[Fall 2013] anime orientation week

[GeneD]

Kyousou Giga ep 5: Wow I always thought SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Myoue was their actual son, but yeah that wouldn't have made much sense since he's human and his mom isn't. His story was hectic though and at first I thought it was somehow the family's house that was burning. I'm very interested to know why all that actually happened though.
What the heck was up with that ending?

Kyoukai no Kanata ep 6: T_T why isn't the whole series like this episode?! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That was amazing and I'd watch the crap out of a comedy about a group of overeagar but somewhat inept youmu hunters. Loved the dance and "rewound" it more than a few times. I was expecting someone else to swoop in for the kill at the end.

Galilei Donna ep 5: Well I still like it, especially the treasure hunt to different countries thing, but I think the writing seems to be taking a nose dive in terms of quality.

Samurai Flamenco ep 5: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The split from Flamenco Girl is a great move and I was honestly surprised by the rest of the idols joining Mari so quickly.

Kill la Kill ep 6: Sanageyama woah.

[blkmage]

my favourite characterization that I saw of the last galilei donna was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "Gift of the Magi except instead of becoming more destitute they're killed by a drone strike"

[GeneD]

Galilei Donna SPOILER: Highlight text to read: See we think it's all tragic and meaningful and stuff but what we don't know is what he said to her right at the end there was "lol a GOLDFISH" and so at least they both died having a good laugh. XP

[Vii]

So I tried to watch/catch up on a few anime.

Kill La Kill 3: Still wacky and fun.

Kyoukai no Kanata 3-5: Still alright.

Kurobas II 1-5: Well now I have to deal with the switch from being able to marathon to having to wait a week for each episode.

Samurai Flamenco 1: Fabulous.

Dropping Nagi no Asukara, Yowapeda, and Diamond no Ace. I would like to keep up with the sports ones but I really don't have the time.
Watched half an episode of Galilei Donna and will attempt to finish that at some point because I quite liked it.
Also probably not going to get around to Golden Time. I'm not hearing anything super amazing about it so eh.

[ForeverInspired]

I'm still attempting to keep up with the shows (with senior year, it just means less sleep ). The ones that I consider to be the best of the season right now are "Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta", Kyousou Giga", and "White Album 2". "Coppelion", "Kill la Kill", "Kyoukai no Kanata", "Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai", and "Tokyo Ravens" are also holding their own for now. "Super Seisyun Brothers" doesn't really have a plot since it's a short (which I realize), but it is one of the best short animes that I have seen. I'm on the cusp for the rest at the moment. "Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova" and "BlazBlue: Alter Memory" has yet to develop their plots. They're (mostly) fighting at the moment. "Log Horizon" and "Nagi no Asukara" also don't have a plot really as of now. "Galilei Donna " and "Golden Time" have not really sparked yet. "Outbreak Company" has gone down hill. "Samurai Flamenco" and "Strike the Blood" have the potential to still be really epic - they're just not there yet. "Walkure Romanze"... how should I put this... really should focus on the plot and not the ecchi (I did expect there to be some since it's by the people who did "Princess Lover", but I was hoping that the horses/jousting would make up for it). Also, it wouldn't hurt if they changed the voice actor for the main character. Her squeaky voice is killing my ears.

[MangaRocks!]

Golden Time episode 6:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: First, the humor: ROTFL, the "Do you like them?" bit with the fans was hilarious ; and haha, oh dear, that good-natured "Don't be stupid" was like a spike to poor Mitsuo's heart.

As for the rest: Ah, so Banri's old self *did* love Linda. (Also, wow, it looks like he was a lot more emotionally unstable back then...) As for his current self, I really liked the fact that he finally put his foot down with Koko and explained how hurtful and selfish it is to the other person if you try to just be close friends with them when you know that they're actually in love with you. And now that she confessed back...



And Kill la Kill episode 6:

...What GeneD said.

[MangaRocks!]

Beyond The Boundary episode 7:

LOL, that payback.

Anyway: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Sakura's personality is slightly different than I expected, but it was certainly no surprise that she was being used. Now I'm quite curious as to the scheme that one Spirit Association guy has ... and also what's up with 'The Calm' and the titular 'Beyond The Boundary.'



