Geez, find a girl who loves you so much that she has plushies of you all over her bed.
The Klutzy Class Monitor and the Girl with the Short Skirt Ep. 7
It’s just your typical beach episode. Problem is, the student council president and her VP don’t even look like kids. Instead, they look like they’re at least in their 30s. Plus, he stupidly doesn’t recognize her just because she took off her glasses. Some real Clark Kent shit right there.
LIAR GAME Ep. 7
Yeah, that about sums it up. For Akiyama to be as confident as he is, there can only be two possibilities: 1) he’s bluffing or 2) he has a secret alliance. The first possibility doesn’t matter, because his “yes” vote was already torn up. So basic deduction gives you the answer.
So how do we continue the status quo? How do we keep these characters in the game if they’re going to keep winning every round? Well, Akiyama unsurprisingly covers everyone’s debt and stays in the game. He wants to know the truth behind the whole thing, so he’s willing to put his own life on the line. Crazy, but I guess he’s just that confident in himself.
The infuriating part about the episode is (yet again) Nao. Worried about Akiyama, she lets that scummy lawyer into her home. Bro, do Japanese apartments not have peepholes? Just check to see who it is and never open the door! But of course, she lets him in. He proceeds to feed her this sob story about Akiyama and his mother, so Nao starts feeling guilty. How does she even know that the lawyer is telling the truth? Hell, are we even sure he’s a lawyer? I can’t remember anything from the first few episodes. Needless to say, Nao believes everything she hears, so she also volunteers to keep participating. Fucking hell, this girl needs her rights taken away. She cannot be left to her own devices.
MARRIAGETOXIN Ep. 7
Kind of a one-off episode. Or maybe you call it a bridge episode. Remember Hikaru’s buddy from the first episode? The guy who loves bugs? Well, he’s finally getting married, and Hikaru and Mei are invited. But of course, there’s always trouble brewing. To make a long story short, his bug buddy (that kinda sounds bad) hopes Hikaru will eventually find love one day. But right before the credits roll, we find out that someone has been going around taking out masters. And guess who’s on the kill list… that’s right, it’s Hikaru! Dun dun dun!
Without the reveal at the end, this episode would have nothing. It simply doesn’t move the story forward in any meaningful way nor do we get any real character development. I found it terribly boring. I don’t wanna say his buddy’s marriage doesn’t matter… but it really doesn’t. I mean, we haven’t seen this guy for weeks. He’s not an important character.
I Want to End This Love Game Ep. 6
We’re midway through the season, so of course, there can only be incremental progress. As always, we go through the usual tropes. Maybe he’s been avoiding her because she stinks. Then she gets insecure about her chest size, they play house, they end up having a sleepover, yadda yadda yadda. Every once in a while, we get a flashback to explain why Miku loves Yukiya so much. Basically, he was caring and considerate back then. He still is now, but it’s trapped beneath a thick layer of nerdy sass and male pride. Of course, Miku isn’t perfect either, but I can only speak from the male experience. I just don’t understand his reticence. Just look at him. He barely manages to invite her to eat with him and his sister, and he can’t even look at her while he does it. At that age, I would’ve killed to spend more time with my best friend slash crush. Are you kidding me?
I think what’s truly frustrating about this premise is that relationships generally involve making sacrifices and swallowing your pride for the one you love. If you truly care about this girl, does it matter if you lose the game? Does it matter if you give in? It doesn’t, right? I don’t give a shit if I look like a simp for my partner. As long as she’s happy, what does it matter? Of course, there are limits. Don’t debase yourself or whatever. Obviously, right? So why are we even trying to win this contest? What are you so proud of? And why can’t you even look her in the eye as you thank her? She cooked up a whole ass feast for you! Now, this was also frustrating with Kaguya-sama: Love is War, but the show was at least funny about it.
Even a Replica Can Fall in Love Ep. 7
It turns out Mori is behind the doppelganger letters, and she herself is also a doppelganger. Mori did this whole stunt, because she needed to talk to other replicas. Her original is dying, and she wants to know if there’s a way she could sacrifice herself to save the original. Obviously, neither Nao nor Aki would know the answer.
Unfortunately, I’m struggling to invest myself in Mori’s plight, because we literally just met her. Maybe if she had been introduced as a minor character in the first arc, and she had built up some sort of friendship with the main characters over time, I might feel differently. But since we really don’t know her on a personal level, Mori exists more as a plot device to continue exploring the mysteries of replicas. Maybe this is good world-building, but it’s bad character writing.
