On the plus side, this episode set up a couple of really interesting routes that the final episode could potentially take. On the minus side, the normally marquee action was a couple of settings downward on the smoothness slider.
The drama surrounding Nitta’s family situation, as well as Bold’s rationale for his training methods, are beginning to become clear. The former was somewhat depressing, though enlightening, the latter was surprisingly pie-in-the-sky.
In sports journalism, the term goat is often used to refer to a monumentally bad player. However, it often gets confused with the newer term G.O.A.T. – Greatest Of All Time. When I think of villains in comedy series, my first thoughts inevitably turn to Violinist of Hameln due both to the sheer breadth of villains exhibited in that show and specifically how amazing Vocal was. While he’s not quite at that level, Don Valentino is undoubtedly a capital G goat.
Seeing as Psycho-Pass had the first real final battle episode of the season, I went into it pumped. Stayed that way for most of the episode, too; it did a very good job of keeping tension on a knife’s edge.
This show continues to be a little caught up in its own terminology, but as usual makes up for it with a combination of rational strategizing and character development. It is nice to see characters have real time to plan and reflect before the final battle.
We’ve got ourselves another lull episode. True to form, this show spent its downtime efficently, focusing on the relationships of several key players in this game with the titular one.
Seitokai Yakuindomo (SYD, for brevity’s sake) is a very strange beast. At a glance, it looks like a fairly run-of-the-mill comedy, and describing the bathroom humor-littered source material probably won’t win you many fans. As a novel, it probably wouldn’t have many. But, thanks to a combination of ultracompetent soundtrack and excellent comedic delivery, the series actually ends up being quite an entertaining ride.
Now let’s dissect those layers
If the past two episodes were about making Vincent Bold a huge jerk, then this one was all about making him a great, well-rounded character with surprising charm and principle. I’m impressed to the extent that Space Brothers always impresses me.
The characters in this show are basically the inverse of characters like Desert Punk’s Mizuno Kanta and GS Mikami’s Yokoshima Tadao. While those guys are tight in the clutch and useless everywhere else, these guys are clever strategists who manage to screw up at the most critical juncture. I have an overall preference for the former apprach; it works better for all-around shows that mix comedy and drama. Still, the latter approach definitely works for comedy.
Giant Killing is an anime about professional-level soccer that aired in the run-up to the 2010 world cup, which should really be everything you need to know about the savvy IQ level of the ones making it. Being from America, I didn’t follow a particular professional team, and had a passing interest in the upcoming world cup. This anime changed that attitude, mainly by building a large-scale fun cast and integrating realism to a level I’d never before seen from a sports anime.
My image of soccer, post-Giant Killing
Animetics 