Tag: episode 9

Scum’s Wish – 09 [Butterfly Swimmer]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Scum's Wish

Wah, a clean cut breakup of a messy relationship, somethings I didn’t expect Scum’s Wish could ever address, let alone pulled it off. At this point, the show starts to untie its knots, one at a time (actually this episode does that with 2 relationships. Killing 2 birds in one stone as they say). Following the rejection last week from her crush Narumi, and that Mugi never showed up to the meeting place like he promised (is there any feeling that worse than being rejected? Hell yeah, it’s the feeling of being cheated on), so it’s very natural of Hanabi to escape from her terrible emotional state for a little trip with Ecchan alone, except they AREN’T alone. Ecchan’s cousin Atsuya shows up out of nowhere to keep an eye on Ecchan, which of course pissed Ecchan off. She wants to take this opportunity to make Hanabi her and her alone.

The most interesting aspect of this relationship is the yuri sex how both of them feeling guilty about using the other party for their own benefits, which in a way they’re both right. Ecchan loves Hanabi but understands deep down that the girl doesn’t love her back, so she uses every means necessary to grasp as much as she could. Hanabi, on the other hand, feels that she’s using her best friend to escape from her own pains, using someone’s love and attention for her gains. Both of them know it won’t end well. Both of them don’t want it to end though because they still need each other. Their first days on the trip, especially their night spent together and the next day’s shopping together, are their relationship in its most flourish. We could see all the brightest aspects of their bonding: honestly clinging to each other without being afraid of others, sharing physical intimacy together (which, on a serious note I think it’s important for every love relationship), and most of all having fun together (Hanabi even noticed it’s one of the rare times she sees Ecchan enjoying herself).

But all *good* things come to an end, naturally. Atsuya is the man of reason both for Ecchan and for Hanabi (no, still think his role is way too forceful). He questions Hanabi on what she truly feels about Ecchan, in which she hesitates to answer. That is the core issues of why this relationship will never work out: Hanabi still sees Ecchan as a dear friend, and Ecchan clearly doesn’t want to be back as friend again with her. There’s a line you mustn’t cross as friends because once you did, it’s extremely hard to revert back and it’s all pain in the process. Ecchan now ascertains that Hanabi would never love her back, so she decides to make one hell of a decision: to cut Hanabi loose by herself. The show handles their biggest emotional standoff with steady execution, splitting it up into two emotionally-heavy back-to-back sequences: Ecchan letting Hanabi go in a house and they letting their emotions all out in the rain. Hanabi tells her exactly how she feels (which is important, the cast of Scum’s Wish have a great sense of self-awareness but never be able to say it aloud) and wish that they could become friends again, be it as long as it takes. That’s hardly ideal for Ecchan, but she settles for it because it’s the most optimistic outcome they could ever reached.

While I did say that Scum’s Wish handled those two sequences quite emotionally honest and effectively, judging those sequences as a whole, it doesn’t work out well. The abrupted transition between two scenes is jarring, and because they don’t carry the same pace (quiet from the first to outburst from the second), it takes you right out of the scene. Moreover, from what I understand about those characters and the messy situations they’re currently in, the end of this relationship still seems very easy for me. Yup, they know they’re in a destructive relationship already, but with this kind of relationship, it would take a huge catalyst in order to break them off. This trip just isn’t big enough to actually change their current status, and as I said earlier Atsuya is very awkward in this whole situation, making not only Hanabi and Ecchan, but us feeling awkward as well. Ecchan told him she might try trusting him, but remember he’s also an one-side dreamy lover who just wish to obtain the love that he can’t possibly have? I honestly don’t know how to feel about this guy and I have my doubts that the creator knows exactly how to feel about him either.

