Seasonal Reviews: Fall 2014 Pt.5

We've reached the final regular entry in the Fall reviews! We'll seen you in a few weeks with the Fall finale and a year-end wrap-up sometime after. Have some happy holidays and thanks for sticking with us this past year!

A ton of shows were dropped last entry, let's see if anything else is on its way out.

Dropped

• BONJOUR: Sweet Love Patisserie (Megan R)
• Celestial Method (Jonathan Kaharl)
• Girlfriend Beta (Thom "Tama" Langley)
• Hi-sCool! Seha Girls (Walter Holleger)
• In Search of the Lost Future (Jonathan Kaharl)
• Terraformers (Jonathan Kaharl)
• Trinity Seven (Stephanie Getchell)
• World Trigger (Stephanie Getchell)

A Good Librarian, Like a Good Shepherd
Jonathan Kaharl

Now that Kakei is training to become a shepherd, the series is moving towards its major conflict and giving each of the female club members their own spotlight. Kana is first, as we learn more about her insecure personality and need to be the jokey member of the group. It's surprisingly sad and hits really close to home for me, but seeing how Kakei helps her out of her funk is just adorable. Senri gets focus next, as she decides to stop singing because her former passion has become the source of her misery, especially since it cost her a friendship. The full story behind Kodachi is also now in the open, while another "shepherd" is instructing a crazy stalker and threatening library members for some unknown purpose.

The writing for the series is very close to that whole "emotion porn" ascetic Key always aimed for, but far better handled. Key works always relied too heavily on random magical bullshit and very samey characters (though they did get better with stuff like Angel Beats, I'll admit), while Shepherd has spent a good amount of time building a world, establishing rules, and creating sad situations through more realistic back stories and conflict appearing from that pre-established mythology. It helps that all the characters are instantly recognizable from just a glance or a line. I couldn't possibly see myself mixing up Tsugumi and Kana for example, simply due to their ability to handle social situations being so wildly different. The sad moments really have impact too, even if they're formulaic. The execution is just right, and the series really believes everything it says. Junji Majima's Kakei really helps sell this at times, as he effortlessly brings across this caring, wise personality during heavier conversations, really showing this off during a conversation with Senri.

There's a real sense of thematic wholeness here. The characters and plot are very been done, but they're all handled so excellently. The show also looks wonderful, especially in Senri's episode, as backgrounds and environments become more abstract and moody. The colors and smooth animation just make for one of the most constantly eye-pleasing shows of the season, if not the year. Shepherd is far and above what it should have been by all respects, and credit really has to be given to Hoods and all the other staff. They really poured their all into this one.

Strong Recommendation

Ai Tenchi Muyo
Joe Straatmann

At the very least, it's a lot better viewing experience now that the timelines are sorted and the series can only move forward from here on out. With shorts, it's occasionally hard enough to keep track of one storyline, no matter how slight, since the audience is only tethered to an episode a few short moments. Add another plot happening at a different time with the same characters in which the momentum is stymied each time it alternates? Intensely more difficult. Since it's a simple slapstick comedy, dicing up the storyline so finely seems unnecessary.

But I've harped on this before and discussed it long enough. What matters now is is it enjoyable? Well, I find one moment where I either laugh or smile every seven episodes. They mostly involve the old cast since they're already developed and don't need time to grow (Plus, Washu's file photo at the Science Academy shown above is easily the most awesome thing in the entire series bar none). Most of the new characters have one or two traits that get brought up again and again for laughs (One gets superhuman abilities when frightened by spiders, one has an insane obsession with statistic calculation, etc.). I can like things that rely on a small pool of gags (Full Metal Panic: FUMOFFU is basically built on one joke), but here, they're so predictably handled that they're basic, mechanical gags with few surprises. I don't feel any disdain for it, but I don't feel much of anything else either.

The rush of story trying to flood the last ten episodes is an interesting move, though. Instead of having the two warring sides of the student council and the science club have a conflict resolution in the midst of the climactic student council president election, VILLAINS are actually showing up 80% of the way in. They're the Abnormal Research department in some galactic Science Academy and I have no idea what they're going to do, but they have about five three-and-a-half minute episodes left to do it. Plus, the Galaxy Police lets their presence be known (Does nobody notice Mihoshi's been here this whole time? It's like not noticing Ozzy Osbourne is one of your new co-workers). I don't think all of this will be enough to lift the latest in the Tenchi franchise to anything above mediocrity, but I'm at least willing to see it through to the end if only to witness how much they can do with so little time.

No Recommendation

Amagi Brilliant Park
Stephanie Getchell

Everything is beginning to get into high gear with Amagi, and this week certainly shows that. First, after our four fairy performers get themselves locked in Latifa's castle, they have to work together in order to reach the emergency shut down button and keep the castle from destroying everyone and everything in the park. As much as I'm happy that these girls get more screen time than what we've seen previously, the episode that follows this pulls my attention much more. We finally get to learn the extent of Latifa's condition, as the deadline is approaching faster than what we'd hoped. And, now that he knows about this condition, Seiya is becoming a little bit desperate in order to save the park, and, more importantly, Latifa. This is what, I believe, will send this series into it's climax.

I'll admit, I did get a little bored while watching Amagi this week. Partly because I just recently finished a show and have been resting at the time of writing this entry for the report, but more so because it was the same old, same old that I have been seeing since Day one. The first of the two episodes for this week made me feel this way the most. Granted, it was finally nice to see the fairies do something more besides just being there, but the episode was just a bit too cliched for my liking. Though, thanks for pointing out that rather anticlimatic moments Moffle and crew. Something else I realized while watching Amagi this week is that there are some plot points that are actually missing from the series now. One of the bigger ones being the fact that Seiya can read people's minds and it hasn't been brought up again since episode two, I believe. It's kind of annoying when you know that he has that ability but never uses it during his time as the park manager. Did it just become irrelevant or something? I swear, though, if is magically comes up in the last few episodes, I'm going to be rather irritated...

I was ready to give Amagi a lower recommendation level than I have been giving it this season, but episode ten saved it. Though by just a small margin. It has gotten to the point where it's getting a little too predictable and paint by numbers. Something like this can work if the story helps support it, but if there are parts of the story that you seem to forget exist then that doesn't show a lot of confidence the series has. Amagi has spent the majority of the time almost pandering, with not a lot of huge developments to really show for it. My hope for these final three episodes, to come, is that we return to the story and that it ends a lot better than what I've been seeing.

Solid Recommendation

Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon
Jonathan Kaharl

I was right on the mark last entry. Cross Ange is finally moving into some plot development, as Ange and Hilda used the prison festival to escape to their homeland to meet with some old faces. We finally have an idea of who Hilda really is, as her acting as Zola was an act to gain followers and clout to figure out a way to get out of the prison and thrive while in there. In reality, Hilda simply wants to see her mother again. Ange, on the other hand, wants to storm her old palace and rescue her sister, whom she received a troubling message from the episode before. Ange connecting with Hilda in their shared loss of their old status and those they loved is handled perfectly, with just a brief realization after Ange was willing to let Hilda fall to her death (and rightfully so). There was also some minor development among Hilda's two lackeys, mainly the youngest named Chris, who wants to live a happy life with Hilda.

