جادوی ِ خاطرات
هر کسی از ظن خود شد یار من ... از درون من نجست اسرار منجادوی ِ خاطرات
هر کسی از ظن خود شد یار من ... از درون من نجست اسرار منBanana Fish - Episode 20 [Review]
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139985/twins.png.jpg
Tsurune - Episode 6 [Review]
Did this episode of Tsurune give you K-ON! flashbacks? That's because Kyoto Animation's Naoko Yamada directed and oversaw storyboarding for this episode, “The Reason for Shooting.” After last week's fairly formulaic training camp comes an in-between episode about the team ramping up for their first tournament. We learn about Masa's motivation, cover the team's aspirations, and get to know the opposition in a fluid episode that feels more like a part of a whole than a standalone chapter of the Tsurune story.
Yamada's fingerprints are all over this week's animation. Her preferred shots—feet in motion, steepled fingers, a chin lift accompanied by a wide-eyed expression—pepper the visuals. The music, which ranges from rambunctious to intense to sentimental, also plays a larger role than usual in setting the scene. This episode is about contrasts, which makes Yamada's focus on the details fit particularly well. Her shifting camera angles are a visual expression of the changes occurring in the kyudo club as the archers' feelings shift, as they grow closer to one another and more determined to excel in their sport. The most obvious contrast of the episode is between our protagonists and the Kirisaki kyudo team.
Six episodes in, Minato is still a mystery. We don't know what triggered his target panic or how we got that scar. Now we're uncovering not answers, but even more questions by viewing him through his rival's eyes. Shu Fujiwara is lauded as a first-year prodigy, but unlike his twin companions, he doesn't trash-talk other archers. “Are you acting this way intentionally?” he says, finally calling out their behavior when they reference “that one guy who self-destructed” last year. A scene depicting Shu at practice is delivered back-to-back with Minato telling Seiya that he's sure Shu doesn't remember him anymore. However, it appears that even after Minato lost confidence in himself, Shu never stopped seeing him as a rival. Shu must know the missing pieces of the puzzle that we can't yet see, which is why he feels so strongly.
Another contrast exists between Masa and his grandfather. I was wondering at first if it would be revealed that Tommy-sensei is Masa's grandfather. But unlike kindly Tommy, Masa's grandfather sounds like an exacting archery teacher and an extremely difficult person to love. When Tommy asks Masa if he teaches to surpass, forgive, or forget his grandpa, the latter replies that he teaches as a form of revenge. It's an explanation of Masa's laissez-faire teaching style—it has always been in contrast to the invisible strictness of his late grandfather. Re-watching Onogi's question about making his bow turn naturally post-shot after learning Masa's backstory puts the scene in a totally different light; Masa wants to help, but he doesn't want to be overbearing.
Tropes can make anime predictable, but they also make it a lot easier to review. This episode didn't fall strictly into any familiar plotlines, so it's difficult to label. It's a transitional episode, marking the gap between training camp and tournament as neatly as the study break for clubs that happens right before exams. It will probably make more sense when we're not watching week to week. For now, we can only look for new clues among Yamada's many visual details.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139937/dont-mess-with-ashs-bf.jpg
Banana Fish - Episode 20 [Review]
There's still a lot of Banana Fish that feels weirdly dated, if not outright offensive in 2018. The episode starts off with a perfect example, as Yut Lung compares the Corsican mafia's ambitions to being like "the new Jewish community," which opens up an ugly can of worms of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories; if we're meant to dismiss this assertion because it comes from the mouth of a villain, the show doesn't reinforce that framing. This is also during a scene where Yut Lung is dressed even more like a girl than usual, making him a "villainous crossdresser" who also happens to be spouting anti-Semitic rhetoric.
But depending on your tolerance for these routine speedbumps in the Banana Fish viewing experience (and if you've gotten this far, your tolerance is probably high), you tend to overlook these problems to enjoy the more timeless aspects of the story. The pulse-pounding mob battles are the kind we still make movies about today, the interpersonal relationships alternate between heartwarming and heartbreaking, and even when the details of the series feel uncomfortably dated, the emotional core is what keeps things chugging along. This might be why even though so much of Banana Fish feels like a product of the 1980s, it continues to have a healthy fandom in 2018. It's certainly what keeps me coming back to this show.
Episode 20, "The Unvanquished," takes its name from a William Faulkner novel, but the title feels like it fits this episode even better. No matter what challenges come Ash's way, he remains "unvanquished," persisting to fight another day. It's also the first action episode in a while where it feels like everything works out in Ash and Eiji's favor, with neither of them ending up in the enemies' clutches. (Thank goodness, as I thought Eiji was screwed there for a while.) They're not out of the woods just yet since it's clear the baddies will regroup, and Yut Lung is newly emboldened to prove himself to Golzine too. Still, it's significantly better than where the last two episodes left us with Ash.
I was surprised how quickly the "party" portion of the episode flew by. The previous episode set it up as a major confrontation, but Sing, Eiji, and friends deal with it pretty quickly, rushing the blinded Ash out of there. Eiji is at his toughest yet, managing to land a bullet in Golzine's shoulder. It doesn't kill him, sadly, but it would feel like poetic justice if Eiji were the one to take out Golzine—he's the boy Ash chose over his captor, the boy that nobody ever believed was capable of surviving in this world. Maybe it's too early for Golzine to go down yet, though we only have four episodes left, and he's a significantly less interesting threat than Yut Lung. Meanwhile, Ash kills a dude while still temporarily blinded by following his ears. In the end, Ash and Eiji are back together, with Sing and Cain helping them. Of course, it isn't long before they're found in the sewer hideout again, but we get some softer moments first that focus on the relationships between our good guy gang.
Ash and Eiji get another tender moment with appropriately romantic music, proving that Ash is learning to trust Eiji's judgment. It's always cute to see Eiji mother his boyfriend, but it's all the more heartening that Ash lets him do it this time. He notably doesn't act this way with any other character. On the other side of things, Lao, one of Sing's underlings, forces him to explain why he keeps siding with Ash, the guy who killed Shorter. None of them trust Yut Lung, but they're not sure why Ash is any better. Sing explains that Ash is the only one who can "control downtown", otherwise it would be taken over by another guy like Arthur. Of course, we know there's a little more to the story than that, but this establishes that there might be strain going forward with the Chinese side of his gang.
