NANA Ep 01

Nana, do you still remember how we met? I'm the type who believes in destiny thus I feel that we were fated to meet. Even if you want to laugh at me, it's OK...

Komatsu Nana checks her mobile phone anxiously and sees a message from her boyfriend Endou Shouji which has the subject of "Sakura Saku" (meaning the sakura has blossomed). This makes Nana leap into the air with joy and startles the customers at the video rental store she works in. Actually, Shoji has made it to an university in Tokyo and this means that Nana can finally join him there. She rushes home to pack up and leaves a note for her family members to indicate her whereabouts and asks them to send her belongings over once she finds an apartment to live in.

As Nana had been ranting about going to Tokyo for a long time, she feels that her parents would not be surprised at her sudden departure and may be happier since the house will become quieter without Nana who's the second child with a 2-year-older sister and 2-year-younger sister. In addition, Nana's strong desire to go to Tokyo also outweighs any sense of longing for her hometown of 20 years and her family as she can only think of reaching Tokyo at the shortest possible time.

Nana manages to buy a train ticket to Tokyo despite the snowy weather and is gushing with happiness as she receives an email from Shoji who will be coming to fetch her. However, she is shocked to see that the train carriage is full of people and regrets not buying a stipulated seat ticket earlier on as she tries to find a vacant seat.

Nana sees a girl dressed in leather wear and listening to her discman who placed her guitar on the seat. When Nana tries to speak to the girl, the train suddenly jerks and hurls Nana onto the laps of the girl with the guitar crashing down on her back.

The girl asks Nana if she's OK and she replies in the affirmative. Nana then asks to sit beside her as she can't find another vacant seat. As Nana settles down, she starts to observe the girl and marvels at her good looks. When the girl notices that Nana has been staring at her, she misunderstands that Nana is disturbed by the cigarette smoke but the latter denies it. The girl comments that the train has been stopping repeatedly ever since she boarded it due to the snowy weather. This makes Nana worry as she's anxious to get to Tokyo but she whips out her mobile phone and sends an email to Shoji. The girl is shocked by the speed at which Nana does this and comments that the senior high school girls of today are really good at typing emails on mobile phones. Nana clarifies that she's already 20 which makes the girl burst out laughing since they are of the same age and yet she saw Nana as someone younger.

Just then, there is an announcement played through the public address system saying that the train will travel at reduced speed in the midst of the snowstorm. When Nana laments again about this, the girl asks why she's going to Tokyo. Nana reveals that she's going to look for a job there and is surprised to know that the girl is doing the same even though Nana had assumed that the girl should be a musician returning to Tokyo after doing a live concert tour.

Suddenly, Nana receives a phone call from Shoji and the girl is visibly stunned upon hearing Nana's name. After hanging up, the girl teases Nana for going to Tokyo for the sake of a man. Nana tells the girl about Shoji being her ex-classmate from art school who left for Tokyo one year ago to prepare for the entrance exams of an art university. The girl asks Nana why she didn't go with him at that time and the latter replies sadly that Shoji didn't want her to tag along without any purpose as he felt that she would be better off working at their hometown to save money before moving to Tokyo. As such, when Shoji makes it to an university, she would go to Tokyo and join him while working there. Nana starts to get embarrassed over telling these to the girl whom she barely knows but the girl says that it's OK since it will probably be some time before they reach Tokyo. As such, Nana starts to get carried away talking about Shoji while the girl regrets letting Nana speak freely.

When they buy beer to drink, Nana suggests toasting for Shoji's entry into the university but the girl rebukes that this doesn't concern her. The girl then says that they should toast for the rare happening of 2 same-aged girls going to Tokyo on the same train at the same time and even reveals that her name is the same as Nana. In the end, they only reached Tokyo 5 hours later but Nana wasn't bored at all since she had someone to talk to.

(From now on, I will use Hachi to refer to Komatsu Nana and Nana to refer to Oosaki Nana so as to prevent confusion.)

Hachi is thrilled to see Shouji after alighting from the train and fails to realise that Nana has walked away silently. Hachi rushes over to hug Shouji and gets overwhelmed at seeing him that she starts to cry. When Hachi finally remembers Nana, she is disappointed not to see her and regrets not getting Nana's contact details. However, she soon cheers up upon seeing her buddies Junko and Kyousuke who have also come to fetch her.

Kyousuke and Junko drop Hachi and Shouji off and leaves together in their car. This makes Hachi a bit bewildered as she's feeling sleepy after the long train ride. When Hachi realises that she's going to be imposing on Shouji before she finds an apartment, she apologises to him for coming to Tokyo without giving prior notice and reveals that she had planned to stay with Junko first. However, Shouji remarks that this is not possible since Junko is already staying with Kyousuke, who is her boyfriend. Hachi is surprised to hear that Junko and Kyousuke are cohabiting and wonders if she and Shouji will become as close as them in future since they have been living in different cities for the past year.

The next day, Hachi oversleeps and finds Shouji out for his part-time job even though she had planned to make breakfast for him. As such, she decides to clean up the house and cook dinner for him while thinking that it would be good if she could take care of Shouji like this every day.

At dinner time, Shouji comments that he never thought that Hachi could cook that well. When Shouji asks if she has found an apartment or a job, Hachi realises that she has clean forgotten about these things as she was too eager to please Shouji. This makes Shouji complain that she is not in Tokyo to clean his house and reminds her to do what she should. Hachi retorts unhappily that she did everything for Shouji which causes him to feel unhappy and refuse her gesture to help him wash the dishes. This makes Hachi sad and regret what she said to Shouji.

Hachi goes to a real estate agent where an old man Andou tells her that it is hard to find an apartment where the rent is below 50,000 yen. Andou then suggests bringing Hachi to look at an apartment which charges 70,000 yen per month without the need for security deposits. Hachi is happy to see the building made of red bricks and a river with lots of greenery beside it. The only grouse she has would be the absence of a lift even though the apartment she's going to view is at the 7th storey.

Upon reaching the apartment 707, Hachi is thrilled to see Nana who has also come to view the place. However, Nana pretends not to remember Hachi which scares her for a brief moment. Nana's real estate agent Yokoi asks if she's ready to sign the contract but she still needs to consider. As such, Andou asks if she can let Hachi view the apartment too and they find her already doing that while exclaiming about the good points of the place.

Hachi decides immediately to rent the apartment which is met with objections from Nana and Yokoi since they were the first to come here. Just when Hachi and Nana are arguing over who should rent the place, Hachi reveals that she needs to move out of Shouji's place urgently or he will dump her one day. Nana expresses interest in this topic only to be met with Yokoi hurrying her to sign the contract instead of getting bothered over trivial matters. This earns Yokoi stares from the girls who scold him for being unfeeling.

On seeing this, Andou suggests that the girls can live together and split the rent and living expenses among themselves since they both like the place. When Nana comments whether Hachi will not infringe on her privacy, Andou suggests fixing locks on the rooms but Yokoi tries to dissuade Nana from sharing the apartment with Hachi because his commission will be halved. This makes Nana unimpressed with Yokoi's attitude and decides to accept Andou's suggestion instead. They make arrangements to move in on the next day and shake hands which marks the beginning of their friendship as roommates...

After watching the first episode, it appears that a lot of the details from the manga have been left out e.g. Shouji and Hachi making up after that brief quarrel. As such, the flow of the story seems rather awkward especially for those who have read the manga before watching the anime. And I find it weird for the story to jump straight into Vol 2 when they should have started with the background stories of Nana and Hachi and yet they prefer to do a recap of the past by showing the fateful meeting of the girls first.

As for the voice-acting, it's quite hard to get used to KAORI's high-pitched saccharine-sweet voice even though it suits Hachi's personality. It's a matter of personal preference since I'm not too receptive when it comes to squeaky-female voices. It doesn't help that Hachi appears like an airhead at an early stage of the story. On the other hand, Park Ro-mi's voice keeps reminding me of Ed in Fullmetal Alchemist so I thought it would have been better if there was some distinguishing traits to prevent the confusion. Although Nana should have a husky voice, what I hear in the anime just doesn't fit in since it feels a lot like a teenager boy's voice rather than a 20-year-old woman.

Talking about the theme songs, I tend to prefer the OP by Tsuchiya Anna more than the ED by olivia because I don't like the chorus part of the ED. Besides, I like Tsuchiya's vocals more on a comparative basis. This is exactly the opposite of what I felt for the real-life movie as I liked Ito Yuna's song first before growing to accept Nakashima Mika's song. Anyway, based on first impressions, I'm not sure if the anime songs will be as good or even better than the movie's versions so I can only judge after repeated listenings.

