Monster Ep 64 - The Baby's Depression

A striptease dancer is sitting in The Baby's car as she relates how surprised and happy she was to receive a series of gifts from him. The Baby explains that he found her special when he watched her performance for the first time. The dancer thinks that he should have come to look for her instead of hiding his identity but The Baby didn't think that she would be interested to meet him. However, he has finally made the decision to see her as he feels that she will listen to what he has to say...

The Baby brings the dancer to a high class restaurant where she expresses delight in tasting such tasty food. He says that even though he may eat such delicacies daily, he finds that having a good companion during meals will enhance the taste of food. The dancer is glad to know that The Baby enjoys her company and he even asks her to join him for meals in future. He relates that he had been fighting to create a new system in Frankfurt for a long time but he's scared for the first time in his life...

The Baby recollects the conversation between him and Petr Capek when he brought up the three murder cases over the last few months. Although The Baby was aware that Johan wanted two of them killed to cover up the scandals, he could not comprehend why the trading merchant Erich Klemperer was murdered. Capek expressed unawareness of this case and thought that this was not related to Johan. However, The Baby raised the point that they might not be fully aware of what Johan's real motive is and even questioned Capek as to whether he was hiding something from him. Capek told The Baby not to worry over this matter and asked about Nina's whereabouts instead. The Bbay reminded Capek that Nina was not as simple as he thought and he still had the shudders whenever he recalled how terrifying her eyes looked during the arson at the Turkish district. Capek assured that everything was proceeding according to the programme created by his mentor and he was just merely assisting in it. Despite this, The Baby remains concerned about whether things are really under control.

After dinner, the dancer brings The Baby to a mobile store and treats him to ice-cream. He says that he's been very stressed of late and feels relieved now when he's in her company.

The Baby had met the man whom Johan was introduced to at the party previously and told the latter that he would be assigning more bodyguards for him under Capek's orders. However, the man declined this offer as he was confident that he would not be identified by others even if he appeared on the streets. The Baby remained unconvinced and remarked that there would be more trouble if the man was allowed to do what he wished. Three people had been killed to cover the man's doings but he was nonchalant and said that he could kill as many people as he wished and not get caught for it. This made The Baby angry and he pointed out to the man that he owed his current status to his late father who was one of the 4 leaders in their organization and the man was not worthy of this position. The man retorted that The Baby was just jealous because the position did not go to him. The Baby mentioned that he knew about the man's scandals and was reminded of what would happen to those who also knew about these. The meeting ended on a sour note as the man walked off, pretending not to be offended while The Baby was concerned about what he would do.

The Baby bids goodbye to the dancer and says that it's relaxing to move around without bodyguards. The dancer offers to send him back but he declines and even gives money to her which she rejects. The Baby apologises for his actions which were offensive. Suddenly, the dancer asks if she could go to The Baby's hotel room with him...

A bodyguard comes to the hotel where The Baby is staying and tells Capek that The Baby is not answering his phone. As such, he will be going to look for him at his room. However, he is shocked to see that The Baby is murdered...

Capek is informed about The Baby's death and gets worried that he might be the next target. The bodyguards confirm with Capek that he wasn't the one who ordered the murder of The Baby and reveal that the balance in their organization will be affected since he was an important figure in Frankfurt. Capek remembers The Baby's question about whether they are aware of Johan's motive and gets worried about the possibility of Johan taking revenge on him. He tells the bodyguards to send him to his secret mansion in the suburbs and orders them to capture Nina so as to guarantee his safety.

On the way to Capek's mansion, the bodyguard reveals that The Baby was killed while he was alone. However, Capek's thoughts are on his first meeting with Franz Bonaparta who instructed him to read his picture books before he told Capek what he wanted to do.

Capek suddenly asks his bodyguard to stop the car and insists on not going to the mansion as he's not sure about the confidentiality of his whereabouts. The bodyguard says that it's better not to drive around at night and reaches into his pocket for something. Capek is worried that he might be killed and shoots the bodyguard first. However, he finds out that the bodyguard was reaching for his lighter instead of a gun which Capek had thought...

Capek walks to the mansion alone where he drinks the opened bottle of wine due to thirst. However, he's horrified to find Johan waiting for him there. Capek gets paranoid about the wine being poisoned when Johan brings up what happened at the Red Rose Mansion but the latter says that the wine is not poisoned. Capek asks Johan why he killed The Baby but he evades this question despite Capek threatening to harm Nina. Instead, Johan says that the monster is not within him but rather, it came from outside. Just when Capek is bewildered by this remark, Johan suddenly asks him if Franz Bonaparta is still alive...

The biggest revelation here is the possibility of Bonaparta being alive. From the way the anime is presented, it seems to give the impression that Bonaparta belongs to the past but it's almost certain that he's still living since Johan seems to be confident of this. Is Johan trying to take revenge on Bonaparta by using the people close to him? Maybe that's why Capek is getting worried now that he realises how Johan has no intention to follow the plan he is hatching. The Baby sensed this earlier but Capek did not believe him. As such, he is solely responsible for whatever happens from now on.

Paradise Kiss Ep 02: Illumination

The members of Paradise Kiss are discussing the issue of choosing fabrics for their creation which has to be decided when their model is decided. Arashi suggests searching the streets for another model since he's sure that Yukari won't agree to their request. Miwako is worried that George may go to a model agency to find a candidate but Isabella says that he's not someone to wait quietly for 3 days even though he was the one who gave Yukari time to think it over.

Yukari is studying in the library but she doesn't seem to be concentrating since her thoughts are focused on George and what he said to her. Suddenly, she sees George sitting opposite her at the same table and stares intently at him. When George finally looks up, he tells Yukari to ignore him and concentrate on studying. However, Yukari can't do anything with George in front of her so he decides to move to another table before she could stop him.

Yukari can't help stealing glances at George from time to time before she could settle down. She fails to notice that George has left and grumbles to herself that he could have told her about it. On her way out for lunch, she sees George sitting under a tree and concentrating on reading his book.

Yukari goes to buy lunch and offers to share it with George. She says that she's usually at the library on Sundays since she can't concentrate at home while George has never been here before until today and remarks that there are lots of interesting foreign language books related to fashion here. Yukari asks George if there's any qualification needed to be a fashion designer but he says that what matters most are talent, passion and hard work. She remarks that she envies George because he has a goal and dream. Although she hates going with the flow, she doesn't know how to change the situation since she's afraid of being asked about her dream which is non-existent. Yukari apologises for complaining to George about such a boring issue but he says that he's listening to her seriously since this concerns her life. Upon hearing this, Yukari feels so touched that she feels like crying. She thanks George for his attention and runs off quickly before she cries in front of him. Yukari starts to feel that she hopes to live like the members of Paradise Kiss who are passionate about their goals.

At night, Yukari's younger brother tells her that George called up to ask where she was. This means that their meeting was not coincidental but a deliberate arrangement by George. Yukari gets angry at the thought of George lying to her and flares up at her brother who tries to blackmail her or he would tell their parents about a guy calling up to look for her. Yukari is confused about the authenticity of George's words and realises that he could have looked through her student handbook to find her telephone number.

In school, Tokumori praises Yukari for looking like a model with her new haircut which makes her very happy. Yukari decides to go to the atorie and find out what exactly she has to do as a model before making her decision.

However, when she reaches there, nobody comes to answer the door despite rock music blasting inside. Yukari goes in quietly and is shocked to see Miwako and Arashi getting intimate on the billards table. She tries to leave hurriedly and bumps into Isabella who buttons up Miwako's clothes so as to make Yukari feel more comfortable about staying on.

Isabella reprimands Arashi and Miwako for what they did but Miwako says that Arashi suggested doing it on the billards table for a change. Upon hearing such words, Yukari feels uneasy and offers to help Isabella buy tea leaves since it has run out. Miwako offers to accompany Yukari along the way.

Miwako tells Yukari that Arashi is a very nice guy despite his appearance and values him like a family member since they are childhood friends. Yukari admires Miwako for having a boyfriend but the latter retorts that Tokumori should be her boyfriend since she saw his photo in Yukari's student handbook. Yukari denies this and says that she's just admiring him secretly. She makes Miwako promise not to tell anyone about how she feels for Tokumori. Actually, Tokumori is also a childhood friend of Miwako and Arashi but they have not seen each other for a long time since Miwako moved in with her sister's family and Arashi started to live alone. Yukari feels that people will drift apart when their circumstances start to change and wonders about the number of people she will meet in this lifetime. She knows that if she gives up the chance of being a model, she will never meet the members of Paradise Kiss again. At the thought of this, Yukari finally decides to take up the task of being a model for Paradise Kiss which makes Miwako extremely happy.

The next day, Yukari is quite unhappy to see how George is reacting to her decision even though she thought that he would be happy. Instead, he keeps laying down rules and reminds her to think it over carefully before agreeing. Yukari insists that she is responsible for her own decision so as to stop him from speaking further. Suddenly, George laughs heartily which makes Yukari realise that he's just pulling her leg with his nasty attitude even though he's happy to know her decision.

Miwako helps Yukari change into a Parakiss creation before they hold the celebration party for Yukari joining them as a model. Yukari is touched to see that they have prepared so much food for the party and gets carried away with gorging herself with the goodies. George reminds Yukari that she's like a Cinderella who will return to normal at 6pm (that's when she goes for tuition class) and she should prepare to leave since it's already 5.30pm. However, Yukari drinks too much of the champagne which she had thought was fake and ends up drunk.

When Yukari finally wakes up at 9pm, she is surprised to see George staring at her while she was unconscious. George offers to drive Yukari home and she agrees.

