Sou-chan bumps a brick
The tower topples over…
“Adults don’t play fair”

I’m going to blog AIURA episodically like this from now on. I enjoy how deliberate the show is with its pacing. This episode’s colors, simplicity, and dreamy pace really brings out the best of AIURA.

I bet the rest of you are just KILLING THE INDUSTRY by STEALING

Pop quiz: this episode of Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai 2 was good because

a) No Kuroneko

b) All of the above

Kuroneko fans’ faces when they realize their character is trash

Kyousuke summed up the key point of this episode well: it’s refreshing to see Kirino acting like a big sister. She does it the way she’s used to doing it: by getting assmad at every situation that Kyousuke has the bad luck of getting into. I think the reason I like Kirino and Ayase is because I find it hilarious when they raise their voices and get mad. It’s almost comical. (more…)

I like Suisei no Gargantia. The thematic explorations are woven into character dialogue, and wrapped up in a fantasy setting. Scriptwriter Urobuchi Gen is not a particularly subtle composer. What I don’t understand is how people can love a show that feels so above average. The first episode of Suisei no Gargantia caught my eye in a heartbeat because it’s Urobuchi Gen in space, but now the most grandiose thing to happen is a bunch of Somalian pirates showing up.

I hated the preachy scene where Bellows goes back and forth with Led about justice or whenever it is that everyone is mad at Led about. It feels so much like an artificial way to introduce a conflict. I don’t feel any of the complexity that Psycho-pass emitted – Suisei no Gargantia feels elementry, almost gimmicky. Led is a bit of an asshole, Amy is dumb, and all the humans on the ship are lame as balls. When did this show become Turn A Gundam crossed with and the classic Kevin Costner film Waterworld?

Rackage. Now here’s a cool character. She even is rocking her harem swag.

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A few weeks ago, I was supposedly on FAPcast to talk about previewing this season. Presumably because my internet eviscerated itself early in the recording process, I did not get the chance to talk about most of the shows I was looking forward to. If I had, you would have know that I was pretty hyped for Suisei no Gargantia. Here comes Urobuchi Gen, who has garnered my love with Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, and Psycho-Pass, and presents me with a show that is pretty much Macross Frontier meets Waterworld. I’m sold already.

Let’s talk about the space battle in the first half of the episode though. While it is your first indication that the show is utterly gorgeous, I thought the action itself was rather lackluster. Supposedly it’s a last push by all the forces the Galactic Alliance and the stakes are so high, they might as well be in Andromeda. I felt none of the urgency or tension that should have saturated the scenario, but that might just be because the director doesn’t have very much experience outside the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood movie (which I never saw). I’ll just chalk it up to the fact that our main character hella boring. I mean, he’s given the incentive that he can return to Avalon, the home ship, to sleep, eat, and reproduce while on leave and he doesn’t seem to care too much. Most soldiers are thrilled to go home, let alone have sex, what’s your damage?

Sex drivers come preloaded, broski

The good thing is that this leaves quite a bit of room for character development, as it’s implied that the lieutenant has literally no life or experience outside of combat and training. In fact, it seems like he was born and bred just to fight since they mention at the beginning of the episode that he’s coming out of “sleep development time” and that he just gained the rights of a citizen. Either this is subtle world building or I’m just reading too far into shallow jargon.

– Spoilers and whatnot – 
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WASHINGTON – After a heated and often rowdy round of oral arguments, the Supreme Court ruled today that Aku no Hana is terrible.

“It is the opinion of this Court that Aku no Hana blows. Respondent’s claims that the art style contributes to the show’s atmosphere or plot are unfounded and frankly, ridiculous,” read Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion.

In a landmark 7-2 decision, the Court found the first episode of the ZEXCS anime to be “awful”, referring to the show’s grotesque art style, jarring sound editing, and strange motifs.

“What the fuck is this bullshit?” Justice Scalia reacts to Aku no Hana

The case of In re ‘Aku no Hana’ has been controversial since its inception. After the first episode aired last Friday, angry fans around the country took to the streets to voice their outrage at the Japanese cartoon. The topic has deeply divided the nation ideologically, with one side claiming that the show is unique and interesting, and others decrying Aku no Hana as the worst thing to ever happen to anime. (more…)

kevo: You know how if something gets delayed, it becomes more and more difficult to deliver on the hype. A higher expectation is set that would justify the delay, and more often than not, the product falls short.

Girls und Panzer delivers. It delivered so hard my face came off. It’s the pizza guy that shows up in 10 minutes, in a snow storm. I thought this episode would have to do a ton to properly cap off this series, to show the epic climax, and to justify a three month delay. It did two tons.

