Ok, so not all of them. Little Witch Academia is still very young.

This week gets a little more serious while keeping the light-hearted humour firmly at its side. Akko has been given an ultimatum after these antics of hers; pass exams or face expulsion. When she accidentally flushes a professor down a drain (the professor was a fish by the way), Akko decides to head down into the sewers to rescue her, only to end up rescuing an endangered species…a noble act that impresses the headmistress.

These have been great episodes to watch, but I’m starting to think now that these mini-stories will be the whole series, and the more I realise that, the more I can accept it. Why? Because looking at it from a distance, this show isn’t really that suited for a long ongoing story like what Kill La Kill had. In fact, I think it would reach a younger audience better if some complex story wasn’t in the way of their adventures; it would be like if, for instance, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic had some great story where Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony had to go on this one epic mission to save Equestria (as opposed to the episode-long stories about friendship and joy like they are now).

I’m enjoying a show like Little Witch Academia, mostly because it’s absolutely nothing like Fuuka. Angry people in school hall jealous that Yuu is taking their Koyuki away from them immediately do a 180 and cheer on their band when they perform their only song?? I think I’m pretty much at the point of no return now. Saying that though, I think they did pretty well with Koyuki’s consequences of performing unannounced; dropping her public appearances and concerts, leading to her losing her voice. Fuuka has already made it clear that she has little romantic interest in Yuu, so I’m rather relieved to see him and Koyuki reunite in the rain and being all soppy, because to be honest, they suit each other. I swear if this goes all Studio Key and puts her in the position of not being able to sing again, I think I will scream. The next episode is entitled ‘Date!’ and considering Christmas is coming up in the show…well, you can put two and two together…

I don’t often get disappointed with shows I like, so it was kind of a bummer to see Sangatsu no Lion do not so well. This week follows directly the events of the last: Shimada beginning the Lion King tournament, and Kyouko and the Kawamoto sisters meeting for the first time. Shimada is at a serious disadvantage and he knows it, but I didn’t find his interactions with Rei very interesting. If anything, it proves how different (in terms of skill) the two of them are. Later on, Hina and Momo pay a rare visit to Rei’s place demanding answers. They are concerned about who Kyouko was and whether she is the witch Momo thinks she is. Out of the whole episode, I found this to be rather sweet; it showed us two things:

  • Despite their huge differences and constant fighting, Rei and Kyouko are foster brother and sister, and they both care for each other in that unspoken way.
  • Hina and Momo are beginning to see more in Rei. They don’t have a male role model that is their age, and so they end up turning to him.

We’re approaching the end of the show now. I can’t imagine how exactly it will end, though. At least there hasn’t been any point where I’ve totally hated it. This week, it was good to see my all-time favorite illustrator, Ume Aoki (Hidamari Sketch, Madoka Magica character designer) do the end card:

As for Chihayafuru? Well…Chihaya never changes, and that’s one thing that really annoys me. They make it to Omi Jingu, but the pressure gets to her in her first match and while Arata arrives out of the blue, she kicks herself for failing the team tournament. When it comes to the individual tournament though, she finally meets the Queen: Shinobu Wakamiya, who plays defensively and prefers not to throw cards around when they are announced. Even though she manages to get a few cards, Chihaya loses miserably, but the Queen is left reeling when she finds that someone can actually beat her to cards.

Meanwhile, Taichi makes it to the final, only to fall at the last hurdle when he gets brain fog. Now that the fall has arrived in the show, the club realise that while they have the skills, what they lack is stamina.

This is where the first half of the show ends; now the club can concentrate on getting good and wiping smirks off peoples’ faces. Sadly, one other major complaint I have with Chihayafuru is their fashion sense…and it’s something I’ve only just realised. You would have thought that, with a show full of edge-of-seat drama, the characters would have bothered to find decent clothes to wear. I’d start on Wakamiya’s terrible snowman shirt, and then continue moaning about Nishida’s Naruto shirt, but I won’t out of peoples’ wrath.

In terms of any other shows, one has stood out…okay, many have actually stood out…but this is quite something. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is KyoAni’s first manga adaptation since Nichijou, and they have done a remarkable job of staying loyal to the manga. Thirty-something web developer Kobayashi-san (we never know her first name) ends up with a dragon at her doorstep, who offers her services as a maid as a means of payment when she saved her life (she got drunk, found a wounded dragon in a park and pulled out the sword stuck inside it). Tohru immediately falls in love with her, but finds other dragons are looking for her too. One such is Kanna, a white dragon who takes the form of a elementary school girl. When she decides to move in too, a family unit is effectively formed.

The show relies on great character design, memorable and lovable characters, a good soundtrack and…well…it’s very apparent now that KyoAni have softened their views on homosexuality considerably with a show that pictures a lesbian family. Strange that while I moan about short mini-stories appearing in slice-of-life shows, it has really worked here, as neither Tohru or Kanna know much about the human world and thus have to learn as they go. It has also spawned the anime meme of the season: Kanna’s raindance.

I could watch this all day.

The world’s falling apart now because of Easy D, but there are always our beloved shows to watch, and this season has surprised me immensely, as there are usually a handful of shows that interest me, but this time it’s been around a dozen. Our weeaboo gods must be smiling at us. Now if only every season was like this.