There’s an Umamusume joke in here somewhere.
My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s Ep. 7
Akira was losing until… he wasn’t? Something inside him just took over and overpowered his demon foe. Meh, talk about anticlimactic. They call it the “System.” So is this literally deus ex machina or what? Anyways, after the battle where he nearly dies, Akira’s finally reunited with his classmates. The kids all reiterate their desires to reverse the summoning. But when Akira has the chance to tell them how summoning works, he holds back. Not really sure I get the rationale here. They need to know sooner or later, so why later? What if they don’t believe Akira about the king and still wants to negotiate with him?
Upon hearing that Akira wants to go home, Amelia dashes out of the room in tears. He eventually goes after her and calms her down. He even confesses his love to her and everything. So what’s the ultimate goal here? He can’t stay in this world, because he’s big on family. Akira probably wants to make sure his mother and sister are okay. So the only other option is to take Amelia back with him. She’s one of those one-note love interests who cares about nothing but the MC, so she’s probably cool with this. Plus, I know plenty of isekai shows have gone down this route. Even so, I feel like it wouldn’t be safe for an elf to show up in our world. I bet she would get captured and experimented on. But hey, this is fiction so maybe they’ll just leave her alone with Akira and the two can live happily ever after. Sure.
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill S2 Ep. 7
A couple things about the plot (I know, I know, who gives a shit about this show’s plot). First, why did he bring Ugohl along to the Merchant’s Guild if he was going to accept the first damn offer he received? I know the show is trying to show us how naive Mukoda is compared to the experienced Ugohl, but our isekai protagonist seems especially stupid here. And second, he starts freaking out when the Adventurer’s Guild promotes him from C- to A-rank. Why? Because he is told that he can now receive requests directly from the kingdom? If that’s the problem, can’t he just reject the requests or am I mistaken? What is there to be scared of? In my eyes, adventurers are like contract workers. There’s a posted job, and you can accept it or not. There’s no real responsibility on your shoulders, so why is Mukoda crying a fit here? Typical anime protagonist being a weenie?
Also, if the gods were giving me blessings left and right, I feel like I would be making offerings to them every other day. Kinda brazen for Mukoda to continually ignore them.
Anyways, time for the food. First, the gang eats a ton of meat skewers from a food stand. Eh, again, where are the veggies? I just think eating nothing but meat doesn’t let you actually appreciate it to its fullest. Too much of one thing will dull your tastebuds. I like to think veggies (and your drink of choice) wipe the palate clean so you can properly enjoy the next bite. Second, he makes meatloaf towards the end of the episodes. Onions, sure, but I would never put corn, peas and carrots inside the meatloaf. That’s too much. I’d rather have them on the side, untainted by all the meat juices. He then stuffs quail eggs in the loaves. Growing up, I used to eat these Asian meat buns that essentially had a big meatball on the inside. And that meatball would then have an egg in it as well. I guess this is the closest thing I’ve had to whatever Mukoda’s making? Anyway, I had to chuckle at the thought of making a rich red wine and butter jus from the drippings. That’s a very fancy way to dress up a meatloaf.
Yano-kun’s Ordinary Days Ep. 8
An idea was planted in Hashiba’s mind, so he blurts out a rather inappropriate request. Oh Hashiba, what are you doing, my guy? You know Kiyoko and Yano are a thing. Why are you interfering? He ends up taking it back later, but still… what a brain fart. But throughout the episode, Hashiba keeps trying to fight for Kiyoko only to pull back. I guess this is why people typically ask for space after they’ve been rejected by their crush. They need time to process their feelings and thus get over the other person. But Hashiba can’t turn down his friends’ requests to hang out. No one here wants disrupt social norms. Even Kiyoko was fretting over Hashiba potentially asking her out, but in my head, I was thinking, “Just say no if he does. What’s the big deal?” From a certain point of view, it seems selfless to put other people’s feelings before your own. From my individualistic ass from the West, however, this seems horribly restrictive and claustrophobic.
