Tag Archives: Summer 2022

Summer 2022 Episode Reviews: Week Eight

August 29, 2022 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Apologies again for the delay folks. Sometimes you just get tired, crack open a couple of drinks and then decide it is a bit too late to finish a post. It has certainly been a week for me, but it is also been a week for summer 2022. With that being said, let us get started.

RWBY: Ice Queendom Eps. 8-9

My opinion on RWBY has gone up and down quite a bit, but these last couple of episodes have been all around really good. The rest of the gang plus Jaune are still fighting, but once again fail to destroy the nightmare. Still trapped inside the dream, Ruby is forced to deal with her own nightmare while Blake and Yang are banished from inside the city to someplace much darker.

The scenes that involve Ruby’s dream within a dream are a real awakening into her character. They visualize her worst insecurities in a way that almost feels genuinely horrifying in a way that feels similar, but maybe slightly more hopeless than even “Congratulations, Shinji” did for Evangelion. Even more central, though, is Weiss’ internal struggle, which is also well done. Even in this dreamt-up city, there is a visible sense of collapse and decay which furthers episode to episode. Still a lot of potential, but I will wait to hand out any more praise.

The Devil is a Part-Timer S2 Ep. 7

While I certainly understand and agree with some of the criticisms surrounding this show’s second season, there is still a good bit of fun to be had with The Devil is a Part-Timer, and this episode shows that its focus on narrative doesn’t have to be boring. Maou and friends fight off a demon army only to find out from its commander that Olba has been working with Hell, after which Maou and the others promptly send them back alongside birdman, but not before finding out their temporary boss is incredibly powerful. She then disappears in order to protect the ghosts which inhabit the beach, leaving everyone incredibly confused.

How does Amane have a sword made of Maou’s missing horn? Why is it suddenly canon that their landlord knows about Maou literally being the devil? IDK. Is it possible I am forgetting something incredibly important? Possibly. Again, a more narratively focused season is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean the show has to operate at a much faster pace if it wants to maintain any forward momentum.

Lycoris Recoil Ep. 9

I really wanted to say that this show was bad, or maybe even just “mid,” as the kids say. Much like Ice Queedom, though, it has enough good moments through all of its confusing sub-plots to warrant sticking around, even if its just to see how this weird mess unfolds. We get a pretty emotional episode, however, as an attack from an Alan Institute “nurse” leaves Chisato’s artificial heart unable to be recharged, meaning she only has two months left of her already likely short lifespan.

I could tell from episode one that, despite a strange setup, Chisato’s and Takina’s chemistry would go beyond a simple “cute girls doing cute things dynamic,” in part due to the nature of said story, but also because of their constant working together allows them to see things about each other even her teacher (father) might not. Takina’s attempt to put Chisato’s mind at ease before heading off to fight Majima shows growth both in her character and her relationship with Chisato.

Call of the Night Ep. 8

Speaking of good character dynamics…

Call of the Night is so damn fun. I know I have been saying some iteration of that for the past month and a half now, but it becomes no less true with each passing week. This episode is a bit more serious, however, as we get the revelations that Kou must become a vampire within the year or he will be unable to, and thus will likely be killed by the others. In light of this information, he turns to Akira, and the newly introduced Mahiru, another person that Kou decidedly considers his friend, but one who is revealed to also potentially be involved with a vampire.

This was a much more reflective episode, and rightly so given recent events. Still, rather than spiraling into a moody atmosphere, it takes the occasion to make fun of Kou’s middle school attempts at romance, which Nazuna initially rejects before ultimately deciding to save his ego. Also, I have no idea what is going to become of Kou and Mahiru’s relationship, but the show isn’t shy about poking fun at how obviously obsessed Kou is with his approval, so I guess we will see.

Made in Abyss Ep. 8

Every time I think this show can’t get more disturbing, it says “hold my beer” and horribly mutilates a child. In all seriousness though, the golden city arc has been one of the most endlessly fascinating pieces of media I have seen this year. We get the rest of the island’s origin story from the perspective of Vueko, who, even in the present, shows great concern for Irumyuui, with her only wish being that she remembers her. Importantly, we also find out that Faputa is Irumyuui’s last living daughter.

Wazukyan has become a complicated figure over the course of these last few episodes, and the characterization of him and the rest of the original crew has been genuinely fascinating. Vueko, while being largely shrouded in mystery up until this point, is equally so, though arguably a bit less morally reprehensible. At the end of the day, though, it perfectly encapsulates Made in Abyss: a story about adventure and finding hope even in the most brutal of environments.

