Happy Halloween!

Save me some candy corn and a Three Musketeers, will ya? ^_~

Mobile Suit Gundam - 13

機動戦士ガンダム /Kido Senshi Gundam episode 13

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

White Base is in the water and secured as its crew takes some much needed down time.  Amuro heads off to a nearby town where his mother still lives after his father took him to Side 7.  Reaching his childhood home, Amuro finds a group of drunken, ill-disciplined Federation soldiers have taken over the place since it was abandoned.  Taking a wooden doll from the mantle, Amuro leaves and encounters a middle-aged woman who's being harrassed by a couple of other Federation soldiers.  In defending her, Amuro fights the two soldier but is beaten.  However, the woman recognizes Amuro and sends the soldiers off by giving them their money.  She explains that after the Federation main force left the area, they abandoned the soldiers that remained behind and thus the soldiers have degenerated.

Back on White Base, two Zeon Lugguns are detected and so Bright orders Ryu out in a Core Fighter to take them out before White Base is located and its position reported.  Meanwhile, Amuro learns that his mother is at a nearby church and takes his Core Fighter there.  The residents of the town are afraid of his fighter being in the open and beg him to hide it as the Zeons make regular patrols from their front line base on the other side of the mountains.  Amuro's mother shows up and after a reunion, Amuro agrees to hide his plane.  Returning to the camp, Amuro is in one of the many beds in a barracks-like structure that have been set up as his mother sits beside him and they catch up.  

The arrival of a couple of Zeon soldiers on patrol has Amuro's mother pull up the covers to hide his presence.  They are looking for the Core Fighter and with no cooperation are about to leave when an emergency page from White Base reaches Amuro and reveals him.  Amuro shoots one of the soldiers and attempts to shoot the other but his mother interferes.  His mother is upset that her son has turned violent which Amuro interprets to mean she doesn't love him since there's a war on.  As he leaves, she screams that she's ashamed to call him her son.  Amuro runs to his hidden Core Fighter and takes off after the damaged Luggan where he discovers the Zeon base.  The Zeon commander immediately dispatches two Dopp fighters, both of which Amuro manages to destroy.

As Amuro's mother continues to weep over her "lost" son, a Gunperry is deployed so that Amuro can make a mid-air conversion from Core Fighter to Gundam.  After successfully docking with the Gundam legs, Amuro has difficulty syncing up with the upper body of Gundam but manages to do so just the same.  With that, Amuro proceeds to single handedly destroy the Zeon base.  On White Base, Bright is not happy with this as a small, remote Zeon base is not worth the time and resources spent to take it out.  With the base destroyed, White Base lands and Amuro's mother sees him again, handing him the wooden doll.  Bright comes up and praises "Amuro-kun" despite his earlier feelings.  Amuro's mother cries as he returns to his ship and White Base takes off.

Thoughts/Review:

OK, so where exactly did Amuro land his Core Fighter when he initially came to see his mother?  I ask because he could have landed it right outside of her home rather than land it wherever he did and then take the leisurely stroll down the lane to her place. That's why his suddenly being in the Core Fighter to make what seemed to be a short trip to this church came as such a surprise.  The refugee camp may have been several miles away so taking his fighter there makes sense but if he could initially park it right within 50-yards of his mother at the camp, why couldn't he have done the same for his childhood home?  That just makes no sense to me.

Despite all of his whining, Amuro has become a pretty good soldier.  I have to admit that I was taken by surprise when Amuro shot the Zeon soldier through the bed linen but he did the right thing.  An enemy soldier was there and Amuro would have at best been taken as a prisoner of war with a very uncertain future (to say nothing of the Core Fighter being captured) had he not acted.  At worst, he would have been shot and very possibly, the refugees as well for harboring a Federation soldier.  I was also surprised that Amuro aggressively went after the second soldier but that too was the right thing to do so as not to allow the Zeon forces to know of his presence and to protect White Base which was in the nearby area.

His mother's reaction to everything initially seemed odd to me but then the last time she saw him was when he was a child (or at least that's the impression I was left with).  I know that to a parent, their children remain their children even when said children are no longer children but adults.  So, I'm guessing there is a bit of that at play.  However, in becoming an adult, Amuro appears to have shattered his mother's illusions and well those things break badly. 

I liked how Bright praised Amuro in front of his mother when those same actions had earlier ticked him off.  It was classy on the part of Bright but I wonder if Amuro got spoken to after they returned to the ship.

Speaking of Bright and Amuro's actions against the Zeon base, again I'm going to side with Amuro here.  I understand that White Base has limited resources and that resupplies are difficult at best.  However, Amuro's actions spared a town of Federation folks from further harassment for the time being.  The destruction of the base allows White Base to move unmolested for a while, at least until they come into Zeon territory again. 

Which reminds me, did White Base leave California?  I would guess not but it is difficult to know for sure just where the heck they are.  Baja maybe?

