{"id":7039398,"date":"2026-08-16T14:40:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T14:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/anime\/spring-2026-wrap-up-weeks-9-13\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T14:40:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T14:40:50","slug":"spring-2026-wrap-up-weeks-9-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039398","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2026 Wrap-up – Weeks 9-13"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Wooper:<\/b><\/span> With the summer season well underway, I doubt many people are clamoring for months-old thoughts on spring anime, so this post is mostly for me, as it had been hanging around my to-do list for far too long. To tell the truth, I haven\u2019t watched a single episode of a currently airing show beyond last month\u2019s First Impressions period, but I\u2019m still alive, at least. You ought to hear from us again at least once between now and the Fall Season Preview, but for now, let\u2019s rewind the clock to June of this year, starting with my Spring AOTS.<\/p>\n

Awajima Hyakkei \u2013 9-12<\/h2>\n
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After serving as the series\u2019 introductory protagonist, then disappearing around the middle of its run, Wakana Tabata returned for all of Awajima Hyakkei\u2019s final four outings. In keeping with the show\u2019s multigenerational theme, however, we weren\u2019t reintroduced to her in just one time period, but two. Her older teenage self served as a roommate to promising freshman Akiho Kashiwabara (just as Kinue was once Wakana\u2019s older roommate), while a future storyline covered her career as an author. Kashiwabara\u2019s lone appearance in episode 9 gave the series another chance to tackle one of its secondary themes in fame, as her parents (both actors) were embroiled in a cheating scandal, but it was adult Wakana\u2019s work on a book about Awajima Opera School that consumed the series\u2019 closing chapters. That sustained focus on a single story marked a departure from its anthological approach, and to be honest, it didn\u2019t lead to the show finding another gear; its best episodes remain the ones that function in isolation, particularly number 3, which I\u2019d place among the best of the decade thus far. Still, the trajectory of the last few episodes did allow Awajima to bring things full circle \u2013 an admirable feat, since the show\u2019s cast was huge.<\/p>\n

It was Ibuki-sensei\u2019s last wish that Wakana bring Awajima\u2019s culture of intimidation and psychological pressure to light, which provided partial closure to her involvement in Emi and Yukie\u2019s past withdrawal from the school in episode 2. As part of her research, Wakana interviewed not only Awajima alumni from previous episodes, but also Emi\u2019s widower, requiring her to balance Ibuki-sensei\u2019s desire for atonement with the wishes of one of her victims\u2019 families. Emi\u2019s second son, in particular, resisted the idea of his mother\u2019s tormentors receiving any sort of redemption. This emotional knottiness was made more potent by the lack of detail surrounding the events of that second episode \u2013 had the show spelled out what exactly had led to Emi\u2019s disappearance and Yukie\u2019s suicide attempt, it would have risked a melodramatic finish. Instead, we got something less clear but more conclusive, with the victims being represented both in Wakana\u2019s book and on stage as part of a new production centered on Awajima\u2019s institutional failings. That finish was perhaps a bit too tidy, but ending on a flashback shot of Emi\u2019s determined expression went a long way in justifying the series\u2019 efforts to tell her story in the present day.<\/p>\n

Nippon Sangoku \u2013 9-12<\/h2>\n
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The pivotal moment in this final batch of episodes, at least in terms of their plot, was the Emperor\u2019s defiance of Taira, who had dominated previous council meetings through violence (and the suggestion thereof). By spurning his father-in-law and agreeing to Aoteru\u2019s false retreat plan, the Emperor created a chink in Taira\u2019s political armor, which the series will likely exploit in its sequel. I had trouble viewing this development as a strong pivot point, however \u2013 not because it was undone by Taira\u2019s coup in episode 12, but because Aoteru\u2019s plan played out so quickly (and with such heavy involvement from the series\u2019 narrator) that it felt like a summary of events rather than a true reversal of fortune. In truth, the plan was Kaku\u2019s and Aoteru was only the messenger, so given Kaku\u2019s illness and eventual death, it was a little sad to see his grand vision play out in CliffsNotes form. I did appreciate the swiftness of the aforementioned coup, however, with Taira breaking up the short-lived Yamato\/Seii alliance and Aoteru ending up in prison. The resulting cliffhanger, plus the introduction of several key characters in the third of its Three Kingdoms (Buo), put the show in a good spot heading into its second season. I\u2019ll definitely be back for more whenever it airs, with the hope that the military side of its storytelling becomes a bit more gradual.<\/p>\n

Dorohedoro S2 \u2013 9-11<\/h2>\n
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There\u2019s one thing I can say for sure after catching up on these last three episodes: people aren\u2019t meant to take two month breaks between episodes of Dorohedoro. Even with Caiman and his confounding identity crisis temporarily out of the picture here, the mysterious Aikawa stepped up to provide the audience with multiple visions of Kai and the headless questioner, both of whom seem to be connected to the show\u2019s central mystery. As if that weren\u2019t enough, Risu\u2019s sanity also began to slip as he obsessed over the identity of his murderer and underwent several transformations into his Curse form. The first of those Curse appearances happened in episode 9, but it came and went in a heartbeat, as Haru\u2019s impromptu death metal performance proved a supernatural repellent to his magic. These sorts of irreverent plot contrivances are part of Dorohedoro\u2019s appeal (another was the post hoc introduction of an invisible character named Sho, who was implied to have been present during many past scenes), but they weren\u2019t super helpful for someone struggling to reconstruct his mental web of the series. On the other hand, individual moments like Kai\u2019s season-ending murder of Natsuki kept the entertainment and horror factors high \u2013 the Blade Runner-esque synth tone during that sequence made it as transcendent as it was upsetting, especially after she\u2019d earned her place among the Cross-Eyes\u2019 top ranks. People come back from the dead all the time on this show, but something tells me she won\u2019t be rejoining the cast whenever season 3 premieres.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wooper: With the summer season well underway, I doubt many people are clamoring for months-old thoughts on spring anime, so this post is mostly for me, as it had been hanging around my to-do list for far too long. 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