Random Curiosity

Alright. I admit it. I got trolled a bit. I suppose I should’ve expected it by now, but gosh darn, the fight between Kakashi and Obito wasn’t ever really a literal fight at all. Rather, it was just a genjutsu the entire time, and I really fell for that one. Either way though, Kakashi’s opening remarks (“Let’s not drag this out anymore”) end up being the driving force behind this week’s rather well done chapter… as it’s high time that things start moving along.

And move along it does. After a flurry of moves and some rather nice overlays of similar, past fights on top of the current fight, the fight is over, and Kakashi comes out as “the winner”. That is of course, the winner of only the fight though, as Obito tries to run one last time… only to be taken control of by Madara and forced to execute the Rinne Tensei that would let him become a true Jinchuuriki. Suffice to say, things change rather quickly for Obito… and in ways, it’s a tad bit surprising just how brutal of a death it would be if things turn out the way we expect it. In ways it’s fitting, but at the same time… part of me had always kind of figured it’d be at the hands of Kakashi, rather than dying from the force use of his Rinne Tensei technique (in the middle of nowhere, no less).

I guess though, the point is that it highlights just what kind of person Madara is, and it looks like we’re getting the formulation of what’s likely to be what RPG fans would call the “final form of the final boss.” Still… it’s interesting to note that if Madara actually succeeds in becoming the Jinchuuriki… it’d theoretically be over for the Ninja Alliance then and there because all he’d need to do is use his Mangekyo Sharingan technique. There was the initial assumption he’d wait for a bit and spar off with Hashirama for a bit, but it suddenly doesn’t look like that’s happening, and one wonders if the Kages from this generation will play a part in preventing him from either being reborn via the Rinne Tensei or prevent him from becoming a Jinchuuriki. Indeed, there’s quite a few ways the story can go from here, and it’s admittedly a tad bit surprising how things ended up here.

Generally though, I don’t know if it was just me, but this chapter ended up pretty good. The drawings seemed to be a tad bit more detailed/crisp this week, and the use of old images overlaid on the side of the present day fights was a pretty nice touch. I’ll be the first to admit that at this point, I just kind of wanted Obito to get his arse handed to him and be done with it, but those additions actually kind of inspired a bit of an adrenaline rush while reading the fight scenes. Though… I suppose the rush might just be from be finally finishing some assignments that’ve been bugging me all day, heh. Either way, much to look forward to next week!

We knew that Ishida would be with the Sternritter, but I don’t think anybody even remotely suspected that Yhwach would name him as his successor. Ishida is a newcomer and doesn’t seem all that strong, making him a less than obvious choice to be the next emperor of the quincies. Likewise, the Sternritter are also quite shocked at some random kid that they’ve never seen being picked as their next leader. It doesn’t help that Yhwach squashes the dissenting voices immediately and refuses to offer an explanation. That said though, I think he has a good reason for selecting Ishida, and his choice implies that he has insane hidden potential that only needs to be unlocked. Yhwach mentions that Ishida is the sole quincy survivor in this world, which was confusing since Ryuuken is still alive; in addition, his statement seems to imply that the Sternritter and the rest of the army are somehow different or not genuine. Even more strange is the fact that Ishida is mixed-blood (pretty sure his mother was not a pure quincy) so it’s not clear what Yhwach’s rationalization is.

The Sternritter are quite angry at this development as they expected Yhwach’s second in command Jugram Haschwalth to be next king. However despite their arguing among themselves, I doubt they’ll actually rebel, and once Ishida (who now has the letter A) displays his powers they will probably grow to respect him. He had better be ridiculously powerful; and for once hopefully he’ll be able to give Ichigo a run for his money. Ishida has been a pretty static character throughout the bulk of the series, so maybe now it’s finally his time to shine. Of course it’s still possible Ishida is acting as a double agent even if nobody else knows, but it’ll be interesting if he turns out to be the next super villain.

「とあるキャンプの悪霊の家」 (To Aru Kyanpu no Akure no Ie)
“A Certain Camp’s Haunted House”

I was in disbelief after watching just how much the writers downplayed Tamao’s feelings for Mahiro during that silly “eat something with some kind of drug in it and act all crazy” scene. I mean, after toying with us with last week’s preview how could they just completely obliterate any chance she had with Mahiro?!

Putting that thought aside, this week’s episode was a fresh breath of air compared to last week’s weak offering. In lieu of awkward aliens trying to conquer the world for their own silly reasons, I was loving how the focus shifted back to our main cast of characters with everyone getting a little bit of time to show off what makes them unique. From Nyaruko’s strangely sourced meats to Yoichi valiantly fishing no matter what’s thrown at him, there wasn’t much more you could ask for from this episode. But then you toss in everyone (including Hasta) running around trying to rape Mahiro and you have one of the best episodes of the entire season. Because honestly, who wouldn’t want all of those girls chasing after them?

That said, I’m really hoping that next week’s finale (yes I double checked this time) ends up being even better. Because for a show like this, who can’t see a thousand different ways for it to go out on a bang?

Preview

Anime

Manga

Now that the summer preview is out, it’s time to let you all in on our own plans for the coming season. This is Random Curiosity’s summer 2013 blogging schedule.

As always, this is a tentative overview of our plans for the new season. We’ll also be doing introductory posts on many of the shows we’re not covering, so if something catches our eyes, things will be shifted around to accommodate. The schedule will be updated to reflect any changes.

The first thing you might notice is my glorious return to episodic blogging, woo! I enjoyed my break and it was fun doing editorials for a while, but in the end I think I enjoy episodic blogging more. My column will thus go back to a “whenever I feel like it” thing, which is a polite way of saying don’t expect regular posts.

