Macross Frontier 12

マクロスF Episode 12
Macross F Ep. 12
Macross Frontier Anime

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: Sheryl's liner and Alto's fighter arrive at Gallia 4, where trouble is brewing among the Zentradi troops stationed there. When Sheryl collapses while debarking her space liner, the leader of a rebellious faction of Zentradi who believe they are born to fight uses this as an excuse to launch an insurrection. Thus, Zentradi battle Zentradi over control of the 33rd Marine Corps base with its commander, Major Ogotai, forced to make some hard choices.

Back on Macross Frontier, Ranka returns to school for a day to be with her friends. Ranka's critter friend is discovered by Nana, who reminds Ranka that keeping such a critter is a violation of the Ecosystem Protection Act, but she agrees to be Ranka's accomplice. The news of the rebellion on Gallia 4 reaches Macross Frontier with Ranka, Luca, Micheal, and Nana also hearing it. Ranka wants Micheal to help Alto, but with the seven-day fold distortion, there's no way that they could get a rescue in time. However, Luca has a way, thanks to his ties to LAI. It is a new fold engine that will overcome the fold distortion effect.

Thus equipped, Michael takes Ranka to Gallia 4 on his fighter. Their arrival is none to soon as the rebels have taken control of most of the base and have captured the heavy weapons of the Zentradi. Hearing Ranka singing through the atmosphere, the rebels and loyal Zentradi alike stop fighting, many happy that they would get to hear and see the hot new rising star "Ranka-chan" in person before her official debut. The leader of the rebels is not happy with this turn of events and decides to kill her in his armored suit. However, Alto has made it back to his fighter and insures that Ranka, now on a make-shift stage, is saved by defeating and killing the rebel leader. Hearing Ranka sing and the rebel leader having been slain, the Zentradi rebellion is over.

Alto lands his craft and comes to Ranka, chastising her a bit for her reckless behavior. The weight of it all hits Ranka, who collapses but manages to wish Alto a happy birthday. Micheal has Alto fly Ranka back to Macross Frontier so that she can make it in time for her concert there (Alto will pick up Micheal's new fold engine that is currently in orbit of the planet). With Ranka properly suited up, they take off, both enjoying the moment of flying in a real sky. Before they can enter orbit to dock with the fold engine, Alto's fighter experiences total power failure and he struggles to make a safe crash landing. Emerging from the fighter, Alto and Ranka are amazed to see in the valley below, what appears to be the ruins of SDF-1 Macross in its mecha form.

Thoughts/Review: OK, I know the franchise has always been about singing and the power of song to tame the savage heart, but this is still silliness to the extreme as I see it with Ranka-chan's arrival and singing. While the ability of fighters to fly and shift into Gerwalk modes or Battroid modes is not credible, I can suspend my disbelief because in this Macross universe, the alien technology explains that away. Ranka's singing with an opened cockpit just hits the wall, no matter how nice her songs are (and this episode was a Ranka-chan song fest, so get out and buy the album, y'all).

While on the subject of Ranka, she gets to one-up Sheryl in the end. Yes, Alto gets to experience flying in a real sky, which was Sheryl's gift, but Ranka got to share in that experience while Sheryl recuperated. Ranka also gets to wish Alto a happy birthday, which was her wish all along. Still, while I prefer a Ranka-Alto pairing, I can't help but feel sorry for Sheryl this time.

I'm guessing the rebel Zentradi is working with Leon and subsequently Grace. So what the smeg is the plan here? How does all of this tie in with the Vajra? I can't imagine that Luca's getting this new fold drive was part of the plan though. Everything in the plan seemed tied to the fact that it would take a week before help could arrive on the planet.

As to the shot of the SDF-1 Macross at the end, I'm not sure I buy that at all. It is possible the writers may come up with a way for this to be the original Macross. My initial thought was that it is a Supervision Army ship that crashed on Gallia 4 long ago (that would be a cool development) or it is SDF-2 Megaroad-01 (Megalord as some call it), which had mysteriously vanished with Misa, Hikaru, and Lynn all on board (from the original series). However, not having seen Macross 7, I was unaware that Megaroad-01 was not given the ability to transform into a mecha mode. So that rules out having the mystery of what happened to the Megaroad-01 solved. So that leaves a Supervision Army ship or somehow, SDF-1 Macross ends up on an alien planet.

However the writers play it, this was one massive plot twist that I didn't expect. So kudos to the writers for the unexpected. Whether those kudos continue will depend on where things go.

So, there are a lot of unanswered questions like what Leon is up to, what is happening to Sheryl, and why is a craft looking like the transformed SDF-1 Macross on Gallia 4?

Dirty Pair OVA 06

ダーティペア OVA Episode 06

SPOILER Summary: Yuri and Kei are on a luxury cruise ship heading to Sargilco Island. As Kei takes a swim, a handsome man hits on Yuri, but is turned down. Kei wonders about this since Yuri has had a lot of men trying to pick her up, though this guy apparently isn't Kei's type. In their room, they discuss the forthcoming mission on the island, which has to do with a counterfeit money ring and the Casteno crime family. Yuri will pose as a student who's surveying some local ruins. Kei will get a job at a local bar and try to get information. This takes place but sadly, neither girl has learned much, though Kei gets hit on a lot at the bar.

Yuri decides to investigate a local church, but the priest refuses to let her in, saying the church is for the use of locals only. As such, Yuri decides to sneak in and discovers evidence that points to counterfeiting being done on the church grounds. However, some of Casteno's private security arrives, not buying Yuri's reason for being on the church grounds. She's saved when the man she turned down on the ship shows up. He's Carine Casteno, the 2nd son in that crime family. He escorts Yuri to her car but doesn't get in because Yuri told him previously she didn't aggressive men. However, because he saved her, she has him get in. The two then start a romance (which initially annoys Kei) but soon leads to their engagement and planned wedding, which is approved by Carine's father and reluctantly so by his older brother Darine.

Yuri sends out invitations to everyone she knows, so Chief Gooley gets one as well, delivered by former Trouble Consultant Beryl. He's stunned by the news but goes with Beryl and others to the wedding. They are greeted by Kei, who warns Gooley not to say anything dumb. Gooley and Beryl meet with Yuri just prior to the wedding, where she confirms this is real. The security folks observing them in the operations center hear and see what they need to. As the wedding starts, Kei dons a nun's habit and knocks out the security guy manning the monitors. She heads under the church where she discovers the counterfeit printing presses. So, she plants a series of bombs.

Meanwhile, the unconscious security guard is found and security soon has Kei located below. Darine is notified as Kei fights a running battle as she flees. Darin stops the wedding with some security henchmen as Kei is chased by others. However, Doctor Q's flower on Yuri goes off, allowing everyone to escape. Despite her age, Beryl joins the fight, using her Bloody Card to clear a path to the ship she, Gooley, and Mughi escape on. Kei hangs back to rescue the missing Yuri. Yuri is still in the church, with Darine and his father telling Carine to shoot her. When he doesn't, Darine starts to but has his gun shot from him. Yuri tells Carine to shoot her if he believes he lied to her. He does not.

Because the bombs Kei planted are about to go off, Carine takes Yuri to an escape plane-ship followed by Kei, while his brother and father head off in another direction. Once airborne, the church is destroyed meaning the Casteno family fortune is gone as well. Yuri asks Carine to come with her, but he declines, not wanting to be at odds with his family any further. He jumps out of the plane-ship with a parachute that says in English, "I love you." After saying goodbye, Yuri returns to the cockpit where Kei understands that Yuri was serious about Carine.

Thoughts: Adaptation choices often amuse me. Case in point, when Chief Gooley and the old lady Beryl come to see Yuri just before her wedding, she addresses them as "Gooley-san" (she does not use the normal Japanese term for "chief" here) and Madam Beryl. Now, knowing that ADV isn't going to use the Japanese honorific but will use the French honorific, why not have the subtitles address him "Mr. Gooley" seeing as (1) Yuri is under cover, thus wouldn't be spouting her boss's title and (2) she's not addressing him with the normal Japanese term (which I believe is "Shunin," which means "person in charge") she usually uses to address her boss? Oh well. I suppose not calling him "Chief Gooley" in the subtitles would have confused people and of course addressing him as "Gooley-san" would have cause the Earth to implode on the spot.

As to the episode, I couldn't help but be reminded of Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro. I mean we have the counterfeiters, we have that being done under a church, we have a powerful family, lots of henchmen (though no iron claws and no creepy butler), we have a wedding, and we have explosions. Heck, even the name "Casteno" is similar to "Cagliostro." I half expected Kei to emerge from behind the alter Lupin-style, but that would have been too obvious I suppose.

Whoa! The Bloody Card got used in this episode, only not by Yuri but Madam Beryl. That's Yuri's favorite weapon in the novels from what I'm told (she did use it a lot in the first novel's two stories). Well, nice to see that former Trouble Consultants still have the touch, even if they are too old to work the field and are relegated to admin work.

Still, another fun episode. That's the thing about Dirty Pair anime episodes -- they aren't much, but they should be fun.

Keroro Gunsou 52

ケロロ軍曹 Episode 52
Sgt. Frog anime, episode 52
Keroro Gunsou anime, episode 52

SPOILER Summary: Keroro and Kururu are in special suits where Keroro manages to take back the Kero Ball while Fuyuki sleeps. The following morning, things are going weird in the house with strange noises, the fridge freezing up, and the doorbell ringing. Natsumi knows it is Keroro and company, but this time, Keroro isn't worried. Indeed, now that he has the Kero Ball, he immediately captures Natsumi and Fuyuki and makes them his puppets. Aki-san makes an unexpected return and while Keroro is prepared for her capture, she manages to not only thwart him, but defeat him and Kururu by throwing the capture devices back at them in horror when she realizes the devices are alive. The Kero Ball is again in Hinata hands and Keroro is forced to do all the chores as punishment.

Nishizawa makes a strange call to Fuyuki, saying she's in trouble. Fuyuki immediately heads out to help her, only to find some of her staff waiting with a limo to take him to the Nishizawa estate. The mansion is destroyed after his arrival and Nishizawa is held captive on a giant 4-pronged star. She yells for "Fuyuki-kun" to help her, but Keroro arrives on scene to help Tamama. Fuyuki cannot climb up to where Nishizawa is, so she orders Paul to make it easier, thus a lighted, wide stair path appears. Keroro tries to stop Fuyuki, but since this is a plan to get closer to Fuyuki by Nishizawa, Tamama has to repeatedly "accidentally" attack Keroro. Fuyuki gets within 2-meters before giving out. By this time, Nishizawa has had enough of Keroro's and Tamama's actions, and her dark self emerges, freeing herself from captivity and gives chase to the now retreating aliens.

Thoughts: After 51 episodes of "Keroro to March," hearing a new OP theme is a bit jarring. But, this is the start of the second season, so a new OP was in order I guess. It will take some getting used to. Its not bad, but I don't think I'll be trying to score it. This 3rd ED theme isn't too bad sounding. I'm not sure if I'm up for scoring it yet, but I love seeing the Platoon dancing at during the ED.

I hope that the preview before the episode doesn't continue. I'm not really a fan of that but it isn't a major thing.

As to the episode, it was clearly a re-introduction for those who might be new to the series, or just have forgotten. With Giroro and some other characters not showing up this time, I wonder how their re-introduction will be handled.

I did get a few chuckles though, mainly during the 2nd story with the "rescue" of Nishizawa. Keroro insulting Natsumi and Fuyuki, then slapping his rear was the funniest moment, and it was from first story.

As to the second story, I knew it was a plan of hers to get closer to Fuyuki from the start, but it was still a fun ride. The animation was bad in places as it really looked cheaply done. That's not a good sign.

So more of the same, but still a nice beginning to the 2nd season.

Ah! My Goddess Ch. 230 *SPOILERS*

Ah! My Goddess Manga/Oh My Goddess! Manga
ああっ女神さまっVolume 36 Chapter 230

Summary: Welsper wants to know why Keiichi saved him from the wrath of Urd and Skuld. Keiichi's explanation is that he doesn't think that Welsper was truly trying to deceive them and that maybe the cat was actually trying to trigger their memories. Belldandy agrees. Welsper finds Keiichi's and Belldandy's reasoning stupid and doesn't understand them, but in thanks, he tells Keiichi and Belldandy their true names, causing the pair to repeat each other's name several times as Welsper leaves.

Keiichi wonders why when he says Belldandy's name, he feels better. Belldandy believes it is because she's loves Keiichi-san. Keiichi says it is impossible not to love Belldandy. It takes some time, but Keiichi manages to repeat his original wish (or it is really close) which triggers things that unlock Belldandy, causing her to have an energy release that causes her and his memory to be restored. After embracing, Belldandy says she cannot exist without loving Keiichi.

Skuld and Urd return, but they haven't recovered their memories. They mistakenly believe they are the opposite person, so Urd enters Skuld's room and vice versa. They then accidentally destroy the rooms they are in. Skuld's device activates, which restores everyones memory, leading Urd and Skuld to fight again.

Chihiro arrives on scene to find out where her employees are and is out of breath. Keiichi gives her a glass of water, which Urd had created initially for Megumi to forget. As such, Chihiro forgets who she is and why she's here.

Thoughts: Hey! It appears that Megumi hasn't been reset on her memories. As such, she should now know that Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld are goddesses. I had figured she'd drink the water afterward and be "reset." However, this is Fujishima-sensei we are talking about. Megumi has been a car, she's been possessed, and she's seen her college turned into a castle. Despite this, Fujishima-sensei has had Megumi just write everything off as "Meh!" I hope that doesn't happen since this manga appears to be going on forever.

Man, aren't you glad that Keiichi and Belldandy didn't kiss? I know I am. *_* (I'm being factitious if you didn't know.)

As to the story arc itself, well you see how enthused I was for it since it took months for me to even blog about the chapter. ^_^; However, after this many years invested in the manga, it isn't like I can just completely leave it alone apparently.

Dirty Pair OVA 05

ダーティペア OVA Episode 05

SPOILER Summary: At the gambling satellite (station) Shangri-La, a man sits at the Meteor table, a game where a mass driver fires an asteroid into the Xanadu sun. The man appears to be doing quite well. Meanwhile, Kei and Yuri are briefed on this man, a Trouble Consultant named Li Shu Ryu, code named "Kung Fu" because of his abilities. He has a perfect case resolution record, but 3WA is concerned that his gambling on Shangri-La at the Meteor table has gotten out of control and 3WA doesn't want to lose such an agent. So, Yuri and Kei are sent to bring him back from the gambling tables.

Yuri and Kei set up shop in space outside Shangri-La, where they observe the mass driver being fired int Xanadu. They discover that the game is being rigged and set up their own device nearby. Back on board Lovely Angel, Kei decides she's going to be the one to pretend to be a rich gambler and leave the investigation of how the Meteor game is rigged to Yuri, which annoys Yuri. Kei puts on a revealing but expensive outfit and enters the casino with a reluctant Mughi in tow, dressed in a schoolboy outfit and addressed by Kei as "Mughi-chan." Meanwhile, a still-irritated Yuri discovers a lab with vast amounts of Axonohydroria -- a man-made life simple form.

The owner of the casino, Dr. Bolokov, gets a report on Kei's heavy betting at the Meteor table (where she's seated across from Li). Kei has been losing, so the good doctor orders that she start winning so as to get hooked on the game. Thus Li starts losing and Kei starts winning. Kei is in the casino restaurant with some champagne and her massive piles of chips when Yuri enters, dressed in a very rich and elegant dress. She takes a seat behind the now annoyed Kei, and after a bit of subtle fighting, Yuri reveals what she has learned. The casino uses hyperwaves on asteroids that have been treated with Axonohydroria and causes them to explode where they want near the sun's surface. Knowing this, they now form a plan.

Returning to the Meteor table, Kei resumes her winning ways and Yuri enters the room, asking to be seated. As Kei had before her, Yuri also assumes a posh, rich Japanese female accent. Mughi insures that Kei continues to win by using a control device in his mouth that activates "Dirty Pair's" own hyperwave generator. As Li continues to lose, he becomes more frustrated. Eventually, Kei asks if she can sit at the house seat and play for the house. Since none of the players or the casino employee at the table mind, she takes her seat. After a hesitant start because of Mughi, Kei causes the house to win a massive bet between Yuri and Li.

Yuri acts furious and immediately makes a scene, saying the game is rigged. Kei denies this but Yuri confronts her on cheating. As Li observes carefully, this outburst is also seen by security and Dr. Bolokov. The doctor races down and as he and his men try to settle things down, he places a gun secretly in "Mademoiselle" Yuri's back to force the issue. Kei takes the queue to cry to the doctor and "confess" about the rigged game. Realizing they've been duped, the customers get angry and demand their money back. Li decides to one-up them and goes into Kung Fu mode, destroying the gaming table. A fight breaks out, forcing Kei and Yuri to drop the act so they can fight their way out of the place. Li's continued destruction in the casino creates a malfunction in the mass driver, causing it to fire repeatedly at a nearby planet, which is then apparently destroyed. This time, Kei and Yuri are innocent of the destruction being caused.

Thoughts: Oh, what a fun Dirty Pair episode. "Mughi-chan" in that silly, "school boy" outfit was just nuts (poor Mughi). *lol* Kei and Yuri's little rivalry, complete with their now posh Japanese accents at the Meteor table cracked me up (not a belly laugh, but a laugh nevertheless). ^_^ Man, you know I've watched a lot of anime in Japanese to pick up on that. ^_^;;;

I think this is the first time I've seen another Trouble Consultant for 3WA in the Dirty Pair TV series or OVA series. While Li Shu Ryu (again, Chinese names are done properly in the official subtitles with the family name first, which we can't do for Japanese names) is a loser of a character based on his actions after discovering the rigged game, it was still nice to see others in Kei and Yuri's line of work.

The one problem I had with the episode was the planet that suddenly appeared at the end of the episode, complete with major city. I know the term "satellite" was used, but no indication of it being in orbit of a planet was given. If anything, it was built in an asteroid field in orbit of Xanadu. Now, the Xanadu system having planets makes sense to me, but the way things were depicted, the out of control mass driver was firing asteroids at a rapid pace which were almost immediately impacting on this planet's surface. Well, I guess the writers needed a bit more destruction that loser "Kung Fu" destroying the gambling station.

Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, why didn't 3WA just order Li to return? Making this a mission seems rather odd to me. He's a company man, better do what the company says. Oh well.

I am surprised the Japanese used the English term "mass driver" for the asteroid launcher. The first time I ever saw a depiction of one was in the American TV series Babylon 5 and was familiar with the weapon from some sci-fi game I played in the early 90's (it was weapon option for when you customized your ship). Anyway, I expected the Japanese to use some other term for the device in the anime for some reason. I'm glad they didn't.

Ultimately, this has been the funnest of the five OVA episodes I've seen.

Keroro Gunsou 51

ケロロ軍曹 Episode 51
(Sgt. Frog anime, episode 51)

SPOILER Summary: Keroro gets notification that the entire platoon is being recalled to Keron in one day. Realizing he has nothing to show for his year on Earth, he pulls the big invasion manual to do some reading, but Natsumi has other plans for him that will require him to do his chores. After Tamama leaves so that he can sample more Earth snacks in the remaining time, Keroro tries to do a half-arsed job so that he can read in peace, he ends up doing a good job. However, he accidentally vacuums up some critical pages of his book, meaning all is lost. Still, because he did such a good job of cleaning, Natsumi makes a beef stew for him and the family. The following day, the platoon leaves with Keroro tearfully ordering that all evidence of their being on Earth be erased, including the memories of those they stayed with.

