Haha, I know, really early to be posting this. What can I say, I did not want to wait.
Big ol' UNMEI KAIHEN link dump because I have not done one in a while: Ep12 of Spice and Wolf II, ep11 of Aoi Hana, ep25 of FMA: Brotherhood, ep12 of Bakemonogatari, a special post about the ending of Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ and eps 12-13 of Kare Kano. I am a busy person!
Also, a couple of changes to the weekly anime post here. First off, there is an index near the top so you all can easily see which series I talk about in each post (I went back and edited in indexes for all the posts) and see if something catches your eye. Fun. (Remember, all of these anime posts are tagged if you want to venture through my archive!) I've also borrowed a bit of formatting from how Des used to do his anime posts, so hopefully these posts will look a bit less disorganized from now on, haha.
Anime discussed: Aoi Hana, Axis Powers Hetalia, Bakemonogatari, Canaan, The Daughter of Twenty Faces, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Genshiken 2, Kämpfer, Kemono no Souja Erin, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~, Rose of Versailles, Shugo Chara! Doki, Sora no Manimani, Spice and Wolf II, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Aoi Hana ep11
Good, sweet episode with which to end the series. What it emphasizes most is moving forward -- there are constant reminders of it throughout. Acchan switching to her winter uniform signifies a switch of seasons, a fresh start to the school year. Sugimoto's decision to study abroad is a move forward for her. Acchan and Fumi visiting the condemned school building is most definitely symbolic of a move forward. The building represents the memories of the past that have built up -- both good and bad -- and the way it will be destroyed and rebuilt into something new and strong clearly represents Fumi's resolve to be happy and find someone who can make her happy. Fumi is so much stronger and happier now. In the beginning montage, she is seen laughing and talking openly with her friends. That is a complete 180 from her behavior at the beginning of the series! And aside from that, this is just a fun episode. The Christmas party Fumi and friends have is good times. I smiled a whole bunch during that segment.
Aoi Hana is definitely one of the best series of a really good summer season. It's a romance that is subtle and understated, and yet is full of passion. The relationships between everyone develop in interesting ways, and while Fumi starts the season as an emotional, flawed lead, she develops such strength throughout the series, and I love watching her self-esteem soar. There are still so many directions Aoi Hana can go in, and I hope one day the show gets a second season. It definitely deserves it.
Axis Powers Hetalia ep36
WTF, why does America hang around with an alien? Haha. I guess he has to keep that Area 51 evidence stashed somewhere. This episode parallels the ways in which America and Japan spend winter. Japan is very pragmatic and stocks up on things he needs, while America spends his time playing video games and wallowing in misery when his light bulb burns out. Hilarity Ensues.
Bakemonogatari ep12
Haha, wow, I expected another episode in the Hanekawa arc, but instead SHAFT delivers a fantastic episode that really shows off how wonderful Senjougahara and Araragi's relationship is. (And boy am I glad to see Senjougahara again! She has been absent from the series for way too long.) The first half is a hilarious variation on the ol' "awkward family moment is awkward" storyline, with Senjougahara employing her normal teasing routine to Araragi (including some hilarious flirting), except that her eerily silent father is in the front seat of his car, driving Senjougahara and Araragi to the destination of their first date. And when Senjougahara's father does speak, it turns out he is voiced by Fumihiko Tachiki ... aka Gendo Ikari. That is a pretty bad omen, but Senjougahara's dad and Araragi have a nice scene in the middle of the episode that shows how much he appreciates his daughter and her happiness.
The second half of the episode is one long, sweet moment where Senjougahara shows Araragi exactly how much she cares for him. As subversive as Bakemonogatari is, it does such a good job of making Senjougahara and Araragi work well together and make you really want to root for them, even though Araragi can be kind of a dip. Senjougahara is a very forceful person, but she also genuinely cares for Araragi and relates to him on a touching emotional level. The part where she marks the boundaries of where she wants her physical relationship with Araragi to go is also interesting. She needs that sense of power, I think, because of the way she was treated before. She doesn't do it because she likes withholding sex from Araragi, or whatever, but because she needs to be absolutely ready before it happens. The fact that she flirts with Araragi so much tells me she likes physical fun -- it just needs to be the type with which she is comfortable.
