Fumika is a mail carrier, but not your average one- the mail she delivers is no ordinary correspondence. Instead, her duty is to deliver Shigofumi, the last letters of the recently deceased to members of living. Together with her companion and talking staff Kanaka, Fumika steadfastly carries out her tasks, but what is the truth behind Fumika’s past and her appointment as a mail carrier?

When I first talked about Shigofumi in the obligatory season preview blog post, my initial reaction was to peg it as the successor to Shinigami no Ballad, a series with a rather similar premise (just replace mail carrier and talking staff with a shinigami and talking cat visiting various characters of the week). Unfortunately, much as I love the manga, the animated version of Shinigami no Ballad had always felt a little underwhelming, and my hope was that Shigofumi would manage to get the formula right.

And indeed, when it started, it seemed as if Shigofumi might just be able to blow all other competition out of the water, with an opening two-parter than started as a tender character piece before taking an unexpected twist that turned it into something very different. If every arc could have the well-crafted impact of this one, we’d be well on our way to seeing one of the first contenders for the best anime of 2008- or so it seemed at the time.

Unfortunately, it was a honeymoon period which was not to last, for Shigofumi was about to prove that the one thing it lacked was consistency. Even the last minute editing of a couple of episodes could not disguise the fact that later stories lacked the impact of the first, instead going down less engaging routes such as father who takes a class hostage (edited to make it look like he was just a disembodied head) in an attempt to understand why his son committed suicide, or a recently deceased old couple who want their Shigofumi delivered to their cat. Perhaps it would have been entertaining enough under other circumstances, but Shigofumi had set itself a high standard, and now it was failing to live up to that.

Unexpectedly, however, it was not the episodic stories that got the bulk of the series’ attention- instead, the main plot focused more on Fumika and the truth behind her past. Now, in previous reviews I have complained about main characters such as Mononoke’s medicine seller receiving absolutely no character background, but on balance I prefer that to the other extreme- revealing far too much. Instead of giving us perhaps an episode or final two-parter about Fumika, her story is introduced as early as episode four, and it soon begins to dominate the more interesting material. Even I, who welcomed what promised to be a tantalising mystery, soon got bored of it by the time we reached the second half of the series, and when it all culminated in a lacklustre finale, I couldn’t help feeling cheated of what could have been something great.

With so much focus on Fumika and her background, it should come as no surprise that the series builds up a number of supporting characters connected to her. Unfortunately, none of them are particularly inspiring- we have the abusive, mentally unstable father; the obligatory male and female love triangle members, and so forth- a most inoffensive bunch, but hardly an inspiring one. In fact, it is the one shot characters who prove to be more interesting, and so again it is a shame that the focus was not more on the episodic stories.

Visually, Shigofumi has a handful of appealing character designs, but the rest are rather generic, whilst animation quality is more adequate than impressive. In spite of the same old Ali Project song for the OP, however, the soundtrack is one of the better aspects of the series, with plenty of poignant, atmospheric and memorable themes that stand well even outside the context of the series.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately for all concerned, Shigofumi showed us what it was capable of in its very first arc, leaving very little room for improvement. Instead, it chose not to live up to its potential, wallowing in average stories and spending far too long on Fumika’s back story for its own good. We can only hope that a better episodic series will be along soon to wash away the bitter taste this one left in the mouth.

Tier: Bronze+

The world of lost save data- where does it go?

Way back in the days of .hack//SIGN, Bear wondered if the game worlds where you lose and switch off the power actually continue somewhere, and now we must wonder the same of lost save data- do those gaming realities still exist somewhere? Are there existences where the gaming characters must continue on in their own little worlds, bereft of help from the player? If the hero character is dead, is the world of NPCs condemned to a life of oppression under the main villain? Does nothing exist until we save it, or do those worlds carry on without us even if we just reset the game? Are we being irresponsible in filling the universe with invisible gaming realities? Be sure to think of these things next time you save your game…

Shigofumi 12

“This is a good place for Pleasure.”

“That explains the high visitor numbers, then.”

“I’m just not used to having a live streaming feed of our Pleasure broadcast on the internet!”

“If you just fake it, you won’t please anyone.”

“It’s too late to say that after you had the operation!”

Spice and Wolf- giant mugs

Look at those mugs- they’re bigger than the plates!

Come on- he can almost get his head in there!

Hmm, how did they shrink back down to normal size?

This Week in Anime

The baseball team are rather shocked by Azusa’s violent approach to Pleasure.

Not to be confused with Sherlock Holmes, which it bears no resemblance to whatsoever.

Take note of the background sign and keep your ears cool at all times.

“Aagh, the watermelon people are attacking!”

“Don’t worry- I’ll defend us!”

“You were meant to smash the melon, not the melon-man!”

Shuuei is caught having some surreptitious HORSE.

Could this be…the legendary Apple Heaven?

“I have an apple brought directly from Apple Heaven!”

“Who cares about apples when we have peaches?”

“Those apple bastards are moving fast- the Orange Society needs to be ready for them!”

A secret strawberry stronghold is raided.

…but can anyone stand up to the might of the pepper army?

“Punyu!” [I’ll squeeze those lemons!”]

Kaiji takes time out of his gambling schedule for a little HARD GAY.

“You should go on Dragons’ Den.”

People are smoking them, building houses with them- they’ll be eating them next!

“The question being ‘what part of a woman do I like best?’”

Game Review: Bookworm

Before I talk more about Bookworm, I’d just like to say that there’s a new game up at Eyezmaze- Grow Nano vol 3. This time around, you have to click the right order of items to help the sick man recover all his health- the creator apologises for it being so short (he’s been ill himself), but it’s still fun for all Grow fans.

Anyway, to get back to Bookworm, this game is for all you wordsmiths out there. The aim of the game is to join up letter tiles in the grid to make words (the longer the better)- get a particularly long word and a bonus green or gold tile will drop in, but keep making short words and red tiles will appear. Red tiles burn through the letters beneath them every turn until they reach the bottom- at which point they it’s game over as they burn your entire library.

If you’re a fan of Scrabble and its ilk, then Bookworm is definitely the one for you, although admittedly it can get quite time consuming. The free version is enjoyable enough, but there’s also a full version with some expanded features for dedicated bookworms.

Mini-rant: ANN commandment “You shall not disagree!”

A while ago, I ranted about ANN’s Answerman, but sadly even this attempt to get the anger out my system was not enough, and so I am back to once again rant about one of the anime world’s best known news and review sites. You see, while I cannot deny ANN’s usefulness in the news department at least, whenever I venture onto the forums, I am left with an unfavourable impression- and it isn’t because of newbie users singing the praises of Naruto.