On another level, another replica? I think I mentioned this before, but at this point, we really gotta question if anyone in public is even an original. Well, I guess Ritsuko’s not a replica, right? But she could be lying.
Always a Catch! Ep. 8
For some reason, we spend a good chunk of the first half talking about how a count wanted to monopolize the baron’s crops in order to produce drugs. Unless this comes up later in the series about some illegal, underground drug ring, it’s an odd detail to include.
The village chief’s daughter finally tells her family that she’s in love with the baron and intends to marry him. Yay, I guess. Later at night, Renato tells Maria that he intends to announce their engagement soon, so this is her last chance to back out. I dunno, I think we’re in too deep for that. Nevertheless, Renato and Maria are still not allowed to kiss. Obviously, you need consent. You need Renato’s consent, Maria’s consent, and apparently, you need Raimondo’s consent as well. Gosh, I had no clue that an aide can tell a prince what he can or can’t do, including kissing his damn fiancée.
Oh yeah, this is Renato’s idea of slumming it with the locals. Also, as soon as he stepped away to fetch a handkerchief, an asshole immediately zooms in and tries to hit on Maria. Now, Maria can defend herself, so I half-expected her to kick the guy’s ass. Unfortunately, he runs off when Renato returns
Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku!? Ep. 7
Just all the same tropes, but remixed slightly. Very, very slightly. First, we have Takuya and Kei struggling with their summer homework, because they’re big procrastinatin’ dum dums. Then it’s the new term, so they change seats. All this means is that Takuya goes from sitting next to Kotoko to sitting next to Kei. Big change, I know. Then of course, there’s going to be a festival, so the class decides to do a cosplay cafe. It’s always a cosplay cafe. Finally, they gotta work on the costumes, so Kotoko invites Takuya over to her brother’s apartment. Cue freaking out about being in an apartment alone with a gyaru. Not just any girl, but a gyaru?! But yeah, as you can see, the show isn’t exactly putting itself out there in terms of creativity. It’s the same bullshit over and over.
Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ Ep. 7
Pathetic. Our midde-aged loser doesn’t even have the convictions to stick with his original high school crush.
Gotta talk plot stuff, right? Well, the kids want to have a beach episode, but Hikari’s dad is being a big spoilsport. I mean, I’d be protective too if some middle-aged loser time-traveled just to hook up with my daughter. But jokes aside — is it really a joke, though? — Hikari ends up running away from home, and she rings up Natsuki of all people for help. The drama~~~
Petals of Reincarnation Ep. 7
Neumann, who is really controlled by Nightingale, announces to the world that almost every human must perish. Why? ‘Cause every human has a chance to reincarnate as a sinner, so the only true way to achieve world peace is to just wipe out humanity. Of course, a select few will get to stick around. Also, she won’t carry out her evil plans immediately. Rather, there’s a three-month grace period, which is plenty of time for Touya to thwart her ambitions. Sorry, but I had to scoff at this point. I’m not exactly a fan of the Watchmen, movie and/or comic, but remember when the protagonists tried to stop Ozymandias, but he calmly told them that the bad thing had already happened? It was such a neat, little twist. Why don’t more stories do this?
This show probably needs double the episodes in order to tell its story properly, but even then, I still don’t think it would be very good.
The Barbarian’s Bride Ep. 6
Sigh, why would the monster — the fiend — strip her down? I mean, I know why, but this is so shameless. Plus, neither Serafina nor Veor do anything until Malcius’s knights try their best to save her and die. Then Serafina and Veor decide to lift a finger. Great, so the crazy nutjob who led her soldiers here gets to live, but her men are dead. Cool, cool, cool.
Afterwards, they get to meet Veor’s mother, who was not only a former princess from the west, she was also considered a saint. Well, she immediately gropes Serafina, ’cause they’re like “sisters.” This show is trash.
Last but not least, there’s nothing noteworthy about the plot to talk about.
Scenes from Awajima Ep. 6
Oof, what a line. This week’s episode is a ghost story, but not the kind you normally expect. Rather, it’s about people refusing to let go of the past, and how this continues to drag them down long into the future. Is Ibuki (Katsurako) only teaching at this school because she’s punishing herself? Well, she’s better than her former friend, at least. Sumiyoshi knows she’s bullying her own kid, but she can’t stop it. That’s so crazy to me. Usually, abusers are in complete denial about their behavior. But this woman admits out loud that she just can’t find it within herself to be happy for her daughter… so go fix it? Yeah, you quit Awajima. You never graduated. You played a role in bullying a girl out of school. But the past is the past. She can’t erase any of it, but she can at least do right by her daughter now. Oh well, at least the girl’s grandmother is happy for her. It’s rare to see such unbridled joy in a show that is normally such a downer.
