Another week, another round in the infamous Anime TKO. Has anything changed? See for yourself.

Voyager: Hey, we’re almost there!

EvilBob: Yeah. The end is in sight. You can tell. Most of these shows are gearing up for some kind of major development.

Voyager: Yep! Battles and secrets and contests!

EvilBob: Oh my.

Voyager: Ahahaha! I see what you did there. Nice one, Mister Scarecrow.

EvilBob: Thank- wait a minute… You look here, Tin Man…

Voyager: Time for the Winter 2020 Anime TKO!

EvilBob: BATTLE ROYALE EDITION!

Voyager: Faito!

1 – Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (87◎)

Voyager – 85
EvilBob – 92
Episode Average – 89

EvilBob: …Can… can we just call it now?

Voyager: Eh?

EvilBob: Come on. It’s obvious Hanako-kun is gonna win. I mean… unless that last five episodes just tank the show completely. Or the other shows in the top three knock it out of the park in those last few episodes…

Voyager: Hey! Way to explain all the exact reasons why we should keep this thing going! High five!

EvilBob: …So the episode was great.

Voyager: Oh. He’s leaving me hanging, then.

EvilBob: The show is basically an emotional master class, at this point. It still looks as great as ever. And seeing the dark reflection of the main troupe represented through Hanako’s… twin? Dark half? Whatever, that’s great.

Voyager: Aw. Bobblehead almost sounded smart for a second!

EvilBob: Oi… you wanna go right now you smiley devil?

2 – Runway de Waratte (82◎)

Voyager – 88
EvilBob – 75
Episode Average – 82

Voyager: Speaking of emotional master classes!

EvilBob: Oh, dude… I know, right?

Voyager: It’s okay, Chiyuki! You’re not the one crying! I am! *sniffle. sniffle*

EvilBob: Aw. It almost makes me forget that he’s the human embodiment of evil itself.

Voyager: It’s really nice getting some more spotlight on Chiyuki again! She’s a really great character and watching her own path to growth and getting what she wants is really engaging.

EvilBob: I also loved how her resolve to be a model only further inspired Kokoro to quit modeling and finally show some confidence in what she actually wanted to do.

Voyager: Yeah! That was great!

EvilBob: But, um… is it just me or do you get the urge to punch Kokoro’s manager?

Voyager: …eh?

EvilBob: Ikuto’s boss too.

Voyager: EH?

EvilBob: I dunno what to tell ya, man. Most of these adults just have super punchable faces.

Voyager: Ahahaha! Buuut… oh! Chiyuki! Her… manager? Whatever! That lady’s nice! I like seeing how supportive she is of Chiyuki, even in the face of almost inevitable failure.

EvilBob: Okay, fine. One good one… but seriously, all the other ones, I gotta be honest with ya. I just get the urge to punch all of ’em.

Voyager: Eeeeeeh…

3 – Itai no wa Iya nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu. (79▲)

Voyager – 82 (+5)
EvilBob – 85
Episode Average – 86

Voyager: Cute!

EvilBob: This show is just down-right comfy. But also a looot of fun.

Voyager: It’s a Cute-Girls-Doing-Cute-Things anime, but mixed in with a little of the VRMMO/Isekai magic! And it works surprisingly well! I even have to give it some special accolades for turning the typically boring stuff – the grinding – into something that was actually fun to watch!

EvilBob: Right? Who thought farming for materials would be that cute?

Voyager: Or that a chain quest would be that hilariously accurate!

EvilBob: Dude, that was perfect.

Voyager: I know, right?! Less actual intense action, this time, so the show didn’t have a whole lot of those really gorgeous keyframes that we’ve come to really like from its fights. But still a pretty good time. They even manage to make the montages pretty great! They know exactly when to put them, how not to make them too long, and the music is great for it! So relaxing.

4 – Somali to Mori no Kamisama (78▼)

Voyager – 79
EvilBob – 75
Episode Average – 77

Voyager: Hm…

EvilBob: Well…

Voyager: It’s not a bad episode at all. In fact, it’s pretty good! The stuff with the witches in the library was cool. A lot of nice worldbuilding too, while keeping it active enough not to get boring.

