Mercuri

If you like the show, the LN is even better.

Right? Sometimes there’s decent animation and the they do weird stuff to show the pacing to crawl and reuse shots. I might pick up the manga just out of curiosity.

This episode was considerably better than last week’s but still. I’m right there with you, watching because it’s such a mess and yet somewhere at the studio one intern seems to be trying SO HARD.

This whole episode was gold from start to finish.

Land of the Lustrous. Hear me out. I absolutely loved the anime. So much so that I was like “I need MOAR!” and then binged the manga. Without giving anything away, the complete story ruined me for several days afterwards. Don’t get me wrong, it was BRILLIANT but it was also like “fuck…” Like, have you ever seen Requiem for a Dream? Where you go “wow, that was fantastic… and I never want to watch it again.” Except I love Phos and would absolutely spend time with her again and then question my sanity afterwards.

In a similar vein, Planetarian. It gets you right in the feels but is also fantastic. It plays fair and you’re left going “yeah, there isn’t any other way they could have ended, is there?” while you’re bawling your eyes out.

Ah yes. She first talks to the flames first, and then from the books learns it’s forbidden magic. My interpretation was “oh, here are books that explain the thing I was learning on my own” and considering that Keigetsu gets proficient enough at it to body swap and contact Reirin at will, I just assumed her dad’s books were more of the “Black Magic for Dummies” variety. But it’s totally possible the notes were “Earth/Fire/Water/Air magic = good. Black magic = bad.” and she learned everything on her own.

This last episode was particularly bad. I thought the first episode was decent from an animation standpoint. Just the fact they were trying to use unusual camera angles and the action sequences seemed decent enough. But omfg the plot is bad and the pacing is terrible. Seriously, this last episode felt like it could’ve been condensed into 3 minutes, so the rest of the episode they were just wasting everyone’s time.

Oh, what an interesting idea. This is the first episode where I’ve really started to go “huh… things aren’t adding up.” Like sure, there were a few minor oddities before but this one practically had neon “LOOK HERE” signs. However, if I had to point the finger at anyone, it would be someone from the Kou clan. Shu doesn’t seem to have a good motive. But if it was Kou, their motive could be to get Reirin a healthy body.

Your “it was murder” take is actually solid. The mother’s abusive attitude doesn’t give me “suicide” vibes, and a double-suicide seems even less likely. Adding to the “staged” nature of the parents’ deaths, it’s kind of interesting that Keigetsu just happened to be locked in a room with books about forbidden magic. I don’t think those are the kind of things you’d just find in the back room of a commoner’s house.

The other big red flag I saw this episode was the incense in sick Shu Keigetsu’s room. Keigetsu was too sick to light it herself, it was there before the empress and prince arrived, and it clearly had some kind of dark aura about it. It also broke when Reirin reached out to Keigetsu after hitting the bullseye. The only people who could have had access to Keigetsu’s room are people of the Kou clan.

Also how they keep portraying Keigetsu as a tragic character, with Reirin constantly trying to help her and actually happy they traded places because she can be healthy for once. Really makes me think that the titular “Inept Villainess” is actually Keigetsu.

I mean, building a tree house and fixing/reusing things instead of throwing them away? Sadly, yes.

If you liked My Dress-Up Darling, then you’d probably also appreciate 2.5 Dimensional Seduction.

Birdie Wing - Girls golf. It’s wild and amazing at the same time.

Super Cub - Girl buys a used motor scooter and it opens up her world.

Laid-back Camp - Cozy camping vibes where buying a single lantern is a whole event because it makes camping that tiny bit more fun.

March Comes in Like a Lion - Shogi

Sk8 the Infinity - Downhill skateboarding dialed up to 11. Not at all realistic but still a fun time.

Niche anime that stuck with me for all the wrong reasons: Burning Kabaddi The sport is so ridiculous that I can’t believe it’s a real thing. Only watched one or two episodes, but the incredibly niche topic stuck with me.

Some stuff that hasn’t been mentioned yet:

Girls Band Cry. I found the cast really solid, realistic, and relatable.

Land of the Lustrous. Predominantly female world and Phos is a surprisingly deep and relatable character who undergoes a lot of growth.

Isekai Wildcard Picks:

Ascendence of a Bookworm

So I’m a Spider, So What?!

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

The Executioner and Her Way of Life

My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom

The Saints Magic Power is Omnipotent

Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!

Now you have to pay to get ads! Because paid tier gets ads anyway for Crunchyroll products with no way to turn that crap off. Huzzah!

Not just seems like, they objectively are.

I’m really enjoying Let This Grieving Soul Retire, if only because it’s exactly the kind of trash I enjoy.

Okay, this episode brings back the awesome

@rikka@ani.social

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Koga FINALLY becomes interesting. He realizes he’s weak and has always been weak because he never stood up for himself not even once. He’s still a puppy though, but now he’s trying to be a wolf.

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Also, turns out that Noel is part of Laughing Coffin! THIS IS ACTUALLY A DEATH GAME AND HE’S A PLAYER KILLER!

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Okay, so not really. But damn if the talker “level up” icon isn’t ominous.