As for Yut Lung himself, we delve deeper into his relationship with Blanca. Yut Lung understandably suspects that Blanca took the job with him only to keep a closer eye on Ash. He certainly seems to be looking after him so long as he's with the mob again, even telling Ash outright about his new contract with Yut Lung. Blanca also refuses to kill Eiji, citing that he isn't a threat to Yut Lung yet—but I suspect it's also because he's too curious about Eiji's relationship with Ash at this point. (He also knows Ash would lose it in a way that would hamper Yut Lung getting away.) Blanca agrees to renegotiate the contract to do whatever Yut Lung says, but it's still clear that there's tension between them throughout the episode. Yut Lung believes they can do anything, but Blanca knows that Ash and his gang are too much for Yut Lung to take down on his own right now—and he turns out to be right. Even with Blanca correctly predicting that Ash is biding time, he doesn't see what happens next, from Cain's rescue to the lengths Ash will go to save Eiji. He eventually threatens to torture Yut Lung while keeping him alive, which finally gets the two of them to agree to exchange hostages.
Yut Lung is doing all this to get the upper hand on Golzine. He knows their alliance can't last forever, and he doesn't want it to; he can't be anyone's underling, least of all Golzine's. As a Yut Lung Fan™, this episode certainly left me with a mix of emotions. I didn't want him to prevail over our favorite boys, but I would also love to see him get one up on Golzine and the Corsican mafia. He's a far more interesting villain with a real set of motivations beyond just being evil (though there's that too), and I suspect that he'll be a more compelling adversary for Ash in the long run because of their similar backgrounds. Of course, a petulant Yut Lung will motivate him even more, so I'm fine with this outcome. What's important is that Ash and Eiji are back together again for now, and their friends are temporarily safe too.
"The Unvanquished" is a pulse-pounding adventure of an episode, never letting up for even a moment. Even during its quieter scenes, we know no one is truly safe. I also loved the way it embraced New York as a setting, from the sewer chase to Ash and Blanca's showdown in the Museum of Natural History. Honestly, I was hoping for even more museum fights. Maybe they'll go to the Met next time, a classic New York film location that I've gotten to visit myself. Even if the show's portrayal of American cities is a little dated, watching these characters zoom around and make each setting their own is half the fun.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139933/rainy-day-women.jpg
Bloom Into You - Episode 8 [Review]
When you notice how "warm" someone feels to you, and you think it's just about differing body temperatures—well, "denial" is more than a river in Egypt. That's where we're at this week, as Yuu and Touko huddle together under an awning during a downpour. This is far from the first time that they've touched each other, so it says something that Yuu's reaction has changed. Yuu's feelings for her senpai have been blooming for a while, but this week they really blossom.
Bloom Into You starts out focusing on a different relationship this week though, the one between Sayaka and our two main characters. Our newly sympathetic "rival," who might now be my favorite character, runs into an unexpected old "friend" while shopping: the senpai she dated in middle school. The girl is still insistent that her old attraction to Sayaka was an aberration, and she wants to be reassured that she didn't somehow "turn" Sayaka gay. Luckily, Sayaka—likely emboldened by her new friendship with Miyako—does what every self-respecting lesbian should do in this situation and rub it in her old girlfriend's face. As Touko rounds the corner, Sayaka grabs her and pretends that they're together. Normally, I'd be skeeved out by this deception, but I think Sayaka's doing it for a good cause. I understand feeling nervous about telling the girl you like that you're gay, worrying about where that conversation might lead. Touko also admits later that she doesn't "mind" touching Sayaka, something that I'm sure set the poor girl's head spinning for days later.
The more important relationship this week is between Sayaka and Yuu, who've been paired up for the student council's relay team. Most clubs don't take the school relay too seriously, but in typical Touko fashion, she really wants to win. However, Sayaka's resentment of Yuu is getting in their way. So Yuu decides to be the one to reach out by inviting Sayaka to get food with her at "Y'Donald's," which might be the weirdest anime variation on "McDonald's" I've seen yet. While the two don't become best friends, they do seem to reach an understanding about each other and their mutual friendship with Touko, as well as recognizing that they each have feelings for her. Sayaka doesn't outright admit this but doesn't deny it either. Of course, Yuu tries to deny her feelings like she does all episode. I hope that more people stepping up to tell her the obvious truth finally helps lift the fog from her eyes.
Another thing this interaction reveals is that Sayaka knows Touko better than Yuu does. Yuu gets to see some sides of Touko that even Sayaka doesn't get to see, but there are some ways that Sayaka is clearer about her friend, and one of those has to do with Touko's relationship with her "real" vs. "fake" selves. Yuu hopes that after the play, Touko might act more naturally, but Sayaka knows that won't happen, because Touko doesn't want it to happen. It's not just that Touko can get somewhere by play-acting as her sister, but that she genuinely wants to be like her. She hopes to fake it until she makes it, until she becomes her sister to the world as much as possible. That's why she had such a strong negative reaction to Yuu's confession last week, and that will likely be Yuu's uphill battle going forward—along with acknowledging her own feelings.
Those come into focus in this episode's second half, titled "Rained In." The students leave school to find a downpour, and they're all struggling with what to do if they find themselves umbrella-less. Yuu thinks she's set heading home with Akari, but when she sees Akari's crush struggling in front of the door, she encourages her friend to go share her umbrella with him instead. That leaves Yuu stuck, and while the idea to call Touko occurs to her, she exhausts every single other option before running into her. It seems to me that if Touko were "just" her friend, she wouldn't feel that way. The only people I've felt that apprehensive about spending time with were crushes or people who had unrequited crushes on me.
The scenes between them later are sweet and affectionate, building on previous scenes like last week's and their first kiss early in the series. A lot of what makes these scenes work so well is the soft lighting and how their feelings flit across their faces, as well as the little gestures of affection that the camera focuses so closely on—as though viewers weren't doing that already. But what sells the scene most is Michiru Oshima's score, which was already playing at the top of its game throughout the show. Bloom Into You uses music so masterfully because it also uses the score sparingly. The only time the music plays much this week is during the scenes focusing on relationships, whether they're platonic (Sayaka's with the main two) or romantic (between Yuu and Touko). It tells us things the script can't without being too obvious, like the playful melody during the Yuu-Sayaka scene showing that they're finally getting along. In Yuu and Touko's scenes, the swell of the notes underlines their budding romance.
