We have a complex and interesting political story playing out, with Okinawa wanting independence but mired in corruption and incompetence at the highest levels, and Japan and America each wanting to ensure their interests aren’t compromised (not to different from the way things are now, the be honest). The story is easier to follow, and the main character is both more sympathetic and more decisive (and this coming from someone who liked Renton as a male lead). So far, AO is more coherent and logical than the original E7 ever was, and just as much fun. That, or Shou-san is leading the effort himself, as he’s clearly capable of work this good. I’ll repeat what I said last week – I don’t know who credited head writer Takeyoshi Kakuto is (there was some buzz on Twitter as Aikawa Shou and Koyoda Tomoki shot down a couple of rumors, but confirmed it is a pen name) but they’re damn good. This was a week for the writing and the cast to shine, and so they did, delivering again and again with believable scenes that had me totally wrapped up in the story from start to finish. This week E7 delivered another knockout – a more thoughtful, less blisteringly paced effort to be sure, but a knockout nonetheless.
NARUTO SOUNDTRACK SANSHIN SERIES
But I wondered if everything the team had went into that episode, to make it just perfect, and if the series would level down and settle into a groove a notch or two below.
Hell, the premiere was damn good in its own right. I never expected last week’s episode – quite possibly my overall favorite in an outstanding season of anime – to be a fluke. The fact that this show suffered no such letdown is an awfully good omen for its future. It’s completely natural for a very good show to have a letdown after an episode as flawless as last week’s edition of AO.