[Fall 2016] Season of Shorts

[KazeShiki]

Fall back into some comfy fall anime.

「君の名は。」/ 「茨乃」

Much like the threads before it, this is a thread I created stole from blkmage for the discussion of new anime that will be airing on TV in Japan in the Fall 2016 season. Anime typically gets released and runs for a number of seasons. The year is divided up into four seasons: January to March is winter, April to June is spring, July to September is summer, and October to December is fall. Each season is approximately 13 weeks.

Here, we can talk about what shows look interesting, what we plan to watch, and generally get giddy and excited for things that we've been anticipating for a while.

---
12-Sai. Chiccha na Mune no Tokimeki 2
http://www.shogakukan.co.jp/pr/12sai/
Sequel

Life of a 12 year old girl, part 2.


3-gatsu no Lion
http://3lion-anime.com/
Manga

Your Lie in March.


3-Nen D-Gumi Glass no Kamen
Manga
**This anime is a short

Glass Mask re-imaging into a comedy.


AJIN 2
http://www.ajin.net/
Sequel

Adventures of the demi-human continues with a double dose of bad CG.


All Out!!
http://allout-anime.com/
Manga

Rugby DAYS


Ameiro Cocoa 3
http://www.rainycocoa.jp/anime/
Sequel
**This anime is a short

Season 3 of cocoa.


Anitore! XX
http://anime-training.com/
Sequel
**This anime is a short

Sequel to anime about anime.


Ao Oni: The Animation
http://aooni-anime.com/tv/
Game
**This anime is a short

Oni in chibi form.


Barnard-jou Iwaku.
http://www.dreamcreation.co.jp/bernard/
Manga
**This anime is a short

A girl talks about famous philosophical works that she may or may not have read.


Bishoujo Yuugi Unit Crane Game Girls 2
http://www.cranegale.com/
Sequel
**This anime is a short

Season 2 about crane games.


Bloodivores
http://bloodivores.com/
Other

Just call it vampires, China.


Brave Witches
http://s-witch.cute.or.jp/
Spin Off

Strike Witches but even Braver!


Bubuki Buranki: Hoshi no Kyojin
http://bbkbrnk.com/
Sequel

Season 2 of giant robots fall from the sky.


BUNGOU STRAY DOGS 2
http://bungo-stray-dogs.jp/
Sequel

Season 2 of nobody outside Japan actually understands all these literature jokes.


Cardfight!! Vanguard G Next
http://cf-vanguard.com/
Sequel

Card games. Again.


CHEATING CRAFT
http://cheating-craft.com/onair/
Original
**This anime is a short

The art of cheating on tests.


ClassicaLoid
http://www.classicaloid.net/
Original

Classical music summons giant robots.


Digimon Universe: App Monsters
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/appmon/
Spin Off

In today's world of phone apps, Digimon are now called Appmon.


Drifters
http://www.nbcuni.co.jp/rondorobe/anime/drifters/
Manga

Samurai are transported to another world.


FLIP FLAPPERS
http://www.flipflappers.com/
Original

Cute girls, different dimensions, wish-granting crystals, and transforming mahou shoujo magic.


Fune wo Amu
http://www.funewoamu.com/
Manga

A strange duo write a dictionary.


Gakuen Handsome
http://penet.co.jp/animehandsome/
Game
**This anime is a short

An all boys school leads to various events.


Girlish Number
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/gn/
Original

Girls try to become idol voice actresses.


HAGANE ORCHESTRA
http://hagane-orchestra.jp/index.html
Game
**This anime is a short

What is an orchestra without cute girls?


Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou
http://www.j-haikyu.com/anime/index.html
Sequel

Volleyball finals.


Heybot!
http://www.heybot.net/
Original

Kids fight in deadly battles of comedy.


Hibike! Euphonium 2
http://anime-eupho.com/
Sequel

Season 2 of band girls.


Idol Memories
http://idol-memories.com/
Original

Idol school in a world where concerts are all streamed to your home in virtual reality.


Kaitou Joker 4
http://s.mxtv.jp/joker/
Sequel

Season 4 of the phantom thief.


Keijo!!!!!!!!
http://keijollllllll.com/
Manga

Just reading the title makes me angry!!!!!!!! It's a sport about women giving fan service. Sasuga Japan.


Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans 2
http://g-tekketsu.com/
Sequel

Teenage children continue to yell at each while they fight in gundam robots.


Kiitarou Shounen no Youkai Enikki
http://kiitarou.jp/
Manga
**This anime is a short

A guy attracts supernatural things.


Koneko no Chi Ponponra Daibouken
http://chissweethome.com/
Spin Off
**This anime is a short

Chi the adorable 3DCG cat.


Long Riders!
http://anime-longriders.com/
Manga

Cute girls ride bicycles.


Lostorage incited WIXOSS
http://lostorage-wixoss.com/
Sequel

More girls playing serious card games.


Luger Code 1951
http://www.animax.co.jp/luger-code
Manga

A genius is hired to break the enemy's language code. Except that code is literally wolves howling.


Magic-kyun! Renaissance
http://www.magic-kyun.jp/
Original

In a world where art is literally magic, a girl makes a reverse-harem of artists.


Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku
http://mahoiku.jp/
Light Novel

Girls try to solve the world's energy problems by killing each other.


Mahou Shoujo Nante Mouiidesukara. 2
http://www.mouiidesukara.com/
Sequel
**This anime is a short

Season 2 of the magical girl in a swimsuit.



Mikan Seijin Arawaru
Other
**This anime is a short

A mikan from a higher dimension invades Earth.


Monster Hunter Stories: RIDE ON
http://www.mh-stories-rideon.jp/
Game

An anime of the new Monster Hunter game


Nanbaka
http://nanbaka.tv/
Manga

A comedy about prisoners and the guards of a prison.


Natsume Yuujinchou Go
http://www.natsume-anime.jp/
Sequel

We finally get another season of Natsume.


Nazotokine
http://nazotokine.com/
Original
**This anime is a short

Solve puzzles with a cute girl.


Neko no Dayan: Fushigi Gekijou
http://anime-dayan.com/
Sequel
**This anime is a short

Season 3 of Dayan's adventures.


Nobunaga no Shinobi
http://nobunaga-no-shinobi.com/
Manga
**This anime is a short

A cute girl wants to help Nobunaga unite Japan.


Nyanbo!
https://nyanbo.jp/
Original
**This anime is a short

A cardboard cat.


Occultic;Nine
http://occultic-nine.com/
Light Novel

Nine people involved with the occult.


Okusama ga Seitokaichou!+!
http://www.dreamcreation.co.jp/okusama/
Sequel
**This anime is a short

Season 2 to the student council president wife.


PJ Berri no Mogu Mogu Munya Munya
Game
**This anime is a short

A rapper raps.


Sengoku Choujuu Giga
http://www.kbc.co.jp/scg/
Original
**This anime is a short

Sengoku era if the people weren't people.


Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
http://syakunetsu.com/
Manga

Middle school girls ping pong was never the same again.


SHOW BY ROCK!! 2
http://showbyrock-anime.com/
Sequel

Season 2 of rock music.


SOUL BUSTER
http://soulbuster.jp/
Light Novel
**This anime is a short

A depiction of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.


Teekyuu 8
http://te-kyu.com/
Sequel
**This anime is a short

Season 8. SEASON 8. Endless eight.


Tiger Mask W
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/tigermask_w/
Manga

The fated tiger mask of light and shadow wrestle in the ring.


Time Bokan 24
http://www.ytv.co.jp/timebokan24/
Original

History is a lie. Your textbook is a conspiracy. Learn the truth.


To Be HERO
http://tobe-hero.com/
Original
**This anime is a short

A man is dragged inside a toilet to save the world.


Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru
Game

The true history is protected by these guys.