Mushishi Ep 04: Makura Koji (The pillow path)

Ginko pays a visit to a man's house after hearing rumours of the latter having prophetic dreams which coincide with happenings in the future. Instead of being impressed by the man's ability, Ginko expresses his concern at this phenomenon. When the man is bewildered by Ginko's words, he explains that the reason why the man keeps having these dreams could be due to the Mushis living in his dreams. As such, to prevent them from breeding further, Ginko gives a pack of medicine to the man for consumption. However, the man should only start taking them when the frequency of such prophetic dreams increases to about 50% and any overdosage will be hazardous to his health. On the other hand, if he allows the situation to go out of control, there may come a day when he will never wake up from his dream. With this advice, Ginko embarks on his journey and states that he will return when the medicine is about to run out.

You mustn't talk to someone while he is sleeping because the words you hear will be from the underworld...

True to his word, Ginko returns to the village but is surprised to see it in a state of despair even though it's been less than one year since he last came. When he arrives at the man's house, he finds the latter waiting for him as if knowing that Ginko will turn up some day. Ginko asks about what had happened to the village and the man relates the events which took place after Ginko's departure...

The man whose name is Jin, had a dream of an underground water source in the forest and got his fellow villagers to dig for it. They were elated to find that the dream turned out to be true and showered Jin's family with lots of gifts. However, Jin's wife, Kinu was concerned about the increasing frequency of these dreams and reminded her husband to heed the advice of Ginko. Jin was sceptical about the authenticity of Ginko's theory but assured Kinu that he will drink the medicine so as to keep her at ease.

Subsequently, Jin's dream helped him warn a family in advance to escape before a landslide buried their house. As such, this made Jin feel scared about those dreams because everything came true as if Jin had wanted them to. Kinu remarked that the dreams were probably given to Jin so as to help the villagers so he should not feel guilty over it. Although Jin tried to show Kinu that he had gotten over this matter, the truth was that his fear overcame his judgement and he started to consume the medicine so as to suppress the dreams.

One day, a tsunami struck the village and resulted in the deaths of many including Jin's daughter Mayu who was at the beach. Due to the fact that Jin failed to see this disaster coming, the villagers were rather unhappy over this. Jin also blamed himself for indirectly causing the death of Mayu and decided to stop taking Ginko's medicine. This caused the frequency of his dreams to increase and life slowly got back to normal as per before the tsunami.

Unexpectedly, this marked the beginning of a nightmare for Jin too. He dreamt of a strange illness hitting the village and tried to brush it off as it seemed so vivid. The next day, Jin saw Kinu being struck by the same illness where a green mold would spread from the fingers to the rest of the body before disintegrating the person into pieces. In no time, Jin became the sole survivor in the village.

When Jin finishes his story, he accuses Ginko of lying to him when they first met. Jin only realised this when the plague struck the village because the people closest to him were hit with the illness first. That's when he found out that the Mushis residing in his dreams are not those who forecast future happenings but rather those which re-create whatever he has dreamed of, into reality.

Jin demands Ginko to explain why he had lied and is shocked to find out that the reason was due to the inability to get rid of such Mushis from one's dreams. As such, the only way is to control the Mushis. However, once the host knows the root of the problem, it will be hard for the person to bear with the consequences just as in Jin's case. Jin is agitated to hear this and screams that he should have died to prevent the disasters which happened. Ginko apologises for lying and promises to help Jin overcome the problem as long as the latter continues to live.

Ginko explains that the Mushis residing in Jin's dreams are called Imeno no Awai which live inside and outside the dreams. Due to the movement, that's when they make the dreams come true. However, this doesn't happen all the time so there are a limited number of dreams which are realized in reality. As the number of the Mushis increase, the frequency of dreams coming true would increase correspondingly. The only way to control the Mushis would be to find the medium which is used to enter Jin's dreams from their own world.

As Ginko tries to find a solution to the problem, he is aghast to find Jin consuming all the medicine in a bid to commit suicide because he's too devastated to keep on living. Ginko manages to save Jin and finds that he has started dreaming based on the movements of his eyeballs. When Jin mumbles an apology in his sleep, Ginko replies that neither him nor the Mushis are at fault. However, Jin starts to talk about seeing geese and even replies to a question which makes Ginko realise that this is not sleep talk after all. Suddenly, the screen behind Jin's mattress brightens up and Ginko sees a picture of black objects in the sky where he concludes that these are flocks of Imeno no Awai.

Meanwhile, Jin sees Kinu and Mayu alive as if nothing has happened and sobs uncontrollably while apologising to them. Kinu reassures Jin that he has done nothing wrong at all. Suddenly, the surroundings change again and Jin finds himself lying on the mattress. When a fire in the screen spreads to his pillow, Ginko carries Jin outside the house and rushes to find water to extinguish the fire. Jin realises where the problem lies and grabs a sword to slash the pillow before Ginko can stop him. Little does he know that he's still in the midst of his dream and this action causes him to suffer from the effects of this action. As Jin collapses, the house is swallowed in flames.

Ginko brings Jin to another village where the latter receives treatment for his wounds. When Jin comes to, he asks Ginko if he had expected this to happen after he slashed the pillow. Ginko explains that the origin of the word, pillow means room for the soul as human beings spend a third of their lives resting on it. As such, that's also considered the place when the soul would rest. By slashing the pillow, Ginko had guessed that something would happen to Jin.

After Jin recovered, he became a sword smith again and was sought-after for his skills. However, he slowly changed and even lost his senses before stabbing himself in public. The reason behind this was said to be his fear for sleeping and the soul wandering off. As such, he never had a dream again after slashing his pillow...

I must really commend the author of this manga for her ability to observe daily things which we have taken for granted and using these to spin these tales filled with mystique. This time round, the topic is on sleeping or rather, dreaming which everyone does on a daily basis. As such, it will be easy to identify with whatever is being discussed here as compared to using abstract concepts to illustrate the theme.

Actually, with regards to sleeping, there are many myths surrounding this issue. Besides the point of not talking to someone while you are sleeping, there are also taboos like not placing a mirror opposite your bed because your soul goes wandering during sleep and if the soul sees a reflection in the mirror, it may mean that the soul can get confused and the person never wakes up as a result.

It gets a little creepy to see this episode because I do dream of things now and something identical may happen a few years down the road. As such, I've always believed that dreams do reflect reality but the issue for me is when the event takes place. Of course, I'm not prophetic nor possess such forecasting powers but I'm sure there will be times when something happens and you get the feeling of deja vu as if you have seen this before.

This episode is rather sad because we see a man being plagued by his ability to see events in his dreams which causes his misfortune in the end. I can't help but sympathise with him and the last statement of him never having a dream after cutting the pillow just seemed so ironic. If he had not cut the pillow, he would still be in anguish over the Mushis translating dreams to reality. On the other hand, cutting the pillow meant that he had severed his ties with dreamland and the revelation of the pillow being the medium to there caused him to be fearful of sleeping. Given that his soul and body didn't get to rest, it's no wonder that he finally lost his life. On hindsight, it is easy to come to conclusions but even if Jin had known what would come, would he still continue to dream and forsake the perks which come with it or choose to remain oblivious to what may come and leave everything to fate? That's really something worth pondering over.

Yakitate Japan Ep 57

Tsubozuka offers to give Azuma, Kanmuri and Kawachi acupuncture treatment as an apology for what Yukino did to obstruct the competition from taking place under fair conditions. However, this gives Tsukino a shock as she finds the trio half-naked in the CEO office while Tsubozuka is doing so. Kawachi explains this to her and even asks Tsukino to join them, only to be whacked by her for this remark. When Kawachi comments that it is hard for them to go against CMAP in the next round now that they have become friends, Tsubozuka clarifies that they don't have to worry as he has already quit from the group. Through his competition with the Pantasia trio, he has realised that he needs to regain the passion and joy derived from cooking thus there is no reason for him to stay in CMAP. It appears that the members of CMAP are rivals trying to outdo one another and they only pretend to be on good terms during TV shows. Given that the 3 members are professionals when it comes to cooking, Tsubozuka reminds the trio not to take them lightly. With response to this, Kawachi says that they are the professionals in bread-making so they won't be intimidated by CMAP.

