Thanks for stopping by Mono's Anime Rants today! Let's start the episode responses.
Note: This may be the last blog post of 2022, but there are still relatively a lot of episodes to cover from the year. So my weekly episode reviews for 2022 will continue even after this week, until all of them are done. Also, Happy Holidays!
Shadows House: Season 2 Episode 5
This was a fairly wholesome episode. Kate and company made friends with the research team and learned some new information from them. Later on, Kate and John managed to coordinate a meeting with Louise and Patrick. There was friction at first, but Kate tried hard to do something that would let everyone have fun. It paid off. The four of them became a little closer and established some level of trust. They will meet again soon. Patrick and Louise even agreed to help Kate however they can. As for my thoughts, I just love these characters, and when they get along, it can be a lot of fun. I'm also still excited and curious about the mystery of the phantom incident.
Spy X Family: Episode 18 (2nd Cour Episode 6)
It was a funny and entertaining episode of Spy x Family. The first half was about Anya studying for her midterm exams. The second half was about Loid's mission to alter the scores to make her pass. The character of Daybreak was a tad annoying but also amusing. Although I'm still enjoying this anime, I think I had slightly more fun watching the first cour. But it's only halfway through the second cour, so maybe it will get even better. I don’t have any other thoughts at this time.
Summertime Render: Episode 18
Although this episode was mostly enjoyable, I did feel frustrated when Ushio and Shinpei put their guard down after supposedly killing Shide. It was easy to predict that there was a clone of him nearby, so I felt like Ushio and Shinpei acted pretty stupid. And because of that mistake, it seems like Ushio can no longer loop. I'm not completely certain that it can't be fixed, but it might be the case that Ushio just cannot loop anymore. Anyway, the episode was exciting as usual, and I'm looking forward to more.
Hoshi no Samidare (Lucifer and The Biscuit Hammer): Episode 18
A lot was crammed into one episode. First, there were Shimaki's troubles with creating a new golem for battle. Then there was the unexpected news of the death of Yuuhi's grandfather. Following this, Yuuhi had a series of trippy, supernatural experiences or "dreams" where he talked with his dead grandfather, as well as meeting with and fighting Hangetsu. Yuuhi managed to win the fight and surpass his mentor/hero figure. As he climbs a giant white staircase, he also encounters Subaru's and Yukimachi's teacher, Shisho, plus the spirits of Anima and Samidare. At the top of the long staircase is the Biscuit Hammer.
Despite feeling like too much was covered in too short a time, this episode was probably my favorite so far. I loved the character dynamic that was explored between Yuuhi and Hangetsu. I especially love Yuuhi because he is an intense thinker like me, whereas Hangetsu acts spontaneously and intuitively. Additionally, I liked the closure Yuuhi got with his grandpa, and the trippy white staircase setting in the dream-world. It was all pretty cool.
Mob Psycho 100: Season 3 Episode 11
The intensity didn't stop in this episode as the raging Shigeo continued destroying the city on his way to Tsubomi. Suzuki, his son Sho, and Ritsu all tried to make the destruction stop. But nobody stood a chance against Mob. Reigen and Serizawa are on their way into the eye of the storm that has built itself up around Shigeo. Maybe they will be able to stop him somehow. In the meantime, Shigeo is in the middle of a mental battle against his rampaging other self. The uninhibited version is trying to make the gentle Mob disappear forever.
I liked the psychology in this episode quite a lot. However, I'm confused about one thing. Ritsu kept making references to his brother's trauma, some incident which made him start hiding his powers and his emotions. But I don't know what the trumatic incident was. It's either something the show hasn't revealed yet, or something addressed in an earlier season that I've forgotten about. I hope this is cleared up soon because I want to understand Mob's trauma better.
Chainsaw Man: Episode 6
The devil hunter team spends the episode trapped on the 8th floor of the hotel, which is the body of the Eternity Devil. Kobeni essentially loses her mind from panic. The Eternity Devil promises to let them all out if they kill or surrender Denji. Despite Himeno's approval of this contract, Aki protects Denji, even when it means taking serious injury. Finally, Denji decides he will fight the Eternity Devil or die trying.
This episode was full of tension and serious moments, but there was also some comedy here and there. I liked learning more about Himeno and her bond with Aki. As for Aki, I'm not surprised at all he would protect Denji. He's an honorable and reasonable person. Besides being a morally good action, protecting Denji also makes logical sense for the long-term goal of killing the Gun Devil.
Thanks for reading~