Lastly, Moca surprisingly steals her scene in a little time she got this episode. Putting off her princess persona that she had always carried, we see Moca literally woofing down the bread (and her expression is awesome) and be much more expressive and honest than her past self. She meets Hanabi again but this time, it’s Moca who brushes the other girl off and walks confidently ahead. After all, she’s the least involved in this mess, hence she’s the quickest to actually learn her lesson and move on. Moca, unlike Atsuya, is a well-written character for this show. Now, as Hanabi’s love thread is over, it’s time for us to move on to the other love affair next week, starting with the teacher home visit – without the parents of course, what show do you think we get in for?

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. – 09 [A Graceful Black Adder Bears It’s Fangs]

by SuperMario, posted in ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept., Currently Watching:

We have another solid slow-burning episode this week, which is… Goddamnit ACCA, you just can’t do that at this late in the game, especially when the last two episodes had raised the stakes extremely well. This is the stage where the climax starts to kick in, but instead we still stuck in the building-up stage of Jean continuing to audit other districts and the coming coup is… well, still coming. It feels like you’re having a second course dish and then revert back to have an entree again. No, I’m not settled for only this. The main development of this episode is of course the (near) assassination of Lotta, which actually pull lots of supporting characters into the motion now, and all of them shine in their own ways. First, Prince Schwan proves everyone (including us) that he’s far more ruthless and calculated than us credit him for. He actually manipulated the first princess to send assassins to kill the siblings without touching his hands in any of this. Quite impressive I must say. But Magie, in even more-awesome move, decides to seek help from his sandwich bread buddy (further demonstrate that friends who share the same enthusiasm will go a long way, in this case, bread and blonde girl).

Rail, takes this rare chance to be with Lotta and acts like her bodyguard, which failed miserably. But never mind. Not only he’s able to share many heart-throbbing moments with Lotta (those moments to die for), but also now they share a secret together. Lotta, in the meantime, being wide eyes from the entirety of the chase and still wondering what the hell is going on (what big eyes she got), but when she hears the secret, she takes the news surprisingly well just like her brother (must run in their blood, huh?). I am completely taken aback by how incompetent bunch the assassins are, not only they spilled cheap “exposition”, which they have no right to know to begin with; they made the chase as obvious to the public eyes as ever; and moreover couldn’t do their goddamn job right. But this strange turn of events of Chief Owl suddenly appear to save Lotta a day further reaffirm my suspicion of him being Abend (like hell he just happened to run into that car). Put aside the practical fact that his age suited Abend’s actual age the most, his position as chief of ACCA allow him to be close enough to watch over Jean and Lotta, and his conditions that make him just stay in one place is so convenient for both him to stay within the shadow, and for Jean to go by himself to the districts for auditing. Now, he’s gotten more active roles into this story so it’s interesting to see if he’s truly the one pulling Nino from behind the scene.

And talking about pulling behind the scene, we got a twist that none of us see coming, which change the tides of the situation considerably. Yep, I’m talking about Grossular is being manipulated Lilium, which my guess for now it has to do with the train wreck that killed Jean’s parents. Before that though, Grossular put his cards on the table in his 5 ACCA chiefs meeting- he created the rumors, put Jean into the middle of it to see the reactions of each district towards the creating the coup and now deciding that it’s time for the freaking coup. Now we have an idea of the significance of the cigarettes Jean received from each district, it’s the unofficial “vote” to support Jean as the coup leader. But how much of what he said is true? The direction Lilium and Grossular want the others to head in is the battle between ACCA and the coming royal authority (after all the Prince make himself crystal clear to destroy ACCA as soon as he’s in charge). Those conflicts really put Jean into an interesting position now. He knows exactly the situation he’s currently in; but which ship will he be on and what decision will he make remain a fascinating question. Will he be a leader of the expected coup and take the reign? Will he put behind all the nonsense to do his own thing? Where will Mauve fit in in this big picture? One thing we know for sure though, no matter which road he make, it will be a game-changer.

