Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 09

Winry visits Central to fix Ed's arm, while Al is still caught up on Barry's words.

Ed: Maybe I shouldn't have let them off the hook so easily.

Winry has the special ability yell straight into Ed's thoughts.

Summary:
After last night's battle Ed has predictably ended up in the hospital. After being criticized by Maria and Denny for making rash decisions and not trusting adults, Ed goes out to the hallways to phone Winry about his arm. Ed is scared to tell Winry that he broke his automail arm during a fight, but Winry is also feeling guilty because she forgot to install a bolt into Ed's arm, so she quickly agrees to come to Central. After the phone call Ed is wheeled back to his room in a wheelchair by Denny. On the way Ed spots Al sitting alone in the hallway, but Al tells Ed to go ahead to his room. After Ed leaves, Al starts thinking about Barry's words again.

Hmmm... who's the couple in the background on the left? :)

Winry arrives at the Central train station and is met by Alex Armstrong. Alex leads Winry to the hospital where Ed is staying where upon seeing the injured Ed, Winry apologetically states that it's her fault that Ed got hurt. With everyone's attention on him, Ed immediately states that his injuries are caused by his own reckless. Winry realizes Ed doesn't know that a bolt is missing from his arm, and so she happily starts working on the automail. During the repair Ed mentions that Al is acting strangely. After the repairs are done, Ed is visited by Maes Hughes who informs Ed and that he and Al won't need special military protection anymore (against Scar). Winry demands to know what Ed has been up to but Ed refuses to elaborate. Winry gives up and prepares to leave and go find a place to stay, but Maes invites Winry to stay at his house.

Maes is the type of man who doesn't take "no" for an answer.

Hmm... Maes and Winry are quite alike.

It turns out that it's actually Maes' daughter Elicia's third birthday, and Winry is of course invited to the party. During the party Winry talks with Maes about how she grew up with the Elric Brothers. Winry complains that Ed and Al won't tell her anything despite the fact they are practically siblings, but Maes suggests that maybe the brothers know Winry would understand even if they didn't say anything. Maes state that the brothers are keeping quiet because they don't want Winry to worry about them, but he advises Winry to listen to the brothers when they are ready to talk.

Any guy who messes with Elicia will pay dearly.

Al has fallen to the dark side.

The next morning, Al is sitting in Ed's hospital room while Ed is having breakfast. Al suggests that Ed drink the milk but Ed makes an offhand remark about how Al doesn't need to drink milk to get so big. Ed's remark touches a nerve in Al, and Al confronts Ed about Barry's theory just as Winry walks in the door. Al thinks that he is just a spirit doll made by Ed's alchemy and this is what Ed wanted to tell him before 5th Laboratory incident. Ed reacts to Al's accusations by slamming his breakfast tray and leaving the room, and afterwards Winry takes out her wrench and starts hitting Al for not understanding Ed's feelings. Winry tearfully states that what Ed was afraid to ask is if Al hated him, and she eventually convinces Al to chase after Ed.

Looks like Al also needs some fixing.

Ed: 1. Al: all the other fights.

Al finds Ed on the rooftop of the hospital, but Ed immediately initiates a sparring match before Al has a chance to apologize. After a brief scuffle Ed manages to knock Al down as Al wasn't ready for the fight, and after that the brothers lie on the roof and reminisce about all the times they fought while they were young. Al apologizes for his outburst and the the brothers renew their promise to recover their original bodies.

Don't be so alarmed, kid. Scar just likes to swim in the sewers.

In a slum near East City, Scar wakes up and finds himself in a shack being watched over by a Ishvalan boy and his grandfather. The boy and his grandpa found the injured Scar flowing out of the sewer and took him back to their home. Scar suddenly remembers his fight with Lust and Gluttony and asks the boy if his right arm is okay. The boy tells Scar that his right arm is still there and admires the tattoos on Scar's arm, and Scar states that he receives that tattoos (and the arm) from a family member.

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This episode was better than I thought it would be, mostly because I forgot that in the manga Al doesn't actually run away as in the old anime series. This saves us one or two episodes of Al going emo, which to me is good news. We got to see Winry again this week, and this time she didn't lambaste Ed for breaking his automail arm because it was partially her fault, and it was funny how quickly she decided to forgive herself when she realized that Ed didn't something was wrong with arm. There were plenty of other jokes in this episode as per the manga tradition, and therefore Al's preoccupation with Barry's mind games was just a distraction rather than a full-blown topic in the old anime. I still can't help but feel that the jokes were too much in some situations. Translating a manga scene for scene into an anime is not always a good idea. Overall it was a decent episode; not too exciting but better than expected.

