Random Curiosity

My favorite is the one staring into the clouds.

I went in with few expectations, and Blade Dance exceeded them comfortably. It’s not a world beater, but it was a fun ride throughout.

As something of a connoisseur of the magical-fantasy-action-harem genre—I’m not the ecchi writer, I swear!—I’ve watched a lot of them. Denizens of this rather crowded genre succeed for a number of reasons, but Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance is actually a good example of the raw elements which, if done well, will make a magical fantasy action harem anime work.

First is a male lead who isn’t a total bitch. Harems live or die by their male leads, who are regularly the weakest character in the cast; that’s why I so regularly heap praise on the rare examples whose male lead actually has some balls. Which is odd, because it’s not that hard to do. Teppei of Princess Lover! and Issei of High School DxD are two of my most oft cited examples, and they’re good leads for different reasons. The key is to actually spend some time giving the male lead a personality, or at least don’t make him a spineless punching bag and make it clear that he’s actually interested in girls. Kamito started off better than he ended—him teasing Claire during episode one was an early highlight—but he was never spineless, and it actually seemed like maybe he deserved some of the love he received. That’s better than a season of Ichika saying “Huh?” by a longshot.

Next are a handful of female characters with varied (and setting-appropriate) personalities, so each viewer can pick their favorite. Blade Dance had that, and though they started (and in some cases, ended) as fairly stereotypical, they were at least endearing. But note that I said “female characters”, not “girls”—I’m not talking just about how to make a harem anime, but how to make a good one. Every haremette needs to be a fully fleshed out character, with more on their minds than just love, and the ladies of Blade Dance were that. In fact, their growing feelings for Kamito frequently seemed to take a back seat to their current goal in life—which is exactly how it should be! From Claire’s quest for power, Rinslet and Claire being tsundere for each other, Ellis’ pride as a knight, and Fianna’s desire to get her spirit back, the girls were all doing other things. They just happened to be fond of Kamito as well.

Next, you actually need a plot. It can’t be all about the girls, otherwise you ought to be writing a visual novel (though the most beloved visual novels have solid plots as well). One-note stories get boring fast, and if you’re going for the magical-fantasy-action-harem thing, you need to justify the action part. Blade Dance did that, and better than I expected. Once again, it wasn’t a world beater, but it did the job, with Restia providing a constant antagonist, and the villains in Inzagi and Velsaria providing satisfying challenges. How the team formed was also organic and appropriately gradual, and I loved the group dynamic of their battles—it was usually all of Team Scarlet charging into the fray, not Kamito alone. Which makes them all stronger characters.

Finally, you need to remember to have fun. Whether you’re banking on ecchi (Kamito waking up to a naked Est, Claire and Fianna washing him in the bath), flirting (meido Ellis, deito Ellis, any time Ellis was on screen in otome mode), action (the team battles, the powerful enemies that they were able to face once they were all together), or some combination of these and more, magical-fantasy-action-harem anime are by their nature not the most serious of creatures. So have fun! And Blade Dance was fun, for all of those reasons and more.

And that’s it. At its bones, it’s a simplistic formula. Not as simplistic as I’ve painted it here, but those are the key points that trip up so many shows, but which Blade Dance managed to do either competently, or pretty darn well. I enjoyed it, and if I believed in guilty pleasures, I wouldn’t feel guilty about liking this one; it’s a story well told, and I bet it only gets better once they get to the titular Blade Dance they were heading to when the final episode ended.

But I don’t like the idea of guilty pleasures. As the Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl famously said:

“I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you fucking like something, like it.”

So if you enjoyed Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance, don’t feel guilty. This is a good little harem anime, enjoyable throughout. I don’t feel guilty for liking it, and neither should you. And yes, that includes the pervy kneesocks-tinged ED. Knee! High! Fight!

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: What comes first: world, narrative, or characters?, Comments re-enabled, I’m back!, and Vacation, & a taste of what’s to come.

Episode 12

「新入りを斬る」 (Shiniri wo Kiru)
“Kill the Newcomers”

Full-length images: 04, 05, 06, 12, 26, 29, 30, 34.

Episode 13

「邪魔者を斬る」 (Jamamono wo Kiru)
“Kill the Nuisances”

In an effort to save myself time, I’m going to sum up my impressions for these past two weeks into one post rather than separate ones. I feel like it’s a good time to do so anyway since both episodes had good continuity in terms of plot and new advancements in this arc. Thank you for being patient with me while I had my week off. It was a struggle to keep up with anime, but I’m back!

The past two weeks have given plenty of time for our new Night Raid members to get acquainted with the old ones. Susanoo is not really a person per say, but he behaves enough like one that I would fall for his charms too. Definitely a keeper in my books – not only for his strength, but all the quirks about him that make him hilarious. Chelsea is one that I’m not completely on board with yet. She has a fun and mischievous side (that pokes fun at Mine often), but she also seems to have this past with her previous team that didn’t turn out well. I’d have to hear about it more before I sympathize with her situation and this concept of being “too naïve” for battle. Also, her Imperial Arms doesn’t appear all that powerful and besides using it to escape and fool others, I don’t see how it’d save her in battle. Perhaps she packs a great punch as well.

Meanwhile, the Jaegers have their hands full with the disappearance (or death) of Dr. Stylish and the emergence of these new beasts. It’s pretty much stated that they were an experiment by Dr. Stylish but how they managed to escape is still a mystery. They also eat people… which is horrific and cannibalism never settled well with me. I don’t think the man in the shadows is necessarily controlling them, but more like lurking to see what happens. He would have to have a powerful Imperial Arms in order to control beasts like that but I don’t doubt that we’ll see more of him later on. The Jaegers don’t have issues killing the Danger Beasts, but there’s only so many of them that can defend the citizens from being eaten by nonstop monsters. A common enemy is a good way to unite the Jaegers and Night Raid though so I like how the story keeps reflecting both their stories and similarities. When they finally meet on the same battlefield, that’s when things get interesting and who knows who will live or die.

Two great background stories this week were Bols and Lubbock – finally, after 12 weeks! It wasn’t an overly complicated or dark history, but it seems like there’s someone that catches Lubbock’s eye even more so than all the other girls. I found it amusing because in episode 12, you hear that Susanoo thinks Najenda looks like a man, and in episode 13, you learn that Lubbock seems to fancy that type. Well good on him and I hope he gets some acknowledgement from Najenda that his efforts were appreciated before he leaves us… but hopefully not! Bols is also a fascinating character on his own. His appearance truly doesn’t match his personality; it’s likely that there’s more than meets the eye with him. He roasted people alive under commands and while I don’t exactly blame him for following orders, there must be another story behind his family and his job. For now, I will take it as – a cute loving family that wants to see their papa do well.

I was surprised by the amount of comedy that was placed in the past two episodes. The episodes themselves have been relatively tame on the action side and there’s been more focus on the Night Raid and rebuilding their new base. I don’t mind, but Akame ga Kill seems to lose my attention as it derives away from the bloodshed and more towards leveling up (who wants to spend their time grinding all day and night right?). It’s not boring and I’m not trying to sound impatient, but the events in between the epic fights are becoming more dragged out as there’s less character confrontations. The humor is still the same as earlier episodes though so if you found them offbeat then, they’re still offbeat now. It’s definitely not the highlight of the series, but seeing the different expressions of characters make me feel less anxious about the impending doom that comes. I’d like to see Akame ga Kill break out of this mold if it can of introductions, deaths and cool-down episodes. The anime feels like a roller coaster of ups and downs and while it’s high, it’s terrific, fun and scary, but when it’s down, I’m just waiting for the next high because nothing else is happening. It sounds like the lifecycle of taking drugs – lots of highs and lots of lows and with each high, you need more of the good stuff to keep you at that high peak. Not that I’ve taken drugs before! =X

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: The best part of the ep. was hearing about Lubbock’s history. That and seeing Bol’s family – so cute! #akame_anime

Full-length images: 11, 16.

Preview

Descending down from heaven to wreck your shit. How exciting. Wee.

I’m going to piss some people off with that title, but I don’t care. It’s too much fun to pass up. Unlike this show.

