Senryu Girl
This show does not deserve a photo after what it did. In episode 6 of I Don't Even Care Anymore, some stuff happens and a rabbit eats its own poop. I was so disgusted I legitimately threw up. I tried watching this all the way through three times but I just couldn't make it. I'm sorry, I just don't handle that kind of stuff well at all. So, yeah, this show is dropped. Honestly, compared to the rest of the episodes we have this week, it probably would have been dropped anyway.
Fruits Basket
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| I mean, I like being called cute. |
For our first real entry in the roundup, we have Wholesome Slumber Party. In episode 6, the cultural festival has arrived, and the class's rice balls are selling like hotcakes. While Tohru's delicious and cute rice balls are a factor in their success, Yuki agreeing to dress like a girl is the main draw, as boys and girls alike marvel at how cute he is. Two members of the Soma Clan, Momiji and Hatori, arrive at the cultural festival as well, and Momiji, upon hearing that Tohru knows the zodiac secret, immediately embraces her and transforms into a rabbit, forcing the Somas to scramble to cover for him. After Momiji and Hatori leave, Yuki warns Tohru that she should avoid being alone with Hatori since he is the one who erases the memories of those who learn the Soma Clan's secrets. Later, Tohru's friends Uo and Hana, suspicious of how close she seems to be with Yuki and Kyo lately, invite themselves over to spend the night and evaluate how well the Soma household suits Tohru. Thanks to some fast talking from everyone involved, the two guests don't learn anything about the zodiac secret and Uo and Hana are satisfied that Tohru's new home is good for her. The next morning, Tohru receives a phone call from Hatori, telling her to come visit the main estate alone.
When I started this show, I expected it to be good. I was wrong. This show is great. Where do I even start with this episode? Momiji and Hatori are both promising new additions to the cast, with Momiji exuding that youthful energy and innocence that only children have and Hatori seamlessly combining the class of Yuki and Shigure with his own quiet and menacing aura. Uo and Hana have lowkey been some of my favorite characters in the series so getting to see more of them being amazing friends to Tohru is always welcome. I very much empathize with their frustration that they didn't even know that their friend was homeless until after the situation was resolved, and now all they want is to make sure she's safe. Also, the story about the boy leading Tohru home and giving her his hat implies that Tohru is the girl who Yuki befriended when he was younger and that Hatori had erased her memories back when they were children. That is a huge deal, and while some might complain that it's a bit convenient, I think it fits with what we know about these characters so far, and I've always got the feeling that the Soma Clan would never move no matter what, especially since they're capable of erasing memories. What isn't quite as forgivable right off the bat is what looks like a photo of Tohru's mother Kyoko on Hatori's desk. I mean, what!? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Did Hatori know Kyoko somehow? They're gonna have to tell a hell of a story for me to accept that. And, apropos of nothing, even though I've been wrong with every zodiac prediction so far, I'm going to keep up my predictions and say that Hatori is the horse and that family head Akito is the dragon.
We Never Learn
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| I'm just amazed that she's actually being reasonable. |
Next up we have Wait, Did This Become Good Again? In episode 6, Kirisu-sensei interrogates Nariyuki about the incident at the study camp, referencing "illicit sexual conduct". Overhearing this, the girls panic and burst in one after the other, desperately trying to explain how various incidents were misunderstandings, and only making things worse for Nariyuki in the process. Still, Kirisu is impressed by the sincerity of the girls' protests and agrees to let him continue tutoring them for the time being. Nevertheless, rumors about Nariyuki kissing a girl at the study camp start spreading around the school, evolving into rumors of a secret girlfriend living with him. Both Takemoto and Rizu panic upon hearing these rumors, and their grades start slipping as a result. When Nariyuki asks Fumino what is distracting them, she realizes that they both like him and tells him to be considerate of their feelings. In classic harem anime fashion, he misunderstands this advice and worries that he has been inappropriate with them and needs to back off, even when Takemoto starts dressing sexier around him to try to get his attention. After being trapped at a shrine during a rainstorm, Nariyuki lets the fact that he is distracted by her outfit slip, and, comforted by the knowledge that he finds her physically attractive, Takemoto's grades start improving again.
