Toward the Terra continues to push forward one of the most complex plots of the season, and it does such a good job at it. I especially love the current Nazca-arc, and I can only imagine what the second half of the anime has in store for us. For this episode, there is another time-leap: three years. I advice you to pay attention from the beginning, since only two episodes in the episode another person dies, and quite sudden as well.
It’s Yui, the father of the first child born on Nazca. Sam, meanwhile, turns out to be alive, but heavily brainwashed, up to the point of insanity. Mother’s influence turned out to be too much in the end. Swena also saw him again for the first time in years, and it seems that Shiroe is still on his mind. I also loved how much Swena has changed since she was in love with him.
Later, when he arrives on a space-ship, he meets a Myu that didn’t get picked up by Blue. He’s already able to read people’s thoughts, and Keith was really scary when he found out. In the end, though, Keith takes the Myu with him, since his ability is useful, after all.
Back at Nazca, the conflict between the old and the new Myu finally escalates in a fight. The younger ones have nothing to do with Terra, they haven’t been oppressed like the older ones, who want to return to the planet of their dreams.
Overall, this was typically an episode to progress the plot. Along with Seirei no Moribito and Saiunkoku Monogatari, this is the series where I look forward to episode 13 the most, as most story-focused anime try to have a big spectacle at the end of a season, and the story in these anime already is awesome.]]>
Author: psgels
Dennou Coil – 07
First, before I start with the entry, another summary of the new information revealed in this episode. I can’t believe that we’re already at episode seven and there’s still new information coming in. Either that, or I missed a lot of information in the previous episodes.
– Illegals can be found in old buildings.
– The current episode introduces Kirabugs, or stronger versions of metabugs. They seem to emit a bright light.
– Isako is a very good drawer.
– Illegals seem to live longer when they’re in ordinary pets, instead of old buildings.
– Kirabugs seem to be rather mythical. A legendary hacker is supposed to have obtained one once, though it broke and died afterwards. This suggests that the kirabug was a living thing, according to the legend, at least.
– After the kirabug died, it turned into what we now know as Metabugs.
This episode mainly focused on the relationship between Yasako and Isako. The two of them are in the same building, Yasako searches for a lost pet, while Isako tracked another Illegal. In the process, Yasako accidentally set off a trap that Isako set, and gets locked inside a sound-proof chamber, along with Isako who fails to stop her. In this episode, it again appears that Isako loves to feel superior. The chair she sits in just screams that she has total control. In the middle of the episode, she scares Yasako by telling her a fake story about the illegals (which would have been awesome if true, by the way), and she really feels uncomfortable when she’s on her knees to try and fix her error.
I’m also beginning to warm up to Kyoko more and more. Why? Because she really gets portrayed as a little girl. Unlike other anime, the creators do not make any attempt to make her character better to swallow, and the sister-relationship between her and Yasako feels extremely realistic and life-like.]]>
Seirei no Moribito – 12
You know, my prediction might actually come true. It’s quite possible that this has been the last of the quiet episodes for a while. Either that, or the next episode is spent on the transition from the first half of the series to the second half. The reason I believe this is because of two very subtle hints that were given near the end of the episode.
Basically, this episode was about a local festival. It mainly focuses on Chaggumu’s relationship with his new friends, though the more important issue is that lots of people are attracted to this festival, and there’s no way of knowing whether some of these people have something to do with Chaggumu. Barsa, of course, forbids Chaggumu to go there, but in the end, Chaggumu remains a kid, and not to mention that he placed a bet with one of the local village kids. This kid insulted both Chaggumu and Mikado, and Chaggumu challenged him to a fight during the festival to make him apologize. If he were to lose, he and his friend would have to eat slugs.
The thing is, that for the first time in the entire anime, Barsa makes a mistake. There’s actually nothing suspicious about a bunch of kids fighting, but when Chaggumu actually wins (by use of his brains, rather than muscles), the guy refuses to apologize and uses his father, who happens to be the strongest fighter in the village to get out of things. Barsa then decides to teach this guy a lesson, and if you pay close attention to the audience after the fight (she obviously wins), e see one ronin-like person who gets surprised at the huge skills of this woman, who just beat the strongest guy in the village with ease. Something tells me that he heard about the woman with incredible skills who protected Chaggumu before he died, and I suspect he’ll go and investigate.
