Thunderbolt Fantasy – 12

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Thunderbolt Fantasy

Now, we just have one episode left, but things get even more intense and crazy by the minute, to the point I don’t really know how they would wrap it up neatly. At the beginning Shang Bu Shuan was mocked by Juan Can Yun that he should be titled “Edgeless Blade”, because his sword-style is all for show and has no edge at all. The sword that Shang Bu Huan is wielding, as it turns out; is not a dull blade after all. Well, to call it a sword would be an exaggeration. He just takes a piece of wood and paints it over, because apparently if he uses a sword with sharp edge he would cut the mountain in half (just from seeing how he cuts a person in half with this piece of wood). The trick is that he’s a master of using energy flow (Qi) to form force, so even a piece of wood (or his more extreme examples: a cloth or hair) can split flesh if using the right force into it. If we put it that way it feels much more like a martials art than a swordfight, but nevertheless it remains awesome.

After this episode, I’m more convinced that Shang Bu Huan might actually been in the demon realm already. He’s already in doubts that the demon Yao Tu Li was in the demon realm, which pretty much set up nicely to the last half’s development. If the demon Yao Tu Li isn’t in the demon realm, and it has disappeared from the human realm for nearly 200 years; where has it been then? The answer is he has been sleeping under the seal of Tiang Xing Jian sword. The nature of that sacred sword is become much clearer in this episode, that sword is never meant to kill the demon god (because the demon gods can’t be killed, when it’s destroyed it’ll transform to other forms), or send them back to demon realm (because then they will cause havoc again the minutes they come back to human realm), but to put the demon to ‘eternity’ sleep. I can understand that rationale, but I doubt this is the only function that sacred sword Tiang Xing Jian can perform. I’s amused to see how this most powerful sword be handled by Shang Bu Huan (famously known as the man who doesn’t need sword). That moment will come my friends.

Now we head to the clash between demon and human, which I admit that I had never thought it would turn out that way. Xing Hai once again steals the episode’s best moments (or is it just me? I simply can’t get enough of her) as it is revealed that she goes along the plan of stealing the guard back, just so that they can release the demon Yao Tu Li. She even singlehanded strangled her partner Shou Yun Xiao to death, disrupting his plan to seal the monster back again. The most similar comparison I get about those characters are those of Baccano. In Baccano, the writer Ryougo Narita once mentioned that his characters write the plot. He thinks about how those characters would act in that specific situations, and then manage the plot accordingly. As a result, there are many characters who are more active than others, but they would never betray their set of standard. In addition, there’s always a room for those characters to breathe. I have this exact same feeling about this set of characters. They have their own over-the-top way of acting, their worldview, their philosophy and they stick to those principles till their last breath. Sha Wu Sheng the Screaming Phoenix Killer never forgets that he’s an assassin, or Xing Hai always reminds us that she’s a demon through and through.

Finally, to our master thief Lin Xue Ya, I’m amazed that even at this point (when the most fearsome demon is about to wake up), he only thinks of the way to steal from Mie Tian Hai. It comes as rather childish to me. He eventually figures out that the legendary sword Tiang Xing Jian is NOT what Mie Tian Hai treasure the most, but it is his own swordplay. He’s too proud of his skills that he thinks only the scared sword would be worthy for he to wield. As a result, Gui Niao intends to fight him, if he wins the duel then it would prove that Mie Tian Hai’s swordplay is not that extraordinary… you know, that kind of logic. But how well Gui Niao is at wielding sword? Especially that pipe-sword? Thunderbolt Fantasy is getting to an end, but there’s still plenty of tricks up its sleeve and I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei – 11-12

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei

I will be the first to admit that this season of this series disappointed me. I still stand by my word on this being better than previous seasons of the show but watching it fold out in animation has made me begin to think I was overstating just how good it really was. Though part of the problem is that Sliver Link really cannot match the level of quality of Ufotables adaptions though at times they can reach it temporarily. At the end of the series it’s clear that the budget or time constraints got too tight and sadly they ended up ruining what was to be the best moment this season had to offer. I will give credit where credit’s due as Silver Link did deliver on providing a new version of the Emiya theme. To anime only viewers this may have been a good scene but to those who have read the manga we know as to how good it’s supposed to be. The events may play out the same but how they were shown is worlds apart. You can take a quick look at chapter 23 of the Drei manga and you will likely see what I mean. You would be surprised in how a change of framing can affect a scene.

