Ao no Exorcist – 15
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「やさしい事」 (Yasashii Koto)
“Act of Kindness”
Last week wasn’t just another school adventure of the week, as it turns out – it was actually setting up the chain of events that would seismically shift the ground underneath Ao no Exorcist for good. And can anyone be surprised that it was Mephistopheles that was behind it?
Dantalian no Shoka – 02
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「胎児の書」 (Taiji no Sho)
“Book of the Fetus”
Huey and Dalian appear to be both smart and knowledgeable, and despite a few stereotypical nods towards the tsundere from Dalian they’re refreshingly free of the “male and female lead” baggage we see in most anime. She’s a demon, and he’s a rather callous and hard man who’s seen far too much death, apparently. I guess a world war and family tragedy can turn anyone from Kana Hanazawa into a cold-hearted badass.
NO.6 – 03
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「生と死と」 (Sei to Shi to)
“Life and Death”
NO.6 feels very much like an anime that was produced at the time the first novel of this series was written – 1999. And I’ll give credit to BONES for being true to that.
Steins;Gate – 16
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「犠牲壊死」 (Gisei Eshi Nekurōshisu)
“Sacrificial Necrosis”
The theorizing and postulating and guessing and spoiling is going to be gangbusters after this episode – it’ll happen in blog comments and forums and everywhere Steins:Gate is sold. I’m not going to ignore it by any means, but the main point I want to get across here is this – that was an absolutely fantastic and emotionally powerful episode.
Natsume Yuujin-chou San – 03
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「偽りの友人」 (Itsuwari no Yūjin)
“False Friend”
This is what Natsume Yuujinchou is. It’s snapshots from the life of lonely, often doomed humans and youkai passing through this life, and the impact their brief moments of interaction – and those with Natsume himself – have on them. There’s comfort in these small moments of connection, but it rarely lasts. Ultimately, even youkai leave this world as they come into it – alone.
Ao no Exorcist – 14
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「愉しいキャンプ」 (Tanoshii Kyanpu)
“Fun Camp”
It’s summer, and since we’ve already had a beach episode what could be more natural than a training camp episode?
Dantalian no Shoka – 01
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「仕掛け絵本」 (Shikake Ehon)
“Pop-Up Picture Book”
Whenever a new GAINAX series hits the airwaves, that’s still an event for me – though not as much as it used to be. And I suspect the number of us who feel that way is no longer as large as it was. Whatever it means now, this is still the studio that gave us Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen-Toppa Gurren-Lagann, and even if I’m chasing ghosts, I still get a little thrill of excitement at the prospect of something new from them.
NO.6 – 02
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「光まとう街」 (Hikari matō machi)
“City Adorned in Light”
Before heading off to university, Safu offers Shion what may the most refreshingly direct confession I’ve seen in a mainstream anime – “I want your sperm. Let’s have sex right now”.
Steins;Gate – 15
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「亡環上のネクローシス」 (Boukanjō no Nekurōshisu)
“Missing Link Necrosis”
Thank goodness, the humor is back in Steins;Gate, even if it’s been suitably scaled back to reflect the gravity of the situation. But I definitely know the way I’m going to introduce myself the next time I’m in Akihabara:
“Hello, I am mad scientist. So cool. Sonuvabitch!”