On last notes, the two districts Jean visited this time are again brimming with personalities and unique details. The port district Peshi was also responsible for the train accidents along with Rokkosu, and it was the place where Jean’s mother “supposedly” drowned here. Looking at the second princess statue that look over the port, I can really feel the sadness from Jean now that he knows the story behind it all. Yakkara, the most healthy district, is Las Vegas-inspired with casino in sight and neon-lighting and night life. I still wish the show have some time to explore more about each district. But to rub salt into the wound, the show temporarily abandoned many of its better variations in service for the plot. I mean, where the hell are the hot breads and desserts this week? Where the heck is Nino? I know he goes hiding from Jean but that doesn’t mean he needs to go hiding from us too. All the events move up quite steady and the big picture starts to form now, but I am still a bit disappointed, especially after the extravaganza from the last two weeks I won’t settle for this slow burn anymore.

3-gatsu no Lion – 10 [Something Given part 1 – part 2]

by SuperMario, posted in 3-gatsu no Lion, Currently Watching:

The lion is roaring loud this week, both figuratively as the show comes back strong after an unremarkable episode last week, and narratively as this is the first time we see Rei breaks down and screams out loud. I have always enjoyed Shaft’s deliberate pacing for this show, not only because the material is slow-burn in nature, but this pacing really demands us not to look away from the Rei’s raw emotions. Whenever he’s alone, he is in deep, dark and depressing thoughts that if the show rushes over those inner feelings, those emotions can become lousy. Even when Shaft decides to take extra time focus on “nothing happened” sequences like Rei riding train or the match of him and Mr. Yasui; which you can easily tell that part wasn’t in the manga (beautiful score by the way); they nail the mood so right that we can feel the feeling Rei has going to the match. While the way Shaft sometimes focus on quick cuts of extreme close-up shots is somewhat questionable, the pacing is one of those parts that Shaft actually improves on its source material. I’m quite satisfied knowing that the show is in good hands.

Man, that looks from those kids really kill me. For those kids at that time shogi means acceptance from their father so it’s very understandable that those kids were hurt. You can blame the father for being so insensitive but I can understand his point of view. Usually the parent only wishes for one of their child to follow their footstep, and out of the three children obviously Rei fits the bill the most. That’s also the reason he wanted Kyouko to quit shogi. After all, there are many other things outside of shogi they can try out and be good at, right? He certainly undermined the feeling of his own children but I wouldn’t blame him for that. Speaking of Kyouko, she backs again too soon this week to gives Rei another hell. Her own ambiguous relationship towards Rei is one of the show’s rawest and most complicated one. I take that there are two things from Rei that she despites him the most: the fact the he became a member of her family (“you took someone else’s father”. Man, that’s harsh) and his shogi, so when it comes to those two things, she’s as dangerous as a snake and willing to hurt Rei because his very presence hurt her. The hatred becomes too deep that she abused him when they were living together. But I also sense as she growing up now she grows to care for Rei, although just a little bit. After all, many of her little actions suggests that: she fixes the scarf for Rei and came to his apartment to check on his well-being. It seems like her real intention for her venomous talk is not for Rei to lose (she knows Rei’s talent too well), but for Rei to feel guilty if he wins. Every step he walks forward to the path of shogi, she makes sure that Rei FEELS the bones and fleshes of those sacrifices that paved up the path.

The story this week is about Mr. Yasui, who normally a modest guy but when he loses he goes berserk. Unlike the happy ending last week, this time Rei could not improve the situation: it’s his last Christmas with his daughter, but if he loses it mean he’d be in bad mood and really Rei had nothing to do about it. It’s interesting to see Mr. Yasui’s personality through the shogi play, as at first he was composed because he didn’t want to lose, but with one mistake he basically gave up the game. Things never work out the way we want and I’m glad that there is no happy ending for this episode. Actually, when I think back of last episode, the outcome of Mr. Maysunaga makes the result of this week even more impactful. Rei can’t make people happy all the time, and playing great shogi certainly isn’t his crimes. I hope we know about the conclusion of Yasui’s daughter but really even want to know that mean the story already affects me emotionally.

