This episode was mostly build-up. The animation-quality was lower than usual, and it mostly consisted of Shuurei, trying to bring some structure into the other low-ranked officials, after she gets annoyed that they don’t even try to save their own job. Oh, and Seiran finds out what Suou said about porn-magazines, which was quite hilarious, if you ask me. The silver-haired guy seems to be called Seiga, and it seems that he’s one of the few people who actually do something, and he ends up helping Shuurei. I wonder how he ended up in such a low spot in the government, though.
The Sakujun-lookalike called Ryo Anjyu also introduces himself to Shuurei in quite an eccentric way. He basically lets her peal a peach, and eats it in front of her, leaving afterwards. We also learn that Suou’s father still has some kind of role to play, and Suou has been giving him some onigiri he learned to make through Shuurei every single day. I originally thought that he couldn’t care less about his father, but this episode showed that there definitely is a bond between the two. It just seems that his father didn’t learn his lesson just yet, as he’s been inviting strange people to visit him as well.
What surprises me, though is that there hasn’t been any focus on Shouka as of late. As a matter of fact, I actually don’t recall having seen the guy AT ALL since the start of this arc, apart from just one small scene in this episode. Has he been away or something? This episode, there’s also a shot of the library, where we see none other than small Riou again, but then again, he’d probably pick a time to pick up some books when Shouka’s gone from the library.
There’s also surprisingly nothing about Shuuei in this episode, but I guess that he spent most of his time travelling to his three brothers.]]>
Category: Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction
Saiunkoku Monogatari – 62
It’s episodes like this that make me regret switching back to the raws for this series. I’ve often noticed that I’m usually able to follow an episode without subtitles if it’s around the middle or end of an arc, since you do somehow know what to expect. With introductions, the story is entirely different, though. I doubt that there was any episode in Saiunkoku Monogatari that introduced more new characters than this one, apart from episode 1, perhaps. I’m really reminded back to when I first started this series, and was virtually the only one who was following it. Back then, I really had no clue what was going on. ^^;
In any case, the previous arc was really there to introduce Suou, who seems to be a major character for the rest of the series. I think it’s because of him that Shuurei ended up back in the palace, to help him work off the punishment for what his father did, though I could be wrong. One of the few things I did understand of this episode was when Shuurei got fed up by all the males surrounding her and discovered that her supervisors were into pornography.
The truth indeed is that Shuurei is a bit uptight, and she definitely had an idealistic image of males, due to being together with Seiran and Eigetsu so often. It’s nice to see her witness some more… average males when they’re together. It’s a good thing Suou was with her, otherwise she would have lost it. ^^;]]>
Saiunkoku Monogatari – 61
Well, one of my predictions came true: this arc is much more fast-paced than the previous one. In only four episodes, the case of the counterfeiters has been solved. Compare that to Eigetsu, being stuck inside that cave for roughly ten episodes. I think the largest purpose of that arc was to introduce Tantan-kun, who looks like he’s going to play a major role in the final parts of this anime. I indeed had a feeling that it was his father who was behind the counterfeiting and the abduction of Kailing’s child. It seems that someone made him do it, though, which hints to a connection with Riou.
In any case, this episode was as heart-warming as ever, and I’m really glad to see that Saiunkoku Monogatari is catching steam again. And I think that we can only expect even better things from now on, as Shouka, small Riou and big Riou should be getting some more attention again. You can especially see that in the very last scene of the episode: I’ll be darned if that wasn’t some kind of foreshadowing, with the newly sprouting flowers of the tree being subjected to a gust of wind.
I’m also glad that I’m warming up more and more to the comedy, which has returned with the beginning of this arc. Especially Seiran’s impression of Shuurei was priceless.]]>
Saiunkoku Monogatari – 60
I expected the quiet mood to last for a few more episodes, but this episode was surprisingly dark, obviously I loved it, and I’m beginning to understand why Tantan-kun was included in this show: his nonchalant nature clashes incredibly with that of Shuurei. At one point, we see a conversation between him and Shuurei, where he rather rudely wonders why Shuurei puts so much effort into investigating the art counterfeiters, when there are others who can do it just as well. Let’s just say that Shuurei starts yelling. ^^;
The second half of the episode also reveals some more information about Kailing, and why she was so passionate about the art counterfeiters: it’s her daughter who’s been making them! I’m now beginning to understand how the creators are planning to trump the disease of the past arc. Apparently, her daughter is small, but very talented at painting; and we can only guess at this point how many other children have been used for this.
It also seems that the mysterious guy we’ve been seeing at the past few episode is Hakumei’s brother, also in love with Shuurei. They also seem to be related to Kailing, which means that they’re going to play a major role in this arc. I really like the direction in which it’s going so far, and this arc can potentially be the best arc of the series.]]>
Saiunkoku Monogatari – 59
The introductions for the upcoming arc are progressing quite nicely, if I have to say so myself. I’m not going to even bother writing a summary, due do my limited Japanese, and the fact remains that Impz is so much better at it.
