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No.6: Episode 1 [First Impression]

Pretty and spectacular visuals reel you in and force you to keep watching.

A very intriguing beginning for No.6! I'm rather looking forward to this anime, with an introduction episode like that!

 To review: The episode literally begins with a gasp and a bang- a boy is being chased through the sewers of an unknown location, and just when you think he's unable to get away...

Cut scene to Shion, a 12-year-old geniusin the city of No.6, who lives a life free of any worries or care. He and his friend, Safu, will be attending the Special Course together in school; evidently, this is extremely prominent placement. On the day of his twelfth birthday, an unordinary storm passes over their city, which houses the "Moondrop", a mysterious town center building with an as-of-yet unknown purpose.

And of course, on dark and stormy nights, something unusual must happen- escaped reformatory prisoner Nezumi finds solace in the home of Shion, who does not quite exactly understand the problem of inviting a wanted "criminal" into one's house.

No.6 caught my interest within the first three minutes of me watching it. Everything was beautifully balanced - animation, atmospherics, and plot pace- and basically left me wanting more to watch. The first episode stopped at a perfect place- literally, a cliff-hanger - but instead of feeling disappointed, I feel extremely excited by the fact that the pacing in this first episode was perfect.

I also feel connection to the protagonists, though not much has been revealed yet. Shion and Nezumi appear to be good balances for each other, and I am interested to see the chemistry that develops between them as the plot thickens and picks up pace.

Symbolism of the shared moments to come? ...

Basically, I think the first episode of No.6is something everyone should check out, regardless of genre preference. I have a feeling that it could end up being my 'majorly awesome' anime for this summer season too, given how great this first episode was.

~ Kiryn

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Deadman Wonderland: Episode 12 [Finale]

Shiro's expression is an accurate portrayal of how I'm feeling.

A sad ending, but not in a disappointing way- and yes, I will miss the OP for Deadman Wonderland quite a lot.

To review: Nagi-Frankenstein's rage causes him to go on an indeterminate killing spree. As he closes in on an injured Shiro, Ganta gets in his way and takes the hits for her, trying to get Nagi back to sanity.

Ganta protects Shiro in this dramatic slow-motion scene. What I couldn't figure out is why Nagi didn't use Owl's Eye on Ganta and resorted to punching him instead.

Luckily, both Ganta and Karako manage to get Nagi back to his senses, only at the cost of Ganta suddenly going into shock due the lack of candy-medicine for the poisoned collar. Genkaku, realizing Nagi is back to normal, takes advantage of the distraction to stab Karako to enrage Nagi once more- and when this doesn't work, he decides to blow a hole through Nagi's torso.

Genkaku's disappointment ends when he begins to shoot his own troops in madness, managing even to injure and shock Daida into running away (only to be killed later by Toto's copy of Crow's Invisible Black).

After getting this twisted monk's background story (as a former monk trainee who was beaten and raped by his fellow monks-in-training), Genkaku's head-shrine is revealed to Ganta and Karako. Ganta's red crystal begins to react as the poison takes over his body, healing him temporarily- the same begins to happen with Shiro, although Ganta does see her personality switch to Red Man-mode.

This allows Ganta to get up and send out a super-powered Ganta Gun due to Red Man-Shiro's influence, and with a dying Nagi holding Genkaku in place, both take a direct hit. After the dust clears, Nagi, on the brink of death, offers Ganta his last piece of candy, and finally at peace, Nagi dies.

Super-powered Ganta gun leading to the destruction of Owl-loving Genkaku and Genkaku-hating Nagi.

The very end of this final Deadman Wonderland episode is pretty quiet, setting up for continuation by showcasing a brief scene of the members of Scar chain escaping, a Makina vs. Tamaki face-down, and Toto making a plot against Ganta. I'm hoping that there will be a second season, since the story is far too complicated to end at this point.

A very quiet ending- peace amongst the madness, I suppose.

Despite the fact I think the episode was slightly over-done script wise, I think it did the plot justice, in addition to ending in a good place. It sets up for continuation, while completing this phase of the story. Furthermore, there were some very beautiful visual moments and symbolism throughout this episode that I thought added to the finale, and definitely maintained my interest throughout.

"How did the Red Man know that song, Shiro? We need a second season so we can find out!"

In terms of being a short series anime, Deadman Wonderland did decently well, offering both action and drama in equal parts. Despite the quality going down in some of the more supposedly exciting moments, I think the story was well adjusted for the anime. Not to mention the awesome OP, which, while following the series, I never fast-forwarded through. Not once.

All in all, enough to make me hope for a second season, and certainly enough to leave a lasting impression for its genre.

~ Kiryn

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Kami-sama no Memo Chou - episode 1

An ordinary boy by the name of Fujishima Narumi, displaced identity as his family always moves around, causing him to change schools often. He refers to himself as a "single pixel", not bothering to make friends at his new high school or bothering to stand out at all.

He accidentally stumbles upon a line of Love Hotels (probably Love Hotel Hill in Shibuya) and witnesses a girl (Miku) jump out of one of the hotel windows, escaping from an older man who attacked her so-called boyfriend (Satoshi). Narumi goes to help her when a small boy weilding a gun, wrongfully suspects him of ill-doing. Luckily the suspicion wears off as the gun-weilding boy's friends tell him off, helping the girl and her boyfriend up.

They leave shortly after with the injured girl and boyfriend, leaving Narumi with an odd first-impression of Tokyo life.

Shinozaki Ayaka: a classmate and part-time worker at a ramen shop, tries to befriend Narumi, coercing him to join the gardening club, making him and her the only two members. Ayaka brings Narumi to the ramen shop she works at, and he meets the guys from the hotel incident again. Turns out that they are friends of Ayaka. Small world.

