Backlog catch-up is a myth.

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

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

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

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

SLOW RANKINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This isn’t Bartender, you know.

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

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

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

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

SLOW RANKINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 3, Clannad 14, Gunslinger Girl- Il Teatrino 2, Kaiji 15, KgNE Next Season 1, Minami-ke Okawari 1, Mokke 8-10, Moyashimon 7-11, Persona 1-3, Shigofumi 1-2, Sketchbook 7-10, Spice and Wolf 3, Aquarion OVA 2, Tokyo Marble Chocolate, Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations 2, Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 2

…and in manga: Bokurano 43-7, Mushishi 12, Spice and Wolf 1-4, Tenshi Nanka Janai 30-1, Tsubasa 180, Yotsuba& 51-2

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) –invest in apples, trade silver coins
3. Shigofumi (-) – the dead never lie <- new!
4. SaiMono II (3) – close those eyes!
5. Kaiji (4) – zawa, zawa
6. Moyashimon (5) – cute microbes <-complete!
7. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – first rumba, then tango
8. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (7) – lots of cats
9. Minami-ke Okawari (-)- not quite the same <-new!
10. Persona Trinity Soul (-)- Mushi-Uta’s successor <- new!
11. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (8)- Pinocchio
12. Clannad (9) – the world is made of invisible harps
13. Shion no Ou (10) – tournament time
14. Mokke (11)- magical cat

Aria the Origination 3: I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I adore Aria and I want to go and live in Neo Venezia immediately. Okay, now that the ritual is over, I have to admire how the series made a good episode out of heart-shaped chocolates and a one-off character, but somehow it managed it, transporting me to the far-off world of Aqua for a lesson on the packaging of chocolates (don’t use glass, boys and girls). In the meantime, President Aria seems to be taking his role as a Dragon more seriously when he starts reading the newspaper and taking an interest in construction, whilst Akari is growing up and new undines are set to appear next week.

Clannad 14: Kotomi’s arc comes to an end in this episode, and despite promising us a ‘theory of everything’ in the title (which I was hoping to steal and submit as a PhD thesis), it turns out that her parents had actually bought her a teddy bear. Anyway, after helping out with yard work, Tomoya and the others try to make Kotomi’s miserable life a bit more bearable so that they can put her aside and move onto the next arc. I’m sure I’m supposed to feel more emotional about all this, but all I could think was that Kotomi didn’t really the teddy bear in the first place.

Gunslinger Girl- Il Teatrino 2: After last week’s disappointment, this episode, whilst still not up to the level of the first season, is at least something of an improvement. Sadly, this may just be because the episode was almost entirely devoted to starting Pinocchio’s arc, and therefore had just a single scene with the girls at the end. I’m still highly disappointed by the animation, but the background music is beginning to grow on me, and this arc should provide plenty of story to distract from the presentation.

Kaiji 15: The long trek across the beam has come to an end, but unfortunately only Kaiji survived it, and thanks to his plea for the power to be switched off a couple of episodes ago, he won’t be getting any money. Instead, he must enter the next gamble, another card game involving three different types of card, in the hopes of finally making enough money to clear his debt. It’s strange- at this point in the series I still love the GAR MANLY w1n of it all, but at the same time the games themselves are pretty simplistic, and all this talk of cards puts me in mind of Yu-Gi-Oh (albeit a more badass Yu-Gi-Oh) once again.

*NEW* Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Next Season~ 1: As a Mitsuki fan, I was happy with the way KgNE ended, but by putting aside my irrational love for the TV series, I was finally able to watch and enjoy the first episode of the OVA. Under these conditions, the episode was quite enjoyable- Haruka seems a little more ‘with it’ than before, the visuals are nice and the runtime is pitched at the right length to prevent boredom. I’m actually looking forward to the next episode.

*NEW* Minami-ke Okawari 1: The time to move onto the second season has arrived, and as with so many things, it has proven to be a little difficult to adapt to the changes in visuals and atmosphere, so that whilst there are still moments when I laugh out loud, it just doesn’t feel quite the same. Even so, some Minami-ke is better than none, and I don’t have any intention of giving up just because of these alterations.

Mokke 8-10: The Mokke catch-up continues with three more episodes completed; first Mizuki must cope without her sister and grandpa on a field trip, then Shizuru befriends a girl who is obsessed with the other world, and finally Mizuki spends time with a weasel who is trying to learn how to use the sickle power of his clan. There’s nothing particularly wrong with these three episodes, and indeed they are enjoyable enough, but I can’t help feeling that this series is just a poorly disguised rehash of stories I’ve seen before- it really doesn’t offer anything unique or interesting enough to differentiate it from the bronze tier crowd.

*COMPLETE* Moyashimon 7-11: Moyashimon is finally complete, and what a strange, microbe-filled journey it has been. The series certainly had its fair share of enjoyable, thoughtful and even crazy moments, and yet overall something didn’t quite click for me- for all that I wanted to, I couldn’t quite connect with the characters. Even so, the microbes were fun, and a more detailed review will follow in due course.

*NEW* Persona Trinity Soul 1-3: Even though I intend to someday, I haven’t played Persona 3 yet, which puts me at something of a disadvantage when watching this sequel anime. Nonetheless, and in spite of the fact that most RPG adaptations are completely awful, Persona is actually proving to be enjoyable, offering as it does a Mushi-Uta mix of high school life and a bizarre alternate world of battles, monsters and secret organisations. There’s also some solid parody potential here- look out for a dedicated post soon.

*NEW* Shigofumi 1-2: When I first previewed it, I said that Shigofumi felt as if it would be the new Shinigami no Ballad- and as it turns out, I wasn’t far wrong. Instead of a shinigami and her cat visiting people, we now have mail carrier Fumika and her talking staff delivering letters from the dead (the titular Shigofumi), and so far, this new combination has proved to be more enjoyable than SnB was in animated form. The first two episodes cover an arc which begins when a girl’s father dies and Fumika is instructed to deliver a shigofumi to her lover, a role which her best male friend decides that he must fill. What looks to be a sweet tale of friendship and romance is soon turned on its head by the end of episode one, however, as the tale takes a darker and more twisting turn that proves you shouldn’t assume anything. Even though episode three has been altered for TV broadcast in case the evils of anime corrupt more innocent young minds, I’m looking forward to seeing more.

