Lucifer (Season 2)

While I really liked the first season of Lucifer, I did have a lot of issues with it. Season 2 is definitely an improvement, but it still isn't able to fix everything.

Lucifer's second season focuses on Lucifer's mother (who I'll just called Goddess) showing up on Earth. As obsessed with justice as he is, Lucifer wants to keep Goddess on Earth to serve her sentence, while Goddess wants to go home and stick it to her husband. It's a solid storyline to base the season around, giving more of a focus to the celestial family dynamics at the core of the show. There is definitely a lot more fantastical aspects this season, between the introduction of Lucifer's brother Uriel, the stuff around the blade of Azrael, and that whole episode where Lucifer purposefully goes to hell. However, the real highlight of the season was actually the subplots. The whole cast gets interesting storylines that develop them so much more, like Amenadiel dealing with being a fallen angel, Maze adjusting to Earth and getting a job as a bounty hunter, Linda learning Lucifer's the devil and dealing with it, and Chloe trying to put the man who killed her father in jail. We even get a new character in the perky Ella, and while she doesn't get too much to do, she's a really likable addition to the cast who plays off the other characters really well. 

However, I actually have quite a few issues with the season. First of all, while I definitely enjoy her character, the Goddess isn't quite as threatening of a villain as Malcolm was back in Season 1. Sure, I hated Malcolm, but I was also incredibly tense any time he showed up on screen. The Goddess feels like more of a mustache-twirling villain, constantly plotting to get Lucifer to return home. Don't get me wrong, she's hilarious, but she's not a very good villain. The same issue applies to Lucifer and Amenadiel too. The whole family is plotting against each other, but their motivations are so inconsistent that it just doesn't work as a major conflict for me. Another problem I had was with how strictly Lucifer tries to stick to the status quo a lot of the time. Chloe and Lucifer's romantic subplot started to drag on, as the show resorted to some pretty cheap tricks to prevent them from ending up together, Dan gets no noticable consequences for turning himself in last season, and the season ends with Lucifer just about to tell Chloe the truth only for the obligatory cliffhanger to stop him from doing so. And even with the added celestial stuff, pretty much every episode also had a (rather forgettable) case of the week regardless of whether or not it fit.

Still, this is generally a better season than the first, and it had even more great episodes than it:

Weaponizer: Uriel is easily the best one-off villain in the series to date, because he's actually a celestial. His powers (not unlike Domino's from Deadpool 2) are pretty visually stunning, and more importantly, intimidating. He's a serious danger to Chloe, and the tension slowly builds until the devastating ending where Lucifer has to kill him.

A Good Day To Die: I want more episodes like this one! Instead of a big case of the week, the main conflict of the whole episode was the cast working together to save Chloe's life. Lucifer going to hell was fantastic since we got to see more of the place and how it works, and while I'm not a massive fan of "Unsteady", that final sequence utilized the song perfectly.

God Johnson: I love the concept of this episode. As obvious as it was that "God Johnson" wasn't really God, it did lead to a lot of fantastic scenes. Aside from the dramatic tension between Lucifer and his father, there's the attempt to parent trap him and Goddess, the distraction in the mental hospital, and Linda being there to witness the whole thing. It's both funny and character-driven, so I liked it a lot.

The Good, The Bad, And The Crispy: This was a pretty solid season finale, if not quite as satisfying as last season's. Amenadiel and Charlotte both get really strong resolutions to their storylines, with the former getting his powers back and the latter getting sent away to make her own world. The cliffhanger was also really intriguing, even if it meant Chloe is still completely in the dark about everything.

Overall, Season 2 of Lucifer is an improvement on the first with better character work, more celestial elements, and some fun new characters. However, the show's refusal to evolve lead to plenty of really frustrating plot directions.

4/5 Stars

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 8)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine had a lot to do for its final season. Not only did it have to bring the characters to a satisfying resolution, but it also had to deal with the events of 2020 which drastically shifted public perception of the police. Even more, it only had ten episodes to do all of that...

The main plot of B99's eighth season is about the titular precinct trying to pass a police reform policy, while combating the NYPD's union president O'Sullivan. I actually thought this storyline was... okay. It tries to tackle the corruption in the NYPD without losing the show's optimism by proposing reform. I seriously doubt any of the 99's policies would work in reality, but in the case of a fairly idealistic sitcom, I think it works fine enough. I also really like O'Sullivan as an antagonist. He's so detestable and awful that he crosses the line into downright hilarious, only bolstered by the strong performance from John McGinley (aka Dr Cox). The season also builds up to Jake leaving the NYPD by the finale, though it's pretty obvious all the way back in the first episode. However, I feel like this season in particular relied on plot twists over its characters, like Holt and Kevin suddenly breaking up even though we know they won't stay apart, or Doug Judy losing all of his character development in PB&J, or the reveal that Charles isn't actually a Boyle. These twists work really well in the heist episodes (like the finale), but it felt like this season was focusing too much on shock value.