Life returns to the way it was, with Nishizawa wishing that she had a way to talk to Fuyuki (calling him "Hinata-kun" instead of "Fuyuki-kun"). Neko hangs around the Hinata home, apparently looking for Giroro but never finding him. Natsumi finds herself nostalgic over sweet potatoes (which she had shared with Giroro). Fuyuki finds himself reading about how some humans who have alien contacts find their memories changed. He has a flash of Sgt. Keroro and races down to the old store room that had been turned into Keroro's room. It is a store room but he finds a Gundam model inside. He begins working on it when the platoon returns. There is talk of starting things anew but when Keroro gets frustrated at how Fuyuki is building the model, he races forward and is recognized by Fuyuki. Having anticipated this, Kururu restores everyones memories and things as they had been. Thus, the adventure continues.

Thoughts: The story in the manga was pretty simple with the audience left wondering, "What the heck happened to the platoon?" The anime writers deciding to make this more melodramatic and more humorous worked pretty well. I got a kick out of Keroro in that panicked, "Oh crap!" moment when he learned he'd be returning to Keron and he hadn't done a thing. Reminds me of myself. ^_^;

I liked Koyuki's farewell to Dororo as well as Kururu's farewell to Mutsumi.

I Survived a Japanese Game Show 01

I love Japanese game shows. They are nutty, funny, and often push the boundaries. So naturally, I was keen to see some American's thrown into a Japanese game show, which is the premise of I Survived a Japanese Game Show.

The game show, Majide, is a fake Japanese game show, which from what I can tell was set up just for I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Majide (The term "majide" is kinda like saying, "Are you serious?" and is apparently something said in Japan, which might explain the "hipness" shown in the Japanese audience members), was a hoot despite being fake as it is based on things I've seen in other Japanese game shows. I'm not sure if Majide will be the show used throughout the series (it may well be), but the first two games were fun and typically Japanese. Haven eaten mochi, I know what the eaters in the mochi game meant by their experience eating the stuff. The bug on the windshield game is just silly, but it was fun.

So what works in this reality show?

1. It is set in Japan on a real Japanese game show.
2. We get to see things in Japan.
3. It is funny.
4. I liked that the losers had to do something Japanese (the rickshaw driving).
5. The documentary-style feel at times to explain certain things.

What don't I like?

1. It is a reality show, complete with the fake drama of the eliminations.
2. It is a reality show, complete with the fake drama of, "This person blows! I need my space. You're a loser."
3. It is a reality show.
4. They are loose with the translations, not that the American audience will notice.
   

Will I watch I Survived a Japanese Game Show again? Because it is set in Japan and featured a wacky Japanese show, you bet.

Update (July 2, 2008): That's it. I couldn't stand the fake drama of a reality show any longer. This time, episode 2 was mostly about that fake drama, crying, and whatever. Just awful. The Japanese elements aren't enough to make me put up with that crap.

WIpeout -- No Takeshi's Castle

Wipeout. Some of you know that I really enjoyed Takeshi's Castle from my time in Japan and I'm not a fan of MXC. Still, an attempt by an American company to do an American version of Takeshi's Castle, or at least something inspired by Takeshi's Castle, is something that would get my attention. That was done by ABC, which debuted tonight.

Sadly, while on the surface Wipeout looks as if it were taken from Takeshi's Castle, it is not good like Takeshi's Castle. First, with ESPN's Sports Center guy John Anderson being one of the commentators, it feels like we are trying to make this reality show feel like a real sports thing rather than what it is - a dopey set of obstacle courses. This attempt is furthered by having Jill Wagner doing "sideline" commentary and interviews. She reminded me of how many women work the sidelines of football games on TV while at the same time, I kept expecting her to start talking about the latest Mercury vehicle (since she's in so many of their ads). Rounding out the cast is John Henson, the comic who used to host the show Talk Soup.

There's no doubt that physical comedy can be funny. I admit, that was a big part of the laughs in Takeshi's Castle. However, Wipeout's "wipeouts" didn't seem funny. I think only one of the spills in Wipeout made me chuckle, and I forgot even which one it was. In this regard, the show is more like the old American Gladiators for challenges, which I never found funny but didn't watch it for humor.

To try to compensate for the lack of physical humor, John and John are given a script of bad humor and puns when they aren't trying to give serious commentary about the different courses.

Bottom line: I won't be watching this again. I'd rather watch the real thing or even something like Ninja Warrior (despite its edits).

Dirty Pair OVA 04

ダーティペア OVA Episode 04

SPOILER Summary: A group of boys called Battle Hackers, the sons of powerful political people, take over a military instillation that is the home of the Dimensional Vibration Gun (DVG). They take the base commander, Colonel Santos, hostage. As such, 3WA are asked to try to resolve things quietly. The boys are clever and have reprogrammed the bases robots to defend them. They've also looked up Lovely Angels (aka: Dirty Pair) and are excited to go up against them. As such, Kei and Yuri have great difficulty in dealing with them, not only because they are boys, but the boys also piss Kei off. Mike celebrates scoring a picture of Kei and Yuri trying to flee an explosion, telling them they'd be dead if it were a gun he were holding and not a camera.

After the boys make kid demands (such as anime all around the clock), Kei and Yuri decide to re-enter the command facility via the underground. While the boys are able to track Kei and Yuri, forcing them to fight the droids, one of the boys accidentally shoots a console which lead to the countdown for the activation of the DBG, which could seriously damage the universe. Colonel Santos manages to escape and decides that these brat boys need to be killed. Thus, Kei and Yuri, despite being told to retreat, are more determined than ever to see this doesn't happen. The boys meet the young women for a battle with the ladies coming out on top. Mike is challenged to a one-on-one fight by Kei. The boy gets into a power suit and gives her a beating, though she and Yuri manage to finally convince the boys that they are going to die if they don't give up. With that, Kei and Yuri stop the guns and turn over the kids to the authorities, thus stopping Santo's plan to rid the world of some brats.

Thoughts: I remember thinking when I saw this episode in Japan many, many moons ago, "Didn't they do something like this on Star Trek with evil little kids?" Of course, I didn't know what anyone was saying back then.

While I'm thinking of it, is using the term "boys" politically incorrect? ADV translated boy-tachi (boys) and shounen-tachi (boys) as "kids." Considering there were no girls in the group, this translation choice smacks of political correctness.

Anyway, the episode is kind of annoying because Kei and Yuri try to debate with the boys and their kid-logic. I wanted those kids to get the crap kicked out of them. So I cheered when Kei knocked Mike out and laughed at her thoughts on what makes boys grow up.

One Piece Season 1, First Voyage

One Piece - Season 1, First Voyage (Uncut)
ワンピース

Review: While I've long known about the One Piece series, I basically came into this first DVD set cold. I knew that it is an anime about pirates. I knew that the idiot in the straw hat is actually a pirate captain named Luffy. I knew the guy with the sword is named Zoro, since there was a huge controversy over the name being changed in other adaptations. I knew there is a character that smoked (who has not shown up yet). I knew that "One Piece" is a treasure. Beyond that, I knew nothing of the show.

As such, the start of things with Luffy being solo and simply looking to start his pirating surprised me. As I've stated at other times, doing what I don't expect is a good thing. I liked Luffy's carefree nature and simplistic mindset as well as his optimism. The way he goes about bringing a crew together made sense to me. He wants the strongest and does what it takes to get them. So when the pirate hunter Zoro was recruited and turned Luffy down, Zoro becoming part of the crew made sense to me. When the thief (who only steals from pirates) and navigator Nami turns Luffy down, her eventual becoming part of the crew made sense as well (without going into details). So kudos to the writers there.

While there were several moments that made me laugh and made me want to watch the next episode, things quickly become bogged down in filler. What do I mean by filler? Well, there are two kinds of filler in anime. The kind most people complain about is where an anime series creates an episode with a story that was not in the original manga (or other source material) to fill out a complete season. The other kind is the kind I dislike most, where there are long moments where characters have pointless flashbacks (to emphasize the moment they are in), or the characters have long moments of emotion, usually fear or anger. These usually waste a fair amount of time and slow down the progress of the story.

In One Piece, there are many such moments. So rather than move the story along, we get bogged down in little details to make it overly clear that a character is pissed or is afraid or is contemplating things. This can be doubled if the emotion sequence is done before the midpoint eye catch because then you can repeat it again, thereby killing a good minute or so of time. This is further exacerbated by pointless, stereotypical shounen dialog sequences. To make matters drag out more, new opponent characters are pulled out of the air to fight the good guys. Since Luffy is almost like a deus ex machina device at this point (his abilities making him this way), the writers have to find ways of putting him out of the picture. So he's in a cage for a while (How do you cage someone who's body is like stretchable rubber?), or he's put to sleep, or his simpleton ways have him elsewhere for a while. The writers do whatever it takes to keep things dragged out (and to be fair, I would guess there's some of this in the manga as well).

This first FUNimation One Piece set contains two disc and thirteen episodes (disc one has six episodes and disc two as seven). Because of the slow pace at which stories move, the story arc that begins with episode 9 and the introduction of Usopp is not over when the 13th episode concludes. I checked and unfortunately, this arc has four more episodes. *_* Gah! I can already see how this is going to be. As Luffy's crew gets larger, the arcs are going to get larger so that everyone gets some screen time to do a face-off. If true, that does not bode well for me.

While I miss the alternate angle feature FUNimation used to have (so that I could get the original Japanese OP/ED sequences) I love the "marathon feature" which allows me to watch an entire disc without having to touch the remote to skip OP/ED sequences.

Bottom line: While there is fun and laughs to be had, there's also the tediousness in lengthy, slow-paced arcs filled with a lot of shounen yacking and fighting.

Macross Frontier 11

マクロスF Episode 11
Macross F Ep. 11

SPOILER Summary: Leon and Cathy take a ride and discuss the planet Gallia 4. Elsewhere, Ranka is on her way to an event and composes a mail to send to Alto, but decides not to send it. At the school pool, Nana asks if Alto has heard from Ranka, since she told Ranka about Alto's forthcoming birthday. He hasn't. Luca speculates it is because she's busy preparing for her first live concert. Sheryl comes up and enters the discussion, having experience on the matter. Alto makes a flippant remark about her having a lot of free time, but a sneezing fit on her part prevents her from getting too angry.

Sometime later, Cathy meets with Ozama regarding Sheryl's forthcoming relief concert on Gallia 4, where the all-Zentradi 33rd Marine Corps has a base. Ozama states they declined to send an escort with Sheryl. The conversation shifts to the strange things the government has been doing, with they Hydra problem and the mysterious Valkyrie fighter they refuse to share info on. Cathy wonders if Ozama has seen the movie that Ranka starred in. He angrily denies it, throwing a film magazine on the table and departing.

Back at the school, Luca provides some research materials on Gallia 4, which he shares with Alto and the rest. It is here we learn that Luca is the son of the family that runs the large LAI conglomerate. Their conversation is interrupted by a man in traditional Japanese clothing, whom Alto calls "Niisan." The man, SAOTOME Yasaburo, is not actually related to Alto, but is part of the Kabuki troop run by Alto's father. He takes Alto to lunch and reports that his father has had a health scare but is doing better. With Alto's birthday approaching, Yasaburo says that if Alto pays his father a visit, Alto will no longer be disinherited. Alto refuses. Yasaburo notes how Alto had the small part in Ranka's movie and played a role in Sheryl's concert. As such, he feels that Alto has not left acting, and Alto's being a pilot is just more acting on his part.

Ranka gets a special ticket from her manager Elmo for her first concert. He wonders what the bother is since he can arrange for her friends and family to get in, but Sheryl arrives with an answer -- Ranka wants to give it to someone. Sheryl figures out that Ranka wants to give the ticket in person to Alto. During their talk, Sheryl refers to Alto as a bum, giving Ranka pause. Ranka decides to ask Sheryl something when Sheryl has a moment of weakness and drops her glass. When Sheryl comes home, Grace examines her with her cybernetic eyes. She tells Sheryl to take her medicine and Sheryl is determined to not be defeated by whatever illness she has. As such, she will not be dissuaded from going to Gallia 4 to do her concert.

Leon receives a briefing on the mysterious red Valkyrie which they'd been given specs on. A team from LAI were inspecting the craft and were happy with what they saw. He also learns that "fairy" is going to Gallia 4 as planned. He holds a purple gem up (Sheryl's earring?), reflecting that if it weren't for fold distortion, one could fly to Gallia 4 instantly. Meanwhile Cathy decides to ask Klan about Gallia 4 and the 33rd Marine Corps. Klan reveals that they are part of the Zentradi who do not approve of the alliance between humans and Zentradi after the first war. Klan doesn't approve of them.

Ranka is in her dressing room and takes a call from Nana. Nana is concerned that Ranka hasn't communicated with Alto, since Sheryl and he are getting friendlier. Once Ranka hears that Sheryl and Alto aren't actually dating, she finds the courage to give him a call and leave him a voice mail. She asks him to meet her at a park as she has something for him. That night, he meets with "Sheryl-sama" (him being sarcastic) at her request. She has a proposal for him that would allow him to fly under a real sky, something he's longed to do. After leaving her, he ponders what to do -- meet with his father, meet with Ranka, or fly off with Sheryl to fly in an open sky. He looks at a paper airplane, something he's been creating since childhood, and tosses it into the air.

The day that Ranka set aside to meet with Alto comes and Elmo gives her two hours to complete her business. However, Alto isn't waiting for her. Michael is there on Alto's behalf, informing Ranka that Alto took an escort mission for Sheryl. Alto's fighter is fitted with a fold engine and he flies escort for Sheryl's passenger liner. Sheryl calls him, thanking him for coming as Grace secretly communicates with Leon, apparently revealing she's the one who's been meeting with and providing stuff for Leon. This trip of Sheryl's is apparently part of whatever plan they have. Back at the park, Ranka sees the strange little animal and she shares the airplane cookies she made with the critter and wishes Alto a happy birthday.

Thoughts: Poor Ranka-chan. Up to now, Alto has done what he could to be with her when she's asked but Sheryl's offer of flying over a real planet is too much to pass up, and I understand that. It is a shame that Alto wasn't brave enough to tell Ranka himself (even just leaving her a voice mail). Then again, if Ranka had sent that text mail, maybe he would feel more inclined to see her. Still, Ranka is growing in popularity and while already able to stand on the same field with Sheryl, will soon be able to rival her I'd guess, short of Leon making it midnight (the Cinderella reference).

While Sheryl may be the "hot" one, she annoys me a bit. Being one of those girls who knows how much men crave her, her attitude is what annoys me. She knew that Ranka wanted to give Alto the ticket as a present but took Alto anyway. Now, all is fair in love and war as they say, and to be fair, the concert wasn't on the day that Ranka scheduled to meet Alto to give it to him (the day that Alto took off to escort Sheryl). I completely understand Shery's attraction to Alto. As I've said before, he doesn't treat her like an idol, but as just some person.

Still, what does she have to do with Leon? I want to say that was her earring he was holding (which would be the one Alto lost in that battle a while back). Then again, with Grace appearing to be working with that loser Leon, maybe it is her other earring. With Grace appearing to be some sort of mole or the like, what is she doing with Sheryl? Maybe Sheryl's apparent illness is being caused by something Grace is doing or not doing. Then again, who is Grace? She clearly doesn't want Leon to know her true identity and she's apparently the one who's been giving orders to mystery boy Brera (whom I suspect is the little critter that is often with Ranka).

I like how the subject of the Zentradi who didn't want to become allies with humans is brought up here. I guess it will be a bigger thing next episode, but the fact that there are still Zentradi who aren't pleased with the results of the war from the original Macross is a nice touch on the part of the writers.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this episode a great deal.

Keroro Gunsou 50

ケロロ軍曹 Episode 50
(Sgt. Frog anime, episode 50)

SPOILER Summary: Giroro is rewatching a DVD showing the platoon before they left for the invasion and an interview where Giroro stated that no woman would distract him. Realizing that he's allowed Natsumi to distract him, Giroro decides its time to take their chief obstacle down. Kururu, Tamama, and Keroro think of "Evil-sama" that is Natsumi to them and Giroro can't help but think of "Angel-sama" that is Natsumi to him. However, Giroro decides he won't be defeated and the others go along as it is just easier. Dororo overhears this, but sadly, an electric barrier has been raised around the home. The platoon destroys all the phones in the Hinata home before distracting Fuyuki and challenging Natsumi.

Natsumi heads to to base to take care of the frogs, Tamama detecting her power levels rising. Kururu activates their final weapon, a humanoid suit they've named "Kaasan" (mom). Keroro enters the suit and attempts to act like Aki-san, but instead takes a massive beating from Natsumi, which leads to the damaging of some equipment. Giroro has had enough and puts a gun to her head to end this. However, Natsumi collapses unconscious with a fever. Keroro reports this to Fuyuki who finds her temperature is 40.2ºC (104.4ºF). However, while the platoon is very worried about Natsumi, with the phones destroyed and the barrier preventing anyone from leaving (Natsumi having damaged the equipment that would take the barrier down), they are stuck.

Giroro decides that he has to save Natsumi by obtaining a Cerberus liver. As such, he endures the great pain and manages to pass out of the barrier. Heading to an underground alien shop, he finds that there are no Cerberus livers, but the shop owner does have a live, three-headed dog. However, it escaped its enclosure and is causing problems for the owner's other stocks of rare plants and stuff. So, if Giroro can take the beast down, the liver is his. As such, Giroro goes on a hunt and wages a battle against the beast until he finally wins. Returning home with the liver (again, having to pass through the barrier), a sleepy Keroro consumes the liver (which cures all ills) and finds himself powered up. However, Natsumi is still doing poorly.

Tamama tries to find a way to bring down the barrier, using Dororo as a guinea pig, and eventually succeeds. However, Natsumi appears to be dying and Giroro doesn't want her to go. Kururu arrives with a vaccine and Natsumi is cured. Aki-san arrives and apologizes for not being there. In a flashback, we see that Kururu had created the virus for Natsumi under Keroro's orders, but Keroro had forgotten about it. How Natsumi came in contact with the virus, no one knows but now better, she is not happy with Keroro. However, now that she's cured, she goes to help treat Giroro's wounds. She wonders what he wanted to tell her, so he says it is to remind her they are enemies. So, Natsumi agrees that once he's well, they'll have a fair fight, which Giroro agrees to.

Thoughts: I seem to remember that the core of this story is a manga chapter, but the anime goes well beyond whatever the manga had. Regardless, this episode is mildly amusing but not much more than that. We already know that when push comes to shove, Giroro will go to the ends of the Earth for Natsumi no matter how tough he tries to act. Also, we knew that Natsumi wouldn't go for Keroro's weapon, but I still enjoyed watching her give him a beating.

So entertaining, mildly amusing, but not much beyond that.

Inuyasha Manga Volume 56 (finale)

犬夜叉 Volume 56

SPOILER Summary: Chapter 549 has Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Sesshoumaru continue to destroy the giant Naraku body from within and the Shikon no Tama has its light return. Chapter 550 has Naraku consume the jewel as the group continues to attack. Naraku prevents Kagome from shooting her arrows as his giant body closes in on Kaede's village. Chapter 551 sees Sesshoumaru seriously damage Naraku's humanoid form within the giant body as it begins to crash down to the village. In chapter 552 Kagome shoots and hits the Shikon no Tama. The remains of Naraku and the jewel hovers over the well as Naraku makes his wish and dies.