It looks like the main antagonists of the coming arc are counterfeiters, both with paintings and money. If I had to guess, then Riou isn’t behind it (after all, what would he gain from counterfeiting? It’s not like Shuurei is directly involved in it, so it’s not a good way to get her to where he wants), but I think that it’ll serve a nice purpose of setting the chess-pieces ready for his story.
It’s also a bit awkward to see the comedy back again. The first season of this series was masterful in combining comedy with the main storyline, and it’s getting back again, especially with that new character (I’ll call him Tantan-kun for now, until I can confirm the guy’s name). Though I’m afraid to say it, but Ryuuki’s and Kouyuu’s quirks are starting to get old, especially since they’re mostly used for comic relief. I was hoping that these episodes would focus more on the relationship of Ryuuki and Shuurei, but it really looks like Ryuuki tries to avoid Shuurei at all costs.]]>
Seirei no Moribito Review – 91/100
Spring 2007 came with many excellent and unique series, and Seirei no Moribito is one of them. Produced by Production IG with extremely solid production-values, this series is a true gem for those, looking for substance.
Let me first start with the following statement: Seirei no Moribito does not have an overall genre. While the first three episodes might suggest that we’re dealing with an action or martial-arts anime, you’ll be proven wrong by the middle part of the series, which takes a more slice-of-life approach. A drama also doesn’t quite cut it because it’s got quite a few light-hearted moments, and while some episodes fall in the adventure-category, other episodes just show characters standing and talking. To be honest, apart from any World Masterpiece Production, I haven’t seen any anime that feels more like a novel than Seirei no Moribito.
The big key behind the success of this anime is the immense amount of detail that went in nearly every department of this series. The animation is truly gorgeous and detailed. Characters move more than necessary, they leave footprints on rough, terrain, random bypassers move realistic. It’s almost as if you were in a Ghibli-movie without all the over-the-top fantasy-elements. And to top things: the fight-coordination is among the best I’ve seen, even though there are only four or five of them in the entire series.
And then the characters. Don’t expect any flat characters here, nearly all of them have complex motives that can’t be described in one or two lines, they can think like normal human beings and some of them are quite smart, development is realistic and yet, as the series nears its conclusion you really begin to feel sympathy for them.
The storyline also finally doesn’t want to create the worst-case scenario in the end. All the plot-twists in the series favour realism over sensation. This series knows how to build up a good base for it, and it doesn’t want to ruin this by excessive amounts of forced drama and plot twists like we saw taken to the extreme in Code Geass. The storyline becomes so incredibly solid because of this, and because it moves relatively slow, it makes sure to put enough time to flesh out both the plotline and the characters to an excellent degree, so that it’s able to finish with an excellent finale that doesn’t feel rushed in any way.
There’s one major problem with this series, though. It may have been a tad too long, and many of the middle episodes, while they serve as a way to flesh out the characters, they also border on filler, and the story doesn’t get anywhere for about seven or eight episodes. It’s series like this one that make you pity that series can’t pick the option to take on the length of 1,5 seasons, as this would have been perfect for this series.
The first half may feel a bit tedious because of this, but everything comes together in the end like a charm. The music also fits this series perfectly and easily deserves a place in my top-3 of best soundtracks of the season. If you like series with lots and LOTS of detail, you should definitely check out this series, though you need patience to be able to enjoy it.]]>
Seirei no Moribito – 26
In the middle of this season, I didn’t think that the current Spring Season of 2007 could live up to the awesomeness of the previous Spring Season of 2006, but now that nearly all of the major series have finished apart from Kaze no Shoujo Emily and Dennou Coil, my mind has changed. The major difference in both seasons is that while most series of spring 2006 had their highlight in the middle of their run, the shows of the current season all have their final episodes as their highlights.
It’s awesome to see a season with so many quality endings. Usually, I’m extremely picky about them, but in one week, El Cazador, Bokura no, Ooedo Rocket and Seirei no Moribito all managed to provide a satisfying closure that left absolutely no bad taste in my mouth. While in terms of individual episodes, none of them really became as good as one of my favourite episodes of all time (Simoun 16), the better series of this season were much more consistent and thought-out when compared to Spring last year (Tsubasa Chronicle, the first season of Higurashi, xxxHolic and The Third all were awesome in their own way, but they did have pacing issues). Overall, Spring 2007 will go down for me as one of the top-tier seasons I’ve seen, ever since I started actively following the latest anime (which is since Summer 2005).