George stops at the main road for Yukari to walk home. Suddenly, George lifts Yukari's chin and comes closer to her. This gives Yukari the impression that he is going to kiss her and she closes her eyes to wait for the moment. However, George's intention is just to wipe off the lipstick from Yukari with his handkerchief. As he drives away, Yukari remains in a daze and smells the strong cologne on her lips which belongs to George...

George is such a fascinating character but he is going to give Yukari more headaches in future. She can't distinguish when he's lying or telling the truth which might impede the development of their relationship. It is obvious that there are lots of sparks and chemistry between them. If not, why would George seem so interested in staring at Yukari or go to that extent to get closer to Yukari? Well, if he was just doing that to make Yukari become their model, it doesn't justify his behaviour. My worry is that if he cannot be frank to Yukari about how he feels and uses lies to conceal his emotions, things between them will never be smooth-sailing.

Meanwhile for Yukari, she is definitely attracted by George. Initially, she admires him for having a dream while she's aimless but that feeling seems to be changing into the form of romantic interest in George. Otherwise, she wouldn't seem to be disappointed when George did not kiss her. She was waiting for it to happen which can be seen when she closed her eyes as George came closer to her face but alas, this did not materialise. However, this will happen next episode so I'll be dying to see how electrifying that scene is. Whenever they are alone together, the atmosphere seems so sizzling that the voltage is probably going to get more intense as the anime progresses.

As for Miwako and Arashi, it's evident that there's something wrong between them and Tokumori. There must be a reason for the couple to drift away from him besides going to different schools and moving away. And Miwako seems lonely or should I say guilty about something when Tokumori is mentioned. Otherwise, she wouldn't keep Yukari in the dark about the fact that she knew Tokumori when she misunderstood that Yukari was dating him. That scene when Miwako and Arashi were making out on the billards table was a genuine shock for me. I didn't know that they are lovers but what made me more surprised was how they didn't seem to bother about knowing the extent of their relationship. I thought they are all of the same age as Yukari? That's why Yukari was really taken aback at seeing them since she doesn't have experience in such matters. Will there be a day when Yukari and George does the same in the anime? That will be really interesting to watch...

I've ordered the Parakiss special edition 1 DVD box due to be released in Dec. Wow, that is simply expensive as it has an additional disc of bonus footage and freebies so it could be why the price is almost double of the normal edition. I'm still undecided about getting the OP's single by tommy february 6 which is released next month. There's a special sticker of Parakiss in the first press and I like the song too. Maybe I should think of what additional items to include so that I can make full use of the shipping cost which is calculated in tiers.

Yakitate Japan Ep 50

Azuma says that in order to beat Shadow, he must create something which will definitely send Pierro to Cabaret Heaven so as to meet the King. However, Azuma is concerned about getting an essential ingredient for Ja-pan No.61 and checks with Pierro if the Monaco kingdom can supply hemp. Kawachi is alarmed and reminds Azuma that hemp is an illegal item. Azuma cannot comprehend why Kawachi is making such a big fuss since hemp can also be found in a Japanese seasoning, shichimi. Kawachi finds that Suwabara and Pierro are not alarmed by Azuma's request and is mocked for having no general knowledge. Pierro explains that hemp seeds are perfectly legal and added in foodstuffs approved by the law. There is also a restaurant which specialises in cuisine with hemp seeds located in Tokyo. Pierro allows Azuma to obtain the hemp seeds and reminds the latter of his promise to send Pierro to heaven.

In the hotel room, Kawachi is telling Azuma that he has no idea about hemp seeds being used in various seasoning substances. Kuroyanagi disses Kawachi for not knowing this even though he is a baker and says that many people are mistaken about the use of hemp. Actually, hemp had been used in food for a long time but due to the incorrect use of the substance as a drug, the item is now legally controlled. Hemp seeds are rich in protein and increases the body's resistance. In addition, due to its unique flavour, the seeds will help to enhance the taste of food.

Although Kawachi and Azuma think that they can defeat Shadow with this ingredient, Kuroyanagi thinks that it's too early to say. He reveals that he found out from his friend Kidd about Shadow who used to be a famous panto-mimer. Since Kirisaki is the mastermind behind the US team, Shadow can obtain his skills through his imitating skills.

Meanwhile, Shadow collapses in exhaustion while trying to imitate Kirisaki's skills. Shadow has already copied 98% of Kirisaki's skills and thinks that it's enough. However, Kirisaki remind him that if he doesn't copy the skills completely, it will not be enough to earn him the no.1 title.

When Shadow was young, he knew that he had the talent to imitate sportsmen' poses but without the skills, he was nothing to others. As such, he searched for something to excel in and learned pantomiming through watching videos. However, he had the tendency to lose control of himself. Even though Shadow managed to join a performing troupe, he was later fired with the reason that there was no soul put into his panto-miming. It was then when he met Kirisaki who tempted him to imitate his breadmaking skills so as to be the world No.1 in the Monaco Cup.

Shadow finally decides to perservere in the copying but he does not think that it's worth spending so much effort to defeat a stupid-looking Azuma. However, Kirisaki thinks that it is better not to underestimate Azuma since he has the talent and skills which are not obvious through his appearance.

Kuroyanagi tells the guys that it is rumoured widely that Kirisaki's Go-pan can make people feel as if they can go to the end of the galaxy. Kawachi argues that Azuma can also send people to heaven but Kuroyanagi stresses that Azuma's bread can do it if the person's senses are easily stimulated. In Go-pan's case, any ordinary person can feel as if they are in the galaxy. As such, Azuma's rival for this round should be Kirisaki who is a world-class baker instead of Shadow who is just copying him.

It is the eve of the final round and Kawachi is surprised that the staff from the Southern Tokyo store are planning how to escape and borrow money in case Azuma loses. He does not understand why they are not giving any advice to Azuma but Tsukino says that Azuma is already focused on making bread good enough to send Pierro to heaven. As such, he can do without their advice which may turn out to be distracting instead.

On the day of the final, lots of people flock to Monaco and flood the streets so as to see Pierro who is the heir to the throne. As such, Pierro arranges for a helicopter to fetch the contestants and other related personnel so that they will not be late. Suddenly, Pierro reveals that Shadow has promised to send him to the galaxy to meet his late mother by using Go-pan...

Heaven vs Galaxy...Is this anime getting more exaggerated?! Well, we'll find out what is so great about Go-pan and what Azuma is up to from the upcoming episodes. Something which bothers me is that Shadow seems to be very tired when he is learning Kirisaki's skills. Does making Go-pan require lots of strength or is it health-endangering to create the bread?

I like Kidd's appearance which offers much comical relief. He pops up out of nowhere at times and when he is scolding Kuroyanagi for dropping the phone to the ground whenever he's shocked, that is simply hillarious!

I took another look at the OP again and it seems like there is a scene of Azuma sitting on the beach which resembles what is shown in the manga when the Pantasia guys return to Japan and find out that Yukino has gained control of the company. Maybe that's a sign that the anime will continue even after the Monaco Cup arc...

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 37

The Internal Affairs Department orders Havoc to prepare an observation report on Mustang. However, he will not be able to do this by himself thus he asks Fuery, Breda and Falman for help.

Saturday 9.06am - Mustang sighs at seeing the stack of documents to be approved before noon and grumbles that this is troublesome.

10.26am - Mustang tries to feed Hawkeye's dog.

11.03am - Mustang starts to wipe the windows.

11.47am - Mustang begins to sign the documents and laments that time is running out.

In the afternoon, Mustang goes out to check the fire safety measures and receives a letter working in the florist. There are 2 tickets to a play enclosed with the love letter when he reads it after returning to the office. Mustang prepares to go home, saying that he has to gather some information when it's obvious that he's going for a date.

Upon hearing this, Havoc realises that the girl interested in Mustang is Chris who has been seeing him of late. His colleagues say that Havoc doesn't stand a chance against Mustang but he refuses to give up. Havoc decides to stop observing Mustang or he would be driven crazy.

Hawkeye remarks that Havoc is looking listless recently where Mustang says that he must have fallen out of love. Due to the hectic schedule of being in the millitary, she comments that it's hard to find a suitable girl. Mustang mocks Havoc for being unable to juggle work and love but he realises that Havoc can't work in this state. He tells his subordinates to recommend a girlfriend for Havoc but they think to themselves that Mustang could do this himself since he's popular with women. Mustang decides to get Falman to do the job in the end.

Archer orders Sheska to prepare a copy of the data held in the Central Library and about the 5th laboratory which she is happy to oblige so as to investigate further on Hughes' murder. She bumps into Falman along the corridor and he asks her if she has any person to introduce to Havoc as a girlfriend. Armstrong overhears this and suggests his younger sister as a possible candidate.

Havoc goes to the Armstrong residence and gets cold feet when he sees how grand their house is. His colleagues say that Armstrong's sister is just like him and Havoc gets the idea she must be muscular. Before he can run away, Armstrong comes to the door to welcome him while his colleagues drive off.

Armstrong's father goes on and on to flaunt his family history and he looks very different as his wife who is tall and slim. This scares Havoc when he thinks of how Armstrong's sister, Catherine would look like. To his surprise, he sees that Catherine is a sweet and shy girl.

Havoc gets besotted with Catherine's appearance but gets surprised that she can lift a piano with one hand. He asks Catherine to be his girlfriend but she rejects him because she prefers someone who is like her brother.

Falman and Fuery are walking home after work and pass by a series of warehouses. There are a stretch of lights which are spoilt so they have to walk through a patch of darkness. Suddenly, they hear sounds of spades digging the earth and see a warehouse with the number 13.

In the morning, Hawkeye is awakened by her dog, Black Hayate which is licking her foot. After training it through a series of commands, she serves its breakfast before bringing it along for work.

When Hawkeye reaches the office, she hears Falman and Fuery discussing what they experienced last night. Apparently, there are only 12 warehouses in use but at night, there have been rumours that no.13 was seen at the spot which was said to be used as an execution ground in the past. In addition, sounds of digging the earth are heard as if the prisoners are trying to dig tunnels to escape.

