Yeah, I know this is late as fuck. It’s March and I don’t even know what I want to do for winter 2018 but WITHOUT FURTHER ADO LET’S RUN AWAY FROM MY PROBLEMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES! (again!)
• Juuni Taisen Episode 8
When I first saw “Nisioisin” and “battle royale” together on the Fall 2017 chart, I knew we were in for a ride. But I definitely did not expect what we got from Juuni Taisen, a popcorn action-fest with a unique structure and 12 fascinating characters. It’s very Nisio in the way the outcome is spoiled from the start, but the best part about the Zodiac War is the way it plays out. The finale leaves a lot left to be desired in terms of thematic development, but Nisio does accomplish a lot of good moments in 12 brilliant episodes.
If you haven’t seen past episode 8, stop reading now. Go watch it. Come back.
Episode 8 comes on the cusp of the Tatsumi Brothers’ episodes. To this point we’ve had plenty of buildup but no release yet. The episode kicks off with a bang, as Monkey fastballs Snake’s head into the sky before launching Rabbit to follow. After Dragon catches his little brother’s head, the necromancer Rabbit slices him in half and takes control of his corpse. Directly below are Tiger and Ox fighting Snake’s headless and armless corpse and his two arms. Dragon’s two halves quickly join the fight.
Now let me explain to you the situation we ended up with.
A drunk lady in a tiger-striped bikini crouches next to a tall man with ankle-length hair and literal horns wearing a torero costume. They prepare to square off against a floating upper body with a liquid nitrogen tank, his legs, a pair of dismembered arms, and a headless corpse all surpassing physical limits because they are controlled by a necromancer in a thong and heels wearing a rabbit tail.
This. This is why I watch anime.
• Ousama Game and middle school Jon
One anime this season spoke more to 7th grade Jon Yen than anything has ever spoken to anyone. Younger me would have loved this show. Which is why I absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, with all of my emotion, HATE IT. It’s bad. Ousama Game can be the poster boy for wish-fulfillment. Whoever is making the orders is also clearly a middle schooler who just wants to see people get worked up over tit-fondling and sex. (If that ends up being a plot twist, by the way, I will not be impressed.)
All it does is jerk off its own edginess. Enough people talk shit on it so I’ll cut it off here, but I had to say something about a show so horridly offensive. At least people see it for what it is.
• Imouto sae Ireba Ii’s Sister Fixation
They had something interesting going here. But there is an important line between parody and and imitation, and I think it just goes too far. Yeah it’s making fun of those imouto shows (which are all identified by name), but it also has a built-in reverence for them and follows their structure so closely it just feels like I’m watching another imouto show.
The shame of it all: there’s a legitimately good show buried in there! The writing isn’t bad, the two main girls are fucking great (but Kani is better), and Silver Link knocks it out of the park again with great design and visuals. If only it could escape its obsession with little sisters.
• The poignant finality of Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko
Most post-apocalyptic stories try to do one of 2 things with their world. Option one: they instill some kind of warning or message to present-day people – “be nicer to each other and protect the environment, or 2012 will happen.” Option two: they posit that the world is better off without human society, and focus on the magic of overgrown, abandoned metropolises. Both of these approaches usually involve having a large cast as most films are wont to do. Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko takes a decidedly matter-of-fact approach – the apocalypse is merely a thing that happened. No matter how limited, life goes on, and while there is plenty to learn from in the past there is also plenty to disregard.
Yuri and Chiito don’t particularly see the world relative to how it used to be, except where it’s relevant to their daily life. They keep pushing forward, making their way up to the highest level. As great as the world-building is, their nonchalant optimism and perseverance are the buoys that elevate the show (along with Nuko, of course).
• Shokugeki: Third Dish, First Real Villain
Nakiri Azami is a hard villain to swallow. He’s so over-the-top and evil that it might be said that he lacks nuance or personality, to which I would half-heartedly disagree. But he doesn’t come out of nowhere like Unalaq does in Korra – he embodies the conflict the show has been commenting on from the first minute of episode 1 – “Gourmet” vs. “commoner” food. Plus, the anime does a good job of making his views more nuanced – he is a man extreme not in morals but in methods. This makes him easier to accept as a character and as a principal villain.
Probably the most interesting thing about Azami is that he gains the support of the student body by legitimate and reasonable means. He presents that while the current system rewards work, that is unfair for those who can’t work as hard. He gets the support of these people (I believe Bakugo called them extras) not by pandering to them or threatening them, but by giving them exactly what they want: a path to the top. I don’t need to explain the immense drawbacks to Central or why it is bad, but the way it rises to power is almost bone-chilling to think about in the context of Tronald Dump. Azami is NOT a bad villain, he’s quite the opposite.
Anyways, that's it. Hope you had a fun season and look forward to the winter writeup!
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