Man, and I thought last week was abbreviated. This week I definitely watched the fewest episodes of anime since I started doing this last year. Balancing work, UNMEI KAIHEN and this is a tough task that I am still trying to figure out. But I like writing too much to quit either blogging venture, so if I have to take on a reduced load to keep going, then so be it. I don't have to watch five bajillion episodes of anime per week, after all. :P
Anime discussed: 11eyes, Axis Powers Hetalia, Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini, Eureka Seven, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kampfer, Kemono no Souja Erin, Kimi ni Todoke, Kobato., Letter Bee, Sasameki Koto, Shugo Chara! Party, Slayers Try, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, Trapeze, Umineko no Naku Koro ni
11eyes ep4
OK episode, gives some character development to Yukiko. I kind of like the split personalities thing, even if it is an overused character power. Man, does this episode ever skimp on the animation, though. When someone like me (who almost never pays attention to that sort of thing) notices it, then it is really bad. Not animating the omg funny groping is whatever -- I can live without that. But then there are a couple of instances where Yuka screams, and it is straight up not animated at all. Like, she screams but the camera is on her and she does fuck all for a reaction. So, so bad. Bad enough that I actually dropped the series, because I don't see the story getting all that exciting from here.
Axis Powers Hetalia ep41
lol Propaganda, Hetalia style. I like this. When you boil it down to the most basic elements, isn't propaganda basically a bunch of people whispering behind each other's backs and then snickering about it afterward? I think so. It's also amusing that France and England have a big brother complex about Italy now that America has grown up and is doing his own crazy thing.
Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini ep4
This episode slows things down a bit but also develops the relationship between Suou and Hei. Pretty easy to see why she hates Hei right now -- not only does she believe Hei killed her father (and Hei isn't doing anything to dissuade her from that train of thought), but also Hei is also treating her like shit. It's to toughen her up and to keep her alive, for sure, but all the same, he is definitely being an ass to her. However, maybe he is doing it on purpose so that she keeps the last vestige of emotion she has as a contractor. Hei knows from experience that it is a rare event for a contractor to have emotions (to say the least). Whether positive or negative, emotions are something contractors just do not have. So even though Suou's hatred is a negative emotion, Hei might be doing her a favor by allowing her to keep hold of it as long as she can. Just one theory, though.
Kind of disappointed that the subject of Hei's apparently lost powers is not broached in this episode. However, the episode preview shows Hei engaged in a fight, so we'll get some answers next week, hopefully. Even without answering some questions, this is an enjoyable episode, anyhow. July and Suou are funny team for a pair of emotionless kids, haha. And more Misaki is just fine with me. <3
Eureka Seven eps 15-18
This is the set of episodes where Renton and Eureka's relationship sours for a while. I don't remember if it is outright stated by anyone at this point, but by these episodes it is obvious Eureka is a non-human entity, and as such she struggles to comprehend emotions and human interactions. Eureka learning from people and trying her best to understand her feelings, and to empathize with Renton's feelings, is one of the most interesting parts of the series to me. Unfortunately, Eureka -- much like Sawako in Kimi ni Todoke -- is a total social n00b, and thus she blunders around a bit, getting jealous for reasons she cannot understand (and not even understanding whom or what she is jealous of) and treating Renton coldly because of this.
It would be unfair to saddle Eureka with all the blame for the brief breakdown in the relationship, however, because Renton is almost as much of a n00b as she is. This is the point where it dawns on Renton that to be with Eureka -- to really love her -- he has to make an effort to understand her instead of thinking with his dick all the time and trying to show off how awesome he is. The big event that pushes Renton in this direction is Eureka getting pissed at him when the Nirvash seems to respond better to Renton at the controls while completely shutting out Eureka. The one thing that really makes Eureka useful in Gekkostate is gone; she cannot understand the only thing she has understood her whole life, and to top it off, she believes she is letting Holland down if she cannot fly. But Renton does not get this at all yet. In a misguided attempt to cheer Eureka up, he insinuates that she should be happy because Renton is so awesome at flying the Nirvash, and thus she will not have to be put in danger anymore. At least he recognizes almost immediately that he put his foot in his mouth like a dumbass.
