Another long week, except somehow this week I was caught up early in the weekend and got behind again at the beginning of the week. But, overall, it was a really good week! Two shows (Shirobako and Akatsuki no Yona) impressed me enough to merit their own episodic posts, Your Lie in April pulled me back in and everything else pretty much held steady. Twintails and YuYuYu are the shows that I’m still not sure about.
Shirobako, Episode 5: First impromptu episodic write-up of the season!
Akatsuki no Yona, Episode 6: Yona was also good enough this week for a full write-up! Sakuga!
Your Lie in April, Episode 5: There’s something about this show that pulled me back. You may remember, last week I said I was putting it on hold because of all the noise that was surrounding it after the past couple episodes, but I saw a couple people on Twitter posting screencaps of the episode on Thursday and…I just had to go back. I’m actually thinking I might rewatch these first few episodes again because I have a feeling they just might hit me the right way this time. The biggest danger I see for Your Lie in April going forward (and this goes beyond the freedom-classical dynamic Enzo wrote about last week) is over-simplifying things—Kousei’s past, the music, even the relationships. There’s a lot of depth here, or at least there should be, and as long as Your Lie in April takes the time to let everything breathe, it should be just fine. Like Kousei.
Log Horizon 2, Episode 6: It’s pretty awesome how much better this season of Log Horizon has been than last. Pacing was the first season’s biggest problem, but this season has all but resolved those issues in the last few weeks—things are happening, and they keep happening, all over the world of the game. Akatsuki’s approaching the end of her character arc seemingly about to make big breakthroughs both personally and in combat ability, and her short adventure through the gray world from where she came was well-executed and appropriately discomforting. Equally as atmospheric was her time with Shiroe in the in-between land where the adventurers’ sacrificed memories reside—beautiful, quiet, reflective. What’s even better is that things are happening with Crusty, who we’ve barely seen this season, just as the arc with the murderer is coming to a close. I also feel that I need to apologize to Studio DEEN for my earlier comments on their work in this show because Log Horizon has looked pretty darn good the past few weeks.
selector spread WIXOSS, Episode 6: Okada just keeps running with this, and I’m both ashamed and glad to say that WIXOSS just keeps working for me. There’s something about this show, despite being written in a way that I would find hilariously campy elsewhere, that keeps me invested. It could just be that I feel a sense of commitment to pushing this narrative all the way it can go, clichés and caricatures be damned. Some of this, I’m sure, is indebted to the solid direction and continually superb sound direction. The atmosphere of the show still might be the best thing about it; good enough, in fact, to prop up WIXOSS despite its other flaws.
That’s right! You’ll never escape Okada’s machinations mwahahahahaha!
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, Episode 6: I dunno where all this nonsense about this week being a recap episode came from. Guess you shouldn’t believe everything you hear on the internet. This was pretty standard Bahamut fare: some silliness, some seriousness, some awesomeness (courtesy of the best rendering of Joan of Arc I’ve yet seen in a fictional story), and the plot continuing to move forward. I’m a bit confused about the demon goals in this situation—it doesn’t sound like Bahamut reviving would be good for anyone at all, so why are they so keen on acquiring the God Key? Will it give them leverage over heaven or something? Either way, it seems their politics have forced Azazael to mount an attack on humanity to try and recover Amira. I’m hoping for some serious Jeanne vs. Azazael action next week!
Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle, Episode 6: Like Bahamut, I pretty much know what I’m going to get each week with Chaika, in a good way. Chaika and Niva make hilarious conversation partners, but the main focus of the episode was the plot (again). It looks like the end game for the story will be here in Hartgen and I have a lot of hopes for how this all could turn out. I kind of wanted Chaika to just blast through the castle walls with Niva Lada, but I suppose that would just be too simple, huh? At the very least, all I want really want to for Frederica to really have a chance to go nuts at least once before we’re done.
In a Sentence:
- Argevollen, Episode 18: The political maneuvering has started in earnest, but it still remains to be seen where the path out of this darkness is.
- YuYuYu, Episode 5: The show’s paced a little bit too fast for me—both in-episode and overall—which is a little bit worrisome for the rest of the season.
- Ore Twintails, Episode 5: At this point, I’m just watching for the ultra moe kaichou (and being pissed off that she’s much less cute transformed).
- Amagi Brilliant Park, Episode 6: Grudging and disappointed respect to Sento for making it through the entire episode without confessing her attraction to Kanie.
- Garo, Episode 6: The episodic structure still isn’t my favorite thing about this show (by a long shot), but I’m more or less just having fun watching Leòn and Germàn go about being themselves with Ema showing up not quite enough.
- Inou Battle, Episode 6: Another really slow moving episode (writing and animation-wise), but I’m sticking around for more Tomoyo and because this is the most sensitive harem anime I’ve ever seen.