Sketchbook ~full color’S~ 7-10: The eternal process of catch-up has finally brought me to Sketchbook, with four more cat and art filled episodes bringing me up to date with the subtitled releases. Although there is still that air of trying too hard to accomplish what Aria and the like can achieve effortlessly, Sketchbook is still enjoyable enough in its own tranquil way, even weathering the introduction of the typical blonde foreign girl. And with episode eleven promising another feline bonanza, there is all the more reason to keep watching.

Spice and Wolf 3: I hope no one will mind if I fangirl about Spice and Wolf every week from now on; after all, if you’ve been reading this blog for any significant length of time you should be used to the fangirling by now. Anyway, I cannot help but love this series, from the atmospheric OP, through the beautiful setting, likable characters and story filled with financial twists and turns (don’t ask why, but I’ve had a taste for this sort of thing ever since I took a course in financial physics at uni), all the way to the delightfully nonsensical Engrish ED. This week, Horo gains a taste for apples and negotiation, whilst Lawrence continues to pursue the potential for profit when the silver purity of a particular currency is altered. I think I’ll have to send both of them into the Tuesday Rumble Dragons’ Den at some point.

*COMPLETE* Sousei no Aquarion OVA 2: After an uninspiring start, the Aquarion OVA makes up for its issues with a worthy second episode packed with action, story twists (that won’t surprise any TV series viewers) and an ending that means it does indeed tie into the original as a prequel. It could have perhaps done with a bit more orgasmic gattai with which to help us recall the original, but overall this turned out to be a worthy OVA that has reminded me why I love Aquarion so much.

*OVA* Tokyo Marble Chocolate 1-2: Many thanks to both Necromancer for recommending this and Hige for writing such a positive review about it, although to be honest this is the kind of thing I would have watched on the strength of the title alone. A double episode OVA that covers the same day from the perspective of its two protagonists, Tokyo Marble Chocolate tells the story of a young couple- each of them has had an unlucky time with the opposite sex and it may be that this relationship is about to go the same way, unless the intervention of a mini-donkey can change things for the better. A charming tale about romance with a whimsical and beautiful visual style, Tokyo Marble Chocolate scores another hit for Production I.G., whilst reviving my faith in the power of the OVA.

Tsubasa Chronicle ~Tokyo Revelations~ 2: It’s rare that I prefer an anime adaptation to the original manga, but I have to admit that this OVA episode actually cleared up some of the more confusing aspects of the manga, and even though various plot holes remain gaping open, at least I understand the whole clone Syaoran thing a bit better now. I could actually watch more of these OVAs.

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 2: The insanity continues in the second episode of Zoku SZS, starting with half an episode of complete randomness with puns, incoherent talk and a guy who likes opening things (stop opening it all! Some things must stay closed!), before moving onto a discussion of ostentatious decoration and the importance of the old- everything from old friends to Old Mother’s Day. It’s at times like this when I don’t know if I adore a series or have merely just had my brain fried by a cocktail of drugs and flashing images, but at the core of it, Zoku SZS seems to prove that there are people out there who can reach the same bizarre wavelengths that I sometimes tap into. I may be random and completely crazy at times, but I’m not alone!

MANGA

Bokurano 43-7: At long last I have some more Bokurano to get my teeth into, although of course it is never enough. These chapters cover Kanji’s arc as he goes into battle against an enemy with long-range capabilities, forcing him to come up with a unique and painful strategy to overcome it. Meanwhile, more details on who signed the contract are revealed, alongside indications that one person may not be all they seem. Give me more, now!

Mushishi 12: At long last I have a new chapter of Mushishi to look at, and although it just covers the same material as episode eight (the tale of a man who cannot let go when he loses his wife at sea), Mushish is such a great series that I can be exposed to its stories over and over without complaining.

*NEW* Spice and Wolf 1-4: Having fallen in love with the anime, the logical next step was to immerse myself in the manga as well, and whilst these chapters cover much the same content as the first two episodes, I still enjoyed them immensely. With a beautiful art style and an improvement in the scene where Horo shows Lawrence her true form, it is clear that the manga has much to offer- all I need now are the original novels.

Tenshi Nanka Janai 30-1: The generic shoujo-ness of this series is pushing all my buttons at the moment, and not in a good way. Just as Midori angsts over Akira’s absence, he phones her up to say that he must settle things with Masashi before he can come home and live happily ever after. The predictability of it all has become so trite and sappy that I almost don’t care anymore; however, since I’m on the penultimate volume I shall see it through to the end.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 180: Never before has Tsubasa stretched ahead into infinity like this, for apparently, unlike the Syaoran-clone, the Sakura-clone had a copy of the original’s heart as well as her body- and if she gets destroyed, Fei Wong can just make another one and start the whole feather scattering over again. Nonetheless, real Syaoran wants to save both real and clone Sakura, but Yuuko will once again require payment- hopefully her price will be the immediate cessation of the Tsubasa manga.

Yotsuba& 51-2: It’s time for the culture festival at Fuuka’s school, and Yotsuba is looking forward to sampling some cake- but will she be impressed with simple pound cake? And once that’s over, a typhoon sweeps into town- what better time to brave the rain and go outdoors? As always, all I can say about this is that it’s as amusing as ever- long may Yotsuba’s reign continue.

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

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

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

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

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

SLOW RANKINGS

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

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

Remember, don’t eat too fast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SaiMono goes all Dynasty Warriors.

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviewed this week: Cazador 15-16, Darker than Black 15-16, Doujin Work 3, Higurashi Kai 3, Mushi-Uta 1-2, RxJ 15, SaiMono II 15, Seirei no Moribito 15, Tetsuko no Tabi 1

…and in manga: Homunculus volume 8, Spiral 41, Tsubasa 161, Yotsuba&! 48

Zombie-Loan has been unceremoniously dropped, much like Liu Bei’s son was after Zhao Yun risked his life to rescue him.

ANIME
To enhance the rankings, there will now be colour coding to indicate whether a series has improved or worsened since its last episode- regardless of whether its ranking relative to other series has changed. Blue indicates improvement, black means no change has occurred and red means the series has gone downhill in some way.

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – S-class anime
2. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (2) – dark yet random humour = w1n
3. SaiMono II (4) – the arc surges forward again
4. Darker than Black (3) – say it’s 50 episodes, please
5. Mushi-Uta (-) – a mixed bag of bugs <-new!
6. Tetsuko no Tabi (-)- train adventures <-new!
7. Romeo X Juliet (6) – by the book adventures
8. Doujin Work (7) – predictable but amusing
9. Seirei no Moribito (5) – sitting and talking
10. Sisters of Wellber (8) – needs more subbing
11. Koutetsu Sangokushi (9) – HARD GAY
12. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (10) – inoffensive
13. El Cazador de la Bruja (11) – end this boredom now!

