Welcome to one and all! This is the third week of episode reviews for the 8 series that I picked from 2022 anime. (Well, Shadows House season 1 is from 2021, but I'll eventually cover season 2 as well.) There are series selected from winter, spring, and summer 2022. I hope you enjoy my responses to current anime!
Shadows House: Season 1 Episode 3
This episode was shocking to me with all the new information it revealed. The "ghosts" were totally unexpected to me, and they legitimately creep me out with their abilities and versatility. There were several other important things we learned in this episode, like how disloyal dolls are supposedly discarded, and how Kate can control the movement of soot. But to me one of the most interesting things that threw me for a loop was the ever-increasing evidence that the living dolls are indeed artificially created beings. I thought there would be some twist about them being human children, but the more that is revealed about how they work, the more I think they are more like homunculi.
Either way, I'm still interested. The dolls are obviously sentient. They shouldn't be created just to be made into slaves and brainwashed into blind loyalty. I look forward to how Emilyko will keep questioning. I love her idea of writing her discoveries down in a journal. This show got a whole lot weirder in episode 3, but I still loved it. I'm eager to see more! So far this is my favorite anime of the 8 I'm covering in these posts.
Spy X Family: Episode 3
This anime is way too cute to be real. In this episode, the Forger family went on an all-day outing to help them get a sense of family bonding as well as activities that "respectable families" do. They visited an opera, a museum, and more. Yor and Loid worked together to catch a purse-snatcher and return the stolen money to the old lady who was robbed. Anya was adorable with everything she did. Loid/Twilight is still worried about whether he can complete his mission, because it's very difficult to fake having a family. However, he's able to relax that evening, remembering how the old lady told him, "You look like a lovely family."
Summertime Rendering: Episode 3
Episode 3 was great. The mystery and suspense continued. The part where Shinpei talks to shadow-Shiori was really tense. Shiori is voiced by Rei Kagamiya, a seiyuu whose ability I greatly admire and would recognize anywhere. I like Sou, Shinpei's male friend, quite a bit so far. The ending of the episode featured a beautiful song as Shinpei chased the figure who appears to be Ushio (or her shadow-copy). I don't really know what to make of that turn of events yet. I suspect that it's Ushio's shadow luring Shinpei away to kill him. Regardless, the scene on the beach was emotional and beautiful. Also, the art/animation throughout these three episodes has been excellent.
Tokyo 24th Ward: Episode 3
To be honest, this episode bored me at multiple points. I'm not very invested in the characters yet, and the drama surrounding the 24th ward's restaurant content was not particularly interesting to me. At the halfway point of the episode, however, our three heroes were finally presented with an exciting new dilemma. The way they handled the tornado didn't go well; 21 people died, including their beloved old teacher, Kaba. I wasn't actually expecting this anime to include character and civilian deaths, but I don't object. It's more realistic and high-stakes this way. I'm curious who the person is on the TV at the end of the episode. We might have a supervillain to deal with next. I'm not super interested in this show so far, but I'll keep watching.
Hoshi no Samidare (Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer): Episode 3
The first two thirds of episode 3 were quite serious. I didn't realize this would be such a psychologically heavy anime when I chose it, but it's handled well enough that I don't mind. Yuuhi has only just started to come to terms with his trauma. I think it's ok that he can't forgive his grandfather. You can't force true forgiveness. Anyway, I love the cute romance between him and Samidare. I don't really like Hangetsu, the new knight, very much. But maybe he gets more interesting. The animation for Lucifer and The Biscuit Hammer is honestly pretty subpar and cheap, but the soundtrack and voice-acting are good. I'm heartily enjoying the story, themes, and main characters so far as well.
Hataraku Maou-sama (The Devil is a Part-Timer): Season 2 episode 3
It's nice to watch an anime with such pretty colors and animation. The face expressions are always great. We learned a little bit about the lore in episode, as well as some of Mao's personal history. I love the idea of Emilia's friend getting together with Ashiya. Gabriel is hilarious. Alus Ramus was adorable in her cute hat. The humor felt more natural and fresh in this episode compared to last time. I look forward to some action in the next episode.
Sasaki and Miyano: Episode 3
If this episode was any indication, then I think the pacing for this anime is going to be pretty good. Miyano now knows for sure that Sasaki likes him and doesn't just see him as a cute underclassman. Furthermore, Miyano thinks Sasaki is very cool, and holds him in high regard. However, there don't seem to be any romantic feelings yet, on Miyano's part. The scene where Miyano gives Sasaki chocolates was so adorable. So much of this anime is just cuteness overload, but sometimes there are serious moments too. There was a homophobic classmate of Sasaki who got his feathers rustled by the idea of a guy liking BL manga. Sasaki managed to shut down that classmate's pathetic complaints while still maintaining the peace of the situation. No wonder Miyano thinks Sasaki is so cool!
Tomodachi game: Episode 8
Surprisingly, this episode was pretty enjoyable. I didn't once feel the urge to shoot myself in the foot or bash my head against a wall. This third game seems to be an improvement on the last two. While I'm not exactly sure what Yuichi's plan is, I know he's got something in mind. The other team is formidable, but their strict hierarchy and well-established dynamics could actually backfire if someone used that against them. I felt bad for Tenji as he starved and thirsted. Humans will die if they don't drink anything for three days. In other words, Tenji is literally on the verge of death. I'm surprised this anime stopped demonizing Tenji and made him somewhat likeable again. It was a nice surprise all around.
Thanks for Reading