May 5th, 2008
The final prologue episode introduces Death the Kid, who is obsessed with symmetry, and his two guns, the Thompson Sisters Liz and Patty. They beat an evil mummy because it’s not symmetrical. The end.
So, at the end of the prologue, where do we stand? The style is winning out over the spazz for me, which I THINK is a good thing - it means I still enjoy the show, for one, even if I am still totally puzzled as to why the Japanese seem to think that breast jokes aimed at 10 year olds are a good idea. Of course, it does remain to be seen how the characters hold up when they’re plonked into an actual plot rather than an introductory arc, but I am intrigued enough to see where they go.
Posted in Currently Watching | No Comments »
May 5th, 2008
I have chosen a slightly odd screencap for this episode because the character featured says nothing and does nothing except eavesdrop on a conversation. I don’t even know her name, although she’s clearly a significant character as she’s in the OP and featured as a Detective Girl in the ED.
The point being, though, despite how much I enjoyed this episode, this character (and a bespectacled guy who appears in the scene following her) was the most interesting thing about it. The episode itself feels a little like they dusted off the template for the second episode, made a few changes, and hey presto! another episode appeared; this in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing (how could I have watched any number of magical girl shows otherwise) but it doesn’t lend itself to a lot of interesting discussion.
On one of the forums I frequent, the conversation about this show mostly revolves around Chiko, and the awesomeness thereof, from cleaning house to potentially planting onigiri-shaped bombs (to be honest, I think Chiko and co double-bluffed them, but there you go). Now that’s all very well and good, but althugh Chiko is obviously developing skills I’m a cynical bastard and just making cool faces isn’t enough to really endear me to a character. I want to know what the point of this show is, aside from Chiko wandering the world and getting a bit older. Is Nijuu Mensou going to vanish and she’ll have to find him, or something like that? Until we really get moving on something other than jolly japes around the world the show is going to be idling narratively, and although it’s still very entertaining to watch it’s not giving me anything to really get my teeth into yet.
Posted in Nijuu Mensou no Musume | No Comments »
May 5th, 2008
Zero’s vampiric urges start to become ever stronger as he continues to stop taking his medicine for still unspecified reasons. After an encounter with rogue, insane “Level E” vampires that almost kill Yuki (until Kaname steps in), he can deny his urges no longer…
I’m a little worried that I’m just repeating myself when it comes to shoujo shows this season. I haven’t got anything to say about Vampire Knight that I didn’t a couple of episodes ago; aside from the mildly juicy plot titbit that Zero apparently has a brother, there’s nothing really worth commenting on here that we in the audience couldn’t/shouldn’t have seen coming from a narrative viewpoint, and the animation and other technical aspects of the show continue to be pleasantly competent but hardly anything exciting. I could froth about how much I enjoy the show as I wallow in its gothic cheese, but I’ve done that already, so I think we’ll leave things there.
However, I will announce that I’m no longer going to blog either Special A or Itazurana Kiss from this point forward. I’m continuing to watch both of them (even if I don’t really like Special A…) but I don’t think they really lend themsleves to any particularly interesting discussion now that initial impressions are out of the way. If you like shoujo romcoms then you’ll love Itazurana Kiss, and if you’re a sucker you’ll probably like Special A, but the latter is too repetitive to write about and the former is one of those funny shoujo shows where it seems to wildly oscillate between drama and comedy within five seconds in the same scene, and I don’t think I’ve really got enough to say about it to continue to blog. I’m sure one of the other million and one anime blogs will cover both shows better than I would anyway.
Posted in Vampire Knight, Currently Watching | No Comments »
May 4th, 2008
Oops, forgot the screencap. Sorry, y’all.
With the Fuuma village almost totally decimated by the Kairoushuu ninjas Raimei leads the others to try and find Kotarou, but the Kairoushuu unsurprisingly have a couple of featured ninjas with different hairstyles who turn out to be slightly more capable than first hoped. Exploding optic nerves, guns and giant spiritual cats ensue!
Now, Nabari no Ou is still great fun, and there’s some nice animation here again particularly at the end of the episode, but we do have a slight problem in that both Miharu and the newest antagonist, Yoite, are massively overpowered and rely only on the whims of the plot to keep themselves in check. It’s true that Miharu chooses to ignore the Shinra Banshou most of the time, and it’s also true that Yoite’s “forbidden art” uses his own life force, but they could both theoretically just unleash their full power and bring the series to an end right now. Yoite seems to be fine taking the time to kill useless, defenseless Fuuma ninjas; why only break Kouichi’s arm?
Incidentally, I am slightly worried that Kouichi is going to get short thrift from the show at present. Raimei has a rival she’s looking for, Kumohira-sensei has an Angsty Past, and Miharu is the main character; what’s the point of Kouichi being there except as The One Who Throws Stuff, rather than The One With The Sword and The Martial Artist? I’m probably being a bit paranoid for no real reason, and at least I’m willing to stick witht he show to find out - this episode was surprisingly tense given that it’s so early in the series - but if I didn’t flag up my concerns about where the show might head I wouldn’t have an awful lot to write about, now would I?
Posted in Nabari no Ou | 1 Comment »
May 4th, 2008
In what can only be described as the most obvious mashing together of two manga chapters ever (and I’ve not even read the manga!), a visitor comes to the temple who investigates monster sightings in Edo after Toki’s little prank in the last episode; turns out that he’s not going to arrest him or anything, but he sends Toki (plus Kon and Kuchiha tagging along) off to do some babysitting for him. We lurch into the next manga chapter by having them travel, where they end up on a “spirit road” where Toki has to keep his Magic Eye off everything for fear of being lured off the way. Then he falls onto a weird rock and gets confronted by an evil bishounen with piercings, though, so fat good that did him.
Amatsuki gets progressively more interesting as it chooses to flesh out its fantasy side, and although I’m a self-confessed fantasy junkie I think that’s what the show should spend more time on. There’s an AWFUL lot of talking about not very interesting things with a little cod-philosophy (as is the way with most anime) and, as usual, I switch off when the history starts a-flowing. More freaky dancing spirit things singing about Shuten Douji, less sitting around in kimonos, and I’ll be a happy camper.
Posted in Amatsuki | No Comments »
