Kill la Kill Episode 20 Notes – I Shall Destroy the World to Escape My Past

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

Well, had a huge headache last night, went to take a nap from 0120 to 0200, when I expected the subs to come out. Woke up at 0450 when my cat wanted to be let out, but I was too tired, so went back to sleep.

And now, it’s time for Kill la Kill :)

Wha do I expect this episode? I wonder. Ryuuko and Senketsu, some people who think this show is “fast-paced” think this issue will get resolved this episode, but in which case, what will happen after? That was one thing I really liked in Gurren Lagann, the small section where it showed what happened after, and in that sense, I think the whole of Kill la Kill will only match to the first half of TTGL. Meaning, I expect Ryuuko and Senketsu to only make up in the penultimate episode, or even in the final one.

It’s interesting, if we were to talk in ages, this is the “Heroic Age”, and what will happen after the show, when our heroes “win” is the “Mortal Age”. Last episode was about the defeat of humanity, but in order for humanity to triumph, it must be done by those such as Satsuki and Ryuuko, who are far from normal humans. Humanity’s triumph can only be achieved by monsters fighting for its sake and gifting it the victory… you defeat clothes, by clothes.

Ok, enough rambling, episode time.

Thoughts and Notes:

1) A Study of Masks and Their Removal: Matoi Ryuuko Exposed:

Aku no Hana / Flowers of Evil – Horror is Skin-Deep

 

Aku no Hana, known in English as “Flowers of Evil” received the 13th spot in my top anime of 2013 post. I am not sure how much I “enjoyed” the show, but it certainly felt unique enough that I didn’t feel like I could avoid mentioning it on the list. Aku no Hana is based on a manga by the same name, which in turns draws its name from Charles Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du mal,” a French poetry book. The show’s “protagonist”, Kasuga Takao, reads and prides himself for “getting” the book, which he claims everyone around him is too simple to manage.

Usually I’m wary of adaptations, but I think the series format made Aku no Hana work for me in ways reading it wouldn’t have accomplished, but its failings as well might be unique to the series-form, which I’ll discuss again later. Aku no Hana isn’t a plot-driven, or even a character-driven show as much as it’s an atmosphere-driven show. Not much happens, at least not externally; most of the time is spent on waiting for something to occur, for the other shoe to drop.

(This is a Things I Like post, it’s not a review, but more a discussion of the show and of ideas that have risen in my mind as I’ve watched it. There will be very few spoilers, but not too many, cause not that much happens ;-))

Kill la Kill Episode 19 Notes – Our Humanity, Under Siege

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

Believe it or not, Kill la Kill had been my #1 show for the week for the past 3 weeks, and it’s been quite some time since it’s been this strong. The last few weeks had been great. Last episode certainly left us in a precarious position, with the two girls, the two sisters being smacked about by their mother, who took one daughter’s clothes, meaning her dignity, away, and is holding the heart of the other daughter, the one fueled by her emotions.

I guess it’s now up to the supporting cast. Supporting cast that’d been given their own flashback scenes, a supporting cast that had been set up not as shounen sidekicks, but as protagonists. I wonder how long this will go on, and how awesome our Elite Four and Others are going to be. Show me, excite me. You can do it, Trigger.

Thoughts and Notes:

1) Humanity Under Siege:

Gamagoori and Mankanshoku for life!

Winter 2014 Week 7 Overview – (Anime Power Ranking)

This week I posted my Mid-season anime impressions. There’s only so much time I can spend on the currently airing shows without burning out about talking about currently airing shows, so I’m going to be succinct about every single entry this time.

Anime Power Ranking is no longer held, so here are the shows I’ve watched this past week and how I order them. Each link leads to my episodic write-up of the relevant show. In parenthesis the score relative to last week’s placement.

(Shows Covered – Gin no Saji (Silver Spoon 2nd Season, Nagi no Asukara, Sekai Seifuku (World Conquest Zvezda Plot), Nobunagun, Chuunibyou Ren, Kill la Kill, The Pilot’s Love Song, Log Horizon, ‘Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha’, Nisekoi, and Noragami)

1) Kill la Kill Episode 18 (+0)

Winter 2014 Anime Mid-Season Impressions

So, another season of anime reached its half-point and it’s time to watch my mid-season impressions, where I talk a bit of the show and rate it. Shows will be listed in order of my enjoyment of them. I’d summarize my thoughts on this season as “Shows just good enough to not drop, and Fall 2013 carry-overs”. There’s a lot of half-assed plot-progression, a lot of tired shows this season. There’s action, and there’s comedy, and there’s next to nothing else. It’s as if everyone is keeping their energies for Spring. Fall 2013 shows carrying over had more or less been saving this season, honestly.

I’ve decided to only cover shows I’ve watched at least 5 episodes of (with two exceptions), as I’ve given a whirl to plenty of shows I then dropped. This is aimed at helping people pick up shows, so continuing shows from Fall 2013 aren’t included, but for the record? Kill la Kill, Nagi no Asukara, and Log Horizon are all making very strong showings, and I’m a few episodes behind on Samurai Flamenco.

Shows covered, in Alphabetical order: Buddy Complex, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren, Gin no Saji S2, ‘Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha’, Nisekoi, Nobunagun, Noragami, Pilot’s Love Song, Pupa, Pupipo!, and Sekai Seifuku Bouryaku no Zvezda.

