[Zel’s Anime Breakdown] Summer 2018: Volume 1

Hi guys! Welcome to the re-vamped [This Week in Anime] series. I felt that my original title was too rigid, too newslike of a title for my intent for this series. I’ve become more casual in my anime viewing, since I’ve come to realize and accept that I sometimes fall off the wagon of watching shows consistently, I wanted a more fitting title, hence Zel’s Anime Breakdown, ‘cuz I at least watch a few things a week.

I tend to pick-up on certain things in scenes and that also varies in how invested I am in the series. So…yeah…, that being said this will definitely won’t be your typical “weekly” anime review.

Scene-Stealer*:

image via crunchyroll

Platelets! HOW FREAKING CUTE ARE THESE MUNCHKINS. This entire scene was just pure cuteness, little platelets doing construction work. HAHA.

*something different that I want to do is highlight a scene that stood out to me each week. 

Character Spotlight**:

image via crunchyroll

DEKU!!!!!

Okay, this segment might not be the best idea for a “weekly” re-cap. I mean, I’m completely obsessed with this precious little hero so it might be a bit hard to be unbiased.

Deku’s constantly evolving his quirk with All Might trying to teach him without giving him direct answers. Deku finally reaches his answer and my gosh, I felt so much pride for Deku, a moment for him to stun Aizawa & Bakugou with his new style. The fond knowing smile that shows up on All Might’s face just shows how much he has believed in Deku finding his answer with the right push. He knows Deku goes above and beyond All Might’s expectations every single time. It’s a knowing smile of how far Deku has come.

**on top of scene, I want to pick a character that stood out to me that week. Both are a way to break out of the whole “review” thing and look at things on another level. And this will probably help me in the long run for my end of year Anime Awards!

Episode Breakdown***

Boku no Hero Academia

Season 3, Episode 52

The gang is back in school, and they’re gearing up for their provisional license exams. Can I tell you, how PSYCHED I am for this arc. Some major character development is on the horizon; feelings are exposed, and self-doubt and self-reflection occur for a few of our favorite hero’s.

Now, I’m up to date with the manga for BnHA, and I may point out some of the slight differences in this section in the future. I’m doing it because I’m starting to feel that the anime is glossing over some of the more important interactions in the manga that are specifically THERE for development albeit it’s really subtle.

***Episode breakdown will pretty much be analyzing or pointing out some nuances I picked up on while watching said episode. But next week will be more in-depth.

General Thoughts

Banana Fish

Episode 1 & 2

What a great kick-off to the series!  I went into this series completely blind. Well, that’s not entirely true, since I’ve read Naja’s OWLS post on this awhile ago. I knew it had dark themes, but I was pleasantly surprised to see just how dark we were going, the depths of gangs and drugs.

The animation and it’s content is a breath of fresh air, especially since I’ve been bogged down in shounen shows like BNHA and Attack on Titan.

Ash, is likely to be another blonde to add to my ever-growing list of favorites. He’s smart, spunky and overall an intriguing main character. When I told Naja this, she figuratively and literally rolled her eyes for all the ladies jumping on the Ash bandwagon.  Apparently that sparked a special project for Naja, I’m patiently awaiting said project and am going to definitely link it when it comes out!

Also, for the record, as I have been properly educated by Naja, that it would be a disservice to this manga adaptation to label this as a BL/Yaoi, because it’s definitely much more than that. Granted, it’s easy to be quick to assume and label this as something akin to Yuri!! on Ice but we really shouldn’t be so quick to assume things because of this story. I was definitely in that group, but I’m going to keep an open mind and not just mindlessly group it into something it’s not.

Cell’s at Work (Hataraka Saibo)

Episode 1

I think this is the cute comedy of the summer. The anthropomorphism of cells working inside the human body like everyday professionals is kind of weird in concept, but it works so well! The characterization of each of the cells and their job types just fit them so perfectly. It’s such a creative twist for a series. But how much can you do without appearing to be gimmicky?

It kind of reminds me of The Magic School Bus, but instead of shrinking people and going in to explore the body, we’re literally seeing how the cells move and work inside the body. It’s actually pretty educational, but I’m curious as to just how accurate it is.

Hanebado

Episode 1 & 2

I’m a self-proclaimed sports anime fanatic. Granted, I haven’t ventured to watch many of the more classical sports ones. I’ll get there eventually.

I’ve realized I haven’t watched a lot of female-centric shows, as I feel there’s been a lot of “cute girls doing cute things”and that’s not really my jam, and there’s nothing wrong with those that do! Once in awhile I venture into the genre though. However, getting back to the topic. Hanebado, is wonderfully animated, very sharp and precise and it’s really one of the biggest draw-in’s for me. The melodrama is as expected, but the vague history of Hanesaki is rather intriguing.

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Also, I know you guys are probably like, wait a second, she’s missing her most important review! I’m doing a Free! collab with my dear friend Lita over a Lita Kino’s Anime Corner, and we’ll be alternating the posts between her blog and mine so be on the look out for those!