The ensuing “ménage à trois” is a sad affair. Hashiba is jealous of Yano, so he tries to compete with the guy at festival games in order to soothe his ego. Unfortunately for Hashiba, this simply leads to Yano injuring himself at every single activity, which then drives Kiyoko towards her boyfriend even more. Bro can’t even eat cotton candy without fucking up! Cotton candy! The best laid plans of mice and men, huh Hashiba? Meanwhile, Kiyoko is jealous of Hashiba for being so “close” to Yano, so she randomly glares at him throughout the night. It doesn’t help that our couple isn’t acting very couple-y. They don’t walk together, they don’t sit together. Despite being so bold in confessing his feelings to her two episodes ago as well as calling her cute tonight, Yano suddenly pulls back when he gets the chance to hold his girlfriend’s hand while walking the festival grounds. I’m back to being frustrated and annoyed by these children. To be fair, Yano does eventually make up for this by eventually buying Kiyoko the gaudiest ring I’ve ever seen. I seriously thought it was a ring pop.
Hashiba eventually tells Izumi that he’ll probably never stop having feelings for Kiyoko. Bro, you’re in high school. First, get a grip. She has a boyfriend whom she likes very much. Said boyfriend is also your friend. Second, I know teenagers hate it when adults minimize their struggles, but honestly, he will get over this… as soon as he stops being so fucking dramatic about a high school crush. By the way, Izumi is apparently his childhood friend. Have we learned this before? In any case, I guess it makes sense now why she’s always looking at Hashiba and gauging his feelings. I don’t want to assume that Izumi likes him, because I hate it when shippers see two friends being friendly and automatically pair those two characters together for life. But hey, Hashiba might have someone who would cherish him if he would take off his blinders for once.
Anyway, I enjoy it when Mei has lines to say. I guess I’m looking forward to season two of Frieren more than I initially thought I would. Yeah, the first season didn’t end on a banger for me, but after seeing these hapless kids, I could really use an old ass, calm-as-can-be elvish mage right about now.
Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits- Season 2 Ep. 7
Aoi’s food truck menu has expanded, and one of the dishes reminds me of my childhood. Growing up, my mom would make a beet soup that also came with pork spare ribs, carrots, onions, etc. Ah, it was amazing over rice. It’s still one of my comfort foods. I should make it since the weather is slowly growing ever so colder. Anyway, I can’t say much about the rest of the menu, because it feels like a mishmash of stuff. What’s the Scotch egg looking thing? Twice now we’ve stuffed eggs inside minced meat.
As for the plot… well, y’know, they’re still trying to save Odanna. It just feels very passive, y’know? For example, you never see Raiju doing bad things. You simply hear about it from others. Oh, he’s scheming to make Odanna’s true nature known to the public! Or so we’re told. Similarly, we’re introduced to a Hachiyo who might stand against Odanna. But we don’t actually meet her. We simply get second-hand information about her. We don’t learn about her fraught relationship with Odanna and Tenjin-ya directly. Someone has to give us a history lesson instead. Like I said, it’s all very passive storytelling, which is frankly very boring.
Aoi does take direct action towards the end of the episode. Remember that kid who refused to eat food? Well, he’s been snatched up by the emperor’s guards, so Aoi literally sneaks into the palace just to give the kid some macarons. Welp.
Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! Ep. 8
It’s business as usual. Thanks to his father’s tutelage, Arel is already miles ahead of all the kids around him. What his father doesn’t teach him — for example, flight magic — Arel masters in no time flat. To top it all off, he looks semi-bored for pretty much 99% of the episode. What a hero.
Dusk Beyond the End of the World Ep. 7
Akira and Amoru have both found books belonging to Towa and the girl’s parents respectively. Love how the books are conveniently positioned so that Akira can only save one of them. I would choose Amoru’s book. First, I see her as a child. I know she wants to ehlsea with Akira and Yugure, but I don’t care. She’s a kid, and in my mind, something from her late parents would be more impactful. Second, Akira needs to move on, and I don’t think he can do that if he keeps clinging onto the past.
Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! Ep. 7
Lots of Aristide backstory in this week’s episode. Again, we’re reminded that he has royal blood running through his veins. Of course, the love interest is always a prince or prince-adjacent. And when the main character is male, the love interest is always a super hot, popular model or whatever. It’s shameless.
