Management: Sequel to this post. My general thoughts so far on the winners, losers, and casualties of my summer season.
This has been a very good season, and though there hasn’t been anything I enjoy as much as I enjoyed OreGairu in the spring, I think the top show is technically better this time. But the top tier is really good all around. In descending order:
Management: Speculatively calling this the first half of a two-parter on the summer season. This half will focus on the specific episodes that have marked the halfway point in my schedule (I’ll probably add in Monogatari after it airs), and the upcoming one will cover my thoughts on the overall series so far.
So! Halfway through the summer season, and there really haven’t been any crazy upsets so far. My top tier is still Uchouten Kazoku, Gatchaman Crowds, and Monogatari, but I’m enjoying the also-rans as well. Let’s check in on what the crap everybody was doing this week.
Free! 6
This episode felt kinda tedious to me. I think this show has pretty much only three things that make it watchable to me:
Unfortunately, this week focused on the character relationships, and KyoAni’s slice of life characters are always too thin to afford compelling character drama. I mean, I love character-focused stuff, it’s my favorite thing, but for character-focused stuff to be compelling you need characters with a little more depth than “the genki one,” “the glasses-pusher,” etc. Bleh.
Uchouten Kazoku 6
I didn’t like this episode as much as the last two, but its first and last acts were still tremendous and heartfelt and beautiful. However, the centerpiece of this episode was a long conversation that I’m frankly still trying to figure out. Tanukis being eaten by humans (and that just being accepted as something that happens sometimes) has always been the point of greatest disconnect between this show’s fantastical flourishes and sharply grounded character conflicts, and this episode basically dove directly into that disconnect, presenting a long monologue by the mild-mannered but strongly pro-tanuki-eating professor, complete with a flashback where Yasaburou’s father displays absolute complacency towards being eaten, and only professes a hope that he doesn’t ruin an otherwise agreeable hot-pot. And Yasaburou is pretty much charmed by him!
I just don’t know how to square this – perhaps on a thematic level eventually all these contrasting viewpoints will fit into neat holes regarding the value of a life well-lived (we’re actually pretty close to that point, I think), but on a more practical character-empathy level, I just can’t relate to the way these characters treat the tanuki-eating. Which is frustrating, since this show is normally incredibly good at grounding its fantasy in universal human emotion. So while I can’t say this was a “bad” episode, it was certainly a tough one for me to wrap my head around.
C3-bu 6
C3-bu is also turning out to be more slice of life than I could have hoped for, but fortunately this show is more fun in concept, more creative in execution, more regularly funny, more dramatically sound, and populated with much better characters than Free. I’m actually just enjoying this show on its own merits at this point – Yura’s personal issues are being handled with more grace and thoughtfulness than I expected, and it really knows how to handle either a fantasy-world or standard gag setpiece. You’ve won me over, moesoft.
The World God Only Knows S3 6
TWGOK slowed down the pace this week, which I guess is fitting for the Shiori episode. Shiori’s inner monologue was both funny and relatable, and her own fantasy-world imaginings are always great, but this story itself felt far more lazy and convenient than this season has been so far. I feel this show’s strengths are its humor and its habit of pointing out and subverting cliche story structures, but this one just played entirely by the book – Keima’s plan was very simple and it worked perfectly. It was perfectly watchable, but I was still kinda disappointed.
Attack on Titan 18
This episode was definitely a step down from the previous two (which I very much enjoyed), and felt a bit like one of Trost’s renowned “oh shit this story doesn’t correlate to our number of episodes let’s check in with everybody maybe take five for a flashback and move the plot forward seven inches” episodes. The first half was more excitement with the female titan, who’s apparently beginning to favor some style in her kills, but the second half consisted of people getting up into some trees and wondering why they were in them. I’m not worried, since the female titan represents a much more immediate threat than Eren not remembering he was human or the giant boulder ever did, and this show is still leagues better in its second half, but that second half was still not particularly engaging stuff.
Hunter x Hunter 92
This arc has gone totally nuts, and this episode was a nuts cherry on a nuts cake. Desperate giant-ant surgery was witnessed, vows of parenthood and brotherhood were made, and now a minor army of powerful monsters with hallucinogen-prompted designs have begun spreading out to conquer the world. This show is basically my definition of entertainment.
Gatchaman Crowds 5
This show never lacks for ambition, does it? This episode focused on the not-so-secretly most important character, Rui, and had him basically set out his thesis statement on his ideal, communal, utterly crowdsourced society. Showing its usual respect for easy answers, this speech was immediately shut down by one of his subordinates rightly calling him a naive, idealistic fool, and promptly hanging up on Rui to go play with his adorable daughter.