Mustang refuses to believe them and says that this is their imagination only. His subordinates insist on getting him to join them with the investigation tonight and he has no choice but to agree.

Hawkeye drives Mustang out and passes by Hughes' residence. Even though he does not say anything, Hawkeye sees that he wants to stop there. Mustang goes to visit Glacier who is happy to see him and invites him in for tea. Just then, he spots that Winry is staring at him from the second floor and declines Glacier's offer since he has to work.

Archer goes to King Bradley and asks about data related to the 5th laboratory. The latter says that since that place had been closed for a long time, it is normal for them to have limited information in the database. Archer refuses to accept this and says that it seems to suggest that someone in the millitary is behind the suppression of the information. He brings up the fact that he has Kimbly and Tucker under his wing to help in the production of Kenja no Ishi but King Bradley tells him to go to Rioru and stop the riots there.

Mustang and his men go to the warehouses which makes him angry at their responses. They discover that they had misread the alphabet B as 13 so there is nothing supernatural at all. Before they go back, Mustang sees some digging signs at the spot where the 13th warehouse is supposedly located at and Falman discovers that there are bones there.

As such, they carry out digging work at the place on the next morning to see if they can find more human bones. However, they see Black Hayate coming to that place and burying the bone left from his food which means that they have been taken for a ride.

When Hawkeye brings Black Hayate to work, everyone gets angry at the sight of the dog. Just then, Mustang receives a call that the tiger has sprung to action.

Mustang goes to King Bradley's office and finds out that Archer and Armstrong are going to Rioru. He asks to go along but Archer objects to it. In the end, King Bradley gives him approval to go along much to Archer's displeasure...

This episode is made up of 3 stories which are quite funny and lighten the mood of the series. At least, it wasn't nonsensical and silly to watch. Given that the series is ending soon, I guess this helps to give viewers a breather before we are headed for more serious content towards the finale.

Suzuka Ep 15: Hotarubukuro (Firefly pocket)

Yamato and Asahina are stuck in Hiroshima after they missed the last train to Tokyo. He apologises for getting her into trouble and suggests that they can go to a karaoke or family restaurant which is open 24 hours. However, Asahina has left her wallet on the train while Yamato has 600 yen only. Yamato has to think of another way when they are harrassed by a drunken man who tease Yamato for making his "girlfriend", Asahina angry. He even suggests that they head to a love hotel so as to make up. Yamato remarks angrily that they don't have the money to go there which Asahina retorts that even if they had money, she won't go with him. Yamato decides to call his father for help so that Asahina can stay at a hotel for the night while he returns home. Asahina asks him why he has to step aside to make the phone call but he tries to evade the question. Actually, Yamato is just scared of letting Asahina hear him speak in dialect.

Meanwhile on the train, the captain is trying to contact Yamato and Asahina but in vain. Honoka gets more worried when she thinks of them being together.

Yamato says that his father will drive to the station to lend money to Asahina and bring him home. Asahina then calls the captain to let him know their plans so they will return tomorrow. Suddenly, she passes her phone to Yamato and he's surprised to hear Honoka on the line. He assures Honoka that nothing will happen since he will go back to his home alone.

Asahina asks Yamato if he was the one who confessed his feelings to Honoka which he confirms accordingly. He lists the good points of Honoka and says that he feels at ease with her. She suddenly tells him to shut up which makes Yamato angry because it was Asahina who initiated the question. After this, the two of them sat together in silence for the next two and a half hours.

Yamato is scolded by his father for being a fool to miss the train. His father insist on bringing Asahina home with them because he's worried for her safety. This makes Yamato very uncomfortable because he had told Honoka that Asahina will not go home wth him.

The next morning, Yamato's family members poke fun at him like usual but he's feeling uneasy because Asahina is around. As Yamato's father is busy, he will only drive them to the train station in the evening.

Yamato has to bring his dog out for a walk and invites Asahina to walk around with him since it will be some time before they go back. However, Asahina tells him to leave her alone which makes him grumble about being treated like that when he's trying to be nice.

When Yamato goes home, he asks her to go with him to see fireflies and stay for another night. She remains cold towards him and says that Yamato is being an idiot to bring her out as this will make Honoka uneasy. He realises her intentions and decides to stay clear of her.

Yamato calls Honoka and tells her that he will return tonight. He also tries to assure her that nothing is wrong between him and Asahina. After the conversation, Yamato tells Asahina to prepare for the return to Tokyo but she suddenly says that she wants to stay on and see the fireflies. Although he is stunned by her sudden decision, he decides to oblige.

Yamato brings Asahina to the bridge over the river but there isn't any firefly in sight. This makes him very puzzled since he knows that they will appear during summer. He apologises for disappointing Asahina and says that this always happens when it comes to the crux. Yamato says that he tried to confess his feelings to a girl during his junior high days here but there wasn't any firefly and he got rejected too. Asahina laughs at him so Yamato retorts that he did confess to someone before under a great atmosphere i.e. Asahina but he also got rejected.

Asahina tells him to simulate what he did at that time and Yamato puts the firefly into a flower named firefly pocket. He gives it to Asahina to show her what he did and she accepts the flower by saying that she will be his girlfriend. Yamato tells her not to make fun of him but she says that she's not. He gets confused about why Asahina is behaving like this as countless fireflies appear to light up the night sky. To break the silence, Asahina says that she was just lying. Yamato is disappointed to hear this even though he knows very well that Asahina does not like him...

It's very obvious that Asahina has taken a liking to Yamato no doubt she may deny it to everyone. This is why she decided to stay on to see fireflies even though Yamato had promised Honoka that they would return as arranged. It might be jealousy at work because she saw how Yamato cared about Honoka's feelings and used this subconsicously as a method to spend more time with him. In addition, her serious expression when Yamato was simulating his past failed confession would have revealed that she wanted so much to tell Yamato she's telling the truth but seeing the stunned look on his face, I guess that made her give up and decided to lie so as to make him feel better.

Honey and Clover Ep 19

Mayama goes back to Fujiwara Design and looks for his ex-colleagues since Harada Design is going to work with them on a project. To his surprise, he finds Yamada alone with Nomiya and asks why she is here. Yamada gets flustered and wants to leave despite Nomiya asking her to stay on. Mayama tries to find out the reason for Yamada's presence but Nomiya fends off his questions by saying that they should get down to work first.

After the meeting, Mayama finally gets to ask Nomiya about why Yamada had come to Fujiwara Design. Nomiya replies that she will be coming at least once a week since the company has engaged her to make pottery for them. Mayama retorts that he has never heard about this arrangement but Nomiya mocks him for trying to take care of the woman he dumped even though he has someone else in mind. Besides, there is no rule saying that Mayama should be consulted on Yamada's personal affairs. Mayama starts to get heated up and questions how Nomiya thinks of Yamada. He accuses Nomiya of trying to woo Yamada for fun and finds out that Nomiya had the intention to bring her to Takamatsu by plane if she had answered udon instead of soba in Nagano at that time. Mayama feels that he would not be so concerned about how Nomiya thinks of Yamada if the latter had been more serious about things.

Takemoto recalls how Morita and Hagu behaved when they finally had time to themselves since Morita's return. They started to throw things at one another to flaunt their achievements within this period which makes Takemoto feel that he's not been making any progress in the past year.

Takemoto returns home and sees Morita dressed as a housewife to welcome him back. He has even prepared dinner where Mayama brings back meatballs which are Takemoto's favourite. Morita says that he's happy that they can have meals together again and even thanks Takemoto for coming to send him off at the airport. Apparently, Kaoru was the one who told Morita about it and even teased him that he actually had friends who cared. Takemoto had feared that something might end when Morita returns but he's surprised to see how the latter feels happy about having him as a friend despite what he shouted at the airport.

During the cherry blossoms party, Mayama brings refreshments for his friends and sees that Morita is injured. Hanamoto reveals that Morita tried to do a bungee jump and ended up that way so he couldn't continue his 9th consecutive "concert". However, they hear music suddenly and are suprised to find that Morita refuses to give up and sings while sitting on his wheelchair so as to garner sympathy from the audience.

Miwako and Yamazaki come to look for Mayama and question why he never brought Rika along. Mayama insists that he didn't do that since Rika doesn't like such functions. At the mention of Rika, Yamada feels upset and tells Hagu that she wants to go home. Yamazaki calls Mayama to send the tipsy Yamada home.

Mayama tells Yamada to go back later after the party but she refuses to oblige after hearing that he has to return to the company later. Yamada hits Mayama and tells him to scram since he has no intention of staying on either. Just then, Nomiya appears and wants to tell Mayama that he's leaving. He remarks that Yamada and Mayama are very close but she denies it immediately. Nomiya suggests jokingly that he can send Yamada home or if she wants, they can go somewhere. Suddenly, Yamada runs up to Nomiya and hugs him tightly. She tells him to bring her away so Nomiya obliges despite Mayama's objection. As the traffic light has turned red, Mayama is unable to chase after them and can only look on helplessly.

Nomiya brings Yamada to the car park and pushes her into his car. He remarks that he doesn't like to be used for such matters and points out that Yamada had hoped that Mayama would chase after her just now. Yamada wants to leave but Nomiya says that he will bring her to somewhere as what she wished.

Nomiya asks where Yamada wants to go but she says that she has to go home. However, he says that she's just trying to escape because Mayama did not react as what she wanted. Actually, while trying to test Mayama's feelings towards her, Yamada is also hoping that things will not work out between Rika and Mayama. This makes Yamada very uncomfortable as Nomiya's words seem to be a reflection of how she really feels. She tells Nomiya to stop talking since it's none of his business but he insists that it concerns him since Yamada is using him to get Mayama's attention. He goes on further to say that Yamada has nothing to lose since Mayama knows how she feels and by using his guilt towards her, she can continue to control Mayama in one way or another. Yamada finally breaks down while Nomiya looks on...