In series news, after the occasional tantalizing post Enzo has decided to finish out the last few seasons of Hunter x Hunter! And before any of you start freaking out about how Free! doesn’t have a blogger yet, fear not – we’re planning on picking it up, we’re just not sure if the writer most interested in it will have enough time to cover it. Takaii will be doing at least the first episode, and we’ll figure it out past then.

Speaking of…nothing of the sort (wow, what an awkward segue), a quick note: Zanibas will be away for a few weeks at the beginning of the season, so we’ll be covering his shows for him until he returns. In particular, Asobi will start the fun with Uchouten Kazoku, while I’ll be taking care of Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi. Zanibas will be back to save you from us soon though, so have no fear!

Next, you might start seeing more short-form posts starting this season. You’d be surprised how long it takes to get those 36 screencaps we put in every post, and sometimes the extra time it takes makes us think twice about covering a show. That’s why we’re giving each writer the option to cover shows using half the caps (15-18). Worry not, though – the big, popular shows will still get the full 36. This will be confined to other shows that might not get covered otherwise, or comedies and slice-of-life that don’t “need” so many caps.

Finally, this season we’re going to try something a little different. At RandomC we’ve always tried to be some of the first to post about the shows we’re blogging, but with the big, detailed posts we do (and considering the fact that none of us get paid), we don’t always live up to that ideal. We’re still going to try, but this season we’re putting an extra emphasis on consistency. We think the most important part is that a post consistently come out when you expect it to, even if it’s outside of our usual 1-2 days after release. If there are any series we think this will apply to this season, we’ll edit this post and list them below. All days and time will referred to in PST. Feel free to check back here as more series are picked up.

• Prisma Illya will be blogged with the TV airing a week after the Niconico airing.

Okay, I’ve yakked on for far too long. Those are our plans for the upcoming season. I hope you’ll continue to support us as we all enjoy a fun-filled summer of anime!

6/26: Quick change: to get a little better spread for each writer’s shows, Cherrie is going to take care of Blood Lad while Zanibas blogs Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi.
7/16: It turns out Enzo just can’t leave Tomoko alone – he has decided to pick up Watashi ga Motenai no wa dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!
7/20: Give into your ridiculously stylized despair. Stilts has picked up Gen’ei wo Kakeru Taiyou.
7/22: Nothing could keep him away from those shirtless men in the end. Takaii is now officially covering Free!
7/22: It’s official, the tall man wants to talk about basketball all season. Le gasp? Stilts has picked up Ro-Kyu-Bu! SS.
7/29: Let the killing blogging game continue – Asobi will be covering DANGANRONPA: Kibo no Gakuen to Zetsubo no Kokosei – The Animation.

「ニジの約束」 (Niji no Yakusoku)
“A Niji’s Promise”

It’s time to get this show on the road.

If last week’s narrative decisions felt rather off point, then this week makes a 180 turn to focus on the upcoming finale. Pretty much everything about this episode screams “final confrontation”, and I find it rather amusing that this is possibly the most plot focused episode in the series outside of the Twins arc. We’ve been hearing about Karoku all season, for example, and seen him a few times, but it isn’t until now that he really starts making a difference on stage. The wheels that have been creaking slowly into place are now finally rearing to go, and I’m more than a little pleased about the general execution of this episode.

To go off on a quick tangent, one of the things I like about the Josei and Seinen genres is how versatile they are. They tend to incorporate many characteristics from other genres and present more of a gray area than a purely stereotypical one. This is more noticeable in Karneval as of late, especially in the heavy use of action elements during this final arc. Though we often see Yogi or Tsukumo in action, there’s a real shounen-like finality to this whole infiltration of Khafka, and the animation for the fight scenes is quite the treat too. It’s that traditional portion of the narrative where all the right people start kicking ass, and even Nai has his moment of unknown ability to flaunt, and I like that in a show that’s equally parts fabulous and ridiculous. It feels good to touch down on something that’s still ostensibly Karneval but much more focused than usual, and I’m glad we’re getting that for the last two episodes.

In any case, it’s time for Circus to actively march on Khafka, and it’s almost amusing how easily they get on premises. It does make me wonder why they wasted so much time looking for evidence when they clearly had some means of getting in there for a while now, but that aside, there’s plenty of great action going on here. Between Tsukumo, Gareki’s newfound tech skills, and the general ability of the first and second ship armies, Khafka is overwhelmed almost too easily. But even then, things aren’t bound to go completely smoothly. For one thing, Azana has strangely turned traitor at the last minute, a surprising development if ever there was one, and Karoku only compounds his mystery when he’s shown holding hands with someone suspiciously like himself. It’s clear that even though we’re heading for the end, Karneval is still comfortably itself, spiraling gleefully in a frenzy and holding on to its secrets to the very last.

ED2 Sequence

Preview

「筒隠さんの家の中」 (Tsutsukakushi-san no Ie no Naka)
“Inside the Tsutsukakushi Home”

With one more episode to go, this lead-up to the finale finally gives us more answers than questions. Someone’s memory has been tampered with, but as of now, it’s unclear whether Tsukiko, Tsukushi, or Youto initiated this change. Unlike last episode, we have a motivation as to why Youto would modify his own memories–Tsukasa was obviously an anchoring figure for Youto in place of his parents, and her passing away must have been a traumatic experience. However, this doesn’t explain why everyone’s memories would change except for the sisters. Perhaps it is Tsukushi who initiated the wish, thus explaining why she has the true memories, with Tsukiko’s willingness to believe deriving from her desire to be number one for Youto. Both sound fairly plausible at this point, with Tsukiko being the third suspect as another contender.

