As I surmised last review, the episode “Supper of Three and Afternoon of Two” covers the exact same content as “Wolf and the Amber Melancholy,” the OVA episode which served as the effective episode 0 for season 2 of the 2009 adaptation. Both are adaptations of a short story of the same name as the latter, which appeared in volume 7 of the main novel series but which fits chronologically between novel 2 and novel 3 – in other words, the exact point where the series is now.
While this story’s presence delays the start of the next story arc by one week, it is still a welcome inclusion because it provides a fitting epilogue to the Ruvinheigen arc. Though Holo has seemed to weather the crises so far just fine, she is spending time in (a hardly-robust) human form at length for the first time in centuries, so travel fatigue eventually catching up to her is perfectly natural. Undoubtedly, her emotions being in flux is also contributing to this. At least partly because she’s been alone for so long, she’s become more possessive and needy towards Lawrence than she cares to acknowledge, which is leaving her conflicted over how much she craves Lawrence’s undivided attention. That’s fueling jealousy towards Nora. She knows, as the Wisewolf, that Nora isn’t a romantic threat; Lawrence has more than proved his devotion and Nora is as guileless as they come. However, she’s still envious of the attention he gives her and can’t help but notice that Nora has decided physical similarities: she and Nora both appear to be in their mid-teens, are slight of build, and have pretty faces, which seems to be Lawrence’s preferred type. Moreover, Lawrence seems mostly oblivious on this point. She’s not used to this, either, so she could be as much emotionally as physically worn out.
Some of this insight comes from what’s transpired to this point, but the episode also benefits from focusing exclusively on Holo’s viewpoint for the first time. That makes for the deepest dive into what makes Holo tick that we’ve seen to date. Much of what she expresses in her dream sequences and ruminations while rolling around in bed here has come up before, but here her feelings about her past and present situations are more clearly and directly articulated: the weight of self-imposed responsibility that kept her in place for so long, the nostalgia for times long past, and (most interestingly) her unease about how thoroughly she is enjoying her current dynamic. The original adaptation strongly implied that at least some of that unease is because she knows that her period of joy is finite, since she she will far outlive Lawrence, but this adaptation seems content to dwell only on her feelings in the moment.
This certainly doesn’t make for the most exciting of episodes, but it emphasizes further how character-driven the series is. It also gives the original writer a bit of opportunity to show off his research about how people in medieval times viewed illnesses; what Lawrence espouses to Holo about balancing the aspects of the body was a fairly common understanding of medicine several hundred years ago in our world, and while it’s not totally accurate, elements of more modern medicine can be seen in it. The other interesting tidbit that will fly by most viewers is that one of the painting-like dream sequences (the one shown below) is a clear reference to another of the short stories in original volume 7:
The episode also allows Nora and Enek to get their last little bit of screen time and an additional “girl talk” moment with Holo – again at Lawrence’s expense. Sadly, this is Nora and Enek’s last appearances in the series (except possibly for a brief cameo at the beginning of next episode) unless the current adaptation continues through to the completion of the main storyline; Nora only appears again at the end and in a couple of side stories which explore where her life goes after this, and I don’t expect the latter to be animated.
There’s no indication that the series is taking a break, so it will continue next week by beginning the adaptation of the third original novel. These episode reviews will continue as well, even while the Summer 2024 Preview Guide begins. Also watch for a Spring ’24 Wrap-Up due out this coming weekend.
Last episode ended with Lawrence seemingly in deep trouble, though this time viewers don’t have to rely on meta knowledge to know that the worst for Lawrence is now past; with Holo around, humans are a much bigger threat to Lawrence than wolves. The irony here is that, while those humans find out that there are consequences for getting squeamish about directly killing Lawrence, they at least aren’t fatal consequences because they didn’t kill him. (Holo’s rage would have known no bounds if Lawrence had died.)
Holo taking on full wolf form here was to be expected, since this is the same pattern and almost the exact same timing as in the first arc. Logically speaking, it’s also the only real way to resolve the problem of Remerio’s betrayal. That being said, this isn’t a deus ex machina ploy because Holo alone cannot resolve the issue; she’s just the muscle here. Lawrence is the one with the understanding to figure out how to best play the circumstances, including how Liebert was being deceptive about how much gold he had actually obtained. He also has a keen enough understanding of how both business and humans work to know that the best way to get back at Remerio is not to force them into bankruptcy, but instead to force them to continue paying out as they recover, and guarantee it by selling the rights to the payout to the merchant association that Lawrence is aligned with. And, of course, he’s also the one who has to sweet-talk Nora into going along with it.
That Lawrence isn’t blindly trusting Nora here is also significant. He has no reason to believe that Nora would betray them; she doesn’t seem the type, is too naïve, has essentially befriended both Lawrence and Holo (even if Holo is still miffed by the whole shepherdess thing), and was put in the position to make the choice for herself. Despite that, he clearly considered that he has Holo’s ability to chase her down as a back-up plan if Nora flees. Nora, for her part, shows again that she’s far from helpless. She and Enek stand their ground even in the face of how intimidating Holo can be, but she was also sharp enough at a key point to recognize that the giant wolf wasn’t after her or her sheep and so hold Enek back. She didn’t seem fazed for long upon learning about Holo’s true identity, either; doubtless she suspected that something wasn’t right after the wolf chase the previous episode.
