Reviewed this week: Antique Bakery 8, Detroit Metal City 2-3, Gunslinger Girl- Il Teatrino 8, Hidamari Sketch x365 8, Itazura na Kiss 21, Koihime Musou 8-9, Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 18, Love GetChu! 11, Nabari no Ou 20, Natsume Yuujinchou 9-10, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 9, Ryoko’s Case File 9, Sisters of Wellber Zwei 5, World Destruction 9-10, Xam’D 8

…and in manga: Doubt 14, Elfen Lied 105, Emma Bangaihen 11-12, Minami-ke 37-9, Sketchbook 19-22, Slayers Revolution 4, xxxHOLiC 164

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Chi’s Sweet Home (1)- cuteness overload
2. Hidamari Sketch x365 (2) – 365 times the fun
3. Soul Eater (3) – Krona
4. Xam’d- Lost Memories (5) – Humanform
5. Natsume Yuujinchou (4) – can a fat cat get too fat?
6. Detroit Metal City (6) – I’m gonna f***ing raep you!
7. Wagaya no Oinari-sama (7) – pure white oni
8. Nabari no Ou (8) – tranquil aid to meditation
9. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (9) – cliché
10. Slayers Revolution (10) – Dragon Slave
11. Koihime Musou (11) – Sun Shang Xiang
12. Antique Bakery (12) – father
13. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (13) – Fantastic Voyage
14. Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ (14) – magic can’t do everything
15. Ryoko’s Case File (17) – attack of the killer mangrove
16. Itazura na Kiss (18) – dislikeable cast
17. World Destruction (19) – some stuff happened
18. Chocolate Underground (21) – chocolate is forbidden

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Love GetChu! (2)- voice acting isn’t easy
3. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (4)- Claes
4. Sisters of Wellber Zwei (3) – love triangle
5. Himawari!! (5) – needs less plot
6. Real Drive (15) – demoted to slow
7. Himitsu (6) – demoted to slow
8. Allison and Lillia (-) – demoted to slow

Antique Bakery 8: It’s time for an unexpected revelation and evidence of STRAIGHT as a young girl gets fed up with her mother and asks to stay with her father for the night- that father being Chikage. As it turns out, Chikage fathered a child because one of Tachibana’s friends wanted to beat the biological clock, creating a soap opera style situation that is only exacerbated by the fact that the daughter in question is a 10 year old with the body of a high school student. It almost makes you long for the days when the series was plain, simple HARD GAY.

Detroit Metal City 2-3: After covering the rest of the material from the special, DMC is finally ready to forge ahead, as Negishi tries to keep Krauser in control whilst his agent decides to visit his home and help him lead the bona fide death metal lifestyle. By all rights, this series should be puerile and offensive, but I have to admit I find the mismatch between Negishi and Krauser to be rather entertaining- I just have to make sure I watch this when no one else is around.

Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino 8: They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it even applies to anime, making one actually look forward to a rare episode of a mediocre series. This episode is basically an expanded version of a manga chapter about a day in the life of Claes, roping in minor cyborg Beatrice (who appeared very briefly in manga volume four) as she undergoes tests, plants her garden, reads her book and has her erased memories stirred by a visit to the firing range. Unfortunately, this season is never going to be able to live up to the manga, so it’s a bit of a waste of time for anyone who’s already read it.

Hidamari Sketch x365 8: In the long overdue next instalment of Hidamari Sketch, it’s time for Sports Day, which for some reason in Japan always involves throwing balls into baskets, cavalry battles and so forth. Of course, we’ve all seen more than our fair share of anime sports festivals, but when it’s Hidamari Sketch, you can’t complain because it’s just as much fun as ever.

Itazura na Kiss 21: It’s taken 21 episodes, but Naoki’s stopped acting like a complete and utter jerk- so that someone else can take his place. As I predicted, ill pop star Nobuhiro is indeed the same Non-chan who Kotoko and the Iries once befriended in hospital, but the years have transformed him into the kind of selfish and spiteful bastard this series seems to specialise in. It’s a shame that no story arc in this series can be constructed without this kind of hateful character, but at least we’re near the end- just stop Hanners if he tries to test his theories of what would happen to someone who watched the whole series in one go.

Koihime Musou 8-9: Episode eight introduces another new party member in the form of Sun Shang Xiang (aka Sun Ren), the latest in a long line of lolis that tag along with Aisha/Guan Yu. No sooner has she joined, however, than the group become embroiled in an assassination plot and have to save archer Huang Zhong from murdering the feudal lord’s new husband by rescuing her daughter from some generic archers. After this is resolved, it’s time for the obligatory hot springs episode- except that the hot springs have dried up, forcing Aisha, Cao Cao to compete against each other to find a new spring whilst Yuan Shao bumbles about looking for treasure. I am slightly confused, however- does Liu Bei play any part whatsoever in this series?

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 18: Given the kind of poor fare this series serves up, this episode didn’t actually seem too bad in comparison- at least at first. Ouka has fallen ill with a cold, and so Kyouka takes it upon herself to organise the household to compensate for his absence, only to get bored and go on an Indiana Jones style adventure to rescue an artefact that could cure him. Naturally, this only makes the situation worse, ultimately seeing the family make a Fantastic Voyage into Ouka’s brain in order to destroy an invading nanomachine. I can’t deny there were some amusing moments earlier on such as Kyouka squeezing lemons and Hyouka breaking the bath taps, but the episode packed in so many changes of direction that by around the 15 minute mark I just wanted it all to be over.

Love Getchu! 11: Now that our leads have skipped ahead of basic training, the time has come to apply for a proper voice acting role- but can Momoko and the others make an impression with just the line “I’m sorry- goodbye”? Naturally, Momoko has to go through the usual angst and finding her own path route that most main characters undertake, but loses out in the end anyway because the anime’s original creator wants a different actress (if that was the case, why didn’t he say so before they held auditions?).

Nabari no Ou 20: It’s been a while, but now more Nabari has come our way, as Miharu and Yoite decide to find Oda (yes, I thought she was out of the series, but it seems the plot needed her once more) so that they can communicate with the Shinrabanshou and find out how to use it. Unfortunately, not only does the Shinrabanshou have a personality and agenda of its own, but Kairoshuu have sent the Tategamis out to eliminate Yoite. Yes, things are actually happening now, but it’s still hard to see how the series can fill up six more episodes with content.

Natsume Yuujinchou 9-10: Natsume has been pretty much alone in his ability to see spirits, and even when he meets someone else who can just about see them, he doesn’t like to admit the truth. This time around, however, Natsume finally meets someone who not only realises his secret, but who wants assistance on a particular case. This change in pace injects some variety into the series, but the ending is nonetheless fairly predictable, whilst the high point is discovering that Nyanko-sensei has become so fat that he has to go out on walks, lest his moving around at home gets mistaken for an earthquake!

Unfortunately, episode 10 has much less Nyanko-sensei, but it does provide another interesting variation as Natsume gets possessed- by the spirit of a woman! Asagi wants just one more chance to play her koto, but can Natsume help her fulfil her dream even as his friends wonder why he seems a little more girlish than before? This series could easily go to 26 episodes, so why is it ending soon?

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 9: Now that Yuuto is working with Shiina to help out with the school festival, he has less time for Haruka- so naturally, she jumps at the chance to help him pick out reference material for the cosplay café their class will be putting on- even if it means breaking a promise to her father. Aside from the threat of further craziness from the father and a cliff-hanger ending that will almost certainly turn out to be a misunderstanding, this was actually a rather pleasant episode, plus I’m now in a position to appreciate the Onegai Teacher reference in the preview.

Ryoko’s Case File 9: When Ryoko disappears, poor Jun’ichiro is like a dog without a master, even going so far as to wait on Ryoko’s rival. Worse yet, the press has begun attacking Ryoko for her practice of poaching ex-police officers for the family company just when she isn’t around to defend herself. As it turns out, however, this episode is just a rather dull prelude to a longer arc that may actually prove to be more worthwhile than anything involving enlarged lizards, sentient plants and suicide-inducing bugs- although I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up.

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ Zwei 5: Despite his general lack of personality, Galahad has managed to end up at the centre of a love triangle as both Rita and Tina develop feelings for him (you fools, you’re meant to be HARD YURI for each other!), but since he can only reciprocate the feelings of one girl, how will it all end up? Meanwhile, Greedom and Wellber’s kings have a laugh together and Sherri falls ill, necessitating an RPG style trip to find a cure.

Love triangle summarised

Tina: Broke up with Jin because she loves Galahad, tries to confess but quickly changes what she said after blurting it out so he doesn’t realise. Later tells Rita her feelings for Galahad.

Rita: Loves Galahad, but becomes unable to admit it after Tina admits her feelings. Rejects him for Tina’s sake.

Galahad: Loves Rita and ultimately confesses to her after angsting about how Jamil was his one true love last season, only to be rejected. Has no idea about Tina’s feelings for him.

World Destruction 9-10: There are two kinds of World Destruction episode- the mediocre and the forgettable. Episode nine is definitely the latter, featuring a stop at a town where humans and beastmen live in harmony, Morte angsting over past and present, and very little else (or, if there was anything else, I can no longer recall it). Episode ten is slightly more memorable, featuring a town of robots that was clearly inspired by Wall-E, but ultimately it dragged on for so long that I had to split my viewing into two halves, separated by many hours.

Xam’D- Lost Memories 8: With the help of his newfound allies, Akiyuki manages to make it to his meeting with Haru, but whilst she still believes him, Furuichi feels otherwise. Having been cast as the anti-hero, Furuichi has no qualms about turning against the friend who believes betrayed and abandoned them, but even he is just another cog in the machinations of the authorities, who are currently interested in a giant green soulstone.

Really?

MANGA

Doubt 14: After dragging it out for as long as possible, the wolf is finally revealed, but just why did they kill everyone anyway? With his life literally hanging by a thread after he gets tied to the top of the staircase, Yuu’s only chance of survival may be to understand the motives that drive the murderer, but can anyone think straight under these circumstances? Now we’ll have to wait again to see what happens next.

Elfen Lied 105: With the realisation that she is dying, the remains of Lucy/Nyu begin lashing out at everyone around, with only a small portion of her consciousness left to protect Kohta. Can Kohta fulfil his promise to kill Lucy now that she has lost control? If so, he’d better hurry up, as the series is rapidly drawing to a close.

Emma Bangaihen 11-12: In this two-part story, we take to the theatre to follow the careers of three young singers- George, Allen and Louise. I can’t recall how or even if this relates to the original Emma characters beyond them going to the theatre at one point, but as always it’s so worthy that I wish these characters had their own series.

Minami-ke 37-9: Volume two draws to a close with these chapters, which fit in a bit of the ‘Banchou’ storyline before sending the Minami sisters off to beach with Takeru and some friends. The most amusing segment, however, is an omake chapter set in Chiaki’s school in which crossed wires lead to one boy in class getting the wrong idea about how far his female classmates have gone. An old joke, perhaps, but still amusing in the right places.

Sketchbook 19-22: It’s time for more random fun with Sketchbook, complete with the introduction of a character everyone should remember from the anime- English girl Kate. It’s not all (or even mostly) about her, though- there’s still time for oddities such as a plush screwdriver, a calendar that starts on Wednesdays and other quirks that will bring a smile to your face.

Slayers Revolution 4: The manga is quick to catch up with the anime once again as it strips away the fluff and skips straight to Lina and co having been captured by Xellos and sent to Gioconda’s castle. What follows is basically the same as episode nine, although I must say it’s easier to digest in 30 page rather than 25 minute chunks.

xxxHOLiC 164: I felt as if I was reading a cookery book in this chapter as Watanuki explained how he taught his new client how to cook potatoes (wait a minute, even I can cook potatoes), but when Doumeki gives the food the all-important taste test, something seems amiss. Am I really supposed to take Doumeki’s food criticism seriously in connection with spiritual and supernatural issues? Then again, in Ryoko’s Case File, bad cooking caused explosions, so who’s to say what imperfectly prepared food can do?

“I’ve heard this joke before.”

Reviewed this week: Antique Bakery 5, Chi’s Sweet Home 69-76, Chocolate Underground 5, Detroit Metal City 1, Hidamari Sketch x365 7, Itazura na Kiss 19, Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 14-15, Natsume Yuujinchou 7, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 6, Ryoko’s Case File 6, Telepathy Shoujo Ran 8

…and in manga: Elfen Lied 102-4, Tsubasa 197, xxxHOLiC 163

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Chi’s Sweet Home (1)- cuteness overload
2. Hidamari Sketch x365 (3) – 365 times the fun
3. Soul Eater (4) – vectors
4. Natsume Yuujinchou (6) – Nyanko-sensei forever!
5. Xam’d- Lost Memories (5) – what’s going on?
6. Detroit Metal City (12) – I’m gonna f***ing raep you!
7. Wagaya no Oinari-sama (7) – pure white oni
8. Nabari no Ou (8) – tranquil aid to meditation
9. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (10) – Comiket
10. Slayers Revolution (9) – Dragon Slave
11. Koihime Musou (13) – Guan Yu has more breasts and less beard
12. Antique Bakery (14) – Gaydar overload
13. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (15) – everything at or below this time is wasting my precious life!
14. Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ (16) – magic can’t do everything
15. Real Drive (18) – flashback
16. Himitsu (20) – faceless
17. Allison and Lillia (22) – plane crash is the new train wreck
18. Ryoko’s Case File (17) – giant lizards
19. World Destruction (19) – tree
20. Telepathy Shoujo Ran (23) – and I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!
21. Itazura na Kiss (25) – dislikeable cast
22. Chocolate Underground (26) – chocolate is forbidden

Antique Bakery 5: Antique has landed the chance to open a stall at a department store fair, but for Ono the prospect of cooking in front of members of the opposite sex is more than a little terrifying- can he and Chikage manage it? And will Eiji be able to produce the legendary cassis back at the main store? Of course they will, but can viewers take the intense combination of sweet cakes and HARD GAY?

