Top 3 favourite animes from 2005

Actually, I started this blog out of whim in Jan 05 so I wasn't posting regularly in the first 2 months. Subsequently, when I could find more time and was watching more current animes, the number of postings increased as a result. There was also a shift from purely reviews to synopses plus reviews. As such, the amount of time required for each posting increased but I am trying my best to post at least once every two days. Sometimes, I get tied up with other matters so there are times when I can't maintain this frequency. I certainly hope that I can clear the backlog as soon as possible since I'm lagging behind for titles like Paradise Kiss, Suzuka, Yakitate Japan, Hagaren and Jigoku Shoujo.

To mark the closure of the first year of operation for this website, I'll list my top 3 favourite animes which I watched this year. As for the others I watched, I'll have to wait for a while before I do a recap.

Top 3 of 2005

1) Hachimitsu to Clover (Honey and Clover)
It's been a long time since I felt so deeply for an anime and took time to think about each episode I watched. Most of the time, watching an anime does not require me to do a lot of thinking but this is very different. I can identify with most if not all of the problems faced by the characters so this is probably why this has left such a deep impression on me. Searching for jobs, problems faced when ideals and reality do not converge, apprehension over the future...been there, done that. The relationship aspect was done in a sleek manner and did not go through a lengthy process which is admirable. I simply hate it when stories about love triangles simply beat around the bush until the verdict is delivered. Thankfully, Hachikuro does not go to that extent.

The BGM, OP and ED are very suitable and has led me to search for the songs sung by Spitz and Sugashikao which were played extensively within the anime. I even bought the soundtrack for this anime as I was simply obsessed with some of the BGM pieces played during the emotional scenes. With regards to Yuki's Dramatic, her high-pitched voice may be quite hard for me to accept but I still like the lyrics and the slow-motion version of the song played in the anime.

Although the ending is rather vague, I like it this way since this offers more room for imagination instead of attracting criticism for the outcome which may not go down well with everyone.

I like most of the characters but my No.1 will be Morita Shinobu. Well, he may be playing the fool most of the time but there is a hidden side to him which can only be seen when he puts on a serious expression. Morita may be good at being the onlooker for others' affairs but when it comes to his own matters, he tends to fumble by being unable to show his true self frankly. For example, he knows exactly how Mayama and Yamada are in anguish over their unrequited feelings but when it comes to Hagu, Morita is so clumsy in his approach towards her that he causes her to possess complicated feelings towards him. Ueda Yuji managed to show both sides of this complicated character in a distinct manner which enhanced my liking for Morita. Another character I like would be Nomiya Takumi even though he is not one of the main cast members. Well, I feel that he is similar to Morita in one way or another where they have two distinct sides and people tend to take them not so seriously all the time. However, they are deeper than what others think and conceal their real thoughts and feelings. That's quite similar to me where I tend to keep to myself and rarely share my thoughts with others. The way others view me is very different from who I really am. I don't mean this in a bad way like I am hiding some evil thoughts deep down but I just don't feel comfortable sharing my feelings with others. Maybe that's why I feel a sense of familiarity towards Morita and Nomiya as if I'm seeing myself in them.

2) Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Although this is not a current title, I finished watching it this year so I'm including it in my Top 3. It combines humour and issues which invoke thought on brotherly love, moral dilemnas and friendship. There were times when I actually cried like when Nina was transformed into a kimera and subsequently killed by Scar as well as the death of Hughes. The laughter helps to soften the seriousness of the plot so that it is more acceptable to younger audiences. As for me, the appeal of the series lies in the unravelling of the real truth behind the truth on the surface. There were telltale signs here and there but I felt that the outcome didn't make me feel like an idiot though. Well, the ending of the anime did not bring an entire closure to the story since it will be continued in the movie so I'm looking forward to receiving the special edition DVD next month.

My favourite characters would be Hughes, Mustang, Greed and Scar. Well, I must say that this is partly due to their seiyuus but I find these 4 guys very interesting. The friendship between Hughes and Mustang really touched me. Besides that, these two guys are somewhat like Morita and Nomiya whom I mentioned above as guys with two facades. I seem to have a soft spot for such people who are like me. As for Greed, no doubt he's a baddie, he is a charismatic villian and Suwabe Junichi's voice makes him more appealing as compared to his peers. Last but not least, Scar may seem like a bad guy but he has a reason for his actions. He died in such a tragic manner that I think he deserves better. If you notice, Suwabe-san and Okiayu-san who plays Scar both appear in Tennis no Oujisama as two of my top 3 favourite characters so it's understandable why I have a soft spot for roles they play.

There are numerous theme songs over the run of 51 episodes but I liked the first OP Melissa by Porno Graffitti, the second OP Ready Steady Go by L'arc en Ciel and the second ED Tobira no Mukou e by Yellow Generation only. As for the rest, all I can say is that they are not my cup of tea.

3) Paradise Kiss
The stylish atmosphere and fast-paced plot was a refreshing change from the usual types of animes I have been exposed to. The catchy OP and ED really got to me and I found myself listening to the songs everytime which is quite rare. I skip the songs since this can get boring over time. Unless I like it so much, I don't bother listening to it more than 5 times. This is the first time I have seen an anime based on the fashion scene so there's the novelty factor which keeps me interested. Besides that, it's as if there's an invisible force drawing me to watch this week after week just like how Paradise Kiss offers Yukari the capacity to dream. Although some of the developments do not really link well, I feel that given the short run of the series, the animators have done reasonably well. If it had another 12 episodes, I think it might be able to offer a better-structured story. Now that I've finished watching this, it's time to buy the manga and find out why people are saying that the anime is inferior to it.

Honey and Clover DVD Vol 5 SP

There is a special episode titled Chapter L included in Vol 5 of the Hachikuro DVD which focuses on Lohmeyer-senpai, one of the students who stay in the same apartment with Takemoto, Mayama and Morita. Apparently, Lohmeyer-senpai has taken a break from school because his father is sick and he is helping out at home. He returns to the apartment one day just when Takemoto and gang are moaning about the lack of meat in their diet because they are tight on finances. Lohemeyer-senpai becomes their saviour since he brought back lots of ham and sausages along with fresh vegetables from home. Well, the meat was nearing the expiry date though but to the guys who are craving for meat, this is definitely better than nothing. Initially, Takemoto didn't understand why Mayama and Morita were behaving like smitten school girls when the subject of Lohmeyer-senpai was brought up (Takemoto has never met him before) but when he got a taste of Lohmeyer-senpai's treatment towards them, I guess it's easy to see why these people are going gaga over this saviour. During the period while Lohmeyer-senpai is around, everyone is practically bursting with energy. When he has to return home again at short notice, these guys are so devastated by this that they really look like deflated balloons to me. I wonder if the brand of the ham has anything to do with Lohmeyer-senpai's name since the names happen to be the same. A coincidence?

The second part of this episode talks about a desolated theme park, Arakawa Land which used to be very popular among men in the past. There was a mascot called Nyanzaburou which was so huge and could carry even men. Apparently, Lohmeyer-senpai was the one playing Nyanzaburou since the original owner was too old and weak to continue playing this role. As such, even though Lohmeyer-senpai's height of over 190cm was much more than his 160-plus cm, the owner gave him the job. Subsequently, he became the legendary hero of Arakawa Land who would help to resolve problems and give men the well-needed hug even though most people would think that men don't need one. Although this was really funny, Takemoto brings out a point which is worth considering. Lohmeyer-senpai brings joy and laughter to the people around him but when he's in trouble or feeling down, who will be by his side to support him? I get the feeling that Lohmeyer-senpai wants to be of assistance to others and doesn't ask for anything in return. Maybe he derives joy from seeing how these people are happy as a result of his actions. And since he's someone who should bring happiness to them, I think that's why he wouldn't have showed his troubles to them. He should be working very hard for his family since he even had to take a break from school for an extended period of time before dropping out but he still puts on that cheerful face. I think Lohmeyer-senpai deserves a hug too. ^__^

Given that this episode has so many comical moments, I guess they couldn't fit this into the main series since it's meant for laughs and doesn't have a direct linkage to the plot's development. That's probably why there's another episode on Fujiwara Design to be included in Vol 7 released during Feb 06. Actually, I ordered both Vol 5 and 7 together so I'll have to wait until Feb before I can receive both items. As I was too anxious to see what the Lohmeyer-senpai episode was all about, I downloaded the raw just to satisfy my curiousity. There's also a chat session between Kudo Haruka (Hagu) and Ueda Yuji (Morita) in the SP section of this DVD which I can only see when I receive both DVDs in Feb. At long last, I can see how Ueda Yuji looks like...

Honey and Clover Ep 24

Takemoto takes out the map which Shin gave to him and recalls how the latter advised him on the things to take note on the last leg of his journey. As he looks at the lines which Shin drew to mark the places he went to, Takemoto feels as if he's looking at an astrological sign.

