Hello and welcome to Mono's Anime Rants! Today, we continue coverage of 7 anime series from 2022 and 1 anime series from 2021. Recently, I finished covering Tomodachi Game, so there was a slot free in my list. To fill it, I chose Mob Psycho 100 (season 3), which is airing now. The next time a new slot opens, I might start covering Chainsaw Man. We'll see. Without further ado, here are your episode reviews!
Note: I fell behind on blogging for a month. In order to catch up to where I want to be, I will publish weeks #11-14 in rapid succession over the next few days.
Shadows House: Season 1 Episode 11
We had an intense episode of Shadows House this time. It was difficult to see Emilyko cry so much, but also a relief to see her free from the brainwashing. I love how Kate is gathering everyone and trying to help the living dolls. Speaking of the living dolls, it seems that my initial feeling about them was correct, at the beginning of the show. They are not homunculi but human children. The only thing I don't understand is how Kate knows this for a fact. Also, I would hope that she would want to free the dolls even if they weren't humans. After all, there is no question that they have sentient minds. Anyway, I'm very impressed with this anime and glad I chose it!
Spy X Family: Episode 11
Anya finally got her first Stella, the school honor award of which eight are needed to become an Imperial Scholar. It was a little contrived that a boy just happened to be drowning while Anya was at the hospital. But since this show doesn't take itself super seriously, I think it's excusable. Anya saved the boy and got her Stella. For a reward, she wants a puppy. I'm excited to see what kind of insane dog the Forger family will adopt. As usual, it's humorous to see Anya reacting to hearing the thoughts of others. It must get overwhelming, though. Anyway, it was a really satisfying episode.
Summertime Render: Episode 11
As Mio and Tetsu go into the sewers to track down the shadow of Shiori, Ryunosuke and Nezu are already there, fighting shadows. The sewers has secret pathways that lead into the giant underground cave of Hiruko. That's where Shinpei, Ushio, and Sou are surrounded by shadows. They are shocked to discover Tokiko working with the Shadows. She captured them and leads them through the caves to where Hiruko the shadow god is being fed.
This episode was not quite as exciting as some in the past, but it was still pretty awesome. I liked Tokiko so I'm sad she's part of the conspiracy to feed shadows. Maybe she will have a redemptive character arc in some future loop. We'll see. I also hope we loop again before the end because Ryunosuke was shot in the liver and is slowly dying. Nezu already died. Anyway, that's about it.
Tokyo 24th Ward: Episode 11
I wasn't quite prepared for this huge emotional dump of an episode. I think the writers, animators, and voice-actors all did a great job making this episode so emotionally poignant. Tokyo 24th Ward isn't that great of anime overall, but it has some really interesting moments, and I don't think it deserves the abysmal scores it's getting on MyAnimeList. This show could be called sci-fi, or it could be in the super-power genre. There are a few good philosophy-type dilemmas as well. However, at its core, it's just a story about grief. It's about these young men dealing with personal tragedy. I think it's worth watching for the emotional ride. We'll see how it all ends in the next episode.
Hoshi no Samidare (Lucifer and The Biscuit Hammer): Episode 11
The art and animation look subpar as usual, but the writing for this episode was decent. When her mother comes back for a visit, Sami has to face her fears of meeting her. Since the mother and Hisame left sick baby Sami behind and went to France many years ago, Sami never felt like her mother loved her. It was a dramatic episode, but it had a satisfying ending. I really like the personalities of Yuuhi and Sami and how they interact together. I want to get behind the romance aspect between them. Still, I have trouble getting over the fact that Sami's not eighteen yet. It rubs me the wrong way. Other than that, it was a fine episode.
The Devil is a Part-timer! Season 2: Episode 11
There's a new angel in town-- Raguel the Watcher-- and for some reason, he's pursuing Lailah, the mysterious woman thought to be Emilia's mother. Raguel is sending out magical pulses via TVs to search for his prey. One of the pulses hit Chiho, who is extra sensitive to celestial energy, and put her in a coma. Mao, Emilia, and company all visit Chiho to make sure she's not in immediate danger. Next, they decide to find Raguel and make him pay for hurting Chiho. It was an interesting enough episode. I liked the parts with Rika (Emilia's coworker) and her huge crush on Ashiya. The English spoken during that one scene at the ramen shop was actually pretty decent. Kudos to the Japanese voice actors for pulling it off.
Sasaki and Miyano: Episode 11
We're getting close to the last episode, and Miyano has decided once and and for all that he's going to confess to Sasaki. However, he wasn't able to pull it off in this episode. There was a bit of a dramatic cliffhanger. I hope he can convey his feelings at the start of the next episode, so we have at least most of an episode to see them actually being together. The side story about Hanzawa-senpai was interesting. I'm glad he's not a homophobe and won't be causing any drama. Also I just want to say that I've grown to really like the visuals in this anime.
Mob Psycho 100: Season 3 Episode 4
I enjoyed this episode a lot. Although much of it was exaggerated and comical, it was also creepy the way everyone got brainwashed. Coming from an intensely religious background, I can understand the eerie feeling of walking around and seeing brainwashed friends and family. And since I'm opposed to both religion and literal brainwashing, I am definitely rooting for Mob's success in removing the giant holy tree. the song that played at the end of the episode was very powerful. Also, the visuals and lighting were great as usual, all throughout the episode. The fight between Hanazawa and Ekubo was also fun to watch.
Thanks for reading~