Meanwhile in Jungle Agency, the 3 members of CMAP i.e. Kaname Hiroshi, Chimatsuri Go and Narumi Shizuto are engaged in a meeting with Yukino who wants them to take part in the third round against Pantasia. However, these guys are not convinced that they have to take part together just to beat the Pantasia team and even get into an argument among themselves. This leads Yukino to think that these guys are simply goners when it comes to team spirit. Just then, Kirisaki enters the room and says that it is not time for them to be after one another's blood. He throws a magazine onto the table where there is an article insunating that CMAP is finished with Tsubozuka's withdrawal from the team. Although Chimatsuri is not bothered by Tsubozuka's departure, Kaname reminds them that rumours of this sort will hurt their reputations, popularity and finally their incomes. Kirisaki states that they would not have to think of cooperating with one another since they can take care of individual aspects without interfering with how the other members handle their tasks. As such, Kaname decides to choose the ingredients, Narumi will do the preparation of the ingredients while Chimatsuri who has an Arm of Flames will make the bread.

The 3rd round begins with the location announced as Saito City in Miyazaki Prefecture. Upon their arrival at the place, Azuma marvels at the huge haniwa statue which is the symbol of Saito known for its collection of ancient graves. Kawachi remarks that they can't make bread with the haniwa so Kanmuri clarifies that the famous local produce in this city is ripe mangoes grown in greenhouses where the fruit will be wrapped with a net before it ripens and falls to the ground by itself. Due to its sweet taste and nice fragrances, the ripe mangoes are called the queen of the fruits.

When the trio goes to a shop to buy the mangoes, they are shocked to see the high price tag of 3 for 7000 yen. As Miyazaki Prefecture is known for its fine weather in the nation, the fruits produced here will usually be more expensive as compared to those from other locations given its high quality. When an old lady gives Kawachi a piece for tasting, this sends him into a display of exaggerated reactions to show how delicious the fruit is.

The CMAP trio happen to pass by on their bus and mock the Pantasia team as well as Tsubozuka who lost to them. This makes Kawachi very angry and tells them not to speak ill of their ex-teammate. The CMAP members even go as far as saying that Tsubozuka deliberately lost to Pantasia so as to get them into trouble. Azuma flares up at CMAP and declares that he will beat them with his Ja-pan.

Azuma's remarks anger the CMAP members who resolve to beat Pantasia. Kaname then shows Chimatsuri and Narumi the ingredients he will be getting and explains that they will make the mango curry bread using the ripe mangoes which will definitely secure victory for them.

Meanwhile, the Pantasia team return to their motel which is another rundown place with an inauspicious name, Nakisou (About to cry) and Kawachi remarks that they always have to put up with such motels during the contest. Kanmuri explains their intention to save on the costs thus they will have to bear with it, even as their room is overcrowded with lots of haniwa figures in various sizes. As they discuss how to beat the CMAP team, Kawachi doesn't think that they can win if they make things like mango jam, pudding or jelly to be put within the bread. However, Azuma has no intention to do anything to the mangoes since they should taste best as it is. As such, they decide to use the freezing method to chill the waffle dough with the mangoes before baking and proceed to their trailer truck to test the results.

Even though the end-result looks good on the outside, the taste is nothing to boast about. First of all, the mango juices seeped into the dough thus affecting the crispiness of the waffle. Secondly, the artificial sweetness of the waffle doesn't blend with the natural sweetness of the mangoes. Last but not least, the juices would drip out from the waffle thus making it a messy affair to consume this bread.

Kawachi asks Azuma if he's prepared to give up the idea of using the mangoes as it is. Kanmuri has an idea of using the industrial shock freezer to overcome the first problem but he cannot do anything about the other 2 issues. Just when Azuma is seriously considering Kawachi's suggestion, he gets an inspiration after looking at the haniwa statues and declares that he will make the Haniwa Ja-pan to beat CMAP. As such, Azuma gets Kawachi to gather other fruits in the locality which will be mixed into the dough to overcome the second problem of differences in sweetness. The last problem will be solved if they use the haniwa statues if Azuma's theory is to hold true.

The day of the competition arrives in the midst of the sweltering weather. However, Kanmuri realises something strange because Chimatsuri is not sweating at all despite the heat.

As the preparation gets underway, Kawachi comes to the audience and meets Tsukino and Matsushiro who realise that he's been made an errand boy for this round instead of participating in the bread-making process. They find out that CMAP has used demi-glace sauce made from Miyazaki beef to make the mango curry so as to reduce the water content and prevent the bread from turning soggy. Besides, Narumi's way of cooking the curry is the key to making it delicious as it follows the standard method used in Western cooking.

Kaname appears before Kawachi and gang where he declares his work done after buying the ingredients. He also explains that victory is as good as his since the Pantasia will be no match for Chimatsuri and Narumi's cooking skills. When Kawachi retorts that everything will be fine since Azuma is around, Kaname points out the fact that Azuma has added unheated fruit juice into the dough which will make it impossible for the dough to be kneaded as it destroys the gluten...

The SMAP parody continues in this episode and for the next since the 3rd round is not completed yet. Somehow, I get the feeling that the scriptwriters have deliberately tried to steer clear from any direct references to the SMAP in real life since they won't want to risk legal action taken against them. In CMAP, there are 4 members instead of 5 and certain traits distinct to a particular member are not restricted to one character only. For example, Chimatsuri's hairstyle resembles Katori Shingo but his name's kanji Go seems to be in reference to Kusanagi Tsuyoshi. Meanwhile, Narumi seems like a dead ringer for Kimura Takuya. I'm still bewildered as to who Kaname is supposed to represent though since his behaviour is somewhat like the leader of CMAP but no one in SMAP wears glasses. Anyway, the point about CMAP being enemies in real life but pretending to be buddies on TV leaves much room for thought as to whether SMAP is like this too. Not to forget the last point, the agency name is shown as Jungle in the anime and in real life, SMAP belongs to Johnny's Jimusho.

Well, I don't eat mangoes so the creation this week doesn't really interest me. I've heard of using apples and chocolates in curry but mangoes? That's the first time I've seen something like this so I'm quite doubtful as to whether it does work in real life.

Suzuka Ep 24: Shissou (Disappearance)

The Tokyo tournament begins where Yamato is hyped up over the upcoming race. Meanwhile, Suzuka manages to clear her event with a good result which will allow her to take part in the Kantou tournament.

As Yamato keeps telling himself that he will confess to Suzuka again about his feelings if he gets No.1, he can't help but wonder if she will reject him again. When he recalls how Suzuka offered her best wishes to him for the race, he gets encouraged about his chances in succeeding.

Miyamoto comes to ask Yamato about his running style for the race and the latter happily remarks that he will follow what he has been doing during training. Miyamoto seems concerned about this but does not comment further and reminds Yamato to take it easy since he has to run in 3 races over the 2-day event. Yamato reassures him that everything will be fine and goes to do his warming-up. Miyamoto reveals to the captain that ever since Yamato changed his running style, he may have been suppressing his accleration rate unknowingly which results in his running time being slower than before. However, changing the running style is for Yamato's interests in the long run since that will make him a potential national champion even if he does lose to Arima in this tournament now.

The 100m race begins with Yamato taking the lead at the start. However, Arima gradually overtakes him and Yamato ends up being the last in the heat due to his inability to accelerate at will. In the end, Arima takes the gold medal for the race as Yamato wallows in despair over the result.

Miyamoto apologises to Yamato for getting him to change his running style in just 2 weeks but the latter says that it is his fault since his mind went blank during the race. Miyamoto encourages Yamato to work hard for the summer tournament instead but he keeps thinking that he's a burden to his teammates and isn't sure what he should do.

Yamato skips his dinner again which makes Miho comment that he's been like that since losing the race yesterday. Suzuka doesn't seem too interested in this topic and leaves the dining area after finishing her dinner. As such, Miho and Ayano wonder if Yamato and Suzuka are engaged in a cold war again.

In actual fact, Yamato is not so troubled over losing the race but rather not meeting Suzuka's expectations when she had even encouraged him to do his best. As such, Yamato doesn't know how he should face Suzuka. Just then, Suzuka comes to look for him and offers to cook boiled eggs for him since she bought too many during a sale. Yamato asks why she didn't cook it in her apartment but she says that she didn't want to waste her gas supplies since the eggs are meant for Yamato in the first place. When Yamato sees Suzuka washing his dirty dishes, he keeps wondering why she came to his place but gives up thinking since he can never comprehend her actions. Suzuka suddenly talks about her past experience of not doing well in the high-jump event which makes Yamato realise that she is here to get him to cheer up.