Okay, so to be clear, I liked this episode quite a bit, and I appreciate how the flirting from previous episodes are having lasting consequences on the relationships between our characters. But I don't want to talk about any of that, because I just have a bit of a rant here instead. For some reason I cannot understand, Kirisu is one of the most popular girls in this show, both among manga readers and anime only watchers, at least if Reddit and YouTube are any indication. Now that we have an episode with a scene that actually introduces her to the audience, I just cannot see the appeal. She is a judgmental woman who stands as the antithesis of the core theme of following your dreams regardless of what people expect of you. And while that makes for a decent antagonist, I can't wrap my head around the idea that Nariyuki is trying to sell her as a good person because she went looking for Rizu when she was lost in the rainstorm, since you know, as a teacher, THAT'S HER JOB! And why the hell is she blushing at that? Stop trying to sell me illicit relationships between teachers and students, anime!
Demon Slayer
In episode 6 of Action Scenes that Turn Patrick into a Screaming 12 Year Old Fanboy, Tanjiro (with Nezuko resting in his new backpack) travels northwest to investigate a series of teenage girls disappearing. His investigations lead him to the scene of a demon abducting its latest victim, and he manages to get her away from it before battling it. The fight is difficult thanks to the demon's ability to sink into the floor and walls and its ability to split into three doppelgangers, and Tanjiro's efforts are distracted by his need to protect human bystanders. But Nezuko turns the tide as she bursts from her box to join the fight, having been conditioned by Sakonji to recognize all humans as her family and all hostile demons as her enemy.
Much like Fruits Basket, Demon Slayer continues to exceed my expectations. Every single aspect of this episode was on point. The music softly builds the tension throughout the first half of the episode as Tanjiro tracks the demon, right up to the point where the battle starts. The shifting colors that visualize Tanjiro's sense of smell are simply beautiful. The battle choreography is so dynamic and makes such clever use of the environment that a simple back alley background with no detail actually put into it is iconic and memorable. The use of flashbacks to clarify certain plot points serve to break up the tension and build up expectations for turning points in the battle. Not to mention that those flashbacks now give us a definitive endgame instead of the vague hope that Nezuko's humanity can be restored. The first demon, born 1000 years ago, named Muzan Kibutsuji, is name dropped by Sakonji as the one who would most likely know the secret to turning Nezuko and other demons like her back into their original human forms. I'm glad to see a future framework is being set up for the story since, as good as things have been so far, there was a real danger of this becoming directionless and meandering. Having a main antagonist and a final goal set up so early indicates that creator Koyoharu Gotoge has a plan for this series, and that is very comforting to hear. Here's hoping that she and the team at Ufotable can continue this momentum, since this has easily become a frontrunner for anime of the season at this point.
Sounds of Life
Next up we have episode 6 of Teen Drama and also Music if We can Fit it In. After a successful performance, the koto club's popularity and confidence are at an all time high. Inspired by the rush they felt from seeing the fruits of their labor, the club vows to pursue the national title. Upon hearing this, the faculty advisor Takinami argues against this ambition, as he preferred it when the club was a joke and he didn't have to actually do any extra work. The koto show owner gives Kudo the last koto his grandfather made, which has already had Kudo's name engraved on it. The koto club gains a new member in Hiro Kurusu, who immediately starts spreading tales among the other members that Hozuki has been feeling frustrated and unfulfilled having to play with beginners like the boys, causing a rift to form between them. But when Kudo calls Hiro out on how ridiculous the notion is that she would continue to attend club sessions for a club she doesn't want to be in, Hiro gets annoyed and plans to quit the club, frustrated that her fun has already been ruined, but then she hears some rumors about Hozuki from her mother that cause her to change her mind. Kudo visits the sick Hozuki's surprisingly modest apartment to deliver the homework she missed, and is surprised to see her look incredibly ill.
For an episode that is just meant to set up future plot points and transition between arcs, there was a lot of stuff happening. I appreciate the attention to detail, but with three different plot threads to keep track of between the lazy Takinami, Hiro's scheming, and the preparations for the upcoming music festival competition, the direction of the story is kind of scattered and unfocused. That's not to say that this episode was bad, though. Hiro is an intriguing character, who seems to have joined the koto club simply because she likes instigating drama. I wonder if she is just kind of a rude person who likes to start trouble or if, going from how Hozuki looked at her and how her mother seems to know something about her family, if she has a grudge against Hozuki. Also, apropos of nothing, wouldn't those long painted nails get in the way of playing the koto? Just a thought.
