Showing posts with label 2010 winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 winter. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

2010 Anime Report: The Best List

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So I realize that I haven't really made my year-ender report for 2010 as per this blog's tradition in the past two years. I suppose I got busy. I'm also about to get busy but I still have at least one week before work will get the better of me. Therefore, allow me to milk these precious free moments to give you my humble list of best and not-so-best titles of anime for the year 2010. (BTW, for categories, I'm taking my cue from jute's previous year-ender posts.)

Most Highly Anticipated Series

I have to admit that this was a tough choice. What did I most look forward to? These two series came out in two different seasons and perhaps because of the gap in time, it's a little hard to compare the anticipation I felt for each one. So I'm afraid that my decision has largely something to do with the overall feeling of satisfaction I got from the series, and not necessarily with how I felt before I watched the first episode.


Best First Episode

For the most part, this was a no-brainer. Occult Academy did have a strong opening, which makes all the more ironic the extent to which it downgraded and eventually fell flat on its face. In hindsight, the series could have done better if it didn't have such a good first episode because then, expectations would not have been set high and I would have come off it a lot less disappointed.

Best Finale

Another no-brainer. What a revelation Katanagatari turned out to be. This is anime done right, and if I knew a word of Japanese, I'd go read the light novels right away. NisiOisin, you the man!

Best Randomly Picked Series

Hands-down. And just imagine that I never even paid attention to this series the first time I heard about it. I thought the art style was a little child illustration book material and it is, for the most part, but strangely enough, it works for this series. And the best thing about it is the story. Fantastic.

Favorite Title

Do I have to spell it out? And to think that I almost dropped this series, not because of anything lacking in the material itself, but because of its airing schedule. White Fox made it difficult with a once-a-month release, but in the end it was worth it.

Favorite Female Character
Busujima Saeko [High School of the Dead]
(Nino, Yasuri Nanami, Tsurugi Meisai, Kazumiya Rio)

Busujima-senpai ♥ ~ Nuff said. Although Nanami and Meisai made the choice a little tough.

Favorite Male Character
Yasuri Shichika [Katanagatari]
(Watashi, Shizuo, Yaichi, Ichinomiya Kou)

I liked Yaichi mainly because of his sexy voice. Kou, despite the insanity surrounding him, developed nicely. Watashi is love but talks too fast. Shichika, on the other hand, had the luxury of a one-hour-long-episode-a-month-for-twelve-months time to develop from a complete toolbox to a human being. Watching it was superb.

Funniest Character
(Togame, Kuwashiro Maya, Hoshi, Maria, Sister)

No doubt about it. Arakawa Under the Bridge has the best cast that if the categories included one for best cast, it would surely win. As it is, if I were to chose between Hoshi and all the other eccentric characters from the series, I'd chose the former. Why? Watch the show.

Favorite Villain
Yasuri Nanami [Katanagatari]
(Yasuri Nanami, Tsurugi Meisai, Ozu, Izaya, zombies)

I loved Meisai. I thought she had an excellent story. But in terms of bad-assness, Nanami pwns them all.

Favorite Couple
Yasuri Shichika x Togame [Katanagatari]
(Yasuri Shichika x Togame, Watashi x Akashi, Susukihotaru x Riken, Ichinomiya Kou x Nino, Kurashita Tsukimi x Koibuchi Shu)

I couldn't take them seriously at first. Togame was obviously using Shichika for her own gain and Shichika was too quick to declare himself in love with Togame right after she asks him to that it was just too incredible. But as time went, the love story became real, made more poignant by its bittersweet ending. Who can't love this couple after all that?

Favorite Crack Couple
Maria x Sister [Arakawa Under the Bridge]
(Kuwashiro Maya x Uchida Fumiaki, Yaichi x Otake, Kazumiya Rio x Filicia Hiediman, Busujima Saeko x Komuro Takashi)

Talk about S & M. But the love story between Maria and Sister is pretty one-sided, and the violence that occurs whenever the two are together in one scene makes it doubly hilarious. Ah, love.

