It’s a unique opportunity to be able to post this on February 29^th, which also happens to be the day when we girls can propose- possibly why they told me not to come to dancing on Fridays anymore.

Reviewed this week: Aria 8, Himawari!! 2, Kaiji 20, Persona 6, Shion no Ou 17, Shounen Onmyouji 21-2, Spice and Wolf 8, Sisters of Wellber 12

…and in manga: Elfen Lied 82, Erementar Gerad (Elemental Gelade) 27, Mozart Doesn’t Sing Lullabies 9, Nodame 107-8, Ten 1, Tsubasa 183, Twin Spica 8, Yostuba&! 53

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – banana peel
2. Kaiji (3) – ざわ, ざわ…
3. Spice and Wolf (2) – drunken wolf
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Shigofumi (5) – Fumi+Mika=Fumika
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
7. Persona Trinity Soul (7)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (8) – die, Satoru!
9. Minami-ke Okawari (9)- not quite the same
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Marco
11. Clannad (11) – drop kick
12. Mokke (12)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Himawari!! (4) – needs less plot
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – predictable but fun
4. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- mediocre
5. Love GetChu! (6)- light entertainment

Aria the Origination 8: Yet again I am saddened by the impending conclusion to this series, because this Athena and Alice-centric episode only proves how much more there is to experience in Neo Venezia. This week, Alice becomes upset when Athena is too busy to go on a picnic with her, leading to Athena epically slipping on a banana peel and pretending to lose her memory. It’s not the best episode of the season, but is an enjoyable outing nonetheless, with plenty of Martian cat action from Presidents Maa and Aria, whilst next episode promises the emergence of the “Orange Princess”.

Himawari!! 2: It’s time for another episode and another bizarre enemy as Himawari!! presses on- this time with a weird mushroom that spells disaster for Hayato and Shikimi (when will people learn not to eat strange mushrooms?). There are starting to be hints that some of the mysteries set up by the first scene of season one might actually be addressed this time around, and while I’m not too hopeful on that count, it would at least make up for having a shadowy villain and some sort of main plot this season.

Kaiji 20: At the beginning of this episode, Kaiji is busy getting violent in the bathroom- has he finally lost it, or is it part of a plan to frustrate Tonegawa’s cheating? It’s funny to think that one round of a simple card game can be elevated to such tension-inducing heights, but that’s exactly what Kaiji excels at, and even though it isn’t hard to guess the outcome, it will take a particularly disconnected person not to get pulled along on the emotional ride. Bring on episode twenty-one.

Persona Trinity Soul 6: It’s time for an episode away from the main plot (or indeed any plot at all), as Megumi and Kanaru become ‘Chief for a Day’ at the police station to replace an idol who cannot make it, and Ryou dons a bear suit with which to anonymously fight off minor villains. It’s throwaway in the general scheme of things, but it does provide a welcome let-up from the more serious side of this series.

Shion no Ou 17: The fated rematch between Shion and Satoru is here, and it’s time to inject a bit more depth into Satoru’s character- he may be a complete and utter bastard, but he has issues. There’s also an interesting revelation when Shion starts regaining her memories, and although I’m still more interested in the shougi side of things, this twist makes the murder storyline more appealing than it has been up to now. Surely the series can’t be ending soon- my appetite for it is only increasing.

Shounen Onmyouji 21-2: Another two episodes of Shounen Onmyouji have been cleared, and now the forces of evil have managed to take control of Guren, ensuring that there will be a massive mid-boss and final boss showdown come the end. It’s as mediocre as ever, but the end is now in sight, and those evil demons will surely be vanquished.

Spice and Wolf 8: If you’re wondering what happened to episode seven, wonder no longer- for some reason it’s a DVD only episode that we won’t be seeing until the end of May (why they couldn’t just call this episode 7 and make the DVD only one episode 6.5 or move it to 13, I can’t explain). Anyway, it doesn’t make much difference to this episode, in which Horo consumes copious amounts of alcohol before helping Lawrence profit in his pepper sales. Coincidentally enough, I’m currently reading a book on ‘behavioural economics’ at the moment, which includes a chapter on relationships based on market norms and social norms; who knows, I might start analysing Lawrence and Horo’s relationship and become a full fledged member of the blogworld intelligentsia instead of an irreverent faker!

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ 12: This is one of those episodes that makes you wonder what the point of everything that preceded it was, for having spent most of the season running away from Sangatras and trying to reach Greedom, Princess Rita now attempts to end things by giving herself up. Will she be able to sway Gernia, or will his ruthless father and mother-complex conspire against her? Well, we all know nothing too drastic can happen, or there wouldn’t be a second season.

MANGA

Elfen Lied 82: It’s the calm before the storm in this episode as everyone comes home for a quiet dinner together, and Nozomi awaits the results of her music college entrance exams. It’s one of those chapters where nothing really happens, but it gives readers a pleasant break right before the action steps up again.

Erementar Gerad 27: Volume seven finally begins, and it is clear that the manga is about to go head and shoulders over the anime from now on. Whilst Viro continues to be evil in quiet corners, Coud and the party trek through the woods until they reach a broken cable car- can Coud use his mechanical skills to fix it? It may not sound like much, but as it is better paced and presented than the anime, it already has my seal of approval.

Mozart Doesn’t Sing Lullabies 9: After deciphering the secret message in “Mozart’s lullaby”, Beethoven and the others are led to the statue of Prince Tomino- a character from The Magic Flute- but what about this statue could be so important that one person has already lost their life trying to uncover it? It’s been hard to maintain the flow of this series with chapters coming out so slowly, but nonetheless the mystery is still intriguing enough to keep me coming back for more.

Nodame Cantabile 107-8: Having missed her recital, Chiaki can’t help feeling guilty, and after apologising to Nodame, he invites her to come to Vienna with him- but with both their lives getting steadily busier, is it folly for Chiaki to think Nodame will always be around for him? Meanwhile, these two chapters also see the reintroduction of Kiyora Miki, who is still having problems breaking past the barrier of good playing and achieving a truly great competition-winning performance.

*NEW* Ten 1: Set twenty-three years after Akagi, Ten tells the tale of a very different mahjongg player- an easygoing man who nonetheless has the balls to cheat even yakuza. In this first chapter, Ten meets and plays a young man whose cold and logical skills make him seem more like a computer, and after losing to him time and again, Ten has to pull his cheating move in the last round. It’s not quite as exciting as Akagi’s actual skill, but you can’t help admiring the blatant cheating whilst hoping Ten has more tricks up his sleeve.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 183: The time has come to return to Clow Country (yes, that’s where it all began, and like me, you might wonder why we bothered to actually go anywhere in the first place), and in order to get our heroes back there, Yuuko and the Mokonas must expend all their energy, whilst Fei Wong waits patiently in his chair. That’s pretty much all that happens in this episode- after all, we wouldn’t want to take things too quickly now, would we?

Twin Spica 8: As volume two concludes, the evil Beruze teacher continues his plan to get Asumi to drop out of space school, calling her up for a private meeting and destroying her self-confidence with some unpleasant home truths. The evil teacher is my least favourite part of the series, so I hope that we can move on from him soon.

Yotsuba&! 53: Yotsuba and Jumbo have been left to look after the house together, but when Yanda comes round, the usual brand of randomness ensues. This isn’t among my favourite chapters, but it’s still a strong instalment- it hardly seems as if this series can do any wrong.

Reviewed this week: Cazador 18, Darker than Black 18, Higurashi Kai 5, Mononoke 2, Mushi-Uta 5, SaiMono II 17, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 4, Seirei no Moribito 17

…and in manga: Akagi 4, Aria 21-3, Claymore ES 2, El Cazador 2, Erementar Gerad 26, Gunslinger Girl 31, REC 32, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 1-6, Spiral 44-5

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – to infinite 1337, and beyond!
2. SaiMono II (3) – who will win Eigetsu’s heart?
3. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (2) – mail mail
4. Darker than Black (4) – some good, some bad
5. Baccano! (5) – intriguing
6. Mononoke (6) – good but slow paced
7. Mushi-Uta (10) – huge improvement
8. Tetsuko no Tabi (7)- train adventures
9. Doujin Work (9) – this is becoming a guilty pleasure
10. Romeo X Juliet (8) – Hermione comes, Hermione goes
11. Koutetsu Sangokushi (12) – HARD GAY
12. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (13) – interest at minimum
13. Seirei no Moribito (11) – an exercise in monotony
14. El Cazador de la Bruja (14) – El Caza-bore

El Cazador de la Bruja 18: This week on El Cazador, even Ellis has realised how useless Nadie is, leading her to ask for her own room when the pair stay at the Kokopelli inn. Naturally, Ricardo, Lirio, LA, Blue Eyes and her underlings all just happen to show up too, and after a night of random yet ultimately unimportant events, they all leave again. It’s not the worst that El Cazador has to offer (feeling more like 50 minutes in length than three hours), but that hardly makes it good.

Darker than Black 18: The somewhat pointless diversion arc comes to an end in this episode, one which offered mixed good and bad in a way not too dissimilar from a packet of dark and light chocolate sprinkles. The story itself, and the throwaway characters of the arc are somewhat frustratingly pointless, but every so often I see glimpses of the excellence that first drew me to the series. In brief scenes such as Hei stopping the generics with boxes, or the moment where we are led to question the nature of Dolls and by extension that of Contractors, I am once again drawn to the series, but it just can’t seem to hold my attention the whole way- after all, I surely shouldn’t be witnessing a fire fight in a parking lot and merely thinking “that car is an interesting shade of purple”.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai 5: It’s another one of those ‘everyone dies’ episodes that Higurashi is so famous for, and if anything, the fact that such a massacre occurred only highlights how much I’ve lost interest in the franchise, for even this cannot shake my ennui towards the series. People are dying, but so what? Who really cares anymore? In fact, halfway through the episode I was ready to drop it forever, and only the glimpse of Hanyu in the preview was enough to keep me going.

Mononoke 2: Poor Mononoke, if only it could escape the multi-episode arcs of its predecessor, it would be quite a good series, but as it stands, it’s a little too slow paced to be truly memorable. In this episode, we learn that the inn was once a brothel, and that the mysterious room was once an abortion room- and naturally, the spirits of the dead children are attracted to the pregnant woman. With the help of plenty of bizarre imagery, the pacing is slowed down to cover a single arc in three to four episodes, where it could really do with being concluded in a single one.

