Category: Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense

Night Head Genesis – 16 – Plot Twist Galore

by psgels, posted in Night Head Genesis

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I started watching episode 17, only to realize that I had yet to see episode 16. Must’ve missed it. In any case, I’m glad I did check out this episode, as it’s a really excellent one. 🙂

The cross-references this time now take a focus to three very interesting cases: Shoko, Sonezaki and Naoto and Naoya’s parents. The first half of the episode is dedicated to Naoya, who is starting to become like Shouko. When the series started, I remember noting that Naoya’s powers were very similar to Shouko’s, but I never imagined that they’d be this similar. It showed us a good contrast between Naoto and Naoya. Naoya is actually evolving: he’s getting stronger with each experience. Naoto, however, doesn’t have this. Because he’s always protected his little brother, he’s extremely worried about him when something happens to him. Now that Naoya is growing more and more, he’ll face this problem more and more. Interesting. 🙂

Naoto also tells a bit about the background story of the world. It seems that Atlantis, Mu and Lemuria actually existed, and during those times (102.000 years ago) psychic powers were absolutely normal. Then, these civilizations destroyed themselves, and the world actually got flooded, suggesting that Noah’s Ark really existed. This also can’t be a coincidence: Ark has got to do something with Noah’s Ark. When the Upheaval comes, are they actually planning to do the same thing Noah did when the world flooded?

Part two of the episode takes another strange turn: Naoya reveals that he knows the location of their parents. The first part already was good, though this is even better. Seeing children reunite with their parents almost always works good, though Night Head Genesis goes even further: reality has been altered, which caused Naoto and Naoya to die fifteen years ago, saving a little girl.

Though the best moment of the episode arrived when Sonezaki appeared. The element of surprise is tricky to achieve in anime, especially in the mystery-genre, as you’re already suspecting that there’ll be some twist, though when Sonezaki suddenly walked into the clock store of Naoto and Naoya’s parents, I really was surprised. It seems he’s plotting something again, but what? 🙂

The past three episodes have really been excellent. Let’s hope that Night Head Genesis can keep this pace up. 🙂

Ayatsuri Sakon – 17 – And The Culprit Breaks Down

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.

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

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?

Red Garden – 05 – Everyone Reacts Differently

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.

Ayatsuri Sakon – 16 – Telephone

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.

Jigoku Shoujo – 30 – Ramen, marbles and a hospital bed

by psgels, posted in Jigoku Shoujo

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This episode and the previous episode both dealt with a person, unable to make the right decisions, in contrast to the second episode, in which we dealt with a pure victim. The main character is Shuuichi. He’s married to a woman who lies in the hospital. In the past, he did a number of very stupid things: he got involved with a shady owner of a host club, and especially one job ended up wrong, with this owner forcing him to kill an accomplice for money. In the end, he ruined his life because of this, and he never even got the money.

Because he wants his wife to enjoy the best treatment in the hospital, he’s forced to work continuously and borrow money from others, in order to pay for her expensive one-person room. He keeps all this a secret from his wife, for better or for worse. He calls for Jigoku Shoujo, and then it indeed seems that he’s aware of the things he’s done, and he’s actually someone who believes he deserves to go to hell. That’s why he doesn’t have the doubts that all of the other characters in Jigoku Shoujo had. He, however, makes one big mistake in his greed. He decides to blackmail his antagonist, before sending him to hell, in order to get the money in the end. The latter ends up telling Shuuichi’s secret to his wife. Because of this, she’s broken and has some kind of brain attack.

The twist of the episode: Shuuichi obviously sends the guy to hell after he’s seen what happened, and he believes that going to hell and working hard enough to pay back his dept will be enough to attain for the sins he committed. Well, that’s not the only thing: when his wife regains consciousness, she seems to have forgotten him.

Also, what’s up with the little girl? Why is Ai so nice to her? What did Ai’s grandmother mean with “I hope he’s happy”? Why is she such an annoying brat? Where did she come from? How many questions can I ask about her!?

Night Head Genesis – 15 – Very Interesting

by psgels, posted in Night Head Genesis

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Whoa… I can’t help but feel sad for Shouko. Her powers have become so huge that her spirit left her body, forcing her to spend the rest of her life in the state she’s in now. At first, I thought it was quite convenient for her to have such a power, but this is just sad. Very sad.

Anyway, this episode concludes the Mikuriya arc. It was a very good episode, in my opinion. A lot of life-changing themes which can’t be solved that easily passed the screen. I’ve always been a fan of series which introduce these kinds of questions. Mikuriya survived the episode, though I don’t think we’ll see him again, as he’s planning to leave the country. The fact that humans can be able to exceed the 30% of brain capacity appears to have some serious consequences, as Shoko proved.

The other parts of this episode, in which Naoto, Naoya and Mikuriya had to escape the mysterious threesome also were well worth the watch. The creators did a good job in making expecially the beginning very creepy. There also was quite an amount of time put aside in order to show this. Most times, when fights are dragged, it doesn’t mean anything good, though this episode provided a very nice exception, as it gave Mikuriya the opportunity to hold a rather interesting speech. Also, did the threesome really die? Or do they still have a few tricks up their sleeve? And what happened to Naoya at the cliff-hanger?

Night Head Genesis started to become disappointing with the Kariya-arc. Okay, it was nice to see, but a bit too dramatic without much emotions, and it didn’t go anywhere. The Sonezaki-arc made a nice attempt to recover from this, and now the Mikuriya-arc has continued this. I’m glad to see that Night Head Genesis is finally getting good again.

