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Reminds me that a few weeks ago, Shirahama Kamome (of Witch Hat Atelier fame) posted on her Twitter that she was having a hard time figuring out what that line in the OP was. I think she settled on "tan taka ta to tan".
Finally catching up to some shows I'd missed last week. A few weaker entries this time around, unfortunately.
Uchi no Shishou wa Shippo ga Nai is introducing new rakugo masters, though we have yet to see them perform (and this show doesn't really do rakugo well anyway. You kind of have to take the show's word for it that a performance is good or bad). I predict that Kirino Enishi's running gag that she speaks far too slowly without a literal metronome held in her lap will be funnier than any rakugo stories she tells. Still, the way the show's set up a focus episode each for Enishi and Ebisuya, with Bunko focus on the last episode, should settle the season out nicely.
Management Life of a Newbie Alchemist has been one of the most uneven shows I'm watching this season. It's the anime equivalent of a janky indie game - sometimes it's got good ideas, but so often it's hobbled by its own limitations. And then there's this week's episode, where it tries to get actual drama out of a merchant named "Gree Dilly" and bandits who say, word for word, "we're bandits because we like stealing things that don't belong to us."
It's been fun."Janky indie game" is a great descriptor for Novice Alchemist, actually. The writers cared enough to put a substantial amount of detail into the setting, but also frequently falls back on shallow, tired fantasy anime tropes. Episode 8 is full of the latter, as the conflict is almost comically one-dimensional.
EDIT: I know you’re all tired of me talking about Bocchi the Rock but goddamn, episode 8 is another work of brilliance. Bocchi rocking out on their new song is frickin’ awesome, but I was actually more impressed with how believably imperfect their first song was. That kind of “wrong” is hard to get right. And then Nijika finally realized that Bocchi is guitarhero! Her conversation with Bocchi is all kinds of sweet, especially with Bocchi taking the leap and spilling her heart out. Good stuff all around.
I really need to do another roundup soon, this season has been remarkably enjoyable.
Edited by fillerdude on Nov 26th 2022 at 11:21:27 AM
Yep, I really liked the direction in this episode again and how belivable they showed their first song performance being subpar.
Also, I like the music stile composers chose for the group. Reminds me of an all-girls band I like.
And the episode also had a few of other anime references (though, not as much as The Little Lies We All Tell ).
Edited by Nachtwandler on Nov 26th 2022 at 1:40:51 AM
What I appreciated in the recent Bocchi episode was that the second song was made so that the lead guitar was the clear hero of it, so much stronger than the other parts. Really got through the feeling that Bocchi was pulling everyone else together.
Yeah, this show's been pretty great. It avoids most pitfalls a lot of CGDCT fall into, actually understand you can break the rules of animation to really drive through emotions and it's actually funny. The only minor criticism of it I have is that I'd like to see the girls actually practising a bit more. Them getting better has a bit of a tell, not show problem.
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You hit the nail on the head with the jankiness of Shinmai Renkinjutsushi. It's actually what makes the show kind of perversely interesting to me. Somehow it's easier for me to be engaged with these B-tier show that occasionally show flashes of brilliance, rather than the double A shows that fail to quite rise to the heights they're aiming. I remember a scene in Renkinjutsushi where they actually animated a character standing up from sitting down and I thought "Good for them that they actually bothered showing that", giving them a mental pat.
Where as I mentally docked a bunch of points from Spy X Family's most recent episode when they had Loid walk out of their home without closing the front doornote .
Thus I end up finding Renkinjutsushi far more interesting than Spy X Family, even though the latter is clearly the better one among them.
That's why shows that have both the spark and polish, like Bocchi, are such treasures.
Edited by GabrieltheThird on Nov 26th 2022 at 2:50:53 PM
From the first performance, you can also audibly hear when Bocchi kicks her guitar up a notch. The music in this show is incredible.
Also I think they show the girls practicing a fair few times. We see that Nijika even practices drumming while cooking.
Anyway, here comes an unsolicited seasonal roundup!
- Akiba Maid War: A yakuza show wearing a maid uniform. That's about it, really. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the wanton violence, but the "maid cafe" dressing is really mostly dressing. Would have liked if it leaned more into the ridiculousness of its premise. Why is no one sending corpses with ketchup messages to their enemies?!
- Arknights: Pleasantly surprised with it so far. The action scenes are terrible, sure, but the team behind the anime does seem to care about trying to tell an emotionally moving story, even if they're not really succeeding. I dunno, I just appreciate how it doesn't feel like another throwaway gacha game adaptation.
- Bocchi the Rock: A music-focused schoolgirl comedy is a tune we've all heard before, but make no mistake, Bocchi is something special. It overperforms every note to dazzling results. The animation will zip between typical moe and childish scribbles and even damn live action footage of dams to hammer in the punchline. The music is fantastic too, with careful attention to how the instruments are played. Even amateurs can easily hear when Bocchi's guitar skills kick into overdrive. Speaking of Bocchi, she's a hilariously relatable socially awkward wreck of a person, and seeing her slowly break out of her shell has been an awesome and hilarious ride. This is the anime I least expected to stand alongside this season's titans, but it deserves its place among the cream of the crop.
