Alright, so we’re pretty much on the eve of the start of the Spring 2011 season, which means it’s time for our previews. Below, you’ll read what each of the 4 of us think of the many many shows that are coming up. It seems that noitaminA is creating great anticipation again with its financial thriller [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control, and the much hyped urban fantasy/scifi thriller Steins;Gate has caught our attention. We fork in our interests quite a bit from there, which is expected given the huge number of shows next season, but studio Shaft’s works seem to be on all our radars, a sign of the respect it’s earned over the past 2 years.

Rakuen

I would like to start by saying there is entirely too much anime airing this season. This is both good and bad. On the positive side, with at least 48 series listed on the latest guide I found, there’s a little something for everyone. If you can’t find a show you’re remotely interested in here, anime might not be your thing. On the negative side, it also makes it very difficult for me to watch everything I want to see. Right now, I have 15 series on my list. I am a little enthusiastic about 7 of them, while I’m definitely ready to try out the remaining 8. I expect to see this number dwindle rapidly. 7.5 hours of anime viewing per week is almost impossible to keep up to date, let alone remembering all the characters, plots and so on. Enough of my kvetching. I should get into the meat of my little segment.

I decided to order my lists by airing date, starting with the series I have a little interest in watching. Dog Days occupies the earliest spot on the list. I expect this to quickly devolve into harem territory, but I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for the summoned hero bit. Next up is the new season of Kaiji. The titular character participates in a gambling event where the stakes are his life. Joojoobees piqued my interest in his post about the first season, but I haven’t gotten to it. So, this go on the Want to Watch list by default. Then, we have Hidan no Aria, which gets a first episode watch based solely on adorable girls with lethal weapons.

A Channel seems to be going with a typical four-girl band for a school comedy, but it is a school comedy, so I’ll give it a shot. The little one, Tooru, also has a baseball bat that shows up all over the promo art… so it could be interesting. Next, we have Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, or in shorter terms, a new Shaft show. I loved Soredemo, but didn’t like Arakawa. This seems to lean more towards the latter, what with the main girl insisting she’s an alien. Ao no Exorcist continues the “son of Satan will fight his fate” trend. I wonder if this theme comes up because many people have a desire to fight their own fates. What better example is there than the son of evil trying to do good? Finally, The World God Only Knows rounds out this portion of the list. I went back to finish the first season, which means the series did hold some interest for me. I just don’t know if it can do it for another 12 episodes.

The rest of my list comprises of shows I have stronger interest in, and Moshidora has the “earliest” airdate. Giant Killing got me into sports anime, and Big Windup has continued to strengthen my view of the genre. Like Big Windup, we have a female manager trying to lead a baseball club to victory. However, its airdate has been postponed, so it might have to wait for a later season. KyoAni’s Nichijou also airs this season, but I didn’t even realize they animated it until I started writing this. The synopsis itself got me hooked. A principal might wrestle a deer? This is a school comedy I’ve got to see! Hana-Saku Iroha kind of reminds me of Love Hina with the hot springs centric plot, but that’s where the similarities end. It looks like it completely lacks the male lead, meaning no harem, and the plot sounds more focused on drama. I think both of those aspects are Good Things. Showa Monogatari adds another drama to my list with its family orientation and historical setting. This is a more tentative entry on my list, but the Olympic setting piqued my interest.

Now we’re to two of my most anticipated shows. First, STEINS;GATE, which just looks phenomenally awesome in both the artwork and the synopsis. It has the whole time-travel thing, as well as the struggle for survival with the SERN organization on their tails. I get a little Persona vibe from it too, but it might only be me. Sket Dance is yet another school series, but this one stood out from the pack. The premise reminds me of Haruhi, except with less aliens, time travelers, and espers. Unlike the rest, this has the best chance of a strong overarching plot, which I’m really hoping happens. If someone who’s read the manga could confirm it, it’d be much appreciated. Returning to the outlier series on my list, there’s C, plus its long title. It’s got an economically crapsack Japan and a main character who gets sucked into the shuffle. Sounds interesting, and with its noitaminA slot, I’ve got hopes for it. Last, but not least, is Deadman Wonderland. The fight for survival premise fittingly relates to the old Coliseum. It could have a bit too much violence for my tastes, but want to give it a good shot.

Looking back at my list, there’s plenty of comedy, action, and drama with a variety of premises. This could very well be my most anticipated season since I first got into currently airing shows. I hope school and work don’t kick my ass too hard, so I can have the time to watch all these shows.

Top 3: Steins;Gate, Sket Dance, C

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There sure are a lot of shows coming out next season, but somehow the only ones I’m looking forward to are the sequels: The World God Only Knows, Maria+Holic Alive, and the Kampfer specials.

Just kidding; besides those 3, We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day (AnoHana) on noitaminA’s block sounds like it has potential, simply for being a real-life drama on noitaminA. Oh, and it also contains a character type that’s near and dear to the hearts of everyone here on this site, a hikikomori. Then again, noitaminA has been really hit or miss lately, with the trainwreck that is Fractale and the hugely disappointing Kuragehime, even if AIC’s Wandering Son is absolutely knocking it out of the park this season. AnoHana is being made by A-1 Pictures, which is responsible for some pretty poor shows such as Kannagi and last year’s Anime no Chikara duo Sora no Woto and Occult Academy, so I’m very prepared to be disappointed. Still, the director has A Certain Scientific Railgun on his resume, and that didn’t suck too much, and I’ve heard his Toradora! did drama well.

Besides that, only 2 other non-sequels have caught my eye: Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko and Steins;Gate. Denpa Onna because it’s Shaft, even if it sounds just like another version of Arakawa Under the Bridge, which turned out… alright. Steins;Gate because I’ve read some other people really excited about it. Plus, I like modern-day scifi stories.

But really, the sequels are what I’m looking forward to.

The World God Only Knows was a surprisingly entertaining show for which didn’t have a bit of faith in going in. But Keima’s cynical, almost nihilistic personality combined with his occasional outbursts made for good comedy. A show that was as meta as that could have been a lot more meaningful, sure, but it was a fine source of dumb laughs. The 1st season ended on a planned cliffhanger, and though I doubt the pickle Keima got into will last more than an episode, I look forward to seeing how he will continue to add to his transient harem.

What I liked about Maria+Holic was Asami Sanada‘s Kanako, the perverted lesbian man hating protagonist. Her smooth, soft voice is unique, and seeing her character constantly abused somehow didn’t get old. Didn’t hurt that it was Yuu Kobayashi as Maria doing the abusing. She plays male characters well, and she does crazy well, too. Then there’s Marina Inoue as Matsurika. I like to think of it as a gay Stalker-tan being forced to live with an abusive Kaere and her snarky maid Symmetrical-tan. What more whacky antics will these 3 and the rest of the cast get into?

And bottom of the sequel list is Kampfer. Now here’s a show that was pure guilty pleasure. Looking for things like action, plot, character development, or meaningful relationships was a fruitless endeavor. I just loved seeing Natsuru and his/her thick head be dragged around by his psychotic harem. And this show’s cast is pretty much a who’s who list of female voice actors right now. I wish they’d do a 2nd season instead of just a couple episodes, but I suppose they’ll do.