Chi’s Sweet Home 69-76: The fat cat gods of anime are smiling down on me again, for they have provided eight more episodes of Chi, and the series just keeps getting better and better with each marathon. This time around, Chi finds out where the cat biscuits are stored and helps herself, gets a much needed grooming and plays with her own shed fur- cat owners, need I say more? Why must this series ever end?

Chocolate Underground 5: If Chi’s Sweet Home is the poster series for how much can be achieved in the space of 2-3 minutes, then Chocolate Underground must fill the opposite, because after five episodes, we’ve still barely got anywhere. Having discovered the magical chocolate buffet, our heroes are in for a rude awakening when the Chocolate Police show up- although fortunately, there are some convenient escape wagons waiting. Cue a mine cart chase scene that could have come straight out of any number of video games, and before you know it, the two leads have stumbled upon the raw ingredients needed to start their own chocolate underground by episode 13! Now excuse me whilst I go and play some Chocolatier.

Detroit Metal City 1: Okay, so the last ‘episode one’ was actually a preview special, but this time around we have the genuine episode one- and to be honest, apart from a few scene changes, it covers much the same material.

Hidamari Sketch x365 7: After spending so much time at the end of the school year, it’s time to flip back to Yuno and Miyako’s entrance ceremony, and as always, it’s good straightforward fun. From a glimpse of the infamous drying agents to Yuno and Miyako getting ready in the morning, this series just knows how to hit the mark. This may be my new favourite SHAFT series.

Itazura na Kiss 19: Another week, another week of marital bliss for our leads- or so you might say if you were deaf, blind and apathetic to the world. After spending the first half of the episode contriving an engagement between Kinnosuke and Chris, we get back to the happy couple- but Kotoko has just noticed that Naoki doesn’t treat her all that well. Frustrated and angry, she lashes out at him, causing him to admit that he is in fact a robot who was never programmed with human emotions. In the meantime, Keita is waiting to take Kotoko away from her husband, the way responsible friends should. Of course, our leads make up by the end, but next week it looks like a blonde guy will be showing up to hit on Kotoko- what fun.

“…because I am a robot!”

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 14-15: The tiresome Doctor Gebok is back in episode fourteen, and the only way to reverse the disease that has turned all generics in the city into animals is to defeat him. Cue another bout of pointless craziness that manages to remain entirely dull- if you want to see epic battles against bizarre monsters, then watch the far superior Futakoi Alternative.

Episode 15 continues the trend with an episode in which Kyouka becomes a magical girl so that she can punish Ouka for those two cardinal sins- criticising his wife’s cooking and then forgetting their anniversary. This time around I was reminded of Excel Saga, which, although it hasn’t particularly stood the test of time, was still more enjoyable than this.

Natsume Yuujinchou 7: When Natsume goes on a school trip, he attracts the attention of a little fox when he saves it from some bullying demons- but is it dangerous to form an attachment when Natsume is going home in just a few days? This was a nice, largely sedate episode which seemed to indicate how Natsume is gradually settling into his life and becoming less depersonalised from everything.

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 6: Comiket is here, and in the trend of the Genshiken team before them, Haruka and Yuuto are all set to attend. Unfortunately, the aforementioned Genshiken already did this a lot better, but Haruka has a decent enough stab at it, resulting in a reasonably entertaining episode that seems to characterise the series as a whole- “decent, but nothing particularly inspiring or original”.

Ryoko’s Case File 6: I know we all have series we watch even though we find it impossible to properly absorb what’s going on, and now that Amatsuki is over, Ryoko’s Case File is occupying that role for me. This time around, some other generic bad guys are indulging in generically scandalous activity, whilst the ‘natural treasure’ of a giant salamander wanders around. To be honest, the emergence of the salamander into daylight was much like reliving the X-ATM-092 boss battle from Final Fantasy VIII (complete with music that could have been penned by Nobuo Uematsu); I appreciate not everyone will know what I’m talking about, but the feeling was so strong that I just had to mention it.

Telepathy Shoujo Ran 8: As Telepathy Shoujo Ran gets ever more dull, the only way I can even make it through an episode is by playing rock music in the background- a nice contrast to the tepid contents the episode has to offer us. This week, two generic one shot characters are having trouble expressing their feelings to one another- which is a shame as one is about to move away. Cue some clumsy interference from Ran, Rui and Midori in an attempt to set everything right, and whilst I suppose I should be happy that they wanted to improve someone’s life, one can’t help feeling they should stop horning in on other people’s affairs.

MANGA

Elfen Lied 102-4: As the end approaches, Lucy goes final boss and starts destroying everything in sight, but when she sees that Kouta is injured, she uses her powers to repair his body- at the expense of her own. Now, Lucy is just a melted pile of flesh and the army is demanding that Kouta and the others hand her over- how can all this be resolved in just three chapters?

Tsubasa Chronicle 197: Syaoran has been sent back to Yuuko’s shop, but he isn’t content to wait in his own world- Sakura needs him, and to that end he plans to pay Yuuko to return to Clow Country. As for what the price will be, even that small detail has been reserved until next chapter.

xxxHOLiC 163: After learning from Haruka that Doumeki only eats food that he is satisfied with (and therefore has great trust in his cooking), Watanuki heads off to teach Yuuko’s new client how to cook- but why does she seem familiar? I suppose she might somehow be a relative of Watanuki’s (perhaps even his mother in some strange twist) but we’ll have to wait until September to find out the truth.

Backlog catch-up is a myth.

Reviewed this week: Amatsuki 12-13, Antique Bakery 3-4, Blade of the Immortal 2, Chi’s Sweet Home 53-68, Detroit Metal City 1, Eve no Jikan 1, Himawari!! 6, Itazura na Kiss 17, Kaiba 11-12, Koihime Musou 4, Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 12, Otome S.ifr 2, Nabari no Ou 17-18, Natsume Yuujinchou 4-5, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 4, Persona Trinity Soul 22-6, Real Drive 13, Ryoko’s Case File 4, Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ 4, Soul Eater 16-18, Telepathy Shoujo Ran 6-7, Wagaya no Oinari-sama 14-15, Xam’D 3

…and in manga: .hack//Link 3, Caramel Espresso 1-2, Clannad 6-8, Claymore 82, Elfen Lied 89-101, FMA 85, MariMite 25-7, Minami-ke 34-5, Nodame 121, Rose of Versailles 9-10, Sketchbook 13-16, Slayers Aqualord 1, Slayers Revolution 3, Tsubasa 194, Wagaya no Oinari-sama 1, xxxHOLiC 159-161, Yotsuba&! 55

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Chi’s Sweet Home (1)- Chi plays
2. Kaiba (2) – who am I? <-complete!
3. Hidamari Sketch x365 (3) – 365 times the fun
4. Soul Eater (4) – symmetry
5. Xam’d- Lost Memories (5) – Bones does it again
6. Natsume Yuujinchou (6) – Nyanko-sensei forever!
7. Wagaya no Oinari-sama (7) – hot springs
8. Nabari no Ou (8) – change of side
9. Slayers Revolution (9) – Dragon Slave
10. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (14) – maid secrets
11. Persona Trinity Soul (11) – what did it all mean? <- complete!
12. Detroit Metal City (-) – I’m gonna f***ing raep you! <-new!
13. Koihime Musou (10) – Guan Yu has more breasts and less beard
14. Antique Bakery (15) – Young Master!
15. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (16) – fillerific
16. Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ (12) – open the safe
17. Ryoko’s Case File (18) – superintendant
18. Real Drive (13) – flashback
19. World Destruction (19) – tree
20. Himitsu (21) – faceless
21. Amatsuki (20) – inconclusive <-complete!
22. Allison and Lillia (23) – plane crash is the new train wreck
23. Telepathy Shoujo Ran (17) – and I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!
24. Blade of the Immortal (22) – boring <-dropped!
25. Itazura na Kiss (24) – dislikeable cast
26. Chocolate Underground (25) – chocolate is forbidden

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Love GetChu! (2)- light entertainment
3. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (3)- licensed
4. Himawari!! (4) – needs less plot

*COMPLETE* Amatsuki 12-13: At long last, the series so dull and unable to maintain a consistent plotline that I barely knew or cared what was going on has come to an end, although to call something as inconclusive as this an ending is stretching it a bit. In episode twelve, Toki manages to save Imayou from evil somehow and turn her into a cute fox once again, before episode thirteen sees Ginshu call down the Hand of God, everything turns a bit Matrix-esque and then it all ends with the announcement that Toki may have to become the next overseer of this world. I’ll go into more detail in its own specific review, but suffice to say that after a slightly promising start, Amatsuki was barely worth watching. If you haven’t tried it, don’t bother.

Antique Bakery 3-4: Two more episodes in, and the HARD GAY has gone off the scale as Tachibana’s childhood friend Chikage shows up. Chikage holds a candle for “Young Master” Tachibana, but when he takes off his sunglasses, he captures Ono’s heart leading to new extremes of lust, longing and a general HARD GAY atmosphere. At least it’s somewhat amusing.

*DROPPED* Blade of the Immortal 2: It’s been proven that I can sit through near endless amounts of mediocrity, but there inevitably comes a time when one of the worse series just goes a step too far, and this week, Blade of the Immortal has proven too dull to continue with. In this episode, we see a flashback of a generic wronged family, before we return to the present, where the one survivor has grown up and now wants to travel with our lead on the way to revenge. When you put it like that, it sounds fairly inoffensive, but there’s absolutely no reason to care about what’s going. Bee Train has really outdone themselves this time.

Chi’s Sweet Home 53-68: If the rash of average series that has infected us this season can be thought of as a kind of dull gruel, then Chi’s Sweet Home is the delicious chocolate chips in my viewing schedule, renewing my faith in the medium as a whole and refreshing my stamina for everything else. In this batch of episodes, Chi gets a return visit to the vet, plays in a storm, experiences the family getting ill, becomes addicted to snack treats and generally does all sorts of cute cat-like things. The most hilarious moment occurs when Chi gets into a net, secure in the knowledge that no one can catch her- right up until Youhei seals her in.

*NEW* Detroit Metal City 1: Negishi is a mild-mannered young man who came to Tokyo to make it big as a guitar player; but whilst he may play wholesome songs of peace and harmony by day, by night he becomes Krauzer, lead singer for Detroit Metal City, a death metal band who has built their reputation on explicit lyrics. The trouble is, Krauser has a tendency to emerge as and when he will, and as long as that happens, Negishi won’t get any girls. Thus begins a new OVA series based on the manga of the same name, and whilst this is certainly something you won’t want to watch in polite company (or perhaps any company whatsoever), there is something amusing to be found from the mismatch between the two personalities.

*NEW* Eve no Jikan 1: In a world where androids have become integrated into all walks of life (yes, another one), there is only one place where artificial intelligence and humans can be treated on the same level- a small café located in an obscure back street. Just like the café in Mizu no Kotoba (is it meant to be the same place?), humans and androids are treated equally here, as our protagonist discovers when he stumbles on it after checking his android’s movement logs. Although the overall premise may not be particularly original, this is a well animated and reasonably thought provoking piece that immediately stands out from most of the dross we’ve been subjected to lately.

Himawari!! 6: Hayato and the girls have been left alone, but whilst they try to figure out what’s going on, who should show up but Tsubaki- and this time she wants to duel Himawari to see who is worthy of Hayato-dono’s heart. As with the rest of the season, this is a pretty average episode, although at least the infamous birthmark is having some significance this time around.

Itazura na Kiss 17: Another week, another episode of Itazura na Kiss that gives us no reason to do anything but despise all of the characters. Kotoko has finally made it into nursing school (skipping straight to the second year for some reason) but in predictable fashion she is an incompetent klutz that I wouldn’t wish on any patient, whilst her new classmates are all obsessed with Naoki- first trailing him to find out the identity of his wife (since Kotoko gets into a situation where she can’t easily admit it) and the deciding that it will be easy to get Naoki to divorce her and go after them. Well, aside from the fact that he’s a complete and utter bastard, vowing to break up someone’s marriage is a bit much even when viewed in a ‘comedic’ light, whilst the one character who isn’t interested in Naoki seems likely to end up falling for Kotoko. Oh dear, what a tangle.

*COMPLETE* Kaiba 11-12: Episode eleven sees Popo ascend to the world above, but his victory is a pyrrhic one- Cheki, the one who he wanted to see his victory, no longer has any memories of their shared past, whilst a careless mistake sees his mother’s memory chip consigned to oblivion. Not that Popo’s achievements are to be long-lived, given the number of people ready and willing to snatch it all away from him- setting the stage for Kaiba-Warp to meet and battle the fake. Can Neiro and Hyo-Hyo (who contains Neiro’s original memories) help Kaiba-Warp to claim victory and defeat the plant, all without losing himself in the mass of memories he possesses? I can’t say that this series made complete sense to me, but it was still very good, and one of the few select series that deserves watching again.

