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Hanebado Ep. 3 Review: She Was Perfect

     Hanebado! has hit its 3-episode mark - the big make-or-break point for many anime watchers - and successfully managed to establish itself as a solid character-focused sports drama with soaring highs to combat its unfortunate lows. With this new entry in the series, Nagisa's 2-episode intro comes to feel more like a prequel arc than a main plot line. Her conflict with the club and self-loathing was wrapped up in a loose bow, and now she takes a step back from the spotlight to make way for our other troubled girl, Ayano.

    Her episode comes to a similarly optimistic ending, but in contrast to Nagisa, she still has multiple plot threads that can be further explored. From what I gather, she was the focus of the source material from the very beginning, taking center stage in all the promo art, so it only makes sense she has the most substance in the future.

    And what...interesting substance it is. Ayano's remarkable talent for Badminton seemingly runs in in the family, since her mom was the 10-TIME Japanese national champ. She's also a huuuuge asshole. I'm sure we don't know the full reason why she abandoned her only daughter, but it better be pretty damn important. This episode is full of absurdly rough characters, including *insert horns* Kaoruko. Just seeing her on screen with the other girls feels weird in itself, but she even has a mascot and shojo filters on standby. Her connection to Ayano is presented in what wants to be a hard-hitting flashback but feels so bizarre I wasn't sure whether or not to laugh. Kaoruko is the weirdest little psychopath but I'm kinda glad she exists, just for the fun of it. While the transformative effort of the staff to take this series' beginning from comedy to drama is surely commendable, the roots continue to show through.

    It's easy to understand why Ayano would be so averse to playing Badminton again after being completely rejected by her mother. We see her childhood in rose color, playing day after day, and I can imagine the sport brings back a lot of trauma. That makes the teams forcefulness in getting her to join the club a bit difficult to get behind. Most of this effort is presented through the childhood friend Elena, the supportive Riko to Ayano's Nagisa, who alone witnessed Ayano change to her current downtrodden self. It's understandable she'd want to recreate that childhood love for her, though I don't think Badminton was the only way to do it. Surely Ayano could find another hobby to get into, one without all the bad associations; Nagisa brought up that "forcing her won't do anyone any good" so I'm glad the show is self-aware at how hard everyone's been on her, no matter how well meaning.  

    In the first episode, I had the impression that Ayano was the submissive, aimless girl just following the more adjusted Elena around, but this week gave me a surprise. Elena claims she cared so much about Ayano’s passion because of her envy; it’s not uncommon for people to exist without finding something to commit themselves to completely, rather than bring down those with more passion, like the girl from last episode, she chose to wholeheartedly support the happiness it gave her friend. Sweet as that is, it’s also kind of depressing. I want her to find something to love all her own, and maybe being a manager is that for now.

    Despite my grievances, when Hanebado! hits, it hits it out of the park. The getting there was rough, but the ending scene brought all the pieces together for a cathartic victory.   The decision to have so many interactions this episode set in that (adorable) octopus park was lovely, if on the nose, recalling the nostalgia of childhood innocence in a bittersweet way. Ayano comes back to the park to be alone after quitting, same as she did years ago, and it’s a fitting stage to reignite her old feelings of excitement. Nagisa's encouragement of Ayano felt natural and refreshing, honestly admitting her desire to beat her one day, so long as Ayano wants to play. In a nice touch, they create a makeshift court in the park, reminiscent of something my friends and I would do as children. The shot of mid-match Ayano springing into her child self from a flare of light was brilliant, seemingly straight out of Elena’s memory almost convinced me to forgive my earlier issues. She makes a decision for herself in the end; choosing to submit her application was a great way to bring this 3 episode journey to an encompassing conclusion.

…Saying that makes it sound like I just watched a season finale, and I guess that speaks to just how high the dramatic stakes have been thus far.   Honestly, I don’t think it’d be entirely unsatisfying to watch these 3 episodes and be done with it. The characters are all on positive paths for the future, but I’d prefer to stick around to see how the series fairs when focused on the sport and matches themselves. These series have a reputation for lengthily explaining their respective sports’ rules and conveying what makes them so unique and loved, but I haven’t quite gotten that yet with this one.