The following episode was grueling to watch, even for a Sunrise show. Hilda met her mother, but she was completely broken from the time they separated. She adopted a new daughter that looked just like Hilda and has come to despise herself for giving birth to a norma, calling Hilda a monster and screaming at her to leave. Ange didn't have it much better, as one of her old friends had the exact same beliefs as the rest of the society on norma, unwilling to listen to a single thing Ange said and acting so incredibly irrational that she reported Ange's whereabouts because she was terrified that Ange may come back to hurt her later. Oh, and Sylvia went mad with grief and tried stabbing Ange herself, blaming her for everything horrible that happened to her, and now her douche of a brother is putting her on "trial." Just to add injury to insult, Hilda was beat by cops while walking away sadly from her old home and mother.

Christ Sunrise, at least Valvrave and Code Geass characters were allowed to have fun from time to time. I'm really divided on the whole norma prejudice angle. I don't mind the show tackling xenophobic societies and I understand that you have to be unflinching to do so at times, but the suffering put on display here is ridiculous, especially in how people react because of their xenophobia. Racists do have some sort of logical thought process behind their twisted beliefs. This world isn't like dark ages Europe, everyone seems plenty educated and well off. It's just a bit much for the subject matter. I like Sunrise being outlandish, but there's another lack in balance here. All the pieces are here for something great and biting, but the writers are a bit too aware of themselves (just see the episode previews) and are having fun in a show that really shouldn't be having so much fun. I like Cross Ange, but there's just too many problems to make me love it.

Solid Recommendation

Denki-Gai
Jonathan Kaharl

Denki-Gai is starting to wrap up, focusing on the relationship between Sensei and Umio, along with Hiotan and Kantoku. The two couples are really sweet and still manage some funny back and forth, especially Sensei and Umio. The two are so generally crass and lacking in social grace that comedy just seems to follow them. Hiotan and Kantoku have surprised me, though, as they really show that they share a connection, despite denying it. One of the recent episodes had a really touching story line with Kantoku trying to help Hiotan over a bad illness that really showed how above and beyond the guy will go for her.

There's also been some playing around with love triangles alongside the usual gags. It doesn't feel too distracting or out of place because it's not overly obnoxious, dramatic stuff, nor entirely unrelatable. Everyone has valid feelings here, and everyone is trying not to hurt the happiness of the people they care about, while also trying to at least make their feelings known a little. That's refreshing. The gags themselves have been a tad less wacky these past two weeks, but G-Woman did make a return to pass out porn books in a Santa outfit, so at least there's that. Denki-Gai has really grown on me and may be one of my favorite comedies this year, though I haven't made a final decision there just yet.

Strong Recommendation

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Jonathan Kaharl

The Holy Grail War continues with the reveal of Rider's master, Shinji Matou. I feel really sorry for Rider. Shinji is an absolute scumbag, so much so that he can barely be described as a character. He's also not a real mage and more of an abusive user. With what I know about the shithead from revelations in Heaven's Feel, whatever final fate he gets in this series will be too good for him. He's already knocked out after his first major play to suck the school dry of mana, however, as Caster and her master interfere. Caster basically hits on Saber with a shadow doppelganger, while her master manages to kill Rider with their bare hands. Jesus. The truce between Rin and Shirou continues as Caster's master remains unknown and in the fray, though Rin is becoming noticeably scared of Archer. He did try to kill Shirou when she wasn't looking, so that's understandable.

After watching Fate/Zero, Unlimited Blade Works doesn't quite have the same punch it did at start. I'm starting to notice more little writing touches that don't gel with me as well, like Rin's occasional habit of acting like a cartoonish tsundere, something that was mostly avoided for most of the series so far. Her slight breakdown in the school also lacks believability after she's already been shown fighting magical beasts elsewhere, and while the very real possibility of people she knew dying is an understandable reason for her lack of composure, it just feels really out of character for how she's been depicted so far. Humor is also more traditionally "otaku"-ish. Lots of ridiculous over expression and illogical action, like Shirou stripping down a male classmate (who is probably bisexual or gay, based on how he acts around Shirou) to find out if he's a master. This just doesn't fit with the series tone so far, robbing it of some of that mystic, grandiose feel for the sake of unfitting gags (though at least funny gags).

Thankfully, this isn't another Cross Ange situation. The show knows when to keep the tone constant when it counts, and it absolutely shines during these moments. The siege on the school is a really well done and tense sequence, mixing in creative action with Shirou, Rin and Saber, while also properly shifting to Shinji's situation and building tension. Despite my gripes, Unlimited Blade Works still manages to be thoroughly entertaining and one of the best shows this season. I just think it could be much more.

Strong Recommendation

The Fruit of Grisaia
Joe Straatmann

We interrupt your current Fruit of Grisaia storyline to bring you an episode of Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom. Yuuji is on the run from his organization after he refuses to assassinate a classmate, and the whole thing comes off like a typical studio Bee Train exercise in mediocrity (Though I can and do defend Madlax). The agents chasing the fugitives are absolutely incompetent, the plot holes are wide enough to drive a tank through, and the knowledge of police and covert tactics are laughable at best. Oh, and of course the girl Yuuki flees with is Makina, the little sister/daughter archetype. Thankfully, this is only a slight detour and we're back to the slightly crazed harem show we know and-for some of us-enjoy more than we should.

The series is getting through the storylines where all the girls get to be the "true love" of the guy before it ends on what I imagine to be an ambiguous note to give the shippers something to rally around and not be pissed off when the creators select a girl other than the viewer's waifu. Following Makina is Amane, who requests to become Yuuji's girlfriend. His answer is as committal as a noncommittal response can be. This leads to a flashback involving Yuuji's sister and a bus crash that feels like they fell onto a deserted island rather than into some woods next to the highway. It's hard to have much of a reaction to this episode since it's the first part and its other half has yet to air, but I'm expecting tragedy in large bundles.

It's hard to explain what the pull is for this story at this point. Between trying its luck as an action series for an episode and being ill-equipped to do so, and the complete emotional separation I have from the romance aspect (It doesn't turn me on and I don't have a particular attachment to any of the relationships), I don't know why it's so watchable. There's Yuuji being a bizarrely humorous choice for a harem lead, the weird sense of humor that pops up now and then, and some of the tragic stories do work, though an equal amount of them feel like they were oversold. However, for as much enjoyable guilty pleasure as I get out of this, there's an equal amount of banal harem posturing and undercooked plotting. It's a peculiar work, and I think the only way to get a clearer picture is to see how it ends.

Solid Recommendation

Garo: The Animation
Stephanie Getchell

This is the busiest I've seen Garo get, and I'll explain why in a second. Each of the three episodes I got to watch, this week, gave focus on a particular character. First up is Alfonso (yay!). Before completing his training as a Makai Knight, Rafael tasks Alfonso with defeating a rather powerful Horror. On his way to accomplish this, Alfonso and Leon finally meet for the first time, though without knowing their relation to each other, at first (in case you forgot, they're cousins). While in the midst of fighting the massive Horror, Rafael appears and sacrifices himself while fighting the Horror, however not before officially handing down the title and armor of Gaia to Alfonso. Now a full fledged Makai Knight, Alfonso defeats the Horror and swears to honor his fallen master. Next, Leon and Alfonso head back to Alfonso's home to meet up with German and Emma before storming the castle and facing off against Mendoza. During this, we learn about Mendoza's past and how he went from banished Makai Alchemist to vengeful, crazy person. Before our trio of Makai Knights get to Mendoza, Bernardo stands in their way and fights against German. This is where we learn Bernardo's side of the story as a continuation of German's flashback in the episode I covered last time. German manages to defeat Bernardo, and, as he passes away, seems to revert back to the friend German knew before being separated. German is asked to pass Bernardo's armor to someone, however it seems that won't be the case since Bernardo was infected with Horrors, causing both Bernardo, and his armor, to disappear all together. Leon and Alfonso reach Mendoza, but now they face a rather large Horror.