When Suzuka prepares to go home, Yamato decides to tell her about his feelings again and says that he will wait for her answer until the day he wins the next race. This makes Suzuka recall what Tsuda said to her on the day before he was killed in an accident and she stops Yamato from speaking further. Suzuka tells Yamato to stop whatever he's saying and rushes out of his apartment. This makes Yamato very upset since it means that he won't get a chance to confess again.

Miho comes to look for Yamato and reveals that Suzuka is not in her apartment. This makes Yamato get worried since it's been one hour after she ran out of his place. As such, he can't help but feel that his confession is the reason why Suzuka is still loitering outside.

Yamato goes out to look for Suzuka and calls Miki to help. Meanwhile, Suzuka is in tears as she walks around aimlessly and ends up at the shrine's entrance...

The more I watch this, the more irritated I get about the development of Yamato and Suzuka's relationship. It's so obvious that Suzuka does have feelings for Yamato but she seems to be backing out every now and then whenever something reminds her of the similarity between him and Tsuda. It's high time she got over Tsuda but of course, it's easier said than done. I get the feeling that she does like Yamato as compared to what she feels for Tsuda though. It's as if Tsuda was somewhat like an idol to her and she didn't really see him in the romantic sense until his confession. Unless she gets over this psychological barrier, there will be no resolution to the problem.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 42 - Kare no Na wo Shirazu (Not Knowing His Name)

Al is horrified to see his body turning black slowly as Kimbly declares to make his death a miserable one so as not to go against his name as a bomb expert. The explosion takes some time to happen as it's absorbing oxygen slowly. As Kimbly breathes his last, Al finds himself getting weaker and being unable to move freely. Scar warns him not to move unnecessarily and is looking for a way to save Al when Lust appears. She tells Scar not to touch Al with his right hand which bears the alchemy motifs since he is only capable of destroying things but Ed may be able to change the composition of Al's body with alchemy. Lust tries to persuade Scar to continue with the creation of Kenja no Ishi but he pushes her away, citing that she's definitely not his late brother's lover since that person would never leave anyone in the lurch for her own interests...

Meanwhile, in the underground tunnel, Rose's baby is crying incessantly which gets on the nerves of Wrath who's reminded of his past. As Rose sees Ed being frozen by the sight of Sloth who resembles his late mother Trisha, she tries hard to mumble some words. Upon hearing Rose's voice, Ed snaps out of his trance and manages to stop Wrath from attacking her in the nick of time. He then uses alchemy to trap Wrath's arm with a spear. Just then, Sloth uses the voice of Trisha to bewitch Ed into lowering his guard against her but the same trick doesn't work on him again. Ed reveals that he has always been wondering why Sloth resembles Trisha and now realises that she is the homculus which he and Al created years ago. As such, he deems it his own responsibility to destroy Sloth since she's the result of their sins.

Ed traps Sloth and Wrath under some rumble in the tunnel and gets Rose to run away with him. However, Lyra who has been waiting for them, tells Ed that this will not do since the Homculus will not be destroyed in this manner. Although Ed senses something from this remark, he chooses not to say anything and remarks to Rose that it's great that she regained her voice which helped him to turn the tables around just now.

At the military HQ, Archer is worried as he cannot contact Kimbly at all and that Tucker's kimeras are also nowhere in sight after they went to Rioru on King Bradley's orders. Mustang and Hawkeye suddenly appear before them and she gets a shock upon seeing Tucker since he has become a kimera himself. Armstrong enters the underground cellar and explains who Tucker is. Archer finds out that Armstrong was just a spy to find out about the corrupt practices within the military and the latter had no intention to be his follower in the first place. However, Archer has no intention of repenting and even traps the trio in the cellar by letting the kimeras loose as he prepares to be the hero in the Isbal war which is going to be launched.

Archer leads the troops to head for Rioru so as to take over the place by force. As King Bradley and Gluttony look on at what's happening from a window, they comment how silly these human beings are but this is still in line with their ultimate goal of getting Kenja no Ishi from Scar if he happens to be able to produce it. Thus, King Bradley has no intention to stop what Archer is doing.

Scar tells Lust that he has realised that she is not the person whom his brother had tried to resurrect but she says that she will become that person as long as Scar uses Kenja no Ishi to transform her. However, Scar doesn't feel this way since that wouldn't change Lust's character after all and people cannot be brought back to life as it's against the rules of nature. When Lust sees that Scar is trying to do something, she tries to stop him but he uses the remains of his brother's lover to keep her away. Scar then imparts the motifs on his arm to Al's body which results in his right arm being severed.

To stop Al from being killed from the bomb explosion, Scar chooses to sacrifice his arm and transform Al into Kenja no Ishi itself as that will increase his chances of survival. Lust asks Scar if he's serious about giving Kenja no Ishi to the Elric brothers and he says that it will be theirs to keep if the process succeeds. Lust wants to stop Scar but he says that if she kills him, there will be nobody to create Kenja no Ishi anyway. As such, Lust gives up the idea and decides to go along with what Scar has in mind.

Ed escorts the Rioru people out of the tunnel and tells Rose to flee with them immediately. As for himself, he will return to the town so as to stop Scar. However, there is a possibility that Scar may have to be handed to the military so that the Rioru people can be spared from more persecution. Ed promises that he will try his best to negotiate with Mustang on the matter. As they say their goodbyes, Ed tells Rose that this will be the last time they meet and proceeds on his mission.

Archer is waiting outside Rioru with his troops as one of them return to report that there is nobody in the city. Just then, they see Scar throwing Kimbly's corpse from a rooftop and Archer orders the troops to enter the city. As the men try to search for Scar, Lust remarks to him that the military shouldn't have been allowed to enter Rioru but Scar sees it as a fated development. When some soldiers spot them, they fire shots at Lust but Scar tries to block them for her. Given that Lust wouldn't die even if she was shot, Scar's action is considered silly and she kills the soldiers in retalliation. Scar admits that he knows the fact but he can't stop himself from trying to save Lust. This makes her realise that he has always been in love with his brother's girlfriend i.e. Lust.

Lust brings Scar to a house to take refuge as he tells her about his hatred for his brother who went against the teachings of the Isbal god to learn alchemy. As compared to the Elric brothers who live for the sake of each other, Scar can't bring himself to say the same of his own brother thus he decided to help Al to live on instead. Scar prepares to get the ritual ready when Lust asks for his real name. However, Scar says that he doesn't have a name anymore since the names of the Isbal people are given by God and he has betrayed his tribe through his actions. Lust mutters a silent goodbye to Scar as he leaves the house.

Just when Archer is gloating over the fact that he will soon be the hero of this war, Ed rushes to stop him from sending the troops into the city. However, Archer is blinded by his pursuit of fame and glory as he enters the city together with the remaining soldiers, leaving Ed to be restrained by his men.

Scar scrambles onto the streets and finally collapses in exhausation. As he's happy over the fact that he can get eternal peace, Scar uses his body to become the trigger for the alchemy ritual to produce Kenja no Ishi. The whole city is enveloped in red as the soldiers become the live sacrificial objects. To prevent the remaining soldiers from entering the city, Ed uses alchemy to form a protective dome around them so as to avoid being sucked into the reaction.

At the same time, Armstrong, Mustang and Hawkeye finally overcome the kimeras as their subordinates rush to save them. They report to the trio about what has happened.

After the reaction subsides, Ed is horrified to see the whole city gone before him and the vast desert appears in place of where Rioru should have been at. Ed then orders the soldiers to search for survivors as he runs around looking for Scar. However, he ends up finding Al underneath a pile of sand and wonders why Al is in Rioru. Al reveals what had happened which leads Ed to tell him to open the casing before his chest. They are shocked to see a red crystal lying within and realise that Scar made Al become Kenja no Ishi. Suddenly, Lust appears before them and confirms their deductions. She tells them to run away as far as possible before the Homculus and military come after that. Just when the brothers are puzzled over why Lust is letting them off, Al brings out the necklace bearing Lust's remains which Scar had attached to him earlier. The brothers are now lost over what they should do...

There goes another favourite character of mine, Scar who gets to take centrestage in this episode. The title is referring to him since till this stage, we are still unaware of his real name. It's quite sad when he told Lust that he doesn't deserve any name and the fact that he couldn't bring himself to love his brother like how Ed and Al does due to a lot of issues. He comes to a rather tragic end but if I consider the fact that he's at peace with himself and can get eternal rest, I think it would have been better for him in a way. I'm just quite upset over the fact that I can't hear Okiayu Ryoutarou-san's voice anymore. This is the second time when I'm so affected by a FMA character's death ever since what happened to Hughes.

