It seems kind of ridiculous to say this, but I am actually still catching up on some series, despite how much I watched this past week. There is just that much anime to watch. Not that I am complaining at all.
Anime discussed: Aoi Hana, Axis Powers Hetalia, Bakemonogatari, Canaan, Cross Game, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kanamemo, Kemono no Souja Erin, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~, Shugo Chara! Doki, Spice and Wolf II, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Valkyria Chronicles, Vision of Escaflowne, Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
-- Aoi Hana eps 2-4: I am getting into this show way more than I thought I would. Again, it is probably because the style resonates with me so much -- it is hitting all the right emotions, and it's somehow intense and passionate while being restrained and cautious at the same time. Don't want to make too many comparisons, because they're not the exact same type of show, but the way Aoi Hana shows things and the way it tells its story reminds me a bit of Marimite. Mainly it's the way the show highlights the little things: A cube of ice falling in a glass, or the whisper of the wind against a curtain in the library, and so on. Storywise, everything is unfolding bit by bit. I am not entirely sure what to think of Sugimoto right now. She does seem to like Fumi quite a bit, but there is also probably a reason why we do not see Sugimoto reject Ikumi's confession. Hopefully she does not end up breaking Fumi's heart in anyway; the poor girl appears as though she could not take it, haha.
And ep4 has once again taught me that I am terrible at spotting things before they happen, haha. It seems totally obvious in retrospect that Sugimoto had some sort of attachment to the drama club advisor, and that she was actually the Master of the Library. This at least has me looking at Sugimoto with a far less sinister eye than I did before. She is showing genuine affection for Fumi at the very least, and I think part of her reason for being with Fumi is to get back part of what she lost, and is still struggling with, when whatever happened with that teacher happened (doesn't appear to have gone anywhere, but we do not have the whole story at the moment, either). With the drama teacher, Sugimoto was the one who lacked control and was essentially innocent; with Fumi, who may remind Sugimoto of that innocence, Sugimoto is the one in control, but it seems to be a more benevolent type of control where she is trying to help Fumi blossom into what Sugimoto could not. Also want to say that Achan supporting Fumi makes me smile. Encouragement for great justice.
-- Axis Powers Hetalia ep27: Italy is way too adorable. Jeez. And Germany definitely needs to sing the ED from now on.
-- Bakemonogatari eps 3-4: In a weird way, this series is somewhat like Spice and Wolf -- there is a main subject (the various gods and monsters and whatnot, and how they affect the lives of various people) that is handled in an occasionally heavy and confusing way, but is also grounded by the amusing relationship between the main characters (Senjougahara and Araragi). Bakemonogatari is really talky and moves a mile-a-minute, both in conversation and visuals, and it can be a bit much at times, haha. I feel like there is so much I am missing with this show lol. But while I am still getting used to the main thrust of the series, the banter between Senjougahara and Araragi at least keeps me engaged. They're not at the level of Horo and Lawrence yet, mind, but they are getting there.
-- Canaan eps 3-4: Walking off the beaten path very slightly to get some struggles with Maria, who has to reconcile her idealistic view of Canaan with the fact that Canaan violently killed someone in front of her, and Canaan, who is dealing with the hatred for Alphard that has built in her over however long it has been since Alphard killed the man who found Canaan and raised her. Of the two, Canaan is by far the more interesting; Maria is kind of an eh character to me right now. Yunyun reacting to Maria's omgoptimism is kind of funny, though lol. But, yeah, Canaan's part of ep4 is pretty damn good. Love the brief, well-animated skirmish between her and Alphard (who looks pretty friggin' hot in that clingy blue dress). Maaya Sakamoto is continuing to bring the awesome with a great villainous voice. Again, I would never figure it was her if I did not know beforehand. There is clearly some more backstory between Alphard's crew and Canaan, as well, judging from Liang Qi's reaction to Canaan's appearance. Obviously this is not the first time Canaan has gone after Alphard; perhaps Canaan had something to do with the CIA initially capturing Alphard.
-- Cross Game ep16: Hell yes. Complete dominance by the scrubs, with Kitamura throwing a complete game shutout and capping this game in just one episode. Loved seeing that bastard coach and the weasely "acting principal" sweating it out the whole game, their careers flashing before their eyes. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. This new team, with the best scrub players thrown into the mix backed by the old coach, is going to be pretty amazing. Something that interests me is how the show emphasizes Kitamura and Aoba's wild style of play. Kitamura can overpower people easily, and he even has some breaking pitches now to finesse his way into strikeouts, but he's still prone to walking people and getting himself into jams. And Aoba just went crazy on the basepaths, stealing bases just because she felt like it. Maybe she is just working out the frustration building in her due to Kitamura getting into so much trouble on the mound, haha.
