In terms of number of episodes watched, this is one of the slowest weeks I've had since I started doing this. I haven't even got to the first episodes of 11eyes, Shugo Chara! Party or Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini. Is this what it is like to be busy for once?!
That said, I did manage to pound out a few UNMEI KAIHEN posts: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (more than a month in the making, because I very rarely wanted to think about this series), ep26 of FMA: Brotherhood, ep1 of Letter Bee, ep1 of Sasameki Koto and ep1 of Kimi ni Todoke.
Now on to the show!
Anime discussed: Axis Powers Hetalia, The Book of Bantorra, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Genshiken 2, Kemono no Souja Erin, Kimi ni Todoke, Kobato., Letter Bee, Rose of Versailles, Sasameki Koto, Seitokai no Ichizon, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
Axis Powers Hetalia ep37
... Is it really barely World War II now? WTF? My favorite joke in this episode is the care with which Germany writes, "Most importantly, try not to offend Russia!" lol @ IRL Germany
The Book of Bantorra ep1
I'm thinking about blogging this, but I don't know ... the first episode is pretty good and fairly exciting, but it's also full of that jargon-spewing bullshit I hate in first episodes of anything. That pisses me off so much. Don't try to show off how AWESOME AND CLEVER OMG your world is by clumsily introducing OVER 9000 different terms for things throughout the episode. I get the need to establish the setting and what the characters are fighting for, but damn. Work on an interesting hook first. After the stupid opening scene, though, the ship is righted because the episode (mostly) sticks to establishing simple concepts within the course of an exciting battle. We have the Meat, a lower class of people the villains use to do whatever it is they do. And, after death, people turn into "books" that are, I gather, full of the soul's information, which is protected by the (badass) Librarians, because that information can be accessed if used in the right way. And accessed one of those books is by Colio, a Meat who seems to be programmed by one of the villains to kill the main character (who makes a vague statement about the person who can finally kill her). I lol'd because Colio gives off a Zwei/Reiji (of Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~) vibe, which is not surprising because he is voiced by Miyu Irino, Reiji's seiyuu. Colio even looks like Reiji! It's hilarious.
I dunno. I'm about half and half on the show right now. There are some interesting things, and that is enough to hook me for at least the next episode, but the show also could get bogged down in bad storytelling. I like some of the characters (Yuuichi Nakamura and Romi Paku's seem like they can go places), but there are others that are quickly drawn for now. (Just the first episode, though, so I can't judge too much.) The fight is cool, although that is counteracted by some bad CGI with the ships. And so on and so forth -- basically every good thing can be set against something not so great. Ah well, I don't want to complain too much right now. I'll at least wait until the second episode before I start any real bitching (should it come to that :P).
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep26
Envy's tongue is freaking gross. Just a big pile of yuck. Anyway, it is still interesting watching these episodes while knowing exactly where the plot will turn. Makes me start thinking about other things, such as how Wrath's story is kind of tragic. The guy never even gets a chance to pick his own direction in life. He's just plucked into this Fuhrer program, trained like crazy, injected with the Philosopher's Stone and voila! Instant Wrath. To live, he has to give away his humanity, and he has no say in the decision at all. Really crappy situation, although Wrath says he is proud to be a Homunculus, so I guess he is sort of happy. Then again, I think he has at least some humanity remaining. His talk with Pride about it possibly being time for the youngsters to lead the world is certainly a human moment for him. Another interesting note: The Hohenheim story in next week's episode is not in the manga, that I remember. I'm going to see brand new material? Hooray!
Genshiken 2 eps 4-5
The yaoi fantasy episode is one of my all-time favorite episodes of anime. It took me completely by surprise the first time I saw it, and it is just as funny more than two years later. Off the type of my head, the only other anime episodes that made me laugh that much are the first Lobelia episode from Ouran High School Host Club and the cross-dressing episodes from Slayers and Slayers Next. I'd say that is good company. My favorite parts of that episode are: 1) Sasahara's serious, manipulative bastard voice when Ogiue fantasizes about him (you can already tell that she views him in high esteem, because she casts him as the seme, which is hysterical all on its own), and 2) The fact that the episode goes as far to show silhouettes of the guys doing it, so anyone watching has to imagine what Ogiue imagines. I think this is unbelievably hilarious.
Ep4 is a good episode, too. Ohno and Tanaka's awkward romantic advances are really sweet to watch, even though it makes you want to bonk them over the head at times and tell them to go after each other. Then again, if I were Tanaka, I might be intimidated as well.
