I’m on the outside/ I’m looking in…

This was a very happening episode as per Shiki standards, which are usually on the slow side. I mean, cliffhanger much? The story went ahead chronologically yet to our agony we didn’t find out what went down with that ventriloquist brat! She’s hard to miss right? Look at the homepage and your eyes would go to that colourful geisha doll without fail; there’s a marketing term for it: eye-grabbing. Though we find out more than enough from the preview (THANK YOU, Daume!); more on this later. Talking about happening agony, my week has been one hell of a roller coaster ride. Starting from mentoring workshops, corporate downsizing, various meet ups and then old friends’ BS; it had the making of one weird and stressful week. I’m letting it all out on the weekend by watching animu like crazy and how fitting a stress reliever as the next installment of Shiki, ne~?! ^^;

BFF forever!

「 Shiki 9 – Ninth Coffin (第柩話) 」Death is looming over Sotoba more than ever and it’s there because a certain novelist chose to write about his village in utter gloom. Dealing with his own stress and inner conflicts, he’s working on a story called Shiki about a wanderer heretic, whatever he touches turns into something that it shouldn’t (Midas touch, anyone?). Why he murders his own well-liked younger brother can be anybody’s guess. Internal turmoil or not Seishin’s there for his friend to not only support him in the vampire hunt but to get proof in quenching his own uncertainties about the Kirishikis. If he’s the over-thinker (as OC puts it), Toshio is the over-stresser who would not give up until he either gets real proof about the Risen or captures a vampire for further dissection. So, even if his staff is worried sick over him, he’ll do the usual rounds in his clinic, go out for house calls and pull all-nighters to observe his bitten patient.

I'm reminded of weird home deco pieces from Sims looking at their hairstyles... =.=;;

The most hilarious moment was Toshio’s wife’s entrance. Who would have thought that he’d be in such an amusing predicament: out of town wife (managing a boutique or saloon perhaps?) and living with an overbearing mother who meddles in his business. I could never imagine him marrying someone like Kyouko, an absentee wife, who seemed too flippant to care; rather I would be more inclined towards someone like Ristu, who actually worries about him. Together with his mother, they make quite a pair of ridiculous hair but it’s a thing of this series anyway. Still, I couldn’t help but LOL when his mother’s hair gave an angry wave while lecturing him and the banter that ensued between the mother- and daughter-in-law. My respect for Toshio increased two-folds when he didn’t listen to Takae’s BS about not taking the responsibility and trying the option of remarriage if she really wanted an heir. You got one cheeky son, Mrs. Ozaki! Fufuu~

The must PEEEEKAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOO

Interesting to note is the in-law relations between Kyouko and Takae Ozaki, getting repeated in Nao and Setsuko in reverse order of an over-bearing demon and victim. Though, it remains to be seen what Kyouko’s role would be but she totally vibed a blonde bimbo inviting a random dude (a la Tatsumi) for bread. At least we got some facts straight about the vampires of Shiki that they need permission to enter a premise, feed at least four times per prey and have hypnotic powers over them for remote control. No wonder, Nao made a puppet out of Setsuko to the horror of Toshio and Seishin, both of whose fears were realized seeing a live specimen of Okiagari. Not to mention, the scene was so GIF worthy… I literally had to stop myself from not making one…  It’s sad that they couldn’t capture her for further dissection but manly points to Toshio for screaming his lungs out to stay the hell out of his clinic. Bonus points to Ritsu even for not running off screaming in the opposite direction after witnessing the walking dead Nao. I imagine this scenario playing out true with her dog, who chickened out of accompanying her (stupid dog!).

Hear him ROARRR!

Vampires are crafty creatures and it was proven by Tatsumi’s brawny raid to kidnap their prey (Setsuko) out of Toshio and Seishin’s grasps.  He doesn’t mess around as he’s been instructed to; by Sunako? Probably. It was comical to see Nao running towards her mother-in-law like a bishoujo only to sink her fangs in. All funnies vanish when all the vampires present gather around the old woman like a bunch of animals to get their fill. Toshio and Seishin are left helpless to contemplate their anger as per their own faculty of rage and patience respectively. I can’t wait to see their next diabolical plan to counter the Risen and hopefully next time Seishin would take more of an active part rather than staying on the sidelines.