The current episode provides an excellent closure for Seirei no Moribito, where Chaggumu and Barsa say goodbye. There’s nothing much to say, apart from that the sentimental and nostalgic values were immense. At this point, enough room has been left for a second season, and yet it’s perfectly fine to end the series at that point as well. I guess it’s only a matter of waiting before we find out.]]>
Toward the Terra Review – 94/100
Those who’ve been frequenting my blog for the past few months probably have seen me ramble about the “big three” of the spring-season: Bokura no, Kaze no Shoujo Emily and Toward the Terra. While a lot more excellent series have been released in the past Spring and Summer-season, these three form the cream of the crop, they’re all consistently outstanding in their own way and are without a doubt my favourite series of the past half year.
Today the first one has ended: Toward the Terra. It’s an epic science-fiction series about outcasts with psychic powers called the Myu. The storytelling is incredibly fast-paced. You hardly run into an episode that doesn’t have some kind of climax. While most other anime need aftermath- and introduction-episodes for fleshing out the characters, the episodes in Toward the Terra flawlessly combine the quiet moments along with the tense ones, and it works like a charm.
It’s clear that the writers have talent, because not only do they write some of the best action-scenes (which finally are more about the characters than the action itself) I’ve seen the past year, they also excel in the character-development department. If you watch the first few episodes, you might wonder why such a beautiful tale can come from just teenagers, but don’t worry: around episode ten, we see countless of time-leaps, and the real meat of the series happens when around ten years have passed since then. This provides countless opportunities for character-development, and Toward the Terra grabs all of them. Because of this, it features one of the best antagonists I’ve seen in anime, just because the guy gets such an incredible amount of development. Around the middle of the series, the plot-twists become so mind-boggling that you won’t be able to predict them, and watch out for episodes 21 and 22: they’re quite close to the best and most emotionally charged episodes I’ve ever seen for the past year.
In terms of production-values, Toward the Terra also delivers. While it’s impossible to beat El Cazador’s soundtrack in the past season, it easily grabs second place with a bunch of epic tunes, perfect for the fast and slow pacing. The graphics also look awesome, but be aware that the character-designs are different from usual. If you’re used to the character-designs of series like Kanon or Shakugan no Shana, then you’re going to have to get used to the character-designs of Toward the Terra a bit (see the screenshots).
Regarding the bad points, for me the quieter episodes near the beginning and the ending that weren’t as good as their preceding ones were a tad disappointing. I expected to be blown away by the episodes, and while some did with a huge force, others didn’t. The first few episodes also might be a bit hard to get into, due to the fact that the main character gets a bit whiny at times, but don’t worry: he’ll change into someone much better.]]>
Toward the Terra – 24
And so it has ended. Like expected, the final episode wasn’t better as the epic episodes 21 and 22, but it still was satisfying enough. Again a bit of predictability was the culprit, though that only was the issue with the main characters. The side-character’s conclusions were excellent.
Grand Mother just had to die, no question about that, and to be honest, Jomie’s and Keith’s deaths lacked the impact of Matsuka, Sam, Artella or Blue. It’s clear that their time was over, and that they were ready to give off their role to their juniors. This could have been saved if the production-values or the pacing would have gone all-out, like with El Cazador or Noein, but instead a “normal” pacing is chosen, and this pretty much looks like a normal episode, aside from the extreme details in Jomie’s and Keith’s final moments.
What I liked, however, were the elders. Both for the humans and the Myu, and how they sacrificed themselves for the younger generations. Their time has really been over, and they’ve felt out of place with the youngsters for a long time now. They’re the ones who really managed to convey the final message of this anime, which is to think about the next generation, and to sacrifice yourself so that your children can live happily. And how right it is.
Seriously, of the shows that arrived in the new spring-season, a huge amount of quality-ones emerged, and Toward the Terra became one of the best of them. In two weeks, we’ll see Gundam 00 taking over the timeslot. It’s definitely got something to do if it wants to live up to the shows that preceded it: Toward the Terra and Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi, two thought-provoking and excellent series. Will it live up to them or will it go down the path of Code Geass? I hope it’s going to be the first!]]>
Saiunkoku Monogatari – 58
Rejoice! Saiunkoku Monogatari is finally back! This episode is indeed like I expected: lots of introductions, lots of talking, and lots of marriage-issues. Surprisingly, Kouyuu didn’t participate in it, but Shuurei got two marriage proposals (one by Santa from Kochou and one from a newly introduced character), while Ryuuki meets another new character in the form of an energetic old man who keeps bugging him about his own marriage.
About Shuurei’s new admirer, it seems that his father is forcing him to marry just because of the money. God, I hate that guy already. The guy himself is strange though, in a god way. It seems he isn’t keen on marrying either, but he’s also reluctant to defy his own father. He also buys some strange gold and silver-tanuki-merchandize from a mysterious merchant who’ll probably end up important somehow in the next few episodes.
Oh, and Tei Yuushun did something special, though I have no idea what. Too much talking for me to understand, I’m going to have to go with Impz’s summaries to try and understand what went on this. This episode wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t bad either, but at the moment, with so many quality-series about to finish, Saiunkoku Monogatari isn’t really on my list of priorities.]]>