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Summary:
As the invading forces drop an army of Slaves onto the city, Natsuki declares an emergency, releases the safeties to all of the Robes, and tells the Otome to guard their guests. But John Smith points his cannon right at the arena and blows it up. Mashiro wakes up from the blast in the safety of some nearby woods with Aoi, Mikoto, and Arika. They are found and joined by Erstin. Inside the city, Sergay sends Nina to Nagi while the Aswald group appears and heads toward the academy. From her office, Natsuki is worried about Arika and Mashiro, and declares that the Otome need to take up defensive positions. Miss Maria rushes in to tell her that the Aswald group has reached the steps of the academy. Meanwhile, Arika and Mashiro’s group are hiding when they are spotted by a woman who alerts the Schwarz forces to Mashiro’s presence, forcing the group to run.
As Natsuki and Shizuru walk out to meet the Aswald group, Shizuru comments about how their juniors have been bullied by the Aswald and Natsuki notes that the Aswald have somehow become entangled in this mess. After Midori declares that she’ll defeat them, Natsuki and Shizuru materialize their Robes. Midori summons Gakutenou, and the two groups face off. In the sewers under the city, Mikoto senses something and starts to hiss. Sergay appears and fires his gun twice, killing the two cloaked men who were behind Mashiro. Back above ground, John Smith loads a special cartridge into his weapon, which emits a female figure (who looks like Rena) that disrupts Fumi’s mausoleum and destroys the underground structures. The immediate result is that all of the Robes, including Natsuki and Shizuru’s, are disabled. Midori has Natsuki against a wall when Yohko comes to stop her. She explains that the Robes disappeared because the certification system is experiencing interference. To add to the chaos, several Slaves land around them and Midori’s hand GEM breaks. The Aswald group takes their leave, but Yohko calls out Midori and Reito’s names. Before he jumps off, Reito tells her that he’s Rado – a cyborg. On the outskirts of the city, Nina watches as a fleet of Nagi’s ships appear.
At the old airport, Arika is noticing that her Robe and GEM are gone when John Smith rides up to them. Arika tries to attack him, but his hover bike’s gun keeps her away. Her Sapphire of the Azure Sky starts to glow, and on Sergay’s advice, Arika and Mashiro activate her Meister Robe. But John Smith has another card up his sleeve: Erstin. A shocked Arika watches as Erstin opens her hand to reveal a glowing purple crystal. As Erstin summons her Slave, John Smith tells Arika that Erstin’s family has always served Schwarz. Meanwhile, Natsuki and Shizuru are surrounded, so Shizuru acts as a decoy while Natsuki gets away. She meets up with Nao and the two make their way to the old airport.
Arika has no choice but to fight the slave. Each of her hits also hurts Erstin because a Slave and its Lord are connected in the same way that an Otome and a master are. It’s at this time that Nagi, with Nina at his side, finally appears. Nagi reveals himself to be the person behind all of this and wants Mashiro to give herself up. John Smith orders Erstin to attack Arika, and she reluctantly complies while apologizing to Arika. However, it is Sergay who saves Arika from a deadly blow. Though he himself is relatively unhurt, the handkerchief comes flying out of Sergay’s coat. Everyone is in shock, especially Nina, and they become even more so when Sergay announces that Arika is the real princess and true successor to Windbloom. Nagi accuses Sergay of betraying him, and then figures out that Sergay protected Arika because he is serious about her. The revelations are too much for Nina, and as she starts to crack, Nagi’s jewel starts to glow. It brings forth two red GEMs – one for her and one for Nagi. Nina nods in agreement to the contract, and so Nagi activates the Ultimate Black Diamond, summoning Nina’s Meister Robe. In her anger, Nina brings forth her weapons and rushes towards Arika. Erstin cries for them to stop and her Slave gets in the way of Nina’s attack. By destroying the Slave, Nina has caused Erstin’s death. Erstin apologizes to both Arika and Nina, and tells them not to fight. Her final words say that she was happy because they were friends. Arika and Nina are in tears after Erstin disappears into green sparkles. But the two of them are now even angrier at each other. Both jump back and summon giant versions of their weapons, and the ensuing explosion envelopes the area.