Galilei Donna episode 6:

Well, at least this ep. was *somewhat* better than the last few weeks', with some background on both Roberto and the pirates. However, the series' annoyingly suspect character 'logic' is unfortunately still well in play SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (for example: You want to not freeze, and the heat is only still working on the second floor? THEN GO UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR, IDIOTS!! I mean, come on, that is nowhere close to an either/or situation ... and then when Roberto goes on his cold-blooded killing spree, no one even tries to move away-- instead, they all just stand there like target-practice dummies, waiting to be killed )... not to mention the also-suspect 'logic' of the plot (like what happened to all of the pirates' guns when Roberto ran out of ammo while trying to kill the pirate leader? Not that I *wanted* him to die, of course-- I mean, he's one of the only interesting characters in the series, IMO -- but, really? There should've been like at least 20 other guns lying around courtesy of the unconscious pirates, if Roberto really wanted to finish him... ). Plus, now that the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Tesoro has (apparently) already been revealed to be Hozuki's pendant, I'm left wondering what the point of the 'treasure hunt' even is anymore (which, IMO, had been the only really interesting thing about this, besides the deceivingly-quite-good first ep. and the pirate leader). Why was the first ep. of this series the only really good one? The writing has just gotten worse and worse as it has gone on. Unfortunately, since I'm this far into it, I'll stick it through; but I'm not enjoying it very much at all anymore...



Samurai Flamenco episode 6:

On the other hand: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Minus the Mari/Moe stuff again , this episode was awesome, hahaha!

LOL, poor Goto and the weirdos who surround him. Though, I gotta say, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he was quite classy about the whole Mari-coming-on-to-him thing, and I liked how he genuinely complimented his girlfriend, too, even though I hadn't necessarily gotten the best impression of her until then.

Also, LOL at the several SPOILER: Highlight text to read: huge-crowd-chasing-Hazama-right-down-the-middle-of-the-street sequences, plus the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Durarara!!-like mass-cooperative-search-for-him-informed-via-e-mail/text, too. And then when he unleashed his 'new abilities,' I totally lost it. Plus the 'aw' ending + another quick dose of hilarity right afterwards... Oh man, am I loving this.



Nagi no Asukara episode 7:

I really liked how hard and well the young people ( + the teacher ) all worked together here. (Unfortunately for them, however, the 'adults' who had to sign off on the ceremony were the ones actually acting like little kids... ) Uroko was awesome as always, though; and I certainly was *not* expecting that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: *Hikari* would be the first of the kids to leave the sea-- I thought for sure it'd be Manaka. I was quite glad he did it, though.

Y'know, this series has been a slow burn, but IMO it's getting rather interesting.



And Kyousougiga episode 5.5 (live-action behind-the-scenes special):

LOL, well, those two girls' acting was a little stiff/awkward on-camera (particularly the 'new' one's), and they repeated each other quite a lot , but it got a lot funnier when the 'special guest' arrived , and anyway I certainly enjoyed seeing the real-life locations and learning about the inspirations for certain characters, as well as what was up with the rabbit-frog-monkey imagery and the actual title of the series itself. (Also, that window explanation was brilliant.) That said, though, I can't wait to get back into the story next week!

[GeneD]

Yowapeda ep. 5:

- I think this episode's post-credits short was the funniest yet.

YES. I loved loved loved that scene. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: It speaks volumes about Imaizumi's character that even though he doesn't "get" Onoda's hobby, he's willing to at least make the effort to try it, even as Onoda is now trying out Imaizumi's "hobby". As someone who's always loved sharing my own hobbies and interests with others, which is kind of a normal human thing I guess, I can really appreciate anyone who at least gives someone else's interests a chance. It seriously made me dig his character so much.

Beyond The Boundary ep. 7: Well that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: was the fastest resolved revenge attempt I've ever seen. I'm getting weirded out by the guys going on about their fetishes every episode.

Galilei Donna ep. 6: MangaRocks! mentioned a lot of the things wrong with this episode, which I thought was the worst so far and made me seriously think about dropping it. Frankly I am really disappointed in this show and I guess I'll keep watching to see how far it can go downhill.

Samurai Flamenco ep. 6: Goto was really cool in this episode, especially when he SPOILER: Highlight text to read: helped Masayoshi at the end there. I'd like to see them move on from the normal-people-trying-to-unmask-Flamenco plot line now though. I was and still am a bit suspicious of that stationery weapon provider guy, in his last scene his laugh sounded kinda evil.