A Meidou opens behind Kagome and swallows her in chapter 553, caused by Byakuya's earlier attack on Kagome before his death. Inuyasha opens his own Meidou to follow Kagome. Meanwhile in the modern times, Kagome's friends come to visit her since she missed her high school entrance ceremony as he well in the shrine disappears. Chapter 554 has Kagome as a normal high school girl, who can't shake the feeling something is wrong. When she sees the tree Goshinboku, that Inuyasha had been sealed to, her memories return. However, now she's actually in the real world and no one can see her. Chapter 555 sees Inuyasha make contact with Kagome's family before encountering youkai where he learns that he's inside the Shikon no Tama. The jewel has given Kagome a choice to make a wish and the darkness is closing in on her.

In chapter 556, Inuyasha learns that if Kagome makes a wish to return to the real world, she'll take the miko Midoriko's place within the jewel and Naraku will re-awaken to battle her forever. Inuyasha manages to make contact with Kagome in chapter 557, giving her hope. Tenseiga changes form for a Meidou after a light appears, thus Inuyasha cuts the light and appears with Kagome. Kagome makes her wish for the Shikon no Tama to disappear.

Chapter 558 takes place three years later in Kaede-sama's village. Sango and Miroku have married and now have three children (twins and a newborn). Miroku earns a living with Inuyasha by getting rid of troublesome youkai, but for a high price. Shippou has worked to become a more powerful kitsune. Rin also lives in the village where one day, she can make a choice as to the path she will take. However, Kagome was sent to the modern times and has no way back to the past.

Kagome has graduated from high school. While Inuyasha has accepted Kagome being with her family, Kagome has longed to be with Inuyasha. Standing over the well, she finally understands what it will take to return her to the past. Sure enough, the sky can be seen the the well's bottom and with her mother seeing this as well, it is clear what Kagome will do. In the past, the twins are playing with Inuyasha when he detects Kagome's scent. He returns to the well and pulls her out of it.

Kohaku works with Toutousai (who develops him weapons) and trains to be a Taijiya (youkai hunter). Kagome becomes a full time miko, training under Kaede. Sesshoumaru returns to the visit from time to time with gifts for Rin. Kagome addresses him as "oniisan" (using the Kanji for "brother-in-law") which causes him and Inuyasha to give her ugly looks. However, she will live the rest of her life in the past with Inuyasha.

Thoughts: I'm not even going to bother talking about the final battle with Naraku because as normal, it went on for way to long. The bit with the Shikon no Tama made sense though.

The end is what I'll talk about. It is rather unfortunate that Kagome and Inuyasha never kissed. The perfect time was when he pulled her from the well. Ah, but Takahashi-sensei isn't going to give us a kiss though. Since this wasn't Maison Ikkoku, I guess we are just out of luck. Well, I guess there is a doujinshi artist or two in Japan who are working to fix that problem (and a whole lot more).

I liked seeing how everyone is in the future. I like Miroku being a faithful husband, even if he is still a scoundrel of sorts with his high prices for youkai extermination. *lol* I liked how Sesshoumaru continues to check in on Rin and give her presents. Kagome becoming a miko is no surprise though.

You know what I'd like Takahashi-sensei to do? A special chapter that is a comedy story taking place after all this. I'd love to see Kouga return with some clan mates to pay everyone a visit. I think that would be a hoot since he left the manga so long ago.

Ultimately, I'm glad this is finally over. The manga started off well enough for a shounen title, but after a few years, the constant moving of the goal to prevent the story from ending became tiresome. Combine that with near-zero character growth (discounting the obligatory power ups), and you've got a tedious manga.

Will I read another Takahashi-sensei title? I'm guessing I'll at least check it out, but I don't expect her to start a new one for a while. After all, it is time for a lengthy vacation, y'all.

Additional: You can read my parody piece on how Inuyasha would end, written many years ago, here.

Hoshi wa Utau Volume 1 *SPOILERS*

星は歌う Volume 1
Twinkle Stars Vol. 1 (manga)

Summary: Chapter 1 introduces us to Sakuya, who's in high school and has no parents. She lives with her guardian, the college-aged "bum" guy named Kanade (whom she calls "Kana-chan"), works at a shop for one Yuuta-san, who's the older brother of one of her good male friends named Yuuri. Her female best friend is Hijiri, whom Sakuya refers to as Sei-chan due to the Kanji in Hijiri. It is Sakuya's 18th birthday and a mysterious person named Chihiro-kun pays a visit, giving her a present. She thinks Chihiro-kun is a friend of Kanade's and Kanade thinks Chihiro is Sakuya's boyfriend. It is only after he leaves that they discover the truth.

Chapter 2 has Sakuya enlist her friends to help her search for Chihiro-kun even though Kanade is opposed to her having any contact with him. Chapter 3 has the Star Gazing Club (Sakuya and her two friends) do some star gazing where she says that the star Alphard is her favorite. Later, she wishes to see Chihiro-kun very hard and he does show up. Chapter 4 has Chihiro-kun and Sakuya talking for a long time until Chihiro-kun ends up telling her he hates her while she realizes she's falling in love with him. Chapter 5 has Sakuya dealing with her feelings for Chihiro-kun while dealing with his telling her he hates her. Her friends and Kanade notice this. The chapter ends with Chihiro-kun showing up as a new student in her class.

Thoughts: Being a fan of Fruits Basket (even if it has gotten angst-filled of late), I was most keen on reading Takaya-sensei's latest works (since Fruits Basket has long been over in Japan). The unfortunate thing about Hoshi wa Utau is that several of the characters look like the just stepped over from Fruits Basket and simply took a new name. I know that this can happen, but it seems more stark with Takaya-sensei's work than other manga-ka.

First, whoa! Takaya-sensei seems to be up not only on Spider-man but X-Men as well? Then again, she is pretty up on games and the like. Considering both movie franchises were in Japan, I shouldn't be so surprised.

As to the story, hmmmm. These are some LONG chapters at nearly 30-pages each. Unlike Fruits Basket, the story thus far didn't instantly grab me. The first time I saw Tohru, I "fell in love with her" if you will. I really can't say the same thing about Sakuya. She's nice and in some ways like Tohru, but the angst-levels are already just way high here. As such, the level of fun is not that high with her. I think Sei-chan is the only one I really liked. When Yuuri just happened to touch her, she gave a semi-repulsed look and mentioned not wanting to get pregnant by him touching her. I found that amusing.

Basically, the whole first volume does set up the main characters, but outside of Sei-chan, I really don't have any love for the characters. They are just there and doing their thing, but with nothing that grabs me. On the other hand, the characters from Fruits Basket did grab me from the start. Chihiro-kun is the oddest of all. I guess that this manga being about stars and stuff, maybe Chihiro-kun is a star or something. Maybe a guardian angel? Who knows.

Despite what I feel is a weak beginning to the series, I'll read on in the hopes that it will get better. Right now, there's too much angst and oddity and not enough fun.

Negima! Vol 24 (Ch 217) *SPOILERS*

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 24 Chapter 217 (manga)

Summary: Negi, in Nagi form, races to see Chisame (Chibi-Chiu) because of Ako's confession to Negi that she likes Nagi. Chisame's advice is that "Nagi" turn down Ako. Chisame feels Ako can recover from that, but the one thing Ako must never learn is that Negi and "Nagi" are the same. After all, their priority is to get everyone back to Earth. All of this is overheard by Akira. Negi heads outside to try to clear his head when Jack arrives, holding a picture of Ako-chan and teasing Negi about her. He learned this after Chisame accidentally let the cat out of the bag to Jack. Jack somehow managed to get Negi's pactio cards and teases him about all the cute girls (some of whom he's now met) before shifting to teasing Chisame for having kissed Negi and obtaining a pactio card.

Once things calm down, Jack wants Negi to try out the dark magic, but sees that Negi is still unstable using it. Jack tells him not to worry about it with everything else on his plate, including Asuna. Negi wonders what Jack is driving at, but Jack states that as long as Asuna took the medicine, everything would be fine. Negi wants to know more, but Jack isn't telling more since Negi's supposed goal is to get everyone home. Negi isn't satisified and demands to know what Asuna has to do with his father, the Magic World, and more. Jack challenges Negi on his having to have noticed Asuna's abilities & her lack of parents, her being closely watched by Takahata-sensei and Konoka's father.

Though Negi is getting angry, Sayo's arrival (in doll form) with news that Nodoka (Honya-san) and her companions are under attack by powerful bounty hunters and in desperate need of assistance. Negi is without his staff so getting there seems to be a problem. However, the arrival of a ship containing Paru (who actually owns the ship), Ku Fei, chibi-Asakura, chibi-Chachamaru, as well as Chamo (who found Negi's staff) emerge. They tell Negi to go on and that they'll catch up. Jack asks if Negi is going to use "it," which Negi confirms. Jack advises him to be careful and he's off on his staff. This is all observed by Tosaka.

Thoughts: During the school festival arc, I felt that at some point, Akamatsu-sensei just decided, "You know, I'm tired of this already. Let's just move this puppy into the final phase." With this chapter, I got a similar feeling with the sudden arrival of Paru and the others, including Chamo. Now, the forthcoming fight with the bounty hunters would seem to indicate that while Akamatsu-sensei is ready to just get everyone together, he is willing to take time and possibly score Negi some new allies (Nodoka's companions).

Speaking of which, why wasn't Nodoka using her artifacts? Seems like this would help them tremendously. Maybe she was, but the one image of her close up and from a distance didn't seem to indicate that she was.

The Ako-Nagi thing seems to be swept under the rug for the moment. I still say that Ako will prove to be something different.

We got more teasing about Asuna. The amazing part is that before, it seemed that Negi actually knew something about Asuna and her memory flashes. However, his confrontation this chapter seems to indicate that he knows nothing.

You know, I'm surprised that Chamo didn't go with Negi after their reunion. Seems like this would be something he'd do.

Finally, Tosaka. Will he betray turn in Negi or will he not? I still say he will.

Ultimately, a good mix of comic relief with Jack, some intrigue with Jack, and Nodoka in trouble. An enjoyable chapter. Too bad Akamatsu-sensei is taking next week off. ^_^;

Honey and Clover Manga Volume 2

Honey and Clover, Manga Vol. 2

Summary: In the 10th chapter, Takemoto returns home to find his mother is ill. His step-father Kazuo takes him to a batting cage where Takemoto comes to understand him more before seeing his mother. Chapter 11 has Hanamoto-sensei being forced to take the gang on an onsen trip, with interesting results. Chapter 12 has the gang visit a zoo with Mayama having learned more about Rika-san. Chapter 13 has a ton of things happen in it, including Mayama and Morita faced with their graduation projects, Takemoto working on doll house furniture for Hagu-chan, and a drunk Ayumi confessing to Mayama. Chapter 14 takes a look at Hagu-chan's past and the gang helps her look for a four-leaf clover to give to Hanamoto-sensei before his extended leave. Chapter 15 has Hagu-chan prepare a meal for the gang, a twisted game of Twister, and Mayama begins stalking Rika-san. There's also an evil poodle named Midori-san.

Thoughts & More: Story-wise, I forgot how much the live-action title had to strip out and how much the anime included in their adaptations of the manga. The anime looks to have been pretty tight on the adaptation for the most part. Being a fan of Honey and Clover, it is fun reading the original source material. Umino-sensei really struck a nerve with this title, considering all of its adaptation, including a complete anime run (over three series, one being an OVA), a live-action TV series, and a live-action movie. It really is quite amazing.

Umino-sensei has the evil poodle give a story recap. I'm not sure why this is at the end of the manga instead of the beginning. Actually, to be more accurate, I don't know why this isn't at the beginning of Volume 3, since it takes into account stuff from Volume 2.

Umino-sensei also wrote a four-page manga called "Otaku's House Call" (in English) where she does what many manga-ka do -- draw themselves in another form and basically tell us things about themselves or the people they know and work with. "Otaku" is the proper name because clearly, Umino-sensei is one, or at least, a wannabe one. *lol*

From the Viz aspects, they again keep most of the honorifics. I can't say how many things were modified. Previously, some "Morita-san" sayings became "Morita-senpai" and some kun honorifics were dropped. I get the feeling this may have again been the case. I do know that Hanamoto-sensei is sometimes called "Professor" and sometimes called "Sensei" though. In my opinion, just use "sensei" throughout, even in honorific form.

Viz again has translator notes, which is a good thing. So kudos to Viz for finally coming to the modern age of manga publishing, even if reluctantly. I would just tell them and their adapters, "It is OK to use all honorifics as the original Japanese had them." ^_^

Negima! Vol 24 (Ch 216) *SPOILERS*

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 24 Chapter 216

Summary: Going back to a few hours before Negi and Asuna are reunited, Kotaro is helping Ako, Akira, and Natsumi bring in groceries. They witness a fight break out, leading Kotaro to explain that this kind of thing is part of the festivities, whether official or not. The Nagi Springfield Cup is the big event, and he's confident he and Negi will win. Natsumi gets flushed by this and chastises Kotaro for trying to be "cool" and overconfident. Ako remarks on what a cute couple Kotaro (in his older form) and Natsumi make. Akira knows the truth of Kotaro's true age though and how the pairing really would look.

Negi arrives, in his Nagi guise, and shows off for Ako, using his magic to make all the bags of groceries float, which impresses Ako. Akira sees this and later rants about the situation in front of Natsumi and Chisame. Akira is very concerned over what might happen with Ako should she learn the truth. Chisame has a solution. Ako confesses to "Nagi" and and he accepts. Then "Nagi" dies because of the wounds received in the tournament. So "Nagi" is dead, but Ako's love lives on. Akira and Natsumi don't find this an acceptable thing at all as it would mess up her whole life.

Ako has some clean laundry and runs into Tosaka, the laundry being knocked to the ground. He's already angry with "Nagi" and takes it out on Ako, demanding she address him as "Tosaka-sama" and not "Tosaka-san." Realizing she had some of "Nagi's" laundry, he rails on her attraction to the rich "Nagi" and her being a worthless slave. Ako stands up to Tosaka, so he goes to punch her, only to be stopped by Mama, who gives him a beating because the slaves are worth a lot of money. Mama talks of Tosaka's past, as he'd been a citizen of Ostia before the islands fell from the sky after the war 20-years ago. He was only five then and made a slave as Mama had been. They earned their freedom eventually, but the tough times they went through made Tosaka have the attitude he has today.

Tosaka goes off to sulk a bit and from the deck above, he sees "Nagi" walk down an ally and disappear behind a stack of crates before emerging as Negi (with the same, hole-pierced robe). Tosaka is amazed at the transformation magic "Nagi" has performed, wondering why "Nagi" would need to become a kid. He feels he's seen this kid before, then remembers the wanted poster with Negi's picture on it.

Back to the present, Negi is glad to have run into Asuna. Before he can return to Nagi form, Ako finds him and is happy to see her teacher made it to Ostia as well. She wonders if Makie and Yuuna are with him, so he tells her he thinks they'll be arriving soon. Ako and Negi talk, where she confesses she's amazed that Negi and Nagi come from such a place. Negi states it is his first visit to the Magic World. The conversation switches to Nagi with Ako telling Negi her feelings for Nagi.

Thoughts: Akamatsu-sensei is a pretty good writer, but he's had to do something that just rings false with me. I know Akamatsu-sensei came up with a supposed excuse (he can get around better as the wanted criminal Negi rather than the celebrity Nagi), but I'm thinking, "bounty hunters." It just smacked of a convenient way for Tosaka to turn in Negi and company and then have a moment later where he realizes too late his mistake and dies for it. *_*

Ako. I say the scar will come up before this Magic World arc is over. She was the only one to become ill after arriving on the Magic World. Also, we learn that her health is still not good. Who knows what will happen if she learns the truth of Negi-Nagi. Akamatsu-sensei is known to have so many of the girls with magical connections, and Ako might be the same. Regardless, while it seems that Akamatsu-sensei may be bringing the whole Ako-"Nagi" love-thing to a head, it is very possible that this gets dropped for a while. We'll see what happens.

Starship Troopers 06 (finale)

Uchu no Senshi Ep. 06 (OVA)
宇宙の戦士 Episode 06 (Anime)

SPOILER Summary: After Johnnie attends a briefing on the destruction of the Saratoga (where there's also a rumor of an escape pod having been launched from the ship), he goes to exercise and think of Carmencita. Afterward, Azuma talks with him, where Johnnie wonders aloud where people go when they die. The Rodger Young arrives at the Klendathu System and it is time for the troopers to deploy. Azuma is scared and so brings his music with him, even though he's not supposed to. After the pods are dropped (each containing a single battle suit), the aliens on the ground begin attacking with plasma, destroying many of the incoming armored suits.

Sgt. Dan has his troops attack. As they move forward, they discover the "base" of the aliens, which is a mass swarm of the creatures, almost merged together into a single mass. Sgt. Dan heads down to attack it, telling his new recuirts to stay behind, but in the end, they join him. The battle wages and after taking down an aerial alien creature, Azuma starts to wonder about the morality of killing these living things. However, the alien puts an end to Azuma when it self-destruct, killing him and injuring Johnnie. Johnnie is about to give up, but then finds the courage to live. As such, he's able to rescue Sgt. Dan from the clutches of the alien mass and the troopers attack with everything they have.

Sometime later, Johnnie is at a crowded military hospital, having been treated for wounds received in combat. A nurse comes through looking for him and upon finding him, tells him to report to the observation lounge. Reluctantly, he takes a crutch and makes his way there. Upon arriving, he's stunned to see a bandaged Carmencita there waiting for him. Johnnie makes it there as best and as fast as he can and has to be caught by Carmencita when he stumbles. Taking her hand, Johnnie decides to tell her what he's longed to tell her. As she waits with tears in her eyes for him to say the magic words, he starts to say...

Thoughts: So, Carmencita survived. Well, I guess there had to be some sort happy ending, eh? The fact that the episode just cut off without Johnnie actually getting to tell Carmencita his feeling for her (or rather, cutting off as he was starting to tell her) was annoying as all get out.

Now that the series is over, I can say that it was OK, but it also sucked. After six episodes, what did we get? Sadly, quite a few deaths and not much else. I'm not sure if Pat, Smith, Cherenkov, or Sgt. Dan survived the attack because things just end. There's no real point to the series beyond maybe saying that being in the military, especially during a time of war, sucks.

In the end, this series is really disappointing. I'll be giving it a "watch" on my CAR review ( pretty low rating).

Gunsmith Cats 03 (finale)

ガンスミス キャッツ Ep. 03 (OVA)

SPOILER Summary: Rally, May, and Becky are being questions (and chastised) by the Chicago police for their actions in the shootout with the Russian assassin and the ultimate crash of her vehicle. However, (Detective?) Roy and Officer Kate know the girls well, hey provide some intel given to them by the ATF. Rally and May are stunned to see the Russian chick in the file. Her name is Natasha Radinov, a former Soviet Special Forces operative and she's apparently still alive. Indeed, when the trio leave the police station, they find Rally's car has been stabbed, a calling card of Natasha.

As Natasha rages in a home, cutting her hair with a knife, Rally and May discuss the invitation to an event by Senator Haints to give them an award for thwarting a gun smuggler. Rally isn't to thrilled about it but May is. They are visited by Agent Bill, who's desperate for their help. Rally won't let him in and indeed, officers assigned to watch Rally and May's home send Bill packing. Bill returns to his office that evening and is met by fellow agent Cathy, who provides him with evidence that their boss George Black is the mole and has re-opened the safe house where Washington was killed.

George arrives at the safe house and pleads to have Natasha take him with her, offering her money. When he learns she's on the phone taking orders from a 3rd party, he knows his life is over, despite his pleads. Sure enough, Natasha kills him. Later, Bill arrives with Agent Jody (male) at the safe house where they discover George's body, which has been booby trapped. Jody uses the phone to call the last place called and discovers it is to Senator Haints' office. Bill remembers that Rally and May are going to a VIP event and knows their life is in danger. He races out the door as Jody hangs up the phone, setting off a massive bomb that knocks Bill out.

