Armed Librarians 26: Hamyuts vs. Ruruta

She's alive. And she is pissed.

EPISODE 26: Redemption, Perplexity and the Book Within a Book
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Inside Ruruta's desert world, he enters a cave and finds Ninieu there. However, before he could reach her, the cave starts to fall apart. He makes it outside safely but encounters Hamyuts Meseta, who is just thrilled to face him once again. Hamyuts attacks, Ruruta deflects and kills her easily. But Hamyuts' wounds heal and she just comes back again and again, forcing Ruruta to kill her over and over. It is soon revealed that Makkia has literally reprogrammed Hamyuts to take pleasure in pain and to actively seek her own death. In so doing, Hamyuts' soul cannot die. Then Ruruta discovers the hard way how Makkia changed Hamyuts into a weapon designed to kill him (Ruruta): Hamyuts' stone pellets brings Ruruta the same kind of pleasure he experienced the night he spent with Ninieu. The weapon succeeds in virtually incapacitating Ruruta. More so when Hamyuts summons the souls of those whose books Ruruta consumed and kills them one by one. As more and more souls are killed, Ruruta's powers are diminished. However, Ruruta manages to break free from Hamyuts' attacks and transfers all his remaining magic to Ninieu, who then casts a nullification spell and releases the Beasts of the Final Chapter. A heavily wounded Hamyuts finds her resolve shaken but unlikely allies in the person of Alme and Charlotte appear to help her out just long enough for her to escape and meet Colio, who reminds her that no one, not even Hamyuts Meseta, is ever alone. Meanwhile, Ruruta discovers the true depths of Ninieu's despair so that not even she can forgive him. At the same time, Lascall Othello decides to take a more active part in the grand events unfolding and wakes up Mirepoc, but at the cost of her own life. The newly wakened Mirepoc discovers Hamyuts' impaled body and Volken's book and prepares a plan to set things right in the real world. Back in the desert, Colio finds Ruruta and gives him a knife, saying that he (Ruruta) knows what to do. At the same time, Hamyuts reappears to challenge Ninieu once more but this time, she's brought company with her.

THOUGHTS:

I know I said that I couldn't blog this episode but turns out there's been a slight change of plans, resulting in me seeing this episode and blogging it. Yay! Anyhoo, what an...episode. From the previews, I knew it was going to be exciting but I had no idea it was going to be this exciting. So that's why Hamyuts is a sadist. Makkia made her that way. What's more, he practically made her immortal by giving her a constant death wish. Ever heard of the adage that says the more you seek something, the more it eludes you? That's basically what Hamyuts is all about. Also, because she derives pleasure from dying, it seems that her soul just keeps returning for more.

It's brilliant that Hamyuts' stone pellets makes Ruruta feel soooo good (it's sexual pleasure, if the reference to Ruruta's night with Ninieu means anything) that he'd want it until he dies from it. I can see why Hamyuts' power works and Chacoly's didn't. Chacoly tried to make Ruruta fall in love with her which therefore pitted her against Ruruta's memory of Ninieu. She proved to be no match for that memory. On the other hand, Hamyuts doesn't try to match Ninieu or even remove her from Ruruta's memory. If anything, she makes Ruruta remember Ninieu more, which of course is what he wants. The only way to kill someone as powerful as Ruruta is to make him wish for his own death.

Now, for what Ninieu did to Hamyuts. She made her question her resolve to die. We already know that Hamyuts' "immortal" soul is anchored on the fact that she loves to die. This is possible because Hamyuts believes that she has no one and nothing to live for. But here, Ninieu argues that Hamyuts in fact has something to live for and that is love. Remember Mince's sacred eyes? Hamyuts' desire is love. Without knowing it, during her life, Hamyuts has not only witnessed love but has also experienced it through her subordinates and, of course, through Matt. Hamyuts was blind to this because of her death wish, and that makes her strong and hardcore. Now, by making her aware of it, Ninieu breaks away Hamyuts' shell to reveal the weak flesh inside. Hamyuts falters. She is no longer immortal. Then again, as some people say, it is when we are strong that we realize we are weak and it is when we are weak that we realize we are strong. In being weak, Hamyuts realizes her true strength: she is not alone. She has people on her side, people to live for, and therefore she cannot die. And so Hamyuts Meseta comes full circle and is all the more hardcore for it. :) 

BTW, I love Paku Romi. She's so awesome in those episode, even more so than the previous ones. Especially that line: "All those idiots who love me!" LOL

Mirepoc. I don't know what she can do at this point but I'm guessing her telepathy will come in handy in the finale. After all, Lascall personally chose her. It must be for a very good reason. I also don't know what Ruruta is going to do with the knife. But I was glad that Shiron appeared, if only as an apparition that exists inside Colio. heee

This was a surprisingly deep episode. Hence, the particularly lengthy exposition above. Now, I can hardly wait for the finale.

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Kimi ni Todoke 24: The Date

It's the night that Kazenoma shippers have all been waiting for! And guess what? They do nothing but mumble something cute and irrelevant, blush and send moony eyes at each other and it's all so freakin' awesome you can just die from the giddiness. Well, maybe not die, but you get the drift. :)

EPISODE 24: Birthday

More Screencaps from Kimi ni Todoke 24

So despite having been ditched by their friends, Kazehaya and Sawako continue on to the shrine. It's a quiet walk. That is, until Sawako slips on the stone steps and nearly falls. Kazehaya saves her at the last instant but the forced intimacy brings our two lovebirds into heights of discomfort and embarrassment the likes of which we've never seen before (and that's something coming from a show about awkward teens in awkward love). Good thing they both have such supportive friends, who decide to tag along in secret by the way. The ever wise and relationship-savvy Ayane comments that it's like watching a turtle race with these two. lmao Chizu and Ryuu agree, so Ayane gets Chizu to call Kazehaya and do some damage. I mean, do some good. Chizu, of course, being moderately idiot, speaks so loudly that Kazehaya actually hears her from where the three of them are hiding. But Chizu somehow convinces him she's somewhere else and then tells him that Sawako did not know her friends were going to ditch her at the last minute and so Kazehaya must now take care of her. Kazehaya gets the drift and steps back so he can walk beside Sawako, instead of ahead of her. If you don't know, Japanese men usually walk ahead of the women. It's a culture thing. Of course, it's a bit outdated now, but I think it's still the standard in most quarters of that country. Ayane and Chizu celebrate this slight progress in their Project: Get Kazenoma Together (TM) while Ryuu only cares about amazake. But alas, their celebration is cut short when they notice an idiot among the New Year's crowd.

It's Joe! And he's with his family! And they look exactly like him! Which is creepy but also funny. Knowing that Joe would never leave Kazehaya alone, Ayane and Chizu swiftly go into action and try to get Joe's attention. Joe, however, misinterprets (again) and thinks that he might have a chance with Ayane after all, much to Ayane's barely concealed disgust. But then Kazenoma pass right by and Joe doesn't notice so again, their plan works.

The lovebirds buy some amazake and Kazehaya is all, "I've never tasted amazake this good" and Sawako's like, "Omigosh! I'm seeing Kazehaya having a first, it's awesome! I love him!" Kazehaya disagrees and says that Sawako right now is seeing him having many firsts, like his first time alone with someone on New Year's Eve, his first time buying a girl a cellphone strap and his first time wearing a stomach warmer. Sawako is touched and all but at this last point, it occurs to her that the hat was definitely a better gift idea. lolz

Speaking of cellphone straps, Kazehaya asks if Sawako has an email address and Sawako sends him a text, even though he's right there, thanking him for everything he's done for her this year. Kazehaya asks her when her birthday is and Sawako tells him that it's today so Kazehaya greets her. Then Kazehaya gets her to talk about Sawako's life, like literally from infancy to present, but Sawako indulges him. As expected, she had a really depressing childhood but it's okay because she's just the kind of person who can pretty much deal with anything that gets handed her way. She's awesome. Kazehaya thinks so, too.

