Short Synopsis: It’s finally time for the three concerts to take place.
Episode Rating: 7/10 (Enjoyable)
Well, talk about an anti-climax. This episode didn’t resolve anything and was basically one big “please watch the second season to find out what happens”. There’s lots of stuff that happens in this episode, but this is what you’d expect from a building-up episode, not a major one as this one. In this episode, I really expected something that would make me long for the second season, but in the end I’m not really anticipating it.

In any case, what basically happens is that Yuki and Touya still haven’t broken up, but they hardly got any time to talk to each other. Mana shows that she’s interested in Touya (this was really bound to happen considering the harem roots of this show…), Haruka once again nearly breaks down but this time Touya seems to notice it but before he can really talk to her Akira magically appears from out of nowhere (seriously, how did he know where Touya was at that point?) with the message that Touya’s father collapsed. Oh, and Mana ends up in the hospital as well because she kept waiting too long outside of Touya’s house.

Also, I know absolutely nothing of the J-Idol business because I’m usually not that interested in cheesy J-pop and the things around it, but is it common that after a big performance every staff member spontaneously starts crying?

I’m not sure whether I’m going to blog that second season. It’s all going to depend on how good the upcoming Autumn season is going to be. When I started blogging this series, it was basically one big experiment because I hardly ever blog these sorts of romance shows. It’s a shame I picked this wrong one to experiment with, especially since it went off with such a great start.

Short Synopsis: Yuzuki’s past.
Episode Rating: 8.5/10 (Awesome)
Muaha, this episode obviously was meant to explain how Yuzuki died, and it did a great job at it. while extremely exaggerated of course, this episode also featured the problems that single moms face, and oh my god that small version of Yuzuki was cute. The most disturbing thing of this episode wasn’t the death of her parents, but rather how she ended up dealing with it, burying her mother under cherry blossom leaves in the end and simply falling asleep alongside her teddybear.

And yeah, at the end of this episode the inevitable happens: Ai disappears and Yuzuki becomes Jigoku Shoujo. In the end, it was Ai’s knowledge that Yuzuki’s ghost hated modern day society that made her so confident that Yuzuki would be a worthy successor of hers, but at the same time she’d better not be gone forever!

And of course the next episode is going to feature the scene we’ve all been waiting for: that bloody spider. since this series has gone exactly according to Ai’s plans, I really wonder what that total bastard is going to do this time.

This is just pure speculation at this point, since it’s a total mystery what that next episode is going to be, but I’ve got a hunch that the creators still aren’t finished with this series. Think about it: there is one character who hasn’t received any background at all: Kikuri. Something’s telling me that the entire third season was just one big build-up for that possible fourth season, which is going to put Yuzuki and Kikuri against each other. I mean seriously, with a series so focused on build-up, there has to be some sort of meaning between Kikuri’s constant “I’m going to be the next Jigoku Shoujo!”, and there’s no way that that’s going to be able to be resolved in just one episode. But let’s not count chickens before they hatch. First we need to wait for that fourth season to actually get announced… that might take a while.

The first season of Birdy the Mighty Decode was a pretty good series that unfortunately got held back by its own formula and never really hit any heights, and especially the male lead Senkawa caused quite some annoyances. Then the second season came, and surpassed it in just about every aspect. I’m not exaggerating here: the second season managed to take a good series and made it utterly incredible.

To begin with, those who were turned off by the annoying teenaged romance in the first season are going to be delighted, as Senkawa plays a much smaller part in the series and his romance is now something of the past. Instead, it’s time for the female lead (Birdy) to have her taste a bit of romance and it’s so much more memorable. What also surprised me was that the plot of the second season takes place on a much smaller scale: instead of trying to save the world from some sort of evil, the second season instead is about the past of the characters, and revenge for what happened in it. The amazing cast of characters turns this into an incredibly emotional story.

But through all the drama, what’s so special about this series is that it never forgets that this series is taking place inside a world that’s alive, instead of a bunch of places that serve just to tell the story. Even though this is a very dark series, it never forgets to insert some slice of life moments in order to bring this setting to life. Even though Senkawa’s classmates have absolutely nothing to do with the main story, they make countless reappearances as the creators show how they continue to lead their lives after chaos that was caused in the first season. Even in the final episodes, this doesn’t change (compare that to most other similar series, which at that point are too busy saving the world to care about such a thing), and yet the series closes off with an amazing ending.

And the production values! The action series in this series are absolutely stunning. The animation is very messy, but because of that there is lots and lots of movement and even more detail in them. The brutality of the hand to hand combat in this show continues to surprise, as the creators aren’t afraid to show the most graphics deaths and beatings on the screen without any cheap tricks to hide it whatsoever. Combine that with the single best soundtrack of the entire season, and you have a visual feast.

Series like this one really are the reason why I’m still a big fan of anime. This series is utterly incredible in just about everything it does, and it’s an incredible contrast with the first season, which simply looks mediocre in comparison and it’s been without a doubt my favourite show of the past Winter Season.