It is time for the event, but it is a rainy day and the senator is delayed in arriving. Thus, Rally and May wait in a large tent with Officer Roy and Becky. When Senator Haints finally arrives to give May and Rally their award, Natasha moves through the crowd to kill them. Before she can shoot, the wounded Agent Bill arrives and yells out a warning. Natasha shoots at the stage with her sub-machine gun, including at Senator Haints before leaving the scene. As Roy and Becky aid Bill, May tests some communications equipment with Rally before they set off in pursuit to a nearby museum.

Rally and May then split up with Rally finally catching Natasha on the roof of the building. However, Natasha sets off a bomb which takes out a water tower and sends May down a few levels on some scaffolding outside. Rally gets stabbed with Natasha's knife and is wounded. However, Rally has a surprise ready for Natasha and sends a flash grenade up, allowing her and Rally to escape. Now Natasha begins to hunt them and finds that May has set up a number of booby traps. Natasha clears on hallway by sending a fire extinguisher down to set off the bombs. Natasha tracks the two to a woman's bathroom, but before she can shoot, a bomb May has set up goes off, knocking Natasha back.

Meanwhile, Senator Haints is treated for his minor injuries. He's angry that Natasha took a shot at him and wants to break off relations with her. As he discusses this with an aide, the two enter a conference room where they see Natasha from the back. Haints wants his heroin back, then tries to play down his remarks. Seeing a gun on the table, he decides to shoot Natasha. Unfortunately, the gun had been emptied and "Natasha" was in fact Officer Kate in disguise, holding a microphone. Becky steps out with a video camera and the whole thing has been shown on the large screen outside, leading the press to rush in to try to get more of the story. Roy arrives with a contingent of police and places the senator under arrest.

Outside, Rally and May are escorted out of the building by EMT persons while Natasha is placed into an ambulance. As Rally and May talk, Natasha goes nuts and busts out of the back of the ambulance, intent on killing Rally. However, shots from a wounded Bill (aided by Cathy) along with shots from a wounded Rally insure that Natasha is finally dead. Rally manages to stand up under her own power, knowing that this is what one has to do in order to survive in Chicago.

Thoughts: While I enjoyed this episode, sadly, it is the weakest of the three. Basically, this is because it follows the standard action-comedy cop movie format of the 90's combined with a need to suddenly wrap everything up. That doesn't mean I wasn't entertained, but it does mean that things were pretty predictable once the Russian assassin was revealed to be alive. Having the ATF chief and the senator be villains is all part of that mold. That was a bit of a disappointment, but as I said, I was entertained.

May continues to be a highlight of the series with her love of explosives. I liked how this episode started with the girls having to deal with the consequences of their actions in the previous episode.

It is a shame there were no more episodes created. Granted, a TV series wouldn't have looked as good as this OVA did, but a few more OVA episodes (providing they were done with the same quality) would have been nice.

Negima! Vol 24 (Ch 215) *SPOILERS*

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 24 Chapter 215

Summary: Negi asks Asuna if she's been having weird dreams or visions. She confesses she has, dreaming of a younger Takahata-sensei, Nagi, Al, and others. She wonders if this makes her weird, but then challenges Negi on how he knows about this. He covers by saying it is a disease going around and that he has medicine for her condition. She takes it, but then challenges him on whether he's holding out on her. Fortunately for Negi, Jack arrives. He remarks on how big she's gotten and pokes a finger at one of her breasts, leading Asuna to punch him in the face very hard.

At a restaurant, Jack is introduced to Konoka, Setsuna, and Kaede. Immediately, Setsuna and Kaede exit the booth and take a knee to "Rakan-dono," knowing his reputation and power. He waves off their formality. Konoka realizes that a friend of Nagi's must mean Jack is a friend of her father's as well. He compliments her, saying he's amazed her father was able to produce such a beautiful girl. Kaede and Setsuna discuss how Jack is different from Al or Eishun (Konoka's father), but Asuna just calls him a pervert. Setsuna figures that with Jack on their side, things look pretty good. However, Jack states he's not fighting for them as people need to stand on their own. For 5-million, he'll help though.

With that established, Negi lays out their three objectives. First, free Ako and the others. To do that, Negi and Kotaro will fight in the tournament and win the money needed to free them. Second is to get the group back together. Chachamaru, Asakura, and Sayo (unmentioned) are attempting to find their missing people. Third is to find the surviving gate to get them back to Earth. To accomplish this, he assigns Setsuna and Kaede to search the monster-filled remains of the floating islands that have fallen from the sky during the war. They are honored that Negi would trust them with such a task. Negi tells Asuna and Konoka they can't go because there are greater dangers than monsters. Setsuna realizes he's refering to Fate. Jack figures they will encounter Fate again and that he's likely a surviving enemy that Ala Rubra fought during the war. While Jack didn't pay attention to the details, he seems to think that their enemies wanted to destroy the world.

On a large rock above the clouds, Fate and Tsukuyomi observe New Ostia and talk of the forthcoming Festival of Peace. Fate notices something and forces Tsukuyomi to hide as a giant, flying submarine from another nation (Ariadne) emerges from the clouds briefly before disappearing in them again. Tsukuyomi wonders if they should be here, leading Fate to point out that there are ships from many nations here undercover. The Festival of Peace is one in name only. Thanks to their presence, it makes Fate and companies ability to move near New Ostia easier. Tsukuyomi ponders what Fate's true objective is. He seems a little surprised by the question and says it is to save the world. He receives a telepathic signal produces five (pactio?) cards. Five girls, Shirabe, Homura, Shiori, Koyomi, and Tamaki teleport in and take a knee to "Fate-sama."

Thoughts: OK, just what has Negi learned about Asuna? Maybe he took a loan with Jack or something. *lol* Regardless, why did Negi feel the need to suppress Asuna's memories (or rather, reinforce what was there) and make a cover story for what Asuna is going through? The only thing I can think of is that Asuna might be a danger to everyone. I think back to the Mahora Festival where Al triggered a memory of Gateau by Asuna, leading her to go berserk and attempt to kill Setsuna. I suppose Asuna could do the same again, so better to keep her under control. That might also explain why Negi wants to keep her close.

So, Fate appears to have scored himself some pactio's. Figures. After all, Akamatsu-sensei has been building and building on the side of Negi by increasing potential allies, but now Fate is given some more folks to fight with him. Their uniforms suggest a school, so they may be part of the honor guard that Yue and company will be part of.

I wonder why Paru and Anya have been avoided by Akamatsu-sensei. I can almost see Paru getting caught up in some nefarious thing or other. For Anya, I think of the Negima!? anime where Anya's character is a problem for Negi due to her jealousy.

Starship Troopers 05

Uchu no Senshi Ep. 05 (OVA)
宇宙の戦士 Episode 05 (Anime)

SPOILER Summary: It has been eighteen months since Johnnie and his comrades entered military training and now they are part of the 20% who made it through and are graduating. Sgt. Zim giving them one last piece of advice as a way of saying goodbye. Johnnie heads to Earth to visit his father and pay his respects at his mother's grave site. He then joins with Smith to visit Greg's girlfriend Laura, as it has been six months since he died. However, when they arrive at the local church, they discover activity. Johnnie wonders if the people are having a six-month service for Greg. However, it turns out that it is a wedding and Laura has just gotten married. Smith is very angry about this but Johnnie restrains him and they head off.

Sometime later at night, the car they are in limps into the parking lot of a diner and gives out. Smith orders food and beer for the two of them and after they are served, a gang of thugs enters the establishment and causes trouble, including bothering the waitress. Smith is ready to kick some arse, but Johnnie restrains him until the thugs start breaking glasses and causing more trouble. Johnnie and Smith stand up to the thugs and lead them outside, where a fight ensues and the two beat the entire gang. The local sheriff arrives with his deputy. He decides to let the two soldiers go, sending them walking to the nearby Park City where they can catch a bus to their final destination in New California. Smith isn't happy about this, but a couple of beers helps the walk go by faster.

Johnnie, Smith, Pat, and Azuma reunite as members of Company K, 3rd Regiments, 1st Mobile Infantry Division, also known as Willie's Wildcats. They are sent to a space station where they will be assigned to the ship Rodger Young, which will take them to battle. Here, they meet Sgt. Dan, their platoon sergeant. They learn that they are not to interfere with the navy personnel (the navy being the elite and the army being the scum). They also learn that their battle mechanized suits are referred to as "coffins" and that they apparently have to maintain their own suits. They also meet their fellow trooper, a big, bearded man named Cherenkov, steps on Azuma's o-fuda (Japanese charm) after Azuma accidentally dropped it. Smith wants to start a fight, but Johnnie stops him after Cherenkov picks it up, brushes it off, and gives it back to Azuma. The four get to like Cherenkov after he uses a navy cadet toilet, making a female naval officer all angry.

Sometime later, after Johnnie has briefly seen and spoken to Carmencita, his platoon marches past Carmencita and some other navy officers where she passes him a note. The five army guys head to a bar on the station sometime after this. Johnnie finds an excuse to take off to read Carmencita's letter. He reads it and finds that Carmencita still likes him and she even apologizes for behaving to harshly when they met on the moon. She mentions she is deploying to the training ship Saratoga on the following day, so they won't get to see each other. However, she encloses a picture of herself in a swimsuit from their civilian days. Johnnie is very happy about this, and returns to the bar to discover Pat has been insulting the navy patrons. Naturally a fight breaks out.

When the group deploys to the Rodger Young, the navy guys that they fought with see them off, each side now respecting the other and both saying that they will be buying drinks for the other when the Rodger Young returns. As the five get settled in their berths, Pat notices Johnnie is trying to hide Carmencita's picture from him. However, before he can get it from Johnnie, the ships captain reports that the Saratoga had been attacked and destroyed. Remembering that Carmencita had just transfered there, Johnnie drops her picture in stunned silence.

Thoughts: Smith's single earing made me laugh, simply because that was the thing to do in the 80's. Whatever. *lol*

Nice to see that in the future, Budweiser beer will still be around. YEEE!HAAAH!

The character designs are just as ugly as ever. Sheeze. I'm not sure that even in the 80's, I would have found Carmencita's look appealing (I doubt it since I didn't even consider Kei's look appealing from Dirty Pair back then).

Speaking of Carmencita, I was stunned that she's apparently dead. Well, just when Johnnie scored a picture of her from her civilian days in a swimsuit, she's gone. I suppose that was the theme of the episode -- things don't stay the same. Even Greg's girlfriend got married 6-months after his death when Johnnie and Smith were expecting her to still be mourning. Johnnie's father is dealing with the loss of Johnnie's mother. Heck, even Johnnie and company graduating from training and moving to the real military. Things change constantly, and often in unexpected ways.

Speaking of unexpected, Cherenkov's being the first to fall in the fight with the navy guys caught me off guard and made me laugh. To be honest, I should have seen that coming, but I didn't.

With only one more episode to go, I'm stunned at the lack of action in this series. The character stuff hasn't been that strong to me, so I ask myself what the writers are trying to accomplish here. I don't have an answer.

Negima! Vol 24 (Ch 214) *SPOILERS*

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 24 Chapter 214

Summary: Asuna, Setsuna, Konoka, and Kaede are being taken to Ostia via a flying ship (looking like something that would sail the seas) who's dolphin captain knows their wanted status but is helping them just the same. After the captain gives them some information on Ostia and the forthcoming celebration, he wishes them well and they are on their way (in disguise as animal humanoids). They see an ad for fight tournament, featuring Negi and Kotaro in young adult form. Konoka wants to find Negi right away, but that's out of the cards since they have to be careful, considering all the bounty hunters they've had to dispatch. Asuna takes charge and dispatches the other three girls to scout out the area, looking for potential escape routes and the like, leading Konoka to chuckle that Asuna is acting like a proper outlaw and Kaede to reflect on how reliable Asuna as become.

As Asuna explores the city, she has the feeling she's been here before and remembers the dreams she's been having. She arrives at a remote platform at the end of the floating island and knows she's been there before. She reminds herself that this can't be, but she then hears a voice and looking, it is Nagi telling the child Asuna to come to him as the view is much better there. The vision fades as Asuna approaches and she sees Negi instead. After determining Negi is not an illusion, Asuna embraces him deeply twice, happy he's alive. They do some catching up with Asuna noticing Negi having grown taller and become more mature. Negi reveals he's been able to learn some stuff about his father but the tales can wait. At the moment, he wants to know if Asuna has been having dreams or visions.

Thoughts: The girls aren't wearing much of a disguise, but I like the outfits Setsuna and Kaede wear. They could either be some high-class security folks (I think of Cardcaptor Sakura and Tomoyo-chan's security ladies) or even yakuza. ^_^

Asuna's past has been one of the most intriguing parts of the series for me. While I'm interested in Negi's past (and whether he is Nagi in disguise or not), Asuna's just seems more interesting to me. It really is a shame that Peter David downplayed Asuna's skills in the early Del Rey manga (and indeed, he downplayed Nagi as well) because from the start, Akamatsu-sensei has said that Asuna was special. I'm hoping we get more than just some teasing.

I loved the reunion of Negi and Asuna. They've been apart for a long time and since Asuna is Negi's first partner, it is great seeing them back together again.

I've started hearing rumors that Akamatsu-sensei may be close to wrapping things up. I don't get that feeling yet, but I have another couple of chapters to read (as of this posting) so we'll see.

Gunsmith Cats 02

ガンスミス キャッツ Ep. 02 (OVA)

SPOILER Summary: A security guard notices activity that shouldn't be at the dock and is "shot" (projectile knife) by a butch Russian woman as a shipment of illegal weapons is unloaded. Over in Chicago, Rally and May are visiting a worried Washington in an ATF safehouse in Chicago. He asks the ATF agents to leave the room and then disables their listening device. He tries to convince Rally and May that his life is in danger and that the ATF can't be trusted. They aren't buying it, so before the ATF agents force their way back into the room, he gives a Rolex and an address with phone number to May to give the watch to his daughter.

After the pair have left, the agents tasked with guarding Washington (who's going to turn State's evidence) watch a news spot showing their boss with state senator Edward Haints, who's going to run for mayor of Chicago. They've been working on putting out illegal drugs and guns. About that time, the Russian chick arrives and cards into the safe house, registering as agent Bill Collins. She takes out all of the ATF agents before making to Washington and killing him. Bill's boss, Mr. Black, takes him off the case because of this. The Russian chick returns to the place where she is staying and receives a new target, this time May and Rally. The price the Russian chick is charging is a case of heroine, which will be sold in Russia.

Rally and May make their way to the address left to them by Washington. However, it turns out to be a false address and the Rolex is a fake. They return home, joined by Becky, and discuss the matter. When May notices their home is bugged, they carry on a fake conversation while Becky brings a pizza out to the ATF truck outside where Bill has been listening in. Rally is not happy with this and wants the license Bill promised her. When the truck takes off, May was underneath and set up a small bomb, which goes off a short time later, disabling the truck. With that, May, Rally, and Becky head to the Gunsmith Cats shop where Becky figures out what Washington passed to May. It is a porno site, which is used as cover for a ledger to track illegal gun and drug shipments. One is arriving that very night. Little do they know that Bill has tapped their computer and now has the same information.

Arriving at the warehouse where the deal is to be done, Becky remains in the car while Rally and May go in, confirming the shipment. They are busted, but the two are prepared and after donning shades, May drops a flash grenade, allowing Rally to take out some thugs. She's targeted by the Russian assassin but is saved when Bill shoots at the Russian chick. She gets away but then takes May hostage and escapes in a car. Rally is after them in her car along with Becky. May sees Rally is in pursuit and so launches her own plan. As Rally and the Russian chick race and exchange gunfire, May has planted a bomb using plastic explosives. When the Russian tries to kill her with the knife, May sets off the bomb, which blows out the back window allowing her to escape. She lands on Rally's car and is grabbed by Becky. As the Russian chick's car flies off a drawbridge and explodes thanks to a second bomb left by May.


Thoughts: Thus far, I've been pleasantly surprised by this little series. For starters, it is amazing what good animation will do for one's enjoyment of an anime (it's not the only thing mind you). Normally, the average stuff we see is good enough, but then we get good animated stuff like this series and it is a real treat.

As to the story, I am interested in what is going on here. However, if there is a spy within ATF, they aren't very good. Actually, I should say, "Why kill so many ATF agents as part of whatever scheme is going on?" Since this episode introduced a political element, I suppose the politician could be behind things (assuming there is a mole in ATF) to get elected. We'll see what happens though.

While May and Rally are a good pair, I have to say that May is my favorite of the two. I couldn't help but chuckle at her after she was kidnapped. The evil grin she gave let me know that fun times were ahead, and indeed they were. There's no way some Russian chick is going to get the best of her. Doom on the Russian chick for not checking May for bomb-making materials.

Keroro Gunsou 49

ケロロ軍曹 Episode 49
(Sgt. Frog 49)

SPOILER Summary: Natsumi rushes home one rainy afternoon to get the laundry in, only to discover that Kururu has already done it, freaking Natsumi out. Fuyuki is looking for a certain book but can't find it. However, Kururu shows up with it, having rescued it from Natsumi who was going to throw it out. This freaks Fuyuki out. Meanwhile, after Keroro and Giroro get into a fight over the lack of progress on the invasion, they discover that Natsumi and Fuyuki treat Kururu with a great deal of respect and even give him gifts. When asked, Kururu simply states that he did something he wouldn't normally do. Tamama tries this at Nishizawa's place by cleaning his room instead of the maids and receives a reward of candy. Keroro tries to do all sorts of things he wouldn't normally do (including almost destroying the Earth by accident) and receives nothing. However, he eventually discovers that Kururu's kindness came with a price (Fuyuki's book had an important page removed and Natsumi's clothing became all weird), leading the kindness of Fuyuki and Natsumi to turn into wrath as Kururu gets a beating. Later, Giroro tries to impress Natsumi by doing something different, namely dressing in a tux with a wig, asking her to tea. She refuses.

It is White Day in Japan and Fuyuki has given Nishizawa a bag of cookies, which she has placed in a display case and is dreamy about. Paul decides it is time to move things to the next phase where Fuyuki confesses his love to Nishizawa. She's not sure, but Paul has the latest super computer hooked to a simulator that has all the data plugged in, thus insuring success. Nishizawa goes into the simulator and the first simulation has some thugs come up against herself and Fuyuki. Paul envisioned Fuyuki battling the thugs, but he runs off with Nishizawa in tow. Paul is embarrassed, but Nishizawa states that this was the right thing to do.

So, Paul decides to go the alien route, arranging for an actor to play an alien where Fuyuki will run away and hide in a manhole, thereby confessing to Nishizawa. Rerunning the simulation, Fuyuki is excited to see the alien, but is prudent and runs away as predicted. However, Keroro is in front of a shop and ruins things. Paul orders a Gunpla factory purchased to ensure that Keroro is occupied with model making. The simulation reruns, but Tamama shows up and ruins things. Paul orders special candy to be given to Tamama to insure he doesn't interfere. Paul runs the simulation many times, each time being forced to order something to ensure people don't interfere with the plan (including purchasing buildings to make sure Fuyuki can't run down a back alley). Once the simulation is perfected, they try it out in reality. Things go according to plan until Fuyuki and Nishizawa enter the manhole. There, before Fuyuki can confess, Kogoro races through the water in the sewer on a tricycle. Sadly, Paul did not know about him and thus had no data, meaning the plan failed.

Thoughts: The first story is a slightly modified manga story which I've always found amusing. The anime version was no less amusing and in fact, may be a bit more amusing because I can hear Kururu's "KU!Ku!ku!ku!" laugh. *lol* Actually, next time I read the Sgt. Frog manga from TokyoPop, I'm going to try to remember to think of Kururu's laugh whenever it appears on the page.