Preview Huzzah! TOHRU-CHAN, you handsome vampire, you, You, YOU! XD

The cliffhanger from last episode was not dealt with but goodness gracious, Daume, another preview?! This 25-employee production house is made of pure WIN~! Let me just say it aloud, TOHRU-CHAN IS ALIIIIVEEEE!!! Well, technically an undead but you get the picture. I secretly wished for it and didn’t discuss it just to get it done; not to mention his presence in the OP was always soothing. I just hope my wish remains true of him being a good vampire rather than someone like Masao (yuck!). There’s some hope left for bromance still but don’t expect any running around trees and hugging, but lots and lots of blood and nails-scraping-on-wall moments. Also, there are bigger problems, like the ever watchful Tatsumi and Megumi Shimizu who’s going out of her mind in jealousy realizing the big reunion between Natsuno and Tohru. Even when this incident would be traumatic for Natsuno, I see good things coming out of this friendship for the war that the strong-willed of Sotoba would wage against the preying Risen. Coming to the ventriloquist Okiagari, seems like she’s an accomplice of Tohru and hopefully would not harm Natsuno’s family and so I could safely assume because no one came for a checkup to Ozaki clinic till October 3, timeline.

Now, do I have to say I can’t wait for the next episode? There, said and done. Ja ne~

Related posts:

1. Shiki 8
2. Shiki 4
3. Shiki 7

Favourite character week on both H.O.T.D. and Shiki, awesome.

I’d like to start this post off by saying how much I love the OP sequence. I don’t know why I like it so much; it’s not that great and is kind of poorly sung. I downloaded the single release (from a certain Metanorn) and since then I’ve been listening to it a whole lot. I also really like the second song in the release Ripple; in some ways I actually like it more than the main single. I imagine that the song will be used for (hopefully) the ending sequence of the last episode, which would be quite perfect. This has been a very good season for openings and endings; considering Seikimatsu’s OP, H.O.T.D.’s OP, Shiki’s OP, Naruto’s current ED and my guilty pleasure: Seitokai Yakuindomo’s OP I’d say that we’ve had a phenomenal season for music, especially when considering what we all thought this season would be going into it (A.K.A. Crap). Oh, and to answer your question, Saeko; he certainly does like getting girls wet.

Takashi Brooding Face of the Week (Also, his raping face.)

I’d like to toot my own horn by saying that I called the change up from the manga. They just waltzed right in and happened to find an amphibious mini-batmobile. The next Batman movie will definitely have one of those things. Kid zombies are always depressing, it’s very rare though that you see (well, not really) someone actually kill a child in any medium. Dead Rising certainly doesn’t let you kill kids; they just make it a kid-less world. The only game I can remember ever having child killing was the first Fallout (though it might have been in the second too) where you could kill children, and would be labeled as a child-killer for all NPCs to know. I can’t think of any games recently that have child killing in it; though I suppose that Bioshock and its sequel revolve around the option of killing little girls, so that counts. Actually, since you can kill your characters in The Sims franchise I must assume that you can kill the young Sims. Heavy Rain also comes to mind since the killer in that game drowns kids. I also just remembered that scene from Star Wars Episode III……..that’s awkward.

Oh, hells yes!

I’m a fan of girls with slight yandere tendencies, just not ones that being a yandere is all that they have to their character. That’s probably why I like Saeko so much. Actually, maybe she can’t really be considered yandere at all, since she’s really just a sadist. She enjoys causing pain, but not killing, though it escalates to killing after the apocalypse happens. ANDOHBTW, OMGWTFBBQ?! THEY KISSED! That did not happen in the manga, not at all. Actually, going from Saeko fixing her skirt after leaving the temple I’m going to assume that they did the hanky panky. Also, grabbing a woman’s boob while telling her that she’s the greatest woman ever is probably the best thing I’ve ever seen in an anime. As such this will be my last post ever, since there is no way that can ever be topped. Ever. I should also mention that in the manga she received her first katana from Takagi’s father. But since they had left Takagi’s house by the time these events happened in the manga I suppose that finding a sword works too.

Oh, HELLS YES!

I am so happy that they kept the line when Saeko declares that she’s getting wet during the killing in the anime. That line made me laugh so much in the manga and it did the exact same thing here. I’m actually still having after-shock laughs from it. You know what I mean; the kind of laugh where you think about it and giggle for a bit. I will admit here and now that I prefer this direct development between Takashi and Saeko over the manga where it is just hinted at forever. I’m kind of pumped now as for how they’ll end out this series considering they’ve changed quite a bit now from the manga. I will say it again though, that if Saeko dies my feelings about this show will plummet faster than Chris O’Connell’s movie career. Hooray for Takagi’s father being in the next episode, I cannot wait to see him [SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER], man that was so badass in the manga. Looking forward a lot to next week now, can’t wait to see Saeko and Takashi make out right in front of Rei, it’s going to be AWESOME!