Top 3: The World God Only Knows, Maria+Holic Alive, We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day

Raphael

Pleasantly, there’s a good bit of original anime in this crop. Tiger & Bunny is among them and has received more press for the large amount of product placement it’ll employ than for the fact that Sunrise is doing a superhero show. I’m hoping it will be fun and won’t drag. Another of these original shows is Dog Days by the team behind Nanoha. The setting and premise don’t appeal to me, but I may well give it a whirl; it’ll probably at least look nice. The most promising of this lot in my eyes is C. Strong staff, very interesting premise, noitaminA. Unfortunately, the trailer didn’t meet my expectations, with the wonderful character designs not translating as well as I’d hoped and the animation looking a tad under par. It’s still the season’s series I’m most eagerly awaiting. The last two original anime, Hana-saku Iroha (which, judging by trailers, will look stunning) and AnoHana seem to fall squarely into the slice of life/drama genre zone. They also have the same head writer in Mari Okada. Both could be enjoyable if done well, but I feel like both could also try my patience, especially given that Hana-saku Iroha is reportedly 26 episodes. I’ll give them a go.

Moving onto the adaptations, we have manga-based slice-of-life comedies in A Channel and Nichijou. I’ve read the source of the former, and I was expecting to discard it quickly… but I found myself really enjoying it. It’s nothing new, but the humor has a slightly mean bent and I got several good laughs out of it. I’m curious to see how it translates to anime, as there’s a fairly new studio on board but also the director and series composition guy who did Saki. The latter is Kyoto Animation’s spring offering and, like Hana-saku Iroha, is supposedly two-cour. I found the prequel OVA nowhere near as funny as I do A Channel’s manga, but I definitely felt it had charm to it. I’ll give both of these series a try. Other comedies include Xebec’s entries Hen Zemi and Softenni. I’ll be watching Hen Zemi because I liked its OVA for its disgusting humor, but I do wonder if things will get cleaned up for TV. In addition, the OVA’s director will not be returning for the series; instead he’s been replaced by the director who did Rio – Rainbow Gate! and To Love-Ru. Meanwhile, the man behind the OVA will be working on Softenni, which I get big Saki vibes from. I’m also a massive tennis fan, so – though I’m sure I’ll feel silly for thinking there might be actual tennis-playing involved – while I really, really doubt I’ll enjoy it anywhere near as much as Saki, I’ll give it a shot. Hopefully I won’t want to be shot because of it/need several shots of something to get through it. (Punning is hard, give me a break (ha!).) Shaft will also have two comedies airing: the sequel to Maria+Holic, and the bizarre enough for me to check out Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko.

To the action/adventure side of things, Steins;Gate stands out as having potential to be very entertaining and entertainingly technobabble-filled. Premise sounds great, art looks great, and Jukki Hanada is at the writing helm. Really looking forward to this. We also have Ao no Exorcist, Deadman Wonderland, and Hidan no Aria. The first has good buzz and the director of Darker than Black going for it, and it could be interesting. As for the latter two, I’m up to date with what’s been translated of the manga of both. Deadman Wonderland is packed full of gore, action, good characters, and plot twists, and I love it. I’m unsure whether it’ll get the treatment it deserves, though, as Manglobe will be dividing its efforts between it and the second season of The World God Only Knows. But I’m hoping for the best. Hidan no Aria has been less fun for me to get through. I would’ve dropped it very quickly (for its mix of mostly-loli fanservice, poor art, and storm of cliches) if I hadn’t found the concept of a school for armed detectives so enticing. I plan to be watching the anime too, even though Rie Kugimiya as yet another flat-chested tsundere should’ve deterred me, and – despite my grumbling – I’m sure I’ll have some fun. Interestingly, this (along with Gosick) will make two shows airing simultaneously that focus on a foreign-loli-Holmes/Japanese-high-school-boy-Watson duo.

As for the rest? Moshidora‘s unusual premise has piqued my interest, and I plan to check it out; Hyouge Mono, Toriko, Sket Dance, and Showa Monogatari don’t appeal to me; OreTsuba (We Don’t Have Wings) and HoshiKaka (A Bridge to the Starry Skies) look very similar and similarly uninteresting; and Astarotte no Omocha! does not exist. And finally, though I’m almost certain I’ll be unable to get through an episode, I feel obligated to check out Sekaiichi Hatsukoi because BL anime adaptations are just so rare.

Top 3: C, Steins;Gate, Deadman Wonderland

CPAnime

Despite the overwhelming amount of new anime coming out, it feels like most of the stuff out there is either for teens or a generic (adult) drama. Thankfully, there are enough shows out there that choosing which anime I will be watching will still be a difficult task. The following are a few of the anime that I have the most interest in for varying reasons.

It has been about two years since I started watching anime on a season by season basis, and one of the first shows I watched in this way was Maria+Holic. So, with the benefit of two years of full time anime watching experience, it will be interesting for me to see if I find Alive anywhere as interesting as the original was in 2009. Sometimes I wonder if the only reason I tuned in on a week to week basis was to see the OP and ED, so it will be interesting to see if my tastes have changed, or if this show is actually as awesome as I remembered.

I am also pretty interested in the other Shaft show, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, but mainly because I don’t know anything about it. Shaft has built up some serious street cred over the past few months with Madoka Magica, but there is also the possibility that this could turn into an Arakawa under the Bridge 2 situation, especially given the synopsis. Another thing that worries me is that Shaft is doing two shows this season, and seeing as how they can barely manage one most of the time, I think the quality is inevitably going to suffer. Still, girls with mysterious pasts are kind of one my things, so I’ll be checking this one out for sure.

C is another interesting show for me, but for some different reasons. It reminds me a lot of Madoka in that there is a contract being made, though I doubt that the main character will be naive as some of the characters in Madoka, as the show doesn’t seem to be hiding its cards. From the previews I’ve read up to this point, it seems like the show might have a difficult time with its first few episodes as there looks to be a lot going on. Hopefully, a deeper understanding of economics or business won’t be needed for this show, as that could turn off some viewers. Personally, I have confidence that this shouldn’t be a problem as it is part of the noitaminA time slot, but even that is no longer a guarantee.

Staying on the business end of things, the one show I am looking forward to the most this season is Moshidora. While its broadcast schedule kind of seems up in the air, I’m looking forward to watching this during the baseball season. Since I’m a business student and a baseball fan, this show is kind of a no brainer for me, and I can potentially see myself blogging this. Still, I do have my doubts as to whether this will work, despite its popularity in Japan. Mainly, I am concerned that the translation of the material into an anime will fail to jump off the page, if you will, and just become another boring class lesson, though I doubt it.

Finally, the one show that will undoubtedly be my guilty pleasure is Hen Zemi. I recently watched the first episode of the OVA and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The only real criticism I could levy against it, besides the obvious, was that it took too long to get to its punch lines. I am a bit concerned that the TV broadcast will be impeded by those god forsaken censors (Kiss X Sis‘s OVAs, for example, were and are infinitely better than the censored TV broadcast), but as long as the staff is witty enough, it can probably work around this. Though, it is XEBEC. So… that could be good or bad, depending on your preferences (btw, where is my LxB sequel?).

Top 3: C, Moshidora, A Channel

And that about wraps it up. Which of the dozens and dozens of shows are you looking forward to this spring?

