Tag Archives: Episode Reaction

The Promised Neverland Season Two Episode One Reaction

January 10, 2021 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Just when I thought the series could not get any better, “The Promised Neverland” manages to up the stakes in an unmistakably original way. The show already had a definingly good first episode in its first season, but man did Cloverworks put in the effort again.

For those unacquainted with the show, “The Promised Neverland” follows a group of kids living it what at first appears to be a normal orphanage, but is revealed to be a human farm, operating to create food for the demons that rule the earth. After finding out this information, the three oldest kids, Emma, Norman, and Ray, attempt to make an escape, despite the obstacles that lay before them. Now, having done so, Emma and Ray must lead the kids to some form of safety while avoiding their demon pursuers.

The first episode of a series is, at least most of the time, going to be the main entry point of a series. Sure, you might watch a clip on Facebook or Twitter occasionally, but the first episode is what makes it to where one wants to get to the clip. As I alluded to before, the first season of “The Promised Neverland” had an amazing first episode, possibly one of the best of all time. This made me wonder just how the series would manage to follow it up.

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“By diving head first into the action,” is apparently how. Opening on a scene from the middle of the episode is not a particularly original way to start a series, but it does make a lot of sense for “The Promised Neverland.” Given how the first season ended, it would make sense that characters would still be in the midst of action, not just running away from their captors but from the forces of the unknown that are the outside world.

The significant increase in the amount of action scenes in the first episode might lead one to believe that the overall quality of the animation has gone down. Luckily, though, this is not the case at all. In fact, all of the elements that made the first episode of the last season so good are here as well. The animation has never looked better, with the expressive faces and character movement that made the best scenes of the last season stand out.

On top of that, the same type of beautifully arranged pieces that made the soundtrack scary as hell are present in the first episode, adding even more suspense to an already thrilling episode. As cliché as it sounds, it is legitimately difficult to find anything bad about the series thus far.

While it is pretty much impossible to speak to the exact quality of the series at its end, it is not that surprising to see its second season have such a strong start .

How do you folks feel about “The Promised Neverland” season two’s start? Let me know in the comments below.

If you are interested in reading more from me, check under blog to read my most recent stuff, or look below for some related posts. Also, if you would like to support Animated Observations, consider donating on Ko-fi or through paypal, or pledging on Patreon. You can even support by just liking and sharing this post.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

AnoHana Episode Two: The Journey Begins

September 23, 2020 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Ya know, the more that I think about it, the more that I realize just how bad this re-watch is for me. Like, is it really worth making myself sad every week on top of everything else I have going on? The answer is obviously no. However, is this realization going to stop me from bathing in my own stupidity? Again, the answer is obviously no. I think it better to stay committed to my bad decisions. At least right now, anyway. With that being said, lets talk about Anohana episode two.

Menma’s Second Chance

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At the end of episode one, Jintan has a chance encounter with his childhood friend Popo. After discussing the subject of Menma with him, Popo tries to help him figure out what Menma’s final wish actually is. This leads him to the conclusion that her final wish was in fact to get the rare Nokemon from the game they played as a kid. Enlisting the help of Anjou, the three spend a night beating the game and eventually getting the rare pokemon they were looking for. Although it does not actually do anything for Menma, the three of them to start to rekindle their relationship.

While it is fairly obvious at this point in the story that Menma’s final wish has something to do with the group reuniting and becoming friends again, how they get to that point is the much more interesting discussion to have. Now, Jintan, Anjou, and Popo are all relatively easy going. However, Matsuyuki and Tsurumi seem much more detached from the past than then their peers, “seem” being the key word here. There have already been a number of hints dropped that Matsuyuki’s connection to Menma is a bit more deep than he would let on, such as with the two scenes that show him holding what appear to be Menma’s clothes in his closet.

Collective Guilt

One of the things Anohana displays so well in terms of genuine emotional sensibility is just how much those who feel vulnerable and sad will try and deflect what they feel away from others, especially when it comes to being guilty. Although Jintan probably feels the most obvious guilt for what he said to Menma and her death that followed, the rest seem to be just as guilty. I mentioned Matsuyuki above, but there is plenty of evidence already to suggest that their is still guilt felt by the rest, from Anjou’s momentary reflections on Menma to the way that Tsurumi runs away from talking to Amjou near cafe.

