By RenaM2 1 day, 9 hours ago.
Gosick Episode Twenty Two
We open with some kind of Christmas carnival taking place at the academy. Various students are in costume, though some of the costumes seem more suited for Halloween than Christmas. A girl with a cleaver through her head bumps into Kujo and has hysterics when she bumps into him. She runs off screaming that the “Reaper” touched her. Kujo is exasperated, since he’d been rather startled by the girl.
“A Christmas Carol Decorates the Windowsill’s Happiness”
Gosick Episode Twenty Three
After the opening credits, we see Victorique playing a one-person game of chess. She saying vaguely prophetic things and wearing a nun’s habit. The scene shifts to the city, and we get a note stating that it’s now 1925. We move to some kind of meeting about a war that’s beginning between Germany and Poland. (I would like to say now, pretend you have no awareness of the actual dates of World War II, it might keep your brain from breaking, but this is not a guarantee.)
“Announcing Checkmate at Dyed-Gray Chess”
Gosick Episode Twenty Four
We open with Brian continuing to attack poor Victorique who is frantically trying to escape. Brian corners her, and they have a brief exchange where she attempts to beg Brian to help her. Brian is not able to deal with the images and memories that Victorique’s evoked, so he picks her up and throws her. He appears to be having some kind of flash back, and calls Victorique “Cordelia” as he demands to know why Victorique is so important to her. He advances on Victorique, who is getting very close the edge of the cliff, and suddenly makes a grab for Victorique’s pendant. Victorique manages to dodge, and Brian goes over the edge of the cliff.
“Looking at Infinity Over the Reaper’s Shoulder”
By RenaM2 2 weeks, 2 days ago.
Blue Exorcist Episode Nineteen
We open with Yukio, who is running some kind of test on his own blood. We see that the mysterious marks that had originally appeared on his shoulder have reached his lower arm. Then we cut to a view of the school and then the classroom, where Shima is doing horoscopes for the female students. Rin wants Shima to do his horoscope, but Shima declares he can only do horoscopes for girls. (Rin however is not willing to take no for an answer.) While Rin is being a complete dork and Ryuji is wondering how Rin could possibly be that much of one, Shiemi suddenly realizes that Izumo’s birthday is coming up. Then we go to credits.
Blue Exorcist Episode Twenty
This episode opens with Yukio reminiscing about when he was growing up at the monastery with Rin. Then the scene cuts to Rin and Yukio running up to the monastery which is surrounded by exorcists from the Knights of the True Cross. Inside the monastery are more exorcists and streamers of what looks like webbing. Something had apparently gotten in, and wrapped all of the monks at the monastery in webbing. There is also a note, a threat from the mysterious webslinger stating that he or she would not tolerate anyone who had any connection to Rin and Yukio. The monks were able to protect themselves somewhat, but the exorcists have an eight hour time frame in which to rescue the monks from the cocoons.
Blue Exorcist Episode Twenty One
This episode begins with a view of the herb shop where Shiemi lives with her mother. We can hear a news report on the radio (about the hostage situation at the Academy) as we get a view of Shiemi at the front counter. Her mother leaves on an errand. Then there’s a loud crashing noise. When Shiemi investigates, she finds an unconscious woman in her garden. Shiemi attempts to lift the woman, but the woman is too heavy. Volunteers to assist in the form of a horde of plant spirits arrive, and then we go the opening credits.
When we get back from the opening credits, Yukio is meeting with some variety of Church official. This gentleman states that he is Yukio’s grandfather.
By RenaM2 2 weeks, 4 days ago.
Gosick Episode Nineteen
In this episode, we learn a lot about Cordelia Gallo’s past, and more than we really want to know about Victorique’s father. We open with a scene that is both sinister and horrifying, and full of dark implications as Cordelia gives birth. She is obviously a prisoner, and her attendants are members of the Ministry of the Occult. Then we go to the opening credits.
“The Rose Colored Life is Buried Under Fresh Snow”
Gosick Episode Twenty
We open with Victorique arriving in Saubreme. She’s at the theater where “The Blue Rose of Saubure,” the play about Coco Rose is being played. The theater is known as “The Phantom.” (And is apparently a reference to Leviathan the Alchemist.) Then we go to credits.
“Led by the Phantom of a Phantom”
Gosick Episode Twenty One
In this episode, Victorique continues to investigate Queen Coco Rose’s murder. Victorique has the grave of Nicole Lulu excavated. When the grave is opened, it’s revealed that while the body is preserved, the head had been severed and is rotting. Victorique sends Grevil to talk to whoever runs the cemetery to find out who brought the body, and under what circumstances.
“The Bells of Christmas Eve Toll at the Heels of Time”
By RenaM2 4 weeks ago.
Blue Exorcist Episode Sixteen
The episode opens with a recap of the last few minutes of the previous episode before going to credits. The next scene after the opening we see the kids, Yukio and Shura getting out of Dodge. The kids are pretty confused about what’s going on, and are in general pretty horrified by the blue conflagration going on behind them.
Blue Exorcist Episode Seventeen
This episode opens with the swordsmith attempting to repair Rin’s sword. The scene then cuts to Rin who has been imprisoned inside some kind of crystal. It does not look like he’s going to be able to defend himself at his own hearing. Though he’s unconscious, he twitches slightly, which causes some alarm from the council members, who demand that Mephisto do something. Mephisto however states that he can’t, since he is simply a defendant in this case. His big plan for dealing with this case seems to be centered on the council giving him permission to go ahead with his plans. The council is tempted, but other parties object strongly to the proposal.
Blue Exorcist Episode Eighteen
The opening of this episode is a replay of the last few minutes of the previous episode. Rin and Izumo are attacked by a demon. The demon, which looks like some kind of bird, knocks Rin around, but Yukio arrives in time to drive it off, and then we go to opening credits.
By RenaM2 1 month, 3 weeks ago.
Gosick Episode Sixteen
We open with a scene set in Lithuania at a convent during World War One. Some planes fly in and begin dropping bombs. In the middle of the carnage, the surviving nuns begin cursing the planes, apparently in the grip of intense fury. Then the image of the Virgin Mary appears, and this causes the circling planes to crash. Our last sight before we go to the opening credits are the nuns, who appear to be completely deranged.
“The Felling Maria Has a Fly’s Head”
Gosick Episode Seventeen
After the opening credits, Victorique explains to Kujo that she had been transferred here as bait to trap her mother, Cordelia Gallo. We learn from Victorique that she has only seen Cordelia once in her life, when she was a little girl. From the flashback, it looks like Victorique was severely neglected as a child. (Which was hinted at previously, but it’s even more apparent in this scene.) Cordelia gives her a locket, and promises that she will always help Victorique however she can. Victorique share a significantly intimate moment, but the sweet moment is interrupted by Victorique’s stomach which has a few complaints to register concerning a lack of food.
“The Box Lies in the Spiral Labyrinth”
Gosick Episode Eighteen
In this episode, there is a great deal of suspense and mystery as opposing agents of the Ministry of the Occult and the Science Academy vie for a mysterious box. We open with Victorique demonstrating how the double murder in the previous episode was accomplished. She does not get too far into her demonstration before it’s revealed that she may have caught another cold. In addition, just before we go to the opening credits, there are two new arrivals in the train compartment.
“The Jet Black Train Carries Many Lies”
By RenaM2 1 month, 3 weeks ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Twenty Two
We open with Abberline’s widow, who receives an unexpected load of gifts from a certain Earl of Phantomhive. After this brief scene we are shown the Phantomhive mansion which is bustling with activity due to the servants getting everything packed so Ciel can go to the Exhibition. Ciel confirms that the gifts were received, and then Sebastian turns up to report that accommodations have been made. Something about Ciel’s tone of voice causes Sebastian to frown—it’s very clear that Ciel is still upset about the death of Abberline.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Twenty Three
We open this episode with Tanaka writing in a diary. He notes that this is the second fire he has experienced while working in the mansion. As he completes the entry, he notes that his duty of writing about the house is coming to an end. As the scene pulls back, we see that the building has sustained some severe fire damage. The scene shifts to Ciel, who has stowed away aboard the ship. For some reason, the Undertaker is there as well and seems to be pleased to see Ciel. He has a little cauldron full of dog biscuits which Ciel is more than happy to eat, since he is starving. As he eats, the Undertaker fills him in on something that is about to happen in London: apparently, there will be a very great many deaths in the city and the grim reapers are on a special alert. Then Ciel hears a shout about something happening in the city.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Twenty-Four
The episode begins with Ciel and Sebastian in a small boat. Ciel wants to know where they are going, and Sebastian claims that there are bridges in England that have been made by demons known as “Devil’s Bridge.” Sebastian is taking Ciel to the London bridge which is a “Sacred Bridge” since it was something the Queen had caused to be built while under the influence of Ash. When they reach the bridge we see that it is covered by faces that are wailing and groaning in misery. Ciel asks if human sacrifice is what makes the bridge sacred. Sebastian does not answer directly, but states that the believers who “entered here” are worse than demons. (This could mean just about anything.)
By RenaM2 2 months, 2 weeks ago.
Currently getting ready to work my way through the Blue Exorcist manga now that I’ve finished the anime.
Also watched a few episodes of Natsume Yuujincho. It was really good. Natsume is a much stronger and more interesting than I initially assumed from the way he was being played by a role player in an rp I was in briefly.
By RenaM2 2 months, 2 weeks ago.
Gosick Episode Thirteen
We begin with a movie featuring some kind of laboratory and a masked figure who turns out to be a skeleton. Avril shrieks and throttles Kujo, which causes him to yell. They both fall over, and we go to the opening credits.
After the opening credits, Avril is teasing Kujo for being a scaredy cat. Kujo responds that anyone would be scared to have someone suddenly strangling you and screaming in your face. (This is very true.) Avril mentions that the movie reminds her of a story that she had heard once.
“The Fool Designates His Own Mouthpiece”
Gosick Episode Fourteen
The opening shows the class room, and Avril speculating that Kujo has skipped class to go to the library. Cecile is also noticeably missing. We discover why Cecile is missing when the scene shifts to Kujo, who has finally left the library towers. He notices that Cecile is wrestling with a very angry Victorique. Apparently, Cecile decided to force Victorique to attend class for once. (And another reason why Victorique hides from people is discovered; Cecile playing truant officer.) We switch back to the classroom, where Cecile has managed to drag Victorique. Victorique is clearly not happy about this, and then we go to the opening credits.
“A Malicious Frill Denounces a Farting Newt
Gosick Episode Fifteen “Two Monsters See Eye to Eye”
The episode begins with Victorique continuing to read Leviathan’s Pop Up Memoir. He reveals that once he secured himself a place at court, he involved himself in the politics of the country and the personal lives of the monarchs. It’s pretty strongly implied that he was also having an affair with the queen, Coco Rose. This situation eventually led to the discovery of the relationship between Leviathan and the queen, and eventually leads to some kind of trial.
By RenaM2 2 months, 3 weeks ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Nineteen
The opening of this episode features a kid and an old man on a pole boat. The old man is talking about an old sailing ship. As he talks about the ship, which is named the Cutty Sark, Ran Mao appears, leaping through the air. Then the people in the boat come across a dead body in the water, and we go to the opening credits.
After credits, officers from Scotland Yard are trying to figure out the how and why of how the dead person ended up dead. One of the investigators is Abberline and the other is Lord Randall. The lord thinks that this might be connected to the Mafia or to a Chinese gang, possibly having to do with a new drug. The officers are interrupted by Ciel who states that the person who died was John Stanley, someone who worked for the Queen.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Twenty
We open with Lau talking about Zhou’s dream (“Am I a human dreaming of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being human?”) to the accompaniment of what looks like dream images or flashback to Lau’s past. He continues to talk about dreams and we see him in a room cuddling with Ran Mao. She looks up at him in surprise, and Lau says that he is only joking. Ran Mao resumes cuddling Lau. Then we go to the opening credits.
Once back from the opening we have Sebastian, getting stripped by a torturer who is impressed by Sebastian’s abs. Arthur Randall threatens Sebastian, telling him to confess. Sebastian chooses to confess to spreading the Black Plague. Randall thinks that he joking, and orders the torturer to beat him. The torturer clearly loves his work, and we fade to black as he’s trying to decide where to begin.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Twenty One
We open with a mysterious red headed female sniper getting ready to take someone out. She fumbles slightly when she sees that her target has a family. She gets ready to shoot, but she’s distracted by Sebastian, who addresses her as “Nike Shooter Tunke.” (Special note: He is not calling her a brand of shoes. Nike is the Greek Goddess of Victory.) Sebastian has a job for her…as a maid. The new clothes and glasses give her new confidence and allow her to let out her inner four-eyed geek girl. Surprise! The maid is none other than our klutzy Maylene. This episode will be all about Ciel’s extremely incompetent servants who are actually extremely competent in other areas.