Overall the climax played out decently with naturally a Deus Ex Machina by the name of Tanaka needed to turn the tides. Bit confused on why Julian gave permission for Beatrix to vaporize both Illya and Miyu with a thunderbolt when he intends to use them as holy grails. His motives still remain unclear as well as he states that even if Illya can save Miya and the world then that’s all she will be able to save which is a bit to cryptic to pick out his true intent. Still it rather annoys me the small changes Sliver link makes that only really serve to worsen the series. For one they have always tended to cut out a bulk of the humor and treat it a bit more seriously when the manga tended to throw out jokes even at the dire points of the story. If one thing suffered in these adaptations it’s certainly the humor. They also have this strange tendency to add a big friendship speech at the end of each season that was never in the original material.

Here they have Miyu giving one to Shirou which really did feel like they added it merely to eat up some spare time. Another thing is the fanservice, I would say there was no fanservice in the manga because their most certainly definitely was but in these adaptations it really has been turned up a notch. For example this episode had a small extra scene showing Rin and Luvia in the bath for pretty much no real reason. But especially undignified with the Miyu scenes in this season as I notice a small shot in the last episode of Miyu struggling in the mud as it drags her down and they decided to add a blush to her cheeks which seems to suggest that “Yeah, she’s into this”. I am not looking too much into that, go ahead and see it yourself. I am not foolish enough to believe this show got four seasons because it’s Fate related and people were in it for the story. But can we not have some self respect here? If someone calls this show Loli porn I want to be able to deny it without hesitating to think about it.

Now there’s word that a Prisma Illya movie is in the works which actually has me intrigued. The only material left of the manga is a flashback arc with Shirou telling his story as shown by the end of this series. Quite frankly this flashback arc is the best part of the entire series and the choice to make it a movie may have been quite wise. That way they can give it the budget it needs so we don’t have a repeat of what happened here. But also this flashback arc is too short to fit into another season and if they don’t shove anime original content in it then it should fit nicely into a hour and a half or two hour movie. (The only anime original content I want in my Fate adaptations is more fight animation.) The way the flashback is structured as well makes it fairly self contained and manages to provide a satisfying climax which should serve as a great final act for the movie. All and all I approve this move but remain skeptical that Sliver Link can pull it off. I am also more than a little worried that they might try to shove in more fanservice into the story and I have made my stance on that point clear enough.

I am not really in a mood to write a review of this one so I might forgo doing it. Sorry to let down all five of you who actually care about these reviews.(Five may be a generous number) For the most part I covering this series was for my own self indulgence but even then I was surprised at just how little I could say about it. I thought I would be able to blab on and on about Fate material but as the pace slowed down I found myself with little to work with. Maybe I will be able to indulge myself with the fate material coming next year as we ain’t doe with this franchise yet. We got the heaven’s feel movies, a Prisma Illya movie and a Fate/Extra tv series coming. On that last one I couldn’t really care to be honest as the story in that game wasn’t noticeable and pretty much the only redeeming factor would be red Saber. A Fate/Apocrypha adaption would be a much better choice seeing as it’s the closest thing to what people could consider a Fate/Zero 2. Well till then people.

Mob Psycho 100 – 11

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Mob Psycho 100

Looks like I need to eat my own words as it turns out Reigan isn’t the organization’s leader but he managed to convince the guards that he was. This was definitely Reigans finest moment as he makes use of pure deception to catch everyone off guard. He has absolutely no idea what exactly is going on and yet through pure luck and his own abilities as a conman he manages to catch the espers of Claw off guard. The result is a funny yet rather impressive feats of Reigan as he demonstrating his “Special moves” such as distracting someone with a hypnosis coin and then walking up and punching them. We also get to see just how Mob met Reigan and how Reigan gives Mob the most important life lessons he needs while still being a pretty shady individual. It is rather surprising as on first impression of this series I thought he would be a character whose act would make him utterly despicable but he may have very well have earned a fanbase with this. He may be using Mob but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about Mob.