The Spring anime season is nearing closer, so it’s time to look at five new anime I look forward to! Astarotte no Omocha! -Reverse harem AND semen drinking? Is this the opposite of Qwaser? I have to watch this! lol High chance it will end up sucking badly, but it won’t hurt to try! Hen [...]

So in the end, Sugata eventually did make his move for power as the show had been hinting at for some time. Still, before leaving, he made quite the grand exit with Wako before switching sides and joining the Glittering Crux. I thought this episode tried really hard to emphasize, via Takuto’s conversation with the RA and her trio, that Sugata wasn’t only leaving Wako, but the trio as a whole. That makes Sugata’s actions in Zero Time a little difficult to understand, as it seems he had already made up his mind to join the Crux early on in the episode.

Now I’ve taken two psychology classes in college, so I am obviously an expert in group psychology, but one of the things I remember from my textbooks is that people have different stages of involvement in groups. It starts from joining the group, to working towards the group goals, to taking from the group in the form of status/position/rewards, to then eventually leaving the group when you have nothing more to gain from them. This episode seemed to focus on that last part. Sugata clearly had saw the writing on the wall in terms of Wako and him, so he either took one last shot at her hoping he could change her mind, or just wanted to see what his life could have been like after investing so much of his time with her. It appears, however, that it doesn’t really matter why he left Wako to Takuto as his “backup”, Keito, is awesomer in every sense of the word, and more importantly really seems to appreciate Sugata’s actions on their own merits, rather than lump them in with Takuto’s, as Wako remarked after the battle.

Still, it seems as though Sugata must have come to this conclusion before the battle in Zero Time, so why was he so adamant about helping Takuto beat the 3 Vanishing Age members. I suppose you could use the bros before hoes line of reasoning, but there seems to be a little more at stake here than in a normal friendship. Perhaps, Sugata has fallen into the same trap that other members of the Crux have in that he needs to be the one who defeats Takuto, but it seems to me like he already has everything that he “needs” and he seems to be completely aware of what is happening to him, unlike Columnar in the play.

But aside from the main trio, this episode made a point of showing us Benio’s trio at the school, and most notably George and Tetsuya questioning as to why they were still even in the Crux at this point, given the fact they are no longer drivers. The two commented that they both had other possible love connections waiting for them, but that they were going to stay by Benio’s side within Fliament as that is the way it had always been. That kind of suggests that if there were no Filament, or Crux, that George and Tetsuya might have moved on and be doing something different with their time. They also mentioned that while they were singing out their youth the others might reach departure.

It’s rather difficult to either agree or disagree with that statement as it seems like the higher levels of the Crux are not necessarily departing from their youth, but are sticking to it as it seems to be the case with Head. This danger of being stuck in this developmental stage seems to have been mentioned earlier in the series as becoming trapped in Zero Time after breaking the third seal is a real possibility.  Likewise, it appears that some of the lower levels of the Crux have begun to realize they are on the wrong side of maturity(its difficult to say what the wrong side is as growing up is important, but so is the ability to appreciate simpler things is too) and are looking for a way out, as Kou and Madoka did. It’s difficult then to determine where Sugata is on this spectrum, because as I mentioned it seems like he is aware of the changes in people, but he is also retreating into the cocoon from reality that is the Glittering Crux. Why some of the lower rungs of the Crux continue to hang around despite not having real marks, or being drivers is beyond me, but it would be interesting to see how their lives change if and when Takuto defeats the Crux and it is disbanded.

That aside, it is still difficult to determine who the ultimate foe for Takuto will be. It seems like Head is Takuto’s opponent in the next episode, which would then leave Sugata for the conclusion, but I keep thinking that things aren’t going to be that simple for Takuto. Looking back on fish girl’s story, it seems as though Sugata might be the one to recognize that he doesn’t need power, and that Takuto and Head are Sam and the Squid Emperor, respectively. The build up for this conclusion has been a long time coming, but I am looking forward to these two final episodes as even though the show up until this point has been fairly predictable, there has been enough evidence for many different arguments as to how it will end.

So Magical Girl Madoka Magica has been delayed indefinitely (a Shaft show being delayed near its finish? Say it ain’t so!), or at least until some time in April. But no hard dates as of yet. Which I guess gives us some extra time to step back and reflect upon the ride it has provided us so far.

Below is a chart of my reactions to each episode. Bigger is obviously more positive.

I remember going into the show with cautious optimism, which I guess is the way I go into any show that has so many big names behind it and receives so much hype. As you can see, the first 2 episodes didn’t wow me, but neither did they disappoint me. They just… were. Typical urban fantasy stuff, with a distinctive and compelling art style.

Obviously, then episode 3 happened. Killing off Mami was a move that I greatly respected. As I wrote in my post, it put a serious tone on the rest of the show. And the moment of Mami’s death was wonderfully directed, fully conveying the horror of what had occurred.

Episodes 4 and 5 were a bit slow, but Kyoko was a welcome and surprising addition to the cast. The reveal at episode 6 was well done, and though it lacked the power of Mami’s death, it made the setting feel even more stark. Getting one’s soul removed and becoming a zombie is no laughing matter.

Episodes 7 and 8 played on that to great effect. Sayaka’s downfall was the most well done part of the show. It was handled in a believable and entertaining manner, with each step in her downward spiral lovingly laid out in front of us to enjoy. The insanity at the end of episode 7 was beautiful, and the double reveal at the end of episode 8 capped off what was the best episode of the show so far.

Then we had episode 9, for which I guess it was just unfair to try to follow up 8. It could have been done much better. Kyoko’s death wasn’t handled poorly, but it did feel forced at times. It was a convenient way to get rid of two of our favorite characters in one shot, but it paled in comparison to Mami’s death 6 episodes back.

And speaking of convenience, that’s pretty much exactly what episode 10 was for. Its reveal, the biggest reveal of them all, may have been telegraphed since the 1st episode, but it was handled appropriately, making it pretty impactful. In fact, perhaps it had too much impact. Anime has never been known for being subtle, and this surely wasn’t. It was beating us over the head with how Homura had been beaten over the head by fate.

To the show’s credit, none of the reveals have been twists. That is, they didn’t achieve their impact mainly through shock value or surprise. Rather, if there’s anything to criticize about them, it’s that they were too obvious. Everything fell too neatly into place. It’s just that the execution has been so top class that it’s been a joy to watch. Even when I think some things should have been done better.

And that’s been the story of Magical Girl Madoka Magica so far. When you dig into the details, things start to break down. Kyubey’s explanation about entropy just falls flat and gives a needlessly physics based explanation to a fantasy story. Kyoko’s death seemed wholly unnecessary, even if it had been telegraphed like crazy in the episodes leading up to it. And the introduction of the Groundhog Day time loop for Homura was jus as unnecessary.

But it all managed to work. It’s a testament to the overall direction of the show. Cinematography and music have been top notch throughout (even if it took me a while to warm up to the music). The radical shifts in art style have been used very well with the story itself, besides just looking pretty. Every scene has felt purposeful and deliberate. It has created a work that has the pacing just right, a mystery story that has kept us hooked step by step, baiting us with little bits here and there, steadily building up to… well, where we are now. Only the climax and ending are to follow.