The biggest issue with B99's final season, though, is the pacing. With only ten episodes, it's hard not to feel like the season is far too crammed, with the season premiere "The Good Ones" being the most glaring instance of this. That episode dealt with the coronavirus and the George Floyd protests while also setting the new status quo for the season and being a funny B99 episode, resulting in a premiere that just felt like it couldn't really do any of those things all that well. There also just isn't really a chance for the show to experiment in any way this season due to the short length. Compared to last season which was filled to the brim with creative episodes like "Dillman", "Ransom", and "Pimemento", the only one that stuck out as experimental was the slightly 'Knives Out'-esque "Game Of Boyles". I also just thought the show wasn't as manic and uproariously funny as past seasons, and there were plenty of jokes that not only didn't land, but genuinely fell flat on their face. Whoever thought that a subplot about Charles thinking he was going to die would be funny was wrong.

While this was definitely one of the weaker seasons, there were two episodes I think were really great:

The Lake House: Easily the funniest episode in the season, The Lake House did a good job of selling me on the Holt and Kevin plotline (even though it still felt kind of unnecessary). But even though the Parent Trap storyline is fun, the subplots are the real highlights here, with high Rosa, Terry's weird "hedges and ledges" line, and Charles locking Amy's kid in a room. It's a fast-paced and manic episode that represents B99 at its best.

The Last Day: This series finale pretty much saved the season for me, you can tell it's where the writers saved all their best jokes and setpieces. It's also one of the most fanservice-y finales I've ever seen, packed with references to past jokes, gags aimed towards classic sitcom finales, tons of guest appearances, and a 45-minute-long heist that might be one of the best in the whole series. There were so many good moments, like Rosa calling out the trope that everyone needs a love interest by the end of a TV show to be happy, or Hitchcock somehow winning the heist, or Terry screaming "Nine-Nine!", it was just a perfect ending to the series. 

Overall, this season was rough. While it had a solid main storyline, it suffered from weak humor, rushed pacing, and some really bizarre plot twists. Thankfully, by putting all of its experience points in the finale, B99 managed to end the series on the best possible note.

3/5 Stars

My ranking of the B99 seasons are:

1. Season 7: Season 7 is my personal favorite because it's almost entirely lacking in fluff. Every episode is either really funny and creative, important to the story, or both, and the level of quality remained consistently strong throughout. 
2. Season 5: Season 5 really just a fantastic collection of some of the show's most iconic episodes and moments. I totally understand if you think this season is the best, it's an easy peak for B99's Fox run.
3. Season 6: Season 6 is definitely the most polarizing season, but it has a whole bunch of some of the show's best episodes, and I actually like some of the more divisive ones like Four Movements.
4. Season 3: The first three seasons are pretty close in quality but Season 3 is the most consistently strong for me, and the final Pimento storyline is easily my favorite of these "end of season arcs".
5. Season 1: Season 1 of B99 is a really solid season. Nothing amazing, but there's plenty of iconic moments and the initial character dynamics are (aside from Charles and Rosa) fun to look back on.
6. Season 2: While Season 2 probably has the most high points out of the first three seasons, it also has the lowest lows, since I think Jake suffered a bit too much especially in the later episodes.
7. Season 8: The finale was fantastic, but otherwise, Season 8 suffers from horrid pacing where it tries to do way too much in way too little time. I admire the attempt, B99 just couldn't pull it off.
8. Season 4: There are some great episodes here but Season 4 also has the most duds as well as easily the weakest ending story arc in the whole series. Also, the Coral Palms storyline drags hard.

My ranking of the B99 finales are:

1. The Last Day: I love sitcom finales. The Last Day is the ultimate Halloween episode, a love letter to the show, and a relentless series of all of B99's biggest running gags paying off. And it's pretty emotional too.
2. Jake And Amy: The titular couple's wedding was fun on its own, but I also really like how subdued the cliffhanger was this time.
3. Johnny And Rosa: Jake and Amy ending up together already brought this finale near the top, but Holt being transferred and that rage-inducing cliffhanger only solidified it.
4. Lights Out: Though the only finale to not have a cliffhanger, Lights Out is just a fantastic episode on its own merits. Everyone gets moments to shine and Jake's chase through NYC is great fun.
5. Charges And Specs: Though the pacing is kind of all over the place, I like the unpredictability of the cliffhanger and Charles and Rosa's subplot is finally put to rest.
6. The Suicide Squad: The concept of bringing back series antagonists was really cool, but the cliffhanger was just a carbon copy of the one from Season 2's finale.
7. Greg And Larry: On its own, this is a frantic and fun episode with some surprisingly great action. As a finale, it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of telling a cohesive story.
8. Crime And Punishment: I already hate false accusation storylines so this was already very frustrating to watch, but it also didn't help that none of this finale was even that funny. 

