Crazy busy week this week… Lots of good episodes, and yours truly is also knee deep in stuff for the photo club. (A committee to overhaul our web/’net presence.) But still, I have Stuff To Say and that’s what you came for – right?
So, hit the jump and let’s dive right in shall we?
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 with no comments this week.
A reminder for the Winter 2021 season: Due to the large amount of shows this season, brief comments and no comments are likely going to be common… This is about the only way I can remain sane.
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Episode9
Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season
By the standards of this season, this was a slow episode… But it still hit pretty hard, filling in a lot of backstory. But there’s still bits and pieces missing – like how Zeke (Beast Titan) Yeager started working with the Paradisians in the first place. And they especially showed us the Titan who hasn’t put in an appearance so far this season – Annie/Female Titan.
I have to say, I lean more towards Eren’s side than Armin’s. This collision was set in motion a very long time ago. It’s not clear that it could have been avoided. OTOH, Eren’s violent decapitation strike probably increased the ante more than it needed to be. Unleashing the Attack Titan and the Colossal Titan may have put the Marleyans temporarily off balance – but it also reminded the world just how very dangerous the Wall Titans are.
In the end, I don’t think anyone had any good choices to make. Only bad choices and worse choices.
And is it just me… or is Eren imprisoned?
Cells at Work!! Episode 5
Hataraku Saibou!!
A pleasant finish to the two parter… I LOL’ed at the “childhood photographs” of the protagonists.
Dr. Stone: Stone Wars Episode 4
Chrome, you’re an idiot. Loyal as h*ll, and that’s to be commended… But you’re an idiot. But on the other hand, I don’t think arranging for Magma to be captured would have ended well either. He’s not bright enough to know when to stop fighting. He would have ended up dead.
I’m finding Tsukasa’s character more and more interesting. He took in Taiji and Yuzuriha when they needed shelter. (And didn’t imprison them.) He didn’t simply kill Chrome out-of-hand either. Despite his twisted views of what constitutes an ‘ideal’ world… he’s not an out-and-out monster. It’s not that I admire him or am rooting for him, but the humanization is a nice touch.
Cardboard cutout villains are boring.
Of course, the elephant in the room – what’s up with Ukyo? What’s his game? Is all not well within the Empire Of Might?
Side note: The Navy considered making me a sonar tech, but I was disqualified… Not because I was deaf or anything, but apparently I’m slightly tone deaf as well as having slightly below average hearing. (But I can hear stuff others can’t, not only volume wise but I can (or could when I was younger) hear higher frequencies than average.) Whatever. I ended up with what was (at the time) probably the best job on submarines (Missile Fire Control Technician) so I’m OK with all that.
I did eventually qualify Basic Sonar Operator, but that’s another story for another time.
Horimiya Episode 5
Hori-san to Miyamura-kun
Awkwardness and lack of communication are well worn anime tropes, but Horimiya actually makes it work… And doesn’t it make sense that two teenagers just figuring themselves and their feelings out would have a problem communicating who they are and how they feel? It just feels natural.
It’s also interesting that the “loner” is the one putting himself out there – while Hori is fairly reticent. Not that she denies or avoids, just avoids saying it out loud to Miyamura’s face.
And what the heck is up with her father?
(*) Idoly Pride
Not watched this week.
Laid-Back Camp 2nd Season Episode 5
Yuru Camp 2nd Season
Hot Pot Fairy Nabeshiko – I laughed and laughed. (Hopefully the video shows up in your browser.)
Fun decision by the writers to go off in a bit of a different direction not centering on Nadeshiko and Rin. (Though the former is certainly on the camper’s minds.) I don’t know why, but Aki never struck me as that capable before… But who knows? My only real complaint is that we didn’t get nearly enough Chikuwa time.
One thing I did find out poking around this week is the manga timeline… Seems it goes the Christmas Camp episode, but not the closing scene (1st season) -> Post Christmas (2nd season/current) -> Closing scene of the 1st episode. So maybe, just maybe, we’ll get the Rin-and-Nadeshiko “solo camp” this season. I sure hope so!
Non Non Biyori Nonstop Episode 5
Pretty much I just smiled all the way through. Classic!
So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 5
Kumo desu ga, Nanika?
Kumoko levels up and evolves… Not much to say otherwise than the gusto she showed when finally getting to eat something tasty was fun to watch. Still not sure what’s going over on the human side.
The Promised Neverland 2nd Season Episode 5
Yakusoku no Neverland 2nd Season
I was… massively underwhelmed by this episode. After a six month time-skip, it essentially all but reset the plot and setting entirely. We’ve gone from the kids boldly trying to escape and prosper to a largely static hardscrabble existence.
And what exactly has Isabella been doing for six months?
That Norman is alive doesn’t come as a surprise (folks were theorizing about that back in the first season). But I suspect there’s a story to be told as to how he’s alive (and free?) in a demon town and being helped (?) by demons. Is he actually free and in rebellion? Or a pawn?
