Short Synopsis: The mother of a son who died can’t recover from the shock, and drags her entire family into it.
Good: The ending.. oh my GAWD!
Bad: The little girl still is kindof annoying.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Today’s experiment: can I watch Jigoku Shoujo raw. Conclusion: yes, I can. I missed some details, but it isn’t any worse than with other series. I just got a bit too fed up with the huge period of downtime from the subs. Normally, I can wait, but lately I actually caught myself losing interest in this show due to lack of updates, and we can’t have that, can we? That’s another advantage of being able to understand raws. ^^
This episode also really reminded me again why I love this series. It really manages to portray people on the brink of insanity. This episode definitely was one of the better ones, since all the important characters had enough development for once. Both the mother, the daughter, the son and the father got a nice amount of development, causing them to dive into insanity.
Seriously, we’ve got ourselves a messed-up family this time. We first have this son who’s being bothered by his overly protective mother, and because of that, he decides to send her to hell. It’s freaky, though awfully realistic. I can imagine pubescent males who hate their mother, and what happens if you give them a very easy and clean way to kill her? But if that wasn’t good enough, his mother keeps clinging to him, even after his death. This breaks up the entire family.
The father probably is the most normal person in the family, seeing as he keeps getting bothered by his wife, though he’s too afraid to say something. Because of that, he starts drinking more and more. Though I liked the daughter most. Mostly because of what happened at the end of the episode. She actually killed off her entire family, and we see her smile in front of an empty breakfast table! Even her father! That girl really is crazy. I love it how Jigoku Shoujo actually focuses on anti-heroes at times.
It’s great, I’m back in love again with this series. ^^]]>
Author: psgels
Some quick first impressions: Strike Witches, Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho and Giant Robo
Strike Witches
You know, I expected this to be the same mess that is Sky Girls, but the use of classical music and the extra-short episode-length actually made up for the bad concept. Even though this didn’t make any sense, I actually enjoyed it, it definitely was better than Sky Girls in every single way. It’ll never be great, but it’s definitely perfect for a light watch if you need to burn ten minutes at one time.
Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchou
There’s one thing I really like about this show: its sense of humour. Most of the time it’s serious, but when it’s funny, it really cracks me up. This show’s a real surprise for me, since I didn’t really expect anything from this. The fights were of some amazing quality, and the character designs are quite interesting. All in all, this has been an excellent first episode. But I’m wondering. Can this anime keep up this quality? Even though this episode looks refreshing, it’s awfully close to a number of major clichés for this genre. We’ve got a potential female love interest, an uberpowerful male main character and some unexplained powers (at least they were either unexplained, or I didn’t catch their explanation). This show also killed off a bit too many interesting characters with just its first episode.
Giant Robo
What’s up with the raws for this show? You’d expect them to arrive soon, since people were looking forward to this. Yet now, I’ve had to do with a crappy quality-video from the website. When I already had trouble following the Japanese, this problem also made me have trouble recognizing the characters, and making out what the heck they were doing. Anyway, Giant Robo turned out surprisingly good. Okay, we have a random boy who meets up with a Giant Robo for no apparent reason, but from the looks of it, this Giant Robo is going to go against humanity, turning our main character into an anti-hero. At least, if I picked up things correctly. Another major plus is the background music. Not only does it feature rocky themes, they’re of some great quality.]]>
Ghost Hunt – 11
Short Synopsis: A rather persistent ghost has been hunting the local park, splashing couples with water.
Good: A great moment for a light-hearted episode, away from the usual seriousness.
Bad: What was up with Mai’s hands. Did she wear some strange gloves or something? If she did, they don’t suit her, as it looks like her hand got stuck between a very fast-closing door.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10
Some shows decide at times to include a wtf-episode. It doesn’t have any meaning to the main story, it’s usually very strange and very funny, and it’s mostly meant to flesh out the characters a bit. Soukou no Strain did this the wrong way, but I have to say that Ghost Hunt succeeded. Not only did this episode crack me up majorly, it also offered some nice insights in the different characters. And were the couples some signs for in the future? :3
While the ghosts have been extremely scary for the past number of episode, this episode also shows that you can have crazy ghosts. This one came in the form of a girl who got emo after her idiotic boyfriend cheated on her. Probably the major focus of the episode was Naru-chan’s relationship with Masako. He’s getting a bit too clingy to her, seeing as he gives everyone else the cold shoulder. It could be like John suggested, that some kind of patron is involved.
