Episode dump with a couple of finales

The Ikoku Meiro no Croisée finale has another Yune/Claude conflict, Yune trying to track down a nonexistent cat (though the bell sound, ever explained, was a nice touch), a crisis, and we finally learn enough about Claude’s grump of a father to learn why Claude’s a grump himself. Not for the first time, Yune becomes the catalyst which triggers memories and actions from others. To make this less dull, she gets to have little adventures of her own, though the finale’s was especially dangerous. And there’s the bell on the cat metaphor with Yune put in the cat’s position. But in this case Claude thinks the cat, or Yune, actually hates the bell and wants to run away. Mice don’t enter into it except as a toss-off line at the end.

What was Ikoku Meiro no Croisée all about in the end? A comparison of cultures and beliefs. A study of class differences and a romance it kills. A story where a grumpy man becomes less grumpy because of cuteness. A story of a little girl learning to live and make herself useful in a foreign land. These are all simplistic answers, but this was a simple show that tried not to do much but tickle serious issues, show a cute little thing living in a big city, and show off some nice artwork from time to time. And not pander, no matter adorable Yune got.

It’s pretty clear what’s going on in Dantalian no Shoka 10. Violinist Christabel is a robot. She’s going to play a phantom score. When the man who built and cared for her is murdered, she’s going to play a nastier phantom score, out of revenge, maybe, or because she has a soul. All predictable. So I kicked back and hoped the performance would produce some cool animation from Gainax, but apart from a brief appearance of a demon nothing much happens, well, the theatre collapses, but that’s all. All that leaves to ponder is the concept of a phantom score. Since written music is meant to be performed, it makes sense that musicians that played the score all died, but was that from trying to perform it, or reading and studying it? Do they have to be skilled musicians? If I sat at a piano and plunked out the notes (I can’t play or read music) would I suffer a terrible end, too? And what about listeners who are tone-deaf? Unfortunately, that’s a lot to ask a half-hour anime show to tell us.

Let’s see, in Kamisama no Memochou we learn that the school greenhouse was used to grow the flowers needed for Angel Fix, but of course we knew that already, because we’re not stupid. It makes you think that the characters are stupid for not realizing it, but then again, they’re in the show, while we were handed a piece of fiction with obvious clues (the drug’s made from flowers, there’s a greenhouse … d’oh!). Maybe it was the show’s intention to make it obvious to us, since they have other themes in mind, if only I could figure them out. Or maybe they just want to concentrate on the character drama, which means Naruma stands around looking defiant, The Fourth tells him yet again to butt out, etc. I’m sorry, I just can’t relate to this show.

Meanwhile, I skipped one episode of The iDOLM@STER ages ago and it seems to have come back to bite me. Miki’s upset about not getting into that other group that I know nothing about. Otherwise it’s a bland episode where the girls work hard for a live performance, except Haruka and Yayoi are struggling, which leads to some despondency, “fight!” speeches, and yet more bonding. The best scenes come when Haruka stays at Chihaya’s empty apartment for the night. Haruka obviously has a hard time believing Chihaya can live like that, while Chihaya, listening to Haruka talk about her family, begins to think the same way. It works because none of it is spoken out loud. It’s all subtext from glances and reactions. I wish more of the show was like that.

Nekogami Yaoyorozu 11 finishes one story and starts another, the first one bland and the second one bewildering (Marriage? Really?), but there’s one charming scene. The seemingly useless and selfish Mayu tells Amane that in order to do the god-things they’re to do, they need allies. Allies? Where? “Don’t sweat it,” says Mayu, and then proceeds to interact with townspeople in little ways, helping kids win a boss battle, cheering up a crying girl, getting gifts for her trouble and giving them away a minute later, generally showing herself to be a respected member of the neighborhood. These people aren’t the allies she was talking about, but it’s a demonstration of how to behave in society, a productive side of her we haven’t seen before. It’s refreshing. Mayu can be a fun character when she’s not all greed and sloth.

Oh, I also watched this. It ended too.

Steins;Gate finale, and other shows.

Not sure I like the ending of Steins;Gate. It makes perfect, logical sense, at least it seems to. I lost track of the endless returns in time to fix this thing or save that person long ago; it really boiled down to whether Okabe could rescue Kurisu, and in what messy way would his Master Plan (you have to use caps to describe much of Okabe’s actions) go wrong, because you knew it would. And it did, with a lightsaber he didn’t check beforehand (just like a mad scientist), leading to his brave sacrifice.

Go, Okabe, er, Hououin, go!

