With the episodes reviewed this week, an interesting trend seemed to show up that couldn’t go unnoticed. While we are at that half-way point of the spring season, it seems that several unsung heroes of each of these shows have their own time in the sun. Supporting cast is put there for a reason, to support the hero as he goes on his journey. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t allowed to have their own special story or to experience a journey of their own.
With most of these shows, the supporting cast has been evenly explored, but wasn’t given too much focus in previous episodes. This week however, it seems that there is a lot more focus on them than had been in the past. In many ways, it helps move the plot along, but on an inner level, it allows the audience to have a deeper connections with these characters.
Picking up where it left off, Attack on Titan seems takes a firm grip on the heart strings of the audience and refuses to let them go. In The World The Girl Saw - Battle of Trost Part 2, Eren has been eaten by a Titan, along with several of the other soldiers. While Mikasa tries her best at defeating the Titans with her remaining comrades, she has a memory of a time before she lived with Eren’s family.
With the main character no longer in the picture, it seems that the episode really relied on the strength of the supporting cast. It is used to great effect, showing how each person reacts to what happens around them and how they handle the tragedies of their fallen comrades. Mikasa seems to have grown a lot, making her seem more than a silent mentor to Eren and Armin. The tragedy plays well with the rest of the series, showing that not everyone in this show is a whole person.
Attack on Titan - The World The Girl Saw - Battle of Trost Part 2 gets nine stars out of ten
My Teenage Romantic Comedy SNAFU seems to take a bit of a more emotional turn with this week’s episode, His Beginning With Her Finally Ends. After Hachiman’s harsh words to Yui, she seems to have quit the Service Club. This catches the eye of not only Yukino, but the teacher who advises the club. She now tells Yukino and Hachiman that they must recruit some new members to expand the group.
It is nice to see that Yukino gets some development within the show, but still seems to come off as the cold, defensive girl. While it is interesting to see that this show is trying to avoid typical romance-tropes in telling the story, they seem to forget that some of those tropes are needed in order for it to all mesh well together. Also, the subtexts of many of the characters are so visible that it appears that all the characters are emotionally blind to not see how someone is truly feeling.
My Teenage Romantic Comedy SNAFU - His Beginning With Her Finally Ends gets six stars out of ten.
With Flowers of Evil, things seem to start really stirring up for Kasuga. In 6 of 13, Kasuga and Saeki go public on the news that the two of them are dating. Kasuga seems to be on cloud nine with these recent events, that is, until he spies Nakamura talking with Saeki. He starts to worry as the two girls start to become friends, with Nakamura knowing something about Saeki that Kasuga may be interested in.
The drama seems to build between these characters, and it is always interesting to see how Kasuga reacts to these kinds of situations. These are issues that a real middle school student would probably have, to some degree, and they would obviously blow it as much out of proportion. His interactions with Saeki are also very interesting, especially after her and Nakumara become friends. Something to note though, that this feels very much like a set up episode, running a bit slow, only to put things in motion for the future.
Flowers of Evil - 6 of 13 gets seven stars out of ten.
Photo Kano seems to be embracing the new turn of style. While they still carry over the ecchi nature from the beginning of the show, it seems that they are really embracing the romance between Kazuya and Niimi. In These Feelings are Vastly, Kazuya and Niimi seemed to have sparked a real relationship that had been sprouted in their childhoods. Their emotions seem to keep on pouring out as they spend more time with each other.
While Photo Kano seems to be as over the top as ever, everything seems to still make sense within the parameters of the show. It also seems that they are ditching a lot of the harem-visual novel aspects, such as revolving around other girls and having a real focus. There is a lot more emphasis on Kazuya and Niimi as characters, allowing them to have the liberty to grow and possibly help the series stand out.
Photo Kano - These Feelings Are Vastly gets eight stars out of ten.
