Friday, February 24, 2006

Yakitate Japan Ep 55

Kawachi is shocked at Azuma putting his awful-tasting French bread into the rubbish bag and questions why the latter bothers asking him to make it if he has the intention to throw it away in the end. Azuma clarifies that he just needs to modify the bread since there's no way he could use it directly for the final product. Kawachi reminds Azuma that the bread will become more soggy if it's placed inside the rubbish bag but Azuma reassures him this is what he wants.

Upon seeing this, Tsubozuka raises his objections about Azuma treating the competition like child's play but Kuroyanagi defends Azuma for having a reason for whatever he does, no doubt it may seem illogical. Kuroyanagi tells Tsubozuka to concentrate on his creation which leads the latter to go back to his side while fuming mad. Kuroyanagi himself has no idea what Azuma is up to and understands how frustrated Tsubozuka must be feeling.

As Kawachi watches his bread get soggy in the rubbish bag, Azuma says that it's time for the bread to be taken out and even compliments Kawachi for being a genius at making awful-tasting bread. This makes Kawachi unable to decide whether he should be happy or sad about this comment. Kanmuri can't help but feel that Kawachi's presence is a hindrance to them as the latter mopes over his newly-acquired "title".

Azuma cuts the soggy bread into two and digs out the bread. This leaves a hollow within the crust whereby he uses a hammer to hit it. Tsukino is unable to comprehend Azuma's actions but Matsushiro feels that Azuma is using his own way to bring life to a seemingly worthless item. Upon hearing this, Kawachi exclaims and asks Matsushiro what he means by a worthless thing. Tsukino asks Kawachi why he is in the audience during the competition and the latter says that Kanmuri told him to rest for the next round. Matsushiro and Tsukino see through the fact that Kanmuri only wanted Kawachi out of the way as he was obstructing their progress.

Meanwhile, Tsubozuka is busy with his creation and recalls how he spent the last 10 years undergoing training and his speech having to be peppered with English phrases as a special trait because of his identity as a showbiz celebrity. He had found this to be an insult and cannot speak normally now because of the deliberate attempt to add English in his speech. If not for his passion towards cooking and wanting to show the world about the goodness of food, he would not have perserved for so long. As such, he does not regard Azuma as a worthy opponent and will not allow himself to lose.

When Tsubozuka finishes his creation, he presents it to Kuroyanagi who sees that this was made from a pastry crust. Subsequently, the avocado sauce was added on top and put into the oven again. Last but not least, slices of Ooma's tuna were added on top and baked over a high heat because the fat which oozes from the meat will make the taste of the tuna better as compared to eating it raw. Tsubozuka asks Kuroyanagi to eat it quickly before it cools. Upon taking the first bite, Kuroyanagi's hair colour changes to gold which leads Matsuhiro to declare that he has evolved to become Super Kuroyanagi. Kawachi doesn't believe that Tsubozuka is that great but when he gets embroiled into Kuroyanagi's reaction fantasy world, Kawachi can only agree with Kuroyanagi's judgement.

On the other hand, Azuma finishes his uni-chawan mushi bread but Kawachi doesn't understand where his awful-tasting bread has gone. Matsuhiro reminds Kawachi to take a close look since the receptacle holding the chawan mushi is actually the crust of his bread. Kuroyanagi is impressed with the bread receptacle since there is a need to deep fry the crust when using it to hold liquid substances but in this case, it isn't oily at all. Azuma explains that he used the hammer to hit the crust which removes any spaces within so there wasn't a need to deep-fry the crust. Besides that, he deliberately asked Kawachi to make a soggy bread because the crust will be thicker during the baking process. This will ensure that the crust doesn't crack when it's hit by the hammer.

Kuroyanagi asks Azuma what has happened to the bread which he removed from the crust but the latter hurries him to taste the chawan mushi before it cools during his long explanation. After tasting, it seems as if Kuroyanagi has no reaction towards it where Tsubozuka feels as if victory is secured. However, Kuroyanagi declares Pantasia as the winner which makes Tsubozuka unable to accept the verdict and accuses him of siding with them.

Kuroyanagi's hair becomes the same of a sea urchin and he explains why Azuma's creation is better. The action of hitting the crust also seals in the flavour besides removing spaces within. In addition, the eggs used for the chawan mushi is a famous type in Aomori Prefecture called Shindo Fuji where the chickens are fed with mineral water, organic vegetables and herbs. Kanmuri reminds Tsubozuka that the avocados he used are not available in the locality which puts the latter at a disadvantage given that the rules of the contest favour the side which uses more of the local products.