The second hint backed this up even more. Notice the frog and the snake at the end of the episode? Well, if that isn’t symbolic foreshadowing then I don’t know anymore. I’m looking forward to the next episode to see if my theory on this is correct.
Also, it’s great to see some actual fighting-scenes again. While they weren’t as spectacular as episode three, they were full of detail. Chaggumu may not have the largest amount of strength, he fully utilized the strength of his opponent. I also love Chaggumu’s determination. He’s not scared at all to take risks to achieve his goals, and this episode did a god job in fleshing out his character.]]>
Ayatsuri Sakon – 23
Okay, it didn’t turn out as good as episode seven, but it sure as hell was enjoyable! I’m glad to see that the past few arcs have been way less predictable, as I never really confirmed the culprit until he was revealed. I also loved his backstory and character-development. I liked how he didn’t really turned out to be evil, he just wanted to have revenge for the things that people did to him. His miserable state of two episodes ago was an act all along.
I loved both Numata and Tsukiko, and how the ending wasn’t a 100% happy one. Numata will be serving in Jail, and Tsukiko has forgotten the things that he did, in exchange for her previous memories. It’ll only remain a question whether she can forgive what he did, and whether she’ll still want to be with him after the years he served in prison.
I think the only really evil person here is the major. He’s nothing but a greedy bastard who framed his son into killing Tsukiko, and he probably made him do even more. Even Kobayashi acted because he didn’t want to disappoint his father, which probably was because of the way he was raised.
Overall, it’s either me, or the arcs are getting better and better. There’s only one arc left, and let’s hope that the creators saved the best for last. I’m intrigued as to what they were planning to do to resolve the series. Sakon will obviously be in the spotlight more than he’s ever been, and I do wonder what part of him the creators will use for this.]]>
Ooedo Rocket – 12
I have reason to believe the creators were on crack for this episode.
Seriously, though, it’d be the only explanation for such a weird yet utterly brilliant episode.
This episode also convinced me. Most anime feature battles, but for great battles, something needs to be added. The two anime with the best battles that aired in the spring-season are:
Seirei no Moribito
Ooedo Rocket
Seirei no Moribito belongs in this list because of the incredible amount of detail that’s been thrown into them. Ooedo Rocket got in because of the sheer creativity of some of the attacks. This was already showed a few episodes back, where the group of hunters unleashed their skills on the unfortunate alien, but the fight in this episode, between Ginjiro and Akai just made me cry from laughter due to its awesomeness, even though the scene was just too wrong. xD
Anyway, the rest of the episode focused on another side-character: Junpei. It’s a bit different from your usual Ooedo Rocket-episode, though, as the amount of puns, references to modern times, parodies and symbols has been increased tenfold. I’m not going to list all of them, but there are parodies on dating-sims, RPGs, Maid Cafes, porn, manga, tv-bloopers and many more. Basically, it features Anui helping Junpei to find his “Najenaje”, or the reason for his worries. Through the course of the episode, they visit various characters who can’t help them. In the end, though, Junpei realizes that his “najenaje” is “nazenaze”, as he likes to ask questions.
Near the end of the episode, we also see another romance starting. It starts when Junpei starts telling a story about when he was young, about how he used to play with a puppy who talked at one point. If you watch the episode, you just can’t deny that this dog was Anui, since this isn’t the first time this anime went and changed people from animals and vice versa. I’ve also got reason to believe that she was born as a dog, since her human form has so many similarities to that of a dog, instead of the opposite.