The next day, Takemoto is feeling so famished when he suddenly spots a school. This makes him feel rejuvenated since there should be a store near the school for him to grab a bite. Although Takemoto is feeling disappointed that there's only red-bean buns to buy, he decides to buy them since he's too hungry to be fussy. The old lady owner gets a surprise when she hears that he comes from Tokyo and offers Takemoto rice with some pickles. No doubt it may be simple fare, Takemoto is very grateful for this free meal. As he looks around her house, he spots a photo of the old lady posing in front of some aloe vera plants. She explains that she went to Los Angeles with the farming association members and even gives Takemoto some corn as a parting gift. As Takemoto has never taken a plane before, he thinks about his parents who had never gone overseas just like him. Takemoto is filled with sadness as he recalls that his father had passed away without taking a plane in his life.

Just then, a train passes behind Takemoto which brings back memories of a conversation he had with his father about a train service called the Hokutou Sei which heads towards Sapporo and how his father promised to bring him on the ride when he became older. Out of instinct, Takemoto rides on his bicycle to chase after the Hokutou Sei and gets the feeling that his father is smiling to him from the train carriage. As such, Takemoto fails to notice that he has come near the slope and falls down with his bicycle. He laughs at his carelessness and wonders about the meaning of his father and his lives as he looks at the beautiful starry sky. Takemoto goes through lots of difficulties to reach the northernmost point of Japan, Wakkanai and feels that it's all worthwhile after he sees the breathtaking scenery. He decides that it's time to turn back and return to where he belongs.

Hanamoto returns to his office to fetch Hagu who is unwell and sees Takemoto sleeping beside her while they hold hands. Hanamoto decides to take a photo of this and welcomes Takemoto back deep down in his heart.

Takemoto gets a shock when he sees giant banners welcoming him back at the university. Yamada is in tears at seeing Takemoto back safely while Hanamoto wants to whack him for holding Hagu's hand so long when he was asleep last night. In fact, Hanamoto had wanted to cut his hand since Takemoto wouldn't let go. As such, Yamada called Mayama to fetch Takemoto in case Hanamoto really did something drastic. Takemoto says that he doesn't seem to have found an answer why he went on this journey and reveals what he went through in the process.

Hagu and Yamada want to hold a welcome-back party for Takemoto but he remembers how strange their cooking is and says that they should go for the fireworks festival during the weekend instead. Mayama praises Takemoto for sparing them from this disaster. Takemoto wants to go home and prepare for an interview of a part-time job when Morita appears and tells Takemoto to take a shower first. Morita then flings a bar of soap at Takemoto by saying that this is his welcome-back gift.

Takemoto goes to a shower tap at the university with Morita, Hanamoto and Mayama in tow. Hanamoto and Mayama remark how "open" Takemoto has become to bathe in public while wearing his briefs. Takemoto realises that Morita is staring at him and the latter comments that Takemoto has lost weight. When Mayama says that Takemoto did not contact them for 2 months, Takemoto apologises for making them worry but Morita says that he did not worry for him. In fact, Morita believed that Takemoto was strong enough to take care of himself. Morita offers to cut Takemoto's hair for him bur the latter rejects his "kind" gesture. Mayama and Hanamoto feel that Takemoto seems to have matured during his journey since he is now able to handle Morita's antics with ease.

When Takemoto returns to his apartment, he looks at Shin's bicycle and remembers what happened when he returned to meet his ex-colleagues. Shin gave the bicycle to Takemoto and told him to get an ordinary licence before he graduates if he has the intention to work with them in future.

At the summer festival, Yamada, Hagu, Morita and Takemoto are hyped up over the food while Mayama and Hanamoto sit in the tent to have drinks. As they recall how this seems to be a repeat of what happened last year, Mayama looks at Yamada who is having trouble in the throwing game and remembers how he got the soft toy for her at that time. This time round, Mayama gets Takemoto to do the job for him and gives the excuse that he's tired. Takemoto manages to get the soft toys for both Hagu and Yamada who are thrilled.

As Takemoto and Hagu stand beside each other while the fireworks display is going on, she asks him about the feeling of going to Wakkanai. Takemoto says that although there was nothing there, it is a place full of sunshine and he wished that he could bring Hagu to see it for herself. Hagu comments that she would love to go there one day and draw the scenery. As Takemoto looks at Hagu thoughtfully, he realises that the reason why he went on the journey was to see how important the things he left behind were to him. Takemoto then tells Hagu about his feelings while tears stream down her cheeks...

Although the ending was not specific, it left much room for thought. The problems between the characters may not have been settled but in one way or another, they have matured during this period and there is the hope that they will be able to handle whatever comes along in future.

Takemoto finally told Hagu about his feelings but the story did not state whether Morita knew about it or the three of them had resolved the love triangle between them. Right from the beginning, I feel that Hagu should have some feelings for Morita but as to whether it can be considered as love, that's up to one's opinion. At least I think that she has no idea how to classify her feelings for Morita at this juncture. Even though Hagu may seem to treat Takemoto as a platonic friend in the beginning, the fact that they were apart for some time may have changed the nature of their relationship. Otherwise, why would Hagu cry when she heard Takemoto's confession? Given Hagu's behaviour pattern so far, she might have ran away in shock if she was totally unprepared for what she had heard. Maybe she has sensed how Takemoto feels towards her. As for Morita, I get the idea that he has problems facing Hagu in his serious mode. Maybe he's scared of committment and doesn't think he is right for her despite his feelings. Being with Hagu takes more than just companionship. A certain degree of understanding her thoughts and supporting her in future is essential. Morita may not feel that he's up to the task yet.

As for Rika, Mayama and Yamada, his action of not helping Yamada to get the soft toy suggests a shift in his attitude. He is ready to let go and stop interfering in her life since he's not prepared to reciprocate his feelings. For Yamada, it might be good if the story had suggested whether things were possible between her and Nomiya. I think the two of them would be quite compatible together. For Rika, it is hard to guess if Mayama will be able to help her get over her psychological trauma.

This anime is really superb. It's one of the best I've seen in recent years which touched on issues close to my heart. The relationship problems highlighted are heart-wrenching but I'm also impressed with the realistic touch when the anime talks about problems like career choices. This is set to become one of my Top 10 favourites.

Now that I'm done with the anime, it's time to hit the manga which is said to have a surprising ending. I just think that the character design in the manga is not as sleek as the anime though but I'll save my final judgement until I finish it.

Suzuka Ep 20: Ouen (Support)

Yamato looks extremely listless in the morning which makes Ayano and Miho worried since they notice that Honoka did not come to wait for him like before. On the way to school, it is the first time that the feeling of the breakup has finally sunk in for Yamato. When he bumps into Honoka along the corridor, the atmosphere between them is so awkward that the latter walks away hurriedly after exchanging greetings.

During lunch, Yamato confides in Hattori about what happened between him and Honoka. Hattori reprimands Yamato for not listening to him and is surprised about Yamato admitting that he's in the wrong. Yamato regrets being so selfish without a care for Honoka's feelings. In order to lift his spirits, Hattori tries to cheer Yamato up but the latter is still upset. Just then, Miki comes over to talk to Yamato and argues with Hattori who calls her a busybody. Miki misunderstands that Yamato is feeling down over the recent chemistry test and encourages him to get over it by revealing that she got 20 marks only for that. Hattori mocks her for being stupid thus resulting in them bickering again. Yamato suddenly leaves his seat without a word which leads Miki to ask Hattori what had happened. However, Hattori refuses to say anything so as to spite Miki which results in him being pinched on the cheeks.

During athletics practice, Yamato is asked about the whereabouts of Honoka who is not around. The members find out that they had broken up and blame Yamato for causing Honoka's absence. They even push her duties to Yamato in punishment. When Miki sympathises with Yamato for being treated in that way by the others, Asahina says that it is his own doing and they should not feel sorry for him.

Honoka asks Nana out for a chat and tells her about the breakup. She reveals how miserable she feels when she met Yamato today. Nana asks Honoka if it's OK for her to give up Yamato so easily but the latter feels that it is no use staying with him if he still likes Asahina. However, Nana thinks that Yamato had never said that he is pining for Asahina thus it's a waste to give up the relationship in this manner. Nevertheless, Honoka feels that the relationship failed to work out because she lacked self-confidence and Nana cheers her up that she will find someone better in future.

The next day, Honoka turns up for practice which makes everyone feel happy. Kobayakawa offers a drink to her and tells her to look for him if she needs a listening ear. Actually, Honoka has made up her mind to tell Yamato about her feelings one day if she feels confident about herself.

