So, there's a new anime this season that I find myself ambivalent about.

It's got good production values. It has, so far, an episodic yet lively plot that manages to be interesting even with limited overall plot to tie it together. Most of the episodes are essentially horror, but so far psychological suspense outweighs disturbing gore. I don't like horror, and I'm still watching it anyway.

The thing is it's very... Gainax. There are lots of women! On the face of it they're independent-minded and powerful women! And yet... so many of them wind up helpless or destroyed.

It's not glaring. In fact, it's pretty subtle on the usual scale of these things. But this is the kind of show that feels like a technical Bechdel pass while violating the spirit of that litmus test.

And yet! Lots of women! Engaging characters! Really quite subtle drama and suspense! Very few characters who are hamming it up, and those are lampshaded for it! And, to be fair, the vast majority of the male characters are just as agency-less in the end.

*sighs*

( The premise... )

I have hopes that the yomihime will turn out to have their own agendas, and so far the horror is rarely past my "dark" threshold, so I'm still watching. We shall see.

In closing, Our (first) Hero is quiet and thoughtful and competent, and kind of unfairly hot, and Our (first) Heroine snarks a blue streak.

*sighs*