Favorite Episode: HalloVeen

Lucifer (Season 1)

Lucifer is an odd show. It's an adaptation of a comic that completely changes its genre to a procedural crime drama. A strange choice, for sure, but this first season shows that it has a lot of potential. 

Lucifer is about the titular angel escaping hell and running a club in Los Angeles, during which he meets a detective named Chloe Decker who he starts to solve cases with. At least in this season, Lucifer is basically a procedural crime drama, though it does have some running storylines throughout the season. There's Lucifer's brother Amenadiel who wants to bring him back to hell, and there's Chloe investigating the Palmetto case even if it puts her at odds with the entire station. Both storylines weave together halfway through the season when Amenadiel resurrects a cop involved in the case, but even then, one of these plots is far more interesting than the others. Amenadiel is an interesting character and strong antagonist for the season, and pretty much everything having to do with hell and the fantastical topics is really interesting. The more procedural elements, however, can be a bit rote at times, and the Palmetto case never really gripped me. It's not even that a show being procedural is bad, it's just odd that a show with such a fantastical premise settles for crimes that could easily be in any other show. I hope later seasons can put a bit more emphasis on the fantasy stuff because it's by far the most fascinating part of the series, and having Lucifer be a grounded procedural feels like a bit of a waste of potential.

Thankfully, even in the weaker elements, I did find myself really liking the characters. Obviously, the highlight is Lucifer himself. Tom Ellis does a fantastic job of making the character his own. He's just as charismatic and egotistical as you'd expect the devil to be, but the best moments are whenever he drops his guard and shows his vulnerability a bit. I also really liked Amenadiel, partly because he's pretty much the most fantastical character in the season, and partly because his banter and conflict with Lucifer is genuinely entertaining. The rest of the cast all gets chances to gain a bit more depth throughout the season as well, with characters I didn't love in the pilot (Dan and Linda in particular) winning me over by the finale. Lucifer's production values are also stellar for a TV show, with the soundtrack alone probably being incredibly expensive (unless Ellis happens to be performing the music himself). The action was particularly surprising. There isn't too much of it, but all the fight scenes in Lucifer are shot really clearly compared to many other series that just settle for fast-cutting-shaky-cam. A particular highlight was a Maze fight that was partially depicted through shadows on the wall.

In spite of the growing pains, there were a few particularly good episodes:

A Priest Walks Into A Bar: While I didn't love most of the "Cases Of The Week" this season, this was the main exception for how it was used to further Lucifer's development. This was an emotional rollercoaster of an episode, starting pretty funny as Lucifer tries to prove Father Frank is a criminal, then goes to wholesome as he befriends the priest, and ends on a tearjerker as Frank sacrifices himself and leaves Lucifer heartbroken. I also like the hints given about Lucifer's father, along with the fact that it took Lucifer meeting a father (priest) to start dealing with his actual father. 

#TeamLucifer: This was just a nonstop train of suffering and betrayal for poor Lucifer. I really like the concept of Lucifer dealing with misguided satanists, and the episode does a good job of exploring how everyone seems to blame him for the evil in the world. The final few minutes are especially fantastic, from the final fight between Lucifer and Amenadiel and the gutpunch of Chloe falsely arresting Lucifer.

Take Me Back To Hell: With all its problems, Lucifer's first season ended on a fantastic note. Lucifer working with Amenadiel, Chloe working with Maze, and Malcolm finally being taken down for good. The action is great, the whole cast gets moments to shine, and all the setups in play like the feather, the dagger, and the coin are paid off. The twists are fantastic too, like Dan turning himself in, and the cliffhanger of Lucifer's mom escaping hell. This is how you do a finale!

Overall, this was a solid first season for Lucifer, with slick production, likable characters, and a strong ending. However, it suffers from relying too heavily on the crime drama aspect of the series when the fantastical aspects are far more interesting.

3/5 Stars

WarioWare: Get It Together

With so many big Nintendo games coming out this fall, WarioWare: Get It Together wasn't one of the higher games on my list. I was expecting to get it, enjoy it, and just forget about it a few weeks after. I was seriously underestimating this game's ability to win me over, however, as having played it, I thought it was absolutely fantastic.

