episode 6 – Anime QandA

High School DxD Hero Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for High School DxD Hero Episode 6

What’s the show? High School DxD Hero, Episode 6.

As I recall the last episode ended with Issei learning a new ability, namely summoning his best girl Rias despite her being on the other side of Japan. That is indeed a summation of what happened.

Uh-huh, and why did he summon her? To poke her nipples of course.

I’m sorry I asked! It’s the only way he can power himself up, her nipples are the switch that activates his more powerful abilities, much to the disbelief of everyone around him who thought they were in a serious supernatural battle anime.

Right… so do his new abilities allow him to finally defeat this new enemy of his? Nope! It’s still not enough! I mean kudos to this show for not making Issei some unstoppable, over powered protagonist. He’s still got a long way to go…

So how does he and his friends get out of their predicament. Deus Ex Money.

What? Literally a monkey god called Sun Wukong just decides to show up, he’s also known as the Great Victorious Fighting Bhudda, a name which everyone in the show seems to recognise so he’s obviously some well-known Japanese mythological/historical figure. Which is par for the course for this show, we’ve had religious figures from plenty of Western religions only makes sense we get some Eastern ones.

He’s a cool monkey dude, also like one of the most powerful characters in this show.

So this monkey guy shows up and saves the day? More or less, maybe it’s an easy way out of a difficult situation but they’re obviously setting up a much larger confrontation while also introducing new god-like figures to the show. The supporting cast is already absurdly large at this point but at least they’re giving each of these new supporting characters enough time to introduce them and not just throwing five or six in at once and expecting you to remember them all like they did in Season 3.

Everybody take a drink, he mentioned season 3 again! I’m sorry, I know I harp on about that lacklustre season a lot but it’s important to reinforce what this season of the show is doing right by comparison. It is the make or break season for this show, if it doesn’t perform well I very much doubt it will continue, despite their being like 16+ more light novels to adapt….

Right. What else happens? Issei and his classmates leave Kyoto, the threat for the time being neutralised and Kunou’s mother safely returned to her human form. Back home, Issei is admonished by Rias, Akeno and Koneko for not contacting them after the battle and Azazel-sensei stirs the pot by suggesting that little loli fox Kunou has been added to Issei’s informal harem.

Oh geez. Don’t worry, I don’t think she actually is, she’s stayed behind in Kyoto.

I mean if you’ve got it, flaunt it, right?

Sure… So how’s the episode overall? It’s pretty good, but possibly the weakest episode so far. Even though the “conclusion” of sorts was cut-short by a magical monkey god it was at least entertaining and well-written and not in the least bit rushed. I like the fact that Issei’s powers are evolving and are doing so in a way that’s connected to his perverted sensibilities. And while there were some true series highlights during the Kyoto school-trip arc (namely to do with Xenovia and a storage closet) I am thankful we’re back home with the entire main cast all together again. I missed the interactions between Rias and Issei because there is a tangible attraction and dare I say ~love~ between the two of them that hopefully gets more attention in future episodes!

Previous High School DxD Hero Reviews:
Episode 0 Review
Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 5 Review

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Hinamatsuri Episode 6 & 7 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Hinamatsuri Episode 6 & 7

What’s the show? Hinamatsuri, Episode 6 & 7.

Another show you said you’d stop reviewing week-to-week. Sometimes you watch a show and you’re not sure if it’s worth continuing with week-to-week reviews and sometimes you realise you’re in the presence of anime greatness and need to record the experience for posterity.

Uh-huh. So it’s that good then, huh? It’s always been ~that~ good, it’s just a show like this is easy to take for granted because it’s so effortlessly good. No, effortlessly great. And it’s kind of hard to put into words, it’s the kind of show that needs to experienced without preconceived notions or pontificating reviews.

And yet here we are? And yet here we are…

Umm, so then why exactly are you reviewing a show that you’ve both said is “hard to put into words” and is better “without reviews”? As I said, I want to be on paper as proclaiming this shows brilliance throughout and not just early on or as an afterthought but all the way through.