The second story was new to me, but was one that made me laugh a few times. I get into that "if you fail once, try, try again" humor because there will be lots of failures and restarts to get it right. It may be weird, but that's me. Every time Paul had to make another purchase and teh simulation started over, I just laughed and waited for the next failure point.

So, all in all, this was a pretty good episode.

Dirty Pair OVA 03

ダーティペア OVA Episode 03

SPOILER Summary: Yuri and Kei are dispatched to a planet which has been settled by a very religious group of people (the Tarmians). As such, Yuri and Kei are dressed in local attire, which annoys Kei. However, they have a mission as 300 people employed by the Jason-Hughes company have been killed. There's no taxi or rental car place to get them to the city of New Heaven, so when a young farmer in a truck (carrying a cow) offers to give them a lift, they accept. However, when the man hears they want to go to New Heaven, he backs away, forcing Yuri play the part of a relative of one of the deceased. Hearing this, the man relents and they are off.

During the trip, the man talks with Kei and Yuri about their current god. However, when the man expresses doubts, the radio changes from country music to "god" speaking about not doubting him. The man's body twists up and he is killed in a bloody manner. The supposed deity gives a death sentence to Yuri and Kei and the truck they are in goes off a cliff, forcing Yuri to save them both by securing a line to the guardrail above. The two make it on foot to New Heaven with Kei complaining about her hunger. However, when they arrive at the remains of the town, the sheer destruction reveals why no one survived.

As they investigate further, they hear chanting. Yuri and Kei observe Tarmians in environmental suits performing a ceremony with a prisoner who's doomed to die. Before he can be slain, Yuri and Kei rescue him which leads to a confrontation with the Tarmians. The leader of the group offers a prayer and begins slicing what remains of buildings with apparently nothing but thin air. When the man attacks Yuri, she takes a metal pipe and swings at the air nearby, causing glass to shatter. With that, she's able to shoot the man in the head. He survives but offers a prayer and a massive lightning strike kills him.

Kei and Yuri return to the man they rescued. Yuri reveals that their attacker had been wielding a clear ion-knife. Further, she reveals that memory alloy had been implanted in the rescued man (and apparently the young farmer from earlier) which would cause the body to twist on command, leading to serious injury and death, which happens to the rescued man (who was one of the Jason-Hughes people). Yuri and Kei find a group of Tarmians heading to the Bearl Shrine. Using the old technique of taking out two cultist from the end of the procession, Yuri and Kei don their suits and enter the shrine.

Inside, the duo find that the shrine is in fact a space craft as it lifts off and docks with an orbital platform. Inside, the cultist meet with their god, who detects Kei and Yuri's presence. The two girls, now in their normal uniforms, are seen to be naked whores. They attack the place where the so-called god is and discover it to be a large robot. It snares them, but they know its tricks based in science and are able to escape, causing the robot damage in the process. As it pursues them through the space station, we learn that the "god" had been a human before transporting his brain into the robot. Kei and Yuri flee and end up in a room of power generators. They begin taking out the source of the robot's power until they are able to destroy it. Mughi comes by in Lovely Angle to rescue Yuri and Kei as the station is destroyed. However, the destruction of the station and shrine-ship causes the weather satellites to stop working, which means that the weather on the planet will now become very destructive.

Thoughts: While ultimately more Dirty Pair fare, this episode had more of a legitimate mystery feel to it. In the end, it was more like Scooby Doo, only with a Dirty Pair finale (the destruction of the orbital station which lead to the disabling of the weather satellites).

So, just how does one actually wield a clear ion-knife when you can't see it and it can cut through anything?

I noticed that there's been no Namo thus far in the OVA series and little Mughi. Then again, I don't know if Namo survived the TV series.

Still, I did enjoy this for what it was worth.

Negima! Vol 23 (Ch 213) *SPOILERS*

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 23 Chapter 213

Summary: Emily and Beatrice are stunned that Yue has a pactio card. Yue states they have to defeat the griffin, which Emily, Beatrice, and Collet think is impossible. Yue disagrees, her artifact revealing that they won't be able to escape the griffin and their only option is to fight. Yue feels confident that together, they can do this. The griffin attacks and Yue saves Emily again. Yue sends Collet and Beatrice out to be bait while she and Emily race to get ahead of them and have the griffin come to them. They agree, but Emily isn't happy about using classmates as bate. Yue explains her reasoning, citing the griffin's natural wind barrier defense and how it was also using the trees as defense. Without the trees, they have a chance providing they work together.

Yue and Emily race ahead with Emily challenging Yue on her supposed memory loss. Yue says she still has no memories, but somehow knew how to use the pactio card. Emily accepts this for now as they set up for the arrival of Collet, Beatrice, and the griffin. Yue is on a tree limb and attracts the attention of the beast, who then attacks her. Yue knows she can deflect the attack and orders Emily to attack with a rain of ice spears (large shards). Emily isn't thrilled to be ordered by Yue, but does as she's asked. The griffin shifts its wind barrier to deflect the incoming attack while Yue maneuvers through the falling ice and manages to stab it with a dagger in the horn. She then hits it with a lightning bolt, which knocks the horn out, knocking out the beast.

Yue has a few injuries from being hit by some ice spears and is helped by Collet as Beatrice advises them that they should leave immediately before the griffin awakens. Emily ponders the entire sequence of events, marveling at how far Yue has come. Collet laments losing the race, but Yue smiles, saying she's glad they survived an attack by a griffin. The foursome fly back to school and are amazed at the thunderous reception they receive. They realize that their actions had been watched and the headmaster rewards them for their actions. The girls begin praising Emily, but she tells them all that it was Yue who defeated the dragon and as such, should be the one to be in the honor guard. The headmaster says that all four girls will be going since it was a team effort. Now Yue can hopefully get the answers she seeks.

Meanwhile just outside Ostia, Konoka, Setsuna, Kaede, and Asuna arrive to overlook the surviving floating islands with Asuna having a look as if she almost recognized the place.

Thoughts: Ho!ho! Yue kicking some major bottom, y'all. Prior to this, Yue's artifact had merely been a reference source. However, now we see just how incredible it can be in the heat of battle. With it, she was able to direct the battle and deliver the final blow to the Griffin. There's no doubt of her adding to the battle harem's overall scheme of things as well as adding some additional firepower.

I guess the pactio didn't restore Yue's memories as I had thought it might. Still, I wonder what it will take to get her memory back.

Still, I loved the chapter. Since all four girls will be going to Ostia, I would suspect they'll be involved in the ultimate fight with Fate.

Now, about Asuna...I wonder if her memories will be restored due to coming to Ostia. It seems as if Akamatsu-sensei is planning to do this based on how Asuna has so massively improved since their arrival on the Magic World.

Gunsmith Cats 01

ガンスミス キャッツ Ep. 01 (OVA)

SPOILER Summary: Minnie May Hopkins and Rally Vincent work their part-time job as bounty hunters to bust one Jonathan Washington, who's supposedly wanted on drug charges. At their main job, where they run a gun shop called Gunsmith Cats, they are paid a visit from ATF Agent Bill Collins, who attempts to blackmail them into helping the ATF on a case, using their lack of a proper license to sell the weapons they sell plus the taxes they owe as leverage. He reveals that Washington is actually a gun smuggler and he wants them to arrange to make a buy. Being bounty hunters, it is apparently believed that Washington will still sell to the women who busted him, especially if it means paying his bail.

That night, Rally and May's home is burgled by a group of guys who've been tipped off to a large weapons store. Rally is excited to get to deal with this and grabs her 9mm. She has to restrain May, who's come out with an arm full of various grenades, even if they won't destroy the house. As the burglers excitedly begin to gather Rally and May's extensive cache of weapons and explosives, Rally shoots two of the three guys. The third tries to escape but walks into a tripwire set by May, which results in a large number of grenades dropping and knocking the man out. Agent Collins arrives, having staked out their home, leading Rally and May to realize this was a setup. Now they have no choice but to go along with Bill's scheme and work for him.

Rally pays Washington a visit in prison and agrees to pay his bail as a down payment on the weapons purchase. After he gets out of jail, she, May, and a woman named Becky head over to the warehouse to meet Washington. Rally has May bound to keep her from going bomb-happy and charges Becky with babysitting May. Rally is let into the warehouse and has to give up her weapons to Washington's men before meeting Washington. He has a surprise for her when she meets him -- a bound and beaten Bill. Rally states that Bill had blackmailed her to make the weapons purchase and so Washington wants her to kill Bill. He hands her a gun, but based only on the weight, she knows it isn't loaded. Washington gives her a bullet and she takes a shot, which cuts the ropes that have Bill bound.

Taking advantage of the surprise, Rally and Bill knock out some thugs and grab some weapons. A fire fight ensues with the two separated and pinned down. Rally ends up losing her shirt when a thug working a crane snags her by her shirt. Meanwhile outside, May has freed herself and finds a way into the warehouse with her explosives. While Rally and Bill have managed to overcome most of the thugs, a single one remains and finds himself on the receiving end of May's grenades. Amazingly, no one is killed from the fight and so all of the thugs are taken to the hospital before going to prison. Bill decides that May and Rally need to help him further. Realizing he's not joking, the two young women beat a hasty retreat.

Thoughts: I'm not sure where I first heard of this 3-episode OVA, but after seeing the "Life's Gonna Suck" AMV, I decided that I really should take the time to watch the series. That time is now.

The series looks good even though it is over 12-years old. The art and animation will likely score very highly when I do my CAR review. Too bad most modern OVA's with their CGI graphics can't even compare.

I was impressed with how the writers worked to make this feel like it was set in America rather than some Japanese impression of America as happened in You're Under Arrest in America. I read that the production team did indeed visit Chicago a few times. If true, it was time and money well spent IMO.

Story-wise, there's nothing that special in the first episode and yet I was very much entertained. I liked May and Rally, being pleasantly surprised that the blonde May isn't an airhead. May is a hoot with her overkill on grenades. I think what made if funnier is that we get to see a whole lot of custom-colored grenades dropped, yet when we pull out of the house or building, the unexpected happens and that was funny to me.

The puzzle for me was Becky. I was never quite sure who she was based on the first episode.

I'm looking forward to watching more of this. Being a short series, it will be easy to knock off the backlog list. ^_^

Keroro Gunsou 48

ケロロ軍曹 Episode 48
(Sgt. Frog 48)

SPOILER Summary: Fuyuki is experiencing the spring blues but is cheered from a hug from his mom (Aki-san). Keroro hatches a plan to capture this negative energy and thus be able to take over Earth by making everyone lethargic. After capturing the energy, they test it on Kogoro (556). At first, they don't find anything different about him. However, Lavie sees that her oniichan is actually lethargic for him, something only she can detect. While the test is a success, the energy, in gas form, overwhelms the platoon. Fuyuki, who's out with Nishizawa when the pink cloud overtakes them, finds Nishizawa has suddenly grown very tired. Dororo comes along, his special training making him immune to the gas, and the two of them head to the Keron base. With Fuyuki suited up, they head inside and find the others suffering from spring lethargy. However, the energy has become a life until itself and even though it breaks Fuyuki's helmet to get the gas inside, he manages to shut the system down, thus returning the life form to its case. Once resolved, it is revealed that Fuyuki, who'd been blue earlier, had recovered after his mom's hug and thus was immune to the gas.

Thoughts: This was mainly a parody of Neon Genesis Evangelion. This was the case in the manga but I was concerned maybe the anime version wouldn't be able to perform the parody. If anything, the anime was able to do more with the monoliths used for communication, to say nothing of the Rei/Lilith thing. The anime also got to play "Ode to Joy" which was like icing on the cake. So if you've seen EVA, I think the episode will be more fun for you than if you haven't seen it.

Negima! Ala Alba OVA (OAD) Trailer

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the subs here. That said, I do look forward to seeing how closely this OVA series follows the manga story. It is sad that so much got skipped (the Mahora Festival) but oh well.



Additional: Apparently, the subs only work directly from YouTube's site. Go figure.

Negima! Vol 23 (Ch 212) *SPOILERS*

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 23 Chapter 212

Summary: The race begins with the "Dunce Duo" of Collet and Yue making surprising progress, forcing the class inchou Emily to actively get involved. Collet and Yue defend against her spell and counter with Collet attacking. However, Emily is prepared and strips Collect with her Exarmatio spell. However, this allowed Yue to get behind Emily and return the favor. Emily and Collet are off to the races again with this being watched by the other students, who speculate on if Yue was just lucky or skilled. Their teacher feels it is the later.

Yue and Collet are leading the pack with Yue sure they will have to face Emily again. Emily tells Beatrice they will be taking a shortcut through the Forest of Monsters. Even though it isn't against the rules, Beatrice wonders if it isn't a little to dangerous considering what lives in the forest. Meanwhile as Yue and Collet fly on the forest's border, Yue wonders about cutting through it. Collet says it is impossible and asks Yue to slow down, wondering when she became so skilled at a broom. Yue confesses to feeling magic flowing through her for a while now. Collet is going to show Yue the (pactio) card she found which had been solid white but is now starting to form an image.

As they fly, Emily and Beatrice emerge from the forest ahead of them, but also emerging from the forest is a very large Griffin Dragon, which Yue nearly crashes into and Emily crashes as a result of being chased by it. The griffin uses its Kamaitachi breath attack but Yue, aided by Beatrice and the pactio card that had been held by Collet, blocks it. Emily is amazed by this but more so to see the pactio card. Yue loses her clothing due to the attack, but activating the pactio card, she is re-clothed with the stored Mahora school uniform therein.

Elsewhere, Yuuna is dreaming that Makie has learned magic and has been able to increase her bust size at the expense of Yuuna's bust size. In the other bed, Makie is using a practice wand and has been able to make a small flame.

Thoughts: Yue FTW! The image above says it all, doesn't it? I've never had anything against Yue, but as a member of the battle harem, she seemed like another person geared to aiding Nodoka with intel in the rear while Asuna, Setsuna, Kaede, Ku Fei, Chachamaru, and Negi (did I miss anyone) did all the actual fighting. With her improving skills and the way she instinctively reacted in this crisis, I dare say Akamatsu-sensei is going to make her a competent fighter when all is said and done. Another fighter cannot be a bad thing and if anything, she can help provide a defense for Nodoka and Konoka in the rear.

Question is, does this mean that Yue has recovered her memories with the activation of the pactio card?

I figure that the flow of magic Yue mentions combined with the pactio card beginning to reveal itself has to be magic from Negi. The boy has a deep, deep well, doesn't he? I still say he's Nagi.

The one-page dedicated to Yuuna and Makie as comic relief provided a "here we are" item for them (showing Makie learning magic...and considering her pactio card was designed years ago, I suppose her making a pactio is in the near future). Nice to see them again, even if it did mean breaking away from Yue.

Toei's U.S. Online Anime Effort

Since Toei is trying to make another inroad to the U.S. anime market, I thought I'd check out the free first episode of Slam Dunk and Fist of the North Star.

For Slam Dunk, the story centering around high school basketball is not going to be my thing. It did make me chuckle at times, but I have no interest in watching the second episode to see what happens. The shocking thing for me was that the subtitles contained all of the Japanese honorifics. That alone is a major plus for me, but to think that the Japanese would be tuned in enough to realize that the American market has shifted to at least accepting these (with people like me expecting them and the numbers of people opposed shrinking by percentages from what I can tell) boggles my mind. It does prove that the Japanese can do smart things.

With Fist of the North Star, I was more interested in seeing this after seeing it parodied in Excel Saga. Having shifted more focus onto some classic titles (Dirty Pair and Starship Troopers being examples), I might consider paying to see more episodes of Fist of the North Star. The limiting factor is the sheer volume of backlog I already have combined with the fact that at present, only the first 15 episodes are out. Since the series had 109 episodes, do I really want to start a series I likely won't see officially finished? I'm not sure.

Still, both episodes prove that decent-quality streaming videos can be done for U.S. markets. I'd like to see more classic anime done this way, but we'll see what happens.

Slam Dunk 01
Fist of the North Star

Additional (6/15): Looks like these are not going to be streaming as I thought (though the first two free episodes are) but DRM-filled downloads. Not interested in DRM filth.

xxxHOLiC Kei 09

xxxHOLiC◆継 Episode 09

SPOILER Summary: Watanuki sees Haruka-san in his dreams again and thoughts shift to Kohane-chan. At school, Kohane-chan comes up in a lunch conversation between Himawari, Doumeki, and Watanuki. With all the negative press and public backlash against the young girl, Watanuki decides to make a bento for her and bring it to her home. Doumeki, for whatever reason, decides to come along which does not please Watanuki. Back at Yuuko-san's place, Watanuki prepares the meal for Kohane-chan. After some teasing, Yuuko-san asks if Himawari-chan is going Kohane-chan's place as well. Learning that she will not go, Yuuko-san remarks on that being a good thing.

When Doumeki and Watanuki arrive at Kohane-chan's place, they find the wall around the yard covered in graffiti slamming the girl and red paint splashed on the house. An injured Kohane lets the two into her home and Watanuki embraces her, apologizing for not coming by sooner. As Watanuki works to set the table, the phone rings and a man's voice repeatedly says "die." Since the voice mailbox is full, the message didn't record. Kohane says she's fine with that, but Watanuki isn't, telling her he cares for her. She's a bit surprised by this, but understands how he feels as she looks at things from Watanuki's point of view.

Kohane-chan's mother arrives home, having finally secured a new TV program for her daughter. She's not happy to see Watanuki and Doumeki in her home, and angry that Kohane-chan is eating tamagoyaki. She slaps the food away from Kohane and in anger, ends up throwing hot tea into Watanuki's face. Doumeki and Kohane take Watanuki to the bathroom for some immediate burn treatment. Kohane tells her mother that her mother can do things to her but not to those she (Kohane) cares about. Back at Yuuko-san's place, Yuuko-san has taken over treatment of Watanuki, stating that the treatment provided to Watanuki on the scene means that he'll have no scars from the burns.

The day of the TV program arrives and Kohane's mother is still uptight and angry about things, especially Kohane's unresponsiveness to her. At the studio, other psychics are not happy to be appearing with Kohane-chan, but when they are given the impression that this is a setup to put down Kohane-chan, they agree to appear. The TV show has a clip of a supposed haunted home. Four of the psychics on the panel claim to see a male ghost there. Kohane-chan is silent, but when prompted, she responds that there is a man and a woman there. The other panelist are irritated by this and more so when Kohane states the woman had been murdered some 21-years before.

Thoughts: As I've said before (and likely will mention again at some point), one of the hardest things for me to do is divorce the original manga story from its anime adaptation. As such, when I see changes from the original manga story, I think, "Why did they do this? It makes no sense other than for the writers' ego so they can leave their mark, as it were." I thought that when Kohane-chan is at the TV program with the other psychics. The way this was presented wasn't so much the problem because that works better for the anime. However, in the manga, the group went to the house as I understand it. They did not sit in a studio and observe things on a TV. By being IN the actual house with the ghost, Kohane-chan was able to see both ghosts and one was apparently behind the announcer. In the anime, just how does she know about the 2nd ghost? Oh well.

Speaking of Kohane-chan, considering the manga only just recently dealt with the issue of her powers and her ultimate wish, I wonder how the anime writers are going to deal with that, since it is related to Tsubasa.

Still, if I can divorce anime and manga, despite a couple of issues, the episode was pretty good. The writers are emphasizing the negative aspects of Himawari-chan and I get the feeling that this is how the series will end with the resolution of her story.

BTW, where was Yuuko-san's payment for services rendered? Other times when Watanuki has been injured in the manga, it has been implied that the cost of this is added to his tab.

