Random Curiosity

「腹ぐろ眼鏡」 (Haraguro Megane)
“Villain in Glasses”

Now that’s how you sell the promise of a dream for a lot of cold, hard cash.

Selling What They Already Want To Buy

I’m a marketer by profession and have done a fair amount of sales, and let me tell you this – it’s far easier to sell someone something when they already want to buy it. That sounds obvious, but think of how often companies try to sell us all crap we have no interest in. Partially this is a targeting problem (advertising casts a wide net, so you always catch some people who aren’t in your target market), but mostly it’s because it’s intellectually lazier to try to sell what you have to whoever is in front of you rather than seeking out those who already want what you’ve got. It’s also a lot less effective.

In going into the negotiations with Shopping Street 8, the Marine Agency, and the Roderic Merchant Guild, the advantage that Marie and Henrietta have is they know exactly what the others want (profit), while the three merchant guilds don’t know what Shiroe and the Crescent Moon Alliance are up to. That enabled Henrietta to coach the situation in terms that made her opponents think what she wanted them to think, and it enabled her to craft her pitch into one she knew the others would be receptive towards. Making them think the Crescent Moon Alliance is after a big quest, using Shiroe’s name and the Lv 85 ingredient in the pudding to further their misconception, and then making them think they’ll be able to cash in on Crescent Moon’s recipes if they pay up…she basically sold the potential of unspecified future profit based on misconceptions and half-truths (though never lies!) for 4.5 million in cash. Well played.

For my money though, the pièce de résistance of the whole thing was how they invited all three guilds. By talking to them all at once they were able to play the three off against one another. For example, if one of them wasn’t interested or wanted more time to think about the deal then the others would happily snatch it up at their expense, which would make the first party feel like they lost out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Henrietta and Shiroe were able to leverage this loss aversion into the three guilds all piling on to invest in the Crescent Moon Alliance’s plan, all without giving them the time to do their due diligence or even really think the deal through too carefully. They were put in the hot seat and all three of them took the bait. That was some masterful selling right there.

Picturing Thoughts

One thing I really liked was how they pictured character’s internal thoughts. It’s always a bit tricky to portray thoughts in a visual medium like television, which is one of the reasons why characters so frequently talk out loud – you can’t get all those nice non-verbal clues when the character is just standing there stone faced thinking at themselves. Not that this isn’t occasionally done – I remember the DEATH NOTE anime freezing the screen and delving into character’s thoughts all the time – but I liked how the little purple thought-avatars let us both hear their thoughts and see non-verbal clues as well! A nice little trick, and one I’d like to see more often, especially when someone like Marie-nee is involved.

Scary Shiny Glasses Fetish

This show seriously has a fetish for glasses, and scary shiny glasses (trope!) in particular. There’s Shiroe, Henrietta, Roderick (Terasoma Masaki), Krusty, and I’m sure there will be more as the series goes on. What I most enjoyed was Shiroe’s notoriety, and how people actually refer to him as the Villain in Glasses! I like a protagonists willing to use coldblooded and ruthless (but still moral) schemes to achieve his ends, but it’s a hard character type to execute on, so kudos once again to Touno-sensei for managing it. Shiroe is my kind of villain!

Minori & Touya Come Alive

We delved into why Minori and Touya got involved with Hamelin – desperation and fear, mostly – but for my money the part I liked best is how they’re starting to stand on their own two feet. Mind you, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them seeking and accepting help from Shiroe – despite Minori’s earlier thoughts to the contrary, they deserve to be saved as much as anyone, and more than most. That Touya and now Minori are trying to become more like Shiroe and look like they’ll be trying to escape Hamelin on their own warms my heart. The timing is a bit odd, though. Not that they would only now be getting the courage to do it – that makes total sense – but that they’re going to try to break out on the same day Shiroe is planning to save them. Still, if they can meet Shiroe halfway that will be a fine moment indeed. I look forward to seeing them fight for their freedom.

Looking Ahead – The Council of Akihabara

I’m unbelievably stoked for the negotiations next episode, which is probably a super lame thing to say, but I don’t care! This series is turning out to be the good parts of Maoyuu without the adaptation decay and the potential of Sword Art Online without all the One True Hero nonsense, so even when it’s all talking I enjoy it. Especially when someone in glasses gets scary. Go Shiroe go!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Henrietta sells dreams based on misconceptions for 4.5 million cash. This show is like #maoyuu without the adaptation decay #loghorizon 08

Random thoughts:

• Ceiling Akatsuki is adorable. I want my own lurking legal loli assassin! *pouts*

Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: On writing fast, writing well, One short story, one week – buzzer beater, Writing challenge – one short story, one week, and Novel update: editing & short stories.

Full-length images: 33, 34.

Preview

「最強の証明」 (Saikyō no Shōmei)
“Proof of the Strongest”

As much as any episode in Little Busters!, this one felt as if it was a long time coming.

Inohara Masato has always been something of a singular figure at the heart of Little Busters. He’s the guy that was always there – Riki’s “best friend”, in his own words – but always outside the main plot and usually the B plot as well. He’s the comic relief (and indeed, the funniest character in the cast along with Kud-o – “Am I supposed to live by myself in a concrete pipe?!”), the butt of the jokes, usually the loser in his battles with Kengo and Rin, the eternal sidekick – but also the one who seemed at random moments to drop the most hints about what was really going on here.

It’s been something of a painful process to watch Masato’s personality change over the last couple of episodes, as the shit got real when it came to the conspiracy underlying everything in LB. But this episode frames that in a way that’s almost poetic, because we see the exact same thing happening to the child Masato before Kyousuke showed up in his life. That’s the point, of course – this episode and indeed the early part of this arc seems to be a process of Riki trying to step into Kyousuke’s shoes and recreate what he did with the Little Busters – but it was executed with a grace and subtlety that might not fully present itself until the episode is watched a second time. It might have been a bit brief for me – after this long of a wait, I could have done with a longer arc for Masato – but it delivered the emotional goods.

Canna Nobutoshi is one of the more experienced seiyuu in a cast with a lot of less well-known names, and for me he’s always managed to humanize Masato even in his absurd moments (which was most of the time), which for my part ensured a lot of buy-in when this episode finally arrived. Seeing the little Masato doing his silly dance while the local kids laughed at him was actually one of the sadder moments of the series for me because it reflected what Masato basically is – an innocent child, a happy guy who isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer and doesn’t fit in easily with the rest of the world. It was that which caused him to become obsessed with being the strongest, which ultimately provided him protection from bullying but not what he really wanted, which was a connection to other people. It was Kyousuke who provided that, and quite literally changed the world as far as Masato was concerned.

In a sense, Masato and Riki are polar opposites. Masato’s isolation was caused by his strength, and Riki’s by his weakness – but Kyousuke sort of “leveled off” both of them and brought them into his inner circle. I’m dead-certain it was Kyousuke who pushed the two of them together as a sort of opposites-attract, boke-tsukkomi BFF pairing. And it worked – right up until the moment that Kyousuke seemed to deliberately tear apart this world he’d spent so long building up. Just why he did that is probably the biggest question overhanging LitBus at this point in the story, and one we’re likely going to have to wait until closer to the finale to have answered.

The least interesting part of this episode was the act of “taming” Masato, which was pretty standard stuff. But the point wasn’t the silly scheme to trap him like a bear – it was in seeing Masato’s descent into what seems very much like madness, and Riki’s re-enactment of Kyousuke’s plan with only the details changed. We don’t know why Masato has changed of course, any more than we know why Kyousuke has done the things he’s done. Why does Masato see “those guys” – clearly, visions of everyone else looking exactly like he does? It’s thinly-disguised symbolism for his self-loathing, here, seeing Masato lash out at himself. As Kyousuke did, Riki endures some of Masato’s rage in the form of physical abuse while adopting the same basic strategy – tire Masato out and make him realize that he doesn’t have to be the strongest after all to get other people to like him.