Mushi-Uta 5: Last week, the double bill of Mushi-Uta left me confused and dissatisfied, but happily, this instalment is a huge improvement. As Shiika and Rina get to know each other better as people, neither of them have any idea as to the complex tangle that links their respective alter egos as Hosts. For the first time, the lighter and more serious elements are meshing together well, and despite the distinct air of Kanon about the flashback sequence, it has turned out to be the most entertaining episode yet.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 17: With all the high drama of the arc over and done with, it’s time for everyone to sit back and relax, as Shuurei prepares to cook a feast to mark her last days in Sa Province. And even as Ryuuren shows everyone the sights, there’s even time for some romance, as Kourin tries to wrest Eigetsu from Ryuuren’s grasp and Shuurei considers her feelings for Ryuuki. Overall, this makes for a nice look into the characters’ feelings, with Shuurei especially starting to become more introspective in light of her dismissal; up until now, she has had to be entirely focused on current events, but now she finally has time to stop, think and let her inner feelings out.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 4: After a weak third episode, Sensei is back on form in this episode, which introduces another character in the form of an animal-loving tail puller, as well as focusing on Meru, the quiet girl who is entirely timid when it comes to actual speech, but is rude and abusive in her text messages. Although I’m missing Sensei’s suicide attempts, this was a thoroughly entertaining episode.

Seirei no Moribito 17: As El Cazador’s compatriot in the boredom stakes, Seirei offers another unexciting episode, in which Shuga tries to end the series prematurely by taking Chagum back to court, only for Balsa to defend her screen time by taking him on the run again. The only event of note is the burning of the water mill, and by the time you reach it, you will be so inattentive that it will be of little more than passing interest. I’m only really watching this now because, like Macbeth, I feel like I’ve come too far to stop.

MANGA

Akagi 4: Akagi’s legendary first game continues, and whilst the onlookers are sure that he is just scraping through with blind luck, there is more to his genius than mere coincidence. Since this chapter doesn’t advance the story very far, it is hard to say much about it (and indeed, it will probably be this way for most chapters of the series), but nonetheless it remains as gripping as the anime.

Aria 21-3: Volume five gets going in these three chapters, which cover stories already seen in the anime- specifically, Akari’s day with Mr Postman, Athena’s introduction and the night of the meteor shower. Regardless of whether or not you’ve seen these stories in the anime, they remain as good as ever, with beautiful artwork and charming content. I really can’t praise this series enough.

Claymore ES 2: It’s quite ironic that I find these side stories more enjoyable than the main chapters, but there you go. This time around, we delve into Miria’s past, fleshing out the brief flashback mention of her friend who turned into an Awakened Being. Although the ending reuses some content from the main series, overall this is a touching story that offers more character development than most of the actual Claymore chapters.

El Cazador 2: This manga really has everything the anime hasn’t- action, fanservice, even a semblance of quality. This chapter recreates the convent battle against the two cross-dressing bounty hunters, and whilst it isn’t exactly great, at least in this form it is a serviceable story that is over quickly (and if you ever wanted to see what nuns wear under their habits, now’s your chance).

Erementar Gerad 26: Whilst Coud finds himself a wanted criminal for illegal entry into the city, Greyarts is about to receive punishment for his failure- and it’s one that’s far more graphic than anything the anime dared show. Overall, there isn’t a great deal of story advancement in this chapter, but it’s still nice to see it stepping up a notch from the animated version.

Gunslinger Girl 31: The excellence of Gunslinger Girl is very much evident in this chapter, which is devoted entirely to the back story of Elizaveta (now Petrushka), a girl who dedicated her entire life to ballet, only to have her dreams cruelly cut short when she is diagnosed with bone cancer. In a desperate attempt to avoid having her leg amputated, Liza is sent to Italy for treatment, but ultimately she is turned into a second generation cyborg. She may have only been introduced in this volume, but the series has certainly done an excellent job of making us really care about this character.

REC 32: When Ao falls asleep after coming onto Matsumaru, he decides to take her back to the studio where she works- only to end up getting drafted into working on the Jupiter the Great anime. With this new plot development, the story picks up at long last, although the fact that Matsumaru and Ao are now in close quarters is yet another tiresome strain on his relationship with Aka. I really wish some time could be spent on developing their relationship instead of keeping it in the same loop of almost breaking up but being rescued at the last minute.

*CATCH-UP* Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 1-6: Despite the trepidation born from the quality of the Pani Poni manga, I decided to give this series a try, although ultimately it proved to be much the same as the anime. Over the course of six chapters, we are introduced to most of the characters we have met in the anime, and although the animated version has the edge in terms of art style, this is still a worthy read, even if it doesn’t offer anything in the way of new content.

Spiral 44-5: Volume nine concludes with these chapters, in which Hiyono puts her very life on the line so that Ayumu and the others can have a long exposition scene about how to capture Kanone. All the sitting and talking is a bit of a momentum-diffuser, but I’m still looking forward to seeing how this situation pans out. Also included at the end is a side story about Kiyotaka, in which he solves a case by dressing in a rabbit suit- it’s an amusing tale, but it makes me long for more in this section of the timeline.

This week, the new season continues to show little in the way of promise, whilst more and more swear themselves to the rising cult of Dennou Coil worship. Meanwhile, the world’s finest minds puzzle over how to get their cat to walk through a cat grooming ring.

Reviewed this week: Cazador 14, Darker than Black 13-14, Dennou Coil 7, Doujin Work 1, Higurashi Kai 1, RxJ 13, Seirei no Moribito 13, Shounen Onmyouji 16

In an unprecedented turn of events, I actually forgot about SaiMono until the last minute, and by then I was in Disgaea 2 obsession mode. It will be covered next week.

…and in manga: Emma Bangaihen 9, Erementar Gerad 25, Tsubasa 158-9

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – S-class anime
2. Darker than Black (3) – I love it, but I want answers
3. SaiMono II (4) – I hope we can get out of ER soon
4. Romeo X Juliet (7) – less mush and more action
5. Seirei no Moribito (6) – promised action not so enthralling
6. Doujin Work (-) – more perverted Genshiken <- new!
7. Sisters of Wellber (8) – needs more subbing
8. Koutetsu Sangokushi (9) – HARD GAY
9. El Cazador de la Bruja (11) – in this crazy world, flashbacks are better than the present
10. Zombie Loan (10) – too generic thus far
11. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (-) – dull talking <- new!

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Shounen Onmyouji (1)- a new episode after so long
2. Love GetChu! (2)- light entertainment
3. ROTK (3)- hilariously bad

El Cazador de la Bruja 14: El Cazador takes a trip down memory lane in this episode, not with the dreaded recap, but by showing us an extended flashback of the time Ellis spent with Schneider. Initially a gruff scientist with little interest in conforming to society, Schneider naturally warms up to Ellis over time, causing problems when the experiments he is supposed to be doing on Ellis do not yield the results Rosenberg wants. Overall, it is a highly predictable episode, but as always, something that would be mediocre elsewhere actually seems quite good compared to the depths El Cazador has been known to trawl.

Darker than Black 13-14: I’m starting to enter a dilemma here; I love Darker than Black, but as a 26 episode series, I have to ask- when are we going to get something in the way of proper explanations? Nonetheless, this is a generally enjoyable arc which explores Yin- a hard task given that she is a personality-deficient doll, one might rightly think, but one which the series manages anyway. Whilst we get a glimpse into her past by way of Flashback Mode, in the present, she becomes the target of not only a pair of Contractors looking to identify members of the syndicate, but the episode 7-8 detective agency, who have been hired by her old piano instructor. It’s nice to see some pre-established characters finally make a return, not to mention get a glimpse of Huang doing something other than sitting around dispensing missions, but whilst this is a solid arc overall, I need more information about this world of Contractors and Dolls.

They do say it isn’t over until the fat lady sings- and here she is.

Dennou Coil 7: Ah, how I love Dennou Coil, and each passing episode only seems to cement its position as the best anime ever (this episode even had the unprecedented effect of making my four year old sister sit quietly and watch it alongside me). This episode sees Fumie and Yasako take on a job to find a missing cyber-hamster in the hopes that the data stored on it will reveal the location of a valuable ‘kirabug’, whilst Isako goes after an Illegal and ends up caught in her own trap with Yasako. The concept of “friend and antagonist getting trapped together” is hardly a new one, but Dennou Coil makes it worthy all over again- in fact, aside from Kyoko’s role of constantly being annoying and getting into trouble, everything about this show is ‘1337’, ‘awesome’ and ‘w1n’. I also have to wonder if there was a grain of truth in what Isako was saying about Illegals when she was winding up Yasako; I don’t believe they eat children’s souls, but could there be something more to them than just being computer viruses? It seems likely.

“Do you want to know the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”

*NEW* Doujin Work 1: Where Genshiken showed us the inside story on otaku buying doujins, Doujin Work promises to give us the scoop on making them, as our lead decides to make her fortune from selling doujins. Running at just under fourteen minutes (OP and ED included), Doujin Work plays out like a more perverted version of Genshiken, with some jokes that are amusing, and some that are verging on the realms of being too distasteful. Even so, I’m interested in watching more just by virtue of the novelty of the series.

*NEW* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai 1: After the ridiculous final arc of the first season, it can hardly be said that Higurashi and I parted on the best of terms, but even so, like a moth to a flame, I found myself drawn to the new season of Higurashi. Sadly, it immediately crushes what few expectations I had left with an episode that sees Mamoru and Ooishi revisit the ruined Hinamizawa in the present day, and have a long conversation about ridiculous plot threads like alien parasites. There had better be some improvement soon, or this second season will quickly be stowed away.

I agree.

Romeo X Juliet 13: With both Romeo and Juliet having been captured at the end of last episode, the supporting characters can finally make a resurgence here, with Curio and Francisco readying their previously unmentioned HORSES to rescue their mistress. There’s some half-decent action in this episode, and with a distinct decrease in the amount of “Romeo!” “Julietto!” fawning, this episode, whilst hardly particularly noteworthy, is at least an improvement on the last three or four instalments.

Seirei no Moribito 13: After reading blog titles like “Balsa goes feral”, episode thirteen had become a kind of promised instalment that I was looking forward to with no small amount of anticipation. Sadly, such a move was to prove foolish, as whilst Balsa does indeed get her spear out, the surrounding content largely had me falling asleep. As often happens to heroes who swear not to kill, Balsa is confronted by an enemy out for revenge for having his life spared, and in order to get her to co-operate, he promises to kill the first people to ride down a particular highway each day. This results in Balsa randomly playing bodyguard for a travelling teacher and her irritating packhorse driver, a series of events designed to bore and annoy all but the most forgiving of viewers.