However, Tsubozuka refuses to accept this and says that Azuma's creation is called bread only because of the crust. He grabs the chawan mushi from Kuroyanagi and takes a bite which results in him being immobilized. Just as Kawachi is wondering why Tsubozuka is not moving, Tsukino brings his attention to the numerous spikes on his body which are from Tsubozuka's hair. Kuroyanagi explains that Azuma had asked Kanmuri to deep fry the bread which was removed from the crust with the sea urchin's flesh where the crumbs will become smaller due to it being soggy in the first place. They were then added to the chawan mushi and remains in the creation of being thrown away.

Tsubozuka can only admit defeat in this case. Kuroyanagi tells him that although Azuma may seem to be playing the fool, he is actually a strong baker who derives joy from working with his pals. As such, this is something which Tsubozuka has lost over the years as he has to contend with rivalry among his fellow CMAP members. Tsubozuka congratulates Azuma and asks to be his friend which Azuma agrees to immediately. After hearing this, it makes Tsubozuka very happy while Kawachi and Kuroyanagi can't wait to get those hair spikes off their bodies.

Frankly speaking, the reaction scenes are getting more exaggerated so that's why I'm not stating them in my synopsis and review. I will only include the explanation of the special features in the bread which is the essence of the competition's verdict.

Anyway, the format of the anime is pretty much fixed where the Pantasia side should win most of the time. It's probably time for them to face a crisis soon by losing one of the matches or else the Yakitate 9 arc would be really boring. Of course, I have no doubt in the end that the Pantasia side should win the competition.

The chawan-mushi bread looks quite nice and the way it was made seemed logical. Most of the time, I can understand how they go about making the bread but there are some creations which I cannot comprehend how it could have been possible based on the explanations given. Anyway, this doesn't look like something Lawson will sell at their convenience stores since this requires a lot of effort and should taste best when eaten hot.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2006 Otoko-ban (Top 20 Manga Ranking)

Here's the top 20 manga ranking published in the Otoko-ban of Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2006. Essentially, this means that the titles chosen here are targeted at guys but of course, gals also read these comics. In addition, these selected titles must also have released single-volume books within the period of 1 Oct 2004 to 30 Sep 2005. Among the top 20, I'm currently following Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) while I've watched the anime of Mushishi and Ema so I may seek their manga versions in future. I didn't like the way how Ema ended which was incomplete so I've been thinking of whether I should get the manga. It surprised me though that this is not a manga targeted at girls though.

I'm also kind of disappointed that one of my favourites, Tennis no Oujisama did not even enter the Top 60 titles list even though I thought it is quite popular and usually enters the Top 3 of the sales ranking in Shueisha on the months it is released. Besides that, it also left me pondering where are the usual big shot manga titles like ONE PIECE and NARUTO which enjoys a strong following.

Those which I have an interest in would be highlighted in bold:

1) PLUTO - Tezuka Osamu / Urasawa Naoki
2) DEATH NOTE - Ooba Tsugumi / Obata Takeshi
3) Shissou Niki - Azuma Hideo
4) Hatarakiman - Anno Moyoko
5) Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi - Arakawa Hiromu
6) Homculus - Yamamoto Hideo
7) Moyashimon - Ishikawa Masayuki / Ookiku Furikabutte - Higuchi Asa
9) Kiichi - Arai Hideki / Danchi tomoo - Oda Tobira

11) Yuunagi no Machi Sakura no Kuni - Kouno Fumio
12) Yotsubato - Azumaki Yohiko
13) Keroro Gunsou - Yoshizaki Mine
14) Mushishi - Urushibara Yuki
15) Showa Furou Fushi Densetsu Vampire - Tokuhito Masaya
16) HUNTER x HUNTER - Togashi Yoshihiro
17) Vinland Saga - Yukimura Makoto
18) Shigurui - Nanjou Norio & Yamaguchi Takayoshi / Majou - Igarashi Daisuke
20) Ema - Mori Kaoru / Genshiken - Kio Shimoku / Zetsubou ni Kiku Kusuri one on one - Yamada Reiji

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2006 Onna-ban (Top 20 Manga Ranking)

This is a book released annually about manga and I understand that there are various features on different segments. I bought the Onna (Woman) and Otoko (Man) versions which essentially meant that the books talked about manga targeted at guys and gals. There are a number of interviews and features about manga released in volume format from 1 Oct 2004 to 30 Sep 2005 so I'll start off with the Top 20 manga ranking chosen by this book. I've not read any of the top 20 titles so I'll indicate my interest list in bold:

