Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini - Episode 7

Episode seven of Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Geminii certainly wastes no time in throwing some surprising information our way, opening with a scene which suggests that Suou and Shion's father is still alive and well (and at large in Tokyo no less), while examination of the brain of the person assumed to be said father only contained a day's worth of information. Some curious goings-on to get you thinking, no doubt about it...

Of course, the sighting of Shion's father in Tokyo has sent a number of agencies in a scramble to find him, and of course one way those agencies hope to get to him is via Suou, which leaves Hei and company (as always) in danger. With patrols and checkpoints all over the place, it's a struggle for our quartet of heroes (is anyone a hero in Darker Than BLACK really?) to leave their current location in Hokkaido - This leads them to hire the help of a professional to get them back on track on their journey.


Of course, nobody can be trusted in the world of this series, and so it goes that the individuals hired by Hei actually have another agenda, namely the kidnap and capture of July, Dolls being the valuable commodities that they are. While Hei is happy to give July up as lost, Suou will have none of it and thus abandons Hei to try and rescue him for herself. This leads her into the hands of a particularly nasty contractor, a man whose brutal tendencies before he became a contractor show themselves vividly in his remuneration. So it's left for Hei to save the day in one of those short but spectacular action set pieces so beloved of the Darker Than BLACK franchise.

While the plot development exhibited by this episode is hugely intriguing in its own right, I can't help but think that Suou's character development is continuing to be the most fascinating aspect of this series. Once again here, we see her veering from between relatively normal human emotions (there's certainly arguably not much logic to setting out to rescue July, particularly alone) and the absolute cold-heartedness expected of a contractor which almost leads her to murder someone without a second thought (although again you could argue the logic of this move in the circumstances). This internal struggle of sorts also continues to bind her own way of thinking and acting to Hei in many senses - As Suou grows closer to July does it mirror Hei's need to protect Yin.

There's so much we could sit and discuss about almost every episode of Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini (I haven't even mentioned Kirihara here) that it's hard to know where to start, so instead let's just salute it as the excellent series that it is. It perhaps still hasn't captured my heart to quite the same extent as its predecessor, but that doesn't make Ryuusei no Gemini any less eminently watchable.

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu - Purezza - Episode 7

Aside from the odd brief appearance here and there, we haven't really seen much of Shiina throughout the course of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu - Purezza so far... at least, not until this seventh episode, where she finally gets her chance to take centre stage.

The episode begins with Shiina musing over her New Year's fortune, which promised her some surprising romantic developments, and no sooner has her musing finished then who should walk past but Yuuto? From getting a chance to walk with him, Shiina ends up losing a precious hair clip in a local stream, and of course Yuuto proves to be the overly-helpful guy that he is by spending hours fishing through the icy cold waters until he finds it with her.


Yuuto's kindness continues after Shiina manages to injure her foot at home (while daydreaming about Yuuto, naturally), as he visits her along with a couple of her other friends to keep her company while she's cooped up at her house. This somehow ends up turning into probably the most erotic massages ever seen in anime, and Yuuto also ends up spending the evening at Shiina's place as he worries about her fending for herself alone at home - Bless him. When he falls asleep at her place, it seems like Shiina manages to steal a kiss from him as well, although we don't actually get to see whether she does the deed.

As episodes of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu go, this was pretty run of the mill really - It just worked its way through the required plot points without ever really breaking a sweat or sending viewers into rapture. Of course, perhaps the most impoprtant item on the agenda here (aside from reminding us what an overly nice guy Yuuto is, as if we needed such a reminder) is the re-establishing of a love rivalry between Haruka and Shiina, and I have to confess that I'm a bit torn on that front personally, liking both characters as I do. Still, Haruka got there first so Shiina's actions do seem a little selfish on reflection, but even such considerations don't really paper over a decidedly average episode of anime that is suitable neither for praise nor criticism particularly.

Kūchū Buranko - Episode 5

It's time for Doctor Irabu to turn his attentions to another new patient for Kūchū Buranko's fifth episode, and this time the subject of his case is surprisingly close to home, in the form of another psychiatrist.

