This Week in Anime

Silent But Deadly

Nicholas Dupree got into anime in high school, and manga even earlier. From One Piece to The Promised Neverland, he's the man to talk to if it's Shonen and it Jumps. He counts Den-Noh Coil and Serial Experiments Lain as his all-time favorites.

Michelle Liu got into anime in middle school through Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan and somehow liked it enough to stick around. When she's not loudly proclaiming her love of Sayo Yamamoto, she talks about figure skating and strange children's shows.

Episode 7

Episode 7

Episode 21

Episode 33

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.

So in a striking turn of events, Suka Suka might actually be my favorite episode this week?

This episode was really sweet!

I'm still iffy on the overall plot, but this is the first episode since the premiere that felt like it knew how to accomplish what it was trying for. Ctholly and Willem have, like, actual rapport!

And for once the pacing didn't feel off. It's mostly a series of quiet character moments, which this show has pulled off before. I'm thinking like, Tiat and Willem's movie landmark tour. It didn't try to cram a huge emotional conflict and its payoff in five minutes, for once.

It's still got some "anime-isms" I'd prefer not be there, but I'm glad we had time to just decompress and give the characters time together. Big conflict's important and all but just give me some time with your cast living their lives and I'm way more likely to buy what you're selling.

Personally I am 100% down with more of Willem being a good dad. He even admits he thinks of the fairies as his kids, awww

Just please don't try to make out with one of your kids, dude. Usagi Drop hurt me enough as-is.

Yeah, I'm a little less enthused by the weird pseudo-rivalry between Chtholly and Nygglatho for Willem's attention. Troll maid definitely acts as a mother figure to the girls, which throws a mildly uncomfortable wrench in that dynamic.

I may be reading too much into that but I took it more as Nygglatho doing for Ctholly what she wanted to do for Willem - giving her a reason to consider the Warehouse home now that she's not in a state to fight. Ctholly is obvs relieved to not be fighting, even if it's just temporary, but she also seems to feel guilty about that. Giving her something to focus on as a homebody seems like a good move.

I can see that.

then again I could be wrong and this'll throw in a love triangle
just to spite me.

I really hope your reading's right. It'd be mighty awkward for Nygglatho to flirt with /and/ mother Willem and Chtholly. This is one of those situations where I wish Sukasuka were slightly less Anime regarding the relationships between its female characters. They can relate to one another over more than guys, y'know?

Speaking of - we've got 2 new girls now! And one of them's just Squid Girl.

The other one's just me

Hmm, she's tiny and steals food. It checks out.

But yeah, I guess we're getting some new fairies around the warehouse next episode. I'm curious how the one who's interested in ancient books will react to Frozen Caveman Human Willem.

Probably very calmly, given her general demeanor.

That scene on the Saxifraga brings up a neat point though - the beasts are the reason for both the leprechauns' existence and their deaths. Cruel bit of irony ya got there, huh?

I guess when you're raised to die in battle you kinda make peace with your own existence at an early age.

I want to hug the children a lot. Please value yourselves beyond your combat abilities, children.

Ctholly's learning to value herself! Just in time for her past-life (?) to start destroying her! = D

:'D

This episode did a better job of getting me to care about her than most of the previous ones, tbh.

That's why I'm glad we've got this episode. I like seeing Ctholly working through her feelings outside of being fated to die, so when we inevitably get to the tragic end it can actually carry some weight.

Things like her insecurity about seeming childish in front of kids she's supposed to mentor; her reaching out for Willem's hand...

I almost wish this episode (or something like it) had happened like, five episodes ago. Just twenty minutes of hanging out with the characters, no clunky dramatics to mar the experience.

Yeah, I'd have preferred this over the side-avenue where they solved Furry Racism a few weeks back.

That sure was an episode, huh

But at least it's here now to give me something to grasp before we get into the end game.

Another thing I appreciated about this episode: it leaned more into its more absurd quirks. Lizards in Hawaiian shirts are very good

don't forget the cowboy hat

There's so much fun to be had with this setting, I wish the show would take advantage of it more often.

We've got 5 episodes left, so here's hoping!

I've got a feeling a large chunk of it's gonna be Chtholly's identity crisis, but maybe it'll remember to have a little fun along the way.

I'll take what I can get. And sometimes what we get is characters just sitting down and eating cake.

And sometimes they do that at
metatextual reference restaurants

I see you Ei Aoki

Isn't it actually studio Troyca doing RE:Creators?

it is, but let's not pretend this isn't partially Ei Aoki doing his own take on Fate/Zero

You've got a Saber, a Caster, a Lancer, yeah it checks out

So Nick, are you still okay with your anime fiancee murdering her own creator this week?

