Going on a trip down memory lane here; what did I watch in the last Winter season? Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (I somehow knew that that was going to be something special), Asteroid in Love (which was actually much better than I thought it would be), and In/Spectre (which was…strange and a little tiring to watch). In this Winter Season, I have 4 shows that I’m enjoying equally, which is something rare; I always seem to end up nit-picking at one show each season. The last season was great too. Really did seem like I was the only one who loved Assault Lily: Bouquet to pieces though; when the season ended, I read so many ‘meh’ comments about it…
But what about these 4 shows that I’m enjoying in equal measures?
Otherside Picnic Episode 4
Yes, this show has officially grown on me. I’d like to think that Sorao is wholly responsible for this, but I know that there’s a whole lot more to Otherside Picnic than just her…and that fang of hers that I only ever noticed until this week.
This week’s so-called urban legend is the ‘Space-time Man’. Unusually, not much is explained about him, but that’s not the main part of this episode. Instead, the main part is about Sorao trying to patch things up with Toriko after she gets frustrated with having to be a tag-along to find someone she’s never even met before. I’d get frustrated too. Interestingly, we are given a kind of backstory on who both Sorao and Toriko were before they met. Seems that Toriko’s parents both passed away, while family members of Sorao joined a weird cult leaving her living alone. These two stories are something that add to the anime as a whole. It’s certainly something that can bring them closer together; these opening episodes are merely episodes where they can develop one another’s trust.
I say all these nice things about Otherside Picnic, but there are still a lot of things that throw me off. For instance, when both Toriko and Kozakura (especially Kozakura) decide to use a lot of bizarre and technical terms relating to urban legends and parallel dimensions. Yeah, it’s something that’s pretty central to the show, but in a show like this, sometimes it’s better to “show, don’t tell”. Maybe we should see all of these things happening before we are told about them – that way we can understand them more. What doesn’t make me feel better is that I think these complicated explanations will be a reoccurring thing. Will I make further complaints like that in the future though? I hope not. The show is getting better, and I don’t want stuff like that dramatically changing my opinion.
The Promised Neverland Season 2 Episode 3
Alright, now I’m at this point in the show, I can understand why it became as massive and popular as it did. This would not normally be the kind of thing I’d pick for Otaku Theater, but I still wanted to know what all the big fuss was about, but am I enjoying it as much as the big fans are? Hard to say, to be honest.
And I really do mean that. Yes, I get it, but I just have not been able to get on this The Promised Neverland hype train. That’s not me saying I’m not liking the show; so far, this second season has turned out to be very interesting, and it is the next phase in these children’s lives. They have only ever known Gracefield Manor, and we could see last week how much Emma suddenly changed after going off scouting with Soju and being taught how to kill a live animal. It’s as if she has suddenly matured in a matter of minutes. Here in this week’s episode, Soju and Mujika point them in the direction of where William Minerva might be. I still believe that this naïve faith will be something that’ll really bit them all on the backside sooner or later. I, along with the rest of us I’m sure, am just dreading that moment, as we have all become so attached to these children.
It’s also worth remembering that we’re only about a quarter of the way through, and I’m more than certain that we won’t be seeing the last of Sonju and Mujita, especially with the ominous parting words he said. I look around online and I see other reviewers who raise the possibility that the two of them have led the children into some ominous trap or corner? I mean how are we to know if these two demons really mean what they say? Once again, I go back to naïve faith. It’s become a bit of a broken record each week, I know; I suppose it’ll be up to Emma, Ray, and the older children to try and steer them all in the right direction, with the demon’s help or not.
Like the first season did, this second season teases us with lots of new plot-points; won’t be spoiling the second half of this episode, but I think a lot of things will come all at once for these poor guys in the near future. So let’s just cheer them on.
Yuru Camp Season 2 Episode 3
I’ll admit that due to how chilled out this show is, it becomes pretty difficult to give it a strong review, outside of Rin did this, Nadeshiko did this, and so on. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. Here this week, we get to see how Rin has to spend the remaining days camping due to the roads being blocked by snow and ice. Luckily, Nadeshiko has relatives living nearby, and decides to join up with them. We get to see some quality Rin x Nadeshiko action at last. It’s been 3 episodes overdue.