Related posts:

1. High School of the Dead 8
2. High School of the Dead 5
3. High School of the Dead 6

HE'S EVEN DOING THE HARE HARE YUKAI POSE!!

Man, I was so close to simply writing an arc only post for this particular arc. With school on the very near horizon and constant back and forth traveling only just completed, I’ve had a hard time wrapping my head around writing this post. But I had to make a decision about this post or I wouldn’t be able to write the new H.O.T.D. post, and the Gods know that I’ve been looking forward to that episode all season. It’s really too bad that this first episode for Sae was so bad (obviously in my opinion) since there aren’t a ton of other ways I could be spending my increasingly short days of freedom left [/sarcasm]. If you simply want to know what I think of this arc so far; then look no further! You don’t even have to read the three remaining paragraphs; I think that this arc so far is going to be the weakest of all of them! Including Rihoko! I thought going into this show that I would like Sae’s and Rihoko’s arcs the least, and this episode certainly didn’t change my mind about that.

Loved the breast grope "Nishishishi~"

The biggest question on my mind right now is: Why the fuck is Mikuru in this show? Where is Haruhi? In some corner ready to costume rape the living daylights out of her? Or is she too far back in the line of Hentai artists already writing doujins that rape the shit out of her? Okay, so that was a few more branch questions, but they are all relevant. I don’t like The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi; I don’t like Mikuru and I certainly don’t like Haruhi. Haruhi is a bitch, and Mikuru is some sort of lying puppet. God I hope that series concludes with Kyon hooking up with Itsuki, because God Knows Itsuki has been planning that end since day one, and I hope you like that pun. Everything about Sae’s personality just reminds me of Mikuru, and this is (as I’ve made perfectly clear) not a good thing. There are few things that I am scared of in this world, and maybe that is why I cannot sympathize with Weakling McWeak. By the way my three biggest scares are: 3) Giant Spiders 2) Flying Sharks 1) The death of Atlus Studio………………OH SHI-

This is the face that has destroyed Galaxies!!!

Yes, I realize that Atlus’s name will still be on Index Corporation’s game releases. And yes, I also heard about the new Persona Online cellphone game. And yes, I am just as unimpressed as you are. I am hyped for Catherine though; although that is assuming that the game is released in North America. Atlus has a great history of releasing their games on the west coast though; too bad that Atlus has been absorbed into the blob of a certain magical Index that likes biting poor Touma in the face. Don’t worry, the train is pulling off the side track now and is back on the main rail. Did I mention about how I found Sae annoying? Okay……….what about how I miss Hibiki? No? Oh great, by the way I miss Hibiki. I have to admit though; I did like how Junichi is looking so far this arc. So the puppy thing was lame but I liked his stomach yelling, that’s a great theatre trick and is the best way of projecting your voice. Especially when you’re on a balcony quite far from the audience and have to boom orders to minions because you’re the Earl of Richmond, otherwise known as Henry Tudor……..or Henry VII. Oh the memories.

Couldn't resist this screen...

Word doesn’t think that I should have used “projecting” the way I did in the previous paragraph; why is Word so silly sometimes (Rhetorical)? I hope that narrator goes away next episode, it’s as though the director watching the first couple of episodes of Ookami-san and decided that narration was a great idea. Hint: In most cases, it’s not. Narration is for pre-opening sequences only, otherwise all we get is recycled information we already know, or comedy that isn’t funny. Look at Outlaw Star or Gurren Lagann; they threw in some great narration before the opening sequence, and it was great. Though watching multiple episodes in a row on DVD without the ability to turn it off is kind of annoying. This is why narration is 9 out of 10 times a bad thing. Even Ookami-san thinks it’s getting old at this point. I think at this point in the season Seikimatsu Occult Academy is my favourite show, followed by Seitokai Yakuindomo (don’t ask). Amagami will reclaim its space once it improves, and H.O.T.D. will probably reclaim its space after I finish watching the episode I have queued up.

Related posts:

1. Amagami SS 6
2. Amagami SS 7
3. Amagami SS 5

She would go for Smile... (Who wouldn't? :T)

The girls’ schedule and school activities aren’t shown much, other than #6′s class, the math class (with the teacher with horrible writing), and the P.E. class, so we’re finally being treated to a class which demonstrates why Seikimatsu an occult academy! There are probably more occult-related classes, like Defense Against the Dark Arts or something, but it’s too bad we don’t get to see them. This class features the VP trying to bring back Maya’s father, the old principal. My guess is that the principal’s spirit didn’t come when he was called because he’s not dead, but I’m usually wrong, so it could be as Ami said (the girl was on the same wavelength as Maya’s father). Maya takes his death well though, she hasn’t shown much remorse (or has been shown showing remorse, maybe she’s crying inside or something lame like that) for him more than for herself.

