Anime discussed: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Hanamaru Kindergarten, Shin Mazinger Z, Shugo Chara! Party, Simoun, Sora no Woto
UNMEI KAIHEN: Durarara!!, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kimi ni Todoke, Nodame Cantabile Finale, Ookamikakushi
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu ep4
This episode leaves the viewers on a huge cliffhanger -- does Shimada's lunch taste good?! We have to know! Kidding aside, this is an OK episode. It's kind of amusing seeing the various ways in which Akihisa is prevented from eating a decent meal. The episode wastes a golden opportunity with Shimada's little sister, though. She's introduced to bring the lunches Shimada forgot at home, and then ... she barely does anything. Pretty disappointing.
Dance in the Vampire Bund ep4
Wait, what, a decent episode?! It's not that good, but it's more straightforward and interesting and less goofy than the previous episodes. That said, it's not particularly memorable either. I have to wonder how that douchebag vampire ever got powerful enough to talk down to the werewolves since he is embarrassingly incompetent at security. What a loser.
Durarara!! ep4
Each episode of Durarara is getting more interesting for me. I really like the relationship between Shinra and Celty, the potential mystery behind Shinra's ulterior motives and the adjustment Celty has made to modern culture while searching for her head. (By the way, this is a really interesting post about Durarara's relationship with myths, mythological creatures and archetypes, and modern interpretations of the three.) Not really too much action in this episode, but I'm liking the progression so far -- I think Durarara is building a good pace of character and story development and awesome action.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep42
I like Hohenheim's strategy of "Run the hell away from Pride as much as you can, and then taunt the living hell out of him when he reaches his physical limit." Suck on that, Pride!
Hanamaru Kindergarten ep4
The second part of this episode is whatever, but the first part, with Anzu trying to have the "perfect date" with Tsuchida, is too adorable. How could anyone think this is supposed to be perverted? Anzu learns all she knows about romance from manga and TV (Tsuchida is kind of mean when he mocks her reading material!), and it's not as if Tsuchida is actively encouraging her or even going through the normal motions of, say, a harem lead. He's just humoring her because, to him, it's a kindergartner trying to have some fun. I mean, they have a "romantic meal" in the middle of the playground. How could anyone not see how silly that is? Also, Hiiragi as a mustachioed waiter is HILARIOUS.
Kimi ni Todoke ep17
This is the part of the series where we all know Kazehaya and Sawako like each other, and they know they have feelings for one another, but they are both too silly to take the next step, frustrating everyone watching the series. Hooray!
Nodame Cantabile Finale ep3
You know, I didn't even think about this until now ... but there might be a decent possibility Nodame and Chiaki don't end up together. I don't think it will happen, but imagine if it did? How depressing would that be? It might be kind of interesting, but it would also be depressing.
Ookamikakushi ep4
Ever so slowly, it's getting better; now if it could just jettison the goofier parts of the story, then we'd be in business. There's one thing I am wary of right now: Maybe this is just because it's Ryukishi07 we're talking about, but I get the feeling everything we've seen up to this point is to lull the audience into one direction so that the plot can pull off a massive rug pull and turn everything upside down on the viewers. I'm totally not trusting anything I've seen so far, haha.
Shin Mazinger Z eps 14-19
Um, holy crap. To say that the story has really taken off in this space of episodes would be an understatement. Like a good portion of great stories, the past is much more complex than it seems at first, and the once clear lines between the heroes and villains were pretty much blown to smithereens long ago. Dr. Hell is certainly still evil, for sure, but the pasts of the rest of the cast (including Kouji's father, who has seemingly returned from the grave) are so murky that it's difficult to tell whom is fighting for what purpose, and whether those purposes are worth fighting for. The character who has gone through the most change is Baron Ashura. I heard a lot beforehand about how he/she/it is an awesome character, but the change is something that needs to be seen to be believed. Never in a million years did I think I would ever sympathize with someone like Ashura; it's done many evil things, but its loyalty has also been torn into many tiny pieces, so it does not really have a clue whom to trust right now, which is kind of sad. It seems as if every other episode features Ashura getting screwed around by someone.
Interestingly enough, I think that's why Kouji is able to team up with Ashura in the later episodes instead of going batcrap crazy on it. Ashura killed Kouji's grandfather, but I think Kouji can also identify with having the rug whipped out from under him so often. I mean, he learns: Tsubasa is his real mother (and that she killed his father), that his grandfather was crazier than Kouji thought he was, just how capable Mazinger Z is of being a devil's tool and so on. Not only that, but Kouji basically had to kill someone his brother loved so that he could stay alive. (That relationship would never have worked out, though, because, as Futurama tells us, humans were not meant to do it with robots.) Kouji has no friggin' clue who or what to trust anymore. He's been pushed to the brink much like Ashura has; so while Kouji cannot forgive Ashura, he can swallow his pride and team up with Ashura so long as he needs to do so.
