Anime: Winter 2017 Week 6

The lives of all people flow through time, and that time brings a new batch of anime every week. Hello once again, Lusi-drones! This week, things definitely move forward as the shows seem to be hitting their stride. There is much more movement than last week, and many more characters introduced. Could it be that things are finally moving past the entry point, and into the real meat of the shows? The only way to be sure is to simply dive in, and take a look at what the shows have to offer us this week. What surprises await? Enough stalling! Onto the real reason people are here, the reviews!

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. Episode 5

The episode opens with two different men, one the rookie soldier and the other the personal guard of the prince, both tailing Jean’s sister Lotta. Both the soldier and the prince have developed interest in the Lotta, however every person the prince sends to watch her ends up distracted by food. Jean is informed he is being watched by someone in internal affairs, and has been for at least a month, and this news disturbs him as he was under the impression he was free of being tailed for exactly that long. Now that he knows, he once again seems to be aware that he is being watched and by whom during his audit of the Birra District, a cold and snowy place. In every district that has been audited so far, Jean has been gifted with a unique cigarette. No clue has been given yet as to where they are coming from.

The reveal to Jean about the fact that he has been followed, as well as him working out by whom, adds a whole second angle to the show. It also shows that Jean is not as unaware as people seem to think, as well as showing just how prone he is to getting swept up into things, most of the time by accident. The animation is still top notch, and the character development is deep and interesting. ACCA 13 is still recommended.

Akiba’s Trip The Animation Episode 6

The sixth episode opens with disaster, as Tamotsu’s laptop gives him the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. This prompts him to go to a local pc sale to purchase a new machine, but the same machine as everyone else simply will not do for Tamotsu, so his friend convinces him that the best option is to build his own pc. From there, the two set off on a journey to find the best deals on parts in the area, and follow around a kid nicknamed the Jackal who has an eye for the best deals in pc parts, and hides them for later purchase. After snatching some of his set-aside parts, Tamotsu builds his pc and heads home, only to realize he forgot to buy an operating system (OS). Fortunately for him (or unfortunately), the professor has designed an A.I.-driven OS of her own and he installs it.

After naming his A.I., he gets acquainted quite quickly and loses focus on all things around him, as most nerds end up doing with new technology. Life seems to take a backseat as he only leaves the house for his patrols, and laments the inability of his pc to come with him on this activities, and the professor takes note of this, building a body for his pc. Now the pc, named Pyuko, is able to come with him as he takes her out to become familiar with Akiba. Happiness cannot last for long, however, as the previously mentioned good deals on pcs were actually robots in disguise, and were a plot by another Bugged One. Despite the formulaic and predictable ending, as well as the basic “meet bugged one, fight bugged one” formula each episode has taken, this episode managed to have a touching moment or two, and the show itself continues to impress on its grasp of nerd culture in the moments there is no fighting.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Episode 5

As episode 5 opens, Tohru is pleased with herself as she seems to be acclimating with the human world quite well, from her own perspective on being able to cook human food and the like. Her education on human life continues in the best way possible to learn about humans, daytime television. Meanwhile, Kobayashi reflects on her changes since the dragons showed pu in her life, mostly to her personality. People have been complimenting her on being less stoic and more open, and she wonders how she was before. Having not done so yet, and feeling more comfortable in the human world, Tohru uses magic to hide and visits Kobayashi at work. Here she learns that Kobayashi’s boss, like many bosses, pushes all of his work onto her and berates her constantly for not being able to do her work and his in a timely manner. This upsets Tohru, seeing Kobayashi get picked on, but she feels like she learns more about Kobayashi and humans in general (and decides that since dragons could destroy humanity at any time, they are still better). While doing her weekly shopping, Tohru is surprised to find Fafnir in the human world again. Fafnir has decided to live with humans a while as well, and seems to be concerned that Tohru is getting too comfortable around humans. Every episode of this show has little lessons on how to live life with other people, and on understanding one’s self and one’s limits. The characters are quite likeable all around, and the random bursts of action to remind viewers this is a KyoAni production are quite nice as well. Just in case anyone forgets that these are dragons capable of destroying the world with a thought. All in all if viewers are a fan of silly, lighthearted shows with occasional moments of emotion, this one is still good.

Youjo Senki Episode 5

Episode 5 opens with trouble for Tanya, as she works to assemble the new early response battalion that she will have to lead. To her surprise, she received hundreds of applicants, and had some hope that this fact would mean she could take many months “screening” potential candidates in hopes of avoiding completion of this task as long as possible. Unfortunately for her, the top brass foresaw the large workload and has assigned her several assistants to help with the task, including the soldier she worked with in the first episode. She does, however, get to extend the process a little by developing a test for the applicants that almost all of them seem to fail. Unfortunately, the brass are demanding results faster, so she must demonstrate that the test is a fair one, and continue her work as best as she can.

The brass, as is typical of upper management, still demands results without truly understanding the demand of the task put forth. Tanya finally relents, but says taht if she must lower her standards of recruits, she must be given time to reeducate them all on their shortcomings. Normally, this would take years, but Tanya claims she can do it in a single month. So begins a rather epic, and brutal, training montage. Determined to force the men to quit, she puts them through Hell. Unfortunately, doing so puts an irrational fear in them, so they are too afraid to quit, and so become a talented battalion despite her wishes. Shortly, they are given their first assignment, and put to the test to see just how effective their training really was. As expected, though last week’s episode was a little dull, this episode brought everything back around again, delivering on all the things that this show is to be loved for, from the interesting characters, to the gorgeous animation. It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here.

Masamune-kun’s Revenge Episode 6

The episode begins exactly where the last episode left off, with a tense moment after Makabe and Aki have been assigned cleaning duties after annoying the gym teacher. Aki asks for Makabe to prove his feelings, and does not believe that he will do it. It seems like Makabe is willing to prove his feelings, but then at the last moment, Aki freaks out and things do not go quite as expected. After this, Makabe is once again assaulted by Neko, who has the gall to bring him a vitamin enriched tea after having to strain himself in the pool. The nerve of some people! Determined to get rid of her, Makabe asks her the question he had no answer for when Aki had asked him, “What do you like about me?” Unfortunately this backfires, as she answers him right away, giving him a lot to think about as well as building up his confidence a little.

After everyone heads home, Yoshino decides to tail Neko and see just what it is she is up to, and what exactly her intentions are. This leads the two of them to a confrontation in front of Makabe’s house, where they both meet his mother. She forces the two of them to come in and help her make dinner, and once again the food presentation is amazing, though Makabe does not treat himself to the high caloric food. A little more is shown about Neko, as she seems to be obsessed with getting the proper nutrients when she eats, and does indeed seem to have some sort of past connection to Makabe, though he still does not recognize her in any way. His sister forces all of them to have a good time, despite Makabe’s best efforts, and the episode ends with another slight cliffhanger, leaving viewers eager to see more. What is the mystery of who Neko is? Is she the female version of Makabe, someone who was too overweight for his tastes when he was younger who has come back now that she is attractive? Who exactly hurt Aki so much that she distrusts men so deeply? Could it have been Makabe himself in the past? Or perhaps her father, or another important man in her life? So many unanswered questions, one must come back simply to keep learning at this point.

Once again, we have reached the end of the reviews! This week was an interesting one all around, with more information learned about many characters, definite plot development in almost every show, and surprising shows of emotion in shows that should just be nothing but silliness. All in all, how do the readers think the season is so far? Are there any standout shows for you? Let me know, Lusites, and I will see you next week!