Meeting Date: 2/24/2018
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 everyone, and welcome to the Herald Anime Club. I’m Mike Ferreira, and I’m joined by Anthony Simpson, L.B. Bryant, and Lydia Rivers
L.B. Bryant: Hello
Anthony Simpson: Evening
Lydia Rivers: Hiii everyone
Mike Ferreira: Tonight, we’re discussing The Ancient Magus’ Bride Episode 20: “Witches With Hulk Hands” and School Babysitters Episode 7: “How does Usaida keep getting work?!”
Mike Ferreira: Since we led off with Magus last week, let’s start up with School Babysitters this time around
L.B. Bryant: The tsundere is strong with Ino-chama
Anthony Simpson: Yes it is.
Mike Ferreira: That’s saying it lightly.
L.B. Bryant: lol Yes, but I still felt the need to point it out.
Lydia Rivers: I liked her oni face for 3 seconds and then got bored.
L.B. Bryant: I thought it was cute and clever the way that the kids were trying to get her to see Ryu’s good points.
Anthony Simpson: It was adorable.
Mike Ferreira: Yeah. On that note… how the heck does Usaida still have a job?
Mike Ferreira: Like… those kids keep just wandering the school now
L.B. Bryant: That’s a mystery of the universe.
Lydia Rivers: I love gap moe more than I probably should, but it’s ruined if they try too hard.
Anthony Simpson: Maybe he knows where the skeletons are buried.
Anthony Simpson: with the Chairwoman.
Lydia Rivers: I was just going to say that
Anthony Simpson: That or she just doesn’t care.
Lydia Rivers: Grandma’s actually a bog witch
L.B. Bryant: A little of column A, a little of column B
Mike Ferreira: Yeah.
Lydia Rivers: I shouldn’t have but I laughed when samurai boy hit a little girl
L.B. Bryant: hehe
Anthony Simpson: I laughed as well.
L.B. Bryant: Well he did hear her out.
Mike Ferreira: That was a guilty laugh
Lydia Rivers: I never pegged him for a feminist, to treat her equally like that lolol
Anthony Simpson: Well she did want to be hit so he just did as she said.
Mike Ferreira: The response was gold, too. “Why did you hit her?” “I just did what she asked!”
L.B. Bryant: hehe yeah, pretty much :)
Mike Ferreira: One thing missing from this episode, though: snarky sexy butler man
Anthony Simpson: Yea I missed him.
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, I didn’t even realize it until I saw him in the next episode preview and realized ‘aw man, no snappy one liners’
Mike Ferreira: I don’t care if he gets, like, a minute of screen time. He’s a national treasure
Anthony Simpson: He is.
Lydia Rivers: Ugh for real. He needs to balance out that middle schooler’s pretentiously maternal lectures.
Mike Ferreira: Any comments on the B-story this week?
Lydia Rivers: Oh, I forgot it existed.
L.B. Bryant: lol
Lydia Rivers: It was like air, except not as useful
L.B. Bryant: I think that means we can move on to Ancient Magus’ Bride.
Lydia Rivers: Whoa I’m sorry you guys, making margaritas with these lemons lolol
Mike Ferreira: Ehe… I take it nobody else has thoughts?
Anthony Simpson: I don’t.
L.B. Bryant: I’m good.
Mike Ferreira: OK. “Part B: It was there.”
Mike Ferreira: Case closed.
Mike Ferreira: On to Ancient Magus’ Bride Episode 20: Brought to you by Hulk Hands
Mike Ferreira: (TM)
Lydia Rivers: If only hulk really had shown up…
Lydia Rivers: I wouldn’t have been bored in AMB either
L.B. Bryant: So, was I only one who was genuinely concerned for a moment about Chise when Ruth pulled her out of the water?
Anthony Simpson: I was concerned as well.
L.B. Bryant: I knew she was going to live but I honestly wasn’t sure what condition she was going to be in and that worried me for a moment.
Mike Ferreira: Honestly, I was more concerned for Elias after he took a face full of dragon fire
Lydia Rivers: Same
L.B. Bryant: hehe he’s a tough guy
Mike Ferreira: Indeed.
L.B. Bryant: He has to be to live with Silky the Knee Crusher.
Anthony Simpson: Well bone daddy is a tough dude.
Anthony Simpson: That as well L.B
Lydia Rivers: And yet he has to take her to a coven because in his hundreds year life, he has no other ideas
Mike Ferreira: That struck me as a bit convenient.
Mike Ferreira: Like “There’s nothing we can do. You’re gonna die from evil curse bane.” “WITCHES CAN SAVE THE DAY :o”
Lydia Rivers: Seriously this show is so full of contrivances to move the characters around the world it’s getting a bit ridiculous
Lydia Rivers: Unless of course you care more about seeing the world than the plot. A valid view
Mike Ferreira: I’m liking the world-centric view, myself.
Lydia Rivers: But I’m getting very bored personally.
Lydia Rivers: AMB: “Let’s play jenga with Chise’s body. Which stick will make her fall down? Also, everyone loves a parade of characters with unresolved plot points! Quickly now, quickly!”
L.B. Bryant: Well, you only have to sit through 4 more episodes.
Anthony Simpson: I’m liking the world centric view as well.
Mike Ferreira: My big concern is this… I haven’t actually felt afraid for the characters’ well-being since the start of the season, when Chise almost died. There’s always been this tacit assurance that everything would work out somehow.