TRICKSTER: Edogawa Rampo "Shounen Tantei-dan" yori
http://trickster-project.com/anime/
Original

A detective club meets a boy who cannot die.


Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?
Original
**This anime is a short

Talking animals. I suppose that's good enough.


Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
http://www.udonnokuni-anime.jp/index.html
Manga

A man decides to take care of a young boy.


Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love Legend Star
http://utapri.tv/
Sequel

Season 4 of your male idols.


ViVid Strike!
http://vivid-strike.com/
Spin Off

Nanoha spin off that isn't actually Nanoha.


Watashi ga Motete Dousunda
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/watamote/
Manga

A fujoshi gets her own harem.


WWW.WORKING!!
http://working-www.com/
Manga

And you thought Working! was over, ha.


Yasamura Yasashi no Yasashii Seikai
http://www.yasamurayasashi.com/
Original
**This anime is a short

A man spreads love wherever he goes.


Yuri!!! on ICE
http://yurionice.com/
Original

Ice skating: the anime: on ice.

[MangaRocks!]

Your descriptions never fail to make me literally LOL.

Anyway , lots of stuff I'm interested in this season (finally! ).



Definitely planning to watch:

* Bungou Stray Dogs 2 - I know and will readily acknowledge that I missed a good deal of the in-jokes in S1, but I certainly enjoyed watching it anyway (a couple of unnecessary scenes aside) , so of course I'll watch the continuation.

* Fune wo Amu - Yep, the dictionary one. Gotta admit I'm intrigued by this. It seems like it's going to be one of those (pseudo?-)historical, mature (in tone, not content) character dramas, which I tend to absolutely love, and the people are making a dictionary, for goodness' sake-- not something you'd typically find in an anime. So, yeah, color me quite interested.

* Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou - Because I will never, ever be able to get enough of this wonderful soul-hug of a show. <3

* Hibike! Euphonium 2 - Because (to a musician like me) the first season was amazing, and thus I'll quite happily take more.

* Natsume Yuujinchou Go - "We finally get another season of Natsume." (Nothing more needs to be said! )

* Occultic;Nine - If it's got a semicolon in it, I'm watching it.

* Yuri!!! on ICE - Because I'd been aching for an ice-skating anime ever since that one sequence in Death Parade, and the PV for this looked great. (Also, not yuri, thankfully-- it's a guy's name. )



Might watch/somewhat interested:

* 3-gatsu no Lion - Normally this would be an instant plan-to-watch for me (since the manga is an outright masterpiece, IMO-- seriously, if you haven't read it yet then you should get on that ASAP!), but the last couple of adaptations I've seen of source material that I consider excellent were kinda (or really) messed up when they got adapted , so I'm just a little wary of new adaptations right now. Seriously, though, the characters and story are awesome, so as long as they don't royally screw it up it should be great.

* ClassicaLoid - "Classical music summons giant robots" (?!) sounds pretty darn ridiculous, LOL; but, on the other hand, it might just be ridiculous enough to work-- and I *do* have a soft spot for classical music...

* Luger Code 1951 - Werewolves and code breaking are certainly interesting; however, I heard that the original contest-entered manga that this was based on was pretty darn short (like just 3 chapters? ), and that this might only be one (double-length?) episode long, so hopefully it's written well enough that that doesn't seem rushed...

[KazeShiki]

* Occultic;Nine - If it's got a semicolon in it, I'm watching it.

Just in case some people are unaware, this is not related to the 5pb sci-fi stories of Steins;Gate/Chaos;Head/Robotics;Notes. The next "semicolon" story of that series is Chaos;Child which I think is airing in January.

[artisticDreamer]

I figure I should actually list what shows I'll be watching this season for once. I'll be leaving out movies/specials.
Bungou Stray Dogs 2: Just gotta finish season 1
Cheating Craft: Because I'm easily amused by this sort of stuff
Kiitarou Shounen no Youkai Enikki
Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku
Nobunaga no Shinobi
Occult;Nine
Shishou Series: If it isn't as bad as the trailer makes it seem, and if it actually happens
Soul Buster: Yes
TRICKSTER: Edogawa Rampo "Shounen Tantei-dan" yori

Plus losta movies and ONAs.

[MangaRocks!]

* Occultic;Nine - If it's got a semicolon in it, I'm watching it.

Just in case some people are unaware, this is not related to the 5pb sci-fi stories of Steins;Gate/Chaos;Head/Robotics;Notes. The next "semicolon" story of that series is Chaos;Child which I think is airing in January.

Yeah, I know it's not *technically* related (as in, it's supposedly not connected with/in the same 'universe' as S;G / C;H / C;C / R;N); however, IIRC Occultic;Nine's source novels (which the anime is adapting) were actually written by the very same guy who made Steins;Gate, so... it kinda still is a *little* bit related (at least in terms of creator), LOL.

[Zeldafan2]

Eh, most of this stuff doesn't interest me. I need to catch up on Sound Euphonium, though. Heard great things about it. Maybe after Rewrite and Tales of Zestiria the X.

[TheChocolateGamer]

Season of Shorts.... my type of anime


Anime I'm certainly going to try:

1. Stella no Mahou - Cute freshman girls with two twins. Kawaii
2. Long Riders - This anime will give me the hope that I will learn to ride a bicycle, before I get to university. (don't laugh at me, please)
3. Nyanbo - A cat that looks like a box. Nuf said.
4. Gi(a)rish Number - Probably won't be a good one, but I will give it a chance.
5. The anime in the picture above. Please tell me which anime it is, Kaze. XP

Anime I will probably try:

1. 3-Nen D-Gumi Glass no Kamen - Don't know what to expect from this one.

[MangaRocks!]

5. The anime in the picture above. Please tell me which anime it is, Kaze. XP

...Well, I'm not Kaze, LOL , but I'm pretty sure it's Kimi no Na wa. (Your Name.), the new Makoto Shinkai movie (which I'm looking forward to watching, myself!).

[TheChocolateGamer]

5. The anime in the picture above. Please tell me which anime it is, Kaze. XP

...Well, I'm not Kaze, LOL , but I'm pretty sure it's Kimi no Na wa. (Your Name.), the new Makoto Shinkai movie (which I'm looking forward to watching, myself!).

I should have searched for the words in the picture. Thanks a lot

[John_Smith]

The two shows I plan on watching next season are both about a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: group of girls using a magical plot device to emotionally and psychologically abuse each other, crush one another’s dreams, beat each other up, in one case inevitably leading them to kill each other, the other, banish each others souls into cards by which to repeat the cycle.
And this is entertaining. Should I be worried about my psychological wellbeing?

The first:
Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku: I actually know virtually nothing other than the premise. And that’s enough.

The other:
Lostorage Incited WIXOSS: If I remember correctly, I never actually intended to watch the first series. Somehow I confused it with Mekakucity Actors (I don’t know how I did this). But it was okay, so I kept watching. Then the second season came and completely surprised me with how good it was.
I do not recommend it to everyone, however. The series is dark, twisted, and rather seriously deals with taboos and their consequences. Somehow it hasn’t crossed my line.
The second season pretty much tied up all the loose ends though, so I’m not sure why Lostorage is happening (okay, I do: money); but if they continue to produce the same quality of story, I’ll keep watching.

My secondary list:
Occultic;Nine: I yield to the power of the semicolon; doubt not the greatness of this under utilized punctuation!
Shuumatsu no Izetta: Am I missing something or shouldn’t this be on here? In any case, this is my ‘I want it to be good but I’m wary’ series of the season.

In today's world of phone apps, Digimon are now called Appmon.

My inner child is in pain. Terrible, terrible pain. Eh, I have tri; why complain?

[MangaRocks!]

In today's world of phone apps, Digimon are now called Appmon.

My inner child is in pain. Terrible, terrible pain. Eh, I have tri; why complain?

