Seasonal Stirrings: Winter 2018
- Apr 4, 2018
- 11 min read
While my Photoshop skills are clearly quality, I think I might benefit from a few classes at some point.
Season Wrap-up: Completed Shows
Yuru Camp:
A great and powerful organization, hellbent on making the world comfy af.
I am thoroughly convinced that this show was made just for me. It's some good old Cute Girls Doing Cute Things (CGDCT) comedy build on a group of quirky girls coming together over a passion for camping. Equal parts calming and hype-inducing, this show spoke to me and has actively made me want to go camping again. It's cute, funny, and charming in a way that makes it one of those few shows I'd be happy to recommend to everyone in that hopes that they'll want to go camping with me. 8/10. 5/5.
Hataraki Onii-san:
This show is deeper than it has any right to be, and I kinda love it for that.
A weird, little, episodic short form anime that has a surprising amount of character to it. Basically, the show goes through various part-time jobs that are typical in Japan. Through the eyes of two, sweet cat boys (cats who are boys), each episode offers quick a kind of "here's what you can expect" at each job they feature. At the same time, though, there is a lot of weird little subtexts and blink-and-you'll-miss-it jokes that keep the show fun and amusing. 7/10. 5/5.
Sanrio Danshi:
I expected this show to just be some shameless plug with an otome premise but it just...isn't.
At its heart, this show is just kind of a celebration of letting people like the things they like, regardless of whether or not they'll be judged for it. And as someone who has a weakness for cute things, I totally found myself getting invested in the characters in this story. Some of the "boys with problems" arcs are better than others, but I can't say I ever really disliked this show at any point. Honestly, it gave me some insight into a subculture I payed very little attention up 'til now. I might even need to get a Pomupomu Purin plush for myself. 7/10. 4/5.
Slow Start:
I had little hope for this show and it failed to meet even those low expectations.
At the same time progressive and aggressively obnoxious, this show has somehow ended up being something I appreciate and despise for all it's worth. On the one hand, every now and then, it seems to be generally interested in normalizing lesbian relationships in this medium. On the other hand, it is falls into the same Sapphic pit traps and frankly insulting stereotypes that are a poison on those kinds of representations. Its like it tries to throw in some Kuzu no Honkai bullshit into what is otherwise just a CGDCT show. 4/10. 3/5.
Mahoutsikai no Yome:
Yeah, those expressions just about sum up my feelings for this second cour.
Where the first half of this show was nothing short of a marvel and triumph of storytelling full of so much character drama and nuance that is just had to pin down comfortably, the second half just kinda fell through the floor. Repetitive themes, terrible pacing, and rushed storytelling just buried this show for me. It's still good; don't get me wrong. But it's not what it used to be. Does that mean I hate the show? No. Far from it, but you can't look at a celebrity the same when you see them fall flat on their face. 8/10. 3/5.
Mitsuboshi Colors:
It always astounds me how children are able to drop such weighty truth bombs.
What a cute, dumb, and kinda accurate portrayal of young kids just kinda doing their thing when left to their own devices. One part Mitsudomoe, one part Ichigo Mashimaro, and a dash of Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda, this is just the story of three friends having fun together when school is out and their parents are busy. In spite of their myriad quirks, though, the kids in this show are endearing in their half-formed kind of way. Aside from capturing that kind of concept, though, there really isn't a lot to be had here, and that can definitely be a negative for some people. 7/10. 4/5.
Pop Team Epic:
Is...is this still anime?
Drugs. That's the typical summary of this show. In reality though, it is a beautifully cringy love letter/death threat to the industry that birthed all the nonsense this show parodies. It is a mess and that's just kinda the point. 7/10. 5/5.
Gakuen Babysitters:
This show is full of so many cinnamon rolls. How can people not love this?
Similar to Sanrio Boys, in that this show just kinda came out of nowhere with those feels, this show was just perfect relaxation fodder. It's cute, fluffy goodness with just enough of a bite to it to make the whole experience well worth the while. Whether you're in it for the cute kids or the conflicted high school youth, it's just a good time watching these kids experience so much for the first time. There's very little payoff for the romantic subplots of this show, but that was never why I got invested in it in the first place, so I can't say that issue bothered me too much. 7/10. 5/5.
Kokkoku:
...you will fail just as horribly as this show does.