The episodes in between all this craziness are pretty crazy themselves. The ancient Greek equivalent of space aliens took over Mazinger Z and somehow forced everyone into a past memory that shows the original downfall of the empire that created the weapons currently in Dr. Hell's employ. Most heartbreaking moment: Seeing Ashura interact with his past selves (when they were separate people) and being dissed by them. Ouch. Most awesome moment: Zeus taking a cue from Kouji and using his severed arm to nail Hades with a Rocket Punch. Holy fuck that rules. Also, Hades looks like the final boss from Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, and is voiced by Armstrong's seiyuu from FMA. Couldn't stop making sparkle jokes the entire time.
Anyway, seven episodes remaining, and I'm sure I haven't even uncovered the craziest of the plot twists to come. This series will give me a heart attack by the time I have completed it.
eps 20-26
The ending of Shin Mazinger Z left me a babbling fool.
That's probably the highest praise I can give the series -- the plot, and particularly the ending, hit such a home run that I could do nothing but stare in disbelief (in a good way), speak incoherently for a few moments and then spend the rest of the day intensely clamoring for a Shin Mazinger Z sequel. (There are apparently rumors of a second season -- however, like Imagawa's Giant Robo, there is also the frustrating possibility that the cliffhanger upon which the series ends will never be resolved. I can't believe that I watched these series within a few weeks of each other, and that Imagawa might troll me with two unresolved conclusions. Damn it all.) As expected, the plot kind crazier and crazier until the masterstroke ending in which all the details are laid before the viewer, and yet the series still manages to pull the rug out from under everyone with a brilliantly executed final twist. Seriously cannot say enough good things about it.
Maybe the most amazing thing about the plot is how it juggles so many different storylines, character relationships and endless betrayals, and yet it never feels as if some piece of plot is being pulled out of the show's ass, or something is incredibly confusing and makes absolutely no sense. I could see the logic in just about everything that happens -- now, the Xanatos Speed Chess does get a bit ridiculous by the end when the characters have to be precogs, essentially, to plan ahead as far as they do, but whatever. It totally works in the context of the series. I'm not going to bitch much about Tsubasa planning ahead to a ridiculous degree when she kicks so much ass. She has to make up for how much Sayaka sucks, anyway. What a useless character -- she sets women back about 50 years, which is why Tsubasa has to come in and nuke the glass ceiling.
But as awesome as Tsubasa is, as much ass as Kouji kicks in the final episodes (SHINE WITH THE POWER OF ZEUS), as crazy as all the manipulations behind Dr. Hell and Kouji's father are ... you can't say that anyone but Baron Ashura is the true star of this series. Ashura's the eternal buttmonkey to begin the series, a bizarre contradiction -- powerful enough to take on Mazinger Z by itself but somehow pathetic enough to always get its ass kicked and be sent groveling back to Dr. Hell, begging for mercy. But even a wretch like Ashura has its pride, and what it values most is the honor and loyalty it possessed in its previous life (lives?) as the Mycanae priests Tristan and Iseult, who were ready to give up their lives for their country. Ashura is consumed -- defined -- by loyalty toward those whom it believes it owes a life debt. As Tristan and Iseult, it was the Mycanae civilization; as Ashura, it was toward Dr. Hell, whom Ashura believes retrieved it from the depths of Hell.
But to betray that loyalty is an unforgivable act. Ashura wails and cries as it betrays Mycanae by letting Tsubasa into the ancient corridor; to stab one's homeland in the back is an unspeakable act to Ashura. It seems all Ashura has remaining is its loyalty to Dr. Hell ... until it views the truth behind Dr. Hell's discovery of Ashura, after which Ashura knows true betrayal. Even when getting kicked around, Ashura retreats dutifully to Dr. Hell, because of that life debt. But to learn that debt is artificial? Terrible. The brilliant thing, though, is how the expectations of the viewer are played upon until the very end. Tsubasa, like the viewer, assumes Ashura's thirst for vengeance against Dr. Hell takes priority over anything else -- and she trusts the wretch. That is the one mistake she makes in the entire series.