Although I don't like Kimbly, I like his seiyuu, Ueda Yuji though so not being able to hear his voice anymore isn't what I expected. I know all baddies come to no good end but I didn't expect it to be now. Given that Kimbly appeared during the later stage of the anime, I would have wanted him to have more lines though.

Now that Al has become the Kenja no Ishi, everyone will be clamouring to grab hold of him. This will probably mean that the brothers become fugitives since the military cannot be trusted with King Bradley at the helm. The thing is, Mustang and his men are still unaware of what's going on so Ed and Al cannot really depend on them for support.

Lust seems to be undergoing a change psychologically after her interaction with Scar. There were early signs that she was deviating from what her counterparts were doing and by letting the brothers go now, it suggests that she might probably turn against the Homculus one day. Of course, the fact that Al has the necklace which holds her remains is another reason why she cannot deal with them alone. I guess the fact that she remembers snippets of whom she was supposed to be i.e. Scar's brother's lover has shakened her belief in what the Homculus have been doing.

Ayakashi Ep 1 - 4: Yotsuya Kaidan

Ayakashi consists of 3 supernatural tales and the first 4 episodes are allocated to Yotsuya Kaidan. In this story, there are two main characters Tamiya Iemon and Oiwa who are a married couple. However, due to Oiwa's father dislike for Tamiya, he separates them which causes the latter to bear a grudge. In order to get Oiwa back, Tamiya kills his father-in-law without his wife's knowledge.

Although things should have gone smoothly with the couple reunited, the birth of their child causes Oiwa to become sickly and Tamiya gets increasingly frustrated with her and his life as he has nothing better to do. At this point, he happens to catch the fancy of Oume, a girl from a rich and influential family. Unknown to Tamiya, Oume orders her servants to send a packet of poison for Oiwa to consume and this results in the latter being disfigured. Despite having reservations about leaving Oiwa behind for the sake of his future, Tamiya chooses to make use of the chance to accuse Oiwa of adultery and even kills her.

On the night when Tamiya and Oume get married, he sees an illusion of Oiwa. He gets so panicky that he kills Oume and her family members in the process. Having nowhere to go as he's a wanted man, Tamiya even has to get his mother to create a tombstone so that people think that he's dead. However, that doesn't stop the series of nightmares and constant hallucinations plaguing Tamiya and he ends up being killed by Yogeshichi, the fiance of Oiwa's younger sister Osode.

Frankly speaking, the story isn't that complicated so I don't really see the rationale of using 4 episodes for this story. In fact, a major part of the 4th episode was even attributed to the history of Yotsuya Kaidan and the supposed curse of Oiwa over the years on the people who made the stage and movie versions. That section was rather eerie to watch because it makes me wonder if the string of happenings was really related to Oiwa or mere coincidences. Other than that, the presentation of the story was rather confusing because of the introduction of the author-cum-narrator. Last but not least, the quality of the animation especially the design of the characters left much to be desired. I was expecting more from this anime since it's made by a movie company, Toei and was in the Noitamina slot.

Nevertheless, I like the OP and ED despte all the flaws I picked out about Yotsuya Kaidan. The ED stands out especially with its Japanese style melody and the vocals of Hajime Chitose makes this song easy to remember. I just hope that the remaining 2 stories will be better though because the genre was what had attracted me to begin watching the anime in the first place.

Ouran Koukou Host Club Ep 01: Kyou kara Kimi wa Host da!

Fujioka Haruhi is trying to find a quiet place to study but finds the 4 libraries bustling with activity. As Haruhi goes in search of a suitable spot, he can't help but wonder why these rich students seem to be in school to play rather than study. Haruhi finds himself in front of the 3rd Music Room and enters gingerly to see the members of the Host Club before him...

In Ouran Gakuin, the students either come from influential or rich families. As such, a group of good-looking guys form the Host Club so as to entertain the girls who have too much time and money on their hands in a game specially for the rich.

Haruhi is startled by the sight of the Host Club members who are disappointed to see a guy instead of their female customers. Ootori Kyouya, a 2nd year student cum vice-chairman of the Host Club asks the twins Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru about the identity of Haruhi since they are from the same class. However, Hikaru and Kaoru claim ignorance since Haruhi doesn't mix around with the classmates. Hearing this, Kyouya realises something and has a smirk on his face.

Kyouya greets Haruhi and reveals the fact that the latter is in their school on a scholarship. Haruhi doesn't understand why Kyouya knows about this so he explains that those on scholarships are the poor who cannot afford the fees thus they are a minority in the school. Haruhi gets slightly offended when he's referred to as a thick-skinned poor student who dares to enter Ouran. At the same time, the chairman of the Host Club, Suou Tamaki, a 2nd-year student tries to be friendly towards Haruhi but ends up harping too much on Haruhi's financial status and irritating him in the process. Just before Haruhi tries to leave, a 3rd-year student Haninozuka Mitsukuni grabs hold of him and praises him for having the guts to enter their school.

Tamaki remarks that he didn't expect Haruhi to like guys and asks what type he likes. Haruhi tries to explain that he was just looking for a place to study and had no intention of patronising the Host Club. In his haste to get away from Tamaki, Haruhi bumps into a vase which breaks into pieces upon landing on the floor. Hikaru and Kaoru reveal that the vase was meant for an auction which would fetch about 8 million yen for the Club. Haruhi has no means of paying for that since he can't even buy the uniform. As such, Tamaki decides to get Haruhi to be the slave of the Host Club so that he can work to repay the debt.

This marks the start of Haruhi's life as a servant to the Host Club and the first task he has to carry out is to buy coffee. However, Tamaki is surprised at Haruhi buying instant coffee and comes to the conclusion that the poor must be too busy to grind coffee beans thus resorting to drinking this. Haruhi is irritated by this remark and says that he will go to buy the expensive coffee now. However, Tamaki gets Haruhi to make the coffee for everyone so that they can have a taste of the poor. Seeing how these rich kids behave, Haruhi is baffled as to why they are making a fuss over nothing.

Hikaru is telling his customers about how Kaoru woke up due to a nightmare and the latter starts to cry. As they deliver their standard BL performance, the girls go gaga over it. Meanwhile, Morinozuka Takashi, a 3rd-year student who's also in the kendo club i.e. Mori-senpai, carries Hani-senpai to the Host Club where the girls go wild about his child-like cuteness.

Haruhi doesn't understand why Hani-senpai is behaving this way despite being a 3rd-year student which leads Kyouya to explain the charm of Hani-senpai is in his cuteness while Mori-senpai is liked for his coolness. Hani-senpai offers cakes to Haruhi and even lends his rabbit soft toy to him. Upon seeing Haruhi's remark about the rabbit soft toy, Hani-senpai realises something and quickly returns to join his customers. Kyouya continues with his explanation and says that Tamaki is their No.1 host as he gets 70% of the customers. This makes Haruhi comment that the world must be coming to an end since those girls are crazy over him. Last but not least, Kyouya reminds Haruhi not to think of running away from the Host Club since his family has a secret police force of 100 and Haruhi will not be able to go anywhere unless the debt is repaid.

Tamaki tells Haruhi not to dress like a nerd since this will make him unpopular with girls. In response, Haruhi says that he's not interested in girls and doesn't understand why people are so obsessed with exterior appearances. As Tamaki goes on and on about his perfectness, Haruhi thinks hard of a word to describe him and finally decides on "uzai" (noisy and irritating) which causes Tamaki to feel down immediately. Haruhi feels that he might have been too harsh and tries to make Tamaki feel better.

When Hikaru remarks that Haruhi will look better without spectacles, Tamaki immediately gets the members to prepare Haruhi for a makeover. However, Hani-senpai is left out of this process and mopes over it. Meanwhile, Hikaru and Kaoru bring a set of uniform for Haruhi to change into. When Haruhi throws them out of the fitting room, the twins come to realise something immediately.

After changing into the uniform and getting a makeover, Haruhi looks like a changed person. As such, he is promoted to be a regular member of the Host Club. Tamaki even declares that his debt will be written off as long as he can get 100 customers.

Haruhi begins work as a host but doesn't know what he should do. However, the fact that he can get his debt written off as long as he has 100 customers makes Haruhi buck up and he becomes an unexpected hit among the customers.

Tamaki's customer, Ayakoji Hime remarks that he is paying too much attention on Haruhi but Tamaki explains that he is just trying to groom Haruhi into a perfect host. He then introduces Haruhi to Ayakoji. Tamaki grabs hold of Haruhi when the latter smiles at Ayakoji. When Haruhi asks Mori-senpai for help, he removes Haruhi from Tamaki's grasp and comes to realise something too. Looking at how Tamaki is paying a lot of attention to Haruhi, Ayakoji is obviously unhappy over this.

