Arakawa 5, Hyakka 5

Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge 5 brings us the return of the sci-fi nut who thought Nino was a genuine Venusian, er, not that she isn’t.

He wants to live under the bridge with the rest of them, and bribes them with manga that he drew himself. Ric (everyone’s stopped calling him Recruit, or even Rec, so I’ll go along) is the only one against it, but that’s because of the way he treats Nino, not to mention that the manga drawn for him is the least complimentary. We get a little lesson on what types actually deserve to live down there. At first glance this guy, whom the mayor dubs “Master,” seems like a perfect fit, what with his weird SF fantasies and his drawings. For me, the viewer, why not let him in? He’s as entertaining as the rest. But I guess when you are pretty much the same person under the bridge that you were in real life, it won’t work. I think. Then again, what about Ric? Okay, I don’t get it. But I liked the manga he drew after he left …

The second story concerns Jacqueline and her anniversary of some kind with Billy. Nino and P-Ko go off to spy on them, and Ric and Hoshi follow. It’s odd seeing them work together for a change. The scene devolves into a classic gangster routine, but it has a happy ending. I don’t have anything more to say about it. The coda, concerning Ric imitations, is more amusing.

In spite of the occasionally good jokes and sight gags I am SO close to dropping Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls. Especially after episode 5.

On the right is Naoe, the world's worst undercover spy.

Sen’s brother orders a girl named Naoe to infiltrate Sen’s place in Japan and find out if she’s actually sheltering Sanada. Why? Naoe is an old friend of Sanada’s. Now, if Sanada’s presence is indeed a secret, sending someone she knows right to where she’s hiding seems like a stupid plan. It doesn’t help that Naoe actually hates Sanada (because of an incident regarding an earthworm, among other things) and breaks down the door the moment she gets there to pick a fight. This pretty much blows her cover. After she retreats (after being defeated by Sanada’s wind power—loved the bit where the others tie themselves down) she sneaks back at night and overhears suspicious conversation, and can’s resist talking out loud about it. Really, Naoe is the worst spy I’ve seen in some time.

The others watch as Munekira goes to get beaten up.

It gets worse. Muneakira is told not to kiss any more girls. He misunderstands a speech about boob sizes and is told he is the worst kind of man, and because of this, when Naoe comes back to challenge HIM (outraged that he’s kissing anyone–she’s completely forgotten her mission) he lets her beat the crap out of him. Then Sen kisses him. Sanada, who before was jealous, approves. Sorry, this show is a mess. A shame because it actually does, from time to time, make me laugh. I guess when the next episode comes along I will decide if I have the strength to keep watching.

Through the fog of a cold I watch Yosuga 5 and Hyakka 4

I’m in that part of a cold where I can’t focus too well. To all those who say that’s how my posts look anyway, shut up.

Looks like my suspicions were correct. Yosuga no Sora is taking a cue from Amagami and starting from a certain point so Haruka can go after another girl, this time the bubbly, troubled Akira, rather than Kazuha.

Mum's the word.

They start from the overheard erotic ear-cleaning scene, only Akira comes out first. Haruka comes right out and asks: is she related to Kazuha, while I try to remember how he could even know to answer this question. But it gets a lot of the mystery out of the way. Now Haruka can spend his time trying to make Akira happy. Well, there’s more to it than that. There’s a pendant, Akira’s last link to her mother, which she lost years ago while she and Haruka were hunting cicadas. Also, he now remembers this, and their time together. Something goes off in his head.

His efforts lose a lot of impact, at least to me, when he declares he’s going to find that pendant, even though it’s years later, even though the tree it dropped from was swept away in a landslide. Yet he continues to look around, dig, make grunting noises, while Akira watches. I’m thinking that she’s thinking “This boy is an idiot,” but instead she mutters that she loves him. I suppose it’s the effort that counts. It counts so much that the same day they’re in the tub together.