Similarly to many other games in the series, WarioWare: Get It Together tasks you with playing a rapid-fire series of five-ish-second-long microgames, forcing you to adapt to the different tasks and settings. Get It Together's main gimmick is that you play these microgames as characters from the WarioWare series, each with their own different abilities. I was originally worried that keeping the control scheme consistent between the microgames would make them feel less unpredictable and fun, but I was surprised to find that was not the case. As a matter of fact, this gimmick actually added more freedom to how you approach the different microgames. Each character will force you to tackle each game in a different way, and the game rarely has you stick with the same character for an entire session, forcing you to swap out with other characters to maintain that sense of unpredictability. It helps that most of the characters are pretty fun to play as, all of them having simple control schemes that are easy to grasp. However, this leads to my biggest issue with the game. As impressively large as the roster of characters is, the balancing is way off in Get It Together. Some characters (Ashley, Orbulon) are leagues better than the rest, and other characters (9-Volt, Kat/Ana) are so bad that there's no reason to play as them. Not to mention some characters (Master Mantis, Mike) are just flat-out better versions of other characters (Young Cricket and 9-Volt respectively). 

Get It Together's microgames have a few big differences from others in the franchise that I think make them mostly more fun to play. First of all, many of the objects in these microgames have physics and rigidbodies at play, meaning that you actually have to physically push them around and interact with them to win the microgame. This may not sound all that game-changing, but I think the emphasis on physics puzzles makes the microgames a lot more satisfying to figure out and solve. Get It Together can feel like a full-on physics playground at times, and it can be a lot of fun to play around in. But even better, many of these microgames now have multiple solutions, bolstered by the more freeform physics and multiple characters. For example, there's a microgame where you have to turn off a water nozzle. You could turn the handle as intended, or you could fly up to the nozzle and clog your head in it. Both solutions work, and the addition of these alternate solutions actually adds a lot of replay value and depth to these microgames. Now, microgames aren't just one and done affairs, I actively want to go back to minigames and try different strategies with different characters. The attention to detail in this game is absolutely insane, and it gives these microgames far more longevity. Not to mention swapping between characters make perfecting these microgames far more engaging and difficult.

WarioWare: Get It Together also has a lot of content. With 222 microgames, this game has the third most in the series, right before Twisted and the compilation game Gold. The Story Mode is the biggest in the series as well, with ten character stages, multiple remix stages, and a bunch of hidden stages at the end of the game. There are over 20 characters to play as, 10 cute sidegames in the Variety Pack, and a ton of missions that encourage you to see everything the game has to offer. I actually really like the missions since they give you a reason to get high scores in the Story Mode stages and microgames, as well as hint you towards those aforementioned alternate solutions. However, there are a few game modes that I think could have been better. The Toy Box from previous games is completely gone and replaced with a mode called The Crew. The Crew has you use the game's currency to buy gifts called Prezzies and give them to your characters, leveling them up and letting you unlock alternate costumes, colors, and art. While trying to figure out which Prezzie to give each character is a fun puzzle and the artwork looks fantastic, the fact that you can't actually interact with and play around with the Prezzies like in previous games was a bit disappointing. As a matter of fact, there really aren't any original minigames at all, which is a bit of a shame considering past titles. There's also an online leaderboards mode called Wario Cup, which offers weekly challenges to try and get the highest score on. While it's another neat addition not unlike the Ninji Speedruns from Mario Maker 2, the game doesn't have a way to play online with people. This wouldn't normally be a massive issue, but Get It Together has a massive multiplayer focus, with nearly the entirely game playable with two people. It can make for a really fun party game, which is why it sucks that there's no option for online play.

Presentation-wise, Get It Together is probably the strongest game in the entire series. The playable characters all get cute Chibi designs, and their 3D-esque models manage to mesh well with pretty much any direction the microgames take art-wise. The transition screens have a cool polygonal look, the menu is colorful and well-organized, and the whole game just looks so whimsical. The only time when the graphics don't look super impressive are the 3D microgames from 9-Volt's stage, which use pretty obvious prerendered sprites. However, given how quirky the art direction for WarioWare typically is, I wouldn't be surprised if that was intentional. I was also absolutely blown away by how catchy this game's music is. As a matter of fact, Get It Together now has my favorite WarioWare soundtrack out of them all. The obvious highlight is Penny's theme, the first vocal track in the series after twelve years, but I also really liked the Character Select, Main Menu themes, transition themes, Bonus Stage, Cast Roll, and Orbulon's shockingly beautiful boss theme. Takeru Kanazaki (who also made music for Paper Mario Color Splash and Fire Emblem Three Houses) did a fantastic job of capturing that quirky Nintendo-ish vibe that really brought me back to the days of the Wii.

I don't think Get It Together is the best WarioWare game, as it does suffer from balancing issues and some modes that aren't quite as fleshed out as they should be, but I was still very pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. The fantastic presentation, fun microgames, impressive amount of freedom and attention to detail, large roster, and enjoyable multiplayer make for an incredibly strong party game for both one or two players that I highly recommend checking out.