What made it so satisfying was that Okabe was able to be his mad scientist self all the way through the crisis, whipping his lab coat around, taunting Kurisu’s father, even though he knew what he would have to do next, or rather, have done to him. And while I wondered if he would live, I wondered if his death would be worth it. He went through hell to save his friends’ lives; how would they feel if he sacrificed his own. Even though they would not know what he did, they would dearly miss him, and would change the past themselves to save them if they had the ability.

A happy ending.

So I’m glad he’s still around. I’m less happy about the meeting with Kurisu at the end. I know they set up the idea that everyone has some deep-down memories of the lost timelines, but the two getting together at the end felt like a forced happy ending. And, perhaps more importantly, we never do find out who Daru managed to have a kid with. Oh, well, this was a splendid series. Time traveling, suspense, world conspiracies, mixed in with eccentric characters who were as much fun in the slow moments as they were when there was danger, perhaps more so. Okabe, especially, was fun to watch, whether he was speaking into a switched-off phone, making mad scientist speeches, or desperately running to save someone, always arriving too late.

And the finale gave us two “do-do-doos.” It wouldn’t have been complete otherwise.
Tiger and Bunny and Hanasaku Iroha are finishing soon, too. Three solid series that suggest the anime industry isn’t sinking after all. Speaking of which …

A not-so-happy ending, oh, there's an episode left.

Tiger and Bunny is a good-natured, but heavy-handed show. Not much subtlety. Either everything’s going well or they aren’t. Episode 24′s first half, everything is bad, and in the second, everything is good, well mostly. Sometimes it’s too much to bear. There’s so much angst and evil gloating in the first half that I almost jumped ahead. Only the necessary “We believe” speech, provided by Blue Rose, breaks things up. Meanwhile, why didn’t Kotetsu or Barnaby think of using the robot’s gun before? Why didn’t Kaede think of her escape attempt before? At least they explained Lunatic away, though it was through a flashback, as if the creators suddenly remembered they had to account for him. As for the ending, I think it’d be a hell of a thing if Kotetsu is actually dead, but I don’t believe it. Lovely dying conversation between the two heroes, tearful and silly at the same time.

SKET Dance 23 is even more frantic than usual. After introducing us to an anime called “Liberty Maji” in which Maji does a Mami-diamond-musket-barrage thing except with baseball bats, and we learn that the anime director “Watanabe” (think afro) and character designer “Kikukata Sadako” contributed (we see them running down the street, screaming, with storyboards before them), I’m thinking “How many references are going to slip past me THIS week?” Also “Well, it’s got to slow down at some point.” But it doesn’t, really. The girls all drink the youth-elixir and the usually quick dialogue gets even quicker, and louder. Everybody shouts at everything, and this time some of the shouts are little girl voices. I can imagine a lot of people hating this episode for that reason, but I ate it up. I won’t worry too much about the different artistic design this episode, or what the odd, stylistic bits were while they were chasing the cat who had stolen their seaweed (don’t ask).

No.6 10 gives us more absurd dystopia but mainly concerns itself with the action, that of getting Safu out of the correction facility, or whatever they call it. Sion and Rat see another side of this place–from the bottom, where they are dumped, and then climb up a mountain of corpses to get to the ventilator shaft, which is supposed to give a counterpoint to the nice, clean regular No.6 environment. It would have worked better if the corpses were decomposed. Instead, the thousands of them all look fresh. Meanwhile Dogkeeper and Rikiga have gotten into the facility rather easily using other people’s clothes and stolen IDs, where they are able to open automatic doors the moment Sion and Rat need them. No.6′s high-tech surveillance abilities aren’t up to snuff. Things get better when Safu/Elyurias infiltrate Sion’s brain and the tables are turned: Sion suddenly knows exactly where to go and what to do; Rat can only watch in awe. But this god-like force in his mind also turns the boy into a cold-hearted killer. Rat warned Sion that the facility would change him, but I don’t think this is what he had in mind. So while we chew over this moment of relative morality, another door magically opens for them and we’re ready for the finale. I hope it’s hopelessly silly. It’s the only thing that can redeem the series now.

Inami, as usual, ready to hit someone.

Like last time, we get an early look at Working!! season two. Hmm, not bad. They wanted to introduce the characters again so no one dominates the episode, that is to say, Inami only throws one punch. Takanashi’s little thing fetish seems bigger; he gets upset when the manager swats a bug. We still hardly see the new girl. Let’s hope they can keep a better balance this season.

Kyoko, after hitting her head.

Yuru Yuri has a story where the girls recollect a bully from their childhood, who was obviously Chitose. Not bad. Then a story where Kyoko hits her head and becomes normal, and everyone worries. Dull.