Instead, my problem lies with the administration, and indeed largely, once more, with Answerman himself. You see, whilst I appreciate that it can be tedious to hear users spouting out the same potentially misguided opinions again and again, on the forums, it seems that it is nigh forbidden to disagree with the gods of ANN. Such paragons of wisdom are they that if anyone dares to hold an opinion they do not approve of, they seem to consider it fair game to shoot them down in flames. The poor misguided souls who cannot appreciate the world from their hallowed viewpoint are little more than cannon fodder for their sarcasm and acid tongues, and to me it makes the forum quite an unpleasant place to venture into. Yes, a sarcastic putdown here and there can be most satisfying and effective, but surely not to the extent of attempting to browbeat every user into becoming one’s adoring sycophant. Why not try listening to differing opinions instead of steamrollering them with some pathetic attempt at wit?

Reverse Harem of the week: Yui (Fushigi Yugi)

The main character’s best friend and rival, she attempts to build a harem of her own but ultimately fails due to a lack of destined powers.

Harem

Tamahome: Temporarily falls for Yui whilst under the influence of drugs, but breaks free thanks to his feelings for Miaka.

Nakago: Pretends to be in love with Yui in order to manipulate her, even going so far as to convince her she was raped.

Suboshi: Becomes absolutely devoted to Yui and turns into a raging psychotic maniac in order to protect her and further their cause.

Tetsuya: A friend of Miaka’s brother, he starts to feel protective towards her upon reading of her adventures in the Universe of the Four Gods, and subsequently gets closer to her upon her return to the real world.

Rivals

Miaka: The main character, and thus ultimately unbeatable.

Soi: Nakago’s lover, she feels jealous of even the pretence of him loving Yui.

Reviewed this week:

…and in manga: Chokotto Sister 51, Gunslinger Girl 33-50, Nodame 109-113, Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ 1, Tsubasa 186, Yotsuba&! 54

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – Prima <-complete!
2. Kaiji (3) – ざわ, ざわ…
3. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (4) – I’m out of despair!
4. Shigofumi (5) – Fumi+Mika=Fumika <-complete!
5. Persona Trinity Soul (6)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
6. Shion no Ou (7) – Hani Meijin’s secret videos
7. Chi’s Sweet Home (-)- cute kitty <- new!
8. Clannad (8) – Mei <- complete!
9. Mokke (9)- GRANDMA!!!! <-complete
10. Minami-ke Okawari (10)- not quite the same <-complete!
11. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (11)- Marco

*COMPLETE* Aria the Origination 13: Oh noes, the end of Aria is here- I want to cry MANLY and UNMANLY tears because now it’s all over. Even worse, this episode sees Alicia retiring- why couldn’t she have stayed on just a little longer? Even though the ending was generally positive (and complete with a nice little anime-only addition), seeing Alicia go was just too sad. Still, I love and adore Aria beyond all measure- I think Origination may be my new favourite anime of all time.

*NEW* Chi’s Sweet Home 1-4: When it comes to kicking off a new season, what could be better than a daily dose of cute kitty antics? At three minutes per episode (including OP), Chi’s Sweet Home slowly tells the tale of Chi, a kitten who gets separated from her mother and ends up getting taken in by a family. Every episode offers a little vignette into Chi’s new life, from being given a bath to getting easily distracted despite her intentions to go home to mother.

*EXTRA* Clannad 23: In this extra episode, Mei comes to visit Sunohara, leading to various mildly entertaining antics and an amusing section in which Tomoya imagines Sunohara X Mei and Sunohara X Tomoya pairings.

Silence, nekophile!

Clannad- the movie: If KyoAni’s TV series didn’t sate your appetite, then you can find some additional nourishment from Toei’s “big eyes” movie. A retelling of the story, the movie fortunately focuses more on Nagisa without the distractions of the other girls, but whilst that and the continuation into the after story are refreshing, Tomoya seems less likable and Sunohara more extreme, ensuring that overall this is nothing special.

*COMPLETE* Mokke 24+Special: For various reasons that will become apparent as you read on, I’m actually going to talk about the special episode first, which takes place four years prior to the main series. It’s a rather uneventful episode even by Mokke standards, with Shizuru getting angry because Mizuki is so excited about a visit from their mother that she pays little attention to their sick grandmother.

Meanwhile, episode 24 is perhaps the most heartfelt episode of the series, featuring nothing less than Grandma’s death. There’s something about the death of a grandparent that really gets to me, so this was a bit of a tearjerker, in that a less stony-hearted person than I might have cried.

*COMPLETE* Shigofumi 12: Well, Shigofumi is over, and I can’t help feeling a little let down by it all. The series started well, but ultimately it ended with a fizzle rather than a bang as Fumi-chan mopes about in real life and Mika seemingly disappears, only to show up as a mail carrier at the end. If only the whole Fumi/Mika back story could have been covered in an OVA or movie, leaving this main series to focus on the more interesting one-off stories.

*MASOCHISTIC MADNESS* Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s 1: Yu-Gi-Oh is, like, awesome, people, I mean it’s totally rad! I love card games! Or, to be more accurate, I couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity to watch something that could be more laughably ridiculous and awful than playing card games on motorcycles. Anyway, I have no idea how many episodes of this I’ll bother to watch, but let’s make it all worthwhile with a short parody of the episode.

Narrator: Welcome to the future, where an entire city is in ruins but everyone has time to come and watch kids on motorcycles play card games! We even have a “Duel King” Jack Atlus- I’d say he’s the one with the stupid hair, but everyone here has stupid hair.

The Duel King and various other players, including our Destined Lead, get on their motorcycles and play cards. Unfortunately, he loses and has to go home to his house of poverty, where various generic mechanics fix his motorcycle.

Lead: Why did I lose? I should have Destiny!

Little Girl: Here, I found this random computer chip that will go in your motorcycle and give you Destined Powers!

Lead: Thanks! I think I’ll go and get a job, er, I mean play card games!

Lead heads out, but he gets stopped by two security guards.

Security Guard: I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to pull you over for speeding.

Lead: You can’t do anything to me- I play card games!

Security Guard: What a surprise- I play card games too! Let’s settle this with a duel!

Security Guard #2: Uh, sir, shouldn’t we just take him down to the station or give him a fine?

Security Guard: Silence! Real men settle things with card games!

Lead and Security Guard get on their motorcycles and somehow create a virtual reality field to duel in.

Security Guard: I summon an ugly monster!

Lead: I summon a different ugly monster!