And so we enter the final sixth of the show, the last 2 episodes. I don’t know how the whole release schedule deal will pan out, but I’m kind of hoping that this delay gives Shaft a chance to retool the episodes to fit as one 2-episode unit that are released quickly back to back. It’s a trick a lot of US TV shows use, and Code Geass‘s first season used it to good effect. Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s final 2 episodes also went together, though they weren’t released back to back. As I’ve said before, Magical Girl Madoka Magica has been a fun, gripping, tight ride so far. It hasn’t been without its missteps, but with the final bits to go, thanks to the strength of its direction and narrative, this is a show that genuinely has the opportunity to be one of the best, as long as it doesn’t get crushed by the weight of its own narrative. And there aren’t enough shows like that.

Is this gonna be a recurring theme? Will they always fight in every freaking episode!? Going by these six episodes…I guess so. -_- These ladies sure like to argue, any little thing sets them off and then it just escalates and escalate until they’re screaming at each other at the top of their lungs. I [...]

So the the anime-based music video for Perfect Day the top track to their latest album Today is a Beautiful Day was released a few weeks ago, and it’s pretty phenomenal. Telling the story of two girl friends who somehow grew apart, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another anime work based on a Supercell song. And it simply puts Black Rock Shooter to shame.

First of all, look at the art. Just look at it! It’s beautiful. The sparkles and feathers, the bloom and lighting give everything an almost angelic feeling. The shakycam effect is overused a bit, but for the most part it works, because the moving camera adds just a touch of reality to this world. Some of the backdrops are gorgeous, with the crisp detail and lighting reminding me of Makoto Shinkai’s works.

Like Supercell’s song’s tend to do, it captures perfectly the emotions without necessarily going into the details of what happened. The innocence of childhood friendship. The pain of having to say good bye. The shock, and then gratitude at the sudden encounter. These emotions feels stronger and more genuine than whatever Black Rock Shooter had to offer with its story about Yomi getting jealous of Mato.

And I absolutely love the blue haired girl’s design! The hard angles, especially in the hair, remind me a bit of the characters from Shiki, but they’re not nearly as harsh. I could get lost in those wondrous round blue eyes. The simplicity of her clothing is appealing, and the little flourishes like her boots or the tight loops of her necklace stand out well against them.

But what I love most are the bandages on her legs. They’re not wrapped bandages like the kind you see on Abiru or Rei, but rather the rectangular stick on kind. And they’re just plastered all over the place around her knees, as if willy nilly. Instead of giving the image of weakness as bandages tend to do, they give her a tough and masculine one, like Lark with her chipped tooth.

Anyway, Today is a Beautiful Day came out a couple of days ago, and I highly recommend it. 6 of the 13 tracks are songs that were released on singles before – most of which I talked about in my 12 Days of Christmas post – but the new tracks are great. And the final track, Watashi e (To Me) is a follow up to Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, the Bakemonogatari ED, providing some concluding remarks to that song. You can find translations to most of the new songs on Words of My Life.

I bought the limited edition with the DVD on YesAsia, but the regular edition is there as well.

And it all came to an end. 10 years ago today, on March 16, 2001, the grand finale, and the longest episode of FLCL, FLCLimax (originally Furi Kura) was released on DVD. It brought forth the 3rd amazing episode in a row and also provided a worthy finish to this great series, one that left me speechless and sad that it was over. But it didn’t leave me wanting more. Rather, it made me happy that the work was so complete, so well constructed from start to finish.

This is the last post in a series of posts I’ve made celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of each of the episodes of FLCL. As for all the posts before this, I did not rewatch the episode before writing this and instead chose to write based on my memories. The last time I watched the series was in the summer of 2009. You can read the previous posts here: (1 & 2: Fooly Cooly and Firestarter) (3: Marquis de Carabas) (4: Full Swing) (5: Brittle Bullet).

I don’t know if it came to me upon first viewing or later on, but what stayed with me was how well this final and the 1st episode bookended the series (indeed, there was a symmetry to the whole 6 episode series in some aspect). The most obvious thing the 2 episodes had in common was the manga dinner scene, which was an exact copy of the one in the 1st episode, at least at the start. There was also the title of the episode, Furi Kura, just 1 letter away from Furi Kuri, the title of the 1st episode. The use of The Pillows’s One Life right before the halfway cut as Naota bemoaned the boring life in this town while crying into Haruko’s bosom was similar to the series’s cold open leading to the title shot, in which he was being held by Mamimi. Right down to the overhead view of the iron-shaped Medical Mechanica factory. On a higher level, the episode started off with a slow, melancholy, almost dejected mood before Haruko entered and brought life to the setting, much like the 1st episode. And there was the epilogue as well, showing Ninamori taking Naota’s, a much more appropriate girl for him than Mamimi in the 1st episode.

Of course, to get to the epilogue this episode provided the climax proper. The yellow saturated finale, starting with The Pillows’s Last Dinosaur, followed by I Think I Can when Naota took Atomsk’s power remains one of my favorite scenes in anime. It lacked the raw emotional magic of the episode 4 climax or the high octane action of the episode 5 climax, but it was a worthy finish to this chain of 3 incredible episode climaxes. Seeing Haruko really upset for the 1st time was a bit jarring, and it would be some time later that I realized its significance in the series as a whole.

And it delivered the single most powerful moment in the series, when Naota, having beaten Haruko handily, dove at her and… said, “I like you” before stealing a kiss from her (the fansub I had translated the “suki” as “I’m in love with you,” which sounded even more powerful to me, though I’d learn later it wasn’t the best translation). There was something amazing about this simple moment, when our hero finally got the guts to say what he said and do what he did. It was an ultimate moment of catharsis, when all the emotional tension and pressure that had been building up throughout the series was released, with a simple, “I like you” and a kiss. The first one he initiated, one he had wanted so badly from the start.

In typical FLCL fashion, it was followed by a literal explosion, but all that was just the aftermath, the falling action before the denouement. I remember being heavily moved by the ending. Some of it was the sadness from watching the series end. Some of it was that it was a bittersweet ending, in which both Haruko and Mamimi left Naota. But more than anything, the ending was one of hope, showing Naota go on with his life, moving on to middle school, with a girl who genuinely liked him, not one who just wanted to use him. Mamimi’s story ended with hope as well, as she moved on from her stuck crush on Tasuku and left the town that had been nothing but abusive to her, to discover her own path (she likely learned a lesson about the futility of revenge as well, seeing what her “Ta-kun” this time ended up doing).

Certainly, life would not be easy for any of our protagonists. But life isn’t supposed to be. It’s about moving forward with what you have, making the best of it. This was how the most mature characters in this series – Haruko and, as this episode revealed during his conversation with Naota’s teacher Miyaji, Naota’s father – approached their lives. By the end, Naota and Mamimi had learned it as well.

Of course, this being FLCL, it was technically and artistically excellent throughout. One scene that stood out to me was Mamimi’s first meeting with the Terminal Core under the bridge, when she nonchalantly took a giant step towards it and shuffled over next to it discreetly before calmly turning to it and blowing smoke on it. There’s also a shot of her that has stayed with me, when she was enacting revenge on the scooter that had splashed her earlier in the episode, her dead eyes calmly watching the robot devour the scooter, her face only illuminated by the cigarette in her mouth.

