Random Anime of the Week 1 - Atama Yama

In order to stay fresh and take a bit of a break from my normal viewing responsibilities, I decided to put my library of random anime stuff to good use and do a weekly feature on some arbitrarily-chosen episode or movie sitting in my folder. The first pick is called Atama Yama, and it's about a guy who grows a tree on his head.



A stingy man picks cherries up off the street and brings them back to his house which is filled with things he refuses to throw away. He decides that throwing away the cherry pits would be too much of a waste, so he eats those as well. The next morning he wakes up with a sprout on top of his head. He clips the sprout off Daily, but it continues to grow back.



When spring arrives, people begin to gather on his head to watch the Sakura blossoms there. Fed up with those antics, the man tears the tree out of his head by the roots, leaving a hole there. Instead of solving his problem, though, people come to the hole in his head to fish and swim. Running away from them, he encounters a puddle, which he realizes is (paradoxically) the puddle in the middle of his own head. He throws himself into it and dies.



This short film (10 minutes) gleefully skirts the line between the comedic and the truly weird pretty well. It seems as though the main character is punished for being so stingy in his life, but I can't possibly imagine how dying from some weird hole-in-the-head-related paradox is payback for being exceedingly frugal. The animation is also a modern interpretations of a Japanese rakugo tale of the same name, so it's possible that the original version of the story has a bit more to it.

This short was nominated in the "Best Animated Short" category for the 2003 Oscars.

Kurenai Episode 12 - I Am [END]

Summary: Shinkurou rediscovers the location of the Inner Sanctuary, and there he confronts Murasaki's father, telling him that she said that she never wanted to end up like Souju, her mother. Shinkurou finds Murasaki, and fights off her brother with the Houzuki-ryuu techniques.



When all is said and done, though, Murasaki makes a difficult and unexpected choice; she chooses to remain with the Kuhouin family, but fight to change their customs that steal freedom from the women there. As Shinkurou, Benika and Yayoi return to their home and leave the Kuhouin family behind, Murasaki asks her father to tell her stories about the times her mother smiled.

Thoughts: Just a note, expect to have a few sniffles and tears during this episode. That is, unless your heart is made of black coal and ice. Needless to say, things ended very emotionally. And I have to give the show kudos for creating an emotionally complex, surprising ending, rather than wrapping everything up happily, and even without really killing anyone, which is not how I thought it would be at all. I also have to commend the show for not really making anyone "evil" (well, except for Lin, who was just crazy and freaky). The Kuhouin family has some pretty weird ideas, but one almost has to pity them because they adhere to a custom that essentially dehumanizes half of their family. Ryuuji isn't even all that bad, he's just been raised to accept these things as normal and doesn't have the capacity to think in other terms.

The lovely thing is, even at the end we see change beginning to occur. Murasaki's father is sitting and talking with her on his lap, like a normal father would to his daughter. It's not especially surprising, since it seemed throughout that her father was really on the edge of being fed-up with the Kuhouin customs (especially since the woman he loved fell victim to them).

I also have to commend everyone involved for making interesting characters. We barely heard from Benika and Yayoi for the first half of the series, yet by the end they were definitely interesting and fleshed-out enough for me to really care about them. Yayoi especially, in spite of the fact that she appeared to have little to no personality for the longest time. She returned to kick some major butt in the finale, which was cool.

I really ended up loving this show, more even that I thought I would. I may end up doing one big wrap-up post once I manage to get all my thoughts in order.

Allison and Lillia Episode 5 - The Closed Forest

Summary: It's winter break, and Wil is on a special trip thanks to Allison helping to pay for it. While he and a friend are at a lookout point, some men in dark coats put Wil in a car. A car driven by Allison, who planned the "kidnapping". She's in the area due to her work in the Air Force - a joint evacuation drill with the military of Sou-Beil. At Allison's camp, they meet with Ker Benedict, promoted to major after the actions uniting their two countries. On their way back, the two get caught in a snowstorm and try to seek shelter in a nearby village. Ker, realizing this, decides to search for Allison and Wil using a new snowmobile-type vehicle.



Allison and Wil finally come to the village, and a woman directs them to an assembly hall where they can get tea and warm up. The woman isn't who she seems, however, and rushes to her hidden basement to warn others about their presence. While drinking tea, Wil tells Allison about the death of the local royal family in a fire, and how the bodies were also found to have gunshot wounds. They discover that the tea was laced with something to make them sleep, and both fall under its influenced. While Ker is searching for them, he finds a woman named Fi who seems very interested in the picture of the politician on his memo.

Thoughts. Oh Allison, you're such a tomboy. Even though the episode ends on a relatively serious and mysterious note, there's still quite a bit of humor in the fact that Allison needs to build up the courage to ask Wil to live with her in the capitol after he graduates from school. Sure, she's kind of a stock character in that respect - the scrappy female lead who can do anything but gets all flustered when feelings are involved - but it's pretty cute.

Already this episode is intriguing enough to make me want to know what's up with the hidden village and why they're so suspicious of outsiders. Judging from Fi's reaction to Ker's poster, the politician seems to have some connection, as does the death of the royal family. The old woman who served them tea seemed to become extra-uncomfortable when Wil showed uncommon knowledge of the local royals. Could the people in the village be the same that were involved in the "accident" that took the lives of their local royalty? There are plenty of scenarios running through my mind right now, but it's probably best to settle down and just wait and see.

One must wonder what part Fi has to play in all this. I can tell by her more interesting clothing and the fact that she met with Ker that she'll be at least a somewhat major player (oh anime, you're so predictable). I've learned from watching Himitsu that everyone is just harboring all sorts of secrets within them, so her connection to the politician (whose name just isn't coming to mind at the moment) is probably something really juicy. Or tragic. Or I suppose it could be both.

Kurenai Episode 11 - I Think

Summary: Shinkurou, Benika and Yayoi attempt to infiltrate the Kuhouin Estate, only to be discovered almost right away. After a battle in the river, they reach the front of the house only to have to face Lin, the dreaded fighter who nearly killed them back at the apartment.



After a lot of battling, Shinkurou and Benika finally reach Murasaki in the Inner Sanctuary, where Ryuuji is also waiting for them. After being beaten back by Ryuuji and Lin in the Inner Sanctuary, and after Murasaki states that she doesn't wish to be taken, the two limp back outside to try and collect Yayoi. While waiting for Benika, Shinkurou looks at the photo he kept from Shichi-go-san and decides to return on his own.

Thoughts: Gyaaah, it's torture to think that there's only one episode left, and I can't imagine anything turning out very happily in this show. Not that everyone needs to live happily-ever-after and that the plot should be tied up with a tidy little bow, but considering how darkly things are going for... well, pretty much everyone at this point, I'm just worried about who's going to end up dead in the end.

Thinking back, I believe I remember Yuuno mentioning that the Houzuki-ryuu technique was developed with the idea of battling the Kuhouins in mind, so I would be really surprised if that aspect of Shinkurou's power didn't show up in this final episode. It seems silly to me that they'd casually throw that out there and then not have it even be an issue in the end. Especially since, as I see it, that's really the only leg up he'll have in defeating Lin and Ryuuji, both brutal fighters. While Shinkurou unsheathed his sword during the battle, he wasn't given a chance to use it, which makes me think that it'll show up in the finale.

*sigh* I'm glad that I'll soon get to know what happens (oh the joy of waiting until the series is most of the way through before blogging about it in earnest), but I'm sure I'll be sad that it's over and I'm sure the ending won't be anything like sunshine and kittens.

Kurenai Episode 10 - Accustomed Fear

Summary: Shinkurou is adjusting to life without Murasaki, and recovering from his wounds. While sparring with Yayoi, she offers some unexpected advice. He's having a hard time moving on, but she explains that he'll only become stronger if he forces himself to.



When he sees Ginko at school, she gives him some contrary treatment. He tries to act like a normal high schooler, but doesn't really know what to do with himself. A visit from Benika, and Shinkurou must prepare to move for his next job. Tamaki and Yamie don't take the news well. After some deliberation by himself, he contacts Benika and vows to save Murasaki from the Kuhouins. Benika tries to stop him until its evident that he's already decided what he has to do.

Thoughts: Sometimes I get so enthralled that I forget about taking screencaps until the episode is almost over. This is one of those times. While I have to question the pacing a bit from a technical standpoint, considering this show is almost over and yet Shinkurou spent an entire episode trying to forget about his failure and then finally realizing that the only way to forget about it is to fix it. On a personal level as a viewer, though, I think this was the right thing to do. This show is nothing if not full of character development, and this is another great example of it.