Mahouka has the distinction of being the only anime I’ve ever dropped coverage for since I started writing for RandomC, so I felt honor bound to keep up with it for the monthly impressions, and write this post. That doesn’t mean I enjoyed watching it. That became exceedingly clear once I wasn’t bound to blog it every week.

For the longest time, I didn’t want to admit it. No—it wasn’t certain yet. A character can be powerful without sliding into that most awful of wish fulfillment failures, the Mary Sue. That died in recent arcs, along with every character who went against our protagonist-god. Where Tatsuya was once merely powerful, he’s now utterly broken. He can kill with a single shot, catch bullets, and even heal or resurrect his allies. Perfect offense, defense, and support. He is the one, the only, the everything. Tatsuya is not just a Gary Stu. Tatsuya is a living god. He’s Magic Jesus, and watching him do his thing has become a chore.

Mahouka isn’t all bad. There’s tremendous depth in the world, especially it’s magic system. It’s too dry for me, too technical—it’s an engineer’s magic system, more hard sci-fi than fantasy, and I’m a froofy words guy—but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. With more time to explain what exactly was going on—time I’ve been told the light novels gave it—it had the potential to suck you in, provided you could keep track of all the minutiae. Yes, anime isn’t the best medium for lectures, but it had potential at least.

The side characters were largely good as well—I would watch a magic high school action/romcom starring Erika, Leo, Mizuki, and Mikihiko in a heartbeat. They were all skilled, but not overly so, and there were interesting facets of their personalities. Ditto for many other characters. The women in particular were great, because while this could have easily been a chauvanistic endeavor like so many other stories, most of the female characters were strong, with as much steel in their spines as any man, and usually more.

Then comes Tatsuya and Miyuki. They are not good characters, at least how the anime portrays them. (I’ve been told that Miyuki was better in the light novels, but I’ve seen little of that here.) The onii-sama fawning brocon and her emotionally stunted god-aniki. Nothing can challenge Tatsuya but his family being a bunch of bitches, and Miyuki’s one-note onii-sama fetish wasn’t even enough to titillate. It was just boring. Add onto that weak enemies—I don’t remember who the enemies were for any of the arcs, including the one I finished fifteen minutes ago—and I was utterly bored any time these two were on the screen, save for the occasional snatch of witty dialogue. But that could always be traced back to other characters, not these two lead weights.

Off the top of my head, the only part I really enjoyed was when Tatsuya was going up against Masaki. That’s when powerful characters work—when they’re facing other powerful characters. A clash of the titans. Seeing him and his friends work together—even if it still largely hinged on Tatsuya—was a genuinely good moment. Everything since then has been a slog, and most before it. Tatsuya went from overpowered to a living god—Magic Jesus, but far more violent. More a natural disaster than a living god, and with all the emotions of the same.

I badly wanted this to be as good as people said. I wanted another Kyoukaisen, another impossible-to-adapt series that rewarded deep investment. Instead I realized how wise I was to drop coverage when it came time to do the monthly impressions. Every month, the post would be due in a day or two, and I hadn’t watched a single episode since the month before. Not a good sign.

So ends the Ballad of Magic Jesus. I can’t tell how much was bad adaptation and how much was a polarizing, niche source material that’s not for me, but I can’t honestly be said to care anymore. It’s been said (by me, and the Capturing God) that the opposite of love is not hate, it’s apathy. I don’t hate Mahouka. I’ve given up entirely. A Gary Sue numbs the viewer to any sense of danger or excitement, and Tatsuya is the most overpowered Gary Stu I’ve ever seen in a published work.

And I thought Kirito was bad, but he’s nothing next to Magic Mass Murdering Jesus.

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Comments re-enabled, I’m back!, Vacation, & a taste of what’s to come, and Life or death.

「ファントム・バレット」 (Fantomu Baretto)
“Phantom Bullet”

Am I the only one who felt a little awkward by the end of this week’s episode?

Death Gun vs Kirito

After weeks of waiting, I must say that the epic conclusion to GGO’s third annual BoB tournament felt a little lackluster (I said GGO, not the arc! We’ll get into that in a second.). Even though Kirito and Death Gun were putting on a pretty stellar performance, the fight felt awkwardly light. Light in the sense that even as I watched their swords clash and their mouths talk, I just didn’t get any satisfaction out of it. Maybe it’s because it took so darn long to get to this point or maybe it’s because I know Kirito can’t/won’t die, but man was I irked about how unsatisfying this final fight was. However, what occurred afterwards in the real world was the complete opposite.

Creepy Mofo

No lie, I didn’t think the opening sequence was being serious when it showed Shinkawa extending his hand out to Sinon only to transition to a creepy shot of Death Gun. But lo and behold, this guy ends up being a complete and utter creep — and I mean that in the worst way possible. Watching him trick Sinon into a false sense of security only to tackle her down and threaten her with death by cardiac arrest just didn’t sit right in my book. But then to sit there and watch as he attempts to touch her in all the wrong ways got my blood boiling.

Which is why it felt so satisfying to see Kirito bust through the door right in the nick of time to knee the bastard square in the nose. I don’t know what it was, but watching the blood squirt out in slow motion as he fell toward the ground completely made up for the first half of the episode. And while it wasn’t nearly as awesome as watching a creeper take a knee to the face, it was nice to see Sinon find her inner strength to stand up and face her fears (but I mean, if she wasn’t able to I wouldn’t hold it against her. I don’t know what I’d do in that situation ):).

Looking Forward to An Awesome Conclusion

After everything that’s happened, I think we’re in a great spot for next week’s episode to give this arc the proper ending it deserves. With most of the loose ends tied up, all that’s left is for Death Gun to tell us what’s wrong with him and hopefully watch Kirito smack him up some more. See you next week!

A collection of tales about a Dandy Guy in Space

When it was announced that Watanabe Shinichiro was going to release another original sci-fi anime, I think most people were expecting the next Cowboy Bebop. But they got Space Dandy, for better or for worse. That’s the dangerous thing, I suppose, when big name creators are attached to a new series – the expectations and hype skyrocket, and when it turns out to be something unexpected, people dismiss it or claim it garbage. But after watching all twenty six episodes of Space Dandy (and if you, like I, prefer to consider it as one ongoing series despite it being split-cour), I must say I would not change a thing.

This final episode hit every note, providing us with a shocking twist in the revelation of little Bea, and tied everything together oh so wonderfully. We saw old faces and new alike, and the multi-verse Dandy theory was proven correct. And to top that off, our wonderful Dandy got the offer to be the God of a new collection of newborn universes. But of course, he turned it down. Oh, and also there was a 14.8 billion year timeskip – not something you see that often, is it? Overall, this finale was a celebration of what makes Space Dandy… well… Space Dandy. It was loud, it was over the top, magical, beautifully animated, and to top that all off it made sense – something that I think is genuinely impressive considering the bizarre nature of the series.

When looking at the series as a whole – due to its episodic nature of wild adventures – I almost like to think of Space Dandy as twenty six anime in one. Each episode was different from the next, with a number of famed directors, writers, and animators being brought in to work their magic. And because of the collaboration of alien ideas, artistic styles, and outrageous humour, it delivered. It may not have been the serious sci-fi story with the grandiose plot that (some) people were expecting going in, but it undoubtably proved itself in the end as a series bursting with creativity and imagination, whilst being spiced with arctic flair by the hands of veterans who were given free roam to shape Space Dandy twenty six times over.

When you sit back and think about what we have witnessed in each and every episode, it can only boggle your mind. Whether it be travelling to an alternate dimension with a lone Space Ramen store, having everyone and everything turn into zombies, or heading off to wonderful planets with changing artistic styles. It was all a roller coaster, truly. We got a fabulous space race to remember forever, an over the top musical episode, a Rock n’ Roll concert to shake the galaxies, a tense courtroom scene lasting an entire episode, and pretty much anything else you could imagine, really.

But whilst my praise for Space Dandy is high and mighty, I still have some minor gripes with the series. One of them being that, for me, the first four episodes were very much sub-par in comparison to the rest of the series, where it only grew from then on. Maybe that ties to original expectations coming into question, but I still feel this was a series that got better with time and patience. Another issue would be the simple fact that the quality of episodes didn’t exactly remain consistent. Most were good, some were great, and a few were incredible. As a result, it did show that as a whole the series was certainly not cohesive, and it had its moments where the quality (be that comedy, visuals, or episode plots) was not always at the same level. But then, I suppose that is to be expected of a series that effectively presses the restart button every week to allow for a new idea to take the forefront.