Haruhi finds his bag thrown into the fountain and rushes to retrieve his belongings. On the way, he meets Ayakoji who mocks Haruhi for not behaving in tune with his new image. This makes Haruhi realise that Ayakoji is the culprit but he doesn't want to invite more trouble. As Haruhi is fishing for his wallet in the fountain, Tamaki offers to help which makes Haruhi grateful for his assistance. Although Tamaki is certain that someone has a grudge against Haruhi, the latter insists that he accidentally dropped it from the window and landed into the fountain.

That afternoon, Haruhi is surprised to find Ayakoji asking for his services and finds out that she is angry with him because of Tamaki. This makes Ayakoji accuse Haruhi of inflicting violence on her but Hikaru and Kaoru pour water onto her instead. Tamaki chases Ayakoji out of the club after exposing what she did to Haruhi. At the same time, Tamaki punishes Haruhi for causing disturbance to the Host Club's activities by increasing the number of customers Haruhi has to get. Kyouya then passes a set of uniform to Haruhi, saying that this is the only spare set they have now.

When Tamaki brings some towels to Haruhi, he is shocked to see her in her underwear and finally realises that she is a girl. Actually, the rest of the members had known about this at different times and are quite amused by Tamaki's reaction towards this. Haruhi explains that since everyone assumed that she's a guy, she didn't bother clarifying it. Haruhi also praises Tamaki for helping her which makes him blush. Kyouya remarks to himself that this may jolly well be the start of a relationship as Haruhi decides on using "ore" (male way of saying "I") in future to continue impersonating as a guy...

On the whole, this looks like a pretty entertaining anime to watch and barring any unforseen circumstances, I will probably stick to this till the end. There aren't any complicated issues to consider and it was an enjoyable episode on the whole. This looks like something I will enjoy more for its humour and the eye candy in the form of the Host Club members rather than for the storyline itself.

At this point in time, my No.1 favourite guy would be Kyouya. He may look relatively harmless but it seems like he has a lot of funny ideas within. Besides, I have a soft spot for bespectacled characters. ^__^ Next would be Mori-senpai who looks very manly and cool but he didn't speak much in this episode so there's more to be discovered about him. Hikaru and Kaoru's association with BL is not really something I like while Hani-senpai feels more like a younger brother-type to me. As for Tamaki...he may be funny and a bit silly at times but I can't really say that he's my type.

I thought that the concept of using light bulbs to indicate the members knowing Haruhi's gender was quite ingenious. As the light bulbs slowly lit up one by one, it was rather interesting as they discovered the truth in vastly different manners. It seems like Kyouya and Hani-senpai are the most observant among the bunch of guys. I was surprised to see that Hani-senpai knew the truth just by looking at Haruhi's expression when seeing the rabbit soft-toy which suggests that his intelligence is hidden behind his childish mannerisms.

Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo - Kyuuketsuki Densetsu no Satsujin Jiken

This is the continuation from where the Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo manga series finished. Kindaichi and Miyuki are reunited for the first time ever since he went on a trip to an undisclosed location. Actually, there was a drama SP on this story last year starring a new combination i.e. Kamenashi Kazuya from KAT-TUN and Ueno Juri as the third generation Kindaichi and Miyuki. Thus, when I finally got hold of the manga version, I had already known the outcome. Despite this, I found that I still enjoyed the manga very much as compared to the drama SP where I wasn't so impressed with the cast and acting on the whole. In my opinion, the first generation of Domoto Tsuyoshi and Tomosaka Rie was still the best but that's not what I'm going to discuss here.

To prevent posting any spoilers for those who have not read the manga, I won't go into details of the case. Nevertheless, we get some answers from the author Amagi Seimaru as to why Kindaichi embarked on his cycling trip. It seems that his longtime foe Takato Yoichi had sent him some letters on where crimes would happen. This appeared to be a form of invitation for Kindaichi to prevent these from happening but in this case, he was too late to stop anything. Nevertheless, he could still solve the case and prevent the outcome from getting worse in a sense so I can say that he had achieved part of his aim. Apparently, this will not be the first case that's going to happen so at the end of the book, we find that Kindaichi will head to the next location which Takato pointed out.

From what I understand, there's another new case where the setting is at the Opera Theatre for the third time. Wonder why the author has a penchance for that place to have murders there repeatedly? Anyway, I suppose that Kindaichi will be going to that place to stop the next crime from happening but it is most likely that he will arrive in time to solve the case and clear up the pieces instead of being able to stop anything from happening. If nothing occurs, would there be a need for Kindaichi in the first place? ^__^

With the end of the Tantei Gakuen Q series, it's good to see Kindaichi making a comeback after 5 years. Although I doubt that the author would do a full series again, standalone cases like this are quite sufficient for me to satisfy my thirst for more Kindaichi action.

Yomigaeru Sora ~ Rescue Wings Ep 02: Konnan na Shigoto (A Difficult Job)

The earthquake strikes the coastal region and Hongo watches the news closely for reports on the situation. His wife, Midori mentions that their daughter Atsuko will be entering primary school tomorrow. Seeing his concerned look while watching the TV, she asks if the Komatsu rescue team will be called for duty but Hongo says that it will happen if the earthquake affects the Uryuujima area and casualties arise.

Meanwhile, Nishida is on a date with her boyfriend who remarks that she gets a pretty good pay for her job. Just then, she is recalled to work which leads him to comment that she's going on a date with the aeroplanes again. Nishida apologises and says that this is part of her job before rushing back to the Komatsu base.

Midori comments that she's relieved that he's not on duty today but the phone call from Murakami means that he has to report to work. As Hongo prepares to return to the base, Atsuko comes to ask if he has to go out at this hour. Although Hongo's wife assures Atsuko that she will be back soon after sending Hongo to the base, Atsuko starts to cry as she's scared of being alone at home. Having no choice, Hongo has to let Atsuko tag along during the ride back to Komatsu. As such, this leads Midori to complain that he has been spoiling Atsuko too much and she becomes the disciplinarian in the family instead.

On the way, Hongo meets Uchida who is riding his bicycle back to Komatsu. Hongo points out bluntly that Uchida is simply wasting his energy before a mission by cycling and reminds him to keep this as a hobby rather than a means of transport. Uchida retorts that he's grateful for the advice but Hongo can see that he doesn't feel this way. Midori teases him for bullying newbies but he stresses that he's just training Uchida.

Actually, Hongo is recalled to work because the two pilots on duty, Sato and Tanaka were travelling in the same car where Sato ended up with a fractured arm. That is also why Uchida has been recalled as a backup. Murakami reminds Uchida not to wander around since the team may be activated at any moment.

The briefing begins in the operation room where they find out that Uryuujima is badly affected by the earthquake with fires breaking out at several spots. As aftershocks are likely to happen and there is a heavy downpour in the area, this increases the complexity of the rescue operation coupled with steep terrain on the island. When Hongo sees Tanaka holding his hand gingerly, he senses that the latter should have sustained some injuries during the accident even though he claimed otherwise.

After the meeting, Hongo asks Tanaka about the extent of his injuries and realises that he has injured his wrist. However, Tanaka insists that he's able to take part in the rescue operation. Hongo and Murakami judge that Tanaka is just putting on a brave front thus decide to take Uchida along for the mission too in case the need arises.

As they make preparations, Hongo reminds Uchida not to be a nuisance to others since he's just a reserve. Uchida replies unhappily that he will stick to the rules in response to Hongo's remarks.

Soon after takeoff, the team receive instructions to save someone trapped along the coastline as her car has been thrown off the collapsed road due to the earthquake. Uchida is amazed at how the rescue team works seamlessly. As the victim's condition is rather serious, the first-aid team suggests returning to base so that she can receive treatment.

Before they can do so, the team receive instructions to transport some injured people who had gathered at a school. As such, Hongo makes the decision to help those people after consulting his team on the first victim's condition and the amount of fuel they have.

Upon landing, the team finds out that there are as many as 16 injured people in the school thus the first-aid staff have to decide who gets priority according to the severity of the injuries so as to avoid controversies over preferential treatment. Hongo orders Uchida to help the first-aid team instead of treating the mission like a mere excursion.

At the same time, Megumi is at work and asks her superior for permission to switch on the TV as she's worried about Uchida. While she is engrossed about watching the news, her superior asks if she knows about Uryuujima since he remembers that Megumi's hometown is in Okayama. Megumi can only manage a weak smile as she keeps an eye on the situation.