Popo as a character is a bit harder to figure out as a character. Though he seems the most relaxed of everyone, it is likely that he is hiding something as well. I’m saying this as someone who has watched the show but honestly remembers very little outside of its emotional power.

Conclusion

This is one of those episode where a lot is being hidden under the surface. Though Jintan, Anjou, and Popo’s reunion might seem minor, it is in fact a major step forward in helping fulfill Menma’s wish. There is likely going to be some conflict between these three and the other two in the coming episodes, and what that conflict looks like will ultimately determine how and at what pace the group comes together.

How do you all feel about this episode? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

AnoHana Episode One: To be Haunted by the Past

September 13, 2020 Jack Scheibelein 4 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

I do not know why I did this to myself…but, I guess we are here now, so lets talk about it.

It has been quite a while since my last time watching “AnoHana: The Flowers We Saw That Day,” for mostly good reason. Mainly, that its really sad. Now, I know that to anyone whose even remotely familiar with the show that is not a particularly revolutionary piece of information. However, given the year that has unfolded, I felt like being sad is just sort of an inevitability at this point.

It also just so happens that because Crunchyroll’s manga reader DOESN’T WORK AT ALL I can’t read “Inside Mari” as I initially planned. Putting that aside though, lets talk about “AnoHana” episode one.

For those who are totally unfamiliar, The story focuses on Jinta Yadomi, a high school kid whose memory of his dead friend Menma has somehow manifested her back to life. Now, he must reunite his old friend group, who drifted apart after her death, and grant her wish, whatever that may be.

Emotional Impact

The series eleven episode run time leaves absolutely no room for filler, even during the first episode. As the episode begins, the series shows Jinta’s reaction to seeing Menma for the first time. Rather than an immediate overreaction, Jinta begins to feel the weight of Menma’s presence slowly overtime, until he eventually collapses from summer heat and stress. After he wakes up, and the idea that his delusion of Menma is, in fact, quite real, Jinta begins to question why she is here in the first place.

The two also spend the episode meeting their old friend group, and it becomes apparent just how much everyone has changed from when they were kids. This upsets not only Menma, who is sad to see that her friends are no longer together, but also Jinta who, because of Menma, must now confront his own personal failures.

After Jinta tells Menma to leave her alone, she then goes to her family’s house, at which point the show also gives a look into the life of her family, who seem to have also grown distant in the time since her passing. Her brother seems not to care for their mom’s sentimentality.

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On top of all of that, the show saves time to make something immediately clear from the beginning. The Menma that appears before Jinta is not just some figment of his imagination, as evidenced by the fact that after the scene shown above, Menma responds to herself by saying that she does know that she is dead, beginning to cry immediately afterwards.

The Friends That Once Were

Another thing that is immediately obvious is that their friends also have not forgotten about the past. As the episode comes to close, the perspective changes from Jinta to the others, each in fairly quick succession, showing them living out their lives, but not quite content with the present. Whether it was seeing Jinta once again or just having it on their mind anyway, the fact that they just sort of left each other after Menma’s passing is still bothering them.

Menma

is clueless during all of this, yes, but as I mentioned before, the series make sure lay out the fact that she knows she is dead and that she is their for some reason. The most interesting part about her character is that she has seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and seems to only have knowledge of the time before she died, which makes it a lot harder for Jinta to communicate with her.

Conclusion

The first episode hits pretty hard, but also does a lot of groundwork for setting up other important plot points later on. The eleven episode run time may seem like it might not leave a lot of room for the series to fully unpack itself, but episode one confirms just how much can be accomplished in a 20 minute run time.

There is definitely a long road ahead when it comes to this series. I’m not kidding when I say I legitimately started to cry near the end of the first episode, and I honestly do not remember a lot about the series since it has been about 4 or so years since I last watched it. Also, is there anything specifically you folks want out of this re-watch? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

Gleipnir Episode One Reaction

May 5, 2020 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

“Oh boy, now that the semester is over, I have so much free time. I wonder what the seasonal stuff looks like.” *watches one episode of Gleipnir* …huuuuuuuuuuuuuh.

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

While it is true that I have not been actively watching the stuff that has been coming out, I have still been following enough of it to know that Gleipnir was going to be weird, even before its release. Just based off the description of the manga, it was likely that Gleipnir was going to be bringing something strange. However, strange does not always necessarily mean good.