Kill la Kill ep. 7: I liked the exploration of how the school ranking system works.

[goldenspines]

Kill la Kill ep. 7:
Episode 7's or 8's tend to be the best, I've found from my limited experience.

This one was excellent because Jotaro Kujo reference SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Mako's 3 star uniform, the hat especially. And I had hoped she would be yelling ORAORAORAORA while punching Ryuko, but sadly not. and also because it was about friendship and wonderful things.

[MangaRocks!]

Golden Time episode 7:

I liked Koko's honesty about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: doubting her own motives at first, since that was probably the exact same thing that everyone watching the show was also wondering, LOL (at least I know I was). Man, though, once SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Banri confirmed he wouldn't reject her (obviously!), she really didn't hold back -- but what made it funnier was that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Banri was acting pretty much the same. (And oh my gosh, 2D-kun's reactions to them, too... ) Also LOL at all the stuff with Mitsuo-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: and I'm really glad that Chinami actually seems quite open to dating him, it was just that she didn't want to accept a public confession at a party (i.e., something likely to have been at least partially spurred on by drink/other people/etc., which was certainly true ). I just hope the misunderstanding doesn't drag out very long (though judging by the pacing so far, it's likely that it won't). I also liked the fact that the stuff with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Linda apparently worked out well (and quickly!), though of course SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I'm sure there's still going to be *some* kind of drama upcoming with one or more of these couples, because there's quite a number of episodes left to go yet. Actually, the only thing that I *didn't* like about this ep. was that whole 'comedy' sequence SPOILER: Highlight text to read: involving a certain box , which it certainly could've done without, IMO; otherwise, however, I think it was a pretty decent ep.



And Kill la Kill episode 7:

I liked the exploration of how the school ranking system works.

^ I did, too.

Also, LOL at the club + luxury stuff SPOILER: Highlight text to read: backfiring in the end, and also at the parodying of the best friends fighting each other, etc.

[GeneD]

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta ep. 7: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I certainly liked the revelation that it wasn't that Ao's brother turned evil but is in fact possessed (?) by a completely different person, if I understood it correctly. No wonder he looked so sad in the ED. Akina's fake-out stabbing was a little lame, but his friends all not saying a word and just wailing on the guy, no holds barred, was epic.

[MangaRocks!]

Beyond The Boundary episode 8:

Okay, that opening bit was pretty creepy. Never did like that particular sister... (Although, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: apparently she *did* save Mirai at one point, and it looks like she was protecting Akihito/Ayaka from creeptastic-Society-guy {and yeah, I know he has a name, but I like typing that better }, too, regardless of whatever her motives are for doing that, so... )

Interesting explanations of "The Calm" and the "Beyond The Boundary." SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Also interesting in how it's affecting Akihito-- possibly temporarily canceling out his immortality and/or making him shift into full-youmu-mode... And I loved how Mitsuki turned the tables on creeptastic-Society-guy during their conversation + both of the fights with him (vs. Hiromi and vs. Ayaka), too.



Galilei Donna episode 7:

This show is so cliché now that I predicted literally every single thing that occurred in this ep. from miles away. I'd have dropped it already if I wasn't so far through it. Oh well, just a few more to go...



Samurai Flamenco episode 7:

On the other hand, I'm continually surprised by just how much I enjoy every new episode of this. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: LOL at the beginning. Also, LOL at how many people are now continually hanging out at Hazama's place. And nice little explanation of where the "Flamenco" came from (aw ).

I also quite liked the twist on Hazama's 'perfect hero backstory' reveal-- how he knows typical 'heroes' would react to it, how he actually didn't really feel that way, and how that conflicted him.

And then, the latter part of the episode-- holy crap!! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The switch from fun, mostly-'realistic'-'everyday-hero' stuff to full-on true-superhero-show-type-villains + brutal violence was shocking. And not in a bad way-- but just, wow. That was completely unexpected. If that ends up being revealed to be a dream or a film shoot or something, it'll be one of the best trolls I've seen-- and if it isn't, I can't wait to see how it changes things from here on out!