Major: A boy who looks like a grade schooler, but is actually a military-geek college student, with full intentions of becoming a NEET. He specializes in military and technological knowledge.

Tetsu: A NEET, high school dropout and professional Pachinko player. He definitely looks the oldest, too.

Hiro: Suave, young, and the typical pimp-like character. He owns two cell phones, and is always texting and flirting with his many women.

Alice: A NEET detective. Finds the truth behind mysteries without stepping out of her room. Alice coins herself as a speaker of the dead. Her small apartment, littered with stuffed animals (I spotted a Totoro!), computer screens, and cooled with multiple air conditioners, Alice lives there, acting as a detective of sorts.

A girl named Shouko has gone missing, and Alice and her gang (Hiro, Tetsu, Major, and unwillingly, Narumi) are on the task of finding her. Shouko is involved in "compensated dating" and has disappeared. Miku and Satoshi, the two people from the beginning of the episode, were at the hotel to gain information about Shouko. Turns out that Satoshi isn't Miku's boyfriend, but was actually Shouko's, and Miku was a good friend of Shouko and idealized her. They teamed up and are setting up "compensated dates" with men to find information about her whereabouts.

Yondaime: Alice seeks the help of Yondaime, a quick-tongued man who apparently holds a lot of respect for Alice. He helps her with the case, and tries to find information regarding Miku and Satoshi.

Turns out that Miku is an upperclassman at Narumi's school, and is again pulled into helping Alice with the case. He confronts her and asks about her relationship with Shouko.

It turns out that Shouko disappeared after she exploded and yelled at Miku, telling her that she wasn't as smart, cute, and innocent as everyone made her out to be. Miku really only knew one side of Shouko.

Satoshi knew the other. And together, they were able to realize the "real" Shouko. Satoshi remained a mystery to Alice and others, as no real information could be found on him. Major followed him and found him at a combini, where he bought bags of ice everyday. Upon hearing this, Alice and the others set out, knowingly solving the case.

Alice confronts Miku at one of the hotels, and tells her of what happened to Shouko. Shouko participated in "compensated dating" because of her friend's and parents constant ideals of perfection and purity that was put on her.

Miku received a letter and Shouko's cellphone soon after Shouko's disappearance, revealing her "other half" to Miku, her life of "compensated dating." From there, Miku sought the help of Satoshi in hopes of finding Shouko.

But as it turns out, Satoshi knew the whereabouts of his girlfriend the entire time. The ice that Satoshi bought everyday was to keep Shouko's body from decaying.

Shouko was in a bathtub which Satoshi filled with ice everyday. She was found lying there, with cuts on her wrists, indicating a possibility of suicide. Odd markings right below the eyes, which examiners couldn't figure out upon initial inspection.

"I wanted to stay with her forever" was Satoshi's response once he was brought into custody for abandoning a corpse.

A sad ending, as they found Shouko's will which read, "I'm sorry you only had half of me. Let me stop time here." Although her intentions were never clearly stated, Narumi concludes that to Shouko, both Miku and Satoshi were irreplaceable in her life.

I have high expectations for this show! It's a great combination of many genres -- a bit of comedy, tragedy, mystery, and even some hints of perverted moments and moe.

The animation and art is nice, and I rather enjoyed the music as well. The music in particular stood out to me, so much so that I kind of want to buy the soundtrack to this series once it comes out.

The characters keep you interested, as they each have their quirks and bring something unique to the table. I am already a fan of all kinds of mystery-type shows, but the different characters only enhanced the quality of the show for me.

The main character, Narumi, reminded me of Mikado Ryugamine, though I don't know if that's the reason why I kept thinking that this series reminded me of Durarara!! Durarara!! also had the overlaying mystery behind it as well though, and the art style of this series echoes that of Durarara!!

It also reminded me a little bit of Akihabara@DEEP (drama version) and Jigoku Shoujo, in relation to NEET peoples and case-solving.

All of those series I thoroughly enjoyed as well, and so I have a feeling I will enjoy this series too! Don't let me down, Kami-sama no Memochou! (Have fans found a shortcut name for this series, yet?)

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The World God Only Knows S2 - episode 12 (FINAL)

“The real world is just a crappy game. The ideal world can only be found in a game…

Or so I thought.

But if an ideal can be found within a crappy game, there may be an ideal route in the real world for me to discover…”

 And thus ends the second season of The World God Only Knows.

I actually enjoyed the numerous anime series and movies that was referenced throughout this episode. One reference in particular (with the image linked above), The Girl Who Lept Through Time, amused me. Keima in a skirt, it was bound to happen.

They also had a couple of other series referenced, in particular a Gundam scene — classic. 

Similarly, every girl that Keima had to “conquer” in both this season and the first make cameos throughout this episode. I found this to be quite a nice touch, and almost a kind of fun ‘where’s waldo’ kind of game.

New uniforms are shown in this episode — a symbol of the new changes in Keima’s thinking that he developed throughout this episode. This final episode involved Keima finding his “ideal” through an otherwise-bad video game. He plays it knowing full well that it was poorly made, but falls in love with the main character, who ends up being the closest to Keima’s ideal person.

He becomes so engrossed in the game, he becomes pretty much obsessed. Once he finishes the game, though, he reaches sort of an epiphany — the kind that protagonists go through at the end of a series. He realizes that if he can find his ideal in a bad video game, then maybe there’s something worth searching for in the real world, too.

The series ends with this epiphany, which leaves for further character development in Keima, assuming there will be a third season.

As of now, there’s been no announcements of a third season, but they did introduce a number of girls in the ending sequence which we can only assume will be more girls that Keima will have to “conquer.”

Among them were a younger girl (I’d assume Keima would have to play the “big brother”/”prince charming” role) and a girl whose reflection mirrored a split-personality type of character arch-type.