^ Your whole post was great, but this literally made me laugh out loud. Somehow I completely forgot to make a similar response in my original post; suffice it to just say that I both approve of your quote and very much agree.

[EventualDay]

I have been waiting for Yuri!! On Ice for months and months and months. It may even be the only show I keep up with this season. I'm so excited and the new PV has my heart all excited and thumping


I'll decide anything else after I watch a few first episodes.

Also, has anyone read March Comes in Like a Lion? I know it's supposed to be very beautiful, and that it won some awards, but I don't know much about it.

[MangaRocks!]

. . . has anyone read March Comes in Like a Lion? I know it's supposed to be very beautiful, and that it won some awards, but I don't know much about it.

From a semi-recent post of mine in the reading thread:

March Comes In Like A Lion, a.k.a. 3-gatsu no Lion, chapters 1-65 via normal methods, 66-114 via raws + text translations (so far): Oh. My. Gosh. I had heard that this series was fantastic, but I had no idea that I would end up downright *adoring* it!! <3 The characters and the stuff they went through in the past/are going through in the present are just so real, and-- despite the small (but also quite real) thread of darkness/melancholy woven throughout due to the aforementioned situations-- in the end this series just makes you feel so warm! <3 And the shogi-playing is woven in very naturally (it's the MC's actual profession, after all), and is not heavy-handed at all, either (nor is it even really the main focus; this story is more character-driven than anything)-- in fact, towards the end of the first volume it's revealed that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: despite being great at the game, the MC doesn't even really like it. Oh, and when the MC finally meets Souya-- the true genius who is holding the very top ranking(s)-- it's downright mesmerizing! See, at first, you're purposefully led to assume that Souya is merely going to be just another embodiment of the 'elusive genius rival' trope... however, it then actually gets a brilliant twist once they meet, where the truth about him is revealed-- for one thing, while he certainly is a genius, he's actually really, genuinely nice (indeed, he's one of the nicest genius characters that I've seen!); and for another, his perceived elusiveness/eccentricities also actually have a beautifully-explained reason (which rather impressed me in both its inclusion at all + how naturally it's handled): SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he's actually been deaf for years. And to top it all off, while he and the MC have a sort-of immediate understanding of each other and there are certainly some similarities between them, both the characters as well as the series itself are all very realistic about the differences in talent/ability levels even between pros, and there is no presumption whatsoever that the MC will reach Souya's level anytime soon (if at all). (Again, love the realism. <3 ) And oh my goodness the MC is so adorable (especially once SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he realizes that he's in love with one of the sisters~! <3 <3 <3 ). (+ Bonuses of note: The cats are adorable and hilarious. <3 And I also love how all of the chapter covers tell their own {extremely adorable! <3 } sequential story in and of themselves. <3 <3 ) ...TL;DR: This series is awesome and I wholeheartedly recommend it!!

...Basically, IMO it's a masterpiece.

The only thing keeping me from instantly adding the anime to my watchlist is my wariness towards what the actual quality of it is going to be (since I've unfortunately been burned by several bad adaptations recently ). However, if-- key word there being if -- they actually adapt it properly, it's going to be amazing. (It's definitely going to need way more than one cour of episodes, though-- I have no idea how anything less than 24-26 episodes could even possibly do it justice, no less just get to a good place to stop {the manga is still ongoing, but around where the translations are at would be a great place, for example, due to one particularly big emotional/plot thread finally being resolved... except that's chapter 114 , which I highly doubt they'll even get to-- and I most certainly wouldn't want them rushing it to get to it, either... gah, see what I mean? }.) I'm trying to stay at least a little bit optimistic for the sake of the story, though. But, yeah, if nothing else I'd *absolutely* recommend reading the manga ASAP to anyone who hasn't done so yet-- it's fantastic!

[EventualDay]

...Basically, IMO it's a masterpiece.

The only thing keeping me from instantly adding the anime to my watchlist is my wariness towards what the actual quality of it is going to be (since I've unfortunately been burned by several bad adaptations recently ). However, if-- key word there being if -- they actually adapt it properly, it's going to be amazing. (It's definitely going to need way more than one cour of episodes, though-- I have no idea how anything less than 24-26 episodes could even possibly do it justice, no less just get to a good place to stop {the manga is still ongoing, but around where the translations are at would be a great place, for example, due to one particularly big emotional/plot thread finally being resolved... except that's chapter 114 , which I highly doubt they'll even get to-- and I most certainly wouldn't want them rushing it to get to it, either... gah, see what I mean? }.) I'm trying to stay at least a little bit optimistic for the sake of the story, though. But, yeah, if nothing else I'd *absolutely* recommend reading the manga ASAP to anyone who hasn't done so yet-- it's fantastic!

Thanks so much for this! Your answer makes me very interested:) and I suppose I should have done a little digging around for information on it first--oops--but I appreciate that you copied your recent post onto this thread

[Rusty Claymore]

So Nyanbo.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: YOTSUBA WAS OFFICIALLY ANIMATED!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I know for like, 3 seconds, but this is PROGRESS. Maybe we'll see other characters? Also, if humans can't see Nyanbos, then is Yotsuba...

Ahem. So Nyanbos. I expected a 5 minute kids show. That's what we got. (Exactly 5 minutes, actually.) I enjoyed it thoroughly.

It's great for people who'd like some real-life Japan scenery. Because Nyanbo's are so small, the perspectives you get are much different than usual IRL footage. While the Nyanbos seem to float sometimes, the CGI integration was good enough that it didn't bother me at all.

While the characters definitely fit stereo types, it's sort of a, "That's the way it should be" thing. I just hope the older brother doesn't yell quite as much in the next episode.

A definite must for Yotsuba&! fans, who will be very familiar with the perspectives, character behaviors, and basic shenanigans.

[Yami]

Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku seems great so far! (Reminds me of madoka alot)

[MangaRocks!]

Bungou Stray Dogs S2 episode 1:
 
Wow, this was a pleasant surprise-- instead of continuing right from the cliffhanger from S1, they started off with an extended flashback to Dazai's darker days (apparently drawn from the Bungou Stray Dogs spinoff novels) instead. I really like this section's darker tone; and this new plotline in the past is actually really interesting, too, as is the new sorta-protagonist character who can SPOILER: Highlight text to read: see glimpses of the next few seconds into the future and absolutely refuses to (personally) kill, despite his occupation (needless to say, I *really* like him already! <3 ). (Also: Finally, the name drop! ) Looking forward to more!
 
 
 

Fune wo Amu actually looks like it's going to start airing next week, so no comments on this yet~
 
 
 

Haikyuu!! S3 episode 1:
Ahhh, my weekly dose of happiness is back~!! Haikyuu!! is one of my most favorite things, and it never fails to cheer me up. <3 Super looking forward to this season~!
 
 
 

Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 1:
 
This starts off pretty much literally right where S1 + the OVA ends-- they're taking commemorative pictures right after the concert that concluded S1, and afterwards begin to prepare for SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the Kansai competition-- and I can already tell that it's going to be just as much of a masterpiece as S1. (In fact, it was so engrossing that I didn't even notice that it was a double-length episode until it was nearly over!) Also: Looks like we're finally going to find out what all that drama with the second-years was all about along with the great music. Can't wait for more!
 
