Red Data Girl - Episode 11
Lo and behold, things soon begin to seem sinister, with the launch of a last minute weather balloon right above the academy (yes, the episode's big threat is a weather balloon), and before we know it Takayanagi appears to try and persuade Izumiko to join his faction.
Of course, Izumiko isn't exactly on board with either Takayanagi's plans or his way of doing things, but this seems to be rendered irrelevant as the next thing we know she's utterly compliant with everything that he and his merry band are doing. With Sagara unable to make his way to Izumiko either, it seems as if Takayanagi might just have won the day, but that is to reckon without Izumiko's spirited streak when it comes to her buried memories of Miyuki. Oh, and there are plans afoot for Miyuki and Mayura to set up some kind of sham marriage so that they can both pursue their true loves - probably not the best time to bring that up, in all honesty.
Taken as a whole, this episode of Red Data Girl exhibits both the best and worst that the series has to offer - on the positive side, watching Izumiko's character grow and then stumble in the face of uncertainties as to whether she can ever become normal is both fascinating and well-realised, but on the flipside of this the way Takayanagi's manipulation of Izumiko was depicted was simply terrible from a viewer's point of view, and that aforementioned marriage plot point also felt like it had been crow-barred into the episode by Gordon Freeman's less finessed brother. That even one of the show's better episodes can have such major flaws says a lot about the quality of the series as a whole, and why it's been such a frustrating proposition ee=very week to watch.
Space Brothers - Episode 61
This week's Space Brothers is all about Hibito's return to Earth
along with a couple of his colleagues, meaning that we spend our time
building up to the big event before finally getting to see how it pans
out.
Of course, Hibito's planned return means different things to all those involved - for Pico, it's an opportunity to finally remove the burden that has been placed upon his shoulders ever since the shuttle launched, and beyond that from the accident which killed Brian Jay; for Hibito's parents it's once again a mixture of excitement and worry; and for Mutta it's a strange mix of his new professional role which sees him shown around mission control as they build up to the capsule's re-entry, and of course his personal concerns about both Hibito's landing and his life from that point forth.
Crunch time finally arrives as the shuttle capsule hits the Earth's atmosphere and begins its re-entry, and we're treated to this scene in what is effectively real-time to make full use of its inherent tension, watching as the forces placed upon the capsule grow ever greater (and hotter), and in turn seeing the tension both inside and out of the capsule reaching a peak. Ultimately however, re-entry goes without a hitch, and more importantly Pico's parachute system deploys beautifully, to the ecstasy and relief of all involved.
It's really those minutes surrounding re-entry and Hibito and company's landing that are the highlight of this episode of Space Brothers - wonderfully crafted to place a certain frisson of tension in the air and then ramp it up by the second in an almost imperceptible way. It's only when the parachute deploys and you suddenly feel tension draining from your body that you realise that your stress levels and tension had actually been raised by the whole thing, proving your engagement towards the series and the characters contained within effortlessly. If I didn't already know how much I dote upon this series, Space Brothers certainly managed to confirm it yet again - a fine piece of work, as always.
Of course, Hibito's planned return means different things to all those involved - for Pico, it's an opportunity to finally remove the burden that has been placed upon his shoulders ever since the shuttle launched, and beyond that from the accident which killed Brian Jay; for Hibito's parents it's once again a mixture of excitement and worry; and for Mutta it's a strange mix of his new professional role which sees him shown around mission control as they build up to the capsule's re-entry, and of course his personal concerns about both Hibito's landing and his life from that point forth.
Crunch time finally arrives as the shuttle capsule hits the Earth's atmosphere and begins its re-entry, and we're treated to this scene in what is effectively real-time to make full use of its inherent tension, watching as the forces placed upon the capsule grow ever greater (and hotter), and in turn seeing the tension both inside and out of the capsule reaching a peak. Ultimately however, re-entry goes without a hitch, and more importantly Pico's parachute system deploys beautifully, to the ecstasy and relief of all involved.
It's really those minutes surrounding re-entry and Hibito and company's landing that are the highlight of this episode of Space Brothers - wonderfully crafted to place a certain frisson of tension in the air and then ramp it up by the second in an almost imperceptible way. It's only when the parachute deploys and you suddenly feel tension draining from your body that you realise that your stress levels and tension had actually been raised by the whole thing, proving your engagement towards the series and the characters contained within effortlessly. If I didn't already know how much I dote upon this series, Space Brothers certainly managed to confirm it yet again - a fine piece of work, as always.
