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What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga)
What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was cool, something that was bad, ask for recommendations, or anything else you can think of.
If you want to, feel free to find the thing you're talking about and link to its pages on Anilist, MAL, or any other database you use!
I thought Kaiju No. 8 was a ton of fun. It might have been a neat premise to stay focused on the cleanup crew. Though what unfolded was more exciting.
The last few episodes of the first season of Made in Abyss crushed me. I had almost skipped this show because it looked cute, which is fine, but I wanted something serious, or hopefully balanced between the two. Glad I read some reviews. It is cute. In fact, at times it is downright adorable, but boy howdy does it deliver some anguishing scenes.
I'm relatively new to anime TV. I'd seen some Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and FLCL in the early aughts, but other than that just a few movies 25-35 years ago. Plus some Miyazaki stuff throughout the years. I think I've officially fallen in love with it. I'm actually a bit overwhelmed with the volume of material I want to see.
Just in time for Lazarus! Watanabe's new project and currently airing.
It seems to be rather divisive online*, but I dig the vibes just as much. If anything, episode 1 is worth a watch.
*Most of the ire seems to come from the dub, which is legitimately bad, so I can strongly recommend the sub instead.
Yeah, Lazarus looks interesting.
Thanks for the tip. I do reach for dub first with animated media. But subs are fine too.
This season's anime (slice of life special)
Apocalypse Hotel
Slice of life show about a group of robot staff who continue to operate a hotel in post-apocalypse Ginza long after humanity is gone.
The premise reminded me a lot of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and there's definitely some of that DNA here, with characters who can live for a very long time striving to find meaning and purpose to their existence. However, there's a much stronger comedy and action element and the show as a whole is generally pretty upbeat.
I'm not sure why Cygames is funding an original show not tied to any gaming IP, but the animation is pretty nice.
Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi
Slice of life "girls and food" show from the writer of Non Non Biyori and PA Works.
I was a big fan of the offbeat humour and pacing in Non Non Biyori and I'm also a fan of PA Works and their dogged dedication to producing original anime (giving birth to a whole spectrum of shows ranging from all-time greats like Shirobako to absolute dreck like Akiba Maid Sensou), but this ain't it, chief. The pacing is glacial, the characters are tropes and the humour comes across as predictable and lukewarm with none of the weirdness of Non Non Biyori.
The art and animation for the food is good, though.
Mono: Weekend animation
Slice of life "girls and hobby" show from the writer for Yuru Camp.
Ostensibly, this is a show about girls in a photography / movie club, but in practice it's more of a "let's go out every weekend and have fun doing cool stuff, and maybe we'll take some photos too" kind of premise. The style of comedy is very similar to Yuru Camp and it's set in the same place / universe, so you could even think of it as a companion show. However, there's none of the quiet, laid-back and contemplative scenes which Yuru Camp used to break up the manic comedy parts (think Rin camping by herself in the first episode or riding through the pre-dawn streets on her moped) or the amazing soundtrack that went along with those scenes, which makes this the lesser show for me.
The production is done by a different studio from Yuru Camp, with the animation feeling noticeably different. The colouring in particular is very flat and much less detailed, but the animation itself is quite good and the characters are very active and deform at the drop of a hat. It's a bit of an adjustment, but I've come to like it.
Great casting and acting that fits the tone of the show well. Koga Aoi in particular is fantastic and stuck in inner-voice Shinomiya Kaguya gear for the whole show.
Zatsu Tabi: That's Journey
Slice of life "girls and travel" show.
A manga artist takes improvised trips to destinations suggested to her on social media. The vibe is essentially the same as the tourism parts of Yuru Camp, down to the narrator.
The background art for the locales is quite good, but the animation itself comes across as rather janky and generic. It's the kind of show that leaves me feeling more like I should be doing this myself in real life rather than watching more of the show.
This week's random selection from stuff I've watched recently: https://myanimelist.net/anime/60140/Kanchigai_no_Atelier_Meister__Eiyuu_Party_no_Moto_Zatsuyougakari_ga_Jitsu_wa_Sentou_Igai_ga_SSS_Rank_Datta_to_Iu_Yoku_Aru_Hanashi
Summed up the show is cliche and forgettable. To me it is just the answer to, "what would happen if you took the kid from Last Dungeon Boonies and made him bad at combat, but still good at everything else?" The problem is that character wasn't good then and isn't good now.