 
 

Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5, episode 1:
 
Let the beautiful healing resume~! Seriously-- like Haikyuu!!, this is one of those series that's just like a hug for your soul, and I'm so glad they're continuing the fantastic anime adaptation once again! <3
 
 
 

Occultic;Nine episode 1:
 
...Well, that was... uh... interesting, LOL. For one thing, I actually literally LOL'd at how fast the MC's dialogue was (seriously, did they speed that up, or did the poor seiyuu actually talk that fast? Because if it's the latter, then that's just downright impressive ). For another, yikes, what is up with that one girl's 'character design'? Seriously, tone that down a bit there (for the poor character's sake as well as the viewers'!). And for a third thing, I heard that they adapted close to 400 pages (!) of content from the source novel in just this one episode... so, yeah, not sure how the quality of adaptation is here. (On the good side, though, I suppose, it being *so* fast-paced meant that it actually only felt about 5 minutes long, which means it wasn't boring, even if it was pretty ridiculous, LOL.) So, yeah, really not sure what to think of this ATM... Will probably keep watching it for another ep. or two at least, though.
 
 
 

And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 1:
 
Hmm... well, as I'd mentioned in my first post in this thread, I'd been aching for an ice-skating anime ever since that one sequence in Death Parade, and the PV for this looked great... however, now that I've actually watched the first episode, I don't quite know what to think of it just yet. For one thing, it was quite a bit funnier than I was expecting, due to the protagonist's kinda bipolar personality (which is by turns depressed and hyper) + the somewhat-exaggerated visuals for comedic emphasis at times. I didn't necessarily mind this (as I like humor just as much as anyone), but I was expecting something a bit more serious overall, so that was just a little bit of a surprise. For another thing, I did know that there was bound to be some slash bait in this at the very least (if not a few characters who are actually just outright gay-- I mean, it's male figure skating, after all, and while I do certainly love watching the sport, I've always suspected that there's quite a high concentration of people of... *ahem*... other persuasions participating in it to begin with, y'know ), but even despite me fully expecting at least something to that effect, I still almost fell over laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the fanservice with Viktor at the end. ...Now, all that said, I did really like the natural inclusion of social media; the characters are actually pretty charming; and what I'm *really* watching this for-- the figure skating-- was in fact just as beautifully choreographed and animated as I'd hoped-- complete with *perfect* little differences in animation for both Viktor and Yuri during the (downright brilliant) SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'copying' sequence (more on that sequence in a minute), and it being so realistic that it actually made me a little nervous that one of them might fall (just like when I watch it in real life!) (...oh man, seriously, if this was just the beginning, I can only imagine how amazing the final performance{s} in the show's finale are going to be, and can already see myself tearing up at it/them, just like I also do at amazing performances in real life <3 )-- so, to be honest, this has pretty much got me hook, line, and sinker no matter how fanservicey or shounen-ai it might get, LOL. (And to continue that discussion of this ep.'s skating sequence: Yuri clearly has the skill-- 4 quads in one program is just crazy in terms of technicality to begin with {in fact, only two people have even done it successfully so far in real life! [ more explanation in this post I found breaking down just how amazing this program was and how talented both of them had to be to do it ]} , no less the rest of it, and he SPOILER: Highlight text to read: copied the elements and choreography perfectly-- he just doesn't have that level of elegant, polished grace yet {...hence SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Viktor wanting to coach him}. Once he does, he's going to be top-level for sure-- and I am really looking forward to seeing that progress. )

[MangaRocks!]

Bungou Stray Dogs S2 episode 2:

Holy crap, S2 is just blowing away S1 so far! Plus, I am loving the new (flashback) main character Odasaku more and more with every second he's onscreen. <3 <3 (Holy crap though, that ending... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Honestly, I've always suspected from the start that he was going to be the one of the trio that dies (since Dazai obviously doesn't, and I doubt that Ango will now, either), unfortunately , but I've been willfully ignoring that feeling because I just love his character way too much. </3 Seriously, though, if *that's* how he dies I'm going to be super ticked-- but I think he'll have at least one more episode yet, since there's still that blatant foreshadowing about how he is when he's 'not holding back,' which we haven't seen yet, so... But, yeah, regardless, that was a heck of a way to end the episode, and with no next-ep. preview, that just makes the wait for the next ep. even harder... ) Anyway, as for the rest of the ep.: Dazai punishing Akutagawa (and all the dialogue surrounding it) was downright epic-- and speaking of 'holding back,' whoa, Dazai's dark side was really something. Dude is not only super smart, he could physically demolish someone in an instant if he wanted to. He's clearly been reining himself in (or, rather, flipping the ratios of the two sides of his personality-- his goofy side only surfaced in short and less-flagrant instances back when he was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: with the baddies, whereas it's his dark side that does that in the present) once he SPOILER: Highlight text to read: switched sides. Also: I was almost kinda expecting the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: *triple* agent twist with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ango since that made a lot more sense than him being just a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: double agent, so that final, *true* twist (that he was actually SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a double agent for the *government* all along, and his other double/triple/whatever-number-it-is-at-this-point agent appearances were just facades to, presumably, get intel) was downright brilliant IMO. And that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: goodbye was actually pretty heartbreaking, too (even more so once I ran across an explanation of the symbolism behind the ball), since it means that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ango really did end up caring about Dazai and Odasaku very much <3 </3 ). Man, this is really drawing me in...!




Fune wo Amu, a.k.a. The Great Passage, episode 1 (finally!):

...Apparently dictionaries are really serious business, LOL. *Ahem*-- seriously, though, this was actually pretty great (plus it's got a couple of my favorite seiyuu in it, which always helps ), and I basically had a smile on my face for 25 minutes straight, so I'm definitely going to keep watching.




Haikyuu!! S3 episode 2:

Ahhh yes, this is where Tsukki's awesomeness finally kicks in for real. I always loved his growth (and overall just plain thought it was a fantastic bit of character development) during this arc in the manga, so I'm really looking forward to seeing it happen in the anime, too! <3 Oh, and of course, the first set might be over, but it's not really a spoiler to say that there's a whole four more sets to go, and it's only going to get more and more epic from here on out (especially with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'THE GUESS MONSTER' finally kicking into gear here)~!




Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 2:

Oh, yeah, I had forgotten that they kinda *did* go into the drama a little (with the whole bratty 'seniority' thing) back in S1. Interesting to see some of the aftermath though. Also, it's really nice to have seen Kumiko's character grow from complete apathy about both other people and her own music in the beginning of S1 to caring a lot about both now. <3




Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5, episode 2:
LOL, I had forgotten how adorable (...I mean, yes, a tad SPOILER: Highlight text to read: sad as well, but still adorable ) this particular story was. Gah how I love this series! <3




Occultic;Nine episode 2:

...Huh. Well, aside from the still-kinda-annoying character designs for a couple of the characters , this episode was actually sanely paced and made a lot more sense, and I have to admit I'm actually kinda interested now, so...




And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 2:

Oh. My. Goodness-- okay, please just forget everything I said about not being quite sure what to think about this after ep. 1 (aside from the fantastic skating therein, of course), because with *this* episode I officially fell completely in love with all of it! <3 The characters' charm was off the charts (seriously, they charmed the living heck out of me <3 ), the interactions were downright hilarious (I was laughing like a maniac throughout ), and I simply just outright loved every second of it. (Also: Oh, so Viktor *isn't* gay? {He was talking about past girlfriends, etc.} I mean, not that I'm complaining, obviously; it's just that he could've fooled me, LOL... Well, whatever. ) Really excited for the next ep. now~!

[MangaRocks!]