El Cazador de la Bruja 15-16: I truly thought that El Cazador had plumbed the depths that monotony can take us to, but as always, it seems determined to prove me wrong. In episode 15, most named characters randomly show up at a Japanese-style hot spring in the middle of nowhere, whilst Rosenberg is sent on holiday and Ricardo and Nadie both find their contracts terminated. Whilst this might make it sound like the plot is going somewhere, don’t be fooled- the episode is slower than treacle and duller than ashes.

Similarly, episode 16 is another exercise in tedium, as Nadie declines taking on a bounty job (isn’t she a bounty hunter?) in favour of earning money by working at an Amigo Tacos restaurant. It’s both hilarious and depressing how Amigo Tacos offers more of a plot than anything else in the series, whilst LA’s confrontation with Ellis marks an unwelcome change from boredom by being both creepy and disturbing.

Darker than Black 15-16: Another fortnight, and another arc of DtB has come and gone, whilst we remain none the wiser as to what this is all leading up to. This time around, the focus is on the returning November 11 and his team, alongside CC clone Amber and her allies- with Hei naturally getting into the thick of things and even defying Huang at one point. Whilst these episodes are by no means bad, the fact that we now only have ten episodes left is a source of concern to me, since it puts a lot of pressure those episodes to tie up the story and provide the answers we’ve all been craving from the start. If the series were going to be 52 episodes, I would feel a lot happier about the pacing, but as it is, I’m not confident about the writers’ ability to bring everything to a satisfactory conclusion.

Doujin Work 3: It has to be said that episode three of Doujin Work is very much like episodes one and two- both highly predictable, and yet (in places) somehow amusing. This time around, Najimi makes and sells her first doujin, but predictably the quality is so bad (not that we ever get to see it) that its reception is somewhat lukewarm. Although the actual sale of the doujin was a bit too bland to be interesting, a scene in which crossed wires result in Justice thinking that Najimi is talking about her nonexistent unborn child rather than her doujin is good for a chuckle.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai 3: Something’s up with Rika, and Satoko can’t help but notice that her usual attitude seems to be a bit forced, as if covering something deeper. Aside from noting how poorly the villagers treat Satoko and how much regard they have for Rika in comparison, this episode is so standard that it becomes inoffensive in a way that makes it hard to praise, criticise or even remember particularly well.

*NEW* Mushi-Uta 1-2: An odd mix of light high school material and more sinister goings-on, Mushi-Uta takes us to a world where named characters of importance are “Bug Masters” of sorts, controlling giant bugs and working for various different factions. Despite a resemblance to Kanon, Air and even Pokemon, Mushi-Uta simultaneously draws me in with its darker elements and puts me off with its lighter harem inclinations. Even so, overall I’m looking forward to seeing how this pans out, and I must of course mention my love of the character designs.

To emphasise the “Uta” part of the title, Hakuoro appears

Romeo X Juliet 15: Romeo is having a hard time at the mine, so much so that the generic miners start teasing him and playing keep-away with his handkerchief…will a crisis occur so that he can Prove Himself and Earn Their Respect? Of course it will, and even as his highly predictable adventures continue, Juliet finds herself wandering around the woods with no particular goal in mind. In the face of such unexciting content, enthusiasm for the series is at an all-time low, with promised future events hardly seeming enough to lift it out of its rut.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 15: When confronted by so many main characters, few villains can endure, and certainly Ren and the Face of Doushu seem no match for even the dialogue of Shuurei and her allies as they confront him in the Jasenkyou base. Whilst this isn’t the most exciting of confrontations, it is good to have the arc moving again, even though that isn’t so good for poor Eigetsu.

Seirei no Moribito 15: Monotony seems to be a recurring theme this week, with Seirei once again delivering its trademark sitting and talking in place of any sort of action. Yes, the story does advance a bit as Shuga looks for proof that Chagum is alive, Torogai tells Tanda and Balsa that Chagum is in danger, and Sagum meets his final fate- but overall, it all happens at such a slow and painful pace that it is hard to muster even an ounce of enthusiasm for what is going on. It’s episodes like this that make me want to drop not only this series, but most of the anime I am watching right now.

*NEW* Tetsuko no Tabi 1: Another new series for this week, Tetsuko no Tabi is based on real life events which see a trio of people go on a train journey and visit stations so that they can make a manga out of it. Although I thought the whole series would be about the journey with the manga being made at the end, this episode actually covers one entire trip (with another one to come next episode)- and whilst train journeys hardly sound like the most exciting of material, it is the quirky characters and their interactions that make this amusing and fun to watch. Sadly, the poor quality of the subtitles detracted from my enjoyment, but even so, this seems like one to stick with.

MANGA

Homunculus volume 8: Although I felt as if should savour this new volume and take it slowly, that naturally proved to be impossible, and so the eighth volume was devoured in one single session which was both satisfying and left me in despair when it was revealed that volume nine won’t be out until the winter. Anyway, getting on to the actual content, and this volume is basically nothing more than Nakoshi and Ito together in a room, discussing the nature of Ito’s homunculus- even so, Homunculus makes this simple situation engrossing to the point that one volume of it is not enough, leaving me desperate to continue delving into the secrets and psychology of these two characters.

Spiral 41: When Madoka steps in to help resolve the stand-off with Kanone, it seems as if the situation might just come to a close, but can it really be resolved unless Ayumu takes up a gun and kills Kanone- just as his brother planned? This is another absorbing chapter which gives Madoka and Kousuke the chance to shine, although it seems high time to start wrapping up the Kanone arc.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 161: In confusing fashion, the fight between Fye and Kurogane is continually interrupted by further flashbacks about the magician’s life, as we see how he first learned magic and later decided to deal with a beast attacking people in Celes (correct me if I’m wrong, but this beast seems to be Ashura himself). I can’t say I have the faintest idea of what’s going on anymore, but I feel an odd compulsion to continue in the hopes of making sense of it all.

Yotsuba&! 48: In yet another chapter called “Yotsuba & the Farm”, we finally get to the promised farm, where Yotsuba proves as amusing as ever as she encounters sheep, cows and even a goat. I say this every time, but even after so many chapters, Yotsuba hasn’t lost its shine, and will hopefully continue in this vein for a good while yet.

