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「災厄の舞台」 (Saiyaku no Butai)
“Stage of Disaster”
Even though it isn’t always working for me, in a way I really admire NO.6 to sticking to its guns. Nine episodes in and it’s still preposterously theatrical, comically sincere and terribly muddled. But at least it doesn’t sell itself out and try to be something it’s not.
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「存在了解のメルト」 (Sonzai Ryōkai no Meruto)
“Being Meltdown”
There should be something to please everyone in this week’s Steins;Gate. It’s a near-perfect blend of the hard-core character drama of last week and the plot-driven intensity that marked the end of Suzuha’s arc.
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「秋風切って」 (Akikaze Kitte)
“The Fading Autumn Wind”
This was definitely an episode for the hard-core fans, but I think it’s nice to see Natsume’s progress in building a normal life take the spotlight.
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「假面」 (Kamen)
“Mask”
A-1 steps up to the plate with some outstanding anime-original material in episode 20 of Ao no Exorcist. I’m assuming this was anime-original anyway – I’m sure someone will correct me, if not. But more so than the last couple of episodes, this anime-original story seems to set the table for a real conclusion of some sort, building on some old plot points and adding in a few new twists and ending with a major cliffhanger.
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「調香師」 (Chōkō-shi)
“Parfumer”
Huey and Dalian are back in the saddle on Dantalian no Shoka this week, with no reference to the Flam and Hal interlude of last week whatsoever. And they deliver a solid if unspectacular episode, whose most impressive feature may be the body count.
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「そのわけは…」 (Sono Wake wa…)
“The reason for that is…”
Things are certainly getting BONES-y again down NoitaminA way. Mysterious female singers, byzantine plot developments, noble savages – it’s easy to see why BONES saw these novels as kindred spirits after its own heart.
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「因果律のメルト」 (Ingaritsu no Meruto)
“Paradox Meltdown”
Wow, that was really a heartbreaker. It might have been too slow for some tastes, but I wouldn’t change a second of it.
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「子狐のとけい」 (Kogitsune no Tokei)
“The Little Fox’s Watch”
Given that I’ve been counting the days until another episode of Natsume Yuujinchou with Kogitsune for the better part of three years, it was always going to be hard for it to live up to expectations. Amazingly, it did – this episode was everything I love about this series.
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「なんでもない日」 (Nandemonai Hi)
“A Day When Nothing Happens”
Whatever you thought of the entertainment value of this episode of AoEx, there’s no denying that it was slight. Given that and the fact that it was anime-original, I’m sure there won’t be a lot of excitement in the ranks of the manga readers this week.
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「焚書官」 (Funsho-kan)
“The Book Burner”
I guess in judging this episode, one has to look at it both in context and in terms of pure stand-along entertainment value. To tackle the latter first, I guess I’d say it was pretty good. But to finally judge this ep in the context of the series as presented, I’m not overly pleased.