Yosuga no Sora 6 (dropped), Zakuro 6

I’ve reached my limit with Yosuga no Sora.

It's not you, Akira. It's the entire show.

We get to the conclusion of the Akira arc. Briefly, there’s confusion over whether maybe Akira and Kazuha were switched at birth. And should anyone bother to find out? Haruka thinks so, because he sees that Akira feels cut off, “unwanted.” So they do the DNA test. Negative, but Kazuha’s mother accepts her, anyway, and it’s all happy. Then Akira and Haruka have sex. Now, I was willing to put up with the fanservice if the story was good. But it isn’t. This is cheap soap-opera material with nice artwork and lush strings playing in the background to try to heighten the poignancy so we feel we’re watching something arty and profound before getting to the sex. I’m embarrassed that it took me this long to figure it out. Next week they’re resetting the story with another girl. Amagami SS does the same thing, only far better.

Otome Youkai Zakuro 6 is mainly talk. There are hints of threat, but they are either memories or hints of what’s to come.

Zakuro has her first cookie.

Much of the talk has to do with the aftermath of the Black Widow affair. We start with Hanadate, who has the decency to be embarrassed by how he handled himself and, to make up for it, offers the Spirit Affairs people cookies. You might say this is a cheap way out, but the spirits have never eaten cookies before. Meanwhile, Zakuro is bothered by the Black Widow’s mentioning her mother but switches moods from withdrawn to joyful by the tiniest things. I honestly don’t know what’s going on with that. Kei later tells Susukihotaru that he believes the joy is forced, but I don’t believe so. Not all of it, anyway. Her reaction to Hanadate’s name and the first taste of a cookie were too spontaneous.

Ganryu feels unworthy of a cookie.

Then there’s the inevitable discussion between Ganryu and the twins. He feels he has let them down, so they proceed to tell him the story of how they were first rescued and taken in by Kushimatsu, where they met Zakuro. The moral being they no longer want to remain hidden in the dark while someone they love is taken away from them, so that’s why they protect Ganryu. I can’t see how this can cheer the boy up. It surely can’t get rid of Ganryu’s sense of failure to protect them, be it from honor or simple male pride.

There are no cookies in eerie flashback scenes.

This thought of returning the favor links to the later conversation between Kei and Susukihotaru. Zakuro’s presence makes Susu’s abilities stronger; she wishes she could do the same for Zakura. In fact, a lot of people want to help Zakura, but her troubles come through memories, nightmares and odd visions where she is being pulled away. She doesn’t understand it, and Kushimatsu won’t tell her. But, for this episode at least, every time it might be brought up something happens. Kei comes to her room, and we think it’s to talk with her, but all he wants to do is get a kite out a tree from her balcony. Later she climbs the tree herself, hears her mother warning her, slips, and Kei catches her, breaking the mood. For this moment, at least, Kei is able to help Zakura.

You know a series is working when they hand you an episode of mostly talk that’s not dull. On the other hand I wish they’d get to the main story they keep hinting at. I’m getting a little tired of the tree climbing dream and the Zakuro walking around in a trance sequences. I think Zakuro is, too.

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.

More fours: Imouto, Yosuga

Ore no Imouto 4 has two stories with a tiny causal link between them.

Alas, the show went there.

The first one goes to a place I regret. It was fun thinking of the show as a sort of sibling comedy with unsavory undertones, but to actually put Kyousuke and Kirino in that position, even if it was an accident (and why is it in anime when a boy finds himself on top of a girl, hand accidently on a boob, does he just freeze up in shock until she realizes or they’re discovered or both, rather than leaping right off?) goes too far in the unsavory direction. I liked this show because it had avoided doing that. And even if my morals hadn’t been offended, I disliked the first half for another reason. Kirino comes off as a spoiled little brat, and Kyousuke comes off as a spineless wimp for putting up with her. But I did like the odd attraction between Kyousuke and Ayase. They exchange phone numbers as if they both understand something without saying it. But that’s about the only good thing. Let’s move on.

