Right now, I’m sitting here at my desk, contemplating how I’m going to finish off all of the chocolate my immediate & extended family has sent me for Christmas. Chocolate isn’t something I gorge on, really. I should look at this on the bright side, and think that I don’t need to buy anymore until I’d say…February or March.
But what did you guys get for your holidays? More anime and manga perhaps? I got myself a Blu-ray of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, which I’m very pleased with. Now I just need to find the time to watch it. With this season ending, and the Winter season starting (more on that in tomorrow’s post), time for me to look at what I’ve enjoyed. But before I do that, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Years. Now, let’s look at some final episodes…
Assault Lily: Bouquet Episode 12
Penultimate episodes are infamous for hyping things up for the end episode, and we got that here too. No magical transformations or becoming omnipresent entities, showing that this show is not Madoka Magica 2.0, like people want it to be (so they can criticize it some more, perhaps).
But anyway, let’s get to it. Previously on Assault Lily: Bouquet…
The Huge launched their largest assault yet, with something resembling an Angel from Evangelion. It nullified Magie, meaning Lilies were unable to go up against it. The only ones who could were Riri, with her Charisma Rare Skill, and Yuyu with her Lunatic Trancer Rare Skill, which she uses on the recovered Dáinsleif CHARM found in the garden’s workshop.
I was hoping for some really epic action sequences in this final episode, and so I was a little disappointed with what we got. Firstly, we had Riri face the Huge alone, practically yelling: “Stay away from my wife!”, and then Yuyu comes in, with Lunatic Trancer, effectively saying the same thing. All of the other Lilies do get involved in this final boss fight in their own way, but in a pretty predictable “Lilies-stick-together!” manner.
Eeek, I’m really criticizing this episode, aren’t I? Well, Assault Lily: Bouquet has been a consistently great show that went on different directions that kept us all entertained and eager to know what happens next. I just thought that this final episode could have had more to it…unless it was rushed (which is a possibility). Maybe an extended episode might have suited a show like this. A show hoping to bring SHAFT back in the main spotlight, with a little help from KyoAni staff, and a crazy action-sci-fi-yuri story to boot. An extended episode would have set a great mood to what has already been a great show to watch.
I criticize this end episode because it left some things unexplained. One major one being where these Huge came from in the first place, but another maybe more relevant one is what happened to this spectre of Misuzu. Did it disappear just like that when the final boss was destroyed? Why didn’t Yuyu get some little scene saying goodbye to her Schutzengel? I’m left conflicted here. Assault Lily: Bouquet ended on a good note, but only because I have really enjoyed the show as a whole. I still stand by my opinion that this final episode could have been an extended one, or push comes to shove, have had an episode 13. A heck of a lot was crammed into these 25 minutes. Thankfully, it didn’t go on too quickly a pace and we were able to catch up, but considering how well-paced past episodes have been, this final episode stands out among them.
This show is a part of a mixed-media project, in case you didn’t know. Its focus has been on toy figurines, but it has also had stage plays and light novels. I think that Assault Lily has the potential to be so much more. And before you ask, a mobile video game has been made, Assault Lily: Last Bullet, and is due to come out in late January. I could picture a console game be a part of this project too, with players creating Lilies, fighting the Huge, forming Legions, etc…and of course, us Westerners would have to import it, because its developers would likely make it Japanese-only.
But on to the other show that finishes this week.
Adachi & Shimamura Episode 12
To be honest, after that phone call in episode 11, I wasn’t sure on how this show would end. Having not read the light novels and amicably following the slow-burn, I knew that there’d be no confession outright here, and so…what would they do? Well it turned out to be far simpler than I thought: a sleepover.
Of course knowing our girl Adachi, she overprepares, and decides to pack many bags as she can for what would actually just be a weekend over. What I found especially interesting is how nonchalant Shimamura is about the whole thing. As the show has been a lot more from Adachi’s point-of-view, we somehow get the idea that asking to spend a whole weekend over would be something one would have to stop and think over. But Shimamura doesn’t do this…and then it suddenly hits us. All of these past moments, no matter how fleeting or big, that the two of them have had (playing table tennis on the gym roof, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc.) have made its own impact on Shimamura, but because we see less from her point-of-view, it’s less noticeable.
