Things didn’t go so well this week! The majority of the shows I’m watching demonstrated some pretty lackluster episodes, from my favorites down through the bottom of the pack. Owarimonogatari’s new arc started off poorly, The Perfect Insider stumbled over its worst episode yet, and Utawarerumono tried to perform the same mediocre trick for a third time straight. In contrast, One Punch Man actually consistently impressed me, working as a satisfying episode of anime even outside of its visual tricks. We’ve got a lot of doldrums to get through, but let’s start with that positive note, and then maybe finish up with a guest appearance by something I really, really did enjoy.
Tag Archives: The Perfect Insider
The Perfect Insider – Episode 6
Screw you, Perfect Insider! I go to bat for you for half the damn season and this is how you repay me? A recap episode?! A RECAP EPISODE IN AN ELEVEN EPISODE SERIES?!?
Yeah, this week was some hot garbage in pretentious professorville. Not only was this episode dominated by a big ol’ recap segment, it also hung basically all its emotional weight on a scene between Moe and Souhei that I can’t even physically conceive of caring about. Who cares about Souhei? Is there a single person watching this show who actually likes Souhei? I cheer whenever Moe yells at him, and groan whenever any character takes him seriously. Souhei is bullshit.
Anyway. That’s that. If you want an actual non-rambling critique of this week’s episode, you can check out my review at ANN, or maybe my notes below. GOD DAMN.
Fall 2015 – First Half in Review
Holy crap we’re already at the halfway point. It doesn’t really feel like a halfway point – Owarimonogatari’s just finished its first larger arc-sequence, and Okada Gundam is still basically in its preamble, so it kinda feels like we’re just getting started. But apparently everything else is already half over, and the halfway point ranking thing has become one of this site’s many random traditions (look, routines help with my insecurities), so here we are again. As usual, this will be the one and only time I rank this season’s overall shows. Ranking shows when they’re only halfway done may seem like an inherently useless gesture, but I assure you, that is definitely the point. “But Bobduh,” you might respond, “you rank your favorite shows of the year anyway, so how can you say you’re making a point about the futility of rankings when you then proceed to buy into them in the same exact way everyone else does?” “Shut up,” I say to this. “Shut up, stop talking, your face is bad.”
With all that cleared up, let’s get right to the listing! What has risen, what has fallen, and what is just sort of staggering on? ALL WILL BE REVEALED.
The Perfect Insider – Episode 5
Perfect Insider was back in top form this week, with an episode that mixed the compelling personal contrasts of the first couple episodes with the more plot-centric mystery focus of the last couple. The show is charting a very tricky course, and could probably topple into self-indulgence at any moment, but for now it’s nicely demonstrating how mysteries and character stories can work together if you make the mystery into the character story. The mysteries here are not just related to Magata’s death, but also Magata’s past and overall identity – and the show’s framing and dialogue is making sure to consistently tie Magata’s identity to Moe’s, meaning all the pieces fit together very gracefully so far. I don’t know if the show can pull it off for another six episodes, but it’s been walking this tightrope for half a season now, so it’s certainly got a chance.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!
Fall 2015 – Week 5 in Review
One more week of anime has come and gone, meaning it’s time once more to sift through the embers and see what riches have been left behind. This was another reasonable week of anime in what is turning out to be a reliable but not particularly dramatic season. The only top tier show I’m watching is Owarimonogatari, and that’s been a known product for years – aside from that, it’s really just One Punch Man as the production powerhouse and Iron-Blooded Orphans as the stable narrative. If things continue at this pace, it’s looking like my top ten shows of the year will be 80% consumed by the year’s first two seasons – not exactly the most impressive finish to a year that started off coasting from Shirobako into Oregairu S2 and Euphonium.
That said, there’s still plenty to talk about in what shows we have left. And I’ve also heard Concrete Revolutio has been doing some noteworthy things – I wish I had a bit more love for pop art, but if you’re less put off by the aesthetic than I am, it’s probably worth a look. There’s always something worth talking about out there, so let’s take a break from the naysaying and run down some fresh new cartoons!
