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My Hero Academia 120

Finally, we get to see All Might in the present and it isn't that damn statue!

Spoiler

And just my fuckin' luck, it's the one that dooms Midnight to her undeserved demise. To think the A-Poke-Lypse has gotten this close to happening...

 

Edited by PokeNirvash
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Made in Abyss S2E11/12 and Marulk's Daily Life
Onimai: I'm Your Sister Now! 1

Been slacking again. If you want, blame catching up on college classes. I wasn't even able to chat about the MiA S2 finale before the thread closed.

Edited by Blatch
Bolded the second one.
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Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun 12
Pop Team Epic 26 (dubbed)

Spoiler

The eponymous village this season centered around is gone, most of the new characters introduced are all dead, and Faputa's response to Reg's request she join the party is "maybe later, but not right now, sosu". I'm not saying this was a wasted season, but I can sure see a bunch of people who've never seen it interpret it that way, especially if they're TV Tropers.

602139011_6.jpg?v=e320f9e71cf19e99850d/10.

 

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Girls' Last Tour 6
The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls 19/20

That's right: I've got a review backlog going. 😤

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls Episode 19: "If you're lost, let's sing aloud!"

Spoiler

We've been checking in on the Cinderella Project girls a second time throughout this second cours, so now it's time for Miku and Riina's turn! And... they're still fighting. Damnit. This time around, Miku's tolerance toward Riina's ignorance toward what rock actually is has reached its limit, so it's time for the latter to do some studying. And who else should appear to help but Natsuki from five episodes ago? She scoots in on her motorpickle and asks Natsuki about her musical tastes. She likes... UK? Okay. Hard rock? Sort of. Metal? Once in a while. Progressive? Okay, now we're getting silly, since UK is prog. Riina also gets the chance to go to one of Natsuki's shows, where it seems she gets the appeal of it, though maybe she doesn't find IT. And as she does, she even starts to get along better with Miku, though at the same time something feels a bit off. Frankly, a lot of this show's narrative feels off, but you do you.

I've said before that I don't find the idea of Riina and Miku's bickering to be very appealing, and I steeled myself for the worst as this episode began and got right back into it. But funnily enough, it ends up being a non-factor here. Natsuki does a good job of helping Riina become cultured about rock, even though by the episode's climax she still doesn't actually know what it is, which causes Natsuki to tell her that rock is whatever you want it to be. I want to have friends in my life who will support my bullshit unconditionally, even if I'm maximum cringe about it. But at the same time, the show portrays Riina's attempt to become more cultured as "brooding", which I don't really get. Why make it into the dramatic pivot of this episode? More effective is Natsuki being picked for an idol band project (bold new territory for the genre; BanG Dream!'s anime was about a year and a half away at this point.) by Executive Mishiro, with trainwreck metal girl Syoko (now in fitting regalia) and newcomer Ryo rounding out the lineup. But Natsuki decides to pull out after finding out the idols won't get any creative control. Now that's rich! Though it nevertheless goes to show that being rock is all about forging your own path. And when push comes to shove, or more specifically Riina gets knocked over during an Asterisk live, she gets right back up and convinces Miku to keep singing, even though the latter is convinced the concert is ruined now. Not bad. If Riina's idea of rock also includes improvising, then maybe she has gotten IT.

My favorite part of this episode is when Nao, Rin and Karen all sang "Dekitate Evo! Revo! Generation!" together, and you'll know the reason for this pretty soon. But the ending is also pretty fun: Riina sings the song of Asterisk while Natsuki provides guitar accompaniment, as they form a special one-night-only instant-breakup unit, with the only audience being the other girls in Cinderella Project plus TakeP, whom I've neglected to mention until now again. So a nice episode: the idols are happy and doing well, but Mishiro is still working hard behind the scenes. And next time will be Episode 20; the 20th episode of the 2011 anime marked the pinnacle of its own drama. Hopefully you haven't forgotten about Chihaya's dead little brother, because I know I haven't. Get ready, because we've got to go even faster to finish this show up by the end of the month, or at least by April 5.