If there were a third season, the hints they’ve left for us is nothing less than taunting. The wait to see if there will be a third season and when it will air is still unknown at this point, as they could always go down the original “Inuyasha” route and announce to the fans to read the manga to know what happens next..!

Overall, I really enjoyed this second season. It kept the same general pace as the first season, so the second wasn’t a let down at all. If anything, it might have been better in some cases, as I liked how they developed some characters throughout multiple episodes instead of having one girl per episode.

  This final episode let us see how much Keima grew and how his character developed. I also enjoyed the references to other series as well as to previous episodes of TWGOK. I am crossing my fingers for a third season — this series is quite enjoyable, and I’ve become attached to many of the characters, too.

x-posted Population GO

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Deadman Wonderland: Episodes 10 + 11

Scar Chain is forced to re-think their plan, Ganta deals with being "weak" while Shiro stuffs her face, Genkaku coerces Nagi into working for the Undertakers, and Makina attempts to figure out what promoter Tamaki is up to...

We are nearing the climax of Deadman Wonderland and this jumbled mess of plot and side plot is (seemingly) pulling itself back together for the final episode.

 To review: After their original plans are "ruined" by Shiro, Ganta and the remaining Scar Chain members (with Karako now in command), try to figure out another way to leak their information to the outside world.

Luckily, Scar Chain (with some help from Crow) also takes out Rokuro, keeping him from interfering with their plans for a second time. After they discover that the original data chip was a fake, Ganta realizes his mistake, and, unable to find Shiro, runs to Senji for combat training, tired of being weak. During the training, Ganta meets Toto, aka. Mockingbird, who has the unusual penchant of tasting or touching people and looks like the boy version of Shiro, whom he knows to be the "'Wretched Egg".

Meanwhile, Makina and her cohort begin to discover the true maliciousness of Promoter Tamaki's "experiments" for the military, and get closer to the underground of Deadman Wonderland prison...

And to top everything off, Genkaku drugs Nagi into madness and turns the former Scar Chain leader against the other Deadmen, resulting in horrible Jekyll-and-Hyde moments that hint at the desperation of the final decisive battle.

I think Genkaku actually has a thing for Nagi, but you know, there's no definite answer given all the insanity. Genkaku could just really, really want to kill Owl.

There's so much going on here that I'm not sure where to start. Episode 10 was especially hard for me to get through because the pace slowed down too much in order to set up for the last two episodes. Even the combat scenes weren't enough to keep me interested, although the introduction of speed-of-sound Deadmen weapons caught my attention.

Completely useless, throw-away side characters. This part made absolutely no impact on the storyline whatsoever.

Episode 11, however, was a nice build up for the finale, even if I felt Ganta's 'training' was a bit too short lived to actually be beneficial. I am also curious as to how Mockingbird is going to be incorporated thoroughly into the storyline, given his late introduction into the series.

It seems even Senji is afraid of Toto.

On a definite positive, the animation quality has started to go up again with episode 11, so I'm looking forward to seeing the conclusive final battle of episode 12 (mostly likely Frankenstein-Nagi vs. Ganta)- hopefully this series can finish as strong as it started!

~ Kiryn

Images [via]

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The World God Only Knows S2 - episode 8-11

Episode 8 was a slight filler but kept the lighthearted feel that I love in this series. Episodes 9-11 revolved around a new arc involving a student teacher! Student x teacher relationship!?

Episode 8 seemed like mostly a "filler episode" although it did reveal some details and hinted at a couple of things that could play a larger role in the future.

Keima and Elsie search for a special first edition of a game and Keima sends Elsie on the task of finding it. Though Elsie tries her best to find the game, she ends up purchasing the DVD instead of the actual game itself.

Haqua also pays a visit to Keima and Elsie, saying that she needed their input on the previous mishap she involved them in. Elsie muses that Haqua just used that as an excuse, and that Haqua really came to them because she wanted to see Keima again. It's lightly hinted that Haqua may like Keima, but to what extent is unknown at this point.

Episode 9 begins the mini-arc involving a student teacher at Keima's school, Jun Nagase.

On her first day she sees Keima playing video games during class. But when Nagase asks the teachers about him, she finds out that they have all given up on him. She brings it upon herself to change Keima.

When she decides this, a loose soul enters her. Interestingly enough, this is the first time we see a loose soul entering a host, and at this point in the episode we're unsure as to why it entered her anyway.

Keima is now on the task of conquering Nagase, while Nagase is trying to "conquer" Keima (in a sense) by trying to make him more social and open. Because of this, Keima is immediately put into the "student route" in this real life student x teacher scenario.

Throughout episode 10, Keima tries to remove himself from the "student route" with Nagase in hopes of finding a shorter route. All of his attempts are for naught, and he ends up arguing with Nagase sensei for a bit, sending her into a slight lapse of depression.

Keima decides to get close to Nagase's senpai, the ever cold Nikaido sensei, in order to gain equal footing with Nagase if he can win favor with her senpai. Keima slaves away to try and coax Nikaido into telling him something on Nagase that he could use, but to no avail.

Nagase on the other hand, overhears students talking about how she is too passionate of a teacher, and how bothersome it is. This stirred up memories of her basketball-playing years in school, which send her into a depression again.

Nagase sensei was the captain of the basketball team during their reigning championship winning streak. She ended up suspending the team though, after her teammates told her she was trying to hard. Thinking she was forcing her ideals upon her teammates (the same way she acted toward her students as a student-teacher), she gave up. 

Episode 11 concludes this arc, as Keima is able to successfully conquer Nagase sensei's weakness. Her ideals are strong, and because of that, she tends to intimidate her colleagues and pupils.

