Kinda funny to see a lizard talk about mouthfeel.
My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s Ep. 5
Akira, Amelia, and the cat hit up a beastkin city. Depending on how you look at it, we either get a lot of intriguing world-building or dull exposition. I’m leaning towards the latter. Anyway, the episode explains the current situation, who the asshole of the region is, and what our hero needs to do next in order to get stronger. But to make a long story short, a demon kidnaps Amelia — the same demon who tricked her sister — so even though Akira has been pretending to not notice how much she crushes on him, he goes absolutely berserk upon hearing the bad news. Or maybe he’s still oblivious about her feelings, I dunno. It could be one of those stupid situations where the author and the audience both want the hot, sexy elf waifu, but we all have to pretend that our overpowered self-insert MC only has pure intentions despite being a hormone-driven teenager.
To be fair, he’s on a revenge mission, so falling in love would only complicate things. Plus, how would you feel if you woke up and found someone sleeping half-naked next to you? Kinda creepy, right? If the genders were reversed, people would blow their lid. But hey, Amelia is a hot, sexy elf waifu so we’ll just look the other way.
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill S2 Ep. 5
Lots of food to consume this week, because Mukouda and his familiars also have a lot of dungeon floors to cover. The gang finally gets to fight something that doesn’t instantly die, but meh, are we really here for the adventuring? Not really, right? Plus, I rolled my eyes at the product placement.
So onto the real and only reason why I’m watching this show: the food. The sandwiches look pretty good. One of my biggest food-related pet peeves is people overstuffing the crap out of sandwiches. That sort of thing is only good for Instagram likes. The soup in the same picture could use more actual soup. As for the udon that they eat later, there’s a place near that’s fantastic. The niku udon and mentai cream udon especially. But the restaurant is also insanely expensive. I’m talking nearly 20 bucks for a bowl. Anyway, the udon in the show looks alright, but if I had to nitpick, it’s a little monochromatic. Last but not least, I literally just had Korean fried chicken last weekend (while watching the World Series) so what a coincidence. But this is way too much fried food for my liking. You don’t gotta fry every vegetable.
Yano-kun’s Ordinary Days Ep. 6
Holy crap, a confession? In the sixth episode? Are we allowed to do that? I’m kidding, of course. One of the show’s I’m looking forward to next season should have a confession in the very first episode. Still, I’m pleasantly surprised that Yano-kun doesn’t dawdle. Yeah, he kinda avoided Kiyoko at first. But then he consumed an asston of shoujo manga (thanks to Hashiba), and proceeded to shoot his shot. I gotta respect that. Way to go, dude. The best part is how Yano-kun isn’t even afraid to flirt with her in front of their classmates. The same obliviousness that gets him injured all the time somehow serves to make him bold and confident in matters of the heart. It’s hilarious. It also draws a sharp contrast to both Kiyoko and Hashiba (see below). Kiyoko was once again happy to be complacent until she realized that he actually liked her back. I’m not, like, riveted, but okay, I’m actually a little more interested in this series going forward.
It was pretty funny watching Kiyoko pretend to be someone she’s not. She even hiked up her skirt and everything.
One last thing I gotta harp on: Hashiba getting all embarrassed because his friends saw him buy a girlie anthology. Oh, get it over it, man. The day you stop worrying about what people think about small stuff like that is the day you’ll be so much happier. This is a bit of an extreme example, but I see so many dudes refuse to run to the store and buy hygiene products for their girlfriends. I just don’t get it. First, are you really gonna put your embarrassment over your partner? Second, what is even embarrassing about it? Isn’t it a sign to everyone else that you have a girlfriend? Isn’t that a good thing? What, you think people would assume the hygiene products are for you? People are insecure about such stupid things sometimes.
Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits- Season 2 Ep. 5
Aoi helps the kid who initially refuses to eat by making dishes from the human realm. Nothing too exciting, though. I’m actually surprised cabbage rolls end up doing the trick. Honestly, everything this week felt like one long setup for the more important, bigger drama to come in later episodes. For me, Aoi finding a door that Odanna’s key could unlock is pretty much the only interesting thing that happened.
Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! Ep. 6
In the aftermath of the Sword God Cup, Dragon Fang is now flushed with recruits. With no challenges left to conquer in Bresgia, however, Arel abruptly resigns from the guild and returns home. First, he wants to challenge his mother Farah to another duel, but he also wants to learn how to use magic from his father. Meanwhile, Reiner chases after him for reasons that I’m sure I don’t need to explain. She also wants to train under Farah, but the latter decides that the girl needs a firsthand lesson on how to be a “good wife” instead. Awkward. When Reiner naturally protests, Farah insists that this is the path towards becoming the best swordsman. Uh-huh. Did you also teach your son how to cook and clean? I hope you did.