Random thoughts:

  • Music, part 1 - "Rockin' Emotion": Nutsucky's original solo (not a Cinderella Master). It's not nice English lyrics and power guitar soloing that is even wilder in the show itself.
  • Music, part 2 - "Wonder goes on!!": An unironically great song featuring Asterisk, Natsuki, and Nana. Actually, Nana wasn't even featured in this episode so she gets shoehorned into the song with minimal exposition in the ED. Kinda pisses me off, but I can still vibe to this song's big rocking anthemic happiness all day.
  • Idol spotlight - Ryo (new voice): 18, Cool-type. The ostensible bassist of the Mishiro's magnificent unnamed sanctuary band. Is tanned, which is a good omen; squint hard enough and she almost looks like Bakarina. She used to be a rock band vocalist but is also surprisingly well-balanced, once having enjoyed classical and jazz music, plus she likes horror movies. Ahh, Ryo Matsunaga: pushing the boundaries of what an idol can be.
  • I was also steeling myself for Syoko getting mad about the idol band and screaming as loud as she could. But it didn't happen.
  • And speaking of Mishiro, after the idol band idea is thrown out, it seems like she's primed Rin, Nao and Karen to be in her ideal unit. Hrrrrm.
  • Really cute chibi versions of Asterisk after their show.
  • Rated TV-PG. Should I even bother listing these here anymore? If they're interesting, maybe.
  • Clockwatch: After Riina gives Miku a piece of her mind, it goes from 6:52 to 6:53. There's also a clock elsewhere in the episode, right after an Asterisk photo shoot, that shows 4:35.
  • Feel like this review wouldn't be complete without a shouting out of Natsuki and her her swanky motorcycle. No idea what the make and model are, but the license plate number is 08-19, her birthday (which she shares with a certain someone from another branch), which is also considered Motorcycle Day in Japan because the numbers can be pronounced like that. Cheeky little language they got over there.
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Demon Slayer Swordsmith village movie -

Two words - Cash.  Grab.  They didn’t even take out the goddamn credits when the old episode ended and the new one was about to start!  It’s still beautifully animated but you are missing nothing unless you want to see the new episode of the new season early.

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The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls 20
takt op.Destiny 10/11
Touhou Fantasy Kaleidoscope ~The Memories of Phantasm~ 1

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls Episode 20: "Which way should I go to get to the castle?"

Spoiler

We have a name for the idol project Director Mishiro is working on: Project Krone (pronounced crone-ay). And the other idols feel this new batch is going to upstage them; it will make its formal debut at an upcoming autumn live. Not helping the matter is that Mishiro has also announced that, if the Cinderella Project fails to impress at this upcoming live, it'll get the axe ahead of the Cinderella's Ball. Further muddying the waters is that Mishiro has tapped Rin and Anya to participate in Krone. Seems like a reasonable dollop of drama for this episode.

This is the most cerebral and low-key episode of the show yet, focusing all about idol politics and the girls choosing their own paths. It doesn't come easy, and there are no obvious answers. Especially because, while Anya has been tapped to debut in Krone as a solo unit, Rin is going to be part of the new unit Triad Primus with Nao and Karen. TakeP tries to take the lead and say that the girls can't participate in Krone when they're already doing time with the Cinderella Project, but Mishiro stops him cold by reminding him he previously campaigned for "respecting an idol's independence". He eventually breaks the news to everyone else in the project, but it doesn't get them down. After all, everyone is hard at work in their pre-existing units, even if we haven't seen a whole lot of it. Later on, Anya runs into two of her prospective unit-mates in Krone, Yui and Fumika. The latter talks about how Krone is a fun thing she's doing even if she wasn't sure about it at first, which seems to tip the scales in one direction. It tips likewise for Rin when Nao and Karen talk about how much fun they had singing the song of New Generation with her. Which was what convinced Mishiro to pair them together in the first place. Mmhmm.