And the episode ends with Sawako thinking that her entire life changed the year she met Kazehaya.

THOUGHTS:

So...cute. And also, kind of annoying. Ack! Like tell him already! Or tell her! My god, watching these two, I know exactly how Ayane feels.

And now, I'm really sorry but I can't see the next episode until next, next week because, well, if you're Catholic, you'd know. Holy Week. I ban myself from computers during that period, out of respect. I'll post again when I get back.This also means that I can't blog Armed Librarians 26. For shame. I was ever so looking forward to it. T_____T

BTW, you'll notice the Amazon product links below. Blogger has included this new monetizing widget with Amazon and I'm trying it out.

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Durarara!! 10-11: Secret Identity

Celty reveals her true nature to Mikado and in exchange Mikado tells her his secret identity???

EPISODE 10: Never Before Seen
Mikado accidentally bumps into the scarred girl (henceforth known as "Mika") who is running away from Celty. After hearing her beg for help, Mikado acts against his better instinct and helps her get away, going so far as to bring her to his apartment. In school the following day, Masaomi somehow finds out about the girl and teases hear about it. Later, as Mikado prepares to go home, he is met at the front gate by none other than Izaya and Celty. The two don't really try to do anything to him but they follow Mikado until he finally breaks and asks them what gives. Knowing what Celty wants, Mikado wants to know why so Celty reluctantly tells him her true nature as a dullahan. Mikado believes her story and consequently brings her to his apartment. He makes them wait outside while he goes inside to find Mika. However, once in, goons sent by Yagiri Namie pounce on him, demanding to know where Mika is. Apparently, the girl has already disappeared. Izaya and Celty hear the commotion coming from inside and rush in. Scared, the goons split, leaving Mikado, who then goes to his laptop with a determined look on his face.

EPISODE 11: Storm and Stress
Mikado contacts Yagiri Namie and arranges to meet with her in a crowded area in Ikebukuro. Namie agrees to the meet after Mikado promises that he would tell her where Mika is. Once there, however, Mikado confronts her about the truth of what she and her brother did and challenges her to surrender to the police. But Namie is incorrigible, confident that she has her money and her goons on her side. Meanwhile, more and more people gather around the area, apparently having been called there by an anonymous person. As Namie and Mikado's conversation heat up, with Mikado preaching his ideals and Namie sending the signal for her goons to move in, Mikado has no choice but to alert through text message all Dollars members in the area. They turn out to be everyone present (except Namie and her goons), including Kadota and his gang. Subsequently, Kadota and his gang, with Mika in tow, head to the top of a building where Celty is waiting. It turns out that Mikado, wanting to change his simple lifestyle in the country, created the Dollars some years ago with his online friends. The gang was largely set up through online rumors spread by Mikado and his online friends and password leaks to their website. But soon, the gang's membership grew out of proportion and Mikado's online friends disappeared. Mikado was thus left to handle everything himself but he managed to turn the gang's doings into something positive. After he graduated and moved to Tokyo, he saw the impact of Dollars for himself. Back to the present, Mikado's message to Dollars says that everyone who is not looking at his/her cellphone is the enemy. He says not to harm these people but to only stare at them. Namie and her goons are thus surrounded. Celty finds out that Mika, the girl with the scar, also calls herself "Celty." With this knowledge, Celty gets on her horse (her motorcycle) and rides down the side of the building, speaking for the first time as she announces herself. Everyone is in awe, partly with the otherwordly voice and partly with her grand entrance. Then somebody knocks Celty's helmet off, revealing that she is in fact the headless rider. The sight causes a commotion and while everybody is distracted, Yagiri Seiji finds Mikado and threatens him with a knife.

THOUGHTS:

Interesting development. So, Mikado is the ring leader of Dollars. LOL Who knew? Also, Miria and Isaac make a cameo and they're in Shinsengumi costumes! The adorable idiots. As for Celty, I guess she's finally become whole once she figures out where exactly her head is. But precisely because she is a headless horseman, she doesn't really need her head in her possession to tap into her full powers. She is what she is, despite her being headless. I guess this is also what Shinra means when he tells her that she doesn't need her head. But now Celty is angry and I wonder who gets the brunt of that. Shinra...you're in trouble, dude. Even though Celty mentioned that she might marry him, I don't think she'll be very pleased once she figures out that Shinra was connected to Yagiri Pharmaceuticals all along.

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Final Thoughts: SoRaNoWoTo

Captain, why so serious?
EPISODE 12: Resound into the Azure Sky
More Screencaps from SoRaNoWoTo 12 
The soldiers of the 9th Division shoot Aisha right in front of a frightened Noel. Meanwhile, Felicia does the unthinkable and captures Commander Hopkins as a hostage in order to force his men to give up the fight. Hopkins, however, tells her that he already has men secretly following the Roman Army in No Man's Land with orders to attack. It is revealed that Hopkins intends to execute the captured Roman soldier right in public in order to cut off the peace talks and provoke the war. Also, Noel's past connection to Hopkins is revealed to everyone's shock. Later, Hopkins manages to escape from the distillery where Felicia ordered him put and returns to his men waiting outside the fortress. Upon learning of his escape, Felicia is forced to change strategies. At about the same time, Kanata hears the signal to stop fighting even though no one else hears it. Naomi later walks out of the fortress, carrying a white flag. However, Hopkins is in no forgiving mood and orders Naomi as well as other villager-onlookers arrested. Meanwhile, back in the fortress, Aisha, with Yumina translating, consoles a still devastated Noel. Kureha, who has kept her act together since this whole thing started, likewise gets emotional. Left with no other choice and surrounded by enemies from all sides, the girls decide to use the Takemikazuchi to make their escape to No Man's Land, stop Hopkins' 9th Division and prevent an all-out war. While the one-sided battle rages, Yumina translates the Roman version of the Flame Maidens' Tale. Felicia's girls make it to the battlefield in the nick of time and Kanata then sounds the signal for the cease-fire. At first, the Helvetian Army refuse to back down but when Kanata plays 'Amazing Grace' on her trumpet, a song common to both armies of Rome and Helvetia, the men drop their arms. The royal army of Helvetia soon arrive with Rio, Royal Princess of Helvetia and fiancee of the Holy Roman Emperor, at the front. Rio orders both sides to stop and declares that the war is officially over. Everybody erupts in jubilation. Several peaceful days later, Rio rejoins the 1121st Platoon as a grant to her request from the Holy Roman Emperor for ending the war.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Well, this was kind of annoying. First of all, I forgot that this anime had only 12 episodes. Second, uh, that was rather abrupt and ridiculous. And finally, I feel like I wasn't emotionally invested in the story enough to actually feel the joy of that ending.

I don't know. I kind of...hate the series now. Then again, maybe "hate" is a strong word. "Disappointing" is more like it.

I guess I probably shouldn't have expected too much from a series that never pretended to be anything other than candy-laced slice-of-life. Maybe I got blinded by the war theme. After all, as So.Ra.No.Wo.To. proved, "war" does not necessarily equal "dark." I do admit that some episodes have their moments but the rest require too much suspension of disbelief that in the end, you kind of wonder: "What is the point?" Apparently, PEACE is. And FRIENDSHIP. And MUSIC. And shit like that. And usually, I don't mind those parting lessons but honestly, the anime could have delivered it better.

So, final thoughts for So.Ra.No.Wo.To.? It's...meh.

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Armed Librarians 25: Hamyuts is dead!

