The Third – 23 – Interesting Final Arc

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Oh god… The Third has once again been kidnapped by the evil animation company of episode 13. Luckily, it’s not as bad as before, but still, it’d be better off if this episode was left in the hands of the usual animation companies.

Still, if you ignore that little detail, this episode was good stuff. Really good stuff. Due to the fact that this is the conclusive arc of the series, AND that it’ll only be two episodes long, the pacing has been increased with a considerable factor. This episode did the preparing, while the next episode will probably end with a huge bang.

Especially the second half of the episode was as awesome as usual, when Ikus threatens to leave Honoka for good, on a mission he doesn’t want to involve her in. He’s heading for a place called the Steel Valley, a place under the highest level of the technos taboo. Filla Marique has also surpassed herself when she tries to take measures against this, sending a huge army of autonomous soldiers in order to guard the place.

The best part of the episode really was when Honoka opens herself up to Ikus, in order to keep him from leaving her. The first half of the episode also seems to suggest that Joey will be playing a role in this arc, but it seems that Honoka left him behind when she found out about Ikus. Still, the guy’s got a good heart. He broke the technos taboo in order to install new parts on Bogie.

Endings have always been one thing that’s hard to do good. It’ll be interesting to see whether The Third can pull this one off. It’ll be an action-packed ending, in any case. Will it be able to deliver? I do hope so, as this magnificent anime deserves a great ending.

Saiunkoku Monogatari – 21 – Another Intermezzo

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Finally, the subs seem to have caught up with me. It was a nice experiment to start experimenting raw-watching with Saiunkoku Monogatari, but this show just isn’t fit for that. Luckily, I’ve found enough series over the past few months who are, which means that I’ll continue watching this series, based on Shadow’s subs.

This episode had a surprising main character: Ran Ryuuren. This episode again was more of an intermezzo between two arcs, just like the previous episode. Still, there were a lot of differences in theme and tone with the previous episode. Basically, after having disappeared for a while, Ryuuren returns to his Soul Mate #1 and Soul Mate #2: Shuurei and Eigetsu. He also discovers the existence of Soul Mate #2.5, aka Yougetsu. ^^

It’s a comical episode at first sight, though when Ryuuki appears, the serious side of Ran Ryuuren gets into the spotlight. He’s unique in the Ran family, as, even though he’s a genius, he doesn’t concern himself with power and politics. Because of his behaviour, he’s also impossible to blackmail or control, making him very reliable, in a way. Ryuuki realizes this, and uses him as a messenger.

– Kourin also made her appearance during this episode. Kouyuu informs Shuurei of the things she’s done. Afterwards, Kourin visits her, though she’s too scared to say anything about the poisoning. Still, she’ll get her moment some time, as she’ll be accompanying Shuurei to the Sa province.
– The location of the ring of the Sa-clan gets revealed. I should have known. Sho Taishi had it all along. He used it as a vessel for Sa Taiho’s soul, who makes a small appearance in front of Shuurei during the episode.
– Kurou also gets to see Shuurei. With this, Shuurei knows that she’s got the full support of the main house of the Kou clan.

I’m also wondering about the supernatural aspects of this show. They’re well hidden, but they’re there nonetheless. Especially the eight enlightened ones. It’s clear that Sho Taishi is one of them, but what about the other seven? First, I thought that the strange ghost Sho Taishi summoned in the previous episodes was also one of them, but it just appeared to be the young soul of Sa Taiho, who obviously wasn’t one of them.

The Third – 22 – OMG

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That was such an AWESOME episode! The part in which Honoka held Rona Fauna in her arms was such an amazing moment! Finally Honoka has found someone who’s just like herself: a defective item of The Third. Awesomeness.

It’s also very interesting. The final arc of The Third will also be its shortest: only two episodes! That probably means an insane pacing, which is good for most endings. Especially since a lot has to be revealed in these final two episodes. In one way, I’m really looking forward to it, though in another way, it’s really sad to see this amazing series end. I demand a second season!!!

