Working for over a week straight means you don't get a lot of time to watch stuff as its airing. Thank goodness I was able to catch up today.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind Vento Aureo 30
It's still surprises me it took so long for someone to bring that thread up, but it's a good thing they aren't waiting until the finale to address Bucciarati's situation. It's insanely convenient for this particular encounter, though, as he alone has the one defensive utility against the seemingly unbeatable Green Day. Oasis is a very convenient Stand to pair with Green Day since it makes up for that Stand's one weakness, namely its bizarre activation prerequisite. However, while the end of the episode makes it seem like things are looking up for the crew as they get the upper hand, I feel the rest of this fight will be much harder to win than it looks so far. I will say, I feel like the direction for this fight is also been quite good, and while it might not have a lot of stellar moments of animation thus far, it holds up against a lot of the more recent fights in terms of flow, editing, and composition. Here's hoping those stand-out animation sequences will populate much of the rest of the fight as it approaches its climax.
GeGeGe no Kitaro 56
Out of curiosity, I took a look to see if my hunch was correct, and much like the Ghost Train episode that aired around this time last year, this is another classic Kitaro story adapted into the most recent show's format. It certainly feels that way as instead of presenting biting social commentary aimed at a younger audience or commenting on certain situations in the real world, this has a very timeless quality to it. Waiting to share this story until after the conclusion of the Backbeard Army arc makes a good amount of sense, but really this feels like a standalone story about a vampire that happens to touch on the allure of power obtained and humanizing those who choose to isolate themselves out of fear for what they could lose by opening up to others. It's a stark and old-fashioned approach to storytelling that feels as relevant now as it did when it was first published some fifty years ago, and it got a royal treatment in this adaptation with some gorgeous animation and some very strong direction that felt like it lifted from a lot of vampire-focused anime of old rather than from Kitaro's past. Maybe not quite on the level of some of this series' most standout episodes, but a good stand-alone one that people should check out, as they'd be missing out on some classic Kitaro storytelling handled as well as any of these classic tales have been.
Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? 7
I don't mind the idea of the show hopping between some other couples rather than sticking with the next one until their "story" reaches its conclusion. It gives the opportunity for more variety... at least in theory. The trouble is that outside of some visual differences between the various female characters (short, tanned skin, various hairstyles, etc.), all of them seem to have the exact same features when it comes to the parts that play any role in ecchi content, specifically in terms of breast size. It reminds me of my thought process when thinking about Mortal Kombat 9's female designs, in how I found it odd not that they all were embarrassingly clothed in comparison to their male counterparts, but that they all seemed to have the same exact body frame, especially when it came to bust size. It's not so one-dimensional here, but Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? does follow the same basic logical flaw in that it puts more work into the visual variety for the unimportant male lead than it does showcasing a wider variety of body types and distinguishing features for its female leads. Not only does this lead to boredom visually but it also leads to the scenarios, no matter how extreme, to become insanely repetitious as they rely on the same kind of gags over and over and over (bras becoming undone, breasts getting caught in other clothing, unintended nipple contact, etc.). At a certain point, the gratuitousness of the scenario stops mattering if it only leads to the same kind of jokes being repeated in slightly different variations. Unfortunately, this is only something that becomes obvious after watching for a while, but I think I'm only really willing to give this show one more chance to actually impress me in terms of its creativity; otherwise, I feel like I've had my fill here and any more will just dilute what the show was offering early on.
