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「Over step」
Psychopathic, eyepatch-wearing commanders aside, I’m still wondering how seriously we should take the threat of an empire that has eight ships stolen by a little girl so easily that the thefts didn’t even make it onto the screen…
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「あまりにも簡単な暗号」 (Amarini Mo Kantan na Angō)
“The Code Too Simple”
I ended last week’s post by wondering what the results of the first anime-original episode of UN-GO would be like. We have our answer – absolutely bloody brilliant.
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「ひとこそみえねあきはきにけり」 (Hito koso Miene Aki wa Kinikeri)
“But For Autumn’s Coming”
For a game that seemed so simple when I first learned of it, I’m finding myself continually surprised by how many different ways there are to look at Karuta. It almost acts as a mirror held up to each character, revealing their true nature to the audience – and eventually, one assumes, to themselves.
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「マナーモード」 (Manā Mōdo)
“Vibrate Mode”
I can think of very few fictional characters that exemplify the old adage “double-edged sword” better than Yuno Gasai.
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「Touch and move」
We’re five episodes in, and Last Exile is starting to settle into a comfort zone.
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「幻の像」 (Maboroshi no Zō)
“The Phantom Statue”
UN-GO certainly isn’t the best new series of the Fall season, but it just might be the most interesting.
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「けふここのへににほひぬるかな」 (Kefuko Kono E ni Nihohinuru kana)
“Now Bloom Inside the Ninefold Palace”
If you were worried that Chihayafuru was getting a little too melodramatic after episode 5, this week’s effort should be a welcome change. It’s a return to the innocent, childlike exuberance of the first three episodes – and damned if it didn’t actually get me interested in Karuta a little bit, too.
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「Dubious move」
The fourth episode of Last Exile: Fam tries awfully hard to please. I think it would be well served to try a little less hard as it develops.
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「ボイスメモ」 (Boisu Memo)
“Voice Memo”
It was a big episode for Yukkii. He’s finally come to realize that Yuno is the perfect girl, except for that one nagging flaw – she’s a stalker and her house is full of bodies. I feel you, Little Brother – haven’t we all been there?
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「クロの家出」 (Kuro no Iede)
“Kuro Runs Away From Home”
If you’re tempted to skip over this OVA as a superfluous extra – don’t. It might not be essential to the overall plot, but it’s highly rewarding just the same.