...or is she?
EPISODE 25: Serenity, Indolence, and the Tale of Despair
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Colio Tonis is walking in the desert and comes upon a strange arena with a huge screen in front. The screen shows the life story of Ruruta, the man with transparent hair, who is destined to save the world by defeating the Beasts of the Final Chapter, who are in turn sent by Orntorra, the god of the Future. However, before he can do that, Ruruta must first consume the books of 100,000 soldiers, absorbing not only their abilities in the process but also their despair. Niniiu, the last of a tribe of minstrels whose song can heal, senses Ruruta's despair and wants to help. After some difficulty, the two manage to meet. At first, Ruruta resists Niniiu's attempts to help him but with some persistence from Niniiu, Ruruta comes to admit that he is afraid of failing his people and of not being forgiven. To ease his pain, Niniiu sings her song of healing and then gives Ruruta what he craves the most: forgiveness.

Back to the present, Hamyuts faces Ruruta and tries to provoke him by reminding him of Chacoly and humming Niniiu's song. Meanwhile, Mattalast and Enlike finally make it out of the labyrinths. At the same moment, a root from the Heaven tree rises from the ground. On its tip is the mutilated body of Hamyuts Meseta, apparently dead. Matt collapses in defeat while Enlike tries to attack Ruruta, to no avail. Ruruta effortlessly blocks his power and puts him to sleep.

In the desert, Colio is joined by other fallen members of the Shideki Church: Charlot, Winkeny and Alme -- all of whom are riveted with the events of the past. On the screen, Ruruta attempts to consume more books but is greatly weakened by it. His chief retainer blames Niniiu. Before she came, Ruruta's conviction that his people would never forgive him if he failed was the source of his strength. To regain that strength, Ruruta tries to kill Niniiu but fails to do so because he has already fallen in love with her. Instead, he makes her his reason for fighting. As Ruruta gains enough strength to fight, his retainers serve him wine with Argax. The result is that Ruruta forgets all about Niniiu and ends up killing her in the great battle with the Beasts of the Final Chapter. Only after he reads her book does he remember and learns how Niniiu died at the hands of his own retainers. In the end, Niniiu has united with Orntorra, wanting only to destroy the world. This being Niniiu's last desire, Ruruta lives only to fulfill it.

In the arena, Colio realizes that the reason Ruruta made the Armed Librarians and the Shideki Church is so that he could consume more and more books. Kachua soon appears and cheers on Ruruta for destroying the world. A new character also arrives, making a grand entrance by killing Kachua on the spot. Winkeny picks up the murder weapon: a stone pellet.

In the present world, Ruruta senses a disruption in his system. He looks in the direction of Hamyuts' impaled body, thinking that he has yet to consume her book. At the same moment, Hamyuts' voice is heard, saying that she couldn't be killed.

THOUGHTS:

OMG, Colio! LOL, is this where you've been all this time? OMG, where is Shiron? Wasn't her book also given to Heaven? And who else did Heaven consume? Where the hell are they?

And OMG, Hamyuts! I totally thought she was dead, and my only reaction was: OMG, what? Nooooo! And then, Matt! OMG! And Enlike! Just like that. OMG!

Well, it's clear that Ruruta is a book-eater, like Zatoh, except that Ruruta is obviously more powerful since he has consumed 100,000 books. OMG, how in the heck is Hamyuts going to defeat the bastard?

Argh! I can't wait for the next episode. Crap. This anime is the shit. :)

Also, crap! Who wrote that spoilerific stuff on Wikipedia? No, don't check it if you don't want to be spoiled.

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Kimi ni Todoke 23: Pretty in Pink

Sawako's make-over...
EPISODE 23: Two People
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It's December 25 and Sawako is thrilled to find that the events of the past night had not been a dream and that her father really did buy her a cellphone. Meanwhile in school, Ayane overhears the guys talking abouthow Sawako showed up at the after-party the night before and wondering if she came with Kazehaya. Not wanting any bad rumors to spread about her two friends, Ayane tells them it was she who invited Sawako to the party and made Kazehaya wait for her as a penalty for losing a bet. On the way to the hall for the closing ceremony, Sawako catches a glimpse of Kurumi, who no longer bothers to hide her dislike for the other girl and sticks her tongue out. Afterwards, Sawako realizes that she will no longer see Kazehaya or any of her friends until the second semester. This thought makes her sad and she thinks that she wants to thank Kazehaya at least before they part ways. But Kazehaya leaves with the other boys before she can get a chance. Much later, Sawako goes out with Ayane and Chizu and Sawako proudly shows them her brand new cellphone. Chizu helps her set up an email account. The conversation soon turns and Sawako tells them that New Year's Day is also her birthday. With this revelation, Chizu and Ayane get an idea. As Sawako timidly invites the two of them to spend her birthday with her, Chizu pipes up that she always goes to a shrine with Ryuu on New Year's and invites Ayane and Sawako to come as well. Ayane adds that Sawako should invite Kazehaya, too. Although extremely nervous at the prospect, Sawako does call Kazehaya, botching her lines the whole way through. On December 31, Ayane and Chizu show up at Sawako's house on time but instead of setting out at once, they drag Sawako to her room for a quick make-over. It seems both girls remember how Sawako once said that she wanted to look pretty like Kurumi. After they are done, they show Sawako the mirror and greet her happy birthday. A very happy and incredibly touched Sawako starts to water up but finds that she has to hold it in, or the make-up would be ruined. Later, the three of them walk to the meeting point but before they could reach the place, Ayane and Chizu suddenly declare that they're leaving and that Ryuu isn't coming either, which means that Sawako has to go alone with Kazehaya -- their plan all along. Sawako is too shocked to make any serious protest. Then, after her friends are gone, she has no choice but to bravely face Kazehaya by herself. Upon seeing her, Kazehaya is speechless. Sawako is too nervous to notice her own effect and wonders if Kazehaya would leave her by herself. Instead, Kazehaya turns around and tells her, "Let's go." They both set out for the shrine.

THOUGHTS:

This was a very hilarious episode. And also sweet. I realize this is my general reaction to the series. Oh well, something new then: Sawako, Made-Over (TM) is pretty! In a crazy, sparkly pink sort of way. LOL at Kurumi's cameo. How many episodes does this series actually have? I thought it was 24. But I checked ANN again and it's 25?? I'm confused. Kimi ni Todoke isn't the only series I'm watching this season that's apparently confused with how many episodes to release.

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SoRaNoWoTo 10-11: Meetings and Partings

War is upon us!EPISODE 10: Departure - The First Snow
Winter is at hand and while the girls prepare for the season, they receive a visit from a girl whom Kanata frequently buys from at the market. The girl reports that a certain Madam Jacoll, an old woman who lives in the mountain, is missing and that she needs their help. With the still sulking Rio in tow, Kanata manages to find the madam who, however, stubbornly refuses to leave the mountain even with winter coming because she's waiting for her son and lover to return. Rio loses her temper for a little bit but nevertheless tries to help with the madam's winter provision. While shopping in town, Kanata gets into conversation with a couple of men who tell her about Princess Iliya -- she was set to become the third wife of the prince of Rome but she died before the marriage, and the political alliance that was to come with it, came into fruition. They also said that Princess Iliya had an illegitimate younger sister. Kanata soon realizes that this younger sister is in fact Rio, who tells her the story of how her mother had waited for her father until the day she died and how Rio grew up looking up to her elder sister. That evening, Rio and Kanata spend the night at Madam Jacoll's to keep her company. As the first snow falls, the madam remembers how she met her lover on a night like that but he was the heir of a rich merchant and he already had a family of his own. After she gave birth to her son, the man took him away but promised to someday come back for her. Madam Jacoll has been waiting ever since. Later that evening, she gets a vision of her lover through the window and she runs out in the dead of cold to go to him. The next morning, Rio and Kanata scramble around to look for her but her body is never found. When they return to the fortress, Rio realizes that she has been running away for most of her life and so she makes a decision to stop and face her destiny. She leaves.