For all the big, dramatic elements in this episode, though, the little details are still what I enjoyed the most. The way Holo chose to peacefully resolve the confrontation with the giant wolf, Lawrence taking a clue that Holo was fishing for compliments after undressing (and that going for the tail would probably work best), that Holo is most hung up about whether Lawrence was calling her name or Nora’s name at a key moment, and the way Lawrence strings her along – all of these were delightful little details. I do wonder how Lawrence managed to get Remerio tied up like that, but hey, I can let that detail pass with how well the rest of it was handled. On the downside, the episode suffers from the same problem that episode 6 did: Holo’s wolf form is too cute to be sufficiently intimidating, and all of the dramatic staging with the thunderstorm and the music cannot fully overcome that. (That the sheep don’t seem to be reacting to Holo’s presence also seemed incongruous.) That is the main reason why I cannot rate this episode higher, although many of Holo’s movements in wolf form didn’t look fully natural, either. The direction seems to be struggling here to figure out how to best portray both Holo, and Enek; the latter looked disproportionately small in a couple of shots.
That the original adaptation handles all of this better isn’t the only noteworthy comparison here. The original adaptation left the fact that Holo had knelt before the great wolf more implied than shown and had the conversation about Holo still hating shepherds as they were running instead of before. The original also made it much clearer that most of Lawrence’s conversation at the end involving which name he said was him teasing Holo (and Holo’s reaction to it was more comical) and explained better how Lawrence knew where Remerio’s lockbox was hidden, while this version more clearly shows how beat up Lawrence was and leans into the fan service in one scene just a touch more. The biggest difference, though, is that the two adaptations may start in the same place and cover the same ground, but they don’t end in the same place. In the original, episode 13 was the season finale, and so ended with Lawrence/Holo and Nora parting ways. This adaptation is also going to an episode 13 for its first cour, and the episode title strongly suggests that it will be the content originally released as “Wolf and the Amber-colored Melancholy,” an OVA episode which takes place between novels 2 and 3 and effectively serves as an epilogue to this arc (though it was originally used as episode 0 for season 2).
In other words, that means one more episode review is forthcoming for this cour, so join me here again next week.
Episodes 10-12 conclude the adaptation of the second volume of the source light novels. That and the way episode 12 ends strongly suggest that this is the end of the anime for now. Assuming that’s the case, the series’ last quarter consists of two episode which wrap up all current outstanding plot lines and an epilogue episode which reinforces the series’ concluding status quo. In all, it’s a pretty satisfying way to handle things.
Episode 10 and the first part of 11 deal with the primary source of conflict in this part of the story: the Angelic Knight Raphael. The writing and framing has pushed hard the impression that Raphael is a classic case of a crusader who perhaps crusades a little too ardently, but it has also left hints that Raphael may not be what he appears or what For thinks he is. Indeed, that his intent can be so easily misinterpreted because of his intimidating presence ultimately becomes a joke. Although he has come to judge Chastille, he actually sees her as the uncorrupted hope for the future of the Church, in terms of both talent and conviction, and he definitely doesn’t see sorcerers who aren’t doing truly evil things as the enemy. Moreover, he was actually working with For’s father against true demons rather than trying to kill the mighty dragon. Quite understandably, For is more than a little conflicted about how deferential Raphael becomes once he knows who she really is and especially how he loses an arm to protect her.
While Chastille has all too often been a bumbling crybaby (also to the point of becoming a running joke), episode 11 reinforces what episode 3 shows: there’s a very good reason while Raphael thinks highly of her. Despite hardly being physically imposing, her Sacred Sword gives her the strength to stand back-to-back with Zagan in a serious fight, and she has enough skill and tactical coordination to take advantage of that strength. She spent the previous few episodes struggling to figure out how she fit into Zagan’s inner circle, even toying with the possibility of a romantic attachment she knew was never possible with Nephy around, but considering how indomitable a duo she made with Zagan when teaming up against the demonic golem, her role now seems clear.
And that golem, which has been around in dormant form since episode 4, serves as a perfect back-up villain to rally everyone against a common foe. Considering what little we’ve seen of true demons so far, merging parts of one with a golem just seems like asking for trouble, so it raises the question of what Marchosias was trying to accomplish. Presumably this is something that will get delved into later in the series.
The one negative here is, again, that Nephy’s magic isn’t addressed at all. Granted, the recent fights haven’t been in environments where Nephy can exploit her magic, but still, it being largely ignored for the last nine episodes seems incongruous given how special and powerful it was shown as being, and her status as a “cursed child” (and what bigger meaning that might have) hasn’t even been touched on. At least Nephy does get a fair amount of attention in other ways, and For’s observations about her and Zagan continue to be a delight.
Overall, nothing that the series has done to this point has been spectacular, but it has still delivered solid entertainment in almost every aspect. Its artistic and animation efforts are mid-range, its musical support is capable, it has a real and potentially interesting set of world-building principles with a few odd quirks (past sorcerers with eccentric interests are used as the source for certain foods and devices that aren’t fantasy staples being present in this world), it delivers some amusing comedy beats, and it wraps up existing plots while providing plenty of potential for future development. Most importantly, the key cast members are all highly likable at minimum and highly adorable at best and have entertaining interactions. (If someone doesn’t make a figma for Nephy, they’re missing out on a great opportunity.) Only the first two of 18 existing novels have been adapted here, so there’s plenty of room for continuation, and I will enthusiastically be back if there is.
Even if I hadn’t read the source novel or seen the original adaptation, I think I still would have seen all the major twists in this episode coming. While the series can pull off some genuine surprises, those are predicated more on readers/viewers not fully understanding how things work in a practical sense rather than the developments coming out of nowhere. As I mentioned last review, the story arcs here follow a regular structure, and once you know what to watch out for, the hints about major plot developments are usually there from early in the arc.