Balsa thanks her partner for the HORSE.

Shounen Onmyouji 16: It’s been so long since we’ve had any Shounen Onmyouji that I’m just glad to have an episode of it regardless of quality, although as usual this is the typical light action fare. Whilst villainess Kazane is revealed to be a mere agent of a greater and doubtless more generic magic CCTV viewing villain, Masahiro, Mokkun and Rikugou end up fighting slime monsters in the city at night, with Masahiro taking on the added baggage of being possessed by ghost so dull and generic that it saps his very strength. I’m losing all hope of ever meeting all of the Spirit Summons properly, and so whilst this is hardly the best series ever to grace our screens, I still want a second season.

MANGA

Emma Bangaihen 9: A little bit more Emma never did anyone any harm, and so it is that I can only welcome another chapter of the side stories, this one detailing how William and Hakim first met as children in India and forged a friendship through playing tennis. As another satisfying insight in the back stories of the characters, this chapter can only make me crave more, but there are now only two chapters left before Emma is over forever.

Erementar Gerad (Elemental Gelade) 25: EG has been light fun up until now, so it’s nice to see a bit of darker content in this chapter- especially as this wasn’t featured in the anime. Whilst Coud attempts to gain illicit entry into the town of Polta Exeed, Viro and Ren spend the day shopping, but beneath Viro’s cheerful exterior lurks a whole other personality- one creepy, evil, and not at all averse to crushing the head of a generic with her hand. It was worth reading this far just for this chapter.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 158-9: Ah, the confusion, how it stacks up in this ever twisting series, but nonetheless, I shall try to clarify what I think is happening. As I sad before, the one we know as Fye is actually his twin brother Yuui, who chose himself over his brother and then stole his name. Fye was then rescued and brought up Ashura, but somehow Fei Wong is also involved, and for increasingly murky reasons he wanted Fye to travel with Sakura and Syaoran from the start, promising that he could use a feather to revive the rotting body of the real Fye. Kurogane is also meant to their enemy since Yuuko prevented him from becoming Fei Wong’s pawn (Syaoran was of course the clone, and Fei Wong needs Sakura for his confusing plans). I can’t help feeling that this whole revelation is just too close to the “Syaoran is a clone!” arc; CLAMP seem obsessed with putting these kinds of twists in to the detriment of the story.

Phantom Brave is nearly at an end, but does this mean that the ‘third’ gaming era is about to close? Far from it, for this is just the beginning of the renewed SRPG era.

In other news, I’ll probably be starting ‘SaiMono Alternative’ soon, so I can parody even in this sub-less situation.

Reviewed this week: Cazador 9, Claymore 10, Darker than Black 8, Dennou Coil 3, Nodame 19, RxJ 8, SaiMono II 9, Aquarion OVA 1, Emma II 6

…and in manga: Aria 19-20, Erementar Gerad 24, REC 30, Tsubasa 155

ANIME

El Cazador de la Bruja 9: Forget El Cazador, the series should really become El Caza-bore, due to the utterly futile monotony that each episode presents. This week, we return to the formula in order to experience a painfully tedious episode in which Nadie and Ellis run away from a nameless bounty hunter, only to end up in an abandoned mine with a woman who has committed herself to finding a silver cross. Somehow, this episode actually seems worse than last week, impossible as I would have once said that to be. What new lows will the next episode bring?

Claymore 10: There’s lots of blood and cost-cutting style action scenes in this episode of Claymore, as our four woman team takes on a male Awakened Being. Naturally, whilst Clare is the lowest level warrior off the party and inactive for much of the opening phase of the fight, once her Main Character unique abilities kick in she becomes the primary attacker in this battle of severed limbs and fast regeneration. Whilst not markedly better than the content that preceded it, this episode was at least a little more enjoyable than usual- is it an early sign of a general improvement?

Further evidence that men have only one thing on their mind.

Darker than Black 8: The ‘light’ arc comes to an end with an episode that is hardly all fun and games as our detective gets closer to the truth, and Mao desperately tries to escape his cat carrier. This may not be the best of the four arcs we have seen so far, but it is still highly worthy, with a solid mix of action, exposition and some interesting titbits of back story. Bring on episode nine.

Mao experiences internet withdrawal after forgetting his network key.

Dennou Coil 3: After its intriguing start, Dennou Coil continues in a strong fashion with this episode, which properly introduces the controller of the Mojos as she attempts to take control of Densuke and the mysterious Illegal that exists within him. What follows is a worthy showdown between the various factions that once again calls into question of just how much of this world and how much is virtual- especially when an electronic ‘megane-beam’ turns Granny’s hair into an afro. The story may be solid in its own right, but even the intriguing setting alone is enough to ensure I continue watching.

Nodame Cantabile 19: With Chiaki still paralysed by his fear of planes, Nodame decides to have another go at hypnotising him- and this time it just might work. Although it was obviously important for Chiaki to move past this stage, this episode does a feel a bit disappointingly trite with regards to his phobia, seemingly just wanting to resolve it as quickly as possible. I do hope there’s time to explore Nodame’s past a bit more, however, but with only four episodes left, will everything be tied up satisfactorily? More importantly, where have the glimpses of greatness that once tempted me into the series disappeared to?

Romeo X Juliet 8: Who needs either Romeo or Juliet when we now have Tybalt, the best character to thus far emerge from this entire series? That aside, this episode elevates the series to new heights in terms of parody, as Romeo angsts, Montague practises villainy, and Juliet just barely manages to beat shota Antonio during swordplay. Rest assured this can and will be parodied.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 9: Whilst Shuurei and the doctors rush back to Sa Province, Eigetsu’s back story is delved into further in this episode, and although I already knew the outline of the details, it is nonetheless interesting to see it onscreen (not to mention observe the chibi cuteness of little Yougetsu firsthand). After my struggle with the dialogue heavy episode eight, this one was a lot easier to follow, and whilst the cast arguably doesn’t need any more members, the new characters here certainly seem interesting.

*NEW* Sousei no Aquarion OVA 1: I love Aquarion, but when it came to watching this alternate universe OVA, I soon found myself thrust into a world of confusion (and that was after I realised it wasn’t connected to the TV series). After spending thirty-five of its fifty minutes introducing Apollo and persuading him to fight against the Shadow Angels, the legendary Aquarion is called up (until then, everyone was piloting production models) for gattai and a well-executed action scene. To be honest, the whole plot of this beyond the basic “humans vs. Shadow Angels” was somewhat beyond me, and so aside from the good quality action scenes, it just didn’t have the same appeal that the series did- the only real improvement is that Apollo now has more than half a braincell.

Why was the sun in the background?

Victorian Romance Emma Second Act 6: Emma can do no wrong, and so it that this episode is as satisfying as ever, offering us a glimpse into the early days of William’s parents’ marriage, and the events that led to Aurelia’s withdrawal from society. It doesn’t reveal anything new for readers of the manga, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy, with even simple scenes such as the Molders’ servants eating plum pudding somehow proving absorbing and memorable.

MANGA

Aria 19-20: The fourth volume of Aria comes to an end with these two chapters, the first of which sees the undines-in-training visit the legendary Grandma for advice, before moving on to see them make preparations for the Thanksgiving festival. I can’t remember if the latter chapter was in the anime, but even if you’re already familiar with the content, Aria still manages to charm and delight with its beautiful artwork and whimsical storytelling. Now where are volumes 5-11?

Erementar Gerad 24: It seems like a lifetime since I last read any EG, but we’ve finally been treated to a new chapter, in which Coud is forced to sneak into the latest city when he (unlike the rest of his party) cannot legitimately gain entrance to the latest city. To be perfectly honest, not a great deal happens in this chapter, but with the introduction of a character I don’t remember from the anime, the promise of originality lures me in.

REC 30: Apparently, Hatakeda has gotten over his Aka-obsession thanks to a brand new girl- who, as Matsumaru discovers first hand, is actually just an employee at a cosplay café. Naturally, Aka ends up at the cosplay café too and some angst ensues; overall, this is a rather throwaway chapter which doesn’t even achieve the advertised goal of showcasing a minor character. Apparently a long arc is coming up, though.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 155: Okay, I’m not even going to try to make sense of the plot anymore- what’s the point, really? In this chapter, we learn that Fye was actually one of a pair of ‘cursed twins’, with the alterna!Fye presumably being his brother. The story may have been too simplistic back in the old days, but is convoluting it this much really helping?

HITS

Fafner in the Azure

The illegitimate offspring of RahXephon and Evangelion (with elements that make just as little sense on close inspection as certain parts of those two series), Fafner is nonetheless one of the more enjoyable mecha series out there. With its top notch animation, excellent soundtrack and intriguing storyline, Fafner creates a world so appealing that viewers cannot help but be drawn in despite its flaws. It may be more a case of presentation and potential than what the series actually delivers, but Fafner should not be overlooked.

Memorable moments: “Kazuki!!”, “Soushi!!”

Martian Successor Nadesico
Another series that remained entertaining whilst being far from perfect, Nadesico was one of the series I watched back when I was an anime novice, and it remains a good starter series for fans even to this day. Despite a slide into weakness into its last few episodes, Nadesico was a decent example of light entertainment that gave the mecha genre a much needed ribbing.

Memorable moments: Akito being one of the very few mecha pilots to have to deal with inertia.

Dai-Guard
Dai-Guard parodied the retro robot series of yore, which, combined with the premise of office workers saving the world, was a recipe for mild success. If nothing special, the series could at least be counted on for a healthy dose of light entertainment that belied its simplistic and sometimes budget saving animation.

Memorable moments: Dai-Guard losing an arm in various battles.

NEUTRAL

Elemental Gelade

Many people deride EG for ruining the manga storyline, but whilst I cannot exactly justify calling it a hit, I do quite enjoy it for its enjoyable simplicity and brightly coloured character designs. The story may be hideously flawed and often generic, and the animation is clearly on a drive to save as much money as possible, but there’s still that essential ‘easy watching’ quality to it.

Zoids
For a series made to sell toys, the early seasons of Zoids not only attempted to have some sort of plot, but followed the almost universal trend of offering a measure of light entertainment. And I have to admit that it did influence me to buy some of the toys, so its mission was accomplished.

MISSES

Busou Renkin
Once, Busou Renkin seemed like just another generic Shounen Jump series, but as we soon came to learn, it was worse than that, for it also had copious amounts of crude jokes and so-called ‘manservice’. For anyone lacking a fetish for men in revealing swimwear, Busou Renkin held little first watch value, let alone replay value- even I watched it primarily for the parody angle.

