Thanks for visiting Anime Rants. I’m now many weeks behind on episode reviews, but I’m taking it easy and refusing to make myself rush. Blogging is about having fun, after all. I do enjoy responding to these episodes, but it has to be on my own time. Anyway, here are my notes on the episodes that aired in Spring Week 4 (April 22-28th).
Previous Posts:
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Train to the End of the World
Episode 4: Why Are You Hiding Your Butt?
Episode Rating: 8/10
At the end of the last episode, I thought the thing under Akira’s skirt was an animal tail – but it was actually one of those damn mind-control mushrooms. After Reimi forcibly removed the fungus from her friend’s rear end, a change came over Akira. She became weirdly giddy and altogether not herself. I’m worried about Akira, and I already miss her cautious and pessimistic personality.
The girls headed to Inariyama Park to find the doctor that supposedly works there and have them treat Akira. On the way, they drive through many bizarre stops, most of which have absurd “people” in the form of goats, golf balls, or hysterically laughing root crops. In the last section of the episode, Reimi and Shizuru were attacked by miniature soldiers and artillery in a tiny town near Inariyama. They were captured, and the episode leaves off there. As usual, I enjoyed this hilarious and nonsensical episode.
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Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf
Episode 4: Romantic Merchant and Moonlit Farewell
Episode Rating: 9/10
This was probably my favorite episode of the new Spice and Wolf so far. The main reason for my enjoyment was the emotional component. Holo’s vulnerability was touching, as she cried and said she was tired of being alone. Lawrence did well to comfort her. He’s a very good man. The excitement in the second half of the episode also contributed to my sense of appreciation. Holo has been captured. I do remember this vaguely from the 2008 version, but this time, I feel more involved. The music was excellent, too.
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Bartender: Glass of God
Episode 4: A Bar’s Secret Ingredient – The Face of a Martini
Episode Rating: 6/10
I was probably in the wrong mood to try watching this anime, since I wanted something more entertaining than just a bunch of generically animated humans talking about the art of alcohol mixing. Most of the time, I’m all for it – but on occasion, I do get bored. That being said, I did enjoy parts of this episode. Most notably, I loved meeting Ms. Yuri Ginjo, the female bartender at Hell’s Arms. She’s super attractive in design, attitude, and voice. I hope we see her again in the future.
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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Season 3
Episode 4: Everyone Has a Part to Play
Episode Rating: 7/10
Much like last time, not a lot happened in this episode. It was mostly dialogue and interactions showing the progress of the nation of Tempest. However, unlike the previous installment, this one was less aggravating and more mildly interesting. I liked learning about the magic generator, for instance. Also, I like Geld. He’s so humble and helpful, always trying his best.
To be honest, I didn’t follow everything that was discussed at the meeting, but I’m intrigued by the idea of the mastermind(s) pulling the strings behind everything. Is it those clown people who worked for Clayman? I have no idea. This anime is one that makes me feel dumb for often failing to follow the plot. In my defense, I’m not used to stories so dialogue-heavy and low in action and humor. Anyway, it was a decent episode.
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The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master
Episode 4: An Imperial Council
Episode Rating: 8/10
So far, I’m enjoying this anime. It’s not what I expected – and It mean that in a positive way. The animation is growing on me; I think it’s very pretty in an unusual way. The animation for the combat scene with Sumio was excellent. I also really enjoy the character of Yukiya so far. Much to my surprise, I also sort of like the Prince now. He’s weird and antisocial, which I can understand. I don’t know what happened at the end of the episode, but we’ll see next time.
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Tadaima, Okaeri
Episode 3: Sorry
Episode Rating: 8/10
This anime still feels a little weird to me because the usual pattern of Omegaverse is flipped. Usually, Alphas and Omegas are paired together and this is as normal as any hetero couple in our reality. But in Tadaima, Okaeri, it’s socially frowned upon for Omegas to be with Alphas. I suppose the point could be to show how arbitrary and weird discrimination truly is. Also, this setup makes it so Masaki and Hiro undergo a struggle. It might be a bit too boring if they faced absolutely no difficulties.
