It’s interesting how many of my featured screenshots this season have come from either Iroduku or Tsurune… Probably because both shows keep leaving a deep impression each week.
Anyhow, hit the jump and let’s chat about those two and the rest of the shows I’m watching this season!
The shows that I am watching are in bold, shows my wife and I are watching together are in bold italics, and strikethrough marks dropped shows.
Anima Yell! Ep 10
Cute as a button as always… The first segment was an all-to-short beach/training camp trip for the girls of the Cheer Club. No, no, not bemoaning the lack of fanservice (which would be way out-of-place in this series). I just think they could have done more with the experience than to help Kana and Hizume sort out their interpersonal relationships.
I did enjoy the second segment, where there Cheer Club helped encourage the Manga Research Society to push through to their deadline. It’s very cool that they haven’t restricted themselves to the traditional (read: sports) role of cheerleaders.
Bloom Into You / Yagate Kimi ni Naru Ep 10
This week is all about preparations for the school play… And Koyomi proves awfully perceptive about Touko. And the point about choosing who to be is driven home in a post-credits scene where we finally learn the real cause of Touko’s desire to “become her sister”… She believes that she is responsible for her sister’s death (Narrator Voice: she isn’t) and feel’s guilty as hell about it.
Interesting… and also a bit overdone.
I’m not certain though what Natsuki (Yuu’s former team-mate) is telling us. At least part of it is that Yuu seems to be easily swayed by people she respects. This casts a whole new light on her relationship with Touko. It’s growing, but how much is real? And how much is merely going with the flow?
Bunny Girl Senpai Ep 11
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai / Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl-senpai no Yume wo Minai
This week was a slow burn episode… Building up Kaede as she slowly expanded her world beyond the walls of the apartment. In the beach scene it was great to see Nodaka and Mai chilling together. (We even get a brief though mostly pointless cameo with Tomoe… I like how this show doesn’t just drop the girls as their arcs come to an end.)
All episode though, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s never been this easy… And then the cliffhanger…. Oh, that cliffhanger.
Also, if you hadn’t noticed… Bunny Girl Senpai’s ending has been changing with each arc to feature the girl that’s the subject of that arc. Evolving OP’s are uncommon, but evolving ED’s are very rare indeed.
This is versions 1-4… Oddly enough, version 1 does not feature Mai. Or any other girl who has appeared in the series so far.
This video has versions 2-5, dropping the unknown girl and adding Kaede.
And before I forget to mention it – Loved Mai and Mai/Sakuta at the beginning of this episode.
Iroduku Sekai no Ashita kara / IRODUKU : The World in Colors Ep 10
I was pleased to see Hitomi and Asagi sit down and sort things out between themselves like actual functioning human beings. It’s nice to see two characters actually communicate their feelings! Maybe now that Hitomi has given her a bit of a push, Asagi can confess to Sho. But I kinda get the feeling she’s cooled on him just a little bit… That’s partly his fault for having all the sensitivity of the average lump of granite, partly hers for being too afraid. But I can understand her being afraid… Confessing to him risks destroying their friendship.
After this scene, and reading other blogger’s thought’s about this episode… something struck me like a bolt of lightning: What if Grandma sending Hitomi into the past really isn’t really about Hitomi at all? It’s quite plausible that she’s sending a message about being gentle with those who can’t or won’t use magic – to her own past self.
I can’t quite put my finger on it… But looking at Kohaku and Hitomi’s relationship and the way Kohaku has been involved with helping Hitomi to accept magic… That theory seems to make an increasing amount of sense to me.
It will be interesting to see if Hitomi tells Kohaku what she just told Yuito…
Run with the Wind / Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru Ep 11
In some ways this is Takashi’s character episode… Showing how hard he’s working on getting the fan club organized while also being dedicated to running. On top of all that, his girlfriend leaves him because she’s getting so little of his attention. (Argh! I hate that particular trope. Did he explain? Did she not care? We haven’t been told the whole story and that’s annoying too.) They drop the issue, so maybe he’s OK with that?
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it before, but kudos to the staff for the way they’re handling the ensemble cast. I bitch when it’s done badly, so I need to remember to praise when it’s done well.
Speaking of the ensemble cast – they don’t forget to keep us abreast of their progress too. Three more members of the team make their official times. And I think there’s no member left who isn’t fully onboard… When extra practice is proposed, Prince takes off without a word. Even King makes only a token protest before joining in.
We also get a couple of scenes reminding us of Haiji’s injury…
And who is the guy at the end, and what is his connection to/interest in Kakeru? Why do I have a feeling his past is coming to haunt him again?