Like I mentioned before, these three episodes all focus on, at least, one character. Episode nine had Alfonso and a little Rafael in there, episode ten gave more backstory on Mendoza, and episode eleven completed German's story with a focus on Bernardo. These are three characters that have been fairly neglected, I feel, and it makes me so happy to see them getting a little more attention. What also makes me rather happy is the mature humor the series loves to throw in there. I've probably mentioned this before, but the comedic style this series goes for can seem rather cliched at points, but, then again, the series is based off of a tokusatsu and those series tend to have some rather corny humor mixed in. Much more corny then Garo does, so I can appreciate the anime sticking to it's origins to an extent while giving us a new story to go with the legend of Garo and the Makai Knights. Now, the question is.... How many episodes is this series really going to have? As of right now, whether the series is going to be a one cour, two cour, or maybe even longer hasn't been talked about, which does concern me a little bit. If it's a one cour series, then it will be interesting to see how the series manages to complete itself with only one to two more episodes. Personally I feel that a two cour could be more likely for Garo, but then the question I'd ask for that is what are you going to do after you finish up this arc? Will something else happen or are you just going to drag this arc out even further? This is something I just really dislike when I don't know how many episodes have been planned and we're already close to either the end of a series or it's mid season finale, if you will.

At this point, either way, I'm only going to have one to two episodes left to talk about this season so the series better not screw this up now. The series had been making really positive strides in order to tell it's story and give us decent character development, even for our villains. While I'm terrified as to what manner the series plans to finish this fall season, I know that I've been on one hell of a ride since the beginning and that I will enjoy it to the bitter end.... Though, I'd prefer this series to be a two cour one. Just saying....

Strong Recommendation

Gonna be the Twin-Tails!!
Jonathan Kaharl

It's business as usual for the Twin-Tails gang. Buying porno magazines, imagining being walked around naked on a leash, arguing over the merits of erotic literature. You know, the usual. The team has come closer together after Erina's attempts to buy Souji a porn mag (yes, really), while the group has finally realized that Dark Grasper is actually the new idol that's taken the world by storm with her glasses theme. She's also realized that TailRed isn't Twoearle, though this leads her to believe TailRed stole Twoearle's twin-tails attribute. Stalkers for ya.

Not too much to say this time, even with the Dark Grasper battle. Nothing particularly interesting has gone down these past two episodes that I haven't mentioned previously, but I've still been plenty entertained. The battle with the literature monster was pretty spectacularly stupid, while the new little tidbits in the Dark grasper fight that revealed more of Erina's deep seeded exhibitionism got a lot of laughs from me. I am honestly amazed they're going so far with her. Now if only the series wasn't suffering so many production problems. The writing and humor really save the series, I can't stress that enough. Hopefully the blu-rays are significantly improved.

Solid Recommendation

Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Jonathan Kaharl

An entire episode of girl Kokkuri. There is a god. Thanks to that cursed item from a previous episode, Kokkuri became a girl and had no cure in sight. In a rare moment of sympathy, Shigaraki revealed that he has tickets to a hot spring town, and said down may have a hidden spring that can cure curses. While a cure was eventually found, what it turned out to be was just so fitting for Kohina's family. The following episode had Kokkuri freaking out over the possibility of losing his hair and fur, while Inugami's feelings of hate and lonesomeness started to pile up and caused him to act out.

A surprising thing going on here is that the series is giving some depth to Kohina's various haunters. Inugami's hatred of the world and fear of being abandoned are actually well built and used effectively to make him a tiny bit tragic, while Shigaraki's real kindness hidden under his scum persona has been popping up more and more. The ending credits are a beautiful little song set to visions of Kohina relaxing and playing with the three, and the weird warmth from them starts making more and more sense as the three are developed. There's a weird heart to this series when its not focusing too heavily on humor, though a mean-spirited joke is usually not far behind. I'm really interested to see how this series is going to wrap up, and I really hope another season releases sometime in the future.

Solid Recommendation

Gundam: G no Reconguista
David O'Neil

When the action gets going, Gundam: G no Reconguista is still a thrilling show to watch, but more and more I feel as if I'm losing interest whenever the focus shifts away from the epic and exciting mecha battles to the interactions between characters. Not a whole lot has changed, and the plot has been moving forward with a decent pace, but it feels as if something more meaningful is missing when it comes to what's happening when it's just up to the characters to carry the show.

Nothing too major has happened in the past two episodes, the pirates of the Megafauna continue to hold an alliance with the Capital Guard in order to better face the supposed "threat coming from space". At the same time, the Capital Army forces, being lead by "Captain Mask" (in case you couldn't guess, he wears a mask) gets more and more ambitious in trying to thwart them at every turn, even if it means bending the rules that the Capital's forces are supposed to abide by. The biggest strength of the show the past few episodes has definitely been the action, the battles of the past few episodes have been superb as usual. As the scale of battles continues to increase, the quality of the animation stays the same keeping a charming blend of more conservative animation mixed with more modern, intricately scenes. In addition, new mecha and enhancements for the G-Self are often thrown into the mix to make things more interesting.

On the other hand, when the battles aren't going on I find myself caring less and less about what's happening with the plot. I think a big part of that is the lack of any meaningful interactions between characters as of late. As the show stands, nearly all of the dialogue outside of the fight scenes is almost entirely dedicated to exposition. While I'm fine with furthering the plot, the lack of any more personal conflicts between characters lately has left the show feeling empty and the characters seeming inconsequential, there simply to move the plot. As a result, my attention is only completely held when the big robots are duking it out. Although then again, the parts with the robots duking it out are pretty awesome.

Solid Recommendation

I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying
Thom "Tama" Langley

I’ve come to regard my weekly visit to Kaoru and Hajime, dysfunctional though they are, as something of a treat; it’s like visiting slightly odd, occasionally bickering, but very caring in-laws at Christmas. In comparison, I suppose, the dumped Girlfriend Beta is like visiting Swedish furniture giant IKEA, only with a cute anime girl replacing each Scandinavian named flatpack. Oh, wait. IKEA furniture actually has personality. Well, more than the average GF Beta character.  And waiting at the till for you? Why, it's GoodSmile's newly announced Nendoroids of Chloe Lemaire, somehow imbued with more personality than her animated form does, and her fellow personality vacuum Kokomi Shiina. No figures of Kaoru or Hajime have been announced, sadly. But, as we consign Girlfriend Beta, anime's answer to edible Styrofoam, to the drop pile of history, we tuck into the home-made, slightly burnt, Konata-shaped pancakes that represent I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying.