Episode dump: little bits about Hanasaku, Steins;Gate, Croisee, etc

Takako shows Ohana how it's done.

There’s no way to describe the plot of Hanasaku Iroha 23. It moves forward, but in little ways, different characters, different scenes. As usual, most of these scenes are spot-on, gentle humor undercutting when things are about to get too maudlin. What I found most interesting was Ohana’s new, fumbling relationship with a woman who, rather to the surprise of both of them, is now her aunt. There’s plenty to dislike about Takako, but, as Ohana finds out when she body-slams the deadbeat director (with the lovely touch of the cellphone playing a tinkling “Ride of the Valkyries”), she has some admirable points. I’m less thrilled with the whole Ko situation; I thought the two of them would have moved on already, but I’ll grant that the scene of Ko and Ohana’s mother watching the “movie” footage was touching (and again, undercut with humor). The encounter at the footbridge was a bit much, though the evening lights coming on (Ohana’s favorite time of day in Tokyo) was another lovely touch.

Okabe's got his mojo back.

I long ago lost track of what happens in each timeline of Steins;Gate, or what the alpha or beta lines signify, or who is whose dad. And I don’t understand why Okabe had to see Kurisu die first. As for all those failed attempts at rescuing Mayuri, I guess he had to undergo that to get to where he is now. Maybe. This takes away a little of the interest for me, but only a little. For over half the season now the show has really been about Okabe trying to save the people he loves. And now he might actually have a way to do it. His triumphant mad scientist declarations and laughter at episode 23′s end was wonderful to watch after so much failure and dread. So I don’t care if the finale won’t make any sense! Go, Hououin Kyouma! Proceed with Operation Skuld!

Ikoku no Meiro Croisée takes the idea of things being there because you want to see them and presents them through Yune’s eyes in two ways. One is the fabulous slide projector and moving picture toys Oscar finds in the storeroom which not only amuses delights Yune but Alice and a store full of locals as well. I’ll ignore the fact that certainly Alice ought to have seen one of those before—I’m a little surprised she doesn’t own one. The other use involves Claude and his father, sadly gone, and Claude’s inability to compare his work to his. We see the father through Claude’s eyes, and through Yune’s, another thing you see because you want to. So the metaphor goes, and so the episode.

Coach

One thing I’ll say about Kamisama no Memochou 9: at least Alice’s Eddie Gaedel tactic wasn’t the reason they won the game, I mean, just give up first to a tiny girl who can’t run that fast, or rather, to the cheerleader who pinch-ran for her. Instead they gave us an A.J. Pierzynski which, er, is almost as stupid. Naruma knowing that the 21st pitch would be a forkball was almost as bad.

A stampede for the climax is never a bad idea.

The Idolm@ster 8 feels like a movie comedy. It starts with mistaken identities and a valuable ring, adds goons, sidekicks, strangers, zoo animals and an oil tycoon, throws in searches and chases and ends with a stampede before everything gets sorted out. It could have gone farther with the craziness but as it is it’s pretty fun. This show is no masterpiece but it it continues to entertain above its roots. And once again, Makoto shows herself to be the coolest girl in the series. Watch her kung-fu on a ladder! Swoon as she slings ham and flings crockery!

Yuru Yuri takes some of the girls to Kyoto on a school outing, where they stay at a Japanese style inn with a hot spring. It’s mainly Kyoko running around like an idiot while Yui acts as the straight man, Ayano as the angry bystander, while Chitose nosebleeds a lot. Points deducted for not covering the following hot spring inn clichés: ping-pong, drinking milk, vibrating chairs and ghost stories.

Episode catchup dump post

Alice, early feminist in training.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée 8 is another good episode, though it’s a mystery to tired ol’ me how the tension between Claude and Camille came about. All I know was that their little scene had so many secret meanings and unspoken facts going on that it tired me out just watching it. But it looks like their separation isn’t only because of status and wealth. Much more interesting are the folktales and stories that Yune and Alice tell, well, not the stories, but the way Alice reacts to them. She has constantly sniped about the roles women are stuck with in society. Until now I wrote it off as the babblings of a girl unaware of the enormous pressures women face, but now we learn that Alice is much more of an independent spirit than her older sister, and always will be. Alice is turning into quite the interesting character. As for Yune, the title character, she serves as a catalyst, nothing more.

