Tag Archives: Anime

Summer 2016 – First Half in Review

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It may be mid-August, but the summer anime season is convinced we still have half a summer to go. I appreciate that kind of optimism, and appreciate even more just how sunny this season has been in general. While this summer has lacked a character drama with the poignancy of Rakugo Shinju or a message show with the complexity and spirit of Concrete Revolutio, it’s made up for that by being stacked with shows that are just damn good entertainment. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Thunderbolt Fantasy are both excellent camp-action spectacles, Mob Psycho 100 is consistently elevated by solid writing and terrific execution, Love Live Sunshine is consolidating everything that is fun about Love Live, and Sweetness & Lightning is a consistent dose of heartwarming family moments. It seems silly to rank a set like that – they’re all so different, and all such positive experiences, that classifying them as “better or worse” than each other seems pointless and inherently jaded.

Of course, I’m gonna do it anyway. That’s what traditions are for! As usual, I’ll be ranking the summer’s shows for the first and only time here at the halfway point, where it should be inescapably obvious that any sort of ranking is an entirely meaningless gesture. Like a series that makes its point in the first season and then just sort of staggers on through mediocre renewals for a while, the halfway point season rankings will proudly continue. Let’s start at the top and RUN ‘EM DOWN!

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Lucky Star – Review

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My journey into Kyoto Animation’s history hit a rough patch this week, as my high hopes ran aground on the rocky shores of Lucky Star. Lucky Star is a long, tedious synthesis of everything I find unimpressive about anime comedy, so all I can say in the end is I’m glad I survived it, and at least now I can reference it confidently when discussing the studio. It was frankly somewhat strange to see such an unfunny comedy from a studio I generally point to as the one group who actually understand comedic timing; there were occasional successful gags, but the vast majority of Lucky Star is just a long, long, long expanse of absolutely nothing. But I survived. That is enough.

You can check out my megasized review over at ANN, or my increasingly desperate notes below!

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Mob Psycho 100 – Episode 5

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Hoo boy did Mob Psycho ever hit it out of the park this week. The show’s visual execution was actually maybe a bit more conservative than usual, but that was more than made up for by this episode’s buffet of thematic meat and sharp character writing. The confrontation between Mob and Teruki turned into a bitter, mutually destructive meditation on each of their insecure positions in life, ending in tears all around. I really didn’t expect this show to be the emotional highlight of the summer, but a couple more episodes like this, and it’ll easily be one of my favorites of the year. What a ride.

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!

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Orange – Episode 6

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Naho’s determination to “save” Kakeru led her to spend this episode’s climactic scene prodding a clearly vulnerable friend about his feelings on his mother’s death. That wasn’t really a high point as far as Naho’s emotional sensitivity goes, but it was certainly a compelling scene in a dramatic sense. There were some wobbly bits and pieces in this episode, but also a nice scattering of excellent character bits. Orange is far from a perfect show, but it’s still a compelling character drama.

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!

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Planetes – Episode 11

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There is something deeply romantic about the freedom of space. Unmoored from the limitations of home, kingdom, or even gravity itself, space promises an open horizon of exploration, a new world where anyone’s potential can be realized. Space is often framed as a realm of conquest to be claimed by bold pioneers; what holds you back is not the gritty specifics of your prior life, but the reach of your spirit. If you can dream it, you can build it. If you can seek it, you can seize it.

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Mawaru Penguindrum – Episode 6

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There’s a strange, uncomfortable disconnect at the heart of Ringo’s mission. Of course, you don’t really need to dig very far to find her actions uncomfortable – even within this episode’s first scene, what has up until now “confined” itself to mere obsessive stalking seems to take an even darker turn. Ringo murmurs breathily about “wedding night” and “our first night together” as the camera trawls across her blue-toned room, the undersea framing echoing both Himari’s room and the general visual language of “fate.” Given their current relationship and her past actions, it seems like Ringo is overtly fantasizing about sexually assaulting Tabuki. But Ringo’s feelings are even more tangled than that.

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Planetes – Episode 10

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Secrets abound in Planetes’ tenth episode. There is one secret we know of, and that is being consciously held by Tanabe – Mr. Gigalt’s failing health, which he asked Tanabe not to share with Hachi. There is one secret who even its holder isn’t aware of: Hachi’s shifting feelings for Tanabe, a truth he is unwilling to admit to himself. And there is one new secret, the secret of Yuri’s past, which is slowly unspooled across the course of one more melancholy adventure.

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Planetarian – Episode 5

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Planetarian ended in likely the most easy way to predict, but that’s not a bad thing – it was a tightly designed narrative and it rode to a satisfying and well-earned conclusion. I even got to be surprised by how well the show pulled off a legitimate action sequence, elevating through smart plotting and sound design what it couldn’t sell entirely through animation. Looks like I can finally say I’m a fan of a Key work!

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my final notes below.

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Mob Psycho 100 – Episode 4

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Mob Psycho was as consistent as ever this week, offering plenty of unique visual highlights while also further exploring the sad contradiction of Mob’s character. Mob’s insecurity is the heart of this series, and the fact that we now have a foil who basically represents everything Mob cannot be is a nice complement to that. Mob Psycho is just damn good entertainment – like Love Live, it’s the kind of high-quality popcorn I’d be happy to munch on every season.

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!

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Shonen Hollywood, Season 2 – Review

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Shonen Hollywood is back and, well, pretty much the same as ever. Same subdued character work, same cynical edge, same pretty-much-crap visual execution. If you’re one of the five or six other people who watched the first season, you know what to expect here. Shonen Hollywood is always a fun watch, and based on the end of this season, it looks like there may be even more coming down the pipe. Who knows what minor disappointments might next await our eternally disenchanted heroes!

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my episode notes below.

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