This episode is awesome on so many levels. Brand new Robes, tons of twists, and even a death! As people have said, the sh*t is really hitting the fan now.
–Pillars=Columns. Or rather, they translate it as “Colums” lol. I’m not very comfortable with saying the five Columns, so I’ll probably stick to calling them Pillars.
–Natsuki’s Robe! Well we caught a glimpse of Natsuki’s Robe in the new OP last week, but this week shows it in action. We only get to see her use the extendable parts of her Robe to attack Gakutenou before John Smith spoils the fun.
–John Smith’s Weapon It really looks like a projection of Rena that disables the thing underground Fumi’s mausoleum. But what does that mean? Did Schwarz somehow preserve Rena, and that’s what is in the capsule they loaded into the cannon?
–A Fumi sighting!
–Erstin the traitor. I guess it’s not that fair to call her that, since she is a rather reluctant pawn. I hadn’t expected Erstin to be the recipient of the letter (from last week) coming into this episode. But it becomes pretty obvious once the episode starts and Erstin is all fidgety.
–Sergay the invincible. Just how the heck did Sergay manage to survive that slash from a Slave? I thought he’d at least be bleeding, but there appears to be not a scratch on him, save for the rip in his shirt. I guess the big damage was done when Nina saw the handkerchief. Makes me wonder how much further down the line they’re going to keep him alive. Maybe he’ll even survive through end…
–Nina the insane. Nina really loses it after seeing the handkerchief and not hearing Sergay refute that he protected Arika because he’s serious about her. It’s interesting that Nagi’s jewel reacts to Nina’s anger/shock and that’s what brings forth the GEMs. I can’t help but think that Nagi is like Emperor Palpatine during that scene.
–Erstin’s death. I think Erstin dying really sets Arika against Nina. Before, Arika was trying to dissuade Nina from attacking, but after Erstin dies, the gloves come off. Animation quality really goes up as Erstin went up in green sparkles (not that it is bad during the episode).
–No new ED. Perhaps a new ED next week when we get into the new arc? As much as I like the current song, I’d like to see a new ending animation even more.
Next week, the cast goes traipsing in the desert. I look forward to Miyu’s scenes.
SWEET!! NATSUKI IN HER ROBE!!!
and Nina becomes a Meister Otome.
Tough luck that Erstin (or whatever) dies, I thought she would’ve at least made it to the end.
All thats left is to bring Mai back
OMG ….ers-chan was the black-letter girl and she seems to be the looser too
i haven’ watched it yet *kicks her bt client to speed up*
and nina who knows now the truth bout arika’s tutor …just awesome
still feels bad for ers…
Oh damn, looks like lots of revelations and story in this one! Can’t wait for the blog! But I’ll have to, not that I mind, but I’ll probably be in withdrawl till then.
is it an otome in screenie #10…too far to know but she looks like rena O_o
thanks a lot for bloggin’it
There’s a closeup of it that I didn’t cap, but it does somewhat look like Rena. The picture in question is the weapon that John Smith uses to destroy the bottom of Fumi’s mausoleum and disable the Robes.
Time to wait for someone to sub this… but for some reason, I’m hearing Gundam SEED music in the back of my head. I’m not sure if I should be worried or hopeful with the way the pacing’s going.
RAW MUST DOWNLOAD FASTER!!!
Lol Nina’s element looks like a copy of Arika’s.
!!!!!!!!! After seeing all that, I’m speechless! O_O
Anyone know what the title of Nina’s Gem is?
The same as Nagi’s GEM: the Ultimate Black Diamond.
– Natsuki is pretty damn hot.
– That looks like a silhouette of Rena in the cannon.
– Damn… the end of the episode…
Who do you think that is at the end of the preview, Omni? It looks very much like Aoi to me, if it is… then the angst is just waterfalling in.
I expected the s**t to hit the fan soon. Didn’t expect it to hit this high this fast though O_O
::eagrly awaiting RAW and better review::
I’m thinking that it’s Aoi too based on the hair and eye color.