I brought up last week how I only just discovered how characters in Yuru Camp were all named after towns and villages in some prefectures across Japan. To be fair, having never been, I am the last person to talk to when it comes to Japanese geography, however I don’t think that really matters so much. Yuru Camp has brought us a lot of fluffy moments; too many to count, in fact. I particularly like the manga of this, and this adaptation of it mirrors the calm and soothing atmosphere and environment the manga intended to build.
There’s still so much more to come, though. Season 1 gave us introductions to all the main characters, along with the forming of the Outdoor Activities Circle. As we watched the opening episode of season 2, it really did feel like a direct continuation. And in this season, all sorts of new characters and scenarios are brought in to make the show even…fluffier. Take for instance this week, as Rin and Nadeshiko meet up for the first time in the new year while Rin is stuck out there due to roads closing. Here is where we are introduced to an old friend of Nadeshiko, Ayano. Another adorable munchkin indeed.
We never really knew that much about Nadeshiko before, and what kind of fluffy adorable munchkin she was before coming to high school, meeting Rin, and starting up the Outdoor Activities Circle. Curiously, we learn that Nadeshiko used to be a bit of a chubby girl in middle school, and only decided to get into exercise and lose weight for high school. And yet, we see Nadeshiko still willing to eat anything; as Ayano says this week, she is capable of making any kind of food look delicious to eat. I mean, think back to the very first episode of Yuru Camp, where even her cup noodles looked delicious.
Here’s hoping we’ll get to see some more of Ayano; she seems too good of a character to waste on just one episode. She might not really be the camping type, sure, but with such an attachment to Nadeshiko, it seems wrong for her to just disappear.
A Lull In The Sea Episode 3
Since I only really got as far as around episode 6, there’s still so much I don’t know about A Lull In The Sea, and what all these main characters get up to. You can really tell that, by episode 3, that this is an incredibly melodramatic show. Whether it’ll be too melodramatic for its own good, I don’t know. It does tend to be a P.A Works habit after all.
Going on from episode 2, we can see that the younger generation in Shioshishio really do want to move on from their pretty dull and extremely conservative home. Whether they get to stay there is something else, but for Akari, it’s already too late. The elders have made their decision, and she has been told to leave the sea village for good. An action like this only highlights the great divide of the sea people and the surface people. A Lull In The Sea isn’t a political show by any means, but this population divide is something that will not disappear for a long time. Did Akari know that she would be banished and continue to see this guy, however? Which poses the other question: had she planned on moving to the surface regardless? Right now, from episode 3, every time I look at the sea village, all I see is a place that won’t let go of ancient traditions, and refuses to accept the modern era. The world changes as years and centuries go by, yet Shioshishio will not change with it.
And what does our short-tempered little brat think of all of this? Well, Hikari reacts precisely how you’d think he would. He believes that taking out his frustration on Akari’s boyfriend will make the problem go away. Moments like this in the show make me really think how long it’ll be before Hikari starts to act more maturely. Both Chisaki and Kaname have reached that point, and Manaka is just…being Manaka. Considering his short temper and anger issues, one would think that these other kids would have had enough with him. They clearly see something that I am not. This whole ‘leaving-the-village’ plot point is something that I believe will be the key factor in this first cour of the show. The younger generation want to move on in life, and they think staying in Shioshishio will make them feel worse. I don’t blame Akari for wanting to leave one bit.
I’ve been doing my best to avoid current affairs right now, as it really has started to depress me now. I’m starting to reach out more to some other shows, and I still remain committed to getting back into the Pretty Cure franchise with the latest generation, Tropical-Rouge!, when that starts at the end of February. But the seasonal shows are starting to gain their momentum now, so what has stood out for you so far? It may still be pretty early (not even the end of January yet), but have there been any plot points that have grabbed you in particular? Feel free to hit that like button and air your opinions in the comments below!