They react against her ideals initially, which leads her to give up half-way -- as she did with her basketball team during her school days. Keima encourages her to not give up, and that she should stay strong with her ideals and not let other sway her beliefs. This reinvigorates Nagase, giving her the strength and will to become a successful teacher.

And of course, no arc can conclude without the kiss scene! Oh Keima, you lucky man. Though as a girl, I find Nagase sensei to be the real lucky one. Amiright!?

I really enjoyed this arc, despite the student x teacher shipping (which I'm usually not a fan of). I kind of liked having a couple of episodes devoted to one person, so we are able to create a deeper connection for the character, and a better understanding for that person.

Some moments during these episodes were well-animated as well, which made it flow nicely.

The series is still keeping a nice balance of humor along with the drama and kind-of "life lesson" provided within each arc. Episode 12 is the final episode, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us there!

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Hanasaku Iroha: Episodes 9-11

Some interesting character and plot developments in recent episodes of HanaSaku Iroha make me realize that this is not just a story about a single girl, but about everyone else around her, too.

 To review: In episode 9, Ohana manages to find Tohru after some encouragement from Ko, who was about 3/4 of the way to Kissuiso before he decides to turn around and go back home. He wonders to himself why exactly he was planning to visit Ohana in the first place... Back to Ohana, the staff of Kissuiso manage to make it through the day, giving the best service they can to all of their guests. Ohana is satisfied with a job well done.

Ko accepting that he's not getting a chance to see Ohana- it was so close!

Episode 10 and 11 showcases Ohana's ever-growing dedication to the Inn. In episode 10 Ohana gets sick after attempting to carry out one of her grandmother's orders by herself, and the others practically have to force her to rest while she faces fears that she isn't needed or wanted at the Kissuiso.

Following this, Ohana and the others see the article with the Inn's rating- which is a devastating 5 out of 10. To top that off, all of the inns in that prefecture got low scores- Ohana, meanwhile, is more insulted by the article than she lets on, and goes to hunt down the editor who wrote it... who just happens to be her own mother, Satsuki, now back from her moonlight flit after breaking up with her boyfriend.

Ohana finds that Satsuki wrote the article without ever going to the Inn, under the orders of some of her higher ups; following this, she goes on (a rather absurd) campaign to get a fair rating for Kissuiso. Her well-meaning attempts fail, however, and when she goes to visit Ko at his workplace to cheer up, she realizes that Ko has begun to move on with his life, and regrets never giving him a straight answer to his confession...

Thus resulting in the depression-in-the-rain scenes...

Out of these three episodes, the filler, episode 10, was my favorite- it was light, a good deal humorous, yet also advanced the plot without having be an over-dramatized arc. I thought it was a nice example of what slice-of-life series should be doing, and made me go 'awww' several times over.

Heart-warming scenes like this really make me feel fuzzy inside. 'Nakochi and Minchi <3 Ohana' moment!

Meanwhile, I found episode 9, the end of a mini-arc, a little bit anti-climatic, while episode 11, the beginning of the next arc, felt somewhat over-dramatized again. Not that either of these things is bad, though I could have done without Ohana being hit with all of the depressing moments at once in Episode 11. Given that until Ohana left for the Kissuiso, her mother and Ko were the main people in her life, it was sad to watch how Ohana begins to realize that her relationships with them were actually not as strong as the ones she is developing now.

Also, just wanted to pose this question, but is a love triangle really plausable between Ohana, Tohru and Minko? I'm not quite sure how I feel about that development, unless I am just overreacting to the Tohru-Ohana moment of episode 10. You folks can help me decide.

Does Tohru have a thing for short girls from Tokyo?...

~Kiryn

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Deadman Wonderland: Episode 9

The dramatic still: Owl is cornered by Daida.

The mass Deadmen break out begins. Will they succeed?...

To review: With Karako facing off against the necro-macro, Ganta and the other Deadmen make it to their location and are waiting on Nagi and Rokuro to get the elevator started. Unfortunately, Nagi is caught up by his backstabbing ex-comrade and the Undertaker Daida Hibana, a second grader with a penchant for being polite then slicing you to bits.

See anything wrong with this image?

As Nagi is quick to discover, the Deadmen have been sold out to the Undertakers. After KO-ing Rokuro and Daida, he manages to start the elevator, though not without passing out and being captured. He sends out one more desperate plea ...

Back to Ganta and the other Deadmen- they also quickly find that they've been set up and most of them are killed on the spot by Genkaku and his Undertaker cronies, all of whom have anti-Deadmen weapons. Ganta is protected, as he has the microchip with all of the important info on it- until Shiro pops out of a ventelation tube to destroy the microchip via explosion...

Shiro saves Ganta once again.

Over all, I think this episode was balanced in terms of pros and cons: the good is that the storyline is progressing nicely, the bad is that there are too many characters and not enough coverage to make me feel really connected to them or their sacrifices and losses.

On the other hand, Daida played an interesting role in showcasing Undertaker abilities. Arguably, she was the one who made the battle scene intriguing, only because of her twisted nature and fighting technique. I actually feel like a better match up would have been Owl and Genkaku, since there seems to be some history there. But it looks like we'll possibly getting that next week, since Owl is now in custody of the Undertakers.

Also, the Shiro side-plot seems to be developing without us even realizing it - and who's this other kid who looks like her?...

~Kiryn

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Deadman Wonderland: Episodes 7 + 8

Meet Karako and Nagi, aka. Game Fowl and Owl...

Things are rolling along! After Ganta's fight with Minatsuki, he is invited to join the Scar Chain resistance . . . and what's going on with Shiro, again? . . .

