... And if the final post of the year is about movies, then the first post of the new year has to be about anime, right? Right??
Anime discussed: Axis Powers Hetalia, Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini, Golgo 13, Letter Bee, Now and Then, Here and There, Shugo Chara! Party, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, Trapeze, Umineko no Naku Koro ni
UNMEI KAIHEN: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Sasameki Koto
Axis Powers Hetalia ep49
lol Japan falling under the tutelage of America is certainly going to be an interesting experience.
Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini ep12
It's a surprisingly touching finale, although like the first series it leaves a TON of things open that probably will not be completely answered in the OVAs that are to come. A lot of the mystery surrounding Yin remains unanswered, though supposedly that is part of what the OVAs will cover. (A lot of people are scratching their heads at the existence of the two Yins; maybe the second Yin is a result of Shion's death -- and possible absorption -- where he is now the actual Izanagi. Not really sure how Yin figures into Shion's Earth copying plan, except to say if she can manipulate the powers of contractors, then she probably buffed Shion's power up enough to where he could copy all of Earth -- along with the Shion copies in that one room -- and make it so that they do not need the meteor core to keep their memories.) Speaking of the meteor core, while Shion's ultimate mission is rather touching, I don't like that Suou's existence is reduced to an experiment on the influence of the meteor core. Maybe the point of it is to show the coldness of humanity to dismiss someone like Suou (who is a rather remarkable being) and to give an example as to why humans continue to remain on this world while Suou gets her own world courtesy of Shion.
Also, while I do not think this episode is nearly as disappointing as Umineko's finale, I must agree with the general opinion around the 'net that it is rushed. Hei and Hazuki barely get to battle, and Hazuki and Genma don't get any time at all to fight. (The twist with Genma being a traitor is thrown out rather offhandedly, even though it has been foreshadowed for a few episodes, haha.) Plus, aside from Shion and Suou's story ending, it seems as if this finale is meant to build material for a third season rather than bring this second season to a close. With the male!Yin stuff at the end, it's pretty obvious BONES is angling for another season lol. Not that I have a problem with that, but it feels like kind of a cheat to be left in limbo for who knows how long; I don't mind having to piece things together myself, especially if it means not sitting through five minutes of spoon-fed exposition, but Darker than Black's storytelling often feels like it expects you to come to certain conclusions while having just half the deck available. In a way it is like one of Umineko's closed room mysteries where it seems as if the solution is impossible to figure out without using a magical explanation, haha.
Overall, though, I enjoyed Ryuusei no Gemini. It looks good, has a solid story and has just about everything that made the first season so enjoyable. The only real problem I have with it is that the pacing is out of whack at times, which leads to uneven development and that feeling of the finale being rushed. But I'd take another Ryuusei no Gemini over many other shows today, so eh.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep38
By my calculations, Yoki's silent film flashback is roughly 9,001 times better than his episode from the first FMA. That episode is a basic story and, frankly, pretty boring; this flashback is hilarious and quickly paced, if placed a bit awkwardly into the overall storyline. But I'm not one to complain much about good humor.
Golgo 13 eps 25-26
LOL A random ass social commentary on racism from Golgo 13. Scummy Mexican criminals screwing things up for regular, hard-working Mexicans who must change their appearance to fit in with a white-dominated world is about as deep as it gets for Golgo, but it is funny to see. The best part of the episode, of course, is the ridiculous way Golgo is able to off his target -- he shoots an armor-piercing bullet through the exhaust pipe of a bulletproof car, which travels up through the spine and out the head of said criminal. Only in Golgo 13, man. The second episode is OK; it tries to build up sympathy for two terrorists who are at odds with each other, but this isn't really the show's strong point, so it's not as entertaining an episode. Golgo using a muzzle flash to snipe someone who is hiding behind a curtain is pretty boss, though.