I've said in the past that I had trouble emotionally connecting to Yuu and Touko's romance, but I think this episode finally fixed that problem. It was hard during their rainy day scene not to feel your heart beat along with the romantic music, straining for those two to touch more every time the camera panned to their hands. As Yuu's feelings get more and more obvious, I'm finally as invested as Bloom Into You wants me to be. The show's visual and aural presentation does a lot to sell that, blooming beyond the limitations of the manga to make their love truly heart-rending.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139939/boruto83.jpg
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations - Episode 83 [Review]
This week's Boruto: Naruto Next Generations answers a number of questions that have been lingering since the beginning of the current arc and shines a sympathetic light on the show's latest set of villains. With the cat now out of the bag, Ohnoki reveals that the artificial beings are being created as stand-ins for Stone shinobi in combat situations. Five years ago, the Hidden Stone was attacked by a group of rogue ninja, resulting in considerable loss of young life. This incident prompted Ohnoki to sanction the creation of Akuta, which he intended to use as a private army for the village. However, as the current Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi forbade him from continuing the project any further. When Ohnoki refuses to allow the kids to see Mitsuki, a skirmish with Ku ensues, during which Shikadai is captured and imprisoned alongside Kurotsuchi. Amidst the chaos, Boruto saves Ohnoki from being crushed by a falling pillar and takes off with the old man as his friends and Ku give chase. Meanwhile, Sekiei gives Mitsuki the grand tour of the gang's base of operation, concluding with the resident scientist discovering that a curse mark resides in the center of his body.
While there are a few small action sequences scattered throughout the episode, the latest installment is primarily concerned with explaining the why of the current storyline. Although the end of the previous episode revealed that Ohnoki had a hand in Ku's scheme, there was always the possibility that this was a trick on the old man's part or an example of end-of-episode misdirection, so learning that the former Tsuchikage is fully complicit comes as something of a surprise. Of course, the franchise overseers would never allow Ohnoki to become a full-blown antagonist, and the reasons for his actions are believable, if somewhat contrived. The Stone's hitherto-unmentioned plight also highlights one of the series' recurring themes: uneasy peace. Kurotsuchi opts out of the Akuta project because she feels it violates the alliance formed by the Hidden Villages, but Ohnoki realizes that not every village is equally equipped to handle unexpected high-level threats. (He even cites the Otsutsukis as an example.) There's a good chance Ohnoki will come around to Kurotsuchi's way of thinking and see the error of his ways by story's end, but this doesn't invalidate the issues he brought up, and seeing how the various village leaders deal with post-wartime threats continues to be one of the most fascinating aspects of this sequel series.
The Mitsuki/Sekiei friendship is once again front and center this week. While their interactions this episode don't exactly tread any new ground, they help make Sekiei more sympathetic and add depth to what was originally a fairly one-note character. The most poignant moment comes when Sekiei shows Mitsuki his childlike drawings of his friends and emphasizes that his purpose is to protect the people his master cares about. Whether Sekiei will make it through this arc remains to be seen (although given the relatively short lifespans of artificial beings, smart money's on ‘no’), but he's shaping up to be one of the franchise's most three-dimensional guest characters.
As a decidedly busier affair than last week's installment, episode 83 immediately gets down to business and outlines exactly what's at stake. With Ohnoki's health in decline and the artificial beings constantly on the verge of death, the theme of mortality is inescapable, and it's hard to believe we won't be bidding farewell to at least one familiar face after all is said and done.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139946/dd101.jpg
Double Decker! Doug & Kirill - Episode 10 [Review]
Double Decker still has time to find ways to weave episodic detective stories into its runtime, even as the overarching plot still builds up to the oncoming finale. Doug's recovering in the hospital after his rescue, giving Kirill and the others a chance to run across some new Anthem-related antics there. There's plenty going on in this episode from the plot to the social themes this show likes to play with.
The plot concerning the hospital mystery has some appreciable layers to its setup. The kid Kirill meets, Gus, provides a nice personal connection to tether the cast to the situation emotionally. At first pass, I wasn't crazy about Gus's various character foibles, even if I could guess that his habit of propositioning women had some deeper impetus. Indeed, the reveal of what he's trying to do for the benefit of his dying dad turned out pretty sweet. But the humor mined from it is too simple, rooted in the show's recurring ‘Kirill looks like a woman’ gag that it's well worn-out by this point.
But the other parts of the drug-dealing doctor storyline work well as that setup gets expanded. As a drug, it would make sense that medical professionals of a less scrupulous nature might be experimenting with Anthem on a medicinal level. The doctor behind the scheme, the hopped-up patient that Doug and Kirill encounter, and Gus's dad provide some varied perspectives on using the drug in this way, and figuring out how they all fit together provides the mystery hooks needed to keep the audience invested. There aren't any huge shocks in the revelations that ensue, but the emotional pathos still lands, and it's neat that the plot point concerning the AMS bullets from last episode rounds back into the story as well.
I was at least pleased to see Double Decker touch on the possibility of the Anthem drug's legitimate medicinal possibilities. To its credit, the show has made a clear effort to avoid some of the black and white framing of its cop-show brethren; Doug's acknowledgement of classism and poverty driving crime is the clearest example of that. But with any series where the villains are powered by some kind of evil superdrug, there's a danger of equating drug use with criminality entirely, sympathetic or not. This week, Double Decker sees both Doug and Kirill bring up the more nuanced reality. “It's men that make a drug a poison or a cure,” as Doug says. However, I'm not sure the episode's final say on the subject landed for me. It makes the point that Anthem and its side effects are still too dangerous to be indulged, and the doctor's shady way of conducting his experiments ends up causing more harm than good. But the possibility is still there, though unexplored, with our heroes decrying Anthem because it would make the user a ‘monster’. Some acknowledgment by the end that research into Anthem as legit medicine could be worth pursuing would have been nice.
The character depths that get mined in this episode come out cleaner and provide some strong entertainment too. The best point that comes up is the revelation that Kirill is actually an educated expert on genetics, even having written an influential paper on the subject while in college. Kirill's always come across as ditzy, but I always felt he was smarter than he lets on, so this reveal totally works for me as an expansion on his character. Besides, the sequences that follow between him and the others are delightful as the rest of Seven-O tries to reconcile the dissonance of the Kirill they know with the knowledge he demonstrates. It's the stronger side of Double Decker's humor in action.
