SEASONAL PRATTLE
At this point, I’m assuming as a reader you’re fairly attuned to Winter’s overall quality so there’s not much need to mince words discussing that. So instead, can we talk about our latest chunk of Runway de Waratte? Don’t answer that. It’s not like there’s actually too much choice here, we’re absolutely going to in case you couldn’t already tell by the cover image up above.
Runway de Waratte finds itself leading off our Check-In, not because it particularly had a great episode (or a terrible one) as tend to be the requisites to get up here, but because the show is surprisingly under-watched despite being reasonably good through nearly two months. It feels like the series has found a pretty good rhythm as of late, and this most recent episode is just another confident performance that’s indicative of that. Runway has been sharper than a casual watch would suggest at managing its dramatic priorities, and episode seven is enthusiastic to keep that pattern alive – never letting Kokoro or Chiyuki’s drama saturate the screen too much and doing an admirable job at keeping Ikuto in the mix without it feeling clumpy. There are times were certain exchanges and beats can come across as a little inorganic, mainly when Kokoro is in the spotlight, but there are enough positives through thoughtful vignettes and underrated framing to eventually outweigh it. Looking forward to what’s next and if you haven’t given this show a chance I suggest that you do!
Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden (8)
“Creating zones that range from intimate to tense while stylistically staying on track”
Magia Record continues to impress, translating literal text and thematic riffs into posturing, mixed composition and diverse layouts with an underappreciated amount of smoothness this week. SHAFT’s ability to layer and sell just about any of episode eight’s new narrative threads is easily the biggest reward here: Both fresh rumors are weaved through a myriad of tight, directional choices down to the active inclusion of the OP and further shine in their smart use of space and alignment – creating zones that range from intimate to tense while stylistically staying on track. Complementing that, Iroha’s loneliness and separation are only made more palpable through this approach, having plenty of cues both direct and indirect of the trouble swiftly growing around her to the very final minutes. Magia Record is often a beautiful show from a design sense, but its beauty has grown to be specifically purposeful with each passing edition which is great to see!
Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (7)
“Clean foreshadowing, graceful changes of tone, agile humor”
Solid outing from Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, one that inevitably feels like a step down given how strong its previous week was – but that’s to be expected. However, we’re still riding on a foundation of positive tools that keep this series in such good shape week in and week out: Good cast exchanges, clean foreshadowing, graceful changes of tone and agile humor all contribute to an optimistic turnout. We’ve gotten to the point where even a lot of the show’s minor beats are just as embraceable as some of those that are more meaty with narrative substance. For that, watching the earlier playful material centered around the donuts can be equally entertaining as some of the latter half’s reveals concerning Nanamine and Hyuuga. Good stuff all in all.
Bofuri (7)
“It’s nice to see this show tackle different touchpoints of its theme unlike its peers”
While this latest incarnation of Bofuri wasn’t as good as recent weeks, it’s still a pretty fun experience with little issues in its build at the end of the day. It’s nice to see this show tackle different touchpoints of its theme unlike its peers. It’s not often (if at all) that you get to see speedruns and longer chain events included in these narratives, and in doing so, actually made what Bofrui whipped up in episode seven feel fresher – lending it a bit of distinction from the norm. Outside of that bright spot though, this is very much an easy-going, stepping stone episode that manages Bofuri’s usual ingredients of charm and light comedy to a satisfying close. Decent episode for what it wants to be with no real downside.
Somali to Mori no Kamisama (7)
“Stays finding beauty within various structures and layouts”
Nothing particularly emotionally engaging or dramatically rousing, just straightforward storytelling both visually and textually this time around for Somali to Mori no Kamisama, which of course, is fine for the most part. While this show stays finding beauty within various structures and layouts, getting good mileage especially out of its palettes and choices of contrast, seven comes across as relatively fair just about everywhere else. Hazel and Praline are decent additions thus far and the witch town on a whole draws natural intrigue, but the actual narrative thread we find ourselves in is easily outbalanced in quality by the visual prowess that surrounds it – sadly not even coming remotely close to matching the same bar. Okay performance in hindsight and hopefully next week our narrative will pull more weight.
Darwin’s Game (7)
“Sheer awful writing and stupidity”
Did the Florist keep his heart working by tangling some plants around it after getting his chest completely impaled, as if that would make any sense? Yes. Are guns ridiculously inaccurate even from short distances for no reason but to save our MC and his friends? Yes. Did Rein just get the last piece of code to crack this event by using “Laplace Internal”, not only a move she could have done anytime she wanted but a really cheesy and convenient line of writing too? Yes. Did Kaname really yell for Wang to “wait” while he was in mid-swing and Wang…actually stopped and listened, as if he there was a shred of reason to respect his request? Yes. Does Darwin’s Game somehow outdo itself in sheer awful writing and stupidity each week? Well apparently yes. What a mess.
Plunderer (7)
“Thankful for the 2x speed option”
Just in case there were lingering doubts that Plunderer isn’t deeply devoted to pleasing viewers, then look no further than its seventh episode – as the masses are blessed with not one, but a whopping two whole minutes of real story advancement! This urban legend thought long lost episodes ago, is the post-credits reward we get for sitting through a complete load of schlocky, cooking contest filler full of haremettes being haremettes and irrelevant plotting. I haven’t been so thankful for the 2x speed option in a while.