So ego then? Yeah, something like that.

So this review’s for? It’s for people who are watching the show and are enjoying it. Or better yet, maybe it’s for people who don’t know why the show they are watching is so good.

Then why are they still watching it? I don’t know why people do what they do, but there are some people out there who are ‘confused’ about this show’s tone, because in the blink of an eye it turns from broad laugh-out-loud character driven comedy, to brutally honest heartbreaking drama and—in this reviewers opinion—does so flawlessly.

But such tonal dissonance, isn’t that a recipe for an uneven and possibly confused show. You know what else is uneven and confused and painful and stupid and funny and dumb? Life. This show captures the unfairness and ambiguity and awkwardness and absurdity of life in all its beautiful and exhausting qualities.

Explain? Our three middle school girls each represent a different class in Japanese society. (And by extension most Western societies too.) Hina is “born” into her wealthy, upperclass lifestyle where she wants for nothing and is similarly sheltered from the realities of life for anyone under her, even when exposed to it. Anzu on the other-hand, choses the lowest of lower class, homelessness rather than ask for help. She works all day collecting cans just to afford enough to eat a meal—her allotment in life is pure hardship. Hitomi is middle-class to a tee, working so hard, though never truly suffering and ever at the beck and call of those a step or two higher on the totem poll (her bartender boss/Hina/the student council).

Seems like you’ve thought about this a lot. It’s hard not to with a show as unexpectedly rich and multi-faceted as Hinamatsuri. Admittedly on the surface it could seem like a silly sci-fi comedy with too much time on its hands but there’s no denying the depth to the writing and characterisation—even if it’s subtext—that pervades this entire show.

And we didn’t even get to the proper content of these episodes itself?! You know you probably could have saved this rambling to a full season review instead of blowing it all in this review only a dozen people will probably end up reading. I don’t care. It’s easy enough to look up individual episode synopsis’ at this point, or better yet just watch the damn show! Whether you take it at surface level or dare to dig a little deeper this is a show that’s not only worthy of watching and discussion and dissection, it’s just so damn good. I don’t know if I’ll continue reviewing this week-to-week, or every second week as has been the case here for a while, but know that it’s worth it and worth your time too.

Previous Hinamatsuri Reviews:

Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 & 3 Review
Episode 4 & 5 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Episode 6

What’s the show? Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, Episode 6.

Right, last week’s recap is over and done with, back to the plot? Yes, more or less. The first part of the episode brings us back to the point that episode 1 finished on, with real life Karen entertaining a crowd of high-school girls viewing a replay of the Squad Jam. These girls—as we found out in Episode 5—are the team of brutal “Amazonians” that confronted LLENN and M on the battlefield and nearly took them out! These girls are very cute, with distinctive personalities each and I could seriously just watch a spin-off series about these girls alone! (A spin-off of a spin-off, now there’s an idea)

The girl’s introducing themselves and their GGO avatars was adorable. (I didn’t make this collage, I stole it from twitter)

Uh-huh. So back to the slice of life format, huh? Yes, with a bit of cute girls doing cute things mixed in, or more appropriately ‘cute girls doing critical hits’.

You thought about that for a while didn’t you. And it was the best I could come up with!

So what else happens in the episode? Well the big shock of the episode and the narrative through point that’s going to carry into the next plot arc starts with real life M paying a visit to Karen. Turns out he’s not a square jawed, mammoth of a man, but a kind of handsome looking dude who’s a few inches shorter than Karen (not that that’s unexpected considering how tall she is).

If you’re going to do the “cornering” thing maybe don’t then confess your love for a *different* girl.

“Handsome”, huh? They’re not trying to peg him for a love interest for her, are they? Nope, because he’s crazy—crazy in love with Pito that is, or rather her real life counterpart who they are still deliberately avoiding naming. I mentioned in an earlier review that I got Pito’s real life identity spoiled by a wikipedia article but they’re telegraphing it pretty damn hard, I’d be surprised if most savvy viewers haven’t already made an acurate guess. Anyway, M—real name Gōshi Asōgi—has come to Karen for help in trying to save real life Pito because she intends to kill herself and him if they don’t win the upcoming Squad Jam 2.

