Wooper: One week late and two weeks behind, but hey, I’m glad to have gotten this post up at all with the start of a new school year bearing down on me. It ought to be easy as pie to cover just four shows in a season offering many more worthwhile ones, but my motivation is in short supply at the moment. Until it returns, here are some thoughts on a few summer anime, including one that’s nearly ended, two that ended the same day they premiered, and one that I’d place near the top of its class.
Karaoke Iko! – 2-4
Over the past few weeks, there have been conflicting reports about whether this show would have four or five episodes, but it looks like we have a definitive answer now: there will be a fifth episode, but it won’t air until late September. I’ll gladly take more Karaoke Iko, but I won’t exactly be chomping at the bit to see number 5, given how self-contained the first four were; this show turned out to be a minor gem, and its pacing was a major reason for that. The built-in humor of its premise took the front seat in episode 2, starting with Oka’s strenuous chorus-related nightmare and gradually lightening the mood with yakuza hijinks so it could close with a much funnier dream. But that anxiety about his changing voice still remained, so episode 3 doubled back to ground the show in his insecurities, including the nature of his relationship to Kyouji, whose violent occupation began to overshadow his kindhearted nature. Honestly, I hadn’t expected Karaoke to go as far as it did – a lead character braining a former subordinate with a metal briefcase was shocking, even if he did it to protect Oka. And then there was the off-screen car crash, which really had me believing Kyouji had “gone to hell,” in the show’s words. Oka believed it too, and while my one criticism of the series is that it slightly oversold his grief in the concluding episode, his strained requiem was the best possible way he could have confronted his fear. And now it’s on to Captivated by You (Muchuu sa, Kimi ni) – hopefully it can surpass its already impressive sister work beginning next week.
Leviathan – 3-5
These three episodes adapt the remainder of the first book in the Leviathan trilogy, as well as the first part of its sequel, Behemoth. I haven’t read the source material, so I can’t comment on whether they bungled the job, but the temporary alliance between Alek’s three-man party and the crew of the titular airbeast does feel rather vague. Even Alek’s first meeting with Dylan is muddily presented. First Dylan accuses him of being part of the German force that shot down the Leviathan; then she apologizes, thanks him for saving her life, and they shake hands; then she demands that Alek allow himself to be brought to her captain for questioning, and when he refuses, she arrests him. A truce follows, along with plenty of scenes between the two meant to flesh out their growing friendship, but I’m not sure the anime really manages the task. The quarrels between them were so thoroughly smoothed over by their more casual moments that I was never terribly bothered by the former, which is an issue, given that they’re on opposite sides of a soon-to-be global war. Also, the Austro-Hungarians’ boarding of the Leviathan didn’t do much to broaden the story’s scope. I know that’ll be coming now that Alek and Klopp have escaped in the Ottoman Empire, but from the moment they (along with Volger) stepped into the belly of that airbeast, I reckon they should have felt like just one part of its ecosystem, to help sell the scale of the whale.
My Melody & Kuromi – 2-4
After four episodes, the sweets contest in Mariland (which I assume will become this series’ central plot point) has yet to begin, and it feels like My Melody & Kuromi is doing a bit of wheel-spinning in the meantime – literally, in the case of episode 4’s lengthy wagon-and-motorcycle chase. I was amazed at that sequence’s swooping camera work as Kuromi and her twin henchmen (Tanba and Sasage) attempted to keep up with Felt’s honeybee-powered engine, not to mention Piano’s expertise with a bo staff during her fight scene with the aforementioned grunts. It was the show’s biggest set piece so far, but even though it was impressive, it’s part of a pattern of the show playing around a little too much. Kuromi is currently after the secret of My Melody’s supernaturally delicious cloud cupcakes, so episode 3’s attempted burglary made perfect sense, but interrupting it with a Rube Goldberg machine was a bizarre choice, especially since the characters shrank to confectionery size mid-sequence. Similarly, the segment where Piano haunted Tanba and Sasage for stealing her bottled poem (which they thought was a secret formula) served no purpose other than spoofery – though maybe I just didn’t like it because I’m not a horror fan. At any rate, the show is still very charming. Both lead actresses are giving excellent voice performances, and the use of wool is super creative, standing in for wind, steam, and even the motion blur resulting from My Melody’s ears shaking back and forth. I’m just ready for the story to find another gear.
The Summer Hikaru Died – 3-5
Despite just mentioning that I’m not a horror fan, I’d put Hikaru solidly in the top tier of this summer’s anime. Both episodes 3 and 5 offered moments involving Yoshiki’s possession by supernatural forces, and more than being simply disturbing or disgusting, they were captivating. The sound design during Hikaru’s breakdown in the former episode was paralyzing (befitting Yoshiki’s inability to escape his assault), from the silence during the shot of the tendrils escaping his body to the creaking noise of his innards suffusing the boys’ classroom. This scene made good on the threat described by Rie (the adult woman that we formally met in episode 2), whose own story of dealing with a possessed lover was meant to serve as a cautionary tale for Yoshiki. But our protagonist can’t resist this inhuman version of his friend, suffering from a medley of loneliness, lust, and pity for the creature’s cluelessness. There’s an image of withered sunflowers at the end of episode 3 that follows his resolution to provide guidance for the new Hikaru, clearly foreshadowing death – but whose? It struck me as I watched episode 5, which delved further into the concept of supernatural possession via the Wig Ghost story, that the creature inside Hikaru might be able to jump hosts, meaning it might be his reanimated corpse that ends up “dying.” After witnessing Yoshiki’s susceptibility to the Wig Ghost during the exorcism scene, with its layered fragments of village gossip playing over creepy columns of CG brain matter, it seems plausible that he could be the creature’s next host. I just hope it doesn’t end up being his sister – the poor girl is dealing with enough as it is.
The post Summer 2025 Check-In – Weeks 4-5 appeared first on Star Crossed Anime.
