#26.5.25

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Absolutely cap as in peak

Very nice episode this week, in particular I'm glad it gave a little more closure to Choco's arc - her time last week was great but this little bit more development wraps everything up for her very neatly, she's I suppose the first character whom you could really say has a fully realised and finished arc thanks to that. Kyouka similarly has a lot done this episode and is given a goal to strive towards in the post-credits, although I hope she gets just a little bit more, as I do for Mai and Azu, but we'll see.

Returning to anime with a bang

Lazarus has finally entered the territory of "I'm kind of upset that this sucks, actually" with its newest episode. I think the degree to which I like Eleina's design and wish she was in a better show is part of it, her hacking with an audience here was really funny - but once again it comes down to the setpieces and the intended emotions. Raiding a remote Russian oil rig to save our comrade and it all going to shit while some dope ass contemplative melancholic music plays, learning potent things about the pasts of our main characters - and that line, "I don't give a shit about your past, I'm saving you for who you are now" - that honestly works. It's a good line. All told we once again have another possible best episode and one which I honestly completely respect in a vacuum, but I just give so little shit about the show up to this point or who these characters even are to where I just don't really feel anything. That's the combo where I end up sad the show isn't more good. Just delivering genuinely strong moments and episodes amidst what's otherwise a sea of mediocrity. Suppose if we're lucky and the next 5 episodes are also all pretty good then the show will get to claim to be pretty good around half the time by volume which isn't that bad, but we'll see. I'm not exactly holding out hope.

I fuckin hate Tsumugi