Rui’s plan has always had a number of internal inconsistencies, with his belief in a human nature that’s far less reliable than he thinks certainly being one, but another being the fact that for all his rhetoric regarding the death of heroes and the equality of his system, he is king of his powers. He decides when they’re used, he pulls the trigger, he is judge jury and executioner. This episode was the breaking point on that internal tension, when the collapsing tunnel finally prompted him to make himself the hero-celebrity he’s never wanted to be. Now he’s finally going to come into direct contact with Hajime, who is perhaps the only human being who truly represents the spirit of community his hundred were supposed to embody. This show just keeps getting better and better.
And the rest
Monogatari was a recap this week, and I’ve officially dropped Watamote – the show seems to really not have any aspirations outside of humorously and deservedly dumping on Tomoko, and that’s just not too compelling to me. I’m very excited for next week, though – a new arc in Monogatari, a new day in Uchouten Kazoku, and the long-awaited confrontation of Gatchaman’s two leads promises plenty of action, excitement, and thoughtful understated character drama. My favorite things!
Welp, I just finished eight straight episodes of Shinsekai Yori, so it’s time to take a break from my self-serious thinking cap mode and watch Tomoko make a goddamn idiot of herself. Let’s do this.
Episode 4
0:26 – “Wow, it’s late. I’ll just read one more post.” I feel like there’s a specific ratio here between standard introverted teenager moments and “jesus christ Tomoko you are one crazy fuck” moments
1:56 – That kanji garden – another pretty striking visual gag. It’s a tribute to the director that I can’t imagine how half these jokes would work in 4koma – many of them use elaborate visuals to great effect
5:24 – I like the visual gag of having her eating the sandwich with that blank stare while her mental self ponders from the window . Again, nice visual flourishes all over the place in this show
5:43 – And another great visual gag. Fuck anime characters, I want anime characters
6:01 – Dear god Tomoko. Welp, clearly they’re setting her up for a fall
6:22 – Aaand there it is
7:01 – Cheer up Tomoko, one day you’ll be cute enough to… get molested
8:23 – I mentioned a couple episodes ago that I preferred it when Tomoko had a straight man to knock her down, but I think this might actually be funnier. Having no-one there to derail her insane line of thought just drags it out to the weirdest places. This is some self-consciousness performance art shit
8:47 – “Maybe there’s nothing good about being liked by perverts.” Yes, Tomoko! Are you actually learning some… “Maybe I’m just more woman than they can handle.” Nope, not learning a thing
10:42 – Well I guess we’re going to some particularly weird places today. Molestation humor! For the kids!
11:25 – Rape jokes. For the kids!
This show’s a dumb gag comedy, so it seems kinda misguided to give any element of it a second thought, but it’s playing in a very weird space here. The show’s normal modus operandi is to have Tomoko express some horrible, psychopathic thought, and then be “punished” for it with an ironic put-down from reality. So now she expresses envy and hatred towards the other girls for being attractive enough to be sexually assaulted, and is being… punished with simulated rape.
…hm. Well, she is admitting this situation is horrifying, and obviously the show isn’t actually pro-rape or anything (I will never stop using that gif jesus christ I can’t believe that exists whyyy). But still. It’s quite the situation to play as comedy.
14:08 – Tomoko you have lost your goddamn mind
16:16 – Oh god, panty shopping with Tomoko. What is the worst possible way they could end this…
18:17 – Ladies and gentlemen: What Kirino actually looks like
18:36 – No Tomoko you put them in your pocket oh god
19:03 – So perfect . I actually don’t get any of the cringe instinct I was expected from this show – Tomoko’s too ridiculous and the whole thing is too farcical. It’s only funny to me
19:25 – My little sister can’t be this indicative of the otaku deep end
20:30 – That is a beautiful image
And Done
That ending was perfect. Her dad is a champion.
Welp, weirdly rapey joke aside (and as I said, that didn’t actually come across as mean-spirited or anything, I’m just not a rape-joke fan), that was actually a great episode. It made me realize the show actually kinda shines in Tomoko’s headspace – when her fantasies aren’t immediately shot down, they have time to build on themselves in completely insane directions, and the occasional jabs of reality complement them really well. This only works because the direction makes her fantasies so entertaining. It’s tricky making such a pure, plot- and character-bereft comedy not get stale, but I think Watamote’s doing a solid job
Not much to say on this one, it’s a pretty simple show. I don’t know how they’ll fill twelve episodes at the moment – normally comedies have to either evolve or gain purpose to avoid becoming stale, and so far it’s seemed like actually humanizing Tomoko to the point where either I or the show care what happens to her would basically destroy the main source of humor – that it’s funny when terrible things happen to her. But I figured this show would be terrible before the first episode and I figured it would fall apart before the second, so I’m pretty resoundingly 0 for 2 on Cassandra-ing this very improbable comedy. Let’s see where it goes.