D.N.Angel

I was drawn to DNAngel because of the character designs, but unfortunately it failed me when it came to actually giving me some kind of plot. Despite my continual hopes that a darker main story would kick in ‘next episode’, the series blundered along its lightweight fashion throughout, offering tediously unfunny ‘comedy’, pointless and irritating characters and far more vacation episodes than it ever needed. A thoroughly disappointing case of squandered potential.

Love Hina
Ah, Love Hina, how could I forget a show that sapped so many irreplaceable brain cells? A hideously repetitive cycle of Keitaro continually messing up and upsetting Naru every time she seemed to be warming up to him, Love Hina could have been a touching slice of life tale, but instead it chose to go down the path of crazy humour and overused jokes. Four episodes was manageable, twenty-four was far too many.

MegaMan NT Warrior
I have to admit I have only seen the edited English dub of this, but while it may well be a classic in original form, I somehow doubt that it will be much more than a simplistically animated shounen tale of one boy and his destined computer program fighting other boys and their less destined computer programs.

Shaman King

As Shounen Jump series go, Shaman King actually didn’t seem too bad at first- a mixture of light entertainment and mystical battles. Unfortunately, it all went horribly wrong when the shaman tournament properly began, with a fillerific journey to first find where it was being held, followed by pointless fights such as one against a group of shaman wearing tight wetsuits. A tournament arc in an anime is one thing, but making an entire series out of a tournament probably wasn’t the best of ideas.

The Third
A series so dull and forgettable I even forgot to write about it in the Annual Round-Up, The Third’s generic characters and giant insects ensured that it did not last for long in the viewing schedule- and by the time the last few episodes rolled around, even the animation quality had gone downhill.

Final Thoughts
With the possible exception of Fafner, Xebec has yet to produce anything truly worthy and memorable, with their strength lying in light entertainment, and their weakness stemming from pretty much anything involving a manga adaptation. Is this general level of mediocrity all the studio has to offer, or can this season’s Heroic Age possibly be the exception to the rule?

Apologies for the sudden and unannounced hiatus; I know many of you will have experienced unpleasant withdrawal symptoms due to a lack of your daily Azure Flame, but I must assure you that this period has been equally painful for me as well. Due to a recent bout of gale force winds, some local power lines were damaged, and 2pm Thursday saw me thrust into a world not unlike the hell of Anton’s farming days. With the blackout extending as far as the local church, all I could do was sleep, listen to my mp3 player and read Kare Kano until the time came to depart for the weekend to a land of electricity but no internet access.

Anyway, if this has been posted, then obviously all is well again, and so I will try to catch up on missed posts and resume normal service.

I realise that I have inadvertently missed out on some chapters of the Higurashi manga, and that the download links for them have long since expired- due to this problem, reading and reviewing the Watanagashi and Tatarigoroshi arcssh is stalled for now.

Reviewed this week: Corda 6, Death Note 13, Kanon 15, Nodame 1, Red Garden 13, ROTK 38, SaiMono 25

…and in manga: .hack//GU+ 5, .hack//XXXX 1, Erementar Gerad 23, Gunslinger Girl 20-22, Higurashi Onikakushi 3, Nanoha StrikerS 3, Meine Liebe 6, Tsubasa 139-40

ANIME

La Corda d’Oro 6: As if a magical violin wasn’t unfair enough, Tsuchiura gets entered into the concours from the second round onwards (since he’s a normal student and a genuine piano prodigy, do we even need Kahoko to compete at all?). Before that arc gets underway, however, it’s time for the obligatory ‘training arc at supporting characters villa’ episodes; a fact which turns me off somewhat as I feel I have seen enough such episodes over the last few months to last me a lifetime. I have to admit that my initial passion for Corda is starting to cool a little under the weight of the increasing angst and predictability, but I have begun considering whether or not to give it the parody treatment.

Death Note 13: With Misa fully in the game now, things are getting interesting, but unfortunately those overly theatrical moments won’t go away- did we really need to see Light hug Misa in slow motion x3 like a Hong Kong action flick? Misa’s personality also seems different to the impression I’d got from the manga; I’d envisioned her to be a lot more confident and forceful than her anime personality.

Kanon 15: After what seems like an interminable journey, Mai’s arc finally comes to an end in this episode, with the defeat of the last few monsters and Yuuichi’s discovery of the truth through a convenient flashback. Key’s girls have always had special powers, but I can’t help feeling that giving Mai the ability to revive the dead (along with creating translucent CG monsters) was pushing it just a little too far. Even the drama of the moment in which she defeats a monster by jumping off the school roof is offset by a rather cheesy follow-up in which a fragment of power declares “you can call me hope” and saves Mai’s life after her attempted suicide.

On the plus side, I did enjoy the background music for this episode, and the field that Mai and Yuuichi played in was an especially nice setting that I’ll probably use for a banner or wallpaper in the future. I’m also appreciative of the fact that KyoAni is giving a more complete story than Toei did; it’s just a shame that that means the pace is excruciatingly slow and that more flaws in the plot are exposed.

*NEW* Nodame Cantabile 1: I’m not sure what to make of Nodame right now; I was expecting “Honey and Clover with music”, but what I got was just a little too off-kilter to be entirely satisfying. The first episode introduces us to Chiaki, a would-be conductor who is stuck in piano school due to his fear of travelling overseas to Europe, and Nodame, a female pianist with innate talent but a seeming inability to look after herself. Unfortunately, right now I’m having a hard time connecting with either character (the fart jokes don’t help); despite my high hopes, I have learned once again how dangerous it is to approach a series with any significant degree of optimism.

Red Garden 13: Today on Red Garden- angst, angst and, just for a change, some more angst. During the day, Rachel is in the middle of relationship issues, Kate is trapped between HARD YURI and evil Hervé, Rose is pathetic, and Claire is quite thankfully offscreen. Night time sees all four girls come together to beat up even more men, enabling Kate to learn the Float special ability, whilst Rose still hasn’t progressed beyond Cry; I can hardly blame Rachel for being annoyed with her when I want to slap her as well. All in all, a generally dull episode with only minimal reasons to continue with the series; apart from all my other complaints about the series, the Romeo and Juliet passage in the ED only highlights how pathetic and misplaced its attempts to be ‘arty’ are.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 38: What Dynasty Warriors player can forget that FMV of Zhao Yun cradling Liu Bei’s son even as he bravely ran from the enemy? What novel reader cannot recall Liu Bei’s wife throwing herself down a well so that Zhao Yun would save only the child, only for Liu Bei to dash his son to the ground because his beloved general risked his life? In case you hadn’t guessed, this is the point where that scene gains its animated form, although the part about the well and the baby being thrown to the ground are omitted in the interests of Liu Bei’s Justice. Nonetheless, this is one of the instantly recognisable events from the era, and it also provides a few chuckles towards the end; one of the better episodes from the latter part of the series.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 25: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I must once again enthuse over how much I love SaiMono. This episode was just what I want from anime- twenty-five minutes that can simultaneously be parodied and adored. Soujun may have some serious issues with wood (it is, after all, less generic and more highly paid than he is), but Sakujun is deliciously evil- much as I want Shuurei to succeed, it is interesting to see her in the hands of a master manipulator. This episode sees the various parties arrive at their appointed destination in Kinka, but their troubles are far from over when it turns out that the Sa clan may still be one step ahead. As always, the next episode is needed immediately.

MANGA

.hack//GU+ 5: It had to happen eventually; no main character can go for long without gaining the destined power needed to effortlessly defeat even the toughest of opponents. Unable to win on his bishie good looks alone (even real world Endrance seems rather good looking), Endrance is forced to stand and watch along with all the other named characters as Haseo summons his avatar forth. In another few months, I should be able to see what happens next.

.hack//XXXX 1: At long last, the retelling of the first .hack games can begin, albeit with fewer grunties than I’d like. This chapter covers the Data Draining or Orca, before skipping ahead to Kite, BlackRose and Mistral battling Skeith- albeit with a new twist at the end that ensures this most definitely won’t be the same story we played in the games. I guess there’s life in the old World yet.

Erementar Gerad/Elemental Gelade 23: Both the fight between Rowen and Grayarts and the journey to the next continent come to an end in this chapter, with the promise that the plot can properly move on to the next arc (which, sadly, is the Viro arc). A generally laid back and not particularly outstanding instalment.

Gunslinger Girl 20-22: After the long drought, Gunslinger Girl is beginning to trickle through, with these three chapters taking us through to the end of volume four. Whilst by no means bad, chapter twenty is the weakest of the three, showcasing a mission for Rico and briefly introducing a new cyborg, Beatrice. Next up are a pair of chapters that delve more deeply into the lives of the fratello and the pasts of the handlers- first Giuseppe and Henrietta, and then Hilshire and Triela. Gunslinger Girl always knows how to interweave character drama with action scenes, and these chapters are no exception- I can’t wait for more.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Onikakushi 3: A long chapter that concludes the first Onikakushi volume whilst only covering up to the second episode of the anime, Oni 3 sees Keiichi drawn further into the mystery of Hinamizawa. As always, the manga goes into more depth than the anime, and so whilst I’m a little turned off of the Higurashi franchise overall, this was a fairly enjoyable chapter.

*DROPPED* Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS 3: I think my enthusiasm for this series can be summarised by the fact that I had this on my hard drive for weeks and it took until now to remember to read it. After ploughing through a mediocre setup with equally uninspiring artwork (which for some reason is drawn in dark blue and white instead of black and white), I can’t be bothered with this series any more. The Nanoha anime may not be great, but at least it has colour and movement.

Meine Liebe 6: Unlike the anime, the Meine Liebe manga is closer to the original game, featuring one girl and the five bishounen of her reverse harem. This episode sees our lead boost her relationship score with Orphe after running into the Strahl (minus Lui) during the summer vacation. It’s not as good as the anime, nor, in fact, particularly good at all, but it’s interesting to follow familiar characters along an alternate path.

Tsubasa Chronicle 139-40: The mystery of Infinity World has ever so slightly been revealed; if Sakura and the others can win the grand prize at human chess, Yuuko will grant their wish to restore X world. Unfortunately, Sakura’s usefulness is coming to an end, when she hesitates in a crucial battle, Syaoran-real is forced to step up and be heroic. Just as I was despairing of the plot going anywhere, however, 140 takes a detour into Fye’s life, with King Ashura finally awakening; if CLAMP are finally ready to play this card, does that mean Tsubasa might actually come to an end one day?