Other characterization lands on the more serious side, letting Kirill bond with Gus over their fixation on their family. I'm still unsure what the series is doing with Valery, but keeping the character in the picture as we head for the finish line is wise, and it also keeps Kirill more endearing. The ultimate point this episode makes about treasuring time with our loved ones is simple but effective, reflecting well on the main cast and the guest stars. So overall, this was a satisfying episode of Double Decker. My only major issue is that it couldn't follow through on its more nuanced points about drug use.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139932/fairy-tale-last-ep-8.jpg
Fairy Tail: Final Season - Episode 285 [Review]
It may have been another series that said that magic always comes with a price, but Mest sure is proving that true in this week's episode of Fairy Tail. Mest (or Doranbolt) has always been a bit of an oddity in the show, which is really saying something given the unusual nature of most of the cast. But Mest's magic is memory manipulation, one that can be used against himself in a way that most of the others' powers can't be, and even if he means to use it responsibly, that's not always going to work out. Case in point is what Mest shares with Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Wendy (along with Carla and Happy) this time: that ten years ago he erased his own memories as a Fairy Tail wizard in order to infiltrate the Council and learn about the Alvarez Empire. Fortunately he gave Makarov the “key” to lifting the spell, but there were clearly some very weird years there with Mest remembering and forgetting his true mission repeatedly.
What's important, however, is that he went undercover at Makarov's behest. The canny old man was aware that the Alvarez Empire is a major threat – present tense definitely applies – because it took all of its continent's 730 guilds and consolidated them. That mega-guild has made threatening verbal gestures towards Lumen Histoire, Fairy Tail's most powerful spell which is comprised of Master Mavis' body locked in a crystal. Given that Makarov is leery of the Empire – and that in fiction anyplace given the designation of “Empire” is rarely good news – this implies that exactly zero good could come of them taking Mavis and activating the spell. Also, who wants the body of a friend stolen by a probably evil empire, nefarious purposes or not?
That, then, is the real reason Makarov disbanded the guild. After Tartaros ripped through, he didn't think that there could be any feasible defense should Alvarez come knocking, and therefore the best way to protect his family was to send them away. In part the information Mest brought him helped him to come to this conclusion, but the fact that Makarov immediately departed for the Empire with his own research as well means that there are many layers of secrecy here that probably aren't concealing anything positive. Since that was a year ago and Makarov remains missing (i.e. in Alvarez), it seems safe to assume that whatever he set out to do did not get done, if he's even still alive.
So that sets us up for our next adventure with the guild: infiltrating the Alvarez Empire in order to retrieve Master Makarov. Or rather, former Master Makarov, because before Mest takes Erza down to see Lumen Histoire, she gets nominated to be the newest guild master. It's a very Fairy Tail process: basically Levy just writes her name down on the new guild registration forms because it's clear that she's the only person who can keep Natsu and co. in line. Since she can't really argue with that, Erza ends up taking the job, whether she wants it or not. She does seem keen on getting rid of it as soon as possible, however, although she proves her worth for the position by strategically deciding to take only Team Natsu and Mest into the Empire to rescue Makarov; bringing the whole gang would just be asking for even more trouble.
All of that does make this one of the show's more serious episodes. There is still room for humor, of course, with the brawl Natsu and Elfman start filling that role, as well as Juvia's jealous panicking over Gray, assuming you find that funnier than I do. The guild rumor mill has also churned out a good one about Gray's supposed romantic activities over the past year, which is probably the humor highlight. We also get a little nod to the cathartic feeling of being back home that we saw last week when Mira comments that Elfman started the fight in order to feel punished for his perceived role in the Tartaros debacle, which is a nice thread to pull through.
It does look like humor and bikinis will play a bigger role next week, but hopefully the series can keep that emotional line alive. Remembering why the guild is so important to everyone is part of what makes this series good.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139934/gegege-no-kitaro-ep-34.jpg
GeGeGe no Kitarō - Episode 34 [Review]
Remember, everyone: your flatulence is a weapon, and one you must take great care not to misuse. It can't all be farts saving butterflies and stopping bank robbers, after all. It's also kind of an odd moral to this otherwise serious episode of GeGeGe no Kitarō, and one I assume was thrown in to make some of the more difficult subject matter a little less harsh for the audience, because although the show has touched on bullying and anti-immigrant sentiment before, Rat Man's storyline this time might hit kids a little closer to home. It's time for the annual yokai retreat, and the other yokai tell Rat Man that he's not welcome this year, due to his totally gross gaseous emissions in the hot spring last year, which effectively ruined things for everyone else. Rat Man doesn't appear to understand that he did anything wrong until the trip gets cancelled entirely and he's told to stop complaining about it because he wasn't going to be allowed to go anyway. That hits Rat Man hard – he's even got a bag packed for the trip, so he clearly didn't expect that his bad behavior would have any effect. And in all fairness, it isn't necessarily something that he could control, as anyone with a gastrointestinal disorder can tell you. But he's hurt and angry and he needs someone to blame who isn't himself, and conveniently for him, there's an easy person available: Agnes.
As an outsider, and one who some of the Japanese yokai see as having brought trouble to their shores, the witch is the perfect person for Rat Man to blame. With a little help from Carmilla (who, yes, he should never have trusted, but she fed him), Rat Man helps to orchestrate a yokai rebellion, handing Kitaro an ultimatum: Agnes must go. From an adult perspective, or that of a child who currently has reason to be afraid, this looks very much like political commentary. Much like the episode about the Middle Eastern refugees, GeGeGe no Kitarō mines current events and uses the supernatural elements of the show to frame them in a way kids can understand. Agnes is “from away” and “not one of us,” therefore, she doesn't deserve the protection afforded to Japanese yokai.
Taken differently, this can also be read as a way to interpret the social waters of the average middle school. Rat Man feels excluded from what he saw as his group, thrown over for someone new and different. While he may understand that he did something wrong, he can't grasp why it was bad, and that leaves him with frustration, anger, and sadness, which in turn leads him to make some very bad decisions. That he's ultimately able to save the day, to enable Kitaro to break Backbeard's hold on Agnes (literally, since she's trapped behind the lens of his gargantuan eye) is his redemption both in his own eyes and in those of his friend group – sure, he's gross, but he's a gross that ultimately belongs to them.
It's too bad that the rest of the episode's events, primarily Backbeard kidnapping and turning Kitaro's friends against him, isn't handled quite as well. That's not to say that it's not good; it just doesn't quite flow with the rest of the narrative. None of the yokai Backbeard takes seem to have any strong feelings towards Agnes either way, and while Sand Witch is perhaps the most beloved by the other yokai, there's not a ton of rhyme or reason other than recognizability on our part. Of course, what he's really interested in doing is appealing to Agnes herself; he knows that she's basically kind-hearted, and he wants to her to see her new protectors' in-fighting as her fault. This is where he figures without Agnes' own strength of character, however – the minute she sees that Kitaro is willing to call her a friend and fight for her, Backbeard has lost any fear he might hold over her.