[blkmage]

Something I don't like about Kyoukai no Kanata is that the serious parts really aren't that good, but more specifically, it's because it feels like the serious parts have to happen and they are forced to occur because the author makes a big formless event monster appear to force everyone's hand. It's all fun and character development fun times until the big bad comes to town and the cycle repeats itself. Of course, that's fairly similar to something like, say, Shana, except that those bosses actually have personalities and motivations and agency, while everyone here just sort of sits around for the next big youmu to roll up into town before bothering to do anything.

[Kaori]

Yowapeda ep. 6-7: I noticed in these episodes that this series has a lot of that trope where characters say stuff for the benefit of readers/viewers who might not be extremely familiar with the subject matter. So Imaizumi in ep. 6 and Makishima in ep. 7 say some really sensible things. I dunno about all that vague fluff that Kanzaki is spouting, though, and it has always vaguely bothered me that despite her being such a bicycle otaku we never actually see her riding a bicycle.

[MangaRocks!]

Nagi no Asukara episode 8:

Quite liked this ep.-- the (new) family stuff (and how sweet everyone was with Miuna), the way Hikari is pretty much okay with Tsumugu (and Manaka's like of him, if that's what she wants) now, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the mysterious/ominous 'salt-flake snow' on the surface, all of it.



Kyousougiga episode 6:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Wow. So Myoue-the-younger actually *did* die back then-- Myoue and Koto didn't just heal him, they brought him back to life. Also, holy crap, I did not expect him to try to kill himself *again* immediately afterwards. (Although, wow, so he was not only revived, but can no longer die, either-- well, that at least partially explains his surprise request at the end of the previous ep., then...)

Also, the whole wordless sequence was just beautiful. And I really liked the talk between Myoue-the-younger and Koto-the-younger at the old house, plus how the latter part of ep. 0 was finally tied in, too. And coming up next is the reunion!



+ Watching these two earlier than scheduled because reasons (...involving Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary ):



Golden Time episode 8:

Really liked this ep. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: For one thing, oh my gosh-- the scene where Banri saved Mitsuo from the pushy girl was downright hysterical!! And speaking of Mitsuo, yikes-- the poor guy messed up again in regards to Chinami, and in quite a big way this time. But the cheer-up party everyone had for him was awesome (BTW, I'm starting to like 2D-kun as a character more and more now, LOL), and the two in question were talking again by the end of it, so that's good. And then that talk Banri and Linda had on the balcony-- I liked that as well, although I'm certain she was lying (or, rather, 'saying the opposite of what she meant,' as shown in the earlier flashback) about her answer, which would provide different meanings specific to the old and new versions of himself-- the old would know she meant the opposite, while the new would accept the no at face value and be free to pursue what he wants with Koko. Also, wow that his old self broke through for a second there -- however, while I do feel rather sorry for that old self, considering how much stronger his new self is emotionally/etc., I don't think that's a good thing...



And Kill la Kill episode 8:

OTT entertaining as usual, with the bonus of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a well-done flashback about the death of Ryuuko's father, that whole hilarious/awesome car sequence with Gamagoori (who actually seems to be a pretty honorable opponent for the most part, although the activator for his uniform's extra power is... uh... interesting, LOL ), and of course that epic ending.

[spark300c]

Galilei Donna I think has gotten dark. Arpeggio of Blue Steel has been good so far. It has mild fan service.

[ForeverInspired]

Beyond The Boundary episode 9:

That preview... DON'T TELL ME THEY JUST DID THAT!!! Man, they have guts.

Coppelion episode 9:

This show is getting better slowly but surely. I love the OP and ED.

[Yuki-Anne]

Beyond The Boundary episode 9:

That preview... DON'T TELL ME THEY JUST DID THAT!!! Man, they have guts.

I KNOW! This show is getting so intense... O_O Can't wait for next week.

[GeneD]

Commenting on last week's episodes:

Kyoukai no Kanata ep. 8: This:

everyone here just sort of sits around for the next big youmu to roll up into town before bothering to do anything.

It feels like they are recycling the plot from the first few episodes that we just saw.

Galilei Donna ep. 7: Man evil corporate son guy is such a bland villain, even his character design sucks compared to everyone else.

Samurai Flamenco ep. 7: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Guillotine gorilla WHAAAAAAAAT?! o.O I was wondering how they were going to keep the plot moving for another 15 episodes and know I guess I know.

Kill la Kill ep. 8: TMI Gamagoori, TMI.