Meanwhile, Arel’s younger sister Mira is a huge brocon who gets jealous over Reiner. Why can’t you just let sisters be normal? In fact, bring Lilia back. She was at least funny.
Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! Ep. 5
I cringed a little when Aristide explained to Melphie what her responsibilities would entail going forward. Granted, he’s more than happy to let her commit herself wholeheartedly to her research, but in the end, her research is mostly about saving him. Apparently, he suffers from the same affliction as her mother: they are both blessed with great magical potential, but when too much magic accumulates within the body, it will turn into a toxin. And hey, wanna guess how you can up the level of magic in your body? By eating monster meat! So yeah, Melphie won’t have to sit around and “soothe her husband,” but her primary mission still going to revolve around him. Meh, not too excited about that. I liked the whole “feed the poor” angle. “I gotta save my man” is a little too standard for me.
Food-wise, there wasn’t much to talk about this week. Melphie simply made military-grade porridge a little heartier with cuts of salted moodle.
My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha Ep. 5
In the first half of the episode, “Dark” and his followers easily eliminate a giant mantis. The kids near them have their minds blown: “OMG, you guys are so strong for F-Ranks!” It’s the same ol’ shit you see in every other adventurer shows. Still, the brother-sister duo reminds “Dark” of his own family, so you just know that something terrible is in store for them. Y’know, death flags and such. The kids keep going on and on about how they’re adventuring just to save up enough money to send the girl to a fancy pants mage academy. I’m sorry, but this is cliche as all hell. You wouldn’t give me such a backstory if you don’t plan on using it to emotionally trigger the audience, especially when we already know that a murderous, racist prick is on the prowl. Plus, even if she could afford to attend her dream academy, she would’ve just gotten bullied anyway. This world is racist as fuck, after all.
In the second half of the episode, we see that evil prick Kaito and his dark elf follower hunting down humans in order to facilitate their research. Y’see, they’ve hit their level cap, but if their research pans out, they’ll be able to surpass their limits. This is what I mean by those kids triggering their death flags left and right. “We have one dream and one dream only: to send Miya to the academy!” Motherfuckin’ RIP. Anime storytelling can be so painfully generic and thus predictable. Would the story go so far as to murder a bunch of children just to add more fuel to Light’s revenge quest? You bet your ass it would. Sigh, even if this is a shit anime, I’m not looking forward to watching kids die. The fact that this is even a plot device is kinda despicable.
A Wild Last Boss Appeared! Ep. 6
Well, you know the drill: after an explosive action sequence, Lufas collects another member of the twelve Heavenly Stars. And once again, they do not seem to remember Dina at all. This is probably just a recurring gag, but it would be somewhat interesting if the reason they don’t remember Dina is because she’s actually here to double cross Lufas. But I doubt that would happen.. Anyway, the gang is onto their next destination to collect another member of the twelve Heavenly Stars. So exciting.
For me, action for action’s sake isn’t enough; the stakes in this story are too low to keep me fully engaged.
My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! Ep. 5
This week’s episode dives deep into the MC”s relationship with Iroha. We finally get a clear picture of what she offers to the team, which is apparently her amazing voice acting ability. We finally understand how she got a key to his apartment. She probably fell in love with him around this time, too. Hm, I dunno, this is probably the least annoying episode so far. But there’s just something about the MC that still rubs me the wrong way. I think it’s the general problem I have with the fixer archetype, i.e. the guy who always has a solution for everyone’s problems. Anime almost never draws a balanced picture where the MC’s best efforts will occasionally blow up in his face. If we’re going to deal with human drama, then I want something more grounded. I want characters who will stumble from time to time and thus learn from their mistakes. I don’t see much of a character arc here, and that’s why the MC is somehow simultaneously annoying and dull at the same time.
The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest Ep. 5
So on the bright side, the antagonistic prince actually sees the folly of his ways. He actually admits that Alec isn’t totally useless. He doesn’t try to enslave Alec’s party or try to sexually assault the girls. He was a hate sink at the start of the series, but he doesn’t stay that way. We don’t cook up a reason to justify turning him into a meat blob who gets tortured for the rest of his unending existence. So kudos, anime, you’re not a vengeance-obsessed, misanthropic POS series.
Alec is still as dull as oatmeal, though.
Hands off: Sawaranaide Kotesashi-kun Ep. 5
Swimmer girl lost all of her confidence, because she couldn’t deal with the high expectations placed on her tiny, clearly-not-built-for-swimming shoulders. Normally, you would just hit up a sports psychiatrist to work out these mental blocks. Maybe you could even do some meditating to help clear your mind. But in anime, there’s one and only one solution: let the MC grope your tits.