Koihime Musou 4: When Cao Cao shows up in town, Ma Chao decides to take revenge for the death of her father, and when she lands in prison because of it, Guan Yu must offer her body to the ambitious warlord in return for her friend’s freedom. Although the deed doesn’t actually take place, this episode takes the ecchi levels up several notches (presumably they slept together in the original game) but if you discount those moments, the series is still mildly entertaining if you view it with rose-tinted glasses.

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 12: Although I have occasionally complained about the family going overboard and ruining everything, what I didn’t count on was an episode in which they all but completely failed to appear. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what we get here, with a filler episode about a random college student who takes in a catgirl. The catgirl is rather cute, but the episode is hardly anything to write home about- unless you want to write home to explain how you just wasted twenty-five minutes of your life.

Mai-Otome 0 S.ifr 2: Since I completely forgot to watch this raw, I ended up catching my first subbed episode of Mai-Otome since the original series, as the prequel tale of Sifr, Bruce and Rena continues. Whilst Schwarz try to convince Sifr that their dodgy haircuts and generic minions are in no way any indication that they are, in fact, evil, Rena has an angst session with a bishie and his brother Reito in the desert, Elliot gets stripped naked for some reason and various other uninteresting things happen. But the true indicator that the franchise has gone downhill is that this episode is completely lacking in fat grey cats, or indeed any cats whatsoever. Bring back the cats!

Nabari no Ou 17-18: Although you wouldn’t expect it of a series purporting to contain ninjas and action, I’ve come to realise that the best way to enjoy Nabari no Ou is to adapt oneself to its tranquil pacing- if you do this, it somehow becomes more enjoyable. Anyway, episode seventeen sees Raimei lead Yukimi to the school in an attempt to keep him away from Thobari and everyone else, but as it turns out, Thobari is there shredding documents anyway. Perhaps it’s just as well, however, as Raimei’s character has degenerated into that of a pathetic female who can’t do anything, much to my disappointment. Then in episode eighteen Yoite enters Angst Mode after learning that he has a month to live, causing him to wander the wintry streets in his pyjamas, coughing up blood. Nice.

Natsume Yuujinchou 4-5: It’s time for Natsume Yuujinchou to show lesser series how it’s done in this double bill of episodes; first up, we have a test of courage that sees Natsume and his friends wander the school at night, only to discover that there may actually be a ghost, followed by an encounter with a none-too-bright demon at the station that leads to Natsume attempting to complete a reconciliation Reiko forgot to do anything about. It may not be mind-blowingly original, but the series has a perfect trump card in the form of Nyanko-sensei, who reveals that he can also transform into an attractive young woman alongside his fat cat and Okami forms.

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 4: It’s time for another classic anime storyline this week on Haruka, as our intrepid main characters decide to trail Haruka’s maid in order to discover why she might have a life of her own outside the household. The entire script has basically been lifted out of the annals of anime history, and the fact that it is better than several other things I’ve watched this week is only an indictment on their low quality rather than endorsement of this.

*COMPLETE* Persona Trinity Soul 22-6: Well, the best that I can say about is that at least it’s over, because overall this last batch of episodes was as underwhelming as the rest of the series. Whilst people continue to sink into apathy, switch consciousness and all the rest, several main characters die (I must admit I felt sad for Kanaru, given her true nature) and Shin learns the hideous truth of his past before entering a persona-driven boss battle. Would I have got more out of this series if I’d played the game first? Perhaps, but I’m waiting it for reduce in price before I buy it.

Real Drive 13: Amidst all the boring and monotonous episodes to pass my eyes this week, one stands out above them all, and it is this- Real Drive’s own attempt at something even more fillerific than the average filler episode. In this episode, Haru and Minamo drag us along on their day off, in which they look at pictures and reminisce about Haru’s youth- complete with musical interludes in place of dialogue. In the annals of dull, this episode must surely deserve some sort of prize.

Ryoko’s Case File 4: The affable and none-too-bright Jun’ichiro accompanies Ryoko on another case in this episode (you don’t say!), in which they embark on a dialogue ridden investigation into a company researching the creation of artificial/genetically-engineered/whatever life forms. To cut to the chase, what they produced was a hideous green monster, but the woman who mothered it considers it her son and runs off with it in her arms. It’s a little disturbing, and I almost wish it would go back to the 90s where it belongs.

Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ 4: It’s Midorikawa’s turn in the spotlight this episode, as we learn of the predictably troubled past that made him into the moody teen he is- basically, after learning that her husband and son had mage potential, Midorikawa’s mother walked out on them, whilst his classmates rejected him. Now he must learn to face up to his situation, but in a rather unpleasant turn of events, one client wants to recapture the taste of a nostalgic drink- and the mages give her breast milk. Yes, that’s right- rather creepily, a glass full of breast milk appears out of nowhere and the woman drinks it. I guess if you want to get technical then it’s not much different to drinking something that’s come from a cow’s udder, but the thought of it is somehow far, far worse.

This isn’t Bartender, you know.

Soul Eater 16-18: Episode sixteen concludes Kid’s visit to Nidhogg and his duel with both the ship and Ragnarok (ending in an appropriately symmetric situation, of course), before we move onto the realms of complete filler with episode seventeen. Perhaps the worst episode of the series so far, seventeen sees minor character Oxford visit Excalibur and basically listen to him ramble on for twenty-five minutes. Fortunately, eighteen is quick to get things moving again, as Medusa’s plans come to fruition and it is left to the named characters to try to stop her. Hopefully this means plenty of action and lots of ‘coolness’ in the upcoming episodes.

Telepathy Shoujo Ran 6-7: Scooby-Doo meets the 21^st century in this duet of episodes, as our heroes set off to an inn which has been plagued by ghost sightings. Could it be the work of the evil man who wants to buy the inn from the family that manages it? Is water wet? Unfortunately, where episode six can be watched with a sense of smug superiority that you know what will take the protagonists a while to discover, episode seven is entirely dull as they slowly struggle to conclusions you no longer care about. I’m toying with dropping this series.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama 14-15: It’s time for new characters and a new arc as Tohru gets a mysterious girl delivered to him by a large cat- but who is she, and why would the Oni go to such lengths as to capture Kuu-chan just to find out her whereabouts? Naturally, Kuu-chan isn’t without her tricks, even using Mubyou’s voice over a cell phone to break a sealing spell. It’s entertaining stuff, even if the conclusion of episode fifteen indicates that there might be a slightly tedious arc ahead.

World Destruction 4: World Destruction reaches new lows in this episode, as we visit a village where the frogman leader has cut down all of the sakura trees- except for one, which is purported to be cursed. What follows is a lot of running around from our leads in an attempt to maintain the illusion of the curse, resulting in so much mayhem that they really didn’t need to pretend at all. Drum this into your head once and for all- no good can come from RPG-based series.

Xam’d- Lost Memories 3: Akiyuki must adjust to his life on the ship in preparation for his Eureka Seven style adventures to come, but naturally he’s none too pleased to learn that not only is his old life over, but he’s going to have to work for a living from now on. As the obligatory “hero reluctantly settles into his new role” episode, this isn’t the best episode thus far, but I’m optimistic that it will all pay off in the future.

MANGA

.hack//Link 3: Whilst the villain group receives orders via magic CCTV (I wonder if they bought it from Yata and Pai), Tokio is demoted from hero to servant of fellow player Saika and given the mission of tracking down the Chrono Cores before the villains get them. The first Chrono Core is in the hands of familiar face Tsukasa, although given all the revisions of the World, it’s hard to know whether this has a connection to the real Tsukasa or if it’s just a data ghost. And let’s not even get into the use of the age old “collect all the special items before the enemy does” direction that the plot is taking.

*NEW* Caramel Espresso 1-2: Why do all the gay series have misleadingly intriguing names? Anyway, in this rather bizarre excuse for HARD GAY, Sayuu is a coffee shop worker and university student who wakes up one morning to find that he has suddenly become left-handed. Tracing back the origin of the switch to a customer at the café, he becomes acquainted with Aki, a quiet young man who has a HARD GAY dominant alter ego named Ao. Since Ao was produced from suppressing the painful memories of a troubled childhood and a need to hide his HARD GAY from homophobic adults, Aki seems to hope that having a relationship with Sayuu will help him to integrate his alter ego- and even though Sayuu is STRAIGHT, he finds himself oddly attracted to Aki (yeah, like we haven’t seen that happen before). It’s all a bit convoluted, but by the end of chapter two we’re already down to the sausage-fest.

Clannad 6-8: With all the excess of the other girls’ stories clipped out, the Clannad manga is moving at a fast pace down Nagisa’s track- which of course suits me just fine. First up we attend to the restoration of the drama club, which is easily achieved without resorting to baseball matches, before Tomoya’s situation with his father becomes so untenable that he moves in with Nagisa’s family. Yes, it’s familiar ground, but it’s nice to be covering it this quickly.

Claymore 82: Whilst Renee is captured by Riful and persuaded to cooperate with her in exchange for the chance to regenerate her legs, Claire’s team decide to resolve their personal issues in preparation for the final attack on North Crater the Abyssal Ones. For the lesser characters, this means visiting their hometowns, but for Claire, only tracking down Raki will be enough to set aside the last of her doubts. A fated meeting is no doubt in their future, but what will come of it? Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too many months to find out.

Elfen Lied 89-101: A bulk catch-up on Elfen Lied takes us almost to the end of the series, and it’s a far cry from the situation we once knew. Female Researcher has developed a vaccine that could cure the Diclonius virus, but it’s only with considerable outside help that she can get it past all the Diclonii that have broken out of the research facility. Meanwhile, Lucy’s powers have levelled up significantly, but will Kouta accept her, or turn her away for all the lives she’s taken? It’s to see some real plot development- after all, so close to the end, we can’t do without it.

Fullmetal Alchemist 85: The time has come for those who oppose Bradley to make their move, but when terrorists blow up his train, Father himself comes forward out of the shadows to take control. Meanwhile, Ed is reunited with his father, but when Al shows up, something seems amiss. It seems as if the plot isn’t afraid to march forward at this stage, but what will happen next? The anticipation for the next chapter is great.

Maria-sama ga Miteru 25-7: Since the order of arcs was switched round a little, it’s now time for the Rosa Canina arc, as the third years prepare to graduate and Shimako seems reluctant to run against new character Kanina Shizuka in the Yamayurikai elections. Again, it’s enjoyable to revisit this arc in a format where I can take it at my own pace, but with these chapters only covering about half of the story, it would be nice to have the rest to hand even though I know how it will turn out.

Minami-ke 34-5: After the girls try on each other’s uniforms, Kana becomes obsessed with the effect of appearances, even going so far as to borrow Keiko’s glasses in order to become more intellectual. These chapters aren’t the best examples of the series, but they’re entertaining enough.

Nodame Cantabile 121: After a quick catch-up with Streseman in New York (where a little boy wipes dog faeces on him), we return to Paris to see Chiaki, Rui and the orchestra continue their rehearsals and field an interview from Classic Life magazine, whilst in the background, Nodame practises some Debussy. Not a particularly eventful chapter, but one that seems to indicate the manga could go on forever.

Rose of Versailles 9-10: With the passing of Louis XV, Louis XVI takes the throne and Marie Antoinette becomes Queen of France, but hopes of a new age for France are quickly dashed when the beautiful young queen seems more interested in using the country’s finances to order finery for herself than for helping the people. Meanwhile, Jeanne carries out a plan to earn herself her benefactor’s title and money, whilst poor Rosalie hits rock bottom. Of course, we all know how this particular period in history turned out, but you can’t help urging Marie Antoinette to realise the error of her ways before the guillotine starts looming.

Sketchbook 13-16: I can’t express how much better this manga is than the anime as it continues onwards into volume two, complete with fresh humour, more moments of randomness and everything you could want from this sort of light-hearted comedy. There’s only so many different ways I can express these sentiments, but I’ll keep repeating them for as long it takes to complete this series.

*NEW* Slayers- Knight of Aqua Lord 1: Another Slayers series, Knight of Aqua Lord doesn’t fit into either novel or TV series canon as we see Lina and Gourry head off to a cursed island in an attempt to find enough treasure to pay off a gambling debt. Unfortunately, things go a little pear-shaped when the fearless duo is attacked by giant water dragons, with Lina waking up in a strange land where her magic doesn’t work! How will Lina fare without her trusty Fireball and Dragon Slave? Presumably we’ll find out in the next few chapters.

Slayers Revolution 3: Much of this chapter is just a retread of episode five, and since I only wrote about that last week, I won’t bother to recount it here. There are some slight additions, however, at the end, as Xellos and Waiser team up with the goal of arresting Lina (again), and the evil Marquess dispatches a mid-boss type assassin named Zuuma to be inevitably defeated at the hands of our heroes in the near future.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 194: If you thought very little had happened in the last few chapters, then even less happens here as Sakura has some sort of premonition of danger and Syaoran decides that he must accompany her during the ceremony- which will be occurring next chapter at the earliest. Could the pace be getting slower than even that of the infamous bus arc?