Next week, Maes Hughes... :(, but definitely an episode to look forward to.

To-Love-Ru 150

The tension continues to build at Saki's seaside villa as Black gets ready to make his move.

Summary:
Yami returns to the main room and informs Rito and the gang about Black. Yami don't know why Black shot the butler but she knows Black hasn't accomplished his goal yet. Saruyama becomes hysterical after hearing the news, but he calms down after Lala and her sisters promise to protect everyone.

Somewhere on the rooftops, Black is thinking back to the time when he destroyed the organization that developed Yami, allowing Yami to live on her own for the first time. Back in the villa Yami is thinking about the same thing, and Mikan can tell that Yami looks concerned. At this moment Saki, Rin, Aya, and Run burst into the room and informs everyone that the butler's body has disappeared and no traces of blood are left. Suddenly the power goes out, and Saruyama bumps Yui who falls onto Rito with her breasts pressing against his face. Yui wonders what Saruyama is doing and Saruyama is pointing at Black who has suddenly appeared in front of the window. While everyone else is looking wearily at the assassin, Celine happily jumps on top of Black's head because she think he is a guest. Even with Celine partially blinding him, Black pulls out his pistol and points it at Lala.

Good job Celine. Now pinch his nose with your other hand.

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Mmmm looks like Train I mean Black isn't that good of an assassin since Celine managed to jump him so easily. Funny how Black also doesn't bother pulling Celine off before pointing the gun at Lala. I'm pretty sure he is going to miss with Celine covering his eyes lol. The news about the butler's body disappearing is kind of strange, since there would be no reason for Black to get rid of the body if he is the one who shot the butler. There's probably something else going on there. Anyways, the only other interesting thing to mention here is that the Yami and Black back story is basically a slightly modified version of the Eve and Train back story from Black Cat, which of course isn't all that surprising. Hopefully we won't have Yami going on a journey with Black though. Let's see if we'll have a big battle in the next chapter. It's been a while since Lala and her sisters fought together.

Naruto 449

The extremely unlikely conclusion to the Pain vs. Konoha arc.

Konan to Naruto: Yeah, sorry about destroying your village. Here are some flowers to cheer you up.

Summary:
After stating that he believes in Naruto, Nagato calls upon his final technique "Gedo Rinne Tensei no Jutsu" to revive all of the people he had killed during his little excursion into Konoha. All of the people who were killed in the battle including Shizu, Fukasaku and Kakashi are brought back to life, but Nagato dies because he used up his own life force. Afterwards Konan wraps up Nagato and Yahiko's (God Realm) bodies and states that she'll believe in Naruto since Nagato believed him. Konan hands Naruto some paper flowers before leaving and Naruto promises that he'll do a good job.

Elsewhere, Sasuke and his cronies are getting ready to move out to Konoha.

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WTF happened here!? So in the end the Pain vs. Konoha arc concludes with what constitutes as a reset ending as all of the good guys that were killed are revived. Yes, Nagato died, and Konoha is trashed, but at least everyone else is magically still alive. Thanks to the ending, the entire arc was basically a pointless exercise since nothing was really accomplished other than the destruction of the village and Naruto becoming the de facto protector of Konoha. The initial attack and the subsequent Naruto vs. the six Pains fight were nice, but the arc became lame when Nagato started reciting his memoir, and it became even worse when Nagato somehow threw away all of his world-hating beliefs because of some generic shounen heroism on Naruto's part (and we didn't even get to see Naruto punch Nagato in the face... how disappointing). Ah generic shounen heroics; is there anything it can't accomplish? If Naruto was able to convince Nagato to believe in him without actually giving a real answer, logically he should have no problem convincing Sasuke to stop being emo, but of course expecting logic from a series like Naruto is a futile exercise. Lets just hope Sasuke will have a rocking homecoming party. On second thought, wasn't Sasuke's group already headed for Konoha before Pain attacked? I guess they just wanted to chill out for a bit before going on a journey lol.

Before I forget, whatever happened to Danzo and his little plot to take over Konoha. Did they accidentally get squashed when Nagato crushed the village?

Bleach 359

More coverage of the shinigami vs. Espada fights in fake Karakura Town.

Sharks can't swim in frozen water.

