Fullmetal Alchemist 104

Father proceeds with his plan.

You are all screwed.

Summary:
In Father's chamber, Ed tells Al to protect the badly injured May while he handles Pride. Pride attacks with his shadow blades, but Ed dodges and hits Pride with a head butt and Pride is unable to regenerate. Meanwhile, Father notices May trying to heal herself with alchemy. Father transmutes a gun and shoots at May, but Al gets in the way in time to block the bullet. Both Al and Izumi attack Father with alchemy but Father easily blocks the attacks. Declaring that it's time, Father grabs Ed, Al, Izumi and Mustang and is about to start the transmutation. Father explains that he will open the planet's gate and drag God down to earth and into himself. Suddenly, Greed arrives and tries to kick Father out of the center spot, but Father had predicted Greed would interfere and quickly moves to the real center which is his throne. Hohenheim, now free from Father's body, makes a last ditch attempt to stop Father, but it's too late.

Just as the sun is completed blocked out by the moon, Father activates the transmutation. The black mass surrounding Father's chamber expands and swallows the nearby area (taking in Scar, Wrath, Hawkeye, and the three chimeras) and emerges from Central HQ. All over the country, people (including Winry and Grandma) fall to the ground and lose consciousness. In Central, a giant door opens from the ground and a supersized Father emerges from the ground. A similar door opens straight above in the sky, and the eye of Truth appears. Shadowy arms emerge from the door from the sky to try and grab Father, but Father grabs the arms and pulls downwards. The entire of city of Central is then engulfed in a blinding flash of light.

The transmutation is quickly over, and people lie all over Central's streets. Back in Father's chamber, Ed and company are still alive and kicking, but they realize Father has gotten what he wanted. From behind the smoke, Father explains that he needed the entire country for energy in his plan to absorb God, but he has succeeded and both God and the souls of all the people reside within him. Ed and company are then surprised to see that Father has taken the form of the young Hohenheim.

Father and his Extreme Makeover reveal.

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Father's master plan happened a lot quicker than I imagined. It happened so quick that I'm thinking that there has to be more it. My predictions for this chapter were along the lines of an epic struggle between Ed's group and Father before Father opens the Gate, and afterwards Ed and company will muck around inside the Gate (to get their organs back and such). So much for my vision. The only thing I wasn't surprised by was Greed's appearance. I guess it's good that Arakawa-sensei is still staying outside the realm of predictability.

Anyways, it seems that Father has gotten what he wanted and absorbed God/the entire Truth into himself along with almost all the people of Amestris. Winry, Grandma, and the Armstrong siblings have fallen victim, but it seems that people who were in Father's expanded body are still alive. Now that Father has the power of the Truth and a few million more souls within himself, the only chance that the good guys have is to use the modified transmutation circle they discovered from Scar's brother's research. Up to this point the manga hasn't showed us too much about the good guys' background preparations for this battle, but I'm assuming they have something ready.

Even though the five sacrifices got through the transmutation without taking a trip through the Gate, I still think they'll have to go to the Gate eventually. Hopefully the Scar vs. Wrath showdown will continue, although I wouldn't mind too much if Ling/Greed tagged in for Scar. FMA is moving ever so close to the end. I wonder how many more chapters will there be before we finally get to the conclusion.

To-Love-Ru OVA 05

Momo and Nana try to test Rito's character.

Warning: not safe for work.

There's a logical explanation for this...

Rito sure knows how to fall.

Summary:
Momo and Nana have settled into the attic of Rito's house. Momo seems to be quite enamored with Rito, but Nana doesn't get what's so good about Rito. To settle their argument, Nana and Momo decide to secretly observe Rito and see how to react to challenges involving alien creatures. Unfortunately, Rito ends up performing poorly (and beaten up) in every single situation. Nana is convinced that Rito is no good, but Momo is not willing to give up just yet. Later in the day, Rito and Mikan invite the Devilukean sisters to view the cherry blossoms. Nana wants to join, but she's pulled away by Momo who thinks the viewing is the perfect opportunity to observe Rito's true character.

These two certainly seem to be having a good time in the bathtub.

There is no doubt Rito is popular with the ladies...

... so popular that girls literally throw themselves at him.

You don't want to mess with Yami. Especially when she's drunk.