*NEW* Wagaya no Oinari-sama 1: The first chapter of the Wagaya manga is actually much the same as the first episode (albeit without covering the ending) so thus far there isn’t much to say, except to comment that Kuu-chan’s female form looks younger and cuter than her anime form. Personally, I prefer the sophisticated look of the latter.

xxxHOLiC 159-161: Whilst Watanuki realises that he can live without his memories as long as he’s the main character of the series, the bulk of these chapters seems to be affirming his HARD GAY relationship with Doumeki- with a visit to Early Chapters Fortune Teller and her new apprentice Kohane indicating that they are destined to be together. At the end of 161, however, a new customer comes to the shop- could this be the long-awaited start of a new story?

Yotsuba&! 55: Dad has plans to buy some clothes for the autumn, but Yotsuba being Yotsuba means that they inevitably get sidetracked when she decides that she needs to collect some acorns. Yes, it’s another delightfully whimsical chapter in the life of everyone’s favourite green-haired five-year-old; may it last for a good while yet.

Thanks, I’ll take two.

Reviewed this week: Allison and Lillia 13, Antique Bakery 2, Blade of the Immortal 1, Hidamari Sketch x365 2, Itazura na Kiss 14, Koihime Musou 2, Natsume Yuujinchou 2, Persona 13-17, Ryoko’s Case File 1, Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ 2, Telepathy Shoujo Ran 4, Wagaya no Oinari-sama 12-13

…and in manga: Ayu and Mayu 1, Bartender 4-6, Claymore 81, Elfen Lied 86-8, Gunslinger Girl 51-6, Minami-ke 32-3, Nodame Cantabile 120, Sketchbook 8-12, Tsubasa Chronicle 193

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Chi’s Sweet Home (1)- Chi plays
2. Kaiba (2) – who am I?
3. Soul Eater (3) – best exam ep ever
4. Hidamari Sketch x365 (4) – 365 times the fun
5. xxxHOLiC Kei (6) – typhoid Himawari
6. Natsume Yuujinchou (5) – Book of Friends
7. Nabari no Ou (7) – change of side
8. Wagaya no Oinari-sama (8) – hot springs
9. Slayers Revolution (10) – Dragon Slave
10. Persona Trinity Soul (9) – catch-up, start!
11. Koihime Musou (11) – Guan Yu has more breasts and less beard
12. World Destruction (12) – cats
13. Real Drive (13) – chat program
14. Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ (15) – slooowww start
15. Ryoko’s Case File (-) – superintendant <-new!
16. Amatsuki (14) – Kuchiha
17. Antique Bakery (16) – super gay demon
18. Telepathy Shoujo Ran (17) – predictable
19. Himitsu (18) – faceless
20. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (-) – secret otaku
21. Blade of the Immortal (-) – immortal worms <- new!
22. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (19) – kyouran kaizoku
23. Itazura na Kiss (20) – dislikeable cast
24. Allison and Lillia (21) – Travas-ty (sorry, Hanners)
25. Chocolate Underground (22) – chocolate is forbidden

Allison and Lillia 13: Maybe I’m just getting old, but between this and Itazura na Kiss, romance and its recent depiction in anime has really angried up the blood. Hardly the bastion of worth at the best of times, the final episode of the Allison arc rejoins our protagonists now that they are living together- although aside from the wedding rings you’d be hard-pressed to realise they actually had a relationship. Still, Allison and Wil seem happy enough, until Major Stork (or whatever his name is this week) decides that Wil should join his intelligence agency, which will necessitate leaving Allison and changing his very identity. What’s a guy to do when a suspicious mass murderer with lax parenting values tells you to leave the love of your life? Apparently, you should go along with it- and worse yet, Allison supports Wil’s decision, even failing to tell him that she’s just found out she’s pregnant.

So, after saying “I love you” for the first time as he leaves on the train, we flash forward fifteen years, where Allison is now living with her daughter Lillia, and going out with one Major Travas- who happens to be Wil with different coloured hair. So, if he could be Allison’s boyfriend, why did he have to leave forever? Why couldn’t he have just said no and got an academic job at the university or something? It took Allison long enough to get Wil to go out with her, so why did he have to be taken away? Or was such an emotionally stunted man even worth it in the first place?

Antique Bakery 2: The strawberries of doom seem to have taken a backseat this week as former boxer Eiji joins the Antique team- but despite being hired as a receptionist, his love of cake sees him train under HARD GAY chef. Although not quite as parody-worthy as the opening instalment, there’s still potential amidst the banter, not to mention a scene in which our protagonists pipe cream into holes in choux pastry.

*NEW* Blade of the Immortal 1: Giving an action series to Bee Train is like asking a three-year-old to paint the Mona Lisa- you just know that what you’re going to end up with will be a mess that bears very little resemblance to what you asked for. Anyway, in this series we meet a man who has worms inside him that grant immortality (no guffawing, please), but due to his past as a killer, practically everyone is after him- forcing him to kill again and again. Unfortunately, since straightforward action might strain the animation team at Bee Train, everything has to take place either off screen between still shots, or in a darkened room so that a minimum of detail needs to be shown. It’s not terribly interesting, but the series is short enough that it shouldn’t become another El Cazador de la Roots.

Hidamari Sketch x365 2: After last episode’s prequel to season one, we jump ahead to the end of the school year, with Sae’s sister Chika taking entrance exams and everyone else reflecting on how much has happened since they first came to the Hidamari Apartments. It’s another worthy dose of slice-of-life, although I wonder whether we’ll be jumping back to familiar old territory next episode or seeing everyone moving up to the next school year.

Itazura na Kiss 14: And now to the second romance fiasco of the week- the legendary wedding episode of Itazura na Kiss, in which all the development that didn’t happen in the first half of the series is crammed into one episode. Despite having been a complete bastard who treated her like dirt for half a series, Naoki can’t bear the thought of Kotoko marrying Kin-chan (and who could, really), and so he takes it upon himself to propose to her- because despite a large body of evidence to the contrary, he actually does have feelings for her. I assume I’m supposed to sigh and say ‘how romantic’, but come on- shouldn’t they at least go out for a while before getting engaged?

As if that wasn’t enough, however, Naoki’s mother decides it’s too dangerous for them not to get hitched straightaway, and even though a wedding costs about £20-30,000 on average, it somehow all gets arranged within the space of a week. Unreality aside, what happened to “marry in haste, repent at leisure”? Shouldn’t people get married because they want to, rather than because their mother forced them into it before they changed their mind? How can we enjoy such a poorly paced relationship? Isn’t Naoki just a bastard no matter how you look at it?

Oh, for goodness sake- get over yourself.

Koihime Musou 2: The great thing about Koihime Musou is that even though nothing momentous is ever going to happen, I love the Three Kingdoms and the character designs, I can have a fun time spotting them. This week, our heroines link up with the slightly HARD YURI Zhao Yun and Gongsun Zan in order to bust yet another den of generic looking bandits. I get the feeling that this will be the pattern for the series, but if we get to see all the Three Kingdoms favourites as beautiful women, who cares?

Natsume Yuujinchou 2: The returning of contracts is going well enough until a tiny shrine gods shows up to ask for his back, only for Natsume to realise it is stuck to another page in the Book of Friends. Since ripping the pages apart would be damaging to the spirits named within, Natsume and Nyanko-sensei must instead track down the other spirit so that they can both be released at the same time. There’s still a feeling of ‘why does it have to be this way?’ about the whole series, since it seems there must be easier ways for Natsume and Nyanko-sensei to achieve their goals, but the episode is nonetheless a solid one that builds to a decent conclusion- and let’s face it, Nyanko-sensei in cat form is worth the price of admission any day.

*NEW* Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 1: Although it sounds a lot like Kare Kano, I was immediately drawn to the idea of a ‘perfect girl’ who is a secret otaku- is it something I can identify with (well, apart from the fact that I’m far from perfect and my love of anime isn’t a secret)? Unfortunately, this episode isn’t really as exciting as I hoped, featuring a male lead who cooks for his two slobbish female flatmates for some reason, and naturally ends up discovering the perfect Nogizaka Haruka’s secret. His first job as her ‘accomplice’ is to return a manga magazine to the library after hours- hardly a terribly interesting start.

Persona Trinity Soul 13-17: During the first half of the series, I was fully prepared to accept that Persona would improve later on, but now that I’ve made inroads into the later episodes, I can’t say I’m entirely convinced. Although I admit that there are little details that would probably stand out as foreshadowing were I to go back and watch earlier episodes again, apart from Ryou’s undisclosed fate, not a great deal has actually happened. It just all feels too bland to care about- I’m more interested in buying the original game than anything this anime can offer.

*NEW* Ryoko’s Case File 1: Meet the typical detective odd couple- the beautiful and near flawless woman with a harsh personality and her loyal, long-suffering male aide. Together, they solve supernatural cases, and although there’s a lot of visual style to their antics, so far there has been little substance. In fact, aside from a humorous exchange between Ryoko and her rival, this episode wasn’t terribly interesting in terms of content- it’s only the characters that’s going to keep me watching for now.

Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ 2: I have to admit that this is an improvement on the treacle slow first episode, but even so, there’s a lot of padding in this new series of Someday’s Dreamers- let’s face it, I don’t need to look at Photoshopped landscapes and listen to insert songs. When it gets to the story, however, this season is decent enough, with Sora attending her first magic class and meeting the usual line-up of characters- seemingly uncaring young man who probably has an ill sister, dead parents or some other family tragedy; rival magic user who aims to be class rep and top of the class and of course the amiable best friend type. There’s nothing her we haven’t seen before, but if the series can provide actual content, it should be solid enough, if not a patch on the original.

Telepathy Shoujo Ran 4: I’m beginning to think about parodying this series, and only the fact that the queue already contains several other series is putting me off. This time around, our heroes go on holiday to a village where something seems amiss- indeed, they even comment that something doesn’t seem right after the villagers threaten them with pitchforks (you think?). Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of the suspicious village arc, so we’ll have to wait until next week to see the thrilling conclusion.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama 12-13: It’s another double bill of predictability for Wagaya, starting with the obligatory hot springs episode in which everyone kicks back and relaxes, leaving poor Tohru to get menaced by a demon, and then proceeding to the equally obligatory culture festival. Fortunately, in the latter episode we do at least meet up with a new fox- a silver one nicknamed Tama-san who I’ve been waiting to see ever since I glimpsed them in the OP- whilst Sakura’s obsession with being the only woman for Noboru continues to be highly entertaining.

MANGA

*NEW* Ayu and Mayu 1: I think we all know by now that I pick up manga based on titles that have even the vaguest connection to things I’m familiar with, and indeed, this series was chosen because of Ayu and Mayu from Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (who have absolutely nothing to do with this manga, might I add). In fact, the series is more like Chokotto Sister II, featuring an older brother who tracks down two girls- one of whom is his long-lost little sister. Whilst he tries to figure out which is which, we’re treated to the usual rounds of fanservice and light entertainment, and whilst I can hardly call it good, this is a decent enough “brain lite” opening chapter.

Bartender 4-6: Although I feel I’m losing something through an imperfect translation, the Bartender manga continues to deliver what the anime couldn’t- tranquil enjoyment. First off, Ryu is asked to placate a foreign architect before he cancels an important job, but will even the promise of the oldest liquor in the world be enough after Ryu criticises the design of the bar? Next, Ryu’s friend decides to get close to the mysterious cabaret girl Akiko, but there is more to this strong and lonely young woman than meets the eye. Finally, a legendary bartender stops by Ryu’s bar, but will he be impressed with the young man’s talent? All of these chapters are calm, pleasant character pieces, with Ryu having far more personality than his more polished anime self did.

Claymore 81: Raki is back, and his newfound maturity has made him more likable, but why is he travelling with Priscilla? And what’s more, why has Priscilla forsaken eating humans to the point where her body has shrunk to that of a child, putting her at the very limits of hunger? Meanwhile, after encountering this strange pair, Claymore number six- Rene- heads off on her way, only to fall into a trap set by Awakened Beings. Thank goodness Claymore is improving all the time, whetting my appetite for more.

Elfen Lied 86-8: As volume ten ends and eleven begins, Nana is reunited with her Papa, but after Evil Scientist feels a rare moment of remorse and releases Barbara from his control, she turns on him and immediately heads off to dispatch both of them. Meanwhile, now that Main Villain has Lucy in his custody, he is free to do the obligatory explanation of his plans, telling her how the Diclonius are merely the resurgence of the powers his family once had- powers they lost and then attempted to regain by breeding near a radioactive lake where the mutation rate was high. He wants Lucy to bear his child and become the Eve of a new race, but all she wants is to go back and live with everyone. Now that the end is in sight, the pace is ramping up, but what will the outcome be? Whatever the case, there’s bound to be violence aplenty.

Gunslinger Girl 51-6: With Angelica gone, Triela knows that her time is running out- a fact that Hilshire is also well aware of. Desperate not to shorten her lifespan any longer, he takes on the next job alone, but when Triela finds out what she has done, she runs off into the night- and only the intervention of some old friends stop her from falling foul of the mafia. Now the time has come for Triela to finally learn of her connection to Hilshire’s past, but how will knowing the truth change their relationship? These are tragic times for one of my favourite characters, and it’s unlikely that there will be any sort of happy ending, but no matter how depressing it gets, Gunslinger Girl is still as excellent as ever.

Minami-ke 32-3: First up, we have the familiar segment in which Kana tries to get Chiaki to sleep in by making her stay up late, only to have them both babble for hours before falling asleep in the living room- it’s an amusing segment, but an uncomfortable reminder of how much I hate having my sleep interrupted. Next, Takeru comes over and manages to find all sorts of hidden items simply by dropping a pen in a straightforward yet utterly hilarious instalment. More of the same, please.