Seriously, I’m rooting for Shinsen-subs to continue subbing this series. Ooedo rocket DESERVES to be watched, and it’s definitely the funniest series that arrived in the spring-season. It’s such a huge shame that comedies like Hayate the Combat Butler, Seto no Hanayome and Nagasarete Airantou get so much attention while this gem passes by completely unnoticed!]]>
Claymore – 12
This episode, we get a proper introduction of Ophelia, the rumoured heartless number four, with an unhealthy obsession on everything awakened. Claire gets sent on another Awakened Being-hunt, though this time, the only other one recruited was Ophelia. This obviously screams that the organizations is trying to get rid of her, because something tells me they know fully well that Ophelia tends to break rules once in a while.
Basically, through the course of the episode, she tries to kill both Claire, Raki and the Awakened Being. The last one dies, while Claire and Raki escape. Raki, meanwhile, seems to have gotten more and more attached to Claire, and in this episode, we see him claiming that he’d die for her. In the end, though, they part wais after Claire scolds him.
The thing is, though, that Ophelia is in dire need of some development. Her introduction was nice and all, but I don’t really like her character yet. She’s just a fighting-machine, no more, though I do admit that some of her antics were rather disturbing. The next episode had better show something about her background. I also dislike the way Awakened Beings were portrayed. If a number 4 can take care of one so easily, why would the organization waste time sending groups of four weaker Claymores when Number One can probably take care of them with her eyes closed? It’s also interesting how that Awakened Being just stood still for minutes, allowing Ophelia to continue with her endless monologues.]]>
Death Note – 36
GOD DAMMIT!!
That’s got to be the worst cliff-hanger EVER! How can the creators expect me to wait for an ENTIRE WEEK FOR THE NEXT EPISODE?!?!
Agh, this is going to be a short entry, because I refuse to spoil what happens, but let me tell you this: THIS QUITE POSSIBLY WAS THE BEST EPISODE OF DEATH NOTE YET! It’s been a long time since an episode had so much tension as this one. If you excuse me now, I need to relieve my frustration on some unfortunate object.]]>
Bokura no – 11
Bokura no continues to impress me like no other series this season. Even though the past few episodes haven’t really introduced new elements, and they’ve just been focusing on the children whose backgrounds could be told in just one episode, I still love this series. Heck, it’s exactly what I want, seeing different people react to the same fate, when they have to say goodbye to their daily lives.
It’s interesting, the first few episodes killed off the weakest characters (especially Masaru and Isao), and the past few episodes have been eliminating the stronger ones, the ones who put other’s lives above themselves (especially Daichi and Moji, who we get to see in this episode). While this episode wasn’t as excellent as Daichi’s, it still was a really good one. In this episode, we get to see why he’s been so calm, when compared to the others. Just like Daichi, he had to be strong for someone else. In this case: a childhood friend with heart problems. For a change, this friend is male, instead of the sick female that other anime often stereotype.
What makes this case so interesting is that Moji wants to have his heart put in his friend (Nagi was his name, by the way), so that he could get better. Through especially the first half of the episode, we see Nagi get more depressed by the minute, thinking that he’ll be dying while Moji and his other friend, will live, while Moji in fact knows that it’s going to be the opposite.
I’m fearing for Kanji in the next episode, as he seems to be the strongest of the current cast, with his laid-back attitude. (If you didn’t guess already, I tend to always skip the next episode-previews due to possible spoilers.) Of course, it’ll be also interesting to see one of the two adults in the pilot’s seat.
Regarding the other children, it seems that the girls have developed a strong bond through the episodes. Jun also causes some trouble again with his whining.]]>
Wellber no Monogatari ~ Sisters of Wellber – 12
And there’s only one episode left! The semi-final episode has two purposes: to give some last-minute fleshing out for the final two important characters who have yet to receive sufficient development: the princes of Wellber and Sangatras, and to put the chess-pieces in the right position for the finale.
Especially the bits of new information on Guernia were really appreciated, as up till now, we haven’t really seen what’s in his mind. This episode, however, revealed the reason why he was interested in Rita in the first place. After all, Rita won’t become queen once her father dies, so it wouldn’t make any sense for Guernia to marry her with the eye on world conquest. The reason he went after her was because she resembles his mother.
