Ah, so finally Juusanhime appears. Really, she turned out totally different from what I imagined of her. I expected a mature young girl, probably along the lines of a younger Kochou, but instead she turned out to be Shuuei’s younger sister, quite energetic and quite talented at fighting. So this is the woman who will eventually be married to Ruuki, and I wonder what she’s going to add to the overall storyline.

In the meantime, Shuurei relieves her anger upon a very unlucky lump of dough, and she gets her first major mission from Kouki: safely escort Juusanhime to the palace. Shusui also returns, and nearly commits suicide! Ran also has some worries now that he’s not with Ryuuki anymore, and the two of them meet each other in this episode. There was a lot talking involved, so I couldn’t understand exactly, but apparently Ran had someone he loved, taken away from him by his triplet-brothers. Shushui puts up a strong face in front of him, though she herself is also troubled by hearing a very strange and annoying sound. Could this date back from when she was still working under Souka? All signs point to yes, since she freaked out when she saw small Riou.

Most part of the episode is spent on Shuurei, though. It’s great to see her out of her old outfit that she wore in the past few episodes. I’m again not sure if I understood everything correctly, but it seems that Kouki favours Seiga at the moment, and he lets him in on quite a few things that he doesn’t let Shuurei know. Which makes me wonder… aren’t there any other people working on their department besides the three of them? Or was Kouki really in such a huge need of more people?

On a side-note, I’ve been getting increasingly more annoyed with how the speeds of my images, hosted on putfile have gone down, so I’m experimenting a bit with different image- and filehosts. Can someone tell me whether the images above actually show up? And please notify me if they don’t.

This really was a fun episode. Until, of course, the Batsu-chara appeared, but by now that shouldn’t really be a surprise. This episode was all about a girl who had a crush on Hotori, and I love how it further developed his relationship with the girls around him. The interesting thing also is that we’ve seen how Hotori claimed that he already has a girl he loves, but we’ve yet to see confirmed who it actually is. All arrows point to Nadeshiko, but I think that he sees her more as a very good friend in which he can confide than a loved one. This episode showed him telling her about his worries about his chara-changes, and if the two of them were really dating, they’d be much closer, and if he really had a crush on Nadeshiko, but never had the courage to mention it he’d be much more nervous around her.

In the meantime, it looks like we aren’t quite rid of the batsu-charas, as the teacher will just keep hatching bad eggs until one of them turns out to be Embryo. Where Ikuto and his girlfriend come into the picture isn’t clear yet. The two of them obviously have a mission they don’t like, as they’ve been quite angst for the past few episodes. Also, are they full-time employed by the bad guy, or do they need to go to school as well?

In any case, I liked this episode. The girl of this episode is a real teenager, gawking over the boys she loves, who change every week. I like how she brought back something that Amu said in the first episode, where she confessed her love for Hotori. It really gives a feel of continuity, aside from the plot by the bad guys. I also liked the attention to the different faces that people put up in front of others. That was the thing that originally attracted me to this series.

One thing that I’ve been wondering about this series: what’s going to be the point? Will it just feature Tarou and the others exploring their fears, or is there going to be some kind of crisis or issue that will be introduced in the second half of this series? I originally thought that as soon as the characters were introduced, random cases about the supernatural and spirit-world would take over this series, but the current episode really showed me that Ghost Hound is about Tarou, Makoto, Masayuki and Miyuki. Where the cyborg-rabbit from the OP comes into picture… I have no idea though.

This episode shows a bit of development for all four major characters. We start where we left off in the previous episode, with the old guy who can see spirits as well. He appears to be friendly, but the conversation quickly ends when he mentions that if you remain out of your body for too long, you won’t be able to turn back. If this was a series like Dennou Coil, I would have expected that in the future, someone won’t be able to turn back, but with Ghost Hound, I have no idea whether this was meant to flesh out the spirit-world a bit more, or some sneaky way of foreshadowing.

In this episode, Masayuki tries to confront his own fears by climbing over the edge of his school’s roof. He’s okay for a short while, but becomes terrified after a gust of wind hits him. The result of this we’ll see in the next episode.