This week in anime, old series are finishing whilst new ones begin, and licensing forces me to resort to raws once again. The question is- will I ever get around to seeing the rest of Love GetChu and Shounen Onmyouji (surely not the hardest series to understand with or without subs)?

Reviewed this week: Darker than Black 11-12, Dennou Coil 6, Cazador 13, Nodame 22-3, RxJ 12, SaiMono II 12, Seirei no Moribito 12, Emma II 10-12, Winter Cicada 3, Zombie-Loan 1

…and in manga: Claymore 1-73, Claymore Side Story 1, Yotsuba& 47

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – makes 1337 look average
2. Emma II (2) – missed out vital parts, but satisfying ending <-complete!
3. Darker than Black (3) – good set up, worse pay-off
4. SaiMono II (4) – I hope we can get out of ER soon
5. Nodame Cantabile (5) – enjoyable overall <- complete!
6. Seirei no Moribito (7) – predictable but entertaining
7. Romeo X Juliet (6) – seems to be in a dull mid-phase
8. Sisters of Wellber (8) – needs more subbing
9. Koutetsu Sangokushi (9) – HARD GAY
10. Zombie Loan (-) too generic thus far <- new!
11. El Cazador de la Bruja (10) – getting dull again

OVA RANKINGS

1. Ichigo Mashimaro (1)- a slice of enjoyment
2. Winter Cicada (2)- tragic HARD GAY <- complete!
3. MariMite (3)- more HARD YURI than ever
4. Mai-Otome Zwei (4)- more fat cats, less nipples please

Darker than Black 11-12: We come infinitesimally closer to getting some explanations in this arc of Darker than Black, which sees Hei sent to infiltrate PANDORA (don’t even ask me to repeat what it stands for- it’s too ridiculous). Unfortunately, after some good setup in episode eleven, episode twelve feels a bit disappointing, basically coming off as a “this guy is the only suspect, he must have done it” resolution. That being said, the music helps to elevate episode twelve beyond its basic content, as does the confrontation between Hei and the character of the arc, although the ending remains a bit of a drug induced conclusion more worthy of Sunrise than Bones.

Dennou Coil 6: Dennou Coil stays on top form in this episode, in which Fumie and Yasako try to find out more about the relationship between Haraken and Satchii. Although the lack of Isako and presence of Kyoko means this isn’t the best episode of the series so far, it is still entirely worthy, with a hilarious exchange between Grandma and an old man at the hotsprings, some revelations about the origins of Satchii, and a look at Fumie and Yasako as they switch off their glasses for the first time in a year. Right now, it looks as if the series will be heading more in the direction of investigating illegal programs and their connection to a tragedy in Haraken’s past than investigating the idea of lost memories and erased data, but I’m still eager to see what happens next.

El Cazador de la Bruja 13: After the brief flicker of interest that made the last two episodes bearable, Cazador has slipped back into boring territory as it reaches the halfway mark. In this episode, our intrepid heroines venture into a compound apparently closed down after the populace contracted a fatal infection, but could the truth behind whatever happened here offer vital clues to Ellis’ past? In principle, this should be the point where the plot shows and starts to get going, but the way information is presented here makes it all exceedingly dull, and even an attempt at an action scene seems more like a half-hearted overture to necessity than something that really inspires the viewer to keep watching.

*COMPLETE* Nodame Cantabile 22-3: Having forgotten the rest of her piece, Nodame is forced to recompose it on stage- a move that will surely doom her chances in the competition, and possibly terminate her fragile interest in taking the piano seriously. Meanwhile, Chiaki and the Rising Star Orchestra put on one last performance before various key members leave to study overseas, but will Chiaki find the right moment to admit that he too is headed to Europe? Overall, this was a satisfying ending to a series that has had its ups and downs, and whilst I became disillusioned with it at times, there were always enough worthy elements to make me glad I stuck with it. Now, onwards to the manga.

Chiaki looks forward to the Pleasuring possibilities of Europe.

Romeo X Juliet 12: If the last few episodes are anything to go by, RxJ seems to have hit a mid-series lull, and it doesn’t seem ready to snap out of it any time soon. After a long and dull scene of our young lovers fawning over each, we finally cut back to the more interesting supporting characters of Neo Verona, only to quickly whip away when a HORSE-riding minor general of evil is sent to retrieve Romeo. Even in the original play, the leads pale in comparison to the supporting characters, and Gonzo would do well to heed this lesson if they wish to maintain my interest in this series (which obviously they don’t, since they couldn’t care less about me, but the point still stands).

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 12: The medical team has finally made it to the scene, but as You takes charge of the surgery, not all of the doctors seem to have strong enough stomachs for the reality of cutting someone open. Sadly, whilst I can put some of my attitude towards the episode down to my lack of comprehension at the time, I have to admit that this whole medical arc has dragged on too long for my liking- I don’t find watching the minutiae of diagnosis and surgical procedure particularly interesting, and I didn’t really sign up for some sort of period ER. I realise it would damage the series to catch up with the novels too quickly, but I really want to progress beyond this.

Fortunately, there are at least a few other story threads to keep me interested, such as the whole tangle with the Jasenkyou and the Hyou clan, which seems about to move to the fore, happily.

Seirei no Moribito 12: Even though little has changed, Seirei somehow seems more interesting in this episode, which tells the predictable yet entertaining tale of Chagum challenging a foreign boy to a Rucha (Lucha?) match after he insults the emperor. Even though it’s a tale we’ve seen many times before in various media across the world, it still manages to be more enjoyable than the last few episodes, with the promise of Balsa’s next action scene now just around the corner.

*COMPLETE* Victorian Romance Emma 10-12: With the subs having ended due to licensing reasons, I decided to conclude the series in raw, deciding that my knowledge of the manga would help make up for any gaps in understanding. In this trio of episodes, we see Emma angst some more, whilst William falls afoul of Viscount Campbell when practically everyone refuses to deal with his company. Luckily, everything works out well in the end, although certain chunks of the manga were cut out along the way.

“Hakim, I choose you!”

*COMPLETE* Winter Cicada 3: The tragic tale of HARD GAY lovers Kusaka and Akizuki finally comes to a close in this depressingly miserable episode, which sees Kusaka sheltering a morose and near suicidal Akizuki in his guest house in an attempt to hide him from the government. It all ends in misery (and double suicide, in fact) for our two leads, with a sex scene thrown in earlier for good measure. Inevitable as this ending was, it seems a far cry from the unintentional amusement of the first episode, and whilst in retrospect I am unsure why I picked it up, this isn’t actually too awful compared to some of the other OVAs I have tried to wade through.

