God damn you guys I am watching way too much anime. It’s currently almost noon on Wednesday, and I still haven’t released the Week in Review because I tripped and got buried under a pile of new episodes. Sure, I could maybe have planned the week better and gotten this work done some time before now, but then how would have I found the time to watch the latest Mob Psycho four or five times? It’s a conundrum with seemingly no answer, and considering this post is already late, we’re certainly not solving it today. Let’s roll out the list and burn down another week in anime!
Tag Archives: Anime
Why It Works: The Adapted Vision of The Promised Neverland
I’ve got a nice, meaty topic for this week’s Why It Works, as we dig into the complexities and unique priorities of anime in adaptation. While an anime that attempted to echo Neverland’s intricate fairy tale tone would have been very interesting, it’s clear that this team are instead focused on making a tightly wound suspense thriller, and their choices bear that out. I hope you enjoy the piece!
The Adapted Vision of The Promised Neverland
Princess Tutu – Episode 20
Though Princess Tutu is a story about the nature of narratives, and how stories sculpt our lives, its sympathy has mostly been limited to the players within those stories. While characters like Rue and Ahiru try their best to write their own stories, they are ultimately constrained by the whims of their author – and Drosselmeyer himself isn’t sympathetic at all. Drosselmeyer has never hesitated in inflicting hardship upon his characters; he seems to believe they exist entirely for his amusement, and that he has no responsibility to respect their feelings or dreams. But here in its twentieth episode, Princess Tutu at last reveals that it fully understands the plight of the author, and the heavy responsibility of holding characters’ lives in your hands. Princess Tutu’s characters struggle even to choose their own paths, but if they are to succeed, they will have to embrace the power of authorship, and the responsibility of writing a happier future.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 12
No time for lollygagging folks, we’re at the final battle! Nanoha’s uniquely meditative pacing and familial focus have offered me plenty of interesting stuff to talk about throughout these writeups, but it’s finally time to kick Fate’s mom’s ass, and I am very here for that. Last episode saw Nanoha and Fate clashing in a battle that was just as satisfying as I’d hoped, leading into the reveal that Fate was never truly Precia’s daughter at all. Designed as a substitute for Precia’s actual daughter Alicia, Fate basically never had a shot at earning Precia’s love – she was pining for a past that didn’t even apply to her, an emphatic underlining of how trying to meet your abuser’s demands will never truly satisfy them. And now, just having watched this terrible woman mock Fate to her face, it’s time for Nanoha to kick some ass. My only real regret at this point is that unlike her spiritual successor Hibiki, Nanoha fights with laser attacks and not fists – I’d seriously like to see Nanoha personally deck this woman. But that’s a minor quibble, and on the whole, I’m very excited to see this unusual and very compelling show come to a close. Let’s burn down another episode of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha!
Bloom Into You – Episode 7
Gosh, episode six sure was a mess, wasn’t it? It was one of this production’s crowning achievements so far, but all of its aesthetic beauty and psychological inquiry were in service of buoying up one of the most proudly unhealthy relationships I’ve seen. Framed as a joyous meeting of the minds in the most romantic possible setting, last episode’s climax was perhaps the single strongest scene of Bloom Into You, and also the most harrowing.
What was initially planned to be the moment where Yuu and Touko finally engage honestly, and Yuu actually helps Touko with her emotional hangups, turned instead into an emphatic affirmation of all the lies this relationship is built on. Touko promises to love Yuu, while thinking to herself that if Yuu were to change, she’d discard her in a moment. Yuu promises to respect Touko’s facade, while secretly praying both she and Touko grow out of their current situation. The two seem genuinely codependent at this point, and yet each of them also cannot respect the other’s most deeply held wishes, or respect all aspects of their personality at once. More than anything, they are unified by their dislike for fundamental elements of their own selves, and the fear that if they don’t have each other, they don’t have anyone. But with Touko loving Yuu for the lack of romantic feeling she hopes to outgrow, and Yuu loving Touko for the vulnerability she refuses to embrace, each of them end up reinforcing the very qualities they’re hoping to escape.
Currently, Yuu would be best off if she broke off this relationship entirely – it’s very unequal, she actively wants to change, and Touko is preventing her from embracing that change. Of course, if it were that easy to escape an unhealthy relationship, this drama wouldn’t be so deliciously messy. Having clearly stated just how bad for each other they are, I’m eager to see what tumbles down next. Let’s explore another episode of Bloom Into You!