It's funny how malleable Benika is. Here she's trying to run a business that often involves life and death, and yet she's willing to put her trust in a young man and then allow him to fail at his job, all without becoming too upset about it. And now, even though initially resisting it, she's helping Shinkurou face the Kuhouins by driving her to their estate in her own car, even though I'm sure she suspects that he might die trying to infiltrate their stronghold. I'm sure part of it is that she's more sympathetic than she lets on, both to Shinkurou and to Murasaki.

Is anyone else royally creeped-out by Ryuuji, Murasaki's older brother? I sure am, especially from the way he talks to her, as if this is all normal and he's just making small talk with his sibling. I don't really want to know what's going to happen with him, and I can only speculate about how he'll become more prevalent in the episodes to come. Yuck.

Golgo 13 Episode 8 - Action 4/24

Summary: A man named Bentona, being tortured to reveal his knowledge of the location of a lot of money, still laughs because he's hired a famous skilled sniper to get rid of the man torturing him. The Don of the New York family took over Bentona's hard-earned territory, leaving his group in a shambles.

In order to discover Golgo's secret, a group of New York Family thugs follows him into an alley. One of the guys following him in a car takes video of his quick draw, as three lackeys are quickly killed. Even though his boss, the Target, has installed special bullet-proof glass in his residence, he still values his video tape data. When Bentona turns up dead, his wife urges Golgo to leave New York and forget the obligations. Golgo informs her and her drivers that, once he accepts a job, he follows through.

Three assassins are hired to take out Golgo, and they review the video, realizing that it only takes him about .17 seconds to draw his gun, and then .04 seconds to aim and shoot each man. Knowing this, they tail him and realize the vantage point from which he'll shoot. Even though the 700 meter shot is nigh impossible, what's more impossible is the bulletproof glass guarding the Don. The men assume he's failed his mission, and wait to ambush Golgo as he leaves. Amazingly enough, a messenger arrives to inform the men that the Don was shot. The answer lies in Golgo's skill as a shot and his M16 that was able to penetrate the glass after shooting the same point multiple times.

Thoughts: I have to admit, at this point I'm mostly just amused at how often random thugs underestimate Golgo's godly skills and the ways in which Golgo goes beyond everyone's expectations to totally pwn his targets and everyone who tries to get in his way. He has such a fearsome reputation that if I were an assassin hired to try to kill him, you can bet I'd leave the money and run as far away from the situation as I could get.

This episode introduces another of Golgo's ground rules. He won't let you stand behind him, of course, but he also doesn't give up on a job, either. He's there whether you want him or not - or whether the hiring client is still living or not. Even a killer has principles (and they must be working, because the man's been around for quite a while).

As usual, not much constructive commenting to do here. Golgo is what he is, whether you like it or hate it.

Kurenai Episode 9 - You and Me

Summary: Shinkurou and Benika, and Murasaki and Yayoi are hiding out in separate hotel rooms. Shinkurou feels like he can no longer handle the job, and asks Benika the truth about Murasaki's lineage. Benika explains the odd and repulsive family structure of the Kuhouins, and why Murasaki is essentially a woman who does not exist. He vows to protect her, no matter what. Before they leave the country, Shinkurou wants to bring Murasaki to bid a proper farewell to Yamie and Tamaki.



They enjoy one last hot pot, and then return to their room to pack. Murasaki reminds Shinkurou that neither of them is alone anymore. Later that night, their apartment is invaded by members of the Kuhouin family, namely Murasaki's older brother Ryuuji. Ryuuji, by manipulating Murasaki's fear of Shinkurou's death, convinces her to return with him to the Inner Sanctuary.

Thoughts: Well, I could have predicted that it would be a terrible idea to return with Murasaki to the apartment one last time, but of course characters in an anime can't hear me screaming through the computer screen to turn around and leave. Man, this was one of the saddest episodes of anime I've seen in a while. Not only because Murasaki is on her way back to a place she can never again tolerate, having been in the outside world, but because it really demonstrated just how broken in spirit she still is from having grown up in such a terrible situation.

And what a situation it is. I had always suspected there was something really screwed up with the Kuhouin family, but I don't think I could have predicted condoned incest as the particular brand of messed-up behavior. Not to mention the fact that, since women at age 13 are considered adults in the family, what it all really amounts to is incestuous statutory rape. Fabulous. Considering how creepy Ryuuji has seemed already, knowing that he's destined to, at some point, have his way with Murasaki, makes me feel absolutely disgusted seeing him. It's like this very primal kind of disgust. It makes me wonder (but not really want to know) just how a family could develop in such a way as to require incest, and just what sort of horrible genetic issue there must be there. I suppose I can understand wanting to preserve a family's bloodline, especially when there's something at stake. And considering the extremes this family goes to, there must be something huge at the center of it all.

With three episodes to go, I can only guess what kind of actions Shinkurou is bound to take in retaliation. I realize that he's against releasing his secret weapon, but with the type of thugs on the Kuhouin side that can essentially beat him down effortlessly, I'm sure he'll have to release that power in order to do what he has to do. I'm gunning for him to really kick some ass, because after this episode you bet I'm fired up to see those perverts punished.

Kurenai Episode 8 - Self Preservation and Cowardice

Summary: Having seen Murasaki at the cafe previously, two men are patrolling the neighborhood, supposedly waiting for the right time to make their move. The holiday of Shichi-go-san (in celebration of children aged 7,5, and 3) is coming up, and since Murasaki is 7, Shinkurou and his ladies want her to experience it. They go to a tiny shrine and make their offerings. Only Yayoi notices the presence of a suspicious man as he walks away.



After some dinner at a restaurant, the group parts ways. Murasaki remarks on how she's disappointed that she isn't a more mature woman so that she can help Shinkurou as he has helped her. The following day, Ginko provides a packet of information on the Kuhouins to Shinkurou. Surprisingly, Murasaki isn't a part of the Kuhouin family. This information seems to upset Shinkurou. However, he's assaulted on his way home by the men who have been surveying the neighborhood. Racing to make sure Murasaki is safe, Yayoi tells him that Benika is on her way to pick him up.

Thoughts: And just like that, their simple life is essentially shattered and changed forever. Really, who among us thought that no one would ever be able to locate Murasaki? Hiding her in a junky old apartment with a pretty much nameless kids was a decent idea, but considering that neither Tamaki or Yumie seemed aware of how imperative it was to keep Murasaki hidden, you had to know that there was going to be a slip-up somewhere. I love Tamaki but... maybe not the smartest person out there.

I have to say I'm royally creeped-out by the son of Murasaki's father. I'm not anxious to find out exactly what he's capable of, even though I know it's inevitable. It was interesting to find out that apparently women of the inner sanctum are cursed, and that's why they aren't let out. Though what exactly that means is still not very clear to me. I imagine I'll find that out soon enough as well. For some reason, the father's second wife seems to be favored as she dresses in Western clothing and seems to have much more freedom than her unfortunate predecessor. I can't quite decide if she's evil or what, or if she'll even have much to do with the rest of the story. Hmm.

It's been a while since Shinkurou has actually demonstrated his fighting prowess, other than sparring with Yuuno. I'm pretty sure that, even though he said he didn't want to rely on the special power he weilds as a follower of the Houzuki-ryuu, I'm betting it'll show up again anyway. It would be a really odd choice to briefly show something like that and then completely put it away for the entire rest of the show. I'm not especially focused on the fight scenes in this show, but since the last few episodes have been really slice-of-life, a bit of action wouldn't be out of the question.

Kaiba Episode 8 - Disguise

Summary: The Issoudan, the terrorist group insistent on returning to the natural process of aging and death by eliminating the memory banks and use of memory chips, is celebrating its recent destruction of the memory tanks on Lolo. Judgment by Dada-sama, the leader, is harsh and quick when members disobey. Popo is visited by a robot bearing his favorite treat who claims to be his mother. He sends her off to the scrap heap while trying to keep part of his past a secret.



In the meantime, a man named Jackchew meets with Warp, the king, and shows him his "collection" - a room full of bodies, copies of the king. The centerpiece is the body that Kaiba once inhabited - a special version which contains the actual powers of the king. The Warp posing as King isn't the true successor, fraudulently etching the king's symbol on his abdomen. Any attempt to steal the body goes completely awry, and the memory dealer swoops in to retrieve it.



Popo, realizing that people know the secret of his replacement body and coming to terms with the fact that Dada-sama finds him too powerful and threatening, he initiates a coup, where he realizes that the leaders of his cult are all failed Warp copies. Kaiba is given his memories back by the memory dealer and Hyo-Hyo's true nature is revealed.



Thoughts: There's so much to talk about in this episode, I don't really even know where to start. However, after re-watching the episode and lurking around some discussions on message boards about the episode, a few things became clearer. At the end of the episode, the memory dealer/manipulator speaks to Hyo-Hyo while he feeds some memories into the "true" Warp body and tells it that now the body and mind of her boyfriend are back together. So Hyo-Hyo unexpectedly (depending on how much one's been paying attention) has been Neiro in disguise. And supposedly not the Neiro with her memories altered, considering that she's been guiding him along the way this whole time.