Summary:
Stark and Kyoraku are still fighting casually when Stark notices the sky has darkened. The change in the sky is caused by Hitsugaya, who calls down his ultimate attack “Hyoten Hyakasso” which starts falling towards Harribel in the form of snow. Harribel tries to repel the attack, but her body starts to freeze up as it comes in contact with the snow, and soon the Espada is trapped in a tower of frozen flowers.

Meanwhile, Omaeda is still busy running away from Barragan. As Omaeda leaps across to another building, Soifon is hiding at the base of the building and calls upon her bankai.

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Hitsugaya actually won!? Unpossible!! As someone has noted before, Harribel is too sexy to be defeated by the likes of Hitsugaya. You can’t just do away with the token female villain so easily... Not sure if Harribel will make a comeback, but right now it seems like Hitsugaya has the fight wrapped up with his ice flower tower.

On the other front, Soifon is finally calling upon her bankai, but the fact that she needed Omaeda to provide a distraction means that there are probably quirks to her bankai that makes it unsuitable for confronting Barragan head on. Or perhaps it’s just Soifon’s style to sneak attack people.

Queen's Blade 09

Reina visits a blacksmith named Cattleya and during her stay she runs into new and familiar faces.

Reina: La la la la la! I can't hear you.

Echidna shows that she has biggest boobs when Cattleya is not around.

Summary:
Reina and Nanael head toward a village to visit a renowned blacksmith named Cattleya because Reina's sword needs some maintenance. Luckily for Reina, she and Nanael run into Cattleya who is out making deliveries. Meanwhile, Cattleya's son is watching the weapons shop and the shop is visited by Echidna who is looking for Reina. Soon afterwards dwarf princess Yummil barges into the shop to confront Cattleya for stealing her people's business (in making weapons), but Echidna drives the diminutive princess away with her snake. After Yummil runs away, Cattleya and Reina returns and both Reina and Echidna end up staying over for dinner. During dinner, Echidna reveals that Cattleya used to be a fierce warrior who slayed giants, but she eventually married a famous dragon slayer and retired from slaying monsters.

Yummil is so scared that she couldn't feel the snake slithering up her body.

Purple milk is just wrong.

Meanwhile, Nanael is out in town looking to buy some milk to refill the flask that the head angel gave her. Unfortunately for Nanael, all the milk being sold are fruit-flavored and colored correspondingly. Nanael eventually runs into Yummil who just woke up after having a nightmare about snakes. Yummil offers Nanael some milk but it turns out to be fruit-flavored as well. Nearby, Tomoe and Shizuka are camping out and once again lost, but Risty shows up and offers to show the foreigners the way for a price.

It's like she's carrying a pillow with her at all times.

Back at Cattleya's house, Reina and Echidna are getting ready for bed in the guest room. Reina comments that Cattleya and her son seem to be doing well, but Echina calls Reina naive and reveals that Cattleya's husband disappeared two years ago for no reason. Echidna then confronts Reina on what her plans are, and the only answer Reina can come up with is that she wants to see Risty again.

Looks like Cattleya has axe fetish.

In the early morning, Echidna wakes up, has some fun the sleeping Reina and leaves Cattleya's house. Nearby, Yummil spots Echidna leaving and decides today is a the right time to confront Cattleya. A little later in the day, Yummil confronts Cattleya, but Yummil almost loses track of her task after Cattleya starts admiring her big axe. Yummil eventually starts attacking and Cattleya has trouble fending off the dwarf with just a regular spear. Cattleya's son sees the battle and runs to Reina for help, but Reina first has the put some clothes on as Echidna had stripped her naked while she was asleep. Reina goes down to the storage room and finds Cattleya's giant blade, "the Giant Slayer". Reina brings the blade out in front to Cattleya, and after some words of encouragement from her son Cattleya decides to take the fight seriously. After Nanael starts a Queen's Blade broadcast, Yummil charges at Cattleya with all her might, but Cattleya easily sends the dwarf flying and also breaks Yummil's axe. Since dwarf customs dictate that the loser who had her weapon broken must listen to the winner, Yummil promises Cattleya that she won't cause trouble again and Cattleya invites Yummil in for breakfast.

Talk about shoddy construction... the axe broke because Cattleya hugged it with her assets?

Thanks for the fill-up.
(Three guesses on where the milk came from)

Later in the day, Cattleya gives Reina back her sword and also gives Nanael some milk to fill up the flask. Reina and Nanael then depart from the village on a trail, and after a bit of walking Reina spots Risty, Tomoe, and Shizuka walking ahead.