The doctor in question is one Tatsuro Ikeyama, a seemingly uptight and straight-laced guy who is married to the only daughter of the head of the institution at which he works. Being in such an enviable position sounds pretty great to most people, so what is Tatsuro's problem?


Essentially, his elevated and enviable position is the problem - As Tatsuro explains his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which manifests itself as destructive delusions in which he gets to play pranks and generally do crazy stuff, so we learn about his past as a pretty fun guy who was always quick to pull pranks and be the centre of attention when it comes to joking around. Of course, responsibility has changed him, but it appears that this process of maturing has drained the life out of him completely. Irabu's answer to this is to encourage Tatsuro to embrace his delusions and fun-loving nature, from getting him to fart in a lift through to changing the channel while the family (his boss included) are watching the opera to catch some baseball.

Of course, the subject of delusion is a near-perfect one for any visual medium (but perhaps animation in particular), and so this episode of Kūchū Buranko delights in occasionally playing fast and loose with what is real and what simply occurs in Tatsuro's head. Ultimately, this all blends together rather nicely to the episode's conclusion, where Tatsuro comes to terms with what is and isn't acceptable - Watching baseball instead of opera every night is fine, and laughing at his bosses hairpiece in private is fine too, but setting off emergency alarms and generally being a moron isn't.

As always, Kūchū Buranko seems to really have the knack of taking an extreme situation yet somehow making it feel like it's providing some useful pointers for the public at large - I'm sure we've all struggled to find the right line between being a fun person and acting serious at work, with in-laws and so on, and Tatsuro's story is really just that constant internal struggle writ large. This ability to capture the Zeitgeist of the average person while remaining entertaining is quite a knack, and one that this series seems to have genuinely gotten the hang of pulling off week after week - Add to that the interesting way the various episodes so far are cross-referencing one another with no hint as to whether it's even relevant or not, and you have yourself a fascinating little series.

Kimi ni Todoke - Episode 7

After a few episodes of rampant emotion, misunderstanding and worry, I suppose we were actually rather overdue a simpler and more relaxed instalment of Kimi ni Todoke, and that's exactly what we get as of episode seven.

Of course, the last episode finally gave us the reconciliation between Sawako, Yano and Yoshida, with the promise of some after-school ramen for the trio of new-found friends. However, come the start of this instalment, we learn that this never happened properly due to the ramen shop being closed - However, the good news is that Sawako gets invited to eat out the following Saturday, much to the delight of her parents, astonished as they are that she's finally found a friend.


So, off goes Sawako to eat with her friends, and as the episode progresses so they are joined by Ryuu, before the girls suggest that he invite Kazehaya along so that he doesn't feel left out. Eventually, this all-important phone call is left to Sawako to make, and needless to say Shouta wastes no time in coming to join the festivities.

While this might all feel like a bit of an anti-climax after the raw emotion of recent episodes, this was another wonderful instalment of Kimi ni Todoke, albeit in a very different way. Most notably, the dynamic between the set of friends portrayed here is genuinely fun to watch, from Kazehaya being teased mercilessly (and struggling with his jealousy) through to Ryuu's deadpan delivery and all the way onwards to Sawako's naive yet adorable excitement and enthusiasm when it comes to all of the new experiences she's taking part in. Quite simply, it's enough to leave you with a big grin on your face, and that's exactly what I was left with come the end of this episode. This might not be the kind of episode you think back upon and remember with fondness (I've found myself thinking about the past couple of episodes of this series and getting a lump in my throat a few times of late), but in its own right it's a beautiful and gentle thing - Once again, it seems that Kimi ni Todoke can do no wrong in my book.

Natsu no Arashi - Episode 20

Episode twenty of Natsu no Arashi sees the series continuing upon its recent run of what I can only politely describe as inconsequential instalments which feel rather too much like filler for my liking.

This time around the subject of the entire episode is an antique 10 million Yen cup which somehow found its may into the Hakobune cafe, but which has since been mislaid by the owner. Of course, the obvious answer to finding this expensive relic is a spot of time travel, and so we see all of the usual suspects sent back three days to recover the cup.