Lydia Rivers: Hehe. It’s pretty though. Still gets a passing grade which equals no regrets
Lydia Rivers: Yeah cuz they wore it out
Lydia Rivers: By using it too much
Lydia Rivers: That’s what I mean by jenga
Mike Ferreira: It’s a shame… like.. there were parts of season 1 where I was on the edge of my seat. The cat town, the first encounter with the chimeras, etc… there was a lot of actual danger, a lot that really made you worry about the characters. It feels like the cast has gained a lot of plot armor.
Lydia Rivers: Yeah!
Mike Ferreira: Like.. last episode, I think I remarked that the end of the episode, I knew this was supposed to be this big, tense, climactic moment, but I couldn’t get that same excitement.
Mike Ferreira: I’m not saying this because I hate the show, mind. I adore this series – that’s why I’m being critical here.
Lydia Rivers: During a literally rampaging dragon. There was fire! I LOVE fire! And Elias was like “oh you…being so selfless. Teehee”
Lydia Rivers: Facepalm
Mike Ferreira: “Your selfish wishes are always for other people.”
Lydia Rivers: I did like his lecture afterward though. That was good
Mike Ferreira: Agreed. Also, Angie’s reaction was perfect
Lydia Rivers: Angie and Silky run the universe
L.B. Bryant: We need a buddy cop comedy series about those two stat!
Mike Ferreira: Yes!
Mike Ferreira: Or a sitcom
Lydia Rivers: Yes please !
Mike Ferreira: “Silky, where’s my husband?” “o_o *hides hammer, laugh track*”
L.B. Bryant: lol
Lydia Rivers: Everyone would look so relieved if they get Silky. “Oh good, the quiet one.”
Mike Ferreira: Hehe…
Lydia Rivers: And we’d all be like “RIP that guy’s knees.”
Mike Ferreira: I’d watch that in a heartbeat.
Mike Ferreira: Heck – I’d watch an action show revolving around Renfred and Alice. Treat it like CSI where we have magical detectives. Boom.
Lydia Rivers: Yeah!
L.B. Bryant: I’d watch that :)
Mike Ferreira: We have this big, fascinating world now. I’d love to see how these characters we’ve met just live in it.
Anthony Simpson: I would as well.
Lydia Rivers: Add some longterm slowly developing romantic tension
Mike Ferreira: Yes!
Mike Ferreira: Use those weird academy guys as your quirky lab techs…
Mike Ferreira: The show writes itself
Lydia Rivers: But we won’t see them because AMB is basically a travel catalogue for its world
L.B. Bryant: hehe
Anthony Simpson: Angelica and her family would have to show up.
Mike Ferreira: Screw that – Angelica and her family get their own Gilmore Girls styled family dramedy
Lydia Rivers: I want Chise and her new friends to become delinquents
Mike Ferreira: That would be amazing.
Lydia Rivers: Ruth can be the muscle
Mike Ferreira: Elias could be that voice of reason when things get too tough
Lydia Rivers: Elias is the creepy guy who just throws money at them when they ask for it
Lydia Rivers: In return of unnamed future favors
Lydia Rivers: Like “don’t look in the package” lol
Mike Ferreira: lol – “I need you to bring this downtown.” The box is labeled something like “CLEARLY NOT DRUGS”
Lydia Rivers: Yup!
Lydia Rivers: “Don’t ask questions but this guy keeps bothering me.”
Mike Ferreira: “I need you to ‘deal with him’ if you catch my drift”
Mike Ferreira: Heck – I’d even do a faux nature documentary series with Lindel and the dragons.
Lydia Rivers: “He’s a priest, Elias.”
“It’s fine, they’re not god themselves.”
Mike Ferreira: Hehe.
Lydia Rivers: Lindel’s my favorite character after Silky, so that’d be great
Mike Ferreira: Maybe get Rahab in there somehow
Mike Ferreira: But yeah… I don’t think any of us are griping because we hate the show. It’s because we love what it’s done and want to see it go further
Lydia Rivers: I do like it yes. “It’s me, not you” type of feeling.
Mike Ferreira: It’s a very rich show, and there’s just so much potential here. We’ve only gotten hints of that this season (still saying that Leanan Sidhe saga was amazing)
Lydia Rivers: I just can’t stop wanting the world to drive the plot instead of the plot driving the world. A purely personal problem.
Mike Ferreira: Totally agreed. It came time for that to happen a good while ago.
Mike Ferreira: Hrm.. any thoughts on where the show’s going next? The whole coven angle, or the new dragon, or so on?
L.B. Bryant: I think we’re going to be focusing on the coven angle
Mike Ferreira: Yeah… I’m thinking that this will likely get a third cour at the pace it’s going.
Anthony Simpson: I do hope we get another season down the road.
Anthony Simpson: I’m going to be agreeing with L.B on where the show is going.
Mike Ferreira: That was my general thought, as well. “We’re witches now, fam.”
Mike Ferreira: Aniwho, any final thoughts this week?
L.B. Bryant: None from me.
Anthony Simpson: None from me either.
Lydia Rivers: Where the hell is my axolotl puppy?
Mike Ferreira: Good question: where *is* the axolotl puppy? :<
Lydia Rivers: That is all
Mike Ferreira: Aniwho, that does it for this evening. ’til next time, remember that cookies are still legal tender when dealing with mages.
Anthony Simpson: Good night
Mike Ferreira: Have a great night, everyone!
Lydia Rivers: And also Sith. Stay shiny everyone!