Now that we know the Warp who's been enthroned as king all this time has been a fraud, it calls into question the memories that Neiro had about being shot by Warp. Not necessarily the fidelity of the memories, but one has to wonder which Warp version is the one in the memories. Considering the alterations of many of Neiro's memories, especially those having to do with Warp/Kaiba, the Neiro who still inhabits her recognizable body may be confusing the two, or fusing the two into one idea. Yikes, this is getting complicated.

One thing that occurred to me while I was watching this episode in particular was something that was introduced in episode 2 - the idea of double-loading memories for one reason or another, and the illegality of the act. Also the fact that the copy realizes its own mortality, causing it to want to kill the original. Assuming that Hyo-Hyo is a copy, I'm anticipating some sort of confrontation with the altered Neiro at some point in the future that might reintroduce this concept. And another thing; if it's such a horrible thing, according to the Issoudan, to go against nature and body-swap to attain immortality, how was Neiro able to place her memories into the Gel body without consequence? I'm assuming it's just due to a double-standard - all bets are off when it comes to attaining a "greater" goal (like blowing up those memory banks). I just found it curious. Doubly so because Popo, inhabiting a second body due to his sickliness as a child, is dead-set on keeping the fact hidden out of fear of punishment by the leaders of the cult to which he belongs.

I think I could talk all day about this and not really be able to wrap my head completely around this episode, so it may be more valuable to wait and view later ones, then re-visit when I look at the series overall.

Toshokan Sensou Episode 10

Summary: The Kanto Defense Force travels to another area to help guard an exibition of modern art that will open in a couple of weeks. What they find there is a library chairperson who has abandoned all weapon defense for the promise of dialogue, so the local Defense Force is severely lacking. Not only that, but the female Defense Force members are the frequent victims of harrassment by the large and (in this case) more highly-ranked Affairs department. Iku grins and bears it for the time being, because of the urging of the local Defense members. After they slide a harrassing letter under her dormitory door at night, she's kept awake trying to balance Dojo's orders to take note and adapt to the atmosphere with her desire to help out her local Defense comrades.



The next day, the ringleaders from the Affairs department do something that cuts to the bone - they alert Iku's mother to the true nature of her job, and her mother shows up to try and drag her back home. The incident turns out to be a blessing in disguise, as this finally opens up a dialogue between Iku and both her parents, and it turns out that her father is very encouraging of her work. She gains the drive to face her problems with the Affairs Department head on.

Thoughts: *cries* I get the cliffhanger I want and I don't have the next episode yet to watch, so I'm stuck waiting until I can get my hands on the next episode. It's almost depressing how much I've gotten used to watching a huge chunk of a show at one time.

I really like how the show has handled the situation with Iku's parents. I especially like how they didn't just resolve it right away in episode 5. There was no happy ending with her mother automatically respecting her choices. Iku hid her job and faced the consequences for not coming clean in this episode, and ended up growing a bit from having to deal with the aftermath. She and her parents are all stronger for it in the end, but the whole matter was handled very realistically. I still get irritated by the way her mother cries all the time, though.

I think it was interesting to be presented with a Library Force that has a different philosophy, however misguided, than that of the protagonists. From the end of the episode I could tell that there was going to be some disciplinary action against the local administrator for basically neglecting her duties and putting the exhibition at risk because of it, but it'll be interesting to see if the locals can be whipped into shape by the time they're almost certainly under attack from the Cleansing Force.

Anyway, with the local Defense Force demanding some respect, it'll be interesting to see what unfolds during the next episode.

Kurenai Episode 7 - Women

Summary: While Shinkurou is at school, Tamaki takes Murasaki on a field trip to her university, where she passes on some of her wisdom about relationships. When a man of hers shows up and breaks up with her in front of Murasaki, this wisdom seems to lose its punch.

Tamaki drowns her sorrows over juice at a cafe with Murasaki there to remind her how cool of a woman she is. Murasaki thinks of Shinkurou, and how he's in "danger" from Yuuno, and they rush out to go find him. A man at the cafe seems to recognize Murasaki. There's a small misunderstanding between Shinkurou and Murasaki regarding the term "lolicon". There's a flashback providing some more information on the Kuhouin inner sanctuary, Benika's posistion there, and the death of Souju, Murasaki's mother.



Thoughts: Once again I'm tempted by little tidbits of information regarding the Kuhouins, though they're slipped in between some comedy and some downright ominous moments. Tamaki is easily one of the funnier characters, though I maintain that she has some undesirable things about herself that she's hiding with her weird man-eating attitude. It's obvious here, especially when her boyfriend breaks up with her. Her self-confidence just melts away and she's visibly insecure when she realizes that she's on the receiving end of a breakup. I can only hope that we'll see a bit more of Yumie as well at some point.

I like how the misunderstanding about Shinkurou's and Murasaki's relationship that occurred in an earlier episode carried over here. I think one of the big jokes about this show is that everyone assumes it's some lolicon fulfillment fantasy (especially since there are scenes, albeit completely innocent ones) where Shinkurou has to do things like help her take a bath and dress her and whatnot. I can't help but think they're purposely playing into that by having Murasaki misunderstand the meaning of "lolicon", even if that type of material never occurs between them.

Even though I truly have mixed feelings about their little world being spoiled, I knew the story was going to start moving more once that guy at the cafe realized who Murasaki was. Of course I have no clear idea of who he is and whether he's a Kuhouin lackey or what, but I'm fully prepared to see a kidnapping or something pretty soon now.

Kaiba Episode 7 - The Man Who Doesn't Stay in Memories

Summary: Kaiba and Vanilla land on Nene, an ocean planet where floating orbs of water are pumped back onto the surface of the planet. The two take a transport to Libera, the planet's moon - a place said to be a great date spot, but which is also a suspected hotbed for extremist activity. While there, Vanilla finds out that his Sheriff's license has been revoked due to his being suspected as an accomplice to terrorist activity (essentially aiding Gel, the suspected terrorist who destroyed the memory tanks on their previous planetary stop), and Kaiba looks through the memories he copied from Gel's body. He finds things that confirm his suspicions, and also some things which raise more questions.



Later on, Vanilla and Kaiba attend a party that turns sour due to Vanilla's clumsiness. Things get worse when the police come to take him away. Vanilla leads them on a chase through the planet's waterways as he bleeds out from a shot that hit its mark. Before the ship explodes, he places Kaiba's memory chip and his mother's in the dashboard of the ship. As the ship is destroyed, he clutches Chroniko's body to him and imagines her smiling at him lovingly.



Thoughts: Just one thing to say right now... Vanillaaaaaaaaa! Who would have thought a character who's basically been a lovestruck thug to this point would end up redeeming himself in the last five minutes of the episode? Talk about tragic deaths, too. Having learned that he's been trying to save up enough money to provide his beloved mother, now only a chip, with a body gives him just that touch of humanity that lends tragedy to his demise. And of course now things are a mystery again; where are Kaiba's memories now and will he be able to somehow get back into a body and become whole again? It wasn't clear, at least to me, what ultimately happened to his memory chip, so I'm anxious to know if he's all right or not.



We find out some really juicy little facts about some things I'm sure we've all been curious about for a while, including confirmation that Gel was in fact Neiro in a male body, and things about Popo that would lead us to conclude that he's probably a pretty bad person. What's suggested from the condition of Neiro's memory room is that Popo has manipulated her memories in such a way as to make her feel negatively towards Kaiba and to compel her to obey his commands more readily. It's hard to decide whether the images of Kaiba/Warp doing harmful things (even shooting and killing her body) are real or manipulations of reality to induce certain behaviors. Whenever Kaiba appears in her memories his face is shielded by a mask resembling Popo. What this all means isn't clear at this point, but it's certainly fodder for speculation.

The buildup towards the finale has certainly been very evident over the last couple of episodes. I like how the writing has been introducing things gradually - quickly enough to remind the viewer that there's a big mystery aching to be solved, but slowly enough to keep things at a satisfactory level of interest and not blow the show's entire load at one time. Looks like the next episode is going to be very "Warp-heavy", which ought to shed some light on a few things.

Toshokan Sensou Episode 9

Summary: Iku is stressing, both about her Prince Charming's identity, and the fact that a promotion test for Librarians is coming up, and the passing rate is only 50%. Dojo agrees to help Iku, and Shibasaki helps Tezuka, who is faced with the prospect of reading books to children as part of the practical test, something which he doesn't really like. Iku's situation turns more and more disastrous when Dojo tries to read the letter Iku received from the older Tezuka brother and she ends up giving him a concussion. The embarrassment is almost too much for her.