-- Fullmetal Alchemist eps 1-9: The most interesting part of these early episodes, for me, is noting the differences between this series and Brotherhood, because there are a lot of them, even discounting the episodes that are skipped over in the latter series. Right now my opinion of both series is about even; there are things the original series does better than Brotherhood, and vice versa. Hughes, for instance, is depicted much better in this series than in Brotherhood. He's got way more time here, and he's more involved in Ed and Al's lives. Ed and Al's relationship with Mustang is better and more fleshed-out in this series, as well. Ed and Al barely even have a relationship with Mustang in Brotherhood, which, to be fair, I think is part of the point, because it shows how Mustang's dangerous journey to the top of the military has kept him isolated from a lot of people (Riza is like the only person with whom he has regular contact). It's pretty much back-and-forth from there, too. The build-up in the Shou Tucker episodes is better in the original, but the reveal and aftermath are better in Brotherhood ... the initial human transmutation experiment is better in Brotherhood, but the original better establishes the relationship the boys have with their mother, etc.
Brotherhood has spoiled me a ton, though, because I am on edge waiting for this series to get to its main story, haha. Some of these early episodes are hit and miss for me. I like all the ones I saw originally in Brotherhood, and ep5 with Hughes on the train is a lot of fun. Barry the Butcher's episode is somewhat interesting. Kind of a weird Norman Bates-esque origin for him lol. Ep4, with the "zombie", and ep9, with the mining town and Lt. Yoki kind of bored me, though. But it's going to get along soon, I think, so it's no big deal.
As for the dub, I do like it for the most part, although I do prefer the Japanese voices, which is partly due to bias (hearing them first) and mostly due to just connecting with them better. But Hughes' VA is pretty good, as is Riza's. And Laura Bailey as Lust is kind of awesome. A far cry from Tohru Honda. :X I'm still getting used to Vic Mignogna and Aaron Dismuke, because all I have heard are women (Romi Paku and Rie Kugimiya) playing Ed and Al, haha.
And I really love the first OP. Awesome song.
eps 10-15: This set of episodes is exactly what I wanted, yayz. :D I like FMA most when it's roaring through the main story; the only episode of Brotherhood I don't like is where it deviates from the plotline for a moment (with the pregnant lady and the girl with the explosive leg voiced by Risa from Lovely Complex). 13-15 is a pretty good set of episodes. The battle between Ed and Mustang in ep13 is really fun; it really shows Ed that Roy isn't all bluster and just a promotion-hungry dork. Ep14 is the Marcoh story, which plays out very similarly to Brotherhood, with the exception of Basque Gran showing up here to die, instead of dying very early on like he does in Brotherhood lol. He kind of deserves to have his brains blown up, though, because he's such a douche. And hoorah for Armstrong's first appearance!! Christopher Sabat as Armstrong is kind of strange at first, because I can hear a distinct trace of Piccolo in the voice lol. (It takes him a while to show up in the original series. I really missed the big guy for a while there.) Ishbal civil war is about as bad as it's hinted to be in Brotherhood, where we've seen just brief flashbacks thus far.
eps 16-26: Don't have too much to say about these episodes, because for the most part they are identical to the episodes I saw in Brotherhood, with the exception of some big changes in the Fifth Laboratory storyline, such as Tucker being alive and a chimera, Scar coming along to rumble with the Homunculi and the Homunculi making themselves and their plans more directly apparent to Ed. (Along with Envy showing some resentment toward Hohenheim by kicking the crap out of Ed and cursing "his blood".) There have been plenty of differences before this, but I am guessing this is the point where the original series takes a complete left turn from the manga storyline. As for the episode with Hughes' death, I think it is handled better here than in Brotherhood, though the heightened drama does not come without some logical leaps of faith. (Why the hell does Hughes turn his back and make a phone call when he knows the person he is traveling with is not Maria Ross? Yeah, he doesn't want to raise suspicion, but did he really think fake!Maria would let him communicate anything of worth to Mustang? For that matter, why doesn't he voice his suspicions to Mustang first (or at least try to) before confronting the people he suspects?)
eps 27-34: For some reason, I really enjoy seeing this series mix its original storyline (which has now completely abandoned the manga story) with scenes from the manga. It's like FMA is using the same route and somehow ends up at a completely different place. The increased focus on Izumi is interesting. I actually called that Wrath is her kid (although I don't think it is that difficult to predict; it certainly can't be if I called it), and I think the whole storyline is an interesting way to explore Izumi's maternal instincts and how she needs to atone for the sin of human transmutation on her own, after being betrayed by Wrath like 10 billion times. I also like that Greed's storyline gets more time to play out, although I am not sure I like where it ends up here more than in Brotherhood (because the reveal of King Bradley as a Homunculus is such a good plot twist). Guess it really depends on the aftermath, and how Ed changes/grows as a result of killing Greed.
