[ Episode 51: The Password is Courage! ]

コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　

Wow, after all seemed totally lost, I didn’t expect something like this to happen at all. First Maka pulls off Kishin Gari, which looks even more sick than Majo Gari. The gradient, flashy look and the size of it made my jaw hit the floor. She managed to give Asura a serious cut, but he quickly recovered as if nothing happened. Then here came unexpectedness number two: I know Maka was always hot-headed but once the blades came out of her body, things started getting wicked good. And I thought Black Blood Maka was legion. So apparently she has the power of weapons from her blood, despite her role as Meister. A very interesting revelation; it certainly is no stretch, seeing as she herself is the daughter of Death Scythe. Asura was still able to stop her, even after all those blades pierced through his damn body. The most disturbing part was when Asura snapped Maka back to normal and she made that painful PAINFUL scream. Ouch.

Being Maka, though, she still had the courage to stand up against Asura, and she used that courage built up into her right fist and sent a message right to his face. Okay, so it wasn’t that climatic as I thought it’d be, but it was a nice way to end it. The whole thing about having courage is nothing new; rather, it’s a cliché in most stories, but, man, does it work. It was pretty funny how Asura thought that single punch did nothing, but once his face cracked, I started guffawing, especially when he put his face back together right before he exploded. I really liked the line Maka says just then too: how courage is nothing special, and anyone can have it within him or her. Nostalgia comes back once “I Wanna Be” started playing in the background. I’m not a fan of STANCE PUNKS, but I did enjoy “I Wanna Be” since the beginning (even though the other endings are far better), but just hearing it after so long, and now at the end of the series, was pretty cool as Maka takes that one giant leap through time.

So the series ended on a high note, but an open end, so anything is possible from here on out. I can’t believe it’s been a year since I watched Soul Eater, and it’s been an awesome year following it beginning to end. Yeah, sure, the anime did steer away from the manga route, but it was reasonable and BONES did a great job handling this original ending. Whether there will be more in the future is anyone’s guess, but it’s not out of the question. Just look at FMA. It’s fun and interesting just how vastly different the tone of the show went through over a year but the soul (haha, soul) principle of the show stayed true to itself. I could’ve asked for an ending slightly better than this, but I was satisfied, and every other important character was present in the finale, so no qualms! Well, okay, I wanted to see a bit of Ox, Harvard, Kim, and Jacqueline, but you know.

Soul Eater was very action-packed and full of colorful characters, each with their own quirks and behaviors that you just can’t help but love it or hate it. Whether it was Black Star’s god complex or Kid’s symmetry or Excalibur’s “Bakame!,” they were really all a unique cast of characters. While the storyline wasn’t anything majorly intelligent, the setting and the presentation wowed me and everyone else with it’s amazing creative, imaginative visuals and animation, thanks to the guys at BONES. There’s also the great soundtrack the anime provides, by Iwasaki Taku, no less. The variety of music genre was superb. I’m gonna miss having no more Soul Eater, but rest assured, the manga is still continuing, and hopefully this is not the end for the anime. I hope those of you that followed it weekly enjoyed it as much as I did.

[ Episode 10: Secret Hot Springs Death Match ]

[ Episode 11: What Ibuki-san Received ]

[ Episode 12: Tomorrow's Yoichi! ]

Wow, I didn’t notice until the last episode, but ever since episode 10, the opening changed slightly. Well, okay, it’s nothing something to write home about, but I guess this should have been expected; the Saginomiya siblings are now shown unmasked. Yeah, like I said, not really important, but a nice touch for those that have been following. Anything to see Sakon’s beautiful mug.

As if the beach episode wasn’t enough eyecandy, an episode at an inn with hot springs just adds more fun and mayhem for the dojo girls and samurai. Ayame’s behavior was definitely expected, but I’m with her; totally unfair use of their martial arts skills. Anyway, I found myself a bit turned-on by Ayame when Yoichi was in the pit. Well, okay, it wasn’t really her, but Sakon played it cooly. It was funny how Yoichi found out it wasn’t really Ayame because her chest was too big. By now, Yoichi should be an expert at this field. After all, the first things he did when he came into the city were groping Ayame’s breast and looking for Ibuki by comparing breast sizes of people in the mall. I wasn’t expecting things to turn out worse when Ibuki was taken by Ukyou, who was actually wearing casual clothes. Suddenly he’s not in his usual attire. WTF. Apparently, they’re supposed to be getting married? What is this? Ibuki doesn’t know it either, but like knockout gas, she’s out cold and suddenly her mind got replaced with a four-year old’s. Uh-oh.

It was pretty cool seeing Hinagata again. Those two surfer dudes? Not so much. That swordsman guy? Yeah, a little. At least they weren’t forgotten, but wow, that guy really did suck balls. It occurs to me that this is the first time I’ve heard Ayame refer to Ibuki as “Aneki.” I realize she’s said it plenty of times before, but it was more noticeable now. Interesting how she gets so many ways of addressing her.

I’m reminded of why Kagome is the weakest link in this show. Not that she’s the youngest, but she doesn’t really have much prominence, being overshadowed by the eldest two sisters, unsurprisingly. The one problem I have is that for some reason, they’re paying Hanazawa Kana to squeal, gasp, or call the name of one of her sisters in each episode, moreso than given actual dialogue. I can understand the initial shock after Ibuki has Kagome out of her life, though who can blame her? Her mind went back to when she was a kid. Ayame overreacted a bit too much too. I guess everyone’s just so frustrated with Ibuki’s sudden warped change.