Again, Rei suffers through a hell lot this week. That twisted relationship between him and Ryouko isn’t one-sided after all. He’s all too aware that those words would pierce through his heart but he can’t help but wanting to listen to these. He tries to do something different but those words come back to haunt him, moreover when the consequence plays out exactly like he fears, he feels like he’s a beast who eat up everything in its way. He looks at that hand, the hand of a death god who take away happiness from others, until he can’t take it anymore and explodes. The final sequence is one of the highlight moments not only for this episode, but for the whole season so far. What he screaming might not as relevant to his nature, but the fact alone that he expresses his emotions out loud is something we don’t see very often. He might feel down now and collapse out of sorrow, but one of the best quality that human have is the ability to stand up and walk again after falling down. That I can look forward to.

3-gatsu no Lion – 09 [Distant Thunder part 2 – part 3]

by SuperMario, posted in 3-gatsu no Lion, Currently Watching:

“The calm mind is the way”

It becomes true to both Rei and our old man Matsunaga this week, since their minds are totally tangled with so many unnecessary thoughts and feelings. In more than one way, Mr. Matsunaga is a stark contrast to Rei. While Rei is a young shogi prodigy who become a professional a bit too early, he’s the old man who still hanging on that shogi rope for a bit too long. Rei respects him for spending 40 years dedicated to shogi, whereas the man envies him for being too bright. A rising star vs. a faded star.

And they both have their issues before the match as well: Rei is occupied by the poisonous words from Kyouko: “strangle the old dog”. That first long, uncomfortable sequence of Rei standing on the train, together with frantic close up cuts are really spot on, that what Shaft does best of course but this is one of the rare times that their own style fit perfectly to the material of 3-gatsu. Mr. Matsunaga feels exactly the same way, and of course doesn’t feel really good about that. Well, I came to this episode expecting a tense and emotional match between those two, as a result I didn’t prepare myself for the silly, upbeat beat the old man behaves throughout this episode.

The older you get, the more childish you behave. This is true with Mr. Matsunaga here, as the show frames his behaviors as nothing more than those of a child. All his actions: his silly praying, his clumsy behaviors, his random shogi strategies, his bad manner when losing, his often-contradicted statements; all show his immature (or should I say: over-mature) side of him. The randomness of his shogi surely gives Rei a hard time, for how can you beat a person who you can’t figure out their motives? That gives the match a much more lousy and silly tones than you would normally have expected from any professional shogi match. (Thank goodness there were no jokes about the old man’s bad back, that joke is just… painful and insensitive. But we have him falling down instead. Ouch!)

But consider this, I used to play in competitive level sport before so I know this well: when is the time that you know your time in the sport has come? It is when you don’t have a drive to win anymore. Mr. Matsunaga knows this well, and he’s prepared himself for that moments to come. I love the moment he describes Rei as a “beautiful death god”, it’s just amazing how impressions often work in accordance with our own inner psyche. Except that just like facing with death itself, the closer that moment approaches, the more desperate you want to keep hanging on. His feelings are totally legitimate here, that makes him still feel like an actual human despite his often over-childish behaviors. So comes to my next point, is it really a good option for Rei to encourage Mr. Matsunaga to continue on shogi? As I said earlier I don’t think so, especially the old man even admits one of the reasons he doesn’t want to quit is because of the housework at home. This guy needs a good spanking in a butt.

Kyouko remains a force to be reckon with, as she knows exactly how to hurt Rei. Her calling to Rei to “comfort” his feeling is nothing but abuse his mind but this time only her plan backfires. It’s more about understanding other people, Rei is now more willing to trust and shares feelings with others and this is one step up from the former-Rei. I agree this episode is a minor episode for 3-gatsu, it doesn’t add much in the big picture and especially a let down from last week’s standout episode but it still does its job. Still the show remains incredibly sensitive when it comes to character’s drama so even with a lesser episode like this one, the characters still shines bright.