As usual, no big plot dramatics for Usagi Drop 7-8. Though it looks like it at the start, with cousin Haruka and niece Reina leaving their home and showing up at Daikichi’s place. What we get are a lot of adult conversations, and comparisons of parental lives while the kids run around in the background. And since these scenes are all good it doesn’t matter what the dramatic level is. My favorite bit comes after Reina tells Rin that her parents fight all the time, and Daikichi and Haruka start to bicker … Though any one of the scenes where Haruka describes her home life, or the “strength” metaphor are worth noting. It makes an interesting comparison to episode 8 and Masako’s reaction to secretly watching Rin and Daikichi. Seeing Rin now seven years old, no longer a baby, she realizes what she has lost by giving her up, and decides to dive further into her work, the thing she gave up Rin for. That’s what she wanted right? Even though she already works so hard she’s about to collapse. Or maybe she sees her action as a mistake she must atone for, even at the cost of her well-being.

An attempt at drama.

It seems I skipped an episode of Idolm@ster. No matter. I enjoyed (this is a relative term considering the subject) episode 7 for the things it did not do as much as for the things it tried. At first it looked it’d be all about Lori seeing how the commoners live and embarrassing herself, sigh, but Lori quickly adapts to Yayoi’s crowded and lively home and the drama is the kid brother running away. I was so pleased by this turn of events (and Lori’s pep talk to the boy) that I happily forgot that the drama wasn’t very interesting.

Both Sacred Seven 8 and 9 had no real point to them. Episode 8 has Tandoji and Ruri going off to find something to fix Hellbrick, but really it’s an excuse for them to have a date. So they argue, Ruri objecting that Tandoji just says “whatever” all the time and isn’t really interested in this saving the world thing. This is not true, of course; Tandoji always finds motivation to do heroic things. But they bond a little. I guess they both had to talk it out even though we already knew they were fine. But is Ruri’s concern about Tandoji because he’s a valuable teammate or because she likes him? Who knows? Episode 9 is even more pointless, two separate battles with no ramifications, almost a filler episode. But these two evil darkstones, lampposts of destruction, were fun to watch. Why Ruri and Tadaki didn’t realize that the fat one was feeding off the energy they throw at him I don’t understand.

We meet new characters in Yuru Yuri. Episode 8 brings us Chitose’s twin sister Chizuru, which leads to a long and, I suppose, inevitable character confusion scene involving Kyoko at her most annoying. Why the hell did no one in the cast know Chitose had a twin? Even Ayano didn’t know. Chizuru’s best trait is that Kyoko bugs her and she isn’t afraid to retaliate with violence. I wish the other characters would show such initiative. A nice scene where Chitose announces she’s lying, but then says she lied about lying, so in other words, the Student Council president DID explode. I scratched my head over this until I saw episode 9, where we meet said president, Motsumoto and her favorite teacher, Nichigaki, who likes to do experiments. Normally, I like people who like to blow up things, but Nichigaki comes off as dull. Meanwhile her sidekick Motsumoto speaks so quietly that no one can understand her. But together, they’re a bit more interesting. “We’re explosion friends!” So two episodes, three new characters of varying interest.

It's been so long since I watched it I don't remember why they're freaking out.

In Nekogami Yaoyorozu 7 nothing happens. The girls/gods prepare for the festival, sleep over, and tell ghost stories. I didn’t expect any scary stories from them, but I figured on some half-funny ones. Wrong. Only Mayu tells a story that has anything spooky to it. But isn’t it odd to for gods to tell ghost stories in the first place? Once again, I defy my own tastes by finding the whole think kind of cute.

Oh, shut up and go back to Osaka already.

Whenever I watch an episode of Kamisama no Memochou my overall responses are “That was put together well enough,” and “But who cares?” And I feel a little offended. The show assumes I have bonded with these characters, when in fact to me they’re all ciphers, seen just often enough so that we know who they are and what they do, but not enough that I feel any attachment to them. My interest in the Renji and Sou conflict was diminished because I don’t like either character. Let ‘em kill each other. It didn’t help that I knew Hison was alive the moment embroidery-guy said “he” had pain in his abdomen. And while the characters can consider it a success that the gang showdown at the concert was a success, we hardly saw any of it.

And finally, Baka to Test to Shoukanju‘s thrilling conclusion to the “I must expose the blackmailer even if it means peeping in the girls’ bath!” story arc. Er, a bit of a letdown. They finally get a good strategy, the blackmailer is exposed, the boys are suspended for a week (they never get the breaks), etc. The only real surprise came at the end, shown in the picture above. Now I’m only one episode behind. Sigh. But I can’t watch anymore.

Natsume Yuujinchou 6-7 and other, mostly lesser shows

Natsume Yuujinchou San 6 and 7 gives us a two-parter, and a departure from the show’s mood we’ve seen thus far, at least this season.

Nope, there's no subtext to this image. None at all.