But of course, this isn’t the same scenario as before – not really. These are teenagers, not grade-schoolers. And while Riki is quite deliberately trying to step into Kyousuke’s shoes, the real Kyousuke is actually present – living a sort of self-imposed hikikomori lifestyle and refusing to be drawn into this world he seems to have brought to pass. When Masato finally gives in to his weariness, it’s a different Masato than the little boy who Kyousuke tamed – there’s a tinge of fatalism to his ominous pledge to Riki that he’ll “follow him all the way to the end.” This Masato knows more than that one did, and it’s changed him – no matter how carefree and genki he acted for most of the series.

Next up is Kengo, as we’re seemingly seeing the creating of the Little Busters re-enacted block-by-block with Riki stepping into Kyousuke’s shoes. What we don’t know is why he has to do so, and as always the man at the center of the mystery is Kyousuke. But this certainly represents a huge moment of character growth for Riki, and it occurs to me that rather than simply being an organic part of the story, that may in fact be the very point – that the crucial final step for whatever it is Kyousuke wants to happen is for Riki to fully emerge as a confident adult and a leader. And if that can only happen if the world is brought to the brink of despair and Kyousuke himself is so alienated from the others that he’s no help at all to Riki, than Kyousuke will make that happen. I don’t think Kyousuke’s bleak depression is an act – I think this way of living is brutally painful for him – but I do think he’s doing it with the big picture in mind. “Taking one for the team”, in about as literal a sense as you could imagine – which is exactly the sort of thing the Kyousuke we’ve come to know over three cours would do.

Author’s note: Please “refrain” from posting any unmarked VN spoilers (or hints, or confirmations or denials of guesses, or clever spoilers disguised as jokes) into the comments section. I don’t want this experience ruined for me, and I don’t want it ruined for any other new viewers. Read the comments at your own risk,. Zephyr has kindly offered to pop his head in here and look for spoiler comments, but that will not necessarily be before any potential spoilers have been posted for a while. Untagged spoiler comments will of course be deleted, and serial offenders will meet with further and more decisive response. Let’s be respectful and keep this a safe place for people who want to experience Refrain to the fullest without having to worry about that experience being spoiled because they want to participate in a discussion.

ED4 Sequence

「皇帝陛下の憂鬱」 (Koutei Heika no Yuutsu)
“The Melancholy of the Supreme Ruler”

A young ruler, her parents long murdered and the weight of an entire kingdom bearing down on her tiny shoulders, begins to buckle under the stress. And then comes Shinichi…

Show, Don’t Tell, and How Outbreak Company Does It Properly

For those who aren’t aware, I’m a storytelling nerd. I analyze every story I come across, I dissect them to learn more about the form, and use what I learn to write fiction in my free time. I say this because when I (repeatedly) say that Outbreak Company is a very well told story, I come at that from a position of some authority. It does basic storytelling very well every week, and its a strength which is thrown into even more stark relief when Infinite Stratos 2 is the show I most often watch right before this.

Let’s compare these two shows. While in IS2 this week Kanzashi talked out loud about how she was frustrated and feels inferior to her onee-san, when it came time to show how isolated Petrarca was they did it with a surprisingly subdued walk off (last episode) or by surrounding her with overly-deferential maids in a massive bath she’s utterly dwarfed by this time. Outbreak Company tells its story through the situations and environments its characters find themselves in and their reactions to it, not soliloquizing while in the shower or dumping back story in the middle of a fight. It tells its story naturally and without feeling compelled to make itself absolutely clear, which makes what happens far more powerful than it would be otherwise.

Grand Vizier Good Guy Garius

Another great thing about Outbreak Company is that while its embraces and uses tropes often, it also defies them, and in ways that are both interesting and line up well with the characters its introduced. Consider Garius, the supreme ruler’s most trusted adviser and second in line for the throne. If any of you know anything about history ever, you know this is a recipe for murder. By all rights Garius should be a full-on evil Grand Vizier (trope! – and read that page quote, it’s perfect), but he’s not. The punch came when, just as I was about to praise Garius for not being the evil bastard he so easily could be – and I still do that, by the way – he reveals that the scheming grand vizier-types were his parents, and that they murdered Petrarca’s parents to try to put their son on the throne.

Hello Outbreak Company, these are my emotions. Why are you holding a knife? Hurk! This episode revealed plenty of extra depth in Petrarca, but there was some for Garius too. The one thing I regret is that Shinichi didn’t insist that Garius start treating Petrarca less like the supreme ruler and more like his cousin and friend. She needs people she can talk to as equals, and she needs family, and while others can step in on the former point, when it comes to family he’s all she’s got. Maybe he wouldn’t have been able to do it, but I would have liked to see Shinichi try. She needs more than just Shinichi, though he’s a good start.

If The Boss Has To Work Every Single Day, You’re Doing It Wrong!

Permit me to go off on a business rant, but if the supreme ruler can’t take off a single day because everything will pile up too much, then they’ve set up their government wrong. I see this more in private companies (if only because I work in the private sector), but companies that require the boss to be there every single day need to restructure and delegate out some of what the boss does so they don’t suffer a nervous breakdown and immolate themselves alive on a pile of backlogged paperwork. Give the girl a break or you’ll get…well, exactly what happened this episode.

Don’t Fight It – Master Hikikomori Shinichi

Shinichi’s tactic to lift Petrarca out of her hikikomori funk – which was a hilarious turn of events, by the way! – was a very smart one. A little tip on persuasion: if you’re arguing with someone, you’re almost certainly not going to persuade them of anything. Argument is combative, and when people get into a win-lose situation they fight to win, even if they might in a less passionate moment realize their side was wrong. In other words, no one is really convinced by other people, they only convince themselves. Instead of trying to convince Petrarca to stop being a hikikomori, Shinichi decides to push her further.

Brilliant. This is brilliant for two reasons, the first of which is that it lets Petrarca experience the lifestyle without guilt or shame. While it was forbidden it seemed wonderful, but there was a chance – and this is what ended up happening – that once she knew what it was really like she wouldn’t choose it. Petrarca got to unwind, have fun, and Shinichi got to look cool for the dumbest reasons, all without making Petrarca defensive.

The other reason this was brilliant was because it let Petrarca learn about and even experience the dark side of being a hikikomori. Shinichi’s explanation struck me as both kind and sad. He didn’t judge hikikomoris, and the way it happened to him was perfectly natural and even understandable, yet when he talked about how most hikikomori fall into it and can’t get out, or the weight of the bedroom door… I could feel the darkness, and felt it so well I had to step outside so that it didn’t press in too much. Petrarca had her fun and then she delved into the darkness, and she learned a fundamental rule of humanity – it’s hard to run away from work. You can take a break certainly, or choose not to do a particular sort of work, but we humans aren’t happy when we’re idle for too long. That’s why I go to my full-time job, then come home to write here and work on my fiction. It’s an empty life, doing nothing but goofing around, and I think Petrarca realized that, along with how she still cared about all her subordinates and her people, just as those guards cared about her. And thus she grows up a little more and chooses her responsibilities rather than merely having them thrust upon her.

Myuseru is Broken!

Mostly this was a more introspective and even touching episode, and it very much evolved Petrarca’s (and others’) character, but the gag that consistently and unabashedly had me laughing was broken Myuseru. I for one was glad she didn’t go all yandere, but instead succumbed to the shock, blue screened (trope!) and began committing culinary travesties. Much funnier that way! It also subtly emphasized a point – while Elbia may be fond of Shinichi, she wasn’t especially worried that he was going to be gone for the night, whereas Myuseru couldn’t function for it. Elbia may like Shinichi, but Myuseru really does love him. Where Petrarca stands in that continuum is hard to say, but she’s easily closer to Myuseru to my eyes.

Looking Ahead – Swimsuit Episode!