Despite these conflicts in information, we can cull out a few truths from the situation, if we guess carefully. Tsukasa’s father did indeed pass away before Tsukasa, who herself passed away from an ailment of the body rather than any sort of non-natural consequence. We can also probably guess that the cat god was definitely still active during this time, even before Tsukushi setup the cat god shrine on the hill. It is also highly probable that the Tsutsukakushi and Yokodera families came in contact with one another during the grade school years, though how exactly depends on which parts of the past are correct. Finally, despite any versions of history, we can confirm that the Tsutsukakushi household went through some straining times in their inter-family relationship, whether between mother and daughter or grandparents to grandchildren.

Now, all we can do at this point is wait for the final episode, to see what is reality in this well…quite twisted memory. After all, if the rat suit wasn’t any indication that this wasn’t reality, or perhaps the numerous hints dropped throughout this episode, I don’t know what will. Just one more episode and we can finally close the books on what has been what I’d call an enjoyable train wreck. The plot has gradually become random and spontaneous to the point of almost incomprehensibility, but it sure is a pleasure to see it consistently animated by J.C. Staff and voiced by such wonderful seiyuu.

Unfortunately, I will not be here to blog the final episode, but rest assured, I will be leaving my final impressions with the person who will be subbing for me, Stilts! Hopefully he will be able to reconstruct reality by the end of next week, as I will be traveling to take care of some important matters halfway across the globe (not Italy). Thus, I’d like to thank in advance everyone who’s followed this show thus far along with me, and I hope this show has been at least good eye-candy to watch! Those full-lengths man…absolutely wonderful at times. Thank you dear reader, and goodbye for now, for I’ll be back soon!

Full-length images: 7, 11, 21, 23.

Preview

「生命」 (Mitama)
“Life”

One to go? Hard to believe.

I still can’t quite complete the mental connection confirming that Arata Kangatari is down to the final episode. It seems so utterly absurd on the face of it when watching the anime, and the most incredible thing is that I still don’t really have any idea of what Satelight is going to do to wrap this up. If I hope anything about the anime, I suppose, it’s that it gave viewers at least some notion of why the manga is as good as it is. There’s a very well-conceived, complex and interesting premise at work here, with some amazing world-building and superb art.

As to whether that’s been accomplished I’m the wrong person to answer, but from my perspective I think Yasuda-sensei has managed to put together a pretty entertaining series. The visuals are probably as big a disappointment to me as the curtailed story – the character designs are fine but there’s little of the lush beauty of Yuu Watase’s art here and the animation is pretty low-rent. Even now, this close to the end, the anime is still hewing more closely to the story than I would ever have imagined – the Yorunami battle was actually quite faithful (most of the changes came in the buil-up last week).

In truth I don’t think Yorunami’s arc is one of the more compelling in the manga, and I wouldn’t have minded seeing it skipped in favor of greater focus on Arata in Tokyo and on Akechi and Kannagi. Yorunami’s Mommy-obsessed storyline is pretty standard even in the original, and it didn’t even have Kadowaki’s presence as a wild-card to spice it up a little. I think you can see even in this episode that Kannagi is a much more intriguing character, and we’ve just barely begun to scratch the surface with Akechi – I quite liked his scene with Kadowaki this week, because it shows us that Kadowaki is a truly dedicated psycho if nothing else, and that Akechi is someone who can really respect a good grudge.

It’s frustrating to think just how many interesting elements of this story are never going to see the screen. I’m not sure now why Satelight even bothered to tease Arata’s story as much as they did, because he hasn’t even appeared in two episodes – despite the fact that we now have a very dangerous Harunawa running around in Tokyo – and it’s hard to see him getting more than a minute or two in the final episode. I would imagine that will focus mostly on Hinohara battling with Kadowaki, though whether they’ll give us a definitive result of any flavor I wouldn’t even hazard a guess. I expect we will see some sort of "ending", but I find myself hoping it’s very open-ended because I don’t see any way to do otherwise without completely losing credibility.

Preview

OP Sequence

OP: 「AI DO.」 by 橋本みゆき (Hashimoto Miyuki)

「剣妃、誕生」 (Tsurugi Kisaki , Tanjou)
“Birth of Samurai Bride”

It seems fitting that Juubei was the character that ties everything together in the end – after all, the series started with the same mysterious girl appearing out of nowhere and affectionately greeting Muneakira as her “Onii chan”. Juubei has certainly come a long way since the premiere of the first season – she has now come to terms with both of her distinct personas, and the amiable connection that she shares with those at Yagyuu dojo is utterly beyond doubt. The fact that Juubei was chosen to be Muneakira’s Samurai Bride shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone, and I’m not at all taken aback by the ensuing upshot that involved both the liberation of the Dark Samurai and the ultimate defeat of the Evil Spirit. The finale wasn’t especially groundbreaking – that much is clear, but the ending was undeniably the happily-ever-after resolution that we have all hoped for, and nothing would make me more contented than to see the bright smiles on everyone’s face as the curtain of the series finally draws down.

But before we can reap the harvest, there was certainly more than a whiff in the air of anguish and hopelessness – the Master Samurai were clearly no match for such an overwhelming foe and it was not until the appearance of the Samurai Bride that they even stood a chance. The first half of the finale was about as overtly sentimental as the series gets – for starters, we have one of the great misunderstandings of the show finally straightened out and it appears that Sen Hime is, indeed, the one true love for Hanzou! The induction of Hanzou into Muneakira’s harem has somewhat obscured the status of this beautiful yuri relationship and I’ll be the first to admit I find the recent development decidedly worrying. But to my greatest delight, all my concerns turned out to be for naught and Hanzou’s valiant attempt to protect her loved one was more than enough a testament of her undying devotion for Sen Hime – and no yuri-haters out there can convince me otherwise! Of course, it wasn’t just the two of them who were at the forefront of this grand showdown, everyone pretty much had their fair share of the spotlight this week and the over-the-top action sequences that ensued were truly a remarkable sight to behold – especially Yukimura’s Qi-enhanced “Adamant Yin-Yang Barrier”!