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Another half decent episode. Queen's Blade is on a roll! This week was primarily a comedy episode. The humour is obviously not high level (knockers the size of large watermelons and how unwieldy they are... really sophisticated stuff) but it worked for me, especially Yummil and her fear of snakes and also Nanael's search for refills. I do wonder about how Nanael managed to get rid of the colored milk in the flask, since wouldn't pouring all the milk out send her straight to hell? Anyways, the two new warriors introduced are decent. I like Yummil better since she's funny in a slightly annoying but silly kind of way. The dwarf princess also has decent combat skills, but of course she is no match for Cattleya, who probably could have crushed Yummil with her oppai. Echidna also made a comeback in this episode and she was much better here than episode 3 (the mud/oil wrestling episode where she violated Reina), using her slithering pantsu to scare off Yummil and also showing off her own sizable assets by smushing Cattleya's son against her chest. As for Cattlelya's son, at first I mistook him for a girl lol, but it doesn't really matter what gender he is. We already know that there are men in the world of Queen's Blade and men and women do procreate, but it's just that most males are camera shy lol.

The next episode looks mighty interesting given the preview. Reina has a chance to win back the love of her life Risty, who has found better company in Tomoe and Shizuka. From the previews it looks like Risty will try to drive Reina away ("Get away from me, you stalker!!!"), but Echidna will intervene and somehow Reina will end being violated (probably by Echidna) with what looks like hot wax!? That's a must-watch for sure hahahaha.

One Piece 544

After a brief confrontation with Blackbeard, Luffy and company continue on with their escape.

Blackbeard: Hey, I'm not ready ye...!!!
Luffy: You snooze, you lose!

Summary:
After running into Luffy's group, Blackbeard starts taunting by stating that he had originally wanted to defeat Luffy to prove his worth to the world government, but since Ace got in the way instead now he has no need to kill Luffy. Luffy is incensed and punches Blackbeard in the gut, and Blackbeard retaliates by slamming Luffy with his black hole power. Luffy gets up and wants some more of Blackbeard, but he is restrained by Jimbei who reminds the young pirate that their first priority is to escape from the prison. Meanwhile, Crocodile asks Blackbeard what he is doing at Impel Down, but Blackbeard refuses to give a clear answer, only saying that it's all part of a plan.

At this moment everyone is alerted to the arrival of Magellan, and Ivankov tells Luffy to hurry up and get to Level 3. Not far away, Magellan learns of Blackbeard's arrival at Level 4 and wonders what Shiryuu is doing. Magellan phones into the monitor room and a guard reports that all of the surveillance system is down. Magellan demands to know what's going on, but the line goes dead as Shiryuu barges into the monitor room and kills the guards inside. In Level 1, Buggy, Mr. 3 and the prisoners are celebrating as there are no guards standing in their way.

Back in Level 4, Blackbeard mentions One Piece and declares that his crew is going to do something that will shake the foundation of the world. Blackbeard's crew and Luffy's group then head off in opposite directions. Meanwhile, Magellan discovers that Sadie-chan has been tied up after being bested by Ivankov. At this moment Blackbeard and his crew arrives to confront the warden, but Magellan easily brushes them aside with his poison hydra. Magellan then spots Luffy in the distance and vows never to let the young pirate leave the prison alive.

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Hmmm did Blackbeard come to Impel Down because he is looking for One Piece? I guess he must be thinking that the biggest treasure in the world would be hidden in the place that people didn't want to go. However, if Blackbeard could figure it out, then I'm pretty sure smarter people have already tried looking into Impel Down since Blackbeard isn't exactly the brightest of all people. Whichever the case, I was surprised how easily Magellan shoved aside the Blackbeard Pirates with his poison. Blackbeard and his cronies should have known that Magellan wouldn't give them a warm welcome. Supposedly Magellan's poison is next to incurable, but there's no way Blackbeard will go down so easily. He is the guy who took down Ace after all, although Blackbeard has never been portrayed as untouchable due to the nature of his Devil Fruit (no turning his body into the elements) and lack of real smarts.

Anyways, it looks like we'll get a Luffy vs. Magellan rematch if Magellan can catch up to Luffy. Meanwhile, it looks like Shiryuu is destroying the prison probably to get Magellan back for locking him up, but he is supposedly nuts so he might have some other intent as well. With everybody else busy with something, Buggy and Mr. 3 just might end up being the first group to get out of the prison.