Favorite Slash Couple
Izaya Orihara x Shizuo [Durarara!!]
(Yaichi x Akitsu Masanosuke, Kazumiya Rio x Filicia Hiediman, Togame x Hitei-hime)

Simon pretty much confirmed it in the last episode, calling Izaya's constant picking on Shizuo as his "Shizuo complex." Besides, what's love without a little man-handling? (and vending machine throwing?)

Best Horror Series

The series started out very slow, so slow in fact that I could barely get through it. Add to that the very distracting character design and hair-do. But don't let appearances fool you because this series is creepy. No, I don't mean you're going to spend the entire time screaming pantsless at your monitor. The scary is more psychological here for the monsters aren't the only monsters in Shiki.

Best Comedy Series

When I came up to this point, I thought to myself: "Hm, which is funnier? A cross-dressing nun with an unhealthy regard for guns or a boob wall? But Arakawa Under the Bridge has the advantage of having an insane number of cast who, well, insane, so it wins by sheer number.

Best Drama Series

I think Shiki should win this category. But I have not yet finished watching the entire series so I can't really say. House of Five Leaves, however, turned out very well.

Best Action Series
(Durarara!!, Katanagatari, Star Driver Radiant Takuto, Heroman)

If there was a category for best fan service, the series would win it, too. Busujima-senpai ♥ ~

Best Romance Series

I don't know if you can correctly classify this series as a romance. There certainly are some romantic elements in it. At the very least, there are unrequited crushes. But the show doesn't resolve any of the possible romantic entanglements so...eh. On the other hand, the runners-up aren't really about the romance either so there. Kuragehime wins this category because I actually was aware of the romantic tensions at first blush and primarily watched this show for that.

Best Production Value

Madhouse. Need I say more? With this title, they've saved themselves this year. Now, if only I could say the same thing for 2011. But perhaps, I'm saying too much too soon. After all, we have two whole anime seasons still coming up.

Best Opening Theme
"Maigoinu to Ame no Beat" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation (The Tatami Galaxy)

Best Ending Theme
"Kimi no Kirei ni Kizuite Okure" by Sambomaster (Kuragehime)

Best BGM

Kaijura Yuuki, baby. Also, Kalafina. (Keiko-san ~)

Best Voice Cast

I really, really liked Yaichi's voice. But I'm judging this based on the entire voice cast and Katanagatari has the best, IMHO. The Tatami Galaxy also came close because...Sakamoto Maaya (who is also in Arakawa Under the Bridge). 

Best Style

SHAFT / Shinbo did something amazing with Arakawa Under the Bridge. But stylistically, The Tatami Galaxy was pure insanity. Add to that the really messed up presentation and we have ourselves a winner.

Best Animation

Because I don't know. The whole series was just cute.

Best Background Art

Not much of a choice really. I thought High School of the Dead would win this one for sure but on second look, SHAFT did a pretty good job with the river scenery.

Best Character Designs

The designs fit the characters. Watashi looked generic enough as to be anonymous. Ozu certainly looks devious. And Akashi is seriously cute and fits the bill for the girl-next-door type only with more grrr.

Best Storytelling

NisiOisin. Nuff said.

Best Concept

Everything about it, even its title, screams: GENIUS. And the whole rewind bit confused the shit out of me at first but in the end, all I could say was BRILLIANT. And a main character named "Watashi?" Absolutely inspired!

Anime Series of the Year

As much as I loved The Tatami Galaxy (for its eclectic style) and thoroughly enjoyed Kuragehime, Katanagatari offers a more complete package. Style, it has it in spades. Cuteness, why, yes. See Togame and Nanami and Pengu. Story? Absolutely.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Final Thoughts: Katanagatari

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Well, it took me a while to get back to this series (and anime, for that matter). I actually had episodes 10-12 just sitting in my laptop's hard drive, waiting for the day when I would finally resume watching the show. I don't know exactly what happened, but one month became two, then three and before I knew it, it's February of 2011 and a new crop of anime are out. Good thing these new titles turn out to be interesting (I'll leave it to Lu to blog about her choices) because I was this close to giving up on anime all together. A pity, too, since out of all the shows from last season's lackluster list of releases, Katanagatari was the only title that actually delivered. It just took me a little while to realize it.

