You know what? I’m surprised to say it, but that actually was a great ending. It’s strange, as I expected this series to fall into the pit of predictability, like so many other series did before it, but no. This actually is the second series, after The Third, that introduces a whole new arc in its semi-final episode, and actually pull off a great ending. Why did these shows avoid the thing that strikes almost every series?
I think a major point is the building up, as strange as it may seem. Usually, a show has one big climax, where the final bunch of episode work towards. Side-characters are sacrificed in order to focus to the main character, tension builds up, and things are starting to look really bad. And that’s where the problem lies. It’s so hard to make something new and fresh out of that, when these three things have already been decided. You really need a series of the calibre of Noein or Utena to really make something worthwhile out of it. Most shows, obviously, don’t have that calibre.
The thing that made Night Head Genesis so fresh was that this ending focused on some newly introduced characters, instead of the usual main characters. Naoto and Naoya are just there, doing their thing to save the world, nothing more. By making the stakes in this episode higher than ever, but focusing on something other than Naoto and Naoya, the creators did make sure that this was an appropriate ending for this anime.
The fact remains that usual endings are just way too limited. Most of them exist to show how much certain characters have grown (Good Witch of the West, for example, or Makai Senki Disgaea). Others show one major character, usually a protagonist, who has some serious issues and threatens to do something stupid (Ouran High School Host Club, NHK ni Youkoso, Magikano). The thing is that this character has to be brought back to senses, in one moment, when the climax is at its highest. That’s obviously not an example of good character development. These things take time. And there is of course the ending where the great evil has to be defeated. The problem here is obvious: the great evil has to be defeated, otherwise the ending won’t be conclusive. It becomes way too predictable. These endings have to rely on how well developed and emotional their characters work. Like I said. That’s difficult.
I loved how this episode didn’t make the worst possible scenario come true. Naoto did his thing, he made sure that the earthquake wouldn’t trigger other earthquakes, and he did this in advance. When the earthquake comes, okay, things rumble a bit, though the tension isn’t as high as when something unexpected happened which would trigger even more earthquakes, but it’s so much more realistic and enjoyable. And not to mention that the creators found another way to provide a nice twist in the ending. Not by having a main character fight for his life, but by actually killing off one of the newly introduced side-characters. Even though he’s been introduced on such short terms, his dying words were great.
And god damn, Shoko. Only now I realize that the creators really “killed off” one of my favourite characters. She really isn’t coming back. That is SO sad for her. While this ending doesn’t beat the endings of Noein, Utena or The Third, this one definitely goes into the file of “succeeded endings”. I’m glad to see that this anime avoided the pitfall that strikes almost every other anime. I’m glad to have seen this series, even though it doesn’t enjoy much popularity.]]>
Author: psgels
Otogi Juushi Akazukin – 27
Okay, so the castle was a fake. Still, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t love this episode. I think it’s better this way, it makes things less predictable.
Quite a lot of things also happened this episode. A quick list:
– Souta found out Cendrion’s identity.
– Jedo-sama and the Lycans betrayed Cendrion after they found out that he’s Erde’s key.
– Ferdnando is Fandavale’s key. When the two keys come together, I’m suspecting that Cendrion will be freed.
– Hameln returns again.
– Jedo lost about half of his army.
– The story Souta’s mother used to tell him was actually part of Cendrion’s dale.
– Cendrion actually revealed her real location. I’m not sure whether that was on purpose or not, but she used a mirror to transport herself to the castle, in the background of that mirror, some broken thingies also were seen. It seems that those are only found in one place, which somehow has to do with the wizard we saw in episode 20.
I’ve also been wondering… what happened to Cendrion’s second glass shoe? And what have Hansel and Turude been up to for the past few episodes?]]>
Otogi Juushi Akazukin – 26
What the hell? What is up with raw providers and mahou shoujo? First Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club, and now even Otogi Juushi Akazukin! I honestly believed that this show was taking a small winter-break, just like all other shows around there, but in fact, it just continued. A quick peek into Share also revealed that episode 27 has also been released. I’m downloading that one right now, it should be in soon, though Share isn’t really the fastest download program out there.
