It's surprisingly different how the same things sound and are explained when you compare F/Z, which originated as an LN written by Gen Urobuchi, and F/SN, which originated as a VN written by Nasu. The expository dialogue in this show is insufferably banal and generically shounen (mainly due to Shirou's perspective as the main character, he annoys the shit out of me and so does his internal monologue) compared to how it went in F/Z. I'm still waiting for Nasu's trademark fake deep philosophy to show up and save me from boredom every time somebody opens their mouths because right now this whole thing is dumber than a bag of rocks. This might be because the Masters are all bunch of kids in F/SN whereas they are all adults in F/Z. I'm not sure the high school setting is doing F/SN any favors here.
There's been lots of Rin though, so far this is the show's only saving grace. It's strange that I know why Rin reacts the way she does when she runs into Sakura while walking from Shirou's house, had I watched F/SN before F/Z I wouldn't know precisely why she acts the way she does around Sakura.
Ah Stellvia, my short break has left me gagging for your character-centric fun and frolic like some cheap druggy forced to go cold turkey. See folks, some anime are just safe bets, you aren't going to get any trope-induced filler episodes in Stellvia cause really, there's just too many possible ways for humanity to end and/or petty things Shima can cry about. Saved the World? Ah well, the apocolypse is kinda like buses, there's always another one right round the corner. While you wait, have some moe chicks being moe.
I fumble with my DVDs, my hands shaking with anticipation, dis is gonna be good...
OH GOD NO.
CHRISTMAS EPISODE, SOMEONE KILL ME.
Wait, I got that wrong, it's a Christmas EVE episode. It's enough to make me want to weep. Oh well, at least this means we'll get plenty of developments. The episode is titled
"Confession"
and you'd have to be pretty stupid not to know what that refers to. Regardless to begin with, we are treated with a stirring space rendition of Jingle Bells while the Stellvia gang talk. Oh what fun it is to ride in a
giant transformable fighting robot while saving the Earth from colliding meteorites
?
Honestly, the music has been stellar in this show. They didn't need to do this. We get it, it's Christmas. Santa's gonna have a damn hard time getting into Stellvia, they don't even have any chimneys! Anyway, the party isn't just to celebrate Christmas, in fact, it's not actually to celebrate Christmas at all! It's a farewell party for Rinna dressed up as a troll. My drama sense is tingling.
The gang are doing what friends who save the world normally do, talk about potential boyfriends/girlfriends. This is a Japanese thing I know, that Christmas is actually more a day spent with your significant other rather than a day spent watching daytime TV you don't want to watch, surrounded by people you don't want to be surrounded by. On that note, it's nice to see the Japanese way has prevailed in the future. I for one welcome our new Japanese overlords.
Rinna, as is to be expected, asks who will be spending the day with their SO. Nobody has one. Forever Alone.
Kouta gets asked if he has a thing for the nurse, who seems to visit him a lot, but he denies it. Apparently this nurse became a fan after Kouta punked that member of the Big Four (Ayaka "Psychobitch" Machida) last episode. Kouta's glance toward Shima confirms the obvious. As the silly music changes to soft and mellow, almost sad, piano and Shima stares towards the floor, it's a touching moment that shows how far these two have really come.
It's been obvious now for a while Kouta has had feelings for Shima. He's seemingly always at hand for advice and basically risked his life to save hers last episode. Shima clearly shares Kouta's love for herself, but has been slowly coming to appreciate him too.
Shima slowly, sadly peels an apple with a large chopping knife, no doubt pondering quietly why the future doesn't have an easier/safer way of getting to an apple's concealed goodness. It seems that what happened about Machida is troubling her too. Yaoi Yayoi tells her not to worry, as she's done the same before. Belatedly Shima realises that it was Machida who injured Yayoi causing her to have to repeat the year. No loli detectives needed here folks!
Well at least we're on to the good stuff and we've left behind the Christmas...
OH GOD NO.
I really want to like Jojo, but this show is determined to make him look like an absolute twat. Fortunately the writers cut short of jettisoning all of his remaining dignity by having Akira force him to help with decorations. If you remember my last episode review (Congratulations) you will know that I am now officially
shipping these two and this show is complying with my risky gamble of making my shameful support for an anime couple public.
The Stellvia teachers discuss a disturbance that the computer has picked up, other than the one from the viewer having to see Santa Jojo. They don't quite know what it is, so decide to go drinking instead of worry. Great. Our lives are in your hands and you've got butterfingers.
