Tag Archives: Anime

Active Raid – Episode 9

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And Active Raid gets another notch in the Good column. The show’s actually developing a pretty good ratio at this point – there have certainly been some weaker episodes, but the greater majority have been solid ranging to excellent, and it seems like the show will actually be pulling together well. It’s still “just” a procedural police drama for the most part, and lacks the vivid strengths in character, themes, or aesthetics that might make it truly shine, but it’s a competent and often very engaging slice of what it is. Not every show needs to set the world on fire.

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

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Winter 2016 – Week 8 in Review

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Anime was good this week! Basically every show I’m watching had a solid episode, and some impressed with legitimate highlights, too. Both Konosuba and Dagashi Kashi have now established their character relationships firmly enough that they can often just coast on audience investment, and ERASED pulled off a real stunner this week, focusing largely on Hinazuki’s feelings for the first time. Grimgar executed a major action sequence with characteristic emotional grace, and Rakugo Shinju continued to be just as great as it always is. This season has a fairly light spread of shows, but you don’t really need catalog depth if the first couple tiers are holding strong. Let’s get right into this week’s highlights and RUN ‘EM DOWN!

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Blast of Tempest – Review

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So yep, following up on my exploration of the first episode, I ended up marathoning Blast of Tempest and putting together a streaming review. The end result was frankly pretty unsatisfying – I know some people love this show, but it’s just such a messy thing that I could only rarely feel legitimately invested. It rambles and overtells and often feels like it lacks a strong throughline, failing in terms of storytelling fundamentals even as it impresses in terms of personality and creativity. It’s certainly an interesting show, and the cast is great, and I don’t regret watching it… but I can’t say it’s a show I’d actually recommend. Still, for better or for worse, I now feel like I’ve pretty much seen all the acclaimed 2013 anime. So I guess that’s something?

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

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Hyouka – Episode 20

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Hyouka’s twentieth episode opens with a small light growing through a crack in the wall. As the light expands, silent shots of gardening supplies creating a sense of peace in a small space, until the silence is broken by Oreki’s breath. Clearly some time has passed since the last episode, the truth of which is confirmed by Oreki’s first words. “Hey, Chitanda. Do you think the saying, ‘what you do on New Year’s, you repeat all year’ is true?” And Chitanda gives him a thoughtful but comfortable reply as the camera hones in on their new level of intimacy, simultaneously expressing their emotional proximity and the claustrophobia of their situation. But it’ll take them a while to reach that point of closeness. First, Oreki needs a reality check.

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Eureka Seven – Episode 2-4 Notes

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My Eureka Seven watch continues, now complete with a bunch of stray thoughts and idle speculations! The show is still sticking in a very consistent genre space so far, and Renton honestly isn’t feeling like the most likable protagonist at the moment, but it’s still an eminently watchable show. Clean art style, solid direction, and each episode moves things forward to some extent. I’m guessing the show will slow down a bit for more “Renton getting used to the Gekkostate” stuff before any of the ominous military issues being hinted at come to the forefront, but everyone keeps telling me it gets better, so I’m going to assume I’m not being rused. Let’s take a journey back through episodes two through four!

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Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu – Review

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So yep, turns out I got to see Kizumonogatari just a little bit ahead of schedule. AND IT WAS SO GOOD. God damn this movie was great. An utter change of pace from what the current television series has become, but a very compelling alternate interpretation of what the series could be. Tekketsu spins a very sparse number of plot events out across vivid, atmospheric minutes, creating a sense of being trapped in Araragi’s head without actually saying a word. It’s a remarkable feat of execution, and I am extremely excited to see the next ones.

You can check out my very thorough review over at ANN!

Kizumonogatari

The Magic of the Stage in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

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My newest editorial is up over at ANN! This one very unsurprisingly tackles my favorite show of the season, Rakugo Shinju, going into it largely from the perspective of how its framing choices elevate its performance scenes. Rakugo definitely gives me more than enough to talk about, and it was actually kind of a challenge here to decide what not to discuss. The show is a fantastic work, the easy highlight of the year so far, and I really enjoyed digging into it. I hope you enjoy the piece!

The Magic of the Stage in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

Rakugo

ERASED – Episode 8

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Looks like ERASED may truly be out of the woods at this point. Not only was this episode very strong, but it was strong in a way the show hasn’t consistently been, and really needed to express more of. This episode was understated and warm, focused largely on articulating the specificity of Hinazuki’s feelings, and it went a very long way towards giving the show a necessary emotional grounding. Satoru’s an alright character, but he can often feel more like the protagonist of a genre vehicle than an individual; he’s goal-oriented in a way that makes him feel too much like a narrative force. But Hinazuki is a person with a variety of feelings, and this episode gave her a chance to express them. I really enjoyed this one, and I hope the show stays at least close to this strong through the end.

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

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Active Raid – Episode 8

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Active Raid drifted back into the good lane this week, pulling off an episode that starred an understandable conflict that built off the show’s core political themes and also illustrated new things about the main characters. And hey, waddayaknow, just executing on those obvious storytelling fundamentals resulted in a much better story than the episodes that are about basically nothing. It seems weird to be offering criticism that boils down to “stop making bad decisions, instead try making good ones,” but that really does seem to be what it sometimes takes. Active Raid made good decisions this week, and was rewarded with a satisfying episode for it.

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

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Hyouka – Episode 19

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Hyouka’s eighteenth episode made explicit the distance Oreki and Chitanda have moved towards each other, and brought them even closer together over the course of a mystery investigation that might as well have also been a date. By the end of that episode, Oreki’s classic blushes at being caught by Chitanda’s stare were matched by Chitanda’s own feelings, as she found herself struck by new emotions she couldn’t really describe. Relationships have shifted slowly across the course of this series, but at this point, Oreki and Chitanda are so close together their noses are already touching.

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