May arrives at last, even though the weather has been rather stupid on both sides of the pond, and now is the time when the anime cons begin in their earnest. Anime Expo has announced that both Aqours and Cinderella Girls will be returning to perform special concerts, and in the meantime, one fan con has fallen flat completely and has now been immortalized in con history along with the likes of Dashcon (check out Krystallina’s amazing post on what went down at Universal Fan Con).
Okay, so back to this week. Darling in the Franxx is back after a break, and what a difference some time off has made. This is an ‘aftermath’ episode. One month after the major battle against the Klaxosaur army which saw some plantations sacrifice themselves to save an apparently crucial piece of land the adults want, our main characters in Squad 13 are confined to their sealed-off house (which has miraculously survived). Their caretakers have vanished, so they have to learn to fend for themselves. This sudden change of lifestyle has left some of the squad feel abandoned, with Zorome especially feeling that the all-seeing, all-knowing Papa has left them, taking his frustrations out on Futoshi who appears to suddenly have developed symptoms of bulimia.
This sudden change of lifestyle has also turned Zero Two around as well. She is becoming more responsible and more welcoming to the other members of Squad 13. As she explains to Hiro at the end of this episode, it has hit her that her wish to become human has come about more in being in the company of the squad. Even despite the wholesome sweetness that this show has given us, it’s a sign that something more epic than that last battle is on the way; it’s just a matter of whether it’ll all fall victim to poor writing again.
Uma Musume Pretty Derby doesn’t fall victim to poor writing, however…but there is something about this show that just doesn’t feel right, and it’s not just the corny carrot references here, there and everywhere.
This week focuses more on Silence Suzuka. After her highly impressive win in the last episode, she wants to push herself further so she can be able to race in the US; news she unceremoniously breaks to everyone in the team, leaving everyone scratching their heads, no-one more so than Special Week. A plot point (possibly a major one) comes around here, when Suzuka ends up in trouble in an important race, meaning Special Week could see even more screen-time in episodes to come…that is unless the show decides to fast-forward time by several months. It is currently November in the show, so a potential Christmas/New Year episode is expected.
I know I’m not to take any of this horse girl racing seriously in any form whatsoever…I mean this week sees these horse girls eating meat and sushi at a hot springs. Would they not normally stick firmly to a vegetarian diet, or am I missing something here?
I know all the characters in Uma Musume are good-natured, sweet and charming, but the thing is I just haven’t been unable to warm to any of them. This promise that Special Week and Silence Suzuka made to race together, for instance; on paper, it’s meant to be emotional, but when I see it on screen, I just feel ‘meh’. That could be a major reason why I’m not feeling this show as much as I normally would any P.A Works show…well…any good show of theirs, that is…anything that isn’t Glasslip or Charlotte. I’m told some of their really early shows weren’t all that, either.
I say a lot of good things about Hinamatsuri, and how the humor in the show is pure gold, but as each week passes, it gets harder and harder for me to find this humor. It’s there, and I know it’s there, but the show really does feel like a marathon each week.
All Hina cares about is video games, ikura and Nitta, and that’s the gag, when in the meantime we have the 2 other main girls, Anzu and Hitomi, who are suffering, and that’s the gag.
I think if I had a second opportunity to watch this show in its entirety when the Spring season is over, then perhaps I would appreciate it more, and not unconsciously read too much into it (like I seem to be doing every single week). This was a very good episode, and I know I have been looking too deeply into every single thing in this show. It’s become an unshakeable habit, and I think I probably need some kind of therapy to get rid of it. I should watch more kind-hearted shows, instead of bizarre comedy shows like Hinamatsuri. Maybe I’ll go back to the atypical school comedy/slice-of-life shows and never look back…
Chise’s introductory episode comes up in Princess Principal, and it’s here where I actually realise that the story is not actually in chronological order…something I really should have worked out long ago…from the very first episode, in fact.
I really like how the writers have managed to turn an old-fashioned action cliche into something very enjoyable. A Japanese lord and his entourage make a trip to the Kingdom via train, knowing that a traitorous assassin is after his head, and as the Princess is to introduce the lord to the royal family, Ange, Dorothy and Beatrice join them. Meanwhile ship stowaway Chise is on her own mission; to kill the man who ruined her own family. Here, we see her being both adorable and a bad ass, and it’s a bit of a shame that we haven’t seen her in action that much so far. I’m sure that’ll change.
Something I haven’t mentioned yet, but I also like how the writers have done their homework, and how they managed to create a fictional country that is so obviously British. Town names are the same (Maidstone is a town in the south-east of England), train designs are very similar to the steam trains we had in the 19th and early 20th centuries (some still even exist and in use, for nostalgia/tourist purposes), and I even recognize that bridge Chise sits on as she boards the royal train (it looks a lot like the Pontcysllte Aqueduct, which is actually in Wales).
I really cannot wait until this gets a home video release here (MVM Films announced the news last year). Sentai Filmworks have the rights for it in US/Canada, but they have yet to announce if it will get a physical release.
So May is here, and we’re pretty much halfway through now; how have your shows been? What cons are you going to this summer? Feel free to air your opinions in the comments below…