Im like in a frozen state holy that IS what i call AN episode .. now that’s how sunrise Should Produce.. lol
Damn.. Im Shockinly Surprise Erstin is the black LEtter gIRL.. now thats some F$#*%^ UP ShiYt.. Nina.. has dispointed me.. but gosh Natuki look SUperbHawt, and yea that otome in screen 10 looks like Rena and now im pretty sure Sergay.. has feelings fro Arika.. nINA.. went Bazonkers bECAUSE OF the handkerchief .. This is Going to be intersting from now on !
OMG OMG OMG….. this episode is a killer… !! sick sick stuff
lol forgot to mention.. erstin suffered a whole lot in the previous episodes with accidents and stuff.. and now she is dead!! .. i guess that makes us guess who the masked blonde girl is standing next to shizuru… well soon find out !!
Sweet Mikoto T. Cat!!!! They’re killing off Erstein?!?!?!? The glue that keeps Arika and Nina together?!!? I don’t know whether to say it’s great story telling to propel the story into a more darker area of revenge/retribution. or if it’s just plain sad that they killed off such an important character that serves to calm down the other characters.
SHIT SHIT SHIT! Why am I in school now!? I wanna download the RAW and…and…..AHHHH!
Anyway, how come I have a feeling that they’re rushing the whole anime? Not that I don’t like it but….its a lil too fast for them announce that Arika’s the real princess right? Furthermore, its not like Arika’s 100% the real princess though….
damn raw finish downloading but im in the OFFICE now!!!fack!!
HOLY DORITOS!! now this is some crazy episode…and to think they pushed all this good stuff into this 1 episode…i hope the up comming ones will be even more jam packed with excitement!
side note: o my…to Arika and Nina..ur friend just died….4 words for u… WWJD!!
Ow. I think this will be a crisis for all otome. Hop shizuru won’t die..
Erstin was the most popular from the official poll and now they removed her from the show. Darn.
And what a shocking episode, suspense and revelation. Natsuki, Arika and Nina all in their meister form.
I knew Schwarz had to have a Sleeper among the students and thought at first it could be Erstin. But, the shadow in last weeks episode looked more like Irina. This made sense, since her father is involved in technology.
The weapon that disabled Fumi’s sanctuary did not really resemble Rena to me and there really is no reason why it should have. However, the woman at the end of the preview does.
Sergay the invincible. Just how the heck did Sergay manage to survive that slash from a Slave? I thought he’d at least be bleeding, but there appears to be not a scratch on him, save for the rip in his shirt. I guess the big damage was done when Nina saw the handkerchief. Makes me wonder how much further down the line they’re going to keep him alive. Maybe he’ll even survive through end…
Maybe that has to do with his nickname “north hound” from last few episode?? 🙂
Someone who knows more Japanese, when Nagi was bragging, around 18:50, did his ‘hime no kokoro’ mean ‘princess’ or did he mean ‘HiME’ ?
I agree, that woman in the weapon didn’t look like Rena at all. But you know who it did look like? Mashiro. Remember Mashiro’s human doll from Mai HiME? The hair looks just like Mashiro’s in the close-up.
Damn finaly the ultimate battle begins????
Not even single person that know till now that Erstin was the black letter girl
You can say this is a combinations story between
Gundam Seed + Bleach + My Hime = Mai Otome?
This is getting my vote for anime of the year. Even though I know it’s way too early. 😛
Got to watch the ep now. All i can say is.. wow.. Hope the pacing the remaining 9 episodes continues to be good. 😀
Did anyone else hearing Athrun screaming “Nicol!” after that last attack Nina made on Erstin? 😀 I really need to find this subbed.
Someone who knows more Japanese, when Nagi was bragging, around 18:50, did his ‘hime no kokoro’ mean ‘princess’ or did he mean ‘HiME’ ?
I didn’t hear hime no kokoro anywhere, but Nagi does say:
「面白いや…漆黒の金剛石が答えたよ…君の心に…」
“omoshiroi ya…shikkoku no kongouseki ga kotaeta yo…kimi no kokoro ni”
Roughly translated that’s: “Interesting, the Ultimate Black Diamond responded to your heart.”
Erstin is dead, Nina’s an enemy and all hell braeks loose…
This episode now pits Arika against Nina for revenge and anger… something like in Gundam seed… Kira goes against Zala for revenge…
An almost overthrown princess, a lost princess who lost a friend and is out for revenge, a girl who is driven mad with dark revelations, a man stuck between his protegee and foster daughter and an evil kid who just don’t know how to quit it!