Honoka also was her typical self again after everything ended. Both Rona Fauna as Joganki were very scared to do her injustice, though she quickly tells them that it was just her job. She did the things she did because she accepted this job. All she wants now is the money, and a repair job on Bogie. ^^;

I wonder what the next arc will be about. Honoka seemed to suggest that she’ll be going on another vacation. Does that also mean that Millie will be returning? And will we also see some cross-references to other arcs? After all, Kanwei is still running along, somewhere in the world, and Gravestone could return as well, perhaps. Ah well, if the final arc is as awesome as this episode was, The Third will really be finishing in an awesome way.

Saiunkoku Monogatari – 20 – Background, Background and even more Background

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Holy god, I am SO late. Why the heck did I put off watching this awesome series? Ah well, the good thing is that Shadow seems to have made a three-week trip to Japan, so only the translation of episode 20 has been released yet, which means that I haven’t missed anything. I’m not going to attempt to watch the raws without any translation anymore. This really is a series at which you need to fully understand what’s happening in order to enjoy it. Luckily, Shadow’s back from Japan now, and I’m now eagerly awaiting her new translations. ^_^

This episode was mostly meant for background information. Both about Seiran as about the history of Saiunkoku, and the civil war. But that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a great episode. I really enjoyed it. It seems that both Seiran and Ryuuki were unwanted children. Ryuuki was hated by all his brothers, while Seiran was hated by his mother. She kept telling him that she’d been so much better off if he hadn’t been born.

Out of all the princes, Seiran was the most talented. At the age of twelve, he already was an excellent swordsman, he won the royal tournament and was presented by the royal twin swords Kanshuu and Bakuya by his father. He gave Bakuya to Ryuuki. I’m not sure how, but at some point, Kanshuu also came in Ryuuki’s possession, which he then gave back to Seiran again during the previous episode. So, what happened to Bakuya? *kicks memory*

Seiran was exiled because of his mother and grandfather. They were planning to make Seiran Emperor. That’s something which his four eldest brothers didn’t like, so they used this fact to arrest Seiran, and exile him. (Small note: who were the women, standing right beside them?). It was because of the current king’s influence that Seiran just became exiled, rather than executed.

Seiran was exiled to the Sa-province. During his journey, his mother was killed by assassins, sent after him by his brothers. Seiran then vanished fourteen years ago. At the end of that year, Shouka found him, and took him in. Between those times, it’s unknown what he’s been doing, though if I had to guess, it wasn’t pretty. All we know is that he’s picked up by a strange man, with long, dark-red hair.

Then, the episode focuses on the history of Saiunkoku. After prince Seien was exiled, things went well for five years. Ryuuki was taken in by Shouka and the four other princes continued to fight on the inside. Then, nine years ago, the emperor turned sick. When the princes found this out, the conflict between them took a serious turn, and the entire palace lost its balance. Therefore, civil war started. When you combine this with a heavy drought, the population suffered heavily. I just loved how the creators showed a quick shot of Shuurei, playing on her instrument in front of the dead people.

Shou Taishi didn’t do anything about this. It seems that he was waiting for a person, worthy to be called the emperor of Saiunkoku. When he finally found someone like that in Ryuuki, he solved the crisis like it was nothing, he fed the hungry and executed the four fighting princes (at least, this is implied. They’re all dead, aren’t they?). Then, two years ago, the previous emperor died, and Ryuuki got the throne. What happened afterwards, we already know.

Really an excellent background episode. Why did I ever start to ignore this series?

The Third – 21 – Let the finale begin. ^_^

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Whoa… this seems to be the final arc after all. O_o

When this arc started, I definitely didn’t see that one coming. I think it’s even better for the final arc to be so lengthy, as this way, it has more time to build up, and so far, things have been as amazing as usual. This definitely was the best episode of the arc so far, and if the creators still have enough material to last three episodes, things are promising to become awesome (remember that Ikus hasn’t played his trumps yet).

It’s a nice trick by the creators. At the end of each episode, the feeling is given that there’s only one more episode left, but every time, new problems are introduced and new events force the arc to become one episode longer. That’s been very cleverly written. Rona Fauna attacking Honoka, at the end of the episode also was really well built up. I really didn’t see that one coming. And is Joganki really dead? O_o Or was it just a false threat by Rona Fauna? But why did Paife cry?

