Might edit this a bit later with thoughts on the new Haruhi Suzumiya episode. Depends if I want to write more after I watch it, haha. We'll see what happens.
Anime discussed: Axis Powers Hetalia, Basquash!, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Higashi no Eden, Ichigo Mashimaro Encore, Kaleido Star + OVA, Kanon (2006), Kemono no Souja Erin, K-On!, The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan, Nyoro~n Churuya-san, Sengoku Basara, Souten Kouro, Valkyria Chronicles
-- Axis Powers Hetalia ep17: Eh, this is a subpar episode for me, too, although America getting tips on losing weight from some of the other characters is good for some laughs.
-- Basquash! ep7: This is the last of the spring shows for me that is toeing the line between being kept and being dropped. Ultimately, what is bugging me most with this series is that the story comes off as just being there to provide an excuse for the action and whatnot (I mean, come on, the main conflict right now is between street basketball vs. ordered basketball; that doesn't really excite me much). Shows can get away with that sometimes: Sengoku Basara, for instance, has a pretty basic story, but the characters are so cool, the conflict so defined and the action so fantastic that the story is secondary, and that's OK. It works as entertainment. Basquash! has the action; however, the characters just aren't there for me, and I don't know that they will be any time soon. Hopefully that starts to shift in the next couple of episodes.
-- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep7: Ooh, you know, I like that there is no real side for Scar to be on -- if he is going against the State Alchemists for abuse of power, then he certainly wouldn't team with the likes of Lust, Gluttony, Envy, etc. Interesting that Mustang has Führer aspirations, too. And, uh, the Philosopher's Stone is the Soylent Green of alchemy. Ick. Guess I shouldn't be too shocked at that, though. A bit more comedy in this episode than in recent weeks. Al's facial expressions are priceless. Armstrong is great as usual, too.
-- Higashi no Eden ep6: So, uh, first thing I have to comment on: 20,000 guys?!?!?! Pardon my French, but that is a lot of cock. Scariest serial murderer ever, amirite guyz? But, yeah, we've got Shiratori's number this week (11), and we now know that beyond being kinky and greedy, she also loves to snip some Johnny. What that has to do with removing the corruption of the world is beyond me, but I am obviously biased. Hirasawa's chat with Akira about Eden of the East makes more obvious the inherent irony of the Selecao agents' mission. Despite being a NEET (um, think me if you need a hard example of that xD), Hirasawa and his buddies conceive, create and spread a useful tool for people (an image recognition program for cell phones that IDs whatever object a cell phone camera is pointed at). They're good, honest people who want to help out but just happen to be on the low end of the totem pole, and they don't have many obvious means of helping people beyond their own skills. The Selecao agents, on the other hand, are elites who are handed an amazing tool to help fix problems in Japan, but even if they accomplish good things, they get to those goals by nefarious means. The agents we know of so far: A kidnapper, a corrupt cop, a briber and a serial murderer. We don't even know what No. 1 has done (though it is strongly hinted that he is a terrorist, I think), or what the other agents are doing. It's sort of a blunt irony, but I enjoy it.
In any case, I hope Oosugi survives his run-in with Shiratori, because he is not the type of guy I would wish that upon. Ick. Also, considering that there is a Higashi no Eden movie coming out, and with how much time is being spent on the current story, I'm pretty much abandoning any hope of the anime coming to a satisfactory ending lol. This is the sound of me throwing out my expectations so that I am not disappointed when ep11 comes out!
-- Ichigo Mashimaro Encore eps 1-2: Haha, this might be the funniest two episodes in all of Ichigo Mashimaro. Miu getting knocked out and dreaming that she goes to Hell and Heaven (with her friends standing in as angels and devils, of course) is amazing. Nobue as the arbiter is perfect (you know Miu is f'ed at that point xD), and Chika desperately trying to find a suitable punishment for Miu is hilarious. Most of the second episode is good (I love Miu once again trying to horn her way into being someone's best friend), but what puts it over the top is Miu imagining everyone in middle school. Ana as the yankee type character had me dying with laughter. Just awesome.
-- Kaleido Star eps 12-51: So, um, I am head over heels in love with this series now. Everything about it is wonderful: The setting (the show does a consistently great job of making Kaleido Stage appear truly magical), the characters (even the horrible pricks are awesome), the absurd amount of grit and fighting spirit (Sora alone has enough to fill, like, 10 shounen series), the intense sense of competition, etc. I could not really say whether I prefer the first or second season, because neither is really complete without the other. The first season has a definitive ending, yes, but Sora's journey quite clearly has somewhere to after that, as evidenced by Layla's actions near the end of the second season.