Flowers of Evil - Episode 10
With no change of clothes, no money, and nothing to show for their snap
decision but Kasuga's bicycle, it's pretty obvious that this decision to
journey beyond the mountain which separates their town from the rest of
the world is a figurative road to know - a realise that perhaps even
Nakamura presciently understands as she talks of the world beyond that
mountain as perhaps simply not existing at all.
As our two "escapees" find their progress halted by a mixture of
Kasuga's exhaustion and a rain storm, they have somebody else hot on
their trail - Saeki, who makes her excuses before heading off in pursuit
of the errant pair. Eventually she catches up on and discovers the two
of them, and the results are explosive; a noxious mixture of all of the
emotions that have built up over the course of the series acting as a
powderkeg of a catalyst to the situation before them. Ultimately, all
eyes fall on Kasuga, and a simple choice for him to make - does he
choose to follow Nakamura, or return to Saeki's side. Even at this
juncture it's a decision he simply can't make on account of his own
self-deference to the idea that he is anything other than an empty shell
- ironically, it's a show of indecision that might well leave him with
nothing ultimately.
Although I've had plety of positive things to say about Flowers of Evil as
a whole, this week's episode tops the lot - it's simply brilliant, both
in its depiction of Kasuga and Nakamura's escape, and more specifically
in the tempest of emotion which comes about once Saeki is adding in to
the situation. The result is almost a perfect distillation of the
teenage condition - self-doubt; an over-riding desire and need to be
loved and appreciated by someone, anyone; an insistence that you and
only you are the freak in a world of normal people who you can never
hope to be. It's a powerful and affecting tale that, for all of its
intense drama, still has moments that bring back intensely personal
memories of an awkward youth of uncertainty and opportunities wasted by
self-conscious indecision. It's a love letter to puberty written in mud
and excrement, but it nails adolescence better than any typical
saccharine high school drama since Grange Hill.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet - Episode 10
While Ledo wrestles with the shocking information relayed to him in the previous episode, it seems as if this success has gone to Pinion's head - not only is he unwilling to share the technology and items he's salvaged with others outside of his fleet, but he also opts to send out a message to all and sundry advising them of his achievement and warning outsiders not to even think about coming close to his fleet lest they be obliterated. Needless to say, some do try to do exactly that, but don't get very far against the firepower of Pinion's crew.
All the while, Ledo's frustrations are growing and growing as he tries to come to terms with everything that he knows - not so much out of disgust of all the (sort of) humans he's destroyed to this point, but more out of a concern that his "job" of fighting the Hideauze is now futile. It's left to Chamber to try and point out that he does still have a purpose - once-human or not, the Hideauze are still an extreme race that will extinguish civilised humanity without pause, meaning that it still needs to be combated regardless of the origins of the race. Such a train of thought is soon put on hold however - it seems that a familiar face has come from afar to pay Ledo a visit.
After the ludicrous and stupid twists that brought us to the end of last week's episode, this latest instalment of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet at least manages to get things back on track by deflecting a fair amount of its focus elsewhere thanks to Pinion's hubris, while also spinning the fallout of the revelations presented to Ledo in quite a surprising way by largely dodging the ethical questions in favour of taking on the theme that has run throughout this series - that being Ledo trying to figure out his place in the world and where he "fits in". Thus, I'm now decidedly interested in where this series is aiming to go for its final few episodes again, especially as time seems to be running out for a resolution to some of its broader storytelling strokes.
Attack on Titan - Episode 10
To avoid being baked in the midst of an exploding cannon shell, Eren has
managed to make use of his new powers to create a half-baked Titan
around himself and his friends to protect them from the blast. But what
next now that he's given form to his terrifying new ability in front of
all and sundry?
This is the predicament which dominates this episode of Attack on Titan, as Eren removes himself from the skeleton which he has created to find that his friends are safe but his options are limited. Although the trio are still protected by a thick covering of smoke and the sheer shock of what has just happened on their aggressor's count, there still isn't much time to decide where to go or what to do next.