Speaking of difficulties, this episode introduced Hiro’s father, Koji Fujiyoshi. He was prejudiced against Masaki and has always treated him like a lesser being, disapproving of the marriage with his son. However, after a period of no contact with the family, he evidently reconsidered his bigotry and unpleasant behavior. Largely hanks to little Hikari barging into the room to play hero, Koji realized that what he needed to do was express an apology. He did so. The episode ended wholesomely with Hikari’s birthday party.
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Mysterious Disappearances
Episode 3: Horns, Bullying, and a Hair Ornament
Episode Rating: 6/10
I’m still not sure if I will end up with an overall positive view of this anime, but I’ll keep watching for now because I really do enjoy the visual style – for the most part. Sumireko’s enormous breasts are off-putting because they are so unrealistic, but then again, so is all the art in this show. In addition to the visuals, I’m enjoying the voice-acting. Yui Horie, who played Uname-sensei, is a truly talented and memorable seiyuu – though the character she played this time was a bit too on-the-nose.
The mystery was solved, I guess, but some of it was unclear. I suppose the Uname family had the power of the Chinrinki god inside the cursed hair ornament. Ren used his weird eye power to nullify the cursed item. I’m not sure what his power was exactly or why it seemed to hurt him so much. I also don’t know if Uname’s memories are intact or whether she will ever reappear as a character. It was a decent mystery with interesting mythology used.
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Black Butler: Public School Arc
Episode 3: His Butler, Plotting
Episode Rating: 7/10
The third episode was very straightforward and easy to follow and predict. With help from Prince Soma, who transferred into the Scarlet Fox House, Ciel got his revenge on Cole. Not only did he humiliate that boy and make him lose his status as Redmond’s drudge, but he also got appointed as Lawrence Bluewer’s drudge. The weirdest thing about this episode – besides the hideous faces made by Cole – is how easily Ciel acts honest and noble despite being a scheming, undercover hound-dog with a demon servant. The cognitive dissonance was interesting.
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Kaiju No. 8
Episode 3: Revenge Match
Episode Rating: 8/10
I have mixed feelings about Kikoru. She’s strong and talented, which is usually something I love seeing in female anime characters. Her obnoxious, entitled attitude is very realistic for someone of her age and skill. However, I did feel annoyed at her being so nasty to Kafka. In addition, having a teenage character – especially a cute female one – will inevitably result in some adult fans sexualizing her. That’s never pleasant for me to think about. So, depending on how the series proceeds, I may dislike Kikoru.
Forget Kikoru for a moment though, and let’s take a moment to appreciate Kafka. I really do like him as a main character so far. Despite my issues with cliché hero tropes, I still appreciated Kafka’s courage and determination in refusing to give up. It’s an overly simplistic idea that all your problems will be blown away by having more willpower and stubbornness. But it works for anime, and it’s ok to enjoy that.
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Whisper Me A Love Song
Episode 3: Confession and Hesitation
Episode Rating: 8/10
Not a lot happened, but this episode was still critically important for showing Himari as she processed her feelings and desires. After much agonizing and getting advice from friends and family, Himari gave an earnest answer to Yori’s love confession. She doesn’t want to officially date Yori right now because a breakup could sour things for them forever. So, the girls will continue to hang out and see if Himari develops distinct romantic feelings with time.
I’m enjoying this cute and dramatic anime about a young queer relationship that (so far) isn’t sexualizing the characters. However, I do think it’s weird that none of the characters seem remotely influenced by any kind of homophobia. This anime is set in Japan, which is far behind on queer rights. It’s unusual for there to be no discussion of the social consequences of queer dating. I’m not quite sure what to think about that.
~Thank you for reading~
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