Meanwhile, we get introduced to some people who were befriended to Makoto’s mother, who I assume is dead now as well. One noteworthy person is currently running in the election for major. This episode also shows that Makoto doesn’t like this guy, though I’m not sure why yet. It could be your usual Makoto, or something of which we haven’t heard yet. Meanwhile, his grandmother has health-problems.

Tarou, meanwhile, has had some very bad nights of sleep, and ends up fainting in front of Miyuki on the stairs towards the shrine. He gets taken to the hospital, where he is examined. The main doctor seems to be an old acquaintance of Miyuki’s father. Miyuki, when she finds out about this, gets strangely enough angry and leaves. Obviously, there’s enough potential left for our characters, and I suspect that the first half of this series will continue to develop them. But what will happen after that? I have no idea.

If you want to know why Hayao Miyazaki is famous for his environmentalist movies, then you should watch Mononoke Hime, as the struggle between humans and nature forms a huge focus in this movie. This is the movie that ranks for many people as the best movie that came from Studio Ghibli. While I don’t share the same views, this does remain a worthy addition to their repertoire.

The setting of Princess Mononoke has actually quite some similarities with Nausicaä: humans need space, forest doesn’t like it and fights back, humans fight back and come to hate the forest and an ever-increasing cycle continues, until of course, the main character appears. The only change is that while Nausicaä took place in the future, Mononoke Hime is set in a past-like world, in which the industrial revolution has just begun.

If I had to compare the two settings, then I’d say that Nausicaä wins in terms of creativity. On the other hand though, Mononoke isn’t held back by a manga that went on for too long to make a proper movie about it. Most of the major characters and parties are fleshed out pretty nicely, and the major villain walks into an excellent line between good and evil. You can see why she’s doing the things she does, even though they’re morally unacceptable at times. One thing that also adds to the movie’s value is that there are many different parties that all have their own reasons to fight and be involved with the story, both on the human and forest-side. The side-characters are really the ones who make his movie shine.

And yes, there we go again: the same can’t be said for our two lovely main characters, like in most other action-anime that start a bunch of teenagers. A lot of predictability in the movie comes from the two of them, especially the male one. While most characters aren’t really good or evil, the two of them are clearly meant to be on the good side, and I blame them for the rather Disney-ish ending. This really is a mainstream movies: both in the good, and in the bad ways. Be also aware that near the ending, a few inconsistencies in the storyline appear, though to delve in them would be a bit spoilerific.

And while the setting may be less creative than other of Miyazaki’s movies, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any creativity at all. For Mononoke Hime, Hayao created a fascinating world, especially the iron-factory where the women have basically become equal to the men is something I’ve never seen delivered in such a believable way, especially considering the time in which the movie is set. You can clearly see that Hayao is a huge feminist as well.

I finally understand why Ghibli has become such a big name. Hayao Miyazaki knows exactly what it takes to make a movie mainstream, and yet creative and good. While a few things had to be sacrificed for this (most importantly, the rather dull male lead and the cute and mysterious girl that is the female lead), this turned into a worthy movie. While the animation isn’t as revolutionary new as the movies that he produced in the 1980s (apart from perhaps the few elements of CG), they still look as beautiful as ever, with quite a nice musical score added to it.

Hayao Miyazaki may not be as good at realism as his good friend Isao Takahata, but for that he makes up with an excellent sense of storytelling. While Takahata’s movies often consist out of random sketches that don’t really have much to do with each other, Miyazaki creates wonderful coherent stories, that make full use of their airtime, and so far, Kiki’s Delivery-service is one of the best examples of this.

While the concept of a small witch who runs a delivery-service may sound boring, it’s everything but that. Kiki is probably one of the most likable characters that I’ve seen in a Ghibli-movie, and this movie makes sure we see all sides of her, whenever she’s happy, sad, cheerful, determined or down-hearted; she turns into a wonderful character. The themes range from the airplanes, which sort-of became Hayao’s signature, to independence and accepting the different sides of people. This is another gem that’s right for every age that ha the guts to admit to like cute characters.