- Blue Lock: The animators have definitely been feeling the strain these past few episodes, but a few moments of off-model animation is alright, since they still deliver the hype of the scenes that really matter. Japan's victory against Germany in the World Cup has also increased the buzz around the show to hilarious levels, so discussion about the series has been a lot of fun. I am also really happy that viewers are loving how antithetical Blue Lock is to typical sports anime. Friendship and teamwork are nice, but sometimes you wanna give in to the primal desire to dominate, to feel the raw thrill of crushing others under your feet. Hell yeah.
- Chainsaw Man: Expectations were high for Chainsaw Man, and at least in my books, MAPPA delivered. The manga for me only started hitting its stride with the Darkness Devil, but the anime hooked me from episode one. It's selling the drama and the psychological horror better than the manga ever did, and it makes the contrast between the macabre and the humor more striking. In true MAPPA fashion, Chainsaw Man's rampages are smoothly animated dances of death and destruction. They continue proving they're the go-to studio when it comes to adapting action shonen.
- Cool Doji Danshi: Showing that even cool-looking guys can be socially awkward.
- DIY: After a rough patch of somewhat clunky character introductions, the DIY club finally begins their big project: building a treehouse! It all feels so authentic— crafting pretty little baubles to sell for funds, sawing the wood, drilling through shells to make tiny holes to thread through, drafting up blueprints. It's exactly what I wanted from the show, that satisfying feeling of slowly and methodically building something. I am excited to see the fruit of their efforts. Also, Purin, quit the prickly act and join the club already. You're the official minder of both Serufu and Jobko.
- Golden Kamuy: It's an unusual but engaging blend of vulgar humor, political machinations, Japanese/Ainu cultural exploration, frat-party goofiness, philosophical musings and manly badassery. The closest comparison would probably be something like Baki. That's right, it's Baki but better because of the powder keg plot of three different factions vying for hidden treasure, and everyone 1) has their own agenda and 2) will do absolutely anything to accomplish it. The reveal that Lt. Tsurumi has effectively been engineering the tragic backstories of his subordinates to render them loyal to him still has me reeling in its devilish simplicity. It might not be the best looking or best written, but it is unmistakably distinct, and that is praiseworthy.
- Gundam: Witch from Mercury: Quite a bit different from past Gundam shows, for better or worse. The high school setting lends it a more mainstream appeal in the current market, with tantalizing hints of human rights violations in the background. Suletta is adorkable, and Miorine is the best Gundam princess we've gotten in a while. Sunrise also displays their excellence in blending 2D and 3D animation, and they remain the rightful rulers of mecha anime. There's some stuff I can nitpick regarding how the story develops, especially about Elan's short arc, but nothing is too egregious.
- Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!: It's been funnier in the last couple of episodes, in some places even funnier than the manga, which I would consider a win. It's good for filling in the emptiness between the monthly release of the manga, at the very least.
- Koukyuu no Karasu: Gonna admit that I am a sucker for Shouxue's socially awkward tsundere schtick, and I am enamored with every love-hate interaction she has with the dashing emperor who's slowly closing the distance with the promise of treats. Shouxue also goes around solving the various paranormal incidents in the palace, but I'm sure we can agree that those are clearly the less important part of the story.
- Love Flops: Was advised that episode 7 was where the real plot happens, so I skipped to that... and yeah, suspicions were proven right. Unfortunately even with the plot twists, it still insists on being a dumb ecchi anime. The "payoff" isn't worth sitting seven episodes through, and I'm saying that as someone who finished both Endless Eight and [1].
- Meitantei Conan: Hannin no Hanzawa-san: No real changes from previous impressions, it continues to be a decently amusing riff on murder mysteries.
- Mob Psycho 100: The Divine Tree arc is legitimately one of the best story arcs of all time. Outright incredible at building tension, then lets that pent up energy explode in the eye-melting action sequences, before hitting where it actually hurts. Dimple, I cannot believe I'm saying this, but you will be missed. Mob also starts becoming more confident in himself, and I couldn't be more proud of the little dude. I'm both looking forward to and dreading the end of his story; Mob Psycho 100 is certain to end up as one of my all-time favorites.
- Muv Luv Alternative: It's taken a long-ass time, but we're finally back to the mecha vs alien combat. It's remarkable how much the experience improves when it's the guns doing the talking. Don't need more of the MC yelling all over the place with the giant flashing neon letters of PTSD floating above his head.
- The Little Lies We All Tell: As I previously mentioned, the premise (and Sekine) is doing a lot of heavy lifting for the humor. Aside from that, not particularly interesting in the realm of comedy anime. Bocchi only has regular human schoolgirls and they're's way zanier than these dorks.
- Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana – The Teardrop Crystal: It tries its best it can in adapting the somewhat disjointed story from the game. Key word being "tries". Can be a little frustrating to see our protagonist fail again and again. I still am in love with how it captures the fairy tale aesthetic of the video game. They did a great job there.