ಠ_ಠ

Mikaze vs. Maya, aka cute vs. cool, Betty vs. Veronica - which one would you choose? While #6 is crushing on Mikaze big time and doesn’t show a romantic insterest in Maya, it’s not clear whether Maya has at least a tiny, tiny interest in #6 or not. She could be ticked off at #6 for choosing Mikaze over her because she likes him, or simply because he told her he’d help, or both. Even if you don’t like a guy, you would still be a little irritated if he told you he’d help out, and then made some other arrangement right in front of your face. Mikaze’s interest in #6 is even more questionable. I honestly thought she was a spy or something, but so far nothing happened!

Family photo c:

 This episode ended quite predictably, leaving us with something most of us already figured – it’s the dad’s “fault” Akari is dead. But Occult Academy usually throws some sort of curveball so the answer to bringing Akari to peace probably isn’t something as simple as bringing her and her dad together. I can’t imagine how there would be some kind of fighting action in the next episode, unless an army of kung-fu warriors are brought back to life, which doesn’t sound as random as the chupacabras…

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Other than JK’s weird/creepy faces, there’s not much to say other than this is a cute & sad episode. Cute because the little girl is cute and sad because the little girl is dead ): She’ll rest in peace next episode, but we’ll have to wait another week to find out how!

Related posts:

1. Seikimatsu Occult Academy 5
2. Seikimatsu Occult Academy 8
3. Seikimatsu Occult Academy 7

Such a Lonely Day…

I feel like I fail at reviewing Shiki because the 720p versions are coming out later than usual and thus I’m left with keeping my eyes close to all Shiki discussion on twitter and even OC’s reviews at Metanorn (oh the agony! >.<). But then again, this is how I watch Shiki every week: at night, in complete darkness, headphones at 80% volume and 720p+ quality with its full glory. No wonder I mutter EEEEK and many other choice words while enjoying another installment. So, I can only hope that either umee hurries it up with releases or a fast subber adopt this show for 720p hayaku~. Someone relevant reading this? I can wish, right? Also, this review is going to be shorter than any other Shiki review I’ve done here because it’s hard to type with eight fingers… Before you say it keeping to the horror motif, nobody has cut them off; they just got scorched while cooking supper yesterday… T_T It throbbed like a mofo but it’s not a second-degree burn and my mom tells me that the soreness would subside in 2~4 days. I hope so!

The Forsaken...

「 Shiki 8 – Eighth Night (第夜話) 」Let’s start with the foreshadowing of a previous conversation that was not completely shown in episode six. The reason Seishin was all flustered in front of Toshio was because all puzzle pieces fit together now with the explanation of vampires and his many conversation with Sunako. The way Seishin writes about beings forsaken by God and their loneliness, it hints at his own search of the real truth about god; so he hides it well in the supernatural stories that he concocts. He thinks that God can’t be cruel to those who are different and scoffs at the discrimination that people throw at beings like Sunako, who are isolated by their inborn faults. Little does he know that the pain of loneliness that he feels for her is more than what it seems.

C'mon sweetheart, just a bite...

It was easy to predict that the grave digging team wouldn’t find Megumi’s body though it was an opportune time to finally come face to face with a real Risen, who fail-attacked Kaori (somewhat like fail whale) and got bonked on the head. This was one of the random people already recorded dead by Ishida but wait; even he’s missing so forget about records. Interesting to note were the Sakura petals (Byakuya’s shikai anyone?) that sparked as Natsuno hit the corpse demon and the strange vibrations. This is not the first time this has happened to Natsuno though; similar reaction occurred when he felt his senses heighten whenever Megumi stalked him. I still wonder if he has some special ability or that happened just because the guy’s head was hard as per the vampire myths.

SLAM THAT SUCKA!

Leaving an undead half-buried without staking him? Amateurs! But, I really can’t blame them for trying to leave a clue for the adults even when it was of no use. The undead in question simply rose again and went hippity hop to his lair (most probably the Kirishiki mansion).  Also, you have to give it to the kids, even being scared shitless they not only dug the grave to prove their fears but are determined to tackle and put a stop to the scraggly bunch of Risen, preying freely on the common folk of Sotoba. Their next diabolical plan is to stop the dead from rising even if it means staking their hearts. However brave a front Natsuno puts up, driving a stake or even dealing with supernatural beings that are more powerful can give anyone the heebie-jeebies. He should have hurried home though because that Shizuka Matsuo is one creepy brat, who even bossed his parents around. If he doesn’t hurry back home, he wouldn’t even have time to go OH FFFFFF-. Also, it would be fun to see if the loli ventriloquist turns out to be a boy with a wig because in the foreshadowed picture, there’s only another kid beside Sunako (I’m just messing with your head, Shizuka’s a girl’s name).