One downside of this movie is basically the opposite of what you’d expect from a Takahata-movie: it’s too short. I feel like there’s so much more potential left in this story, even though the length is nearly two hours. There are many side-characters that could have easily gotten more development, and Hayao could easily have created more interesting jobs for Kiki to do.

The dialogue for this movie is great and life-like, though some of the plot-twists feel a bit forced. I’m especially referring to the climax, which got introduced in a Deus ex Machina-like way. Also, this being a Ghibli-movie and all, I don’t think I have to elaborate much on the graphics: they rock, especially for a movie that was produced in 1989, the same can be said for the soundtrack.

While I admit that Howl’s Moving Castle had its issues, and Nausicaa may have been a bit too preachy, the other movies from Miyazaki so far have been really excellent. While Kiki’s Delivery Service wasn’t as imaginative as Laputa or Spirited Away, it makes up with an addictive storytelling that really should be regarded as an example.

Yes, I’m proud to announce that Star Crossed is officially two years old now. Last year, I celebrated it with a new lay-out, though I’m not going to do this this year, as I like the current lay-out too much for that. Instead, some statistics, with the help of Google Analytics. I only installed it since March this year, so it might be a bit inaccurate, but it gives a fair overview, I think.

Top-10 Most Accessed Series
10. Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
9. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
8. Bokura no
7. Toward the Terra
6. Death Note
5. Seriei no Moribito
4. Les Miserables - Shoujo Cosette
3. Claymore
2. Dennou Coil
1. Saiunkoku Monogatari

Top-10 Most Accessed Posts (unfortunately, not all of which I’m proud of):
10. Some quick first impressions: Kotetsushin Jeeg, Darker than Black and Koutetsu Sangokushi (Really, I have no idea why this one made it to the top-10. This also is one of those examples of how wrong my first impressions can be at times.)
9. Claymore - 20
8. Death Note - 37
7. Tsubasa Chronicle 52 (This one turned into a mini-bbs over time, about the potential third season ^^;)
6. Dennou Coil - 01
5. Death Note - 36 (Ironic how such a small posts generates that many pageviews)
4. Autumn Season Preview
3. Some quick first impressions: OverDrive, Fuyu no Semi and Saint Beast (That’s one post I’m trying to forget. Even six months after writing it still got comments)
2. Some quick first impressions: Kaze no Stigma, Ookiku Furikabutte and Kaibutsu Oujo (Same here. These two posts taught me how you shouldn’t rant without giving valid arguments)
1. Top-10 Anime

Top-10 Google Keywords (aside from the obvious ones as “psgels” and “star crossed”):
10. Death Note 37
9. Claymore 20
8. Death Note 36
7. Toward the Terra
6. Overdrive Anime
5. Top 10 Anime
4. Seirei no Moribito
3. Dennou Coil
2. Saiunkoku Monogatari
1. Kaze no Stigma (Seriously, I have no friggin’ idea why this one became #1. I only made one single post about it, for goodness’ sake!)

Amusing search-terms
.hack//roots trainwreck - Yes, it is.

coughing site:http://psgels.blogsome.com

cold site:http://psgels.blogsome.com - Why would someone call my site cold and coughing? O_o

ergo proxy all men learned toilet - I know for which episode this guy was searching, but it’s funny when taken out of context.

higurashi keiichi episode dead body - Erm… you need to be a bit more specific than that. ;)

psgels.blogsome.com sex scenes - Good to see that people who come to this site search for sensible things.

psgels is gay - No, I’m not. And if I find out where this came from, I’ll gladly show the one behind it a taste of hell.

what is at the bottom of a tornado - Err… strong winds?

“anime show” +diapers - It disturbs me that people are searching for this…

“best snowball” - Sure.

“beans” anime little girl - Why would someone want to associate beans with little girls?

“crush them now giant robo” - This one made me laugh. ^^;

“his earrings” / “i like rose ” / “smell her feet” - A few examples of which I have no freaking idea how they ended up here.