Meanwhile, Mayama tries to call Nomiya but the latter's mobile phone is switched off. Morita comes to ask Mayama about Yamada's whereabouts and stands up from the wheelchair after hearing what happened. Mayama then realises that Morita is just feigning injury. Although Mayama wants to tell Hanamoto about this, Morita stops him from saying anything as this might make Yamada embarrassed in future. In the end, Miwako, Yamazaki, Mayama and Morita decide to head to Fujiwara Design for more drinks since the party has ended. At the same time, Nomiya holds Yamada's hand and they walk around the shopping area so that she can calm down.

At Fujiwara Design, Morita asks about Nomiya where Miwako and Yamazaki are full of praises for him. Thus, Morita doesn't understand why Mayama does not like to see Nomiya and Yamada together which Mayama retorts that Nomiya is too scheming and will not be serious about Yamada. Miwako and Yamazaki remark that Nomiya and Mayama are similar in many ways but Mayama doesn't think so. Miwako insists on her view and says that Nomiya finds it a headache to deal with Mayama and vice versa. Besides, Nomiya is not as evil as what Mayama thinks so nothing will happen between Nomiya and Yamada.

Nomiya buys some snacks and brings Yamada to a high-rise building where they can see the ferris wheel. Actually, this was the first project Nomiya took part in so he would come here and get into a daze while staring at it. At the sight of the ferris wheel, Yamada remembers the time when she was alone on the ferris wheel with Mayama where she had wanted the world to end at that moment so that she can be with him forever. Later, Nomiya and Yamada head to a hotel room where they have drinks and cakes on the balcony while watching the ferris wheel.

Nomiya asks Yamada what she sees in Mayama but she doesn't know it herself. Yamada knows that she should have wished Mayama well if she loves him but she can't bear to do it since she had been hoping that things wouldn't work out between him and Rika just as what Nomiya said. Nomiya looks on silently while Yamada starts to cry again.

The next morning, Yamada wakes up to find herself sleeping in the same hotel room with Nomiya and remembers how drunk she got last night. She gets worried about spending the night away from home but Nomiya assures her that things will be fine. Since they are already here, they can have breakfast and take a ride on the ferris wheel before going back...

Actually, I am starting to like Nomiya primarily because he's similar to Morita. They give people the impression that they are frivolous and not serious about anything but in actual fact, they see through how others feel and are not afraid to say it out. However, Nomiya seems more blunt in this aspect as seen from how he talked to Yamada in the car. In addition, these two guys do not reveal their real thoughts and try to protect themselves to a certain extent when interacting with others. That is why I feel that Nomiya and Morita are more similar as compared to Mayama who can be frank and rash at times. Nomiya and Morita think too much at times to go with their hearts like how Mayama behaves in front of Rika.

Nomiya's presence is good for Yamada. I don't mean it in the sense that she can use Nomiya to test Mayama but Nomiya is not afraid to hurt Yamada in his bid to help her come to her senses. It may seem cruel but Yamada really needs someone to give her a rude shock before being able to see what she has to do about her feelings for Mayama. The whole world can give her advice but if nobody tells her the ugly facts, she will continue to deceive herself that everything is fine if the current situation remains constant.

Paradise Kiss Ep 01: Atorie (Studio)

To find the imaginary world, it appears at the end of the staircase leading to the basement. The aroma of Chinese-style snacks, behind that door in shocking pink, there is the sound of an hysterical singing voice. In this place shielded from the outside world, they call it their atorie...

On the streets of Tokyo, a 3rd year senior high school student, Hayasaka Yukari is on her way to the tuition class when she is stopped by a guy in punk rock attire by the name of Arashi. Yukari gets irritated at his gesture as she thinks that he is just trying to pick up girls. Arashi remarks that she's a beauty and gets absorbed in his own thoughts while Yukari tries to run away from him. She bumps into a lady by the name of Isabella who is actually Arashi's friend. Yukari gets a shock and suddenly faints into Isabella's arms...

Yukari reflects on her life for the past 18 years and feels that she has lived seriously all this while. However, she's not satisfied with her current situation and regrets not spending the time doing things she likes. However, she doesn't have any idea on what she likes or what she wants to do since the thought has never crossed her mind. She laments that she has lived her life in vain and the boring world is not making it any better...

Yukari regains consciousness and sees a girl with pink hair, Miwako staring at her. She finally realises that she had fainted on the streets but gets a fright when she sees Arashi and Isabella whom she had thought of as bad people. They explain to Yukari that they have the intention of getting her to be their model for the fashion show held during their school festival in Nov. However, Yukari remains unconvinced about her looks and doesn't think that she's up to the task. Miwako reveals that they are 3rd year students from Yazawa Geijutsu Gakuin's fashion faculty so as to persuade her. Just as the trio think that Yukari will accept this invitation, she rejects them flatly with the reason that she has to prepare for the university entrance exams. Miwako gets excited upon knowing that they are all of the same age while Arashi remarks that Yukari must be very clever to study in Seiei Gakuen, a famous senior high school for students aiming for university entry and asks which university she is going to. Yukari replies that her affairs are none of their business and she has no time to fool around with them. This makes Arashi angry as Yukari's words feel as if she's looking down on them. He flares up at Yukari for being a snob and Miwako chases after Yukari when she runs away.

As Yukari is climbing the staircase, she gets startled and trips when Miwako calls her "Caroline". Miwako apologises for what happened and tells Yukari to come here if she changes her mind later. However, Yukari does not commit to anything and leaves hurriedly. Miwako then realises that Yukari has left her student handbook behind on the staircase...

George, the leader of the group, returns to the basement studio later and he remarks that Yukari is quite appealing because of her arrogant eyes after seeing her student handbook. Arashi is offended by Yukari and tells George that they can't get Yukari as their model. George finds out about what happened and puts the blame on Arashi for scolding Yukari who got scared of them. Miwako is wondering how to return the handbook to Yukari but Arashi says that she will return to get it if she wants to. While flipping through the handbook, Miwako sees a picture of a guy inside...

Meanwhile, Yukari is getting uptight over the loss of her student handbook and gets frightened at the prospect of anyone seeing the photo of her classmate, Tokumori inside. She has been secretly in love with him but never told him about this. Unknown to Yukari, Tokumori also seems rather interested in her.

Actually, Yukari feels that studying anything in any university would be fine to her since she doesn't have an aim in life. However, she hates being ridiculed for going to a lousy university thus this drives her to study hard. She recalls how Arashi scolded her for being a snob and realises that everyone has different values and perspectives in life.

After class, Yukari sees George waiting for her outside the school and finds out that he is here to return the student handbook to her. However, George tells Yukari that she would have to follow him somewhere before she can get it back. Yukari remarks that George is driving recklessly where he replies plainly that he only got his license 3 days ago. She sees that they are not headed for the atorie and gets a shock when George says that he's bringing her to Paradise.

In actual fact, George has brought Yukari to Yazawa Gakuin where Miwako comes to greet her with a hug. He then brings Yukari to a famous hair stylist, Seiji as he feels that there's something not quite right with her image. Yukari refuses to cut her long hair so Seiji offers to cut her fringe instead.

Even though Yukari had thought that she will never come to the atorie again, she breaks this promise and wonders what she is trying to do. After cutting her fringe, everyone says that Yukari looks better than before but she's not comfortable with this new look. She also tries to correct them when they keep calling her Caroline instead of her real name, Yukari. Arashi remarks sarcastically that Yukari is back here to be a model even though she looked down on them yesterday. She retorts that she has no intention of taking up the job and just wants to get her student handbook back. Miwako says that the handbook is with George and Yukari finds out that she was tricked to come to the atorie. George tells Miwako to get Yukari to wear their product and the girls head off to the restroom.

Miwako tells Yukari about their backgrounds. The atorie was previously a bar operated by George's uncle which closed down 6 months ago so the group converted this place for their use. The 4 of them (George, Isabella, Arashi and Miwako) have created a brand, Paradise Kiss (Parakiss for short) and Miwako tries to get Yukari to change into one of their creations. However, Yukari doesn't feel that she's good enough to wear such beautiful clothes but Miwako assures her that she's suitable.

Miwako reveals that she's wearing the clothes from Happy Berry which is a brand created by her elder sister. She says that she's not as good as her sister because she may be able to sew clothes, she lacks originality. As such, in Parakiss, George is the designer, Isabella creates the model pattern while Miwako and Arashi are responsible for the sewing of clothes. Being one of the top students in Yazawa Gakuin, the rest of the members take up supporting roles to assist George under the school system. Yukari marvels at George's talent as she wears his creation.

The group marvels at how good Yukari looks in a Parakiss creation where even Arashi comments that she's very suitable as a model for them. Yukari apologises for offending them with her belittling remarks so Arashi also says sorry for scolding her. George then makes a formal invitation to Yukari and asks her to be their model for the fashion show where she has 3 days to consider...

Finally, I get to see this long-awaited anime which takes over Hachikuro's slot on FujiTV. Frankly speaking, the first episode took a while to get things heated up as compared to its predecessor but when George appeared, the momentum got going from there. I really like this picture of George and Yukari so that's why I'm putting it in this post.

The opening theme, "Lonely in Gorgeous" by Tommy february6 is very catchy and enjoyable to listen to. The overall feel is so hip and matches the theme of the anime. The single will only be released in Nov so there's some waiting to do before I can hear it in full. The ending theme has a strong disco feel but it's too short to get me as interested as the OP.