RobiHachi
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| Uh....did I turn on hentai by mistake again? |
In episode 6 of The Mushroom Samba, our heroes land on the planet of Hanama II just in time for the Great Eel Festival. As eels have been overfished to extinction back on Earth, Hatchi is incredibly excited for the chance to taste real eel for the first time in his life, while Robby and Ikku worry about the fact that unless they win prize money from one of the festival's events, they will be stranded on the strange planet populated solely by incredibly buff men. But things get complicated when Yang and his goons arrive on the scene, and Yang, somehow high on the sheer amount of eel he has eaten, chases Robby through the eel racecourse. Thankfully, after unintentionally winning the race, Yang is swept away by the locals for an award ceremony, so our heroes take the second place prize money and fly off in terror.
I've never been high before. I tried smoking marijuana once, but I didn't feel any effects from it. Then again, the person who smoked it with me told me I did it wrong...anyway, that's not the point. The point is, I'm now convinced that this episode is what me being high would be like. Nothing makes sense, everything is really colorful and flamboyant, and it all just seems to run on dream logic, with events simply happening with no rhyme or reason and being forgotten soon afterward. And I absolutely love it. No past or possible future episode of this series could possibly compare to this masterpiece of surreal art! Every joke just landed with me, especially since the episode doesn't dwell on any of its punchlines like many other anime comedies do. There's nothing else to really say about this, other than the experience of watching RobiHachi is incredibly bizarre, and I had a great time from start to finish.
Dororo
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| It really says something that this isn't even the coolest thing that happens this episode. |
Up next is Hot Damn, That Was Awesome: The Animation. In episode 18, as Itachi and his band continues to search for the treasure, the shark boy feeds Saburomaru's corpse to Jiromaru, who transforms into a land shark and attacks Dororo. Fortunately, Hyakkimaru chooses that moment to arrive on the scene and kills Jiromaru, regaining his lost leg in the process. As our heroes climb the mountain in pursuit of Itachi, Tahomaru arrives on the island with a squadron of samurai, and they begin a campaign to eliminate Hyakkimaru and all those associated with him. As Hyakkimaru battles against Tahomaru and his two retainers, Dororo and Itachi are forced to join forces again as they flee up the mountain. Things come to a head when the shark boy, who had been ignored by all sides at this point, gathers the explosives that were used to protect the treasure and detonates them in a suicide attack that triggers a landslide and buries nearly everybody. As the samurai are forced to retreat, Itachi dies and Dororo finds the lost treasure. As she does not know what she wants to do with it, she decides to leave the treasure behind for now (aside from a small amount of spending money), and she and Hyakkimaru leave the island to continue their journey.
This was everything I hoped it would be. At first I was bummed that Jiromaru was defeated so early into the episode, but the incredible fight animation between Hyakkimaru and the samurai more than made up for it in my eyes. Hearing Tahomaru and the samurai repeat the same propaganda about how Hyakkimaru is a demon in human form whose very existence is a threat to the peace of Daigo's people is fascinating. Not only does it sell how far Tahomaru has fallen from the honorable samurai we first met, it's also kind of true. Every time Hyakkimaru kills one of the demons of the Hall of Hell, the pact is weakened and misfortune comes to the people of Daigo. Somehow there are six episodes left, but with the treasure found, I'm not sure what is left for the rest of the series. It can't just be Hyakkimaru battling demons, right? Is a final confrontation with Daigo and Tahomaru on the horizon? That's the only thing I can think of that makes sense, so let's go with that.
Fairy Gone
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| I couldn't find a good screenshot to summarize this episode, so here's a cute picture of Marlya. |
I didn't expect it after the last few episodes have been kind of weak story wise, but this is genuinely intriguing. The fact that the episode opens with a history of how the five dukes have engaged in political maneuvering and failed revolts since the end of the war, leaving only two alive, makes me think that Ray Dawn, the duke that Veronica wants to kill, is responsible for the sabotage in the artificial fairies. Was the incident with the rogue fairy a test run? Does he plan to hijack all the artificial fairies during the anniversary celebration and usurp the united kingdom of Zessika, thus declaring himself ruler of the world? If so, then this would mean that the story is finally getting the central antagonist that it so desperately needs. Either way, next week promises a rematch between Marlya and Bitter Sweet, and that at least warrants at least one more episode.
And this is how this week's roundup ends. Not with a bang, but with a whisper. But what will happen next week? Will Hatori attempt to erase Tohru's memories? Will Rizu confess her feelings for Nariyuki? Will Tanjiro and Nezuko defeat the demons? Will Hiro continue to sabotage the koto club? Will Hyakkimaru regain his sight? Will Wolfran contribute anything to the plot? Will RobiHachi start making sense? Will this post ever end?
Yes. Right now. See you next week!
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