Are you kidding? That was my favorite scene!

Between the phones ringing and lights flickering, it did make for a damn good horror scene. I'm just wondering if you still want to be murdered by her if it means hanging.

I just loved the direction of the whole thing TBH. It uses the flickering lights to set the mood without showing us the graphic details. Aoki's not a particularly striking director, and sometimes he makes choices that feel unmotivated, but this got the gruesomeness across in a really clever way.

It's an effectively directed show! That's all I'm asking for. I'm still amused by the decision to have exposition/strategy discussions occur while the characters screw around on screen. Particularly enjoyed the bit of Yuya and Rui fighting over the TV remote. Like, same.

NGL I'm totally into their bromance. Yuya's the perfect kind of dumb teenager "cool" character to bounce of Rui's Trash Child persona.

Turns out Rui's chuuni af and was only constrained by his own story's genre, haha

Yuya's totally gonna steal his mech though.

I doubt Rui would even have a problem with that. But yeah, it's pretty neat how these characters are developing now that they don't have to fill the same narrative roles anymore! Rui's determination to be like Yuya, of course, but also Mamika.

Mamika's swiftly becoming my other favorite now.

She's straight up Madoka Kaname at this point, lbr. Believing really hard doesn't do anything in the real world but gosh dangit she's gonna try anyway!

I want to mom her real bad, d'you think I have a problem?

You have many problems

Mamika is really endearing though - she's caught at a ridiculous impasse where she's having to entirely change how she thinks now that she's in a world with nuanced morality.

So she does the pragmatic thing and confronts Sota about his possible involvement in the whole shebang

And we're finally learning just who MUP, er, Altair is!

By browsing Pixiv popularity listings, no less

That's probably the most perfect origin story possible - where else do you find absurd-ass villain OCs but the internet?

Probably had to sift through a lot of KanColle fanart to find her

I hope they at least had explicit material filters on or something wwww

I loved that bit about there being so many anime characters who had the same charm points.

It'd be like looking for Alicetaria among hundreds of Saber clones. Why Do Anime Nerds Gotta Have Such Boring Taste honestly

the 2nd cour of this show would just be them fighting Alice Alter, Alice of Red, Lily Alice, Alice Extra CCC...

You can't forget the requisite big titty Roman emperor

I am a little mystified that we're basically watching the rest of the cast learn what the audience figured out two weeks ago though. I'm hoping next week will focus on Sota's story rather than just adding more details to what we already know.

Real nice of 'em to cut off right when Sota was about to spill the beans, geez.

"Altair is my..." wHaT? Was he involved in her creation or what?

It definitely left me impatient for next episode.

This show needs a good kick in the pants I think.

Well next week we do get this

so I mean

coughs

NICK.

How bout those hero kids huh

Doing a tournament and stuff

They're good kids Nick - I say, for the millionth time

They are very good kids! And we got more of them than I was expecting this episode.

We really zipped through a bunch of fights this week!

It's even faster in the manga. Ibara never speaks at all, and Mina and Tokoyami's fights take place entirely off screen.

So were those strats completely original to the anime or were they described but not shown?

They're mentioned briefly, but Mina's skating was
totally original

That sure is a way to dodge laser beam pelvic thrusts

I don't even dislike Aoyama but there's something so satisfying about seeing him get decked

and pantsed!

Mineta can heck off about wanting to see Mina strip instead tho

Mineta can die in a fire

C'mon Endeavor, do something good with your time

I mean, Pantsless Aoyama is Good c'mon

If you're into that, I guess

But enough sidelines, let's talk about the real star of this episode!

HATSUME THE MVP

Doesn't matter who gets gold in this tournament, Mei already won

She's a damn good saleswoman, I'll give her that!

Poor Iida never stood a chance.

I loved it when she nonchalantly walked out of bounds once she was done showcasing the goods. The girl does not give a shit and that's why she's great.

It's a neat angle to take with some of these fights too - we've got plenty of kids who wanna be The Best and prove themselves, so it's nice to see somebody with more concrete goals. With all her gadgets Mei would be a legitimate threat to most of the kids who have to rely on their quirks, but she's all about that $$$

It's all about the publicity, m8. She knows the real purpose of this whole outfit - making an impression. Meanwhile, Ochaco's panicking about her match with Bakugo. It's okay, Uraraka, you've made plenty impression on me already, everything's gonna be daijoubu I swear

I'm also kinda glad that this section was extended because it gave some really good build up to Bakugo vs Uraraka. There's a really great tension to seeing her slowly getting more and more frazzled.

That made for some real solid laughs. Eyebrows? What eyebrows?