Miyamoto gets Yamato to join the relay team but the latter is apprehensive about his abilities. Miki tells Asahina about it but she's not concerned about this and says that she dislikes Yamato for being a frivolous guy. Asahina reveals that Yamato told her that he was sick of Honoka so he broke up with her but Miki is not convinced.

After practice, Miki asks Yamato about the real reason of the breakup but she sees that he is just lying since Honoka would not have come to practice if this was true. As such, Yamato tells Miki that Honoka thinks he still has feelings about Asahina so he couldn't tell her about it since it would make her guilty. Miki promises not to tell Asahina about it and even drags him to have some food so as to cheer him up.

Miki and Yamato go for okonomiyaki where they quarrel over how to cook it. At the end of the meal, Yamato realises that the purpose why Miki has done so much for him was just to encourage him to get over the matter. Yamato says that he feels confused and guilty towards those who are serious about athletics since he entered the team just to get near Asahina but got her more angry as a result. Miki realises that Yamato is toying with the thought of quitting but she persuades him to fulfil the expectations of those who have faith in his abilities instead of worrying over meaningless things. Thus,Yamato makes up his mind to stay on in the team in return for Miki's concern towards him.

Yamato may have the kind intention to lie to Asahina about the real reason for the breakup but he failed to realise that this will sour his relationship with her as a result. In such situations, it's hard to decide which option to take. Even if he tells her the truth, the atmosphere between them may become awkward as Asahina tries to avoid Yamato. When he realises the gravity of the result of his decision, he would have to spend time to mend things between them.

Actually, I really don't like Asahina's attitude towards Yamato. It seems as if she is really undecided on what she wants to do about him. On one hand, she keeps getting close to him subconsciously when he is with Honoka. Now that he's no longer with her, she judges him according to what she is told without thinking further. I'm sure she should be smart enough to know that Yamato is behaving strangely for someone who has supposedly dumped his girlfriend. It just goes to say that she's still confused and this will be tough for Yamato to guess how she's feeling.

Paradise Kiss act.1 Special Edition DVD

Received the Parakiss act.1 DVD box last Friday and here's the picture of the box. Amazon Japan actually sent it before the release date on 21 Dec but I only received it on 23 Dec. The problem was that DHL had sent this title to the censors for approval before it can be delivered to me. And I can't believe my luck (or should I say misfortune) to be the first in this country to bring in this title so I have to go through this censorship process. I was hopping mad when DHL called me that I had to let the censors open my package and watch the DVDs! To make it worse, they won't compensate me if they spoil the DVDs or the box. And the most ridiculous was I didn't have a choice since this item will be returned to Japan if I didn't agree to it being opened. I still have to pay a fee of $1.80 for it to be censored. Since I'm not bringing in for commercial purposes, I fail to comprehend why I have to go through all the trouble. Anyway, there's no point arguing over this anymore since I don't have a choice to decide what to do. I am not that stupid to let them send this back to Japan after spending so much money on it. There's a dent on the top left hand corner of the box but I can't do anything about it. I feel so helpless over this issue and has sworn off Amazon Japan for DVDs in future no matter how much they are offering as a discount. I have no issue with the merchant itself but this entire episode has left me so exasperated that I don't think it's worth the trouble. It's back to my trusty HMV Japan and CD Japan from now on. I'm simply thrilled to know that HMV has changed its delivery method to EMS from FedEx so I cancelled the existing orders on Amazon and went to HMV instead. The only drawback is the occassional higher unit price but the cheaper shipping and no-hassle shipping method would overweigh the difference in cost. Besides, Amazon doesn't have a loyalty scheme so I don't get any incentives from shopping with them.

There are 2 DVDs in this package i.e. the first containing Ep 1 to 4 while the other consists of an interview with Yamada Yu who plays Yukari plus some footage of the recording session and the photoshoot of a pose which appears in the manga. Actually, Yamada does look like Yukari from certain angles so I wonder if this is related to why the producers got her to be the voice actor. I was kind of disappointed not to see Hamada Kenji in this DVD though because I thought it would be interesting to see him and Yamada dress like up the two characters. Anyway, I'm still hopeful that I can see Hamada-san in the next DVD. In addition, there's another clip of the press conference where Yamada wore the dress which is to appear in the fashion show and it looks simply grand and gorgeous. A lot of effort must have been put into the making of the dress and using those blue roses as accessories. I wonder how it will turn out in the anime though. Matsumoto Marika who plays Miwako also appeared during the press conference dressed in Miwako's style. She looks really cute in person with one dimple on the right of her cheek and her voice is so sweet just like her appearance. That leaves me to wonder again, why on earth was Hamada-san absent from the press conference? He's the male lead for heaven's sake. There goes another chance to find out how he looks like.

The booklet contains information about the series like the drawings of Yukari and George, a story which is to be serialised in the DVD volumes, lyrics and features of the songs in the anime, interviews with Zipper's editor and Yazawa Ai. I don't have the time to go through this in detail yet but the booklet is done in a very classy manner as shown in the cover which I scanned above.

Besides these freebies, there's the special illustration card which Yazawa Ai drew for the anime's DVDs. It comes in the form of an invitation card where the words "Paradise Kiss from Yazawa Ai" are written on the front and the card is fitted snugly inside.

The biggest and most attractive premium in this package should be the blue rose cossage displayed nicely in a clear box and a cloth label of Paradise Kiss x A/T attached at the back. It's too nice to be worn so I'll keep it as a display item. I can't scan the picture of the cossage so I'll take a photo of it with my handphone and upload it later.

Although the price of this item is rather expensive, the premiums make it a worthwhile deal at the end so I'm not complaining. The next DVD box will be out in Feb so the last volume should be released by April.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 40 - Kizuato (Scar)

Martel tries to kill Kimbly so as to take revenge for Greed and her friends. Al asks Kimbly why he is here and the latter reveals that this is nothing surprisingly since he betrayed Greed to return to the millitary. Kimbly even questions if it is OK for Al to look on as Martel carries out her assasination attempt. Out of no choice, Al drags Martel away from Kimbly who grabs hold of a soldier standing beside him. When Martel tries to approach him, Kimbly pushes the soldier towards her. Al realises that something is wrong and pulls Martel away before the soldier explodes as a result of Kimbly's alchemy. Al and Martel then tumble to the ground from the second floor where Kimbly looks on with a tinge of regret that things did not go his way.

Kimbly reprimands Al for trying to protect Martel where the latter tells him to stay away from her. However, Kimbly thinks that it's fine to kill Martel since she's just a kimera. Al decides to take the initiative to stop Kimbly before Martel regains consciousness so that he won't have time to induce an alchemy reaction. Just then, Martel comes to as Al traps Kimbly in a concrete wall. When Kimbly breaks out from the wall and ends up injured, Al tells Martel to run away as Mustang and his men arrive to investigate the commotion. Mustang tells Kimbly that Al is under his charge and he is free to raise a complaint if he wants. Kimbly is bitter about this and vows to blow up Al one day.

Meanwhile, in Central, King Bradley tells his subordinate that he is going to Rioru to suppress the uprising and gets the latter to take over the post of the president in his absence. He then proceeds to head to Rioru with Sloth and Wrath so as to destroy the city...

In Rioru, Ed reveals that he knows what Scar is trying to do as Lust and Gluttony look on. He asks Scar whether he was the one who killed the kimera made up of Nina and Alexander and the latter admits to it by saying that he did nothing wrong as creating kimeras was an act which violated the wills of God. Ed states that Scar has no right to kill the people of Rioru so as to create Kenja no Ishi. The conversation is getting nowhere so Scar decides to attack Ed. However, he finds that he can no longer destroy Ed's metal limbs like before. Ed points out that what Scar has been doing is similar to the laws of alchemy where the three steps are understanding, disintegrating and re-formation. Scar has been able to adjust his destroying techniques by analyzing the composition of objects but Ed changed the composition of metals in his limbs before they fought so that Scar won't have the upper hand. Scar refuses to change his mind about creating Kenja no Ishi which leads Ed to kill him. Before he can do so, Lust stops him and introduces herself and Gluttony to them. Ed tries to attack the Homculus but they remain unscathed. Scar is not appreciative of her gesture and takes out a necklace from his robe which he says to be a gift from Lust to his elder brother. Upon seeing it, Lust gets flashbacks of Scar's brother and his lover which makes her lose consciousness. Gluttony then carries Lust away immediately while voicing his dislike for Ed and Scar for doing this to her.

Ed asks Scar about the nature of his relationship with Lust but he refuses to answer. Just then, Lyra and Rose appear in front of them where Lyra tells Ed to listen to what they have to say. Ed is shocked to find out that Rose cannot speak...

Years ago, a woman passed a necklace to her lover i.e. Scar's brother as a safety amulet. However, she died soon after due to an illness which made Scar's brother very upset. Subsequently, he became obsessed with research about alchemy so as to bring his lover back to life. Before Scar could stop his brother, the latter had paid the price for this by losing a part of his body and was expelled from the tribe for conducting alchemy which was banned.