Unlike the direct continuations covered before, remakes have a dubious advantage in that there is no need to come up with fresh storyline- the writers merely need to retool the original, presumably improving upon it in the process. Conversely, spin-offs need not be anything like the original; all they need is one or two familiar faces to draw in fans of the franchise, and from there the creative staff are left to their own devices. Despite these key differences, both types of continuation have an air of moneymaking about them, but is it really fair to tar them all with the same brush? Are there some continuations out there which are genuine improvements on the original, or are all they all simply sub par attempts to squeeze the last few drops of money out of a flagging franchise? Naturally, the only way to find out is to look at some examples.

Were these continuations a good thing?
Series in red did not fare so well compared to their respective first seasons; those in black were able to maintain quality or even improve upon it. I’m not going to include the massive headaches that are the Gundam and Macross franchises; not only do they deserve articles of their own, but my incomplete experience of each franchise hardly puts me in a position to be able to write a definitive piece about them. I’ll also be neglecting film and manga spin-offs and remakes for the most part.

.hack second generation
The “first generation” of .hack was already something of a multi-platform moneymaking scheme, but back in those days, the series actually had worth. SIGN was an atmospheric tale with excellent music, the games were oddly addictive, LOT had bright colours, Ouka and a giant grunty and Liminality was…forgivable, at least. Unfortunately, the much anticipated second trip to the well could not live up to the originals- Roots was a slow and dull tales that meandered around insipid characters without even exhibiting signs of a plot, whilst Online Jack was amusing only in its awfulness.

A.D. Police OVA
I haven’t watched the AD Police TV series (completion decrees I must, but enthusiasm puts it off indefinitely), however, the less said about this three episode OVA, the better. Instead of being an interesting alternate perspective on the BGC universe, AD Police is a generic cyberpunk series that might as well have been set in any dystopian future. Unless you have a hankering for naked androids, blood, and generic characters, there isn’t much incentive to watch this.

Ah! My Goddess TV
Given the length of the AMG manga, a five episode OVA didn’t really seem enough, but unfortunately, the TV series remake took things to the other extreme by choosing to continue for too long. With a premise that is basically nothing more than light harem entertainment, short and sweet is far more desirable than long and drawn out, and thus the TV series was doomed to get old eventually- especially when it ran into its second season.

Adventures of Mini-Goddess
A spin-off of five minute episodes featuring the adventures of the chibi goddesses and rat Gan-chan, Mini-Goddess had some cute character designs but little else going for it. Over the course of its forty eight episodes, Mini-Goddess occasionally managed to breach the realms of light entertainment, only to quickly sink back down into the domain of the pointless and bizarre (or, in the case of the mould monster Gabira, the sickeningly disgusting).

Akane Maniax
Having thoroughly enjoyed the drama of KgNE, it seemed only right to try this OVA spin-off featuring supporting character Akane. Unfortunately, the OVA also featured a new character in the form of mecha and baseball fanatic Gouda, a personality so irritating that he seemed to be the ultimate fusion of all the brash and moronic testosterone-addled males that had come before him. Although there were some vaguely touching moments in the third and final episode, the vast majority of this OVA was something of a chore to get through.

Angel Links
A spin-off series set in the Outlaw Star universe, Angel Links shifts the action away from Gene Starwind and his band of outlaws, instead choosing to focus on teen prodigy Meifon Li, captain of the starship Angel Links. To its credit, Angel Links tried to include an interesting plot that slowly unfolded over the course of the series, but without the likable cast and vibrant energy of Outlaw Star, it could only manage a generic and clichéd space story.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040
A remake of the original Bubblegum Crisis OVA, Tokyo 2040 is often criticised by hardcore BGC fans for altering the characters’ personalities, but whilst this TV series is the kind of thing you can only really enjoy when you’re just getting into anime, I have to say I find it an improvement on the original. The story may have lost momentum and even coherence towards the end, but the 26 episode length provided valuable opportunities for character development, whilst the basic character designs were cleaner and more refined.

Erementar Gerad: Flag of Blue Sky
I freely admit that I have only read a single chapter of this spin-off manga, but even at this early stage it lacks the appeal of the original. The artwork is still as excellent as ever, but action scenes are confusing to the point of making it entirely unclear what is going on, whilst a promo video I watched paints this series as a somewhat generic cross between Burst Angel and The Third.

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
This alternate universe comedic take on the FMP universe is my personal favourite from all three series; as FMP proved in the first series, it simply isn’t very good at tackling serious storylines, so what better step to take than to remove them entirely? Admittedly, I had my qualms before viewing it, but Fumoffu actually turned out to be a light-hearted and consistently amusing experience that entertained without ever outstaying its welcome.

Futakoi Alternative
Where Futakoi was a standard harem story with the twist that all the love interests were twins, Alternative kept the twins and threw everything else out in its attempt to make a sequel that only bore the vaguest of resemblances to the original. Each series is enjoyable, but for its own reasons- Futakoi is light, harmless entertainment, whilst Alternative is a strangely addictive combination of likable characters and completely bizarre situations. Admittedly, it could be argued that they don’t even need to be considered part of the same franchise, but it is actually interesting to pick up on their few common threads without having enjoyment of one series overshadowed by memories of the other.

Future Hero Retro Story
Another Outlaw Star spin-off, this prequel manga features a boy from Earth who inherits his grandfather’s spaceship; as potentially entertaining as it might sound, however, the mangaka has packed so much action and craziness into each page that it is very difficult to even follow the story.

Ginga Densetsu Weed
Weed and Gin are held in such regard by their devoted following that I always feel guilty about critiquing them, but that’s never stopped me before, so I’m not going to hold back now. Weed was something I could actually watch- it was an odd mix of shounen clichés, bloody violence and brown dogs, but it was perfect for parodying. Unfortunately, at fourteen years its senior, the original Gin series had not weathered well enough to entertain me as much as Weed did; the screencaps reveal an amusing HARD GAY trend, but the actual story does not enthral.

Hellsing Ultimate
Personally, I’m not all that enthused by the Hellsing franchise as a whole, but the OVA remake at least has the crowd-pleaser of not being animated by Gonzo sticking closer to the original material.

Kanon 2006
My feelings on Kanon should already be well known, but in the interests of completion, I’ll summarise them here. Whilst I’m not the biggest fan of either version of Kanon, the Toei version had the advantage of pacing, whereas KyoAni can only go so far in its attempts to balance treacle-slow development and an overly sarcastic lead with top quality animation. Admittedly, Kanon 2006 has some way to go, but right now it is struggling even to be parody worthy.

Mai-Otome
Ah, Mai-Otome, what haven’t I already said about the disappointment that you brought? Suffice to say that whilst HiME was hardly perfect, it did at least contain action scenes and a plot, elements that Otome did not seem to feel it was necessary to include. Perhaps Otome could have gone somewhere if it had had 26 more episodes, but as it stands, it just strung us along for the seventeen weeks it took to realise that it was never going to deliver.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Although Nanoha went on to eclipse its predecessor Triangle Heart in terms of popularity, I have to admit that I would rather have seen a Triangle Heart TV series. Where Nanoha was always something of an on the rails magical girl show which traded on its production values and loli appeal, Triangle Heart offered a more interesting premise by casting Nanoha’s siblings as a pair of sword wielding bodyguards.

Paradise Kiss
Both ParaKiss and its prequel Gokinjo Monogatari are similar stories about a group of students at the Yazawa School of Arts, but where Gokinjo was a slow starter that sometimes felt like a bit of a struggle to get through, ParaKiss is a sharper, faster-paced experience. The animated version also benefits from actually looking as stylish as a fashion series needs to be- a far cry from the ugliness of the Gokinjo anime.

Parasite Dolls
Yet another Bubblegum Crisis spin-off, this three episode OVA collects together a trio of stories about a secret branch of the AD Police- unfortunately, it suffers from the exact same problems as the previous AD Police OVA. The characters are insipid, the stories are standard, and there really is no reason to care about anything that happens. It’s a shame, as this could have actually been a decent spin-off if it had been a full TV series.

Pretty Sammy
Even Tenchi had a spin at magical girls with this OVA (which later spawned a TV series of its own). Unfortunately, despite its apparent attempts to be a tongue-in-cheek parody of a standard magical girl series, it ended up as nothing more than a clichéd example of the very genre it was trying to mock. Aside from some decent character designs and the novelty of seeing familiar Tenchi characters cast in different roles, there isn’t much to recommend this.

Tenchi Universe
The first Tenchi TV series retells the Kagato story from the first OVA, and whilst purists always insist on putting it in second place, I have a confession to make- I saw Tenchi Universe before I even touched the OVAs, and it is actually my favourite incarnation of this story arc. Despite the inevitable filler that crept in, the series was able to explore the characters a lot more over the course of 26 episodes, and can also lay claim to having one of the most well-resolved endings of any anime series (I still feel a pang of emotion when “Dimension of Love” begins to play).

Tenchi in Tokyo
Conversely, the second TV series chose to tell a completely original story, and marked the beginning of the franchise’s downward spiral. A monster of the week series with generic enemies, reused jokes and awful animation, Tenchi in Tokyo has a few entertaining moments, but even hardcore fans are disinclined to praise it.

Tenchi GXP
The third Tenchi TV series, GXP is actually set in the same universe as the original OVAs, but introduces an entirely new cast of characters. Unfortunately, what could be an interesting story about life as a Galaxy Police officer turns out to be nothing more than an over-the-top and fanservice laden harem series that makes the original Tenchi look tame. The gimmick of making the lead a young man with incredibly bad luck is also one that gets old fast, and is only the first in a long line of jokes that the series runs into the ground.

Sakura Wars TV

A retelling of the first Sakura Wars OVA, Sakura Wars TV encapsulates both the good and bad aspects of a typical OVA to TV series transition. The plot may err on the side of the monster of the week formula, but the added episode count offers the opportunity to fully explore the characters, even if Reni and Orihime are unable to get in on the act.

X TV
Neither a two hour movie nor a 24 episode series can really do justice to an 18 volume manga series, but clearly the latter has a better chance of at least conveying the essence of the story. Where the movie made so little sense that it was hard to even remember the characters’ names afterwards, the anime was a lot more coherent. It may have diverged from the manga in the latter half and been in sore need of a second season, but for now, it is the best animated adaptation of X that we have.

Final Thoughts
Based on the number of titles in red, it seems that remakes and spin-offs are even worse at living up to their predecessors than direct continuations. Whether retelling a story or creating an entirely new one in the same universe, perhaps it is just too much work to completely step out of the shadow of the original.