Might be romantic, if you won’t both crazy.

W-what? That’s a bit dark isn’t it? Yeah… turns out real life Pito has some serious issues. See, apparently she was beta-tester for the original Sword Art Online VR game, but on the day of its public launch she had to do something of vital importance to her career, seperate from the game. The game went haywire, trapping people inside it in a ‘die in the game/die in real life’ scenario and because real life Pito apparently has a few screws loose she’s ~upset~ that she didn’t get to be a part of the high-stakes death game.

I’m not sure if this is how he sees her or how *she’s* imagining her.

Huh… that’s certainly… a thing. The scene in which we’re imparted all this information is a quite honestly a shockingly lazy exposition dump only made tolerable by Karen’s frequent humorous observations and thoughts about her current situation. She’s an extremely likeable protagonist, even more-so than her pint-sized pink alter-ego.

Well it is when one’s insane and the other is seemingly okay with it.

Oh, so you’re not keen about these recent plot developments? I mean kind of… the idea of someone being so obsessed with their own death like the in real life Pito is that she wants to make the stakes of this Squad Jam literally her own life is interesting. But it doesn’t feel realistic in the slightest, what it feels like is artificial drama imposed onto a format that doesn’t need it in order to be interesting. An anime doesn’t have to have ‘life or death’ stakes to be exciting or dramatic. Just look at Sports anime, I may not be the biggest fan of them but there’s no denying they’re able to convey a sense of drama and tension through relatively low stakes. If you’re good at writing characters and the characters are passionate about what they do, then the stakes being high for them is enough to inspire sufficient narrative drama.

Fair enough. So what does this mean for your opinion on the show going forward? Even though I’d say this episode ‘jumped the shark’—at least as much as an anime about a VR game could do so—I’m still invested enough in these characters to see the story out until the end. I’m just slightly annoyed they’ve went for such a cheap story idea when they had a pretty damn good thing going.

Previous Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Reviews:

Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 5 Review
Episode 5.5 Review

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Last Period: the journey to the end of the despair Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Last Period: the journey to the end of the despair Episode 6

What’s the show? Last Period: the journey to the end of the despair, Episode 6.

Why are you still talking about this show? Nobody cares about this show… I care about this show!

Did you take a look at the views on the previous episode review? Uh, well… yeah of course I did. I’m obsessed with ratings as you should well know by now!

Yeah, and so you should know more than anyone that, getting 7 (seven!) total views on a blog when you’ve got 100+ followers is pretty much a clear sign you need to just give up with these reviews. Never! I’ll never stop singing the praises of this silly little show! If anything it makes me more committed to keep reviewing this show in the face of such reckless hate.

I don’t think it’s “hate” that’s keeping people away more like absolute ambivalence. Well, whatever! I’m going to keep reviewing this show until it’s MAL ranking raises above #6000.

Uh-huh, good luck with that. So what’s this episode about anyway? It’s the reveal to the worst kept secret we’ve all been waiting for! Campanella, provider of quests to Haru and Co and all around best girl is finally revealed to be Blackblack, the dastardly mastermind and financier of Team Rocket-esque villain group Wiseman!

I think wearing half an outfit to fool two people either side of you only works in cartoons… good thing this a cartoon because it totally works!

“Worst kept secret”? Well it was all but telegraphed in the very first episode that Campanella was leading a double life. And what ensues in this episode is basically the classic sitcom trope of a character accompanying two groups of people while constantly having to switch between personas in order to keep up appearances. It was so trite I half expected a laugh track to accompany the proceedings.

There’s a bunch of cute hand drawn images during this episode as the story is being told by Campanella as she’s drawing it in her diary! Adorable!

So it’s derivative then? I’d criticise this episode for its unoriginality were it not exceptionally well executed. Besides, there’s nothing inherently wrong with leaning into cliche—especially in a comedy—as long as there’s enough character around it to compensate for any perceived deficiencies in the repetitive nature of the narrative.

