Haikyuu!! Second Season 3:
This new season is off to a strong start. Yachi's character has already been established really well, and this episode did a good job of getting us acquainted with her fears as well as her family situation. Her relationship with her mother was pretty good, and the show did a good job of setting her up as the ordinary person who can still wind up getting involved with the club. Her presence is also really helping out with fleshing out Shimizu's character. She's been much better served this season compared to the previous season.
The practice match here was pretty short, but we got to see some cool moments, and it mostly served the purpose of letting Yachi see how awesome the team could be. There were a lot of great comedic moments throughout the episode, which were really elevated by some good direction.
Finally Taiyou v Chrono went as expected though why no DEPEND card, will that be save for Kanzaki, or later against Ibuki if they have a rematch for that?
So, I really didn't like the first episode of this show but ep 2 and ep 3 have been really good. The focus on the action and actually doing something rather than just ogling the pilot goes a long way. The solution to fighting that was pretty smart too. I'll definitely watch for more action but anything other than that is gonna be groan-worthy.
Seraph of the End S2 Ep 3
Didn't really do much this episode aside from get the power-ups for Yoichi, Kimizuki, and Yu. The flashbacks are kind of pointless as well because we already know Kimizuki and Yu struggled with this the first time they got their weapons. At least show another step beyond it. We got to see some stuff on the vampire side.
Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry 3
First half of the episode was pretty facepalm. Stella and Shizuku arguing is awful. The magnitude of Stella's tsun tsun and dere dere is actually kind of annoying. Shizuku is just plain creepy. Alice and Ikki are pretty good though, thankfully. The action was pretty good and Ikki's power is pretty boss. Shutting down his sense of color to reroute that processing ability was pretty wild.
Gakusen Toshi Asterisk 3
The Julis episode. Quite enjoyable actually and her backstory is good without being heavy. The realization for Ayato seems a little quick but it makes sense I guess. I'm hoping we get a good fight next episode. I actually wonder how scary Claudia is in a fight too...
It's pretty hilarious that Rakudai and Asterisk both did shopping stuff in ep 3. If this wasn't airing side by side, you'd think they were copying each other. Still, it's funny that while Asterisk looks more like a harem show based off the first 2 eps, it's a lot less like that in the actual show. Rakudai has been playing that up a lot especially in ep 2 and then in ep 3. It's also a lot more squick at that. Sort of interesting.
I legit thought the blue haired girl in the OP was Ayato's sister from Cavalry. Was kinda surprised that she didn't show up in the episode and it was mainly Stella and Ikki, and only realized she was from the other show when it ended.
It's been a while since I've seen such a straightforward perv character. We get characters who tease a lot all the time, but the blonde girl just outright asked Ikki for sex.
Cavalry 03
I nearly lost my shit in the eye twitch scene where Ayato said "I don't need to see colors right now". And did they really need another scene with Julis in her underwear?
And oh, look, it's Kirito's VA. He's in everything these days.
Heavy Object may have its faults but the way the victory was actually achieved made me feel like for once an engineer might be realistic in a war scenario. In so many shows/games about gunfights whenever there's an engineer it's like "they build robots/weapons and have gadgets". While in Heavy Object the guy
looks through a part number log, that realistically WOULD be kept, then looked at the circuitry of the part to figure out how to make it fuck up, did the cross wiring, and with his knowledge about how objects would self-destruct following malfunction of that level basically fucked up their whole thing with his brains
As an engineer I appreciate a better depiction of an what one could do in a heat of the moment. We aren't fucking MacGyver.
Haku's utter indifference to Kuon's nudity was simply one of the funniest parts of the episode. Now that we're getting to the capital I expect things to pick up a bit more.
Heavy Object may have its faults but the way the victory was actually achieved made me feel like for once an engineer might be realistic in a war scenario. In so many shows/games about gunfights whenever there's an engineer it's like "they build robots/weapons and have gadgets". While in Heavy Object the guy
looks through a part number log, that realistically WOULD be kept, then looked at the circuitry of the part to figure out how to make it fuck up, did the cross wiring, and with his knowledge about how objects would self-destruct following malfunction of that level basically fucked up their whole thing with his brains
As an engineer I appreciate a better depiction of an what one could do in a heat of the moment. We aren't fucking MacGyver.
