The Story

Hinamatsuri isn’t just a competent, well polished entry in its genre space, but also the center of easily the nicest fanbase to be around this Spring season.

Go on…

Hinamatsuri discussions among fans are rarely abrasive, even when competing opinions arise they tend to be resolved smoothly. The series has quite a few characters that are easy to get behind, yet all choices get a fair amount of respect when brought up in conversation. There’s no thick coating of “best girl” or “waifu war” nonsense here, rather, there’s just a bunch of people enjoying a good product and being supportive of it.

So in short, they’re like the opposite of Darling in the FranXX fans?

Yeah, pretty much.

The Bottom Line

While this may not seem like anything worth mentioning, it’s really refreshing to find fanbases like this. No drama. No tension. Just joy and celebration for this little piece of the medium that we all consume. 

 

 

“QUOTE OF THE WEEK”

– The top MAL review on Devils Line. No it hasn’t gotten better and yes you were right in your choice of not picking it up / dropping it. Give yourself a round of applause.

 

 

SEASONAL PRATTLE

Find what you’re looking for fast
Megalo Box
Steins;Gate 0
3D Kanojo Real Girl
Golden Kamuy
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii
Hinamatsuri
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
Darling in the FranXX

Megalo Box (5)

The choice to provide a sturdy emotional floor in our latest Megalo Box is definitely a welcome one – and not just for the flavor it gives this upcoming fight, but because it shows off TMS Entertainment’s ability to fluently work in another dimension. Grittier works like this tend to be a breeding ground for poor emotive handling – scenes generally come off as overwrought or too weak, but here there’s enough touch to make it just right. Good job TMS in giving this week the respect and care it deserves to land these scenes.

Worthwhile Prattle:

 Boxing is better than it’s ever been… and not only because of the mech arms!

Steins;Gate 0 (4)

“Execution matters” is a universal and ever-relevant truth of media, and outside of some framing hiccups in Steins;Gate 0’s early flashback sequences, White Fox is able to articulate that gracefully this week. I know a lot of fans were cautious about Kenichi’s ability to step in and handle this series, but now with a month of his work behind us I think it’s fair to say he’s doing a comfortable job.

3D Kanojo Real Girl (5)

There’s still lots of generic bits of writing surrounding 3D Kanojo Real Girl’s script; The series doesn’t exactly accel when trying to create separation in its genre space or when it rolls its sleeves up in an effort to texture its cast beyond Iroha, and this week really doubles down on that perspective. Almost every other beat here feels lowly invested, with minimum craft to drive home key conflicts and bland dialogue that comes off like it’s pulled out of 2007.

Golden Kamuy (4)

It’s starting to feel a little underrated at how much control Hitoshi is exerting over Golden Kamuy’s storytelling. When Hitoshi wants to land a comedic beat, he’s been consistently in a good position to do so this week – leaning on some silly Asirpa faces and choice pieces of dialogue that never overstay their welcome to accomplish that. However, in the same breath, he still works well with episode four’s tenser, second half sequences – delivering them without it feeling jarring to the previously established mood. This Spring season has been blessed with a higher amount of quality works than usual and Golden Kamuy is certainly among them.

Worthwhile Prattle:

Grim Reaper

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (4)

I love how easy Kabakura and Koyanagi dictate this episode’s pace, and WotaKoi’s tendency to organically sell their comedy really complements the chemistry they generate. This week has a lot of strong touchpoints going for it, but the smooth juggling act of comedic and dramatic beats was a clear stand out. Beyond that, the show has almost entirely leaned on directly challenging its characters’ views of one another, pairing it with a level of execution that does our writing justice and provides a satisfying fallout. Here’s to hoping we maintain this level of quality for many weeks to come.

Worthwhile Prattle:

PROTECT THIS PRECIOUS SMILE OH MY GOSH

Hinamatsuri (5)

If there were any lingering doubts that Hinamatsuri’s expressional work was some of the best this season has to offer, then rest assured that studio feel is more than capable of delivering in that department after this week’s showing. Hitomi was a clear stand out in episode 5 with an array of reaction faces that had plenty of range and that did a wonderful job in making her story line comedically potent. It’s almost a shame that Hitomi’s role was that good since it ended up overshadowing another solid and charming Anzu segment.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (5)

Good to see that Sword Art Online Alternative isn’t outsourced this week, and thus we’re back to full power with its composition. The movement distributed on LLENN’s close combat bits and some distance shots was particularly impressive; whether it’s the cuts of her trying to evade bullets while looking for leverage or a long sequence that has her facing off with Eva one on one – there’s a lot of detail viewers likely won’t pay attention to but ultimately bolsters the underlying writing that desperately needed help. If we’re going to ride through highly contrived patches of this script, It’s better off that they’re at least physically engaging.

Darling in the FranXX (16)

It’s safe to say Darling in the FranXX is just a confident product right now – with our latest addition not exactly being the most propsulive in design or storytelling, but just absolutely efficient in all the little nuances to texture our cast. Virtually every character gets a cut of the spotlight here with intimacy, and overarching group activities like cooking and cleaning makes sure that spotlight is relatively balanced. Wrapping all of that in a decent bit of dramatic lace keeps our time spent from feeling too weightless and ultimately ends up making our fallout land that much more flush. I’m not sure Darling in the FranXX is going to be a sturdy watch long term, but if it keeps delivering thoughtful character interactions, I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Worthwhile Prattle:

Days of Our Lives

 

 

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