I should have expected that in addition to being a space ship and an atmosphere flying craft, White Base also functions as a ship on the water.  The only thing left to reveal is that it has submarine capabilities, which it might considering the ship is space worthy.

I didn't like the Gundam mid-air conversion stuff.  The moment Amuro's Core Fighter transformed into a flying box, I couldn't help but think of how that could not work in reality.  OK, I accept White Base hovering and flying so why not a Core Fighter without its wings?  I don't know but it was just something that set off my BS meter.  ^_^;

Finally, we had an episode without Char?  Seriously, what's wrong with this picture?  *lol* 

So, and interesting episode with some surprising moments.

Shakugan no Shana-tan Frontier

灼眼のシャナたんFRONTIER
Shakukan no Shanatan Frontier

While the last Shana-tan episode was completely original, this episode actually had a short with Shana and a very sparkly Hamaguchi after Shana-tan kicks Alastor into the sky and tells him to become a star like Tom Hanks.  I laughed out loud at how Hamaguchi gone from a nice but popular guy to something akin to Hosaka from Minami-ke.  *lol*  While it was obvious that the writers were going to have him say things in such a way to provide double entendre in a sexual sense, having him go on and on about this while Shana-tan rants and raves while threatening to make Hamaguchi bald was the real delight of the short. 

The Dokonjyo Shana-tan short was funny since Shana-tan was stuck to Yuuji's shirt and naturally we have to take a trip to the sushi bar.  *lol*  Seeing Shana-tan eat all the sushi as fast as Kazumi could make them made me chuckle since it made it look like Yuuji's shirt was doing the eating.  Hearing them mention corn sushi and fried chicken sushi was amusing and reminded me of the chapter in Genshiken where bacon sushi is mentioned.  Fried chicken sushi might not be a bad thing.  *lol*  Regardless, the writers decided to provide a bit of social commentary at the end with Margery mentioning how the news hadn't been talking about "misbehaving" school teachers.  ^_^;;;

The final two shorts were an ultra-short "Ask Shana-tan" segment like we've seen before, only no one wanted to ask any questions and having Sato and Tanaka recount their middle school days was met with silence.  Kazumi's diary at the end was as strange as ever with names I didn't know and the giant beetle now "squooshed" as we used to say as kids.  *lol*  Weird, indeed.

So, some humor but some strangeness and all packed into a little under six minutes.

Shakugan no Shana S - 04 (finale)

灼眼のシャナS (review) Ep. 04
Shakugan no Shana S episode 04 - Overture Part 2

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Shana uses the bead bracelet that Hamaguchi gave to Junko to learn about how Junko and Hamaguchi met and how their first date at Joushi Park after school led to a kiss, which Junko's mother saw, leading to the fight which caused the bracelet to become broken.   Shana knows from Hamaguchi that the next time he and Junko were at Joushi Park, a strangely dressed photographer and assistant wanted to take his pictures while he waited for Junko to return from the bathroom.  It was during this time that Junko was consumed but the combination of photography and Tomogara puzzles Shana.  Alastor cites a Tomogara from the past who was a master picture painter.  That said, the whole thing is mysterious, especially with the American Torch appearing ten years later.

Saturday comes and Shana is about to go meet Hamaguchi for a new photo session when Junko's mother hands her the repaired bracelet for "Junko's" date with Hamaguchi.  While Hamaguchi has standard worries about his date, Shana ponders the Tomogara but to make Hamaguchi at ease, she takes his hand in hers as they walk.  Arriving at the park, Hamaguchi goes to get them some juice from a vending machine, allowing Shana and Alastor to ponder a bit.  However, Hamaguchi disappears and Shana is furious with herself as she goes on the hunt.  Finding the Tomogara's trail, Shana finds a truck with the assistant driving and makes a forced entry into the back of it.  However, the truck is soon enveloped in a Fuzetsu as it continues to travel down roads and eventually the highway, all unseen by the naked eye.

Soon, the Tomogara who calls himself "Ugobaku-sama" reveals himself and his Houga called Atlant, which captures humans in picture form surrounded by a bubble and keeps them alive.  Ugobaku wants an attractive, male human form rather than the shifting mass form he currently has.  As such, he's looking to the future when he can form the perfect body.  Since he took the American, the years passing made the American look less attractive which is why Ugobaku let him go.  However, he still has several other, including Hamaguchi, and mentions having consumed Junko for being in the way.  When Shana calls him weak, Ugobaku threatens to consume all of the humans he's captured but Shana schools him on why he was weak and slays him, ending the threat.

