
Welcome to another Early Edition of Annotated Anime, the weekly anime recap that used the German three, and thus did not blow its cover to the Nazis. Because it's smarter than those basterds!
In today's Early Edition, Brad appreciates Amagami SS' new ED animation, and things get real touching come but K-ON!!'s February, he had Rohan while recapping Jersey Shore. In the meantime, Ben finds some fabulousness in Sengoku Basara.
And if you're wondering where Mike's weekly Heroman essay is, he has something special to say about this episode. So special in fact that we let him have at it in a feature-length piece going up after today's Late Edition!
So don't forget to check back in tonight for that rest of that and the rest of this week's recaps, then have a happy Fighting Friday this, er...Friday!
Brad Rice
K-ON!! episode 22
We're down to the wire here, with only two more episodes to go for K-ON!!. With all that pressure on the show, it looks like it's high time to return to its roots and produce good episodes, as we watch Mio and Mugi give up what could be a good life in order to settle and go to a college where Yui and Ritsu will just barely be able to get into.
With the girls taking exams, this episode focused mostly on the perspective of Azusa and the fact that her seniors are going to be graduating soon. Draped in the background of Valentine's Day, the episode is all about Azusa coming to terms with and trying to express her feelings towards everyone in the group.
All in all, a really touching episode when you stand back and look at it -- the uneasiness is there throughout, but only comes to a head in a well-done climax for the episode.
Amagami SS episodes 9 and 10
Amagami has...changed. It feels as though an entirely new director has come on, and they've decided to change the mood of the show into something completely different. With this latest arc, "Kouhai" (underclassmen), we now have a narrator interacting with our dear Tachibana-kun, and the show has taken a decidedly more ecchi and lowbrow tone to it. Don't get me wrong, there was the ramen scene in the first arc, but even that stuck out oddly. Now it looks to be more of the mainstay, with the accidental breast-groping becoming commonplace.
I do have to say that the new girl, Sae, is more pleasant than I thought. Sure, I hate her fidgeting and her voice, but as a character, she's a bit more redeemable than past iterations of her archetype. I hope these next two episodes prove to be something more in line with the rest of the show.
On the plus side, the new ED animation is nice!
Jersey Shore episodes 5 and 6
I think we've hit the mid-season slump with Jersey Shore -- it's chock full of the same ol' Sam and Ronnie drama, and nothing much of interest happens. I did get to play some Lord of the Rings Risk while watching, at least. I had a stronghold in Rohan, and was planning an assault.
I guess you could consider Vinny and Snooki hooking up and the Situation making out with a tranny interesting, but I had Rohan, guys.
But wait, at the last minute, something interesting finally happens! The girls start going at it, and it looks like Sam is now on her way to the outside of the girls' circle. All that whining and moaning about how bad of a guy Ronnie is has earned her a punch to the face from J-WOWW. Boy, am I happy. I cannot wait to see what unfurls this week in Jersey Shore!
[Subject yourself to episodes of Jersey Shore on MTV]
Ben Huber
Sengoku Basara II episode 8
Lots of talking this week! Keiji, wearing his fabulous new outfit, meets with Toyotomi and withdraws Kaga from the alliance. But before Toyotomi can leave, Keiji confronts him about his past. Why did Toyotomi kill his lover? Why did he change? We're treated to a flashback detailing the incident that changed the warlord's ways. He and Keiji, once good friends, were severely beaten by Matsunaga Hisahide, which made Toyotomi consider that instead pure strength was the way to power. Unable to convince Toyotomi to halt his war, Keiji leaves, and encounters Hanbei on the way out (who appears to have a few things going wrong with him).
Yukimura is with Shimazu, who agrees to the Tiger of Kai's favor, and they spend the rest of their time training, talking about previous battles, and the road ahead. Elsewhere, Toyotomi makes an offer to Hisahide to block Date Masamune's advance, with considerable reward involved. Date, meanwhile, has been surrounded by bandits, which are really the remains of Chosokabe's army. And, of course, Chosokabe himself shows up, revealing that he's not as dead as he might have seemed. Looks like a "Put ya guns on" type of fight next week!