A must PEEKAAABOOOOOOOO of this episode

Before I sign off; OMG! Finally a preview? Is Daume trying to kill me with more hints! Le sigh, it’s pretty clear that Nao has Risen as well (the patient who Toshio dismissed even when she couldn’t right her own shirt for herself) and maybe there’s some connection to Sotoba with Seishin’s stories after all. I would look forward to the culmination of the surprise visit of that creepy kid and what Natsuno would do. Fortnight back, I started reading the manga just to catch up on details of the chapters that have already been animated but the current episode more than ever is keeping me on my toes. I have to use all my fandom willpower to not read ahead to find out what happens to Natsuno. He would get bitten sooner than later but would a random brat suffice or Megumi gets her revenge? We’ll see next, so ja ne~

Related posts:

1. Shiki 2
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3. Shiki 3

Could you ever lie to a face like that? COULD YOU?!

I’m not sure if the way Ringo’s past was elaborated on this episode changes my opinion, or impression, of her in any way. That segment of the episode was a lot shorter than I expected, which is all good since the show doesn’t exactly excel in the melodrama department. (Which just as fine! It’s much better than excessive drama). The rest of the episode quickly turned into some more standard antics from the crew, and you can emphasize ‘standard’. Everyone’s personality quirk was shown in a brief montage; Tarou being his womanizing self, Otohime getting jealous, Majolica being crazy, and most notably, Ryouko punching Ryoushi within an inch of his life as usual.

School is starting soon... >:

I keep forgetting about the short clips that play after the end credits. They play like a condensed version of the light comedy fare that is Ookami-san, although none march the witty/quirkiness of that first episode. This one was a good sign for that Ryouko/Ryoushi pairing, since it’s getting more obvious that Ryouko has feelings for him, although it’s admitting it that’s going to take a while. The omake-like atmosphere of the clips let things venture out of any realistic barriers, because the wolf probably wouldn’t be caught dead dressed up in a dress like that.

Guess there won't be a beach episode later on.

Is the fairy tale gimmick still fun? That’s up to the viewer, although I don’t think it’s forced that badly yet. There’s only so many you could work into the high school setting, but the way that there are double meanings behind some fairy tale allusions is pretty cool, such as how Ringo is both Little Red Riding Hood and the ‘poison apple’ of this episode’s plot, but instead of being cleverly used, it seems more like it’s just inserted into the plot. Shirayuki represented Snow White (which is what her name literally means! I only know this from reading Bleach…) and her refined, self-sacrificing (read: perfect) personality was more Cinderella-like to me. Not that any of the leads in those fairy tales have much of a personality to begin with, but eh. The friendship between her and Ringo was sweet and the way Ringo gave up a wish for her was a lovely happy ending.

It's kind of hard to tell what might be happening next week...

Seems like we’re returning to the plot next time. Makes me wonder what they’re planning for the finale; I can imagine it going all out with Ryoushi’s manly mode back along with those kitty punching gloves if we’re lucky–instead of a relatively laid back epilogue that some high school comedies go for.

Related posts:

1. Ookami-san 7
2. Ookami-san 4
3. Ookami-san 1

Thigh-highs and garters FTW!

As I have an annoying jerk of a friend that is staying with me at the moment I was unable to get this post out on time. I say that, but in reality, not only is he still here, but he’s sitting about seven feet from me watching Sword of the Stranger on Blu-ray. Why? Because I’m epic that’s why. Since he reads my post, he will likely take offense at the things I’ve just said. However that’s fine because that jerk left my front door open for EIGHT hours yesterday! It’s a miracle that one of my neighbours didn’t come in during our completing of Dead Space and tell us to keep it the fuck down. Moral of the story is; I could have written this post on time, the problem being that we were too busy watching To Aru Majutsu no Index and beating God of War III and Dead Space. In reality I’m just bitter that I was too late to be the first person to start a post with “Row, row, row your boat”. Oh well; I’m also very bitter about the fact that I can’t get my PS3 Media Server to work perfectly.

Takashi brooding face of the week.