In fact he may be the very person who cares the most as the others push Mob to unleash his powers, Reigan is the one saying no. In fact even when it comes to his clients Reigan at least lets them leave happy as opposed to the other con artists trying to frame Mob. Even his view of seeing the members of Claw as children who didn’t grow up is not inaccurate. After all they are acting like Saturday morning cartoon villains with their plot to take over the world and their reliance on force instead of reason shows the level of their immaturity. Still despite Claw fighting to the death, Reigan says that there is no reason to fight and they should run. His logic is flawed in that Claw isn’t going to just leave Mob alone if he runs away from this place but he did manage to prevent Mob from using his power to kill the Claw members. Or at least…almost. Considering how the episode ended it could very well be the case that Mob will aim to outright kill them. I doubt Reigan is actually dead though as I most certainly didn’t see any blood.

Ritsu’s story arc looks to have come to a close as Mob shows him that in the same way that Ritsu looks up to him, Mob holds high respect for Ritsu’s abilities outside of Psychic powers. His character arc was handled a little haphazardly but overall this works. Other than that we get the kind of animation you would expect from this show at this point, highly fluid and dynamic. It really is shows like this that show how far animation has come. In the old days you could only expect animated fights like these from movies or the opening of an anime. Now we can actually get anime that live up to the quality of their openings. Next week looks to be the finale of the show and it certainly has turned out to be more or less the hit of an otherwise rather weak season. WIth it’s interesting animation and solid storytelling make a worthy part of ONE’s body of work. Though sadly it’s chances of a second season are not quite as certain as One Punch Mans. If anything this series shows that ONE is not a one hit wonder(Pun not intended.) and does have talent as a storyteller. His talent as an artist is more up for debate but I certainly can say the guy can tell some interesting stories.

A Closer Look: The Flowers of Evil

by SuperMario, posted in Random Anime Recommendations, Uncategorized

vlcsnap-2016-08-20-00h17m29s486

Well, after the Versus Show, how about some in-depth anime discussions this time? In this section I will talk in more details about anime/ manga that I’m passionate about. Please note that this is not an actual review. Honestly, I never truly agree with the concept of reviewing (and rating for that matters) at arts, at something we suppose to feel subjectively. If I want to review that much I’d rather be critic. But I’m not, at heart I’m an anime fan who love this medium just like you guys. This in-depth piece not only give me a deeper look at the works that cut me deeply, it’s also serve as a reminder of why I love anime in the first place.

Lately, the world of The Flowers of Evil just can’t seem to escape me, which is quite reasonable to be honest because psychological drama is always my thing. After all, one of my favourite director is Ingmar Bergman. For those who say this is a horror work: NO, it’s not. It feels more like TERROR for me, something that can happen in real life (while horror’s main intention is to scare you, period). I re-watched the anime again after its airing back in 2013, and this time I managed to read the manga to see how it all ends up. Thank god that the manga is finished so I don’t have to wait for months for the next chapters to come. Flowers of Evil is one of the best anime/manga out there to really understand the dark side of growing up, the detachment to the world they live in, the self-confusion, the teen-angst and the obsession and destructive relationships. I will discuss in details below, really whatever springs on my mind. As this is obvious a spoiler-heavy post, please read it at your own risk.

(Read More)

91 Days – 10

by AidanAK47, posted in 91 Days, Currently Watching:

As we near the end of 91 Days I have taken this time to really think over what this show has presented so far and I admit to be somewhat disappointed. Ultimately the ride has been solid and Studio Shuka have delivered on their promise of making a Mafia drama. However I cannot help but feel shortchanged by how this has played out so far. Things have certainly happened and yet despite this I think that more should have happened. Where are those mobster shootouts shown in the opening? But what I think may be the main factor for this show feeling standard is that despite this show taking it’s time I really don’t know these characters. The guy I found the most interesting died way back in episode two and since then no one left has matched his caliber. Nero is fun but since taking the mantle of the Don he has lost the playful side of his character. Avilio is an enigma from beginning to end never letting the audience into his thoughts. If this is supposed to be his journey then shouldn’t we see him change as he integrates himself into the mafia? But he’s almost always stoic, never really expressing his emotions.