As Junko's mother waits and thinks of Junko growing up, the truck carrying Shana is out of control since the driver, a Torch, has flared out.  Shana frees the humans, who are of all nationalities, including Hamaguchi.  As paramedics tend to these people and Hamaguchi, he wonders where Junko is.  Seeing Shana as Junko, he hears her say goodbye and when he comes to his senses, he has no memory of the event or why he is here.  Seeing Junko's bracelet in his hand, he has no memory of it either though Junko's feelings in the bracelet reach Hamaguchi and cause him to cry though he does not know why.  With that, Shana heads off to Misaki City, where she meets Yuuji, has adventures with him, and now apparently is parted company with him only to meet again under uncertain circumstances.

Thoughts/Review:

The whole beginning flashback showing a very much alive Junko starting her relationship with Hamaguchi through their first date at Joushi Park was rather depressing for me.  That's because I already knew the Junko character was not only dead, but the Torch copy of her had been taken over by Shana. It was also sad as Junko's mother accepted that her daughter was at a dating age and so began to prepare herself for the day when her daughter would get married.  I couldn't help but remember how a human, once their Torch is extinguished, are completely erased from existence and thus forgotten. 

Of course the real tearjerker (if you will) was Shana's farewell to Hamaguchi as Junko while leaving him the bracelet and Junko's feelings even though he has no memory. I'll admit to tearing up a bit there.  After all, I found Junko's and Hamaguchi's romance rather sweet.

While I'm thinking of it, the anime leaves Junko's mother's memory more in question since she's seen smiling, having been thinking of her daughter and the future.  Since this story came from a light novel, I wonder if Shana did something for her as well.

While the Tomogara was weak like Shana said, the fight was still enjoyable even if brief.  The writers made sure to tie up all the loose ends so that all of the mysteries surrounding this Tomogara, the American (who I guess is not a Torch after all), and the mysterious cameraman are resolved.  I was only still a bit fuzzy on why Junko was eaten but as I think about it, it has to be because she was a woman.  Ugobaku was only interested in finding a perfect male form to become his own and her being there with Hamaguchi was a hindrance to his plans.  Since Ugobaku can move a rather small Fuzetsu around, I guess he ate Junko then immediately moved to Hamaguchi and caused him to disappear for a time within his Fuzetsu so that Ugobaku could take pictures in peace.

Finally, the final scene was a nice but short recap of Shana's life after arriving at Misaki City to include a few of the Tomogara she battled as well as the fun times she had with Yuuji and of course Kazumi.  However, this scene seems to be setting up something big and nasty, or at least that's the impression I'm left with.  Based on Shana's thoughts, it seems that she and Yuuji have parted ways and that they have reunited on the large bridge that leads in and out of town.  While his face isn't show, I've got the feeling that on the other bridge tower is Yuuji and Shana is facing him, not as a friend and lover, but as someone distant from her, perhaps someone to be wary of.  Not sure what that means but hopefully this will lead to a new TV series and some answers for me.  ^_^;;;

I'll have some final thoughts in a later post but I have to say that I rather enjoyed the final two episodes.  For now, I'll leave you with some lovely Engrish crock.  ^_~

xxxHOLiC Manga Chapter 209 Review

xxxHOLiC (xxxHOLiC Rou) Manga Chapter 209

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: Watanuki takes a call from Himawari-chan, thanking him for the chrysanthemum wine, which she and her husband shared.  She talks of how her husband loved the wine and how he still seems to prefer the foods Watanuki makes over the foods she makes.  She mentions that she and Doumeki paid Kohane-chan a visit with some of the wine and that Kohane-chan has become a beautiful young lady.

Sometime later, Kohane-chan is at the shop and is trying on a kimono that Watanuki is letting her borrow for a tea ceremony.  He remarks on how beautiful she has become which causes her to blush.  She wonders if it is OK to borrow this and Watanuki assures her it is.

Doumeki swings by with a request from one of his professors, who wants to consult with Watanuki about an item the professor has in his possession.  Because Doumeki has stated that Watanuki is an expert combined with Watanuki's having helped previously, the professor trusts him with identifying the item.

The item is a small, thin box which when opened, causes a young girl in Shinto garb to appear.  The girl appears disappointed that she's been handed off to someone else again and she notes that "Watanuki" is not Watanuki's real name.  After explaining that the professor who "owned" her was a good man who taught folklore, the girl decides that this is enough and that she will reveal what she is to Watanuki.

Thoughts/Review:Well now, well now.

I'll go ahead and get this out of the way and state that I'm disappointed that CLAMP made Himawari-chan a married woman.  I guess that'll give Watanuki x Doumeki shippers something to celebrate.  In the meantime, I can't say that CLAMP hadn't established this turn of events.  After all, they've avoided having Himawari-chan in the story beyond being on the phone or being mentioned.  She was only drawn as part of a flashback and apparently, they only get to see each other on his birthday.  So, she goes on and marries someone else but I can't help but think that maybe Watanuki might still be number one in her heart.

Interesting that Himawari still has physical contact with Kohane-chan. I had expected Himawari to not be so close but this sounds like she's not that far away.

