Sorry I’m so late on this one. A couple weekends ago, I was so taken away by the brilliance that is Koe no Katachi, that I guess I just didn’t have it in me to write about anything else. In all seriousness though, I’ll try to get these episode reviews caught up soon. Until then, let’s talk about what I’ve started noticing in March Comes in Like a Lion that I didn’t give much attention to, or just plain couldn’t comprehend in season 1. Continue reading
Ah, yes…it feels good to be back. March Comes in Like a Lion season 2 is finally here, and I could not be more delighted about it. While I’m always excited about everything SHAFT studio produces, this one show in particular is something I’ve been eagerly waiting for ever since the end of its previous season, and the reason for that is probably because it’s a combination of two of my favorite things: March Comes in Like a Lion is a special creation that seems to come from SHAFT’s avantgarde style being toned down and fitted to slice of life. Continue reading
Scum’s Wish
A very steamy show that handles things of the sexual variety with sensitivity and nonchalance, Scum’s Wish takes a much more serious approach to high school and the intimidating, confusing relationships that form within it. Diving into the depths of conscious vs subconscious decision, characters of the show struggle with the metaphorical demons inside them as they continue to strive for someone that they know they can’t have. Continue reading
March Comes in Like a Lion
A very beautiful and thoughtful show that has strange mouths for its characters, but I kinda like it that way. March Comes in Like a Lion handles the contrast of the different aspects of Rei’s life exceedingly well. You can really feel the stinging unpleasantness of Rei’s adoptive family through the dark imagery of his past and his interactions with Kyouka, who relentlessly pries into his life and fills his mind with cynical thoughts. On the flipside, his time spent with the Kawamoto family is almost excessively delightful, as shown by so many comically overdone bits like Hinata’s morning rush to prepare for school. The difference between Kyouka and the Kawamoto’s can be pretty accurately described with the context behind their smiles. While Kyouka offers only a sly grin fostered by years of cold, concentrated resentment, the smiles the Kawamoto household give off nothing but a sense of overwhelming warmth and compassion. As the show progresses we casually delve deeper into Rei’s past. While learning who Rei is and what he’s been through could be considered the primary reason to follow through the story, his interactions with other characters is what really compels me to keep watching. Be it the tense situations or the blissfully comedic ones. Continue reading
Magical Girls Raising Project
Magical Girl Raising Project caught my interest because of its incredibly strong premise and competent execution within its first two episodes. While the potential dark side of being a magical girl has been explored before in shows such as the ever-popular Puella Magi Madoka Magica, they haven’t really been pitted against in such an overt, death game scenario before. Even with such a relatively straight forward premise, this show manages to stay fairly unique in regards to its plot. The magical aren’t really pitted against each other in terms of actual face-to-face combat. No, by using a system that ranks the girls based on the amount of good they do in certain allotments of time, the goal of the game is to essentially weed out the weaklings rather than prove who’s the strongest, all because there’s not enough room in the city for all these magical girls. In the end there will be eight left, meaning there can be legitimate alliances that don’t need to break because they’d eventually have to turn on each other. There’s a place for trust, as well as an allowance for deception. Continue reading
Animation talk, music and analysis: Understanding The Spectales of 'Extraordinary' | Presented by a nerd in-training
Visual Novels and Games
There Goes My Kokoro 