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「ひが日死の巫女」 (Higanishi no Miko)
“East Maiden”
It’s the precursor to the finale and a pretty good one at that with a huge cliffhanger involving the fourth phase and the revival of King Samekh. There still wasn’t clear indication as to what drove Sugata to Kiraboshi’s side, but further implication that it’s for Keito’s sake makes it the most plausible explanation.
The light of Lag’s heart… dual-wielding style!
「こころの光」 (Kokoro no Hikari)
“The Light of the Heart”
This finale caught me emotionally off-guard when I least expected it and made the entire two seasons so much better because of it. I have a real soft spot for those who pour all their heart into what they believe in and try their earnest to see it through, so once Noir entrusted his Gymnopedies to Lag and the latter showed to the world that he’s the embodiment of a second artificial sun, I couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed.
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「Ambush! Ravensborne Nucleochede」
Non-stop Pandora/Nova Form action more or less sums up this episode, as Cathy and Milena’s group gets by the third-years’ line of defense and even manages to slip past Elizabeth. The fated rematch between Satellizer and Cathy went off without a hitch, and down a much more one-sided path than even I was anticipating.
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「開戦前」 (Kaisenmae)
“Before War Breaks Out”
Other than the conclusion to the Fuze Kazakiri at the very beginning, this episode felt like a precursor to an all-out war between science and magic. It also came off as the calm before the storm with Touma inadvertently unhooking Himegami’s bra and eating sukiyaki with all this classmates, which was a little odd considering that next week is the finale.
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「10+11 ～Better half～」
As the episode title suggests, this week’s showing is actually a compilation of episodes 10 and 11, whose fully unedited versions will be available on the Blu-ray releases. The finale next week is technically episode 12 and will wrap up this adaptation’s short look at a middle school years for Shuuichi, Yoshino, and their friends.
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「僧院へ」 (Souin e)
“To the Monastery”
The hints about Phryne’s traumatic experience back in episode seven came about this week in a way that I honestly could have done without. It was already unsettling to see Barrot press himself up against Phryne while objectifying her body, so this latest endeavor made him out to be an even bigger sick freak.
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「ゲット・レディ」 (Getto Redi)
“Get Ready”
Like me, a lot of Super Robot Wars fans are still waiting to see some real men “ride one another”, but in the meantime, Infinite Stratos provides its own take on that suggestive idea with Byakushiki mounting on top of Akatsubaki. Mecha fans can rejoice, because the IS variety also starts off with Houki discarding her pride before offering Ichika a good ride up top.
In just seven months, Random Curiosity has been graced by another 10 million visits, so I’d like to once again thank all our readers for continuing to make this site one of your regular stops on the Internet. It simply wouldn’t be what it is today without its readership, which motivates me to continue on to the best of my ability. The five-year history that was about to come to a close has officially become six, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of things under my tenure. Both Kiiragi and Prooof are approaching their first full year as writers as well, so I’d like to thank them for all they’ve contributed. The same goes for Takaii, who’s taken on a fair number of shows in the past six months and handled them very well.
This isn’t the same Random Curiosity that Omni left behind, but I hope the changes made in the past year are seen as positive ones. This includes the ever-so-popular season previews that I’ve tried to improve by making them more comprehensive than in years past. A goal of mine has always been to promote a more open-minded view on anime, so hopefully the fairly objective coverage on a diverse range of shows has achieved that to a certain degree too. For me, one of the most satisfying aspects about blogging anime is helping people discover new shows that they would have never considered and sharing in the discussion of them. After all, it’s about being a fan first and foremost, and our mutual interest in anime.
Since August, the site has seen 600 new posts, 32,000 new comments, 18 million new page views, and of course 10 million new visits. We’re quickly approaching the 5,000 post mark and have already past the 205,000 comment mark. Again, thank you all for helping Random Curiosity grow, not only as an anime blog but as a bit of a community as well. This one’s for you guys!
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After allocating whatever free time I had in the past couple of months, I managed to get the season preview out on the week I was hoping, meaning there should be ample time to vote on the upcoming spring shows. Please keep in mind that most shows will likely be pushed out a week due to the natural disaster that struck Japan, so there’s anywhere from one and a half to two and a half weeks before the season starts. Once again, you can refer to the Spring 2011 Preview for any dates that have changed. The currently announced changes are marked in red and more are likely to come.
I realize it’s going to be difficult to pick 5 shows from the 43 that will be airing, but keep in mind that this poll is only intended to get an idea for what readers are looking forward to. Just vote for the five shows that you’re looking forward to the most, even if you plan to watch many more than that. Hopefully the season preview has given you a better idea as to what each title is about and if there are any that interest you. I’ve already categorized all the shows according to my expectations, so now I turn things over to you to share your thoughts. You never know, some fan sub groups just might be listening.
Note: The same poll will also be available on the sidebar. It is tentatively set to close on April 1st at 7:00 AM GMT, coinciding with the start of the new season. If the season start date gets pushed out, so will the poll.
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「白き魔星へ」 (Shiroki Masei he)
“To the White Devil Star”
After two episodes where the quality took a noticeable dip, episode twenty-four returns on a strong note and comes with a surprisingly late second opening sequence too. A lot of it was recycled footage, but there was a handful of new scenes to go along with JAM Project’s “Shooting Star Lovers”.