In this case, the comments tossed out on a few previous occasions about unusual wolf activity in the forest finally come into play here. One of Holo’s kind (albeit a comparatively younger one, rather than one of her previous companions) is lurking and in charge of the wolves. That he would be more interested in another great wolf intruding into his domain than the sheep makes perfect sense; Holo has shown on many occasions that, despite her intelligence, she’s not entirely divorced from base wolfish characteristics, so why should we expect any differently from another? She would absolutely seem like a threat to him. And the fact that he didn’t show up until the return trip for the gold-smuggling group could easily be explained by him either not being nearby or scouting the group first before making a move. Holo being upwind from the forest during the trip to Lamtra would also explain why she didn’t pick up on his presence at first, either.
Of course, that’s not the only fully-predictable crisis afoot here. Remelio Trading Company is desperate, and apparently thinks that they can come out better with Nora, Lawrence, and Holo eliminated, both in a financial sense and because it would eliminate potential loose ends. Hence them sending out people to deal with those three is obvious enough that Lawrence not anticipating something like that is a little surprising, even if he was distracted by his worry for Holo (who, ironically, is probably the least-endangered individual in this scenario). The most interesting aspect here, though, is that the three agents sent out to do the dirty work clearly aren’t dedicated thugs. How skittish they are about killing even Lawrence – much less Nora or Holo – indicates that this isn’t a normal tactic for them. And as they’ll almost certainly find out next episode, things tend to go awry when you’re pushed into unfamiliar territory like that.
The episode isn’t all dramatic content, though, and the interim scenes where Lawrence, Holo, and Nora are waiting for the gold to be purchased are some of the most fun. I’d dearly like to know what, exactly, Nora whispered to Holo concerning her appraisal of Lawrence, but that’s not revealed in any iteration of this story. Lawrence at least has enough sense to understand that he and Enek are destined to be the victims of the girl talk and take it good-naturedly, especially since this is the first time Nora has really talked to Holo. Yes, the advice Holo is giving Nora woman-to-woman can be called into question, but it’s still a delightful little exchange with multiple layers of meaning.
This episode covers the exact same territory, and has the exact same starting and stopping points, as episode 12 of the original adaptation. However, there are some minor differences, mostly in points of emphasis. Marten Liebert, the Remelio agent, is a bit more talkative in this version and gets a little more screen time, while Holo calling off the wolves who gathered around her and Lawrence is a bit more dramatic. The musical score is also in top form during the flight through the forest; while it’s not necessarily more effective than the original’s, it effectively provides more variety. On the other hand, the old version explains much better what the tactics of the wolves are and why the stretched-out formation that Nora leads the smuggling group on is actually an advantage in this situation.
Ultimately, the most important detail of this episode is the establishment that Holo is not the only giant beast still prowling about the land in this era. But before Lawrence and Holo can encounter more, they have to get through this crisis first with their tails (both figuratively and literally!) intact.
The end of last episode found Lawrence at his lowest point, knowing that he was in trouble both financially and with his companion. Left with nowhere to go but up, he spends this episode gradually digging himself out of that hole, and he does so with the help of two formidable women: one the incarnation of the Wisewolf, the other a shepherdess of uncommon prowess.
The situations with both women each have their complexities, but Holo’s is the more involved case. That’s primarily because Lawrence does not understand that she and he are not on the same page over what the problem really is. Understandably, Lawrence believes that he did wrong by slapping her hand away when she was trying to console him, and she’s justifiably upset about that, but that actually isn’t what’s bothering Holo the most. In a sense, her cleverness is working against her here, as she quickly understands that her presence has unwittingly complicated things for Lawrence, and she’s so mortified that Lawrence letting her off the hook for that (which was, objectively, the right thing to do since Holo was unaware of the impact of her presence) only embarrasses her further. It’s also quite possible that she fully understands the irony that she’s getting upset over a commendable trait of Lawrence, which would only further frustrate someone like her. The scene where she and Lawrence work through that in their room in the inn is one of my favorite in this part of the series, as it shows them having to work through a difficult interpersonal issue with no outside forces in play. This is the series’ character writing at its finest.
The case of Nora may be a little more straightforward, but not completely so. Boiled down, her main problem is that she’s too skilled for her own good. People (most importantly the priest) have difficulty believing that she can remain safe from the wolves despite being in a dangerous area without some kind of heretical aid, so she’s stuck in the very-unfair reality where enduring her plight only continues it. While Holo is the one to propose the gold scheme that is the potential solution to Lawrence’s financial problems, Lawrence gets credit for recognizing that Nora cannot be happy with this situation (especially since he knows she has comparatively loftier goals) and using that to manipulate her into participating, both by framing it as a way to get back at the Church and as a way to fund the path she seeks away from shepherding. While this is undoubtedly some crass manipulation on Lawrence’s part, it’s not like he’s screwing her over here; he sees to it that there are great benefits for her if she’s willing to shoulder the risk. And why wouldn’t she jump at it, since it’s also the perfect opportunity for her to leave this city where she’s not welcome?