Speaking of Kohane-chan, is it me or has CLAMP potentially opened up a new shipper class with her?  I say this because Himawari mentions Kohane-chan becoming a beautiful young lady and then Watanuki complimented her, which caused her to blush, complete with those romantic bubbles often used in anime and manga.  It would not surprise me if Kohane-chan had romantic feelings of some sort for Watanuki considering it was he who helped her so long ago.  I can't see Watanuki actually having romantic feelings for Kohane-chan though.

So, I'm routing for a Watanuki x Zashiki-Warashi pairing.  *nods*

When the "little girl" was revealed, CLAMP cleverly drew her in such a way that one couldn't help but think, "Is Yuuko-san about to return?"  After all, they had just completed the section of the chapter where Kohane-chan is wearing a kimono from the shop and Watanuki had remarked that it looked like something that Yuuko-san had worn.  So, CLAMP had name-dropped Yuuko-san and then drew the little girl to resemble her for a moment before fully being revealed.  I couldn't help but smile at how CLAMP had yanked my chain a bit.  ^_^

Anyway, just what is this little girl?  She seemed distressed that the professor who had her (her "residence" being that small, thin box) had apparently passed her onto someone else who knew nothing of her.  Clearly, she's a supernatural being of some kind but I'm not sure what kind of being she would be, especially in Shinto garb like that.  Watanuki didn't appear to know what she is because if he had, I think he would have stated.  So, nothing to do but wait until the next chapter to get that answer.

CLAMP went light this month with only a 27-page chapter, including the chapter cover page.  That's almost a 50% page reduction from the first couple of monthly chapters and the smallest one they've done yet.  Kinda disappointing but if that's all there is, that's all there is.  After all, I think CLAMP has other irons in the fire as well.

So an interesting start to a new story arc with a disappointing revelation about Himawari-chan.

Urusei Yatsura - 150

うる星やつら episode 150 (TV anime)
Urusei Yatsura Ep. 150 review


SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Tobimaru is relaxing in his onsen-styled bath when his younger sister Asuka comes in naked to wash his back.  After losing a lot of blood due to a bloody nose, Asuka makes things worse by trying to keep him from dying by embracing him hard while still naked.  It gets even worse when their mother assumes the worst.  After clearing the air, a doctor tends to Tobimaru and leaves him in his futon. Tobimaru is frustrated by his sisters actions when she shows up in his futon, expressing her desire to spend the night with him.  Tobimaru attempts to explain to Asuka that brothers and sisters don't do this kind of thing and that she should only sleep with the man she loves.  Since Asuka loves her "oniisama," she still thinks this should be OK.

Their mother shows up and understanding the situation, decides to send Asuka to Shuutaro's high school to deliver a scroll to him.  Askua's bodyguards object but are refused as Asuka's mother wants Asuka to meet a nice man to marry.  Asuka reluctantly agrees and goes to put on her full body armor.  However, her mother talks her into wearing a form-fitting light armor suit and Asuka takes off.  Asuka attempts to avoid males at the high school but the females she encounters assume her to be a strange man.  Mayhem ensues with the school going into lock down as the males are assigned to find Asuka and the females lock themselves up in their classroom.  Shuutaro, Ataru, and Lum try to find Asuka first while Asuka ends up crashing through the ceiling of the school shop and into Ryuunosuke's lap.

Asuka thinks Ryuunosuke's a man and knocks her for a loop before fleeing.  Ryuunosuke is offended and gives chase because Asuka has destroyed the store on top of offending her.  Asuka refuses to stop and anytime Ryuunosuke gets near, she gets punched back, often into Ataru and Shuutaro.  Asuka realizes that if she just delivers the letter to Shuutaro, she can leave.  However, Shinobu will not allow this and steals the letter on a bicycle in the school hallways.  Asuka gives chase and Shinobu is amazed at how Asuka keeps up, even running on the walls at times.  Shinobu wants to know if Asuka is truly engaged to Shuutaro.  Asuka denies it since she considers Shuutaro an "oniisama" and says that she is to be with another man.  Shinobu gives up and returns the letter after witnessing Asuka literally take out a wall of the school.

After Asuka delivers the letter, Ryuunosuke returns, determined to show Asuka her breasts to prove she's a girl.  However, every time that Ryuunosuke opens her shirt, guys suddenly appear en masse and prevent her from showing the proof.  Asuka manages to get away and flee to a tree in fear because of all the men.  Her mother and Tobimaru encourage her to go after this "male" who wants to show Asuka his bosom.  After tossing Asuka out of the tree, she makes an attempt to approach Ryuunosuke, who's being coached by Lum.  Eventually, Asuka overcomes her fears and races to Ryuunosuke's bosom although Ryuunosuke had only wanted to prove her womanhood.  The force of Asuka hitting Ryuunosuke sends the two flying through some buildings.  However, when all is said and done, that night, Asuka again returns to Tobimaru's bath naked to bathe him.

