psgels, Author at Star Crossed Anime

Ayatsuri Sakon – 17 – And The Culprit Breaks Down

November 19, 2006 by psgels, posted in Ayatsuri Sakon

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And I’ve finally caught up with the subs. This really was one of the better episodes of Ayatsuri Sakon. I really think that this series would’ve been better off as a 13-episode one, as it’s formula is starting to get a bit repetitive. Still, Isshiki was great to see this episode.

During the previous episodes he always was so incredibly calm, sarcastic and full of himself. Then this episode comes, and his alibi is suddenly shattered. Talk about a personality switch. I loved how all of the clues he dropped over the course of the episodes have been unmentioned till now, and Sakon just dishes out one after another at a certain point. That really was the best moment of the episode, in my opinion.

This also was the first arc with unexplained events. For example, the exact reason why Takahashi died. Also, my memory isn’t that clear yet on the exact role of the contact lens.

Otogi Juushi Akazukin – 21 – Lunar Eclipses… Sortof

November 18, 2006 by psgels, posted in Otogi Juushi Akazukin

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Very interesting. This episode actually had a light character, instead of the dark characters of the past few. While the past few episodes have been just fighting, fighting, getting stronger and fighting, this episode adds something more: hope. It’s indeed the case that Akazukin will discover that her powers are rather uncontrollable, but that’s just a side-story for this episode.

The main focus is Fernando. He makes use of a special natural phenomena. Those who’ve been paying attention might’ve noticed that Fandavale has more than one moon. This episode, two of these moons (a large one and a big one) formed one line, along with the planet itself. Thus an interesting eclipse follows, which apparently strengthens the power of water-based magic and wind-based magic. Fernando uses this power to come in contact with Souta, while Randagio uses this power to unleash probably his strongest goon yet.

The first half of the episode also was highly atmospherically. It seems that this turned into something like Christmas for the people of Fandavale, as everyone stops for a bit to watch the spectacle. The latter part of the episode also featured a rather emotional scene between Souta and Akazukin. Finally we get a bit of development from her side. 🙂

Also, we get our first clue about Souta’s mother. She indeed is in Fandavale, and Fernando met her. The question remains, was she kidnapped because she was special on her own, or is she special because she married Souta’s father? I still think that he was the guy from the mirror. The fairy-tale may tell that the story took place 1000 years ago, the girl did talk to someone at the end of the mirror. In Erde. With large buildings you see only in the modern age, and definitely not 1000 years ago.

Next episode will be a great one: we have a Rapunzo-cameo, and Hansel will return again.

Death Note – 07 – “You Remind me of L”

November 18, 2006 by psgels, posted in Death Note

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Okay that was such an annoying episode. I just loved it. Nothing much happens. The largest part of the episode consists out of Light, finding a way to kill “Maki”, and Watari shows himself. Especially the former part was strange, but great to watch at the same time.

I’ve indeed put “Maki” between quotations, as she indeed used a false name. Light has a huge deal of trouble, trying to figure out her name, without acting suspicious. After all, there’d be no way for him to know that she used a false name, so he can’t mention it. In the end, he makes use of something that’s in every human: longing. The moment Light found out that she’s been working for L, and that she trusts him, he knew that she was longing to see him back. He made use of that, by pretending that he was member of the investigation team, and offered her a place in this. If you asked a normal person, he or she would react sceptical to this, but with “Maki”, it’s her weak point. Light made good use the fact that he wouldn’t have to continue his act as soon as he got her name written down.

The best part of the episode, though, was the ending. Not because Light won at the end, but because of two other things: the soundtrack, and its mystery. I just love the tune that the creators made for this. It fits the atmosphere perfectly. But so many strange things happened in such a short period of time. And before it has even time to sink in, the cliff-hanger sets in. First of all, one of the officers on Kira’s case gets sent to the police office, in order to make sure that one of them always is there, in case someone (like “Maki”) comes with an interesting tip. He just walks right past “Maki”, handing over her ID and nothing happens. Only seconds later after he passed, Light tells her that he’s Kira. Did he hear, or did he not? Talk about close calls. Also, why did Ryuk laugh more hysterical than ever when Maki agreed to hand light her ID? I also loved how Light reveals he’s Kira, two seconds before the Death Note takes control of her. The fear really was in her eyes.

I believe that L’s weakest point is Matsuda. Whenever Light figures out that he’s part of the investigation, L will be dead. He’s just too inexperienced and unprofessional for such a job. I wonder if L already noticed this. Also, only now I realized when this anime’s taking place. The current episode takes place at December 30, 2006. That means that Light should attain his Death Note, right about now. It’s a freaky thought that perhaps tomorrow, the newspapers will be full of strange deaths. Is this some trick by the creators of the anime, or were the same dates used in the manga?