Speaking of pancakes, Kaoru and Hajime are also enjoying pancakes. Or at least that's what the title said. I saw no pancakes for 3 and a half minutes and I feel robbed. This week, our resident BL manga-ka has popped round, this time deciding to use Kaoru and Hajime’s first date’s as material for his next doujin. Cue…flashback, where Kaoru still had perfectly natural blue hair, and Hajime was timid, and yet brave enough to go on a date with Kaoru. In fact, this date is such a big deal, he forgets his dating game. In fact, this episode is quite sweet, showing how perceptive Kaoru is, and how much she actually cares about Hajime, despite his eccentricities and initial reservedness. So sweet in fact, that Hajime’s brother (yes, apparently I’ve been getting his gender wrong; blame androygenous voice actors, crossdressing and the fact that I pretty much had to wiki this to find out) decides not to use it. What’s also a really nice touch is how attentive this series is to the little details; in Hajime and his brother’s bedroom is festooned with posters, and the city shots once again look great. (As a side note, DESTINY FUCKER is also (apparently) a guy, called Miki, voiced by Kaori Shizumu; I say apparently since Shizumi often plays deep-voiced women.)

Episode 10 introduces us to Hajime’s mother (who is…impressively psychotic, to the extent of breaking their door)…who wants to know why Kaoru isn’t pregnant. This…is taken surprisingly seriously (well, as serious as Husband¬ ever gets), with Kaoru forced to think about taking work off and possibly giving up smoking. But babies, of course need names, and, Hajime and Kaoru agree, giving it a pop-culture referencing name…is not the best idea. We’re then gifted with, complete with glowing glasses and Gendo pose, An Obligatory Evangelion Reference (TM), although it’s actually surprising to note how few visual anime/manga references there have been in recent episodes. It’s quickly denied by Kaoru who gets her own Eva gag as (who else) Kaworu. A phonecall later, and Hajime’s mother admits she may have been getting overexcited. Also, Hajime's unseen father may be kinda an asshole. We close with…panties. Glorious panties. Another two solid episodes from Husband-it’s long since hit its stride, and it’s not slowing down for anybody. Whilst some of the pop-culture references have been sloughed off, leaving it leaner and a little more focused, Hajime is still very much the otaku, his brother is an irreverent look at the BL fandom, Kaoru is still the comic foil who still loves her husband, flaws and all. It’s also not afraid to throw in the cutaway homages when they really work; I had to replay the Evangelion homage a good three or four times before I stopped laughing. In short, whilst I would never describe it as show of the season, its timing, observational humour, and most of all its heart make it a cut above the average slice of life series.

Solid Recommendation

JOKER
Walter Holleger

Nothing really grand to talk about with episode seven of JOKER. Joker and Spade team up to solve an ancient riddle to find a massive gem, The Scarlet Heart, but Clovers goons try to steal it out from them. There's nothing wrong with the episode, but it's just filler, not really moving the story along in any real way. With a forgettable villain and a lackluster puzzle, it's just kinda there to pad out the run time.

Episode eight of JOKER begins a two part adventure to steal The Silver Egg, but a mysterious thief has been destroying silver treasures across the world. This thief is Queen Emerald, the granddaughter to Silver Heart, who is working for Professor Clover to destroy the Phantom Thieves. While the character isn't fleshed out entirely this time, we get a clear understanding of her motivations and abilities, and a mixing of stories from both parties that creates an interesting mystery to her past, along with a strong conflict to lead off the next episode with. Match that with a couple new gadgets from Joker's arsenal and clever planning on both Joker and Oniyama part's, and it makes for a good episode.

Solid Recommendation

Laughing Under the Clouds
Joe Straatmann

Few series can go from having nothing going on to having way too much going on at once than this one can. Before I get into this, it would be nearly impossible to discuss Laughing Under the Clouds at this juncture without clearly talking about the major mid-season plot twist. So DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED. Got it? Good. All right, Tenka is SO not dead. Anime makers, you can play a decent game, changing the openings and closings to make it seem like it's all moving on without him, but never showing the body and stating that his body has been moved for "research purposes" as the reason for not having a proper funeral might as well be grabbing a megaphone and shouting to the audience, "Tenka will be showing up later in the series!" However, after a bit of mourning and some sad backstory about Nishiki, the predictability of the largest plot point is pushed to the back of immediate concerns as enough story developments for three episodes happen in one.

Here's but a small list of plot points brought up in one episode: Even though the Orochi is supposably dead, the weather that should've cleared up in the area where the Orochi spawns is still cloudy and rainy every day. Some prisoners who were in Gokumonjo are now apparently wandering free and a short edit to a room in the jail implies it's not under guard control anymore. One of the supposed prisoners is trying to recruit the youngest brother Chutaro to get revenge on the government for hanging his brother. The Shiga Prefectural Police are acting suspicious after the execution of Tenka and are being investigated. Tenka was killed for being the Orochi, but there are whispers he is an "artificial" Orochi, however that happens. The last time the Orochi was sealed, it somehow swallowed the spell that sealed it, so the only things left to defeat should it spring up again are a set of swords. Sora has hired on wandering ninja Nishiki to serve as the Kumoh shrine's groundskeeper and potential love interest. Keep in mind this is about half of what's going on and I'm not divulging the more spoiler-intensive developments.

Why am I listing all of this instead of doing my job? To emphasize how absolutely unbalanced this series is. The episode before barely had anything going on for half the running time except for overwrought mourning. Laughing Under the Clouds either has great animation or poor animation. The story is either spinning its wheels or veering out of control at maximum speed. I want to be clear that I like the show and hope all of this unwinds into something special. The characters remain enjoyable enough and the addition of Nishiki to the shrine gives the main characters something different to play off of besides the usual inhabitants. She has a unusually touching story as a failed assassin trying to find her place in the world, and is a better foil for comedy as the brothers' usual attempts at wackiness are going to be cut down for obvious reasons.

The great shows usually find their proper momentum. While it's clear the makers know they have material they can make a hit out of (Not to mention FUNimation is dubbing the episodes while the series is being released, so they have some faith in it as well), whether it's a lack of planning or experience, this show can't settle and focus even if it has solid characters, a great historical backdrop, and enough story to cover the episodes. But as far as manga adaptations that may have been rushed to production, it's certainly leagues better than World Trigger.

Solid Recommendation

Lord Marksman and Vanadis
Jonathan Kaharl

Hooray, a good two weeks of Lord Marksman! Thank god they already killed off Roland, and in the most amazing way to boot! Get this; Roland goes to the capital to plead Tigre's case, gets locked in a room, and some adviser to someone (I honestly have no idea who this important character is because the show never focuses on important villains for more than a few seconds) fills the room full of bees to sting the guy to death. Yes, bees. The adviser's actual words were "A prison of bees--a hell of bees." Roland died standing up and then the show showed he corpse AND HE LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING AN INFLATION ARTIST WOULD DRAW, OH JESUS IT'S SO FUCKING STUPID AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND.