After the opening credits, the servants are all lined up as Ciel wanders down stairs. He does not look to be in a good mood. Concerned, the servants try to plan a special surprise for Ciel.
By RenaM2 3 months, 1 week ago.
Blue Exorcist Episode Thirteen
The episode opens with a flash back to when Rin was a little boy, a little boy with a great deal of strength and a very bad temper. (Rin’s self-esteem issues are somewhat justified in that he feels a great deal of shame because of his inability to control either.) We get a view of some very frightened kindergarten teachers and Rin having a tantrum. Then we go to the opening credits.
Blue Exorcist Episode Fourteen
It’s summer break, and the regular students are heading off on their summer vacations. Rin and his class however are going to be going on a camping trip that is actually a “field drill.” After Yukio states that he and Shura will be supervising them, we go to the opening credits.
When we get back from the opening credits Rin and a few of the others are extremely enthused about this camping trip. (Rin in particular is a bundle of hyperactive energy.) A little later, we see the kids hiking along in much less cheerful spirits because they are all carrying heavy back packs. (Except for Rin, who is bubbly and ridiculously energetic, even though he’s carrying both his and Shura’s supplies. His fellow classmates have no idea where he gets all of his enthusiasm.) Yukio warns them that the forest is calm during the day but at night is infested with lower level demons.
Blue Exorcist Episode Fifteen
We open with a recap of the terms of this particular field exercise and an overview of the previous episode. After the recap, we see a Mothra-sized moth demon leap up out of the bog and grab onto Rin. Rin tries to get everyone to leave him, but Ryuji is deeply annoyed and offended by this. He declares that he and the rest of the group are going to help Rin. He managed to do something that makes the moth monster drop Rin, and everyone takes off running. (Since Ryuji apparently did not have the inherent fire power to dispose of the monster.)
By RenaM2 3 months, 3 weeks ago.
Gosick Episode Ten
This episode begins with Kujo calling Victorique on the phone. Of course, she can’t talk to him because the doctor has just stabbed her arm with a hypodermic needle and she can’t talk to him because he gets snatched off the sidewalk by someone in a carriage. The street kid notes exact time Kujo gets kidnapped and we get a view of the dangling phone before going to credits.
In the carriage, Kujo meets a girl named Anastasia, a girl from Russia who had apparently been kidnapped when she had gone into the store. From her perspective, she believes that the people running the store are devil worshippers who are sacrificing and cursing people. (Actually, this is not what is happening.) She gives some important information on where the room in the department store where she had been confined. She had managed to escape and had been hiding in the box when Kujo found her. Kujo directs Anastasia to go to the police.
“Girl with a Cold Dreams of Her Stubborn Friend”
Gosick Episode Eleven
We open with Grevil receiving a phone call from his father. It seems that Grevil’s father does not approve of his son not keeping a closer eye on his half-sister. Grevil apologizes, and his father warns him not to let Victorique out of his sight. Grevil is not happy about the phone call, and even less happy about his job. We end the scene with Grevil looking at a newspaper photograph of Jacqueline, the wife of the police superintendent general.
When we return from the opening credits, Jacqueline is heading for the school to donate some books to the school library. Before she can get there, Jacqueline’s maid bumps into a gentleman they both drop the suitcase they were carrying. After the maid and the gentleman pick up their suitcases, the scene shifts to Kujo and Cecile back at the school. Cecile is telling Kujo about the visitor and he’s very surprised to discover that it’s Jacqueline (who promptly jumps up and pinches his cheeks).
“That Drill Speaks Eloquently of Love”
Gosick Episode Twelve
We open the episode with various students talking about their plans for summer break. The only one with no concrete plans for a summer break is Kujo, who is a little far from home to go back for a visit, and so far is only friends with the other exchange student Avril, and with Victorique. Kujo is rather glum about his prospects until Avril pops into view to invite him to come with her to her grandmother’s summer home, which is near the Mediterranean Sea.
Kujo of course is very excited about this trip and goes off to share the news with Victorique, who is extremely not happy with him. The reason she is angry apparently seems to be because Kujo has arrived sans candy or presents. She demands both from him, which of course causes Kujo to become exasperated with her. He stomps off in high dudgeon, swearing to bring her sweets from the Mediterranean.
“The Cicadas Are Heard on Summer Afternoons”
By RenaM2 4 months ago.
Gosick Episode Seven
The Village of Gray Wolves is an extremely isolated, extremely insular community that prides itself in being entirely self-sufficient. They have had very little contact with outsiders for four hundred years. Their summer solstice festival is a very unique combination of vaguely pagan and Christian practices, leaning more toward “pagan” than “Christian.” (Okay, basically it is like that movie The Wicker Man except not at all like that, okay?) The three gentlemen are not very gentlemanly at all when they start making fun of the village’s religious practices. The village elder borrows a gun from one of the villagers and fires it, claiming that there are wolves in the mountain.
“A Divine Revelation is Given at the Summer Solstice Festival”
Gosick Episode Eight
We open with a very distraught Derek, who is upset that his friend Raoul has been shot by the old man. The old man denies having shot the Raoul, and Ambrose is trying to explain that this was certainly an accident. Derek does not care if it was an accident and continues to wail over the death of his friend. Unnoticed by everyone, Victorique picks up a hazelnut. This would be a Clue.
After the credits, Kujo, Victorique and Ambrose are talking about the shooting. She asks what Ambrose thinks of the case, he replies that Elder Sergius will have to show proof that he had not shot Raoul. Victorique states that she has the “proof” concerning the crime, and that she can explain it to both Ambrose and Kujo.
“Howling Echoes from the Kingdom of the Past
Gosick Episode Nine “Blue Roses Bloom in the Cannibal Department Store”—Review
We open this episode with a urban legend about a department store that lures curious window shoppers into the building after hours, and when the shoppers go inside, they’re never seen or heard from again. The story is being told by Avril to Kujo. Avril ends the story with a scream, which prompts an answering scream from Kujo. She teases him for screaming in surprise and calls him a coward. Kujo defends himself, stating that having someone scream in your face is very startling.
“Blue Roses Bloom in the Cannibal Department Store”
By RenaM2 4 months, 2 weeks ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Sixteen
This episode opens with a completely different room, and a Sebastian who is wearing an outfit from a much earlier age. He enters the room and appears to be engaging in his usual morning routine, but instead of Ciel, he is serving two young princes. (One of whom is cuddling a skull instead of a toy.) This is not a “Sebastian’s Previous Masters” episode however cool that might have been. Instead, Sebastian is playing butler to a pair of assassinated princes who are haunting property Ciel would like to turn into a resort.
The scene after the opening involves Ciel learning that there has been some mysterious hauntings taking place at Ludlow Castle.
“His Butler, in an Isolated Castle”
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Seventeen
The next episodes are part of an anime-only arc featuring a religious cult that turns out to have a link to Ciel’s past and the month Ciel spent in captivity. It also features a return of Angela, who turns out to be some kind of angel (a very, very crazy angel).
This episode begins with the Undertaker going through his daily routine.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Eighteen
We open with Ciel floating in some kind of void, surrounded by snippets of film. This is Ciel’s Cinematic Record. He hears Angela’s voice talking about the past. Ciel reaches out for one of the frames and has a sudden flashback of the fire that destroyed Ciel’s home. This memory shows a lot more that previous flashbacks, and in it, we can see that Angela is standing beside a chair in which there is a slumped over figure. Her hands are red with blood, and she lifts the head of the figure, and we can see that someone (most likely Angela) has engaged in some creative taxidermy and has sewn pieces of Ciel’s mother onto his father. Within the memory, Ciel reacts much in the way you would suspect someone would, seeing such a grisly scene.
After the opening credits, Grell and Sebastian appear in front of a building that Grell immediately identifies as the Library of the Grim Reapers.
By RenaM2 4 months, 2 weeks ago.
Blue Exorcist Episode Ten
We open with a bright, very hot sunny day. Rin is returning from a shopping trip, and is eating ice cream. While Rin is walking, the scene shifts to a security guard station where a small two tailed cat with horns is apparently waiting for someone. The security guards talk about the cat, which has apparently been hanging around for quite some time now; the cat is someone’s familiar, and unfortunately for all concerned, his human is dead.
After the opening credits, we discover that Rin had been sent to the store for water, not ice cream.
Blue Exorcist Episode Eleven
We begin this episode with a fisherman in the middle of the ocean during a storm. He’s yelling what seems like a pretty impossible threat at a huge demon. (Impossible in the sense that he has no weapons; he is Captain Ahab without a single harpoon.) The ship appears to get swamped by a wave, and then we go to the opening credits.
After credits we see Rin and Renzo Shima being every enthusiastic about being at the beach.
Blue Exorcist Episode Twelve
The next episode begins with Mephisto looking moderately ticked off about something. The person he is moderately ticked off about is his younger brother Amaimon, who has been playing tourist all over Japan. (He has bought every kitschy tourist item in existence.) Mephisto is not happy about all the time his brother has been wasting, when he’s supposed to be “testing” Rin. His tune changes slightly when he sees that Amaimon has managed to get his hands on a rare collector’s item (a yukata with pictures of an particular anime series). Mephisto immediately confiscates the yukata. Just before we go to the opening credits, we learn that Rin is apparently at an amusement park. We also learn that Amaimon has finally decided to “test” Rin.
We next see Rin and the rest of his class at the amusement park.
By RenaM2 4 months, 3 weeks ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Thirteen
In this episode, a young prince from India turns up looking for a servant he believes has been kidnapped. Meanwhile, Ciel is trying to uncover who is behind politically motivated attacks against Englishmen returning from India, and Sebastian meets a butler whose skills are evenly matched with his own. In other news, Abberline is still very concerned for Ciel’s welfare and continues to be the only one who thinks it is odd that a twelve year old is playing Master Detective. (Okay, granted the pre-teen or teen hero is pretty much a staple of anime and most fantasy novels, but I can’t help pointing this out.)
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Fourteen
This episode begins where the previous one left off. After Sebastian watches Agni leave, he goes to Ciel to report. Ciel begins to make plans to follow, but is interrupted by Soma, who reveals that he is aware that Agni is sneaking out at night, and he wants to find out what Agni is up to as well. Everyone shadows Agni, who heads into the home of Harold West Jeb, who deals in goods imported from India. It turns out that Harold has a stake in the upcoming curry contest, and Agni is working for him. (Agni is also it turns out, responsible for the earlier attacks on various Englishmen—under West’s orders.)
“His Butler, Supremely Talented”
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Fifteen
Everyone at the curry contest is very surprised to see Queen Victoria, who has been in seclusion since the death of her husband. Viscount Druitt, who is apparently one of the judges at the curry contest, leads everyone in singing “God Save the Queen.” (Well, almost everyone sings. Bardroy, Sebastian, Lau and Ran Mao don’t sing, though Ciel does.) The Queen gives a speech, and then the contest begins. The contest begins in earnest, with Sebastian and Agni as the main contenders. There is not a lot going on here, except people marveling at their showmanship. West is beginning to get upset, and then is surprised and amazed that Sebastian appears to be dropping pieces of chocolate into his curry.
By RenaM2 5 months ago.
Blue Exorcist Episode Seven
We open with Shiemi’s mom asking her if she has made any friends. Shiemi says yes, but is not telling the entire truth. She heads to school, and is thinking about Rin saying that they were not friends. Shiemi starts to cry but manages to talk herself out of it, because today she is determined to make a friend. She heads into the school and tries to say hello to the two other girls in her class. Unfortunately, she trips. (Shiemi is extraordinarily clumsy.) One of the girls, Izumo is mean about it, but the other one, a girl named Paku just says, “Be careful” and walks off. Rin comes up and asks her if she’s okay, but Shiemi brushes him off and heads down the hall.
Blue Exorcist Episode Eight
In the next episode, we begin with Izumo waking up from an epic nightmare of rejection after having failed to protect her friend from the ghoul in the previous episode. We then go to the opening credits. When we get back to the show, we see Izumo returning the shirt that Rin let her borrow. She tries to extract a promise from him not to tell anyone she had been crying after the fight with the ghoul, but Rin doesn’t care about that. What he does care about is that Izumo washed the shirt. (He is less happy that she implied that it was only because it was horribly dirty.) Then Rin’s brother turns up, and they go see how poor Paku is doing.
Blue Exorcist Episode Nine
This episode continues directly from the previous one. It features a stare down between Rin and the teacher who is apparently trying to kill him. Rin is about to alert Yukio to this fact, but he is abruptly interrupted by Mephisto, who suddenly appears and bowls him over. It turns out that the entire scenario had been the “exwire authorization exam” to see if they would become esquires, and they had been under very close supervision the whole time.
By RenaM2 5 months ago.