Kemono no Souja Erin ep35
Oh my gosh. In a series filled to the brim with beautiful sights, the end of this episode may be the most beautiful yet. It is also a wonderful example of Kemono no Souja Erin as a children's series that does not treat children like idiots. The ending concerns the beast-lord Erin raises, Lilan, and a wild beast-lord the school has taken in, which they dub "Eku", to treat wounds the beast-lord suffered after defending his child from humans who had come to take it away. Near the end of the episode, Lilan, a female, begins to turn pink, and this reaction is immediately linked to Eku. Most (if not all) adults watching would associate this with the mating process, but the young'uns might not realize this right away. (Neither does anyone in this show, although that is put down to them never seeing this behavior in beast-lords before.) As the episode goes on, though, it becomes more obvious what is going on, and the mating process between Lilan and Eku is shown -- from introduction to courtship to the actual mating itself -- and, frankly, it is one of the most awe-inspiring visual spectacles I've seen in anime this year. (For those with dirty minds, the mating itself is shown symbolically rather than literally. No hot beast-lord on beast-lord action for you.)
What really strikes me about this is the remarkable maturity with which this material is handled. Lilan and Eku's desire to mate -- to create a new life -- is just natural. That's it. It is not disgusting. It is not weird. It is not heavy-handed "OMG NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL" nonsense. I don't know how many families in Japan actually watch Kemono no Souja Erin together, but I imagine the questions raised by this episode are the most comfortable they could possibly be. If a kid is going to be curious about sex, then it might as well be because of something that shows it in a positive, natural way. That leads into something else I love about this series: It really encourages people to be curious about things. Erin constantly asks questions. She researches. She eagerly absorbs knowledge from every source. When the narrator describes Erin's reaction to the mating, it is just perfectly Erin: "The power of the wild that is not bound by codes. Seeing that power and beauty, Erin could only observe." This is Erin's philosophy. She does not control nature. She does not tame nature. She observes it. She learns from it. And she grows because of it.
Kimi ni Todoke ep1
Pretty good first episode. Don't know if it is the best I have seen so far, but it is certainly at least one of the most beautiful. Production I.G. went all out with this one -- as Omni writes, it really has that classic J.C. Staff romantic comedy shimmer to it (see Honey and Clover, Toradora!, Hatsukoi Limited to an extent ...). This opening episode has some cool moments that drip with atmosphere: Sawako and Kazehaya's first meeting on the slope lined with cherry blossoms, their talk during the starry summer evening, the initial scenes of Sawako being scary and so on. The visuals really elevate the story, which is basic for the moment: Sawako is a lonely, serious girl who has fallen for the most popular guy in school, Kazehaya (and who does not know he has already fallen for her as well). These two are destined for each other from the start, and at least some of Sawako's issues with loneliness have been addressed, so I wonder where the series will go from here, although not in a bad way. Toradora! had a merely "good" beginning, too, after all; it is not until the second episode when that show really separated itself from the pack, so perhaps it will be the same for this series.
In any case, I am trying my best to not impose artificial expectations for Kimi ni Todoke, haha. I know a lot of people love the manga, but I'd rather the anime raise my expectations by being good itself. One more thing I want to mention: This is a perfect role for Mamiko Noto. She does a great job of capturing the seriousness and earnest qualities of Sawako, though I hope Sawako develops a sense of humor soon!
Kobato. ep1
I was actually very slightly put off by this at first, but Kobato. slowly won me over due to pure force of charm. Although Kobato can be an airhead at times (what other person would need to pass a test of common sense before she could do her job?), the show holds back just enough to where she is not some dumb, annoying caricature. Instead, Kobato is a good, charming girl on a mission from God to help people heal their broken hearts so that she can fulfill her wish (which is to go to a place she does not specify). Not much happens in this episode: Kobato is attacked by crows when she tries to throw out some trash, gets asked out by a couple of guys (and Ioryogi, an awesomely grumpy dog plushie thing who serves as Kobato's proctor, puts a swift end to that), tosses a ball to some kids in the worst possible way, helps out a food stand during a festival and makes a truly bizarre hot pot, and sings to a child.
My summary probably sounds boring as shit, but the episode is actually pretty funny and sweet, and I am interested to see how exactly Kobato will go about doing her job. The only problem I have with this episode is that Kobato's seiyuu, Kana Hanazawa, has a noticeably limited singing range and struggles with the high notes she has to hit during the singing scene. The whole time I could not help but think of Zange's karaoke scene in Kannagi (Hanazawa also plays her).