If I were to pick my highlights of the series as a whole (from both cours) it would be episode 5 from each. Funnily enough, both had very little comedy, and both focused on Dandy and a little girl. It was in these episodes that I knew that this series wasn’t just smoke and mirrors, but had the potential to deliver a simple, emotional, and altogether effective story. I’ll remember them as two of my favourite anime episodes of all-time, for sure. Another episode that I loved was: “The Transfer Student is Dandy, Baby” because it was essentially an even more hilarious version of High School Musical. I can still remember laughing until I could laugh no more. I really did have tears in my eyes with that one. I’m sure there is certainly an episode that stands out to you, or maybe a few, whether it be a pure-comedy episode, or one where the weird and wonderful elements of imagination were delved into, or possibly one of the more simple episodes with an emotional story to tell.

There is something for everyone in Space Dandy. And ending the series with ‘May Be Continued’ is only a good thing, no matter how you look at it. There is so much more this series can continue to explore, and I would absolutely be on board to journeying with our Dandy Guy in Space all over again.

「東京ESP少女」 (Tokyo Esupu Shoujo)
“Tokyo ESP Girls”

I have no idea what just happened. Little of that made sense.

Unexplained Powers

This entire episode was plagued by an old Tokyo ESP problem: unexplained powers. I don’t know how Roshi knew that shirtless samurai was the one holding up the building, and I don’t know how he shrugged off the bullets. Roshi mentioned Qigong, but I don’t think martial arts works like that guys! Same with Kobushi-chan’s green punch – was that a power evolution, or a qi attack? While pretty much everything the Professor did seemed like bullshit. About the only thing they gave flimsy justification to was how Pelico could nullify the Professor’s powers, but since there was no foreshadowing on this, it still amounts to an ass pull. And I’m not even getting into how Imouto-chan apparently has hammerspace that works on people. That’s horrifying.

In stories like Tokyo ESP, you need to explain how the magic works or it feels like plot points are being pulled out of the writer’s ass. I hear that was done better in the manga—at least for the main characters—but there’s been none of that here. This episode just had the worst of it.

The Villains Had a Shitty Plan

I still don’t really understand what the villains were after. If they just wanted to spread the fish, and they needed the Tokyo Sky Tree to do it, it seems like they could have teleported up there any day of the week and released them. Bada bing, bada boom, new esper society. But if the Professor was trying to lure in these strange esper(?) gods(?), then … okay? They told us nothing about them, not what they’re after or why the Professor wanted to draw them there and fight them, so I’m just left feeling frustrated. Explain yourself dammit! None of this makes any damn sense! About the best I can say is that the angel(?) esper(?) god(?) was forwshadowed, but that’s it.

The Good Outnumber The Evil

There’s a long list of things that don’t make sense about this anime, but the one that struck me at the end of this episode was the crimes the rising number of espers were committing. They’re so unimaginative! All fire and explosions, no forethought.

There are two facets to this that bug me. 1) It’s stupid. In a medieval society I can see people thinking force would work, even up to 70-80 years ago, when bank robberies were still a done thing. Even in a modern society, I can see people with fancy new powers thinking it would work early on, but after Rinka and her crew go around stomping every single one of them? Those characters are no better than NPC slimes in an RPG. When it comes to showing how criminals would really act if suddenly given amazing powers, other stories have done it better. Strong Female Protagonist does it better. X-Men does it better. Tokyo ESP does it poorly.

Two, the good outnumber the evil. Always. I refuse to believe that so many espers would be wreaking havoc so indiscriminately, because that doesn’t happen in real life and if you don’t think a gun or a car can do lots of damage, you’re wrong. It reminded me of a quote from comedian Patton Oswalt who, like most great comedians, is a wickedly insightful man. You can read the full article here, but the important part is reproduced below.

But here’s what I DO know. If it’s one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out … This is a giant planet and we’re lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in a while, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they’re pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evildoers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We’d have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, “The good outnumber you, and we always will.”

A charismatic terrorist like the Professor makes sense. The gangster made sense. A thief like Kobushi-chan makes sense. But people blowing things up out of frustration is a rare occurrence, and magical powers wouldn’t change that. Most people just want to live their lives in peace, so unless they’re hiding a ton of espers who are doing just that off-screen, that struck me as bullshit. And even if they are, there would be more superheroes than just Rinka and her gang. I’ve met enough soldiers and police officers to know that.

Looking Ahead – Final Impressions

Not much to say on this episode that I haven’t said a hundred times before, other than to say something I didn’t get to last week since Cherrie was covering for me (thanks Cherr!): Pelico is ridiculous. Just utterly ridiculous. Final impressions below.

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – This anime ended as it began – badly. A flawed adaptation of a good manga to the bitter end #東京ESP 12 END

Random thoughts:

• C’mon Minami, just teleport Rinka way up in the air and drop her! You’re going to jail for a long time if they ever catch you anyway, might as well rub out the competition.
• Wolverine/Magneto papa is the best! His clothes ripped off because he’s just THAT DAMN GAR.
• I like how Pompadour ended up coming along because he had a useful power. I feel like they should have added a main character with that power instead of conveniently introducing some nobody when needed.
• Just shoot the Professor already Kyoutarou gods just shoot him DO I HAVE TO COME IN THERE AND DO IT MYSELF!?
• Professor: “I sensed a miracle in you.” What.
• I can’t tell if they were trying to make the Professor out into a pseudo-good guy there at the end, fighting the esper(?) gods(?), but it didn’t work. He’s still a damn murderer, and him “training” Kyoutarou (and warping his daughter in the process) is just fucked up.
• All they do is hold hands? No kiss after all of that, or even a hug? What is this shit! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
• Take off the mask Kyoutarou, you look ridiculous. Sigh.

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: I’m back!, Vacation, & a taste of what’s to come, Life or death, and Just plain fun.

Epilogue:

Final Impressions

Rarely does an anime adaptation shoot itself in the foot so thoroughly, so quickly. I’ve been saying this for the entire season, but the full-episode cold opening in episode one poisoned everything that came after it. Absolutely everything. Not even simple pleasures like whether Kobushi-chan would join the good guys or whether Rinka would actually die—turns that were easy to anticipate—could be enjoyed because we already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what would happen. Not even the stunning event of the capital floating in the sky was properly shocking because they blew all the good stuff in the first episode!

And to a certain degree, it worked. For the anime’s viewership, not the story. The first episode was interesting enough to get a lot of people watching, but the poison set in shortly thereafter. The only thing that was truly left to wonder about was why Kyoutarou didn’t appear in the first episode, but the frustration that came from watching such a badly bungled adaptation tried my patience, until I was left wishing I had just dropped it and spoiled myself on that detail, or better yet, read the manga instead.

The irony is that the anime didn’t need the cold opening—because the chronological first episode worth of content (episode two) was strong enough to stand on its own—but it did need an extra episode worth of time to properly flesh out the characters and the world. The kind of magic seen in Tokyo ESP doesn’t work unless it’s explained enough for the audience to anticipate the character’s actions to a degree, but everything was cut down to the bone, and much felt like it was pulled out of the writer’s ass as a result. The characters suffered too, with no one escaping the hacksaw’s cruel effect on their development.

Which is a shame, because the story’s bones are good. I pride myself on being able to sense a good story even if the adaptation is shite, which is why I was willing to blog Touno Mamare’s Log Horizon even though Touno Mamare’s Maoyuu almost singlehandedly burned me out with its ham-fisted adaptation. Though this adaptation forces me to question the plot, for Rinka alone I want to read the adaptation, because she’s an excellent character, even as twisted as she was by XEBEC. In that sense, you could say this was a successful adaptation; I do want to read the manga now.

But in all other ways, this was a flop. There’s some enjoyment to be had if you can turn off your brain or laugh at its follies, but everything I see and everything I’ve heard tells me the manga is better. So I’ll add that to my prodigious manga backlog, and take this another in a long line of lessons that have taught me to approach XEBEC adaptations with care. Though they also did Nyaruko-san, so I don’t know what to think. Other than I also now apparently need to watch Ga-Rei: Zero too. Son of a bitch—my free time!