Short Synopsis: Birdy finally gets the chance to bring Natoru back to earth.
Episode Rating: 9/10 (fantastic)
What an utterly incredible episode. I’ve seen a lot of disappointing endings this season so far, but this one did EXACTLY what it promised, with some of the most amazing results. What a ride. And what a huge shame that this incredible series is already over.

And seriously, this episode had some of the best fights I have seen in a long, long while, showing that Kazuki Akane has in no way lost his touch since Noein. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen animation that was this good; even Bonen no Xamdou’s final episodes feel inferior compared to it. Unlike Shikabane Hime, which promised a huge ending and instead got resolved within five minutes, this episode made optimal use of its time, and yet nearly everything got resolved, and the things that haven’t been resolved (Natoru’s past) are being saved for the OVA.

This show seriously has set such a high standard for the rest of the year, and it’s been an amazing ride from start to finish, and I loved how even at the final episodes, it never forgot that Senkawa’s classmates also are supposed to have a life (something that many other series seem to forget at this point). Some of the most touching scenes in this episodes included those parts about the presentation that the series has also been building up for.

This series has really confirmed how Kazuki Akane is my single favourite director. His works of Escaflowne, Noein and Birdy the Mighty have been utterly incredible, and a true work of genius. I am SO going to watch his next work when it airs in a few years’ time.

The thing I like about the Tales of-games adaptations is that they’re all done by different animation companies with different ideas. This way, the shows remain fresh, and are prevented from getting milked out, since all of them have their own styles now. Tales of the Abyss, while it suffers from some of the major pitfalls of RPG-adaptations, also manages to avoid quite a few of them, and is worth the watch if you’re into fantasy series.

The biggest pitfall it failed to avoid is of course the very questionable power management: teenagers have enough magical powers to save the world compared to adults with much more experience, little girls can control monsters as if it’s nothing, and trained royal guards die as easy as flies. It’s something that’s very hard to avoid in this genre, but it’s still pretty grating.

Thankfully though, the show has enough to make up for this. It really stands out in its character-development, which is pretty much a trademark of the Tales of-games by now. A lot of emphasis is put on internal trust: a lot of the main characters in this series are pretty flawed, and because they all have their own mistakes and secrets, a memorable bond grows between them. Especially the lead character, Luke is notable for this, as even though he may look like it, he’s far away from your typical male lead in such fantasy series. To explain why would be too much of a spoiler, though.

The storyline is also very well done, and impressive for an RPG adaptation. For once the king of an empire can be something different from either a fascistic pig or an incompetent flower-child. The show has plenty of villains, but all of them have at least decent motivations for their actions. The storyline is pretty complex, and no episode is really wasted, and I especially liked how th emagic system in this show has turned into a sort of science. Especially how it affects the world that the characters live in is very detailed and full of imagination.

Near the end of the series, the show does get a bit rushed, though: it wants a bit too much in too little time, and especially the ending of the series just feels too lazy, but apart from that we have ourselves a very good series here. While it never really hit any heights, it’s been a solid and enjoyable series.

One of the more unique series that started airing in the past winter season (not that that says much since more than half of them were sequels, but okay) was Genji Monogatari: an adaptation of a novel that’s about 1000 years old by now. While that sounds a bit strange at first, the unique flavour comes from the director Osamu Dezaki, who managed to turn this series into a feast for the senses, although it’s obviously not for everyone.

Genji Monogatari is romance. It’s about a prince called Genji who ends up screwing countless of women, call him the Japanese version of Don Juan if you want. This anime stands out because of its specific style of storytelling: the pacing is kept tight, with a lot of focus on emotions and bringing these out of the viewer and the characters. The animation is full of visual effects, and overly present filters and sparkling overlays, sound effects are either overly present or kept completely quiet, depending on the situation. And in the end, it works: although only 11 episodes, Genji Monogatari is a consistent emotional ride from start to finish.

But yeah, the style of this series is a double edged sword, because as easy as it is for some to like it, it’s also a style that’s very easy to dislike. The character-designs are nothing like your average bishie or moe cute girl, so if you absolutely need those in your anime, you’re going to find a hard time liking this series. The visual effects can also very easily become grating if you’re used to quiet and simply drawn series.

Still, I personally liked this series a lot, even though I’m not easily impressed by romance shows. A glorified harem show it may be, but the visuals, fast pacing and the fact that in eleven episodes, many years pass that allow us a great look at a period of Genji’s life set this series apart from all the others. If you’re looking for something different (and know Japanese or Chinese, since it’s probably going to take a while for this show to get subbed) then this here is a pretty good recommendation.

Short Synopsis: Genji and Murasaki finally hook up together.
Episode Rating: 8/10 (Excellent)
And so another series has finished. While a straightforward ending (it basically involves Genji being down because of the sin he committed, him being attacked by a bunch of bandits and finally his realization that Murasaki is ‘more’ than a younger sister to him), it was a very effective one, and just like any other episode of this series an emotional ride.

It’s a shame that this one never got subbed, but then again that was to be expected considering how little attention Osamu Dezaki’s previous work (Ultraviolet) received. It’s a real shame, because this guy really knows how to make optimal use of visuals and sound to tell a story. And I really have to say that each episode of this series was effective, and set out exactly what it wanted to do.