That's also behind her decision to finally tell Kitaro what's going on next week. It's clear from the end of this episode that Backbeard has major plans for Agnes, plans she's been keeping to herself. Now that she feels she can trust Kitaro, I fully expect her to try to leave and the rest of the gang to keep her right where she is, but we'll have to wait and see. At least now we know that they can always have Rat Man fart on someone to save the day.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139912/gs082.jpg
Goblin Slayer - Episode 8 [Review]
I was right to not take the Goblin Slayer's apparent death last episode too seriously, as it's resolved in the first minutes of this week. One bed-sharing-based healing ritual with the Priestess and the Sword Maiden later (what a conveniently sexy solution), and our hero is up, no worse for wear, and ready to get back on the goblin-slaying horse. The show does attempt to parlay this into more information and backstory on the Sword Maiden, specifically that she's a survivor of goblin captivity, which would cement why she knew to take the goblin threat seriously and turn to the Slayer right away. But it runs into the same issue where every new piece of information just reinforces the same simplistic 'this world is cruel and violent' message, with a side order of remarking on how inherently weak women are while the Slayer doesn't seem to care about any of it. It was an opportunity to get deeper with its themes that turns into a misfire.
The good news is that after that sequence, this episode actually recovers as much as the titular Slayer. There are a lot of points where it seems we're heading down too well-worn roads, like it's just going to be another workmanlike daily-life travelogue, but there's actually a better balance this week. I like the way the show subverts the previous episode's “if we get through this alive” cliche by having everyone survive anyway and actually get to go enjoy the meal they were promising each other. This series has gotten much better at subtly demonstrating the character development of the Slayer through his slow-burn warming up to the other party members.
This is even more concentrated as we get to see just a few maintenance interactions with the Slayer and the Priestess between adventures. She actually discusses wanting him to open up in conversations and he demonstrates a willingness to do that. As much as we're aware of the character's trademark curt responses, it's impressive to see him consciously take steps to be more personable. It ties in well to other parts of this episode, giving us even more information on the Slayer and how his background feeds into his actual character. This episode opened with a flashback to his childhood training montage and how he got started on his hardcore goblin-slaying path, with a mysterious mentor playing Riddles in the Dark with him (complete with “What have I got in my pocket?”). It demonstrates how fearful he was as a child, learning to take steps forward despite that fear. He brings this back during his interactions with Priestess, admitting that he still feels the same fear that many characters in this world must feel, but choosing to do what he does anyway.
It all feels like characterization we could have used beforehand, if his faux-death scene last episode was supposed to land, but due to the sequence of events, it still works fine this week. The parts of Slayer's personality that he's letting show feel realistic. It's something the series has come to excel at, illustrating these personalities without shoving them in your face. Yes, the personalities of the Elf and the Dwarf still come off as rote as possible, but it's still an easy rapport where we can watch them grow together and learn to work as a team, so it's just enough to keep the story engaging.
This all pays off in the last part of the episode, where we still find time for some dungeoneering. Interestingly, it's another goblin-free outing this week, as we see the team fight a Beholder instead. They play up its elements of otherworldly horror by not referring to the big eyeball by name, but any seasoned D&D player knows this monster. This is actually a solid example of that tabletop RPG element being exercised by the show well. If you're still coming out for Goblin Slayer, then the on-brand dice-rolling and play-making is probably a key part of the appeal. What's cool about this part is how it strikes a balance between the meticulous planning and procedures that form the most efficient path to winning while still providing action-packed excitement. The plan the party pulls off portrays them as a well-oiled machine, going along with the Slayer's schemes and knowledge while still getting to show off the ‘cool’ parts of their skills. It's all structured around some decent suspense too, keeping the audience interested in the plan's mechanics. I've criticized Goblin Slayer for a seeming lack of confidence in its storytelling, but by this episode it feels more like it's come into its own in that regard.
While this episode's beginning still lingered on some points that it's struggling to execute, at least front-loading that stuff (as well as getting over the weak finish of the previous episode) made it easier to appreciate the things this episode did better. Much like the complex plans that lead the team to victory, Goblin Slayer is a show of many moving parts. Some of these parts are weaker than others, but this time around, the good compensated for the bad and resulted in an ultimately enjoyable outing.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139910/partfive08.png.jpg
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind - Episode 8 [Review]
As expected, Golden Wind had Guido Mista's backstory waiting in the wings for us, much like Abbacchio's story from a few weeks ago. Young Mista looked a lot like Phoenix Wright's dad-phase, and he lived a carefree life (while always conspicuously lifting up his shirt to show his abs) until the day he tried to stop a sexual assault, and a series of point blank shots from the assailants missed him. He took this as an act of fate, killed the men, and joined the same path of noble crime as the rest of our heroes. While I don't think this flashback quite carries the same sympathy as Abbacchio's, I'm pleasantly surprised by how quickly the show is addressing the members of Giorno's new gang. When they were first introduced, I felt like they may as well have been nobodies, but now it's clear that their goals and personalities were far better defined than I was ready to give them credit for.
We're raging on with Part Two of Mista's Bizarre Adventure, as we chase down Mario Zucchero's partner, Sale. The episode is pretty much the movie Speed, with the action taking place on top of a truck going up a winding mountain, complete with an exacerbated driver who can't catch a break from either our hero or villain. Sale's Stand is Kraft Work, and its ability is to freeze objects in place, so his opponent's hand might get stuck to an object, or a bullet might get trapped in midair. There's something amusing about the immediacy of gunplay being subverted by a guy slowly tapping a suspended bullet while monologuing about how it's going to shoot his nemesis eventually.
With Mista's backstory now covered, it makes thematic sense why the Sex Pistols would skip the Number 4 due to bad luck. I just chalked that up to being a one-off character quirk, but everything about Mista is defined by chance and luck. A huge chunk of this episode's suspense comes from that superstition, with the darkest hour coming when he has four shots left in his revolver. If you were thinking logically, then of course you would think four meant he was better off than three, but the show stops you and says, "But four is bad news." You kind of just have to roll with it.
The Speed comparison really gets my imagination going about how JoJo's would fare in live-action (sacrilege, I know), especially now that the series' cast consists of more normally-proportioned adult men. I just love the melodrama that gets strung out of the same elements you might see in an action movie. Nothing in Hollywood is this weird or this exciting. I was kicking with glee when Mista finally gets that last shot off and pushes an already lodged bullet further into Sale's brain. There's that moment of suspense when you're just waiting for the bad guy to fall off his feet and die. It's the staging that really gets me over any of the animation-specific oddities.