EvilBob: Buuut the episode also didn’t bring a whole lot else to the table. Sure we get a really cool scene out of Golem, finally showing what he’s really capable of-

Voyager: -But otherwise the episode mostly feels like an above average setup piece. It’s meant to get us anticipating whatever’ll happen next time.

EvilBob: Yeah. Like we said, not bad at all.

Voyager: But not great either.

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

Voyager – 71
EvilBob – 80
Episode Average – 76

EvilBob: Well, this could’ve gone wrong in about a thousand ways.

Voyager: Luckily it only went wrong in maybe a hundred!

EvilBob: …yeeeah. To their credit, though… it was still pretty funny.

Voyager: Eh. Maybe not as funny as some past episodes, though. A little cringier than expected at… parts.

EvilBob: Hey, that idiot showing up to “rescue” Ibarada was great.

Voyager: Predictable!

EvilBob: I mean… yeah, but…

Voyager: Also, if Ibarada was just gonna basically team up with the manga lady, why’d she seem so worried, last episode?

EvilBob: …huh.

6 – Koisuru Asteroid (75◎)

Voyager – 81
EvilBob – 80(+5)
Episode Average – 83

Voyager: *blink*

EvilBob: …What?

Voyager: *stare*

EvilBob: What?!

Voyager: Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii….

EvilBob: It surprised me, okay! Not only did I enjoy it, but the story stuff was handled pretty surprisingly well! With Ino’s taking over the club and Ao talking to that one girl about the stars… it was cute and effective!

Voyager: You gave it a higher score than me…

EvilBob: *blink* wait, that’s what this is about?!

Prized Moment

Voyager: Two words – Hanako. Afraid. That is all.

EvilBob: Dude. Chills.

Choice Screen Grab

Voyager: …What? It looks cool.

EvilBob: Yeah. And now she looks exactly like the angel we all know she is.

Top Line

Voyager: As much as this could be on here for the lulz, I actually really like this as a moment for Chiyuki. She’s been shouldering so much, for so long. She sees someone else who has what she wants and so readily throws it away… and it just makes her snap. It was a really great moment, not just for her, but for Kokoro too! Also, I’mma cheat!

Voyager: I just also really like this line from Chizuku. I dunno. It’s just really sweet.

MVP: Hasegawa, Kokoro

EvilBob: Wait, really? But she’s not even a main character.

Voyager: Isn’t she? A lot of this arc is centered around her and her dreams. And in this particular episode, pretty much everything revolves around her. Chiyuki unintentionally bolsters her confidence about quitting modeling to pursue what she truly wants. Ikuto convinces her not to give up when she messes up and their boss tells her to beat it.

EvilBob: Oh yeah. The punchable face guy.

Voyager: Eeeh… riiight! So yeah. I’d say that while most everything she does is, in some way, inspired by or relevant to some other character, she essentially carries the episode. Even the chat between her manager-

EvilBob: The lady with the equally punchable face.

Voyager: …Suuure. Even when she has her little chat with Shizuku, they’re still talking about her. And about Chiyuki, sure, but it’s because of Kokoro! So it’s gotta be her! She’s the thing tying this episode together!

EvilBob: Well… good for her, I guess.

Voyager: Ah! Now it’s time to say goodbye to yet another show in our lineup! Alack! Alay! O’ how unfortuitous!

EvilBob: So long, Koisuru Asteroid! Hardly knew ya!

Voyager: Still your fault…

EvilBob: Eh? I gave it a higher score than you!

Voyager: This time.

EvilBob: …Yeah? And?

Voyager: Ooooh, you don’t know how averages work. Yup yup, that’s pretty consistent with your overall intelligence level! Nevermind, Bobblehead! *pats you on the noggin*

EvilBob: Oi. I swear you’re try’na start a fight.

Voyager: We’re done here, folks!

EvilBob: Wow. We’re really thinning out the herd, now. Only five shows left.

Voyager: Yeah! WAY more manageable than when we started!

EvilBob: Tell me about it. Why did we do this to ourselves?

Voyager: Because you like pain.

EvilBob: Oh, ri- waaait.

Voyager: Ahahahaha! Okay, we’re gonna go now! Thanks for letting us waste your time!

EvilBob: Oi! That’s my line! And you’re not brushing by that-!

Voyager: Keep up the Awesome and Keep it Classy! Bye!

EvilBob: Hey!