Also, my blog is now over six months old; it hardly feels like I have been doing this for half a year.

Fruits Basket II: Tohru saves the world
If 136 chapters of Furuba weren’t enough for you, then fear not, because Furuba II is exactly what you’ve been waiting for! Tohru, the girl who can solve anyone’s problems, is set to return in this sequel, which sees her resolve to put the world itself to rights in her most ambitious plan yet! With her pure heart and sound advice intact, Tohru will talk to each and every generic person she meets, cleansing their hearts of even the smallest and most trivial of afflictions! To give you an idea of what to expect, we have summarise some of the early chapters below.

1. Tohru meets a woman who stubbed her toe several years ago and helps her to get over the painful memory of what happened.
2. Tohru locates trios of evil lesbians and transforms them into benign lesbians.
3. Tohru rescues a cat that gets stuck up in a tree and helps it find meaning in its life.
4. Tohru sorts out a squabble between two siblings over who ate the last chocolate biscuit.
5. Tohru gathers together world leaders for a summit to discuss world peace.

All this and more can be found in the new one thousand chapter epic- look forward to it!

Kenichi 6

Kenichi tries to argue that HARD GAY is not for him.

The others tell him it is too late to go back to being straight.

When a bearded man tells you to prepare yourself, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s going to happen next.

After that little experience, Kenichi is an instant convert to the ways of HARD GAY.

“Come here and let me feel your Zhuge Liang.”

The HARD GAY life includes weekend trysts…

…not to mention intense training…

…and last but not least, intense man-on-man action.

Short Parody: Death Note part II

Light and L work together on the investigation team.

L: So, what do you think, Light-kun?

(Light: Justice mode!)

The background disappears and Light turns red.

(Light: Gwakaka, foolish L, I will easily outwit you, for I am justice!).

Light returns to normal and replies to L’s question.

L: Hmm, I see.

(L: Justice mode!)

The background disappears and L turns blue.

(L: Kira, you will never outwit me, for I am justice!)

L returns to normal.

Souichiro Yagami: My team would like to help.

L: I’m sorry, but your team is too generic to do much more than donkey work.

Matsuda: All right, I love donkey work!

Mogi: Quiet, Matsuda.

Matsuda: At least I get dialogue and a personality.

Light: Shut up, you fools, none of you are worthy of even pursuing the great Kira! Uh, I mean, that’s what I would say if I were Kira, which I’m most certainly not.

Matsuda: I don’t think Light-kun is Kira.

(L: Hmm, I guess there’s a 1% possibility of him being Kira.)

Weekly Awards

Apples of the week: The mighty apple empire is spreading even as we speak, so much so that my current MSN nickname is ‘Piney Apple’. This week, the apple influence has been traced to Suzuka, Sailor Moon and Master Keaton.

Fat cat honourable mention: Despite his short puffy tail, Gorou from Suzuka deserves to be added to the roster of notable fat cats.

Most fun parody: An excuse for me to mention Chevalier; never has writing parodies (both normal and alternate) been this enjoyable.

Alcohol of the week: A special award for Master Keaton, a series seemingly drenched in alcoholic beverages.

Figure review: Xenosaga ⅛ KOS-MOS

Alter’s KOS-MOS was first released at the end of 2005, but thanks to my laxity in actually ordering one, I missed out on the first release. After cursing my bad luck, I wasted no time in pre-ordering one once the re-release was announced, only to become indecisive as to whether I actually wanted her or not. Fortunately, on arrival, the figure proved good enough to keep, and she has since occupied a place on my shelf.

Despite looking like a little like a bondage queen (we all know Shion created her for HARD YURI), KOS-MOS is a surprisingly attractive and well designed figure in real life, something none of the generic photos really reflect. Although it isn’t clear from this image, KOS-MOS’ hair is actually a translucent blue, whilst the base on my version isn’t the clear round one, but a rectangular white block which is obtrusive enough to dwarf the figure a little.

Overall, a surprisingly good figure with a nice dynamic pose- maybe not one for everyone, but an essential purchase for Xenosaga fans.

HARD GAY Corner: Star Ocean 2
Some may think that SO2 is not the most obvious choice for this feature, but for those who can read between the lines, it is simply bursting with HARD GAY. The main couple of the series are Claude and Dias, both of whom only regard Rena as a way for the two of them to get together. Note how Dias is always interested in Claude’s swordsmanship, not to mention that effeminate voice that says “Claude has advanced” every time he levels up. Unfortunately, Claude will not be HARD GAY enough for Dias until he has advanced to Level 255, but Dias is a patient man.

Meanwhile, both Ashton and Bowman are clearly interested in HARD GAY, but as at least one ending shows, they are forced to get together when Claude refuses to give his heart to anyone but Dias.

*NEW* Licensing Reactions

In all honesty, I can’t say I believe anyone cares what I think about certain series being licensed, but when has that ever stopped me before?

• Death Note (Viz): Hardly a surprise, but now it’s official, and we’ll even be able to buy subbed downloads…only I’ve no doubt most will either acquire them for free from less official sources, or save their money for the actual DVDs. I can’t say I care greatly about the Death Note anime; I’m already buying the manga, and that’s enough for me.
• Rozen Maiden (Geneon): Now, here’s a trickier one…I’m certainly not as big a fan of Rozen Maiden as I used to be, but I’m still tempted to get the at least first season on DVD. Maybe I’ll rewatch it and then decide; still, this pretty much guarantees that there will be a cheap US release of the OST as well. I won’t pay £15 for the OST, but £6 is a different matter.

Mini-rant: OMG it’s licensed!!
And now for a rant about the flip side of licensing; the inevitable outcry from the fans as they worry about their free fansubs drying up because some evil American company wants to get rich off poor destitute anime fans. Now, I’ll admit that it can be annoying to be in the middle of a series as excellent as Chevalier and have regular releases threatened or disrupted, but come on, when have we ever gone without? Even shows as undeservedly high profile as Naruto and Bleach can still be acquired without too much difficulty- yes, many groups will drop it, but you can bet that there will still be an underground release with English subs courtesy of “Anonymous”.

Of course, beyond the basic reaction, we have to have the usual “US companies mess it up” or “the English dub will be crap” complaints, despite the fact that the vast majority of DVDs are uncut and have an accurate subtitled translation- if you don’t like the English dub, don’t listen to it. Contrary to popular belief, including an English dub hardly affects the price that much, and if you’re grubbing around for such thin excuses not to pay for a DVD, it’s hardly likely you’re going to buy it anyway.

In the end, it’s not that I actually care whether people are downloading anime or what they choose to acquire- it’s simply a case of getting annoyed at the repetitive whining every single time a big title is licensed for US release. Just learn to use a site other than AnimeSuki and I guarantee you too can continue your piracy unabated.

In Your Reflection
This week in Tuesday Rumble, IYR has something a little different- the first four of the five ‘Pillar Bishies’ (number five has yet to be revealed), the bishiest males in all anime-dom, and the poster boys for HARD GAY.

First up is Ludwig (Lui) from Meine Liebe, the cool and calm one who may be antisocial, but is the only character with the brains to save the day.

Next on the list is Balmung from .hack; he may have a headband, but his white hair and wings make him more than worthy. It’s a shame that he doesn’t look so good in real life.

Third is Haruka of Tactics- with his dark hair, suit and optional wings, he is surely far worthier than his evil master Kantarou.

The latest addition to the set is Shi Ryuuki from SaiMono; although Seiran and Sakujun almost joined him, in the end I felt that their anime forms let them down. An honourable mention also goes to Ayumu Narumi from Spiral.

Amusing Search Terms

hack audition, audition sea perfect hack, hacker Audition, audition sea hack, hack AUDITION, \”audition hacker\”, Audition hacker, hacker audition, hack pre audition

Grunty, .hack//: I’m just happy that other people like grunties.

Rough S&M: I can’t even offer smooth S&M.

nayuki is evil: yes, she is- she poisoned Makoto and discredited Mai through subliminal messages.

cubis flame: As far as I’m aware, Cubis is a Flash game where you match up groups of three cubes.

mai otome nude

ginga+densetsu+weed+plush: People often look for this- do such plushies exist?

http : // i.am /shirogane: I.am/not

\”BUSOU RENKIN AFTER\”

you toube, YOU TOUBE: poor you toube, it is nothing compared to the hack audition wave.

new animes shonen coming in 2007: Don’t know, don’t care.