Mai also was getting very interesting. It’s been half a year already since she started working with him, and she still hasn’t made her move on him. Yet she’s still incredibly jealous of anyone going near him. Like I said above, I loved it when she went on a date with Bou-san at the end of the episode. The two of them make a great couple, just like Matsuzaki and John. I’d love to see these couples developed. ^_^
Also, I’m starting to notice similarities between the different arcs and other anime. The third arc had surprising resemblances to Ayatsuri Sakon, while this episode was like a strange episode of Jigoku Shoujo. Is this coincidence, or did the creators mean to do this?
(P.s. What I really loved about this one is how the cheating boyfriend looked just like your standard male main character from a harem-show. It’s really good to see characters like these finally getting what they deserve. ^^)]]>
Les Miserables – Shoujo Cosette – 03
Short Synopsis: Cosette and Gavroche find a small puppy and decide to take it home, where it causes quite a bit of trouble. Jean meanwhile gets visited by someone from his past.
Good: Already extremely touching, this early in the series.
Bad: No bad points so far. Let’s hope it stays this way.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
So far, the winter-season has been excellent. My two favourite series of the season so far have to be Les Miserables and Master of Epic. While the latter is more than enough for my weekly comedy-fix, the former so far has delivered an extremely toughing tale about Cosette. I SO like her character right now. Even though she’s being bullied by almost everyone, she still shows that she can be strong. I love strong characters like her. ^_^
Still, I’m surprised at the lack of interest about this series. I expected lots of people to talk about this one, but only one other blogger has picked it up. Apart from that, two others talked about the first episode, and that’s it! The fansubbers also are surprisingly slow, despite the Japanese being not very hard (seeing as we mostly hear children talk). I’m really hoping that this show is going to get a bit more attention when the subs start to arrive, as it doesn’t deserve this much negligence.
This show has also proved to draw me in its atmosphere faster than almost every other show. I’m not sure what it is, but each episode has such an incredible atmosphere from start to finish. This episode was definitely no exception, it probably was the best episode yet. Especially the ending was amazing, when Cosette got beaten by Thénadier for messing up her sheets, right in front of her children.
Also, who’s that guy who’s after Jean Valjean? It would seem that he’s someone from the police, who’s chasing him even now. Still, is there really this much need to hunt down a simple bread thief? I can understand why he wants to hide his identity, as you wouldn’t get far with everyone knowing that you’re a former thief, but I don’t see why people would still be looking for him.]]>
Saiunkoku Monogatari – 26
Short Synopsis: Now that everyone has reached Kinka, they rejoin with each other. Lin Senya, meanwhile, reveals his true name and makes his move.
Good: Great fight, thanks to Ran Ryuuren. The scene between “Senya” and Shuurei had an amazing impact.
Bad: Too bad I saw “Senya”‘s identity coming.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Haha! I knew it! Senya had to be Sakujun, he’s the only character who’s been mentioned a few times, but refused to show his face. Still, luckily his revealing-scene went way further than that, when he actually starts to seduce Shuurei. The thing that made the impact so huge was that Sakujun and Ryuuki have a scaring amount of similarities, and whether he’s aware of this, Sakujun uses the same sentences that Ryuuki used for Shuurei. Still, there’s one major difference between the two of them: Sakujun liked Shuurei with her hair down, while Ryuuki never even mentioned it.
Sakujun also is quite the bastard. He was the one who introduced Seiran to the Satsujinzoku, he killed a large number of family-members in the past, he killed his older brother, he’s after Shuurei, he’s planning to make a second ring of the Sa-clan, and he’s probably up to a lot more nasty things. He was quite fearsome this episode. Still, he’s going down in the end. Here’s why:
– We still have Sho Taishi who is on his way to the Sa-province with the real ring of the Sa-clan. I doubt that Sakujun’s aware of this. ^^
– He’s trying to go against Shuurei. Come on, she came all this way by herself for a reason. She’s not going to let such an idiot take advantage of her once more. ^^
– At one point, he’s going to have to deal with Ran Ryuuren. Seeing as Sakujun is the enemy of Bosom Friend Number 1, Ryuuren isn’t going to be easy on him.
– Is Sa Chuushou really just going to just forgive Sakujun for killing his grandson?
This also was the first time that We Suck got a sub out sooner than Shadow Dreams did. It’s a good moment to compare the two. Overall, I like Shadow Dreams better. I like how she left certain terms untranslated. “Tale of Saiunkoku” just doesn’t sound right, in some way. The Satsujinzoku also sounds much more fearsome than “The band of murderous thieves”.]]>
Master of Epic – 03
Short Synopsis: The search for true love! Warage Five Versus Groups of Punks II! What the heck is up with the main character?!