Negima!? 23

ネギま!? Episode 23

SPOILER Summary: After seeing how lonely Anya's life had become in London, she enters the Melodiana Magic Academy and takes the Star Crystal so as not to lose to Negi. Back to the present, Anya-Eva turn Takahata-sensei and Nekane to stone. Asuna arrives and Negi manages to pull an Armor Card from her, but Anya-Eva kisses Asuna and she's turned to darkness. Anya-Eva petrifies a couple more students before Setsuna and some other girls finally run away. Negi sends a message to all the girls that Eva is possessed and is trying to petrify them. Some of the girls hide in dumb places (like between vending machines) and get petrified all the same. Things look bad for Negi as he confronts Anya-Eva, but the remaining girls cast a beginner's spell to trap Anya-Eva, the force of their combined magic being enough to do the trick. After Chachamaru defends Negi from an attacking Asuna, Negi kisses Anya-Eva to perform a pactio on her, which releases her from the possession. Chachamaru wants in on the kissing and with her kiss, all of the class have a pactio. All of the petrifications are removed, but when Negi goes to take the Star Crystal, he's pulled within the jewel.

Thoughts: I love how no matter how dire the situation, there's always time for a henshin sequence.

I'm sick of the Makie jokes about not being good enough and then again in the Baka Rangers segment, being cut off. Not funny.

However, the old joke with Motsu's "いいみで" (In a good way) saying still amuses me for some reason, as it did when Anya-Eva turned him and Shichimi into stone.

Motsu: We've been petrified!

Shichimi: We're hit!

Motsu: In a good way.

Beyond that, this episode doesn't do much for me. It works to slowly wrap the weak little plot it has.

Sgt. Frog Manga Volume 15

Sgt. Frog Volume 15 (Keroro Gunsou)

SPOILER Summary: The first story has Keroro inspired by cop shows to enforce minor offenses within the Hinata home, only to end up being busted by the cosmic cops for his own offenses. The second story deals with a laughter plan and funny faces. The third story has Neko get Keroro's star. She takes over the platoon once she's turned into humanoid form. The fourth story has Koyuki-chan attempt to be more "normal" and less ninja-like. The fifth story has Natsumi working out to lose weight but when she agrees to Keroro's workout plan, things don't go as planned. The 6th story has Pururu (a female Keron nurse) pay a visit to her childhood friends while making a field report on them.

The final story, covering two large chapters, has Fuyuki studying Easter Island when Alisa-chan pays him a visit and even gives him a small artifact from the island. This leads to a trip by Keroro and Fuyuki to Easter Island. After a near disastrous arrival (where they are saved by the mermaid whom Fuyuki befriended), they meet a native kid (whether boy or girl is unknown). The island is under attack by a giant alien and it is even too much for Alisa-chan's "father." The platoon arrives and an attack by Dororo shatters the giant alien. Before it can reform, Alisa-chan's father begins consuming it. The native child is in fact one of the giant heads on the island and Fuyuki is seen as a friend of the island while Alisa-chan is seen by some hikers as another legendary island creature.

Thoughts: For some reason, I enjoyed this volume a great deal. I loved having Alisa-chan back. She'd been sorely missed. Giving Koyuki some additional work was nice too, including addressing the issue of her having a different uniform from her fellow classmates. I like how Giroro's brother is still looking after him. I liked Neko returning to human form to have some fun with Natsumi. Basically, there's just a lot of fun here.

Macross Frontier 10

マクロスF Episode 10
Macross F Ep. 10

SPOILER Summary: Ranka is sitting with Nana-chan watching the premiere of a movie (Bird Human) that Ranka is starring in and Ranka is embarrassed by what she sees. Earlier, Ranka and Nana are seeing that Miranda Melin, who won Miss Macross, is the female lead in the Bird Human movie. Ranka's manager Elmo arrives breathless with news -- they want Ranka to have a small part in the Bird Human movie. Ranka calls Alto, expressing her fears over acting. He uses his father's words as advice to her to be natural and not "act." The call is cut short because Sheryl calls for Alto and the S.M.S. people are shooting a promotional with Sheryl. Ranka is a bit depressed because of this.

Ranka is on a yacht with Bobby approaching the island on Macross Frontier that will emulate Mayan Island on Earth for the movie. She's impressed with what she sees and is surprise to find Micheal and Luca there. S.M.S. are lending support to the movie with their Valkyrie. They tell her that Alto isn't there as he's been tasked with another assignment. However, when Sheryl arrives on set, she has Alto in tow to Ranka's disappointment. Sheryl ignores Miranda to speak with Ranka and offer her encouragement.

When the director learns that Alto is on the set, he immediately wants him in the movie, having seen his Kabuki performance as Sakura-hime (Princess Sakura). This comes as a surprise to Ranka. Since Alto does not want to play a female role, Elmo begs for him to reconsider since it will mean more screen time for Ranka. Micheal also fails to convince him to change his mind. Later when she talks with Sheryl and Luca about it, she's depressed to find they know more of Alto's past than she does. As such, she decides to go for a walk on the island. She's up on a cliff and starts singing. Her song is heard by the director, who's out fishing, and he likes what he sees and hears.

After Leon receives a briefing on the mystery fighter, Lean heads to a nearby area where he secretly meets with a mysterious man (who sounds more like a woman). The person has information on the Vajra and the mysterious Valkyrie and when asked about payment, the person tosses a case with a gem in it. Leon won't make any commitments until the information has been verified. The person asks if Leon brought a Hydra from Eden and put it in Macross Frontier. Leon confirms it, seeing nothing wrong with that. The person seems to relate that this is somehow tied to the Vajra when the person remarks that Leon will soon learn how dangerous the Vajra can be.

Ranka finds herself being hunted by said Hydra, which is a large, winged cat creature. Meanwhile, Alto wonders where Ranka is and is pointed to the bluffs. He arrives just as the Hydra begins to attack and he defends her by shooting at the beast. However, he fails to hit it (or do much damage) and soon finds himself disarmed as Ranka begins having memory flashes of the Vajra attack from her childhood. The Hydra attacks but the duo are saved by the mystery "alien-boy." The damage the young man receives reveals him to be a cyborg and he eventually kills the Hydra. Alto asks his name and learns it is Brera Sterne (who later gets in trouble for helping Alto and Ranka).

Alto carries Ranka back to the set. Ranka is thankful he saved her again and he's unable to tell her the whole truth. The director offers her a co-staring role of Mao, the sister of the lead female (played by Miranda). As Ranka thinks about it on the beach (joined by Bobby), we learn that Alto took a job as a stunt man for an underwater scene where he will replace the lead actor. Sheryl reminds Alto that if Ranka takes the job, the scene he's in will be one where he kisses Ranka under the water. He tries to play off this as a kiss is a kiss, but Sheryl kisses him, proving the otherwise. Ranka sees Sheryl kiss Alto and this hits her hard, but makes her determined to take the job.

The day of Ranka's scene with Alto arrives and she understands Mao's motivation (in Macross Zero, Mao is in love with the stranded pilot, but the pilot and Mao's sister have feelings for each other) and so the scene goes off without a hitch. In the present, Ranka finishes watching the movie. After Miranda is brought on stage for audience applause, Ranka is called up. She doesn't go up at first and is surprised at the attention being given her, but Sheryl tells her that it is her time and escorts her up to the stage to thunderous applause. Ranka is now a star.

Thoughts: I've never seen Macross Zero, but I may have to give it a look-see after seeing this episode since the movie being filmed was based on that prequel series to Macross. While one doesn't need to have seen that OVA to enjoy this episode, I think it would help the enjoyment level somewhat.

As to the episode itself, I like how Ranka didn't let herself get all depressed when seeing Sheryl kiss Alto, but decide basically that "I'm not going to lose to this b****!" (Not the words she used of course, but the attitude.) So Alto gets to kiss Sheryl and Ranka in this episode and with that, I'd say our little love-triangle is completely formed now. As a movie star, Ranka now is on equal footing with Sheryl whereas before, she couldn't compete much. The nice thing is that while both girls have feelings for Alto (though Sheryl hasn't admitted it), they are at least friends (even if not close ones). Sheryl dissing the stuck up female star of the movie to speak to Ranka was a nice moment.

Alto's past as a Kabuki actor (playing female parts) keeps cropping up. I'm not sure where the payoff on this is going to be. Clearly, whatever happened made Alto who he is today, but the writers haven't written it as some sort of big, heavy burden on Alto (beyond the occassional "running away" comment since he left Kabuki to become a pilot).

So we learn that mystery dude (Brera Sterne) appears to be a cyborg. Wanna bet that he's Ranka's real oniichan who was killed in the Vajra attack? I think the woman communicating with him was the one who met Leon.

Speaking of which, he still looks like a sleaze. Why the heck would he bring that Hydra onto the ship? I don't suppose it matters now because its dead. The fight with it looked a bit cheesy at times though.

Still, a fun episode.

Shakugan no Shana-tan & Yoshida

Shakugan no Shana-tan & Yoshida -Fumina Konoe Strikes Back-

Who knew that when Shakugan no Shana-tan came out, they'd make this short its own mini franchise. Now we have six Shana-tan titles (five for the two TV series and one for the movie). The first story has Yuuji expressing giddiness over a natural airhead (Konoe) while Shana-tan and Yoshida look on. I think that was the funniest one to me simply because of how Yuuji spoke. Yoshida's seiyuu adopted a different accent and voice octave for this sketch for some reason.

Then Shana-tan and Yoshida are brushing their teeth. Shana-tan, sitting on Yoshida's head, ends up sending mounds of foam down onto Yoshida. Not really funny but mildly amusing with Yoshida's different voice. The next bit featured the costume parade with Shana-tan firing a barrage of melon pan at Yoshida and Yoshida getting all cutesy, twisting Yuuji's words into flattery for her. Yoshida's seiyuu went back to a normal voice save at the end but what made it amusing was Yuuji's seiyuu using a different tone of voice for acting repulsed by Yoshida's remarks. Not funny, but amusing.

The next clip is a bit odd with Hecate and Konoe's meeting parodied. When Hecate finally extracts Konoe's memories, they are all of food and birds (or other flying things), meaning a failed plan. Meh. (I do enjoy seeing Hecate for some reason though). The next element was the parody of Bifrons ready to "fire his canon" (double entendre) . OK, I chucked at the double entendre. ^_^;;; Next, Yoshida ponders whether to sacrifice herself using the hougu Pheles gave her when Shana-tan would remain. An amusing end to that one.

Then we have Yoshida up with Sato using the surface of the Haridan to play solo Twister. It is kind of amusing as she ends up insulting Sato for his taste in women. Next up is the parody of Yoshida's meeting with Ike, where she rejects him. That ended up being amusing in that she has a different accent when she's hoping this won't make her late to meet with Yuuji and her rejection of Ike is also amusing.

Finally, we have a longer segment featuring Sabrac. I was amused when he ended up teaching a class on how he's riding that energy wave during his attack. Then things take a twist as Sabrac rides his energy wave right into a bar where he's served by a very out-of-character Wilhelmina and Margery Daw (one of those establishments where in addition to the drinks, you are paying to have women fawn over you). Hearing Sabrac called "Sabu-chan" just made me giggle for some reason. More double entendre there talking about his .44 Magnum. Having Bel Peol as the "Mama" of the establishment behind the bar (where Shana-tan blissfully eats melon pan) also amused me.

Overall, an amusing outing though only a couple of actual laugh out loud moments for me. I do give kudos to the production staff for having the seiyuu adopt different accents and tones for their characters, which ended up adding to the amusement factor. I'm guessing there will be another one of these to cover the end of Shakugan no Shana Second.

xxxHOLiC Kei 08

xxxHOLiC◆継 Episode 08

SPOILER Summary: Watanuki is grilling Ayu when a girl from his school comes with a wish saying she hears footsteps in her home and things get moved. Her wish is that her home not scare her any more, so Yuuko-san gives her a single bell. Watanuki reports this to Himawari-chan the following day with Doumeki arriving to comment on bells as charms. However that afternoon, the girl returns to Yuuko-san's shop complaining that the bell didn't work. This time, Yuuko-san gives her a charm with two bells on it. This repeats day after day and each time, the girl is angry and frustrated, but Yuuko-san simply gives another charm with an additional bell on it.

One night, Watanuki is visited by Doumeki's grandfather, Doumeki Haruka, in a dream. To avoid confusion, it is agreed that Watanuki will address the man as Haruka-san. Watanuki tells Haruka-san about the girl and the bells so Haruka-san takes them to her home via a dream. They see her sleeping and when she wakes up, she accidentally knocks all the bells onto the floor. She then falls out of bed trying to get them, which leads to footsteps being heard. A man enters the room and tries to turn on the light, but they don't work. The girl is shaking the bells furiously and another frightened woman enters, asking the man if he can hear the bells, which he does. The girl freaks when she sees a chair move (which was done by the man) and freaks again when the man opens the curtains.

Since the couple are going to hire Kohane (via the TV program) to exorcise the ghost, Watanuki discusses this with Himawari-chan the next day. It is then that Watanuki realizes that the girl is the ghost since Himawari-chan never saw her and still doesn't see her even when Watanuki does. He goes to the web to research Kohane-chan's work and discovers people are saying horrible things about Kohane-chan. Watanuki talks with Yuuko-san about the ghost girl and now understands why Yuuko-san didn't ask for payment in advance for the wish to be granted. Yuuko-san remarks on how Watanuki has matured just a bit from this incident and that the girl will be exorcised, thus fulfilling her wish.

Thoughts: I'd have to say that the writers did a decent job with the filler since there wasn't enough manga material to fill an entire episode. These things are often hit-or-miss though. That said, the writers adding an extra accident for Watanuki was interesting as it adds to the mysterious element with Himawari-chan.

The writers simply removed the element that ghosts should not have access to Yuuko-san's shop as it is a crossover effect from Tsubasa. Actually, I think that Moro and Maru are sleeping by this point in the manga (not being home, I don't have access to my manga to see). That element is not to excise, but I wonder about the dream theme and Watanuki's apparent connection to Sakura and Syaoran. We'll see how that works.

One final thing. I complained like mad about the Black-san characters in Minami-ke Okawari. While not as annoying, this episode was full of Grey-san characters, which screams out "CHEAP!"

Overall, I enjoyed the episode though.

Keroro Gunsou 47

ケロロ軍曹 Episode 47
(Sgt. Frog 47)

SPOILER Summary: It is time for Girls' Day (Hina Doll Festival) and thus time to break out the hina dolls. At school, Natsumi learns that Koyuki has never celebrated it, she having grown up in a shinobi village. However, she's really keen to do so and excitedly accepts Natsumi's invitation over to the Hinata home. Keroro wonders what the fuss is about and after a briefing from Kururu, he decides that this festival needs to be jazzed up. He ropes Giroro into this scheme by saying how happy Natsumi will be. After Nishizawa and Moa-chan join in (along with Fuyuki for some reason), the platoon announces their plan to jazz things up. Aki-san is excited though Natsumi isn't. The group is transported to a place where instead of the traditional trappings of the holiday, homonym replacements are used, leading to "problems." As such, Natsumi decides its time to bring the pain to Keroro and company.

Natsumi is listening to Dance Man and wishing she could go to the concert when Keroro and Kururu arrive. They have a ticket to a concert which Natsumi mistakenly reads the Katakana as Dance Man (ダンス☆マン). In fact, the name on the ticket is Dasonu Maso (ダソヌ☆マソ), an alien Dance Man impersonator. Dasonu Maso arrives and entertains Keroro and Kururu greatly, leaving Natsumi in a state of shock. Finally, she's had enough and wants him out. Giroro arrives at Natsumi's yell and attacks Dasonu Maso, but the afro he has stops the shells, then "returns" them to Giroro, sending him into the sky. Dasonu Maso decides Natsumi needs an afro after giving Kururu and Keroro. Dororo arrives and saves Natsumi from getting an afro by catching the energy in a special gourd. Dasonu Maso leaves and after punishing Keroro and Kururu, Natsumi rewards Giroro and Dororo with a large meal. Aki-san comes in and accidently opens the gourd, giving everyone afros. It is then that the real Dance Man arrives, having sensed the afros, and reveals that he too is an alien.

Thoughts: It is an episode like this that is the reason this show will NOT be on a regular TV network. It is too freaking Japanese and I'm not sure how much mangling one could do to get it domesticated to the point that it could be aired (though I concede, the episode could be flushed as being too Japanese and whom among the ignorant masses would know?). Now, could it be shown on something like the FUNimation Channel? Sure.

Well, I guess we'll see what the ADV deal does, if anything. I predict that the deal will do nothing.

As to having Dance Man actually show up for a cameo, that was cool (though I'm hard pressed to find places to actually officially cite him as having appeared in the show). The "Afro Gunsou" song is one of my favorite Japanese tunes.

Finally, there's the classic "text in the eyes" that showed up in this episode. Beyond seeing a $ or ¥ in the eyes of a drawn character, I don't remember seeing actual text written in a character's eyes without going back to the 40's and 50's where things like "Out Cold" might be displayed in a character's eyes (if said character was unconscious). So seeing "Nani kore" (what's this?) in Natsumi's eyes was kind of a treat for me. I'm not sure why though.

So a mostly fun episode this time out.

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS 26 (finale)

魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 26 (finale)
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 26 (finale)

SPOILER Summary: As Nanoha, Hayate, Rein, and Vivio are sealed within the Saint's Cradle, Fate (with help from Shari) prevents the self-destruction of Scaglietti's lab. However, some falling debris nearly takes her out but Elio races through and saves her just in time. In the Ground Forces HQ, Agito mourns the loss of Zest and is angry with Signum for killing him. Nevertheless, Agito recognizes that it was an honorable, warrior's death and since Zest's final wish was that Agito work with Signum, Agito will do that. Agito promises that if Signum does not live up to Zest's expectations, she will kill Signum. Signum states that she will allow Agito to do so if that should be the case. With that, Agito forms a unison with Signum and they are off to join the fight in the skies.

As Alto orbits the Saint's Cradle in her helicopter, a second helicopter containing Vice, Tia, and Subaru approaches. Vice uses his sniper ability to clear an aerial path to the ship (there being a number of Gadgets having been launched from the ship) so that Subaru can use her Wing Road ability. Then Tia and Subaru take Vice's motorcycle and ride Wing Road to the ship. Since the motorcycle is non-magical, the strong Anti-Magic Fields don't affect it. They race through the corridor and encounter a wounded Vita along with two mage troops who've been trying to get to where Nanoha and the others are trapped. Tia and Subaru race passed saying they are going to rescue Nanoha and the others. While Tia's magic is gone, Subaru still has her cyborg abilities combined with Mach Caliber and Blitz Caliber, the two get to Nanoha's location and rescue all of the trapped people. Once everyone has evacuated the ship, Chrono's fleet arrives to destroy Saint's Cradle.

After what became known as the JS Incident, Scaglietti, Uno, Tre, Quattro, and Sette were sent to various planets in orbital detention facilities (the Numbers sent there because they refused to help the investigation). The remaining Numbers were sent to a rehabilitation facility along with Lutecia and Agito who voluntarily went there. Lutecia's mother was placed in a hospital where the staff began treating her, believing that she would eventually revive without the use of a Relic. The 6th Mobile Division had their HQ repaired and returned to them. Vivio was examined for a time and then returned to Nanoha (who appears to have adopted her).

A year after being formed, the 6th Mobile Division disbands, its primary mission having been completed. All of the staff are to be reassigned but for fun, Nanoha gathers the combat personnel at a cherry orchard, were the sakura are in full bloom. After Vita praises the former rookies for having become strong, Nanoha suggests one final mock combat. Fate isn't sure about this, but agrees when Elio and Caro state their enthusiasm for the exercise. So with Hayate, Ginga, and Vivio watching, the fun begins.