*NEW* Zombie-Loan 1: The latest Peach-Pit anime adaptation is here, and sadly, whilst it proved to have a surprisingly high level of parody potential (should I parody it- let me know your views) I otherwise wasn’t too impressed. The concept of having two bishies who have actually died and must now banish undead to get their bodies back alongside a lead who can see rings around the necks of those who are about to die does seem novel, but in practice the whole thing currently feels a lot more generic than that. The ditzy meganekko lead is stereotypical and irritating in the extreme, whilst all the other characters have been borrowed from various other sources- I’ll give it another couple of episodes, but I don’t see myself being in this for the long haul.

“If I want Hyper Self Pleasure, I’ll damn well have it!”

MANGA

*CATCH-UP* Claymore 1-73: As readers of the review I posted earlier in the week will know, I have finally caught up with Claymore, but where everyone else enjoyed it, I just haven’t been drawn to it as yet. Were my expectations too high? Am I just insanely hard to please? Whatever the case, although I want to continue reading this I just can’t rate it too highly.

*NEW* Claymore Side Story 1: Continuing the Claymore theme, this side story takes us back into the life of Teresa at her prime, when she gets a black card from the Number 2 Claymore. Normally a Claymore asks to be killed by the one who knew them the best, but Teresa actually barely knew Number 2, who only wants her to come so that she can have a proper fight with the woman who stole her number one spot. In all honesty, I actually enjoyed this rather more than most of the main Claymore manga, although that could just because of my curious love of Teresa’s character.

Yotsuba&! 47: Hmm, didn’t we already have a chapter called Yotsuba& the Farm? Either way, we still haven’t actually got to the farm, but in this chapter Yotsuba, her father, Jumbo and ‘Tomo of the series’ Yanda finally start to make their way there. As usual, not much happens in the overall scheme of things, but even after 47 chapters the series remains entertaining and amusing. Bring on the actual farm visit.

Is it me, or is it the ‘first wave’ of most anticipated series that you plan to watch in any given season usually the ones that disappoint most, whilst the overlooked ones that hardly anyone blogs about end up being the hidden gems? In general, anyway, everyone knows these rules are made up to have exceptions.

Oh, and for anyone who’s ever wanted to press the big red button, here it is.

Reviewed this week: Cazador 8, Claymore 9, Darker than Black 7, Dennou Coil 1-2, Koutetsu 7, Nodame 18, SaiMono II 7-8, Seirei 7-8, Polyphonica 1, Emma II 5, Wellber 2-3

…and in manga: SaiMono vol 2 omake, Tsubasa 153-4, Yotsuba& 46

ANIME

El Cazador de la Bruja 8: El Cazador sinks further into the realms of the dull and unremarkable in this episode, in which LA is captured for some naked ‘re-education’, whilst Nadie and Ellis get embroiled in the issues of mafia member Sanchez in an unfriendly town. Does this involve tense shootouts and other excitement? If you’re even prepared to entertain that possibility, have you actually watched the series at all? If this was Noir, people might have actually died (albeit bloodlessly), but in El-Cazador world, the only deaths are so dull and inconsequential that they are less memorable than a villain getting covered in tomato juice.

Claymore 9: I’ve tried my best to give Claymore a chance, but the odd appeal that lured me in at the beginning has all but evaporated now, and returning to the present party of Clare and Raki does little to help the situation. Despite being the weakest of all the Claymores (all heroes have to work their way up), Clare manages to get promoted to a four woman team sent to deal with Awakened Beings (or as they publicly known, Voracious Eaters). Naturally her team mates are annoyed that such a low ranking Claymore is the main character, and that they will be forced to share the leftover screen time between them. I can’t help feeling that I’m chasing a point on the distant horizon when the series supposedly get better, only to find that like the end of a rainbow, I will never actually reach it.

“…a Zhuge Liang!”

Darker than Black 7: Although I was slightly worried about the prospect of a lighter-hearted arc, I should have known that Darker than Black would never steer me wrong. Although it switches focus to follow a middle-aged detective as he searches for a widow’s lost cat, not only is the series as absorbingly well presented as ever, but it keeps darker threads running in the background as Li/Hei and Mao pursue a Contractor with the ability to possess the bodies of others.

*NEW* Dennou Coil 1-2: When I hear that a series is like .hack, I have to be cautious- do they mean the intriguing mysteries of the original World, or the crushing boredom of r2? Even so, Dennou Coil seemed worth trying, and indeed it proved to be set in an intriguing city that blends the real and virtual worlds to such an extent that it is hard to see where one ends and the other begins. With the aid of special glasses, our leads can see into the virtual world, but when a cyberpet wanders into ‘obsolete space’ and becomes infected with a mysterious virus, it becomes clear that virtual reality isn’t all fun and games. With this fascinating start, this sadly overlooked series has immediately drawn me in- look past the bland character designs and something potentially excellent is bubbling just under the surface. I need more as soon as can be managed.

Koutetsu Sangokushi 7: There’s a slight feeling of just wishing the series would get on with it in this episode of Koutetsu, in which Gan Ning wanders around, Zhou Yu fails to think of any good strategies and Lu Xun is reunited with his beloved master, Zhuge Liang. The parody potential is still high, but after building momentum in the last few episodes the series has lost steam somewhat, although a potentially interesting Wei arc seems just around the corner (could it even be based on the battle of Chi Bi?).

Nodame Cantabile 18: Having been named the Rising Star Orchestra by Mine and his father, The Strongest Orchestra prepares to give its first public performance- with some rather high profile musicians in the audience. Unfortunately, this is a rather dull episode that doesn’t really bring much to the series- it may not offend, but it doesn’t entice either.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 7-8: With the raws having dried up, I’ve turned to the Chinese subs in order to watch SaiMono, although when it comes to dialogue heavy (even by SaiMono standards) episodes like these, it’s the summaries and scripts from usagijen and the LJ community that give me any clue whatsoever as to what is going on. Anyway, these two episodes see Shuurei manipulate the merchants and the government officials (albeit with Ryuuki’s help for the latter) into providing the necessary assistance for curing the illness that has struck Sa Province- which is now treatable thanks to Ka Shin’s book. Although the long exchanges can be a bit tiring when you can’t follow them, there are also some nice character moments, from Reishin visiting a sleeping Shuurei only to jump out of the window when she wakes up, to the revelation that Yougetsu gave half of the life he granted Eigetsu to save Doushu.