The mood is darker than usual, and unlike most episodes, the greatest threat comes not from youkai, but from humans who are connected in some way to them. Natsume discovers that a human is taking youkai blood in order to perform a big spell. It turns out the culprit is the Matoba clan. Alas, I don’t remember why exactly they do the things they do. The long-haired, parasol wielding Seiji says he wants strong youkai to protect people, why we don’t know. Considering how youkai are interested in Matoba eyes there’s probably a long feud going on. But the Matobas aren’t the only returning characters: there’s Natsume’s old friend Natori.

That's only because you're not looking behind you, Natori.

He’s also in the exorcism business, which sometimes puts him at odds with the ever-humane Natsume, but he’s the opposite of Seiji. He works for safety and mercy, and he treats youkai with respect, even kindness, so much so that his youkai servant Hiiragi worries and pines for him when he’s late. And there’s another character who presents a fresh angle, the witch who was in love with her youkai servant and will stop at nothing to get her revenge on the Matobas for killing him, even if it means killing others. AND the youkai who gets Natsume involved in this mess in the first place, and then spends the rest of the two-parter worrying about him. The show dwells on these relationships at the very end, from the Matobas’ cruelty, the witch’s shattered love, to Natsume’s compassion and sense of belonging. That’s one place where the story does not deviate from the norm: as usual, Natsume gets a few sentences to sum up.

As for the story itself, it’s more exciting than most. More is at stake; it’s not often we see Nyanko injured. And now that Seiji is “interested” in Natsume and Nyanko, we can expect more out of them in the future. I almost think this is a shame. I prefer the show when it’s quiet and tranquil. Bringing in such big conflicts knocks the series off-balance.

Watching No.6 6 brought up questions in my mind, but only one of them had to do with the Sion/Rat dysfunctional not-yet romance (that being, of course, will Rat tell Sion that Safu got snatched by security?). First, I’m more interested in how the security works there. I would guess that any person who even thinks about knowing a suspicious person would have tracers and spies following their every move. And indeed, Safu is “arrested.” But why did they arrest her then? Was it because she visited Karan? It’s quite natural for a person returning home to want to visit an old friend. Are they bugging Karan’s home? Most likely. But then they ought to know something about the communications with Rat. Maybe they’re using Karan to out more unfriendlies? It’s interesting that this show doesn’t show any of the people in power. We don’t have their perspective.

Another thing I find interesting is Safu’s reaction when she returns. Apparently other cities don’t require identification bracelets, and don’t have a problem with Picasso (what was that all about?). Do people in the other cities think “Ugh, I wouldn’t want to live in No.6. Fucking police state.”

As for the Sion/Rat story, Rat is such a dick that I don’t really care.

The daily life of an assistant.

My backlog is getting bigger, so I dropped some more shows (Kamisama Dolls, Prince-Sama, etc), and I keep thinking that I’ll drop Kami-sama no memochou, but then I watch another episode and think “That was pretty good,” and I keep it. The plot hops from here to here, and you’re never quite sure where the next big moment will be. The latest one has a guy named Kenji who befriends Narumi (who seems to know him from somewhere), t-shirt theft, Yakuza, and who knows what else, tossed in the air as Narumi goes around doing promotion for a band (and why does The Fourth want him to do that?). I have no idea where the plot is going and I like it that way. Also, Alice, the stereotypical genius loli whom the show’s supposed to be about, sits on the sidelines, unable to snark at anyone until the scene enters her den. Not that I dislike Alice, but she’s only good in small doses.

No subtle, episode-spanning story arc for Nekogami Yaoyorozu. Instead, episode 5 takes all the characters and their weirdness and throws them into a beach inn episode, except that it’s raining and a typhoon is on the way. Gonta, the lone male god in the cast, is determined to see Yuzu in her swimsuit. Yukina the manga artist is, by an incredible coincidence, is also at the inn, tossing out bits of story in her desperate struggle to make a deadline, leading to perhaps the line of the week. “Someone is trying to show me how to stop a typhoon through the easy-to-understand panels of a manga.” Gonta hasn’t gotten much screentime before now, but all I learned about him is that he’s a hard-luck character, as lone males in a cast often are, and that the voice actress playing him has done trouser roles before. The best bits, unfortunately, are looking at the rejected manga sketches, which were as entertaining as the actual story.

Yui and Ayano have a date.

