Random Curiosity

「羊の皮をかぶった狼」 (Hitsuji no Kawa o Kabutta Ookami)
“A Wolf in Sheep`s Clothing”

It’s another week where everybody’s alive and well! Not just that, but they confirmed that Uuma is still kicking too, so we’re back to eight contestants. That hasn’t stopped the ringleader Duedeculpe from gathering VIPs in his HQ to await their choices for the betting pool once the competition comes down to six. Their speculation meticulously explores the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor, narrowing down their speculative guesses to Ushii, Shuryuu, and Usagi as the favorites to win, and Hitsujii as a potential wild card pick. However, Duedeculpe’s mediation over the international betting committee implies that he has ulterior motives in conducting the Zodiac Wars as a means of deciding the fate of world powers.

It’s that aspect of the Zodiac War’s betting pool that makes me think Shuryuu has a better chance at getting far in the game, or at least has a gambit that would ensure that her plan for a peaceful end to the Zodiac Wars will make its way to the VIP room. The only problem is that her and Nezumi have some stiff competition at the moment from Usagi, who doesn’t seem to have much of a thought process over his actions aside from blank stares and giggles. He’s also holed up Nezumi using Takeyasu’s body to trap him in a room where he must try to maneuver his way about without getting hit by the flamethrower. It seems like a rough enough spot where someone isn’t going to walk away from those fights, but stranger things are happening at the moment.The strangest so far is the reveal that Uuma was strong enough to make Ushii feel lazy about putting the effort in to kill him, opting to just tossing him through the subway wall, and leaving it at that. Ushii retains his one-track mind killing Niwatori and sensing Hitsujii somewhere in the area, but was impressed enough with Uuma not to bother trying to cut out the poison key inside of him.

Ultimately, this was Hitsujii’s episode, giving us some background about his past as a weapons specialist, a soldier on the battlefield, a former contestant in an earlier Zodiac War, and eventually a grandfather. It was a good way of fleshing out his motives and the understanding he has for both weapons and his family life. Crazy to see that they held a Zodiac War inside of a space station, but I’d imagine when he was younger, the Zodiac Wars organizers couldn’t resist the allure of the Space Race. I liked how they made him more than just a clever old man by showing us that the effect of his wish with the Zodiac War was to see his grandchild and spend quality time with them. It was adorable to see how invested he was in trying to keep up with his grandson’s video gaming, and have him assist in launching fireworks he set up.

They gave Shuryuu depth with the normalcy of her home life, but it really lends itself to Hitsujii’s character by having him treasure the time he’s had with his family so much that he was willing to take part in the Zodiac War in his grandchild’s place. His likelihood of make it out of the Zodiac War is relatively slim, especially since his plan takes into account that the lower tier fighters weren’t taken out already, AND if he makes the same mistake Dotsuku made by not booking it after he found a way to duck out of being poisoned. But at the moment, it’s all determinant on what his interaction with Tora will be like. He’s repulsed to see her spending her time getting drunk on a park bench, and doesn’t see her as qualified at all to be here, but underestimation has proven to be a grave mistake before.

Preview

「ダイヤさんと呼ばないで」 (Daiya-san to Yobanaide)
“Don’t Call Me Dia-San”

I’ve never really liked Dia because it felt like she was being a prude for the sake of being a prude. After this week’s episode, I can truly say that I’ve come around and can now fondly watch Dia’s character with a smile on my face.

General Impressions

After Dia’s rather rough introduction last season, I’ve always been a bit conflicted about her. If the excerpt to the post didn’t already make it clear, I was never fond how she kept up that “onee-san” type of behavior even after she became a permanent member of Aqours. Sure, you can say that as a character she may be a bit more serious than our other girls, but there was just something about the way she handled herself that just never rubbed me in quite the right way.

Which is probably why I was so happy to see that this Dia focused episode decided to tackle this problem head on. Instead of just leaving things be or having Dia turn into a completely different character just for her underclassmen to add -chan to her name, I absolutely loved how Dia didn’t change at all in the end. In a “it’s about the journey and not reaching the destination” type of way, it’s great to see that Dia found a renewed confidence in herself while also growing a bit closer to all of the other Aqours members. An overall victory that I think did wonders for her character moving forward since it’s no fun to be the serious one in a group, but you need at least one to keep everyone else on track.

Besides that, it was great to see that Sunshine in top form with all of its tongue and cheek moments. Between Dia constantly scratching her mole, a dolphin that understands comedic timing, and a sea lion that just wants to eat some fish, there were a ton of great moments that helped ease the mood as Dia went through her struggles.

Overall, a pretty damn good episode even though we didn’t really progress the story all that much. Anyways, I’ll catch you guys next week where it looks like Riko and Yohane are going to work through some issues. See you then!

Preview

「表現者」 (Hyougensha)
“Performer”

You know, objectively speaking I think Ballroom e Youkoso is a fairly easy series to pick holes in. It’s a bog standard sports shounen in many ways, for starters, with the requisite reliance on cliche and tropes when something fresh would better serve. It can be quite clumsy at times as well, narratively speaking – I don’t think it’s especially difficult to pick it out as the work of a first-time mangaka. In short it’s a long way from being perfect – and it’s always easier to pick out what’s wrong with a series than what’s right with it.

But I’ll tell you what – the deeper we get into this show, the more what becomes important is that which makes Welcome to the Ballroom special, not what makes it flawed. And there’s a lot about it that really is special. I marvel at the way it’s able to allow each of the characters to be expressed as an individual, warts and all. All of the major cast here are flawed, but they all feel very important to the fabric of the story. There are three main female players here, and at various times in the story I’ve thought each of them might be the best partner for the protagonist – both on the dance floor and in life. That’s highly unusual, especially for a show that’s focused around a sport rather than around romance.

