Wooper:<\/b><\/span> It\u2019s just me this time, I\u2019m afraid, unless another writer edits their seasonal musings into this post from the future. I was fairly pleased with what I watched over the past two weeks, though, so my usual negativity should be at a minimum here. The third volume of Star Wars Visions has gotten the brunt of it thus far, but I\u2019m so hyped for its final episode that I\u2019d trade eight stinkers in a row for the opportunity to watch the ninth. Hope it\u2019s worth it in the end!<\/p>\n I never thought I\u2019d be bowled over like this by an episode of a Pokemon show. The franchise isn\u2019t exactly known for its character-driven storytelling, so for Concierge to broach the topic of an elderly man\u2019s abandonment of his Sealeo was an unexpected treat. The man in question is Dan, uncle to one of the series\u2019 side characters in Tyler, and the strain in their relationship that resulted from the older man\u2019s decision was just one of several strong human moments here. Another was the way the show humanized Dan \u2013 his concerns about growing too old to care for a Pokemon that could evolve at any time felt rooted in Japan\u2019s real world demographic crisis, but regardless of their origin, the storyline was undoubtedly effective. The animation of Sealeo pushing itself along the ground with its fins, too, directly communicated the Pokemon\u2019s need for freer accommodations than it had received at the old man\u2019s apartment, partially justifying his fears. I\u2019d honestly call this one of the most thoughtfully written anime episodes of the year \u2013 the fact that it has a feel-good ending (recruiting Dan to live and work at the resort so he can remain close to his beloved Sealeo) is just the Cheri Berry on top.<\/p>\n \u201cSasaki Stopped a Bullet\u201d and \u201cLove Is Blind\u201d had three things in common: both episodes involved high school crushes, featured a weapon-wielding criminal, and had notable soundtracks. In the case of the former adaptation, the music was probably the best thing about it \u2013 apart from the steady crescendo of Ravel\u2019s \u201cBolero,\u201d it was a chuuni fantasy about a teenage boy protecting his beloved homeroom teacher\u2019s chastity from a creepy gunman. While a lot of attention was clearly paid to the gunman\u2019s nervous mannerisms, both in terms of animation and voice performance, that wasn\u2019t enough to make up for the episode\u2019s underwhelming resolution. The idea that the teacher (who in a flashback had claimed to be \u201ca god\u201d) had somehow given her student the ability to stop the gunman\u2019s bullet would have needed more support for the whole thing to come together in the end, but all we got was a simple conversation between them.<\/p>\n The story of Love Is Blind, by contrast, was overtly comedic rather than simply improbable. It was constructed to reflect its protagonist\u2019s desperation to confess his love to his crush, as he shrugged off bigger and bigger distractions as the episode progressed, culminating in his disregard for the world\u2019s imminent destruction at the hands of an alien invader. (That\u2019s the second of three episodes so far that have involved aliens in some capacity.) There was SHAFT influence all over this episode, too, including Monogatari Series-esque title cards, multiple instances of monochromaticism, and even a Shinbo head tilt. This colorful presentation, combined with escalating jazz percussion to represent the main character\u2019s increasing eagerness to admit his feelings, gave Love Is Blind a unique flavor. It doesn\u2019t hold a candle to this anthology\u2019s opener, but for now it\u2019s kept its batting average above .500.<\/p>\n Though it\u2019s not very satisfying to experience this story in such tiny chunks (these episodes averaged 2 minutes and 40 seconds in length, not including ED animation), Ganglion is undeniably effective at picking its spots. An episode ending on protagonist Isobe\u2019s drunken self-pity feels awkward, for example, but it sets up nicely for the inspiration he receives from his son in the next one, and the courageous action he takes as a result of that inspiration in the one after that. Though we haven\u2019t seen the boy anywhere in these first six episodes, his spiky cardboard gauntlet creates a heartwarming impression \u2013 and not just for the viewer, as Isobe himself takes the toy along on one of his company\u2019s villainous missions, even using it in a failed attack against the series\u2019 tokusatsu hero Hopeman (who should feature more prominently in the future, given episode 6\u2019s cliffhanger). Ganglion also uses this mini arc to rail against irresponsible bosses, especially those who favor some subordinates over others based on their alma mater. Isobe actually benefits from this treatment, having attended the same university as his manager, but he still hates the guy, and it\u2019s easy to see why \u2013 another co-worker mutters that the man \u201crefuses to take responsibility,\u201d which is, as we all know, the worst crime an anime character can commit.<\/p>\n I found both of these episodes, \u201cThe Song of Four Wings\u201d and \u201cThe Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope,\u201d to be disappointing, but in different ways. Let\u2019s start with the latter, a sequel to the Visions S1 short of the same name (one of that volume\u2019s better offerings). Much of it took place aboard a spaceship stranded in the midst of an asteroid colony, and as I watched, I was sure I recognized its style of outdated 3DCG backgrounds from the Psycho-Pass films. Sure enough, Child of Hope shares a director with that franchise, and I can\u2019t say he measured up to Kenji Kamiyama\u2019s work here. Not only were the backgrounds dull (neutering a key piece of Force-powered environmental manipulation), but the shifts between traditional and computer animation for protagonist Kara resulted in several moments of unintentional comedy. Her bond with the obviously WALL-E inspired Teto was unexceptional \u201cdroid cheers up sad human\u201d fare, and perhaps worst of all, the story\u2019s link to The Ninth Jedi wasn\u2019t particularly strong \u2013 a major disappointment, considering the promise of the original\u2019s lore.<\/p>\n Song of Four Wings also featured a human-robot relationship, but with a bit more personality this time, pairing a spunky princess with a talkative R2-D2-esque droid. Also along for the ride was Woopas, a creature that looked like a rabbit wearing a balaclava, which Wookieepedia informs me was a Gigoran child (whatever that is). This episode was more of a novelty than anything else, with undue emphasis placed on its (frankly mediocre) electronic soundtrack, plus a henshin sequence where the princess\u2019s droid broke into parts and reassembled itself as a flight suit, allowing her to singlehandedly defeat two AT-AT Walkers. That transformation scene in particular gave off a \u201cwhat if anime, but Star Wars\u201d vibe, when it really ought to be the other way around \u2013 from my perspective, anyway. Still, I\u2019d opt for Wings\u2019 brand of fun over Child of Hope\u2019s water-treading any day of the week, especially given Woopas\u2019s cuteness; there\u2019s a shot of him riding atop the R2 droid\u2019s head in here that\u2019s nearly worth the 15 minute runtime all on its own.<\/p>\nPokemon Concierge \u2013 6<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nFujimoto Tatsuki 17-26 \u2013 2-3<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nGanglion \u2013 4-6<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nStar Wars Visions S3 \u2013 2-3<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nHyakushou Kizoku S3 \u2013 4-6<\/h2>\n
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