Alright, let’s check back in with Kuuchuu Buranko. Where we last left off, Kuuchuu Buranko/Trapeze was very slowly shaping itself into a relatively watchable show. Unfortunately, Trapeze just isn’t there yet – outside of its wild stylistic digressions, the narrative substance of these episodes is just totally unsatisfying. Its characters are simplistic, its stories aren’t engaging, and its solutions to all of its heroes’ problems don’t make any sense. There is just nothing to draw from this show in an emotional or intellectual sense, outside of how it uses mixed media to… well, use mixed media? Even there, its juxtaposition of various different realities within a single frame doesn’t often lead to any larger dramatic effect beyond “this looks weird” or “this is disorienting” or “this color scheme sure isn’t attractive.” The show reminds me of Mind Game or the first isolated episode of Kyousogiga – visual noise, experimentation seemingly designed only to prompt more focused creators to say “ah, I can see how that could be used in an actual narrative.”
I suppose this takeaway just reflects the fact that I don’t really come to anime, or media in general, for experimentation for its own sake. I love creative shows, but I see experimentation like this as a tool, not a goal – unique images are nice, but if they’re not being used to bolster some meaningful dramatic effect, they’re probably not going to impress me. Concrete Revolutio’s divergent character art echoed its nature as a hero history pastiche that emphasized what a living part of our world heroes are. The Tatami Galaxy brought us into the kaleidoscopic mind of its protagonist, letting us see the world he saw, brimming with possibility. Trapeze hasn’t really reached that point yet, but I suppose we’re still relatively early in the series. Let’s check out episode four!