Again, loyalty. That is of the utmost importance to Ashura. It sees that it was wrong in following Dr. Hell. Where Tsubasa goes wrong is where she places her belief that Ashura will rectify the situation. Tsubasa is a vengeance-minded person; for her, the entire plan -- or at the very least a large part of it -- has been set up so that she can avenge her brother by killing Kenzo Kabuto. She believes Ashura will act in a similar manner -- it will avenge Mycanae by killing Dr. Hell. However, although Dr. Hell's death is something Ashura desires, loyalty is first and foremost in its mind. There is only one way in which Ashura can repay its betrayal against its country -- by sacrificing its life so that Mycanae can be reborn, just as Tristan and Iseult had planned far in the past. A masterful manipulation by Baron Ashura, playing the wretch and making sure everyone stays focused on Dr. Hell.
All for the glory of Mycanae. Loyal to the end, that Ashura.
Shugo Chara! Party ep15
Oh snap. Rikka has a Guardian Egg now! Probably won't hatch any time soon, but you know Rikka will be a thousand times more excited than usual in the next episode, which is kind of a scary thought. Also, lol @ the blatant Hikaru x Rikka teasing in the beginning part of the episode.
Simoun eps 7-11
Now that Neviril has finally snapped out of her funk and chosen her parter (go, Aer!), the plot's starting to move a bit more ... and the war is growing ever closer to Chor Tempest. And there are two new recruits to round out the forces -- Yun (whom I don't really have a feel for yet, other than the fact that she dislikes war but also has a strong sense of honor, which forces her to do her duty) and Mamina (who I actually like, even if she is a snob; at least she has a decent reason for being a snob, and she at least knows when to put her personal feelings aside for the good of the group). I really like how the series plays certain people against each other, since the war is a burden on certain characters who wish they could just go to the spring and get things over with (like Kaimu or Floe), versus other characters who believe the war has given them a purpose (like Aer or Mamina). It adds a lot to the moral gray area of the war, since there is still a lot about it that is a mystery -- the people attacking this kingdom are painted as the "bad guys", but that is really only because they are attacking the protagonists.
This kingdom is pretty damn shady. Ep8 (a really good episode) states that the religion of the people visiting Simulacrum for a peace conference was similar to Simulacrum's once, and that they even worshiped the same god at one time. However, they are now vastly different, and that is reflected in their methods toward peace, which both nations desire. This visiting kingdom concocts a suicidal plan to steal the Simoun, and when that doesn't work, they settle for suicide bombing to cause the most damage against Simulacrum (but curiously planting the bomb in a way that protects Chor Tempest's Simoun). It's a pretty blatant parallel between countries like the United States (Simulacrum, which is far more advanced than other countries, and the strong undercurrent of religion also strikes some notes) and countries in the Middle East (not just in religious differences but also in feelings of marginalization due to how much power the dominant country wields). It brings a true crisis of faith because the Sibyllae have to reconcile their roles as priestesses and warriors. They wonder how anyone so religious could give his or her life to inflict pain upon anyone ... and it's not an easy question to answer. There probably is no all-encompassing answer. What it does reinforce, though, is that there is something seriously wrong with Simulacrum beyond their simply monopolizing the Simoun technology.
And speaking of shadiness ... what is Dominura up to? She seemed fishy from the start, of course, but she is shown to be a mole of sorts keeping tabs on Chor Tempest for the purpose of some mysterious group. Does this group have a connection to Simulacrum, or are they from another kingdom altogether? And what is Dominura's stake in this? She continues to push Rimone, although Rimone pushes back due to the independence she gained in her focus episode. Dominura backs off a bit, but is she really wary of Rimone's independence, or is this just an act? She seems much more assertive and confident now that Chor Tempest is temporarily on that new ship. Maybe she just needed a change of scenery.
Finally, gotta say that Neviril's speech in ep9 is pretty awesome -- shows exactly why she is Chor Tempest's leader. And I also like the direction in which the series is going with ep11. The Sibyllae have been able to battle and contemplate their lives while being on a pedestal; now, after the events of the previous episodes, they are forced ever lower until they fight with common soldiers who witness firsthand what the Sibyllae -- and the Simoun -- are like. This completely terrifies one soldier who had been growing quite close to Floe throughout the episode. She simply wants to protect him, but she inadvertently destroys the city he holds dear. It's a healthy helping of idealism smashed to pieces with reality.
eps 12-16
One of the more interesting ideas these episodes play with is how people view themselves in love, and how they cast others with their love, and how those cast into certain roles deal with that. Most of the desired relationships in this series are not working out well at all. The problem in many of these relationships is that the love of one person casts the object of that love into a role the other person does not desire at all. This is reflected most strongly in Neviril. She's afraid of Aer, and realizes in retrospect that even though she was dazzled by Amuria, she was also afraid of her, because both women appeared to her to see Neviril more as a tool to go higher and further than anyone ever before. This robs Neviril of her sense of being as a person; she does not want to simply be a tool for others to employ as they please. The irony of all this is that Paraietta's love also casts Neviril into an unwanted role -- that of the woman who is protected by the man. Neviril resists this because she does not want -- nor need -- constant protection, but poor Paraietta just cannot seem to conceive any other way to put her love for Paraietta into action. She's consumed by her love for Neviril, thinking about her constantly, and often to the detriment of the group as a whole.