Death Note – 06 – “Let’s Show Them That Justice Always Wins”

by psgels, posted in Death Note


This episode consisted out of two parts: L, meeting up with the police officers, and coming up with a strategy to find Kira and Light, meeting up with Maki, Ray’s ex-girlfriend. I especially loved the last part. You have to have some real guts in order to try and attempt what Light did. He heard her talk, found out that she was the person closest to finding out Kira’s secret, just walked in on her and started talking to her like nothing ever happened. This makes us suspect that Light has followed some kind of acting classes in the past, as any normal person probably wouldn’t have managed to pull of such a reckless stunt.

During this episode, something also happens which the OP has been hinting at for a while: characters changing hair colours. Those against Kira get blue hair, while Kira himself, and his possible future allies get red hair. Symbolic, of course. Not in real life. Now the question for the next episode remains: how will Light kill Maki? Will he just act as careful as possible and make her end up in a car accident, or will he use her in order to confuse L even more?

Speaking of the devil, he’s indeed quite different from any normal person. He’s been living without any human contact for a long time, which may have been good to protect himself from those after him, though this did make him oblivious to any cultural traditions or habits. The fact that he’s always been living in the dark also made his eyes rather strange. In any case, while Light’s currently focusing his energy on Maki, L has come up with a strategy: trace everyone who was investigated by the FBI-officers. This number of people was quite small, which makes Light even more suspicious. It’s interesting that the bus-jacking incident must be kept secret at all costs for L.

It’s also interesting how one of L’s reasonings is wrong. During Light’s experiments with his power, L figures that Kira only used a few criminals in order to test out his new powers, though I actually think that he used all of them, though in most cases, the Death Note didn’t work because Light wrote some obscure cases in order to really test the limits of the Death Note. It’s never shown, but Light seems smart enough to actually conduct a thorough investigation, and not just an investigation based on the six cases we saw in episode four.

Still, I’m going to be anal again. Even Light notices it: what caused the coincidental meeting of Maki with Light? There’d better be a good reason for this, for obvious reasons.

Jigoku Shoujo – 29 – A Pair of Swings, Some Kunai and a Credit Card

by psgels, posted in Jigoku Shoujo

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I like the new focus of Jigoku Shoujo. Now that Tsugumi and Hajime have buggered off, it’s time for the three dolls to get a bit of depth. Each episode, one of them feels attracted to the case, and starts to investigate. Last episode, we had Ichimoku Ren, this episode, we have Hone Onna. The next episode will probably focus on Wanyuudo. I’m wondering if Enma Ai will also have such an episode.

This episode focused at the love of a teenage girl who went out of control. She’s been living right next to a guy ever since she was born. Over the years, she fell in love with him, but she was too afraid of change. Because of this fear, she just accepted that he suddenly got a girlfriend, and she actually supported him. She even gave him enough cash to fly away with her to Hawai. Her own reason for this is incredibly biased: if she confessed to the boy she loved, the two would get closer and closer together, which would eventually lead to the two of them breaking up again, and she hates to move further away from him. But, because she’s probably been watching too many soap-operas, she forgets the most important thing: if the relationship with his new girlfriend does work out right, the two of them will be moving in together at one point, and they’ll be starting a life on their own. Away from the girl.

Still, things go way differently when the girlfriend appears to be a two-timer, breaks up with the guy, and the main character makes the guy fall out of a window, two or three stories down, which kills him. Afterwards, it gets even clearer how immature this girl actually is: she wastes her afterlife for a moment of pleasure when the hears the ex-girlfriend talk bad about her ex-boyfriend (reference to Gintama 07), moves in to another apartment, and meets up with another guy who looks just like the previous one. With a bit of luck, the exact same cycle will be starting all over again. It just shows how fragile the feelings of girls like her are.

I think I’ve already said this before, but in my opinion, the power of Jigoku Shoujo comes from its formula, and its ability to deviate from this formula. Each episode, there are a few things which you know will happen. Each episode has a basic set of ingredients. But apart from these ingredients, you can see a lot of different elements, some big, mostly small. The fact that the episodes in the second season so far all ended with some kind of twist only makes this better. I really can’t get enough of these stories. ^_^

Red Garden – 04 – Awesomeness

by psgels, posted in Red Garden

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Okay, that was an amazing episode. Finally Gonzo has made a really good series. The major focus lies on Rachel, though each of the four girls gets a bit of fleshing out. The thing I really liked about this episode (and all of the other Red Garden episodes as well, by the way) is that it’s just one big chunk of atmosphere. The characters just work so great in combination with each other, and not to mention how each episode continues to flesh them out a bit. If this goes on for the rest of the series, this series can have amazing results.

Kate and Rachel are currently the ones who have the most problems with the people around them. Rachel keeps staying home, which makes her boyfriend worried, while Kate, as a member of Grace, is starting to slack off. Right now, Paula’s protecting her from the other Grace-members, but it has to end somewhere, doesn’t it? Rose actually gets distracted by all of her tasks at home, and doesn’t know that many people who’d be worried about her and Claire just doesn’t care.

Kate and Rose decide to leave school early, in order to visit Claire and Rachel, seeing as they haven’t come to school. Rachel acts like she really is dead. She starts yelling at Kate, though it does make her worried. I think that’s why she went berserk at the end of the episode. When they arrived at Claire’s hose, I was surprise how run down the building was she lives in. Clare wasn’t home, by the way, she was trying to find the mansion in which they were killed. She actually finds it, and the guy who killed them seems to have discovered her. Butterflies are preventing her from entering the mansion. The blond guy can’t see these butterflies, and he also doesn’t seem to know about them. Interesting.

I also loved the fight, at the end of the episode. It was short, but sweet, and knew exactly what its purpose was.