In any case, I’m looking forward to the next instalment of Noitamina. I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to be, since I’ve been avoiding all spring previews in order to not get too hyped about it, but it’s probably going to be something completely different again. In any case, thanks for all the tips and corrections from those who read the original novel.

Tytania had some massive expectations working against it when it first aired. It’s supposed to be the spiritual successor to the Legend of Galactic Heroes, one of the rumoured best anime ever made (yeah, yeah, I’m going to watch that one some day). These are expectations it obviously couldn’t live up to, but if you watch it as a regular series, then it’s got quite a few charms.

Tytania is a Space Opera, but instead of going for the flashy overpowered mecha action scenes, it’s got a completely different focus, and instead becomes some sort of political thriller. It’s basically a man vs. empire type story and most of the series is dedicated to making it seem plausible why such a huge empire is able to fail such a seemingly simple task of capturing rebels. Corruption and inner-coutry politics for a large part of this series’ themes, and those who are looking for action are going to be disappointed.

What’s interesting about this show’s characters is that nearly every member of the cast is flawed. There are no mister or miss perfect here, everyone hast at least something of a vice or so, ranging from lazyness to incompetence, a temper or just plain insanity. This is exactly what makes this series so interesting to watch, seeing all of these flawed characters grow and develop (or refusing to develop) but it also makes for a bunch of really boring opening episodes. Seriously, in the first ten or so episodes hardly anything happens, and the show is just establishing the setting that it takes place in.

But what a fascinating setting it turns into. Series about politics always need a while to warm up a while, but when they do you, they create deep and multi-layered countries full of inner struggles where mots people care more about their own agenda than anything else, and in this series a lot of detail went into explaining how exactly the almighty Tytania Empire is going to fall apart.

The show does have its issues, though: the big focus is really the setting and characters, but the storyline is a bit buggy here and there, and one of the most grating flaws is tha the creators like to insert plotholes here and there to keep the story going. The animation is also… unorthodox to say the least. The CG spaceships really don’t look well, and characters are very often deformed when they speak. In exchange though: there is lots of movement in this series: characters’ chins move when they talk, and the show isn’t a collection of still frames, so the creators definitely get credits for trying. And either way, you have to admit that the characters look very stylish and charismatic.

It’s not the most solid season, let alone is it a question whether a second season is going to come along in order to animate the rest of the novels that this series is based on, but nevertheless it’s a fun watch for those who want something different from hand to hand (or mecha to mecha) combat. You should often take this show with a grain of sand, but it raises many good points and the characters are definitely fun to watch.

Short Synopsis: We all know what’s going to happen: the end of Zalish.
Episode Rating: 8,5/10 (Awesome)
Call me crazy, but this was actually the best ending I’ve seen this season. Okay, sure it cheated a bit with a second season still somewhere unannounced, but it did exactly what it has been building up to. It’s an awesome ending that really made me hungry for that second season. Hurry up and announce it!

And sure, Zalish may not have been the brightest one around, but he did die like a real man. I mean, come on: it took a small army just to take this monster of a guy down: he was drugged, confused, lost his guns and yet he kept fighting like some sort of angry bear or something. It’s a shame to see one of the most GAR characters in this series die like that, but it was an excellent death.

And ZOMG, Ajman actually did something. We finally get to look a bit into his head, and learn how the guy is incredibly afraid to lose Tytania. That’s going to work well with Idris, isn’t it? In any case, I’m not going to hype myself too much for that second season since it hasn’t been announced yet, and there’s no certainty that it’s even going to come, so I’m just going to enjoy it if it airs.

And really… why the heck is the narrator one of Ajman’s maids?

Short Synopsis: Rika dies again…
Episode Rating: 8,5/10 (Awesome)
Now THIS is more like it! This episode forms such an incredible contrast to that very silly first episode. This was exactly that paranoid atmosphere that that first series was so incredibly good at. Ah, the idea has so much potential, I’m really glad that it got the chance to be animated into an OVA.

So, what basically happens: Rika gets into an accident, and dies, reincarnating herself again into a different dimension. This dimension lacks Irie, Takano and Keiichi, leaving her as just about the only main actor left. There is no Oyashiro-Sama, no string of deaths or the plan to kill Rina, no Hanyuu, even. Instead, many characters once dead are now alive, Satoko hates Rika now because the two of them grew up much less together and the construction of the dam hasn’t been stopped. Oh, the potential!

I absolutely loved this episode, especially considering how that pool episode pretty much made me lose my faith in this OVA. Still, in the end it proved to be just another light-hearted intro before the real meat of the story begins. I really liked how we, along with Rika, were basically thrown into the complete dark of what was going on. I’m especially looking forward to Rika, meeting her mother again. I’m not sure whether she actually realized that her parents are still alive (she probably had enough on her mind to care about the parents she hardly even knew). Suddenly, I’m a whole lot more positive to seeing Shion no Ou’s director taking charge of this. :)