This is becoming an odd show in that its great at telling a story through the development of its characters, and it’s funny as hell besides, but it’s hard to see where the underlying plot is going. With four more episodes and the next one slated to be a swimsuit one, I don’t know where any plot is going to kick in, or whether I even want it to. After all, this is working, right? Either way, next time is swimsuits. I guess I can live with that!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – The darkness of hikikomori. Petrarca cracks under the stress, but Shinichi is there to save her. But now Myuseru is broken too! #ob_c 08

Random thoughts:

• Bluk’s wife! I noticed her in the OP and was wondering when she was going to appear (along with thinking that OP scene was criminally sweet), but for some reason I expected them to meet during the story, not always have been married. This works a lot better though because honestly, we don’t have time for a minor character love story at this point.
• Jinzaburou is a stellar comedian sometime. For example, when he smoothly says that Shinichi is practically synonymous with hikikomori, ZAM! Beware the middle-aged beleaguered, for he has seen much and has zingers for most situations.
• I was going to comment during this episode that we weren’t getting much in the way of the political / diplomatic angle, but it popped back up here again. Not too much though. I’m still looking forward to all the crops they’ve been planting being reaped to marvelous effect. Soon, soon…
• Not important to this episode, but a side note in general: I love Minori’s hairdo. It’s a nice combo of a professional bun + tiny twintails. Professional twintails? I like it!
• Actually, I take back what I said earlier – probably the best gag was Shinichi distracting those two guards with eromanga…and not once, but twice! Those long pauses, them staring the eromanga down…then “Woohoo!” and pounce! Sometimes the silliest things are the best, haha!
• The door may be heavy, but it’s easier to just get it over with, if you’re strong enough. Petrarca is strong. And hopefully next episode, in a swimsuit, woohoo!

Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: On writing fast, writing well, One short story, one week – buzzer beater, Writing challenge – one short story, one week, and Novel update: editing & short stories.

Full-length images: 04, 33.

Preview

End Card

「オープン・ユア・ハート」 (Oopun Yua Haato)
“Open Your Heart”

Kanzashi goes from angry to deredere in nothing flat, only for it to fall apart.

They’re Not Thinking About Ichika At All

Most of the character-based criticism about this show is leveled at Ichika, and deservedly so, but let’s be fair here – it’s not like the main five girls spent any time really thinking about Ichika’s feelings. Cecilia and Ling spent the whole time being angry and plotting his demise because he dared to not pick them, all without not even thinking to ask him why he’s after Kanzashi or discuss how it makes them feel. I was originally going to say that the other three were better, and it started out looking that way – Char was acting like she just wanted to give Ichika a good fight, and Laura was a angry but quickly seemed to get embarrassed about it, even if it was mostly because she damaged her secret picture of Ichika – but this was quickly lost when they got angry at Ichika too.

Every time the story pulls this jealousy shit the girls go from being strong, interesting characters to caricatures of jealous, petty high school girls. Not even Houki escaped – while her main story focus was elsewhere, she started off training to beat Ichika, and she never asked him what the deal was either. Ichika may be dense, but his haremettes are more focused on their own needs than those of the man they claim to love. They may still be dumb high schoolers, but they better grow out of that before and future relationship can really work.

From Zero to Dere in Nothing Flat

Kanzashi’s characterization turned on a dime. From slapping Ichika to blushing up a storm, Kanzashi-chan went from annoyed to head-over-heels in love waaay too fast. Part of this actually makes sense – she’s at a fragile place, and she seems like the type of person who would fall hard and fast for anyone who shows genuine interest in her. It still felt too abrupt though. There was no time for an emotional payoff, it was more of oh, I guess we’re doing this now. Alright.

Also there’s the fact that she instantly starts changing some of her deeply held beliefs and desires because of a boy. Once again, this fits her personality – fragile place, meek girl, wants a hero, etc. – but I’m not even going to try to hide how much this kind of attitude annoys me. Compared to the other haremettes, who are – when they’re not being flanderized – strong characters who arrived at their love for Ichika for only moderately suspect reasons, Kanzashi just ditches her goal of trying to match up to her onee-san and got help because Ichika suggested it. I mean, it was the smart thing to do, but stand up for yourself girl! It all fits, but I don’t think Kanzashi will turn out to be one of my favorite haremettes, even if she is awfully cute.

Sister Problems

Tatenashi is going after Houki now!? Swiftly approved! Yuri shipping aside, I liked the parallels between Houki’s now more distant relationship with her sister – at least compared to that of the Orimura kyoudai – and that of Tatenashi and her imouto. It was a good way for the two to connect, and it made sense why Tatenashi wanted to partner up with Houki. Also she’s apparently now mad stronk, and has big boobs. So that helps too.

Meddling Onee-sans

It was beyond obvious that Kanzashi would find out about her onee-san’s meddling. I get the whole pressure thing, but it’s a theme so old and tired that it’s not resonating with me, so her angst over her onee-san, you know, caring for her and wanting to help her is…okay, that’s not actually the point. The point is that Ichika, her new hero, appears to have been less than genuine in his reasons for pursuing her, which would certainly hurt. You could ask him what’s up though? Perhaps? Communication is the root of a healthy relationship kids. That’s a cliche, but it’s damned true. Talk to each other you stupid children!

Looking Ahead

I expect Kanzashi will finish falling to Ichika’s irresistible battering ram of dense next episode so that we can get back to that whole Madoka plot line. Ten bucks says we’ll get another interrupted tournament! When are they going to let them actually finish one? I want to know who would win!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Kanzashi falls to Ichika’s “charms”, only to be devastated by her onee-san’s meddling. Also, I’m shipping Tatenashi x Houki now #is_anime 08

Random thoughts:

• Tatenashi-sempai, you’re analyzing the wron–no no, that’s absolutely the right thing to be focusing on. Russia-tan is amazing.
• Wait, Tatenashi broke in? Is she not Ichika’s roommate now? I swear, they don’t keep us updated on these roommate changes at all, and they’re kind of important. Oh and also, I want to give Tatenashi a massage-e!
• Cecilia x Ling, Char x Laura, Tatenashi x Houki…yeah, you can have the King of Dense, Kanzashi. I have better couples to ship.

Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: On writing fast, writing well, One short story, one week – buzzer beater, Writing challenge – one short story, one week, and Novel update: editing & short stories.

ED1.8 Sequence

ED: 「」 () by ()
Watch the ED!: Streaming ▼

Preview

「リセット」 (Risetto)
“Reset”

Today’s major theme: you cannot escape the past.

Banri and Linda

This ship that isn’t to be is the most glaring example of this week’s theme. From the hints that we’re given, things are far from resolved between these two. For Linda, her final claim about the past–towards the end of the episode–comes full circle with the beginning of this episode. We can make quick assumptions that Linda is obviously lying, but I think there may be more than a simple answer to this complex scenario. First, can we really trust ghost Banri as a reliable narrator? Though he does question the validity of Linda’s words within the flashback, his extent of information is still limited like any other character. Second, can we even trust Linda? One of the major wrapping themes I liked about this episode is the foreshadowing of revealing Linda’s character by exploring the past–she herself stated that, “we haven’t changed.” If her younger self had questionable truth to her words, it leads us to believe that the Linda of today could very well be making up words to save Banri and herself a whole lot of troubling heartache. Are you guys really open to saying everything? Have you guys changed at all? Who is it that really wants to go back to the past–is it just Banri, or does Linda also yearn for the times when she’d protect Banri above anyone else. The convenient sneakers, the nostalgic thoughts of Banri late at night–what exactly are her feelings for Banri, if not a simple desire for friendship or a romantic interest? Sometime in the future these answers are going to explode in our faces, where the unsustainable nature of Linda and Banri being so familiar with another conflicts with Koko’s dedication. Speaking of which…

Mitsuo, Chinami, and Koko

This trio’s dynamic continues to baffle me. How can Chinami put up with Koko’s attitude when she’s obviously the one suffering from Mitsuo’s spineless attitudes? We saw a rare glimpse into the Chinami that lies beyond her cheerful demeanor this week, where she’s most likely suffering through her own internal problems. Perhaps she’s waiting for Mitsuo to actually give a proper confession, or maybe she’s simply looking to live out her life fully through the good and the bad. Either way she’s been getting the short end of the stick with Mitsuo being lost and Koko continuing to stumble in her mannerisms (though both of them are getting better at a slow rate). My heart almost dropped when she almost broke her camera, since it seems akin to breaking her character as a whole. That camera will prove to be an important plot device in the future, as it will most likely become a convenient reminder to some character in the future.

