ernest314

most recently–Love Unseen, halfway through the season (no spoilers)

I appreciate that Minami still considers Kuroe his girlfriend (despite what she said). green flag material

“let’s practice hugging” is the gateway drug to “let’s practice kissing”

that heli pilot did not survive that (update: Manatsu is crazy(complimentary))

I appreciate that the perspective swap really did make what Kuroe said that, at the time, sounded a bit lame, into something that does feel significant. That’s good writing c:

how did she get her hands on Melania’s hat??

the (literal) light switch moment was really good. I’m kicking my feet over here 💓

I like that they played around with narrative timelines (when things are revealed to the audience vs. when they happen chronologically). Fingers crossed Kuroe can ship the new kaiju with Manatsu, she deserves to be happy too 😭

somehow I’m just putting together the usual symbolism/themes behind a circus–rejects/pariahs, “freak shows”, found family, etc. … this episode especially, all these themes are so relevant. I’m very impressed that Maria’s height was actually a relevant plot point (and also appropriately circus-themed, with “dwarfs” being a common staple of circus shows historically)

even in an AU, that’s the US healthcare system–if you have medical issues just pray for a stranger to take pity on you >.>

(also, nice little detail that Svietlana didn’t go to the confrontation with Nanami)

I like that this show has pretty realistic timelines (& timeskips)

sleepy Nonna is so cute but also the next shot being asleep Nonna was hilarious :P

Jeff’s past is way darker than I would’ve guessed, and it really fleshes him out as a character. In general this show has done a good job efficiently fleshing out characters, given most of the time we’re seeing Vicky’s perspective. The story feels strangely cozy even though it feels a little sparse overall (there were only 9 episodes, tbf).

I thought it was a little weird that Nonna wasn’t getting much characterization; given she’s a main character it made the show feel a little sparse? I did enjoy anime Nonna though, and I’m looking forward to next season 🙂

it’s a cute detail that Gallie imagines Winged Uncle as looking like Shirotae

accurate representation of cats destroying birds >.> keep your cats indoors people

neat that the Kingdom of Randall also has a Matterhorn

it was kinda nice to see that it’s not like Vicky was cold and unfeeling before, but instead the only reason she even kept going was for her family.

the stylized manga panels worked really well in this episode, I think, except that one shot with Chloe getting smooshed and disappearing–that one just looked weird to me

something something Irish potato famine

It’s a clever touch that they’ve reframed the story such that we’re not looking for the performance to be great or anything (we’ve already seen it a couple times now), but instead for Mizuka to be enjoying herself. It places less emphasis on the animation and more on the storytelling, which is probably easier to pull off.

Plot-wise, we kept getting “they finally pulled this off… but then this other bad thing happened”, which is just good writing, but also it helps make the handwavy-er plot points (suddenly their performances are super good!) feel more earned. … I hope Maria is okay…

still not sure how to feel about the random fanservice-y shots…? they’re not really sexualized, except what Manatsu did with her phone…

they seemed like they were hinting that Manatsu would find some other Harugon to date. Kuroe-chan could introduce them and return the wingwoman favor :P

Writing-wise, it’s really interesting that (for now) the role of “truly loves you even if you look like a literal monster” goes to Manatsu, instead of the more-obvious Minami. Strangely enough, I think it actually makes it more believable, because outside of her fetish/kink she’s just a normal person. And even though she’s a good friend, she’s not romantically interested in Kuroe, so her love of Harugon is less motivated/biased than Minami might be. I’m fascinated to see how they reconcile this, and where they go from here!

depends on what you’re looking for :p

I think this is technically seinen, but the story is very shoujo-coded. It’s a sweet romcom with a very green-flag ML. The relationship progression is decent, the supporting cast is fleshed out, and there really isn’t any miscommunication drama / will-they-won’t-they – the catch is, there is a lot of that re: the FL’s whole kaiju thing (like classic ultraman).

The kaiju sequences are CGI, but they don’t really break my immersion. The camerawork/direction is pretty good. I’ve really liked the writing so far; they haven’t been afraid to tackle complex issues (most recently, makeup) while leaving space for nuance.

it broke my heart when Jeffery had to say Vicky didn’t tell him anything…

I think trusting Nonna to come back is a form of vulnerability, which is why Vicky is having such a hard time with it :c

Nonna herself has been more of a supporting character, not actually getting that much focus devoted to her, but she got a decent amount this episode. The screen time she does get is very efficient at characterizing her though, and she really steals the show.

I liked Baron Hanson’s little subplot more than I expected. They didn’t get redeemed–their actions were unquestionably selfish and entitled–but their actions were understandable, and it seems like they were able to begin to heal (especially if the items they sent were originally Dolores’s or intended for her).

it’s kinda fun (and way less frustrating) that the typical rom-com miscommunication plot device gets replaced with straight-up not communicating (due to the premise); and all the main characters are pretty competent besides