Meeting Date: 1/13/2018
Disclaimer: The Herald Anime Club discusses shows as they’re airing. Naturally, there will be spoilers for a given episode. You have been warned!
Mike Ferreira: Good evening, and welcome to the Herald Anime Club. I’m Mike Ferreira, and I’m joined by L.B. Bryant.
L.B. Bryant: Hello
Mike Ferreira: Tonight, we’ll be talking up The Ancient Magus’ Bride Episode 14: “Leannan Sidhe Deserves All the Hugs” and Gakuen Babysitters Episode 1: “It’s not a subtle show.”
L.B. Bryant: I open with this deceleration: AMB has some of the prettiest animation I can recall seeing in recent memory.
Mike Ferreira: Yes… yes it does. And it can still rip your heart out when it needs to.
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, I openly admit that I shed a few tears while watching this week’s episode.
Mike Ferreira: Amen to that… this was one of those episodes that just knew how to tug at the heartstrings… from Leannan Sidhe’s pure sorrow, to Joel’s quiet acceptance of death, to Leannan Sidhe’s refusal to let go.
L.B. Bryant: Indeed though one can’t discount the scenes of Chise painfully staying awake long enough to create that ointment for Joel and Leannan.
L.B. Bryant: That moment when she was sitting in bed and plans started to grow around her hit me hard.
L.B. Bryant: err plants
Mike Ferreira: Indeed… the whole futility of it all, as she narrated about how she had to sit, without sleep, nursing the jar for four days and four nights, moving to a new direction each day… then that.
Mike Ferreira: It was a beautiful violation of rules of god and man.
L.B. Bryant: If there was one thing that I had to pick out about this episode to dislike, it’s only that I kind of wanted Chise to stay in her fox form for awhile longer but that’s nitpicky at best.
Mike Ferreira: Indeed… it felt like it was just kind of tacked on. A shame, because that was an adorable scene
L.B. Bryant: Yeah it was. I honestly thought that was going to be the focus of the next story arc but it was over so fast that it was kind of a weird swerve.
Mike Ferreira: Feels like a tease, really. Like they weren’t sure what to do with the moment, and just handwaved it away.
Mike Ferreira: It was but a passing moment of whimsy before the heart-wrenching sadness that was to follow
L.B. Bryant: Indeed
Mike Ferreira: I’m kind of glad they didn’t pull punches here, though… the pacing was beautiful, and a few moments, like that point where Chise finally had to tell Elias to just stop, because he was basically blaming Leanan Sidhe for Joel’s decline, really just hit their mark incredibly
L.B. Bryant: I have to disagree about the pacing. I felt like this episode went by in a flash but I tend to have that problem every week lol
Mike Ferreira: See, that’s the thing – the sign of good pacing is that you feel like you want more at the end
Mike Ferreira: I’m still loving this series
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, this is going to be an AOTY contender if they can stick the landing but we shall see about that in ten or so weeks.
Mike Ferreira: Amen to that.
Mike Ferreira: Man, I hope it sticks the landing.
Mike Ferreira: Speaking of which – that gut-punch at the end was incredible
L.B. Bryant: Indeed. What was up with that ring breaking? I don’t remember the significance of that.
Mike Ferreira: The ring was what contained her power, kept her from, well… burning up like Sleigh Beggys do
L.B. Bryant: Ah got it.
L.B. Bryant: I couldn’t remember exactly what the ring did.
Mike Ferreira: She basically broke a taboo between man and the gods, and taxed her body to the very limits in the process.
L.B. Bryant: Hm alright. Well that’s going to be interesting to see play out over the next episode or two.
Mike Ferreira: Yeah… the preview has me intrigued
Mike Ferreira: Any final thoughts on AMB?
L.B. Bryant: I just hope that they give us a happy story next after gut punching us this week
Mike Ferreira: From the looks of things it’ll be bittersweet at best… the previews had a few shots of Chise in a blood-stained shirt.
Mike Ferreira: So… yeah. Gonna be rough.
L.B. Bryant: I’ll start bracing myself now
Mike Ferreira: Good call.
Mike Ferreira: Now on to our next show: School Babysitters.
L.B. Bryant: I don’t care what any of you say, I liked the first episode. It was just fun.
Mike Ferreira: For me, it was… hm…
Mike Ferreira: It was a show
Mike Ferreira: As I was watching, I was half-expecting that “Smoooooke” dude from the old Family Guy bit to pop up at random times to say “Have babies”
L.B. Bryant: heh
Mike Ferreira: You have to admit that it’s not subtle.
L.B. Bryant: No, it’s not but that didn’t really bother me.
Mike Ferreira: Heh… fair enough.
L.B. Bryant: I chuckled throughout the episode and felt like it accomplished its primary purpose of entertaining me for 25 minutes.
L.B. Bryant: The only thing about the episode that caught me off guard was the design of the school headmaster.
L.B. Bryant: She… yeah, is something.
Mike Ferreira: Fair enough. I actually paused it midway to check something online, forgot it was a thing, and looked back at the TV to see that headmaster giving me the stinkeye.
L.B. Bryant: lol
Mike Ferreira: THAT was a shock to the system. “Oh good time to get back to- OH JESUS CHRIST WHAT SHOW IS THIS?!”
L.B. Bryant: hehe yeah I can understand that
Mike Ferreira: But yeah… I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t for me.
L.B. Bryant: Well, we’ll see how the others feel and drop it if needed but I’m sticking by this one. :)
Mike Ferreira: Heh. I’m guessing this will be a 50/50 split where two of us like it, and the other two just want to burn it.
L.B. Bryant: Probably
Mike Ferreira: But yeah…
Mike Ferreira: I’d like to take a moment here
Mike Ferreira: This is not a bad show. I’ve seen bad. I’ve sat through absolute dreck like Geneshaft and Magical Meow Meow Taruto.
Mike Ferreira: Honestly, this one has an audience. It’s just not me.
L.B. Bryant: That’s fair
Mike Ferreira: I expect one of our other members to be more… animated next week, lol
L.B. Bryant: Yeah… I’m also bracing myself for that.
Mike Ferreira: But for me, it felt like parental instinct bait. Something to get viewers to go “Awwwww” and give that warm fuzzy feeling.
L.B. Bryant: Eh, I didn’t feel that at all towards the series. I didn’t even notice it.
L.B. Bryant: I think that might just be me though *shrugs*
Mike Ferreira: Yeah… it’s a your mileage may vary thing. It’s not a bad show – lord knows I’ve seen enough.
L.B. Bryant: Yeah we both have.
Mike Ferreira: Maybe it’ll get better in time? I just wasn’t too sold on this first episode
Mike Ferreira: Aniwho, any final thoughts on the episode?
L.B. Bryant: Nopes, none from me.
Mike Ferreira: Alright, then. ‘Til next time, remember – fevers are no joke. Captain Tylor learned it, now Ryuichi also gets it.