Anything else to add? Whoa! Quick to jump to the end are we? Listen there’s a lot to like about this episode. Low-key Harry Potter references, not to mention Universal Studios and Disneyland influences either visually or narratively. Much like the Episode 4 where all the characters became exceedingly wealthy this episode is very reminiscent of late 90’s early 2000’s Nickelodeon cartoons for better and for worse. Also, one more thing…

Choco with the Harry Potter references of course.

What? Well, I mean the last review had SEVEN views! And not only that I naturally assume half of my views are already ‘polite views’ you know the kind, where you click on a post, let it load a second, get the gist of it, give it a like and then move on to the next one?

Oh? Sounds like someone’s trying to confess. Listen, I fully admit I sometimes just click a blog post skim over the basic points and give it a like. So if you did actually read this far down, drop me a comment—let’s call it a little experiment…

Uh-huh… Well this was kind of a train-wreck of a review. Apologies to all 4 of you who actually read this.

You know you’re going to look like a massive idiot if this review ends up getting a decent amount of views. It’s a risk I’m willing to take! “WISEMAN!”

Previous Last Period: the journey to the end of the despair Reviews:

Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 & 3 Review
Episode 4 & 5 Review

If you liked my review and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Steins;Gate 0 Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review of Steins;Gate 0 Episode 6.

What’s the show? Steins;Gate 0, Episode 6.

So, does the streak of excellent episodes continue? You know it’s funny, round the half-way mark of this episode I was getting this kind of creeping dread that the show was starting to falter, nothing massive just that maybe it was beginning to spin it’s wheels a little.

How do you mean? Well it was all very light and ~seemingly~ inconsequential, they talk about New Year’s, and then go to a shrine for a celebration where a bunch of the cast are helping out as shrine maidens, and the American side characters continue their broken-English comic relief shtick. And it’s all very entertaining to watch, it’s like being with old friends again, but I was kind of like “shouldn’t we be doing something more important?” and then they have a New Year’s party back at the lab, which if you’re keeping track that’s three parties in the space of six episodes.

They look gross but I’m sure they taste… fine…

You’re sounding very negative all of a sudden. And then shit gets real. First the others discover Amadeus on Maho’s phone and they’re all quite interested in this AI, even if Mayuri gives Okabe a look that lets on more than we know. Then, as the AI disappears from the screen a group of gun-toting masked men crash the party, their motifs unknown and Okabe is once again confronted with the very real possibility that someone he cares for deeply could die. History is repeating itself, just slightly off-kilter.

So the dramatic ending saved the episode? No, not at all. The more I thought it over—and this show has me thinking more than any other show this season—the more absolutely brilliant I realised the first half of the episode was!

What the “inconsequential” stuff? Ah, but see, that’s where I was wrong! Or rather missing what was right in front of me! More than being about time travel or artificial intelligence or orchestrated high-stakes drama involving people being held at gun-point. This is a show about the cunning and insidious pervasiveness of grief and trauma, it’s always there, just waiting to pounce, lurking beneath the surface of Okabe’s face. Even in the most joyous and carefree moments, where everything seems ~fine~ something as simple as a bridge or a face or a phrase can trigger the grief and it all comes flooding back like a wound torn its stitches.

Is this new information though? I thought you were well aware this show was about Okabe dealing with his grief. I believe you mentioned that in the first episode review? That was me rationalising his character, how he was as a man. It’s only now that I realise that it’s more than just that, the loss of one’s self through the loss of a loved one and the continued anguish that puts on one’s soul—that is what Steins;Gate 0 is about. Not science and technology and government plots and future wars, it’s about how grief affects everything and everyone it touches.

That’s the look of someone who’s seen some shit.

Fair enough then. So the boundless praise continues then? As if there was any doubt.

Previous Steins;Gate 0 Reviews:

Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 5 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Caligula Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Caligula Episode 6

What’s the show? Caligula, Episode 6.