Winter 2019 – Week 3 in Review
There’s too friggin’ much good anime, you guys. We’re now over three weeks into the winter season, and I’m still so buried in worthwhile shows that I’m struggling to manage it all. I’ve been doing my best to cram in lingering episodes of Mob Psycho, my two CG-heavy properties seem to actually be getting better over time, and there are still plenty of things I haven’t even gotten the chance to continue. I’ve been hearing good things about Endro!’s later episodes, and Dororo could well be the best dang show of the season, but I am doing my best here. And I suppose Too Many Good Shows is always the best problem to have, even if it does turn all my Week in Review posts into monumental undertakings. Even if I haven’t caught up on everything, I’ve caught up on plenty already, and I have piles of thoughts to share with all of you. Let’s break down at least a slice of this season’s bounty in one more Week in Review!
Tsurune – Review
The hits just keep coming today, huh? Anyway, this should be the last of today’s articles – my full review of last season’s excellent Tsurune. Tsurune’s strangely refreshing tone was a consistent joy all through the fall, and I was happy to discuss it one more time. Let’s get to it!
Why It Works: The True Nature of Strength in Mob Psycho 100
For today’s Why It Works, I’ve got a plus-sized breakdown of Mob Psycho’s overall thematic thrust! Well, not its entire thematic thrust – there are also subthemes regarding social difference and mob mentalities and whatnot that I didn’t directly address, BUT STILL! This is basically a classic thematic essay, and I’m pretty happy with it. Mob Psycho embodies a great deal of what I love in anime, from its visual experimentation to its psychological inquiry to its quirky dramatic sensibilities, but its underlying belief in the power of human kindness and worthiness of all people is what speaks to me most. I hope you enjoy my tribute to this wonderful show!
The True Nature of Strength in Mob Psycho 100
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 11
We’re deep in it now, folks. With our hero having made her final goodbyes to her family and settled accounts with basically all other lingering threads, it’s time for Nanoha and Fate to square off for what Nanoha herself described as the “first and final time.” Literally the entirety of this narrative has been building to this; while Nanoha has at times focused on more specific family drama, or on elaborating its wild worldbuilding, all of these smaller pieces have always existed in service of Nanoha and Fate’s relationship. The show may have started off with a more traditional magical girl quest, but at this point, even the jewel shards are only important insofar as they lend tangible stakes to Nanoha and Fate’s emotional/thematic battle.
Speaking of, I suppose a brief breakdown of our thematic narrative so far would probably be appropriate. Nanoha is a show about family and human connection above all else; Nanoha’s own family has been illustrated with uncommon specificity, while all of Fate’s problems stem from her inability to escape her mother’s reach. Nanoha the show understands that familial bonds aren’t inherently positive, but they are inherently powerful; for Nanoha, that power manifests as a great sense of self-assurance and concern for the people around her, while for Fate, that power keeps her from seeking to escape a deeply abusive relationship. The power and ambiguity of families is a theme that underlines many of my favorite works, from the restless Monogatari to the poignant Eccentric Family, and Nanoha is doing an excellent job of illustrating that complex and inescapable concept. I’ve seen few shows that handle familial abuse this well, and few shows that illustrate how a stable home can grant you true strength with Nanoha’s subtlety and focus. However this plays out, I’m confident the show will be steering this grand thematic clash to a satisfying end. Let’s get right to the battle of Fate and Nanoha!
Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 47
Folks, it is absolutely time for more Ojamajo Doremi. Having just finished contributing to one more season of the ANN preview guide, I find myself thankful anew for how charming and consistently, fundamentally excellent this show is. There are creative trends within this industry that worry me deeply, but there are also shows so earnest and compassionate that they give me hope we’re all gonna make it through. And while I may feel more and more distant from seasonal late night anime trends over time, there are also shows whose appeal feels utterly timeless, and that only resonate with me more as I become an old and grumpy cartoon curmudgeon. Ojamajo Doremi is no less relevant today than the day it was produced, and its empathetic stories are a welcome reminder of the poignancy and creativity of this medium at its best. Let’s all take a moment to appreciate what anime can be, as we explore one more episode of Ojamajo Doremi.