We here at oprainfall don’t just love video games: we’re big fans of anime, too. So in celebration of the medium, we’re here to give you our thoughts on what we’ve been watching each week as we watch it. Old, new – anything goes.
Currently Airing:
Akiba Maid War
With the gang war ended, things are still tense with the former Maidalien group merged. The head of the Creatureland group tells them to settle their issues with baseball. Like a number of other things, this of course is kind of ridiculous. I did like with the merging, the alien theme for the one café had them changed to be that of axolotls. With Oinky Doink cafe being so small, they have to include their mascot as a player, along with three Venezuelan students they found in Akihabara. Nagomi is very invested in the game, something that no one else seems to be too thrilled about. Unsurprisingly, Zoya and Ranko are quite good, with even Shiipon and Yumechi also doing quite well. The team’s foreign players and Nagomi, who had softball experience, end up lagging behind the other. The maids stay true to their nature and are quite violent during the game. Nagomi is the only one who wants to have a fair game, due to her believing they truly can overcome their issues without violence. She ends up taking some abuse, but ends up winning some of the other players over with her motives. Things do escalate and some fatalities happen from a surprise guest. Nagomi seemed crushed that the game is over, but the termination of the game is put off. I had to laugh at the part when one of the maids said that those members weren’t dead, and end up picking up the bodies and taking them back to the bench so they can conclude the game. Ranko pulls through like usual, but we finally get treated to her meeting with the head of Creatureland who most probably could have guessed knew Ranko. Things are finally seemingly getting a bit better for the café, such as customers coming in again and the café being repaired (with the help of their Venezuelan teammates). However, we can see Ranko is divided after her last conversation with the head. I wasn’t expecting a baseball episode, but I did like it. I’m wondering what else they’ll go with now. – Walter
– You can watch Akiba Maid War on HIDIVE.
Chainsaw Man
After three continuous days of fighting, Denji is finally able to defeat the Infinity Devil, freeing himself and the other members of Division IV from the Floor 8 time loop. We also learn that Himeno really really doesn’t want Hayakawa to take on the Gun Devil, but thinks Denji is crazy enough to survive the encounter. All of Public Division go out for dinner to celebrate the rookies, though only Himeno seems to have any under her command, since everyone else’s died or transferred out. When Makima finally shows up, Himeno and Hayakawa take her up on a drinking bet in order to obtain information about Denji, but the Division Chief drinks them under the table. Utterly sloshed, Himeno finally gives Denji is first kiss, which goes great until she throws up in his mouth. It was a perfect encapsulation of this show: Super gross but also incredibly funny, and also carried with it a moment of character insight. The night ends with Himeno carrying Denji home, annoyed that both he and Hayakawa are so enamored with Makima. She offers to sleep with Denji, and I’m curious to see if he actually takes her up on her offer or holds out for a night with Makima once the Gun Devil is defeated. – Leah
– You can watch Chainsaw Man on Crunchyroll.
Bocchi The Rock!
A typhoon and the bad weather that follows ends up causing problems for the band’s concert. The crowd is much smaller than expected, and everyone seems on edge. I was excited to see the alcoholic Hiroi show up after her appearance a few episodes back. The animation for the series is something that has been strong, especially with how they change different styles up. This is very much on display whenever there’s a performance and you could see how the band is playing different than they did than their audition. Things aren’t going as well as they should, but Bocchi ends up bringing everyone back. The party they have afterwards was also great. Bocchi having another one of her delusions is always a high point, this one being about Bocchi imagining a failed career in the future. It is both sad and hilarious as always. We see Nijika has disappeared and Bocchi searches for her. In a somewhat different change of pace we learn more about Nijika and her family situation. She also reveals that she knows about Bocchi’s videos online. The episode like nearly all the others was a strong one. – Walter
– You can watch Bocchi The Rock! on Crunchyroll.
Mob Psycho 100 III
Mob and the others are determined to give Kurata a memorable time despite getting lost on the mountain as they make their way toward the summit. No one is seeing eye-to-eye or communicating effectively, and I love the way the animation reflects this. At first I found the stylistic choice a bit off-putting, with characters more often than not faceless or off-model. Movements were a bit janky. Once it occurred to me that it was because everyone was awkward and not sure what was going on, it made a bit more sense, especially because the second half of the episode does not have the same animation quirks. At any rate, the group finally comes to understand one another thanks to Reigen’s words of encouragement, and just find happiness in the moment as they goof off on the summit trying to summon aliens. To their surprise they succeed. These are definitely the most kawaii aliens I’ve ever seen. They take everyone out into space and have a grand old time before dropping everyone except Inukawa, who the aliens keep on board for an undisclosed amount of time as basically a sex slave. It is the one and only time a Mob Psycho gag has fallen flat for me, even though it’s thematically relevant. They eventually return Inukawa as well, whose memories of his capture are hazy and indistinct. With that, we lead into the final arc of the show, and I’m so not emotionally prepared. – Leah
– You can watch Mob Psycho 100 on Crunchyroll.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
I’ve caught up with the series finally this week. I have some conflicting feelings about this one. I watched the prologue a while back, and going from that to how the series started it felt kind of odd to me. I honestly am not a fan of the whole school setting it’s at. However, going off of all the things going on in the big picture with the series I can see it not staying that way. Suletta is a character that I can see some people not caring for. That being said I actually like her, she is just so awkward and shy that I can’t help but like her. There are just some out there moments that I just enjoy, such as the slap from the first episode. I also feel that it’s almost a thing for it for most episodes ending with her being shocked about something. I like the design of the Aerial Gundam, and what it does with its shield and beam weapons are different. I do like some of the others such Miorine and Guel, who while a jerk started to grow on me as he keeps losing. The character that I’m interested in is Suletta’s mother who fills the series “Not Char” role. While the other students at the school are kind of growing on me, we’re starting to see more of the darker elements Gundam is known for appearing. The most recent episode ends on a reveal (one that basically everyone watching or even not would know) that will be interesting to go from for Suletta. She’s starting to realize more about her mother. Depending on if you think some of the theories that have been going around Suletta and Ariel, it will be interesting to see what gets revealed. While I had some issues with it, I’m still liking this series and going to keep up with it. – Walter
– You can watch Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury on Crunchyroll.
What anime are you watching? Let us know in the comments!
You can read previous Week in Anime entries here!