To review: After a touching reunion between the Yoh siblings, Ganta suddenly remembers Shiro when they played together as children. Soon after, Ganta is 'asked' to join the Deadman resistance Scar Chain after his speech at the end of the Hummingbird vs.Woodpecker fight. After he meets their leader, Nagi Kengamine, aka. "Owl", Ganta also has an encounter with rock'n'roll super star priest and Undertaker, Genkaku, who can cancel out the Deadmen's Branches of Sin.

Little Shiro was so sweet...

Luckily, Shiro comes to save the day, and for some reason Genkaku backs off due to her arrival. Nagi and Karako are mostly convinced that they mean well, and Ganta and Shiro are invited to a meeting of Scar Chain- unfortunately, when Ganta tries to warn them about the Untakers' powers, he is laughed at and mocked (mostly due to a double agent, semi-L-look-alike, and an edited video), and leaves. However, after Ganta finds out from Senji that Owl's wife was killed by promoter Tamaki and Genkaku, Ganta returns to help Scar Chain in their attempted mass-Deadmen break out.

Meanwhile, Shiro is waiting on the sidelines. . . and who knows when the Red Man alter ego will return? ...

Ch...

To be honest, I was somewhat underwhelmed by these two episodes. I'm not exactly thrilled with how they're advancing the plot here, though it's following the manga closely - I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Scar Chain and the undertakers were sort of just inserted into the storyline. I would have liked to see one more Deadman fight before the plot advanced; it might also have been an opportunity to tie Scar Chain in better.

And I should have had my rockin' intro performance.

That being said - SHIRO IS THE RED MAN, it is confirmed and official. I hope they're going to ease in that bit of information to the storyline better than they did Scar Chain. But I think the plot will thicken given we know that Shiro was the one responsible for getting Ganta into the prison in the first place, and that might create some complications with the Deadmen-mass-breakout...

Next week its about Scar Chain's battle to freedom! It could be very interesting, so I'm looking forward to all the action.

~Kiryn

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HanaSaku Iroha: Episodes 6-8

Poor Nako. She has more fans than she probably needs.

It's all about the side characters! Episodes 6 and 7 focus on the other characters working at the Kissuiso- "young master" Enishi, "commander waitress" Tomoe; while 8 focuses on grandmother Madame manager Sui and her impressing the importance of treating customers equally on Ohana.

To review: In episode 6, Enishi invites management/employee councilor Takako to evaluate the Inn's service. After a few failed attempts (and after Sui dismisses Takako), Ohana and Nako try something new, which gets the attention of their customers- meanwhile, Enishi and Ohana bond somewhat over the experience.

In episode 7, a group of intense gamer guests arrive at the Kissuiso and give Ohana and especially Nako a difficult time. While Tomoe struggles with deciding whether to leave the Inn or not, she is adopts a creative strategy of interacting with these particular guests. In the end, her "battle plan" is a success and she decides to remain at the Inn. 

Episode 8 introduces the beginning of a new arc- the Kissuiso suddenly receives a huge amount of reservations for the same day, leading Ohana and the rest of the staff to believe that a mystery guest writing for a magazine may be staying to rate the Inn. Unfortunately, they're short-staffed and Sui falls ill, causing Enishi to call in Takako once again. Takako thinks they should prioritize, but Ohana stands her ground, calls Nako into work on her day off, and rushes into town to find Tohru. Meanwhile, Ko is arriving via train to see Ohana...

Cute waitress uniforms, a la episode 6.

While I generally don't like filler episodes, episodes 6 and 7 were pretty good all on their own. Episode 7, in particular, was fully of epic Tomoe moments that were highly memorable and fun to watch.  I was worried that HanaSaku fillers would be extremely slow and boring, but I was surprised at how well they incorporated characters and showcased their personalities.

Take that bitches. Tomoe's triumphant moment, a la episode 7.

Meanwhile, this up-and-coming arc could be etremely over-dramatized, or extremely captivating. One or the other. I'm a little worried they're going over-board with the drama, but it's possible that it could lead to something interesting. For all we know, Ko could be the mystery guest. Either way, I'm watching what happens next!

Too much drama, maybe? . . .

~Kiryn

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Deadman Wonderland: Episode 6

Yes, we do have a dark, dark past that is about to be revealed with the use of flashbacks and inner-dialogue.

Ganta finds out that Yoh has a two-faced, sadistic, Deadman sister. Go figure.

To review: Ganta, still partially suffering after watching the post-game Corpse Carnival show, comes across two of his fellow inmates, Masu (always hungry) and Minatsuki (seemingly sweet and innocent). After saving Minatsuki and her potted flowers from being eaten, he learns that Minatsuki doesn't want to participate in the Corpse Carnival either- her "gentle disposition" doesn't agree with it.

Ganta decides to try and run away with Minatsuki, but they're stopped- and Ganta finds out that he and Minatsuki, aka. Hummingbird, are going to be taking part in the next Corpse Carnival match, which doesn't exactly happen the way Ganta expects- turns out Minatsuki has a much darker side than he gave her credit for. . .

Please note the yangire look-of-death here.

While I did like this episode for the sake of Minatsuki, I thought her introduction to the anime storyline was much less smooth than her introduction in the manga (and Crow's introduction in the anime two episodes back).  It jolted the plot process a bit, and thus, felt a litte random (especially as Minatsuki was introduced the same time as Masu, and Masu also feels like a random throw-in for this episode as well).

However, while I didn't agree with how Minatsuki was inserted to the plot, I did like how Minatsuki was portrayed- that bipolar insanity was spot-on, and what makes her character particularly stand out.  I'm hoping she'll be somewhat like Crow and a little more reoccuring in the anime.

