episode 4 – Anime QandA

Last Period: the journey to the end of the despair Episode 4 & 5 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Last Period: the journey to the end of the despair Episode 4 & 5

What’s the show? Last Period: the journey to the end of the despair, Episode 4 & 5.

I must admit, when you did that blog about what show’s you were continuing to review I was surprised to see you’d keep talking about this show! I’m nothing if not belligerent when it comes to talking-up shows I feel are being unfairly criticised by certain websites…

You mean MAL? *spits*

Easy now. So you’re going to keep reviewing this show out of spite toward it’s haters? Pretty much!

How very mature of you. So what happens in these episodes? Well at the end of Episode 3, Haru received a lottery ticket as reward for completing the haunted house quest and in a nice bit of continuity this episode is about him winning the lottery. And it’s a lot of money. Like the equivalent of hundreds of billions of dollars!

Wow, and how long ’til it’s all gone. Well yes, obviously this being a silly comedy it’s going to adhere to the tried and true sitcom-esque formula of them blowing their money on increasingly ludicrous things. Or rather Gajeru and Liza do that, whereas Haru gets quickly disillusioned by how lazy and indulgent his colleagues become when influenced by money and so the gang breaks up—Haru returning to adventuring, while the other two basically destroy the city trying to one-up each other. By the end of Episode 4 things are more or less back to the way they were at the start with the exception that Haru has saved most of his riches for a rainy day.

Is wealth guilt a thing? I wouldn’t know *sad face*

Expected result. Yeah, but I did enjoy how quick Gajeru and Liza become absolute assholes because of having money, I mean it’s not smart, but it’s still funny.

And Episode 5? The plot returns to mocking its originally intended target, namely gacha mobile games. With his newfound wealth Haru decides it makes sense to try and pull for some five star character drops, because it will aid in his desire to help other people! So he trades all of his money in for ‘premium currency’ and tries his luck at getting something other than 1 star scrubs. It doesn’t go well.

It’s like playing Fire Emblem Heroes, except I’m just trying to get cute waifus and all I end up with is buff dudes.

No luck? In a series of hilarious montage/quick cuts we watch as Haru succumbs to something the show calls ‘The Swamp’, namely finding one’s self constantly spending money in the vain hope of getting that powerful five-star character drop. Only he doesn’t, it’s nothing but one-star trash-teir pulls, until finally… he gets a two-star…

I guess I can see the comedy in that. Even if I have no idea what you’re talking about! True, a passing familiarity with these kind of mobile games is essential to any kind of enjoyment of the comedy here, but I haven’t even touched on the funniest part of the episode. The whole thing is framed in the guise of a Japanese panel show where a bunch of characters are watching and commentating on this as a cautionary documentary on the dangers of rampant capitalism and the traps of gacha games.

I feel like we’re going into deep parody that not a lot of people in the west might get. It’s still very tongue-in-cheek but it’s also pitch perfect parody of these types of Japanese light-entertainment programs that you see everywhere on Japanese television. The only thing that would have made it funnier would be if these segments were live action—but that’s probably asking a lot.

“All things?” I can think of a *few* things that shouldn’t be done in moderation or at all!

Right. A parody in a parody, huh? Parody-ception? Sure, something like that. Also Wiseman (the Team Rocket-style “bad guys”) continue to be the best thing about this show. “WI—ZUMA—NN… Wiseman!”

So obviously you really like this show, anything else you want to say? This show doesn’t deserve it’s low MAL *spits* score, but then again, comedy is kind of hard to quantify at the best of times. I’m not pretending like this is some revelatory experience, or even that great of a show, but it’s just fun and I hate that something that’s so inoffensive and good-spirited and silly is copping such a negative wrap. But I guess that’s the way things are these days. I’ll keep watching and reviewing all the same.

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High School DxD Hero Episode 4 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for High School DxD Hero Episode 4.

What’s the show? High School DxD Hero, Episode 4.

Oh no… What?

What do you mean, “what”? You know what! Oh, you mean how I talked way too long about the fan-service in Episode 3? Don’t worry, there’s like hardly any fan-service in this episode.

Really? Yup.

You must have been so disappointed. Listen mate, I know you might think I’m nothing but a no-good horny boy but the story and the characters are like the majority of the reason I’m still watching this show! They are genuinely great and this episode is no exception!

I like all the high school field trip stuff too, very nostalgic.

