great direction and cinematography throughout this week, and virtually everything that happened was purposeful. This show’s narrative is absolute pap, but good direction can make almost anything compelling, and this episode proved that. Nice work, Free.

TWGOK S3 7: One of the funniest episodes yet for TWGOK, with this episode attempting to pull a double-booked-date double-seduction hat trick (yes, I know a hat trick involves three things, shut up). Not much else to say – last week disappointed me because it played the romantic scenario too straight, and this week bashed two or three romantic scenarios together at the same time, with Keima continuously ratcheting up his ambition despite barely being able to stand. This is comedy I can get behind.

C3-bu 7: Eh, I’m just enjoying this show for what it is at this point. This episode was pleasant, and the characters were pleasant, and the pacing was pleasant. Yura slowly becoming a moesoft tyrant is pretty great, and her characterization is well-realized. It’s a show with middling ambitions that pretty much always hits the mark.

Hunter x Hunter 93: This show is so great. This week transitioned from a tyrannical genetic mutant establishing a human meat farm to… a teenage boy tailing his friend on a date to watch out for any funny business. And it worked. It always works. I don’t know how they do it, but this show is fun and fast-paced and well-directed and full of creative ideas or great twists on old ones every single time.

So yeah. Almost everything was excellent this week. No complaints from me.

Free! – Episode 7

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No manic energy tonight. Very sleepy. Our glistening men will have to use those ample shoulders of theirs to carry a little more weight than usual. Hopefully that won’t be a problem – I found last episode pretty dull in spite of all its touchy-feely character-building pretensions, and I’m really just here to watch Gou be a derp and see Haru and Rin shoot smoldering looks at each other. I’d always thought KyoAni’s slice of life shows were lame, but never before had I actually witnessed a combined beach/desert island/haunted house/slumber party/flashback episode – that is like four played-out tropes too many. Get back in gear, Free. Juggle your resources like this and you’ll never make it to regionals.

Episode 7

0:15 – Wow, this rise out of the water  used as much animation as an entire lesser episode  of Titan

0:23 – Nagisa if you screw this up for Haru  so help me god

2:12 – I kind of wonder if this is any more or less watchable for me than any of KyoAni’s other slice of life shows. I mean, the novelty of it being maleblobs as opposed to moeblobs has kinda worn off, so outside of the vaguely appropriated sports shell, I’m pretty much left with K-On with abs. I guess you fuckers tricked me.

2:52 – Nice shot 

3:16 – Holy shit,  I’m already liking this episode waaay more than the last couple. They’re actually building some real tension here, and all these shots are great. Are they actually trying to evoke Rin’s feeling of discomfort? Is this show trying?

Oh jeez you guys I’m sittin’ up in my chair

3:28 – Animating a fish must suck

3:48 – HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS. LOOK AT THAT OMINOUS SHOT COMPOSITION.  And the split fish shadows dancing on the ground… man, where did THIS show come from?

4:12 – Oh, of course, it’s a dream. That’s perfect – those overwhelming cicadas earlier, now slowly fading into this creeping piano line… all the smudged colors, and the way reality seems to sort of crumble at the edges… alright, Free. Take the stand

4:22 – Well now I’m glad I didn’t do some theme gimmick this week.  Lovely shots left and right

4:39 – This is so great.  A creepy, distinctive setpiece that conveys every single thing we need to know about Rin’s past and motivation with barely a word. KYOANI WHY U TROLL ME LIKE THIS

5:01 – Why are shark teeth a thing 

5:39 – Oh but it is 

6:07 – Gou prattles on about her meaningless shenanigans. Haru’s eyes reside elsewhere.  Soon!

6:33 – “I’ll have their individual swimming styles and data recorded by the time of the match.” Alright, again, that’s great and all, but… this is swimming. You swim your fastest, and the other guy swims his fastest, and the fastest guy wins. Not a whole lot of room for strategic interplay there

6:56 – Rin’s effect on Haru is so strong it activates his hair-tossling automatically 

7:46 – Why are you doing this to yourself?! You’re going down a road I can’t follow, senpai! 

