SSSS.Gridman
First up, we have episode 5 of Kaiju Gone Wild. On today's episode, the students are out on a whitewater rafting school trip. Unfortunately, this means that once Akane summons a new kaiju, the Alliance is unable to link up with Gridman right away. After encountering setback after setback, Calibur and his crew are able to purchase the Junk computer and bring Gridman to the Alliance (complete with portable generator). Gridman and Borr defeat the kaiju -- and Anti also shows up and gets handed a humiliated defeat, proving once and for all that he is the Viral of this show -- and Max truly begins to question why kaiju always show up around the children.
So at first glance, it would appear that we are in a bit of a filler period with this show. After all, with a monster of the week formula, it's to be expected that there would be episodes where nothing actually advances and they just fight a new monster. But while the focus was undoubtedly squarely on the new kaiju -- which, as an aside, is the best looking kaiju yet -- there is much more going on under the surface. More new information about Akane is revealed, as it turns out she doesn't fully understand the relationship between Yuta and Gridman. While she was able to trick Yuta into revealing that he and Gridman are connected in a wonderfully tense scene, she seems to think that Yuta just transforms into him, a la henshin heroes like Viewtiful Joe. The way she expressed confusion about why Gridman took so long to arrive on the scene suggests that she doesn't know about the existence of Junk at all, even though Gridman seems to be so similar to Alexis. Which, naturally, raises even more questions about Alexis. Does Alexis know about the nature of Gridman's existence? If he does, why hasn't he explained it to Akane? Does that mean that he actually is manipulating her into making kaiju, and if so, why her? Is it something only she can do? What does he hope to gain by doing so? These mysteries are driving me crazy and I really want to know the truth soon.
Also, while I was poking fun at how ineffectual Anti has been earlier, he is showing development as well. It might not be much, but it is significant that he chose to fight Gridman alongside the kaiju instead of being mad that the kaiju might be kill stealing like last time. Has Anti decided that his goal of seeing Gridman dead is more important than who actually does the deed? It seems likely. Even more interestingly, he shows concern for Akane's welfare, carrying her away from the forest fire and giving her his scarf to protect her from smoke inhalation during the fight. Why does he care about someone who treats him so badly? Will he stay loyal if her abuse continues? I just love how this show makes me ask so many questions, and I really can't wait to find out the answers.
Goblin Slayer
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| I'd be jealous of Guts, too, for being in a much better story. |
In episode 5 of Wasted Potential: the Animation, nothing interesting happens for 23 minutes. Goblin Slayer is asked to sit in and act as muscle for the Guild Receptionist as she gives adventurers performance reviews. Two rookie adventurers screw up a mission, lose a sword, and have to figure out a way to get it back. Then they do. The end.
I may have given the impression that I hate Goblin Slayer last week. I don't. It's not a particularly bad show at all. It's got well-staged action scenes, the dark atmosphere is definitely refreshing in a genre that is usually bright and happy in anime without feeling forced or silly, and the character of Goblin Slayer himself is decently written, boring backstory notwithstanding. But there really isn't much else going for it and now that the novelty of how dark and gory it is compared to most fantasy anime and the constant references to Dungeons and Dragons are starting to lose their impact, it's not really doing much for me. And a bad episode like this -- and let's be clear, this was easily the worst episode from a show that's not called Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary or Between the Sea and Sky this season -- is a wakeup call for me. I'm not getting anything out of watching this. So I'm not going to anymore.
I find it funny that one of the background characters this week looks so much like Guts, because this show was definitely influenced by Berserk. But where Berserk has layers upon layers of character depth, an interesting setting, and purposeful thematic weight in every panel, Goblin Slayer just has some dark lighting, a couple monsters, some shock value, a bit of dodgy CG, and a few glimpses of interesting characterization buried under a pile of monotony. If this were a video game, I probably would have loved it. But in a narrative medium like anime, I'm just bored now.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
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| I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going. |
In episode 5 of Not Another Teen Anime, Mai mercifully listens to Sakuta's explanation and accepts his story about faking a relationship with Koga without question. Koga tells Sakuta that she changed her entire identity when she moved to a new city and school, and even though she is happier with her situation now, she feels guilty and artificial. Sakuta shrugs it off and tells her that if she's happy with what she has made for herself, then that's enough, and maybe don't worry what anyone else thinks. But when Sakuta learns that the upperclassman guy from last week is spreading slut-shaming rumors about Koga "screwing [Sakuta] all the time", Sakuta beats the crap out of him at the train station and loudly proclaims his virginity in front of a bunch of their classmates.