Nodame Cantabile 120: Whilst Chiaki spends his time practising with Rui for their upcoming performance, not being able to see him has hit Nodame hard- but at the same time, these feelings of despair might be just what she needs to bring out the best in her Beethoven. And with exams just around the corner, everyone’s going to have bring something special to their music if they want to stay in Paris- but who will succeed, and who will fail? Will this manga go on forever? Will I even mind if it does?

Sketchbook 8-12: Even though it doesn’t seem particularly long, these chapters complete the first volume of Sketchbook with more 4-koma goodness and plenty of cats; not only is this one of the most consistently funny 4-koma series I’ve read, but it also outmatches the anime by keeping things light and amusing instead of trying to inject some forced thoughtfulness. Here’s hoping for even more cats in the next volume.

Tsubasa Chronicle 193: It’s flashback extravaganza again this chapter, as Syaoran’s week with Sakura slowly draws to a close. What will happen when he goes back and Sakura finishes purification ceremony? Do we even care anymore?

Reviewed this week: Allison and Lillia 7, Amatsuki 5, Baccano! 15, Chi’s Sweet Home 25-8, Himawari!! 4, Itazura na Kiss 7, Kurenai 7, Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 5, Nabari no Ou 5, Persona Trinity Soul 9, Toshokan Sensou 6, Wagaya no Oinari-sama 6, xxxHOLiC Kei 6

…and in manga: Akagi 12-13, Elfen Lied 85, xxxHOLiC 121-57

OH

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Chi’s Sweet Home (1)- Chi scratches
2. Kurenai (2) – singing
3. Kaiba (3) – memory chip
4. Nabari no Ou (4) – ninjas are cool again
5. xxxHOLiC Kei (5) – Kohane-chan
6. Wagaya no Oinari-sama (6) – fox trap
7. Real Drive (7) – a better orgasm
8. Soul Eater (8) – Bones does shounen
9. Persona Trinity Soul (9) – catch-up, start!
10. Himitsu (10) – HARD GAY and siscon
11. Toshokan Sensou (11) – library wars
12. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (12) – disillusioned
13. Itazura na Kiss (13) – everything at or below this line is generic
14. Amatsuki (14) – the new Shounen Onmyouji
15. Allison and Lillia (15) – yawn

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Shion no Ou (1) – demoted to slow
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Love GetChu! (3)- light entertainment
4. Himawari!! (5) – needs less plot
5. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (4)- licensed
6. Shounen Onmyouji (6)- end in sight?

ANIME

Allison and Lillia 7: Even by A&L standards, this week’s episode is a particularly pointless instalment, in which our heroes steal a plane (not that they particularly needed to) and spend the entire episode flying to the capital so that Fiona can claim she’s the princess- even though she isn’t really the princess. Meanwhile, the Benedict X Fiona angle is predictably played upon, and next week some people question whether this random girl who has just shown up is really the princess she claims to be! How dare they!?

Benedict: I have to tell you the truth…I’m actually a woman!

(second half of sentence may not have appeared in actual episode).

Amatsuki 5: Another episode of Amatsuki comes and goes without too much fanfare, as the Princess reincarnates into her reverse trap body, Kuchiha has some flashbacks about the past, and some other stuff happens that I can’t even remember a mere day after watching it. Even the villains don’t seem to be taking their role seriously, so I’m not really sure how or even if I’m expected to.

Baccano! 15: The Baccano! OVA continues to improve in this episode, in which we get some insight into Nice and Jacuzzi’s past (including how she lost the sight in one eye), before flashing forward to just after the Flying Pussyfoot incident. Jacuzzi’s gang has taken in Chane, but when she gets kidnapped by the new character (who has mistaken her for Eve Genoard), Jacuzzi rises from his hospital bed to get her back- because that’s what friends do. It was actually refreshingly different to be able to follow what was going on for once, although that didn’t diminish the quality at all.

Boys and girls, this is why we have goggles.

Chi’s Sweet Home 25-8: When Chi starts scratching the sofa and Dad’s vintage jeans, the family decides something must be done, but in typical fashion she doesn’t understand what her newly-purchased scratching post is for. In the end, the family is forced to clip her claws, which I don’t really like to see done to cats, but other than that quibble, this is as entertaining as ever.

Himawari!! 4: Another episode of Himawari!!, another monster of the week, and this time around it’s Himeji who’s targeted- by a group of micro-ninjas. With the ninjas invading her body, it’s time for a Fantastic Voyage style trip into her body to fight them off- a story that, if not particularly good or inspiring, is at least better than the last few instalments.

Itazura na Kiss 7: It’s not like I’ve really liked Irie up to this point, but in this episode he really crosses the line- which is a shame as the series was finally ready to graduate from high school romance to, well, college romance. Anyway, trouble starts when Classes A and F end up having their graduation dinner at the same restaurant; naturally this leads to Irie insulting Kotoko in front of his classmates and Kotoko responding by showing everyone the photos of young Irie dressed as a girl. Anyway, the upshot of it all is that Kotoko finally seems to realise that Irie is a bastard who isn’t worth wasting time on, but in a manipulative turn of events, he decides to make it harder to forget him by kissing her. Kotoko, defy the story and leave him! Find a decent guy!

Kurenai 7: Each week, Kurenai brings me more reasons to love it, and this instalment was no exception. Whilst Shinkurou is away, Tamaki decides to show Murasaki a little more of the outside world by taking her into college; a place where Tamaki is well established as a man-eater who scorns women who are desperate to hang onto their boyfriends. After getting dumped by her latest conquest, however, even Tamaki has to admit that she is no different from those women. In the midst of all this, we have an interesting range of both amusing and poignant dialogue, before moving onto a flashback about Murasaki’s mother and the revelation that an ally of the Kuhouin family has finally tracked down our diminutive heroine. I’m not sure if I’m ready for this turn of events (especially if it means we have some Seirei no Moribito-esuqe Eight Evil Men coming after her), but I’ll place my trust in the series not to let me down.

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 5: It’s finally time for the honeymoon, but after the obligatory family beach scenes, a troupe of evil monkeys attacks the hotel and abducts Yuuka. It’s clear the series isn’t going to live up to my early expectations for a worthy crazy comedy that could break the mould, but at least it’s watchable enough for now.

The Hakuoro look is back in this summer.

Nabari no Ou 7: We’re ready to move ahead into the next section of the story with this episode, as the head of another village approaches our heroes and offers to give them the scroll they need if they’ll just assassinate an evil CEO named Mr Frosty (no, not the crushed ice maker). And if that wasn’t a good enough deal for them, she also has a special ability that lets her read minds and expose people’s darkest secrets. Despite the lack of action, this is a worthy and indeed interesting episode, although I have a hard time believing that our heroes will actually be able to kill Mr Frosty when it comes down to it.

Persona Trinity Soul 9: Jun gets to go out with an older woman in this episode, which otherwise doesn’t see a great deal happen beyond the revelation that Jun actually has transplanted tissue from his sister’s brain, explaining his alternate personality in the way that only anime can. Still, I must forge ahead if I’m ever to catch up with and then finish this series.

Toshokan Sensou 6: When this episode started with Komaki and Kasahara in the middle of a face-off with the Media corp, I wondered if I’d missed something as the last episode certainly hadn’t ended on a cliff-hanger. Fortunately, a cut to flashback reassured me that I wasn’t going mad, and that our heroes were trying to protect the Book of Prophecy, a banned tale of a society in which books are banned (possibly Fahrenheit 451). Unfortunately, it all got a bit messy as the current story was blended with a flashback to one of Dojo and Komaki’s early missions, with the result being a ‘decent enough but nothing special’ episode.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama 6: I’ve revised my expectations for the series down once again- it’s now firmly in the light entertainment category that housed MagiPoka, Himawari! season one and its ilk. Anyway, this episode takes more of a harem slant on the series, with Misaki worrying so much about Kou and Kuu living with her beloved Noboru that she decides to invite herself over to his house. Cue speeches about friendship, cooking disasters and various other anime staples, all presented in a generally entertaining but occasionally painful format (how many times do we have to see Kou and Kuu breaking things?).

xxxHOLiC Kei 6: Although the series somehow manages to make an entire episode out of mahjongg this time around, I don’t mind- after all, I did watch and enjoy Akagi. It’s all pretty predictable stuff, with Yuuko, Mokona and Doumeki completely thrashing the beginner Watanuki, but it’s still entertaining enough. Meanwhile, next episode’s water gathering was originally for the sake of the Tsubasa X world, but I hear the Tsubasa connection has been removed for the anime.

MANGA

Akagi 12-13: Well, the first arc is finally over, but Akagi is ready to plan for his second match- provided that the wager is high enough to hold his interest. After writing such a long post about Kaiji and his character, it’s interesting to go back and consider Akagi once again, a man who can win by abandoning his fear of death and putting everything on the line where others would be too afraid.

Elfen Lied 85: A surprisingly long 95 page chapter this time around, in which we get a glimpse into Lucy’s past, and how she befriended a girl, only to watch her get killed when the authorities came hunting for Diclonii (hmm, who would have guessed?). Meanwhile, in the present Nana’s “Papa” has become a little unhinged after the death of Mariko, the villains continue plotting and everyone moves into Yuka’s mother’s place (I think), although she has an instinctive mistrust of poor Nana. It’s all par for the course, really.

*CATCH-UP* xxxHOLiC 121-57: Cheer, everyone, for after many months of hiatus, I have finally caught up with xxxHOLiC, and apart from a little too much crossover with Tsubasa, it remains good. The artwork is as stylish and high contrast as ever, whilst the number of stand-alone stories has drastically reduced in favour of storylines about Watanuki’s lost memories, his link with Syaoran, and the spirit medium Kohane. Dare I say that I actually enjoy reading it, which is more than can be said for Tsubasa these days.

Oh, it’s only tear gas, is it? That’s okay then.

Reviewed this week: Blassreiter 1, Chi’s Sweet Home 5-6, Itazura no Kiss 1, Kaiji 25, Kurenai 1, Tower of Druaga 1, xxxHOLiC Kei 1, Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 8-9

…and in manga: .hack//Alcor 1-5. .hack//Link 2, Elfen Lied 84, REC bonus chapter, Spice and Wolf doujin, Tsubasa 187

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Kaiji (2) – ざわ, ざわ…
2. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (3) – the state of modern society has left me in despair!
3. Chi’s Sweet Home (7)- litter tray
4. Kurenai (-) – Murasaki <- new!
5. xxxHOLiC Kei (-) – wow, it’s actually good <- new!
6. Persona Trinity Soul (5)- I really should catch up with this
7. Shion no Ou (6) – Hani Meijin’s secret videos
8. Itazura no Kiss (-) generic so far <- new!
9. Tower of Druaga (-) – hahaha <- new!
10. Blassreiter (-) – one man, one generic quest <-new!

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (-)- Marco <- demoted to slow
3. Himawari!! (2) – needs less plot
4. Love GetChu! (4)- light entertainment
5. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- end in sight?

*NEW* Blassreiter 1: I don’t know why, but because Gonzo’s titles happen to be streaming on crunchyroll, it makes me feel “oh, I might as well watch that”. Anyway, Blassreiter seems to be some sort of Bubblegum Crisis wannabe, featuring Amalgam machine-creatures who can absorb, assimilate and generally go on rampages, and the one man who must fight them- ex motorcyclist Gerd. After losing the ability to walk and having to quit at the top of his career, Gerd chooses to take an untested drug that will give him the ability to walk again, albeit at the cost of also enabling him to turn into a machine monster. It has mediocre stamped through it, but I may watch it until better series arrive to fill my anime viewing time.

Chi’s Sweet Home 5-6: Only four minutes or so of Chi this week, but our cute little kitty has run into a new problem- getting into the hang of using the litter tray. Having mistaken the newspaper filled tray for a bed, Chi believes she is doing the right thing by relieving herself on soft objects such as laundry- will the purchase of some proper kitty litter help the situation? Has the subject of cat toilet habits ever been of so much interest?

*NEW* Itazura no Kiss 1: Had I not heard that the latter part of the series focuses on the main couple after they get married (unique enough to warrant a look), I probably wouldn’t have bothered with Itazura no Kiss, because so far it is playing out like a generic romance. Having been rejected by Lead Male, Lead Female declares her hatred for him in public, only to end up staying with his family when her house falls down; not only is the ease with which her house collapses rather disturbing, but so far there’s nothing to mark this out from the crowd. Here’s hoping for some improvement in the coming weeks.

Then he must be HARD GAY!

Kaiji 25: It’s been a few weeks, but the penultimate episode of Kaiji has been tackled, with most of the episode dedicated to build up before Kaiji and the chairman make their first draw. Naturally, our hero is relieved when the chairman draws a blank lot, but when he reaches his hand in to cheat, the pre-placed winning lot isn’t there! With the safety net of cheating now gone, the emotion finally ramps up, and even though it seems unlikely that Kaiji would lose four fingers, I now eagerly await the outcome.