Sekirei 83

Minato and Musubi are approached by an Ashikabi and Sekirei pair who want to escape from the city.

Musubi likes to take the direct approach to everything.

Summary:
Minato and Musubi are walking back home when Minato receives a phone call from Matsu informing him and Musubi that they are being followed. Musubi turns around and spots people hiding behind a light pole, and the people turn out to be a male Ashikabi and his female Sekirei. Back at the inn, Matsu states to Homura that there's no need to rush to Minato since if the strangers meant harm they would have attacked already. Back in the streets, the Ashikabi asks if Minato can help him and a couple of other Ashikabis (along with their Sekirei) escape from the city. Minato wonders if the Ashikabi knows Haruka (who along with his Sekirei Kuno had successfully escaped thanks to Minato and company), but the Ashikabi dismisses Haruka and Kuno as useless weaklings. The Ashikabi doesn't want to fight the likes of Mikogami and Higa in the next round, and he has also been told to give up by Seo, who warned the AShikabi that he might die in the third round. Minato agrees with Seo's assessment of the situation, but neither he nor Musubi liked the Ashikabi's attitude towards Haruka and Kuno so he refuses to help with the escape plan.

At this moment the group spots MBI helicopters and armored vehicles approaching, and the Ashikabi and his Sekirei are forced to run. After the column of MBI vehicles drive by, Musubi notices that Karasuba is walking casually towards them. Musubi and Karasuba greet each other as usual and Karasuba comments that Musubi's "Sekirei energy" (Note: not sure what it is) has grown brighter. Karasuba tells Musubi that she is looking forward to "that day" and waves goodbye, and afterwards Musubi informs Minato that the Ashikabi and Sekirei he just talked to will be killed.

The best deterrent against escapees.

A short while later, Karasuba is standing over the body of the Sekirei while her Ashikabi sits helplessly nearby. Karasuba has realized that Yume had transferred her soul to Musubi's body and she notes that Musubi could someday become stronger than Yume.

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So it wasn't Shiina who was tailing Minato and Musubi. Rather it was an unnamed and somewhat arrogant Ashikabi and his Sekirei, who end up being stomped by Karasuba, thus illustrating the point that the Sekirei Plan isn't good for your health, trying to run is even worse, and having Karasuba on your case means you have no chance. And of course this chapter also serves to remind us that Musubi and Karasuba are going to have an epic battle sometime in the future. In other words, there wasn't any major developments this time, but it's good to see Karasuba slicing up somebody once in a while. I'm not 100% sure what Karasuba was really referring to when she commented that something within Musubi is glowing brighter, but it's probably something related to Musubi's growth in power.

Hopefully the third round will start soon.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 08

Ed fights #48 inside the abandoned 5th Laboratory while Al battles #66 on the outside.

Summary:
Ed arrives at an open space with a transmutation circle on the ground and is confronted by Guard #48. After short battle Ed realizes #48 is a soul-bound armor like Al, and #48 reintroduces himself as a former death-row convict called Slicer. The battle resumes and Slicer smacks Ed around as Ed's automail arm starts to malfunction. After almost skewering Ed to the floor, Slicer mentions that #66 should be taking care of Al on the outside, but Ed is confident that Al can take care of himself.

It wouldn't be a Mae Hughes phone call if he didn't talk about his wife and daughter.

Meanwhile, Maes Hughes is talking over the phone with Mustang on Scar's situation. Mustang's crew has found a couple of bodies at the site of the explosion but can't confirm if any of them is Scar. Elsewhere in Central, Maria and Denny finally discover that the Elrics had slipped out of their room. For fear of being punished by Major Armstrong, Maria and Denny head towards the 5th Laboratory to retrieve the brothers.

Maria: When I get my hands on them... I'll #@%$...

Why are you so scared, Barry?

Outside the lab, Al is laying a beating on #66 and discovers that his attacker is also a soul bound to an armor. #66 then reveals he was an executed serial killer named Barry the Chopper, but unfortunately Al has never heard of such a person. Al then reveals to Barry that he is also a soul bound to an armor, and Barry gets the idea of making Al question his own existence. Barry suggests that maybe Al is made up by Ed and everyone else is tricking him. When Al asks Barry the same question, Barry confidently states that "I kill, therefore I am" while at the same time killing guard at the gate who had come over to investigate.

"I kill, therefore I am." - Barry the Chopper

It's true, shrimps can jump.