The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬ Episode 5
Go-Toubun no Hanayome ∬ (Second season)
Best Girl makes her move!
The middle part of the episode is what I came for… The eternal conflict and comedy between Futaro and the quints. (And between the quints themselves as they dimly start to grasp they actually have feelings for him.) Poor Ichika though! She’s trashing her career (and her health) for the sake of her sisters. It’s not that her sisters don’t appreciate it – it’s that I don’t think they really grasp what it’s costing her.
The first and last part… Man, Nanako-san is a real piece of work. He sees to his daughter’s physical needs, but man… emotionally, he’s just not there. I can’t even see what role he thinks he’s playing in his daughter’s lives. I mean, he’s concerned about their grades, but it pretty much ends there.
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Season 2 Episode 6
How are the going to continue the show? By resetting Tokai and Mejiro’s rivalry… After they both heal from unspecified injuries. (This is the second time this season they’ve reached for that McGuffin.)
(*) With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun
Inu to Neko Docchi mo Katteru to Mainichi Tanoshii
Still watching, still very good.
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Whew… That was a good week anime wise. But things are gonna get crazy over the next few. I’ve got committee work for the photo club, and we’ve also picked up Disney+ so we can start watching Wandavision. Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san (Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House) premiers in two weeks, and it looks like we’ll be able to watch it on cable via NHK World. And in just over a month, Falcon and Winter Soldier premieres.
So, that’s it for me – over to you. What did you think of this week’s shows? How’s your life going? Drop a comment and let’s chat!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
Oh, so the Maiko show is still on the plate? I was a tad confused, since I rely solely on AniChart, and there it doesn’t have a countdown anymore, which suggests it’s over, but it also says February 25th, which suggest a schedule. I thought maybe it was one of those all-at-once drops, with a later TV airing? Or maybe it’d been postponed? Glad to hear it’s on its way.
Neverland: Yeah, Norman’s return should have been a great moment, but all I found myself thinking was, what? Now? Like this? I don’t really understand my reaction, since when I think about it, I can’t find anything wrong with the set-up. I just felt it was underwhelming. I mean they’ve been setting up a demon class struggle from episode one/season one (with the comments of the grunts), and now they’ve doubled down on it with degenrative symptoms from lack of quality meat among the city scarcity… But I can’t bring myself to trust the writing.
Nabeshiko shows up fine in my browser. Classic moment this season.
I’ve dropped Uma Musume a couple of weeks ago, and it seems I’m not missing much.
I appreciate the human side of Spider more as a framing device of the show than for its own sake. It’s moderately interesting, but nothing special. We do get some context, though, what with religious fanatics, heroes, taboo breaking, and demon lord skills… It appears, that the human side’s main(?)’s brother as a hero is naturally opposed to our little Spider now, and thanks to the goings on over with a human(oid)s we have now a good idea of how strict the code is. Out of all the I’m-a-monster-now isekai’s, Overlord’s the only one that actually works with the erosion of a sense of moral. Spider seems to have a full-on metaphoric level of outsider-dom, here: the spider/hikkikomori angle is the obvious starting point, but the outsider/taboo angle feels also somehow apt: a difference how society sees me, and how I see myself; without the human side I’d be tempted to assume a more simple bully angle on the heroes, but there’s just a hint of well-meant advice maybe? Our resident religious fanatic says it’s all about death; but I could – for example – imagine a purification scenerio: it’s possible to get rid of all those nasty skills, but an outsider might them to survive. I’m not saying Spider is particularly deep or anything, but I do feel like the human side lets me appreciate the spider side in a different light. (And also it would probably exhaust me, if it was all frentic action all episode long.)
Just because it’s fitting, I’m having fun with Slime, too.
Finally, if you get the time it might be worth checking out Pui Pui Molcar. It’s available on the Bandai Namco Arts Channel on Youtube. No sub, but there aren’t any words anyway. It’s a stop motion anime with cars that are also hamsters, and it’s really, really weird, but fun. For example, they have wheels, but they use them like really stubby legs. The hamsters are plushes made from – I think – felted wool? Everything else is some kind of toy, like say, action figures. Episodes don’t outlast 3 minutes, so you’re losing not much time checking out a random episode. This weeks episode had a zombie apocalypse… You need to see this to know what to think about it.
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Yep. I think the listing services are getting a bit confused over it because not going through the usual channels as it were.
Re:Neverland
Exactly. By their usual standards (by which I mean first season), that should have been a heart stopping cliffhanger. Instead… yeah, it just felt rote I guess.
I have, and it’s not my bag. I told my wife about it, since it’s more up her alley, and AFAIK she’s still watching.
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QQ: Now this was more like it! Lots of the main characters having fun together, and a couple of great Yotsuba moments. Needless to say, your screencap is one of the scenes I was looking forward to for a year+. Also the comedy in full swing here….Ichika stripping in her sleep, Futaro in his “popular” phase, Miku turning yandere, and of course the “how do we thank Futaro” bit with four of the girls imagining a thank you kiss while Yots imagines giving him a medal – that’s probably one of the most popular manga panels in the whole series.
