A Certain Scientific Railgun S - Episode 5
This is a particularly baffling question when said clone is more interested in rescuing a kitten stuck up a tree than explaining the intricacies of the project to which she's attached, and even when Misaka presses said clone more firmly for information she's firmly rejected - big sister or not, she doesn't have the required security clearance to be furnished with such knowledge. Assuming that this clone will ultimately take her back to the heart of its creation, Misaka tries to tail... well, herself, I guess - something which doesn't go all that well thanks to this easily distracted instalment of MISAKA.
Eventually, MISAKA's assertion that she's returning not "home" but to an experiment leaves Mikoto deciding that they should part ways - a decision that she comes to regret after some help from Uiharu and a little hacking reveals the new and even more horrific truth of the Sisters project and its new goal - to act as proverbial chicken feed in the name of allowing another individual to reach the much-vaunted Level 6. Having realised the scope of this nightmarish scenario, Misaka rushes to save her "sister" - too late to do anything but wreak her revenge, but is she even capable of that?
I imagine you'll be hard-pressed to find a more chilling shift in tone than this episode of A Certain Scientific Railgun S this year - after half an episode of watching Misaka trying to fathom out her oddball clone and finding herself conflicted in her feelings towards it, such light-hearted fare as rescuing cats and eating ice cream is replaced with bloody, dismembered limbs and a desperate struggle for life. Even with prior knowledge of these events, I have to admit that the final scenes of this week's episode were genuinely affecting - having quickly brought us closer to Misaka's clone, seeing the horrific end to the experiment in which she is involved is pretty gut-wrenching, which validates all of that fun-filled preamble. Perhaps even more important, we're now all set for some action-packed instalments now that the truth is out and in Misaka's hands; fasten your seat belts everybody...
Devil Survivor 2: The Animation - Episode 6
After their search and brief sighting of him last time around, Shijima and Nitta don't take too long to catch up to Hibiki, but if they expect for him to agree to go straight back to Tokyo with them they have another thing coming - conflicted though he might be in his allegiances, he has no intention of returning back to JP's at this point in time given what he's seen and experienced previously.
Meanwhile, it isn't only the friends of our protagonist who have found the now-insurgent run Nagoya base, as Airi and Jungo make a rather less than grand entrance right in the midst of said insurgents. Before we know it, these two factions are at loggerheads via their demons, although this battle is interrupted soon enough by the inevitable arrival of a Septentrion. With an aim to disrupt the power, and thus the magical barrier protecting Nagoya, things quickly get decidedly dangerous, and it looks as though Hibiki's friends aren't going to be capable of preventing Hibiki's foretold death. Enter a surprise appearance from Yamato - not just to save Hibiki, but also to utterly destroy the Septentrion threat before him. Not that this is enough to cool the hostilities between Yamato and Ronaldo; nor is it sufficient to quell Hibiki's anger towards Hotsuin.
With all of this going on, Devil Survivor 2 rarely looks like letting up its pace - it slows a little here and there, only to catch its own breath and return to its usual breakneck programming soon after. Although the Persona 4 comparisons become more marked by the week (come on, they're even summoning creatures that we've seen in that game now!), it still lacks the genuine sense of character of that series; nonetheless, even as a poor man's Persona 4 this show remains more than entertaining enough anyway.
Hataraku Maou-sama! - Episode 6
With that issue floating in the background of this episode, our focus is instead on Maou and Ashiya looking for ways for the former to replenish his now almost entirely depleted magical powers - something which they do with the help of Lucifer, who now calls himself Urushihara, although equipping him with a PC to do so perhaps isn't the best of ideas considering how quickly he's discovered online shopping.
Still, in the hope of regaining this lost power, the main focus of this search is upon reports of mysterious goings-on which might well be somehow connected to Ente Isla, and rather conveniently Urushihara finds just such a mystery close at hand - within Chiho's school in fact, an establishment with the traditional "seven mysteries", one of which is a so-called "forbidden classroom". Of course, where Maou goes Emi ultimately ends up following, but is this visit really driven by reports of mysterious goings-on, or the needs of Urushihara to play a game?
Once again, Hataraku Maou-sama has managed to turn out something rather delightful, via another fun episode that brought plenty of smiles and a few giggles out of me, and one fit of laughter at a relatively throwaway gag that meant I couldn't breathe for a while. It's this easy manner that's topped with more serious plot points where required that makes for such great viewing, as it knows exactly how best to make use of its characters and scenario and succeeds in doing so far more often than it fails. I keep expecting the series to descend into dull nonsense at any point, but somehow Hataraku Maou-sama just keeps on trucking.