Marimite rap: “Hey everyone, let’s get down, with Yumi, Sachiko and the crowd, Marimite rap, for you and me, feel the beat of HARD YURI”.

which utawarerumono character are you te: I am Karura.

fruits basket 136 is good: Isn’t that a matter of opinion?

naked \”chocotto sister\”, \”chokotto sister\” naked OR nudity: Naked or nudity, I’ll take either.

girls sticking bowling pin in them: This scares me.

whai is climax:…but this is equally terrifying.

mai hime episode 25 script form: Hmm, like I would ever be bothered to do that.

doujin school rumble: More doujin searches.

jeremy kyle show: How does my blog get clicked on in a search for a UK chat show?

azure dress up games: No dress up games here.

how can you find out the cycle of the mo: Moon!

pleasure and pain manga: Many manga series are painful.

\”Akane I can\’t\”: Don’t do it, Kazuya, her Otome-hood is at stake.

saber is mine: You’re welcome to her.

\”naked underage girl\”

*NEW* Amusing Spam

In between pages of ads for Spanish sex websites and offers of cheap prescription drugs, there are a few gems of dubious coherence. For obvious reasons, links have been removed and the more tasteless expletives have been edited.

good blog is dead blog:-) long live!: yes, this makes sense.

very best idea make rules time!: I really think this should be an Engrish slogan, or maybe even a mecha attack.

This is a top gouge beaten path jogger. The midsole, which is svabodu belarusii urgent cushioning and solidity layer of direction shoes, usually wears out beforehand the outsole.

nice shoes! wanna f***? :))) gay pron I’ll miss you :))): Flattery will get you everywhere?

I love my child .But i still would get angry: Me too…not that I have a child.

hello. it’s a nice day for your ideas and our money: I don’t care about your money, only mine.

very good post from our team: I didn’t know I was anyone’s team.

Stick with the basketball, but keep your options open. Not to jinks you, but you could get hurt: Yes, blogging is much more dangerous than basketball.

136 chapters ago, orphaned high school student Tohru Honda came to live with the Sohmas, a family with a bizarre secret; when hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they turned into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Now, the series has finally concluded- all the tears have been shed, the confessions have been made, and we can at last get on with our lives. But what should the final verdict on Furuba be- was it the best manga ever, or did it simply outstay its welcome?

Like many people, my Furuba experience actually started with the anime, a series that was highly enjoyable but also one that ended too soon. Having been drawn so fully into the heartfelt and bittersweet world of Tohru and the Sohmas, I was desperate to find out what happened next, and with that in mind, the manga seemed the logical next step.

And indeed, when I started reading the manga, it seemed an entirely worthy experience. Over the course of the first twelve or so volumes, Fruits Basket wove a deceptively simple story of drama and romance, the tale of one pure-hearted girl’s catalytic effect on a group of people too trapped and scared to save themselves. Their problems may have been more extreme than most, but they were still ones that the reader could identify with, based as they were on the feelings of isolation, loneliness and uncertainty that almost everyone experiences at some point in their lives. What could be more satisfying, then, than to watch them slowly opening up and putting aside the pain that had haunted them for so long?

Yes, for a time, Furuba was onto to a good thing, and I was only too happy to be swept along with it. I let myself be absorbed into the world of these unique and likable characters, smiling when things when worked out for them, and even shedding a few tears at the most bittersweet and sorrowful moments (I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice to say that you should have a few tissues handy when reading volume six). It all seemed nothing short of excellent, and I was only too happy to include Furuba in that select list of favourite series.

Unfortunately, as with so many things, the good times were not to last forever. As the series moved into its second half, I began to feel a niggling sense of dissatisfaction- a treacherous yet inescapable feeling that Furuba simply wasn’t engaging me to the same extent that it previously had. As the weeks passed and still more chapters came my way, I couldn’t deny it- Furuba was losing its impact.

Aside from a select few exceptions, most series have a limited lifespan, and Furuba was already approaching its expiry date. Between its extended cast and their various problems, Furuba was already walking the fine line between engaging drama and over-the-top angst, and now it was about to topple over the edge.

The downhill slide began with the introduction of no less than four new characters- the student council that newly elected president Yuki Sohma would be working with. Furuba hardly needed more characters, but not only did it bring in an entire quartet to occupy Yuki, but it gave two of them complicated and traumatic histories that were the equal of anything the Sohmas had experienced. From then, it felt as if the series had simply gone too far; not only did almost everyone featured on its pages seemed to have some kind of troubled past filled with family conflicts, deceased relatives and other distressing incidents, but Tohru became the ultimate Mary Sue, magically healing all their wounds with just the power of her smile. What had once been such an excellent series was now beginning to bear a distinct resemblance to a tangled and melodramatic soap opera.

Equally disappointing in the later chapters is the laziness with which the main storyline is finally resolved. The curse of the Sohmas is the driving force behind the series, and the question in every readers mind must have been whether or not it would be broken, especially in the case of Kyo, who as the Cat, bore the brunt of it. It seemed reasonable to expect that everything would end happily for our protagonists, but given the care taken in setting up the curse, surely it would receive an equally well thought conclusion? Unfortunately not; apparently the situation would have worked itself out over time no matter what happened, effectively rendering the events of the entire series somewhat pointless.

Final Thoughts
Any series could be proud of laying claim to twelve volumes of excellence, but enjoyable as they were, such heights quickly pale when balanced with a further eleven volumes of intense angst and a focus split between far too many characters. It could be argued that Furuba’s ending was never going to be anything but a little bit cheesy and disappointing, but even so, it didn’t have to take quite so long getting there.

I hate resizing images. Picture heavy posts are always tough and tedious work, because up until now I’ve been resizing them manually. It was only last night that I finally discovered the power of the batch resizing program, a device which shall make my life infinitely easier. No longer shall I spend hours at my computer painstakingly editing images- now I can go out and live (or more likely, stay in and spend time at the computer doing something else).

Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 4, Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 3-4, Busou Renkin 5, Bartender 2, Code Geass 4, Death Note 5, Hecatan 1, Kanon 5, Keroro 63, Chevalier 9, Negima!? 4, Otogi-jushi Akazukin 15-16, Red Garden 4, ROTK 29, SaiMono 20, Shounen Onmyouji 2, YoakeNa 5

…and in manga: Furuba 133-4, GITS 1.5 1, Gokinjo 33, Otome 33, Spiral 17-18, NHK 32, Haruhi Suzumiya novel 4.4

ANIME

Asatte no Houkou 4: It’s up to Shouko and Karada to convince Hiro that they really have swapped ages, but can he be persuaded to believe that his little sister is all grown up? Apart from some touching moments towards the end, this episode wasn’t quite up to the level of the previous three, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless (not to mention far ahead of most other recent releases). I really can’t recommend this series enough, and am almost considering promoting it to the hallowed ‘top ten’.

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 3-4: As Bakumatsu forges ahead, I continue to have less and less of an idea what’s actually going on, but somehow it remains entertaining. From the excellent FictionJunction OP to the atmospheric setting and slick action scenes, the series’ presentation comes together to such an extent that the story itself doesn’t really matter. It may sound like a case of style over substance, but it isn’t so much that the substance is absent, just that I’m finding it a little impenetrable.

The Millennium Eye from Yu-Gi-Oh makes an unexpected return.

Busou Renkin 5: It’s standard shounen all the way as Kazuki and Tokiko face off against the third general of evil, the eagle homunculus. Unfortunately, the fast pace that characterised the first few episodes is now slowing down, and there are a few too many “only the destined hero can do it”-style clichés, but the series still manages to remain watchable.

*DROPPED* Bartender 2: I can’t say that I’ve ever felt fidgety and irritable after watching an anime episode before, but somehow the second episode of Bartender managed to achieve just that. I want to like the series, but I just feel divorced from the events of the episode due to the presentation; the narrator’s voice sets my teeth on edge and the incessant piano playing that passes for background music intrudes too much on my consciousness. This episode saw a woman come to the eponymous bartender in the hopes that he could identify a drink related to a story of her past- unfortunately, it is impossible to care about her tale when the characters seem so lifeless.