Part two is much better. Kyousuke and the girls go to Comiket. Much of it is the usual: complaints about the heat, the long lines, the smelly people, but grumpy Kirino, guided by Saori, manages to have fun. The mood lightens. Even Kyousuke manages to cheer up. Part of the fun for us, and for Kyousuke and Saori, is watching Kirino and Ruri bicker. When Ruri wins a coveted disk and offers it to Kirino, neither of them can take it as a simple kind act from one friend to another. The slightly older and wiser Kyousuke and Saori can’t help but laugh, and I can’t take Kirino’s nastiness so seriously anymore.

So let’s go visit that other show with incestal undertones, Yosuga no Sora. Happily, they’ve veered away from that theme recently and replaced it with a more usual type of romance, masked by a story of a girl forgiving her father.

Akira has collapsed. Kazuha, who says she’s dedicated to her illegitimate sister, blames herself and says it’s because she’s been hanging out with Haruka too much, putting a temporary brake on the romance. What happens next is pretty much straightforward. Akira knows the two like each other and wants them to get along, and so, obviously, does Haruka. But how to make her stop pushing herself for the wrong things, like hating her dad in spite of herself?

Akira lays it on the line.

The progression is pretty dull at times. On the other hand it was nice to see bubbly Akira’s thoughtful side. When she and Kazuha meet she pretty much explains it all to her, leaving Kazuha in a four-day funk that slows the episode down. Leave it to some snooping by Haruka and stumbling upon a scene between Akira and the father to break down Kazuha’s defenses.

Straightforward, sort of dull. I like the characters so it’s okay. All that follows is a viola solo by Kazuha for Akira and Haruka, and some sex. Both go on a bit long. This show gets kind of messy. It’s great to look at, it can be elegant, but the fanservice somewhat spoils the mood. Also, for all its prettiness the storyline is pretty routine. Maybe that’s why they’ll do a flashback from the end of episode 2 next time. Is this so Haruka can bag Akira next? Is the show turning into Amagami SS, only we get to see the consummations?

More threes: Imouto, Yosuga

Ore no Imouto 3 starts out happily enough.

She's not THAT happy. This is a photo shoot.

Kirino’s got her friends and Kyousuke thinks he can get on with his life. We get this for about a third of the episode, too long. They established this equilibrium last week; there was no need to see so much more of the cheerful otaku bickering or Kyousuke talking with Manami. Just a little would have been enough. It doesn’t help that the show’s biggest weakness so far have been drawn-out conversations (though that’s about to change). After a while I was just waiting for something to happen. And it does.

Their father discovers the sister eroge inside the anime girl DVD box and threatens to throw them all out. The episode picks up steam. There’s an actual good conversation where the siblings talk it out, Kyousuke playing the voice of reason (well, as far as reason goes with their dad) and Kirino defending her passions. Those anime and games are part of her; she can’t get rid of them and remain whole. We’ve heard this from her before, but, as Kyousuke says, it’s a good answer anyway, and we’ll hear it again, but from an unlikely person.

Well, if you put it that way ...

Now Kyousuke takes action. We get an even better conversation when he confronts his father and does an excellent job convincing him that the okaku stuff isn’t hurting Kirino. However, there’s the problem that she owns games intended for adults only. In a series that plays around with the brother-sister dynamic Kyousuke must make an older-brother type sacrifice. You wonder why he’s doing it. He and Kirino aren’t exactly close, but he knows how much it means to her, BUT he’s already rescued her anime collection. That’s a decent compromise. Instead he places himself in the path of his father’s fist. Though it’s funny that he recycles Kirino’s speech from before.

Well, it’s certainly heroic of him. But now that they’ve played that card what is the show going to turn to next?

Yosuga no Sora 3 starts like the second—by explaining away the possibly embarrassing misunderstanding.

At least Haruka brings it up. When the issue is settled we get a little plot: Akira and Kazuha are half-sisters, and we learn a little why Kazuha doesn’t like her father and why she’s so devoted to Akira. This sets up a theme of protection for this episode. Both Haruka and Kazuha watch closely over people related to them, and with this similarity we see the two begin to fall for each other.

