It’s the first round back from the Culling, and this is where the rubber hits the road. With one show biting the dust, each week, who will survive to the end?

Voyager: We’re back!

EvilBob: …in retrospect, I’m starting to dread the rest of this TKO?

Voyager: Eh?

EvilBob: We like the rest of these shows!

Voyager: Oooooh. *points* Pansy!

EvilBob: What kind of heartless, coldblooded…?

Voyager: Editor.

EvilBob: And suddenly it all make perfect sense.

Voyager: Anyway! Hi everyone! And welcome back to the Winter 2020 Anime TKO!

EvilBob: Battle Royale edition… woo…

Voyager: Ahahaha! His spirit’s broken!

1 – Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (86◎)

Voyager – 95
EvilBob – 80
Episode Average – 88

EvilBob: This one is… it’s just gonna stay here, innit?

Voyager: Looks like it! Funny, though. The only thing letting it edge out Runway is it’s waaaaay better presentation.

EvilBob: Yeeeeah. But Runway is pretty strong in other areas, which lets it at least keep up.

Voyager: I like Nene! She’s a really imperfect character but really endearing!

EvilBob: It’s also nice how the characters in the show – ‘speeecially Nene – seem to grow, or at least develop a bit, in every. single. episode.

Voyager: It’s really good about that, yeah! It’s totally a character show with just enough plot to push it forward and a whole lot of interesting world stuff! I dig it!

2 – Runway de Waratte (82◎)

Voyager – 92
EvilBob – 80
Episode Average – 86

EvilBob: Tournament Arc! Tournament Arc!

Voyager: Ooooh. Aaand we’re right back to most of the adults being awful, I guess.

EvilBob: Eh?

Voyager: Well, yeah. Seems these college students are pretty emotionally unstable, going around and declaring bitter rivalries with teenagers.

EvilBob: Yeeeah. I’ve never understood that whole “Everyone around you is an enemy. So, naturally, that means you have to be a total jerk to all the people,” thing.

Voyager: Annoying!

EvilBob: You sound so happy to say these things…

Voyager: But I do like how Ikuto handled it. Instead of just buckling under the pressure of that objectively stupid viewpoint, he just meets it head-on with his own radiant positivity. It was great!

EvilBob: In other words, he’s a real man. Sit down in take notes, ya clowns.

Voyager: honk honk!

EvilBob: …right. Anyway, there was just a lot to love in this episode. That was one thing, but his going to Chiyuki for help was great.

Voyager: Yeah! And also his encouraging that partner of his that we don’t trust!

EvilBob: Yeah. But if she stabs him in the back, we told him so…

Voyager: Which he could definitely act on, since we’re masters of the 4th Wall. Of course.

3 – Somali to Mori no Kamisama (80◎)

Voyager – 84
EvilBob – 80
Episode Average – 82

Voyager: Hmm…

EvilBob: Eeeh…

Voyager: I mean… the episode was good…

EvilBob: Cute, funny, charming, the usual stuff, but…

Voyager: Why…?

EvilBob: Why…?

E&V: Why didn’t harpy girl just… ask?

Voyager: Forced Drama is a major oof, yo. I mean… does she need literally every single drop of blood from the girl’s body?

EvilBob: Unclear. And, for that matter, she also doesn’t even seem certain that her little plan is going to work.

Voyager: Wow wow wow wow wow.

EvilBob: So what happens if she kills Somali and the blood of the literal child doesn’t actually cure her partner’s clearly monster-based disease?

Voyager: Oh, I guess she didn’t think of that.

EvilBob: Oh, whoops.

Voyager: Whoopsie! Anyway, the episode was pretty solid, overall, but it definitely leaves a lot of questions and makes things pretty dangerous for the next episode…’s score.

4 – Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita. (76◎)

Voyager – 73, 76 (2pt. Penality), 75
EvilBob – 80, 80, 80
Episode Average – 77, 77, 78

EvilBob: You know… I’m not a musical man…

Voyager: Oh no.