Usny: Girls und Panzer is one of those rare shows that seems to meet and barrel through the hype surrounding it like Anglerfish Team’s eponymous tank. I was unsure of what to expect from the finale, I knew that Ooarai would win and I figured it would come down to Miho vs. Maho. Like a certain demon hunter once said, I was not prepared.

Picking off where episode 11 left off, the Ooarai girls have to deal with the mechanical monstrosity that is Kuromorimine’s Maus as the rest of the enemy team is inbound. Certainly, it is a dire situation, but Miho is the Kommandant fucking Supreme. The absurdly amazing teamwork that Ooarai pulls off to immobilize the Maus and its turret by PUTTING A GOD DAMN TANK IT THE WAY was simply sublime. Time and time again, Ooarai has proven their worth through teamwork and clever strategies, contrasting Kuromorimine’s organized, calculated style. Ooarai showed Miho that Panzerfahren didn’t have to be cold and harsh like the Nishizumi style, that it could be fun and organic.

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I believe we have all been in that inevitable position of having other people decide what’s “best for you”. They carry on about how great your life will be if situation X happens and start fantasizing about how the rest of your life will play out. And all you are left to do is sit in the corner trying to break through this shroud of delusion cast by your family and fellow peers without them even considering your feelings and thoughts on the matter. It’s a position I think that Tamako was going to be put through at some point or another. The people of the shopping district are about as delusional as you can get. They were more  accepting of a talking bird than most people should be so it isn’t very strange that they thought the idea of Tamako going off to some far off island to become the princess to someone they don’t even know as being OK in their book. You can imagine that Tamako would finally break down in frustration by all of this. And when she did, it was probably one of the more gratifying scenes this series has had. I’m not trying to say that I get off on watching anime characters’ misfortunes. What I’m really trying to say is that it’s nice to see a change of emotion out of Tamako. She has been one of the most positive characters I’ve seen in a while, so seeing her have a fit of frustration when essentially everyone is ignoring her is an nice change of pace from her usual cheerful nature.

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kevo: I had almost forgotten how many ways this show is absolutely beautiful. And for once, I’m not just just talking about character designs or their slim, moe asses. I’m talking about the legitimately immersive action scenes. The believable character interactions. The “fuck yeah” moments of characters you’re actually invested in kicking unbelievable amounts of ass. Girls und Panzer tackles the task with that rare combination of confidence and wit that distinguishes it from any other show from last season.

Usny: After an agonizing three month wait, we are again blessed with the opportunity for feel our wind. Does Girls und Panzer deliver after the delay? Good Christ yes. While Kuromorimine is known for flawlessly executing highly organized, Spartan-esque tactics, they are poor at adapting to Miho’s mind game laden style. By using smoke screens to spirit themselves up a mountain to gain a superior position and then having Turtle team do what they do best, the Ooarai girls manage to rustle the seemingly unflappable Kuromorimine team. For those of you familiar with the Dungeons & Dragons alignment system, Miho falls squarely under the Chaotic Troll alignment; no wonder the lawful Kuromorimine girls stood no chance.

“Aru isu feya in rabu ando waa”

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Ever since the beach episode I had always had this wavering opinion of Midori. That episode didn’t exactly make her out to be the best person in the show. And since that episode she has been pushed aside like Shiori. But in reality she’s just like the rest of the girls of Tamako Market: incredibly moe and incredibly likeable. She reminds me of a combination of Mio and Ritsu from K-ON!. She can be in high-spirits when things are looking up and then be sad when things turn sour just like Mio, but she also has this free-spirited, happy-go-lucky quality about her like Ritsu. This episode did a fine job of displaying the other side of Midori we have yet to see. Lets not forget that Midori and Shiori had a role reversal this episode. Instead of Midori walking in on Shiori talking to herself in the bathroom, it was the other way around. It was a very nice and clever way of bringing Shiori back into the mix (although she should be in the show far more than she already is) and at the same time resolving the whole conflict of of what they were going to do for the cultural festival.  Although it’s not as if there was much cause for concern over what they were going to do for the cultural festival.

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Usny: I’m really starting to think that Makopi only has one song. She must not have read the list of things you should try not doing, because I’m pretty sure “being like Basshunter” is at the top. Her manager must have realized that singing the same song over and over again is not a great recipe for success, so she arranges for Makopi to appear on Iron Che– I mean at Mana’s house to flex her cooking muscles. It quickly becomes apparent that Makoto’s cuisine is rather unlikely to reign supreme, since she’s never cooked before.

Cue Mana running off without any plan and coincidentally running into Makopi. This triggers a series touching series of scenes where Makoto is taught how to cook by Mana and co, blah blah blah, she just wanted some friends, blah blah blah. Also, cooking preparation is apparently just a rhythm game. (more…)