Oh yeah? Well go on then, what happens in the episode? Well it picks up more or less immediately after last week’s episode, the gang is confronted by Cao Cao from the Khaos Brigade and his assortment of demon/devil/angel killing allies on a long bridge in Kyoto. Cao Cao makes his intentions clear, he’s just a mere human—descendant of heroes of old—who wants to be as powerful as to be able to kill gods, and the Gremory household and their like is first on his checklist to the top! He possess powerful weaponry and powerful allies, and while he tests Issei’s abilities by sending out a couple of his henchman against him and his friends, this encounter on the bridge is more or less just a venue for him to declare his intentions and see what power level he and the others are at.

Right… But then the battle is interrupted as an envoy for Vali, accompanied by a giant ancient robot thing appears. Her name is Le Fay Pendragon and she’s a big fan of the Oppai Dragon! Also she’s incredibly cute and flies on a broomstick and I think I’m in love! Ahem—

Can we get a Sabrina: The Teenage Witch anime pls.

So, the harem expands… Something like that, anyway, she’s just here to introduce herself too and soon after Roseweiss awakens from her mid-afternoon drunken slumber and unleashes hell upon the Khaos brigade which is their cue to leave the episode, but not before telling Issei and the crew exactly where they’ll be next, laying the groundwork for an epic battle to come!

Drunk Roseweiss slurs her words, also is ridiculously powerful.

Uh-huh. I kinda preferred it when you were talking about the fan-service, at least then I could follow what the hell you’re saying. This only the half-way mark of the episode, there’s still plenty to cover and plenty to confuse you.

Fine, continue. I’ll try and wrap it up quickly, I’m not used to talking about a DxD episode with so much plot. So, the night comes for Issei and the others to mess up the Khaos Brigade’s plans. Issei, who’s with cute fox ayakashi Kunou gets seperated from the rest of the group and is ambushed in a subway station by Saji, a character we’ve never met in the anime but who had a previous battle with Issei in the books, of which we get a fleeting flashback to. So in other words a flashback to something that never actually happened on-screen until this ‘fake’ flashback!

Oh boy, this is giving me a headache… I’m not doing a good job at explaining this, or maybe I am. I don’t know! Yes it’s kinda confusing in the episode but it’s still a lot better than Season 3 was. For everything that happens in this episode, it’s still well paced—that is to say it’s not rushing it’s storyline. Yes, there’s a lot of information imparted but there’s also still a lot of episodes to come in this season.

I’ll take your word for it. So this Saji, guy, does he get taken out easily by Issei? Nope! Issei is pretty much trapped by Saji’s shadow magic when the episode just kind of ends… damn you cliffhanger?

You don’t sound as rapturously excited like you were with episode 3, I do recall you saying that it was the ‘best episode of any anime this season’ or something of a similar ludicrous hyperbole. This episode’s great, it’s just not as great as the previous one, in a few ways… That’s not to say I’m worried about the show at all, I know there needs to be these kind of ‘putting the pieces in place for the big battle’ episodes and I’m super appreciative that the show is actually taking the time to develop these scenes and flesh out the characters, it’s just watching week-to-week doesn’t give the immediate satisfying pay-off that you’d get when binging a show like this. I am still hyped for the rest of the season, don’t let anything I say dissuade you from that fact!

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Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast For Spirits- Episode 5 & 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast For Spirits- Episode 5 & 6

What’s the show? Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast For Spirits- Episode 5 & 6.

I did notice you forewent reviewing it last week? Did the sheer amount of handsome ayakashi boys finally break you? Pfft, hardly, I’ll give this show some credit is that there seems to be plenty of good looking boys and girls in this show, which certainly eases the burden of watching this show, same can’t be said for Butlers X Battlers, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Right then, so why did you not review the show last week? Because the episode was kind of inconsequential to the overarching plot. Honestly, the episode only existed to give Aoi a reason to return to the apparent realm and collect the cute little Kappa named Chibi and bring him back to the hidden realm, because apparently Aoi needed a comedic sidekick.

I know you’re exaggerating, but what really happened? I don’t know, some stuff about siblings fighting and Aoi helping them reconnect, yes there were some decent flashback scenes showing Shiro (Aoi’s grandfather) taking care of the two spider Ayakashi but it wasn’t exactly the most ~interesting~ episode so far, also the “action” scene toward the end of the episode was atrocious. But then again that’s nothing new for this show, it does quiet and contemplative well enough, food just fine, character interactions with some degree of competency but almost everything else is just awkward.