The other interesting aspect here is the way that subtle foreshadowing in the previous three episodes have pointed in this direction. Smuggling gold is dangerous because the Church tightly controls its trade as a prime source of income, but that also means there’s a lot of earning potential there – enough to even save a faltering trading house. But while wagons and traveler packs might be diligently checked for contraband, who would bother checking a bunch of innocuous sheep – especially with a figure people are uncomfortable around guiding them? Doubtless the wolves that have been mentioned multiple times are going to play into this endeavor in some fashion (and they are referred to in the next episode’s title), and as the first arc showed, people are willing to pull any kind of treachery if enough money is at stake, so the threat to Lawrence and Nora on this operation may not be just from the wolves. But that’s all for the remaining two episodes of this arc to get into.
As with past episodes, this episode plays out almost exactly like its counterpart in the first adaptation (i.e., season 1 episode 11). The only minor differences are some reimaginings of setting specifics and that this version does not include the close-out scene from the original adaptation – but since that could well be pushed to the beginning of the next episode, I won’t bring that up here. Each version also has slightly different ways of portraying Holo and Nora’s body language, but both versions are equally effective.
In all, this is the best episode yet for the current arc.
The original adaptation fell into a steady and familiar pattern throughout its two seasons: the first two episodes of each arc set up the circumstances as Lawrence and Holo move to a new location, encounter someone new who figures into the overall arc, and generally engage in more relaxed banter. The third episode introduces the scheme or crises, which comes to a head in the fourth episode. The fifth episode features Lawrence trying to figure his way out of the scheme or predicament, and the sixth episode is the resolution of both the crisis/scheme and Lawrence’s efforts. This new adaptation is following the exact same pattern, mostly because that’s the way the source novels are structured, too. Get used to it, because most of the novels in the series which aren’t short story collections have that same structure.
The crisis in this case is the most ordinary of events for a businessman of any era: a market upheaval has suddenly left Lawrence on the brink of bankruptcy. The reason for all the strange reactions he’s been getting the last couple of episodes is because he was unaware that the armor market had collapsed due to the annual crusade being called off. (While this point is specifically mentioned, it probably could have been emphasized more.) That on its own wouldn’t have been a total disaster, but he’s also been bushwhacked by the trading company whom he bought the armor from on a promissory note, who sold the debt to a company desperate to cover its own rear after taking a bath on the armor market itself. It’s not in a position to allow Lawrence any leniency, and medieval economics had no safeguards against this kind of dirty dealing.
While Lawrence did get treated rotten here, this can also be looked at as punishment for his own hubris. He was riding high on having forced what he thought was a great deal out of the merchant in the previous town, but he both overestimated his own knowledge and failed to consider that said merchant would also be eager to wiggle his way out of being in the hole. The finishing blow in this situation is also this arc’s great irony: his efforts to try to get loans for the payment due are actually hampered because Holo is present, not helped. Though Holo was well-meaning in her effort to provide moral support (and perhaps also some help with her intuition and wolf instincts), neither she nor Lawrence was savvy enough to consider how established locals would see the situation. Lawrence has often complained about how expensive Holo is to have around, and that’s exactly how others see it, too. Could a man truly be that desperate if he can afford to have a woman hanging around?
Fine details like this, which the average person wouldn’t even stop to consider, are as much the reason why I have long been a fan of this franchise as the central relationship. It’s also the kind of complication that you’d be hard-pressed to find in almost any other anime series. The way Lawrence snaps at Holo – and then instantly regrets it – is also a great moment, as it both reverses the situation from back in episode 2 and serves as a fine contrast to the banter between the two in the first third of the episode. Yes, Holo actually is the problem in that case, but not intentionally so, and he knows that.
Lawrence isn’t the only one having concerns, either. Nora only appears briefly, but she’s around long enough for us to see that her efforts to improve her situation are fruitless. The Church official won’t let her switch to safer fields, and other travelers would be loathe to engage her because of her Church connections. In other words, she’s boxed in, too. While their situations seem too disparate to be connected, in a meta sense, that scene wouldn’t be there if the story wasn’t angling to have Lawrence and Nora’s paths cross again.
In comparison to the original adaptation, this episode covers the exact same territory and scenes as episode 10 of the original’s first season. One trend that is becoming more distinct as the season progresses is that this new adaptation tends to be a bit more effective in the lighter, more playful moments, while the original tended to fare better in the more dramatic moments. The scene where Lawrence was confronted in the loading dock played out too casually in this version, which drags down what was otherwise a very fine episode.
What game plan will Lawrence come up with for how to get out of this situation? And how will Nora fit into it? Find out next episode!
The first six episodes of the series established the two main characters, justified the series’ title, and (more or less) formalized the relationship between Zagan and Nephy: they are, for all practical purposes, a married couple, even if neither is willing to admit it out loud and they’re still shying away from getting intimate. Ordinarily, the latter would irritate me, but these two (and especially Nephy!) are just so charming and gosh-darn cute as they fumble their way through a proper relationship that it’s almost impossible to watch the show and not root for them. That continues – albeit more in the background – as the story pushes ahead with a twin arc: one part about the dragon girl For and the other about Chastille dealing with the intimidating Angelic Knight Raphael.
Nephy has plenty enough cute factor to carry that aspect of the series on her own, but For still ups that quota a notch. She comes onto the scene in the guise of a much bigger armored sorcerer, attempting to defeat Zagan with physical attacks to gain his power, but she doesn’t realize that Zagan’s offensive specialty is physical enhancements, so even her ability to manifest dragon limbs despite being in humanoid form doesn’t help. She represents practically the ideal found daughter for Nephy and Zagan, as Nephy is drawn to her cute side and Zagan can relate to her desperation to become more powerful just to survive. What’s more, dragons are extremely long-lived – even more so than sorcerers and elves – so she wouldn’t lose her new parents to old age anytime soon. Looked at in a crass sense, it gives Zagan and Nephy an opportunity to play house, though her dragon knowledge also proves useful at times, too.