On the day of the cherry viewing, Rito, Mikan and Lala are joined by Haruna, Oshizu, Yui, Yami, and Run. Not far way from where Rito's group is sitting, Momo and Nana summon an alien tree which spreads pollen that makes people reveal their true character. The pollen drifts over to Rito's group, and while it has no effect on Rito and Lala, all the other girls act as if they were drunk and start to fool around. Rito tries to snap everyone out of it, but the situation is beyond control. Meanwhile, Nana and Momo are unsatisfied with the results and commands their tree to spread more pollen, but the pollen is blown back to the tree. The pollen causes the tree to become angry and it grabs Momo and Nana. Momo tries to teleport the tree away with her summoning cellphone, but in the struggle she drops the phone. Rito and Lala spot the twins and run over to help, but Lala is quickly grabbed by the tree as well. The tree is hit by a errant slice by Yami and lets go of Nana who plunges to the ground, but Rito slides in and catches her. Nana is somewhat impressed by Rito, then she quickly grabs Momo's phone and teleports the alien tree away. After the incident, Nana had wanted to thank Rito (even though she could have landed safely by herself), but she decides to whisper the thanks when Rito had his back turned. Rito and Lala then move on to dealing with all the other girls, most of whom are sleeping on the grass in their underwear.

How does a ghost's skirt (talking about Oshizu) fall down when you cut through it?

Click here for manga panel of the same moment.

At night, Nana plans to sneak into Rito's bed, but when she gets to Rito's room she discovers that Lala and Momo are already there.

Sorry Nana, but you'll have to sleep on the floor.

The ED seems to have Haruna and Lala in few different costumes, but the song is still the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I believe this episode was based on chapter 141 of the manga. At least the first scene (Rito discovering Momo in his bed), the cherry blossom viewing, and the Nana-catching were from the chapter. Everything else seems to be anime original though, and for To-Love-Ru anime original material it wasn't too bad. The whole pollen thing was just a big excuse for lots of fan service, but at least the scene was somewhat funny with all the girls acting nutty. It was good to see XEBEC acknowledging Mikan's implied brother complex lol. It's a bit curious that the pollen had no effect on Rito. I'm not surprised that the pollen had no effect on Lala, but shouldn't Rito be going after Haruna and/or Lala? I guess Rito is just a freak of nature.

Overall, this OVA wasn't too bad by To-Love-Ru standards. At least the story was comprehensible unlike a certain number of other episodes (particularly OVA 3). I wonder what the final OVA episode will be about. I also wonder if they are going to make a second season of the anime series. There is certainly enough material (and XEBEC likes to make up its own crappy episodes), but I don't know how many people would want to watch another season of To-Love-Ru.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 43

Marcoh vs. Envy, while Olivier learns more secrets from the military.

This is what you get for advancing in columns against an artillery fortress.

To understand Xingese alchemy, first you need a pair of eyebrows.

Summary:
Using their higher position and cannons, the Briggs soldiers decimate the Drachma forces, but this is exactly what Kimblee had wanted. Meanwhile, Scar, Al and company are hiding in the slums of Asbec. While the others are busy with their activities, Zampano sneaks out of the slum to meet up with Envy. Zampano leads Envy to Marcoh and Jerso. Upon seeing Marcoh, Envy immediately reveals himself, but he is quickly pummeled by several alchemy attacks from the ground. The attacks actually came from May who is hiding nearby, but Marcoh fools Envy into thinking he is responsible. Marcoh reveals that it was his plan to lure Envy in, and he knows Envy wouldn't miss the chance to come after him. Frustrated and angered, Envy transforms into his true form and become too large for May's alchemy to hinder, but while Envy is distracted by Jerso and Zampano, Scar jumps onto Envy and breaks the homunculus' back.

Envy Angry! Envy Smash!

Take that, you puny human!

Marcoh and company think that Envy is down for the count, but suddenly Envy grabs Marcoh with his tongue. With the target in his grasps, Envy begins to taunt Marcoh, stating that he'll destroy Asbec as punishment for Marcoh's escape. To add further insult, Envy also reveals that all of Marcoh's former subordinates have been turned into Philosopher's stones. Instead of breaking down, Marcoh tells Envy that since he has spent so much time making Philosopher's Stones, he also knows how to break them down. Marcoh then takes off his gloves and uses an array drawn on his palm to transmute Envy. Envy is hit hard by the transmutation and starts disintegrating, and eventually Envy is reduced to a six-inch long worm-like form.

Marcoh's moment of awesome.

Nobody cares about Yoki enough to save his life.