Red Data Girl - Episode 6
The first port of this call for said trip is the home of the siblings, where they get to meet the rest of the Souda family via a gathering which sees Izumiko taking in entirely too much alcohol-laced punch. The next thing she knows, a drunken Izumiko is "dreaming" of floating around the Souda house at night and meeting the deceased Masumi in the process - exactly the kind of thing Sagara was worried about his intoxicated charge doing in the first place.
From there, the group moves onwards to their next piece of business, that being a meeting of the student council executive committee. This is where the real meat of the episode lays, as we come to realise that there are several factions involved in something of a "war" to gain influence and followers around the academy - it's a battle into which Mayura has thrown herself, with a determination to unseat Takayanagi from his position - a determination so bold that she even sees Sagara has a potential rival, leading to her challenging him in the hope of finding out what he's truly capable of.
No matter how much more entertaining alcohol makes Izumiko's character, I have to say that I'm tiring of Red Data Girl as a whole - for all of the potential it flaunts here and there, no aspect of the series has managed to grip me, and this episode largely made up of talking heads and internal academy politics was probably the last thing I needed to try and win me over as the whole thing left me cold. It still looks pretty enough, but this series is currently proving to be far too self-serious placid to engage me; were it not be for my dogged refusal to give up on shows after this many episodes I'd probably be putting it to one side and never thinking about it again.
Flowers of Evil - Episode 5
Still, as time goes by our protagonist seems to be managing to set his worries and discomfort aside, and by the time they reach the book store that Kasuga had promised to show her he's positively brimming within enthusiasm as we finally get to see him in his element for the first time while he waxes lyrical about books and the like, even going as far as to buy a copy of The Flowers of Evil for Saeki.
With things going so well, it isn't too long until Nakamura stops simply trailing the couple and watching them from afar, and pulls Kasuga aside with another demand - that he kiss Saeki before their date is up. This sends our hapless main character into another tailspin, and when the chance presents itself to try and steal that kiss at the end of the date Kasuga finally decides to ignore Nakamura's demand and instead goes to the opposite extreme, asking Saeki to enter an entirely platonic relationship with him. This is an idea that Saeki seems keen on, but Nakamura is quick to pour cold water over - quite literally, by dumping a bucket of water over Kasuga's head (cue Nichijou-esque replays from every possible angle). Knowing what he's wearing under his now-soaked clothes sends Kasuga into a panic as he runs off with nary a goodbye; perhaps this is enough for Nakamura to leave him and Saeki alone though? Yeah, right...
Thus ends another instalment of gripping, uncomfortable viewing from Flowers of Evil - although it perhaps plays up Kasuga's negative traits a little too much (it's hard to like him or accept Saeki's feelings for him given how irredeemably awkward he is), the weird tension that the series manages to build and hold in place is admirably and gives bite to an already edgy story. The result is fascinating stuff; a barb-covered car crash of adolescent emotions and sexuality that I simply can't tear myself away from.
Space Brothers - Episode 56
Having finished last from their time in the desert, the group are faced with not only no choice of engineer to assist then, leaving them with the unmotivated drunkard that is Pico, but also a smaller budget than other teams. Even with Mutta's engineering know-how, can they really hope to succeed at this task? Pico certainly seems prepared to write them off immediately, but just what is his deal anyhow?
Needless to say, this episode takes us through Pico's story, explaining that he isn't a direct NASA employee but rather a sub-contractor who is in fact the project manager of the parachute system tasked with ensuring that the Orion capsule lands back on Earth safely. Pico was also heavily involved with creating a parachute system for the mission which ended in Brian Jay's fatal accident, but as the story unfolds it becomes clear that, no matter his own feelings, it wasn't actually Pico who was at fault. Regardless of this, there's still a rover to be built, so can anything motivate Pico to actually help his charges? Mutta might just be the man with the ability to do just that...
Perhaps unsurprisingly, another week brings another terrific episode of Space Brothers - the unraveling of Pico's story was superbly engineered, bringing a sting in its tale that was emotionally affecting and cast an entirely different shadow over Pico's character, while there's plenty to be interested about in terms of the current challenge facing Mutta and his comrades to boot. In other words, Space Brothers is back to its best yet again; but did we ever doubt that it would be?
