Ascendance of a Bookworm - Episodes 13-14 [Review]

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Ascendance of a Bookworm - Episodes 13-14 [Review]

The first cour of Ascendance of a Bookworm closes out with the consecutive airing of episodes 13 and 14 separately rather than as a double-length episode. While the latter format probably would have worked fine here, getting through episode 14's content before going into a seasonal break was unquestionably a necessity, as the end of episode 14 rather than the end of episode 13 is where a proper break point should be. In every sense this feels like the conclusion of the first stage of the story and the set-up for the next stage.

In that vein, episode 13, while it has interesting content of its own, is really just the set-up for episode 14's highly dramatic events. Still, it's a necessary set-up for fully understanding why things happen in episode 14 the way they do. It lays out much more fully than episode 12 how the Church in this world is set up and what its reputation is, a point which episode 14 eloquently hammers home with one additional line: the church is basically a dumping ground for people rather than an institution to aspire towards. Commoners who enter the church are typically orphans and wind up doing the grunt work of the church; nobles who are “extras” or not wanted/needed are also consigned there. (The latter in particular is not much different from how the Church operated in our world for centuries.) In a utilitarian sense it's actually an efficient arrangement, as it allow a way for those who wouldn't get recommendations for apprenticeship through family means to actually have a life and for the extra nobles to be useful, though why this would engender a negative opinion of being part of the Church is also obvious. While I had noticed the blue vs. gray robes before, I had assumed that was more of a internal hierarchical rank matter, but it's also a sign of class division in this world. Hence why Myne's family would be adamantly against her apprenticing as a priestess is completely understandable.

Just as interesting is the revelation about how The Devouring fits into things. It turning out to actually be a coveted trait for the Church – as they need mana to empower certain magic items – is, in a meta sense, the “out” that was required for Myne, but it's also a logical one. That Myne is benefiting from political troubles that reduced the number of nobles who could provide the mana (as otherwise commoners wouldn't have value) is maybe a little too convenient but still explains Myne's desirability in a way that doesn't stretch logic one bit. That Myne never realized The Devouring was mana was a bit surprising, but upon reflection, that word never was actually used in her presence. That having mana would make her even more prone to victimization by nobles isn't a surprise, nor is it that Benno's concern for Myne goes beyond just business arrangements, despite what he might claim.

And then we have episode 14's dramatic meeting between Myne and her parents and the High Priest. Turi's concerns about her parents' safety becoming justified is the one place where I've found this series to be heavy-handed, even if it is in line with established historical behavior across many cultures. However, it does allow for the introduction of the Crushing, an ability that sufferer of the Devouring can manifest when sufficiently riled up which can basically (as it looks like) overwhelm a target with the force of your mana. It seems like a potent and dangerous ability if one could learn to control and manipulate it, though not widely practical because you have to have the condition in order to use it. We've seen the mana manifest in times of stress before (and her parents were not apparently oblivious to it after all), so her being able to do something like this isn't a big surprise; that the High Priest had no defense against it is. I don't entirely buy that the Head Priest is going to be able to sweep it all under the rug, but this also, finally, shows that he's a decent guy and will quell misgivings about him that have arisen because of his actions at the beginning of the series. More importantly, it allows Myne and family to walk away clean with the deal that's best for her. We'll see, I guess, if this proves to be too good to be true in the long run or not.

I was also impressed that the story was able to keep Lutz involved (even if not directly most of the time) or that it finally found time for Turi again. Taking time to acknowledge Lutz's concerns was, I think, important, as was keeping Myne's family in general involved in events; we just don't see that much of that in anime, and it makes a nice counterpoint to the norm for the Church. Finally, the range of Myne's expressions in these two episodes only reinforces her visual adorability.

While this series hasn't been perfect, it's done plenty enough right so far that it's a shoe-in both for my pick as the top series of the Fall 2019 season for my Top 5 of the Year list. It's been a delight to watch, and I eagerly look forward to its return in April.

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Assassins Pride - Episode 11 [Review]

Assassins Pride has suffered at times from condensing its story beats too much and/or just not fully explaining things well enough in general. Episode 11 gets hit harder by that flaw than most, as there are several things going on here which don't make much sense. The result is an episode which is hard to follow even as it tries to make things more interesting.