Scar relates this story to Ed and he suspects that Lust might be the product of his brother's alchemy ritual at that time. Ed reveals that Homculus are created when human alchemy rituals fail which leads Lyra to comment that Dante tried to do this before. That could be the reason why Greed was created. However, Ed points out that there might be a mastermind behind the gang of Homculus who keeps them alive and manipulates them for a purpose. He also points out that the reason why Lust was scared of Scar's necklace would be due to the reason that the remains of the woman whom she was created from were put into the locket.

Scar then continues with his story about his brother who returned to the tribe during the war and he wanted to create Kenja no Ishi to save his fellow people. However, he gave up the experiment for some reason which Scar has come to understand now i.e. the need for a large number of lives to be sacrificed.

At that time, Kimbly was sent to wipe out the Isbal tribe of which part of the people were running away from the millitary. When Scar tried to save an old man from being killed, Kimbly turned to him and caused the scar on his face by inducing an explosion. He then severed Scar's right arm and saw Scar's brother who was covered with the alchemy signs. When the red water crystal flew towards Scar's brother and blended into his body, Kimbly decided to stop his attacks since Grant had arrived to take care of the situation. After a while, Scar regained consciousness and saw that his brother had transferred his right arm to him so as to keep him alive and pass on the powers due to the deaths of the Isbal people to Scar. His brother also apologised for making him feel upset since he knew that Scar was also in love with his girlfriend.

Since Scar's right arm is an unfinished version of Kenja no Ishi, that is why it will react violently when in contact with the red water crystal. As such, he would have to obtain more lives so as to complete this. Ed is furious about Scar using Rose to manipulate the people in Rioru and trying to sacrifice them but Lyra clarifies that this is not the truth. They will get the people to leave through the underground tunnels and use the soldiers instead as sacrificial objects to make Kenja no Ishi. Ed does not like this idea since there will still be human lives lost in the process and the soldiers do not deserve to die even if they are from the millitary. At this moment, Rose walks in with a baby in her arms and she walks into the room quietly upon hearing Ed's remarks. Scar tells Ed that Rose was abducted by the soldiers and came back without her voice and pregnant. As such, there is no way they can forgive the millitary and this shocks Ed about what has happened to Rose.

Al is trying to look for Martel but to no avail. Just then, he sees Havoc running along the corridor in a hurry and asks what has happened. It appears that King Bradley has come to the frontline unannounced and everyone is puzzled by this development.

Martel is crawling through the ventilation vents and overhears King Bradley talking to Kimbly and Tucker. They are ordered to enter Rioru secretly which leads Kimbly to comment that they are doing what they had done in Isbal previously. Tucker has reservations about doing this but King Bradley stresses that they are doing this to uphold peace so they have to get the Rioru people to attack the soldiers so as to make their actions legitimate. In addition, King Bradley also tells them to kill Ed and bring his body back.

As King Bradley leaves the underground cell, Martel tries to attack him so as to stop history from repeating itself in Rioru. However, she is no match for him and gets a rude shock when she sees the Homculus sign in the left eye which has always been covered. Martel runs to look for Al so as to tell him the truth while King Bradley is hot on her heels.

Martel hides in Al's body and tries to tell him the truth. Just then, King Bradley appears from behind and pushes his sword into Al's armour to kill Martel. He justifies his action by saying that he has executed the kimera who has been threatening him and walks away as if nothing has happened. As blood from Martel oozes from Al's armour, he can only fall to his knees with regret over not being able to protect her...

I guess in order to keep this still suitable for kids to watch, there were certain things which the anime tried not to say explicitly. For example, about Scar's brother's first alchemy attempt where he lost "a part of the body", based on the graphics and the fact that the blood was centered on his trousers, it can be assumed that what he lost was something which can't be seen obviously. Likewise in Rose's case, they did not say explicitly that Rose was raped and came back pregnant. Besides, Ed is still a child so I guess the words to use during the explanation were toned down. Anyway, he's smart enough to infer from the evidence i.e. loss of voice (due to screaming), caught by the soldiers (men) and a baby in Rose's arms. The thing is, although Ed knows that the soldiers are not good people, I don't think he can simply forsake his identity as a national alchemist and his duty towards the millitary even after finding out the truth. There are too many implications since Al is still with the millitary.

Kimbly is such an obnoxious jerk and I felt like strangling him when it was revealed that he caused the injuries on Scar's face. I don't think he actually left Scar's brother alone because he saw how the red water stone reacted to the alchemy signs on the latter's body. He could have left things to Grant since it wasn't necessary to kill Scar's brother when he wasn't fully sure of what would happen.

This episode also confirms my guess that King Bradley is one of the Homculus. This is the worst thing that can happen since the highest authority in the millitary is evil. The only way to stop the country from being messed up would be to overthrow this guy. Otherwise, nobody will be able to stop him from doing what he wants.

One surprising thing was that Scar has feelings for his brother's lover so that could be why he is reacting so strangely when he sees Lust. If she was just someone who resembled his brother's lover, he wouldn't be so taken aback when he first saw Lust. This will be interesting...how will he react to Lust who is supposed to be his enemy?

Honey and Clover Ep 23

Takemoto starts to work for Shin's team where he earns 4200 yen per day. As he is in-charge of the workers' meals, Takemoto has to wake up at 5.30am to make breakfast and finish the cleaning-up after dinner which makes it a 16-hour work day. However, he is content with this lifestyle since he gets to enjoy 3 proper meals and can sleep on a mattress which he has not done so since he embarked on the self-discovery journey. Nevertheless, Takemoto feels that he isn't of much help to the team because the knowledge he acquired in school isn't applicable in real-life. Thus, he can only prove himself by making good food for the workers who are full of praise for his culinary skills except for Rokutaro who keeps grumbling. This makes Takemoto extremely happy as he doesn't feel that he's sponging on the team for nothing and has a skill which can be of value to them.

Shin brings Takemoto to look for a new bicycle which costs 43,000 yen so he has to work for 10 days in order to come up with the money. Since he has spent 2 days with the workers, Takemoto would have to stay for another 8 days before resuming his journey. Although Takemoto was full of apprehension when he left his apartment, he feels at peace now when he sees the happy faces of the workers.

Meanwhile, Hagu is in anguish over what to do with her future while Hanamoto looks on worriedly. Morita is also concerned about her but he chooses to brood over it alone instead of talking to Hagu.

Rika goes to Fujiwara Design for work matters and asks Miwako about when Yamada will be here. Miwako gets flustered and tries to sound out why Rika is looking for Yamada. It seems that Rika wants to get Yamada to make some pottery for her but Mayama didn't want to introduce her to Rika by saying that Yamada is busy. As such, Rika has no choice but to go through Miwako instead. Just as Miwako is unsure of what to do, Yamada runs into the agency and exclaims that she made some really nice pieces of pottery. When Rika calls out to Yamada, the latter is surprised by her presence.

Mayama goes to Hanamoto for advice since Rika wants to work with Yamada and he's really uncomfortable with this situation. Miwako had suggested that Mayama should let Yamada see him with Rika so that Yamada may give up. Hanamoto feels that this is a feasible option but Morita pops out from nowhere and says that this won't work since Rika doesn't treat Mayama as a prospective suitor. This will boost Yamada's confidence that she still stands a chance. Mayama clarifies that Miwako's advice wasn't meant to be interpreted like this as she had said that Yamada might get disappointed with him if she sees how hard he's trying to please Rika.

Yamada is thinking about her conversation with Rika and wonders how Mayama speaks of her in front of Rika. At the thought of Mayama expressing sympathy for her, Yamada decides to shake off this pessimistic thought because she knows that he is not this kind of person. In fact, his evasive attitude in preventing Rika and Yamada from meeting should be a gesture of goodwill to make Yamada feel better.

Mayama reveals that he's getting confused about the whole situation where Hanamoto says that this is normal since people may not understand themselves at times. Hanamoto feels that Yamada's obsession with Mayama could be infatuation at first sight but Mayama doesn't know how to change her mindset. Morita suddenly comments that he knows about Mayama's concern for Yamada but it might be in Yamada's best interests for her to learn how to cope. Hanamoto questions Morita for not doing anything to help Hagu which leads the latter to change to his cheeky self and escape from having to answer this question. Hanamoto doesn't understand why Morita has to put up a pretence when he cares for Hagu but nobody knows that Morita is adopting this stand because of Takemoto's presence.

