Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 9: Evening Primrose on Fuji is a Mistake ]

At first I didn’t know how to approach expressing my opinion on this episode until the very end. The first half deals with mistakes in life. Nozomu points out that everything in life is a mistake. Well, of course he’s a bit extreme with his outlook since I’m quite sure that isn’t true. Kafuka on the other hand thinks that once the mistake comes to light, it is correct. Meaning, you will it is correct once everyone knows about it. I guess it’s something like repentance. Either way, I suppose choosing the middle ground between Nozomu and Kafuka’s viewpoint would be more wise than siding fully with either of them.

The second half deals with knowing one’s identity. The thing is that you can’t prove your existence with material objects such as ID cards and other binding documents. Your identity is proven through your actions and words which I think Nami proved through her “normal” response to Nozomu’s question. Or something like that. Well, I think the point is that worrying about such things will only cause you unnecessary stress and that one shouldn’t worry about proving their existence to others. It’s better to just watch things like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and laugh at all the stuff it portrays in each episode.

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[ Episode 8: I am Fated to be an Outcast ]

This episode made me laugh so hard I thought I would choke. The whole issue of being an outcast and being overshadowed is so true that it’s painfully hilarious. The examples such as Kaere’s absolutely amazing body being overshadowed by Chie’s huge boobs and Nozomu turning in his 1000 yen only to be overshadowed by Kafuka turning in a ton of money were especially gut-busting. The other part of this episode involved receiving criticism. Everything shown was so truthfully that I could only shake my head in laughter. This goes especially for Usui’s (that’s his name, right?) self-criticism. Criticizing one’s self is an attempt to soften the blow one would receive if someone else said it first. The part with being criticized by a beautiful person, while a little strange at first, is something I’m sure I’ve witnessed one or two times in the past in high school. A person would much rather accept criticism from a beautiful person rather than, shall I say, unattractive person. In the end though, I think the issues addressed here are aimed towards telling people that they should be content with who they are and not try to bring attention to themselves and to take criticism constructively, unless of course the person doing said criticizing is just being an asshole.

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[ Focus 09: Existential Ghosts ]

That was quite the awesome episode. The beginning with the teenagers who saw the very same ghost that Makoto did in episode 7 was very interesting because the ghost, who kept on getting run over, actually gave chase to them and seemingly entered into one of the guys. This ghost is, according to Tarou, the very same person who kidnapped him and his sister. Of course, Tarou, Makoto, and Masayuki learn about the incident and decide to investigate it for themselves. Both Tarou and Masayuki really surprised me when they confronted the ghost when it started to attack them. Tarou turned into some, uh, hound-like form but didn’t get to use it since he was still scared of the guy a bit. When the ghost chased after Masayuki he decides to use one of his videogame moves and blast the sucker out of the sky. Now that’s pretty damn cool.

Other things happened as well. Masayuki finally stood up to those bullies in school but got beaten up real good. I guess that’s better than saying nothing lol. Hirata called Reika to discuss his experience in the previous episode and sounded quite shaken. Hopefully we get some more insight into that soon. Then there’s the very end with Masayuki’s father who happens to see some ghost leeches near his daughter/wife(?). That was pretty freaky if you ask me. Lastly, thumbs up to Tarou blushing madly around Miyako. Is that some love I sense in the air?

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[ Focus 08: Revolution of Limbic System ]

Much of this episode was told from Hirata’s point of view. This is a first of course and I had wondered where it was going until the end of the episode. Before that though we get to see that Hirata has finally started treating Tarou’s mother. Whether or not we start seeing results of her healing is yet to be seen though since it is in the early stages. Tarou has an OBE yet again and meets a strange ghost that is of an animal that is extinct. Does that mean those other strange ghosts also existed before though? During his OBE he sees Makoto but is unable to talk to him. However, he does meet Miyako who of course can see him. She’s ever the intriguing young lady and I’m wondering if she really does have disassociative identity disorder or not.

The most interesting thing that occurred during this episode though involves Hirata who has a seemingly supernatural experience. He lost 30 minutes of time that didn’t seem to be that long and additionally saw a white disk in the sky. I’m guessing that that sight was supposed to be something akin to a UFo/alien abduction? Well, I guess he can’t rule out supernatural activity anymore after that.