Perhaps as much as anything about Ballroom, I’ve become impressed with the way it attacks the issue of gender politics in competitive dance head-on – especially given that it looked for a while as if they’d be glossed over. That was never more apparent than this week, when Chinatsu came right out and said it – she bridles at the inherent unfairness of the sport’s rules and expectations. Chinatsu is a difficult person to get along with (and she knows it), but she’s strong-willed and forceful – it’s no wonder that she’d chafe at the idea that her only path forward is to become a supporting player to someone else’s lead.

That’s all the more true because her partner, Tatara, doesn’t take naturally to the role of leader – he’s as mismatched with the sport’s expectations as Chinatsu, even if it’s for the opposite reason in some sense. A lot of energy can be put into trying to figure out whose “fault” it is that this pairing is struggling, but I think that’s sort of beside the point. Right now they simply don’t fit – and that makes Mako’s recollection of Tatara as the perfect partner all the harder for Chinatsu to take. Fact is, Tatara was the perfect leader for Mako at that point in their careers – she needed a partner who would bring her out of her shell and let her express herself on the floor. The problem is, that’s not a path to success for a young man in competitive dance.

Nothing seems to be working for Tatara and Chinatsu at this point, even Marisa-sensei’s latest gambit of putting them under Hyodo’s direction and letting him try and get them back on the rails. They fail his rhythm test, where each plays out the routine in their heads and raises their hand when it’s finished (as you’d expect, Chinatsu was several beats faster). Blind dancing is a disaster – Chinatsu is clearly nowhere near ready for that. Gaju’s attempt to lighten the mood by heading out into Karuizawa as tourists fares no better, as Tatara and Chinatsu never stop squabbling. Maybe they need to get all this out of their system – Marisa certainly thinks so – but it’s damn stressful to watch.

I think my favorite scene of the episode – and maybe of the series so far – was Shizuku inviting Tatara to practice with her. She’s an unsung figure, a quiet one – but really, it was Shizuku’s presence that drew Tatara-kun into dancing in the first place. Shizuku is comfortable with her role in partnership with Hyodo, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have strong feelings of her own. It meant so much to Tatara to have her acknowledge him – to say that he was a mystery, and that his dance had become a part of her dance. Of all the relationships in Ballroom e Youkoso I think this one is still my favorite, though it gets relatively little oxygen these days. In could be argued that Tatara dances, as much as anything, to make an impression on Shizuku – so what she said to him was in a way his ultimate validation as a dancer.

Preview

「ブシツ, ダイバクハツ!」 (Bushitsu, Daibakuhatsu!)
“Club Room Go Boom!”

The highlight of this episode was getting further development from Erika. We learn that anime was important to her childhood as it was the one common ground she was able to have with her classmates as a transfer student in an American high school. Don’t know how she got PreCure on her TV in the States back then unless she had access to international channels or channels in Hawaii/Canada, got an HDMI for online subs, or took a time machine to current year to watch Glitter Force, but we’ll go with it. It’s also neat that she wasn’t outcast for her anime love, and made two friends in America who got her into their cosplayer circle.

Not only does it explain the sentimentality that Erika has about cosplay and anime, but it shows us how special anime is as a means of creating bonds. The anime club means hopefully forming long-lasting friendships, but it also means tackling the friend that got away; Tsubaki. In this episode, it’s revealed that they used to have a strong friendship through their love of anime, and often cosplayed together. Tsubaki would eventually be the force that relentlessly wants the anime club abolished, but this episode made some headway in developing the complexities of her character.

It seems that she has a deeper reason for wanting the anime club gone and denouncing anime as meaningless, but whether its motivated from her own personal fallout with anime or by the powers that be that are forcing the student council to get rid of the anime club is anyone’s guess. The magical elements have vanished from the show for the time being, but I can see the other person on the line with Tsubaki as the one trying to prevent Pandora’s box from being opened by the anime club. The leeway she’s willing to let the anime club have after Erika confronts her might steer more towards it being a mishmash of personal responsibility and lingering resentment.

The episode retains its funny anime subculture nods like buying multiple copies of a show for spreading the gospel, event tickets, or Bluray revisions. Additionally, it was hilarious to see the anime club trying to help out other student clubs with their responsibilities as they accidentally blast the speakers in the student council room, and cause an actual explosion in the cooking club room. Some anime have destruction that is fixed right away as a short gag, but Kai literally blew up a section of the school with a microwave, and the show continues panning towards the destroyed part of the school building like it is absolutely canon that Kai blew up a classroom without consequence. Kouki was actually funny in this episode with his writhing and gushing over how amazing idol anime are. I wasn’t a fan of how Arisu took it upon herself to include a large Bluray collection and cosplay wardrobe into the anime club’s budget, or Miko’s first instinct in the face of conflict being to dog-pile on Arisu, but they’re still pretty entertaining. I’m still wondering where on Earth this series will go from here with all of the concepts they’ve introduced up til now, but hopefully they’ll start addressing the show’s ongoing developments soon.

「まるで恋する乙女のような」 (Marude Koisuru Otome no Youna)
“Like a Maiden in Love”

Hands down, this week’s episode catapulted Netojuu no Susume to the top show of the season for me.

