#episodicimpression

[captainwilldeezer]

“A Man Eater From Outer Space.”

Boogiepop and Others Episode 2: “Boogiepop and Others 2”     An Episodic Impression by WillDeezer

     A teenage girl with glasses; named Seuma, stares tranquility out of her high school windows after her class ends. She is approached by one of her friends who invite her to walk home with her. The two students walk a slim concrete path that’s surrounded by grass as Seuma’s friend is attacked by a girl named Nagi. Nagi yanks her fellow student's arm into the air and calls her a manticore. Her friend threatens to rip off her arm if the Manticore doesn’t come out.       The episode cuts to a long-haired man devouring a high school girl as a student named Masami watches his body bubble and morph into the form of the girl he’d eaten. The series reveals that Masami and the manticore have been teaming up to create slaves of the high school girls. The manticore is able to plant a portion of his power into the girls through a kiss. The power he instills in them is a power that causes the girls to leak blue liquid that forms into pills. The girls give the pills to their friends to sedate them.      The series goes back to the Nagi and Seuma as Seuma finds that Nagi’s father is an author of novels she loves. We get another hard jump cut to an unknown woman who finds a long white-haired man that looks very similar to the Manticore’s original form The man informs the woman on whom he is, he tells her he is an alien who was caught by a mysterious corporation that cloned him and called him Echoes.       Boogiepop and Others didn’t skimp on the information, to a detriment. Getting information on the Manticore was great, but the creators could have left the fact he’s a clone until later episodes. It would've been a great way to dilute the amount of plot we’re given. The rush of details makes it feel like their trying to rush the Manticore’s arc. Not everything is bad though, the animation was solid though the majority of the episode consists of talking.       The relationship between Manticore and Masami is very interesting. To watch their relationship blossom into a romantic one is bizarre. The affection the Manticore shows for Masami is a great way to add depth to the villain. It shows how the Manticore can adapt more emotions than hunger.

[captainwilldeezer]

Magical Girl Escapades

Pastel Memories Episode 1: “Welcome to the Rabbit Shed Shop”     An Episodic Impression by WillDeezer

    The first episode of Pastel Memories spends its time introducing the Rabbit Shed Shop, the girls who work there and the world they live in. In Pastel Memories, manga, anime and action figures were discontinued. The discontinuation of otaku culture has lead to its disappear from modern society. With manga and anime disappearing from the lives of the people who love them, one shop tries to preserve the memories of the creators.      Enter the Rabbit Shed Shop. The employees of the shop have decided to devote their time to preserving the memories of past otaku culture, by getting manga their customers enjoy reading. The girls spend most of the episode traversing the remaining otaku stores looking for a manga that their customer wishes to read. After finding six out of seven volumes, three girls transport from the grandfather clock into the store.       The first episode of Pastel Memories was good. The characters were interesting, though some of them are generic. Like the Russian who loves guns or the cat girl who uses constant cat puns. The animation to the series was good too. It has bright vibrant colors with very expressive faces and body movements. The series uses their animation for great storytelling elements.      There was a great scene showing Izumi's memories like she's watching ghosts relive her past life. I did find the premise hard to get into at first. It wasn't until the end of the episode where we find out a virus is destroying these classic mangas and the girls must adventure into them to save them from being deleted.       This episode wanted to advert you from what the show was about. It wanted to hide the fact that it’s a cute girl shounen. The episode did a great job at it. I'm very excited to see where the show goes. If we can get a bizarre adventure series like Flip Flappers, that would lead to a very interesting series. I am looking forward to the next episode. 

[captainwilldeezer]

Daddy Demon Pact

Dororo Episode 1: “The Story of Daigo”      An Episodic Impression by WillDeezer

     A terrible part about being so far behind in seasonal animation is I get to hear about all the great anime before they're released.I was excited to watch Dororo. I’ve heard the massive hype surrounding the show and the manga. Osamu Tezuka is known as the father of manga and though I have read through some of Black Jack, it could never hold my attention. No amount of clout could keep me from thinking the series was dated. Yes, he created these tropes, but they’re still tropes, nonetheless. That’s why my excitement so peaked for this series. A modern twist on a classic could open my eyes to the merits of a classic work.      Sadly, this “The Story of Daigo” didn’t do it for me. The pacing was all over the place. It crudely split the episode between a samurai named Daigo and a young thief named Dororo. If the Mappa would've chosen to pick Dororo or Daigo as the main focus. Skipping between the two doesn't allow either one of them to shine. I feel like plotlines and motivations could be clear with more attention paid to one or the other.      Other than the pacing, the episode wasn't a complete failure. Dororo is a rambunctious and crafty youth who could become an interesting man when given the right guidance. The animation was great, especially the fight scene with the sludge monster. The pacing was terrible, but I'm going to watch the next episode. There's a possibility that the show could become something good if it decides to stop rushing the story.