4/5 Stars

2024 Update: It's been three years sine I wrote this review and Get It Together is now my third favorite WarioWare game behind Inc and Gold. I've played a lot more WarioWare since and I think GiT kinda spoiled me with just how replayable it is. Between the missions, the crew grinding, the Wario Cup, and just how fun it is to get a flower in every microgame, I've sunk the most amount of hours into this game than any other entry in the series.

Revised Score: 4.5/5 Stars

Kill La Kill

Having watched (and loved) the three big Gainax shows, it was about time that I finally started watching some Studio Trigger anime. And what's a better place to start than the next show from the creators of Gurren Lagann: Kill La Kill?

Kill La Kill starts with protagonist Ryuko Matoi appearing at Honnuji Academy, a school ruled by its student council, with the goal of finding the one who killed her father. The first half of the show is a fairly episodic battle anime as Ryuko faces off against the academy's clubs and work her way up to the student council president Satsuki. However, halfway through the series, the real villain Ragyo (aka Satsuki's mom) reveals herself and the story changes to a much larger-scale war. I think the core story is pretty good, with a lot of really effective twists that frequently changes things up. And unlike TTGL, I actually think the second half of Kill La Kill is far better than the first. However, the sheer amount of twists means the series can be pretty manic and ridiculous at times, to the point where it's a bit tough to follow what's going on. The ever increasing Life Fibers lore is particularly convoluted and messy. While I was definitely compelled by the story and twists, Kill La Kill isn't the best-crafted anime out there. Thankfully, that's not much of a problem, as Kill La Kill always makes sure to never take things too seriously. This series can be downright hilarious, especially when it comes to Mako's antics. The comedic timing is top-notch, and the cartoonish animation and bonkers plot means the series is always entertaining.

Despite the pretty insane plot, the characters mostly manage to be pretty memorable. Ryuko is the biggest highlight for me, having become one of my favorite anime characters ever. Aside from her motivation falling in line with my love of revenge storylines, she's also incredibly badass and confident, gets some great character development as she slowly makes friends throughout the series, and is surprisingly fleshed out. I also really liked her friend, Mako. Most of her scenes were absolutely hilarious due to her frequently locking herself out of the loop, but she's also a genuinely kind person and the heart of the team. Ryuko and Mako's relationship was one of the show's highlights, they naturally become closer as the series goes on culminating in the two going on a date in the finale. The student council is a really eclectic group of characters who start off as entertaining villains and end the series as badass and fantastic friends to Ryuko, especially the fleshed-out Satsuki. And then there's the villains. While Ragyo is definitely detestable as a good villain should be, I think the show went a bit too far with her. She's a special kind of awful, especially in how she treats Satsuki. Nui, on the other hand, was absolutely fantastic. Her innocent design and voice contrast her trollish and cruel personality perfectly, and the moment she storms onto the scene and reveals she killed Ryuko's father was such a massive boost of quality for the series. If it wasn't for Ryuko, she'd absolutely be my favorite character.

However, when taking about Kill La Kill, I have to bring up the elephant in the room: Fanservice. I don't bring this up in reviews too much, but I don't like fanservice in anime. Aside from the sexist male gaze aspect, it rarely ever suits the story. That's why it's called fanservice, it's just for the people who want to see big boobs. Kill La Kill, on the other hand, is in a whole different ballpark. There is a lot of (albeit censored) nudity in this series, from both genders. Characters take off and lose their clothes constantly, to the point where it kinda borders around to being funny again, there's just something so cartoonish about all of it. Despite this, I can't quite say there isn't a purpose to all of it. The show is pretty heavily build on its themes on individuality and how clothing can be used as a source of power (like in the case of school uniforms), not to mention themes of coming of age, sexuality, and fashion. Don't get me wrong, though, there are definitely some instances of fanservice just for the sake of it, plenty of jokes that really rubbed me the wrong way, and the fact that a whole bunch of these characters are teens. This series can be pretty problematic at times, for sure. However, with the fact that a lot of the nudity is there to progress the story and its themes, I was pretty surprised by how little of it actually phased me, especially near the end.  Frankly, I think I had a bigger problem with the sheer amount of needles and stitches, those just grossed me out. While I don't think I'll ever change my mind of anime fanservice, I admire the attempt to use such an awful trope as a tool to tell a story.

