All of that blendsSo much of The aquatope on white sand is about connections: about forging bonds, strengthening friendships, and reaching out to others. Thus, it makes sense that the way for Kukuru to heal is through the bonds of her community, through being reached out to, rather than her having to seek help herself.
Read the rest of The aquatope on white sand – Episode 21 on the Anime News Network
One of the great things about the series in all its versions is that it holds back from dumping too much info. It’ll give you your fair portion, sure, but it’s never too much. If anything, it’s just enough to help you fill in the blanks on the parts of the world we don’t get to engage with. Restaurant to Another World 2 does this even more tightly, weaving in tidbits about the denizens of the other world, which gives us a more fully-formed image of the customers the Master deals with.
Read the rest of Resturant to Another World 2 Season Premiere – Episode 8 on the Anime News Network
All of that blends with Kukuru still trying to find her place in Tingaara as she continues an internal – and often external – tug-o-war between settling into her current responsibilities and her desire to continue taking care of sea creatures. And it’s not that Kukuru isn’t serious about her work, which is an accusation leveraged at her about midway in episode 20: it’s that Kukuru still cares deeply about caretaking, and at her core, loves sea creatures enough to always keep them at the forefront of her mind, even to the detriment of her actual staff position.
Read the rest of The aquatope on white sand – Episode 20 on the Anime News Network
One of the delights of comparing Restaurant to Another World 2 to its source material novel is that the If you thought watching Aletta and Kuro eat shaved ice was fun, then watching Ilzegant groove on some green tea shaved ice (complete with azuki beans and mochi) is a delight. I suppose that’s really what made them such a neat character, and one of my favorite in the Restaurant to Another World universe. There’s all these textural descriptions that really make the experience feel full-bodied, evoking the texture of finely shaved ice, the delight of experiencing mochi for the first time, and the awe of seeing a new color repurposed in food.
Read the rest of Resturant to Another World 2 Season Premiere – Episode 7 on the Anime News Network
There’s a gentleness about episode 19 that I found myself loving this week. As the year winds down and we count our successes, it’s easy to look back and see all the paths you didn’t tread. Yet episode 19 is a reminder that just like a penguin going for their first swim, we too can find success in just trying and believing. As I look towards being closer to thirty than not, it’s a story that resonates: I expected to be in a very different life situation than I am right now. All I can do is strive and try my best.
Read the rest of The aquatope on white sand – Episode 19 on the Anime News Network
Blade Runner: Black Lotus offers up a gorgeous premiere that has a somewhat go-nowhere premiere filled with tidbits that built the world, but don’t feel compelling.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Episode 1 — Anime Feminist
One of the delights of comparing Restaurant to Another World 2 to its source material novel is that the show heightens my enjoyment of the books. This isn’t a “the light novel is better” kind of series: it’s all good, in all its delightful decadent forms. True, the novel is much more descriptive, but your imagination has to do all the hard work, something a reader with aphantasia may not be able.
Read the rest of Resturant to Another World 2 Season Premiere – Episode 6 on the Anime News Network
Episode 18 serves as a pleasant reminder that you can find joy in a job well done, even if it’s something that you’re not necessarily passionate about. It’s a poignant message, especially in a time when many of us are haunted by job insecurity and imposter syndrome. It’s okay to not let what you do for a living define you, and others will still see you as valuable even if you’re taking up a spot in what may be someone else’s dream job.
Read the rest of The aquatope on white sand – Episode 18 on the Anime News Network
This is a Fall of firsts–including the tentative death of Netflix jail (kinda). Join us as we check in on some hotly anticipated adaptations.
2021 Fall Three Episode Check-In — Anime Feminist
Episode 17 exemplifies all of what makes aquatope great and left a lasting impression on me. It feels like the culmination of weeks of effort, as the strong character foundation that is built up over the past twenty episodes is starting to pay off. Furthermore, all of these beautiful female friendships are framed positively through their tenderness and comfort and femininity, as opposed to cattiness, which The aquatope on white sand has largely avoided.
Read the rest of The aquatope on white sand – Episode 17 on the Anime News Network
Backlit Pixels 