After the battle, Marcoh and company bring Envy back to Asbec for Yoki and Winry to see. Yoki begins taunting Envy but ends up being bitten and taken over by Envy. Envy warns Marcoh and the others to back off, but he soon discover that Marcoh and co don't really care about Yoki and therefore Envy gives up. With Envy now sealed in a jar, Scar and company begin to talk about their next move. Envy tries to sway Al by revealing that the mining entrance collapsed in Baschool, but Al believes that Ed is okay and would want the others to move forward. Scar suggests that they split up this time and he and Marcoh will go off as one group. Scar then tells May to bring Envy back to Xing as the fate of her people depends on her. May is saddened but realizes Scar is right. At an intersection, May bids farewell and runs off in one direction while Scar and Marcoh move down another direction. The rest of the group is sticking of Al who is planning to visit Lior.

Prisoner abuse.

Goodbye for now.

In the Dublith, the chimera Bido hides behind a corner as two Central soldiers stand in front of the Curtises' meat shop. One of the soldiers mention that Izumi and Sig are not around, and the other states that they'll report this to Bradley back in Central. Remembering that Bradley was the one who took away Greed, Bido decides to climb under the soldier's car and follow them back to Central.

Owieee... Big Sis is being a meanie.

At Central HQ, Olivier is giving her little brother Alex a hard time in the hallways. An officer arrives and tells Olivier to come with him, and he leads Olivier down a corridor and a secret elevator. While traveling through the building, the officer reveals that the military bans human transmutation not because philosophical or moral considerations but because the military didn't want others to have a powerful army. The officer then opens a secret chamber and shows Olivier rows of immortal soldiers hanging upside down from the ceiling.

I wonder why they hang these things upside down.

Days later in Lior, Al and company arrive at the roadside cafe and meets up with Rose. At this time, Hohenheim returns from washing some pots for Rose and his appearance surprises Al and Winry.

Winry and Al might be wondering why Hohenheim is doing dishes in Lior, but a more pertinent question is why Winry and the chimeras are still wearing winter clothing... in the middle of a hot desert.

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Gotta love FMA and its twists and turns. Both of the "bad events" from last episode turned out to be misleading. The Drachma invasion attempt ended in a one-sided victory for the Briggs, but even Miles realizes that the bad guys got what they wanted. Father just needs bloodshed at Briggs; it doesn't matter whose blood it is.

The main highlight of this episode was of course Marcoh vs. Envy. Zampano's "betrayal" all turned out to be a plan to lure Envy in, and Marcoh was certainly very impressive during the fight. It just goes to show that any character, no matter their appearance or their past can have a moment of awesome if they have enough determination (and skill). Marcoh might not be much of a fighter, but his specialist knowledge came in really handy against Envy. The animation of the fight was superb (particularly Envy's transformation and defeat) and it really adds a level of excitement on top of the manga material. Well done, Bones. And so Envy becomes the third homunculus to suffer defeat (after Lust and Gluttony), but Envy isn't dead yet, it's safe to say that this isn't the last time we'll see him and May... and all the other characters that haven't shown up in a while.

The rest of the episode was pretty interesting too. Olivier finally learns of what the military got out of the deal with Father. An immortal army sounds nice, but what use would it be if Father decides to transmute the entire country? I don't know, but I think the corrupt upper brass are just following Father's orders for their own survival more than anything else. Out in the east, we learn that Hohenheim's visit wasn't random (from the plot's standpoint) and it was all to set up a reunion with Al. It's funny that Hohenheim is still hanging around Lior and doing dishes though. You'd think that he would act with a little bit more urgency in mind, but Hohenheim is just that laid-back.

Next episode will see the return of Ed and Greed. It probably won't be as action-heavy as this episode, but it should be pretty good too.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun 18

Kuroko and friends try to hook up the dorm supervisor with Kazari and Ruiko's homeroom teacher.

Why are we stuck in this string of fillers!? WHY!!!?

Summary:
Sick and tired of having her neck snapped by the dorm supervisor, Kuroko swears that she'll get revenge. One day, Kuroko and Mikoto spot the dorm supervisor walking on the streets by chance. The two follow the dorm supervisor to a orphanage where the dorm supervisor is volunteering, and by coincidence Ruiko and Kazari are volunteering there too. After observing the scene, the four friends can tell that the dorm supervisor has the hots for Daigo-sensei, a fellow volunteer who is also Ruiko and Kazari's homeroom teacher. The dorm supervisor obviously likes Daigo-sensei, but she's too shy to make a move. By this point, Kuroko has completely forgotten her revenge scheme and instead pledges herself and her friends to help the dorm supervisor get her man.

Just a moist towel? I expected better of you, Kuroko.

