ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka (Ep. 5) 

     I hope ACCA still knows that there’s a story to be told. Everything moves just so very slowly. Well, I don’t really mind that. Sure, everything that happened could be summarized in just a few words, but it was enjoyable enough. It looks like Jean actually had no idea that Nino was spying on him. Well, that got cleared out with Jean ending his friend’s (?) job with some unintentional help of his sister. Quite characteristically, Jean really doesn’t give a damn about anything. I wonder if there actually is anything that would make him emotional. All the stuff with the coup remains incredibly shadowy and practically any character could stand behind it.  I don’t even try to count how many factions that try to get some benefit for Jean there really are. Watching the episode another thought came to me (and apparently everyone also notices that) – the show spends weirdly much time for talking about bread, eating bread, admiring bread, spying for bread and so on (edit: please repeat the sentence with other kinds of food). It’s not just for fun, it also to a certain extent works as characterizations of the districts. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to have so many of them, but world building certainly was there and so far seen districts are more or less easily recognizable. Still, some action wouldn’t hurt. Especially when there’s Shingo Natsume on board.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2 (Ep. 5)

     If it‘s a comedy show then it‘s too bad because I didn’t even grin for the entirety of the episode. The fact that everyone is incompetent in some way has been stated countless times and you can do so much variations of the same theme. Sure, the play between Kazuma and Darkness and later on Darkness and that demon guy was fine, but not really anything memorable. At least Darkness resembled her previous form when she was still something more than a fanservice object. But why is she suddenly able to hit objects? The demon guy was rather uninteresting with his mad scientist attitude and not much power of thought. Apart from other cliches it’s almost unremarkable that Darkness remained alive even after bombing that previously had managed to destroy a castle or that robot spider. What was that talisman really for? With or without it the demon guy still remained in Darkness and it provided nothing to the story that also was pretty pointless. At least the animation throughout the episode was rather good.

Kuzu no Honkai (Ep. 5)

    Falling further down. Both Hanabi and Mugi try to fight loneliness in their ways, not being satisfied by their fake relationship, but in the end neither Ecchan nor the senpai provide any salvation. For Ecchan Hanabi is unable to feel more than pity and friendliness, and Mugi’s senpai sees in him nothing more than a physical body. The main pair wants to experience pleasure but it doesn’t feel satisfying emotionally without a special person. Eventually Hanabi and Mugi reconcile as neither of them has any other person with whom it would be possible to speak about everything, including their frustrations for love, even if it means having to consciously maintain some distance between them. It’s revealed that Akane’s “hobby” may have come from her too determined life as she strives to do something interesting, and playing with Hanabi (and generally with anyone who may be easily affected) seems to be one of such things.  I guess if Akane hadn’t experienced that emotion of not wanting to be exploited early on, she easily could have gone a very different way and found something else that she would truly like. Well, it looks like the ways upward are still not available for anyone.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen (Ep. 6) 

    I can do nothing but be deeply moved by Rakugo once again. When the market is overflowing with generic high-school stuff and bland self-insert characters such a show like Rakugo that manages to portray more complex feelings than a struggle to get a girlfriend are a goldmine. As expected, the episode finished incredibly fast. The health problems of Yakumo have really shocked the world of the show. Even if now Yakumo appears as an old man full of regrets and sometimes pretty annoying, it’s plain to see how important he is to the others as well as to the whole show. Yakumo’s problems are also nicely paralleled with the plans of renewing the rakugo hall. Yotaro’s Inokori was painful to watch since his mind was definitely not with the audience, but it shows how much Yotaro has grown – prom a former arrogant inmate to a performer who can do his job despite of his own problems and his wish to be heard and praised by Yakumo.  I don’t think Yotaro has yet found such a refined form of rakugo as his master, but he can (and eventually will) be a worthy successor. By the way, does anyone know how many hundreds of years is Matsuda old? He was already an adult when Yakumo was a kid.

3-gatsu no Lion (Ep. 17) 

     I’m a bit surprised how much I enjoyed the episode. Everything just flowed really nicely and, apart from usual comedy that I would like to go away and other little things, it was really enjoyable. Souya’s soundless appearance was very effective (but they needn’t voice that out later). He probably has faced the same problems as Rei, and because of his status has no one to seriously compete with, to strive for something, or just doesn’t have normal understanding friends beside him. If Rei stats to focus only on shogi and rejects his close relationships it’s very possible that he might become just like Souya. But I think Rei’s admiration of him isn’t strong enough, and he has experienced tender care of his friends, so I’d say he’s bound to become a more normal person than Souya. When the part concerning Kyouko began, I started thinking that for a very long time she has maintained the same attitude and just remained a pawn to be thrown at Rei so that he could lose his balance. Now eventually we get a bit deeper. It’s very interesting that both of the (sort of) siblings still care about one another and Kyouko at times manages to revert to a normal girl, even after all the mess she makes in Rei’s life. At the moment I’d guess that Rei, as damaged as he is, is far more stable and happy than Kyouko. It looks like the girl doesn’t even have anyone (apart from Rei) to rely on.