I’m glad that I wasn’t the only person who noticed that the wire keeping them from apparent safety was more than wide enough to let their giant tits through. That was just way too much of a suspension of disbelief even for me; and I’m doing a major in THEATRE! I feel that this is the weakest episode so far. Not because it wasn’t entertaining, or that episode four was better; because trust me, it wasn’t. I think that this episode literally characterized every characters “weakness”. You had Takashi fumbling with ammo and even giving up at one point; Saeko was definitely thinking similar thoughts. You then had Takagi having to give herself the courage just to go on, which is something that also happened with Alice, though she’s like 10, nowhere near the adult that Takagi should be. Shizuka just had her head in the steering wheel the entire time, and Rei did what Rei does best; lying on her back and taking it. The fact that Hirano just got slightly crazier just speaks to the mentality of that crazy mo-fo.

Pedo-Bears true face.

I honestly don’t know what to say about Hirano’s strange lolicon creepy persona that the anime seemed to create this episode. I don’t remember his relationship with Alice being anywhere near that creepy in the manga. Something that is very different from the manga is Takashi and Saeko going off on their own at this point. Not only didn’t that happen in the manga, but Saeko was even the one who thanked the “firefighter” who then was revealed to be Takagi’s mother; not Shizuka. It wasn’t until after their stay at the Takagi Mansion that Saeko and Takashi were cut off on their own. This makes me wonder if either they are simply switching the order in which the events happen, or if they are going to add new stuff. From the look of the preview however I have to assume that they’re simply switching stuff around. Which is weird considering that Saeko and Takashi go on their own in a buggy that doubles as a boat; a vehicle which they get from the Takagi Mansion. However, because of the dialogue early on in the episode where Hirano mentions the buggies in the store that are military grade; I have to assume that they will simply get one from there.

Is there a combo word for "cute" and "sexy"? Is it "smexy"? THIS IS SMEXY!

Okay, now on to what you were all waiting for. PHYSICS! YES, FUCKING PHYSICS! Now, I am not a woman, so I don’t know the exact physics of a woman’s breasts; however, I do not think that is how they move, ever. I have enough experience with breasts to know that they are very nice and not, in fact, balloons filled with water. Saeko’s bouncing bundles of joy dancing to the bullet tune was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in recent anime. Though, I must admit that Saeko’s wake up face is very nice; especially with a naked apron look. That was probably the first time I ever agreed with Rei; yes, Rei, I think that a guy with her lying on his lap would be very happy. This change in the events of H.O.T.D. makes me wonder what else they might do in the remaining episodes. Even though I believe that changing things from the original source material is usually a bad thing; I am looking forward to getting some Takashi and Saeko development. Something that I found absolutely hilarious about this episode was the picture of Takagi and Takashi in the ED. Where I assume they are both elementary school age. They both look very adorable.

Related posts:

1. High School of the Dead 2
2. High School of the Dead 5
3. High School of the Dead 9

Eeeh... no tengo nada para decir...

Vampires aren’t the enemy in this episode, which isn’t disappointing at all because I much prefer the show’s Latin American choice – EL CHUPACABRA. (Vampires would have taken more than 2 episodes to kill off anyway, which breaks Occult Academy’s usual format.) These chupacabras, unfortunately, are nothing like the ones depicted in Negima?!. Their teeth are insanely long but strangely not fatal, their skin looks similar to a kappa’s, and – the weirdest part –their butts are stuck up really high. Very “dat ass” status. I imagine chupacabras to look more like super creepy alien dogs, but the little ones in this episode are sort of cute… except the CG ones at the end, those were the most bizarre and random!

¡El chupacabra tiene pechos grandes! jajaja

You think getting bit with teeth that long, your skin would be left little worse off than a few holes, or your bones pierced through, or the holes to be long enough to go through your whole body. I bet a lot of you are wondering why Naruse isn’t dead yet, and even more were probably hoping she’d be dead. Seriously though, why isn’t she dead yet, with all those holes? And why isn’t Ami suffering more? The biggest chupacabra look a HUGE bite from her right in the gut! All Maya and Naruse did was stand there and watch (but I’m not going to bag on them too much for it because I thought it was funny).

Me gusta JK & Smile

The best part about this episode is that it finally brought everyone together. I don’t mean it as though it helped Maya and Ami become BFFs again, but rather it conjured everyone up into a super awesome, kick-ass party ready to beat the shit out of the supernatural. It’s been a while since our favorite crime-fighting duo, JK & Smile, were able to let loose! And Ami’s dad sure knows how to use a nail gun, even though the angle he shot it from shouldn’t have landed where the nails did, or ripped off that chupacabra’s head. Boss battles shouldn’t be that easy, but I’m probably being too nitpicky.

¿Cómo se dice "badass" en español?