EPISODE 11: A Visitor - A Burning Field of Snow
With winter in full swing and the peace talks still not going well, the the troops get an order to increase patrol in their area. Kureha and Kanata are out on patrol duty when they stumble upon the unconscious body of a Roman scout. They take her back to the fortress and report the matter to Felicia, who decides to keep the matter within the fortress for the moment in the hopes that Rio would make it to the capital in time and help forge a new peace treaty. When Noel, however, hears of their strange visitor, she remembers the time when she worked for the weapons division of the Helvetian Army and how she was instrumental in the mass killing of Roman soldiers. She was known then as the "Witch of Helvetia" and the "Invisible Reaper." To atone for her past sins, Noel volunteers to nurse the Roman soldier back to health. The Roman soldier soon wakes up but to the girls' dismay, she doesn't speak a word of Helvetian. All they find out from her is her name, which is Aisha, and her serial number. Meanwhile, rumors about the Roman scout fill the town and people begin to talk. Naomi and Yumina drop by the fortress to confirm this as well as to warn the girls that Commander Hopkins' troops are on their way. It turns out that Yumina can speak Roman so she manages to find out that Aisha partly came to Seize in order to see the Angel Fossil of the legends. Then Commander Hopkins and his army of soldiers arrive, forcing Felicia to give an order to hide Aisha as well as Noel, who is afraid of Hopkins. However, their position is given away when Aisha discovers the real identity of Noel, causing the latter to scream and run away. At the same time, the fortress receives a call warning them that a large number of Roman forces are advancing through No Man's Land towards the Helvetian border of Seize.

THOUGHTS:

And finally it. is. on. The war, I mean. If it does happen, Felicia's troopers are woefully ill-prepared for it. Also, our first look at the enemy and they look like gypsies. Is that why they call their country "Rome?" Because it's close to "Romani." Also, their language seems to be some corrupt form of German.

Back story for Noel: she is apparently a mechanical genius but we've always known that. Commander Hopkins is just evil enough to take advantage of Noel's unusual aptitude and love of machines to revive the weapons of the old world and use them to annihilate the enemy. And she was so young. How could she have known the consequences of her own actions?

I think the war won't get full-blown. I figure Rio will somehow make it to the capital and put a stop to it in time. Or, if the war does break out, Rio's presence would be such a morale booster among the Helvetian troopers that they'll totally win. Then again, I could be wrong. This anime so far is good at going at its own leisurely pace while at the same thwarting expectations. I certainly did not expect they would reveal Rio's identity this early.

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In Review: Mouryou no Hako

In Fall 2008, I picked up this series called Mouryou no Hako. At first, I wasn't going to pick it up because the character designs are by CLAMP, whose extreme style I'm not too fond of. However, when I learned that it was going to be animated by Madhouse, I decided to give it a go anyway.

The series did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the first episode, not only because CLAMP who is known for its stick-thin figures and impossibly pretty bishounens, downplayed the shiny a little bit (although one character still managed to look amazingly like Fei from Tsubasa Chronicles), but also because the story turns out to be a rich fusion of detective-mystery and folk religion/occultism. The result is an unusual anime series that is as mind-boggling as it is revelatory, as absurd as it is procedural, and as sinister as it is dreamy.

TITLE: Mouryou no Hako (lit. "The Box of Goblins")
GENRE: detective-mystery, occult, crime, horror
DIRECTOR: Nakamura Ryosuke
ORIGINAL CREATOR: Kyogoku Natsuhiko
ANIMATION STUDIO: Madhouse
CHARACTER DESIGNS: CLAMP
ORIGINAL RUN: October 2008 - December 2008
NUMBER OF EPISODES: 13 + special

The series begins with Detective Kiba of the Tokyo Police called in to investigate a very strange case involving a girl hit by a train. In the course of his investigation, he finds an eerie box-shaped hospital in the middle of nowhere, meets the victim's beautiful and mysterious former actress sister and her besotted companion, the family lawyer who says that the victim was set to inherit a large fortune, and the brilliant but taciturn doctor hired to restore the victim's health. As Kiba becomes more and more involved in the case, police begin finding young girls' limbs strewn around the countryside just as a brand new religion gains an escalating number of followers. Shortly after this series of bizarre incidents, the victim in Kiba's case disappears and a ransom note is found, leading the police to fear the worst: that the victim has been taken by the serial murderer. But are the two cases related? What sinister things are the victim's family hiding? And does the leader of this new religion in fact have more to do with these preternatural occurrences than anybody is willing to consider?
Mouryou no Hako is a mixture of old-school detective work and the occult.

WATCH:

Mouryou no Hako OP Clip [YouTube]
Mouryou no Hako ED Clip [YouTube]
Mouryou no Hako PV [YouTube]

I mentioned earlier that I picked up Mouryou no Hako back when it first aired, but what I didn't say is that I actually put the series on-hold after only three episodes. The series was just so confusing that I decided to leave it for a while to allow myself to gain some clarity. It's now 2010 and I just finished watching the entire Mouryou no Hako anime series yesterday. As it turns out, clarity took me more than a year to acquire. :) In hindsight, I should have at least given Mouryou no Hako a seven-episode viewing because that is actually when things start to make sense.

That said, the series could be neatly divided into two segments: episodes 1-6 is the part where all the players and plot devices are introduced and episodes 7-13 is where you can make sense out of all the darkly sinister tangles created in the previous episodes. While the first part is a bizarre mixture of old-school detective work and a crash course in Japan's folkloric spiritualism, the second is purely revelatory and nearly dispenses of all the religious connotations heavily used in the former.

Mouryou no Hako opens with a shock: a girl's head in a box.

The most striking thing about Mouryou no Hako is its no-nonsense introduction. From the very beginning, the series dispels you of the notion that this anime is going to be anything BUT dark, macabre and absolutely strange.

The opening scene is that of a man carrying a box containing a girl's head. This is then followed by a completely mundane scene about two young girls who develop an unusually close friendship. Enter an entirely different set of characters -- a fantasy novelist who may be suffering from depression, a newspaper editor checking for anomalies in a new religion that is sweeping the countryside, a private eye hired to look for the missing heir of a rich tycoon, and a female private investigator working on a bizarre murder case involving young girls' severed limbs. What do these have to do with anything? Everything, as it turns out but you don't know that until the final episode. Just when you think you have a fairly good grasp of what's going on and of everybody's hidden motives, think again because you are most likely wrong. The anime keeps you guessing right to the very end. In that regard, it is absolutely successful as a mystery.

True that after the first six episodes, Mouryou no Hako pretty much dissolves into nothing more than expository dialogue, I feel that this was necessary. Otherwise, nothing would make sense and we'd all be left with half a brain, or none at all. So, despite this very obvious handicap, the series still manages to keep its audiences riveted by doing what all good mysteries do: save the best for last.

Compared to the other deviant relationship portrayed in the series, the yuri in Mouryou no Hako is mild.

BUY:

Mouryou no Hako DVDs @ Play-Asia.com
Mouryou no Hako DVDs @ Yesasia.com

As an anime that borrows even its title from Japan's folkloric past and occultism, Mouryou no Hako is strangely not about occults. I might even go on to say that the series is actually a straightforward detective-mystery with only splashes of spiritualism to make the story more flavorful. And yet, if you take out the religious aspect, the effect would be a lot like lobotomy. The series just won't be the same. That is how integral and intricately connected the spiritual part of Mouryou no Hako is to the overall story even as it really has nothing to do with anything.

