The Story
My Sister, My Writer vomited in its own lap and somehow got that on the air.
What’s going on?
Wednesday, those who didn’t drop this trashcan of generic imouto beats and anorexic character writing after episode one, woke up to the worst production effort of the season so far. My Sister, My Writer episode two had shades of Marchen Madchen when it came to its quality. That’s never a good thing.
Was it really that bad?
Yes, the struggle is real out here…
Do I need to go on?
The Bottom Line
While it’s hopefully clear that My Sister, My Writer has added a new life struggle this week to keep its already present writing one from not feeling so alone, there’s a bigger takeaway here. It’s easy to overlook consistently polished craft choices; Viewers tend to applaud only the most glamorous scenes and blast the blatant failures – quality in-between uncommonly gets love and is generally taken for granted. Be thankful that your favorite shows this season have a level of competency and care behind them to keep them out the territory that you see above. You never want to be in this position.
“QUOTE OF THE WEEK”
–The only person asking the right questions after this week’s Conception. I guess everyone else is just pretending that didn’t happen.
SEASONAL PRATTLE
Find what you’re looking for fast
Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
SSSS.Gridman
Yagate Kimi ni Naru
Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san
My Sister, My Writer
Conception
Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara (3)
IIt’s always been tough to sell a work that leans on commendable construction and good use of base storytelling mechanics to propel itself. They don’t readily have the loud tangible plot beats, immediately intriguing narrative or thorny hooks that fans typically crave for in this medium. Be that as it may, there’s plenty of beauty to be found in the articulation of even the most muted scenes and batches of writing if done right. The small offhand conversations, tiny efficient spurts of character acting and spots of restrained yet tight writing all add up to an immersive experience. It’s not exactly exciting when explained or presented on paper, but it’s highly rewarding in motion when it comes together. Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara is proving to be that kind of show, achieving a good balance between its daily magic and Hitomi’s color blind struggle and presenting it with tact. Episode three’s ending only suggests upside for this rather enjoyable work.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (3)
Bunny Girl Senpai certainly isn’t a glitzy title, it’s not beating the competition through technical strength, rather, it wins with its base character work. Mai and Sakuta’s ability to crush scenes together is ridiculously apparent this week, and BGS makes sure it’s front and center. This series almost always puts our leads in a favorable position – one from which they can comfortably bounce off each other with great results. Sakuta’s closing confession is just another checked box to reinforce that, coming across with plenty of dramatic purpose and tighter handling to land effectively. This series is a complete joy to have weekly.
Worthwhile Prattle:
Bunny Girl, A Knock Off Monogatari? Absolutely Not
SSSS.Gridman (3)
Gridman is quickly shaping up to be inescapably limited. It’s so far removed from any semblance of serviceable writing this week, what kept it in good faith in the first place, that the lack of textual fidelity this episode offers seems entirely organic. This series leans heavily on its moment-to-moment curiosity and complements that with a number of praiseworthy shots / directorial touches, but beyond that there’s been nothing to excuse how poorly implemented the narrative and cast has been. Loosely defined leads with even flimsier relationships, a show don’t tell approach that takes that mantra way too far, a one-track quirky “villain” that’s not really the villain, bursts of dialogue and character interactions that consistently sink the tone, It’s all there and fairly frustrating.
Yagate Kimi ni Naru (3)
This latest Yagate Kimi ni Naru has the sharpness of voice to make its plot beats easily investable, and firm enough execution where common exchanges between Yuu and Nanami are more than just a placeholder, they’re legitimately thoughtful. We’ve often had the pleasure of witnessing Kato’s embellishments of the material on its bigger stages, distance shots to convey a sense of emotional isolation or disarray and saturated close-ups for intimacy, but the sequence of Yuu contemplating in her room with her new gift on display felt like the most effective touch yet given how naturalistic it came off in this finely told entry.
Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san (3)
Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san has “charming” going for it this week, but unfortunately, that’s where its list of merits once again ends. This series doesn’t exactly excel when trying to create separation in its genre space or when it rolls its sleeves up in an effort to deliver comedy not centered around Sophie – and this week really doubles down on that perspective. Tonari continues to be a reasonable watch, with little particular upside.
My Sister, My Writer (2)
It’s one thing to be a bland, soulless husk of an imouto show that’s consistently satisfied with living off of the most unimaginative plot beats to drive its lukewarm narrative forward. It’s another thing to be that very same awful imouto show and have your production completely tank in episode 2. What a mess.
Conception (2)
Incase you had your doubts that Conception is a poorly conceived work with bottom shelf writing for its genre space, then just tune into this week’s latest addition. Conception’s telling is simplistic and groggy – full of passionless plotting and clumsy cuts throughout. Its character acting is even worse, settling for a stiff mix of rudimentary expression work and dialogue that desperately fumbles when reaching for the low bar of “passable harem.” This anime does not respect you or your time.
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