Summer 2015 – Week 13 Anime Review

Last week: two things I wish they did more of in Gakkou Gurashi, celebrating the rural setting of Non Non Biyori Repeat, deliberating the lack of anime voice acting roles in Sore ga Seiyuu!, and the lack of Maya Matsumoto in the finale of Working!!!.

Spring 2014 – Week 11 Anime Review

Back sometime, whenever week 11 was: questioning whether Ginko is happy or not in Mushishi Zoku Shou, why the infamous grins in Akuma no Riddle were perfect, examining the contrast between the different Kaoris in Isshuukan Friends, and a candidate for the best episode of anime of the year from Ping Pong the Animation.

Spring 2014 – Week 6 Anime Review

This week: difficulty with the ambiguities, interpretations and inconsistencies with the games in No Game No Life, the mounting evidence on why I think Yuuki has more problems than Kaori in Isshuukan Friends, envisioning what modern science and medicine would uncover about the mushi in Mushishi Zoku Shou, and looking at the differences between the late-90s and now with Ping Pong the Animation.

Summer 2013 – Week 7 Anime Review

This week: a refreshing and genuine semi-romance in Silver Spoon, understanding why Yura has always been alone and why she strains her friendships in Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu, why both the new and old characters are making Tamayura ~more aggressive~ much more fun, and frustration with the lack of character development in Gatchaman Crowds.

Dog Days’ (S2) – 6

The central theme of Dog Days is that of friendship.  Through every episode, the characters enjoy their magnetic relationships, comprised of delightful conversations, enticing groomings and pettings, and satisfying, light-hearted combat that leaves every character feeling safe and with a smile on their face.  In the off chance something “bad” is happening, it’s usually a simple conflict between friends that quickly resolves itself with each side realizing their errors, understanding each other, and strengthening their bond to an even greater level than before.  It’s how Dog Days’ remains so cheerful, charming, and peaceful all the time.  So consider myself overjoyed for the appearance of the Demon King, a selfish, perverted renegade who does not care about friendship or anyone’s feelings and came to disrespect everything about friendship and those considerate, compassionate impressions in Dog Days’.  Finally, someone brave enough to challenge this theme and provide that spark of conflict which can allow for Dog Days’ to change or progress.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 10

And now for something completely different.

Episode 10 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica provides us with Homura’s backstory, depicting her metamorphosis from her frail, timid, and emotional former self to the Homura we’ve grown to love and cheer for.  The previous timelines through which she lived help us understand Homura a little more, as well as show us some interesting storylines involving her relationships with the various characters.  But that wasn’t the best part about the episode.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 7

Throughout the course of the series, there have been obvious and subtle Faustian themes in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (or as some say, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica). There’s the personification of white, fluffy evil, Kyubey (or as some say, QB or Kyuubee), the whole soul/wish exchange (the SEC should really look into regulating this), and so on.

And while I agree with these strong Faustian themes, I can’t help but look to other themes as well. What I see is Madoka becoming a Shakespearean tragedy. And another theme I see creeping into the series is the seven deadly sins, too.