Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 13: Bonds ]

You know, the first half or so of the episode was pretty damn saddening and depressing. Seeing the revelation of the true starter of the fire and even the conflict before that was really heart-wrenching and to think that Nanaka experienced it all was even more saddening. The thing that scared me the most though was when Nanaka wouldn’t respond to Sana while in the bath. My mind had instantly thought “Oh god, don’t tell me she’s going to slit her wrists/commit suicide” and all I could do was hold my head when I saw her in the bath bleeding. Thankfully she was saved by Sana who finally revealed that he did the same thing in the past and removed his watch to show Nanaka.

One thing I didn’t expect though was the sudden jump to 10-years-later jump. I thought it was a little abrupt but that was just because I thought they would have shown a little of Sana and Nanaka after her ordeal. The 10-years-after epilogue brought a lot of closure for most, if not all, of the characters whether it was actually shown or implied. Sana and Nanaka were obviously a couple and Sana successfully proposed to her; Yuzuki is looking as sexy as ever; Hinako and Youta are also together; Aoi is as high-pitched and normal as ever; Asami managed to redeem herself; and we even got to see Shuusuke and Shuri who I thought weren’t going to appear at all in this final episode. I don’t think I need to say anything regarding the latter couples’ relationship at this point.

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[ BLEACH #154]

Aaroniero, while slick, is a silly bastard. He kept on switching between “Kaien-mode” and “Aaroniero/Espada-mode” on Rukia that I could only laugh. Seriously, I think he would have had Rukia completely hooked had he kept on behaving normally like Kaien and surely but subtlely wiggle his way into Rukia’s mind. But noooo, he had to go and ask her to bring her the heads of her friends. What kind of reply did he expect from such a sharp turn of atmosphere and tone? A “Yes, Kaien-dono”? Not a chance, even if she did feel a ton of guilt at that time.

Yeah, it was a decent episode and it hardly felt dragged even though it covered one and a half chapters of manga material with some flashbacks. A pacing like this would probably help slow down the rate at which the anime is closing in on the latest chapters. Though, of course, we’ll have to go to anime-original stuff sooner or later as we’re pretty damn close to the manga, very likely the closest the Bleach anime has ever been to the manga.

Oh. The next episode will air on January 9th.

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[ Episode 12: Red Memories ]

So what was the point of Nanaka asking Sana about his wristwatch if he wasn’t going to say anything about it? Is he going to say something about it in the finale? Anyway, more importantly, Nanaka finally remembered everything from her past though it was pretty freaky that seeing the evening sun set her off like that. I’m not sure who could’ve caused that fire but I suppose it is between that violin teacher or her uncle who they’ve showed in the OP since the begin. Then again, that’s probably what the writers would want us to think and actually have the uncle turn out innocent.

As for now, I’m just wondering how the finale is going to turn out and if there will be enough time for everything to be resolved. That includes any sort of return of Shuusuke and Shuri.

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[ Episode 11: Confession ]

Yeah, this episode was a pretty solid “WTF!” if you ask me. Well, at least in the beginning anyway. The whole thing with Asami came out of no where and I’m pretty sure no one saw it coming. The writers did a good job at keeping any hints from dropping, especially given that that scene with her in the OP didn’t really tell much if nothing at all except that she was crying. Overall, this episode was one of the most powerful yet. The entire ending scenes with Shuusuke and Shuri leaving and Sana chasing down the training to say exactly what Shuusuke said in the past when he left combined with the great music…it all added up to an amazing moving farewell. I’m really going to miss Shuri and Shuusuke, especially if they don’t return in time for the finale.

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[ Episode 3: Datura ]

New character time! It seems pretty obvious that Azanael and Onomii had a relationship in the past and now Onomii is dead in the present. Azanael seems to know that already but probably doesn’t know how it happened. I’d say it most likely involves the incident from five years ago. I want to see more of those developments soon. As for Hagino and Mari, their relationship is still pretty shaky but at least they aren’t at each other’s necks. Well, I’m sure something will happen soon that will bring them together.

