Anime roundup 5/17/2018: Next In Line

Megalobox #6 – Joe may be the one in the ring fighting, but again the main struggle is between Nambu and Aragaki. Even when Joe is telling himself to remain balanced, it’s the same mantra Aragaki heard when Nambu was training him, and Aragaki hears it as a taunt about who has his attention now. Aragaki isn’t fighting Joe, really, he’s fighting his past for a chance to move onward. And what a release it is, when he finally makes it. Who would’ve thought the tearjerker of the season would be the boxing show?

Another flashback fills in what might have landed Nambu on the underground boxing circuit: he’s a gambler, and not good at it. It’s the same gambling instinct that led him to take a chance on getting Joe into the Megalonia tournament. It also suggests that this might be a very bad gamble.

But it is working so far. Even as Joe’s future Megalonia opponent is announced (since he’s bound to meet Yūri in the final, and we haven’t even gotten a glimpse of Iglesias, so I presume that’s the guy Yūri will beat in the first round), Joe is already upstaging him. Nambu calculated there would need to be one more fight to get Joe to the point where he’d be picked for Megalonia, so what in the world has Megalobox got in store that could top the fight it just had?

(CrunchyrollADNbilibili)

Steins;Gate 0 #5 – Where many shows would try to spin out the mystery for several episodes, Steins;Gate 0 is remarkably efficient about Ruka’s father’s mysterious visitor who is obviously Kagari. After making a token effort at a normal search, which is really about introducing Moeka Kiryū and establishing that she has talents other than suddenly turning out to be a murderous commando, Kagari, Okabe, Mayuri, and Suzuha are all gathered together to get their various shocked reactions over with.

Kagari doesn’t remember who she is or what she’s been up to. This convenient case of amnesia would usually be caused by a knock to the head and an authorial misunderstanding of head injuries, but in a story with this many neuroscientists running loose in it, there is an excellent chance that this was done to her deliberately.

And then there’s the matter of the peculiar mass primate killing in the US. Say, can we think of any sketchy American brain researchers who might turn out to be connected to that?

That leaves the question of who Ruka’s father’s other visitor is. The Law of Character Economy suggests it’s Hiyajō’s newly introduced colleague Dr. Reyes. Which would mean Kagari was recently in the hands of Viktor Chondria University, which means any of the researchers might know about the time machine and Okabe’s connection to it, which means that Okabe is already trapped and doesn’t know it.

(CrunchyrollAnimeLabWakanimFunimationAmazon)

Hakyu Hoshin Engi #16 – Give it up for the Unshō Sisters, who finally get to take on a couple of the Jūtenkun and demolish them without breaking a sweat. If there is one thing still annoying me about the pace of this show, it’s that the sisters’ material seems to have been severely cut. It’s still not clear who they are or why they’ve joined the fight. They seem to have access to the same hyperspace pocket technology as the Jūtenkun, so did they go rogue from Kingo Island at some point?

Back at the main plot, Ōtenkun has arranged for Yōzen to fight his own father next. As previously suggested, Tsūten Kyōshu has been under Dakki’s control for a long time. As not previously revealed, Ōtenkun has been in on it as well— and he’s used that to prepare a revenge served very cold indeed. Except it doesn’t work out that way, and instead of gloating over his broken enemy, he winds up half the man he used to be.

Not that this will necessarily stop a high-powered Doshi. I mean, look at Nataku— there’s even less of him left, and he seems fine. And Ōtenkun still has a long talk with Taikōbō about the whole Hōshin Project in his future. At least, I think that was the future…

(CrunchyrollFunimation)

Cute High Earth Defense Club HAPPY KISS! #6 – This week’s antagonist may be as unassertive as a clear plastic umbrella, but he’s one of the more memorable ones thanks to an inspired bit of character design. Nice job, whoever came up with that haircut. But, like so many before him, he is made to relax and take a more positive outlook on life, despite Kyōtarō attempting to play hooky right in the middle of the fight.

Cute High is starting to feel a bit like it’s spinning its wheels, when the questions from the first couple episodes are still out there waiting for answers. What exactly has the Prime Minister of Honyala Land been up to? What did Karls mean about serving out sentences? Who’s running the Kurotama bathhouse these days? When exactly is it, in relation to the previous seasons?

We might get an answer to that last question soon, as next week’s preview looks like it’ll feature a certain once-dead teacher from the earlier shows…

(Crunchyroll — bilibili)

Persona5 the Animation #6 – The Phantoms need to find a new opponent fast, or what’s going to happen to the story? Despite his big introduction last week, it’s not genius boy detective Gorō Akechi (who is a nod to Rampo Edogawa’s famous detective Kogorō Akechi). Instead, the gang finds yet another beloved figure who is secretly building his reputation on the backs of abused youngsters.

Instead of controlling them with fear and physical punishment, Ichiryusai Madarame manipulates them to provide work he can pass off as his own. His only remaining “apprentice” feels like he’s taking care of a beloved relative who sheltered him when no one else would, despite the ethical problems visible to anyone not trapped in his household.

Like it did with Kamoshida, Persona5 again does a great job of providing a nuanced look at how a person’s ego can lead them to abuse their power over others. Another vividly rendered Palace is a fine addition to that.

(CrunchyrollAnimeLabWakanimAniplus HDHulubilibili)

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