Security Guard: Fool- that monster is weaker than mine!

Lead: Yes, but it has a special effect that makes it stronger when it attacks”

Guard: Damn! But this monster also has a special effect- it can come back from the dead!

A couple more turns are played, and then…

Guard: Gwakaka! I summon a special dragon with 3000 attack points!

Lead: This looks bad, but I have destiny on my side! I summon some weird special power-up that creates my own powerful monster! And it has enough attack power to defeat your dragon!

Guard: Damn you! Who’d have thought I, a mere generic character of the week, would lose to the lead?

Lead: Who cares about you? I must defeat Jack!

To be continued…?

MANGA

Chokotto Sister 51: Volume seven begins with Choko going over to Yurika’s house for a sleepover, whilst Chitose continues to angst over her feelings with Haruma. With the series drawing towards its close, I suppose it might not be too much to ask for some sort of relationship to develop somewhere.

Gunslinger Girl 33-50: I’ll post a dedicated review for these few volumes of Gunslinger Girl in due course, but for now all I need to stress is how awesome these few volumes are. Although the focus is mainly on new characters Alessandro and Petrushka, it doesn’t feel like the usual “running out of material so we’d better introduce new faces” cop out, because their character dynamic reveals a new aspect of the handler-cyborg relationship. And even if they aren’t featuring as prominently before, there are some powerful scenes involving Angelica, Claes, Triela and Henrietta- even if Jose/Giuse/Giuseppe now looks like his Il Teatrino self.

Nodame Cantabile 109-113: Whilst Mine comes over to support Kiyora, she is busy preparing for her competition- as are Tanya and Yun Long. Is this the last chance for them to prove themselves in the world of music- and if they fail, what direction will they take? It’s actually a nice change to focus on supporting characters instead of Chiaki and Nodame for a little while, although it does seem like this series could go on forever.

*NEW* Someday’s Dreamers ~Summer Skies~ 1: A new Someday’s Dreamers series has begun, and from this first chapter, it seems like this will be another worthy outing. Sora is a young mage who is about to head off for her mage training, but before that, will she confess to the boy she likes- or will she hold back out of respect for her friend’s feelings for him? Will the romance aspect even have much effect when Sora is going away? Will she meet a new man in Tokyo? Keep reading to find out.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 186: It would have been perversely amusing if the Groundhog Day chapters had gone on forever, but now everyone in town is melting away thanks to the changes Syaoran and friends have introduced. And it seems that this time period is actually right before Sakura’s seventh birthday- will they be able to change anything by going to see her?

Yotsuba&! 54: A new arc begins in this chapter, as Yotsuba and friends go to a festival. This time around, Yotsuba gets to look around and play on the taiko drum, but there’s plenty more to fill the next few chapters. Of course, I’m still waiting for the Yotsuba at school arc to begin, because I have high hopes for it.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 12, Clannad 21-2, Darker than Black 26, Himawari!! 3, Kaiji 24, KgNE Next Season 2, Minami-ke Okawari 10-12, Mokke 19-23, Moyashimon Microbe Theatre Deluxe 1, Shigofumi 11, Spice and Wolf 13, Zoku SZS 6-7

…and in manga: Busou Renkin 39, HxH 274, Twin Spica vol 2 flashback 1

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – Prima
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – wolves
3. Kaiji (3) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (5) – I’m out of despair!
5. Shigofumi (6) – Fumi+Mika=Fumika
6. Persona Trinity Soul (7)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
7. Shion no Ou (8) – Hani Meijin’s secret videos
8. Clannad (10) – Nagisa’s play
9. Mokke (12)- cats level up to bakeneko
10. Minami-ke Okawari (9)- not quite the same
11. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (11)- Marco

SLOW RANKINGS

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

Aria the Origination 12: I don’t care how much I’ve fangirled over Aria these past couple of months- this episode has increased my love for the series a hundredfold. When Aika shows up for practice one morning without her glove, it is plain that she has become a Prima- and upon hearing about it, Alicia decides that Akari should take the Prima exam the next day. I wasn’t actually expecting this part of the story to appear until next week, but even though I knew exactly how it would pan out from reading a manga summary, it was still wonderful to see it enacted on screen. This episode was everything anime should strive to be, and I wish to bask in its excellence forever whilst hugging a giant, squishy President Aria.

*COMPLETE-ish* Clannad 21-22: Well, the main story of Clannad is complete, at any rate- we still have the HARD GAY special episode 23 and DVD-only 24 to come, but let’s keep things simple here and call it the end. Anyway, after learning that her parents gave up their career dreams in order to raise her, Nagisa has one of those major anime crises of confidence right before she has to perform her play- can her nearest and dearest convince her not to fall at the final hurdle? It’s not a bad ending, but ultimately I’m left with mixed feelings about the series- I enjoyed it more than Kanon, but the pacing was all over the place and the story wasn’t as well executed as it could have been.

*SPECIAL* Darker than Black 26: The series has finished, but at long last the DVD only episode 26 is here, and as expected, it’s a mildly entertaining but largely pointless instalment. In this one-off story, the various factions are in pursuit of a password, but after a series of comic mishaps, everyone ends up losing their memory of the last few days- explaining why this episode has nothing to do with everything. At least there are some amusing cat shots.

Himawari!! 3: When a new teacher with a pleasing character design transfers to ninja school, she catches everyone’s eye- but could it be that she might be secretly evil? It’s another instalment of the monster of the week format that this season has adopted, but whilst the laughably stupid back story (our villainess has a hatred of okonomiyaki due to something Hayato once said to her when they were children), I’m not disliking this series as much as I expected to.

Kaiji 24: The time for Kaiji to challenge the chairman has arrived, and although IKnight has already written an excellent post about it, I too must weigh in with my thoughts. In order for our hero’s biggest gamble ever to pay off, everything must proceed as planned in episode twenty-three, but can Kaiji really succeed against a seasoned pro? Do we really want him to win via such a simple cheat when it will deprive us of any satisfaction if victory is claimed? Or would it just be better if he won, thus earning a significant sum of money and avoiding having four of his fingers sliced off? Stay tuned to find out.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Next season~ 2: When I was told that this OVA would cover the Haruka route, I was expecting, oh I don’t know, for it to focus on Haruka, mayhap? In fact, this rather boring mid-section of the OVA sees Mitsuki move in with an old acquaintance and then relate the long and monotonous tale of how she and Takayuki ended up breaking up- interspersed with equally uninteresting scenes of Takayuki and Shinji having a drink together. What a waste of time.

