2016 – Winter

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju – Episode 5

Shakespeare may be nations and centuries away, but “all the world’s a stage” has never been a more apt sentiment.

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Has there ever been a series with as much unabashed love for performers and performance as this one? From the many rakugo stories to the bursts of shamisen music to this week’s low-budget kabuki play, Showa Genroku depicts Japan’s classic performance arts with a careful attention to detail and a fierce respect for the mediums.

Yet the series never lets itself slip into rose-colored nostalgia; rather, like the rakugo-ka who preserve the tales of Edo (and therefore its lost world and the flawed people who lived in it), Showa Genroku seeks to capture with the same blend of affection and honesty a time, place, and people who no longer exist. And it accomplishes this the same way humanity so often has: Through the telling of stories.

Click here for the full post on Anime Evo!

Snow White with the Red Hair – Episode 16: “The Name of That Step is Change”

Being popular isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

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Shirayuki finds herself at the center of a storm both political and martial this week, as various story lines converge and new ones begin to take shape. Princes in the ball room, kidnappers in the hall, and unwanted ships and ‘ships looming just out of sight. So much for my “sleepy little slice-of-life fairy tale” synopsis.

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Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju – Episode 4

Shh—don’t tell anyone, but I may have dropped another 1500 words on the rakugo anime. Again.

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If the past two episodes were about building the bonds and demonstrating the importance of Kikuhiko’s makeshift rakugo family, then this one is about showing how those bonds could one day unravel. Yakumo’s story has always carried a strong undercurrent of longing and melancholy, but this is the first time we’ve really felt a creeping sense of dread, that we’re on the roller coaster ramp climbing to an inevitable fall. We’ve known it was coming since we got in line, but that’s not gonna make the drop any easier.

Click here for the oh-so-full post on Anime Evo!

Rule of Three Review: Winter 2016 Anime Digest

I’m not as cold about this winter season as I worried I’d be, but…

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You may have noticed the distinct lack of “Rule of Three” posts over the last week, and there’s an odd reason for that. While I’m still watching way too many shows, and still enjoying them for the most part, there’s surprisingly little to actually say about them. With a few exceptions, this is a fluffy (or maybe “trashy”) kind of season, more entertaining than expected but difficult to review because a lot of it boils down to “it’s fun and I kinda like it.”

So rather than force myself to find 2-4 paragraphs worth of things to say about 10 new series (sequels don’t get Rule of Three Reviews), I figured I’d just write 1-2 about each of them. Digest post, go!

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Snow White with the Red Hair – Episode 15: “Indecision Caused by Confusion”

Good thing Snow White has a better sense of direction than Prince Raj does.Screenshot_2016-01-25-12-30-29

There’s an alternate universe where this is a terrible episode of anime, where Raj is an insufferable prig who tears at the comfy sweetness of Snow White like a cheese grater. Fortunately for us, we live in a universe with BONES animators and Fukuyama Jun, who know how to ride the fine line between annoying and hilarious with sympathy and wit. So, while this might not have been the most graceful or subtle of episodes, it still wound up being a pretty entertaining one. Sometimes it’s nice to live in this universe, doncha think?

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Rule of Three Review(ish): Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

And here we have an announcement that will surprise absolutely no one.

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Despite extra work hours and winter illnesses and basketball games and frankly not having the time to cover another series this season, especially one as dense and historically grounded as Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju… I am, in fact, doing exactly that! Because I love this show and I want to talk about it. So screw sleep. I can sleep in the spring.

I’m covering this one over at Anime Evo, so click here for the full post, where I lay out the overarching story for any newcomers and then dig into the narrative and cinematographic choices of the third episode. Come along, friends. We’re gonna have ourselves a grand old bleary-eyed time.

Panning the Stream: Sequels and Carryovers Edition (Winter 2016)

There are precious few familiar faces, but some are rather precious.

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This may be the briefest sequel/carryover post I’ve ever written thanks to a shortage of sequels, some odd licensing issues, and personal viewing preferences. Still, the few there are have a lot of fond memories attached to them, so that should be a good sign going forward. Hit the jump for fairy tales, thieves, and urban legends.

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Panning the Stream: Dagashi Kashi, Aokana, Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle, Konosuba

Don’t change that dial! Or maybe do…?

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I held off posting this ’cause I was waiting on stragglers, but Reikenzan still isn’t licensed and the rest of this batch has been sitting in my queue for too long, so I figured we’d go with what we have. If Reikenzan gets licensed and makes the watch list, I’ll talk about it in a Rule of Three Review. I’ll also toss out the world’s shortest Sequels & Carryovers post tomorrow, as is custom, but consider this the last Panning post for new series.

We’ve got comedy and fantasy, with varying success. Hit the jump to knock ’em out. Continue reading →

Snow White with the Red Hair – Episode 13: “The Red That Spins Fate”

New season. New challenges. Same beautiful show.

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After a busy premiere weekend characterized more by mediocrity than anything else,  Snow White with the Red Hair returns to brighten a cloudy Monday and the winter as a whole. The art is gorgeous, the music vibrant, the interactions natural and charming, and the story handled with steady-handed grace. It’s quintessential Snow White, and it’s a delight to have it back.

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