Below are my final thoughts on the series. Mind you, there be SPOILERS, so be forewarned.
Shichika and a dying Togame -- final words

Katanagatari  is a show adapted from a light novel series written by NisiOisin of Bakemonogatari fame. The story takes place about a hundred years after the end of the warring states era. The current shogun has commissioned Togame, a young self-proclaimed strategian with a colorful -- emphasis on colorful -- past, to seek out and collect the twelve perfected deviant blades forged by the master swordsmith, Shikizaki Kiki. The blades are said to be imbued with strange powers, giving their possessors extraordinary abilities but distorting their souls as a result. Needless to say, the owners of said blades are far from willing to give up their blades without a lethal fight, making Togame's task that much more challenging.
a murderous Shichika prepares to storm the shogun's castle

Enter Yasuri Shichika, the 7th generation head of Kyoutouryuu, a sword school that eschews the use of swords on the principle that the warrior himself is a weapon. Twenty years ago, Togame saw with her own eyes how her father, the rebel Hida Takahito, died at the hands of Yasuri Mutsue, Shichika's father; however for the sake of the mission, she is willing to forgo even revenge and tries to recruit Shichika to fight as her "sword." After some hesitation, Shichika agrees, declaring that he has fallen for Togame. What follows next is a seemingly generic adventure story of two people going on a journey together, both literally and figuratively, in a quest to find twelve legendary swords and their true selves in the process.
Shichika and Emonzaemon in the heat of battle

I almost did not pick up Katanagatari when I was compiling my shortlist for the season. But I have to admit that I was attracted to the simplistic, almost childish art style and the fact that it is a samurai story (which I'm very fond of). So I watched the first episode without any real expectations or any prior knowledge about the material...and got wowed on first watch.


Visually, Katanagatari is a stunning anime. My first impressions of the show hold true even now:

It's definitely a stand-out. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before -- whimsical without being childish, colorful without going overboard and just pure, unadulterated eye-candy.
In fact, I think the art style of this series is a saving grace. Katanagatari, being based on a light novel series by NisiOisin who seems to be mastering the art of dialogue, is an extremely talk-y anime. I mean, extremely -- like 45-minutes' worth of conversation in an hour-long episode. That's how talky this series is. It can be a bit off-putting, especially if you came to this show thinking you're in for some action adventure treat. Well, there's action in Katanagatari and plenty of adventure alright, but there's also lots of inter-character conversations and revealing of key plot points through dialogue.

Shichika and Princess Hitei

The series tend to take a tried-and-true episodic approach with the protagonists going after one of the swords, talking about its abilities and its owner along the way, and culminating in a dramatic battle for possession of said sword. This happens for the first six episodes before suddenly deviating from the usual by choosing not to show a most hyped-up face-off between Shichika and one particularly cool Sabei Hakuhei to focus instead on Shichika's sister, whom one would never suspect of playing a bigger role in this tale of sword quest. The episode is brutal but it isn't senseless. And at the end of the day, it's the same lesson taught over and over in previous episode: Nothing is ever as it seems.

Then, as if that episode is the breaker where the author decides to tear down convention, Katanagatari takes on a life of its own. The series is never the same again. New characters are introduced, new villains, and the plot is slowly and painstakingly revealed. At this point, Katanagatari is a compelling watch, however, one drawback to it is the decision to release the series only episode per month. When it takes this long to release a single hour-long episode that's mostly dialogue, people tend to forget. And this is true no matter how good the show might be.

IN SUM --

Katanagatari is lovely-looking anime with a whimsical art style and a simple storyline. But don't let appearances deceive you because this anime is anything but.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Katanagatari 08: Doll Face