Back to the positives, I love the animation in Kill La Kill. I get that on an objective level, it's probably not very good. The FPS is low, plenty of scenes use tweening and stiff motion, and the CGI can look pretty bad at times. However, the animation is so ridiculously cartoonish, stylistic, and expressive. The anime makes great use of smear frames and inventive visuals to make it look better animated than it is, and for the most part, I think it remains an absolute joy to look at. The action is particularly fantastic, it's dynamic, bombastic, and incredibly fun. Much of the fight scenes blend 2D animation with CGI pretty well, resulting in a bunch of really cool-looking long take sequences. Similarity to TTGL, I think a lot of the designs are inconsistent. The characters look great and I love the design of the scissor blades, but the decision to base everything off of clothing (or the lack thereof) make things like the Kamui, Nudist Beach suits, and COVERs look kinda silly. On the other hand, I love the music in Kill La Kill. This is my first Sawano soundtrack, but he made a hell of an impression. The intense background music, the random appearances of classical music, the mix of genres, the vocal tracks, all of it was top-notch. Highlights include Nui and Ragyo's themes, Before My Body Is Dry, the first ending theme, and the final boss theme, but the whole soundtrack ranks as one of my favorites in anime.

The entire second half of Kill La Kill is nearly perfect, but these episodes are a particular highlight:

I'm Not Your Cute Woman: Nui's first appearance was a hell of an impactful one, as she bursts into the scene, takes out Uzu with a single stroke, and casually reveals she killed Ryuko's father, hijacking the entire tournament. The last six minutes or so were all incredibly well-executed, but even the rest of the episode had some pretty strong action.

Spit Your Sadness Away: While Kill La Kill definitely had blood in it, this entire episode was a literal bloodbath, as in the entire school was flat-out bathed in it. This episode was just intense, from the backstory of how Ryuko's father died, to Senketsu getting provoked into turning Ryuko into a monster, to the reveal that Satsuki is partially responsible. But at least Mako was there to add some levity and heartfelt moments as she was the one to turn Ryuko back.

Tell Me Why: Similarly to I'm Not Your Cute Woman, this is a great episode made even better by its ending, as Satsuki literally stabbing Ragyo in the back was such a shocking twist that completely recontextualizes her actions from the first two thirds of the series. Not to mention that this episode kicks off the near flawless streak up until the finale.

Into The Night: The first big battle with Ragyo definitely lived up to the buildup. We learn the truth about Satsuki's plans, the Elite Four gets to fight Nui, Ryuko and Satsuki both fight Ragyo, and the episode ends with the massive reveal that Ryuko is made of Life Fibers and that she's Ragyo's daughter (and by extension Satsuki's sister).

Far From The Madding Crowd/Incomplete: These two episodes fit more as a two-parter, but they're both excellent. Ryuko's grief and anger after learning she's Ragyo's daughter is incredibly compelling, and having Satsuki use Senketsu to try and save Ryuko is a fun way to switch up the dynamics for their final battle together.

Tell Me How You Feel: Probably my favorite episode of the series, this was just nonstop payoffs and fanservice (the good type). Ryuko gets Senketsu back, Nui loses her arms, Mako gets her fight club uniform back, Ryuko dual wields scissor blades, Satsuki finally apologizes, the main cast gets a cute celebratory dinner together, and the episode ends with a badass dual transformation with Satsuki and Ryuko.  

Imitation Gold: The first part of the final battle with Ragyo is stuffed to the brim with fantastic aerial action, with most of the cast getting the chance to get some hits in, and I love that Nui has gotten so unhinged that she straight-up hijacks the credits. 

Past The Infinite Darkness: Ending the series on an incredibly strong note, the big final battle was incredibly satisfying. The action was great, the character moments was impactful, and aside from Senketsu's death, the series ended on a categorically happy note. And I already wrote about how happy Ryuko and Mako going on a date makes me.

Overall, Kill La Kill is kind of a mess. It's not super well-plotted and can be pretty problematic at points, but it's also one of the most bonkers and fun anime I've ever seen. The characters, the twists, the animation, the action, the comedy, and the music are all fantastic, and it made for a series that I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon.

4.5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Tell Me How You Feel

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Studio Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of my favorite anime of all time, but it's also a really dark and depressing deconstruction of the mecha genre. With Gurren Lagann, Gainax goes in the complete opposite direction, not only making a more light-hearted and action-packed mecha anime, but making one that's absolutely insane.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (TTGL) is a mecha anime about near-brothers Simon and Kamina joining a rag-tag team of rebels in a war against a species called the Beastmen, who have taken over the planet and forced all the humans underground. The story is fairly simplistic and bizarre, but there are a lot of layers and twists to make it engaging, from a three-episode storyline about dealing with grief, to the way it feels like a lighter version of Evangelion, to the theme about bringing hope. The pacing is pretty good, as the stakes keep increasing throughout the series, and the characters are all incredibly likable. Kamina probably made the biggest impact, for very good reason, but I also think Simon has a great character arc, Yoko gets plenty of badass sniper fights, and Viral is a fun rival for the main cast. Outside of two weaker episodes early on, TTGL is a consistently strong series with a great sense of fun and energy, and that's just the first half!