Tales of Zestiria the X (2017) (Ep. 6) 

     As expected from ufotable, the purification scene was amazing – the special effect for once felt perfectly aligned with 2D characters and, well, if you saw the scene, you know, and if you didn’t, definitely do. Alas, everything else was far less enjoyable. The tie in-with Berseria was done far better than in the first season (though I doubt that’s all of Velvet Crowe we’ll see, judging from her appearance in the OP), but without any more elaboration it doesn’t feel like a solid world building. And, as far as I remember, during the Berseria episodes everyone had their emotions, so I don’t really know what to think about it. Anyway, the whole business with Pendrago was only the purification scene, and, as good as it was, I don’t think it deserved the buildup it got previously. I seemed like a pivotal point in the story, but it turns out to be just a trip to do a five minute ritual and come back. Shirayuki recovered surprisingly fast and completely ditched her previous beliefs rather easily. And what’s with that power that a squire of a Shepherd gets? Why then Alisha is free to roam where she wills when Sorey definitely needs some help? Even if he needn’t that, shouldn’t Alisha be doing something about the malevolence instead of focusing on her political career (which no doubt is also important, but still…). Speaking about Alisha, how does that spirit-phone work? Apparently you can get the number wrong, if Sorey needs to confirm that it’s him on the other end of the line. Anyway, why such a way of conversing isn’t used more often? If a mere squire can call Sorey in that way, why not the Seraphs? Or is it another case of “because it’s magic”? I’m not even surprised that Sorey adopts the usual trope of a Protag-kun to deny the need of help in every way possible. And doesn’t it bother anyone that there was a huge-ass dead dragon in the church?

Little Witch Academia (Ep. 6) 

     If Trigger is the studio that is going to save anime, I doubt that LWA  (as of yet) is something that will be the saving show. As last time, LWA tells an episodic story (that may yet start a whole arc) without doing anything truly spectacular. Of course there are positives – Akko’s ears and nose definitely works for the rabbit-girl (and other types of animal-girl) lovers, some flashbacks were interesting (though I have no idea how and why Akko saw what she did, though it was pretty charming), and Akko finally showed more emotions than being enthusiastic or angry. On the other hand, the sakuga moments weren’t as plentiful as there could’ve been and the fact that Akko would somehow make a metamorphosis of the famous guest was obvious right from the start. The new guy behaved just like a male version of Diana with no love for magic. Well, the show isn’t bad, but I guess it’s still running on the dividends from the OVAs. It just doesn’t feel as free and energetic, which of course is to be expected from a TV production, but still…

ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka (Ep. 4) 

    Even when the main story doesn’t break any records on fast pacing, the show is confident to offer a side story that doesn’t really add much to the main picture. Sure, you could argue that now we better understand the problems of the country, its diversity and also get some insights into Jean’s personality, but that sounds much more significant than what we in fact got. I doubt that such a secluded district is possible in the first place. It’s hard to keep technical advancements from people especially if they don’t refuse them. That little coup felt like a game – the first guys’ coming to Jean who was standing too far away to understand the slightest thing of their speech, and obviously asking if he didn’t hear what they talked about their coup is ridiculous. At least Jean’s deadpan manner and collected actions once again proved how cool-minded he is and that he’s very suitable for his job. Nino showed up for a bit, some chairmen exchanged a few words but I guess I wasn’t that interested in this episode after all.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2 (Ep. 4)

    Well, I’m disappointed. People sure do have different tastes and this time KonoSuba provided exactly the opposite of what I might enjoy. Overall Darkness is the weakest character of them all. Only the end of the first season showed some possibilities of her becoming something more than an embodiment of M. It turns out that even her revealed descent adds nothing more and even in an episode whose center should be Darkness, the real center is only a part (technically two) of her body. And that’s quite sad. I understand that you can throw millions of words arguing that it’s a satire, and no one should by all means take things seriously but I find nothing funny there. Only the cheapest kind of ecchi and pointless fanservice. Aqua behaves as annoyingly as ever, Kazuma’s actions, while always very selfish, now doesn’t even attempt to make him the least bit likable or enjoyable to watch. After the last season’s episode about the succubi and the OVA I thought that there’s nowhere lower to fall but it seems that’s not true. I just don’t see any point in unfunny jokes, mindless fanservice and characters that actually would be better off executed. Well, that’s just me. Moving on.

Kuzu no Honkai (Ep. 4)

    To sum up, everyone just delves deeper into their personal scum-ness. Akane reveals more of her true face and her intentions towards everyone. She’s the closest person to an antagonist the show’s going to get, and while I definitely don’t approve of her actions, I understand that someone like her could truly exist, striving to play with people and to prove to anyone that she’s the best at it. Later on Hanabi and Ecchan try to experiment a bit, and both of them think that they’re using their partner and while it’s not a good thing to do, they’re too weak to resist it. And technically they’re both correct. I guess if Hanabi has to end up with someone, developing feelings for Ecchan would be the best route, but as stubborn as she is, that’s not the most likely outcome. I have mentioned before, but the problem of changing the POV characters remains. I surely isn’t anything significant, but such a relic from manga when you can be definitely sure when one chapter ended and another began shouldn’t be so notorious. Well, as the manga loves to have monologues, there’s just no way around it. To end things more optimistic, the soundtrack once again provides a score with every note deserving to be praised.