“your back looks just as graceful as stars” - Not exactly my choice of the ultimate pickup-line, but what do I know about it?

“who invited dynamite - Nice Holystone, perhaps?

Whoa, talk about a sudden increase in quality. This episode was much, much better than the previous ones of this series, strangely enough. While the previous episode with the director was kindof cute and interesting, it was also a bit too silly and unbelievable whenever the word “tea” was mentioned. The storytelling in this episode was quite effective and the climax right before the eye-catch worked really well for me.

But really, someone needs to replace Mayuki with a paper bag. While it would be a bit strange for Hatsumi to be in love with a paper bag, it would solve about 75% of the issues I have with this series. The only thing I can hope for is that he’ll develop into someone more interesting in the second half of this series, but I’m not getting my hopes up.

I was also surprised how Hatsumi actually got some major development for this episode. She indeed is just a high-school girl, just like Sanae, and she isn’t just working full-time as Mayuki’s maid. If I had to guess, then she came to live with Mayuki and Seiran after her parents died(?). Apparently, Mayuki was so cute that she quickly became attached to him. It was probably after this that Seiran transformed her into her uber-form.

The case for this episode, I admit, started off a bit mundane. We have a classmate of Hatsumi who is in love with her teacher, but this teacher was just using the girl to get money. Then everything changed when the music-teacher suddenly appeared and killed him with a bunch of scissors. I admit that I laughed, but the timing for this was exactly right, same with how Hatsumi arrived afterwards and got labelled as the #1 suspect.

The next episode should delve into why exactly the music-teacher became crazy enough to kill the guy. All we know is that she was the one who taught the teacher to play the violin, and he’s become quite good at it. Strangely enough, there’s no Byakko in this episode either… perhaps that’s why it was so interesting as well. At the moment, I just see her and her boss as annoying plot-devices to involve Mayuki in exciting cases.

Now this is more what I’m talking about. The pacing of this episode was quite a bit faster than the previous episodes and the amount of times where this series kept repeating itself has greatly decreased. On the other hand, though, the creators have somehow managed to stretch turn 8 minutes into twenty of them, but it’s not like we couldn’t expect this.

I also liked the arrival of Mr. X. I’ve got a faint idea of who he is: the guy who tricked the old man in the beginning, though why the heck he didn’t do anything with his three scissors is beyond me. Was he perhaps hoping for when only three other cards are left? It indeed seems like this arc will be over in two episodes. If I had to guess, then the first half of the next episode takes care of Funai, while there still is an episode and a half left for the mysterious Mr. X.

And I really liked Funai in this episode. He really developed, and we got to see another side of his now that his plans have failed. I really wonder how Kaiji is going to come up with a sure-fire way to win. Surely he can’t rely just on the 50/50 chance, can’t he? Then there’s also the matter that he and his companions need to end with an even amount of cards. And I do wonder… if Kaiji wins he should have the right amount of stars left. How will Mr. X fit into this picture?

Whoa, this is one of the smallest seasons we’ve had in years! To give some numbers, this preview consists out of only thirteen series (I left out the continuations of the series that I haven’t seen like Ah My Goddess, Minami-Ke and Major, and yes, one day I WILL watch Aria). And yet, I’m much more looking forward to this season than I did with the current Fall-season. Basically, the series in new line-up either sound utterly horrible or utterly promising; there’s hardly anything in between! I’m really looking forward some of these series, especially since quite a lot of them have an iron cast working on them. I’ll try to update this list if more shows get announced.

+ Not Really Looking Forward To +
Rosario to Vampire

Summary: Based on a shounen manga by Ikeda Akihisa, serialised in Monthly Shounen Jump. By a bizarre coincidence, Tsukune Aono has accidentally gotten himself admitted to a youkai academy, a school attended by monsters. Just when he thinks he’ll run away from there, he meets the beautiful girl Moka and his mood turns ultra happy. However, she transforms into her true form when the rosary on her chest is taken off, she’s a super vampire! - (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: Ugh… I don’t even want to imagine what would happen when Bad Gonzo gets combined with Shounen Jump. Dragonaut may have its issues, but at least it tries to come up with an interesting plot, something I can’t say from this… thing. A guy who meets a girl who happens to be a “Super Vampire”? Come on. And I’m not going to even bother ranting about the art on the official site.