One last note here - I think Minatsuki and Ganta's fight was also somewhat anti-climatic, same way the Crow vs. Woodpecker fight worked out. I'm not sure if that's a plot device to make the audience more interested in what's coming up in future episodes, or if that is how all the Deadman battle scenes will be from here on out. Kinda hoping they'll pick up a little more in terms of being an action sequence.

Ganta finishes Hummingbird off with a headbutt-K.O. Never thought I'd see a guy use that on a girl.

~Kiryn

[happyonigirianime-blog]

The World God Only Knows S2 - episode 5

Well, it was only a matter of time!

The loose soul in this episode is in Chihiro. Exemplifying normalcy, Chihiro is average in every way (save for the athletic talent.)

Already depressed over the fact that there are about 60,000 loose souls left to capture, the thought of trying to capture a loose soul from such an ordinary, "background character" type person sends Keima into a slight downtrodden and annoyed state.

He fires back at Chihiro, annoyed at her heroine-esque demeanor--something a "background character" shouldn't have. She retaliates, sending him into an even more depressive state. He completely cut ties from the real world, shutting himself in his room and consuming himself entirely in his video games.

He ends up playing so much video games, when he finally goes back to school he collapses. He neglected to eat, and collapsed from starvation. His fellow students pay him no mind, walking past him. Dropping into an even deeper state of depression, he was just about to give up entirely.

Who comes to save him buy Ayumi Takahara, who, for those of you who've seen the first season, was the first person that Keima helped capture a loose soul from!

Overall, a pretty mundane episode. Nothing particularly outstanding, except that this is one of the few (or is it the first?) times that a character from a previous episode has been re-introduced into the series. It set up for the next episode nicely though, so I hope episode 6 will be worth the wait!

- ren

[happyonigirianime-blog]

The World God Only Knows S2 - episode 2-4

Within these next 3 episodes, we are introduced to new characters and learn more about Elsie and the demon world below.

Episode 2 is a continuation of the first, following Kasuga as she tries to destroy the “weak” side of her. In order to do this, Elsie suggests that Kasuga and Keima go on a date (though Kasuga refuses to call it such.) Kasuga’s “weak” side has become quite fond of Keima, and so they decide to hold this so-called date in hopes of drawing out Kasuga’s “weak” side.

Their “date” doesn’t prove very successful, as they cannot connect on an emotional level. In the end they go to an arcade, which had both Kasuga’s interest in physical and martial arts and Keima’s obsession over video games. Even this didn’t do much to connect the two.

Their “date” neared to a close, but as a final attempt to get rid of her “weak” side, they decided to share an ice cream cone…

It works, and with that lick of the ice cream (this sounds…odd, doesn’t it?) Kasuga’s “weak” side is released. Kasuga and her other half do battle, in an attempts to conquer one another. Kasuga struggled against her so-called “weaker” half, but Keima intervened, pointing out that she shouldn’t be fighting when she should just accept her “weak” self. Limiting herself from accepting her “weaker” half in turn limited her progress as a martial artist, creating a barrier that she didn’t want to pass.

—

Episode 3-4 covered another arc, introducing Elsie’s former classmate, Haqua. Haqua is now the section chief of the area that Elsie and Keima are patrolling, running into Elsie on accident while trying to capture a loose soul that got away.

Even though Haqua is a section chief, she has yet to capture any souls, whereas Elsie has caught 5. Ashamed that the scatterbrained Elsie caught more souls than her, top-of-the-class and destined for success, she hides the fact that she hasn’t caught any souls. What’s worse is that the loose soul that escaped was Haqua’s fault — she failed to capture it properly, and it escaped, running loose throughout the area.

Her pride at risk, she is determined to properly capture the loose soul herself, not wanting to seek help from Elsie who’s always looked up to Haqua, ever since their schooling days. Keima easily saw through Haqua’s front, and decided to join forces with her to capture the loose soul.

Their chase lead to the theatre where the loose soul began to collect the thoughts of all of the students there. The loose soul, consuming all of the students’ weaknesses into itself, grew into a larger, more foreboding loose soul.

It gained the ability to control the students that it consumed, and ended up controlling Haqua as well, using her weakness and insecurity to its advantage.

Haqua’s stubbornness served as her weakness which the loose soul took advantage of. Regardless, Elsie is able to free Haqua from the soul’s grasp, and together, Elsie and Haqua are able to capture the soul. A common theme among many anime— friendship, companionship, and the like — but with a slightly more serious twist than your typical Yu-Gi-Oh Anzu friendship speech.

- ren

[happyonigirianime-blog]

Deadman Wonderland: Episodes 4+5

Crow vs. Woodpecker. A smidge anticlimatic, if you ask me, despite the visuals.

To review: After duking it out with Crow (who we find out isn't the Red Man) and being captured by Tamaki, Ganta is forced to watch the informational video about the Corpse Carnival, which pits Deadmen, users of the "Branches of Sin" (Ganta's mysterious blood powers) against each other. Anonymous high-rollers enjoy these battles, betting on the outcome of the fights.

Ganta watching the informational on Corpse Carnival. He doesn't approve.

Ganta's first Corpse Carnival, under the alias Woodpecker, is against experienced Senji, aka. Crow. A few measly attempts with Ganta's blood gun reveal that Ganta will get anemia if he uses too much of his blood- a disadvantage against an enemy who is fully grown and only uses a certain amount of blood once (Crow's blades can be lengthened or shortened using the same amount of blood but by controlling the way its volume is distributed). Of course, Ganta doesn't give up and smartly shoots the announcer radio above their arena, and uses that distraction to get in a KO-hit on Crow.

Meawhile, Shiro and Yoh get kicked out of G-block and are trying to figure out how to get back in, for different reasons (Shiro believes that Ganta is too weak to fight on his own, and Yoh seems to be looking for someone...). In order to do this Yoh sends Shiro as a distraction in order to get the power to shut down- he expects her to be killed or captured, but the lack of electricity turns off a "lullaby", unleashing Shiro's darker side....