Also, be sure to check amazing analysis of Hanabi’s and Akane’s names by Kyra.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen (Ep. 5) 

    Man, that was so powerful and masterfully done, I almost don’t have words to say. First of all, once again my habit of never skipping an OP payed off since Sukeroku’s (the old one’s) eyes being red did heighten the stakes. It looks like Yakumo bit by bit has come to cherish the fact that he’s not the only rakugoka in the world, albeit he’s still the best one who holds the reputation of rakugo at a somewhat exalted level. Yakumo is happy that Yotaro’s efforts don’t let rakugo to be forgotten altogether, but still feels that the old kind of rakugo is only alive as long as he lives himself. It was interesting to see the differences between the outlooks on rakugo by the two rakugokas – Yotaro finds it fun and just wants to tell the stories not worrying about his own image, while Yakumo, who was involved in rakugo stuff not by his own will, achieved everything by hard work and does everything perfectly, but without getting much for himself, apart from gaining recognition and praise. The performance of Yakumo was one of the stellar scenes from the whole season, wisps of smoke foreboding something not that cheerful. Again the story a Yakumo tells is very tightly tied to his own feelings and present situation, a parallel that the show constantly uses perfectly. Seeing Miyo as well as Sukeroku after a very long time was really effective, bringing the realization how long Yakumo lived alone without anyone whom he could’ve called a close friend. The episode and also all these clues from the OP confirm that things are really not looking well for Yakumo. The next episode just can’t come too soon.

3-gatsu no Lion (Ep. 16) 

    3-gatsu continues with its stable above average performance. I’m glad that the mood changes now are not as jarring as they were near the start. Now usual moral message is also present – this time it’s the idea that humans should rely on other humans and expect to be relied on. It looks like Rei has already learned not to stay hidden in his shell all the time and to seek people and their help. After all, there’re many people that care about him and are ready to offer some help. Even the chemists – people with whom Rei has virtually nothing in common – can be a source of human connection, profiting both sides. The soundtrack also played not the smallest part in making the episode fairly enjoyable. Apart from all the good things, the shogi-heavy part for me was a bit too technical. I guess the cat-lessons were not enough to make me understand what exactly all of the players were discussing about. I get that actually that’s some trivial stuff that everyone has his own opinion about but for someone with little interest in shogi tactics it’s rather boring.

Tales of Zestiria the X (2017) (Ep. 5) 

      I think this I liked this episode best of all Zestiria this season so far. The continuing fight from the last time again showed ufotable’s capabilities in animation, although everything ended too quickly for all the buildup it got. That’s a bit undermining, but as anime villains that are told to be “maybe” dead rarely actually are, there might be another encounter with that possessed guy. And couldn’t someone at least checked if he was really dead? Moving on, Shirayuki sure received much food for thought. Usually when you accomplish something that you waited a long time for, there might come a sense of being goalless and directionless, but Rose isn’t even sure if she actually succeeded, and if she did, were her actions justified. Well, Sorey surely disapproves of Rose’s actions, as any evil will bring more malevolence so it’s just a feedback loop.  Yet, he fails to provide any alternative decisions to this very situation. Sure, as every anime protagonist is certain, killing is bad at any situation, but maybe what Rose did was a lesser evil? Sorey just can’t spread happiness in the whole world and solve every single conflict with no blood spilled. Still, Rose, also stunned by the malevolence ghosts in that very beautiful riding scene with the soundtrack precisely on point, feels shaken to the core. It will certainly be interesting  to see what conclusion she will come to.

Little Witch Academia (Ep. 5) 

     I don’t know if knowing beforehand that this episode was fully outsourced had much to do with my opinion about it, but it certainly wasn’t the best episode of LWA. Giving more screen time to Amanda was a good decision, as she can rival Akko with her stubbornness and that offers some fairly enjoyable scenes. Still, the story wasn’t very impressive. Well, I don’t expect anything covering dark themes, existentialism and other similar stuff but this episode felt a bit too simple. The ending was particularly disappointing – the heroes get some unexpected help that saves at first hopeless looking situation. All is well and good but sadly the real world debts don’t get cancelled so easily. I’d very much preferred something involving hard work covering for the borrowed funds or just, well, anything but the conclusion we got. Returning to the outsourcing, even if there were some nice sakuga moments, overall it just didn’t feel like a Trigger show with its signature deformed character animation and over the top action scenes. Well, that’s the price to pay for getting a TV series. By the way, I didn’t know that that rich dragons work with Word, Excel, or, dear me, Internet Explorer…