Code Geass R2 ep.25
Posted by Garten
I have to admit that I don't hate this one. Sunrise could have ended the series in an over-the-top manner but they chose to go with a more mellow resolution. A resolution that really gives a lot of credence to Lelouch as the main protagonist of the series and I appreciate that in a series. I see that a lot of people are in rage over his death but this is the only way his plan can work. Unfortunately a lot of details have been ignored to facilitate this ending. I can definitely use a lot more closing on several supporting characters, especially C.C. I also think that at the end of the series, we still didn't get a complete resolution of Britannia vs. Japan conflict although I assume with Nunnally in charge, things will change for the better. I'll talk more about that after the cut but in general, I feel that the episode left a better impression of the series for me than otherwise it'd have been. I feel that this is the reverse of Mai Hime, where the ending made me completely disgusted for that series. I don't think I'll ever list either series as one of my favorite series but at least with Geass, they don't squander Lelouch's character development for some over-the-top joke or complete reset of what he's done so far.
Natsume Yuujin-chou ep.10
Once again sorry for the late review but it's not until now that I can watch and review the episode. I guess all of those PSN demo downloads do take a lot of bandwidth. And then there's the constant streaming of Japanese TV to my PC. Anyway, I'm not really enthused about this episode for some reason. I thought the story was rather non-eventful. I'm just not sure about Asagi's real motivation in the story. It seems to me that she's quite content with letting Akagane deciding what she should do next. It can be argued that she can't do anything since she has no corporeal body but she doesn't seem to make an active attempt to either scold him if he do something without her permission. The music is pretty good as usual though and it's interesting to hear a Koto performance because prior to this series, I didn't even know what a Koto was.
Soul Eater ep.24
This episode turns out to be awesome. Everything from the animation to the way the story unfolds just scream quality. The anime elongates the fight between Kishin and Shinigami a little bit but it is surprisingly well done. Also of note is the soundtrack that is used in the episode. I was especially impressed with the piece that was used as a background of Shinigami vs. Kishin fight. The episode pretty much concludes the Medusa arc but by the end of this episode, it's obvious that the arc will have a lasting impact on subsequent arcs in the series. Although I was rather confused with what the Kishin said to Shinigami about how they won't see each other again after this. I got the impression that Kishin is meant to be the ultimate chaos so I don't understand why he won't return to create some more shenanigans for Shinigami-sama.
Autumn 2008 Anime
I'm sorry about the lack of anime reviews except Code Geass but my bandwidth is currently capped until tomorrow (Monday) and I can't download anything big without the download taking days. Anyway, these past spring/summer really tested my interest in anime. At times I feel like my interest is dwindling down. Strangely, my interest in live-action series/movies also increases at the same time. It doesn't help that I'm really preoccupied with my work these days that sometimes I find it hard finding the time to watch anime. Having said all of that, this upcoming fall/autumn 2008 seems to offer some interesting gems. I am especially delighted to see that there'll be a high number of supernatural-themed series. I always feel that anime needs more horror based series and while the majority of the series on offer are not horror in nature, I think I'll gladly take a supernatural type series as well. Anyway, bear in mind that the list I've made is not the complete list of Fall 2008 anime. It's just anime that I thought will be interesting to watch and what others might also find interesting. For a more complete list, see the link to the Fansub database below. Anyway, let me know what you think will be interesting to see this season.
Code Geass R2 ep.24
In this episode, Nunnally tries to smoke some bong but fails miserably when said bong got knocked out of her hands. She spends the majority of the episode on the ground looking for the bong. There's a lesson here: doing drugs does not pay. One has to admire Sunrise for being able to include an anti-drug message on top of the political shenanigans that this show has on offers. We also find out that not only Cornelia didn't die on last week's episode, she finds herself wake up next to dark-haired Guilford. Guilford is a proof that you can survive a nuclear warhead unscathed. One would think that Guilford should at least look like Two-Face by now but apart from his eyes (which will probably heal in the final episode), his skin is perfectly fine. So next time there's a warhead coming your way, according to Sunrise you'll be a-okay. Another important lesson that Sunrise teach us is that if you hate your brother, don't kill him. Instead, make him your bitch. And oh, Diethard dies like a nobody that he is while Kanon looks like he's been raped by someone whose name is not Schneizel.
Xam'd Lost Memories ep.08-09
I really hate Furuichi that the part of the episodes which contain his character is almost unbearable. On the positive side, Raigyou turns out to be a good character so that kind of even things out. Speaking of the guy, for some reason he sounds a little bit like Shuuji from Honey and Clover so I wonder if they have the same VA. Anyway, the series still feel directionless but at least more details finally emerge. Like I said before, we finally find out more about Raigyou and judging from the photo on episode 9, we'll find out about Kujireika. One thing that I'm having problem with is the amount of terms that are being used in the series. It's really hard to keep up with all of the new words the show invented, especially since they all sound the same to one another. For example, there was an Ongoro-user but as it turns out, the thing that they control doesn't look like the Ongoro that Nakiami has in the postal ship (the translucent creature).