Canaan ep13
I have pretty mixed feelings about the ending. The action is really good as always, and I sort of like the conclusion of Alphard and Canaan's story. It is interesting how Alphard tries to free Canaan from the past by switching in Maria as the source of Canaan's devotion rather than Siam, but then she realizes Canaan has already moved on from the past and lives for her friends in the present, while Alphard is the one who cannot truly move on from "the snake's curse", as she terms it. Definitely more interesting on Alphard's end, though. Canaan's end of things feels kind of corny and obvious. And don't even get me started on Maria ... her survival is terribly contrived. She acts like a dope the whole time and still gets saved by Yunyun? Lame. (I also call BS on her photo exhibit. No way her shitty pictures are good enough to be put on display anywhere. Her fourth grade classroom wouldn't take that crap.) Alphard's survival is pretty unbelievable, too, but I can somewhat accept that since she is just short of being superhuman, even with one arm. I guess I like the very end OK, with everyone moving on and walking on their own, in their own ways. I totally cheered for the return of the taxi driver and went WTF @ monk!Cummings. Did not recognize him at all at first. lol @ me
Canaan ended up OK. The action is pretty kickass throughout, and I enjoy how the series keeps you guessing with Alphard and her murky motivations. But it was tough for me to get into some of the story, especially the stuff that concentrated on developing Canaan and Maria's friendship, because Maria feels like a completely useless character to me. What does she bring to the table? She gets captured half the time, takes crappy photos and can do a cat's cradle. Sounds like a lead to me!
The Daughter of Twenty Faces eps 14-17
And the story continues to grow more interesting, although I wonder where it will go from here, since many things have been revealed, and yet there are still five episodes remaining. The guy who looks like the Big Bad -- Kakashima Kouhei, a professor who worked with Twenty Faces during the war to find the fourth state of water, which can produce untold amounts of energy -- has shown up. I distrusted the guy from the start, haha. He just has this evil air to him. Maybe it is the beard. With this much time remaining, though, I am curious about what exactly Twenty Faces is planning. I don't think he's planning to destroy the world, or anything, but I don't think his aim is something as simple as preventing the fourth state of water from being discovered. He has been working behind the scenes on something, I'm sure. Those superhumans Kouhei has working for him are interesting, too. What else were they working on during the war? lol
I also enjoyed the filler-ish ep15. A pretty funny episode, especially Shunka's fantasy about her, Chiko and Tome forming the "Beautiful Detective Girls". I think Tome should follow Shunka's advice and be the sex appeal portion of the group. Damn. Poor Tome is just embarrassed by the suggestion, though, haha. The part where Tome and Shunka team up to help Chiko out of a quick spot -- even though they are largely ineffective -- is pretty damn funny, too. Tome and Shunka have such devotion to Chiko. <3
eps 18-22
Not a bad run of episodes to end with. There are still some nice twists and turns (Kouhei having experimented on himself, the first demonstration of the power of light being successful, and so on), although the finale is not quite as twisty as the rest of the series. It is kind of straightforward, actually, which is kind of disappointing considering how unorthodox this show is most of the time, but I enjoyed the climax, so it is not that big a deal. Maybe my only real big complaint about the finale is that Kouhei is not developed all that much. (He does get a short moment near the end where he appears a bit remorseful about what he has done, because he remembers how he started out as an optimistic scientist until he got tangled up in research funded by the war.) He is an entertaining enough villain, and he is enough of a prick where you want to see Chiko and Twenty Faces take him down, but he never really takes the leap to become a great villain. Ah well. Seeing Chiko use her brains and brawn to take him down is cool nonetheless.