The Perfect Insider – Episode 4
Welp, we’re in full murder-mystery territory now. And as far as that goes, The Perfect Insider isn’t really the best – its variables are kind of hokey, from the nature of Magata’s laboratory to hackneyed twists like the fact that she has multiple personalities. There are still a number of interesting little clues, though, and I still like everything around the mystery. In this case, that mainly comes down to Moe and Magata’s pasts – the show is drawing constant parallels between the two of them, and I’m interested in seeing both how they eventually come together and if Moe ever gets to have a second meeting with Magata, or whatever form Magata might now take. Perfect Insider isn’t making all the right moves, but it’s still an interesting show.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my episode notes below!
Fall 2015 – Week 4 in Review
It’s that time again! We had a reasonable crop of episodes this week, with four out of my six active series offering solid episodes, and one of the last two never promising to offer a single solid episode in the first place. I think at this point it’s safe to say Iron-Blooded Orphans is the breakout star of the season – it’s not the flashiest show, but it’s just absolutely solid in everything it does, full of strong characters and well-chosen dramatic turns and plenty of threads I’m excited to see through. Other shows are more tentative, but still enjoyable so far – in particular, I feel like it’d be easy for either The Perfect Insider or Utawarerumono to fall apart, but I’m still having a fine time with them so far. And One Punch Man is starting to wear out its single joke, but I’ve heard the original series picks up from here out, so I’m hopeful this is just a temporary lull. Overall, this isn’t the flashiest season, and certainly can’t compare to the year’s stellar first half, but I’ve got enough that I’m enjoying that I can’t really complain. But that’s enough news in brief, let’s get to it and RUN ‘EM DOWN!
The Perfect Insider – Episode 3
The Perfect Insider returns, and this week we finally dive into some actual mystery meat. That was poorly phrased. Not in the cafeteria lunch terms, but in… well, you get it.
Anyway, this was a fine episode all around. Magata’s alleged death kind of throws a wrench in my ideas about where the story was going – I figured it’d end up being more about the dynamic between Moe and Magata, but unless Magata really is performing quite an impressive magic trick here (perhaps involving her “sister”), it’ll likely be more focused on revealing both Moe and Magata’s past. In spite of losing that thread, I enjoyed where this episode went – the dynamic between Moe and Souhei felt more equal this time, and the mystery stuff never overwhelmed either the character material or the atmosphere. The show still feels very confident in what it’s doing.
You can check out my full writeup over at ANN, or my episode notes below!
Fall 2015 – Week 3 in Review
Aw dang it’s the week in review what the fuck do we even have to talk about. Well actually, there’s plenty to talk about now; it’s a relatively new season, there are far more legitimately watchable shows than The Season That Shall Not Be Named, and last week’s awkward halfway point between preview week and the usual fare means we’ve got a sizable glut of anime to get through. I actually surprised myself last Sunday – I was doing my usual accounting of what was about to air, and suddenly realized I had three friggin’ shows to choose between for my first watch, all of which I actually wanted to see. Following a season where “you know what, this snake girl is actually pretty cool” was close to the top end of anime discourse, that’s a pretty nice place to be. Between Owarimonogatari, The Perfect Insider, and… well, I guess any more favoritism than that would be telling. So let’s get started this list of ‘well friggin’ crap these might actually be worth watching’ shows. Let’s RUN ‘EM DOWN!
The Perfect Insider – Episodes 1-2
And here’s my first writeup on the season’s most interesting new prospect, The Perfect Insider. This show’s definitely keeping its cards pretty close to the vest so far, but there’s a lot to like in its winding conversations and carefully drawn characters. It’s interesting to see a show where one of the central characters is so frankly unlikable, and even framed as such by the narrative. We’re kept pretty close to Moe’s perspective, meaning there’s basically no way the professor could come off as sympathetic. I’ll be very interested in seeing how the doctor and Moe interact once Magata escapes from her cage, and also interested in seeing how the show’s tone changes once it shifts from establishing pieces to actually playing out some kind of central mystery. Either way, the show seems confident as hell so far, so I’m on board.
You can check out my full writeup over at ANN, or my episode two notes below!