[captainwilldeezer]

Narumi Finds A Cause

Karakuri Circus Episode 6: “Hell”     An Anime Impression by WillDeezer

    Episode 6 picks up where the six left off. We start with Narumi waking up in a hospital with a new arm. He’s introduced to the two people who rescued in Japan. One is a womanizing man by the name of Guy, and the other is an old lady named Lucile. They inform Narumi that he’s in a hospital that focuses on curing the ZONAPHA syndrome.     Narumi is told to relax, to focus on eating well and getting to know the children. Narumi does exactly that, he finds himself becoming good friends with the kids. Everything starts to fall apart when he finds out the effects of the ZONAPHA on the kids. Guy asks Narumi to help him defeat the automata; who he’s told, “spread the disease.” The automata attack the hospital in hopes of killing Guy. The episode ends with Narumi deciding to help.     This episode was a bit of an exposition dump. I can’t hate the episode for it though, because I wanted to know what the ZONAPHA syndrome was. They could’ve doled out the information little by little though it would hurt the narrative. This series is a Shonen show, which prefers to focus on action and fast-paced storytelling.     Another great aspect of the episode is the questions it brings up. How is Narumi able to become an adult with the ZONAPHA syndrome when all the other victims are children who go in a corpse-like state? What are Guy and Lucile getting out of stopping the syndrome? These are small questions I’m excited to have answered. 

[captainwilldeezer]

“I’m This Worlds Possibility.”

Boogiepop and Others Episode One: “Boogiepop and Others 1”     An Episodic Impression by WillDeezer

     A high school student by the name Seiji waits for his girlfriend named Miyashita Touka. He waited hours before heading up to the roof. He finds her standing in a weird costume as she looks out over the scenery. Upset, Seiji confronts her, wondering why she didn’t show up. Miyashita turns to Seiji with a cold face and tells him that she isn’t Miyashita, but Boogiepop. Boogipop informs Seiji that she’s taken over Miyashita because a monster is hiding in the body of a student, and she plans on killing it.     The series cuts to the next day, where Seiji hears that four girls have gone missing. The rumors circulating around the school believe that Boogiepop takes over young girl’s bodies when they're at the height of their beauty and kills them before they turn ugly. Seiji returns to the roof to talk to Boogiepop, worrying about the fate of his friend.      She somberly looks over the scenery again as she informs him that she’s killed the monster she was looking for. After a good-bye, Boogiepop disappoints during their conversation. Seiji is left on the roof alone, wondering if they'll ever meet again.     I was unsure of what to name this series. I saw three different titles, but I decided to go with this one. Anyway, this episode wasn’t half bad, the episode hints at themes of humanity. On the way, we're living our lives without empathy towards other humans. It’s an idea that has been explored by other media, but I feel there’s still some creativity that can be milked from the idea.     I wasn’t a big fan of the monster being defeated in the background of the episode. I can understand the creators wanting to focus on the themes of the series more than action. It shows their trying to put more empathizes on the theme rather than action, however, a good fight scene would have helped break up the dreary atmosphere. A fight scene could have been great to show off the level of animation we’re going to get with this series. Completely avoiding a fight scene makes it feel like the show is going to be a series of static shots. 

[captainwilldeezer]

I hate, haTE, HATE This Show

As Miss Beelzebub Likes Episode 6: “9 Centimeters/Her Highness’s Secret”     An Episodic Review by WillDeezer

    I hate, haTE, HATE this show. It’s so boring. I could barely pay attention to this series. Beelzebub’s secret is that she is afraid of lighting. The only reason to watch this series is the animation. It has this cool, watercolor type art style that reminds me of ACCA 13. Other than the animation, there’s no reason to watch this. The story is boring and monotonous. I don’t understand why Beelzebub and Mullen are into each other. I suggest you skip this man. It fails as a romance anime, it fails as a taboo anime, and most of all, it fails as an anime. 

[captainwilldeezer]

A Little Kink in the Arrow

Golden Kamuy Episode 6: “Ani Nekko”     An Episodic Impression by WillDeezer

    Episode six was a great episode. We spend the majority of time watching Genjirou tell Lt. Tsurumi why he joined the 7th Division. He starts with a story about him meeting a friend named Kenkichi. They quickly come friends, before Kenichi married his sister. A few months later, Genjirou hears that their hut has burned down. He finds the hut alright burnt like a contestant on Your Momma. Genjirou finds that his sister was stabbed in the heart before the fire had started. Pissed, Genjirou hears that Kenichi has joined the 7th Division. Genjirou joins in hopes of getting revenge for his sister.     There’s more to the story, but I don’t want to ruin it. I feel like doing that would be a disservice to the episode. This episode was quite good. The flashback comes out of nowhere like manic depression, but the contents make it easier to swallow. Genjirou has always been a straight forward character. It was nice to get a little background for him. It makes him feel like a real person. I think episodes like this show why Golden Kamuy is a good show.