Asatte no Houkou – 07 – Happy Birthday

November 18, 2006 by psgels, posted in Asatte no Houkou

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The first four episodes of Asatte no Houkou have been really emotional. Right now, we’ve got ourselves three episodes, which are about the opposite, as they’ve been really peaceful, and because of that really great to watch. The next episode, the emotional scenes will probably return again, as Karada discovered that Shoko and Hiro were once lovers. Right now, she’s boarding a train. Probably because she wants to leave the two of them alone.

Following the usual pattern, this episode again is a Shoko-episode. It’s centred around Hiro’s birthday, which, of course brings back memories. Karada also spends about three quarters of the episode, baking a cake for her brother. Shoko is encouraged by this and helps her out a bit, even though she’s horrible at cooking (and really shows that this episode).

It’s another highly atmospheric episode, in which not much happens. Though for some reason, Asatte no Houkou turns keeps to amaze me. It also made the perfect use of the small bits of comedy, involving the different character’s quirks. ^^

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto – 07 – Soutetsu?

November 18, 2006 by psgels, posted in Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

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This episode definitely was different from all episodes thus far. There was almost no action, it just involved people talking and preparing for the next episode. It turned out pretty well, in my opinion. This was an excellent episode, though I do suspect that the action junkies will be put off by it.

So many things happened during this episode. The most important of them is probably Soutetsu. He’s left the Kakunojou Troupe in order to take care of a few things. He first goes to Akizuki’s home village, and there he lets the local residents bake strange kinds of vases. Apparently, they have to be just perfect, as he rejects quite a lot of them before he finds the vase he’s looking for. I don’t know how, but apparently this is the way to summon a demon. Shouten-sama and his assistant find this out as well. The question now remains: on whose side is he? This gets even more mysterious when we see him meeting up with Nakaiya Juubei, of all persons.

Meanwhile, the rest of the troupe wonders where the heck he went, and they thing back to the time at which he joined them. This provide a few nice flashbacks. It seems that Yuyama and her two companions ended up in the theatre-business, when they found that they had talent and needed money. At a certain point, Soutetsu started following them, and at one point, he asked to be their scriptwriter. Afterwards, the rest of the troupe came.

Nakaiya Juubei, meanwhile, hasn’t been sitting still himself, as he’s preparing yet another demon. With this, he attempts to brainwash Katsu, who was meeting his superior about his recently destroyed headquarter. He succeeds. Kanna plays an interesting role in this. He thinks he’s helping Nakaiya into breaking in the building and holding Katsu hostage, though it seems that his help wasn’t needed after all.

Also, I loved it when Glover gave the Japanese a handshake, and they didn’t understand what it meant. ^^

You’d wonder about the meaning of the red star. I’m not sure whether something about this has already been said in the anime, but I think it’s a crucial part into summoning the demons to the current world.

Red Garden – 05 – Everyone Reacts Differently

November 17, 2006 by psgels, posted in Red Garden

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With some anime, it’s clear to define the theme of the episode. Asatte no Houkou and Otogi Juushi Akazukin for example. You know it’s a Ibara-Hime episode, you know it’s a Shoko-episode, you know the episode is centred around the mirrors. Red Garden definitely is not one of these series. So many things happen in one episode.

If I had to give the theme of this episode, it’d probably be a Rachel/Rose/Claire episode, focusing on the support of others. Kate probably is the strongest of the four girls at the moment. She actually manages to think of everyone, instead of herself. Claire just acts strong. She likes to act nonchalant, in order to convince herself that she’s fine, while instead, she’s just as disturbed as everyone.

Rachel was a huge wreck in this episode. During the previous episode, she really broke down. She’s also not afraid anymore to hide her worries for her surroundings, and actually treats her friends like garbage and her mother is starting to notice that something’s wrong with her. This worked very well in combination with Rose. She actually has a number of siblings she has to take care off, and she actually cried in front of them. It’ll be interesting to see how such small children will act in the rest of the series. Right after Rose starts crying, we see Rachel again, in front of her friends. You would expect the same, but you get the opposite. Quite nice. Especially when you consider that Rose’s scene alone already was incredibly touching.

Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club – 20 – Will Misao Be Allright?

November 16, 2006 by psgels, posted in Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club

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I knew it! Misao finally cuts her hair! During this episode, it also gets clear why the witches were so interested in Misao: she’s got the same kind of power as Sasami. This episode was mostly meant to develop both of them. The witches try to give Misao a feeling of comfort, while Sasami debates whether to go after her (after all, she went on her own will).

As usual, the dramatic moments were awesome. Sasami really has her own way of worrying, and the fact that Misao disappeared, and the police had to arrive only made this better, as rumours started to appear about her. Anri, Tsukasa and Makoto were great, trying to cheer her up. Washuu also tries her best to do something in her own special way. She actually attempts to learn magic herself. She really is one of my favourite characters of this show, with the others being Sasami and Misao.