I also love how Ikus has been a complete mystery up till now. We really don’t know anything about him, except for the fact that he’s an alien. Only during the previous episode, we learned that he can’t be shot, and I’ve got a feeling that that’s only a small part of his mysteries. Honoka’s fight also was as awesome as usual. The narrator really helped in this, when he told about Honoka’s doubts. I’m really liking Honoka’s ideals. ^_^

There also was a nice contrast between Honoka, Blue Breaker, Rona Fauna and Joganki and Paife and Bogie. While tensions are high inside of Rona Fauna’s hideout, Paife heads back to Bogie, and the two just wait for things to happen. Because they’re both realist, the mood between the two of them is really different when you compare it to the other actors.

One final nice touch is that the creators showed one shot of Rona Fauna, when she was alone in her room. It’s totally different than what you see in most shows. Most bad guys smile in an evil way, but because Rona doesn’t have to live anyway, that short moments showed how she prepared for her final trick before she would die. But at the same time, it made me suspect that she gave up on her ways.

I love this show. ^_^

The Third – 20 – Just What Is Ikus Anyway?

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Another awesome episode. I’m surprised that this arc will actually last for another episode. To make things even better, the situation seemed almost resolved at the end of this episode. This means that the creators did have something in mind for the next one. What exactly will that be?

And seriously, the moment Paife got stabbed was such a powerful moment! I can’t believe how well that worked. I guess that when characters are this well developed, you can do some great things with them. That’s why I’m looking forward to the final episode of this amazing show. ^^

Rona Fauna also continues to get more interesting by the minute. Her power’s fading, but still she tries to do things to Honoka, in order to keep her away from Joganki. She loses herself in this, to the point that she actually looks as if she’s going to explode. It seems that she picked to kidnap Joganki for a reason as well. They knew each other in the past, Joganki showed kindness to her, and she fell in love.

Honoka meanwhile spends her time descending Rona Fauna’s strange construction of nano-machines, along with Blue Breaker. A very interesting scene follows when Blue Breaker actually wants Honoka to destroy him. It’s interesting to see the way his AI has developed. It’s not as advanced as Bogie, but he actually can make his own decisions. Oh, and I loved the way Honoka saw through his empty gun. ^^;

Bogie, meanwhile, attempts to take out another one of Rona’s machines: an anti-tank helicopter. In the end, it seemed that this helicopter has had no combat experience at all. Therefore, the fight was easily decided. Ikus, meanwhile, gets shrouded in even more mysteries when he gets shot and turns out to be perfectly fine afterwards.

Overall, this was a great episode. Especially Paife was awesome. I really love this show. ^^

.Hack//Roots Review – 74/100


.Hack//Roots is an incredibly difficult anime to review, as this anime is a combination of an interesting view with a trainwreck. It’s got so many good points but at the same time, it’s got just as many, if not even more, bad points. It uses the same setting we’ve known from series as .Hack//Sign and .Hack//Dusk: everything in the series happens in an MMORPG, or Massive Multiplayer Online RPG. It doesn’t belong to any specific genre. If I had to put it in a category, it would be around the mystery-dramas, though that isn’t the most accurate description. This anime is closely related to a game, .Hack//GU.

First of all, let me warn you. If you plan to watch the series, without playing the game, don’t. That’s what I did, and you can’t imagine how many unexplainable events happened. Characters aren’t fleshed out enough, things just happen without any reason for this being given, you miss out on a LOT of character background and the ending leaves SO many questions unanswered that it would make even Narutaru jealous.

Another big problem with this series is that at times, it doesn’t seem to realize that it’s in an MMORPG. .Hack//Sign solved this well, by occasionally showing a mysterious scene about the person behind the computer, but don’t expect to see any of these in .Hack//Roots. The characters move way too much like normal people, instead of computer-graphics. Some even go emo, and instead of relieving their stress on some unfortunate object in the real world, they do this in the virtual world.

The third point actually is a nasty side-effect of the first bad point: some of the character are just so incredibly unlikable. Because their background has been left out, some characters now are a bunch of paper bags. Others, who did have a bit of fleshing out also were incredibly annoying to watch at times. Our main character, Haseo, for example. He just roams around The World like a big gorilla for ten episodes until something changes. Another very cool guy also changes into an incredibly plain one.