Another memorable scene was the aforementioned hug between Naota and Haruko. When Haruko went from playfully poking fun at Naota to seriously asking him if he wanted to run away with her, when Naota’s usual barrier dropped down, his eyes swelled, and he cried into her bosom. The slow pan up to Haruko’s bored eyes as the sensor on her wrist started to clang once again, and The Pillows’s One Life fading in. It was a perfectly directed scene.

I don’t know if or how watching the entire last half of the series in a row affected my initial reaction to it. As I’ve written before, I consider the final 3 episodes of FLCL to be a set, each a great episode in its own right with a powerful, exciting climax set to a rocking energetic song by The Pillows. The reason that they’re a set is that they worked together to form the final half of this series. Episode 4 saw Naota triumph over his fears of swinging the bat, episode 5 saw his downfall as he learned that he wasn’t “all that,” that the women around him were just using him. And episode 6 saw him triumph again, but differently. As amazing as he had been once he turned against Haruko, he wasn’t filled with joy or excitement afterward. He looked calm, almost serene, as Haruko sarcastically blamed him for losing Atomsk and said good bye.

It was as if he had finally learned that important fact, perhaps the most important fact about being an adult: there is nothing amazing or special about it. The path to adulthood isn’t one with leaps and bounds, it’s one defined by its gradual progression, of growing accustomed to new things little by little.

Naota wasn’t there yet, but he learned what it meant to grow up. And that was all I needed to see.

We all know what’s happened in Japan over the last few days.  Everything I could say has probably been said a thousand times over by now, so I won’t add my voice to the echo chamber.  Instead, I come bearing some artwork for you this evening.  I saw this on Nina Matsumoto’s Twitter, and immediately retweeted it myself:

@spacecoyotl – to lift their spirits, a high school teacher in Japan drew portraits of graduating students on the blackboard http://twitpic.com/49kkms

The original post came from @tarourakami just a few short hours ago, and in the time it’s taken me to write this short blurb, it’s already gained another 8000 views.  Not only is the artwork damn good, but it’s the kind of thing that can just make you happy.  The kids in his artwork are smiling.  They’re happy, despite or perhaps in spite of adversity.  That’s my message to you tonight.  No matter what happens, you’ve always got to keep your spirits up.

The reveals are coming hard and fast now, and the one in this episode somehow managed to top everything else so far. It was a move that many had predicted from the start, and a perhaps disappointingly convenient tool for explaining Homura’s story up to now. Still, the episode was filled with solid action and moving stand alone scenes and did its job of teaching us Homura’s story and letting us feel for her.

So this little twist gave Shaft carte blanche to do anything it wanted with the characters and story (in fact, I’d bet that that was one of the main reasons that the twist was used in the first place), and at the very least, it made for some good fanservice. Much like in doujin, we got to see various “what if” scenarios play out starring our favorite characters, without worrying about the continuity of the main story. Plus, there was something deeply satisfying about finally seeing Madoka as a magical girl, fighting and protecting as she had longed to do throughout the show.

One thing I liked was the brevity with which each loop was shown, and how much variety there was in them. Homura woke up, she fought along with some of the girls, failed on Walpurgis Night, tried again. There was no dilly dallying around. And Shaft clearly had a lot of fun with what they were allowed to do in the loops. One of my favorite moments was Homura shooting Madoka after Walpurgis Night. The shaded zoom out followed by a simple flash as her gun went off, with Homura’s pained screaming going on the whole time. The scene leading up to it would have fit well as the ending to a separate story about the two girls. Of course, that part was the only glimpse we saw, but the Groundhog Day loop let us forgive the lack of development up to that powerful climax and just accept the moment for what it was.

Another thing I really liked seeing was Mami losing her head in the loop in which they had to kill the witch Sayaka. Who would have thought that she would turn out to be so unstable and suicidal? I mean, her magical girl wish was to live, so of all of the girls, you’d think she would want to keep going. But that’s what’s convenient about the Groundhog Day loop, isn’t it? You’re allowed to have crazy, out-there situations that don’t necessarily jive with what’s been shown thus far.

Maybe I sound very positive about this reveal, but I’m actually not. Introducing the time loop is a cheap way of explaining everything up to now. Again, it gives Shaft carte blanche, and that power is a double edged sword. It’s just too powerful a tool and can result in a deus ex machina. So that they decided to use it annoys me somewhat. I would have preferred a more typical back story for Homura, in which her cynicism slowly crept into her over time in a linear progression, instead of it bashing her over the head through the loops. Alternatively, since Shaft decided to go the route of the Groundhog Day loop, I wish they had really run with it as is the norm for uses of the loop, that is, that Homura had to suffer through hundreds, thousands, or even millions of loops to get to where we are now, instead of just 5.

At the same time, I always say, it’s never the concept, always the execution. And this episode was executed very well. Not amazing, mind you, but it did its job of letting us see Homura’s character development, and it had some awesome action and heartfelt scenes, to boot. It convincingly presented Homura as a gun toting badass magical girl, and that’s pretty cool. The cinematography, art, and music were top notch as usual. I can’t take anything away from that.

So, and I’m repeating what I wrote last week, the stage is set for the finale, to defeat Walpurgis Night and save Madoka. We know that this will be the last loop Homura has to suffer, because this is the loop that this show has followed. I’m really pulling for a happy end, because that would be just so unexpected at this point. And it would be darn hard to pull off well, which would make it all the more satisfying if it did. There are a lot of traps the story can fall into in these next 2 episodes, and it will be fun to see how Shaft navigates around them.

A few weeks ago, after watching Madoka and how it was killing our beloved Magical Girls, I decided to watch something a bit lighter. I picked Pretty Cure. I watch this when I’m bored out of my mind and don’t want to do anything else because it’s really facepalm worthy. I finished that first season [...]

Last episode, we found out Homura came back in time to stop Kyuubey from making a contract with Madoka. I accepted that readily, but it didn’t quite answer the question why Homura was so hellbent on saving Madoka and being a lot more serious concerning Madoka’s contract. Why was she so desperately trying to stop [...]

Beneath the cut is 1000 words about the seiyuu – mostly female, because I don’t follow male seiyuu as much, and also because I didn’t want to write more than 1000 words – who will be lending their voices to the spring season’s new crop of characters in its new crop of anime. I’ve also included a list of all the female seiyuu who will appear in spring, and what shows they’ll be appearing in. All images in this post are from koebooru. Have fun! Edit 10/3: Added Jewelpet Sunshine cast. Edit 13/3: Added Honto ni atta! Reibai-sensei cast, more Sket Dance and A Channel cast members. Emiri Katou (Kyubey) now has three roles, on par with agency-mate Kana Asumi, who she’s pictured with in this post. Another role for Ai Kayano (and a good deal more in the near future) signal she’s really on the rise after debuting just last year. And A Channel adds some familiar voices from Saki, the director’s previous work.

The female seiyuu with the most spring roles (seven, so far) is Kana Hanazawa, who is probably best known as Bakemonogatari‘s Nadeko, OreImo‘s Kuroneko and Angel Beats!‘s Tenshi/Kanade. She’ll be everywhere over the coming months, with leading roles in Moshidora, Ao no Exorcist, Hen Zemi and Deadman Wonderland, recurring roles in Steins;Gate and the second season of Seikon no Qwaser, and a small part in Dog Days. Her ubiquity isn’t exactly shocking, as she’s been rather popular since about 2009.