*NEW* Kurenai 1: Despite my fears that having a little girl come and live with a high school student would turn this series into Chokotto Sister mark II, Kurenai has actually made a strong opening foray. Although I can’t really pass judgement until we see how the character dynamic between the two leads pan out (I’m also getting echoes of Seirei no Moribito here), so far the series has offered drama, tears and even a touch of comedy. Hopefully it will build on this start, although I’m a little wary of getting my hopes too high before the ‘shakedown period’ is over.

*NEW* Tower of Druaga 1: Last week, Machi said this was worth a try, and so despite my pre-season fears about what the bastard son of Gonzo and generic fantasy would turn out to be, I boldly ventured into the titular Tower of Druaga. In fact, episode one was rather refreshing, because even though it turned out to be a dream sequence, it was more ‘Monty Python does generic fantasy’ than anything else. With heroes dying the moment they dared announce they wanted to get married when they went back home, and a Dark Lord who turned out to be about three feet tall, the episode was largely entertaining, and I only hope the series can keep up the comedic tone.

*NEW* xxxHOLiC Kei 1: I know I swore that I would never dip my toes into the dull seas of xxxHOLiC anime again, but when Hige claimed that the opening episode of Kei was actually rather watchable, I decided to throw caution to the winds and give it a try. Luckily, it seems that lessons have been learned from season one, with crisper animation (still not perfect, but much better than before) and the start of the Watanuki’s eye arc heralding an upturn for an anime that was once so dull it caused me to lose the will to live. Here’s hoping the rest of the anime can use the later manga material to keep on the right track.

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 8-9: It’s great to be in despair once again with two more episodes of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, complete with all sorts of hilarity as Nozomu is suspected of being a spy no matter what he does, promises come undone in a month and nothing is quite as 50/50 as it seems. Admittedly, parts of episode nine are a bit underwhelming, but episode eight is so amusing that it more than makes up for it. Roll on the next few episodes.

MANGA

*NEW* .hack//Alcor 1-5: The .hack franchise grinds on with this single volume manga (of which I have one chapter left to read) about a World:r2 character named Nanase who longs to be up there with the named characters of GU. As always, the artwork is nice, but after reading it I was left with the feeling that the story hadn’t really gone anywhere, with all development saved for the last chapter. Ah well, it makes for a nice diversion and I’ll read any amount of .hack manga as an alternative to watching more Roots.

.hack//Link 2: Meanwhile, in The World:rX, Tokio has a fateful meeting with none other than the legendary player Kite, who despite having God Mode skills is still lacking in one thing- unlike Tokio, he isn’t physically in the game. Due to his unique status, Tokio is now the only one who can save The World (and perhaps the world too) from the latest threat, but can he really manage it when he doesn’t have the first clue what he’s doing? Stay tuned to find out.

Elfen Lied 84: It’s showdown time as Lucy turns psychotic and goes after the Diclonius clones, with yet more blood, ripped off body parts and the realisation that I’m slowly losing my grip on what’s going on. How can there be almost three more full volumes before this series concludes?

REC special chapter: A bonus chapter from volume four in which Matsumaru and Aka believe they have been asked to record voices for a Shin Angyo Onshi anime- although the actual script seems suspiciously different to anything from that series. It’s mildly amusing, and presumably more so if you’re familiar with Shin Angyo Onshi and kanji jokes.

Spice and Wolf doujin- Wolf Road: I don’t usually read doujins, but since manga offered to send me this, I figured it was worth a look. Like most doujins, the main aim is to get the main characters to sleep with each other (albeit this time with a twist in the tale, or should that be tail in Horo’s case?), but the artwork was good and the author seemed to capture Horo’s character well. Just don’t read it if you’re not a fan of, er, bodily fluids showering everywhere.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 187: Even though it means all the generic villagers will melt away and die, Syaoran and the others have made the decision to leave Groundhog Day town and head to the ruins where Sakura awaits. Of course, at the current pace it takes the entire chapter to walk out of the village, leaving any exciting developments for next time…or the time after that.

Sometimes I just can’t help being evil; telling children about the slaughterhouse whilst they’re playing Harvest Moon, persuading them that complete Iliana rings can just be mined straight out of the earth, arguing that Albel is HARD GAY for Fayt- is there nothing I won’t do? Then again, sometimes interesting things spring from my madness- for example, my sister has taken a liking to the nickname “Pink Supervisor”.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 9, Clannad 19, Kaiji 21-2, Minami-ke Okawari 8-9, Mnemosyne 2, Mokke 16-18, SaiMono II 37, Shigofumi 9, Shounen Onmyouji 23, Spice and Wolf 9

…and in manga: Busou Renkin 1-37, Chokotto Sister 58, Claymore 78, Elfen Lied 83, HxH 271, Moyashimon 2, Tsubasa 184

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – banana peel
2. Spice and Wolf (3) – spice and lamb
3. Kaiji (2) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
6. Shigofumi (5) – Fumi+Mika=Fumika
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. Clannad (11) – drop kick
11. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Marco
12. Mokke (12)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

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

Aria the Origination 9: Alice has just graduated from school, and so Athena suggests they go out for the day, but what our young Pair doesn’t know is that she is being tested to see if she is move onto the next level. Although it’s a shame that Alice ultimately moves beyond Akari and Aika in this episode, it nonetheless remains a powerful instalment that sees the birth of the Orange Princess. There’s also plenty of President Maa for cat lovers.

Clannad 19: The theatre club has finally got a part-time share in Koumura-sensei, but whilst Nagisa is keen to put on a play, Tomoya feels his part is done- at least until he moves in with the Furukawa family to get away from his father. Given that most of the theatre club members are just there to make up the numbers, I can’t really care much about their efforts, but Akio and Sanae are always entertaining.

Kaiji 21-2: What awesome MANLY GAR! The time for the final round of E-card is nigh, and Kaiji seems certain he can pull off another win, but will Tonegawa see through his strategy? The odd thing about this episode is that while I spent the majority of it secure in the narrative convention of Kaiji pulling off another victory no matter how much Tonegawa tried to second guess him, the moment the episode ended on a cliff-hanger, the tension skyrocketed and I became uncertain of the outcome.

Fortunately, episode 22 is quick to resolve the outcome of E-card, but when Kaiji demands that Tonegawa kneels down and apologises for all those who died, the chairman decides that the only way to get a sincere apology is to have him kneel on a roasting hot steel plate- not an easy sight to watch. It seems, however, that we will have time for the tissue box raffle arc at the end (or at least the beginning of it, I have no idea how long the arc is in the manga).

Minami-ke Okawari 8-9: Just as I thought I was building up tolerance to Okawari, watching two episodes in the same day has broken it right down again- for whilst Fuyuki was blessedly absent here, these instalments seem to typify the problems with this season. If the original series was a stream of clear water, then Okawari is a stagnant pool, running tired old jokes into the ground instead of picking up a thread and building on it. Whilst episode eight is a lacklustre pool episode, episode nine lacks much in the way of appeal, combining such randomness as Kana dreaming of the future and Makoto trying to give up being Mako-chan yet again. I actually began to manifest physical symptoms related to boredom and irritability in this episode, something that hasn’t happened since Bartender episode 2.

Mnemosyne 2: Another instalment of Mnemosyne has finally come our way, and whilst it lacks the sheer awesomeness of the first episode, it is still worth a watch. The OVA seems to be settling into a “cyberpunk for the 21^st century” role, with this episode featuring HARD YURI, the search for a rare stamp and a mysterious yet deadly angel. Meanwhile, we now know that both Rin and her friend gained immortality when time spheres entered their bodies, but this only goes for women- their effect on men is to turn them into violent, short-lived angels who immortal women are irresistibly attracted to.

Mokke 16-18: Three more episodes of Mokke have been cleared, and once again they offer rather mediocre fare. Episode sixteen is the best of the bunch, as Shizuru befriends a transfer student with a habit of skipping classes to hang out in an old music room- an unremarkable story, but one that is at least more upbeat than the usual instalment of Mokke. Meanwhile, seventeen sees Mizuki discover a strange tree whilst looking after a neighbour’s visiting grandson, whilst in eighteen both sisters and their grandfather go to stay with a family who have been plagued with strange noises ever since they picked up a particular rock.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 37: I know I’m a week behind with SaiMono, but the situation will have to persist until next week. This time around, Ryuuki meets up with the spirit of Riou’s sister and must face up to the fact that he is still not considered the best candidate for emperor- should he step down, or can he prove himself worthy? It seems that it is finally time for Ryuuki to grow up, but that may well mean making an important decision between committing to the throne and pursuing Shuurei. Would Jyuusan-hime be a better partner for him after all?

Shigofumi 9: Shigofumi lapses back into the unremarkable with this instalment, which combines the standard holiday episode with some back story for Chika. I suppose I should care about Chika’s life being tragically cut short just as her lover was about to propose to her, but when I saw him in the first scene I thought he was her father, so thinking of him as a lolicon generally spoiled the moment.

Shounen Onmyouji 23: It’s all about getting to the end in an efficient, business-like manner with Shounen Onmyouji right now- the series has dragged on so long and been so unremarkable that I don’t really care about anything other than completion. In this episode, Masahiro must angst for a bit before deciding to accept the power that can kill Guren- who will reincarnate, but without his memories of the series. Is that truly such a bad thing, I wonder- I certainly wouldn’t be too disadvantaged without said memories.

Spice and Wolf 9: I’ve toned down my praise for Spice and Wolf over the last couple of weeks, but with this episode I’m ready to fangirl in full force once more. This week, Lawrence and Horo hire the services of a young shepherd girl to escort them to the next town, but how will Horo react to the ‘new woman’ in Lawrence’s life? Not only does this episode introduce a new character who briefly appears in the ED, but it truly exposes the awesomeness of Horo- any time when she seems to be acting predictably tsundere she’ll suddenly laugh it off and prove that there is much more to her than any stereotypical character.

MANGA

*CATCH-UP* Busou Renkin 1-37: The effort of reading some Busou Renkin manga has finally been made, with the first four of ten volumes now cleared. So far, everything is proceeding as per the anime, with these volumes covering the Papillon arc and taking us well into the LXE arc; what remains to be seen is how the latter volumes differ from the animated version.

Chokotto Sister 50: Volume six concludes with this short chapter, in which Choko goes to play at Yurika’s house for the day (complete with obligatory fanservice and a scene in which Choko finds that all of Yurika’s bras are too small), whilst Chitose passes up the opportunity to romantically pursue Haruma in order to nurse the sick Konatsu instead.

Claymore 78: Deus ex machina has arrived in the form of Clare and her allies, and it seems that their combined abilities might just be enough to combat Agatha. Naturally, the action in this chapter follows the usual “few slashes- opponent is sliced to pieces” pattern, but I’m still enjoying the series more than I once did.

Elfen Lied 83: The forces of evil have forced their way into Kohta’s home, but when they start playing rough with his harem, they risk awakening the beast that slumbers within Nyu. Although I hardly wanted our protagonists to be attacked in their own home (which somehow makes it seem worse than all the extreme violence that has come before), it’s good to see the series moving up a gear and pushing the plot ahead towards its conclusion.

Hunter X Hunter 271: Togashi has been propped up and pumped full of drugs (or whatever the situation is), and so HxH is back for another ten weeks, in which the story should advance infinitesimally. In this chapter, the mysterious narrator gives us an excruciatingly slow blow-by-blow account of the various battles that are occurring, to which one can only respond “who cares anymore”? The only interesting thing to note is the way the artwork can vary from detailed to scribble from one page to the next.

Moyashimon 2: The second chapter of Moyashimon pushes us into episode two of the anime, covering Hasegawa’s attempts to test Sawaki’s abilities to the limit, before he detects the unmistakable evidence of brewing. There’s not much more to say, since we’re just mirroring the anime.

Tsubasa Chronicle 184: Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane have made it back to Clow Country, but everything seems strangely peaceful and uneventful- at least until it becomes plain that the country is trapped in some sort of Groundhog Day-esque phenomenon. I was hoping this arc meant that the end of the series was near, but I should have known- it’s clearly going to be dragged out for as long as possible.

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.

Fellow anime fans, heed my words- never, ever let a massive backlog build up, for it will crush your very soul. Sadly, there is still much I have to catch up on, but in the meantime enjoy my coverage of what I have managed to get through since mid-December.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 1, Baccano! 13, Clannad 8-12, Dennou Coil 21-6, Genshiken 2 7-12, Himawari!! 1, Kaiji 7-13, Minami-ke 7-13, Oh! Edo Rocket 21-6, SaiMono II 27-31, Spice and Wolf 1, Tsubasa OVA 1

…and in manga: .hack//Link 1, Akagi 7-8+108-9, Chokotto Sister 48, Clannad 5, Claymore 75-6, Elfen Lied 79-81, HxH 267-70, Kaiji 1, MariMite 23-4, Meine Liebe 7-8, Nodame 94-9, Oniisama E… 10, REC 34-6, Risky Safety 2-3, Solanin 10-28, Spiral Alive 11-16, Spiral 60-66, Tsubasa 172-7, Yotsuba& 49-50

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – a great series from start to finish <- complete!
2. Aria the Origination (-) – PUNYU! <-new!
3. Oh! Edo Rocket (2) – I love this show! <- complete!
4. SaiMono II (4) – Jyuusan-hime rocks!
5. Kaiji (3) – human racing
6. Minami-ke (6) – Ichigo Mashimaro II <- complete!
7. Baccano! (5) – the end of the line <- complete!
8. Spice and Wolf (-) –spicy wolves make for interesting chilli <-new!
9. Genshiken 2 (7) – graduation <- complete!
10. Moyashimon (8) – cute microbes
11. Shion no Ou (9) – it’s a trap
12. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (11) – lots of cats
13. Clannad (12) – sad girls in springtime
14. Mokke (10)- magical cat

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (1) – I’m in despair!
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – predictable but fun
4. Himawari!! – needs less plot <- new!
5. Koutetsu Sangokushi (4) – pure HARD GAY
6. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- mediocre
7. Love GetChu! (6)- light entertainment
8. Romeo X Juliet (7) – WOOD

*NEW* Aria the Origination 1: Having a new season to watch is so great that I just want to roll around like President Aria, but instead I will try to put those feelings into words. Spring is coming to Neo Venezia, and even though the snow hasn’t quite melted yet, Alicia gets a gift of sakura tea and jam which she decides to share with everyone. Cue a nice, fluffy tea party in which the amazing feats of the three Primas are discussed, from stopping an idiot falling overboard to cheering up a baby with funny faces. And as the icing on the cake, President Aria is up to his usual antics, although his poor flabby stomach has already been bitten twice.