Aside from that, the biggest development in this episodes is the continued mystery of what exactly the Simoun are. There's this battle between divinity and normalcy with them -- are the Simoun the machines of the gods, or are they tools much like any other? Dominura and Waporif are the ones who are at the forefront of this debate. It's not really clear whether this is something Dominura believes herself, or she is pushed in this direction at the behest of the mysterious council she represents, but Dominura does not seem convinced of the machine's divinity at first, only allowing that the Simoun still have secrets waiting to be discovered, and that she is desperate to discover because other countries are teaming up to advance their technology so that it nearly matches the power of the Simoun. Waporif wavers at this question -- to challenge the divinity of the Simoun essentially means challenging the meaning of his entire society. Even though Waporif is skeptical about how divine the Simoun really are, he still feels afraid to take apart a Simoun, because he would be desecrating something many people view as holy.
(That sentiment also contributes to another romantic conflict. Waporif is attracted to Morinas, but he resists acting on his feelings because the sibyllae are as holy as the Simoun themselves. They are pure; he does not want to dirty them in any way. Morinas, however, is unconvinced about her holiness, and wants Waporif to be with her. An interesting point to this is that when Morinas eventually goes to the spring, she intends to become a man, so it's almost as if there is a dual layer of homosexual romantic feeling with Waporif (who still seems to be in the transition from woman to man) and Morinas (who is still a woman but intends to be a man).)
When Waporif finally consents to take apart a Simoun, he sees nothing inside, which confirms to him that the Simoun are indeed not holy machines. But Dominura peers inside the helix and sees something that she never quite specifies, only later commenting that beyond what she saw was hope, and that it frightened her. Earlier in the episode, it is revealed that Dominura was once part of a Chor specifically created to do the Emerald Ri Majon, and that something went wrong in the creation of it; Dominura was the only survivor. Did she see something related to that? Afterward, Dominura gets the ol' Heroic BSOD until she is comforted by Rimone, with whom she decides to achieve the Emerald Ri Majon. This just strengthens my suspicion that whatever she sees in the helix of the Simoun relates to her past.
And now all this just scores points for the ultimate divinity of the Simoun (whether it is anything like the divinity this entire society worships, however, is another question). Dominura admits that whatever she saw in there shattered all of her previously held beliefs, and that she buys totally into the divinity of the Simoun. And then she goes out and does the Emerald Ri Majon with Rimone -- curiously, it does absolutely nothing to destroy the enemy ships, apparently, but Dominura and Rimone both disappear along with their Simoun in a blaze of white light. (It is also mentioned that Amuria's body disappeared while she and Neviril performed the Emerald Ri Majon in the first episode.) What is the nature of this Ri Majon? Are Dominura and Rimone in a higher plane of existence now? Or is their disappearance a punishment for the hubris of trying to perform what may be a forbidden Ri Majon? Did Dominura know this would happen before she did the Emerald Ri Majon?
One last thing: I really like Dominura and Rimone as a pair. They work the best out of everyone so far because their pairing seems based more on a mother/daughter type of love rather than the messy romantic feelings that often impede the other pairings. (That's another interesting idea related to the Simoun in these episodes -- that the Simoun react based on the shared feelings of the pairs. This hypothesis is altered a bit, though, when Aer seemingly powers a Simoun by herself while Neviril is scared of her.) Dominura and Rimone are really cute together.
Sora no Woto ep5
Fun, cute episode that builds up to the reveal of No Man's Land -- a completely barren wasteland on the edge of beautiful forest, meadows and a mountain trail. This, and the structures the girls check throughout the episode (they look like technologically advanced bomb shelters), have me more convinced than ever that this huge catastrophe spread throughout the land is some sort of massive bombing, although I'm not entirely sure now whether it was nuclear in nature. I'm not an expert by any means on how nuclear energy spreads after a bomb is detonated, but I don't think there would be any beautiful meadows so close to an area that underwent nuclear attack ... unless it has been so long that the radioactive particles have completely decayed, or something. Even then, I'm not entirely sure such lush vegetation would be able to grow.
