Random Curiosity

「クロの家出」 (Kuro no Iede)
“Kuro Runs Away From Home”

If you’re tempted to skip over this OVA as a superfluous extra – don’t. It might not be essential to the overall plot, but it’s highly rewarding just the same.

「時よ止まれ」 (Toki yo Tomare)
“Stop Time”

The ending for the anime of the manga that isn’t ending anytime soon wasn’t really an ending at all. But stay tuned for the movie…

「魔神の落胤」 (Satan no Ko)
“Satan’s Children”

It’s pretty easy to see what cards everyone is holding as we get set for next week’s anime-only finale of Ao no Exorcist, but there’s still a wild card – or perhaps it’s a joker – that’s yet to be played. And I suspect that as he goes, so goes the battle.

「真実」 (Shinjitsu)
“Truth”

Whatever else you might care to say about A-1 Pictures’ anime-original ending for this season, let this be clear – they’re definitely going big.

「悪魔狩り」 (Akuma-Gari)
“Demon Hunt”

There’s a definite sense of irony to what’s happening on Ao no Exorcist as we enter the final stretch. After all the debate about anime-original material, it looks as if the series would have been better off diverting from the manga sooner.

「秘密の花園」 (Himitsu no Hanazono)
“Secret Garden”

Take a good studio, add a good director, throw in some good characters and an ongoing manga and what do you get? From the looks of things, the potential for a very good anime-original ending that just might satisfy some very nervous fans.

「假面」 (Kamen)
“Mask”

A-1 steps up to the plate with some outstanding anime-original material in episode 20 of Ao no Exorcist. I’m assuming this was anime-original anyway – I’m sure someone will correct me, if not. But more so than the last couple of episodes, this anime-original story seems to set the table for a real conclusion of some sort, building on some old plot points and adding in a few new twists and ending with a major cliffhanger.

「なんでもない日」 (Nandemonai Hi)
“A Day When Nothing Happens”

Whatever you thought of the entertainment value of this episode of AoEx, there’s no denying that it was slight. Given that and the fact that it was anime-original, I’m sure there won’t be a lot of excitement in the ranks of the manga readers this week.

「颶風」 (Gufuu)
“Hurricane”

I can hardly wait to see the response on this one. An almost purely anime-original episode – and based on the preview another one next week, and a slice-of-lifer about Shima to boot – will surely set the masses to grumbling. Yet this was a really good effort, I thought, and did a nice job tightening up some of the loose ends surrounding the issue of acceptance between Rin and his little playmates.

「誘惑」 (Yūwaku)
“Temptation”

I’ll confess a certain reluctance at wading into the debate over the direction this series is taking, but I guess that’s sort of the point of being an anime blogger, isn’t it? I think this episode did a pretty good job encapsulating all the challenges the produces of AoEx are facing, what they’re doing well, and what they’re struggling with.

「賭」 (Kake)
“Gamble”

Which direction does A-1 choose – an anime-original ending à la Kuroshitsuji, or perhaps a total “jump break” like Deadman Wonderland with the intent of waiting at least two years and hoping the audience is still there?

「やさしい事」 (Yasashii Koto)
“Act of Kindness”

Last week wasn’t just another school adventure of the week, as it turns out – it was actually setting up the chain of events that would seismically shift the ground underneath Ao no Exorcist for good. And can anyone be surprised that it was Mephistopheles that was behind it?

「愉しいキャンプ」 (Tanoshii Kyanpu)
“Fun Camp”

It’s summer, and since we’ve already had a beach episode what could be more natural than a training camp episode?

「証明」 (Shoumei)
“Proof”

Sometimes in anime, you have a character who, despite their physical absence through death or distance, hovers over the proceedings at all times. Though he’s been dead since the second episode, Shiro continues to reach out and impact the story.

「鬼事」 (Onigokko)
“Tag”

No other currently airing series does filler as well, but last week’s was pretty flimsy even by those standards, and it’s nice to get back to some plot-advancing development.