Ultimately, it's to Armin that the decision is left - Eren is determined not to cause any more difficulties for his friends and go it alone, but should he become a fugitive and go on the run, or is there still hope for someone to persuade the powers that be that Eren is an important new weapon in the fight against the Titans. Having been filled with self-doubt previously, Armin has a moment of clarity which allows him to stand up to the troops surrounding them to make a final plea to their senses and the opportunity of turning the tide against the Titans - a plea which finally finds a receptive ear. Now, the question is whether Eren can follow through on the claims that he might be a valuable secret weapon...
Compared to previous episodes of this series, this was a pretty slow-moving instalment of Attack on Titan, which made the most of the tension of the scenario set up last week and milked it for everything it was worth. Perhaps this drop in the often frenetic pace of the show is required as a line in the sand between what has just gone and what is still to come while simultaneously giving the plot something of a much-required new grounding, but it does mean that this episode is more interesting than it is jaw-dropping or anything of the sort. Still, I remain well and truly on-board in terms of enjoying the series.
This is the predicament which dominates this episode of Attack on Titan, as Eren removes himself from the skeleton which he has created to find that his friends are safe but his options are limited. Although the trio are still protected by a thick covering of smoke and the sheer shock of what has just happened on their aggressor's count, there still isn't much time to decide where to go or what to do next.
Ultimately, it's to Armin that the decision is left - Eren is determined not to cause any more difficulties for his friends and go it alone, but should he become a fugitive and go on the run, or is there still hope for someone to persuade the powers that be that Eren is an important new weapon in the fight against the Titans. Having been filled with self-doubt previously, Armin has a moment of clarity which allows him to stand up to the troops surrounding them to make a final plea to their senses and the opportunity of turning the tide against the Titans - a plea which finally finds a receptive ear. Now, the question is whether Eren can follow through on the claims that he might be a valuable secret weapon...
Compared to previous episodes of this series, this was a pretty slow-moving instalment of Attack on Titan, which made the most of the tension of the scenario set up last week and milked it for everything it was worth. Perhaps this drop in the often frenetic pace of the show is required as a line in the sand between what has just gone and what is still to come while simultaneously giving the plot something of a much-required new grounding, but it does mean that this episode is more interesting than it is jaw-dropping or anything of the sort. Still, I remain well and truly on-board in terms of enjoying the series.
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai 2 - Episode 10
Ayase gets to take centre stage for a while once again in this week's instalment, as we fast-forward through her interactions with Kyousuke during the whole Kuroneko affair, with Kyousuke telling her that he can't teasingly sexually harass her any more on account of having a girlfriend, before Ayase worries that it is she that's responsible for their eventual break-up - or at least, that's what she suggests is her concern, while the reality of the situation is readily apparent.
In the midst of all this tsundere behaviour, Ayase also all-but forces Kyousuke into attending the "Meru-fest" event to cheer on Kanako, who is taking part in the event on account of her stellar Stardust Witch Meruru cosplay. Of course, this plan is scuppered somewhat, and by none other than Kirino, who is also supposed to be attending the concert but is held up on a delayed photo shoot. Thus, it's Kyousuke to the rescue, as he races off to pick up Kirino (albeit with the worst possible choice of transportation) and bring her back to the event arena in time for the concert - something he doesn't entirely succeed at, but hey - at least he makes it in time for the frequently name-dropped appearance of ClariS, which oddly we don't get to see at all.
Aside from a couple of funny moments, Oreimo again underwhelms this week - by this point even the previously entertaining Ayase is increasingly little more than a simpering waif crawling at Kyousuke's heels, and the entire cast is starting to feel a little lifeless as we seem to have developed nothing more than a harem circling around our lead male. This is perhaps the inevitable progression of the series, but it's still a world away from the fresh and snappy otaku comedy that made me fall in love with the franchise in the first place, and to be quite honest I really want that side of the show back, even if my wishes will never come to fruition.
Chihayafuru 2 - Episode 22
Having relentlessly watched video footage of her previous match against Shinobu, our protagonist knows everything there is to know about the Queen's style of play, but of course actually combating and playing against it is another matter entirely, and after refusing Shinobu's offer to play with her weaker hand to compensate for Chihaya's injury, we quickly see the terrifying speed and precision of this particular karuta star put to devastating use.