Kyousou Giga (TV) ep. 6: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So Myoue can't die, but he can obviously grow older. And they are all definitely related to Koto and Inari is definitely her dad. I'm not sure how concretely that was confirmed before. I love that this show is basically about family.

Yowamushi Pedal ep. 6-7: Episode 6 was really predictable which took some of the enjoyment out of it for me, but 7 was back on form.

Oh and does anyone want an 48 Hours Crunchyroll Guest Pass? Say yes and I'll PM it to you.

[drill]

Golden Time Episode 9: I can't believe that they did this! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I would have figured that Banri's ghost stayed throughout the story, but he is just about to ruin EVERYTHING now, as he doesn't care about the current Banri at all. Because of this, this will probably be my last episode of Golden Time.

[Yuki-Anne]

Golden Time Episode 9: I can't believe that they did this! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I would have figured that Banri's ghost stayed throughout the story, but he is just about to ruin EVERYTHING now, as he doesn't care about the current Banri at all. Because of this, this will probably be my last episode of Golden Time.

I just thought this episode was incredibly boring. Especially SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the flashback of Banri and Linda's heart-to-heart. It was just like... how long can you say the same things over and over? We get it, she's feeling tortured over her brother's fiance and he's willing to support her. They made the conversation WAYYY too long and it was just so boring.
Also, just going to say, for the record, that I hate the opening for Golden Time. It's one of the most boring, uncreative anime openings I've ever seen, and it leaves no doubt as to what the outcome will be for our main couple. It completely ruins any semblance of tension.

[MangaRocks!]

Beyond The Boundary episode 9:

Y'know, I really like this series' art/animation (of course-- I mean, come on, it's KyoAni), and I really like the underlying concept/premise of the show, as well; however, the execution of that concept-- and the characters, and the pacing, and the story itself, etc.-- are all just a bit off, and then when all of those bits are combined... It's like, I really *want* to like this, and if it had been done properly I *would* really like it, but instead there's a disconnect somewhere, and I just end up being all "Huh, that scene looked pretty sweet" instead of actually being invested in the story/characters/etc. Case in point: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Akihito being the (or at least a) physical manifestation of the "Beyond The Boundary"-- which I suppose makes sense of why he's both immortal and so unbelievably powerful even despite being half-human-- was not something I was expecting; however, I was not surprised by it at all, either. And despite the next-episode preview spoiling the 'fact' that Mirai apparently did indeed 'kill' him, it's almost stupidly obvious that he'll reappear at some point (probably as a re-manifestation/whatever), so that didn't even provide any 'shock' value or any tension whatsoever. Oh well. At least it's still more entertaining than Galilei Donna.



(...Speaking of:) Galilei Donna episode 8:

Man evil corporate son guy is such a bland villain, even his character design sucks compared to everyone else.

^

*Ahem* -- well, at least *this* ep. was slightly more watchable than the previous few (IMO), not that that's saying much. The different groups of characters constantly running into each other is pretty laughable at this point, too-- I mean, even if what Cicinho said was true, how could he have even found them there? (And Anna's phone-hair thing was kinda lolwut, as well. ) Anyway, looking back at episode 1, it's almost hard to believe how bad the rest of this show got in comparison; but hey, at least there are only a few more ep.'s of this now to boredly coast out...



(And now for my prerequisite "...On the other hand:" ) Samurai Flamenco episode 8:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I'm still kinda stunned that twist at the end of the previous episode actually happened (and was apparently *not* a troll) , so this episode was kinda surreal to watch at first, LOL. But while ATM I liked the first 6 episodes better, I actually do kinda like this new direction, too, especially because the 'heroes' did not magically get any abnormal powers of their own once the most-definitely-abnormal villains showed up-- they're still just regular humans, whose opponents are now superhuman, mutant freaks-- and I'm really interested in seeing where they're going to go with this, especially since Hazama is quickly losing his original focus/center and is looking like he's about to be due a fall...



Nagi no Asukara episode 9:

So, the impending doom building in the background of the previous episodes is finally about to be unleashed-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: and whoa, the sea-people believe the surface-dwellers won't survive it, and so they're just going to go ahead and let them all die without even a single word of warning (no less help)? I think Hikari's going to have some choice things to say about that...



And Kyousougiga episode 7:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I love that this show is basically about family.