Who’s side are you on?
Daaaammmm… I just finish watching the raw… that’s like 5 episodes worth packed into one and then some…. I ‘ve been geusing Ers-chan for a while now…. Good God the explosion at the end , how can the others survive that… Poor Mashiro…. in the preview from the next epi, she’s all alone and falls in the desert… She’s lost everything…. And Shizuru gave it up when the Swartz had our favorite villainesse hostage…when does she turn to the dark side? Maybe she don’t at all…. hmmm….. And how the heck does Mai fit into all this….
Actually, it’s more like that Athrun went after KIRA for revenge, because Kira killed Nicol who interceded in the battle between him and Athrun… just as Erstin here got between Arika and Nina, and then got chopped for her troubles the way Nicol did back in SEED. And then Arika/Athrun goes crazy with grief and goes after the killer (Kira/Nina)….
At least you know Arika won’t be self-destructing anything to stop Nina. 😀 First, the OP looks like a Gundam SEED OP, and now they pull something which reminds me of a major Gundam SEED Plot Point….
There’s something about Sergey the pedophile. He survives the attack from a slave, and if the scar on his head is from nina shooting him, he’s got one heck of a skull.
koniciwa minasaaan i just wanna say MAI OTOME IS F***N’ ROCKKSSSS!!!!!!
OMGOMG :OOOO ERSTIN IS EVIL? Ok, that was SO uncalled for o_O DDD: More drama, more angst = SQUEE! Can’t wait for the next ep!
then again,,, from flash back last episode… Sergay seems to survive a gunshot (maybe) would to forehead and survive. Definitely Sergay the invincible. hehehehe
Thanks, Omni! That makes much more sense than what I heard. And somehow manages to make Nagi sound even slimier. Uh, wow Nagi. You were already pretty creepy.
Now we know why Erstin wasn’t in the new OP. Watch out Irina and all the other Coral Otomes, you’re next…
Having a little memorial for Ers now by viewing some scenes in previous episodes.
Screenie #1 reminds me of that episode of Evangelion when they had to reprogram the Magi because an angel was trying to hack into it. Quick search on images.google: http://homepage.mac.com/jubei1/evangelion/nerv/caspar.%20jpg
OMG RIP ERSTIN ;_;
*prays hard that she get returns like what happened to Akane and the group in Mai-Hime*
With Erstin gone, I really wonder what would bring Arika and Nina back together again (if that even happens)? Also, I really wonder how Mai is going to be integrated into all this? Is she perhaps the voice of reason for all? And who are those other two Pillars?
Each week questions get answered, but more pop up, leaving you dying for more. I love these writers!! 🙂
well,well, got me awe here to know that cool&calm Nina can turn to be evil like this too. It’s seems like the end of the world for her after knowing who is ‘Oji-sama’. Anyway Thanks a lot Omni. Your review is as cool as ever!
I think some of you are making the same mistake as you did while you were watching Gundam Seed Destiny. You should not analyze character behavior from an onmniscient audience point of view, as you know what’s really going on and said character does not.
OF COURSE NINA WOULD TRY TO KILL ARIKA. Hell, if I were her, I’d probably burn her corpse and pee on her ashes after I’m done… then I’d cry all week long.
Robe comparison
WHEWWHEEEET! (in order of preference)
RENA – My angel… transcended through time.
Crow-masked Otome, one of the five pillars(check OP) – nicely curved with a hint of class.
Arika – Little girls in hot pants are just to good to pass up.
and the Pearl Otome’s battlegear
FASHION DISASTERS
(Like last season’s GUESS bags)
Shizuru – I love her, but tight full length pants plus PURPLE?!! plus her 5 foot 8 inch frame just makes her look like a royal tranny.
Nina – erm… anyone say Robin Hood?
The rest are okay… I mean, Natsuki’s could have been less-covered, given her “moderu”-like proportions…
Saw the episode without reading your summary, thank god for self control.
This episode really reminded me of the fact that Seed, GSD, and Otome all have the same scriptwriter. Well, at least the director isn’t the scriptwriter’s husband…
🙁 It doesn’t submit the whole comment…
Erstin ;_; Well, now I hate NinaX( God punishes her with a ugly Robe. Yey.