"The difference between Terror and Horror is the difference between awful apprehension and sickening realization: between the smell of death and stumbling against a corpse." ~ Devendra Varma from The Gothic Flame

As a horror, Mouryou no Hako does not rely on a terrifying build-up. Sure, there is a lot of building up going on but that is more for the benefit of heightening the mystery rather than heightening your terror. What it does, and it does it very well, is to shock and disturb you with each new revelation. The horror does not end with the discovery of the head in the box or the images of severed limbs strewn across the countryside. The biggest horror of all is how the show portrays the extent of the characters' depravity. If you think it's bad, believe when I say that it's actually much worse than you previously suspect.

In the end, you can't help but feel relieved that Madhouse decided to end the series with a special episode, told from the perspective of a character who after her initial introduction virtually disappeared from the storyline, and who simultaneously recaps and concludes the story with a thought-provoking question, realization and new-found determination. This at least makes you feel like the anime ended in a lighter note, even as this note is by far darker than the conclusion of any other anime series out there.

Mouryou no Hako is replete with visual cues and symbols
Aside from its disturbing yet absorbing mystery, Mouryou no Hako also offers a lot on the aesthetics side. The visuals are astounding -- they're beautiful, colorful, gorgeous, animated, symbolic. Especially looking at the first few episodes, you can't help but be lured in by the mere visuals alone the way Yoriko was likewise seduced by the image of Kanako dancing under the moonlight. While the production values are not anywhere near perfect, you can feel that the message behind that beautiful splash of color on your screen is perfection hand in hand with insanity. And what could be more alluring than the image of beauty freed from the confines of reality?

Not only that, Mouryou no Hako is anime replete with visual cues and symbols. Just as the gorgeous visuals are deceptive, hiding as they are a sinister secret or some deep psychological illness, the symbols may fool you. Each episode begins with an excerpt from a novel written by one of two fictional novelists in the series. While they don't seem to have anything to do with the plot, these excerpts have more to do with the overall scheme of the story than you initially believe. In that, I have only one piece of advice: never miss an episode, watch each one closely. In short, blink and you'll miss it.

Technology during Japan's bubble economy adds further dimension into the mythology of Mouryou no Hako

Speaking about the visuals, I always thought that CLAMP is mostly responsible for the general look of Mouryou no Hako. This despite my knowing that CLAMP's only real credit is doing some of the character designs. After 2009's highly acclaimed Aoi Bungaku, I know now that much of the visual impact of this series definitely bears the handprint of one newbie director Nakamura Ryosuke.

Amazingly, Mouryou no Hako is Nakamura's directorial debut and yet he has such a deft hand at it that I found it hard to believe. Then, of course, I saw Run, Melos!, one of the masterpiece arcs from Aoi Bungaku, and I knew then that Nakamura has more to offer as a director. The latter is even set in the same period of Japan's history as Mouryou no Hako so that watching it, you almost expect to see the characters from one series interact with those from the other.

One of the more disturbing scenes from Mouryou no Hako consist of a battalion of Japanese soldiers getting run over by a military tank and falling to pieces

Nakamura must hold a certain fascination for Japan's Showa Era, a time which coincides with Japanese ultranationalism, World War II, American Occupation and the bubble economy. The pervading sentiment from that period is nostalgia. That was around the time when Japan opened its doors to other economies, experienced a boom in industrialization and technology, a time when everything is new and fresh and exciting. But the downside to all that technological progress is a sense of loss in terms of culture and tradition. In other words, we get so caught up with all these new gadgets that we lose sight of the world around us.

I think that's what Nakamura is concerned about and this he attempts to show in Mouryou no Hako and to some extent in Run, Melos! As one German playwright and novelist Max Frisch aptly puts it: "Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we do not experience it," the doctor Mimasaka Koushirou in Mouryou no Hako failed to simply experience the unconditional love of his family by pursuing the impossible dream of creating a perfect human being. And it's not only Mimasaka Koushirou who suffers from this malady. Nearly everyone of the characters from Mouryou no Hako are going through some kind of existential malaise as though it were the effects of the virtual tug-of-war happening between progress and tradition, the present and the past. The anime refer to this feeling as "mouryou" -- a spirit that is said to devour corpses and dwell on the space between the shadow and the light, the in-between. In other words, "mouryou" is a representation of human weakness and that is as real as you or me.


IN SUM --

Mouryou no Hako is a ground-breaking anime that mystifies as well as de-mystifies, builds up as well as takes down, hides as well as reveals, seduces as well as repels, and overall entertains your heart out while at the same time blows your mind away with shock after shock and horror after horror only to end with a sense of hope that as dark as things are, you, as a person, have the choice whether to tread your path or go to the other side.

This show is recommended for those who like a taste of what anime can be when done right.

MORE INFO:

OFFICIAL (JPN)
Mouryou no Hako @ Wikipedia
Mouryou no Hako @ ANN

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Armed Librarians 23-24: The Truth About Heaven

Was I so wrong about this anime? I really hate to admit it but I may have been wrong about this anime. Sure, the build-up was slow (and boring) but once the plot started taking off, it's woah!
EPISODE 23: Jailbreak, A Took, and the Violet of the Desert
More Screencaps from Armed Librarians: The Book of Bantorra 23
With the death of Kachua, Mince is appointed as the new Governor of Paradise. His first task is to scout for true men to rebuild the Shindeki Church and while on this mission, he finds the corpse of an old man, who turns out to be the former Acting Director (before Fhotona) Makkia. Meanwhile, the armed librarians have a celebration but the get-together turns into a meeting in which everyone voices their concern over Hamyuts' secretive behavior. Milepoch puts a strangely complacent Hamyuts in custody, but Hamyuts later escapes upon learning from Lascall Othello that the Violet of the Desert, Chacoly, is still alive. In Makkia's book, it is revealed that Heaven wants to destroy the world. When Makkia learns this, he defects from the Armed Librarians and goes to the desert where he erects a laboratory and subjects a young Hamyuts Meseta to torture. Back to the present, Mince and his assistant travel to this desert laboratory to investigate but are instead overtaken by Hamyuts. A flashback shows Hamyuts in that same laboratory on a mission under Fhotona and Kachua's orders to kill Chacoly. She does not kill Chacholy but leaves her in Makkia's care. Now, with Makkia gone, there is no one left in the world to take care of Chacoly and for this reason, Hamyuts intends to finish what she started to long ago. Before she can do so, however, Chacoly's abilities start to affect Mince. Somwhere far away, Enlike starts out with the resolve to destroy Heaven.


EPISODE 24: Truth, Love, and the Second Sealed Library
More Screencaps from Armed Librarians: The Book of Bantorra 24
Everyone in Bantorra Library is keeping a close eye on Mattalast as he is considered as Hamyuts' right-hand man. A flashback reveals Fhotona attempting to destroy Heaven but Matt, acting under Hamyuts' orders, stops and kills him. Before Fhotona dies, he accuses Matt of letting his feelings for Hamyuts get in the way. Back to the present, Mince is overtaken by Chacoly and attacks Hamyuts. She, however, sidesteps the assault and headbutts Mince back to clarity. She then explains to a confused Mince that Chacoly's power is soul transference, which is a superior kind of telepathy that allow Chacoly to completely take over a person's thoughts and make him act according to her wishes. Chacoly tries the technique on Hamyuts, too, but she resists and effortlessly snaps Chacoly's neck instead. Lascall Othello, who is then revealed to be Yor, appears to take Chacoly's book. After Hamyuts leaves with the book, Mince remarks that he once peered into the Acting Director's soul and saw that her dominant trait is self-loathing, her thoughts are void and her desire is love. In Chacoly's book, Chacoly parts on good terms from Hamyuts and goes off to fulfill her mission to infiltrate the Bantorra Library and destroy Ruruta. The mission fails and Chacoly loses her sanity as a result. Back in the library, Enlike finds Heaven but Matt is also there to stop him. But Heaven is no longer willing to wait, so it takes both Enlike and Matt captive, before it splits into two to reveal Ruruta inside. Outside the armed librarians are on heightened alarm as guardian beasts from the sealed libraries suddenly appear on the surface. Amid the chaos, Hamyuts makes a public announcement, finally revealing the biggest secret that all Acting Directors before her have kept: the Director is Heaven or Ruruta, who long ago deposed Bantorra, and took over the library. Ruruta then unleashes his power, the sleep of death, putting everyone to sleep in order to spare them the pain. Matt, however, refuses to die and purposely shoots himself to keep himself awake. Then, he escapes from his bonds and runs to find Hamyuts, keeping in mind his long-ago promise to be the only man to kill her.