That said, it was Juubei’s grand entrance that marked the turn of tide for this legendary battle and the birth of the Samurai Bride was certainly the pinnacle of this finale – if not the entire series. I’ve mentioned before that this is a show that features some of the best-looking female leads and with the much-anticipated introduction of the Samurai Bride, it appears that Hyakka Ryouran has just one-upped itself! I’m not even sure why I like Juubei’s latest reincarnation this much – I’ve never been a huge fan of nekomimi, and the fact that Yuuki Aoi is no longer using her badass-voice hit me as somewhat of a disappointment. Still, I have to admit that Juubei has never looked this gorgeous, and it could be the combination of her long silver hair and the sparkling shiny aura that somehow makes her brand new image ticks. After all, Juubei has always exuded a childlike charm to her temperament and the cat-like attire has, no question, brought out the best of such saccharine allure!  As so often is the case in Hyakka Ryouran, the non-stop action didn’t disappoint me the slightest and the incorporation of mecha elements – a jet pack, an eye-scouter and a massive gun-blade – into the Samurai Bride’s get-up makes the final clash seem all the more epic. The larger-than-life dogfight between Samurai Bride Juubei and Evil Spirit Musashi serves as a continuation to the brief face-off last week and their all-consuming showdown was most certainly a feast for the eyes – not to mention a perfect way to end this series!

It should go without saying that I’m very pleased with how things turned out and I don’t think anybody could have asked for a better wrap-up than this one. The finale has just about everything a fan of the series could ever want – there was action, ecchi, comedic lines, and most importantly, all of the main characters played their parts in the limelight this week. If this is, indeed, the ultimate full-stop, then so be it – it’s been a great ride and I hope you had as much fun as I did with the “Samurai Girls’ Story of Love, Courage and Kisses”!

Random tidbits:

• Is it just me, or does it look like he’s sucking on Juubei’s boobs – Yes, I know I have a pretty wild imagination!
• Some fine camel toes as your parting gifts – As much as I like Juubei in all her badassery, Sen Hime is still my favorite!
• Mandotory boob shot for the Samurai Bride transformation – Even I have to admit that those two are a pretty good match! Muneakira looks pretty dashing as the groom.
• Inko chan’s pretty busty for a loli – Yukimura would not be pleased to learn about that!
• “That’s a pretty fine ass, ufufu!” – Keiji is, indeed, a fine dandy, just look at where her hand is!
• Gisen wants to be a Samurai Bride too – Perhaps Keiji could become her General and while they’re at it, she should invite Nia along!
• A dere dere Musashi is pretty cute – No goodbye kisses for Juubei? Come on, you can do better than that!
• “I’m invincible, ohohoho!” – I’m going to miss you, Kanetsugu. And for what it’s worth, I think Kanetsugu’s way hotter than Hatsune Miku!

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – #HyakkaRyouran Samurai Bride 12: It’s been a great ride and I hope you had as much fun as I did! #Anime
 
Full-length images: 01, 07, 11, 15, 17, 19, 29, 31, 35, 39, 42, 45.
 
Epilogue:

Final Impressions:

I loved the first season of Hyakka Ryouran – and apparently so did Divine who of course, selected the show as his choice for “Best of Anime 2010 – Exceeded Expectations”. It’s easy to pick out things that I like about the second season – for one, all of the major characters are now a Master Samurai and I don’t think there’s any question that they looked absolutely stunning in the new get-up! Hanzou, in particular, was a standout in this respect and her brand new image was undoubtedly a delight for the eyes – a traditional Japanese garment coupled with a zettai ryouiki (uncovered thigh) and a side ponytail! Then there’s the grand entrance of a new character and the re-introduction of an old friend, who have brought a handful of new sparks and some of the biggest laughs to the second season. I’ll be honest – I’m a huge fan of Maeda Keiji and the fact that she is a proud yuri-loving dandy just makes it all the more better. The return of Yagyuu Gisen was also marked with intense sexual intensity and her revel in the fine art of troll has made the series such a blast to watch – in fact, I wouldn’t think twice about calling her the funniest character of the second season!

Of course, it wouldn’t be Hyakka Ryouran without the usual mouthwatering fanservice and to that end, the show has exceeded my expectations in pretty much every way! There’s something to be said about ecchi that is so shameless and unapologetic – and more so than ever, the second season of Hyakka Ryouran doesn’t pretend to be anything else but just that. It wasn’t just the venerable Swimsuit Episode that had the fanservice on steroids, there were bounteous naked females featured in almost every episode, taking part in what I presumed to be pretty normal daily routines – massage, crotch-sniffing, motor-boating, tuning in Tokyo, splashing, jiggling and hugging! The ever-so-gorgeous Sen Hime was at the forefront of its fanservice exploitation and her exquisite body was quite a sight to behold to say the least – the fact that all the serious conversations had to occur in the bathtub certainly helps the cause! As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Gisen has also shown a tendency to misconstrue any thick and long objects as some sort of phallic eroticism, and her many attempts to sex up Muneakira was by far, the best laugh-out-loud moments of this season!

That said, there’s more to Hyakka Ryouran than just sex jokes, and the show can also be guilefully sentimental in the character drama department. Whether it was Juubei’s interaction with Inko chan, or Kanetsugu’s budding friendship with Sasuke, there was no shortage of warmth and emotional honesty to the material that succeeded at tugging our heartstrings. It’s amazing how much I like all of these characters – even as obnoxious as they can be. Sen Hime will always be my absolute favorite – her tsundere-like antics and S&M relationship with Hanzou hit my soft spot just right! But clearly, it’s not just the Tokugawa princess who sticks out, the entire cast – including the newly introduced Dark Samurai – was noticeably weird and wonderful, and it goes without saying that I’m going to miss all of them!