Much of the show, too much of it, is made out to show Akira’s dual nature, the sadness behind the smile, the tears of a clown, if you will. The fact that Kazuha’s mother snubs her every year certainly doesn’t improve her inner mood. It works just adequately. Minorin, another such character, had more depth, also more interesting characters to work off of. Here it’s just steadfast and sort of dull Haruka. Once in a while Kazuha appears. Sora, the titular character, has been thrust to the sidelines. All she gets to do is give Haruka dirty looks.

In Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls 4 everyone’s figured out that Jubei turns from utter ditz to master samurai when Muneakira kisses her. It dawns on everyone that’s got a samurai mark on their body that the same thing might happen to them if THEY kiss him.

And that’s what the entire episode is about. Sen is against anyone else kissing him because they would be out of control of the government, but really because she’s jealous. Jubei has forgotten last episode’s battle but is saddened that kissing him caused so much damage, but she doesn’t want him kissing anyone else, either. Sanada, on the other hand, is rarin’ to go.

A lot of tub scenes in tonight's episodes.

She spends a lot of time sneaking up to Muneakira only to have Sen and Hanzo catch her in little traps. It’s not terribly funny because the traps aren’t. Her frustrated reactions aren’t bad. Muneakira is reduced from strong samurai to helpless bait. It only picks up when, after ten thousand attempts, they DO kiss.

And transforms, but she can’t control her power, so we get more slapstick violence. You know, I thought this show was going to be more than adolescent comedy in a samurai setting. If they don’t get to it I’m going to drop the show. My queue keeps getting bigger.

The threes continue: Bakuman, Zakura, Samurai Girls

So far in Bakuman the boys’ dreams move forward with nary a glitch. Miho has agreed to marry Saiko when he becomes successful. His father and grandfather (though not his mother) have given their blessing. Now in episode 3 the boys get to invade his uncle’s studio.

It’s a learning experience, especially for Akito, who’s never actually created a script before. We get some crude nuts and bolts about how the creation and editing process works, plus tips on how the uncle broke into the business, which gets them more psyched up. Two things come to mind. First, they haven’t actually created anything yet, though Saiko says wants to do something manly. Second, Saiko is following the exact same path that his uncle did, and look where that got him. No girl, and dead from overwork. And then …

After this revelation they visit Miho’s mother. Again, I wait for something to interfere with their plans, or bring back reality, but instead they all have a nice talk and she says she will support them from the shadows. We learn a little more about the relationship they had, through a manga character who can’t confess to his love. The mother took it as a personal message to her even though it came out after she was married and it was too late … And the outcome of the manga story (which, remember, Saiko’s uncle wrote) should set off more alarm bells. It’s as if Saiko is facing every single “don’t do this!” portent possible and still ignoring them. And they still haven’t drawn anything.

Even if many of the main characters don’t do anything or even show up, Otome Youkai Zakuro improves a little. It’s Zakuro and Kei off to investigate a missing girls mystery.

Kushimatsu didn’t want to send this pair, but Zakuro has personal reasons for taking the job. Partly it’s anger over something that relates to her own story, but also because she hopes to find out something about her mother. Kei’s job this episode is to listen to her and sympathize. Oh, and to wuss out when the moment’s right. At least he’s getting better with spirits, in fact there’s a nice mirror scene where we see him play with the pumpkinhead kids and later Zakuro play with human children. It’s about all we get for the humans-spirits relations issue this week, but it was nice to see.

The monster is more disgusting than last week’s, but still mundane. What’s interesting is that we learn (but Zakuro doesn’t) that it was a trap specifically to lure her in. There must be something special about her. So a larger story arc, hinted at before with the persimmon tree dream, starts up in earnest. I just hope the evil spirits decide to be more than big grey growling bulbous things. I’m getting tired of that.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls 3 continues with its two-headed story.

It’s become clear that Jubei is the creator’s way of creating a series with both a deadly samurai girl and a goofy one who tries to win with cuteness, both in the same person. This time we start with the latter as the others try to figure out who her master is and what’s going on in general. Meanwhile Jubei acts cute, talks about being broken if separated from Muneakira (which makes everyone pause), and has scary nightmares. Add Sen to the mix and it turns into a love triangle comedy, except one of the triangle points is a princess who isn’t used to not getting her way. When she has had enough the fight breaks out.

