I’m typing this column post just as I hear the news that Sony wants its hands on Crunchyroll and have even more of a monopoly on anime. They already own Funimation and Aniplex, and so what competition will even be left? Anime isn’t that much of a priority for either Netflix or Amazon, and so eyes will be on other services like HIDIVE and newer and smaller services like RetroCrush. I don’t think this can quite be comparable to what happened in 2007-2009, when masses of big-name anime distributors (ADV Films, Central Park Media, Geneon, etc.) just fell apart like dominoes. If you don’t remember that far, Central Park Media went bankrupt in 2007, while Geneon closed down and moved licenses to other companies. 2009 saw ADV Films go into liquidation and be rebranded to Sentai Filmworks. Thanks to Wikipedia for all of that, by the way.
And so we’re all just going to have to wait and see what’ll happen here. Sony seem extremely keen to want Crunchyroll after all…but enough doom and gloom.
Assault Lily: Bouquet Episode 5
After episode 4, with the subplot of Kuo Shenlin and Wang Yujia, I admit that I got a little concerned of the direction Assault Lily: Bouquet was going in. Sure enough, Riri has been given the task of forming a Legion, and a good bunch of Lilies have signed up for it. But here in episode 5, along comes another subplot: Riri’s birthday.
Yuyu finds out about her birthday by pure chance, and learns from others that Riri really loves ramune. Knowing that she is becoming distant from her Schild, Yuyu decides to take temporary leave and make the effort to go to Riri’s home. We learn that the residents of Riri’s hometown had to be evacuated due to Huge activity, however Yuyu still finds what she came for.
Maybe it’s just me and my sensitive SHAFT radar, but I noticed a lot more SHAFT traits in this week’s episode, alongside a few things from former Kyoani staff who are working on this show. Some scenes in this episode in particular look stunning – Yuyu’s trip sees her as a lone girl in an evacuated town, and it shows us a stark contrast to the joviality at Yurigaoka Academy. Assault Lily lore says that Gardens are built around miles of forests, to cut itself off from the rest of society for their own protection. Here we see a town that has seen the effects of the Huge; not so much in the way of destroyed buildings, but instead a more psychological effect. There’s not a soul in sight, and this scene really makes us see how the Huge really has affected humanity, leaving them hiding and fearing for their lives, not knowing when the next Huge attack will come…especially when a nearby area has had to be cleared entirely.
Sorry about that; just me going all philosophical over an episode which, in all honesty, is more relaxed than past ones. Perhaps with this Legion arc wrapping up, we can get some more episodes that focus on action. But as we watch this show, we have to ask ourselves if it’s even necessary. Assault Lily: Bouquet has become one of those shows that wants to be taken seriously, with all the futuristic weapons and alien antagonists and fancy lore and the big military academy, when in all honesty, it works infinitely better when it’s being cute and silly and full to the brim with ridiculous yuribait content. It’s something in a similar vein to what the original Strike Witches seasons ended up doing. In that, the witches were portrayed as some great saviors, and the Neuroi were portrayed as some unstoppable war machines, when in fact the show worked far better as a slapstick comedy full of panty shots. I’ll take this cute and silly SHAFT show though. Saying that, it would be curious to see if it did end up becoming some super-serious action sci-fi show; something tells me it wouldn’t have done as well.
Tonikawa: Over The Moon For You Episode 5
Nasa is now officially a player. In the space of 4 episodes, he has gone from meeting the girl of his dreams, to going out with her, to marrying her, to holding hands, to meeting family (of sorts), to kissing. While we’ve had a couple of semi-serious episodes in the form of meeting Kaname, Aya and Chitose, this week sees Nasa and Tsukasa mull over building the new home they live in. Then it dawns on Tsukasa, who turns out to be a real movie nerd, that Nasa doesn’t even own a TV. This episode also takes the time to poke fun at not only James Cameron’s movie career (from terrible B-movie horror to Avatar), but the Sharknado franchise. It even takes the time to poke at Sony…who could well end up owning Crunchyroll this time next week.
