Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San
(Studio DLE, Directed by Owl Todoroki, Based on a Web Manga)
In episode 1, Honda is a skeleton who works at a manga store. He has an awkward moment when a parent asks to buy pornographic manga for his daughter. Then he has to deal with a multitude of yaoi fangirls.
This is short form anime done right. While 11 minutes is much longer than what Jingai-san has to work with, in practice, it's really just two 5 minute shorts back to back. And while neither of those shorts really has a story, it plays out more like a sketch comedy show. It feels like the visualization of a story being told by a stand up comedian. And those stories are really funny. Maybe it resonates with me more because I was a regular at a comic book store in college, where I would actually overhear conversations like this on a surprisingly frequent basis. I imagine that the art style and limited animation would put some people off, but I thought it worked with the style of humor the show had.
Speaking of short form anime...
Jingai-san no Yome
In Episode 2, Hinowa and Kanenogi move into a new house together. We learn that Hinowa was chosen to marry Kanenogi out of a yearbook that was described as a "wife catalog", and that it seems to be standard practice for this school to arrange marriages between human students and strange creatures, consent be damned. Why? Who the hell knows? Let's watch Hinowa slowly get infatuated with Kanenogi's cuteness instead!
This is a much better episode than episode 1. It still isn't any good, but there you go. While there still is just as much going on as last week - that is to say, nothing much - at least we get to learn a little bit about Hinowa and Kanenogi as characters. The episode being structured as a series of short vignettes broken up with little eyecatches to tell the longer story of the newlyweds moving in helps make the individual components of the episode have more impact. That being said, while it's clear that the show is meant to be funny, none of the jokes actually land. The joke for every scene seems to be: "Hinowa thinks Kanenogi is cute and is subsequently embarrassed that he's buying into this arranged marriage." Aside from repeating itself too often to be effective, the joke doesn't seem to make sense since we never actually see Hinowa protest this arrangement. His only emotional reaction seems to be confusion before he just shrugs and goes along with it. But, we've gone from an F worthy episode to a D worthy episode, so that's mildly encouraging.
Hinomaru Sumo
Let's talk about something good, shall we? In episode 2, Hinomaru and Ozeki need three more members for their sumo club to be eligible for tournament play. But despite their best efforts, they cannot get anyone interested in the club. That is, until the wrestling club holds an exhibition match inviting all challengers, where Hinomaru uses his sumo skills to defeat the national wrestling champion Chihiro. The display of skill inspires Chihiro and a shrimpy kid whose name is never actually revealed to join the club. The next day, Yuma (the bully leader from episode 1 who I thought wasn't going to be important despite him being in the opening because I'm an idiot) asks to be allowed to join the club so he can one day challenge Hinomaru to a rematch, despite his sister Reina (the student council president) disapproving of this plan. The episode ends when Hinomaru's old friend Kirihito shows up out of nowhere and reveals that he is going to train them to take the national title.
This is a solid follow up episode. While the story so far has been playing it safe and sticking to the usual sports anime cliches, I've been enjoying the style with which it pulls them off. A bunch of new characters were introduced, but Chihiro is the only one who has gotten any time to make an impact, and I like him a lot. It makes a lot of sense for an aspiring MMA fighter to try to incorporate as many disciplines as possible, and his initial refusal to join sumo because he didn't like how the rules don't let you touch the ground once makes sense given what we know about his never say die personality. Yuma's character development from villain to ally happened a bit too fast for my taste though. I would have liked to see him go through his solo scenes for at least one more episode before deciding to join the sumo club, and maybe actually have a few more scenes with Reina so that we can learn more about why she's okay with her brother being a punk even though she's in a position of authority. All in all, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that this adaptation skipped a few manga chapters in order to make up for the 24 episode count. Still, as long as it's at least pretty good (and it's better than pretty good so far), I'm willing to give this show a pass because it pushes all the right buttons for me.
Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary
Alright, here we go...In episode 2, we have an episode-long flashback that showcases the relationships between the traveling sisters and slave boy growing up in a small village as a trio of shepherds, and, to a much lesser extent, the child-empress and her father. During the village festival, the empire attacks, capturing slave boy and cutting off little sister's arms, in the middle of a campaign that child-empress ordered. At the same time, the emperor is assassinated by a water/fire bender, because apparently magic exists in this universe, leaving child-empress to take the throne.
This should have been the first episode. It tells two focused stories that run parallel to each other and focuses on strengthening existing character relationships rather than introducing new characters and plot threads every five minutes, and that makes the attack at the end of the episode actually have some stakes. The dynamic between the sisters and slave boy is surprisingly well-developed, with a lot of relationship details only implied rather than getting spelled out for the viewer like most anime do. Without ever stating it outright, the episode clearly conveys that both sisters like slave boy, but the older sister thinks slave boy likes the little sister, so she chooses to step aside for her sake. Slave boy likes the older sister, but is also fond of the little sister in a platonic way, which sends mixed signals to both girls. And all of this is conveyed through natural dialogue that you can actually imagine hearing in a period setting and no characters giving a speech about their motivations and personalities, which is rare even in good anime! That's not to say that this episode is particularly good--the animation, sound design, and voice acting are still pretty bad across the board--but it is significantly better written than last week. Just like Jingai-san, we have gone from an F to a D.
Double Decker: Doug and Kirill
In episode 3, Doug, Kirill, and new girl Kay are sent to investigate a factory suspected to be a front for distributing Anthem. Kirill bonds with a group of factory workers who are on strike, but Doug discovers that the strike is a cover to throw off suspicion for the union leader and the foreman dealing Anthem. The bad guys are arrested, but the kingpin they were looking for is still at large.
Once again, I had a good time with this show from start to finish, despite their not being a lot going on. The twist that the union leader and the foreman were working together might have been obvious in hindsight, but I was so distracted by the humor that I didn't notice the foreshadowing. So either I'm dumb or the show is more clever than it appears. Probably both. Kay is an okay addition to the cast, too. I like that her quirk is being a foodie, and using Kirill as an excuse to go to new restaurants, which naturally gives Kirill the wrong idea, was a fun bit. While it might seem like a cop-out for the preview for next week to hint at Doug's former partner Derrick returning, despite being implied to be dead, I just assumed that he was alive because Kirill thought he was dead, and if there's one thing this show has made very clear, it's that Kirill is never right. I look forward to seeing Kirill feel even more inadequate as Doug's partner when he meets Derrick in person.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
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| Spoiler: it wasn't fantastic. |
Well, now it's time for the most disappointing follow up episode. In episode 2, Veldora the Dragon gives the slime a new name: Rimuru Tempest. Rimuru offers to help break the seal that traps Veldora by absorbing him into his slime body, so that the seal can be attacked from both inside and outside, which makes no sense whatsoever. Doing this causes a disturbance in the force or whatever, and monsters start rampaging and nations prepare for war. Rimuru starts absorbing random monsters and stealing their abilities, thus proving that he is nothing more than a blue Kirby, but not as cute or fun, and then befriends a tribe of goblins and prepares to protect them from a pack of direwolves.
So, yeah, the show is starting to lose me. What's the point of making the main character a slime, traditionally one of the weakest rpg monsters, if you're going to make him an overpowered super badass anyway? Wouldn't it be so much more interesting if Rimuru was a weak creature that had to survive in a world full of monsters and adventurers by relying solely on his wits? The mechanic of absorbing abilities tells me that this would work much better if it was a video game and was called Kirby. And none of the plot points about Veldora make any sense. Why does absorbing him make breaking the seal any easier? If Veldora is sealed away, why does his lack of presence cause such great change? Why is Rimuru even strong enough to absorb a whole freaking dragon right off the bat? Ugh. There's nothing about the presentation or humor in this episode that is actually bad, but I'm not feeling any positive feelings about this episode. I'm still not willing to drop it yet, because the prospect of multiple Otherworlders facing off still intrigues me, but I will if the show doesn't pick up soon.