I do wish that they expand on Chinami’s character after Linda’s developments, because I’d very much like to see what’s ticking behind that smile of hers when people treat her like a secondary character. To Mitsuo, she is both freedom from Koko but also his shame in being pressured by Koko to confess. To Koko, she is a bad influence to her childhood friend, even though she herself did nothing to Mitsuo that wasn’t called for. In fact, it is probably only Banri who has treated Chinami the best, though at the same time has also interacted with her the least. But where are her reactions to all of this? Where is her introspection? For the most part, we don’t know how she really views everyone–her cool-headed and non-reactive demeanor makes it hard to judge her true feelings, even more than Linda. Of course she had a tipping point here today (who wouldn’t?), but that soon reverted back to a rushed and clumsily handled reversion back to the status quo. Let Chinami express herself freely, because that girl deserves way more screentime than she gets right now.

Though paced much better than previous episodes, Golden Time still has its slip-ups with pacing, especially in developing Chinami and Mitsuo as characters. So far Koko, Linda, and Banri have been sufficiently developed, but sadly it’s at the cost of the rest of the cast. With Linda finally open about herself though, I expect that we will soon see a shift in character focus as we change from wrapping up Linda’s troubles to more Chinami, Mitsuo, and poor overlooked 2D-kun.

Preview

「戦王の使者篇IV」 (Sen o No Shisha Hen IV)
“Messenger of the War King IV”

If there’s one thing that Strike the Blood does extremely well, it’s its arc finales. Like the previous arc, things go up a notch just when it’s most needed, and it’s an action-packed episode filled with great reveals. Following a blood offering from Kirasaka, Akatsuki brandishes a new familiar in Al-Nasl Minium, Gardos counters Himeragi with his secret army of Nalakuvera weapons, Kirasaka counters that with her weapon’s secret abilities, and it’s no wonder the Nalakuvera was named a Weapon of the Gods. Even Vatler was impressed, and we all know how hard he is to—especially since he was the one who instigated all of this in the first place.

This week’s not all “piew piew” though, as the episode sets up crucial developments for the future too. Most notably, Vatler looks like he’ll be hanging around for the near future as embassy liason, and we all know how fun life is with him around. It make me wonder how one keeps a monster like him in check, but I suppose that’s just how powerful the Progenitor’s are, and why Akatsuki’ll need all the help he can get in the future. Luckily—and unluckily—Kirasaka looks like she’ll be joining the fray from this point forward too, and Asagi’s obvious confession throws yet another complicated wrench into Akatsuki’s unfortunate life. It’s all good though, because there are few things as priceless as Himeragi’s reactions to his “infidelities.”

That said, the uppercut Akatsuki gives Gardos ends up priceless as well. It’s been said before that Strike the Blood resembles Index, and that punch just sealed the deal. Akatsuki’s essentially a slightly different version of Kamijou Touma, and I’m looking forward to him striking down the illusions of terrorists, Deacons, demons, and vampires alike. Once again, it’s just a fabulous episode, and I’ll let the screenshots (39 this week!) do the rest of the talking. I gotta say though, I’d love to be out there fighting with these gals from my side.

Preview

「チェンジ・ザ・ワールド」 (Chienji za Waarudo)
“Changing the World”

Sh*t just got unreal.

Let’s just step aside and talk about the pink elephant in the room right now because everyone’s probably thinking the same thing… Whattt?? Where? Why? HOW?! That whole stretch in the final 10 mins of the episode had me waiting for it… waiting for the moment that Masayoshi wakes up and finds out it’s all a dream. But it never happens. It’s not a dream. This sh*t is for real. There is a giant guillotine gorilla standing in the room and it’s murdering people left, right and center. Not to mention that a person grew into that thing and he suddenly disappears into a poof of smoke – declaring Samurai Flamenco his enemy number one. There is no way that this doesn’t spark all kind of questions and if this is for real, there has got to be a good explanation for it. Usually when something like this goes down that seems so out of place, I give it the benefit of the doubt and prays that it all ties together later. This is not a show about actual superheroes so where is all this “magic” coming from? I need answers now!

Aside from the blatantly obvious gorilla in the room, the ending also opens up a whole new set of questions about the direction of the show. Is this supposed to be a supernatural or science fiction anime? Or could it involve super advanced weaponry and technology? After episode 2, I never imagined that Samurai Flamenco would actually be about people with real superpowers. It just doesn’t seem to fit with where the show is headed and I’m afraid that it’ll go down a path that leads to more “what the….?” questions. On the other hand, it’s also the first cliffhanger the show has had all season so I’m expecting it to go down a less episodic feel and more towards a centralized story.

So before all this gorilla nonsense, the rest of the episode actually had a decent story. It gave more TIGER&BUNNY vibes, but the reaction from Masayoshi was quite the opposite of what I was expecting. Like Masayoshi says, everyone always expects the superhero to have this tragic past that defines who he is. The superhero’s past is what makes him hate evil or motivated to stop it and Masayoshi… he doesn’t feel that way. I feel terrible for saying so, but I was surprised in a good way that Masayoshi would actually admit to not having any strong feelings towards his parents’ murder. Although it’s a shame that he doesn’t, I can see why he would feel troubled by not feeling more emotionally connected to his parents. I would imagine that Masayoshi feels much more connected to his grandfather who raised him and gave him something to pursue. The shock factor was probably that his grandfather lied to him more so than his parents’ murder. Anyway, regardless of the guilt he was feeling, it’s nice to know that Masayoshi has people to rely on. I think Hidenori will always be type casted as “that guy” that helps his friend come back to reality and that’s just precisely what makes him such a loveable character too.

TL;DR – @RCCherrie: What the… I have no word to describe that ending. #idonteven #wasthatadream #samumenco #mindfuck

Full-length images: 08, 10, 13, 25.

「たゆたう想いのさき」 (Tayutau Omoi no Saki)
“Beyond the Wavering Feelings”

I have grown to like Hikari quite a lot over the last few weeks.

That, more than anything, is what really stood out to me this week. This definitely isn’t quite as plot-heavy an episode as the last, but I’m seeing a sort of pattern emerging with the pacing. We’re sort of oscillating between the micro and macro aspects of the problem in the world of Nagi, with the micro focusing on the kids and characters in general, and the larger picture looking at the relationship between Shioshishio and the land as a whole. This being one of the “characterization” episodes, so to speak, it’s rather remarkable how far Hikari has come over 8 episodes. Even better, his growth is completely in tune with who he is and what he has experienced, and I find this process of maturation to be pretty believable. He was never a bad kid, per say, he was just immature, which makes perfect sense considering his age and his strong personality.

It’s not like the latter has really changed either; he’s still hot headed for one thing, but he’s now reacting to situations in a much more considerate and thoughtful way. He understands that his jealousy and anger toward Tsumugu and Manaka’s feelings were selfish and that he wasn’t thinking of their feelings before getting upset for his own sake, and he has also realized how wrong it was to base his anger on prejudice. As a result, he is now actively coming to terms with the feelings of those around him, as well as with his own. Chisaki is definitely right that he doesn’t have to give everything up and deny his feelings to honor Manaka’s; after all, you never know what will happen until you act, but there really aren’t many other choices anyway. Right now, Manaka would almost definitely choose Tsumugu, and I’m sure Hikari doesn’t want to be outright rejected and confuse her more. Ironically, that mirrors Chisaki’s position in terms of her feelings for Hikari, which is why, of course, she doesn’t want him to give up. If he did, it would be admitting that such a love is hopeless, and thus crushing her own hopes.