After disbanding, Hayate transfers to the army (from the navy) and works on special investigations. The Wolkenritter appear to transfer with her and joining them is Agito, who's master is now Signum. Agito and Rein still have a rivalry and will get into little harmless skirmishes from time to time. Enforcer Fate returns to the Interstellar Navigational Bureau with Shari and now has as Tia as her aide. Lutecia had a magic seal placed on her and was sent to an uninhabited planet for observation along with her mother and summoned critters. Alto becomes a full-time helicopter pilot and Vice regains his license to carry special arms again, thus he's a sniper again as well as a pilot. He also has patched things up with Laguna.

Dragon Summoner Private Caro returns to her formal position on the Outland Environmental Protection Squad. She's joined by Dragon Knight Private Elio, who requested the transfer. Their job is to protect against poaching. Vivio is officially adopted by Nanoha and enrolled into a magic school run by the Saint Church where she is a normal girl. Ginga takes a job at the rehab facility where she works with the Numbers placed there. Subaru transfers to the team of first responders who work on disasters and the like, where she's shown rescuing two young children from a damaged ocean ship who are about to drown. Finally, Captain Nanoha is offered a huge promotion but turns it down so that she can remain a front-line aerial mage and combat instructor.

Thoughts: I liked how the writers brought back Tia and a motorcycle. The writers have been really good about table setting, then paying it off.

If Lutecia is on an uninhabited planet, how'd she get one of her droid insects to send a flower over to Erio and Caro, who are not on an uninhabited planet? Oh well.

I think I enjoyed most seeing how everyone did once the 6th disbanded. It was cute and sweet seeing Elio and Caro still together. However, her being a Dragon Summoner and he now being a Dragon Knight makes their "being a couple" (for lack of a better term since they are still young) a good match. Also on the cute front was having Agito join with the Guardian Knights and have her rivalry with Rein. I wouldn't mind seeing an OVA or something that featured Hayate and her knights on a mission.

I'm glad Nanoha officially adopted Vivio. Considering that Yuuno (as well as Arf) were with her when they were taking secret pictures of Vivio in class (and subsequently busted by Sister Schach), I like to think that maybe she and Yuuno have a thing going on. Then again for all I know, he and Arf have a thing going on. *lol*

Looking back, I see I was completely wrong about the Asura. I thought for sure it would be engaged in combat with Saint's Cradle before all was said an done, but that didn't happen.

Also looking back, I see how strong the theme of family was a part of this series. It has been in the earlier titles as well and the writers never just throw it in your face. Nevertheless, it is there and because of all of the family incidents (Fate adopting Elio and Caro, who'd been removed from their families, Nanoha taking Vivio under her wing, Subaru and Ginga having lost their mother,
Lutecia desperate to revive her mother, the Numbers relating to each other as sisters, etc.), the family theme is larger in scope this time. I liked that.

Overall, a really enjoyable series despite some weak dialog at times.

xxxHOLiC Kei 07

xxxHOLiC◆継 Episode 07

SPOILER Summary: Watanuki is not happy having to pump water so that an outdoor shower can flow onto Yuuko-san, who's lounging in a kiddie pool. Neko-Musume drops out of the sky and lands on Watanuki. She recovers quickly when Maru and Moro spray her with water. She offers an egg to Yuuko-san in exchange for gathering water from a well. She won't gather it because cats don't like water and she's a cat girl. Watanuki is drafted for this task and is lead to a mansion by Neko-Musume. He's concerned about trespassing and seeing a woman in an upstairs window, he freaks. However, she makes no move and so Watanuki gathers the water and returns. Yuuko-san sees the water and has an understanding. As such, Watanuki must gather more water. He's reluctant and ends up having to draft Doumeki to assist in the task.

Doumeki comes with Watanuki to the mansion and the two can see the woman still in the window. Neko-Musume also joined them, but only to watch. At school, Doumeki and Watanuki discuss this with Himawari-chan. Doumeki feels something is familiar about the woman in the window. At the end of the school day, Himawari offers to help Watanuki, who turns her down. She makes a pinkie promise with Watanuki that he won't overdo things. He notices something odd happens with when their pinkies meet but pushes it aside.

That night, he and Doumeki come to gather water and have emptied the well. Watanuki loses the carrying cloth when his pinkie gives him a sharp pain and is blown by the wind into the open window of the mansion. Doumeki and Watanuki enter the mansion (the door being unlocked) and find it dark and empty. However, when they finally reach the room where the cloth flew into, they see the woman still there. Watanuki approaches and wind blows the woman out of her chair. Yuuko-san enters and Watanuki thinks that he woman is a mannequin. In fact, it is a corpse, supposedly preserved because of all the preservatives in the foods we eat.

Outside, Neko-Musume finds what she'd seen before -- a dead kitten. Watanuki wraps he kitten's body in a cloth and hands it to Neko-Musume. Back at Yuuko-san's place, Watanuki discusses things with her, including the storage of the water for now. Even though the cops came and took care of the woman's body, things still trouble Watanuki. Yuuko-san asks about what lead Watanuki to enter the mansion and discover the body. He then remembers his pinkie promise with Himawari-chan. However, before things can go much further, Mokona comes, complaining about a lack of a favorite adult beverage. Watanuki gets into an argument with Mokona on the subject while Yuuko-san reflects on the egg given her as payment.

Thoughts: Ah. So we see how the writers disconnect xxxHOLiC from Tsubasa since the egg came from Sakura in Tsubasa and the water was something Yuuko-san just requested Watanuki get since she apparently knew she'd be sending it to the Acid Tokyo world in Tsubasa (in exchange for the egg). As time goes on, the xxxHOLiC story will have to be excised from the Tsubasa one. It can be done, but it will also be a different overall story at that point.

Anyway, Neko-Musume makes a wish for some water and pays with an egg. Then Yuuko-san sees the water and decides, "Lets get more." OK, how was that part of Neko-Musume's wish? Oh. She's not going to say and they are going to conveniently empty the well but somehow never see the dead kitten therein. And then the water has to be stored for some whacked reason. See, that's the problem in unlinking xxxHOLiC with Tsubasa. Purposeful things become pointless things done just because they were done in the manga. Now if someone had never read the original, would they question it like I do?

Oh well. The episode wasn't bad, but just not as good as the original manga and actions make less sense in the anime.

Dirty Pair OVA 02

ダーティペア OVA Episode 02

SPOILER Summary: Four separate criminal gangs (an "Alice in Wonderland" gang, a robot gang led by a C3PO-looking guy in costume, an Ali Baba gang, and a Snow White gang) plan heists on Halloween as they feel the people in costume will provide them the perfect cover. Meanwhile, Yuri and Kei are working Halloween and snare the Papadomia Laboratories Catcher, who's been stealing secrets and selling them. Since he isn't going to be taken down by a woman, he pisses Kei off. In the scuffle, his gun goes off a few times, sending the hover transport crashing to the ground. Chief Gooley is angry about this as the secrets the man was selling happened to be the cargo in the hover transport -- a Tactical Robot Weapon (an android) which had not yet been given a skin covering yet.

Kei is annoyed at not having been told earlier about the nature of the stolen secret and they find the cargo has escaped. The TRW is programmed to go into attack mode 60-minutes after activating, having used the 60-minutes to gather intel. Kei and Yuri head into the city where they soon spot the android. It takes off and Kei and Yuri are in pursuit in their rocket packs. The robot heads down a back alley where the Ali Baba gang have hijacked a truck carrying gold. As a result of the robot and its pursuers, the gang is put out of commission. Next, the android (chased now by the police) runs into a jewelry store, being held up by the Alice in Wonderland gang. The android gets away with Yuri and Kei in hot pursuit, but the police stay behind to arrest the gang.

Next, the android flees into a museum where in order to flush it out, Yuri begins firing a machine gun all around. The gang dressed as robots surrenders to Yuri and Kei while the android flees once more. Yuri and Kei pursue it to a place where the Snow White gang is trying to get into a vault. The android is able to quickly open the vault and closes the door behind him, leaving it to Kei to blow the safe door off its hinges (which takes out the Snow White gang). They pursue the android in where it has tunneled to the metro tube line. The robot causes the tube to derail and emerge from the underground like a Chinese dragon.

Finally, Kei and Yuri chase the robot to the top of a building. However, time is up and all of the robots weapons emerge. At the same time, a fireworks display starts. Key and Yuri fire everything they have at the android, which fends off said attacks and fires back, destroying buildings. The crowds think this is part of the show and cheer. Kei and Yuri run out of ammo while the robot still keeps attacking. Kei has an idea and launches a firework rocket at the robot, which damages it. Yuri and Kei then launch a lot of fireworks at the android, destroying it. The two then take off for a well-deserved adult beverage and a plan to party the night away.

Thoughts: Seeing the terminator-like android in this episode, I was reminded of the original Bubblegum Crisis, which came out two-years earlier. The Japanese have always had a thing for robots, but back in the late 80's, it was a certain type of robot (not counting mecha).

Story-wise, just another typical Dirty Pair outing. Still, if their weapons weren't powerful enough to stop the android, why were regular fireworks able to take it out? Just one of those things one shouldn't look to closely at I guess.

When it comes to subtitles, I don't like domestication. After all, I'm watching the subtitles for the Japanese perspective, not the American one. Of course, this is an older ADV title, so one has to take this into account. Oh, I look forward to the day when I don't need subtitles at all.

I Survived a Japanese Game Show

Update: My look at the first episode can be read here.

Ever since I lived in Japan and saw their game shows (Takeshi's Castle for example), I've been a fan and would love to have said shows brought to the U.S., though in an unedited form (which sadly, did not happen in the case of Takeshi's Castle when it was twisted into MXC on Spike TV).

Fast-forward to today. ABC has decided to get in on the Japanese thing by creating their own game show called I Survived a Japanese Game Show where they send folks to Japan to participate in actual Japanese game show contests. While the promo's for the show aren't much (as of this posting), I'm going to try to remember to give this a look-see when it comes out just to see if it is any good or not. I figure that ABC's version won't be anywhere as good as the original Japanese shows, but we'll see.

Life's Gonna Suck (AMV)

Normally, I care nothing for anime music videos. That said, I did see one I enjoyed some time back and re-discovered it the other day. Dennis Leary sings the song and Doki Doki Productions actually produced the video back whenever (Dennis Leary did this version of the song in 1997 I believe). Anyway, on some anime board, we tried to identify all of the anime clips used in this AMV, and there's an impressive number. We never did ID every clip, but if someone knows and wants to reveal that to me, post a comment, y'all. ^_^

I've seen several of the titles (Ranma 1/2, Tenchi Muyo, Kimagure Orange Road, Slayers, El Hazard, Magic Users Club, Cardcaptor Sakura, and some others I think). Some I am aware of and plan to watch, but there's those titles that I have no clue what they are.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the video (now updated).

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS 25

魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 25
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 25

SPOILER Summary: As Hayate and her troops continue attacking the Saint's Cradle, Vita has made it to the engine room. Because there is a 7-minute gap between Saint's Cradle reaching orbit and the fleet arriving, Hayate decides she has to go inside to do something. Alto sends her a message, requesting she wait as she has Rein with her. She attacks the shielded engine core which provokes an automated response from the ship of cubes which fire energy beams at Vita, who despite being injured, welcomes the challenge.

Nanoha is battling Vivio, who's able to escape her bonds. Nanoha traps Vivio again within an energy pyramid, leading Vivio to desperately try to escape. Quattro observes this and understands the Blaster System. As such, the more Vivio does, the weaker Nanoha ultimately becomes. In most situations, the Blaster System would allow Nanoha to have superiority but against Vivio, this is not the case. Vivio escapes the prison to Nanoha's surprise and immediately attacks Nanoha.

Outside, all of Lutecia's summoned critters are crying blood. Jiraio attacks Elio, Caro, and the unconscious Lutecia (all of whom are on Fried) but Garyuu defends them. Elio decides to aid Garyuu and sends Caro on. In the Ground HQ building, Zest states he has to save Lutecia and stop Scaglietti. Signum informs him that Scaglietti is under arrest and Lutecia is being taken care of by her troops. That just leaves one thing and Zest attacks Signum. He leaves himself open, apparently on purpose, so that Signum can deliver the final blow. Zest gives Signum a ring containing records. He makes Signum promise to take care of Lutecia and Agito. He then says his goodbye to Agito before passing away.

Vita has destroyed the defense mechanisms and continues to attack the shielded engine. Her efforts and noticed by Quattro, who's not greatly concerned over it. Vita attacks again and again until Graf Eisen shatters. Vita, weak from loss of blood and magic, falls from the platform she is on but is caught by Rein-Hayate, both of whom have praise for Vita. Sure enough, Vita's final attack had caused a crack in the shielding which in turn spread until the engine was destroyed. Despite the setback, the auto-repair is functioning as are the backup engines, so while Quattro apparently orders Scaglietti's lair destroyed, she continues with Saint's Cradle's mission.

Quattro then notices one of Nanoha's pink energy globes has entered the large room, deep within the ship, where she is. Realizing that Nanoha's entire fight with Vivio has been a sham and that in fact she'd been buying time to search for her, Quattro doesn't want to believe that anything can reach her. However, she remembers Nanoha's prime attack. Sure enough, Nanoha rebinds Vivio and with a Blaster 3 mode, she uses her Divine Buster attack, which indeed blows through all of the bulkheads in the ship and despite Quattro's attempt to flee, scores a direct hit. Quattro is defeated and with that, all Gadgets immediately cease their attacks. Also, Lutecia's critters are released and stop fighting.

Vivio recognizes Nanoha-mama now, but is unable to stop fighting as she is partially controlled as an automated ship defense. Vivio attacks and reveals that she knows that Fate and Nanoha aren't her real mothers, but in fact she is a creation. She states she is just a weapon and that her time in child form was just to collect data. Nanoha rejects this as Vivio is crying now. Nanoha wants Vivio to speak the truth and Vivio says she loves Nanoha-mama and wants Nanoha to save her. There's only one way this will happen and that is for Nanoha to destroy Vivio's defenses. She warns Vivio the attack will hurt and launches a full-powered Starlight Breaker. This forces the Relic out of Vivio and shatters it, returning Vivio to child form. Nanoha goes to get her, but Vivio stops her, pulling herself up as Nanoha would have wanted. Once done, then Nanoha rushes down to embrace Vivio.

Because of Nanoha and Vita's actions, Saint's Cradle has slowed so that Chrono's fleet will arrive in time. Rein-Hayate arrive to help Nanoha when the ships automated system, detecting that Vivio was no longer connected to the system, shuts down all magic with a powerful Anti-Magic Field. This forces Rein out of Hayate. Back on the ground, Alto lands the helicopter to pick up Tia, Subaru, and Ginga with Shamal doing a quick check. Because of what's going on within the ship, Hayate and Nanoha are going to need to be rescued by ground forces, so Subaru is drafted. Ginga gives Subaru Blitz Caliber for the upcoming fight.

Thoughts: I asked, "Where was Rein?" last episode and I gots me answer. *lol* Well, if she wasn't with Signum any more, she had to go somewhere and that could only be Hayate. It was nice that Hayate was able to rescue Vita, but where did Vita go now?

Nanoha's tactical play to be actively hunting Quattro while battling Vivio was a nice touch. I'd wondered why Nanoha had dropped energy balls and I was initially thinking that she would be using these to provide her an energy boost. The "Wide Area Search" function I figured was something Raising Heart was just doing but there ya go.

Speaking of Vivio and Nanoha, I hate to say it but I liked that Nanoha had to make the hard choice to shoot Vivio to save her. There was a chance that Vivio might not have survived the attack. So my hat is off to the writers there.

I was wrong that episode 26 would be all aftermath. I didn't anticipate Hayate and Nanoha or the others needing rescuing. Oh well, it will be fun.

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Manga Vol. 17

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Volume 17

SPOILER Summary: Yuuko-san arranges all of the wishes to allow the water to be restored under Tocho and Fai's life will be saved. However, Fai will become a vampire and Kurogane will be the only source of food that can keep Fai alive. Should Fai regain his stolen eye, he would be able to purge himself of the vampire changes. Fai doesn't want to do this, but Kurogane and Kamui make it happen. Fuuma arrives with the people from the Tokyo Tower and he has one of Sakura's feather's in a special case, meaning Mokona can't sense it. He wishes for his people to be allowed to live at Tocho in exchange for the feather. Sakura agrees to this even though it means not regaining those memories.

Yuuko-san sends jars of water through Mokona to fill the reservoir under Tocho (see xxxHOLiC Volume 10 for where the water came from). To everyone's amazement, the water that came out of the jars exceeds what they should hold and the reservoir is filled. Yuuko-san has to conclude all the payments and she requires an object on this world. It is a dangerous journey and she's going to send Kurogane to do it to pay for his wish, but Sakura insists on making the payment as she's been asleep the whole time.

Sakura takes the dangerous journey alone (part of the price) and is attacked by giant worms. She manages to kill them but is injured in the process. She's injured again trying to climb up a cliff. Despite the hardships, she reaches her objective. Meanwhile, Yuuko-san has Mokona go to sleep so she can speak to Fai in private. They discuss the situation and his relationship with Kurogane and the others, but when Fai learns of what Sakura is doing, he's not pleased. Elsewhere, Kurogane and Syaoran discuss Syaoran's captivity and the fact that Syaoran-clone likely won't return. As such, they need a plan of what to do once Sakura returns.

Back with Sakura, she's attacked by a couple of giant cobras and somehow manages to defeat them. She retrieves the item Yuuko-san wanted, an egg of some sort. We learn that her motivation for doing this dangerous quest was to hopefully return Syaoran-clone's soul to him. She begins the arduous journey back, her compass and transport destroyed. However, she receives help from the spirits of those who've passed on who point the way back for her. Meanwhile, Fai confronts Kurogane on allowing Sakura to go alone. As they discuss the matter, a bloodied and battered Sakura shows up and ends up collapsing in Fai's arms.

Thoughts: Re-reading this for the first time in ages, I was reminded of why I enjoyed the OVA which covers the Acid Tokyo arc so much. While CLAMP does their best to follow Sakura's journey and the dangerous battles therein, the visuals of the anime really brought

That aside, I remember when I read this the first time being surprised that CLAMP decided to turn Fai into a vampire. Granted this would excite the Fai x Kurogane yaoi fangirls (and boys too I guess) as Fai would be forced to live on Kurogane's blood, but still, it surprised me.

I liked seeing Sakura go on the quest. Granted, this means the end of the happy-go-lucky Sakura, but that's OK. The egg she retrieved goes back into the xxxHOLiC story just as the water bottles from xxxHOLiC came into this story. Granted, knowing this does not help with the story at hand, but it is nice just the same.

So in the end, all of the characters are changed. Syaoran is a different person and in fact the real Syaoran. Sakura is now steeled in her heart. Fai becomes a vampire. Kurogane is Kurogane, yet revealed to be someone who cares a great deal about all his companions, including the annoying Fai.

Negima!? 22

ネギま!? Episode 22

SPOILER Summary: Members of the class working the garden discover the carrots and radishes are strange in that they are large and almost resemble hands with five fingers. In the lab, the destroyed Mechacabra comes together and to life thanks to the Darkness and begins Chao and Hakase. As Negi, Chamo, and others examine the mutated vegetables, Chao and Hakase enter, pursued by Mechacabra. Negi activates Chao's Armor Card and she dispatches the metal beast, breaking it into pieces and sending it flying out the window. Outside, Asuna and company have built a pit to capture the Bonge Bonge when the fragments of Mechacabra fall into said pit. However, it emerges whole again and after realizing Negi isn't inside, the group runs.

