07-Ghost – 09

by psgels, posted in 07-Ghost



You know what? Who cares about the cheese! There is good cheese and bad cheese, while most of it falls into the bad category: overblown and overly sappy drama that you just can’t take seriously. There are cases in which the cheese is meant to be overly emphasized and becomes awesome to watch because of that (any Hiroshi Watanabe-series, especially Suteki Tantei Labyrinth), and there’s a very select amount of series in which the cheese is actually played straight… and yet somehow works. And what do you know: for me, 07-Ghost turned into one such series. The bond between Teito and Mikage really was adorable, despite the sappiness of it all.

I must say that I really feared the worst when I was spoiled about how Mikage was going to reincarnate. I was ready to expect a very overdrawn death scene of his… only for him to get back to life at the last possible moment. But really, the creators handled his resurrection very well: I never expected the bugger to return as a stuffed animal-like creature. And with the church and all, the whole reincarnation fits perfectly into the setting. I’m usually very much against it when anime bring back a dead character, because it often nullifies any sort of impact that their deaths would have had, but here you can still see Mikage’s sacrifice.

And on a completely different note: the animation sure was awesome in this episode. I don’t mean that in the same way as Eden of the East, in which there was a lot of detail in just about every movement, but there were so many creative poses and camera-angles. This episode had lots of really cool shots that really made this episode a feast for the eyes.

Now that the Mikage-arc is over, I’m curious to what the rest of this series can offer. It’s really building up Ayanami as some evil overlord, but thankfully the creators fleshed him out nicely enough. In fact, I’m always waiting for the guy to make his move again, because whenever he does you can be sure that it’s going to result in a very interesting and exciting fight. As a villain, he has presence, I guess.

Rating: ** (Excellent)
As a series with a lot of emphasis on building up, the climaxes are of course very much worth it. Also, the animation direction was really good.

Shangri-La – 09

by psgels, posted in Shangri-La



Now these really are the episodes that show why this series rocks. There’s just so much going on, it’s mostly building up, and yet it’s still intriguing and compelling, it cleverly uses things from past episodes, while also progressing forward with its plot. My biggest fear was for Kuniko to go emo, but even taking that into account I have faith that she’s strong enough to pull herself past this and grow even more.

I love how at first, the tunnel Takehito and the other members of the Metal-age was used as a cute gimmick in order to keep them busy, and yet in this episode it actually became relevant to the plot again when Kuniko wanted to rescue the rest of the inmates. While it may have been a bit extreme to kill all of them off like that, it definitely made impact: with it, the creators really show that they’re not going to pull any punches and that Kuniko has been majorly underestimating her opponents.

The fight at the beginning of this episode also rocked, especially Momoko vs. Sayoko: two sadist who take on each other. It was overall a very well coordinated fight: it showed a lot of things at the same time while never staying too long at one point. If the creators can keep this up we’re in for a very good second half. I’m also interested to find out what in the next episode, Momoko’s impact on Atlas will be, including the revelation who she actually was for Mikuni.

And there was so much more going on in this episode. The revelation of what exactly Hiruko is also was awesome: it’s basically a possessed schoolgirl in Atlas. Karin also has major troubles with her own Medusa, who seems to have taken a random nap, only to awaken again in this episode, but much more aware of his surroundings, it seems.

The one issue for this series is of course going to be whether or not the series can come together in the end, but that’s of course the thing with any series with a huge setting like this one. I’ve seen quite a few people label it already with a “Gonzo Ending”, but really, are Gonzo’s endings really that notorious? I can actually recall quite a few endings from Gonzo-series that were really, really good. Of course they’ve had their shares of disappointing endings, but that’s the case with any studio. I’m actually much more wary about Bones’ Endings (rushed ones) or Sunrise ones (overly epic ones).

And on a final note: I’m liking the soundtrack of this series more and more. After Phantom, it’s definitely my favourite soundtrack of this season, and you can hear that a lot of effort went into producing it. It’s really varied and every piece seems to be different and complements the series perfectly.

Rating: **
Really well told episode: there’s always something going on but nothing dragged or rushed.

Konnichiwa Anne – 09

by psgels, posted in Konnichiwa Anne



What an awesome, awesome series. This episode yet again convinces me that this show indeed is my favourite show this season, even taking epics as Phantom and Cross Game into account. This series did EXACTLY what I hoped it to do. The original series was an absolute masterpiece in terms of characterization, but it lacked one thing: conflict. It would really have been able blow its audience away if it was a bit more dramatic and bitter-sweet. And even though that lack of conflict was also part of the original series’ charm, Konnichiwa Anne is currently showing how incredible it could have been if that extra bit of drama was included. While it’s of course not as solidly produced as the original series, the creators managed to really capture what makes a Lucy Maud Montgomery-adaptation so incredibly charming.

We start the episode when Bert’s asleep after wrecking half the house, and Anne is hiding scared in her bed from what he did to Katie Morris. When Johanna wakes up and sees the mess he created, she breaks down and asks him why he started drinking again. Anne meanwhile fins out that Katie Morris didn’t die, and Bert wakes up to tell Johanna that he got fired, and walks to his shed again leaving Johanna crying.

Johanna tries to distract herself by cleaning up the glass for the next morning, to prevent Horace and Edward from walking on it, and is surprised that the two of them slept through everything. The next morning, the two of them find out that Bert has been fired, and get happy thinking that they can spend a lot of time with their dad, but Johanna quickly yells at them that this also means that they’re not going to be able to afford food and oil for light.

Johanna then says to Anne that she should prepare to leave as well, just in case things become too hard for Johanna to even sustain her own family. Meanwhile at the station Mrs. Minton yells angrily at Bert’s former boss who fired him, and she’s very angry that they didn’t just dupe Bert, but also put his wife and children in a very bad situation. The then blackmails the station owner into giving Bert a new job (she once gave him money in order to reach his position).

Minton then arrives at Johanna’s house and asks to talk with Bert. She immediately notices the stench of alcohol, and it turns out that he’s been drinking despite their huge money problems. She tells him that he isn’t going to be able to find any work anymore in his town. When Bert laughs it off, she tells him that he shouldn’t take this so lightly and that it was his own fault that that happened. She then comes with the good news: in Marysville she managed to find a job for him. Bert looks down a bit in his surprise. Minton however does make him swear to not touch alcohol again. Bert really doesn’t know what to say to thank her, and Minton says that he should be thanking Anne: she is the reason why Minton bothered to find this job for him in the first place.

Since there is no time to lose, Bert walks into the house with the message that they’re going to leave the house and move to Marysville because he managed to find a new job there and wants to start as soon as possible. Johanna is overwhelmed, to say the least, and worries how she’s going to move three small children in such a short time, but at the same time she’s very glad that there’s some sort of solution. When Johanna’s away, the boys start joking again at how Anne is going to be left behind, taking Johanna’s words of that day before a bit too literally, although these words hurt Anne a lot.

That afternoon, Anne is still wondering whether she’s going to say goodbye to Katie. Then, an interesting guest arrives: Bertha’s former friend: Jessie. It’s been six years since the two of them saw each other for the last time. She mentions how Bertha was such a nice person, just as Walter. She then notices Katie Morris, and as it turns out it turns out to be a bookcase precious to Bertha. They used it often to read books in front of Anne, and it was often used. Unfortunately, Bert sold all of the books for money when they died and he took it over. Jessie then comes with the real reason she dropped by: she’s willing to adopt Anne and give her a proper home and education. Her own daughter had just died when Bertha passed away, so she didn’t have the courage to take over Anne, but now she’s different and has the confidence to raise her. Johanna however, declines. She’s been raising Anne for the past six years now, and they’ve grown dependant on each other. he’s not going to hand Anne over that easily.

While Bert is breaking up stuff in order to make it fit on the carriage more easily, Anne asks him (nearly in tears) whether she’s going to stay behind as well. Bert gets a bit shocked by that, but then reassures Anne that she’s going along with them. Johanna meanwhile sends Jessie away without letting her see Anne. Thanks to a foreshadowing narrator, we now know that this is something that she never managed to forgive herself.

The next day, the move happens. On the way, they tun into Minton and she says a few words to Anne before they go away, and the two of them say goodbye for now. The road to Marysville is a snowy one, but Anne while sad on one side for having to say goodbye to the place where she grew up, but on the other side she’s happy that she wasn’t cast aside and looks forward to her new home.

Well, there you have the irony: just think how differently Anne would have grown up if she was taken care by Jessie: she would have had a loving family and she’d never have met the Cuthberts at all. Both this series and the original Akage no Anne had these moments in which a character was forced to make a choice that would have a major impact on how they would lead the rest of their lives: Matilda when she decided to adopt Anne, Anne when she had to go to college, Elisa when she was asked to go to London and now again, with Johanna who had to choose whether or not to give Anne a better future.

And it really was one heck of a selfish decision: simply because she needed Anne’s help she denied Anne a chance for a better future and good education. But the sad thing is that we know that eventually, she’s going to be forced to really let go of Anne. Right now, Bert is saved, but the problems have nowhere near ended at this point. If Bert makes another miss, he’ll really be screwed.

Rating: *** (Awesome)
Bittersweet aftermath of the previous episode. There were so many pure emotions in just 20 minutes.

Natsu no Arashi – 09

by psgels, posted in Natsu no Arashi



I must say that my big fear for this series would be its conclusion. This show has already proven that it’s good, but even good shows have a hard time with their conclusions (take Kurenai for example). This is a series about the past, and how it can influence the present, but that black-haired woman was really being set up as your stereotypical evil villain. This episode only fueled my suspicions when they portrayed her even more like some overused bad guy who was planning to kidnap Arashi and use her powers in order to help a loved one of her. Yawn. Been there, done that, and it completely doesn’t fit in with the rest of the themes.

Or so I thought…

The end of this episode really pleasantly surprised me.I never imagined that that woman would actually be a grown up version of Arashi! Now this really puts things into a different perspective that’s totally in line with what the rest of the series has built up for. Especially this episode spent a lot of time talking about time paradoxes, which is exactly what happened at the end of this episode. It was some clever foreshadowing that at the same time you really recognize unless you’ve seen the rest of the episode. Especially since they used a rotten fish as example.

So yeah, this episode rocked. There was a lot of talking in it, but it did exactly what it was supposed to: delve into the details of time travelling. This really allows the series to go in-depth into its setting, rather than compared to series with relatively little dialogue. This is also why I’m such a big fan of series with lots and lots of dialogue. On top of that, we also got some very nice development between Arashi and Hajime, which is always welcome. That hug/kiss scene worked really well.

I’m also intrigued by that scar on the bar table. It just keeps returning over and over, and there’s always someone who’s trying to clean it. The obvious meaning is symbolism: no matter how hard you try, that past ain’t gonna erase itself. And yet I have a feeling that there’s more to it. I have no bloody idea how the creators are going to do it, but something is telling me that the origin of that scar is going to be central to the plot.

Rating: ** (Excellent)
Great HajimexArashi chemistry, nice surprises, the beginning of the end that is promising to be very exciting.

Guin Saga – 09

by psgels, posted in Guin Saga



Aah! This show so badly deserves better animation! Having Satelight as the animation production company is both a bliss and a curse: the graphics sure look imposing. The designs for this series are absolutely beautiful, but the animation is just incredibly messy and full of cut corners and very obviously rushed. What a bloody shame, because this series really deserves to look beautiful.

As for the rest of this episode: Guin Saga yet again showed that it excels at detailing and describing all sorts of different cultures and people. This episode gives a proper introduction to the giant people that Guin went after, and again a lot of imagination went into designing these people. Standalone, they’re a bit stereotypical, but when put in context with the rest of the series they fit so well. With such a huge cast, this series has already shown that it isn’t the best at characterization: for Guin Saga it’s really the bigger picture that makes it stand out.

This episode also shows Istvan’s part of Guin’s plan come to fruition as he successfully manages to kill off one of the major generals from the Mongols. It’s also interesting how he never seemed to take his mission personally, and actually came to like Marius before he killed him off. It’s good to run into a series that doesn’t have the “I can’t kill him! He’s my friend”-mentality.

Rating: * (Good)
Sub-par animation, but that’s not stopping this series from delivering a fantasy-epic.

Full Metal Alchemist – Botherhood – 09

by psgels, posted in Full Metal Alchemist - Brotherhood



Yeah, this episode proves it: the creators really were trying to rush through the first bunch of chapters for the sake of those who already watched the first series. This episode was much slower paced than the previous eight episodes, and it allowed for a lot of time to flesh out the characters. For once we have an episode without action that instead focuses on characters, and although quite a few parts of this episode did return in the anime at one point, it was an enjoyable episode.

The comedy was a bit overkill, though. It was definitely funny, but some of the jokes missed the mark; especially the ones in which Ed started yelling. Energetic jokes don’t suit this series: its humour is at its best when it’s subtle, not when the characters are jumping around and yelling like a bunch of overexcitable teenagers.

One big issue that was solved pretty fast was Al’s doubts about Ed’s intentions. If I recall correctly, in the original series it took him tens of episodes of emo-ing before he spoke up his mind, though here they managed to set their differences within an episode. It’s two different approaches which both make sense in their context. My only complaint about the way it was handled in the original series was that Al’s development wasn’t really moving in the time he was wondering whether he was brainwashed by Ed.

There was also a nice Easter-egg when Izumi and Sig Curtis walked past in the train station. That’s the second time that we see familiar faces at a train station, so perhaps it’s going to be used in the future again.

Another big difference with the first season is that the Humonculi don’t seem to want anyone to find out about the philosopher’s stone. They seemed to be using Lior in order to track down the idiots who were searching for it, kept track on them and whenever they’d get too close they seem to be destroying the evidence that was left. Their motive in the original series was to become human, but I don’t think that that’s their intention here.

Rating: (Enjoyable)
While the comedy didn’t always work, the new parts of this episode were pretty good.

Cross Game – 09

by psgels, posted in Cross Game



Oh, I must say that after watching the first season of Major, it’s so delightfully refreshing to watch another baseball match in which the lead pitcher isn’t god-moded beyond belief. This episode showed the very first baseball match of this season (a practice match between the good team and the bad team), and I must say that I’m very surprised.

I really was convinced that Kou was hiding some sort of superhuman abilities, but at this point he’s actually worse than Aoba. The thing with him is that he’s got a lot of uncontrolled power, and he lacks a lot of experience when compared to Aoba, who really knows every single detail about the sport (and also shows this in this episode, detailing exactly what the weaknesses are for every player in the opposing team. This power does make him a very good hitter, though, but even with that I may be wrong, since all he did was hitting a home-run off Senda. He has yet to prove himself in front of a real pitcher.

I also love how Senda actually proved to be useful in this episode. From the outside he looks a lot like your typical idiot, but unlike most series who just use characters like him for comedy, he does have his points where he’s useful, and is actually a pretty good short stop. In terms of tactics, this series really pays very detailed attention to every character’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s very ironic how this series looks so childish and simple, and yet it yet again establishes itself as the smartest series of the season.

One thing that I really hope now is to see Aoba in action again. She really showed her experience in this episode despite being so young, and it’d be a real shame if from now on she’d just watch behind the sidelines to see Kou pitch, improve himself and get his power under control. It’s in these cases a huge shame that there also isn’t a girl’s team at the high school.

Rating: ** (Excellent)
First match of the series, and it delivers.

May Summary

by psgels, posted in Monthly Summaries

My opinion on this season? Awesome. It really is one of the best seasons we’ve had in years, and especially the series I’ve been blogging haven’t disappointed at all so far. This season is especially excels in characters: there are lots of series with excellent characterizations and that make use of lots of quiet moment in order to flesh out their cast. A lot of the series this season are slow paced, but there are also some roller-coaster rides among them and overall, I’m very satisfied. I’m not sure whether this correlates to an almost complete lack of series from the mecha-genre (apart from two shows, but those are either so delightfully different from all of the mecha-series that we’ve been seeing for the past years, and/or know that they’re not supposed to be taken 100% seriously).

Rankings, like last month are a bit strange again, I basically tried to generate the rankings for each show, compared to the others that are currently airing. Say, for example that Show A has a really good setting, and there are only a few other shows with a better setting, it’s going to rank higher than if there are many shows with excellent settings, and vice versa. I know that it’s a bit weird, but for some reason it does more accurately reflect my feelings about the shows this season.

#25 (31) – Higepiyo – (6,75/10) – I dropped this show after episode six or something. It’s a shame that the only gimmick this show really had was the moustache. Apart from that it’s just been reusing its jokes over and over again.
#24 (20) – Koukaku no Regios – (7,5/10) – Okay, so the finale has finally started. This is the point where everything is supposed to come together, and sure enough: the characters are developing quite nicely… If only the plot knew where it wanted to go. For some reason the filth monsters have suddenly become incredibly weak, characters are conveniently zapped from one place to the other without much explanation, there are lots of pacing issues and with all the build-up of the rest of the series, it still feels like things haven’t been built up and introduced well enough. I hope that the finale can prevent this series from becoming a true disappointment, but things aren’t looking good.
#23 (11) – Kurokami the Animation – (7/10) – Aah! Sunrise, what are you doing?! There was a lot of potential going for this series once it hit its second half, but this month completely raped any potential this series had left. The way Keita came back to life without any explanation whatsoever, combined with a truckload full of other badly planned Deus ex Machina completely destroyed all the credibility this series had going for it. The final nail in the coffin for this thing was Reishin’s comeback, including his complete loss of any kind of personality whatsoever. Reishin’s background and the explanation why he became the bad guy was also laughable at best.
#22 (25) – Saki – (7,75/10) – You know, this series would have been much better if the creators actually knew a DAMN THING about Mah-jong. Right now, the matches are all “ooh look at how incredibly strong she is!” and “wow she’s even stronger”. There’s too much moe, there’s too much fanservice, but I have yet to drop this series because the characters do remain charming.
#21 (18) – Valkyria Chronicles – (7,5/10) – I’m still looking for a reason to continue watching this series, because it’s getting duller and duller now that some sort of generic ancient civilization of the Valkyrians has been introduced. Seriously, Guin Saga is currently doing just about everything better than this series is.
#20 (13) – Sengoku Basara – (7,75/10) – I want to like this series, but something is stopping me from it. My impression is that it’s in a bit of an identity crisis: it keeps hopping back and forth between GAR and epic manliness and historical politically correct warfare, but it doesn’t succeed in bringing out the best in either of them and they seem to be working against each other, rather than complementing.This really isn’t the best GAR series this season, and for historical warfare in feudal Japan we have Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto which has done a much better job at that, so I’m running out of things to recommend this series for.
#19 (19) – Chi’s New Address – (8,25/10) – There’s a really big difference with the first season now that Chi no longer has to stay in the house, but it’s still a really funny comedy. Right now the creators are introducing all sorts of interesting characters (I especially loved the return of the pet shop saleswoman) and Chi really is as lovable as ever.
#18 (new) – Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – (8/10) – Well, it’s pretty much what I remember it to be: whenever Haruhi opened her mouth I wanted to punch the screen, but as soon as that annoyance left and the focus returned back to Kyon, Mikuru and Yuki it suddenly got a lot more interesting. I’m glad to see that this show hasn’t lost its wit yet. Now if only the fan-base would get less annoying and overwhelming.
#17 (22) – Gintama – (8,25/10) – Now this is more like it! I’m not sure what exactly happened, but this month Gintama showed that it most definitely can continue on with its new director, and that the guy can actually be funny and compelling. While still nowhere as good as it once was, the past few episodes released on fansubs have been a large step into the right direction.
#16 (16) – Shin Mazinger Shougenki! Z-Hen – (8,5/10) – Now this is pure entertainment! I really have a weakness for that retro cheese, but the new Mazinger is shaping up to be a really enjoyable series that tries just about everything to make an as big spectacle as possible, without falling into the same pitfalls as the likes of Code Geass by sacrificing solid storytelling for entertainment. I especially like how the creators seem to realize that mecha-battles alone are boring, so they made sure that most of the action happens outside of Mazinger, while they still keep Mazinger central to the plot by simply making him god-like whenever he gets the chance (not often) to show his awesome powers.
#15 (10) – Hetalia Axis Powers – (8,5/10) – There really is just one word needed to describe this series: brilliant. I especially love it when this series starts messing with cultural differences (especially the “in heaven” and “in hell”-songs were priceless), and I still find it a bloody shame that the Netherlands isn’t a character that’s made fun of.
#14 (12) – Marie & Gali – (8,5/10) – Oh, this series doesn’t make one iota of sense, but I like it so much. Every episode, there’s just so much weirdness going on, and I absolutely love the huge amount of creativity that the creators have. I’m glad to see that this show doesn’t seem to be ending after only thirteen episodes, because that’s just too little in order to show everything about this very strange setting in which Marie Curie bakes radioactive cookies and Newton is in love with apples.
#13 (14) – 07-Ghost – (8,25/10) – 07-Ghost has been a very strange beast. Unlike some other shows this season, it doesn’t have something it stands out in particular. It’s not the most ambitious series, its setting is on purpose kept very small, fillers are used to flesh out the characters. But what it does, it does very well. The characters are very enjoyable to watch and especially the fights and battles are very well coordinated and written, with just enough dialogue and just enough action without any of the two getting in the other’s way.
#12 (21) – Full Metal Alchemist – Brotherhood – (8,5/10) – In eight episodes, this show did what the original series took more than 21. Still, I already like it much better than the original series: the comedy and action mix well, there’s always something going on and the characterization is just so much better. Now that the two series are finally about to diverge from each other, I’m interested to see where the creators can take this.
#11 (5) – Guin Saga – (8,5/10) – Now that this series has also included medieval warfare between large armies, it really has caught my attention. About the only downside to this show is the really inconsistent animation (which really needs to be top-notch with this kind of series), but the whole setting, Guin, the enemy Mongols. Everything is compelling to watch further, despite the slow pacing.

#10 (3) – Pandora Hearts – (8,5/10)

Not as good as the previous month, but still an excellent series with great chemistry between the three lead characters. It’s obviously building up right now, so I’m eagerly waiting what it’s planning to do with the rest of the series, considering the creativity that it has already shown us. I just hope that the bit of the cheese shown in a few episodes between Oz and Raven isn’t going to return.

#9 (8) – Basquash! – (8,5/10)

Ah, Basquash. I’m still amazed at how behind the childish characters, weird fanservice and weird plot, there’s a surprisingly deep story lying. The characters are very well written and enjoyable to watch, though the fanservice can become a bit too overwhelming at times.

#8 (7) – Ristorante Paradiso – (8,5/10)

It’s interesting how all of the characters seem to have their own issues in the past, and yet this remains such a charming and quiet slice of life series. At the moment, the characters are getting fleshed out really well, and it’s enough to just watch this series for the characters and their daily lives, spiced up with a bit of their pasts. I felt like I really got to know these people.

#7 (15) – Hajime no Ippo – (8,75/10)

Now this is more like it. The Brian Hawk-arc took a long while to build up, but it’s been SO intense so far. Especially after the fighting started, I just can’t wait until that next episode gets released.

#6 (6) – Natsu no Arashi – (8,75/10)

This show has really proven a great execution, with a very nice combination between comedy episodes and serious ones, which both deliver in their own way to the main storyline. The comedy-episodes are really hilarious (thanks to Jun), and really: at the beginning of the show, did anyone expect to see the characters standing amidst a sea of fire in the midst of World War II?

#5 (1) – Eden of the East – (8,75/10)

Well, so while this show isn’t the best of the season anymore, it still is rock-solid with believable and likable characters. This month was mostly used for building up, though my one gripe is that it’s going to be such a long wait until the movie is going to come with all of the answers.

#4 (17) – Shangri-La – (8,75/10)

At first sight it’s stupid, silly and very incoherent, but as it turns out Shangri-la has much, much more to offer than just that. It’s a clever, compelling and confronting series with a lot of creativity in the story-writing. Every one or two episodes, the mood, themes and atmosphere completely change when the focus falls on something different, while the series still remains strong as a whole. Definitely one of the dark horses of the season.

#3 (2) – Cross Game – (9/10)

Possibly the smartest series of the entire season. This series has wit, but more importantly it has such a lovable cast of characters. Everyone is simply compelling in their actions, antics and development, and this series is just a must-watch for any slice of life fans, even those who have nothing with baseball.

#2 (4) – Phantom – (9,25/10)

What a fantastically subtle characterization of the lead couple. This series without a doubt stands among the top of this season and is definitely recommended if you’re looking for deep and well developed characters (and it’s only been nine episodes so far). This has a really good chance of becoming Bee-Train’s best series after .Hack//Sign.

#1 (9) – Konnichiwa Anne – (9,25/10)

After the first two episodes, I never expected that right now this series would already have been as good as it has shown now. You’d expect that in these first few months, this series would be quiet and nothing much would happen, but instead EVERY SINGLE episode has been awesome this month, ranging from Elisa leaving the house to childbirth to Ben’s drinking problems. There’s always something to make something special out of this series. And what a bittersweet series it has turned into!

Phantom – 09

by psgels, posted in Phantom



With this episode, Phantom yet again proves that it’s one of the top shows this season. It’s much quieter than the previous episode, and yet there was so much growth in Ein an Zwei’s character(or should I say, Reiji and Helen’s). Especially the conversations between Reiji and Helen were utterly astonishing. The creators have got such a great feeling for their characters.

Helen, who has so far only worked for Scythe, and only lived for the guy finally realizes that there is someone else who cares for her. It must have been a complete shock for her to learn how far Reiji is willing to go for her, even to the point of throwing his entire past away. It turns out that the only reason she appeared so strong in front of Reiji was because Scythe ordered her to.

I was also really surprised at how early Scythe managed to find Helen, and how easily Inferno tracked down Reiji and that they showed hardly any mercy to them. Reiji got punched over and over in order to get information out of him, while who knows what happened to Helen after Scythe found her. The next episode should prove to be yet another treat. There’s no doubt that Reiji is going to succeed in killing Scythe, but just imagine what kind of effect that would have on Helen. I can’t wait!

Rating: ** (Excellent)
A very quiet episode, but Reiji and Helen made it worth every single second.

Basquash! – 09

by psgels, posted in Basquash!



This series is weird. Really weird. This episode again: it’s one of these episodes that’s not supposed to be good… and yet it is.

To give a quick summary: this episode had a hot spring sequence, including the girls comparing each other’ breast sizes. The three idols turn out to be able to play basketball. They challenge Team Basquash for a match. Then one of the idols accidentally bumps into Dan and the two fall in love, while one of the other idols falls in love with Iceman. Later this episode, our little princess (still pretending to be a guy) professes herself as one of the idol group’s top fans and starts singing while the rest plays basketball. I have truly lost count of the amount of fanservice clichés that this episode used.

I’m still not exactly sure why I didn’t hate this episode. Perhaps it was the fact that at this point you’d really expect crazy things like this from this series, Perhaps it was that point at which Pink Idol (I’m too lazy right now to look up their names) got hit by one of Iceman’s crazy Destroys, started crying like a little girl, and Dan completely forgot about his embarrassments and the game because it reminded him of Coco’s accident.

But yeah, I should have seen it coming that Dan would end up as a couple with Pink Idol, with Shoji Kawamori as the chief director and all. Still, in this case it’s a pretty fresh concept, since for once we don’t have a shounen lead falling in love with one of the lead females. But yeah, on the other side the inclusion of idols of course pretty much fits with the themes of this series: this is a series about fandom, and of course idols have their completely different fandom when compared to the basketball players like Dan.

Rating: (Enjoyable)
Fanservice, fanservice and more fanservice… and surprisingly fresh romance.