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion 4: With Suzaku having been arrested for the murder of Prince Clovis, Lelouch decides to don his ‘Zero’ mask and rescue his friend- cue lots of running around from people with brightly coloured hair. Whilst not as appealing as the previous episode, Code Geass (aka Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Geass) still manages to hang on by virtue of being fairly entertaining.

Death Note 5: It’s a turning point for Light this week, as he goes beyond merely ‘judging’ criminals and starts using the Death Note against those attempting to catch Kira. Now that events are moving, the quality of the series improves as we are given a respite from the lengthy exposition scenes. The background music is also worthy of note for its simple yet atmospheric style.

That being said, I must digress here in order to air a mini-rant about an annoyingly sexist part of this series (and yes, it was in the manga as well).

Perhaps five screencaps is a bit excessive to make one minor point, but even so- “Woman, you are now my chattel and must cease having any kind of life or identity of your own; instead, get to pumping out and raising strong sons whilst I go off and do MANLY things.”

Itadaki no Hecatetan 1: The follow-up to Shakugan no Shanatan, this instalment takes the series of short extras to new and disturbing places. As the title indicates, Shanatan is joined by the chibi Hecatetan; potentially interesting as this may seem, all it does is lead to a special filled with HARD GAY and penis fondling. Unless you have a strong stomach or an unnaturally strong urge for completion, avoid at all costs.

Normally I would have to take this out of context to make it HARD GAY, but let’s just say that this time any alteration to the original intent is unnecessary.

Kanon 5: Despite being advised not to do it, I just had to start watching the old Kanon series this week, and as someone who hasn’t played the game, I’m finding it more enjoyable than the remake. This week sees Yuuichi enter new levels of evil as he tightens his hold on Makoto and begins pursuing Mai and Sayuri; once again it just feels that the development is spread too thinly around all the girls.

Keroro Gunso 63: Season two continues to slowly improve with this episode, which features Keroro coming into school (in Pekopon suit) to teach Fuyuki’s class, followed by an impromptu visit from Keroro’s father in order to announce an arranged marriage for his son. The first half of the episode isn’t particularly inspiring, but whilst it lacks in originality, Keroro’s attempts to convince his father that he is already engaged to Natsumi are reasonably amusing. Of course, I’m a sucker for Keron-style resonance, so the ‘Natsunatsunatsu” scene immediately won points for the episode.

Le Chevalier d’Eon 9: The Russia arc gets into full swing as the Four Musketeers apply their skills to foiling a plot to assassinate Empress Elizabeth. Despite a drop in animation quality, the content remains as good as ever; the only trouble with Chevalier is that one episode at a time is never enough.

Negima!? 4: I don’t greatly enjoy watching Negima, but as before, I’m sure that next episode will win me over. This time around, Negi must combat an encroaching darkness that may be related to the theft of the power Star Crystal; the shoutacon obsessed girls and naked transformations are disturbing, but I can get through each episode by virtue of the visuals alone.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 15-16: Since Hansel, Gretel and Randagio have lost so many times, episode 15 sees Cendrillon decide to send out mecha-witch Trude, the next recurring enemy. After turning most of the party into wooden dolls and thus trapping them in another dimension, Trude stands around waiting for the heroes to save the day, but from the looks of things she’ll be back many times despite her limited repertoire. Not a particularly enthralling episode, but one that marks a bit of a turning point for the series by adding some variety to the standard formula.

Episode 16 takes our heroes to Ibara’s home land in order to give the sleeping beauty some much needed backstory; it’s an interesting episode by Akazukin standards, which finally answers the question of why she falls asleep so often.

Red Garden 4: The only reason I’m watching Red Garden is to answer the question “why have high school girls been revived in order to fight slavering men?”. I really couldn’t care less about the development of the annoying and dislikeable leads, and hence episodes like this one fail to capture my attention. It is quite possibly more realistic to have them whining and crying all the time, but sometimes realism must sacrificed for the sake of entertainment; until these girls get their act together, this is going to be a painful ride.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 29: The end of Guan Yu’s stay with Cao Cao seemed to promise a reduction in HARD GAY hilarity, but fortunately ROTK stays in form this episode as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei reunite. Unfortunately, poor Sun Quan only gets a “and by the way, Sun Quan exists” mention, which is something of a blow for Wu fans, but otherwise it remains as unintentionally amusing as ever.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 20: Shuurei and Eigetsu are off to Sa Province, but before we get to their adventures it’s time for some back story. Focussing on Seien/Seiran and Ryuuki’s formative years and the Saiunkoku civil war, this episode may not further the story much, but it does a good job of filling in some of the blanks. To put it simply, SaiMono is always highly enjoyable, and this episode is certainly no exception.

Shounen Onmyouji 2: With decent subs, SO immediately upgrades from “what the hell is this?” to light entertainment; it may still be a poor man’s Tactics, but now that the dialogue is no longer cobbled together from Google translations, it becomes an enjoyable series for fans of fantasy and action. This episode sees Masahiro pay a visit to the Minister of the Left after his coming-of-age ceremony, complete with Mokkun’s backchat, introduction to female lead and a monster-of-the-week for our hero to face.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na ~Crescent Love~ 5: It’s the obligatory swimsuit and summer vacation episode this week, as Tatsuya and his harem take to the beach. Whilst this is somewhat more entertaining than last week, the series is still some way below the “light fun” level it initially promised.

There’s been a lot of HARD GAY this week, so here’s some HARD YURI to even it out.

MANGA

Fruits Basket 133-4: As Fruits Basket grinds slowly towards an ending, Tohru’s classmates discover that she is now dating Kyo, leading Hanajima and Uotani to demand that they accompany Tohru and Kyo on their first date. With lines like “it could take ten years” and “this is just the beginning”, it is hard to imagine the series ever actually finishing (although apparently chapter 136 will be the end of it all).

*NEW* Ghost in the Shell 1.5 1: I probably won’t be reviewing the rest of this, but having read the first chapter, it seemed a bit pointless not to include this in the Round-Up. This first chapter sees Togusa assigned to a mission involving a potential ‘zombie’ under remote control; the story isn’t bad but the artwork is a little too rough and cluttered.

*OMAKE* Gokinjo Monogatari 33: Having thought that I’d already finished Gokinjo, I was surprised to see the release of this extra chapter, but it actually turned out to be the ending the series needed. Taking place somewhere between the events of Gokinjo and ParaKiss, the series ties up the adventures of one set of protagonists whilst introducing their successors. Even if you’ve only read Paradise Kiss, it’s worth looking at this chapter for some interesting back story.

Random trivia: Arashi of ParaKiss is the son of Gokinjo’s Risa; apparently she got pregnant whilst still in school, presumably just after the series ended.

Mai-Otome 33: In the aftermath of Mai’s attack, the real Mashiro and Sergey plan further evil, whilst Manshiro, Arika and the others retreat for now with help from Mimi (yes, Mimi is back, and she actually has a better design in the manga). Very little actually happens in this chapter; it’s more an excuse to show off various cast members and remind us that while the fanservice has been in abeyance of late, it’s never too far from the page.

Spiral 17-18: I had pretty much given up all hope of ever being able to read more Spiral, so to have not one, but two additional chapters is a welcome boon. Those familiar with the anime will recognise these chapters as corresponding to the mid-series arc in which Narumi competes with Kousuke and Rio for both Hiyono’s freedom and a tape implicating the Blade Children in a murder; as expected from the series, it’s an absorbing ride which ends too soon.

Welcome to the NHK 32: Although I’m sceptical about how long it will last, this chapter actually looks like a turning point for our heroes, as Satou and his sempai work out their feelings for each other, and Misaki contemplates her future. Could this be heading towards a conclusion, or will they just rollercoaster down into a new wave of depression?

NOVEL

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya vol 4, chapter 4: Given the way I keep writing about these novels, you’d be forgiven for thinking I was a big fan of the series instead of someone who has written two rants about it. This chapter sees Kyon travel back in time once again as part of his attempt to repair the future; despite the headache inducing number of ‘temporal variants’ I’m still enjoying this volume and not particularly looking forward to the series reverting to standalone stories in volume five.

