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Pet:

Compelling psychological thriller, with bizarre, mind-bending scenarios, flawed and interesting characters, and satisfying twists and turns the whole way through. It's mature, surreal, unique, and shamefully underrated.

Even so: 6/10

Many people will drop it after episode one, because the narrative withholds too much information. That's understandable. And many others will drop it because the characters are unlikable. That's fair, too. The show focuses on some selfish and ugly people, and that can be hard to watch. But I think the story is worth pushing through those things.

Honestly, though? I kinda wish I'd dropped it, too.

Not for the reasons above, but because Pet's visuals are so ... VERY disappointing. I sense a very troubled production schedule. The characters are often off-model, butchering some really cool-looking original designs. The color choices can be jarring. And even if things were rough behind the scenes, I doubt there was any strong artistic vision to begin with. So many scenes are framed in a boring way, sapping all the tension away, the characters' expressions lack nuance...

It looks like ass, is what I'm trying to say.

It sounds like a petty complaint. But in this medium, visual storytelling is important. Pet has an interesting story to tell, but so often fails to deliver. Because outside of a few key moments, what I'm looking at is just so...

... bleh.

STORY: 8/10
ART: 4/10
SOUND: 6/10 (sound design is actually VERY strong in the first half of the show)
CHAR: 7/10
ENJOY: 6/10

Overall: 6/10

I'd say read the manga, but the series is obscure enough that I can't find an English translation anywhere. If you can't read Japanese, this is the only version of Pet you got. Sorry.

Our girls are back. They do some goofy shit for 30 mins and it's a good time. All the classic running gags make a return. And Akarin~ is the star of the show, as always.

In case you're wondering, "Hey... what the f*** is with this title? They added a f***ing comma at the end?? No way. Yuru Yuri is RUINED."-- then how about you slow your roll, asshole, and take a deep breath. I Googled it, and apparently the comma thing is called a "ten" in Japanese. So it's like, a pun.

A double-TRIPLE pun, because the "Yuru Yuri Ten" TENth anniversary celebration is a frickin' ... >> TEN out of TEN <<

STORY: 10
ART: 10
SOUND: 10
CHARACTER: 10
ENJOYMENT: 10
OVERALL:

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LET'S GOOO, SEASON FOOOUURRR BAYYYBBEEEE

I had to make sure I wasn't crazy.

I re-watched several episodes from the first season. The introduction of the Aldini brothers in the training camp arc... The one where Soma and his dad have an early-morning cook-off in the Polar Star dormitory... The one where Megumi stands against the fearsome Legumes Magician, and saves herself from expulsion with some wholesome veggie magic of her own.

This series is EXCITING. Fast-paced cuts of frenetic food-flinging; a soundtrack hot enough to simmer your soy sauce; gorgeously-drawn dishes that could hop off the screen and into your gullet; and of course, over-the-top ecchi foodgasms that make you wish you ... brought headphones. The stakes are raised (and steaks are braised?) as the battles rage on. And the journey is brought to life with superbly voice-acted characters worth following to the very end.

This show used to be a lot better. It DESERVES a lot better.

The Fourth Plate feels really, really cheap. Fun and charming, at times. But this tournament arc-- in which Totsuki academy and ALL of our main and supporting characters' careers are at stake-- ultimately seems shallow, repetitive, and nothing like I remembered Shokugeki to be.

It's especially disappointing because of the year-long wait for a single cour. To me it seems staff was still pressed for time, and fell back on the series' most formulaic and unimpressive storytelling techniques to carry on. A few examples:

1) Panning over still shots of characters at Dutch angles, with some abstract background. Used VERY heavily this season

2) TELLING the judges how the food was made, instead of SHOWING the process in real time. This allows for last-minute revelations and mini-plot twists, and can make things more exciting. But not in excess, like this time.

3) The peanut gallery. Characters in the audience will explain to the viewer, in succession, why the competing dishes are so super-awesome/clever. This season, it is the SAME set of characters providing commentary EVERY episode! And the lines are spread so thin, it's often totally irrelevant who's saying what.

... and so on. It made for a really dull presentation. Most concretely, I could tell the animation quality had declined, but... otherwise it was hard to pin down what had changed. In fact, I began to question why I ever liked this show so much to begin with.

And that like, really sucks.

"You're stagnating, aren't you? ... For us, stagnation is akin to regression."

Many will say this was inevitable. The show was too repetitive by design, and would eventually get stale. A tournament arc like this would only emphasize this repetitive nature and fall flat, no matter what. This show is built around still shots, hokey last-minute reveals, and padded exposition. It's part of the formula. That's the recipe for Shokugeki, followed to a T, and we were bound to get tired of it.

Maybe they're right.

Or maybe they just lack imagination. Because that first season still feels fresh and fun. I could watch it again and again, because that sh*t is quality. It's a genuine, heartfelt, and surprisingly horny celebration of the culinary arts. Just like the winning dish in every Shokugeki, there's a little something there that puts it over the top. A secret ingredient. An extra bit of creativity. Over time it's been lost, but it WAS there. With more time & effort, I'm sure the folks J.C. Staff could have found it again, even within the bounds of an adaptation.

To conclude:

If you've stuck with the show this long, here's your finale. Though it leaves much to be desired, Episode 11 is where our story feels the most finished. Episode 12 makes for a decent epilogue. Then, if you're still left wanting more, bless you. I hope you enjoy next season! But left with such a "MAZUI!" taste in my mouth, I think I'll pass on seconds.

Turning Girls is just a cute little comedy web series about the struggles of adulthood. If you have an hour of free time, like cringe comedy/slice of life, and don't mind EXTREMELY limited animation, give this series a quick watch for some quality laughs.

Granted, one of the reasons TG didn't do so well in the west is because its comedy is mostly geared towards Japanese women in their late 20's. But I still found it totally fun and (usually) relatable.

8/10.

That might seem high for a series with like... ZERO production value. Fair criticism for an anime, sure. But if I tell you a little story, ... maybe you'll begin to forgive Turning Girls' non-existent animation:

This series aired Summer of 2013, when Studio Trigger was busy with the production of its first TV anime, Kill la Kill. Earlier that year, Trigger also had concluded producing an ONA for Anime Bancho called "Inferno Cop". Limited by time and budget, Trigger allotted *2 hours* to make each episode of Inferno Cop. TWO HOURS AN EPISODE.

And yet! This first web series was a rousing success, even overseas. So Anime Bancho requested another web series while Kill la Kill was in the works. What to do? Spend even LESS time per episode?

Then-- an idea. All the female staff at Trigger were gathered together and asked, "Hey. Can you make an anime for us?" The answer: Turning Girls.

Although Otsuka is formally the executive director, the series was written, drawn and directed by the women at Trigger. None of them were animators (and... it shows). But the comedy is gold. It maintains that absurdist Trigger charm. And as audio director Hiromi Wakabayashi states, the characters are an honest reflection of the staff who worked on it. So the comedy and dialogue feel very genuine.

Anyway...

While you can count the frames per episode on your fingers and toes, everything else about this show is mad impressive. Handing this project over to non-animators was a bold strategy, but it really paid off. The comedy is on point. The writing is clever. And it stands as a show made by women, for women, in a male-dominated industry. That's freakin' awesome.