Red Data Girl - Episode 12 (Completed)

Thanks to Tayakanagi's efforts, Izumiko has finally lost her rag at his plotting and scheming... and trust me, you don't want to deal with Izumiko when she's angry.

As a result, the school festival is thrown into disarray as Izumiko's temper causes all sorts of strange results, not least blowing out all of the electrical devices in the area.  Oh, and turning Tayakanagi into a dog, which is probably the best result possible.  The trouble is, the loss of phones and other devices makes actually finding where Izumiko is decidedly more difficult - then again, when you're on another plane entirely I suppose no amount of technology will help you.

It's up to Sagara to navigate these plans in the search for Izumiko - a task which is easier said than done, and as it emerges that Masumi is the real mastermind taking advantage of what's going on it also becomes clear that he's set up some tricky to navigate traps as he seeks to use his infatuation with Izumiko to stay with him instead.  Ultimately, it's up to Izumiko to decide between Masumi's advances and her loyalty to Miyuki - no prizes for guessing which option she chooses, spurning Masumi's attention and the possibility of an easy life (or afterlife, I suppose) in favour of returning to the status quo.

Although it delivered a few sweet moments towards its climax, this final episode of Red Data Girl suffered from the same issue as much of the series as a whole - it felt like a show that was throwing things into the midst of the story with no real effort to explain or integrate them properly, and the result was inevitably a messy one that too often lacked coherence and focus despite having some good ideas and interesting characters to its name.  It's this sense of disappointment that is perhaps what's made the series so frustrating - it isn't a terrible show in relative terms, but compared to its potential and blessed with some really nice visuals it could, and should, have been so much more rather than squandering all of its promise in such a dull and stilted way.

Red Data Girl - Episode 11

As the school festival moves towards its climax, so does this series, with Red Data Girl hitting its penultimate episode with expectations high that Takayanagi is going to use the event to pull some kind of trick or other.

Lo and behold, things soon begin to seem sinister, with the launch of a last minute weather balloon right above the academy (yes, the episode's big threat is a weather balloon), and before we know it Takayanagi appears to try and persuade Izumiko to join his faction.

Of course, Izumiko isn't exactly on board with either Takayanagi's plans or his way of doing things, but this seems to be rendered irrelevant as the next thing we know she's utterly compliant with everything that he and his merry band are doing.  With Sagara unable to make his way to Izumiko either, it seems as if Takayanagi might just have won the day, but that is to reckon without Izumiko's spirited streak when it comes to her buried memories of Miyuki.  Oh, and there are plans afoot for Miyuki and Mayura to set up some kind of sham marriage so that they can both pursue their true loves - probably not the best time to bring that up, in all honesty.

Taken as a whole, this episode of Red Data Girl exhibits both the best and worst that the series has to offer - on the positive side, watching Izumiko's character grow and then stumble in the face of uncertainties as to whether she can ever become normal is both fascinating and well-realised, but on the flipside of this the way Takayanagi's manipulation of Izumiko was depicted was simply terrible from a viewer's point of view, and that aforementioned marriage plot point also felt like it had been crow-barred into the episode by Gordon Freeman's less finessed brother.  That even one of the show's better episodes can have such major flaws says a lot about the quality of the series as a whole, and why it's been such a frustrating proposition ee=very week to watch.

Red Data Girl - Episode 10

Having had another "turn" as the Himegami, Izumiko is understandably rather torn up about the whole thing as this tenth episode of Red Data Girl begins, particularly given the hassles said Himegami gave to Sagar during her possession of Izumiko's body.

There's little real time to dwell on this however with the Warring States-themed culture festival still in full swing; not that this stops Izumiko taking a few jabs at her "protector" out of jealousy at his somewhat intimate conversation with the Himegami.  With rumours floating around of girls being taken ill at the festival's haunted house however, it's time for Miyuki to investigate with Izumiko in tow.

Lo and behold, there is something more supernatural than fake blood and made-up students within the confines of the haunted house which look to attach themselves to Izumiko, but is this a trap of Takayanagi's or some other phenomena entirely?  There's no time to find out, as our thoughts instead turn towards to Mayura's own battle to fight against Takayanagi, with the festival's mock battle now seemingly operating at its centrepiece.

In a sense, this week's Red Data Girl is another great example of everything that this series gets wrong time and time again - it flits from one idea to the next without ever bringing what has gone before to any satisfactory resolution, and by the end of an episode your mind feels bloated like you're suffering from some kind of mental constipation thanks to all of the things you've seen but your brain isn't ready to file away in the "out" tray.  Maybe that means that the final episodes will turn into mental diarrhoea instead, but simply the fact that I'm now comparing this series to bowel movements tells you everything that you should need to know about it.