Thoughts/Review:

I mentioned last episode that I love these chase episodes.  This one was good in that the writers made an attempt to actually find new angles for the chases to happen. Instead of focusing on Ataru and Shuutaro for the chase (they were featured last time Asuka was around), the chase had a general male aspect with different unnamed males giving chase.  However, the two important chases where Ryuunosuke's attempts to prove she is a woman to Asuka and then Shinobu's attempts to learn more about a potential rival and possibly remove that threat.  Because all three girls are very strong, this aspect works quite well.

I knew that Asuka would eventually develop some kind of feelings for Ryuunosuke as soon as she landed in Ryuunosuke's lap.  After all, Ryuunosuke dresses like a guy, has a rough, male way of speaking, and is pretty tough.  She handles guys quite well in a fight as Ataru can easily attest to.  So it was funny seeing Ryuunosuke take a beating at the hands of Asuka.  Of course, being called a man, Ryuunosuke can't let that slide and no matter how many whacks she took whenever she got too close to Asuka, she was going to prove herself once and for all and that made it more amusing.  Naturally, anytime Ryuunosuke attempted to show her breasts to Asuka, other guys appeared but that too ended up being pretty funny in its execution.

Shinobu was the surprise, more so because she used a bicycle and had Askua chase her.  Shinobu has also been shown to have great strength in that she can pick up heavy pieces of furniture and slam them or throw them great distances.  So, her getting involved with Asuka just promised all sorts of humor and it delivered.  For starters, Asuka was almost like Ataru in how she kept up with Shinobu and though she crashed through a wall at one point, she actually busted back through another wall to be right there with Shinobu during the chase.  I loved how Shinobu was ready to give up on Shuutaro simply because she realized she couldn't compete on any level with Asuka.  Should Asuka return in the future, I hope she and Shinobu will be able to do something together.

This episode marked a new OP and ED theme.  Both songs scream "eighties" with the OP reminding me of hair bands of the time.  Both songs are heavy with English with the ED theme being all English I believe.  Whenever I hear new songs like this that remind me of the 80's (because this was made then), I can't help but remember White Album and how the music there never felt like it came from the 80's.

Also with the OP, the theme was strongly science fiction with the various characters getting to pose from Star Wars (Cherry as Darth Vader) to the generic sentai (aka: Power Rangers) groups to other science fiction stuff.  Well, this is a sci-fi comedy series so I guess it isn't surprising.  ^_~

So, another pretty funny chase episode that was light on Ataru in order to allow Shinobu and Ryuunosuke to be center stage with Asuka.  Good stuff.  ^_^

Mobile Suit Gundam - 12

機動戦士ガンダム /Kido Senshi Gundam episode 12

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

At the giant Zeon space station that holds the Zeon capital Zum City, the start of the public funeral for Garma begins with the Zabi family taking the stage.  Meanwhile, a Zeon force led by Ramba Ral on his warship Zanzibar decides to avenge "Garma-sama" and take out White Base.  They eventually catch up to the federation ship and attack, damaging one of its engines and forcing Bright to order they flee into a thunderstorm.  The storm causes Amuro to lose it and remember Icelina attempt to kill him before dying herself.  Mirai's piloting loses the Zeon pursuers and they land on an island to make repairs.  While they are down, Bright orders Gundam, Guntank, and Guncannon out to defend the ship.  However, Ryu finds Amuro out of it and even though he manages to get Amuro into his flight suit, Amuro is unable to concentrate.

Ryu and Sayla manage to get Amuro out and the Gundam where Ramba in a new, blue mobile suit and two Zaku units have already landed.  Amuro quickly discovers that this blue mobile suit is very different and Bright recognizes it as a new Zeon weapon.  Amuro rejects having cover fire and goes to attack but is thwarted time and again by the blue mobile suit.  Ramba is impressed with the Gundam and its pilot, especially since it still survives.  However, his advantage is removed with White Base, Guntank, and Guncannon provide too much cover fire to allow him to finish off Gundam.  He orders a retreat and his girlfriend Hamon has the Zanzibar retrieve all three mobile suits.  Zanzibar then leaves with a stream of floodlights to blind the Federation forces.

Gihren, the now de facto ruler of Zeon, uses Garma's funeral to make a speech against the Federation that is broadcast worldwide.  When Ryu and Amuro reach the White Base's bridge, Bright tells Amuro to watch the speech.  The speech is also seen by Ramba and Hamon on board Zanzibar as well as by Char, who's been returned to his hometown and is having a drink in a bar.  Char is about to order another drink when a stranger comes up and pays for it.  Char recognizes the man as one of Kycilia's guards, not by sight, but by smell.  The guard is impressed as Gihren continues his fiery speech.  As Gihren concludes, the Zeon's chant "Sieg Zeon" over and over.  Amuro wonders if this is indeed the face of their enemy, leading Bright to tell him that Gihren and the Zabi family intend to rule all of Earth with a dictatorship.