Letter Bee ep1
A better first episode than I expected, actually. What interests me most is that this is apparently an epilogue episode of sorts -- most of the action will take place five years down the road when the kid in this episode, Lag Seeing (oh Japan), grows up to become and Letter Bee and embarks on a journey. This episode, however, is about Gauche Suede (again, oh Japan), a Letter Bee who is hired to deliver Lag to the house of one of Lag's neighbors after Lag's mother is taken to the capital city of Akatsuki. My favorite part of this opener is the slowly developing relationship between Gauche and Lag. Gauche acts like a natural big brother to the kid, protecting him, ragging on him a bit, talking with him and so on. I kind of like it. There are a couple of things that made me roll my eyes: The little sister in a wheelchair (unless the little sister is developed more) and the "heart gun", although that is kind of growing on me. It comes off to me as a silly, heavy-handed weapon at first, but I do like how people within a certain radius of the weapon appear to share some memories. It leads to some interesting, emotional moments.
There is enough here to make me curious about where things will go in ep2. There could be some decent mystery with the people from Akatsuki who came for Lag's mother, and how everyone else is connected.
Rose of Versailles eps 11-15
Ooh, damn, I am liking the direction in which the series is heading right now, particularly Oscar taking on Rosalie as an apprentice, so that Rosalie can get revenge on the noble who ran down her mother ... and that noble happens to be Yolande de Polignac, who is basically Marie Antoinette's "best friend" right now. BOLD PREDICTION: This will not end well for anyone. Yes, I am going out on a huge limb there. Something I am really loving about the series at the moment is how it uses the decadence and comparatively soapy storylines of Versailles to make the more tragic happenings outside more impactful. For instance, in ep11 Marie Antoinette is getting her flirt on with Fersen, and to avoid a potential scandal in the court, Oscar convinces Fersen to go back to Sweden. Then near the end of the episode, a duke brutally shoots a young boy who stole a bit of money from the duke so that the boy and his family would not go hungry. How could you get any more blatant than that? But it totally, insofar as I yelled at that dastardly duke until my throat hurt. What a monumental prick.
Speaking of that douche, how about that duel between him and Oscar?! I lol'd at Oscar immediately seeing through the plan when she spots the reflected sunlight on the ground, but damn, she really gets lucky there at the end, haha. I have no idea how likely it is that the gun she uses would actually block the bullet and cause her little to no damage; however, it is not as if Rose of Versailles is particularly angling for realism, so it is not such a terrible detail. Also, that duke should be thankful Rose of Versailles was not made in modern times. If Oscar shot his hand today, that thing would freaking explode into a million pieces. He still gets owned hard in that duel, though, so I suppose the embarrassment is like getting his hand exploded into a bajillion pieces.
Getting back to Polignac ... is it just me, or do the most of the more villainous characters in Versailles give you just enough to feel a bit of sympathy for how they have clawed their way to Versailles and tried to make something of themselves, and then they decide, "Well, time to be a total asshole instead of being kind of an asshole!" Like, I could kind of feel for Polignac a bit because, even though she blatantly deceives Marie Antoinette and takes advantage of her, she seems to be doing it for her family. But then she screws with Marie Antoinette's head and gets her to lie about being pregnant so that Marie will feel guilty and turn to gambling to make everything better, which allows Polignac to cover her gambling losses. And Marie Antoinette loses roughly $55 million on the tables. Holy lord! Michael Jordan couldn't dream of losing that much money! What the hell kinds of bets was she making?? Vegas would adore Marie Antoinette. Dumb as that is, though, I still feel sorry for the poor girl. Every time I want to judge her, I imagine my 17-year-old self running France, and, uh, that would turn out horribly. She just is the way she is. The girl tries hard and genuinely listens when people offer her advice, but she is not the type of person who is effective running a country.
eps 16-20
Man, things got really crazy in a hurry and I took it mostly in stride. Maybe I just really believe in this hyperdramatic world now, haha. I mean, there are some pretty big leaps -- particularly in the revelation that Polignac is actually Rosalie's real mother -- but damn it, everything works so well. Poor Rosalie is being pushed so far. As hot as Rosalie sparring her ass off with Oscar is (cue me shipping them WITH GREAT SPEED), vengeance is not Rosalie's game. She is a kind, hardworking girl. Even in these trying times, Rosalie can have feelings for Oscar -- she can feel love. Rosalie's attempts to kill Polignac, or anyone she believes killed her mom before she learns the truth, are completely reckless. It is not simply that she wants to kill her mother's killer; she wants to die, herself. That pain builds up in her so much, and she has no way to release it but with a violent stab that is sure to get her executed. Rosalie reacts with great surprise when Oscar points out that Rosalie's assassination attempts are sure to earn her a trip to the guillotine, but deep down, she knows this, too, and is acting in what she believes is the correct manner. But she needs to be pushed back into feeling love again. Oscar realizes this. And Rosalie might be realizing this, too, after she sees Charlotte kill herself, though with how screwed up that will make Polignac, I cannot imagine this story will have a happy ending. (Then again, French Revolution on the horizon. It'll probably easier to count the sad endings than the happy ones.)