And what happened this week? Um, a lot actually. To compare it to a video game (which I suppose is apt, considering it’s based on one) it felt like the tutorial was over and we’re finally getting to the main game. Not to say that previous episodes were lacking in drama, it’s just the stakes feel a lot higher and more of the key pieces seem to be being put into place.

Okay, *fine*, I admit it, I like Aria now…

That’s a lot of episodes spent on a “tutorial” as you put it. Maybe, but at least things are well established at this point that hopefully they can ratchet up the drama a bit more and take a few more chances with the narrative. While the show has been content to march to it’s own drum and often be quirky and literary it’s never really established the dangers of this world. Sure there’s people being chased by angular looking student monster things, but we don’t know if anyone can actually die here.

And do we have an answer for that yet? Well, no. But having μ go full dark-side, alt-rock has to mean things are getting serious. If not it was at the very least a pretty cool scene…

And what else signifies a possible ‘upping of the ante’ going forward? So last week, a girl we’d just met got her ‘Catharsis’ effect activated, basically meaning she’d come to the realisation she was living in a simulation and that no matter how much worse her ‘real life’ was, she wanted out. And by admitting this to herself she gains edgy new attachments and a cool weapon that’s fused to her body. This week, every character of the main and supporting cast goes through this. And while at first I was like, “wow, really, just like that and everyone’s battle ready” upon reflection I realised this was a smart choice, at least considering this show is only going to be 12 episodes.

Smart how? Well if they’d given us full episodes for every character in the show I think it might have grown quickly repetitive and stymied the forward progression of the plot. This way we can get to the more meaty plot developments and just throw a little bit of character development and backstory where and when it’s needed.

Gettin’ dem Persona vibes, except this doesn’t feel like a video game (for the most part).

So overall this was a good episode huh? Yeah more or less, definitely among the more tonally consistent episodes although it was a bit light on the philosophising, which is a shame because I do enjoy this show’s approach to it—and the literary references—which were all but absent. I’m not as confident about this show’s ability to tell a complete story by the end of the series, I don’t know why but I get the feeling it’s not going to end with a satisfying conclusion but I’ll be happily proven wrong.

Previous Caligula Reviews:

Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 5 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

My Hero Academia 3rd Season Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for My Hero Academia 3rd Season Episode 6.

What’s the show? My Hero Academia 3rd Season, Episode 6.

Are the villains still attacking the Hero summer camp? Yeah, so what of it?

It’s been like 5 episodes! How can they still be attacking? I sometimes forget you’ve got like zero knowledge about anime, this is a Shonen, mate. Just be thankful this isn’t a 50+ episode length season, if it was we’d have 3 episodes alone dedicated to Deku charging up his “Million Percent Delaware Detroit Smash”.

Alright, fair enough. So what happens in this episode? Well obviously we pick up where we left off last episode. That juicy cliffhanger of everyone’s favourite bird hero Fumikage being overwhelmed by his quirk ‘Dark Shadow’. Its immense and uncontrollable force is going berserk and threatening to kill Mezo and the just arrived Deku.

Oh no! What will they do? Well, Deku comes up with the pretty ingenious plan of using Mezo’s limb growing capabilities to lead the rampaging Dark Shadow to charge toward Bakugo and Todoroki who are being attacked by the cannibalistic villain and winner of worst oral sex partner; Moonfish.

I beg your pardon?! His power is like ridiculously long metallic teeth that shoot out really fast, it was a joke.

Um, I think you need to see your dentist about your braces, dude.

Fair enough, so does the plan work? It does! Dark Shadow takes Moonfish down with ease, and the benefit of having two fire heroes nearby means they can subdue the out-of-control Dark Shadow quirk and bring Fumikage back to his senses. But *sigh* I’m getting tired of all these dude heroes, where my best girls at?

