Random Curiosity

「祭りのあと」 (Matsuri no Ato)
“After the Festival”

The new couple find some difficulties with acceptance, but eventually pull through as the series smoothly wraps up into a beautiful close.

「君の名は（ユア・ネーム・イズ）」 (Kimi no Na wa (Yua Neemu Izu))
“Your Name Is”

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Charlotte just as much as the next person after seeing the amazing chemistry she had with Ichika, but deep-down inside I have to root for the girl who’s loved Ichika the longest and suddenly had to deal with a swarm of foreigners flocking around him.

「はい、まだ続きます」 (Hai, Mada Suzukimasu)
“Yes, There’s Still More”

The infamous beach/pool episode — who would have thought that something so simple could be done so skillfully? With the actual story finishing last episode, all I can say is that this final episode left on a really happy note.

Another month, another monthly post. We’re two-thirds the way through the season now and many shows are approaching their conclusions. There’s a fair bit to look back upon, particularly for the two-cour series, as next month will be mostly final impressions.

Some changes compared to last month is the addition of titles we’ve caught up on and the omission of ones we’ve fallen behind on for whatever reason. Below are the changes for each writer.

Note: Once again, please be considerate of others who may be interested in picking up a series after reading about it here by placing discussion of any major spoilers in <spoiler></spoiler> tags. There will be little to no tolerance for anyone intentionally spoiling the enjoyment of others.

「みつごは続くよどこまでも」 (Mitsugo wa Tsuzukuyo Doko Mademo)
“These Three Girls will keep going on and on”

I can’t believe such a great show is done already! Only after eight episodes, seven if you don’t consider the Gachi Rangers special, I have to live without my weekly dose of Hitoha, Futaba, and Mitsuba?! All in all, while I don’t want this show to end, I must admit that this final episode managed to wrap things up nicely — full of the funny gags I love which had me laughing until the final heart melting scene.

「ジェリーフィッシュ・オブ・ドリームス」 (Jerīfisshu obu Dorīmusu)
“Jellyfish of Dreams”

Well what an incredibly anticlimactic solution to last week’s cliffhanger huh? To be honest, I didn’t give it much thought, and sadly, I don’t spend every waking moment wondering what the next episode of Kuragehime will reveal, but I seriously expected the Amamizu-kan to be a plot milestone this time. That said, the episode managed to tie up the series rather nicely, faithful to the manga or not (I wouldn’t know).

「失意の果てに ～久遠～」 (Shitsui no Hate Ni ~ Kudou ~)
“The Limits Of Despair ~ Eternity ~”

In a surprising turn of events, just about nothing is revealed this week. Instead, my mind was pretty blown away after watching Gotou get shot. But besides watching one of my favorite characters go down pretty hard, I thought it was pretty crazy watching Yakumo’s father try to actually take over Yakumo’s body.

「上崎裡沙編 シンジツ」 (Kamizaki Risa-hen – Shinjitsu)
“Kamizaki Risa Chapter – Truth”

I probably should have held off on the poll until this first of two bonus chapters, but I’m almost certain I would’ve felt bad for Rihoko if I did. With just a single episode to her name, Risa would’ve easily surpassed her and probably some of the other girls too. As Junichi’s stalker since elementary school, she’s not nearly as bad nor plain as she makes herself out to be.

「ビッチガールズ」 (Bitchi Gāruzu)
“Bitch Girls”

After taking several deep breaths, I am going to attempt to try and blog this in a fashionable manner, even though I am just floored at what I have seen in the last 10 minutes.

「それ町」 (Sore Machi)
“That Town”

I have seen many different interpretations of what Heaven could actually be like, but I think Sore Machi’s version is the funniest I’ve ever seen.

「神以上、人間未満」 (Kami Ijou, Ningen Miman)
“Higher than a God, Lower than a Man”

There’s no way I can write six posts simultaneously, but it’s kind of scary how Keima’s zealous attitude towards gaming mirrors my blogging one. In fact, this finale served as an “anime reality check” of sorts, as contradictory as that may sound. From an outsider’s perspective, our behaviors may as well be perceived as a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

「さよならの忠」 (Sayonara no Chuu)
“Goodbye Kiss”

It was a little cliché, a tad too overdramatic, and had black and white battle scenes that dragged out for a bit too long, but this climactic finale still left a very good impression on the series as a whole. Surprisingly, the loss of Jubei’s innocent personality wasn’t emphasized in a remorseful way, and instead became the high point of her final battle with a Amakusa Shirou empowered Gisen.

「ハルカナソラヘ」 (Haruka na Sora he)
“To A Distant Sky”

It wouldn’t have been a finale if they didn’t save the best arc for last. In terms of having a flair for the dramatic, this one sure delivered as I found myself feeling sorry for Haru when Sora forced him into a corner about their relationship. It’s like I could see his mental breakdown happening before my very eyes as he was torn between his feelings and his moral principles.