After a bit of dramatic avoidance and misunderstood feelings, Dojo sneaks into her dorm area meaning to drop off a specially-prepared notebook of notes for the test. Iku finds him, and they get on good terms again. Using Dojo's notes, Iku is able to scrape by the written portion of the test, and places tops during the practical portion. In appreciation, she gives Dojo a bottle of Chamomile essential oil - a flower that represents perseverance through hardships. He invites her out to get chamomile tea - at the thought of what might end up being a date, her heart is about to burst.

Thoughts: So all that stuff I said about having a climax to the story and continuing on its dramatic turn... I don't care anymore. This episode had so much squee in it that they could completely avoid any sort of major conflict and I would only be mildly irritated. Call me an old softy, but I was nearly in (very happy) tears at the end of this episode right along with Iku who, having given up on looking for her Prince Charming, pledged to focus on working on making Dojo happy with her work performance and was then faced with the thought of there being more to their relationship than just professional interaction.

Talk about character development service, too. This show has really done a spectacular job of showcasing most of the main cast, and this is no exception. While Iku's story takes the main spot, Tezuka and his issues with learning to interact with children is definitely handled well too. While I love a good main story, little episodes like this which are low-key and play to the strengths of the characters are often my favorites. Kind of like the "Last Plesiosaur" episode of Denno Coil which, coincidentally, also makes me cry like a little baby.

In any case, I get the distinct inkling that this is the calm before the storm and that the last few episodes will stir up things a bit. Hey, if they resolve the romantic tension I'll be happy enough with that, too. But a sweet action piece where Iku can finally prove her true worth would make me a very happy fan. Damn, I almost wish that I had waited to plow through these episodes. I only have up to 10 right now, and after that I'll have to wait along with everyone else.

Kurenai Episode 6 - The Light is Shining Above You

Summary: The reisdents of Shinkurou's apartment are invited to participate in a local festival as actors in a play. Yamie and Tamaki seem more than enthusiastic to join, although Yamie's singing voice definitely leaves something to be desired. When Shinkurou tries to get Yuuno to join the group, she turns out to be just as bad.



While Shinkurou and Yuuno are trying to work things out, Yamie goes outside to get some air and catches Yayoi in her usual spot staking out the building. As it turns out, she's a great singer. Yamie begs her to teach her how to sing. After some missteps, the group as a whole manages to find their musical footing, even injecting some of their own creativity into the play. Even though the whole ordeal turns out to be other than it seemed, the entire group still puts forth their energy into making a memorable scene.

Thoughts: Wow. No seriously, totally unexpected musical number in a show I would never have suspected of having one. Of course, this means yet another "filler" episode, but with filler episodes so fun and spontaneous, I can hardly complain. Props for having Yayoi in on the action as well, since she's been waaay too uptight thus far.

I've realized that Murasaki tends to interject little snippets of her past in each episode, and they're often so subtle that I'm not realizing it. This episode, appropriately, she mentions that her mother used to smile while singing to her and teaching her songs. It's really making want to know what's really going on with the Kuhouin family and why they seem so messed-up, but I'm being patient.

I keep wondering if there'll be more about the other gals who live with Shinkurou, but I'm not sure if that's the direction the story is heading in. It would be nice to know the real reason why Yumie is so dark (she's very forthcoming with beautiful lies but there's got to be some truth to her weirdness). It seems like both she and Tamaki are putting up some sort of front to hide the kind of person they really are, but I don't now if they're too peripheral to expect more from in the end, since the story is really Murasaki and Shinkurou's.

Kaiba Episode 6 - A Muscular Woman

Summary: The ship lands on planet Lolo, the place where the memory stream ends up and is collected. While they're landing, another ship collides with them. Going to help, Kaiba discovers an old couple, and a giant man with no hands who appears to be helping them repair their damaged ship. He leaves suddenly, and Kaiba accompanies the old couple in exploring the different aspects of the plantet, including a searchable memory bank (sadly, there are no entries for "Warp"). When the large man, Gel, appears again, Kaiba discovers that they're more alike than he would have realized.



They join the old couple for dinner and relate their woes about existing in other bodies. A cute ambulatory plant comes into the room, and without warning sucks the memories out of the old woman and displays a particularly upsetting one to the others in the room. The next morning, Vanilla is confronted by another member of the police and warned about harboring people who might have committed crimes. Gel and Kaiba part ways, and Kaiba realizes that they've met before.



Thoughts: Even though we don't realize it until probably the very end of the episode, it seems that this is where the real meaty part of the story tentatively begins to reveal itself. The episode deals with an issue that's been in my mind for a while now, which is the strange idea of gender identity when given the ability to place ones own memories and personality into any type of body imaginable. It's dealt with rather humorously at the outset of the episode, with Kaiba having to wrestle with Chroniko's body having a menstrual period, and Gel, in actuality a female inhabiting a male's body (that doesn't have real hands to boot), trying to urinate and needing Kaiba to help her/him. Of course when Gel starts to talk about one losing one's self in an incongruous body type, I got to thinking how serious of a problem it could be to exist in a body that just doesn't "feel right".

I'm not sure if the writers were going so far as to try and gently touch on the subject of gender dysphoria or not, but I think it could be interpreted that way. It's always been one of the strengths of Sci-fi to be able to write stories about subjects that are very sensitive to society while wrapping them up in a package that makes it seem, at least initially, more innocuous to casual viewers. Of course, I think this episode is way more subtle than, say, the episode of the original Star Trek dealing with racism, but I think it's along the same lines in terms of using characters in a fantastic world to talk about touchy subjects that affect us in the real world.

There are a couple more interesting tidbits of information here, including the name of the memory-sucking plant: Kaiba. I'm very anxious to learn how this relates to our protagonist who shares that name. Even though his real name has never been stated in the context of the show, it's been in every intro bit since episode 02, so I'm positive there's some importance to it. Most likely we'll know more once Kaiba actually retrieves some significant memories. Also, Gel=Neiro. I had kind of guessed it partway through the episode, when Gel tells Kaiba that he looks familiar, like someone she once knew. It's actually kind of tragic to think how close he was to meeting the woman he's kept so close to his heart all this time, though I'm sure this won't be their last meeting.

In case you couldn't tell, I love taking screencaps of this show. Whereas I have a lot of problems finding nice shots of some shows, this one is so rich with style, excellent composition and striking moments that I have to stop myself sometimes from taking more than I'll actually use.

Toshokan Sensou Episode 8

Summary: The episode begins with Iku's questioning session, where she's grilled about her supposed involvement in an unauthorized book-destruction session with another member of the Force. Things start to go downhill when she realizes she was involved, but without her knowledge (she helped move packages but didn't know what they contained). Tezuka wonders why he wasn't also named, then realizes his brother's influence may have had something to do with it. Once confronted by Shibasaki, he reveals his brother's intentions to Dojo, indicating that he feels his brother may be targeting people around him. Tezuka Satoshi calls Iku and sets up a trap for his younger brother.



Satoshi wines and dines Iku in order to try and convince her of his opinion. It turns sour when he reveals he's really trying to get to his brother, and if Iku passes a message to him that convinces him to join, he'll clear her of all charges. She's rescued by Dojo after she tells him off. In spite of what Satoshi claimed, the questioning abruptly comes to an end and, thanks to Shibasaki, the rumors around the base slowly dissipate. In the end, Iku finds out an... interesting fact about Dojo.

Thoughts: While the particular conflict introduced last time was resolved for the most part in this episode, I'm still holding out some hope that it may be the setup for the remainder of the series. I won't be too disappointed if it's not and if things end well with a solid 2 or 3 episode arc, but it's fairly late in the game at this point, so if things don't get brought together pretty quickly, it might end up being too open-ended (though if that means a sequel I can't say I'd be unhappy about that).

I'd like to know more about Tezuka Satoshi's motivation. I'm wondering why he's so insistent on getting his younger brother, Tezuka Hikaru, to join his cause. He seems to be going about things in a very sinister way, eventually trying to manipulate others into the scheme. I can't quite decide if it's because he truly wants to have some sort of familial connection, or if he just wants a doorway into the Library Defense Force for his own means. It's a bit confusing, at least to me. Maybe he's just a Really Nice Guy who has misguided intentions... but I don't think so.

Of course, in returning the money that Dojo left on the table after whisking Iku away from the rather creepy dinner date, Satoshi reveals the big "secret" about Iku's Prince Charming, the Defense Force member who rescued her when she was a high school student. Anyone who didn't see this coming a mile away, make some noise right now.

