My list of Spring shows is complete, I’ll have you know. This time I’m aiming for 4 shows, including A Lull In The Sea. However, cancellations and delays are still a thing in these pandemic days, not to mention that some shows might go to Netflix, where I might not be able to catch them for seasonal review.
So I have a goal, but what about the rest of this season? We’ve actually reached the halfway point now, so what have the shows I’m watching thrown at me so far?
Yuru Camp Season 2 Episode 7
This is the episode where we see our adorable little muffin grow up.
Influenced by Rin, Nadeshiko takes the next step and goes solo camping for the first time. Interesting how I was reminded of the first episode of this season, where we got a little flashback on Rin’s very first solo camping trip, where she makes a heap of mistakes. Now we all know that Nadeshiko is rather ditzy and a little accident prone, but as time as gone by in this season, we get to see how much more responsible she is becoming. And so while we’ve had arcs of both Rin’s and Chiaki/Aoi/Ena’s trips (and how eventful they both got), I’m very curious to see what this arc will have. The next episode will definitely be her setting up her tent at her campsite, and what’ll go wrong there. Because it’s not really a fun episode if everything goes perfect, now is it?
This week also turns to Rin and Sakura bumping into each other while they both go out on their own trips. If you don’t follow the show, Nadeshiko’s older sister Sakura doesn’t camp, but likes to drive around to various locations/views/cafes/bathhouses in the immediate area. Not quite camping per se, but in my opinion this could still be construed as an outdoor activity, just like camping is. They both have close connections with Nadeshiko, but this is the first time that the two of them have had a real meeting and conversation by themselves, so it’s kind of funny how Rin finds it so tough to break the ice.
It’s also fairly clear to see that they are building up to the final major camping trip with everyone in attendance and a drunk Sensei making sure these kids be on their best behavior. I doubt Sakura would want to join them in camping though, but I still like it when she crops up in episodes. I don’t think I’m ever going to forget her first appearance in the very first episode where she has to be summoned to pick up Nadeshiko who strayed off on her own. If you’ve seen that episode, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
I couldn’t resist putting up this other screencap too. We see a lot of our dorks in this show pull funny faces, but I think this one has to be my favorite of this season so far. Waiting for tasty yakisoba must be a real struggle. And yeah, far too many Yuru Camp screencaps for one week’s Otaku Theater, but eh, who cares?
Otherside Picnic Episode 8
On to our two other dorks, and this week’s Otherside Picnic was…different. Okay, I know what you’re thinking; how can a weird show like Otherside Picnic get any weirder? Well what would you do when you hear of an urban legend of ninja cats?
A college freshman suddenly arrives on Sorawo’s lap after hearing she’s an ‘expert’ in the supernatural. I’d be freaked out too, considering how non-social Sorawo is at college; if you remember all the way back in the first couple episodes, she was someone who didn’t want to stand out. Anyway, this young girl Akari tells her she is being stalked by ninja cats. This would make a lot of us laugh, and even question whether this Akari girl is trying to pull her finger or not, but after she researches a bit, Sorawo discovers that there genuinely is an urban legend about ninja cats. This is a filler episode that I could spot a mile off, but towards the end it does get more into what could potentially be the final plot point of the show.
As well as that, there is something that I have noticed in the show: how lax the writers are in developing a yuri relationship between Sorawo and Toriko. Right now, even after 8 episodes, they still give off the aura of partners-in-crime: a pretty loose term, to be honest. I mean ‘partners-in-crime’ can easily mean just good friends. There’s still 4 more episodes to go, and with this final plot point incoming, it’s a wonder if we’ll even get it at all. Don’t get me wrong, I think the show has still been fairly solid, and something that turned out to be better than I expected it to be. I just hope this final plot point will inject some more life into the Sorawo x Toriko pairing…or rather, make it more noticeable than it has been.
The Promised Neverland Season 2 Episode 6
Speaking of adaptations, what are we meant to say about The Promised Neverland now that the original writer wants to go in a different direction? So we had the big reveal last we-…oh wait, 2 weeks ago: Norman managed to survive, despite what we saw towards the end of season 1. Great news considered how well-loved Norman was then. Yet here in this week’s episode, why does his return feel so…unexciting?
And not just unexciting either. Something just feels not right here. Of course it’s wonderful to see him again, as I say, but his journey from the ‘foster home’ to now doesn’t quite sit right with me. Not going to say too much about it, but it pretty much involves him going to another facility where he was able to find other humans and join a resistance force of sorts. A lot of ‘tell, don’t show’ here on his part as well, so we get some dull exposition that may or may not crop up again in any other episode this season. He’s also bouncing around the idea of making all demons extinct, which doesn’t sit right with Emma, who has already developed a bond with Sonju and Mujika, and who will no doubt crop up in a future episode considering how quickly the pacing is in this show so far.