EvilBob: I wouldn’t consider myself a master of the bard’s trade, by any means.

Voyager: Oooh no.

EvilBob: But whenever I watch this show, I can’t help but think of a particular song. It goes a little something… like this.

Voyager: Please don’t do that, sir.

EvilBob: *blows harmonic*

Voyager: Aaand, here it comes.

EvilBob: Sha-la-la-la-la-la my oh my, looks like the boy’s too shy, ain’t gonna kiss the girl. Sha-la-la-la-la-la ain’t that sad, it’s such a shame, too bad. You’re gonna miss the girl. Go on and KISS THE GIRL.

Voyager: …

EvilBob: Thank you, thank you. Now I’ll turn it over to my partner, Voyager.

Voyager: …

EvilBob: …Voyager?

Voyager: Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. I was just busy, you know, having an aneurism.

EvilBob: Oh, my god.

Voyager: Yeah, your singing is that awful, I guess.

EvilBob: Oh, that kinda hurts my feelings a little.

Voyager: You couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, man. Whataya want me to say?

EvilBob: Nice things.

Voyager: That’s not gonna happen. So anyway, yeah, this show’s still hilarious. But… *flips through notepad* uh-oh…

EvilBob: What?

Voyager: Well, it looks to me like we’ve got a demerit on our hands.

EvilBob: GASP!

Voyager: Yep. Gonna have to bring out the fake siren and moustache, for this one. It says, here, that the show took an unnecessary and potentially offensive cheap shot by stating that “kisses between girls don’t count.”

EvilBob: Oh. Sorry, lesbians. Apparently, according to this show, you don’t matter?

Voyager: Yep, that’s a Class-A demerit if I ever did see one. So I guess we’ll have to decide the punishment now. How about-

EvilBob: 10,000 Lashes!

Voyager: Oh, my god. Okay, let’s not do that.

EvilBob: …Five lashes? And a stern talking to?

Voyager: …I’m just gonna deduct a couple points from my score.

EvilBob: Well, if you think that’ll teach those filthy scoundrels their lesson, sir.

Voyager: I do. So that’s how we’ll play it.

5 – Itai no wa Iya nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu. (76◎)

Voyager – 86
EvilBob – 80
Episode Average – 83

Voyager: New friend!

EvilBob: …did Maple just beat a boss by poisoning the entire stage?

Voyager: Cute adventures!

EvilBob: Did Sally just solo, like, twenty players?

Voyager: *Imperfect Cell Voice* At The Same Time!

EvilBob: Stop It!

Voyager: Ahahaha! Also, giant flying turtle!

EvilBob: Yeah, that was cute.

6 – Infinite Dendogram (75◎)

Voyager – 83
EvilBob – 70
Episode Average – 77

Voyager: …well that got dark.

EvilBob: Yeeeeah.

Voyager: Hm… I wanna brutally maim everyone involved in this!

EvilBob: Don’t sound so chipper about it!

Voyager: They don’t deserve the sweet release of death! Unyielding pain for them! I’ll do the Skyrim method!

EvilBob: Eh?

Voyager: Mod the game so I have a resurrection spell…

EvilBob: …Oh no.

Voyager: Then kill them, bring them back, kill them, bring them back, as many times as I want! Until they’re begging me to end it and let them die in peace!

EvilBob: Yikes.

Voyager: Then maybe mod the game so they’re ‘Essential’ and can’t die. That way I can just farm them for experience!

EvilBob: …I think you just revealed a little more of the darkness in your soul, there.

Voyager: Oh, dang it. Gonna have to remember to keep that in there, huh?

EvilBob: If you don’t wanna go scaring away all of our readers, that’s probably for the best.

Voyager: Well, all right then.

7 – Koisuru Asteroid (74◎)

Voyager – 81, 83
EvilBob – 70, 70
Episode Average – 76, 77

Voyager: I like Sakurai! I feel the poor thing’s pain. Not knowing what you wanna do when everyone around you seems so assured is pretty unnerving.

