- Well, umm…I’ve been very away. Blame being very sick and being stuck in hospital. So I’ve a lot to catch up on. Mai has been defying boob physics in Myriad Colors Phantom World no doubt, Hotaru is reaching new sugar highs in Dagashi Kashi, and Asuka, Misaki and Mashiro are all fighting over who will get Masaya in Aokana. But I have also been into a lot of other shows that started this season; I shouldn’t say that I don’t restrict myself to just 3 shows as an opinion of an anime cour.
- Oh. My. God. Why did I not get around to watch Bokumachi?! I initially thought it was going to get all complex and pretentious, but after what I’ve seen, I’ve never been so desperate for a character not to die. And while Ajin didn’t live up to what I anticipated it would be, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu has peaked my interest. Haruchika is no Hibike! Euphonium, but it’s still been fun to watch. Plus I plan to start two others before the spring season starts too: Luck and Logic, and Grimgar. Anyway let’s get cracking:
- I’ve unfortunately missed out on two episodes of Myriad Colors Phantom World; both of which were, unsurprisingly, very very silly. The first one goes into detail about Schrödinger’s cat, with the entire school (except for Haruhiko, strangely) becoming cat boys/girls. When a cat goes missing and is rumored to have disappeared into an abandoned dorm, everyone has to fight the urge not to meow and pounce and chase around. But the whole episode was worth it because Haruhiko and Mai grew just a little closer, with him showing off his knowledge (which cannot be faulted), and her blushing. But her being the dominant senpai type, she just brushes it off. We will see no romance in this show whatsoever, and I am fine with that, as it would completely ruin it…more than it is ruined already.
- Later on is the obligatory swimsuit/beach/hot springs episode. It’s unlikely that the setting for this show will be near a beach, so somehow the hot spring comes to…umm…them. More of an opportunity for all of the girls to show their assets, especially with Mai showing off her red-painted behind to attract a Phantom monkey’s attention (yeah, I know…), as this week’s story made no real sense whatsoever. This episode alone proves that KyoAni has made their most perverted show yet. But at least Haruhiko unleashes his best summon yet: Cthulhu. A pink and cute one, mind you. Can’t have the moe ecchi fans freaking out over a realistic-looking Lovecraft creation, now can we?
- I’ve also missed out on a lot of Dagashi Kashi, although I will say that while I didn’t miss Hotaru’s sugar highs, I did miss Saya’s fang. If you read my column, you will know full well that this show has not sit well for me, purely because of its lack of cohesive story. Operating on a slapstick comedy route is fine enough, but that route has, over time, become very very hard to get right. A lot of watchers will like this though no doubt because they want to know that the Japanese don’t just eat Pocky all the time. So yeah, education is good, but blending education with slapstick comedy is something that has been hard to get right in this show.
- Meanwhile in Aokana, things have started to turn the way I had hoped; away from Flying Circus. After being bewildered at how Asuka can take failure so well, and watching the person she had tipped for to end up getting slaughtered in the final, Misaki decides to withdraw into a bubble, only to bump into Shindou, who tells her that Flying Circus is, after all, meant for fun and that if you don’t have fun then you shouldn’t play…something she didn’t expect from the person who only seems to live to win; it was possibly his ultimate defeat in the final that was some kind of light switch for him. Nonetheless, it’s something that motivates Misaki, and also leaves the others stunned……and actually makes me want to watch next week’s show. This would be most certainly something that happens in the game, and it would be something that the MC would have to deal with. So perhaps we’ll see more of Masaya this time.
- Being in hospital (and thus away from the world of Anitwitter and the whole Aniblogging community) has actually given me some pause for thought, hence the change of style for my column. This is something that suits me better as I can give a better review on the season as a whole, instead of focusing on a handful of shows. As I have a lot of catching up to do…