Either way, as in Brotherhood, I am sad to see Greed go out. He is my favorite Homunculus.
eps 35-39: Hm, I don't know how I feel about a couple of filler episodes appearing so late in the series, especially when the series is charting its own territory rather than adhering to the manga. The JYB!filler episode is OK; it adds a bit more tragedy to Lust's character, with the fact that she cannot really characterize human emotions because she is not human, but other than that, the story did not really engage me. Ep37 is more enjoyable since it is a thousand times funnier (Havoc meeting Armstrong's family is hilarious). Right now I am just waiting for the shit to really hit the fan and for the bigger picture behind the desire of each Homunculus to become human to reveal itself. It appears as though things will go wild now, since Ed has bumped into Scar in Lior, and Lust and Gluttony are in the area as well. The other interesting thing right now is the possibility that Mustang may have killed Winry's parents. I am 50/50 on this right now -- it seems as though the show is pushing it really hard, and the description of their death is vague enough that someone like Kimbley could have done it. However, I also think FMA is bold enough to have something like that hanging over Roy's head. Only real "eh" moment for me is Sheska and Winry's investigation into Hughes' death. The show tries to hang a lampshade on it by having Envy be like, "PSH NO ONE IS LISTENING TO THIS CONVERSATION, SLOTH LOL" but it's still pretty silly that they stumble upon this crucial piece of information so easily.
-- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep17: So, it's obvious Mustang did not kill Maria Ross -- he does not seem like the type of guy to me who would lose his head that easily, even when dealing with someone who may have murdered his best friend. It is more likely to me that he noticed something suspicious in the way the military approached the investigation -- particularly regarding the swiftness of it and the refusal to accept various forms of evidence and testimony -- and had his suspicions confirmed once he got more information from the people he has scattered all around Central. It remains to be seen exactly who else is in on whatever Mustang is planning. Armstrong is part of the plan for sure. Riza probably knows what's up. I wouldn't be surprised if that doctor is in on it as well, especially since it would be a bit difficult to quickly get a body that could be identified as Maria's, haha. Don't know what he has up his sleeve in Central, or what he needs everyone else to do, but it is clear he does not want to arouse too much doubt in whomever is watching him.
The most interesting part of his plan, to me, is how he deliberately antagonizes Ed with his behavior. Mustang already knows Ed is not one to completely toe the military line, but I think Mustang wants to further instill a disdain for the military lifestyle within Ed so that he never becomes a complacent soldier who only listens to his superiors and loses sight of his humanity. It might be easier to clue Ed in on whatever the plan is, but knowing Ed, he would want to launch himself full force into whatever is happening, and that is the last thing Mustang wants right now, so he is putting Ed into a situation where he is not exactly unhappy to leave Central.
-- Kanamemo eps 2-3: Hm, I am giving it one more episode, but really, I don't see anything in this series that has not been done better in a bajillion other shows (Minami-ke, Ichigo Mashimaro, even Lucky Star). It is not particularly difficult to make me laugh; however, when watching this show, I am getting the sense that it is just going through the motions with the characters and situations. That is just boring.
-- Kemono no Souja Erin ep25: lol filler. Amusing enough episode, since I sort of like Nukku and Mokku, but I would have preferred something that advanced the story. :P
-- Marimite 4th DVD Specials eps 6-8: LOL, the funniest one is Yumi going gaga over the opportunity to be called "onee-sama" by Sachiko. Yumi is so silly.
-- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2 ep7: Poop.
-- Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ eps 15-16: Biggest thing in these episodes is Claudia killing Wisemel, which the Scythe Master/Giuseppe adjusts to by drawing Reiji into a trap. Also, Phantom is alive lol. Guess it is one of those situations where she was really close to death but was pulled out in the nick of time and nursed slowly back to health, until the time came where she would be of use in her master's grand scheme. I feel bad for Reiji getting swept up in all of this. Both Claudia and the Scythe Master are douches (even though Claudia has her reasons), and Reiji is going to get caught in the crossfire, just when he believes everything is going awesome. That kind of sucks.