Code Geass R2 ep.23
There is actually an interesting underlying issue that this series could have explored a bit more but the chances that it can do that now is pretty slim since we only have two more episodes left. And knowing the writers, they'll probably prefer more fight scenes than insightful commentary on the state of humanity. The show also seems to have lost some steam when it comes to delivering surprises, which is unfortunate because that's what they do best in this one. The sudden death of Cornelia, for example, feels like a footnote than a major event. I also think that the writers have changed her motivation ever since season one but never really gave the viewers a glimpse as to what changed her mind. It's easily assumed that Euphemia's death affected her to do this but I kind of want to know how she got from that point to the point where she is now. I also kind of wish that she found out that her role model, Marianne, turns out to be a loon, just to see her reaction.
Soul Eater ep.23
I'm sorry for the lack of update but I have no choice but to go cold turkey on blogging since I had 2 important exams this past week. Anyway, this is a good episode but since I'm not that interested in Stein or Medusa, I find the episode feels a bit tedious. I keep wanting the action to move quickly to both Free and Eruka since much to my surprise, they are far more entertaining than I thought they'd be. For some reason, I like the humorous bad guys more than the outright evil ones in this series. Medusa just comes across as arrogant and a bit boring. I could barely understand what she and Stein were talking about as the two were fighting each other since they're talking about insanity. Free and Eruka, on the other hand, are strangely humane in their reaction to the Kishin. It's kind of amusing to see them struggling to keep themselves sane, especially when they start to hallucinate about the Kishin. I'm also surprised that both Kid and Black Star deal with the hallucination relatively well.
Code Geass R2 ep.22
This feels a bit mellow after last week but still amusing nonetheless. The surprises are slowly diminishing in value though. Nunnally still alive isn't that surprising because it's expected that the series will dish it out before the finale. This is a general problem with series that uses too many surprises in the story. After a while, the viewers become accustomed to them and the surprises become less and less surprising. The problem is actually more prevalent in US TV series rather than anime because most anime series have limited amount of episodes so the writers usually don't have to rely on surprises to keep the audience's interest. Geass is the exception to this. Anyway, with only a few more episodes left, I hope we'll get some kind of nice epilogue to neatly close the series. It'll be annoying if the series end right away after the major battle. The series has more than enough character to fill an entire episode with epilogue of how their life have changed after the battle.
Natsume Yuujin-chou ep.09
In an entirely unrelated note, I think I just read some spoilers to the latest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. It sounds fantastic if it's true but sometimes I wonder I would have had a more mind-blowing experience with films/tv series if I'm not such a spoiler whore. Oh well, I can't help it. Plus, knowing Casino Royale ending (or other stories') certainly didn't ruin the film for me. Anyway, this episode is pretty good. I completely forget that this is the one where Natori Shuuichi makes his appearance. The guy is a rather major character in the series and has a recurring appearance time and time again. I know that other characters seem to have a lot of appearances in this series but the truth is, their roles are not as big as that of Shuuichi's. The anime has also elongated the appearances of several characters even though they have limited appearances in the manga. Overall, this is another good episode for the series and for some reason it makes me wish that I have a fat cat like Nyanko-sensei. I wonder why of all things Madara chooses this form as a disguise.
Soul Eater ep.22
That scene where Chrona is being molested by Ragnarok always brings the LULZ. That scene also suggests two possibilities. The first is that Chrona is a girl and that's why Ragnarok keeps harassing her. The second is that Ragnarok swings the other way. That's why it is keen to check out Chrona's phallic good down there. See? Either way, it's still full of LULZ. The question is, would you rather see Chrona as a guy, a girl, or a sexually ambiguous character like he/she has always been? Personally, I just want them to decide the character a gender and stick with it. I'm tired of having to remember not to call Chrona using gender-specific words. Moreover, I don't see the point of withholding her gender like this except for some occasional LULZ like this episode. If you've read the manga, has there been a situation where Chrona's non-disclosed gender ends up becoming a major plot point? Anyway, if I have to guess, I think Chrona is a girl.
Natsume Yuujin-chou ep.08
I'm sorry for the slow update. I've been trying to upgrade my PS3 HDD and finally get to do it yesterday. It was kind of easy but difficult at the same time. I hope I don't have to do it anytime soon since my HDD is now a 250GB one. Anyway, this episode was a good and emotional one. I certainly didn't expect a love story out of this one since the series has always been about friendship. At any rate, the episode reminds me of A Chinese Ghost Story for those who have seen that film. Although I think it's less tragic and depressing in comparison to that film. At its core, however, it's a love story between a spirit and a human. Because of this, the first thing that I could think of was "this won't end well". Well, it does end in a sad note but at the same time, it's not a completely painful experience either. At least one half of the pairing gets a happy ending while the other is quite happy to see the other moving on with life. The episode also provides a possible reason as to why Reiko wasn't able to fulfill her promise to meet the youkai/ayakashi.
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