And I’m glad they came back to Futaro’s “I quit” conversation with Papakano after they skipped it last episode. Undeniably rude, but still a bit of a crowning moment of awesome for Futaro, standing up for his friends and their feelings, even if it does get him off on the wrong foot with his future father-in-law.
Weekly Yotsuba: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErNdXoPVkAIpM82?format=jpg&name=large (it’s been snowing around here this week, so this one seemed fitting)
I finally got caught up with Laid Back Camp this week too. Not that there’s much to say about this particular episode. It was cool to see the B-team get some run, but Nadeshiko is still the straw that stirs this show’s drink for me. I think episode 4 has actually been my favorite of the season so far: “tentpole” Nadeshiko was hilarious, and the way she surprised her sister with the handwarmer was incredibly sweet.
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It’s snowing here today, so that Yotsuba works for me too! (I mean, Yotsuba always works, but it really fits this week.) Yeah, this episode was much more a return-to-form than we’ve seen this season. Probably the best so far.
Nadeshiko/Rin is certainly the engine driving the show, but part of why it’s so good is that the B-team are well done characters in their own right… If they were just the more typical tropes-with-legs, with it be as fun?
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@Shingeki no Kyojin: The narrative goes a bit non-linear in this arc, but in their choices of which manga panels to adapt, MAPPA appears to be trying to tighten the focus on fewer new characters per episode. Which is a good thing, IMO. In this ep we are introduced to the Marleyan chef Niccolo, and get our proper intro to the Anti-Marleyan volunteers, Yelena and Onyankopon, who both appeared in the previous arc. We get initial glimpses into Eren’s motivations (it’s not just you, he’s back in the brig). And, typical of Isayama, Sasha gets some of her best character development in post-mortem flashbacks. Cruel yet so very beautiful.
@Yakusoku no Neverland: I’m with you and Dawnstorm, Norman’s re-appearance felt a bit out of left field given how they’ve set up S2 up until now. And this week’s ep is a recap, which gives us another week to stew on it.
@Kumo desu ga, Nanika?: This one may have survived a near-drop… catching up on it, think I’m one or two episodes behind. Uma Musume may not be so lucky.
Like you, still following so many series that I don’t have much time to write about. Urasekai Picnic seems to have found its direction. Usual plugs for Beastars S2, Wonder Egg Priority, and Mushoku Tensei, the first being a series that’s living up to my expectations and the latter two being highly pleasant surprises.
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@Attack on Titan
There are huge slabs of Titan that could cover… I think this episode was a much needed breather after the last few weeks. (And Hange was just great as nerd comic relief, going back to her roots.)
The Anti-Marleyan Volunteers is an unexpected wrinkle. I mean, their existence makes sense in retrospect, but it’s nothing I would have thought to include in such a story. I wonder how anti-Marley feeling plays out against the larger world? I mean, everyone knows what the Eldians can do… The enemy of my enemy only goes so far.
@Promised Neverland
After the first couple of episodes, pretty much everything since the Emma/Sonju hunting scene, Neverland has gone way downhill. I don’t know that I’m stewing…
@Kumo desu ga, Nanika?
I always ponder dropping it, then I watch the episode and the feeling goes away until shortly before the next episode airs. It’s just one of those shows that I can’t actually resist. (With the caveat, that applies to Spider side. The Human side just baffles me.) Kumoko just lives with such gusto!
I can’t blame anyone for dropping Uma Musume. It’s not that great a show to start with, and this season has been particularly weak. But it’s pure mind candy, and there’s always the Special Week and Silence Suzuka cameos, so I keep getting drawn back.
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@Shingeki no Kyojin:
Very mild spoilers for today’s episode.
To be honest, when I first read these chapters I thought they were just a convenient solution to the problem of how Eren’s letters got to the Survey Corps, and how the Survey Corps obtained an airship and trained pilot for their retreat from Liberio. Obviously they needed a go-between. I did learn better… but that’s a discussion for another time.
General Pyxis appears to agree with you, seeing as he ordered the Volunteers detained.
@Kumo desu ga, Nanika?:
I guess what gets to me after a while is that Spider-side is all Kumoko’s internal monologue since she doesn’t have any other sentient characters to talk with. (Come to think of it, she probably can’t actually speak as a spider…) I’m not a hater of internal monologue but it’s tough to carry an entire show with it. I have to admit that Kumoko’s VA is very good, though.
@Uma Musume:
The new characters just haven’t grabbed me yet, and there’s not enough cameos of the S1 characters so far to keep me interested. But I’m stalled on ep. 2 so maybe it gets better. When I get caught up on all this week’s eps. I’ll make one more effort to catch up… I liked S1 too much for this season to just get the “soft drop” treatment where I don’t make a conscious decision to drop it but just make a passive decision not to catch up after falling behind.
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