General Impressions

Before starting on the post, let me apologize for the late posts to come. I was out of town for the weekend and need to catch up on the plethora of shows that air on Friday and Saturday :(

Okay, back to the serious stuff. HOLY COW was this episode freaking fantastic. Instead of giving us the run around and prolonging things for way longer than it needed to, I’m nearly in shock that the story actually is pushing us toward a reality where Moriko and Yuuta may become a thing in real life. Up until the last few minutes, I was sitting here thinking about how awkward it would be for Moriko to fall into some awkward love triangle / square / pentagon. You have Fujimoto (Convenience Store Guy), Koiwai (Yuuta’s co-worker), Yuuta himself, and just for a little extra confusion there’s Lilac, all of whom have a pretty legitimate reason for having feelings for Moriko and would in my opinion morph this show into something completely different than what we were promised.

But instead of that, we get the bombshell moment where Sakurai Yuuta puts two and two together and realizes that he might be luckiest person in the whole god damn world. And while it doesn’t solve the whole issue that there are a ton of people who are into Moriko, I think it makes it pretty clear that Yuuta has a good chance at becoming the chose one. Honestly, the mere fact that he managed to somehow transcend anime stupidity is such a huge selling trait that I can barely contain myself. My god, the more I think about it, the more I start thinking about how long it takes for any shoujo romance to even more past square one.

Getting back on topic though, I can’t wait to see where things head in this direction. We’re only a third of the way through, but it’s become clear that there’s two distinct stories going on. Between Moriko’s real life troubles and the life she lives as Hayashi in-game, it feels like there’s almost too much going on. Tack on the possibility that some real emotional stuff might show up related to her past work experiences and you have the ingredients to make something amazing. And as if that wasn’t enough, the show doesn’t take itself too seriously and drops some awesome gamer references and tidbits that anyone can appreciate.

Man, I can’t stop gushing about this show. Seeing how it’s late though and there are more shows that need to get watched, I’ll cut things here. See you guys next week where we’ll hopefully see the fated conversation when IRL and in-game get violently smashed together.

Preview

「仕事さえすればいい.」 (Shigoto sae Sureba Ii.)
“As Long as You`re Working.”

Looks like I have a new favorite character… In this episode, we meet Ashley Oono (Numakura Manami), a 32 year old tax accountant with a sadistic streak and a gothic lolita outfit. Her introduction gives us an unexpected, but always appreciated, lesson about accounting and filing taxes as a freelance author. But because writing isn’t a cost-heavy occupation, Ashley is tasked to see what kinds of possessions can count towards work-related expenses.

Working with light novel authors is where Ashley’s creativity comes to the table in that she takes delight in digging through Itsuki’s hardcore erotic siscon novels and games to deduce that they’d be perfect to add as work-related expenses to put on his final return. While the episode name-drops real light novels and little sisters, his eroge collection is one of the most hilarious moments of the episode with the level of thought that went into some of the names of his favorite games. While Ashley’s musing on what a “sister wife” could possibly be, the betrayal Itsuki felt about a title where a little sister is killed by an anteater, and the supposedly sad ending to a short, vulgar title were funny, it’s the beat drop that came from her reading the title of his favorite imouto defecation consumption eroge that had me laughing til it hurt.

Ashley’s introduction also gave some long-awaited comedic relief to Haruto. It was a treat to see Haruto, who has otherwise been distant, fame-hungry, and slightly jealous of his peers, meet his match as Ashley recalls his massive collection of maid hentai. Because his maid fetish reoccurs in his work, she takes pleasure in reading the titles of everything that gets him off, and plays into his weaknesses by hinting the possibility of indulging in his lust for maids. A bulk of the fanservice came from her teasing Haruto with the temptation of putting on a maid costume to fulfill his desires, alongside the ED that mimics the American Beauty dream sequence, and the glorious end card. The last scene was a riot since we got to see how excited Itsuki was at the possibility of Ashley playing around with his imouto fetish, and outright declare that older age has nothing to do with how great of an imouto she would be.

The earlier Valentine’s Day segment was good fun as well with the gang bonding over some nice beer. One of the reasons why I’ve been head-over-heels with what this anime is trying to do are the the moments where the show pulls you aside to teach you about the types of beer that the characters enjoy. The beer in question is an Imperial Stout brewed by sponsor Sankt Gallen during the Valentine’s season to have the roasted malt replicate the flavor of chocolate. As a huge fan of stout, I can’t help, but love the representation the show has to stouts, and how they go into detail on how the emphasis on malt can give you notes of coffee and chocolate as opposed to lighter, crisper beers. Coffee’s where it’s at, so it’s torture to be incredibly far away from the stouts that the company and show have been peddling.

Valentine’s Day also gave the Editor some great screentime as we see him much looser than ever thanks to the healing power of beer. It’s very surreal to see him with such a wide, joyous smile after drinking with those who he’s been waiting to lay the hammer down on after traveling straight down to Hokkaido to force Setsuna to finish his illustrations. There’s also the instance where they shiptease Itsuki and Haruto as the former tries to get the beer from the latter’s hands. I do feel bad for Nayu considering that she sees Itsuki having a better time eating the chocolates that his fans sent him than the box that she personally gave him. We didn’t get to see as much of her this time around, but hopefully we’ll see more from her side with the next one.

ED2 Sequence

End Card

「Everything Must Have a Beginning」

At last, we reach anime material that’s “new” to those of us that saw the theatrical premiere of Mahoutsukai no Yome. As a manga reader there were no major surprises here for me, which is good in the most obvious sense – the production values are still off the charts and as best my memory serves, the adaptation seems to be almost letter-faithful. But I do have a few reservations going forward, and in a funny sort of way I really wasn’t looking forward to revisiting the events in this episode.