Minami-ke Okawari 10-12: Okawari descends to new depths with the incredibly monotonous episodes 10-11, two instalments so incredibly exciting that I have to admit I’ve already forgotten much of what happened in them (except that Kana faked a cold and then ended up with a real cold- further proof of how annoying and Miu-esque her character has become this season). Although hardly of any notable quality, episode 12 is a slight improvement, not least because the hated Fuyuki finally moves away. Just one episode to go and then this parade of mediocrity will be over (and I absolutely dread the restoration of the status quo that will probably occur after the angst of next episode).

HORSE before HARD GAY.

Mokke 19-23: Five more episodes of Mokke have been cleared, and once again they offer fairly average entertainment. First up, we have an instalment in which Mizuki breaks her arm by falling incorrectly in judo, leading her to spend her days with a spirit in a skull that promises to help her get better at resisting possession. Next, we switch to a minor character who becomes intrigued by Shizuru’s tale of a lightning creature known as a Raiju- a creature which he may have encountered once before in his past and hopes to meet again. Then, it’s back to Mizuki as she prepares to take her green belt test in judo, but victory leaves a sour taste in her mouth when her opponent lets her win. Next, we have a more cat-orientated episode as Mike the cat goes missing, leaving the two sisters to wonder why she left, and even risk asking a bakeneko to help find her. Finally, we have our first proper Shizuru episode in a while, as a sick friend forces her to consider whether her future lies with Granpda or in Tokyo. I must admit that I like the way that judo has become a recurring theme, as it adds more cohesion to the series as a whole, and of course cat episodes are nothing to be sniffed at, but overall this series has been mediocre- and it seems unlikely that the final episode will do anything to change that.

*NEW* Moyashimon Microbe Theatre Deluxe 1: If you liked the microbe sections at the end of each episode of Moyashimon, you’ll eat up Microbe Theatre Deluxe, which takes us inside the human intestine to introduce us to all the bacteria that dwell within. Yes, it might sound like a particularly unpleasant biology lesson, but remember that all these microbes have been given cute and appealing forms.

Shigofumi 11: In the hospital, Fumi-chan has just awakened, and as far as Mika is concerned, this is time to finish it- by having her other self shoot her and end her existence. Naturally, the supporting characters do not want this, but will they be able to prevent the determined mail carrier from ending her own existence? It seems fairly obvious that everything will pan out and tie up nicely in episode 12, which leaves me in two minds about the series as a whole- it had its moments, but in offering such greatness it built up my expectations for a series that was ultimately silver tier rather than the gold it once appeared.

Yes, I know episode 12 has been released and I’ve even acquired it- I just forgot about watching it until this minute.

*COMPLETE-ish* Spice and Wolf 13: Well, DVD-only episode 7 may have left a gaping cavity in the middle of the series, but Spice and Wolf is effectively complete, with this episode seeing Lawrence and Horo emerge triumphant over those who tried to betray them. I’ve enjoyed this series from start to finish, but it’s left me with a desperate hunger for more- could someone get the novels to me as soon as possible, followed by news of a second season?

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 6-7: To get two more episodes of despair must surely be considered a blessing, especially as season two seems to be going from strength to strength. In these episodes we once again flit from one source of amusement to the next, from a dream world where everyone has the opposite personality to a delightful magical girl/Lucky Star parody- and even a sequence involving a plethora of different animation styles. Much as I’d like to call out “Zetsubou shita!” just for the sake of it, I have to admit that watching these episodes leaves me in anything but despair.

MANGA

Busou Renkin 39: The battle against the Futakoi Alternative rejects continues in this episode, with Kazuki showing off the immense destined power of a main character with a black kakugane implanted in him (oops, by the manga timeline I’m not supposed to know that yet).

Hunter X Hunter 274: Gon has finally reached Pitou, but she has no interest in fighting him- instead she must use all of her energy to heal Komugi. Watching from the sidelines, Killua can see that Pitou means no harm, but will Gon be able to see past his anger? I must admit that seeing the main characters makes this chapter better than its predecessors, but nothing can recover the quality that was lost so long ago.

Twin Spica vol 2 flashback 1: In this volume’s flashback, we see Asumi’s teacher/Lion-san’s ex-fiancée lead her class out on a field trip even as she grapples with whether she is doing the right thing by sticking with a teaching career. I’ve seen all this in the anime already, so again there are no surprises, but these flashbacks are always good for fleshing out the characters.

For some reason, over the past week or so I have developed a renewed interest in Facebook, and so I must invite you all to come and social network with me, should you so desire. In the meantime, let’s get back to the important business of discussing anime.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 10, SaiMono II 38-9, Shigofumi 10, Shion no Ou 18, Shounen Onmyouji 24, Spice and Wolf 10, Sisters of Wellber 13

..and in manga: Busou Renkin 38, HxH 272

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – Al and Aika, sitting in a well…
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – debt
3. Kaiji (3) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ryuuki <-complete!
5. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (5) – mind-altering drug
6. Shigofumi (6) – Fumi+Mika=Fumika
7. Persona Trinity Soul (7)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (8) – Hani Meijin’s secret videos
9. Minami-ke Okawari (9)- not quite the same
10. Clannad (10) – drop kick
11. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (11)- Marco
12. Mokke (12)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

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

Aria the Origination 10: With Alice having become a prima, her workload dramatically increases- and whilst there is no doubt that she is good at what she does, sometimes her nerves do get the better of her. What better way to relax, then, than an evening watching the stars with Aika and Akari- at least until Aika heads out to pick up Al and ends up falling down a well with him. Having heard about this manga chapter, I was wondering when it would appear in the anime, but even though it is another solid instalment in a highly worthy series, I still can’t adjust to the idea of Aika X Al- no matter what his real age is, he still looks and talks like a shota. Still, it was a bold and unexpected move to see him grasp Aika’s hand at the end, and President Maa’s antics were highly amusing.

*COMPLETE* Saiunkoku Monogatari II 38-9: Alas, SaiMono II has finished, and what a packed season it has been- often too packed for my meagre raw viewing skills (thanks again, Impz, your summaries have been invaluable). Anyway, as the series draws to a close, Ryuuki takes the first steps towards becoming the true emperor, realising he has to rule for the people, not just Shuurei- and even taking Jyuusan-hime as a wife. It’s been a period of growth for everyone, and despite the immense volume of new characters and the sheer mind-hurting web of events the series tries to present, I’ve enjoyed myself overall.

