Weekly Seasonal Watches: Spring 2020 Anime Week 2

I honestly don’t have much to say in this part right now. You know, other then we are still at the start of the season and we are starting to see the affects of the Coronavirus in Japan. Some sequel shows I were interested in were delayed due to the virus and we are in that unsettling future where we don’t know what the effects are going to be as we move on. It’s scary to think about and it’s possible that all of these shows will be delayed at some point. If that happens, then it happens and I may have to come up with alternative plans for this part. Look forward to see how everything moves in the future.

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Fruits Basket 2 Episode 1

I’m really thankful to have this anime return. I feel like Fruits Basket is the ultimate psychiatrist anime that can put anyone into a better mood or mind space. That’s why I think it’s better as a Friday anime then a Monday anime and the reason why it airing on Monday is so strange to me. Still, Fruits Basket is here again for us to watch it, cry, laugh, fall in love, and so many other feelings that we have towards it. This week’s episode was a great look at the reasons why we like it.

Looking away at how characters have changed from an outside perspective is a very fun and unique way to show us what has been in Fruits Basket so far without using exposition. These writers are somehow insane geniuses. Yes, there is some small amounts of scenes between Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo with Shigure on the side to show us the relationship power in question. Most of the episode is about Yuki finding out the strange people who will be joining in his student council team. Machi who is quiet and started a mess and his V.P. Manabe who is pretty sleepy.

The Outside perspective come from some of the members of the Yuki fanclub. You know, the general people who obsess about Yuki but never get close to him? We see the weaknesses of one of the people behind that club. Never getting to know the person that you idol over and instantly getting mad at the people who do. I forget her name so I’m sorry, but seeing her come to terms with Tohru changing his perspective after talking with Yuki was interesting. It’s kind of fascinating to watch and think about in general.

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TAMAYOMI: The Baseball Girls Episode 2

This is the forming of the team episode! It was a fairly typical sort of episode of seeing a selected team join together and create some good feelings. More first years joined our girl’s and eventually, after Yomi’s pitching against a hesitant second year, the second years barely keeping the club going joined in too. They were impressed with Yomi’s pitching. Yomi’s earnestness and kindness allowed them to push back against the second’s years history of violence and aggression from the seniors. There was some awkward cg pacing, but the baseball throws and hits are pretty great. Everyone ws at least given a sense of a personality. I’m sure we will see more of them on the field.

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Tower of God Episode 2

Well, this series is moving pretty fast isn’t it? The second challenge went by pretty fast. There was some interesting establishment of characters and the importance of weaponry. Like, let’s talk about Khun knowing about Bam’s sword the Black Massa or even Rak hunting down Bam and Khun and then forced to be teammates with them. Similar with the action pair with the normal guy thrown in with them for fun comedy. The next challenge, going through the Shinsoo barrier to test their abilities, was a little cheap though but provided more interesting character moments too.

Due to his nature, the barrier didn’t affect Bam so he got to ask some important questions about irregulars from the judge after both of them guessing who would go through the Shimsoo barrier first. This was the way to test people’s abilities in magic that we barely understand yet. Only that people use it and it’s the magic powering the tower. There are so many things that remind me about Hunter x Hunter but faster and more efficient yet missing some of the character stuff. I do think that will all appear though. We are learning about these characters, just in nonconventional ways. Still, I really do like Tower of God so far. It just needs to give its characters some breathing room and it would be pretty much perfect.

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Gundam Build Divers RE:Rise Episode 14

I feel like the build series felt pretty threatened by the status of Beastars and BNA bringing up the furry status in some ways. That means RE:Rise need more furry in it and so we have a recap from Freddie’s point of view. We spend more time in Freddies village, get a little characterization out of everyone, then see how he summoned our “Build Divers”. You know, the original group from the first lousy series? All by reading a book and accidentally starting up the monument in the ruins. So when his village is under attack, he accidentally uses the monument to summon our new build divers and then see everything that happened from his point of view leading to the laser cannon from the moon. So here they are summoned again. The adventure begins again!

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APPARE-RANMAN! Episode 1

Another edition of wacky races the anime is here and it’s pretty cool so far. Well, for the most part because of the time period around the late 1800’s. The opening sequence with all sorts of cars ready to take part in a race starting in L.A. was pretty fun to watch. It’s interesting to see all sorts of cars ready to race and then Appare and his side quick Kosame not ready to drive yet. It gives us some good character interactions. After that opening, we dive into a flash back to one year in the past.

Appare and Kosame are in Japan. Kosame lives the normal life and Appare is an inventor that no one respects because they all want him to work. One day after suffering through a few things, Appare leaves and Kosame goes with him not by his own decision. They get stuck out in the sea, they are saved by an American vessel, then are taken to the United States. Specifically, L.A. This is where the flashback starts for now, but I think we wil see more in the next episode.

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Sakura Wars (2020) Episode 2

This episode slowed down a little bit after the explosive first episode, which is good. The first episode showed off all the things the Imperial Combat Revue: Rose Branch were capable of. This episode, Sakura shows Klara around the Imperial Combat Revue compound. We get to meet more of the main cast in their element and a lot of the side character’s personalities. It’s a great time honestly. The little plot could be a little better though because the character’s are dumb?

A random cyborg attacks Klara and Sakura as they are out and they mistake this cyborg as White Cape despite not having a white cape? Then there is a moment when the real white cape shows up and calls Sakura by name and then you see her master in the same outfit as white cape except the mask? Ummm, I guess the girls aren’t here for their intelligence are they? I thought that intelligence was something that was needed but oh well. Still, a fun episode with a great cliff hanger at the end with the Moscow Combat Revue airship over Tokyo.

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Listeners Episode 2

A very psychologically disjointed episode this week. An interesting choice honestly, but not one I would have done yet? I think establishing more of a chemistry between Mu and Echos would have been a better thing to do and save this episode for later? Still, in terms of quality it’s still a good one because Mu and Echo don’t know where to go. After fall off the train into the water, the two start thinking about what course they make after the fact where they should go. Of course, Echo comes up with the idea that they should ask more Listeners to see what they do.

During the night, the three girls we saw last episode preview to attack. You know, after Echo pies in an imaginary bathroom and asking for the three Listener’s autograph? He gets stuck in his own horrible mind zone while Mu wakes up and faces the three girls, sees she accidentally killed a fake Echo, and then begins seeing her past. She sees a version of herself and that she is a reincarnation of a previous Listener. Damn there is a lot to think about in this episode. I feel not completely convinced I caught everything because I’ve been sleeping on and off all day.

Once again, maybe we should have waited an episode or two for this one? It’s like what Gridman did with it’s one episode where Gridman loses and we are supposed to feel something about that happening. Hopefully like Gridman, this show will raise up and become something special too.

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My Next Life As a Villainess Episode 2

Oh this show is just conitnuing to be so much fun. Catarina is a character with a natural charisma and charm that I can’t help but really enjoy her. In this episode here “psuedo” harem grows when she goes to a tea party and has to be social. She meets the quiet Mary Hunt who she kind of woos accidentally and asks to help with her vegetable garden. The two become great friends afterwards. Of course, Mary’s fiance comes around to challenge Catarina in climbing duels and becomes friends with Catarina that way. What a soft hearted boy. I feel like this show is this season’s Bofuri just a little more sophisticated. It’s just pure fun to watch and see how Catarina can avoid dying in the end.

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