Hongo orders Uchida to stay behind with a member of the first-aid team to look after the remaining injured people as the helicopter returns to base for the treatment of 8 victims. The situation looks set to worsen due to the bad weather and the aftershocks.

An old man in the school has an asthma attack but his medicine is left at home. Uchida offers to return to the old man's house for the medicine despite the place being a state of ruins and aftershocks making it difficult for him to move around. Luckily, he manages to find the medicine and even brings the pet of the family along back to the school. Unknown to him, a little girl looks at what has happened as she draws a picture of her pet...

Upon reaching the base, Hongo tells Tanaka to receive treatment for his wrist as the mechanists fight against time to get the helicopter ready for the next mission. At the same time, more reinforcements arrive to take part in the rescue operation for other areas. A Niigata helicopter has also taken some of the injured to their base thus the remaining will be transported by the Komatsu team.

Just when Uchida thinks that he can heave a sigh of relief, a couple tells them that their daughter Sakura could have slipped back to their home so as to save their pet dog which was left behind when they evacuated to the school. Apparently, Uchida's action of saving the pet for the old man's family caused Sakura to think that she could do the same which makes him regret doing this. When an aftershock causes another landslide in the area where Sakura lives in, Uchida runs towards her house, hoping to save the 3-year-old girl while his teammate asks for more details about Sakura and her address. Uchida is filled with regret as his well-meaning action could have caused another person to be hurt...

With regards to the story, I have nothing to pick on since I find the pace quite acceptable and the rescue operation very intriguing to watch. I believe the reality factor of the series will be an important reason for me to stay on till the end.

However, there are two issues which I think should be looked into. First of all, the character design of the Komatsu team seem to be so similar that I have problems distinguishing them from one another. Imagine having to refer to the official website to confirm and it was quite a hassle to do that while writing this review. Maybe it's just my own problem of being bad at remembering faces but I must say this is the first series where I have the issue of not being able to identify characters based on appearance.

Secondly, it's obvious to see that the animation for the planes are done in a very realistic manner. However, comparing it to the surroundings exposes the problem of the same amount of effort not being applied to the scenery and characters. As such, it feels weird to see a realistic object within an animated setting.

Talking about the issue in this episode, Uchida meant well by saving the pet since he was at the house to retrieve the old man's medicine. However, he would never have dreamt that a harmless action like this resulted in a little girl trying to do the same. On hindsight, everyone can say what they should not have done in the first place but when things happen at that moment, it's hard to imagine that something of dire consequences would arise as a result. Thus, I don't really think Uchida was at fault here but of course, I don't think he can get over this especially if anything happens to that little girl.

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora Ep 02: Tada Collection no Souzoku

Tsukasa and Akiko rush to the hilltop and finds Yuuichi unconscious as Rika asks them for help. As a result of the trip to the hilltop, Yuuichi's condition worsens and has to extend his stay in the hospital. Akiko threatens Yuuichi not to sneak out again or she will "kill" him.

As Yuuichi slowly fall asleep, he remembers Tada telling him to pursue the girl he likes instead of regretting like what he did after dragging the matter for too long. Tada felt that someone who gives up without trying would be the biggest fool and reminded Yuuichi not to follow in his footsteps.

It is nearing Christmas but Yuuichi still has to stay in the hospital. As he is feeling better, he sneaks out to visit Rika who scolds him for being an idiot at the first sight of him. Rika then makes him lie on her bed since Yuuichi has yet to recover fully. Yuuichi tries to explain that he's recovering but Rika refuses to let him get up and sits by the bed to read a book.

Yuuichi tells Rika that he did not bring her to the hill because of his father as he did that for her sake. When Rika asks Yuuichi if he remembered what he had told her on the hilltop, he doesn't understand what she is saying. Upon recollecting what he said, Rika starts to blush but Yuuichi still hasn't got a clue to what he had said. Before he can find out further from Rika, Akiko comes to look for Yuuichi and brings him back to his ward. Akiko even puts a long bench before Yuuichi's door so as to prevent him from sneaking out.

New Year arrives and Yuuichi is still in the hospital. He sneaks out to look for Rika again and is surprised to hear that he shouldn't associate with her. Rika has no idea how long she would live thus it would do Yuuichi no good to be in her company. However, Yuuichi says that he doesn't mind. Rika informs Yuuichi that she is planning to undergo the operation soon which makes him worried since it is said to have a low success rate. Although there is the risk of failure, Rika is prepared for the consequences since the operation has a chance of helping her to get better instead of letting the condition worsen over time.

Yamanishi comes to visit Yuuichi who points out that he's just here for the pornographic magazines from Tada's collection. As the boys pore over the pictures, Rika happens to catch them in the act and finds out about the huge number of pornographic magazines under Yuuichi's bed. Although Rika walks away with a smile, Yuuichi knows that this is all an act and gets angry at Yamanishi for causing the misunderstanding.

Yuuichi goes to Rika's ward to explain the issue but she throws him out angrily. When he tries to wait for Rika on the rooftop despite the freezing cold, she walks away and even locks the exit thus letting Yuuichi be exposed to the snowy weather. He is only spared from the torture when the security guard goes on his patrol at night.

Yuuichi reveals to Akiko what happened and the latter laughs heartily instead of being sympathetic. Just when Akiko is telling Yuuichi that he's better off dead after antagonizing Rika, Natsume, a doctor who had just returned from leave enters Yuuichi's ward to check on him.

The next day, Yuuichi is standing on the rooftop when he meets Natsume again. However, Yuuichi fails to recognise him at first since Natsume has shaven off his beard. Natsume reveals that he was in the mountain region for the past 2 months so he just got his haircut and a shave today. When Natsume talks about Yuuichi getting into the bad books of Rika, Yuuichi is surprised as to why Natsume knows about this. Yuuichi comes to find out that Natsume is Rika's doctor while Natsume is surprised that she told Yuuichi about her conditon voluntarily. Natsume has been treating Rika for 6 years but she has never told anyone about her illness so he feels that Yuuichi can be a good friend to Rika. Upon hearing this, Yuuichi feels very uncomfortable because it appears as if Natsume doesn't want anything besides friendship to develop between them.

Yuuichi is studying on the rooftop when Akiko comes to take a puff. She teases him for being studious while he reminds her not to smoke too much and earns a "kick" on his back. Akiko asks Yuuichi if he hasn't reconciled with Rika and remarks that she might be feeling down of late. Even though Akiko mentions that Rika is the type who doesn't show her emotions, Yuuichi thinks otherwise since she smiles and throws a tantrum easily before him. Akiko then drops a bombshell that she has asked Rika to come to the rooftop and tells Yuuichi to patch up with her quickly.

When Yuuichi goes down on his knees to apologise, he is surprised to see Natsume instead of Rika. Natsume then gives a foreign pornographic magazine to Yuuichi as a gift before leaving the rooftop. Just when Yuuichi is flipping through it, Rika happens to catch him and locks Yuuichi in the rooftop again. Unknown to them, Natsume is laughing at what has happened. Rika goes back to her ward and throws a tantrum again while Natsume stays at the staircase landing, leaving Yuuichi to bear the blistering cold.

Natsume is mumbling to himself that he's still carrying a lighter even though he said he would quit smoking when Akiko comes to the rooftop to smoke. Natsume asks if Akiko dislikes him and she replies in the affirmative. This is because she detests the way that Natsume asks such questions directly in her face and smiling when they talk about serious issues. Akiko tells Natsume to stop driving a wedge between Rika and Yuuichi since they don't have much time left together. However, Natsume is unrepentant and says that he enjoys doing this. When Akiko kicks him for the sarcasm, Natsume then tells Akiko to help them patch up.

Yuuichi is alone on the rooftop and Rika suddenly appears from behind. He cannot say anything as Rika blames him for what has happened but he still apologises in the end. When they see a plane, Yuuichi remarks that it would be good if the plane is heading overseas. Rika doesn't understand the logic of this since Yuuichi is not on that plane anyway. Yuuichi decides to ask Rika why she forgave him all of a sudden and feels unhappy when he knows that Natsume was the one who persuaded Rika to do so. As Rika goes on singing Natsume's praises, Yuuichi flares up and gets into an argument with her. In a fit of anger, Rika throws her book at Yuuichi and it falls onto the ledge of the building. Rika is upset over this because the book was given by her late father...