Seirei no Moribito 7-8: With everyone now believing Balsa and Chagum to be dead, the pair are able to relax and take stock before moving into an old water mill which is set to serve as their new home. Despite the lack of action, seven still a worthy episode in which Chagum is exposed to the importance of money in the everyday life of the commoner, a familiar storyline which is made that much better by Chagum being a likeable character instead of a spoilt prince. Unfortunately, it is followed up by eight, a lengthy ‘sitting and talking’ episode in which the men of evil talk to a blacksmith whilst Balsa hides in the next room. Seirei has undoubtedly drawn me in so far, but the increasing realisation that the plot is incredibly thin (to the extent that I wouldn’t give much thought as to what was meant to happen next if it was cancelled tomorrow) and that a lot of the series is sitting and talking makes me wonder if it wouldn’t have been better as a shorter series or even a two hour movie.

Balsa is no stranger to watching BI.

*NEW* Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica 1: I hadn’t initially meant to pick this up, but after seeing some cat-filled and generally appealing screencaps, as well as learning that it was only twelve episodes long, it started to look more attractive. Set in a world where Dantists (players of ‘divine songs’ on such devices as a motorcycle that turns into a keyboard and drum kit) make contracts with magical spirits and direct them through music, Polyphonica has the quality character designs and harem overtones that speak of an eroge adaptation (if it is indeed such), but despite a lack of anything remarkable, it seems good for light entertainment. Of course, I’ve said that many times before prior to dropping a series on its fifth episode, but I have a good feeling about this one.

I like Corti’s character design so much that I’ve named my archer in Phantom Brave after her.

Victorian Romance Emma Second Act 5: Emma maintains its ‘can do no wrong’ status in this episode, which sees our eponymous heroine chosen to dress as a lady and accompany William’s mother to a party- which naturally happens to be a celebration of William’s engagement to Eleanor. This is a beautifully crafted section of the story which will surely tug at the heartstrings of any viewer, evoking sentiment without ever seeming overblown or cheesy.

Hans is mesmerised by a Zhuge Liang.

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ 2-3: Like Polyphonica, Wellber is turning out to be one of those series which doesn’t offer anything terribly ground-breaking or original, but which still manages to prove entertaining. Unlike the sheer boredom of El-Cazador’s endless journey through the desert, Wellber is much more enjoyable, despite the echoes of Pumpkin Scissors in the setting and talking tank.

MANGA

Saiunkoku Monogatari vol 2 sidestory: SaiMono takes an unexpected turn in this side story, which sees some of the male characters entering a cross dressing contest in order to win Shuurei the prize of 100 sacks of rice- it may sound insipid, but in SaiMono’s hands, it becomes entirely worthy and entertaining.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 153-4: After everyone makes the payment for the journey to Celes (said payment conveniently being the prize money from the chess tournament), Syaoran-real and his party are sent to the castle where Fye once lived- only to find Ashura and the tortured child/alterna!Fye/whatever it is waiting for them. The fact that we’re finally having a Celes arc seems to indicate that the series may be striving towards some sort of conclusion (however distant), but the current pace, story convolutions (since when could Syaoran-real use magic?) and confusing dialogue stretches all serve to make it less enjoyable.

Yotsuba& 46: It’s been a long two months without fresh Yotsuba, but a new chapter has finally reached us, and it’s plain that the series is far from running out of steam. In this episode, Yotsuba volunteers to go down to the convenience store by herself for the first time, resulting in the usual brand of hilarious results. With an upcoming trip to the farm and the possibility of Yotsuba attending school next academic year, there is so much more to be mined from the world of Yotsuba, and hopefully all of it will be pure gold.

Reviewed this week: Busou Renkin 24, Corda 10, Kanon 24, Nodame Cantabile 9, Red Garden 20-22, SaiMono 35

…and in manga: Chevalier 2, Chokotto Sister 39, Clannad 1-4, Gunslinger Girl 23, School Rumble 217, Spiral 28-31, Spiral Alive 4, Tenshi Nanka Janai, Tsubasa 147, Yotsuba&! 45

ANIME

Busou Renkin 24: The laws of narrative and the “I read spoilers on wikipedia” factor dictate that only Kazuki can defeat Victor, but never let it be said that the secondary characters shouldn’t all continue to take pot shots at him anyway. This episode continues the fight between the alchemic warrior team and the by-now hideously evolved Victor (if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that immense power and ugliness go hand in hand). A fairly average episode overall, but one that makes every that has occurred so far seem sensible when Kazuki and Victor end up on the moon. Clearly problems like escape velocity and lack of air to breathe are merely minor issues to be disregarded.

La Corda d’Oro 10: It’s time for the second round of the concours, but even as Hino goes out to play Pachelbel’s Canon, poor Tsukimori gets locked in a cupboard by some generics in a rather contrived effort to prevent him from retaining his lead in the competition. Overall, this is a rather dull episode, lacking even more substance than the average Corda episode, whilst it’s hard to believe the generics would even hate Tsukimori enough to lock him in a cupboard.

*COMPLETE* Kanon 24: Well, Kanon is finally over, and with it all the issues of the series are magically wrapped up without any real explanation. Shiori magically gets better despite being on her deathbed not too long ago, everyone else somehow automatically becomes happy regardless of whether they have worked out their issues, and Yuuichi obsesses over Ayu’s comatose body until the power of giving her a headband in flashback causes her to wake up. A somewhat lazy ending that sacrificed logical explanations as to how the characters ended up where they did in a favour of just showing them all moving on with their lives. Also, was I the only one who found it creepy when everyone was pawing all over comatose Ayu as if she was just a doll? Where were the nurses, or her family?

Nodame Cantabile 9: Chiaki and the others are off to a music festival in this episode, but whilst Chiaki trails after Stresemann and Nodame fails to impress her teacher in the piano master class, Ryutaro is worried that he too is not up to scratch. More than any of the others so far, this illustrates both the Nodame’s potential and the problems I have with it- the character drama is very good, but the jarringly off-kilter humour continues to get in the way of my enjoyment. Nonetheless, I have to admit that I have come to like the perfectionist Chiaki, especially as he has magically learned how to better interact with the orchestras he conducts.

