The Return of the Recap 15

If this doesn’t bring as much joy to your life as it did mine on Thursday, you have a heart of ice.

There were all sorts of wacky tales that were told over the family table on Thanksgiving. The sorts of re-imagining of the modern world that would make all sorts of amazing fictional dystopian tales. Unfortunately, these were all told to each other unironically . Sometimes you just have to sit back and realize there are some battles that aren’t worth fighting. Especially when you have to see the same group in 5 weeks for more Amazing Tales Without Irony.

So what’s on the docket this week? For the most part a typical week. The terribad entry happens to be one of those early works that made it to the west in an era when anything was considered good if it was on TV. The erratic availability of Seitokai no Ichizon means that it returns this week after having last week off. And I probably completely miss the point on Chu2koi again.

Currently Airing Top 5

There is no shortage of touching moments in this series.

Sukitte Ii na yo

This episode ended about as well as it did last week. There was a massive level of frustration as I watched this episode because I was emotionally invested in it. I wanted Yamato to realize he was being a complete fool. I felt bad for Aiko and Asami as they could do nothing to help their friend through her crisis. But it all paid off at the end as Mei realized as the both of them were in tears that Yamato was just as new to love as she was. Finally, we have a portrayal of a dense male lead that actually has him realize the consequences of being so dense. As for that new character introduced in the middle, I suppose he is going to play the counterweight to Megumi.

Something tells me Akane isn’t there just to try to find Kogami.

Psycho-Pass

For the first time in a long time, I ended up being rather perplexed as to what a series was trying to articulate in a story line. I think this episode could be read a number of ways. There’s the obvious horror element in the fact that Rikako is killing every girl in the school that gets close to her. There’s also the topic of artistic integrity in a world where there are limits to what man is allowed to do to one another. In this case it would be Rikako wanting to make life imitate art. The most interesting interpretation I can think of is that the Psycho-Pass system takes into account that it is perfectly logical and sane for people to subvert it. The best way I could explain it is that the system would believe it’s fine to want to have people die to challenge the system, rather than just having people killed. Who knows?

That’s a wonderful explosion, just don’t miss his next lesson Jonah.

Jormungand

The theme from last week carries over in the Iraqi desert as a group of bored security contractors is sacked by Koko, then have their asses handed to them. The story was really more about Wiley, quite possibly the most dangerous man on Koko’s team. The scene set in the Gulf War was important for establishing just how he learned how to do what he does. He’s a danger because he’s the explosive expert who doesn’t need to have explosives on him to do damage. In the battle at the end of this episode, Wiley does his trolling with explosives act again and turns the battle on the security contractors using their own weapons. My only concern going forward for this series is that it doesn’t feel like anything is heading toward an ending.

The club president brings the heat.

Seitokai no Ichizon

The first half of the episode was probably my favorite part of the series to date and for the most part it did it by sticking to the tried and true formula. It’s really just three pairs of conversations instead of one in the student council room. Alright, so Minatsu gets dragged around by Meguru, who desperately wants to hear stories about Ken. But I thought the conversations about BL that Mafuyu was teaching Chizuru and in particular the conversation between Ken and Kurimu. I thought it was great that she was able to define the relationship she wanted to have with him on her own terms. Platonic, for the purpose of having fun along with everyone else. Tragically, the 2nd half’s feature of Ken trying to unlock eroge CG couldn’t live up to that.

Nope, nothing to see here.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

After the Serious Business arc came to an end, it was time to return to form with an episode of silliness. As Misaki is off earning her driver’s license, Sorata’s younger sister appears to cause trouble. Ultimately, nothing ends up being resolved and the show sticks to formula with Mashiro trying to cause as many misunderstandings as possible with a character who doesn’t know what she is all about. The younger sister, Yuuko, nearly gives away Nanami’s “obvious to everyone except the main character” feelings about Sorata, but rapidly closing train doors save the day. It wasn’t a bad episode as far as filler episodes go, but it’s about time to head back down Plot Alley again.

The Rest of the Week

Despite ranking 3rd bottom in my “would survive real life” ranking of this show, really Kumin’s part of the story is the best watch.

Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!

Rikka and Yuuta quit the summer trip and return home to spend a night by themselves. Rikka then unintentionally acts suggestively leading to yes, misunderstandings. I get that the point of the last 2 episodes has been to take the series in a more romantic direction. It just felt emotionally manipulative though. Suddenly Yuuta becomes the emotionally immature one because he suddenly has thoughts that Rikka is a girl rather than just a delusional problem. I actually find the Isshiki/Kumin story to work out much better because it is much easier to relate to. His desperation to find the right moment to tell her his feelings as she just goes about doing her normal thing feels more realistic. Rikka and Yuuta just feels like the romantic equivalent of the movable object being hit by the resistible force.

So Hiro can sneeze without being sick?

Hidamari Sketch

I can’t really say much about this week’s effort. There was just no way this episode could do anything wrong or adventurous. It’s pretty much exactly what you would expect from an episode of Hidamari Sketch that has a school festival in it. I guess Yoshinoya’s costume was adventurous, but not in a surprising way.

Yes Hibito, you smell terrible having not bathed in 4 days. It even permeates through the suits of the rest of the team.