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[ Focus 07: Long Term Potentiation ]

I found it interesting how for most of the episode they focused a lot on the brain. It was all pretty relevant though as Reika and Hirata basically were explaining what parts of the brain held temporary memory, long-term memory, and where emotions such as fear are generated. They also discussed what happens to a person when certain parts of the brain are damaged such as memory loss, seeing aliens, angles, or God, and other strange conditions.

So far though, I”m still wondering where Ghost Hound is going. The characters are being developed very well and are some of the most interesting of the season. I suppose my guess would be that Ghost Hound will cover the progression each of the protagonists will make in the acceptance and truths of their tragedies and familial issues.

On a small note, Tarou’s family must be rolling in the dough to be able to afford so much therapy and medical expenses.

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[ Episode 11: ever forever ]

OH MY GOD. With this I have seen the best episode of ef - a tale of memories. This episode showcased why I love both Chihiro and Renji’s characters so much and why their story is hands-down the best. Their relationship is far more deep and involved than the other and much more complex. Seeing them together always leaves me smiling and that was put to the test especially throughout this episode. The one day of happiness they spent together as lovers was adorable but from the time Chihiro said they will be lovers for a day I had thought something not-so-good would happen. I was left gaping when Chihiro sent all of the pages of her diary flying into the air and was left speechless. What is going to happen to Chihiro and Renji now that those pages which always refreshed Chihiro of her memories, especially those of Renji, are now gone? There’s only one episode left and I’m wondering if the majority of it will be devoted to Chihiro and Renji while it also ties together everything.

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[ Episode 10: I'm here ]

With this episode, Hirono’s story comes to an end. That was some amazing story telling. The closure between Hirono and Kei went better than I expected it to go but I’m glad that they’ll still have a sibling-like relationship. Hirono and Miyako finally have each other and I really loved the phone call between the two. The direction of that entire scene was absolutely astounding and the drama went above and beyond. I’m guessing that the next episode will focus on Renji and Chihiro, the most interesting and best couple in the series in my opinion, and the final episode will wrap up the stories of everyone in some way. Though I’d like to have the final two episodes devoted to Chihiro and Renji.

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[ Episode 9: forget me not ]

So, Hiro and Miyako have slept together. They did the do. I can go on and on with various phrases to say what they did but I suppose I should stop there. It sucks that Kei had to see them together at the end of the episode though especially with her leg in the condition it is right now. Though, I suppose this opens up the possibility of her being with Kyosuke. I can’t say I’m looking forward to them as a couple though.

Chihiro and Renji’s story is yet again intriguing me. I was worried at the beginning when Chihiro seemed unapproachable especially when she threw the diary at Renji out of anger of herself. I’m glad though that they seem to be alright for now, at least on Chihiro’s side since Renji is going through some tough times now with his feelings and thoughts. Some might say Chihiro regained herself too quickly but it surely wasn’t as quick as Hiro and Miyako snogging each other.

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[ Episode 8: clear colour ]

The start of this episode was awesome. Kei used the fact that she was showering to make Miyako think that she and Hiro were intimate. It’s pretty obvious to think something like that happened when the person who answered the door is only in a towel and fresh out of the shower. Well, Miyako doesn’t seem to be in that bad of shape for now. The Renji and Chihiro storyline is getting more and more intense from the way things went in this episode. Renji got to see just how Chihiro is when she wakes up in the morning…and it’s a pretty heart-wrenching sight. I can’t even begin to think what will happen to their relationship next but I can only hope some progress is made in regards to Chihiro’s memory problem.

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[ Episode 7: I... ]

Uh. WHOA. This entire episode was absolutely intense, specifically the second half. The Renji and Chihiro stuff was really bizarre for a while and I had wondered what the hell was going on until I calmed down and tried to focus on what went wrong. I think I’m going to have to see the next episode or two to fully grasp the situation though. As for the second half…that was crafted to be a masterpiece and it is, yet it was creepy as hell. They played over 20 of Miyako’s 99 messages to Hiro and I must say I felt pretty freaked out. Miyako is in a pretty fragile and messed up state of mind right now and who knows what will happen the next time she meets up with Hiro and/or Kei, especially Kei if she finds out that she deleted all of those messages.

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