Oh right, I wanted to post something about the last episode. Only took me a week.

Well, I liked it. The battle was appropriately climactic, and it was a good idea to add the search for a gate from the ninja cats chapter as a conclusion. The girls reflecting on their relationship was a nice way to end the show, leaving the door open for a potential second season. Which doesn't seem that far-fetched, the LNs have a lot of reviews on Amazon JP and the latest volume was a Kindle best-seller in the Japanese literature category.

The anime had some irritating flaws, most obviously the choice to move the chapters around resulting in continuity errors, the whole thing with Satsuki was left open-ended which was frustrating, and I wish we'd heard more of Sorawo's inner thoughts, but overall I liked the show. The animation wasn't elaborate but I never noticed it melting, the music and sound design were very good and the voice acting was fantastic. Plus, it was more Otherside Picnic content while we wait for volume 5 to come out in English.

I hope anime-only watchers were entertained enough to want to check out the manga, or pick up the light novels to learn what happens next.

Yeah, Gekidol was a wild ride, but ultimately one that's hard to recommend. When I watched the first episode I thought to myself that the setting seemed unnecessarily complicated, so there was a high chance that it would become relevant later and make the show really annoying to watch. I didn't imagine how right I would turn out to be (I'm not right very often!). Boy did I not care about the sci-fi plot. I signed up for a show about a plucky theater troupe, not time travel hijinks and a tragic straight romance.

Also, if anyone was waiting for this to be over to decide if they were going to watch it for the yuri, I don't think they need to bother. There are some vague hints in the last episode that Airi has feelings for Seria and I guess it could be implied they'll end up together later (especially now that Seria won't have that freakout about her sister), but it's way too little to justify watching the whole story. It was an endearing mess of a show, but ultimately still a mess.

while the savior (that at this point has so many names that I can't remember one) just dies thinking that all her life was a mistake.... why?)

You're right, holy shit. Whatever happened to her in the end?

Yeah, the whole thing with the hat is pretty obvious when you're familiar with the manga or novels. Same with how Sorawo suddenly got her rifle in the beach episode. But then they couldn't have turned the rescue chapter into the finale. I don't know if that was the right choice, but it's better than a rushed File 11 ending. I can see why they went with that. It's just a shame that the whole thing with Satsuki will remain hanging for anime-only viewers.

What I'm curious about is, with only the climax from the chapter left, what do they intend to do with the rest of the episode? Draw out the battle? Show how the girls get back home? Ramp up the yuri (yes please)? Make up some shit about Satsuki (god, no)?

In other news, volume 6 of the novel just came out in Japan. Can't wait for the next volume in English. Who knows when that'll be though.

^ Yeah, that column tempted me too. Thank you Yurification for taking the bullet and reporting back. I find This Week in Anime highly entertaining, but they have this tendency to call characters gay when they really aren't. Goggles are great, but I wish they'd mention it's just subtext.

I have an insignificant dilemma: I'm trying to buy an old camera lens from the 90s, and the only decent-looking one I've found has a suspicious shape/stain on one of the pictures. I can't figure out if it's a reflection or fungus, which would be a dealbreaker. Since there's no way to get a refund, I don't want to waste my money... Old lenses lover problems, I guess.

Really looking forward to Zombieland Saga S2. If it's even half as good as the first season, it should be fantastic.

Battle Athletes better be at least as gay as the original.

In current anime news, Gekidol introduced fucking TIME TRAVEL. Yes, TIME TRAVEL. I love this ridiculous show.

I liked episodes 9 and 10. I loved the scene in 9 where Natsumi told Sorawo she was terrified she'd lose Akari to hot Japanese-Canadian Toriko, then it turned out Kamikoshi-senpai was this plain, "gloomy otaku" to quote the novel.

10 was another original. An odd choice, this late, but it was leagues better than episode 3. I forgot to check if Miyazawa had written this one as well. I'd actually recommend the people who gave up on the anime to watch this one! It could have been a chapter of the novel. Kozakura getting mixed-up in the Otherside adventures is always a delight, and we got a lead-in to what I assume will be the next episode about rescuing the Americans. Finally! I got really worried for a while they'd just be stuck in the Otherside forever. I think I spotted a new background track, too. I don't say this enough, but the sound design and music are really good.