The most confusing point is where, exactly, the two girl who came to help Melida and Elise last episode actually stand. Mule clearly has her loyalties geared towards her older brother, but based on last episode I was under the understanding that her brother's cabal already knew that Melida was Paladin class and so was seeking to off her. However, Mule here seems more intent on just gaining more substantive proof of this. She has plenty of opportunities to leave Melida in a potentially deadly situation but doesn't, even going so far as helping Melida and Elise complete their quest. That seems counterproductive to a purpose of eliminating her. Where Salacha stands is even less clear. She was also at that meeting but seems intent on securing the book needed for the quest completion (and where Melida's Samurai class is written down) for herself. Is she trying to do things her own way or actually protect Melida? It feels like some scenes are missing her where this could be explained better.

Why Guild Grimfice would go after the other girls at the school also is a head-scratcher, unless I missed something. They just come off as garden-variety terrorists here (albeit ones where their leader can take on an undead form to control the ghosts in the library better). At least that move shows that Kufa was genuinely giving Rosetti an important task rather than just trying to get her out of the way so he could be cool on his own. That almost backfired on him, too, though it did allow for the surprising return of Williams Gin, the ribbon-manipulating lancanthrope from earlier in the series. The Headmistress also proved surprisingly tough and strong.

It's entirely possible that some of my concerns will be addressed in what I presume will be the series' finale next week, but there are a few too many holes her to be just dismissed as trying to work in an element of mystery. On the plus side, the Once Upon A Time parts were cute and Melida just continues to impress more as a take-charge heroine. Better be careful, Kufa, or she'll leave you in the dust.

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No Guns Life - Episode 11 [Review]

In the spirit of the season, it's a wonderful life—unless, however, you have a comically oversized revolver where your head normally goes, and you currently happen to be minus one functioning arm. Our smoking gun of a detective Juzo gets battered and bruised pretty badly this week in No Guns Life, but unfortunately that doesn't translate into a very compelling installment of this cybernoir thriller. While it leads with a valiant attempt at a moody, action-heavy spectacle, it can't help but feel like a major swerve in tone after last week's more thoughtful treatment of Colt's plight. There's a time and a place for schlock, and I don't think this was it.

The prime suspect in this Case of the Lackluster Episode is Berühren's company resolver, the melodramatic and loosely-clothed Pepper. While she shares a job title with Juzo, the two of them couldn't be any more different, and in theory, I'm all for a flamboyant foil to Juzo's deliberately stone-like presence. The problem with Pepper is that she's distractingly over-sexualized, and not even in a fun way. First of all, any potential tension in the scene is undercut by the nagging thought in the back of my head that her boobs are about one second away from sliding out of her top. It's difficult to say that without sounding lecherous, but just look at this. There is NO undercarriage support happening here. This is a disaster waiting to happen. On a more serious note, however, her flagrant hypersexualization takes a turn for the gross when she starts talking about “owning” Juzo and gives his metal jawline a good licking. The femme fatale is certainly a familiar archetype to the noir genre, but Pepper's appearance and behavior are just too incongruous with the parts of No Guns Life that I like. Ironically, if this were a worse show, I wouldn't be as harsh on this.

What further exacerbates Pepper's presence in this scene is that it ultimately doesn't really go anywhere. The most important idea emphasized in their battle together is the further clarification of a Gun Slave Unit's original “purpose,” which is to literally be a tool of someone possessing a specific extension called a “Hands.” Pepper uses her sidekick, the soft-spoken Seven, to deal some major damage to Juzo (and, to Christina's chagrin, her building) thanks to her ability to unlock some of that scary automated weaponry we saw Juzo sport a few episodes back. Of course, this ties back into one of the key thematic thrusts of the show, which is Juzo's staunch refusal to allow either himself or his friends to become mere tools. A surprise flashback further clarifies where this impulse came from, as we see a short scene with the person who used to function as Juzo's “owner” (hence the name of the episode) during the war.

I'm sure we'll be seeing more of those memories in the future, and I'm frankly eager to see Juzo's character fleshed out more. He can be fun in doses—I love, for instance, how he makes a point of continuing to smoke his cigarette even as Seven blows his entire body clear out of the building and down into the alleyway. However, his aggressively hardboiled demeanor can only go so far and only be so appealing. There's a subdued theatricality to it, and I want to dig into the vulnerabilities he's trying to hide with his very conscious performance. His unflappable gun face belies some of that soft, squishy humanity we've all got inside of us.