How did you all feel about this weeks episodes? 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.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting us on Patreon.

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

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Anime/Manga, Seasonal Reviews

Summer 2022 Episode Reviews: Week Six

August 14, 2022 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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It is time once again for our weekly seasonal highlights, talking about the good, the bad, and the mid. The season is about halfway over now, and I would be lying if I said my feelings were not mixed. All of the shows I am still covering have had their share of fantastic moments, but not without some strange ones as well.

Call of the Night Ep. 6

This show gets weirder and weirder every episode. But, like, weird in a good way…mostly. The majority of the episode involves Kou giving a massage to/interacting with one of Nazuna’s clients, a young woman whose unhealthy connection to her work is causing her severe stress. Later on, the two go late night swimming, only for Kou to get jealous when Nazuna gets approached by other guys.

This was not an episode I expected to be as powerful as it was. I’m not gonna say it is the most amazing thing ever or anything like that. However, the way it conflates the absurdity of working a job she clearly hates with the absurdity of Kou wanting to become a vampire, along with fully committing to the “flawed” logic of it all is genuinely a heartwarming moment.

Meanwhile, Kou’s jealousy later on in the episode seems to imply that his feelings for Nazuna are developing in a genuine manner. It is one thing to watch a traditional romance show, it is another entirely to watch someone develop those feelings for the first time, all while barely understanding himself, to begin with. The series really excels at these little moments of intimacy, and hope it will continue with them going forward.

Made in Abyss S2 Ep. 6

Made in Abyss also excels in its character moments, but also has the benefit of building an incredibly diverse and unique fantasy world that most writers only dream of being able to create. We get a bit more action in this episode, as well, as Riko’s rescue of Nanachi gets interrupted by a stranger creature who attacks the village. As such, Riko and Company are forced to devise a plan in seeming record time in order to save everyone.

This was another banger of an episode, which really should not be a surprise given the quality of the season thus far. We get to see yet another aspect of the hollow village, one that I honestly was not thinking about when it was being introduced. The monster, much like many of the other creatures in the series, has a unique design and explanation for its existence.

It is also interesting that, for an arc about a city in the abyss whose main draw is its enate beauty, it has largely been contained within a small, kind of depressing village. This is not a complaint, mind you, only an observation about where the series might be going from here.

RWBY: Ice Queendom Ep. 6

I know some of my fellow bloggers have started doing charts for their seasonal coverage as a way of tracking their feelings week to week. While I have not done that for this season, If I were to do it, Ice Queendom would probably be in the bottom half more often than not. It is enjoyable, do not get me wrong, but it only feels consistently ok as opposed to being amazing, and this episode is a good example of that.

The main appeal of this show, at least for me, has always been its great fight scenes. Despite that, the show has resorted to using some less than stellar 3D animation, even during scenes with minimal movement. On top of that, it does little to blend into the scenes even when the characters are not moving, and as a result, looks incredibly awkward.

The story of the episode, at least, is sufficiently interesting. The group executes their plan to save Weiss, only to barely make it out alive when negative Weiss comes and beats them. The frustration with Weiss’s inner thoughts clearly affects them all emotionally, long enough at least that they need a break in order to clear their heads and regroup.

Lycoris Recoil Ep. 7

Speaking of shows toward the bottom of my theoretical list…

I wish I did not have to say that, and there was a point a few weeks ago where I might have even put this above Call of the Night for potential alone. However, Lycoris Recoil has done little outside of throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. In this episode, though, the focus does narrow a bit. Chisato and the gang find out that their teacher is going on a date, and naturally, they stock him out of curiosity, only to find out something major: that her donor is also her shop regular.

Despite this reveal, though, Yoshimatsu’s role in the story still feels ambiguous, which is both interesting but also concerning, as the series already has a major villain in the form of Majima. This means that his character could be significantly more complicated, or they would write him out of the story as unimportant. I did think his relationship with Chisato’s teacher was a bit weird, but it makes a lot more sense now, at least.

The Devil is a Part-Timer S2 Ep. 5

The best way I could describe this season of The Devil is a Part-Timer is unexpected, not just in terms of its plot structure, but in terms of which elements of the series I actually have enjoyed thus far. While the comedy has been mostly on point, as discussed in previous posts, the comedy seems to be taking a back seat. That is also the case in this episode, as repairs to the now destroyed apartment and renovations at work force Maou, Ashia, and Ureshihara into temporary jobs.