Bungou Stray Dogs S2 episodes 3-4:

Pleasantly surprised at the gift of the extra episode this week! As for the former of the two ep.'s: My first reaction to this episode was relief SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that Odasaku was still alive-- although having read the manga from start to current ongoing chapter this week, I was fully expecting that, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: since the manga had already confirmed what I thought about Ango's caring <3-- however, instantly afterwards a mounting sense of dread began, because I knew that meant the situation was only going to get worse for his character, and rapidly so (the OP being in the middle of the episode didn't help matters, either, since usually when there's either no OP or a delayed one big stuff's about to go down)... and it sure did. On the one hand, this ep. made me love Odasaku even more than I already did (which is saying something, LOL ), and on the other it broke my heart right in half for all three of the flashback's MC's-- Odasaku for the reasons that are obvious ; Dazai because of his suprisingly-deeply affecting SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'everything that he never wants to lose always ends up being lost' speech (which also finally explains a bit of why he is so obsessed with the idea of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ending his own life...) ; and Ango, who, despite knowing what his duties SPOILER: Highlight text to read: as a spy for the government would have to entail, still inadvertently came to care very dearly about Dazai and Odasaku, and now had to come to (sorrowful) grips with the fact that their friendship had been irrevocably altered with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the reveal of his true identity. ...And as for the latter of the two ep.'s: Oh. My. Goodness-- Dazai has pretty much always been the best character of this series, but between the manga and this new backstory (which is apparently taken from the novels-- which I'm super excited to read now as well, and which I'm also really glad they animated, since they're providing some IMO really necessary backstory/character development here), Dazai has now been forever cemented as my favorite character in the series. <3 Speaking of which: Agh, Dazai broke my heart a second time when he SPOILER: Highlight text to read: tried to stop Odasaku from leaving... And ohhh man, that two-fold plot twist with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the leader of the Port Mafia... Ruthless, indeed. No wonder they SPOILER: Highlight text to read: have never been dealt with by the government from then through the present day, and no wonder SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Dazai left them (and agh again because Dazai broke my heart for a *third* time with that confrontation with the boss and cemented my love for him even more all at the same time). And then that final scene between SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Dazai and Odasaku was beautifully, achingly heartwrenching in all the right ways </3 </3 <3 SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (and thus his switch of allegiance is born!)... oh man. SO. GOOD.




Fune wo Amu, a.k.a. The Great Passage, episode 2:

Y'know, this seems like it *should* be boring, but somehow it actually *isn't*-- and I just can't help but like it (and all the characters). Looking forward to what happens next (especially now that an apparent SPOILER: Highlight text to read: love-interest has appeared...).




Haikyuu!! S3 episode 3:

Ohohoho, a Monster indeed~ (and so much fun to finally see in motion!) And even more ohohoho yes-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "Hi. I'm the normal guy." (As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, it's finally Tsukki's time to shine now, and what a shine it is {and will be}! <3 )




Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 3:
Got some great constructive criticism there from both teachers and some interesting discussion on competitions this time among all the good character stuff. Man, this show~




Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5, episode 3:

Ohhh yes, this story! (On another note, I love the fact that they always let the chapters breathe just as they should and don't try to cram things into one episode when they need more than one to tell it all. This adaptation is perfect. <3 ) Really looking forward to next week~




Occultic;Nine episode 3 (DROPPED):

...Welp, whereas the first episode was essentially extremely-fast-paced (yet, because of that, at least not boring) nonsense and the second episode was much-better-paced and intriguing, this third episode unfortunately *was* really rather boring. I mean, sure, the detective was likeable enough (despite not yet knowing what he's really after, as there seem to be at least several layers going on there), and the backstories about the professor (...Tesla, though? Um... what? ) and the girl with the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: corpse sibling (who was revealed to become that curser-for-hire afterwards) were fine enough, I suppose; but the rest of it... I really just wanted it to get to the point, and it never did. This doesn't even come close to comparing with the rest of the (many!) shows I'm watching this season (in any category), and I'm really not that interested, so I think I'm just going to drop this now. *shrug* Oh well...




And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 3:

...Yeah, NVM what I said last week (again), guess everyone is bi (LOL)... (Seriously, there's no way they can be straight at this point-- but I am going to shut up about this for good now, because #1 that's not the main point of the show and #2 everything else is just so good that I quite frankly don't even care. ) ...*ANYWAY*: Yurio continues to be more adorable than I expected (not that I'm complaining, obviously! ). <3 And oh my gosh, Viktor's coaching style is at once absolutely, insightfully perfect (he's making them do the opposite of what they think their natural personalities/states are because that's precisely what they both need the most right now {Yuri to build his confidence, and Yurio to gain some softness + ability to connect with his emotions}), and yet obviously frustrating to them all at the same time (for pretty much the exact same reasons that they need it + Viktor's inherent carefree-ness, of course), and it's really just priceless. Also, I know I've already praised this show for visually capturing some really subtle and very realistic differences in the performances, but this time it was even more apparent-- even though Yurio's performance was technically flawless, and still very beautiful indeed to watch (especially in that outfit! ), the *feeling* that should have been coming through was not doing so, precisely because the character himself wasn't feeling it ... whereas with *Yuri's* performance, even though he SPOILER: Highlight text to read: messed up one of the jumps, the feeling actually came through 100%! How in the world the show's creators/animators/etc. managed to do that is beyond me, but it was utterly brilliant.

[GeneD]

And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 2:

Also: Oh, so Viktor *isn't* gay? {He was talking about past girlfriends, etc.} I mean, not that I'm complaining, obviously; it's just that he could've fooled me, LOL... Well, whatever.

According to knowledgeable twitter users, the Japanese word used in this scene is gender neutral, akin to something like "lover" or "significant other", the translator(s) just chose to use the word "girlfriend" instead.

I've picked way too much stuff to watch this season and am behind on almost all of it. Top picks so far are Yuri on Ice, Fune wo Amu and Flip Flappers, and Haikyuu naturally. There are so many great OPs and EDs this season, it's wonderful. I'm obsessed with the Yuri OP like wow (even though it's repetitive). Huge kodus to the marketing people or whoever made the song available on iTunes 1) almost immediately after the first episode aired and 2) on iTunes other than only the US one i.e. I could buy it.

[EventualDay]

So far the two shows I've decided to watch are Yuri! On Ice (of course) and Flip Flappers. I'm watching the dub for Yuri, so I'm a bit behind. It's even more gorgeous than I expected. Everything is so sensual, too--which is great for the ice skating and makes me a little nervous about the relationships ^_^ I'm guessing it's going to be "implied-relationship-but-not-explicitly-stated" by the end... a little more than just bait, but still not an outright shounen-ai or yaoi... which imo is a little disappointing, but like MangaRocks! wrote, I'll probably just let it slide. I've been looking forward to this for too long to not.

Flip Flappers is a complicated mess, but it all looks intentional. I keep thinking about how many references/parodies there are in the episodes that I'm not familiar with, and I know that's hurting my enjoyment a little bit. But I'm hoping that by the end, all of these random events are going to come together in a Madoka-like fashion--though right now it looks fairly straightforward in terms of "good guys vs. bad guys." Regardless, it's pretty fun, so I'm planning to stick with it.



Still considering starting March Comes in Like a Lion and Fune wo Amu. But even if I don't have time this season, I'll watch them eventually.

[MangaRocks!]

No Bungou Stray Dogs S2 ep. this week (which I expected after getting an extra one last week), but in the meantime here's an excellent article I ran across discussing one of the great aspects of the just-finished arc.




Fune wo Amu, a.k.a. The Great Passage, episode 3:

Heh, the poor guy being so flustered that he couldn't say a word at all was both sympathy-inducing and kinda adorable -- and I'm really liking his lighthearted coworker, too (oh my gosh when he was caught by their bosses SPOILER: Highlight text to read: talking about love stuff instead of working I laughed so hard... ). Also, him not only (teasingly) bringing it up during the meeting, but the head boss actually managing to work it into something serious was priceless.




Haikyuu!! S3 episode 4:

Oh man-- even though I'd already seen it in the manga, that 'logic-defying' SPOILER: Highlight text to read: off-course-diagonal-quick from Kageyama and Hinata in the middle of the ep. was so awesome that I actually replayed it a few times. And THIS WAS THE EP.-- Tsukki's BA analytical/chessmaster side finally came fully into bloom, *plus* 'THE MOMENT' finally happened for him, and it was fantastic!! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I still love how he made that happen-- wearing down the opposing team's setter by all means possible and waiting for him to make a mistake that left the spiker no extra time to think, then purposefully leaving a 'lane' *apparently* open for the spike, then moving his hand to block it at the last split-second... <3




Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 4:

I really liked how easily the drama with the oboist was resolved (see, you just gotta talk to one another, people! ). Smiles all around by the end.




Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5, episode 4:

Oh man, Matoba was just oozing with that self-serving yet well-mannered menace of his here~ ...And I had kinda forgotten just how creepy (in a good way!) this particular SPOILER: Highlight text to read: bad yokai was, too...




And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 4:

According to knowledgeable twitter users, the Japanese word used in this scene is gender neutral, akin to something like "lover" or "significant other", the translator(s) just chose to use the word "girlfriend" instead.

^ Ah-- yeah, that makes way more sense (...and, TBH, is also slightly embarrassing, since I also really should've realized that at the time {seeing that I do actually know what both those different terms are in Japanese [uh, whoops! ]... guess I was more busy with my eyes than my ears at that point or something, LOL... }). And (listening this time) that same gender-neutral term for 'lover' was indeed used again in this ep., so yeah, just a translation thing then.

. . . Everything is so sensual, too--which is great for the ice skating and makes me a little nervous about the relationships ^_^ I'm guessing it's going to be "implied-relationship-but-not-explicitly-stated" by the end... a little more than just bait, but still not an outright shounen-ai or yaoi... which imo is a little disappointing, but like MangaRocks! wrote, I'll probably just let it slide. I've been looking forward to this for too long to not.

^ Uh, well ... let's just say that while I highly doubt they're going to go the full yaoi route or anything like that (thankfully), I am still pretty much expecting something to be, er, stated along those lines (fleeting or not) at some point, because by the time you get to ep.'s 3-4, it's gone way beyond fanservice/teasing to seemingly genuine character elements-- for Yuri's side, everything he said, did and thought before, during, and after his performance in ep.3 laid out his feelings pretty obviously, IMO (especially in context of the performance's own little story); and for Viktor's side (on top of all the basically-flirting he's done right from the start ), he actually outright asked SPOILER: Highlight text to read: if Yuri wanted him to be his lover in this ep. {...though Yuri [rather amusingly] freaked out and denied it-- for now-- so who knows} ). ...Still, though, like I've said before, I'm actually not at all surprised at that sort of thing's inclusion (since I always figured a rather higher percentage of figure skaters really do lean that way, same as I figure that for several other entertainment professions *shrug*), and the characters are still just so darn charming + the skating's so darn fantastic that I honestly don't even care (despite me having somehow apparently commented on it in every post). ...Yeah, so much for shutting up about it, LOL.........


...*Takes deep breath* So, anyway, in case no one's been able to tell , I've become slightly obsessed with this show (and that's IN SPITE OF the main characters' apparent... er... preferences )-- it's reignited the love for watching figure skating that I've had ever since I was a kid <3 (plus, of course, there's its already aforementioned charm and fantastic attention to detail, etc. etc. <3 ). As for this ep.: I laughed so hard at the opening sequence-- Viktor's got a little passive-aggressive streak, doesn't he? (Also the hair thing bwahaha~ ) And it's nice that they're still focusing on Yurio a bit, too (though, wow, his dedication is downright brutal ... I've loved his character ever since ep.2, but my *respect* for him just went up quite a bit now as well!). ...Finally: Apparently a bunch of real-life figure skaters love the show, as well, so I guess I'm in good company at least in my appreciation of this~

[MangaRocks!]

Bungou Stray Dogs S2 episodes 5-6:
 
Wow, another double-ep. week! Anyway: I've actually read well past this point in the manga (which is awesome, BTW! ), so I'm basically just watching this for its adaptation now (which is and always has been *decent,* though not *perfect* {the pacing is better in the manga, for one thing, as is the art [even during the fights]; and I noticed that they actually added a little bit of... er... stuff with the siblings in the anime, too , so if that element bothers you, note that it is still there but is thankfully a tad less annoying in the manga; etc. etc.}. That said, I am glad they adapted some of the novels-- which I still need to read yet <3 -- as they provide some really necessary extra character background + development. It also makes me hopeful that they'll animate the {all-text} short story about Akutagawa's past that came with the manga, since that short story explains a lot about why he's so fixated on Dazai and his approval, etc.). So, yeah-- minus Mamoru Miyano's fantastic voice acting as Dazai, of course , the manga's still better; but the anime's okay enough I guess.
 
 
 
 
Fune wo Amu, a.k.a. The Great Passage, episode 4:
 
Ah-- I figured that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: having to overcome a possible shelving of the project would happen at some point, just wasn't expecting it to be so soon. Not that I'm complaining, though -- that was a really clever idea from Nishioka. And oh my goodness I was literally giggling because the old lady who the MC is staying with is so adorable, LOL (even blatantly trying to set him and her granddaughter up, bwahaha )!
 
 
 
 
Haikyuu!! S3 episode 5:
 
(...Wait, what? Did they speed through most of the third set like that in the manga? Not that it really matters, since I think they pretty much covered the gist of it anyways... Well, whatever. ) And ha, I had almost forgotten about that crazy SPOILER: Highlight text to read: run-up to block Hinata was doing here, along with flying around literally all over the place before and after...
 
 
 
 
Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 5:
 
Oh man, those pre-major-competition jitters and all-out practice... And wow, so that 'breathe-slowly-in-and-out-and-SMILE!!' trick wasn't just a thing my conductor came up with on his own, then, heh... awesome! As for the performance itself: OH MY GOODNESS, it was *FANTASTIC!!!* I'm a strings player, so I don't know a whole lot about the technical difficulty levels of brass/wind instruments (though I do know that they are a tricky class of instruments to begin with-- some notoriously so!), but just judging from the logistics of their instruments combined with all the technical elements I could hear in the piece, this sounded pretty darn difficult (at least if you want it to sound crisp and tight, which is obviously called for in the piece itself, and which they did indeed achieve!), so yeah. I love how you can really tell how much their playing improves over time just by listening to it. <3 Needless to say, I was completely mesmerised. <3 <3 (Oh, and just an FYI for others watching this: The results of the competition are in the scene after the credits! )
 
 
 
 
Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5, episode 5:
Gah, this particular story always got me... <3 </3 So sweet, and yet so melancholy all at the same time~
 
 
 
 
And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 5:
Welp... ......Wait, no, I've decided not to talk about that anymore. For real this time! So, anyway: Oh my gosh, little blond-and-red-haired Minami was so adorable!!! <3 And oh man, Yuri's long performance... despite him SPOILER: Highlight text to read: screwing up a good half of his jumps (even mildly injuring himself on the last one! ), I still had a smile on my face the entire time (which makes sense, since he noted that that was the first time he'd had that much fun in a competition performance! <3 ). So good. <3 Oh, and the best (i.e. most genuinely hilarious) line of the ep.: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Yurio's jealous/embarrassed "Shut up, hag!"

[GeneD]

Haikyuu!! S3 episode 5:
 
(...Wait, what? Did they speed through most of the third set like that in the manga?

I was checking something in the manga relating to ep 4 (specifically to find where Suga says they won't be able to block Ushijima, which is referenced in 4. Incidentally, I couldn't find it.) Anyway set 3 was just over a chapter long, so yeah they pretty much sped through it there too. This season should cover a little less than 40 chapters. For comparison, S1 and 2 was about 74 chapters each, so with less than half the episode count of previous seasons they'd have to cut out/condense more too.

[MangaRocks!]

I was checking something in the manga relating to ep 4 (specifically to find where Suga says they won't be able to block Ushijima, which is referenced in 4. Incidentally, I couldn't find it.) Anyway set 3 was just over a chapter long, so yeah they pretty much sped through it there too. This season should cover a little less than 40 chapters. For comparison, S1 and 2 was about 74 chapters each, so with less than half the episode count of previous seasons they'd have to cut out/condense more too.