And I assume you have more to talk about with Episode 6? Ehh~ it was better than Episode 5, Aoi’s harem is expanding with the introduction of the very young looking Kamaitachi, a security guard of Tenjin-ya. But it’s okay if he looks young because he’s actually like 80+ years old. *winky face*

Right… To be fair, I did like his recollections about Shiro, about how they got up to mischief up to and including peeping on girl’s in the bathhouse, if only because Aoi’s reaction to this “revelation” was priceless!

And the ‘plot’ of the episode? Well, Aoi opens her eatery to the public, it does a roaring success on the first day as it’s booked out for private function, but “one week later” and things are dire as there’s not been another single customer (because the plot says so). And so she and cute fox boy are summoned to a meeting with the chief accountant Byakuya, who—you guessed it—is also a good looking dude.

This didn’t happen in the episode, but this is Byakuya. I just couldn’t be bothered loading up the episode again to get a screencap. But see! Good-looking dude! Aoi’s spoilt for choice!

“Harem expands”? I don’t know, it was literally the ending scene of the episode, but probably!

Anything you missed? Oh, some random assassin tries to kill Aoi.

Um, kind of a big deal! How come you didn’t mention it earlier?! Because it’s totally not a big deal, at least the show doesn’t seem to think so, it was just used as an excuse to have a ‘meet-cute’ between Aoi and the aforementioned security/cute boy Kamaitachi.

I mean, yeah cucumbers have *many* uses…

Uh-huh… so why are you still watching this show, it doesn’t seem like your kind of show and I’m sure what you’re getting out of it at this point. True, this is the show I look forward to the least out of my Spring 2018 anime weekly shows but I do like Aoi as a protagonist and moreso with each subsequent episode and honestly as much as I ~sass~ this show it’s still mildly entertaining. I just hope we get a bit more drama that lasts longer than a single episode.

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Hinamatsuri Episode 4 & 5 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Hinamatsuri Episode 4 & 5.

What’s the show? Hinamatsuri, Episode 4 & 5.

And how are these episodes? A pair of very solid, frequently funny and occasionally moving episodes.

Oh, well that was succinct summation, I do hope you have something else to talk about? In Episode 4, Hina is disowned by Nitta, he’s finally had enough of her vase breaking ways. So she goes to live with the still homeless Anzu, until Hina’s selfishness drives Anzu to kick her out too making Hina double-homeless(?) though when Nitta’s friends and colleagues find out about what he’s done he’s kinda guilted into taking her back.

That’s one way to get somebody to do something, cut off their booze supply!

Right, so everything back to normal by the end of the episode? Pretty much.

And Episode 5? Adventures in homelessness continue, Anzu wants money to play the video-games like Hina does and so gets a list of the most valuable ‘trash’ items to sell-on. She decides discarded televisions are the way to go—they fetch 3000 yen per one—but after a day of searching with Hina and Hitomi they come up with nothing. Hina, being the utterly clueless individual she is goes to ask Nitta for money to buy a television, does so and then tries to sell it to the trash-collector.

Oh dear… Hina’s not too smart is she? Well she’s new to this world so I guess it’s forgiven. Meanwhile in the much more interesting story, some of Hitomi’s school friends see her enter a bar (where she’s been moonlighting as a bartender) followed soon after by one of their teachers (he’s a regular). They infer that Hitomi and the teacher have some sort of illicit relationship going on and a cavalcade of misunderstandings ensue.

She mustn’t have good peripheral vision.

Wait… “much more interesting story”? What do you mean by that? I’m kind of getting bored with Hina’s antics, she’s incredibly selfish and insensitive in these two episodes and it’s kind of wearing thin. Like, Anzu, despite being a tsundere has actually underwent more character development in these space of 2 or 3 episodes than Hina has done in nearly double that time! Also the plot lines with Hitomi are much more interesting than just watching Hina sulk and complain, I thought her getting disowned in the previous episode would have given her a chance to learn some compassion or self-reflection but evidently not.

Yikes, harsh. I can tell this show is capable of creating well-rounded characters, it’s just they seem to exist on the periphery. But obviously I’m willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt for the time being, it’s still terrifically funny—content to march to its very unique beat.