So far it seems as though I'm just going to like everything Golden Wind does. The thrills have been astonishingly reliable, and even the aspects I was ready to brush off, like most of the Passione gang, have really come through. There's still some incoherent nonsense to sort through and understand, but everything's been so punchy and entertaining that I'm definitely still along for the ride. Maybe all these fight episodes will blur together as we get further into the season, but so far I'm having a blast.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139915/radiantep8.jpg
Radiant - Episode 8 [Review]
Sometimes your greatest opponent is yourself, and sometimes it's a bald man in boxer shorts. In the case of this episode, it's both. Just as Seth thinks he's making progress in his training, Yaga decides it's time to correct his perspective on magical power. Seth is forced to wear a pair of black silver gloves that prevent him from using magic, and on top of that, he's stuck cleaning the outside of Artemis in order to work off his debt. While scrubbing the city wall, he runs into the Bravery Quartet, who are trying to break in. The ensuing fight helps Seth to realize that having power is worthless if you just use it for yourself, and this epiphany is enough to convince Yaga to get rid of the black silver gloves.
In having Seth wear a pair of magic-restricting gloves, Radiant borrows yet another common plot point from the genre playbook. It's a familiar case of the hero needing to temporarily lose his powers in order to grow stronger in the long run. Sometimes this means learning to fight without relying on a special ability, but in Seth's case the lesson is more ethical than practical. As Yaga explains, growing stronger doesn't really get you anywhere unless you use that strength to achieve something of value. As is often the case with Radiant's “story with a lesson” episodes, this is relatively bland stuff for a veteran anime fan, but it's an idea worth presenting to younger viewers, and this episode does a decent job of getting the message across without belaboring the point.
In order to do that, the show once again calls on the services of the Bravery Quartet, who have somehow found a way to one-up their previous outfits in terms of silliness. The humor here isn't exactly subtle, but the episode commits to it, and it actually works. The image of Don Bossman and company shooting beams out of their butts while monologuing about the merits of magical underwear is so willfully ridiculous that I can't help but laugh at it. While the competition isn't exactly tough, this is still one of the best jokes Radiant has delivered in the last few weeks, and it's a good tonal fit for the show. When your protagonist shouts about his motivation on a constant basis, you might as well make the comedy as broad and colorful as possible. Even though the Bravery Quartet boys just reiterate their old views here, it's good to have them back.
This episode also manages to improve on its predecessor in a key area, though it's a modest step forward at best. Where last week's monster-hunting detour felt completely irrelevant to the overall story, it feels like Seth at least learns something of value here. Radiant's story gets more engaging whenever it asks the characters to reflect on what they're doing, whether that's Alma looking back on her decision to take care of Seth or Seth realizing that there's more to life than just being the strongest guy in town. These are the kinds of moments that make a show feel like it has something to say, and they may be Radiant's best hope of standing out from the crowd. Character development is a good thing, people. Let's get some more of it.
This is a solid “back to basics” episode for Radiant, and it comes at a good time. As it works to regain its momentum after a mid-season slump, the series is returning to the formula that worked for it early on: take familiar genre storylines, present them reasonably well, and throw in a simple thematic lesson or two. If it takes four grown men fighting in their underwear to make that formula work, then so be it. The question now is whether or not Radiant can use these basic building blocks to piece together a real plot. Comical bad guys are all well and good, but it'll take a stronger antagonist to really revive this series. Now that Seth is finally getting his magical act together, it's time to bring back the Nemesis and the Inquisition.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139913/sao-alicization-ep8.jpg
Sword Art Online: Alicization - Episode 8 [Review]
The end of episode 8 brings to a close the series' adaptation of novel 10 (the second Alicization novel) by ending exactly where the book ends too. Strictly looked at from an anime-only standpoint, this was a solid but unexceptional episode. Kirito held his ground against the school's most elite student, who had achieved the pinnacle of his particular sword style. Later he finds out that the noble pricks have wrecked his flowers and discovers just how far the system of Underworld can be pushed by the power of imagination, while Liena completes the mutual promise she made with Kirito made by defeating Vola in the final ranking match, concluding with Kirito getting to award her the bouquet of flowers. Kirito and Eugeo advanced in glossed-over battles and got a couple of cute juniors as room attendants as they advanced up to Elite Disciples for the next year. And all's well at the Swordcraft Academy, although those nobles aren't out of the picture yet; the next episode's title suggests that they will come back into the picture for a pivotal role.
This episode shines more if you're familiar with the source material, as it cleans up potential problem spots from omissions that the adaptation has made so far. One of the biggest is that the anime doubles back to avoid eschewing the complexities of the Sword Skills or the importance of fighting styles, by also connecting that element to the impact that imagination can have in a swordfight and hinting at a development that will become critical later on; that image of the Gigas Cedar appearing when Kirito was steeling his resolve is bound to be revisited. Tangibly connecting fighting spirit to the weight of blows is a relatively common gimmick in anime, but this is one of the rare times that I've seen it tied to a specific mechanic in a game world.
Then there's the mysterious voice that Kirito heard during the flower incident. It clearly wasn't Alice's, so I'm certain it's meant to be the character whose introduction was skipped when the Zakkaria content was short-changed. This is an excellent place to work that character back into the picture, lending a greater sense of mystery to what's going on. Her words combined with Kirito's tearful ruminations also fill in another gap by explaining the significance of the flowers; making them symbols of Kirito's own relationship to the world adds a welcome extra layer of emotion and raises questions about what else they may come to represent about Kirito.
Beyond all this, we get one good duel scene and a decent part of one, but that's something that Sword Art Online has always done well. The two noble bullies are still comically over-the-top, but the series is still doing enough right to balance out minor problems like that.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139941/skullface8.jpg
Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san - Episode 8 [Review]
This week's Honda-san once again proves that the show is strongest when customer interactions are front and center. Aside from the final minute or two, the entirety of episode 8 is built around Honda helping an assortment of quirky (but very believable) customers. From the affable yakuza to the Naruto-obsessed father-son duo from the U.S., each exchange features pitch-perfect comic timing and elicits an amusing reaction from the eager-to-please Honda. Honda and Armor's conversation about dealing with children dredges up some interesting revelations about both characters, with Honda admitting to always being dead inside when helping customers. In a brief segment toward the end, Honda's editor Azarashi (Seal) attempts to sell him on a live-action adaptation of his manga, suggesting that the original plot remain intact but Honda be played by a handsome actor. But Honda has a hard time picturing his personality being implanted into an easy-on-the-eyes hottie.