The new season is almost upon us, and yet here I am, having failed to put together any kind of autumn (or, if you prefer, fall) preview whatsoever- and nor am I intending to. Aside from the fact that many people have already done a better job of it than myself, and that I’m simply too lazy to be bothered, past experience has shown that the series I look forward to the most often turn out to be utterly disappointing. After all, in previous seasons, I was foolish enough to expect something of worth from Black Cat, Jigoku Shoujo, Mai-Otome, Fate, xxxHOLiC, Tsubasa, .hack//Roots, Kamisama Kazoku, Binbou…well, the list goes on. Clearly the only way forward is to ignore the most anticipated shows, and only watch the more obscure or unappealing sounding series (does this mean that Bartender will end up being a good choice?).

Reviewed this week: Black Blood Brothers, Chevalier, Higurashi, Keroro, Ouran, ROTK, School Rumble, Tenchi Special, Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC

…and in manga: Furuba, Mai-Otome, Melty Blood, Mushishi, Natsu no Arashi, Tsubasa, Uta, xxxHOLiC, Yotsuba, Zero no Tsukaima novel

ANIME

*DROPPED* Black Blood Brothers 3: One of the lines in the BBB ED is “So tell me, tell me the reason why”, to which the follow up should surely be “why am I watching this?”. I’m not even going to pretend that I particularly knew or cared what was going on in this episode- characters talk, evil arrives, blonde shota gets kidnapped, various other things that might have happened when I wasn’t concentrating. There isn’t even enough parody potential to keep watching on that score alone; this is pure Innocent Venus “why bother” class.

Le Chevalier d’Eon 3: It may only on its third episode, but I’m already completely in love with Chevalier. Treacherously, I can see a clear way to parody it, but at the same time that doesn’t detract from the quality; somehow, the way that the series is presented makes even the most straightforward of scenes transform into something absorbing. This time around, Callon “John Smith” opposes the hero party, whilst Durand decides to take some independent action. I’m entirely impressed at how well the action scenes are handled in this series- it’s a refreshing change from the usual run of stills and half-hearted slashes.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 25: Poor Rena- not only does she seem to believe Takano’s ‘aliens did it’ notebook, but her skin is so paper thin that a few scratches can easily make it bleed. Whilst the police continue to search for her, Keiichi admits that he used to take pot shots at little girls, and Akane Sonozaki makes her first appearance. I may seem to just be picking out random facts, but that’s just how the episode seemed- various bits and pieces here and there, but no real feeling of plot progression. I’m already lamenting the lack of the seventh and eighth arcs in anime form, and will be resorting to game spoilers once the series concludes.

Keroro Gunso 57-8: Unfortunately, the second season of Keroro still isn’t living up to the first, and episode 57 does little to change that trend. The first half sees the older brother of Viper (the first alien faced by the reunited Keroro Platoon) return for revenge against the Kerons, but even having Dororo save the day cannot elevate this beyond mediocre. Part Two follows the adventures of the now giant-sized Keroro, but whilst it begins entertainingly enough, the joke quickly becomes overused when everyone else takes on gigantic proportions.

If anything, however, episode 58 is a level below even the season 2 standard. The first half, following a plan to take over the world via vending machine sales, is reasonably entertaining, but what little promise that segment shows is quickly blown by a dull second part in which Keroro trains Tamama in preparation for a match against Paul. This episode seems to epitomise the nature of season 2- that of seeing slightly inferior copies of your favourite characters trying to recreate the hilarity of season one, but failing to grasp the essence of what made it funny.

Ouran High School Host Club 25: The Ouran Festival is here, and with it, we finally get a glimpse into Tamaki’s past when his father and ‘wicked grandmother’ make an appearance, together with a girl clearly designed to drive a wedge between Tamaki and his beloved Host Club. It’s a refreshing change to have Tamaki cast as more than a blundering buffoon (not to mention seeing Renge in a calm mood), but whilst this episode is solid enough, it doesn’t reach the level of 24.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 23: A new arc begins in the ROTK universe, this time pitting the grasping and ambitious Cao Cao against the pure and righteous Liu Bei (when Cao Cao kills someone, it is murder, but when Liu Bei does it, it is an act of justice). Following a sedate first half in which I began to wonder whether the hilarious subtitles were gone for good, the second half proves highly amusing- not just for the translation, but for the exaggerated reactions of the cast. Unfortunately, however, poor Sun Ce and the Kingdom of Wu have been relegated to the lands of off-screen.

*COMPLETE* School Rumble 2^nd Term 26: School Rumble’s downward spiral comes to a halt in its final episode, which is not so much an ending as a non-ending and almost-reset. The episode basically consists of a particularly uninspiring round of misunderstandings and running around, whilst a flashback to Yakumo’s youth proves that she really should have murdered Tenma long ago. An uninspiring ending to a series that never lived up to its first season, and according to the final screen, School Rumble will go on. If it must continue in animated form, then hopefully it will be a brief OVA at most- I doubt the franchise has enough life left in it to create a worthwhile third season.

Tenchi Muyo Ryo Ohki OVA3 “Plus One” Special: Okay, so this has been out for more than a year, but this is the first time I’ve seen a subbed version available. The special is as underwhelming as the majority of OVA3, consisting of extensive exposition that clears up all the mysteries behind Tenchi’s mother, Noike, and anything else that needed addressing.

*COMPLETE* Utawarerumono 26: The end has come, and whilst it wasn’t great, at least it wasn’t as bad as feared. Dii and Haku battle, flashback mode establishes more of the events of Iceman’s time, Hakuoro says goodbye- the end. It’s a shame Utawarerumono never really lived up to its potential, but from this one anime, my entire addiction to the franchise was born.

*DROPPED* Welcome to the NHK 11: There comes a time when even the most masochistic of viewers must admit that watching anime is not about subjecting oneself to endless and tortuous pain- or, to put it more succinctly, I’ve finally had enough of NHK. Where the manga was fast-paced and bleakly hilarious, the anime has continually replaced dark humour with dull, endless monotony.

xxxHOLiC 23: Having thought that xxxHOLiC was going to be 26 episodes, finding out that it is only 24 brings with it an accompanying feeling of relief, although I am now worried that all the unused manga material is being saved for a second season. Anyway, this episode brings with it a new dose of tedium as Doumeki saves Watanuki from the life draining clutches of the mysterious woman, thus concluding the storyline from episode 22, and opening up all sorts of HARD GAY parody possibilities.

MANGA

Fruits Basket 132: Furuba continues to crawl towards its ending in this chapter, which sees Akito reveal her true gender to all of the jyuunishi, followed by an angsty monologue before she seemingly commits to a relationship with Shigure.

Mai-Otome 28-9: Queen Mashiro’s (or rather Manshiro’s) coronation is finally here, which means it’s time for a gathering of assorted leaders and some tense exchanges between them. Where 28 acts as more of a setup chapter, 29 sees the beginning of a payoff, with the various antagonists making their move and a cliff-hanger ending. Since this is Otome we’re talking about, none of it can be said to be particularly good, but it seems to be leading up to a storyline that will be interesting by virtue of novelty alone.

*CATCH UP* Melty Blood 1-6: In manga form, Type-Moon’s fighting game becomes a sequel of sorts to Tsukihime, taking place one year later and seeing Shiki team up with Sion Eltnam, an alchemist and would-be vampire hunter. So far, little has happened outside of Shiki and Sion wandering around at night, and there’s a critical lack of substance to the story that makes it none too inspiring. Artwork is on the same level as the Fate/Stay Night manga, consisting of solid character designs, but simplistic shading and backgrounds.

Mushishi 9: Since the first 26 chapters are the same as what we’ve seen in the anime, this is yet another familiar segment, this time about a man chasing after a rainbow-like mushi. Since Mushishi can do little to no wrong, this is an enjoyable chapter, and as always I’m eagerly looking forward to more.

*NEW* Natsu no Arashi 1: Usually when I add a new series to this line-up, I try to give some idea of the plot, but to be honest I’m not entirely sure what was going on in the first chapter of Natsu no Arashi. To strip it down to the bare essentials, our 13 year old hero (presumably) comes to a café, meets up with a beautiful high school girl with strange powers, and for some reason gets invited to come and live with her- on top of that, however, there are various other elements, and it isn’t entirely clear what is and isn’t going to be important in the long run. Nonetheless, it’s from the creator of School Rumble, so for that reason alone it gets a fair chance.

Tsubasa Chronicle 129-30: Sakura equips her Gunner Dressphere and heads out to face the trials of the desert alone (can she possibly manage by herself), Kamui and Fuma discuss their plans in the hopes that their arc and existence actually have some meaning, and Fye finally wakes up. It’s all building up to something, but at the current pace, that something may not actually occur for a while.