Even as an anime-only person, I saw his return coming, and after some research, I found out that this episode in particular adapts some later chapters of the manga. But even though I haven’t read the manga, it already feels like things are going far too quickly. We only just had Emma, Ray and co. struggling to survive on stolen vegetables in a demon village, and now Norman’s back, everything’s suddenly going to be okay? Maybe I’m just overthinking this. One thing Reddit did pick up on that I totally agree with is how Norman is going full on Walter White here with his epic plan to wipe out the demons. Could this lead to a severe rift between Emma and Norman? And one other thing I noticed: it’s eluded that Norman has some connection with Mujika too. How, and why?
This season of The Promised Neverland has just gone too quickly, and that would be my key complaint here. I’d pull out a list of more complaints, though, as I don’t think this second season has had the great reception that people were expecting it to have. I don’t even think the remaining episodes will make it miraculously better. I found so much to nitpick at in this Norman homecoming episode that it’s made me lose even more hope. It sucks; it really does. I loved the first season, and this second season could have really delivered on the same level, and so because it isn’t (so far), the fans are getting more and more frustrated.
A Lull In The Sea Episode 7
This week I accidentally ended up reading some really old comments about A Lull In The Sea, and how Melodrama™ eventually overwhelmed the entire show and made it frustrating and nigh-on unwatchable for some. I can be too influenceable sometimes, and as I’m already starting to complain about how soppy this show is starting to get, I can kind of understand their comments. I mean, Reddit has influenced me a lot in other shows in the past (just take my comments this week on The Promised Neverland as a great example), so why should this be any different?
Episode 7 is actually a bit of a important episode for A Lull In The Sea. What I wasn’t a fan of was that the episode writers made the decision to cram so much story into these 25 minutes. And there is a lot of plot points, all of them pretty big. I’ll break it down to the barebones here.
- The children are all able to work together to finish The Lady statue.
- The surface fishermen and the self-righteous douchebag elders from Shioshishio are still at each others’ throats and don’t think the festival should even go ahead.
- Akari’s father, Tomori, will still not accept her relationship with Itaru, or her plans to leave the village permanently.
- A desperate attempt at a meeting between the surface people and sea people means the Lady statue is destroyed.
- Akari leaves the village to live on the surface anyway, but instead of letting this all slide, Hikari decides to join her, effectively making him homeless.
I remember in my original watch, this sudden decision on Hikari’s part came as a real shock. He had been so adamant in protecting the rights of Shioshishio and not really giving a damn what the surface people think. I just could not understand why he would want to do this. I’m hoping that episode 8 (or remaining episodes in this first cour) will shed some light on it all. I was scratching my head back then, and I’m still scratching my head in this second watch now.
I should also point out that, in my original watch, episode 7 was the furthest I got. So from now on, I’m in completely unchartered territory. I’ll still be expecting the show to be full to the brim with Melodrama™, but aside from that, I have absolutely no idea what will happen next. Akari has moved to the surface for good, and Hikari is now homeless, so now what? Maybe some romance ships will start to blossom some more, maybe some of the secondary characters will play more of a role in the story, and maybe Hikari will actually chill out a little…
Now I said last week that another show had only just caught my eye. Wonder Egg Priority was something I wasn’t really sure what was all about, but now I’ve got around to watching it, I can only say one thing: oh my god.
An original show, the show tells the story of Ai Ohto, a 14-year-old who is forced to be home-tutored due to serious school bullying (and other circumstances which are kind of spoilery). She has gotten used to this lifestyle and has considered being social not a priority (no pun intended). She stumbles upon a rock hard egg, and after making her way through an escalator/portal, she wanders into a parallel dimension where she has the chance to live a normal life. The only catch is that she is forced to relive past horrors and memories and battle her inner demons; this is only motivation for her to grow stronger, of course.
This show was put straight into the psychological horror genre, and from what I’ve seen so far, it’s a title that definitely suited for it. Despite the initial outlook, we get a lot of Silent Hill vibes from this. The character design, along with the vibrant and colorful animation, ended up drawing me into the show too. Ai is a very interesting main character that some people can relate with, and definitely sympathize with. And the people she meets along the way are their own bizarre and misfit group…but it’s a bizarre and misfit group of people that Ai can feel right at home in. The show is by no means finished, but it’s worth thinking how Ai was only able to find true friendship in a dreamlike parallel dimension. The score stands out in particular for me; an off-beat electronic soundtrack that creeps up on you out of nowhere. Actually, there is a heck of a lot in this show that made me turn my head.
I’ll be watching Wonder Egg Priority in my own time though, and so won’t be covering it for Otaku Theater, but we’re only halfway in and I consider this already to be a contender in my top 5 for 2021. Not a lot of shows have been able to do that for me.
I’m still watching EX-ARM by the way. Maybe I should just add that in my top 5 of the year too. Despite its terribleness, it actually does make us appreciate how our favorite anime shows are made, and how much of a big deal it all is. What do you think about that? And on that note, if you’re watching Wonder Egg Priority too, what are your thoughts on it? Feel free to hit that like button and air your opinions in the comments below!