But maybe I should renege on my statement that there are no twists at the end, because the series ends on an epilogue episode of sorts, which takes place three years after Chiko defeats Kouhei and parts ways with Twenty Faces. It is similar in tone to the Detective Girls episode, although there is a sense of moving on that isn't present in ep15. Shunka visits Chiko in England (where she now lives) and they catch up with each other, while Shunka gathers the courage to move on with her life (and her arranged marriage) without falling back into fantasy. (Kind of a weird message there. Hopefully Shunka doesn't marry a douche.) There is also some Detective Girls-esque adventures, when Shunka and Chiko save a lost Japanese boy from a serial murderer, and Ken and Dr. Kayami (who kick ass in the previous episode btw) beat the shit out of the murderer when Chiko and Shunka are gone. Not the most exciting episode ever, but it works as an epilogue.
The Daughter of Twenty Faces is a pretty good show overall. Chiko is a kickass protagonist for sure. I wish Aya Hirano had more opportunities to do her badass voice, although I like the contrast between badass!Chiko and regular girl!Chiko. The way the series shifts tones so often is interesting, as well, although that unpredictability does work against the show by the end.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep25
This episode may as well have been called "Envy is a Huge Asshole". It's one thing to read about his exploits in the manga, but it is quite another to hear the devious little shit brag about killing a child to cause the Amestris-Ishbal civil war and then describe with utter glee how his disguise got an innocent, presumably peaceloving military officer executed. But instead of running away like a little douche, Envy figures he might as well finally throw down for real with Ed and Ling since they are all going to die in Gluttony's stomach, anyway. Envy's true form is still creepy as hell, though I think it is a bit scarier in black and white. The color makes it a bit less stark and threatening. But who the hell am I kidding? I would shit my pants if I saw that monster either way. Can't wait for Ed and Ling to take him on next episode.
Genshiken 2 eps 1-3
All the drama behind the production of Genshiken's first doujinshi plays out through these first three episodes. This has some pretty big implications for Sasahara down the road, because he sees firsthand how tough it is to work with a distinct personality like Kugayama who has his own way of doing creative work. These episodes really speak more to me now than they did when I first watched them, because of the work I did on the student newspaper in college. When you get a bunch of people together to work on something, there will inevitably be clashes. People just have different ideas on how to do things, different paces for doing work, different talent levels and talent areas and so on and so forth. This is a huge lesson for Sasahara on how to deal with talent and get the most out of it. (A semi-failure is still a lesson learned. :P) But at least they have a hell of a good time at Comifes. It's pretty damn rewarding to see people reading and enjoying something you worked your ass off to put out, so I'm happy for Genshiken. There's also a hilarious moment where Kousaka dresses in drag to sell the doujinshi with Ohno. The best part is that the Genshiken guys still admire him even though they know he is a dude. LOL Saki just explodes when she sees him, and poor Kuchiki is the unfortunate victim of that, hahaha.
Kämpfer ep1
lol guilty pleasure fanservice anime ahoy! This is my first show of the fall season, and it is a weird little number about a high school student, Natsuru Senou, who, for whatever reason, wakes up to find he has a mysterious bracelet that transforms him into a female fighter -- a Kämpfer -- whereupon (s)he battles with other Kämpfers in town. And, uh, normal high school hijinks also ensue. It's totally dumb and trashy, with no real merit to it, and yet I am watching anyway. What does this say about me? There are some funny things, though. The main character swings a tiger stuffed animal by the intestines while said animal explains the rules of Kämpfer to him. And I do not think I will stop gawking at Marina Inoue voicing a young man any time soon. It sounds so strange. And I do like Akane Mishima, the person Senou fights in the beginning, when she is a Kämpfer. Yui Horie + anger and bloodlust = awesome. Librarian!Mishima is cute but nowhere near as awesome.
Bottom line: This will suck, but I will keep watching unless it really sucks.