EvilBob: Do you actually feel her pain or are you just saying that because you know that’s what the show was going for?

Voyager: Aw man, ya caught me. You must know me so well.

EvilBob: Right. I was gonna say. “What? You? Identify with a character’s plight?”

Voyager: Right? What, like I have one of those “Soul” things or whatever? Come on, ya weirdos. I can get the message without literally feeling it.

EvilBob: Right, right. So there’s also that whole festival episode that was pretty great. Really liked seeing the girls coming together around that one.

Voyager: And, wow, talk about a bombshell in that final few minutes.

EvilBob: I know, right? Yikes.

Voyager: Yikes.

EvilBob: All of the yikes.

8 – Isekai Quartet (74◎)

Voyager – 72
EvilBob – 75
Episode Average – 73

Voyager: Huh. Prooobably not the best time to do a Valentine’s Day special.

EvilBob: …What was so “special” about it? It just felt like a regular episode. Yet somehow not quite as funny.

Voyager: Poor Weiss, though.

EvilBob: Kazuma. You magnificent bastard.

Voyager: I dunno about “magnificent” but…

EvilBob: Cheeky?

Voyager: Better! Also. *ahem* SUBARU, YOU BAKA!

EvilBob: Oh. He’s still sore about that, then. Got it.

Voyager: My sweet baby Rem makes this unbelievable giant offering for you and all you pay attention to is Emilia’s.

EvilBob: I mean… he is in love with her, right? On that note… I agree with the others. Poor Subaru.

Voyager: Ahahaha! That was funny! BUT HE’S STILL A MORON. IDIOT. BAKA!!!

EvilBob: So this unit does have a soul, then. Noted.

Prized Moment

Voyager: How do we even choose?

EvilBob: At this point, Smile Down The Runway is basically just a highlight reel of amazing moments, just back-to-back-to-back.

Voyager: But Hanako-kun generally has at least one of those in every blamed episode and they’re always tops! Seeing Nene falling apart at having her heart toyed with was great. But Hanako realizing his mistake and comforting her was fantastic.

EvilBob: Meanwhile, Ikuto standing up for his partner against her agent was awesome. But his trying to comfort her only to get a glimpse at her room and discover how truly passionate she was about becoming a designer was marvelous.

Voyager: These shows are so unfair! *pout*

EvilBob: I know, right?!

Choice Screen Grab

Voyager: …Are we sure Sally isn’t the final boss?

EvilBob: …No. No we are not. That image sure makes her look like it.

Top Line

Voyager: Yeah, Ikuto. You show ’em. Just because you’re competing doesn’t mean you can’t be civil and polite. Crush that toxic behavior with your overwhelming cinnamon roll power!

MVP: Ikuto

EvilBob: In case it wasn’t obvious, the boy holds down every episode almost singlehandedly. He’s the definition of an MVP.

Voyager: As long as he’s at the helm, this TKO is definitely… winnable.

EvilBob: Ha. I see what you did.

Voyager: And we have our first elimination of the Free-for-All portion of the competition! Sayonara, Isekai Quartet!

EvilBob: Well… it survived slightly longer than our predictions… by exactly one week. Overall, I’d say it all checks out for the season, though. It’s been pretty strong, so far. With… one exception, nothing that’s been eliminated was even particularly “bad.”

Voyager: Yup! So this show can hold it’s head up! It may be out, but it fought valiantly!

EvilBob: Everyone, raise a glass for-

Voyager: I-se-kai Quartet, I-se-kai Quartet, I-se-kai Quartet! Isekai Quartet!

EvilBob: So catchy.

Voyager: It is!

Voyager: And that’s all she wrote, ev’rybody! Look forward to next week!

EvilBob: Especially since that’s when we’ll be revealing a brand new rule for this little event. Just to spice things up.

Voyager: Stay Toon’d!

EvilBob: Wrong series.

Voyager: Oh. Uh… Keep up the Awesome!

EvilBob: And Keep it Classy.

Voyager: Take care!