Interestingly, the girl with the second largest amount of roles is more of a surprise. Saori Goto has been around since 2003 and has had a wide variety of roles, but seems to be a relative unknown in fan circles. I enjoy her work. Her voice can grate at times (her ojou-sama voice has a somewhat shrill edge to it), but I think she emotes well and can be really funny when the time calls for it. She always brings some spark to her roles. Hear her in Maria Holic‘s second season (reprising her role as Yuzuru Inamori), Steins;Gate, C, and kids’ shows (probably kids’ shows?) Happy Kappy and Suzy’s Zoo.

Yuu Kobayashi (Fractale‘s Clain, Umineko‘s Kanon) will play alongside Goto in Maria Holic Alive, and she, Kanae Itou (Saten in Railgun, Elsie in The World God Only Knows), and Eri Kitamura (Angel Beats!‘s Yui, Toradora‘s Ami) each have four spring roles. Notably, Itou will star in three of hers (Hana-Saku Iroha, Sofuteni and The World God Only Knows 2). Perhaps fitting, as she’s just picked up the Seiyuu Award for Best Supporting Female. The award’s co-recipient, Satomi Arai (Kuroko from Index and Railgun), has no soon-upcoming roles at this stage.

K-on! stars and members of idol group Sphere, Aki Toyosaki (who won the Seiyuu Awards for Best Female and Best Personality, and who proved she is in no way a one-trick pony in Beelzebub) and Minako Kotobuki, have three roles apiece [edit 10/3: Toyosaki now has 4]. Kotobuki will star in A Channel and Tiger and Bunny. It’s been wonderful to hear her improve since first playing Mugi in 2008, and I hope these roles will give her chances to show off how she’s been honing her craft. Other K-on! girls Youko Hikasa (Mio) and Ayana Taketatsu (Azusa) are doing similarly well, with three and two new roles respectively, while Satomi Satou (Ritsu) reportedly has a part in Sket Dance but nothing else. Meanwhile, Haruka Tomatsu (Katanagatari‘s Hitei, Kannagi‘s Nagi), Sphere member alongside Toyosaki and Kotobuki, has netted herself large roles in AnoHana, Hana-Saku Iroha and C. The final Sphere member, Ayahi Takagaki, has no new roles. I’m definitely a fan of both Tomatsu and Takagaki, so this is good news and bad news for me.

Other names popping up a few times in cast lists include Rie Kugimiya (Shana‘s Shana, Toradora‘s Taiga), Mamiko Noto (the titular Hell Girl/Jigoku Shoujo, Kimi ni Todoke‘s Sawako), Kana Asumi (Working!!‘s Poplar, Hidamari Sketch‘s Yuno), Mariya Ise (Panty and Stocking‘s Stocking, Durarara!!‘s Mika), Yukari Tamura (Nanoha‘s Nanoha, Katanagatari‘s Togame), Rina Satou (Mikoto in Railgun and Index, Kaoru in Amagami SS) and Ryoko Shiraishi (Hayate in Hayate no Gotoku, Mako in Saki).

Looking at shows as a whole rather than seiyuu individually, there are some standouts.

Sofuteni, about a middle-school soft tennis club, has a strong cast including Eri Kitamura, Kanae Itou, Miyuki Sawashiro (Bakemonogatari’s Suruga, Durarara!!‘s Celty), Satomi Akesaka (Level E‘s Miho, Milky Holmes‘ Arsene), Sayuri Yahagi (Hayate no Gotoku‘s Izumi, Seitokai Yakuindomo‘s Suzu) and Shizuka Itou (Hayate‘s Hinagiku, Shana‘s Wilhelmina). Sawashiro is a veteran, having debuted in 1999, while the others have younger careers: Shizuka Itou and Eri Kitamura debuted in 2003, Akesaka in 2004, Yahagi in 2005 and Kanae Itou in 2006. All have impressed before.

Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream seems to mostly be a vehicle for seiyuu idol group LISP – comprised of Azusa Kataoka, Kana Asumi and Sayuri Hara (none of whom I’m fond of; I’m judging Hara prematurely, having only heard her singing voice, but I don’t expect much from her acting either) – but has some nice names further down the cast list, including Kanae Itou and Risa Hayamizu, and veterans Motoko Kumai and Noriko Hidaka.

I’m not entirely sure how Kana Hanazawa will handle Deadman Wonderland‘s Shiro, but I’m rather optimistic, and as a fan of the manga, I think the casting choices (Romi Park, Takako Honda, Iori Nomizu, and males Junichi Suwabe and Yuuki Kaji) were impeccable; my expectations for the voice work is extremely high. In particular, I’m very excited to hear Iori Nomizu as Minatsuki. I enjoy her voice and I’ve been starting to follow her work somewhat keenly, and I think she’ll be able to display good range and perform very well here. I’m hoping, perhaps foolishly, that she can turn this into something of a breakout role for her.

The World God Only Knows 2 has Kanae Itou reprising her lead female role and Saori Hayami (Star Driver‘s Wako, Sora no Otoshimono‘s Ikaros) joining her, and has lined up three big names as the show’s rotating heroines: Aki Toyosaki, Ami Koshimizu (Code Geass‘s Kallen, Star Driver‘s Keito; a seiyuu whose work I often love) and Kana Asumi.

Koshimizu and Asumi will also appear in Dog Days, which features a star-studded lineup. Nana Mizuki, Yui Horie, Youko Hikasa, Mikako Takahashi, Ayana Taketatsu, Mamoru Miyano, Takehito Koyasu, Tetsuya Kakihara, and the two aforementioned women are the main characters; Kana Hanazawa, Minako Kotobuki, Sakura Tange (Card Captor Sakura‘s Sakura), Yoriko Nagata, Daisuke Ono, Norio Wakamoto, and seventeen-year-olds Yukika Teramoto and Asami Seto (who impressed as Hourou Musuko‘s Takatsuki) have smaller parts. Whew. Mizuki, also a highly successful singer (particularly for a seiyuu), will be singing the opening theme, and Horie will be performing the ending theme.

Much unlike Dog Days, Kyoto Animation’s spring series, Nichijou, features a cast list filled with unknowns. It will be highly interesting to hear them perform. There are some somewhat recognisable names, among them Mariko Honda and Misuzu Togashi, who starred together in Seitokai no Ichizon. Four of the five other girls with some experience were in Lucky Star: Hiromi Konno was Akira Kogami, Kaoru Mizuhara was Misao Kusakabe, Mai Aizawa was Ayano Minegishi, and Mami Kosuge was Yukari Takara.

The final notable cast list I’ve chosen to write on is Suzy’s Zoo. … What? You haven’t heard of it? It’s based on an American greeting card line, and (copy pasted from them since ANN says it better than I ever could) it “center[s] around a duckling named Witzy and his stuffed animal friends in a verdant backyard”. The cast is, as one might expect, rather good. Maaya Sakamoto will narrate, Mai Nakahara will play the lead duckling, and Saori Goto, Mitsuki Saiga, Ayana Taketatsu and Ryoko Shiraishi will appear as Witzy’s stuffed animal friends. I’m definitely going to watch this. I’m kidding… probably.