*crickets chirp*

All right, all right, I could tell episodes ago that Dojo was the mysterious prince, especially since Iku hasn't really gotten along with him at all throughout the whole of the series so far. This is like shoujo/josei cardinal romance rule #1 - the more two characters don't get along at the outset, the likelier they are to end up in a relationship by the end of the series. Of course now that this secret has gotten out in the open, now it's time to anticipate the culmination of the relationship. Sometimes I depress myself with how easily manipulated I can be.

Kurenai Episode 5 - Wish

Summary: Shinkurou brings Murasaki with him to visit the home of the Houzuki family, the family who took him in and trained him. He spars with Yuuno while Murasaki makes friends with her younger sister Chizuru (and breaks a few of her toys in the process). Shinkuro feels that he may never become comfortable using the Houzuki-ryuu secret weapon that he possesses.



Afterward, he leaves with Murasaki and goes home to make dinner. What he finds are the women from his building inside, in the middle of a drinking binge. Tamaki gives him a stolen heater and they make small talk over a hot pot.

Thoughts: I'm tempted to say that this episode was basically about nothing. But isn't that what weekends are about? In Japan, Sunday is about the only day everyone has off, and people spend that time having fun and being with their families. Shinkurou gets a chance to visit both of his families here - the Houzuki family who took him in and trained him, and the family of oddballs living in his apartment building. Murasaki learns a little bit about not completely destroying someone else's toys, and manages to participate in an innuendo that she doesn't understand at all.

I'm wondering what direction the show is going to go from this point. I'm assuming it's not going to continue being variations on Murasaki learning about the big wide world outside for the entire series. While that's entertaining now, a well-rounded show it does not make.

I found it sort of interesting how formal Shinkurou behaves with his adoptive family. He's very formal with his master, even to the point where the master has to prod him into being less uptight (especially since he's considered part of the family anyway). He even speaks pretty polite Japanese around Yuuno, which confuses me somewhat. It tends to emphasize the complexity in their relationship, something which isn't quite friendship or family, but treads in both areas.

Anyway, no huge developments here. I'll probably have more to say as things wind up, which I assume they'll be doing quite soon since we're nearly halfway through the series at this point.

Kaiba Episode 5 - Abipa, The Utopian Planet

Summary: Kaiba and Vanilla travel to Abipa, a planet known for its plentiful bodies and free food. When His Kaba body is picked up by a junk collector, a friendly man in an infant body brings him to the factory of the eccentric and secretive designer, a man in a cat body named Patch, assisted by a tiny dog named Quilt. After observing the design process for a while, Kaiba tries to retrieve his body, but loses it to a reclamation machine. He also learns a secret about the endless free food provided by the planet.



Following Patch and Quilt back to a workshop (when Patch's batteries run out), Kaiba discovers whose mind is inside Quilt's body, and that Quilt's eyes are shared by Patch. When robbers try to steal gold from the workshop, Quilt's body is injured, leaving Patch to fumble around blindly, leaving him open to assault. Patch, now in a body resembling her original one, pledges to fix him. As Kaiba and Vanilla are about to leave, they see a statue of the prince, Warp, who invented the memory tanks. The statue closely resembles the body Kaiba woke up with.



Thoughts: Soylent Green is people! Seriously though, the lesson here is to never trust a so-called utopian planet/county/whatever. You'll probably end up doing something you'll regret.

This episode mainly seemed like filler to me. After the emotional climaxes of the last two episodes I didn't find this one quite as effective at conveying a concrete idea. In essence, it was just a more subtle story about a scientist who falls in love with her creation and wants to remain by his side forever, no matter what body she might be in or whether her creation actually realizes who she is or how much she helps him every day. It was effective, however, at being vaguely creepy and sickening, due to the background information Kaiba finds out about how things are run. Sure, the food is free... because it's made from recycling the many junk bodies that are left on the planet. Mmm, delicious empty bodies.

The animation in this episode deserves mention (not that the fantastic style was anything less in previous episodes) because there's a distinct switch in style from the "party" atmosphere of the tourist-y parts of the planet, to the more subdued and dark parts in the background. I read somewhere, and forgive me because I doubt that I could find the comment again if I wanted to, that the animation style was meant to vary between the different planets featured in each episode. This is definitely one of the time where that's very noticeable. The tourist parts of the planet seem to be animated in a way that really emphasizes the movement of the characters rather than consistency in the drawings, whereas when Kaiba is in the factory and the workshop, the movement is much less dramatic and the palette visibly shifts from bright neons and nonsensical color combinations to more subdued blues and grays.

Though the main story was enjoyable, I think the highlight of the episode occurred right at the end, with that statue of Warp. It re-introduced some things that I think many of us probably forgot about for a bit, including the body Kaiba had to leave behind, and what his identity might be. I think this might serve as a good lead-in to the main story which I assume will become more and more prevalent as the show goes on from this point. I want to know about Kaiba's past just as much as he does, I suspect.

Toshokan Sensou Episode 7

Summary: Shibasaki helps out a customer trying to find out information about book burning, then is invited out by this same fellow, a man named Asahina. Tezuka and Iku follow to spy on her. Asahina visits her again at the library later and asks her out to dinner. In the meantime, Tezuka is reminded of his older brother, Tezuka Satoshi, who runs a Library Future Planning committee.



The brothers meet at a bar. As it turns out, Satoshi helped the Library Defense force when Tezuka called in the fake resident complaint about gunshots. Satoshi tries to pursuade him to join the Future Planning committee, though the fact that he severed ties with their family and was probably a big reason their mother fell ill puts him off the idea. When Shibasaki is out to dinner with Asahina, he tries to tell her about a matter her library is trying to cover up. Wrestling with the decision to help with the cover up, she asks Iku for advice. The following day, when the info comes to light, Iku is summoned for questioning, since the culprit has named her as an accomplice.

Thoughts: Well, things certainly get a bit more tangled up in this episode. The fun-loving heroic Library Defence Force who could do no wrong is suddenly revealed to be just as fallible an organization as any other, with people in its midst doing shady things and causing embarrassment for the entire organization. I'm not particularly worried about Iku and the questioning, because as far as we all know she wasn't involved in the matter in question. However, the introduction of the Future Planning Committee introduces an organization that I'm sure will become important from this point on, so I'm glad about that. It seems like a group of people with really ambiguous intentions. They say they're for all the same things as the libraries, but I get the impression that there are other things going on there. I can't wait to see what happens.

I'm glad that Shibasaki got some more screen time this episode. I hope she goes from being just Iku's cute and proper friend to someone who demonstrates some heroics of her own, albeit in her own way. I think this show does a good job of giving all its characters a piece of the limelight, allowing its main story of a female recruit to become richer for it. I'm just hoping that she doesn't end up a victim or something. I like how, when given the choice of covering up the matter on behalf of her library, she came to what I consider the "right" decision based on the ideals the show is trying to portray - that censoring information is the real crime and to hide a matter, even though it might be embarrassing, is unforgivable. It's a touchy balancing act but I think it was handled well.

Since this episode was mostly character interactions and conversations, it lacked a bit in the action department, but this didn't bother me much. I'm sort of wondering how much of Iku's questioning they're going to show and how intense it'll be. Instructor Dojo, who seems to have experienced something similar in his past, seems pretty worried about her. I'm anticipating the next episode.

Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation Episode 7

Summary: An airline president dies in a house fire, though the cause of death may have been something other than carbon monoxide inhalation. Section 9 is brought on board because homicide is suspected. His brain proves less than helpful due to memory loss and the fact that the faces of the people in his memories don't appear to have faces. Additionally, the president left all of his possessions to a girl who seems completely unrelated to him.

They have the girl named in the will go a few places to try and remember any relationship she may have had to the president. Maki and another investigator follow closely to guard her. An attempted stabbing by the president's son is easily thwarted by Maki's feminine looks. The son turns out to have concocted the "accidental" fire himself out of anger for not receiving any inheritance. Jun, the recipient of the president's wealth, finally remembers the connection she had to him.

Thoughts: I could be really nitpicky and call this episode corny and sappy, but I'll refrain because, as usual, I kind of liked it :) Not that I didn't have issues - most of the episodes that have worked really well have been two-parters, so now every time there's a single-episode story like this, things feel really rushed and unexplored. The relationship between Jun, the girl, and the president of the company was explained but I think it would have been better to spend more time on it rather than make it an afterthought near the end of the episode. Also, it was pretty predictable to have the son be the killer, but I felt like it was introduced into the episode really suddenly to wrap things up in a nice little package. I think I was spoiled by the Kinuko two-parter, because now I'm looking for characters who are multi-faceted and I'm not getting it from one 22 minute episode. *sigh*

At this point I'm assuming that they're saving any major Maki backstory for the final episodes, which makes enough sense that I'm not outright irritated by the lack of coverage of it. I'm getting kind of antsy, though. He's easily one of the most intriguing characters in the show, and from episode one it's been kind of a mystery as to why he has such odd habits. Yet there's barely been any mention since. Five episodes left to delve into that, I hope it pans out.