If I’m honest, this isn’t my favorite arc in Mahoutsukai, though it’s not due to any lack of quality. If anything it’s too effective at unsettling me, which is absolutely not a fault in any but the most selfish and personal sense. I’m just not comfortable with the themes here – violence towards animals always infuriates me, but cats especially. Partly it’s because I love cats especially, but also because cats have historically been an animal that’s been disproportionately targeted by the cruel and the psychotic, scapegoated as being bad luck and kin to witches. Sadly it continues to this day, as witness the horrifying news that a cat killer is wreaking cruel havoc in the U.K. even as we speak.

Anime viewers probably know this at a higher percentage than the public at-large, but one thing Mahoutsukai no Yome reminds us is that old sayings that have seemingly lost their meaning actually do have historical meanings – saying like “cats have nine lives”. This is a common belief in European mysticism, its roots so old no one knows exactly when they originated – though the strong significance of the number 9 in magic is likely not a coincidence. Mahoutsukai gives us an interesting take on it – that as cats progress through their lives they get wiser and more learned, gaining things like the ability to speak and an interest in self-governance and hierarchy.

The second errand the church has sent Elias on recently (the dragon affair being of course the first) is a visit to the Kingdom of Cats – indeed a place where most of the cats can talk, have chosen a (female, in this case) king, and are generally surrounded by those who love them. But there’s trouble here – a black, roiling tainted space on a tiny island in a lake, and it dates back to a violent and tragic incident in the history of the land. This is connected to a sickly young woman named Mina (Numakura Manami) and her adoring husband Matthew (Uemara Yuto), which is somehow related to a terrible incident in which the land’s cats were united by the first king and killed a human who had been murdering them, seemingly for sport.

The current king is a beautiful longhair named Molly (Sakuma Rei), to whom Elias and Chise are guided by the serious Jasper (Hasegawa Yoshiaki) and the loquacious Siamese (they’re all loquacious, which tells me the author knows her cats) Barney (Takahashi Shinya). Molly’s “owner” is a young girl for whom she harbors maternal feelings – which hearing about cuts Chise rather harshly, for obvious reasons. Before Molly can explain the nature of the land’s blight, Chise is snatched away by a young woman (Tamura Mutsumi) who appears in a flash of light, drops Chise into the water and disappears in another. As she sinks, Chise is visited by what appears to be Mina – who begs her to bring an end to the tragic turn things have taken in the Kingdom of Cats.

That happens to be what Elias wants Chise to do, too – clearly he wasn’t thrilled about taking this job and his “Sure” when Chise asks if he loves this land seems hollow, but as a mage he has to take a responsibility like this seriously. The problem is that the Thorn Mage isn’t “compatible” with this sort of cleansing – his is the wrong sort of magic, so even though Chise is untrained in most aspects of wizardry she’s the only one for the job. Elias prepares her the best he can and she sets off to cleanse the blight in the dark of evening, but she’s once more seized by the young blonde woman – who appears to be working with a man Elias refers to as Renfred (Hino Satoshi).

There’s a lot going on here, obviously – that this episode is so dedicated to scene-setting is an indication both of how involved this arc is and that the adaptation is going to take its time with it. There don’t appear to be many answers in this episode, only questions, but one thing I can say without crossing any lines is that Mahoutsukai no Yome is a series in which it’s good to pay close attention to what’s happening – there are a lot of double-meanings and exposition tends to be inferential as often as not. World-building is something this show takes very seriously, and it means more than just atmosphere – it’s about the rules of the road as well. And it’s very good at it, too – which in the case of this particular storyline just makes things that much more uncomfortable for me as a viewer.

Preview

「人狼大作戦」 (Jinrou dai Sakusen/i>)
“Werewolf Mission: Chainpossible”

Chainpossible? More like Mission—Oh, I get it.

Probably I should have asked this before now, but was it ever explained how Chain (and her crew) are werewolves? What with them having none of the usual strengths, weaknesses, or basic attributes of werewolves. The invisibility thing is pretty cool, but I see nary a whisker. What’s up with that?

I’m not sure whether I enjoyed this episode, because I ate a big meal beforehand and I just wanted to take a nap, but I made myself watch instead. Because I’m a professional like that. Even though I’m admitting that a big meal can effect my performance, which is maybe not good? It’s true, though. You know it’s happened to you. P.S. it was homemade oyakodon and it was delicious.

What was I talking about?

Right, stealth werewolves. This is an episode where I feel like they needed to explain more or less, and I’m not sure which. I spent half the episode wondering if the tokens were what I thought they were, and they were; each invisible werewolf has an attachment to the world, something they dearly love, which will pull them back if they go too far. Only, I’m still not clear on why they were going into all the flower imagery, only for Chain’s chain token to be, if I’m reading the letter and situation correctly, “Steven A. Starphase suddenly visits Chain’s room.” And I was sure Chain’s discussion with Gilbert about flower arranging was going to be the key bit of foreshadowing, but—but why the flower imagery again? Jeez.

So maybe they needed to explain more, though a lot of the straight-up exposition ended up being boring, and the mission at the end, though I appreciate the Mission: Impossible reference, was—fine? It was fine. Probably the biggest weakness was that there were five werewolf commandos, and, along with the chief and deputy chief, that was too many new characters for one short episode. They ended up being too flat and one-dimensional, which means that when they were in mortal danger, I only cared because I wanted to see how Chain would react.

The highlight of the episode? Undoubtedly, it was when Chain freaked out after Steven suddenly visited her room. Shipping furiously!! Though maybe she just didn’t want someone she respected (Steven) to see how she lived like a slob. Which, by the way, I can never understand how people can live like Chain. Being a little messy? I can deal with that. But trash bags in the living room? Eww. I’ll be the Steven Stephen who is aghast at your filthy room if you need a back up, Chain. Though then again . . .