Space Brothers

And suddenly this series ends up jumping into a new ridiculous arc by the end. Yes, after the Mutta Holding a Beer cliffhanger, we now get the Waiting for a Phone Call arc. That isn’t to say this episode was bad. Rather it was just a bunch of hoping on the part of Mutta. Meanwhile, Hibito just continued to do his thing without reading the mood of his American counterparts. It could be a few weeks before this hops back into the top 5.

Did I just say something interesting while channeling the Shinobu look?

Robotics;Notes

The one thing that the various adaptations of the semicolon franchise have done well is the feeling of the world collapsing around the main cast. By the end of the episode, another one of those solar events is on the verge of happening as predicted, causing the competition the Robotics Club was preparing for to be in danger. A vast conspiracy seems to be closing in on them at the end of the episode. The problem is that I just don’t have any emotional attachment to the characters. I think Kona said it best in that Kai’s abilities would be lame for anime of ten years before. Unintentional self-awareness at its finest.

Despite being a small Japanese high school girl, Kud has superior range to Derek Jeter.

Little Busters!

The series continues by introducing a 2nd simultaneous arc in the form of fan-favorite Kudryavka Noumi. This episode is all about finding the foreign girl with eccentric tastes a roommate. The fact that they manage to fill 21 minutes without doing so is a bit of an accomplishment. Kud ultimately ends up with the antagonist of the Haruka arc, Kanata, as her roommate, but it really seems to progress too smoothly. I think this can be safely dismissed as nothing more than a filler episode if I’m being perfectly honest.

Shiiiiip.

Hayate no Gotoku Can’t Take My Eyes Off You

The series heads to Las Vegas in farcical style. I think it’s fair enough to call Hayate a farce in technical review terms. This episode is almost a checklist of classic farce with the Black Camellia watch at the center. Whoever is in possession of it falls victim to all sorts of misfortune, misunderstandings and calamity. The only thing I really got out of this episode is how Hayate suddenly sees his relationship on a knife edge because his luck would run out.

What can I say? Samon likes spiking that into the ground repeatedly.

Zetsuen no Tempest

So this series now takes place in two different times, but damn stop hitting your sword on the rocks Samon. If he wasn’t so damn distracting, I could have cared more about the topic of fate that this episode presented. Instead, I’m just going to guess that Hakaze gets off the island and is able to visit Aika in her present right before she dies. Or Mahiro will just decide to shoot to thrill and aim to kill/save the world. But stop hitting that rock damn it!

You would have had to have suffered through 18 minutes of stupid just to get to this bit.

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne

As the characters in this episode were purchasing and then displaying their swimsuits they bought to impress Akito, I could feel my life force draining from every pore in my body. Even Anastasia is getting tedious now. I have no clue what the purpose of this is anymore. It just feels like random fanservice is being thrown on screen and the characters themselves don’t matter anymore. This may be the nadir of the high-concept fanservice fest. I can’t believe I ever voted for this unironically.

The Updated Fall Average Weekly Ranking

Season Rank	Year Rank	Change	Anime
1	1	↑1	Sukitte Ii na yo
2	6	–	Jormungand
3	16	–	Uchuu Kyoudai
4	17	–	Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
5	20	↑9	Psycho-Pass
6	21	↓3	Zetsuen no Tempest
7	26	↓3	Robotics;Notes
8	28	↓2	Hayate no Gotoku: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
9	29	↓1	Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai
10	31	–	Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb
11	33	↑9	Seitokai no Ichizon Lv. 2
12	35	↓1	Little Busters!
13	39	–	To Love-Ru Darkness
14	40	↓2	Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!!

Sukitte returns to number one overall as it takes 1st place for the 2nd time this season, while Psycho-Pass shoots up on the basis of the 2nd place effort for the week. Seitokai no Ichizon also moves off the bottom of the season ranks with its first points of the campaign. To Love-Ru Darkness is off the bottom only on the fact that it was on a bye week. It’s also worth keeping in mind that there are a number of series this year that failed to register votes from me before I brought back the recap posts in this format.

Terribad

Unsurprisingly, this leads to nothing at all as someone cockblocks themselves.

Demon City Shinjuku

Evidently, this is one of those titles that splits between newer fans hating it and older fans loving it. I’m more in the middle of the spectrum to be quite honest. The animation quality on this is actually quite good. Unfortunately, there are so, so many moments of unintentional comedy that I just can’t forget.

The dub seemed content with giving each character a different region of the world to represent. So we had the American president, who seemed to have a vaguely northern English accent and whose daughter was from the south of England. The main character was clearly American, and the guy who was helping them go from place-to-place had the standard horrifically stereotypical Mexican accent.

As for the plot, it’s a fairly typical coming of age type story where the protagonist shouts lines that would sound awesome if the viewer is 13 years old, but in reality they are cringe-worthy. But the story is actually so forgettable as to think that it’s more important to focus on how our protagonist Kyouya is repeatedly cockblocked by himself and the end credits. It’s pretty much a story the fits in with anyone looking for wish-fulfillment in the story, but it’s too much of a mess for anyone to take seriously.

First Instance of Female Nudity: 48th minute (technically a monster)
Overall Rating: (46.2/100)