SEASONAL PRATTLE
At last, the curtains finally close on the thorough circus act that is Araburu – A finale rich in such laughable plotting that it’s impressive this series was once convincingly masquerading as a highly competent show early in the Summer. If “school administration straight up walks away from hostage teacher dangling out a window under the assumption everything would just magically cool down” somehow didn’t alert you to how inept and cheaply throughout this last bit of narrative was going to be, then you’re in luck – as “color tag to resolve our problems” is equally, if not more, blistering of a red flag here.
Facepalm worthy dialogue choices headlined by Izumi’s “But I’m sexually attracted to Sugawara” quip, brief feeling filled shouting matches that get smooth results as if the solution is that simple at this point, poorly timed comedic bits stepping on the toes of freshly built tension – this game of tag has plenty to raise an eyebrow at and more. However, the worst of it comes once attention shifts purely to how our cast is utilized and how poorly that shakes out. From her role in tag to her conclusion, Hongou is nothing short of disappointing and Momoko’s stake in all of this is so underbaked and mismanaged that I’m not even sure if Okada ever fully knew what she wanted to do with her.
When it’s all said and done, nothing twelve offers feels earned behind its careless brand of writing. Any sense of realism has long flown out the window, and with that, any pretenses of operating through a grounded, organic lens dissipated and the results have shown – a fluffy, silly finish void of any consequences but heavy on let downs. What a waste of potential.
Given (11)
A bit of a surprising finish in terms of gravity, but still solid nonetheless. Given essentially spends its remaining twenty minutes cleaning up and providing more volume to last week’s ending in a straightforward fashion, which is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, this allows virtually zero room for any last-minute hiccups as episode eleven is very safe both in the beats it lands and tone it carries. However, on the other, such an approach leaves a lot to be desired in terms of impact. This last showing lacks the creative risk and emotional highs to feel like a true finale, a damper that is thankfully mitigated by firm enough writing by credit roll. Given has been a good demonstration of what sound fundamentals can get you all season long, and that ultimately doesn’t change here as one of Summer’s brightest works concludes. Good work.
Kanata no Astra (12)
Happy to see Kanata no Astra pull to a close, and for the most part, be reasonable in doing so. This finale’s biggest strength is easily its physical functionality as its double run-length gives it a lot of fuel for shutting doors on any remaining narrative and character threads – which it takes full advantage of. However, the actual content plays out far too ideally given the nature of the reveals and evidence presented within it, ultimately robbing it of its weight and turning it into a very sugary finish. Kanata no Astra has been a show full of both questionable and highly contrived writing since opening Summer weeks, so it’s not exactly shocking that this last performance isn’t the most cared for in its resolution. Fair ending all in all and a decent series on a whole if you bring an umbrella for the on and off showers of plot convenience.
Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (10)
Summer is soon coming to an end, and with that, so is the four-horse race of Isekai titles seemingly trying to outdo each other for which script can be more phoned-in. In the waning moment of this sunk soaked season, Arifureta certainly has the lead – serving up yet another thick clump of uncompelling, underachieving storytelling that feels like the towel has been thrown in long ago. On that note, there’s not much to say about this latest entry: Clunky production choices continue to hamstring this series’ biggest strokes, Tio has completely dissolved into a discount version of Darkness, and the underlying narrative at this juncture still lacks even an ounce of magnetism to actually invest into its passive moments in-between. A true showcase in how to give viewers little value for their time spent.