My biggest concern is now as it was before: Where is this all going? Kekkai Sensen is one of those series where departing from the source material is less a detriment and more a requirement. Last season rose above the source material (in some ways—it wasn’t perfect) by trying to create a season-spanning plot out of a source material focused heavily on anthology-style short stories. This season has given no hint of that so far. That worries me, because while the episodes are fun so far, they’ll fade into the mists of time without something larger to hang their hat on. Let’s hope that’s coming.

My SECOND novel, Freelance Heroics, is available now! (Now in print!) (Also available: Firesign #1 Wage Slave Rebellion.) Sign up for my email list for updates. At stephenwgee.com, I’ve begun blogging again! The latest post: Help Houston.

Preview

Now that every show has had a few bunch of episodes to make its case, it’s time to tell you what we’ll be blogging this season. This is Random Curiosity’s Fall 2017 blogging schedule.

As always, this is a tentative overview of our plans for the new season . . . is what we used to say, but with multiple episodes under our belts, we’re pretty confident in our picks. Will some of them blow up in our faces? Look, I’m not a psychic. If I was, I’d get paid more. This is what we’re going with for now.

In staff news, Passerby is taking a season off to get wittier and prettier and possibly gayer, I don’t know, see above vis a vis me, psychic powers, etc. I know he’s planning to return next season, though, so Passerby fans, sit tight. Choya is carrying this season with four series, followed by Zaiden and Takaii. Good job y’all. Special thanks go to Pancakes for taking care of the screencaps for Mahoutsukai no Yome so Enzo could continue charming everyone with his words. Also, Cherrie and I are still here, I guess.

In show news, we’re currently covering 16 shows, 4 of which are carry-overs. I’m pretty pleased with the shows our writers decided to blog, because while a few undeserving gems are left without coverage, most of those are pure comedy or slice-of-life, which are hard to cover week after week. Not that Himouto! Umaru-chan R, Osomatsu-san 2, and Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou didn’t get a hard look, but I’m sure they’ll get finale posts. I also may end up blogging the second half of Yuuki Yuuna, though I’ll wait to see how the first couple episodes are before I promise anything.

Quick reminder that new writer applications are permanently open. If you didn’t catch the announcement last season, we’re leaving them open because the whole recruitment post production is bothersome. If you’d like to write for RandomC, send an email to stilts(at)randomc(dot)net AND cherrie(at)randomc(dot)net with the subject line “RandomC Application” or “Random Curiosity Application”, and include a bunch of info about yourself (be concise) + a RandomC-style post on a recent anime episode + 36 screencaps of said recent episode. I also suggest you read the last two big recruitment posts, because they contain some good tips. Who knows, we just might bring you on. It’s happened before! That’s how y’all got stuck with me.

We also have a new announcement this season. Have you heard of Discord? Well, if you’re old and crotchety like me, here’s a short blurb written by Zaiden, because he’s been taking the lead on this and also I’m really lazy. Thanks for enabling my sloth, Zai-chan. Here’s what he says:

Discord is a free and casual text chat application that has a gorgeous user interface, while being rather simple to use. Random Curiosity has recently started up a server, and we’re seeking to engage with the community at large, as well as widening the scope of discussion about anime and manga. What you’ll get out of it are interesting group conversations, and the chance to interact with writers! Feel free to join us over at discord.gg/aheHGkf.

We look forward to seeing you there!

That’s all I’ve got this season. Thank you for your time, your attention, your love, your lust, and all the forthcoming comments complaining about shows we’re not covering. We love you all. Cheers!

Updates:

• 12/10: Though the prequel didn’t demand it, the sequel must be blogged. Stilts is blogging Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Yuusha no Shou!

「大戦の始まり」 (Taisen no Hajimari)
“Beginning of the Great War”

Well boys and girls, it’s finally beginning. Altair has certainly taken its time getting to the stage of open conflict, but it’s hard denying it has spent that time well. Not only do we have a full on war on our hands, but a war with a clear and logical buildup alongside a predictable outcome—not the easiest thing to write, let’s just say. We may not know exactly how things will turn out of course (need that suspense), but Altair has done a wonderful job at laying the breadcrumbs out for all to see.

If the takeaway from prior episodes was the importance of economics in the affairs of states, the key lesson this week was the overbearing influence of individuals on setting strategy. We take it as second nature that countries act according to their national interests, but it’s often forgotten these interests are influenced almost exclusively to well-placed individuals. The entirety of this new war and its various alliances for example are owing completely to just a handful of men, guided by prior history certainly, but possessing their own unique wills. Take Urado’s king, he joined the alliance not out of some sense of national duty (and impaling an envoy), but because Venedik’s doge proved himself a man who would uphold his end of the bargain. Likewise the doge proposed the alliance because Mahmut personally brought everyone together and showed himself capable of extraordinary feats. Altair may be a story of nations, but its story is driven by the actions of a few, each with their own vision for the future and means of achieving it.

The best example of this point can be seen with Louis, who bears nearly all responsibility for the war. Balt-Rhein may seek expansion as a means of enriching its people, but it is Louis who seemingly forced the empire down the path of aggression and stuck them in a death spiral. Much like Nazi Germany quickly discovered, a state built around war can only survive by successfully waging war, and unlike less abrasive methods (ex. negotiation, trading), there is no easy way off this path. Once you run out of targets to pillage (or butt heads with someone too strong to overcome) you will collapse, one way or another. Balt-Rhein’s emperor implicitly understands this fact, which is why he signed off on Louis’ grand strategy and basically allowed him free reign. How Louis even wound up with such influence is a question for the ages (and one I hope is eventually answered), but right now it matters little in the greater scheme of things. Thanks to Louis’ machinations, Balt-Rhein has no other option to pursue and is stuck on warpath. The empire could very well fail, but it has no other choice than see its situation through until the bitter end. As much as for Turkiye, Venedik, or Urado, for Balt-Rhein this fight is all about personal survival.

