Week 7 arrives, and we’re beyond the halfway point. Is this a time where we begin to look at the next season? Should we begin looking at what shows the Fall 2019 season will bring us? A lot of you will be looking at season 4 of My Hero Academia, I’m sure, as well as the continuation of Sword Art Online: Alicization, the return of Chihayafuru, Food Wars, and Psycho-Pass. I’m afraid you might have to look elsewhere for coverage of the big franchises, as I’ll be looking at the lesser-known shows, like I always do. Heck, I might even be convinced to cover this second season of We Never Learn, which I was so sure would never come back!
As for now, we’ll begin over in Astra Lost in Space, where this week the crew hit its first major problem when they arrive on their next planet.
After a short sob story on who Charce really is (not original and not entirely surprising backstory for him), the crew arrive at the next planet on their list: a wasteland planet that doesn’t rotate, meaning one half is a scorching desert, and the other half a frozen tundra. Why they chose to go to this particular planet knowing how inhabitable it was is beyond me. Nonetheless, a major incident happens leaving the ship a mess. However, what they find on this wasteland of a planet will leave them shocked and questioning how alone they are.
In case you’re wondering, I do have my favorite characters in this show, after watching 7 episodes of these dorks trying to survive in deep space. Naturally, my first pick is Yunhua, and no-one is allowed to harm her in any way…no one. If you asked me at the beginning whether I’d like Quitterie or not, I’d be laughing, but she has really warmed to me now. Her super-tsundere attitude on board has really stood out, and made her a very likable character. As for Aries? Well…she may be the lead female on board, but to be honest, there’s precious little that stands out in her, unlike her male counterpart Kanata, who we’ve seen not only as a reckless idiot, but a fearless leader of a crew that is very reluctant to be led. Also, we may have had Luca’s big reveal last week, but I’m still not totally convinced when it comes to them (I say them since we’ve learned that Luca is intersex). Luca needs to do something amazing right now to win me over. And as for the others? Well, we still have half of the show to go, and their episodes may well come soon.
You know something…the more I watch Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?, the more I convince myself that it is this show that will end up becoming my Summer Curse™ show. What made me pick it, I ask myself each time I tune in…when I know I’ll get the same cringeworthy stuff over and over again. Perhaps you think I’m just being overly critical of a show that is meant to be no nonsense and meant to appeal to the weebs who dig fan service. What on earth made me think that there would be more to this show than that? I don’t think I can even answer that now…
This week comprises of three parts. The first being Gina settling in and everyone eating at Hibiki’s brother’s yakiniku restaurant, because meat is an excellent source of protein (and the show loves to remind you of this fact over and over again). The second being Gina discovering Tachibana-sensei is a cosplayer she likes, and the two of them doing what’s called ‘active rest’. The third being all five of them entering in a local idol competition, because muscle idols are entertainment, apparently.
Not sure if I’ll be expecting anything stellar from Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru? now; I should just watch it for what it is — a fan-service show with some edutainment spots that we as an audience really shouldn’t take as gospel. No really, if you want to get fit, please go to a gym, or research a diet and exercise routine that works for you. Please don’t think watching these girls dead lift or bench press and copying them will get you a good body.
*sigh* This is a habit of mine, and I know I should break it: looking too deep into shows. We can see in this week’s Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files that, while not much has changed in terms of character design or art direction, the plot has shifted to its second half, which appears to be exclusively set on this Rail Zeppelin train that El-Melloi and Gray have been invited on. The general purpose of the train is to host an auction of Mystic Eyes, but El-Melloi is really there because someone has stolen his ancient relic (from the Holy Grail War), and the culprit has given him an invitation to board this mysterious train which is heading…well…I don’t know where its destination is, but it is hinted that this Rail Zeppelin train is some kind of carriage to the Underworld.
El-Melloi and Gray discover that all sorts of people have been invited onboard too; some they have already met, and some they haven’t. One of which is someone we may be familiar with: none other than Olga-Marie Animusphere, our poor sacrificial lamb from our favorite weeb gacha game, Fate/Grand Order. Here in El-Melloi, she appears as a much younger girl, instead of the experienced adult and head of Chaldea Security Organization. Anyways, she and her accomplice are here because they are bidding for Rainbow Mystic Eyes, the highest level of Mystic Eyes that exist, and ask for El-Melloi’s help in its auction. Now I want to say that the show is going in a different direction than the one we have seen thus far, but this will remain a murder mystery show, I believe, and both El-Melloi and Gray will have to solve any murders or crimes that’ll no doubt take place in the rest of this show, which it seems will take place aboard this train.
I was getting a bit worried (especially after last week) that things were getting a bit stagnant in the show. Instead, my worry has transferred over to O Maidens In Your Savage Season, of all shows. This is a show that has been consistently good, with all sorts of plot points going in interesting directions. This week, however, is where the show has hit a bit of a standstill.
The class trip is wrapping up, and the Literature Club has found an urban legend to write about. But as for where these 5 girls are right now? It’s like they’re not really…doing anything. Kazusa is still annoyed at how pretty Niina is, and how much she can potentially steal Izumi away from her. Momoko is still incredibly shy, and doesn’t seem to want to contact this new male friend of hers, who seems to just want to be friends and nothing further. Hitoha still can’t get these crazy thoughts about the club advisor out of her head…and doesn’t seem to want to do anything about them. And with the school festival coming up, Rika seems too busy to want to spend time with her new boyfriend Amagi, who you really have to feel sorry for right now, as this is a harmless guy who wants to explore his own feelings of love & relationships as well, with the girl he really likes.
Maybe this upcoming school festival will bring out a bunch of new things. I’m curious about how Momoko wants to interact with her new friend Sugimoto despite seemingly fawning over Niina over these past couple of weeks. And I also want Rika to wake up and realize what she’s missing; Amagi seems like a real catch, and her being so uptight most of the time is driving him away. Meanwhile, Niina has found her way back to the creepy Saegusa, somehow, which has set off some alarm bells. I hope the direction in her section of this story doesn’t go in the direction I think it will, but hey…anything could happen.
Some new posts from me covering other shows are coming soon, along with my upcoming Symphogear Challenge; check out my review of Senryu Girl here. This means that, for the Otaku Theater column, I’ll just be covering the 4 shows I’m watching in this cour. I’m losing some patience in these shows, but what about you? Do you think I’m missing something? Feel free to hit that like button and air your opinions in the comments below!