THOUGHTS:

I really can't say anything except AWESOME! And here I thought that that episode focusing on Matt and Hamyuts' juicy past was irrelevant to the plot. Was I ever so wrong? Agh! And what's this? There are in fact 27 episodes? That's not a good sign but I am enjoying this arc so very much right now that I don't really care.

Poor Matt. I think he's going to die. Also, I'm thinking that Hamyuts will be the only one left standing when this series comes to a close. I just have a feeling. Plus, the opening clip kind of shows her, all bloody and beat up, standing alone, staring into the blazing sunset. Dead give-away.

Production values are hot! BGM is simultaneously haunting and simultaneously hot! David Production, did you get knocked on the head or something? Or was this your plan all along? To scrimp on all the previous, building-up episodes and kill us with amazement in the last four? Because if that is so, you are a ninja! XD

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Kimi ni Todoke 22: Stomach Warmer

I thought New Year already happened, and now we're celebrating Christmas? Timeline is confuzzling.EPISODE 22: Christmas
The class of D-1 plan to have an out-of-school party to celebrate Christmas. Everyone must come and that includes Sawako, who is more than thrilled to be finally invited to one of these gatherings. However, her family's -- especially her father's -- enthusiasm over their own family get-together to celebrate the occasion gets in the way, forcing Sawako to stay home. Kazehaya as well as Ayane and Chizu can barely hide their disappointment. On Christmas Eve, the girls give Sawako a call to greet her 'Merry Christmas' and then they pass the phone on to Kazehaya. Upon hearing his voice, Sawako gets tongue-tied and overcome with tears. Her mother notices and so takes the phone from her. While Sawako's mother speaks to Kazehaya, Sawako's dad, who is finally noticing Sawako's unhappiness, gives her the present he got her: a cellphone. Sawako then tells her dad that she wants to go to the party for just a little bit. He reluctantly lets her go. However, by the time Sawako makes it to the place, all her classmates are gone. Only Kazehaya is still there, waiting for her. He gives her a present: a cellphone thingamajig. In exchange, Sawako gives him a stomach warmer, which is supposed to be for her father but for a slight mishap earlier that day.

THOUGHTS:

I've decided to call this section 'thoughts' because I realize that people make the mistake that the "comments" are comments from visitors. Uhm, no. But anyway, yeah, so I think 'thoughts' would work.

Also, I've decided to change the schedule for this series to Saturday and Armed Librarians for Sunday. I know it's a bit late but I just noted that Horriblesubs release their episodes of the latter series Saturdays.

Back to the topic, this episode is cute. Stomach warmer. In case you don't know, stomach warmers are considered old-fashioned in Japan and are only ever worn by old people and some gang members. I know that little bit of information from Kimi wa Petto. :)

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Katanagatari 03: Shrine Maidens and Bandits

EPISODE 03: Sentou Tsurugi
After leaving Inaba, Togame and Shichika next go to the Sanzu shrine in Daisen, Izumo where Tsurugi Meisai, the head of the shrine and the owner of the Sentou Tsurugi (lit. "Thousand Blade") can be found. They finally reach the shrine after climbing 100 steps all the way to the top, with Shichika carrying Togame most of the way. They are met by a woman who identifies herself as Tsurugi Meisai -- or at least, his successor. As for her real name, she has forgotten. Togame then goes off with Meisai to start the negotiation process by offering the Shogun's protection of the Sanzu shrine in return for Sentou Tsurugi. Meisai admits that the deal is too good to refuse and goes on to explain that the maidens at her shrine are all victims of abuse and therefore need her protection. But instead of accepting Togame's offer, she makes one of her own: Togame must find the original Sentou Tsurugi from the 1,000 blades and once she does, Meisai would agree to a one-on-one fight with Shichika, with the winner taking all. Later that evening, Togame discusses the deal with Shichika, who is once again acquainting himself well with her hair. Unknown to both of them, their conversation is being observed by Meisai's two bodyguards, who then report the matter to their master. Meisai comments that Togame's hair did not become that color unless something significant happened. She likewise notes how Togame wears bright clothes, which she interprets as Togame's determination not to forget herself. Meisai guesses correctly that Togame may be the daughter of a feudal lord. The next day, Togame goes to start her task of identifying the original Sentou Tsurugi. All of Meisai's 1,000 shrine maidens present their sword for her inspection. However, when Togame picks up one sword, one of these maidens goes berserk and attacks her. Thankfully, Meisai intervenes, getting cut in the process. Meanwhile, Shichika disregards Togame's orders not to wander around the shrine and tries to help some of the shrine maidens with their work. At first, they are terrified of him but after seeing that he means no harm, they quietly return to their tasks. Meisai hears about this and decides to have a sit-down with Shichika. She tries different tactics to disarm him -- first, by trying to gain his sympathy (she says that she is using the Sentou Tsurugi to help her maidens in the hopes that they would find inner peace through the sword) and then, by getting him to question his belief. But her tactics only make Shichika think all the more that she is a worthy opponent. Just then, their conversation is halted when they finally notice Maniwa Kuizame of the Maniwa Corps in the vicinity. In typical Maniwa ninja fashion, Kuizame brazenly announces his intention but Meisai kills him off using his own weapon. Afterwards, Togame returns to say that she has found the original blade, supposing the one with the oldest scar on its sheath to be it. The next morning, Shichika finally faces Meisai in the battlefield. However, instead of fighting him outright, Meisai flees from the scene, forcing him to chase after her until he lands on a trap where she reveals the true face of Sentouryuu (lit. "Thousand Blade" Style). The style seeks to use any sword found in a battlefield and is based on the principle that all swords are dispensable. That said, Sentou Tsurugi is the perfect weapon to use in the execution of Sentouryuu. Meisai also reveals that her father had been a commander of Izumo's defense corps but was killed, along with all of the students of her family's kendo school, fighting the rebels under Hida Takahito. As an embittered orphan, Meisai joined the bandits, whose leader then owned the Sentou Tsurugi, rising up in the ranks and eventually deposing the leader and becoming possessor of the famous blade. As the new leader of the bandits, Meisai murdered many people, including the original Tsurugi Meisai. However, her encounter with Tsurugi proved to be her undoing as it made her see a different purpose in her life. She went back to the bandits' lair, killed all 43 of her comrades and then took Tsurugi Meisai for her name and became the head of the Sanzu shrine. Her purpose is now to protect the maidens of the shrine with Sentouryuu. Claiming that her technique is invincible, she wants Shichika to give up but he refuses. There is a weakness in Meisai's style and he takes advantage of it by running back to the shrine where he knows no trap is waiting for him. Realizing that her strategy has failed yet again, Meisai declares that she would lose this battle if Shichika makes sure that the shrine is protected. After Shichika agrees, Meisai then reaches for another blade that she has hidden under the ground. Shichika immediately recognizes it as the original Sentou Tsurugi and adds that the weapon has chosen Meisai, just as he as a "sword" has chosen Togame. Meisai attacks and Shichika moves into position. When Togame finds them, Shichika is standing over the bloodied form of Meisai on the ground. Togame starts to say that Shichika did not have to kill her but catches herself. Later, she says that Meisai, as possessor of one of the 12 Deviant Blades, may have been corrupted by the sword's power and never would have given it up unless forced. This prompts Shichika to wonder whether Togame would give up the Zettou Kana and the Zantou Namakura had he lost the fight, to which Togame only replies that she never even considered that Shichika would lose.