Production-wise, the second season encapsulated everything that a great ecchi comedy stands for – with their own unique twist, of course! There were copious amount of fanservice, great side-splitting moments, lovely character designs, a star-studded cast of seiyuu, terrific soundtrack by Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon’s Katou Tatsuya, a distinct visual style that features frequent ink-splatters, and as a cherry on top, non-stop Samurai action that keeps our adrenaline pumping! Suffice to say, I’m a big fan of the second season, and for those of you who has an acquired taste for ecchi comedy, I have no doubt you’ll find something to like Hyakka Ryouran – just remember to shut the door, put on the headphones, and be prepared to laugh longer and louder than you ever have!

Random tidbits:

• Hyakka Ryouran is the first series that I’ve completed as a writer of RandomC – I would like give myself a pat on the back for a job well done!
• This might come as a surprise to some – but Hyakka Ryouran is actually one of the more popular posts at RandomC and sometimes, the viewcounts even surpass that of Kakumeiki Valvrave. Clearly, I’m not the only one who’s obsessed with ecchi and fanservice!
• I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you – yes, even those who just look at the screen caps. My blogging experience wouldn’t be complete without your input and nothing gets me more excited than to hear from all of you!

OP Sequence

OP: 「GHOST IN THE SHELL ARISE」 by Cornelius

「Border:1 – Ghost Pain」

After waiting for what’s seemed like an eternity, Ghost in the Shell is back. Created by a new staff (at least, in terms of position for some) led by Director Kazuchika Kise, ARISE comes as the newest iteration in a franchise that needs no introduction. And now that we’re here, I can safely say this: ARISE is an different experience might take some getting used to, but it’s definitely Ghost in the Shell, and what we get here is a promising start. The verdict’s still out as to whether or not it’ll be a worthy addition once it’s all said and done, but the first impressions are definitely of a positive variety—a key notion when considering the various staff changes between ARISE, the movies (see my post here on the original GITS), and Stand Alone Complex.

Looking back, one of the biggest topics was how neither Kanno Yoko or Kawai Kenji would be retained for ARISE. Instead, the relatively unknown (at least, in terms of work on anime OST’s) Oyamada Keigo (a.k.a. Cornelius) was tabbed to the chagrin of many fans—which was not surprising in the least. After all, the previous composers did a spectacular job with their respective soundtracks, and in many ways, they were part of what made the series what it was. With that said however, I’m happy to say that although there is a noticeable difference in the musical style used here in ARISE , it’s not something that takes away from the experience to any large degree. Like many other differences in this series, it’ll likely take some getting used to, but once you do—and you will—you won’t mind it nearly as much as you thought you would.

In many ways though, part of that reason is the notable shift in how things are done in ARISE, which reflects well upon the staff in terms of both having a solid vision for what they wanted to do and the ability to execute it. Because what we get this time around is something that’s sensual in a different way—relying on things such as realistic (and heightened) sound effects and various visual techniques (different camera angles etc.) to create the atmosphere and mood. What music there is—which only finds its way in occasionally—is made in such a way that it’s not intrusive and it’s done in a way that makes it literally a support for the established environment. To this end, this is where ARISE arguably succeeds well beyond expectation, as it does a great job weaving together a mood that makes you feel like something’s not quite right, which complements the equally mysterious (and fairly well done) plot line.

And on that note, ARISE’s plot line is one that is stand alone to both the movies and Stand Alone Complex. There was originally speculation that the new series could fit in before the events of Stand Alone Complex, but while it does take place in a time period before the formation of Section 9 as we know it, it’s definitely not part of the same timeline—although some details do remain the same, as Kusanagi is still a part of the military (a secret unit known as the 501), and the other characters are still all in the occupations we expected them to be (Batou as a Ranger, Togusa as a police detective, etc.).

As for the plot itself, the story ends up revolving around an investigation into the recently deceased Lieutenant Colonel Mamuro—suspected of taking bribes and engaging in arms dealing. The investigation by Aramaki leads him to Kusanagi, and with it—Batou, Togusa, and Paz as well. Outwardly, the general plot looks quite straightforward, but the ultimate result is anything but. Various twists and turns dot the landscape throughout this first episode, and really, there was a lot more here than I expected there to be. As it turns out, Kusanagi herself had been infected with a virus that produces false memories, and we end up really getting tossed around as we try to sort out what’s real and what’s not.

To top things off, there’s quite a bit in terms of philosophical concepts inserted in as well, and it’s something that combines with the aforementioned to create an experience that both surprised, but clearly demonstrated why ARISE is clearly a Ghost in the Shell iteration—albeit a different one. After all, there’s nothing like a universe where you can be turned into a cyborg even when you’re a growing fetus (a notable change to Kusanagi’s back story), where phantom limb syndrome is a thing, and where if your cyberbrain is compromised, you can’t even trust your own memories… and it all comes together to formulate a great start for this new iteration. I for one was admittedly surprised at some of the revelations at the end (how about Mamuro’s coffin being literally buried underneath another coffin?), and it just looks like a promising new beginning here with ARISE—one that was filled with boatloads of ass-kicking (literally, lots of kicking) from Kusanagi as well.