Shigofumi 10: Fumika takes a backseat in this episode, which instead focuses on thirty-two year old cancer sufferer Takehiko, a man who has quit his job and alienated his friends and family to the point where all he has left to do is look after a neighbour’s child (also named Fumika). Although it was somewhat bizarre how Takehiko randomly ended up looking after Fumika II all the time, the largely formulaic episode saved itself with a poignant and sad ending. Still, I’m not sure what to make of the series as a whole; it’s really been all over the place in terms of atmosphere and presentation.

Shion no Ou 18: As the Shion versus Satori match heads into its closing stages, the Hani brothers undergo a strange reversal; Satoru is now less a figure of hatred than one of pathos, whilst Hani-meijin is becomier creepier by the minute, stalking around watching videos of Shion’s past whilst keeping Ayumi by his side like a chained lover. Meanwhile, Satoru sees something of his brother in Shion’s shogi, and we know that she learned vital shogi lessons from the murderer- but if the Meijin is the culprit, then what was his motive? All shall be revealed within the final four episodes- at least, one assumes it will.

Shounen Onmyouji 24: The time has come to head out and confront the evil, but meanwhile, Kazane is about to realise that her creepy, cackling master is not quite as benign as she might have thought. It’s another average instalment, but then as I said last week, the goal here is mere completion.

Spice and Wolf 10: Poor Lawrence, everything was going so well- right up until the point where he learned that armour has become massively devalued and that he now has two days to pay back a massive debt- can even Horo the Wise get him out of this, and will she want to after he takes out his frustration on her? Presumably all will come right in the end, but the interesting thing will be seeing how it pans out.

*COMPLETE* Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber 13: Ah, another mediocre series can be crossed off the list, although it does mean that the second season beckons. This episode basically wraps up Gernia’s story and indeed his life, complete with a ridiculous collapsing tower sequence that makes you wonder why you should ever be worried about being trapped in a burning building. Meanwhile, Gernia’s father is still as desperate for war as ever, which is presumably what season two is all about (I’ve been too apathetic to read any plot summaries).

MANGA

Busou Renkin 38: The assault on the school continues as it did in the anime, with Kazuki’s friends banding together to support him as he fights the Futakoi Alternative reject monsters outside. As so often happens, there’s not much more to say that I didn’t say when I was covering the animated version.

Hunter X Hunter 272: With excruciating slowness, the battle between Yupi and Shoot continues, up to the point where Knuckle decides to reveal himself. Do we care anymore? Do we even remember anything other than the names of these minor characters? Bigger fans than I do, perhaps, but I cannot bring myself to care anymore.

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

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

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

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

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

SLOW RANKINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More editing for Shigofumi
Shigofumi fans will recall that a few weeks ago, episode three suffered from rather abrupt editing “in light of recent events in Japan”; now, episode eight is also to be edited for the same reasons.
Social correspondent The Cardinal: An edited episode is better than a Nice Boat, but if this goes the same way as episode three, last minute excision of footage could really hurt the story. I suggest a Nice Cat episode instead.

Viz picks up Solanin
Regular readers will recall that I recently reviewed the Solanin manga, and if that made you want to own it for yourself, then you’ll be pleased to learn that Viz will be releasing it this autumn. Also set to hit shelves later in the year are Bokura ga Ita (to be released under the translated name We Were There), Captive Hearts, Blank Slate and NORA.
Licensing correspondent The Admiral: As the only one we’ve read here at Azure Flame, Solanin is the title we’re looking at, and it will certainly be a perfect choice for anyone who’s already planning to pick up Honey and Clover from Viz. Also, at only two volumes, it’s not going to break the bank.

Absolute Boyfriend live-action
Only two of Yuu Watase’s works received an anime adaptation, but if you’re desperate for more shoujo escapism then look no further than the upcoming live-action adaptation of Absolute Boyfriend. Starting in April, the series tells the tale of a young office lady who ends up receiving the ultimate boyfriend in the form of a “lover robot”.
Entertainment correspondent Aria: Punyu? [Who needs the perfect man when you can have me?]

Go 5D with Yu-Gi-Oh!
You might think that even those whose every waking hour is preoccupied with card games would have had their fill of Yu-Gi-Oh by now, but it seems that Konami have come to believe otherwise. To that end, a new anime series entitled Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D will be starting this April, featuring a brand new hero and his red motorcycle as they participate in a new stadium battle game that all the kids will love. Tune in this spring to see just how hilariously awful it can get.
Entertainment correspondent Aria: Punyu. [It seems that the real life Yu-Gi-Oh is actually getting more ridiculous than its parody rip-off Dicemasters.]

Goodbye, HD-DVD
With the news that Toshiba, the main backer of HD-DVD, is no longer going to be manufacturing players and recorders of the new format, the next-generation format war has come to an abrupt end. Blu-ray now emerges as the victor, but with DVD still going strong and legal online downloads coming into their own, it can hardly be said to be a decisive blow for the future.
Financial correspondent Mr Tibbs: I always had a feeling that Blu-ray would win out, but that doesn’t mean I support it- as we’ve said here before, trying to cram a new format into a marketplace that isn’t ready or willing to adopt it just yet is hardly going to lead to massive sales.

Ikkitousen season three
In some quarters, one season seemed like more than enough, but for those of you out there who need more scantily clad girls stripping each other in the heat of battle, a third season of Ikkitousen will be coming your way. This time around, the series will throw the manga out of the window entirely to focus on an original story.
Entertainment correspondent Aria: Punyu. [Story is a relative term when referring to Ikkitousen, since we all know it doesn’t really have any.]

Reviewed this week: Aria 7, Clannad 18, Kaiji 19, Mai-Otome 0 S.ifr 1, Minami-ke Okawari 7, SaiMono II 36, Shigofumi 6-7, Shion no Ou 16, Shounen Onmyouji 20, Sketchbook 13, Sisters of Wellber 11, Zoku SZS 4

…and in manga: Doujin Work 1-19, Minami-ke 1-21

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – wolf in the sewers
3. Kaiji (5) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Shigofumi (3) – Schrödinger the cat
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
7. Persona Trinity Soul (8)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (12) – die, Satoru!
9. Minami-ke Okawari (7)- not quite the same
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Marco
11. Clannad (11) – drop kick
12. Mokke (13)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

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

Aria the Origination 7: If you’ve ever wondered about the humble beginnings of the mighty President Aria, then this is the episode for you. Before he built up his multi-million pound empire he was just a naked cat looking out to sea- until the fateful day he met with a young Himeya undine known as Akino (known to us as Grandma). Alongside this flashback, we also meet Alicia’s senpai Anna, who worked for Aria Company until she got married and had a child, and just like Akari, I can’t help realising how much there is I still don’t know about Neo Venezia, and how much I just want to stay there forever. In some ways, this is my favourite season of all, and I shall unashamedly bask in fangirlish emotion about it.

