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:
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
The previous episode was a great episode, not to mention a certain secret about Aerial being revealed. This week we cut to a completely different setting and character. Guel started the series as I would think — a pretty unlikeable character. However, every time we saw him there was more characterization (along with more bad things that happen to him.). Things went really wrong for him in the final of the last season. We catch up with him after that traumatic event and things are very much not going good for him. In addition to him, we see more about the Dawn of Fold faction, especially Olcott. The action was pretty good in this episode, too. Guel’s moments for me were definitely the high point. Him not knowing what he wants to do and trying to save a kid was hard to watch at times. There was no Suletta this episode, but even without the main character, it was a strong episode. It probably goes without saying, but I really can’t wait to see how the story progresses. I also hope that Guel gets a win in at some point. – Walter
– You can watch Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury on Crunchyroll.
The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses
This week’s episode continues after Hayato and crew successfully reopen Familia Café Terrace. Business seems to be booming at first, but after a week, the customers have stopped showing up. Hayato decides they need to freshen things up if they want to rake in more customers. So, they decide to make new uniforms and a spring menu, and will show them off at the Cherry Blossom Festival. The booth at the Cherry Blossom Festival goes well, until a run in with hooligans. Not letting this get them down, Hayato, Ouka and Ami fix up Hayato’s grandmother’s old food cart, and bring it to the festival. Business booms once again, and then Ami deals with the hooligans afterwards.
This episode was pretty good. Hayato showed off his nerdier side with all the military terms he was using while describing his plans. It made him more likable. Despite how at odds he seems with Ouka, it’s cool seeing how much Hayato supports her and her aspirations to be a designer. I appreciated how well the Café worked together as a unit when they were trying to promote the Familia food cart. Especially Riho, since she was running the main café and promoting the food cart on SNS at the same time. But, the real MVP of the episode was Ami. She kept that food cart running thanks to her ridiculous athleticism, and she pulled off some moves in the end that would make Ryu and Ken proud. – Patrick
— You can watch The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses on Crunchyroll.
Too Cute Crisis
Unlike previous episodes, the pet introduced this week is an alien one. In this case, it was what was considered the cutest pet in the universe by aliens. However, Liza and the others note how it can’t compare with Earth animals. I did like how Yozora ended up bonding with it. Quite a bit of the episode was how another one of Liza’s comrades finally see’s a cat for the first time. Their reaction though was different. I wouldn’t say that the series is among the best this season, but I am enjoying it. – Walter
– You can watch Too Cute Crisis on HIDIVE.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
After being enveloped in mysterious fog while out with Stella, Chise finds herself on a remote island that belongs nowhere and nowhen, and just so happens to be the home of Elias’ teacher, Rahab. She’s the same teacher we met back in Season 1 when Lindel described his past with Ainsworth, and she’s the one who gave Elias his neck loop. When Chise notes that it feels as though she’s met Rahab before, she explains that when Elias came to her to learn, he mimicked all of her mannerisms and habits, making them similar in every regard except one — Rahab could not teach Elias about emotions. So it comes as a delightful surprise to her when Chise explains that no, Elias smiles a lot nowadays, even if he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. He also feels anger, sorrow, fear, and jealousy thanks to Chise. We also finally learn exactly why it is that Elias declared Chise would be his bride way back when he first bought her, and it would be a lie to say I didn’t find it incredibly stupid and endearing. I love Elias. He’s such an idiot. Back at home, said idiot is talking with Angelica about why he gave Chise his neck loop to begin with — because she’s so reckless, and cares so little for her own safety, if he asked her to keep something precious to him from breaking, then maybe she wouldn’t break herself. We cap off the episode as the two return to the College through the back passages and make a contract with some pretty frightening looking dogs.
As much as I love the intrigue and interpersonal drama at the College, having a quiet episode here that just delves into Elias and Chise’s relationship was really nice. The both of them struggle so much with learning how to live, and seeing the ways they make inroads into caring for themselves and others is satisfying. In this regard, Elias is perhaps doing better than Chise, but most of his feelings are tied up in confusion and uncertainty as he navigates emotions he doesn’t understand. Chise is taking a longer path to realizing how much she means to others — and that in turn, she has to care about herself. They’ve both come a long way from where they started, but they also have a long way to go, and I’m enjoying watching them navigate the path. – Leah
— You can watch The Ancient Magus’ Bride on Crunchyroll.
What anime are you watching? Let us know in the comments!
You can read previous Week in Anime entries here!