Having wonderfully set up its penultimate conflict, the fun in Altair will be seeing how this war now actually plays out. I think it’s a given Balt-Rhein will lose (or be forced into a stalemate) in the end, but there are too many moving pieces and ambitious players for it to be that simple. There’s no guarantee Turkiye’s first foreign excursion will work, no certainty Mahmut can open the gates. What happens if Venedik is starved into submission, what if Louis’ southern attack is but a feint for a more vigorous assault elsewhere (a la the Manstein Plan)? Altair’s story may be somewhat predictable, but there is a lot of tasty discoveries left to be made. Quite satisfying knowing we have eight episodes remaining, wouldn’t you say?

Preview

「船の国」 (Fune no Kuni)
“Ship Country”

From the very beginning, the episode establishes that Shizu will be the focal point of our look into the Ship Country, but with this comes the consequences of his actions. While Kino has been solely focused on integration and non-intervention, especially after her intervention caused the Colosseum town to fall into disarray, Shizu sets out to right any of the wrongs he sees fit in the Ship Country. Right away, he finds opposition with the lack of concern and empathy the country’s leaders have towards the people that they are watching over, and is proactive in trying to enact change in the town he was visiting.

However, the town’s customs were so heavily ingrained through their history on the ship that it didn’t matter if it were to sink over the years or not because the villagers had never known a life away from the sea. Many are shaken up by the idea that the ground isn’t trembling from the flooding infrastructure or the crashing waves. Shizu’s actions in doing more to fight the established system only unleashed a reactionary tirade against him for getting rid of the town’s leaders by his own volition. It meshes well with the previous episodes as Kino and Shizu’s behavior bounce off of their actions in the last three episodes well. Shizu’s POV functioned well to draw a comparison between him and Kino’s traveling customs, but also contrast the two based on why Kino is less willing to intervene when things aren’t looking so hot.

The one positive aspect about Shizu is that his compassion for those around him is strong. He was perfectly fine with assimilating with the humble townspeople, and he wanted to make sure he was always there to help them. Shizu learns that his intervention was a reckless pursuit the hard way as Ti, the orphan who had acted as his tour guide during his visit, stabs him. But upon realizing that what he said and did was hurtful to Ti, who really didn’t have anywhere to return to, he was quick to defend her and accept her into his life. This was also after she stabbed him in the gut, which goes to show how much regret he felt about initially pushing her away, and how far he’d go to guarantee that Ti would have someone to care for her after all of these years alone without blood relatives that were among the ship’s villagers.

The episode mostly revolves around Shizu’s ethics, his relationship with Ti, and how he contrasts with Kino, so the Ship Country was one of the more simplistic towns they came across. Their rule to let visitors choose between the ruling and working class seems like it was added to portray how differently Shizu and Kino travel and assimilate into whichever town they visit. There isn’t too much in terms of sociopolitical commentary, but as a result, it lets those themes take a backseat in favor of examining the cast’s philosophies as they waver between intervening to right what they see as wrong and letting everything slide, or whether assimilation is as easy for those who haven’t had the chance to travel about to different living conditions.

「安堂直行」 (Andou Naoyuki)
“Naoyuki Andou”

Inuyashiki may only be three episodes in, but this show is already hitting with some serious force. For such an outlandish and arguably ridiculous concept, Inuyashiki has shown a remarkable capability of drawing out the best of two diametrically opposed viewpoints, showcasing not just the good and bad, but every little nuance in between. It may not keep up the pace going forward, but if this show can even remotely retain the impact seen thus far, it will be one of this year’s most memorable anime.

Probably the most intriguing aspect of Inuyashiki for me is not its dichotomous main duo as much as their developing complexity. Hiro is the obvious example, retaining that disturbing apathetic edge, but now featuring clear emotional connections. This was evident last week, but it’s on full display now, with Hiro not only pushing Naoyuki into actually going to school, but upholding his promise to protect Naoyuki from Naoyuki’s tormentors. Make no mistake, the kid is definitely sociopathic, but his friendship is genuine. While Hiro’s methods are assuredly wrong for the situation, there is little doubt from his actions that he cares deeply about Naoyuki’s well-being and seeing Naoyuki happy. Best evidence for this? The cold blooded murder at the end, Hiro didn’t do that just because some dog was barking, he slaughtered the family because of his frustration at Naoyuki rightly rejecting him. Similarly the two kids lived because Hiro very likely saw himself and Naoyuki in them. This guy may be concentrated evil, but he is certainly not one dimensional. Hiro is very much in search of a reason to live and until now thought he discovered it by fooling around and helping his childhood friend back to the proper path. With that friendship in ruins, however, Hiro is now back at square one and with no explanation for his apparent abandonment—not the best combination for a teenage sociopath. Expect Hiro’s extravagancies to only increase in strength and frequency from here on out.