This eventually intersects with the other main plot thread, which centers on Chastille. She’s losing her position as an Angelic Knight since she refuses to go after Zagan, and she has reason to fear being purged by Raphael, the biggest and baddest of all the Sacred Sword wielders. Her situation is at least as interesting because she’s caught between competing Church forces: the holy quest to defeat sorcerers and the fact that Sacred Swords choose their wielders, and hers hasn’t rejected her despite her noncompliance. Most interestingly, that point doesn’t seem to be lost on Raphael, who should be Chastille’s greatest existential threat but seems more to be scouting her out instead. His behavior suggests that his reputation and the dire claims he makes may actually be a smokescreen, and the implication seems heavy that he may, in fact, be the representative of a more moderate Church faction who secretly approaches Chastille. But someone else apparently wants Chastille out of the way, which leads to her winding up at Zagan’s castle.
These episodes show that the Zagan/Nephy dynamic doesn’t need to carry the show alone. Zagan’s interactions with For land somewhere between a conventional father/daughter and a conventional mentor/pupil relationship, with Zagan’s own brand of sharp-edged pragmatism keeping things colorful. Chastille starts to shade in the direction of a harem love interest, but she’s also firm that she not only sees Zagan/Nephy as a couple but also wants that to happen. Her upcoming struggle is going to be about finding the way she fits in without getting in the way of the lead couple’s romance, though more immediately she has to put up with For, who struggles to reconcile her hate for Sacred Sword wielders in general with the fact that Chastille isn’t the specific one she seeks vengeance on.
In fact, the complexity of the character dynamics, and the writing not following the path of least resistance, is what is most setting this series apart from its peers right now in a positive way. On the downside, Nephy’s special brand of magic has practically been forgotten about; hopefully this will come up again before the end of the season. On a separate point, I have finally pinned down who Chastille and her trio of loyal knight followers remind me of: Captain Milk and her retinue from Legend of the Legendary Heroes, even down somewhat similar basic appearances and the female knight at the center being something of a klutz outside of combat but remarkably capable in a fight.
This series has some good things going for it right now, enough so that it continues to be one of my priority views each week.
On Friday May 17th, the Studio Colorido original project My Oni Girl had its world premiere at Anime Central, ahead of its wider release on Netflix on May 24th. Director/writer Tomotaka Shibayama (A Whisker Away) and producer Karen Imagawa were present for the screening and to take audience questions afterwards.
In the roughly two hour long movie, first-year high school student Hiiragi is struggling to fit in at his new school when he encounters Tsumugi, a girl on a journey whom only he can see is actually an oni. (Their horns aren’t visible to most normal folk.) She has left her people’s Hidden Village on a quest to find her mother, who left her when she was little. Hiiragi winds up accompanying Tsumugi on her quest, partly because he’s drawn to her free spirit and partly as a way to escape a conflict with his father, who wants him to be privately tutored rather than attend a cram school, a move that Hiiragi feels would only isolate himself further. As the two goes on a number of misadventures – first on a trek to a shrine Tsumugi believes her mother went to, and later to the Hidden Village – they must contend with masked spirits who seem to be pursuing them, Hiiragi’s own supernatural transformation, and contrasting personalities that both draw the two together and push them away from each other.
Director Shibayama’s first job in the industry was working for Studio Ghibli (he did digital work for Spirited Away), and that Ghibli influence shows clearly throughout every facet of this project. The journey that Hiiragi and Tsumugi go on, the kinds of people that they meet, the supernatural flair, the production approach (Shibayama was storyboarding the movie as he wrote it, an approach Miyazaki has been known to use), the designs of the Snow Gods – all of it has a decided Ghibli feel. The only real major deviation is that, unlike in most Ghibli films featuring youths, the protagonists are not entirely left to their own devices. The fathers of both actively come after them and are integrally involved in some parts of the story (although Tsumugi’s father is much more present than Hiiragi’s).
To call this just a Ghibli knock-off would be unfair, though. Shibayama has a clear message he is pushing throughout the movie: that Japanese youths are too caught up in not showing their true hearts, and that can lead to serious complications. That takes literal form in the movie, as people (like Hiiragi) who lie too much about their own heart can start to generate “mini-oni” and will turn into oni themselves if that goes on for too long. In a more figurative sense, it is also the major impetus driving Hiiragi forward and occasionally even becomes a point of conflict; one of the movie’s best scenes is a tiff the two have with a swing used as a prop, and Hiiragi’s unwillingness to be forthright about his feelings is at the heart of it.
Characterization is another strength of the movie. Whereas Hiiragi tends to repress his feelings, Tsumugi is very forthright about hers, and that both creates a fine contrast and provides a reasonable foundation for why Hiiragi chooses on the spur of the moment to help Tsumugi; he’s drawn to the traits he wishes he could muster himself. Of course, Hiiragi’s personality isn’t without its own problems, as her free spirit leads her to try to tackle problems on her own that she probably shouldn’t, and so Tsumugi becomes both a co-conspirator and something of a safety net. Even when fighting, the two have a good chemistry going.