The overall premise is pretty basic. This dude thinks he's bad at everything, but is actually the best at basically everything except combat, though it's teased that he would probably also be unstoppable in combat if he went into combat with a different mindset (ie. don't fight that dragon with your combat skills, just ignore that it's alive and start harvesting its materials anyway). Other characters that know he's good at stuff lie to him about it and pretend he's just decent for.... reasons? They basically decide he's too dumb to handle the knowledge or something. It's really quite rude.
He was also kicked out of some famous adventuring party at the start of the show. As is standard, they were jerks that were just using him and only later realize he was silently carrying them via things like his cooking being so good it buffed them and his weapon maintenance being so good it was enchanting them. Main character's attitude toward this is basically the worst attitude a character kicked from a party can have. He basically spends the whole time simping for them and wishing they'd take him back because he cannot recognize their abuse. Blegh.
Eureka Seven
A boy stuck between the heroic legacy of his father and the ordinary career his grandfather wants for him gets exactly the escape from his life he's been dreaming of when a mysterious girl crashes into his house with a giant robot.
Eureka Seven rose to the top of my watch list after I watched Xam'd a couple months ago. What a strange and fascinating story. It, Xam'd, and Last Exile share a weird shelf in my brain. Each of them exhibit my favorite trait, an anime set in a sci-fi/fantasy setting that doesn't waste too much time explaining their magitek to the viewers. You're watching an anime, you know what to expect.
That said, explanation and justification are two different things, and the end of the original series feels a little unjustified. The Nirvash's abilities are never really defined, so when it does the thing and saves the day, it feels kinda cheap. I'm reminded of another mecha series where the big robot glows green and does magic, but Spiral Power doesn't exist in the Eureka universe.
That said, it's still a very enjoyable watch. I like all the characters. The writing is mostly believable. There's genuine character growth. The Gekko is no Silvana, but it's on my list of favorite fictional ships. It's Bones, so you know it's pretty, and I love the soundtrack. Storywriter hits the same part of my brain that No Way! does. 8/10.
Eureka Seven: AO
Another thing it has in common with Last Exile is having a relatively poorly received sequel series. The big difference is that I ended up loving Last Exile's sequel series. Also unlike Last Exile, it isn't necessarily a direct sequel—every iteration of Eureka Seven takes place in its own timeline. I will talk more about this later.
It's not bad, but I had a hard time really caring about it. Despite being half the length of the original series, it felt like it took too long to get to the point. It raises a lot of questions early, regarding Eureka's current whereabouts, what Secrets are, what's up with the scub corals, what Elena Peoples' whole thing is, etc., and it really drags its feet answering these questions.
I do like all of the characters though, and once it gets good, it gets pretty good. And again, it's Bones, so you know it's pretty. Throughout most of the series, I had a hard time watching a full episode every day, but I don't regret having watched it, so I'm giving it a 6/10.
The Movies
Eureka Seven: Pocketful of Rainbows is a decent standalone film, with the most divergent storyline. The characters, their characterizations, and their backstories are all wildly different in this. I like a strong narrative decision, and the choices the writers made regarding Gekkostate's backstory is strong. But also it's largely forgettable. I liked it better than AO, so I'm giving it a 7/10.
Hi-Evolution 1 was kind of a waste of time. It's mostly just a recap episode, but set in a timeline where Renton was adopted by Ray and Charles Beams at a young age. That, and the intro scene detailing Adrock Thurston's death are the only new things in the movie. 5/10, should have been half as long.
Hi-Evolution 2: Anemone was really good. I like a strong narrative decision, and this movie makes a very strong narrative decision, recontextualizing the entire franchise. It ain't popular, but it's bold, and I liked it. Also, my cat's name is Anemone, so she's my favorite character. 8/10.
Hi-Evolution 3: Eureka was also really good. Again, this movie makes very strong decisions, particularly regarding Eureka's characterization. It's wildly unpopular, but I really like it. It also has the prettiest animation in the series, which is saying something considering the studio that made it (did I mention Bones yet?). I'll go as far as to say it was my favorite part of this franchise. 9/10.
tl;dr:
Eureka Seven: 8/10, was enjoyable
AO: 6/10, I don't regret watching it
Pocketful of Rainbows: 7/10, kinda forgettable but better than AO
Hi-Evolution 1: 5/10, just read the synopsis
Hi-Evolution 2: 8/10, Anemone is my favorite character and I like bold narrative decisions
Hi-Evolution 3: I may be the only human on earth who likes the dub of this particular movie. 9/10, fight me.