Anime SavePoint. This week in anime (Apr 15th-30th)
Hello, greetings and welcome to Anime Savepoint.
These past two weeks have been filled with great episodes in anime and I can’t wait to talk about it. So no wasting time, let’s get right to it.
1-Kaiju.no 8 Episode 2 and 3 (MUST WATCH!!)
I can’t even overstate how much I’m enjoying this show. Not only because it is amazing. WHICH IT IS. But because of how much joy there is in the show. I think we can agree that over the past few years, all of the major Shonen releases have been pretty depressing shows with awesome scenes and stories. JJK, Demon Slayer, chainsaw-man, etc. All these shows are brilliant, hence the obvious popularity but they aren’t “fun” shows. They’re serious and it is clearly reflective of the current trend in Shonen.
Kaiju No.8 isn’t like that though. So far the show is light-hearted and joyous in a way that some people such as myself are excited to see back in the shonen genre. I feel like I’m 16 again watching My Hero Academia for the first time. The intense and visually stunning action scenes will leave you in awe, but the kind of awe that makes your eyes sparkle like a kid seeing an anime power up for the first time. Where however much you may try not to, all you can do is cheer on our dumb protagonist with his even bigger and dumber anime dreams.
If it does take a turn and become a little grittier later, that’s completely fine. But until Demon Slayer comes out next month this is the must-watch show of the spring season.
2-Wind Breaker Episode 4
We got ourselves a TOURNAMENT ARCCCC!!!!! And it's only episode 4! Windbreaker so far has been a show that just keeps on giving and in last week’s episode, we met our full cast of characters including the current big bad: Choji Tomiyama, and the boss of our very own Furin, Umemiya.
Umemiya for the most part is what you’d come to expect from a shonen leader-type character nowadays. Quirky, doesn’t take anything too seriously, and is completely fun-loving. But when it’s time to throw down he becomes an absolute badass if the situation calls for it.
We do get a little bit of backstory into a few of the characters that we’re starting to see more often which is also always welcome. I’m excited for next week's episode and if you’re watching Wind Breaker I know you are too.
3-Train to the end of the World Episode 4
It seems I misjudged this show and I am upset about it. The show is a lot less ominous than I thought it would be and I don’t know whether I prefer it this way or not. It definitely can give off some mysterious vibes from time to time but it doesn’t follow through with the fear factor and immediately switches back to comedy and all-out nonsense.
This doesn’t mean I don’t like the show. I actually like it a lot. It's just that my hopes for a Made-in-Abyss kind of show were dashed very quickly. Nevertheless, the girls are still on the move on their way to Ikebukuro and they are facing challenges along the way. Some of these challenges may even be life-threatening, but the show will never act like they’re in any actual mortal danger.
Not for the moment anyway.
Let's keep watching to see whether the tables get turned and some actual danger is put in the way of our travelers to give the show the boost that it needs.
Side-note: if you ever see a goat stand up and run at you please proceed with caution.
4-Go Go Loser Ranger episodes 3 and 4
Episodes 3 and 4 of Go Go Loser Ranger are a must-watch. The action in the show is turned up and the cliffhanger that you’re left on will have you itching to watch episode 4. Which also doesn’t disappoint whatsoever. We are now starting to see the extent of the power between the main Rangers and what special abilities they possess as well as how strong their subordinates are.
I can’t really talk about episode 4 without spoiling it due to the cliffhanger we’re left on in episode 3. But what I will say is that it provides some much-needed emotional backstory to a soon-to-be fan-favorite character.
If you’re not caught up on Go Go Loser Ranger go catch up as soon as you can.
5-Boukyaku Battery
The actual baseball matches are carrying Oblivion Battery at the moment. They’re slick, the fast-paced animation is very good and the different main characters playing the different positions are what make the matches in the anime worth watching.
However, when they AREN’T playing baseball there is a lot to be desired from the show and the way the characters interact with each other. It’s not that the show is bad. It’s just that the different colorful-haired main folks aren’t too interesting at the moment. They are loud and eccentric and everything else you’d expect from a sports anime cast but so far just not particularly interesting.
If it wasn’t for the fact that the baseball matches seem to be as interesting and entertaining as they are (So far anyway) I probably would have dropped the show.