Utawarerumono 4: Every chapter of the Utawarerumono manga is fairly pointless, and this one, in which Hakuoro visits the New Year festival and literally unmasks an impostor, is equally so. In particular, the artwork seems to have taken a turn for the worse; the mangaka can just about manage Haku and the harem, but s/he really flounders when it comes to portraying the other males- Benawi and Kurou are near unrecognisable.

xxxHOLiC vol 9, chapter 5: Picking up where the last chapter left off, this instalment sees Watanuki meet up with the youthful spirit medium once again, and begin to strike up a bond with her. An interesting enough read, but I remain cautiously hopeful that this storyline will actually lead somewhere.

Yotsuba&! 40: Having decided that Fuuka must get her fair share of the delicious milk, Yotsuba boldly follows her to school in an attempt to deliver it- cue much hilarity as our pint-sized heroine not only ventures out on her own, but ends up wandering the confines of Fuuka’s school.

NOVEL

*New* Zero no Tsukaima vol 1, chapter 1: Having heard that the novel is not as critically flawed as the anime, it didn’t seem too much effort to give the first translated chapter a try. A mercifully brief instalment, the chapter covers Saito’s summoning and the beginning of his life as a familiar- it’s too early to judge overall quality, but so far I’m not experiencing the complete and utter turn-off that the anime induced.

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

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

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

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

ANIME

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

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

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

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

Keiichi is disappointed to have missed out on the killing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ANIME

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ANIME

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

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

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

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

The world must see just how bad the animation is.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OP impressions: An energetic and catchy start.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

Random trivia: Doumeki’s given name is Shizuka.

It’s been a comparatively slow week, particularly for the rather sparse manga section, which blows my tentative plan for making the round-up twice weekly out of the water for now. In the meantime, I’ve cobbled together a pathetic excuse for a poll which can be accessed from the sidebar- if you enjoyed my Weed parodies and want me to do the same for the prequel series Gin (or alternatively, if you want to stop me from doing anything of the sort), then be sure to vote. Poll removed due to lack of functionality and interest.

Reviewed this week: Aria, Higurashi, H&C II, Keroro, ROTK, School Rumble, NHK, xxxHOLiC, Innocent Venus (Ouran will be back next week for double, or possibly even triple fun, along with some new additions to the roster)

…and in manga: Fruits Basket, Solanin

ANIME

Aria the Natural 14: It’s all gondolas, all the time! The latest visit to Aqua sees Akari attempting to design a palina (think a patterned mooring pole) for Aria Company. As always, the sweet simplicity of Akari and President Aria’s actions brought a smile to my face- no matter how simple or trivial an event may be, Aria always manages to turn it into something fascinating. And similarly, no matter how many times the same handful of tracks are used, I may never tire of the gentle and soothing tones of the background music.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 19: It’s “enter psycho Shion” this week, complete with whip, taser and fully established alternate personality. An absorbing and oddly cathartic episode that keeps the series close to the top of the pile (oddly I’ve only just realised that the anime has just two of the four ‘answer’ arcs).

Honey and Clover II 7: Another excellent episode of H&C, a ‘past chapter’ focussing on Morita’s father and the demise of his company. Coincidentally, the episode touched on a concept I’ve been thinking about lately, that of those without natural talent eternally trying to catch up with those who have; as always, H&C hits the right emotional chords and manages the rare feat of giving the viewer something to think about.

And then, at the end…what happened to Hagu?

Keroro Gunso 50-52: Fifty is not up to the level of 48-9, but is a solid and entertaining episode nonetheless. Inspired by a video of their pre-invasion press conference, Giroro gets fired up and convinces the platoon to secure their hold on the Hinata home; unfortunately, this leads to problems when Natsumi comes down with a fever shortly after the Kerons smash all the telephones and erect an electric barrier around the house. Naturally, Giroro is the one to force his way through the barrier in search of a cure for his beloved, whilst Keroro and the others attempt to clear up their latest mess.

Sunrise and sweet potato dango- I’m not imagining it when I say there’s a link.

51 marks the end…of the first season, at least, and even though the existence of over sixty more episodes obviously meant that everything would turn out okay in the end, I couldn’t help feeling a pang of emotion when Keroro and his platoon said goodbye to their Earth-bound friends.

Season two kicks off with episode 52, which felt oddly like returning home and finding the furniture rearranged- it’s familiar, but not quite the same as before. After the obligatory series recap, Keroro seems to have returned to his old ways after retrieving the Kero Ball, whilst the second half sees Fuyuki attempt to rescue Momoka from the clutches of ‘black Tamama’. A few laughs here, but not a particularly strong episode overall.

OP2 impressions: I like the character montage but the song is awful- gravel-voiced Japanese singers have never been among my favourites.

ED2 impressions: The spiritual successor to ‘Afro Gunso’ (but without the catchiness), this should have been left in the days when disco was ‘in’.

Gym Ghingnham forsees a promising outlook if his application to join the Keroro platoon is successful.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 17: Cao Cao manages to get the better of Lu Bu, but when Lu Bu goes to Liu Bei for assistance, the righteous lord of justice and destiny cannot say no. Can the evil and grasping Cao Cao hope to undermine Liu Bei and Lu Bu’s alliance? I was worried that the hilarity of the last episode meant we were in for another dull patch, but this instalment was a consistently amusing outin

School Rumble 2^nd Term 19: Somehow, Harima has finally managed to finish his script, but before he hands it in to his editor, he wants to let Tenma read it. Cue a lot of running around, and the usual brand of misunderstandings, but once again, I have to admit that it was a weak instalment- to the point of being painful in places. Oh look, Tenma has just forgiven Harima for one misunderstanding, but now he’s just messed up in some other way- didn’t we see this kind of thing in Love Hina?

Welcome to the NHK 5: I wouldn’t say I’m happy with this by any stretch, but somehow this instalment was inoffensive enough to grant NHK a stay of execution. The episode covers Satou’s brief reunion with his old sempai (now accompanied by her own personal pharmacy) and his acceptance of Misaki’s contract; it can’t be said that a great deal happens, but at least the anime didn’t mess up any significant jokes this time, and I even found myself chuckling at the “robust serpent” scene. The animation seems to have stabilised from “full drug trip” to “mild aftereffects”, although in place of the distorted shapes we’re gifted with an overabundance of stills. The series remains in the red zone, but contrary to my expectations, I will be sampling episode six.

xxxHOLiC 18: Much like NHK, xxxHOLiC manages to effect something of a comeback this week, moving from utterly awful to tolerably average. This instalment covers the Demon Parade chapter from the manga, and whilst the story has been stretched a little to fit the full episode, it nonetheless manages to be many times more entertaining than the previous episode. Unfortunately, the animation is still weak; close-ups are looking better now, but most of the scenes from the parade look as if they were doodled by elementary school students.

Believe it or not, this is a screencap from xxxHOLiC. Watanuki and Domeki are at the centre.

DROPPED

Innocent Venus: I tried my utmost to give this a fair chance, but in the end I had to accept that a) I didn’t have a clue what was going on, and b) I didn’t particularly care about what was going on anyway. This time around, Jo gets emo, annoyingly stereotypical pirates show up, ugly mecha deploy, and army officers of evil make villainous plans. Possibly the biggest collection of stereotypes since Kiba, hence the bonus section below.

Special bonus- series ripped off by IV: Last Exile, Wolf’s Rain, Kurau, Hunter X Hunter, Burst Angel, Mahou Shoujotai, Arc- Twilight of the Spirits, Stand Alone Complex, Gasaraki, .hack//Roots, RahXephon

MANGA

Fruits Basket 131: When I opened this in CDisplay, a “Warning! Garbage at the end of the zip file” message popped up, which I took to be related to the content of this chapter. In all seriousness, this wasn’t too bad a chapter, covering the story of the first juunishi banquet and the fact that everyone is free, although typically now they are angsting over the fact that the curse is gone. Apparently Takaya plans to end the series “within the year”, by which I hope she means the year 2006.

Solanin 5: Given the low page count per chapter, instalments of Solanin feel especially few and far between, but they are rewarding in the main. This time around, we get a glimpse into the life of Meiko’s friend “Billy” as he works in the local shop; recommended for all fans of Honey & Clover.