Manga

Now that the fall preview is out, it’s time to give you a first look at some of the shows we’ll be blogging. This is Random Curiosity’s Fall 2014 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.

As usual, DO NOT PANIC! We’re still figuring out what shows we want to blog, and there will be a lot of intro posts before we settle on our picks. We allow ourselves to blog 1-3 episodes before a blogging decision must be made. Here are just a few of the shows we’re planning to introduce:

• Grisaia no Kajitsu
• Akatsuki no Yona
• Trinity Seven
• Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle
• Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu
• Inou Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de

That doesn’t mean all of those will get picked up, but we’re planning to introduce them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of those (or a few others) get added to the schedule.

In site news, we have a few people going on temporary hiatus this season. Guardian Enzo and Zephyr are both taking a season off due to work (though Zephyr will still be blogging the Naruto manga), and Zanibas will be taking a break as well. Don’t panic! That’s why we recruited our marvelous newbies in Passerby and Samu, and they’re looking to fill in the gaps while others are off being productive members of society. (Bah! Sounds overrated to me.) Plus Kairi is back for a season, and takaii, Prooof, Cherrie, Divine, and I aren’t going anywhere. We’ll also be keeping up with the Monthly Impressions to fill in any gaps in our coverage.

Other than that, it’s looking like a busy season with a lot of anime to watch. Make sure to check in on this post periodically for additional pick ups (it will be added to the side bar shortly). Thanks for reading, and continue being as amazing as always.

Updates:

• 10/7: The shoujo is strong with this blogger. Kairi will be covering Akatsuki no Yona!
• 10/10: Passerby couldn’t let the fruit fall too far from the tree—he will be blogging Grisaia no Kajitsu.
• 10/14: The guy who is definitely not the ecchi blogger is making his triumphant return to blogging funny fantasy harem shows. Stilts has picked up Trinity Seven!
• 10/15: Shocking event! Hitsugi no Chaika, coverage. Blogger, Stilts. Grateful!
• 10/15: It’s all aliens all the time for Samu, and this one is inside a hand. Samu will be blogging Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu.
• 10/29: He’ll have to do his best Enzo impression, but I think he’s up to the challenge—Passerby will be blogging Mushishi.
• 11/07: Kairi has dropped Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.

「かえってきてうりしか」 (Kaette Kite Urishika)
“Glad You’re Back”

I’ve tried writing this intro sentence about a hundred times now and I can’t seem to find the right combination of words to create a accurate enough sentence describe my feelings about this final episode. All I can say for sure though, is that this finale was absolutely fantastic.

True Parental Guidance

While Naru will always be best girl in my heart, it’s hard to deny that Handa’s mom is just as awesome. Her love for Handa knows no bounds and I don’t think I’ve ever seen an anime mom break from the mold in such an incredible way. She’ll beat the crap out of anyone, guilt trip you into agreeing with her, and when push comes to shove she’ll go as far as making cutesy a :x face to really make you feel bad. But among all the silliness, there’s no denying that Handa’s mom truly cares about her son. There’s no reason for her to act so brash if she really wasn’t concerned with his well being and when you think about just how much love it takes to get a mom to break so far from the mold, you’re entering a scale that’s immeasurable.

But let’s not forget the other person who was in-charge of bringing up Handa! While he may be just as awkward as the son he brought up, Handa’s dad in collaboration with the Village Elder and Museum Director managed to open Handa’s eyes to the world around him. Putting him in just enough danger to mature without risking his life or profession, I can’t help but be in awe when I think about just how consideration Handa’s dad put in to helping him mature.

So yeah, the true stars of this final episode ended up being the two characters we’ve seen the least of. Go figure!

An Ending for the Ages

I think I’ve come to realize that Barakamon isn’t a show that’s trying to depress us. It hints at the sadness that could lie in the shadows of a small village on an island but never risks getting within 15 feet of it — and I’m totally okay with this. But for the show to take my emotions and lead me to believe that we’re in for a sad ending only to give me such a heartwarming one is totally unfair! I don’t know about you but I couldn’t help but start tearing up when we finally got a chance to see what Handa wrote last week. A literal embodiment of what makes the village such a happy place for him, the tears just kept falling as the camera zoomed closer and closer. Because if there’s anything we’ve learned together with Handa, it’s that the people around you who make each and every day a little more fun are some of the most important in the world.

Final Impressions

It’s been an absolute pleasure blogging this show. With each episode taking the time to show us how important having a little fun is while hiding little life lessons among it all, Barakamon has turned into one of my favorite shows. Sure it may not have the crazy action scenes or cutesy romances but who needs stuff like that when you have a crazy cast of characters like Naru, Handa, and the rest of the gang primed and ready to have some legit fun (Naru for Best Girl 2014!)?

Besides that, I don’t really have too much to say. I’ve blabbed a lot on most of the posts where I felt a real personal connection with Handa and the lessons he’s learned so you can go through the archives to read that. But if I had to say something about the show, I have to give it props for the almost chilling way it lets anyone who watches it find their own meaning from the story it’s trying to tell.

Anyways, thanks so much for keeping up with the posts! I’ve loved reading all the comments (and thank you so much for the positive ones when I was feeling down) and discovering all the different ways you can view the show. While this show may not make it as AOTY (Anime of the Year), I wouldn’t hesitate recommending this show to anyone. Because no matter who you are, there are times in life where you’ll lose your way and sometimes the only way to really realize what you’re missing is to have the Naru in your life take you on an adventure. ‘Till next time!

One more person is added to Ichigo’s squad when Ganju Shiba insists on joining the mission (along with his pig Bonnie), claiming that he has the map to Soul Society. From what we’ve seen before though, his power level is probably somewhere around that of cannon fodder, so I’m not sure what he’s expecting to happen here. While he does have the map, it looks like Urahara would have managed to find the way even without him. My guess is that he has some tricks up his sleeve that will come in handy for a particular obstacle in the upcoming battle. In direct combat though, he’s looks extremely weak, and will probably be less useful than even Chad will be, power-ups or not.

Meanwhile back at the palace, Senjumaru is still dealing with the loose-tongued menace, who I find to be very irritating as he taunts the Zero Squad about their inability to hit him. Luckily, she’s far too powerful to be taken down by the likes of him, and as he is distracted with idle chit-chat and a diversionary attack by the masked soldiers, the “Great Weaver” goes to work at blinding speeds. It turns out that she’s not just good at making armor and uniforms for Shinigami, but can also use clothing offensively. Her name means “a thousand arms”, and true to her name, she has long, skeletal arms attached to her that encase Nianzol in a straitjacket before he’s even aware anything happened. The jacket then impales him from inside out, and the chapter ends before we find out if he survives. It’s an incredibly brutal attack and would be nice if he got one-hit-KO’ed like Wonderweiss did, but I’d be somewhat surprised if he died just like that without a chance to one-up the Shinigami again; I can already see him emerging unscathed and revealing it all to be another trick. Hopefully Senjumaru will have another beatdown ready for him, as she’s shaping up to be one of my favorite Royal Guards. Her icy cool demeanor, interesting abilities, sharp wit, and even sharper skills make her a much better character than some of the trash we’ve seen recently.

「Welcome Home」

And so we come to the end, not exactly with a bang but at least not with a whimper either. I’m sure everyone expected an ending more or less along these lines. Players of Golden probably already pretty much knew how it was going to go down. Even though P4GA tried to paint the ‘truth’ as something profound and shocking it was never ever anything surprising. The final confrontation unfolded fairly similarly to the game or the original anime  (albeit Marie-flavoured) and that was not really a big twist either. If anything, it felt slightly forced. ‘If you kill me you’ll also kill your friend!‘ is an old chestnut, but it was only tenuously linked to the greater overarching theme about accepting the truth and all that. For that matter, the whole ‘people are weak’ –> ‘people prefer to be lied to’ –> ‘turn on the fog machines!’ logic isn’t really fully developed either, but that’s a fault carried from the game. Chalked it up to ‘gods are weird’. It doesn’t really matter, I suppose, because ultimately Marie ex machina happens and breezes the conflict aside. ‘Now, I am the master!’ she says, and that was that. Maybe it’s a metaphor for individuation. I’ll buy anything.