The headmaster is considering expulsion for Machida after she ATTEMPTED TO MURDER TWO STUDENTS but apparently one of the Big Four (Kent) thinks this is too harsh. Wat. Seriously, he does. It's only ATTEMPTED murder ya see, not actual murder. There's a difference there.
We zoom to Machida lying awake at night in solitary, staring up at the ceiling. She's creepy but clearly not quite antagonist material just yet. More a jealous psycho who can't handle being out-talented by people who only started piloting weeks ago.
The characters in this show are just fantastic though, I really hate Machida now due to my subliminal loyalty to the Stellvia gang. If you like anime that make you actually care about the characters you're supposed to care about and hate the characters you're supposed to hate, then Stellvia's up there with the best.
Anyway, next on the list of clearly more important than figure out what's causing the computer system's disturbances, is to find a star for the Christmas tree. Apparently Syoujin, the Ninja from the Big Four, has a lot of them. Ninja. Stars. Uh huh. You can see where that is going but it doesn't make it any less amusing.
Shima wants to go alone to Syoujin though, presumably to inquire as to how much he would charge to shiv Machida and if he takes Mastercard. Syoujin hands over a razor sharp ninja star to the stunned (by how stupid she was) Shima, before reassuring her that she can color it. That'll do the trick.
He asks if she'd like more, cause ya know, he's got a lot of them and there's really not that many people who are into ninja stuff on Stellvia or indeed anywere in the future so...
Shima says no, to his disappointment, leading to an awkward and amusing silence. They could make a movie about this guy "The Last Ninja". This is all Michael Bay's fault.
Syoujin tells Shima that Machida will probably get expelled, but they haven't decided yet. Maybe that means they'll give her the chair? Firm but fair.
Shima seems saddened and for the life of me I can't understand why. This psycho tried to GORE HER WITH A GIANT PHALLIC SPACECRAFT SPEAR just as she did to a previous student. Then again that's the kind of person Shima is. It might be a little preemptive, but I could totally see this show giving Machida her redemption by the time we're through. Things in Stellvia aren't as black and white as she thinks and Shima's piloting skills shouldn't be anything to be jealous about. Kouta's on the other hand...
OH GOD YES.
Speaking of Kouta, he and Yayoi are chatting. Yayoi is sad that it won't be a White Christmas this year. I guess Bing Crosby never imagined Space Stations when he wrote the song. Instead, Kouta jokes, it'll be a red Christmas. A reference to the bizarre and as-of-yet unexplained color change to outer space. Yayoi is about to ask Kouta to try and support Shima as she struggles emotionally over the events of the last episode when Kent shows up.
Kent wants to talk to Yayoi, clearly being the smarmy jerk that he is, he wants to influence her into not incriminating Machida so she doesn't get expelled. Seriously, this guy wants Yayoi to commit perjury so she can keep a PSYCHOTIC KILLER from getting kicked out of school. Sick bastard.
Meanwhile, Shima hasn't returned so Kouta goes to look for her. I'm getting goosebumps guys, dat "confession" has GOT to be coming soon. It's Christmas Eve, this kinda stuff happens on Christmas Eve. I read about it on the internet.
Shima is, as it turns out, sitting inside the giant robot (The Infinity?) wondering if she did anything to make Machida angry. No dear, she's just batshit insane, don't let it bother you. Kouta finds her in a semi-fetal position. She's worried other people hate her too, scared even. I expect a verbal encouragement from Kouta, but instead he holds out his hand to her. She takes hold of it and they walk off together. Simple, yet powerful. If he had of said something here, it would have been "Don't be afraid, I'll be with you", but that would be entirely superfluous.
They go together to see Machida. Apparently the door to her solitary cell wasn't locked. Smart move Stellvia staff.
She tells them that because Shima was "getting close to her" she had to take her down. She admits she's eliminated competition'd her way to the top. She doesn't mention why this would be a good idea at a school which determines the fate of humanity.
She confesses she did the same to Yayoi and could potentially do the same again as she doesn't want to lose. Though she realises somewhat how petty it all was, given that her attempts to bring down Shima only made Kouta take off his mask of indifference and shine as the piloting genius he mysteriously is. He's so much better, she hasn't a hope of competing. All that practice for nothing. Bawww.
Shima thanks her for being honest and Kouta leads her out by the hand.