I should have figured by now that Muneakira is Jubei’s master, since she turns into her nasty, dirty self by kissing him. And it’s nice to see that Jubei isn’t completely invincible. It’s also nice to know that she’s a force for good (Sanada tests her), though it makes the story a little less interesting. Speaking of story, we’re finally introduced to it: students going missing, and Sanada and Matabei are the suspects. Now I think the characters have sort of figured each other out, they’re ready to get on with it.

Twos: Letter Bee Reverse, Bakuman, Samurai Girls

Letter Bee Reverse 2 tells me that nothing in this series has changed. They’re going to spend much of their time in side stories rather than the main one.

And even with this side story of Lag reuniting with Niche the episode plods. Lag and Connor’s searching scene plods, the Zazie/Sylviette scene as well, though that one is livened up by Zazie’s delighted discovery that Lag and Niche are bound by underwear. The Niche stuff with Jacob and Sandra is a bit better, but still takes too long. I can’t believe that Lag hasn’t met Jacob yet. Anyway, we’re basically waiting for the inevitable danger scene, where Niche rescues Lag. I didn’t even make a prediction; I just knew it would happen.

And it’s good. One of the best things in this show is Niche in action. Here we not only get that but she puts on the underpants why she’s doing it! A very talented young lady. And naturally Lag was in danger because he was trying to rescue someone else. But, again, it seemed to take forever. They throw in a little bit of main story at the end when Lag receives a cartridge that will deliver a letter, so eventually he will shoot Gauche with it. How many episodes will it take before it happens?

Bakuman 2 is even more slow-paced than the first episode. But important stuff gets accomplished.

This is about the point where I gave up trying to figure out what Akito was talking about.

The opening scenes take the most time. Moritaka and Akito talk on the way to school. Then they talk in the infirmary, then on the roof. I’m not altogether certain what the point of all of it was except Moritaka will have to tell his parents about his decision. The rest of it, especially the rooftop scene, seems to be setting up the boys’ relationship. Akito goes on and on, talks about couples acting out in public, says Moritaka is smarter than the rest of the class, and moves on to hanging on to dreams. I’m scratching my head.

The second half has more action. Moritaka gets right to it and tells her he’s going to be a manga artist. Good man! She says no, but the male family members haven’t spoken yet, including grandfather, who, of course, has already lost a son to the manga industry. They’re nice scenes. Moreover they suggest that grandpa, at least, had been worried about Moritaka before this decision, but not now. “Men have dreams that women don’t understand” isn’t the most PC line in the world, but coming from Moritaka’s mother, even if she is quoting her husband, it’s pretty funny. So far this series has been calmer and slower than I expected, at times, too much so. Maybe when the boys start working on their dreams in earnest it will pick up.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls is second only to Star Driver for being the oddest show of the season, but it’s not its schizophrenic story or classical visual design that make it so. It’s the combination.

The old look, with its strategic use of ink drops, give atmosphere to the first part of the episode, Junbei, whom we learn is a new master samurai, fighting it out with Hanzo. But the style remains after the fight is over and the heroes are dragged to the palace, whereupon every starts behaving like goofballs. It almost looks like a typical school comedy where all the girls start to fall for handsome Muneakira (who is NOT Sen’s brother. I got it wrong), blushing and bickering with each other. Not only that but invincible Jubei somehow loses her powers and becomes a typical anime ditz with memory loss. She sits in Muneakira’s lap and he behaves like a frightened boy. All in that old-fashioned style. The ink drops now work to conceal exposed body parts.

Amidst all the body parts and name-calling we do get some story setting. Sanada and Matabel aren’t all that rebellious, really, but just wanted to warn Sen about some bad feng shui mojo they spotted, something about a shadow. Mysterious Jubei is revealed (if that’s the word) as a master samurai. Sen’s brother hears about it from Paris. Paris? So it’s all mysteries, woodcuts and strategic drops of ink for now.