Meanwhile? Meanwhile! Froppy and Ochako are being attacked by the only female villain (so far) Himiko Toga, who just wants to suck and poke these cute hero girls—

—I’m sorry, what?! Sorry, did you misunderstand me? That seems to be happening a lot, what I mean is she’s like the weird-goth girl I dated in High School and is unnaturally obsessed with blood, she’s even equipped with a backpack mounted device ready to store as much hero blood as she can carry. Thankfully, only Ochako gets penetrated before the cavalry rolls in yet we’re left to wonder why Himiko was so keen to get her hands on that hot hero blood…

Can we get a Batman remake with *her* as Bane, pls?

And is that it for the episode? Not quite, we’re also introduced to villain Mr. Compress, who as you may have guessed it is really good at compressing hard drive data. Just kidding, he’s can like capture people and put them into marble sized Pokeballs? At least that’s what it seems like… he has eyes on the previously ‘Most Wanted’ Bakugo and now too Fumikage. Why? Well, seems like the villains are looking for new blood (no pun intended) to join their ranks, and are scouting the most unstable/borderline villainous heroes amongst UA High’s students and those two fit the bill!

He exploded in his hand. Happens to everyone!

Interesting! So that’s where the plot is going this arc, huh? I saw it coming when Muscle dude, who looked obviously like Bakugo’s dad was asking after him while beating down on Deku in Episode 3. But yeah, I’m glad they’re touching on this plot line, I’ve always thought of Bakugo as very much a middle of the line guy, equally heroic and villainous. Plus there’s the whole idea of whether a child’s nature/environment determines whether the quirk they manifest will lead them down a path of good or evil or whether the quirk is decided at birth and therefore a ‘darker/more violent’ quirk cultivates a villainous attitude going forward. Either way, keep on doing what you’re doing My Hero Academia!

I’ve heard of blue balls, but aquamarine balls?

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Comic Girls Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review of Comic Girls Episode 6

What’s the show? Comic Girls, Episode 6.

There was nothing but praise from you following Episode 4 and Episode 5, for this show’s “maturity” in dealing with topics that ‘cute girl’ shows rarely or superficially touch upon. Does the praise continue? Uh, err… well, not in the same way…

Oh? Fallen back to earth, huh? Hey, listen, it’s not all doom and gloom, far from it in fact, this is a very strong episode, it’s just not as strong as the previous two, and I wasn’t expecting it to be. What it is however, is very funny and intrinsically connected to events from Episode 5 in very good ways.

Okay, fine, how’s the episode start? Kaos-chan is taking a bath in a thunderstorm when she looks outside and sees a girl hung from a noose by a tree. Only when she screams, drawing the attention of Koyume, the body is gone!

Hello, and welcome to cute girl anime Comic Girls! Oh, this? She’s just resting her… neck… on a rope…

Wow… okay, didn’t expect that. Shit got dark! Listen, I’m going to go ahead and spoil things by saying that all the creepy stuff that happens in this episode is just a previous mangaka Suzu Fura, who specialises in ‘horror manga’ hence all the scary stuff. And to this show’s credit, it goes there. Yes, it’s still ~mostly~ tongue-in-cheek but it’s so well animated that you actually sympathise with Kaos-chan’s terror at this new girl who is feeding off Kaos’ fear in order to inspire her artwork.

So how’s this plot point resolve? Well, Kaos realises’ that everything that makes Suzu “strange” and “awkward” are qualities she too possess, just in a different way (namely not horror-related) and so Kaos swallows her fears and makes friends with the spooky girl. Also it helps that Kaos is kind of a pervert and upon realising Suzu has a cute face and big boobs is suddenly super keen to be close to her.

And is that the episode? Haha, nope that’s but half the episode. Strap in we’re going in again! In the second-half we open with Kaos’, Ruki’s and Tsubasa’s homeroom teacher worrying that one of her students saw her cosplaying as her favourite manga character at the theme park (this occurred briefly in Episode 5). As a respectable teacher she is of course terrified of anyone learning that she’s actually an otaku!

Fair enough, it’s pretty shameful. Quiet, you! So what transpires is basically a bunch of amusing misunderstandings and near misses as Tsubasa tries to hide the fact that she’s falling asleep in class because she was up all night finishing a manga manuscript while the teacher tries to get this information out of her in order to ascertain whether they saw her cosplaying at the theme park. It all comes to a head on the school rooftop as the teacher reveals her fondness for the particular manga and manga character she dressed up as, that character being the protagonist of Tsubasa’s shonen manga!