Although Chihaya isn't far behind in terms of speed, she's still just "slow" enough to be second best to every card, leading to her removing the final protection for her hand injury in the hope of getting that extra split second that she needs. Even this isn't enough to take on the Queen however, and Shinobu (despite some inner turmoil on the subject) refuses to show any mercy to her opponent as she delivers a crushing victory. Chihaya is, of course, deflated, but also elated that Shinobu allowed her to play against her without easing off, ramping up their rivalry and the unusual relationship which underpins it a little further. With our heroine out of the tournament however, we still have some other big matches featuring member's of Mizusawa's finest to focus on however....
If you were expecting Chihaya and Shinobu's big match to be a major focus across multiple episode packed with twists and turns, then think again - one of the delights of Chihayafuru is that it still prizes a certain sense of realism, and thus pitching the Queen against a good but injured player ends as it should, with a landslide victory. The real genius is how this match still proves to be compelling thanks to the two characters involved, and in particular Chihaya's determination and hunger to improve which carries you along with her own emotions throughout. It looks like we'll be getting to focus on Taichi as he looks to finally move out of Class B next week, which will hopefully bring us another different set of circumstances to luxuriate in.
A Certain Scientific Railgun S - Episode 9
As if Frenda hadn't been a tricky enough proposition, Mikoto is now faced with a showdown against fellow Level 5 and so-called "Meltdowner"Shizuri Mugino, leading to a cat and mouse game which very much puts our heroine on the defensive as she fends off her opponents attacks. Normally, this might not be such an issue, but with Misaka's energy well and truly sapped by all her exertions and with Mugino making the use of ITEM counterpart Takitsubo to track her opponent's AIM field, there seems to be nothing for it but to plan an escape - something which Misaka single-mindedly refuses to do.
While Misaka is fighting this war of attrition to destroy her current location, Shinobu is indulging in a little terrorism of her own - having tricked her way into the hub of the Sisters project's operations, she seeks a rather less violent method of action by effectively reprogramming the emotions of the Sisters to shun conflict and open up all of the suppressed emotions within them. Although even Nunotaba herself doubts this plot will succeed, she's still willing to give it a shot, although there's still one member of ITEM unaccounted for...
As this story arc progresses, A Certain Scientific Railgun S continues to build nicely - this was a satisfying action-oriented episode that still had enough going on to enter the realms of big explosions and little else, which is also managing to keep enough tension bubbling under the surface to boot. There really isn't a lot to say beyond that as this arc continues to build carefully towards its climax - it remains enjoyable and arguably the best this franchise as a whole has offered for the most part, and it's still a vital part of my week to race to watch it of a Saturday morning.
Devil Survivor 2: The Animation - Episode 10
Nowhere is this more keenly illustrated than in the case of Io Nitta, who is advised that she is required to take centre stage in the next battle against the Septentrion - a battle which is guaranteed to kill her. Faced with a choice between her own life and the destruction of all humanity, herself included, there really isn't much of a choice to be made, and so Nitta meekly surrenders herself to her fate while trying to make the most of the final day of her life... by eating a tasty breakfast.
Of course, once her friends realise what's happening as the next Septentrion attack begins they're apoplectic with rage, but by this point it's too late to change anything as Nitta takes control of, and effectively becomes, the powerful demon Lugh. As expected, Lugh wins out against the Septentrion, but this god/demon isn't exactly thrilled to be used and abused by humans and seeks to wreak its revenge using what little remains of Nitta's body. Although Yamato expects Hibiki to clean up this mess by destroying Lugh, of course he proves less than willing as he continues to hope that Nitta can be saved - and if anyone can perform a miracle, it's him...
It almost goes without saying that all of thisa builds to a cop-out ending where the impossible happens simply because Hibiki really wants it to, and brain-dead and physically destroyed Nitta is somehow brought back to the land of the living 100% healthy and intact. The again, I can afford this decision at least a little leeway as it added some fairly decent emotional spice to an episode already hardly short of it, while the show's pace and willingness to just get on with things most of the time is still keeping me rolling along and broadly enjoying the viewing experience each week. I doubt this is the kind of show that I'm going to remember for years to come, but for short-term entertainment it seems to have its story-telling balance just about right.