Although the theme of loving bookstores loosely ties these various skits together, episode 8 is primarily geared toward showcasing as many customer interactions as possible, and the results are consistently hilarious. As is often the case with the show's strongest installments, the bulk of the action is limited to the bookstore this week. While learning about the ins and outs of the Japanese bookselling scene can be both funny and informative, the series' most memorable material generally stems from Honda's dealings with quirky patrons. Even though overeager foreigners are becoming a tad redundant at this point, the Shonen Jump-loving father and son are two of the funniest examples of this particular archetype. Likewise, the extended encounter with the good-natured yakuza is equal parts uncomfortable and fascinating—particularly if this interaction was lifted directly from the real-life Honda's experiences.
The segment in which Honda discusses his approach to children in the store is endearing and illustrates a side of Honda he's largely kept hidden. From the way he tells it, kids seem to be the only patrons he genuinely enjoys waiting on, as they represent a sense of whimsy and innocence that's absent in many of the adults he deals with. He's not the only employee who finds children paying with exact change or making sincere efforts at politeness adorable, as Armor reveals herself to be even more enamored by their presence. Strangely enough, none of the workers share any stories about misbehaving or unsupervised kids this week, although we see multiple children innocently wander into racier sections of the store.
Honda seems to think that bookstore lovers are a dying breed, but the success of this show's parent manga may serve as a sign that he's wrong. The episode itself provides numerous examples of bookstore loyalists—like the man who carries 90 books home rather than ordering them online or the imprisoned yakuza who yearns to visit the store upon his release. Featuring some of the show's best customer interactions to date, episode 8 is Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san at the top of its game.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139918/sg092.jpg
SSSS.Gridman - Episode 8 [Review]
Sometimes you don't know where to start with an episode, and it's entirely a good thing. There is so much going on in this episode of SSSS.Gridman that just picking one favorite thing seems impossible. As major as the revelations from the past couple episodes were, there were also some contestable elements to how they were doled out. But just two episodes later, all that information comes into play in major ways. The status quo of the series is shifting as much as the monster-manipulated cityscape it takes place in, and the characters and their choices are being forced to adapt quickly.
So let's start by analyzing the big point this episode hinges on: Akane fully reveals herself to the Gridman Alliance, declaring her intent to attack during the school festival. It's a direct challenge that can only happen now that all the players know each other. I talked previously about other tokusatsu series that presupposed their character interactions on the secret superhero worlds they occupied, and this is the next step up from that. Beyond the obvious increase in the scope of threats, it also allows the show to proceed into uncharted territory. One central conflict in this episode is Utsumi and Rikka disagreeing on whether they should actually fight Akane now that their supposed friend is being so transparent about her goals.
Rikka directly calls out Utsumi's enthusiasm for guiding the Gridman Alliance into giant mecha/kaiju battles on a regular basis, a challenge to the enjoyable conceit of the show. Of course a bunch of adolescent kids and their robot would want to have exciting battles, and it's what the (big) kids in the audience want to see as well. But is it the best decision to make every time? The setup of this episode with Akane stands to challenge that assumption. She's revealed herself and given them several days to prepare, so does that obligate them to pursue a peaceful possibility with her? Yuta has seen how sociopathic she can be, but with Utsumi and Rikka still considering her a friend, there's attachments that won't be overcome simply by throwing big fighting machines at her.
Basically, Akane is playing the same for-kicks game Rikka calls Utsumi out for enjoying. She's set up this particular ultimatum for maximum drama, she literally shows off her new toys to try to impress the other characters, and by now she seems to revel in playing the ‘bad guy’ everyone knows her to be. As we've learned about her godhood status, the concept of her treating everything as playthings increases in scale. That's the point where her threat-level finally clicks for Rikka; when Akane claims that everything in the city was created by her, down to the characters' feelings for her. It's a hard enough shake to Rikka's core that she literally hits the ‘stop’ button on the bus the two girls are sharing.
The solution Rikka's apology lends to this heroic dilemma gives this episode its other strong twist. The absolute rule of Saturday-morning heroics is that the villains act first and the heroes react. Deploying Gridman ahead of the Kaiju's arrival to evacuate the school and head off Akane's plot is such an outside-the-box solution for this genre that it succeeds at surprising the audience as well as Akane. It's another escalation that can only be made possible by the relentless plot shake-ups SSSS.Gridman has dropped in our laps over the past few weeks.
All these storytelling tricks are fine on their own, but they wouldn't go half as far without the show's impressive presentation. The visual direction of SSSS.Gridman is on fire this week again. The expected quiet everyday scenes of the days leading up to the festival work as well as they always have, and now they get that extra oomph from Akane's direct confrontation. Various camera angles are used to enhance the surreality, especially in the Neon Genesis Junior High Students' amusing habit of lending oddness to any otherwise normal scene they occupy. The scene between Akane and Rikka on the bus does a brilliant job of playing off their interaction from episode 4, only now instead of just sitting behind Rikka as a power move, Akane is invading her personal space as a demonstration of her power. The character animation on Rikka and Yuta in the subsequent scene where she comes around is incredibly smooth, selling the casually awkward relationship they've developed. And of course, the long-awaited arrival of the fully-combined Gridman is greeted with all the visual fanfare one could hope for.
And I can't forget about the mecha fight this episode! As much as I've defaulted to regarding the Ultraman-esque Gridman as a mecha, Akane calling the Full Powered Gridman a straight-up robot is a wonderful acknowledgement of the show's escalating absurdity, as well as a great way to sell how her plans have been upended by the team's unconventional choices. The scene that follows is a marvelous media mix-up, pushing the show's usual 2D/3D juggling act to its hardest limits yet. More experienced fans will probably have a killer time just pinpointing which mecha sakuga and choreographic cuts belong to which animators or are being referenced by them. The actual process of the fight jumps between ground and sky, cutting to civilian-scale shots when necessary and just celebrating the kind of Saturday-morning excess that made us love cartoons and robots as children. If I had any complaint to make, it's that the fight ends too abruptly; of course I wanted more.
It feels like I'm calling every other episode of SSSS.Gridman its best yet, but that's because these escalating plot twists keep raising the show's own bar. This episode worked so well for me because it took the opportunity to analyze some of its heroic tropes on a meta level, which I'm an absolute sucker for. But it layered all that under increasingly strong character work, making the dynamics between characters more complex because of the dramatic reveals. It tops all this off with spectacle that understands the references it's making to its source material and action worthy of those predecessors. It's a confident show, and I'm having so much fun following it.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/fit400x1000/cms/episode-review.2/139926/spyce-8.png.jpg
Release the Spyce - Episode 8 [Review]
In “Intelligence on Organization N”, Fu, Goe, Momo, and Yuki get the opportunity to head out to Okinawa for a beach vacation, though their real mission is to rendezvous with local intelligence agency The Shisa and continue their pursuit of the mysterious flower at the center of Moryo's evil schemes. Along the way, the gang sneaks into a booby-trapped island fortress run by the insidious Nirai Kanai syndicate, Momo fights a man who uses literal snakes as weapons, and Goe battles (and subsequently befriends) a Viking. In other words, it's just another day at the office for the Spyce Girls.