This falling is both smooth and a bit quick, but we have to remember that they are adolescents. Junichi takes the lead. He volunteers to help her prepare for the annual festival, and after her father visits takes her to a game center. The father, by the way comes off as a thoroughly decent man. You also get flashbacks of the young Kazuha getting praise from him. You begin to suspect he’s the reason she still plays the viola. She has every right to hate him, but, well, these things are complicated.

The quick romance works because Haruka outdoes Amagami’s Junichi in not only reading a girl’s moods and working with them, but knowing just the right thing to say and do. Also, the artists must have worked overtime to make sure Kazuha looks adorable in every scene she’s in. She’s adorable with she’s blushing, when she’s mad, flustered, whenever. And the next thing you know they’re making out in the middle of the road. The other characters stay mainly to the side. Every now and then Sora will give a dirty look, and at the end of the episode Akira collapses, so we know what’s on for episode 4.

More twos: Zakuro, Yumeiro Pro, Yosuga

Otome Youkai Zakuro has a good overall theme, that of westernization conflicting with ancient tradition, which in shows like this can bite back, but the second episode doesn’t convince me that it will lead to an interesting story.

After viewing a scary and prophetic Zakuro dream about persimmons we move on to more culture-clash. Agemaki, determined to understand spirits better, reads some dubious books and so gives Zakuro a candle to eat. Everyone is amused or disgusted. Meanwhile Zakuro still can’t stomach the thought of drinking cow’s milk. It’s not bad because Zakuro is fun when angry, but we’ve seen it already. When they go to the actual story, dealing with a spirit that is scaring people away from a hotel construction site, it frankly gets a little dull.

The big scary spirit is actually this cute little thing that lived in a shrine that the hotel people must have knocked down. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody, etc etc. What’s more interesting is that the hotel boss wanted the thing exterminated while the spirits just wanted to talk it down. And we see again human bystanders, suspicious of the spirits and wanting to drive them out, even though the westerners are the ones causing the trouble. Again, good potential there, but two episodes in the pedestrian stories have not lived up to it.

Yumeiro Patissiere Professional 2 gives us more details on Henri’s “Marie’s Garden” city, er, sweets district. And we meet some old friends, and a new fairy, Maize. A polite little thing who’s boned up on Japanese traditions, but if you get her mad …

Fairy fury!

This is a good thing. Maize will not only provide entertainment on her own, but she will keep the often rebellious Johnny in line, hell, he’s terrified of her already. It was a relief to see her jump in when Kashino and Johnny were fighting over shop designs. It was funny to see the two of them cooked brown after she was finished. I guess a fairy specializing in fried sweets has fiery powers. We also learn that Johnny is Miya’s cousin, an odd complication, but it’s a way to keep her involved in the series, as if being Kashino’s classmate wasn’t enough.

Then it’s more old friends, followed by the announcement of yet another competition. There will be a handful of shops, each from a different country, competing for sales, and after a week the loser shuts down. I was tired of competitions after the first series but at least Ichigo and her teammates aren’t directly involved. But Andou is. So it’s time for more introductions, since Johnny hasn’t met everyone yet, and some catchup. As for Team Ichigo, they decide to hold a competition of their own to decide on their leader. I guess they couldn’t resist.

Yosuga no Sora 2 meanders a lot, not always to good effect, but we do get a new event.

We start with the dramatic stripping Sora scene which ended the last episode. The tension is deflated when Sora announces she simply wants to get measured for her school uniform. I wonder if the whole series will work like this: A dramatic taboo situation turns out to be perfectly innocent, but up to then the viewer is allowed to let their perverted imaginations run free. I hope not. After that its more of the same. Haruka goes to school and bonds with classmates while Sora mopes at home. We do get some mysteries, like why Akira lives alone at a shrine. Every time Haruka asks someone about it they tell him not to pry, so we’ll learn about it later. We see a lot of Akira this episode, and Kazuha, who can’t resist scolding her. Pleasant scenes even though nothing much is happening.

It’s a relief when Sora begins classes. The students’ attention turn to her for a change, and lordy, Sora needed to get out of that house. Again, not much really happens. A long pool-cleaning scene that gets all the girls wet, and Haruka thinks he hears sex going on between Akira and Kazuha. A good time of this show is spent showing him blush and freak when he comes across something embarrassing. This episode is a good deal less elegant than the first. And they include with more pointless maid cartoons and that second credit sequence. Anyone know what’s up with that?