Ah, thanks! (I had read that bit a while ago and couldn't recall how much detail it had about that particular set, LOL~)

[EventualDay]

Flip Flappers (through episode 5):
Wow. The yuri imagery is literally everywhere. This show really does feel like an exploration of sexual identity, though it's not even in the character interactions so much as it's the dialogue, the trippy dream sequences, the flower visuals and transformation scenes, etc...

One thing I don't like about the show -- it feels like it's skipping things. Almost like the creators are telling the viewers, "yeah, we know you've seen magical girl shows before, so just assume that they did the typical magical girl thing in between episodes 4-5. We'll just show you the next big thing that changes." Except, because of that, I don't feel like I believe in the characters as people at all. I like to see the small moments.
Also, I know this show is all about references to western movies, other anime, etc., but it sometimes feels like it's lacking actual plot and substance because it's so busy focusing on other things.

On the other hand, what I really like -- episode 5 was downright SPOILER: Highlight text to read: spooky. There were one or two scenes when the other schoolgirls turned around and looked at the 'camera,' or the way they walked without really moving... I'm really starting to get into the world-building. And as usual, the animation is fantastic.

[MangaRocks!]

Bungou Stray Dogs S2 episode 7:

...Um, wow-- they really motored through those chapters... Indeed, the adaptation's pace was a bit *too* fast here (there was no time to really dig into how dramatic/epic these bits were, and the scene with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Dazai and Ango felt almost tacked on here, rather than how it should be/was in the source). Oh well. I still enjoyed the ep. anyway, slight adaptation issues aside.




Fune wo Amu, a.k.a. The Great Passage, episode 5:
AHHH everything to do with the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'love letter' was so cute!! <3 And I really felt for Nishioka in this ep., too. (Actually, I'm starting to really adore him. <3 ) Finally: OH MY GOSH the scene after the credits was hilarious!!! This show really is surprisingly good.




Haikyuu!! S3 episode 6:

Oh my gosh I already read all this stuff a while ago but the anime somehow makes it even more exciting! Tsukki continuing to be totally BA, Hinata continuing to be a 'monster' (in a good way! ), teamwork, epicness, etc. etc.-- I was literally grinning my way throughout this entire thing. (Oh, and best scene: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ".........NICE COVER," ROTFL!!! ) Seriously, this show will add years to your life simply because of the pure happiness it gives. <3 <3




Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 6:

The festival was cute in the first half, and it was nice to get some more insight into Taki-sensei's past and character in the second.




Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5, episode 6:
Hee, the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: huge, adorable owl!!! <3 (And a few more scenes with Reiko, too~) Ahhh, this is another show that just makes you feel so good~ <3




And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 6:

LOL, the character interactions were priceless here (I loved how they were all like "keep it together, man!?!" and "wow... uh, is it even okay to post this...??? " then snapping pictures and doing so anyway, bwahaha (well, Phichit, at least~ ). The social media aspect really sells it (since it totally feels like what they'd do if they were real). I also love how genuinely friendly all the skaters are with each other even if they're rivals. <3 As for Yurio: Wow, his expression when SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he got second... that was heartbreaking, because in reality he should have been happy to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: get a silver medal in the first place. Poor kid needs a hug. </3 As for the new characters: Oh my gosh I laughed so hard at the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'evil witch' guy (particularly with all other skaters' reactions to and commentary on it)... it was hysterical and kind-of terrifying all at the same time, LOL. ...And I laughed (and was kind-of terrified) at the (cringeworthy) SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'mature eros' guy, too, though for very different reasons (oh gosh...... seriously, that was just uncomfortable. Serves you right getting a lower score, so there! ). ...Oh, and I actually really liked the American guy (and I *need* that song he skated to {can't wait for the OST's}!!)-- plus, I loved the fact that he was actually not the typical homogeneous-white-with-blond-hair-'American'-anime-stereotype, but actually Latino! And, finally, as for Yuri: His confidence during this performance was fantastic (not so 'innocent' anymore, are you, Yuri? ), and even apart from his obviously vastly improved performance of this particular program, I liked how they visually emphasized different parts of his performance this time, too (...BTW, yes, skaters just perform the same couple of programs per season, due to how long it takes to prepare, learn, and polish them; it's the actual performance of those programs that matter ). Actually, I was downright elated while watching it-- because it was indeed perfect this time! (And when even *Viktor* calls it perfect, that should tell you something-- indeed, the score Yuri got here is actually very close to as high as anyone's ever gotten for a short program in real life; Yuri got close to 107 points, and the highest recognized score so far in real life was {the *AMAZING* <3 } Yuzuru Hanyu's almost-111, which as you can imagine is ridiculously difficult to achieve). (Oh, and on a random sidenote, I also loved the little detail of Yuri {who wears glasses when he's not performing} leaning forward and squinting when he was trying to read the scores~ ) ...Oh man, though, the free (long) program is going to be interesting...

...Have I mentioned I love this show (despite the one element I'm no longer talking about )?

[EventualDay]

Yuri! through episode 4:
I just keep grinning like an idiot all throughout this show. Lots of good lead-up in this episode and I'm excited to see where it moves forward~~ Although! Victor is so, so naked. All the time naked. We all know what you're doing, MAPPA, making the mc live in a hot springs...

Also, any one else notice that the opening changes from episode to episode? It keeps getting more and more colorful. Nice small addition there

[MangaRocks!]

Bungou Stray Dogs episode 8:

Again, the adaptation was decent but not perfect, but better than last week's. I do think that reveal about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: them both having been outright tortured during their stays at their respective 'orphanages' should have been given more emphasis-- it was pretty darn chilling in the manga (and it gets even more horrifying during some flashbacks later on... though I don't think the anime is going to get to that, so this first reveal should have had more impact here IMO). Other than that, good ep.




Fune wo Amu, a.k.a. The Great Passage, episode 6:

Wow, I really loved the music in this ep.! <3 And this was a nice ep. story-wise, too, in that it sorta piles everything onto the MC at once (with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the revisions taking too long + the reveal of Nishioka being forced to transfer positions + the whole love letter bit), and then the end of the ep. already brings one of those things to a nice resolution (which left me with a smile).




Haikyuu!! S3 episode 7:

Oh yeah, the awesomeness of the bit with Sugawara~ <3 And Tsukki being just as BA as he has been these whole past few ep.'s... until SPOILER: Highlight text to read: his minor injury, that is. The development his character has gotten is so nicely summed up in SPOILER: Highlight text to read: how frustrated and desperate he is to keep going here, whereas he used to be completely apathetic. <3 And now we're in for the final set of the match!




Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 7:

As for Asuka: Wow, what an awful control freak of a mother. (Your child is not some extension of yourself, lady, she's her own person with her own thoughts, feelings, and desires! ) I was so proud of Taki-sensei for not only accurately reading the situation but also actually flat-out refusing to accept the (obviously forced) resignation 'no matter what,' until and unless it was truly the wish of Asuka herself to do so (and he knew full well that it wasn't, as indeed she attempted to confirm). Hopefully she can get a little more resolution later... Oh, and it was neat to see Sapphire on an electric bass guitar ; plus, we've never heard the president solo before-- and it turns out that she's great on the sax!




Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5-- no new ep. this week, just a rerun of an older OVA (though it's legally streaming for the first time, IIRC, so obviously you should still watch it if you haven't yet! ).




And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 7:

. . . Also, any one else notice that the opening changes from episode to episode? It keeps getting more and more colorful. Nice small addition there

^ Beat me to it, LOL! Yeah, I like that detail, too.