Not much else to say since this was kind of a throwaway episode, but judging from the preview, the next episode will, at the very least, include some, shall we say, "colorful" characters.

Toshokan Sensou Episode 6

Summary: Iku and her superior, Komaki, are sent on a mission to retrieve an extremely rare book - one called the "Book of Prophecy", named as such because the scenario in the book seems to have closely predicted their current social situation many years previously. On the way back, their van is blocked and they're forced to go on the run. Komaki is shot in the leg by a Cleansing Force member, an illegal act in the residential area they're in. The two find an empty train car and hide out there until they can be rescued. While they wait, Komaki regales her with a story about a past mission with Dojo.



The Cleansing Force gets permission to search the train yard, and Iku and Komaki offer themselves freely in order to keep the precious book hidden. The CF realizes the book is on a train on its way out of the yard, and nearly goes to pursue it, until they're called off by the Department of Justice due to resident complaints about gunfire. Complaints filed under dubious circumstances, of course. If one side can play dirty, than the other can too.

Thoughts: Hah! So we get a little allusion to the novel that immediately sprung to my mind once hearing the premise of this show, Fahrenheit 451. And to top it off, it's held up almost as some sort of sacred tome, a book so rare and revealing a prophecy so true that it's nearly been censored into nonexistence by the time this story takes place. While I've been enjoying the anime on its own merits already, I can't lie - this small item really pleased me. It's nice to feel smart, sometimes.

The connection between Dojo and Iku deepens this episode when Komaki offers a tale of their earlier days in the force, and Iku learns that Dojo was once a rash and quick-acting recruit like herself. Since then he's learned to control himself (and not start brawls in the street), so maybe there's hope for her to shape up and become a very respectable member of the Defense Force. This episode was definitely successful in the character development area, and the balance of action and dialogue really worked well.

It was interesting to learn about some of the dirty dealings that both sides use to get their way. The Cleansing Force breaks the law by firing a gunshot in a no-fire zone in a residential area. The Defence Force eventually gets their way by pretending to be a resident of the area and reporting gunshots, something which wouldn't actually have happened due to the fact that a silenced gun was used. In war I suppose creative bending of the rules might be necessary.

I can't wait until next time, though since the series is essentially half-way done at this point, I'm hoping some larger more consuming conflict will arise. At least something that'll wrap the series up in a satisfactory way. I do hate to be left hanging.

Golgo 13 Episode 5 - 7

Summary: A man taken under the wing of a famous producer hires a talented sniper to kill the producer and take his place at an important business meeting. What he doesn't know is that his father has hired none other than Golgo 13 to kill him - at the same moment. Golgo meets his adversary, a Polish olympian turned sniper-for-hire, at a bar, then does video analysis on his shooting habits. Golgo uses this information to deflect the shot into the underling's head and take out the rival sniper before disappearing without a trace.



The next episode finds Golgo in a city during a political convention. When a "toy" gun of his is confiscated, he goes to retrieve it at the police station only to be followed by a man who seems to know who he is. They keep trying to catch Golgo doing something suspicious, but he manages to enter the convention and not be carrying any sort of firearm so there isn't much the police can do. However, he makes his kill and the investigators on his tail take him in, only after he punches one of them in the face and is arrested for assault. Try as they might, however, they can't find the evidence to convict him of the crime. The gun is long gone and there's an alternate answer for every detail the investigators try to pin on him.



Episode 7 takes place in London. Simpson, a violinist for the London Symphony orchestra, breaks a string while performing a solo and is booed off the stage. From that point on, he's unable to perform in front of others and his life begins to fall apart. He's replaced at a charity concert by Kerensky, a Russian rival, and this causes him so much anger that he fills a suitcase with cash and hires Golgo to shoot the G string from the man's violin so that he'll experience the embarrassment that Simpson felt. Golgo uses a modified rifle and is of course successful, but what no one could have suspected was Kerensky's ingenuity and talent could help him overcome the hurdle that Simpson could not.

Thoughts: While I still found episode 5 to be too formulaic, parts of 6 and 7 started to break the mold a bit which is something I think could help this show improve a lot. I actually enjoy this show more than a lot of other people I know because can sort of separate the classic aesthetic and iconic character from the, well, mysogyny and overall bland personality of the "hero". Essentially, though, the less the story focuses on Golgo and his antics, generally the more successful the episode is. I maintain that his behavior is excusable as a tool to revealing the story surrounding the supporting characters, but doesn't really make sense as the focus. I've probably mentioned this before, but I think it's helpful to compare this show to Akagi, another anime with an invincible protagonist. The difference between the two is that Akagi Shigeru was written to be an interesting, disgusting and fascinating character in addition to possessing talents that, frankly, frightened those around him with their ungodliness. Golgo is not an interesting guy, and until there's some backstory (which won't happen) or something else that'll make him more than just this unsmiling thug, I'd rather he just stay in the background. Heck, he has little to no dialogue most of the time anyway.

I think my favorite episode out of this trio was the last one, since it was the first one I can think of where the sniping hasn't been about just shooting some random dude in the forehead. The mission actually required some finesse, and the reasoning was set up beforehand through the eyes of the client, rather than as a setup being reported to Golgo after the fact. And it wasn't really about whether Golgo could accomplish the feat of severing the violin string or not, we all know he's superhuman and never fails a mission, but the best part of the episode was seeing the horror on Simpson's face as his rival rises gracefully from the ashes of the horrible situation that defeated Simpson.

Episode 6 also had its moments, including Golgo holding balloons with his normal grim-looking face. I wouldn't let my kids near him, that's for sure. It's unrealisting but terribly amusing to watch how he systematically outsmarts the police and continually evades arrest even though everyone knows full well that he just shot a guy. The plastic gun concept was interesting, though I wonder if that's actually based on any real-life item or whether it's just something made-up for the show. I'm tempted to bank on the latter, but the other firearm information presented in the show has seemed pretty believable, at least to this untrained eye, so who knows?

Conclusion so far: Golgo is a douche and your enjoyment of the show will probably ride on your ability to ignore him. It's good for some lulz and occasionally goes for something a little beyond that.

Toshokan Sensou Episode 5

Summary: Iku is the only female member of the Kanto Library Task Force, a fact that she wishes to keep secret from her ultra-conservative parents when they come to visit her at work. She does a fairly decent job of hiding her real responsibilities from there (with the help of Dojo and Shibasaki, of course), but it's obvious that they're beginning to suspect something is awry.



The next day, Iku's mother nearly reads a news report of the recent hostage situation in which she was involved, so she does everything in her power to distract her. Her father accuses her of being a poor librarian, when Dojo is able to answer a question promptly that she had trouble with. Any illusions are gone when a thief attempts to get away with a book and Iku uses her considerable running power and martial arts skill to capture him. Luckily her passion convinces them both to warm up to her work in the end.

Thoughts: Well, every show has a few filler episodes. And if they're inevitable, I'd rather they be like this, with a little bit of drama and a little bit of heart, than just a waste of time. And this is far from a waste of time, since we get a glimpse into Iku's background, and also a few nice character moments with Dojo and Iku's father (and did I mention mostly-nude Dojo in the bath? HOTT. Shut up, I can fangirl every once-in-a-while too). Anyway, the whole thing is mostly played for comedy, with Iku trying to hide how dangerous her real job in the Task Force is while simultaneously nearly being thwarted in the effort at every turn.

Being the person I am I can't help but be completely annoyed at Iku's mother for being so old-fashioned. I mean seriously, the story takes place in the future and you'd think at least some social progression would have happened in the 11 years between now and then. Oh Japan, with your traditional attitudes. I suppose coming at this show from an American standpoint, it's not all that unusual to think of women participating in the military and so I don't really know what her mother's problem is (though I suppose any parent would be apprehensive about their child being put in a situation where he or she might get shot or otherwise hurt in some way). Still, though, the crying... grrr.

Gotta love Dojo, though. His conflicting emotions are what really makes him shine, I think. When he's in the bath with Iku's father, you can tell that he's being honest about her lackluster performance at work, but he's so quick to amend that sentiment with how valuable she is to his team that you can tell the truth about the feelings he's trying to keep to himself. The only other thing I can really say is <3 <3 <3

Allison and Lillia Episode 4 - A World for Two

Summary: Allison and Wil fly towards their goal of treasure with Ker Benedict in hot pursuit, only to realize that he's really on their side and helping to defend them against other members of the Sou Beil Air Force out for blood. The three manage to evade their pursuers for the time being and reach the cave said to contain the treasure. It's not gold or jewels that wait inside, however, but something much more precious that dates back to the dawn of humanity.