One of my favorite aspects of Hikari’s maturity, however, has to do with his relationship to Miuna and her father. He’s adapted well to their presence in Akari’s life despite his initial dislike, and he’s come to regard Miuna like a little sister. Miuna, of course, has probably developed a bit of a crush on him, but considering all he’s done for her and her family, that makes sense. The way they interact is pretty endearing, especially since they’re somewhat similar souls at heart, and the moment when Miuna tried to rehydrate Hikari out of fear that he would dry out was very symbolic as to the state of how much things have changed.

Unfortunately, even if everyone is starting to find happiness together, the issue at large is not about to simply disappear. The sea god definitely has something to say after Akari and Hikari’s departure from Shioshishio, and the appearance of salt flake snow on land cannot be good news.

Preview

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

「マリエ解放／情報原子(RUNE)の深淵／父の願い」 (Marie Kaihou / Jōhō Genshi (Rune) no Shin’en / Chichi no Negai)
“Marie Released” / “The Abyss of the Runes” / “A Father’s Wish”

The Magius is an organization which is riddled in mystifications and secrets – we’ve known that for quite some time now and it looks like their various entanglements will become increasingly pertinent to the big-picture narratives. Their wild ambition hasn’t been spelled out in black-and-white, and I don’t think it is merely that of a simple world-domination – after all, the Magius already has two of Earth’s foremost economic powers at their mercy and the extra mile that they’re treading upon must entail a much grander motive! For some unknown intrigues, the Magius is harvesting Runes from living human beings, and there’s probably a connection between that and their legion of mecha armies –the Valvrave’s kodomotachi which is currently in gestation. Colonel Cain, or whoever he may be, is front and center in this conspiracy. Evidently, he is not the same war hero whom H-neun once knew and the same mysterious individual is apparently leading the charge in preparation for a certain ritualistic initiation – one that, presumably, implicates both Prue and Pino, and perhaps even the Dorssian Princess! Lieselotte (Toyosaki Aki) has unfortunately found herself intertwined with the Magius’ affairs, and there’s a good chance that she could be used as a leverage against L-elf in the incoming showdowns! Interestingly enough, the pinked-haired maiden appears to be somewhat cognizant of the Magius’ inner workings – there’s probably more to her “steamy” physical torment than meets the eyes, and it’s not entirely clear what the vampiric schemers have in store for L-elf’s inamorata! “Allow me to abduct you!” – the reunion between L-elf and Lieselotte was certainly a long-time-coming, and it was every bit as affecting and as theatrical as one might imagine. L-elf, or better known as Michael, has never ceased to amaze me with his uber badasseries – that, combined with his brimming sentimentality and the excellent BGM, has brought the dramatic flair of Kakumeiki Valvrave to a whole new level! Evidently, this rescue mission is not going to be an easy endeavor, and you can be sure Colonel Cain is not going to sit back and let L-elf run amok in his own backyard.

Colonel Cain has always been at the top of his game – he was able to outmaneuver the prophetic L-elf with seeming ease and not surprisingly, H-neun does not cut the mustard in this battle of wits as well! His brief confrontation with Cain has shed some light on some of the prevailing mysteries at hand and it was certainly not all for naught – H-neun has, without question, thrown a monkey wrench in the Magius’ plans and his intervention might a have also inadvertently saved X-eins’ (Hosoya Yoshimasa) life. Clearly, the Dorssian Royalist has a role to play in the incoming conflicts – both Kriemhild and H-neun already have a plan of their own set in motion and my gut tells me we haven’t seen the last of the jack-a-dandy bishie just yet! X-eins has good reasons to be leery of H-neun’s sudden disappearance – the magane bishie has tripped on a good number of death flags and it remains to be seen where his ultimate loyalty lies! The bishie pentad and their relationship dynamics continue to fascinate me to no end – A-drei’s flashback has given us a quick insight into their complicated past and you can be sure it was not a pretty sight! “If you are going to be killed, kill” – even as a kid, L-elf was up to his neck in ruthless brutality, and he is willing to do just about anything to get his own way, including murdering a confidant in cold blood. The oppressive regime that exists in Dorssia has never been more apparent – it was probably a train wreck to begin with and their various entanglements with the Magius have only made the overall establishment all the more convoluted.

L-elf’s seeming allegiance to Haruto is anything but straightforward – the unlikely cooperation between Haruto and L-elf is nothing short of a high-strung nerve-rack, and it doesn’t look like this is going to get any easier for either of them. The finger-pointing game can definitely work both ways – on one hand, we have Haruto who is genuinely perturbed by his role as a Valvrave pilot and on the other, there’s L-elf who wants to become one himself but simply can’t! L-elf’s merciless savagery is understandably distasteful to many out there – there’s still a lot about him that we don’t know, but as Haruto aptly pointed out, he has his own reasons to fight and Lieselotte’s well-being is presumably a big part of such conviction. Haruto’s backstory is certainly quite an eye-opener – like many other Sunrise mecha epic, there’s always a role for the rash and irresponsible adults, and Haruto’s father, Tokishima Souichi (Seki Toshihiko – who also voices the narrator), fits perfectly into that heinous part! Souichi is a thoroughgoing mad scientist – to the point of pompous comicality at times, and his manic eccentricity and the complete lack of any moral discernment is surely a bitter pill for Haruto to swallow.  Haruto is simply a nice guy who is trying to do the right thing and he is hardly the craven wimp that many make him out to be – in fact, Haruto rarely puts up with any bullshit and he is, more often than not, quick to make up his mind in the most crucial times! No one deserves a raging punch more than Souichi – the triple-V project has put many of them through hell and not surprisingly, Haruto is sticking to his guns on his intention to destroy the Valvraves! His ultimate objective has been laid bare, but it might not work out as seamlessly as he had hoped – we know for a fact that the Valvrave’s presence remained ubiquitous well into the distant future and it remains to be seen how their current pursuits will evolve over the next few episodes.

Marie is tragic figure through and through, and her agonizing past is a tale that wrings all of our hearts. For sure, her unfortunate demise was quite gut-wrench, but unlike Sakurai Aina’s piteous circumstance – Marie’s final moments did go over with a bang and she was every bit as badass as Haruto and L-elf in the battlefield! The Dorssians and their Magius counterparts have insofar been painted as the paramount villains – but Marie’s wretched fate and Tokishima sensei’s deplorable acts have also call into question the JIORian’s role in this furor of subterfuge and bloodshed. Evidently, JIOR’s neutral stance was nothing more than a sham – their foray into human experimentation and the various military exploits that prevail have introduced a whole new dimension of abstruseness to this high-level conspiracy! The suspense, drama and action-packed thrills have all been ratcheted up big-time in the latest episodes – the romantic subplot, however, has taken somewhat of a backseat and we’re nowhere closer to figuring out which of the two girls will eventually win through. Shouko’s physical presence may have become increasingly scarce – but her larger-than-life charisma has certainly been felt all through her absence, mostly as a subject of verbal exchanges, flashbacks and contemplations. Saki has probably made better inroads in the recent past, but make no mistake about it – Haruto’s childhood sweetheart remained very pervasive in his ken. He cares for both Shouko and Saki deeply, and Okouchi sensei is adamant on keeping the guessing-game going! Module 77 will apparently be coming under attack and without the Valvraves, it is nothing more than a sitting duck – Saki has also found herself caught up in quite a predicament and it goes without saying that Haruto will have a tough choice to make should he faces an either-or option. The beautiful idol just can’t seem to catch a break – Saki is seemingly fighting a lonesome war and I sure as hell hope Haruto will come to prove her wrong. A-drei is probably not going to let her off the hook that easy and she is bound to cross paths with Colonel Cain in the imminence – an ominous encounter that will surely lead to more woes, anguish and adversities for these complicated set of relationships!

