This Week In Adult Swim - 10/10/08

We're able to report this much earlier this week now that the feature is all set up, that and Adult Swim posted the premieres early today. This week we have the season finale of Shin Chan, a new Superjail!, and the first two episodes of Moral Orel's final season. Just a note, the way Orel's schedule is, the first episode premieres on Thursday night, a day before we write this; therefore there may be some notes on the broadcast.

Shin Chan - Episode 52. The season finale of Shin Chan; not it means much, as there's no major continuity to the series, but it's a finale none the less. The finale is a little different from most Shin Chan episodes in that it's not broken up into shorts; titled "The Epicish Battle Commenceth!", Shin has entered a kendo tournament, but there's something odd about these other folks. The bulk of the episode runs on jokes about feces, orphans, and incest, which is quite the wild bunch. I have to say, the absurdity of this episode made it one of the more amusing episodes for some time.
Overall Score - 8.7/10

Superjail! - Ladies' Night. The series continues its tradition of over the top violence, and interestingly fluid animation and transitions. This week, a female prison (Ultraprison) crashes into Superjail, and it's occupants and staff are awkwardly similar to Superjail's own. After a scuffle, The Warden and his female counterpart then have a bet to see whose prisoners can act the most civilized. As usual, all ends up going horribly wrong; I mean I guess its the point of the show, but there will be a point when the expected violence brings no more humor. However from an animation standpoint, this episode has much more movement the previous ones, and I say it's for the better.
Overall Score - 8.5/10

Only video I could post without 'spoilers'
Moral Orel - Numb. The 'first of thirteen' in Moral Orel's final season, as clearly stated in the show's special opening theme, made special for this season. The episode overlaps some of the footage from Season 2's final episode when Orel and his father go hunting. However, this is viewed from Orel's mother, Bloberta's, point of view. Having issues with her husband, she looks for new ways to pleasure herself. I have to say, it was interesting to watch an episode from Bloberta's perspective, with virtually no footage of Orel. At the same time there was a usage of first person which I've rarely seen in stop-motion animation, so I found that pretty neat as well. As a note, when this aired on TV, there was an opening bump with the show's creator Dino Stamatopoulos, who gave some insight on the episode; a nice touch given the shows cancellation. I assume a similar segment will be added for each episode when it airs.
Overall Score - 8.4/10

From 'Grounded'; "F**ked Up" pretty much explains it all
Moral Orel - Grounded. Despite being part of the final season, this episode starts with the opening theme as season in the first two seasons, and not the special opening from "Numb". The episode starts off four weeks before Orel and his father's hunting trip; after more of Orel's usual misunderstandings, his father decides to ban him from church for a month. However, an Orel without church, is like a druggy without his fix, and all Hell breaks loose (get it? church? Hell? ... never mind). As with the previous episode, some questions pertaining to the series are answerd, which is good. Also, this turns out to be one of the darkest episodes I ever seen in the series, and atthesame time it leaves you wanting more.
Overall Score - 9.4/10

A pretty decent week of premieres if I do say so myself. The season finale of Shin Chan will leave us with one less show to cover, and no anime. And I love that we're getting two Orels a week, but at the same time I bummed that it's the final season. Let's see how next week goes!