But before I get into that, I want to share something. I've been thinking about doing this for a while now, so last night I decided to take the plunge and whip up a quick anime blog: UNMEI KAIHEN. It is approximately the 15,532nd anime blog on the interwebz, but hey, who's counting? Still deciding which shows I'll follow on there right now, but I am thinking Aoi Hana, Bakemonogatari, Cross Game, FMA: Brotherhood and Spice and Wolf II. Whatever we watch in Anime Club will probably be written about as well.
So give it a read some time (you know, when I actually have stuff worth reading there), recommend me to your buddies, etc. I'll provide links here when I update there, but I won't be intrusive or annoying about it. Just a simple link(s) at the top of new posts. Hopefully the site will look a bit better soon, too. Shishou kindly offered to make a banner, so that will be nice. Too bad you have to pay to use CSS on Wordpress, because she offered to do that, as well. :(
Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled post.
Anime discussed: Axis Powers Hetalia, Bakemonogatari, Canaan, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Hayate no Gotoku!!, 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
-- Axis Powers Hetalia ep28: Again, very strange to watch a Christmas-themed episode near the tail end of summer. Finland is a nice guy, though. He knows just what everyone wants! :O
-- Bakemonogatari ep5: I really like the twist in this episode -- that Mayoi is actually the monster/ghost, and that Araragi is the afflicted person rather than Mayoi. It is set up well, with the visuals reinforcing both Araragi and Mayoi's disconnect from their home situations and the way in which that connects them (and also Hanakawa, who can see Mayoi, whereas Senjougahara cannot). What really makes this twist work well is how it allows the main aspect of Araragi's personality -- the part does not allow him to leave a person hanging, no matter who it is -- to really make itself known. And it's that which really draws Senjougahara to Araragi. As much as she makes fun of him, she likes that he is the type of person who just has to help someone in need, even if she is a near-weightless girl who staples his mouth. :P It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops now that they are (sort of) an item. Something random I also like is Bakemonogatari's conception of the dead. If ghosts existed, I think they would have static memories and be single-minded in their purpose, whatever it may be.
-- Canaan ep5: I feel bad for Yunyun. It is pretty obvious in the beginning that whatever Liang Qi gives Yunyun in the beginning of the episode is something that Yunyun absolutely needs and cannot get anywhere, so it is not too surprising when it is revealed at the end that the package has medicine that suppresses the ill effects of the Ua Virus and Yunyun becomimg a Borner. Poor Yunyun finally has some real friends, but she cannot break away from Liang Qi, or else she'll die. That sucks. Yunyun is basically harmless, too. Her attempt to engage Canaan in combat is just silly, more so because of her choice of garment, haha. Kind of reminds me of Nagi going into magical girl mode in Kannagi, actually, which is appropriate given that Yunyun is voiced by Haruka Tomatsu. :P Interested to see more of the plot develop -- specifically, why Snake wants to spread the virus everywhere, and how that plays into the whole synaesthesia thing the show has going on, too. Random thought: Liang Qi is pretty hot in this episode. Jeez.
-- Fullmetal Alchemist eps 40-51: Woo, watched it all in one go with 'Gome and had a good time. I think I will agree with 'Gome in marking this the best run of episodes in FMA. There are some flaws with it, though -- the biggest being that I think Dante is a weak villain. The series takes such care to make the Homunculi interesting and at least somewhat sympathetic, even if you cannot agree with the way they go about trying to become human, but Dante's motivation is just so petty and, really, uninteresting that I was not all that invested in Ed and Al defeating her (although I did want Ed and Al to accomplish their goals). I can see that is part of the point the series is making -- that the desire for immortality is very petty and selfish -- but although I do not like her, Dante is just ... blah as a lead villain. She does not feel as fleshed out and interesting as, say, Lust or Sloth. All she really has is her past with Hohenheim. I also don't really like the weakness of the Homunculi. It's interesting on a symbolic level, but it leads to all sorts of needless practical problems. Plus, the whole "It reminds them that they're fake and thus they can be killed!!" thing just struck me as a bit silly.