That being said, this episode is basically building up for the last, with the turmoils continuing. I guess Washizu was the only one in his own world once Ibuki started clinging on to him. Where’d he buy such clothes anyway… Okay, negotiations with the Saginomiya and the Ikaruga family seem a little sketchy. Live like a rich family and the antidote will be done in no time? Well, la-dee-freaking-dah. They take it anyway, but change their minds…

Ah, family. Sakon gets her brother back. The Ikaruga sisters get Ibuki back. All is right with the world! Well things couldn’t go back to normal without putting up a fight, and a fight they put up! I laughed at those servant guys that repeat “Please head back.” Weaklings, but a horde of weaklings. And maid machineguns, whoa. Not only that, Torigaya shrunk even more now! To make matters worse (better?), he transformed into a girl at the end. Whether it’s Washizu’s vision or true reality, that just boggles the mind a lot. I enjoyed hearing the OP theme played in the background. What better way to end the battle than with some divine wind! So Yoichi decided to stay for more training and sends a letter to his dad about it. I laughed when the dad used the letter to blow his nose and then trashed it. Good man. So, essentially, no really special ending at all.

So overall, Asu no Yoichi! was a predictable, yet fun series that I enjoyed watching over the past three months. Fanservicey in many ways, but also delivered comic relief moments for all the lovable characters, especially Ayame. There’s a lot of material from the original source (manga) so a second season is very well likely to be in the works, though I’m not really holding my breath yet. I would recommend this to anyone that likes a good comedy anime and some interest in a harem anime.

[ Number 2: Hmmm ]

[ Episode 7: Forgiveness ]

Huge amounts of info was given in this episode and a lot of it was pretty eye-opening. I would’ve never thought that the heavens had such an ugly beginning. Pretty much everything is explained right down to how the lower world and heavens were separated. Even so, it is a rather amazing place. Also, I’m guessing that Yumemi is one of those special people who bred Akuto in the past? It is a likely conclusion given all that was shown.

[ Episode 8: Not giving up ]

So it seems Yumemi does have some pretty useful powers. After all, she appeared to save her friends just in time in some ethereal-like form. Though of course, she had to go through a trial before she could do such a thing it seems. Also, I found it pretty hilarious how those two subordinates of Munto were assuming Yumemi split herself into three separate persons. I had no other choice but to think of the concept of the Trinity when they kept on rambling about it. I have to admit though, Munto is really one tough nut to crack. Holding back that pillar must have been extremely taxing on him. Kind of like being crushed in a pipe that’s slowly closing. Ouch. Anyway, Gntarl is up to no good obviously and is going to cause trouble in the finale. Though really I can’t see him doing too much damage since he just doesn’t seem to have the abilities to do so.

[ Episode 9: Love ]

And so it ends. It was a wonderful ride. Though I imagine some would disagree with me, especially if they saw the OVAs already. Anyway, the finale was pretty well done given that the pacing of the last few episodes were slightly faster than usual. Can’t say I say “hax Yumemi” coming though. Sure she has a lot of power/Akuto but I never imagined she’d be able to use it as offense. Poor Gntarl, he should’ve realised he stood no chance. Yumemi also seemed to be almost a different person when she was dishing out her monologue and blew away Gntarl. The same can be said about Munto as well. He seemed a lot more at ease than usual. Though I guess anyone would be if they were about to save two worlds from being destroyed. Maybe. I thought the last few scenes were done really well, especially the depiction of the two Earths joining together as one. Symbolism for the win!

In the end, Munto was a well-told tale of two worlds on the verge of destruction with each possessing a savior. It might not be an original setup but it is well-done. KyoAni never ceases to amaze me with their animation and Munto was no exception. I’m not sure what was reused and what was new stuff but they both looked great to me. The musical score was lovely and enough to make me want to hunt it down (that is if it uses the same soundtrack from the OVA). The same goes for the OP and ED themes. Most of all though, I wish that the TV series was longer. Anywhere from 12-13 episodes would’ve been a good point to stop, I think. That would have also helped flesh out more of the characters such as Ryuely, Leica, Gass and Munto’s subordinates. Hopefully the movie fills in that “gap” a bit, especially since I can’t help but wonder where Munto is and how the world is going to react to the Heavens now being visible and within reach. There is also that space-time distortion that hasn’t disappeared yet which no doubt will play a role in the upcoming movie.

I’d recommend Munto to newcomers in a heartbeat. It’s not the best fantasy series out there but it is enjoyable with its epic battles and interesting cast of characters. Those who already watched the OVAs will have to decide on if they want to (apparently) watch the same stuff all over again depending on if they’re a fan or not. Not to mention the movie is right around the corner.

[ Number 3: Those shorts... ]

[ Episode 6: Trust ]

FIREBAAAALLLLL!

I’ve come to love these action-packed episodes of Munto. The directing of the battles is astounding, especially when Munto, Leica, or Gass are involved. At this point, everyone on Earth should know about the floating island since their city was pretty much messed up. Not to mention Ichiko, Suzume, and the others saw Yumemi ascend into the sky with Munto. Speaking of which, it seems as if Yumemi’s powers can be described as an amplifier. Unless I’m mistaken, she gave Munto a huge power boost when they were crashing through space-time. Either way, that’s some crazy stuff. Also, I must say Munto’s subordinates are pretty damn cool and capable.

One thing I keep scratching my head over is Gass. How many lives does this guy have? He’s still hanging on and I can’t imagine how much more he has to give. He looks like he can die at any moment but I suppose he’ll do something big before that happens. If it happens anyway. Munto is still battling that one guy whose name I can’t remember and Yumemi is being guided to the Magic Kingdom. Anything can happen with so much chaos all over the place. So much is going on at the moment and I find it hard to believe that it can all be wrapped up in three episodes but I’ll just have to wait and see.