Shiro's smile here is oddly familiar... ch.

Honestly, I have a couple of issues here with theCrow vs. Woodpecker fight. I really feel it should have been played out more, especially given the fact that their encounter earlier in G-block was mostly in the dark. In addition, I felt it was somewhat sloppily done- up until that last hit that Ganta made. Looking back at another climatic moment (episode 2, at the end of the dog race), I seriously felt that Ganta's first fight as a Deadman should have created more excitement that it actually did.

On another note, I feel Ganta is not being showcased that well either- this, I feel, is also different from the manga portrayal, where Ganta is less of a wimpy kid and more ready to deal with the reality of his situation. Here I think they're amping up his lack of experience a little too much; as a result, he's becoming more annoying of a character than I think he ought to be.

  For whatever reason they're over-dramatizing it, it really is getting annoying. And following this scene is an abrupt heel-turn into doggedly-determined bad-assness. It's a bit jarring, to be sure.

Other than the fighting bits, the plot is moving along nicely. There's a lot going outside of Ganta's immediate plot line that is being paid attention to- Makina trying to figure out what Tamaki's up to, Tamaki being the ring-leader of the Corpse Carnival, and who are some of the other Deadmen that we've yet to meet?

And not mention Shiro. Shiro's a lot more than she seems, but we already know that don't we?

Crow faces Shiro's wrath. Literally.

~Kiryn

[happyonigirianime-blog]

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko: Episodes 2-4

Makoto’s feeling exactly the same way I did watching these episodes.

Mako gets to know his neighborhood, goes to high school, meets cute girls, and breaks his arm trying to convince ETErio that she’s an earthling. All in a day’s work for our young protagonist.

To review: Makoto starts at his new school, where he meets RyuushiRyuuko, a genki girl who seems to have an obsession with helmet hair, and Maekawa, a tall, quiet student who loves cosplaying as food products outside school hours. Getting along with them is easy for Makoto, who seems to have also befriended Erio with equal ease.

  Genki girl Ryuuko and. . .

  ... the cool, philosophical Maekawa. 

Although Makoto is increasingly spending time with Erio, Meme warns him not to get too involved with Erio just because she is pretty. Meme admits that she can’t remember too much about her pregnancy; and confirms that 1) Erio has missing memories from when she was lost for half a year, 2) she suspects that that Erio started believing in aliens to “fill the gap”, and 3) that as a result of this belief, Erio thought she was an alien that could fly and broke her leg trying to bicycle her way up into the sky (and that’s when Erio also started wrapping herself in futon mattresses).

Meme attempts to seduce warn Makoto. Note the sparkling hair as she turns on the charm full-power!

Makoto goes against Meme’s wishes and makes an effort to help Erio by proving to her that she cannot fly (an amazing scene), which results in the two rickocheting over a cliff on Erio’s bicycle and into the sea. Erio becomes resigned to the fact that she is a normal Earthling, and introduces herself properly to Makoto. Of course, for his courageous effort, Makoto ends up hospitalized with a broken arm. Ryuuko and Maekawa both visit, and are already lining up to be in Makoto’s harem“fighting” over Makoto. After Makoto is discharged, he returns to the Touwa household, where things have settled down between Meme and Erio.

The new Touwa family tradition: making Makoto bicycle them to a family restaurant with a broken arm.

While I did enjoy this “bring-Erio-back-to-reality” arc, it was somewhat hard for me to get through plot-wise. Personally, I had difficulty getting through all the randomness in order to remember some of the key information points, in addition to keeping an eye out for foreshadow references, and I feel/suspect there were rather a lot. Not to mention, I had an issue with some of the weird scene angles, which gave me a slight headache when they jumped from one to the next abruptly.

However, those two things are my only complaints for these three episodes. The humor that we saw in episode one was just as random, quirky and amusing in these three episodes. There were also some beautiful instances that were heart-warming and visually appealing, such as the bicycle/cliff/ocean scene of episode 3, which I re-watched a couple of times simply to get my fuzzy-moment fix.

The bicycle/cliff/ocean scenes. Really, really amazing stuff.

I’m also excited to see how Maekawa and RyuushiRyuuko are going to be incorporated into future episodes. I’m kind of hoping they both get their own arcs, or at least mini-arcs, because if anything they are just as unusual as Erio, if not more so.

All in all, a set of well-developed episodes that really introduced Erio and Makoto well, while showcasing their relationship growth. We can already see the importance, and their closeness will probably be a key factor from here on out.

~Kiryn

[happyonigirianime-blog]

Hanasaku Iroha: Episodes 2-5

  If I didn't know any better, I'd get the wrong idea. I know you would too. And no, HanaSaku Irohadid NOT go all eroge on us, I promise.

To review (Episodes 2+3): These two episodes certainly took an interesting turn, as Ohana tries to adapt to her life at the inn. She makes another blunder, but this time due to Nako having been unable to give clear instructions. In attempting to make it up to the obnoxious guest, self-proclaimed "famous" author Jiromaru, Ohana realizes that she has been, generally, rather inconsiderate of the other workers, and vows to make it up to them.

Ohana attempts to make up with Minko and Nako. No, really.

But before she can, she gets into further problems with Jiromaru after reading the initial draft of his *ahem* not-so-great smexnovel. Suffice to say, after Ohana goes missing and the rest of the inn's workers find her, the author is too ashamed to face everyone after they found out he lied- which leads to a car chase, a dramatic-fail "suicide" attempt, and a showcase of Nako's super awesome swimming skills.

The only moment of "cool" during this suicide attempt. Except for Nako. Nako was pure awesomeness.