Lastly, below is a list of the ~120 girls with confirmed spring roles. (For example, I haven’t found official confirmation for Satomi Satou’s Sket Dance role, so she isn’t on the list yet. Edit 13/3: Role has been confirmed.) An asterisk indicates a lead part. OVAs, movies, and so on are not included. The list is ordered by amount of roles, but otherwise not ordered. Hence, liberal use of control-F is advised. The list will be updated as necessary up until the spring season begins (but most likely not after), so please let me know if I’ve missed something.

Seven roles

• Kana Hanazawa (Moshidora*, Ao no Exorcist*, Steins;Gate, Dog Days, Hen Zemi*, Deadman Wonderland*, Seikon no Qwaser 2)

Five roles

• Saori Goto (Maria Holic Alive, Steins;Gate, Happy Kappy, Suzy’s Zoo, C)
• Yuu Kobayashi (Tono to Issho: Gantai no Yabou, Maria Holic Alive*, Steins;Gate, Yondemasuyo Azazel-san, Sket Dance)

Four roles

• Eri Kitamura (Ao no Exorcist, 30-sai no Houken Taiiku, Sofuteni*, Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Kanae Itou (Hana-Saku Iroha*, Sofuteni*, The World God Only Knows 2*, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Aki Toyosaki (Hana-Saku Iroha, The World God Only Knows 2, Seikon no Qwaser 2, Jewelpet Sunshine*)
• Miyuki Sawashiro (Maria Holic Alive, Sofuteni, Jewelpet Sunshine*, A Channel)

Three roles

• Rie Kugimiya (Gintama*, Hidan no Aria*, Astarotte no Omocha*)
• Mamiko Noto (Tono to Issho: Gantai no Yabou, Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera*, Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Minako Kotobuki (Dog Days, A Channel*, Tiger and Bunny*)
• Kana Asumi (Dog Days*, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream*, The World God Only Knows 2)
• Yoko Hikasa (Moshidora*, Dog Days*, Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Mariya Ise (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~, Tiger and Bunny*, Hidan no Aria)
• Yukari Tamura (Astarotte no Omocha*, Steins;Gate, X-Men*)
• Rina Satou (Ao no Exorcist*, Astarotte no Omocha*, Yondemasuyo Azazel-san*)
• Ryoko Shiraishi (Sket Dance*, Suzy’s Zoo, Yondemasuyo Azazel-san)
• Haruka Tomatsu (AnoHana*, Hana-Saku Iroha, C*)
• Emiri Katou (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Happy Kappy*, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Marina Inoue (Danball Senki*, Maria Holic Alive*, Sket Dance)

Two roles

• Romi Park (Toriko*, Deadman Wonderland*)
• Mayumi Yoshida (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi)
• Chiaki Takahashi (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Satomi Akesaka (Sofuteni, Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Shiho Kawaragi (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, Hen Zemi)
• Ryoko Shintani (Maria Holic Alive, Hen Zemi)
• Ami Koshimizu (Dog Days*, The World God Only Knows 2)
• Saori Hayami (AnoHana*, The World God Only Knows 2*)
• Ayako Kawasumi (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera, Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Takako Honda (Hana-Saku Iroha, Deadman Wonderland)
• Mikako Takahashi (Dog Days*, Hidan no Aria)
• Ayumi Fujimura (Qwaser 2*, Astarotte no Omocha)
• Yui Horie (Dog Days*, Astarotte no Omocha)
• Ayana Taketatsu (Dog Days*, Suzy’s Zoo)
• Mai Nakahara (Suzy’s Zoo*, Hidan no Aria)
• Maaya Sakamoto (Suzy’s Zoo, Appleseed XIII*)
• Aya Hirano (Seikon no Qwaser 2, Jewelpet Sunshine*)
• Ai Shimizu (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, Jewelpet Sunshine)
• Kaoru Mizuhara (Nichijou, Honto ni atta! Reibai-sensei*)
• Mai Fuchigami (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Miyu Matsuki (Maria Holic Alive, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Nozomi Sasaki (Jewelpet Sunshine*, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Megumi Toyoguchi (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~, Sket Dance)
• Ai Kayano (AnoHana*, Sket Dance)
• Kaori Nazuka (30-sai no Houken Taiiku*, Sket Dance)

One role

• Megumi Kubota (Danball Senki*)
• Sayaka Nakaya (Moshidora)
• Ai Matayoshi (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*)
• Ryoko Ono (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*)
• Yuko Goto (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*)
• Kiyomi Asai (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai)
• Eriko Nakamura (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Aiko Okubo (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Ringo Aoba (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Mai Kadowaki (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi)
• Hisako Kyouda (Showa Monogatari*)
• Misato Fukuen (Showa Monogatari*)
• Sakiko Tamagawa (Showa Monogatari*)
• Mariko Honda (Nichijou*)
• Chika Horikawa (Nichijou)
• Hiromi Konno (Nichijou)
• Kaori Sadohara (Nichijou)
• Mai Aizawa (Nichijou)
• Misuzu Togashi (Nichijou)
• Shizuka Furuya (Nichijou)
• Yoko Tamaoki (Nichijou)
• Ai Hirosaka (Nichijou)
• Mami Kosuge (Nichijou)
• Motoko Kobayashi (Nichijou)
• Yumi Higuchi (Nichijou)
• Asuka Ogame (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko*)
• Ai Nonaka (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko)
• Yui Watanabe (30-sai no Houken Taiiku)
• Rie Tanaka (Ring ni Kakero 1: Sekai Taikai-hen)
• Nana Mizuki (Dog Days*)
• Asami Seto (Dog Days)
• Kikuko Inoue (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera)
• Maiko Ito (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera)
• Rumi Shishido (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera)
• Kaori Fukuhara (A Channel*)
• Aoi Yuuki (A Channel*)
• Yumi Uchiyama (A Channel*)
• Azusa Kataoka (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream*)
• Sayuri Hara (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream*)
• Rumi Ookubo (Happy Kappy*)
• Asami Sanada (Maria Holic Alive*)
• Akemi Kanda (Maria Holic Alive)
• Yuko Kaida (Maria Holic Alive)
• Hitomi Nabatame (Astarotte no Omocha*)
• Asami Imai (Steins;Gate*)
• Halko Momoi (Steins;Gate)
• Ayumi Tsunematsu (Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Chiaki Omigawa (Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Tamie Kubota (Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Sayuri Yahagi (Sofuteni)
• Shizuka Itou (Sofuteni)
• Rina Hidaka (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~*)
• Rei Mochizuki (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Sachi Kokuryu (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Yuka Hirata (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Sakura Tange (Dog Days)
• Yoriko Nagata (Dog Days)
• Yukika Teramoto (Dog Days)
• Yukiko Takaguchi (Hen Zemi)
• Yuko Sanpei (Seikon no Qwaser 2*)
• Harumi Sakurai (Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Yoshino Nanjou (Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Yuiko Tatsumi (Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Iori Nomizu (Deadman Wonderland)
• Kaori Ishihara (Hidan no Aria)
• Misaki Suzuki (Astarotte no Omocha)
• Yuko Minaguchi (Astarotte no Omocha)
• Aya Hisakawa (X-Men*)
• Kaori Yamagata (X-Men*)
• Yurika Hino (X-Men)
• Yoshiko Sakakibara (X-Men)
• Mitsuki Saiga (Suzy’s Zoo)
• Risa Hayamizu (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Noriko Hidaka (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Motoko Kumai (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Aki Nakajima (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Hiro Nakajima (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Yui Makino (C)
• Mayumi Asano (C)
• Ayaka Saito (Jewelpet Sunshine*)
• Yuki Kaida (Jewelpet Sunshine)
• MAKO (Jewelpet Sunshine)
• Momoko Saito (A Channel)
• Ai Matayoshi (A Channel)
• Minori Chihara (A Channel)
• Ikumi Hayama (Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Megumi Takamoto (Sket Dance)
• Satomi Satou (Sket Dance)
• Fumiko Orikasa (Sket Dance)