Hataraku Maou-sama! - Episode 10
More specifically, Maou finds himself "loaned out" to another branch of the restaurant which is part of a leisure park, on account of the opening of both a grandiose reptile house and a new haunted house on the premises. As well as earning some more brownie points with his employers, Urushihara also points out that the haunted house would offer a great opportunity for Maou and company to charge up their magical power using the fear emanating from said attraction. With Chiho and Emilia planning to head to the park, and Suzuno alerted to the potentially nefarious goings-on on Maou's part, the whole gang end up at the park for its big day.
Maou (and perhaps Suzuno) aside, it's all about pleasure rather than business for the visitors, although it turns out to be far from an ideal day for anyone involved - Emi is constantly overshadowed by Chiho's... err... exuberant mammaries... while Chiho's charms are lost to the work-focused Maou. When both of them are scared witless by first the haunted house and then the reptiles on show (albeit for very different reasons in the latter case), the last thing they need is some escaping wildlife. Once again, it's Maou of all people who saves the day, using the magic he's gathered from the fear of others to keep those same people safe, much to Suzuno's bewilderment.
For all of its swimsuits and cleavage-centric humour, once again Hataraku Maou-sama proves to be a whole lot of fun this week - indeed, even a couple of its breast gags are laugh out loud funny. The series continues to have so much fun going about its business that it's hard to really ding it for anything - the cast of characters are wonderful, and even when the situations they're placed in are predictable their interactions are a delight to behold. It shouldn't be this good, particularly at this late stage of the series, but somehow it is. Perhaps the devil is in the details...
Red Data Girl - Episode 10
Having had another "turn" as the Himegami, Izumiko is understandably
rather torn up about the whole thing as this tenth episode of Red Data Girl begins, particularly given the hassles said Himegami gave to Sagar during her possession of Izumiko's body.
There's little real time to dwell on this however with the Warring States-themed culture festival still in full swing; not that this stops Izumiko taking a few jabs at her "protector" out of jealousy at his somewhat intimate conversation with the Himegami. With rumours floating around of girls being taken ill at the festival's haunted house however, it's time for Miyuki to investigate with Izumiko in tow.
Lo and behold, there is something more supernatural than fake blood and made-up students within the confines of the haunted house which look to attach themselves to Izumiko, but is this a trap of Takayanagi's or some other phenomena entirely? There's no time to find out, as our thoughts instead turn towards to Mayura's own battle to fight against Takayanagi, with the festival's mock battle now seemingly operating at its centrepiece.
In a sense, this week's Red Data Girl is another great example of everything that this series gets wrong time and time again - it flits from one idea to the next without ever bringing what has gone before to any satisfactory resolution, and by the end of an episode your mind feels bloated like you're suffering from some kind of mental constipation thanks to all of the things you've seen but your brain isn't ready to file away in the "out" tray. Maybe that means that the final episodes will turn into mental diarrhoea instead, but simply the fact that I'm now comparing this series to bowel movements tells you everything that you should need to know about it.
There's little real time to dwell on this however with the Warring States-themed culture festival still in full swing; not that this stops Izumiko taking a few jabs at her "protector" out of jealousy at his somewhat intimate conversation with the Himegami. With rumours floating around of girls being taken ill at the festival's haunted house however, it's time for Miyuki to investigate with Izumiko in tow.
Lo and behold, there is something more supernatural than fake blood and made-up students within the confines of the haunted house which look to attach themselves to Izumiko, but is this a trap of Takayanagi's or some other phenomena entirely? There's no time to find out, as our thoughts instead turn towards to Mayura's own battle to fight against Takayanagi, with the festival's mock battle now seemingly operating at its centrepiece.
In a sense, this week's Red Data Girl is another great example of everything that this series gets wrong time and time again - it flits from one idea to the next without ever bringing what has gone before to any satisfactory resolution, and by the end of an episode your mind feels bloated like you're suffering from some kind of mental constipation thanks to all of the things you've seen but your brain isn't ready to file away in the "out" tray. Maybe that means that the final episodes will turn into mental diarrhoea instead, but simply the fact that I'm now comparing this series to bowel movements tells you everything that you should need to know about it.