Clannad 18: It only just began, but Tomoyo’s arc is wrapped up in this episode, whilst Ryou gets “friends” compatibility with Tomoya and even Kyou bursts into tears. I can’t help feeling it was a bit pointless setting everything up with an air of importance in the last episode just to arbitrarily wrap it all up here, whilst the baseball challenge felt like the biggest plot cop-out ever. How are we supposed to care about these generic, overly fast-paced events?

Kaiji 19: There are four rounds left, and three more millimetres for Kaiji to wager; if he wants to keep his eardrum, he’ll have to win at least once, but how can he beat the ‘invincible’ Tonegawa? Fortunately, all is not as it seems, and even though the explanation behind what’s going on seems a touch farfetched, who can’t love the prospect of Kaiji making a comeback? And even though the preview shows the side of his face bleeding, we can assume that’s deliberate misdirection.

“With it, he could tell the time!”

*NEW* Mai-Otome 0 S.ifr 1: I don’t know why, but I’m feeling benevolent towards Mai-Otome at the moment, and so despite this new OVA’s lack of fat cats or any real story, it somehow didn’t seem as bad as the forgettable Zwei. A prequel to all previous Otome stories, S.ifr focuses on a new set of characters, including the titular Sifr/Sifuru, various Otome, King Bruce of Windbloom and a young Rena. For antagonists, we have the younger John Smith and his Schwarz allies up to their usual tricks, plus a brand new android for our heroines to fight. I can’t say it’s good, but it’s still the best thing the franchise has offered in a while.

Minami-ke Okawari 7: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and so our named characters all decide to get together at the Minami house and make chocolate. Again, this is a rather standard piece in the grand scheme of episodes, making it mildly entertaining in the way of most episodes this season- although the sight of Mako-chan in a maid costume cannot be missed.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 36: Three episodes before the series ends for good, and sadly we are unfortunate enough to be landed with the season’s third recap episode. Worse yet, this is a recap that goes right back to the first season, covering Ryuuki’s experiences of being Emperor ever since we first met him. Yes, there are some cute pandas for him to talk to, but come on, let’s end the series on a bang rather than a whimper.

Shigofumi 6-7: Episode six seemed to promise a return to form for Shigofumi, with a story about bullying and abuse that is actually quite difficult to watch (although that may be because of my feelings on the subject). Unfortunately, whilst episode seven promises further unravelling of Mikawa’s past, it is let down by her over-the-top father, a character obsessed with beauty and perfection. I must admit to feeling for his newly-appointed editor, however, simply because her bosses think she’s useless.

Wait, didn’t we have this game in Kaiji?

Shion no Ou 16: Ayumi’s mother has died, and with her passing there is no further need from him to cross-dress, but will he still keep up the shougi? I’ve been wanting Ayumi to come clean for a while now, and so a change that will let him play honestly is most welcome, even though he looked good as a trap.

Shounen Onmyouji 20: I’ve finally managed to fit in another episode of this series, and it must be said that it was as underwhelming as ever. This time around, we learn that the main villain has an entirely predictable past connection with Seimei, but that skeletons in the old family closet mean that he has, of course, turned mindlessly evil. Now to resolve the confrontation with him in the next six episodes.

*COMPLETE* Sketchbook ~full color’S~ 13: Sketchbook has finally come to an end, with a reflective episode in which Sora spends an afternoon alone in the afternoon, painting her friends whilst they pass through. I know I have accused the series of trying too hard throughout its run, but nonetheless this was a worthy conclusion to the series, with Sora finding the strength to grow a notch or two at the end. I guess I wouldn’t be averse to a second season after all, especially if it has cats.

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ 11: Months after my last Wellber experience, we come to this episode, which tells the past story of Galahad and Jamille in what is probably meant to be a touching build-up to their inevitable confrontation in a duel. What a shame, then, that it is all so predictable and on the rails that no one could really care- all I can say is that it’s a good way to waste an episode.

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 4: There seems to have been an element of randomness missing from my week of late, but luckily it’s back for the moment, with another instalment in the crazy life of one Itoshiki Nozomu and his off-kilter class. This time around we meet a couple more new characters (including one who can read anything- even hearts) and learn what happens when you diverge from the main point. There are no laugh out loud moments this time, but there is consistent entertainment, and that will do for me.

MANGA

*CATCH-UP* Doujin Work 1-19: My experience with 4-koma has been a bit hit-and-miss so far, but happily Doujin Work is proving to be one of the better ones of the bunch. Although it takes much the same overall course as the anime, some of the specifics are different, with the overall effect being to replicate the feeling of light entertainment without seeming stale.

*CATCH-UP* Minami-ke 1-21: Whilst not a 4Koma, Minami-ke does go for the short chapter approach that many comedy series use, and this time it is just like the anime- or at least season one of the anime. So far, then, it is proving to be just as entertaining, but many more chapters will be needed.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 6, Clannad 17, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 5, Kaiji 17-18, Koutetsu Sangokushi 23-5, Minami-ke Okawari 6, Mnemosyne 1, Mokke 15, SaiMono II 35, Shigofumi 5, Shion no Ou 15, Sketchbook 12, Spice and Wolf 6

…and in manga: Loveless 9.3-5, Moyashimon 1, Shion no Ou 1-12, Spice and Wolf 5, Twin Spica 6-7

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – wolf in the sewers
3. Kaiji (5) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Shigofumi (3) – Schrödinger the cat
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
7. Persona Trinity Soul (8)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (12) – die, Satoru!
9. Minami-ke Okawari (7)- not quite the same
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Marco
11. Clannad (11) – drop kick
12. Mokke (13)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (-) – lots of cats
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Sisters of Wellber (2) – predictable but fun
4. Himawari!! (3) – needs less plot
5. Shounen Onmyouji (4)- mediocre
6. Love GetChu! (5)- light entertainment
7. Koutetsu Sangokushi (6) – purely ridiculous <-complete!

Aria the Origination 6: How does the perfect Alicia-san deal with Akari’s mistakes and clumsiness? It’s a question that Alice wants to know the answer to, but will spying on the goddess of perfection give any clues? Whatever the case, the results make for entertaining and President Aria-filled viewing, although things continually going wrong for Akari at the beginning seemed a bit of a back step- over these last few episodes we’ve seen her start to mature and grow up, so to have her being all clumsy and ditzy is a bit disappointing.

“I’ll get you this time, Aria-shachou!”