I got mixed emotions from this episode, but not in terms of its quality. It can be fun to see something actually brush up against the show's status quo and possibly alter things, but it's tough when it's not only something you expect not to come true, but also actually want to happen regardless. Triad Primus is a real unit in Cinderella Girls, one I like very much in spite of only having two real songs, and I think I'd prefer hearing more material from them over New Generation. But you can't just give the shaft to the unit across the entire franchise's history, much less the unit this anime hinges upon. Give me less triumphant happy-happy idol songs and more baroque EDM shit. Furthermore, give me more songs with Nao, whom might as well be the only girl in this franchise that matters. (Then again, Koishi was my favorite 2hu until last year...) Mishiro might be the villain of this show, but in spite of a lot of people hating her guts (you should see some of the fan art that's out there), there is a decent contingent of people who've watched this show who want her to win. So will she? I recommend betting against her on your sportsbook of choice, assuming your state allows it.

A lot of this drama could be answered if the show explained whether or not you can only be in one unit at a time. That's a hang-up Anya has with Krone, because she's in Love Laika with Minami. But she thinks Krone is an even more exciting adventure to go on. She just doesn't know if she'll be able to smile as part of the new unit. Shortly after a chat with TakeP, that lovable scamp, she goes over it with Minami, and Minami gives it her blessing. That sets up the finale of this episode, which is a multi-idol pileup: Rin breaks the news about Krone to Uzuki and Mio, while also saying she hasn't decided yet. Mio... doesn't take it well. But she takes it better than the unfortunate drama bomb of Episode 5. Rin even admits what she might do is selfish, which softens the blow a bit. But Mio still decides to take a moment, and then she zooms out of the production room, right past TakeP. Then the clouds gather, the birds fly away, and TakeP announces Anya's solo debut inside of Project Krone, only for him to pass the mic to Mio, who quickly one-ups it by announcing she's going solo.

Good episode? Good episode. It excels in doing the little things, which I'll detail in the free-for-all section below, though the whole is as grandiose as you'd expect.

Random thoughts:

  • Oh shit, U149 OP!
  • Granted, that's the song rather than the actual opening. I haven't even listened to it yet. Not even a sample, I don't think.
  • And BTW, they announced an anime for another branch of this series, but I'll get to that next time. Besides, for all we know these recent iM@S anime might be a trojan horse to peddle NFTs.
  • Nao watch: She still exists. She's a character you can... hug? Do other things with? And she's a featured player in this episode.
  • Featured idol - Fumika: 19, Cool-type, 9th Cinderella Girl. The CG character most like my sister. She loves books, but isn't too big on socializing. Also, big breasts, not that that means anything. She manages to be pretty cute regardless, and some of her outfits are quite pretty. Her seiyuu, stage name M・A・O, is more of a cryptid, since she never appeared at a CG live until after she won Cinderella Girl, and who knows if she'll ever appear at one again. She was also the last election winner to be crowned the classic way, which was close to two years ago.
  • Featured music - "Kono Sora no Shita": Oh look, another song where people are talking over it. And this time that's all that happens! Too bad, because it's a great ballad with relevant lyrics. Love Laika and Rosenburg Engel (Ranko) sing it. Wonder what kind of relation Funta3 and Funta7 have.
  • Triad Primus' scene at the restaurant is a fun one to pick apart in detail: they go to a burger joint, reflecting Karen's running gag of loving french fries. Nao gets a toy with her meal, and Reina makes another cameo as the toy. Turns out she likes these: in Starlight Stage (which came out a week after this episode), there's a commu where you, as the Producer, take her to a family restaurant and she starts geeking out over getting a particular anime-themed toy. Also, this restaurant has a Lettuce Burger, which isn't even a vegan option (no lettuce patty; it just comes with a shitload of it), and also advertises a "Kiddi'i Summer Live": Heart of a kids!
  • As for the following scene, what's up with the shot composition? The cut into it shows Karen and Nao overhead, but afterward the walkway they're on is totally different, with a wall on the right while the left side opens into a thicket of trees. Also, it seems like there's nothing whatsoever to the left of Karen, which would be dangerous.
  • There's Ranko getting all wussy about horror movies again. And Sae and Koume show up independent (in da pendant?) of their units, which is always fun.
  • Love Anya's 2015-ass phone, with a thick screen border and half-circled ends. I had a phone like that as my very first, and even played Love Live! School Idol Festival on it. I got an FC on one song on their version of Master difficulty while on a plane heading to Florida. BTW, that game is ending service on March 31 also.
  • Thumbing through the episode for this review (I watched it yesterday... relative to the first draft of this), one thing I'm only just noticing is that Rin's walking on the same bizarro staircase as Karen and Nao, and she's doing it while listening to TP's debut song. Snazzy narrative economy.
  • TV-PG, yadda yadda, Although, at some point since I watched this episode, I came to the realization that I shouldn't be dragging any show based on how high or low its content ratings are. It's similar to Poke rating Run Like the Wind, a show I bet he liked very much.
  • Semantics corner: I feel bad that all of this great content has to be tucked under the covers of spoiler tags, so therefore anyone who wants to reply to them is going to have to spoiler their reply too. Personally, I think if there's something you want to talk about regarding this post and it doesn't have to do with, like, deep story content that would actually require a spoiler, you don't have to keep it covered. After all, information wants to be free, but clicking is not a free action. And you don't want it to look weird, either. I'm only doing this to keep things clean, so that each page (lengthy already in most cases) doesn't balloon to several times its size.
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On 3/21/2023 at 4:55 PM, Blatch said:

Although, at some point since I watched this episode, I came to the realization that I shouldn't be dragging any show based on how high or low its content ratings are. It's similar to Poke rating Run Like the Wind, a show I bet he liked very much.

I did, though I don't remember ever dragging its ratings for anything. Run with the Wind at least had occasional curse word usage to keep things interesting, so it wasn't anything like the near-abundance of TV-PG plains that I had with Moshidora in 2011 and Ice Guy this season.

Food Wars! The Fifth Plate 1
Trigun Stampede 11

Nothing says self-sufficience as an anime fan than watching Food Wars then doing your own cooking.

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On 3/22/2023 at 7:56 PM, PokeNirvash said:

I did, though I don't remember ever dragging its ratings for anything. Run with the Wind at least had occasional curse word usage to keep things interesting, so it wasn't anything like the near-abundance of TV-PG plains that I had with Moshidora in 2011 and Ice Guy this season.

I wasn't trying to imply you were being critical of it. Maybe I should've worded it differently.

Onimai: I'm You're Sister Now! 2

[i'm still upside-down]

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Trigun Stampede 12

It probably won't be 'til the second half that this earns a higher score, but I can easily see it getting one if it manages to keep the same quality as those last couple of episodes. 8.5/10, would watch again if Crunchyroll lets [as] have the broadcast rights.

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2 hours ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

Very quickly making way through a show I've been meaning to see for like 10 years: Future Diary.

Strong "2012 was a different time" vibes lol

I remember this one AniTuber recently putting out a video about it, which was about as contemptuous on the surface as any anime reviewer could be about Future Diary.

Problem was, it came a decade too late to be even remotely relevant.

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On 4/2/2023 at 3:41 PM, PokeNirvash said:

I remember this one AniTuber recently putting out a video about it, which was about as contemptuous on the surface as any anime reviewer could be about Future Diary.

Problem was, it came a decade too late to be even remotely relevant.

Speak of the devil: Finished Future Diary.

This thing is a trainwreck holy shit. Great premise that derails pretty quickly but continues to pile up the wreckage in the biggest cyclone of bullshit that has ever fondled my corneas. Doesn't help I saw this practically off the heels of Chainsaw Man which does all the angsty horny mourning teen stuff too, but with better writing, characters that act like people, and balances the weeb shit with film literacy.

In other words, this is a Friday night drunk groupwatch. 10/10

Edited by MasqueradeOverture
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I only watched Future Diary way back when because Yuno was the yandere (according to TV Tropes) and I wanted to see what was up with that. I actually enjoyed it in spite of any objective shortcomings, special thanks to the other two seasonals I was watching when I started - Guilty Crown and Majikoi - being worse.

Chainsaw Man 3

But at least I'm demonstrating good taste alongside the bad, too.

Edited by PokeNirvash
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