I'm pretty sure it's based on a novel series, Of the five volumes four have already been adapted. As you might understand, one novel (and a handful of side stories, haven't read those though) aren't enough for a new season, especially since the series is still "ongoing".
I guess your only chance of more anime is to wait for the writer to make more novels, although he only writes them when he feels like it (last actual novel was released in 2010). After that someone would also need to adapt it.
All in all, I wouldn't count on it being adapted any time soon (if it actually even gets adapted). A shame, I quite liked the last novel and it would be nice to see it adapted with those Kyoani production values.
PS: I'm not an expert on stuff like this, I only just read that last volume a few days ago but I might be talking out of my ass for all I know, someone please correct me if I'm wrong lol.
See, this is what makes the difference between an utterly generic LN show like Asterex and this. There's about the same amout of fanservice and stupid otaku pandering but it knows what it is and owns it rather than hiding behind any venier of self importance. It has it's fun and knows when to go "Yeah, we're probably over doing this."
Knowing this is Silver Link and thus the studio that born Baka and Test, I can see it in the way it presents itself (though thankfuly Shizuku isn't an up and out bitch like Yoshii's sister).
And Alice is fun. It's nice to just have someone who's like that (I have no care to read up on the Tumblrology) and it not be any more than "A thing" and the basis of like the one gag.
Miss Hokusai
A really odd experience this. While it takes time to introduce each of the characters in turn, it feels like these character dynamics have already been set in stone long before the film starts and the viewer is one criticism I think would be in the film's score. For a film based on a series about nailing down a accurate portayal of early 19th century Japan, it frequently uses tracks with heavy use of electric guitar which jolt you out of the movie somewhat.
So, the directorial intention behind the choice of music (which, really, doesn't come into play much outside the opening/ending) is that "O-Ei lives a pretty Rock lifestyle". She's like Edo-era Riina Tada or something. Personally, though, kinda wish they'd actually gone a little more full-bore on that.
(The other thing to chew on is that almost all the O-Nao stuff is original for the movie)
Hulu put it up early and I'm still awake so lets go
More bursts of impressive animation waves, still worth watching just for that. Comedy bits made me smile too, love the way they are using shading and visuals on the joke bits to make him look super serious. I'll probably watch some webms of the scenes later since Hulu is terrible.
I don't how much of it is the sentai dub, but looking back on it, I don't how I managed to finish Akame Ga Kill.
Nothing about that show works well after like the first 5 episodes.
If Akame Ga Kill was a person, it would be that girl/guy that shows up to a party already tanked, and is just so desperate for affection that it won't leave when the party is over.
I guess that ends the Niece of Time arc. Fascinating imagine spot. I was really hoping they wouldn't spell out the incredibly bad pun but they still did a pretty good job making it weirdly dramatic.
I was really impressed with the way a bunch of seeded clues tied in to the central mystery, and also with the design for the teacher - there must have been week's worth of character designs that flashed by in that 10-20 second sequence just for the visual artistry of it. Of course, it's becoming pretty apparent (if it wasn't already) that the mystery of Hyouka isn't really what the draw is so much as the character development and general artistry and style, so it makes complete sense that way.
With Jun still missing somewhere, I wonder if this is a plot thread we'll return to? Time will tell.
Hyouka 6
A nice calm-down mystery after the last ep. Investigation explanation with the dummies was creepy as all fuck. I wonder why Chitanda was so mad though?
You mean hte incest that was quickly slapped down as "Yo, don't do this" by like the entire school facality (and even Ikki?) That incest?
The fan service is a little overbearing (Her chest is like two sizes way too big) and that scene in ep 3 is what it is but, honestly, unless it's completly crass then I don't care much.
And besides that, I can't barely remember what stupid thing Blando McGeneric did in Asterix to earn his scorn. I do remember Ikki trying to even the score by taking his clothes off.
Synopsis for episode three of Cavalry:
Main girl character is about to ask out main guy character. In the middle of the word "date" he receives an e-mail from his little sister asking him to go out shopping with her that weekend. Because the main girl character does not trust either party she tags along on the date where the brother and sister hold hands affectionately. After this event the brother very deliberately goes out of his way to lick ice cream up off his little sister's face.
Is this what it means to slap incest down? Is this the unique brand of anime humor and personality that one can only find in a Silver Link show?