Random tidbits:

• Sorry for the delay in putting up this post – it looks like my second job has taken quite a toll on my free time and the recent Typhoon Haiyan certainly hasn’t made it any easier to cope. Random Curiosity has a good number of readers from the affected regions – I am following the relief and recovery efforts very closely, and my heartfelt sympathies go out to those who are affected by this devastating storm.
• “She’s still missing, remember?” – Of course, I do! I am Saki’s biggest fan. I have to give my props to Haruto and Otamaya Yuusuke (Yoshino Hiroyuki) for being the only ones who seem to give a damn! The rest of the crew is dead to me.
• “Shouko is counting on me and I have to find Rukino san as well” – It looks like Haruto hasn’t forgotten all about his childhood sweetheart! I’ll just pretend the first part of his utterance doesn’t exist. Saki will finally be returning to her own body in the coming episodes, woohoo!
• “Compared to your life, this is trivial!” – A-drei is pretty kind to his subordinate. Lelouch would never think twice about letting a mere pawn die! A-drei was lucky (or unlucky) enough to steal a kiss from Saki – she probably doesn’t taste as delicious when she’s trap in a shota’s body. 
• “You don’t look very tasty” – Haruto begs to differ! L-elf looks positively scrumptious. Om nom nom!
• “I’m lonely too, let’s be friends” – is that why she’s always so horny? “Why are you so obsessed with sex?” – that would have been my first question for Pino!
• “Is that Nunnally?” – Lelouch is not going to be pleased if he sees this! I wonder if there’s a blood kinship between A-drei and Lieselotte – the series hasn’t made any mention of their relationship.
• “Prepare yourself then, I’m going to use you until you burn out!” – That sounds pretty kinky! Nobody other than Cain has managed to punch L-elf in the face – Haruto should just stop trying already!
• “Q-vier, now departing for battle, Blitzendegen!” – It doesn’t look like Q-vier has grown at all over the years! He was a shota in the flashback and he is still a shota in the present.
• Nanamin’s big jugs made a surprise cameo in one of Marie’s memory fragment! – Gosh, I miss her so much! Nanami Rion (Horie Yui) desperately needs more screen time.
• Buttcrack spotted! – Colonel Cain makes a pettanko strips! Clearly, the “steam room” is not helping with her buxom development. Luckily for Lieselotte, L-elf likes them flat – his glorious NTR is not going to sit well with Cain!
• I sure hope H-neun survives – Kriemhild was probably the one who saved him! She has tucked him away in her basement, tied him up, put on her latex skin-tight, bring out her whip and… wait, what were we talking about again?

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – Kakumeiki #Valvrave – 16–18: My name is Michael, please allow me to abduct you! The death toll continues to pile up as the many conspiracies start to unravel…. #Anime
 
Full-length images – Episode 16: 01, 02, 04, 11, 16, 17, 21, 24, 28, 32, 34, 36.
Full-length images – Episode 17: 03, 05, 09, 11, 14, 20, 22, 26.
Full-length images – Episode 18: 03, 06, 11, 14, 17, 22, 26, 36.

Preview

「ソルトフィッシュ」 (Soruto Fisshu)
“Salt Fish”

Doing things for the sake of a loved one isn’t always healthy, literally.

It’s been fairly obvious for a while now that Anna isn’t quite what she’s pretended to be. Since she first appeared, she seemed too knowledgeable, too convenient a presence to simply be in on it for goodwill. It was made obvious last week that things would turn out this way (and there were plenty of small hints along the way), but even at the moment when it seemed best for her to reveal her colors, she’s decided to stick with the Ferrari girls. I think that’s the trope of developed affection acting up, but I think Anna always cared about Hozuki and her sisters to some extent. Her concern when the girls have been ill or hurt has always felt at least somewhat genuine, and though her role is that of spy and motivator for the girls to find the treasure, she’s definitely not keen on the idea of letting the girls die on her watch. In fact, I think that the thing that makes her happy has already begun to shift from her love for Roberto to protecting the descendants of Galileo, and not because they’re important historically.

For one thing, Anna’s reason for doing what she is doing now is unhealthy and I suspect a little too much for her moral consciousness. Loving someone with all your heart and doing anything for them is a romantic sentiment, but in real life, it’s not fair to oneself, nor healthy, to do so at the expense of other things that are important to you. It isn’t as fulfilling as people think to live fully for the sake of someone else, especially when something else they deem important is on the line. Anna, I think, really loves the girls, and no matter how much she wants to convince herself that her love for Roberto is more important, I don’t doubt she will eventually change her mind if they come under further danger.

On another note, I found Kazuki’s reasoning for giving away the hourglass more mature than the last time she wanted things to end. Whereas last time she just wanted to go home, the right thing to do be damned, this time she wants to protect her family, even if it means losing something as important as the hourglass. Thankfully Roberto decides to let them go (that could have easily been a disaster, he’s not a man of much mercy after all), but I think the girls all learn a little something from it anyway. Hazuki, at least, is not about to let the world get her down even if it’s beaten them with all it’s got, and though her optimism is a tad naive, it should definitely help them get somewhere. The hourglass may be gone, but there are still sketches to be found, and to Hozuki’s delight, Japan is the next stop on the map.

「俺の涙は俺が拭く」 (Ore no Namida wa Ore Ga Fuku )
“I Will Wipe My Own Tears”

It’s time for a fresh start. All student have the right to attack other students. We call it the Naturals Election.

Oh ho, I see what you did there. I’m pretty sure Darwin never intended his theory to be used this way, but I guess it works. It’s all about natural selection and survival of the fittest this week, and Satsuki’s continues to show just how good she is at getting people to beat the crap out of each other. It goes to show that if you’re going to do something, make sure you go all the way. Don’t half ass the things you do, and never ask for something when you can get it with your own hands. Granted, it doesn’t always mean you’ll get what you want—especially when you have the Elite Four and Matoi standing in your way—but it sure doesn’t hurt to do so.

That said, this was one crazy episode. All the developments made it feel like a season’s finale, and it might as well be, considering how Matoi’s suddenly being thrust into a King of the Hill fight with the Elite Four. To top things off, we end up seeing more into Matoi, Gamagoori, and Satsuki’s respective pasts, and it’s like: “Wait, there’s still 17 episodes left!?” Just makes you wonder what exactly they’re going to show over the remaining episodes—especially since they’re blowing through developments with some ridiculous pacing.

I guess we’ll see. In the meanwhile though, there were two interesting tidbits from this week I wanted to talk about. The first of course, is Mako’s view regarding life:

My light’s always yellow!

Essentially meaning that she chooses to live life cautiously, it makes for some good philosophical pondering. After all, it’s not exactly a bad way to live a life, as you’re less likely to get yourself into some mess you can’t get out of. At the same time though, one can argue that you’re not really living if you spend all your time being cautious, and it’s something that makes you wonder about life and which view is most fitting for you.

Matoi’s return home gives us the second tidbit, and it comes from the fact that the area around her house is peaceful despite the chaos brewing from the Naturals Elections. Yes, one can say that it’s due to the fact she doesn’t exactly live close to the Academy, but it’s precisely this that makes this quite symbolic in my opinion. And it’s because it feels symbolic of the fact that many of us are living rather peaceful lives despite there being major conflicts somewhere else on the planet. It goes to show just how big the planet is, and how life tends to move on—especially if you’re not directly involved/detached from the conflict. There’s a lot one can say about perspective here, and it was something I felt was an interesting notion to consider.

Ultimately, that’s about it. Aside from Gamagoori’s epic ride and masochistic tendencies, there’s not much else to talk about here, so I’ll catch ya guys back next week! Just be sure to keep away from Gamagoori when he reaches his climax, because his release is… quite something.