1) Hachimitsu to Clover - Umino Chika
2) Nodame Cantabile - Ninomiya Tomoko
3) NANA - Yazawa Ai
4) Barubara Ikai - Hagio Moto
5) Pride - Ichijou Yukari
6) Ooku - Yoshinaga Fumi
7) Flower of Life - Yoshinaga Fumi
8) Kisekae Yuka-chan - Higashimura Akiko
9) Sugar Sugar Run - Anno Moyoko
10) Maihime Terepu Shikoora - Yamagishi Ryouko

11) Kantoku Fuyuki todoki - Anno Moyoko
12) Ai ga Nakutemo Kutte Yukemasu - Yoshinaga Fumi / Garasu no Kamen - Miuchi Suzue
14) Kakuyahime - Shimizu Reiko
15) Sapuri - Okazaki Mari
16) Tsuki no Parusu - Kuramochi Fusako
17) Eroika yori Ai wo Komete - Aoike Yasuko / Mainichi kaasan - Saihara Rieko / Kyou no Nekomura san - Hoshi Yoriko
20) Kuma to Interi - basso / Inu ni Naritai - Sanjou Tomomi

I'll follow up with other features when I read more of this book.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Paradise Kiss manga and Kono Manga ga Sugoi books received

Finally received my ParaKiss manga and the 2 books under the Kono Manga ga Sugoi series 2006 from Amazon Japan. As I had used the Vpost Japan delivery function, it took more than 1 week to receive the item but I did save on the shipping charges so I can't complain much about this inconvenience. It's quite expensive to purchase books on Amazon where there is a shipment charge of 1000 yen and a handling charge of 300 yen for each item but there are no charges for orders above 1500 yen to be sent to a Japanese address. The Vpost Japan method would be more beneficial if you are purchasing a number of books. If you are talking about a small order, it's better to stick to direct delivery. Anyway, I will post reviews of the books when I finish them one by one.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Paradise Kiss act 2 Special Edition DVD

Received the ParaKiss act 2 special edition DVD yesterday at long last. It is a very heavy package because of the photo stand so that's why the shipping costs need to be doubled from the original estimate. In terms of the thickness of the box, this isn't as big as act 1 but act 2's package was much heavier. The colour scheme is red and pink as compared to the blue version for act 1. Arashi and Miwako take centrestage this time so I wonder who will be featured on the cover for the last version to be released next month? Surely it can't be Hiro-kun and Isabella? I'm guessing that the whole cast may appear for the act 3's cover since there are no couples left to be featured. Will the producers surprise us with a unthinkable combination or go according to my predictions?

Talking about the photostand, it's actually made up of two thick blocks of transparent plastic with four magnets at the edges to keep them together. I think it should be plastic instead of glass but then I wouldn't think of trying to prove it by dropping the item. There is a postcard of Yukari and George put within the photostand while the reverse has a butterfly logo. As such, this photostand of "substance" is the main "culprit" for causing the package to weigh so much. ^__^

There is a special booklet with interviews of the seiyuus who play the members of ParaKiss plus Yamada Yu who plays Yukari. As for the bonus disc, it contains a chat session among the seiyuus, concert of a certain band and promotion footage of the anime. I've yet to read the booklet or watch the bonus DVD so I'll post more details when I get to them.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

ParaKiss shop Valentine's Special

In conjunction with Valentine's Day, the ParaKiss shop in Venus Fort is selling 2 different Valentine's kits at 5000 yen each of limited quantity. As seen from the poster, both kits consist of 4 items each and come with a red bag. Apparently, the items would have cost more if bought on its own so that's why they are emphasizing that you can get the stuff at 30% off by purchasing the kits at 5000 yen each. That's about SGD 70 but I doubt I'll buy them since only the bookmarks of Yukari and George interest me. Wonder how much these will cost though. What a pity that the ParaKiss shop doesn't do any online sales or I would have wanted to lay my hands on those bookmarks although I plan to keep them as a collector's item instead of using them. Set A consists of a M-sized T-shirt, a purple mousepad, a bookmark of Yukari and a coaster which comes in either blue or pink. As for Set B, it consists of a brown hand towel, bookmark of George, a handphone strap and a pink pouch. It is not known how many sets are available for sale though as it is not stated clearly on the poster.