Elen and her group fucked off to another engagement, giving the episode two whole episodes where the badass war maidens weren't made weak damsels so boring bow guy could be awesome. That's a huge plus. Tigre got into a drawn out guerrilla war with an invading army that outnumbered him forty to one, involving some tricky strategies and tense hostage situations, bringing back Mila (the ice maiden) to assist him. I like her more than Elen so far, as she's not nearly as stupid and can honestly stand above Tigre in strategy. Elen, meanwhile, helped oppose another war maiden army to protect one of her ally maidens, though this turned out to be a distraction for the series major villain, Lord Thenardier, to go invade Tigre's home while his army is weakened by Elen's absence.

Lord Marksman is mildly entertaining at its best, sadly. A common issue I've been glancing over is that the series has a problem with explaining its politics at times, making the immediate situation clear, but glossing over characterization for major villains and skipping over major elements of world building due to time constraints. The writer really made a massive setting filled with mythological richness, but the show just doesn't have the time to deal with it all. There's also the running issue of main character self insertion, as Tigre only gets more and more dull as the series goes on, as the series keeps focusing on how awesome he is (he befriended a hostage and she already wants to get in his pants, gah). Still, at least I'll always have a prison of bees--a hell of bees.

No Recommendation

Magic Kaito 1412
Joe Straatmann

I've seen some roundabout crossovers, but crossing over stuff that happened over a hundred episodes ago on the other franchise just about tops everything! The latest episodes feature a crossover with Detective Conan episodes 627 and 628. It makes sense since both source manga are by the same author, but consider that Case Closed is about to release to release its 761st episode (Furthering my idea that the fans forcing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to take back the death of Sherlock Holmes and making Holmes essentially unending is one of the worst things to happen to fiction, but that's another rant for another day). Dragging up something from literally years ago to involve a crossover story to get full perspective is a little unwieldy, even if Magic Kaito is a quality series and any shot in the arm for its popularity would be a good thing. For the record, I have watched the two episodes of Case Closed even as it spoils the as-of-yet unreleased final part of Magic Kaito's arc.

The Magic Kaito side of things is more interesting since the entire nature of the three-part story is extremely personal. The plot of the centers on rich exhibiters who seeks revenge on Kaitou Kid for a botched setup that happened eighteen years involving Kaito's father and an attempt at raking in cash on counterfeit goods. It is essentially the origin story of Kaitou Kid and how Kaito's father met his wife, though if Kaito's mom was completely honest with him, the story probably wouldn't bore him so much every time time he hears it. I'm picturing the part where his mom would have to explain how she bloodied and dismembered a lot of Parisian police that day. It's mostly charming fun that enriches the understanding of the characters and the story with some amusing twists to boot (Such as how the villains make assumptions by tailing Kaitou Kid that are essentially all wrong which still manages to make the heist go sideways). On the Case Closed side of things, even while Conan has a rival for this investigation, it's still just another case.

To be honest, everything not involving the crossover aspect is the best part of these episodes so far. Detective Conan feels almost like an ornament, or an easter egg meant to evoke the reaction, "Hey, it's Conan!" without the hidden aspect to easter eggs. I suppose it's good fan service and it would be wrong to leave out a story that has its origins in Case Closed to excise the child detective who prints money. However, the episode preluding his arrival is just about perfect and the episode where he shows up feels like it's needlessly protracting its story to accommodate a special guest. Then again, my feelings towards Conan are fairly neutral. In the grand scheme of things, is the arc still worth watching? Yes! Is the series still worth watching? Yes!

Solid Recommendation

Orenchi no Furo Jijou
Megan R

Episode eight has to be one of the most frivolous episodes of this show, which is saying a lot for a series of comedic shorts. Wakasa has been reading too many mens’ magazines and decided to be more of a ‘carnivore man.” Not only is he refusing to eat the veggies in Tatsumi’s food, but he’s also being more aggressive about getting Tatsumi into the tub. Tatsumi in turn shows him how aggressive a guilt trip can be when strategically applied. Episode nine sees the unfortunate return of Kasumi, who was hoping that Tatsumi was planning for a private pool party when he borrowed her kiddy pool. Instead, she offers to bathe with her big brother, but it ends up being less about creepy bathtime and more about bonding with Wakasa over fancy brand toiletries. 

Once again, this show is being pulled in two different directions and it’s all Kasumi’s fault. Episode eight may be frivolous as hell and pandering to the fangirls in a big way, but at least it didn’t give me the creeps the way it does when Kasumi bribes Wakasa with fancy shampoo in return for secret cellphone pictures of him. I will say that at least this Kasumi episode does come with at least a few solid jokes in return. After all, you can’t run a warm bath without bringing Wakasa into it one way or another. Still, the imouto gags aren’t getting any more original; if anything, they’re only getting creepier. They can’t derail my fondness for this show, but they will keep pulling down my rating for it so long as they appear.

Weak Recommendation

Parasyte -the maxim-
Stephanie Getchell

So.... I'm trying to figure out how I left for Thanksgiving thinking I'd only have three episodes to catch up on, and now, instead, I have FOUR episodes to cover!!! Yeah... It's a bit confusing. Anyways! So the person Izumi almost attacked was a person in the same situation as Izumi himself; someone with a parasite who failed to control the brain and now resides in another part of the human body. Thanks to his help, Izumi is able to take out his parasite infested mother for good and he and his father return home. This now brings us to Hideo, a parasite similar in behavior to Ryoko, who attends Izumi's school in order to keep an eye on him. However, a friend of Murano's makes the discovery of Hideo's "condition" and confronts him about it. This causes him to go on a rampage and kill a handful of students and teachers before Izumi brings an end to his killing spree. Meanwhile, in the romance department, Murano is sensing a strong change in Izumi and the two kind of go back and forth with each other until they reconcile at the end of episode ten. Also, the Japanese police/government has decided to start a new trend in order to identify parasites that involves pulling a person's strand of hair.

There was a hell of a lot to cover this week, but luckily it wasn't as bad as I originally thought. The mother plot line finished up in one episode while the Hideo plot line took the remaining three episodes I had to watch this week. Each story line throughout this series has managed to complete itself rather well with very few holes, with those same holes to be addressed later on. It also introduces bits and pieces of story lines to come, with Ryoko's conversation with some stranger being one that stuck out to me this week. Honestly, the story hasn't done much wrong or annoying, meaning it has remained consistent throughout my watch of it. Also, I'm very excited to see the change in character development for Izumi as well. Like I've been saying, since Migi saved him a few episodes back, maybe even earlier, Izumi is becoming more parasite like and now we are beginning to understand the extent of that change. Basically there's a lot going on and I am loving it.

Parasyte is still going really strong for me, and probably will remain strong for me until the final episode at the end of next season. Though, I'm getting rather happy that my coverage of this series is almost over. Mostly because it's slowly getting to the point where I'm having a slightly difficult time talking about it. This is more than likely because I am slowly running out of praise to give it. The final few weeks will be interesting to see where the series halfway point will land. Also because this one is a strong contender for my seasonal staff pick.... Though my last series I'm covering may be challenging that now....

Strong Recommendation

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Thomas Zoth

Bahamut has been better than anyone expected, and is likely the best anime adaptation of a videogame fandom has yet seen. However, there are reasons people are skeptical of videogame adaptation, and unfortunately some of those problems are beginning to show themselves in the previously invincible series. When the show was focusing on anime-original characters and plot, it moved along at a quick pace, was full of comedy, and charm. The demands of videogame worldbuilding are dragging it down.