Ayakashi

Summary: Adapted from the 2005 adults-only superhuman battle action visual novel game Ayakashi. Ayakashi is a parasite life force that gives superpowers to its host, taking in return the host’s entire life force. Kusaka Yuu is a student that lost his will to live after the death of a dear childhood friend, until the day a mysterious girl, named Yoake Eimu, appears. From that moment on, his life would never be the same again. Hunted by Ayakashi and their hosts, the power within Yuu awakens and a never ending battle begins. - (Taken from shomazta)
Thoughts: Well, first of all this is a hentai-game adaptation, which already works against it. Second of all, am I the only one who’s reading a synopsis that sounds awfully similar to that of Mushiuta? Just replace “Ayakashi” with “Mushi” and change a few names here and there and voila, there’s hardly a difference. Still, it might be interesting to see a different take on the same premise, with a little less angst than Mushiuta… but then we return to the first point in that this is a hentai-game adaptation, and the screen will probably be filled with generic character-designs, pantyshots and other kinds of fanservice.

H2O ~Footprints in the Sand~

Summary: ???
Thoughts: Nothing much can be said about this series, apart from the fact that it’s got cute girls and it’s a hentai-game adaptation. The staff behind it also is unimpressive, with the only one standing out being the guy behind the series composition: Jukki Hanada. He worked on all kinds of series, ranging mostly from bad to mediocre, but also Red Garden, Abenobashi and Ichigo Mashimaro are among them. I doubt that he’ll be able to save this series, though. The characters look generic, and it’ll probably end up being another cheesy love-story.

+ Shows With Small Potential +
They are my noble masters

Summary: Seems to be another hentai-game adaptation
Thoughts: Nothing is really known about this series, but judging by the title and the promo-art, it’ll probably involve some guy who gets to work under that boss-like looking girl. Ah well, at least it gets a few points for putting effort into the character-designs. No staff is known, other than the voice-actors, but I don’t really care for that.

Ookami to Koushinryou

Summary: Wikipedia JP says the series talks about a peddler named Craft Lawrence, a travelling merchant who’s wandering around the country-side selling and buying various things in villages he visits. His life changes one day when he finds a beautiful girl sleeping inside his coach full of the village’s finest sheaves. What’s more, she looks to be a cat girl. More like a wolf girl, to be exact, as she introduces herself as the village’s wolf sage who’s kept it blessed with good harvests for years and years. Her name is Horo and she wishes to return to her hometown in the North. The cocky girl bargains her way out of the village by making a deal with Craft to take her with him. The story is described as a fantasy novel with neither swords nor magic. - (Taken from Toua)
Thoughts: Well, it’s definitely got the shounen-premise, but it does sound more interesting than your usual story, and the travelling premise does hold potential. But then again, this is from the same staff that was behind three notorious series whose only purpose was to deliver as much ecchi as possible: Hit wo Nerae, Cosmopolitan Prayers and Love Love. That can’t be a good sign…

+ Interesting-Looking Series +
Persona -Trinity Soul-

Summary: Aniplex’s A-1 Pictures is adapting the Persona 3 PlayStation 2 role-playing game as a television anime series under the name Persona -trinity soul- for a January 2008 premiere. The anime is set a decade after the game, and will centre around three brothers in a future city where the dead have risen with their skins turned inside out. The Persona games themselves are spin-offs from the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series. - (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: Ah, another RPG-adaptation, and yet again I have no idea what to expect from this one apart from zombies. The people who worked on it worked on both masterpieces (the guy behind the screenplay did the series composition of The Third and the script of Darker than Black, another one worked on the script of Chevalier), they also worked on a bunch of hentai-series and Innocent Venus. It also has the director behind Blood+, which was a great series but had a terrible finale. Ah well, at least the potential’s there. Let’s hope it doesn’t get screwed up.