The place where I publish my anime synopses has had a change of name and urls. The current links should switch over to the new site, but I have to re-create the master list of episode urls so I can eventually switch all of my links. This is a pain in the neck because I have posted my synopses in a lot of places.
By RenaM2 5 months, 1 week ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Ten
This episode begins the “hope diamond” arc, which replaces the “circus arc” from the manga. The episode begins with a thief who has run off with a stolen ring. In pursuit are his former partners. The thief reaches the river and is waylaid by a mysterious figure, who attacks him using what are apparently very sharp threads. The thief falls into the water and from the perspective of his former partners, it appears as if he jumped into the river under his own power.
The next scene is Ciel and Sebastian, who are at a “Frost Fair,” being held on the now completely frozen Thames. They discuss the frost fair, and the last time the Thames froze over enough to hold one. Also at the fair is Elizabeth, attended by her lady’s maid, Paula. Elizabeth is searching for the perfect present to give to Ciel. She is motivated mostly by guilt for having broken Ciel’s heirloom ring.
Ciel stops by a toy booth where the merchant is claiming that his toys are original designs from the Funtom Toy Company. One of the toys, a Noah’s Ark, is claimed to be a rare original work of which only three had been produced, but Ciel can easily see that it is a fake. After these comments, Ciel and Sebastian briefly have a conversation involving the bible story with an added social and political angle, and then bump into detective Abberline who is trying to locate the missing “Hope Diamond” (or more specifically, a ring that had been made from half of the Hope Diamond.) Ciel immediately becomes intrigued and persuades Abberline to let him become involved in the case.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Eleven
In this episode, the “hope diamond” arc continues.
We begin with Lady Elizabeth turning up with a mysterious gift that she immediately takes back when she sees that Ciel’s signet ring has been repaired. After making various flustered excuses, she runs off, with the present. Ciel is puzzled by this, which prompts Sebastian to remind Ciel that his birthday is tomorrow. Ciel is not interested: it had been his birthday when his parents had died, the home he had grown up in had been burnt to the ground, and he had been kidnapped by occultists. None of these things are things he wants to be reminded of.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth is upset because she feels she cannot give Ciel the ring she found, since he already has one. While she’s stuck in traffic she hears someone playing a hurdy gurdy. When that person disappears into the shadows of an alley, Elizabeth is compelled to follow—apparently by the ring, which is glowing. She walks down the alley and sees a doll shop. The hurdy gurdy player is there, and they have a conversation. (There is something very mechanical and bizarre about him, but Elizabeth does not appear to notice, bless her curly little head.) The conversation takes a sinister turn, and we cut back to Ciel, who is learning that Elizabeth had disappeared. At the same time, we learn that this may be connected to the mysterious, cursed ring which in return is connected to the mysterious disappearances of many young girls.
“His Butler, However You Please”
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Twelve
This episode concludes the “Hope Diamond arc” and leaves us with more mysteries. (Such as, what were the writers thinking when they came up with this?) We open with Elizabeth remembering how Ciel had disappeared and his parents had died. Despite being a very cheerful, slightly silly girl, Elizabeth’s main motivation is to try to make Ciel happy, because she loves him. These sad thoughts are accompanied by a montage of sad memories and burning houses. The last scene before the opening credits is Elizabeth looking entranced and very doll-like. When her head moves, there is a mechanical click.
The scene then shifts to the scene where the previous episode ended. Sebastian is perched on the window ledge in the room with the mysterious symbol. He makes several snide comments about how much Ciel has lost, and when Ciel snaps back at him, Sebastian reminds Ciel of their conversation during the Frost Fair. Sebastian apparently senses that Ciel is strongly affected by his memories, and quotes Ciel’s words about having been shattered and reborn at him. Ciel’s temper flares and he shakes off whatever unease he had been feeling.
By RenaM2 5 months, 2 weeks ago.
Blue Exorcist Episode Four
The opening scene is a garden and an old woman talking to her granddaughter Shiemi about a magical garden where every plant in the world is grown. Shiemi wants to find this garden someday. We see a brief image of the old woman and the little girl. The image is fuzzy at the edges, indicating that this is a memory. Then we go to the opening credits.
When we get back from the credits, Rin is heartbroken over something that has happened in a manga he is reading. Yukio would very much appreciate it if Rin did not blubber all over his manga. He removes the book from Rin’s grasp over his brother’s strenuous protests. Yukio would also appreciate it Rin took things more seriously and tried studying instead of goofing off.
Blue Exorcist Episode Five
We open with an action sequence that turns out to be Rin having a daydream of epic proportions in which Rin defeats zombies and is utterly too cool for school except for the part where he is also a huge dork. Rin is interrupted from his fantasies by the teacher who is less than amused by his cloud gazing. Someone else who is less than amused is one of his classmates, a rather rough looking customer named Suguro Ryuji who is also one of the hardest working students and also has the best grades. (Rin on the other hand would like to be a hard working student but tends to be easily distracted.)
After the opening credits, it’s revealed that Shiemi probably would have gotten an great grade on a “anti-demon pharmaceuticals” quiz if she’d only used the proper names instead of the ones she gave to her plants. Rin laughs at her, but it turns out that he did not do any better, only getting a two. Suguro is disgusted by Rin and shows off his ninety eight, and Rin wonders how someone like Suguro could have gotten such a good grade. This of course outrages Suguro who proceeds to yell at Rin for being lazy when everyone else is trying to get good grades and become exorcists.
Blue Exorcist Episode Six
We open with Rin in a full screaming panic because Yukio let him sleep in. (Yukio’s affable smile screams gleeful brotherly malice.) Rin yells at Yukio and eats as quickly as he can.) We see that even though there’s food waiting for both of them, the kitchen is completely dark before we go to credits.
When we get back from credits, it’s lunch time, and Rin is in severe danger of missing out on his favorite lunch item which is something called a “yakisoba bun.” Unfortunately, Suguro manages to latch onto the lunch item at the same time. This results in an argument between the two boys.
By RenaM2 6 months ago.
Did in fact knock my socks off. I was however slightly traumatized by the epilog, and am currently in a tizzy about the opening of act six.
In other news, I’m going to start putting up the recaps for Moribito, which I’m currently watching. And possibly a couple other anime.
By RenaM2 6 months ago.
Uraboku Episode Twenty
In this episode, Yuki goes against Takashiro’s orders and continues to look for Luka, and Reiga summons Cadenza. (It should be noted that one of Cadenza’s names is “Master Killer.” Reiga may have bitten off more than he can chew by summoning two general class Opasts at this point in time.)
The episode opens with Toko talking to Luka. Luka is still staying away from Yuki, and this time he has an even better excuse. He doesn’t want Elegy to go after Yuki, to get back him. Toko is not convinced. She presses the point, but Luka wants her to back off about it. (“It,” being the illusion spell Elegy used on Luka, and also about Luka’s relationship to Yuki’s previous incarnation.) Luka asks Toko not to tell Yuki about it, and even uses the word “please.” We get a brief flashback to a memory Luka has about the female Yuki.
“Sin and Punishment and Promise”
Uraboku Episode Twenty One
In this episode the standoff from the previous episode continues.
We begin with a flashback to happier time when Yuki was still at the orphanage, and Reiga was still Kanata. This is a very sweet scene once again shows that Kanata and Yuki were very close. (It is also ever so slightly romantic in tone, and there is a strong implication to me that this is from Reiga’s point of view.)
The next scene is a repeat of the ending of the last episode. Luka, Tsukumo and Toko see and hear and explosion, and realize that the barrier surrounding the place where Cadenza has Senshiro and the other trapped has gone down. They head toward the battle.
Uraboku Episodes Twenty 22-24
Since the last three episodes of the anime are so closely tied together, and the last episode is mostly epilogue, I will be covering all three of them at once. This is an anime of a not yet completed manga series, and as a result, it has a very rushed, unfinished ending. (I am not sure however how much of a rush job it is, as I have not been able to get a hold of the manga yet.)
“To the Final Battle,” episode twenty-two is a continuation of the final scene of the previous episode. Reiga is standing in front of a doorway floating in the air. He delivers an ultimatum stating that Takashiro should come and fight him. Yuki calls out to Reiga, calling him “Kanata.” Reiga tells Yuki to never call him by that name again. Then both Cadenza and Reiga leave. Yuki, completely drained after the use of his powers, collapses.
By RenaM2 6 months, 2 weeks ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Seven
Ciel is sent on a mission to a village called Houndsworth to discover the truth behind a mysterious “demon dog” haunting the village. Of course, the situation is a little more complicated than that. Ciel’s cover mission is apparently to buy land for a resort, which leads to an investigation of Lord Barrymore, the man who owns the land and the village.
We open with Ciel, Sebastian and the servants all heading for the town. The servants are under the impression that they are going to a resort. Ciel is of course, not actually nice enough to invite them to go on vacation with him—he just does not want the servants to wreck his manor while he’s away, since he does not have anyone to babysit them.
The servants discover that they are not going to a resort after all, when they come across a tree from which dog collars have been hung. (The ground surrounding the trees is littered with dog skulls and bones.) The general surroundings are ugly, gloomy, and really not resort material. A little later, the servants and Ciel come across an old woman pushing a baby carriage—which turns out to contain the skull of a large dog.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Eight
This episode continues from where the other episode ends. It turns out that Lord Barrymore has been killed, and his body has been left in the arena where dog baiting had taken place. This results in more strangeness from the villagers, who are chanting a lullaby about the demon dog. The villagers, now believing that they have angered the demon dog enact various rituals. (This is one of the many points in the series where I have to wonder what the writers were thinking, or smoking while creating the episode.)
Maylene and Finny both go wandering around the manor house in the middle of the night due to mysterious noises. As they do some exploring on their own. What they discover is that Angela is apparently entertaining a mysterious visitor (which breaks Finny’s heart, since he had developed a crush on Angela.) This is more than poor Finny can take, so he runs off into the night, feeling sorry for himself, and Maylene returns to her room.
The next day Ciel and Sebastian are apparently not too concerned about finally solving the case (at least, Ciel is enjoying a snack), but the servants have a very pressing worry when they discover that Angela has disappeared. She has apparently gone off into the swamp, which would not seem to be a very smart thing to do, since there is a real demon dog wandering around the moors and village. Bardroy, Finny, Maylene and Tanaka all head off for the bogs, where they are not successful at finding Angela. (Tanaka is wearing a safari outfit, and carrying a gun.) What they find instead are body parts, and a very strange looking naked man. Finny recognizes him as Angela’s late night visitor.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Nine
In this episode, Ceil has acquired a camera that is supposed to be able to reveal “otherworldly beings,” which have an emotional connection with the person being photographed. (It is further clarified that the otherworldly beings in questions are the ghosts of loved ones.) He gives the servants the job of taking Sebastian’s picture.
Of course, it becomes obvious that Sebastian is aware of what the servants are up to, and a battle of sorts ensues as the servants struggle to catch him in a moment where he is standing still for ten seconds, (that being the amount of time necessary to take the picture). The servants take a break from their mission, and complain about their various mishaps. They are interrupted by Sebastian, who assigns them the task of hiding Pluto, since a guest will be arriving at the mansion. Pluto however, turns out to be too much to handle, and Sebastian eventually has to deal with him.
Sebastian talks to Ciel, and sees that Ciel is having a little strategy session on his desk in the form of toy soldiers and a little black sheep game piece. It is obvious that Sebastian knows what Ciel is up to, though Ciel continues to pretend that nothing is going on.
By RenaM2 7 months, 1 week ago.
Blue Exorcist Episode One
Blue Exorcist is about a slightly disreputable but otherwise well-meaning boy named Rin Okumura who discovers that he is the son of Satan. (As a result, even when he tries to do good deeds something bad happens—usually to him, but also to anyone else in the general vicinity.) He and his much more responsible and respectable twin brother Yukio were both raised by a priest, an exorcist named Shiro Fujimoto. There is some random Kabbalah involved with the series, in that the human world is referred to as “Assiah.” (In Kabbalah Assiah is one of four spiritual “worlds”) The world of demons is referred to as “Gehenna.”
We open with some sort of dire ritual taking place. Some force appears to be trying to stop the ritual from taking place but a priest urges the monks to keep chanting. Then a few of the monks burst into blue flame which causes something of a panic amongst the monks. Then the priest leading the ritual explodes and the entire building bursts into flames and everything goes white, and our next sight is a boy getting punched in the face.
“The Devil Resides in Human Souls”
Blue Exorcist Episode Two
We open with an expository scene that goes over Rin’s self-esteem issues. Rin’s childhood was mostly filled with him being in lots of trouble because he was constantly getting into fights. He generally had good intentions but this did not stop his peers and the adults in his life from saying bad things about him. Thanks to the revelation of the previous episode, Rin now has tacit confirmation that everyone is right and he really is a rotten no good kid.