Remember, don’t eat too fast.

*COMPLETE* Baccano! 13: The tale of immortality and numerous characters in the 1930s finally draws to a close in this episode, which ties up the insane number of plot strands in the best way it can, sees justice served to certain characters, and ends on a high in the way only Isaac and Miria can manage. Yes, it was confusing along the way, but with so much packed in it was also highly entertaining- I can’t request a second season enough times.

Clannad 8-12: Episodes 8-9 see the conclusion of the Fuko arc, with everyone slowly forgetting about her in the run-up to the wedding- can they remember in time to show up? Whilst it was hardly enough to make me cry, I did feel a pang of emotion at this arc, which made going into the next one a bit of an anticlimax to start. This time around, the focus is on genius girl Ichinose Kotomi, who seems almost unbelievably socially ill-adapted to start with, but whose story is slowly picking up now. It does seem a bit of a sci-fi

*COMPLETE* Dennou Coil 21-6: I already reviewed Dennou Coil in its entirety, so all that’s left to put here is how satisfying the ending turned out to be. Yes, if there was more time some elements could have been expanded upon, but the later revelations were still a lot more substantial than many other series, and overall there was a feeling of satisfied completion rather than a need for more. A most excellent series indeed.

*COMPLETE* Genshiken 2 7-12: Genshiken 2 is over, and it’s something of a bittersweet ending- practically everyone has settled on their future career and is ready to commence life in the ‘real world’, although of course they’ll never forget their otaku roots. There’s still content here for those looking for comedy, but an almost Honey and Clover-esque feel crept into this season- university graduates should be able to identify with it.

*NEW* Himawari!! 1: At long last, the second season of Himawari!! is being subbed (yes, I could watch the raws but I’m being lazy), and although I have little hope of it proceeding at any speed, it can fill a gap here and there. Unfortunately, whilst meeting up with the characters is like slipping back into a comfortable old set of clothes, the fact that this season seems to contain a main villain with his underling monsters of the week does not fill me with optimism. I like Himawari when it’s just episodic light entertainment, but introducing low-budget enemies such as this episode’s gum-chewing boy adds an air of tedium to the whole thing.

Kaiji 7-13: The Espoir arc finally concludes in episodes 7-9, with Kaiji suffering both betrayal and the Room of Naked Men before finally coming out on top- at least until he realises the whole thing has left him with twice as much debt as before (poor guy). Then, after an episode of trying and failing to fit in with normal life, our hero is whisked off for another night of gambling, only this time he is the horse in a ‘Human Derby’. The even sees Kaiji and other debt-ridden young men walk across a thin beam suspended over a twelve foot drop, but even if you manage to get across without being pushed off, there’s worse to come when they have to do the same again across and electrified beam suspended between the twenty-second floors of two high-rise buildings. It’s addictive, MANLY stuff, but are we really halfway through already?

*COMPLETE* Minami-ke 7-13: I finally found the time to watch the second half of Minami-ke’s first season, and happily, it was everything I expected it to be. As the adventures of the Minami sisters continue, more amusing everyday antics ensue, more friends get drawn in, and they even meet another Minami family consisting of three brothers and a younger sister who Chiaki adopts as her little ‘brother’. Not since the days of Ichigo Mashimaro has everyday life been so entertaining, but I’m approaching the second season with trepidation- how will the staff changes affect the tone of the series?

*COMPLETE* Oh! Edo Rocket 21-6: Another excellent series goes out with a bang (no pun intended) as Oh! Edo Rocket draws to a close with a packed final stretch that showcases everything that is so great about the series. From comedy and hilariously out of place pop culture references to darker and more serious storylines, Oh! Edo Rocket somehow manages to have everything, and it even achieves an ending entirely appropriate to the tone of the series. Move over FLCL and Pani Poni Dash- this is how it’s done.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 27-31: The overload of new characters arc has finally come to an end as the anime moves into new territory with the arrival of Shuuei’s sister Jyuusan-hime. Jyuusan-hime has been sent to become Ryuuki’s concubine, but with assassins after her life, Shuurei ends up becoming her body double (sometimes even main characters get the short straw). Despite my aversion to having so many new characters dumped on us of late, Jyuusan-hime is a most welcome addition to the cast- she’s beautiful, tough and more mature than the still naïve Shuurei, and since she’s also adopted, her apparent feelings for Shuuei aren’t as incestuous as I first thought. Meanwhile, poor Shusui seems to have fallen under the influence of the voices in her head- what will become of her? Whatever the case, the anime is not only almost at an end but has also drawn level with the novels- so we’ll either have to have a huge break before any potential third season, or move into the realm of occasional OVAs.

SaiMono goes all Dynasty Warriors.

*NEW* Spice and Wolf 1: For a multitude of shallow and tenuous reasons, I loved this series before I even watched it, and happily I still feel the same way after episode one. Having completed Okami the night before I watched this, I was all too ready for more content about wolf goddesses, and so when trader Lawrence Craft found one in his cart, it made for interesting viewing (even with the random fanservice). Provided it doesn’t turn into the new Sisters of Wellber, this should be a great series, and since the original material is apparently about economics, it’s like entertainment’s next step from Dragons’ Den.

*NEW* Tsubasa Chronicle Tokyo Revelations 1: My relationship with the Tsubasa TV series ended in a filler fest of pain and suffering, but with Production I.G. taking over the reins for this three episode OVA covering the X-Tokyo arc, I figured it wouldn’t be so bad (let’s forget that they did that pointless movie). Happily, unlike Bee Train’s efforts, this version of Tsubasa actually has revolutionary new concepts like proper movement and animation, and whilst the story is essentially flawed, this is the fault of the original manga and not really something the studio can do much about. If the rest of Tsubasa must be animated, let’s keep it to OVA format (I notice that the final image in the closing appears to be from the Infinity arc- a sign of things to come?).

In the latest manga chapters, Mokonas’ earrings actually have previously unmentioned plot importance.

MANGA

*NEW* .hack//Link 1: Although it might sound like a .hack/Legend of Zelda crossover, the franchise’s latest cash-in manga is set in a brand new iteration of The World- R:X. Tokio is the typical annoying shounen hero who has cleared every other game around and wants to play the newly relaunched The World, but since access is restricted, he can’t get his hands on a copy of the game. Fortunately, a new transfer student at school lets him use her copy- but it proves to be an edition of the game that transfers him into The World itself! I don’t see this offering anything new, but it should be interesting enough to follow.

Akagi 7-8, 108-9: Like the anime, the Akagi manga doesn’t seem to feel the need to rush anywhere, and so we’re still on Akagi’s first match- although we’ve just reached the point when Akagi is playing rep player Yagi with their fingers at stake. For a beginner at Mah-jongg, watching this sort of thing in animated form is easier than slogging through explanatory text for each match, but even so it’s still an enjoyable manga.

Meanwhile, an anonymous scanlator has decided to pick up where the anime has left off, so I’ll be covering that as well. 108-9 commence volume 13 and cover the last part of the anime, where Akagi throws away his blood and challenges Washizu to play for the last part of his fortune. Having waited so long to see what happens next, we are now on the verge of this exciting new territory, and hopefully it will be as good as ever.

Chokotto Sister 48: When Konatsu catches mumps and falls in, it becomes a perfect opportunity for her to slip into a Flashback Mode, in which she relates a typical tragic past of being abandoned by her parents and Haruma promising to always be by her side (which she takes to be one of those standard childhood marriage proposals that have so much more meaning in fiction than real life). Everything is proceeding along the rails for the moment, but I’m becoming increasingly disturbed about Choko’s origin- just where did she come from? (Smart alecks need not respond).

Clannad 5: When I read the first four chapters of Clannad, the anime was months away from airing, but to go back and try another chapter in the middle of it run is a slightly strange experience. Fortunately, whilst Clannad the anime is nothing special to me, watching it seemed to make this chapter seem better than its predecessors, even though it only covers the early anime content of Tomoya trying to help get the drama club off the ground.

Claymore 75-6: As it turns out, the blinded Galatea wasn’t hiding from the organisation- she wanted them to send Claymores out to her so that they could help her defeat the latest Awakened Being- former number 2 Claymore Agatha. As the battle begins, however, it remains to be seen if they will offer assistance or just blindly follow orders, culminating in a cliff-hanger ending for chapter 76. As always, I’m not particularly impressed by the action scenes, but I’m still interested in seeing what happens next, and oddly having just one chapter a month helps to enjoy the series since I’m always hungry for more.

Elfen Lied 79-81: We may be getting close to the end of the series, but the story is still ready to throw us a few more twists and turns- not to mention some fresh characters. Whilst Kouta laments the loss of his harem due to the disappearance of Lucy/Nyu, Nana and Mayu, elsewhere yet more plans are being made to recapture Lucy- using obedient clones of Mariko. In charge of them is the latest eccentric scientist and his tough-as-nails bodyguard- it’s a familiar formula but hopefully this is all slowly building towards a conclusion.

Hunter X Hunter 267-70: Having put all his efforts into getting the chapter count up to a nice round number, Togashi has retired to his deathbed once again, leaving the series on yet another indefinite hiatus. Perhaps it’s just as well, as the excruciatingly slow pace and intensely detailed narration of the first phase of the attack on King has really put me off this arc, to the extent where I have to wonder if I even care any more. All I want now is for the series to properly end, but at the current rate I could be in my thirties before that happens (a scary thought indeed).

*NEW* Kaiji 1: As with Akagi, the Kaiji anime has basically followed the manga word for word, so all this first chapter provides is a recounting of how Kaiji came to be offered a place aboard the Espoir, with less technically accomplished art. Even so, it’s an enjoyable enough way to relive the series, and hopefully more chapters will be available soon.

Maria-sama ga Miteru 23-4: We’re already at the start of season two, with Yumi, Yuuki and Rosa Gigantea spending the night at Sachiko’s house for the new year, complete with some “Kashiwagi is HARD GAY” and Sei teasing Yumi scenes that never made it into the anime. As always, this manga complements the anime nicely, but I’m increasingly noticing the poor standard of the artwork compared to the anime character designs, whilst for some reason Yuuki has black hair in this version.

Meine Liebe 7-8: First off, a big thank you to “Meine Liebe Project” for picking this up- it may not be the best manga in the world, but I at least want to read the second half of it. Anyway, chapter seven sees Erika get picked to be Orphe’s dance partner for his grandmother’s party, but much to my disappointment, no actual dancing was seen- surely a whisk or throwaway oversway wouldn’t have been too much to ask for? Wasted opportunities aside, as we go into chapter eight, it becomes clear that Erika’s feelings for Orphe are deepening, but with the likelihood that he may be her brother ever increasing, romance could turn to incest. In fact, since it’s being played so obviously, they probably aren’t related, but we’ll see in the coming chapters.

Nodame Cantabile 94-9: Chiaki’s goal is to move ever onwards and upwards, but when his father shows up at one of his performances, it puts him off guard- and proves that Chiaki isn’t as indifferent towards his parent as he might claim. Meanwhile, poor Nodame is beginning to feel like she is left behind- if Chiaki’s goal is his father, then her goal is Chiaki. Even though the “estranged parent” storyline is nothing new, I’m still intrigued by the continuing development of Chiaki and Nodame’s characters as they enter another growth phase. In particular, Chiaki seems determined to move far ahead in order to accomplish his goals, but at the same time he seems to expect Nodame to be waiting for him, even though she is busy with her own agendas. Are they just not destined to be together?

Oniisama E… 10: The second volume of the angst-driven manga continues as Kaoru gets injured during a basketball match and Nanako fangirls over Saint-Juste some more- it will all be familiar to anime viewers, but told in a much abbreviated form. Now to wait another year or so for the next chapter.

REC 34-6: If there’s one thing you can count on with REC, it’s that if something can go wrong, it will. Take Matsumaru, for example- all he wants to do is help Ao get through a cold, and the next thing he knows she’s undressed him whilst he’s asleep, taken a nude picture for Photoshop purposes, and left the door open so Aka can walk in. Naturally, Ao isn’t just your typical ‘other woman’- she has past issues, but it’s all so painfully predictable- and yet somehow I can’t just give up the series and walk away.