It turns out that the old man wasn't lying, and was in fact Colonel Walter McMillan of his tall tale, a man who killed his own squad to preserve the secret of the treasure. After a minor threat from some baddies, they're able to escape and news spreads about the treasure, causing an end to the war. Allison and Wil return home, and remember the old man as they ride across the pristine countryside.

Thoughts: I'm sort of torn about how this story arc ended. On the one hand, I feel like things wrapped up way too quickly. I don't feel like the characters, especially the old man who plays a pretty integral part in the whole thing, were given a chance to develop to the point where the climax reached any sort of emotional peak. On the other hand, I don't see how this particular story could have supported a greater number of episodes. I guess I feel like this story would have worked well as a mid-season climax, but as it is I'm kind of left wondering what Allison and Wil have left to do now that they've saved their society from a nearly-endless war. Go to Disneyland? As soon as I get some subs for the next few episodes, we'll see.

All-in-all, though, not a bad set of episodes. Even though I could tell what the "treasure" was from a mile away, getting there was fun and this last episode lived up to the show's promise of rip-roaring dogfight action in the skies. It's still not enough for me to really brand this an action series, but it rescued itself from being "sleepy-time while looking at pretty countryside scenery".

Minor fail on Wil's little mental montage of memories of the old man, though. He wasn't around long enough to warrant any sort of montage, and it just felt like filler to me. Scenes that happened one and two episodes ago are fresh enough that they don't need rehashing. /rant

Views on Moe Anime

Ask John over at Animenation had a couple of interesting recent columns on the subject of moe anime. You can read them here:

Is Moe Sexist?

Why do Some People Hate Moe?

I'll admit right away that I'm not a big fan of the moe aesthetic (I'm sure most of you could have figured that out on your own). I'll also admit, though, that in my mind there's never been much of a distinction between "moe" and "lolicon", so I think that's something that I'll have to keep more in mind in the future. I can accept the explanation that lolicon is the outright sexualization of youthful female characters, while moe is supposed to evoke more of a protective, nurturing feeling towards the characters who are endowed with particular traits.

I like John's honesty about the relationship between moe and sexism, though I'd like to see the topic explored a bit more completely in the future. While I believe him when he says that he can distinguish between the feminine idealization present in moe anime and real-life interaction with women, I suspect that there are many people who cannot or choose not to. I'd be interested (in theory) to meet someone who's really hardcore into moe and find out what their social interactions are like, though I have to admit many people like that tend not to have much real social interaction at all.

Being a bit more knowledgeable about the distinction does make me feel a little less dirty about liking Lucky Star ;)

Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation Episode 5 and 6

Summary: When Aoki returns from observing his father's funeral, he's given a special, very secretive assignment - a convicted murderer on death row was recently sent to death, and Aoki is given the task of finding out whether or not he had committed any other crimes. He finds out from his research that the culprit in the murder was actually someone quite unexpected, and that the man's daughter, Kinuko, thought to have been killed and dumped in the river, is very much alive. Some of the things that she reveals cause Aoki to re-examine some of the video evidence gleaned from the examination of her father's mind.

It turns out that several of Kinuko's male acquaintances have turned up on missing persons lists the past three years, and once another friend of hers turns up dead, the investigation turns towards her in earnest. When they find out that the most recent victim was blind, they turn to the brain of his guide dog to aid them. The guide dog, Zipp, turns out to be the key to revealing Kinuko's terrible secret.

Thoughts: This two episode arc kind of exemplified the reason that I like this show. In addition to the fact that everyone seems to have deeply-buried secrets that are only revealed upon their death, both Kinuko and her father are ambiguous characters with seemingly conflicted morality. As the facts of the case are revealed it becomes clear that neither one was innocent, though the viewer's sympathy tends to go back and forth between who was the true victim or villain in the situation. To go into any more detail would spoil the episodes, I think, so I'll leave it at that.

I also like seeing how the story with Aoki's family life progresses along with the investigative portions of the episodes. It seems like he lives a life which closely mirrors his cases but in a more positive manner. Where as Kinuko had a pretty messed-up relationship with her father, Aoki seems to be coming to terms with things he could have or should have done in his relationship with his father. The cathartic reading of his late father's diary at the end of episode 6, something which he struggled with doing because of his conflicted feelings about knowing the secrets of the dead (obviously a consequence of his job). He's been a very relatable character so far and telling the story through his eyes has been helpful to me as a viewer.

I still reeeeealy want to know what's up with Maki. If I have to wait until the end of the series, then so be it, but with that little tease about his past in one of the earlier episodes and then nothing since then, I'm getting sort of antsy. And if this show pulls some crap like never talking about it again, I'm going to be very irritated and disappointed. Please, Himitsu, prove the naysayers wrong! Though as far as I'm concerned, most of the naysayers are just picking nits.

Episode Compression

Due to a lack of time, and also to the fact that many of the shows I'm watching don't really require an in-depth analysis every episode since they're pretty straightforward, I'm planning to group a lot of the future episode summaries and analysis into posts covering multiple episodes, at least for the time being. This should allow me to catch up (watching 12 shows is very hard work, believe me). And, since I tend to plow through the shows I really like without stopping, I won't have to keep re-watching the same episodes again and again when I'm ready to write about them.

Real Drive Episode 4 - Atoll of Desire

Summary: At their new office, Aoi and Haru are visited by a man from the Advisory Committee acquainted to an individual named Bob Zhouen who has "brain-downed" and become comatose during the island's recent power outage. This man asks that Haru help retrieve this man's consciousness, a task which has already endangered one of the other divers.

While Haru is diving, he's nearly overcome by Bob Zhouen's thoughts - in the form of a female avatar who causes him to lose his connection to Kushima at the EISF. With only Aoi's pleading voice to lead him in the right direction, Haru is able to disengage from Zhouen's consciousness and resurface.

Thoughts: I couldn't help but be reminded of the ditty "The Internet is for Porn" while watching this episode. Really, though, what better way to connect the show to modern day than to assume that the human desire for internet porn would carry on, in ever more engrossing fashion, into the future. Not only that, but to suggest that an individual could enhance his sexual experience by custom-creating an avatar to experience a more potent orgasm, well, it might start giving people ideas. I fully expect this to be a reality at some point in the future.

I like how we're starting to see the seedy underbelly of society in this episode. Up until now, the island, where the majority of the action has taken place, seemed like some happy little environmentally-friendly modern place to live, but there are apparently some dingier parts of town populated by hookers, hackers, and other criminals. Good times. I'm definitely hoping this will be revisited in the near future, since this is a theme RD shares with stuff like Ghost in the Shell - the future is awesome but still comes with its share of problems. New technology is followed close behind by people dreaming up new ways to exploit it.

Even though it's early in the series, the last couple of episodes have been kind of, well, episodic. Haru learns of some situation that needs fixing in the Metal, and when he dives, he's almost lost, requiring Aoi to use whatever unnamed special power she possesses to guide him back. Let's have some variety here, plzkthx. Not that the quality of the storytelling has been lackluster or anything, but I'm ready for a story arc or three to arrive.

Nabari no Ou Episode 4

Summary: Rokujo and company are saved from almost certain death at the hands of the dark and emotionless Yoitei by none other than the leader of Fuuma village, Fuuma Kotarou. The village has suffered heavy casualties, and Rokujo is anxious to have Fuuma's help in removing the Shinrabanshou from his body (though Fuuma makes himself out to be anything but trustworthy once he reveals what he would do with the power of Rokujo's secret technique). On the other side, the Kairoushuu group are in possession of Fuuma village's secret power. Yotei tries to strangle a courier who insults him, and we discover that, to use his deadly power, he may be shortening his life at the same time. Soon an online lecture begins, given by their leader.

The following day, after Thobari-sensei is well enough to get out of bed, Fuuma explains the details about the different ninja villages who originally sealed away the Shinrabanshou, and how, because the scroll fuses with a host, to try and remove it would almost certainly mean death. Not great news for Rokujo. However, the secret techniques of each village may hold the clue to obtaining the Shinrabanshou, and so both Rokujo's pals and the Kairoushuu are going after these remaining techniques to try and find the answer.

Thoughts: Let the ninja battles begin! No, seriously folks, I was just waiting for there to be a good reason to have conflict in pretty much every future episode, and here it arrived just like that. I can't quite decide how I feel about this right now. I'm glad that things have more of a definite direction now and some motivations have been explained in more depth, but I'm always afraid in a situation like this that the show will descend into a plot purgatory or repetative episode-for-the-sake-of-battle format and I'll become irritated and bored with it. We'll see.