Christ, this show had so much promise of being some sickass TimeStoppers nonsense with a little Bloodborne sprinkled in for good measure. But it just isn't that. It's got some cool action sequences, but that is pretty much all Kokkoku had to offer. Everything else, from the murder cult to the expression of how stopping time would function, and the reality the "Harbingers" is boring as sin. There's just so much politicking and lore building in this show that it felt like the show's relatively cool cast were little more than vehicles for that lore. You now you've fucked up as a show when you're make the concept of stopping time, as a whole, seem like a waste of my time. 6/10. 2/5.
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho:
And that's half the beauty of it.
ANIME OF THE SEASON RIGHT HERE!!! That isn't even just me hyping, this show is the bar that I now hold every CGDCT show up to now in spite of the fact that calling this a CGDCT could be seen as an insult to how quality this show is. Fantastic characters. Fantastic art. Fantastic Music. Everything about this show is just one more reason to love this show even more. The thing that drew me in, though, was the way this show acknowledges and handles the issue of growing up with the specter of grief looming over your shoulder. Both brash and delicate, this show knows just how to make it's story meaningful and compelling on a level I rarely ever see in this medium. 10/10. 5/5.
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san:
This is, unfortunately, pretty much this show in a nutshell.
Cute but pretty one-note, this show is a story of two kids exploring their feelings and boundaries with one another, mainly through merciless teasing, as they steadily come to the realization that they like each other. While I think this might have been better served as a short form, it's still pretty funny in its own right, so long as you can tolerate repetitive jokes. Of course, it isn't helped that the entire show is given away within the span of the first episode. 6/10. 2/5.
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni:
Same here, broham, same here.
Concerning--that is the first word that comes to mind when it comes to this show. While age gap romances are generally frowned upon, this show does a pretty good job of making you want to cheer for these two pitiful souls. Through their support of one another, both a young, injured athlete and an old, aspiring author rekindle their love for the things they'd nearly given up on entirely. It's left fairly unclear if anything will come of the fairly chaste relationship these two share, but their journey of rediscovery is well worth the watch. Granted, the art for this show along might be enough to make or break it for you. 7/10. 4/5.
Miira no Kaikata:
I too am a fan of tiny, adorable Cryaotic.
It's pretty much what you get on the tin with this sweet little supernatural slice of life show. There is a mummy, as well as a number of other typically monstrous creatures, and he is tiny and adorable. If you like tiny and adorable things that require zero brains to process, you will like this show. If you do not like tiny adorable things, you are a heathen and shouldn't watch this show. It's pretty much just that simple, since the show itself is as simple as they come. 7/10. 4/5.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens:
This has been another episode of "Good Advice Expressed in the Worst Way Possible." Have a good night and remember: Only assholes who love the acrid stench of of their own anus run red lights.
Centered around an ensemble cast of characters in a town where ~30% of the population are contract killers, the only really interesting thing this show has to offer is how cleanly it ended an arc 4 episodes into the show. I noticed that I, and a good number of other people, assumed the show was just kinda done at that point; yet, for whatever reason, it just kept going and lost more and more of my interest with each episode. Sure, the characters were vaguely interesting, but the show ended up doing very little with them, functionally ruining the Durarara / Baccano vibes that got this show off the ground for me in the first place. Still, I can't ever say I wholly disliked it, though, since there were a few solid comedic moments along the way. 7/10. 3/5.
Hakumei to Mikochi:
I think I've finally met my spirit animal...spirit inchling....Whatever, you know what I mean.
A fantastic, little slice of life comedy full to bursting with so much thought and detail that some of the things I would have liked to see as a viewer ended up getting left out entirely. While the show does occasionally express the daily life of Hakumei and Mikochi, two inchling roommates who get along so well you can't help wondering if there's something more there, it seems to get way too distracted with showing off the minute details of this semi-magical world. I would have killed to learn about how these two actually met or how they came to be such close friends but the show just doesn't deliver when it comes to the personal lives of these spunky and adorable characters. 7/10. 3/5.
Overlord II:
Sorry to break it to you, lizard people, but you're all just side characters in someone else's cathartic isekai series. In other words, you never stood a chance.
Thankfully, it's been announced now that there will, in fact, be a third season to this series. Had it just ended here, I would have been unreasonably furious and would have likely claimed that this second season was a utter waste of time. In terms of the actual main character of the show, the titular overlord, very little actually happens. Instead, we're treated to a couple of side stories focusing on Ainz's NPC underlings as they steadily uproot the natural order of this world. Unfortunately, it's kinda hard to get attached to characters that are, by design, relatively flat and unimportant when compared to the native citizens of this world and Ainz himself. 6/10. 4/5.