More ones: Bakuman, Otome Youkai Zakuro, Yosuga no Sora

I haven’t seen the manga for Bakuman but heard a lot of whining that it was no Death Note. Well, who the hell cares? The first episode of the anime gives us a promising start after some early doldrums.

We meet Moritaka Mashiro, who everyone calls Saiko, a adolescent sleepwalking through school and the responsibilities everyone thrusts upon him—go to school, get good grades, get a job. While they do a nice job at establishing Saiko’s ennui, these scenes do go on too long. We’re waiting for the trigger. That happens when star student Akito discovers a drawing in Saiko’s math notebook and proposes that they team up to create manga.

The stuff of boyish dreams, but it’s not that simple. Saiko is afraid to gamble (a common word in this episode) on such a future because his beloved uncle had tried it and, after one success, failed and abruptly died. Saiko isn’t about to take that chance until Akito invites him out to talk to the girl he’s in love with. In a bizarre and funny scene he becomes energized.

On the surface it seems like a routine series but there are subtle things going on here. Why would Akito, who has a bright future, take such a risk? Meanwhile Saiko takes his uncle’s sad story as a life lesson yet winds up channeling the man’s passions. Heaven knows what they’re going too do with Miho, the girl. Promising start.

I can’t make a decision about Otome Youkai Zakuro after one episode. We get an opening where cute girls in kimonos dispatch a monster, then switches to a supernatural/romantic comedy, before returning to another battle. It’s certainly more lighthearted than I had expected.

We have a world where youkai and humans nervously coexist. The army creates a Ministry of Spirit Affairs and assigns three soldiers to be representatives at a house full of spirits. The male hero, Agemaki, is the type that can create sparklies or roses every time he smiles, but he’s actually terrified of spirits. Naturally he runs into a lot of them. The main girl, feisty Zakuro, who resents the soldiers being there, not to mention a changing of the calendar (I expect we’ll get more on that later), is doubtless going to be his romantic interest, so naturally she despises him. The other spirits and soldiers match up and we get a lot of awkward cultural misunderstanding and, in Agemaki’s case, running away. It goes on a bit but isn’t too bad.

In this sort of show they usually have to have one token battle among the introductions, and we eventually get one. A lightning monster gone amok. So we get to see the girls in action and see Agemaki act bravely and cowardly within seconds of each other. So far the overall theme I get from this show is acceptance, and the patience required while different people learn to coexist. The soldiers all do their best in overcoming their prejudices, and the smarter of the spirits are content to give them time. Pretty good first episode.

Yosuga no Sora 1 is problematic. On one hand it’s a delicate, slow-moving affair that reminded me a little of True Tears. On the other, I may have a little trouble with the subject matter.

A girl whose name I forget, Sora and Haru.

Orphaned twins Haruka and Sora move to their parents’ old home in the sticks. Haru is excited, Sora is assuredly not. They take time showing the kids visiting old haunts, though most of the time it’s Haru who’s interested. And along the way the inevitable gaggle of girls appear, one by one. And of course they not only remember Haru but have the hots for him as well. Since, apart from girl-next-door Nao (I think that’s her name), Haru doesn’t seem to remember any of them I’m starting to get a Kanon vibe. No problem, I liked Kanon.

Haru meets Akira, apparently a Minorin clone.

But there’s something I don’t like under the surface. Grumpy Sora is physically weak and unable to attend school. Haru can, and quickly makes friends and meets more girls who are interested in him. Perhaps because of her isolation Sora is sporting some incestial thoughts toward her brother, and it’s indicated through flashbacks that they had once or twice shared a kiss. This is troublesome enough but at the episode’s “end” she actually comes on to him. Now, there’s no indication that Haru feels the same way; they were much younger back then, so I’m not dropping this show yet. The rest of it is well done. But it’s on probation.

That wasn’t the end. After the closing credits we get a silly cartoon that tells us too much about a maid character AND an insert song, and both were so different from the mood they had established it was like I accidentally turned channels and started watching another show. They had so much time left over? Is this going to happen each week? Yeah, definitely on probation.