Speaking of, that sequence of events is totally disturbing. That duke is one of the creepiest pedophiles I've ever seen. He isn't over the top or a sick freak or anything (well, beyond being a pedophile, anyway). He's just like, "Mmmm, I love 'em young! =D" and it's really fucking disgusting and squicky. Charlotte is 11, for God's sake. This is anime, so she looks 15, but she is 11. And what makes it more horrible is that Charlotte repeatedly says, "I don't want to marry him" to Polignac, but she does not listen. Instead, Polignac keeps stressing how advantageous the relationship is and that a woman's happiness is in loving a man, even though, again, Charlotte is 11. People were creepy as hell way back when. The suicide scene is crazy because it comes after the duke kisses Charlotte's hand, so I was like "Hubbawha?" but I take it the kiss is to be taken as a signifier of sexual and psychological molestation. Whatever the case, it is a pretty sad event when Charlotte dies. She is kind of a brat, but again, she is just 11 years old (I was a dork at 11), and her mother raised her from birth to be a spoiled brat. At least Charlotte had the decency to speak up when her mother kept trying to kill Oscar.
And then there is this enormous love ... I don't even know what shape it is now. There are a ton of relationships revolving, though. Marie Antoinette loves Fersen, and Fersen loves her in return -- or at least wants some of that bod. Fersen might have a thing for Oscar, too, and Oscar definitely has some sort of feelings for Fersen and has since she first met him. (That strong sense of justice she sensed in Fersen is something that has major moe appeal to Oscar.) Oscar also might have a little somethin' somethin' for Marie Antoinette, but whether that is simply admiration, or something beyond that, cannot be determined by me right now. (If I had to say, I'd label Oscar's attachment to Marie as a big brother-little sister kind of thing, where Oscar sees something pure that she must protect. Even with the mistakes Marie Antoinette has made, Oscar believes in her basic purity and honesty.) And the people who have feelings for Oscar ... mentioned Rosalie earlier. Charlotte liked Oscar quite a bit before she died. Andre clearly loves Oscar, and is pretty damn jealous of Fersen. So many tangled threads of love floating around, and so many hearts waiting to be broken. Then there is all that sexual imagery bouncing around and throwing me for a loop ...
eps 21-25
This set of episodes focuses mainly on the Affair of the Necklace, a complicated plot where Jeanne pushes her luck as far as it will go so that she can secure as much money as possible, even as she grows increasingly empty inside. Again, it is remarkable to me how this series can push its villains as far as they can go (Jeanne's plot is certainly quite scummy), and yet in the end, even if they are not completely sympathetic, they are at least tragic. Jeanne's biggest weakness is obviously her bottomless greed -- it is what does her in, since she is eventually captured for her crimes, and even when she is able to escape, she goes along with a plan to libel Marie Antoinette, because there is still more money in it for her and her husband, even though they are confined to the monastery in which they are hiding. The one symbol that really shows Jeanne's tragic nature is her mother's ring, which Rosalie wants to give Jeanne as a keepsake after their mother dies. Jeanne initially rejects it, but then she wears it at her trial, not so much out of love but more because she hopes her mother's love will get some good karma on her side. Unfortunately, she is just not wired to love her mother. When Rosalie informs Jeanne of their mother's death, Jeanne is so resentful of the squalor she and her family endured that she is almost glad to hear of her mother's death. And the end of ep24 ... well, all I'll say is Jeanne finally feels the complete weight of that greed, and it is a horribly sad moment.
Ep25 has one of the most breathtaking sequences yet in the series. Fersen finally returns from America, so Oscar must confront the feelings that have been bubbling inside of her ever since Fersen left seven years ago. (And poor Andre has to stew in jealousy again, haha.) Fersen initially resolves to avoid Marie Antoinette, because he believes he cannot allow any lingering romantic feelings to float to the surface, but he eventually decides to help her when he sees the state of a France that is dangerously close to revolution. He gives Marie some good advice, including cutting off Polignac's clique, but he continues to hold steady in his promise to not pursue Marie in a romantic way, which means Oscar subconsciously believes she is free to fantasize away about Fersen without guilt, although on the surface she is like, "WTF I AM A SOLDIER I SHOULD NOT BE THINKING ABOUT HOT GUYS WHILE ON THE JOB SRSLY." Then, to release every feeling about Fersen that threatens to explode within her, Oscar goes full on woman for a ball Fersen attends: She does up her hair, dresses in an ultra fancy gown, affects a noble manner and so on.