Halfway through TTGL, the antagonist is defeated, and the show completely transforms. After a seven-year time jump, the show transforms from desert punk to space opera, aging the characters, darkening the tone, and introducing a terrifying new villain. I'm a bit more split on this half. The pacing slows down for a while, the first arc's sense of fun isn't nearly as prevalant, Yoko is gone for a large portion, and Nia spends the arc captured and possessed. However, there's still a lot to like here. Some characters like Kittan and Viral get fantastic arcs during this half of the series, the space battles are pretty damn spectacular, and the second half is generally really bombastic and fun. However, I have some gripes with the finale. While the big final battle was fantastic, the decision to have Nia die right after her wedding with Simon and him becoming a drifter after saving the universe left a very bad taste in my mouth. Even with the amount of deaths in TTGL, the tone remained hopeful and the characters always manage to accomplish their goals, so this twist just felt a bit cruel. 

In terms of its animation, TTGL is (when not during Episode 4) fantastic. The linework is clean, the action is bombastic, and the whole show just oozes style. The anime's visuals are consistently over the top, conveying its plot and themes with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. My biggest issue with the visuals in TTGL are really just some of the character designs. Obviously, there's the elephant in the room of the sexualized Yoko somehow being 14 (I really hope that's a joke), but I also find the mech designs a bit hit or miss. That's not a catagorical issue, though. The truly giant mechs like Dai-Gurren, Teppelin, and pretty much everything from the final few episodes look fantastic, and some of the character designs like the ones for Kamina, Nia, and Viral are really striking. The music is also pretty good, even if I think the battle theme plays a bit too frequently. The highlight of TTGL's soundtrack, though, is definitely the vocal tracks that appear during important moments and fight scenes. For lack of a better word, the music does a great job of generating hype.

TTGL has plenty of strong episodes, especially in its first half:

Later, Buddy: Kamina's death is by far the most iconic moment of TTGL, and is a decision that I think was absolutely genius. Aside from the subversive nature of killing off a main character so quickly, it changes the series for the better and solidifies the first arc's about bringing hope. The big fight with Thymilph is tense and insane, the visuals are especially mind-blowing, and Kamina himself gets a fantastic sendoff.

What, Exactly, Is A Human?: The three episodes after Later, Buddy are my favorite part of the entire series. It maintains the insane action and fun that make the series great, while also delving into its characters and exploring how they cope with Kamina's death. I especially that Simon doesn't just get over his grief in a single episode. Aside from the strong character moments, though, this episode also has Nia's first appearance as well as some pretty striking animation.

Simon, Hands Off: In this episode, Simon finally gets over his grief in incredibly satisfying fashion, finally living up to Kamina's legacy and inspiring hope by just being himself. But the most fascinating stuff here was the reveal of Nia's true nature. The fact that she was basically a doll to the Spiral King is heartbreaking, and makes the arc's antagonist that much more despicable.

I Will Head Towards Tomorrow: The ending of the first arc, this episode wasn't anything super surprising (though that probably was the point), but it's a suitably climactic and bombastic final battle with the Spiral King with insane action, plenty of questions raised and answers given, and the long-awaited confrontation between Nia and her father.

This Is My Final Duty: While the first half of arc 2 was easily the show's weakest stretch of episodes, I loved this episode. Containing the first space battle of the series, we got Gurren-Lagann having his biggest merge yet, Viral and Simon working together, Nia briefly snapping out of her possession, and Simon taking down the goddamn moon. It's a perfect balance of insane action and genuine emotional payoff.

I Accept Your Last Wish: Throughout the second arc, Kittan slowly became one of my favorite characters, and he goes out in an absolute blaze of glory this episode. The whole episode was great, but I don't think anything is as hype as hearing Libera Me From Hell for the first time as Kittan uses his own version of the Giga Drill Break to save the team. The song plays a few times in these last few episodes, but this was my favorite one.

Overall, while I generally preferred its first half, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is an incredibly fun mecha anime with insane action, beautiful visuals, likable characters, and plenty of memorable twists and turns.

4/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Later, Buddy

Azumanga Daioh

There's a lot of history to Azumanga Daioh. While not the first slice of life anime, it was the one that really popularized the "cute girls doing cute things" variant, which of course led to anime like K-On and Nichijou. It was also such a massive phenomenon that shaped how fandoms on the internet would work, for better or worse.