Clannad 17: It’s a fusion of storylines this week as we switch from Kyou/Ryou to Tomoyo in the space of an episode, whilst Nagisa drops out for a while due to illness. Unfortunately, I’m at the stage where I only want to see Nagisa’s storyline, so this filler-ish episode didn’t really do much for me- it passes the time, but achieves little more.

Gunslinger Girl –Il Teatrino 5: This episode covers a manga chapter I read a while ago, in which Marco’s ex-girlfriend Patricia teams up with a reporter to find the truth behind the Social Welfare Agency. As you’ll have heard me say quite often by now, the manga already did it better, and the need to ‘recap’ Artland’s version of flashback scenes that Madhouse already did better didn’t really help the pacing at all.

Kaiji 17-18: After having to go without it for a bit, Kaiji and E-card are back with a vengeance, and our intrepid hero seems determined to risk his eardrum against the unflappable Tonegawa. Unfortunately, Kaiji can’t seem to gain the edge in this psychological battle, making for a white knuckle ride as that pin moves ever closer to his eardrum. Narrative convention says that Kaiji must ultimately triumph, but right now that seems a distant dream- and all we can do is wait impatiently to see what happens next.

*COMPLETE* Koutetsu Sangokushi 23-5: At last the HARD GAY nightmare has ended, with Lu Xun inevitably defeating both the Liu Bei dragon and the evil meteor that was about to destroy the world (no, I’m not getting my shows mixed up). Of course, by this point, no ridiculousness seemed too much, with the writers indulging their desires to write some sort of sentai/Otome style conclusion. All I can say is that I will enjoy reviewing this.

Minami-ke Okawari 6: It’s a snowy day in the Minami neighbourhood, which means the girls are stuck at home- not too bad a prospect, perhaps, if not for the fact that they have no electricity, no gas and only odds and ends to eat. Again, this episode doesn’t really inspire the love that the first season did, not least because of the focus on dull new character Fuyuki- let’s get back to the personalities that enlivened the first season.

*NEW* Mnemosyne 1: I’d like to post a fangirl alert here, because to my surprise, I totally fell in love with Mnemosyne after just one 45 minute episode. With everything from a fat cat to Alias style action, Mnemosyne would have been strong under any circumstances, but to cap it all off we have Asogi Rin, a lead with looks, attitude and invulnerability- I love her already. The animation is also so slick that you won’t even hear me complaining about fanservice and ‘evil’ nipples- just bring me episode two.

Mokke 15: It’s the rainy season, and Shizuru is feeling depressed because at this time of year she can see even more supernatural phenomena than ever. It’s this kind of miserable attitude that typifies the series as a whole, but at least by the end Shizuru learns to cheer up a little, and maybe we can hope that that’s a good sign for the future

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 35: The series picks up again in this episode, as we delve into Jyuusan-hime’s tragic past, meet another character in the form of the Ran province governor and see Ryuuki get depressed as he wonders if he is worthy enough to be king. With all these threads being woven in, it is rather sad to realise that there are only four episodes left, but without any new novel material until May, this is the way it has to be.

Ryuuren shows off this spring’s new fashions.

Shigofumi 5: In a rather bizarre turn of events, both Fumika and fellow mail carrier Chiaki are assigned to deliver a Shigofumi to a cat in this episode, something even I, as a cat lover, wouldn’t bother to do (like the cat even cares about you when you’re no longer able to feed it). I’m also a little weary of cats being named Schrödinger- trust me, once you’ve studied many-particle quantum mechanics, such jokes lose their sheen.

Anyway, light feline stories aside, the episode does provide more insights into Fumika’s Kanon-esque situation, leading to a solid episode if not one that can recapture that brilliant opening arc (can anything?).

Shion no Ou 15: This sort of shogi-filled episode is exactly why I’m watching Shion no Ou, and so I have no complaints about watching the tense match between Shion and her father. When the series focuses on shogi rather than the murder case, I find myself becoming addicted to it as I once did to Hikaru no Go, ensuring that I continue to crave more- and the icing on the cake this week was that Satoru actually got ‘pwned’ by Shion’s father, which always guarantees satisfaction.

Sketchbook ~full color’S 12: In the penultimate episode of the series Sora and her friends head into the city to buy art supplies, and whilst they all invest in new sketchbooks, Sora can’t help thinking about the dynamics of brother-sister relationships. Again, the series tries a little too hard to achieve what Aria can accomplish without any apparent effort, but this is the kind of inoffensively enjoyable episode that the word ‘nice’ was made for.

Spice and Wolf 6: When Horo and Lawrence reach a dead end in the sewers, there’s only one thing for our heroine to do- switch to her immense wolf form. Just as Horo craves apples, so do I crave more and more from this series, and whilst this wasn’t my favourite episode thus far, I still greatly enjoyed it. We can’t be halfway through already- I refuse to believe it.

MANGA

Loveless vol 9 chapters 3-5: After a couple of chapters of downtime in which Soubi and Ritsuka kick back and visit a shrine for the New Year, the latest chapter gets the main story back on track, revealing the names of the Septimal Moon members (not that it means much), and preparing the story to move ahead. Ritsuka wants to forgive Seimei and bring him home, but can everything his brother’s done really be erased that easily?

*NEW* Moyashimon 1: The time has come to pick up Moyashimon, although as I suspected, the first chapter of the manga is basically the same as what we saw in the first episode of the anime- albeit with rougher artwork (the hairstyles in particular seem oddly amateur). Even so, the temptation with this manga, as with so many others, is to eventually move past what we saw in this anime and breach original territory.

*CATCH-UP* Shion no Ou 1-12: As with Moyashimon above, the Shion no Ou manga has proven to be largely the same as the anime, with these first two volumes taking us up to Satoru’s introduction to the story. Nonetheless, whilst I am in the grip of my odd addiction to this series, having the manga to read will help with the cravings.

Spice and Wolf 5: The manga continues to follow the same course as the anime in this chapter, which covers the sale of the marten/ermine furs and the beginning of the silver coin investigation. Of course, with the beautiful artwork and some additional summary pages talking about the original novels, I have no intention of complaining about covering the same material again.

Twin Spica 6-7: Volume two continues apace as Asumi settles down in space school, only to attract the attention of the evil teacher ‘Beruze’- quite possibly my least favourite aspect of the series. We’re still deep within anime territory, but as it’s been a while since I watched it, that’s no big problem.