Attack on Titan - Episode 5
This time however, Eren has his training and 3D manoeuvre equipment at
the ready, and in spite of the size of his opponent he has no qualms of
taking it on with a view towards destroying it. However,
this colossus vanishes as quickly as it appeared having done its damage,
thus leaving one of Wall Rose's gates with a whacking great hole in it.
Needless to say, it isn't long before Titans begin to stream in
through this hole, with a battery of cannons able to do little more than
slow them down slightly.
In light of this new assault against humanity, it's all hands on deck
amongst the city's military forces, including its newest recruits
regardless of where they were supposed to be stationed starting from the
very next day. Even after years of training, many of these youngsters
simply aren't mentally prepared to face the Titan threat - not so Eren,
who is more than ready to fight and has some stirring words for those
whose hearts and minds are wavering. Talking is big is one thing of
course, but acting likewise is quite another, and for all of the talk of
slaughtering the invading Titans reality turns out to be very, very
different... horrifyingly so, in fact.
Having not read any of the original Attack on Titan manga, I
think it's fair to say that I wasn't expecting the outcome of this
episode - having seemingly set up Eren and company for at least some
measure of brave victory in their first battle against the Titans, the
reality is a gut punch that left me gawping, slack-jawed, at what
transpired instead. It's a fantastic sucker punch that completely
shifts my expectations of what to expect from the series moving forward,
and coupled with that stirring soundtrack and some brief but notably
fantastic snatches of animated action, it's going to be a frustrating
wait until next week's episode. My only gripe about this instalment was
that the aside about Titan history and biology should have been placed
earlier in the series but hey, it's a minor quibble against an
increasingly fantastic series.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet - Episode 5
The trouble is, there's really very little call for a military man in
the midst of this particular community that already has its fill of
employees in pretty much every position you could ask for. Even when
the fleet comes to a standstill on a calm day to offer some downtime for
all but its technicians, Ledo struggles to relax thanks to his concerns
about not being useful.
It's this discomfort that Pinion plays on as an attempt to get an outdoor grill party running (yes, this is as close as Gargantia can
get to a beach episode in lieu of any actual beach) hits a snag due to a
lack of power, and just as pressingly a lack of knowledge on how to
cook food probably on Chamber's part. While waiting for these grilling
problems to be resolved, Ledo is sent out on an important task which
takes him through some of the more "interesting" parts of the fleet's
community. Thus, by the end of the episode we have the answer to an
important question - what sauce would Amy prefer in a sausage sandwich?
Silly though parts of this episode were, and cliched though others
threatened to be, that didn't stop the instalment as a whole being a
whole lot of fun - it really played wonderfully into the personalities
of its main characters and the relationships between them, and found no
shortage of ways to use the situation of Ledo and Chamber in particular
for comic purposes. This isn't the kind of thing I want to see Gargantia doing
every week, as I'm sure it has bigger fish to grill... err, fry... but
as a one-off this was a genuinely enjoyable episode that perhaps brought
us a little closer to the fleet's inhabitants.
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai 2 - Episode 5
Of course, rather than an actual boyfriend, Kirino is merely in the market for a fake one in the hope of putting off a rather over-exuberant contact from a modelling agency who simply won't take no for an answer. Such is the fervour of this individual that Kirino and Kyousuke end up spending an entire day out on a date in the hope of finally convincing her that Kirino is most certainly not available. This is all well and good, but it causes no end of confusion when the duo invariably run into their respective friends, including a baffled Manami and Kuroneko during their day out.
Still, at the end of it all Kirino is free from this pesky modelling agency, although a throwaway comment suggesting that she also has a real boyfriend throws Kyousuke into a spin, even if it's one that's relatively quickly forgotten as Kirino's otaku group decides to create a book for the upcoming Comiket - something that they duly achieve with great success while also giving us another glimpse at the relationships at play within that particular group.
Although the core premise which kicked off this episode was ludicrously forced, it did at least lead in to a surprisingly fun episode of Oreimo which felt somewhat like a return to the energy exhibited by the first series. For all of the stupidity inherent across the episode, we finally seem to be focusing in on the main cast again, which is where the series does its best work. While this instalment was no classic, in comparison to previous episodes of this second season it was a clear improvement, so maybe I can actually go back to looking forward to watching this show of a Saturday evening again rather than dreading it as I have been for the past few weeks.