Red Data Girl - Episode 9

It's school festival time in this week's Red Data Girl, with the theme of choice being the Warring States period - a period which too much thinking about seems to do Izumiko very little good...

This isn't really the best time for our protagonist to be feeling the exertions of her summer however, as the school festival also means that the academy will be open to the public, in turn meaning that any barriers erected around the premises will be lifted throughout the duration of the event.  With Takayanagi at large again and the potential for threats which come from that lifted barrier, Sagara in particular is feeling rather nervous at the thought of someone using this opportunity to get at the Himegami.

These nerves are only frayed further when Izumiko is press-ganged into modelling some traditional clothing from the Warring States period, which also entails her removing the braids which (supposedly) keep the Himegami in check - although this seems like it could be a perfect setup to cause trouble, everything goes without a hitch... at least, until after the bevent when the Himegami suddenly puts in an appearance to cause Sagara some hassle and a difficult decision to make between assisting the Himegami and following Izumiko.

In fairness, this was an improved episode of Red Data Girl, in that it was only mildly dull for the most part - its humour still lacks any bite more often than not, and the plot and the way it develops remains incredibly unsatisfying to the point where it almost feels cobbled together on a whim.  As a whole, it's still hard to feel anything to hold onto as an example of what the series does well - this isn't to say that it's getting anything horribly wrong, but it doesn't seem to know how to make you sit up and pay attention, be it visually or in terms of its narrative.  Still, only three episodes to go...

Red Data Girl - Episode 8

After the death of his horse, a distraught Manatsu has disappeared onto another plain to be with his brother, out of the reach of even sister Mayura.  Is there any way to bring him back?

Of course this show would be even more dull if the answer was "no", so there is of course one possibility - to channel the power of the Himegami to reach Manatsu and persuade him to return.  Although Izumiko isn't entirely sure how to go about it, she nonetheless manages to make it to this other plain, where she meets Masumi and is pointed in the direction of her missing friend's location...

...or is she?  As she attempts to reach and rescue Manatsu, it seems that all is not as it seems with this scenario, and Masumi is actually using the situation as a possibility to engineer his escape to the real world, bringing with him the entity of which he is part.  Even though this plan is foiled, it doesn't stop the entity in question from breaking out of its cage; something which can only be halted using the full power of the Himegami.  How fortuitous then that a person able to wield that power has arrived at just the right time.

So, how do I sum up this week's episode of Red Data Girl?  Hmm, I know, how about "packed from start to finish with conveniently sculpted bullshit in an attempt to drive the story arc's plot"?  This entire episode feels horribly written and delivered, with twist after twist and development upon development delivered in a way that screams out "who gives a shit?" - none of it feels satisfying, none of it particularly makes any sense, and the upshot is one of the most terribly forced episodes of anime I've watched in a long, long time.  We're now at the point where I think I'm just watching this series so I can poke fun at it each week - there's certainly little entertainment to be found here beyond that.

In case you haven't guessed from the previous paragraph - this series is becoming increasingly terrible by the week.

Red Data Girl - Episode 7

There's danger in the air as Mayura turns on Sagara with a view to testing him and his abilities, using the ethereal Masumi to do so in the process.

As per prior episodes of Red Data Girl however, any sense of tension is relatively short-lived, as the situation is soon diffused by a moment of insight from Izumiko which brings this "contest" to a close.  Of course, Mayura was only testing her new friends; never mind that this seems like an incredibly bitchy thing to do.  With thoughts returning to their current camping trip, bad news soon strikes Manatsu, who leaves as word reaches him that his horse Tabi is gravely ill.

Calling up the excitable Masumi to take over Manatsu's role at the camp causes Sagara in particular all kinds of headaches, but this is little more than light relief as Manatsu and Mayura's concerns about their horse takes a troublesome turn in light of the worst possible news about its fate - the resulting conflict of emotions set Manatsu off on a path which leaves his sister mortified and distraught.

Try as I might to care about all of these goings on, I simply can't do it - for me, Red Data Girl now feels like a show where things most certainly happen, but none of them leave me with any attachment to, or interest in, either the scenario or its characters.  I'm not sure whether it's due to this or simply sloppy story-telling but the whole thing feels jumbled and without direction to boot, leaving me stuck within a vicious circle of apathy.  In fact, this series is probably a perfect example of what it does badly, given how it spends much of its running time almost literally flogging a dead horse...

Red Data Girl - Episode 6

Never mind the big news of last week's episode, as this sixth episode of Red Data Girl sees us heading off on a trip, with our main pair of characters joining Mayura and Manatsu on a trip to Nagano.