The next scene is Rin and Fujimoto running frantically for home. We get a lot of shots of the weird little Coal Tar monsters and Rin looking dazed and confused as Fujimoto drags him along. Rin wants explanations but there is not time, and Fujimoto is too busy trying to protect him from the demons that keep popping up and attacking them. They manage to get a breather, which gives Fujimoto enough time to joke about how hard it is to babysit at his age. Rin is not impressed. Fujimoto turns serious and warns Rin that there is more to come, and then we go to credits.
Blue Exorcist Episode Three
The opening shows Rin looking around the monastery before leaving. He is worried about Yukio who has not said anything to Rin, or asked him about what happened. The monks talk to him, and offer him some encouragement
and reassurances that he still has a home. Rin asks where Yukio is, and the scene shifts to the cemetery, where Yukio has left flowers. We see some of Yukio’s childhood memories. Apparently, Fujimoto had encouraged him to become an exorcist from an early age. Then we go to the opening credits.
When we get back from the credits, Rin is impatiently waiting for the reappearance of Mephisto Pheles and for Yukio to show up. When Mephisto does show up it’s in a Barbie-pink limousine. Rin learns that Mephisto is actually the president of the school, and is operating under the name “Johann Faust the Fifth.” (This name is even worse as an alias than “Mephisto Pheles.”)
By RenaM2 7 months, 1 week ago.
I’ve been watching the Homestuck animation completion meter like a hawk and was ridiculously excited when I saw that it had moved from 56% (where it had been for quite some time) to 66%.
All I can say is that this animation had better knock my socks off, or I don’t know what I’ll do. (I’m very demanding when I think something is awesome.)
By RenaM2 7 months, 1 week ago.
Uraboku Episode Seventeen
Most of this episode is a flash back to a thousand years ago, during the Heian era. The Giou Clan has the job of keeping the imperial court free from demons and other supernatural problems. They live in the mountains in a remote village protected by a barrier.
We open with Reiga as a young boy. He is bullied and often attacked by other children because he is half duras, his only friends are a girl named Yomi and Takashiro, who drive off the bullies. It’s clear that Takashiro trusted Reiga as a child, and made an effort to reach out to him, though Reiga had a resentful and angry demeanor. (There is a repeated motif of a sakura tree that won’t bloom. Reiga compares himself and is compared to the tree throughout the episode.)
Uraboku Episode Eighteen
In this episode, Yuki is still dealing with the information overload of last episode. Meanwhile, Toko and Tsukumo talk themselves into disobeying orders and heading over to the main residence. Then Luka gets an unexpected visit from a fan girl who will not take “I don’t like you go away,” as an answer. (I am not happy with the “insane fatal attraction chick” trope.)
The next day after Takashiro tells Yuki about Reiga and how the war began, Yuki is still processing the information. He is also thinking about Luka, whom he misses a great deal. The one thing that Yuki had not asked Takashiro about was the nature of his previous incarnation’s relationship with Luka. He decides to go find Luka, accompanied by Senshiro and Kuroto, but is not able to find Luka, who is apparently hiding from Yuki.
Uraboku Episode Nineteen
In the wake of Elegy’s attack, Yuki has been restricted to the mansion, and isn’t particularly happy about this, since he’s worried about Luka. The first scene is a continuation of the ending of the previous episode. Fuyutoki is reporting that Luka has just encountered a general class Opast to Yuki and the others. Yuki wants to know if Fuyutoki knows where Luka is, but the butler says that Takashiro ordered Yuki to stay in the house. Yuki is upset by this, but doesn’t protest.
Meanwhile, Tsukumo and Toko receive word that Shuusei and Hotsuma have been called up to the main residence. Luka is standing a little way off, and as usual, is worrying about Yuki. He appears to have recovered somewhat from his battle with Elegy, and the illusion spell she cast.
By RenaM2 7 months, 3 weeks ago.
Recently found it, and read two and a half of the stories. Lots of recurring themes from just the two stories I read. (Moriyama has Ancient Astronauts on the brain.) One was “Alice in Cyberland” which I didn’t like all that much and the other was “Mother’s Guardian” which I did like, even with the Ancient Astronauts.
I also got caught up with World Embryo. (No, I will not tell you where I found either of them.)
I think I don’t like WE as much as Chrono Crusade. (Which I’ve said before, somewhere.) I do kind of like Riku (or at least I like him more since he’s had his screw ups smashed into his face) and the other characters, so that makes it worth continuing to read despite the deja vu. (Moriyama loves him some Bee People.)
By RenaM2 7 months, 3 weeks ago.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Eleven
This episode is a series of revelations as Zakuro learns of her mother’s past, and her connection to Lord Omodaka. (We also have it pounded into our heads with sledge hammers that Omodaka is a bundle of deeply twisted issues where Zakuro and his mother are concerned.) Meanwhile, Zakuro’s friends put together a rescue party, and Rangui has plans for Daidai and revenge on Omodaka.
We open with Zakuro running through the mansion in a panic. She comes to a stop in a deserted hallway. When she asks why this is all happening, her necklace begins to glow, and she has a flashback to when her mother first gave her the necklace. She hears her mother’s voice and continues down the hallway. She finds her way into a secret chamber where her mother is. Her mother is motionless and appears to be in a trance. Zakuro reaches out to touch her mother’s hand, and then gasps as she suddenly receives her mother’s memories.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Twelve
We begin this episode with a continuation of the “wedding” scene from the previous episode. Omodaka is wearing mask, and Byaroku is leading Zakuro by the hand up to where Omodaka is. Zakuro appears to either be under a spell or drugged to the gills. Then we go to the opening credits.
The next scene after the credits, Agemaki and company are asking Lords A and Um for help. The spirits are reluctant however—they do not want to endanger the lives of the girls or their partners. Agemaki however, insists, which causes the two guardian spirits to question Agemaki’s intentions. (Nothing like a friendly interrogation from giant stone lion dogs about your suitability as a boyfriend.) After Agemaki declares that he cares about Zakuro and wants to be the one to rescue her for a change, A and Um relent and cast the spell that will bring them in reach of the village.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Thirteen
We open with Agemaki and friends rushing to Zakuro’s rescue, led by Byaroku. Someone actually trusting her is apparently enough of a novelty that she has time to stop and ask, “How do you know you can trust me not to lead you into a trap?” The answer is, “Because we understand how you feel.”
The next scene involves Omodaka who has reached his home. The place is in flames and there are dead bodies wrapped in webs. Omodaka realizes that Rangui is the one responsible for all of this, just as he hears Rangui singing Zakuro’s personal theme song. The other catch up, and Byaroku realizes that she doesn’t know where Daidai is. She runs off in the direction of Rangui’s voice, eventually reaching a courtyard where Rangui is sitting in the middle of a spider web in her spider form. The spider demon has Daidai in her jaws, but she tosses Daidai to the ground, saying that Daidai wasn’t very useful.
By RenaM2 8 months ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Four
Ciel’s latest case is apprehending a serial killer who is targeting prostitutes, a killer known only as Jack the Ripper. Since his Earl Phantomhive persona is too well known, he disguises himself as a girl in order to investigate one of the suspects. Complications arise in various forms.
We open with Ciel arriving at the townhouse in London with Sebastian. Ciel is complaining about the Season, and there being too many people in London. Sebastian in turn points out that at least there will be no servant-caused catastrophes at least. Then they find Madame Red, Grell and Lau busily entertaining themselves in a parlor, while trying to find where the tea is kept.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Five
The first scenes intersperse a conversation between Ciel and Madame Red with Jack the Ripper (only seen in shadows) getting ready to commit a murder. Ciel is angry that he failed to find the murderer, and his aunt is
trying to calm him down, and tells him to let Sebastian handle it. Ciel on the other hand says that Sebastian is his chess piece, and he is therefore ultimately responsible. Madame Red continues to talk about how worried she is about Ciel and his position as “the Queen’s Watchdog” and invokes the name of Ciel’s mother (her sister). Madame Red continues on about how she is sure that his mother wanted more for him than just being an “evil nobleman.”
She asks if Ciel is after revenge for the death of his parents but Ciel denies this. Instead, he states he is looking for revenge for himself, and everything he’s lost. Madame Red seems sad about this and continues talking to him, concerned for his well being, and stating that she thinks of him as a son. Ciel again states that he will continue to investigate, which seems to upset Madame Red.
“His Butler, Chance Encounter”
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Six
The episode picks up where the previous episode left us after a short prologue containing brief scenes from earlier episodes in this arc. Madame Red had been killed by Grell, and Sebastian has been ordered by Ciel to take out Grell. Grell however, seems to be taking this as a first date. She expounds on how her (nonexistent) relationship with Sebastian is like Romeo and Juliet. Sebastian disagrees rather strongly, and they take the battle to the rooftops.
Grell paraphrases Romeo and Juliet and asks if Sebastian will deny the name Ciel gave him. Proving he can play along, Sebastian states that once Ciel gave him his name, he swore by the moon to be Ciel’s butler. Grell, still in Shakespeare mode calls Sebastian inconstant. Grell waxes poetic, and then wanes into flirtatious silliness which serves to annoy Sebastian. The battle continues, with various moments where there is a definite standoff. Demon and Reaper both seem to be at equal levels of power and strength, neither one quite gaining for very long.
By RenaM2 8 months ago.
Will eventually be working on more manga and anime reviews. At the moment, I’ve been having to deal with a pretty bad headache, and homework that requires a lot of “critical thinking skills” which are hard to accomplish when your brain is tying in knots. I am behind on most if not all blogs, which is a sad, bad thing.
Informational design is an extremely complex subject and the text book frightens me because it’s written at a really high reading level. (Which is not surprising because Informational design is for educational type things.)
By RenaM2 8 months, 1 week ago.
Pig Bride v. 1-5 by KookHwa Huh and SuJin Kim
This is a cute fairy tale in a modern setting. The setting is one of those lavish “high schools for rich kids,” and our Hero was railroaded into a Animal Bride(groom) fairytail when he was a little kid. Now his “bride” has arrived and would like to have her curse broken now, please.
A Bride’s Story v. One by Kaoru Mori
A Bride’s Story is a historical romance manga set in Central Asia during the early nineteenth century. Our heroine is a young woman named Amir Halgal who has recently married.
My Girlfriend is a Geek! v. One by Rize Shinba and Pentabu
In which our Hero is dragged kicking and screaming into the world of a geeky fangirl. The romance appears to be paralleling one of the various “magical girlfriend” plots. The Hero is basically the Kyon to the Heroine’s Haruhi most of the time, poor dear. (Special note: I wrote this in a “explaining to non fans” mode, so there is some explanation of fannish terms that may or may not be accurate.)
By RenaM2 8 months, 1 week ago.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Seven
In the opening of this episode, it appears to be a fairly quiet day. (Despite Agemaki sticking his foot into his mouth by saying he has gotten used to the smaller spirits because Zakuro is much scarier.) She stomps off and encounters a maid who is bringing in a guest. When the girl, a servant of the Agemaki household jumps into Agemaki’s arms, Zakuro is less that pleased. (Zakuro is destined for a day full of irritations.)Then we go to the opening theme.
After the opening theme, everyone is behind the door trying to listen to what is going on, even Ganryu. (Obviously, he is picking up bad habits from Bonbori and Hozuki.) They are all gossiping about what they had seen, and making various speculations. Their attempt at spying is interrupted by Zakuro who gives them a glare that causes them to scatter. Then she returns to her seat next to Tamaki, who is talking to the servant. While talking to the servant about what he’s been up to, he makes the claim that Zakuro is his assistant, rather than his partner. (Zakuro is not pleased and grows increasingly annoyed with Agemaki throughout the conversation
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Eight
In this episode, chores are interrupted when Agemaki and Susukihotaru turn up missing. We discover that Kushimatsu seems to know who is responsible for the kidnapping. Meanwhile, the two mysterious half-spirit girls who seem to have a grudge against Zakuro decide to attack her via her friends. We also discover that the black widow yokai “Lady Rangui” is apparently an ally of Zakuro’s enemies, “The Village of Oracles.”
We open with a mixed bag of girls and their partners, who are all working on cleaning the Ministry building. Meanwhile, Agemaki has gone into town on an errand, and runs into Susukihotaru who is returning the sword to the shop (the sword that had been possessed, back in episode four, “Timid Distance”). They talk, and Agemaki notices that Susukihotaru has become a little less shy, and notes that it must be because of her friendship with Riken. This results in some flustered behavior from Susukihotaru. As they walk, they are interrupted by two cloaked figures who throw some kind of sleeping powder in their faces.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Nine
In this episode, the tanuki maids working at the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs join forces with Bonbori and Hozuki. Their goal is to find out whom exactly, Zakuro likes. (There had been some question about this, due to the fact that Riken and Zakuro are on friendly terms.) Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanadate turns up with a case for the Ministry of Spirit Affairs. Apparently, a divination game called “kokkuri” is accidentally summoning some variety of spirit.