The appearance of Natsume is a bad sign for Yuuichi since he's obviously up to some mischief to stop Yuuichi and Rika from getting together. At this stage, it's hard to tell why he would do such a thing but he's definitely a troublemaker. Too bad for Yuuichi that Rika places a lot of trust on Natsume and it would take a lot for her to view Yuuichi favourably now that she lost her favourite book as a result of their argument. Akiko has obviously seen through Natsume's antics but it remains to be seen if she will step in to help Yuuichi.

And Akiko's statement about Yuuichi and Rika having little time left, I assume she's referring to Rika's condition being life-threatening. Does it suggest that the ending of this anime will head towards tragedy?

From the next episode's trailer, it appears that Yuuichi and Rika will patch up so I guess the scriptwriter can't afford to let the argument drag on since there are only 6 episodes in this series.

Honey and Clover DVD Vol 7 Chapter F

This is the Chapter F SP included in Vol 7 of the Hachikuro DVD series where there are three stories.

Yamada and Hagu make a round-shaped drink warmer from wool and decide to name it Pu-kun. They start to get hyped up about Pu-kun's cuteness...

This story happened before Mayama joined Fujiwara Design Jimusho...

Miwako is shocked to find Yamazaki's photo published in a fashion magazine and moans that she didn't spend money to get this type of result. This leads her colleague Takaido to ask Nomiya what has happened. Nomiya passes the men's magazine to Takaido where there is a photo spread on Yamazaki who has been praised for his fashion sense. However, Takaido cannot understand why Yamazaki is wearing that gaudy shirt or even comprehend why he has been hailed as a fashion leader by the magazine.

Nomiya explains that Miwako had bought the gaudy shirt when she was in Asakusa for work and gave it to Yamazaki as a birthday present so as to make him the laughing stock of others. However, it turned out that Yamazaki looked so good in the shirt and was even featured in the magazine for his sense of fashion. As such, this is why Miwako is feeling so worked up over her prank backfiring. Suddenly, she snaps out of her lamenting as she remembers that she's going to Nakano tomorrow and has plans to play a trick on Yamazaki again.

Miwako returns to the office with a T-shirt from a shop named Nakano Hollywood and gives it to Yamazaki. Being besotted with Miwako, Yamazaki is of course thrilled to receive the present. Takaido and Nomiya look on with horror as Yamazaki finds the T-shirt bearing a motif of the Daimajin robot. Although he has his reservations about how he finds the T-shirt, Yamazaki puts on a brave front and pretends to accept it happily from Miwako.

In the next month issue of the same fashion magazine, Yamazaki is featured again for his daring fashion sense as Miwako moans about her failed attempt. Takaido and Nomiya persuade Miwako to give up on this senseless prank since Yamazaki looks good in almost everything. However, Miwako refuses to admit defeat and wants to continue with her efforts of embarrassing Yamazaki.

The cycle goes on as Miwako fails to succeed with Yamazaki's every appearance on the fashion magazine. It's almost as if Yamazaki has become the magazine's in-house model thus Nomiya and Takaido tell Miwako to stop buying shirts for Yamazaki. However, Miwako is all fired up and makes up her mind to buy an elaborate outfit for Yamazaki when Nomiya goes to Nagoya with her for work next week.

When Miwako and Nomiya reach Nagoya, they find that the shops are closed for the day. Given that they have a tight schedule tomorrow, Nomiya suggests walking around to find suitable shops so that they can head there directly after their business meeting. Miwako wonders why Nomiya is so cooperative this time. Unknown to her, Nomiya has been asked by the accountant to stop Miwako from splurging on clothes for Yamazaki using the company's funds. They finally decide on a shop with the name Dandy House Wada.

After their meeting, Nomiya and Miwako head to Dandy House Wada where the elaborate outfits are selling at exhorbitant prices. Miwako is targetting a polo shirt with a picture of the jaguar which costs 28,900 yen but Nomiya tells her to drop the idea since it's too expensive. Besides, that is too much to pay for since Miwako is not even certain whether that T-shirt will embarrass Yamazaki in the end. Thus, Miwako reluctantly chooses the glittering shirt which Nomiya suggests. As per past instances, Yamazaki looks good in the shirt again.

This prompts Miwako to order the polo T-shirt from Dandy House Wada to be sent by courier but her hefty investment comes to nought again as Yamazaki appears on the fashion magazine for the Nth time. Miwako faints from the shock thus Yamazaki tries his best to make her feel better. At the same time, Nomiya reads Yamazaki's interview and finds out something:

Actually, the clothes were chosen by my senior at work. I was in an all-boys high school and in university, most of my classmates were guys since I was in the engineering faculty. That is why I have no idea what fashion means and I'm grateful to my senior who has spared time to make me look good. Well, I'm secretly in love with that senior and hope to do well in work soon before I confess my feelings for her.

Nomiya says a silent apology to Yamazaki for helping Miwako to make fun of him since he did not know about the latter's feelings. Although he will try to help Yamazaki in getting close to Miwako from now on, he derives greater pleasure in Miwako's mission to embarrass him and will have to betray Yamazaki for the time being.

This story happened when Morita returned from the US after a year's absence...

Mayama and Hanamoto are engaged in a shogi game where the latter remarks that Mayama has improved tremendously despite learning the game for a few days. Hanamoto thinks to himself that Mayama can spare so much time on shogi because he is now working with Rika and doesn't have to be a stalker and mope around. This makes Hanamoto quite upset since he regards shogi as one of his strengths and Mayama is beating him at it.

Hanamoto asks Mayama why he is playing shogi with him every day since Mayama is only in his 20s and should have other things to do after work. Mayama reveals that he has been asked to go for go-kon which makes Hanamoto gush with envy since he's never been to one. When Mayama says that he has outgrown the stage of going for go-kon, this makes Hanamoto question whether Mayama is deliberately picking a fight as his remarks are hurting to someone who has never experienced go-kon.

Takemoto and Hagu emerge from the painting room and settle down for some cake and drinks. Mayama asks Hagu if she has been to a go-kon where the latter gets visibly upset. Takemoto scolds Mayama for asking such questions while Hanamoto remarks that someone like Yamada should be a hit at go-kon. At the mention of this, Mayama recalls an unpleasant experience.

Yamada has been very popular at go-kon because of her looks. Coupled with the fact that guys are touched by her unrequited love for Mayama, this leads to the other female participants being neglected at every session. Actually, her friends had assumed that Yamada would not be a threat to them since she's pining for Mayama but this turns out to be a miscalculated move as she hogs the attention of the guys. This earned Yamada the nickname of "Jinx of the Go-kon". Her friends even came to submit petitions to Mayama so that he can be with her and stop Yamada from spoiling their go-kon sessions. As a result of these constant petitions, Yamada misunderstood that Mayama had been fooling around with other girls and even tried to beat him up in school previously.

When Hanamoto asks Mayama if there are any go-kon sessions in his company, Mayama recollects Yamazaki's go-kon with the female editors of the fashion magazine which he had been appearing. Miwako was so excited over this event and strived to embarrass Yamazaki again even though he was hoping that she would stop him from going. In the end, Miwako was disappointed again. Nomiya couldn't help but ask Miwako why she was doing this. Miwako wanted Yamazaki to be at her beck and call when she consoles him if he is laughed at. Nomiya really had the urge to ask Yamazaki what he sees in Miwako who is like a devil in disguise.

After hearing this story, Hanamoto comes to the conclusion that many things do not go their way in life just like their shogi game caught in a deadlock. As Hanamoto and Mayama are so concerned with defence, they keep getting into such situations and find themselves playing shogi past 1am. Just as they are toying with the idea of buying a timer to restrict the playing time, Morita who has been listening to their conversation, points out that the simple way is just to stop playing past midnight. Although this is a very direct solution, Hanamoto and Mayama fail to think of it and tell Morita to shut up since hearing this makes them feel silly...

Coming back to Pu-kun made by Yamada and Hagu, they freeze in horror when they find Yamada's father using it as a cap...

I find this more interesting that the previous Romaiya-senpai SPs in Vol 5 where the two main stories are bursting with humour and I get to see my favourite characters like Nomiya and Morita again. When I was reading the manga, the Fujiwara Design Jimusho story was already very funny but when you see the animated version with the colours on those elaborate shirts, it enhances the comical effect. Taken on its own, those shirts may seem gaudy but I have to admit that Yamazaki looks good in them. Maybe the person wearing it determines how it appears to others. It might not have looked as good on someone like Nomiya who has the upperhand in terms of looks.

Given that the emphasis of these stories are on funny happenings, it's not surprising that they do not fit into the main series since they have little bearing on the story development and are classified as fillers instead. Nevertheless, it was good to see such stories being animated and I look forward to season 2 of Hachikuro starting this summer.