I meant to watch the Keroro Gunso movie in time for this round-up, I really did, but unfortunately I have this mental block about watching anything longer than about 35 minutes. Yes, I could easily watch several 25 minute episodes back-to-back, and yes, I could tackle a longer feature in several sittings, but such logic cannot overcome my natural aversion to concentrating on one thing for that long.

Anyway, with that aside, a number of notable titles remain absent from the round up yet again, but the week manages to feel busy nonetheless. It is surely only a matter of time until the full deluge arrives.

Reviewed this week: Black Blood Brothers, Higurashi, H&C II, Keroro, Otogi-jushi Akazukin, Ouran, ROTK, School Rumble, Utawarerumono, NHK

…and in manga: Erementar Gerad, Furuba, Mushishi, Tactics, Tsubasa, xxxHOLiC

ANIME

*NEW* Black Blood Brothers 1: The advance guard for the autumn season is here in the form of yet another vampire series, this one following the adventures of moody brother-abuser Alucard Jirou and his production-line blonde shota sibling Kotarou. The first episode contains the comforting familiarity of things you’ve seen many times before- ditzy policewoman, mysterious blonde, treacherous vampires- but at least the production values are good (CG bullets aside).

OP impressions: Something of a throwback to the eighties, but could become catchy over time.

ED impressions: An uninspiring and standard slow piece, seemingly written by someone who appreciates good themes but is unable to reproduce them.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 23: It’s slice-and-dice week on Higurashi as Rena whips the machete out and has a go at Rina and “uncle fugly” Teppei. As always, the blood flies thick and fast, and emotions run high- yes, it’s Higurashi just the way I like it. I’ve said it before, but there’s just something oddly absorbing and cathartic about watching people solve their problems in such an extreme fashion. Next time around, it looks like Oishi is on the trail again- what personality will he have this arc?

Keiichi is disappointed to have missed out on the killing.

Honey & Clover II 10-11: I can remember a time when Honey and Clover was good, in fact, a time when “best thing ever!” was not too far off the mark. This week, however, I realised that that time was over, and that instead of watching H&C, I was now watching H&C: the parody. Gone was any attempt at seriousness; instead, the whole thing seemed to have generated into poor jokes and a Hachimitsu to Battle-esque ‘rumble’ between Shuu, Morita and Takemoto in an attempt to take home their prized loli Hagu. In previous weeks, I have generally given H&C positive reviews, but now I must take all that back in favour of intense disappointment.

Unfortunately, having used my feelings about episode ten to fuel a Tuesday Rumble piece about a “Loli and Clover” battle game, episode eleven chooses to base itself around just such a game. Despite their efforts, both Morita and Takemoto lose out whilst Shuu gets the good ending- now all that remains is for him to enjoy his ending cut scene. Expect a more detailed rant soon.

A patient man, Shuu began working on Hagu from an early age.

Keroro Gunso 56: Although by no means bad when compared to some of this week’s offerings, this episode of Keroro can hardly be said to stand out. The first half is an average tale of a tennis match between Koyuki and Natsumi, which loses points for the return of the dreaded Dansu Masu and his afro beam, whilst part two is a bizarre yet oddly amusing tale in which swallows’ nests start appearing on everyone’s heads.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 8-10: As fun as Akazukin can prove to be, I have to admit that the prospect of facing a triple bill was a little daunting. Naturally, as soon as the retro RPG-esque OP began to play, I felt more inclined to sit through all three episodes, featuring our heroes’ journey to Fandavale, complete with singing animals, an angry young man with a grudge against magic, a God Mode knight bound by honour and friendship, a young girl with faith in a monstrous flower, and all the usual cliché trappings. Nonetheless, I can’t help but enjoy myself when I watch this series- it does a better job of being an “RPG-based”-style anime than most series that are actually based on RPGs.

Ouran High School Host Club 22-3: Ouran pulls off a two-part story in this pair of episodes, centring on Kasunoda, a yakuza heir who longs to become more approachable. 22 covers the Host Club’s attempts to fulfil his request, and manages to be hilarious due to their infectious enthusiasm as much as any real humour. Whilst still enjoyable, however, 23 is the weaker of the pair, featuring Kasunoda’s return to the Host Club after accidentally discovering Haruhi’s true gender and realising that he has feelings for her.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 21: Another week, another episode of ROTK, another excuse for me to put together screencaps of the hilarious subtitles and call it a blog post. This time around, the episode moves from hilarious, through tedious, and finally back to hilarious again, as Lu Bu, Liu Bei and Cao Cao pit their generics against each other, and a young boy makes far too many appearances.

School Rumble 2^nd Term 23-4: The last few weeks have brought us both extremes for School Rumble- there was the hideous mess of episode 21, and the solid enjoyment of 22. 23 lies somewhere in between, combining an amusing tale about Tenma and her friends going on a skiing trip, with a less engaging story about Lala suddenly getting overcome with the desire to go ice skating (for some reason, this first involves her smashing her washing machine).

Whatever good was done in 22-3 is soon erased by 24, however, an episode on the level of 21 (if not below it). This pointless and painful filler-fest sees our cast stranded after a midwinter cruise, whilst Hanai ends up with a tribe of main character look-alikes. I cannot express how poor this episode was (although that won’t stop me from trying) – I think I would have preferred watching 25 minutes of black screen.

Utawarerumono 24: This was the part of the game that seemed to require the most explanation, and unfortunately, if not surprisingly, the anime has gone through it too quickly for it to seem anything other than laughably ridiculous. Kuuya is defeated easily (where is her Avu Kamuu gauntlet of evil?), Dii appears, Hakuoro turns into his monstrous form, and everyone else gets to stand around offscreen. The animation also seems to have taken a turn for the worse, although hopefully the finale will make up for any budget saving seen now.

Welcome to the NHK 9: The red has been absent from my round-ups for a few weeks, but now NHK teeters on the brink once again, with this dull episode about Satou’s growing feelings towards Misaki, and Yamazaki’s problems with women. Aside from the usual painfully slow pacing, the main problem here is that the changes to Yamazaki’s characters between manga and anime make his woman-hating streak that much less credible.

MANGA

Unfortunately the way to SaiMono chapter 4 is closed to me unless I become a regular member of a particular forum (or wait until it appears ‘elsewhere’), so that will have to go on hold for now.

Erementar Gerad (Elemental Gelade) 22: After Cisqua’s ill-advised attempts to defeat Greyarts by firing missiles everywhere, Rowen steps up to continue the battle, albeit in a way which involves both sides standing around chanting spells at each other. This is standard shounen action in every sense- attempted humour, giant explosions and flashbacks to important lessons learned in previous years.

Fruits Basket 122: I’m happy to announce that Fruits Basket 122 plugs one of two gaps in my reading of the series, as well as tying up the events of Tohru’s accident. Akito seems oddly out of character here, suddenly becoming concerned and afraid instead of angsty and evil.

Mushishi 11, 34: Fortunately, Mushishi is the home of standalone stories, so reading chapters out of sequence isn’t as ill-advised as my usual ventures. Chapter 11 is the “Sound of Rust” story seen in anime episode 23, and is as highly enjoyable but not quite top tier as that episode. 34 is actually the first of a multi-part story featuring a rival mushishi with a troubled backstory- I can’t say I knew exactly what was going on, but an interesting chapter nonetheless.

Tactics 8a: I’ve yet to read the end of chapter 7, but trifles like that have never stopped me before, (see above). This chapter introduces Kantarou’s rival Hasumi, a scientific scholar with no time for tales of demons and goblins as the two compete to be first to find a “Kappa’s ladle”. As always, the artwork is superior, the story is entertaining (despite the excessive swearing), and Kantarou is a cruel and selfish master.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 128: Did I say I thought X-world was finishing soon? Like Kuuya, I must change my mind, because this chapter seems to indicate that it could drag on for many months to come. This time around, we are treated to another revelation about the “X characters who aren’t the original X characters”, before Sakura heads out into the desert alone to complete some unspecified task. Unless it’s an incredibly easy mission, Syaoran etc will be along to rescue her within a few pages.

xxxHOLiC vol 9, chapter 4: Another short chapter this week, but one that seems to herald the start of a new story thread with the introduction of a youthful spirit medium and her overprotective mother. Little actually happens in this chapter, but as always I’m eager to see what happens next (although it does occur to me that xxxHOLiC could stand to develop some of the other storylines it has briefly toyed with).

If not exactly sparse, this week sees a few familiar names absent from the roster (but undoubtedly waiting for the flood of releases that I sense will occur next week). In the meantime, I’ve finally made good on my promise to catch up on a few more manga series and have also fit in all 20 episodes of Twin Spica, which will be written about when I can be bothered in due course.

Reviewed this week: Chocotto Sister, Ginga Densetsu Weed, Hanoka, Higurashi, H&C II, Kemonozume, Keroro, Otogi-jushi Akazukin, ROTK, Tsubasa, Utawarerumono, NHK (School Rumble will return next week)

…and in manga: Chocotto Sister, Erementar Gerad, Furuba, Hunter X Hunter, Mai-Otome, REC, Twin Spica, Utawarerumono

ANIME

Chocotto Sister 4-5: Valentine’s Day is here, and that means that all the members of Haruma’s harem would like to give him a gift (excluding Makoto, who expects gifts of her own); cue more fanservice, tedious antics from the girls, and “Choko is naked in a ribbon”. If you thought that was bad, however, episode five is much, much worse; this time around, Choco wants Haruma to buy her a bra, leading to a series of events that includes breast groping, nudity, and lots of censoring police tape.

*COMPLETE* Ginga Densetsu Weed 26: At long last, the concluding episode of Weed is here, and with it, the inevitable final boss fight between Weed and Hougen; there was nothing here I wasn’t expecting, but I have to admit that I felt a pang of emotion at the final scene. Overall, the story was predictable, the animation was poor, and many defenceless brown dogs died, but despite its many flaws, Weed will always stand as an example of a series that survived even as many others were dropped.

Hanoka 3: The latest five minute burst of Hanoka concludes our eponymous heroine’s opening mission, before introducing us to youthful but combat-focused Yuji and other supporting characters. As before, it isn’t terribly interesting, but remains watchable by virtue of being brief.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 21: It’s a bumper week at Shion’s health spa in this closing segment of the Detective Chapter, which sees plenty of bloody deaths, answers and the final tie-ins with the Watanagashi arc (better known as recycled animation). It may be bloody, but it’s also oddly compelling in a way that few series can manage.

Honey and Clover II 9: This is the episode I wanted to see last week, the tragic consequences of Hagu’s accident and what it means for her future. On the one hand, it’s easy to parody Shuu and Takemoto’s concerns for Hagu, on the other, it does honestly make for absorbing viewing.

