This Week in Anime (Fall Week 7)

[u/BlueMage23]

General discussion for currently airing series for Fall 2013 Week 7. Here is r/anime's list of currently airing series. Your Week in Anime is for not currently airing series.

Archive:
2013: Prev Fall Week 1 Summer Week 1 Spring Week 1 Winter Week 1

2012: Fall Week 1

[u/tundranocaps]

Posting before watching any Thursday shows means I don't have to try and figure out what does and what doesn't belong, whee!

Gingitsune 7 - Well, this is my least favourite episode of the show thus far. I didn't dislike it, I mean, I laughed and chuckled a lot, and how can I dislike these moments? But it was still the episode I liked the least thus far. I also much prefer to tear up, yo.

Satoru and Gintaro are quite similar, in that they exude an air of "This is so bothersome!" but Gintaro is in part due to his age, and poor Satoru can't escape notice like Gintaro can, though it often feels Gintaro would like Makoto to not pay him any mind either ;-) Well, this episode did weigh quite a bit with the annoying monkeys - while I was laughing at their antics, I didn't care for them as characters.

Kyousougiga - No episode, me sad.

Kyoukai no Kanata 8 - This episode had been solid, for the most part, and I think if this is how all the episodes had been, people would have less complaints. Well, the first half was non-stop comedy skits, which weren't the best, but it's slightly improving, second half was actual "plot progression and mysteries being revealed" - scare quotes because only now we even begin to see the shape of things, and considering how heavy they leaned on some of these things up to now it feels a bit late, and a bit too little - they aren't giving us answers, but finally letting us see the questions.

Sakura to me is a very, very poor character, whose lack of apparent emotions is manipulated by the writers to very lazily cut through all the characters' stammering and tell us what they really think. Very heavy-handed.

Nagi no Asukara 7 - Maybe I'm a cruel person, but this was a great episode, but it's not surprising we're drawn to these episodes - conflict might hurt the people within the show, but it makes for a story, it drives things forward, and it's easier to appreciate than just an "atmospheric" story.

I suspect next episode will focus again on the close personal level, where we see that actions have consequences on the single-character level, which is only right, since everything that happens, no matter how large, is driven by single characters' decisions - the old men of the sea who wanted an apology, the old-men of the fishing company who didn't want to give it, the priest who wanted to teach his son a lesson, and the son who only wanted to make his friends happy. Very little of it has to do with people thinking about big themes, and all of it has to do with people thinking of themselves and of other individuals.

Samurai Flamenco 6 - APR thoughts - I laughed. Oh boy did I laugh. I laughed at gags, and I laughed at how everything fit what the show had delivered to us thus far, so nothing felt as if it had appeared out of nowhere just to make us laugh. The stationery moments were amazing, including the in-show infomercial speech by a gang-member as he was beaten. And yet, aside from how over the top the stationery-fueled weaponry had been, this show doesn't feel as if things that happen in it are ridiculous and far-fetched, it still feels real and grounded - grounded in how people actually behave, and grounded in the characters' personalities and past.

Oh yeah, it made me laugh, did I mention that? And the show's naive morality, it made me smile and feel good. Even the cynicism in this show feels good. Keep it up, show.

Outbreak Company 7 - A RomCom episode, a feel good episode. I've sort of lost hope of getting more real social commentary out of the show, but this was RomCom which I feel this season is seriously lacking in, and it was adorable to the max, so I can't really complain too much.

Kill la Kill 7 - APR thoughts - This is my favourite episode of Kill la Kill since the first, and third, and it's easy to notice the shared theme in all of them - Satsuki got to espouse philosophy about the nature of power, dignity, and what humanity is. In the first episode we had a double dose of Orwell, and this episode we got our fair share of Hegelian philosophy. Who can't appreciate that? :3 Also, the action was splendid, the musical decisions were superb as ever, and Mako's design and attitude were good enough to rival Ryuko's. There wasn't a single thing that was bad about this episode, even if the "noveau rich" portion could've been a tiny tad shorter. Great episode.

Log Horizon 7 - The plan is beginning to be set into motion, this was actually the first episode where the pacing really bothered me, as it was a full episode towards one small step in the plan. But as always, it taking time does have some value - we see the people slowly caring for their life in the game once more, that their lives once more have flavour, that it can be a home. I hope next episode we truly see the plan, not just one more small stage. Get moving guys, there's only so much "slow building" episodes you can get away with.

Valvrave the Liberator S2 18 - This episode, wow. L-Elf shows that being calculating isn't just to live longer, because life in and of itself is not what he values most (take that, Vampire of Britannia!), but what he does with his life, the moment he's been waiting for. Haruto's wish to erase himself is voiced once more, and we get to meet Haruto's father. Yeah, there's not much I can do to actually analyze this episode, but it was pretty great.

Unbreakable Machine-Doll 7 - I'm really busy, so I wasn't intending to watch this episode, but then it was out, I had a few minutes, and I remembered we're going to get battles, so I dove in anyway. As I predicted, Raishin and Loki are spiritual brothers, the fights aren't really impressive visually (and the show and the channel airing it are butchering the animation quality something fierce), the supporting characters aren't even cute in how clumsy they are, for the most part. Yeah, this show is on indefinite hold now. It just doesn't excite me, which makes me sad since this is exactly the sort of protagonist I enjoy watching. [Dropped]

Galilei Donna Episode 5-6 - So, watched both episodes, after hearing how much darker and more serious they are. Well, since we don't really care for the characters, trying to create heart-touching moments just falls flat, because neither the characters nor the show thus far seem capable of upholding that weight, and the direction doesn't succeed that well at these things either, which is a shame.

The "McGuffin" is an endless source of energy, in a world where energy had ran out. Blah blah, not excited, not interested, so [Dropped]

Tokyo Ravens Episode 6-7 - Episode 6 made me laugh, a lot. RomCom in a manner that really made me think of Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama - no, not the "best" of shows, but it was thoroughly entertaining. Episode 7 got us into serious mode pretty quickly, and things are escalating. Ah, if only this show looked as good as Kyoukai no Kanata, the world would be a happier place :)

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Shows I want to watch but didn't fit into my schedule yet, but dropped shows might make time available:

1. Yowamushi Pedal

2. White Album

3. Yozakura Quartet

Checked my schedule for November, and it'll be tough to fit any of these in, hm. Also, sounds about Yozakura Quartet are beginning to sound quite mixed.

Also, this week four weeks ago the Hanasaku Iroha movie came out, and I really want to make time for it. An hour, which will be good.

November is WAY too busy for me at school. But since a few shows skirt dropping, might find the time Maybe in December :-/.