Recap episodes aren’t a unique feature of anime. Any devotee of the American sitcom will be familiar with the clip show format. Highlights from the series thus far will be played, sometimes along with commentary from the characters, to summarize the action thus far.
It can be a handy device for longer series or shows with an extensive hiatus between seasons. But sometimes they show up in odd places in a show. A recap episode early in a shows run typically indicates some sort of trouble with production.
It could be that the studio just needs to save a few pennies while also meeting a contractually agreed upon number of episodes. Likewise, the network may have ordered more episodes, but there’s not enough story to pad out that way.
However, recap episodes can also be subbed in when another episode is deemed too controversial to air (like the hot springs episode of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann). Or it can indicate delays in production of later episodes.
So anyway, that’s a recap episode and so is this. We’re 50 posts into a 100 post challenge, and I’ve been a little surprised just about every time I’ve sat down and published something since the second night.
Over the past month and a half, I’ve shaken a fair bit of dust and rust off the old writing toolkit. My approach to these posts has also developed a lot. And somehow I’ve still managed to watch quite a bit of anime along the way. It’s a nice feeling.
We’ve run the gamut of genres and turned a brief history into a miniseries. As of last night’s post this challenge is sitting at 36,075 words across 49 true posts and a couple of addenda. One thing we haven’t accomplished is solving the mystery of translator Sue Shambough.
Now because I feel like it, I’m going to reach back into the challenge thus far and link a few pieces that I’m proud of:
On Subs, Dubs and Works in Translation
Manga vs. American Comics
A Brief History of Anime
Mechas
Collectible Monsters
Slice of Life
Isekai
Magical Girls
Magical Girlfriends
Harems
Sports and Gaming
Shonen Fighters
That’s a post. Thanks to everyone who has been reading anything I’ve been posting here. I don’t always get an opportunity to reply, but the encouragement and feedback mean a lot. Now there are 36,000 more words to write and a lot more anime to watch. Until tomorrow!
P.S. Friend Default also gets a No-Prize today for having caught a number of small errors and typos and also for suggesting a number of topics over the course of the past several weeks, including the brief discussion of recaps that started tonight’s post.
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