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EPISODE 08: Bitou Kanzashi

Togame and Shichika are in Owari, meeting with Princess Hitei and her henchman, Emonzaemon. Shichika wonders why Togame and Princess Hitei don't seem to get along and Togame explains they have a sort of rivalry going on. Togame is always scheming ways to bring down the princess but the latter always manages to find some way to come back to power. Now, Princess Hitei seems to be on to something but as to what, Togame doesn't know. Princess Hitei gives them the rumored location of Shikizaki Kiki's workshop, which is near a lake in Edo (old name for Tokyo). The area is said to be guarded by the fearsome, Byourigo. Meanwhile, the remaining five heads of the Maniwa Corps have another meet to discuss another comrade's death and what they're going to do next. The consensus is for Maniwa Umigame to go after one of the deviant blades. However, right after the meet, Umigame encounters Emonzaemon and it is revealed that the latter is the last survivor of a ninja clan who were wiped out by the Maniwa Corps. Emonzaemon, acting under the orders of Princess Hitei, kills Umigame. At the lake in Edo, Togame and Shichika have a close encounter Byourigo, which turns out to be a mechanical doll with four legs, four hands each one wielding a sword. After that, they both conclude that Byourigo is in fact the deviant blade, Bitou Kanzashi (lit. "Sai, the Minute"). Instead of attacking Byourigo head on, Togame decides to pull back for the time being until she comes up with a plan. She and Shichika then spend the next few days, making a map of the entire lake region, including Byourigo's fixed pathway. Once the map is finished, Togame gives Shichika leave to fight Byourigo, careful not to harm it. Needless to say, Shichika has his work cut out for him as Byourigo's eight limbs give it a distinct advantage. Togame, however, has an ace up her sleeve and she tells Shichika to be relentless in his attacks. Finally, after most of the day but before Shichika could exhaust his energy, the Byourigo starts to malfunction and then stop moving. Only then does Togame reveal that the Byourigo is powered by the sun, which is the reason why it continues to move around even after all these years. Togame has also purposely picked that day for Shichika to fight Byourigo as the heavy rainclouds cover the sun and preventing the Byourigo to recharge itself.

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Katanagatari 06 - 07: Little Girls Don't Cry

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EPISODE 06: Soutou Kanazuchi


Because of Azekura's little trick in the previous episode, Shichika and Togame now find themselves in the cold region of Ezo instead of Owari. But it turns out there is also another deviant blade in the area, the Soutou Kanazuchi (lit. "Twin Sword, Hammer"), said to be owned by the powerful Itezora clan who live in a village up on Mt. Odori. The unforgiving cold gets to the hapless travelers but fortunately, Itezora Konayuki finds them and takes them to her cave. It turns out that Konayuki is the last living member of the Itezora clan as her entire village has been wiped out, supposedly by an avalanche. By her own account, she is the weakest of her clan, however this does not necessarily mean that she is not strong by ordinary standards. In fact, she is so strong that she can carry both Shichika and Togame without effort and can even wield the incredibly heavy Soutou Kanazuchi and despite her lack of training (or maybe because of it) hands Shichika his first ever defeat. Adding to their problem is the appearance of another Maniwa ninja in the form of Kyouken, whose ninpou is the ability to transfer from one female body to another. Using this special technique, Kyouken gains control over Konayuki's body and fights Shichika. However, because unlike Konayuki, Kyouken is trained to fight, Shichika can read her stances easily and therefore find their weaknesses. He defeats her with little effort but without killing Konayuki in the process, something which strikes Togame considering that this is the first time he is acting on his own (his order is to kill Kyouken/Konayuki). Afterwards, Houou arrives with the intention to stop Kyouken but seeing the situation, Houou proceeds to cut off his comrade Kawauso's head in order to preserve his truce with Togame. In addition, he gives her information about the deviant blade in Shireizan and its new owner.

