And with preview week firmly in the past, it’s time to return to our scheduled week in review. So far, this season is actually turning out better than I’d hoped – I didn’t really expect most of the shows in my own preview post to actually end up doing well, and having two legitimately excellent shows in a season is basically all I can hope for from any season. Between Erased and Genroku Rakugo, we’re already there – both of those shows impressed with strong premieres and followed through with consistent second episodes. And even beyond the highlights, there’s a reasonable crop of middle-tier shows as well, depending on your own genre tastes. The season is strong enough that I’m currently deciding to be truly ruthless, and cut off both Utawarerumono and Iron-Blooded Orphans until I feel compelled either personally or through general fan noise to pick them back up again. There are too many good shows in the world to waste time watching things I’m not enjoying.
Tag Archives: Dagashi Kashi
Dagashi Kashi – Episodes 1-2
Dagashi Kashi is… watchable? It’s not really much more than that yet, but it’s a pleasant enough time for twenty minutes a week. I’m frankly a little unsure what I’ll have to say about it each episode; I feel like this first writeup sort of covers everything the show has to offer, but I guess we’ll have to see where it goes. I suppose I could always just go deep in describing exactly how the show evokes Hotaru’s candy lust each week, since that does seem to be where the show’s own staff are putting their focus. And actually, there’s always room for a formal breakdown of why manzai is bad. So yeah, probably won’t have a problem after all!
You can check out my first review over at ANN, or my episode two notes below.
Winter 2016 – Virtually Every First Episode Retrospective
All of our new shows have turned in their final assignments, and the testing period is over. Who will rise, who will fall, who will entertain us mightily for a few weeks only to slowly sink into a mire of mediocrity and disappointment – all these questions lie ahead, but for now, we can already viciously judge the labor of thousands of animators based on our first impressions of their new creations. I knew from before this season even began that it would be a relatively light one, but with that in mind, the haul here is actually pretty solid. We had a couple truly great premieres, a few more shows that demonstrate either potential or reasonable genre chops, and The Rest. There’s always going to be a The Rest, but as long as anime continues to produce just a couple shows that justify our nostalgic Stockholm Syndrome every season, this unhealthy relationship can keep chugging merrily along. Let’s start right at the top of the list and RUN ‘EM DOWN!