Rule of Three Review, Fantasy Digest: Seraph of the End, The Heroic Legend of Arslan – Episodes 2-3

Sometimes it’s not just what you say, but how you say it.

Both of these shows are firmly on my bubble, and no one is more surprised than me. I’d expectedArslan to be a season lock and Seraph to lose my interest, but neither’s been the case. More surprising still, if you asked me to rank one ahead of the other, I’d have to admit that thanks to solid some direction, animation, and acting, Seraph is doing a better job of winning me over thanArslan.

I know, you guys. It’s weird. This season is weird.

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Rule of Three Review: Blood Blockade Battlefront – Episodes 2-3

Big, Bombastic, Beautiful.

BBB is a first-class example of how a talented director, composer, and animation studio can take solid source material and crank it up to about 11. We likely would have had this frenetic world along with its enigmatic supernatural beings, its underground organization that oozes cool, and its affable but troubled protagonist regardless of the creative team, and it probably would have been fun in any competent director’s hands. But what BONES, Matsumoto, and her team have created here is more than just fun: It’s a visual and aural feast, taking Nightow’s often blank canvas and splashing it with color, depth, and imagery.

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Sailor Moon Newbie Reviews: Episodes 96-97

If only all growing pains could be as entertaining as these.

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No one will be surprised to learn that I loved these two episodes, and not just because they featured my favorite characters (although that’s a huge plus, too). Sailor Moon is just really coming together as a full ensemble show again, using its new characters to help create new dynamics, explore new relationships, and develop new and old characters alike—and I ain’t just talkin’ about Sailor Duo, either. Yes, it may have taken them 90-odd episodes, but Sailor Moon has finally, finallyfigured out how to integrate Mamoru into the story as a natural (and likeable!) member of the group. I never thought I’d say it, but he’s winning me over, you guys. I may just ‘ship him and Usagi yet.

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My Love Story!! – Episode 2: “My Romance”

You know, Takeo, if you’re gonna be in a love triangle, you should probably make sure the other two people know they’re in it, too.

As expected, this is the week rom-com shenanigans and misunderstandings take center stage, as Takeo (almost willfully) misinterprets Yamato’s oh-so-obvious advances at every turn and does his ample best to give her a happy ending with Suna. As a result, Suna ends up taking more of a center stage this week, as Takeo tries to learn Suna’s “type” but doesn’t come up with much. Suna claims to be interested in girls, but says he finds the idea of a relationship tiring (I hear ya, buddy).

Oh, and just in case you forgot this was also a goofball comedy, all of this happens under Tina Belcher’s favorite tree.

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Panning the Stream: Sequels and Carryovers Edition (Spring 2015)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

It’s been a long premiere week and I’m quite sleepy, so I won’t spend too much time on these, but, as usual, I wanted to pop in and let you know where I stand on sequels this season. Most of the deluge this spring are for shows where I never saw the early seasons, so no “panning” posts there, but there are a trio that I am watching, at least. Hit the jump to get reacquainted!

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Panning the Stream: Blood Blockade Battlefront, PUNCH LINE, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches

I’ll give Spring Premiere Week this much: It sure didn’t end on a boring note.

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As if to make up for a few of my previous posts, this one has three whole meet-n-greets, and two of them surprised even me. Has my brain overloaded from a long week of watching and writing about premieres, thus seriously hampering my judgment? Or is there actually something worthwhile in each show of this batch? Well, they’re only premieres, and I am pretty exhausted, so the jury’s prob’ly still out on that one. But you’re welcome to hit the jump and decide for yourself.

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Utena Watch Party: Episodes 28-29

In which it’s never too late to turn your story into a CW drama (love triangles free with purchase).

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Click here for an explanation of the watch party, and an invitation to chime in with your own thoughts (Tumblr tag: #Utena Watch Party).

For Returning Viewers, Vrai’s episode analysis is here for your reading pleasure:

And my own newbie-friendly commentary is below the jump.

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Sailor Moon Newbie Reviews: Episodes 94-95

Moonlight and love shrimp, never out of date…

Love is in the air again this week on Sailor Moon, as our gals consider what makes a kiss “special” and one young couple tries to clumsily convey how they feel about each other. These episodes do a nice job of portraying many elements of early relationships, such as the amount of importance placed on a first kiss, the feeling that you need to PROVE your love (not just to your partner, but to the general public as well), and the insecurities and anxieties you feel when you reeeeally like someone and worry that they might not feel the same (or worse, that you might not be “good enough” for them). Sailor Moon captures the worries, the awkwardness, and the excitement of first love, and it’s good fun watching it play out (though you sure couldn’t pay to relive it).

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Panning the Stream: Mikagura School Suite, Triage X, Wish Upon the Pleiades, Etotama

Must’ve been a hard winter, given how puny this spring crop looks.

We’re getting dangerously close to the end of the licensed spring premieres, and pickins remain slim. It’s not even that most of them are terrible (although Triage X very much is)—they’re just run-of-the-mill, safe, and uninspired. Still, we’ve got one that’s a little off the beaten path, so we can talk about that in some detail, at least. Hit the jump for some light potential and a trio of “no, thank you”s.

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Panning the Stream: Sound! Euphonium, My Love Story!!, RIN-NE

How to improve your spring anime? Just add cherry blossoms!

Two full meet ‘n’ greets in this one, huzzah! One was exactly what I expected, while the other was something of a pleasant surprise (although we’ll see if it can hold up over multiple episodes). Also, apparently if you throw an exclamation point (or two) into your title, good things happen. Take note, aspiring writers. Then hit the jump for some sweet music, some sweet cakes, and a little bit o’ bland.

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