But I think the rest of it makes up for that. What is handled particularly well are the conflicts within and between Ed and Al -- whether they should truly use the Philosopher's Stone to regain their original bodies, whether it is right to kill the Homunculi, and so on. And as much as the whole Homunculi weakness stuff irks me, it does at least lead to some good drama with Lust and Sloth. (It is so weird to see Ed and Lust temporarily on the same side lol.) I like that Ed and Al cannot agree upon what to do with Sloth. The younger, purer Al still sees his mother in the Homunculus (even though Sloth wants to kill all traces of the identity within her by murder the Elric brothers), while the battle-hardened Ed wants to kill Sloth, because she is not the mother they intended to bring back.
I even like the WTFness at the end, with the gate being a portal to our universe (or at least a universe much like ours), which Ed visits after being sent to the gate by Dante. The whole human sacrifice element to alchemic energy really rubs it in Ed's face, haha. Everything from the height of alchemy (the Philosopher's Stone) to the low end of the totem pole (basic alchemy) runs on human souls. Ick. It's the same basic principle for both, right? Just that the Philosopher's Stone is a much more concentrated version of alchemic energy, since it takes a much higher soul count to create, whereas your basic alchemy just sort of swipes from whomever's dead soul is floating around in the other world. "One is all, and all is one," I guess lol.
As for other stuff ... I like the fight between Mustang and Pride, although again, the whole Homunculus weakness gives that fight a weaker conclusion than it deserves. Also, I wish Riza were cooler. She does some pretty nifty stuff in this anime, but not nearly as much as she does in the manga/will do in Brotherhood. Oh well. Envy going all batcrap psycho at the end is fun, although we're robbed of the Mustang/Envy confrontation that the manga eventually delivers. (And which also looks holyshitfuckingawesome, if I do say so myself.) Robo!Archer made me lol. I knew Archer would be a bastard as soon as he appeared, because he's voiced by Sho Hayami in the original Japanese, and he plays a ton of evil/insane/fucking out there characters.
-- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep18: Haha, well, since I went on a daylong FMA binge over the weekend, there won't be any random theorizing from me anymore. But, hey, knowing what happens will not make it any less enjoyable, because I am really looking forward to seeing certain things animated. (There is going to be Crowning Moment of Awesome after Crowning Moment of Awesome week after week once this series gets to the endgame.) Anyway, best part this week is seeing Mustang be awesome and execute a plan that allows Maria Ross to safely get out of the country. Tied for a close second are Armstrong's reaction to seeing Maria alive and ninja!Havoc. A bit more of a developmental episode, but next week should be great, since it'll have Mustang and company taking on the Homunculi. (But I'll have to bid a fond adieu to Lust. I'll miss Kikuko Inoue. ;_;)
-- Hayate no Gotoku 2 eps 1-3: Fun beginning to the second season of Hayate no Gotoku. I always enjoy how this show totally undercuts all the feel good moments, such as when it appears Nagi will win the endurance run, and then Katsura comes in at the last second, snatches away Nagi's victory and acts like a total douche about it. Haha. I <3 Katsura. The new character, an ersatz nun named Sonia played by Yui Horie, is pretty funny. I wonder if she'll keep making appearances after this, since she has sworn revenge upon Nagi and Hayate for foiling her father's assassination plans in the previous season. More Yui Horie is always welcome.
-- Kanamemo eps 4-5: lol, this series just bought itself another episode. Didn't really crack up a ton during this one, but the songs at least had me smiling and chuckling much more than the prior episodes, so that is worth something. Haruka adding pervy lyrics and scaring the little girls at every opportunity is the funniest part. Ep5 is kind of a by-the-numbers public bath episode, with some amusing bits involving Haruka being a complete perv. She is pretty much a female Des at this point. Yume and Yuuki being all lovey-dovey the whole time is kind of sweet as well.