After Hanadate leaves, Zakuro is mobbed by the tanuki and the twins, because they want to try the divination game out. While participating in the game will serve the purpose of the mission, Zakuro is less than pleased about the reason why the maids wanted to try the game in the first place. (This scene is particularly cute, with Zakuro flailing and the twins pretending that they are being very serious about this, and that they only want to try summoning the spirit out of a sense of obligation.)
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Ten
This episode is full of revelations and mystery as an outing to a festival ends with a kidnapping. Zakuro discovers who her mysterious enemies are, and terrible secrets are revealed. The story takes a turn for the extremely disturbing at this point, though it somehow maintains its more 'romantic comedy’ aspects.
The episode opens with Riken, Agemaki and Ganryu waiting for the girls to get ready for their visit to a festival being held at a shrine. There is some traditional complaining of the “why do girls take so long to get ready” variety, and then Lord Amaryoju gives them pocket money. (Agemaki complains because this is something you would do for kids.)
By RenaM2 8 months, 2 weeks ago.
I think a big reason why I like/liked Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit so much is because of the slight gender flip of the relationship between Tanda and Balsa. Balsa appears to have slightly “masculine” traits and Tanda has slightly “feminine” ones. (It’s even joked about in-story.)
There’s also a gender/story flip between Balsa having been raised by a male warrior, and Chagum being protected by Balsa under possibly similar circumstances that I find interesting. There’s a lot of commentary about parents, children and parenting that I find to be very interesting. (I
Balsa is a very strong female character, and that’s another thing I like about her. I also like that she isn’t following the “strong woman who blusters along and is then is revealed to be a covering for some weakness or trauma” that I’ve been seeing in other fantasy genres. (Specifically, over in paranormal romance and urban fantasy. gah.) Balsa has a traumatic back story, but doesn’t bluster, she’s just extremely and overwhelmingly competent.
By RenaM2 8 months, 3 weeks ago.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode One
I am doing a re-watch of the previous series of Black Butler, which is a twenty four episodes in length, with an ova titled “His Butler, Performs.” (Which involves shenanigans and the cast attempting to perform a play for orphans, one that would be considered Child Unfriendly, but that’s the Black Butler cast for you.) The main story of the series involves Ciel Phantomhive, a twelve year old boy who after severe abuse seeks revenge for what was done to him. His loyal assistant in his quest is Sebastian Michaelis—a demon he has made a contract with. Ciel’s family are special investigators disguised as crimelords (or vice versa) who “keep control” of the upper class criminal element (and the lower class as well in some cases). Unfortunately, Ciel’s parents were killed, which is another reason for revenge. (But mostly, it is all about what happened to Ciel.)
The first episode of the series begins with a replay of the moment Ciel made the contract. (Though a strange dreamlike stage has been set; Ciel is lying in midair, covered by a red cloth, and there’s feathers flying around. The demon is shown as and indistinct shadow, and then a raven. The demon warns Ciel of the penalty of making the contract. Ciel does not care and emphatically demands the demon kill his enemies. All the feathers turn black and fly around, and then Ciel is waking up as a butler named Sebastian wakes him up and tells him what is on the menu for breakfast.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Two
This episode begins with an apparent rat infestation at the Phantomhive manor. The servants are taking a hands on approach to rat killing instead of you know, setting out poison or traps. (Finni tries to kill one rat with a nearby piece of decor…he misses it, of course.) Meanwhile, Ciel is entertaining some visitors in the billiard room. The conversation turns a little sinister, because Ciel’s guests are “the evil noblemen” among whom are nobles and others who are engaged in criminal activities, or preventing foreign criminals from gaining territory in England. (I think this is a very interesting and kind of funny parallel.
Some complaints about a secondary situation (veiled as a conversation about the rats) comes up, various people at the meeting wondering when Ciel will deal with whatever problem has come up that Ciel hasn’t dealt with yet. One lady present states that “he” never takes action unless he can take them out with one blow. She suggests that Ciel take the next turn with the billiard game, but Ciel demurs, leading to a gentleman asking with Ciel will take action.
Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Episode Three
The episode begins with a scream of horror, but it is not Ciel punishing a swindling employee. It is Grell, Madam Red’s butler, who is hurtling down the hall on top of a cart full of dishes and tea. Grell and the
cart barrel through the door of the dining room, heading straight for poor Finni who isn’t able to get out of the way in time. Grell gets knocked to the floor, soaked in tea in the process. Grell trying to clean Finni up, reaching for a napkin, but manages to tear the entire tablecloth off of the table, knocking everything off of it, severely annoying Ciel.
Bardroy asks why Grell is here, stating that Grell is an incompetent. Ciel notes that a Bardroy has no room to talk. It turns out his aunt, Madam Red imposed upon Ciel to take Grell in so that Sebastian could help Grell become a better butler. (Grell seem especially at creating disasters.) Ciel had thought Sebastian would be the on actually inconvenienced by Grell being a walking disaster area, not himself. (Silly kid, you should know by now that kind of reasoning will only cause you trouble.)
By RenaM2 9 months ago.
Gosick Episode Four
The opening of this episode features Grevil melodramatically arresting Kujo on suspicion of murder. Kujo however repeated invokes Victorique’s name, causing Grevil to take him to see Victorique to set things
straight. Kujo is not a murderer; he is only the witness to a murder. It seems that Kujo had been out on an errand when he had seen someone on a motorbike pass by. As the rider had passed him, the rider’s head fell off, and the bike had crashed. Victorique is quickly able to identify the cause of death as a very sharp wire that had been placed at about the right height to take someone’s head off.
A very disgruntled Grevil releases Kujo and stalks off. Victorique tells Grevil that the suspect is a woman with blonde hair whose hand had been injured. Kujo asks Victorique how she knows this, and Victorique explains her reasoning. She notes that murder method is elaborate, indicating that the person was smaller than the victim, and that the suspect didn’t want to confront the victim directly. She notes that the end of the wire also had blood on it, meaning that the suspect had possibly cut herself while securing the wire to the trees. Third, Kujo himself had seen a woman with long hair out of the corner of his eye. (The basis of this is that Kujo had been thinking about girls with long blonde hair shortly before the murder occurred.)
“The Golden Thread Cuts Through a Passing Moment”
Gosick Episode Five
Victorique reveals that Avril had decided to hide the book she had found in the crypt in the library. (In a place no one was likely to look because the location was connected to one of the school’s ghost stories.)
The mysterious book contains a fairy tale about a golden-haired fairy that lives in a tower. The fairy is supposed to have knowledge of the entire world, and the price for asking her a question is the soul of the person asking the question. (Notably, Victorique is known as the Golden Fairy.) Also inside the book is a postcard addressed to Avril Bradley from a Sir Bradley. The postcard was never delivered. Victorique takes the post card and walks back upstairs, leaving Kujo very confused.
Still carrying the book, Kujo comes across Grevil, who is hanging out on the school grounds. Grevil reveals that he is investigating a burglar with the melodramatic name of “Phantom Thief Kuiaran.” The burglar is apparently very famous, but has not been seen anywhere for the past seven years, until very recently. He states that this new Phantom Thief Kuiaran is a “second generation Kuiaran.” Grevil’s demeanor is rather thoughtful and preoccupied as he explains this, quite apart from his usual melodramatic manner, and Kujo questions this. Grevil becomes annoyed and denies being melodramatic (rather melodramatically). He tells Kujo to let him know if he sees anyone who looks suspicious and walks off.
“There’s a Mysterious Ghost in the Abandoned Warehouse”
Gosick Episode Six
We open with Avril and Kujo in town on an outing. She has learned all of the stories concerning the school and has a love of fairytales. She tells Kujo about a story involving a gray wolf that knows human speech, and says that it lives in the botanical garden above the library. She further claims that the gray wolf is attracted to shiny objects. Kujo states that the only “Gray Wolf” he knows is actually attracted to candy.
Avril drags Kujo off to find something suitably shiny and meet up with a magician who accidentally kills a pigeon instead of having it fly out of his hat. (Then he grabs Kujo’s textbooks and turns them into a turban.) Then they come across a nun who is selling odds and ends, including a Dresden china plate. There’s an explosion from a music box followed by more pigeons, and the plate disappears.
“The Gray Wolves Summon Their Brethren”
By RenaM2 9 months ago.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Four
In the opening of this episode, Zakuro is watching the soldiers practice. Susukihotaru has also come to watch one particular soldier. When she spots her friend, she decides to tease Zakuro about the events of the previous episode, where Kei and Zakuro had to share a room. Zakuro’s shouting draws the attention of the soldiers, and Kei says “good morning” to Zakuro.Then Kei’s hand slowly drops down when Zakuro gives a disdainful look and stomps off. Susukihotaru remains to watch her favorite soldier Riken, but when he looks back, she is overcome with shyness, bows, and then hides behind a door.
Later, everyone is gathered to learn about what assignments they have for the day, from Kushimatsu. Zakuro and Kei however are dismissed because they have already been on a mission. After leaving, Kei is mobbed by the little pumpkin headed spirits, Sakura and Kiri who want to play with Kei. When they learn that Kei can’t play with him because he’s going to be training, they are equally excited (despite not knowing what training actually is). Zakuro and Kei talk. Kei is doing some extra training because he is embarrassed that he had to be rescued by Zakuro. This does not make Zakuro happy. (Also, looked at reasonably both did a lot of rescuing of each other in the previous episode, even if Kei was also a huge dork.)
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Five
In this episode, Lieutenant Hanadate turns up with a case; apparently, young men have been disappearing from parties being held for government officials, and a yokai is suspected. (A spider yokai referred to as a
“black widow”) The team attends the next party in hopes of catching it. We learn a little about Bonbori and Hozuki, and Agemaki rescues Zakuro from bullies. (We also see that Zakuro has an immense crush on Lieutenant Hanadate.)
The opening involves Zakuro having a crush on Lieutenant Hanadate, and Agemaki’s jealousy about this. Zakuro is less than enthused about the clothes they will be wearing; Western dresses with bustle skirts. (None of them really look good in bustles by the way.) Zakuro of course has a screaming rage fit about “Jesuit clothes.” Agemaki makes a comment about Zakuro’s temper, and Zakuro discovers that Western shoes have their advantages when she stomps on Agemaki’s foot.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Six
In this episode, everyone is recovering from the previous episode with the black widow yokai, and Zakuro tries to find out about what happened to her mother. Meanwhile, Ganryu is upset that he had not been able to do
anything during the battle and we learn more about Bonbori and Hozuki’s past.
The opening is Agemaki turning in the report on the case to Hanadate, who apologizes for his less than stellar performance (since he was captured by the spider yokai). Hanadate asks after Zakuro, and Agemaki says that she is fine. Then Hanadate gives Agemaki a bag of cookies intended for Zakuro and the team. (At least it wasn’t candles.)
By RenaM2 9 months ago.
Uraboku Episode Twelve
In this episode, Hotsuma and Yuki confront and fight Ashley. They are not very successful at first. Meanwhile, the body count of Ashley’s familiars continues to rise as Luka fights his way to Yuki’s side.
Once Hotsuma realizes that Shuusei is down for the count (dead, according to Ashley) he attacks while Yuki attempts to heal Shuusei. Ashley does the classic villain thing and taunts both Hotsuma and Yuki as she fights. Ashley also rocks the annoying insane female villain laughter. (Seriously, it is deeply annoying.) She tells Hotsuma that Shuusei wanted to die, and obviously did not care about Hotsuma as much as he cared about Shuusei. Hotsuma shouts back that Ashley is lying. He attacks, but Ashley knocks him for a loop.
Uraboku Episode Thirteen
In this episode, Yuki and Kanata,who is actually Reiga, the enemy of the Giou Clan, have an emotionally painful confrontation. We start with a repeat of the last scene of the previous episode, where Reiga makes an appearance, revealing that he is actually Kanata. (Or rather, that Kanata is really Reiga, who had apparently reincarnated as Kanata Wakamiya.) After a conversation where Reiga reveals that he is the one who summoned the mid-villain that tried to kill Yuki on Walpurgis night, a battle ensues between Reiga and his surviving minions and the Zweilt Guardians.
The battle initially doesn’t go very well for the Zweilt Guardians. Reiga summons Fenrir (I love randomly appearing Norse monsters, don’t you?) Giant translucent ice wolves appear, one of them grabbing Luka and pulling him away from Yuki. Luka orders Sodom (who has gone along with the wolfy theme and turned himself into a very large black wolf) to protect Yuki. Reiga forms an ice barrier, enclosing Sodom, himself and Yuki.