While this is the first time the story has departed from the familiar streets and alleys of Sorasaki City, and despite the strange characters and plot elements the girls encounter in their assault on the Nirai Kanai base, this eighth episode really is business as usual for Release the Spyce, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The past few episodes have been heavily indulging the group's interpersonal drama and the more big-picture plans that Moryo's been cooking up. While that's all well and good, it feels like it's been a while since we've gotten to see a core team of Tsukikage pull off a mission together, and this episode's relatively straightforward plot presents the perfect opportunity. “Intelligence on Organization N” is one part silly beach episode and one part 60s-era Bond flick, with a dash of “Enter the Dragon”-style martial arts exploitation to round things out. It's unabashedly goofy from the moment the girls' swimsuit antics lead to them meeting the Friend of the Week, a spunky young girl with auburn hair and a dark complexion named Ouka who sports a horned helmet as proof of her proud Viking ancestry. She's also working for the Nirai Kanai because they've kidnapped her grandfather, and she uses their sound-wave technology to control an army of snakes.
It's such an idiosyncratically goofy character to drop in the middle of this otherwise suspenseful mission, but it's just charming enough to work. The same could be said for the rest of the episode, which doesn't go out of its way to break new ground in the show's storytelling formula, but we do see Momo go toe to toe with a man who punches people with snakes while Yuki beats several people up with a selfie-stick, so I'm not too concerned about this episode's relatively carefree approach to tone. Goe and Ouka's fight is well-done, and the scene even takes a moment to call back to Goe's berserker rampage from last week, which I appreciated.
Yuki also seems to be losing her affinity for the superhuman boost provided by the spice, which ties directly into her emotional confrontation with Momo late in the episode. Our plucky pink go-getter is proud to have taken on the villain of the week all on her own, but Yuki tempers Momo's enthusiasm with a sharp slap to the face. Despite the fact that Momo technically disobeyed orders again to take on the snake man, she also proved her own capabilities when she won the fight without needing any help. When Yuki punishes her, it feels like the first time we've seen her truly lose her cool, because her admonitions over Momo disregarding her safety are clearly coming from Yuki's own anxieties about losing her place in the Tsukikage. It's a good scene that displays the kind of solid drama between Momo and Yuki I wish we'd seen more of – Momo and Yuki's relationship has fallen by the wayside in Release the Spyce's middle section, and I feel like this climactic moment would have played better if we'd had the chance to invest more in their dynamic.
Thankfully, outside of those hiccups and some occasionally middling animation, I was quite pleased with Release the Spyce this week. My only other issue would have to be with the cold-open, which featured Hatsume and Theresia dropping all pretense and duking it out. Hatsume removes the Moryo drugs from Theresia's system, and I'm sure the next episode will catch us up on what she and Mei were doing when the Okinawa mission went down, but otherwise this opening scene felt completely ancillary to the rest of the episode. Also, a friend of mine got her Masters studying Norse culture, so I would be remiss if I didn't inform folks that, unfortunately, real Norse warriors probably never wore those nifty horned helmets. The more you know!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max300x600/cms/episode-review.2/139914/op863.png.jpg
One Piece - Episode 863 [Review]
Carrot's new transformation was never meant to last long, and already it's starting to tire her out. Thankfully Brook is there to take a page from her book, running across the water to take out a few ships of his own and catch her before she's completely done. I was already kind of iffy about the Carrot fight from last week, wishing the better cuts of animation could connect more without being sandwiched between so many flat panning shots, and now this episode has even less spectacle to work with as we focus more on dialogue and story than straight action. Carrot's Sulong form reaches its end, and now it's up to the Straw Hats to fight Big Mom face-to-face while she sleeps it off.
Elsewhere, Sanji and Capone are arguing over how to handle the cake as they make their way over. Capone wants to poison the cake and finally put an end to Big Mom's reign once and for all. It's the logical choice, since even if our heroes manage to escape Totto Land, we wouldn't want to know Mom is still kicking around. But we're not dealing with logic here. Sanji's determined to beat Big Mom purely on the strength of his cooking. It's that Dragon Ball logic of "No, we have to win the fun way!" that might infuriate audience members who don't want to see their protagonists be such prideful selfish dimwits. (But I love it.)
However, the real meat of the story lies with Big Mom. The longer her rampage goes on, the more you start to see Mother Carmel in her face, like a ghost that's followed her around for her entire life. Thanks to Prometheus, she now has giant flaming hair with a jack-o-lantern smile, and she's looking more like an otherworldly monster than ever despite the fact that she's gradually regaining her original consciousness. (At the very least, she can speak in full sentences again.) Our currently standing crew isn't a match for her up close like this, and now she's tearing the Thousand Sunny to pieces while our shipwright is far-off in the distance, waiting in a completely different arc.
I find this stage of Big Mom's descent into madness so powerfully compelling, especially in the manga where the stark black & white expressionism speaks to me in Rorscach-like ways. Big Mom is the abyss, the point where humanity and inhumanity are one and the same. She's the coked-up version of so many familiar human flaws—addiction, hypocrisy, and the need to impress imaginary versions of people we create in our heads. Within Whole Cake Island, there's a sobering acknowledgement that we are often creatures of impulse, and there's a primal fear that it's all we truly can be. Specifically, that panel of Big Mom landing on the deck is deeply etched into my subconscious. It's the image I most heavily associate with Whole Cake Island.
This is a strange episode that's abundant with unique directorial choices in shot composition and music, and yet the whole thing feels so unwieldy and distant. That sort of works in its favor by making the episode feel disorienting and off-kilter, but I don't think the energy's been exciting enough in the past few episodes to earn that sense of exhaustion. We need to feel like we've flamed out in a blaze of glory (the importance of the Sulong fight scene), and now we're trying to get our next high off the remaining fumes.
We're in a strange place with the anime right now, where the story is juggling a large variety of tones and ideas at once, so the pacing has to be a lot more careful than just padding everything out for dramatic suspense. Easily my favorite material this week is the stuff with Big Mom on the ship, but all of that is sadly packed into the last couple minutes. This is an episode of sluggish roughness that occasionally lights up with moments of brilliance because the story beneath the surface is so profound.