Preview

「イバラミチ 3」 (Ibara Michi 3)
“Thorny Path 3″

My thoughts from two weeks ago haven’t changed in the slightest: the current storyline is far from compelling, and that’s even before we saw this simplistic and all-too-idealistic way it resolved itself. Turns out, Kohime can’t run for mayor after all, rendering this entire fight moot! And as misguided as his actions were, Morino only had noble intentions from the beginning, redeeming himself by putting his life on the line for Kohime! “Awww!”, right? Let’s be honest here, it pretty much par the course for Yozakura Quartet: a little cheesy and all-too-simple in an somewhat retro fashion, which ain’t gonna get any top billings from anyone.

But like I said last week, I really couldn’t care less so long as they continued to deliver on the goods; the character interactions, the brilliantly irreverent humor and lots of tightly choreographed action. And so they did; every episode in this 3-part story successively pushed these qualities of Yozakura Quartet higher and better, to this point where I can finally say: “This was exactly what the OVAs promised”. While there’s nothing quite as stupendous as Hime’s bumbling entrance with the tsundere~ fanfare (still my favorite moment of the show) the offbeat humor from the last episode is still strongly intact: Kyousuke’s “Friend A” got one hell of a laugh out of me, as did the utterly unperturbed appearance of ward chief Yuuhi (complete with golfer Mariabelle) to close the book on this arc. And what d’ya know, even with the joking and light-heartedness, the show still manages to give a good deal of sincerity to the characters. In between the characters’ snapping, their (rightly deserved) outburst at Akina and Hime’s utter relief and contentment (she really gets the best expressions in the show, doesn’t she?) these character moments really do bring some bit of warmth to this cold heart of mine. (To be fair, anything would bring warmth now; why is it so darn cold this year?)

And once again, check out those action sequences! If there’s one thing about this last 3 episodes that been highly consistent, it’s that Ryochimo and the Tatsunoko team always manages to get in that one single segment – typically near the end of the episode – running so high on the “FUCK YEAH!” factor. When Akina get stabbed by Enjin the cast proceeds in a beat-down so intensely one-sided that I almost felt bad for Enjin…almost. It’s just that the amazing fluidity of the all-too-short sequence made me want to see the characters beat him down even more.

What’s perhaps less interesting is the setup for the main story…which doesn’t seem like its ever going to be addressed in this series. There’s a lot to choke down in this episode, but none of which seemed particularly pressing; the revelation about the Hiizumi branch family, Enjin’s connection to Akina, the truth behind what happened to Aoi’s brother Gin (which I mistakenly assumed to be Enjin before) and the reason for the Nanago’s inevitable blooming. Its all fundamental for Yozakura Quartet’s ongoing narrative, as all the future arcs are related in some way to this overarching plotline But there was never any question that we wouldn’t be getting the full story; the manga’s still going strongly with some 70 plus chapters, and 13 episodes definitely wouldn’t have given any much time to cover more than a few arcs. Was it wise for the reboot to spend over half its runtime getting to this true starting line? I wonder; I do appreciate an adapted story being given its due with a reasonable pace, and it still has to be seen how much of this leads into the titular Hana no Uta story arc. At the same time, it all seems too much for a series that won’t be expanding on these broad plotlines much. If we had a second season incoming, I’d definitely say it is time well spent, but as it stands I would’ve much rather see Yozakura Quartet with a tighter focus on the immediate story arcs.

Finally, I know I bring up the OVAs a lot, but even now when we’re over the halfway point of Hana no Uta, I still believe the comparison is apt; nothing Hana no Uta has shown – at least until this string of episodes – has reached the sheer excitement and entertainment that the 3-part OVA delivered. I guess I should chalk this up to the difference in the narrative; the OVAs pretty much hit the ground running, while as reboot the TV series has been revving its engine up for this moment till it could finally show Yozakura Quartet in its most enjoyable form, where the action and the humor are getting one heck of a workout. But we’re finally reach this point in the narrative, and I sincerely hope its staying for the rest of Hana no Uta’s duration.

Of course, the next episode seems to be taking a short breather in between arcs. While we’re certainly going to be dialing back a few notches on the pure action, it’s not like Yozakura Quartet is terribly bad in its downtime – in fact, the fantastical slice-of-life of these story have a real charm to them, and its typically where the characterizations and atmosphere get to shine. All the same, I hope it’s a short break in the narrative; these last few episodes really have shown that the show is at its best when there’s conflict, action and jokes to be had.

Preview

「凪黄金」 (Nagi Oogon)
“Calming Gold”

The Calm is here… Something wicked this way comes…
But rather than something wicked, the calm actually makes youmu more vulnerable and all the Spirit Warriors go hunting. Although weaker in comparison, it looks like the youmu are more aggressive (like the one that reminds me of a titan) which isn’t good news for Akihito. In fact, Akihito appears to lose consciousness on the train ride home and somehow makes his way into Ayaka’s home/shop. There’s a bit of a disconnect there, but I think the idea is that someone found him and brought him to Ayaka where Mirai and Mitsuki were. Even though there’s likely going to be a strong focus on Akihito next episode, this week was all about building up his significance. Why is Izumi protecting him and is he the “secret weapon” that the Nise family has been hiding? His role in the past few episodes have been so muted that I don’t really feel how important Akihito is in the story. Someone pointed out that his role as a main character has been overshadowed by Mirai’s awesomeness so it’ll take a while before I get the hang of seeing him play a more serious part.

Now what caught me off guard was not necessarily all the plot developments that took place, but rather the random scenes featuring Sakura and Mirai. You know, the one after they visit the convenience store and Sakura gives Mirai a nice pep talk. This episode seems to push the idea that Mirai might actually like Akihito and by like, I mean, “like like“. I hate saying the word “like” because it doesn’t feel powerful enough to explain the phenomena that’s between “having a crush” and “love”. For now, I’ll just say that Mirai is developing feelings for Akihito and it’s a relief to realize that it’s not going to be dragged on and on… but at the same time, it feels rather forced and random. Don’t get me wrong, I think the couple does have chemistry to some extent and it’s fun to watch them interact and fit so well together. It just feels underdeveloped and the romance aspect of the show could’ve been pushed back to say – after The Calm. Or it should’ve been hinted at more during the first half of the cour. Either way, I’m sitting on the fence between, “Yay! Romance!” and “What the…where did that come from?” Also, as I initially suggested last week, Sakura doesn’t really have a role anymore and that’s a shame. Wasted potential for a great character.

This is the part of the post that I wish I had a separate section just for random comments because there are so many incoherent thoughts that I just want to point out:

• That “Onii-chan!” cry from Mitsuki has got to be one of the best hands down. Normally I cringe when harems or rom/coms feature girls saying that but my dear god, that just made me love Mitsuki even more.
• Is it just me, or does Ayaka resemble a certain Pokemon? So she doesn’t breathe fire, but she’s just as graceful looking (and kick a**).
• I hate antagonists that are created just for the sake of having conflict – kind of like having bad guys that are bad for the sake of being bad. I like motives and history and knowing that something else is powering them besides money and greed. Miroku doesn’t come off as the most interesting villain and I wish they would just kill him off and get to the juicy stuff about the Nise family.
• I love the whole damsel in distress scene and I love Hiroomi even more after this. It’s a shame that they’ve put him on the back burner for so long that he’s almost like a secondary character now rather than primary one. He can provide a lot of depth and complexity to the show if they’d only showcase his knowledge more than his sister complex.
• A little surprised to hear that Yui’s family tried to kill Mirai after the death of Yui. Not sure how that went down, but I guess it explains why Sakura came back to try and “finish the job”. Perhaps Izumi actually murdered the rest of Sakura and Yui’s family to defend Mirai? In which case… what does Izumi have up her sleeves?