Anyway, it’s kinda messed up how Aristide and his knights are proud to serve (read: die) as the primary buffer against monster attacks for the entire kingdom. Like sure, it’s noble to die for your country and all that, but it sounds like they’re the only ones who have to make the sacrifice. Imagine if all the soldiers in 86 were somehow brainwashed into loving their situation. That’s what it feels like to me — a bunch of men happily marching to their slaughter. Well, at least Melphie now has even more motivation to complete her research. Sure, she’s still saving her future hubby, but the men serving under him also don’t deserve their fate as meat shields.
Anyway, it’s amusing that these two are engaged, but the most PDA she’s ever given him is kissing his hand. Later on, he actually kisses her forehead, and this causes her to turn beet red and freak out. This actually reminds me of the NL MVP ceremony that I watched right before this episode. Shohei Ohtani celebrated his fourth MVP award by immediately kissing his dog while his wife was right next to them. Yeah, yeah, different cultures and all that, but it’s definitely not for me. I’m not the most affectionate person, but you sure as hell can’t shame me into not kissing my significant other in public.
My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha Ep. 7
One thing I always hate about overpowered anime protagonists is that they still have to drag things out. Even though we already know they’re going to win, it still takes them nearly half the episode to finally take down the bad guy. Predictably enough, the elf and dark elf will be tortured for eternity. This also implies that you can get good, reliable information through torture, but I won’t get into this topic here. Anyway, Light sets his sights on Sasha next. I think that’s the elf who pretended to be in love with him? Meh, the details don’t really matter.
Not surprisingly, the two surviving kids want to return to their hometown after going through such a harrowing ordeal. Light has the gall to suggest finding two new adventurers to fill the gap in the party. Bro, they just lost their friends like… what? Last night? Have some fucking tact.
A Wild Last Boss Appeared! Ep. 8
A lot happens in this week’s episode, but the only part that interests me is Lufas interrogating Dina. After all, she is a bit suspicious, isn’t she? Libra, a robot, literally has no recollection of her. Barely anyone else does. She can use a powerful teleport spell that didn’t exist in the original game. So what’s up? Unfortunately, Lufas isn’t much of an investigator. I don’t think I would magically like this anime if Dina ends up double-crossing the MC, but it would make the story a whole lot more interesting if someone other than Lufas could demonstrate a bit of agency and cunning. Right now, as soon as anyone joins the party, they’re wholly devoted to him.. So is Dina, but that’s precisely why it would be great if she had another layer to her character.
As for the primary conflict in this episode, can we just settle this race war and get on with it already?
My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! Ep. 7
Everyone’s being annoying as usual. Mashiro is acting tsuntsun in real life, but deredere over texts. Iroha continues to harass the MC. She even sneaks into his room in the morning and jams a popsicle down his mouth. Flip the genders and imagine the same scenario playing out. He might be dense, but Iroha is messed up. It’s that situation where both of the love interests are unappealing. Meanwhile, the MC is having a meltdown because everyone around him is being “weird.” What counts as weird for him, however, is his teacher actually finishing her assigned work on time. Basically, he’s overreacting. Oh well, par for the course.
The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest Ep. 7
Olivia, the injured girl from last week’s episode, goes back into the dungeon in order to pursue the traitor. The problem is that she isn’t fully healed, and her foe is the so-called “Blademaster.” Well, he killed Olivia’s mother, so she’s taking it so personally. He seems to be one of those battle maniacs who wants to get stronger at all cost, so I guess he’s resorting to killing people now.
Anyway, even though Krasia and Alec catch up to Olivia in the dungeon, the latter still won’t back down until she gets her revenge. Her recklessness, however, inadvertently sends all three of them straight into a room full of mobs. But it’s not like we’re watching Berserk or whatever, y’know? This doesn’t feel like a show where important characters can die. Maybe Olivia can die, but I doubt anything bad will happen to Krasia or Alec. So this isn’t really much of a cliffhanger. My only reaction when the episode ended was, “Oh, they’re gonna be fine!” If anime would consistently have higher stakes, I honestly think it would garner more viewers. At the moment, however, most people just stick to the really popular series. How would you even try and sell this show to other people? “Uh, this guy used to be a court mage and now he wants to… get stronger? Oh, that’s in the title. Welp, that’s all I’ve got!” But seriously, what is even the draw of a show like this?