First of all, thank God Mai actually took the time to listen to Sakuta's explanation and trusted him. My favorite ship of the season (if not the year, but there is some tough competition on that front) is still safe. But I'm still not happy that Mai has basically been reduced to an extra in her own show. She is easily the best character in this show and her scenes with Sakuta still stand in a league of their own compared to everything else that happened this week. Which isn't fair to Koga at all, since she is actually pretty great. She's super cute, her struggle is relatable, and while she doesn't have quite as much chemistry with Sakuta as Mai, her relationship with him is still entertaining and unique. And, like in every episode, the little details about Kaede and Futaba and their stories slowly advancing in the background helps to make world feel more real. I get the feeling that that each of them are going to get their own arcs later on, so I appreciate that the groundwork is being set up now. And my God it sure was cathartic to see Sakuta kick the crap out of that douchebag upperclassman! He really is one of the best protagonists of the year.
Hinomaru Sumo
In episode 5 of Rival Schools: Sumo Edition, Kirihito arranges for another joint practice, this time with the elites of Ishigami High School. Only this time, he tells Hinomaru to go elsewhere and Chihiro is forced to stay behind for remedial classes after failing his midterm exams. However, a sumo wrestler from Ishigami actually came to Dachi High to look for Hinomaru, so Chihiro briefly poses as him and they have a brief bout before getting interrupted. At the actual joint practice, Yuma and Ozeki show that their training with Kirihito is starting to bear fruit, though they are still overwhelmed and defeated. The episode ends with Hinomaru arriving at his destination: a special dojo known as the Shibakiyama Stable.
After a brief pit stop to refuel and use the bathroom, the nonstop runaway train that is Hinomaru Sumo is back to moving through plot events at a breakneck pace. I'd complain about it if it weren't for the fact that I love all the rival characters introduced at Ishigami High, and I love the fact that Hinomaru barely featured in this episode at all. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but having the episode focus on the other members of the sumo club was the right call here. And seeing Ozeki stop an approximately 330 pound tire with just his body was hype as hell. Compared to the rival school we saw two weeks ago, I'd say that Ishigami has a better group dynamic, with their punk identity being more enjoyable to watch than the traditional identity Oiga has going on. That being said, though, Kuze is still the best rival introduced so far and will probably be Hinomaru's final opponent in the tournament. Which I hope stats soon, by the way. We don't need to introduce the other two schools shown in the ending credits right away. I mean, what's a tournament arc without a good mystery surrounding at least one rival team?
Double Decker
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| Foreshadowing? |
I think that's enough positivity for a while. So, let's watch Episode 6 of Sasuke and Hutch instead. In today's episode, Doug and Kirill get pulled into a case of public drunkenness being filmed by a crew from a reality show based on the daily lives and operations of the police force. The footage from the show allows Doug to spot a low level member of Esperanza and Kirill to spot his estranged sister Milla. After arresting the Esperanza dealer, the members of SEVEN-O are shocked to see that Milla is now working at Derek's bar. But then, Kirill learns that Milla is actually a man named Valery Vrubel...which is also Kirill's last name. So, I guess they're still related, then?
Okay, I have a few questions? Firstly: "What?" Secondly: "The hell?" I did think that Valery's voice sounded masculine, but I wasn't expecting a big cliffhanger/punchline about him actually being male. That is a joke in very poor taste. I just thought that he would've been an assassin from Esperanza in disguise, planning to use Kirill's idiocy and emotional vulnerability to get close to the members of SEVEN-O. I wasn't expecting "Ha-ha, your sister has a dick!" from a show made in 2018. I already was losing interest in Double Decker with it becoming more apparent that it is all style and no substance, but now I know I can't keep watching after seeing such an ugly joke about trans people. So, consider this show dropped. Which is a shame, since this episode was pretty funny otherwise.
Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san
I need a pick me up after that, so let's watch something fun. In today's episode of Barnes and Lovecraft, Honda is sent to a company training seminar on customer service techniques. This, of course, is a hellish experience of forced smiles and pain.
I wasn't expecting to have only one real segment in this week's episode, but it was incredible. I work in customer service and I can tell you that training for this kind of job is exactly as torturous as Honda describes it to be. While I enjoy roleplaying and acting and thus don't have as much problems with it as others might, the feelings of anxiety as the instructors judge you to be socially inept through your customer service techniques are all too real, and I only wish I could have seen Honda try to keep his cool while an instructor pretended to yell at him all day. There's never really much to say about Honda-san, since it's just an 11 minute sketch comedy, but I can say that this was the funniest episode yet.
Zombie Land Saga
On episode 5 of Kentucky Fried Idols, Kotaro has two gigs for Franchouchou to help raise their profile. First the girls appear to in a commercial singing the jingle for a local restaurant. Then, they compete in an amateur Olympic-style local event. When the LEGENDARY Yamada Tae wins the Olympic event, she is unable to promote the group because of her inability to speak and ends up inadvertently promoting the restaurant instead. But a spectator at the event recognizes Ai (or is it Junko? I couldn't tell with them all covered in mud) and decides to investigate what a dead girl is doing as an idol.
Just when I thought Zombie Land Saga had run out of ideas, this episode comes in and surprises me. The commercial segment of the episode was funny enough, especially when Tae tried to eat the mascot and Kotaro convinced the director to incorporate it into the ad, but the Olympic event was easily the highlight for me. Seeing the girls each incorporate their own style in the Tarzan swing was delightful, especially Yugiri turning it into a Cirque de Soleil type show and never actually jumping. And the hook that the girls' zombie nature might actually be exposed to the wider world has me interested enough to come back next week. Overall, the show isn't perfect, but it keeps consistently surprising me with how good it can be. Now bring the metal fans back already!
Run With the Wind
And finally we have episode 5 of Anime Flash. With their resolve strengthened after hearing Sakaki's taunting, the track team begins to train for the Hakone Ekiden in earnest. With a goal of getting a qualifying time in the upcoming track meet at Sakaki's school, Haiji starts nightly training sessions in addition to their daily morning runs. Yuki still vocally objects to everything Haiji is doing, even while the other guys become more and more enthusiastic about running. But when Haiji announces that the members need to quit their jobs and focus entirely on training and classes for the time being, King refuses to throw his life away for a race and walks out of the dorm.
Another week, another solid episode of Run With the Wind. It's not even surprising anymore. Even when the plot is advancing at a snail's pace and the entire episode is focused solely on training, the characters are so nuanced and fun to watch that I end up loving every second of it. It's still fun to hear Yuki and Prince complain about all the running (seriously, Prince is my spirit animal), and getting confirmation that Nico is just using the marathon as a chance to improve his health and quit smoking for good was nice. And seeing all the characters drunkenly declare that they're gonna run in the race was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. When I saw King was denied his chance at a coveted internship because his grades weren't high enough, my heart sank, and I instantly took his side against Haiji today. Seriously, where does he get off taking over their lives for the sake of his own ambition? If I don't get some Haiji backstory to put all his actions in context soon, I might end up labeling him the true villain of this story, regardless of his lip service to making athletics more accessible to amateurs, regardless of what Kakeru and Sakaki might think.
And now we've reached the end of Week 5. Let's have a moment of silence for the shows that didn't make it....Okay, that's enough. Six shows remain. Who will survive? Who will fall? What will anime of the season be? Find out next time, when the Weekly Roundup returns. Until then, enjoy this screenshot from Gridman with absolutely no context.
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