That leaves the last episode. God, I hope it isn't an anime-original. File 8 would be the obvious choice at this point.

Gekidoll is about good friends doing friendly friend stuff

Loved the sudden lesbian triangle situation when Airi kissed Seria (on the cheek this time) and told Izumi "See, I don't need you anymore!" If it weren't for her saying Seria was her first kiss, I'd for sure have thought Izumi was her ex.

I think it's technically possible to explain away the gun thing by imagining that some time passed between episodes 6 and 7. I know they end up in Okinawa at the end of 6, shh.

Episode 8: Well, I liked it. A lot, in fact! Sure it was silly. But it was kind of needed after the concentration of horror in the last episode. Also, I don't know much about the technical aspects of anime, but it seemed much better animated than usual for some reason? The fights against the ninja cats looked really good.
I didn't mind that they cut the whole search for a gate. They left the delivery scene, which is what I wanted the most from this episode.

The fact that the soldiers are still in the Otherside is kind of hanging over the whole show though. I wonder if they're keeping the rescue for the finale?

Okay, I might be wrong here, but here's what I think happened in the anime. The girls accidentally enter the Otherside without their exploring gear (including their guns, which they mention). They do not get or steal guns from the Americans. They leave on the train without their handguns, much less the rifles. They end up in Okinawa. They go to the beach. And they have? Guns?? How???

That's the dreaded plot hole, right? An adaptation-induced one, but still, I'm not seeing things? As I said before, I'm trying to cut the anime some slack since an adaptation doesn't have to completely follow the source material, but this is a really noticeable mistake. Some manga like slice-of-life stories can be adapted out of order, but when there is a plot I'd say it's generally a good idea to follow the original order. Who knows why they diverged. Not only does it not bring or enhance anything, it makes Sorawo and Toriko come across as sociopaths who go out drinking and partying after leaving those poor soldiers in a horrible situation. That's not a good look.

It's a shame. File 3 was competently adapted, too.

For some reason I can't think of anything translated other than the latest Canno work and Otome Kikan Gretel. I actually read Tsurezure Biyori in one go and didn't notice it felt short...

There was an incredibly cute 4koma manga called Ooops! that had a lot of potential for character relationships and yuri, but it never made it past the requisite three-chapter guest spot.

Another one was called Hitomi no Photograph, it was about girls and photography, had an established yuri couple and a yuri love triangle (not involving the couple), and ran for three volumes. It didn't even have an ending, it just stopped. Thankfully, the authors managed to publish the story about how the couple got together in doujinshi form.

If anyone needs the full-size scans for one or more of these bonuses, if you want to make them into a cool wallpaper or something, let me know in this thread. I resized them for the upload so they wouldn't take forever to load.

I'm surprised by this, but I've become quite chill with the anime's direction. Like, okay, let's see what they'll do next. This could have been the Hanebado anime, meaning a very bad adaptation, or hell, Ex-Arm. I'm glad I get to hear the seiyuu give their voices to the characters, but ultimately nothing will replace all the detailed descriptions and internal thoughts from the novels. Which is fine, now that I think about it. Different mediums convey stories differently. The anime seems to be going for a different tone than the novels and manga (either that, or it's trying for the same tone and failing) and we'll just have to live with that.

Interestingly, this episode didn't sit well with the Anime News Network reviewer. I guess it doesn't come across as well in the anime just how antisocial Sorawo and Toriko are, so their decisions may make less sense to anime-only viewers. To me, it was obvious that they'd use their phones immediately after Drake told them not to, because they don't always operate by the laws of common sense; if they did, they'd have stopped going to the Otherside long ago.

Well, sometimes when you've read the sources of the anime your watching, looking for the changes and whatnot is part of the fun or well at least for me, so I figured why not re-read.