Kemono no Souja Erin ep34
Ial~! When he shows up, you know you are going to get some cool action, and this episode does not disappoint. I doubt I will ever tire of Ial being Clint Eastwood, except with a bow and arrow instead of a six-shooter. What a badass. Once again I wish he were in the series more often. Also, Ial posits an interesting theory: The Saigamul are completely devoted to the Grand Duke, so at first it does not seem beyond the realm of possibility that they would assassinate the Queen to put the Grand Duke in power. However, the Saigamul are also against any action that would dishonor the Grand Duke, and, uh, coming into power on the heels of an assassination plot is pretty dishonorable. So Ial suggets that the "Saigamul" who have been trying to kill the Queen are impostors. Makes sense to me, especially if Kiriku is part of the group. He has every reason in the world to hate the elites of this world, so why would he then join a group dedicated to serving the second most powerful elite in the country? Makes no sense at all -- unless they are not really the Saigamul. But then that raises the question of what their actual plan is. They clearly want the Queen gone, but then what will happen with the Grand Duke afterward?
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ ep26
The ending to the series REALLY pissed me off when I first saw it. I mean, it seriously made me angry as hell. All that build throughout the series, all the pain and suffering and fighting Reiji and Ellen went through, all that work Reiji and Ellen did to finally find Ellen's home after killing the Scythe Master ... and Reiji gets killed in the final seconds by a faceless assassin, and Ellen is going crazy with grief, getting ready to commit suicide, already dead herself or whatever. Pissed me the hell off. Buuuuuuuut, after taking some time to reflect on it, the ending has grown on me much more. Obviously it is a really depressing ending -- sure, Reiji and Ellen are killers, but they are the cool, likable kind. They're the heroes. They are supposed to live!
Except they are not heroes. Reiji and Ellen are just two people who are trying to survive by any means necessary. It is the same with Cal, later. Whether it is fair or not, they got pulled into the world of the mafia, and as they repeat again and again, like a mantra, in that world it is either kill or be killed. Reiji says it at the end: "I will kill. In order to live, I will kill." In this underworld, the moment you stop killing is the moment you stop living. Ellen "dies" at first because she protects Scythe Master instead of killing Reiji. Claudia dies because she is backed into a corner and cannot protect herself anymore. Lizzie dies because she cannot take another needless death onto her hands. Cal dies because she does not have the heart (or, perhaps, the skill, though the alcohol probably had something to do with it too!) to kill Reiji. Scythe Master dies because his creations cannot kill Reiji and Ellen. Reiji (and possibly Ellen) dies because he thinks about starting a new life instead of continuing to spread death. This should not be a shock to anyone, really. Reiji and Ellen were fated to die eventually. With Inferno's vast network, there was no way either of them could live for long without being on guard 24/7. Just one moment letting one's mind wander, and bam! That's it. Completely tragic, but with the way this story is told, it is the only way it can end properly, I think.
And, really, if I am going to be annoyed with, say, Canaan for being a bit corny and predictable with its ending, then I may as well praise Bee Train for having the balls to go through with an ending like this. It is not a happy ending, but it is the right ending. If there is anything to complain about, it's how easily Reiji and Ellen curb stomp Scythe Master's ZOMG PERFECT FIGHTING MACHINES. It is like pitting Mike Tyson in his prime against Glass Joe from Punch Out!!
Rose of Versailles eps 1-5
Oscaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar~~~~~ <3 <3 <3 I feel like I have been waiting for Oscar my whole life. Hot damn. There are strong hints of an internal conflict within Oscar regarding being raised in a more masculine way versus a hidden desire to act more ladylike, but right now I am just enjoying her kicking ass and taking names everywhere she goes. I pretty much fell in love with her when she duels with Gerodere. The cocky way she leans against the tree while he passes by on horseback, the way she mocks him while subtly making sure she is not a sideshow for the crowds of elites, the way she just freaking destroys Gerodere in that sword fight ... OSCAR~! But even though I freaking love me some Oscar, I like that there isn't a huge focus on her so far ... the series is just biding its time until Oscar gets completely settled in to Versailles, and in the meantime there is a storyline about newcomer Marie Antoinette and her first taste of power politics in Versailles.