The first season is all about Sora growing up as a performer at Kaleido Stage (think of it as akin to adolescence). She gets a shot at her dream under very rare and special circumstances (i.e. she receives a special type of audition because Kalos, the owner of Kaleido Stage, sees something special in her); thus, the majority of the performers at Kaleido Stage cannot stand her. Not that I wish any ill will against Sora, but I think this part of the series really does justice to the representation of the circus as a tight-knit family. You can't just waltz in there and expect everyone to love and respect you. Sora goes through hell to earn that respect. But with all the ladder climbing Sora does, what is of course the defining part of season one is Sora's complex relationship with Kaleido Stage's star, Layla Hamilton. I love how they progress, with Layla at first seeing Sora as a disgrace to the stage, while Sora slowly chips away at her as Sora achieves bigger and better feats at Kaleido Stage. Even at the beginning, I never really hated Layla -- she's super tough and harsh, but I think Kaleido Star does a good job in conveying that Layla just has incredibly high standards for herself and everyone else, and isn't an asshole or anything (though she can appear assholeish). Everything builds until Layla finally respects Sora enough to take her on as a partner and engage in some brutal training for the Legendary Great Maneuver. That training is definitely the toughest challenge of Sora's life to that point, and it makes the Legenday Great Maneuver all the more magical when it is finally unveiled. Props to Gonzo for thinking up a unique (albeit completely unrealistic xD) maneuver for Layla and Sora to pull off, btw.
If the first season is Sora's adolescence, then the second season is definitely Sora growing into a more adult role at Kaleido Stage. She must grapple with much more complex challenges that test not only her physicality but the heart and soul of her life on the stage. Sora is achieving her dream, but she never really considers what it means to achieve her dream -- if Sora's dream is to be at the top of Kaleido Stage, then someone else with the same dream is going to be crushed. This is where May Wong and Leon Oswald come in. I really could not stand either character at the beginning of the series, although I think May is a bit more tolerable because she is so insane. Leon is just a cold-hearted bastard for much of the second season. Both characters, though, represent the more metaphysical challenges Sora must overcome: How to make a stage without conflict that achieves the dreams of all performers, and how to foster the right kind of competition between performers. It's a tough balancing act, which is why Sora struggles so much under the weight of the pressure coming at her from both Leon and May. But, again, Sora proves to be worthy of the task because she is able to plunge deep into herself to really understand her dream and what it is that draws her to the stage. And, through that, Leon and May are also able to come to terms with what draws them to the stage, and thus really redeem themselves (though it takes Leon longer to do this than May xD). I really love how Layla is subtly used in the background to prod Sora toward enlightenment until Layla steps in herself and gives Sora that final push she needs. Layla challenging Sora at the end isn't about a star trying to capture faded glory; it's about Sora proving to Layla that Sora is capable of being the star of Kaleido Stage (and Sora knows it, too, which is why she accepts and is so excited at the prospect of competing against her mentor). Everything during that battle from where Sora starts ad-libbing her performance to when the light shines on Sora during the Angel's Flight is pure magic. And the performance the next day ... ohmygodawesome. When the dome opens, Sora becomes the Angel and all the circus performers Sora has met throughout the series pour onto the stage, well, tears were shed, my friends. ;_;
There's so much more that I want to write about, but this is enormous as it is. I didn't even mention Yuri (he's awesome in the second season), Fool (:D), Anna, Rosetta, Mia, Ken, Kalos, etc. There is just so much awesome in Kaleido Star. I'm so glad I finally watched this series.
-- Kaleido Star OVA ep1: Pretty good episode. It mainly deals with the aftermath of the second season with Sora being the Kaleido Star and Rosetta being next in line, since she is able to see Fool now. Rosetta goes through some growing pains, much like Sora in the first season, but because she has an awesome mentor like Sora backing her, you know she'll turn out great.
-- Kanon (2006) eps 15-16: Good end to Mai's storyline, although one thing I am kind of iffy about is how all of Mai's past is crammed into about five minutes or so. It just feels kind of weird to have this awesome fight, and then Yuuichi goes into this uber trippy world and sees a young Mai heal her sick mom with tears, go on the talk show circuit and then meet young Yuuichi (definitely suspected him as the friend who had left Mai in the past, btw). Sad tale, for sure, but the placement is kind of awkward. Ah well. Next up is Shiori, who is another in a long line of KyoAni girls with life-threatening illnesses.
-- Kemono no Souja Erin eps 13-14: So, uh, ep13 is strolling along with a nice, tender moment between Erin and Jone, and then all of a sudden a beast-lord swoops down and fuckin' tears a Touda in half after a group of Toudas tries to eat the beast-lord's baby. Holy shit. Beast-lords don't have that title just for show. Damn. This episode also makes explicit connections between the beast-lords and the Mist People via the whistling cry both use to paralyze Touda. Obviously that isn't the only connection between the two; it's likely that the beast-lords have something to do with whatever happened in the past with the Mist People that has them so hung up on not abusing their powers now. (Maybe a rogue Mist Person somehow had a beast-lord army, similar to the Queen and the Touda army? That would be pretty damn formidable.) Ep14 is sort of disappointing because it's mainly a recap episode. Definitely expected more out of something entitled "Mist People." Oh well. Main thing we learn from that episode is that we are at the tail end of a four-year timeskip. (Des sure called the hell out of that one!) I forget how old Erin is at the beginning of the series, though I want to say 12, which would make her 16 now. Now, finally, I hope we will get into the meat of the story, and everything that was built up during the first part of the series will lead to something awesome (including Damiya, Nason and that one guy who gave Erin the harp getting bigger roles).
