I have been doing a lot of traveling lately, so I have had the opportunity to chill out with some anime to unwind after a day of slowly turning into a zombie while traveling along the US Interstate system. It has allowed me to catch up on a bit of a backlog. I mentioned it briefly in the last thread, but to give some more thoughts on them...
Zombie Land Saga Season 2
I finally finished this up after getting halfway through this season ages ago and having it linger. Overall, I think this season lives up to season 1. It took the opportunity to showcase some of the girls that weren't as important in the first season. I do think the historical lore they presented this season was a bit weird. However, it was a good chance to showcase Yugiri in her element.
The final 10 seconds of the finale really raise a lot of questions. Questions like how on Earth there can be more story to tell? They have announced that a movie is in production to continue the story, so time will tell. Hopefully...(cries in Yuri on Ice)
Apothecary Diaries
After finishing ZLS (see above), I started watching The Apothecary Diaries. I have really enjoyed my time with this show (currently about halfway through). I have seen a lot of people compare this show to House. I haven't watched too much House, but I would compare this show to a Sherlock Holmes adaptation. Maomao is applying logic, deductive reasoning, and some educated guessing to solve mysteries (usually medical in nature) in the imperial court of ancient China.
One thing that I didn't like about the show is how it deals with indentured servitude. I understand that it is based on historical China...but it just feels weird how easily all the characters, especially Maomao herself, simply accept how she ends up in service to the palace. We never hear about any kind of effort by her acquaintances outside the palace to track her down or anything.
In any case, I have been really enjoying the show despite the previous paragraph. The mysteries have been interesting and the solutions been fun. Something that can make or break a Sherlock-style mystery is how the mystery unfolds. In this regard, the way that this show drip feeds you the clues and then has a big reveal feels very Sherlock-y.
The other aspect that makes this feel like Sherlock is that Maomao is always smarter than you, the viewer. The way the story is told, Maomao always figures things out and then only later will you the viewer catch up as it is revealed to the other character. We are the metaphorical Watson that she is explaining how things are elementary. She is always the smartest person in the room. I am just waiting for a rival, Moriarty-like character to appear to challenge her intellect as an equal.