Oscar is stunningly beautiful, but at the same time, this is one of the saddest moments yet in the series, because Oscar treats it as a living fantasy. She dances with Fersen and has one night of fun with him at the ball, but she does it under the pretense of being a foreign princess, and does not speak to Fersen even when dancing with him (and nobody at the ball seems to recognize her). When Fersen is close to guessing Oscar's identity, she runs away and claims she has achieved her happiness and is finally able to abandon her life as a woman because she experienced a true moment of romance for the first time in her life. It's so friggin' terrible that Oscar sees her identities as a soldier and as a woman who can feel true love as totally separate entities. The very fact that she can feel such strong romantic feelings means, to me, that she is capable of blending what she sees as opposite identities. That Oscar feels love so strongly does not in any way diminish her status as a soldier; in fact, I think it enhances it. Oscar values justice because she is able to care for people. She protects because she loves. She adores the purity of Marie Antoinette because Oscar believes she does not possess it, but she does have it, I think, just in a different way. Who in this series is more pure than Oscar? She is honorable, empathetic (one of the few nobles to really recognize the plight of the poor in France and to try and do something about it) and kind beyond all reason.
It really is a shame that this strict view of what makes men men and women women prevents Oscar from being who she truly is. (And more and more Utena influence shines through in this series ...)
Sasameki Koto ep1
Solid first episode. At times the drama comes off a bit too strongly, but it's not to an obnoxious degree, and I think I understand the characters enough right now to where that does not bother me. Speaking of understanding the characters, the scene that opens the series is mighty impressive. In the space of about a minute or so, even if the viewer goes into the series cold, he or she will have at least a basic understanding of how Kazama and Sumika relate to each other. They really feel like they have known each other for a good while. What really surprised me about this episode, though, is how much more dramatic it is than I expected. Not that I didn't expect drama, but from people's descriptions of this series, I also expected a bit more comedy. Ah well. It is not so bad to wait on that.
A couple of points of interest: I like that the first episode actually makes an effort to portray the difficulty of gay and lesbian romance in a predominantly heterosexual world. It is not super deep about it, or anything, but it is appreciated. Also, the reaction of Kazama and Sumiko's friend, Kiyori, when she finds out that Kazama is a lesbian, actually makes her more of a real character to me. It is played for laughs a bit, but I like the way it is implied that she is confused not simply because her friend is a lesbian, but because the very idea of lesbianism has probably never crossed her mind before.
Seitokai no Ichizon ep1
What a giant, patronizing fart of a series. I don't mind a show being upfront about trying to appeal to otaku, but this is embarrassingly lazy and unoriginal. Being self-referential and including a bunch of references to contemporary series does not automatically = humor. At least when, say, Hayate no Gotoku! does it, the stories are also funny and the characters are entertaining. This show will almost certainly turn into an Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka situation like last year, and I do not want to be miserable again, so I am nipping this shit in the bud and dropping this right now. Yuck.
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun ep1
As a fan of To Aru Majutsu no Index (though not exactly an obsessive devotee), I looked forward to this spin-off, particularly because it centers on my favorite character in the series, Mikoto Misaka. This is a decent first episode. Not amazing, or anything, but good to get into the swing of things and to acclimate newbies into To Aru's world (which is not really to difficult to understand when the anime isn't info dumping the viewer to death :P). The episode is basically a way to introduce two of the new characters, Ruiko Saiten (played by Shugo Chara's Kanae Itou) and Kazari Uiharu (Aki Toyosaki), two middle schoolers whom Misaka's friend, Kuroko, decides to introduce to Misaka as a plot for some Misaka fanservice. (I am serious when I say this is Kuroko's plan.) They have some fun, the middle schoolers' haughty image of Misaka is shattered, and there is an amusing scene where Misaka begs Saiten for a frog keychain she receives with a crepe she buys. Plus, They Fight Crime. I dunno, the way I write it, the show seems all over the place, but it really is a nice first episode, haha. Some good laughs, some good action (Misaka's railgun ability is pretty kickass) and some good potential for the rest of the season. I shall enjoy!