Sword Art Online: Alicization Ep 10
Yes, I know there’s a ton of controversy about the objectionable content in this week’s episode. I’ll not be discussing it because I don’t see that I can say anything that hasn’t already been said or bring anything new to the discussion.
What caught my eye was Raios being trapped in an infinite loop… Kikuoka explained how, until Alice, nobody had violated the Taboo Index. (And that was only by accident, though he didn’t know that.) Raios was clearly trying to do so – and ended up caught in a loop between saving his skin, and violating the Index.
How many times has this happened before? I’d love to know, and I suspect it would be of interest to Kikuoka & Co. too… But so far as we know, they can only detect outright violations. Which means that Eugeo being able to violate the Index is setting off all kinds of alarms bells along about now.
Speaking of Eugeo, he seemed able to break through by sheer force of will. I suspect that’s due to Kirito’s influence more than anything innate to the ALICE experiment.
Tsurune / Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudou-bu Ep 8
I have rarely seen a tournament episode so thoroughly chill… There wasn’t much emphasis on drama, and a ton of emphasis on the experience. (If that makes sense.)
There were also a ton of good character moments, with pretty much each character getting some screen time… Most fascinating was Onogi turning introspective. It was cool the way his bow did turn, but naturally and not as far as when he was faking it. Minato’s shot was, of course, a thing of pure beauty… I couldn’t find any one screenie that would capture it. Probably time to try a video, but I’m running behind on getting this week’s entry finished…
I’m not sure I buy them getting into the next round though… Even though it was emphasized that they barely squeaked in, it just doesn’t sit right with me.
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Well, that’s this week in the can! What are your thoughts on these or anything else you’re inspired to talk about? Drop a comment and let’s chat!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
@Anima Yell: I agree, the way they handle the support role of the Cheer Club is excellent. Kohane makes a great main, in that respect; it’s basically her personality that ties the two strands together. Odd to say, but this show actually makes me respect cheer leading a little more (i.e. not just for the technical execution).
@Bunny Girl Sempai: Are evolving endings really that rare? I can think of more endings than openings to be honest: Amagami SS, Shirokuma Café, D-Frag, Hakumei to Mikochi. (ETA: Though they’re not actually evolving, come to think of it.) And that’s without taking a break for thinking. Evolving openings: School Live, and… uh… Can’t think of any others. Selective attention?
@Iroduku: Interesting theory. My own theory is still that Yuito’s her grandfather, and they only met because of Hitomi, so she has to be sent back, or she won’t get born. Would explain the fish, I think.
I also liked the scenes between Hitomi and Asagi; also showed how far Hitomi has come. Ep1 Hitomi would have retreated and despaired, I think.
@Run With the Wind: I didn’t like the way they treated the girl friend scene. They singled her out stylistically, and there was no chemistry between them at all. I don’t like that sort of imbalance between characters, re-inforced through style. The rest of the episode is great as always.
It seems to be taking a break until next season; I’m going to miss it.
@Tsurune: I liked the tournament arc, but Onogi I find annoying. I can’t help it.
@Slime: Gobuta defeating the fab lizard was a great scene. That our protagonist underestimated Gobuta caught me off guard and is brilliant. He’s basically underestimating him in a very similar way that he’s routinely underestimated. Nice touch. Makes me wonder whether I’m underestimating the narrative the same way.
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Could be selective attention on my part too… I very rarely watch ED’s, which is a big part of why it took me virtually all season to catch that Bunny Girl Senpai had one.
Re:Irodoku That’s an interesting theory… How does that explain the fish though? Agreed on Hitomi, that was a great character moment.
Re:Slime I laughed my butt off watching Gobta kick the lizardman’s butt.
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Well, it’s a connection. The assumption works best if she barely knew him when he was a child. She could easily have seen the picture, especially if she re-invigorates her grandfather’s love for painting in the past (which is tied up with the fish), and he recognises her the moment she’s born. That would make the fish to some extent hers, too, and he might acquaint her with it one way or another. It can’t have been anything dominant, or she’d remember details. It could also be one of those deep connections that neither party’s fully aware of that anime likes so much.
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“she”: “…barely knew him when she was a child…” (typos)
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Ah – Hitomi sees the fish because it’s a buried memory?
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That’s my theory, yes. (I do think recent episodes have made it a little more unlikely.)
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I didn’t really buy the boys in Tsurune making it to the next round, but the show works well enough (absolutely beautiful at times).
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OTOH, the underdog squeaking in is a well worn trope isn’t it? Much depends on the execution, and here… They just missed it. Not by much, but enough.
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