The storytelling does have its weak points, however. That Shibayama did not have the story fully plotted out in advance shows in its late stages as the action moves to the Hidden Village. In particular, the reason why Tsumugi’s mother is not around is poorly explained and developed, and why she had to do what she did is only barely implied. Why Tsumugi’s father did not ever tell her the truth of the matter is also unclear; yes, it may represent the village’s dark underbelly, but all of the adults were clearly aware of it and children would need to know about it eventually. The disrupts the flow of the dramatic climax a bit and leaves audiences scratching their heads too much when they should be absorbed in the emotions of the climax. The very interesting physical structure of the village also gets entirely too little attention and exploration; imagine what Spirited Away would have been like if only a half-hour of the movie took place in the Bath House of the Gods. The pacing also becomes more erratic as the urgency of events ramps up in the last third after playing out at a more evenly leisurely pace before that.
The movie’s technical merits are more consistent. Its strengths lie in its artistic design, especially for the snowbound, multi-tiered Hidden Village and the Snow Gods. On the downside, the supporting music is consistently pedestrian, though not to the point of being a negative. The animation effort is solid for a movie-level production but not quite on an elite level.
On the whole, My Oni Girl does not succeed at everything it tries to do, but it does find a satisfying core in interesting characters and guides them capably with both internal and external motivations. It is definitely worth checking out.
Like its name suggests, the episode “Fellow Traveler and Foreboding News” deals with two plot threads running in parallel: one concerning Lawrence and Holo’s encounter with the shepherdess Nora (and her dog Enek) and the other concerning various ominous notes about Lawrence’s business situation. Exactly how the two are connected is unclear as of yet, but the emphasis placed on Lawrence treating his encounter with Nora as a future business opportunity certainly suggests that the two paths will eventually converge again.
The source novel makes a point of emphasizing that Nora is both young (she’s implied to be in her mid-teens) and scrawny, and while the latter may not be as obvious, the former certainly is. She certainly sounds young, which is a credit to long-time veteran seiyuu Mai Nakahara, who also voiced Nora in the original adaptation. (You can also currently hear her as Princess Lily in Tsukimichi and Liz in The Duke of Death and His Maid.) The animation also does an excellent job of giving her youngish mannerisms and body language. By comparison, something looks and feels a bit artificial about how Enek is drawn and animated, though he still effectively shows his skills as a sheep-herding dog. They’re supposed to work closely in tandem, and this adaptation does a fine job of depicting that as well.
The scenes of Nora conversing with Lawrence also gives some sense of the kind of life Nora leads. She’s most likely an orphan raised by the Church and has taken on the job of tending the local Church’s literal flock. However, being a shepherd can be a lonely, isolating life, and because she’s young and relatively new (at four years), she’s forced to the fringes on top of that; is it any surprise that prime grazing territory is jealousy guarded? (Even in modern day, there have been troublesome disputes over this in the U.S. West.) The question left up in the air here is whether her skill is mystical or just a result of working well with an excellent dog. The latter seems more likely, since Holo is not reacting as if Nora is inhuman, and she would certainly be able to sniff that out. And from the meaningful look Enek gives her at one point, he clearly has an inkling of what she really is, too.
Of course, Holo being Holo, she’s less than thrilled about all of this. How much of that is her being territorial and how much is a general aversion to shepherds (the natural enemy of wolves) is debatable, but Holo has certainly shown before that her great wisdom doesn’t preclude her at all from more base emotions. Lawrence is becoming a bit more adept at managing her, but he still has a ways to go.
On the other front, nothing really outright declares that something is wrong, but the reactions of guards and officials as Lawrence comes into Ruvinheigen suggest that something is definitely up, and it definitely has to do with Lawrence transporting armor. The rider arriving at the end suggests that the merchant from the previous town might be delivering a bit of spite over being outmaneuvered, but the other reactions can’t have anything to do with that, and a merchant house which is getting no trade traffic for days smells of big problems, too; that can’t be a casual inclusion. By comparisons, the look that the priest gives Nora as she arrives also speaks to her not being so welcome, though exactly why is hard to fathom unless she is suspected by the Church of having a mystical character, too.
In terms of comparing adaptations, this one contains the exact same scenes and covers the exact same ground as the original. The original emphasizes a bit more that Nora isn’t the most welcome of individuals in town and gives a slightly greater sense of impending trouble, but this version covers its bases adequately enough.
On the whole, the episode does a solid but unspectacular job of covering this part of the story.
Last time around I looked at earlier-debuting series; this time around I’ll be looking at the later-debuting ones, including the first and second episodes of the new season of Demon Slayer.
While I have previously covered The Misfit at Demon King Academy, I have fallen off pace on that one (mostly due to losing interest), and so will not be covering here. I also will cover Girls Band Cry at some point (probably at the end of the season, or whenever it becomes legally available via streaming, whichever comes first) and will be looking at the new movie Oni Girl in a separate post.
NOTE: Entries with an asterisk on the Rating So Far may not include the most recent episode, since this is a reconstitution of a post from 5/17/24 which had technical issues and I am behind on some series because of the convention covering this past weekend.
A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics
Rating So Far*: B
True to its name, this has proven to be a very eclectic series, one which distinctly borrows some influence from Hinamatsuri but goes in different directions with the basic premise. Its princess lives with a detective and assists him in cases in some episodes, while others focus on the female knight, who seems comfortable living homeless and occasionally gets dragged into all sorts of weirdness, including working at a questionable hostess club, befriending a singer whose band has collapsed, and almost getting dragged into a cult. And now it looks like the knight, the cult leader, and the singer are going to form a girl band! While it’s been an interesting series, the rating takes a hit because the content seems too random, with the only uniting theme so far being that it’s practically a travelogue for Gifu Prefecture. Still, the characters are likable enough that I’m willing to let it continue to play out.
As A Reincarnated Aristocrat. . .