-- Shugo Chara! Doki eps 41: "I so totally suck." LOL, poor Nagihiko. Anyway, even though he is a bit better near the end of this episode, I still do not like Rhythm. He is full of ew. What probably annoys me most is how all the Charas have taken to him so easily; I feel like Kiseki, haha. Maybe I'm just an old grump. :X
-- Spice and Wolf II eps 2-3: D'oh, Horo is entering crisis mode now. And everything was going so well between her and Lawrence. Probably should have seen this coming, since there was such a concentrated amount of (awesome) flirting between Horo and Lawrence throughout the opening episodes. You cannot be in that good a relationship without some rocky moments coming around the bend. I wonder if this will knock Lawrence down a peg or two; he is so confident that his plan will work, and that he will get 1000 silver Iredo and keep Horo by his side, but keeping information from Horo has dashed those plans. (Not that I blame him too much. It would not be easy to tell someone his or her home is gone.) It's doubly sad because Horo was so happy to hear that she might be closing to getting home once again. Also, somehow, Fermi is a bigger dork than I thought he would be, and I thought he would be a huge dork. Freeing Horo from her contracted debt to Lawrence? Haha, what a silly man.
-- Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 ep3: I really like the sound direction in this episode. The pounding of the pavement during the scene where Yuuki is briefly separated from Mirai and Mari gives that part a nerve-wracking sense of loneliness and fear. Poor little Yuuki gets pushed around so much in this episode. I just want to hug him. :( Now I'm wondering if the series will stick with these three the whole way through. It is going to be only 11 episodes, after all, and there are still likely plenty of perils to face from here on out. Much as I like Yuuki and Mari (and Mirai, too, when she finally gets some sense knocked into her and stops being wracked with guilt :P), I hope some new people will be thrown into the mix soon as well.
-- Umineko no Naku Koro ni eps 3-4: Haha, is it just me or does Battler briefly turn into a Phoenix Wright/Apollo Justice-type character when he refutes Eva's theory that Natsuhi is the killer? There is even Phoenix Wright-esque music in the background! I half expected Battler to shout, "HOLD IT!" before tearing down Eva's carefully crafted argument. Anyway, things are getting serious in the mansion now, and it is basically a sure thing that there will be a reset, because, you know, nearly everyone is dead at this point, and we are just four episodes in. Hopefully the use of the reset will remain fresh and interesting instead of just being a tired plot device. For now, though, the murder mystery/battle against Beatrice is pretty well crafted and suspenseful. Battler needs to stop creating theories, btw -- every time he does, someone dies so that everyone knows he is wrong, haha. What is dominating my thoughts right now is the debate in my head about whether the solution to everything will be a truly supernatural event, or if it will have a semi-logical explanation, as in Higurashi Kai. Right now it does not seem as though it could be anything but supernatural; however, it appeared that way in Higurashi for a good, long while, too.
Really want to say how much I love a few things: 1) The OP and ED to this show. They fit perfectly. 2) Miki Itou. She is so deliciously evil. 3) Battler punching Maria. I do not condone child abuse, except in this case.
-- Vision of Escaflowne eps 17-18: Just because I didn't say it enough earlier this week: WTF @ ISAAC F'ING NEWTON AS THE HEAD OF THE ZAIBACH EMPIRE. What the hell were the creators smoking when they dreamed up that bit of WTFery? Good lord. These two episodes are just ... yeah. WAY too much info-dumping by Mr. Newton. I guess gravity affects evil plots, too, because he is sure in a hurry to slop all that information upon Van, Hitomi and Allen. The episode before is sort of interesting because it reveals the connections between Gaea and Earth, but 3/4 of the episode is also Van going, "FIGHTING? DO NOT WANT" and Allen dealing with his daddy issues. With eight episodes remaining (!!!), the wheels are flying off everywhere. I cannot even conceive of what is to come next.
-- Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei eps 2-3: A couple of really funny episodes here. Although I really like the skit in the first episode about people abandoning potential lives when they pursue an interest, the third episode is more consistently funny than the second. The skit with Nami freaking out about pushing people's buttons (when it is really Kafuka and Nozomu setting them off) is simply hilarious. Funniest part is easily Meru making a cute noise when she is tapped by someone, haha. Harumi going into shipping overdrive when her switch is flipped is also funny. I can sort of identify with the second skit, which is about making a lame third choice when one cannot decide between two main choices. (Like renting an Adam Sandler comedy if you cannot decide between Mel Brooks and the Marx Brothers.) Similar to many Zetsubou Sensei skits, it concludes with Chiri killing someone. Girl has problems.