3-gatsu no Lion Season 2:
Be still, my beating heart, these two aren't ready to be OTP just yet. Soon, though. Soon.
BEST CONTINUING ANIME OF THE SEASON RIGHT HERE!!! While there is still one episode left to air at the time of my writing this, I don't think it's physically possible to make me love this show any less than I already do. While not nearly as artistically striking as the first season, the second season of 3-gatsu does a fantastic job giving us drama and steady payoff for all the hell and emotional high water it put us through at the start. Finally, we get to see Rei come into his own as a character as he helps the Kinamoto girls overcome their various problems, cementing why we should be so invested in Rei in the first place. While the pacing is a bit off from time to time, this show never stops being an emotional rollercoaster that keeps me coming back for more each week--so much so, in fact, that I could easily be convinced to sell my soul or some organs just to get another season of this A+ drama. 10/10. 5/5.
Season Wrap-up: Notable, Dropped Shows
Note: In the interest of honesty, I'll list at what point I dropped shows from now on. If anyone wants to fight me on whether or not I gave the show a fair shot or just want to claim that I would have loved it if I just held out a little longer, you'll at least have a good idea of where I stood when I threw in the towel now.
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san (2/12 Episodes):
Yup, it's another one of those shows.
I get that this show is about showcasing various kinds of ramen and how good it is, but this foodie anime fell out of interest for me really fast. To be blunt, I just couldn't bring myself to care about the vehicle this show used to showcase its theme, i.e. two-dimensional characters who have some bizarre interest in food or another two-dimensional character who loves food.
Toji no Miko (3/24 Episodes):
Same.
Sword girls with magical powers that spend more time fighting each other than they do fighting the monsters that are supposedly terrorizing humanity. Poor writing is what killed this one for me. The way the characters acted made absolutely zero sense considering how they were established. Everything just seems to happen because that's what the show demands. Also, apparently there's apparently a kind Touken Ranbu-esque aspect to this show that is meant to draw interest. Maybe it's because I just don't know the lore of Japan's various swords, but I hardly noticed that each character's sword was supposed to be noteworthy.
Citus (3/12 Episodes):
Ah, yes, it's another one of those shows.
Considering how good the characters and art of this show seemed to be, most of the time, I hate to say that I couldn't tolerate this show. The sad thing is I might have loved this work to pieces for what it had offer on a REALLY touchy subject were it not for the fact that this show's director was an utter fuckwit. As I understand it, the manga this is based on is sexually tense and heavy-handed when things start to get rough, but the shitbag director of the show basically decided to amp up the sexuality and add some rapey overtones here and there until the show, as a whole, became unbearable to watch. If a story wants to talk about rape and romance, that's fine, but the first thing you need to do is make sure you don't worship or justify the former as a means to create the latter. If you can't even get that right, you have no business working on romance titles in the first place.
Darling in the FranXX (3/24):
Subtlety definitely wasn't this show's strong suit. And before you ask, yes, that is actually something this show's main character says.
Ah, yes, another title I had high hopes for, what with the TRIGGER brand being stamped all over this thing. Unfortunately, the premise of a bunch of teenagers who don't even know what sex is powering robots by cucking one another just doesn't appeal to me for some reason. Crazy right? I mean, I get the dystonian themes that are lying under the surface of this affront to good storytelling, but to paraphrase one of my favorite responses to this show: I'm not going to each a pizza covered in bleach just because there's a pizza underneath all that bleach. If I hear that this show ends up pulling a Gurren Lagann and gets its act together, though, I might be willing to give it a second chance. That's a very strong "might," by the way.
Grancrest Senki (8/24 Episodes):
Really?! I never could have guessed since it apparently took a while to get to this point.
I'll admit, here and now, that it probably wasn't fair to this show that I dropped it so late in the game, but it just wasn't doing anything for me. Had it actually taken time to let me get acquainted with these characters, I might have cared about their grand, political war plans but it just drags on and on as more and more characters join a cause I had no reason to care about. I honestly might pick this up again once it's done, so I can just binge it, but as a weekly anime it feels like it drags on for eternity without a hint of there being any kind of payoff down the road.
Dagashi Kashi 2 (4/12 Episodes):
More of the same, but somehow worse.
Maybe it's the new art style. Maybe it's the new format. Maybe it's because the show got taken on by a new studio. Maybe it's because the show slowly evolved from being about candy to being nothing but ecchi. No matter the reason though, I just couldn't get behind this new season of Dagashi Kashi. I felt no love for the candy or characters this time around and there's really not much else to this show, so I saw no point in suffering through this mess.
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