Azumanga Daioh is a slice of life series about a group of kids getting through high school. There isn't much of a story here, even by slice of life standards (K-On had the music club and Nichijou had Nano). Instead, it feels more like a montage of the high school years of the main cast, going through three years in the course of only 26 episodes. It's as if you're watching one of those slideshows the school plays at the end of graduation, giving the whole anime this nostalgic and bittersweet vibe to it. And when the anime ends with the entire cast graduating, it ends up being really emotional. Azumanga Daioh is primarily a comedy, and a pretty good one at that. Aside from the many now iconic scenes, there are plenty of funny quips and memorable running gags. However, I think the anime suffers from some pacing issues for a lot of its first half. Some of the jokes go on a bit long, the episodic storytelling isn't as tight, and certain gags end up being overplayed, the worst instance being Sakaki getting two episodes in close succession about her inability to pet a cat. From Episode 13 onwards, Azumanga Daioh really starts to be much more consistently strong, with nearly every episode having at least one memorable comedic setpiece.

Azumanga Daioh's greatest strength is definitely the likable cast of characters, all of whom get chances to shine. The series also never pigeonholes the characters into specific pairs (for example, Tomo doesn't only spend time with Yomi and Chiyo doesn't only spend time with Osaka), with plenty of moments allowing everyone to interact with each other. Many of the characters also have hidden depths that are hinted at throughout the series, like Tomo's outward confidence seemingly hiding a lot of genuine insecurities. My personal favorite members of the cast were Osaka, Yukari, and Tomo, but most of the characters were at the very least likable. The only character who I didn't like was Kimura, the creepy old teacher whose jokes mostly revolved around his weird school-girl crush. I found most of his appearances to be pretty uncomfortable, since an old guy awkwardly hitting on high schoolers isn't really funny at all.

On the animation front, Azumanga Daioh isn't the nicest looking slice of life series out there. The movements can be a bit stiff at times, the backgrounds are faded-out, and plenty of footage ends up being reused or dragged out. However, there is definitely a charm to this anime's look, often times literally feeling like a manga or comic book in motion. The simplistic big-eyed character designs are adorable, the cartoonish movements only bolster the humor, and the many reused assets and gags like Chiyo's father and the Sakaki cat are utilized in fun and creative ways. I also seem to get the same early 2000s vibe I got from shows like Teen Titans and FLCL, which is always a good thing. The music fares a lot better, though. The background music is catchy and charming, with many themes having multiple different variants. The OP is cute and the ED is relaxing, adding up to a really enjoyable soundtrack. 

Azumanga Daioh has plenty of fun episodes, especially in the second half:

Summer Break: Azumanga Daioh's best episodes are the ones that take place over the summer, and while this is the weakest of the three, it does serve as a big boost in quality for the series. Yukari's awful driving is introduced this episode, along with some memorable scenes like Osaka's failed fireworks prank, and Kaorin seeing pictures of the break.

Exams: This episode is a good example of how well this show lets all of its characters interact. The Bonklers (formed by Osaka, Tomo, and Kagura) were so entertaining to watch, and we got to see these dorks interact for the entire episode. Aside from all the humor, though, there's also the reveal that Tomo can do anything she sets her mind to, proven by her getting into Yomi's high school out of sheer pettiness.

The Ocean, Summer Kimonos, And A Party: The second of the three great summer break episodes, this one has its own share of memorable moments. There's Osaka's elevator rant, Chiyo's anti-Yukari-driving measures, Osaka floating away, Nyamo chugging down sake so Yukari doesn't have any, and of course, that iconic "birds and the bees" scene.

Sports Fest, 2nd Year: This was the one good Kimura episode, as the subplot about his wife was genuinely hilarious (it also coined the term "waifu" so thanks, I guess?). Aside from that, the sports festival antics were hilarious this time. The decision to focus the episode around Chiyo's hopelessness at sports definitely resulted in a lot of funny scenes here, but there's also Kaorin racing with Sakaki, Osaka putting her head into the flour, and Tomo losing the marathon by sprinting at the start.

School Trip/Yamamayaa: While both episodes are great, I needed to put them together because they both deal with the heartwarming resolution to Sakaki's cat subplot. Maya is adorable, and seeing Sakaki finally get a cat that likes her is just so sweet. The trip to Okinawa in the former episode is also really fun, containing a lot of goofy antics within the class.

Entrance Exams Study Camp: The last (and best) of the summer break episodes, Entrance Exams Study Camp has the best and most iconic scene in the entire series: Osaka and the knife. Not to mention, there's also the best Yukari driving scene, as well as Nyamo's ineffectiveness at math and Tomo's despair upon realizing she has to study.

Graduation Ceremony: This was a pretty perfect series finale for Azumanga Daioh. It was funny (Osaka's sneeze), heartwarming (Chiyo's standing ovation), devastating (Kagura crying), and satisfying (Yomi passing the exam). The whole cast got a moment to shine, many of the show's running gags paid off, and it managed to showcase the best aspects of the series. 

Overall, while Azumanga Daioh has a slow start, some shaky pacing, and Kimura, this is still an incredibly likable and funny anime with great characters, charming animation, and a strong second half. Not to mention how much it influenced one of my favorites genres of anime.

3/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Graduation Ceremony