First of all, we're starting to have too many characters. Not only do we have our main party of Favaro, Kaisar, Amira, and Rita, but we also have a new side story of Jeanne of Arc's downfall. The demons have noted the King's jealousy of Jeanne's favor of the gods, and poison him to make him paranoid. When a trusted knight ends up dead, the blame falls of Jeanne who is sentenced to be burned at the stake as a witch. Demon magic is powerful, but the quick pace of the turnaround is difficult to believe. With only twelve episodes to work with, though, the story arc feels super rushed. And why include Jeanne's story anyway? So far, she's not yet connected with any of the main characters or "themes" of the plot. Most likely answer is that she's a popular card in the Rage of Bahamut game.

Videogame adaptations suffer because cramming an entire 120 hour videogame into a two hour movie, or (in this case) six hour TV series involves either cutting out material or jamming too many things in. Above I mentioned how the king was poisoned by demons. In this case, the demon is Martinet, the goth rocker-looking demon who tries to tempt Jeanne in a stellar sequence. But we also have Azazel from before, who has survived, Cerberus, who has been absent of late, Lucifer, the current heir apparent to the demon kingdom who seems to be doing nothing but read, and the newest character Beelzebub, who seems to be scheming to start a war against Heaven. This is an awful lot of nemeses for a short series to have. And don't even get me started on all of the angels!

Another problem with videogame logic is the requirement that destined heroes face a big bad at the end. While fun could be had with Favaro and Kaisar romping around looking for adventure, Amira is destined for greater things. As explained by Jeanne's second in command, Lavalley, Amira is a half-demon half-angel, kidnapped by the demons to serve as vessel for the god key. Their plan? To resurrect the powerful Bahamut and apparently destroy the world. Lavalley helps Amira to escape to go meet her mother in an attempt to remove the god key from her body. Favaro and Kaisar join her, and along the way, they meet an elder dragon who has more tales of prophecy and destiny for the trio.

It doesn't help that the dragon episode is the weakest animated yet. The dragon is done completely in 3DCG, and has about half the frames of the other character animation. It always seems to be moving in slow motion, and it really hurts the look of the show! Fortunately, the dragon appears to be the last of the exposition dump, and the final three episodes should be nothing but crowdpleasing action adventure. Jeanne needs rescuing, Rita is facing down Martinet, Heaven and Hell are poised for war and Bahamut is destined to re-awaken. Bahamut Genesis will probably be forgiven for the slow setup if its conclusion is as wonderful as its first act, but watching dominoes get put in place is boring, no matter how awesome knocking them over might be.

Strong Recommendation

Ronia, the Bandit's Daughter
Joe Straatmann

Winter in the Mattis Woods slows down the world to more than the leisurely pace it had.  If you can survive about ten minutes of showing the endless stretch of snow shoveling the bandits endure to maintain their lair, it's worth it to get to a two-part story of Ronia finding the limits of her bravery. As Ronia is off perfecting the art of skiing, she falls into a snow drift that turns out to be a buried hut of rumphobs (Simple-minded, dwarf-like creatures). Ronia's foot becomes stuck in their roof and their response is more finding a utilitarian purpose for her foot than anything else. The rest of the arc involves Ronia simply stuck and going through an emotional roller coaster as an impending blizzard threatens to bury her.

This is probably the best the series has been so far. The white landscapes blend perfectly in with the computer animation, and the CG actually makes snow work like real snow. The rumphobs are a delightfully unique creation perfectly realized who are neither good nor bad, but merely deal with what's in front of them in a way that puts a weird punctuation on the mood. Most of all, it's a clear representation of Ronia as she goes from angry and defiant to desperate and fearful. Perhaps this will never get traction with the people who want Studio Ghibli to rise to the glory of its grand epics, but if you want a great example of minimalistic storytelling, these two episodes are it, and I'm not going to waste any further words trying to sell them.

Solid Recommendation

Seven Deadly Sins
David O'Neil

Just like those that came prior, the last few episodes of The Seven Deadly Sins haven't really stood out all that much against many of the other shows airing this season, but it continues to be some of the most fun I've had all season. And that's what I think is a big part of why the show is working as well as it is. It's continued dedication to being an entertaining ride that doesn't take itself to seriously and keeps a smile on the audience's face from beginning to end.

The ninth episode was essentially a point of transition, wrapping up the last loose ends from the last arc which saw the newest Deadly Sin, King joining the group, and setting the stage for the next one. This time it actually isn't a fellow Deadly Sin they're looking for, but instead their "Holy Weapons". It's explained that at one point, all of the Sins wielded immensely powerful weapons that increased their already immense strength to an even greater degree. As it turns out though, during their time separated all but King somehow managed to misplace theirs. So when they come across Diane's Holy Weapon almost immediately lodged in the side of the mountain in a small town, and learn that it's actually the prize for an imminent fighting tournament (what are the chances right?) The Sins can't help themselves from joining. What follows is an absolute blast of an episode, perfectly blending great action scenes, the show's usual light sense of humor, and even some significant plot developments for good measure. Episode 10 really did show of many of the show's greatest strengths in full form, with hilarious interactions between characters and some very good animation being boasted in the fight scenes.

Again, there's still not much all that special going on in terms of its plot. The conclusion of the previous arc surrounding Ban was sweet, and many of the plot developments that have been introduced are very intriguing, but all in all nothing in the story has really broken out of the show's adventure shonen shell. But I find it difficult to complain much about that when the show keeps getting more and more entertaining by the episode, and making sure to never waste a single episode on filler. If you're looking for an entertaining time, you still can't go wrong with The Seven Deadly Sins.

Strong Recommendation

Shirobako
David O'Neil

As the fictional studio Musashino Animation gets closer and closer to finishing its series, Shirobako gets closer to its halfway point, and as things are now this very well may be the strongest new show of the season. It excels in just about every aspect, giving an interesting look at what it's like to work in the anime industry while at the same time delving further and further into its themes on the gap between our dreams and reality, and what exactly it means to follow your dreams.

In addition to the usual fiascos Aoi has to put up with down at MusAni, the last few episodes have spent a lot of time focusing on another member of the group of anime industry girls who had previously been mostly been seen in the background, Misa Todo. Those watching the series will remember her as the member of Aoi's high school animation club that wanted to pursue the field of CG animation, who's now working at a highly successful 3D modeling company. Despite that, Misa isn't satisfied with her current position in life, because while she's making a living working with CG, the company seems to be content doing absolutely nothing besides making 3D models cars in the foreseeable future. This makes Misa wonder if she should really continue working there, if she's not even doing what she's always wanted to do: telling stories and working with characters through animation.

Through Misa Shirobako continues its very real tackling of what it means to pursue your dreams, which at times feels almost soul crushing. It's not actively trying to be stressful or depressing, but the way it handles these major life questions and situations with a harsh realism and ambiguity often makes the show almost sad to watch. For the most part this is usually balanced out by the show's usual wacky sense of humor and more over the top moments, but still. That aside, Shirobako continues to be one of my favorite if not my absolute favorite new shows this anime season through a combination of great humor, strong execution, and themes that hit a surprisingly real and thought provoking topics.