Risky Safety 2-3: I can’t even remember when I read the first chapter of this (memory supplies a date of around August 2006), but I’ve finally tracked down another two instalments of the series. Unlike the anime, the manga isn’t exclusively about Risky and Safety- in fact, they don’t appear at all in these two chapters. Instead, we get two stand-alone stories- one about a puppet girl named Fuzzy who will become a real human if she can just make one boy happy, the other about a mysterious new transfer student who may be attacking fellow classmates with demon blood. As short stories, they are both enjoyable (if much like various similar manga), but the chances of reading more any time soon seem slim.

*COMPLETE* Solanin 10-28: I’m happy to report that at long last I’ve been able to finish this manga, and that it was good enough to be worth the wait. With a spoilerific twist at the end of volume one that I can’t reveal, the second half of the series sees Meiko put in a position where she must make a decision about her future, but will she choose something constructive? I don’t want to give away too much here, but suffice to say that this is one series worth reading, and that a proper review to that effect will appear soon.

Spiral Alive 11-16: Whilst Kanone and Eyes step forth to make an appearance, the story continues to move on, and it all seems to be centred on a particular file that can disclose the identities of the hidden and dangerous Blade Children. It’s good stuff (although I wish Kousuke would let Ryoko help out instead of trying to protect her), even if there are a few too many feints and conflicting motives to get to grips with at the moment.

Spiral 60-66: This is the point I feared, where the series starts to lose its way, for whilst Hizumi makes a move by killing Kanone (NOOOOOO!!!!!!), the truth about Ayumu and Hizumi’s origin seems about to come to light, and it seems something of a cop out. Thanks to Hinano, I long knew it was coming, but even so it’s like that infamous spoiler from Star Ocean 3- you just don’t want to believe it until you’re confronted with it. Oh well, the artwork is still nice.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 172-7: I don’t really know what’s going on in Tsubasa anymore, and the sad fact is that I can’t even say that I particularly care (but I must keep reading, for like Macbeth I’ve come too far to go back now). After randomly showing up, Syaoran-clone decides to pick a fight with the real deal, whilst Fei Wong decides he only wants Sakura for her body (understandable, since her mind isn’t up to much). It’s just a shame that CLAMP have got so into drawing epic fight scenes (large explosions, tiny characters) that they’ve forgotten about the concept of including a plot.

Yotsuba& 49-50: Fifty chapters in and I’m still far from tired of Yotsuba- after all, we still have to see her go to school. In these two chapters, we see Yotsuba still enchanted with the farm after coming home, before she and her father head out to a restaurant for lunch, with the usual hilarious consequences.

Reviewed this week: Clannad 2, ef 2, Genshiken 2 1-2, Gundam 00 2, Hero Tales 1, Higurashi Kai 14, Kaiji 2, Minami-ke 1-2, Mononoke 12, Moyashimon 1, Mushi-Uta 12, Rental Magica 2, SaiMono II 21, Seirei no Moribito 25-6, Shana II 2, Sketchbook 1

..and in manga: Elfen Lied 78, HxH 262, Tsubasa 169

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – the best of the best of the best, sir!
2. Oh! Edo Rocket (2) – I love this show!
3. SaiMono II (3) – art thief
4. Baccano! (4) – eternal life
5. Kaiji (5) – nice gambling boat
6. Mononoke (7) – bake-neko <-complete!
7. Mushi-Uta (6) – big bugs <- complete!
8. Minami-ke (-) – Ichigo Mashimaro II <-new!
9. Genshiken 2 (-) – Comi-Fes <-new!
10. Mokke (8)- seven flowers of autumn
11. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (9) – I’m in despair
12. Moyashimon (-) – cute microbes <- new!
13. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (-) – lots of cats <-new!
14. Clannad (10) – sad girls in springtime
15. Gundam 00 (11) – double balls
16. ef- a tale of memories (14)- tomorrow’s me won’t be the same
17. Rental Magica (13)- episode seemed to go on forever
18. Koutetsu Sangokushi (15) – pure HARD GAY
19. Shakugan no Shana II (16)- harem+1
20. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (17) – Takano meets Hitler
21. Hero Tales (-) – generic and dull <- new!
22. Seirei no Moribito (18) – the end at last <-complete!
23. Romeo X Juliet (19) – what’s the point anymore?
24. El Cazador de la Bruja (20) – the end is in sight

Clannad 2: Two more characters are introduced in this second episode- Kotomi, a genius who spends her time in the library cutting up books, and Fuko, who likes to carve wooden stars (I know there’s a plot reason for this but I forget what it is). Meanwhile the series continues to combine the amusing (such as sidekick falling down a chute and Tomoya announcing to his class that Kyou is BI) and the dramatic (the whole issue with Tomoya and his father) and whilst watching it raw means I can’t get the most out of it directly, it remains solid enough. Don’t ask why I’m even watching it raw when it’s being subbed so quickly, I just took it into my head to make it a ‘raw project’ to assess my understanding level.

ef- a tale of memories 2: I really wish SHAFT could stop taking the mind enhancing substances for a moment and try animating something without a lots of jumps, cuts and random imagery- yes, it works for their peculiar brand of comedy, but in a more serious show like this, it isn’t doing the audience many favours. Anyway, this time around our mangaka is dragged to school purely to skip class and meet the girl from last episode, whilst Renji spends more time with Chihiro and learns that she has Sick Girl Syndrome, which in this case manifests in some kind of persistent short-term memory loss (for whatever reason, she can’t remember anything that happened more than thirteen hours ago). Yes, it’s an illness that raises many questions, but as with so many anime ailments we just have to take it at face value and not poke at the plot holes.

*NEW* Genshiken 2 1-2: I have to admit that I still haven’t got around to watching the Genshiken OVA, but never mind, I’ll get my hands on that soon and just start on the second season in the meantime. Anyway, the new season opens with Genshiken getting a place at Comiket, but now the heat is on to produce a doujin to sell there. Although it lacked some of the humour in favour of moving the story on, this was a solid enough first episode, only marred by the appearance of the irritating manga club guy and his manipulations. At least the mess he made was easily undone.

Episode two jumps ahead a month, and despite the best of intentions, neither Sasahara nor Kugayama has made any progress on the doujin- and they are both quick to blame each other. With just three days left, can Genshiken pull together and actually produce something? Even though over half this episode is basically sitting and talking, it still manages to be entertaining, but it seems that episode three will be where the story really heats up, with the doujin finally going on sale.

Gundam 00 2: Oh Sunrise, why do you even bother with all this political setup when we all know that by the end you’ll get bored and the series will turn into Gundams vs. Final Boss? Anyway, this time around Celestial Being decide to pursue their agenda of peace on earth and goodwill to all men by, er, intervening in a civil war and murdering numerous generics- surely a good example to set. In the meantime, our lead seems to be undergoing the first stages of SEED mode, whilst Haro steals the show with his “short straw!” line.

*NEW* Hero Tales 1: Even though all the promotional material indicated that it wouldn’t be any good, I knew I had to give Hero Tales a try, if only out of loyalty to FMA. Unfortunately, as expected, it was rather generic and boring, featuring a villain who wants to rule the world for some reason, and the Seven Destined Heroes led by Generic Shounen Lead. I’m not sure whether to stick with this for the sake of parody and general mockery, or whether such a thing will be too draining on the schedule.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai 14: It’s Takano’s turn on “Villains: the Early Years” this time around, as we learn of the depressing childhood that put her on the path to evil- spanning everything from the death of her father, time spent in the world’s most miserable Generic Cruel Orphanage and the meeting with Adolf Hitler that led her to pursue a similar path of evil. Yes, I do feel sorry for her and regard her as more than the mere ‘gwakaka’ class of villain that she was before, but it did seem that there were some gaps in the story (is there more to be told), and just because this was more interesting than the bulk of episodes this season does not make it more than mediocre in the grand scheme of things.

“…and I am also Hitler!”

Kaiji 2: It’s time for that all-important game of Restricted Rock-Paper-Scissors to begin, but in a game that’s mainly about luck, some people will take any measures to win- and our naïve young hero manages to get himself conned by one. Now backed into a corner, Kaiji must search for a way out, because if he doesn’t, then we’ll have to watch him toil away in a forced labour camp for the rest of the series. Once again (and I suspect I’ll be saying this every week), it’s very GAR and MANLY, but also highly enjoyable. Unlike Akagi, however, I don’t have the luxury of being able to watch the whole thing in one long marathon to compensate for the measured pace.

*NEW* Minami-ke 1-2: I was initially reluctant to try Minami-ke- as a tale of three school-age sisters living together, it could either turn out to be good Azumanga/Ichigo Mashimaro league, or poor Binbou/Lucky Star style. Fortunately, it turned out to be the former- an enjoyable slice-of-life tale instead of a merely dull attempt. Aside from little oddities like the drop-shaped mouths of the three leads, this series has made an amusing and entertaining start with nothing more than short sketches about the daily lives of the characters- I must write about what makes series of this type work as opposed to those that fail miserably.

*COMPLETE* Mononoke 12: The medicine seller’s journey has finally come to an end with the unravelling of the mystery behind the dead reporter who triggered this series of events. All-in-all, this was a solid arc and a nice conclusion to a series that managed to deliver overall, but it just seems a shame to cut it short here- if only we could have both a second season and some insight into the character of the medicine seller himself.

*NEW* Moyashimon 1: The latest anime to air in the legendary noitaminA block, Moyashimon tells the tale of a boy who can see microbes with his naked eyes (they look like cute little chibi shapes) as he starts studying at an agricultural college in Tokyo. Naturally, his teachers are very interested in his apparent ability, but whilst one of them is ready to believe him, the other will take some convincing- and how much time does he want to spend with a pair of professors who have a taste for raw and rotting meat? Although the premise does seem a little strange, the microbes are so cute and well done that it is worth watching for them alone.

*COMPLETE* Mushi-Uta 12: It’s a CG bug extravanganza as the first season of Mushi-Uta comes to an end, complete with Kakkou facing off against Nanahoshi is giant final boss form, Shiika trying to survive being stabbed and the legendary Voracious Eater watching from the sidelines. It did seem as if they tried to pack in a few too many story threads into what turned out to be an extended final boss confrontation, but overall this has been an enjoyable series despite its tendency to cover everything from normal high school interaction to giant bug fights. Bring on season two.

Rental Magica 2: Even though it wasn’t particularly slow-paced or dull, this week’s episode of Rental Magica just seemed to drag on forever, and it certainly puts my long-term relationship with the series in doubt. This time around we seemed to jump back in time to the days when Itsuki was angsting over whether to become Astral’s president, during which time we see his first meeting with Adilisia and learn about a past connection with Honami. The hints about how he got his demonic eye were at least interesting, but the rest was a bit too standard to enthral. I must also note Gintama as an influence since the cat-user Nekoyashiki looks a lot like Gintoki.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 21: Yes, I know I’m a week behind (totally unacceptable for a series I profess to like so much), but these things happen so bear with me. In this episode, Shuurei and the others continue to investigate the art forgeries, with Santa’s laid back attitude getting on both Shuurei’s nerves and that of the audience. I must admit I’m somewhat put off by the number of new and minor characters that have taken precedence in this arc, but apparently it’s building into something worth sticking around for.

*COMPLETE* Seirei no Moribito 25-6: At last the long slog is over- the egg has hatched safely, Chagum is back in the palace, and Balsa has gone on her way for now. I have to admit that episode 25 was one of the best instalments in a way, with a tense action scene as the Eight Evil Men fight off a mass of La Lunga, but whilst it is usually welcome to have some sort of epilogue for a series, in this case it only meant that 26 was more on the dull side that we’ve come to expect (although Chagum and Balsa’s parting did raise a tiny bit of emotion).

Shakugan no Shana II 2: The raw project begins this week with the second episode of Shana II, which includes the usual harem elements, action and disappointing villain, as well as a rare chance to see a bento box entirely stuffed with melon bread. After dreading how bad this was going to be, it was actually quite a manageable episode, although the appearance of Hecate (?) in school at the end seems to indicate that the tiresome harem-go-round will only escalate.

*NEW* Sketchbook ~full color’S~ 1: Quirky capitalisation aside, Sketchbook offers a first episode that can only be called ‘nice’- as slice-of-life goes, it isn’t particularly outstanding, but it is so gentle and filled with cats that one cannot be offended by it. The series follows various members of an art club, with the lead, Sora, being the typical thoughtful and not very talkative type- she may be perfectly erudite in her head, but she does come across as somewhat bizarre thanks to her lack of communication skills. Even so, I must stick with it to see the promised glut of felines.

MANGA

Elfen Lied 78: Bandou finally meets his long-delayed end in this chapter, which is basically a tearful goodbye between him and Mayu. It should be an emotional moment, but since he’s cheated death so many times, it’s more a case of relief that he’s gone now.

Hunter X Hunter 262: It’s been over eighteen months, but Togashi has finally produced a new chapter of HxH- the question is, was it worth the wait? Sadly, not really, for whilst the artwork is better than before, backgrounds are still completely nonexistent and the story has yet to go anywhere- let’s just start end the preparations and start the attack on King before Togashi gets ‘ill’ again.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 169: CLAMP must have been reading FMA of late, because this time around Fuuma shows up with an artificial arm for Kurogane, the payment for which is the last of Fye’s magic. That aside, the time all the fanboys have been waiting for is here- after many, many volumes, Seishirou is finally back, but it remains to be seen just what he is after this time (possible Fye since he is now a vampire).