Hinomaru Sumo
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| I knew I liked you, Hinomaru. |
First up we have episode 12 of Anime History Channel. The Dachi High Sumo Club have arrived in Nagoya to train with the professionals of Shibakiyama Stable. As they take in the sights, Hinomaru is challenged by a rival sumo wrestler named Hikage. During the bout, Hinomaru senses that Hikage has a counter planned for his new finishing move, and his hesitation would have resulted in defeat if their match hadn't been interrupted. Later, Hinomaru trains with elite professionals, and while he initially impresses, the pros show their analytical skill and end up making a fool out of him. But he still gets the attention of an old mentor who used to be a champion yokozuna, who offers to train him one on one.
Okay, first of all, I had no idea Hinomaru was a history buff. It's a fun subversion of expectations when the protagonist of a shounen sports anime has a brain in his head but still isn't a genius, and with how traditional sumo culture is, it makes a lot of sense for him to be knowledgeable about Sengoku Era Japan. And seeing him all excited to have a chance to wrestle an actor portraying Kenji Maeda (as in, the nephew and subordinate of the legendary Nobunaga Oda) was oddly adorable for the ordinarily bullheaded meathead. And Hikage's introduction, with a friendly match being interrupted by outside forces before he could properly lay the smackdown on our overpowered protagonist? Textbook hype buildup right there. It reminds me a lot of Murasakibara's introduction in Kuroko's Basketball, which is fitting since Hikage is also a freakishly tall and stoic character. The only major difference between the two is that Hikage is openly enthusiastic about sumo while Murasakibara is lazy and only plays basketball because he's good at it with no outward enjoyment of the sport. It's also a nice touch to see the analytical and strategic side of sports being represented here. Surprisingly, the tactical end of sports is a bit underrepresented in sports anime, probably because of the hotblooded underdog narrative being so prevalent, and is usually reserved for rivals and other side characters such as Inui from Prince of Tennis or Jun from Captain Tsubasa. But with all of the characters that have been shown recording booths and going over footage these past few episodes, it looks like this will be a major element in the story moving forward. At least, I hope so. It'd be cool to see Kirihito come up with strategies for the club to use against a rival school in the national tournament.
Bunny Girl Senpai
Next up we have Kaede's School Road (now I'm referencing things I haven't even seen). In episode 12, Sakuta tells Mai and Nodoka how Kaede lost her memories after the trauma of contracting Adolescent Syndrome due to intense cyber bullying, and how the stress of caring for her led him to have cuts spontaneously appear on his chest and his mother to become mentally ill. Meanwhile, even though she is aware of the bruises forming on her body from the effort and the danger of losing her new personality upon regaining her memories, Kaede continues to work on re-integrating into society, pushing herself so hard that she ends up briefly hospitalized. Respecting her wish to not be coddled anymore, Sakuta helps Kaede by taking her to the zoo and then sneaking onto her middle school campus at night to get her used to the environment. But it seems he was too successful, as the next morning, Kaede awakens with no memories of life after Adolescent Syndrome, thinking that the three years that passed in her life never actually happened.
This is how you write meaningful and exciting stories without actual danger. It doesn't matter to me that I essentially spent twenty minutes watching a child walk to school (wait, how do I phrase that in a way that won't get me arrested?). Because Bunny Girl helped me get to know the characters and established why it was important to them, I have become invested in the outcome. With nothing but a well-chosen music cue and my prior knowledge of Kaede from previous episodes, watching her walk down a sidewalk ended up being one of the tensest moments of the whole Fall 2018 Roundup! And the moment where Kaede is looking through the window at her classroom was well done, too. It filled me with such hope and optimism that I thought that this episode would end Kaede's arc and the finale next week would sort out Shoko's story. But then, well, my hopes were crushed. What a performance by Kaede's voice actress! She sounded like a completely different person, to the point where I actually had to look it up and make sure it was still Yurika Kubo doing the voice. It was very well done, and it provides another unique way to examine the central theme of personal identity. After all, is this Kaede the same one that we've been following this whole time? And if she isn't, since we are informed by our memories and all, then is she any more valid than the Kaede we know? Is a person's identity a permanent immutable concept, or is it malleable? I expect the show to conclude that both versions of Kaede are valid, similarly to how it handled Futaba's arc, but also to make a point that your identity is a semi-permanent foundation that naturally slowly changes over time as you experience new things every day. But who knows? The finale comes out next week, so hopefully we'll find out what happens to Kaede, what's been happening to Shoko, and whether we'll see a happy ending for Sakuta and Mai by then.
Zombie Land Saga
Alright, time for the good stuff. Season finales don't get silly nicknames, so in episode 12 of Zombie Land Saga, the rest of Franchouchou convince Sakura to take a leap of faith and perform with them after half an episode of prodding, stating that they would rather fail together than succeed without her. At the Arpino show, things quickly go awry when heavy snow fall causes the roof to cave in on the stage. But, being zombies, the girls emerge one by one, inspiring Sakura to get back out there and try one more time, and the uproarious applause from literally every person that they touched with their music up until now triggers Sakura's memories, and she is back to her old self. But then, the day after the show, the magazine reporter who has been documenting the rise of Franchouchou shows that he has discovered old photographs of Ai, Lily, and Junko from back when they were actually alive...
