SEASONAL PRATTLE

It might be a little surprising to consistent readers to see Kimetsu no Yaiba lead this week’s check-in. Typically, I like to highlight more structurally taut showings first, but Yaiba’s episode ten is a special one – gathering up the confidence to continue to serve viewers undercooked storytelling and even doubling down in its pure ineptitude to the extent that it deserves greater attention. It’s really no secret why it draws such criticism: Tanjirou breaking his ribs and a leg only to be walking perfectly fine just a few minutes later is such a blatantly illogical set of scenes that it even overshadows the garbage writing that is Nezuko’s pulled out of thin air and hardly explained mid-fight powerup.

However, both of these mishaps pale in comparison to our second mission’s conclusion. We’re not only awkwardly cutting ties with Tamayo with no given way to reconnect (despite her high relevance narratively and previous agreement with Tanjirou), but also straight-up skipping over any reporting on Muzan – an encounter that’s definitely pertinent enough to deserve some active acknowledgment. In a series that has offered extremely little in its text-based regions, notably toting an underpowered script and shallow depth for its cast, it only appears to be building that resume further. A well-honed production effort simply can’t carry writing and storytelling fundamentals this underachieving.

Fruits Basket (10)

Vulnerable and disciplined, Fruits Basket’s latest showing carved a more thoughtful unraveling of Shigure’s headspace than an initial watch would suggest, all while still respecting this series’ softer material with little whiplash in transition. I love how this week is effectively versed in composition; Episode ten makes wonderful use of hyper-intimate closeups and striking layouts to articulate emotional substance and further control tone beyond its text – rounding out the effort with a variety of cuts that are generally well polished. A show as committed in its atmosphere as Fruits Basket needs to nail episodes like this in a presentation sense, and I’m glad they did. It’s a very healthy sign for the long run.

Attack on Titan S3 part 2 (7)

Good to see Attack on Titan putting out yet another confident episode. We may not have received the aesthetic craft embellishments and sheer top to bottom story propulsion as recent encounters, but episode seven offered more than enough dexterity to land its long-awaited basement reveal. WIT’s feel for lurking tension and steady pace keeps the basement exploration a mysterious treat without coming off too stiff, and the overall post-credit sequence does plenty of heavy lifting to build anticipation for next time around. This series has easily become one of Spring’s most reliable and embraceable products, a perception that doesn’t look like it will be changing anytime soon.

Carole & Tuesday (9)

After a less than desirable entry last week, Carole & Tuesday bounced back in fine shape as it offered a wider swath of favorable attributes. Much like episode eight, episode nine’s value rests almost entirely in its performance quality rather than the underlying dramatic lace that surrounds our leading duo and their journey. This would typically be a pitfall if you’re going by recent history: Carole & Tuesday was noticeably hit and miss in terms of magnetism during the first set of acts in this talent show, never truly fielding a full set of competitors that could compel. Be that as it may, this time around was a much more consistent effort. From Cybelle’s French pop vocals to the Mermaid Sisters hilarious lyrics, we were offered plenty to be engaged in both audibly and stylistically. It’s ultimately enough to drown out this arc’s fairly limp backbone of a narrative and give this series some momentum heading into potentially addressing that issue next week.

Senryuu Shoujo (10)

Once again, Senryuu Shoujo executed an episode that’s well in its genre’s wheelhouse with a fair amount of tact and charm. “Test of courage” scenarios are easier to mismanage than they appear, generally needing a measured amount of balance between tension and lighthearted fun to get the most out of the concept. A scene too self-centered in its intentions is all it takes to tip the scales – a danger Masato’s approach this week was plenty conscious of avoiding, leaning on a solid floor of beats that are dramatically positioned well and easily chased with this show’s usual adorableness. Good job.

Kenja no Mago (9)

And here we reach the last stop of the check-in. This was just one more confirmation that Kenja no Mago is perfectly content with eating dirt off the floor, spitting it back onto a piece of paper, and turning that in as the latest episode script. Nine is so rich with this series’ typical brand of narrative drawbacks that it’s actually become its default mode of storytelling; Showing zero interest in ironing out the cast all while briskly tying together shallowly outlined events to form some loose semblance of a plot. I’m not sure if we’ll ever get a bigger indicator of that then this whole “We’re now engaged even though we just started dating like yesterday” nonsense that we got here, but then again, I don’t think we need one. The pace and handling of the engagement party speak for itself.