EPISODE 7: Akutou Bita

Shichika and Togame arrive in Gokenji Temple in what is considered the holy land of swordsmen, Seiryouin. Emonzaemon, who meets them as soon as they disembark from their ship, informs them that Yasuri Nanami has taken possession of Akutou Bita (lit. "Evil, the Poor") after killing the holy guards of Shireizan as well as everyone in the Gokenji Temple. Without really understanding Nanami's motives but knowing that she is much stronger than him, Shichika hesitates to face her in a duel to the death. Nanami responds by criticizing him, saying that though he looks much stronger than he did six months ago, he seems to have grown soft, a fact which she credits to his being around Togame. The two siblings soon face off with the expected outcome: Shichika falls. However, this in itself is surprising, considering how weak Nanami's body is, which then leads to Nanami revealing that she has embedded the lightning-charged Akutou Bita into her chest to force her ailing body to heal. She likewise tells Shichika what she's come to tell him along, that his secret technique Shichika Hachiretsu has one huge weakness which none of his previous opponents saw. If they had, he would have been defeated easily. While Shichika wallows in depression at his recent defeat, Togame comes up with a scheme to beat Nanami's ninpou: migeika (lit. "Hidden Technique: Sight Training") as well as get rid of the flaw in Shichika Hachiretsu. Then, once she has her schemes down pat, she goes to knock some sense into Shichika, reassuring him that even if Nanami is stronger than him he is and will always be her sword. In his next face-off with Nanami, a more confident Shichika appears. This time, Togame has contrived to set the duel not in the dojo but in front of the Buddha of Swords himself. Then, just as Shichika prepares to launch the first stance of Shichika Hachiretsu, all the 300 candles inside the temple go out at the same time, rendering Nanami's migeika useless and allowing Shichika an opening. He takes her down and retrieves the Akutou Bita from her body. However, Nanami is still alive and she reveals then that she's been using the migeika all along to weaken herself by borrowing others' techniques. Because her body is so weak, it can't withstand her real power, which makes migeika useful in prolonging her life, but now she realizes that she's been deluding herself. She wants Shichika to kill her and she achieves this with the final realization that, after all, she is still Kyoutouryuu.

THOUGHTS:

Oh my god! Just when I thought this anime was going downhill, they come up with these. While episode 6 was mostly lol strong moe is strong - episode 7 is a must-watch. Nanami is DA AWESOME! And her death was so bitter-sweet and just handled so very awesomely that I have no complaints. Yes, yes, yes! I wasn't expecting it to happen this early in the series but yeah! Now for some interesting details... 
That Houou is bad news. A man who is so quick to kill off his comrades just to preserve a temporary truce is dangerous. He's also obviously smart -- smart enough at least to admit that he can't beat Nanami toe to toe and at the same time recognize that Togame might come up with a scheme to accomplish what he just admitted not to be able to do. 
Princess Hitei remains an interesting character. Her motives aren't clear at this point though the show has revealed that she just recently came into power. She and Togame also seem to know each other pretty well. I wonder if they are related and that they are somehow in competition with each other. I also think it's suspicious that Emonzaemon wears a mask. Surely, it's not only because he looks cooler that way.   
So it turns out that the Yasuri clan killing each other is not an unusual occurrence. We learn in this episode that Mutsue was accused of killing his own wife, revealed to be a daughter of a powerful clan. Add to that Shichika's own admission to killing his own father, and then his sister. What a disturbed family. 
That said, contrary to what Nanami has said, being around Togame has changed Shichika for the better. He might have grown more humane and for a sword, that could be viewed as a sign of weakness but it could also be a strength, given the right circumstances. At any rate, he's certainly become more interactive as a character, which makes his exchanges with Togame that much warmer and real, thereby moving their relationship in that direction. Yes, I'm shipping this two. :)  Though I have to admit Shichika admitting to killing his father and to knowing that Togame is the daughter of Hada Takahito was surprising. So he already trusts her that much, huh? Or is he just being simple-minded as usual? 
Then, even more surprising, Togame genuinely doesn't know what she intends to do with Shichika once their journey ends. If this were the old Togame, it would have been a simple matter of dispensing with the son of the person responsible for her father's death and her family's downfall. But now, that is no longer true. She's come to care for him and even admits to him being the closest thing she has to a family. Awwww....
Next episode:  a sword that looks like geisha slippers XD

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Friday, July 2, 2010

Final Thoughts: Durarara!! 23-24

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EPISODE 23: Complications and Complications

After discovering Anri's identity as the Slasher and Mikado's as the founder of the Dollars, Kida becomes resentful of his friends. He runs back to the Yellow Scarves headquarters only to have them turn against him when Horoda reveals Kida's friendship with Anri and Mikado. Horoda and his cronies then reveal that they were in fact former Blue Squares and Kida's sworn enemies. Meanwhile, Celty tells Mikado the truth about Kida and Anri's identities and convinces him that disbanding the Dollars is not a solution. Back in Shinra's flat, he gets a most unexpected visitor in the form of a bloodied, badly wounded Shizuo, who claims not to remember what happened except that a man named Kida Masaomi is responsible. While Shinra treats him, Shizuo mutters his plan of killing Kida. Anri, who is crashing at the place, overhears this and quickly heads out, looking for Kida. Speaking of which, at the Yellow Scarves headquarters, Kida goes head to head against Horoda's cronies and gets beaten up pretty badly. Horoda then takes out his gun, preparing to shoot him when one of Horoda's pals, a child of Saika, stops him. At that moment, Anri bursts into the place, followed by Mikado and Celty on a motorcycle.