What keeps Hiro so starkly defined of course is Ichiro, and once again we have the difference on full display. While Hiro gallivants off to deal with bullies, Ichiro rescues one lucky soul and saves an unfortunate family from a fire. He may also have helped a couple of cats out, but I cried too many manly tears then to ever admit it. Ichiro is very much the hero of this story, but he is not the hero per say. Hiro for example is completely wrong in his actions, but with Naoyuki he has the right intentions. The key facet of Inuyashiki is this difference between Ichiro and Hiro, one sees his powers as a gift from god, the other sees himself as a god. Now of course neither Hiro nor Ichiro consider themselves godly (Hiro in particular has no world changing desires), but both through their personal drives and new bodies are overtly upsetting the natural order of things. We may applaud Ichiro for saving critically ill patients for example, but is it the correct thing to do? Our morality says yes, but using those abilities will only draw attention to Ichiro, and with it an increasing inability to simply be an anonymous saviour—other interests would see to that. Cause and effect are heavily at work with both Hiro and Ichiro, with Inuyashiki effectively asking what changes (if any) will remain once both characters collide and inevitably leave the plane of existence. The answer may currently be lacking, but it’s clear the show has one in mind. With the memories both Ichiro and Hiro are leaving in their wake, for better or worse, their legacies will carry on.

Having set up the showdown to come and laid out the key differences between our duo, Inuyashiki seems ready to start getting down to business. I honestly don’t know what to expect going forward, but between Hiro’s subtle complexity and the sheer happiness felt watching Ichiro do good, I know it’s going to be one hell of a ride. There’s a lot of ground left to explore here, and we have only just begun.

「んっ、二本同時は 初めて…です。」 (N, Nihon Douji wa Hajimete…desu.)
“Ah, This is My First Time Having Two at Once…”

Third time is the charm may be an overused phrase, but in Shobitch’s case it’s definitely applicable. Sure the comedy has its annoying quirks at times and the whole concept is as cookie cutter as you get, but there’s a little charm here that is quickly making this show entertaining. Who knew a little family friendly fun (alliterations are the best) was all it would take for Shobitch to find its full stride.

What probably impresses me so far regarding Shobitch isn’t that the humour is working better or that Haruka can actually do things, but that it might actually be a half decent romcom in the end. It was not entirely clear last time considering the harem antics on display, but after seeing Haruka and Akiho alone? Well, my impression has changed. Remove all the sexual banter and maternal instincts from our awkward couple and we have a surprisingly affectionate relationship with lots of room to grow—emotionally grow, get your head out of the gutter. Akiho in particular showcases this potential, being incredibly naïve and hit or miss at times (looking at them jokes), but with a subtly endearing personality that works great alongside the new and improved Haruka. It might have taken giving the main man a backbone and briefly removing the harem competition from the picture, but Shobitch has shown it can do cute as well as dirty. You know, the best of both worlds.

Of course what helps produce all the angelic Akiho moments is the comedy, and Shobitch is proving last episode was not a fluke. While I may be biased with my ridiculous sense of humour (I blame my father), mama Fuyumi killed my sides on more than one occasion, between grading Akiho’s physical form and espousing on proper facial etiquette—I swear this isn’t a porno, really. I honestly would feel bad for the father having to deal with all of this, until I remember he knew all about Fuyumi’s robust mindset before engaging in the baby making. Don’t be hating mama’s deep, dark desires daddy-kins, you wanted a piece of that. All the pieces. Might also hilariously help that Fuyumi and her husband physically look a lot like Akiho and Haruka 20 years down the road, but I think that’s a subject for a later date—we haven’t even got to the mandatory kissing scene yet! For all the sexual innuendo there’s a surprising amount of perverted pathway to tread yet before we hit second base, and with four—yes, four—more girls left to introduce, Shobitch shouldn’t be lacking in “unique” situations to draw the funnies from. I think lewd school nurses will be the least of Haruka’s worries before too long.

While Shobitch will certainly remain divisive for some, I’m no longer in any doubt that it will be a blast to watch. The show has finally found itself, with clear romantic components ready to take advantage of and humour which functions the way I always hoped it would. While I’m not sure Shobitch is a good fit for blogging (it’s arguably better to watch than talk about), that doesn’t mean I’ll stop watching it anytime soon. No matter the issues, this show tickles my funny bone in all the right places, and is one series I’ll have my eye on when end post time rolls back around.

Episode 03

「月饗祭」 (Tsuki kyou sai)
“Moon Festival”

End Card

Episode 04

「若き獅子たちの群れ」 (Wakaki Shishitachi no Mure)
“A Pride of Young Lions”

The Moon Festival begins!
Excuse me for the tardiness of this post… life has been busy and in actuality, I’m glad that I wanted another week before commenting on the outcome of these events. It’s nice to get a full picture of what Souma was planning. He’s able to use a lot of his knowledge of running a restaurant to beat Terunori at his own game. In reality, I think running a food market stall is completely different than running a restaurant so to have experience with his dad isn’t “completely” applicable here. I think it’s a stretch to think that 3 people can pump out as much volume as Terunori’s guys (that look like they’ve been training for ages). Not saying that it’s impossible, but I guess this is the world of anime and there are going to be exaggerations. Where I thought Souma did well though, was targeting the folks waiting in line. This was my prediction several episodes ago when I said that people waiting in line might be fed the black pepper buns since they’re more easily accessible AND cheaper!

Getting into the food this week…
Souma continues to serve his black pepper buns – which I mentioned 2 weeks is known to be street food from China. Unlike a lot of the stuff that Terunori is serving (e.g. mapo tofu), Souma is serving more traditional market food. Terunori is actually running a restaurant with his staff size, the dishes and the way people have to sit down to eat. To offer more variety, Souma started using his existing ingredients to make new things – like noodles! I talked about noodles last time too, didn’t I? I may not like Chinese food and rice, but I love noodles! Danzi noodles (or also known as ta-a noodles on the interwebs), is a Taiwanese dish which is more readily served standing up and smaller portion sizes. You can also serve a full portion but if it’s a market, people want to try different things. The lion’s head meal is – one of a kind!. Completely different and original and not very “Chinese” at all with the curry spilling out of it into the mapo tofu. I was completely at awe at what I was seeing because this isn’t something I’ve had before. The meatball (being the lion’s head), is a very traditional Chinese dish that’s often served at restaurants; which I’ve only had as apart of a sit-down dinner. It’s not exactly street food and I’ve never had them at markets – but to combine that with noodles AND mapo tofu?! That’s like the ultimate dish! So multi-dimensional with all the different flavors and spices, it’s almost something that Akira would create. How I would love to try some of it… maybe I can try creating it at home.