During the second half of this series, you can really see some cracks in the plot and where there are cracks, there might be craters later. I’m a little nervous that there might be pacing issues and some more added originality to the series that doesn’t fit. There are a lot of questions and potentially a lot of disappointed fans out there if Kyoukai no Kanata doesn’t tie this together properly. For one, I wish they would spend more time developing the Nise family and Akihito in other ways rather than through comedic scenes. Conversations amongst characters can reveal a lot more about them than seeing their fetishes or seeing them in action. That’s just a personal reference that I have towards storytelling though.

TL;DR – @RCCherrie: So much is happening I can’t keep up! But this is good, I love mysteries. Omg did Mitsuki just say onii-chan?! kiyaaaa ~ #kyo_kai

Full-length images: 04, 07, 08, 10, 28.

Preview

「カクゴ × ト × カクセイ」 (Kakugo × to × Kakusei)
“Resolve × And × Awakening”

That’s a plot twist (right below the shoulder) that certainly would have livened up any episode of Hikaru no Go…

It really is magic that Togashi can make a board game ep as tense as any anime episode in a very long time. There’s really no fancy explanations for it – it’s just talent and inspiration, plain and simple. Some professional story writers can do this sort of thing, and most can’t. The guy is clearly obsessed with the human psyche, and seems to have an infinite capacity (though the many manga hiatuses are a counterpoint) for finding new ways to seriously mess with his characters’ heads. And thank goodness for that.

I found many pieces of dialogue especially fascinating in this episode, many of them coming from the King – who certainly isn’t making me like him, but is growing increasingly compelling as a character. Perhaps most fascinating of all was when he said “That I do not understand my own mind upsets me more than words can describe.” I don’t want to overstate the case, but that’s pretty fucking deep – Togashi has pretty much crystalized the dilemma of the Chimera Ants’ existence and one of the most fundamental aspects of humanity in one damn sentence. Self-awareness is a blessing and a curse – it is for humans, and it for Chimera Ants. It gives is the desire to understand what makes us happy and unhappy, rather than simply accepting those states of being as they are.

Look at it this way – given their (un)natural advantages, if the Chimera were simply driven by the fundamental need to feed, reproduce and colonize (like ants) I think they would have been unstoppable. The rise of individualism in their ranks sowed the seeds of their downfall – I’ve been saying it since dear old Peggy (I think – or was it Colt?) asked the Queen if they might give themselves names. Add to this the fact that the King is basically a brilliant child – only recently brought into the world, born with more power than any other creature in creation and immediately anointed as the supreme ruler of his species. It’s only now, during the Gungi matches with Komugi, that we’re seeing just to what extent that’s true.

What an amazing, surprising and gripping turn of events this latest chapter in their strange relationship was. Mereum is so frustrated by his failures that he resorts to a cheap tactic to try and throw Komugi off her game – a wager where if she wins, he’ll grant any wish and if she loses, he’ll take her left arm. “Fear and desire hold the power to disrupt one’s rhythm. Desire clouds one’s vision, while fear stills one’s step.” Again, so damn good, Togashi-sensei – and as for Meruem, he understands so much and yet so little about humans (and himself). What’s next is utterly remarkable. Komugi recounts her heartbreaking life story – a tale about the harshness of her life and the contempt her parents hold for her (and she holds for herself), and of the pressures she plays under every time she sits at the board, all spun to a gorgeous piece of BGM that seems well-suited to Shaipouf’s eerie presence. She finishes by telling Meruem simply that while she has no idea what she’d want if she wins, she’ll offer her life if she loses – because she’s promised herself as an utterly worthless person apart from Gungi, she’ll take her own life if she ever loses a match.

The King’s reaction is equally remarkable. All at once he realizes many things: that Komugi has neither desire nor fear. That his gambit was a cheap stunt, and would have rendered any victory a hollow one. And that Komugi is a braver person that he is. In a show of self-contempt, he tears off his own left arm as a token of apology – to the utter horror of Shaiapouf. It’s an amazing display of what I can only call integrity by Merum, albeit a twisted and bizarre kind of integrity. All at once the fault lines are revealed – there have been growing signs that Shaiapouf has been uncomfortable with the King’s strange new obsession, and he offers his own life when Meruem refuses to have the arm treated until he finishes the match. It’s only Komugi’s reaction which – at least in theory – saves Shaia’s life. She refuses to play until the King has his arm treated, and a frustrated Mereum allows Shaia to call Neferpitou back to the palace to reattach the arm.

This is an important development above and beyond the events in the throne room, as it’s what pulls Pitou off the front lines and forces him to use all his Nen to re-attach the arm using his “Doctor Blythe” ability (strange-looking even by Togashi standards). This gives Morel and Knov the opening they’ve been waiting for – which means Knov is finally forced to try and infiltrate the palace to place portals for the future attack on the King. It’s rare to see a Hunter of Knov’s stature portrayed as being openly fearful, but he’s clearly on-edge to say the least as he creeps towards the palace – wary of Pitou’s En returning at any moment (it will actually be Shaiapouf’s, it seems, as he’s appointed himself to fill in as sentry in Pitou’s absence). He even talks to himself to stay calm – though he might feel better if he knew there were only three humans (non-food humans, anyway) and eleven ants inside. Though considering who four of those ants are, he shouldn’t be feeling much better.

One of those humans is yet another surprise turn from Togashi – a bureaucrat named Bizeff (Gotou Tetsuo, last heard in an excellent turn as Ivica in Eureka Seven AO). Bizeff’s mere existence is out of left field – he’s been kept alive as he was the true center of power under the old supreme ruler and thus deemed indispensable – but he’s a wild character. In his current circumstances he manages to find time to worry about the secretaries he’s begging from his new masters being sexy girls – choosing them from a list of “available bodies” as if it were a depraved kind of dating service.

The last choice Bizeff makes is an especially interesting one – it’s none other than an old f(r)iend in disguise, as Palm finally makes her return to the scene. She’s working with the defector we met several episodes back, planning her own infiltration – though to what extent this is in coordination with Knov it’s too early to say. As for Gon and Killua still not a peep, and no sign of them in the preview apart from Gon’s conversation with Knov. This is also the first episode of the arc where the role of the Narrator becomes a major factor in the exposition – I knew it was coming thanks to comments from manga readers, but so far I don’t find it to be a distraction.

Preview

I may have to stand corrected about Bambietta having something else in store to reveal. She’s not dead yet, but seems to be beaten up pretty badly, and her Vollsandig has vanished as well. Perhaps I didn’t give Komamura enough credit; that only took him one strike, which detonated her bomb inside her. Unfortunately for Bambietta, it looks like she has more to fear from her four friends now that she is incapacitated. Her fate is left as a cliffhanger, but from the dialogue we can guess that they might be taking her power or absorbing her reiatsu in some way. It’s possible that the five of them planned an agreement out beforehand or implicitly understood that if any one of them lost they would be taken (or something else around those lines). They don’t exactly seem like the type to be team players and probably have no qualms about taking advantage of their allies’ misfortunes. This may have something to do with Giselle Gewelle’s powers too; there’s not a whole lot that “Z” can stand for, and whatever it is, Bambietta clearly does not want it. I feel a bit bad for her, but there’s no doubt that she would have done the same to the others if they were beaten first.

Komamura isn’t doing great either though, as his human form begins to wear off and his bankai disintegrates. It’s the sacrifice he made for the Gotei 13, or if you look at it another way, him throwing away his human life for the sake of revenge. He also loses his anthropomorphic form, become a full wolf before being carried away by his lieutenant. Komamura’s grandfather collapses as well while thanking him, but I’m not completely clear on what happened here. Although Iba says that they will beat Yhwach together, Komamura may or may not have lost his powers already. If he no longer has his temporary immortality however, his role in this war has probably come to an end and it’s not likely he’ll actually be able to face Yhwach. Regardless, Komamura definitely got his time to shine, even though it was brief. Next up is Rukia and Renji, who are rocketing through the air towards Soul Society at this moment. They have had their rest, their training, their shiny new outfits, and hopefully they will be ready to kick some quincy ass.