Run With the Wind
We need more positivity this week, so let's talk about the Running Men. In episode 2, Kakeru and his housemates explore the campus of their university to get ready for the upcoming semester. As they do so, Haiji isolates each of them and uses his knowledge of their personalities and weaknesses to cajole, threaten, and sweet talk them into joining his track team while Kakeru's backstory is hinted at. By the end of the episode, only Kakeru, Yuki the law student, and Prince the manga fan are still holding out, and Prince is threatened with eviction right before the credits roll.
This is another solid episode. Haiji is again a little scummy here, but it's worth noting that we have only seen him from the perspective of the other housemates so far. I'm sure that there's going to be some backstory revealed for Haiji that will put all of his actions in a new light. And while I don't condone his behavior at the moment, I can't bring myself to hate him when he's so earnest and clever about it all. The animation quality is scaled back quite a bit compared to last week since there isn't any running here, but it's still consistent and higher quality than a lot of other anime I'm watching this season, and I really like that ending theme.
Goblin Slayer
After the huge controversy of last week that got a lot more attention than I thought it would, episode 2 of Goblin Slayer starts with a content warning that really should have been there last week. In the episode itself, Goblin Slayer lives with Farmer and his niece Farm Girl. Farm Girl and Goblin Slayer grew up together, but had an argument before Farm Girl was sent to the city on a shopping errand. While she was gone, goblins razed their village to the ground, with Goblin Slayer only surviving thanks to hiding in the cellar. Back in the present, Goblin Slayer and Priestess burn down an abandoned castle that goblins started squatting in, leaving no survivors. After the credits, Bard sings the tale of Goblin Slayer, getting the attention of three mysterious strangers.
So, if it wasn't clear last week, it's obvious that this show wants to be Berserk. Just like Berserk, a gory and action packed first episode is followed up with a slower, flashback-heavy episode that focuses on the protagonist's childhood. Thankfully, it doesn't look like the entirety of Goblin Slayer is going to be flashbacks before getting canceled right in the middle of a major cliffhanger. If anything, it feels like the show just wants to get this episode over with and doesn't even care. Goblin Slayer's backstory is as generic as you can get, but it's enough of a reason for him to have a genocidal rage against goblins as any. Farm Girl is cute enough, but ultimately serves little purpose other than being an excuse for this weak backstory. And personality is kinda lacking all across the board. The voice acting is very flat among the main cast, and there is no good facial animation for anybody at all. Everything just has this standard anime look, except for the Goblin Slayer himself, who has such shoddy CG on his armor (that I didn't notice in episode 1 because it was so dark) that he looks photoshopped into the environment by a fan rather than part of the story. And the goblin fight wasn't even interesting because the episode was focused on flashbacks, so the goblins didn't get a chance to even put up a fight.
One thing I do like, though, is the scene in the guild with the other adventurers. The idea that Goblin Slayer is seen as a weirdo by the guild and that goblin slaying is just seen as the grunt work that rookies have to do before they get to real adventuring is interesting. And with the guild secretary being relieved that at least somebody is dealing with this threat, you start to sympathize with Goblin Slayer at least a little. Genocidal psychopath he may be, he is still helping people who would otherwise be ignored by these vapid, status-obsessed adventurers.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
In episode 2 of Stupidly Long Title: The Animation, Sukata learns that Mai quite acting after her mother forced her into a swimsuit photo shoot back in middle school. After giving her a pep talk and explaining how he was helped through his grief with Adolescent Syndrome by an older student that officially does not exist, he convinces Mai to return to show business working for an agency independent of her mother, but her plans are derailed when it's revealed that not only is she invisible to most of the world, but her entire existence is being forgotten. Her mother doesn't even remember ever having a daughter. Just when everything seems lost, Sakuta learns that other students at their school can in fact see and remember Mai, suggesting that the school is somehow connected to her situation.