    Ultimately, I think we've finished the "build-up" chapters to have a solid foundation to move forward on. Unlike your Haikyuus and  Kurokos, there's no clear end-all goal – unless you count Coach's boast about creating an Olympic athlete- so I'm a bit unsure on where it wants to go. Maybe it'll stick with the character-heavy ruminations on passion and commitment, cycling through our current cast, or turn tail to a tournament arc. Even better, it could do both.

3.5/5

Watch on Crunchyroll      

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Banana Fish Episode 2 Review: Shot through the heart

     The warnings about this series have been around ever since the announcement, but this second episode makes sure that if you weren’t already aware, this will in no way be a pleasant ride for us or the characters.

     Wasting no time with throwing us back into plot heavy territory, we open with Ash getting caught in the obviously set ambush after following after the boys’ kidnappers. He likely could’ve fought off Arthur and Marvin by himself, but keeping in tune with last week, he gives in when they threaten to murder Eiji. He may be a gang leader, but Ash has a wholehearted distaste for killing that sets him apart from his sadistic enemies. I was right to be worried about Marvin’s part in all this; His mission was to extract information for Dino, but he clearly had intentions of getting some more revenge-fueled “alone time” with Ash. Luckily, his lust was what brought his downfall. While Ash has horrible trauma connected to Marvin’s desire of him, he has the will and cunning to use his good looks to his advantage, convincing Marvin to isolate himself from his goons. Their escape hits a literal brick wall where Skip resolves to fight his way out, but Eiji has his own ideas; Ya boy isn’t a fighter, but damn can he work a pole. This kind of bold escape wasn’t something I expected out of the complete outsider who was panicking at the end of last episode, and the slow-motioned, rainbow-tinted spectacle of it was stunning. Eiji isn’t the only one with a hidden side, and he seems to be bringing one out of Ash.

     Did I mention that this episode was hurtful, because holy shit, I was on the verge of tears twice. This doesn’t bode well for my health over the remaining course of the show. 3 sides clash in an overwhelming Hollywood-esque street fight consisting of Shorter’s gang, Dino’s men and the incoming police, and poor Skip just happens to get caught in the middle of it. For a story so heavily focused on NYC street gangs, there (unsurprisingly) aren’t many black characters in the spotlight, going to show its 80s origins. I do find solace in that the show has, however, upgraded the designs of their manga counterparts to not be so, uhm, Mr. Popo. It’s not like his death was out of nowhere, though, considering the blunt fact that these kind of gang fights are no place for a kid, especially one with a place in the doomed-to-suffer protagonist’s heart. Ash may hate killing, but in that moment, when the blaring of the sirens reach a fever pitch in true Kill Bill fashion (hats off to the sound editor), it’s all he can think about. 

     The biggest betrayal of the episode is that Marvin is killed off screen by someone who’s NOT Ash. It does, however, make for a great scene. A few times this episode the director makes use of first-person CG shots of characters going down narrow alleys (in the case of the escape) or hallways in this case, and it’s a neat way of putting us in the character’s shoes and letting us feel their trepidation. When he walks into the silent room only to find Dino’s body and a gun at his feet, it’s clear to see he’s being framed, just in time for the thumping of police shoes to reach the room. These scenes are all great on their own, but I find issue in how closely they’re smashed together. This non-stop speed it’s going at is indicative of the short run-time the show’s been given, much moreso than last episode was. It’s these problems that make me wish directors would take more liberties with their adaptations to fit comfortably, but I was still able to follow what was going on. We’ll never be bored, at least.

      My worries about the CSA stuff have subsided a bit, but the interrogation scene remains incredibly brutal in any case. Evanstine is set up as an asshole from the moment he steps into shot, and Dino’s reach is now confirmed to reach even the police. He pulls out child porn mags and tapes; when Ash sees them you know what’s coming. His trauma is exposed to the eyes of everyone in the room except his own; he’s in such pain that he refuses to look at the projector or even speak. At this point it’s not even interrogation, it’s torture. They certainly could’ve gone farther, but i’m glad they didn’t. There’s no audio to the tape and for the most part it’s blocked out, except for a shot of an older man’s thighs, to show it was Marvin who once did this. This torture is certainly framed as awful and overboard to the other officers, and an evil way to force a motive on Ash. The motive likely wasn’t even needed, because Dino uses his pull on corrupted higher ups to make sure Ash is immediately sent to prison.