This episode acted as a sendoff to Corteo who despite Avilio’s efforts to keep him alive is eventually ended by Avilio’s hand. Corteo willingly dies for Avilio’s sake and I am left to wonder. Just what did I know about this person? I understand that in a one cour series than character development is sparse and therefore spread thinly. That said I have come to realize that I really don’t know all that much about these characters. In Corteo’s case I know he’s Avilio’s childhood friend and seems generally uncomfortable with his role in the Mafia. Other than that I struggle to really say much about him. As 91 Days continues to kill off the more dynamic of the cast it’s up to the rest to pick up the slack which I don’t really feel they are capable of it. Ganzo at least is acting as a go conversation partner for Avilio to voice his opinions to but I say his time is now limited thanks to getting Corteo killed. I am betting that he’s next on the chopping block and I wonder just how he thought Avilio would react to him setting up Corteo to die. There truly is nothing standing in Avilio’s way for getting revenge so I would think he should stop messing around and start killing. I really cannot be that hard to come up with a plan to take out Nero and Vincent now. Then after getting Ganzo should be an easy feat as Avilio can blackmail him with the letter. Avilio, if you start the next episode moping around and doing nothing then I say to hell with you.

As for what happens after Corteos death is really a matter of Avilio rocking the boat. Things have calmed down and Nero isn’t planning to make any drastic moves. On top of this Avilio has earned the level of respect that Nero takes his word over the word of his right hand man who is beginning to get worried that Avilio might be stealing his position. He may be the next thing Avilio makes use of in his plans but I doubt he really needs something elaborate to take out his three targets. Please take heed that I am most certainly not calling this a bad show. But rather the premise doesn’t seem to be getting used to it’s full potential. The intent is admirable but we have plenty of build up and need some climax. Otherwise if this show goes out like a wet firework then it’s going to look lacking in hindsight. We still have to learn exactly what the 91 Days the title refers to actually is. For it doesn’t seem to me like Avilio has been with Nero for 91 Days. Perhaps the real reason Avilio was stalling his revenge was so he could meet the quota of 91 Days and not make the title rather meaningless?

Shiro no Koukoku Monogatari – Chapter 41 Review

by K-Off, posted in Shiro no Koukoku Monogatari
Shiro no Koukoku Monogatari - Chapter 41 Review
Shiro no Koukoku Monogatari – Chapter 41 Review

Beat by beat from last time, it’s pretty clear that this is the start of Meriela’ & Friends’ arc, as well as a sort of soft recap on all the central character relationships that we left behind at the capital. A potential rivalry (which I look forward to seeing) between Riede and Meriela is implied, and some loose ends are tied up on their end from the last arc. Contrary to what I thought on my chapter 40 review, the pacing doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon; a new character is introduced despite my prediction that we’d be spending more time between Lectival and Meriela before moving on with the plot. We still are, but it’s moving along a lot faster.

(Read More)

orange – 12

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Orange

For the first time orange manages to do something different narratively. The first half of this week’s episode tells the original timeline in Kakeru’s point of view, and with that we can understand more clearly about his emotional progress, at the same time gives us much more details about his Mom. In the original timeline, Kakeru hides those negative feelings from his friends, because he both doesn’t want them to be bothered so much about his own personal affairs, and moreover he doesn’t want to get hurt again. After all, what happen if after he tells them about his suicide thoughts, they just laugh it off? Or they just avoid being friend with him like a plague? So he decides to keep everything for himself and unbeknown to him creating a wall between him and his friends. When his emotions become unstable, others (Naho especially) just can’t break down that wall because frankly they have no clue to help him. That wall becomes too thick to break that he’s getting many conflicted ideas going on simultaneously: on the one hand he just wants to embrace Naho, talks to her and tells her that he needs her; but on the other hand; he acts obliviously, cutting off Naho and basically behaves like he has nothing to do with her. It’s getting painful (in both good and bad ways) to watch from time to time.

Prior to this episode, no matter how you think about it, it’s just plain cruel the way his Mom commits suicide to make Kakeru feel bad for ditching her. No one in her right mind would do that; well except Mother Gothel that is. This week brings her whole actions into light and it was much more poignant, consider how things would end up badly in the end. Although whatever she did (getting divorce, moving house, ditching his soccer bag and cleat) seems selfish at first, she actually did all that to protect Kakeru from getting hurt again. Her final message to Kakeru before she commits suicide indicates that she believed herself had become a burden to Kakeru, thus she ends her life so that she doesn’t get in his way ever again. Her thoughts of committing suicide are of course very flawed, but there’s no denying that those thoughts come from a relatable sentiment.