To celebrate the fortnight anniversary of the Weekly Round-Up (or rather, because I just thought them up), this week sees two new additions to the format-

1. Series in red are on Zero Tolerance, which basically means that they have 1-2 more episodes to impress before being dropped entirely.

2. Whenever a series introduces a new OP/ED, I will try to specifically comment on it. For now, I won’t be extensively ‘back-commenting’ on existing OP/EDs.

Reviewed this week: Aria, Chocotto Sister, FLAG, Good Witch, Higurashi, H&C II, Innocent Venus, Keroro, School Rumble, Tsubasa, Shadow Warrior Chronicles Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC, Night Head Genesis

…and in manga: .hack//4Koma, .hack//GU+, Furuba, Mai-Otome, Tsubasa, xxxHOLiC, Yotsuba&

Many thanks to Necromancer for his work on the Ovan oven; those who have been keeping up with my Roots rants will know that this piece of gadgetry is set to outsell the George Foreman grill.

ANIME

Aria the Natural 12-3: The long weeks without any Aria have been difficult (perhaps I should motivate myself enough to watch the raws), but finally further instalments of Natural are here. Episode 12 is one of Aria’s occasional two-part stories, combining the summer mirage story of volume four, in which Akari wanders into a mysterious coffee shop, with the nightlight chapter that appeared in the Aqua manga. The latter half didn’t touch me as much as its manga counterpart, but overall another sweet and enjoyable outing on Neo Venezia- with added fat cat.

Episode 13 centres on Alice as she sets herself the bizarre yet strict rule of getting home from school by only stepping in shadows (I have to admit, I used to do things like this when I was a kid). Although an episode focussing on the lesser used Alice and Athena is always to be welcomed, this was one of Aria’s weaker moments; perhaps Alice only works well when her stubborn determination is offset by Akari and Aika’s personalities.

Chocotto Sister 3: I thought that dropping Kamisama Kazoku would keep me safe from “x is naked in an apron” but no, here we have Choco doing the exact same thing. That little piece of ‘entertainment’ aside, the bulk of the episode concentrates on introducing Chitose, the meganekko new apartment manager and latest would-be harem member. Chitose is a particularly annoying member of the “clumsy and clueless” class, and I can’t help missing Grandma, but average as this series is, I find it tolerable enough that it doesn’t make the drop zone. I am finding the ED particularly disturbing, however, and will be skipping it from now on.

FLAG 1: The spiritual successor to Gasaraki, FLAG centres on the life of Shirasu, the photojournalist responsible for the ‘FLAG’, a photograph that has become a powerful symbol of peace. Of course, the road to peace isn’t going to be as smooth as just taking one picture, and pretty soon Shirasu is teamed up with a UN squad and their “HAVWC” mecha. To emphasise the whole photography aspect, the episode is told through the perspective of various video cameras and still shots- the jury’s still out on whether this is an innovative technique or just a poor excuse for budget saving.

I can’t say I’m a big fan of the ‘functional realism’ that characterises the series, but I did grow to like Gasaraki so I’m going to give this one a chance; whether it turns out to be “interesting and thoughtful” or just “dull masquerading as clever” remains to be seen.

ED impressions: An ED of two halves; a slow start accompanies some shots of photography equipment, before switching to pictures of Shirasu and a more energetic finish. Not too impressed by the song, but the video suits the series well.

Good Witch of the West 12-3 [Complete]: What was this series about again? In the penultimate episode, we suddenly learn of the existence of a shadow kingdom, and then it’s off to see Lot and Riez, who are not final bosses at all, but just a mere distraction. By the final episode, neither the characters nor writers seem at all clear on what is supposed to be going on, leading to several minutes of standing and talking, followed by a confrontation with the previously unmentioned king, a chat with the queen, and the mysterious yet convenient resetting of everything. To be honest, it’s debatable whether anything at all was accomplished in the entire series.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 18: Another instalment of the “Detective Chapter”, this episode follows the aftermath of Shion’s fingernail pulling, reintroducing Keiichi (who is more annoying than ever), the ever-creepy Takano and taking us up to the events of Watanagashi (not having watched the earlier episodes, Takano and Tomitake still want to break into Oyashiro’s shrine). Apart from the general irritation of seeing Keiichi, and the ridiculousness of the thuggish biker gang, this was another worthy instalment that leaves me desperate for episode 19.

Honey and Clover II 6: No sign of the time travelling aliens proposed last week, nor of the fabled Hachimitsu to Battle game, but nonetheless the much anticipated episode 6 is here. Where earlier episodes were focused on specific characters, this episode is more of a ‘check-in point’ to see where everyone has ended up at this point in time. Takemoto has realised that work is simple, boring and endless; Hagu briefly grows up beyond elementary school age before reverting again; Morita and his brother remember the good old days with their father, and Mayama buys Rika an Ovan oven. I may poke fun at it but it’s all in good humour; not only did I enjoy this episode, but it achieved the remarkable effect of making me care about Kaoru, a character I don’t know a great deal about.

Mayama is a student of the Tenma (Haruka 8 ) and Roux school of relationships.

Innocent Venus 2: I can’t hide it anymore- Innocent Venus is one of those series where I just can’t seem to make myself concentrate enough to really know what is going on. This episode begins a boringly standard terrorist hijacking situation, then various other things happen whilst our heroes are glimpsed and the tarot card-kunai murder team shows up to kill off the generics. Fortunately, the episode ran out of time before the ugly mecha could launch, but my interest in the series is severely lessened by this dull instalment.

OP impressions: for some reason this reminds me of a light J-pop take on Ali Project’s style. Entirely average.

Keroro Gunso 48-9: Two more episodes to ease the building Keroro withdrawal; 48 charts Keroro’s attempt to infect the world with laziness (somehow, even Rei Ayanami gets in on the act here, or at least her fourth incarnation); whilst 49 is a two-part story covering some oddly benevolent behaviour from Kururu that convinces the rest of the platoon to act differently in order to garner attention, and Momoka’s “Fuyuki’s confession” simulator. Unfortunately, the annoying 556 had to appear, but otherwise this was a winning double-act that purged all memories of the unsatisfying afro episodes.

School Rumble 2^nd Term 18: Heedless of the drama that surrounds it, School Rumble marches bravely forward into another episode, and I have to admit that this was a weaker one. More of an “odds-and-ends” instalment in terms of story, this episode covers Harima and Eri ending up at same part-time job; Akira, Yakumo, Sarah and Tenma getting stuck in floorboards; and Nishimoto, Nara and Yoshidayama learning to be ‘cool’ in order to gain entrance to Tougou’s dance party. A few laughs here and there, but overall not a terribly inspiring selection.

ED2 impressions: The song is forgettable but I love the video for its similarities with the first season ED.

Coming soon; Harry McKenzie’s Host Club.

Tsubasa Chronicle 38: Syaoran and co land in a desert world not too dissimilar from the racing levels in Crash Bandicoot 3, and in a slightly out of place turn, immediately notice a feather stuck to a passing truck. Cue twenty five minutes of uninspiring vehicle and crossover character stills whilst our heroes ride a bus and try to catch up with said truck- we even get to listen to an insert song whilst watching the bus drive along a road. Tsubasa has never been good at filler, and it would be safe to say that this is the most dull and uninspired world ever (until the next one); even the bandit attack at the end seems to be an excuse for the two sides to stand and stare each other, carefully conserving animation budget.

Utawarerumono 19: Like the name ‘Shadow Warrior Chronicles’, this episode bordered on the ridiculous as it brought the Na-tunk arc to an end. Derihourai must surely gain the prize for “most dense brother ever” for failing to realise that Karura and his long-lost sister Karurauatsuurei were one and the same until the second half of the episode, whilst his arrogant and petulant nature only serve to annoy (he even tries to acquire Karura for his harem). Poor Suonkasu gets only a modest amount of screentime before meeting his end, whilst the action scenes either involved looped animation of generic warriors, or special attacks ripped from the game and mini-game. I realise that I want to write more about Uta, but to rant or to parody, that is the question.

Next week: our first anime look at Sakuya, Kanhorudari, the armour golems and Hawenkua.

Karura, Eru and Touka discover Sunrise’s Suon’s ’special flowers’.

