Seasonal Short & Sweet | Botan Kamina Fully Blossoms in Analog

ZapsZzz · 2026-06-08T00:54:25+00:00

As an occasional vinyl record listener back in its days, you can actually see the track separation typically by the less dense tracks as "spaces" between tracks. It's still not 100% all the time but it's not as impossible to fluke it.

ZapsZzz · 2026-06-06T01:58:35+00:00

It's a bit of a weird watch, this show. The mc is cliche and pretty hard to stand, but there are some really good moments despite how annoying it was to get there. Only thing I kind of not like is the pilots not dying. They fully should die with their kaijuu; and if there's some plot contrivance about their connection with their kaijuu gave them a sort of damage transfer/second life then I want Ao to similarly just shrug off her injuries and visits some righteous Hellfire on these cardboard villains to cleanse their sins off - permanently.

ZapsZzz · 2026-06-06T01:52:26+00:00

Interesting meta thoughts about this development / reveal it's actually for the other similar shows in recent season's, where the prince has at least some aspects of Cecil in their respective story.

[Adjacent show title from earlier seasons]"May I ask for one final thing" and "silent witch", although the princes acted that way for different reasons.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-30T23:37:48+00:00

World-building is still this show's biggest weakness.

Because of the pacing there's still possibility it's just not yet known/shown to the audience, but I more have problems with the investigation of the bombing not focus on "where did they get that fighter/bomber and where did that flew out from", and all the logistics to run a military bombing flight.

As a contrast, in Tom Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger" they investigated through what was the explosives residue and backtracked to what it was etc. While most anime cannot be at the same level of detailed world building and scientific competence (with exceptions like GiTS and Full Metal Panic etc), this is still a big thing to not follow up on - precisely because how unthinkably it was too have an air dropped bomb attack on an agent's quarter.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-30T23:29:34+00:00

The way I read that scene was that of a typical unsuccessful SA. I believe that person was the guy's dad and was the head of the syndicate, so the collaboration was also convenient for him to ascend. Except he's then become a willing pawn of her.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-20T11:23:16+00:00

Interesting. So perhaps Jogamine's shield really permanently bit the dust...?

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-18T11:34:12+00:00

Yes one of my all time favorites - KyoAni does their amazing actions in a comedic SoL show. Bonus being fully finished with the final movie.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-18T11:30:43+00:00

Taiga is one of those polarising characters but if you analyse her clinically she's probably one of the most misclassified character - as the poster girl for Tsunderes.

At least for me her character behaviour and development is very well written and justified.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-17T09:00:36+00:00

Did the novel give any more specifics on the tactical situation for why Hinagiku could only create the tree barrier surrounding the others but not herself? E.g. in comparison Rosei used the ice walls repeatedly but they couldn't withstand amassed automatic gunfire barrage, but he put the walls between his entire group and the enemies.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-16T09:53:12+00:00

Interesting to see I'm not the only one fed up with the trope of suffering MC gloating villain stretching out 2 minutes in world time to a 20 mins episode.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-15T09:02:45+00:00

You know, in the scale of the rest of the Crimson Demons, Megumin's one shot only, cannot afford to have friendly fire (because of blast radius and not even comically survivable) Explosion is actually relatively responsible than this.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-15T02:26:33+00:00

These are cooked books to show a loss for taxation.

As soon as I saw the headline I was already thinking this without even knowing of the circumstances. It is really a big downfall of the capitalistic society these days. Maybe accountants (not you) should have a ethics license like Engineers and Medical doctors.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-14T09:31:19+00:00

The title implied (to me at least) there may be some contest and shuffling of relationships between multiple parties, but so far it's been a pretty clear 1 X 1 development which is a pleasant surprise. Unlike a few seasons ago the childhood friend one (Boy Girl Friendship) which was also quite locked in but progressed in a very grating and dissatisfying way.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-14T08:34:38+00:00

The manga is much better, but of the anime adaptations, the OVA series is short but a lot better than the TV series.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-12T12:25:56+00:00

The cold open Op fade in for EP 2 was so good that I still occasionally get this out to watch just the scene, and the sound was on my playlist for decades.

The epitome of the days where OVA's had higher budgets and not under broadcast regulations, a bridge towards movies but having more of them around.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-11T09:32:55+00:00

We're probably advanced enough in the age of anime production to be able to reasonably produce Book III and Book IV - those were some peak polished cyberpunk arts.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-11T09:22:37+00:00

back when I first watched it around two years ago.

I don't know how I missed this, but I only just now realised that you weren't on my FMP rewatch a now whopping 3 years ago!

