Happy Pride Month! I’m starting out this month in a good mood and ready to tackle more anime blogging. Today, we have reviews and responses for the episodes that aired between May 20th and May 26th. I’m finally starting to catch up for real on Spring ’24 anime! Thanks for visiting, and please enjoy my notes.
Previous Posts:
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1) Train to the End of the World
Episode 8: Isn’t That Bad Karma?
Episode Rating: 7/10
In this chaotic installment, Shizuru and her friends went to the next stop – which has reportedly been turned into “Nerima Land.” Nerima was an anime and comic series that the girls all loved before the 7G incident. When they arrived in the town, the girls saw that it indeed resembled the anime, except for one key difference. The bad-guys had won, killing Alice and her sidekicks, who were the heroes of the show.
Shizuru, Akira, Nadeko, and Reimi spent most of the episode fighting goofy anime villains and freeing the town from their control. It was a crazy but enjoyable episode. At the end, the girls heard the news that Yoka is indeed in Ikebukuro, but that she is now known as the Witch Queen. That sounds ominous. To be continued.
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2) Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf
Episode 8: Fellow Traveler and Foreboding News
Episode Rating: 7/10
Though Holo isn’t very happy about it, Lawrence decides to hire the shepherd girl – Nora – until they reach the next city. As a skilled shepherd, Nora can protect merchants from wolf attacks. Nora was a very nice character and I hope things go well for her. After arriving in the next city, Lawrence notices that people have a strange reaction to his merchant papers. He can’t figure out why. As the episode draws to a close, we learn that someone is trying to reach Lawrence with a message. The message seems foreboding, but we won’t know what it is until next time.
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3) Bartender: Glass of God
Episode 8: A Challenge
Episode Rating: 7/10
I’m lowkey impressed at this series’ ability to evoke emotional responses and attachments despite it being mostly an excuse for product placement. This episode, for example, was quite emotional – especially for Kyoko at the end, where she “graduates” from her first bar and says goodbye to Mr. Minami. Chen’s emotional growth during the Cocktail Awards was impressive. I’m very glad Yuri won the award, because I honestly think she’s the most deserving of it among our characters.
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4) That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Season 3
Episode 8: Misunderstanding
Episode Rating: 8/10
This was the best episode of the third season so far, featuring a good amount of action and colorful character interactions. The fight between Hinata and Rimuru was obviously the most exciting, and Rimuru won. But I’m not completely sure what happened at the end – why didn’t his Beelzebub skill work? Then Hinata took a potentially fatal hit from the sword that was being manipulated by the Seven Days Clergy. I really hope she survives, since she’s my favorite human character so far.
On a separate note, I loved seeing Shion show off her powers in this episode. I was tired of her being annoying and incompetent during the meetings. I honestly forgot how powerful she was on the battlefield. I still wish her character got more significant development, but at least, I can no longer complain about her being merely a pair of boobs with low intelligence. She is a pair of boobs with impressive fighting skills. 😛
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5) Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master
Episode 8: The Intruder
Episode Rating: 7/10
It was a rather intense installment this time with the aftermath of Samamo’s death and then the incident with the intruder. I’m still not sure who killed Samomo or why, but the intruder was Kazumi, the gardener, who was in love with Shiratama. As for the Northern Lady, she must have loved him too, because his sudden death made her lose what little remained of her sanity. It’s also very obvious that Shiratama is the letter thief. She gleefully cuts up the stolen mail and uses it to make origami.
Hamayu confronts Shiratama and tries to tell her to retire from the competition, but it’s not working so far. Shiratama is completely delusional. Elsewhere, the Crown Prince is meeting with the cloistered Lady of the Southern House, who should be at the palace seeking the Prince’s hand. She declined for some reason, and Hamayu went in her place. The Prince – disguised as a messenger – is finally about to find out the reason why. That’s about all for this episode.
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6) Tadaima, Okaeri
Episode 7: I’m Home, Welcome Home
Episode Rating: 8/10
After being comforted and supported by Hiro, Masaki feels much better. He goes to meet with Kazu the next day, who apologizes for being hurtful. Apparently, when Hiro told him off, it actually had an impact. Kazu hands over the letter to Masaki and leaves. The letter contains the feelings of Masaki’s mother toward her son. She truly loved him. The family pays their respects at the grave of Masaki’s parents. The rest of the episode after that was mostly cute misadventures of Hikari. It’s always pleasant to watch this show.
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7) Mysterious Disappearances
Episode 7: A Station, Scissors, and a Hair Cut
Episode Rating: 8/10
This was the best episode so far, in my opinion. The drama, suspense, and trippy creepiness were all great. But the main reason I loved this arc is that I think this was Shizuku’s love story. You can’t tell me she didn’t love Tomoka. It might not have been spelled out in so many words, but in my opinion, this was a lesbian romance. Although I’m sure she wanted to give her life for Tomoka at the time, I’m very glad Shizuku was rescued by Ren and Oto. She is now free of the cursed spirit and ready to live for Tomoka, too. Great episode.
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8) Black Butler: Public School Arc
Episode 7: His Butler, Final Match
Episode Rating: 8/10
I had fun watching this episode. After a lot of intense match-ups of batters and bowlers, Sapphire Owl House won the cricket game. Their many tricks and strategies worked out. During the last few plays, Sebastian was gone on his mission to capture the school’s Headmaster. However, the elusive man vanished right before being caught. My favorite moment in this episode was probably when Ciel got hit in the head with the cricket ball but kept playing through the pain, allowing the blue team to achieve victory. I also enjoyed seeing Bluewer do his best in the game. He’s a good character.
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9) Kaiju No. 8
Episode 7: Kaiju No. 9
Episode Rating: 8/10
This episode was thrilling. I was afraid Ichikawa would die, but it looks like he’s safe for now after being rescued in the nick of time. The enemy Kaiju – which will hereafter be known as Kaiju No. 9 – is fascinating so far. He seems to be able to create other Kaijus. That makes me wonder if beings like him are responsible for all Kaiju attacks. Leaving that aside for now, Kafka defeated Kaiju 9 but failed to kill him completely. Now he must survive being targeted by Vice-Captain Hoshina. What a cliffhanger ending!
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10) Whisper Me A Love Song
Episode 7: The Past, a Song, and a Secret
Episode Rating: 8/10
This episode was definitely entertaining, but less emotionally impactful for me than the previous. That’s fine though, since last episode was such a big moment for the main couple. As for this episode, we learned about how Shiho was in the band with Aki and the others before getting furious at them and quitting. She said a lot of hurtful things when quitting. That memory brought Aki to tears briefly, but Yori comforted her.
Now, in the present, it’s time for auditions. While the SSGirl’s performance was good, it could hardly compare to the musical show put on by Shiho’s band. (The two other members are Momoka and Hajime.) At the close of the episode, Shiho informs Aki that she knows about her secret crush on Yori. I’m not sure why that matters, but one thing is clear: Shiho is still being a bitch. She may be talented at music, but there’s no point in something like that if you have a nasty personality.
~Thanks for reading~
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