Sakamichi no Apollon Ep. 1: Improvisation

Initially, our narrator Kaoru comes off as though he’s a straight-up misanthrope: “I hate everything about this. This sunshine, beating down on you from morning onward… These students, who don’t have a thought in their heads… It all makes me want to throw up.” He even takes the time to mock his classmates’ dialect. Maybe Kaoru is justified in his hate; it would appear as though some people are as quick to judge him as he judges them. But then again, why treat everyone so disdainfully just because of a few bad eggs? Continue reading

Setting the stage: the start of a hero’s journey

I want to compare Eureka Seven‘s opening episode to its sequel’s opening episode. But first, some perspective: one episode alone cannot decide the fate of a series. Having said that, the start of a story sets the stage, and if we’re comparing and contrasting just the first episodes, Eureka Seven is to Eureka Seven: AO as A New Hope was to The Phantom Menace. Continue reading