Sakamichi No Apollon 04 – But Not For Me

Hello all!  Sorry for my lack of posts recently; after watching the exercise in monotony that was Space Brothers 05, I found myself lacking the motivation to write up my weekly entry.  I’ll probably just combine 05 and 06 into a single review, since the slow pace of that show suits a condensed format.  Sometimes, there simply isn’t very much to say about the happenings of Nanba Mutta.

Anyways, I’ll be trying out a new format for this week’s review of Sakamichi No Apollon.  Rather than splitting up the review into “plot synopsis” and “thoughts” section, I’ll simply provide a slideshow of screenshots from the episode, with a lengthy/lengthier combined section below.  This combined section will likely follow the chronological sequence found in the episode itself.  Since I’m assuming readers have already watched, or are planning to watch the episode, there really isn’t a point in long and deliberative dedicated plot summaries.  Also, I’ve found that repetition is a bit of a problem, especially with the longer entries.  I’m sure you’re all more interested in thematic content anyways.  Here we go!

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Sakamichi No Apollon 03 – An emotional rollercoaster

OH GOD MY HEART

Well, this week’s episode really hit home on a number of personal and emotional levels, as the groundwork for the complex relationships between the cast begin to take shape.  All the major players have now been introduced, and the pace has quickened appreciably.  No more are we dealing with the simple trials and tribulations of daily high school lives, oh no.  Against the backdrop of jazz, the difficulties of interpersonal relationships and young love emerge: a simultaneously bitter-sweet and enlightening experience that many can identify with.  Without further ado, let’s get started with this week’s review of Sakamichi no Apollon.  Again, I’m sorry for the length.  It’s hitting 1800 words, I believe.

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Hyouka 01 – A Subpar Start

I'm guessing we'll see a lot of this in the coming episodes.

Length warning: 2447 words

Let me begin by saying that I originally thought of Hyouka as a possible anime-of-the-season candidate, due in large part to its all-star cast, the fact that it’s a Kyoto Animation series, and that the first screens and promo trailer showed what could possibly be another milestone in the school-based anime segment.  The first episode was released today, so be0wulf and I sat down at our respective computers and watched it together, in a manner of speaking.  I’ll be offering my thoughts below, and be0wulf will be contributing in a separate post.  This post won’t contain much plot synopsis, if at all.  Rather, select plot elements will be used primarily as the basis for a framework upon which I can analyse and critique elements of this series.  You might notice that my tone isn’t particularly positive so far, and you’re definitely right.  Suffice to say that this first episode disappointed me greatly, and if you’re a KyoAni fanboy, you might as well stop reading right here.  More after the Jump.

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Sakamichi No Apollon 02 – Love is in the Air

Wheeeeeeeeeee

Another week, another episode of Sakamichi no Apollon (from here on out, and in subsequent posts, I’ll be abbreviating this to SnA, since typing out the entire title is a bit of a chore)!  This episode is a good mix of introductory elements and further characterization, as befits the second episode of any series.  Enough of this introduction nonsense, though.  Let’s get this blog post rolling!

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Space Brothers 01 – Brotherly Love

Meet Nanba Mutta. His life is suffering.

Hello, all!  Here’s my first post on the blog!  Otherwise known as Uchū Kyōdai, this is the story of two brothers: Nanba Mutta (the elder) and Nanba Hibito, both of whom have extraterrestrial aspirations (if it wasn’t already obvious from the title alone).  Let’s get right into it, shall we?

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