*COMPLETE* Red Garden 20-22: Even television itself could not handle 24 episodes of Red Garden, and so with two episodes shifted over to make an OVA in August, Red Garden reaches the end of its run even earlier than expected. For such a dull series, of course, this is no bad thing, and in these last three episodes Red Garden (or as it should be named based on the final scene, Pink Garden) manages to encompass everything from the laughably stupid to the “excuse me while I play Go now” tedious.

Episode 20 kicks off the triple-bill as our heroines prepare to rescue Kate, an excursion that also reveals that pretty much everything the Doral have been doing for the last episode has been entirely pointless. With that in mind, they decide to go after the Animus’ Cursed Tome (aka the magical book that can resolve the plot). 21 is then the obligatory ‘calm before the storm’, with everyone putting the angst aside to spend time with loved ones prior to the final boss battle. Unfortunately, once said battle rolls around in 22, it turns out to be as disappointing as expected, with numerous generics fighting in order to keep each other occupied, whilst the expected boss battle with Hervé is replaced by what looks more like a kinky sex scene between him and his sister. All in all, a dull series with a plot that seems to have been created by pulling story ideas out of a hat- worse yet, said story ideas were written down after the writers got blind drunk.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 35: Seiran and Sakujun get down to their little drinking game in this episode, but who will take up the poisoned cup? No matter how easy it may be to guess the general outcome of the episode, the specifics may still hold some surprises, but the true strength of the episode comes in its excellent characterisation. A far cry from the usual “sit in a chair and watch the heroes on magic CCTV” villain, Sakujun represents the next step in antagonist evolution- a character who has committed deplorable acts and yet still engender audience sympathy. Better still are the intricacies of his relationship with Shuurei- a woman who was ultimately able to hold her own against him due to her own unique strength. It’s just as well there’s a second season of SaiMono, for four more episodes could never be enough.

MANGA
It’s time for some manga spring cleaning, so I’m going to drop Fate, Shana, Haruka 8 and Higurashi.

Chevalier 2: In the second chapter of L’Otome d’Eon, our bold cross-dresser learns that the Psalms are having an effect on Lady Sophia (one of the daughters of a decidedly younger Louis XV than the one we saw in the anime) and is duly dispatched to combat the Poet of the Week. I’m still not particularly won over by this manga, but it is sufficiently different from the anime that I want to pursue it in order to find out how the story turns out.

Chokotto Sister 39: Despite what I said in Tuesday Rumble, this is actually a fanservice-free chapter in which Chitose invites Harima, Choko and Makoto to go to the amusement park with her. From thereon in, it’s just a standard theme park visit all the way, with little to really distinguish it from the crowd.

*NEW* Clannad 1-4: With the news of Clannad TV bringing it to the forefront of everyone’s attention, I thought I may as well jump on the bandwagon and at least try the manga. So far, however, it’s hard to know what to make of it- both the lead and the various girls all seem a little strange, so whilst there is potential there, it is often obscured by sheer bizarreness. Whilst chapters 1-3 see lead Okazaki and the strange Nagisa become friends and try to revive the school’s drama club, chapter 4 takes things in a new direction by introducing a girl who randomly gives out wooden starfish to named characters.

Gunslinger Girl 23: Volume five of Gunslinger Girl kicks off with this chapter, which sees Marco’s ex-girlfriend reluctantly team up with a reporter seeking to expose the truth behind the Social Welfare Agency- but in an increasingly complex web of politics and deceit, just what is the truth anyway? Meanwhile, Angelica seems to be in better shape than she has been in a while, but her handler is well aware that it is only due to an increased dose of the medication that will shorten her life. Whilst this isn’t as character-focused as the best of Gunslinger Girl’s chapters, this is nonetheless a solid instalment in a worthy series.

School Rumble 217: Did I say the manga might be ending soon? Silly me, I should have known a partial reset was around the corner. In the wake of Yakumo’s revelation, Harima discovers that Eri didn’t actually rip up his manuscript, but he is more interested in the fact that Tenma is drawing a replacement manga for him (which she eventually decides to publish under her own name anyway). Filled with renewed hope with his relationship for Tenma, Harima tells Eri to forget about him, she pretends not to have any feelings for him in the first place, and Sarah attempts to persuade Yakumo not to give up on Harima. Well done, Jin- that should keep you going for another few years.

Spiral 28-31: This quartet of chapters brings volume six to an end with Kanone making his next moves- first by approaching Ayumu and trying to persuade him to join the quest to annihilate the Blade Children, before heading to the hospital to put an end to Rio. It’s a line-up of the tense stand-offs and plays within plays that Spiral does so well, not to mention an indication of how much better paced this arc is as compared to the rushed ending of the anime.

Spiral Alive 4: When Imari tries to convince Sawamura to two-time Amanae so that he can go out with her, Sawamura tells her that as long as he is aiming for Kiyotaka, he doesn’t have time for love- but unlike him, not everyone is happy at the prospect of ‘Great Detective’ Narumi being called in on the case. Compared to the preceding chapters, this one is rather short and uneventful, but it’s still a solid enough read with the usual healthy dose of beautiful character designs.

*CATCH-UP* Tenshi Nanka Janai 1-23: After having it sitting on my computer ever since the brief Ai Yazawa obsession that caused me to download both this series and Kagen no Tsuki, I’ve finally got around to catching up with this series. A typical shoujo tale of high school romance, unrequited feelings and love polygons, Tenshi Nanka Janai (not to be confused with Tenshi Ja Nai) is a standard shoujo story, but by the same token it’s a decent enough read provided you don’t expect much in the way of originality.

Tsubasa Chronicle 147: To no one’s surprise, Syaoran wins against Hikaru, but just as I thought we needed Fye and Kurogane to fight in order to complete the championship, a version of Chii appears to take Sakura to another world, and although it isn’t entirely clear what happens after that, she seems to be connecting to the Chii of Fye’s world. Hopefully it will start to make sense in the next chapter.

Yotsuba&! 45: In preparation for baking cakes for the school festival, Fuuka and her friend Shimau (a.k.a. “Miss Stake) decide to whip up a strawberry shortcake. Naturally, Yotsuba just has to join in, but will these first time patissiers have any luck in the kitchen? Even after all this time, Yotsuba& still hasn’t lost its touch, and so this is another entertaining chapter in the vein of all the others.

A while back, I mentioned wanting this figure, but as all too often happens, I’m beginning to change my mind- why have him when I can have this guy (his HARD GAY lover?) instead? I know the colour scheme isn’t as good, but the detailing on the clothes looks a lot better, even if the poor guy is bleeding to death after improperly performed HARD GAY.

