SEASONAL PRATTLE
This was about as neat of a demonstration as you can get to 86’s current quality – an eighth episode that brightly illuminates the often tainted experience that has underlined this series. The first ten minutes of this week are arguably the most infuriating the show has had to date: Partly because Annette has mainly been a peripheral piece of the story and the lengthy verbal explosion from her character when going off on Lena hands down doesn’t have the ground or dramatic build to pull it off, and partly because her berating pours more unnecessary water into the already overflowing bucket of “the 86 have awful lives do you get that yet?” – tossing human experimentation on the table amidst already thoroughly sappy conditions and brazenly beating viewers over the head with its themes.
And the rest of the episode isn’t much better with the remainder of eight being awkwardly framed as if the finale is next week. Lena’s failed pleading with her Uncle, dedicated, sprawling somber tracks backing Spearhead making peace before their “last mission”, and the attention given to Shourei quickly approaching are just some of the harder beats that lend a sense of incoming closure – most of which have trouble landing with the type of totality the show attempts to position them with given the lack of time that this series has spent with Spearhead actually on missions, in addition to, of course, the fact that there are three episodes left. I’m still curious to see where 86 goes, but I’m drastically less confident it will be told in a sharp way.
Shadows House (8)
“Sneakily good audio choices and is generally told in a capacity that’s representative of some of Shadow House’s key strengths”
Shadows House held the course this week, continuing to successfully administer its story with a level of awareness and competency that makes its base material effective. Turning heavier attention towards Rum and Edward meant episode eight had an easy time embracing its own mystique, getting plenty of value when exploring the two and particularly with Edward, managing to transform his segment at the end into hard narrative implications right away. And it’s all propped up by a respectable craft effort: Eight is laced with sneakily good audio choices and is generally told in a capacity that’s representative of some of Shadow House’s key strengths – largely those that are intangible. This series has been reliably good for a considerable amount of time now, and given what we got here, that trend doesn’t appear like it will change anytime soon.
Fumetsu no Anata e (7)
“Efficient spurts of character acting along with spots of restrained yet tight writing all round it out to a staunchly positive experience”
Good turnout from Fumetsu no Anata e this week in an episode that was destined to be largely set up. The balance between seven’s introspective, wishful monologues and the general whimsy of Gugu’s post-injury life is really at the heart of what makes these twenty minutes effective – and some choice pieces of dialogue, efficient spurts of character acting along with spots of restrained yet tight writing all round it out to a staunchly positive experience. Although it’s just starting, Gugu’s conflict on a whole is already showing potential and Fumetsu no Anata e is in a favorable position where exploring that looks like it’s going to be worthwhile.
Super Cub (8)
“Personal with a rather small business tint that stays peacefully grounded”
Super Cub gently installed its new setting this week, letting Shii’s cafe carry the charm and whimsy that the stress-free rural drives typically import. Shii herself is used to good effect here – episode eight has a decent amount of beats that directly flow off her warm demeanor into pleasing moments, establishing and maintaining a strong wholesome atmosphere sheerly through her kindness as both a budding friend to our cub duo and a determined host. And on top of that, the small inclusions of her family keep the experience personal with a rather small business tint that stays peacefully grounded. Super Cub is relaxing stuff.
Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song (10)
“Generally shapes up dramatically as a viewer should expect from a Tappei work”
Never using more dramatic elaboration than necessary, Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song offered a tenth episode that’s chiefly a bridge for its final material but still supple in build to be reasonably enjoyable in a vacuum. Ten generally shapes up dramatically as a viewer should expect from a Tappei work – offering a false sense of security and short-lived peace before revealing the brakes were never truly on the pain train to begin with, quickly sending viewers back into the series’ central struggle without a second thought and positioning itself to cash in on its story’s build from there. And while ten isn’t as aesthetically accomplished as some of Fluorite Eye’s highlights, it’s still responsible with its production choices and does enough to get the job done. Fine stuff here.
Mashiro no Oto (9)
“It genuinely felt like episode nine inherently understood that it needed to use more weighty embellishments in its telling”
Mashiro no Oto resumes with a favorable turnout, finally showing Umezono Academy’s performance and regularly offering a wider range of constructive aspects with it. It genuinely felt like episode nine inherently understood that it needed to use more weighty embellishments in its telling and that’s what’s categorically different with today’s performance; The merging of shamisen goodness, team solidity, and determination from Setsu and friends is supported by more insightful sequences of audience commentary, well-applied focus, consistent partial body closeups, and deeper than usual attention on the actual sound of the strings and overarching harmony being created. It also helped that this episode was all business – it didn’t try to be funny, which Mashiro no Oto isn’t really good at, and it didn’t drag out its scenes in an obvious way as if it’s just trying to fill up the time slot. It’s been a while since this show had a good episode and hopefully, it will have more to come before it’s over.
Higehiro (8)
“Following the usual festival flows with little enthusiasm down to the fireworks scene, and not coming up with anything really substantive or valuable to show for it”
It’s a Summer Festival episode and Higehiro is pulling it off with just about as much creativity and gravity that one would expect from a light novel attempting to whip out this stock scenario. With that said eight is anchored down in quite a few mediocre animeisms for much of its run, following the usual festival flows with little enthusiasm down to the fireworks scene, and not coming up with anything really substantive or valuable to show for it. And for the handful of minutes that it’s not distinctly rolling around in the festival formula, it’s basically a carbon copy of last week’s Mishima woes – where her entire routine is just a handful of on the nose assertions about whoever’s life she happens to be talking to at the moment (Sayu this time around) and some shallow self-pity tossed in. Higehiro has seen better days.
Osananajimi ga Zettai ni Makenai Love Comedy (7)
“Osamake can aspire to be an expendable waste of time for those Wednesdays with little else to do – assuming one would want to spend that time on an anime series in full downfall”
Osamake’s path of deterioration seems to be one without end: The series holds strong in its attempts to simultaneously have its characters play some roughly thought out, 4D chess with each other all while puking generic trope gags/setups everywhere and wrapping it in a gift box of some of the dumbest character logic and verbal exchanges the Spring season has seen. And its latest offering in episode seven is no different – a performance that could have at least flirted with mediocrity had it not casually doubled down on how unlikeable just about every main character is, particularly reinforcing that Kuro is plainly a garbage co-lead with her “explanation” for the amnesia schtick that the show tried to pull on viewers. At best, Osamake can aspire to be an expendable waste of time for those Wednesdays with little else to do – assuming one would want to spend that time on an anime series in full downfall.