Yuru Yuri 6 happily ignores the stuff that happened before and continues on its stupid way. The girls make up stories full of suppressed feelings and then they model suggestive things out of clay, except for Yui, who molds dumplings. This is why I like Yui. Then Yui’s deadpan little sister comes to visit. And once again great pains are made to remind us that Akari is a completely useless character. Though I feel a little sorry for her, these bits are often the funniest parts of the show. Okay, Kyoko’s figurine was pretty good. Too bad they had to drive that gag into the ground. Episode 7 has more sustained action as the girls pair off for Christmas dates, the couples chosen by lottery. Since no two girls actually have a thing for each other, no one is going to be particularly happy, but it gave some of the one-gag side characters a chance to interact. The Himawari/Sakurako pairing worked the best, since they hate each other anyway, and it produced the best line: “Your breasts have ruined my Christmas!” And Chitose spends almost the entire episode with her reverse yuri-goggles on, and has a thoroughly nice, albeit dull time with Akari.

Natsume 5, Dantalian 4, Yuruyuri 5

Ah! After a week off the school decided to make up for it by assigning me a six-day work week with nearly double the normal hours. But it’s done now. Time for another attempt to catch up.

It doesn’t feel like Natsume Yuujinchou San 5 had a distinct theme to it, at least not one that the show hasn’t visited before. Much of it is a simple race to stop Kakura, a nasty kimono youkai, from finding it’s missing body parts and become even nastier. But the variations are rather interesting.

I remember that Tanuma can kind of sense youkai, and so lives comfortably within Natsume’s circle of trust, but I don’t remember Taki being in the spiritual loop. But when Kakura gets loose and Natsume is running all over the place trying to find its body parts before she(?) does, she doesn’t stay astonished for long. Soon, she’s trying to help by finding a magic circle so she can see youkai. Maybe I’ve completely forgotten her, or maybe she acts this way because her beloved grandfather, Shin’ichiro, loved and studied youkai even though he couldn’t see them, either.

This tense scene is actually a lesser part of the episode.

And that’s where the real interest in the episode lies. The adventure part, Kakura searching for its body parts and seizing Natsume to steal his arm, I’m afraid is a little dull. It’s livened up by the youkai who hops on Natsume’s shoulder, and the fact that Nyanko toddles off after being fed, so we wonder how Natsume’s going to get out of this on his own. Alas, Nyanko DOES show up in the end. The climax of the struggle has only one interesting thing about it.

That being the other youkai. They used to hang around Shin’ichiro, laughing at him while he read about youkai, unaware that he was surrounded by them. They help Nyanko dispose of Kakura, and then deny they had any ulterior motives. They’re almost tsundere about it. “It’s not because this was Shin’ichiro’s house or anything …” Which leads us to the episode’s loveliest moments, them showing the genuine, but unacknowledged affection they had for the man, and because of that, the affection they obviously have for his granddaughter, who still can’t see them, but thanks them anyway.

Interesting. Natsume’s human friends include (not counting that exorcist guy) a boy who can sort of sense youkai, and a girl who can’t sense them at all.

Dantalian no Shoka 3 was a letdown, two stories that didn’t amount to much (though the thought of kids gaining wisdom beyond their years not doing anything nefarious like taking over the world, because they had become too wise, was a nice idea) Episode 4, however, got me interested right off the bat, with an interesting teaser, and then this:

I read “Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones” in the 70s. I don’t remember a thing about it, so I rushed to Google to catch up, gleefully anticipating a Delany-inspired episode. But the episode never goes beyond the title (though I recall that I await a sequel to another Delany book, “Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand,” which he still hasn’t written. C’mon, Sam! You can do it! It’s only been 25 years!) Alas, if the episode is inspired by any work of art, it’s “Misery.”

The first half is fascinating. Huey says Lenny Lents died on the street, but when they visit his home they discover he’s alive, though his sinister “wife,” Paula, doesn’t allow them to see him. But his wife was named something different. What’s more, we saw Lenny die in the teaser. Add to that Leticia, locked in the shed with Lenny’s corpse, begging them to save Lenny (Huh? Wha?), and Huey and Dalian meeting a healthy, smiling Lenny Lents the next day, it’s one mystery after another. Well done!

So it’s sad that it’s all because of a phantom book. The second half of the episode devolves into a bizarre gorefest as Paula repeatedly kills the resurrected Lenny and Leticia in turn (to bring a person back to life they have to sacrifice another). This is a sad, but rather interesting image: two lovers who cannot both be alive at the same time. Sadly, the fact that Paula’s murder methods goes from handgun to shotgun to blows to the head, and the deaths become more and more disgusting (and we see more and more of it) only makes the whole thing comic, and that’s without mentioning Paula’s motives (later mirrored for a laugh by Dalian). Well, never mind that the episode went from intriguing mystery to tragedy to overdone comic horror, not to mention how they get out of it (er, evolution doesn’t work that way, Gainax). The episode was fun to watch, beautiful to look at, even during the disgusting bits. And it was fun to see snarky Dalian go fangirl over what she perceives as a boys love story.