*DROPPED* Kemonozume: I tried to watch episode two, I really did, but it was a wasted effort which I stopped several minutes in. Naked women, ugly demons, and men losing control of their bodily functions are all things I can do without.

Keroro Gunso 54: The second season of Keroro, and this episode in particular have left me with three questions- why must 556 keep appearing, why was everyone split up and reset after episode 51, and finally, why do we have to have a thirty second preview right at the beginning of the episode? With that in mind, this was another solid but not season one level episode, featuring Keroro’s attempt to solve the mystery of an unconscious 556, and the return of Dororo and Giroro.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 7: After episode six, it seemed almost certain our heroes would be going back to Fandavale in this episode, but as it turned out, before we could go anywhere, there was the small matter of rescuing Ringo from Gretel’s clutches. I have to admit it’s slightly tiresome seeing Gretel and Randagio repeatedly fail as their monsters get chopped up in substandard action sequences, but nonetheless episode 8 looks promising.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 18-9: A double bill of ROTK is not so much like birthday and Christmas on the same day as receiving the gas and electricity bills on the same day and realising they both must be dealt with sooner rather than later. This time around, Zhang Fei manages to mess up due to excessive drinking, and Lu Bu ends a potential conflict by showing a grain of intellect. There were some amusing lines as always, but nothing spectacular overall.

Tsubasa Chronicle 40: I was hoping that a return to the manga story would see a significant improvement in quality, but whilst this was by no means as bad as the bus filler arc, I can’t exactly say it was good. Skipping over the introduction to the world of Rekord, the episode jumps straight into the flashbacks of Kurogane’s childhood that Syaoran sees in the Book of Memories, complete with stills, strangely weak music, and a pace akin to the flow of crystallised treacle. Action scenes are now entirely omitted in favour of ‘before’ and ‘after’ stills; in fact, this may well be the first anime to have less animation and movement than its manga counterpart.

Utawarerumono 20-2: Okay, I have a confession to make- due to various circumstances surrounding overheating of my laptop and having to use another computer, I wasn’t paying a great deal of attention to Uta 21 last week. Thus, I have rewatched it alongside episode 20, and to be perfectly honest, it didn’t make a great deal of difference to my opinion. Kuuya is inconsistent, Hau is disappointing, many questions remain unanswered or glossed over, and all-in-all, the tale of Hakuoro vs. the FMA rejects is thoroughly uninspiring.

Episode 22 continues the story, bringing us more mecha attacks and more unrealistically large sprays of blood, but actually re-sparking my interest in Hakuoro’s back story along the way.

Utawarerumono DVD Special 1: After Mai-Otome, I should really have learned my lesson about DVD specials, but accursed curiosity drove me to see what this one was all about. In this short, Hakuoro and Oboro end up eating spoiled food after they steal some snacks from Eruruu’s stores, and subsequently have to fight over who gets to use the bathroom first (begging questions as to why such a large castle only has one toilet). It tries hard to be amusing, but doesn’t really succeed.

Welcome to the NHK 7: Satou has ended up falling back into his hikikomori ways, but when his mother arranges to visit him, it’s time to brave the outdoors and at least create the illusion that he has both a job and girlfriend. As always, the story is a bit too drawn out, and we could perhaps do without the blue aliens and talking appliances, but seeing as the series seems to have stabilised somewhat, I’m taking it off the red for now.

MANGA

*CATCH-UP* Chokotto Sister volumes 1-4: Expect a more detailed review to follow soon, but this brief paragraph will do for now. Like the anime it spawned, Chokotto Sister sees protagonist Haruma receive a somewhat unexpected Christmas present in the form of the little sister he always wanted. In principle, this could be a nice little slice-of-life story or romantic drama (no, not between Haruma and his sister, there are other girls present) but instead the mangaka has loaded it up with as much fanservice as possible. This isn’t a case of a few panty-shots or creative angles- everything from breast fondling to full-on nudity is included, and if you missed it the first time, it’s bound to happen again in a later chapter. I want to turn away, but somehow it hooks me in enough to keep on reading.

Erementar Gerad (Elemental Gelade) 21: An action-packed chapter in which Rowen and Kuea face off against Greyarts; unfortunately like many action scenes in manga it isn’t always easy to tell what’s going on, whilst the main story advances little.

Fruits Basket 121: Yet another gap-filler, this time covering “Akito vs. Tohru”. The usual levels of angst ensue.

*CATCH-UP* Hunter X Hunter: It has taken many months, and the occasional loss of enthusiasm, but I am finally up to date with Hunter X Hunter. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have its flaws, and it suffers from frequent dips in artwork quality in latter chapters, but at its best it’s enjoyable and straightforward fun. I am slightly confused about chapter 261, however- was it meant to be a parody chapter or did I just pick up an ‘alternate’ version?

Mai-Otome 25: I thought that I had come to grips with the worst Otome had to offer, but chapter 25 opened my eyes to the levels the series is prepared to sink to. After wrapping up the events of the Rena arc and giving us a few panels of an evil-looking Sergey, the chapter charts Erstin’s discovery of Manshiro’s true gender, and her attempts to reconcile herself with his penis by taking a bath with him. Cue terrifying amounts of nudity and far too much “but Mashiro-san has an elephant attached”.

Fortunately, episode 26 is less horrifying (if not particularly enticing either), featuring a visit to a refugee camp and the return of Inspector Haruka. Presumably the starving refugee children are meant to evoke sympathy, but the series as a whole is too shallow to garner emotion with such an obvious ploy.

REC 14: Poor Matsumaru’s been feeling under the weather lately- in fact, he may even be starting a cold. Unfortunately, illness or not, he’s been asked to don the Nekoki costume for a new ad campaign- will it all go horribly wrong? Seemingly a short and sweet one-off story, this chapter may not top the originality stakes, but it’s still an improvement over the last arc.

*NEW* Twin Spica 1: Set in 2024, Twin Spica follows the tale of Asumi, a young girl who dreams of going to space school, and who, for reasons as yet unexplained, can see the ghost of ‘Lion-san’, an astronaut who died in a rocket explosion in 2010. In the opening chapter, Asumi must gather up the courage to tell her father that she has applied for space school- even in these first few pages the story promises to develop into something powerful and moving, and I’m looking forward to sampling more (in the meantime, I’ve familiarised myself with the anime).

Utawarerumono 3: Another unfunny glimpse into the world of Uta manga, which sees Karura encourage Touka and Eruruu to transform themselves into ‘adult women’. The manga is the perfect place for a harem parody, but unfortunately so far it’s going about it all wrong.

Utawarerumono doujin: I really should know better than to read this kind of thing, but as has already been demonstrated, common sense sometimes falls by the wayside. Unfortunately, the contents of this doujin make the Otome manga and even Chocotto look tame- from start to finish it is a parade of especially unfunny and lowbrow jokes that makes certain Fate doujin look like high art.

After the sparseness of last week, everything seems to have returned in full force in readiness for the Round-Up’s one month anniversary. In light of all the drops of previous weeks, I’ve picked up a number of new series on the anime front, although unfortunately there are still many backlogged manga chapters waiting patiently for my attention.

Reviewed this week: FLAG, Ginga Densetsu Weed, Gokinjo Monogatari, Hanoka, Higurashi, H&C II, Kemonozume, Keroro, Mai-Otome DVD Special, Ouran, SaiMono, School Rumble, Tsubasa, Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC, Otogi-jushi Akazukin, Love GetChu!

…and in manga: Erementar Gerad, Fate/Stay Night, Fruits Basket, Tsubasa Chronicle, Utawarerumono, xxxHOLiC

ANIME

FLAG 2: What I should probably write here is that FLAG is “an interesting and subtly nuanced portrayal of conflict” with phrases like “gritty realism” tossed in for good measure, but let’s face it- this episode was just plain dull. I was hoping that we’d get to know the HAVWC team, but instead we’re treated to a tour of their hardware and facility, before Shirasu gets left behind whilst everyone else goes on a mission. I can’t really say that much of this episode held my interest in any way whatsoever, but according to the preview Shirasu will be going to the front lines next time, so I’m going to stick with it for now.

OP impressions: The song is forgettable, but I like the montage of photos.

Ginga Densetsu Weed 25: In the days of yore, reaching the penultimate episode of a series meant some kind of urgency on the plot front, but no longer is that the case. This episode is more a breather before the end, featuring lots of dogs running around in the snow prior to the inevitable final boss confrontation. Nonetheless, its worth as a parody source remains undiminished- and with just one more episode to go, I must find something new to take its place (I’m considering ROTK, but please direct any alternate recommendations to the comments box).

*DROPPED* Gokinjo Monogatari 3-4: I’m not entirely sure why I tried to watch Gokinjo, but the manga improved after a slow start and so the anime had to be given a chance too. This time around, Mikako and Tsutomu make up, Tsutomu continues to spend time with new girlfriend Body-ko, Mikako gets annoyed, they argue…*yawn*. I’m also distinctly unenthused with the artwork- the character designs have all of the flaws of Yazawa’s work whilst retaining none of the charm; the backgrounds are chiefly a lifeless white; and what colours are used are horribly grimy, not unlike the sort of shades found after the contents of a paint box are mixed together by a small child.

The world must see just how bad the animation is.

*NEW* Hanoka 1-2: After reading about this, I can’t say I was expecting a great deal, but since the first episode is only four minutes long, it didn’t seem too much of an investment in time to try it. After you cut out the OP, there’s only two and a half minutes of actual episode, so understandably very little happens- our heroes appear, some giant monsters get blown up, to be continued. I’d like to say the graphics look interesting, but so far it’s more a case of amateur and flat.

Episode two is slightly better (and a whole 53 seconds longer), featuring the obligatory hero angst before Hanoka realises that as a destined main character she has little choice but to fight.

OP impressions: A decent OP overall, with a catchy instrumental beginning and end- a nostalgic reminder of my gaming days.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 20: Another superior episode of Higurashi, featuring all the violence and madness we’ve come to expect from Shion’s continuing instability. This time around, the ‘answer arc’ lives up to its name by providing us with insights into the Watanagashi arc and what it means to be “demoned away”. With so many of its counterparts falling by the wayside in terms of quality (Uta, Ouran, SR, ‘Holic, I’m looking at you), Higurashi remains the one spring pillar of consistent strength.