Good: Is incredibly cheesy, knows this, and fully utilizes this. Probably the best episode so far
Bad: Gonzo… animation…
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Seriously, this show uses its main character in one of the most original ways I’ve seen in a while. Over the past few episodes, we’ve seen lots of different characters, the orange-haired Newtar actually looks like an extra right now, even though she’s on the top spot in the promo-art and the OP. During the first episode, we saw a girl who looked like her, just with pink hair. In the second episode, we saw a very small flash of her, falling down a castle, and right now, we get to see even more of her when she runs past the screen for about one second, wearing black angel-like wings. Oh, and she also appears later in the show, and she actually has a short line, after disappearing again, as fast as she appeared. ^^;
Also, after watching this episode, I’m starting to notice more and more patterns. Apart from the Waragetcha sketch, the fishing scenes, the news and the introduction, the major part of the first half of the episode focuses on some girl who has some kind of problem, with the silver-haired bishie-Cognite appearing in some way. We also have a scene in which the Pandemos tries to impress Warage Pink (or Chuu), and she ends up doing something entirely uncute afterwards, which in turn, makes that such a cute scene. ^_^ There’s also this very strange scene, in which we go back to real life and see some weird man/men do something ordinary in a very, very, very strange way. I still don’t understand it.
Still, I’m having more and more problems figuring out who is who. Not only because of their lack of names, but because some characters show up in different clothes or hair. The Warages only made this more confusing when it seems that they’ve all got a second identity (Warage Black OMG O_o). And it indeed seems that Chuu is Warage Pink. But the Elmony newscaster, is he the same as the one who does the introduction? But I’ve also seen a green-haired male Elmony. He must be someone else. I think. A copy of the silver-haired male Cognite with blue hair didn’t make this easier. ^^;
Anyway, this episode yet again was loads of fun. Some of the jokes were incredibly creative, other were just too cheesy that they became funny, while other scenes were just too stupid for words. I’m also a huge fan of the smileys this show uses. ^_^ (Also, is it me, or was the female newscaster working on her accent during this episode? ^^;)]]>
Otogi Juushi Akazukin – 29
Short Synopsis: Inside a valley full of giant strawberry bushes, Souta and Gretel end up together.
Good: Gretel; Gretel; have I already mentioned Gretel?
Bad: Why didn’t Hansel chase them while he could fly?
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7.5/10
Ooh, I’ve been waiting for this! This episode was all about Gretel. Not only was she incredibly CUTE during the entire length of the episode (I especially loved it when Souta tried to protect her just like the young Hansel), she’s also getting very interesting for the future episodes. I really liked how she still didn’t end up joining Souta in his travels, but instead, she’ll be acting independently, just like Hameln. I wonder when she’ll make her move. ^^
Randagio also is turning into an interesting character. He’s stepped away from your usual criminal goon long ago. That became clear when he unconsciously spoke a bit to casual when Ibara caught him. He’s adorable, even though he’s generally an idiot. ^^; I also loved how he opened the episode so forcefully for the past two episodes.
Also, something’s telling me that we’re about to get a good dose of development from Akazukin’s side. That expression on her face when she saw the road to the Village of Mist (?) was just too suspicious. Also, what will Turude’s role be in the rest of this anime? Has she become that scared of Akazukin in princess-mode that she doesn’t want to face her directly?]]>
Deltora Quest – 03
Short Synopsis: Lief and Barda take on the first guardian with the Topaz, they witness his story, and his downfall. Jasmine also returns.
Good: A surprisingly huge amount of thought put behind the story of the forest and the guardian.
Bad: Lots of talking + my level of Japanese = X_X; Strange use of recycled scenes
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10
Deltora Quest keeps amazing me when it hugely deviates from your usual shounen-adventure with its well-developed characters and thought-out plot. Despite the concept, this anime cleverly stays away from all of the clichés that plague this genre, and delivers a great tale about Lief, set out to collect the seven gems.
I was surprised when I learned that the guardian had an actual back-story. When he appeared during the previous episode, I just expected he was a brainless goon, and that this episode would focus a basic fight. Boy, was I wrong. During the fight, it seems that he’s been protecting something else. I couldn’t pick up everything, but this is what I think what went on:
In the middle of the forest, there are some flowers which can produce the elixir of life. When the gems were stolen, this guardian was sent to that place, in order to protect it, along with his three comrades. When they saw the flowers, though, they started to fight about them, and the guardian ended up killing his two comrades. Over time, he began to get confused about his original goal, and in the end, he told himself he had to protect the flowers, instead of the gem. I’m not sure why he didn’t know who Adin was, though. It seemed like he’s been there for a lot longer than 16 years…
It also seems that Jasmine has been after these flowers for some time, and she finally got the chance to get it when Lief and Barda arrived. She’s interesting, as you wouldn’t expect her to be the one to save Lief and Barda. It often goes the other way around when the main female lead turns into your usual damsel in distress.
