Saki - Episode of Side-A - Episode 5

After breezing through the first round of the Nationals at a ridiculous (and I do mean ridiculous) speed, episode five brings us to the second round of matches, and a place in the semi-finals up for grabs for Achiga as they go up against some potentially fearsome opposition, including a seeded side who didn't even play in the first round.

More specifically, much of this episode focuses upon Senriyama school's sickly Toki Onjouji - after a brief flashback which fills in a little of her history and what led her to where she is today, we join the first match in this particular second round line-up, with Onjouji up against Kuro Matsumi amongst others.  While Kuro's insistence on hanging on to her dora tiles and throwing out weird discards stood her in good stead last time around, it seems that it's going to be a different story on this occasion.

Indeed, it seems that nobody can even touch Onjouji's play as she shows an almost psychic knowledge of what tiles are coming next, and once she declares riichi there's a whole new level of fear to be experienced from her abilities as she wipes the floor with the opposition.  Kuro in particular suffers the most heavily from Toki's torment, leaving Achiga bottom of the leaderboard after the opening match of the round.  Next up is sister Yuu, but can she really do anything to turn the tide as she swears she is going to?  Given that other teams already seem to be tuned into her manner of play, it's going to be tough for her.

At last, we finally seem to have reached the "proper" stage of Saki - Episode of Side-A, with a focus heavily on the national tournament and mahjong being played within it while using gaps in the play to fill in slices of character's back stories and build up characters rather than the other way around.  While it's yet to really ramp up the tension as we might be used to from the original series, it's already a huge improvement and far more enjoyable and fascinating than pretty much anything we've seen from Episode of Side-A prior to this point.  Hopefully now we can keep our focus tightly on the tournament and its players, as the series will surely only thrive because of it.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 4

Given the failure of his attempts to lay low failed in pretty short order, I suppose it's only sensible that Ao's next plan is to go all out and attack the massive Secret threatening the island using his Mark I IFO - and by sensible, I mean the perfect excuse for a little kick-ass mecha action.

Although the US military have their own, ultimately futile, idea for dealing with the G-Monster, it is of course Generation Bleu who have far more success in tackling the "beast" and its minions - that is, until their attack is called off in deference to a spot of "babysitting" Ao, who is of course completely clueless as to how his unit works.  Inexperienced he might be, but it seems that the lad has rather a keen eye for strategy, as it's his plan which is ultimately put into action to defeat the Secret.  Cue a massive explosion of which Michael Bay would be proud.

In the aftermath of this chaos, the island is thrown into a cloud of... well, "stuff"... from the debris of the Secret, while Ao finds himself rescued and shipped off to Okinawa while the Mark I is hidden away (in surprisingly plain sight) while both the Japanese and American forces seek to hunt him and the powers he holds down.  It's to Generation Bleu that our protagonist ultimately turns however, amusingly choosing to take Noel with him rather than Naru as he makes good his escape before other forces close in on him.

Ultimately, it feels as this will be the last of Eureka Seven AO's setup episodes, now that he's ensconced with Generation Bleu, the important stuff about his mother has been revealed and the lines have been drawn for what is to come.  This is certainly for the best, as the second half of this episode was rather tepid and short of anything particularly eye-catching to say or do - then again, this can probably be forgiven somewhat when offset against a great, action-packed first half that bodes well for the future if it can keep up that kind of quality and "wow" factor while still mixing it in with more grounded moments such as Ao dropping one of his rifles; a nice touch that adds another layer to this series when mixed in with its equally measured comic turns which also continue to do the job.  Regardless, my feelings for Eureka Seven AO remain almost entirely positive at this point in the series.

Tsuritama - Episode 4

Having his grandmother in hospital is enough on its own merit to make Yuki's life decidedly busier, but now he has even more of a scramble of a morning for an entirely different reason.  No, not Haru (well, actually yes, Haru is part of the reason too), but the need to get in an early morning fishing session.

Not only has this change in Yuki's habits helped his friendship with Natsuki, it's also seen him and Haru strike up something of a relationship with his father too, giving us a closer look at the rather dysfunctional father-son relationship with this pairing, particularly through the eyes of the ever-astute Haru when it comes to these things.

Indeed, not only has Haru observed the problem, but he also decides to try and put it right with some liberal use of his deus ex water pistol.  This looks all set to work its magic too until Yuki comes along, admonishing Haru for using the pistol again and perhaps more importantly for breaking his promise not to do so.  Thus, we have another fracture in Yuki and Haru's relationship, which is only repaired in light of Yuki finally getting the hang of this whole fishing lark and managing to net himself an impressively big sea bass.

