SEASONAL PRATTLE
Welcome back! hopefully, you’re doing well. As I’m sure you’re aware this second week of the Spring anime season has come to a close, but in its wake is a heap of new titles that bumped our team’s collective watchlist up quite a bit. However, not everything is exactly deserving of coverage and we aim for a lean reading experience here. With that note, I don’t think you need me to tell you that Tamayomi didn’t improve really from week one to week two and that it’s still very much a middling work. So instead, in an attempt to not waste time, we’ll be running down some of the more pertinent anime and recent releases starting with one that’s definitely worthy of being our lead today:
It’s good to see Kaguya-sama march forward in its second season without skipping a beat or showing any rust at all – bringing a very favorable blend of charming skits and appealing visual execution all the way down to the credit roll. The amount of consideration supplied to both the timing of this week’s gags and the related reactions from the cast that appreciably lands them, is plenty rewarding, paying off most notably once Chika’s handmade game of life comes into play. Good division of screentime to get the bulk of the characters involved, including some well-deserved spotlight thrown Hayasaka’s way, and a consistent elevation and useful imagining of the source material are additional, desirable features that round this out as a great premiere. Well done.
Kakushigoto (2)
“Marrying effective situational comedy early on with a dramatic finish”
Still lovely in its second episode, Kakushigoto pushes forward – marrying effective situational comedy early on with a dramatic finish that was smoothly sailed into. A great deal of this episode’s relative strength comes down to how conscious the writing is with its gags and routines, getting maximum value by always pulling back at the very last second before they can get repetitive and overstay their welcome. Goto’s co-workers generally stepping up and carrying their scenes well even when Goto-less comes in as a nice second, and its ending is a fitting cap that provides promise to a wider and competent tonal range. It’s always a healthy sign to see a work look comfortable juggling contrasting genre spaces with ease!
Listeners (2)
“Patches of highly convenient to borderline silly writing”
Managing to sink to further depths, Listeners returns with its second episode, a performance that somehow succeeded to be even more poorly executed and loosely laid out than the first. Echo and Mu are still nowhere near close as investable characters, much less a team, to really care for or to allow any of their banter to be effective – but episode two desperately tries early and often anyway with an array of dialogue that lands anywhere from middling to cheesy. More noticeable, however, is the patches of highly convenient to borderline silly writing that tarnishes this run from just around the time our leads “miraculously are alive” after the opening Earless fight and fall, to the trio of Nier ripoffs vomiting out cryptic exposition that eventually confirm Mu being some highly positioned, ultimate piece in the grand scheme of what’s a very cliche block of narrative. Top that off with another unattractive dose of action sequences centered around jarring mechs and an overall flow that doesn’t seem to be interested in any of the details in-between, this becomes an easy episode to write off as “bad”.
Hamefura (2)
“Good enough effort to confidently stay on course”
Pretty reasonable showing from Hamefura, not exactly offering more than its introduction – but coming up with a good enough effort to confidently stay on course and get the job done. Episode one’s boldest strength is echoed here, with Katarina’s antics once again carrying the vast majority of episode two’s plot beats and comedic initiatives from start to finish – just not quite as varied as before. Given Katarina tends to do most of the heavy lifting for a second week in a row, there is a slight, yet valid, concern growing for the rest of the cast – as none of them have shown to be particularly funny or engaging outside of their rudimentary drama (which even then is heavily Katarina powered). It would be nice to see Hamefura get more juice out of them, because while Katarina seems like she can put this show on her shoulders just fine, it doesn’t mean that she should actually do that.
Kami no Tou (2)
“More fluent movements and fewer splotchy backgrounds along with a better variety and handling of expressional work”
Kami no Tou bounces back, delivering an episode better built than the first and showing sharper awareness for some of the more intangible facets that make stories succeed. Our twenty-minute run this time around is noticeably less janky visually – featuring more fluent movements and fewer splotchy backgrounds along with a better variety and handling of expressional work mainly courtesy of some well-timed Rak, Shibisu and Bam reactions. Events are more adequately paced, curiosity is competently invoked form an emerging supporting case, and the second half even disperses some much-needed information about the tower. Better establishing its world, characters and internal logic is still high on the “Kami no Tou should really do this” list, but this was a welcome step towards some of that. Positive showing.