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[ Episode 2: Lavandula ]

Oh man, I’m so late with catching up to this series that it isn’t funny. >_< So I better get right into things and not stall my thoughts.

This episode was much more well-paced than the first. A good amount of things happened which included finding out that Mari is the sole survivor of a disaster that occurred five years ago. That incident is pretty odd, especially given the info right at the very end of the episode but I'm sure it will become clearer later on. For now though I'm interested in what exactly Mari is to have caused such a reaction from Hagino and as well as being able to see Tsubael, Hagino's subordinate.

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[ Episode 5: Summer Friend ]

This was a pretty cute episode focusing on Rin feeling lonely over the summer break. One thing I thought that could have been done better was Aoki’s reaction to Houin’s school swimsuit. I thought it was priceless in the manga but somehow I didn’t laugh as hard as I did seeing it animated. That doesn’t mean it still wasn’t hilarious though since I especially loved the bounce. The way Rin preempted Houin was hilarious. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s done that overall in the manga.

*shakes fist at censors for messing up the handstand scene*

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[ Episode 24: End ]

Leon
Youko

Wow. That was one finale. Personally, I felt really bad for Miyo. It goes without saying that she is my favorite character throughout the first and second seasons so I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her regardless of anything that she’s done. Nothing else really mattered to me for most of the final episodes than Miyo’s safety. It seems like she was saved due to having caught the initial stages of the H-Syndrome but I’m sure she’s cured in the end. It was said that in that world there were no losers so I’m assuming that Miyo received a happy ending as well and didn’t have to receive the blame of everything that happened.

The end with [adult] Rika and [child] Miyo was pretty intriguing. I was at a loss to what it meant for a few minutes but then figured that it suggested that Rika somehow went back in time to ensure that Miyo didn’t have to live that life of hell she would have gone through had her parents died in that bus accident. That made me all sorts of happy because all I wanted from this finale was for Miyo to survive and have a happy ending.

And that’s all she wrote. I personally thought the finale was brilliantly done and covered the tracks almost excellently. Looks like the club already won the fight and the battle from the start. Okonogi realized that but Miyo still wouldn’t take defeat for an answer, though I’m plenty sure she had that feeling locked inside her but doesn’t want to admit it. Ironically, the thing that probably saved her was getting Hinamizawa Syndrome. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her knowing that no one else gave a crap about her grandfather’s documents. The sudden pouring rain was a nice touch, a reminder of the pain she went through when she was a child.

I must say, I really loved it when Hanyuu showed up and said she would forgive her. Miyo’s last move was one shot, and she pathetically missed. Or did Hanyuu do that? Well, anyways, it seems she’ll be okay for now. Which means this whole mess is now over and done with. Congrats, Rika + gang, you’ve finally won! Yahoo watashi wa katte ze! *fanfare* And finally, the endless days of June disappear. The bit at the end gives off another new question to me. I honestly didn’t understand this scene at all. At least, the part where a supposed adult Rika appears before a young Miyo. I wouldn’t think too much on it. I’m guessing this will be explained later in the upcoming season (hell yeah).

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It’s that time of the year again and I’m glad to be alive to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS (and a HAPPY HOLIDAYS) again. The day has just arrived here but I’m sure some were already enjoying Christmas way before my timezone. I hope everyone enjoys the dinners and presents they’ll all be receiving. ^_^

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[ Episode 10: A Cultured Man Weathered the Rain Under Rashomon ]

The sudden new OP theme was quite the surprise. I gotta say that I love it. Though, I have to go through it again to see all of those lightning fast messages that flashed throughout the sequence.

As for the actual episode, I honestly was laughing all the way through. I tried to think of how to discuss some of the issues and all I ended up was confusing myself but I’ll try my best at least with the preview aspect. From what I gathered I’m guessing that previewing can also be likened to window-shopping. The part with the porno site made me explode into giggles since paying for porn is useless since, well, I think you know why. The bit with the Nozomu getting knocked into a coma and “previewing” the afterlife was especially hilarious. That shows that Nozomu doesn’t really want to die after all. To wrap it up though, this episode was just insane. Pure insanity (the James Bond-ish sequence was awesome!).

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