COMMENTS:

This episode was even better than I expected. Just as I did in the previous episode, I love the main villain. Meisai's back story doesn't really put her in a sympathetic light but what she's done after the real Tsurugi Meisai freed her with his death from the trauma of her past is nothing short of amazing. That said, she isn't a villain but an antagonist and a very well-constructed one at that.

I especially like the fact that Meisai is more connected to Togame than either of them realize and that the anime hasn't taken advantage of it by trying to forge an insignificant conflict that would have occurred had either of the characters discovered the truth. I like how they left that little part up in the air sort of, maybe to be tackled again at a later episode. I can say the same thing about Shichika's revelation that he slew his father. That's supposed to be a big revelation for the character but it was very casually introduced that it might slip right past the less attentive viewer.

Speaking of Shichika, is it just me or does the young man seem to be lacking some moral restraint? Or maybe, it's not a lack of morality, but more a lack of temperance? Shichika seems to understand sentiment well enough but so far hasn't exhibited an ability to be moved by it. He sees things in black and white and acts accordingly. Togame is the complete opposite. As a strategist, she has to consider not only the whole picture but the tiny details as well and tiptoe around them so as not to tip the scale. This, I think, adds dynamic to their interactions, makes them all entertaining and at the same time authentic. The slapstick aside. Although this month's slapstick got my seal of approval: visual sexual innuendos FTW!

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Durarara!! 09: You seem to be missing something

Introducing Yagiri Namie, her maybe incestuous affection for Seiji and Celty's not-quite reunion with her head.
EPISODE 09: Yearning and Loving
The episode begins with Namie trying and failing to contact her brother, Seiji. Namie then takes us back to the past when she and Seiji were still children and spent most of their time together. Namie was favored by her uncle and constantly received presents of dolls from him. While Namie didn't care much for the dolls, Seiji always seemed to be enamored with them. One day, Namie caught her uncle in his study talking with a strange specimen: a woman's head! Later, when Namie showed Seiji the head, that became the moment that Namie would regret the most for Seiji had fallen in love with the specimen, much like he did with her dolls.

Namie eventually grew up and went to work for her uncle at Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. She was assigned to the lab and there she decided to keep the woman's head, partly to keep it away from Seiji and partly as an experiment. Seiji, however, broke into the lab and stole the head. Later, Namie received a call from Seiji, telling her that he may have killed a woman. The woman turned out to be Harima Mika, a girl who had been stalking Seiji and accidentally saw him with the head. When Namie found him, she promised to take care of it. This new creature Namie created with the head and Harima Mika's body remained hidden inside the Yagiri Pharmaceuticals lab but it somehow managed to escape and found Seiji again. Namie had been keeping track of her brother ever since until now.

Meanwhile, the present shows us that the scarred girl, in a fit of jealousy, had taken Seiji's cellphone and thrown it into the public fountain without his knowing. Namie goes to the local informant Izaya Orihara and asks him to track down Seiji for her. After doing some checking in his computer, Izaya tells Namie that she would receive a call from the police and it's going to be about Seiji. True enough, Namie does receive the call and hurries out of there.

Back to Seiji and the scarred girl, it is revealed that Izaya is in contact with the latter. He warns her that they're coming for her and tells her to leave. The scarred girl takes his warning to heart and urges Seiji to leave with her. Seiji, however, resists and the commotion catches the attention of Shizuo and Celty. As the scarred girl runs past them, Celty suddenly recognizes her own head and gives chase. Upon seeing Celty, the scarred girl screams and runs away, eventually running into Mikado who helps her get away from Celty.

The day ends with Celty talking over the encounter with Shinra, Mikado offering his apartment and safety to the scarred girl, Namie ordering her people to catch the girl and take her down, and Izaya, who seems to be the only person able to connect all these things, entirely entertained.

COMMENTS:

Another revealing episode. We're finally seeing more of the darker, crazier characters. Namie's love for her brother is definitely disturbing but makes a little sense, considering their crazy family dynamics. Two little children left to themselves in a huge, empty house? An uncle who talks to a severed head? No wonder Namie turned into a ruthless scientist with a major brother complex and Seiji became a co-dependent with a streak of violence.

It's interesting how Celty's head is likewise suffering from amnesia. Celty thought that most of her memories are contained in her head. Turns out, that isn't the case, and Celty's head without its body is just as lost as Celty's body is without its head. In the previous episode, Celty admitted matter-of-factly that she is probably in love with Shinra. I wonder how she's going to feel once she finds out that Shinra knows more about where her head had been than he lets on.

Am I the only who is rooting for Shizuo x Celty?

EDIT 03/12/2010 9:07 p.m.: This is episode 9, not 8. Sorry.

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Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo BGM Collection Vol. 3

RELEASED: 09.28.2008
LABEL: King Records
DDL: MU
TRACKLIST:
1. Theme Principal la Chanson d'Atsuko
2. Destinee
3. La Combat - full size -
4. Bouleversement
5. Compte a Rebour
6. Yukiko
7. Justice
8. En piste!
9. Suspense 3
10. Deformation 2
11. Soleil de Minuit
12. Ryoko 2 - full size -
13. Le Grand Amour
BUY: @ CDJapan


I've had this since forever. This is actually the third of three BGM collections from the 2008 anime, Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo. Again, like the previous two collections, this is heavy on the jazz and lots of atmospheric music. My personal favorite is the 12th track, Ryoko 2, which is a variation of the anime's ending theme.

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New Layout: Music to My Ears

So I decided to change the layout for the blog again. This time, I used this really cool, grunge theme I found at InstantShift.com. I changed the header image to a screencap from So.Ra.No.Wo.To., an anime which is slowly starting to grow on me. Don't get too attached to it though because once the Spring Season comes in full swing, I might change it again to reflect the new series I'm digging.

Anyhoo, what I really like about this new layout (aside from its look) is that it's XML, which makes editing it on the new Blogger so much easier. It also comes with a widget-ready footer, which is awesome. And last but not least (and this was the main reason why I wanted to change the layout in the first place), I can finally include a link to show "Older Posts." The previous layout did not have it and since it was Classic Blogger, there was no way around the codes to add the same. So...I made this change.

