Of course I’ve dropped a show…

Just Because! can now be added to Eromanga Sensei and Tsuredure Children in my ‘shows-I-pick-because-they-sound-sort-of-good-but-turn-out-to-be-either-really-boring-or-incredibly-cringy-leaving-me-no-choice-but-to-banish-it-from-my-watch-list-forever’ list. I’m reading a lot of bloggers praising it, so is there something in the show that I’m totally missing? All I could see was a main cast who I could not warm to at all, the main protagonist and heroine having no real outstanding qualities, and I really did not like the animation.

I guess that, in my time as an anime follower, I’ve grown too accustomed to expressive characters and settings that stand out that, when a show like Just Because! comes along, I can’t really find anything that I like. Don’t get me wrong though, I enjoy shows that work in minimal settings (Usagi Drop is one great example); these main characters have all seemed to meld together now, and I can’t seem to find something tangible to work on here. Sorry. I’m never ever going to learn. Ever…

So time to move to a show full of expressions to fill in the gap: Love Live! Sunshine!! 2.

Mari learns that an open house for the school will be held after all, only the date for it will clash with the first Love Live! performance date. An atypical scenario in the Love Live! franchise, and we all know that everything works out in the end, but this episode aqours get their act together and realise that, while they can aim for a miracle and both save the school and win Love Live!, only one will turn out to be successful. I know many LL fans saw the chemistry between the 9 girls come to fruition much early on in season 1, but it’s been slow coming for me, and it’s been this week’s episode where I can finally be happy and see aqours as what they are; a group who are carving their own future, and not trying to be the group they idolise and look up to so much.

Also cool to see some rather bonkers scenes finally; Chika flying a helicopter, Riko skydiving and You piloting a cruise ship. The Love Live! shows are known for pleasing the audience by not really taking itself too seriously. I can’t wait for the aqours puppets episode (see here for more). And not just that; my new favourite Love Live! meme arrived in the form of some air guitaring. Only someone like Mari could pull it off:

Next week teases the first character episode, with Dia being the focus. I think her fans (which appear to be increasing in number as each day passes) will love this week as, by the looks of it, her naturally serious and strict persona starts to crumble.

Land of the Lustrous left us on a serious cliff-hanger last week, when Phos was consumed by a giant snail. Without Phos around this week, we see how much the jewel people disliked having her around. Only Diamond seems to be the only one who wants to bring her back. Considering how we saw her go last week, you would think it impossible, but these jewel people cannot die. They can be broken, split apart into thousands of pieces, and can be taken by the Lunarians, but they are incapable of true death…something which annoys Cinnabar, who after being cast aside by the community, just wants to be free from her pain.

As I am totally unfamiliar with the story, I don’t really have any clue on where it will go, but that’s what has kept me very curious. The jewel people have come across in this show as rather inclusive so far, and ‘fight maniac’ Bort is continuing to be a jerk to everyone.

On to Kino’s Journey now, which I have now learned is effectively a remake/rebuild of the original show, with more condensed episodes. This week, Kino & Hermes find themselves in the path of a technologically-advanced ‘country’ that is more like a giant moving tank. While they both see that the residents only want peace, they know that the ‘country’ constantly has to be on the move in order to not overheat the power reactor. This in turn means they end up destroying roads, trees, houses, and farms that unfortunately end up in their way.

This week shows that technology has no limits in the show’s universe, which is rather fascinating. It’s also rather fascinating that Kino doesn’t seem too phased about it all either, even after being shown fancy cars, flying drones, tablets and laser weapons. This shows us that Kino is a rather chilled-out person, and is willing to accept anything in her stride. She isn’t tied down to any commitments, and she has no intention to settle down either, despite being fascinated by so many countries and feeling welcome in them.

Because I started a new show last week, I skipped coverage of The Woman Called Fujiko Mine; time to catch-up. Episode 2 sees Fujiko losing a bet in a casino and being captured by the owner, who gives her a mission: steal the gun of a rival gang’s bodyguard, and lead him to her. As opposed to the wacky hijinks of episode 1, a darker and more mature tone is introduced, and I’m now under the impression that the remainder of the show will have episodes with bittersweet stories quite similar to this.

Episode 3 tells the story of an assassination on a train that goes wrong as Fujiko goes undercover as a tutor for a king’s grandchildren. A samurai assassin is sent to kill the king on his train home from Paris, only to discover he is being double-crossed, and is to be assassinated himself. Interestingly, this episode shows a more caring side to Fujiko. Watching over and keeping those children safe showed us that emotion can get to her, even if it was all meant to be an act, and she only came to steal one of the country’s national treasures (a golden belt).

I do feel so much better now that I’ve dropped a show that made me quite annoyed and listless. If you like Just Because! then good for you, but I just can’t like anything about it. I have found something in Land of the Lustrous though, meaning I can keep my HIDIVE subscription for that much longer, and that’s a plus for me. Perhaps as well as doing a poll for my classic/out-of-season show, I should do a poll on what show I am likely to drop first…