One otherwise unremarkable scene stood out for me in this final episode: the moment when Adachi and Shimamura’s mom was eating dango. It made me think of the game Life Is Strange, where the protagonist Max returns to her hometown to study photography and runs into her old friend (and lover, depending on your in-game choices) Chloe. Chloe’s mom knows Max extremely well and treats her like a princess, unlike her own daughter, who she treats like a rebel and delinquent. Here, Shimamura’s mom sees Adachi as someone who could be a role model for her own daughter, despite not knowing that Adachi is just as much of a truant as the daughter is. This is a scenario that a lot of other fictional works have had, I know, and so I’m not really sure why Life Is Strange came out in particular. Yuribait being yuribait I guess.
Adachi & Shimamura has been full of sweet and lovely endings, and this finale episode is no different. Once the weekend is done, and these two dorks go back to school (and choose not to truant as well), we’re really left with the impression that this will no longer be the one-sided relationship that we had been watching for the last 9 or 10 episodes. Shimamura really does feel…something, but because she is more emotionally closed-off than Adachi, it’s less noticeable. Do I want to know more? Do I want to find out how these two carry on in the light novels? Maybe. But from what we have seen in these last 12 episodes, this end result would still be okay.
Adachi & Shimamura really has been a treat to watch. The slow-burn was absolutely perfect, and rushing the relationship the two of them would develop just would not have worked at all. We end the show a bit open-ended, but that’s okay. I’d be just fine if there was no second season, in the same sense that a show like Bloom Into You does not need a second season. While Adachi and Shimamura’s relationship will continue, their story here will end. It leaves us knowing that the two will see the world in a more positive light – Adachi in the sense that she can follow the girl she has fallen in love with, and Shimamura in the sense that the world is not full of faceless and forgettable shadows. And of course, just like so many yuribait shows, every male featured in Adachi & Shimamura has no face whatsoever…
Fall Review
There is so much I can about this season, but I’ll say one thing that’s more blunt: the seasonal shows I picked made this Fall season might be the best I’ve had in a long time. I usually end up finding something to really dislike, but the three I did end up picking have all triumphed, and I’m fairly sure that were plenty of other shows this season that I missed out on this season that I’d still be happy with. I’ve heard so many good things about Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina (which I will be reviewing on its own in the future), plus there was the new Love Live! franchise, as well as the latest Strike Witches outing…and some rock climbing show that I’d find rather silly/entertaining.
Tonikawa ended up being a last-minute pick, and I’m glad it ended up on the list. This turned out to be a really uplifting and feel-good comedy show that didn’t patronize either of the main characters, or make the male lead out to be this atypical pervert. An idea bounced around that Tsukasa was some kind of Princess Kaguya-type girl for Nasa, which if true, honestly didn’t matter, because of how well the two worked together as a married couple. As it was originally based on a manga, with the mangaka effectively calling this a reflection on his own early marriage, maybe we’ll be seeing some more of these two…but like with Adachi & Shimamura, it’d still be okay if it didn’t. Nasa and Tsukasa have got the relationship they wanted, people close to them have accepted their marriage, and with the ongoing comedy gags coming in left, right and center, I hope that Tonikawa will be something a lot more people will get to watch. It is a ‘Crunchyroll Original’ after all, so perhaps that will happen in the future.
Okay, so I didn’t find a lot to like in Trigger’s BNA – Brand New Animal, and to be honest, this dislike might be entirely down to me. The show looks amazing, and the OP and ED themes are perky and very memorable. I suppose I’m just not too much of a fan of shows (including anime) that make a point in being overtly political, and have no intentions of hiding it. My pick for Winter 2021 (and Spring) is P.A Works’ A Lull In The Sea, and with the few opening episodes that I have seen, I can see that it’s quite an emotional rollercoaster full of love, tragedy and everything in between. I’d rather watch a show that’ll leave me in tears than one that’ll make me question my politics…but that’s just me.
The Winter season starts in a few days now, so have you put together a list of shows to watch? Out of all the sequel seasons, what’s going to be on your list? Or are you going for the lesser-known shows? Feel free to hit that like button, and air your opinions in the comments below! And let’s all hope for a better 2021 in general!!