That story is so many things: Totally absurd, incredibly petty, quite silly ... and yet as it unfolds, damn it, I was completely hooked, because it is so tense and because there is a sinister undercurrent to the whole thing. The basic gist of the story is that Louis XV's mistress, Madame Du Barry, is pissed off because Marie Antoinette keeps snubbing her. (Marie Antoinette doesn't like Du Barry, because Du Barry, in her mind, is a ho who slept her way to the top.) It is a completely silly rivalry for many reasons: 1) It's a young girl pitted against a prostitute (a powerful prostitute, but a prostitute nonetheless). 2) Various people goad both Marie Antoinette and Du Barry into fighting each other harder because they all want more influence in the court. And 3) Because Du Barry's manipulations make this into a matter of pride for Louis XV, there is a chance that if Marie Antoinette pisses Du Barry off too much, the fragile alliance between France and Austria will be broken, and the two countries will go to war. Yes, a war could start due to a cat fight.
But it is tense because there is real danger there, and not just from the threat of war. The Duke d'Orleans uses Du Barry's terrible greed and jealousy as a means to worm his way into the throne. Luckily his plans fail because Oscar pwns and he sucks. Oscar doesn't even know about his plans, and yet she owns him like there is no tomorrow. Suck on that, loser. Also, what makes it really tense is that the visual style is so wonderful. It is completely '70s and plays everything to the hilt. The visuals are, like, in permanent 11 mode. It makes for wonderful melodrama. I watch Marie Antoinette and Du Barry confront each other when Marie needs to stop with the snubbing, and then there is a progression of both their facial expressions split off into different parts of the screen, and I cannot help but say, "Yep, now I know why Utena's style is so inspired by Rose of Versailles." This is like '70s Utena, but not quite as crazy ... yet. But it might be if there are more shots like Du Barry's epic and terribly unnecessary evil laugh when she finally wins one over Marie Antoinette, and then a black rose blooms, falls apart and the petals coil around Marie. So over the top, and so awesome at the same time. This is shoujo at its very best.
eps 6-10
Oh snap, things are getting more complex now. I actually feel sort of sorry for Du Barry at the end. She's a horrible person and completely selfish, and it is not as if she does not deserve what she gets. But she is as much a product of the time as she is a genuinely terrible woman. There is a pretty huge gap between the haves and the have nots here, and everyone is running around trying to get more power and influence. The scene after Louis XV dies is enough to make anyone's stomach turn: A bunch of Marie Antoinette supporters practically gallop down the hall, shout "Long live the King!" and actually congratulate Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI on becoming queen and king now that their grandfather is dead. Damn, have some tact, people! And now we have a replacement for Du Barry in Jeanne, a poor woman who passes herself off as a noble and quickly swindles her benefactor out of her property as part of her plot to infiltrate the highest stratum of Versailles society. Cold blooded, man. Cold blooded. Her husband is a freaking douche, too. The guy pretty much gleefully whips Jeanne's sister, Rosalie, when Jeanne makes up some cock and bull story about Rosalie blackmailing her, when Rosalie simply wants a bit of money to help herself and her mother along, because the mom is sick and Rosalie cannot find work. Whatta douche.
In other news, Oscar still owns. Her most GAR moment in this run of episodes is her reaction to Du Barry threatening to cut up Oscar's face with a knife if Oscar does not get Marie Antoinette to change her opinion of Du Barry. Oscar simply walks a bit closer to the knife, lets it cut her face just a little bit and walks away while Du Barry is all, "HOLY SHIT HARDCORE O_O" Bad. Ass. A close second is Oscar leaping from her horse to save Marie Antoinette from an accident and then roughly pulling out a piece of wood that is absolutely buried in her arm. She nearly dies from her injuries but then is like, "OH HELL NO DEATH" and Death backs the hell off, because it's Oscar laying down the law. Third is the way she effortlessly gets Hans Axel von Fersen to totally get a hard on for her when he finds out Oscar is a woman. "HOLY SHIT, REALLY? SHE'S MANLIER THAN I AM. <3 <3 <3"
With the shadow of the Revolution continually hanging over the series (ep10 features references to people like Maximilien Robespierre) and more people noticing the disparity between the rich and the poor, some shit will be stirred quite soon, I think. Looking forward to it!
