So now we are officially at the halfway point, it’s time for me to not only decide what I’m watching next season but also to figure out what out-of-season show to catch up on. I would normally say that in jest, but for this Spring season I have pretty much already decided on the shows many weeks ago. I’m looking forward to all of them this time, instead of worrying whether some of these shows might suck. If you read this column then you’ll know that I haven’t been 100% thrilled with what I chose this season, but for me it was a little unavoidable. I don’t watch Attack on Titan or Demon Slayer, which have both dominated this season, and the amount of isekai shows being broadcast meant I had very few options. Oh well.
World’s End Harem Episode 6
I think it’s time I stopped hoping that a legitimate sci-fi story would come here, and just deal with the one we have. Reito is still being selfish hanging onto his missing girlfriend, who might not even want to be found. Shouta is still wrestling with his puberty in his all-girls school, but is still very happy having a relationship with his caring teacher. And Ryuji is still being an annoying stud who is loving every minute of this new world he woke up in, but the less we see of him the better. We’re still with Reito this week unfortunately, and he’s developed quite a harem now who are bickering some more. But to my surprise, we might actually be getting somewhere with this story.
Taniguchi was poisoned last week, but the picture frame she gave Reito turned out to contain data confirming the MK virus was artificially created. So now he is wondering who he can trust with this, as any one of these women in his harem could be undercover agents working for the very same people who created the virus in the first place. Right now though, this story is looking so obvious that we can probably tell who the agent really is as soon as they do something fishy. I was thinking it was Reito’s new handler Rea, but after watching this episode I highly doubt it. For all I know the undercover agent could even be Reito’s little sister; heck, the story might even be more fun if it was.
This would all be some crazy little mystery sci-fi show with lots of twists and turns and our main lead being super paranoid on who he should trust, if it didn’t focus so much on the excessive nudity. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the show it is without it. World’s End Harem seems desperate to prove to its viewers that it has an amazing story, but while it can sometimes be okay to watch, it’s the kind of story people have seen so many times before in many sci-fi or mystery shows before it. This undercover agent could be any one of these people Reito has come across, but do I really care who it is? A difficult one to answer.
It would easy to pick on Rea because she has so much distrust in men, plus we also discover this week that she is in love with Mira. But there are also others to consider here. Akane, Reito’s nurse. Sui, his bodyguard. Maria, the virologist assigned to help him with a cure. That bizarre woman Chloe from last week. But I mean what I said though; it would be so much more fun if it turned out that little Mahiru was in it all along.
My Dress-Up Darling Episode 6
Over in My Dress-Up Darling, it seems that those worries I had about the show going in a romance direction were justified right now. After the end of last week, Marin has gotten herself in a bit of a panic. Even though she’s able to have normal conversations with him, she can’t help but feel that there could be more, and the fact that she’s even thinking like that is driving her even crazier. You have to admit that it is pretty funny to watch her go through all this, but I’m an anime-only person and so haven’t read the original source. So therefore I don’t know if any of this will be reciprocated or not.
But that little plot point isn’t the main part of this week’s episode. It seems that Wakana’s cosplay of Shizuku was more popular than he realized, so Sajuna Inui, a well-known name in the cosplay scene, arrives at his doorstep asking for an outfit. This time it’s the Black Lily version of Shion Nikaido from a magical girl show called Flower Princess Blaze!! After watching the scenes where she comes and asks for the outfit, I was hoping that it doesn’t turn into some kind of blackmail thing. You see, there’s a moment where he caught her in the bath, and so you can two and two together there.
The fact that the Shizuku cosplay got more attention than either Wakana or Marin had realized, and that Wakana can be capable of making many more outfits for others is something I’m liking so far. Right at the beginning of the show, we see how he feels so outcast because of his Hina doll passion, and so would making cosplay outfits for others to see make him into someone that people are more ‘acceptable’ with? I use that word very carefully though, because Hina dolls is something that Wakana should not be ashamed of if it is his passion; these were words that Marin also said all the way back in episode 1 too.