Ah, you're lucky! I still need to re-read the Kisaragi station file. I'll have to do that soon, and rewatch the last two episodes afterwards. It shouldn't be too frustrating this time since they didn't cram one chapter into one episode and skip a third of the dialogue.

Episode 5 was really slow, but 6 wasn't half bad. The pacing didn't feel off, the English wasn't the worst I've heard in an anime and the face dogs looked appropriately creepy. The scene on the train at the end was an odd choice though. I guess they felt there was too much of a risk of turning it into unintentional comedy, as bad horror often is, if they tried to animate it. I can live with that. I'd rather have flashes and glimpses than something that makes me laugh.

What I'm wondering is, if they are in Okinawa now, as the beach at the end and the after-credits scene imply, does that mean the anime-verse soldiers get to stay stuck in the Otherside? Or will the girls have their beach adventure, go back to Tokyo, and then end up in Okinawa again after rescuing the guys? Or is the beach somewhere near home as a fake-out and they'll go back for the soldiers next episode? That seems more likely.

The yuri is progressing nicely. I like how both Sorawo and Toriko often find themselves looking for physical contact. It was especially apparent this episode with the situation being so tense.

Gekidol 05: I don't think I've ever gone from "Oooh" to "NOPE" about a ship so quickly. Jesus Christ Seria needs therapy.

I like Airi, she's obviously gone through a lot, what with losing her previous partner she probably had a crush on to a rival company and the whole baggage about her model career. I want her to get the girl, but not right now. Right now, Seria is too happy about... thinking she's found her dead sister again or whatever. Things don't look good in the preview, either, especially since I think the doll is secretly controlled by the evil guy or something?

Good thing I'm here for the drama.

Egg anime is still as unpleasant to watch, if very well-made. There is (one-sided?) yuri in episode 4.

like Matsuri asking Nono to be her girlfriend

Talking about that, did it ever get a followup in the series itself? Because if it did, I either skipped a chapter without noticing or don't remember. My memory is awful, after all.

The following chapter (72) was about them, but no other follow-up in the translation so far.

^ Thanks, I read those chapters. This series seems up my alley with its dialogue and characterization. I'll start reading it from the beginning sometime soon.

Hope you enjoy it!

Certainly casts a whole new light on her previous appearances and actions. Particularly her interactions with Kayo; no wonder those two... resonate.

Yeah, I think I need to give the flashback chapters another re-read some time. The author seems to have something in store for these two, and I'm both excited and terrified to find out. Excited because Kayo is canonically established as being in love with Teru and Teru isn't indifferent to her, so who knows? And terrified because there's no way cloba.U won't unleash a massive storm of angst before the manga ends. This bonus is alarming already. It was a huge pain in the ass to get my hands on it, so I'm glad the SNSbu guys added it to the release.

There it is, the classic Oh No We Tripped And Fell On Top Of Each Other romantic trope. Who knows if this go will go anywhere; anything regarding yuri in this manga is a big question mark, and the pendulum of romantic teasing swings wildly back and forth, so where things will go next is anyone's guess.

I do think the author occasionally tests the waters. You can tell because sometimes he writes a scene more yuri than usual, like Matsuri asking Nono to be her girlfriend, and a few weeks later he'll share on stream that he was apprehensive but got positive reactions. I thought for a long time that the Kirara audience liked comedic yuri that never goes anywhere and not the more serious sort, but there might have been a shift in the past few years.

In any case, Teru's got issues.

I know nothing about this series, but after randomly clicking on chapter 80 and reading it, I'm interested.

It's a "cute girls making doujin games" series at its core, but it's one that does things a bit differently. It takes a short while to get going, but once it does it gets really good. If you'd like to take another look at what this manga can do before potentially reading from the start, check out chapters 73 and 74.

D4DJ ended and I'll keep saying I found it delightful. It's such a fun, happy show. I was really unsure at first because Rinku is a lot in the first episode, but she gets better. Unless the music physically hurts you I seriously recommend giving this one a try.
(No yuri though.)

Okay, according to the official website the next episode will be "Station February". You guys were right! Who knows if they'll adapt only one chapter or both. It's a fantastic chapter in any case, so I'm glad it's being adapted.