Attack on Titan 53
This definitely feels like one of those episodes where the material is carrying the show IN SPITE OF its production. Say what you will about Wit, but the news that they aren't planning on continuing to lead Attack on Titan's animation after the conclusion of this third season doesn't come as much of a surprise when taking the grand scope of both cours' production quality into account, not to mention comparing it directly with the second season (Wit's best handling of the series as a whole) and against other shows they've done recently that have had a far more stability in their quality (e.g. After the Rain, the new Kabaneri movie), Titan has clearly not been their focus for some time now, and its come to the point where most of the series' redeeming elements come from the source material rather than its adaptation. It's a shame, because in large part the material here has shown itself to be the strongest since some of the latter stuff in Season 2, especially with things like Erwin's morality, the mystery surrounding Dr. Jaeger's research, the truth at the heart of the Scout's destiny, and many of our main characters starting to come better into their own without being carried by the more experienced cast members around them. It's all great stuff, belayed somewhat by production values that range from disappointing to outright laughable (the Colossal Titan is impossible to take seriously whenever he's shown in 3D; the render looks unfinished and nowhere near as impressively detailed as anytime you see him in 2D during close-ups and the like). I just hope that the material this series is heading for in the latter half of this cour has some decent payoff, as that's something that Titan feels like it's been lacking throughout the third season, and it would be nice to get some closure to some things as Wit's time with the series comes to a close. Whatever the series' future may have in store, I do hope they can at least end their time on a high note instead of a whimper, and do so without relying solely on the material to carry them.
Carole & Tuesday 7
I really don't know what they were thinking when they pitched this episode. In comparison to the Coachella knockoff episode or the one about the music video, this felt like it was filled with egregious amounts of filler and spent so much time on a sub-plot that has no consequence whatsoever that its kind of baffling. While I like the idea of seeing Carole & Tuesday's take on a generic talent show (the kind of which I end up seeing far too much of at work), so much attention was dedicated to mocking various failed auditions that the gag went from funny to boring to infuriating. And this isn't even counting on the "second thoughts" plot that takes up the second half of the episode that comes from the idea that Tuesday has lived with Carole for months and they've never talked about themselves to each other off-camera before? Come on, am I really supposed to believe that? As per usual, Angela's story continues to be far more interesting, especially considering that some more details on her home life and her childhood explain a lot about why she's become who she is, and how desperate she is to free herself from her mother's clutches. I still have some hope that things may improve in the larger part of the story when the two parties meet, but it really depends how much they lean into that since Carole & Tuesday's more "serious" narrative material doesn't stand up so well, especially when it takes up so much time it means we don't get a new song even when there's a good point in the episode to introduce one.
Sarazanmai 7
It's hard to be surprised at that reveal at the end; but then again, I suppose it's one of those things where you're supposed to reflect on two different stories of how "love" can be twisted in such a way that it lets people do horrendous things to preserve what they have. Since both stories are currently unresolved, it'll be interesting to see how the fallout of both ends up coloring the rest of the series, as I expect they will become the driving force from this point forward as they inevitably intersect and the truth behind the defeat of the kappa kingdom comes into focus. Other than that, there's not too much else to say. It's interesting at seeing just how much Kazuki has been completely changed as per the last couple of episodes, but his almost compete transformation of character does feel well earned from a writing perspective, and its nice to see just how much his change changes the mood of those around him, which plays into the end of the episode. On a less positive note, I couldn't help but realize I wasn't particularly blown away by any animation or particularly sharp direction this time around. This might be weakest episode in terms of visual spectacle in the series so far, and while that still means its a step above most of what's out this season, it was a shame to see, even if this was a decent episode to choose to sacrifice some of the visual quality since this is both a denouement and the set up for the rest of the series. I'll start to worry if next week doesn't show a return to the rest of the series' standards for visual quality and direction.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind Vento Aureo 31
After this episode, I'm thinking Steely Dan got off lucky in comparison! Still, it's hard to think of someone who isn't the main antagonist more deserving of that treatment; what a thrilling climax to yet another in a series of excellent fights, and the fight as a whole isn't even over yet. I have to say, the twist in the middle when it's revealed why long-range attacks didn't work is perhaps one of the most disgusting things this series has done in a sense of body horror since... well, since Babyface. It's just truly gross, but totally in keeping with his character and one of the more inventive uses of a Stand's abilities in conjunction with the natural knowledge of the opponent I've seen in a while. That said, as much fun as the fight was, that reveal in the final scene is one I should've seen coming but caught me completely off guard! That has me incredibly excited to see what he can offer before the grand finale, even in his condition. Golden Wind has really come into its own in the second half; I really hope it can stick the landing after such a long stretch of good episodes. There's still plenty to go (eight episodes left), but it's built up so much momentum that I hope it doesn't loose steam in the home stretch, especially now that I've come around on it so much after its somewhat paltry opening act.