The most standard of all episodes so far (probably because it wasn't an arc episode and we actually had access to the 'crime scene' this time), with a lot of clues obviously scattered around for the viewer to potentially solve the 'mystery' beforehand (being a fairly minor question, the real interesting parts were in the specifics and in how Oreki got there). Still fairly enjoyable. Chitanda's 'i want siblings' stuff was kinda... plain, but I guess they're high schoolers and fairly new friends, so I can accept that's how you'd talk about that kinda stuff...
I'd watch a Japanese crime solving anime, but I think most of that stuff goes into their live-action bs right?
/edit I nearly forgot about the hot springs stuff. Pretty funny, low-energy-kun, turns out you're a high school boy with a crush after all.
I didn't expect them to execute the First Squad leader and the other soldier like that, it was cold blooded. Crank Zent's respect for the honour of warfare and distaste for fighting children didn't do him much good in battle against Mikazuki either. Even though Tekkadan are our protagonists, they've already shown they aren't above the brutality of the industrial military. This is clearly a livelihood for them and there's no poetic will to fight for justice or against tyranny, just for control of their own lives on the battlefield.
Compared to my other experiences with Gundam, this scenario creates a satisfying sense of tension and Tekkadan's warpath should be an interesting one to follow forward.
Hulu put it up early and I'm still awake so lets go
More bursts of impressive animation waves, still worth watching just for that. Comedy bits made me smile too, love the way they are using shading and visuals on the joke bits to make him look super serious. I'll probably watch some webms of the scenes later since Hulu is terrible.
You know I wasn't honestly expecting them to handle those First Squad dudes so coldly and yet so kindly at the same time. I always had a feeling Mikazuki was always going to be the enforcer and welp, he fucking handled everyone who stood in his way without the slightest hint of mercy. Kid is fucking cold as ice. I'm also growing to like Kudelia simply due the the fact she not taking an "oh war is terrible peace peace peace" role, yet.
Back off Kudelia. Leave my hopes for MikazukixAtra, the cutest couple ever. I'm assuming from the preview for next week the bracelet he kept looking at is from Atra as well.
I really hope this doesn't go the obvious route of Orga turning on Mikazuki. And at the same time I don't see Orga dieing either.
Smaller moments like this are appreciated and help strengthen the relationship between Mika and Orga while also building up a level of tension throughout the episode. Great framing and lighting in that Mika and Orga are walking into the shadows and the camera quickly pans up only to pan down into blood.
Pretty powerful angle. Almost completely vertical.
the inevitable mutiny. What surprised me has been how efficient the storytelling has been. The focus on the food, the prior episode with the girls preparing it and this episode distributing it, was because the food is the mechanism that allows for an almost bloodless transition. I was expecting the kids to run a hit squad and just mow everybody down in their barracks but they handled it much smarter than I anticipated.
The camerawork in the mutiny section was especially good. It's not unusual for a director to use a low camera tilted upwards to display a power gap but it is unusual to see it taken to such extremes, where the camera is just facing straight up. There was also some good contrast with the lighting in that the feeding sequence was extremely bright while the mutiny bit is dark with shadows everywhere. The camera focusing on Orga's face while Mika walked up and prepared to fire worked as a way of establishing that it's Orga who is the one killing that 1st Squad commander.
Something I'm really enjoying about the show is how brutal the deaths are. There's very little drama and dramatic pauses in the scenes themselves. The editing is used to cut very quickly which gives a sense of speed and hence realism.
The two commanders in the mutiny scene are just wasted and the story moves on. Same with Mr.'I'm too old for this shit' at the end. Mika didn't even let the dude finish before he gunned him down.
That sort of 'quick death' is appreciated especially after Gundam Unicorn where instead of characters being killed, rather it was the audience from words. The funding issue element is again appreciated as a way of bringing a notion of realism to the work, it works as a way of contrasting the CGS against an organization like Celestial Being.
I was expecting the funding issue to last longer as I was thinking the show might lead into episodic mercenary work but it looks like the show is going to skip all of that.
Mika keeps surprising me in that despite how quiet he is, he does have some strong emotions. For example you can tell that he got pissed in the above scene, just from the way he muttered that line. Despite how emotionless he appears most of the time, he isn't emotionless like Inaho but rather just internalizes a lot of it. He also has these cute mannerisms like when he kissed the wristband inside the Gundam, the halfhearted way he introduced himself in the duel, and hiding the wrist band when he
shot Crank
. Unfortunately I do expect him to revert to a more traditional Gundam protagonist at some point with 'muh pacifism' but I'm hoping the relationship between Mika and Orga can maintain this quality level as it serves to strengthen both of their characters.