This perfectly explains why he tried to kill her, back in episode one if you take his twisted mind in account. He killed his own mother, and I can imagine how he’s planning to do the same thing for Rita. During this episode, he didn’t make any suspicious move on her yet, but I suspect that he first wants to make her his, before making his move.
Rita’s brother (forgot his name, sorry) also turned out to be quite interesting for the plot. It seems that he finally got fed up with how his father never does anything to counter Sangatras’s attack, and when a group of rebels, fighting against the war delivers him some blueprints for the battleship that will be forming the core of Sangatras’s army, he decides to ignore his father and sabotage it. The plan works quite well to stop the war, though it’s less unfortunate for Rita, who had been captured by Guernia earlier, as it seemed to have sped up Guernia’s moves on her.
Overall, Wellber no Monogatari turned into a fine anime. It’s not anything ground-breaking, but it sure does know how to tell a story. The only two screw-ups this anime made was the weird horse-movement and the fact that Rita just walks around a bit too much in the open for someone who’s being hunted (especially considering the talking tank that accompanies her, which indeed was quite rare). Still, those are just minor issues. It’s got some interesting characters with quite a bit of development for a 13-episode series. It wasn’t rushed, and no actions really feel that forced when compared to other 13-episode series of its kind. Overall, it’s a real recommendation if you want something light to watch. If the subs ever finish, that is.
Still, it’s now time again to ask the question: will this anime be able to end well? So far, it has compelling characters, but you really need to do something extra in order to prevent your ending from screwing up. I don’t want to, but I fear that the ending will be just a standard one with nothing added. Guernia is going to die, probably by the hands of Galahad. The only thing that can probably save it is the mysterious killer of Tina’s parents. We still have no clue who the heck he might be, which means that the creators saved this guy for last. Let’s hope that the phrase “saving the best for last” applies for this. Oh, and Rita’s brother seems to be hiding a secret from Rita as well. That can prove to add something too.]]>
El Cazador de la Bruja – 12
Quite an interesting episode this was. The people who were expecting action-packed episodes from El Cazador will probably rejoice, as it’s basically one huge gunfight, though the plot also features some nice progression (in El Cazador-terms, of course).
Usually, Nadie and Ellis would run into a random bystander and they’d end up helping him or her somehow. This time, it’s the opposite when the guy ends up helping Nadie and Ellis escape. Remember the blue guys from the previous episode? Well, let’s just say that they aren’t as passive as Ricardo and LA, as they waste no time launching an all-out attack on the couple. Nadie then runs into an armoured car, and she gets the driver to help them escape. He’s a bit of a lazy guy this time. He likes weapons and computers, but he’s basically your average armed nerd.
With this episode, I also realized that Ellis is being guided by the rock she carries. It’s also interesting to see how she reacts to the people that are after her life, she doesn’t seem to worry at all. I also liked the use of phones in this episode, when Nadie kept looking for ways to contact Blue-Eyes (did she really forget to bring something as important as a mobile phone with her? ^^;).
Also, remember the mysterious woman that appeared alongside Blue-Eyes during the OP? Well, her identity is revealed: it’s Blue-Eyes herself, with her hair down and a different outfit. LA, meanwhile, “obtained” a new hat and managed to catch up to Nadie and Ellis again, while Ricardo gets left behind, due to Lilio getting sick, which forces him to take care of her. I wonder what Rozenberg will do when he finds out about the blue guys, because I do believe that he doesn’t like to see Ellis dead.
This episode also introduces two new characters. One is an ally of Blue-Eyes, she also seems to work for her. The second is even more mysterious, as we only see one shot of her, no more.
Near the end of the episode, something interesting also happens. The armoured car has stopped, and the blue guys are shooting at the vehicle from all possible sides. Then, suddenly they’re taken out, but we never see who did it. There are three possible explanations:
– Ellis used her powers in such a way that the blue guys were taken out all at once.
– The above-mentioned woman had something to do with it.
– LA went berserk again. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was hiding in the trunk of Nadie and Ellis’s new car, by the way.]]>