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「私はただ探している」 (Watashi wa Tada Sagashiteiru)
“I’m Just Searching”
The little show almost nobody watched certainly went out with a bang, delivering up a classic finale to one of the most satisfying mysteries anime has seen in many a season.
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「むらさきのゆきしめのゆき」 (Murasakino Yuki Shimeno Yuki)
“Set These Forbidden Fields Aglow”
Breaking news – Chihaya actually has a Dad. And with that revelation comes the news – not so coincidentally – that someone in her family actually knows she exists.
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「サービス終了」 (Sābisu Shūryō)
“Service Termination”
This episode of Mirai Nikki was a bit of a roller-coaster, quality-wise, but it was so exhilaratingly paced that I can overlook some of the deficiencies in deference to the sheer entertainment value.
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「海勝麟六の葬送」 (Kaishō Rinroku no Sōsō)
“Rinroku Kaisho’s Funeral”
It’s a shame more people aren’t watching UN-GO, because it’s delivering some of the smartest and most interesting non-commercial anime in ages.
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「家族プラン」 (Kazoku Puran)
“Family Plan”
This episode is proof for me that a director doesn’t have to make a word-for-word adaptation of a manga for it to be a good adaptation – or a faithful one. Manga is not anime, and the same structures that work well with one don’t always work with the other.
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「Connected passed pawn」
With episode 9 of “Fam”, it’s another case of taking the good with the bad. That’s pretty much become the norm with the series, so it doesn’t come as a surprise so much as a bit of a letdown.
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「海勝麟六の犯罪」 (Kaishō Rinroku no Hanzai)
“Kaishou Rinroku’s Crime”
With only two episodes remaining after this one and so many unanswered questions hanging over things, it seems very likely that this is the arc that will take us to the end of the series. If so, they’ve chosen to go out with what looks to be a good mystery.
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「星を追う子ども」 (Hoshi o Ou Kodomo)
“Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below”
I honestly don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Shinkai Makoto is the most important anime director in the world. But while I’ve been arguing for years that the endless examples of him being called “The Next Miyazaki” were off base, it appears as if Shinkai-sensei may have taken them to heart.