Right. Anything else to add? Somebody adopt Anzu already and give Hitomi her own show. Other than that, onward to next week!

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Caligula Episode 4 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Caligula Episode 4.

What’s the show? Caligula, Episode 4.

So how are things in The Matrix? Yes, it’s easy to compare this show at least superficially to that once popular science fiction franchise, but it’s a lot more than that movie series.

But has it recovered from the “messy” third episode? And then some, yes Episode 4 is much improved over the previous one. Not the least because it decides to reference literature that hasn’t already been done to death in so many other medium and do it in an analytical and intelligent away, as opposed to last week’s ‘tea party’.

Right, so last week was Alice in Wonderland, what is it this week? Surprisingly, The Lord of the Rings, never thought I’d hear the name’s ‘Smeagol’ and ‘Frodo’ spoken by a cute anime girl but here we are!

Oh yeah? So what’s the episode about specifically? It’s an intensely personal episode taking place mostly in a library. Marie is happiest when she’s alone, and while reading the Lord of the Rings she strikes up a conversation with a mysterious, cute-sounding boy who seems to say all the right things. They talk about ‘Smeagol’ and the painful tragedy of his existence, or perhaps… his intended and joyous death? Inevitably the conversation turns towards Marie’s own painful existence as an outcast and loner amongst her classmates and what it means to be on the outside, on what it means to be wanted.

Sounds deep. At the risk of sounding pretentious, it is. I’d never bothered to consider the duality of Smeagol’s desires, and what possessing the ring really meant for the pitiable creature. But this review isn’t about The Lord of the Rings, it’s about Caligula, Episode 4!

And by the sounds of it, it’s back to being unique and learned and moody? Correct! This is the Caligula I fell in love with in the first episode! And even the Chibi-chan know-it-all Aria actually serves a genuine purpose here as we learn how her and μ created this artificial world for everyone in the ‘real’ world who was suffering from unhappiness. Aria, despite all that’s annoying about her design and what not is on track to become an enjoyable side-character!

And in the end? Despite the impending threat of violence breaking out as Ritsu, Shougo and Kotaru storm the library looking for Marie and finding her at the mercy of the inherently appealing ‘Shounen Doll’ things aren’t ultimately resolved by a flurry of fists or aggressive words, but rather with one soul’s understanding of another and the simple offering of sharing a lunch with another lonely soul. It’s honestly a brilliant subversion and makes me believe in this show all over again! Do not be surprised if ‘Caligula’ ranks among my favourite shows of the season once all is said and done.

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Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Episode 4 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Episode 4.

What’s the show? Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, Episode 4.

How are things progressing? Well, we pick up events roughly where Episode 1 ended in the middle of the Squad Jam. So with all the back tracking taken care of (for now) the “story” progresses in earnest.

And is it still good? I mean, sure, it’s pretty good. If I had to pick I’d say this is the worst episode of the series so far, but only because there’s not nearly enough character development, which I felt was the strongest episode of 2 & 3, plus having zero in real life scenes and nothing but a minor training flashback to include Pito in the episode means it’s just LLENN and M, which while fine, does make the episode feel a bit slower than it probably should. Especially given all the action in the episode.

Lots of action then? Yeah a decent amount, it’s well animated and is easy to follow which is the best thing I can say about it, otherwise it’s pretty uninspired. Though M’s sniping abilities are certainly impressive, though to be honest don’t make for particularly interesting battles.

Now we know what was in his ridiculously huge backpack, sniper armour!

Oh, sounds like you don’t have much positive to say about the show? In a way that’s true, I’m still really enjoying the show, but given the way they’ve decided to tell the narrative a more focused—and therefore less varied—episode is inevitable. I don’t usually like to compare shows to other shows but I watch these two shows back-to-back each week so it’s bound to be on my mind. PERSONA 5 the Animation has the opposite problem of this show, while that show is trying to squeeze in as much story and character moments as it can, this show likes to take it’s time which can be good and can be bad. It’s like the Yuru Camp of this season… okay maybe that’s an exaggeration but you see what I mean!

She’s so cute she even apologises for finishing off mortally wounded foes!

So what does this mean going forward? I don’t know, nothing really. It had a slower week, but it’s bound to pick up. Especially given the cliffhanger of an ending we were given!