As an aside, I kinda wish this show had anime’s penchant for crazy hair colors, because I have a tough time distinguishing between the minor side characters. Like who are you again? I have no clue who they are until they start saying their names.
Killed again, Mr. Detective. Ep. 7
Sixteen people weren’t killed simultaneously. Rather, they had secretly formed a suicide pact. They were going to kill themselves anyway, so a nurse convinced all sixteen victims to do it at the same time. Why did they agree? So they could get paid, of course. What’s the point of getting paid if you’re just going to die? Well, leaving something behind for your loved ones is better than nothing. On some morbid level, I guess I have to agree. But the nurse’s motive is what took me out of the story. He simply did it because he absolutely hated the new, gaudy ferris wheel. He figured that staging a mass murder would sabotage the damn thing. Really? Really? To be fair, the dog detective also ruined my immersion so it wasn’t totally the nurse’s fault.
I saw the after credits scene. I have no comment on it.
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten S2 Ep. 7
No, dude, I totally don’t know what you mean! Whatever do you mean! Oh, do you mean the thing you’ve constantly alluded to over and over since the season started. Do you mean how Mahiru makes you wanna lose control and go hog wild? You mean that? Is that what you mean, huh? Ah, but you’ve only said this like… oh… EIGHTY BAJILLION TIMES. So yeah, it slipped my mind! Can you spell it out for me again?
Also, their class is gonna do a maid cafe, so Amane gets all possessive. He doesn’t want other guys to see her in a maid costume. I suspect the writer thinks this is romantic, but it’s just ridiculous to me. It’s all fucking ridiculous to me. None of these characters feel real anymore. They’re just automatons programmed to constantly tell each other how much they love each other. Side characters only exist to talk about the main couple. No one has a life of their own. It’s heartwarming done wrong.
Snowball Earth Ep. 7
I feel like we barely made any progress in the story. First, we have silly jokes and not-so-silly jokes. Did you know that Yukio had a bunch of upgrades put in just in case Tetsuo ever made a friend? Isn’t that neat? Okay, I’m not really amused by this, but I can still shrug that off. But we also have Sagami baring his chest, which his brainwashed kids are gleeful to see. That’s so weird, man. Is this supposed to be funny?
Realizing that his chances of getting back to the mall and saving everybody is low, Tetsuo tries to parlay with Sagami. But Tetsuo has social anxiety, so it takes him over two minutes just to get the question out. Is the situation urgent or not? I empathize with anyone who struggles to speak to others, because I used to be a shy, isolated kid myself. But we can’t be doing this in the middle of a life-or-death situation. It makes Tetsuo seem selfish. If my friends are on the verge of being killed, I would not be struggling to get my words out. Does that seem cold? Whatever, I’m fine if it seems cold.
When Sagami finally explains why he hates the kid — again, it’s a completely stupid reason — Tetsuo proceeds to have a breakdown for the remainder of the episode while Yukio struggles to pick up the pieces. Well, at least until Hagane empathizes with Tetsuo, which seems to snap him back to reality. I get that Tetsuo’s personal development is the core of this… this… I guess this counts as a mecha anime. But I dunno, I feel like we just waffled for 24 minutes. Did this really need an entire episode to tell? This show’s pacing is not good.
The Drops of God Ep. 6
I thought we would be hopping from one “Apostle” to the next as Shizuku competes against Issei for his father’s estate and wine collection, but that hasn’t been the case at all. Last week was all about Shizuku’s coworker preferring Italian wine above all else. This week, he has to prove to Miyabi’s former classmate/crush that not all wines are the same. If Shizuku fails, Miyabi has to go work for the jerk instead. Yo, who cares what Miyabi’s former classmate/crush believes? If he wants his supermarket to stock only the top luxury brands, then just let him? Sure, it would be nice to prove him wrong, but why would you wager Miyabi’s career on top of it? This feels like a petty pissing contest, but Miyabi is caught squarely in the middle for no good reason. Is this just some weird NTR thing? I don’t get it.
Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring Ep. 8
Christ, if you were expecting a follow-up to last week’s bombastic ending (pun fully intended), then forget about it. Because once again, we’re delving into the past. For fuck’s sake, we keep retreading the same emotional beats over and over again. Yeah, yeah, Hinagiku sacrificed herself for Rosei, but we already knew this. So you’re just showing us this again but with more context? But does the context change anything? Like… does it really change anything fundamental about our understanding of the show? Ugh.