The show’s first episode was…ok. There were a lot of unique elements to be sure. The opening scene where a monster of some kind was looking for a vending machine, only for another person to pop out was great. Not only did it highlight what is likely to be a key plot point, but also had an indie-horror vibe without even being based on a game, which is pretty cool.

Shuuichi is where a lot of the show’s strengths and weaknesses will likely be based. On the one hand, there is a lot of potential for interesting storytelling through his monstrous powers. The fact that he is a monster but does not really look like one is already something that has been highlighted by Shuuichi himself, and Clair has already said, albeit mockingly, that he looks cuter in that form.

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Still, there is a lot of potential for him to be pretty boring. The first episode is already relying on a lot of ecchi elements that do not necessarily fit the horror vibe that it is trying to establish. What’s more, I get the feeling that Clair might not get the proper development that she honestly deserves. It was really intriguing when after Shuuichi says he is the one who save her from the fire, she responds by telling him that was her suicide attempt.

The show’s music and animation, at least so far, can be summarized as not particularly interesting. A lot of the color combinations in Gleipnir, along with the show’s character designs, feel pretty normal for this era of anime. The only thing slightly unique is that, for some reason, it feels like everyone’s face is slightly flatter than they should be.

The music is passable for what the show is trying to do, but again, not that notable. It relies on a lot of modern sounds, such as high-hats and a little bass mixed with more traditionally horror-sounding music in order to get through its more action heavy scenes.

Overall, I feel like this could end up being a great show, but it really depends on where they go from here. I will likely continue to watch it even if it is just to see the train wreck that it end up becoming.

Are you all caught up with Gleipnir? How do you you folks feel about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

Haikyuu Season Four Episode One Reaction

January 11, 2020 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

“Haikyuu…” is back.

It is genuinely exciting to be able to write those words on the internet and have it be true. While there have a number of additions between the airing shows third season and its newest final season, such as the release of a few recap movies and OVA’s, nothing beats seeing the Karasuno boys back in action.

It is fair to say that “Haikyuu: To the Top!” opened incredibly strong in setting the stage for the teams journey to nationals. Despite their having been teammates for a while now, the rivalry between Hinata and Kageyama is stronger than ever. The show more or less opens on the two of them making a bet over their current jump height. Hinata, despite looking like he might actually win, he still comes up a few centimeters short.

However, as it turns out, the stakes in their rivalry have gotten a lot more serious. Both Kageyama and Tsukishima were invited to training camps in order to play with some of the best players in both Japan and the prefecture respectively. Hinata is noticeably hurt by his lack of acceptance into either of these programs. He then decides to sneak into the prefecture training camp with Tsukishima, and after getting chewed out by both of his coaches, stays with the group as a ball boy.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best opening episodes to a new season of a show ever written, for a number of reasons. The first is that the show uses this as another opportunity to build on the main characters’ rivalry. Hinata has both literally and figuratively looked up to Kageyama for the entirely of their relationship. However, in latter half of the third season, it felt like they had finally come together as equals. The two of them had found their teamwork, and were able to beat Shiratorizawa to advance to the national tournament.

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Kageyama’s invitation to a national training camp where he could potentially be chosen to represent all of japan is a big blow to not only Hinata’s confidence, but also Hinata’s feeling of being closer in skill level to him.

Hinata is also forced to deal with the prefecture training camp coach’s disrespect. He is told by Takeda that the coach only really looks for height and raw power, leaving him with nothing to be desired. As a result, Hinata is further forced to put his pride aside in hopes of being able to learn something from the top players in Miyagi, which is why he agrees to become a ball boy.

The episode also does well to take time to examine the relationship that Kageyama will have with the other top high school players in the country. When he first gets the the national training camp, Kageyama meets Sakusa, an ace from Itachiyama academy and one of the top three in Japan. While he shows a bit of reverence for the top player, Sakusa shrugs and walks along. The interaction seems to imply that Kageyama will have his work cut out for him while training.

This is going to be an exciting season, for sure, but it also does not hurt to have a killer first episode. “To the Top’s” first episode managed to set up a lot of the future drama and story line that awaits in an incredibly interesting and overall hype way. Long time fans who have been waiting since the end of the third season will definitely not be disappointed.