Flowers of Evil - Episode 9
Rather than accept the invitation to break up with him, tell him she's disgusted by him or refuse to speak to him, Saeki instead does the exact opposite in refusing to split up with Kasuga in spite of the evidence as to his activities. Although you might think that Kasuga himself might be thrilled by the prospect of this, you couldn't be much further from the truth - racked with guilt, he refuses to even come to school the next day, whereas Saeki decides to confront Nakamura to find out what she knows about everything that's been going on.
In fact, Nanako is rather dogged in her persistence when it comes to finding out what's going on in Kasuga's head, and after school that very same day she pays him a visit. Kasuga refuses to see her, but that isn't going to stop Saeki saying her piece - indeed, once again Kasuga's actions have made things worse as Saeki resorts to shouting at his bedroom window that she doesn't care about him stealing her gym uniform and that she just wants to understand him. Couple this with Kasuga's mother discovering his paint-stained clothes and there's no longer anywhere for our main man to hide - could this be the moment to skip town with Nakamura?
As per its weekly habit, Flowers of Evil remains as fascinating as ever as it delves into the darkest recesses of adolescent behaviour in an admittedly somewhat over-the-top yet still utterly believable way. Even as an easily manipulated milquetoast protagonist it's hard not to watch Kasuga's behaviour with a mixture of amazement and despair, and watching Nakamura and Saeki orbiting around him is creating a great and hugely intriguing dynamic. It seems pretty clear that this series simply isn't going to have the time to go everywhere that we might hope it to, so I hope it at least manages to find a good cut-off point by the time it reaches its finale.
Space Brothers - Episode 60
Although all of the rival teams remain confident in their designs, the use of sponge tyres by Mutta and company poses a very real possibility of their rover getting bogged down in the mud as a result. Thus, the race is on to find a solution before their shuttle launches, meaning that Mutta and Serika have to race back to the hotel in the hope of finding something suitable to fix their current problem.
Thankfully, and with some help from the hotel janitor, Mutta finds exactly what he needs - some silicone bathroom sealant, which has all of the properties required to fit in with the team's existing design while protecting those tyres from the elements. With their solution in place, all that remains is to see how the overall design fares; although they don't emerge victorious - that prize ultimately goes to a surprisingly familiar face - they still chart second amongst the teams of ASCANs to make a quite literal comeback in their training.
For all of its occasionally frustrating deviations, this final episode was a hugely enjoyable end to this particular story arc - there's something thrillingly simple about watching a group of would-be astronauts running around trying to solve an engineer problem, and then seeing how their proposed solution shakes out. It's also the kind of thing you simply don't see in anime traditionally, which serves as a reminder as to just how refreshing watching Space Brothers is most weeks, in turn explaining just why it's such an enjoyable watch most weeks. It doesn't feel like I've been watching this series for sixty weeks now (or almost thirty hours, for that matter), but I'd be more than happy to see it go on for another year and beyond.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet - Episode 9
As Pinion himself can't help but ruminate on the events surrounding his brother than has led him down this path, Ledo's train of thought is far simpler, as he has nothing more in mind than annihilating the Hideauze. Luckily for him (and Pinion for that matter), with Chamber to hand doing exactly this proves to be no real issue, especially when he's helped out with numerous barrels of explosives which his crewmates gleefully toss into the sea for maximum damage.
With the whalesquid population decimated, Ledo's next task is to search the long-lost human facility that has become the whalesquid nest - the home to some kind of "queen" with eggs aplenty ready to be laid, and even more baby whalesquid currently in gestation... at least, there is until Ledo and Chamber destroy the lot. Once in the heart of the facility, Chamber detects a host of data storage still within its administration block - data that is, for some reason, highly classified by the Galactic Alliance. Upon Ledo's insistence that Chamber show it to him, the reason for this soon becomes clear - to avoid all the long rigmarole and to boil it down into a single sentence: Hideauze is people.
Yes, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet really did just go there, and yes, it feels incredibly stupid, especially in the unintentionally hilarious way it's presented on-screen. While I was expecting some kind of twist regarding the Hideauze to come from this episode, and although some of the back story that goes along with it is somewhat interesting, the delivery of this twist via a big info dump and some incredibly heavy-handed story beats feels... well, Hideauze. I mean hideous. Hopefully the series can somehow run with this and bring something good from it in the long run, because right now it feels like this entire series has just come crashing down under the weight of a massive delivery of stupidity.
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