Despite all my nitpicking, I must reiterate that this was not exactly a bad ending. At the very least it had the correct shape of an ending, giving one last hurrah before wrapping things up and leaving a sense of closure. I’m glad that they let the effects budget have a final day in the sun, at least; I can forgive a lot of things as long as it’s shiny enough. After our descent into anti-climax last week I had my fears but luckily they were mostly unfounded. In fact, for a while I was almost brought aboard the Marie ship. I believed in the power of love! That is, I was fully expecting Yu and Marie to go full SEKIHA LOVE LOVE TENKYOKEN during their big scene, but alas, they didn’t hear the cries (or didn’t want to make things weird for Kanji). If anything disappointed me about this episode, it was that. I thought we were fully embracing the ham and cheese. They had the obligatory title drop! They had Marie profess her love live on TV just to rile up Rise! If you have the ball you have to run with it, Persona 4.

(Actually, the thought of Marie as a fickle god with no respect for the long term ecological ramifications of her actions is…can we really call this a happy end?)

Final Reading

Adaptation—the art of converting one medium into another—has always been a subject of great interest to me. Original series are great and deserve their respect, but turning a manga, a novel or a video game into anime is no simple craft either. It’s a lot like translating languages, and not everyone appreciates the subtleties—sometimes, not even directors. Watching how each adaptation decides to do their thing is a fascinating study, especially when games are involved. They are a medium like no other, and one that we are just beginning to play with (pun…yeah, completely intended).

What stood out the most for me about P4GA is their decision to only adapt very specific sections of the original source. For everything else, they relied on viewer meta-knowledge, whether it’s from playing a game, watching an anime or reading a manga. This is not actually a bad idea; it saves seasoned viewers from having to retread old content and gets right to the real meat. The end result was something not quite a sequel and not quite a standalone production. It was an interesting experiment, but is had its failings. For one, it highlighted the difference between knowing and experiencing. When I watched P4GA I knew of the events happening off-screen that were skipped. I knew how the limited events shown played into the greater scheme. But it didn’t feel like I was experiencing a fully cohesive narrative. Instead, it felt rather choppy—more like OVAs than a full series—and I think it hindered my connection to the new content.

Speaking of which, the one full arc in P4GA is Marie’s story, and I suppose we should go into that a bit. The impression I got from those who’ve played the Vita game is that Marie didn’t really play a major role there, so I should commend the P4GA staff for being able to write so much of the anime around her. Because underneath all the drama and high mythology surrounding Marie, her story—which I consider to have been wrapped up in Episode 11—is rather simple yet plays well into Persona 4′s overarching themes. It’s really just about a teenager, and that teenager acting like a teenager. All that stuff with her going, ‘Leave me alone, nobody understands me, just let me cut myself’—that’s usually just a phase people have. That’s why Persona 4 switches so often between fantasy and mundane. With time, even the most trying or amazing parts of life become mundane. It’ll all just be happy memories.

There would be those who enjoyed the focus on Marie, and those who don’t; I’ve said enough about the subject already. I will note, though, how interesting P4GA’s strategy was. It essentially goes all in, all the time; it devotes fully to new material even at the risk of alienating potential views, and devotes fully to the new character Marie, at the risk of overexposure. Perhaps it’s just very sure about its targets audience, that is, those who only wish for Golden material and those who will enjoy a lot of Marie. If this was done deliberately, then that was a very bold choice; I will give credit for that. But how successful was it in execution? Do you fall within this narrow target? Did you expect to fall within that target? I’ll leave the discussion to the comments.

Full-length images: 11.

ED4 Sequence

ED4: 「Never More」 by 平田志穂子 (Hirata Shihoko)

Thank you all for bearing with me through Person 4 the Golden ANIMATION and my first full season of anime here on Random Curiosity. I hope you’ve enjoyed the coverage; I certainly had fun (sometimes a bit too much). If any of you have any feedback about my writing (or, really, anything at all) now’s a great time to get heard. I read all your comments, and constructive feedback is always useful for me. Otherwise I’ll be back next season (basically beginning as we speak) with more of that weekly rambling. I look forward to seeing you all (and any new faces! Invite your friends! Invite your family! Invite total strangers!) again.

「流星」 (Ryuusei)
“Shooting Star”

Now that the end has finally come, I’m just going to jump straight into final impressions. Not necessarily because I don’t want to say anything in particular about this final episode but it’s more like I don’t have anything to say. If anything, I would sum this episode as more of the regular rigmarole that had me thinking, “This could maybe turn into something awesome if it weren’t the last episode.”

Final Impressions

For a show that I was totally pumped up about after someone linked me to it on our IRC channel, I’m really disappointed that it didn’t turn into the show I hoped for. Surprisingly though, it seems that this show ended up being really polarizing — even with a majority of the readers voicing their complaints week by week, there were some who said that the show just worked for them. So before we jump into the real impressions, let me say that there were some genuine points throughout the show that really worked for me.

As a show billed as a romanticish slice-of-life with some fantasy elements weaved into the mix, there wasn’t enough of any single part. Sure there were some romantic antics amongst the main cast that were resolved but none of them had any of the impact you’d expect from a show that promised we’d see some romance. Sure, we had guys and girls fighting over Touko but there was never a point where I didn’t think Kakeru would overtake the others. Which to me is a little odd since it felt like their relationship felt awfully forced. Starting from a shared interest in the fragments of the future (I’ll get into that in a little), it seemed to just jump from acquaintances to star-crossed lovers without any of the passion or flag-setting occurring. Then you have the side characters who we’re led to believe ended up with their own happy endings but honestly, there wasn’t enough buildup to really make us feel anything for them.

So, you’d think that if romance wasn’t the focus then the whole fantasy element would be, right? Especially when the show throws in Kakeru having conversations with himself, RIGHT? But in the end all we got was a half-baked explanation about things that modern science would probably classify as an explosive imagination. Toss in last week’s episode where Touko ended up in an alternate dimension and you have a hot mess of topics that never really get tied up.

All that said, there was something that this final episode helped me realize. If you take this show as a depiction of a teen’s final summer, I think you can justify most of what happens. Maybe the point of everything is that during that hectic time where your decisions could ultimately decide where you end up in life, lots of things that don’t make sense happen. So in the end, maybe it’s really about the crazy journey you take to really find out what you want?

Anyways, while the show personally didn’t do much for me, I wouldn’t say it was a complete train wreck. There were certain elements like Hina and the adorable relationship between her parents that managed to capture my attention when the main story almost had me turning away. Toss in Yuki and Yanagi who I’m assuming got into a successful relationship with each other and I had most of my wants fulfilled (Yeah, Hiro and Sachii are okay but still YukixYanagi). When everything is said and done, I don’t think I would recommend this show to anyone besides those looking to fill their P.A. Works collection.

And that’s about wraps it up! Thanks again to everyone who’s been following the posts. I know the show wasn’t what we expected but at least we stuck it through till the end right!? See you next season!

「Von」

Where can you start with an episode that so perfectly wraps up a series? Honestly, I’m speechless right now. The chills are still running through my back as we speak, and this truly was a finale for the ages. No matter what you felt about the series’ developments following Five and Lisa, there’s no way you could’ve been disappointed about how things came together, and I’ll remember this episode—and this series—for years to come. It was just that damn good.

Best of all, it was so enjoyable despite the fact that we all saw this coming. We knew Sphinx didn’t intend to get out of this alive. We knew Shibazaki would be the one to find them at the end. We knew Von meant “hope” in Icelandic. I predicted that Sphinx would try to use the nuke in a high altitude explosion. Yet it didn’t matter one bit. Greatness lies within the execution, and it’s clear that the past few episodes—and this one in particular—were executed virtually flawlessly. It was great just to see things be followed through to their ultimate conclusion, and I think the big thing here now isn’t so much a discussion about what happened this episode (they stand for themselves) as it is the speculation that comes from trying to see what (if anything) Watanabe’s trying to say here.