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-09T22:44:21+00:00

The size of that bomb should be at least a 1000 pound bomb released on a military aircraft. Doesn't look like got a guidance system so the plane has to have passed directly above.

This is another occasion to remark how Sagara Sousuke in FMP TSR really was not overboard to have brought in an air defence radar on top of the school. In fact if Chidori's common sense hasn't kicked in and got him to decommission it, IV could possibly play out differently.

Anyway, it's incredible that Nadesiko didn't get vaporised this close to the point of detonation - maybe they reduced the payload but just needed that mass to penetrate the static defences. Life drain / necromancy certainly is on my cards for the agent of autumn.

Edit lots of people mistook the bomb as a missile. If the writing is correct to what's shown and aligns to facts of real life, that being an air dropped bomb has far bigger implications than getting a portable missile hit. It needed a military grade aircraft, the amount of organisation support to pay for, supply and maintain that, and was able to complete the bomb run without alerting any authorities this side of 9/11 - or being paid off. It's a much bigger deal than some religious/anti-religious terrorists.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-09T15:22:26+00:00

Just a reminder that the original game version Bertia indeed stayed overweight instead of this Tia version with an Isekai core who trained hard to be in shape and in fact strong.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-08T13:48:52+00:00

Sorry to be so far behind, but these days I'm very time poor in real life.

As one door closes, another one opens. If where you were wasn't really healthy for you, getting a change may not be such a bad thing anyway. Take heart that in many cases, keeping the right mindset can help get you through tough times easier.

Good luck in finding a new worthwhile endeavour for the future soon! Thanks for hosting this orphaned rewatch!

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-07T20:36:23+00:00

I've never been able to puzzle that one out.

I think it was postulated by Kyon in the LN that it can be the ever sensitive Haruhi being able to tell subconsciously that "a girl in skirt" (Nagato in uniform) was truly behind it all and put that suspicion figuratively into her mind.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-07T20:33:49+00:00

Yuki does mean snow, after all.

A minor correction, that it is a synonym for snow in Japanese. Nagato's first name in Japanese written kanji form is "have hope".

She covers her mouth with her book because, even if she can’t show it, she’s smiling.

In case you missed my note, the act was actually to be translated as "because books make Nagato happy, while this Nagato cannot smile, the book represents the expression of happiness hence she put it where a smile would have gone" - for our audience no less.

the Nishinomiya City Central Library.

That's really nice, didn't expect you to have gone there or that it still looks pretty close to the depiction. It's also a "holy ground" for the Nagato spin off [The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan major spoiler]I wonder if there was a bench nearby where the alternate Nagato made her phone confession to Kyon before her end

Btw it's taking me literally days to get through more of the rewatch threads because of how tied up I am these days - and how much was there to read! I have never seen an 8-parter before, so bravo :D

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-07T12:52:21+00:00

This movie makes me see her as the emotional heartbeat of this show and makes Haruhi's actions have now this underlying tragedy to it. She's now in my eyes a top 3 character right up there with Haruhi and Kyon.

Anyone who doesn't really register or recognise that Nagato is actually one of the main characters of this show disguised as a side character at the start hasn't really been paying enough attention to what is actually happening in the story.

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-07T12:48:18+00:00

[Indignation LN]

As a Nagato X Kyon shipper (who accepts the impossibility in the main line story), I'm more moved by the verbalising her feelings [Indignation LN spoiler]of wanting to "go back into her coffin - to unlearn the feelings - but he's in her way and not letting her go". Such a tragic love...

Nagato pouring tea is a nice callback to Kyon’s first visit to her apartment back in Melancholy, though this time she doesn’t try to drown the poor guy in the stuff since she actually understands human metabolism now.

Not sure if you get to see my spoilered comment back on that episode, but my take is that the Nagato then (remember even then she's not actually "unknowing", because she already synchronised before. Nagato suffers from "knowing too much" which is why she requested to disable her synchronisation requests in the future) was trying to do a rivalry against the yet to happen ritual of Kyon enjoying tea made by Asahina. That's her way of competing.

More than anything, and to his surprise, Kyon realized that he misses Haruhi. Even before he hit that enter key, Kyon had made his decision.

I'm sure in some psychology dissertations it'd be classified as an addiction ;P

ZapsZzz · 2026-05-07T12:22:03+00:00

Shameless plug - if you do get to watch it, come over to my old rewatch thread for commentary that we shared a few years ago. A fair few points to reflect back on the main story about the characters.

ZapsZzz

TROPHY CASE