During dinner, Takemoto is elated to see everyone enjoying the food he cooked and feels at ease when he is of use to others. This leads Takemoto to feel that it might be good to stay on so that he can continue to be happy. Suddenly, Rokutaro scolds Takemoto for being a hypocrite by smiling all day long and the latter should have left long ago since he made enough money for the new bicycle. This sours the jovial atmosphere at the dining table where the workers realise that Takemoto should have continued with his journey. Takemoto explains that he didn't have any purpose when he started riding on his bicycle since he was lost about not having any concrete plans about his future. He realises that he can hear the sound of the fridge's motor again just like what prompted him to leave his apartment when he faced the empty fridge.

Rokutaro mocks Takemoto for wasting his good fortune by agonising over such trivial things. In actual fact, Rokutaro had to work since he was 16 and didn't have the time or luxury to think about such things. As such, he gets irritated at the sight of Takemoto since the latter gives him the feeling that he's just a spoilt brat. Just then, the boss returns and stops Rokutaro from ranting further because it is not acceptable to grumble about his circumstances as if the others are living privilleged lives. The boss then tells Takemoto to leave tomorrow so that he can find out how far he can cycle instead of wasting time with them here. Takemoto then thinks of the boss' words about the fact that there might not be an answer waiting for him but he can try to go as far as he likes so that he feels contented.

Shin comes to look for Takemoto at the beach and takes him along for a game to test his guts. They head for a wooden bridge where the spaces between each plank is so wide that someone might fall into the river if he misses his footing. Shin says that Takemoto is scared because he keeps looking downwards. All he has to do in order to overcome his fear would be to look forward but he still has to look at his steps sometimes. Shin compares this walk to stepping on the white lines of the zebra crossing but Takemoto feels that Shin is too relaxed about this. Shin says that he has been walking on this bridge since he was a child. Although he is scared of heights, he actually made himself walk on this bridge while he was young so as to convince himself that he wasn't scared of anything. Shin almost fell from the bridge if not for his school bag which saved him.

Takemoto and Shin comes to a shrine where the latter tells him to draw a divination lot since Rokutaro has come to pay for him as an apology for what he said during dinner. Rokutaro tries to hide his uneasiness while Takemoto accepts his apology readily. On the way back, Takemoto feels that walking on the bridge is no longer as scary as it seems.

The next day, Takemoto reveals that he plans to go to Wakkanai in Hokkaido (the northern point of Japan) where his colleagues give him some parting gifts. Just as Rokutaro is going to send Takemoto to the shop to pick up his new bicycle, Shin brings his old bicycle fitted with some bags at the side for Takemoto so that he can save his money for his meals. It is revealed that Shin also took part in a self-discovery journey while he was in university which was how he met his current colleagues. Shin also advises him on how to cope with his journey which makes Takemoto feel very grateful and promise to return to see them on the return leg. As he bids farewell to his new friends, Takemoto continues his journey and is not as concerned about finding an answer like he was initially...

As usual, a very good episode with lots of thinking points. First of all, Takemoto's view about feeling happy when he is of value to others strikes a chord. Well, if you do not feel that your work or life is helping anyone or has a value, there is no way you can be happy. It's as if you are living your life in vain. Previously, Takemoto was lost because he didn't feel that his presence mattered to anyone. However, during his work at the shrine, seeing how happy people were when they ate his food convinced him that he's useful after all. I can identify with that to a certain extent but I also think that it's better not to harp on this too much especially in terms of work because nobody is indispensable. From my personal experience, even though I may have been important to a company during my employment there, leaving would not be so serious that the operations come to a stall. As such, I've learnt that it's probably better not to overestimate my importance and not belittle myself too much. It's really hard to strike a balance.

Talking about Morita's attitude towards Hagu, he is concerned for her but he doesn't do anything to help her. Hanamoto cannot understand his attitude but I guess Morita wants to be fair to Takemoto. Morita knows very well that he can take advantage of Takemoto's absence and probably be together with Hagu since they both have feelings for each other. However, Morita treats Takemoto as a close friend so he can't bring himself to make use of Takemoto's weak point for his personal interests. That is why he has to distance himself from Hagu even though he cares and wants to help her. I'm sure he must be torn between friendship and love so he chooses to evade Hanamoto's question even though he was providing advice to Mayama with a serious look just seconds ago.

Last but not least, the bridge seems to be an analogy with reference to life. On one hand, you can't be looking at your feet when you walk since this will make you fearful of progressing. On the other hand, if you look ahead only, you might fall. That is similar to life when you can't be harping on the current situation and should try to move on so that the future holds better prospects. On the other hand, focusing too much on things which have yet to materialise will result in wastage of time in the present which leads to the inability to achieve the things you aspire to do in the future.

Every time I watch Hachikuro, there are so many things to consider and a lot of times, I see a reference to what I'm experiencing at the moment or may have gone through before. Although I'm not involved in any love triangles now, I find the troubles of the characters very real and easy to understand. Anyone who's been through school, love or work should be able to identify with the themes presented in this anime.

Mushishi Ep 02: Mabuta no Hikari (The light of the eyelids)

A little boy, Biki enters a warehouse which has two doors. He has come to see Sui, a little girl who is sitting alone in the darkness while being blindfolded. Biki changes the bandage on Sui's eyes and asks about her condition. Sui suddenly talks about knowing the cause of her illness and reveals that Mushis have been living in her eyes for a long time...

Sui is actually the youngest daughter of the village chief's family who contracted this strange disease 6 months ago. Her eyes would hurt whenever they were in contact with light. Despite seeing many optometrists, none could cure her of this illness. As such, she was sent to live in the warehouse of Biki's family since it could block light from entering the interior with its two doors. This gesture might have been for Sui's interests but to Biki, he felt that it felt like she was abandoned by her family.

After changing the bandage, Sui explains to Biki that behind the eyelids are another set of eyelids. Beyond the second pair of eyelids, that is somewhere light from the outside will not reach and the Mushis are living there. Sui offers to teach Biki how to close the second pair of eyelids and tells him to close his eyes. Despite doing so, Biki can see strands of moving light which leads Sui to comment that he is still looking at his eyelids thus he cannot feel total darkness. Biki is unable to follow Sui's instructions and feels that she is talking about an impossible thing.

Biki then accompanies Sui to play some games within the darkness where he comments that although he cannot see anything immediately after entering the warehouse, his eyes would get used to the darkness where he can subsequently make out faint outlines of objects. Sui states that this is possible because there is a river of light underground and this can only be seen if you can close your second eyelids. The river is actually made up of small Mushis which can be seen at close range. However, when Sui wants to take a closer look, she sees a man i.e. Ginko warning her to stay away from the river. Although she has never seen Ginko before, he would always appear on the other side of the river and tell her the same thing repeatedly. That is why she looks at the river from a distance. As Biki leaves the warehouse, he starts to get worried about Sui since he does not believe what she has said.

When Biki reaches home, his mother reminds him not to spend too much time with Sui as her disease might be contagious. However, Biki does not think much of this since he had burnt the old bandages and disinfected the dishes properly. He realises that Sui's family dumped her into their care due to this reason and they have no choice but to take up the responsibility of caring for Sui. Biki's mother knows that he just wants to keep Sui company but she's still fearful about anything happening to her son.

One night, Biki is reading when he suddenly experiences a sharp pain in his eyes and blows out the oil lamp hurriedly. This scares Biki as he senses something wrong with himself. The next day, Biki's mother finds him sprawled on the floor while shielding his eyes from the sunlight...

Biki's mother takes up the task of delivering meals to Sui and reveals that Biki has been infected with the illness too. This stuns Sui as Biki's mother chides herself for sympathising with Sui which has in turn caused the current state of affairs.

Biki's mother returns home and finds Ginko sitting beside Biki. Ginko introduces himself as an expert in this area and explains that he had given some medicine to Biki. He should recover soon since his illness is in the early stage and keeping him in the darkness will cause the condition to worsen. In addition, he explains that this is something which the Mushishis can cure instead of the optometrists.

Biki wakes up from a nightmare of Sui crying while apologising for infecting him and sees Ginko by his side. Ginko sees that Biki has recovered and explains that Sui is suffering from this illness as Manako no Yami Mushi (Darkness of the eyes Mushi) have infested her eyes. As this illness spreads in the darkness and Biki spent too much time with Sui, that was why he was infected. Biki wonders why Ginko knows about Sui where the latter explains that he would always see her when he closes his second eyelid. However, Sui mentioned before that the man she saw at the river of light has one eye, Biki thinks that Ginko is not the person whom Sui is referring to. Ginko says that he will begin Sui's treatment when the sun sets.

At night, Ginko finds that Sui's eye sockets are hollow and realises that she has entered the river of light. Thus, he brings Sui outdoors so that he can do something about her dead eyes since she has closed her second eyelids for too long. Ginko instructs Sui to open her eyes slowly with her second eyelids closed so that the Mushis can be scared out by the moonlight. Biki is horrified to see Sui's hollow eye sockets and the next minute, slimy Mushis are flowing out from there. As the volume of the Mushis increase tremendously, Ginko sees a purple slimy snake-like Mushi and grabs hold of it while telling Sui to close her eyes. This leads the Mushi to rush back into Sui's eye sockets. Ginko kills the purple Mushi and proceeds to treat Sui's eyes.

