The Story

With the series’ latest addition, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, has left patches of the community sheepish about its quality. The show has already offered enough value where even thorough SAO haters have come out and expressed their positive view of it – but not everyone is willing to be that open with their enjoyment. There’s been a notable amount of viewers referring to Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online as a “guilty pleasure.”

Okay, what’s wrong with calling it a guilty pleasure?

To be brief, the guilt part. You shouldn’t feel guilty for liking this anime or for that matter, any anime at all. If you like it, embrace that. There’s no “shame” in doing so.

B-But Sword Art Online Sucks. All the big anime YouTubers and super cool kids on forums have told me so for years

Well this one is different. Seriously, don’t just hop on the never-ending “Sword Art Online sucks” bandwagon because it’s the trendy thing to do. Make up your own mind. Be your own person. If you watch it and find it lacking then so be it, but if you actually enjoyed your time with it, don’t be afraid to express that.

I don’t want people to think I have terrible taste though

Who cares what they think. If people are out there seriously judging you purely because you liked a Sword Art Online work this season – then they’re not even worth paying attention to from the start. Just ignore them and keep consuming what makes you happy.

The Bottom Line

Don’t be scared to say you like this latest Sword Art Online if you do. You don’t have to water-down the way you express enjoyment of it either to preserve some weird sense of anime street cred. Just own up to the fact that you like it and admit so when appropriate. There’s nothing wrong with that.

 

 

“QUOTE OF THE WEEK”

– Just another Dorei-ku comment. Don’t take it as a challenge.

 

 

SEASONAL PRATTLE

Find what you’re looking for fast
Megalo Box
Steins;Gate 0
 Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii
Amanchu! Advance
Hinamatsuri
Dorei-ku The Animation
Caligula
3D Kanojo: Real Girl
Comic Girls

Megalo Box (2)

Megalo Box just continues to be brutally good in its second episode, delivering a fantastic performance through its taut fundamental storytelling and gorgeous execution. Though “gorgeous” really doesn’t fit right for this series – there’s a ton of visceral cues that are washed and oppressive, lacking in hope and optimism but never in flavor. Megalo Box is keenly aware of that, leveraging its strengths and rarely caught bashful in showing them off even in passive cuts. I’m so happy to have this series apart of an already competent Spring.

Worthwhile Prattle:

PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS – MEGALO BOX 02

Counter Point: On Chasing An Old Aesthetic Without Properly Being Able To Replicate It

Steins;Gate 0 (1)

Out of the many positive flags Steins;Gate 0’s premiere raised, I believe its sound design is the most underrated. This series has always been outstanding when carving characters’ headspaces, and earlier this week, they did it in one of the more subtle ways. Steins;Gate 0 understands the power of silence, and a lot of Okabe’s reflective moments and corresponding breakdowns are backboned by audio gaps and conversation lulls – giving those respective scenes greater weight in a cognitive sense. It’s little touches like this that round out an already solid premiere, and make me optimistic that this project will receive proper care.

Worthwhile Prattle:

Stepping back into the Steins;Gate time machine

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (2)

What Sword Art Online Alternative has confidence in: its understated character acting, fluent banter and grounded writing ultimately ends up carrying it to a sturdy performance this week. This series really hasn’t had any glaring deficiencies thus far; The majority of episode two content isn’t going to blow you away, but is completely reasonable in its efforts to provide more texture for Karen and a workable floor for our narrative to build on. Curious to see how 3Hz takes this one from here.

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (1)

Really impressed with how palpable Hirotaka and Narumi’s chemistry came across, especially given their limited set up and scope of their setting. Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii makes the most out of its time and narrative resources, landing a mix of endearing and comical beats with ease while still gesturing towards its larger romantic ambitions. It’s a sleek combination that’s worth embracing, and a solid entry in a genre space that’s lacking power this Spring.

Amanchu! Advance (2)

Between its beautiful cuts, evocative layouts and underlying thematic touches – this week’s Amanchu Advance is a commendable work in a lot of ways. Having a pretty production is nothing new to Amanchu, letting its gorgeous shots linger just long enough for the audience to soak in the atmosphere – but it’s leveraging those shots with plenty of narrative intent now as well. Our octopus life and death side story is the blatant example of this, while the implications behind the firework display is more low-key but still important as well.

Hinamatsuri (2)

Having yet another solid outing, Hinamatsuri reinforces the notion that it’s just as efficient as it is crafty. Studio Feel is articulate in their approach here, not only elevating some lesser relevant plot beats through tight framing and sharp attention to detail – giving viewers an overall higher threshold of quality – but also utilizing their talent to bolster the impact of this work’s visual comedy. It’s an enjoyable process to see in motion and one that makes the little ins and outs of Hina and Nitta’s dynamic that much more embraceable.

Worthwhile Prattle:

On the Subject of Tragic Backstories in Anime

Dorei-ku The Animation (1)

Its mix of sexual slavery and heavy foreshadowing of mental trauma will likely make this a hard pass for some. Dorei-ku The Animation isn’t exactly subtle with its themes – every other beat of Spring’s latest psychological premiere makes it abundantly clear that it has no problem being lewd or cruel. Its baseline premise of winning total control over another human via duels, not only acts as the perfect breeding ground to deliver its brand of content, but also as an intriguing hook for a wider than expected audience. Mileage on this show will certainly vary.

Worthwhile Prattle:

Doreiku The Animation – Orthodontists HATE Her! Five Easy Steps To Enslave Your Enemies That Doctors Don’t Want You To Know

Caligula (1)

Caligula’s first episode was a very deliberate hook – concerned more with building raw interest through crafty framing and bombastic plot beats rather than delivering the most digestible story. Of course this approach comes with its own drawbacks when it comes to coherency, but ultimately the advantage allows for more creativity. Caligula has plenty of jagged storytelling and rough pieces individually, but they’re collectively assembled in an interesting fashion that has a lot of potential upside.

3D Kanojo: Real Girl (1)

Competent character writing isn’t just a cornerstone trait of “higher quality” romance works, but a vital necessity of the genre’s hallmark beats on a greater whole. Works in this space are highly taxing on their leads,the demand to be relatively likable with palpable chemistry will make or break them more than any narrative miscue or poor string of scripting. Thus, they tend to be leaned on to elevate their scenes, and in 3D Kanojo: Real Girl’s case, I can’t fully say that this is accomplished.

There’s plenty of opportunities this week where Iroha and Hikari could raise the flavorless situations that our writing pins them in – namely at Hikari’s house – but this episode rarely takes advantage. Instead, we get linear writing to push our couple along and dialogue quips that are starting to feel all too familiar – almost to the extent that you can anticipate the reaction and fallout immediately which is never a healthy sign. Real Girl is going to have a lot of work to do to pull its head up.

Worthwhile Prattle:

3D Kanojo: Real Girl Episode 2: Equal Parts Like and Hate

Comic Girls (2)

Comic Girls sinks further into moe-oriented slice of life oblivion as it brings a rudimentary entry to stack up on top of its lackluster premiere. It’s clear that this show is going to struggle when trying to distinguish itself, with character acting full of nothing but the genre’s standard and plotting that’s all too comfortable with providing what’s familiar. Even the core cast finds trouble creating an identity, coming off as one part Wakaba Girl, one part New Game! and a splash of Hinako Note.

 

 

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