In a way, the Christmas thing is more just the backdrop for today's episode, the easel on which is painted a majestic array of emotions and developments that many shows would try to fit into several episodes rather than one. To further that
Yayoi borrows Jojo's Santa costume and pays a visit to Machida. Sadly there are no detonating presents or "Merry Christmas, Bitch" quips. She too is there for the truth.
Apparently Machida caused Yayoi's bianca to crash only so she could save her. Make sense? Yeah I didn't think so. Anyway, she starts crying because in reality, she knew all along Shima was better as both a person and a pilot and she hated herself for what she did to Yayoi.
Enough about their silly drama though. It's back to Shima/Kouta and with 4 minutes remaining (so like 2 minutes excluding ED and next episode teaser) things better hurry up if I'm going to get my confession. They sit near the Infinity (giant fighting robots are SO romantic) and chat. Shima asks Kouta what he's not good at and he says words, apparently he's not good at expressing his feelings in words and it frustrates him at times. They chat about this for a while and HOLY CRAP he turns round and kisses her mid-sentence. I didn't see that coming at all, nor did she as he eyes are WIDE (enhanced by 16:9) open with surprise.
Screw a confession, a kiss? Now? Episode 12 and the main couple have had their first kiss? This is fantastic!
I love this show.
Yadda yadda ya
Yayoi forgives Machida and commits purjery to save her sorry ass
, sorry guys, nothing's gonna bring me down! We end with a party, laughter, Jojo being a twat
(though seemingly only to see Akira laugh, cute)
, Syoujin being forever alone and the Stellvia teachers being irresponsible. All is well in Stellvia land but wait, there's more! Our final scene for the episode is Kouta and Shima standing infront of Infinity, where they wish each other Merry Christmas followed by
a mutual kiss
. Wonderful.
I can't even begin to describe how good this episode was, but suffice it to say, it's the first Christmas episode of anything ever that has actually been better than the non-Christmas equivalents. It's the end of the first cour and often an anime would bow out at this point, but Stellvia's only half way through and I can't even imagine what's ahead.
I thought it was a good introduction to a completely new show. The best mindset to come in is basically to forget the original series since they don't give a shit about it. The fight scenes are pretty cool but other than the action scenes, there's basically any animation in the other parts. They overuse the long shots quite a bit and while thats not necessarily a bad thing, its quite jarring compared to the nicely animated fights.
I thought it was a good introduction to a completely new show. The best mindset to come in is basically to forget the original series since they don't give a shit about it. The fight scenes are pretty cool but other than the action scenes, there's basically any animation in the other parts. They overuse the long shots quite a bit and while thats not necessarily a bad thing, its quite jarring compared to the nicely animated fights.
So 2010. Then here's a list of shows I'd recommend from 2011 until now, in no particular order:
Wandering Son
Usagi Drop
Mawaru Penguin Drum
Fate/Zero
Kaiji S2
Level E
Madoka Magica
Hanasaku Iroha
Working'!!
Daily Lives of High School Boys
Ano Natsu de Matteru
And you can check back in a bit to see what shows of this new season come out on top.
So, do you guys remember that time where I said that if To Love Ru Darkness got an anime it's gonna be borderline hentai, and I would watch the shit out of it and buy all of it?
It's surprisingly different how the same things sound and are explained when you compare F/Z, which originated as an LN written by Gen Urobuchi, and F/SN, which originated as a VN written by Nasu. The expository dialogue in this show is insufferably banal and generically shounen (mainly due to Shirou's perspective as the main character, he annoys the shit out of me and so does his internal monologue) compared to how it went in F/Z. I'm still waiting for Nasu's trademark fake deep philosophy to show up and save me from boredom every time somebody opens their mouths because right now this whole thing is dumber than a bag of rocks. This might be because the Masters are all bunch of kids in F/SN whereas they are all adults in F/Z. I'm not sure the high school setting is doing F/SN any favors here.
There's been lots of Rin though, so far this is the show's only saving grace. It's strange that I know why Rin reacts the way she does when she runs into Sakura while walking from Shirou's house, had I watched F/SN before F/Z I wouldn't know precisely why she acts the way she does around Sakura.
Karuta seems like a pretty focused sport. Kids could play it but it's definitely something you'd have to really master to be any good at it. There does seem to be a lot more to it than initially thought.
It has absolutely zero interaction with your opponent.
The objective in Karuta is to identify the card that matches the one spoken and then tap it. Whether or not your opponent exists is immaterial, you can replace him with a slightly randomized timer and the game would remain the same. It's a game of reflex and reaction, there's no strategy or tactics to it at all.