What follows is a distinctly low budget affair (the animation quality in particular really suffers at times) in which we don't even get to see the direct results of all the time travelling that occurs, with this episode preferring to take on an almost slice of life-esque air based around the conversations of the returning parties as their attempts to retrieve the cup become ever more complex and confused. While this series has often done some pretty cool and fun things with its time travel aspects, it didn't really entertain in quite the same way here for me, and even Sayaka's new-found ability to link and time travel with Yayoi felt a bit throw-away.

Add to that the repetitive gags which were once so funny but now seem to be increasingly overused (from pass the salt to the convoluted process of remembering things usually rolled out by Kanako and Yayoi) and you have a series which rapidly seems to be running out of ideas. It's a shame really - Natsu no Arashi has treated us to some fantastic episodes at times, and equally some pretty fun outings, but perhaps thirteen episodes was a better length for a series of this ilk, as it feels more and more like it's outstayed its welcome by the week.

Hetalia Axis Powers - Episode 43

Following on from the last episode of Hetalia: Axis Powers, this latest instalment of the series continues its focus upon Russia and the trouble he has with his siblings. Of course, this means more disturbing footage of Russia with breasts look-a-like Ukraine, although I am highly amused by the breast jiggling sound effects employed throughout. Yes, I am that easily pleased sometimes.


In essence, this episode covers the Soviet Union's break-up, and Russia's subsequent feelings of loneliness despite the loyalty of Belarus who returns to his side - On account of his reputation, making friends outside of his that particular sister looks like a hopeless task, as all and sundry quake before him. But what is the answer? Seduction, says France predictably.

Really, I'm not sure what to say about this particular episode - All I can think about is those Ukranian breast noises (who would have bet on me ever using the phrase "Ukranian breast noises" in this 'blog by the way?). If only Benny Hill were alive today, I'm sure he'd be raving about this particular instalment of Hetalia.

White Album - Episode 19

Having been laid-up with illness in a pretty big way over the past couple of weeks, for some reason White Album dropped towards the bottom of my "to watch" list - So, now I'm on the road to recovery let the catch-up begin courtesy of episode nineteen.

The last episode certainly left us with an interesting proposition - Rina and Touya kissing, with Yuki arriving just too late to see what happened... but is she going to figure out what's going on? Surprisingly for her, yes, although to be honest Rina is hardly quick to deny either than anything happened or her feelings for Touya. What follows is some pure, classic soap opera, as Yuki weighs up what she knows and suspects about her boyfriend, Yayoi and Rina - A series of thoughts which unsurprisingly drives her into a fit of self-harming despair, while Rina talks of her inability to judge her own emotions and the like.


Of course, everyone's favourite idiot is completely blind to all of the chaos he's just caused, leaving Yuki a cheerful message to tell her how he found time to go and "lend his support" to Rina, and relaying how he'll be working as her assistant from now on - Talk about rubbing salt into the wounds. So, as Touya takes on his new role working alongside Rina at her new production company where she finds herself operating in decidedly reduced circumstances, so he finds himself grabbing the attentions of Menou as well... how does this guy do it? I sense a book entitled "How To Be A Complete Bastard Yet Still Get All The Girls" in his future...

If this particular episode of White Album made me realise one thing, it's this - For the entirety of this series so far, I've been trying to look beyond the surface at the motivations and deeper emotions of the characters to figure out their true feelings and intentions, and at this point in the game I'm beginning to suspect that I've got this series wrong big time. In particular, I've often suspected that Rina is "up to something" in some shape or form, when in fact I'm now of the opinion that what you see is what you get - She's not playing with anyone's heart or emotions for her own gain, she's simply an emotionally stunted idol getting by in love and friendship as best she can. Ergo, what we see in White Album arguably doesn't require any analysis - It is what it is, drama and (slightly trashy) soap opera, pure and simple. Truth be told this is no bad thing, and perhaps I'm beginning to appreciate this series a little more now I'm not trying to see things that simply aren't there with this series... It works best as sensationalised entertainment.