Then, to make sure the evening ended on a stupid note, I watched Yuru Yuri 5. The “Comuket” part was routine, but I liked the joy Kyoko showed when meeting her fans, with sometimes enemy Ayano basking in her glow. After that the show decided that since it’s called Yuruyuri, maybe they should have some additional yuri, which means Chinatsu chasing Akari around to practice kissing, with … interesting results. Oh, and everyone still seems a little surprised that Akari’s still the main character.

Natsume 3, Yuru Yuri 3

Natsume Yuujinchou is one of the best anime series I know for setting a mood. When we get past the OP (surprisingly lively this time around) and the placid music kicks in I am no longer just watching a TV show. It makes me happy, and what makes me happier is that this is a lovely series that rarely gives us a weak episode.

When he was younger Natsume was bullied because he could see youkai and hadn’t yet learned to keep quiet about it. This necessity of hiding part of his basic nature has cut him off from people for years; only now he’s beginning to make friends, but an old bully, Shibata appears before him and asks for his help: is there something wrong with the mysterious girl, Murasaki, whom he dallies with in the forest?

Shibato contemplates the definition of "friend."

It’s an interesting dynamic. Natsume really doesn’t want Shibata around, but he’s too passive to resist when he drags him off to meet the girl. We’re thinking Shibata’s a jerk who’s using Natsume, which is partly true, but afterwards it’s Shibata who helps Natsume locate a bakery that has strawberry shortcake, in order that Natsume doesn’t break a promise. So now the feeling about him is … mixed. And Murasaki is indeed a youkai intent on befriending Shibata in order to devour him, or someone (good thing for Natsume that Nyanko’s around). The episode is called “False Friend.” You begin to wonder who the real friends are around here, and what the definition of friend really is.

Natsume tries to help Shibata, but the reformed bully can’t bring himself to believe the truth about a “girl” he likes, while at the same time marveling that his former bullying victim is going so far for his sake. As a variation, we learn that Murasake had indeed wanted to eat Shibata, but after spending time with him she discovered that perhaps she needed a companion more. It ends beautifully, as two beings come to terms with what they need and what they will actually get. Murasame says goodbye to Shibata, and Natsume has a new friend, maybe not the best friend to have, but a friend nonetheless. Shibata also has a new friend, and a memory of an old one.

As usual the story is told simply and gently. No false notes, no forced drama. Nyanko provides comic relief. And like the best stories in this series, we are led to conclusions beyond what we expect.

So I thought I’d counter all these good thoughts by watching something inane. Like every season, I have a lot of choices, but I settled on Yuru Yuri 3 because it was already on my laptop and I’m too lazy to walk thirty feet to get the external drive. Not that it mattered. The episode met my low expectations.

That’s a little unfair. If come in expecting a silly slice of life series involving four girls with yuri overtones without the imagination or idiosyncrasies of, say Azumanga or HidaSketch, it’s … okay. And I still get a kick of having Akari introduced as the main character only to have the show practically ignore her for the rest of the episode. This time the girls talk about forgetting things, Akari’s hair, homework, and then settles down with Yui, the sensible one, who is now living alone even though she’s a middle schooler. Oh, and Kyoko, the annoying blonde, who invites herself over.

They get some gags out of the fact that Kyoko has a thing for Chinatsu, who has a thing for Yui, who, naturally, is oblivious. And … stuff happens. They eat lunch, play games, look at albums, go home, except for Kyoko. I’ll say this for the show: the half hour breezed by without me looking at the timer. Some of the comic timing worked (i.e., the door scenes). No scene or character really annoyed me, well, except for Kyoko …

Sorting through episode twos

Episode twos roll by, and it becomes a little easier to decide what and what not to watch. For instance, that show that left such an impact on me that when episode 2 came up I couldn’t remember what had happened before, and I can’t remember the title. … you know, that show with rabbits in the title that isn’t Usagi Drop. Girl vampire. The guy loses his head. Whatever it is, ep2 was so bad that I dropped it. Though it did have a nice exchange between the bad guy and his flunky. “You look like the bad guy.” “I’m a genius.”

As for the other bunny show, Usagi Drop 2 was just fine. Same with Croisée and Natsume.

As for Twin Angel 2, alas, the less said the better.

