Because I’m going to be a little occupied with things outside of OASG next month, I have decided to do this poll early, so I’ll know what to start when the spring season comes.

Sooooooo, moving on 🙂

I will start this week with Citrus, and oh my god…will Matsuri’s arc just please end already?!?!?!?! I don’t think I’ve ever been so frustrated and angry with a childhood friend character in a show until now.

I’m not going to be one to criticise the mangaka, but if Matsuri was introduced right from the beginning of the manga, then there would have been a much better chance of us actually liking her character. Instead we get to see this selfish little brat who is just too bitter with the whole world, and who just decides to take out all of her frustration on everyone she sees. Not even Yuzu is spared, as she has now been put in the awkward position of wanting to please both her and Mei. We can rage and moan at Matsuri all we want, though, but I guess one excuse for her behavior could be down to the fact that because she is receiving next to no affection from her own family, forcing affection from others is Matsuri’s only option, even if it means hurting them in the process.

I just want her to disappear next week…or at the very least, remain on the back seat in the show and only appear when she is necessary..

‘Meh’ episodes continue. I can’t really call Yuru Camp Camping Girls® this week, as this episode instead focused on how penniless these girls are when it comes to the very expensive hobby of camping/outdoor activities.

That’s not to say that this show is lacking when these girls aren’t camping; in fact I think the show would get a bit dull and monotonous if every single episode was them all on a camping trip, so I actually like this mixture of ‘camping trip’ episodes, ‘preparing’ episodes and ‘not-doing-much’ episodes. Instead of Rin and Nadeshiko, this episode focuses a little more on the other two in the Outdoor Activities club, Aki and Aoi. Neither of them, unfortunately, have much in the way of character, like Rin and Nadeshiko do; they are just…regular girls who enjoy camping. As the two of them take Nadeshiko to a large outdoor equipment store, they contemplate spending what little money they do have on the most frivolous things. Not really much to report on, sadly.

Another meh episode this week comes in Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles, however I know in this SOL show, we all know that there’s not going to be any final end story where Yuu runs off into the sunset with Koizumi; we all get 4-5 more episodes of Koizumi stuffing her face with ramen, and everyone else in the show watching in awe.

This week sees Yuu vanish almost completely, with Jun taking her place. She is the only one that Koizumi is prepared to have an actual conversation with, and considering Jun is my favourite character in this show (told you I have a thing for secondary characters), I savor every moment she is on screen. This time, as she is pondering whether to follow her mother and persue publishing as a career, bumping into Koizumi makes her think what she plans to do. As the two of them arrive at a instant ramen restaurant, Jun actually learns that ramen was the last thing on Koizumi’s mind when it comes to her future career.

I have enjoyed the novelty of this show, but right now, I just want it to end. There’s only so much ramen one person can take.

Oh, what to say about this week’s episode of Darling in the Franxx? It could be interpreted in two ways:

  1. A better look at the team, and how they all see each other, away from all the mecha fighting
  2. The obligatory beach episode

Well, to start with, yes…this is the obligatory beach episode, although having a beach episode in a show like this feels very out of place; almost as if the decision to have one was forced by the studio. However I think they have successfully managed to make the best out of what they could here…under the umbrella of ‘vacation after big battle’, we get to see the team bond as they work on their swimming, their tans and their summer barbecuing. While the boys press Hiro on what a kiss is (with a rather funny confrontation from Zorome), Ikuno begins to detach herself. While we see her as that one who would rather read at the beach than have fun in the sea, we can also see that she no longer gets along with her assigned partner Mitsuru, and would rather more time with Ichigo. I have noticed that the hardcore fans have seized on this, believing that homosexuality could actually be a topic that could be raised in this show that, to be fair, is told around the idea of a male and female ‘joining together’ to fight.

Ichigo has been the star in this episode. She is feeling much better with Zero Two being Hiro’s official partner. After last week’s near-death experience, she sees now that a life with Hiro being with Zero Two is so much better than a life without Hiro at all. You also have to feel sorry for Goro as well this week; he admits to Hiro that while he likes having fun with Ichigo (his assigned partner), he knows it hurts sometimes. The emotions and hormones that are flowing through all of these kids is almost adorable to watch, although at the same time, you can’t help but cringe sometimes.

None of the shows I’m reviewing for OASG (except for Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles) have a story that would merit filler episodes, and so seeing a whole week full of episodes that don’t really impress me has thrown me off a little. Even looking at Darling in the Franxx‘s beach episode makes me think that adding some action or mecha fighting would have made things a little more…exciting?

Oh well. Over in Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Kashima is getting moody, because she feels that Hori-senpai is not paying enough attention to her, although she is totally oblivious to the fact that her carefree attitude in the Drama Club is actually driving him more and more insane, to the point where he can’t interact with her without fighting.

I can moan until the end of time about filler episodes, and a show like Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun can be seen by some as having them, but because the story and characters are all so lovable and fun to watch, it is something that I actually do not even notice. Would that make me a hypocrite then?

Also I totally forgot about characters standing on boxes in this show; that was one thing that especially made me laugh, as it is one of the more ridiculous things that ends up in Nozaki’s head.

How has your anime season shows been? Is Matsuri annoying the heck out of you too? Do you think Ichigo has it hard? What do you think of filler episodes? What else have you been watching? Feel free to air your opinions in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to vote in my Twitter poll to decide what classic/out-of-season show I’ll be watching for the Spring 2018 season…