Chihayafuru 2 - Episode 17
Given their place as firm favourites, and considering that one member of
their team is the grand-daughter of the reader, it isn't exactly a
surprise to see Fujisaki flying out of the gates early on in the match -
such is the grueling training that they've undertaken as part of their
club with its long history of tournament success, they have no shortage
of stamina to go with their innate abilities.
For the most part, our focus within this episode is upon Chihaya, as she
finds herself falling far behind her relatively inexperienced opponent
Rion. As the game progresses, and thanks to her remembering some
previous advice doled out by Kana, our protagonist begins to "dial in"
to the unique tones of the match's reader - this isn't enough to allow
her to find her rhythm, but it does at least allow her to start winning
cards. When Chihaya injures her finger while contesting a card, this
only looks set to give her a further disadvantage, but perhaps the
opposite is true as the series ponders the psychology of such injuries
and how they can effect the psychology of the opponent who caused the
injury more than the person carrying it. They might still be behind
even in light of all this, but one thing is for certain as this episode
ends - Mizusawa have no intentions of giving up.
Looking back upon an episode when I'm writing these 'blog entries as I do, it never ceases to amaze me just how much Chihayafuru manages
to cram into every episode - my synopsis really only scratches the
surface of each instalment's scope as it analyses every facet of the
teams involved, the individuals within them, the wider game of karuta,
and even the reader and poetry inherent to the game. That it manages to
do all this and still hold plenty of personal resonance towards and
fascination with its characters tells you everything you need to know
about why this series is so good, and even without any broader interest
in karuta its window into human psychology and sportsmanship is
something that anyone with a competitive streak who has taken part in
any sport should be able to appreciate.
A Certain Scientific Railgun S - Episode 4
Having, to her mind, resolved any concerns about a nefarious cloning
project being carried out in her name, it's fair to say that Misaka is
pretty much at peace with the world as this fourth episode of A Certain Scientific Railgun S begins - rather creepily so, as a matter of fact.
With no school in session and without a care in the world, this effectively means an episode of Misaka and her friends goofing around, whether it's shopping for a rice cooker for Uiharu, looking at swimsuits or playing with a bunch of younger kids in a nod back to the first series (which invariably ends up with our titular Railgun on the hunt for a particularly cute frog badge). In short, life is fun for our protagonist - for now...
From our own perspective, these moments of fun and frolics are inter-cut with footage of the continuing cloning experiment going on using Misaka's DNA as the network of these clones continue to grow as a means to an even more malicious end than the initial experiments which saw the project's creation. Misaka may be able to laugh off the urban legends which still swirl around Academy City, but running into one of these clones herself provides a rather worrying moment of clarity that is about to shatter her care-free attitude.
Light-hearted fun though it manages to be, this was a decidedly slow-going episode of A Certain Scientific Railgun S - if you're keen to get on with the current story arc and everything it has to offer, then all the frivolity on show here feels like little more than a barrier in the way of "the good stuff". Thankfully, the series is still competent enough at handling some comedy and its characters to make for enjoyable viewing, but I think it's fair to say that I'm sure I won't be the only one waiting impatiently for next week's episode and the promise of more substantial fare.
With no school in session and without a care in the world, this effectively means an episode of Misaka and her friends goofing around, whether it's shopping for a rice cooker for Uiharu, looking at swimsuits or playing with a bunch of younger kids in a nod back to the first series (which invariably ends up with our titular Railgun on the hunt for a particularly cute frog badge). In short, life is fun for our protagonist - for now...
From our own perspective, these moments of fun and frolics are inter-cut with footage of the continuing cloning experiment going on using Misaka's DNA as the network of these clones continue to grow as a means to an even more malicious end than the initial experiments which saw the project's creation. Misaka may be able to laugh off the urban legends which still swirl around Academy City, but running into one of these clones herself provides a rather worrying moment of clarity that is about to shatter her care-free attitude.
Light-hearted fun though it manages to be, this was a decidedly slow-going episode of A Certain Scientific Railgun S - if you're keen to get on with the current story arc and everything it has to offer, then all the frivolity on show here feels like little more than a barrier in the way of "the good stuff". Thankfully, the series is still competent enough at handling some comedy and its characters to make for enjoyable viewing, but I think it's fair to say that I'm sure I won't be the only one waiting impatiently for next week's episode and the promise of more substantial fare.