The next gem seems to be hidden inside a lake. Probably the water-country. In there, there’s a fearsome witch. She’s apparently famous, as even Jasmine has heard of her, and she’s been living alone for almost her entire life. It seems like she’s going to be quite interesting, perhaps even more than the armoured one we saw in this episode.]]>
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto – 15
Short Synopsis: Now with just the two of them, Akizuki and Kakunojou travel together, when they receive an interesting message, meanwhile, the war between the supporters of the old and the new government keeps escalating.
Good: Very interesting song, Kakunojou can become very interesting in the future-episodes, the results of the war.
Bad: The file I watched had a botched-up sound quality. If you’re planning to watch this episode raw as well, stay away from FeelLicks’ version
Overall Enjoyment Value: 6,5/10
Very interesting. This episode was a bit different from the usual episodes. Usually, a standard Bakumatsu-episode has about 15 things happening at about the same time, but this one was surprisingly focused. Kanna, the troupe, Parkes, and most other characters are just cast aside for a bit, and basically the only two purposes of this episode were for Kakunojou to find her new sword, and to develop the ongoing war between the supporters of the old and the new goverment, and especially the effects this has on the local people.
I wonder whether the three shamisen-players will return again. They’ve got interesting characters, but it seems that their only purpose was to deliver a letter to Akizuki, explaining about the location where a jar which looks an awful lot like the one Soutetsu used to snatch the lord’s head from Juubei. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Soutetsu was the one who sent that letter in the first place). Still, there’s a good chance they’ll appear again, seeing as Bakumatsu has never really had characters who’d only appear for one episode.
You’d also have to wonder about Kakunojou’s new sword. How did that thing end up in that shrine in the first place, along with the jar? Also, is this an area familiar to Akizuki? He seemed to know exactly how to move the statues in order to reveal the shrine. Did Akizuki also react in the same way as Kakunojou when he got his own sword? And where do these swords come from? It’s clear that the two swords are related, but in what way, exactly?]]>
Ghost Hunt – 10
Short-summary: Inside the hospital, Naru-chan reveals the real culprit, and her case is revealed.
Good: A good move away from the predictable mystery in this case.
Bad: This arc just doesn’t match up to the second one.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 6/10
Before I start with the usual episode review, a little something about the above lines. It’s a small experiment. I tried to include some new kind of feature to my blog, and since I love statistics, I tried thinking of some statistics I could add to every post. Well, I couldn’t, at least not without some completely far-fetched, nonsensical and doomed-to-fail ideas. Then I got the idea of including a small short blurbs, which summarized my thoughts a bit. When I read other blogs, I often catch myself skimming for short summaries, or episode ratings, so I figured to have a small experiment, to see whether this would work for my blog as well.
I’m not sure whether I’m going to keep up with it, seeing as I already dropped the idea of including some additional information in the post title, but who knows. It’s also a good way for me to force me to be a bit more critical, and it may be good for when I want to skim back to previously seen episodes. Also, about the rating. I’m planning to have a very high standard for it, so that’s why this episode only got a 6/10, despite being good. The average episode ranks 5/10, when it doesn’t really have any interesting points. By adding some interesting points, like this one did, it gets a rating of 6/10. Needless to say that 1/10 is total garbage, while 10/10 ranks among the best episodes ever. Both don’t appear often, possibly once every few months.
Anyway, about the episode, I’m glad it turned out good, despite the predictability. Luckily, it decides to focus on something other than mystery this time: the relationship between psychic abilities and the mass media. The episode brought Ubusuna-sensei’s case in a really good way. It’s a really interesting one, seeing as even during her confrontation, she kept smiling, thinking that her actions are the only things that matter.
The mass media can be quite a bitch at times. Especially the gossipy ones are all after stories, and aren’t afraid to hurt people. What they don’t realize is the huge effect this can have on children, with a good chance of causing a post-traumatic disorder, like what happened to Ubusuna-sensei. I guess it isn’t necessary to mention that I hate these kinds of reporters in real life.
Also, Naru-chan is quite a trickster. He fooled me yet again, thinking he had psychic powers, but as far as things look now, he’s the only main without any powers in this anime. At least, if Matsuzaki really has them and Naru-chan isn’t hiding something from everyone. Still, why was Lin so worried when Mai told everyone about Naru-chan’s “powers”?]]>