Shabake – 03
For the nth time I’ll note, novel adaptations are usually slow burns. That makes it especially dangerous to adopt snap judgments about them. It takes time for them to make their case – which is an issue when so many are a single cour. And even more an issue for me, when I have so many demands on my coverage time. For two episodes Shabake wasn’t making too much of an impression on me, even if I sensed a bit of something lurking underneath. It was probably pretty close to a drop – if this ep had been a step down, for example. But it was just the opposite, so for now at least it’s definitely back in the game for a Patron Pick spot at least.
Indeed, this was easily the most engaging episode of the first three. The dynamic between Ichitarou and his two guardians (jailers) was explored in more depth (and came out looking quite sinister). Bits of pieces of lore were revealed making the overall premise more precisely rendered. And the interplay between Ichitarou and his myriad youkai associates – always the best part of the show – continues to be interesting.
In terms of lore, we now know that Ichi has a 20 year-old half-brother, the mysterious Matsunosuke he’s been sneaking out to see. This is a common tale of the time – the product of an affair, stashed away in relative poverty, out of sight. Obviously Ichi has been forbidden to see him but defies his father. I like that he has a defiant streak – he’s smart and at the age where the man inside him yearns to break free, but he’s even more stifled than most in his position would be (which is a lot). We also saw a mummy being received as a mysterious “Kura #3” delivery, selling at a huge price and implied to bestow longevity (further implied to be a con). And we learned that the beheaded carpenter’s tools were stolen and sold off piecemeal, and that neighborhood pets are being killed and beheaded.
Most compelling of all, though, was the tense and disturbing scene where Nikichi and Sasuke viciously attacked Nozoki Byoubu and Ichitarou was reminded the limits of his control over the two who call him “Master”. This was edgy and dark in its own right, but also suggests there’s someone else actively holding their leash – Ichi certainly suspects so (perhaps “Madame Ogin”). This was all very good and quite interesting stuff, and I’m certainly more keen to see what happens next than I have been at any point so far with Shabake.
Sanda – 03
Sanda remains one of the most vexing shows of the season. There are things I strongly admire and strongly dislike about it. Most prominent among the latter is Fuyumura, who I hate like poison. She’s a horrible sociopath and any attempt to humanize her comes off as totally misguided. In a larger way there are really no likeable characters in the cast at all (so far) apart from Sanda himself, and to an extent Santa (if you consider them different individuals). Is that a problem? I guess that’s in the eye of the beholder, but it does make Sanda less engaging for me.
On the other hand the show remains weird and interesting, and it does almost everything unconventionally. Even small stuff like the girls wearing slacks instead of skirts (some middle schools here are offering the option now but it’s relatively uncommon) is kind of intriguing – even the animals in Beastars wore skirts so it’s not an Itagaki thing. The weird Santa “skills” like the naughty child drop detector are interesting. And the most successful part of the narrative is Sanda’s identity crisis as he grapples with having a legendary grown-up inside him, slowly changing his perspective on the world.
The fact that Oono is alive certainly represents a major plot twist, though at this point as a character I see no reason to care about her one way or the other. Of more interest is the introduction of the anti-Santa brigade member Yagyuuda Saburou, not least as he’s played by one of the best ever in Hirata Hiroaki. It sounds funny to say about a guy who shot the protagonist but Yagyuuda is actually the first character other than Sanda who’s kind of appealing as a person. He’s at least funny and charming, even if he’s the enemy of the hero.
I could either way with both of these “S” series, but for totally different reasons. The next ep is going to be crucial for both (the three-episode rule is almost never enough). My gut feeling is that Sanda is just going to be a choppy ride, period, and it’s going to be a question of whether the positives it brings to the table are enough to justify dealing with that.
The post Third Impressions Digest – Shabake, Sanda appeared first on Lost in Anime.