Back inside the lab, Ed tricks Slicer into thinking that Al has arrived and used the distraction to cut off Slicer's head (where the seal is located). Ed wants Slicer to reveal what went on at the lab, but he is attacked and wounded by the rest of Slicer's body. It turns out Slicer is actually a pair of brothers: the seal on the helmet is the older brother while the seal below the neck is the younger brother. The younger Slicer bashes Ed around and sends the young alchemist crashing into a column. Ed is slowing slipping into unconsciousness due to blood loss and knows he's in big trouble. The younger Slicer charges at Ed, and at the last moment Ed is reminded of Scar's destruction alchemy and uses the technique to cut Slicer's armor into two pieces.

The Edward Elric Power Strike!!! (ripped off from Scar)

Poke poke, stab stab.

The Slicer Brothers ask Ed to finish them off, but Ed refuses to kill them because he thinks they are humans. When the Slicer Brothers question this observation, Ed states that Al is the same and therefore if he sees Al as a human, then they are also humans. The older Slicer Brother is somewhat moved by Ed's sentiments and is about the spill the secrets, but Lust and Envy arrive in time to silence the brothers. Ed tries to attack Envy but his automail arm fails, and Envy proceeds to knock Ed out but refrains from hurting Ed too much as Ed is important as a human sacrifice. The two homunculi then decide to implode the lab to destroy all evidence.

Luckily for Envy, Ed's fleshy left arm failed along with his automail right arm.

Back outside, Barry has gained the advantage in the fight as Al is busy questioning his own existence. Maria and Denny arrive to back Al up, and at this moment the whole lab starts shaking and falling apart. Barry uses the opportunity to run away, while Al is worried about Ed who is still inside. Suddenly the nearby portion of the lab explodes and Envy walks out of the opening carrying Ed on his back. Envy hands Ed over Al and Maria but the homunculus quickly disappears when Al and company had their heads turned. Al, Maria, Denny (carrying Ed) then quickly run out of the gates as the whole laboratory collapses. In the prison next door, Kimblee is enjoying the sounds of destruction as the sounds remind him of the Ishvalan War.

Barry: See ya later, chumps!

Meanwhile, Maes and Mustang are still talking on the phone and Maes states that since there are a shortage of high ranking alchemist thanks to Scar, Mustang will probably be transferred to Central in near future. Maes then advises Mustang to gather all the support he can, and he jokes that Mustang should start by getting a wife.

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An exciting, action-packed episode as expected. The fight between the Slicer Bros and Ed was superbly animated (again, as expected) and Barry the Chopper was impressive in his official debut. Barry's mantra of "I kill, therefore I am" is the only line I remember from the old anime/manga (other than the message about alchemy at the beginning, but I don't remember all of the lines). Barry will be back in a much more important role in this version of FMA, so that's something to look forward to. If I remember correctly, the fights in this episode were pretty much the same as the ones in the old anime, and the major difference was how the adventure ended. Instead of involvement from Scar and Ed going nuts after touching some red liquid, this time Envy and Lust just knocked Ed out and tossed him out of the lab. The humour also had a significant presence in this episode, but unlike some of the previous episodes I thought the comedy wasn't too disruptive. Maybe I've gotten used to it, and of course since I read the manga I know Barry and Envy are supposed to be a couple of jokers in this rendition. In a way, this is just a preview of what's come. The first real battle between the good guys and the homunculi won't be until after Greed's story, so probably we won't get there until two months later.

Next week is a "filler"-ish episode with Ed back in hospital, Winry visiting to fix up Ed's arm, and Al having a crisis about his existence. Basically it'll be a bunch of not very important things that the plot have to move through. At least we'll get some Winry screen time.

To-Love-Ru 149

Rito and company are trapped on the island for the night with no means of communication with the outside and the murderer is still on the loose.

Summary:
After finding the butler Arashiyama murdered, Saki and her friends try to contact police but they discover the phone lines and internet are dead. The communicators of the Devilukean princesses also have ceased working, which meant they can't call on Zastin for help. Since the pickup boat won't arrive until tomorrow morning, Rito and company will just have stay in the mansion with a murderer on the loose. Everyone is understandably on edge, and Yami notes that the murderer is probably an alien given how Lala and her sisters' communicators are jammed as well. Saruyama can't take the tension anymore and runs off into one of the hallways, bumping Rito into Run. Rito's hands accidentally gets caught in Run's panties which angers Yui.

Guess who???