Occultic;Nine – 09[Future Days]

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Occultic:Nine

The presentation of Occultic;Nine is starting to remind me of speed Racer, an anime from a bygone era which had a rather infamous dub. Basically due to the literal translation, the way which Japanese can say more with less words and the speed of dialogue it required the dub actors to say a large amount of words as fast as possible. This resulted in a dub to one of the very first anime localized in the US and quite possibly the worst dub ever to grace the medium. You see when you are so focused on spitting out the script at high velocity it’s difficult to truly emote or present said script in a watch that can be engaging. Even Bakemonogatari takes moments to slow down to get the emotion out while Occultic;Nine attempts to have an emotional reconciliation in the span of thirty seconds. This is just abysmal, on all fronts besides animation and art. I don’t blame those guys as purely on animation and art this show has been rather impressive, I even found the point of view shot with Miyu walking down to the boys killing room to be really well done. But direction, editing and dialogue is just a pure trainwreck.

But let us try to piece together just what is going on here. Well first Miyu is a goddamn moron as just from a text message from her old friend she decides to go to a secluded location where she previously met the murderous kid, down into a secret passage that opened out of nowhere and through an incredibly ominous tunnel that screams get the hell out to any sane individual. I understand that grief can have an effect on people but this…this is just nonsense. I would believe it if she was going there for revenge but she truly believes her friend was alive despite seeing the bloody remains first hand. There is overcome with grief and then there is being an utter moron, you have fallen into the second category. But with this we get some insight into who this boy is and the Kotoribako. Basically this boy is a living person who has been  killing people because he sees them as rare cards somehow and he makes people into kotoribako because he wants to get rare cards. So to summarize the above, the boy and Kotoribako…are absolutely irrelevant to the main plot. The only thing this whole side plot did was give the main characters some exposition to figure out a bit of the evil organizations plan, exposition which the child knows because…he’s a rich kid? Um…I…bloody hell…just…just what is this? How is this writer getting work? What editor approved this? This development adds nothing to the narrative but more plot-holes! This is what this writer utterly infuriates me as it reminds me of the asinine stories I used to write between classes when i was a teenager. I know this logic, the reason this boy is in the story is because he wanted a psycho boy in the story. For that’s what he thinks is cool, logic be damned.

On the upside Ryo-tas looks to be getting a point. Seems her bouncing about like a preschooler was all just an act and she seems to be the mysterious Zonko which has been communicating with the blogger kid all this time. I would like to say this means she’s no longer pointless but well Zonko hasn’t contributed to the plot much either. She told the kid to pull out a tooth and helped him figure out a puzzle with the ceiling. If anything this brings up the very good question that if she knew everything that was going on then why did she spend the last 9 episodes saying and doing nonsense when everyone else was trying to figure out what’s going on. There’s going to have to be a very good reason as to why she kept all this to herself and considering the answers we got so far I say it’s going to be nonsensical. Also oh god the detective mentions that the ghost guy(Another pointless character up to this point) can time travel.

Oh no! No! Hell no! You can’t just put in a throwaway Steins;Gate reference and expect me to swallow that. There are two things which can turn any story into an utter mess and those are alternate dimensions and time travel. Occultic;Nine is already a clusterfuck so this is really the last thing it needs. But most of all…if this all ends with a time reset I will be goddamn furious. The time reset is the get out of jail free card of every hack writer. It is only acceptable when time travel is an integral part of the narrative. Otherwise it’s a cheap method of avoiding consequence in storytelling which renders the entire plot moot. Other than that we just find that the evil organization plan to end the world it seems with this new world plan which I guess involves killing everyone on the planet so they can live as immortal ghosts? But then what about the mind control plan? Is that still in effect? Well tune in next time and prepare to see none of the occult stuff in the opening as well as any occult in general. Couldn’t even live up to the name…I have a headache now.

Flip Flappers – 09 [Pure Mute]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Flip Flappers

Again this week, Yayaka takes up the stage and by the end of this episode her arc is basically over, now that she is abandoned by the Cult and is taken over by Cocona and Papika. But what an emotional ride this episode delivers. I’m particularly taken not only by the action and consequence she ultimately took, but by how the show frames these through its visual and symbolism. Watching Yayaka smashing the mirrors of her childhood friendship’s memories in pursuit for “what more important” resonates with me a hundred times more than she says it out loud. Watching the wrapped bud changing shape according to Cocona’s emotions tell me a lot about how these two forces matter to her. Watching the two unlikely friends sitting back to back to each other talking about food brings warmness in my heart more than anything I’ve watched this season. That is one of the strength of this medium, an ability to convey theme and message through impressionist, abstract images that added much more layers to the context.