Reviewed this week: Busou Renkin 22, Corda d’Oro 9, Kanon 22, Love GetChu 6, Nodame 7, Red Garden 19, ROTK 42

…and in manga: Emma Bangaihen 7, REC 28, School Rumble 215, Shana 10, Spiral Alive 3, NHK 35, Yotsuba& 44

Due to laziness with regards to parodying them, Chevalier 15-16 will appear next week.

ANIME

Busou Renkin 22: Whilst Kazuki’s party reach Newton Apple Girl’s School for an extended cutscene about Victor’s past, the black Kakugane and the possibility of a cure, the alchemic warriors that completely failed to harm Victor before go back for a second try, alongside their FMA armour/Avu Kamuu using leader. It’s rather pointless since we know that only Kazuki and his main character powers can possibly defeat Victor, but

La Corda d’Oro 9: As we fall into the dull, Haruka-esque pattern of exploring every bishie, this episode goes to Shimizu, the perpetually spaced out blonde shota who seems to be subsisting entirely on Sunrise brand dango. In between the unexciting glimpses into his life, Hino realises she must get over her fear of performing in public before the second selection begins. All in all, a generally inoffensive (if uninteresting) episode, with a cliff-hanger ending that promises a tediously painful wave of angst to come. I know I should get out now, but somehow the character designs and musical focus keep me going.

What more is there to life, really?

Kanon 22: To give you an idea of how enthralling I found this episode of Kanon, I must reveal that I paused it twice- once to take a bath, and again to watch my sister play Harvest Moon. Yes, watching someone else play a farming video game was a more interesting prospect than this exceptionally dull episode, in which Nayuki enters a depressive state over her mother’s car accident, and Yuuichi tries to cheer her up even as he remembers his past with Ayu. At least the end is close now.

Love GetChu! 6: It’s a bit sad that a series from last spring has had fewer episodes subbed than some from the winter, but whilst I continue to contemplate watching the rest raw, another episode has come along. This time around, the focus is on tomboy Tsubasa- her preference may be for male roles, but this latest lesson requires her to play the part of a girl on her first date! Fortunately, she can get some practice by going on a real date with a recently graduated seiyuu who she just happens to have feelings for. As always, it’s light entertainment and fairly predictable, but unlike some of its peers it remains enjoyable.

Nodame Cantabile 7: Hino may think she has it tough with her magical violin, but her struggles are nothing compared to those of Chiaki as he struggles to get the best results out of his orchestra in time for their performance. Once again, the shounen-like elements are in force as the underdogs find the key to working together whilst Stresemann’s orchestra inevitably falls apart. A rather predictable episode overall, but at least it kept me entertained.

Red Garden 19: Despite previous experience with other series, it is still customary to expect something to start happening by this point- although unfortunately, Red Garden has other ideas. With the bulk of this episode taken up by such fascinating character development moments as “Rachel chats with Luke/Rook” and “Claire chats with Ewan”, it all remains rather dull and tedious until the closing moments, when Kate is captured by her enemies after rather sensibly standing right outside their headquarters. It should also be noted that the two useless and ineffectual policemen have now been killed, begging the question as to what the point of including them in the first place was.

“His name was Mario.”

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 42: It’s been a while since I last saw a new episode of ROTK, but at last the slow crawl to the finishing line continues. This episode sees Cao Cao send an old classmate of Zhou Yu to the Wu camp in order to persuade him to surrender, but since Cao Cao is a bumbling villain of chaos, it naturally fails to work.

MANGA

Emma Bangaihen 7: Have you ever thought “Emma is such a great manga that it would still be good even if it turned into a series about a squirrel”? If so, then this chapter is for you- the tale of a boy who loses his squirrel on a trip, the chapter follows the fraught night spent by both boy and squirrel. Apart from the surprise of having a panel in which we see the squirrel relieve itself, this actually isn’t bad, even if we are straying further and further from the original story with each passing side chapter.

REC 28: As a refreshing change from romantic complications, this chapter focuses on Aka’s work as she realises that she doesn’t really have what it takes to play her current role. Fortunately, this is more of a learning experience than an excuse for angst, and the series would certainly benefit from more chapters like this one in place of the usual “someone’s threatening our relationship” fare. As if to remind us of the mangaka’s predilection for adult scenes, however, we are also treated to Matsumaru’s tentacle fantasy (NSFW link).

School Rumble 215: In recent chapters, we saw 2-D filming a movie starring Eri and Harima, only for Eri to take both Tenma and Harima’s manga and ask him to choose between them (naturally, Harima chose Tenma and the manga got ripped up). In the aftermath of these events, Harima must deal with the loss of his manuscript and decide what to do next, whilst Yakumo breaks down in front of Sarah as the stress finally gets to her. The good news- it finally feels as if an end is in sight (even though it probably isn’t).

Shakugan no Shana 10: Whilst Yoshida steps forward as the second member of Yuji’s harem, Shana and Yuji discuss what to do about Friagne- and readers can only hope that someday something will happen. The artwork is also starting to get a bit lazy in places; close ups are fine, but anything slightly complex usually ends up with washboard figures, whilst Shana has a disturbingly small head.

Spiral Alive 3: For Imari, it’s all about confessing to the boy she likes, but Sawamura is more interested in tracking down Amanae. Meanwhile, in the wake of the music box killings, the police decide to turn to the one person who has a chance of solving the case- Kiyotaka Narumi. A comparatively slow chapter which is more about setup for the next stage than accomplishing much in its own right- I’m now eager to get cracking with the main story.

Welcome to the NHK 35: Why is it that every time someone seems to be getting better in NHK, it only causes everyone around them to become that much worse? With Megumi’s brother having recovered enough to face the outside world again, everyone else is plunged further into despair, especially the by now irritatingly dishonest Misaki. Yes, I know she has problems- so does everyone else in the series- but that doesn’t induce me to like her.

Yotsuba& 44: Given that this episode is called “Yotsuba& the farm”, you might rightfully expect our pint-sized heroine to do something along the lines of visiting a farm, but unfortunately, it is not to be. With her continuing fascination with milk leading to talk of cows, Yotsuba’s father plans a trip to the farm, but when Yotsuba gets overexcited and ends up with a fever, it has to be called off. It may not be the series’ finest hour, nor really what I was expecting from the title, but a solid chapter nonetheless.