Rating So Far: B+
This one joins An Archdemon’s Dilemma as one of the season’s most underappreciated series. Unlike many of its fellow isekai series, the protagonist is not OP; his special ability just allows him to gather the best people around him, and since he makes a habit of picking downtrodden individuals who can show extraordinary talent if given a chance, he tends to engender fierce loyalty from such individuals – including, as it turns out, the girl he’s betrothed to. This is far less eye-rolling in practice than it may sound, and the series has certainly had its satisfyingly dramatic, heavy moments. It also benefits from particularly strong music support. The most recent episode has brought is establishment arc to a close, and forced protagonist Ars into a true leadership role during a time of strife, so I am eager to see where this one goes next.
Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
Rating So Far: B-
I was going to rate this lower, but episode 6 revealed that it can successfully take itself quite seriously when it needs to, as well as not playing around for too long on acknowledging that main girl Fenrys is formally Flio’s wife. I still have a bit of a problem with how little explanation has been given so far for how and why Flio is so ridiculously powerful, but that is partly offset by some other cute bits, including how the Dark Lord seems to be smitten with the female knight of the group of adventurers who live with Flio and Fenrys (much to the dismay of the knight); an upcoming episode even looks like it will focus on that. Not a world-beater by any means, but it’s entertaining enough and does have one of the most cutesy of all recent OPs.
Date A Live 5
Rating So Far: B
Boy, this one hasn’t been shy about pulling out all of the stops on major reveals! The entirety of the season so far has consisted of a major battle that’s nowhere near done, the lead-up to that battle, and flashbacks that cover nearly two full episodes. But those flashbacks are game-changers, as they reveal the full truth behind the Spirit of Origin and how she’s connected to Elliott, Westcott, Ellen, and, most importantly, Shido. It also explains how Shido winding up meeting all of the Spirits wasn’t just a coincidence and how Reine fits into all of this, amongst other big revelations. The biggest mystery outstanding at this point is how Mana fits into the picture, and there are some dramatic incongruities between her current state and presence in certain flashbacks, but hey, the season’s only half-done. The CG used for the battle scenes is a bit wonky at times, and I do think the series is hurt a bit by having to take itself too seriously (which isn’t its strength) but this is everything that long-time fans of the franchise have been hoping for.
Delicious in Dungeon
Rating So Far This Season: A-
With Frieren and The Apothecary Diaries no longer overshadowing it, this one is breaking out as the top series of the season so far. It handled its more serious content in episodes 14 and 15 remarkably well but also showed that it can easily slip back into form, too, and the seeming addition of Izutsumi to the regular cast adds a dynamic new dimension to the party, both in terms of personality and combat capability. (And with Marcille getting integrated into the monster-eating fold more than she’d care to admit, Izursumi can now take over the outsider view.) Lots of fun dungeon-crawling and cooking ensue as the series gradually builds out the characters more, and it looks great, too. There’s a reason why this was one of the most heavily-cosplayed series at the anime convention I just came back from.
Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc
Rating So Far: B+
At its best, Demon Slayer is one of the all-time-great shonen action series, and even when not at its best it’s still one of the best-looking action series TV anime has ever produced. However, the series has been saddled by writing problems in the last couple of seasons, especially on the pacing front. After a double-length first episode and regular-length second episode, the series has yet to show that it has passed beyond those problems. Still, it’s early, and still laying the foundation for the season, so I’m willing to be a bit patient, and exploring the background of first Giyu and (next episode) Kocho should give more insight into developments this season, including Giyu’s ongoing attitude issues. On the downside, the early foundation of the season is training regimens – something that the series is probably overdue for, but how many times have we seen fare like this in other titles? More promising is Tamayo’s invitation to come to the mansion to work with Kocho and the way Nezuko essentially becoming a Daywalker lies at the heart of everything that’s going to happen this season. And the opening acting sequence of the first episode lives up to the series’ reputation, too, just with different Hashira than before getting the attention. At this point, I am cautiously optimistic that this will be a strong season.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger
Rating So Far*: B
I love the concept behind the series, and it has expanded on that by showing that elements within the Dragon Keepers organization are well aware that thing are corrupt at the top. The addition of a female monster is also promising, as is the twist about the current identity of one of the Dragon Keepers. It also has a delightful closer which should be check out even if you don’t watch the rest of the series. My one concern so far is that the series may be taking itself too seriously for its own good. Granted, that does give it a darker edge, but given how ridiculous the base concept is, do you really want that? May be worthy of a higher grade, but I’m going conservative on it for now.
Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night
Rating So Far*: B
How much you like this one may depend entirely on how much you appreciate the cast of misfits that’s coming together to make music videos: one’s an artist who lost her confidence in the fast of criticism, another is a “retired” idol trying to start anew, a third is a troubled piano expert who found inspiration in the idol’s music, and a fourth is a Vtuber who’s also more than a bit of a shut-in. All of the girls are outside of social norms to one degree or another, and the series is rolling with the idea that such a situation can spark great artistic creativity. The series has been modestly successful so far as it takes the girls through various travails of the creative process, but I can’t rate this one higher because, honestly, I have struggled to become invested with it. Still, the recent story about an older idol and her relationship with her daughter was a sweet one, so there’s still potential here.