But first, it’s hilarious to see Cocona gets so worked up over the randomness Papika murmuring last week. After all, calling out wrong name is a serious crime, but the way Cocona reacts make it clear that their relationship is not unlike an actual couple. She being difficult further reflects her insecurity towards her relationship with Cocona (the more hilarious when at the end Papika declared that Mimi was her partner). But what surprise me were even when they having a fight, their impedance is stable enough for them to get through the Pure Illusion world, and one of the Pure Illusion world is… outer space (because when you think about it why the hell not? I swear we will get an underwater Pure Illusion world sooooon enough). In other notes, last week shows us how confident the show handle their fighting scene, and this week viewers who look for spectacular fight won’t be disappointed. All the fights have great energy and the choreography is remarkable, and I have to hat off to the music during that second fight, which totally intense and thrilling and I can sense the sadness behind the score as well.

Per usual, what do we have in this week’s world? We have the most simplicity world, a vast, empty, pure white world (with ceiling on top!) with no place to belong to that really for me represents the blank state of emotions and the tough spot Yayaka is currently in. As soon as Cocona and the twins reached the fragments, the place closed up which for me signifies the confused state of Cocona over which friends she had to choose. The inside of the place where Cocona and the twin got trapped, as contrast to that empty world outside, is like a cozy, warm and dark room with some decors. Comfortable but again completely isolated. I have to say that Cocona being “trapped” inside is pretty much the show’s motif by now. As long as she decided who she stands for, the thing broken apart and freed them. I also really like the idea of them swapping pairs this time, so we have the very unlikely but hilarious moments of Papika and Yayaka, and the brief but peaceful moments between Cocona and the twins. Actually, Yayaka and Papika are getting along surprisingly well. Though Cocona is an only mutual link they share, they actually have a great chemistry together. Yayaka knows how to “handle” Paprika and Paprika knows how to bring emotions out of that girl. This duo is priceless.

But Yayaka and her relationship with Cocona again shines the brightest this week. We get the flashback of the two meeting together, symbolized heavily by that pink flowers (which I don’t know the name of). Maybe the flowers symbolize their friendship? We already see Flip Flappers pulled this off on episode 6 when the duo role represents the lonely, entrapped situation of Iroha-chan, but this episode is much more emotional because we follow Yayaka and her struggles throughout the entire series. Her place in her own organization is pretty much unstable, and her best friend Cocona is further and further away from her. Speaking of that it seems that the two young girls were tested for the organization? That last fight between Cocona and Yayaka is without a doubt a highlight of this episode, most notably on how Yayaka desperately try to get what she wants. As I said above, the mirrors that reflected their own relationships being shattered brings so much raw emotions to their bonds, and although I would prefer much better if she indeed stabs the girl to get the fragrance, the way she couldn’t bring herself to do it, and later shields herself to protect Cocona, is emotional satisfy that bring tears to my eyes.

For the third time in a row, the show ends with that “Mimi” cliffhanger, now that Yayaka arc is over, this is the damn time now that you give us something more than just a tease, don’t you think Flip Flapper?

Magical Girl Raising Project – 09[Notice of New Rules]

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Magical Girl Raising Project

Calamity Mary dying was pretty expected and the death that followed was equally something that was bound to happen. Though having a third death was not quite what I expected. Considering the small line in one of the halfway blurbs about Nana having some other intentions I thought she might have more to her than one would think. Sadly it turns out she was as boring as she appears when she commits suicide after Weiss’s death. I admit that I didn’t notice that she used Weiss’s scarf as a noose, that as a nice detail. Word of mouth say that the anime changed how the other two died a bit as Mary wasn’t supposed to get a shuriken to the head. In the light novel it seems that Ripple through a window at her which Mary shot up. However thanks to Ripples ability, the shards of glass kept flying towards Mary, turning her into a human pincushion. I don’t really get just way this was changed as it seems like a far more interesting end to the fight.

