Anime studios are already making big announcements for future shows in 2019. Fruits Basket, Attack on Titan, Chihayafuru, One Punch Man…they’re all coming back. Plus new projects by old faces; Ikuhara (Utena, Penguindrum, Sailor Moon) has a new original anime out in the Spring, as does Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo), who is heading to Netflix, of all places. I’m definitely hyped for that one (entitled Carole & Tuesday), and I might even get around to watching the new Ikuhara as well. I didn’t like Penguindrum, but I loved Yuri Kuma Arashi, so more surreal madness might be a good thing…although I said that last year, and look where it got me…
…but enough talk of surreal anime, and time for your average cliched j-drama. Domestic Girlfriend delivers on what it promises: a trashy soap opera. As someone who never read the manga, I am assuming that where we are at the moment is one arc of many that appear in the original, and if this is to be a single cour show (which it might not be), then it seems to be condensing as much information as possible. Episode 2 didn’t really offer us too much, so I’m relieved that even if this is a bit of a trashy drama, it is offering us some information at least now that episode 3 has come along.
Hina is having an affair, and doesn’t even care about the consequences. Natsuo finds out on the way home from his work, and Rui has apparently known for a long time. They are both against it, and tell her to stop, but Hina has decided to separate herself from the rest of the family, telling them to butt out simply because they are just children, and shouldn’t get involved in the world of grown-ups. A part of that is true, but this is still wrong, and Hina’s family has every right to be concerned, and her actions ultimately lead to both Natsuo and Rui running away from home…to go live with Natsuo’s pervy best friend.
The more this show progresses, the less sympathy I have for Hina. She knows she’s an adulterer, and appears to flaunt that fact around. It’s…really annoying, and I can’t imagine how mad it drives Rui, who loves her older sister (even if she doesn’t really show it) but is being pushed out entirely. Despite just getting to know each other, Natsuo and Rui have already built a good dynamic though. The two of them don’t have to be brother/sister or even boyfriend/girlfriend to have the relationship they are currently building. I’m all on the Team Rui ship, but I’m not the type who would go insane over the thought of Hina stealing Natsuo away from her. Also, it’s absolutely wonderful to see their mother and father play such an important role in this show. Most other shows would have parents working overseas/invisible parents/parents who are deceased, so it’s great to see how much these two are willing to sacrifice (since they thought their kids ran away because of them, they were prepared to divorce) to see their children live happy lives.
Domestic Girlfriend is getting better now, thank goodness, provided we all accept it for what it is, and nothing out of the ordinary. Also, the more we warm to the Natsuo/Rui dynamic (regardless of whether we see them as siblings or something that leads to a couple), the better this show seems to be, as no mercy is being given to Hina right now (rightfully so).
The other HIDIVE show I’m watching, The Magnificent Kotobuki, is something that some of us could see in an extra-ordinary light, however, and it’s not because of the awkward animation, or the capitalized names (which make an unwelcome return, for some reason)…
This week’s episode has a solid plot, which can be something that could be long-lasting in this show. Continuing where last week left off, the zeppelin arrives at a town in flames. There they discover the town is the victim of a bunch of pompous air pirates who call themselves Elite Industries. Hand over your prized fighter plane and we’ll give you a counterfeit ukiyo-e painting, or we’ll attack your town again. And so, deciding to be merciful, Madame lets the Kotobuki Flying Corps (who are her employees) defend the town.
I like this notion of a story arc forming, as opposed to just having individual 25-minute stories. Elite Industries are the kind of antagonists you love to hate, and you can’t help but feel for the citizens of the town. This episode lets us look at the Kotobuki Corps more as one unit; I am still unable to warm too much to any of the girls individually. Well…maybe their captain Reona, who is the most mature and sensible out of all of them.
Still…I don’t know what it is about The Magnificent Kotobuki. It definitely has the potential to be a favorite for me this year, but there’s just something I can’t quite put my finger on; like there’s something missing here that would make me absolutely love this show, but just isn’t there. Is this missing something (that I can’t identify) arrive before the show ends? I really hope so. While I’m unable to warm so much to the main cast, the storyline and the world design are some things that really stand out here, and make me want to keep watching again and again. So, I’m pretty sure that The Magnificent Kotobuki is a show that is going to need quite a few rewatches for me in order to really absorb it and like it in the way I want to.
Onto that other flying girl show, Girly Air Force, the less we all treat it like some JDSF commercial, the more we’ll see it in a different way…maybe? This week is Gripen’s test flight to see if she is any use in the air, but then the bombshell drops, and we all find out that she, along with the other girls that feature in this show, is made out of scrapped Xi parts and grown in a test tube. Oh. At least we all know what she is now, and any thoughts of her being some kind of robot or machine are out the window.
Kei, though, remains behaving like a dull nobody who desperately wants to be a pilot; the folks at the airbase even become impressed by the fact that he can handle himself in one of their fancy-pants simulators that are meant for the Anima. Meanwhile, Minghua’s ship continues to sink, as her chances of spending any kind of time with her beloved Kei vanish faster as time goes by; she is treated like some housemate that we rarely see now. She’ll get her own episode soon enough, where she whines and pouts about having to be the third wheel in this show…plus I’m sure next week will see the other two Anima (Eagle and Phantom) get some air time. I hope so.
Now I’ve heard all sorts of things about the second season of Kemono Friends, like how the staff were all replaced, how the animation looks totally different, how it doesn’t continue from where season 1 left off…it’s almost as if the animation studio responsible for this (Tomason) wiped the slate clean and started from scratch. This was the studio responsible for the long-running Folktales from Japan, so what went wrong? Well I am currently not watching it, so I can’t form an opinion there. Maybe when I’ve finished season 1, I can watch some episodes from season 2, and see if all these people are right about it.
Episode 3 concerns Serval and Kaban’s quest to charge the battery for the tour bus they found, but the power source they need is at the top of a mountain. Lucky for them, a Crested Ibis happens to drop by and offers to give Kaban a lift up the mountain, where they all find a cafe run by Alpaca.
How this show did what it did remains a mystery to some anime watchers. I suppose a big budget and a long list of A-list voice actors isn’t everything in anime, and I suppose that was what Tomason tried to do with their interpretation of Kemono Friends. Guess they didn’t realize that a good portion of the success was down to Tatsuki, who wrote and directed this first season. Tatsuki was not asked to be a part of the sequel show, and it shows. There is even talk of a third season as well (see here for more)! I guess I should just make good of this first season, and maybe accept that there is not going to be another show like it again…
…but I suppose some congratulations are in order, for Kemono Friends has got me absolutely hooked on its OP theme. I just am unable to get it out of my head!
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and I have decided to actually do something this year, like go to the big parade in London. What about you? Do you do anything for the Lunar New Year (aside from watch anime)? Feel free to hit that like button and air your opinions in the comments below…