As Sui's eyes have been eaten away, Ginko digs into his left eye for the artificial eyeball which scares Biki. Ginko tells Biki not to be overly alarmed and proceeds to inject a greenish liquid made up from the purple Mushi into the eyeball. He then puts it into Sui's eye socket which should help her to see again. Biki asks Ginko about the river of light they were seeing but the latter does not elaborate further.

It's said that people forgot how to close their second eyelids after they gained light. However, that would have been better for them since many humans lost their eyes after closing their second eyelids for too long. Thousands of lives that flow beneath our feet, the source of life...

Actually, Biki did see the river of light for a brief moment when Ginko put the eyeball into Sui's eye socket. And that led to her recovery which means that she doesn't have to stay in the warehouse anymore. Meanwhile, Ginko continues to embark on his journey with a new eyeball in his left eye socket...

The main difference between this episode and the first episode's Mushis is the purpose of their existence. In the debut episode, Renzu was a half-baked Mushi who didn't set out to be a Mushi in the first place and she meant absolutely no harm to her grandson. However, the Mushis in this episode were not the kind sort as they gobbled up people's eyes. That goes to show that even in the Mushi world, there is a segregation of good vs evil just like what is applicable to humans. And if there are the evil types, I doubt humans and Mushis can co-exist peacefully.

An alarming revelation was that Ginko's left eye is an artificial eyeball. I hope the series will explore the reason behind this and why he goes around on finding people who are related to Mushis in one way or another. What exactly is he trying to achieve? At first, I was bewildered why he had to cover one of his eyes with his fringe. Now, I think it might have been due to the artificial eye so he is hiding it on purpose. Ginko is such a mysterious character that I think an in-depth feature into his background will be very interesting.

About the concept of the second eyelids, I found it very intriguing and the fact that it uses a real life example to increase the impact will make it more memorable to the viewer. Just like what is mentioned, even if you close your eyelids, there is actually nothing to block your eyes from staring at the closed eyelids thus the flickers and movements of light can be observed. No doubt this might have been a purely biological concept, using it here gives this simple theory an added mystique touch.

I can't explain this but whenever I watch Mushishi, it gives me a strong sense of peacefulness. Maybe it's the scenery and pace of the anime plus the mysteries unfolded in each episode so far. Or it could have been due to the music used. Somehow, I just feel relaxed while watching this. Some series hold your attention so closely that your emotions go with how the characters are feeling, some make you laugh like mad, some make you feel sad etc. In Mushishi's case, it may feel bland during the viewing but on afterthought when I think of the episode, it provides much room for thought and has a lingering sense of tranquility. However, the same cannot be said when I saw those Mushis emerging from the eye sockets. That was gross and it didn't go down well with me.

Paradise Kiss Ep 05: MOTHER

George, Arashi and Miwako are working on the dress in the atelier when Isabella brings roast beef sandwiches for lunch. George suggests eating lunch at the park since the weather is fine which leads Arashi to comment that they are so relaxed despite the deadline of the fashion show approaching. Isabella remarks that it is unlike Yukari to be so late when coming to the atelier on Sundays where Miwako reveals Yukari's intention to tell her mother the truth so Yukari might have been grounded by her. George doesn't know about this and says that Yukari should have told him beforehand. Isabella assumes that George wants to save Yukari but he jokes that he enjoys to tie people up i.e. he will assist in tying Yukari up.

George feels that it's logical for Yukari's parents to be angry at her for lying to them as if he doesn't care about the outcome of the revelation. Miwako says that Yukari plans on leaving home if her mother objects to what she's doing. As the gang prepares to go out for lunch, Isabella worries about Yukari not finding them while they are out. Thus, George tells Miwako to call Yukari while Arashi doesn't think Yukari is someone who dares to leave home. Just then, Yukari appears before them with her bags as she has left home. Arashi can't believe what he is seeing while George seems more concerned about the mismatch of shoes with Yukari's dress.

At the park, Yukari reveals what happened last night where her mother slapped her in anger after hearing the truth. As such, she decided to leave home until her mother accepts her views. Everyone except George voices support for Yukari's actions which leads George to remark in jest that she has a group of bad friends. Miwako states that she will clean up the guest room for Yukari but Isabella expresses concern about doing this since Miwako is staying with Mikako and Tsutomu (her sister and brother-in-law) and it wouldn't be nice for her to bring another person into the house. Yukari asks if she can live in the atelier for the time being but George disagrees, saying that she should not bring mundane concerns into the atelier which is meant for creation work. Even though the rest are agreeable to let Yukari stay there if she pays her share of the utilities, George still refuses to budge since this is not an issue about money. Yukari says that she's quitting school and will be getting a part-time job since it is of no use attending school if she has no plans to enter an university. Arashi tells George to do something about Yukari's plans which is going too far but the latter says that this is entirely up to Yukari and he doesn't wish to interfere in this.

Despite George offering to let Yukari stay in his apartment, Arashi offers his apartment to Yukari instead as he doesn't think it is a good idea for her to live with her boyfriend after leaving home. He also passes her the clothes from Happy Berry which Miwako got from Mikako. In the meantime, he will stay with Miwako until Yukari moves out. Arashi says that as long as Yukari is happy, he thinks that there's nothing wrong with what she's doing. However, he warns her that George is not a man who can bring happiness to a woman and it's better if she doesn't get too deeply involved with him. Although Yukari feels that Arashi's words make sense, it is too late as she's already head over heels in love with George.

The next day, Miwako brings breakfast for Yukari as they settle down for a chat. Miwako asks Yukari if she wants to work in Happy Berry since there's a salesgirl vacancy there. Yukari is worried whether she can be up to this job so Miwako assures her that she can do well. Miwako tells Yukari to go for the interview this afternoon and that she will help the latter to dress up during the noon break. Meanwhile in school, Tokumori is concerned over Yukari's absence...

Yukari goes to meet Mikako at Happy Berry's office where she can't help feeling Miwako and Mikako bear a strong resemblance to each other. Actually, Mikako had thought that Yukari was a Caucasian since Miwako kept calling her Caroline. Yukari misunderstands that Mikako is conducting the interview when she is asked about her figure and thinks that this could mean salesgirls should not put on too much weight. Mikako tells Yukari that the position of the salesgirl has been filled which makes the latter very disappointed. Yukari reveals that she has left school and needs to find a job. Just when Yukari prepares to leave, Mikako asks if she's free tomorrow...

Tokumori asks Yukari's friend about why she is absent but the latter doesn't know anything and seems unconcerned. She guesses that Yukari might have ran away with a guy since Yukari has become stylish recently and skips tuition school frequently.

Yukari goes to the atelier and says that Mikako asked her to be a model for Zipper's Happy Berry fashion spread tomorrow. George reveals that this is because the original model got injured so Yukari is the replacement model. In addition, the stylist for this assignment is Seiji so this is how he knew about the matter. Arashi wonders why George knows so much about Seiji which leads George to ask if Arashi's interested to know the reason. However, Arashi refuses to hear anything about this. Miwako reminds Yukari that Seiji is the hairdresser who cut her hair for her. Yukari knows that this is just a once-off assignment so she has to find a job. She doesn't have any faith in herself as a professional model but George says that she won't succeed if she feels this way. Everyone tries to encourage Yukari as she is picked by them so she won't pale in comparison to other models.

On her way to the studio, Yukari receives a call from Tokumori who is concerned about her absence from the exams. Yukari reveals that she has left home and says that she is going to do something which is an opportunity once in a lifetime. Despite Tokumori asking her to come to school, Yukari refuses to do so and heads to the studio in high spirits...

Actually, I do not feel that leaving home is a good way to show that you are serious about something. In the end, it creates more conflict and doesn't help in the resolution of the issue. With regards to Yukari's problem, no doubt her mother may be angry at her for lying, I feel that there can be a better way to persuade her to see Yukari's point. Although Arashi and Isabella were initially in favour of Yukari leaving home, they felt that quitting school was going overboard though. In this sense, I feel that they are quite logical and do not support people blindly without thinking of the consequences. As for the other two, Miwako supports whatever decision Yukari makes while George is washing his hands off the matter since he doesn't want Yukari to blame him if things do not turn out nicely. Going to extremes is not the best way in this case.

