Tag Archives: Anime

Spring 2019 – First Impressions, Part Two

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New anime have been tumbling down the pipe every day this week, and today I’ve returned with another bounty of fresh previews. So far, the main thing that seems to be defining this season is its middle-of-the-road consistency – I’ve rated nothing above a four and only one show below a two, but nearly everything I’ve seen has been pretty competently executed on the whole. In light of that, this season is full of properties that are at least worth investigating, and seeing if their particular strengths gel with what you’re seeking in a show. Per usual, you can check out the full list of reviews right here, or scroll below for my own scores and links to individual reviews. Let’s break down some anime!

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Spring 2019 – First Impressions, Part One

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Well folks, the seasonal deluge is well underway, and the preview guide bulwarks are only barely containing the flood. I’m needed back on the preview front lines, but I felt it about time to send this message home, and let you all know the course of the battle. The first wave of spring shows has actually been very solid so far, with a fine scattering of recommendation-worthy shows across an array of genres, and basically nothing that actively lessens my faith in humanity. As usual, you can check out the full list of previews here, or scroll below for my own scores and links to individual reviews. Let’s run down the season so far!

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Land of the Lustrous – Episode 1

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“As long as we collect enough parts, we can be put back together.” That’s the promise that Rutile makes to our protagonist Phos, while explaining the unique nature of their crystalline bodies. It’s a true statement, and a source of comfort for Land of the Lustrous’ stars, but its implications also speak to the fundamental question and hope of this entire narrative. “As long as we collect enough parts, we can be put back together” we tell ourselves, as the world chips at us, and our bodies betray us at every turn. We can be fixed. We can be remade. Perhaps, one day, we could even be whole.

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Winter 2019 – Week 12 in Review

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Aw shit you guys, the season’s over! It was all epic conclusions and goodbyes this week, as everything from Kemurikusa to Run with the Wind turned in their final assignments. The strengths or weaknesses of those final episodes were as diverse as the shows themselves; Kemurikusa attempted to switch gears for a genuine action spectacle, The Magnificent Kotobuki decided to hone in on all the things it does best, and Mob Psycho balanced its absurd animation feats with a lengthy and well-deserved epilogue. It’s been a pretty excellent anime season, and though some shows have had their ups and downs, I’m still astonished that both Mob Psycho and Run with the Wind were as consistently terrific as they turned out to be. Let’s run it all down in one last Winter 2019 Week in Review!

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Why It Works: Revolutionary Girl Utena’s Ikuhara is Directing an Anime this Spring!

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Today I wrote the necessary followup to last week’s Watanabe-focused article, this time exploring the career of the equally remarkable Kunihiko Ikuhara. It’s a pretty classic retrospective, focusing on both his themes and influences, with a solid shoutout to Junichi Sato for good measure. Let’s get to it!

Revolutionary Girl Utena’s Ikuhara is Directing an Anime this Spring!

Hugtto! Precure – Episode 7

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Folks, I’m so happy to be watching another episode of Huggto! The show has been a total joy so far, constructed on a variety of stellar fundamental pillars, from Hana’s excellent performance as the heroine to its great sense of humor, along with both its generally appealing art design and its major directorial highlights. Huggto! has already offered some truly stunning cuts of action animation, with their signature appeals so far seeming to be their clear sense of scale and weight. You can really feel how massive and imposing these Precures’ enemies are, as well as the impact of their attacks, be it through the carefully animated struggle of their limbs to hold back some attack, or through the understanding of tempo and sound design that informs the often terrifying distance between when a Precure is knocked aside and when they actually hit the ground.

And outside those fight scenes, Huggto! has established a clear thematic thrust and a team of heroines worth rooting for. After last episode offered Homare’s proper introduction into the team’s everyday life, I’m guessing this one will be ramping up the threat of their foes, or perhaps even moving us towards our next Cure. I have no goddamn clue, frankly, but I’m excited regardless. Let’s check out some Precure!

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Bloom Into You – Episode 11

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Alright folks, you know it’s time for Bloom Into You. As the season moves towards its endgame, we find ourselves approaching an inevitable clash between the rapidly diverging desires of Yuu and Touko. For Yuu, the last several episodes have seen her undergo a profound shift in how she views both Touko and herself. She can no longer affect the nonchalant, flirtatious person who once effortlessly sparred with Touko – having actually developed strong feelings for her senpai, she is now hyper-aware of Touko’s every movement, and increasingly unsatisfied with their romantic stasis. Meanwhile, challenges to Touko’s desire to replace her sister seem to have only hardened her own resolve. While misinterpreting Yuu’s newfound self-consciousness as a pushback against her own affection, she moves ever closer to fulfilling her sister’s role in the play, and thus completing her last wish. But what comes after she’s already done all the things her sister pursued? And will Yuu’s feelings even remain repressed that long? We’ve got plenty of thorny drama to look forward to as we explore another episode of this terrific show!

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Winter 2019 – Week 11 in Review

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Closing time is approaching, friends. With only one real week left in the winter season, all my seasonal contenders were wrapping things up for the endgame this week, offering a mix of climactic battles and shocking reveals and various other animated delights. The Magnificent Kotobuki sent like five hundred goddamn planes into the air to blow each other up, while Kemurikusa finally unveiled the true nature of its world, and Run with the Wind simply maintained its signature excellence. It was a week of winter 2019, in short, and I’m happy to move beyond the general vagueries and get down to the details with you all. Let’s run down one more week in anime!

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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s – Episode 2

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Hello folks, and welcome to another friggin’ episode of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha! I’ve been having a lovely time with this series, and I hope you have as well – in addition to filling out an important gap in my history-of-anime knowledge, it’s also just been a very fun, aesthetically compelling show in its own right. It always bears repeating that few creative ideas truly come from nowhere – all creators are reprocessing and reflecting the works that inspired them, and thus engaging with Nanoha has naturally enriched my understanding of works like Madoka Magica, Symphogear, and modern interpretations of magical girl drama as a whole. And considering Wrong Every Time has not-so-subtly transformed into some kind of magical girl appreciation blog (shoutouts to Precure, Doremi, and Princess Tutu), it’s probably a good thing that I’m finally investigating one of the modern titans of the genre.

So far, the transition into Nanoha’s second season has come with a variety of aesthetic consequences. The shift from Akiyuki Shinbo to Keizo Kusakawa has been accompanied by a general consolidation of the Nanoha aesthetic, with fewer of the striking two-tone compositions Shinbo favors, but plenty of generally evocative symmetrical compositions. The show’s ostentatious post-processing work and focus on mechanical transformations remain intact, but the introduction of an antagonist who actually combines magic with physical strikes has lent the battles a newfound sense of physical weight, along with more animation flourishes. To be honest, that first episode fight was probably the best-composed battle of the franchise so far, and I’m excited to see Fate herself take the stage. Let’s dive into another episode of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha!

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Winter 2019 – Week 10 in Review

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This was not the greatest week in anime, I am afraid to report. All the shows I’m watching that are apparently capable of weaker episodes ended up producing one, with JoJo in particular offering what was almost certainly the worst Golden Wind episode so far. Fortunately, even if all the stragglers faltered this week, both Mob Psycho 100 and Run with the Wind excelled with their usual grace, offering an encouraging counterpoint to their so-so compatriots. Pretty cool that for this season, even a particularly lousy week of anime still offers some of the best spectacles of the year!

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