Hands off: Sawaranaide Kotesashi-kun Ep. 7
Is this legit or is it pseudo-science bullcrap? I wouldn’t know. I can’t stand the thought of a stranger touching me, but neck rubs from someone I trust just feels weird. So yeah, I’ve legitimately never gotten a massage.
Anyway, MC gets another girl to fall in love with him. This time, he does it by molesting her armpits. Apparently, it hurts a lot.
Alma-chan Wants to Be a Family! Ep. 7
Somehow, Alma got the OK to completely renovate her place of learning into an AI-driven “super school.” Wha…? Girl, you know the AI bubble is about to burst, right? But jokes aside, I guess this show has just completely given up on the idea that they need to hide Alma’s capabilities from the public. Anyways, Alma’s AI is still developing, so she can’t quite run the entire facility all on her own. But the super school is sticking around even without her, I guess. I know comedies don’t demand 100% logical consistency, but this still feels looney.
Dad is a hero, Mom is a spirit, I’m a reincarnator Ep. 7
Apparently, three years have passed. I can’t really tell, because most of the characters don’t look any different. I think Sauvel’s daughter has grown up, but that’s about it. That aside, I thought Ellen would try and save the cursed spirits haunting the royal family, but I was wrong. Instead, we’re dealing with the potential closure of the family’s mine instead. Y’see, being a miner without any sort of protective equipment will lead to lung disease. But because people in this universe rely on magic, spirits, and all that fantasy mumbo-jumbo, the family wants to close the mine down because they think it’s cursed and thus lung disease is a form of curse. Welp, it’s up to Ellen to use her scientific knowledge to save the day. It’s good to see her use her abilities in a practical manner. It’s at least more compelling than seeing her fart out gold bars and diamonds willy nilly.
Mechanical Marie Ep. 7
Basically, Arthur wants to believe that childhood friend Daryl is his best friend, but the latter resents him just like everyone else. Now that Arthur has Marie, however, he no longer needs Daryl. Yaaaaay. Well, that’s great and all, but he should still make friends. Fine, the A-plot is eventually getting Marie and Arthur to live happily ever after. That’s the primary thrust of this show. But I feel like the B-plot should be curing Arthur of his misanthropic tendencies, not enabling them. Telling Daryl to fuck off is fine, but we’re really not going to fill that vacuum with anyone else? No, Marie doesn’t count. You need more than your significant other in your social circle. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’ve made any progress with the B-plot.
Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right Ep. 6
We learn that Luna was very different before she started reading manga about stylish vampires. So there you go! Reading manga can make you cool! Look, mom, I’m cool now! Anyway, it looks like the gang is going on a trip soon. Luna probably wants it to be just her and Otori, but y’know, dense male protagonists and all that. And again, with her constantly turning into a baby in his arms, it continues to be weird if he ends up falling in love with her.
Tougen Anki Ep. 18
The evil Momotaro (again, I can’t be assed to learn their names) spends an entire episode trying to convince Mikado to distrust Natsu. The entire episode. I wonder if the mangaka thought they were penning some amazing thriller. “Oooh, the mind games! The manipulation! See? I can totally do more than draw perfunctory action and weird sex dolls for women!” Yeah, I don’t think so.
Gachiakuta Ep. 19
Zodyl tried to make his own Watchmen series, but he couldn’t. Luckily, his failure ends up creating non-toxic trash beasts that he can control instead. And currently, everyone is inside a bird-like one that will carry them all the way to Sphere. More importantly, if items from the Watchmen series typically drive a regular person insane, then why and how did Rudo’s foster father get his hands on one? Great questions! …which we won’t answer anytime soon, because once the Cleaner crew realizes that they’re inside a trash beast, everyone locks in. As such, the focus shifts right back to Dear and Bro. To be fair, they haven’t gotten a chance to fight yet, and we gotta share the spotlight, y’know? Even tertiary characters gotta have their obligatory battle followed by an extended flashback.
For me, this was a slightly more interesting episode than usual if only because there was no fighting. It’s full of exposition, but the alternative is mindless fisticuffs so I’ll take what I can get. Unfortunately, we’ll probably go right back to said fisticuffs in next week’s episode.
Everything else about everything else:
Well, I usually write an update about my gaming exploits, but I actually wrote a separate post for that just yesterday. So nothing to add here!
