Ernest

I liked the camerawork this episode. The two shots that really stood out to me were the tight shot on Akane’s mouth (when she was talking instead of listening), and the lingering out-of-focus shot following Akane (trying and failing to see into the trees).

I like that they’re talking about animal abuse (since circuses have a lot of history with that). The question I have is whether they have other animals? surely the elephant wasn’t their only act, if Mizuka says they were known for their animal acts?

I will never get tired of smash cuts

I was not expecting such a nuanced take on makeup but I loved all of it. I love that this show manages to take a completely absurd premise and use it to deliver a monologue (verbatim) that describes such a real experience, and that’s just the first half of the episode. We end up exploring a discussion about confidence, self-determination, self-image, societal norms, and even take a detour into how self-deprecating humor can become harmful. And after all that, we have a coda with mom’s more toxic side–again, couched in her (genuine!) protectiveness and concern for Kuroe–contrasting her reaction with Minami’s.

The construction right outside the cosmetics shop is an obvious metaphor, but also used as a deft bit of worldbuilding, what with Kuroe constantly rampaging through the city now. I like it.

Minami-kun fascinates me as a character. He’s the stereotypical “perfect boyfriend”, always knowing exactly what to do and what to say, loyal and affectionate, all I can see is green flags. It would make him such a boring character, except the thing where he clearly should be noticing that his girlfriend regularly transforms into a kaiju!? Which makes him either very dumb (which is a little interesting…), or he does–must?–know Kuroe’s secret?? I think this tension is what really carries him as an interesting character.

I appreciate how much Jeffery trusts Vicky (even if that might be a bad idea)

accurate depiction of kids playing with cats

& more “just-so stories”, this time with cats randomly staring at a wall (or roof in this case)

speaking of walls, the reverend’s wall of weapons definitely looked more like a torture dungeon than he probably intends

The way we learn about the world through the cats themselves exploring and meeting people makes the worldbuilding feel so natural; I really like it.

this show is “cats adopting owners” propaganda (alongside good ol’ domestication)

“I can even cast it multiple times”

I mean it would be wild but this show has been…

maybe. I think a theme of the show has been people focusing on an item to some ends, but the actual solution to their problems being something else, and that item itself only catalyzing/motivating/facilitating them. Kihachi was focused on the catalog, but the best it had was hints, and he had to piece things together himself (this is the most blatant, since the catalog is literally his own dreams). This episode was supposedly about the device to talk to the dead, but we’re clearly shown that it was Inako’s efforts that really convinced the proprietress to be open to moving on. I would guess that Seiroku plays a similar role for Yosuke somehow.

… do we know that it’s just a mannequin…

Unfortunately, the emotional side of this episode didn’t really hit for me–we haven’t really gotten to know Imari, while Shizuku had some more development courtesy of Ouka. (Imari’s backstory itself was also weaker than Shizuku’s.)

I love all the yuri in this episode. I’ll take a full season please. That, and Mizuka’s eyeballs falling out.

The comedic timing really worked for me, especially at the end, Mizuka sticking her head back in to ask for stretches, immediately smash cut, and then Ouka being completely bewildered at how she [got into her swimsuit]/[was transported] 😵‍💫

word of advice to Minami-kun, the alpha move to assert dominance when dad asks “are you dating”, is “not yet”

just putting this out there. I don’t think Kotaro understands how many people are into getting stepped on

intentional or not, I like how the story makes me empathize with mom–I want to protect Kuro, even though I’m fully aware how toxic it would be to completely lock her down. As an aside, since it’s clear that dad is a bit of a playboy, I wonder if the hints towards mom being a bit toxic will get explored as well?

I don’t see where the story can go from here. We’ve peaked. I’m sobbing

(just kidding, but I have such high expectations for this show now that I am a little worried it won’t be able to live up to them–I’m really looking forward to next week)

idk if it’s because of me being bad at faces, but I’m having trouble telling Shizuku from Ouka from time to time… I’m sure it’ll get better as the season goes on though.

Not sure how I feel about the (apparently mostly Mizuka) fanservice? It looks like it’s going to be pretty regular. Usually that’d turn me off, but at least with their line of work, it is a kinda common stereotype? … I think I don’t mind it as long as it doesn’t get more egregious.

I adore Shizuku & Svetlana, they’re great ;-; The animation of them holding hands was so good, as well as the silks coming down at the start of the aerialist act, and the finale too–I don’t know how much of it was rotoscoped/CGI but it was cut quickly enough that I didn’t actually catch anything when watching it. I’m really enjoying this show c:

I’m really digging the way the plot gets weaved together generationally; meeting old characters has that cozy feeling of meeting an old friend c: (I guess literally, in this episode)

I love how Kurobane is depicted as the blind leading the blind as he’s teaching the young prince about the world. It calls back to how the dragon did the same thing–mimicking his mom, but not quite understanding everything, and learning as he went (as parents do!)

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the dancing animation was! … given the animation budget has been a little tight. :P The cut to flashback as Jeffery’s carriage enters a tunnel, and then cutting back out on the wheels/gloves, is tasteful and subtle–I like it. The flashback itself hit harder than I expected; it got me properly emotionally invested :(

I wonder what time period the bustles would place this in? I’d be interested to know if the setting has been period-accurate or more of a mishmash of vibes (not that that would take away from the story; just curious)

I was surprised at how gruesome some of that was, given how cozy the rest of the show is

that is the most stylish trash bag I have ever seen. does it have pockets too? Also, the one shot with her storming away from her mom is framed so the fountain looks like some kind of bubble/shell barely holding her in; that was really neat

personal taste, of course, but the pacing and voice acting and directing of this episode felt so immersive and the tension felt so palpable. It’s a basic story arc that’s just really solidly executed, and the payoff is so satisfying! I really enjoyed it.

I love the realistic representation both of Fuyutsuki’s disability, and the way Sorano second-guesses himself constantly out of fear (not the parts where he’s just scared though). I know Sorano’s character arc is probably going to be all about getting out of his own head, so I’m not exactly faulting him for being the way he is… but when he does go out of his way to make a move, it really warms me up to him.

I don’t know if this is intentional, but having a blind FL makes it really hard not to empathize with her condition–I’m constantly acutely aware of how the world must feel like through her “eyes”. All the little auditory details really stand out. (Too bad I don’t understand enough Japanese to close my eyes and just listen to the show.)

I like that they went to the effort of (plausibly) animating her right-hand on the piano, but I guess doing the left hand too was too much work :p

there hasn’t been much explicit foreshadowing (apart from the ending scene), but it did make me a bit nervous when she was doing the opposite of what she explicitly laid out last episode–not scoping out her new place, telling everyone where she lives, telling Jeffrey about her past

I chalked it up to showing how she’s subconsciously fallen for Jeffrey already, but it’d be pretty neat if it actually is foreshadowing for later

love Eva’s flower dress, and I love that Vicky and Nonna get multiple outfits too c:

I like that there’s closeup shots that guide the viewer without explicitly telling us things, and given the sparser animation I definitely didn’t expect the subtle facial shifts to come across so effectively. Given the attention to detail there, it’s strange that the manga-style sequences felt like they were sprinkled in randomly instead of being used more intentionally? (this was the case in the first episode too) The flashback was the only one that felt deliberate.

I like that they’re trying to use dialogue / inner monologue to characterize Victoria, but it feels hamfisted sometimes. It does have its good moments, so I’m hoping they get more comfortable blending those in.

exquisite camera work, the cuts were so good

I hope “did I say that out loud” becomes a running gag, love me a running gag

I assume Mizuka keeps an eye out for edible wild plants because that was most of what she was eating…