Suddenly, everyone hears Saruyama's scream from the hallway. Rito finds Saruyama sitting near the beginning of the hallway and Saruyama states he saw a dark shadow. Yami volunteers to check out the hallway, and soon enough she runs into a black cat and an alien hitman known as "Black". Black and Yami has had some history together, and Black warns Yami not to interfere with his work. Yami however warns Black against harming her friends, but Black responds by drawing his pistol and firing at Yami. Yami dodges the shot, but Black disappears before she can counterattack. Yami then realizes that Black's target could be Lala.

Back in the main room, everyone is still on edge especially after hearing what sounds like a gunshot, but unbeknownst to them Black is already standing outside one of the windows.

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Train Heartnet (of Black Cat fame) is back!!! We got plenty of hints last chapter with the black cat roving around, but I'm still a little surprised to see that Train... I mean Black actually showing up in this chapter. Black's character design is pretty much the same as Train's other than some small details, and even the pistol is very similar. And of course it makes perfect sense for Black and Yami to have some history together lol. Looks like Train will be playing the cold-blooded killer in this cameo appearance (ex Train before he quit Chronos), and if he is half as tough as he was in Black Cat then Rito, Lala, and their friends are in big trouble. This is turning out to be a pretty fun mini-arc. I think the authors can just bring back a Black Cat character once in a while to make the story interesting lol.

One Piece 543

The party continues at Impel Down.

Summary:
The Blackbeard Pirates break into Level 1 of Impel Down but they run into Shiryuu. Down in Level 4, the guards are being overrun by prisoners after the three Demon Guards were defeated. Sadie-chan is still holding her own against the prisoners, but she is soon confronted by Ivankov who has changed to a more attractive female form. Luffy uses the opportunity to get past Sadie-chan but he runs into Hanyabal who is wielding his double-ended blade. Luffy proceeds to pummel Hanyabal, but Hanyabal is surprisingly resilient and continues to block Luffy's path. Meanwhile, Magellan has arrived at Level 4 but the rioting prisoners are on the other side of the level, which means it'll take a bit of time for Magellans to reach the combat zone.

Back near the stairways to Level 3, Hanyabal starts lecturing Luffy and the prisoners despite being almost beaten to a pulp by Luffy. Suddenly Blackbeard appears out of nowhere and stomps Hanyabal, and Luffy becomes incensed when he learns that Blackbeard was the person who captured Ace.

I wonder why Blackbeard still carries guns despite his awesome Devil Fruit power.

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I was expecting a Luffy vs. Magellan rematch, but looks like we might get a Luffy vs. Blackbeard confrontation first. Shiryuu probably let Blackbeard into the prison since the former head gaoler isn't really obligated to defend Impel Down. Maybe Shiryuu has already commandeered a Marine ship and left the place. Back to the situation on Level 4, Luffy definitely wants a piece of Blackbeard but I'm not too sure if the confrontation is going to happen as Luffy is in a hurry to get out of the prisoner, so fighting Blackbeard in addition to the approaching Magellan probably isn't the smartest thing to do. On the other hand, a three way fight between Luffy's group, Magellan and the prison guards, and the Blackbeard Pirates sounds pretty darn exciting.

Naruto 448

Naruto uses quotes from Jiraiya's novel to get Nagato to take a jog down memory lane.

Nagato: I believe in you Naruto, so let me make this little seal here to bid you good luck.

Summary:
Naruto quotes a few lines from Jiraiya's novel saying how he'll break the curse and find peace in the world, and the words induces some flashbacks from Nagato. Through the flashbacks, it is revealed that Nagato was the ones who originally said the words which inspired Jiraiya to write his first novel. Back in the present, Naruto asks Nagato to believe in him, and after noting that Naruto reminds him of his younger self, Nagato states that he'll believe in Naruto and at the same time he forms a seal with his hands.

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Oh the irony. So it turns out Nagato actually inspired Jiraiya, who in turn inspired Naruto to have faith about finding peace. Unfortunately thanks to his own screw-ups (last chapter proves that Yahiko's death was mainly Nagato's fault), Nagato became a crazy, emo, wheelchair-bound hater of the entire world and ends up doing pretty much the exact opposite of what he had vowed to do (or at least trying to achieve peace in the worst way possible). I'm not sure what Nagato is up to at the end there with the seal, but I'm hoping that Naruto will at least get a chance to smack Nagato around for being such a hypocrite. Or maybe Danzo will finally show up and start his takeover plan for a half-destroyed village? Anyways, I'm glad Nagato's memoir recitation is nearly its end, and hopefully we'll see some real action soon.