But the main theme is about whether Nasa feels it’s worth getting wedding rings or not, and as someone who isn’t married (and probably won’t ever be), I have to say his motive is extremely sweet. He’s worried that Tsukasa feels lonely whenever he has to leave the house for one of his many jobs, and feels he needs a little memento for the both of them, so that they don’t feel apart. Then it dawns on him how much diamonds really are…
An episode like this highlights the fact that Tsukasa can be just as dorky as Nasa, and that she isn’t some Princess Kaguya type that came from the heavens. She’s a massive movie nerd, she’s a restless sleeper, and also blushes unexpectedly when she sees Nasa really care for her. Nasa has been portrayed as the regular kind of guy (without a TV…), but Tsukasa is turning into more of an interesting character now. Before she came off as rather cold and shut-off, but now she’s accepted married life, she’s opening up, and that’s a good thing, right?
Adachi & Shimamura Episode 4
Both Assault Lily: Bouquet and Tonikawa have become shows that have turned both silly and great to watch. So what about Adachi & Shimamura? This is meant to be a far more serious yuri slow-burner, and it’s becoming that so far. I’m connecting with both Adachi and Shimamura, and am starting to think about what the both of them are thinking of each other deep inside. Once again this week, the narrative begins with Shimamura, who is thinking about the events of last week, where Yashiro gatecrashed her date/not-date with Adachi. We see her mull over a lot of things:
Was this a ‘date’? Should I have intervened and told Yashiro to go away? Should I have paid more attention to what Adachi wanted that day?
At a session at the gym with her mother, she just so happens to run into Adachi’s mother. Shimamura decides to conceal her relationship, but she’s quick to see that the mother is not the type who would want a happy and normal relationship with their daughter. She has seen her as a withdrawn girl since pre-school, and thus decides to make less of an effort to be a kind and nurturing mother. This frustrates the heck out of Shimamura, who lectures her in the sauna about how she shouldn’t look at who her daughter was, but who she is now.
This slow-burning show just keeps going at a snail’s pace, even with Shimamura inviting Adachi to a karaoke session with Nagafuji and Hino. She knows that social activities like these end up making Adachi awkward, but the end result afterwards ends up working, and sort of makes up for how badly their date/not-date ended up becoming.
These two are making baby steps, and that’s what I’m really liking about this show. It’s a relationship that is more realistic and…plausible even. The mangaka (and writers of this adaptation) thought a lot more about how a person with a crush would genuinely feel, as opposed to just picturing a scenario where they confess on Valentine’s Day or on graduation day or something. We see Adachi’s feelings easily; they’re practically stamped on her forehead. So what about Shimamura? We’ve had a lot of narratives around her, but we’ve yet to see what she truly thinks of Adachi, deep down inside.
BNA – Brand New Animal Episode 5
Episode 5 of BNA, and…well…I don’t know what to say here. I was hoping for some progress in the main story, but instead we are given another filler episode. An extremely dull one at that.
Michiru takes an interest in the local Bears baseball team, and finds out that their coach is taking part in baseball gambling; purposely losing games for money. The fact that this coach was the first beastman to play professional baseball seems to matter here, but ultimately the Michiru/Shirou duo come in and fix everything. In their next game, the Bears lose, but are happy that the game was played fair and square.
True enough, there’s the idea that Michiru is making herself more noticeable in Anima City, and yes, she has had to keep the fact that she was born human a secret, but perhaps some popularity might be something to help her become human again…maybe?
I want to like this show, I really do. I’m not angry or frustrated or anything like that; just so very…disappointed. I’m pretty sure Trigger fans got that same feeling when Kiznaiver came out, and not everyone warmed to Darling in the Franxx (myself included). Perhaps Trigger are turning into a bit of a hit-and-miss studio. Now I’ve met I say that, but I know that BNA has its loyal fans. I just don’t think that this was the Trigger show I was hoping it to be.
Episodes are becoming far more interesting now that we’re approaching the halfway stage. The directions that Assault Lily: Bouquet and Adachi & Shimamura are going in are rather interesting, and makes me want to know more. Have the shows you’ve been watching been like this? Or perhaps you are just happy with whatever comes along next? Feel free to hit that like button and air your opinions in the comments below!