Penultimate episodes all over the place… All the shows putting their cards on the table. Which shows do I think will stick the landing? Which are still holding just a pair of deuces? Hit the jump and find out!
The shows that I’m watching are in bold, shows my wife and I are watching together are in bold italics, strikethrough marks dropped shows and (*) marks shows that are watched but not regularly reviewed.
Adachi and Shimamura Episode 11 (Funi)
Adachi to Shimamura
The end of episode 10 left me feeling… empty? Sad? Almost seemed like we were headed towards a Bad Ending. That did not sit at all well. Happily, with the timely assistance of a fortune teller, Adachi has finally gathered the guts to reach out and grab what she wants. The glitch here is Shimamura… As we near the end, she really hasn’t changed all that much. She appears determined to keep her empty independence.
I just can’t predict where they’re going to go. Please, please, let us have a reasonably conclusive happy ending…
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Episodes 1-2
Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season
It took until the second episode to really have any kind of a handle on what’s going on… Between the time skip, the focus and setting shift, and the shedload of new characters it was all a bit confusing. Still is a bit as this is basically all but a new anime.
And that being said… I really don’t know what to say. The Marleyan Empire is not a pleasant place, the Marleyans themselves not very nice people… And the level to which the Eldians have succumbed is, quite frankly, disturbing.
So far, the character to keep your eye on is Reiner. There’s hints that he’s not quite the Honorary Marleyan that he projects himself as.
Iwakakeru! Sport Climbing Girls Episode 11
Kind of a mess… We wrap up the training camp, have a quick vignette of the club training, and boom we’re into the final tournament.
With only one episode to go, their pacing problems are really killing them. Either it’s going to be seriously rushed, or they’ll go for some kind of cliffhanger/go read the manga ending.
TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Episode 11
Tonikaku Kawaii: Fly me to the Moon
Party time at the Yuzaki house!
That being said, it was nice to have an episode where Tsukasa took a more front-and-center role… So far the series has focused more on Nasa-kun or them as a couple with her being somewhat secondary.
With only 12 episodes, it looks like they’re coasting towards a nice quiet ending.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Episode 11
Maou-jou de Oyasumi
Pretty good, except the middle segment was weak and rushed. Am I the only one who wishes we’d actually gotten to see the slumber party though? Not that the hijinks we got were unsatisfying, but I really love it when Sleepy Princess mixes it up a bit. (Plus Harpy is just so cute. And it would have been fun to see her with the friends she didn’t have earlier.)
No idea where this is going to end… Probably going to just run out of time and end. That’s not always a problem, and I don’t think it will be here either.
Strike Witches: Road to Berlin Episode 11
Dai-501 Tougou Sentou Koukuu Dan Strike Witches: Road to Berlin
Did you catch the cameo of Karibuchi Hikari, member of the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing – the Brave Witches? They referred to the 502nd twice, maybe they’ll join in the final battle?
With this weeks cliffhanger and next week being the final episode – that’s certainly what’s coming. How will Miyafuji win the day this time?
(*) With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun
Inu to Neko Docchi mo Katteru to Mainichi Tanoshii
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Whew. It’s been a season, and the end is in sight. But next week is Christmas and I’m not entirely certain I’ll be able to write up all the shows and do any kind of season review – and all by Christmas Eve. (Even though I’ve got more time on my hands than usual – no whirl of holiday social activities due to the pandemic!) So, we’ll have to wait and see.
What I am planning in the next week is to get my Looking Forward posts finished and posted… Yes, “posts”. There’s so much next season it’s going to need two – one for the sequels and one for everything else.
Anyhow, your thoughts this week? Drop a comment and let’s chat!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
I feel like Adachi to Shimamura is written more like a coming-of-age story than a romance. It’s clearly also a romance, but it feels secondary to me. There’s a bit of an imbalance in their relationship; Adachi’s interior monologue (when it’s about the two of them) is all about what she wants from Shimamura, and that’s also what Shimamura’s interior monologue is about. She only got into wondering about Adachi during her absence, and then it’s more comparatively. But because the progression is so emotionally plausible and real, there’s no clear sense of a plot for me, and how far into it we are. For example: what’s the deal with the book-girl? The fortune teller? Are those one-off encounters (but then why was the book on the desk?), or are those character introductions? (Is the fortune teller someone we know? Or is she looking for the astronaut?) I’m not expecting a conclusion to be honest. Because of the way the show’s structured, though, I wouldn’t really mind ending up with no clear conclusion.
As for Sleepy Princess: yeah, I’d have loved to see the pyjama party, too.
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I get the feeling the fortune teller is connected to the astro-loli somehow. I think the book girl was just a deus et machina, a bit of authorial meddling.
I can see you point I think, but the ending doesn’t have to be romantic. I think that it would end up a much lesser show if it there isn’t an ending that’s better than “and our battle goes on” (or heaven forbid, “go read the source!”)… I know it’s an ongoing series, but please give us something to hang our hats and hopes on! Otherwise, they’ve kinda wasted my time.
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