Noramimi

Summary: A world where mascots aren’t just marketing tools. Families contact mascot agencies, to find a suitable one for their children. This story focuses on one such agency, which has its very own mascot: Noramimi, the syrup-stirring Kaminari Kozo (Lightning Kid). - (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: This series comes from the IKKI magazine, which has seen three other adaptations so far: Tetsuko no Tabi, Bokura no and Narutaru, all of which I loved. That’s basically the biggest reason why I’m looking forward to this one, despite the rather strange style of the manga. I’m not sure about the director, who did a couple of random episodes here and there, including a few from xxxHolic. The guy behind the series composition also doesn’t say much, all the noteworthy things he did before was write the script for the Snow Queen and the screenplay for the movie Air, both of which I’ve seen almost nothing.

+ Definitely Looking Forward To +
True Tears

Summary: Dreams, hopes, and aspirations … are things that all people draw their visions of what the “future” may hold for them. Some are pastel-coloured; others are darker in hue; still others shine radiant and unblemished like the hands of the rain. What are my dreams? What are my hopes? What do I aspire to become? These are questions that the characters of this story ask themselves. But must all of them turn at last to weeping? Must they all harbour such darkness under the shadow of the wings of their hearts? Some of them carry the wounds of the past with them still, the burden causing them to lose sight of their dreams. Others see insurmountable walls between them and the things they dream of, causing them to walk away and give up. And still others — worst of all — have forgotten what it is to dream altogether. And so they smile, smile warmly and widely, in order to hide away the darkness and pain in their hearts … in order to shut out the future itself. But the moment a girl should step forth and say “no more” — that is the beginning and the end. - (Taken from Insani.org)
Thoughts: Finally! It may be me, but I believe that this series has been delayed for almost a year now. Still, it looks like it’s finally getting its adaptation in the upcoming winter-season. If I recall correctly, it’s based on a visual novel, though I’m not sure if it was adult or not. In any case, the premise sounds much better than a random hentai-game, so I’m going to assume it isn’t (correct me if I’m wrong), and for some strange reason, I’m quite interested in how this one will turn out. Especially considering that this series has the genius behind Simoun as its director! The series composition is also done by the woman who did the script for epics as Popolocrois, Red Garden, Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club and again Simoun. Okay, I know that Code-E could have been better, but seriously, it’s hard not to get excited when seeing these names.

+ Top-5 Looking Forward To +
Wellber no Monogatari Second Season

Summary: After the adventures of the first season, there’s still the matter of Tina’s back-story. In the meantime, I don’t expect the other countries in the world to sit around idly after what happened to Guernia
Thoughts: Ah, this is what I’ve been waiting for! I’m still not exactly sure why I enjoyed the first season so much, and while it wasn’t in any way epic or awesome, the storytelling was excellent and varied. Not to mention the cute shoujo-ai scenes. ^^;

Shigofumi

Summary: A story about a miracle, involving Fumika, a quiet but hard working girl who wears a uniform of a mail carrier, and her talkative staff and partner Mayama. The Shigofumi is a posthumous letter, the last resort of relaying a deceased person’s last message to his/her loved ones: family, friends, and significant other. - (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: Well, this series has been delayed a few times, but that only increased my curiosity in the premise, and it looks like it’s really going to arrive in the Winter-Season now. The guys who will be working on it are also some big names, who worked on many big titles (of which I admittedly only saw half or so): the director directed Cat Soup, Tokyo Tribe, Stellvia, Shingu and Nadesico and planned and produced other gems as Kino’s journey, Figure 17 and Azumanga Daioh and let’s not forget the hilarious script of Tsukikage Ran. The guy behind the series composition worked on famous series as RahXephon, Angelic Layer, Planetes and Eureka7 (seriously, this reminds me of how many good series I’ve still got left to see).

Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei Second Season

Summary: I think we all know this by now. A teacher with an extremely pessimistic outlook on life unleashes his frustrations on the class he teaches.
Thoughts: Well, with a bit of luck the subs for the first season will be finished right before the start of the second one. The first season really has been an excellent comedy-series that not only managed to crack me up over and over, but also was witty and smart, and tackled a lot of topics considered taboo. While others might hate the typical animation-style of Shinbo, I love it.

Hatenkou Yuugi

Summary: A young girl named Rahzel is booted out of her house one day by her father with the instructions to ’see the world.’ And so her journey begins, However, she won’t be doing it alone, for she befriends a stoic young man named Alzeido seeking revenge for his father’s murder. Alzeido and Rahzel are like oil and water, but even still, they feel strangely drawn to one another. This could be either the result of an underlying attraction — or their shared powers with magic. And so, the two reluctant allies travel from town to town, using their powers to help the helpless, while discovering their own respective places in the world. - (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: Strangely enough, the premise sounds a lot more interesting than when I first read it. This winter-season is definitely going to be a good season for travelling-series, and it’s going to be interesting to see the people that Rahzel and Alzeido run into. The father’s murder seems to suggest that there’s an underlying plot as well, so this could very well be a title to watch out for. To make things even better, it’s got the director of Sasami Mahou Shoujo-club and the series composition is done by the guy who directed Giant Robo and did the screenplay for Pet Shop of Horrors; these guys can really make something special out of this series.

Porfy’s Long Journey

Summary: Part of the World Masterpiece Theatre. In the original novel, Porphyras (Yuki Kaida) is a Greek boy who was orphaned with his sister Mina (Ayumi Fujimura) by an earthquake. The two siblings decide to embark on a journey across Europe instead of staying in their foster home in an unfamiliar country. - (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: I think it comes to no surprise that this is my most anticipated series of the season. Les Miserables has been a brilliant series, and I can’t wait what the next instalment of the World Masterpiece Theatre will be. To make things better, it’s going to be directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, who has been a director for decades. While I haven’t seen most of his most famous works (Kimagure Orange Road, Maison Ikkoku, Princess Nine), I have seen what he did with the first season of Ranma 1/2, Seraphim Call, Here is Greenwood and Ocean Waves, and I really can’t wait. This guy is excellent in combining light-hearted quirkiness with serious scenes.

Oh god… the episode was quite good, but unfortunately one of my fears has been confirmed with this episode: the Gundam-suits become more powerful as their pilots become more emo. That’s why Veda chose teenagers to be the pilots, as their chance of losing it is much higher than with an adult. While I can settle with such an explanation, my fears that this series will gradually turn into a scream-fest as it goes on have been greatly increased.

Well then, in this episode Setsuna gets to be the next one to disobey the orders by stepping out of his suit when he realizes that the guy he’s fighting against is the one who used him as a child-soldier in a Kurdish war. It also seems that the name Setsuna is just a code-name, and he originally is called Soran, with a Kurdish nationality. You wouldn’t say that, based on their character-designs. Anyway, after that, both parties retreat and the Celestial Beings continue to slaughter the Morallian Army. That part was really meant to show how powerful the Gundams are. It may have sounded a bit one-sided, but it can turn out pretty interesting if the creators use it well, because this will prompt the different countries to actually think of more difficult strategies until one manages to defeat them. Sort-of like Simoun, actually. The enemies start out pretty stupid, though their tactics drastically improve with every attack.

Setsuna himself, by the way, continues to have as much personality as a potato. He won’t even say anything in defence for what he has done, and only keeps whining about how his existence is somehow linked with Exia. Okay, I know he’s a child-soldier and all, but didn’t the other Celestial Beings find his personality strange and worrisome when he was first recruited?

One thing I also appreciate is how this anime shows that there are a lot of civilian casualties, but the protagonists don’t keep preaching over and over how it’s bad to kill a person like in most other anime, and instead different sides and opinions are shown. Incidentally, Tiera is turning into my favourite character. He’s realistic, and actually knows what being a Celesital Being means. The terrorists also were a nice addition, and I’m interested to find out what they’d gain if the Celestial Beings stopped their actions.