How dare you, Zombie Land Saga! How dare you have a finale so good that it makes me consider swapping you with Overlord on the top 20 list for even a second, and then hint at a sequel at the last minute! My heart can't take that kind of thing!
Seriously, though, overall, I'd say this show has been pretty good, but this season finale was absolutely perfect for what it set out to be. There was always a bit of heart to this show underneath all of the absurdist comedy and cynical potshots at the real life idol industry, but it was out in full force this week. I never thought this show would make me feel emotions way back when I first saw Sakura get hit by a truck, but the themes of putting yourself out there and the value of idols as a source of escapist entertainment (not in that way, you perverts) are front and center in this entire episode. I'm writing this segment before Gridman's finale airs, but I don't think anything it can do will get to me the way that seeing the LEGENDARY Yamada Tae try to teach Sakura how to dance did. (EDIT: I was wrong, Gridman was amazing. Still, this moment came close). Imagine if we had actually seen the scene she was recreating in a previous episode and not in a flashback that just happened. That would have made this moment even better! Oh, and if you think that I wasn't clapping along with the crowd when Franchouchou got back on their feet, you haven't been paying attention to this blog at all. I'm a sucker for hype moments like this and I was very much taken in by the expert set up of a single slow clap building over time while the girls sang a capella until the sound team got the music back up and running. If the rest of the show had been this good, then Zombie Land Saga could very well have made my top 20 list. As it stands though, it's a mixed bag that is good more often than not, and its unique premise and tone will keep you coming back if you come in with an open mind. I'm glad that it was the first show I covered on the roundup all the way to the end.
SSSS.Gridman
Of course, the second series that I covered all the way to the end is even better. In the series finale of SSSS.Gridman, Gridknight is sent to rescue Akane from her kaiju form as Gridman brings Utsumi and Rikka to the Junk Shop. Gridknight succeeds in pulling Akane out, but is stabbed by Alexis, who fuses with Akane to become a Dark Hyper Agent. With Gridman and Yuta fused and the Gridman Alliance fully united, Gridman is able to combine with Anti and the Neon Genesis students to form a new Gridman that looks like the old 90s version. Though Alexis's immortal body resists Gridman's attacks at first, the Gridman Alliance is able to use their combined powers to send an impassioned plea to Akane (via lasers, naturally) to let go of her fears and move forward. Akane agrees and vows to leave the simulation and return to her real life, and with no more negative emotion to feed on, Alexis is rendered powerless and is captured and sealed away by Gridman. Akane, Gridman, and the Neon Genesis students leave the simulation once and for all, Yuta awakens in his body for the first genuine time all series, and Akane returns to the real world (in live action, no less!)
I can understand why some people might find this finale a bit disappointing. Less than half of the runtime is allocated for the final battle, which moves a bit quickly, and the Fixer Beam (stupid name, by the way) came out of nowhere. But honestly? Everything about this episode was great -- not quite as good as some earlier episodes, but still better than almost anything else I've seen from most other series all year. The battle may have been short, but the animation and choreography was spot on, the use of both the old school 90s theme and the full version of the opening was hype as hell, and the emotional imagery of Akane at the door was worth the price of admission all on its own. But the real standout of the episode was Akane saying goodbye to Rikka. Watching this once proud and haughty god who viewed her creations as disposable enough that she would kill one over a sandwich feel such remorse and break down like that really put the whole series in a new perspective.
You see, this was never Yuta or Rikka or even Gridman's story. This has always been Akane's story: the story of a sad little girl who created a fantasy world to run away from her problems and got corrupted by a dark and horrible entity that fed on her sadness and anger and manipulated her so that she would never leave and get better. It's a story about depression and the dangers of over-indulging in escapist fantasy. Akane was never condemned for trying to escape into her fantasy and nor should she have been -- a little escapism can be healthy, as it allows your mind to properly process the stress that life brings us. But the hostile alien force that is depression kept her there and encouraged her to wallow in her despair, and that was where the danger lied. And now that Akane has woken up, she can move forward and face the world with a little more courage and clarity. And that's a beautiful thing.
Gridman made it to number 7 on my best of 2018 anime list, and that was before this final episode aired. While this finale was AMAZING, I think I still stand by the list as it stands right now, though a year from now I may regret not including it in the top 5. Gridman is a fantastic series, and I highly encourage that everyone gives it a try at least once. The visuals are stunning, with fluid animation and constant use of symbolic shot composition. The sound design is masterful, with a juxtaposition of understated realistic scenes and bombastic action scenes. And the narrative is amazing, built around a central character that straddles the line between protagonist and antagonist, and gives a story that feels like a kid slamming action figures together and gives it a heartfelt weight that even most serious dramas fail to achieve.
This has been a momentous iteration of the weekly roundup, with the first shows to make it to a finale. Congratulations to both Zombie Land Saga and SSSS.Gridman, you earned it. You have been the trailblazers, the first shows to fight through my scrutinizing and criticism, where 8 other shows have fallen, and you have made it to the end as shows that I say are worthwhile all the way through. But two more shows will come back next week. What will the yokozuna have to teach Hinomaru? Will Kaede regain her memories as an amnesiac? Did that last question make any sense? Find out the answers to all these questions and more, or possibly none of them, next time on the Weekly Roundup!
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