-- Kemono no Souja Erin ep26: Lilan is so, so adorable. Like a giant killer puppy. <3
-- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2 ep8: Thank God "Endless Eight" is finally over. Good lord. I don't even want to comment on the ending, because this damn arc irritated me so much.
-- Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ ep17: I am 95 percent sure Cal is not dead -- don't think this series would introduce such a sympathetic character just to kill her off, especially with Ein running around alive again. But seeing poor Reiji heartbroken after watching his apartment explode, certain in the knowledge that Cal was caught in it, is definitely a punch to the gut. And, uh, I hate both Claudia and Scythe Master a LOT right now, although the latter is getting most of my hatred at the moment. Claudia at least has a somewhat sympathetic backstory, even if she is a stone-cold backstabber. (Though it would be easier to feel a bit more sorry for Lizzie is she didn't get caught by the enemy so damn much. lol) But, yeah, Claudia and Scythe have manipulated people left and right, and everyone I like is getting caught in the crossfire. Bah @ them. Lizzie has at least shown a couple of signs of turning; for now, however, she is still on Claudia's side, if only due to extreme loyalty. But, really, Claudia threw Lizzie to the wolves, and took the chance that she would make it out alive. Claudia is out for No. 1 and that's it -- realize this and kick ass with Reiji plz Lizzie.
-- Shugo Chara! Doki eps 42-43: Ep42 is a fun episode. Amu in a samurai outfit is hilarious, as is Amu being driven halfway to insanity by everyone showing up and discovering her plan to keep Ikuto's condition hidden from Utau. El is especially funny. "When it comes to hiding things, El says, 'No!'" Oh, El. I also love how pathetic Easter is without Ikuto. The three scientists are just so bad at their jobs, haha. They can make the theory, but when it comes to applying it on the field, they cannot even do a simple thing like not leaving their extension cords out in the open. So silly. Utau's concert is a great capper to the episode. Nana Mizuki is such a good singer, and the little touches the Guardians add to the concert are a nice visual spectacle. Ep43 is a cute episode that, like many Shugo Chara! episodes, pushes along the main story just a little bit. The main question right now is what exactly are Easter's plans with Ikuto and how does it tie in with the newly-obtained knowledge that the Embryo appears after the cleansing of X Eggs rather than their initial gathering.
-- Spice and Wolf II ep4: Haha, this is one of those occasions where the economics talk goes over my head for a while but then I eventually catch up after thinking about it for a while. Lawrence has another crazy plan where things could go well, or they could go insanely wrong. I am thinking things will not go quite as smoothly as Lawrence intends, although he will win out in the end. Even though Amarty has the type of personality Lawrence can take advantage of, he also does not strike me as dumb enough to let Lawrence do his thing and completely screw up their bet/duel. His chivalric feelings will probably get in the way; however, he likely has some tricks up his sleeve that Lawrence will not expect. Hell, he has already gotten one up on Lawrence already, so why can't he get close to doing it again? Pretty entertaining episode despite the lack of Horo, since Lawrence setting up his Xanatos Gambit is fun to watch.
-- Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 ep4: OMG THANK GOD LITTLE YUUKI IS OK. And Mirai is just ... I can identify with the random anger of her age, but of course that does not make her likable in any way. Hopefully this is enough to give her at least a decently-sized attitude adjustment. She needs to treat Yuuki right, because it seems like every time she snaps at him, he ends up in mortal peril. Tokyo Tower falling is pretty scary. I'd probably have the Heroic BSOD going for a good while if I saw that.