In fact, it would be much faster if you just lined up all the tournament players in front of identical cards, and gave them the topic. Hook up some camera or lasers to track movement and then whichever one taps fastest wins.
Now, you know what would actually be interesting? Kurata as played by language processing AIs. The competition would be between natural language process algorithms, and the ability to receive and respond to contextual language. That would be far more interesting and relevant than traditional karuta.
Ah Stellvia, my short break has left me gagging for your character-centric fun and frolic like some cheap druggy forced to go cold turkey. See folks, some anime are just safe bets, you aren't going to get any trope-induced filler episodes in Stellvia cause really, there's just too many possible ways for humanity to end and/or petty things Shima can cry about. Saved the World? Ah well, the apocolypse is kinda like buses, there's always another one right round the corner. While you wait, have some moe chicks being moe.
I had a good idea what was gonna happen this episode because of previews for the live action movie and just osmosis in general so none of the events were particularly surprising. I thought its a very interesting concept though. I like the whole, never give up on your dream no matter what message. The show follows the older brother who's lost his dream and living unemployed. I am betting the whole show will be about him doing his best etc to fulfill his promise to his brother ;_;
It has absolutely zero interaction with your opponent.
The objective in Karuta is to identify the card that matches the one spoken and then tap it. Whether or not your opponent exists is immaterial, you can replace him with a slightly randomized timer and the game would remain the same. It's a game of reflex and reaction, there's no strategy or tactics to it at all.
In fact, it would be much faster if you just lined up all the tournament players in front of identical cards, and gave them the topic. Hook up some camera or lasers to track movement and then whichever one taps fastest wins
There is interaction between the opponents simply by virtue of fighting for the same card in the same physical space. You can guard cards on your side, position them in a way to make it more challenging for your opponent, attempt to psyche your opponent out in various ways, etc. It may not be the most strategic game, but there is a little more to it than sheer reaction time.
It has absolutely zero interaction with your opponent.
The objective in Karuta is to identify the card that matches the one spoken and then tap it. Whether or not your opponent exists is immaterial, you can replace him with a slightly randomized timer and the game would remain the same. It's a game of reflex and reaction, there's no strategy or tactics to it at all.
lol thanks. You (and others) should totally watch it, I'm really enjoying it so far. It's sweet, fun and filled to the bursting with character development. As if that wasn't enough, it's directed by Tatsuo Sato, otherwise known as "That guy who did Nadesico".
There is interaction between the opponents simply by virtue of fighting for the same card in the same physical space. You can guard cards on your side, position them in a way to make it more challenging for your opponent, attempt to psyche your opponent out in various ways, etc. It may not be the most strategic game, but there is a little more to it than sheer reaction time.
Ah My Goddess TV 02
So, the first episode literally covered half of the first chapter of the manga. This one covered like probably up to the end of two or something. I don't really know, but it took Keiichi up till around the commercial break for him to make his wish.
I do gotta admit at least the filler is fleshing out the characters especially with Keiichi and why does Belldandy fall for him besides an allmighty power.
Not really sure why the show is stalling so much with filler. It isn't like it'll ever run into the problem where it runs out of manga to adapt!
As a former Pokemon TCG meijin, I can attest to actually having lengthy anime-style internal monologues weighing every possible strategy and countermeasure. When I realized I was playing babby's first TCG, it was pretty embarrassing how seriously I took it.
It was just kinda weird, I'm not really complaining tbh I realize the constraints they work under but watching Space Bros which was more consistently animated afterwards kinda puts it in perspective.
The next arc is filler, but most people claim that it's the best filler so it's your choice whether or not to watch it.
After that, if you decide to skip Davy Back Fight, don't make the same mistake that I did. At least watch the final two or so episodes of the arc so that you don't miss an extremely important
Alas, they are available for Japanese import at $85 for 2 episodes.
MadMan Entertainment of Austrailia is planning to license the series in absence of other takers (there will probably be no takers :/ ), they'll perhaps announce it later this year. The price/per episode amount ratio they offer will hopefully be less extravagant. I'm planning to import it from them A.S.A.P., if/when everything goes through.
Alas, they are available for Japanese import at $85 for 2 episodes.
MadMan Entertainment of Austrailia is planning to license the series in absence of other takers (there will probably be no takers :/ ), they'll perhaps announce it later this year. The price/per episode amount ratio they offer will hopefully be less extravagant. I'm planning to import it from them A.S.A.P., if/when everything goes through.