This is a textbook example of a perfect second episode. We build on the main plot by answering some lingering questions which lead to new interesting questions that can be answered in the future, and we build more on the relationship between our two leads with even more natural, playful, snarky flirtation. Even though I'm anxious to learn more about how Adolescent Syndrome works, the scenes where we just have Sakuta and Mai smack talking each other while walking down the street on their date is easily the highlight of the episode. Not only do these characters have great chemistry and are clearly growing to like each other, the flirting shows that despite her flippant nature and the way she shrugs off Sakuta's prodding, the situation is really starting to scare Mai, and she is genuinely grateful that Sakuta is going so far out of his way to help her, even though she feels like she cannot express her feelings due to her reputation as an actress. The scene in the hotel room at the end of the episode where she opens up and asks Sakuta what he'd do if she broke down and cried really says a lot about her mental state. I genuinely can't wait to see what will happen next.
SSSS.Gridman
And the award for most improved series of the week goes to Gridman! In episode 2, it turns out that after the kaiju attack, all damage to the city was reset, possibly by Gridman himself, and all civilians' memories of the incident are erased. However, those that died in the attack stay dead, including some of Yuta's classmates, and history is altered for them to have died years prior instead. While Yuta and his friends are introduced to the enigmatic Samurai Calibur, who knows about Gridman, their silver haired classmate Akane is revealed to be the one commanding the kaiju. She sculpts the kaiju out of clay before they are imbued with life by the program known as Alexis, whereupon she controls them remotely with her computer. Akane creates a new kaiju in order to kill her homeroom teacher for the crime of not apologizing after bumping into her. Yuta and Gridman move in to stop her, but are quickly put on the defensive. Calibure then merges with the computer as well, transforming into a sword for Gridman to use. Gridman then defeats the kaiju with Calibur's sword, saving the teacher's life.
This is so much better than last week it's crazy. All of the production issues I saw in the first episode are gone, leaving the ordinary life scenes running smoothly with no missing sound effects or frames of animation, and the battle scene is just as high quality as last time as well. Each of the Gridman Alliance member's personalities are further fleshed out, with Shou being all in on the chance to be a hero, Rikka being more reluctant, and Yuta just going with it because it makes him feel special. Calibur has a unique energy to him as well, a sort of low-key intensity that reminds me a lot of Aizawa from My Hero Academia. The kids trying to keep up withe his persona is amusing, especially when they ask why he has to walk on rooftops and not on the street like a normal person.
Akane, though, is much more interesting. She has a chipper, childlike personality, but she is casually dismissive of the value of human life. It's not that she doesn't understand what she's doing, since she is presumably responsible for the death of her classmates last episode. So it's unlikely that she is an innocent being manipulated by Alexis. Yet Alexis also seems to feed into her childish and petty persona. So the big question of the show becomes: just what is her deal? Is she a sociopath? Is she hiding her true emotions behind a facade? Does she feel guilt for her actions? Does she truly believe that she is in the right? Any one of these answers can make for interesting stories going forward, and that's really exciting.
Zombie Land Saga
In episode 2 of What the Hell Am I Even Watching?, the other zombie girls have regained their sentience, and none of them want to go along with Kotaro's insane idol plan. Sakura tries to convince the other girls to stick around because she's afraid that humans will try to target them if they know that zombies exist, which is confirmed when a cop shoots at a few of them when they try to run away. At the next show, an argument between Sakura and the biker zombie Saki turns into a rap battle so good that the crowd forgets that Sakura blurted out that they were zombies.
One of the problems with shows that have such outlandish premises is that it's actually easier for the show to stop being interesting as time goes by. After all, where do you go after you see a bunch of zombie idol girls headbanging? And this is starting to be a problem here, too. While it's nice to see the other girls have some personality and dialogue (especially since Kotaro can get old pretty quickly otherwise), no new jokes are actually being brought to the table, aside from a fun little gag about Saki realizing that her Tamagotchi is probably dead. But once the concert starts and Sakura and Saki start rapping, everything comes to life and it's even better than the concert in episode 1 because the girls are actually doing something. I'm especially fond of the courtesan Yuugiri just shrugging and providing background music on her shamisen when the rap, a genre that she would never have known about otherwise, starts up, and it's a cute touch that the two metal fans from last week came to this show as well. Overall, even though the rest of the show might not be as good, the concerts are good enough to make it worth watching.
And that's it for week 2! And, hey, I'm not dropping anything this time! Yay!! Let's see how long this optimism lasts...I give it two weeks.
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