The first ‘death’ was kinda late in this series if you think about the first ‘death’ in Mai-HiME (Kazuya in uhm…episode 12 or so?). Well ok, there were some ‘deaths’ earlier, but not one of the main characters.
And when does Mai appear?! And Yuuichi?!! And does Akira-tan come back to fight along with the Otome? *phew, she’s not an Otome, so Takumi can’t ‘die’ this time*
And Nina, it’s not like Sergay’s yours. So don’t say mean things to Arika. (but ok, ArikaxSergay!? Eww)
LOL god punishes her with an ugly robe..!! i love that! … and kazuya dies in episode 8.. i shud know.. i freakin yelled at my laptop lol! sad…… as for mai .. i think its gonna be in an epis or 2 im just guessing cuz they are really getting along with the story fast… i can imagine mai in the air materialized with her loud voice yelling SHUV MY FOOT UP YUR ARSENALS… typical mai….:S but i still wanna know who is the girl in the mask ,
Wow! Great ep!!! I knew something felt funny about Erstin in that scene where she’s talking to Arika in episode 14, but I didn’t quite expect this. I was thinking she would die, but not in this way. Btw, did u guys see the final shot of the episode? It looks like Windbloom is going to be pretty destroyed after the Arika/Nina fight. Anyways, I bet the next to go will be Aoi and a bunch of corals, but who knows? Afterall, she’s not in the opening…
man I really need to know where to find those sites where you guys get them from!!
looks like a nice anime 🙂
Pretty high tension stuff, quite shocking really. It’s a shame that Ers-chan is gone now, she was the most popular of the new characters in some poll not that long ago wasn’t she. She might be back if they pull a Mai-Hime ending and all the dead people are revived.. that would be so.. so.. well you get the point, heh.
JT – Ya, I yelled at my pc too when Kazuya died, but I wasn’t as shocked as Takumi’s death, so I didn’t remember which episode he died in :p
I like Mai in the OP btw XD Flying through her element and killing all those slaves :p ‘Afuredashiteku ENERGY~’ Ya, I’m trying to get the OP in my head.
;_; everytime I see Ers-chan and those flashbacks, tears drop down my cheek…sniff. Damn Nina.
Just can’t understand why Nina is so obsessed with the father figure. If she had expressed her affection directly, then it is different. She has not done so and the sponsoring is her father’s choice and not Arika’s.
Now I just want to know how the 5 columns will materialise their robes now.
I watched ep17 from a fake sub… so most of it I had to guess. I wish I can learn Japanese like they download stuff in the Matrix.
They killed off Erstin~! NOOOO~! She was too cute to die~! Why must Sunrise keep torturing me like this?! *sigh* Oh well at least there were some good action scenes…
I’m sure like many the ending of this episode reminds many of when Takumi died in HiME and Mai and Mikoto started fighting. When Takumi died, I cried. When Mikoto and Mai fought, I cried. But I felt nothing when Ers-chan died or when Nina and Akria started fighting.
I was wondering if this Otome was gonna have a dark side to it and the past few episodes seem to suggest it will.
Okay…where should I start with this ep? Hmm…well first of all, I was wrong about how Tomoe is the one that received the letter…that being said, It’s pretty obvious that since Ers-chan is gone, she will be her replacement. Now, here is my biggest problem with the ep. Too many stuff are revealed way too quickly. Some of it is even rushed. For example, the transformation of Nina could have been delayed til the next ep or so. Why is Sergay still alive after that slice by the slave? How is it that there is no scar or blood on him? Another thing that worries me about this series is the ending. Mai-Hime gave a somewhat good reason of why everyone came back to life in the end. However, there is absolutely no credible evidence or theory that will bring Ers-chan back to life or anyone who would die in the future (Unless Mai comes up with some BS magical theory or power). I just don’t want to see a repeat ending like Hime…..there is no need for 2 same endings. I mean come on, Otome is already different from Hime (despite the characters), how about keeping the ending different as well?
Nice stuff, show is really coming together.
I’m just wondering if anyone has heard a solid episode number for this series. I can’t see this being wrapped up properly in eight episodes or so. With the animation not as crisp as Mai-HiME, I wonder if they are shooting for 36 or more episodes?