Okay, enough bad points. Now the good ones. While some characters are horrible, other ones work out greatly. Haseo, for example, when he’s not in gorilla-mode. And there are a few more of these gems which are very interesting to watch. Around the halfway-mark of the anime, people actually start quitting the game, giving extra depth to the characters who remained. The final three episodes, also, manage to actually recover from the trainwreck that the previous episodes set, and actually deliver some very strong final episodes. If you ignore the frighteningly huge amount of open ends it left.

This show also excels in the visual and sound department. It probably contained, along with Good Witch of the West and The Third the best graphics of all the shows who aired in the spring-season, and the soundtrack is nothing short from memorable. The background music is also one of the things that managed to bring .Hack//Roots back on track when the final episodes started.

.Hack//Roots – 26 – The End?

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I refuse to believe that this is just the end of .Hack//Roots. I demand another season! So many things are left unsolved. So many things still need to happen. Nothing has been resolved at all! It’s only that Haseo now has regained his common sense and Phyllo died of cancer. Meanwhile, even new things start popping up and Ovan seems to become the final bad guy.

My opinion about this episode? It depends on how you look at it. If it’s the end of .Hack//Roots, it sucked. If, however, it’s the end of the first half of .Hack//Roots, it was great. My favourite moment was when the certain cameo from .Hack//Sign appeared. I can’t believe he actually stayed in the world for so many years. Touta also seems to have left. Good, good. I never liked the guy anyway. Tawaraya was awesome, but Touta was way too standard.

Surprise: Saburou actually is a guy! Never saw that one coming. She also remains in The World, watching Haseo. Yata, meanwhile, is ready to introduce himself to Haseo. It seems that the Raven actually is a group of members who have the element. This expains that Yata also has awakened, and it also reveals why they’ve been so interested in Haseo.

Overall, unfortunately there are no signs that this will be getting a second season. I hope I’m wrong with this guess.

.Hack//Roots – 25 – One more to go

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I’m glad to see that .Hack//Roots has gotten better when the final episodes came along. Things finally become a bit interesting again. Especially Phyllo and Touta were great this episode, even though it’s still unknown what they exactly did. The next episode could actually promise to be a great one, if things go right. Seeing Haseo at the end of the episode, back in his original form also was very interesting. We also finally have another reference towards real life. Tabby did some investigations on her own, and found Shino. She also met Haseo in real life. He seems to be visiting her every day.

Still, there’s one thing I dislike.

Why does Haseo have “the element”? What makes him so special?

The Third – 19 – Very Nice

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As this seems to be a four-episode-arc, the final five episodes will probably feature the closing arc, which will probably feature Ikus in some major way. The episode itself was very enjoyable to see. Basically, it features Honoka and Blue Breaker getting inside Rona Fauna’s base. In the meantime, Bogie, Paife and Ikus try to catch up with them and Rona Fauna herself shows that she’s more than just a 1-dimensional antagonist.

Each of these parts was well worth seeing. Honoka and Blue breaker fight together, even though they’re former enemies. Blue breaker saves Honoka from a moment of carelessness while Honoka amazes Blue Breaker when she takes care of a very powerful anti-mechanical soldier. He actually asks her how she’s able to cut through such thick steel, though she can’t really give him an answer for that. It’s also very awkward to see the two of them having conversations in such a normal matter.

The plane from the previous episode got crashed, dropping Bogie about five kilometres away from Rona Fauna’s hideout. Both Bogie and Paife show their best sides when they eliminate all of the lurking autonomous soldiers. It was actually quite amusing to see Bogie abandoning Paife. ^^; Rona Fauna also sent her assistant to eliminate the two of them, so the next episode should promise to be something special.

I’m also really beginning to like Rona Fauna. She’s just full of mysteries. What exactly is she? How is she connected to the nanomachines in her hideout? What’s her goal? Why does she want to see Honoka? Why did she kidnap Joganki? Why are her forces so unprofessional? Why is her assistant giving Honoka visions? Joganki also was very interesting. His reaction when he found out that Honoka was coming was very surprising. For some reason, he dislikes that Filla Marique involved Honoka in all this. Both Joganki as Rona Fauna seem very uneasy at the end of the episode.

The next episode promises to be a great one. Rona Fauna vs Blue Breaker and Honoka and Rona Fauna’s assistant vs Bogie, Paife and Ikus. I can’t wait. 🙂