More ones: MM!, Samurai Girls, Ore no Imouto

To be honest from what I heard about these three shows I thought I could watch them in one night and have the pleasure of dropping three shows from my schedule. Trouble is, only one was outright bad.

MM! is all about Tarou, a first-year student (like everyone in anime, it seems) who has a hardcore masochistic streak. The show gives us ample opportunity to see this in action, in fact, most of the show is Tarou getting abused and getting off on it (with a strange clicky button in the corner). Well, it seemed like most of the show. Maybe it was less. It just SEEMED like most of the show. And it is painful to watch. However, the pain I felt, unlike Tarou’s, was not a means to a pleasurable end.

This image is all you need to know about this series.

His sympathetic friend Tatsukichi suggests he talk to the Second Volunteeer Club about his problem. Now, many among you will say that it’s not a problem at all, that’s just the way he’s wired, but he sees it as an obstacle to confessing to Shihori, the girl of his dreams. So he goes to the club and meets Mio, who beats him up. Then she beats him up some more. The next day she beats him up again. What’s more, the two aren’t the only ones with issues. The nurse Michiru pours scalding water on him. Shy Yuuno beats him up when he accidentally touches her.

Tarou isn’t a complete loser. He shows kindness to Tatsukichi when his friend’s own problem comes up. And, with a sister and mother who smother him with love, we see why Tarou might want some pain in his life. The problem is the pain carried over to me. This was excruciating to watch. I haven’t had such a slow 25 minutes in a long time. Dropped.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls isn’t as flat-out weird as Star Driver, but so far it’s running second. We start out with a montage of great Japanese samurai battles with narrator, but they take it a bit far, like into the 20th century. I mean, samurai girls not wearing much take down B-52s. All done in a far older art style. I’m interested already. Oh, and then there’s this:

Our hero, as yet unnamed, arrives in town to attend a Samurai academy and finds the dojo he’s to stay at infiltrated by Sanada and Matabe, who we learn are members of the “demonized” Toyotomi group. While much of this is your average infodump scene we’ve left the serious samurai world temporarily (apart from the artwork) to throw in some gags more worthy of a high school comedy. Boob jokes, stuff like that. It continues in this vein when Hattori, a Student Council (and, I suppose, local samurai) bigwig arrives with a gang of women warriors to take the rebels in.

There’s fighting and running around. While everyone uses swords there’s plenty of modern technology lying about too, but no guns. The hero sides with the rebel girls, the girl in the globe appears, named after a family that trains samurai, or something like that. We don’t learn the hero’s name but we learn his station. Boy, is Sanada in for a surprise! It’s episode one, so it’s very confusing, but just great to look at. I’ll keep this one for a while.

There’s not going to be anything exciting or innovative about Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (henceforth called Ore no Imouto or something shorter), but it has a couple of things going for it.

And a couple of things that don’t. Our hero, Kyousake, finds an eroge game disk in a magical girl box, which leads him to the usual scenes where he tries to hide it from his parents and at the same time figure out who owns it, even though we figured it out long ago. It’s a shame because up until then I had been enjoying the surprisingly relaxed pace. Maybe because it was a relief after Samurai Girls. Sorry to say that the pace later gets too relaxed during a LONG scene between the siblings.

On the other hand, for its slightly twisted situation (Kyousake discovers his younger sister Kirino is addicted to eroge games about younger sisters) there’s almost nothing in the episode suggesting anything really disgusting. In those little moments when it might Kirino gets disgusted and calls him names. “Don’t confuse 2-D and 3-D!” If it stays that way this dynamic between them could be quite enjoyable. They bicker well. Kyousake has enough snark to overcome his blandness. Kirino can be abusive and conspiratorial in turns. And though I complained about the pace I can toss out that long scene as an inevitable episode 1 infodump and hope it doesn’t repeat. Otherwise the show moved at its own peaceful speed with no slapstick or nuttiness getting in the way. It feels more sober than I expected. I got a strange Haruhi vibe from the classroom scene, with Kyousake channeling Kyon about having a quiet life, and the homeroom teacher wearing a tracksuit, or maybe that’s just me. I’m a little surprised, but I’m going to keep watching, at least for now.