Mistilteinn, Treesea’s other name.  If you’ve spent a lot of time watching anime or playing video games, you’ve probably seen the name appear in a few places.  For example, in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, it’s one of Hayate Yagami’s attacks.  Of course, if you know anything about etymology, you know this word didn’t originate in Japan, or even in our modern English.  You can trace the word back to Old Norse, where it meant mistletoe.  Of course, back then mistletoe didn’t have the connotation it has today.  Rather than being part of a Yuletide tradition, it was a god slayer.  Gather around, children, because I’ve got a story to tell.

Some of you have probably heard of one important figure in Norse mythology: Baldr.  For those of you who aren’t, he was the second child of Odin and Frigg.  Baldr presided over the domains of light, joy, and purity, among other aspects.  Once upon a time, Baldr had a terrible nightmare.  He dreamt of his own death.  Alarmed by this, his mother, Frigg, tried to make a pact with everything in existence.  I do mean everything: plants, animals, objects, and forces of nature.  She pleaded with them to spare her son.  Frigg received oaths from all but one, the mistletoe.  I’m sure you can see where this is going.  When you make a foolproof plan, you had better make sure it covers everything!

What with his new invincibility, all the other gods had great fun using Baldr for target practice.  Whatever hit him would just bounce off without a scratch.  Loki, the trickster god, decided to take advantage of this.  He approached Frigg and asked if her son were truly invincible.  Without thinking, she told him his one weakness.  Loki quickly crafted a weapon made of mistletoe.  Some accounts refer to it as an arrow, while others call it a lance.  Loki gave the weapon to Hod, Baldr’s brother, and convinced him to throw it.  Sure enough, the mistletoe shaft pierced the god, and shortly thereafter, he died.  Another of Odin’s sons puts Hod to death, and the gods ultimately bind Loki for his actions.

Most of you would probably see this as a Very Bad Thing.  You don’t know the half of it.  Some accounts point to this event as the ultimate cause of Ragnarok, the Norse end of the world.  Everyone can pat themselves on the back for breaking the world now.  However, it wasn’t all bad.  Odin goes to consult the wise jotunn (giant) Vafpruonir.  Odin wins a battle of wits with the giant, and besides gaining insight into Ragnarok’s outcome, secures a promise.  As Baldr and Hod are already in Hel’s embrace, it will conceal them during Ragnarok.  After the end of the world, they will rise again.  Their deaths before the inevitable end of the world allow them to be one of the few remaining deities to lead the world.  Yes, it sounds arbitrary, but to an extent, that’s mythology for you.

So why did I present all this information?  Etymology in itself can be pretty interesting at times, but on top of that, let’s think about the character’s name.  It’s possible the writers might have chosen it simply because it sounded cool.  On the other hand, it’s a suspiciously specific name to pick.  At face value Merry Dream Eater’s Mistilteinn is a malevolent being.  She not only kills, but also seems derives pleasure from it.  However, characters have had their motivations turned on their heads constantly.  It’s possible Mistilteinn has a greater purpose than meets the eye.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

I quite liked the previous banner; the combination of Yotsuba and a picture of a local steel mill worked liked a perfect opening to an anime does – it looked good and gave the viewer a window into understanding what they were about to watch/read and the people behind it. It fit so well that it’s stayed up the longest of any banner I’ve made (almost a full year) and I started thinking that nothing could replace it. I needed to find an angle that contained a similar level of rightness and awesomeness before I’d consider a switch. (Spoilers ahead for PM3.)

Having Puella Magi Madoka Magica be the genesis behind the new banner probably isn’t a surprise. There’s going to be more than a few people who make room at the top of their personal top anime lists for this anime, myself included, as long as the ending lives up to the rest of the show. I was pondering the exact reason why Kyubey is wrong to create the system of Puella Magi and witches in church today (the organist likes to hear himself sing and I don’t) when the thought came to me as to who Kyubey reminded me of. The more I thought about, the more right it looked and the more I liked the comparison.

The resulting banner is the one you see above. It’s probably not the best idea to mix politics into it but it illuminates a side of me that sets me apart from much of the anime blogosphere and influences how I look at things. If you don’t agree – that’s great; everyone is entitled to their opinion and don’t let tin-pot dictators tell you otherwise. If you don’t care – I’m probably going to change this banner in a month or so and hopefully you’ll like that banner.

Filed under: anime, general anime interst, meta/office keeping, rant

The play was certainly an interesting way to add some clarity to past events. Sarina’s veiled questioning of Takuto and his answers were certainly interesting enough, and I do get the feeling that he will back up his claims to protect Wako. Still, there is one thing that really seems out of place to me.  Assuming that Takuto is the one who will eventually embrace Wako, that would make Sugata the one who had Wako, but lost her due to his dependence on the boat’s power. But for whatever reason I don’t get the feeling that real world Sugata has given in to the boat’s power yet, because I don’t know what his “boat” could possibly be.

Though the play mirrored the events thus far in the show, and I would suppose the show’s past if we are assuming that this has all happened before, there was one thing that doesn’t seem to jive with the current trio. The play suggests that Sugata should fall into a deep long term slumber and forget about Kleis/Wako, but he hasn’t. Sure he did, and others in the past probably have has well, but he woke up, and has been constantly reawakened via whatever the hell Keito is doing. So it would seem from that point on, from about the same time that fish girl ended her story, that the story changed in some form. In fact, it seems that given the ending to this episode, in which Sugata fell into a slumber without going into Zero Time shows that something else has probably been the root of his problems. Perhaps, seeing Wako kiss Sugata during the play was the same thing as seeing her fawn for Takuto in Zero Time.

All that aside though, what would Sugata’s “boat” be? What is or could consume his life so much that he completely forgets about Wako? Nothing from the series thus far seems to be capable of fitting that description. That said, it would appear that Sugata did in some way give up or lose his rights to Wako before her birthday, considering that Takuto was the one who gave her Sugata’s knife, which clearly know has some sort of significance.

I guess all I’m trying to say is don’t think that Takuto has “victory” in his hands just yet. The series has thrown in more than enough hints to show us that while the present day characters are similar to the people in the past, they have been doing things a little bit differently and will eventually break through. Does a Takuto v. Sugata match up seem likely at this point? Yeah. Does Sugata look like an ass in the previews for the next episode? Yeah. But three episodes is more than enough time for this series to throw one last twist at us.

Oh yeah, I have a twitter page now @ CPAnime, so shameless plug.