“Holy sh*t, that shirt is lame!” — Weekly Anime Review #3 — Part 2
It’s time to once again look at what the anime world has to offer this week. In this review, we will look at selected anime episodes that aired between 30.10.22 (Sun) to 05.11.22 (Sat).
In Part 1 of this week’s review, I highlighted some of the three great episodes that aired this week, namely the most feels, the best flex, and the most intense.
Today in Part 2, we will take a more lighthearted route and review some of the more comedic and heartwarming moments in anime. Thankfully while last week had a darker tone thanks to Muv-Luv and Human Crazy University, there’s an overall lighter and cheery vibe.
If you are interested in last week’s recap or a more in-depth review for Fall 2022, feel free to read the articles below.
Again, here are some other things to keep in mind:
- This is not a season-wide review, we will only be focusing on one episode at a time.
- Only anime I watched are included.
- There will be spoilers if you haven’t watched these shows.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in! 🎉🎉🎉
Funnest— Akiba Maid Wars — Episode 5
Episode Recap
The Ton Tokoton cafe is struggling to pay their monthly interest (as usual). After conversing with a maid from another cafe, Nagomi decides to throw a birthday event for Ranko to hopefully attract more customers but was criticised by the rest of the crew. Nagomi and Ranko go seeking help from the affiliate Maid Sheep cafe, but it turns out that Ranko shares the same birthday with the sheep cafe’s star maid Kaoruko. The two of them leave angrily after being mocked.
Nagomi and Ranko are kidnapped by Kaoruko on their way back, with Kaoruko revealing that she kills all maids in Akiba who have the same birthday as her. The kidnapping was witnessed by Okachimachi (the panda) and it/he/her (?) quickly informs the rest of Ton Tokoton crew who are secretly preparing Ranko’s birthday celebration.
Just before Nagomi and Ranko drown in a vat of tomato juice, the Ton Tokoton gang busts in and save them after killing maids from Maid Sheep. They all return to Ton Tokoton and surprise Ranko with a cake. The episode ends with Ranko singing on stage, as Okachimachi passes the stolen money from Maid Sheep to Tenchou whilst Zoya nonchalantly informs Tenchou of that night’s events.
Why this is the Funnest
Ah, Akiba Maid Cafe once again works its over-the-top, comedic and nonsensical magic. Despite their shenanigans, this episode agains shows how much the crew value their members. I was initially fooled by Tenchou, Yumechi, Shiipon and Zoya mockery of Nagomi’s idea, but am gladly mistaken that they are not as heartless as I feared. Whenever one of their own is threatened, death is the only outcome.
Without a doubt, the crux of this show is the bond between Nagomi and Ranko. As Ranko and Nagomi bond in a tomato juice vat whilst having a lamb ominously swim around them (see above pic), we get flashbacks of Ranko’s past and how in many ways she was like Nagomi. One may be a seasoned maid and one may be a new maid, but neither differences in age nor personality will break their bond.
Most Wholesome — My Master Has No Tail — Episode 6
Episode Recap
Mameda is preparing to be a rakugo opener but experiences nightmares causing her to fear people. Distraught, she seeks help from Shirara who advices her to treat her audience as food. This too backfires as she hallucinates faces on food ingredients when she is cooking. Bunko returns only to find Mameda in distress. While Bunko sighs at the lack of dinner, Mameda mistaken her sigh as a sign of disappointment.
Mameda wanders the street drunk from soda and was inspired by a conversation to face her fears head on. She enlists the help of yakuza Rakuda but still fails. Rakuda then advices her to put her trust in Bunko and not let down her training. Mameda returns home and declare her resolve to Bunko, being subsequently moved to tears as her master says she has faith in her all along.
Why this is the Most Wholesome
Mameda’s struggle with stage fright is fairly common and something we can identify with. However, she is not in this struggle alone. Along the way, almost all the characters she interacted with try their best to help her. The most unexpected help of all is from Rakuda. While I initially thought he would be a one-off character, I am glad to see more character development and is willing to advice Mameda, albeit grudgingly.