Well, first impressions of the characters and the seiyuus. Yamada Yu, being a newbie seiyuu has done reasonably well. Actually, Yukari is quite plain where she doesn't know what she wants to do and yet she knows that it's a waste to live aimlessly. As such, without a goal, Yukari doesn't stand out from the crowd and looks like an ordinary student. That is why Yamada Yu's voice tend to be flat and shows no signs of emotion because the character herself feels nothing for her life. I guess Yamada will start to show the traces of emotional changes in Yukari as the character gets more involved in Parakiss.

I don't know the rest of the seiyuus or it could be that I may have seen other works from them and couldn't remember. Anyway, I can see myself getting attracted by George just from this episode. He's so captivating that you can't take your eyes off him BUT his dress sense seems kind of extravagant for a senior high school student. It's for certain that sparks will fly between George and Yukari but what will she do about Tokumori, the guy she likes and happens to like her too? George represents adventure and unknown possibilities while Tokumori represents stability and a constant enviroment which Yukari has been accustomed to. Personally, I think George and Yukari are very suitable so it's obvious where my loyalty lies. As for Arashi, he seems like someone who looks fierce but is a kind soul within. Miwako seems to feel inferior to almost everyone especially her elder sister and George while Isabella is so mysterious that I know practically nothing about him. Yes, I know that Isabella is a he because when Miwako brought Yukari to change, she mentioned that it's not appropriate to change in front of the guys. Thus, if Isabella is a she, why wouldn't he join Miwako too? He was winking when Miwako made that remark so Yukari must be oblivious to this fact. It might take ages for her to realise this since Isabella sounds like a girl.

On the whole, this anime is interesting enough to sustain my interest but as to whether it can surpass its predecessor, only time will tell.

Hachikuro 2006 Calendar

Received the Hachikuro 2006 calendar from CD Japan today. It was much earlier than I expected given that the release date was on last Saturday and the website had given an estimated shipping date of at least 2 to 5 days after the release date. Somehow, I get the feeling that CD Japan gets its calendars much faster than what I experienced with HMV Japan last year. At that time, I bought the Tenipuri calendar and it took close to 1 month before I received it. When I enquired on the status, they could not tell me the exact reason causing the delay so that was really bothersome. I just hope that the Tenipuri 2006 calendar next month would be delivered promptly like what they did with Hachikuro.

Talking about the calendar, it's too big for my scanner and I don't have a digital camera to capture the images. As such, I've used the image on CD Japan instead but the actual cover is not like this. The 5 main characters of Takemoto, Hagu, Morita, Mayama and Yamada are all featured but I was disappointed not to find Hanamoto inside. Thus, this means that characters like Rika, Harada, Nomiya or Miwako-san are not shown here. Anyway, the images are based on the anime thus it does look somewhat different from the manga. Most of the 6 pictures feature the 5 characters but there is one featuring the guys and another featuring the girls. I'm very satisfied about this purchase and am glad that they did not include chibi versions of the characters so that I can ogle at Morita.

Suzuka Ep 14: Shukufuku (Blessings)

Yamato starts to see Honoka in a different light after she kissed him at the stadium and even takes the initiative to kiss her by the koi pond. Honoka asks Yamato if it is right for them to kiss where he suddenly asks her to be his girlfriend. This surprises Honoka who is so elated that she cries. Miki happens to see this and wishes that she should not have come to look for Yamato in the first place.

Later that night, Miki and Asahina are at the women's bath and Miki is pondering over whether to tell Asahina about Yamato and Honoka being an item. Just then, they overhear Yamato creating a din in the men's bath next door and Asahina is happy to hear that Yamato seems to have recovered from his depression. Seeing Asahina's expression, Miki gets more undecided about whether to reveal the truth.

The next morning, the 3rd year students return to Tokyo while the rest of the team members remain behind in Hiroshima for the training. Yamato asks Hattori why he has chosen to stay on which the latter says that he won't go back empty-handed after failing to know any girls here. Asahina comes to Yamato and asks him to go with her for some souvenir shopping. Unexpectedly, Yamato rejects her offer which makes Hattori very surprised and Asahina angry at his response. Hattori then realises that the relationship between Yamato and Honoka has changed so that's the reason why Yamato had kept Asahina at arm's length.

Asahina goes out shopping with Miki and sees some T-shirts which suit Yamato but she insists that she won't buy them for him. Miki decides that it's time to tell Asahina about Yamato's relationship with Honoka. Although Asahina remains unaffected by the news, Miki can see that Asahina is just putting on a pretence.

During the afternoon training, Honoka passes a note to Yamato, asking him to meet her alone after dinner tonight. Unknown to Yamato, Asahina has been observing their lovey-dovey gestures.

Yamato and Honoka sit by the koi pond where she reveals that she just wanted to spend some time alone with him. Honoka also says that she has been in love with him for a long time and the extent she went to in order to be with him. This surprises Yamato who has never been aware of how Honoka feels but he feels happy to have realised it now.

The next morning, Miki comes to look for Hattori where she finds out that he knows about Yamato dating Honoka. Miki questions Hattori why he didn't stop Yamato from doing this since he had always said that he liked Asahina. However, Hattori says that this will also be unfair to Honoka who has always like Yamato. Thus, it will be best for them to be onlookers instead of interfering in their affairs since there's no right or wrong in love.

Yamato stays behind for additional training where Asahina reprimands him for not taking training seriously. Suddenly, Asahina asks Yamato if he is really dating Honoka so he admits to it despite not knowing how Asahina could have realised this. Asahina remarks that it is a surprise that Yamato can get a girlfriend and even offers to help him with the stretching exercises. Yamato thinks to himself that Asahina's attitude towards him has remained unchanged despite knowing that he is dating Honoka.

At night, Asahina is gazing at the sky in a daze. Miki reminds her to sleep early since they are returning to Tokyo tomorrow. However, Asahina says that she's not sleepy and looks like she's troubled over something.

Yamato brings his friends out to look for an okonomiyaki restaurant but they cannot find the place. Everyone is grumbling about it but Honoka tries to reassure Yamato so as to lift his spirits up. Actually, they had invited Asahina and Miki too but Asahina refused to go along with them.

In the end, the group fails to find what they want and ends up eating ramen instead. On the way to the train station, Honoka gives Yamato a handphone strap which is the same as hers while Hattori watches them from behind.

At the train station where the team is taking the last train back to Tokyo, Asahina goes to the toilet while Yamato has gone to buy some drinks. When he returns, he accidentally drops the cans on the floor and Asahina goes out of the carriage to help him pick up the stuff. Just then, the train door closes and they are left behind while the train pulls away.

Miki sees Asahina and Yamato at the train station and realises that they did not board the train. The captain tells Miki to call Asahina's mobile phone to find out their situation. When Honoka hears about it, she tries to call Yamato but his mobile phone is left on the train. Meanwhile, Yamato and Asahina find out that they have no way of returning to Tokyo and would have to spend the night at Hiroshima...

Finally, there is some reaction from Asahina with regards to Yamato's matters. Although she may seem icy-cold on the surface, her subtle gestures which show her concern for him are giving her true feelings away. However, she chooses to hide her true self under her pretence even though Yamato and Honoka are now dating. I think there will come a point where she cannot tolerate seeing them together and may break down or do something to change the situation. The issue is when she will do this.

As for Yamato, I don't feel that he really likes Honoka. It's just that he was prompted to think what Honoka meant to him after their kiss. Once that happened, it made him assume that he liked her enough to start a relationship when he was just admiring her as a nice girl. If not for that, I doubt he would have started to see her in the romantic sense. In actual fact, if that kiss had happened slightly later, I guess Asahina would be able to show her feelings for Yamato in one way or another which would have changed the state of things.

Monster Ep 63 - Mukankei na Satsujin (Unrelated murders)

The Frankfurt police are busy with the investigation of the shooting at the convention centre but are not sure who is the target of the killer. Meanwhile, Inspector Weisbach from Nordrhein-Westfalen State Police is also in the police station with his colleague to escort a serial murder criminal from Frankfurt back to his locality for investigations. Reinhard Dinger, a taxi driver had committed a number of murders over the years where the victims were mostly those who had boarded his taxi.

On the train, Weisbach reaches for his cigarette and is reminded by Dinger that he should not smoke in this carriage. Weisbach keeps his cigarette but mocks Dinger that if he was so morally upright, he would not have killed so many people. This is actually Weisbach's last assignment since he will be retiring tomorrow. Weisbach says that Dinger should regret killing others but the latter says that those people deserved to die since they were human scum. They included a man who spat at him, a couple had sex in the backseat under his watchful eyes, a youngster who was drunk and used vulgarities, a prostitute who tried to offer her services so as to offset the taxi fare and an old lady with thick makeup who spoke ill of others.

However, Weisbach refuses to accept his reasoning since one of the victims who worked in Bilker Investment Bank was a morally upright man and did not fit Dinger's definition of human scum. Besides, that victim was in the midst of exposing a scandal involving a conglomerate before he died. When asked about it, Dinger admits that he did not feel good about killing that guy too and he did not have a choice. Weisbach asks if Dinger was told to kill that guy but he refuses to explain further.

Dinger says that he has always believed in behaving in a moral manner and someone just helped him to see the light to removing human scum from society based on his beliefs. Many years ago, Dinger saw a man kick his dog who passed motion in a park. When Dinger tried to stop that man, the latter refused to listen. As such, Dinger lost control and beat that person up until he was restrained by the police. Fortunately, a little boy who was at the park spoke up for Dinger and said that he was just defending himself since that dog owner was the one who started the fight. Dinger then offered to send that boy and his twin sister home but that boy said that they did not have a home. As such, Dinger brought them to his apartment and noticed that they were wearing pyjamas under their coats which suggested that they ran away from a hospital. In addition, the boy's head was covered in bandages. That night, while watching the news, Dinger was cursing the scum of the world as usual where the boy told Dinger that he was right and remarked that the world didn't need such people. From that moment onwards, Dinger felt liberated and began killing people whom he felt that didn't deserve to live.