- Shinmai Renkinjutsushi no Tenpo Keiei: We've talked about this a bit above, but again, it's an interesting mix of tired tropes and measured worldbuilding. In the same episode where Sarasa will be shown twisting glass in the furnace to make bottles for her potions, you might also get an inane fight scene where she obliterates a menacing monster in a single hit, after which everyone gushes over how strong she is. Basically, there are parts of it that are ambitious and try to rise above the tripe, and that makes it worth watching, warts and all.
- Shinobi no Ittoki: Unfortunate that the foundation of the plot is flimsy, resulting in the succeeding developments being met with a questioning, raised eyebrow. The MC being kept in the dark about the ninja thing makes no sense, and plot holes keep popping up in a way that's hard to ignore. The Iga reveal the inner workings of two outsiders, for instance. How is their security supposed to be tight? It doesn't even have the decency to include dumb action, which was my bare minimum for enjoyment.
- Spy X Family: I honestly feel a little bad not being as impressed as I should be, because by all accounts it is fantastic. The VA for Loid, Yor and Anya have been killing their respective roles, and the animation is consistently high fidelity. Just look at how luscious the OP is! This a seriously good adaptation, just so happens there are several other amazing anime airing right now.
- Urusei Yatsura: Still in awe with how well David Productions both preserved and updated the retro aesthetic. It's easy to understand how Lum exploded in popularity back in the day. That said, the story does feel dated. Nostalgic for certain audiences, alienating for anyone born in the 2000s.
- Yowamushi Pedal: Limit Break: If you're hankering for a fix of more traditional sports anime, YowaPeda has got you covered. In stark contrast to Blue Lock, it fully embraces the camp and sappiness of fighting for your friends and the power of teamwork. It's the sort of show whose emotions pierce through by sheer earnestness.
I've ended up picking up a fair few shows this season, mostly because of positive reception around this thread.
Currently watching:
Akiba Maid War
Bocchi the Rock
Chainsaw Man
Gundam: Witch from Mercury
Spy x Family
Two of these, Akiba Maid War & Bocchi, I've picked up in the last week.
DIY also seems pretty interesting, I'll mostly likely start that as well for a total of 6 shows this season.
Double post, but just a big kudos to the recent episode of Shinobi no Ittoki for breaking my heart with a brainwashed Kousetsu (thanks in part to Karajishi for reasons I probably missed or otherwise unknown) killing off Ittoki's mom despite having just rescued her from jail! I would imagine people seeing this coming, but not like this...
Who knew that the main drama in Do It Yourself!! will be related to the truck-kun .
Last episode of Akiba Maid War may be not the best in animation department but definetelly the most emotional so far.
Also, they managed to get Aya Hirano (I though, she retired from voice acting as I have not heard anything from her for a couple of years).
Edited by Nachtwandler on Dec 9th 2022 at 2:44:35 AM
Yeah, I remember her having a role in Gu P but I don't remember if she had any lines in the movies 2 and 3.
As for the Arknights, do you mean the game as I do not see her in the anime cast?
Holy crap, it took 7 episodes but they finally had a completely good Arknights combat episode. From beginning to end this was good, where the fuck was this choreography and energy for all the other episodes??????
Also this was definitely the objective best episode so far, it actually made me feel something for Misha and Skullshatter
I absolutely cannot help but adore handsome 2D boys
I think the gigs get a decent amount of resources, and putting the focus on one song is far better for the pacing than if they had animated all three songs of their performance.
Episode 10 of Bocchi killed again with its comedy. Seeing Bocchi immediately and nonchalantly walk into her trash can at Starry had me laughing for literal minutes. We also got to see Hiroi play, and her band plays exactly what I would expect Hiroi’s band would play like. Their song is pure vibes.
Other cool things about the episode: the Slow Loop keychain, Hiroi and Ryo finally paying their debts to Bocchi, and Kita admitting she applied for the festival even though she knew Bocchi was throwing the application form away.
Meanwhile, Blue Lock episode 10 ratchets up the action. Nice to see the animation hitting highs after a couple of episodes of solid, but not great, animation. Confident they’ll do the climax of this arc justice.
Akiba Maid Wars episode 10 was a funny rendition of the classic “assassin falls in love with his target and asks her to run away with him” plot. It might be a tad insensitive to call it funny… but it was. Especially with the reveal of who the panda really is. It was told so seriously but I couldn’t take it seriously. And don’t get me wrong, I actually like that! Enjoyable camp.
Arknights episode 7 had the best action so far, too. There’s still barely any tactics involved but it looks nice.
I mean like we mostly get long-distant shots, static images or some bizzare visuals instead of the close-ups of girls actually playing the instruments. I understand that it is super taxing to animate but a bunch of series managed to do it in past. For example, SICK HACK song this episode was really cool, but there were almost zero actual performance animation: we got a bit at the start and then a few static images diluted with a bizare animation showing Bocchis impresion of the song.

That reminds me: I was a bit busy yesterday and forgot to watch the latest episode.