Oh and looks like the ED does indeed have some lead-in musical notes, so people who thought the ED was too jarring musically don't have that complaint anymore. The ED is even more relevant now with
the space flower being a reference to Tekkadan.
Another really good episode, the storyboarding was fairly solid this week. This is going to go to shit at some point and leave me a bitter husk of a man but for now I'm enjoying it. New name is pretty gangsta.
And besides that, I can't barely remember what stupid thing Blando McGeneric did in Asterix to earn his scorn. I do remember Ikki trying to even the score by taking his clothes off.
Damn, Mikazuki is seriously cold as ice. No bullshit, just execution. I really like how quick and 'efficient' this show handles everything. I expected the mutiny to take up an entire episode with lots of drama and killings, but it didn't even take up half of it and was handled really smart and clean. Same with the Crank plotline.
I really do wonder in which direction this is going, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
Oh and looks like the ED does indeed have some lead-in musical notes, so people who thought the ED was too jarring musically don't have that complaint anymore. The ED is even more relevant now with
Yeah this is pretty tight, really like how they added some small, realistic elements to this episode. Discussing the budget and trying to stay "honorable" by offering the adults a chance to leave are all neat thiings that lead me to believe that the writers care about the world they're creating.
I guess most comparisons between Mikazuki and Simon from Gurren Lagan also fall flat from now on, they should've called this show cold-blooded orphans.
Detective Conan is a murder mystery, which follows all the classic rules of murder mysteries. Beyond that, don't focus on it being a "kids show". There's plenty of blood and violence all over the place. There's even some fairly graphic content (for example, a relatively early case where a serial killer dismembers the bodies of their victims and is carrying a severed head around on their person).
Detective Conan is a murder mystery, which follows all the classic rules of murder mysteries. Beyond that, don't focus on it being a "kids show". There's plenty of blood and violence all over the place. There's even some fairly graphic content (for example, a relatively early case where a serial killer dismembers the bodies of their victims and is carrying a severed head around on their person).
He was shrunk down from a drug that was given to him while investigating a crime syndicate.
But he's usually solving the murders from behind the scenes, and using some sort of proxy to actually reveal the solution, because obviously people wouldn't really take deductions from a seven year old seriously.
Detective Conan is so famous I thought every veteran anime watcher here knew it, at least the basics (straight murder mystery ala Agatha Christie, he is a teenager crime-solving genius that was deaged with super science, there are annoying kids in there but also it can be fairly grim and violent, including decapitation in the first episode, the girl will never ever ever learn he is the teeanger Shinichi).
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 3:
Well, I am a bit surprised they didn't keep the tension between the division going for longer.
Also, yea, this is going to be a very brutal series given that they just up and killed two people on the way to dissolving First Division.Tekkadan is an interesting name change and better then the generic GCS branding, also makes me wonder if a fighting tournament is happening soon. Poor Zant Crank, a bloke stuck with both that name and too much honor for a wretched entity like the Galgerhorn or however you spell that. Really could do with the over the top traitor who only exists to sell the team out at some point.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 3:
Well, I am a bit surprised they didn't keep the tension between the division going for longer.
Also, yea, this is going to be a very brutal series given that they just up and killed two people on the way to dissolving First Division.Tekkadan is an interesting name change and better then the generic GCS branding, also makes me wonder if a fighting tournament is happening soon. Poor Zant Crank, a bloke stuck with both that name and too much honor for a wretched entity like the Galgerhorn or however you spell that. Really could do with the over the top traitor who only exists to sell the team out at some point.
Mecha action is thankfully still great despite it being CG.
My enjoyment of this show is unfortunately going to be a bit hindered with this guy sticking around as one of the main villains and I am dreading a possible re-tread of Sword Art Online episode 24 garbage with him around.
Cripes, at this rate the actual adventure part of the show is going to start at episode 6!
Mecha action is thankfully still great despite it being CG.
My enjoyment of this show is unfortunately going to be a bit hindered with this guy sticking around as one of the main villains and I am dreading a possible re-tread of Sword Art Online episode 24 garbage with him around.
Cripes, at this rate the actual adventure part of the show is going to start at episode 6!