I ordered the ParaKiss manga from Amazon Japan and it has yet to arrive. The delay is probably due to the use of Vpost Japan which allows me to enjoy free shipping from Amazon but the tradeoffs are being imposed with the sales tax and the items taking a longer time to reach me. However, the shipping I pay for Vpost Japan is at least 70% lesser than what I would have paid if I got Amazon Japan to send it to me directly. As such, if I'm getting books from them in future, I'll probably use this method again for cost savings. The sales tax is not much as compared to the savings in this instance but I would have avoided this charge if the order was shipped to an overseas address. I guess there can't be a perfect method to resolve this matter so it's an either-or situation where I have to forsake some benefits so as to get a better deal. I can't wait to read the manga since I've read so many comments about it being better than the anime and would like to judge it personally. Anyway, I don't really blame the anime for not being as detailed since there were only 12 episodes so it was inevitable that the producers had to exclude some developments in the anime.

In addition, my ParaKiss Act 2 limited edition DVD box is still not delivered. Apparently, the item was so bulky and heavy and HMV Japan had to get me to agree to the shipping charges which were doubled from the original estimate. Coupled with the weekend delay, I'm still waiting for the item even though it was released last Friday. This time round, there is still a bonus DVD as well as a photo stand designed by Yazawa Ai. I guess the earliest I can get the package would be tomorrow, hopefully.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Yomigaeru Sora ~ Rescue Wings Ep 01: Hajimete no Shigoto (The first job)

Uchida Kazuhiro, a recent graduate from the pilot academy of the Defence Forces is sent to the Komatsu base in Ishikawa Prefecture to become a helicopter pilot. He hails a taxi from the train station to go to his rented apartment where the driver remarks that he must be from the Defence Forces by looking at his good posture. With response to this, Uchida manages a weak smile as he feels uncomfortable about being seen through by others.

Upon reaching his destination, Uchida looks around and notes that there are no restaurants and outlets in the vicinity. He proceeds to call on his landlady who guesses correctly that he's from the Aichi area (actually he's from Okayama) based on the gift he had chosen. After a long explanation on the things to take note, Uchida finally settles down to set up his phone and calls his girlfriend, Hasegawa Megumi who is working in Tokyo. However, as she is busy with work, Uchida can only leave a voice message to inform Megumi that he has reached Komatsu safely.

After setting up his bicycle, Uchida goes to the balcony to look at the surroundings. He then sees a little girl looking at him curiously from the neigbouring unit's balcony so he introduces himself. However, the girl gets panicky and runs into her apartment while screaming for her mother which leaves him rather helpless.

Uchida rides his bicycle to the town centre to get the daily necessities. However, he fails to find a proper eating outlet and has to resort to buying sandwiches from the convenience store. After the shopping, Uchida asks for directions to the beach and cycles there despite it being quite far from the town centre. During the journey, Uchida imagines that he's flying a plane and this lifts his spirits a little bit. Actually, Uchida had intended to become a fighter jet plane pilot but was posted to be a helicopter pilot. As such, he was rather reluctant to accept this outcome and felt worse when his classmate Kosaka made it to where he couldn't get to.

The rain soon forces Uchida to return home from the beach. He is disappointed to hear Megumi's voice message as he was not around when she called. She reminded Uchida to bring his handphone so that she can send emails to him instead of relying on phone calls to his home.

When the phone rings, Uchida assumes that it is Megumi on the line but gets disappointed upon hearing his mother's voice. She reminds Uchida to return home when he has the time which he replies by telling her to take care while he's away. She also tells him that she bought some gifts for his colleagues since she knew he would be sloppy about this issue and not put in effort to buy something good. Uchida feels helpless as this is the third time within a day where his actions and thoughts have been seen through.

Uchida soon realises that the blanket and mattress are missing from the luggage sent by courier and proceeds to call on his landlady for help. However, she has gone to a funeral and would not be back for the night. As such, Uchida can only use his thick curtains and sleep on the floor to battle the bitter cold.

The next day, Uchida goes to report at the air base which marks the beginning of his career as a pilot. He meets the leader of the rescue team, Murakami who is a lieutenant colonel and assigns the junior warrant officer Motomura to bring Uchida around. As the training for the day is just over, Motomura will introduce Uchida to the other pilots when they return to the office.