Kaiju No. 8
Rating So Far: A+ at peak, B overall
In many respects this is a very typical shonen action series; the protagonist may be much older than normal, but he’s still working hard as an underdog to fulfill a childhood promise, and that includes the standard qualifying exam that gets unexpected hairy and him eking his way in because he can’t reveal his true power but, dammit, he has other merits. (And I do appreciate that one of his superiors is recognizing the expertise he brings to the table, and how the most recent episode shows that he’s well worth having on the team for that expertise in monster biology, even he’s not the greatest fighter under normal circumstances.) And of course, it’s silly when it can get away with it, too. But what makes this one stand out is that when it hits on the action front, it hits hard (double meaning intended), and as gloriously (and gorily!) as the best shonen action series. That the hyper-competent girl who would normally look down on him is privy to his secrets is also an interesting angle, though the teen girl maybe starting to have a thing for the much older guy tosses out shades of Tiger & Bunny. The show many never escape the run-of-the-mill shonen action vibes at its core, but it has enough else going for it right now, including a fine mystery about the other human-sized kaiju who can pass as human.
KONOSUBA 3
Rating So Far: B+
For the most part, the series is up to its usual antics, and that is a Good Thing. A visit to the princess provides new avenues for all sorts of humor and hijinks (much to the dismay of Darkness, who’s trying to maintain decorum as a noblewoman), but there’s also an actual plot starting to build, too, with Eris (and thus Chris) seeking to recover special OP artifacts which originally belonged to isekaied individuals and threaten to unbalance the world if not tucked away. Nope, no way a mission to collect those could go wrong. . . The art style is as loose as ever, but if you’ve liked previous seasons, you should like this one, too.
Mission: Yozakura Family
Rating So Far*: B-
This one rides mostly on energy and crazy, spy-related hijinks, and it’s been doing a fair job at it so far. The routines are fairly typical: the spy house is loaded with traps which protagonist Taiyo must learn to navigate, he’s getting trained rigorously by the eccentric family members and going out on missions with them, he has to protect both Mutsumi and himself from threats, and so far, but it’s mostly approached with a light-hearted spirit somewhat in line with Spy x Family, and that Mutsumi isn’t ignorant or helpless (even given that she has no special abilities) is a plus. Works pretty well when you need a dose of mindless fun.
Mushoku Tensei s2 p2
Rating So Far: B+
This quarter has seen almost no action as it deals with the mundanities of Rudeus settling down into family like, including getting a house, formally starting to live with Sylphie, and accepting both his sister Norn and half-sister Aisha as wards while Paul is off to find Zenith. This period features some strong character development, especially involving Nanahoshi and Norn, but again, not much actually happens until Turning Point 3 arrives. It features both a major development and a plot transition which should force the series back into a more active mode, though this time the turning point comes down more to a critical choice Rudeus must make than a dramatic situation that he’s been stuck in, and this time he’s facing it essentially as an adult. I have very much liked how the series has handled Rudeus’s development through this part, and the visuals are still strong, so this one almost rated a notch higher. It’s currently one of the season’s top-rated series on ANN, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio
Rating So Far: B-
Most previous series focusing on voice actors had featured adults struggling to make it in the business, so a series focusing on high school students is a mild twist on the concept. In just a few episodes, the series has taken the leads through many travails – a social media blow-up about a possible casting couch situation, the ins and outs of how voice actor radio shows work, stage vs. private personas, and even how parents can influence the actions of the voice actors at that age. The most interesting aspects so far have been the dramatic contrasts in personality types, balances of strengths and weakness, and envy of the other for leads Chika and Yumiko; the latter envies the former’s talent, while the former envies how outgoing and sociable the latter can be. The strength of the follow-through on the issues the series raises is a concern, as is the ordinary artistic quality, but the yuri teases have gradually increased; this is definitely not as forthright about it as something like Whisper Me a Love Song, though. There has been some (somewhat incongruous) fan service. I am still cautiously optimistic about this one.
The New Gate
Rating So Far: C-
This series had one of the weakest opening episodes of the season, and little to nothing it has done since then gives any indication that it’s going to get better. “Trapped in a game that’s become real” scenarios have been done before and done much better than this, with flaws including a boring lead who’s infallibly powerful, mostly-uninteresting supporting cast, run-of-the-mill mechanics, and limited action sequences. This might have fared better if it had come out a few years ago, but now it’s just a sad retread of concepts borrowed from many other franchises.
Unnamed Memory
Rating So Far: C
Rating this series this low pains me, as I really, really want to like it. Oscar and Tinasha are potentially interesting characters with a potentially interesting relationship, and there is some potentially interesting backstory afoot, too. However, “potential” is all the series has managed so far. It feels like it’s being rushed, though the pacing it is adapting the books atsuggests that this is more a case of the series suffering badly from connecting tissue being trimmed rather than the pacing being rushed. I intend to stick with the series to see if it improves as it moves into adapting the second source novel, but so far this has been the season’s biggest disappointment.
Whisper Me a Love Song
Rating So Far*: B+
I am not a big fan of pure romances, but I love the way this one has progressed. Younger girl Himari is normally the outgoing one, while Yori is the shy one, but when the matter of romance is raised between the two, the roles effectively reverse; Yori is the one to openly declare both romantic love and that she will win Himari over, while Himari is the one who’s unsure whether what she feels is romantic or platonic love. The addition of a love triangle element does not so much spice things up as push Himari, while seeing Yori’s quest to win Himari’s feelings push her to formally join the band and seek to write a love song for the first time is a delight. The only flaw so far – and the reason I’m not rating this even higher – is the very limited animation. Still, this is one of my favorite new series of the season.
That’s it for now. Watch for a special review of the movie Oni Girl later this week, and possibly a mini-feature on Anime Central, too.
USA Anime 