“I envy you. You know how to fly.”

     If Ash is a Lynx, then Eiji is a bird. Ash is wild and cunning, but no matter what, he’s still bound to the ground. His awed expression at Eiji leaping over the wall was soft in a way he rarely shows, and it’s heartbreaking how stuck he feels in his chains to Dino. When he and Eiji talk in his hospital room, he’s noticeably calmer and smiling, but the bittersweet piano ballad in the background reminds us just what he’s been through. His clear longing for a better life and knack for getting himself hurt hits Eiji just as hard as us, sending him to tears upon his exit. The production on this show is crazy, dripping with emotional invitations for empathy that prove director Itsumi a real talent.

Next episode, we’re in PRISON, and I can’t imagine that going too well for Ash either. What else is new.

4/5

Watch on Amazon

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Hanebado! Ep. 2 Review: Passion vs. Talent

Of course, Ayano inevitably joins the Badminton club; what I did not expect was the bizarre anticlimax it came out of.

     After last episodes challenge and practically boiling over tension, I was ready for an extended match of Nagisa bringing out some of Ayano's old passion, not a minuscule two-minute long cold open. Ayano wins the match-and her freedom- easily but backs down when Elena decides to join as manager/Ayano's bodyguard.  (Seriously, the pervy-coach joke is not that funny, especially when most of his players are young girls) Though a bit awkward, this quick resolution prevents some of the meanderings of your usual "Will she? Won't she?" drama, while also letting her inner conflict continue onto future confrontations. In a mid-game flashback, we see that it's her mother that likely caused her to quit. The "Why" still remains to be seen, but it might have something to do with the strangely out of place pink-haired girl we see near the end.

    In a lovely little stylistic moment, we see Nagisa's younger conflicts drawn out as if on a classroom chalkboard. Seeing the way her peers treated her, it's not much of a surprise to see her how she arrived at this obsession with practice. As an unusually tall girl with athletic skills outshining even the boys, not everyone respected her achievements. It's that desire to prove everyone wrong, that her effort, not her height earns her wins that ends up lashing out at the innocent members of the club. Later we shift to a match of coach against student. I figured out the main appeal of the action is the clarity with which it's presented. I never have trouble following the serves and the rotoscoped characters just move so well. The compositions and general production this week were less striking than the last, but you can't expect perfection every time.

    This week was noticeably less tense, and things seem to be looking up for our girls. A lot of this episode was seen through local Genki Girl Yu's eyes, with a few scenes of her just hanging outside a konbini and eating meat with her non-club buddies. She doesn't get much narrative importance, but it's good that we're getting familiar with some supporting characters early on. We at least learn she doesn't think too much of her athletic skills, instead praising Nagisa's "talent" to her face and getting promptly yelled at in front of her friends. I really related to one of them, who admits that she only hated Nagisa because of her unwavering love for the sport. Not everyone has something they love enough to dedicate themselves to, and the pressure to find one to identify ourselves with can make us resent people with passion. We learn quickly that all Nagisa really wants is recognition for her effort and people to realize just how much she loves her sport.

    Coach grab-and-go is still a pain in the comedic ass, but thankfully he moves past that for his match against Nagisa, feeling like a real coach with something to teach. And teach he does. Like Nagisa, he’s very tall, being the only person around who can relate to her mindset and recognize the struggles that come with the height. His pep talk gets a smile out of her. A real, genuine smile. It’s a welcome pay off after hearing her cry and scream at everyone for the last two episodes. In what seems like the first real bright composition of this show so far, Nagisa formally apologizes for being basically the worst. It’s a big jumo for her to have a new mindset 2 episodes in, but I’ll accept it if this isn’t the full extent of her character reach. While a lot of it was handled well, I'm still hoping for the angst to lay off a bit. Twin Tails is coming, and judging from the flashback she’s bringing Ayano’s baggage with her.

3.5/5

Watch on Crunchyroll

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Angels of Death Ep. 1 review: It’s probably a good game

The season was going so good...

