What I Watched This Week – 4/21 – 4/27

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya – Sometimes I watch an anime and I low key dread putting a rating on or trying to write about it. I just don’t feel qualified to pass judgement on a work as ambitious and startlingly beautiful as this movie. I can say that I really enjoyed watching the movie, with its gorgeous watercolor backgrounds, storybook-style character designs, and fluid animation providing an absolute feast for the eyes. There really wasn’t a single scene that felt flat or economical, it was all pedal to the metal the whole time. I didn’t quite know what to make of the story, however, which felt at times very much like the fairy tale it is, and at other times felt like an original story meant for modern audiences. I’m not sure I loved how everything came together at the end, but I had a great time looking at it. 8/10

Mobile Fighter G Gundam – This is another one where I really wish I wasn’t in the habit of rating the anime I watch, because it was both a cheesy, schlocky mess and a shit-ton of fun, and how do you put a number on that? I’m far from an expert, but this series seems to draw heavily from hero shows and tokusatsu in general, with lots of bombastic monologuing, characters speaking in unison, a generous amount of overacting, wacky robot designs, and plenty of hotblooded power of friendship. I’m caught between wanting to give this a 7 for being a little repetitive and dragging a bit in the final third of the run, and wanting to give it an 8 for having the most ridiculous, most spectacular ending it could possibly have, complete with robot horse. All in all, I had a great time watching this show, and I’m glad I watched it. 7/10