Because the fact is, there’s a lot here that could be construed about the events here and how they happen. This whole incident with Sphinx puts a bulls-eye on the dangers of nuclear weapons + energy—you’ll note how they had to be shut down ASAP and were used as a threat at the very end—and makes you think that there’s a commentary against its usage here, but is that really all there is to this? Couldn’t it be a more scathing commentary on society in general? That we’ve become so accustomed to utilizing and trying to advance our technology that we’ve become oblivious to the simpler things in life? Alternatively, could it be a discussion of how one shouldn’t spend too much time dawdling on the past—instead spending that time looking forward to a hopeful future?

Needless to say, authorial intent here is one of the big questions, and the fact that one won’t ever know unless he says it himself is perhaps the greatest thing this series offered. That’s not to say the story was a slacker—it was pretty darn good despite what I felt to be an improper utilization of Five and Lisa—but more so to say this: Zankyou is something that’s privy to the viewer’s own interpretation. Depending on how you view this series, you could end up at a very different conclusion about the messages this series sends, and it’s nice to point out how this ends up being the case. You could say Watanabe’s pointing towards viewers toward a particular direction, but he never really ever confirms any specific view, and it gives a sort of opening to what could be some in-depth discussion about the topics he broaches. The fact that this all came together to create a finale with a fabulously emotional atmosphere is just an added bonus, and pictures do indeed tell a thousand words.

I mentioned this before, but it still rings true. Ultimately, Zankyou no Terror was a series that one needed to watch and experience for themselves, and although there were some flawed developments, the fact is that there were various episodes here that could not be described with words. Episodes whose established atmospheres kept you in awe and gave you an indication of how good anime could be. Episodes that sent chills down your back and made you remember particular scenes. Episodes filled with the brilliance of Yoko Kanno’s soundtrack—one of this year’s best. It might not have reached the masterpiece level that I wanted it to, but this was still a good to great series, and there are few better compliments I could give.

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「bless」by Arnór Dan

Author’s Note:

With this finale comes what’s likely to be the beginning of my hiatus from coverage for at least the fall season (and perhaps the winter season) as I dedicate myself towards making sure my first year of full-time work goes smoothly. I will continue to blog the Naruto Manga and work on the occasional post (introductions, previews, best of anime etc.), but I won’t be covering any weekly series. As such, I would just like to take a moment to thank everyone here reading this and those of you that have followed me since before Zankyou and ALDNOAH.ZERO (I sure got lucky with my picks this season didn’t I?). Random Curiosity wouldn’t be what it is without the support of those of you out there, and I hope that you continue to support us as we temporarily transition (some of you may have already heard that Zanibas and Enzo are also going on hiatus for the fall) to a new core group of writers headed by the newcomers in Passerby and Samu, whom have already proven themselves to be great additions to the site. It’s been a blast and I’ll see you guys around. Thank you for reading! (And don’t forget to spread the word! We always welcome new viewers!)

*Oh yeah, if you’re ever bored, I made one of those ask.fm things everyone’s been doing.

Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

「オンセン・ガッシュク／スマイル・イズ・フラワー／ハナヤマタ」 (Onsen Gasshuku/Sumairu Izu Furawaa/Hanayamata)
“Hot Spring Camp/Smile is Flower/Hanayamata”

This was long coming, but now it’s time to finally give the final verdict on this series. Instead of talking about the last three episodes individually, this post will focus on the main themes of the show, both good and bad, particularly taking specific examples from the final arc. It’s been an interesting dance with the series, but here we have to make our stop and judge how that ride has been.

Right off the bat, I’d like to start off with the show’s best storytelling quality: the growth of its characters and the steadiness of that change. Over the course of twelve episodes, we have seen a significant amount of character growth from all five of the main characters, even from our late participant, Machi. Though each character has had their own ‘development arc’ to face their inner struggles, each character has exhibited growth outside of their respective arcs, often growing together than growing in turn.

Take for instance Naru, the best example in this scenario. Although her main development arc takes place in episode one, her personal growth never halts throughout the series. Looking at episode one Naru, we see a largely unconfident girl, trapped between sadness from mediocrity and fear of the spotlight. We see a girl who can’t dance for her life, yet desires to be swept off her feet in fairytale fashion. Move forward to episode twelve, and it’s quite surprising to see just how much Naru has changed. She’s managed to inspire her peers, form friendships and a club that’ll last beyond their schooling, and some sick yosakoi moves that episode one Hana could never imagine doing. Despite how stark the contrast is, the transition was actually very natural. Every episode, we saw Naru slowly improving herself, whether in her dance moves or in her fervor to do more for the club and its fellow members. While the focus was on other characters, Naru continued to work during those in-between scenes, making her growth part of a grander narrative than her own isolated situation. These changes were never big–even mid-way, Naru was still stumbling around clumsily–but rather small steps that made the entire show feel…natural in its progression. Rather than seeing these drastic shifts in character, there instead was this elegant transition that all the characters passed through, to the point where its almost hard to notice any significant change from episode to episode. Yet suddenly, we’re here at episode twelve, with five girls dancing in synchronization to the OP, which has been the rallying call for the dance ever since episode one.

On a related note, with the growth of all our characters came the ultimate theme of the show, which is the concept of “blooming” and displaying one’s best qualities for the world to see. Although this does tie in with character growth, the show explicitly ties in the symbolism of flowers to represent the untapped potential that each character unlocks throughout the show. Each contributed an important piece to forming the final yosakoi dance, however, before doing so, each character had to feel free to ‘bloom’, to free themselves from the self-imposed fears and worries that held back their potential. I won’t list them all here for sake of brevity, but never was there a time that the characters were actively being held back by other characters. The show’s conflict does not come from interpersonal conflicts, but rather self-conflict. Thus, the blooming analogy makes sense–though everyone was there to support one another, the decision to finally come out and show their true colors came from within. Naru recognized this poetic symbolism and capitalized on it, adding a nice touch to each character. It’s not particularly deep symbolism, but it is a nice visual touch to see how the end result has come about.

For all of its heartwarming moments, there was never an episode without some sort of drama rummaging about. Although the issues that the girls faced were definitely legitimate–sister complexes, jealousy, loneliness, fear of judgment, self-affirmation–the melodramatic baggage that came with those issues could be tiring and predictable. For instance, take the instance when the yosakoi club forget to register for the festival and missed the mark. For that event to be used only for Machi’s “I’m a hard worker” message seemed largely unnecessary and cut into what could’ve been a nice wholesome episode where the girls bond without worry. I mean, it was nice to see them stay together despite the apparent cancellation, but the whole thing felt a bit off and tacked on. This definitely wasn’t the only isolated instance, as I mentioned in previous episodes that Yaya’s drama felt a bit too forced for drama’s sake. It seems that the show was trying to strike this balance between cuteness and emotional drama, but really, the show would’ve done a much better job going more towards the ‘healing show’ type of approach, in my opinion. I congratulate the show for attempting to create some emotional depth during the drama, and sometimes it works very well (see Naru’s prince-like attitudes when encouraging Tami), but those moments should’ve been concentrated and spread out more often than spread thin. The time to digest one character’s troubles simply wasn’t there.

In terms of the production side, what’s most disappointing is perhaps the sheer lack of actual yosakoi animation, as well as the amount of recycled yosakoi animation. For a show that advertises itself on focusing on this new dance, it sure doesn’t spend a lot of time focusing on that dance, save for a few moments in the show. Heck, if not for the heartwarming ending, I would’ve thought the ending to be lackluster due to the lack of a ‘grand finale’ in animating our five. This is more a problem in comparisons and expectations, since Madhouse had just come out with No Game No Life last season. Compared to that, this show felt like a side project that was meant to fill in the blanks between major productions.

Don’t get me wrong, the animation itself was pretty good. Though there were some non-key animations and drawings that were weird to look at, the general composition of the characters kept itself well-formed throughout the series, without a major dip in production. The comedic exaggerations were done well given the apparent budget, and the color palette used for the show is something I really appreciate looking back. In fact, it is perhaps the colors that gave the show a major facelift in its presentation, which I congratulate the animators on nailing well. However, where the animation was needed most–yosakoi–was often delegated to still images (that weren’t that great either) or short clips that obviously were trying to hide the lack of budget and manpower. It wasn’t something as bad as Magi’s Morgiana dance, but we were expecting more. Perhaps the reasoning behind this was to distribute production evenly throughout the show, but without that cincher that would really make the dances shine, the show becomes a bit more forgettable because of it.