Ultimately though, I must also note how ARISE ends up being an interesting mixture of both old and new—mixing elements and scenes from both the original movies and Stand Alone Complex with the director’s new take on the franchise. Batou’s eyes being hacked mid-way through the episode (and his subsequent ass-kicking by Motoko), the starting scene with the helicopters flying overhead, and Motoko losing her arm (and getting lifted like this) were all things that were done previously, and they were admittedly a nice touch that also helped hammer in how this really is just another GITSseries. Again, many of the changes—especially to the character designs—will take some getting used to, but it’s arguably something that serves as a necessary thing that separates ARISE from its other counterparts. It’s like a kind of statement that says “Yes, this is Ghost in the Shell, but this isn’t SAC and this ain’t the movies either,” and that’s fine with me. Admittedly, my positive impressions of the series might be a tad bit biased due to the fact that the franchise is my all-time favorite series and Kusanagi’s my all-time favorite character as well, but I do genuinely feel like they did a good job here, and the future episodes will likely make this a worthy addition to the franchise. The only problem now is the wait between now and the next episode, which supposedly won’t come until the end of November at the earliest.

Additional Notes:

Epilogue:

ED Sequence

ED: 「じぶんがいない」 (Jibun ga Inai) by サリュバイサリュ (salyu×salyu)

Preview

「煌めきの… 聖爆誕祭（スラップスティック・ノエル）」 (Kirameki no…Surappusutikku Noeru)
“Glittering…Slapstick Noel”

I missed Rikka’s adorable “auu~”s so much, and it didn’t hurt that this episode had what was probably the single best gag of the entire series so far.

The Same Old Chu2koi

Its been a while since I thought about this series, so when I sat down to watch this OVA I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This series lacked a bit of permanence – its serious plotlines didn’t match up to its comedic ones – but since this OVA was all about the funnies, it worked gloriously. I was reminded of how much I enjoyed the first half of the series. Of special note were the gags we hadn’t seen before, especially Dekomori in full dou-S ojou-sama mode, Shinka cowed, and Yuuta chased after by some drunk girls in the chu2 world. Really, Dekomori in particular made this episode, but I’ll get to that soon.

Drunk On Not-Booze

Minor qualm: why must so many anime pull their punches and have characters get drunk off of candies or cake? Okay, so they’re still young, but a little champagne or cider could do the job. All they would need to do is throw out a “Oh, a little won’t hurt!”, until it’s revealed that they’re super lightweights. If you’re going to do a characters-get-drunk plot, don’t pull your punches, people! Ahhh well, all the more credit goes to Remon-sempai for her Dynamite Drink. She’s truly a goddess among lesser lolis.

That aside, the ‘ol drunk girls gambit did the trick of ramping up the funnies before it pushed the rest of the plot (such as there was any) forward. Yuuta loses a few points for being too chickenshit to not invite Rikka to the sight-seeing ship beforehand, but it all worked out in the end. For some people, at least.

Epic Troll

I’ve always had a special fondness for Christmas in anime, so even as I write this in June I found myself enjoying the setup. Christmas and Valentine’s Day always provide nice exuses to push a relationship forward, and with not enough resolution given to either the Rikka x Yuuta or Isshiki x Kumin relationships during season 1, I was looking forward to getting at least a kiss out of this episode. And if any of you saw the preview before watching this (or paid attention to my excerpt pictures, ufufu~) then you probably thought the same thing I did – we’re finally getting that Rikka x Yuuta kiss!

WRONG! Everything they did during the episode – and everything they did before it – all prepared us for Rikka and Yuuta kissing, only for them to switch it up at the last second and go for Deko x Shinka instead!! Yuri implications aside (though they are both hot and adorable together), Rikka x Yuuta was foreshadowed and Isshiki x Kumin was at least desired by one of them, so having the dark horse “couple” be the only one that had any development was a stroke of comedic genius. KyoAni, and Chu2koi in particular, really is best when it’s being mundane or funny, and this was a twenty-minute setup to a joke that was worth every minute. It paid off in spades! And having Shinka and Deko-chan get mad at Isshiki’s flag comment in unison? Just icing on the cake. The delicious, scrumptious, alcohol-filled yuri cake.

Looking Ahead

Season 2, season 2! Okay, so its already been announced, and so has a movie as well. I don’t have a lot to say, other than I hope they put more emphasis on the comedy during next season, and when they have to get serious, I prefer they keep to the romance rather than the drama. The comedy has been the hilarious, and the romance has been anywhere from good-to-amazing (this episode being the amazing!). The drama? Coulda been better. Play to your strengths KyoAni. If you can do that, I’ll see you in season 2, auu~

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Epic troll. The single best gag in the series came in the OVA #chu2koi

Random thoughts:

• Why’d they go back to the old, alternating, super-seizure-inducing OP? Someone give me my meds! *herk*
• Great assist Touka-san, telling Shinka about Yuuta’s secret gym clothes fetish. Best. onee-chan. evar!
• A new Cereberus? I miss the old one though. We need both of them to meet in season 2, and chase Shinka together.
• Seriously though, how did they getting drunk on cake? And where can I get some?
• They had a nice call-back to the whole Mayan apocalypse thing at the end. Remember the little things, that’s the KyoAni motto. Keep doing that and I’ll love you more. Like Deko-chan loves Mori Summer, ufufu~

Full-length images: 11.

For more from yours truly, check out my blog about writing, life, and making great art at stiltsoutloud.com.

「決断のとき」 (Ketsudan no Toki)
“The Decisive Moment”

The coming of this week’s episode of Suisei brings with it a new sacred duty for Pinion—restoring the treasure (weapons) that have been recovered—and it’s just another commentary on society to start things off. Indeed, what the beginning of the episode seems to bring is the notion that there are people out there whose loyalties are easily bought (and whose desires are easily satisfied)… and it’s something that admittedly applies both in someways to Pinion and to people you’ll probably meet in the workplace at some point as well.