Uraboku Episode Fourteen
This is episode is a contemplative one as Yuki (and to some extent Reiga) cope with the fall out of their confrontation in the previous episode. The episode opens with Reiga holding a blue rose (which is a symbol of the impossible since true blue roses do not occur in nature). Reiga has Yuki on his mind, and broods about his goals and about the life he cannot have but clearly wishes that he could. In classic villain fashion, he crushes the rose and stalks away.
Then the scene shifts to Yuki, still recovering from the events of the previous episode, dreaming of an impossible, peaceful life with Kanata (with a vase of blue roses making a significant appearance.) His thoughts are mostly about never wanting to awaken from the dream because the Kanata he knew is gone. As he sleeps, Luka and Sodom are watching over him with great concern.
Uraboku Episode Fifteen
In this episode, Yuki gets ready to go to the main residence of the Giou Clan. He hopes that he’ll be able to discover the causes of the war, about himself and his previous incarnation, and Luka. He will also be meeting two more Zweilt Guardians, Kuroto Hourai and Senshiro Furuori, who have a very personal reason to fight in the war against the duras and Reiga.
We open with Yuki thinking about his upcoming trip to the main residence. The scene shifts to a breakfast scene. The Zweilt Guardians are wondering where Yuki is, since he has not shown up for breakfast. Tachibana the household manager is clearly trying to keep the Zweilts from knowing that Yuki is going to be leaving. When Yuki shows up for breakfast dressed in casual clothes, Tachibana starts panicking and throwing around excuses about why Yuki isn’t dressed for school. The truth eventually comes out, and the Zweilts are not happy about the idea of Yuki going by himself to the main residence.
Uraboku Episode Sixteen
In this episode, Yuki is introduced to relatives he didn’t know he had, and learns about Takashiro and Reiga.
The opening features the Zweilts still worrying about how Yuki will react to finding out about the Giou family history. They are particularly worried because they have some inkling about the kind of burden that Takashiro is under, in the context that Yuki always takes on the pain of others. Hotsuma gets tired of the of the navel gazing and states that if Yuki insists on taking care of everyone, they’ll just have to make sure they take care of him in return.
The next scene is a conversation between Takashiro and Yuki. A young appearing woman who looks a great deal like Yuki interrupts the conversation. She appears to be very excited to see Yuki, throwing herself at him and hugging him. Her name is Tsubaki Shikibe and a young man named Masamune Shinmei. Masamune attempts to pry Tsubaki away from Yuki (who is very confused by this point) but is not really successful at this.) Tsubaki is the younger sister of Ibuki, Takashiro’s secretary. Takashiro tells Tsubaki and Masamune they will have to wait until later to introduce themselves to Yuki.
By RenaM2 9 months, 1 week ago.
You know you have it bad for a fandom when you are composing mixes for it. The fandom in question is (still) Homestuck. (Technically, I should be talking about the three or four mixes I made for Chrono Crusade since this is the anime blog, but such is my obsession, I have to gibber about it somewhere besides my dreamwidth journal so this place is it.)
This is an awesome song.
By RenaM2 9 months, 2 weeks ago.
The comments keep saying “wow this is like Gosick,” and I keep getting annoyed because actually, it’s kind of nothing at all like Gosick except a) time period and b) Little girl dressed in goth loli fashion. The story is completely different, the basic concepts and world building is completely different, the characters are completely different.
That said, I’m kind of enjoying it.
The story line is of the “person discovers that deceased family member has secret powers and/or responsibilities and now person (who may not be and probably isn’t familiar with the secret power or responsibility) must fulfill role previously occupied by deceased family member” variety.
By RenaM2 9 months, 2 weeks ago.
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Ten
The episode opens with a completely different Homura than the one we are used to. “Our” Homura is cool, calm and somewhat classy. This Homura is a very shy, with braids and glasses. She is a transfer student returning to school after having been in the hospital receiving treatment for her heart disease. In contrast, Madoka is a forthright girl who knows exactly what she wants out of life—she has all of the confidence that Homura lacks and immediately befriends and encourages the extremely shy Homura. This episode does not have any opening credits, instead, it runs right through the action.
Homura learns about magical girls and witches after Madoka rescues her from a witch. Our shy friend becomes a mascot and a sidekick and is one the scene when Madoka and Mami face Walpurgis for the first time Mami dies, and then Madoka, which prompts Homura to make a contract with Kyuube. Her wish is to go back and try to protect Madoka, which results in a “Groundhog Day” situation with Homura trying to protect Madoka, failing to protect Madoka and then going back in time to start over. We are shown five separate timelines but there are some hints that Homura has probably jumped back in time more than once. (More than five times would be the only way to explain the complete changes in both Madoka and Homura’s general demeanor and personality, I think.)
“I Won’t Depend on Anyone Anymore”
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Eleven
This episode begins with Kyuube meeting with Homura in her apartment. Despite having been shot multiple times by Homura he manages to be very patient and reasonable as he explains what her repeated jumps back in time
have done. It turns out that each time line Homura had created in her attempts to save Madoka have resulted in the potential energy of those timelines becoming centered on next alternate Madoka—which is why she has so much potential as a magical girl (and why she will immediately become the most powerful witch ever). He cheerfully congratulates her for making Madoka so powerful, and then we go to credits.
The next scene after credits involves a news report about Sayaka’s body having been found. We see Madoka returning from the funeral for Sayaka. Madoka’s mother suspects that Madoka might know something about what happened to Sayaka but Madoka refuses to talk about it. She goes to her room, where she is visited by Kyuube. Madoka is upset that he does not seem to care that Kyoko and Sayaka are dead.
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Twelve
The episode opens with Madoka explaining to Homura that she will become a magical girl. Walpurgis is floating off in the distance, not making any specific moves to attack. Homura is of course horrified because it seems to her the same thing is about to happen again, after she’d already decided that she couldn’t go back in time again.
Madoka is very determined and seems confident that her wish will work. Homura has another breakdown and begins crying. Madoka apologizes, telling her that she can’t help being the way she is, since Homura had tried to protect her for so long. (This is probably the last thing Homura would want to hear, in about a million years.) She promises that nothing Homura has done so far will go to waste, and then she turns to Kyuube.
By RenaM2 9 months, 3 weeks ago.
Among the many, many things I need to do is start working on more episode synopses. And post more stuff here, as well as my DeviantArt thing. (Mostly what I have there so far is some school projects, a few manipulations and coloring projects.) I’m still buried neck deep in Homestuck and have yet to start re-watching Moribito so I can do some episode synopses of that show. On the other hand, I managed to complete a bunch of episodes for both Gosick and Blue Exorcist.
By RenaM2 9 months, 3 weeks ago.
I am currently up to my ears in class assignments for my advanced web design class. I am also behind on several writing projects and buried in Homestuck. On the other hand, I’ve managed to get several recipe slide shows done, so go me?
By RenaM2 9 months, 3 weeks ago.
Uraboku Episode Eight
This episode continues to develop the relationships between the characters, and to give more details about the past of Luka. Yuki also learns a little bit more about his previous incarnation—though not a great deal more. He learns that in his previous incarnations, he was female. In addition, Kanata approaches Yuki, asking him to go away with him, and duras attempt to attack Yuki on the way home from his new school.
Luka drives him to school. (The girls at Yuki’s school immediately wonder if Luka is some kind of rock star or other celebrity.)
As Yuki heads toward the school Kanata turns up, and asks him if he’s all right. Kanata seems very concerned for Yuki’s welfare and asks if he is sure that the people he is with are okay. (It’s obvious that he’s trying to cast doubt on the Giou clan, and create a wedge. Yuki of course does not see it, at least in part because Yuki is a nice guy, if a bit naïve and sheltered.) Yuki becomes a bit concerned, mostly because Kanata seems concerned, but at the same time, Yuki is not sure of what to say when Kanata asks him to come live with him.
Uraboku Episode Nine
In this episode, a new supernatural case is brought to Takashiro’s attention. Young men are disappearing, and high school age girls are falling into mysterious comas. We also learn more about the back-story behind Hotsuma and Shuusei’s friendship.
We open with another breakfast scene, and some interaction between Yuki and Shuusei. Yuki sees Shuusei’s burn scar and is upset to learn that the injury isn’t one that can be healed. Yuki questions Luka about this and learns that he cannot heal the scars caused by a friend.
Tsukumo, Toko and Shuusei are called onto a missing person case that seems to have supernatural origins. The most recent victim is a male high school teacher. Also mentioned is a “Sleeping Beauty” phenomenon recently plaguing high school girls. The cop bringing information on the first case doubts that the Sleeping Beauty incidents have anything to do with the missing person cases, but the viewer almost instantly has their doubts. (At least, they better.)
Uraboku Episode Ten
In this episode, Hotsuma is confined to his room to keep him from doing anything rash, while World’s End (the Giou Clan investigative organization) tries to find Shuusei. We also learn a little more about Hotsuma and Shuusei, and the nature of their relationship. It is clear that though they are very close, they both have a number of unresolved issues, most of them revolving around the incident that resulted in Shuusei’s burn scars.
The episode opens with a repeat of the ending scene from the previous episode. Hotsuma is enraged and grief stricken by Shuusei’s disappearance, and tries to head out without a clear plan or any idea of where to look. He is prevented by Tsukumo, who points out that if he cannot even sense Shuusei, Hotsuma is not going to have much luck finding him either.
Uraboku Episode Eleven
Tsukumo is brought to the Twilight Mansion infirmary after his encounter with Reiga and his minions. After getting bandaged up Yuki is asked to attempt a healing Tsukumo. Yuki is very uncertain and upset when he enters the room and sees Tsukumo, thinking that his protection charm had not been effective. The doctor however points out that the charm is most likely the reason Tsukumo is still alive.
While everyone waits for an update on Tsukumo’s condition, Toko and Luka talk. The scene is notable because while Luka makes the statement that he “isn’t one of them,” he also offers reassurance to Toko. (Though in a very roundabout way; when she says, “I have to keep it together,” he says that she doesn’t have to do that for him. There is a lot of depth to this scene, it is clear that while Luka is placing himself apart from the Zweilts, it is clear that he is also making an overture of friendship.)
“That Which is Fleeting, Strong and Precious”
By RenaM2 10 months, 1 week ago.
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Seven
Sayaka returns home. She is deeply unhappy concerning the revelation in the previous episode. She accused Kyuube of lying to them, but Kyuube seems puzzled and not at all concerned. He does not have a problem with the entire “turn girls into Soul Gems so their bodies can take more damage,” thing, and does not understand why Sayaka does. Sayaka has hysterics, and Kyuube demonstrates why having been turned into a Soul Gem is beneficial by letting her experience the full amount of pain her body would be experiencing if she were inside of her body instead of outside it.
The next day, while Sayaka cuts class, Madoka questions Homura about the previous night’s revelation. She wants to know why Homura had not said anything about it. Homura states that she had tried to before, but was never believed. Madoka wonders why Kyuube would do such a cruel thing, but Homura says that Kyuube is unaware that he is doing anything wrong in ripping out their souls, because the benefits of having a body that doesn’t feel pain outweigh the inconvenience of having a body that is less durable and therefore less useful for fighting.
“Can You Face Your True Feelings?”
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Eight
The episode continues with Sayaka still hacking at the witch as the barrier crumbles around her. She is laughing and having hysterics. She notes that it’s easier once you figure it out. She picks up the Grief Seed
and tosses it to Kyoko, who looks extremely wary. Sayaka transforms back into her ordinary school girl outfit, then collapses. Madoka supports her and begins to walk her home. Kyoko looks worried, and calls Sayaka an idiot, and then we go to the opening credits.
In the next scene, it is raining and Madoka and Sayaka are sitting together.. Madoka tries to convince Sayaka that she should not fight like that. She’s worried and upset, but her concern is rejected by Sayaka who is angry and resentful about having become a magical girl. (Well, specifically she is angry because she is now a Soul Gem and she is now operating her body by remote control.) She is also resentful because Kyuube told her that Madoka would be much more powerful that she was, and takes it out on Madoka, telling her that if Madoka wants to help, she should become a magical girl too. Then she starts to walk away. She tells Madoka not to follow her, and then runs off. We get a shot of Sayaka’s Soul Gem which is beginning to darken before heading to the next scene.
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Nine
The episode opens with a continuation of the scene from the last episode. Sayaka is suddenly surrounded by a barrier that knocks Kyoko across the room. Lines of musical notations stream out everywhere and Sayaka’s
body is floating near a massive witch. Kyoko darts over to where Sayaka is and grabs her body. The witch screams and attacks, and Kyoko demands to know what the witch did to Sayaka. (She herself is not aware of the connection between magical girls and witches) The witch does not answer and Kyoko has to do a lot of dodging.