The strongest job is apparently not a hero or a sage, but an appraiser (provisional)! Ep. 8
Back to low stakes nonsense this week. For beating the silver wolf, the party gets a bunch of money, go shopping, and I think they even summon a carbuncle at one point. You could skip to the very end of the episode and miss almost nothing important. The only major revelation is that Hibiki’s RL friends have also been isekai’d. Guess Hibiki doesn’t need to find a way home after all! Except, y’know, he might miss his parents. But this is anime, so nobody actually misses their family!
Scum of the Brave Ep. 18
Just one long chase sequence. The CG cars, dogs, monsters, etc were pretty fugly. Other than Dirt, the rest of the bad guys were kinda comical. Speaking of which, Indo gets separated from the group because she had to fight him off, so that’s ominous. They wouldn’t kill one of the three girls, would they? If anyone has to die, I hope it’s Yashiro.
Akane-banashi Ep. 7
A tournament arc in my rakugo anime? How quaint. First, the story frames Issho Arakawa as a legendary superstar who can make or break your career. Is rakugo really that big in Japan? Could the average 25-year-old on the streets name the biggest rakugo star off the top of their head? I’m not trying to be dismissive. I’m genuinely curious if this is the case. To put it another way, who would be the Issho Arakawa of America? I wanna say maybe it’s like country music (genre that is popular in the US and nowhere else), but I honestly can’t name a top 5 country superstar. Uh… Garth Brooks? Hah, is he even still relevant?
Then we introduce the rivals. The guy with the bad haircut looks primed to fall on his face. He just seems like your typical arrogant douchebag. We also have another female competitor, and I’m kinda disappointed that she immediately sees Akane as a rival. It appears to me that rakugo is a male-dominated field, so the fact that the two female characters are at odds leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Admittedly, this is one-sided. Akane has been nothing but amiable. Hopefully, Hikaru will change her tune as we move to the finals.
Last but not least, we only get to see Akane’s performance in the prelims. I assume that the others will do their thing in the finals, but this was a bit of a letdown.
Ghost Concert – missing Songs Ep. 7
Every week, I say the same thing: I have no idea what’s going on. Seria is in a dress and singing for Nero. Did she get captured? I don’t remember seeing anything like that in last week’s episode. We cut to Kaede and her dad, who then says, “Now that TERA has fallen…” Wait, did that happen last week too? The whole organization is in shambles? Or did this major ass development occur completely offscreen? We then have Kaede’s father throwing her to the ground because… she’s been brainwashed? Outta nowhere, black miasma spews out of her. But the solution is to simply punch and scream. Just like that, we see a black dragonfly emerge and fly away. What the fuck was the writer on when they wrote this story?
Mission: Yozakura Family S2 Ep. 6
The reveal that Momo is another Tsubomi is a tough pill to swallow. Anime always finds a way to squeeze inbreeding into the story somehow, huh? Anyway, it’s an exposition heavy episode. Plus, there’s probably some other twist involving Momo, so I feel like I can’t make any judgment call on him without it aging poorly.
Wistoria: Wand and Sword S2 Ep. 6
The more things change, the more certain things stay the same. For example, dickheads still refer to Will as a “laggard.” I guess saving the city wasn’t impressive enough. And even when Will finally gets to enter the tower and see his girl again, she can’t recruit him. Again, dickheads still doubt Will despite him saving the city while they sat on their asses. Oh, you can enter the tower, but you can’t climb it. You just gotta stay on the first floor… unless you prove yourself with another test!!! Sure, Will has no problem showing off with his newfound confidence. But I’m dead tired of this story loop. This author has an obsession with underdogs constantly needing to prove himself. You think the status quo would’ve changed by now. But it hasn’t. Even at graduation ceremony last week, people hesitated to cheer for Will. Yeah, you need bad guys in your story, but they need to be compelling or fun. This is neither. It’s just a bunch of haters being haters despite all of the evidence to the contrary. It makes me think that the storyteller has no range. They can’t come up with a new dynamic or they completely lack the confidence to move away from what has made them successful.
Everything else about everything else:
I am in the middle of trying to switch jobs right now, so I have a bajillion interviews and technical assessments to prep for. If you’ve noticed the drop in quality on the blog lately, it’s because of that. Stressing over rent and bills haven’t helped either. But that’s life. Sorry, but not much I can do about it except try and get a better job as soon as I can. Unfortunately, I will continue to be spread thin for the foreseeable future. This is why I’ve kinda dropped NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE. I actually really like the show, which is why I don’t want to half-ass it. In the past, I would’ve just dropped blogging altogether, but I’ve done this way too much in the past.
