Autumn 2018 Week 5

There’s a few anime I’m behind on at this point because of travel and the like but I will hopefully catch up next week. That said, it was a great week for anime and I had a lot of fun with so many of the shows.

This week I started thinking about villains and realised that what my season is probably lacking is a really good bad guy. So I’m curious as to whether my readers have a favourite villain this season. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

What I watched

A Certain Magical Index Season 3 (Episode 5)

Yep, still totally lost as to which group is which but the episode was enjoyable anyway. It is more like a series of fun moments than an actual coherent story, but it looks like they are slowly filling in enough that the links are coming into place. Still, I would probably be enjoying this more if I were to rewatch season one and two and pay a bit more attention.

Banana Fish (Episode 17 – Not Reviewed)

The reunion of Ash and Eiji is a little more low key than I would have expected, it is still adorable but fairly understated given we get right back into things. Yut Lung has paired up with Golzine and so apparently has some guy who is actually good at his job of tailing people and also shooting (and apparently taught Ash a few tricks). Things are definitely escalating.

Bloom Into You (Episode 5 – Reviewed for Patrons)

This anime continues to be gorgeous and incredibly well put together. While this still isn’t my favourite type of story or tone, I’m genuinely impressed by Bloom Into You so far and I really hope it can maintain this quality until the end of the season. Patrons can access the post using the link, password on Patreon.

Conception (Episode 4)

Episode 4 gave us a pretty cute story between Itsuki and Pisces but the rest of the episode remains pretty dreadful. Pretty much every moment Mana is on screen just becomes a bit of an ordeal to watch and I’m wondering if my eyes might roll right out of my head while watching one of these scenes.

Dakaichi (Episode 5 – To Be Reviewed with Arthifis)

With things more or less settled between Takato and Junta, it makes sense that we are now introducing a real jerk into the story. The guy works because he is actually making Junta look pretty good by comparison, and we get to see more of Takato at his actual job which is still kind of fun. Of course they leave us with a cliff hanger ending on this episode though.

Goblin Slayer (Episode 5 – To Be Reviewed With Arthifis)

No matter how you slice it, the events this week are definitely the calm filler in between missions and while I enjoy watching these characters interact, and I certainly enjoyed seeing the newbie adventurers taking on the rats, there isn’t a lot to say about this week other than it sets up the next adventure. Still, fun.

Jingai-San no Yome (Episode 6 – Not Reviewed)

While this relationship still seems incredibly baseless, there’s no denying that this week was super cute. Hinowa asked to go through with a ceremony and ring exchange to be documented as proof of his relationship is a bit weird, but his reaction and happiness were fantastic to see. Not to mention, I think he perfectly captured the giddy joy a lot of people feel around marriage.

Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai (Episode 5 – Not watched this week)

This one is definitely making its mark as a show that isn’t going to drop the ball. While episode 4 was a little bit of a slow down as we transitioned into the new arc, episode 5 picks things up again and gets moving full steam ahead. While the tone is different with more Sakuta and less Mai, there’s some solid character and plot work on display here.

Release the Spyce (Episode 5)

The spy stuff here remains pretty pedestrian, though we do get to see the girls use the invisibility cream and infiltrate a lab so I guess that’s kind of spy like. And the club girl aspect of this is working well enough but isn’t really developed enough to be satisfying. There’s definitely some good points to this show but the balance isn’t quite there.

Run With The Wind (Episode 6)

The slightly weaker episodes continue though I think this is more my personal preference than an actual reduction in quality. The King focus didn’t help because I wasn’t much of a fan of his character and when you couple that with fairly ordinary visuals this week (not bad, just nothing that made me take notice) it just felt like a lesser episode.

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-San (Episode 5)

This show is almost worth watching just for Honda-San’s expressions. He’s the most expressive skull I’ve seen in a while at least and his over-reactions are pretty golden. That said, the repetitive nature of this one, plus the short form meaning we’re not getting much in the way of plot development, mean this one is strictly an amusing curiosity rather than a must see.

Sword Art Online Alicization (Episode 5)

Taking Kirito out of the equation doesn’t seem like it would lead to an interesting episode, and yet Asuna really stepped up here. Not to mention, they finally addressed the question viewers were left with at the end of episode 1 of what happened in the real world and while I’m sure there’s more to learn, this was a great episode.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Episode 6)

This one remains fun enough but for a number of reasons isn’t clicking with me. It is a shame because for what it is, it’s quite well done. The introduction of new characters this week was entertaining enough and seeing the progress the goblins are making in building their village is fun. Still, I get the distinct impression I’m not going to really remember this one after it ends.

Tsurune (Episode 3)

The pleasurable viewing experience continues as this anime finally assembles its team and they begin preparations for a tournament. Still, the majority of this episode is dominated by Minato and his emotional trauma and how others respond to him. In a less deftly handled show it would come off as incredibly cheesy but here it just works.

Voice of Fox (Episode 4)

Again we have a series of fairly unlikely events coming together but it is obvious Hu Li is starting to crack under the pressure of keeping his secret. This week his voice shakes during his performance and it is only some underhanded work by one of the team that puts the next singer out of commission that allows them to win and move on.

Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary (Episode 5 – Not watched this week)

The award for most off-model characters this season is definitely going to Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary (at least of the shows I am watching). The first episode definitely revealed issues with the presentation of this show but episode 5 brings so many of those issues into the forefront. Pity, because underneath the disaster prone visuals and animation there’s a fairly solid story unfolding.

Episode of the Week

Character of the Week

Dropped or On Hold

These titles aren’t necessarily bad and some I might even pick up again later but for whatever reason I’m not watching them right now (and yes, some of them are bad and will never be finished).

• Anima Yell!
• As Miss Beelzebub Likes
• Bakumatsu
• Between the Sky and Sea
• Himote House
• Hinomaru Sumo
• Merc StoriA
• Ms Vampire Who Lives in My Neighbourhood
• My Sister, My Writer
• Radiant
• Space Battleship Tiramisu Zwei
• SSSS.Gridman
• The Girl in Twilight
• Ulysses: Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight
• UzaMaid
• Zombieland Saga

And if you want to follow along with my watching during Autumn check it out here on Twitter.

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Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

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