When she admitted to being ashamed of depending on Deku I just about screamed URARAKA U GOOD GIRL

She's been cooperating with Deku for so long that she's forgotten to push herself. Working together is great and all but at some point she's gotta step it up - I guess that's happening next week, when she goes up against the dude who wants to be the Very Best.

Spoilers: she dies

now Jiro's our lead girl

As a side note, Uraraka uses a fairly masculine turn of phrase when she says "let's meet in the finals" - the exact phrasing Deku uses

I didn't catch that. Makes sense though - it's the most Shounen promise you can make

I thought that was a pretty neat touch. She's really trying to do herself what Deku's been kinda doing for her up till now.

I'm really excited for next week. This fight's one of my favorites in the whole manga. Plus I just love seeing Bakugo's explosions animated.

It's gonna be good, I can feel it in my bones

haha

bones

I get it

...it was an accident, I swear

But Speaking of Bones

Eren gets welcomed into Da Share Z0ne

Isn't that a shitpost haven?

It's a rather disarming place really

Nick.

"it was an accident, I swear"

me @ u

Mikasa's having a rough couple of days huh? 2nd time Eren's been kidnapped this week.

Eren, get your act together

Truth be told I'm kinda glad Titan backed off the accelerator this week. Five weeks of fights and plot twists has left me a little exhausted, to say nothing of the actual characters. So taking the time for everyone to just recalibrate and have a snack before having to probably kill two of their friends is a good move.

Of all times to have a heartfelt flashback to their childhood, this was a good one, yeah. Once again we see Eren running off to do his own thing while Mikasa and Armin clean up after his ass.

It's a smart thing to do now. We've been in the heat of Titan's plot for so long it's easy to forget why these kids are fighting in the first place.

It's also the first time Eren's really gotten the spotlight this season, right? Even though he's not really around per se.

It's a reminder that he's stupid, brash, headstrong, tenacious, and doesn't know when to give up - and that's what makes him Eren.

He's a dumbass, but he's OUR dumbass. And he's got the drive and determination to inspire others - which is arguably more valuable than Armin's brains or Mikasa's brawn.

The boy's all heart, sometimes to his own detriment, but god damn if he isn't a good boy!

Armin can plan a battle, Mikasa can win the battle, but Eren's the one who can get others to fight in it at all.

Now if he could just learn how to take a punch for the life of him

Eren is such a lovable heap of garbage, isn't he? Armin and Mikasa have themselves so worked up over his dumb ass they forget to eat. Kiddos, take care of yerselves first, Eren's got plenty of protagonist armor to keep him alive, even if he does get trashed on near constantly.

And for the time being Reiner and Berthold don't seem to want to kill him. Reiner just wants to yell at him I think.

Both Eren and Ymir are disarmed so it's not like they can really run.

Oh I see

My joke's bad but not too bad to steal

Look, how else do you describe the state of being without arms?

Anyway, I'm hoping we start finding out more about Reiner's whole situation. Now that the adrenaline's worn off I'm realizing we know basically nothing about them or their "home town."

There's that, and the political side of things is starting to heat up a bit. You've got the MPs scared shitless about actually having to fight Titans, despite the airs they put on. Something's brewing in the military, though we won't get to see the payoff just yet.

I just want to have like

one mystery solved this season

That's all I ask. It's been 4 years. Don't blue ball me, show.

We're not getting to the basement, if that's what you're wondering.

But yeah, we'll get some answers soon I think... followed by more questions, of course, since that's how Attack on Titan rolls.

I just want something satisfying. I literally started, attended, and graduated college in the time between seasons of this show. It owes me something.

Bonus Discussion

So Nick, A Silent Voice was released on iTunes UK a few days ago. You seen it yet?

After fighting iTunes to let me do it, yes

You have no idea how long I spent the other night yelling at Apple to take my money, in a weird turn of events.

Before we get into the movie itself, just checkin: you haven't read the manga, have you?

I haven't. I'd been considering it after a ton of friends sang its praises but decided I'd just wait until the movie came out.

Alright, good to know. I read it as it was being serialized but haven't revisited since then. What'd you think of the movie, in a sentence?

I liked it, but feel I could've loved it with a few tweaks.

I friggin loved it, but agree it could've been improved in a few key areas.

Wondering if your complaints with it are the same as mine? I thought it was a touch overlong, and the secondary cast was really underused. Unfortunate remnant of being adapted from a long ass manga.

I'm of 2 minds on the length. I feel like it either needed to be shorter and hone its focus on the (stellarly written) leads or just open its belt and flab out to 3 hours to give the whole cast their time to shine. As is, some of the emotional beats came and went so fast that I was left scratching my head at times, and some of the secondary cast feel totally superfluous to the emotional core.

