Your Week in Anime (Week 665)

[u/Soupkitten]

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky) that's not currently airing. For specifically discussing currently airing shows, go to [This Week in Anime]().

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Prev, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014

[u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

Watching Sailor Moon's first year in full now was an interesting experience after having seen a bunch later Satojun series, MOTW magical girl series and Satojun MOTW magical girl series. It's easy to see why this one became as influential as it did. The visual comedy, as expected, was on point and the character dynamics incredibly charming. In fairness, the first fifth with only Usagi / Sailor Moon was a weak start. Usagi on her own as a crybaby and pushover at its most pronounced this early isn't too enjoyable of a hero to follow. It's only when the episodes hit double digits and the main trio with Ami and Rei gets established does it go from fine to having lots of episodes I like. Usagi needs to be flanked by Ami as a level-headed voice of reason as well as a more driven hothead to get into spats with in Rei to form a genuinely enjoyable constellation.

Easily the biggest difference between Sailor Moon and later series with a hero team I've seen is found in Usagi as the de facto leader. Unlike for example Shugo Chara's Amu or every Precure lead I've seen where transformations are an act of self-actualization, Sailor Moon is a role Usagi gets pushed into from outside. For most of the series before the final stretch, Luna having to urge Usagi to transform is a near-constant. Her involuntary leadership made her breakdown over no longer wanting to fight in episode 35 feel genuine and impactful, which I can't imagine working as well if Usagi was more driven as a protagonist.

Another aspect done well was the integration of villains into episode plots. They always inject themselves into local trends catching on or celebrities' lives early on, planting the seed for the eventual reveal of a sinister scheme. It's not deep, but it interweaves setup for the obligatory fight early.

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Spy×Family

Average - what does it mean to be average? In a mathematical sense it's easy. Just calculate the arithmetic mean: the sum of values divided by the amount of values. For an ideal 6-sided die it's simply (1+2+3+4+5+6)/6 or 3.5. For all anime I watched, it adds up to 5.32 at the time of writing. But why bother with any of that? It doesn't reflect what "average" means in a practical everyday context. An average as a thinking, feeling person experiences it is derived from expectations stemming from permutations of something they've seen. It's molded by biases and precedent more than plain numbers. As for how this relates to S×F — enter Agent Twilight, one of Bundesrepublik Deutschland's Westalis' best spies and expert in the art of appearing average in the numerous roles he assumes. So what better way to challenge him than with a long term mission where he doesn't just have to be conscious of playing his own part, but also has unpredictable family members. With a wife secretly working as an assassin for the Deutsche Demokratische Republik Ostania and an adopted telepath daughter who's very excited about both of her parents' true identities, getting close to his espionage target in Ostanian territory is quite the challenge.

Except this introduction may be misleading since this series is barely if ever a spy thriller. Instead it's better conceptualized as a patchwork family comedy set in cold war Berlin this ain't, or Berlint for short. Twilight, working under the alias of Loid Forger and henceforth addressed as such, is the closest thing to a straightman around. This isn't to say he doesn't initiate comedic beats — his quick thinking to cook up fully-fledged plans in a tenth of a second makes for the occasional fun moment for example. Though the most active force is easily his new daughter Anya. Her introductory scene at an orphanage was immediately fantastic at showcasing her thought-reading gimmick — her quick reactions to Loid's inner monologue in the moment made her endearing. It's a shame the scene ended with flat narration to spell out the obvious, dulling its impact in the process. Perhaps this was deemed necessary to beat the audience over the hat with because it's a tenet of the premise, but even then it's redundant when a later scene in the same episode gestures towards the experiments that led to Anya having psychic powers. She gets even more spotlight than her new dad since she's the centerpiece of his mission by attending a prestigious private school. The school segments focused on only her tend to be some of the weaker links, but around her family members she's incredibly endearing. Last to join the core family was Yor. The core of her character is found in gap moe between her badass assassin background and her klutz behavior when it comes to maintaining a household or taking care of Anya. Unfortunately the former side gets relatively little time to shine, but when it does, it's over the top in all the right ways. Moments like her kicking a terrorist she suspects of having kidnapped Anya so hard, he violently bounces around an alleyway will never not be enjoyable to watch.

S×F's character design was a highlight for me, especially for the women involved with underground organizations. Yor's assassin outfit, Loid's handler Sylvia and Agent Nightfall / Fiona all have looks that fall into confident-sexy territory. Sylvia rocking fishnets with anything from business suits to casual fits is a lot of fun. The way those designs are put to use is also effective. Regular bursts of fluid, exaggerated animation elevate both slapstick comedic beats and action sequences greatly. The characters' expressiveness deserves praise — with Anya particularly benefitting wide range of faces to go along with her gremlin behavior. So what S×F delivers is all around a well-made show. No complaints, right?

Of course not. I sure hope nobody bought that cheap attempt at a misdirect with Twilight. A herring couldn't be any more red. No amount of slathering it in pink blood spilled by Yor could obfuscate its true color. The whole spiel about averages was way too on the nose to not be the core of the writeup.

Yes, these thoughts are about the odd normalcy of S×F.

The series has an uncanny ability to always stay within expectations. No part that falls below being at least moderately entertaining. No part leaves a strong impact either. Whatever subplot may happen will without fail feel in line with the rest. Whether its Loid joining an underground tennis tournament for a side mission or Anya escaping from a bunch of terrorists thanks to a dog with future sight, every part feels perfectly at home in the bigger picture of the series. Hell, even Yor's rarely seen siscon brother is never obnoxious enough to drag an episode down. S×F displays a degree of consistency that's not quite like any anime I ever watched. It's floor is high, yet there's not much distance from it to the ceiling. I consider this neither negative nor positive, but it creates an evenness I found simply confounding. Or in other words, S×F is an average that shouldn't exist. Not in any mathematical sense, but it's one that captures a felt average I never experienced before for the entirety of its first season. Through the easy to grasp appeal of its cast and setup as well as the in all departments rock solid production, it didn't leave much of a mark on me while watching. Yet precisely this made reflecting on it weird, memorable and more complicated than I thought for an anime I have no issues worth harping on with.