Weisbach finally sends Dinger to the local prison but is bothered by what he had said on the train. As such, he turns back to look for Dinger and asks him when he had met the twins and how they looked like. To his horror, Weisbach realises that Dinger could have met the Liebert twins who ran away from the hospital 11 years ago when he was in charge of their parents' murder case then.

Meanwhile, Gillen is interviewing a serial murder criminal in Frankfurt who preyed on 13 young girls and sucked their blood as he thinks of himself as a vampire who is after a virgin's blood. However, one of his victims was not a virgin since she had a child 4 years ago and Gilen asked why he targetted her despite not fitting his desired pool of victims. The criminal says that he met a real vampire at a park in Griesheim who wrote that girl's name on the sand in the playground so he took it as an order to kill that person even though he had no wish to do initially.

Subsequently, at another prison in Hamburg, Gillen is interviewing another murder criminal who went all the way to Frankfurt to kill a man who was involved in selling kids to childless families even though that criminal usually operated in his locality under the orders of a person whom he said to be an alien. That criminal said that he met the alien personally at a park in Griesheim who wrote the victim's name on the sand.

Weisbach is packing up his belongings when he sees Gillen who has come to interview Dinger for a research paper. However, Dinger does not wish to tell Gillen more about the murder of Fritz Overt, the employee of Bilker Investment Bank. Weisbach asks Gillen about his questioning of Dinger and reveals what he had heard from Dinger with relation to the Liebert twins. This sparks Gillen's interest and they go to meet Dinger together.

Dinger finally says that he killed Overt after a man wrote Overt's name on the sand in a Griesheim park. Despite Overt being an upright man, Dinger believes that the man who ordered him must have thought of Overt as human scum so he decided to go ahead with the killing.

Gillen tells Weisbach that the three criminals had all committed murder at the orders of the same person who should be Johan. Given that Nina and Tenma are already in Frankfurt, Johan must be trying to do something there...

Even though I had thought that this episode was kind of unrelated to the main plot, everything points back to Johan again. That's the beauty of Monster where many developments which seem to be of no relevance turn out to be pieces of the puzzle and they should fit in nicely when the answer is revealed. Just what is the reason for killing those 3 people mentioned in this story? I can only guess that Johan wanted Overt to die so that he could not expose the scandal of that conglomerate which should belong to Petr Capek. As for the human trafficker, Johan must have something against him in the past e.g. Johan could have been sold by that man to a place where he suffered. I just can't see the link between that unwed mother and Johan though.

Anyway, there are only 11 episodes left to the conclusion and we still have lots of unknown mysteries. I really hope that everything can wrap up nicely by the end.

Yakitate Japan Ep 48 & 49

The second round of the Monaco Cup final continues where Spencer and Kawachi prepare to grill and bake their creations respectively. Spencer's bread gives out a nice-smelling scent which makes everyone realise that he has used miso made from ancient rice. Just as Kanmuri is preparing to explain what is ancient red rice to Tsukino, Azuma butts in and reveals what he knows since he comes from a family who grows rice. Actually, ancient red rice is more nutritious as compared to the rice of today and doesn't need fertilisers to protect itself against droughts or extreme cold. However, due to the fact that the harvested amount of ancient rice is less than half of what can be obtained from the refined version of rice, very few farmers grow this variety anymore.

Spencer finishes his creation first while Kawachi's bread is still in the oven. Kawachi is very curious to see how Pierro would react to Spencer's bread but finds that Pierro is standing still. Suddenly, he sees Conan behind him and gets a fright. He is even more surprised when he sees everyone around them not moving as if their movements have been freezed. Conan explains to Kawachi that they are currently in the fantasy world created by Pierro and Conan says that they have to solve the puzzle in order to return to the real world. Kawachi finally realises that the keyword is ancient rice miso and everything returns to normal. Pierro apologises for making a fool of Kawachi and suddenly collapses in front of Kawachi with a knife stabbed into his back. Kawachi panics and wonders what has happened but Pierro is actually feigning death to trick him. However, Pierro insists that he was indeed stabbed but he is still alive and kicking because he's a world-class clown.

Just then, Kawachi's bread is completed and he tells Pierro to eat it which is titled, "Victory". After tasting it, Pierro recalls how his circus Quedam became famous and everyone became complacent about their achievements. As such, they did not treat practices seriously and even resisted the idea of having a free performance at a warring area. Pierro had arranged for this in order to bring the members back to their senses and was disappointed with their responses. Fortunately, they decided to follow Pierro there. This story takes up more than 4 hours and everyone gets bored at Pierro's long-winded speech. Kawachi gets increasingly frustrated at Pierro but he suddenly realises that Pierro is referring to his bread as the winner for this round. Pierro suddenly collapses due to heavy bleeding from his wound and leaves Kuroyanagi to explain why Kawachi is the winner. Kawachi had used dattan soba soup for its high nutritional value. In addition, he had used a V-shaped box to allow the dough to rise to the best condition while baking. To prevent the bread from losing its shape, he had used the dough for croissants as the outer layer of this bread. Last but not least, he had used black pig lard in the outer layer which has lesser fat and cholesterol. Upon hearing this, Spencer finally admits defeat. Pierro is sent to the hospital and Kawachi scolds him for risking his life to do such an exaggerated explanation. Pierro says that it was worth it and seeing how hard Kawachi has worked, he wants to meet his parents again. Kawachi feels responsible for Pierro's plight and gets very upset...

There is a nationwide broadcast where it is announced that Pierro is in a critical condition due to excessive bleeding. As he belongs to a very rare blood group called the Bombay type, those who are of this blood group are requested to donate blood. Kanmuri explains that the Bombay blood group does not allow blood tranfusions from other blood groups and that they may only find one person in 10 million people who is from this blood group. As such, if Pierro does not get a blood transfusion, he might die. Azuma initiates searching around for anyone who can help instead of doing nothing and everyone decides to help. However, there is no need for this as the King says that he is from this blood group and will donate blood to Pierro.

Kuroyanagi says that Pierro might be related to the King by blood since only parents with the same Bombay blood type can give birth to a child of this blood group. Meanwhile, Pierro is thinking to himself that his hard work over the years have been in vain since his parents have never come to look for him. Suddenly, he sees himself at a place called Heaven Cabaret and even meets the King there. The King asks Pierro about his parentage and is convinced that the latter is his son who has gone missing for years. However, the King gets upset when he hears Pierro's hatred for his parents who have never searched for him.

In the hospital, everyone is waiting for news about Pierro's condition when they find out that the King insists on donating more blood despite exceeding the allowed percentage and this will affect his well-being. This makes Kuroyanagi convinced that Pierro should be the King's son since he's willing to give up his life to save Pierro. The secret police then reveal the secret behind this matter. According to the traditions of the royal family, the children have to be sent outside the palace to experience life's tribulations. 23 years ago, the King had intended to break the tradition when his son was born but he was reminded of the repercussions of this decision. As such, the King told the Pharaoh to send the prince to an ordinary family so that he would not have to go through the suffering as a member of the royal family. However, the couple who had been entrusted with the prince ran away and committed suicide while on the run thus it was believed that the prince had already died. Thus, the secret police now believe that Pierro should be the King's son and the heir to the throne.

While at Heaven Cabarat, Pierro is enjoying himself so much but the King is full of anguish. He finally reveals the truth to Pierro who is stunned by this and thinks that he is joking. The girls at the Cabarat tell Pierro that he will not die but the King is taken away since his time is up. Pierro regrets not having the chance to be with his father and they are already separated by death.

Azuma, Kawachi and Suwabara go to the palace and try to console Pierro but see him having fun in a party. Actually, this is his way of getting over the grief of losing his father but Pierro knows that this won't work at all. He reveals that he met his father at Heaven Cabarat and hopes to meet him again. As such, Azuma promises to make something better than Ja-pan No. 44 which sent Kuroyanagi there so that Pierro can go there again...

I think the reaction scenes are getting kind of exaggerated these days. Imagine getting Conan into the picture when that anime belongs to another TV station! That is why I don't laugh as much as before these days as compared to the earlier episodes. Although I keep grumbling, I'm still watching the anime because the bread making scenes are nice to watch and there's some interesting knowledge to be acquired. The issue now is whether they will continue with the anime beyond the Monaco Cup since it doesn't make sense to end the series in the middle of the season.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 36 - Wa ga Uchi naru Togabito (The sinner within me)

The millitary is planning to send the Isbal people back to their designated area in the south by train but is delayed due to problems with the water pipes. Actually, this is the work of Ed and Al who wants to get some time to speak to the Isbal people about Scar's whereabouts. Leo and Rick say that they have not done anything but the millitary suddenly came and suppressed them by force. Ed mentions that the Isbal people have their area to live in and if they live elsewhere in groups, the millitary would definitely come after them. When asked about whether anyone knows about Kenja no Ishi or where Scar went, Leo and Rick seem agitated and refuse to say anything. Just then, Scar's teacher comes to tell them about an old man who knows about this matter but Ed and Al must bring Leo and Rick away so that they can lead them to the old man. Ed agrees to this and says that he will give a free shower to all when he makes the pipe burst and water is splashed over the place. Due to the fact that the train carriages will suffocate the people due to the sudden shower, the Isbal people are taken out of the carriages and Ed makes use of the commotion to bring Leo and Rick again. They happen to bump into Fuery and Ed has no choice but to knock him unconscious. Just then, Winry gets them to board the wagon she is driving where Havoc can only look on helplessly as they leave...