Gleipnir (2)
“A thoroughly dynamic experience that in itself is worth the price of admission”
Second time around and Gleipnir is looking even more formidable than before, reassuring viewers that its craft capabilities are very, very much a real prowess in this overall strong showing. Hirofumi Okita and Ryouma Ebata’s efforts during Hikawa’s fight completely steal the show: There’s plenty of intuitive visioning of body mechanics, space, weight, and momentum to the extent that each blow feels highly impactful and engaging – winding up as a thoroughly dynamic experience that in itself is worth the price of admission that is the time spent on this episode. Textually, episode two is not too shabby either – interesting narratively after its reveal in the waning minutes, but also providing enough flexibility where Clair’s suit entering and synching with Shuuichi leads to a decent bit of thematic bite for them both, further cementing relationship implications in addition to individual insecurities. Nicely done.
Houkago Teibou Nisshi (1)
“An underwhelming experience that plays it all too safe.”
Apparently aiming for unrivaled boredom, Houkago Teibou Nisshi airs, offering as much flavor as a glass of tap water as viewers receive the pleasure of following the ragged scenario writing that accompanies a failing school club that desperately needs to recruit a new member to survive. The club’s gimmick this time around is fishing – an aspect this opening episode is all too eagerly designed to telegraph and remind you of to the point that it feels artificial. The cast is tepid, with Hina notably feeling basic and its brand of storytelling is so systematic that its outcomes are highly predictable well before they’re executed. At the end of the day Houkago Teibou Nisshi isn’t particularly “cute” or “funny” as it tries to be, nor is it atmospheric enough to operate as a good slice of life here. It’s just an underwhelming experience that plays it all too safe.
Princess Connect! Re:Dive (1)
“Shuffling through a generic fantasy setting full of mannerisms and interactions that come to no surprise”
Yet another round of mild mobile game shenanigans is to be found in Princess Connect! Re:Dive’s premiere – a spectacle that proves to have a bit more ingenuity and delivery than Shachou, Battle no Jikan Desu! Once again, viewers are treated to the sterile shuffling through a generic fantasy setting full of mannerisms and interactions that come to no surprise to anyone who’s watched more than two anime in the genre space. However, at times throughout this average tun, there’s a handful of noticeable upticks in production along with a few physical gags and expressions that can temporarily distract you from the banality that comprises this showing – all in conjunction making for the only real “positive takeaway” here and balancing this out to a slightly okay start.
Yesterday wo Utatte (2)
“Consistently finding favorable looks to reflect Shinako’s feelings and further engrave her internal logic”
Yesterday wo Utatte is back with another appreciable turnout, making use of its immersive palette and naturalistic exchanges to sell its plotting without much of a hassle. Episode two’s articulation of the tonal notes it wants to hit through wise set design and modest framing lead the pack in positives to be reaped in this run, consistently finding favorable looks to reflect Shinako’s feelings and further engrave her internal logic all while contributing to a palpable atmosphere. However, where two finds itself in a bit of trouble is at certain times when the narrative demands heavier progression – and it can come off as all too manufactured in the process. The springboard of this episode, everyone encountering each other late at night at the park, is “coincidental” enough to feel artificial in a similar manner that the one-on-one same time confrontations that follow it the next day are – both riffs of weaker writing that would be expected in a lesser work. Be that as it may, Yesterday wo Utatte still brings plenty to the table in coveted touchpoints to inevitably overshadow it in the bigger picture – landing itself as “good” but keeping it out of “great” territory.
Shironeko Project: Zero Chronicle (1)
“Pipped from a fantasy show starter pack in 2011”
Finally, Shironeko Project: Zero Chronicle debuts with a combination of dry action and animation, supporting a chunk of narrative that might as well have been ripped from a fantasy show starter pack in 2011. There’s almost next to no build-up for any of the events that would sloppily ensue with the biggest lowlight coming in the form of our MC offhandedly finding himself designated as the “prince of darkness” – from a stranger he met five minutes ago with about the same gravity the average person has when making a bowl of cereal. It’s casual, minimal effort, thoughtless and inevitably reflective of the flimsy nature that consumes the bulk of this premiere. A good example of how not to storytell.
