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This post is by guest writer Liam O’Loghlen.
All the premieres have passed and we’re settling in to the second week of the summer anime season. Meanwhile here in Australia we’re smack-bang in the middle of a windy rainy winter and I’ve had to fight off a nasty cold over the past week getting this done. Between writing this, periodic obsession with Pokemon Go and to my shame a straight marathon of all 25 episodes of THE iDOLM@STER (a fantastic series by the way) I’ve managed to keep myself distracted though, and thankfully it’s been a stable week for most of my top picks with a lot of very competent new episodes. There aren’t any major surprises here, but at the very least Love Live! Sunshine!! managed to impress more than I expected. But enough chit chat! Here come my top picks for the week of 7/11 for the summer anime season.
Top Picks
Sweetness and Lightning
I can never get enough of a show like Sweetness and Lightning, a warm funny show that just wants to be about sincerely good people, and I’m very okay that this second episode is confirming food is a central theme to it all (STATUS: My comfort food pick of the season retains its glory).
Orange
Orange impresses again by earning its second episode emotional climax through its visual intimacy and earnest dialogue, proving itself once more to be a well-constructed character drama (STATUS: Although this wasn’t quite as impressive as its premiere it’s well and truly maintained my attention going into the next episode).
Love Live! Sunshine!!
Love Live! Sunshine!! hits one out of the park again, managing to be even funnier and even more dramatically effective than its premiere and seriously looking even more like a contender to beat the original series. (STATUS: I’m looking forward to this even more avidly than I was after the premiere, my hopes have never been higher for Love Live).
Thunderbolt Fantasy
The latest episode of Thunderbolt Fantasy had a bit of a mundane start but it built to a well-deserved awesomely insane climax, and even without that it’s still a pleasure to watch for its physical effect work and gesture focused character interaction. (STATUS: Urobuchi’s new project continues to impress with probably the most bona fide experimental TV anime in a long time, so it remains a strong pick for the season).
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
Episode fifteen of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable offers the climax to the Rohan battle, which manages to be as simultaneously manic, chuckleworthy and touching as it was in the original manga. (STATUS: As mentioned in last week’s post I’m a huge fan of the original source material for Diamond is Unbreakable, and this remains a secure pick based on the enduring consistency of this adaptation).
New Game!
Episode two of New Game! was less enjoyable than the first episode and confirmed my fear that its fanservice would continue beyond the first episode, but at least there were amusing shenanigans to be had with Aoba being the only underage person at her own drinking party and having to witness her senior co-workers getting blind drunk (STATUS: This one is hanging in the balance, will give it one more episode before deciding whether to put it aside for the season or not).
So that was where my top picks ended up this week. The only one that really proved to be a bit of a disappointment was New Game!, but we’ll wait to next week’s episode to see if it’s going to make the cut. In its place you might get to see the return of Amanchu!, or perhaps even something I haven’t watched yet. Until we meet again I hope you all get to watch some great anime.
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