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「偽りの友人」 (Itsuwari no Yūjin)
“False Friend”
This is what Natsume Yuujinchou is. It’s snapshots from the life of lonely, often doomed humans and youkai passing through this life, and the impact their brief moments of interaction – and those with Natsume himself – have on them. There’s comfort in these small moments of connection, but it rarely lasts. Ultimately, even youkai leave this world as they come into it – alone.
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「愉しいキャンプ」 (Tanoshii Kyanpu)
“Fun Camp”
It’s summer, and since we’ve already had a beach episode what could be more natural than a training camp episode?
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「仕掛け絵本」 (Shikake Ehon)
“Pop-Up Picture Book”
Whenever a new GAINAX series hits the airwaves, that’s still an event for me – though not as much as it used to be. And I suspect the number of us who feel that way is no longer as large as it was. Whatever it means now, this is still the studio that gave us Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen-Toppa Gurren-Lagann, and even if I’m chasing ghosts, I still get a little thrill of excitement at the prospect of something new from them.
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「光まとう街」 (Hikari matō machi)
“City Adorned in Light”
Before heading off to university, Safu offers Shion what may the most refreshingly direct confession I’ve seen in a mainstream anime – “I want your sperm. Let’s have sex right now”.
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「亡環上のネクローシス」 (Boukanjō no Nekurōshisu)
“Missing Link Necrosis”
Thank goodness, the humor is back in Steins;Gate, even if it’s been suitably scaled back to reflect the gravity of the situation. But I definitely know the way I’m going to introduce myself the next time I’m in Akihabara:
“Hello, I am mad scientist. So cool. Sonuvabitch!”
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「浮春の郷」 (Ukiharu no Sato)
“Floating Spring Village”
Natsume may have leveled up to a real boss aloha shirt, but in every other respect Natsume Yuujinchou continues about its business as if it had never left the airwaves for a couple of years.
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「証明」 (Shoumei)
“Proof”
Sometimes in anime, you have a character who, despite their physical absence through death or distance, hovers over the proceedings at all times. Though he’s been dead since the second episode, Shiro continues to reach out and impact the story.
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「ようこそ閃学園へ！」 (Youkoso Hirameki Gakuen he!)
“Welcome to Hirameki Academy!”
Going in, I would say my highest expectation for R-15 was that it would be a guilty pleasure. And after one episode, I can safely say that expectation was met, and possibly exceeded.
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「びしょぬれネズミ」 (Bishonure Nezumi)
“Drowned Rat”
If it’s Thursday it must be NoitaminA, if it’s the second slot it must be an edgy fantastical series, and if it’s BONES sci-fi the plot must be indecipherably complex. So far, No. 6 looks to be meeting demand in all three areas.
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「形而下のネクローシス」 (Keijika no nekurōshisu)
“Physical Necrosis”
I’ve felt from the beginning is that this series has been exceptionally smart in the way it dishes out information. There’s always enough exposition every week to keep me from feeling completely at sea, but each bit of new information seems to raise two questions for every one it answers.