All they need, seemingly, is some time apart. Renton spends most of his time bonding with the other guys on the ship -- they razz him a bit, he sees how other people deal with things and he reflects on his relationship with Eureka and how she feels about things. Renton really is on the right track during this time -- he knows he needs to break down the barrier that formed between them and stop acting like an idiot. During another dream episode (spurred on by the unique properties of the cavern in which the Gekko-Go has settled), Renton starts this process by apologizing to Eureka. The fact that this dream gets through to Eureka is a sweet way of showing how connected they are. Even though Eureka does not immediately open up to Renton, she has been making progress by talking to Hilda and getting a crash course in empathy and understanding one's own feelings. This is still something beyond Eureka's grasp, but bit by bit she is able to reconcile her own feelings enough to swallow her pride and allow Renton to pilot the Nirvash.
Then Holland ruins it all by taking a level in asshole.
The only thing Renton really does wrong in the fiasco with the old man is readily admit he has the Nirvash. But can you blame him? The old man reminds Renton of his grandfather, which gets his emotions stirring, and plus, Renton is just an excitable kid. Who wouldn't be proud of owning the oldest LFO in the world? And how is he supposed to know the old man would try to steal the damn thing? Renton acts a bit dumb, but Holland's actions really are indefensible -- he beats the shit out of Renton for something beyond Renton's control. This is the point where Holland temporarily goes from being a lazy, pissy captain to a complete asshat. I love Holland, but damn, he is such a fucking baby during this arc. Of everyone in the series, he has the most growing up to do.
This is a solid arc, but I am not that big on how it ends. The destruction of the progress Eureka and Renton had made is totally fine with me from a storytelling standpoint, but there are a couple of things that don't sit right with me. First, the old man's betrayal is one of two big things that sends Renton into regression (the other is Holland being a fucktard). But that betrayal doesn't really feel real to me. The reason for it is understandable -- like Renton, the old man just wants to be someone his family can be proud of, and he wants to earn his son's respect by bringing home something worthy of respect (the Nirvash). There is no real charge to the betrayal, though. No urgency. I never believed this old man was important enough to Renton to be worthy of the reaction he has after the fact, despite the connection to Renton's grandfather. Holland exacerbates the reaction, yes, but the betrayal is supposed to be a big part of it.
The second part that does not sit well with me, though it is a smaller issue, is the reliance upon bad timing the drive the drama forward. The tragedy of Eureka choosing the absolute worst time to apologize to Renton is milked about as much as it can possibly be milked, but it's just ... eh. I like Eureka kicking the door after Renton closes it, however. A nice childish touch.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep30
Solid episode, but it really feels like the Cliffs Notes version of the fantastic FMA manga volume dedicated to the Ishbal war. It nails the big stuff that leads Mustang, Hughes and Hawkeye from point A to point B in becoming who they are in the present, but in cramming all the big stuff into 24 minutes, the episode cuts a ton of little subplots that really bring the Ishbal war to life. You've got Basque Grand, more of Armstrong being traumatized by the war, Dr. Knox having a breakdown, Kimblee being ordered to kill the Rockbells and other stories of that sort. The Ishbal war of ep30 is like a faraway memory; the Ishbal war of the FMA manga is a living, breathing, evolving being. Everything comes together perfectly to form a senseless tragedy.
Kampfer ep5
When did this series turn into the cross-dressing Seitokai no Ichizon? There are usually some random, tongue-in-cheek references each week, but this episode in particular makes a point of being like, "HAY GUYS I'M REFERENCING MODERN ANIME LOL" and it is annoying. Simply mentioning Haruhi Suzumiya is not a joke. More importantly, though, Natsuru's trainwreck love life continues: He inadvertently cheers on Sakura to pursue his female self; Akane is going into overdrive "protecting" Natsuru from Sakura; and the president has made a move on Natsuru now. Also, the childhood friend has entered the fray. Wacky shenanigans are sure to erupt.
Kemono no Souja Erin ep40
This episode mainly concerns the fallout of Lilan ripping apart the Touda army -- the Queen is injured, Damiya practically has a boner thinking about the possibilities of using Erin, Kiriku grows a bit closer to Erin while slinking in the shadows and there is some light shipping with my boy, Ial, and Erin, and I thoroughly approve of it. Through the years it seems Ial hung back a bit on completely pursuing his theory about the false Saigamul (or else he would not have suspected the Grand Duke's Touda army so easily like Damiya wants), but now that Erin has raised serious doubts about the origin of the Touda, the suspicions are flooding back into Ial's mind. There is going to be an intense, bloody battle, and poor Erin will be in the center of it. If the a-holes backing the queen cannot appreciate how awesome Ial is, then he will just have to dedicate his energies to protecting Erin. Random note: There are some awesome shots in this episode of Damiya looking sinister and evil. More of those plz.