EPISODE 24: One with Heaven, Out with the Self

With the sudden arrival of Mikado, Celty and Anri, Horoda's cronies are distracted enough to enable Kadota and his gang to reveal themselves. All along they've been disguising themselves as Blue Squares/Yellow Scarves but when the opportunity presents itself, they immediately turn on Horoda and his cronies, resulting in a mad gang brawl. Mikado and Anri take the injured Kida to the hospital while Celty chases after Horoda and his main gang who manage to escape. However, before they could get too far, Shizuo appears in the middle of the road, carrying a sign post. In revenge for nearly killing him, Shizuo takes a swipe at Horoda's car, chopping off the roof completely. Then the Tokyo traffic police gets wind of the situation and goes after Horoda and his main gang. Meanwhile, Anri confronts Izaya near the hospital, attempting to kill him for being the cause of all their troubles, but Izaya escapes her clutches, declaring that he's no ordinary guy if he can go up against someone like Shizuo. However, on his way home, Izaya gets a punch from Simon, who heard about what happened from Saki and points out that Izaya's bullshit about loving humans is just his Shizuo complex talking. Back in the hospital, Saki visits Kida in his room and the two end up confessing their love for each other. A few days later, Saki and Kida leave Ikebukuro together with only a note to their friends. Dollars is reborn and there's a new visitor in the chatroom, whom Mikado believes to be Kida. The series ends with shots of Kida and Saki on a train going somewhere and Mikado and Anri on the rooftop of their school, united in their belief that Kida will come back.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

In my first impressions of this series, I really thought that Durarara!! is going to be a bit like its predecessor, Baccano! In some aspects, I was right. The story treatment is definitely the same. Kinda slice of life, random happenings, influences from the criminal underworld, that sort of thing. Add to that an intriguing cast with sufficiently varied personalities. Make
Durarara!! a wildly entertaining and immensely interesting story. However, I stand by my previous statement that Durarara!! is better enjoyed if watched on a marathon. 

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Friday, June 4, 2010

Katanagatari 05: Defense vs. Defense

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EPISODE 05: Zokutou Yoroi

A man wearing a mask with the character for "Unconcealed" written on it reports to a woman whom he calls "Princess Hitei." He tells her about Sabi Hakuhei's defeat at the hands of Shichika as well as Togame's continuing progress in her sword quest. Hitei does not seem too bothered by Sabi's defeat but expresses some dismay when she learns that Togame and Shichika seem to be heading towards Satsuma without stopping by Owari first. Togame and Shichika arrive in Kyushu just in time to watch a duel between a random warrior and Azekura Kanara, captain of the Yoroi Pirates and the wielder of the Zokutou Yoroi (lit. "Aegis, the Resentment"), the deviant blade modeled after Western armor. While sharing a hot spring bath together, Togame expresses to Shichika her confidence in their mission, which Shichika largely attributes to the fact that he loves her and therefore would never betray her. Togame however finds little sign of this "love." Moving on to their room in the inn, they then discuss the best method to seize the Zokutou Yoroi from Azekura. Their conversation is interrupted, however, by the arrival of Azekura himself, who immediately reveals that he knows their real identities and their purpose in coming to his island. He then proposes a duel with Shichika. If the latter wins, he and Togame would get the Zokutou Yoroi as well as safe passage to Owari. But if they lose, Azekura wants Togame as his woman. The next day, Shichika shows Togame his armor-piercing technique: Ryuuryoku Kakou (lit. "Red Blossom, Green Willow"), which he intends to use against Azekura. After Togame expresses her satisfaction with the technique, Shichika then asks her whether she's going to accept Azekura's proposal. Unknown to her and even to himself, Shichika has an issue against Azekura's being in love with Togame and chooses to show it by childishly and arbitrarily hitting her. It takes Togame a while to catch on but when she does, another visitor arrives, cutting off their conversation. One of the 12 heads of Maniwa Corps, Maniwa Houou, comes to make a proposition: he wants a temporary truce between Togame's camp and their village. Instead of going after the same sword at once, he and his mates intend to go after the other swords that Togame and Shichika are not yet after. Togame agrees and says that the next sword she's after is the Soutou Kanazuchi (lit. "Hammer, The Pair"). For his part, Maniwa Houou promises to steer clear of it and, as a sign of his goodwill, tells her the locations of three other deviant blades. Later, Shichika meets up with Azekura at the Obon arena where he finds, to his shocked dismay, that his armor-piercing technique doesn't work. After Azekura's tauntings, Shichika almost gives up but Togame shouts at him from the sidelines that she doesn't recall giving him permission to lose and that she would never want a man who can't even show his face to the woman he loves. With this wake-up call, Shichika gains some resolve and manages to beat Azekura through brute force. Later, after securing the Zokoutou Yoroi, Togame and Shichika get on a boat, not knowing that the rejected Azekura has directed it to go to Ezo instead of Owari.