Episode 3
0:57 – I actually didn’t find this joke very funny (and man, they are really bad at making Tomoko not look adorable – though I guess her looking adorable is kind of one of the key points keeping her from being a truly unsympathetic protagonist, a trick which has a shallowness to it I think she’d appreciate), but I still think it’s a good joke – it was set up well and used good direction to slowroll itself. Oh god, I’ve reached the point where I no longer experience joy, I just tap my chin and think “yes, yes, effective use of delayed expectations there”
1:20 – This OP remains the show’s best joke, and one of the only times I actually feel sorry for her for being trapped in that perspective
2:35 – Her being such a silly, adorable thing also helps. I guess I find hideously maladjusted but still believable and opinionated characters a lot more cute than the drooling ones anime normally tries to sell me
2:52 – “IT’S NOT HERE!” It’s not surprising to me I like this but couldn’t enjoy the manga – so much of this works because of the extremely good direction and timing
3:42 – “Satire is short lived. Why is that? Well, social satire is very much a product of the topics and events of its time.” Dear god, a meta-commentary joke on the satirical nature of this show set as the background of the actual joke? Watamote, you just bought yourself another episode no matter what happens in this one
4:41 – “You think this is funny?” “N-n-no…” Alright, it’s pretty hard not to feel sorry for her when she’s actually forced to interact with people. Goddamn, though. I’m a pretty huge introvert myself (I say, having rushed home from my job to sit in my room and write about anime), but was high school really like this for some people? This is a hard, hard life
8:11 – “I-it’s raining…” Oh man, I actually do understand that instinct of feeling awkward trapped in a space with strangers, but jeez. Thank god Hayama’s there to act nice and pick up the slack
8:55 – “What’s with all this sweat?” Stop talking stop talking stop talking
11:05 – And Hayama brings back a new umbrella! A shame there isn’t an actual full-time Hayama in this show, but that’d probably result in more character development than we’re looking for
14:56 – It’s too damn bad they’re not gonna get financially rewarded for committing this hard to this show. Dem otaku aren’t big fans of hard truths, huh?
15:15 – I like how Major Tomoko still has the bags under her eyes
16:56 – “It’s your sister in a uniform. Perks you up, doesn’t it?” “No.” Unfortunately for all of us, the sales numbers disagree
And Done
Well, they’re certainly not running out of horrible things to happen to and be said by Tomoko. A great victory for cringe comedy in general!
Welp, I’m a day late, but that’s really Watamote’s fault for coming out at 2 AM on a Tuesday. Just like her, isn’t it? Anyway, I actually really liked the first episode of this, which surprised me – I normally don’t like cringe humor and I feel most anime comedies suck at pacing and, well, making jokes that are funny. This one doesn’t. It has great direction, which is a massively underappreciated and very necessary component of a comedy. It has semi-painful but always pretty sharp writing. It has a great voice actress nailing one of the most necessarily melodramatic roles out there. It’s got the goods. Is it gonna keep delivering?
That got a little weird. Sorry.
Episode 2
0:30 – “What are you crying for? You talked to a boy who wasn’t me!” See? Fuckin’ thirty seconds and we get a weird, creepy, delayed setup-punchline that plays off her personality and the weirdness of anime culture in general. If any comedy’s going to actually impress me…
1:47 – Oh man this OP. Keep raging Tomoko, you’re obviously a special snowflake. This show’s a lot less subtle in its MC-mockery than OreGairu was, but it’s a perfectly valid choice
4:28 – “The only thing I’ve gotten better at is pretending to wake up from pretending to sleep.” That is brutal.
5:54 – “I can’t believe they don’t see the appeal of hungry characters.” Not really much to actually talk about here – this show is just really funny
7:31 – “Sleeping with a guy during the day…” This show strikes a good balance between actually kinda tragic scenes and Tomoko being so ridiculous that you don’t really feel bad for her. Normally empathy’s pretty important in shows, but if the point of the show is to shit on the protagonist, that’s not necessarily a great idea
7:57 – “Manager, huh? I bet she likes someone on the team. Or she’s into buzz cuts.” Yeah, sorry, Tomoko, you’re no Hikki – you’re just a lonely asshole, not an occasionally insightful lonely asshole
9:26 – When I heard they were adapting this, I figured it’d be as cheap of a cash-in as possible, but this all lookspretty okay
10:52 – “Happy people should just die!” “Talking about stupid crap all the time… don’t they have anything else to do?” Her turnaround on hypocrisy is like, what, three seconds? That truly is a remarkable lack of self-awareness
12:43 – “But his face says he has no experience with girls.” And your face says you have a lot of experience with meth. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, eh?