As it turns out though, not even Pinion likes what ends up happening here—of course, you should never judge something entirely by its cover—and that ends up sowing the seeds for a revolt. And who but the GREAT PIRATE LUKKAGE to start things off!? Ultimately though, even her plan ends up relying on Ledo/Chamber…

…the former of which finds himself pleading for the cancellation of the planned attack on Gargantia at the beginning of this episode. His plead ends up going on deaf ears, but it’s an important sequence that notably ends up at the conclusion I discussed last week: the fact that what Kugel Striker is doing is essentially recreating the Galactic Alliance—a second utopia—on Earth. To this end, Ledo finds himself struggling to decide between all that he’s ever known (the Galactic Alliance and its views) and the things he’s learned/experienced since coming to Earth, and it’s not a great situation to be in for him to say the least, but one that really powers the impact of this week’s episode…

…something which the flying squirrel’s appearance here also helps with greatly as well. In many ways, its appearance is symbolic of Amy, Gargantia, and of what Ledo should be doing… and it’s something that is compounded by the rain, which both triggers various memories of Gargantia and the ceremony where Ledo witnesses “people who serve no use to the greater good” being nonchalantly tossed into the ocean by the dozen. Generally, it’s amazing how this sequence of events played out, and it’s just a spectacular use of various storytelling devices here—especially so when you consider how it all culminates in the rain literally washing off the markings on Pinion’s forehead. To say that all of this made this episode really representative of its title (“The Decisive Moment”) is an understatement…

…and it’s a key moment that gets Ledo to realize what exactly he’s been doing all his life—which is rely on Chamber and others to make decisions for him. In this context, he realizes that he’s never once made any significant decision by himself, and it’s something that’s exceptionally significant as he finally breaks off his chains this week and asks Chamber whether or not it would be possible to fight Striker. And notably, it’s here where I can’t help but feel that even Chamber has acquired some kind of new autonomy as a result of his time on Earth, as his authorization for Ledo to fight Striker, his non-committal reply regarding his fighting the commander himself, and his asking of Ledo’s decision rather than just telling him this is something he has to do just reeks of some kind of change in Chamber. Admittedly, I could just be grasping at straws here… but if it is indeed true, there’s really a lot of commentary here about the potential of people changing as well, and it combines with the squirrel being present at this decisive moment to make this a truly spectacular episode.

Indeed, you know an episode’s spectacular when I’ve gone through so much words and haven’t even discussed:

And in the end, it’s just a testament to how much we’ve gotten with this series in terms of build-up and proper development, and how much we got in this one episode in particularly too. Really, it’s just an absolutely superb episode of Suisei no Gargantia this week, and I think at this point I’ll just leave things to you guys to discuss amongst yourselves.

「シークレットミッション」 (Shikuretto misshon)
“Secret Mission”

Majestic Prince has a fascinating mix of artistic elements to say the least. While the action-packed space battles feel avant-garde, there’s obviously a stylistic throwback to both the structure of its composition and visual sense. It’s certainly like nothing else that’s airing this season – for one, the commercial bumper this week would not have looked amiss in any mecha anime of the late 90’s, and there’s also the dry humor, which is pretty much in contrast with the slapstick comedy that pervades these days. This is a relic of another time, but that in itself wouldn’t mean much if the show is not as exuberantly compelling as it is. While I still have no idea why Dogakobo x Orange made this adaptation – which is not canonical to the manga at that, I’m definitely not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and it goes without saying that I’m very glad they did!

The latest episode was a blend of slice-of-life and situation comedy, and the two female leads – Kei and Tamaki, were obviously at the center of attention this week. If it wasn’t already apparent from last week’s preview, this episode was aiming for the most basic form of pandering – fanservice, and to that end, the various cosplaying endeavors were nothing less than a visual feat – especially if you’re as big a fan of Kei as I am! For a moment, I was quite worried we might not see the girls in all of their swimsuit glory – indeed, the intentional cop-out of that scene was pretty crafty – but all that anxiety turned out to be for naught and the epilogue, which had the entire photo shoot laid bare, was definitely a feast for the eyes! Needless to say, Kei and Tamaki present a marked contrary to each other – not just in their physical endowment, but also in the depiction of their character temperament. While Tamaki is the naïve and forceful one – not to mention busty, Kei is comparatively more conservative and thoughtful. Clearly, the both of them excel in different areas, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work as a team and when the time calls for it, they are most certainly capable of bringing it together – in fact, the dynamic duo pulled off quite a publicity stunt this week!

It wasn’t just Kei and Tamaki who had the time of their lives, the rest of the Zannen 5 also engaged in their fair share of goofing-around in this episode. Toshikazu, in particular, was a standout and his date – or whatever that is – with Anna (Tanaka Rina, Anko in Tamako Market) is bound to give those who have a imouto fetish utmost satisfaction. For all of his seemingly dispassionate demeanor, Toshikazu has proven to be quite attentive and charming when he needs to be, and I don’t think there’s any question that he’ll make a class-S boyfriend should he become one – and perhaps even a great father! Then there’s Suruga – he didn’t have any lines in this episode – who seems to be part of a secret operation this week and I suspect the unknown aircraft that is fast approaching Star Rose will be the key focus of the next episode. While I have no idea what new mysteries does it entail, it probably has something to do with the enigmatic girl from Episode 5 and by the look of it, she’ll be embarking on a vicious dogfight with Izuru next week – and that’s something that I’m most looking forward to!

