SEASONAL PRATTLE
Seemingly always trying to outdo itself, Assassins Pride blesses viewers with another twenty-minute spectacle, bringing a degree of scripting openly negligent in design and even more hilarious in actual practice. This series’ ability to carry even a linear plotline has already proven to be shaky, so it’s no surprise that an attempt to deliver a murder mystery was too much of an ask. When you boil it down, episode seven simply doesn’t have the subtlety to make this type of narrative as compelling as intended, with every key piece of the “mystery” from Kufa’s behavior down to the scenes with Rosetti’s father being overly foreshadowed. Be that as it may, Assassins Pride will continue to act like it is, extending this poorly conceived script into next week as if it’s not a garbage can waiting for the lid to fall off.
Hoshiai no Sora (7)
It should honestly go without saying but writing seriously matters, and this week’s Hoshiai no Sora was just one more confirmation that notion hasn’t cracked in the slightest. On that note, while the level of visual dressing during the match again Arashi was applaudable, by no means does that counterbalance what’s become an all too familiar dance: Yet another absolutely banal textual effort that struggles to extend beyond the typical box of sports beats and flows. It’s no longer a stretch to say that reaching for “mild at best” with the upside of some visual polish seems to be the weekly goal of this series, a goal that episode seven accomplishes with flying colors – landing both its highly foreseen match outcome given Arashi’s in-game attitude change, and a handful of stale cliches notably lead with our rival immediately becoming buddy-buddy with Maki post play. With only five weeks left, this wasn’t just underwhelming, but narratively a very questionable use of time.
Babylon (7)
Despite the nature of the material, living up to its content warning, this latest Babylon is easily the strongest the series has offered – and without a doubt one of the best single showings of the entire Fall season. The orchestration of Zen’s growing panic as he ultimately observes fresh suicides, none of course more mentally damaging than what the 12-minute mark brought, is well done with Babylon showing plenty of comfortability in both building to and working viewers through its emotional touchpoints. The second half just piles on what was already a good foundation: Brutal and gross in a lot of ways, but a formidable effort nonetheless in carving Magase into a complex villain worth engaging. The framing of Magase’s axe scene paralleled with Zen’s family, and Zen’s growing breakdown accompanied by a fantastic vocal performance of a shattered man all deserve plenty of praise here, finishing off a powerful turnout. Fingers crossed Babylon can keep this up.
Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo (8)
Good bounce back episode after a week of middling filler, leaning firmly on the base facets that keep Oresuki above its peers. This show’s competent application of meta-humor, comradery and positioning are all in play here – contributing to a narrative effort that’s mainly setting the stage for bigger strokes around Tsubaki’s true motives, yet still worthwhile in its own way. It may be due to the low grade of quality harems tend to offer, or it may be due to the fact that Oresuki almost always has dramatic complications and sequential reflections brewing that a work like this has no business having – hell, it could even be both. Either way you split it, Oresuki continues to be a good product in the context of its genre.