-- Umineko no Naku Koro ni eps 5-6: Kind of a weird episode but also one that sets the stage for the rest of the series. Basically Battler and crew get owned and metaphorically pissed on by Beatrice, who really does exist and is fucking with them for the lulz her own amusement, and the amusement of another witch she knows. This is how the series will approach the resets, I guess -- Beatrice sets up a scenario for everyone to solve, and they either get the job done, or Beatrice kills the fuck out of them all. It's not an ideal way for the story to unfold; however, it could still be interesting, so I'll withhold too much judgment on that until we get more of the story. With this episode, I mostly laughed at Battler being all, "OMG WITCHES DO NOT EXIST AND I CAN PROVE IT BY POINTING OUT HOW HUMANS COULD HAVE DONE ALL THE MURDERS, BUT I WILL NOT ACTUALLY EXPLAIN ANYTHING." Come on, man. Accept the witch into your heart. Unless it will make you become like Maria. Then it's OK to be all, "oh fuck no." Remember this for next time, guys: Go after the riddle, or else you will be fool's mate'd again, and corner the bejeezus out of Maria, because she is the king. OMG CHESS
Ep6 is mainly a character episode -- you've got two people at the very bottom of the totem pole, the servants Shannon and Kanon. Both are supposed to be completely defined by their positions as servants in the Ushiromiya household, to the point where they refer to themselves as "furniture" (and deny their humanity) and never go by their real names. ("Shannon" and "Kanon" are pseudonyms, and Kanon has even forgotten his actual name.) Both are in love with a member of the Ushiromiya family: Shannon with George, and Kanon with Jessica. The witch, Beatrice, approaches them both, and promises to make their dreams of love come true, in exchange for some help. Shannon accepts the offer; Kanon declines, partly because he senses Beatrice is toying with them for the purposes of regaining her power (she asks Shannon to shatter a mirror that keeps her power in check), and partly because he probably cannot conceive of a way in which he can live happily with Jessica. Poor guy is made to feel like total trash and is just really bitter about his position in life but is also resigned to the fact that he cannot really do anything about it. It will be interesting to see if this arc focuses upon this group of characters, and if subsequent arcs will also develop in this manner.
-- Valkyria Chronicles ep11: Pretty good episode. Jaeger is all kinds of awesome in it, pushing Selvaria's buttons the whole time and then flirting like mad with Alicia when he happens upon her in the hallway. The next episode makes it appear as though they will be working with Welkin, Faldio et al, so the plan to kidnap the princess probably has something to do with Alexander's rivals' plan to gain more power. She is even more important now that it's known that she is a descendant of the Valkyur (which is obvious once she takes off that ornate headdress, haha). I'm looking forward to the two sides teaming up to kick some ass, since, again, I like the "villains" more each time we see them.
-- Vision of Escaflowne eps 19-20: Man, Fasterisk was not joking at all when he said these two episodes would be rough. Introducing "another gravity" to change the vectors of Hitomi's heart?! (Dornkirk already has enough Vector with his headquarters imo.) Folken and Catgirl Assassin No. 1 acting out the parts of Allen and Hitomi, and somehow affecting their actions?! (They at least know how to act as retarded and insipid as Allen and Hitomi when they're romancin'.) That stupid, utterly retarded ending of ep19?! (You can see it coming probably about 5-7 minutes before it happens, and you steel yourself for it, but when it actually happens, all the effort in the world cannot stop the pain of that palm smacking against your forehead at the speed of light.) Fortune Blood?! (That is Bat Credit Card bad.) Holy freaking lord. Just a pair of terrible, terrible episodes all around. How can one series use love and romance in so many awful ways? How?? Oi. However, Fasterisk also informs me that the quality increases in the run up to the finale, so that is good at least. I would hate to think that the series could get any lower than this. In fact, I think I will go ahead and pretend none of this ever happens. Van and Hitomi are fighting for some undisclosed reason, other things are going on, etc. Nothing different at all! Yay!
-- Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei ep4: The TPO (Time Place Occasion) skit kind of falls flat for me at first, but once they get into the realm of really inappropriate stuff, and then Kafuka discusses when it is good to break away from TPO, it becomes hilarious. Best part is the end, where Kafuka warps everyone to the Sengoku period -- nobody fits in except Chiri, who blends right in because she is a vicious, insane killer. I like the different character model the show uses when characters go insane lol. It looks so creepy, especially the eyes. The second skit, about "privation days" (where people celebrate days off in small ways, because they cannot really afford to have extravagant vacations), also takes a while to build but is pretty funny by the end, when Kiri shares the way she spends her privation days.