This finally takes us to a conclusion…was Hanayamata good and/or worth it? I’d say…yes, if not for the expectations I had placed on the series beforehand. For those of you who remembered my preview for the series before much information was released, I was completely hyped up for this show. Both Madhouse and Ishizuka Atsuko had come off fresh from No Game No Life to work on this, which could only mean good things. I admire Ishizuka as a director, so I had hoped she would work her magic on this show just as she did for her previous work, with the full backing of Madhouse to support her vision. However, that would not be the case, as the story of Hanayamata is only good, but not great , and definitely not great enough to generate a huge amount of hype like No Game no Life. On its own, Hanayamata is a good show, yet perhaps not a memorable one. In comparison with its fellow Madhouse brothers, it isn’t a show that will be in many people’s minds once a season or two passes by.

In reflection though, perhaps Ishizuka has done more for this series than any other director could’ve done. I do admit that her tendency towards drama may have been a bit off-putting for this series, but in terms of character balancing, pacing, and general direction, the show is pretty solid in that regard. Hopefully she finds herself in some better produced shows, since her talent is wasted on more casual shows like this–her skills are better aimed towards the truly dramatic and action-packed than one about dancing.

In conclusion, Hanayamata ended well and provided what it set out to do. It gave us some yosakoi, but mainly cute girls. It accomplished great strides in character development and pacing, but failed in certain regards to drama and animation. It also turns out that Hana isn’t an alien or magical being after all, but rather just a really strong high schooler who can leap really high. Let it be known for the record that I totally messed up on that prediction. Dear reader, thank you for following this series to the end, it was an interesting experience to cover both LOVE STAGE!!, a BL-type show and its complete polar opposite, Hanayamata, simultaneously. In the end, both of them gave me much to smile for towards the end, mainly for maintaining balance between their characters and consistent development of the main cast.

However, as most of you may know already, this is the last show that I will be covering for until Spring 2015. I must go on a sabbatical away from blogging, simply because I do not have the time commitments to dedicate to blogging as of right now. It was completely unexpected work, but in situations like this, it’s best to cleanly handle the problem. This triple post is evidence of my current inability and I’m seriously sorry for postponing it so late. As of now, I’m unfit to give you guys timely coverage on a weekly basis, since I severely underestimated my workload in college this semester, and as such I have to say goodbye for now, at least for my blogging duties. I’ll still be helping to maintain the podcast and participate in them every now and then, but I will not have any time beyond that to contribute to the site, at least until I have my priorities and job security resolved.

I thank all my readers for supporting me these past two and a half years, both through the good and the seriously bad. I’ve made a lot of mistakes during my blogging career, some more excusable than others, but I really have to thank you guys for always being understanding and most of all forgiving of my situations. Episodic blogging is pretty tough stuff, so it always helped out when you guys publicly voiced your support in emails or in the comment section. Much like how Hana has to fly out to take care of some situations, I have to depart from a position here I love doing in order to focus on other passions in my life (like not failing). However, like Hana, I will hopefully return, with a renewed vigor (and time allocation) for blogging, so that I can keep the conversation of less popular anime on the table.

Again, thank you dear readers, I simply can’t thank you guys enough. I hope to see you guys again soon! ^_^

End Card

Tears, tanturms, a whirlwind trip to Australia, and here we are!

When that fated Swimming Anime trailer was born on a pleasant Spring day, not much longer than a year ago, it shook tidal waves through the internet for everything it represented so unabashedly, and how it dared to be from the hands of Kyoto Animation. It was a matter of grandiose proportions that caused upheaval to the point where proclamations of ‘Anime is dead!’ stung the ears of us all. And so Free! was born, and for a while it was a massive deal. And then the people who were complaining stopped watching. And the fans kept on watching.

Free! -Eternal Summer- was made for it’s audience. It was altogether a fun adventure, diving right back into what had been embraced in the first season. If you hated it before, you’d probably still hate it now. But if you enjoyed it – like I, and many others, did – then you probably enjoyed it much the same as before. Maybe less, maybe more. It’s a hard choice, because I do honestly feel that KyoAni went a different route with Eternal Summer than they could have – they could have done like they did with Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren, for example, and ended up being incredibly unadventurous in their approach. Thankfully though, they didn’t. They knew what they wanted, they nailed down a series of character-driven plotlines, and tied it all together in a way that allows for a breathe of relief.

If there was one major theme in Eternal Summer, it would be the future; more specifically, career choices. I honestly didn’t expect it to be so prevalent. From the opening episode where it was initially brought up, and from then on touched upon, nudged upon, and eventually tackled head on, with Haruka at the centre of it. His struggle to find fun in completive swimming, or swimming to win, or to get a certain time, was the resounding tune of his character this time around, instead of him being this stoic (though he was still stoic for the most part) water-enthusiast who would strip of at the sight of a fish tank or babbling brook. I’ve seen both positive and negative reactions to Haruka simply not knowing what he wanted to do, because thruthfully the answer was so obvious all along. But I think it ended up forcing his character to go on a journey (literally, to Australia!) to find what he wants to do with his life. And that was something I didn’t quite expect when I initially went into this. I really thought we were going to get a season of sparkling manservice, episodic misadventures of Iwatobi, and a slight focus on completive tournaments. Either way would have been perfectly fine for me, but I’m glad I was surprised with Haruka and all the other 3rd years as they went on their own personal journeys of discovery to find out who and what they wanted to be.

Another unexpected focal point was Samezuka. They really became a team – rivals on equal level and interest that balanced well with that of Iwatobi, even if it meant spending nearly entire episodes dedicated to the opposing school. That would probably be my own personal complaint, which comes down to the simple fact that I didn’t enjoy Rin, Sousuke, Aiichirou, and Momotarou as much as I did with our already established main cast of Iwatobi. But, then again, KyoAni were smart in this, giving us more characters to potentially adore and root for, which I think worked for them in the end.

Funnily enough, even though I talk about surprises in plot-direction this season, overall, so much of it was what I expected and hoped for. At the end of it all it was the same fun series that occasionally took itself to seriously; each of our main cast had at least one episode dedicated to them for their fans to enjoy, and there were plenty of laughs throughout. But also tears. And drama. From Sousuke’s injury and the acceptance of his situation, to Makoto not telling Haruka his university plans, to Nagisa and his past studies, as well as the inevitable reality that half the Iwatobi Swim Club had to leave and find their own path in life, leaving their underclassmen behind. Some parts were dealt with better than others, but overall I really do feel KyoAni knew what they were doing and they delivered on that.

Lastly, I’d like to point out how the final scene we are left with is the exact same scene that ends the first trailed released by KyoAni that started it all. Pretty smart if you’d ask me. I recognised it right away, and it certainly gave me flashbacks to the very start of this journey. I can still remember the debates and absolute refusal to believe KyoAni could ever turn that Swimming Anime PV into a TV series. And I can still remember laughing and applauding when it actually happened. If anything, whether people loved or hated it, I think Free! will be noted in anime history for that – for the fact that it came from a studio that people thought would never dare stray from its demographic, and how in doing so it become the dramatic, flamboyant, and utterly infectious anime that it shall be remembered for.

Also, Makoto best boy.

「コレマデ×ト×コレカラ」 (Koremade x and x Korekara)
“Till Now x and x From Now”

In many ways, I think this is probably the toughest post I’ve ever had to write.

The other day, at Sanbunzaka Studio, the place of all the beginnings, we conducted the recording for episode 148 of Hunter x Hunter, which will serve as the turning point for the anime for now. I will not say “final episode” myself. I will be stubborn and only call it “episode 148.” I say this, because in terms of episode numbers, in a certain meaning, this will be the final episode, but I feel that it also feels like the start of a new beginning. If you ask me, episode 147 is the final episode, and 148 is sort of an epilogue. The original manga is still continuing, and the adventures haven’t ended yet. An unknown world still awaits. Actually, it’s like what has happened up until now in the story was nothing more than a prologue, and it gets me even more expectant for what’s to come. Though I say that, when I think that “I’ve been going to the same place every week at the same time for three years, but next week, this won’t happen…,” I get very sad…

I know I shouldn’t talk too much, but I will condense my feelings right here. To everything up until now, and to everyone, I say, “Thank you.”

