May I first take this chance to wish you all a very happy Lunar New Year. This is the Year of the Rat, and it is said that if one is born in the Year of the Rat, then they have unique personality traits like resourcefulness, versatility, and kindness. I am born in the Year of the Boar, meaning my alleged personality traits are compassion, generosity and diligence. Here in London, we take pride in holding the largest New Years celebrations outside of China, and having been to it numerous times, I can confirm that it is as epic as they all say.
Asteroid in Love Episode 4
We’ve had the Earth Sciences club hold a BBQ and night-sky viewing, so now comes their first proper club event, a trip to a local geological museum and to the JAXA Space Center (JAXA is pretty much Japan’s equivalent of NASA or ESA). This week, we really see how much real life scientific companies and organizations have invested into getting represented in this show. I don’t picture any of these girls actually venturing out into space to find this asteroid of theirs, but this week we do learn about an annual astronomy contest that takes places in Okinawa that…they missed the deadline for…
I am a little worried, though, that some of the members of the Earth Sciences club are being relegated to secondary character status. A lot of the focus in Asteroid in Love is, after all, centered around Mira and Ao, and their mission to discover their asteroid…and in all this time, those on the Geology side of the club, Sakura and Ino, aren’t getting as much attention as they deserve. Even this week we learn more about Monroe and her wish to become an astronaut. Of course, to be one, you need to not only be physically fit and be of sound mind, but be fluent in English too. I hope that, in future episodes of Asteroid in Love, that some focus is put on Sakura, as we see this week that she really does feel left out, in that she doesn’t really have a future dream. Sure, she’s quite passionate about precious stones and the like, but as for something to put on her prospective career sheet, she doesn’t really have anything.
As I’ve said in past Otaku Theater posts, I’ve enjoyed following all of the characters in Asteroid in Love, whether they have main character focus or secondary character focus. I really hope that Sakura finds something to do for the future in a later episode.
In/Spectre Episode 3
I mentioned last week that I was a little concerned this show was trying to be something it can’t be; trying to imitate the Monogatari series. So…is it, really? After watching episode 3, I’m still uncertain.
This week wraps up the water serpent god story, Kotoko decides to give the serpent god a story about the murderer possibly trying to conceal a miscarriage and later feeling regret over it…which may or may not have turned out to be true…however that’s ultimately irrelevant, as she mentions how the serpent god employs smaller yokai to clean the lake, meaning any evidence would have been destroyed.
From this, we are put onto a new arc…a potentially larger arc, which concerns a recently deceased idol which haunts the local city wielding the steel beam she was crushed on, and to top all of this off, Kuro’s former girlfriend, traffic cop Saki Yumihara, finds herself bumping into Kotoko as she tries to battle the so-called ‘Steel Lady Nanase’.
Here’s hoping this larger arc will show more substance, as this past arc with the water serpent god and the body in the lake didn’t really give off much, aside from some introductions to the main characters, and what they are, and what kind of relationship they begin with. Whether Kotoko and Kuro end up developing a working relationship remains to be seen; I haven’t read the manga, so I have no idea, but now that Saki, Kuro’s former girlfriend (who knows about Kuro’s regenerative powers as well), has been properly introduced to the show, perhaps we’ll find out…
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 4
Onto Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, and it feels more and more like each anime fan/follower/weeb/whatever-you-want-to-call-us eagerly waits for Sunday to roll around, just so they can catch the latest episode of this…well…gem. It began in episode 1 as something people should keep a close eye on, and as episodes have gone by, the story has developed, and we as the viewer see more and more how an animation studio really behaves. Not like the more conservative approach that Shirobako has – here the artists are itching to show off their talents, and the producers are itching to shave as much time and money off as possible.
The depiction of anime creation in this show feels so much rawer than what Shirobako were trying to do; I should also note that the Shirobako movie is coming out in Japan fairly soon as well…anyway…we see here in this episode that they sleep under desks, they put bandages over their fingers to prevent cuts, they get incredibly political over their budget meeting when they try to use Asakusa’s injury as blackmail to pin blame on school security and get a bigger budget. Oh, and speaking of the budget meeting, that scene alone is golden. If you were ever having any doubts whether Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! was a worthy show to watch this Winter season, then this episode, Episode 4, where they present what they have done so far to the student council, should convince you.
I will admit that I have been hesitant in writing about this show, but now after watching this episode, I think I actually have been bitten by the Science SARU bug, and I will say as much as I can about each future episode that follows.
On a final note, people online are already asking where they sign up to be a part of the ‘Carbohydrates Revolution Society’. Trying to describe it would be a waste of time so just watch this episode and see for yourself…. The guy at the Science SARU studio who thought that up deserves a raise.
Flying Witch Episode 4
Alright, so out of all the episodes that I’ve seen of Flying Witch recently, this one (episode 4) feels like the most solid out of all of them. True enough, Makoto, Kei and Chinatsu have shone as main characters, and have felt like characters that we us the viewer of a passive slice-of-life show about a trainee witch would get to enjoy. Episode 4 sees the introduction of a secondary character, Inukai, who has a past with Akane, the same experienced witch we saw last week.
Inukai has found her own specialty, just as Makoto sort of has: fortune-telling. The only issue she has, though, is that after eating some magical chocolates made by Akane, she has turned into an anthropomorphic dog. Due to her half-human appearance, she has had to wear a cloak that covers her face until night, when the charm wears off. It is a shame, however, that Inukai doesn’t become that regular of a character in this show, as in future episodes, she appears only fleetingly. This leaves me thinking if this adaptation genuinely did live up to every expectation, considering how great the manga was.
If a second season is green-lit for the future, then I’d be all up for that, but so far that doesn’t appear to be the case…
I think that there is still a lot more that In/Spectre needs to offer in order to convince me that it is a genuinely great show to watch, and I hope that this new arc featuring a ghost idol and Kuro’s ex-who-so-happens-to-be-a-cop will work out. Aside from that, every show I’ve picked this season has been a true joy to watch, for varying reasons. This Winter season is shaping up to be quite a spectacular one in my books, so what about you? How has this Winter season worked out for you? Have you dropped any shows yet? Feel free to hit that like button and air your opinions in the comments below!