The more serious tone of this season, while definitely part of the unexpected, is certainly not unwelcome. If something like this had happened in season one it might be different, but because these characters are already well established, seeing them deal with the serious problem that is the battle between heaven and hell is fairly interesting. I am not saying it is the best the series has ever been, but it is refreshing if nothing else.

How are you feeling about this week’s episodes? Let me know down in the comments.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting us on Patreon.

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

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Anime/Manga, Seasonal Reviews

Summer 2022 Episode Reviews Week Five

August 7, 2022 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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If it was not clear from last week, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer is now officially out of my rotation. It is just too consistently mediocre for me to continue caring, so I decided to drop it. Everything else I plan on finishing save for some insane dip in quality. With that being said, here are my thoughts.

Made in Abyss S2 Ep. 5

I have said before that this is not the direction I was expecting the series to go in, but I am glad it did. Something about this show’s current arc and exploring themes of humanity even in places that seem the most inhuman is genuinely very interesting. This week mostly focuses on the secrets of the hollow village.

Reg attempts to find it again after escaping from Faputa, only to be helped back by her Robot servant, where he alludes to the fact that there are more robots like himself and Reg. Meanwhile, Riko goes looking for both Reg and Nanachi, only to end up in a giant pit, eventually finding Vuelo trapped in a cave. As far as what is going to happen with Veulo’s character, I honestly have no idea, but that cliffhanger was certainly something. Made in Abyss just continues to be impressive.

Call of the Night Ep. 5

The vibes are good, man. While I certainly appreciate the idea of a lonely middle schooler and a vampire doing whatever, much like with Made in Abyss, I do appreciate the show’s effort to explore its themes a bit more in-depth. That is exactly what happens in this episode, as the two seemingly get more intimate after Nazuna takes a bath and has her hair down. This more conventionally attractive look causes Kou to re-evaluate his feelings.

Differentiating feelings of friendship and romance can be difficult, especially for someone who has not had to do so before. Yet, Kou also understands that he wants to be romantically involved with Nazuna in order to become a vampire. At least, he thinks he does. As Super Eyepatch Wolf commented in his last video, the series is a lot more about exploring those feelings, and I think that is where it is at its strongest, alongside those crazy nighttime vibes.

The Devil is a Part-Timer S2 Ep. 4

I know I said animation for a show like The Devil is a Part-Timer does not matter as much, but, idk. Something about this week felt a little off.

(I know taking frames out of context isn’t great for judging animation, but they linger on this for like 2-3 seconds and she just looks off).

On top of that, the first major fight scene happens in this episode, and…it kinda sucked. There was very little sense of impact or real danger when it came to the fighting. I guess I could chalk it up to not remembering the original all that well or the fact that Maou isn’t as involved in this fight, but it still bothers me.

Normally I would not harp as much on it, but it is kind of the only thing that happens in this episode. Maou tells a story of a traveler turned greedy king who is given his power by an angel which feels like a fairly obvious allegory for himself considering he is supposed to be the biblical Satan. Emi deals with the continued turmoil over whether she should kill Mao or not, even more after talking to Gabriel, who ultimately fails his mission to take back Alas Ramus. It is a fine episode, not amazing, but not awful.

RWBY: Ice Queendom Ep. 5

Ice Queendom definitely has some pacing issues, especially compared to the original. That much is certainly true. Still, I would be lying if I said some great animation and music did not at least make up for it a little. This episode has that in spades, with the rest of Team RWBY joining Ruby as they re-group in order to rescue Weiss from her nightmare.

This episode also had some surprisingly sophisticated character writing. Inside Weiss’s dream, we see Pyrrha performing a song while locked in a cage. The song focuses on looking in a mirror and regretting what she sees. This seems to parallel the story of Snow White, where the queen asks the mirror who the fairest of them all is, only to be shown Snow White instead of herself. However, this also works intertextually as well, because Weiss made it clear in the beginning just how much she admires Pyrrha. In that way, this part of her dream could be seen as desiring the reverse, where Pyrrha is instead the one pining to be more like Weiss.

Idk if this is ground that was covered in the original, but if it is, then studio Shaft did a damn good job remaking it. Overall, this was a fantastic episode.