Predator and prey to comrades in conspiracy.

After convincing the dorm supervisor to go with her plan (the dorm supervisor is not well versed when it comes to the matter of man), Kuroko along with Mikoto also volunteers at the orphanage in the next day. Kuroko sets things up so that the dorm supervisor and Daigo are together in the kitchen to make cakes, but the dorm supervisor becomes too nervous and ruins the moment. Kuroko then goes with plan B and sends the adults along with Ruiko and Kazari to buy cakes, but that plan was unsuccessful as the dorm supervisor has a tendency to walk into trouble.

When you start seeing hallucinations like this, you know it isn't going to happen.

Now back at the orphanage for the birthday party (for some of the kids), Kuroko tries to bait Daigo-sensei into saying various things to indirectly compliment the dorm supervisor. Suddenly, a minor earthquake hits the area. The dorm supervisor quickly changes back to her commanding personality and gets nearly everyone to crawl under the table. A boy tries to run and almost gets hit by a falling kettle, but the dorm supervisor dives in for the save. The dorm supervisor's actions has garnered Daigo-sensei's praise, and this causes the dorm super to daydream for the rest of the day to the point that fails to punish rule-breakers at the dorm. At night, the dorm supervisor receives a call from Daigo-sensei asking her out for a chat. Kuroko and friends follow the dorm supervisor to casual restaurant to listen in on the conversation. At the restaurant, Daigo-sensei asks the dorm supervisor about what she thinks about marrying an older partner. The dorm supervisor thinks he might be talking about the two of them marrying and answers that age doesn't really matter as long as he/she's deserving of the love and respect. Daigo-sensei is happy with the reply, and because of this the dorm supervisor and Kuroko and friends think they've succeeded.

What kind of guy proposes after zero dates?... Oh right, it's not for her.

The next day at the orphanage, the dorm supervisor asks Daigo-sensei about last night's conversation. Daigo-sensei thanks the dorm supervisor for her help and shows her the ring, but the ring is actually for the woman who runs the orphanage. The dorm supervisor takes the bad news well at the moment, but at night she reverts back to her harsh personality and cracks Kuroko's neck.

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I don't know why I bothered writing such a long summary on another filler episode about another unimportant character. The good news is this episode wasn't any worse than the last episode, but the bad news is that it wasn't much better than the last episode. The episode focused on showing the dorm supervisor's softer side, but I actually prefer the side of her that cracks Kuroko's necks all the time. The quest by Kuroko and friends to get the dorm super together with Daigo-sensei was rather unimaginative. I question the expertise of Kuroko and friends seeing how none of them have boyfriends, although it's probably in Kuroko's best interests to quickly find the dorm super a boyfriend. I also found Daigo-sensei's question to the dorm super to be kind of strange. Don't most women marry men who are older than they are? It was apparent at the end what Daigo really meant, but the phrasing of his question was unclear.

As for the interesting bits (other than Kuroko getting her neck cracked), the earthquake happened again for a second episode, and hopefully that will be a lead up to the action arc hinted at by the OP. Mikoto also got a remainder of her intrusion into Kiyama's memories, and I wonder if that will play into the remaining episodes.

After watching this episode, it certainly looks like Railgun is stuck in neutral and coasting backwards down the hill. The next episode looks like another filler, but this time with Mikoto and fellow girls at the dorm dressed in maid costumes. I guess J.C. Staff has officially run out of ideas, and the serious arc with the glasses lady isn't long enough to take up all remaining episodes. Oh well, at least there is one person who would be ecstatic to see Mikoto in a maid outfit.

Rosario + Vampire II 27

Tsukune and girls take a trip to Hong Kong with the Wong siblings in order to fix Moka's seal.

This page was hilarious. Keep reading if you want to find out why.

Summary:
After the rosary fails to reseal Inner Moka, Fong Fong explains that the seal must be growing weak and needs to be fixed. Fong Fong then states that his family are experts when it comes to magical seals and invites Tsukune to join his family, but he is ignored by Tsukune and the girls. After Inner Moka confirms that Outer Moka is still intact inside the seal, Ruby suggest that they go see the chairman to fix the seal. However, Ling Ling interrupts and states that the chairman learned sealing techniques from Dongfang Bubai, the founder of the Wong family and the second Dark Lord, so the Wong family has more expertise in this area. The Wong siblings invite Tsukune and the girls to travel to Hong Kong with them to get Moka's seal fixed. Tsukune and the girls agree, and the next day the Wong siblings, Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari take off from school grounds in the Wong's private jet piloted by Ling Ling. Ruby was supposed to go but she overslept, so instead she is investigating Fairy Tale's activities as per the chairman's orders.

On the plane, Tsukune chats with Inner Moka and comments that it'd be good that if both Mokas were one since both are important to him. Inner Moka becomes moody and goes to the next cabins to have a few drinks. While alone, Inner Moka chats with Outer Moka. Inner Moka is worried that hanging out with Tsukune and friends is making her soft and weak, but Outer Moka comments that Inner Moka is just becoming gentler and more open.

Suddenly, Inner Moka feels killing intent and notices a rabbit-like creature chewing on the wall of the plane. Inner Moka alerts the others to the intruder, but the creature shows itself to the others and rubs itself against Kurumu's breasts. Tsukune and the others dismiss the creature as a fun pest and Inner Moka goes back to drinking alone. Ling Ling is alerted to the commotion and wonders if the creature is an assassin, and lo and behold the creature (a gremlin) confirms that it is an assassin from Fairy Tale. The gremlin expands and splits off into many copies, and all of them starts eating the plane. Kurumu and the girls try to kill off the gremlins, but their attacks only succeeds in making more gremlins. Inner Moka joins the fight and blames herself for letting the gremlin roam free. Inner Moka bashes the gremlins, but fails to notice a falling cabinet. Tsukune shoves Moka out of the way but he gets hit and loses consciousness.

Kicking gremlins... on top of a flying airplane.... while wearing only a bra on top.
There is no doubt Inner Moka is bad-ass.

As Wong Wong and the rest of the girls wonder how to fight off the gremlins, Outer Moka alerts Inner Moka that most of the gremlins are just copies, and the two Mokas agree to work together to find the real one. The gremlins chews a whole through the ceiling and the plane starts to destabilize. As the other hang on for dear life, Inner Moka climbs through the hole and stands on top of the plane. Knowing that the real gremlin is a pervert, Inner Moka takes off her shirt, and her sharp eyes notices only one gremlin looking at her. Inner Moka sends the real gremlin flying with a swift kick, and the rest of gremlins magically disappear. Thanks to Inner Moka's efforts, the plane makes it to Hong Kong, but Ling Ling doesn't have the instrumentation to land it, so the plane is sent crashing into a hillside while everyone switches to Fong Fong's flying serpent. Despite the perilous journey, Tsukune and friends have made it to Hong Kong in one piece.

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This chapter made me laugh. It's not that the story itself was funny. What I found hilarious was that the author chose to name the Wong family founder and 2nd Dark Lord as Dongfang Bubai. Looks like Ikeda-sensei (the author) has been reading Chinese martial arts fantasy novels or watching Chinese/Hong Kong movies. For those who don't know, Dongfang Bubai (东方不败, literally meaning "Invincible East" or "The Unbeatable One from the East") (aka "Invincible Asia") is a well-known villain from the very popular Chinese martial arts fantasy novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong, which happens to be one of my favorite Chinese novels. In the novel, Dongfang Bubai was the leader of an evil cult and he was the deadliest character in the novel. Fighting with a sewing needle and thread, Dongfang Bubai was able to maintain a slight edge against the hero and several other powerful fighters until a distraction allowed the hero to defeat him. The kick-ass name, strange weapon, and near-invincibility are some of the reasons why Dongfang Bubai is so well-known among the Chinese, and for these reasons I can see why the author would name the founder of the Wong family after him. There is a a slight problem though: in the novel, Dongfang Bubai obtained his powers by castrating himself. On top of that, Dongfang Bubai was also gay (maybe as a result of the castration) and acted like a woman. To name a Dark Lord and founder of a big crime family after a character who has no balls and prefers the same sex just seems... bizarrely funny to me. The connotations that come with the name just doesn't quite fit with the series. I don't know if Ikeda-sensei is doing it on purpose or didn't do enough research, but I just find it hilarious. A lot of people in Chinese manga forums are probably laughing, facepalming, or headdesking. On the flip side, Rosario + Vampire isn't the first series to name a character after Dongfang Bubai, since the character Master Asia from G Gundam is named after him as well.

Okay, I've wasted enough words talking about just a name. Back to the chapter, it looks like the fillers are over and we are back to the main plot. Fairy Tail has started moving again, and the story is also starting to explore the Wong family and their agenda. Perhaps even more importantly, this chapter also hints that Inner and Outer Mokas might eventually become one. Inner Moka is becoming less "icy" and more "tsundere" over the span of this series, and if the progress continues then eventually she'll be fairly close to Outer Moka's personality. The one who stands the most to gain from the Moka's merging would be Tsukune, who can't seem to pick between the two. First we'll have to see if Moka can get her seal fixed though.

Anyways, I'm glad Rosario + Vampire is picking up again. I'm looking forward to seeing the series' depiction of Hong Kong, and also Dongfang Bubai lmao.

Sekirei 95

Minato is awarded the jinki, and Uzume shows up to rob the jinki.

No rest for Minato's team.

Summary:
Minaka swoops in while holding onto the ladder from his helicopter, but the ladder snaps and Minaka plunges to the ground. Minato and his Sekirei discover that the person who fell is a dummy of Minaka, and Minato retrieves the prize jinki (no. 3) from a chamber within the dummy. Through the speaker system, Minaka announces that the match is officially over and warns that the dummy will blow up in 10 seconds, but Homura burns the dummy to a crisp first because he is annoyed by Minaka's antics. With the jinki in hand, Minato and his Sekirei begin their journey back home.

Back at Izumo Inn, Matsu, Kazehana and Kusano celebrate Minato's victory, but Matsu quickly realizes that the battle is not over. In a Mercedes somewhere on a highway, two people are discussing the third match in the backseats and they note that someone will try to steal the jinki.

Minato and his Sekirei are walking back home, but suddenly Homura notices someone trying to sneak attack and he blocks the attack with his flames. Minato and his Sekirei turn to face the attacker who reveals herself to be Uzume. Uzume admits that she was the person who attacked the winner of the second match, and she demands that Minato hand over his jinki.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The match is over, but the fighting continues. At the end of the last chapter, I was surprised that Minaka decided to appear in person, but that just turned out to be a faint. It's no surprise that Uzume is the one who showed up to rob the jinki. It makes the most sense for Higa to use other people's Sekirei to do such dirty deeds, and Uzume is used to carrying out these tasks. Uzume is no slouch, but she isn't going to take down Minato's group by herself. She is probably weak against Homura since her attacks are cloth-based. Given the situation, I think Shiina and probably a few more other Sekirei will appear in order to have enough firepower to go up against Minato's current group. The other possible route is that Higa might dangle Yukari in front of Minato to make him give up his jinki, but this probably plan B just in case the jinki cannot be robbed by force. The battle between Minato and Higa for Yukari has to happen one way or another. Let's hope that the story will move a little quicker now so we can see that battle sooner.

I wonder who those guys in the Mercedes were. The person on the right (side of the car) looks like Mikogami, but if he is Mikogami then why was his face obscured. The chat between the two guys in the car was interesting though, since they mentioned that Higa hates Sekirei. That partially explains why Higa acts so coldly towards his own Sekirei, although I wonder why he is taking part in Minaka's plans if he hates Sekirei so much.

Gantz 312

The new Gantz players battle the alien troopers while Kurono #1 wanders into town.

A star-sighting can happen at any place, any moment.

Summary:
The new Gantz players round up the surviving troopers (sans their armor suits) and tell them to put their hands behind their heads. The aliens starts talking amongst each other in their language, and then they starts using their finger lightning weapons at the Gantz players. A few Gantz players are killed, and the other players kill the aliens. After the aliens are dead, Kurono #2 asks the other Gantz players where they are from. It turns out the players came from all over Japan, and many of them recognize Reika.

On the outskirts of the Tokyo, Kurono #1 and Tae lead a group of students and a teacher into the city, and along the way they see destroyed buildings, dismembered bodies lying in the streets, and the giant mechs walking in the distance. Since going home by themselves isn't really an option, the students and the teacher keep following Kurono. Kurono then leads everyone into a hotel (so that everyone can get some sleep?).

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A pretty mediocre chapter. The first half was alright with the brief battle, but the second half with Kurono #1 wandering around was positively boring. I don't understand why Kurono #1 thinks that the big mechs will return to the city ship at night. The aliens are an occupying force, which means they'll pull back once they are sure they have control of a certain area, and I'm pretty sure the aliens knows that there are Gantz players in Tokyo resisting them. I doubt any of the humans are going to get a good night's sleep, but I suppose they have to get rest somehow. As always, Kurono #1 is just going with the flow and doesn't really have a plan yet, but chances are he is going to bump into his teammates sooner or later.

So the other Gantz players are from various parts of Japan. This means that the Tokyo team might run into the Osaka team again. I wonder if the nerdy Osaka member has revived Yamazaki yet as he had promised Kato.