Meanwhile, the servicing team members are discussing the newcomer pilot i.e. Uchida while munching on the snacks he had brought. Nihonmatsu Daigo grumbles about Uchida's lack of originality in choosing gifts while his colleagues Hirata Kazuhiko and Nishida Kazumi remark that it's more important for Uchida to know how to take care of the helicopters as compared to his ability in buying presents.

Uchida meets the third colonel, Hongo Shujiro who doesn't mince his words and points out bluntly that Uchida must be feeling sore about being sent to the rescue team instead of his ideal of being a fighter jet plane pilot. Uchida tries to deny this but Hongo doesn't believe his words and warns him not to take the rescue team as a stepping board to achieve his goal. In addition, Hongo calls Uchida a guy who has no perseverance which makes the latter extremely unhappy.

Uchida bumps into Kosaka at the cafeteria and is surprised to know that he's also in Komatsu. Upon hearing Kosaka talk about his experience as a fighter plane pilot, this makes Uchida more upset. Kosaka wants to warn Uchida about Hongo but the latter already had a bad first meeting with Hongo whose nickname is The Devil. After lunch, Uchida looks at the fighter planes which he would not be able to fly given his current situation.

When Uchida returns home, he hears a message from Megumi that she will call him at 9pm. Suddenly, there is an earthquake of a relatively strong magnitude but Uchida doesn't seem too bothered about it since the tremors stopped after a while. The phone rings and Uchida rushes to pick it up, only to find that Murakami is on the line. Due to the earthquake, the rescue team members have to return to the airbase and be on standby. Although Uchida is still on training, he can come along to observe which he agrees to. Unknown to Uchida, Megumi calls up and remarks that they seem to be having a hard time trying to talk to each other. She reminds Uchida to bring his handphone so that it's easier to get hold of each other...

First of all, the familiar seiyuus to me in the lineup would be Noto Mamiko (Nina in Monster, Enma Ai in Jigoku Shoujo) and Onosaka Masaya (Momoshiro in Tenipuri). Well, I could identify Onosaka-san's voice immediately when Nihonmatsu grumbled about the snacks and it looks like he's probably going to be a pretty talkative character in this anime. As for Noto, she plays Megumi here but her character has not appeared yet. I just found her voice vaguely familiar and confirmed it in the ending credits. It was a refreshing change to hear her speak Okayama-ben.

The first episode sets the groundwork so there are no action scenes so as to speak. I believe when Uchida gets involved in the rescue operations, that would be very interesting to watch.

Frankly speaking, I do pity Uchida in a sense since he got sent to an unit he wasn't interested in. To make things worse, his ex-classmate Kosaka's presence only serves to remind him of this fact. It must be tough seeing someone doing well in something which you wanted to do but wasn't given the opportunity to.

However, as what Hongo says, if Uchida keeps brooding over this issue, there is no way he can concentrate on rescue work. Maybe that's why Hongo decided to use the harsh approach on Uchida so that the latter can learn that rescue work is not as insignificant and simple as it seems. Well, flying a fighter plane may be a glorious profession to Uchida but there's value in everything so it may take time for him to realise the worth of the rescue team or should I say the helicopter used for such operations.

On a lighter note, Uchida seems to be a rather simple-minded guy where everyone can see through him easily. It was quite funny to see him getting exasperated at others knowing his thoughts which reinforces the impression that he's not someone who hides behind a facade.

It seems that the posting to Komatsu would be a big test to Uchida and Megumi's relationship. Despite being in the same country, the distance and the irregular working hours of Uchida will have an effect over time. It remains to be seen how they can cope with these challenges. By the way, Megumi keeps telling Uchida to bring his handphone but my guess as to why he didn't do so would be the ban on handphones within a millitary base. Maybe that's why Uchida didn't want to explain this to Megumi since this matter is not a issue of choice to him but rather something which he has no control over.

Overall, I like the quality of this anime and it looks like one which is going to have a strong storyline. The design of the characters may not be too refined though since I had a bit of a problem trying to distinguish some of them based on a fleeting glance. Maybe as the anime progresses, the distinct characteristics of these people will show up. Other than that, I don't have any major grouses over this new title.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Monster Ep 67 - Tadaima (I'm back)

Johan dares Nina to shoot him like how she did when they were kids which leads the latter to remark that she will not hesistate to pull the trigger and put an end to the whole matter. However, Johan questions Nina what she means by the end since he has seen the end of many things countless times and still has no idea what it represents. Nina declares her intention to kill Johan first before committing suicide and proceeds to relate her real tale of horror to him. Meanwhile, Tenma is rushing to the ruins of the mansion as directed by Christof.