- Han Megumi

How in the world does one go about starting a post like this? I’ve written so much about Hunter X Hunter over the last three years – without question more than I’ve written about any subject in my life. And without question those posts have been read by more people, both cumulatively and in an average week, than any other posts I’ve written. There can’t be much that’s left unsaid. There can’t be a shred of doubt about my feelings. If I were smart I would just say a heartfelt “thank you” and stop right there. But this series means too much to me to let it go so easily.

The “Memories x and Milestones” posts I’ve written over the last ten days already serve as a series review of sorts, so there isn’t a whole lot of point in covering that ground here. And frankly, this final episode serves as a series review in its own right – eloquently encapsulating everything that was so wonderful about H x H far better than I would have thought possible in 22 minutes. I was a little bit empty after last week’s episode, to be honest – Gon and Killua’s parting was not the emotional catharsis I’d hoped it might be. But this finale gave the series the kind of closure it needed, even subtly casting Gon and Killua’s status in a different light.

This precious experience will motivate me for my future career. HUNTER×HUNTER is my treasure for now and ever.

- Abiru Takihiko

It’s quite interesting that Togashi-sensei wrote this chapter when he did, because it does indeed feel like both an end and a beginning. With a story like Hunter X Hunter that’s how it should be, because there should always be a world of endless possibility waiting for us at edge of the the horizon. And Togashi has left us a truly astonishing number of dangling plot threads, enough to make Han-san’s quote about the first 339 chapters and 148 episodes being a prologue seem very realistic. How much if any of that possibility Togashi will explore is anyone’s guess, as his health is obviously a huge concern. And how much of what he does explore will find its way to anime one day is just as difficult to say, given everything that would have to fall into place for there to be further production on H x H. But there can be no doubt that the mythology of Hunter X Hunter is limited only by Togashi’s imagination, and as we’ve seen, his imagination is virtually limitless.

That said, there’s absolutely no doubt that Togashi intended the events of this episode (Madhouse added a bit here and there, especially for Gon’s journey to the World Tree, but most was manga canon) as a kind of epilogue for the story that ran for the first 147. There is indeed closure here – Gon catches up to Ging and has the talk he’s been dreaming of at last. We touch base with many old faces, tie up some loose ends while leaving many more dangling. And the philosophy behind the story is laid out quite poetically by Ging (he still stinks as a father, but he’s undeniably got a way with words), in a holistic way that it never was before. The feeling at the end of the episode was perfect – the only thing better would have been a message telling us the series was going to continue next week after all.

Thank you for so much happiness! My feelings are more than gratitude. It is the treasure of my life.

- Ise Mariya

Let me just free-associate about the episode itself, because my emotions have my thoughts so scattered that it would be days before I’d be able to do anything else. The background music during Gon’s journey to the tree was a new orchestral mix of “Hyori Ittai”, which I absolutely loved – this series just keeps delivering the mail when it comes to the soundtrack. There was a cameo by Togashi-sensei (at the registration booth to climb the World Tree), and I generally loved this whole sequence because it recalled the heady, buoyant nature of the first couple of episodes – Gon’s enthusiasm and energy spurring him forward like the force of nature it is, the smile never leaving his face. That’s how I want to remember Gon.

I have a lot of resistance to Ging, generally speaking, because on a very basic level the notion that anything could be important enough to walk away from a beautiful son who loves you and leave his upbringing entirely up to someone else is foreign to me. But this is a manga, not real life, and one has to get past that I guess. Ging has a very important role here in addition to being Gon’s goal – he represents the pure Hunter ideal better than anyone else in the cast. To be free (maybe don’t knock a girl up if you want freedom, but never mind). To always be searching for something – to always hunt. To be driven not by greed but by the simple desire to know, to experience, to be – and even to do some service to society along the way. And as Mito said, Gon certainly inherited Ging’s essential nature in this respect.

More than that, though, it was in the quest for Ging that Gon learned the first big lesson that Ging taught him on top of the World Tree (I love those “Piyo!” chicks, especially when they shut up on-command) – what’s important is not the destination, but the journey. While the boy Ging had a worthwhile goal – to set up a nonprofit for stewardship if priceless archaeological relics he’s never otherwise get to see – the best thing about the experience was the friends he made on the way. And for Gon, frankly, the best thing about his quest for Ging was meeting Killua, Kurpaika and Leorio – and all the others whose lives he touched, and who touched his. And I think Ging, for all his faults, would have no problem accepting that.

The entire father-son talk was more emotionally satisfying than I expected, if I’m honest. And it acted as a tantalizing glimpse of the wonders Togashi still has in mind for Hunter X Hunter, should we all be so fortunate as to see them brought to life. This is the reason for Ging’s continued journey – there’s a new world outside the one we’ve seen, one which dwarfs it in every way – and it was this world from whence the Chimera Ants came. There are “at least” four requirements to visit this world – Authorization, Means, Qualification and Contract. And Ging, who’s been called “the best Hunter in the world”, hasn’t achieved a single one of them yet.

In the end, though, that doesn’t matter – because he’s enjoying the journey so much. I could have lived without the “if our paths should cross again” he offered Gon, but the advice which followed it was Ging’s finest moment as a father – “Enjoy the little detours. To the fullest.” So many boys’ lives would be richer and happier if their fathers had communicated this utterly simple bit of wisdom – it’s the essence of the adventurous soul, the heart of what separates a traveler from a tourist. Togashi clearly understands this deep in his soul, and the beauty of this notion permeates Hunter X Hunter through and through. It was present at the beginning of the series, and many travails along the way notwithstanding, it was present at the end. And that’s exactly as it should be.

As the episode concludes, we take a trip ourselves as the full version of “Departure” plays – not into the past, but into the present. Morel and Knov (somewhat recovered, happily) settle their bets as to who would go to fight the Chimera Ants, and drink a toast of vintage champagne to Netero’s memory. Knuckle, Palm, Meleoron and Ikalgo are together happily at the recuperating Shoot’s bedside. The picture which closes the OP sits on Leorio’s bookshelf – that sweet, sentimental guy that he is. He’s still trying to reach Kurapika, who still isn’t answering – but he’s clearly made progress in his goal to recover the eyes of his fellow Kurta. Canary and Amane visit Gotoh’s grave, and he shockingly appears – except it’s really a Kiriko, presumably there to hide the painful truth from Killua. Beneath the palace in East Gorteau, Marshal and Spy rest for eternity, hands clasped. Killua and Alluka greet the new morning, side by side. And Gon takes the wonder of Spinner Clow’s Small-billed Swans at Kaito’s side, eyes bright and smiling, the possibilities as endless as his limitless imagination. Indeed, the only thing missing is Hisoka, who’s such an important part of Gon’s journey that it feels as if we should have seen him one last time.

This sequence was the hardest part of the episode for me to get through, to be honest – indeed I’m finding myself back in that place now, just writing about it. But that’s also as it should be – after everything we’ve been through with Gon and the people he’s met, the ending should be both happy and sad, because neither would do justice to the journey without the presence of the other. This is both an end and a beginning, because the journey always continues as long as we have life and the will to make the most of it.

And there it ends – 148 episodes, three years, countless emotions. I’ve said all there is to say about why I feel Hunter X Hunter will go down as the greatest shounen adaptation of all-time, and one of anime’s greatest series. It’s a perfect storm, a marriage of a truly brilliant writer with an anime staff and cast that was committed from day one to making something truly great. And they’ve succeeded, gloriously so. The words of those who worked on the series are full of the love they feel for it, and the impact it’s had on their lives – and it’s certainly the same in its small way for we who loved it as viewers. When people are truly passionate about their work it shows through in a way that can’t be faked, and that passion made Hunter X Hunter into something that’s special in every way.

I feel so many emotions now when thinking of Hunter X Hunter – sadness, affection, curiosity about the future – but most of all I feel gratitude to those people for pouring so much of themselves into making something truly lasting and important. That work is its own reward, the journey that truly matters – but their legacy is the series that will stand as one of anime’s most remarkable achievements and the joy that it brought to so many viewers all over the world. Surely, there can be no truer definition of art than that.

You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want.

- Ging Freecs

ED11 Sequence

ED11: 「Departure (Full Version)」 by (Masatoshi Ono)

End Card by Abiru Takihiko