SEASONAL PRATTLE

Effortlessly tone-conveying framing and a fundamentally strong textual floor will get your show to a lot of positive places, and Beastars continues to find that out each week – putting on another performance that has a sneakily good grasp of the craft ins and outs to cleanly sell just about whatever cognitive space it wants. Almost every sequence in six carries direct thematic intent from the opening exchanges with Juno to the mental challenges of the dark market – all sketching Legosi in the process that much deeper. A series like this is always a taut marriage between source material and adaptive vision, aspects that Orange clearly has under control. Well done.

Hoshiai no Sora (6)

Hoshiai no Sora’s sixth affair is brimming with as much flavor as a glass of tap water – steeply prototypical in flow and adamant in its desire to deliver a lukewarm episode that takes practically no risk. For that, there’s not much to cite structurally that deserves higher attention, as even the trash talk between our two teams is stock effort (i.e “This is going to be a piece of cake”, “I’ll crush you”) – but I will mention this: Shingo and Tsubasa match scripting is  very deaf to tennis (their antics would be highly illegal in competition), a surprising hiccup given how relatively grounded this show carries itself. Middling turnout all in all.

Psycho Pass 3 (4)

Psycho Pass 3 proceeds to be pretty respectable, advancing further into more carefully painted crime/psych beats with an episode whose writing holds weight well – especially when it comes to smaller, passive character interactions. I know a decent amount of fans were skeptical about Ubukata’s ability to step back in and handle this series, but now with half the show in the books, I think it’s fair to say he’s doing a more comfortable job than expected.

Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tueee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru (6)

Predictable. Honestly, I could just end this entry here and that would confidently sum up this latest Shinchou Yuusha – a showing that’s very much happy in telegraphing where it’s heading to the point the whole viewing just ends up flat. There’s absolutely nothing surprising about six’s telling and even less wiggle when you consider its execution: The limply sold danger concerning Elulu that backbones most of the episode is rivaled in textual inadequacy by a bunch of linear jokes, Seiya’s obvious food poison avoidance, and arguably the worst offender in Leviae’s demise – a particularly easily seen through plot beat that stabs deeper than the rest given it acts as the episode’s climax. A pretty apparent swing and a miss.

 

Choujin Koukousei-tachi wa Isekai demo Yoyuu de Ikinuku you desu! (7)

In a surprising twist, Choyoyu! has somehow found new and exciting ways to sink further into poorly written anime oblivion, fumbling what could have been an interesting premise with Coconono Village through sheer inept execution and the thorough clown show that has become this series’ default attempt at dialogue. At points, episode seven tries to distract viewers with Shinobu fanservice as if to compensate for the crippled narrative it’s serving, but it simply falls short. Nothing is being accomplished without at least one highly questionable choice in writing – and no amount of Shinobu can mask that.

Assassins Pride (6)

After an episode that was nothing short of a constructive mess, highlighted by outright cutting an anticipated fight with all of the dexterity of a fresh YouTuber editing their first video, one may think Assassin Pride surely can’t get any worse, right? Well, if this latest outing isn’t exactly that, it definitely gives last week’s misfire a run for its money. Episode six is crudely executed filler, loaded with valueless content as we follow a sleepover that includes some of the thinly painted girls in the secondary cast that are suddenly close to Eli and Melida (since when?). Outside of being a total waste of time for the viewer, the decision to essentially waste an episode like this – despite the very blatant fashion in which the material has been rushed thus far – is completely appalling and easily insult to injury. You’re telling me you cut relevant scenes and information all season long to highly damaging effect, yet greenlit a full filler episode? Are we serious out here? Total amateur hour.