Are you all excited for the newest season of Haikyuu? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

Fire Force Episode One Reaction

July 13, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

I talked about in one of my recent posts how I had a lot of hope for Fire Force due to it being from the same creative mind that gave us Soul Eater, Atsushi Ookubo. Soul Eater was, if nothing else, a fun action adventure with a cool cast of main characters. Its quality has remained for as long as its been around, and is still famous even among newer anime fans. So, does Fire Force live up to that? Well, so far, yeah.

For those who are not aware, Fire Force focuses on a future where for an unknown reason people are spontaneously combusting, and turning into creature known as Infernals. However, as time goes on, people with the power of Infernals while retaining their human form emerge. One of these people, a boy named Shinra, has the ability to create fire from his feet, and decides to join Fire Force Company 8. who help stop Infernals.

Despite there only being one episode so far, Fire Force still comes out of the gate as incredibly impressive. One of the things that makes it so impressive so far is its concept. The idea that anyone at any time could just turn into an Infernal creates a world always filled with tension and what ifs, because nobody knows if it will be them. It also means that there can be a lot of interesting story beats that the main cast will be able to focus on.

The other main thing that makes it great so far is the main character Shinra. Even in just the first episode there are a lot of things that make him unique. His family got killed in a fire he created with his powers, and the fact that he smiles when he’s nervous, something he literally cannot control. I would comment on the rest of the Company 8 crew, but I think they still have not had enough time to flesh themselves out as much as Shinra. However, for the first episode, they were pretty cool.

Overall, I do not have any complaints. It might be fair to say that the first episode was a little goofy for the level of seriousness the show is trying to go for, but it still did not ruin the episode, and it mainly came from Shinra, which is understandable given his condition. I definitely look forward to continuing the show.

How do you all feel about Fire Force? Let me know in the comments.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode One Reaction

April 18, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Well, I think Ufotable did it again. They managed to take an IP that I had heard nothing about whatsoever, and make me want to go back and read it in addition to watching the anime. Kimetsu no Yaiba, while not necessarily on the level of some of their best work, at least so far, has managed to come off as incredibly exciting.

Kimetsu no Yaiba follows Tanjiro, a young boy who works to provide for his family after his dad died when he was young. One night, after leaving to go to town, he comes back only to find his family dead and his sister Nezuko barely alive. He soon realizes after going to look for a doctor that his sister is a demon, and is attacked by Nezuko. Soon, he is saved by a demon hunter.

On the surface, Kimetsu no Yaiba seems like a fairly straightforward show, with its plot in episode one set up pretty seamlessly in combination with the ending credits which shows a steady progression of Tanjiro learning to become a demon hunter and avenging his family against multiple foes. In classic shonen action series fashion, Tanjiro will probably continue to power up while making new allies who will also continue to power up and help him along on his quest.

However, even despite this someone simplistic vibe that the show gives off, I am still fairly excited for it. The plot seems to be moving in fairly fast-paced way, and a lot of questions have already been established right off the bat. For example, is there a way to cure his sister of being a demon? I do not know, but I definitely want to find out.

Other than that, though, I do not have much to say other than that I have faith that Ufotable will deliver on the animation, if nothing else.

How do you guys feel Kimetsu no Yaiba? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on ko-fi or by using one the affiliate links down below:

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

Fruits Basket Episode One Reaction

April 16, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Well, it would not be The Aniwriter if I was not a weeks late on literally everything. Also, apologies again for the lack of posts for the last week, been caught up in schoolwork. Now, since that is out of the way, lets talk about one of the more anticipated shows of the season: Fruits Basket.

For those who are unfamiliar with the franchise, Fruits Basket is a story about Tohru, a young girl who, after losing both her parents and moving in with her grandfather, decides that she does not want to be a burden and starts living in the woods. After Yuki, a classmate of hers finds this out, he invites Tohru to start living with them. However, soon afterwards Tohru finds out the Soma’s secret: That they are animals.

Ever since the airing of the original anime adaptation by Studio Deen back in 2001, Fruits Basket has been a beloved series by almost all anime fans alike. Even with it being intended as more of a shoujo romance, the show caught on with so many people that it became incredibly popular. So, does the newest adaptation of Natsuki Takaya’s manga live up to the hype of the original?