15:40 – Aw c’mon, don’t be coy with the damn picture! Damnit Watamote…
16:45 – “Do all girls smell this good?” Hah! Kind of a nice trick there – that’s normally the cliched line some harem self-insert would apply to one of his lust-object girls, but here they have our decidedly un-lust-object protagonist apply it to the standard anime girl who’s pretty much from a different species
19:09 – “Well, I haven’t played it in a while…” Things are going waaay too well here. What are they going to do to her?
22:15 – AHAHAHA, now the ED is just her alone listening to her fake yandere boyfriend? Beautiful
And Done
Well, at least the picture made her feel better, even if she is just a background character. Funny episode overall, too – I didn’t like it quite as much as the first (probably because I think she works best when she’s bouncing off her having-none-of-it brother), but it made me a lot more confident the show isn’t a one-trick pony, so that’s a relief. I still think the yandere boyfriend tape was the best gag of the episode, but there were plenty of nice lines throughout. Good times!
Management: My writeups will still obviously all be on the test, but here are my overall initial impressions of this season’s lineup.
This week sure was summer. I caught the first episode of a whole tidal wave of shows, dropped several, clung to a few more, and was actually impressed by exactly two. Let’s get those out of the way first.
I don’t think I’ll be covering this. Christ, I don’t think I could be covering this – cringe humor makes my teeth hurt, and comedies generally have a hard time impressing me in the first place. But the buzz is going in the right direction and it’s kind of our version of Event Television, so I’ll at least be checking it out. Plus, it kind of amuses me to think that this is OreImo as a blunt satire instead of a wish fulfillment fantasy. Not that I’m expecting this to compete with Welcome to the NHK or OreGairu or anything, but… well, we could always use more of that genre. And I’ll also try to avoid unfairly comparing it to OreGairu, which I’ll admit is made slightly difficult by the fact that I still think OreGairu deserves more credit and apparently zero other critics actually got the intent of that show and seriously do I have to explain the very concept of an unreliable narrator and Okay maybe getting off topic here a little bit but
Anyway.
Let’s get to it.
Episode 1
2:46 – This VA is pretty perfectly chosen. Her voice sounds… scruffy
3:01 – Also, this OP is so perfectly EveryxTragicxHighxSchooler it’s kinda scary. Great choices so far
3:55 – I’m also just always in favor of meta-jokes that don’t have to explain themselves, like that OP. Though I guess this entire show is inside her head, so there never really is gonna be a straight man to tell her how ridiculous she is. Which is probably one of the core differences between this and OreGairu, in that Ore wanted you to empathize with their position by having it explained and then shaken, while this will probably be more concerned with either cringing or pointing and laughing
But again, the very existence of so many totally unironic shows proves that OP’s point is a very relevant one
6:22 – “Can’t this school be occupied by terrorists?” Man, she’s like the very worst of my most adolescent thoughts all rolled into one continuous wave of vile awkwardness (well, I didn’t wish terrorists upon my classmates, but still)
7:43 – “Well, I can talk normally with my mother…” This is actually pretty frank stuff. Was it really us that got this show produced? Good job, us. We need more of this
10:43 – Hey, anime? This Death Note thing is how you do a parody. You don’t just mention another show, you fit in an element of that show where it’s both relevant and highlights the absurdity of the source material. I just… I wasn’t sure you were aware of that
Granted, it also helps that Death Note was directed by Japanese Michael Bay…
11:22 – Is there a single person in the known universe who actually finds duckface attractive? WHY DO PEOPLE DO THAT?
12:59 – “You wanted me for something, right?” “Converse with me.”
Comedic timing and direction are both nailing it – this show is really killing my expectations. Apparently they’ll be using her brother as the straight man, which is all kinds of amusing
13:07 – “So talk with me an hour each day for rehab!” Oh come on Watamote. No audience would put up with such a contrived device as that
16:57 – “While I’m on a roll…” Oh god, she’s doing so just-short-of-normal. What horrible thing is going to happen to her?
More props to this VA, by the way, she’s doing a lot of work here
17:36 – “A place like this where everyone’s worse off than me isn’t so bad.” Must… shake… her…
19:35 – OH GOD HERE IT IS CLASSMATES PANIC PANIC
And Done
That was remarkably better than I expected! I think stringing the various skits into a full narrative/day made it seem a little less mean-spirited, though obviously our protagonist is a sad little brat. But a lot of the jokes landed, the overall satire is very sharp and true, and the direction was surprisingly excellent. I’m on board.