Why weren’t their teachers like this when I was in school…

What are the odds! At first the teacher doesn’t believe that Tsubasa is the mangaka, but once she reveals the manuscript she was up late reading there is no denying the fact! Both teacher and student are properly schooled in the importance of being open and honest, Tsubasa getting her first one-on-one feedback from a fan and the teacher learning that you can’t judge an author by their pen-name. Seemingly a recurring theme for this anime…

Okay then, so all good? Pretty much, I liked that this episode took a few more risks in terms of visuals and tone. Also, it was particularly funny throughout. Not much else to say, oh other than Koyume is super-gay and I’m totally on board for wherever that takes us in future episodes!

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Tokyo Ghoul:re Episode 6 – Anime QandA Review

An Anime QandA review for Tokyo Ghoul:re Episode 6

What’s the show? Tokyo Ghoul:re, Episode 6.

What’s new in ghoul town? The battle continues! Literally, the big fight(s) that started in Episode 4 are still going on. I’d say things are getting excessive but I’m kinda into it, like there’s nothing worse than a show that has a battle between two powerful characters and it ends in mere minutes.

Right, so who’s still battling? Most of the characters actually, Ginshi and Saiko intervene in the fight with Nutcracker, after some much needed coaching to get Saiko to actually fight they kill the testicle-stomping villainous, not before a surprisingly touching—albeit extremely brief—flash back to her destitute childhood, and her dying words “I just wanted to be pretty”. Ghouls have feelings too, guys! They just have trouble expressing them in healthy ways…

R.I.P Nutcracker, she’ll be cracking angel nuts in heaven now.

And who else? Well if you’ll remember Urie was in the middle of being eaten by Big Madam last episode with Mutsuki looking on helplessly. He manages to break free from the vore-lovers fantasy and goes ~insane~ for a little bit, verbally lashing out at his co-workers and physically punching Mutsuki, which is the final push he needed to unleash his Kagune. They embrace and everything is mostly okay. Then super-cute Juzo decides to confront her villainous mother and again we’re treated to something of an emotional moment as Juzo confesses that even though she was tortured by Big Madam she can’t actually kill her because the memories are too powerful to overlook. But the other CCG members dispatch the beastly broad all the same.

We like to pose like this before fighting.

And what about our white-haired protagonist? He was dealing with an absolute insane opponent last week was he not? Indeed, Haisie is outmatched, Takizawa taking every opportunity to beat on him all the while Haisie keeps going in and out of visions where he’s confronted by the Ken Kaneki version of himself (and a much younger version too), who’s desperately trying to get him to remember his old self. Meanwhile Hinami, Haisie’s ‘younger sister’ from his old life and full-fledged ghoul joins the fight to try and protect him. And then, and then… we get the best damn thing this whole season!

You’ve been busting to get to this point this whole review, haven’t you? What is it? *deep breath* Only one of the best damn musical call-backs in an anime ever. Okay, maybe that’s overselling it, but hearing the song ‘Unravel’ (a.k.a the Season 1 theme song, a.k.a one of the best damn theme songs of any anime period) play in its entirety over the last moments of the episode was just so damn cool! Sure it could be seen as pandering fan-service, but I thought it was really effective and if nothing else it’s just great to hear that song in this series again!

Fair enough. So I take that to mean you enjoyed the episode a lot? That would be correct, though once the hype dies down and I take in the show as a whole it’ll be telling what my opinion is like. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really enjoying this show still but even though I’m out of the loop on so many of these stories because of the gap between season 1 and this season I can still tell some of the characterisation for the side-characters is lacking. I can tell that there’s things being omitted for the sake of telling a more streamlined story and that just makes me want to read the manga even more! Though for now I’ll just keep enjoying the ride and see what happens next episode!

I don’t remember your character but thank god you’re here!

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