As for this ep.: Okay, so while I've managed not to talk about the... er... relationship for a few weeks (despite it actually becoming more and more undeniably canon over the course of those weeks' ep.'s ), it's going to be near-impossible to do the same here (despite the other interesting elements of this ep. I also fully intend to comment on) simply because, #1, it's now been inextricably woven right into the very fabric of the character development, and #2, some might want to be forewarned that at this point it is not even just an obvious implication but is 100% actually happening-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: an apparent flying-tackle kiss in front of an entire arena full of blushing spectators plus the world via live international television (!) + a very affectionate gaze afterwards included. So, yeah, guess my original expectation was right, unfortunately...

*ANYWAY:* First, the other characters' performances (what we see of them, that is)... Chris' was still annoying ; Georgi's was still ridiculous/amusing (bwahaha that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: big thumbs-down from his ex!! ); Guang Hong's was neat because of his mental imagery of the program's story that accompanied it (...also, wait-- was that Leo he was saving there at the end of said mental-imagery? Guess they really are close ); Leo's performance was (sadly) almost entirely not shown, however his attitude afterwards (which showed that he didn't do well) and his coach's beautiful words that his "prayer reached the world" were touching <3 ; and then, of course, there was Phichit-- I do find it amusing about the whole 'movie' thing (and that there's even a 'sequel'!) , but in all seriousness, wow, he really did deserve to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: win gold at this stop, and in-universe that was a super big deal (Thailand and all that, etc.), so I was pleased with that. And as for the MC's: I actually fully expected Yuri's mini-meltdown here before the free (long) program, because if a person has some form of anxiety (which he clearly does, given that he's apparently been dealing with this throughout his entire life/career), that doesn't just go away even when you have more confidence... and because I could (somewhat) relate to that, and also because this show is not afraid to show its characters (quite realistically) messing up during their routines, the continually-building tension throughout much of the ep. in regards to Yuri's mental state and the pressure on him (both externally and internally, made all the worse by the fact that Victor's reputation is also on the line on top of everything else) to succeed during this program was seriously intense. And then there's Victor... as already mentioned, Yuri's been dealing with the anxiety and the meltdowns for pretty much his entire life/career, but this is the first time Victor has seen it, and he was at an utter, confused, and even occasionally-panicky loss as to what to do about it (which is hinted to be due to how he was coached himself {'hearts as fragile as glass' and all that} + him not really seeming to have much {if any} experience with truly close relationships before + not asking his own coach for any advice {as he admitted} + etc.). And boy did all that combine to make a royal mess of a response. I liked that scene for multiple reasons, though, from Victor finally showing that he's an imperfect human just like anyone else to Yuri finally being able to cry in front of another person to Yuri knowing precisely what Victor was trying to do (and also knowing that Victor didn't mean it, but still being {rightfully} angry and hurt) and not only calling him right out on it but also explaining what it is that he actually needed instead... and then everything from his little teasing head-poke of annoyed-but-amused forgiveness/understanding through everything he was thinking while he was skating just felt so authentic. (Well, minus the obvious, obviously. ) And as for the program itself, Yuri still messed a couple of things up, but much less than the previous time he performed it, and even made that absolutely crazy surprise change at the end ( SPOILER: Highlight text to read: partially successfully, no less, which as the commentators note is even crazier)-- plus, it just felt so light and airy this time overall. <3 "I did great, right?" Yes, Yuri, yes you did! (And then he just had to get that surprise in return... ) Seriously, though, the whole bit with Yuri's anxiety + Victor totally failing at relationships + Yuri's responses to it was really well-written (the fact that they're canonically a couple now aside ).

(Let's just hope that this show really doesn't go all the way down that track *onscreen* though, if you know what I mean... I'd kinda still like to enjoy the skating and the writing, thanks... )

[MangaRocks!]

Bungou Stray Dogs episode 9:

The adaptation pace is still too fast (and IMO the dialogue is too condensed as well-- it was both less explanatory as well as a bit disjointed in contrast to the manga {though I suppose some of that could've been due to the subs, but still...}); however, I still quite enjoyed seeing SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the Double-Black-(a.k.a.-the-Dazai/Chuuya-partnership)-taking-down-Cthulhu epicness in action (especially with Mamoru Miyano's absolutely priceless voice acting).




Fune wo Amu, a.k.a. The Great Passage, episode 7:

Wow-- for being such a gently-paced show, this episode just flew by (in a good way). (Also: Nishioka's little chat with the professor guy was epic. )




Haikyuu!! S3 episode 8:

...And now Kageyama, Hinata, and Yamaguchi get to show off a bit, too, as the tension ramps up. <3 Plus, of course, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Tsukki returns! Can't wait for the last two ep.'s~!




Hibike! Euphonium S2, a.k.a. Sound! Euphonium S2, episode 8:

Uh, wow... looks like Kumiko/Mamiko's dad isn't going to win any father-of-the-year awards, either... Interesting backstory between the sisters, though.




Natsume Yuujinchou Go, a.k.a. Natsume's Book Of Friends S5, episode 7:

Ahh, the backstory on Tanuma. <3 Excellent as always~!




And Yuri!!! on ICE episode 8:

NVM the last comment of my previous post; I shouldn't have even worried and just trusted in my original instincts-- that the relationship would (unfortunately ) indeed happen, but that it wouldn't go *too* far onscreen (...which is exactly how it's played out so far, thankfully enough. In this ep.-- which has timeskipped a week or two, right to the next stop of the competition-- the contextual body-language/attitude hints that they're now indeed a couple are there, but hardly anything more {well, just Yuri's little tie-pull bit before the program and Victor's kiss on his skate blades afterwards, but in comparison to the previous episodes that's like literally nothing, LOL }). Anyway: Yikes, those new skaters... (Well, at least the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: siscon's sister knows that he can't keep that complex going for much longer or they'll both fall apart; and LOL, the bluntness of the Korean skater ... actually, he was at least mildly interesting in that he's apparently a purely technical skater, putting no emotion into it at all, just merely calculating his points as he skates {also his outfit made him look like a very stern parrot, LOL... }; and JJ was amusing because of his massive ego/narcissism, bwahaha. Holy crap, though, he got SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 113~ points?! It really does go to show just how crazy a couple of these programs really are if they scored that high in their short performances {see the current RL records here for comparison}. Speaking of which...) As for Yuri's performance: I can never get enough of Yuri's short program, especially as he just keeps on polishing it (topping his own equally-crazy-high score once again {and deservedly so}). And as for Yurio: (LOOOOOL, 'Ice Tiger'? Nope, more like 'Ice Grumpy Cat Kitten'! ) Oh man, though... even when he's cracking mentally and feeling the exact opposite of what he's supposed to, he still manages to pull off an (outwardly) beautiful performance (even despite that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: one fall). Now that's dedication. <3 (And on a completely different note, ROTFL that he acted all annoyed about the cat ears but then still left them on! <3 ) Oh, and I love Victor and Yuri's reactions to everything Yurio does, too-- they just smile in an almost-parental way when he's being all tsundere and rebellious, react in awe and excitement to his appearance before his program, and just genuinely, enthusiastically cheer him on. <3 Finally: Ohhh man... I had hoped that foreshadowing about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Makkachin (first the backstory with Yuri's own dog, then Victor's words to Makkachin when they were about to leave...) was just a nasty little suspicion in the back of my mind and wouldn't come true, but it did (at least, enough to make them fear for SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the dog's life, even if he/she{?} doesn't actually die in the end). Though, this did provide an opportunity to showcase more of the characters' development (in that despite his own issues and thus possible danger to his standings/career, Yuri didn't even have to think about it, he just instantly told Victor to get back there right away, and literally would not take no for an answer {so that if SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Makkachin did indeed not make it Victor wouldn't end up having the same wounds/regrets Yuri held for not being able to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: say goodbye to his own dog, etc.}; and that Victor is now humble enough to easily ask for help from his own former coach).