Very noticeably, #6 is really starting to man up! He has always shown responsibility but reprimanding Maya as a teacher, but lately he’s been really following through to his words, and has been physically useful (aka able to kick monster butt). Him from this episode from the moth episode seem to be two completely different people. He’s still kind of dorky with Mizake, but he’s a dorky person at heart, so it’s fine. You would think he’d get sick of curry some time, though…

Amor de chicas jajaja.

Finally, something in this episode actually comes up which relates to the overall plot – the vice principal. Too bad we’re still in the dark about her, what her intentions are, who she is, etc. etc. Her appearance in this episode was completely serious too, which was surprising! Not to say her love for #6 isn’t serious LOL. “What’s wrong with being in love?” (or something to that extent) is probably my favorite line of the whole series so far after “In movies, everyone who says those lines dies”.

¿Por qué ella tiene pelo muy raro? Que raro...

Concerning the next episode, does anyone else think the little girl is Naruse? I have a strange hunch that the girl is her, although I’m usually wrong. The kid is a bit too cute to be her, but all kids are cute! If it is Naruse, I feel bad for the people who find her annoying. It’s like me having to watch/read a Rei-centric episode/chapter in High School of the Dead. The amount of focus on Naruse is fairly strange, especially since she’s a minor character with not many useful talents (her only talent is being kind of cute, but not really). Very suspicious…

Aaaaw, que adorable~~ ♥♥♥

I hope everyone liked this episode as much as I have, even though – or because - it was quite “WTF”-ish. (Also, please excuse my rudimentary Spanish, just wanted to match this episode’s monster jajaja.) Let’s hope the next episode is just as funny and awesome. In the words of my governor — hasta la vista, baby!

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Synopsis: In the continent of Cruzon, an impending war between the Kingdom of Krisna and the nation of Athens is brimming. The people of this land are able to use quartz for whatever purpose they desire. Yet one person, Rygart Arrow, is not. He is an “un-sorcerer,” a person unable to use quartz. But this characteristic will enable him to pilot an ancient Golem, one strong enough to put up a fight against the invading army of Athens.

The series is centered around Rygart Arrow, an “un-sorcerer” born into a world of people who can use magic. These people can make quartz do many things, but Rygart is one of the few exceptions; he cannot use quartz, making many aspects of life difficult for him. Yet despite this, at Assam military school, he manages to become best friends with Hodr and Sigyn, the future King and Queen of the Krisna Kingdom and Zess, the younger brother of the Secretary of War of the Athens Commonwealth.

Thoughts: After reading a little about this, I noticed that it’s licensed in America as Broken Blade, the manga was published by CMX, but as they shut down, I don’t know the status of it currently. What really has caught my eye with this, is the crisp and clean animation, which is done thanks to Production I.G. This is also OVA(Movie? I’m not exactly sure 2 different sources, both say something different) 1 of I think, 6 so this shall be fun.I would love to know who the Mech Designer for this series is, and if he’s done any other mech designs because these look pretty good.

The one thing striking me as odd thus far is, the location it doesn’t seem like it belongs in a mecha anime, the town itself looks like it might of been built out of Stone which is interesting. Although I do like the premise, very much and think I will enjoy watching the sequel, when it’s subbed. And I don’t believe this is another case of “Keys Left in the Ignition” but I’m not yet sure. The way the cockpits are styled though, interest me, it’s actually in the head, and from what I can tell either a 360 Degrees Monitor or just something clear, but I think the former more so.

Closing Thoughts: Overall I loved this, and cannot wait for the 2nd one to be subbed(Any day now).  I still would like to know who designed these mechs, so I may see if they did anything else, I might be interested in.  I’m liking this better then some of the other stuff I’m watching at the Moment(I’m looking at you Gundam Seed, and all your constant damned flashbacks). And, I believe in September we shall be receiving OVA(Movie?) #3, along with the Gundam 00 Movie(I shall be watching a Camrip), The Fall season looks like it’s really shaping up to be something even better.

Rating: Overall, I would have to give this a 7 out of 10, I wasn’t really getting into the plot at first, and although the Mech Designs were lovely those alone can’t hold this up though. Although I still do recommend you watch this, if you want an anime to enjoy,  this is the one it has a good sense of fantasy, mixed with Mecha while still following the usual having to fight your best friend syndrome. Also, as this is only movie 1 of a 6 movie series there are more to come(When #2 is subbed that is), so if you haven’t checked it out yet, do it before more movies are out, and you have to play catch up, like me with K-On!! and Strike Witches 2.

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IT’S ALIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEE….