     Adapting video games for animation is hard. Rarely will you hear of a successful one, seamlessly bridging the gap from console to screen. Director Kentarou Suzuki is adapting the RPGmaker horror game Angels of Death in a melodramatic, please-be-scared way that makes me want to turn it off and pick up a controller instead  - almost a sure improvement.  

     Anime has a unique problem in adapting anything horror. The grotesque imagery that can be described in prose, or the inked-in depth of a manga panel rarely find a home in animation, caused by the need for an easily maintainable style for animators to quickly mass-produce. The appeal of video game horror is different but similarly difficult. Having a playable character to control allows greater immersion into whatever nightmare they've been sucked into, giving you the decision power to either get them out alive or game over. Drawbacks like character can be overlooked in favor of engaging gameplay. When anime doesn’t have these options, the strongest case it can make is through investing the viewer in the situation and tension through smart editing.

     The basic premise is engaging at least. Waking in an unknown and largely unkempt hospital, our protagonist Rachel is watched by cameras lining the halls, presumably until she either makes it out or dies to one of the obstacles in this floor-by-floor Enemy Tower. There’s some mystery behind her, like the fate of her parents and the reason for her entrance to the hospital, but mystery alone won’t win my love. I have little incentive to *want* to know about her, except for where her milquetoast personality came from. With no investment in your characters, your chances of maintaining an audience dwindle.

     Angels of Death lacks in confrontation execution. The Scythe guy has a fantastic vocal performance, with this insane laugh and wild glee thats really a joy to listen to, but it’d be nice if he had better lines to work with. All tension that could be had with the Mad DoctorTM is dampened by his rote villain model and more cartoony dialogue. This trope has been done better elsewhere, usually in a slower descent, but subtlety is not in this show’s vocabulary. His “final form”, featuring a hanging tongue and dysmorphic eyes, comes off more silly than scary. made worse by the awful overlay color splashes at the reveal. This Color Abuse doesn’t go away, with drops of red and blue covering the screen at times, further ruining what groundedness the show had. Obviously going for more extravagant flourishes, the death of the doctor has an absurd amount of gushing blood with shower levels of pressure I’m really just not a fan of.

     More than anything in the material so far, I’m interested in the relationship it’s setting up. Near the end, Scythe Guy finally has her in his grasp again, but finds her to be completely relenting to his attack, something no fun-loving murderer wants. Rachel branches out from the usual barren rpghorror personality by renouncing her self-preservation and begging for the murderer to kill her. It’s best assumed he’ll refuse, and the rest of the series will feature the unlikely tag team facing the enemies on the other floors and unraveling the mysteries of her past and the game along the way, something I’m much more prepared to experience through my steam account.

2/5

Watch on Crunchyroll

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Banana Fish Ep. 1 Review: Pretty good day for Banana Fish

    Living up to its status as one of the season's most anticipated, gang-drama Banana Fish struts in with a fast-paced narrative and the sleek animation expected of KyoAni director Utsumi Hiroko. This adaptation has definitely been a long time coming, taking its plot from Yoshida Akimi's lauded 1985 manga of the same name. After a brief glimpse of the past, where a deployed soldier is seemingly driven mad by a new drug, we settle in the crime-underbelly of present day New York to follow young gang leader Ash Lynx, who bears witness to a murder by his disobedient subordinates. The dishonorably discharged soldier is revealed to be Ash's brother, unable to communicate except through murmurs of two words: "Banana Fish".

     That mystery is interesting in its own right, but the interaction between Ash and his looming childhood abuser, the mafioso Dino, gave me a cause to really be invested in. Ash holds up a snarky and confident demeanor around his associates, but later down the line, I'm looking forward to seeing him work through his issues (hopefully by way of kicking Dino's shit in). The presentation of this event is smart, framing Dino as The Boss, someone who can get Ash's own men to follow his orders out of fear and lay his hand on Ash's cheek without retaliation. Dino tasking Marvin with hurting Ash "any way you want" makes me worried. CSA is being handled fine for now, but I just hope it doesn't push the boundary into any gratuitous or exploitative attacks as grittier crime series aren't stranger to. 