But I definitely think that Bandai/Sunrise has hit on the perfect new concept with these two series. Which got me thinking… Ecole du Ciel Gundam = Mai Gundam? O.o
I also agree with Taishi that mai otome need deferent ending and Ers should revive back if they want Arika and Nina together back so they could not destroy the whole world but if Ers die like that its the same as the world have destroy like Saikano. ^^
I think Sergey just got luck for not get any hurt by the slave at episod 10 He was hurt his arm so he is not invincible ^^
All I’m gonna say is that any importance to a key character dying in this show is gonna be greatly diminished by the fact that in Mai Hime, NOBODY DIES.
Unless, of course, they say something in the next ep that implies that folks can’t come back to life as they did back in Hime times/ on the “blue star”. (as my assumption is that this show takes place on the HiME star.)
One thing that has always bothered me since Arika activated her Meister Robe… its color just is not matching the color of its element, and honestly I thought this was a huge oversight by the writers. All the other Meister Robes seemed to mach the colors of their elements so why is Arikas so off? … her mothers robe was properly colored blue. Then Smith goes and says “I see you haven’t released its full power yet” ??? Smith says this just with one glance at Arika, so he knows just by her appearance that its not the true robes power level yet. I figure Arika is just at what can be called a beginners lvl to her Mesiter Robe and will eventually be able to materialize the blue one later on. If this is true it seems Nina may be under the same conditions because her robe definitely does not mach the “Ultimate Black Diamond” elemental name.
As for the Nina and Sergay thing since shes no were near related by blood I think she has fantasies of falling in love with him and so on and on… Arika kind of shatered her dream. I kind of figured that was almost prety obvious… the fact that shes to much of a coward to say anything to him about it is because of the fear of rejection and the impact that would have on her current father – daughter relationship.
Both Arika’s and Nina’s robes are unstatifactory to me, actually I don’t like their character either. I liked Natsuki’s robe though… however didn’t look so ICE elemental like. Since I am more favourable of sub characters I was saddened with Erstin’s death T_T but! I was not shocked, since I did watch Mai HiME and expected deaths. BTW I may have missed or forgotten stuff from the story since I did wait about 5 or 6 eps before catching up, but does Fumi have any back story in Mai Otome? or has nothing about her been mentioned… I really don’t remember. Man… Rena is so much cooler than Arika, loved her flying around in the intro ^^
Nina putting her smaller daggers together and transform one big ass weapon somehow reminded me of Darth Maul. Yes…. Nina… give in to your anger…. let the hatred flow.. yes yes… give in to the darkside.
OMG OMG there a Mai HIme MOVIE COMING OUT!!!! =D
I think Neko’s post the part about sergay and nina not being related might be wrong, because you ever notice that Nina and Sergay both seem to have the same eye color. Plus the fact that he seemed like he might’ve been involved with Rena and Nina has the same shade of hair color as rena, compared to arika. The queen if that’s who i saw in the flashbacks from other episodes looked like she had brown/orange hair similar to arika’s. Plus Nina in one of the episodes seems to remember rena, so it’s quite possible that she’s rena X sergay’s child. I’ve also noticed that she has similar spikey hair like sergay does, if she is indeed sergay’s real daughter then she’ll have to give up on crushing on him or turn into chibiusa from sailormoon eyeballing her daddy. >_
Sergay x Rena ??? If I’m not mistaken Sergay was a little kid way back then… we see in the flashbacks that hes prety young when he sees Rena holding that baby in the castle. Unless Rena is some pedofile I don’t think thats posible.
Hey who knows, i mean they have arika and sergay falling for each other.. or maybe one of sergay’s relative’s and rena. It’s just to me nina resembles rena and sergay in some ways.
Allright, I watched this episode now (multiple times) and can now understand, what you meant; THIS… IS… AWESOME!
I mean, there are so many things happening in this ep, I was not able to get it all by first watching. The robes, the revealings, ers-chan, …
And I’m getting a little bit familiar with the new OP, but to me it’s still not as good as 「Shining Days」 was.
Anyway, it seems to become interesting now. (What? Still 9 episodes left? Phew …)