Welcome to the NHK 4: aka “Welcome to the Drop Zone”. In the manga, this was a brief but hilarious section in which Yamazaki shows Satou the otaku world of specialist shops and maid cafés, culminating in the initial design for their eroge heroine (a terminally ill alien robot maid and childhood friend of the hero). This was one of my favourite sections in the manga, but once again the anime stretches it out and waters it down so much that the result is painfully unfunny. It also seems that the animators are skipping shifts (could all the Gonzo, Bee Train and Production IG animators be attending a Sunrise ‘sweet potato dango’ party?), meaning that everything looks so bad that it’s hard to tell warped dream sequences from reality. With such dull episodes and an entirely disturbing end sequence, this is falling to the bottom of the pile- if episode five doesn’t impress, I won’t be watching any more.

‘Ultimate moe’- the way it was meant to be

xxxHOLiC 17: Apparently this episode was based on a xxxHolic novel, which I mention for informational purposes as it doesn’t really make it any the less boring. Focussing on yet another woman with self-esteem issues, the episode mainly consists of Yuuko and Watanuki sitting in a room and talking about nothing much. The animation (if you can call it that), is better than episode 15, but still poor enough to ensure ugly characters and more stills than a photography exhibit; I really didn’t think I could find a series that made NHK and Tsubasa look good, but here it is. This is perilously close to being dropped, but as episode 18 is a manga-based story, it earns one last chance.

Dropped

Night Head Genesis: If episode was one was “average but promising”, then episode two must surely be “average but dull”. The entire episode takes place inside the confines of the seedy bar that Naoto and Naoya reached at the end of episode one, and aside from some cutlery bending and mind-reading, not a great deal happens. The tone of the episode is lessened by the inclusion of the arrogant “REAL MAN” Jin, who is dislikeable from the start, and only gets worse when he tries to beat up his girlfriend for having affairs with the other onscreen male generics. Why is the man always angry at the woman in these situations, and not with the men who are equally guilty for sleeping with her?

After episode two, I vowed to put this on zero tolerance and give it one last chance, but unfortunately the series managed to blow it yet again in the third instalment. After some dull talking scenes, the episode degenerates into a drug induced sequence in which Naoya is afflicted with versions of a murdering S&M queen (elsewhere, the woman in question imagines she is being watched by a giant eye). Had this series been executed better, it could have been a creepy and spine chilling experience, but as it stands it switches between utterly dull and completely incomprehensible. A missed opportunity that I have no further inclination to watch.

MANGA

.hack//4Koma 4: A new chapter so soon after the last is unprecedented, and leaves me with little to say that I didn’t include last week. This is another set of hit-and-miss four-panel shorts; most of the Haseo vs. Kite or goodie-two-shoes Atoli shorts fall flat, but the ones that parody the original games are hilarious.

.hack//GU+ 4: Quite possibly my favourite part of the new generation .hack (through lack of serious contenders), the manga continues the GU story as we meet bishie arena champion Endrance and his avatar Macha. After easily defeating former champion Youkou (Yowkow), Endrance takes on Haseo as his next opponent- much as I like Endrance and would love to see him wipe the floor with Haseo, it is clear that Haseo’s destined main character status will earn him victory in the end.

Fruits Basket 119, 130: Could I really be reading an in-sequence chapter of this at long last? Going in back in time to ‘before Tohru’s accident’, this chapter sees Tohru’s confession of her feelings to Kyo, and Kyo’s admission that he probably could have saved her mother’s life. On the whole, this wasn’t too bad a chapter, and had I not been dulled by the endless angst, I might have actually felt something for the characters’ plights.

With 130, I go back to my out-of-sequence ways; finally the curse has been broken and everyone is free, but why? Did it lessen because of Tohru’s power of love and positive feelings? Was the level of angst too much for even the curse itself to bear? Was Shigure right when he said the curse was weakening naturally, thus rendering the events of the entire manga fairly pointless? More importantly, however, does this mean the series can finally come to an end now?

Mai-Otome 24: I thought Rena had died in the last chapter, but it turns out that she was just ‘downed’, RPG style. This instalment concludes the Akira vs. Arika conflict (I’m not at all impressed with Akira’s robe), before saying goodbye to Carlteya and Midori. The final warning of the chapter, “Beware of Sergey”, is one that all little girls should heed.

Tsubasa Chronicle 103-120,123,125: Okay, enough with reading any old chapter I find, regardless of order; thanks to Hyuu~Scans I can now bridge the gap between Rekord and Tokyo. The conclusion of the Rekord arc felt rushed at best- our heroes storm the library, get attacked by giant dogs, and Fye suddenly decides to unleash his magic in a piece of cheap deus ex machina. Then it’s onto a post apocalyptic X-Tokyo, and finally the plot changes gear as we discover that ‘our’ Syaoran is just a Fei Wong-created clone of the real thing. There are few too many contrivances, and a sense that CLAMP is having more fun creating grandiose action panels than constructing a sound story, but I can’t help getting carried along for the ride.

xxxHOLiC vol 8 c4, vol 9 c1: For a brief time, xxxHolic gave us something akin to a main storyline, but fearing that it would be too much, too soon, the series has now reverted back to its earlier standalone nature. These two chapters are at the weaker end of the spectrum; the closing segment of volume eight features snowman building (as already seen in the anime), whilst volume nine opens with New Year’s dreams and Watanuki getting attacked by a giant eyeball monster. Not particularly enthralling in itself, but nonetheless I’m still looking forward to the next chapters.

Caught up with

Yotsuba& (Yotsubato): Well, the goods news is that ADV manga plan to release volume four at the beginning of next year (please, let this be true), but in the meantime, I have satisfied my need for more Yotsuba by ‘acquiring’ chapters 22-38 though other means. Even though it’s just more of the same, each chapter of Yotsuba& is a delight to read, featuring the ongoing tussle between common sense and Yotsuba’s own unique approach to everyday life. Expect a more detailed review soon.

Reviewed this week: Ginga Densetsu Weed, Higurashi, H&C II, Innocent Venus, Keroro, Mushishi, Night Head Genesis, Ouran, SaiMono, School Rumble, Utawarerumono, Kamisama Kazoku (sorry, but Aria will have to wait until next time).

…and in manga: .hack//4koma, Aria, Caramel Milk Tea, Furuba, Mai-Otome, NHK, REC, Risky Safety, Tsubasa, Bokurano, Fate/Stay Night Comic Battle.

ANIME

Ginga Densetsu Weed 23-4: A few episodes ago, I wondered how the story could possibly be dragged out to fill all 26 episodes, but Weed has managed it somehow by throwing in a selection of mid-bosses. It’s cheesy, predictable and filled with dying brown dogs, but at the end of the day the only reason I watch it is because it’s parody gold.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 17: An aunt murdered with a baseball bat, a nice little family gathering where fingernails get ripped off, yes, that’s the Higurashi we know and love. This week, Satoshi’s aunt is killed, and when Shion goes out of her way to protect Satoshi from trouble, she lands herself in a whole lot of trouble with the Sonozakis for associating with such a lowly family. At least the Shion/Mion confusion is beginning to pass now.

Honey and Clover II 5: After the intensity of last week, H&C eases up a bit by starting off with a visit to a health spa for Miwako and Yamada, before moving on to check in on the rest of the cast. I couldn’t help thinking back to last season and comparing it to the latest episodes; back then, everyone seemed very close-knit, but now they’re all inevitably branching out onto separate paths. The episode ends on a heart-wrenchingly excellent note with Yamada coming to acknowledge her feelings for Nomiya, even as she admits that she didn’t want to be saved from her hopeless feelings for Mayama. Episode 6 can’t come fast enough; in fact, alien time travellers must make it their first duty to arrange for English versions of the DVDs and manga to be created and delivered to my house tomorrow.

Innocent Venus 1: Every so often, a series comes along where you sit there the whole time thinking “this reminds me of series x, that reminds me of series y” (and not in an intentional, Excel Saga way). Innocent Venus was one such series, reminiscent of .hack//Roots, Kurau, Last Exile, Wolf’s Rain and even Mahou Shoujotai, but unable to live up to the standard set by most of those titles. I’m somewhat pessimistic about whether this can rise above being a second-rate post apocalyptic sci-fi series with incredibly ugly mecha, but nonetheless it has somehow earned a second chance.

