December 9th, 2009 
AstroNerdBoy 夏のあらし！春夏冬中 Episode 08 Review
Summer Storm! Open for Business Ep. 08
Natsu no Arashi! Akinai-chuu – 08
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
It is hot and getting hotter as Arashi begins to accurately state the temperature inside the cafe without looking at a thermometer. Kaja sees the dangers awaiting and a trip to the past is taken to try to find the remote control for the air conditioner. While a dizzying array of remotes are brought back, most with nothing more than gag effects, none are the remote for the A/C. Kaja explains that since Arashi was trained from birth to not complain, she will not complain about the heat but will instead sing a summer song followed by disaster.
Since one of the remotes opens an underground passage, the group heads down there into a cave. However, while it is a bit cooler down there, steam from hot water pipes or even an onsen raises the temperature and when Hajime complains about the heat, Arashi grabs him with an “Iron Claw.” Kaja tells a weak joke that cools Arashi off a bit to release Hajime and the group heads back where Murata produces the remote. Hajime turns on the A/C and Arashi is happy but even still, Hakobune transforms into a mecha, flies off, and explodes with Arashi singing that same summer song.
Thoughts/Review:
What the…?!
What a completely bizarre, whacked out episode. I guess the people at SHAFT were high on something when they came up with this episode. Not only is it not funny, it was just dumb. However, when you are high, dumb things are incredibly funny. That’s the only thing that can explain this episode — too many drugs being used.
Also, since SHAFT loves fanservice, why not have Arashi’s shirt blow open and she can keep it unbuttoned but just covering her breast for the trip back. Yeah, that’s quality anime right there, y’all.
I will admit that the first remote used causing the glass door of the fridge to open was mildly amusing to me but that’s only because I didn’t expect it. However, once that door opened (literally and figuratively), it was clear that none of the other remotes would do squat other than some sort of stupid gag, including blowing up in one’s face.
SHAFT still goes for its normal “I heard a story” and “there was an order but I forgot what it was” jokes that make me roll my eyes.
In the end, this is the ultimate filler episode as it is a complete waste of time, unfunny, stupid, boring, and makes no sense whatsoever. Ugh. SHAFT at its worst.
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Is the gang wearing those Shaft-style expeditionary outfits like in 2nd Negima anime?
And is that girl with the creepy eyes and freckles wearing a Lara Croft-style outfit?
I believe the answer to both questions is “yes.” One could also say that Yayoi is wearing an Indiana Jones-style outfit as well.
Warning: The following is an unnecessarily long rant agreeing with something you’ve already seen and called out yourself.
You know, before I started watching this series, I wondered if you were being too harsh on these guys. Now, over halfway through a second season that seems determined to besmear a decent first season from stem to stern with their rose-scented “cleverness”, I think you were being much too easy on them.
The biggest nasty habit that I’ve noticed in those suffering from “misunderstood artist” syndrome (i.e. self-congratulatory members of a mutual appreciation society who revel in impressing each other and disdaining the vulgar masses who don’t share their superior tastes): “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Almost every virtue becomes a fault if you push it too far. Being unable to admit that it was stupid the first time, they tend to beat bad ideas into the ground. If anything, they become MORE obstinately committed to those bad ideas when criticized. To wit, the “I read a book” jokes that they ramped up to a new level of stupid by transforming them into “Oops, I got your order wrong again” jokes. (Not to mention the remotes joke. And the Nagel-esque first OP that they made more explicit. And the “art”, which in several spots looks recycled straight out of the clusterwank they called Negima!? And the… okay, now I’m just beating a dead point into the ground. (^_~))
Trying to look at it more charitably, it may stem from cognitive dissonance. They know beyond all doubt that they’re outrageously funny, because they all tell each other so. Since the vulgar masses can’t appreciate how funny they are, they just need to keep dumbing it down more and more so we can understand it.
Just out of curiosity… do you happen to know whether any SHAFT lead staff or execs got hired over to KyoAni just prior to the “Endless Eight” fiasco?
Trying to look at it more charitably, it may stem from cognitive dissonance. They know beyond all doubt that they’re outrageously funny, because they all tell each other so. Since the vulgar masses can’t appreciate how funny they are, they just need to keep dumbing it down more and more so we can understand it.
This is pretty much how I saw SHAFT’s attitude.
Just out of curiosity… do you happen to know whether any SHAFT lead staff or execs got hired over to KyoAni just prior to the “Endless Eight” fiasco?
No clue and I didn’t watch that. What I will say about the Haruhi stuff is that in this case, KyoAni saw how the “ignorant masses” totally bought into this scheme of playing the first series episodes out of order (I’ve always maintained that there was nothing meaningful or special about how KyoAni aired the first series but you can’t convince true believers). Therefore, KyoAni needed to come up with a new scheme and it is my opinion that they thought that playing an anime episode repeatedly would draw similar excitement. Initially it did but then people got tired of it quickly and thus the scheme fell apart.