As for Arashi's advice to Yukari about reining in her feelings for George, I am very impressed. And he's really kind to let Yukari stay at his apartment while he bunks in with Miwako. Arashi could have allowed Yukari to go and stay in George's place but he knows this will not reflect well on Yukari. I think he knows George well enough to understand that he's not someone who cares for others wholeheartedly as if he's afraid of emotional involvement so Arashi means well. And it's not easy for a friend to speak of another friend in this unfavourable manner which may be misinterpreted by Yukari in a bad way. Of course, this advice is of no use since Yukari cannot stop herself from loving George. They may have met recently but the intensity of their relationship is so strong that nothing seems to be stopping them.

Jigoku Shoujo Ep 03: Yogoreta Mound (The dirtied mound)

At the baseball playing ground, Hanakasa the school ace pitcher is in the midst of practice when girls are screaming to get his attention and professional scouts come to observe his performance. Fellow team members Iwashita and Muroi are marvelling at his abilities and popularity and wish that they could be like Hanakasa.

Unknown to everyone, Hanakasa uses his position in the team to carry out physical abuse against the other members. He beats up Muroi with a baseball bat and forces Iwashita to send Muroi home. Hanakasa even wants Muroi to hide this matter from everyone and claim that the injuries were caused by a fall due to his carelessness. Iwashita wants to voice his objection with regards to Hanakasa's actions but Muroi stops him. If this gets around, not only will Hanakasa be held responsible, the team will have to be suspended from the tournament. For the sake of the team, Muroi chooses to keep quiet like the others but Iwashita is still indigant over letting Hanakasa have his way just because he's the ace pitcher.

When Iwashita sends Muroi home, the latter's mother scolds Iwashita for pushing her son down while they were fooling around. As Iwashita promised Muroi to keep the beating a secret, he can only apologise while Muroi tries to convince his mother that this is not intended.

However, Muroi dies as a result of those injuries thus Iwashita tells Hanakasa to own up to his wrongdoing. Hanakasa can't be bothered about this and dares Iwashita to expose him if he has the proof. He reminds Iwashita to be more concerned about his own situation which leaves the latter bewildered.

Iwashita goes to attend Muroi's funeral where the police questions him for pushing Muroi down. According to the autopsy report, Muroi had died of injuries caused by beatings from a bat so they wish to find out more on this matter. Just then, Muroi's mother rushes out of the house and accuses Iwashita of murdering Muroi. Despite excruciating pain on his deathbed, Muroi still said that Iwashita was innocent. Iwashita gets angry at Hanakasa who is putting on an act in front of Muroi's altar but his father grabs hold of Iwashita and beats up him. Iwashita's parents apologise to Muroi's family as if they believe that Iwashita had killed Muroi. This makes Iwashita realise that nobody will listen to him thus he runs away before the police can arrest him.

Iwashita returns to the school and uses the computer to access Jigoku Tsushin at midnight so as to take revenge against Hanakasa. Ai appears in front of him and explains how the procedure works after giving him the straw figure with the red string.

The baseball team is banned from taking part in the tournament as a result of Muroi's death. Iwashita calls Hanakasa out and wants him to admit to his deed. However, Hanakasa refuses to do so since nobody will believe Iwashita anyway and he doesn't feel guilty about killing Muroi. He even remarks that thanks to Muroi and Iwashita, he won't have to take part in the tournament so that he can rest well for his professional career. This proves to be the last straw as Hanakasa is admitting that he deliberately caused trouble in order to get the team suspended. Iwashita takes the plunge by undoing the red string which sets Ai and her team into action.

At night after a discussion with the scouts, Hanakasa is left alone in the playing ground. Just as he is feeling thrilled at the possibility of being a professional player, he hears chants of him being a murderer and is shocked to see the surroundings change. He is treated to a game of horror baseball but he still refuses to admit to his mistake. As such, Ai sends Hanakasa to hell as per Iwashita's wishes...

After Hanakasa's disappearance, Iwashita decides to transfer to another school so as to get over the entire episode. However, he knows that it will be some time before he can do so...

Actually, among the "baddies" in Jigoku Shoujo so far, this really got me quite irritated because I couldn't help but feel like strangling Hanakasa who thought he could get away with anything just because he is talented. Being at the top in a particular area doesn't give anyone the right to gain something at the expense of others. Besides, he was unrepentant about causing someone's death so he really deserved to be sent to hell. I just feel sorry for Iwashita who has to live with the blame and that he will go to hell once he dies. He wasn't in the wrong, neither was Muroi. Both were just victims in this game of manipulation played by Hanakasa.

Monster Ep 66 - Okaeri (Welcome Back)

The man was a Czechoslovakian of German descent and the eldest son of a family which remained in Bohemia after World War II. He was a graduate of the Military Office Academy who was expected to become an elite in the running of the government. The woman was the only daughter of a school teacher in Moravia who was blessed with beauty, blonde hair and blue eyes. She was from Brno University and studied genetic engineering.

They met each other in a cafe at Prague and fell in love with each other soon. When the woman became pregnant, the man confessed to her that his approaching of her was part of a mission. Race, intelligence, skeletal structure, motor skills...an experiment conducted to produce children among selected couples. The man and woman were just one of the couples in this experiment. However, the man had no wish to continue with this mission and tried to run away with the woman. Unfortunately, they were caught by the people conducting this experiment where the man went missing and the woman was in captive while awaiting the birth of her twin children. No matter how many times the woman asked to see the man, she was told that the man had gone on another mission but she knew that he was no longer living in this world. The woman soon realised that a man i.e. Bonaparta who came to sketch pictures of her was the mastermind behind the experiment. She told him that even if she died, her children will take revenge on him for what he had done to them.

When it was time for the woman to give birth, she made her escape while squeezing through the narrow ventilation shaft and bearing with the excruciating pain. However, she collapsed near the gate which rendered her effort a failure. After giving birth, the woman insisted on giving names to her children but Bonaparta kept telling her that names were not needed for the twins...

That was the story of Johan and Nina's parents as related by Capek to Nina. He reveals that Johan asked him about Bonaparta's whereabouts which makes her shocked to know that Bonaparta is still alive. Capek's men drives Nina to the ruins of a old mansion where Johan is said to be at.

At the same time, Christof who was shot by Tenma when he tried to kill Eva, is bleading furiously as Tenma tries to get him to reveal Johan's whereabouts. However, Christof refuses to say anything which leads Tenma to get Eva to call the police for an ambulance since Christof's life will be in danger if he continues to bleed. After Eva leaves the car, Christof then tells Tenma where Johan is. As such, Tenma decides to look for Johan alone without waiting for Eva as he doesn't want her to get involved in this matter again.

Nina enters the mansion alone and finally sees Johan who is standing on the rooftop. This results in Nina remembering how she ran away from the Mansion of the Red Roses and returned home to find Johan dressed as a girl. The two of them then set fire to their old apartment at the Three Frogs before running away. The twins met an elderly couple who gave them food and had the intention of adopting them. Unknown to Nina, Johan had killed the couple and told Nina to go somewhere with him as he had a good plan...

However, Johan relates the account of the matter from his perspective as if he was the one who had been at the Mansion of the Red Roses. Nina tells him that she knows about his killing of the people who had been kind to them. Meanwhile, Tenma is rushing to the mansion's ruins after hearing about this from Christof. Nina states that she will end the whole matter by killing Johan and herself but this leads Johan to wonder what exactly is the end and questions Nina about it. Nina then says that she will tell him something which is truly terrifying...

The revelation of Johan and Nina's parents is the highlight of this issue besides the twins' reunion after a long time. The explanation sheds more light on how their parents came together and what led to the twins' birth. However, is Johan's real motive just to take revenge on Bonaparta? If so, why would he go through so much trouble to do so many seemingly-unrelated things to achieve his aim? And it does seem like either Johan or Nina may have remembered something wrongly. Otherwise, why would the two of them claim to have been brought to the Mansion of Red Roses when the story so far has pointed to Nina being the one who went there? Well, Nina's account of a terrifying story in the next episode should provide more answers to this question.

Suzuka Ep 19: Wakare (Separation)

Yamato tells Hattori about Honoka flaring up at him despite her insistence that she wasn't angry about him going shopping with Asahina. However, Hattori points that this is impossible as Honoka must be upset since Yamato used to like Asahina. Despite her effort to put on a strong front, Yamato had to aggravate the situation by talking relentlessly about the shopping trip which made Honoka flare up at him. Hattori remarks that Yamato is always thinking about himself but the latter denies it. He advises Yamato to apologise to Honoka soon or things between them will be beyond salvation. Yamato refuses to listen and says that nothing will turn out well every time he listens to Hattori.

During athletics practice, Yamato tries to apologise to Honoka but she walks away and says that she doesn't want to talk to him now. Yamato is stunned by her attitude and feels rather upset.

Yamato goes home and finds Asahina waiting for him along the corridor. She asks him if he has made up with Honoka and finds out that Honoka is not willing to listen to him. Asahina apologises for causing this quarrel between them but Yamato assures her that this is not her fault since he was the one who made Honoka angry. Asahina asks Yamato what he intends to do and suggests that he can try a few more times before Honoka is willing to listen to him again. Yamato is apprehensive about doing this but he agrees to take up her suggestion in the end.