I'm with you on the second point - Mashiba and Kawai don't serve much of a purpose with their stories excised. Kawai's worth a mention as an example of passive bullying, I guess, but otherwise, yeah.

There's also just some creative choices I don't really get. Specifically the music in a few key scenes.

You thinking of the scene in the hospital where Shoya climbs outta bed?

That too, but specifically the scene where Shoya's mom confronts Shoko in front of the hospital. The content there is really well written - there's tons of gnarled, complicated emotions flying and it's the lowest point of the whole story. And yet the score is this upbeat, tinkling electronic piano that practically drowns out Shoko's lines. I just can't figure out what they were going for with that accompaniment and it took me out of what was otherwise a fantastically staged moment.

I disagree, actually. That part to me was the point where the cast is starting to piece their lives back together. Yeah, the emotions there are ugly, but there's also a faint undercurrent of hope. That's what I think the score was going for there.

I can see what you mean, but in the moment it totally distracted me from the rest of it. I do want to stress that I did like the film - the middle hour or so has was totally engrossing and the whole thing's gorgeous from start to finish.

Not a fan of the first act? That's my favorite material.

I like the material, but the first 20 minutes are some of the most Naoko Yamada sequences in the whole thing, and I just have never clicked right with her predilections as a director.

I thought the early bits succeeded in the attention to detail - the incidental actions, the kids' body language. Shoya repeatedly playing with pencil lead really rang true, like yeah, that's a real kid. The film's really good with its child characters. They feel like real kids, with all their thoughtlessness.

It's a lot of great details and I absolutely appreciate the craft. Yamada's a super talented director with a gift for body language and communicating physicality. But something about her editing just bugs me - not sure how to put it in words.

Huh, I thought the editing in that first part was fantastic. Really efficient at setting up the parallels between Shoko and Shoya's experiences with the jump cut montages, for instance.

It's totally a personal peeve for me, I know.

That's totally cool! If we're talking about petty complaints with the movie I will admit I got a little tired of the soft lens filter after a while. Though that made the underwater scenes all the more visually striking, so maybe that's not a bad thing.

I can see that. Mostly I'm just glad there were fewer shots framed around anime girl calves.

Though don't think I didn't notice, Yamada

It's okay if you have bad taste and dislike Naoko Yamada legs, Nick.

I don't even dislike them. I'm just tired of that shot. You could make a foreleg drinking game out of Sound! Euphonium and die by episode 7.

But yeah, personal nitpicks aside it's a really solid movie with some phenomenal moments to it. Really glad I finally got to watch it.

Really, so much emotion is conveyed wordlessly that I really can't imagine anyone but Yamada adapting this.

She's absolutely the right choice for it. I can't imagine how complicated it was to animate sign language with that much clarity.

Yeah, as a story about healing and redemption, it's real good. We really get into that particular mix of adolescent anxiety and self-loathing. They're a bunch of messed up kids trying their best. Shoko doesn't say much but she's got a lot on her mind.

The central cast are terrific and complicated in all the ways I really love to see. It reminds me of Scum's Wish in how it portrays these messy relationships and emotions with so much care and sympathy.

Scum's Wish, but with less hate-fucking and more insensitive kids failing to accommodate their less abled peers.

That's what this movie nails I think, the kind of thoughtlessness that really hurts marginalized folks - in this case, disability, but it can also extend to other types of marginalization.

And the way different people react to their own toxic actions. Shoya turns to self-loathing, Ueno doubles down on her own prejudice to avoid confronting her actions, and Kawai just denies culpability entirely because she wasn't the instigator.

Sahara was probably the least shitty of those kids but even she shied away from actually confronting anyone bullying Shoko.

Yep. It's a lot more considerate and thoughtful than your typical bullying narrative. I was really glad it was willing to explore such a touchy subject with that much grace.

This movie's real special. The balcony scene will probably stick in my memory for a pretty dang long time. The soundtrack builds and builds, ramping up the anxiety, and then - silence. It's such a good scene.

It's definitely unique. My nitpicks mostly stick out more in my head because they're in contrast to how rock solid the rest of the film is. I'm definitely glad I checked it out. May even see it again in theaters if anybody ever licenses it here.

Oh man, imagine how good it'd look on the big screen. I'm crying inside a little just imagining it

We can at least agree that it's utterly pointless to compare it to Your Name, right?

100000%

that's like comparing Apples and Steak

Or fried rice and onion rings

How dare you bust out a Love Rice Heybot combo without warning people first, nobody's mentally prepared for that kind of warfare

great, i want onion rings and fried rice now, thanks me

how the tables have turned...