My favorite part from the past two episodes has to be the reunion between all the old characters. With such a large cast, Shokugeki no Souma loses a lot of the focus on its secondary characters whom are all very charming in their own ways. It’s nice to see them actually come back and get some screen time as well even if it’s short-lived. Nao coming back to try Souma’s food is hilarious! I think they’re going to be great friends with their interest in trying out “disgusting recipes”. Even seeing more of Alice, Ryou and Akira is fun because they’re such a mismatched trio that happened to end up together. They’ve been at the bottom for several days now but I’m proud to see Alice actually come up with a new innovative dish to wow everyone – even I would try that. 3D printer for food, say whatttt?! And despite all that, the most surprising reappearance has to be Mimasaka Subaru (Yasumoto Hiroki). After he’s defeated by Souma, I never expected to see him again since he’s seen as a “villain” in the series than an actual student like Takumi whom is just more competitive. It was awesome seeing everyone come together to Souma’s rescue when they don’t really have to, but do out of the goodness of their hearts. Their own booths are managing fine so they’ve come to support Souma in his efforts. The comradery at that booth was exciting to see and that announcement at the end (and the defeat of Terunori) was the icing on the cake. Like I said earlier – seems a little too unbelievable, but hey! Anything is possible in the world of anime and that’s what makes it so fun to watch.

End Card

「敵もさる者ひっかく者」 (Teki mo Saru Mono Hikkaku Mono)
“The Enemy, a Noble Primate”

Shuryuu must’ve directed this episode because nobody died! Well, not counting war flashbacks. But it does partially clear up the air for the idea that the person in the preview and episode title will not live to see the next episode. I say “partially” because we’re not out of the woods just yet on the order of elimination with the ED cast. The episode ends on a tag team match between Team Pacifist and Team Zombie. While Usagi’s odds are looking good up against a team who’s biggest strengths appear to be less physical, Shuryuu has some nifty combat capabilities outside of her ability to bring about peace, and Nezumi is still keeping his powers up his sleeve. Knowing this, it might not be as huge of a one-sided blowout victory for Usagi like the Ushii vs. Niwatori fight if Shuyuu and Nezumi are more powerful in their abilities than they seem.

One thing I am confused about is the extent of Usagi’s abilities. They show him possessing Niwatori’s birds that Inoushishi shot down, but also mimic her same ability by being able to spot Shuryuu and Nezumi in the tunnel. It bothers me because we know from the last episode that her birds can pick a person apart until they’re bones, so if Niwatori summoned the birds to pick her apart, there’d be nothing left to possess, and there wouldn’t be a way for Usagi to take on her powers with just bones to zombify. It’s a nitpick, but it was just something that confused me given how Niwatori wouldn’t really have anything left to possess once Usagi made his way downtown.

On a more important note, this was the episode where we learned about Shuryuu’s background as an expert mediator who is still plagued with the horrors of failure on the battlefield where even her negotiation skills are unable to stop militias from forming and bringing about more death and destruction. Learning about her past clarifies a lot about her personal reasons why she is obsessed with pacifism, and why she’s willing to place herself on the line to bring about change that could end conflict. We also see some of her combative capabilities so we understand that even through her peaceful personality, she can still pack a good punch. It also explains why Inoushishi had a deep seated hatred for her given her attempts to stop the wars she happened to spearhead. Seems the ulterior motive that the Boar speculated was merely to kill the fun by ending the conflict in her face as comeuppance for sparking another war after brokering a successful cease-fire.

One person I feel really bad for is her long-term boyfriend or husband, who she bid farewell as she enters herself into the Zodiac War. He knew that she was going to leave for it eventually, but way the scene unfolded with him silently staring at the farewell note she left with him is a gigantic death flag on her end. With the gravity of the situation in mind, I can see the story being incredibly cruel and make it so that she isn’t going to return home to see him again. At that point, you can only expect the worst now that they’ve given her a significant other, awaiting her return only to highly likely get some bad news.

Her beliefs are complimented further by the polar opposite ideas that Nezumi offers as counterpoints to her. Rather than being entirely on-board with her pacifist campaign, he seems to have joined her either out of curiosity or convenience as his own ideology steers towards having no faith in the people he tries to protect. There are many times where the tension racks up as Shuryuu takes offense to some of the more nihilistic ideas that Nezumi harbors about not seeing people, especially the Zodiac Wars participants, as people worth saving.

Additionally, she takes it personally when Nezumi says that she most likely got Niwatori killed after crushing her ruthless demeanor. Shuryuu does have the emotional maturity to try and talk rationally about her views and perspective on the formation of her pacifist background, but she does still see him as a kid who doesn’t have the maturity to come up with anything more complex than the nihilistic ideas your standard high schooler would have, and claims he doesn’t have the true qualities of a warrior because of his disregard for human life. I am wondering if any of her ideas will get through to Nezumi given that he still joined up with her despite not sharing her interest in stopping the tournament, or what plans Shuryuu and Nezumi have in mind for getting out of the sticky situation they’re caught in. Shuryuu says she has multiple plans in motion, so only time will tell how each of those plans go, and if any one of them involves her making it out of the tournament. Before then, however, we’ll have to see what the Ram’s been up to.

Preview