Thoughts/Review:

The new introduction with episode 12 help to establish what Zeon's purpose is and that Gihren is in fact the de facto ruler of Zeon, something I had not known before.  Before this episode, I'd assumed that their father Degwin was the ruler but I guess he had turned things over to his oldest son some time ago. 

Interesting that the German word "sieg" (victory) is used by Gihren in his speech.  Clearly, the writers are attempting to evoke an association in the viewers mind with Nazi Germany and the "Sieg Heil" chants of the German people during World War II.  It is a shame though that the "Sieg Zeon" chant could not have been made to sound like the "Sieg Heil" chants on the old newsreels.  Heck, I'm not even sure if they could make a few voice actors sound like a crowd of 10's of thousands of people today but had they been able to do this back when Gundam was made, it would have been a much more chilling moment in my opinion.

Also making the interesting list is Kycilia sending one of her men to Char.  So, apparently she has some sort of political aspirations since she didn't have Char killed for Garma's death.  I guess this is how Char is brought back into the story.

Amuro's spacing out this episode made him more sympathetic than his previous, whiny, angst-ridden moments of self-pity.  Having seen Icelina puts a very human face on someone trying to kill him and someone he's trying to kill.  Combine that with the almost non-stop combat and its no wonder that he had a tough time pulling it together.

The orphans again make their standard cameo.  This time, Kikka and the other two have a vacuum and have apparently been cleaning the ship.  I actually found that brought a smile to my face because doing common household chores like cleaning isn't normally a part of a futuristic sci-fi series such as Gundam.

Having Bright snap at Kikka allowed for us to see the strain that command has placed on Bright (in addition to showing how Kikka is very manipulative).  I liked the short scene of him taking a break and being visited by Mirai after he snapped.

I can understand why many of the Federation and Zeon folks have never seen lightning, but even still, one would think that they'd have learned about it and thunderstorms.  However, Frau Bow assumed this was some sort of new Zeon weapon and some of the Zeon's assumed lightning was a new Federation weapon.

And speaking of new weapons, this new, Zeon blue mobile suit that the writers made a strong point of stating that it was NOT a Zaku makes an appearance.  I don't remember the mobile suit being named though, which is unfortunate.  I could look it up I suppose but I'm guessing it will have its type name revealed soon enough.

So, a rather interesting episode in a long string of such episodes.  I have to say that through twelve episodes, I'm rather impressed on the whole with what I'm seeing. 

RIN-NE Manga Volume 04 Review

境界のRINNE/Kyōkai no RINNE

BUY "RIN-NE Volume 4" FROM RIGHTSTUF! ^_^

*SPOILERS*

Rinne is targeted for assassination by damashigami and his bank account is drained.  This is all due to his father Sabato, a the head of the Damashigami Company.  His father wants Rinne to take over the business and even sets things up so that Rinne will marry.  However, everything Sabato does is to gain further control over Rinne and thus gain more financing means without having to do any work.  Thus Rinne has to avoid having his fingerprints taken from his trickster father and fight him in his own way to bring down the damashigami, aided by Sakura, Rokumon, and Tsubasa.   Despite everything, Sabato gets Rinne into a boxing ring and manages to score Rinne's hand print on an IOU to give Rinne money instead of a marriage certificate.  However, Sabato doesn't quit and it takes his mother Tamako to end things and state that Rinne is dating Sakura.

As Rinne cannot guess what Sakura is thinking, especially since she seemed to cast aside the notion of dating him, he is somewhat depressed after they return to Earth.  However, a new damashigami incident gets his attention as well as the attention of the teen female shinigami Ageha.  After initially mistaking Rinne for a damashigami, Ageha convinces Rinne to help her take down the Damashigami Company, which has recently reopened after Rinne and company caused it to shut down for a while.  Unfortunately, Ageha's older sister is dating Sabato and Ageha has not made the connection to Rinne yet.  Ageha is happy to have Rinne as a partner but this causes Sakura to misunderstand.  When Ageha's sister is dispatched with a mask to test Rinne and Sakura and attempts to give them an engagement ring, Sakura declines and Ageha attacks her sister without knowing it is her sister.

With volume 4, Takahashi-sensei feels comfortable enough to get into longer story arcs and then linked story arcs.  The introduction of Rinne's father, Sabato, is not a good moment as far as I'm concerned.  Takahashi-sensei loves these idiot, worthless father types going from Fujinami in Urusei Yatsura (who as a single parent raised his daughter as a son and refuses to change) to Genma in Ranma 1/2 (attempted to betroth Ranma to countless girls as he grew up) to now Sabato.  Sabato is the worst of the lot because he's an absolute leech who does nothing but act smug, surround himself with babes, and attempt to steal as much as he can from his son.  I don't find it funny no matter how over the top the character is written.  I'm afraid that he'll be too much of a focus for the series since he's the president of the Damashigami Company.