But as far as this Kakeru’s perspective has to offer, one thing that keeps bugging me is the lack of Ueda’s appearance. I know she’s never an important character but I get the feeling that orange itself doesn’t have high opinion of her. I was always curious to see how the relationship between Kakeru and Ueda would end up in the original timeline, but they just conveniently shrug that relationship off like nothing ever happened. At least now we know that Kakeru doesn’t technically commit suicide (he just ride a bike while his gaze was up the sky), but still his very thought that “living another day is a struggle” pretty much qualified that action as suicide attempt anyway.

While I really like the adult’s segment of orange, this time though when they discuss about the technicality of time travel again they completely lost me. I never really care about how these letters go back through time because it was right there in the premise. My logic had already been suspended upon reading that premise, so why bring it up again? To make it worse, the adult actually “figure out” how they going to send those letters back: by sending them to the sea (with the 16-year old address and hope that these letters will find their respective receivers at their precise time in their precise house, dry and clean. How did you guys even find the black holes anyway? This is just laughable underwritten, which makes me wonder why they bother to include it at all.

Our poor Naho after being dished by Kakeru last new year eve event, continues to take a role a normal guy would do; which mean to apologize even though she did nothing wrong, tries to talk to him again but the guy just basically plays hard to get at this time. She even expresses herself to walk home with him and he just walks away? Be a man, Kakeru. Behaving like a man. Now you really get on my nerve Kakeru. Now, she even confesses to him to wait until Valentine, so the long-awaited Valentine might happen after all. Now with only one episode left, how will Kakeru, Naho and the group end up after the Valentine Day? Can they really save Kakeru this time? I really hope orange can manage to pull a satisfied ending here.

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World Review – 91/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World, Reviews by AidanAK47

I will be the first to admit that this is very much a biased review as I have come to love this series very dearly and will now proceed to devour every piece of entertainment related to it that I can find until the day a second season is confirmed. The story involves a boy who is suddenly transported to a fantasy world while shopping and follows his adventure to save a girl from a gruesome fate. However what makes this different for the usual fare is that our protagonist has no magic superpowers or special abilities besides one. When he dies he returns to a point back in time and can use his new knowledge to guide things to a better outcome. With this the story follows the Subaru’s tale as he goes through time loops till the point when he can make things right. All the while dealing with the heavy psychological scars of suffering death time and time again. As you can tell Subaru is the one with the most focus and also gets the bulk of the character development for the show.

His transformation is a fascinating one which makes him one of the more interesting protagonists to come out of anime in a while. Subaru is flawed selfish character which differentiates him from the heroic white knight he wishes people to see him as. It makes him remarkably refreshing when compared to the heroes of these kinds of stories as he is unmistakably human. Subaru usually doesn’t truly fight the villains he faces but instead helps and guides those who can defeat them. The story can get quite dark as Subaru deals with some pretty heavy PTSD and a world that is outright cruel and unforgiving to a normal human being.

White Fox did a great job in bringing this story to life though the art style could be better and when compared to the animation powerhouses of Ufotable or madhouse it does fall short. But it gives the fights of the series the dynamic movement and focus to make action exhilarating. Presentation overall is marvelous and adaption of the source isn’t perfect but is pretty good nonetheless.  The music deserves special mention as the staff aimed for a more cinematic feel to the sound and it really shows. The thing that really makes the best moments of this series hit hardest is the music playing at that time. Though equal praise can go to the voice actors who just did a great job throughout.

One particular standout choice when adapting this was to on several occasions cut out the opening and ending to put in more content. As a result the opening and ending of the show is not often used but in exchange we get over an extra episodes worth of content from the series. As sparingly used as they are, the opening and ending do a decent job of showing what the show is about and the songs are serviceable. Animation remains fairly consistent throughout the run with the director compensating for what drops in quality there are with atmosphere and suitable use of still frames.

Despite my praises for this show I will admit that there are a number of things here which could not to be to anothers liking. I do adore this show but it is far from perfect and if some cannot find enjoyment in it I can at least see why. For a few examples, the main heroine of the show remains a fairly bland one dimensional character for this season and for the most part is completely overshadowed by the female cast of the series second half. As the series continues she seems to assume a role of a plot device to keep the story moving forward. Subaru’s meta jokes can be rather annoying and can grate on a viewer’s nerves. As well as Subaru’s general attitude which can border on obnoxious at times. The villains of each arc while serviceable and likeable to extent lack any real character depth and have motivations that range from gleeful sadism to just performing a job.

When a story arc of the series ends the series feels rather directionless up until the point that Subaru starts looping again. Despite the series going to great lengths to show Subaru as an average human being with no superpowers, the story still cheats and has him perform some clearly superhuman feats such as welding a club his own size with one hand and performing some ridiculous midair acrobatics. This is also the question that the story tends to veer away from is the matter of Subaru’s past and more importantly the family he left behind in his old world which is never addressed or elaborated on.

Due to the adaption cutting out material it can seem at times that Subaru is pulling solutions out of nowhere. The level of sadism the plot pushes on our protagonist can get a bit too much, particularly during the middle part of the series. This sadism is offset by the times when Subaru gets his act together and suddenly everyone is praising him which can feel disingenuous on the author’s part. Moreover even if the story does aim to go against the trends of standard Light Novel storytelling, it still does rely on standard tropes for the fountain of the cast. Therefore the cast that doesn’t get developed can be a bit run of the mill, a primary example being Beatrix who by all accounts is a pretty standard tsundere loli. Subaru also appears to be gathering a harem of girls by series end. Lastly the entirely of this 2 cour series feels only to be a prologue of a much grander story to come which at this point in time may not be animated. Yes if you dislike this series I can at least get as to why that may be but even if the reasons above are not contributing factors, the story is of a kind of love it or hate it quality.

That said if you do take a liking to it then it will have you hooked from start to finish. Re:Zero uses a lot of cliffhangers leaving you scrambling for the next episode and has a very addictive quality about it that can make episodes breeze by in what feels like minutes to the viewer. Characters may start out stereotypical but quite a number of them become absolutely lovable by the shows end. The battles in the show feel high stakes as with the nature of Subaru’s power allows the possibility that everyone can die at any given moment, giving battles a tension not seen often in stories. The cinematic feel can lead to some truly outstanding moments with the end of episode 15 being a massive high point. Re:Zero is a story that starts good, becomes very good ten episodes in and by episode fifteen it becomes great. I do think that this will be an anime to be remember and one still recommended years from now.

It ends with a fairly decent conclusion but it is true that this really needs a sequel to truly make use of the plot points brought in it’s last episodes. Even if you hate it, you must admit there is a reason this show is as popular as it is and when it comes to over excited new anime fans, which would prefer they be throwing at there friends claiming it’s is the pinnacle of anime? This? Or Sword Art Online? An anime where you have to work and suffer to earn your happy ending? Or an anime where everything is handed to you, you are praised for being super special and important for no reason? I know which of the two I prefer and I say instead of a new SAO movie we just pump out two more seasons(Or more) of this. I don’t care what needs to be done to accomplish that, get on it White Fox. Good work, keep it up, I look forward to buying the Blu-Rays and Rem is best girl. I will accept no debate on that last matter. Good day.

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World – 25

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World

Well it’s over and what a ride it was. Betelgeuse is defeated, everyone is saved and Subaru gets to confess his love to Emilia to leave the series off on a hopeful note. Only thing that would have made it better is more Rem but let us be frank, there is never enough Rem. I did wonder just how Subaru was going to stop Betelgeuse from possessing his body but the way he did it was the ultimate way to take him own. By bringing Sattella out while Betelgeuse was possessing him, he gives Betelgeuse a chance to meet the witch he so desperately loves only to have Sattella herself reject him. He’s crushed, the person he has adored and worked for all this time bashes him out of Subaru like batting away a cockroach. What little sanity Betelgeuse had left is surely gone now but what I find most interesting is the words he shouts to Subaru as he chases him in his new demonic form.

“I haven’t forgotten a single moment of all the things you did for me. Even if you have forgotten.” This words sound oh so very familiar. In fact they sound exactly like that of what Subaru said to Emilia. To a strange degree, Betelgeuse’s and Subaru’s objectives may indeed be the same. Though Subaru wishes to save and repay Emilia. While Betelgeuse wishes to save and repay Sattella. Perhaps Betelgeuse is also someone who was taken from his world and thrown into this one. He may have even had return by Death at one point as he speaks of Sattella not remembering him. Perhaps what Subaru is going through right now is some sort of rite of passage for an Archbishop of sin. Perhaps he is pride after all.

While Subaru’s intentions are for the best, I feel he is being somewhat rude to Emilia in how he planned to keep her out of this as much as possible. It goes to show that he has not got over his issues yet but it is surprising that Emilia took being deliberately removed from the equation so well. Even setting her up with the kids to insure that she didn’t do anything reckless. I seen it a bit in the last episode as well where Emilia seems disappointed in the fact that everything had already been worked out without her involvement. But it seems that any misgivings will not be addressed in this finale. As finales go this was somewhat predictable but not unwelcome as Subaru is given a last minute mission to reach emilia before the bomb he forgot about in the last run explodes. With Betelgeuse chasing after it gives Subaru a moment to shine before the end.

Particularly like that Otto redeemed himself for his actions before and even the oil he bought is put to use as Subaru uses it to set Betelgeuse on fire. Still it was interesting that Subaru kept sidestepping telling Otto what exactly was chasing them as he likely remembers what Otto did before to save his own hide. Subaru save Emilia and confesses his love to her with admittedly some words he outright stole from Rem’s confession. Got to admit that was a really scumbag move to use the words of the girl you rejected to snag the girl you wanted. But C’est la vie. They went overboard on the brightness at the end that it was near blinding but still it’s a good note to go out on.

Overall I see this a very solid ending though I do see there is those lamenting that White fox left out the full ending of Arc 3. Having spoiled myself on what exactly that is I wholeheartedly disagree as if they did go with that ending I would have had to buy a plane ticket to japan, visit White Fox and hold them at gunpoint till they made a second season. This ending at least gives Subaru a happy finale for now and while there are loose story threads at least if this turned out to be the only season of this show we get then this makes for a fitting end. Plus it’s not a filler ending so I believe White Fox can pick up right where this left off with no trouble. So we get a satisfying ending that leaves room to make a sequel so all and all I believe this to be a perfect end point for now. A second season is pretty much guaranteed considering the popularity of the series but when we get it might take a while. After all Attack on Titan is still waiting on it’s second season. For now I would like White Fox to confirm that a second season is planned. It’s highly likely but just having the confirmation would put my mind at ease. Though one thing we can take into account is just what Re:Zero’s success could mean for the industry as a whole.

Chances are that more web novel adaptations are coming our way and there’s even one about to be announced for a Knight’s & Magic web novel series.(Not confirmed but they said they have an important announcement and whenever something has an important announcement, it’s an anime.) Considering that web novel is pretty much trash that doesn’t make me too happy and this does have me concerned that an abundance of utterly terrible web novel adaptations are coming. I mean I wouldn’t turn away a Rising of the Shield Hero or Mushoku Tensei adaption but let me say if you think light novels are horribly written self indulgent power fantasies then web novels are going to be so much worse for you. I hate that a good show like this could lead to a worsening effect on the industry as a whole and thus garner unjust hatred towards this series. Let us hope that is merely pessimism speaking on my part and that doesn’t happen.

The Versus Show: Haibane Renmei vs. From the New World

by SuperMario, posted in Other:, Uncategorized

[slideshow_deploy id=’18935′]

It’s party time again. Time for another round of The Versus Show. This time though, I’m not content with limit myself with shows with the same rating so I bend the rules a bit (Heck, even though I was the one who made that rule to begin with). After all, rest assured that my utmost intention is to pick a tight matchup for you guys here. This time it’s a match between Haibane Renmei (94/100) and From the New World (90/100).

While these two shows at first seem like a weird match, there are many elements that these two shows share more than meets the eyes here. While I always consider Haibane Renmei to be bright and From the New World to be dark, this is not always the case as well, as if you would remember the last few episodes of Haibane Renmei is as dark and twisted as any From the New World’s moments. Both world depicted in the two shows is a closed society that have walls, barriers that meant to protect our group of characters, but actually hints that these barriers are meant to shield those characters away from the rest of the world. Within that society, there are many rules that should not be broken. Both series follow the group of characters with “special abilities” and how they live in their world. They share many themes together as well: how to cope with the loss of a friend, the identity of themselves, the well define but always mysterious world they inhabit (and most famously they trust the audience enough to not spill out everything, instead letting us slowly realize that world by ourselves), the notion of God; religion and the living race. Now without any further ado, let’s run them down:

Habaine Renmei

Haibane Renmei

Studio: Radix

Season: Fall 2002

Episodes: 13

Source: Other

MAL Rating: 8.08

All Rakka remembers before emerging from her cocoon is the sensation of falling. Confused, she is welcomed into this new world as one of the Haibane, a group of youth with small gray wings and bright halos. Together, they live in the Old Home on the outskirts of Grie, a quiet town where wingless, halo-less people live. (from MAL)

Psgel said in his original review:

“Haibane Renmei truly is one of the best slice-of-life series I have ever seen! It first takes four episodes of building up, introducing its unique setting and its characters, and then it waltzes the viewer down with one of the most amazing storylines, perfectly fitted for 13 episodes.

The thing is, that I’m having a lot of trouble finding anything bad to say about this series. Most series have obvious flaws, like dragging on too much, spending little time on their settings, making no sense, but Haibane seems to have done everything right. The only thing you should note is that you need to get through the first four episodes, which are nice to watch, but nowhere near as emotional as the rest of the series.”

 

Versus

 

From the New World

From the New World

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Season: Fall 2012

Episodes: 25

Source: Novel

MAL Rating: 8.53

Following a sudden outbreak of psychokinesis in 0.1% of the population, a rapid transformation swept the world. The godlike ability to manipulate matter remotely turned many power wielders to violence, inciting a long period of upheaval. Finally, after a chaotic era shaped by the rise and fall of oppressive regimes, the psychic humans were able to achieve a fragile peace by isolating their society, creating a new world bound by complex rules. In the town of Kamisu 66, 12-year-old Saki Watanabe has just awakened to her powers and is relieved to rejoin her friends—the mischievous Satoru Asahina, the shy Mamoru Itou, the cheerful Maria Akizuki, and Shun Aonuma, a mysterious boy whom Saki admires—at Sage Academy, a special school for psychics. However, unease looms as Saki begins to question the fate of those unable to awaken to their powers, and the children begin to get involved with secretive matters such as the rumored Tainted Cats said to abduct children. (from MAL)

psgels wrote that:

“It’s hard to really talk about the story without spoiling, but let’s just say that you should not think that even though there are kids in this series, it’s kid-friendly. Shin Sekai Yori is DARK. It uses a lot of build-up to get to where it’s going, but when it’s there it makes one hell of an impact. It has created this unique setting for itself, and it takes a while to set everything up, but that also makes this series quite varied in its mood. The setting has got a lot of depth to it, and the creators actually managed to pull a ton of potential out of it.

It’s definitely not a show for everyone. Let alone the dark parts, this is a show for people who are looking for something experimental. A show that isn’t afraid to trip itself up over and over for its vision. And believe me: the vision that this series has is amazing.”

 

From the New World seems to have a slightly bit of advantage, being 25 episodes and just aired from the last few years. But our blog always has had a big veteran crowd and people who watched Habaine Renmei really do love it. So I think this is a tighter match than you would think.

 

Now to the result of the last poll, while Steins;Gate had always maintained a very comfy lead, the end result here is actually tight. As of this writing, there are 191 people who anticipated (I will keep the poll open for any late-comer, so if you missed it, don’t worry). Well 54.5% to 45.5% is not bad at all, huh?

poll

As zeroyuki92 nicely summarize it: “This time I quite decisively pick Steins;Gate, though. Madoka quality overall is more balanced, and yeah S;G early part (and side arcs) is rather weak. However, the ultimate payoff of S;G is much more rewarding compared to Madoka.”

el-psy-congroo

Shout out what you think on the comment section below, and we’re welcome to any suggestion as well. The last thing that I want to stress we’re here to provide a positive atmosphere as much as possible, so please respect other reader’s comments.

That’s all for now, HAPPY VOTING!