THOUGHTS:

Weird episode. Despite being a pirate, Azekura turns out to be less glamorous than, say, Meisai or even Sabi. I still feel cheated by the fact that they didn't show Sabi's fight with Shichika. That would have been something. Then again, I can't really complain about seeing Nanami in action instead. The consensus is that last month's episode had the potential to divide viewers: either they're going to like it or utterly hate it. I'm more along the former, though I can't help but express some regret at missing the other fight.
Now this month's episode seems lackluster by contrast. The villain is a bore. The blade -- another one for defense -- is ridiculous and doesn't even come close to the awesomeness that is the Sentou Tsurugi. The fan service borders on idiotic. Hot springs bath? Really? Although I am quite satisfied by Shichika's realization in the end that he isn't just a sword but a human being as well. This explains his lack of reaction to most of Togame's enticements, though I wonder if this also means we're going to see a blushing Shichika next.
Maniwa Houou's strategy surprised me. We'll see how this temporary truce turns out, considering that Togame and Shichika have been unexpectedly re-routed to Ezo. Also, Princess Hitei seems intriguing, but after getting burned by Sabi Hakuhei, I'm not going to let myself get caught up by the character hype this time. 
Next month, I want more Nanami. :)

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Friday, May 28, 2010

Durarara 18-19: Sons of Anarchy

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EPISODE 18: Life and Death are Up To Fate

With Anri hospitalized after the attack by the Slasher, Kida decides to go all out and revive the Yellow Scarves. But this act only brings to life many painful memories of the past he would sooner forget than relive. In a flashback, it is revealed that Kida used to date Mikajima Saki, who, however, was emotionally controlled by Izaya. Through Saki, Izaya was able to wield his influence over the Yellow Scarves, causing a gang war to break out between said group and the Blue Squares. As a result of this fierce rivalry, Saki was kidnapped and tortured with Kida unable to do anything to help. The event fills him with guilt to this day, thus, driving him to do all that he can to avenge Anri, not knowing that Izaya still holds all the strings. In one of the Yellow Scarves meetings which Kida attends, the group is alerted to the presence of an intruder -- Anri, who is understandably shocked by the discovery of Kida's leadership position in the gang.


EPISODE 19: The Blue Sky Perishes

Ever since Kida visited her in the hospital, Anri has noticed something amiss about him. However, she keeps her suspicions to herself in order not to reveal her alter ego as the Slasher. Meanwhile, rumors about the Black Rider being a Dollars member and the Slasher being also connected to the same gang abound. As Kida acts stranger by the day, Anri finally decides to find out what he's been up to. Her "children" inform her of a Yellow Scarves meeting and there Anri learns about Kida's involvement with the gang just as some of the members notice her presence and give chase. However, Celty arrives in the nick of time to keep her from getting caught, leading the Yellow Scarves to conclude that the Dollars and the Slasher are allies all along.


THOUGHTS:

Aww, all these three need is the absolute, harsh, painful TRUTH. If they could just be honest with each other, Izaya's plan to pit them against each other without their knowledge wouldn't work. Looks like we're heading off to an explosive climax. Here's to hoping the friends do not find out each other's part in all this before Izaya's grand plan can commence. 


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