Oh? Do tell… Well after narrowly escaping the last remaining team on the map, retreating to lick their wounds, M reads a note he was keeping with himself that he was instructed by ‘someone’ to read at 15:00 o’clock. After reading the note to himself, he pulls a gun on LLENN and says she has to die!

I’m suddenly reminded of that terrible James Bond movie ‘Die Another Day’.

What?! Shocking! I know! The scene continues after the credits with LLENN managing to get the jump on the suddenly traitorous M, holding him at gun-point at which time he breaks down sobbing and begging for her not to kill him, much to her confusion. So naturally the question is, what did the note say (other than apparently to kill LLENN at 3:00pm) who wrote the note and for what purpose! So many questions! All I know is I can’t wait ’til next week!

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My Hero Academia 3rd Season Episode 4 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for My Hero Academia 3rd Season Episode 4.

What’s the show? My Hero Academia 3rd Season, Episode 4.

The villains were commencing their attack last episode. What happens?! Someone sounds strangely interested in this show…

I… err, well it’s not often you a review a show with actual conflicts and action and what not! Uh-huh, well yes, the villains do attack and it’s actually kind of devastating, at least for a couple of characters!

Oh, high stakes then? In a way, yes. I can’t be entirely sure because the show is a bit vague about it, but I think one of the heroes actually died. I really hope Ragdoll isn’t actually dead, she’s so cute!

Oh boy. That serious, huh? That’s not even the half of it, Deku battles against a muscle-bound foe who’s threatening little boy Kota, and this mother-fucker, this inside-out swoll villain piece of shit is actually the douche that killed Kota’s hero parents back in the day.

That seems… implausible. I, yeah… I agree, that was the only thing about the episode that kind of screamed ‘contrived’ to me but hey, I get why they did it, it forces Kota to realise what a villain really is and how different they are from heroes. And kudos to this show, they didn’t shy away from showing what makes a villain a villain!

I actually cared a bit for Kota in this episode, such is the power of My Hero Academia!

How so? Well, when ‘quizzed’ on why Muscular (yeah that’s apparently his villain name) does what he does, he simply replies with “I just wanted to kill”. It’s absolutely chilling. But totally reinforces why heroes are so important and so idolized in this society, they face absolute evil to save innocent lives and do so knowing they could possibly lose their lives in the process and yet they do so all the same.

So the all important fight between Muscular and Deku, how is it?! It’s phenomenal, true not as intricate or flashy as some of the battles seen in Season 2 but it’s brutal and raw and intimate and kind of terrifying. Hearing Deku say “Mom, I’m sorry” as he’s on the edge of being defeated by an opponent of unrelenting strength and brutality brought so many tears to my eye. And even though I knew he’d somehow get out of the situation because he is the main protagonist I was still on the edge of my seat to see how he would get out of it!

And he does get out of it, right? Well, yeah. As if there was any doubt (there was!) His first punch is at 10% of his total strength, it does nothing. His second punch is at 100% of his total strength, it does very little. His third and final punch, he puts in 1 million % of his strength and finally there is some reprieve from his brutal beatdown!

A million percent? That’s not a thing, like that’s just… dumb. Shh~ It’s fine, it’s fine.

Err, I… okay, whatever, sure let’s roll with it. Final verdict? I wish all the episodes were out already because I really love this show. It simultaneously meets, betrays and exceeds expectations, it’s stupid and it’s smart, it’s manipulative and it’s honest, it’s… it’s My Hero.

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Comic Girls Episode 4 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Comic Girls Episode 4.

What’s the show? Comic Girls, Episode 4.

You’re still managing to find enough to say about this ‘cute girls doing cute things’ show to do a weekly blog about it, huh? Yup, this week especially!

Oh, something interesting happen? I guess that depends on your definition of ‘interesting’ but yes, I would say that.

Well go on then… So Ruki, our erotic mangaka is having to pull all-nighters to reach the deadline on completing her manuscripts, which because she’s so tired leads to some hilarious misunderstandings at school, her classmates and teachers misconstruing her tired demeanour for something more sexually suggestive.

How do you misconstrue tiredness for suggestiveness? Because… her… tiredness… makes her sound… like she’s… being SEDUCTIVE. Trust me, it works in the episode. Anyway, concerned that she’s not going to make her deadline without completely crashing out the other 3 girls try to help her out, which proves, um… more difficult than expected for the easily flustered Kaos-chan, as she’s subjected to lewd imagery en-masse—also to much hilarity.