Ed asks Winry when she intends to return to Rizenburu and says that she doesn't need to follow them everywhere. She says that she's not going to leave since Ed would depend on her to maintain his metal limbs. At the mention of this, Al says that he should have got Ed's limbs back from Wrath but he couldn't do it in Winry's presence. Ed and Winry say that even without her presence, Al would not be able to do such a thing since he's very kind by nature. However, Ed says that he would be able to do that since he did kill someone i.e. Majhal before but Al insists that it was an accident and not Ed's fault. Ed also says that he almost killed those convicts in the 5th laboratory for Al's sake and he would not hesitate to kill Scar if he tries to obstruct Ed again.

Upon hearing this, Leo and Rick ask if they are serious about killing Scar. Leo mentions that Scar is a traitor to their tribe and says that they should not care about him. Ed says that Winry should leave because she will obstruct their aim but she remains insistent on staying.

Once they reach Kishuar, they are shocked to see the state of devastation after the clash with the millitary. Rick suddenly remembers what happened during the Isbal war and gets into a trance so Leo has no choice but to slap him in order to calm him down. As Leo and Rick has no intention to step into the tent of that old man, Winry stays with them while Ed and Al go to look for their target.

Ed and Al find nobody in the tent but are shocked to see the alchemy sign inside which resembles the ones on Scar's arm and in the 5th laboratory. Suddenly, they hear a gunshot and see Hawkeye outside. Ed says that she should not shoot at them but she rebukes that the shot was for Fuery who Ed had punched earlier.

Ed and Al go into the millitary's tent but they do not see Mustang around. They find out that he returned to Central with some of the troops and Ed mocks Mustang for running away after creating such a big mess. Hawkeye asks if they created trouble at the train station because of what Mustang did and Al clarifies that they do not have this intention but questions the need to suppress the Isbal people by force. She explains that none of the Isbal people were hurt during the conflict except for Yoki, an ex-millitary officer who was shot by the Isbal people (in actual fact by Lust). Mustang used fire to scare the people from retalliating or else the casualties would have increased. Hawkeye says that they are still around because they have to find the person who shot Yoki and Al asks if an old man is among those being held.

Breda brings them to a tent surrounded by a locked fence and says that they are trying to protect that old man since he was attacked by his fellow people. Meanwhile, Winry hears from Leo and Rick that the old man belongs to a group of people known as the outcasts as they went against the teachings of the Isbal god. The brothers express disbelief when they found out that Scar belongs to the outcasts. Winry asks about their mother and they are full of praise for her who used to work in a hospital despite her blindness.

At the same time, Ed and Al ask the old man about Kenja no Ishi and the latter says that they are the third to ask him about this. The first two were Scar's brother and Scar himself. The old man says that Scar's brother was too kind to bring himself to make Kenja no Ishi. When asked about how he knew about Kenja no Ishi, the old man said that he learnt about it from a manual named the Great Magic. That knowledge made Isbal prosperous in the past but it was suddenly forbidden there. As such, since he practised the methods in that manual, he was regarded as an outcast and forbidden from returning to Isbal. According to his description, the Great Magic is in fact alchemy which was deemed as evil to the Isbal people. Even though Al asks the old man about the way to create Kenja no Ishi, he says that the method in Isbal should be the same as what they have known so the remaining condition is the number of people to be sacrificed in the process. The old man goes on further that they would require at least a city or a country's population before the amount of blood and anguish is sufficient to make Kenja no Ishi.

Actually, Scar had confronted the old man earlier as to why he told Scar's brother about the method as this resulted in him blaming himself for the Isbal war's destruction. Upon seeing his people being captured by the millitary again, Scar made up his mind to create Kenja no Ishi despite the old man reminding him of the fact that he will be regarded as an outcast.

Over at Winry's side, she hears about her parents from Rick and Leo and the fact that Mustang was the one who killed them. She cannot bear the revelation of this and runs away alone.

Ed and Al go through the investigation of Yoki's murder and tell Hawkeye that this should be the work of Lust, judging from the wounds. He says that they should look for Archer and Armstrong to find out more about this since the Isbal people are not responsible.

Leo and Rick will return to Isbal while Ed and Al prepares to chase after Scar in case he really creates Kenja no Ishi. Even though Ed has the intention to leave Winry behind, he is surprised when she initiates going back to Central to look for Hughes with Hawkeye. Ed and Al laugh at themselves for trying to stop Scar even though they are the ones who need Kenja no Ishi the most.

On the train, Winry asks Hawkeye if she knows about her parents. Although Hawkeye is stunned for a brief moment, she explains that the millitary have no choice but to kill people at times due to unreasonable orders. Despite the fact that she hates being in the millitary, Hawkeye says that she is staying on for the sake of someone she wants to protect out of her own will i.e. Mustang and will not hesitate to shoot anyone until he achieves his goal. Even though Winry says that the person might not be worth protecting, Hawkeye says that the value of that person is determined by her only and she has no doubts about it.

Sloth introduces Wrath to Lust and Gluttony and tells them to go after the Elric brothers since they are headed for Isbal. Given the fact that they might give up making Kenja no Ishi once they find out the truth behind the Isbal war, Sloth says that it might be better to kill them if the circumstances requires it.

Winry returns to Central and finds out about Hughes' death. Glacier also mentions that Hughes' greatest dream was to help Mustang become the President which makes Winry unsure why everyone is protecting Mustang despite him killing others for the sake of moving up the ranks...

Now that Ed and Al know that there's only one way to make Kenja no Ishi, they are actually in a delicate situation because they want to get it but they don't want innocent people to die for their personal aim. As such, it feels kind of ironical for them to stop Scar when his success would mean good news for them.

Likewise for Winry, she finds out about Mustang killing her parents and is not wrong to think of him as a selfish and ruthless person. However, hearing about Hawkeye's devotion to help Mustang and Hughes' dream of making Mustang the President while sacrificing his life in the process makes her rethink about Mustang's real self since he can't be a bad guy if the people around him are so willing to do anything for him.

Honey and Clover Ep 18

At the Mocademy Awards, the film "Space Titanic" wins the title of "Best Special Effects" where Morita goes on stage to collect the trophy. This scares the hell out of Mayama and gang who are at the hospital to visit Takemoto and they cannot believe that it is Morita whom they are seeing on TV. When it is time for Morita's speech, he takes the chance to complain about the director and is dragged off by the backstage stage when he gets more carried away and takes up a lot of airtime. This makes everyone exclaim in amazement, causing the nurse tells them to keep their voices down but to no avail. Takemoto looks at Hagu who is staring hard at the TV and realises that Morita will be back soon which will no doubt affect the three of them. Suddenly, Takemoto and his friends see a sickly guy who looks like Morita on the bed beside Takemoto. Before they can confirm whether he is indeed Morita, the matron comes to teach them a lesson for creating disturbance in the hospital so they leave hurriedly.

The next day, Hanamoto, Yamada, Mayama and Hagu are amazed at the extensive media coverage on Morita's win at the Mochademy Awards and wonder if they had indeed seen Morita. As today is the deadline for the graduation project's submission, they see Morita peeling apples for Takemoto and confirm their hunch about seeing Morita last night. It seems that Morita ate too much of the free honey roasted peanuts on the plane and ended in hospital. Mayama realises that Morita is wearing his shirt and the latter replies nonchalantly that he told his elder brother, Kaoru to get it from Mayama's room before mailing it to him without even telling Mayama about it. As Morita prepares to slip away, Hanamoto ties him up so as to escort him back to the university and complete his graduation project. As such, this leaves Mayama and Yamaada alone where they wonder how Morita will finish his project within 4 hours.

Mayama and Yamada walk together as they head to a bookstore but they keep quiet during the journey. Yamada asks Mayama on his future plans and find out that he has no intention to let another person enter Rika's company so only the two of them will work together. This makes Yamada very upset even though she was the one who brought up this topic in the first place. Unwittingly, she blurts out that Mayama seems very happy with the current situation and realises the inappriopriate manner she has made this remark. As such, Yamada gives an excuse and leaves halfway in tears where she keeps blaming herself deep down for trying to make Mayama feel worse...

Morita has 20 minutes left to complete his unfinished sculpture but he remains cool about it and brings out a trophy to his teacher, Dange-sensei as his project. However, Dange-sensei refuses to accept it as he thinks that the trophy is from the Mochademy Awards and not from Morita's own effort. Morita then explains that he carved the trophy himself from plated gold so this finally marks Morita's graduation from the university after 8 years.

During the celebration party for graduates, Morita is playing the fool again by covering Dange-sensei's face with a white cloth and Hanamoto scolds him for doing that which is meant for the dead only. Takemoto wants to bring up the issue of Morita's return in front of Hagu but decides to drop the idea in the end.

On the way home, Morita carries Dange-sensei on his back despite the latter's reluctance and reveals that he has been very happy for the past 8 years even though he was constantly scolded by Dange-sensei. This makes Hanamoto remember his earlier conversation with Dange-sensei where he remarked that no matter how much you love your students, they would leave once they graduate. It might be years before they meet their students again so this made Dange-sensei feel that teachers are just spirits residing in a school where they get left behind by the students as they graduate. Mayama tells Morita not to force himself too much if he's tired from carrying Dange-sensei and this makes Yamada misunderstand that he's making fun of her since he did carry her home once.

Spring comes and Takemoto returns to school again as a final year student when he's in the same grade as Hagu. This leads Takemoto to remark that they are the only ones left in the circle of friends who are still students but Hanamoto remnds him that he will not let Takemoto be alone with Hagu while Yamada is still around as a research student. Takemoto feels as if nothing has really changed and thinks that this is better than having to adapt to change in a flash. Suddenly, they hear Morita's voice and see him wearing a kid's school uniform. Morita explains that he has entered the Japanese painting faculty as a 3rd year student because he finds that there is a lot more to be learnt after going overseas. His friends feel that he must be nuts since he spent 8 years in the university and get the impression that Morita has the intention to stay in school until the limit is up. Takemoto looks at Hagu thoughtfully as he wonders what will happen now that Morita is remaining in the university...