Random tidbits:

• This is the first time we’ve gotten a visual confirmation of Kei’s bust size and I admit it was somewhat of a letdown – Don’t get me wrong though, I still love her to bits!
• Those beautiful, delicious legs more than make up for Kei’s inferior bust size – I know I’m weird, please don’t judge me!
• It looks Kei is more popular with the older folks – That could be the reason why I find her so adorable! No, I’m not that old, just slightly older!
• “I have control. You have control. Bon Voyage!” – Yamada Peko packs some pretty crazy driving skills!
• Is that Commander Komine? – I would be ecstatic if that doofus has, indeed, been removed from the commanding ranks!
• “This is a wee bit too sexy, I don’t think Asagi would survive seeing me in this” – that’s only true if he’s a lolicon, and I highly doubt that!
• “Don’t give me this crap” – Artistic necessity, that’s what they all say to make the girls strip!
• A huff and a puff – I wonder what those guys are watching. It could be Episode 10 of Kakumeiki Vavlrave!

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – #MajesticPrince 12: Cosplay and fanservice have never been so much fun – police, firefighter, teacher, nurse, military and of course, the venerable swimsuit! #Anime
 

Full-length images: 01, 03, 04, 13, 16, 17, 22, 24, 28, 30, 32, 33, 37, 38.

Epilogue:

Preview

「それでも彼と彼女と彼女の青春はまちがい続ける」 (Soredemo Kare to Kanojo to Kanojo no Seishun wa Machigaisuzukeru)
“And Thus His, Her, and Her Teenage Lives stay Messed Up”

Before I start this post, I’d like to point out that episode thirteen looks like it’s a bonus episode and therefore will not continue the story. So last week when I said that things were going to go out on a bang, I wasn’t necessarily incorrect but I’d like to apologize if I made anyone lose sleep over the thought that Oregairu may have only had twelve episodes.

With that thrown out there, let’s get back to the serious stuff — like Hachiman’s ridiculously powerful words. Staying true to himself and his beliefs, I was left speechless after listening to him completely rip Sagami to pieces. Starting with her completely foolish desire to become the chairman without having the knowledge needed to properly do her job to questioning just what kind of person she really is inside, I just wanted more and more as he went on and on about how she’s actually more like a loner rather than this social butterfly that she attempts to be. At the same time though, it was really tough sit through the whole thing BECAUSE of just how harsh it was.

But what may have moved me even more than that amazing speech was that short moment right before the credits where Yukino and Hachiman finally seemed to have a real human moment together. If you compare their actions from the beginning of the series to how things are now, you can see that both of them have finally begun to really open up toward each other and in turn have started opening up to those close around them — a stark difference from where they started. That said, I wasn’t sure how to interpret what happened at the end! I think Hachiman was attempting to make his first official friend (or ask her out?) but got shot down? Like, Yukino was talking about how she didn’t really know who he was when she first met him and even though she understands him now won’t be his friend but then throws in a little wink at the end! It was so out of character that I couldn’t figure out whether or not she was joking around or being serious!

Final impressions will be out next week when the show actually comes to a close, but it’s been a blast blogging again and I just wanted to give a shout out to all you readers who continually take the time to read these posts. Thank you so much <3

P.S. If only that concert scene was a bit more animated! It could have been like K-ON 2.0!

Preview

「傷 ―トロスト区攻防戦⑧―」 (Kizu ―Torosuto Ku Kobo Sen ⑧―)
“Wound ―Defense of Trost (8)―”

“Despite avoiding combat as much as possible, we lost a fifth of our men.”

A FIFTH OF OUR MEN. A FIFTH! Gosh darn, talk about suffering. Really, when you’re losing a fifth of your men in an operation that’s had arguably the least fighting of any you’ve been a part of so far… that’s some grim stuff.

Either way though, this episode continues the spotlight on Pixis and his general personality. Indeed, his comment that the aforementioned soldiers weren’t “just lost, but sent to their deaths by his orders” just gives us a view into the kind of person he is… and it’s quite something. I mean, there are few greater mixes than a leader whose both idealistic in terms of being the leader you’d want to follow and realistic in terms of how much power he wields as a person in his condition. All in all, it’s a testament to how he understands the responsibility of his position—and this week continues a string of episodes that demonstrate just how much of a boss Pixis is.

In any case, the main highlight of this week ends up being the failure of Eren to complete his portion of the operation, and his failure brings us to the question of whether or not everything that was sacrificed was a waste or not. Again though, it’s here where Pixis shines again with his quotes (“We cannot allow the death of our comrades be in vain. Giving up so easily is unacceptable.”)… and via his pick of Ian as the elite squad leader. Because what this does is ultimately set the stage for Ian to show just why he’s such a capable leader: as in the end, he realizes that even though this operation failed, Eren still represents a key hope of mankind. They might’ve failed this time, but he could very well still help next time. You can’t be too quick to just toss something out because it didn’t work on the first try, and you can’t run now when so many sacrifices have already been made. In many ways, that’s what a soldier’s about: recognizing the limits of what you can do alone, thinking on your feet, making your death count if you need to, and fighting for those who have fallen before you. And in essence, that’s what the elite squad stands for as well—the ideals of what a soldier should be and humanity’s potential.

Ultimately though, the episode is a tale of two halves, and the latter half involves Armin trying to forcefully extract Eren from the Titan body. Combine that with Jean’s own share of heroics… and I have to say, they’ve all really come a long way since the start of the series. There really ain’t nothing like the pressure cooker known as “imminent and brutal death” to push one to maturation. Still, things are pretty darn grim regardless—but then again, when aren’t they?—and as always, the suffering just continues. In general, it’s more of a character development episode than anything, and nothing really progressed here per se… but it was definitely a solid episode regardless, and one that reinforces the fact that Eren’s resolve needs to be tried and true if he wants to succeed in his mission.

Looking forward, things look like they’ll only get better from here, and it’ll be quite something to see how things develop as we get ready to enter the second cour. One wonders if we’ll ever see such a great number of Mikasa focused shots ever again though…

Author’s Note:

Preview