Keroro Gunso 47: A weak instalment in the Keroro line up, featuring two forgettable stories- one about Girls’ Day (which Keroro and Kururu decide to turn into a spiced-up Space version), and another about a visit from a singer with an afro. The most amusing part of the entire episode was the “How to Draw Kururu” ending.

Mushishi 24: An episode of Mushishi is like a drop of manna from heaven; next to it, all other series seem inferior (well, okay, there are exceptions). This time around, Ginko visits a village where the resident mushishi advocates the rather drastic measure of setting fire to the side of a mountain in order to eradicate a mushi infestation; can he talk her out of this course of action before she makes things worse? A weaker episode that is not up to the level of episodes 21-3 (in particular, the resolution seemed very fast and convenient), but compared to this season’s offerings, it’s still a worthy enough instalment.

Night Head Genesis 1: After establishing that this was not, in fact, a hentai version of Evangelion, I finally made the effort to acquire this, and once again, it’s a series that screams “been done better before”. Naoto and Naoya are brothers with psychic powers who are separated from their parents and taken to a mysterious facility out in an unknown forest. Flash forward fifteen years and the barrier that keeps them at the facility is disabled when ‘Elder Misaki’ dies, enabling them to begin their ‘great escape’. So far, I’m left with the impression of inferior male Kurau + Galerians + The Island, but nonetheless I shall forge ahead in the hopes that it won’t be as predictable as I fear.

Ouran High School Host Club 17: This week sees Kyouya take a turn in the spotlight when the poor guy gets dragged out of bed and taken to a “commoners’” product expo thanks to Tamaki’s latest wild scheme. After falling asleep and ending up on his own without either cellphone or wallet, Kyouya runs into Haruhi and spends the day with her- the perfect chance to see if he really is the self-motivated egoist he claims to be. It may not have Ouran’s usual brand of over-the-top hilarity, but still a strong episode by virtue of focusing on the Shadow King. I have to admit, though, that I wish Renge would stop showing up; that little joke has worn out its welcome for me.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 9: SaiMono can always be guaranteed to deliver a good story and plenty of characters with “Kou” in their names, and this episode is no exception. In the guise of “Shuu”, Shuurei is now working with the harsh taskmaster known as Kou Kijin (aka Kou the Eccentric)- a man who puts Hakuoro to shame in the mask wearing department- whilst wondering if her gender will always stand in the way of becoming a true government official. The story continues to move ahead briskly, but there’s no sign that it will prematurely run out of steam.

School Rumble 2^nd Term 17: Whilst Eri continues to dodge her arranged marriage with the help of the mysterious worker (better known to everyone else as Harima), somehow Tenma ends up going along in Eri’s place- reaffirming her complete lack of common sense, in case we had forgotten. A reasonably entertaining episode with a hilarious post-credits section in which Hanai gets on the wrong side of a giant raccoon.

Utawarerumono 18: The Na-tunk arc begins in earnest here, starting with a castle section in which Karura offers her ‘services’ in exchange for Haku’s help in liberating her country. What was an ero scene in the game is now reduced to Karura starting to take her clothes off; Eru happens to walk in and resolves to ignore Haku until he installs her as first and only wife. In the latter half of the episode, Haku takes his harem to Na-tunk to meet up with Derihourai, whilst Suonkasu sniffs his ‘special’ flowers and waits for everyone to come to him.

A lot less happened in this episode than I felt could have been included, and whilst I’m eager to see Suon and Deri (or maybe just Suon; who needs Deri when we already have Karura) get some onscreen attention, I’m worried about it encroaching on precious time needed for the final arc.

Dropped

Kamisama Kazoku: I sat through the tedious episode 5-8 arc in the hopes that the ‘evil Kumiko’ arc would be vaguely worthwhile, but as it turns out, the tedium of episode nine has convinced me not to continue. The bulk of the episode revolves around Tenko receiving a love letter and subsequently being plunged into a sea of angst as she wonders if Samatarou still needs a guardian angel. When combined with the sight of Papa in a cheerleading outfit, the fact that another ‘everyone’s memory is erased’ has negated most character development and the decreasing animation quality, the result is that my desire to watch to the end has completely evaporated.

MANGA

.hack//4Koma 3: .hack seems a ripe franchise to parody, but these four panel shorts do a variable job at it- some are utterly hilarious, others just fall flat or rely on *sigh* fart jokes. It’s also disappointing to see Balmung near deprived of his bishiness.

Aria vol 4 chapter 3: Another chapter to tide me over until Tokyopop get around to releasing the volumes I don’t have (kudos to them for snagging the license from ADV). This time around, Akari learns about the sylphs and goes on an airbike delivery ride with Woody. Excellent artwork, an unquenchable sense of wonder, and a fat cat- what more could anyone want?

Caramel Milk Tea 4- No. 1 Girl: Another one shot love story (just one more to go to complete the volume), this time about a girl caught between the difficult choice of going to Tokyo to further her modelling career or staying at home where she can be close to her boyfriend. As with all the stories in this collection, the outcome isn’t too hard to guess, but it’s still interesting to go along for the ride.

Fruits Basket 125-6: Yet more angst; 125 focuses on the budding relationship between Yuki and Machi, whilst 126 sees Kyo confront his father and conveniently put an end to the ‘Kyo will be locked away after high school’ storyline. Aside from the fact that there’s too much angst being piled on for me to really care anymore, the way Takaya is resolving the story just seems lazy- suddenly the curse is weakening and breaking and all the things that had such dramatic weight in the good part of the series are now being casually dismissed.

Mai-Otome 21-3: We finally meet Arika’s mother Rena, who seems to think that Manshiro is her child (a fairly unsubtle hint as to identity of Arika’s unknown little brother). 21 is an average chapter with the obligatory “Manshiro gets a faceful of someone’s breasts” event tacked on for good measure; 22 is more action based, introducing Takumi as the leader of Chaldea (Carlteya) and Akira as his Otome. Also making an unwelcome return are the Three Scale Sisters (last glimpsed in the HiME), but they soon fade out in the wake of a Midori vs. Akira battle. I have no idea if there’s even meant to be a plot, but the manga does actually seem to be improving slightly. 23 continues the battles, and sees Arika and Manshiro finally make a proper contract- that robe is a big improvement over the puffy pink anime version.

NHK 25-6: The various protagonists are all experiencing problems of their own, but the main event here is Satou as he descends further into a pit of despair; as a world of hallucinations claims him, he begins to believe that Misaki is a real angel. Aside from the panels devoted to characters other than Satou, this was a rather weak pair of chapters compared to some of the earlier instalments- although as always I’m torn between hoping the characters will be saved and not wanting the road back to be unrealistically easy.

REC 12-3: At least the anime director arc seems over for now, but this chapter was still fairly average; Matsumaru finds himself waking up at Tanaka’s house for the second time, and once again she tricks him into believing they slept together.

All this is part of Tanaka’s “destroy Matsumaru” plan (crushing men is a hobby of hers), and I have to admit that after chapter 12, I wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of it causing another bout of Aka-Matsumaru angst, but thankfully the storyline is resolved peacefully in chapter 13, which sees a long overdue strengthening of their relationship.

Risky Safety 1: After hearing this title mentioned a few times, the chance to find out what it was all about could not be passed up. The series features the oft-used ‘odd couple’ setup; Risky is an apprentice shinigami committed to collecting souls, Safety is an apprentice angel dedicated to saving them- and thanks to an accidental collision, they have ended up in the same body. The first chapter sees them chasing after a young man who seems destined to become the male lead; the art style and determination not to take itself too seriously reminds me of Disgaea- whilst this isn’t an endorsement, I will give it a few more chapters to see how the story unfolds.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 124: I haven’t read 123, but since I haven’t read 103-120 either it’s a small concern. In this segment, evil Syaoran-clone departs, Sakura cries, X characters appear to remind us that this is indeed X-Tokyo, and Fye’s life is in danger. I can’t say I’m too enthralled.

Caught up with…

Bokurano: My review was posted earlier in the week, so if you’ve read that you’ll know that this title has thoroughly impressed me. There’s not much more I can say except to strenuously recommend it to all.

Fate/Stay Night- Comic Battle: Ah, Fate, only in doujin manga anthologies can you really shine. The single chapter translated so far details a hilarious cooking competition (can’t go wrong with one of those) between Shirou and Archer, and quite probably gives Archer more development than he received in the entirety of the anime.