While I like the fact that Sakura isn't hot headed like Kagome (Inuyasha) or Akane (Ranma 1/2), she's already going down the road of many of Takahashi-sensei's female heroines when it comes to the romantic side of the story.   She pretty much rips Rinne wide open when she comes right out and states her belief that Tamako's announcement that Sakura and Rinne were dating was a joke.  Then, when she sees a grateful Ageha holding Rinne's hand in thanks for agreeing to help the shinigami, Sakura just assumes those two must have feelings for each other despite Rinne's attempts to set the record straight.  Knowing Takahashi-sensei as I do, this will get old quick for me.

Of course, Takahashi-sensei loves her love triangles and it appears that Ageha is being set up to be in one with Rinne and Sakura.  Tsubasa is already in one with Rinne and Sakura and I'm trying to think if there are any others at this point in time.  I don't suppose there are yet but given time, I'm guessing more characters will be added to have more triangles.  I can't say I'm looking forward to that.

On the Viz side of the house, things are done fairly nicely.  The Japanese honorifics are still retained (yay!) and there are even a few translator notes at the end of the volume.  Yay!  I wish Maison Ikkoku would get a release with this kind of treatment.  ^_^;

So, while I can't say this volume was not entertaining on some level, the beating I took reading Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha (and to some degree, Maison Ikkoku but that at least had a winning ending) means that I'm already weary of Sabato stories and this whole volume was centered around him.  Having Ageha and her sister, who's apparently dating that scum Sabato, doesn't help matters, nor does Sakura's unintentional stabbings of Rinne's heart.

Negima! Manga Vol 34 Ch 306 Review

魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 34 Chapter 306 (manga)
Mahou Sensei Negima! Manga Chapter 306

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:Negi's use of Magia Erebea to transform into a demon mode is felt by Kotaro, Chachamaru, Yue, Anya, "Poyo," and Mana due to the sheer force of the dark aura.  Negi launches into Dynamis with a furry, causing the man to wonder if Negi's technique is an extension of his own master's technique.  Dynamis launches a counterattack which Negi easily counters as he easily breaks Dynamis's shadow armor.  Dynamis again attempts to counter but Negi has no problem overcoming this, shattering Dynamis's mask.  Negi pours on the power, complete with black lighting, and casts a powerful, dark spell (Kokuryuu Raigou) that defeats Dynamis. 

As Dynamis lays there smoldering away, he understands that Negi is the product of the blood of the final descendant of Vespertatia, the magical force of his father, his own talent, and the technique from Dynamis's master.  As such, Dynamis had no chance of defeating Negi. Despite this and his own defeat, Dynamis is sure they've won as all Negi has to do is kill him and fall completely into darkness.  Homura leaps to Dynamis's defense in full flame but Dynamis wants Negi to kill him.  Negi attacks and Homura braces for the killing blow when Shiori drops her Asuna guise and stands between Homura and Negi to take his death blow.


Thoughts/Review: So, Negi goes "Balrog" this chapter with Akamatsu-sensei ending on an interesting cliff hanger.

Interesting that Negi's shift to demonic mode was so intense that it may have well been felt throughout the entire Gravekeeper Palace structure.  After all, Mana had descended down to fight Poyo and Kotaro's group was heading well away from Negi's current location.  That being the case, I'm going to assume that Fate felt this too.

The Magia Erebea was supposedly a technique created by Eva.  So, why does Dynamis cite it as a technique descended from his master?  I rather doubt that Eva was his master at any point in time but then again, we know so little about her.  Indeed, I asked Akamatsu-sensei if he plans to provide any more back story about Eva during his last Q&A event (English questions have been being selected for publication and answering so there's always a chance, even if a weak one). 

It is always possible that with Eva calling herself a near-final boss in terms of power that she just might have been part of CE.  Her reputation as a shinso vampire and her high bounty may have been the result the war and that after the defeat of CE, she abandoned her adult disguise in favor of her regular, young girl look to get in close with Nagi and Ala Alba.  But that's just wild speculation on my part.

Why is it that Kurt's plans and Dynamis's plans would succeed if only they get Negi to go completely to the dark side?  The closest answer I can come up with is that a Negi that's out of control can't stop them, but that in and of itself doesn't make for a victory.  After all, Dark Negi could still wreck their plans.

Finally, there's Shiori.  Assuming she survives, some people are in for a surprise that Asuna was never with them.  Frankly, I only see a 50-50 shot of Shiori surviving.  I've long wondered if Shiori might have a death flag set that would do something to Negi.  The training Negi underwent may still come into play though, which would mean that Negi stops short again and returns to normal.  There's also a chance that Fate gates in and blocks the shot for whatever reason.