Homura comes to the rescue, catching hold of Kyoko and stopping time. She explains that if Kyoko lets go time will stop for her as well and starts running with Kyoko in tow. Kyoko wants to know what’s going on and Homura tells her that the “witch” is in fact Sayaka. Homura tells Kyoko to drop Sayaka’s body so that they can fight the witch, but Kyoko keeps running with the body. They leave the barrier and just before we go to the opening credits, we see Kyoko gently placing Sayaka’s body on the ground.
After the credits, we see Madoka walking along the train train tracks. As she walks, she comes across Kyoko and Homura. Kyoko is carrying Sayaka’s body. Homura explains that Sayaka’s Soul Gem turned into a Grief Seed and that Sayaka is now a witch. This is the “final secret” of the Soul Gems—when they become completely tainted, the magical girls will mature into witches. Madoka is horrified and extremely upset.
By RenaM2 10 months, 1 week ago.
I’ve been watching Moribito on Crunchyroll. It’s an amazing series, and I love it to pieces. (Which means eventually, I’ll be doing synopses for them.)
Classes have started and I’m dithering between various writing projects and class assignments. (Which is a great excuse for why I haven’t posted very often. Heh.
By RenaM2 10 months, 2 weeks ago.
Uraboku Episode Four
Episode four begins with a expanded view of the last scene. Kanata is watching Yuki run into the school, and is thinking about Yuki, and how he wishes more people were like him. Yes, this is a very Significant Moment, and if you haven’t gotten suspicious of Kanata yet, you might want to start now.
Yuki runs up to the roof, and sees Uzuki, who points out where the children are. When Yuki sees that the kids have been tied up, he still doesn’t suspect Uzuki, until “Uzuki” pulls a knife on him.
Uraboku Episode Five
In this episode, we get a more definite clue about Luka’s relationship with Yuki’s previous incarnation, we meet two more Zweilt Guardians, Hotsuma and Shuusei, and there is another attack from the duras. We also see how the Giou clan interacts with the more mundane law enforcement officials (hint; it is not a friendly relationship.) In addition, we learn that Luka is a very, very heavy sleeper.
Uraboku Episode Six
The next episode continues from where the last episode leaves off. Yuki has left the little girl with a doctor. Zess senses something, but doesn’t identify what it is. The next scene involves a conversation between Hotsuma and Shuusei about Yuki. Hotsuma apparently has grave misgivings about Yuki, and the idea that the Zweilt Guardians need his help in order to win the war against the Duras. His partner reminds him that the Zweilt Guardians have a duty to protect Yuki, but Hotsuma doesn’t look convinced.
“The Boundary Between Light and Despair”
Uraboku Episode Seven
In the second episode, Yuki gets settled into the Giou Clan’s Tokyo headquarters, the Twilight Mansion. Some of the residents are more than a little eccentric. Meanwhile, the mysterious Reiga (who bears a remarkable resemblance to Kanata in profile) considers his options and orders his minions to mind their own business.
By RenaM2 10 months, 3 weeks ago.
I can’t even begin to describe my feelings for the finale. I think I need to think about it for a while. All I can really say is that there are some amazingly great moments. There were some really scary moments and some amazing triumphs leading to a happy ending.
Also, I wasted a great deal of time trying to fit the Saubure/Germany alliance into the real world ramping up toward WW2. Especially since the time the story is taking place is in 1925. (Yes, I have an obsessive interest in having things make sense even when we’re talking about an entirely imaginary country in a frigging anime. Shut up.)
I’m also kind of confused about where Kujo was serving, and how much time was taking place between Victorique’s escape and her arrival.
The Saubure and Seyrun relationship is interesting to me. (In that it vaguely reminds me of a major plot point in the Tamuli.) You can look at the Seyrun/Saubure relationship as Seyrun being a very isolationist (and tiny!) kingdom using Saubure as a buffer so they can do their own thing in peace.
Of course, this is not the literal situation. It appears that people who have been exiled from Seyrun (or otherwise leave) end up acting in ways that will benefit and protect Seyrun from harm. (Though the government official who had been hiding his identity as a “Gray Wolf” might have been deliberately sent.)
By RenaM2 10 months, 3 weeks ago.
Yet another trio of recaps. A lot of the anime I’ve been watching recently have been jam packed with tsunderes.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode One
This series is a thirteen episode anime set in an alternate Japan during the Meiji era. As a part of the restoration process a joint bureau is formed by Yokai (this word is variously translated as “demon” or spirits, and wander somewhere between “evil” or merely “annoying mischievous but still, do not annoy them,”) and humans that is called The Ministry of Spirit Affairs. Part of the bureau involves the enforcement of laws and keeping of the piece between humans and yokai. The law enforcement is a team of half-yokai girls (who appear to be fox-spirits) and soldiers. The first episode introduces the half yokai girls and the soldiers, who have been recently been assigned to this post.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Two
This episode is further introductions, and the various members of the cast learning about each other. The team goes on a mission, and try to solve a case involving a spirit haunting a hotel that is being built. There is some more hostile interaction from human bystanders. The opening scene involves a dream Zakuro is having. A child version of herself is climbing up in the branches of a persimmon tree.
Otome Yokai Zakuro Episode Three
In this episode, Zakuro becomes frustrated because she has been “grounded” from taking part in assignments due to bickering with her partner Kei. Especially since everyone else seems to be getting assignments. When she complains about it, Kushimatsu, the fox-spirit who assigns cases is not very sympathetic about it. She exits her meeting in a foul move, and discovers Kei playing with two pumpkin headed spirit children. She becomes annoyed with him when he tells the rabbit-like Yokai that it’s his duty to try getting along with spirits as a member the Ministry after he complimented Kei for being more able to coexist with spirits. Zakuro tells Kei snappishly that playing with kids is not one of his duties.
By RenaM2 10 months, 3 weeks ago.
Gosick Episode 23 was horrifying, and I mean that in a good way. So much is heading for disaster, and there’s no clear indication that either Kujo or Victorique are going to survive this. There were some really disturbing, triggery scenes in this particular episode, but there were also some nice dramatic confrontations.
Blue Exorcist Episode 11 Was extremely funny.
By RenaM2 10 months, 3 weeks ago.
Am I the only one who has the “dash board” and “edit profile” links hovering over the damned “fanwork” and “participate” tabs? Also, the links tend not to be very “sensitive,” and need a lot of work in order to hit them in just the right way. It might be my screen resolution that’s the problem, but I’m not really willing to mess around with it since when I do I end up having to resize every damn thing on my computer.
This random whine is brought to you by the Advanced Web Design class that will be starting for me very soon.
By RenaM2 10 months, 3 weeks ago.
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Four
We open with another scene of Sayaka going to visit Kyosuke Kamijo, who it turns out, is in physical therapy for his legs. The nurses talk to Sayaka and seem happy that she’s visiting him. As Sayaka walks away, we learn that Kamijo is a “difficult patient” and that before his accident he was a violin prodigy. Sayaka is thinking about using her wish to heal Kamijo’s hand, but seems reluctant to make the wish.
“Both Miracles and Magic Exist”
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Five
We open with the scene where Kyuube turns Sayaka into a magical girl. The scenery looks red and a little apocalyptic and Kyuube is sitting on some kind of throne-like column decorated with spiky, shadowy flames. Whatever Kyuube does to create a soul-gem appears to hurt. What makes the scene even more surreal is that despite the scenery, Kyuube’s voice is completely cheerful and calm. Then we go to credits.
“There’s No Way I’d Regret This”
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Episode Six
We open with a repeat of the last moments of the battle between Sayaka and Kyoko from the previous episode. Homura has stopped the battle. Kyoko demands to know what Homura is up to, coming between her and Sayaka like that. Sayaka tries to use Homura’s interruption as a distraction, but Homura knocks Sayaka out. Homura states that she is an ally to the calm and an enemy to those who fight for no reason and asks if Kyoko is one or the other.
By RenaM2 10 months, 4 weeks ago.
I kind of want to do a poll/questionaire thingie about the abuse as portrayed in anime, but I’m not sure how to go about writing it just yet. In other news, I really need to post/blog on this more often.
I did fill out the application for being a writer here, but I think my resume did not impress anyone. Which is depressing.
By RenaM2 10 months, 4 weeks ago.
This is by no means a complete list, and will be somewhat random. (It’s also skewed mostly to anime and manga that I watched/read most of the way through and actually liked.)
InuYasha
Neglect (whatever family Inuyasha’s mother had kicked Inuyasha out of the house when his mother died), physical abuse (Sesshomaru and also possibly Kagome depending on if you want to view being “sat” as extreme aversion therapy and tough love or abuse). Emotional/mental abuse (from Sesshomaru mostly). Kagome’s “sit” is played for laughs but the conflict between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru is played for drama or angst.
Read the rest on A Wicked Convergence of Circumstances
By RenaM2 10 months, 4 weeks ago.
Gosick Episode One
We open with a horrifying scene—rabbits have been set loose in the middle of the night, and a pack of dogs is set upon them. As one of the dogs leap upon the rabbits, the scene shifts, and we are suddenly shown an old woman surrounded by robed and hooded figures. She is apparently some kind of fortune teller because she makes a dire prediction of death. She orders her disciples to prepare a box to float on water, and then release eleven hares.
“The Dark Reaper Discovers the Golden Fairy”
Gosick Episode Two
Before the opening credits, we open with our intrepid amateur sleuths attending the dinner party. Since there is only one extra place setting, Victorique is having dinner while Kujo is complaining about his dinner-less
state of existence. In return, Victorique points out to him that he very cleverly repacked all of her bags, and removed the emergency provisions.
“The Souls of the Dead Raise a Shipwreck”
Gosick Episode Three
The gun that was fired at the end of the previous episode turns out to be a gun that Julie shoots Maurice with, killing him. She says that she had found the gun in one of the wall lamps. Ned steps over to Maurice’s body, and throws away the gun, telling Julie to throw hers away as well. Julie complies, and everyone continues down the corridor.
“The Hares Break a Promise Under the Morning Sun”
By RenaM2 11 months ago.
I have the ending theme on earworm at the moment. For some reason I just really love it to pieces.
Rin is kind of ridiculously adorable with how desperately he wants to be seen as the older, relied upon brother. He is totally adorkable and reminds me of the more amusing/charming/intelligent ADD boys I’ve been acquainted with. (Oddly enough, I tend to identify/have him mentally tagged as “learning disabled.”)
I’m really enjoying the series though some of the canon/worldbuilding elements make me headdesk times a million.
By RenaM2 11 months, 1 week ago.
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Ep One
The opening scene is a distorted nightmare sequence with the title heroine running down an infinite hallway until she comes to an exit sign. Outside the building, a mysterious girl is battling some kind of monster, and taking a lot of damage while doing it. Madoka is concerned and arguing with a smiling cat-ferret creature with two pairs of ears. The creature is very cheerful despite the damage the mysterious girl is taking, and offers to make a contract with Madoka.
“It Feels as If I Met Her in a Dream”
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Ep Two
We open with what could nearly be a commercial for becoming a magical girl. Our spokesmodel is Mami, who introduces herself while the traditional magical girl transformation sequence is shown with some dramatic music playing in the background. This turns out to be a dream Madoka is having, and she thinks for a moment that maybe the events of the day before had been part of the dream until she turns and sees Kyuube, who cheerfully wishes her a good morning. After the credits, she has a brief conversation with her mom while brushing her teeth, and sees that while Kyuube is also in the bathroom, her mother can’t see him.
“That Sounds Really Wonderful”
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Ep Three
In this episode, Sayaka is visiting a boy in the hospital, who is recovering from an accident that has permanently crippled one of his hands. Before the accident, the boy had been a violinist. She brings him a CD, and he offers to let her listen, sharing the headset. It is pretty clear that Sayaka has a crush on him. After the opening credits, we see Mami killing a monster, with Sayaka and Madoka as her enthusiastic audience. It turns out that this creature is a familiar, which is something that occasionally splits off from a witch. Mami asks them if they have thought of a wish yet, but it turns out that Sayaka and Madoka still can’t think of anything.
By RenaM2 11 months, 2 weeks ago.
I’m still following it through various sources. I really hope it comes out in English in the US. It looks like it’s starting to wind down and all of the various plot threads are being resolved. Moriyama seems to have pulled off a “Mirror opposite” situation between Riku and Shirou. The over all theme of the manga can probably be stated as: LYING IS VERY BAD OKAY? DON’T LIE, NOT EVEN WHITE LIES BECAUSE LYING IS BAD.
I’m also hoping that we get a reprinting of Chrono Crusade. (And since I’m wishing, a new anime that matches the manga ending.)
By RenaM2 11 months, 2 weeks ago.
When you appear to hate the main character? It seems like there would be no point to watching the series, unless you were being paid too. (And even then, why wouldn’t you go find something you didn’t hate to watch instead of commenting to people about how much you hate the characters.)