I have to comment on one thing, which is Saraba, the unnecessarily-busty character briefly introduced in this episode. What I don't understand is why all the other female ninjas in Fuuma village can manage to wear their clothing normally, and she has to wear her top dangerously off her shoulders so that her ample cleavage is on display. I mean, I do know exactly why she was designed that way, but having a character like that seems really out-of-place for some reason. Heck, I'd even understand it more if they made a big deal about her boobies and it became a focuse of fanservice gags. But no, she's just standing there with her shirt mostly-off. It's stuff like that that really irritates me about anime sometimes.

I kind of like how Fuuma is being characterized, since he seems almost ambiguous in his motivations. I mean, he rescued the main characters and seems to be working for what they want, but he has just as much motivation to get his grabby hands on the Shinrabanshou as the enemy does, and Rokujo even has firsthand experience on what he'd do with it should that come to pass. Future betrayal, perhaps? I don't know if it's the type of show to go there, but maybe. Or he might just be the resident goofball who, like Shimizu said to Rokujo, is probably lying 90% of the time.

Lastly, I'd like to know more about Yoite and what the deal with his power is. Is it really sapping his life force as he uses it? Also some background would be nice.

Soul Eater Episode 4

Summary: Soul starts off his "cool" day by being caught in a compromising position with Blair. At school, their substitute teacher is Maka's womanizing father, Death Scythe. And to top it all off, Soul, Maka, Black Star, and Tsubaki are all called to Shinigami-sama's office, where he lets them know that they're in for some special lessons, due to their seeming inability to collect souls. They need to go to the cemetery and deal with a bit of a zombie problem - one of the former Shibusen teachers has been turned into a zombie and has been attacking students. If they don't manage to get the job done, they'll have to drop out of school.

They encounter Sid-sensei in the local graveyard and battle it out. He insists that they'd all enjoy their lives more as zombies, since the fear of death is no longer an issue. The technicians of course all disagree and fight for their lives. Maka and Soul attempt to use a special soul wavelength technique which fails mostly due to their inability to stop bickering for more than a few minutes. Black star is finally able to trap Sid using Tsubaki as a snare, and the technicians proceed to find the man responsible for this - a certain Doctor Frankenstein, the strongest technician ever to graduate from Shibusen.

Thoughts: Since the intros are now complete, we begin to get to what may be the real meat of the story. And of course it's decidedly shounen, but with the special ingredient that has made this show fairly refreshing for the most part so far - unique design and at least one set of central characters who don't completely suck. I can take or leave Black Star since he's probably the most annoying of the main characters and has a decidedly stupid flaw (not being able to shut the hell up), but his companion, Tsubaki, and the duo of Maka and Soul have enough potential that they'll carry me at least a few more episodes in before I ramp up my (probably unreasonable) expectations of where this show should go. You know what I would like? I would really like for Maka's daddy betrayal issues to become an actual issue in the show. Which they very well might, considering that they touched on them quite vividly in episode 1 and I feel like they should have an effect on the soul-wavelength stuff that seems to control the big attacks the technicians can do.

Though I'm sure at the very least all of them will learn how to be themselves and ganbarimasu and learn the meaning of true friendship in the end. Yes, I'm cynical. Your point?

I noticed a slight drop in animation quality this episode, which isn't surprising considering how high the standards were in the previous episodes (especially episode 1, which I've re-watched probably three or four times already). Not that this says a whole lot because the fight scenes, which are really the centerpiece of the show, were still nice-looking and all. I noticed a couple of repeated shots, though, which is something that I haven't noticed for a while in anime. Probably because I haven't watched a show like this in a very long time. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Looks like the mysterious Doctor Frankenstein gets his intro next time, so I'll look forward to that. Also, more Death the Kid, spreading is OCD love across the world.

The Daughter of Twenty Faces Episode 4

Summary: Chiko has just turned 12 and she's made a place for herself amongst the thieves. Not only does she handle cooking, shopping, and laundry, but she's been picking up other skills from her comrades as well, including knife-throwing, self-defense, and different languages. There are some who want her to stick to her female duties, but most of the young thieves think that she might be ready to help out on one of their thieving jobs. And a job has just presented itself - at a black market auction, huge sapphire called "The Lorelai's Tear" will be auctioned-off. Twenty-Faces hopes to steal it and return it to its rightful place in the eye of a public statue. In order to get to the jewel, a thief will have to wriggle through a small hatch. This sounds like the perfect place for the petite Chiko to prove herself to the others.

That night, a disguised Chiko arrives at the hotel where the jewel is being brought to auction. Her comrades cause a blackout while they're in an elevator, so she grabs the briefcase and exits through the top. Though she's cornered in the hotel's hallway, her skills and her wits allow her to trick the men who are after her and she and her hero escape via airship into the night.

Thoughts: Wow, so Chiko finally gets to see some action this time around. I'm pretty pleased with the pacing of this episode. While I can take or leave the more episodic "thievery of the week" aspect as a necessary evil, what I really enjoyed was seeing Chiko prove herself by being smart, resourceful, and able to defend herself physically against all the men chasing her. I consider myself to be a fairly cynical person, but I always find myself rooting for Chiko to overcome whatever she's up against. Sure, there's kind of a cliche "girl overcomes expectations of her sex and excels in a man's world" vibe to the show, but I think it succeeds in that Chiko isn't a bitch about being put down; if anything, she's just more determined to do well and prove everyone wrong about her abilities, which outmatch even some of the other guys in the group.

I'm actually kind of reminded of Master Keaton in that the protagonist is almost unequivocally good and pure-hearted, something which would normally put me off since many characters like that come across as flat and unrealistic. But here it just works for some reason.

So Chiko's aunt ups her creepiness factor this time around as well, having begun poisoning her husband and nearly finishing the job. The inspector she hired to search for Chiko is coming up empty, though in reality he's just leeching money from her in order to eat out all the time. I'm still kind of wondering where this is all going to go and why the aunt is still important, considering that she doesn't seem especially good at anything other than poisoning her family due to her own greed. Possibly the next episode or two will be more telling.

Toshokan Sensou Episode 4

Summary: Recap! During a sensitive operation, Iku was given the less-glamorous job of escorting a VIP instead of helping to usher books to safety. Instead she ends up in the thick of things when she and her charge are cornered by some suspicious individuals.

Iku and the Commander are taken hostage by these individuals, members of a group called Bakushuukai who are in league with the Media Cleansing Force. Their terms of release for the hostages are that the Library Defense Force dispose of all materials they removed that day. Of course, Iku, pledging to do things the right way rather than blow her top and potentially get herself and the Commander killed, slips in a clue in the short phone conversations she's allowed by the terrorist group. This gives the Library troops on the other end enough to go on to get a search started, which is helped by the fact that the Commander has a transmitter in his artificial leg which he activates by removing it in a certain way. The Defense Force concocts a clever plan to buy the land in which the hostages are being held as the site of a future library, thus putting the area under their jurisdiction rather than the local police.

The Defense Force descends upon the building and puts down the Bakushuukai without too much trouble, and Dojo is forced to acknowledge that Iku isn't as useless as he had said earlier. The Commander even promises her a good recommendation after he's back on his feet. Then of course there's the problem with Tezuka asking to date her, which turns out to be not much of a problem once she refuses - he didn't like her romantically, Dojo just told him that he could learn a lot from her. Later Iku decided to finally write to her parents and tell them some specifics about her job, but she's too late - they're already planning to visit her at work to see in person.

Thoughts: Squee! I've thus far managed to overcome my guilt and just enjoy the potential romantic situations in this show and the cute, funny character moments. Not that I'm ignoring the meat of the story, just... I think my previous trepidation had to do with the fact that I was feeling that Toshokan Sensou might descend into some Full Metal Panic-type mediocrity from which it might never return. I mean, the two are kind of similar in a way. They're both a mesh of comedy and military drama with some relationship stuff thrown in for good measure. I think the difference is that this show is what I imagine FMP might be like if told from a more mature and/or female-centric perspective. The whole thing is toned-down in all aspects too - the violence is much less gory and the comedy is less slapstick and zero pantsu. I guess that could be a turnoff for some, but I feel the whole package is blended really well and the characters don't annoy me.

Iku reminds me a bit of a less-autistic Nodame from Nodame Cantabile in that she's talented but it takes certain things to get her to want to try to succeed. Dojo is kind of her "Chiaki-sama" in a way as well, what with the mild verbal abuse and all. I'm hoping that they'll do more to balance each-other out rather than being growly at each-other for most of the show and then suddenly becoming all rabu-rabu at the end. Actually, if they got too kissy-faced I might be kind of scared.

It'll be interesting to see what type of people her parents are in the next episode. She might either be worrying too much about what they'll think of her job, or they might really be overly-worried about her being in the Task Force, I haven't decided what my prediction will be yet. Definitely drama!