Yamato tries to call Honoka but she's engaged on the line with Nana who tries to persuade Honoka to patch up with him. However, Honoka believes that Yamato is still in love with Asahina and wonders if they should continue dating. Yamato decides to go to Honoka's place personally as he doesn't want the situation to get worse.

Yamato brings the birthday present he bought for Honoka and goes to her place to talk to her. Honoka is surprised by his sudden visit and tells him to go back when he tries to pass her the present again. Yamato gets angry and says that Honoka should make herself clear about what she's upset over. Honoka states that she doesn't feel comfortable seeing them together and Yamato could have got anyone else to go with him to buy the present. Thus, she can't help feeling that Yamato was just using that as an excuse to go out with Asahina. Honoka then runs out to the entrance of the shrine where she is stopped by Yamato.

After the heated quarrel, Yamato and Honoka finally settle down but there is an uncomfortable silence. Yamato realises that his actions may have suggested to Honoka that he's still in love with Asahina and feels that he has hurt her unknowingly. Honoka then says that it's better that they break up or they will keep quarrelling over the same issue. Yamato agrees to it which leads Honoka to remark that he should not have dated her in the first place. Yamato clarifies that he did not date her just because she took the initiative to kiss him and says that he does have some feelings for her. Honoka also accepts the present as a symbol of their brief relationship. They then say goodbye to each other after the chat.

Yamato returns home in a crestfallen state and says that he doesn't want to eat dinner when Miho asks him. He is still pondering over Honoka's remark that he's still in love with Asahina. When Yamato sees Yuka and Megumi drinking in his apartment, he gets irritated and blurts out that they have broken up. Yuka scolds him for giving up Honoka just like that and he might not find another girl as good as her. Asahina happens to walk past Yamato's room and overhears their conversation. Yuka says that it's good for Honoka because she won't have to bear with Yamato who doesn't love her wholeheartedly.

After Yuka and Megumi leave, Asahina comes to look for Yamato and asks about his breakup with Honoka. She wonders if she's the reason for this development but Yamato doesn't think that it's right to tell her the truth. As such, Yamato lies that he dumped Honoka because he found it hard to please her. This gets Asahina angry and she leaves his room in a huff. However, Yamato is also feeling upset as he knows that Asahina will blame herself if she knows the real reason for their breakup...

Well, in a way, breaking up would have been good for both Yamato and Honoka. He won't have to convince himself that he likes Honoka and she won't have to bear with the thought of whether he's still in love with Asahina. However, Yamato's kind gesture in trying to prevent Asahina from blaming herself might backfire on him since this has caused her to misunderstand that he's a callous jerk. As such, unless Asahina knows the truth, it will be hard for them to reconcile or even start a relationship.

Yakitate Japan Ep 53

The Monaco Cup competition ends with Azuma helping the Japan team to clinch the title. They gather for a dinner to celebrate the victory but Suwabara looks quite upset which leads Tsukino to ask what happened. Kawachi reveals that Suwabara must be feeling sad about having to part with Monica but the latter tries to deny it. Just then, Monica runs into the restaurant and hugs Suwabara while saying that she wants to join the party. Even though Azuma says that it's OK, Kawachi is against the idea since Monica is from the rival team. However, Monica drops a bombshell by saying that they are no longer rivals since Kirisaki has bought over Pantasia which is now under the control of St. Pierre. This shocks everyone who has never expected such an outcome...

Azuma, Kanmuri and Kawachi are moping at the beach where Kanmuri comments that he never expected Kirisaki to take over Pantasia before they could do anything. It is almost without doubt that Yukino will be taking over the reins of Pantasia. However, Kanmuri reminds them that they have 12 billion yen and would be able to set up a new bakery. Kawachi is pessimistic about the possibility as to whether this will work out.

Just then, Azuma goes to Tsukino and tells her to cheer up. He says that everyone will become moody if she looks sad but Tsukino still feels sorry for her grandfather who had gone through a lot to set up Pantasia. Azuma then gives Tsukino the ring that he got from the Monaco queen and puts it on her left hand as a gift. She is embarrassed by this gesture since Azuma put it on the wedding ring finger but decides to accept it at the encouragement of Kanmuri and Kawachi.

Over in Japan, Yukino is furious to know that she won't be the CEO of Pantasia and demands that Kirisaki give her an explanation. Kirisaki explains that he intends to get Yukino to manage St.Pierre while he will get Tsukino to manage Pantasia as he wants to do something else.

Meanwhile, Tsukino reveals the offer to her friends who are surprised by Kirisaki's actions. Kanmuri feels that Kirisaki is trying to minimise the danger they will pose to him by getting them to work for Pantasia which he owns. As such, Kawachi tells Tsukino that she should not accept the offer.

Just then, Kirisaki appears and explains that this is not a trap. In fact, he wants to challenge them to a competition where he will give them the Pantasia shares worth 120 billion yen for free if they win. However, the condition is that they will have to bear the costs of the production of the TV programme which will be shown on TV Big Tokyo with the 12 billion yen they possess. As such, if they lose, they will not be able to make a comeback since their funds will be exhausted. Matsushiro states that they will not agree to this match unless Kirisaki provides them with more information.

Kirisaki explains that the new programme will be named Yakitate 9 where there are no restrictions on the number of members and their ages. However, Azuma will have to take part in every match during the period of the competition under the request of the TV station. There will be a total of 9 matches held at cities famous for their local produce. Since Azuma wants to create his own Ja-pan one day, he should take on this challenge of using each place's local produce to create bread tailored for that region so as to boost the popularity of bread in Japan. Although Azuma feels like accepting the match, he is concerned over Tsukino's view.

Kirisaki then gives them Gopan 104 which he just made which makes them see a story about an American boy who wants to make rice for his countrymen. The scenario is the same as Azuma's background which makes them realise that Kirisaki is in a class above them. As such, Tsukino agrees to the competition as she doesn't want Pantasia to fall into the hands of Kirisaki but her friends must also agree to this since the money belongs to them too. Thus, the group decides to take up the challenge despite the odds of losing everything they have.

On the flight back to Japan, Kuroyanagi and Matsushiro get into an argument again which makes Azuma and gang wonder why they are on such bad terms. Just then, the stewardess asks Kuroyanagi to meet someone in the first class cabin.

Kuroyanagi is surprised to know that Kirisaki wants him to be the judge of Yakitate 9 as the latter thinks highly of his sense of taste and ability to detect various ingredients. Kuroyanagi brings up the possibility of him favouring the Pantasia team but Kirisaki thinks that Kuroyanagi will not take sides. However, Kuroyanagi has no plans to give up his career as a baker but Kirisaki reminds him not to be greedy and should concentrate on being a professional judge. This gets Kuroyanagi to start thinking over this suggestion.

Azuma asks Matsushiro why he is always bickering with Kuroyanagi. Matsushiro reveals that he tried to bully Kuroyanagi in the past right from the day the latter became his disciple. This was because Matsushiro knew that Kuroyanagi had the talent of identifying ingredients and baking methods instantly so he wanted him to quit being a baker and concentrate on developing his strengths. However, Kuroyanagi refused to give up which made Matsushiro continue to make trouble for him. Unknown to them, Kuroyanagi has overheard this conversation. Everyone tries to get Matsushiro to tell Kuroyanagi the truth but he refuses to do so. However, this becomes the turning point for Kuroyanagi to know what he should do...

The programme, Yakitake 9 finally begins with Kuroyanagi as the judge and host. Azuma, Kanmuri and Kawachi are taking part in the first round against Tsubozuka Takumi, a chef cum idol from the group CMAP...

I wonder if they had too much time and funds on hand thus resulting in a parody of Yakitate Japan by doing Takitate Go-han. And that part wasn't short so it is obviously a filler episode before they move on to the next arc of Yakitate 9. Although it was funny to watch, I really think it's quite a waste of time to do such things. I would have preferred to see them exploring more on Suwabara and Monica's relationship since they are such a cute couple.

And to make things worse, Suwabara doesn't seem to be appearing at all in the next arc since Kanmuri had been MIA for sometime so it's time for them to switch places. OK, I like both Suwabara and Kanmuri and would love to see both of them but I guess sometimes, there is no such thing as a win-win situation.

There seems to be another parody here...CMAP? Isn't it obvious that they are referring to SMAP? And that member is named Tsubozuka Takumi? Reference to Kimura Takuya?!

Actually, the Yakitate 9 contest is probably going to end up with an Azuma-win again but I'm staying on for more episodes despite the predictable outcome. I've followed this anime for more than 1 year so it's unlikely I will drop this until it ends its run.