Got Me Hooked:

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren / Chuunibyou 2nd Season

Rikka, afraid of being left behind.

First of all, this show had been somewhat disappointing. I’ve hoped we’ll get a couple already in a relationship, but 8 months later Rikka and Yuuta had their first kiss, on the cheek. Well, the show is still endearing, and I really like the cast. We’ve had a couple of filler episodes, but it’s indeed better to shove them early so they won’t get in the way of the actual plot later on. Romantic advances? Facing your own self? One can only hope. Nibutani does serve to showcase how Rikka is accepted by others, for being herself, whereas Nibutani’s attempt to not show her true nature only backfire.

Episodes Watched: 6/?

Current Grade: A. One of the fillers bored me, but the other had me laughing and smiling.

Write-up Status: Short notes, longer thoughts now and then, moving to just watching and enjoying it.

Kill la Kill Episode 18 Notes – Cry Out Your Resolve! Fight for Freedom!

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

It’s 3 am. Kill la Kill is out. I am tired.

Screw it. We’re doing this.

Well, last episode certainly ended with a bang, and even Ryuuko was left with nothing to say aside for “What the hell is going on?!” – Satsuki set upon Ragyou, but it seems like we can’t count Ragyou out so quickly. This will be a battle, with so many sides and participants – Ryuuko, Nudist Beach, Kiryuin Ragyou, Kiryuin Satsuki, Nui, the Elite Four, and who knows what’s going to happen with all of the people in the stadium who are currently busy being consumed by their clothes? And we can’t count out Mako just yet either…

There’ll be fights, and there’ll likely be flashbacks and revelations. I just don’t know what is going to happen asidefrom all of this, and what will happen afterwards, because I doubt it’d be done with one big fight.

Winter 2014 Week 6 Overview – (Anime Power Ranking)

The best way to describe this season is “Shows that are just good enough to not get dropped, and Fall 2013 carry-overs.” I enjoy these shows just enough to not drop them, but most are hardly exciting, or have me eagerly awaiting the next episode.

I predict multiple shows will be dropped next week. I’m also going to move to a new format, this will be the APR+ format, meaning I pick 1-4 shows I have a lot to say about, and say it all. The other shows are going to get like… one sentence.

Anime Power Ranking is no longer held, so here are the shows I’ve watched this past week and how I order them. Each link leads to my episodic write-up of the relevant show. In parenthesis the score relative to last week’s placement.

(Shows Covered – Nagi no Asukara, Sekai Seifuku (Zvezda), Nobunagun, Chuunibyou Ren, Kill la Kill, The Pilot’s Love Song, Log Horizon, ‘Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha’, Nisekoi, Tokyo Ravens, Noragami, and Pupipo!)

1) Kill la Kill Episode 17 (+0)

Kill la Kill Episode 17 Notes – Plans Come to Fruition

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

Ok, last episode was all sorts of great. The most fun I’ve had with KLK since episode 13. Now we know what the sides are, we know what we are fighting for, and what are our goals. Well, we think we do. But now it’s time for showdowns, now it’s time for the festival, and now it’s time for betrayal. Let us see how the Kiryuins play this game of clothes, where you win, or you end up naked.

And yes, we must also see what Senketsu has to say about all of this.

Thoughts and Notes:

1) Being Kiryuin Satsuki, Being Matoi Ryuuko:

Winter 2014 Week 5 Overview – (Anime Power Ranking)

This week I actually wrote as close as you’ll get to editorials on several episodes, so just head to the main post to see my thoughts on the shows that interest you, and how they stacked up this past week.

Anime Power Ranking is no longer held, so here are the shows I’ve watched this past week and how I order them. Each link leads to my episodic write-up of the relevant show. Since I missed the post on Saturday, and all the shows from last Thursday to yesterday are in one post, there’s no relative placement this time around.

(Shows Covered – Nagi no Asukara, Sekai Seifuku (Zvezda), Nobunagun, Chuunibyou Ren, Kill la Kill, The Pilot’s Love Song, Log Horizon, ‘Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha’, Nisekoi, Tokyo Ravens, Noragami, Buddy Complex, Pupipo! and Pupa)

1) Kill la Kill Episode 16 (+4)

There’s tension, and then there’s Mako.

Media Month in Review – January 2014

I’ve been all sorts of busy and pre-occupied this month, which explains the relative dearth of movies watched, as well as all the editorials I said I’ll write and hadn’t. I’ll also use this entry to give a sentence or so on each of the currently airing anime I’ve watched, and there’d been a metric ton of those.

I use this post to go over all the media consumed/experienced over the past month, with 2-4 sentences per item. A way to give short thoughts on each topic.

Movies:

• The Hobbit part 2: The Desolation of Smaug – Definitely a film you’re going to enjoy more if you don’t remember The Hobbit as clearly as I do (though it’s been roughly two decades since I’ve last read it). It’s a fun film, with lots of “fun” moments, especially ones designed to wink at and draw people who liked the Lord of the Rings films, but I really feel as if the titular hobbit had been relegated to an unimportant role. A lot happens in this film, this lengthy film, yet afterwards it feels like nearly nothing of import did.Smaug is well done, a feat of CGI. I liked his acting, my friend didn’t, since he was a bit too smug and cold, and as he said, he seemed like a Bondian villain. That’s exactly what I expected him to be like, myself.