Well, its hard to say. I’ll be fully transparent and honest hear: I don’t actually remember that much of the original series. I watched it back when I was in seventh grade, a turbulent year for me personally, and during that time it provided a lot of unexpected comfort. It might seem a bit cliche, but I related a lot to both Tohru and Kyo because of their loner status.

Still, even despite largely not living up to today’s standards of good animation and quality, the show definitely still has a lot of nostalgic value.

The newest adaptation of the show does a lot to live up to the spirit of the original. I do like the way they chosen to introduce the characters, emphasizing Tohru’s social front in order to mask her troubles, only to fall down from exhaustion near the middle of the episode. Yuki and Shigure also seem to be fairly faithful to their original characters as well, with Yuki being the cool, mysterious prince and Shigure being the pervy twenty-something.

I am also aware that their was a lot of hype around the English Dub since most of the original voice actors were recast in their role, but I opted to watch the show in the Japanese, so I did not get a chance to hear it. However, I do also remember the dub quite fondly, so more points for that I guess.

How do you guys feel about the newest Fruits Basket adaptation? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on Ko-fi, or using one of the affiliate links down below:

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War Episode One Reaction

February 17, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 5 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Well, after a lot of hesitation and general apathy towards this show, I finally decided to give it a go. I guess something just finally clicked for me and I realized that maybe there was something worth checking out solely based on the premise. I mean, an ultimate tsundere showdown does sound pretty funny. So, what did we get?

A decent amount actually. Kaguya-Sama: Love is War focuses on the President and Vice-President of Shuchiin Academy, Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya, respectively. The two have strong feelings for each other, however, both of them believe that, if they to the other, they lose. And so, the war begins.

Kaguya-sama is a show that, even while I was looking through the winter season before it started, I had fairly low expectations of. It seemed like a fairly gimmicky slice-of-life comedy that was not going to go anywhere.

However, after watching the first episode, I definitely see the appeal. While the two main characters personalities did not ring as loudly as I would have expected for a comedy show in the first episode, the jokes still came through and had me actually laughing, which is more than I can say for a lot of other comedy anime.

Shirogane and Shinomiya are both fun to watch, and there similar levels of intelligence I had me wondering what kind of mind games they were going to be playing next.

The only thing that really concerns me about the series is whether or not it can continue being funny beyond its initial few episodes. Some formats work for a whole series, and other jokes are only good for a few episodes, and I am just not sure if Kaguya-Sama’s format is a whole series one or not.

Still though, based on its first episode, if you have not seen it, I would give it a go.

How do you guys feel about Kaguya-Sama’s first episode? I know were half-way through the season at this point, but I’m still curious. Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter, or are just feeling generous, consider donating on ko-fi or using one of my affiliate links:

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Episode Reactions

Dororo Episode One Reaction

January 16, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

As I talked about in my most anticipated anime of winter 2019 list, as soon as I looked up the history of Dororo, I was immediately interested in it. The story of a kid who lost most of his body parts because his dad made a deal with Demons, and now he goes around slaying said demons in order to get those body parts back. So, how did Dororo turn out?

Well, for the most part pretty well. The story centers around Daigo, a prominent government official who makes a deal with Demons and tells them that they can have anything that they want in exchange for power. The Demons then decided to take the body parts of his newly born son, at which point Daigo decides to get rid of his son against the will of his mother, and so he is sent down the river by one of his aids. Sixteen years later and Dororo, a child thief meets up with Hyakkimaru, a mysterious man who looks barely human.

One thing that the show does really well right off the bat is its animation. Sure, its nothing incredible, but it definitely looks above average, especially the fight scene near the end. Most of this can be attributed to studio MAPPA, who regularly has fairly high production value.

Now, if that felt like a fairly generic compliment, its because it was. To tell you the truth, I don’t have any unique opinions on the show’s first episode because overall, while it was definitely good, there was nothing that stood out as unique one way or the other.

One minor complaint I have about the show personally is that it feels odd that it is titled Dororo when what seems like the obvious focus of the show is Hyakkimaru. This may just be ignorance because I don’t know a ton about where the story goes from here, but it still seems like an odd choice.

Again, I don’t have to much of a unique opinion on this show, so I’ll spare you a long-winded post, but I do think that it has an interesting premise and I will definitely be keeping up with it to see where it goes from here.

How do you guys feel about Dororo? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter, or are just feeling generous, consider donating on Ko-fi or using one of my affiliate links the next time you buy stuff: