Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 11 (Completed)

The face-off between the Adventure Club and their former member Ikusaba seems to have taken a dark, violent and decidedly dangerous turn - is there any way out of the mess Juugo and company have found themselves in?

Yes, as it happens, but not before our protagonist is left with a fractured elbow and collapsed lunch by Ikusaba. Of course, the solution comes via our resident master detective, who claims to know the truth behind Ikusaba, threatening to reveal it and thus render it redundant unless he steps away and lets his rivals leave. After some pause for thought, Ikusaba agrees, leaving the Adventure Club members to recover and make good their own escape as it turns out that Tensai was actually bluffing (or rather, making an educated guess) all along.

In fact, Tensai's efforts involve a lot more than simply diffusing this situation, as she also procures the piece of the Nanana Collection to return to Nanana herself, which in turn leads to a bet as to whether Juugo would use the piece if presented with it in spite of his previous promise to her. As it turns out, Juugo does have some morals and does in fact turn down the opportunity presented to him - what's more, he seems to be decidedly worried about what Nanana really wants for her future; an issue made all the more important than her attempts to avoid answering that quesiton until forced to do so.

So ends a series that teases us with the possibility of future events that we'll never get to see (unless we're lucky enough to be granted a second season), but one that was nonetheless incredibly entertaining for the most part - it had a great roster of characters (including Juugo himself, who blows your average run-of-the-mill anime protagonist out of the water), some excellent action and great animation to depict both this and the show's intricate, Uncharted-esque puzzles. Some of the treatment of its characters and their personalities was a little inconsistent, and its pacing waxed and waned on occasion, but that doesn't detract from the fact that Nanana's Buried Treasure most certainly exceeded my expectations and then some on every count, and I certainly wouldn't say no to more of it.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 10

The race is on to grab a particular piece of the Nanana Collection, with the Adventure Club's combined forces determined to beat Ikusaba to the punch thanks in no small part to some important hints given to them by Nanana herself.

It's thanks to these hints that the group very quickly compile the required knowledge and key to reach the exact location of the treasure. However, they have to wait until that evening to actual unlock the area within which it's contained thanks to its location slap-bang in the middle of a shopping mall, which in turn leaves Juugo facing more questions from Nanana about why he's in such a rush to retrieve this particular item of treasure.

Come the evening, it's time to tackle the numerous puzzles between them and this piece of the Nanana Collection - of course, this proves to be none too difficult with Tensai at hand to figure it out, although a mixture of impatience and missteps means that this cerebral traversal to reach the treasure is mixed with some more simple fast reactions. With just a final puzzle left to be solved, who else should appear but Ikusaba, who shows no intention of letting his fellow treasure-hunters get away with the prize at hand, leading to an epic bout of fisticuffs powered by other pieces of the Nanana Collection.

Its waxed and waned over the weeks, but this was most certainly a great episode of Nanana's Buried Treasure - its puzzle-solving, treasure hunting elements were simple but enjoyable, and once again this show proves to be incredibly proficient when the fists start flying in what proved to be a fantastic action set pieces that had brains to match its brawn. It isn't over either, as things have taken an even darker turn to lead us into the series finale, which I really can't wait to see at this moment in time.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 9

The appearance of Hiiyo Ikusaba in town has ruffled the feathers of all and sundry who have encountered him, and this shows no sign of changing as this week's Nanana's Buried Treasure begins.

Then again, Juugo has other things to preoccupy himself with for a while, namely a "date" which is in fact an opportunity to hang out with Tetsu and Yun amongst others.  Ironically, even this fun day out is almost spoiled by Ikusaba's presence (not to mention Juugo forgetting to buy putting for his flatmate), but it seems that his attention is elsewhere as he comes to blows with the Adventure Club's Kagetora - an encounter which doesn't end well for him, incidentally.

However, Yun soon finds herself at the centre of Ikusaba's interest as this day out comes to an end for reasons which aren't immediately clear, with even Tetsu struggling to protect her as things escalate. As various factions seem to be moving down the same path regarding their thoughts on Ikusaba, we learn of his history within the Adventure Club from mere member to self-centred president, which ultimately led to him sacrificing one of the club's "minions" for his own ends, while Tensai returns with news of a case she's been involved in which is more than a little closely tied to his other movements.  It seems that Ikusaba is interested in acquiring a particular piece of the Nanana Collection - one that Nanana herself is willing to give out a hint regarding, on the proviso that Juugo not use the treasure's powers under any circumstances.

Although this week's episode was very much centred around building towards the show's final two episodes, it was still enjoyable enough - the series manages to keep things moving even when its web of events and characters threatens to get a little tangled, and Juugo remains a likeable and sometimes fascinating lead backed up by a solid cast of supporting characters. In a way, the story being set up at present feels like perhaps the most "normal" thing the series has done (at this juncture anyhow), yet I'm still looking forward to how it develops in a series that has rather surprised me with its overall quality for the most part.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 8

It's tough being a student - especially when you're roommate is a ghost girl with a penchant for video game all-nighters and a former colleague at the organisation you worked for suddenly transfers in as your classmate.

All of these are mild problems which Juugo has to grapple with early in this episode, as his tiredness is followed by having to deal with a testy Tensai, the aforementioned new transfer student Testu and his over-reaction to an incident involving the girl in her charge (and another reappearing character) Saki Yoshino.  All of this pales into comparison to the concerns which arise when a far from likeable former member of the Adventure Club arrives in town.

Particularly affected by the return of Hiiyo Ikusaba is Nanana herself, who is clearly distressed by his turning up outside of her room - a feeling further intensified by his referring to a piece of the Nanana Collection in his possession as garbage.  As it turns out, Ikusaba was Nanana's former roommate prior to Juugo, although his attitude towards the room's resident apparition couldn't be more different.  Is Hiiyo simply hanging out to relive past memories, or is he hatching some kind of evil plot?  Given his personality and the places he's choosing to visit (not to mention the fact that, well, this is an anime series after all), the latter seems by far the most likely option.

While I'm interested to see the series seemingly building to something big for what I assume will be the show's final story arc, it was difficult to really get involved in this week's episode of Nanana's Buried Treasure - it started off a little rushed and disjointed, but more importantly I couldn't find anything to get my hooks into as far as Ikusaba's character is concerned.  Perhaps his actions are more important than his personality, but as villains go he feels a little too much like a cardboard cut-out bad guy, especially in a show that has been at its most delightful in terms of blurring the lines between good and evil in some clever ways. Hopefully the pay off will be worth this build-up, but having had a lot of fun with this series the past couple of episodes have left me feeling a little more skeptical about it.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 7

Last week saw the Adventure Club tackle discovering another piece of the Nanana Collection, only to find that it had already been switched out for a mere stuffed toy.  But who would do such a thing?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer is that Yuugo is exactly the kind of person who would do such a thing, and indeed that's exactly what he did do, sneaking in to take the treasure before his "sister" Yukihime could get her hands on it.  This devilish deed is quickly unmasked by Tensai... because she happened to walk into the apartment just as he was confessing it to Nanana.  Yuugo may have won the day, but something is still bugging him, and it's Yukihime at the centre of his concerns.

In short, he really wants to reconcile with her after clearly angering her with his decision to leave Matsuri, and the artifact in his possession makes for some perfect collateral as part of a midnight rendezvous where he offers up a simple wager - if he can land a single blow on Yukihime she'll have to apologise, whereas if she wins she gets the treasure.  The trouble is, Yuugo also knows exactly how this part of the Nanana Collection operates, and uses it to gain the upper hand in this fight, in turn revealing a less than pleasant side to his personality before Yukihime's tears leads to a more considered discussion and something of a reconciliation, even if neither individual is willing to move from their current path.  With that done and dusted, everyone watches Star Driver, which automatically makes this a terrible episode.

Hyperbole aside (but seriously, Star Driver?!), this was a bit of a weak episode of Nanana's Buried Treasure. I still enjoy how I'm surprised every time Yuugo screws somebody else over even though I know his character by now, but his relationship with Yukihime doesn't really have enough punch to command an episode all of its own, and although it was slickly presented (this show still produces some great fight scenes) there just wasn't anything that resonated with me, or entertained me particularly for that matter.  Hopefully things will improve again now that this element of the show has been at least partially dealt with, which should make for some more engaging fare ahead with any luck.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 6

Now that Yuugo's financial concerns have been lifted (temporarily at least), he can look forward to joining the rest of the Adventure Club's members on their busman's holiday to a hot springs resort which also happens to be the purported location of another item from the Nanana Collection.

Upon arrival, Yuugo finds himself sharing the hotel with one very familiar face from outside of the club, while his insistence upon having a room to himself on account of his snoring also seems a little suspicious - suspicions that are confirmed (to the viewer at least) when he awakens to meet the others the following morning looking like the sort of tired man who had been out much of the night on other business.

Nonetheless, Yuugo is ready to tackle the puzzle proffered them by the home of this latest treasure, even if Isshin has left some of his supposed comrades in the cold to make an early bid for the item himself.  Although the puzzle to reach this piece of the Nanana Collection seems relatively simple it still has its challenges - challenges which don't seem to match the treasure that they end up with.  When the item in question is quickly stolen, it doesn't take long for Tensai to unmask the thief, but all appears to be naught anyhow as the item is revealed to be nothing more than a fake.

This wasn't a particularly strong episode of Nanana's Buried Treasure, but it did have its fun moments - Yuugo's place as an anti-hero still somehow manages to be surprising even though it's now well established, and there was a smattering of well-placed moments of comedy to boot.  Coupled with its pleasing aesthetic and mixing of narrative elements in a casual but enjoyable way, there remains a fair amount of entertainment value to be had which arguably transcends the actual content of the series when taken as a whole, which is exactly what keeps me coming back for more like some particularly moreish pudding.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 5

All is well once again in the aftermath of last week's somewhat chaotic episode - so much so that Isshin is now offering to take his Adventure Club chums on a trip to a hot springs, which also just so happens to be the purported home of another piece of the Nanana Collection.

Fun though the prospect of a hot springs weekend might be, Yuugo has a lot on his plate in the run-up to this weekend away - aside from the fact that Nanana refuses to give him any hints about the piece of her collection that might reside there, he's also faced with another concerted attempt to persuade him return to the fold of Matsuri and his father.  This is something which Yuugo still refuses to countenance, although he similarly seems determined to give no hints as to exactly why he's so staunchly against working with them.

The fallout from this decision however is the rescinding of Yuugo's allowance by his father, leaving him seriously short of cash but with a hefty utilities bill to pay (clearly, British Gas serves Nanaejima Island).  With strict rules on working hours for those studying on the island, it's time for our protagonist to take on the employment black market, leaving him with a job that takes him into the most lawless and dangerous district of the island with a suitcase filled with white powder...

The main joy of Nanana's Buried Treasure as it proceeds is that it's silly but it knows it - it embraces its cliches and ever-dafter plot points and runs with them, but remembers to never take itself too seriously for the most part.  On the flip side, the show's scatter-shot storytelling is its biggest issue at present - at times it feels like I've dozed off for a moment and missed something, but I assume that isn't the case and that the series is simply jumping too quickly from place to place in a way that isn't always satisfying.  In fairness, this occasionally seems to be deliberate to lead in to later reveals or to add some mystery to proceedings, but the manner in which its enacted is certainly less than satisfying.  On balance though, I'm still having a lot of fun with Nanana's Buried Treasure, so its positive attributes continue to outweigh the negatives.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 4

Now that Yuiga Isshin has his grubby mitts on one of the most powerful item's from the Nanana Collection, it's vital that this artifact is removed from his possession as quickly as possible, and it's left to Yuugo and Tensai to do the business.  Or is it?

As it turns out, Yuugo has some hidden affiliations of his own, as he slips his master detective buddy in order to team up with Matsuri, who he seems more than a little familiar with.  Similarly, news that Isshin is going to sell the cane in his possession for 100 million Yen proves to be far from accurate - instead, he wants to use it (predictably) to the rule the world.  This is something that Yuugo has no intention of letting him do, of course, but trying to fight against someone with the power to do anything he desires is a tough proposition... at least, until the batteries on the weapon he's using runs out.

Despite being tricked, Tensai also has a part to play in retrieving the artifact by calling in a favour and thus ensuring the safety of the word - in fact, it's fair to say that this master detective has it all figured out, including Yuugo's real allegiance and the truth behind his actions thus far.  So a rivalry is born, with Tensai moving in next door to Yuugo, who seems determined to move on from life with Matsuri and what it entails in terms of his familial situation - he wants to live for himself according to an angry conversation with his father, but does that also mean walking away from his promise to Nanana?

This week's episode of Nanana's Buried Treasure didn't so much twist and turn as stagger and stumble, and much of its attempts to seem smart are simply engineered by keeping information from the viewer... yet the whole thing still remains oddly compelling, even with the tricks behind its story-telling on plain show.  Tensai's "master detective" role in particular is more enjoyable than it probably should be, while the reveals about Yuugo's allegiances and nature make for a joyful departure from the norms for this kind of show, if only temporarily.  This is no narrative masterpiece then, but it's being told with a certain panache and with a constant grin on its face - it's a show that's having fun, and I can't help but find that rather infectious.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 3

With the Adventure Club's most important member now officially part of the organisation, it's time for the club to start doing what it was created for - seeking out parts of the Nanana Collection, via the so-called "Ruins" within which they're hidden.

Of course, it's left to Yuugo to extract the information about the first ruin from Nanana, a painful experience for both body and mind but ultimately a successful one, which leads the club's members to the middle of a crowded shopping centre - not exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find "buried treasure", but I guess that's the beauty of hiding something in plain sight.  Then again, there's more than that to how this ruin is hidden, with some sneaky tricks with mirrors ensuring that the room in which the treasure is stored is safe from the eyes of passers-by.

Nothing gets passed our master detective Tensai however, who quickly identifies the room that comprises the ruin before Isshin cracks the passcode on the door.  From here, a labyrinth made from the web spun by a mechanical spider is the dangerous challenge the trio who enter must face, and again it's up to Tensai to crack the best way to approach this maze of destroyed and reconstructed tunnels to make it to the centre and the chest containing the treasure.  An impressive treasure it is too once they reach it - unfortunately for Yuugo and Tensai however, Isshin has no intentions of sharing this disovery, instead making off with it to leave his cohorts to their fate.  An auspicious start for the club if ever there was one, and potentially bad news for the wider world given the powers that the cane now in Isshin's possession is capable of.

I'm still not sure entirely what it is (aside from Nanana herself, who is pretty awesome as ghost girls go), but there's something enjoyable about Nanana's Buried Treasure - when it isn't trying to bend itself into a particular otaku-pleasing shape and just gets on with its story as per this episode, its little, quickly solved puzzles and fast-moving nature makes for a pretty fun viewing experience.  It doesn't really have any depth at this point in time, which makes it an oddity of a noitaminA show in a lot of ways, but its visual polish and sense of fun more than make up for that at this juncture.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 2

Now that he has some knowledge of Nanana's history and the sphere of her influence, it's not all that surprising that Juugo has found himself picking up a particularly interesting trinket to bring back to show his ethereal flatmate.

As it happens, this strange jewel is in fact part of the Nanana Collection, and what's more he's actually snatched it from under the noses of those who were intending to steal it for their own ends.  While those directly responsible are baffled by the disappearance of the jewel, Yama finds himself the subject of investigation by "master detective" Tensai Ikkyuu and her maid assistant Daruku Hoshino, who quickly not only deduces that it was he who found the jewel but also manages to embarrass him thoroughly in the process.

Although Ikkyuu's attempt to return the jewel to the police doesn't quite go to plan, she - alongside Daruku - nonetheless chooses to transfer not only into Yama's school but also his class.  In fact, Yama seems to have a constant stream of oddballs taking an interest in him at present, as the president of the Adventure Club also makes his acquaintance with a view towards him joining.  Given that the club relates closely to Nanana, her treasures and her eventual death, Juugo gives joining some serious thought - but first, he must pass a tricky initiation test, which is where our resident detective gets to strut her stuff.

For all of the pandering nonsense that this series throws at the viewer (why do we need two characters dressed as maids?  Why is one of them a "trap"?), there's also rather a lot of fun to be had with this week's episode beneath the surface - it has some good comedy moments, Nanana is rather lovable as a laid-back lead female character, and there's already a good rapport amongst the show's growing cast.  It doesn't feel like a noitaminA show in the slightest, but put that to one side and I found myself rather enjoying this episode of Nanana's Buried Treasure, which hopefully bodes well for it provided it keeps heading in the right direction.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - Episode 1

A state-of-the-art, purpose-build location specifically for students and researchers, Academy City... sorry, Nanaejima Island is an impressive seat of learning, all ensconced within one off-shore island.  It's also the new home of Juugo Yama, who seems more excited about moving out of his family home than he is about specifically gaining a place on this island.

Needless to say, Yama's first port of call is taking up his place of residence, an apartment which has oddly insisted upon him paying an entire year's worth of rent up-front with no refunds.  Surely that couldn't be anything to do with the game-playing, pudding-eating ghost girl who he'll have to share the apartment with, right?

Surprisingly, the fact that this girl was murdered in the very room he's now living in doesn't particularly faze Yama, and nor does his supernatural roommate - in fact, he's happy to let her dislocate his shoulder just so that he can get the slightest touch of ghost-boob.  She might seem like a simple, carefree girl, but Yama comes to learn that there's more to Nanana (for that is her name) than meets the eye, as a manual left by a previous tenant leads him down a path of learning her true place in the history of Nanae Island as well as a little about the buried treasure of the show's title.

Taken as a whole, this first episode of Nananai's Buried Treasure is a bit of a strange beast - it has some interesting conceits, not least surrounding the death of the titular character some ten years previously, but these potentially dark prospects are eclipsed by the show's cheerful, light-hearted and mildly perverted demeanour.  If the series somehow manages to balance the two I'll be impressed, but at the moment I can't help but feel that too many aspects of its wider story are simply poorly glued together in a distinctly unbalanced and roughshod way in service of its ultimate goals, and unless those goals are impressive enough to mitigate its clumsiness it may well fall flat on its face sooner rather than later.