Strong Recommendation

Tribe Cool Crew
Jonathan Kaharl

Now that Tribe Cool Crew is formed proper, the series is finally showing some new character dynamics. For one, Kumo is finally gaining more respect for Haneru, while Haneru is starting to listen to others more and become aware of his own shortcomings. He had some moments of humility these past two weeks, and how much he was willing to train to get over his own lacking technique earned him center in the group's performance for Dance Road. Meanwhile, Kanon is getting more positive development from not just her friends but her instructors. It finally lead to her gaining the confidence to dance for the school, while also learning to conquer her irrational fears of those around her disapproving of her passion.

Kumo is really growing on me. His dorky side is starting to show, like how he screwed up his introduction at Kanon's culture festival, and he's becoming funny in his own right. He even has a bit of an ego, which I wasn't expecting. The main duo are growing and Kumo is starting to show more of himself, and I'm really glad the series got around to this series of developments while keeping up the gag quotient. The group arguing over who should be the center was one of the best high lights of the show, and it will probably remain a major high light by show end.

Solid Recommendation

When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
Jonathan Kaharl

This is getting meta. Maybe too meta. I adore self-aware shows, but the direction here simply confuses me. Some minor explanation for the sudden appearance of superpowers has been given, involving fairies and some deathless war for a wish or something. The show barely cares about the explanation, and I feel pretty much the same. Tomoyo's brother is apart of a team fighting in said war, acting as the leader and aware of the lit club's status as superhumans. His actions in trying to kidnap Hatoko were actually a complete accident, as he was trying to recruit Sayumi for her "healing" powers. Both Sayumi and Ando awakened to the next stage in their powers, though everyone is seemingly terrified of Ando's power now, whatever it may be. All four of the club members are attracted to Ando now (GODDAMNIT) ...and that guy who's obsessed with voice actress from a few episodes earlier may also have powers, as he's planning to have Sayumi, who he sees as the least popular "character" of the group, win Ando's heart for his own amusement.

I have no idea what direction this show is headed in now. There's at least three or four different possible settings the series can go towards, and all of them feel very confused and ill-advised. With exception to the Sayumi sub-plot, that is. She's actually been my favorite of the club after Ando, particularly because of how put together she is and how she tries to look out for everyone as a sort of mother figure for the group. If the series is doing what I think its doing with this sub-plot (and I see two different possibilities), this could end on a really interesting note.

This series has been really good at subverting my expectations ever so slightly, and it could very well save itself from this troubling current harem drama direction if it starts using all these subplots properly and collides them in just the right ways. I think everything will come down to Ando's power, and I suspect it's something game changing. Time will tell.

Solid Recommendation

Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Joe Straatmann

This is the part where the people invested in the couple enjoy the fluffy dates and little romantic gestures and difficulties, and the people like me, well, don't. I would love nothing more than to have a romantic comedy I can cheer for and vanish into my corner during viewings so nobody can see my cheeks flush at the sweet moments, but after flirting with cruelty for the first half, it's now turning into a fully manufactured shojo that simply shoos away anything that would be a possible conflict except for the eventual revelation hammer that's sure to come down in time for the show's climax. Take what's-his-name, the womanizing member of Erika and Kyoya's new class who's so lazily written I refuse to remember his name. Instead of trying to attract Erika, he spends a whole episode showing Kyoya how wonderful the swinger lifestyle is, having a different woman make him lunch every day and such things, and then Kyoya says one thing about how he used to be that way and has sworn it off. Then what's-his-name has one bad, minor experience with one of his women, and suddenly, he's a changed man and enter Kyoya's small circle of friends! In his literally dozens of interactions with females, he's never had one go sour before, or one where she left him because she wanted more?

It all feels so fake, and now that the relationship is in full boyfriend/girlfriend mode, the people around them only serve as window dressing. The superficial women Erika lied to in order to become friends with? No attempt to further refine that relationship. They're simply Erika's fashionable friends made to make her seem more important and popular. Once Kusakabe is dropped like a bad habit, they add what's-his-name to the cast in order to have more pretty guys to look at. And rather than actually make the relationship about a masochist dealing with the complex emotional realizations of such, it's just another story of a gal trying to reveal the warm and fuzzy moments from a taciturn guy. It simply took the path of making the two people a pathological liar and a sadist in a torturous relationship until the plot decided to make them not that.

Even as they have dates that are inoffensive and full of the not cutesy guy being cute because he can't say, "I love you," the series hasn't done its legwork to make it feel like anything but a mass of contrivances built to get the characters to have the desired moment and give the target audience its proper reaction. I can't enjoy the puppet show when all I can see are the strings.

No Recommendation

Yona of the Dawn
Jonathan Kaharl

After many, many episodes of getting things set up, Yona of the Dawn is finally getting on with it! Well, after one episode of character building for Yun. The priest's caretaker is ordered to go along with Yona and Hak to find the dragon warriors, leading to some revelations of the kid's past with the priest. He was an orphan the priest raised as his son, and Yun has been taking care of him since to express his gratitude. I really like that the show took some extra time to give Yun some more definition, and I like that the little bookworm's personality clashes well against Yona's and Hak's. The group manages to find the white dragon warrior rather quickly, all while Yona finally gets some lessons from Hak on using a weapon, while facing the very real possibility that she will have to kill someone to keep living and to protect Hak.

I normally prefer faster paced shows, but Yona's slow pace works well for it. There's a lot of time well spent on gradual character development and world building, and the series never has to rub your nose in it. Now that more of the kingdom is shown, it makes sense why Son-Woo would overthrown Ii beyond his personal reasons. There's a real argument to be had for a stronger ruler, as Ii's kindness allowed corruption to spread into the country's politics unchecked. At the same time, Son-Woo's emotionally unstable personality may cause greater problems later, necessitating the interference of Yona and the dragons. I also really like Yona's growth, though not so much Hak's constant stubbornness with not explaining his feelings. We get it, you're upset Yona loves someone else, GET OVER IT OR AT LEAST TALK IT OUT.

The love triangle stuff is annoying, but the series has heart and a good pace for what it wants to accomplish. Pierrot picked out a good manga to adapt here, one that doesn't require heavy animation focus, but allows them to use their budget effectively for the occasional show stopping moment when it counts. Yona of the Dawn is growing on me, and I hope the end result is something memorable.

Solid Recommendation

Your Lie in April
Stephanie Getchell

I'm putting this out there now before going into more details: a series that manages to make me feel so many emotions and get teary eyed makes for a successful story. What caused this to happen? Probably because I strongly related to Kousei's story, but I'll get to that in a minute. Episodes six through nine take us to the piano competition Kousei has entered and each episode centers around Kousei and two of his rivals, Takeshi Aiza and Emi Igawa. Well... At least now Kousei considers the two of them rivals, since he previously didn't acknowledge them as a child but now feels the music that is reaching to him. Both Takeshi and Emi were inspired by Kousei at a young age and both have their reasons as to how they view Kousei. Takeshi wants to be acknowledged by Kousei and wants to surpass him, while Emi wishes to hear the Kousei that inspired her to become a pianist in the first place. In their performances, they both reach and move Kousei.