Yeah! The return of Morita! It's really different whenever he's around and this is evident from the countless funny scenes in this episode like how he made fun of Dange-sensei, that grumbling speech on stage when Morita complained about the director who tortured him for 1 year and how he decided to return to school and enrol in another faculty. Of course, there are scenes where he shows his mature side like how he expresses his thanks to Dange-sensei and I really like how he looks during such scenes. And with his return, this will no doubt affect how Takemoto handles his feelings for Hagu since he knows that Hagu feels something different for Morita who also seems to like her.

As for Yamada, it must be hard on her trying to pretend that she's not affected by Mayama working with Rika alone and when he actually said that he doesn't want anyone to join the company, it's as if he's telling Yamada that he doesn't want outsiders to interrupt his time with Rika or spoil their budding relationship. Of course, such words would make her very upset but like what she said, she chose to ask Mayama about this. She's eager to know more but once she gets the answer, it proves hard for her to accept it and she gets hurt in the end. Some things are better left unsaid.

Suzuka Ep 13: Kuchibiru (Lips)

The athletics team goes to Hiroshima for the Inter High championships where Yamato and Hattori also tag along. Yamato will not be competing since he lost in the prefectural race while Hattori has nothing better to do during the summer holidays. The captain tells Yamato that he should train during this period despite him not taking part in any race. Yamato gives the excuse that he's buying a drink in order to escape from the captain's nagging.

On the way to the store, Yamato asks Asahina if she wants to have a drink but she rejects Yamato's gesture and treats him coldly. Asahina also tells Yamato not to talk to her as she's trying to concentrate on thinking about the upcoming Inter High. Yamato feels that Asahina has been treating him like this ever since he overheard her telling Honoka that she doesn't like him.

Honoka sees how dejected Yamato is when he heard Asahina's words. Hattori teases her for looking so sad when she sees Yamato feeling down. He tells Honoka to confess her feelings for Yamato soon or else he might be snatched by someone else. This makes Honoka feel the heat at the possibility of Asahina lying to her about how she really feels for Yamato.

Hattori tells Yamato to bring him around the city since his hometown is in the locality but the latter says that he's not familar with the urban area. Just then, Yamato meets Arima and greets him but the latter ignores him. Yamato starts to feel that his distance with Asahina is probably as far as his distance with Arima who is the No.1 runner in the country. Miki tries to cheer Yamato up but to no avail.

During dinner, Miki mentions this to Asahina and says that Yamato might be disappointed with the lack of improvement in his recent race times. Asahina feels that it's no point worrying over this since he can't improve within a few months. Thus, Miki tells Asahina to encourage Yamato but she refuses to do so since this is none of her business.

Yamato is practising alone and gets more discouraged at his lack-lustre results. Just then, Honoka comes to look for him and tries to lighten up the atmosphere so that he will not wallow in despair. After hearing Honoka's encouragement, Yamato starts to feel better but he gets a shock when she suddenly reaches out to hold his hand. However, Honoka happens to see Asahina coming to look for Yamato and kisses him on impulse so that he will not look behind and see Asahina. Yamato's mind is in a blank and he can only remember that Honoka's lips are very soft. Honoka then runs away and meets Asahina at the gate but does not say anything to her.

Yamato is shocked to see Asahina suddenly while he is thinking why Honoka kissed him. He starts to stammer but he manages to calm himself down by thinking of the fact that he doesn't need to feel guilty about kissing Honoka. Asahina tells him to relax while training and to cheer her on tomorrow during her event. Yamato gets more frustrated with Asahina who talks about athletics only and feels that he still likes her but deep down, he's starting to think more about Honoka.

The next day, Yamato's mind is taken up by Honoka and when she sits beside him at the stadium, he can't help but stare at Honoka who apologises for what she did. During this time, Asahina has got No.3 in the Inter High and Yamato actually failed to see that since he was thinking about Honoka. This also makes Yamato feel that things between him and Asahina are getting more impossible since she's a national-class athlete now. When Honoka wants to leave her seat, Yamato holds her hand and the two of them sit in silence.

At night, the Year 1s are preparing for the celebration party and Yamato can't help looking at Honoka instead of Asahina. During dinner, the captain is looking for Yamato but he's not around. As such, he asks Miki to look for Yamato.

Meanwhile, Yamato is sitting beside the koi pond and wonders why he keeps thinking of Honoka despite him liking Asahina. Just then, Honoka comes to join him and Yamato can't help but feel at peace when he's with Honoka as compared to Asahina. Honoka is about to slip and fall but Yamato manages to grab her in time. When Honoka takes the initiative to kiss Yamato, he backs off and she apologises for doing this since they are not lovers. Yamato sees Honoka crying and suddenly hugs and kisses her. Miki happens to see this while she is looking for Yamato...

Bravo for Honoka! Frankly speaking, I don't like most of the characters who come into the male and female leads' relationship but in this case, I think Asahina has herself to blame for bringing Yamato and Honoka together. If she wasn't so proud and unwillingly to face up to her real feelings, things between Yamato and her would not be that strained. Even though Honoka did kiss Yamato first, if his relationship with Asahina was amicable and had the possibility for further development, I doubt he would have kissed Honoka back. Basically, Honoka didn't do anything evil to break them up. It's more of a case of seizing the perfect opportunity at the right timing in her favour. Since Yamato keeps feeling unsecure about the gap between him and Asahina and that their relationship has been turbulent to date, it's no wonder he is looking towards Honoka for a peaceful and more smooth-sailing relationship.

Trust Asahina to say things like, "I never thought that you can find a girlfriend" in the next episode's trailer! I would have preferred that she keeps her mouth shut instead of passing remarks like this which would hurt Yamato even he may start to date Honoka. Deep down, Yamato still has feelings for her and hearing things like this would probably widen the rift between them.

Yakitate Japan Ep 47

Monica is teaching Suwabara how to create a carving of a horse from malt sugar and they are acting so lovey-dovey that it gets on Kawachi's nerves. He scolds Suwabara for bringing Monica here as she's from the rival team but Monica says that she's not interested in Kawachi and won't pay attention to him at all. In addition, Suwabara defends her which drives Kawachi to seek another place to think of what to do for his Round 2 final.

Kawachi is wandering on the streets where he meets Kuroyanagi who asks about his preparations. Kawachi complains about Suwabara and Monica distracting him thus leading to Kuroyanagi scolding him for making excuses. Kuroyanagi reminds Kawachi that he has to be more serious about the competition since the Japan team would lose once he gets defeated in Round 2.

Even though Kuroyanagi had reprimanded Kawachi, the latter is still unsure of what he has to do in order to defeat Spencer who was already very impressive during the Pantasia Newcomer Contest. He thinks that there is no chance for him to beat Spencer and laments at why he has to shoulder such a great responsibility. Just then, Matsushiro, Tsukino, Kanmuri appear in front of Kawachi which scares him. They scold Kawachi for being a good-for-nothing and not even trying to think of something to win. Matsushiro reveals that Kawachi's family has been invited to watch him during the final but this fails to get Kawachi hyped up since he's worried about losing face in front of them. Kanmuri then passes him the box which he gave to Kawachi before he came to Monaco where there's a scroll with Kawachi's father's name.

Kanmuri then reminds Kawachi of his father's struggle to enter Pantasia despite failing at the entrance exam every year. Even though Kawachi has done better than his father by entering the HQ, the lack of courage to take on the challenge and deal with failure would be the real reason for his disgrace. Kawachi then recalls how his father used to enjoy making bread even though he wasn't too talented and derives inspiration from his father's persistence. When Azuma returns to his room, he sees Kawachi making metal moulds and is thrown out by the latter for causing Kawachi to be distracted.

Kawachi recalls how he admired his father's passion for bread and he mentioned that the square loaf will become a staple food of the people one day. In addition, his father added herbs into the dough for health needs but the taste was too awful. Following his advice, Kawachi tried to make something similar but the taste is too awful due to the bitterness. Kanmuri points out that Kawachi has added dattan soba into the dough and it's no wonder that he is not successful since this is the first time he has tried doing this. Matsushiro decides against offering any advice to Kawachi initially but since the final is on the next day, he still drops a hint for Kawachi to think of the solution himself.

On the day of Round 2, Kawachi and Spencer get into a verbal argument before the contest even starts. From Matsushiro's hint, Kawachi gets the idea to add soba soup into the dough which makes Suwabara remark that Kawachi may have a chance of winning. Monica then reveals that Spencer is not as simple as he seems just because he got No.3 during the semi-final. The reason for that was he had no time to make preparations since he was teaching Monica and he didn't display his full potential.

Just then, Spencer shocks the crowd by making an Egyptian style bread where the dough is rolled around a bamboo pole before it is grilled over charcoal after being coated with a special sauce. Spencer says that he got inspiration for this from the concept of "slow food". Kanmuri explains to Azuma that slow food is a campaign whereby real gourmet cuisine is promoted in place of fast food or junk food. However, this does not make Kawachi waver as he prepares to use the dough for croissants too for his creation...

The next episode is an 1-hr special so I guess Round 2 will be concluded by then. And since it takes up more time than Round 1, there seems to be more tricks up the sleeves of both Spencer and Kawachi.

Actually, what I found very interesting in this episode would be Monica and Suwabara developing into a baka-puru (idiotic couple) which is usually used to describe couples who act lovey-dovey in front of others. Although Pierro made the remark that something seems to be developing between them in the last episode, I never expected them to be so "loving" by this episode. They are a good combination where we have the macho Suwabara with the cutey Monica so it remains to be seen if they can stick it out till the end.