Tetsuro and Mary very weirdly show up out of nowhere and Tetsuro does what he always does: recklessly uses Harmony in front of a Berühren lackey, shorts out his sub-brain, yet saves the day in spite of himself. Nevertheless, he continues to languish as he always does in his perceived inability to do anything for anyone. As with my thoughts about Juzo, I'm eager for Tetsuro's character development to break out of its so-far stagnant pattern, but here I like how his retreat into hiding functions both as a necessary means to escape detection, and as a manifestation of his own depression. He doesn't want to do anything or see anyone. He does, however, have a nice, quiet little scene with Juzo, and the two continue to grow closer in their imperceptibly machismo-poisoned way. Kronen also tells Juzo that Berühren has called off their search for Tetsuro, which despite appearances, cannot be good news.

I was honestly expecting us to gear up for a confrontation with Mary's brother for the season finale, but No Guns Life swerves completely away from that this episode. I guess we're saving that stuff for the second cour. However, we now have the best substitute plotline possible: a haunted house with a robot ghost. Or something to that effect, at least. This is arguably an even wilder swerve in tone than the one I complained about at the start of this review, but I'm actually very excited to see what goes down next week. I genuinely love it when shows decide to focus on a random ghost story apropos of exactly nothing else in the narrative. Think back to how good the “Toys in the Attic” episode of Cowboy Bebop was. While this installment of No Guns Life might have felt lacking, it still knows how to reel me back into its particular flavor of cyberpunk ridiculousness.

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Stars Align - Episode 12 [Review]

What the hell? Stars Align has always delighted in the post-credits gut-punch, but this final episode took a couple of very sudden, and one incredibly dark, turns that make it feel like something got lost in translation somewhere. I don't mean that literally, but rather as a failure on the part of the creators to adequately portray what they intended in anime form, because no matter how many dark hints there were, nothing, and I mean nothing ever indicated that Maki would show up at his father's place with a knife and the intention of committing murder.

The symbolism is fortunately more on the level. Throughout its run, the series has juxtaposed the basic, cheery underdog school sports show with the horrors and traumas that the team members were living through in their home lives, touching on the fact that such sunshiny shows rarely give us any indication that anything bad could happen in the world. Even if the team ends up losing the big game the players are still emotionally gratified and able to keep going with a skip in their step and a smile in their hearts. But that's never been true here, a fact driven home by Toma's conversation with his mother right after the game. It at first looks to be a moment of triumphant reconciliation before she turns the tables on him, announcing with glee that she's divorcing and leaving Toma with his (never seen) dad while she goes off with Ryoma. She knows full well how devastated Toma will be by this statement, and she clearly revels in the fact, like a wicked mother in a fairy tale getting ready to cook and eat her child drooling in anticipation.

That moment brings the happy anime façade crashing down, reminding us that in this show, happy endings only happen in Disney films. There's not going to be any nice resolution, because things aren't that neat when abusive parents are involved, and the soft tennis club (and school in general) is only a respite from the rest of the kids' lives. When the game ends, it's back to their real world, where it doesn't matter if you took on and almost beat the local champions, because no one outside of school is going to give a damn. If Stars Align was trying to send a message, that would seem to be it – that perfect sports anime, or any school-set story, is just an idealized vision of life with all of the shadows removed. In that respect, the ending does work, especially after the exhilaration of the tennis match against the wonder twins.

But worthy as that message is, it isn't necessarily the one most viewers were looking for, and it doesn't actually resolve anything, much less give any sense of closure to the story. (Except for Mitsue, who is still drawing her new realistic art. Good for you, Mitsue!) We spent so much time finding out about everyone's difficult pasts, delving into home lives and sexualities and aspirations, that it feels like a cop out to only get real resolution for one character and partial for two others. That may be part of the overall symbolism (there's rarely resolution in real life), but it doesn't make for satisfying storytelling. If you want to see an ambiguous ending done well, read Courtney Summers' novel Sadie. This just feels dark for darkness' sake, eschewing months of building Toma and Maki's relationship for Maki to charge off on his own with blood on his mind.

If we get a second season, maybe this could be made to work, but as a final episode, it really feels like it drops the ball. I wouldn't say I feel betrayed by Stars Align, but this ending does leave me feeling equal parts angry at the sloppy storytelling and a little bit empty, because if ever there was a group of kids I wanted to be okay in the end, this was it.

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