I haven't re-read stuff ina while, I probably should.

I honestly don't know if I recommend doing that. I'm re-reading each chapter after watching the episode once then I re-watch it for comparison, and all it does is make the changes stand out even more. I love the novels so re-reading is fun, but it's making me enjoy the anime less, I think.

^ You're right, now that I think about it, Seria seemed fine initially, if probably confused. What I was thinking about is Airi's reaction when she saw Seria at the end of the episode. She looked like she was thinking "You know what, I don't think I want to date this girl anymore".

I think I wrote that unconsciously because I've never seen an anime where two girls get together partway through and stay together, so I assumed the romance would resurface later on. If they get together now and face whatever the plot will throw at them as a couple, this show might be one to remember.

Well, Gekidol is definitely yuri now. Also: very strange

Yeah, that surprised me. At the moment though, they clearly aren't on the same page and they aren't ready to be together. Hopefully the show will gradually let them find each other.

This anime has a lot going on in it, in any case.

Episode 4: That was a good episode! I'm genuinely surprised by how well it worked despite all that was cut. Some cuts were obvious, like the Kunekune encounter, and others less so, like telling Sorawo's trip to Toriko's apartment through a short flashback, but it flowed well. They did a good job shortening that massive chapter into one episode. The important part where Sorawo flatly tells Kozakura about her past was handled well. Loved Hanamori Yumiri's delivery, it's hard to believe she also voices Nadeshiko from Yurucamp this season.

Also really appreciated the lack of weird CGI.

One of the things I like about Otherside Picnic is that even though it's creepy as hell, it can also be really funny. Like this exchange that didn't make it into the episode:

I'm guessing that next episode will be an anime-original that will have the girls end up in Okinawa somehow. Since we won't be getting the Kisaragi Station stories, here's one of my favorite lines from File 3:

People seemed lukewarm about the first episode of Gekidol, but after three episodes I'm enjoying it. It's technically not about idols but about a theater troupe that incorporates songs and dances into its plays. I'll probably still need to skip parts of the performances, though. That stuff gives me anxiety.

There are already a bunch of things I'm curious about and there is potential for yuri. Although I feel bad for the main character's classmate, she very obviously has a crush on her but she'll have to stay on the sidelines.

You're not the only one. And that gut-burstingly funny end gag.

You see, it's funny because Sorawo wants to kill Toriko. What's character development?

You be surprised that it was written by the LN author itself.

Yeah, the script credit was the first thing I checked in the ED. That both is and isn't reassuring. This episode might have worked in novel format with creepy descriptions, but the CGI made sure the big-head things couldn't be taken seriously.

I wouldn't bet on Kisaragi station being forgotten; my wild guess is that File 3 will be merged into File 5, perhaps with flashbacks giving context for the rescue mission.

I hope you're right, although I don't know how they would squeeze both stories into one episode. But the girls do have to end up in Okinawa somehow.

Not really sure, but it was mentioned somewhere that there are three anime original episodes, so that means that they either are taking the place of other chapters, or the adaptation is doing up to the end of volume two and there’s time to spare.

That's good to know. I still think File 11 is the best end point for the whole Satsuki situation, but who knows anymore. I hope they don't write an original ending, those are almost always terrible.

If Liden is rewriting the parts of the novels they think they can't adapt for whatever reason, it changes things entirely. Come to think of it, this studio heavily rewrote Hanebado when they adapted it, changing entire subplots and characterizations. I... didn't like that anime at all. Because I was familiar with the source material, I kept comparing the anime to it and disliked most of the changes.

I'm willing to keep an open mind and wait and see what the next few episodes will be like, especially if Miyazawa is involved in the rewrites. But if they keep changing the characters' personalities, like they already have with Sorawo being more reluctant to follow Toriko in the Otherside, then that's going to be a problem. Characters are more important than plot to me so I don't mind too much if we take a different path as long as we get the same developments and revelations. If I can't recognize the characters I've come to love, however, the anime will be a disappointment.

There is still potential, though. Now if only they could so something about that freaking CGI.