8:19 – Don’t we all?  There’s not a man on this team without some devastating watersports-related baggage

8:59 – Yeah, it’s basically exactly the same as K-On . Last week someone mentioned how male bonding was much more prevalent and overt outside of America’s defensive, screwed-up society, and that makes sense to me. But these characters just don’t ring as teenage males to me – they ring as children, just the way moe SoL characters so often do. It’s a really weird disconnect, and the fact that they’re using it for male characters makes me think this has just become an established rule of the escapist SoL genre. Is it working? I’m kind of blind to moe – are scenes like this successfully making people want to hold these characters’ hands and pinch their cheeks and tell them there aren’t any monsters under the bed?

9:27 – Man this is a weird effect. I’m recognizing Rei’s character so strongly – it’s a weird mixture of glasses-pusher and the direct moe parallel, the authoritative and standoffish but secretly passionate straight-laced type. And Haru is the blank-faced savant, and Rin is the tsundere, and… dear god

9:41 – Is this the plot of the rest of the show?  So, more training, the club will prosper, more slice of life shenanigans, you’ll meet Rin but there will be a conflict and you won’t be able to beat him swimming solo so eventually you’ll meet near the end of the series in the relay and win for real. Did I get it?

9:51 – Not to get 2deep4u or anything, but that’s twice in five minutes that Haru has thought of Rin and then turned to watch an object fly away into the sky. Symbolism!

9:57 – “Matsuoka-senpai, you’re not taking the bus to regionals with everyone else?!” Again Free shows some less-than-graceful exposition

10:29 – This is a conflict I can actually get behind.  It only required one dedicated scene to establish, but it’s fundamental enough that anyone can somewhat understand this character now

11:15 – “I’m going to see my dad.” Also nice. I like that they don’t drag this out with some trashy reveal – that flashback already told us everything, so the show can just move on.

11:24 – Here’s another iteration of that “rookies are useful for narrative” thing – one of the main purposes of Rin’s roommate is simply to give him someone to exposit and react to . Characters monologuing exposition to themselves is pretty ugly

11:54 – They are going crazy with the water  this week

12:45 – Nice parallel with the roommate’s own feelings.  This episode overall isn’t quite living up to those first few minutes, but it’s still a far cry from what this show was last week

13:17 – I love these shots . One of my favorite things about anime. They’re called pillow shots, I believe – they add nothing to the direct narrative, but they convey mood and a sense of space, and work wonders for pacing. A very un-western convention that carries across film, anime, and comics. In this case, they’ve significantly shifted the tone of the show throughout this episode, and here in particular they pull back the focus from the specificity and passion of Rin’s speech to the contemplative wider atmosphere of the early morning in an extremely organic way

13:36 – An absolutely lovely pan.  The scenery looks more like a sketch with watercolors than harsh cells. The bird in flight adds a nice focal point to draw the eye upward and also echoes that reoccuring “object in flight” motif

What happened to this show you guys

14:07 – All of it together now 

14:19 – Pff, you call those bags under your eyes?  Tomoko is not impressed

15:28 – Makoto’s going for a PhD in thoughtful concerned looks 

15:39 – Can you feel the heat?  Cause you can jump in the pool if you want, the first race doesn’t start for an hour

15:55 – Omigod you guys regionals 

16:47 – At least the show also realizes  swimming is an absurd subject for a sports show

17:11 – Gou is best Free . I can’t say I’m thrilled that the moment KyoAni adopt a more angular and less moefied design style, they use it for The Swimming Anime

17:42 – He’ll be publishing his thesis any day now 

18:35 – Oh no he didn’t 

18:56 – Oshit they dropped the bass. Now you KNOW It’s On

19:19 – Makoto stop your body can’t take the strain 

19:28 – Nice shot 

21:32 – That’s right. ALL the water 

And Done

Oh man, intense ending, huh? I guess Haru’s gonna have to start giving a shit if he wants to get on Rin’s level.

Anyway, that episode wasn’t the funniest, but it handily made up for that by being far more visually inspired than I ever remember this show being. New episode director? Either way, I’m all for it, and I’m looking forward to the aftermath of Haru’s sweet, chlorinated tears. If you want to get serious, Free, I am right there with you

Fall 2013 Season Preview

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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?

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The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 7

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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

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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

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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.

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