I hope you like ~

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Kimi ni Todoke 21: Neighborhood Girl

The conclusion of Chizuru's love profusion with the Sanada brothers...
EPISODE 21: First Snow
More Screencaps from Kimi ni Todoke 21
It's almost spring and Chizuru shows up in school, looking cheerful again but still not talking to Ryuu. After classes, she invites the girls to a karaoke session where she completely hogs the mike. Later, as they are making their way home, Yano asks her what she would do if she meets Tooru again and Chizu cheerfully answers that she likes him but adds quickly that she's just joking. Then Tooru does show up for real and asks to speak with Chizu. Before Chizu leaves with Tooru, Sawako secretly reminds her that she's wearing a mini-skirt (their school uniform). Realizing this, Chizu tries to show off to Tooru only to have him tell her that he's used to seeing her legs from when they were children. They continue to walk together and all the while Tooru reminisces about many childhood memories with her. Chizu confesses that she likes Tooru, who surprisingly says that he likes her too, but only as a sister. After that, Tooru makes his way back home, intending to drive back to Sapporo immediately. Ryuu is waiting for him there to give him some bread from the other day when he had his fight with Chizu. Before he leaves, Tooru comments that both Ryuu and Chizu are not the clever type so maybe that's why they are much more suited to each other. However, Ryuu surprises him again by saying that he already knows this. Later, Ryuu goes to the docks where he knows Chizu would be since it is the last place that the three of them played before Tooru moved away. Chizu apologizes to Ryuu for her behavior and for being the only person who never greeted him on his birthday. Ryuu tells her that it's alright since Chizu is the only person who remembers his birthday. As they talk, Chizu discovers that it was in fact Ryuu who asked Tooru to come back that day. She tells herself that maybe her feelings for Tooru were really that of a little sister. Ryuu, however, says that he knows that her feelings were true. Because of this, Chizu asks him to comfort her as she cries and Ryuu embraces her.

COMMENTS:

This was a really charming and cute arc. I am totally sold on the Chizu x Ryuu pairing more than ever. SQUUEEEE ♥ ~ I especially like that the anime didn't try to ham-fist the whole thing, like get Chizu to suddenly like Ryuu after she gets rejected by Tooru. Too many shojou shows make that stupid mistake. I mean, Chizu didn't hold on to those feelings all those years only to have them suddenly disappear in one night. Chizu's reaction was very realistic. A real person would try to rationalize the whole thing, second-guess emotions, have doubts whether or not the feeling was just a little crush after all. And Ryuu is such a great friend for showing such deep understanding of Chizu even when she herself is confused. OMG I love these two!

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Armed Librarians 21-22: Of Conviction and Goodbyes

This series is actually starting to get good.
EPISODE 21: Enmity, Azure and the Lady of the Straw Rope
More Screencaps from Armed Librarians - The Book of Bantorra 21
Ismo Republic brings the war to the coastline of Bantorra Island, giving the armed librarians very little ground to fight back. In a last ditched effort to prevent the enemy from making land, Hamyuts and Iriea deploy themselves right in the middle of the battle. Meanwhile, Enlike discovers that Noloty died while out on a lone mission to hunt down and kill Arkit, said to be responsible for spreading the Cerulean disease. Arkit, however, turned out to be a kid and instead of killing him, Noloty decided to save him. Not only that, she also allowed him to lead her to the location of Kachua, the Governor of Paradise, despite knowing that he would kill them both for seeking him out. Back in Bantorra Library, Mince arrives to tell Milepoch that their enemies have all been infected with the Cerulean disease, leading them to hate the armed librarians. At that same moment, Ireia encounters a crowd of villagers, not knowing that they, too, have been infected with the disease. Their numbers overwhelm her and the old woman, the third strongest armed librarian, at last falls. With Iriea's death, Hamyuts really has no choice now but to use the one ace on left on her sleeve: Ylucklucu. The weapon creates a barrier around Bantorra Library, preventing any outside forces from getting in but it's only a matter of time before the barrier waits. Further away, Kachua watches the whole proceedings with quiet anticipation.


EPISODE 22: The Sky, a Conclusion and Her World
More Screencaps from Armed Librarians - The Book of Bantorra 22
With Ismo Republic's entire military power right at their doorstep and Ylucklucu's barrier about to run out, the remaining armed librarians look to their Acting Director for hope. Hamyuts has none to offer. Instead, she tells them they have no choice but to fight their way out. Meanwhile, Enlike finds out more about the events leading to Noloty's death: how Kachua came to see her and told her to kill Arkit. But again, Noloty chose to spare Arkit's life and in exchange Arkit knocked her unconscious. Later, Doltum, the same armed librarian who killed Vizac, found Noloty and brought her back to Arkit. But he did it only to kill her right in front of Arkit, thus, triggering the boy's deep hatred for all armed librarians. Back in Bantorra, a war-crazed Hamyuts takes down an entire battalion of tanks, but more are still coming. She takes a hit and falls but Matt saves her. He tells her to withdraw to no avail as he belatedly realizes that Hamyuts has wanted to die all along and become a book. Somewhere else, Enlike finds Kachua's hideout and prepares to take him out, only to find out that he is protected by Ylucklucu's barrier. He takes a lot of damage before he starts to use his magic abilities to create lightning inside the barrier by controlling the weather. He succeeds in killing Kachua and then he gives Arkit Noloty's book to show him that 'til the end Noloty never hated Arkit. Once Arkit sees this, his hatred disappears and the effects of the Cerulean disease disappears as well, leaving the formerly infected people dazed and confused while Lascall Othello watches over them from a distance.

COMMENTS:

I must admit that this series has really come together now. All the seemingly unconnected events of the past episodes have culminated in this one astounding climax. For a minute there, I really thought they were going to kill Hamyuts in Episode 22. Good thing they didn't. But with four more episodes left, I think there's more than enough time to kill a bunch more people. It should come as no surprise since this series has absolutely no qualms in killing major characters.

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Durarara!! 8, SoRaNoWoTo 09

Durarara!! 08: Transient Dream
Celty has a rare day-off and decides to spend it cooking for Shinra, who has also taken a voluntary day-off in order to be with her. But the happy occasion abruptly ends with a tiff over the food. Celty storms out of the house and meets Shizuo, who helps her cool off. Meanwhile, Shinra is called back to work by his bosses at the Yamagiri Pharmaceuticals to treat a guy who tried to bomb the place. Meanwhile, Mikado helps Anri, a victim of a school prank, look for her shoes while Erika loses track of Walker. A strange foreign girl asks the two of them to write on her notebook whatever it is they are looking for. At the end of the day, Erika reunites with Walker, Shinra with Celty and Mikado finding Anri's shoes and giving it to her.

COMMENTS:

The most important reveal in this episode is the location of Celty's head. I have to say that I've always mildly suspected it would be the girl with the scar because if you watch the opening clip (and I've watched it each time), there is a scene there where Celty on her bike passes right by this girl and she turns around and the moment sort of freezes the way it does when characters are being introduced. But instead of the character's name appearing, it never does. So I thought, hmm. Of course, that means that the head in Yamagiri Pharmaceuticals' possession is that which belongs to Anri's friend what's-her-name.

Anyway, despite there being only one reveal in this episode, this is still a very interesting and entertaining one. I really like the whole concept of people, no matter how far apart they are or how they are really unacquainted with each other, may still be connected with each other in one way or another. It's the same concept employed in Baccano!, but in Durarara!! it's become the real focus.

SoRaNoWoTo 09: Passing of the Typhoon - False and Real Images
After hanging up on her father, Rio is more out of it than usual that the younger girls even start to notice. Later a typhoon sweeps over the land, bringing Yumina knocking at their door to ask for their help in looking for Seiya. The courier Claus, who is there to deliver a message to Rio from her father, also helps. He gets partnered with his no. 1 fan, Kureha, and both of them end up finding Seiya. But with the river rapidly rising and the cliff they are on in danger of eroding, a safe rescue is a challenge. Good thing Noel comes up with the idea to use the Takemikazuchi to get Kureha and Claus into a safe zone. While waiting for their comrades, Claus has an opportunity to prove his mettle to Kureha even as Kureha discovers at the same time that he is not the same Claus, the Desert Wolf, that she has been idolizing.

COMMENTS:

A nice little episode that's heavy on the message of the difference between what is ideal and what is true and how that difference can be virtually erased when faced against real situations.

Still more hints on Rio's backstory. I don't know when exactly the anime will finally decide to tackle that. I guess with the peace conferences verging on collapse, we won't have to wait too long. Meanwhile, I am enjoying this subtle character developments going on each episode.

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