I’m not being lazy by posting this late; I just haven’t been able to get on the internet all weekend.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 5, Clannad 15-16, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 4, Koutetsu Sangokushi 21-2, Minami-ke Okawari 5, Mokke 14, Persona 5, SaiMono II 34, Shigofumi 4, Shion no Ou 14, Spice and Wolf 5

…and in manga: Claymore 77, REC 37, Spiral 67-8, Tsubasa 182

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – wolf in the sewers
3. Shigofumi (3) – man-hater
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Kaiji (5) – zawa, zawa
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
7. Minami-ke Okawari (7)- not quite the same
8. Persona Trinity Soul (8)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
9. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (9) – lots of cats
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Pinocchio
11. Clannad (11) – the world is made of invisible harps
12. Shion no Ou (12) – die, Satoru!
13. Mokke (13)- magical staff

SLOW RANKINGS

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

Aria the Origination 5: I can’t help the fangirling, I really can’t, for I love Aria so much. In this episode, Aika becomes depressed after seeing Athena and Alicia’s godly skills in action- if that’s what it takes to be a Prima, will she ever make it? Only a Flashback Mode story from Akira (looking rather snazzy with a new hairstyle and an injection of animation budget) can allay her fears, but it also gives us viewers something to think about. There’s almost inevitably a point in your life when it becomes difficult to graduate from one thing and go onto another, so who can’t sympathise with Aika (and in the past, Akira)? Aria, I will love and worship you forever if you will just let me live and work in Neo Venezia.

Clannad 15-16: I’m not sure why I forgot to write about Clannad last week; perhaps it’s some sort of side effect of trying to forget about Fuuko despite the creators’ insistence that she be shoehorned in at every opportunity (way to take away any meaning her story might have had). In the meantime, Kyou is busy ruining any potentially romantic moments between Tomoya and Nagisa, whilst the named characters use the power of destiny to challenge the basketball team to a three-on-three match- if they win, the Theatre Club can get an advisor. Somehow I can’t bring myself to care too much.

Gunslinger Girl –Il Teatrino 4: Angelica is back in action this episode, but with an uncertain recovery and an addiction to pills, can she really help out in the latest mission? I have to admit that this was a better episode than the last few, but the all-new Marco seems a little too boorish and one-dimensional compared to his previous incarnation- can this really be the same Marco who created “The Prince of the Land of Pasta”?

Koutetsu Sangokushi 21-2: Guan Yu the horse monster has been vanquished, but this isn’t the end- first Zhang Fei goes on a HARD GAY rampage to avenge his brother, before Liu Bei takes the ridiculousness to still higher levels by somehow transforming into a giant ice dragon. Angry at not being selected for Yu-Gi-Oh, the dragon freezes a Wei stronghold before assaulting Wu and effectively taking out most of the named characters- what can Lu Xun do against this God Mode boss?

Minami-ke Okawari 5: Kana and Chiaki find themselves in trouble when they break a glass rabbit pendant belonging to Haruka- can they fix it or find a replacement before she comes home and discovers what they’ve done? All in all, this was a very predictable episode that basically repeated a pattern we’ve seen many times before, rendering it fairly entertaining but still not up to the level of the first season.

Mokke 14: It’s another average tale of the supernatural in this episode as Mizuki finds a staff that she believes will give her magical power- but what are the consequences of relying on such an artefact? As ever, it’s a pretty predictable and on-the-rails piece- more something you watch to pass the time than something you must prioritise.

Wait, didn’t we already have Mushishi and Mushi-Uta?

Persona Trinity Soul 5: Things are starting to make a bit more sense as Persona moves into its fifth episode, with more named characters gaining Personas and the action content taking off. The winter setting is making all the school scenes somehow reminiscent of Kanon, but this comparison aside, the series remains watchable if not outstanding.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 34: The series is picking up again as the Ran arc gets properly underway- Shuuei is back home with the bittersweet attention from his brother’s wife, whilst Ensei is about to step up for some more screen time, even indicating that he too might have feelings for Shuurei (I see them more as a love born from admiration and respect than outright romantic feelings). It’s sad that there are only five episodes left, but better that than reams of filler.

Shigofumi 4: It seems as if nothing can top Shigofumi’s opening arc, but nonetheless this is another strong and welcome entry into the series’ logbook, revealing a little more about Fumika’s past, introducing a second mail carrier and fitting in a whole new one-off storyline about a girl who receives a Shigofumi from her estranged mother. The “my mother ran off with another man so I must turn HARD YURI” angle has perhaps been a little overdone in recent times, but I’m still enjoying the series; on an unrelated note, the soundtrack is worthy of note too.

Shion no Ou 14: I hate Satoru so much- he’s just the kind of annoyingly smug and manipulative little bastard you want to punch in the kidneys. When he’s not trying to expose traps or shed his blood all over a kifu, he’s busy mocking everyone and bullying poor Shion, and for what? Is he angry because his character design is so generic? Does he want a bigger role, maybe a bigger Liang? Either way, I hope his comeuppance is just around the corner, because the last thing I need is to punch through the screen of my laptop in an attempt to land a blow on his face.

Spice and Wolf 5: With Horo captured, Lawrence and his allies have to undertake a mission to rescue her- all the while trying to keep the upper hand with regards to their position and financial dealings. Much as I love this series, I have to admit that this instalment did suffer a little from ‘episode five syndrome’, but again there were some touching character moments as we again saw that even Horo the Wise isn’t invulnerable. Based on the preview, however, we might get to see her wolf form properly next week, which should be interesting.

MANGA

Claymore 77: With Galatea impaled and Miata deep in her own mental instability, only Clarice is still able to fight, but what sort of chance is the weakest Claymore going to have against an Awakened One? Under these conditions, the conclusion of this chapter is pretty predictable, but it’s a solid enough entry in the story nonetheless.

REC 37: As was inevitable since the beginning of her arc, Ao finally patches things up with Aka and cancels her claim on Matsumaru in this chapter, marking a predictable end to a predictable story. It’s times like this when I wonder what the true worth of reading this manga actually is- every arc follows exactly the same pattern, and no doubt it will long continue to do so.

Spiral 67-8: Volume fourteen of Spiral gets underway with these two chapters, in which the identical DNA of Kiyotaka&Ayumu and Yaiba&Hizumi is explored further whilst the endgame draws ever closer. I’ve already read what happens in this section of the story, but despite some disappointment at this whole story arc, I must continue with the series until the end.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 182: Kurogane gets a whole chapter in which to bid farewell to Tomoyo and pick up his father’s sword this time around, before everyone changes back into their initial costumes in order to visit Fei Wong in his sealed off timespace. In fact, that’s pretty much all that happens here, a sure sign that CLAMP will be dragging out every aspect of this series’ development for a long, long, long time to come. Then again, what did we expect?