I can’t say I’m going for this concept of a dystopian world that Shion in No.6 lives in. First of all, I can’t believe he would be so stupid as to suggest the city was hiding information out loud to a coworker in a public building, in a city where just about everything is filmed, recorded and tagged. Shion doesn’t have the first clue how to survive in a place like that when everybody there should. Plus, this particular dystopia is nothing new, and the story of a model citizen who discovers The Truth is as old as it gets. Still, I’m watching it. It’s certainly not bad enough to drop.

Himawari and Sakurako show their affection for one another.

Sadly, Yuruyuri 2 forgets about the concept of dropping the main character and continues in its pointless way. I guess the characters we met last week aren’t interesting either, for the episode veers off and pays attention to two more, who, alas, are also not very interesting. But they fight a lot.

A rather bleak thing for an information specialist to say.

Kamisama no Memo-chou seems to want to give us good mysteries with lots going on, but there was so much going on in ep2 that I totally lost track of things and wondered what that cell phone was doing hidden in the bag. Alice isn’t much help. When not snarking at Narumi every word she says seems to have two meanings to it. Well, if it was easier to follow maybe it would be a stupider show. Or maybe it’s just not telling the story well.

Blood-C's greatest mystery: is this a dog or a cat?

Blood-C 2 is pretty much the same as 1. It’s either in happy normal life mode or desperate bloody battle mode. I suppose a lot of people won’t like this show because it wastes time on the former, and likes to outright stop at times, I mean, how long did that cat, er, dog scene go? But I don’t mind it.

So which shows will I actually write about? Unlike before, I’m not going to write about every episode. I don’t have that kind of time anymore. Besides, as I said, I’m still sorting through the episode twos.

Two more firsts: Natsume Yuujinchou San, Yuru Yuri

The number of new shows to view is getting larger, but so are my work hours. We’ll see if I can keep up.

I’m having rather a bad day, what with my USB stick (with all my teaching files) screwing up, and having to walk home in the pouring rain, but after watching ep1 of Natsume Yuujinchou San, the third season of this lovely show, I really don’t care too much. I don’t know whether it’s because I’m used to its leisurely routine, or it just knows how to cast its spell, but it’s nearly impossible for me to feel stressed while it’s on. I’m happy to report that, for the new season, nothing much has changed.

These two haven't changed.

Natsume is still a kind boy, somewhat cut off from others because of his abilities, and Nyanto could still eat him at any time—but doesn’t. The new OP is louder than I remember the old ones being, but the soundtrack hasn’t changed; the moment the clarinet began its slow melody, the same one we’ve heard before, we’re in familiar territory, a pastoral landscape where youkai, some friendly, some not, come and go. And many of them come to Natsume to undo the damage his grandmother did them. The first story concerns a youkai in old woman form who wants Natsume to help her return a mirror—or else (and the show once again demonstrates that there is genuine threat to be found among all the trees and fields of butterflies), typical for this show. And it reopens the its biggest mystery: why on earth was Reiko so messed up?

Don't do it!

I suspect we’ll get more answers to that this season. We also might learn why Nyanto doesn’t eat Natsume, though I suspect the answer to that is more obvious: he’s fond of the lad. Anyway, I’m delighted to see this show back. And I was wrong: I had said while discussing Ikoku that an anime season needs one quiet, restful show. This season we apparently have two. Even better.

Yuru Yuri starts like any other school comedy that has a stupid, spazzy lead character.

Meet Akari. Ho hum.

And, for a while, it doesn’t get much better. We meet Akari’s friends, Kyoko (even spazzier than Akari, but with more sinister intent) and Yui (the voice of what passes for calm in this show), but it’s mainly Akari’s experiences we see, apart from when Kyoko visits Akari’s older sister’s bedroom, but the less said about that the better. The three girls take over the school’s tea room in order to do nothing. Then a new girl, Chinatsu, shows up. She falls for Yui, and Kyoko falls for her, and the comedy pays attention to them for awhile. It’s all nothing much … until they throw us a curveball. They realize our hero, their friend, Akari, is expendable. Kyoko says it perfectly. “You started out like the protagonist of a school anime, but since Chinatsu-chan joined the club, I hardly notice you anymore.”

The first episode of a new series, and the side characters decide the heroine isn’t interesting enough! What’s more, they’re right! Okay, okay, the girls aren’t about to throw Akari out of the anime, they don’t even know the fourth wall is there. But the thought was enough to get my interest, especially since Kyoko’s line had perfectly summed up the episode up to then. What we actually get are examples of Akari’s lack of presence, and silly thoughts about how to give her some using film footage that works in honor of other anime. Some of it is clever, other bits predictable. But it was enough for me to decide what they might have in store next week.