It looks like the antagonistic vice principal will be the MC’s next victim. Why is she kneeing his crotch like this? Guess she’s a creep too.
Alma-chan Wants to Be a Family! Ep. 5
Three quick short stories for this week’s episode. The one in the middle amused me the most, because it serves as a somewhat tongue-in-cheek precautionary tale. First, creative types really shouldn’t be relying on AI whatsoever. Anything AI generates is soulless. The mangaka deserves to lose her ability to draw in the end (I’m sure she’ll get it back). Second, don’t exploit your labor. Pay your workers a fair wage.
I didn’t hate the last short story where the girls got lost in space either. Seeing Alma and Machina bond is endearing. Honestly, I would probably like this show if the parents weren’t so generic. So unsurprisingly, I could’ve done without the the first story, which involves Enji being a total wuss. I mean, him being a scaredy-cat is fine, but I rolled my eyes when it led to him feeling up Suzume’s breasts (albeit with his face).
Dad is a hero, Mom is a spirit, I’m a reincarnator Ep. 5
I increasingly find it difficult to take this story seriously. First, we have a family intervention to try and convince Aria to stop lusting after Rovel. In fact, Ellen is the one who does most of the talking. Imagine being lectured by a child to check your adulterous thoughts. Also imagine that same child swearing that she and her mother will crush you if don’t stop messing around. Apparently, even the royal family might assassinate her. For what, you ask? For being horny!
But in the end, the family decides to give Sauvel a makeover. Ah yes, if we just shave his beard, then maybe Aria will stop wanting to bone his brother. Dude, why would you still wanna marry a woman who is not only tempted to cheat, but she’s tempted to cheat with your own damn brother? I get that you have a kid together, but I’d still just cut my losses. Keep the child, ditch the cheater. There’s no coming back from that. Scare her back into being faithful? Pfft, I’d never trust her again.
Mechanical Marie Ep. 5
Now that Marie is actually in love with Arthur, she starts screwing up at work. After all, just being near him these days is enough to make her all-too-human heart skip a beat. What’s funny is that Marie 2, her robot doppelganger, ends up being her biggest supporter. Usually in stories involving a doppelganger, they serve as antagonist since they more or less represent your inverted self, a twisted funhouse mirror version of you. And sure enough, lovestruck Marie suddenly becomes jealous of Marie 2. After all, she’s literally a robot. It’s that funny thing where Arthur claims to be a clanker who hates human, but he’s actually in love with a human precisely because she’s human. Nevertheless, everyone’s going to keep treating him like a clanker, which is why Marie gets jealous in the first place.
In all seriousness, however, it’s all fun and games for now, but I can see this premise getting real old real fast. Mechanical Marie can’t tell Arthur the truth about her identity and thus shed the “mechanical” label. If she did, there’d no point to the premise. It just becomes yet another rich guy loves a poor girl story. But what are we gonna do? Just keep watching these two dance around the truth for eternity? I just don’t see how this story doesn’t grow stale fast. It’s already starting to feel rather repetitive.
Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right Ep. 4
Luna wants to appreciate Otori for all he’s done for her. Meanwhile, Mr. Low Self Esteem worries that she might not actually enjoy the taste of his blood. It’s dumb, ’cause she drinks his blood seemingly everyday. If this wasn’t a silly slice-of-life anime, he’d be close to death. Anyway, this somehow leads to them going on an unofficial date to gulp down bowlfuls of udon. I think it’s strange for this show to lean into the romance, because the anime still has Luna cuddling up to Otori as if she’s lil’ baby. Is she a love interest or his child? You can’t have both.
Tougen Anki Ep. 16
Look at that blazing inferno. But somehow, Shiki and Kougasaki are able to save the remaining patients. Only the little girl comes out of the situation with health issues. Anyway, one of the Momotaro jerkasses finally finds out that Shiki and Mikado are friends. Pretty easy decision for Mikado to defect, don’t you think? How can you stick with an organization that is okay with hunting down someone for protecting two human children? How can you continue sticking with an organization willing to set fire to a hospital?
Gachiakuta Ep. 17
Sure enough, we get an episode almost entirely dedicated to Zanka’s backstory while he’s practically incapacitated in the present. Meh, I didn’t care for it.
Everything else about everything else:
- I played about eight hours of Digimon Story: Time Stranger but I couldn’t get into the plot. It’s just so boring. Plus, all of my cute Digimons evolved into ugly ass humanoid things. I dunno, I might loop back to finishing the game one day, but Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake is calling to me.
- But to be honest, I haven’t been able to put in much gaming time lately, because the World Series was too distracting.
