I’m not sure I can smile again. Goodbye, Hunter x Hunter.
Oh, were there other shows this week?
Kiyoko-san dodges like a boss.
Zankyou no Terror, Episode 10: Not Zankyou no Terror‘s best episode, but I was left with a lot to think about after it was all said and done.
Free! Eternal Summer, Episode 12: Another really good episode for Free! Eternal Summer, one that successfully and sensitively capped off Haru’s arc without being cheesy or lame. It actually makes me a little bit sad that the episode was of such high quality. If the first season and the rest of this season had been this good, Free! could have been something legitimately special beyond just a super pretty KyoAni manservice show. This season has most definitely risen above the first, but just think what this franchise could have been if the entire show had been as well written as this episode and the second half of episode 9. It was never going to be a legitimate full-fandom hit, but it might have been just that much more effective as a story. Oh, well. I’m certainly not taking this episode for granted at all because it was a really well articulation of the show’s theme and a sensitive, graceful conclusion to Haru’s emotional arc.
Fairy Tail, Episode 25: This was probably my favorite (and objectively the best) episode of Fairy Tail since the show returned from hiatus. The pacing was deliberate and steady, there was a nice mix of emotional moments of fun slice-of-life stuff, and even some “awesome!” moments—in other words, this was the fun-loving Fairy Tail that I so enjoyed in the first installation of the series. I’m still not super happy with the way Ultear’s arc was handled, but this episode was a thoughtful, gentle conclusion to her time on the show. Her ending dialogue about forgiving herself and finding joy in the world, as well as her letter to Jellal and Meldy, bespoke a woman who has truly found peace. I am always impressed when moments like these show up in Fairy Tail, because them demonstrate a range in Hiro Mashima’s writing that I sometime forget can exist in shounen like this.
Glasslip, Episode 12: I dunno, guys. I’m just….yeah.
This is the same studio that did NagiAsu?
Argevollen, Episode 12: Unlike some other mecha shows this week, Argevollen was actually a worthwhile watch. Actually, scratch that—it was more than worthwhile. The almost full-episode flashback of Samonji and Tokimune’s sister, Reika Nanjou, was beautifully handled. It’s a truly sad story, one of ideals being crushed by the greedy forces of government, and it capped Samonji’s character nicely and provided an excellent cornerstone for the second half of this show to build on. As has been pointed out elsewhere, Samonji didn’t tell Tokimune the actual truth, or at least not in its entirety. He may indeed have know that the experiment was bound to end with Reika’s death, but as a mere security chief his power to save her was essentially non-existent. So, instead, he supported her as best he could until the end. I also really liked that Samonji’s right hand lieutenant (Saori) and Quasimodo were there, as well. Where’s Argevollen going from here? I’m not quite sure. But I’m looking forward to it.
Sailor Moon Crystal, Episode 6: Mehhh, and that’s a drop. Don’t get me wrong, Sailor Moon Crystal has totally sold me on Sailor Moon as a whole. It’s just that this particular iteration is just lackluster that knowing there’s a better adaptation out there pretty much insists that I watch it instead. And so I will. But this episode….It was just so miserable to see the three cooler Guardians get beat down just so Usagi could wave her magic wand around for three seconds and then sparkle across the sky into Tuxedo Mask’s arms. So let me watch something where Rei, Ami, and Mako are allowed to be good for something else other than just paving the way for Usagi to look cool. I might do some blog posts on Sailor Moon when I finally get to it, so look forward to that!
Don’t worry, girls! I’ll be back soon!
Reviews from the Week: As you probably know, shows are starting to end now, so here’s a list of everything that got a review in the past couple days.
Mage in a Barrel 