Anyway, rants aside, this was an awesome episode yet again. A great parody on the suspicious guy who arrives, and you know is evil, though every character seems to trust him. Throughout the entire episode, I believed this. A random bishounen appeared and seduced Shirayuki, in the town where Cendrion’s minion who took over Shirayuki’s country came from. Of course that’s suspicious, though nobody seems to notice! At least, that is what I thought. ^_^ The climax was brilliant, when it seems that Shirayuki had been acting all along.
Maren (apparently named Marleen, according to TV-Nihon) also is getting more interesting with every mention. This time, we get to see how she formed her army. It’s not something you’d expect, seeing as most anime take this fact for granted. Seeing how Marleen turned the Bell of Hope into the Bell of Darkness makes her story so much more believable. The extra bit of depth added to her character also is greatly appreciated.
Still, the bell got destroyed in the end. You would expect Cendrion to be angry, as her whole town full of minions got converted back. Still, she’s smiling. That means two things:
1. She’s up to something
2. Hansel, Turude and the others did not escape from her power.
Regarding the second point, this must mean that she found another way to manipulate people after using the bell. I’m suspecting that this has something to do with the mirrors. Seeing as there wasn’t any mirror in the town, it must mean that the townsfolk got all of their powers from the bell, while Hansel, Turude and the witch who took over Shirayuki’s country have been manipulated with the mirrors as well.
Regarding the second point, something’s telling me that the next episode will feature a major plot twist. After all, Cendrion’s castle is reached at episode 26 of 39. If I had to guess, this is going to be one of the major turning points of the series, in which Cendrion gets freed and Hansel, Gretel and Randagio turn to Souta’s side. If that’s going to be the case, what will the role of Jedo-sama be? I love speculating about this series. If I can say that about a series, it means that it’s got some great mystery. ^_^
I also love how this series, even though it’s getting more serious, didn’t lose its comical note. In fact, there were lots of random cute moments. Ringo and Baru’s reaction to Dudo’s flirting, for example. Or the reason why Shirayuki bought a couple of earplugs. Oh, and Shirayuki looked so cute in Dark Shirayuki-mode without glasses. Not as cute as chibi-Shirayuki, though.
Also, why did Marleen know about Shirayuki?]]>
Some quick first impressions: Himawari!! Second Season, Master of Epic and Les Miserables – Shoujo Cosette
Himawari!! Second Season
Haha! It’s just as I hoped. The second season is going to be even better than the first one. While the first season focused on the development of the main characters, the second season introduces some actual antagonists, and thank god it didn’t lose its comical note. Heck, this episode was probably the funniest one of the entire anime. I mean, how many other anime can make something worthwhile out of someone who uses gum as a weapon? That surely was a great fight, and I’m glad to see that the quirks of the different character are getting funnier and funnier. I’m not sure how the rest of this anime will go, but if it’s going to be the same as this episode, I was right to give this anime a second chance. 🙂
Master of Epic
What a fun show! This definitely is my favourite show of the winter-season so far, and that with series like Deltora Quest and Himawari!!. Still, I can imagine that everyone else will rant about how they hate this anime, how it’s bad and all, but I don’t care! I love the way this show is directed. It’s basically a collection of clips, which don’t take themselves too seriously. In each of these, something incredibly strange happens. So, what if they’re cheesy, I loved it! This definitely is on my list of blogged shows. ^_^ *fanboys*
Les Miserables – Shoujo Cosette
Ah, the infamous adaptation of Les Miserables. The question, of course, remains: is 52 episodes the right format for such a story? So far, this anime is heading into the right direction, with an excellent first episode. It really took its time to start the story, and tell how Cosette got separated from her mother. She’s quite touching, I like her as a character. Jean Valean, or the major and the boy he gave some bread (Aran, I think his name was) also are a couple of interesting characters to start this first episode with. There’s a very good chance that I’m going to watch this right through to the end of this. I’m not sure whether I’m going to blog this yet, considering the huge spring-season coming up. Ah well, I’ll decide after the second episode.]]>
Some quick first impressions: Deltora Quest, Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique 2007 and Major 3rd Season
Deltora Quest
While I wrote my Winter Season Preview, I told myself that I’d continue watching Deltora Quest, no matter how bad the first episode turned out to be, seeing as the premise I read about did spark my interest. Still, after watching it, I can easily say that I have absolutely no reason to drop it. From the outside, this looks like another one of these teenage-boy-who-has-to-collect-number-of-crystals-stories. Well, that’s exactly where the stereotypes end. What we have here is finally a pure fantasy story, taking place in the country of Deltora where it features our main character, who travels along with his caretaker and some girl we’ll probably meet in the next episode. This anime already separated itself from all those other shounen-adventures by giving an outline of the history of the country of Deltora, and making the main character more than an ignorant brat. I definitely want to see more of this. It’s been a while since such a good pure fantasy story with no other focuses appeared.
Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique 2007
I gave on this show up after reading Azure Flame’s review of it, though I decided to give it one final chance. I’m not sure whether that was a good idea. I was shocked when I found out the truth about this anime. This show just kicks the nine bishounen from the first season out like it’s nothing, and introduces a WHOLE NEW SET OF NINE BISHOUNEN! Or at least, eight bishounen and yet another guy who just looks too much like a female. This isn’t monster of the week, this is bishie of the week! Not only that, the creators tried to give a bit of variation by making the main character go to each of these bishounen’s worlds and retrieve them. NINE FRIGGIN’ EPISODES OF ARRIVAL IN WORLD, BIT OF TALK, RELUCTANCE TO GO, MORE TALK, EMOTIONAL SCENE, AGREEMENT TO GO. Actually, this can be done right, though I highly doubt that this anime will succeed. Especially after seeing next week’s preview. This is just too cheesy. Dropped.
Major 3rd Season
I’ve never seen anything of Major, and this seemed like a good moment to check whether or not that was a good choice. Still, I don’t think that I’m going to watch any more of this series. It’s not necessarily bad, or anything, but this episode didn’t motivate me to go download the first two seasons, unlike shows as Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club and Futago Hime. It had some interesting points, like when the main character watched the two baseball teams play against each other, but the guys, especially the main character, were just a bit too annoying. Dropped.]]>
Red Garden – 12
Interesting. This episode is almost entirely focused on the love-relationships of Rachel, Claire and Kate. In Rachel’s case, things get worse, in Claire’s case, things get better, and in Kate’s case, things get introduced. It wasn’t as good as the previous episode, though that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it.
One thing I love about this series is how you can’t say “now, X’s problems have reached their climax, now it’s Y’s turn to take a similar path”. No, every character has her own problems, and these continue throughout the series. It isn’t like, Character A has had problems with love relationship, now it’s Character B to experience something similar, unlike some other series *coughKanoncough*.
Anyway, I absolutely loved Hervé during this episode. The irony of it all starts when Rachel starts falling in love with him, and reckons that he has gentle eyes. This probably comes from the care for his little sister, and now he unconsciously keeps using that expression everywhere. It’s probably why his father doesn’t take him too seriously. Still, you can say a lot about this anime, but the fact does remain that it’s got a greatly developed antagonist. I also loved how sadistic he acted towards Lise. Now that he’s back in his element again, he says some pretty cruel stuff to her, and continues to drop overly obvious hints to her. I really like this guy now. ^_^
Another clue gets revealed about Rose’s father, by the way. The guy did disappear, but whatever he’s doing, he does send money to his family on a monthly basis. If I had to guess, he’s either involved with Hervé in some way, or he did something horrible, and can’t face his family because of that. Lulu and her companion also were hilarious when they spied on Kate and Hervé. With this discussion, the two of them definitely stepped away from the usual antagonists with their evil plans, and became a bunch of humans.
I’m actually interested in episode 13. Most anime pack out greatly for the end of the first season. If Red Garden is the same, then we may expect some heavily emotional scenes. The ED also surprised me a bit, though I quite like it. It’s just as strange as the previous one, though it’s much more interesting than the EDs I usually see.
Also, credits for this anime for featuring a date which didn’t annoy the hell out of me. :)]]>
Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club – 25
The previous episodes had been rather disappointing. Sure, Misao and her feelings were nice and all, though the anime didn’t delve as deep into the characters as the first season did, and neither did it have the mystery of the first half of the second season. It’s been rather straight-forward and predictable, with as best point the great graphics. Because of this, I didn’t suspect much out of the current episode.