Kiddy Girl-and ep6
Well, the second half of the episode, anyway -- Des told me it was funny, and that I should watch it (even though I am not really interested in the series at all), and I complied. And, hey, it's pretty damn funny. Basically the main characters visit a BL cafe where aspiring seiyuu work as waiters and act out scenes prepared by the customers. This is actually a semi-intelligent jab at the industry (which is pretty freakin' depressing for anyone who does a bit of reading on it -- and I'm not even well versed in it), and I have to imagine this is what some seiyuu feel like sometimes when acting in certain series. Some really funny use of seiyuu such as Jun Fukuyama and Akira Ishida (who also have regular roles in this series) being over the top and bombastic as petty, cutthroat actors. Some fun parodies (one scene I don't want to give away had me busting up with laughter), and there's a bit with Norio Wakamoto that slayed me. Good stuff.
Letter Bee ep13
So much filler ... can't take it anymore ... must drop series ...
Now and Then, Here and There eps 5-8
One development I like is that Lala Ru is not a typical mysterious girl character who focuses only on her destiny and the power she is supposed to use or so on. It's plain to see that she might have been that way once -- or even a person similar to Shu -- but that lord knows how many years of abuse of her power have sapped her of any sympathy she had for people and has made her quite bitter. In a way, the conversations between her and Shu are kind of funny because Shu has no idea how to react to her. He can banter with Nabuca because even though Nabuca has lost a lot of hope, in many ways he is also similar to Shu and holds many of the same ideals as Shu, even if brutal experience has led him down a way different path. But the weight of Lala Ru's experience is much heavier -- she literally sacrifices herself to help people when she supplies them with water, but after seeing the same cycle of desperation, greed and violence again and again, Lala Ru is not particularly eager to sacrifice her life for those ends any time soon.
The series continues to really push things with the violence, especially with poor Sara, who has to murder a soldier to escape after Hamdo orders the guy to rape her so that she will get pregnant and give birth to a child who will be raised as a soldier. Not only is this a horribly inefficient plan, but it should also make it completely apparent just how long Hamdo intends to keep this holy war going. I like Nabuca (when he's not being dumb) and Abelia (when she's not torturing people), but man are they kidding themselves if they believe there is any way this war will end any time soon without some major bloodshed going down. Not that I blame them for focusing on that incredibly slim possibility -- it is probably the only thing keeping the two of them going. It has already been established that the killing and his general soldierly duties haunt Nabuca just about every day. Would he be able to stand it if he were not able to attach some sort of meaning to it all, even if the meaning is flimsy and fleeting? At his core, Nabuca is a frightened child, which is why he cannot leave with Shu. He's been frightened into becoming the perfect soldier, and that dream of going home to his village after the war is complete is all he has left, even though in all likelihood his village was totaled just like the village Hellywood ransacked in ep6.
The story is in an interesting place now that Shu and Lala Ru have finally escaped from Hellywood. What I'm most interested in is in the introduction of new factions. Is there actually good in this world, or will these people who have found Sara collapsed in the desert -- whom Shu and Lala Ru will clearly meet eventually -- be the lesser of two evils, or even, somehow worse than Hamdo's army? (Though it's difficult to imagine anything being worse than Hamdo's insanity, haha.) I'm also interested in how Shu's strict stance on not sinking to Hamdo's level will be reconciled by the end of the series. There's going to be a battle eventually; there is no way to avoid it. The series has not copped out on violence so far (the assassination attempt on Hamdo shows that much), but what will the ending be like because of that?
EDIT: I should also mention that the Japanese is five bajillion times superior to the English dub, and the Japanese is just solid rather than being really good. Shu and Nabuca's voices sound way too old, Abelia's VA has absolutely no emotion at all (a far cry from Reiko Yasuhara, who switches deftly from the strength she must show in front of her soldiers, to the weathered, beaten down aura she gives off when speaking with Hamdo), and Hamdo is even hammier here than he is in the Japanese. I didn't even think that was possible. The only VA who compares favorably to the original is Lisa Ortiz as Lala Ru; she really nails the bitter aspect of Lala Ru's personality, even if she goes slightly strong with it at times.