C’mon my dear ladies and gentlemen, let me take you for a joyride over the top, where the moon shines and stars sparkle, waves crash against each other as if in a hurry to reach their destination, thrashing against the seashore in a vivid foamy dance…. Oh wait, that’s my perfect hangout; though if you remove the beach scene you would be comfortably in Shiki-zone. So, the night sky gleamed with a twinkled canopy of stars and in the graveyard of Sotoba—which is becoming thickly populated with ensuing deaths—a certain creep named Masao opens his eyes to stare deludingly at the wooden coffin lid and wonders if it was some party joke because he was still wearing a thong on his head.

Vampire in Training...

「 Shiki 7 – Seventh Killing Spirit (第弑魑話) 」Feeling dead inside? Life’s not going good for you? You think everyone’s out to get you? Not to mention the fact that you are the biggest emo in this show? Cherry on top, you got glamoured by a pedo librarian (insert BL joke here), and your life ended without any purpose. Tch, no worries though! Your friendly neighborhood vampire trainer, Tatsumi will be your guide to death and take good care of you! Ignore his Diclonius horns and red-rimmed eyes. Pay attention to his overly friendly voice that would tell you everything in becoming a bloody good vampire! Learn the ropes fast because it’s a vampire suck human world and you gotta catch up fast or else someone will either stake your heart or cut off your head. Forget about sunbathing too unless you want to burn to a well-done crisp. Drink blood often and daily for a healthy vampiric life. Also note, you are speshul because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea to rise from the dead. In the nocturnal life, you’ve gotten yourself a very precious friend in Tatsumi and if you visualize this blue-haired devil to a hunched back, bald midget, orzing ‘my preciouusssssss’, deem it a pure illusion. Bottom line: You are dead, idiot! Get used to it and get high on the lifeblood, yeyee~!

DAWWWW~ Tears of joy

Freak out much?

Picking a thread from the last episode, Toshio has finally made up his mind about vampires being the cause of continuing deaths in his village rather than an epidemic. He informs the same to his friend Seishin, who takes the revelation quite badly. Being a supernatural/horror novelist, he knows more about creatures of the dark than even Toshio and I think the puzzle pieces regarding the Kirishikis fueled by many visits of Sunako must have finally rung sirens in his head. Not to mention the disappearance of Ishida, who worked in the local office and was compiling a report on occurring deaths, which has gone conveniently amiss. Even if Seishin is feeling queasy, Toshio is pretty determined in catching at least one Risen culprit to prove his theory. He has already prepared the bait in Setsuko (his childhood friend Mikiyaso’s mother), who he has admitted in his hospital for observation.

Diggin' for the truth

Death is indeed surrounding Sotoba akin to the momi fir trees but finally some people have figured out the cause behind it. Even Natsuno is all business with Akira and Kaori to dig Megumi’s grave, which they will find empty in the next episode proving the existence of the Risen. Toshio’s bait would work or not is still to be seen, which is dependent on the vampire preying on Mikiyasu’s mother. As the story is going, I don’t think it would hit the jackpot of any of the Kirishikis rather some small timer newly-made fledgling. It seems Tatsumi is the guide and caretaker of all the newly Risen and they are staying in different parts of the village yet the ones with more privilege do gather at the Kirishiki residence. The royal family of vampires (for lack of a better term) is setting the rules like a spider laying its trap; the agenda of it all is still unclear but would be revealed as the episodes progress.

I sometimes hate being right but then again I have to fabulously accept the fact that not only I was right about Masao’s annoying return but the partnership of Tanaka siblings with Natsuno. *winning smile* For Tohru, I would keep my fangirl heart in check and only wish for a return if he’s a good little vampire; chances are he won’t rise because he died before Masao’s nephew and if Hiromi’s body is decomposing so should Tohru’s…. orz’’ I sure want to know more about Tatsumi’s deal: like how old he is, vampire or a mixed blood and what other skills he has than day walking. I hope we don’t face a lot of melodrama via Seishin however traumatized he feels, he has to man up to the situation and help his village out from a pinch.

Nyu Nyu Nyu......!!! (Look, another pair of Diclonius horns...)

Pro tip: don’t watch Shiki after marathoning True Blood and Elfen Lied, it would seem funny rather than scary. Then again, the current episode was not OH FFFF- OH SHIIII- like the previous ones. Still it’s keeping me entertained and is one of my top 3 summer shows. After finishing a mammoth review on Fall at Metanorn, I can’t wait for fall as it’s filled with many awesomeferric shows. However, I would keep reviewing Shiki here and see what the fighters of Sotoba do under duress. Till next time, Ja ne~

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