Me, too! In fact, it's funny how, out of my top 3 favorite anime series of the whole year so far (of which this is one), this is actually the second of the three to have both a very strong (and quite wonderful) focus on SPOILER: Highlight text to read: family and also have that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: family be very unusual (the first one being the quite-aptly-titled SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The Eccentric Family, if you were wondering. )
As for this ep.: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh man, you could really feel the joy in the beginning. And then the turn to first a more melancholy, and then finally a truly disastrous, tone in the end was brilliantly done. Looks like Koto-the-younger is in a heap of trouble for what she did to get to the "Looking Glass" world/rescue her mother, and now between that and Inari's own entrance, that world itself (as well as even other worlds, perhaps?) are in the process of being destroyed because of it! Cannot wait for next week!!

[ForeverInspired]

^Just curious, what is the third anime in that trio that you think is the best of the year?

I have a lot of catching up to do since I've had no access to my computer for the holiday...

[MangaRocks!]

^ Monogatari Second Season. I've seen all of the Monogatari series/OVA's that have been produced so far, and IMO, overall this has by far been the best.

[KazeShiki]

Haven't been able to keep up with as much as I'd like to but I caught up on Kyousougiga. For a show that was my most anticipated anime in 2 years (I've been wanting an actual series since the very first ONA), I'm amazed it's actually surpassed my expectations. This has been everything I wanted and more, and it looks like it's only going to get better.

[ForeverInspired]

^ Monogatari Second Season. I've seen all of the Monogatari series/OVA's that have been produced so far, and IMO, overall this has by far been the best.

I'll definitely try to get to that then. I love the other two on the list (Eccentric Family and Kyousougagi) and have liked what I have seen of Bakemonogatari so far. Thanks!

[MangaRocks!]

Haven't been able to keep up with as much as I'd like to but I caught up on Kyousougiga. For a show that was my most anticipated anime in 2 years (I've been wanting an actual series since the very first ONA), I'm amazed it's actually surpassed my expectations. This has been everything I wanted and more, and it looks like it's only going to get better.

^ Agreed!

^ Monogatari Second Season. I've seen all of the Monogatari series/OVA's that have been produced so far, and IMO, overall this has by far been the best.

I'll definitely try to get to that then. I love the other two on the list (Eccentric Family and Kyousougagi) and have liked what I have seen of Bakemonogatari so far. Thanks!

^ You're welcome! Just as a tip, though: After you're done with Bake, you should really read the Kizumonogatari novel (not animated yet but necessary to the rest of the plot), and then move on to the anime of Nise (though with a warning that I don't really like certain aspects of Nise all that much, and hesitate to recommend it, however it *is* necessary plot-wise, so... ), and then Neko Kuro as well, before watching Second Season. But it's quite worth it.

[MangaRocks!]

Golden Time episode 9:

Mixed feelings on this ep. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: First Koko lost confidence (almost certainly because she overheard that conversation Banri and Linda had out on the balcony); then there was a nice resolution; *then* there was a flashback actually making me kinda like the old-Banri x Linda pairing (even though I still think he should be with Koko ATM) + possibly giving a clue as to who ran Banri over on the bridge in the first place; and *then* at the end... okay, yeah, that was what I was afraid of-- old-Banri is back, and it's obvious where *that's* going. Oh well; let's see how it goes...



And Kill la Kill episode 9:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ROTFL, Gamagoori wouldn't fight until 1pm. (And I am totally not even going to comment on some parts of that fight, LOL. ) Good ep., though. And I'm really looking forward to seeing Inumuta in action next week-- he's been just sort-of intriguingly hovering in the background so far, so finally getting some more info on him should be interesting.

[MangaRocks!]

Beyond The Boundary episode 10:

...Well, I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting that! Clearing up Mirai's behavior at various points throughout the series so far, plus showing the rest of a couple of scenes that also hadn't been explained until now, plus SPOILER: Highlight text to read: completely invalidating all the assumptions I had made last week, etc.? That... was actually a rather good twist. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Though Akihito may actually *still* be in the dream/within the "Beyond The Boundary" (hello Inception), because he's looking at the same thing in the sky as Mirai was, and she's apparently inside the thing now... and, of course, there's still three more ep.'s to go, so... But anyway, yeah, this was definitely one of the better ep.'s of the show, and kinda redeemed it a little after the slump it'd been in, IMO.