These episodes have shown us a slightly more in-depth look to some of the characters, and given us some surprises too. Although the humorous situations are what really makes up the third episode, it also is an important-yet subtle- turning point for Ohana's relationship with the others.

No, not those kinds of relationships. Get your brains out of the gutter.

In addition, we get a lot more insight into Ohana's grandmother's character, which is proven to be equally honest as Ohana's own, though much more insightful. While I know we won't be getting any touching grandma-granddaughter moments soon, I think it's important to realize that Ohana's ability to "make everything okay" is recognized by her grandmother.

The pace is moving along nicely and I'm hoping we'll continue to get substance in the coming weeks, as these two episodes were mostly an initiating point for Ohana's relationships with the rest of the cast. But for right now, I am definitely enjoying the lightness and the humor that's being brought to the table, there's no doubt about that.

---

To review (Episodes 4 + 5): After things calm down, and author Jiromaru begins to work at the Inn in order to pay of his debts, the plot thickens when Ohana meets Yuina, the granddaughter of a neighboring (and more popular) Fukuya inn who has a weird obsession with talking in accents. Yuina and Minko are the two "princesses" of Ohana's class, though Ohana may be earning herself that same status when her classmates find out she's from Tokyo.

"Princess Minko" vision courtesy of Ohana's classmates.

Ohana is surprised to find out how many boys seem to like Minchi. Minchi, however, has her sights on someone else, and Ohana finally figures out that her roommate's in love with abrasive Toru. Of course, the "love triangle" develops when Ohana and Minko see Yuina hop onto the back of Toru's bike as he's leaving the Fukuya Inn.

To sum it up, after a whole lot of drama goes down, as Toru is "assumed" to be leaving Kissuiso for Fukuya (but it turns out he isn't), Ohana realizes that she hasn't exactly been kind to Ko, and sends him another text that she's doing just fine and thanks him for wishing her luck.

The dramatic "running after Toru" moment.

I am so happy that they showcased Minko. She and Toru are both rather similar, if you think about it, though Minko tends to be more awkward about things. There is, however, a part of Minko that is mature for her age, despite all the "balut" comments. I'm really hoping that they're going to develop that plot bunny later, as I would love to see Toru return Minko's feelings (though it's more likely that it will remain a one-sided love, as Minko is several years younger than Toru).

A very cute, embarrassed Minchi. Whenever she gets like this, I am going to call her Minchi.

While part of me enjoyed this miniature arc, there's another part of me that was annoyed by the slowdown of pace. Too many picturesque scenes rather than actual plot development- although I do understand that these episodes are also setting up for the Bonbori festival that will probably be featured in the near future. Furthermore, the end of episode 5 also shows us that Ko seems to be reading up on the area where the Kissuiso Inn is located- will he be visiting soon?...

Either way, I hope the pace will pick up slightly soon, though it looks like it might be, when a particular visitor arrives- and let's just say, she doesn't sound too nice at all.

~Kiryn

[happyonigirianime-blog]

Deadman Wonderland: Episodes 1-3

This anime makes blood manipulation look gruesome and beautiful at the same time. I should be disturbed by that, but instead I go "ooooh!" and "ahhhhh!".

Deadman Wonderland is one of those violent thrillers that keep you on edge, AND is pretty (given that you can stomach the blood and killing) to look at. If you're into psychological thrillers/murder mysteries, this one is definitely for you.

To review: Ganta Igarashi, a survivor of the Great Tokyo earthquake that sunk three-quarters of Tokyo underwater,  is the only student left alive after the massacre of his middle school class by the mysterious 'Red Man', who for reasons unknown, spared Ganta. This 'Red Man' also took the time to implant Ganta with a red crystal, which later vanishes after the entire incident.

For some reason, no one believes that Ganta is innocent, and as a result he is sent to a theme-park prison called Deadman Wonderland. There, he meets and befiends Shiro, an unusually friendly albino girl that seems to know the prison like the back of her mitten-ed hand (though Ganta can't remember her at all), and Takami Yoh, a kleptomaniac with an agenda all of his own. 

Every prisoner of Deadman Wonderland wears a collar that seeps poison into their bodies, and can only be remedied by 'candy', aka. a medicine which must be taken every three days (to forgo eating it means that the inmate will die). Unfortunately, it seems that someone has it out for Ganta when he attempts to compete for more 'cast points', the prison inmates' currency, to purchase more candy. . .

Not to mention these strange powers that seem to be developing . . .

  Whenever someone smiles in this series, it generally isn't a good thing. . .

Deadman Wonderland has been decently close to the original manga plot, with only a few divergent moments. I think I was simply excited to see Deadman Wonderlandas an anime because the story is about 75% action oriented, and I have to say the blood-letting scenes have definitely been made more dynamic coupled with movement and color. Not too mention the addition of music, which really makes for an all around captivating watch.

If the audience can get past the first episode, which is mostly just setting things up, the second and third episodes definitely pick up the pace. The prison/theme park is definitely a surreal, twisted bit of insanity that makes for an interesting setting full of corruption- and it seems that only Ganta is a 'true innocent', as it were, in both actions and morals.

The next episode will definitely add a new level of insanity, with the introduction of a new character (he's also featured briefly in the opening- see episode 2- and ending).

Shady and mysterious. Maybe he's the 'Red Man' . . .

Might I also add, there's a small section in the opening of Deadmanthat has got to be one of the sexiest few scenes I have ever seen in an anime without going over the top (they're all sort of topless and doing drugged-out dancing, you can't miss it).

So to sum it up: Deadman Wonderland has started out nicely, fleshing out the story with interesting visual details along the way. I just hope the quality won't be going down, because I think that's what's really helping Deadman out in capturing my attention.

~Kiryn