The episode ended rather interesting, with Sasami, about to head to the magical world and Misao, who got the instructions of eliminating Sasami. The next episode should prove to be an awesome one. But then again, each episode so far has been awesome in a sense. 🙂

Soukou no Strain – 04 – This Series is Turning Out Pretty Well

November 16, 2006 by psgels, posted in Soukou no Strain

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You know, this series actually turned out pretty good. This episode really convinced me to that. The fact that this anime is so incredibly intense did require me to get used to it a bit, but right now, this anime is turning better and better. Also, if you thought that the first episode was intense, just wait till you get to see this one. 😉

We start the episode with Sara, kicking Lotti out of the way in order to fight her brother. It seems that both of them are using special Strains, which means that nobody can really keep up with them. There’s one thing I disliked about this fight: at one point, Ralph Werec has used his Strain to grab Lotti’s Strain. He hits her, but surprisingly, her Strain remains intact, opposed to all of the Strains he wiped out in the first episode with just one blow.

Still, the fight was only meant to introduce the episode. At the end, Sara manages to deliver some small damage to Ralph, forcing him to retreat. She actually wants to go after him, though another Strain pilot stops her (I forgot his name for a bit). She then cries in the same way she did in the first episode, pretty touching. Still, things get even better afterwards, when Lotti meets up with her.

Sara must’ve felt pretty horrible. She’s probably hated by almost each of her fellow-students after this incident. After all, she appeared like she didn’t have a MIMIC, so she had to train extremely hard in order to catch up with all of the Strains. She was already seen as a show-off, but now that she actually appears to be able to fly a Strain, it must seem to the other students that she’s making fun of them.

Lotti also seems to have a very good reason for hating Ralph Werec. She also had a big-brother complex when she was young, just like Sara. It seems that Ralph killed her brother at one point. It’s probably the reason she decided to be a Strain Pilot. We also get to see Ralphs allies for the first time, and our first hints to why he changed. He does work for people, it seems. Whether this is forced or not, I’m not yet sure.

I’m also glad that more blogs have started to speak about this series. Code Geass seems to have gotten a contender of best “mecha-series of the season”. Still, there’s one problem with this series: it’s abundance of fanservice. It seems to do this in order to please the otakus, while it doesn’t even need this. In my opinion, it only hurts the series.

Space Fantasia 2001 Nights Review – 84/100

November 16, 2006 by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews

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This one may be from a while back, but it’s a beauty. Like the title does suggest, it’s a science-fiction OVA. But because it’s so old, it actually got the chance to start with the basics of science-fiction, in contrast with the science-fiction anime you see appearing today, which take the basics for granted. Because of this, this anime turned into a beautiful piece of art. Definitely recommended for any science-fiction fan.

It’s hard to tell anything about this OVA without spoiling it (I therefore tried to make the screenshots as vague as possible). It’s really best to just watch this, without knowing anything about it. All I’ll say is that the creators spent a LOT of research into this, and they came up with a number of fascinating theories regarding the space-age. In a sense, you could call this anime partly a documentary.

The graphics indeed look old. But for their time, they look pretty impressive. Still, the thing that really stands out is the background music. It’s a collection of very fitting tunes, which really scream that they’re coming from the eighties. The story, characters and music combined turn this OVA into a huge chunk of atmosphere.

If I had to mention one downside of this OVA, it’d be that it does require some physical knowledge to fully understand it. The creators really tried and succeeded to make everything as believable as possible, but if you’re not into physics or space-travel, all the talk sounds like a bunch of techno-babble.

Ayatsuri Sakon – 16 – Telephone

November 13, 2006 by psgels, posted in Ayatsuri Sakon

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This episode wasn’t like the other episodes. So far, the episodes have been like “who did it?”. This time, it’s different. It’s quite obvious who did it. Isshiki just acts way too suspicious. This episode was more like, “how can we find proof that he did it?”. Isshiki ha been quite cleverly hiding his evidence, and somehow, he’s quite confident that he won’t get caught.

Still, he made one mistake. In order to create his alibi, he messed up the phone, which he predicted that Kisaragi would use, so that it would call Takahashi’s apartment instead. As Takahashi lives very close to the museum, it would’ve been easy for him to run towards that place after killing the director. Quite easy, quite simple. Except for the fact that he forgot to erase this piece of evidence. Sakon should have it solved easily by the next episode.

But there’s something that irks me. Sakon found the solution, his twenty-four hours have run out, he runs to the chamber with Kisaragi and the police and states that he’s found the solution. Five more minutes and the case is solved. What do I say? If they’d hurry, the creators can even solve this in one minute. How do they plan to use the next nineteen minutes? Some background information? But Takahashi is dead, so she can’t really offer any extra thoughts or anything similar.

Still, she does have some background left to be explained. Isshiki was her boyfriend. Apparently, their relationship was secret, as nobody seemed to even mention it. I think this started when the two of them worked together at their previous job. Also, remember that rumours are floating around that Yuuki stole Takahashi’s boyfriend away? If that is true, than it means that this boyfriend could have been Isshiki himself. I think Isshiki used this in order to blackmail Takahashi in order to cooperate with her, as we see her in doubts of the person she loves, right before she gets killed. But still, that isn’t enough to fill an entire episode. Something else has to happen. I just know it.