The cherry on top is of course Mameda’s relationship with her master. While the previous episodes show Mameda suffering under Bunko’s training, the ending of this episode is a heartwarming one as Bunko expresses her trust in Mameda. Mameda‘s ’“stealing” of Bunko’s techniques finally bears fruit in the form of Bunko’s trust and confidence.
Most Comedic Moments
While I usually will pick one episode per category, things will be slightly different this week. I will pick several comedic moments from multiple episodes.
1 — Love Flops — Episode 4 (MAJOR SPOILER)
The Moment
(09:45 onwards) Ilya tries to pretend she is a boy by hiding a Tengu mask under her towel and successfully tricking Asahi to think its a large… male asset. Her subsequent efforts to impress Asahi of her manliness are equally hilarious.
2–Mob Psycho 100 III — Episode 5
The Moment
(21:34–21:54) Shigeo and Dimple finally clash emotionally and physically. While Shigeo’s emotional gauge steadily increases, the final straw is when when Dimple criticises his outfit, instantly tipping it to 100%.
3 — Chainsaw Man — Episode 4
The Moment
(19:16 —19:54) When Power crashes his place, Aki angrily calls Makima asking why he needs to let Power stay with him. He is suddenly smitten into silence when Makima says that she only trusts him.
This episode’s cliffhanger though…
4— The Little Lies We All Tell — Episode 4
The Moment
(09:41–10:26) While this whole episode is full of laughter, my top moment would be when Tsubasa, Chiyo and Rikka are consoling Sekine over her “normal” looks. However, a truck passes by and splashes her, instantly turning her drop-dead-gorgeous much to the bemusement of everyone.
Kudos also to Tsubasa for being more attractive than girls and gets an extra takoyaki, despite being a boy.
I originally wanted to end this week’s episode review here but given how intense My Hero Academia was, I believe it is worth mentioning.
Most Intense #2 — My Hero Academia Season 6 — Episode 6
Episode Recap
The villains mount a fierce defence at their mountain base and Gigantomachia fully awakes. Tokoyami managed to save Hawks. As Shigaraki reorients himself after causing the city-wide destruction, he starts receiving internal urges from All For One’s power to go after One For All. Endeavour starts fighting with him and quickly realises that Shigaraki has more powers and is getting stronger. Once Midoriya and Bakugou hear Endeavour mention One For All over their comms, they know Shigaraki is after them and to start luring him away from the evacuees.
Shigaraki uses his new quirks to destroy everyone’s comms in the vicinity and nearly touches Midoriya and Bakugou. Gran Torino saves them in the nick of time and advises both Midoriya and Bakugou to leave. The first team of hero reinforcements arrive to assist Endeavour, including dragon hero Ryuuko, Eraserhead, Rock Lock and Manual. However, the second group of hero reinforcements are suddenly confronted by multiple high-end Nomus who survived Shigaraki’s decay.
Why this is the Most Intense #2
This whole episode seems way too short and the fights never end. Both sides are furiously invested into this fight and are obviously going all out. While Shigaraki and Endeavour are exchanging fists, there is also an ongoing mental back-and-forth as they analyse their opponents and the overall battlefield. There are also multiple close calls especially when Shigaraki is involved as one touch means instant death.
This episode tilts the balance strongly in the villains’ favour. As if Shigaraki’s city-destroying feat last episode wasn’t enough, he now reveals more powers and physical prowess comparable to high-end Nomus. He is also quickly becoming more and more proficient in using his newly-gained powers. Likewise, the other villains obviously don’t take their losses lying down, and it seems the heroes struggles will only intensify as Gigantomachia joins the fray.
I am looking forward to what the next episode will bring. I don’t know what exactly I can get, but I know for sure there will be lots of action and the stakes will only get higher.
I hope you have enjoy this short list.
Do feel free to share both this article and your opinions if you enjoy what you are reading.
Happy watching!!!