First off, I have to admit that this has probably been the most enjoyable instalment of Tsuritama so far for me - Haru's use as a builder of bridges on account of his straightforward nature is really starting to come to the fore, although I really hope we genuinely don't see any further use of that damned water pistol as it's really a downright lazy plot device at this point in proceedings.  This episode was also generally more amusing and entertaining for me than previous instalments, perhaps on account of things having settled down now that Natsuki has levelled out and well and truly become part of proceedings.  The only question now is - where does the series go from here?  Its overall goals are still pretty ill-defined, and I feel like it's going to have to narrow its focus and aims sooner rather than later.

Medaka Box - Episode 5

Following on from some trivial events of late, it seems that Medaka Box is ready to embark on a rather more substantial story arc.  Well, okay, it isn't literally substantial, but it's about as close as this series gets at the moment.

Now that any and all club recruitment drives are over, it's time for the school's wide variety of organisation to actually start doing what they do - a shift which in turn has seen a massive influx of requests to increase club's budgets, to the point where even Medaka herself is coming under strain with seemingly not enough money to satisfy everyone's requests.  Thus, it's time to take the only obvious route available to the student council - hold a contest!

With a request in the suggestion box to use the school's fancy new (but ultimately ununsed) swimming pool for an event, it seems as if the council have come across a perfect solution to the problem, as they device a number of games based around the swimming pool but without relying explicitly upon swimming.  To spice things up, even the student council themselves will be competing with the fifteen clubs vying for a bigger budget, with the promise of anybody who beats them seeing their money tripled at Medaka's own expense.  It certainly sounds like fun, but given that Shiranui has already warned of the competitive nature of the school's swimming team when it comes to matters of money, is Medaka heading for a fall?

Actually, who cares?  This was another dull episode that really failed to spark my imagination or interest at all - it isn't even the lack of anything decent about the plot so much as the fact that both the show and characters feel completely lifeless, as though everyone involved is just "phoning in" their work on a Friday afternoon.  A couple of mildly amusing brief moments aside, this week's Medaka Box struggles to produce anything memorable to speak of at all (and no, Medaka in a swimsuit doesn't count), and given that this arc is stretching out into another episode I don't see that changing next time around either.  I'm not quite sure why I'm even persevering with the series at this point.. oh wait, yes I do - I'm a glutton for punishment.  Still, I suppose at least it isn't as dumb as Natsuiro Kiseki...

Kids on the Slope - Episode 4

After last week's episode full of typical romance anime misunderstandings (that almost threatened to become more Kids on the Trope than Kids on the Slope for a brief period), Kaoru's feelings were well and truly cleared up by the end of the episode if nothing else.

But what of Ritsuko's answer to his confession?  Well, that we don't get to see, but Kaoru's stifled, stuttering piano playing at the next jazz session in the basement tells us that he isn't exactly the happiest man alive.  Still, it isn't all bad, as Jun's arrival to let his fellow players know that they've been invited to play a Christmas performance at a bar for American soldiers well and truly lightens the mood.

Away from playing jazz however, Kaoru's life is rather less happy, as the increasing pressure and expectations of his cold mother play on his mind, while Ritsuko's indecision and his pondering about how Sentarou's relationship is going don't help matters much either.  Ultimately, it seems that our glasses-sporting protagonist's interest in Kaoru is a little overbearing, as he makes what seems to be an ill-timed move before losing his rag with Sentarou in the aftermath of that moment, coupled with jealousy at what seems to be his friends idyllic family life.  In reality however, Sentarou's family history is anything but rosy, and we're treated to a heart-rending tour of that particular pit of misery and despair that if nothing else helps Kaoru to realise he's not alone.  Suitably motivated, both friends are well and truly fired up by the time of their Christmas performance, although fate takes another cruel twist on a night which looks to further shift the two's relationships with both the apple of their respective eyes and one another.

There's really only one thing I can say about this week's Kids on the Slope, and that is that it pitched its emotions perfectly - this was an instalment to be felt rather than thought about, and provided you were sufficiently emotionally invested in its characters by this point it paid back on that emotional focus by the bucketload.  Hard-luck stories from a character's childhood often fall flat in anime (hell, in any medium), but between its setting and era, together with how we've seen the character grow over the show's early episodes, this particular tale caught in my throat before lodging in my heart with its full impact.  Similarly, Kaoru's growing pains surrounding both his family and Ritsuko echoed and resonated loudly with me throughout, to make for an episode that was pretty emotionally draining (and thankfully lightened by some great comedy and, of course, the show's music) but all the more powerful and ultimately enjoyable for it.  Right now, I think Kids on the Slope could be about to top my list as my favourite show of the spring season.

Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna - Episode 5

Lupin III isn't the kind of guy to give up on something he's set his sights on, and so this fifth episode of Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna begins with him having another stab at trying to seduce Fujiko herself.

As you might expect of such an accomplished seductress, in no time at all Fujiko has Lupin off on something of an errand for her - to retrieve a fabled, incredibly valuable "smiling peacock" from a recently discovered pyramid in Egypt.  Fujiko or not, our titular character is never likely to be able to resist such a temptation, but equally predictably he isn't the only one after this particular artefact, meaning that Daisuke Jigen makes his return to the series.

Once we reach the pyramid, everything pans out pretty much as you'd expect of this series and storyline, with Lupin trying to outwit Jigen with some of his trademark trickery, before both of them almost come a cropper on account of some of the real booby traps laid by those building and trying to protect the pyramid upon its creation.  Although Jigen seems to have the early upper hand, it's never wise to write off Lupin... or, for that matter, Fujiko herself, who seems quite happy to use her two fellow thieves as the key that unlocks the door to the smiling peacock.  There are, of course, only more twists and turns ahead however, which leaves Fujiko in particular with a difficult decision to make.

I must admit that by the half-way point in this episode, I was all ready to label this week's Lupin III as the most "by the numbers" instalment so far - we've all seen the "robbers trying to break into an ancient tomb while fighting each other and avoid all the traps" story a million times in various forms, and this felt like another variation on that theme.  In fact, it is another variation on that theme, but it's saved by a simply marvellous second half, filled with wonderfully considered and crafted twists and turns that were often obvious but no less enjoyable for it as it gave a smart sheen to an already pretty enjoyable jaunt that made perfect use of its trio of characters as they played off (and against) one another.  In short - I'm still absolutely loving Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna, and that doesn't look like changing given the show's current vein of form.

Jormungand - Episode 4

In spite of the massive shoot-out and the ultimate problem of being substantially outnumbered, the unlikely duo of Orchestra are still well and truly at large and on Koko's trail as we enter the second half of Jormungand's latest story arc.  First, however, we find a little time to delve into the origins of Chinatsu's origins as an unlikely assassin.

With that done, it's time for some more high octane but slightly unbelievable action, as Koko's crew try to protect her and Jonah from Orchestra's increasingly dangerous attacks - something which proves difficult as the latter group ramp up the weapons at their disposal.  Ultimately, some quick thinking by Jonah prevents any serious injury to Koko, which itself turns the table on Orchestra - fatally so for one of the duo.

Thus, Koko lives to fight another day, albeit not before having to put up with a decidedly belligerent and persistent CIA agent who understandably takes an interest in her and her activities, leaving her needing to use the local police force's pliability to her advantage.  This still leaves the problem of Chinatsu, who having sworn vengeance against the killers of her comrade is certain to return looking to wreak her revenge on those responsible.  But does a single girl, no matter how determined, have what it takes to get past Koko's team, let alone to take down our anti-heroine of an arms dealer herself?

Before I say anything else, allow me to posit that this was by far the best Jormungand has offered us to this point.  It's still a decidedly flawed vehicle, don't get me wrong - characters needlessly pointing out the names of weapons in the heat of battle is military porn at its worse, and elements like Chinatsu's underwear wearing proclivities were exploitative in a far more obvious way - but on this occasion I'd rather focus on what the episode did do right in taking an average start to this story arc and accentuating everything that was interest about it superbly.  For starters, we have Koko herself, who continues to be an enigma in her actions for the most part, but it was fascinating to see her almost crippled by fear without her team around her - a very different side to a character who has taken blows to the face with a grin as a matter of course.  Then there's her interactions with both Jonah and Chinatsu - the former is interesting purely as a point of debate as she ponders the money spent on arms versus charity and improving humanity as a whole, while the latter is fascinating in a far more personal way as two characters who seem to have made a very different lot from extreme circumstances face up to one another.  The episode's final scenes are both strangely touching while growing the mystery surrounding Koko yet further - there's so much left unsaid, and an important line obliterated entirely, but it worked marvellously at achieving what it set out to in numerous ways.  If Jormungand can continue to build on these elements, and perhaps being a little less desperate to impress people with its in your face characters and circumstances, then it could grow into an impressive series.