Kimi ni Todoke ep5
Ah, this episode as Yano and Yoshida using their brains and empathy again. Good. I was afraid of how things would turn out this episode, but it is actually pretty good. Yano and Yoshida really get a better understanding of themselves, Sawako and how they both relate to her. It really dawns on them that even if a person seems simple and straightforward, it is not easy to really know that person. There is a haze between everyone that cannot be cleared unless people make the effort to clear it themselves. Nobody is a mind reader; Sawako cannot make herself known to Yano and Yoshida unless she states her feelings clearly, or Yano and Yoshida clearly state what it is they want from Sawako. And, also, they realize how difficult it is for Sawako to come forward and level with Yano and Yoshida person-to-person because Sawako is such a social n00b. But Kazehaya is there to prod Sawako forward, so yay!
But little of this matters right now because some doucheheads have just come out of the woodwork to mock Sawako and her buds. I got really into it by the end and was like, "OHHHHHHHHHHHH HELL NO DON'T TAKE THAT SHIT SAWAKO." There's no way Sawako gets into a physical altercation, but maybe Yano and Yoshida will show up to whoop some ass.
Kobato. ep4
This is my favorite episode of Kobato so far because it introduces some much needed urgency into the series. At the end, it is revealed that Kobato has just a year to gather all the konpeito (basically physical manifestations of people's sadness, in the form of stars Kobato collects when she helps people get over their sadness) she needs to fill her bottle. It's a simple rule, but it'll give Kobato the push she needs to keep going with her mission. I am also interested in the angel Kohaku. Don't particularly buy Ioryogi's explanation that there is nothing in Kohaku's life to make her sad; sure, she is happy with Shuichiro, but there is something else there. I would not be at all surprised if this were not the last time we see Kohaku and Shuichiro.
Letter Bee ep5
This episode is about Lag and Niche fitting into their own niches. Fun with English! I actually like Niche more with each episode, although the stupid underwear bullshit needs to stop, like, yesterday. It was sort of an innocent joke the one time, but the show is really pushing it now. Please quit it. But feel free to throw out more crazy names like "Jiggy Pepper". I do quite enjoy that. Anyway, back to the whole niche thing ... I like how Niche is really owning her role as Lag's dingo. A storyline like this, unless handled very delicately, can easily come off as a bit misogynistic, but I think Niche's character is drawn sharply enough that it is easy to see this role is a source of pride for her -- she is not a pet to be ordered around by Lag. She is an equal who will protect Lag and help the letters be delivered to wherever they are needed. Lag is still kind of dumb ("You're a girl, so you need to be safe!!!!!"), but he's still figuring out his own place in the world, so I'll let the little guy slide for now.
Sasameki Koto ep4
lol Best episode yet? I think so. At the very least, it is certainly the funniest. I like the contrast between the bombastic Tomoe recruiting people for her Girls Club and Murasame preferring to research from the shadows using poor Akemiya. The confidence to work out in the open is not quite there yet for Murasame, clearly. The ending is also hilarious. After all that work, Tomoe's Girls Club idea is immediately shot down by the higher-ups. Perfect comedic timing by the ending there -- get in and out in under 30 seconds. Fantastic. I'm sure Tomoe and her girlfriend, Miyako, will stick around, and I welcome them with open arms. They've already made quite the impact in the series!
Shugo Chara! Party ep5
What are the odds we get an episode that actually does more than the basic formula? 100 to 1? 1,000 to 1? I mean, I still enjoy it, and Hikaru and Rikka are way better characters than I thought they'd be, but the stories all feel mailed in. Even the regular filler episodes usually have something more to them even if they inevitably fall back into the established formula. Ah well.