-- K-On! ep8: It feels weird to be starting a new school year eight episodes in. Are we going to see the girls graduate before the end of the series? That would be strange, haha. Anyway, this is yet another effortlessly fun episode. The new member of the light music club, Azusa, has some potential, although there isn't enough of her in this episode to show more than a basic, nervous freshman personality. However, the band of crazies in the light music club will whip her into shape soon enough, I'm sure. Before that, the club's pathetic efforts to get people interested in them are hilarious. Sawako has some rather bizarre tastes if she thinks dressing them in giant animal costumes is cute lol. Mio as the horse is the funniest because it looks kind of creepy instead of cute, haha. But the real funniest part of the episode is Yui not knowing when to stop her MCing onstage. "We're not a comic band!" Nice song, too. This series has awesome music. :D
-- The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan eps 15-25: LOL, the fake out at the beginning of ep25 is awesome. I would totally play Yuki's crazy Haruhi Suzumiya dating sim game. (Even if I had to deal with the super tough Asakura route, or the weird Arakawa route.) I really enjoyed some of the running storylines that pop up in the second half of the series, such as Tsuruya's rivalry with Mori and Arakawa, Achakura's adventures with Kimidori the green balloon dog, Haruhi's continued attempts to be a TV star, etc. Something else I love is how this ONA pushes some character development -- Kyon and Itsuki are pretty much best friends (which is weird if you think about their relationship in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya xD), and Yuki is officially a full-fledged otaku student. (I'm laughing my head off thinking about Yuki being on the path to NEETdom.) The official subs for this are worse than they are for Churuya-san, but overall I prefer this series because I love all the Haruhi Suzumiya characters. (Itsuki in particular has grown on me a lot more because of this series, since he's not going on long info dumping diatribes for minutes on end now.)
-- Nyoron Churuya-san eps 6-13: OMG, I almost forgot how weird this show is and how horribly mean every character is to poor little Churuya. There's ep7, where Kyon is playing some strange RPG/shooter hybrid, and every time Churuya has an opportunity to get smoked cheese, he either makes her dump the cheese or avoid getting it entirely. (And he doesn't even know why he's doing it!) And in ep9, Haruhi has everyone participate in sports day, but every event works against Churuya's physical abilities. (The meanest is when they have to grab a bun held on a string, and Kyon picks Churuya up as if to help her reach the bun, but then he holds her just out of range of the bun. It's so cruel lol.) The Christmas episode is probably the meanest of all -- Churuya is dressed up like a Christmas tree, Kyon imitates Santa and charges Churuya 420 yen for some smoked cheese and then Kyon asks for the price of a present Achakura buys for him. Kyon is such a dick in this series, haha. At least Churuya and Achakura get their smoked cheese day at the end!
-- Sengoku Basara ep7: Agh, don't tease me with Keiji Fujiwara and then have him in only one scene, Sengoku Basara!! Ah well. Koujuurou takes a level in badass this episode by putting a whupping on his master, Masamune, so that Masamune won't kill himself under the sheer weight of his manliness (guy is still quite injured, after all). Should be an entertaining fight next episode with Sanada, Sasuke and Koujuurou against the triumvrate and then everyone versus Hisahide.
-- Souten Kouro ep4: Haha, young Cao Cao is already showing a propensity for Xanatos Gambits. He completely destroys a plan by the Ten Attendants to make him look like a fool in front of Dan Gong, the uncle of the Imperial Emperor, by pretending he is going to kill Dan Gong for violating the law and instead drawing out Jian Shuo, one of the Attendants, and subtly revealing his guilt. Owned. Then Cao Cao teams up with Dan Gong to impress the Emperor at an immense party, thereby allowing Cao Cao to present evidence regarding the corruption of the Attendants, while all ten Attendants are sitting a few feet in front of him. Double owned. Unfortunately, the Emperor is a total fucktard, so Zhang Rang manipulates the Emperor into making Cao Cao a provincal governor, so that the Emperor believes he is rewarding Cao Cao for his work. Poop. Watching the plans reveal themselves and come to fruition makes this a good episode, although it is much lighter on action than in previous weeks.
-- Valkyria Chronicles ep7: Not a lot of action this week, but there is a lot of information revealed hinting at both a grander scope to the story and about relationships between characters. The big thing, of course, is that the history of this land is not as it seems -- the ol' adage of "history is written by the victors" seems especially true in this case, since there is at least a decent amount of information about the Valkyrur's battles against the Darcsen, but no records from the Darcsen's point of view. Whatever Faldio reads in the hidden chamber, and decides not to share with everyone, is probably something that shatters his view of history. (Is he the only one who can read that language? Alicia obviously can't, but can Welkin read it?) I have been thinking a bit about Selvaria: Maybe she is a descendant of either the Valkyrur or the Darcsen (I'm thinking more the former than the latter right now). There is just something about her eyes that tells me she is different from everyone else. I am wondering about Maximillian's origins, as well. The helpful notes provided by Ayako at the end of the episode also dole out more backstory between Jaeger and Gregor (that Jaeger is a soldier whose land was conquered by the Empire, and he injured Gregor's leg during the Empire's invasion). That makes their relationship a bit more interesting.