Shugo Chara! Doki ep51
This makes up for the last episode, I think. It goes deeper into Hikaru's reasons for hunting the Embryo -- instead of looking like a little brat now, he is more of a scared little kid who is desperately trying to feel something, since the way Hoshina raised him took that away. Instead of being annoyed with him like I was last episode, I could really sympathize with the little guy and see what really drives him deep inside. By the end, I wanted to hug the poor little kid so badly. ;_; Hoshina gets a nice end, too, realizing what a prick he was to his grandson, and he vows to do right by him from now on. The battle against the giant X Creature is cool, too, particularly Amu's Open Heart FULL VOLUME~ Hell to the yes. Good stuff. And oh snap @ Ikuto at the end, giving Amu a quick smooch on the cheek. :O A flustered Amu is an awesome Amu. Good on Ikuto for knowing this. And he also flusters both Tadase and Utau with that kiss, haha. The very end hints that there is a new enemy around (at least there should be, from the presence of the X Eggs), so I guess we will see where that goes next season.
I enjoyed Shugo Chara! Doki overall. Maybe not quite as good as the first season, but the filler isn't too bad at all since Lulu is a worthy anime-only character. And I like how some of the relationships developed -- particularly Nagihiko and Rima's friendship and Rima and Yaya's friendship. But my biggest concern is that Doki resolves just about every major storyline in Shugo Chara! All that's left, really, is the romantic relationships and Nagihiko's true identity. Again, the very end hints at a new enemy, but I'm still wary. The series is basically caught up to the manga now, but it's still plowing ahead with no break, so the new season could enter filler hell. Shugo Chara! filler is generally good, but a whole season of it? I don't know.
Sora no Manimani eps 9-11
Three pretty good episodes with the Astronomy Club members making some new friends from other schools and going on a fun (and dangerous!) trip. I like the new people from Nogishiro High School. The president of Nogishiro's Astronomy Club, Ayumi Oumi, is especially cool. The Ooygai x Oumi teasing is kind of funny, although that is dashed to bits when it is revealed that Oumi has a past with good ol' president Roma. Another guy at Nogishiro, Musa (played by my boy Daisuke Ono), has some funny scenes with Hime. He is being pushed a little too hard as a potential rebound candidate for Hime for when the inevitably Ooyagi x Mihoshi pairing happens, though. Funniest part of ep9 is poor Edogawa being stuck with two guys who are REALLY enthusiastic about astronomy photography, haha. Ep11 has some nice moments with Hime and Mihoshi getting a bit closer, and Mihoshi completely misunderstanding what Hime means when she calls Mihoshi her "rival".
But ep10 is the definite standout here. It's an overall sweet episode about Ooyagi, Hime and Edogawa trying to find a way to cheer Mihoshi up after they stumble upon her visiting her father's grave. (Her dad died in a car accident a while back, unbeknownst to those three.) Mihoshi insists she is fine, because she does not want to make things awkward for her friends, but they still want to do something for her, and that act of kindness allows her to unleash all the sorrow and loneliness that had built up in her since her dad died. Stars heal everything, however!