Johan is not intimidated by Nina's threats and say that he will tell her about his experience instead. When they were in Czechoslovakia during their childhood, Johan was taken away from The Three Frogs and imprisoned in a dark room without any walls. He could not get a sense of direction nor find out where exactly the room was situated. However, he could sense that someone was watching him and heard faint screams from elsewhere. His meals were delivered from an unknown source whereby he relied on counting the number to gauge how long he had been kept in captive. Just when he started to lose count, the door of the room was opened and he saw Franz Bonaparta for the first time.

There was a party held at the Mansion of Red Roses where some adults were gathered and they kept marvelling at the sight of Johan while referring to him as The Result. He didn't remember much of the opening speech where the people except Bonaparta drank red wine as a toast to the speaker. Subsequently, they collapsed one after another due to the poisoned wine. A total of 42 people died in the mansion leaving Bonaparta being the sole survivor. Johan took advantage of this chance to run back to The Three Frogs but got cut by the thorns of the roses as a result. When he reached home, Nina welcomed him back and Johan kept relating the events to her repeatedly. Upon hearing this, Nina objects violently and claims that Johan got the whole thing mixed-up.

At the same time, Tenma reaches the ruins and hears some gunshots. He rushes into the building immediately and finds Nina pointing the gun at her head. Tenma tells the dazed Nina to calm down and grabs the gun from her before she can harm herself. Nina bursts out crying while Tenma assures her that everything is fine now.

Nina says that Johan has the wrong idea over what happened at the Mansion of Red Roses since he had only heard her story and did not go through the events like what he believed in. Nina had run back to her home at The Three Frogs with a bleeding arm and Johan was there to welcome her while dressed exactly like a replica of Nina complete with a wig. Nina told Johan about her experiences for many days thus he knew the details as well as she did. Upon seeing her getting agitated, Tenma assures Nina that it's OK not to talk about this matter anymore. Nina blames herself for causing Johan to become the way he is now because he took her experiences as his. She feels frightened at seeing Johan's expression of sadness and happiness at the same time when she told him the truth just now thus she couldn't shoot him with her gun. However, she knows that Johan is going to destroy himself like what she intends to do. Tenma tells Nina not to attempt suicide as it would take away the meaning in his life and pleads with her to live no matter what happens.

Capek comes to the ruins with his bodyguards waiting in the car. Unknown to him, they receive word about Capek's killing of another bodyguard (the guy who was supposed to send him to a mansion on the mountain and Capek shot him by mistake).

Capek tells Tenma and Nina that Johan may be going to kill Bonaparta. He had told Johan that Bonaparta's son is living in Prague. After saying this, Capek walks away quietly but leaves a parting remark about the possibility of Johan stopping his destructive actions after Bonaparta's death. As he walks out of the ruins alone, Capek talks to himself about Johan having another memory and doesn't know what he had created with Bonaparta. The bodyguard fires a shot at Capek's head in a bid to take revenge for his buddy while leaving the latter's life to wither away.

Tenma brings Nina out of the ruins and keeps telling her to live on so that they can find the place they belong to...

Johan goes to a friend's house which leads the guy to remark that it's rare for Johan to come to him. The friend asks Johan who he intends to kill next where the latter points to his forehead. He tells Johan to stop joking and questions why he went to all that trouble to gather funds and kill people. Johan states that he has awakened from his dream and sees a different ending now. As such, he wants to abort the plan which makes his friend angry. Johan says that there is something which only he knows and there is a place he has to go. After saying this, Johan points his gun at the friend and kills him...

Meanwhile, Lunge goes to a small town named Ruhenheim and brandishes a postcard from his coat which confirms that he has come to the correct place...

This episode provides a much clearer picture of what went on at the Mansion of Red Roses. I tend to believe Nina's story about Johan being mistaken and taking her experiences as part of his memories. Maybe the feeling of fear has seeped through him thus leading him to behave like this. However, the whole issue gets more puzzling because Johan says that there is something which only he knows thus this might be critical in determining what he hopes to achieve at the end.

Bonaparta could have known that the wine was poisoned beforehand or he was the culprit so that's why he did not drink the red wine. Otherwise, I fail to understand why he was the only man standing. Did he have a reason for killing those people?

As for Lunge, he makes an appearance after a long time and turns up at a town named Ruhenheim. This might be the final stage for everything to end since the anime is drawing to a close with 7 episodes remaining. Does this mean that Bonaparta is hiding in this peaceful town?