The title for this one pretty much covers it – Yesterday’s premiere was fantastic, and also happened to be on Crunchyroll, so today I wrote an expanded article breaking down the show’s excellent staff and apparent strengths so far. I’ll definitely be keeping up with this one, though my seasonal schedule beyond that is currently an open question. Anyway, here’s the piece!
Sing “Yesterday” For Me is this Season’s Must-Watch Drama!
Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you – this is looking to be a pretty light season in the land of anime. Even in the lead-up to this season, it was already clear that most of the larger hits would be long-running sequels, and series like Re:Zero and Food Wars lost my interest years ago. Then, of course, the coronavirus started sweeping the globe, leading to a number of entirely justified and frankly welcome delays for some of the season’s key properties. Between those extenuating factors and the season’s inherently limited number of high-profile productions, this is turning out to be a light season on the whole, and a fine time to dig into your backlog.
That said, most anime being crap hasn’t stopped me before, and it certainly didn’t stop me this time. I have successfully waded through this season’s mountain of garbage with my mouth wide open, and having sampled all of its sweetly molding flavors, I am now prepared to spit out the choicest morsels for your collective enjoyment. My list here will run from the season’s top contenders down to its worst offenders, with handy tiers and links to longer reviews over at ANN’s preview guide. Let’s review some cartoons!
Oh shit, right, I always do some gimmicky naming scheme for the quality tiers. Uh, let’s do… tiers based on… colors? I guess? Fuck it.
The spring season has already begun unloading its cargo, and I’ve got a fresh pile of hot takes on everything that’s been screened so far! The season is actually looking pretty reasonable at the moment – there’s been nothing that’s truly surprised me, but Listeners’ premiere turned out to be just as good as I was hoping, and Kakushigoto’s aesthetic strengths really surprised me. You can check out the full list of reviews over at ANN, or scroll below for my scores and links to individual reviews. Let’s anime!
Folks, it has been altogether too long since we visited the shores of Alola, and I’m very happy to be returning. When last we left off, Ash and Sophocles had just survived their own electric adventure, wherein the two of them got trapped in a locked-down mall courtesy of a fairly dubious plan by Team Rocket. As usual, the narrative itself was mostly just an excuse for rambling escapades and Pokemon-centric competitions across the main cast, and though it was a fun episode on the whole, its mall setting meant it really didn’t get to fully embrace Sun and Moon’s usual visual charm. I can go to a mall any old time – it’s the beaches and forests of Alola that I’m here for, and I’m guessing we’ll be visiting them soon. Let’s explore episode seven of Pokemon Sun and Moon!
Hello again, everyone. You all ready for Taichi’s Birthday Party Tournament? I know I certainly am – frankly, I wasn’t aware quite how much stress I was carrying for the sake of these mixed-up kids, until Chihaya suddenly announced it was time for a birthday party.
Though the friction of misunderstandings and hidden romantic longing has always been a key element of Chihaya and Taichi’s relationship, Taichi’s increasing feelings of inadequacy as a player, as well as his insecurity regarding Chihaya and Arata’s relationship, have recently made it so they can barely even communicate with each other. Taichi is a tightly wound ball of anxiety and inferiority, and by throwing this party tournament, Chihaya will hopefully prove to him that he is loved regardless of what he chooses to do, and that he can still play karuta just for the fun of it, and not only to prove his value. We are fixing your headspace whether you like it or not, Taichi. Let’s get to it!
Let’s return to the tempestuous drama of Simoun! Last episode served as a crucial turn for the series, as a massive number of secrets were revealed all at once. Most crucially, Onashia revealed the true nature of the spring: it is a conduit between worlds, or rather, a channel for traveling through time within the same world. The Emerald Ri Majoon turned out to be the key to this process, leading into the further reveal that Dominura and Limone are technically “alive,” but have been sent to a far-distant point in the past. On top of that, we further learned that both Dominura and Aaeru’s grandfather were both members of Chor Dextra, the choir intended to master the Emerald Ri Majoon, and the reason Dominura feels personally responsible for the violence of the present timeline. That is a ridiculous bounty of information!
Given all these time travel-focused reveals, it was no surprise to see Neviril immediately ask if Amuria could still be alive. Having just recently mended her relationship with Aaeru, I’m really hoping Neviril doesn’t backslide into false hope and depression – her grieving process has been the primary narrative of this entire series, and I was happy to see her seemingly recovering at last. With that in mind, let’s dive into the next episode of Simoun!
With the spring season rapidly approaching, it felt like about time to write some sort of thematic wrap-up for this season of Chihayafuru. I’ve been thrilled by Chihayafuru’s expansion of its dramatic scope all throughout this season, and greatly enjoying its exploration of how your relationship with karuta naturally changes as you embrace the full responsibilities of adult life. Let’s get to it!
A Lifetime of Competition: Growing Up in Chihayafuru
Folks, I think it’s about time for more Bodacious Space Pirates. This show hasn’t really taught me anything about the meaning of life yet, and it’s actually been mostly my comment section that has been teaching me about the meaning of piracy, but Bodacious Space Pirates is a very entertaining time, and I’m happy to return to it. When last we left off, Marika was at last starting to crack through the emotional defenses of her new classmate Chiaki, as the pair of them prepared to fend off an electronic assault on their class ship-slash-pirate relic. Having already demonstrated her strong piloting skills in the first episode, it seems like it’s time to test her leadership, quick thinking, and courage under pressure all at once. Let’s get to the pirating!
Strap yourselves in everyone, it’s time to WATCH CHIHAYAFURU and GET SAD. Last episode concluded on a brutal punchline, as Chihaya and Arata accepted first and second place tournament finishes, while Taichi was forced to return home after losing to Arata. While all three of these friends are now racing to surpass each other, Taichi has suffered from feelings of inferiority all through his karuta career, and both Chihaya and Arata recently securing “destined matches” against the Master and Queen likely hasn’t helped those feelings. As his two friends soar ahead, Taichi is likely feeling increasingly left behind, distant from them in both a professional and personal sense.
Fortunately, it seems like Suo might actually have taken an interest in Taichi’s destiny, and be willing to give him some training in Master-style karuta. Suo’s defensive karuta style, which depends so heavily on exploiting the psychology of the opponent, seems tailor made for Taichi – ever since Harada pointed out that Taichi is better-suited to defensive karuta, I’ve been waiting for him to study under the true master of the form. That’s my top hope for this episode, but whatever comes, I’m eager to explore another episode of Chihayafuru!
Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today we’re returning to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, after an episode that essentially served as Mizusaki’s dedicated statement of purpose. That episode opened on one of Eizouken’s most poignant sequences yet, as we learned that Mizusaki’s fascination with the human body was in large part inspired by her love of her grandmother, with her studies of human movement eventually helping to restore her grandmother’s own mobility. The roots of artistic inspiration are varied and personal, and for Mizusaki, conveying the fluid beauty of bodies in motion likely brings her back to those days with her grandmother.
At the same time, Mizusaki is clearly passionate about animation as a tool for self-expression, and eager to announce her existence through cuts intended to dazzle even fellow animators. Anime is one of those rare mediums where an individual artist can sear a blazing signature into the work – like a dazzling guitar solo, an inspired cut of animation reaches up out of a work and grabs you by the throat, demanding you acknowledge the passion and talent of its creator.
This, unfortunately, is all just bad news to Kanamori. She just wants to ensure the project actually gets finished – and with her lead animator rambling about animation for animation’s sake while her director dithers and refuses to delegate, that’s currently not looking too likely. With the fate of their giant robot anime hanging in the balance, let’s return to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!