This now brings me to episode nine and the reason why I became an emotional wreck. As Kousei begins to play his piece, his mother comes back to haunt him once again. From this, it is revealed just how harsh of a mother she could be, even going as far as to physically abuse Kousei if he did not play a piece exactly as she expects him too. Even after a competition where Kousei plays with his heart, he gets punished for it in the middle of the auditorium lobby and in front of on lookers. He tells his mother he wished she were dead after all the suffering she put him through, and that is the last thing he ever says to her as she passes away shortly thereafter. But not without placing a punishment upon him, hence why he can no longer hear what he is playing. The reason why I relate to Kousei's story so much and why it made me so emotional towards the end of the episode is because I have been abused as a child. Not to the same extent as Kousei, but I've been abused none the less and it stirred that emotional reaction out of me. Honestly, I think this is the first time I've addressed this in an online setting, but I want you to at least understand where I'm coming from. Being told you're wrong, that you have to do things a certain way or else someone won't be happy. Going through such mental and psychological pain every day, can really have an affect on a young child. I'm more than positive that I am not the only one who will feel this way when they watch the episode, and I hope I'm not the first to admit something as personal as this because of it.

Out of all the series that I've been keeping up with this season, this one has been the one to send me on the most amazing and emotional roller coaster. I fully relate and understand the inner conflict Kousei is currently going through because I have lived through something rather similar. Having that strong emotional connection to a story like this either results in one of two things: either it's story is really really good or I'm just letting me emotions get the better of me because of how relatable it is. Honestly, I don't care if my emotions get the better of me! The story is so good that it's bringing out that emotional reaction in me. I can say, for sure, Your Lie in April is one of the most beautiful and emotional journeys that I have been on this season. Maybe even this year... And it's not even half way over yet.

Strong Recommendation

Yuki Yuna is A Hero
David O'Neil

Ever since it begun, I could tell things weren't quite right in the world of Yuki Yuna is a Hero. All throughout there was an underlying feeling of vagueness surrounding the world and the god worshiped by the people in it, along with why exactly the girls of the Hero Club were chosen to fight. But for 8 episodes straight it continued to be a fairly basic magical girl show with a fairly light tone and nothing that delved too far into the realm of darker themes or tone, that is until episode 8. As I said last week, that was the first time the show had dipped its feet into darker territory, but still, it didn't quite feel like the pay off I'd been waiting for. The two most recent episodes on the other hand, did.

It's in episodes 9 and 10 that Yuki Yuna is a Hero goes head on into what's really going on in it's world and the dark, disturbing repercussions it has on all of the girls. Both episodes are by far the best of the series thus far, and even some of the best individual episodes of the season. This is especially true for episode 9 which was heart breaking with how it crushed the hopes of major characters and instills strong themes of sacrifice and what it means to be a hero, all without losing the  more subtle foreboding tone the show had been slowly creeping towards. I wouldn't call the execution perfect, but it's far better than I had been expecting. Episode 10 does get a bit more drastic in its tonal shifts between flashbacks and new major revelations, but it doesn't keep the major scenes later in the episode (including one scene which was legitimately difficult to watch) from being emotionally powerful.

It's now finally clear what exactly Yuki Yuna is a Hero actually is. Through all the foreshadowing and creeping suspicions, it's finally following up on everything it'd made me hope it could be and to my surprise, it doesn't disappoint. While I would have preferred if the show didn't take quite as long as it did to get here, I do now see what its purpose doing so was. To build up this world and these characters, use it as a springboard into a climax that's as dark as it is engaging.

Strong Recommendation

Second Opinions

Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon

Stephanie: Welp, we have a beach episode. I guess that's ok. It was rather amusing. But that other episode I watched, with Ange and Hilda looking for their families. I will fully admit I teared up a little bit for Hilda. It was the first time I actually felt sorry for her, and, considering how much of a jerk she's been since the beginning, this development makes me rather happy. Solid Recommendation

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Stephanie: I love how we're slowly learning who Archer really is (not going to spoil it for the ones who haven't seen the original series), and I find it awesome to know that this series is moving along wonderfully. The best part of all? Shiro isn't as gung ho about a woman fighting as he was in the original, and doesn't say stupid crap like the ever wonderful, "PEOPLE DIE WHEN THEY ARE KILLED!!" Yeah. I went there. Solid Recommendation

The Fruit of Grisaia

Jonathan: This is my second favorite show of the season. Dead serious. It's both hilarious and kind of genius in its cliche, pulpy way. It just keeps finding new things to do with what should be a tired premise and set of stories, mainly through a cast of characters that are all borderline crazy like a fox. Yuiji alone simply makes the show, and everything else is just icing. Not traditionally smart, but clever for genre work, and so crazy that it just works. Strong Recommendation

Gugure! Kokkuri-san

Stephanie: Hot springs hijinks while Kokkuri is a woman. 3, 2, 1, GO! For some reason, I had a feeling the curse was going to be broken in that kind of manner and it made for one of the funniest moments I've seen in this series, so far. But, there are only three episodes left. Can't wait to see where the series decides to end itself! Solid Recommendation

Magic Kaito 1412

Stephanie: We've actually got a plot line going right now! AND little Conan is involved as well. So, by the looks of it, Kaito's encounter with Jimmy makes the show a prequel while with Conan more in line with Case Closed. I actually wonder if the same story lines up in Case Closed too! Well... If I really wanna know, then I'd have to start digging... Oh yeah! I'M STILL WAITING ON THAT KAITO AND AOKO KISS, BY THE WAY!! Stupid friggin tease, this show.... Solid Recommendation

Parasyte -the maxim-

Jonathan: I really want to love this series, I really do, but it just feels dated. I like old stuff, but some writing tropes and styles disappear for a reason. The themes at work here, like environmentalism and human nature, have all been handled in much better works with similar premises, while Shinichi's arc is far too cool guy tragedy. You know, becoming a man from a terrible loss. There are plenty of ideas and developments here I like, but after Pierrot just hitting Tokyo Ghoul out of the park, Parasyte just feels a bit lacking. Still, I keep rushing back every week, so the good far outweighs the bad. Solid Recommendation

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis

Jonathan: I like fun. Bahamut is fun. It has fun characters, fun action, fun comedy, fun villains, and fun fun. I like fun. Fun is good. I like good things, and fun is good, so I like fun. Fun. Strong Recommendation

Stephanie: D'awwwwwwwww Favaro and Kaiser are friends now! That's so cute! Like I said in the last report, I gave Bahamut a lower recommendation because all I got to see was a recap episode. This week, it went back to where it has been and this, in turn, makes for a very happy Stephanie! Also, I find it interesting that Jeanne's story is be played out like history has told it. I think this is the first anime with this character to have done so! Good on you, Bahamut! Strong Recommendation

Yona of the Dawn

Stephanie: And so begins the addition of friends to travel with. First Yun, and soon we'll have the White Dragon. I think what excites me the most with this series is Yona's growth as a character. Not only is she actively learning about the condition of the world around her, but this is the point where she starts to learn how to fight. Also, her romance with Hak, though not too far developed, is growing at a natural pace. It's a good week for Yona! Strong Recommendation

Yuki Yuna is a Hero

Jonathan: Yuki Yuna and Cross Ange can be described with the exact same Louis CK quote, uncanny! Yuna is also worlds better, tragedy paced out perfectly, character well developed, and the art beautiful. How did this come from Edgy McTeenager from Akame ga Kill I mean seriously. Strong Recommendation