     The setting, originally taking place in the 80s, has had an update. I'm slightly sad about that, since seeing people using landlines and not knowing how computers work would be hilarious. The atmosphere and grime of New York is captured in Ash's introduction, featuring slimy green lighting, dark alleys and buildings so crowded they might crush you. The urban backgrounds are decorated with colorful street art and the signs of a bustling city life. The grandiosity of it all is even more intense for New In Town Eiji, a Japanese photographer looking to document American gang life. Introduced half-way in, he has the naivete and fascination expected of a total outsider. He seems to be playing a direct foil for our beloved gang leader, serving as our audience surrogate in the confusion and a more honest influence in his life. He's already gained a soft spot in Ash through his earnest approach, leading to a somehow very intimate scene between the two where Ash answers his slightly reckless questions with honesty and a laugh. Also he "holds his gun". Real subtle. 

     The real stunner comes in the final few minutes, where the thrill kicks in and the boys have to fight off some rival goons after Ash's secret stash. There's some incredibly fluid animation showing both the clumsiness of a real street fight and the ease with which Ash dispatches opponents. The confusion Eiji feels is obvious from the cartoonish flailing in one of the funniest bits of animation. A little can go a long way in making these characters feel like people, even just Ash swinging his leg in bed. The episode ends on a chase scene, with the "hero" Ash stealing a motorcycle and riding off to save his best friend and new BF (Banana Fish). A chase scene!! How thriller can you get?!

     I'm so glad this adaptation exists. I hear so many impassioned promotions and its not every day an old-school manga gets a new adaptation. The thrills, the kills, the animation, and potential are all there. Ultimately, the success comes down to whether the quality is maintained. The source material is 19 volumes long and as far as I know, there are only 2 cours planned. But, hey, if the anime isn’t your thing, Viz just announced a reprint of the manga, so there's that!

4.5/5

Watch on Amazon

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Hanebado! Episode 1 review: Goodminton

Why do we do the things we do? What's the point in devoting so much effort to something? Hanebado displays its thematic core right off the bat- or, I guess, racquet. I had very little knowledge coming into this one. Based on an un-localized manga, my only exposure to the title was through four-image posts on Twitter, pitching it as a rare serious all-female sports series boasting intense characters and dynamic art - something I’ve mourned the lack of for some time. Also, muscles. What I wasn't expecting was the anime to prove itself such an adept character drama.

The opening match takes place 6 months previous with our focus player Natsuki. With the show opting out of showing the other's face, we're left to see only Nagisa wrestling with not only the unyielding skill of the other player but her own doubt at why she tries so hard. As the shuttlecock flies into her court, Nagisa can't muster the will to dive for it, coming to an underwhelming loss at the hands of a younger and less motivated girl.

Fast forward to present day, where we meet a couple first-years, the cool Elena and her sheep-like friend/follower, Ayano. Neither has decided on a club, but they're warned to steer clear of Badminton.  In the time since her humiliating defeat, Natsuki has been terrorizing the other members, insulting and working them until exhaustion. I have to question the supervisor just watching this all go down when intervention would definitely be the safe way to go.

The real hook comes when Ayano comes face to face with Natsuki once again. Her voiced disrespect for the sport and disuse of her talent directly challenges Nagisa's ideals, having the direction focus intently on her shaking hands, avoiding her face. Next week they'll have a match to determine if Ayano must join the club, but it's pretty much a given that she'll lose, whether out of rustiness or some other complication. The show must go on, after all. 

The "pervert" joke and comedic fighting between the new coach and the girls felt really out of place considering the tone set throughout. The cartoony banter was jarring, but I think that's been carried over from the initially inconsistent source material. The manga version of these events was much lighter and rote, but the director seems to have smartly opted to tone that down and transform it to fit the later, more serious tone.

If you're at all experienced with sports anime, this plot will sound familiar. It's obvious to imagine this heading towards the first years joining the disgraced club and pulling it out of its slump, but, as always, the quality lies within the execution. There's so much quiet in this show, encouraging you to feel what the characters do, the tension and uncertainty. I also can't stress enough how gorgeous the animation is. In the opening match, the movements and fluidity of the running give the impression that it was extremely well-researched. If we were to have any more match-animation of this caliber, the show would be notable for that alone.  I'm looking forward to seeing if the fluid and expressive character animation can possibly remain consistent and how the idolized tennis player comes into the plot. Also, more muscles.

4/5

Watch on Crunchyroll