By RenaM2 11 months, 2 weeks ago.
Uraboku Ep 1
The opening scene is very dramatic, featuring a conversation in the middle of a battlefield. The conversation is between a young woman and a young man with grey eyes named Luka, and it seems as if she has just had a premonition of her own death. Luka says he will protect her, and never betray her—and it turns out to be a dream Our Protagonist is having.
Uraboku Ep 2
The second episode opens with a mysterious conversation with a man and woman in a car. The content of the conversation involves a war or battle. The man appears to have a very fatalistic approach to life, and this scene is very melodramatic and full of plot anvils.
Uraboku Ep 3
The opening of episode three, “Walpurgis Night,” is a repeat of the ending of the second episode. Takashiro attempts to convince Yuki to come to Tokyo with him and the other members of the Giou clan. Yuki states that he wants more time to think about it, which Takashiro grants him. Yuki asks if he’s also related to Toko and Tsukumo (and Toko takes extreme offense to being referred to as “-san” instead of the more familiar “-chan,” when Yuki addresses Tsukumo with “-kun.”) Toko and Tsukumo explain that while their names are different, but they also members of the Giou clan. Yuki comments that he never expected to have relatives.
By RenaM2 11 months, 2 weeks ago.
Blue Exorcist is going to be one of the anime where I am going to be doing a lot of ridiculous squeeing over “emotional and psychological realism.” To which I will also be adding “surprisingly.” Because generally, I do not see a lot of realistic psychological reasoning in a lot of the anime I watch. (Which I suppose would earn me a “duh, it’s just a story,” but still.)
What strikes me about Rin is that he is very much a “problem child” coping with one doozy of a karmic (and possibly also “learning”) disability. I think part of the reason I was so upset with the death of Rin’s adoptive father is that the kid is now cut adrift with only his brother for support (and his brother is not actually that well wrapped himself since he’s eternally compensating for Rin’s disadvantages.)
The show pretty much rips your heart out because you can see that Rin tries to be good, but keeps screwing up, and this has resulted in what is a very massive loss of self esteem…which exacerbates the screwing up, which inadvertantly results in the very messy death of his adoptive father when Rin lashes out at him. Granted, we get this covered up by the more bizarre humor moments, but the emotional realism of a kid thinking that his father is rejecting him because he doesn’t understand the situation is pretty intense.
By RenaM2 11 months, 3 weeks ago.
...I have no idea of whether I like Toriko or not. I still don’t know, after watching the first four episodes. (And no, the manga doesn’t make me like it either.) It’s like an insane cross between Kitchen Confidential and certain cartoons from the 80s where metaphors and cliches followed the theme of the cartoon. It’s freaking annoying. (And yet, I couldn’t look away for the space of four episodes. That just makes it worse.)
On the other end of the anime/manga spectrum (about as far as you can go) I got the Yen Press hardback edition of volume one of A Bride’s Story. I’ve loved this manga since I first read a scanslation of it and was more than happy to fork over the money for this book. Amazing art, engaging (and adorable) protagonists.
Something else I’m looking forward to from Yen Press. They are apparently doing a manga based on Gail Carringer’s Parasol Protectorate books. I am extremely, ridiculously excited about this.
By RenaM2 1 year ago.
I’ve seen the first three episode so far. I’ll be working on the recaps eventually. One thing I didn’t like about both the manga and the anime was the way the father figure character got killed off so quickly. (I really would have liked to have seen more of him.)
I need to figure out how I’m going to be posting up my recaps here. I keep changing my mind about whether I should link to them here or not.
By RenaM2 1 year ago.
While I may get ridiculously meta and foolishly apply real-world things like psychology to bug eyed anime characters I do realize that it’s “just a cartoon.” So, when I suggest that Grevil is taking out his issues on a little girl who actually had no understanding at the time that she was hurting his feelings I do this with the full awareness that the person who created the show felt no need to make the characters realistic because it’s “just a cartoon.” The fact I’m trying to make unrealistic character back grounds that do not make sense MAKE SENSE TO ME is not in fact the sign of a psychotic break.
In short, I don’t in fact think Victorique is a “little bitch.” I think Grevil is. XD
By RenaM2 1 year ago.
I liked the first episode of Blue Exorcist. The anime seems to smooth out a lot of the problems I had with the manga. (Which may have mostly been because of the quality of the scan and the fan translation which…was poor and ungrammatical.) I think I’m going to end up following it, along with Gosick and the other anime I’m watching/finishing up on.
I did not like the first episode of Deadman Wonderland. It’s like a cross between The Hunger Games, the Running Man and just about every other prisoner deathsport story I’ve read. (And I’ve actually read a few—despite disliking the theme intensely.) I’m possibly mostly disliking it not fore the rather ridiculous framing but also for the female character(s), who is/are extremely annoying. I don’t know what’s going on there, and I don’t WANT to.
By RenaM2 1 year ago.
I was completely blown away by the finale. Completely.
(I was also right about Homura’s rewind. I feel very smug.)
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
I am up to episode eighteen where I had to stop because Funimation was not being very cooperative. (Also, the later episodes become increasingly more difficult to watch due to the amount of violence.) I’m going to attempt finishing off the viewing and initial summaries sometime today.
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
Gosick is interesting to me because of the character interactions, and because some of the meta feels like it’s riffing off of a few staples of (Western) literature. (Of course, this perception is mostly in my head.)
1. One thing that turns up in early adventure/fantasy fiction (such as She by Rider Haggard) is the idea of “lost races” and “lost civilizations.” Victorique is related to a “hidden tribe” who are living in a remote, isolated village.
2. The remote village with (strange/pagan) practices is also a staple of some early fantasy and horror. (Particularly horror.)
3. I know a lot of people have complained about the mysteries being “predictable” but I tend to think of them more as “tributes” to the original mysteries they’re based off of.
4. Imaginary European countries tend to show up a lot in fiction. This is a particularly interesting one, though the human sacrifice for purposes of divination seems like something that would have gotten them crusaded against in the early C.E.
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
The biggest Kuroshitsuji community on livejournal has gone under because of a combination of “Publishers are annoyed by fan translations” and “owner/maintainer is sick of Livejournal.” People are talking about it, but so far, no one has started a new community, or suggested any of the more minor kuro-communities. (There’s one or two but they are dead.)
It’s probably too early to say whether or not there will be a new Kuroshitsuji community or not. (I have a feeling that the new community may end up being as dead in the water as the other smaller communities.)
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
Dear Grevil,
Considering your poor half sister has spent almost her entire life LOCKED UP and neglected, having the world’s most pointy pompadour in exchange for you relieving what has to be considerable boredom is not exactly a Great and Terrible Price. Please to be finding yourself a sense of perspective.
No Love,
Me
(It was in fact an utterly adorkable episode.)
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
Currently working my way through episodes 16-17. I ended up not liking or disliking the story. (I am not sure what points if any the writer/creator was trying to make about vampire stories. Or if there was any special point. I’m pretty sure this is a “why vampire stories don’t make sense” theme going on here.) Most of my not liking comes from most of the characters being terminally unlikable for one reason or another.
If I wanted to watch unlikable characters become even more unlikable, I’d read Jack L. Chalker or Donaldson or something.
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
So you have a girl who identifies strongly as a boy to the point where she has been successfully living as a boy since child hood, though she is a delinquent who enjoys fighting. She interacts with boys as a boy and interacts as a boy with girls, though apparently she’s attracted to boys.
Close family members tolerate this but refer to what she’s doing as “pretending” to be a boy. On occasion she herself says this, though this is usually followed up by her being male to a great degree.
I predict that the point of the manga is that character discovers she likes being a girl and doing girly things. I also predict that the male character that refers to her as a mental case has “correctly” identified her as a girl and that he is the main romantic interest. I also predict that the instant there is interaction between them, that the boy-indentified girl will suddenly lose all combat abilities.
I do not think I will be following this comic—this is a trainwreck.
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
She lives in a doll house in the middle of a maze. (No seriously, it’s a little pink girl sized doll house.)
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
Oh lord this is truly so dumb I can’t look away.
Boy who looks like a girl is asked by best friend to pretend to be his girlfriend.
This is because best friend is being stalked by a scary girl who demands proof that best friend has a girlfriend.
Boy who looks like girl reluctantly agrees with this plan of pretending to be a girl and best friends girlfriend.
WHY ARE YOU PLAYING BY CREEPY STALKER GIRL’S RULES?
WHY DOES CREEPY STALKER GIRL THINK SHE CAN FORCE SOMEONE TO DATE HER?
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
I’ve just seen a blurb someone wrote for “Who Moved My Cheese” which is a book about finding a new job and/or moving on when things get bad where you’re working.
And now in my head, Charlotte is obsessed with cheese because her parents were in business and read this book to her as a child.
/dork
By RenaM2 1 year, 1 month ago.
After watching the anime and reading the manga, I’m pretty sure I don’t like it—I think it’s the wrong kind of humor for me. (Which is odd because one of the female characters reminds me of Kumiko from Gokusen, which I actively adore except maybe for the goddamn dog story lines.)
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
Okay, so far it’s been revealed that the Main POV Character has some kind of connection to most of the survivors from the freaky isolated island with novel religious practices. (It is like Innsmouth only not!) Rena Arisugawa and Takao are both former residents of the island and were deeply involved with the various rituals and practices. (Rena was some kind of psychopomp/priestess, Takao was a member of one the families in charge of the shrine.) Shirou was a crazy nutter that was involved with trying to steal the island’s artifacts and the Source of Infection.
Rena’s father wanted to escape with his daughter and get off the island. He tries to make a deal, but it goes south really fast. The end result is sudden break out of kanshu instigated by Shirou. Rena has a slight psychotic break when she sees her mother and grandmother get et by kanshu. Of course the break could also be elation that she can now be her own person (before she gets et by kanshu).
Shirou (I am guessing Moriyama is taking his own sweet time with this reveal) apparently decided to turn Riku’s aunt into another Coffin Princess. Apparently Shirou placed Rena with the company’s secret Kanshu hunting squad.
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
When you are sufficiently paranoid about taking someone out that you slip him a mickey so you don’t have to deal with his not!girlfriend…
It seems like it would be a good idea to cripple him and render him harmless BEFORE he regains consciousness and tells his not!girlfriend to execute escape plan whatever.
Seriously, someone just wasn’t reading the Evil Overlord List. Gloat AFTER you’ve completely disabled your opponent.
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
Good grief this is annoying.
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
1. The only way you can apparently edit a post is to first write another post.
2. It does not like html. I am used to coding things in via html.
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
This had a few ridiculous moments, and the mystery is still pretty much standard and “haven’t we seen this before?” On the other hand I really like the characters and the “real” mystery still seems to be why Victorique has been isolated (to the point where she now isolates herself) for her entire life.
I find the recurring “fairytale” themes to be interesting. (I particularly like the way the episode titles have the same “ring” as certain fairy or folk tales.) Though the stories are in no way similar, I’m kind of reminded of Steven Brust and Megan Lindholm’s Gypsy. (This is mostly because the chapter titles in Gypsy all had a “fairytale title” sort of format “How the Wolf Took to Traveling” for example.)
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
I could have SWORN that orginally Gosick was supposed to be a twelve episode anime, but now I’m seeing that it’s a twenty four ep anime. headdesk
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
After Re-watching episode six, I’m struck by how Madoka’s question about Sayaka could also apply to Homura. “My friend is in trouble even though she isn’t doing anything wrong…” And her mom’s answer being “Doing the right thing over and over doesn’t guarantee happiness.”
Just a little something I thought was interesting, as far as the storyline goes.
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
It seems as if every time Homura Jumps, she is actually making Madoka more powerful (and therefore more likely to become a witch quickly) because of how much energy she is putting into protecting Madoka. IF we’re assuming that each timeline is connected through Homura. (Which it probably is, since there is “leakage” in the form of Madoka having weird dreams featuring Homura.)
It’s pretty amazing that Homura hasn’t gone over to becoming a witch herself.
Also interesting it might be a Translation Issue but Kyuube says something to the effect that Homura has a chance of “improving” entropy.
Thoughts:
1. Is Kyuube in fact stating the truth about what his species is attempting to do?
2. How many actually repetitions besides the four were there? (I ask only because I don’t think a little girl, even a little girl with time-stop powers is likely to even think of stealing from Yakuza after only one or two trips back in time.)
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
I noticed that the previous post has edit and delete as options, but they don’t seem to be clickable, which is annoying.
This test is not about the delete and edit options, it is about linkage.
I am going to see if this will link somewhere
By RenaM2 1 year, 2 months ago.
Just started, and I’m trying to get used to the layout and format. I seem to have some layout problems where some of the menu items are crammed together on one line.
I’m probably going to start by posting some older stuff.