The first port of this call for said trip is the home of the siblings, where they get to meet the rest of the Souda family via a gathering which sees Izumiko taking in entirely too much alcohol-laced punch.  The next thing she knows, a drunken Izumiko is "dreaming" of floating around the Souda house at night and meeting the deceased Masumi in the process - exactly the kind of thing Sagara was worried about his intoxicated charge doing in the first place.

From there, the group moves onwards to their next piece of business, that being a meeting of the student council executive committee.  This is where the real meat of the episode lays, as we come to realise that there are several factions involved in something of a "war" to gain influence and followers around the academy - it's a battle into which Mayura has thrown herself, with a determination to unseat Takayanagi from his position - a determination so bold that she even sees Sagara has a potential rival, leading to her challenging him in the hope of finding out what he's truly capable of.

No matter how much more entertaining alcohol makes Izumiko's character, I have to say that I'm tiring of Red Data Girl as a whole - for all of the potential it flaunts here and there, no aspect of the series has managed to grip me, and this episode largely made up of talking heads and internal academy politics was probably the last thing I needed to try and win me over as the whole thing left me cold.  It still looks pretty enough, but this series is currently proving to be far too self-serious placid to engage me; were it not be for my dogged refusal to give up on shows after this many episodes I'd probably be putting it to one side and never thinking about it again.

Red Data Girl - Episode 5

The previous episode of Red Data Girl took us to the brink of a showdown between Takayanagi in light of the results of his recent nefarious plans, and the Souda triplets.. or at least, Manatsu and the ghostly Masumi.

While Takayanagi is full of bragadoccio before things start, he's quickly made to eat his words, as it seems that Masumi in particular has little guard for the rules and so-called "covenants" that should govern him.  This means that he soon has his opponent effectively eating out of the palm of his hand and, quite literally, gives him a bit of a slapping about.

With this issue resolved, much of the remainder of the episode focuses once more upon the relationship between Miyuki and Izumiko, which becomes fractious once again thanks to the reappearance of Yukimasa, who has taken it upon himself to start working at the academy as a lecturer.  Although his suggestion that he'll be taking over looking after Izumiko himself is supposed to be a teasing one, Miyuki takes it entirely too seriously and begins to distance himself from Izumiko, much to her clear upset, instead spending his time with the student council and fraternizing with other girls.  Of course, this soon changes when a possibility of Izumiko placing herself in peril arises once again, and Miyuki finds himself faced with what could be construed as a rather strange request from the Himegami that resides within Izumiko.

Once again, Red Data Girl has the knack of taking an average episode and imbuing it with some final scenes that make me want to watch the same instalment.  It would be harsh to slag off the series too heavily, but it still feels like it's missing a certain something - I'm enjoying the way the two leads interact as characters, which is another positive for the series as a whole, but the backdrop to those interaction still feels too wishy-washy somehow.  Still, strong characters and a slowly but steadily developing plot are enough to chew over for now, even if it isn't exactly a shining example of anime at its best.

Red Data Girl - Episode 4

It's off to high school we go for this fourth episode of Red Data Girl, and even before classes begin at Houjou Academy it seems as if Izumiko has made herself some friends in the form of twin siblings (and two of three triplets, the other being deceased) Mayura and Manatsu Souda.

However, it seems that not everybody at the academy is quite so friendly - although top student Takayanagi seems aloof but otherwise harmless, Izumiko soon finds herself noticing those tell-tale menacing black shadows which are always a sign of trouble in her eyes, and as a result she struggles to keep her composure in their presence, especially when one of them is situated in her very class.

When the foreign transfer student who is the "owner" of this sinister black figure (which even Izumiko knowingly worries is simply her own prejudices coming through) tells our protagonist to meet him after school, it's clear that this isn't going to be some kind of love confession, and luckily for her Sagara tags along to protect his charge when things go south.  With the two Souda siblings also revealed as having powers of their own which fit into this world's supernatural elements, it seems that Takayanagi might be about to get his comeuppance.

Even four episodes in, I continue to be unsure in my feelings for Red Data Girl - I appreciate some of what it's trying to do, and it continues to build up some reasonably interesting constructs around its broader narrative, but that doesn't really stop the execution of those constructs from being kind of bland.  All of the characters are so matter of fact, and take everything so seriously (exploding web sites and all), that there's no feeling of joy to be had while watching the show, while conversely and moments of tension are quickly drained before gaining any real power.  Thus, the potential remains for Red Data Girl to explore some interesting avenues, but for now it seems to be doing so in a forgettable and mediocre fashion.

Red Data Girl - Episode 3

A return to the mountains also means a return to normality for Izumiko and Sagara as this third episode of Red Data Girl begins, although of course the knowledge gleaned from that visit and Izumiko's unveiling as the "carrier" of Himegami.

Still, if nothing else the whole trip seems to have markedly improved the relationship between our protagonist as her protector, and all continues to be well for the return to school after that Tokyo excursion.  At least, all is well until Wamiya enters the frame.  Having been offered up a gift by Izumiko, brought by some of her friends, Wamiya seems to be far from thrilled by the fact that Izumiko made the trip to Tokyo - indeed, he's behaving decidedly oddly while also showing himself to have more than a passing grudge towards Miyuki.

Of course, we ultimately learn that Wamiya really isn't what he first seems, and after controlling some of his classmates to attack Sagar we get to see exactly what kind of powers he holds as he uses them to chase after both Sagara and Izumiko.  One car chase later, this results in a showdown between Wamiya and, it turns out, his creator, who shows a surprising moment of strong-willed defiance to browbeat her pursuer.  It seems that Izumiko has a steely side beneath her meek exterior, and she might just need it as we fast forward to the start of her life in Tokyo at Houjou Academy.

Even three episodes in to Red Data Girl I still feel like I'm not entirely sure what to make of it - take many of its aspects in isolation, whether it's the show's characters or the broader setting and concept, and it all seems pretty interesting, but as a whole it somehow still struggles to be as compelling as it perhaps should be.  For now it's doing just enough to hold my interest, and the skip forward in time at the end of this episode might help it, but rather like its main character it certainly needs to find a better sense of self if it wants to really impress.

Red Data Girl - Episode 2

Izumiko might have her "manservant", but it's certainly done little for her nervous disposition even if her friends seem to be enjoy the presence of this sporty new male newcomer in their midst.

Of more concern to Izumiko is the forthcoming school trip to Tokyo, which certainly isn't her "thing"; it's a situation made worse when she receives a mobile phone together with a letter from her mother imploring Izumiko to come and meet her during said school trip.  Rather than going it alone (especially given her propensity for blowing up electronics), it's left up to Sagara to accompany her on this particular excursion.

If a flight to Tokyo seems like a simple task, it proves to be anything but when you have Suzuhara in tow, as she quickly finds herself seeing things - black, shapeless beings that seem to be following her everywhere she goes.  Although Sagara dismisses this as a flight of fancy, when the duo's meeting with Izumiko's mother falls through along with a warning that "they've found you", and their subsequent journey to her house presents all sorts of unexpected obstacles it appears that there's more to what Izumiko is seeing than mere paranoia.  Once safe, we even get a glimpse into why our female protagonist is so important to those who protect her too...

I was expecting to see a little more exposition than we were ultimately given by this second episode of Red Data Girl, but then again that isn't necessarily a bad thing - we've once again been fed just enough to up the ante in terms of the show's intrigue, and P.A. Works certainly know how to create a creepy atmosphere when required so the show remains planted in my "interesting enough" bucket.  It feels like it might be a slow burner, but it's doing a decent enough job of working with the relationship between its main two characters to add to the overall sense of mystery to hopefully grow into something that will reward the viewer for sticking with it.

Red Data Girl - Episode 1

Izumiko Suzuhara is a girl who wants to change, and understandably so - her looks her plain, she's teased and bullied and school, and her father who lives in America is insistent that she go to high school in Tokyo; exactly what a quiet girl such as she dreads.

No matter how clumsy and ordinary she might look from the outside, there is clearly something decidedly unique about Suzuhara - no, not just her wealthy background or a supposed inability to use the Internet, but the fact that when she does try to use a computer all sorts of weirdness ensues.  Thus, a normal lesson in the school computer lab turns into an underwater videoconference with her father which seems to be decidedly dreamlike, but ultimately proves not to be as the incident ends with all of the systems in the room blowing while the content of Izumiko's conversation with her dad turns out to be entirely accurate.

Although she might want to avoid attention, this proves rather difficult when her father sends someone to look after her who kicks things off by landing a helicopter on the school grounds.  What's more, the man in question - Yukimasa Sagara - has brought a boy with him; a sulky and incredibly rude boy who Izumiko remembers from his past.  It appears that time has changed the already fractious relationship between the two of them, as Miyuki Sagara is now to all intents and purposes introduced as Suzuhara's "manservant".  So just why does everyone tread on eggshells around Suzuhara and treat her like some kind of royalty?  That's a question we'll have to wait a little longer to see answered.

That's right everybody, it's new anime season time again, meaning that the circle of life, death and slumping in front of the TV every night has begun again.  As openers go, Red Data Girl just about gets its balance right - it doesn't dump huge gobs of exposition upon us, nor does it keep its powder completely dry, giving us just enough information to reel us in without telling us anything near all of the salient points we need to know to get a full grasp of the story.  This is an episode that is more a case of "not doing anything wrong" rather than explicitly doing anything particularly fantastic, and the result is an opening gambit that has left me suitably intrigued and wanting more to see how things develop - a clear case of "mission accomplished" at this point, in other words.