I know that that will be something that will be expanded on as the show goes on though. So far it hasn’t really had any hiccups, and all the characters have been wonderful to watch. There’s been very little that I’ve found annoying or frustrating to watch. And so I hope this trend will carry on right through to the end, because at this rate My Dress-Up Darling is looking to be on my top 10 list of the year…and it’s only halfway through.
Slow Loop Episode 6
Maybe I really am being too harsh on this show, like I was back in the Fall season of last year with Komi Can’t Communicate. With that, the opening episodes were ones I just could not warm to; it was only as the show was wrapping up when I got to like it some more. Slow Loop is meant to be one of those ‘comfy’ shows, and so I think I have just been far too nitpicky and clinical in my reviewing. Is all the criticism I have dished out on it warranted? I think in posts that I write, there are points where I ought to just stop and not think too hard…and the more Slow Loop has gone on, the more I see that now.
I still believe that the more Hiyori is warming up to the people around her, the duller she is getting. This week, the gang (with new arrival Ichika in tow) once again head out on a boat, this time to catch dorado fish (also called mahi-mahi). The story itself this week is something that we haven’t already seen before to be honest, but this week brought in something that stood out more. Recently we haven’t seen Hiyori think about her late father, but that changes a bit when Ryouta hands her a new rod that was meant for him. Even though she’s unsuccessful in catching any dorado on the trip, I still thought it was a real moment to watch her be committed to using something meant for her family.
This week we also get a glimpse of another new character Kaede Miyano. Restaurant owner and a childhood friend of Ichika, it looks like she’s going to be someone the gang are going to turn to a lot when it comes to cooking the fish they catch. Her arrival also means that we see our next power couple. Seems like we won’t just be getting Hiyori and Koharu anymore; the energy radiating from Ichika and Kaede is too strong for words. Both of these couples are cutesy in their own ways, but I still remain critical of how informational Slow Loop is. This is meant to be a ‘comfy’ show sure, but I don’t think all the added fishing knowledge (and there is a lot of it) should be something that can potentially be overwhelming.
Having reviewed so many shows for so long, I know that this over-criticism of mine is a terrible habit, and it’s something I really need to work on. Why can’t I just shut out the noise and just enjoy a show anymore without criticizing the heck out of it?
The Helpful Fox Senko-san Episode 6
I think I’m being far too critical on The Helpful Fox Senko-san as well, just like I am with Slow Loop. They are both ‘comfy’ shows that people can just switch off to and not think too hard about. So why am I not able to do that anymore? It has to be the critic in me.
If I do switch off when it comes to the out-of-season show of mine, this is pretty cool. Shiro really has brought some life into it and made this new household a lot more fun to watch. Senko is a far more traditional fox god, while Shiro is more adaptable to modern day life, and has done so very quickly as we see here in episode 6. I like how neighbor Koenji is getting far more involved in the story too. She’s had to get used to seeing two fox deities moving into her salaryman neighbour in such a short amount of time, and there’s only so long when she can blame it on hallucinations. Senko has been someone who brings joy to all the people around her, and this includes Koenji too since as episodes have gone by, she has turned into a different person too. It is with qualities like this where I longer care if the show had some kind of linear story or not; it is just fine as it is.
What I will also really commend in The Helpful Fox Senko-san is that they are refusing to go down the harem scenario. Neither Senko or Shiro are portrayed to be young girls that could tease Nakano into having naughty thoughts about. Both of them are centuries old, they make that fact very clear to him, and it’s something he has quickly accepted.
I go back to the shows I’m picking for next season, well I only recently discovered that some of them might actually be going to Disney+, of all places. I think it makes sense that they’d want to throw their hat in when it comes to anime licensing and streaming; they don’t want to be left out by the likes of their biggest competitors (Netflix and Amazon). The question though is should I click on that ‘Sign Up Now’ button. Maybe I should. Then again I already have so many other services on my bank statement, plus the fact that we in the UK have to pay a TV license (BBC channels here don’t run commercials, you see). Money really sucks.