But boy, that was so incredibly charming. At its semi-final episode, this anime suddenly takes a step back and focuses on the characters again, and how the past few episodes and Amitabu have affected Sasami’s and the others’s lives. My faith into this series was immediately restored again. Especially Ami-chan and Sasami were so touching. 🙂
Now that Misao’s problems have been solved, she actually turned much more cheerful, so that the final two episodes can really focus on Ginji, Ami-chan and Sasami. Misao also made up with Monta, and the two are head into a good direction. ^_^
Sasami, meanwhile, is getting a bit annoyed at Ami-chan, who keeps clinging to Ginji whenever he has the chance, quite hilarious. It appears that Ginji was the only one who ever showed kindness to him. I also like how he also is content with spending time with Sasami, whenever Ginji is away. The two of them were SO CUTE when they were alone. At a certain moment, Ami-chan also started singing the same song that we’ve heard from him a number of times before. Really, that really works every time I hear it. Cute!
Then there’s still this matter of the other Ami-chan being released. He’s causing quite a havoc, Kanbu is about to die again, and he even crossed over to the normal world. Itoki noticed this, and she heads to Washuu to warn her. Washuu, by the way, also seems to have her eye on someone. ^_^ Anyway, things get even better when it seems that Ginji has to involve Ami-chan once more, in order to make the other Ami-chan disappear. This is quite a shock for both Ginji and Ami-chan, with some great results. The definite highlight of the episode was when Ami-chan found out, ran away, Sasami chased after him, and the two of them make up. Great moment. 🙂
Well then, the question does remain: will this anime end well? It does seem that the creators took a bit of time for it, so it probably won’t be incredibly rushed. This episode also made sure of some interesting development between the different characters, which also can be good. But what can the creators do to make this interesting?]]>
Some quick first impressions: Afro Samurai, Saint October and Kyoushiro to Towa no Sora
Afro Samurai
Ah, so this is the long-awaited arrival of Afro-Samurai. It’s quickly become famous for being produced and starred by no other than Samuel Jackson. And as expected, this one’s got a great style. It takes place in a dark and gritty world, focusing on a person who lived his entire life for revenge against his father’s killer. So far, I’m impressed. I expected this to be all style and zero substance, though the story and characters definitely were interesting to see. From the barmaid, and the various challengers to Afro Samurai himself. All that’s left now is to hope that the story will progress into something interesting over the next episodes. There are just two complaints I have with this. At times, the gore becomes a bit too much, and at my version of the episode came enclosed by a trailer of a new Hollywood movie called Norbit. Seriously, even though it’s just a trailer, one could torture, just by showing that piece.
Saint October
Cool! A mahou shoujo. And a pretty good one as well. The art may look rather low-budget, though what I love is how this anime mixed cliché’s along with totally original and fresh ideas. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it seems like each element in this anime has an original point and an overused point. It gives this anime a cheesy, yet fresh feeling. The setting and mood also were very interesting. What we have here is a semi-futuristic setting with magic elements, which seem to be related to certain cards. The mystery-element also seems to become very interesting. Why does this girl have the ability to transform? What are the bad guys after?
Kyoushiro to Towa no Sora
Right from the first moment in the first scene, this anime just screams Kannazuki no Miko. If this isn’t the sister-anime of Kannazuki no Miko, then I don’t know anymore. I knew that there were going to be resemblances, though I never thought that there would be this much. Especially the soundtrack is almost exactly alike, with its classical instruments. For Kyoushiro to Towa no Sora, the creators also turned up the elegance two gears, which looked quite interesting. Still, the fact remains that it’s a cheesy love-story. Complete with action, a love rival and a prince on a white horse in a flower-field (seriously, I’m not kidding, and the anime isn’t either). The new main character is just as annoying as Himeko, though a bit less helpless perhaps (so far, at least. The ending of the episode suggested that the next few episodes will reduce her to a romantic damsel in distress). I’m really thinking that this anime will even surpass Kannazuki no Miko in terms of cheesiness, seeing as the drama already went into the boundaries of laughable after only its first episode. Will this anime be able to get out of the depths of cheesiness and melodrama? Well, there’s only one way to find out.]]>
Night Head Genesis – 23
Very interesting, Ark really is gone now. I didn’t realize that after the previous episode, but with Okuhara’s death, they really are gone now. Right now, Night Head Genesis is working towards its finale with its final case. And surprisingly, it even introduces a bunch of characters with just two episodes to go! Was this a good idea, or would it have been better for this series to consist of 26 episodes?