So, a heavy action episode with some cameos from the other areas to remind us those characters are still there.  ^_^

Still looking for 307 spoilers, but don't count on them.  I guess the folks at 2CH ticked off the person who was uploading the spoiler images and well that's that.  Even if my Japanese were better, I don't think I'd post the so-called text spoilers because it is impossible to tell the lies from the actual spoilers.  

Mobile Suit Gundam - 11

機動戦士ガンダム /Kido Senshi Gundam episode 11

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Within the Protectorate of Zeon in the one space station that holds the Zeno capital of Zum City, Garma's older brother Dozle arrives as does his older sister Kycilia.  The arrive to find their oldest brother Gihren waiting along with their father.  All are still shaken by the loss of Garma, whom Dozle assumed would make it to Admiral and eventually give him orders.  Degwin wants a private service for Garma but Gihren objects, stating that Garma was popular with the people and that in a time of war, the people need something to rally around.  Kycilia agrees with this.  Dozle wants Char punished for negligence and Degwin agrees to have Char reassigned. 

Elsewhere, Icelina gets a Zeon lieutenant to take her up in a Gaw as she is angry with the Federation for killing Garma.  Three Gaw's are dispatched to where the White Base is still making its way to Federation airspace.  Seeing these craft, Bright orders Gundam and Guncannon (with Ryu) out to attack.  Both leap to the nearest Gaw where they land on it and damage it enough to force it to crash before they head to the next Gaw.  Meanwhile, Sayla has the latest orders from the Federation and it appears they won't be getting any help or resupply though the civilians will be taken from the ship and White Base is given rendezvous coordinates and alters course.

Meanwhile, Char arrives in a Luggun plane and launches an attack on White Base, figuring that this will make him look good no matter what.  A torpedo hit to the already damaged engine of White Base causes the ship to smolder and lose stability and make a hard, emergency landing in the desert.  Despite the sandstorm, Char has Dren land the Luggan so that Char can make a visual check of White Base.  Char is impressed the ship has made it so far and on board, Bright thanks Mirai for her piloting skills. With White Base on the ground, some civilians attempt to leave despite some of the crew attempting to stop them.  However, they quickly see Char who opens fire.  Bright leads the charge to nail Char but Char gets back to his Luggan and takes off, fleeing the area.

Back with the Gaw's, Amuro and Ryu destroy a second Gaw before heading to the ground.  As Char launches another attack before leaving the area, Icelina takes control over the Gaw she is in and points it at the Gundam unit, determined to take it out.  She crashes the Gaw and since Amuro made no attempt to get away, he's caught in the crash and the Gundam is damaged.  He leaves this cockpit as the sole surviving Icelina emerges from the wrecked Gaw.  She sees Amuro and yells her desire for revenge before falling off the plane and dying.  Amuro, Kai, Hayato, and Ryu bury her with Amuro wondering who she was and why she wanted revenge on him.  At the same time, the remaining civilians, save the orphans, leave White Base where a Federation convoy is coming to retrieve them.

Thoughts/Review:

So, Icelina returns to again put a human face on Garma and the Zeons, only to be slain herself in the next battle.  While I thought her introduction wasn't the best, I did think that her reaction to Garma's death was understandable.  I'm guessing that based on the mansion she lived in and the staff around her who all addressed her as "Ojousama," the war has never touched her despite the destruction nearby.  However, Garma's death obviously caused the war to touch her and she wanted the Federation scum who killed her beloved to die.  I wonder if Amuro and company will ever learn her name now that they've buried her in the desert.  Her words seemed to play on Amuro's emotions and that suggests he's about to get angst-filled again.  We'll see though.

We get to see Garma's family, sans his mother.  It makes sense that the children of the ruler of Zeon would all have positions of high authority.   I was surprised to hear that Dozle believed that Garma, despite being the youngest of the bunch, would eventually outrank him and give him orders. Gihren seemed to be the one to make lemonade out of the situation with his suggestion of a public funeral for Garma.  I couldn't get a good feel for Kycilia, but based on Garma's desire to impress his older sister, I'm guessing she's pretty formidable.  Their father, on the other hand, is mourning a great deal from what it appears.

 I was a bit surprised to hear that Char will be punished but apparently not too severely.  We'll see how that goes against his plans.

Well, save for the orphans, the whiny civilians would appear to all be gone.  I guess the orphans stay because they are orphans but one would think that they'd be better off out of the war zone.  However, I suspected they might hang around based on how they often scored cameos.  So, hopefully there are no more civilian issues to deal with.

White Base gets to have some repairs done after being shot down.  I give the writers credit for thinking about things like making ship repairs and resupplying the ship as well.  Gundam was seen getting maintenance which was nice and it gets damaged for the first time, though lets be honest, Amuro should have been able to get out of the way.


So, another interesting and good episode.