And after that? They finally get the manuscript completed on time, it’s published in stores and Ruki can finally relax. Except her publisher has booked her in for an in-person signing event! Her very first one, and what’s worse, her pen-name (which translates to Big-Boobies Himeko) is more than a bit of an exaggeration as she’s lucky if she’s even a B-cup! Which obviously adds to her anxieties about what her fans expect of her in real life persona.

If you can’t think straight try thinking gay!

Then what happens? The girl’s try and reassure her as best they can but Ririka the dorm mother who comes to the rescue with some wise words and a bit of a makeover that boosts Ruki’s self-confidence and gives her a more mature appearance!

So where’s the ‘interesting’ part? I’m getting to that! Geez. So, Ruki holds the signing at the Shinjuku Animate branch and is inundated with love and support from her fans, it’s a genuinely heartwarming scene that actually brought a tear or two to my eye, something I didn’t expect from this series—or at least not this early on. It’s just so utterly sincere and sweet!

Uh-huh, guess you had to be there… You can be snide all you want but I really appreciated this episode. Not only did it have the aforementioned scene that helped boost Ruki’s failing self-esteem. But it also had some really insightful things to say about how people perceive us and the fear of putting your work out for public consumption, even if you’re afraid of what people will label you as because of the content within.

So the anime’s still on track? If anything I’m even happier about this show because it’s proven itself to have more depth than I perhaps initially gave it credit for, here’s hoping it’ll keep it up! Not that previous weeks weren’t fun and all it’s just nice to have something a bit more substantial and emotional in a cgdct anime series. There is something else though…

What is it? I don’t know if I’m making something out of nothing but I feel like it probably helps the fact that the manga for this series is written by a 30+ year old woman. Seems like a lot of my favourite cgdct shows of late are written by women who are quite a bit older than their main characters… It seems to imbue these shows slight shows with a sense of longing nostalgia and wizened reverence that I can totally get into. I don’t know, just a thought I had. Regardless I’m looking forward to watching more of this show as it comes!

You don’t get that kind of advice in most cgdct anime!

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Tokyo Ghoul:re Episode 4 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Tokyo Ghoul:re Episode 4.

What’s the show? Tokyo Ghoul:re, Episode 4.

And what’s happening? As I recall, last episode was just a whole lot of set-up for an action filled episode. Did this one deliver the goods? I’d say so, it was very sinister, and moody and then exploded into a lot of action scenes between different characters in a lot of different locations in and around the human-auction site.

One of the better action moments in the episode.

So it succeeded in its promise? Well…

Well what? Well I didn’t say the action was great…

Oh no. Okay so it’s not all bad, I mean there were a couple of moments that were pretty great and stylish, but there was also a lot of parts that didn’t seem very clear or the action didn’t seem very impactful or visceral. Like things weren’t connecting in the right ways, it’s kind of hard to explain… it’s like… it’s like if you’re watching a live action horror movie and there’s practical effects and then suddenly there’s some CGI blood. And it just doesn’t look right.

Since when do you watch live action horror movies? I went through a phase.

Right, I guess I see what you’re getting at. It’s just it seemed weightless and lacking detail and ‘oompf’. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

Any other problems? Yes, unfortunately. They introduced, or reintroduced so many damn characters in this episode it was insane! And because my memory of season 1 is hazy at best, I don’t know if these are characters who were introduced then, or during the not animated period between the first season and this one. It was mildly confusing at first, but this is the first time I feel like I’m actively missing out on important information from not having read the manga which bridged the story.

I don’t know who this is, but he’s creepy as heck!

That bad, huh? Like we suddenly have characters who have important relationships to existing characters and I’m just sitting there like ‘I get this is supposed to be an important scene with these characters meeting again, but I have no idea why?’

So what does that mean for watching this show going forward? Not a lot really, I mean maybe I’ll look into some backstories like what’s the deal between Juuzou Suzuya and Big Madam? Maybe I should have watched the much maligned Root A series before watching this one…

So you’re going to continue then? Of course, confusion aside I’m still enjoying the show a lot. I enjoy the universe and the characters and for those who thought the show was too light it does feel like it’s getting darker. Obviously if you’ve not read the manga and gave Root A a wide berth like me you’ll probably be pretty confused too, but I can usually overlook those things if it’s not an adaptation problem and rather a problem with me not being clued up to the events preceding the season.