Honey and Clover II 8: With any other series, the excellence of episodes 6-7 would have left me worried that the standard could not be maintained, but not so with H&C. I was entirely confident that this episode could live up to live up to its predecessors, which is unfortunate, since it fell some way short. To be fair, the scenes devoted to Hagu’s storyline were very powerful and moving, but before we could even get to them, we were treated to a misplaced ‘humorous’ section about Mayama’s trip to Spain and his latest stalking techniques. The episode also fits in a rather anticlimactic end to the Morita story, in which the company is bought back from its stereotypically evil president. Overall, some hints of greatness, but a hit-and-miss episode overall.

*NEW* Kemonozume 1: I think I set my expectations too high for this one, and a result it came off as somewhat disappointing. The series follows the exploits of flesh eating demons and the warrior family committed to hunting them, with the typical “demoness and human fall in love” occurring towards the end of the episode. On the surface, the story seems promising, but the lengthy exposition scenes, uninspiring characters and flat art style all serve to put me off. I have to admit that the action scenes are well executed, however, even if the best one involved a bizarre and annoying monkey.

OP impressions: An average jazz track accompanies simple, high contrast stills- slightly reminiscent of the Bebop OP. Could be a good song if the vocals were absent.

ED impressions: Spinning flowers and an average song- this time the vague resemblance is to the Texhnolyze ED.

Keroro Gunso 53: Another solid if not outstanding episode of Keroro, but I have to ask- when is Giroro coming back? The first half sees Keroro, Tamama, Fuyuki and Kururu visit various historic monuments in the hopes that they were built by aliens for the purpose of invading Pekopon, whilst the weaker second half heralds the return of Angol Mois and another botched invasion plan involving cherry blossoms.

*NEW* Love GetChu 1-3: I already gave this a rambling and poorly constructed post of its own, but I may as well mention Love GetChu here for completeness. I’ve yet to venture into raw territory, but the three subbed episodes have made for an enjoyable opening to the series; by all rights, this should be a hackneyed rehash of old clichés, but instead Momoko’s quest to become a VA is turning into an enjoyable tale.

OP impressions: A bit too cute for my tastes, but energetic and catchy nonetheless.

ED impressions: A walking rabbit plush and some J-dance/rap = instantly forgettable.

Mai-Otome DVD Special 8: Why, you may ask, given all that I have said about Mai-Otome, would I want to subject myself to another DVD special? To be honest, each time I watch one I wonder that, but I’ve come too far along the path of Mai- to give up now. This time around, we see Natsuki and Mai’s reunion at the episode twenty-three hot springs, together with a recap of Mai’s past and how she ended up in the Black Valley. It’s a lot less interesting than it sounds, especially as most of the story is told against a backdrop of silhouetted stills.

*NEW* Otogi-jushi Akazukin TV 1-6: After familiarising myself with the OVA episode, I’ve finally got around to watching the first five episodes of the TV series, and I have to admit that it was a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting. A fusion of magical girl and fairy tale with a touch of harem, the series tells the tale of destined main character Souta and his encounter with the three Fairy Musketeers Akazukin, Shirayuki and Ibara as they attempt to protect him from the forces of evil and their monsters of the week. Yes, it’s aimed at children, but the brightly coloured character designs and energetic music bring back nostalgic memories of retro gaming- a good choice for some straightforward and light-hearted fun. The only thing that I dislike is the Sweet Phone; it looks like the kind of plastic toy you buy for two-year-olds and seems a particularly pointless addition to the TV series.

OP impressions: An energetic and catchy start.

ED impressions: Not too bad compared to the usual run of ending themes; the song is oddly reminiscent of the Chrono Trigger Guardia Millennial fair music.

Ouran High School Host Club 18-20: Episode 18 sees the introduction of Honey’s brother Chika, and a flashback look into Honey’s transition from the demon captain of the karaoke club to the loli shota of the Host Club. A solid episode overall, which is only marred by the appearance of Renge at the start (sigh), and a few too many lines for the dull Mori- since there isn’t really time to develop him, I’d rather he just remained in the background.

Unfortunately, 19 does not fare so well; perhaps watching two episodes of over-the-top comedy in a row (and with rather mediocre subs) adversely affected my opinion of the episode, but it came off as quite a weak instalment. The overdramatic nature of the series means that it always walks a fine line between hilarious and tiresome, and unfortunately this episode fell into the latter category. The episode sees the return of the ever-annoying Lobelia Girls’ School after the Zuka Club abducts Haruhi to star in their latest performance- the only real highlight here is ever cool and calm Kyouya.

Fortunately with 20, the series is back on form, giving us an insight on the twins’ past and how they came to join the Host Club. I have to admit I was wary of what seemed to be yet another Hikaru+Kaoru focused episode, but it turned out to be a well-executed character piece that was largely free from any painfully over-the-top moments.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 10-16: To have one episode of SaiMono to look forward to is always most welcome, but to be shown the way to the rich vein of Shadow Dreams fansubs (thanks again, Impzie) is as much as anyone can ask for. Episode ten sees the surprisingly abrupt conclusion of the Ensei arc, providing us with some insights into his past but leaving further questions that will hopefully be explored later on. Before getting stuck into the next arc, we’re given a couple of side stories in the form of episode 11, which sees Shuurei’s Bishie Host Club rally together when she comes down with a fever, and 12-13, which introduce child prodigy To Eigetsu.

With that out of the way, the story continues in earnest as both Shuurei and Eigetsu pass their national exams and earn appointments as minor officials; unfortunately, with so many generic officials displeased at seeing both a woman and a thirteen year old pass the national exams, they end up having quite a difficult time of things.

If I liked SaiMono before, then this mini-marathon has greatly increased my appreciation for the series- I find myself increasingly drawn into the characters and storyline, with each episode building on the last to weave a complex and fascinating tapestry. And as an added bonus, I now have enough screencaps to work on a parody version.

School Rumble 20-1: There have been quite a few times this week when I’ve been left thinking “what the hell is this!?”, and this School Rumble double bill was most definitely one of them. First up is episode twenty- a tedious three-part side character extravangza featuring Imadori, Ichijou and her brother playing Dojiboron, minor characters discussing relationships, and cyborg Tenma in ‘Police Force Rumble’. All-in-all, a rather uninspiring selection, but as nothing compared to the follow-up episode twenty one- a painfully unfunny magical girl parody topped off with a basketball section that had absolutely nothing to do with School Rumble whatsoever. Over the last few weeks, my faith in the series has been slowly crumbling, and now I have to admit that it has been completely shattered, to the point where I wish this had ended at 13 episodes after all.

Tsubasa Chronicle 39: After the monotony of last episode I can’t say I was looking forward to this, but like a bitter pill, it had to be swallowed. The conclusion of the ‘bus world’ story, the episode brings us more stills, more dull vehicle and ‘road gang’ scenes and yet another time-filling sequence involving an insert song. The only consolation is that next episode sees a return to the main storyline; for a time I was worried that we’d be stuck on endless episodes exploring the bus route and the generic characters that travel on it. That being said, Bee Train are probably producing the first episodes of Bus Chronicle even as we speak.

Utawarerumono 21: Due to lack of resources, I have yet to see episode 20 in either raw or subbed form, but with episode 21 more readily available I decided to forge ahead anyway. Unfortunately, Kuuya and her rabbit-eared clan were something of a disappointment, with the whole thing once again coming off as slightly laughable and not terribly engaging.

Welcome to the NHK 6: I need to break free of this morbid fascination I have with the ED- I find it disturbing, and yet on some level I actually look forward to exposing myself to its horrors each week. Anyway, with that digression aside, this episode sees Satou take to the classroom on a mission to discover if Yamazaki has a girlfriend; it’s slightly painful and not as bearable as episode five, but the series continues to hang on in the red zone for now.

On a related note, watching this makes me feel as if I am now capable of writing my own game scenario- perhaps I have at last found my true calling.

xxxHOLiC 19: At long last, the gods of anime have heeded my fervent prayers, because this time week the animation is vastly improved; distance shots still aren’t great (and I doubt they ever will be), but close ups are aesthetically pleasing for the first time in a while, as the animators discover lost arts like “colour”.

Story-wise, the episode sees Watanuki, Yuuko and the rest participate in a very unique snowball fight; apart from the sight of a giant snow-Mokona it’s strictly average, but not dull enough to be sleep-inducing.

MANGA

Erementar Gerad (Elemental Gelade) 18-20: With Rasati’s story coming to its end in chapter eighteen, our heroes board a boat to another continent in preparation for the Viro arc (sigh). Nineteen brings us the obligatory pool chapter, before the action kicks off in chapter twenty with the long overdue arrival of Greyarts; even at this early stage, both Greyarts and Viro seem a lot more interesting than their anime counterparts. All three chapters are what we’ve come to expect from EG- light-hearted, fun, and fronted by some stunning artwork.

Fate/Stay Night 3-4: Despite not enjoying the anime that much by the end, my quest into the manga continues. This time around, the manga covers episodes 3-4, with Kirei explaining the rules of the game to Shirou, and Ilya and Berserker making their first attack. I’m not too impressed with the artwork- the line work is solid enough but the shading relies too much on screen tone and lacks the contrast and character it needs.

Fruits Basket 121: Another gap-filling chapter, in which Tohru and Kyo confess their feelings for each other- for once, I have few complaints and in fact very little to say.

Tsubasa Chronicle 126: I was happy to see CLAMP take a risk with a character and turn Fye into a vampire forced to feed off the blood of his prey Kurogane, but guess what- if he can get his left eye back, everything will return to normal. Not that I don’t expect everything to turn out well in the end, but it ruins the drama of the chapter somewhat to create a get-out clause so soon.

*NEW* Utawarerumono 2: Apparently chapter 1 wasn’t worth of being scanned, and if it corresponds to the Japanese chapter I’ve seen then it’s just a few pages of Eru, Aru and not much else. Chapter 2 sees Haku, Oboro and the harem wander the mountains in search of a fabled hot spring; I’m assuming that the creator was aiming for a tongue-in-cheek parody, which is unfortunate as there was precious little actual humour to be found. The artwork isn’t too bad, a cute chibi style that comes in a few grades below the original game art.

xxxHOLiC vol 9 c2: As it turns out, the events at the end of last chapter were just a premonitory dream- one that Watanuki inadvertently bought from Himawari. In this chapter, Yuuko takes Watanuki to a place where he can sell the dream, complete with a few extremely vague hints about Himawari, and a cliffhanger revelation about Doumeki. This is xxxHOLiC back on top form- interesting story, striking artwork, and even a glimpse of black Mokona.

Random trivia: Doumeki’s given name is Shizuka.