I’ve been dealing with some close personal tragedy this week, but hey, I’m still here. I thought about maybe taking this week off from the Week in Review, and really couldn’t have imagined watching and enjoying seasonal anime a few days ago, but returning to cartoon normalcy has actually been a big emotional help. And it’s nice that this season’s anime are themselves so emotionally generous, from the rich tonal sympathy of Given to the tangled dramatic knots of O Maidens. I’m still feeling pretty hollow and distant at the moment, but I appreciate the company of all of you, and the comfort of returning to the things I love. Let’s talk about some cartoons.
Tag Archives: Given
Summer 2019 – Week 5 in Review
I have at last reduced the summer season’s bounty down to a refined and largely sustainable top shelf, and goddamn is it glorious. After being kind of spoiled by Vinland Saga’s first three-episode premiere, I’ve decided that’s the preferable way to experience viking shenanigans, and held off on watching this week’s episode to build up more of a buffer. Fortunately, even without Vinland Saga, every other show I’m watching was strong enough to give me more than enough highlights to ramble about. Okada’s strong catalog meant I was pretty sure O Maidens would be a hit, but I think this is actually one of the very best stories she’s ever worked on. Meanwhile, Given is serving as an unexpected and highly compelling character drama, while Granbelm is turning out to be the secret action highlight of the season. Let’s break it all down in one more Week in Review!
Summer 2019 – Week 4 in Review
I’ve hit my limit, folks. With Vinland Saga actually returning this week, I have officially passed my sustainable viewing schedule capacity, and thus will be performing some harsh cuts between this and next week. Fortunately for all of you, I arrived at that realization only after watching way too many goddamn shows, and so you get to enjoy at least one mega-sized Week in Review, by way of apology for last week’s relatively brief article. The season continues to be goddamn fantastic, with O Maidens, Given, and Granbelm impressing me every week, and Vinland Saga maintaining its usual excellence after its time away. We’ve got a whole bunch of shows to get through, so let’s not waste any more time dawdling. It’s time to break down some cartoons in the Week in Review!