Chizuru has information for Negi based on having finally determined the pattern of the possessions of members of the class. She discovers that the possessor is using the Lunar Zodiac as a basis for who gets possessed. Chamo has never heard of this but Negi has and goes to see Nekane. For her part, Nekane changes into her Black Rose Baron costume and goes to confront Mostu and Shichimi, who've just been making contact with some mysterious party. Nekane figures they are Star Crystal fragments come to life, but she is proven wrong. Negi arrives and is soon joined by Takamichi and Chachamaru, who've learned the identity of the Master of Darkness. It is Anya.

Nekane takes off her Black Rose Baron mask and hat and confirms that indeed, Anya was the one who stole the Star Crystal. She didn't report this officially because she didn't want Anya punished. She felt that if the Star Crystal fragments came back together, she could talk with Anya. Takamichi tells her that he's not even powerful enough to get through to Anya. Nekane further reveals that Anya was lonely and hadn't done well in her fortune telling work. She didn't want to lose to Negi, but Nekane kept telling her how well Negi was doing. As such, Anya felt that the only way she wouldn't lose was to take the powerful Star Crystal. Nekane feels bad for not realizing the impact her words had on Anya.

As they talk, they are attacked by another fairy, which Negi quickly dispatches. However, this causes all of the Star Crystal fragments to come together to form the Shriek of the Soul. Eva approaches, possessed by the Darkness, and gathers all of the Darkness into herself, causing all of the weirdness experienced by the class to disappear. However when she speaks, she does so not with the voice of Eva, but that of Anya.

Thoughts: No laughs for me here beyond a mild amusement when Motsu ticked off Shichimi with his joke communications.

Story wise, I really haven't cared about it. I guess the writers feel some sort of obligation to wrap up the plot elements just because they established them, and certainly there's nothing wrong with that. However, the story has never been that interesting to me, especially once I realized the writers didn't have much of one. The one thing of interest to me has always been those amusing moments that mainly deal with Motsu.

Anime T-Shirt Giveaway

The gang over at NewYork-Tokyo.com let me know about a contest they are running where you answer a few questions for a chance to win a t-shirt from either Case Closed (Detective Conan), Urusei Yatsura, or Touch. So if you are interested, drop over (the contest ends June 6).

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS 24

魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 24
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 24

SPOILER Summary: In a flashback from eight years earlier, we see that Geis was frustrated by the number of criminal and other attacks on the planet and city. The navy and others nabbed high-ranking mages which meant that they had only low-ranking mages and knights on the ground forces. While Geis wasn't a mage, he did have a knight team, lead by Zest, who were. In that team were Lutecia's mother as well as Ginga and Subaru's mother. The team were investigating Combat Cyborgs and discovered the factory when they were ambushed and all slain by Tre, Quattro, and Cinque as well as some powerful Gadgets. Zest was taken back for experimentation and Lutecia's mother was taken back as well and plans were made to take Lutecia.

Back in the present, Zest asks Geis about the justice they had sought but before he can get an answer, one of the general's staff places a claw through his chest from the back. It is Due, who binds Zest and slams Auris into a bookcase. After the general's death, Due plans to kill Zest, only to have her bonds broken, much to her surprise. Hearing the commotion, Signum and Agito rush into the room. They find Auris unconscious, Geis dead, and Due either dead or severely injured.

In the lair, Doctor Scaglietti waxes poetic about Fate's creation and how she had been named after Project Fate. This is seen by Caro and Elio via the communication holo-screen. Caro continues to try to talk Lutecia out of her present course of action. Lutecia instead summons her big gun, Hakutenou. Caro counters by summoning Voltaire. Two of her Jiraio-type insects arrive and are countered by Fried. Battle ensues and in frustration and a wish to not be alone, Lutecia forces more power into Garyuu and Hakutenou. While this causes Garyuu to have more blades and tendrils, it also causes him to bleed from the new blades as well as to cry blood. Caro pleads with Lutecia, who won't listen. As such, Caro, Elio, Voltaire, and Fried win their round. Lutecia goes semi-conscious, causing confusion in her summoned critters. As such, Caro and Elio take her on Fried to escape.

Back in the lair, the doctor reveals that he has impregnated all twelve of the Numbers with his clone, complete with his memories. Thus, even if Fate defeats him, she'll have to get rid of all the Numbers to completely be rid of him. Plus, if she goes into her extreme power mode, she won't be able to help stop the Saint's Cradle. Scaglietti accuses Fate of being just like her real mother, who used Fate as a weapon and a tool. He reasons Fate is using Elio and Caro in much the same way. Fate is about to give into despair, but the communication link is still there so that Elio and Caro can tell Fate that they made their own choices and that Fate was a good mother to them when no one else had wanted them. Encouraged, Fate goes into overdrive mode and actives her New Sonic Form.

This is observed by Uno, who's amazed that Fate's magic levels have increased so much, especially with the Anti-Magic Fields around her. However, Uno doesn't have time to think more about it as she is captured by Verossa, who then probes her mind. Sein attempts to flee from Sister Schach with her phasing technique, but Sister Schach is also able to do something similar and thus intercepts and captures the Number. Fate attacks and quickly defeats Sette. Engaging Tre, Fate changes Bardiche's form to a giant halberd defeats her. She then goes after Scaglietti, who's excited by her power. Instead of killing him, she knocks him out and arrests him.

Tia faces Nove, who nows that only she, Quattro, and the ship are left. While Tia talks to Nove, Deed comes to and quietly grabs one of her blades to kill Tia. However, she's shot by Vice, who's using Storm Raider and his sniper gun from the back of the helicopter. Tia tells Nove that even a weapon like herself can laugh and be kind, citing Subaru as an example. Quattro, seeing that all of her sisters and Scaglietti are defeated, rubs her belly and plans to start over as we see that Vivio has Nanoha smashed into a bulkhead.

Thoughts: OK, so where did Rein go? She got lost in the shuffle unless she flew out to be with Hayate or something.

I like how the writers have worked to incorporate the elements in the first Nanoha series regarding Fate's creation, Al Hazard, and the like with this current series. It has been a long time since I watched the first series, so I don't remember the details. That said, I think that the writers have done a decent job trying to make it so that you don't have to have seen the first series (or the 2nd), but if you haven't, you'll want to. ^_^

With all the battles winding down, we only have Nanoha vs. Vivio, Vita trying to get to the Saint's Cradle engine room, and everyone else doing what they can to bring down Saint's Cradle. Oh, and I guess Quattro's still on the loose, so that will need cleaning up.

The stuff about Zest having worked with Subaru and Gigna's mother as well as Lutecia's mother didn't surprise me. I guess I was surprised that they'd been killed on the same mission by the early Numbers. I thought that somehow the writers would find a way to tie in the fire that Subaru and Ginga had to be rescued from to the Combat Cyborgs, but thus far, they haven't.

Voltaire's summoning to face Hakutenou ended up being kind of a yawner. His initial appearance was, "Whoa! Caro can summon that? Kick bottom time!" I realize the writers wanted to have an equal counter for the fight but it just makes Voltaire less impressive IMO.

Two more to go. I'm guessing at this point that 25 will basically wrap things up and 26 will be aftermath stuff. I could be wrong though.

Macross Frontier 09

マクロスF Episode 09
Macross F Ep. 09

SPOILER Summary: Sheryl is doing a video shoot on the academy's roof with the support of the Pilot Course members. Alto is not happy to be wasting time on such an event that Michael approves of. Sheryl's manager, Grace, thanks Alto and Michael starts flirting with her. Once Grace realizes who Michael is, she offers an apology about his older sister, which takes him aback. They are soon called away on an alert and get into an argument in flight with Alto sick of Michael's various actions and Michael fighting back by mentioning Alto ran away from his own family and is playing war. During the fight with a Vajra, Michael sets up a sniper position to backup Alto, who's not interested in help from Michael. Michael fires anyway and nearly takes out Alto in the possess as he remembers what Grace said about his sister.

Klan is with her fellow teammates from the SMS Pixie Squad (in micron size) at a restaurant discussing the recent uptick in mobilization when Michael, Alto, and Luca enter. Michael and Alto get into a fight over the events in the recent combat after Alto mentions Michael's sister and her sniper skills. Michael gets the better of Alto, who is later patched up by medical officer Kanaria. Alto is still angry with Michael's actions. Michael is doing sniper practice outside Macross Frontier when Klan (in normal form) pays him a visit, realizing he's troubled about his sister Jessica. Micheal blows that idea off and makes a pass at Klan, but then irritates her when he remarks that sleeping with her when she's in micron from would likely get him arrested for an obscenity crime. This angers Klan, who slaps Michael through his mecha suit.

Elsewhere, Sheryl has sent an unimpressed Alto a video she's filmed where she tries to ensure the Macross Galaxy is not forgotten. As they talk on the phone, she talks of her desire to attend school on Frontier and of Alto's joining the military (even if the SMS). Meanwhile, Ranka is working on her manager's latest promotional by giving out tissues (?) with her name on it. Bobby Margot, the SMS Macross Quarter's gay helmsman, has worked on Ranka's makeup, leading Ranka's manager to feel positive about things. Bobby warns the manager that he'd better do Ranka right since he's close to her older brother.

Back at the SMS HQ, Klan talks with Alto about Michael. She explains that she's known him for years and that they were childhood friends. Michael's parents were killed and his older sister Jessica, who was still a kid herself, took over raising Michael. She became a skilled sniper and fell in love with her instructor. They eventually broke up and shortly after this, they were sent on a combat mission. Jessica fired from her sniper position and accidentally kills her former lover. While it was an accident, there was great suspicion that this may not have been an accident but rather a murder. Because of the negative backlash against her, she ended up committing suicide, leaving Michael alone.

The SMS are scrambled again with Ozama pairing the still-fighting Michael and Alto up. Their mission is to seek out a suspected Vajra nest. However, the mysterious alien-boy (young man) in his mecha has other orders, which are to prevent the SMS from obtaining any samples from the nest. A fight breaks out between the SMS and the mystery fighter with Klan having him in her sights. She eventually gets the "nail" shot but his mecha-fighter is unharmed, leading him to severely damage Klan's mecha-fighter. Also comes to her aide and engages the mystery mecha-fighter, immediately recognizing it from the last major battle. Michael sets up a sniper position and Alto manages to get close enough to grapple with the mystery craft. He tells Michael to shoot, revealing he knows about Jessica. Michael takes the shot and scores a hit, but it only does minimal damage. Realizing he's in danger, the mystery alien-boy destroys the Vajra nest and takes off.

The following day, Michael visits his sister's grave, determined to find out once and for all the truth behind what happened with his sister. While a microned Klan observes from behind a tree, Alto and Luca join Michael. Micheal remarks he is amazed Alto didn't run from combat and Alto remarks that he's amazed Michael took the shot. The two have resolved the issue between them and the trio head off for school.

Thoughts: We have a nice mix of action and some character development for Micheal, which all in all is a good thing. However, who is alien-boy working for? If the Macross Frontier fleet already had a Vajra, why would the people alien-boy reports to not want the humans to get their hands on the Vajra nest? His mecha unit seems clearly more advanced than the S.M.S. stuff since Klan scored a hit on it with her Zentradi weapon and Michael scored a hit with his sniper weapon. Thinking back a couple of episodes, he single handedly took out a lot of Vajra (or so it seemed to me). Anyway, it almost seems like he's the little critter that stole Sheryl's panties two episodes back.

Speaking of Sheryl, I was surprised at the lack of her in this episode (though being an episode about Micheal, that is to be expected) based on how she basically decided she was entering the Pilot Course. Instead, it seemed that she really isn't taking that serious but more as a marketing ploy. Still, her reminding us (and the people in the story) about the missing Macross Galaxy is interesting. Why? Because the writers seem to be telling us that there's more to the Macross Galaxy story. I hope so. Maybe that's were alien-boy comes from (somehow) when the Vajra take it over.

Ranka. Not a lot to say there as she had very little time on screen. I felt bad for her having to give away tissue packets with her name on them. I gather that promotional stuff in Japan is sometimes done this way, but man, that just has to suck.

Keroro Gunsou 46

ケロロ軍曹 Episode 46
(Sgt. Frog 46)

SPOILER Summary: Fuyuki keeps finding a can of model paint at the top of the stairs and Natsumi has an encounter with a lot of hands in the bath. Natsumi suspects it is Keroro, but he protests his innocence. When more weird things start to happen, Dororo and Koyuki sense a lot of youki coming from the Hinata house. The ghost (Omiyo?) that lives in the Hinata house reveals herself, not happy at being forgotten and kidnaps Natsumi and Keroro. Koyuki performs Onmiyou magic and breaks through to the hidden tunnel beneath the house (but above most of Keroro's base). Meanwhile, Natsumi talks to Omiyo, who reveals her past where she befriended a kappa and was thrown in jail for it. However, Kappa-san released her and she built a shrine to him, hoping to see him again. So even though she died at an old age, she remained on Earth looking like a teen girl for Kappa-san. Keroro puts on the plate hat and looks like the kappa, but Koyuki accidentally breaks it with her spell, thus Omiyo is still on Earth and asks to not be forgotten.

Thoughts: This version of the story is more amusing than the manga version to me. Then again, hearing the screams and seeing the visuals will do that.

The ghost wasn't named here and I found a reference to her as "Omiyo" on a wiki. As such, that's why I used that name, though I'm not sure where it is officially stated (either in the manga or anime).

Negima! Vol 23 (Ch 211) *SPOILERS*

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 23 Chapter 211

Summary: Yue is in history class learning about the last war, which was started by a secret society known as (Cosmo) Kosmo Entelecheia. The sacrifice of the Vespertatia captial Ostia ended the war and the one responsible for bringing the truth to light happened to be Nagi and Ala Ruba. Yue has a reaction to seeing him and thus goes to the library to research more on him. Collet finds Yue doing research and figures she's a fan of Nagi. Collet reveals she is a huge Nagi fan and shows off the collectibles she has. Collet shows the video of the Nagi lookalike (Negi). The class president, Emily Sevensheep, reveals herself to be a huge Nagi-sama fan, and is #78 in the official fan club. Collet is number 96077. Emily feels that this new Nagi is the original Nagi who's been reborn and that his greatness would be wasted on the likes of Collet and Yue.

Undaunted, Yue decides she's going to Ostia somehow. The following day, her way arrives as the school has been selected to send an honor guard to Ostia for the 20th anniversary celebration of the war's end. This means there will be a 100KM broom rally where interference spells will be allowed but not direct attacks. Yue and Collet embark on a crash training course and the day of the rally, they see their competition. Emily has teamed up with the class secretary, Beatrice Monroe. There are other 2-girl teams as well. Emily is sure the contest will be easily won by her and Beatrice. Yue, despite having no memories, feels sure she's never been so motivated in her life and as such, she feels she will win the contest and meet that boy (Nagi-Negi). With that, the race is on.

Meanwhile, back at Negi's "base," Akira, Natsumi, and Ako are bathing. Akira wants to tell Ako the truth about Nagi-san being Negi-sensei in magical disguise, but finds she still can't do it, even when Ako is wondering if her Nagi-san is related to the famous Nagi-san.

Thoughts: It is hard to comment on table-setting chapters beyond speculating where they might go. Clearly, Yue is going to win somehow and maybe in the process even recover her memories somehow. Still, Akamatsu-sensei's further purpose in having Yue off in this school is revealed. Not only is she becoming a competent mage to be able to help Negi in the forthcoming battle against Fate, we also get to learn more about Ostia, the war, and Nagi's involvement. Thus far, I still feel confident that Negi will turn out to be Nagi somehow.

As for the little side story with Akiro not being able to tell Ako the truth about Nagi-Negi, I wonder if this means that Ako's learning the truth and subsequent heartbreak will reveal the truth behind her scar. Just a weird thought that keeps wandering in my head based on seeing how Akamatsu-sensei loves table setting, even the payoff doesn't happen for chapters or volumes even.

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS 23

魔法少女リリカルなのはStrikerS（ストライカーズ）Ep. 23
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Episode 23

SPOILER Summary: Nanoha blasts her way forward while Dieci has an ambush set up and waiting for her. However, Nanoha anticipates this fires an Excellion Buster, releasing the first blaster limit to overpower Dieci's shot and take her down. Nanoha binds Dieci and seals her weapon before heading to the throne room. There, Quattro is waiting and taunting. When Nanoha attacks, Quattro is revealed to be an illusion. Quattro appears on the holo-screen and continues her evil taunting as Vivio's being upset causes her powers to rise. Even though she sees Nanoha, the increased power prevents Nanoha from reaching her. Quattro adds fuel to Vivio's fire, saying that the woman in front of her is evil and keeping her from seeing her mother. Vivio's power levels increase and she breaks free of her bonds, forms a Barrier Jacket, and takes adult form. She refuses to believe that Nanoha is her mama and Nanoha is forces to release the next blaster limit while Quattro hopes for a double-kill.

Major Nakajima reports that the 108th is barely holding their own and that should any Combat Cyborgs appear, they'll be overrun. Meanwhile, Otto continues to oversee the battle while Numbers Nove, Wendi, and Deed kill off Tia's many illusions and come into the same formation they did earlier after they finally locate Tia. After being deceived by one more illusion, the trio surround Tia and wonder about her not fleeing. The barrier around the building drops meaning Otto has been defeated (Otto having been ambushed and captured by Shamal and Zafila). They attack and Tia ultimately takes out Wendi and Deed with her shots and tells Nove to surrender.

Nearby, Subaru is remembering being a little girl and being hurt, leading her mother and a young Ginga to come running. The audience is also shown the two sisters being examined where their mother is told that Ginga and Subaru are in fact created from her genetic material. Subaru then recalls still being a young child watching Ginga train. When Ginga wonders why Subaru isn't training, Subaru reveals her realization that she and Ginga aren't normal. Further, she expresses her fear of hurting someone accidentally. Ginga reassures her little sister. Subaru then comes to the present where she's being strangled by Ginga. Ginga is beating Subaru much as Ginga had been beaten with Subaru recalling why she wanted to be strong. She loses consciousness and Mach Caliber takes over, defending against Ginga's final attack. When Subaru comes to, Mach Caliber has words for her to not quit. Subaru then attacks and manages to land a Divine Buster on Ginga, appearing to defeat her.

Rein-Signum are fighting their way through Gadgets when Rein senses that Zest has made it into the Ground HQ building. They too make their way in, only to find one of the halls barricaded by a desperate Agito, who pleads with them not to interfere. Signum takes down Agito's barrier and she and Rein separate. Signum demands to know what they are up to. Meanwhile, Zest enters General Geis's office and Auris places herself in front of the general as a human shield. Auris is revealed to be the general's daughter and Zest wants to know if Geis gave the orders that killed Zest and his team eight years earlier.

Thoughts: Well, it figures that the writers would have a twist to Nanoha rescuing Vivio, making her an adult with powers. Quattro's evil sure is...angering. Excellent seiyuu work there.

Anyway, with three more episodes after this one, it was time to start taking down opponents, thus we have some Numbers defeated (finally). I chuckled when Nanoha defeated Dieci, how Dieci remarked that if Nanoha had fought at her current unrestricted level from the start, they wouldn't really have had a chance. Tia's defeating two Numbers and apparently having a 3rd on the ropes was a bit of a stretch for me. Granted the writers had an explanation which helped but it was still a stretch.

Interesting how Subaru and Ginga knew from an early age that they weren't like others. It is also interesting that someone stole genetic material from their mother to create Ginga and Subaru. Maybe somehow that was Due.

The other big reveal was Auris being Geis' daughter.