Galilei Donna episode 9:

What the... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: so now they're going to go with the good old 'awkward-attraction-between-you-and-your-surprisingly-good-looking-ancestor-that-will-obviously-not-go-anywhere' angle? Plus, goldfish-emblem circular paradox! I mean, I stopped taking this show seriously a long time ago already, once the majority of the characters started showing terrible 'logic', etc.; but, still... Now, to be fair, I usually adore SPOILER: Highlight text to read: time-travel in any form; however, even the addition of that here can't save this. Thankfully, though, there are only two episodes left...



Samurai Flamenco episode 9:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: LOL at that first sequence -- not only at the weirdness of that baddie's plan, but also that both of them were just kinda standing there talking normally, plus no one around them even cared and just went about their business as usual, and there was even a 'just another daily update' type segment about it on the news. Also LOL at Mari's challenge, Goto's reaction, and Mari dressing Goto up in a different uniform during their discussion about it without him even really noticing. Though then it got serious, of course-- giving some nice commentary on the boredom/business-as-usual setting in, as well as questioning why the baddies would willingly blow themselves up; a surprisingly different take on Konno's character; and also a few hints as to what may be going on with the main bad guy's organization. (Also: Aliens!) Plus, I'm *really* intrigued as to what the *next* big twist is going to be, because everything I've seen about this series has said that it's going to be 22 ep.'s, and yet here they're supposedly about to supposedly start the 'final' battle...



Nagi no Asukara episode 10:

Ha! I knew Hikari wasn't just going to accept that (I mean, how could you? What is wrong with them)? SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Because even if it is potentially a generation or three away or whatever, that's still really awful (obviously). And after Hikari convinced Uroko that no matter what he was going to go tell the people on the surface, and at least try to do the ceremony to help the sea-god regain his powers so that the disaster wouldn't occur, I LOL'd at the excuse Uroko gave for the kids to go ahead and return. Gotta say, though, wow at that dude's comments to Manaka during the feast. I mean, I know people don't tend to be very tactful/tasteful when they're drunk, but good grief... Also, nice confession by Kaname there at the end.



And Kyousougiga episode 8:

Oh my gosh this amazing series. I cannot even describe how much I love it. It's just so fascinating and epic and heartfelt and awesome, I just... gah! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And oh man, speaking of fascinating, *so* much stuff was explained in this ep.! And I love how intriguing Inari's character is, too, because he's very difficult to read a lot of the time, and of course he always has hidden plans and stuff, so it really takes some thought of your own to figure out what he's thinking. Also, "You and your parents are just so out of control," indeed, bwahaha -- the end of this ep. was fantastic! (Best ultimatum ever. ) Holy crap, though, that next-ep. preview...! GIMME NEXT WEEK

[GeneD]

Kyoukai no Kanata ep. 9-10: I thought ep 9 was rather interesting but 10 was sliding back into the meh. Too little too late I guess.

Samurai Flamenco ep. 8-9: Like Konno, I'm just glad this keeps being entertaining, because I have no idea how to describe it otherwise, and no idea where it's going from one episode to the next, which isn't a bad thing at all. I feel like we're somehow losing a bit of Hazama characterisation though, like he's getting more one-dimensional. Maybe it's just me.

Galilei Donna ep. 8-9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: If she doesn't end up as her own ancestor then this will be the biggest waste of time travel ever.

Kill la Kill ep. 9-10: I really enjoyed episode 10, more than I have many of the recent episodes. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The defeated elite were hilarious and the conversation between Mikisugi and Tsumugu adds another layer of intrigue.

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta ep 8: Not much happened this episode, but there were some cute Akina + Hime moments. I started episode 9 and was pretty confused at the new OP showing the entire arc, then realised what was up. Goes off to watch the OAV episodes first.

Kyousougiga ep 7-8: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I know it was like super obvious, but I'm not too fond of Inari as dad!Myoue although I can't really say why. Maybe because he looks like a kid/younger for whatever reason and he seems to be a bit of a jerk. I'm got a bit more used to him in ep 8 though. And the Head Priest's voice is weird and doesn't match his character design. That said, I still freaking love this show. Kyoto and Yakushimaru are so cool in ep 8 and that ending was awesome. The trailer has me a little worried though. I really hope everyone makes it out okay and Yase's memory problem isn't permanent. Only two episodes left! T_T