Spice and Wolf II ep12
Very good end to what is perhaps the best arc in either of Spice and Wolf's seasons. Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about it -- it alone shot this series way up my summer favorites list. The way it builds off the growth of Lawrence and Horo's relationship at the end of the first arc, and how it explores both Horo's fears and Lawrence's feelings, is simply excellent. It's fun when Lawrence and Horo flirt, but it is downright fascinating to see how the happiness that comes from Horo's relations with Lawrence simultaneously makes her fearful that it could all disappear in an instant. It all comes to a head in this episode in this episode, when Lawrence finally makes the tough decision about what is more important to him -- achieving his dream, or staying with Horo. We all know what he will choose, but the journey to arrive at that decision is so fantastic. And Horo ... well, when she sees how serious Lawrence is, she cannot help but go along with his resolve, even though her biggest fear is that the relationship will fizzle and she will be left with nothing but regrets. (What really spurs this on his hearing about Dian's story and hearing about the destruction of her homeland.) But, as Lawrence says, a wish is not a wish if you do not actually wish for it. If Lawrence and Horo want badly enough for their relationship to work, it will work. And the ending is just perfect. Love the bells chiming as Lawrence and Horo stroll through town.
Abe is a really fascinating character, too. She is probably my favorite side character in all of Spice and Wolf. The most tragic thing about her is how all the bluffing and layers of identity under which she hides really obscures the extreme loneliness she feels. I really think Abe is an extreme example of what Lawrence might have become if he never met Horo. Lawrence probably would never have physically threatened someone as Abe does to him, nor would his greed probably be as vast, but still, what else would he really have if Horo never came into his life? He was never serious about Chloe, so profit is all he would be able to think about. Lawrence liked people, for sure, but he always kept them at a distance due to the merchant-consumer relationship. Horo did more than alleviate Lawrence's loneliness -- she changed his entire outlook on people. But Abe never had anything like that. The rough life she had growing up twisted her into someone who seeks profit at all costs ... but she retains a sliver of hope that she can overcome the greed that destroyed the aristocrat who originally bought her. That really got to me.
In all, I think Spice and Wolf's second season easily surpasses the first. Lawrence and Horo's relationship is deeper, and the whole Abe storyline is just wonderful on every front. Hopefully it is not too long before Brains Base makes a third season, since there are a few unanswered questions (how Horo and Lawrence get out of the city during the riot, and how Abe's plan turns out).
Umineko no Naku Koro ni eps 13-14
So, wow, a few big hits delivered this episode. First, the story with Beatrice being killed, as remembered by Rosa, is accurate, at least as far as the red truth is concerned. We know that Beatrice actually was a human and existed in that hidden mansion in 1967, and was apparently killed in an accident. The language is just vague enough to make me concerned, though. Ronove says Beatrice existed as a human in the hidden mansion in 1967 ... but he doesn't exactly confirm that who Battler sees is actually Beatrice. It is a small point to hinge on, but Beatrice and her "furniture" have already displayed an inclination toward language games (and being pricks in general, haha), so they will use any loophole they can get, I think.
Then Beatrice says no more than 18 people exist on "this" Rokkenjima. She obviously wants Battler to believe she is talking about the present Rokkenjima, to get rid of any thought that there might be more than the 18 Beatrice wants Battler to suspect, but she does leave open the possibility that there are just 18 people in the flashback Rokkenjima. Is this a deliberate stretching of the truth to confuse Battler, or is she actually referring to present Rokkenjima? I'm not sure. Obviously, if it's in the past, there are going to be people missing -- Battler and Jessica, for instance, are not yet born, I think, and neither are Kanon or Shannon. (Unless either or both is much older than they appear.) We don't have to know who each of the 18 is for Beatrice's statement to be accurate. There just have to be 18 people.
Finally, Beatrice's former teacher shows up in the guise of Chiyo, the elderly housekeeper. The big question here is whether she has always been Chiyo, or if she is Chiyo beginning this arc. If there is any consistency among the arcs we have been show, that would mean Chiyo has always been Beatrice's teacher. (That is, of course, unless Chiyo is elsewhere at this time, and Beatrice's teacher assumes Chiyo's form to draw out Beatrice.) In Beatrice's flashback, the teacher was portrayed as more of a "good" witch, so I wonder if she will stand against Beatrice in any way and help out the Ushiromiyas. Also, she probably has some bad limitations to her magic (as she hinted in Beatrice's flashback), because if she has been Chiyo the whole time, she has not looked particularly strong lol.