Slayers Try eps 7-10
OK, the plot is starting to pick up a bit now. I like that the dragons are being portrayed as practical to a fault, and thus are douches because of it. When Lina and crew inevitably save the world, they sure as hell are not going to do it for the sake of the dragons, haha. Even Filia might start coming around on the dragons eventually. I mean, Xellos is acting like enough of a douche to her to keep the process slow (though as shown by flashbacks, Xellos has reason to be a bit pissed at the dragons), but Filia is the type of person who is not going to stand for douchery for too long. Kind of a nice twist with that one dude not having enough power to complete his mission and getting owned by Valgaav, who shows himself to be much more powerful than anyone anticipated. (He also has a taste for revenge, which is not good for the dragons.)
Now Lina's crew is on a fetch quest. They're not having much success so far, although the ending of ep10 is hilarious regardless, when they find out they have contributed to a centuries-old childish feud between two cities. lol Only Slayers, I swear.
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun ep5
Fun episode. Nice to get a look into Uiharu and Kuroko's past together. I wish Uiharu had more of a role in the episode, but eh. The lesson is Kuroko's to learn (or to remember, rather, haha). The scenario with the bank robbers is pretty basic but still good, and I enjoy seeing young Kuroko kick some ass, even if she is not entirely up to the task of taking down two armed robbers in that stage of her life. Nice touch with Mikoto saving the day from the sidelines, too. (I lol'd at Kuroko unknowingly hating on Mikoto. If Kuroko related the story word for word to Mikoto, I would love to have seen the look on Mikoto's face when that part came up, haha.) And can we see more of Uihara and Kuroko's superior at Judgment?? Damn. She is a knockout.
Trapeze ep3
Good episode! This series seems to be getting a steady stream of awesome seiyuu to play the screwed-up guys: Toshiyuki Morikawa in ep1, Takahiro Sakurai in ep2 and Shinichiro Miki in this episode. I think they all perform the live action/rotoscoping (or whatever technique this show uses) portions for their characters, too. Fun stuff. This is another straightforward story -- a romance novelist, Junichi Hoshiyama, cannot stop vomiting when working on new novels. He thinks it is because he is recycling ideas, but the real problem is deeper. Hoshiyama is subconsciously questioning his reasons for being a romance novelist in the first place. His first novel is actually a serious work about a broken family, but the episode implies Hoshiyama did not continue down that route because 1) It was not as financially lucrative as writing romance novels, and 2) He was afraid he would not be successful writing serious novels. Not too many surprises in this episode, but I like Hoshiyama, and there is a hilarious subplot involving Irabu's sudden desire to become a published author.
Umineko no Naku Koro ni ep18
LOL BEATROLLED HAHAHA. Loved this episode so much and am glad to be somewhat vindicated by being a bit suspicious of Beatrice and Evatrice the whole time (but not suspicious enough to call a trolling more than a minute or so in advance, so I shouldn't brag much). When Beatrice is "killed" in the beginning of the episode, I was very suspicious and thought something huge would go down by episode's end, and when the episode makes a point of showing Beatrice saying something without Battler being able to hear her, I was even more suspicious. And then there is the Golden Land ... which would be weird to travel to if Beatrice were indeed not a witch, and then her plan hit me just before Beatrice LOL'd in Battler's face. Best part: Beatrice admitting she toyed with Battler's tsundere fetish. The only way that would have been funnier is if Beatrice were voiced by Rie Kugimiya.
Some things to think about: Nanjo's death is left wide open. This leaves one of two scenarios: 1) Someone other than Eva killed Nanjo, which means the possibility of multiple murderers in a given scenario is now in play. A bunch of these scenarios do not seem possible without multiple people working on them, so it is a given that this would pop up eventually. Or ... 2) Eva killed Nanjo, which would poke the first genuine hole in the red truth, considering Evatrice specifically states that none of the Battler, Eva or Jessica is involved with Nanjo's murder. Scenario No. 1 is more likely (although that also brings in a whole host of questions), while scenario no. 2 is more interesting, I think. Battler needs to bust up that truth for real, yo.
But, yeah, Beatrice definitely brings the awesome in this episode. I thoroughly enjoyed that trolling. Not entirely sure whether Virgilia is actually on Beatrice's side, or simply an illusion conjured by Beatrice to make Beatrice's face turn more palatable. Either way, I hope this does not mean the end of Kikuko Inoue in this series, because if so, I riot. Just a fair warning. Also, lol @ Evatrice. She probably took the trolling the hardest. At least Battler will keep meaning something to the series from now on. Eva's time in the limelight is over. Lastly, I lol'd at Beatrice's heart floating all alone. What a silly image.