Hataraku Maou-sama! - Episode 5
Having used the fear and negativity inherent to the planet's populace
(and by creating a fair amount of fear himself) to power up his magic,
Lucifer has a clear upper hand on his magic-starved opponents, and
what's more he's even taken on one of Emi's comrades who has also
defected with his own agenda in mind. With little magic and only weak
human bodies to hand, there's little that Maou and Emi can do except
run... but to where?
The answer - the most crowded area possible, as Maou is already aware
that he, too, can use the same technique to replenish his magic as
Lucifer, thus feeding off a massive crowd of eyewitnesses to Lucifer's
destructive capabilities so that he can unleash his own true form and
powers. Emi, too, now has an opportunity to go on the offensive, and
with a magical barrier set up in the area our unlikely allies can go at
it hell for leather to beat down Lucifer's rebellion and ultimately
return the city to normal - albeit at the cost of virtually all of the
power which could otherwise have returned Maou to his homeland.
Having previously worried about this series being a whole let less fun
when it was focusing on its "serious business", along comes this
instalment of Hataraku Maou-sama to prove me wrong - it blended
action, menace and comedy wonderfully, and as per its opening episode
showed a smart turn of hand when it comes to animating its action
scenes, making effective use of the scenario, colour and so on. Between
the inherent amusement that comes from its concept (which the show
never forgets to use effectively) and its strong characters who are
utilised to their fullest, Hataraku Maou-sama continues to be a surprise delight of the spring season... and if anything, it keeps getting better still.
Devil Survivor 2: The Animation - Episode 5
Although finding Hibiki looks set to be trickier than expected, what we do find in Nagoya are rumblings of a conspiracy, and it isn't just the insurgents who seem to be having doubts about JP's and Yamato's intentions either. Once Hibiki's friends stumble into the midst of an insurgent camp it soon becomes clear that this group are only trying to help the locals in lieu of any other adequate response from the authorities, and a Septentrion attack in the area reveals Hibiki's whereabouts - it seems that he, too, has chosen to fight alongside these insurgents. Little does he know that his own death appears to be imminent according to Nicaea....
Ultimately we get to the root of the insurgent's gripe with JP's and Yamato, that being the belief that, although Yamato is indeed dedicated towards fending off the Septentrion, he is only doing so with an eye towards becoming the ruler of the new world born in the wake of these attacks - a selfish goal that isn't excused by the good of saving the planet. As the Nagoya insurgency looks to, well, summon the best Summoners they can, we get a glimpse into the unusual path of Yamato's childhood, as well as the rather odd company that he seems to keep.
Going down the whole "humanity is its own worst enemy" path is perhaps an unoriginal one, but I feel it actually works pretty well in the case of Devil Survivor 2 - there's a risk that fighting off supernatural beings constantly would become repetitive, but giving a human face to some of the malicious forces within the story, and even more so making which faction is the more malicious a matter of opinion, adds some real flavour to the story. Of course, much of this episode is simply setup for the next stage in Hibiki's progress, so expect a more action-packed and dramatic instalment next week.
Red Data Girl - Episode 5
While Takayanagi is full of bragadoccio before things start, he's
quickly made to eat his words, as it seems that Masumi in particular has
little guard for the rules and so-called "covenants" that should govern
him. This means that he soon has his opponent effectively eating out
of the palm of his hand and, quite literally, gives him a bit of a
slapping about.
With this issue resolved, much of the remainder of the episode focuses
once more upon the relationship between Miyuki and Izumiko, which
becomes fractious once again thanks to the reappearance of Yukimasa, who
has taken it upon himself to start working at the academy as a
lecturer. Although his suggestion that he'll be taking over looking
after Izumiko himself is supposed to be a teasing one, Miyuki takes it
entirely too seriously and begins to distance himself from Izumiko, much
to her clear upset, instead spending his time with the student council
and fraternizing with other girls. Of course, this soon changes when a
possibility of Izumiko placing herself in peril arises once again, and
Miyuki finds himself faced with what could be construed as a rather
strange request from the Himegami that resides within Izumiko.
Once again, Red Data Girl has the knack of taking an average
episode and imbuing it with some final scenes that make me want to watch
the same instalment. It would be harsh to slag off the series too
heavily, but it still feels like it's missing a certain something - I'm
enjoying the way the two leads interact as characters, which is another
positive for the series as a whole, but the backdrop to those
interaction still feels too wishy-washy somehow. Still, strong
characters and a slowly but steadily developing plot are enough to chew
over for now, even if it isn't exactly a shining example of anime at its
best.
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