So there is one potential advantage to Battler, although he might not recognize it since he still denies the existence of witches. If there is a way to explain all this logically, I am certainly not seeing it, which means I am falling into Beatrice's trap. Oh no! Interesting that Beatrice chose to kill off all the servants and Kinzo this go around and is apparently letting all the Ushiromiyas join the fun, although she might have to murder one of them if Chiyo is dead set on joining the game this time.
... And ep14 turns things around even more! Beatrice's teacher, Virgilia, fights Beatrice, loses and then decides to help out Battler because Beatrice is a douche and is using her magic for asshole-ish purposes. (And she disguises herself as Chiyo for just this arc, since it is shown later that the real Chiyo is dead.) Virgilia is an immediate help to Battler -- she gets him to think much differently about the magic used by Beatrice. Basically, because Battler doesn't understand how Beatrice does the things she does, it appears like magic to him, like fire might appear to someone who does not know how it is made. The explanation that two or more truths could exist for someone who does not know the real solution seems to fit in with what we have been presented with so far. (There are so many hints regarding the need for magic to be believed in to actually work. I feel dumb for not latching onto that harder earlier.) At this point, that proclamation seems like a real, "lol trolled" moment from the story, haha.
But what is just as interesting as that is Beatrice losing her cool, throwing out Red Truths left and right and then Ronove prevents Beatrice from stating the last Red Truth, which would have been "An accidental death among the six did not happen" or something similar to that. Why does Ronove stop her from saying this and basically call a time out afterward? There are a couple of explanations I can think of. First, he is afraid that as potential explanations are whittled away, the newly confident Battler will chip away at Beatrice until he finally corners her and discovers the real truth. But a second, and more interesting, explanation is that the Red Truths are similar to Beatrice's magic -- real only because Battler cannot conceive of an alternate, more plausible, scenario. Beatrice says she tells the absolute truth when she whips out those statements, but she is of course trying to prove her scenario correct to Battler. Each verbal tool she employs is biased because of this and cannot be completely trusted, even if Beatrice lays out rules that state these Red Truths are true. If they turn out to not be true, and Battler learns this, then Beatrice loses a huge advantage.
As for the way the story is laid out right now, Battler gets it narrowed down to one of six people as the culprit: The five servants, and Kinzo himself. Kanon and Shannon I want to cross off right away; obviously I cannot 100 percent throw out the possibility one of them killed the others, but I don't think either of them would, especially for Beatrice. Of the remaining four, I am not sure who I suspect most. Then there is the problem of how exactly the final person dies. IF the Red Truth can be trusted (which is doubtful at this point), homicide, suicide and an accident are ruled out. What other ways are there for people to die? Haha. This is why I am so damn suspicious of those Red Truths.
And, uh, Eva has hit the jackpot. Has she really solved the riddle, or is this another trap? There are still 12 episodes remaining, so I am guessing no on the riddle solving. But we'll see.
LOL, I also have to mention how awesome Beatrice is in this episode. She is totally arrogant all throughout her battle with Virgilia, and her two laughs when she reconvenes with Battler are magnificent. <3 Beato
Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei ep11
This episode follows the normal pattern of episodes this season -- two good skits and one that peters out at the end, although the final skit is pretty good as far as the usual final skits go, and the ending is pretty damn funny. The first skit, with everyone trying on tinted glasses that cause them to air their buried prejudices, is definitely the funniest of the episode. All these characters are insane, so they have plenty of prejudices to work with, haha. I like the part where people see their reflections in the mirror and deeply insult themselves, and the ending is ... yeah lol. It is definitely something. The idea behind the last skit -- the difference between trolls and people who provoke people naturally -- is a solid idea, even if it is a bit confusing at times. But Kei flying up and grabbing Chiri at the end is awesome. Takehito Koyasu gets to try out his Zechs Marquise voice again!