Sasameki Koto ep12
I never would have thought of that Bach --> Beethoven connection in a million years, so I am pretty sure the person who originally thought up the treasure hunt Murasame and company embark upon never meant for it to be completed, thus the crappy "prize" at the end. "Uh, yeah, leave your mark for future students to see!" Uh huh.
Shugo Chara! Party ep13
My favorite part is when Rikka is all, "Huh?!" when her speech about always trying your best doesn't get through to the X Egg. "What?! My empty words aren't working?! But why?!" And then Amu pulls the perfect speech out of her ass and shows Rikka how it's done. Who's trying her hardest now, Rikka?? Huh??
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun ep13
Maybe the most random ass 2001 reference I'll ever see. One second I'm getting creepy, uncomfortable middle school girl fan service, and the next I'm getting jabs at possibly the most intelligent science-fiction movie ever created. DOES NOT COMPUTE. The ending with Misaka acting like a complete dork in front of Touma is funny.
Trapeze ep11
Haha, I totally didn't recognize the doctor as the cell phone addict's father at first because I suck. This is a good continuation of that story, showing where the kid's problems may have originated -- he's addicted to his cell phone because he has a crippling desire to be connected with people 24/7 since he doesn't really get that at home. His dad is a workaholic who uses his job to escape the pressure and complexity of raising a family, while his mother tries her best but is ultimately just a tad too lenient to completely shape her son. What I like about this episode is that it really is the perfect distillation of Trapeze's most basic message: Nobody is perfect, and that people deserve understanding and compassion. The doctor is by far the most terrible person highlighted in the series so far, unleashing the pent up annoyance and rage his family brings upon him by whining like a child in the men's restroom, but instead of condemning him, Irabu lightly reminds him that while he has it tough, his son -- who needs direction in his life -- has it tough as well, and they need to stick together. The guy isn't going to snap out of things quickly (as shown by his pained face as he poses for the cell phone picture of himself and his wife waiting to celebrate with their son), but now he realizes he needs to at least make that effort.
In the end, that's what I enjoy most about Trapeze: For all the craziness of the visual style and Irabu's bizarre behavior, at heart the series exists simply to provide a few laughs and reaffirm the basic humanity of people everywhere. We're all a bit screwed up, and sometimes the world must look to everyone like the insanely colored world Trapeze depicts, but maybe we'd all be a bit less screwed up if we took the time to notice and accept how screwed up we are and everyone else is. Not exactly an original or deep message, but it is one that is presented well and with a surprising amount of heart throughout the series. That makes it worthwhile to me and why I disagree with those who call Trapeze "pretentious".
Umineko no Naku Koro ni ep26
Not a surprise at all to get basically zero answers from the finale, but jeez, I at least expected it to be somewhat satisfying, and it really isn't at all. The battle between Battler and Beatrice feels very rushed and anticlimactic -- Battler throws out the same types of arguments he has been throwing out the entire game, except Beatrice accepts them for whatever reason because I guess she is tired of playing the game now. Whatever. At least Lambdadelta calls Beatrice out on that bullshit later by stating that just about every theory Battler throws out is way off the mark. Too little, too late, however. Ah well.
Overall, I enjoyed Umineko, but I cannot help but be a bit disappointed with it since the quality is so uneven throughout the series. The final arc particularly is a microcosm of the series as a whole: When it concentrated Battler vs. Beatrice it was awesome, but when it got distracted with a bunch of other stuff that ultimately goes nowhere and is unsatisfying (i.e. Ange's adventures), then the show becomes a chore to watch. There's a ton of pressure to really one-up Higurashi, since the comparisons are inevitable (especially since Umineko uses a similar plot structure), and the finale just does not get it done, so that is pretty damn disappointing.