Lycoris Recoil Ep. 6

It seems we have reached the mid-point of the season. Except, it does not feel like it at all, at least not for this show. The more and more I watch Lycoris Recoil, the more I feel affirmed in my assessment that a lot of it is just wasted potential. This episode has Chisato and Makima meet after Makima teamed up with Kurumi’s hacker rival. Chisato gets targeted, much like the other Lyrcoris we saw. However, the others come to her rescue just in time.

There are a lot of good ideas in this series, and as much as I want to like it, it kind of just keeps piling stuff on. For example, we get an off-handed mention of a brother organization called the bell, which literally has not been mentioned up until this point, and was forgotten about immediately after. Unless they actually become relevant later on, this just feels like really lazy worldbuilding. The action was pretty solid, as the show has a good eye for martial arts and gunplay, but otherwise, it was just ok.

How did you feel about this week’s episodes? let me know in the comments below.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for being an amazing Patron.

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

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Anime/Manga, Seasonal Reviews

Summer 2022 Episode Reviews: Week Three

July 24, 2022 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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The summer coverage continues. I was initially pretty surprised at just how much of what I chose to cover this season actually turned out to be pretty good. The sequels were pretty much a “duh” in that regard, but even the originals this season are coming to play. This week was no different in that regard.

Made in Abyss S2 Ep. 3

Made in Abyss had another fantastic week. In this episode, the gang explores the village of the Hollows, but remains on guard against a potential attacker. They do discover the location of Riko’s white whistle but decided to leave it with a craftsman who is working to bring out its “full value,” still uncertain of who might have taken it.

This is by far one of my favorite episodes of the entire series thus far. The setting is masterfully drawn, and each of the hollows is unique enough that they stand out in a crowd, imbuing a real sense of individuals they were before they transformed. On top of that, the weird economic system which exists within the village creates an underground, black market vibe, but somehow both less dangerous and more unsettling. I do hope we get to spend a bit more time in this area, as there seems to be a serious bit of lore associated with it.

Call of the Night Ep. 3

Anyone else getting a bit of Fooly Cooly vibes after this episode?

I do not mean to say that they are going to be of similar quality, far from it. After Wonder Egg Priority, I am pretty much done with making large-scale predictions like that. Rather, it seems there are some immediate parallels between the way that the wild and crazy Nazuna and Haruka fixate on the main characters and attempt to bring them into their world, and how both Kou and Naota willingly go with them to escape some sort of emotional pain. A bit surface level, sure, but something that definitely stands out.

Aside from that comparison, the episode also sees the introduction of Ko’s friend Akira, who not only considers them to be friends but after meeting Nazuna, wants to bring him back to school. It seems the series wants to set up a sort of twilight-esk dynamic, only in this case Kou is choosing between his own humanity and vampirism. It’s a dynamic that I think certain can work as long as Kou ultimately remains the focus

The Devil is a Part-Timer S2 Ep. 2

The gang continues to grapple with the fact that…apparently they have a kid? I mean, not really. It is clear from the bit at the end that there is a bit of allegory being set up, as the series makes sure to remind you that Alas Ramus came out of an Apple. Anyone who knows literally anything about biblical stories should immediately have some bells going off in their head.

The dynamic is also just incredibly funny, though. The more serious plot elements of this season are intriguing, do not get me wrong. However, I am still mostly here for the comedy. This episode was a little lighter in that department, but the moments that were shown were still pretty hilarious.

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer Ep. 3

Well, it is getting better, I think? Honestly, it would be harder to do worse by the series than that first episode which looked pretty horrendous until they bothered to fix it.

This episode was…ok. I am starting to have less and less hope for this adaptation, and given that I have not read beyond the end of this episode in the manga, it will be hard to tell how good of a job it is actually doing. From what I can tell, the fight between Yuuhi and the golem which shows up outside of the hospital is shortened to focus a little more on his internal struggle with his grandpa. Though, that was still somehow less compelling. The series overall still feels fairly stilted in its animation and action. As much as I hate to admit it, anything good that comes out of this adaptation is going to be carried solely by the manga.

Lycoris Recoil Eps. 3-4

Lycoris Recoil continues to both amaze and confuse me. On the one hand, episode three demonstrated very proficiently the series’ great capacity for character writing that is both interesting and compelling. Takina often comes across as cold and uncaring but also wears her heart on her sleeve when it comes to her desire to return to DA proper, although she may deal with some serious self-questioning in the next few episodes.