If you look at it from one side, the fact that the creators are trying to cram the final arc in two episodes is a bad sign. They’ve skipped eighteen months, and now introduce the second of the two people (with Okuhara being the other) who predicted the “upheaval” beforehand. She predicted the place where everything would start, and the creators introduced the major characters involved with it locally. This does mean that in terms of development, these characters are far behind all of the others in terms of development and fleshing out. There also are quite a lot of questions left unanswered, and I hope that the creators will manage to cover all of them.
On the other side, if it’s done right, a fast-paced ending really works. If the creators manage to actually know what they’re doing, the ending can become very interesting. I think they have to waste as little time as possible, and introduce Shoko as soon as possible, seeing as it’s almost impossible for her not to be involved in saving the world.
Still, it’s interesting to see how Naoto and Naoya have changed. With 1,5 years passing, they’ve both become a bit more relaxed and concentrated, not to mention that their hair grew a bit. ^_^ It seems that they just lived their lives peacefully during that time. Even though I would have liked some scenes during that time, if it actually does turn out that the creators ran out of time for the final, these scenes would have been the best to be scrapped. There needed to be some time dedicated to the newly introduced characters. After all, even though they’ve been introduced so late in the series, it would have been worse if just some place was pinpointed on the map of Japan, Naoto and Naoya would head there and they’d solve the world’s destruction. After all, there wouldn’t have been anything for the viewer to relate to. And besides, the newly introduced characters might provide a twist or two.
I highly doubt that the final episode is going to equal the awesomeness of the previous episode, unless something really amazing happens. Still, I’m interested to see how this will end, as it’s not your standard ending. I especially like the lack of Ark. You would expect them to last till the final episode, though the final episodes are saved to show how the upcoming upheaval affects the lives of a small amount of individuals.]]>
Saiunkoku Monogatari – 24
Holy god, this anime is just getting better and better! I loved this episode to bits. Not only was it hilarious, some of the speeches, monologues and dialogues were brilliant! I can’t believe how much thought has been put into this anime. Now that we’re nearing the hearts of books 4 and 5, Saiunkoku Monogatari gets more interesting by the minute.
It already starts out good when Sa Kokujun comes to free Ensei and Seiran. He’s the third grandson of Sa Chuushou, if I recall correctly. He’s been stationed alongside his eldest brother, Sa Soujun, whom we saw in the previous episode and kept an eye out on Kourin, Eigetsu, Ensei and Serian while they were captured. He’s in love with Sa Enjun’s granddaughter, Sa Shunki, I’m not sure whether this is known to the rest of the Sa-clan, but the fact remains that they don’t find him suspicious and he’s not too happy with their plans. In any case, I loved how Ensei lectured him when he released him. He’s one of those guys who keeps hoping for other, stronger people to do something. He hoped that Ensei would just go and rampage and everything would be all right. This also showed how easily influenced he is, as we later see him in the episode take initiative to guide Eigetsu and Kourin to Kinka.
Speaking of Kourin, I’m surprised how strong she became after her stay in the Sa-Province. When she still was a servant of Sa Enjun, she just was a random scared servant. Same with when she returned. She was just too scared to be hated by Shuurei to show her true strength. But now that she’s shown her side when she’s not scared, she’s become awesome. 🙂
I also love how each of the characters go their own way, and do what they have to do in their own way. While Shuurei (she looks great with her hair down, by the way) is in the merchant’s guild, travelling without being seen, Ensei and Seiran travel a bit faster, while working as bounty-hunters, capturing the Satsujinzoku in the meantime and Kourin and Eigetsu have to make sure that nobody finds out that Kokujun has betrayed the Sa clan and Kourin actually is Shuurei.
And yes, Ensei’s picture was hilarious.
Also, I keep wondering what’s up with Senya? He’s definitely got an eye on Shuurei, but who does he work for? He seems to know Shuurei’s identity, as he’s been dropping lots of hints about Shuurei and her companions, which means that he definitely wants something from her. But is it to protect her in some way, by marrying Shuurei before the Sa-clan gets the chance to do so, or does he work for the Sa-clan and is simply luring Shuurei to where he wants her?]]>