I don’t think it had to due with animation constraints as they still ended up using the glass anyway and this series has not been shy with showing gore either. It does make me wonder if the lack of impact these deaths have is related to minor changes on the studio’s part. The second change was Top Speeds death as while she was killed the same way both times, in the light novel she was helping Ripple up when she got attacked. Which certainly makes more sense as I really don’t see h0w Ripple didn’t spot Swim Swim behind Top Speed. I am not certain as to how i feel about this particular death as it is rather tasteless. Top speed was one of the more likable characters in the group and the big twist of her being pregnant being used for shock factor doesn’t sit well with me. It’s like a dead baby joke, morally outrageous and shocking but immature and cheap.

Made all the more cruel when you consider that if Swim Swim knew about Nana’s suicide, she wouldn’t have attacked Top Speed. As Swim is the logical type she would see it would be not worth it. Fav fixes this soon enough by going “tee hee, turns out you lot are using more magic than expected so the number is now four instead of eight”. At this point Fav is not hiding his intentions whatsoever, it’s clear he wants the killing game to continue. With this new rule three more girls have to drop out of the running and I doubt both Cranberry and Swim Swim are making it out of this. Swim seems to be making Cranberry her next target and considering her ability she would make for a formidable foe. One thing I found odd this episode was just how little an effect killing Mary had on Top Speed and Ripple.

Mary was hardly a saint but I would have expected the fact that Ripple killed a person would have a more somber effect than “Woohoo! Good job!” But I do see potential in a battle between Swim Swim and Ripple. After all she’s bound to come after her with a vengeance but what will happen when she kills Swim and finds a little girl lying dead in front of her. I think congratulations would be far from her mind then. Though Snow White taking down Swim would be far more devastating, that is of course if she can fight her. This episode did show that her mind reading power has other uses besides finding people in danger. It did reveal that Tama believes she’s in over her head so she could be a potential ally in the future. Though for now it looks like the remaining angel has found out how to kill Alice.

Mob Psycho 100 – 09

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

When watching this I really cannot help but draw comparisons back to One Punch Man whether I like it or not. I can see that Mob Psycho is trying to be it’s own thing but when I see the members of Claw gathered around a table I am instantly reminded of the S class heroes of OPM. The Claw members are equally as diverse a set of characters. The big shots of the organisation are referred to as scar’s and this seems to correspond to the scar each member has. The scars themselves were inflicted by the leader of the organisation and it appears the number of scars corresponds to the number of times that member has challenged him. It’s debatable if we shall see this boss in this series or if he is someone who will show up in a sequel which is uncertain to exist after this. This episode for the most part is inbetween time before Mob and Teruki take on the group in earnest.

As the two make their way to save Ritsu, Ritsu himself is dealing with imprisonment within claw as they attempt to brainwash them into working for the organisation. Ritsu looks to have lowered self confidence due to his dose of humble pie and without dimple he isn’t certain he can control his powers as well as he could. It’s nice to see his ego trip end and him move on but I really must question were all that dark personality went. He’s practically a completely different character now as he’s putting faith in the members of the awakening lab who previously he looked down on. Though it’s nice to see he’s not simply sitting back and waiting for his brother to rescue him.

I was greatly surprised with just how easily Mob wiped out the man he previously fought. Before Mob essentially had to go super saiyan to fight with him yet here he easily just pinballs him around the room and calls it a day. Mob makes a comment about not having time to waste, suggesting he wasn’t using his full power on him before but this doesn’t really make sense. Mob was very emotional before when fighting him and it didn’t seem like he was holding back there. Yet the man still managed to withstand it and steal his brother. If Mob could so easily do away with him like this, it begs the question of why didn’t he do it when the man was taking away his brother? It could be a matter like Terada’s first encounter were the two boys simply took him down when he wasn’t ready. But Koyama most certainly looked like he was giving it his all. I’m a little disappointed as this person was the first to give Mob an actual fight and show that he wasn’t as overpowered as thought. This however seems to suggest that Mob is as strong as the situation calls for. The plot needed his brother to be kidnaped so he struggled against this guy.