Chisato meanwhile comes across as aloof but is not only incredibly capable, but also understands what it means to live and work within the DA, and thus wants to do everything she can for Takina. Kind of a shame the series then spend an entire subplot in episode four on two teenage girls buying underwear. Like, are we really still doing this in 2022? Not to say the strong writing elsewhere is negated by this part, but it just feels like such an unnecessary and weird inclusion

How do you feel about this week’s episodes? Let me know in the comments. I am on the verge of dropping Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer at this point and just picking back up the manga in its place, but I will give it another episode or two to redeem itself. Meanwhile, RWBY will be back in our lineup next week, so stay tuned!

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting us on Patreon!

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

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Anime/Manga, Opinion

What I’m (Probably) Watching for Summer 2022

July 3, 2022 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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To be honest, it does not even feel like that much time has gone by, and yet the spring season is already done. This of course means, due to the natural progression of time, that summer is on the horizon. Unfortunately, since I do not have access to Disney+ at the moment, I was not able to start or catch up on Summertime Render, but that is how life goes sometimes.

Regardless, I will be using this post to talk about what I will most likely be watching for the summer of 2022. This season is honestly incredibly stacked and so some of these might be obvious, but there are some newer shows that have promise as well.

The Devil is a Part-Timer Season Two

Like last time, I will start with the sequels since there are a number of notable ones this season. The first of these is the sequel to the 2013 action-comedy The Devil is a Part-Timer. The show sort of has a special place in my heart for being one of the first seasonal anime I kept up with weekly. On top of that, however, the series is also just incredibly funny. Maou’s continual surprise at just how awful the real world is compared to literal hell on earth is quite funny. On top of that, his henchman are a great supporting cast that always manages to create some top-notch bits. It has frankly been far too long, but I am happy to see that it is back

Made in Abyss Season Two

Another series that has been kind of left behind, although not nearly as long, seeing Made in Abyss return in the same season has me incredibly excited. The finale of season one rightfully left a lot of non-manga readers in a ton of suspense, and I would be lying if I said it is not still there. It also brings me a little more hope to see that Kinema Citrus, the studio that handled the show’s first season is once again at the helm. There is always room for disappointment, but hopefully, that will not end up being the case.

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Call of the Night

In truth, I do not have a whole lot to say about this series other than expressing my mild curiosity. The premise seems interesting enough, and the story seems like it could go in a lot of unique directions. The main reason it caught my eye, though, is the character designs. While I did end up dropping the series, Kotoyama’s previous work on Dagashi Kashi was memorable. Thus, I am hoping that this series manages to bring at least something interesting to the table.

RWBY: Ice Queendom

As of the writing of this post, the first few episodes of this series are actually already available on Crunchyroll, so those who are curious about this series as much as I am can go ahead and watch. Now, I am not going to sit here and pretend like I was ever the biggest fan of RWBY. I got through one and a half seasons of the original series, and tbh, I found it alright. It certainly felt like a web animation. However, I respect Monty Oum heavily as a creative, and the fact that his passion project is getting its own anime feels like a deserved sign of respect.

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer

Funny story, I actually completely forgot this show was airing this season until a fellow blogger reminded me in their post. I probably would have remembered if I ever managed to finish that video I was working on about the manga, but alas, here we are. Ever since I finished its first volume, the anime release for this series is something I have been highly anticipating. It is a…strange series, to say the least.

There are definitely some elements that should probably be toned down for a more general audience, but a lot of the charm comes from what feels like a mid-2000s zaniness. Granted, that quality could more or less be summarized in “lol xd so random” terms, but I choose to believe there will be a bit more to it than that. Only time will tell.

The Tunnel to Summer, The Exit of Goodbyes

I think my next big project on this blog, whether it be in essay or video essay format, is going to be looking at the anime film landscape post Your Name, because from my general knowledge thus far, it seems like anime films in this era fall into two categories: tie ins/prequels/sequels to existing popular series (Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, etc) and films trying way too hard to be Your Name.

Based off of the plot description and promotional art that has circulated around this film, it definitely gives off the vibes of the latter category. Now, I do not mean to imply that this is necessarily a bad thing. There have been some solid films that fall in line with this category. My biggest hope for this film is that it lives up to the coolness and passion present in its title. Damn, that is such a cool name for a story.

What are you all watching this season? Let me know down in the comments below.