“QUOTE OF THE WEEK”

– Someone actually made that reference after this week’s Domestic na Kanojo. Drink that in, drink that all in while you eat that slice of 2006.

 

SEASONAL PRATTLE

The Promised Neverland (8)

It should be no surprise to see The Promised Neverland at the top kicking this off after the fantastic performance it had this week. For the second episode in a row, this work once again demonstrates the sheer amount of leverage its medium lends it:  Lots of great individual shots and a wide spread of timely cuts that facilitate tension,  a flowing perspective that consistently keeps even the more mundane pieces of dialogue engaging, strong use of sound design to further nail its weighty tonal moments, etc., the list goes on. It’s hard to say exactly what this episode’s strong suit is – Krone’s death and Isabella taking direct action both have so many little touchstones that make them successfully to the point it feels unfair picking, which in the bigger picture, is a great problem to have. Few works at the moment are simply this well constructed in their recent material to be in this position, and I can only hope that it keeps this effort up into its final stretch.

Kakegurui xx (8)

Kakegurui’s textual features were even more applaudable than last week’s – packed with a thorough level of scheming and manipulation that continues to push the greater good game as one of the most thoughtfully written gambles yet. Kaede’s acting and following deduction was wonderful here, playing 8D chess and acknowledging every little facet to determine the traitor down to the turn order, which is just a flat-out level of analysis and predictive thinking that Kakegurui has never really shown in either season. Not to be outdone, episode eight would segue the resolution of the game into a display of versatility by taking an emotive stab with Itsuki holding the blade.  Her scenes were heartfelt, gracefully pulled off with proper emotional weight and complementary visual flair. It’s hard to imagine Kakegurui staying this competent moving forward, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed that we continue to receive entries like this.

Mob Psycho 100 s2 (8)

It’s a little unfair that the final few minutes of this batch of Mob Psycho goodness will ultimately outshine the rest of them when it comes to discourse in the community, but at the same time, that’s very understandable.  Essentially, the vast majority of episode eight’s material is just a springboard to launch its conclusion,  however, there are still sequences worth embracing there both for design and narrative implications. The attention paid to depicting Mob’s running and growing exhaustion during the marathon was a nice visual effort, and it was very rewarding to see Mob earnestly pursue his placement goal and have Reigen support him to the end. Eight’s ending will take center stage as this episode’s highlight, and deservingly so for its pure weight alone, but please don’t discount the moments that set it up!

Kaguya-sama wa Kokuraseta (8) 

Some weaker comedic patches and a gentler pitch and catch of narrative strokes would inevitably handicap this week as one of the series more milder outings. Through two months,  it’s become pretty clear that Kaguya-sama is at its best when it’s letting its gags fly without hesitation , picking up even more speed for greater impact through thoughtful visual craft and landing in a fashion that quickly sets the stage for yet another gag. So while it’s nice to get introduced to Kei and have more light shown on Kaguya – character sculpting pieces like today simply don’t play that well to this show’s inherent strengths.

Dororo (8)

For as much praise and celebration Dororo has received,  this work has been notably sliding downhill since reaching the lofty heights of episode six , and that’s a conversation that needs to be explored a bit (even if it’s through these bite-size episodic thought pieces on Seasonal Prattle). So allow me to try to unpack this briefly: We simply lack the pop and intrigue of this work’s earlier material – and sometimes even its usual solid understanding of storytelling mechanics if you specifically isolate episode eight’s all too conveniently delivered centipede monster shenanigans. It’s concerning as this week’s mediocre turnout feels like it can become a greater trend, but only time will tell if that’s really true. For now, I can only hope that Dororo finds it mojo again.

 

The Rising of the Shield Hero (8)

Again, returning here at the very bottom to close this post out, Shield Hero plagues us with an episode that virtually mimics all of last week’s first-half issues and then some: Naofumi’s irritating attitude that’s all too abrasive when interacting with clients, terribly integrated CG dragon, a stagnant-unimaginative fight, and a conclusion that’s hardly rewarding all headline that front. At this point, it’s not even worth unpacking all the individual cannonballs that sink this ship and their solution as Shield Hero is in the same position (possibly even worse) as last time it was discussed, and thus,  its needs remain the same with perhaps an extra coat of desperation. 

 

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