The best part of waking up is…
Mage in a Barrel 
Bahamut was set to get a recap next week, not this week. So episode seven will probably be a summary of ‘Part 1’.
Having Chaika interact with Red Chaikas/Niva Lada has made me realise how much better it could have been if they had even more Chaikas in the story. Specifically everyone except for Tooru and Akari would be a Chaika. Think about it, every episode would consist of cool action scenes, then the Chaikas would all attempt to interact with their collective broken japanese. Then Akari would say something ridiculous, Tooru would sigh, and Chaika would be cute and eat grapes. It would be the perfect show.
I’m digging the Garo right now, I think the episodic structure fits it well. It’s that classic fantasy style of world-building, the characters and setting are being fleshed out through side-stories. It’s a two-cour last I heard so we’ve don’t need to rush the plot anyway.
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Ohhhhhh next week is the recap. Well, a recap isn’t great news in any case, but I’m glad it wasn’t this week, at least.
…implying it’s not already. When you have strange moegirls transforming into giant guns, what more can you ask more? ….except maybe more moegirls transforming into giant guns…
I hadn’t heard anything about Garo being two cours, but if it is, that soothes a lot of my feelings about the pacing. Yona’s a good example—if I know a show’s got the space to take its time, I typically don’t worry about it too much. But I’ve been thinking Garo was only one cour, so that may have been affecting my perception of the pacing.
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I am not sure inou battle was even a harem anime, its just slice of life centered around a club that suspiciously only has one male member. I also really like their potrayal of chuunibyo being more than comedic device, it was actually explored.
I am really tempted to try bahamut, but i dont know i am quite full with what i have
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I mean, Inou Battle has three girls who are obviously in love with the one male in the show, so…yeah, I’d say it qualifies as a harem. But Andou seems less like a chunni to me, and more like a genuinely decent human being with inclinations towards being overly dramatic.
Bahamut’s pretty fun, but it’s not like you can’t have fun in other ways, so I’d say you aren’t really missing anything absolutely critical.
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At the very least theres no harem hijinks going around. Also its a bit saddening inou battle sort of fail as a comedy series, but at least the human drama is interesting
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Inou Battle within everyday life, ep. 6: I think this is one of the best harem series in recent seasons. It could have been better if the very few fanservice it has could be removed, though.
Fanservicey costumes (and new ones) are back, in the videogame the girls made for Andou. They love and respect him a lot, even when they are sometimes annoyed by his chuuni antics. He is different to some harem protagonists in that regard.
So, the older girl is from a wealthy (?) family. And raised to be a proper girl. Her perverted tendencies (shipping the protagonist with his friend) would possibly be a way to relieve stress or something, then?
So, maybe the next episode would be about Hatoko. I hope they make another episode for Mirei.
Amagi Brilliant Park, ep 6: Moffle is the most decent of the mascots, the other two… specially the pink, cat… male, character are vulgar and annoying. At least Sento punishes them.
Amagi Brilliant Park, ep. 7: Fanservice is back, and… ah, but you haven’t watched it yet, so that would be a spoiler.
Hitsugi no Chaika, Avenging Battle, ep. 6: This series is very interesting. Now, is revealed what happened to Alberic Gillette, and why he is working there, how would Vivi react? she is going to save him with the power of love?.
Chaika, still has cute scenes.
And Guy… I think he could be emperor Gaz in a new form, or some sort of AI he programmed.
Regarding Bahamut, is interesting that you mention that the character inspired in St. Joan of Arc is better done than similar characters. At least they did something right, regarding religious inspired content (because that Angels, vs demons, vs “chaos” trend they are following is not good, or accurate).
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As far as St. Joan goes—she’s my favorite saint, so stuff like the appropriation of her character into an airheaded sex symbol like in Nobunaga the Fool of a couple seasons ago really upset me.
This reimagining of her at least paints her as somewhat noble, faithful to both her king and to “God.” The only thing that really concerns me is how they’re going to portray her humility—I couldn’t really parse whether her lines to Favaro in front of the Bahamut statue about hoping to be the prophesied hero were coming from a place of pride or from a genuine desire to work for the common good of her nation and the world. Either way, I’m really interested to see what they do with her in the future. In the mean time, I’ll just enjoy her curb-stomping giant monsters with a single attack from her lance.
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Ah, the Nobunaga the Fool character inspired in her… that was awful. I didn’t watched the series, but the ending song is good.
I’m not watching the series, but I guess both options would be something they could choose to portray. The first one, the option that follows the “trend” of many depictions of religious characters as having something broken going on. The second one, would be more in line with the noble, faithful characteristics you speak about.
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This Joan (or Jeanne, as they spell it) might be a little of both when all’s said and done.
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