However here we need to get to the real fighters so Mob can just snuff him out in a second. It’s a little too convenient for my liking. Dimple appears to have taken a position of good guy now as he tags along with Mob and Teruki in the body of a claw member. My guess is that even with his dubious morality, he’s going to be an ally for now on much like how villains turn over in a shounen series. This episode was a weak one for the usual standard of the series but it does provide buildup to what could be Mob’s best battle yet. Still even though this series has be particularly noteworthy it appears to be overlooked by the anime fanbase. Many are citing it’s unconventional artstyle for turning most people away though that may be only one part of what makes this series overlooked in this season. Personally I never saw this series reaching the heights of popularity of it’s predecessor but it is rather unfortunate that it be passed over like this.

Thunderbolt Fantasy – 09

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Thunderbolt Fantasy

“Three to test, five to press, and the final ninth strike”

That’s the number of moves Mie Tian Hai will put Sha Wu Sheng to eternal rest. Sha Wu Sheng, never loses his cool, attacks him anyway despite knowing full well the outcomes. I suspect that this fight is some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in play, the way he still leaves his back exposed after that eighth move. Or I think he would be sensible enough to kill Gui Niao BEFORE propose to fight with Mie Tian Hai. He tags along all the way just for the sake of Gui Niao’s head, and now he misses the chance and vows to wait for the guy in the afterlife. Oh well. I can sense the master thief’s chuckle there.

But before all that happens, the trio of legendary anti-foes (that would be Xing Hai the necromancer, Shou Yun Xiao the archer, Sha Wu Sheng the Screaming Phoenix Killer) reveal the initial plan of Gui Niao: the letters he sent to them explicitly said that he requires assistance to swindle the legendary sword from a helpless girl. They then proceed to actually LEAVE the two good-heart comrades behind to pursue for their shares. At the same time inside the tower, Gui Niao is trading with Mie Tian Hai. The sword handle turns out to be fake (with his “10-second look, 5-second touch” technique), and Gui Niao intends to sale the real thing with big golds. But for me this isn’t a simple trade-off. As he said so himself he always aims for more challenging goals, so this trade could simply be his front for something more ambiguous. And I know that I might so boring here but things might go EXACTLY like what he had planned, yes including the Phoenix Killer sudden appearing and Shang Bu Shuan’s jailbreak (literally!). In the next episode I’m pretty sure we will get to know Gui Niao true intention on keeping our main guy and his main goal from all of this.

If there is any specific theme this episode is going for, it is how they explore the ego of many characters. Juan Can Yun the spear wielder learns a hard truth for his mentor Shou Yun Xiao, as being a hero means you have to sacrifice and moreover hide the mistake/ dirty stuffs that you made. I understand that it’s mind-blowing, dear Mister Spear Wielder. I feel for ya. The Screaming Phoenix Killer still tries to push forward despite knowing that the duel will end up in defeat, he still does it because his ego won’t allow him to back down. Even the big boss’s hobby of collecting swords makes him feel invincible whenever he’s taking hold of the power of destruction itself. As I mentioned above, Gui Niao admits that he enjoys stealing because of “ethos of a champion” – the feeling of superior when you steal something considered invaluable. Also, our poor Dan Fei’s ego is shattered when she learned the truth about the identity of Gui Niao, as well as feeling guilty for dragging Shang Bu Shuan into the whole mess. That emphasis on ego furthers demonstrate the rationale and the way of thinking from each characters, and I say this is a successful approach to this story, especially when the characters in Thunderbolt Fantasy are already too over-the-top and often act like they’re performing a play. Letting them stick to their ego and their roles till the very end is of course the most appropriate course of action.