Category: Guides

S.W.A.T. Reviews: Spring 2013 Pt. 1

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The premise of these reviews is simple: watch the first episode of a series and then immediately sit down to record a review mini-podcast. The reviews are five- to ten-minutes long and entirely off the cuff. As always we only review new shows (so no sequels or continuations) and try to avoid anything that just looks outright awful. Here are 2 early shows of the new season:

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Listen – Episode 1 of RDG Red Data Girl from P.A. Works with the opening “Small WorlDrop” by Annabel. It is streaming on Funimation and Hulu.

Listen – Episode 1 of Otona Joshi no Anime Time from NHK and The Answer Studio.

No Case Too Small: Fullmetal Alchemist

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The case in question is episode 10 of Fullmetal Alchemist

narutaki Fullmetal Alchemist actually features quite a lot of mysteries and investigations like fraud and serial killers, not to mention the overarching search for the Philosopher’s Stone. Still, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a detective series.

But one favorite trope appears in this early episode, the calling card dropping phantom thief, in this case she is called Psiren. Ed and Al happen upon in one of the town’s they are passing through. It is revealed quickly in a fight with Ed that Psiren is using alchemy for her capers.

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No Case Too Small: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

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The case in question is Remote Island Syndrome
Part 1 and 2

narutaki I was a reluctant The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya watcher a bit after the hype had subsided slightly. These two episodes are what made me like the show enough to remember it fondly. These episodes contain classic murder mystery tropes as well as a bit of character growth on the part of Haruhi.

hisuicon It is interesting to look back on the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya if for nothing else to remember what a phenomenon the show was when it came out in 2006. It seemed like Haruhi was everywhere then. You could not go to an anime convention and not see someone doing the Hare Hare Yukai dance all day and it dominated the discussion of anime in general. While Haruhi Suzumiya has hardly disappeared from the otaku consciousness its presence was greatly diminished by the infamous Endless Eight. So it is nice to look back on the mystery in one of the more iconic episodes of the series and recapture a bit of the magic of the first season.

narutaki The gang travel to a mysterious island which they were invited to by a one of Kozumi’s acquaintances. Once there, a storm rolls in cutting them off from the mainland. And there is a locked room murder. Sound familiar? Whether through unlucky circumstance or the wishes of Haruhi for just such an occurrence, they must solve the case.

hisuicon Itsuki and Kyon start the episode being a bit worried that the island they are to is going to be a major problem with an adventure craving unknowing goddess like Haruhi. Since she seems to be in the mood for a mystery a small private island would be the classic place for a closed-circle murder mystery to take place. Sure enough while everything seems to go well eventually a storm conveniently rolls in and the worst case scenario occurs.

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