Bleach 358

Hitsugaya and Halibel continue shooting ice and water at each other.

Uh... if you had such a great move, why didn't you use it earlier?

Summary:
After losing her left arm, Soifon tells her lieutenant Omaeda to keep Barragan busy while she attempts something. Meanwhile, Hitsugaya managed to block Halibel's last attack and the two combatants start sending water and ice attacks back and forth. Both Hitsugaya and Halibel are waiting for the surrounding area to fill with condensation so they can power up for a final attack, but Hitsugaya is sick of waiting and decides to use his secret technique to summon all the moisture from the clouds above.

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I don't get it. Hitsugaya was getting smacked around in bankai when Halibel was still in her usual form, but now he's fighting evenly with her true form and he didn't really power up again. Weird. Anyways, it looks Hitsugaya wants to send the heavens (clouds) crashing down on Halibel, but wouldn't Halibel be able to reverse the attack and send it back at Hitsugaya. Maybe at that point the battle would really devolve into a game of Pong/hot potatoes (according to this comment). Even though Hitsugaya is doing a lot better than I thought, I still don't think he has what it takes to beat Halibel.

As for Soifon, I still don't get why she has released her bankai? Maybe her bankai is like her shikai and requires her to be really close to the opponent to work? It's pretty much now or never for Soifon, as Omaeda won't be able to keep Barragan busy for too long.

Queen's Blade 08

Tomoe and Shizuka bump into Elina's entourage and get into trouble with Irma, an assassin who is posing as one of Elina's maids.

Not the type of guardian angel Reina had envisioned.

Summary:
While Reina is getting pissed off with her new traveling companion Nanael, elsewhere Tomoe and Shizuka arrive at a hot spring and decide to take a break. Unfortunately for them, Elina and her entourage also arrive at the springs. Shizuka goes off to scout the Elina's group but she bumps into Elina's maid Irma. Irma, however, is no ordinary maid as she is an undercover member of the Queen's Assassins of the Fang, a secretive group that's responsible for hiring the ninjas to attack Tomoe's temple. Irma has orders to bring back a Japanese person for questioning while Shizuka realizes Irma is dangerous, and the two engage in a brief battle which results in Shizuka being captured.

Going into the hot springs with robes on?! This is an outrage!

No matter how long your lie there you are not going to get a tan, Shizuka-san.

Meanwhile, Elina bumps into Tomoe at the hot springs and remembers Tomoe is the person who fought Reina. Elina challenges Tomoe to a Queen's Blade match, but Tomoe isn't interested in fighting spoiled brats and she leaves. At the same time, Irma starting grilling Shizuka, but Shizuka figures out Irma's identity and starts questioning Irma instead. Irma becomes irate and starts beating Shizuka until the ninja loses consciousness.

Come on, Tomoe. Don't be afraid to show off your body.

Nearby, Tomoe is looking for Shizuka when Irma appears. Irma leads Tomoe to the unconscious Shizuka and then tries to sneak attack Tomoe, but Tomoe dodges the attack. Irma then uses Shizuka as a hostage and demands that Tomoe drop her weapons and strip naked, and Tomoe complies. Shizuka wakes up and tells Tomoe to take Irma out, and after remembering her comrades Tomoe challenges Irma to a Queen's Blade match. The angel Hachi descends from the heavens and starts the broadcast, and Irma decides that she's better off just killing Tomoe. Irma gains the early advantage in the fight but Tomoe turns the tides and lands a big hit on Irma, forcing the assassin the retreat and forfeit the match. After Irma's defeat, Tomoe and Shizuka share an emotional hug.

Old school sword waving always does the trick.

Do we have some hot yuri potential right here?

Far away in the Vance castle, Clodette confronts her father after watching the match between Tomoe and Irma. Despite the count's protests, Clodette is joining the Queen's Blade tournament because she wants to see Reina again, and the Lightning General leaves the castle on her trusty steed.

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A rather decent episode. Looks like Tomoe and Shizuka were able to defy the odds once again (episode 2 was similarly decent). This episode actually had a plot and there was plenty of action. And of course the fan service is quite prominent this week as well, as all four of the girls involved in this episode had their upper body exposed at least once. I find it funny how Shizuka feels no qualms whatsoever about flaunting her body around while Tomoe is really shy about exposing her figure. I guess that's the difference between a do-whatever-I-want ninja and a conservative priestess. But one thing they can agree on is that they care a lot for each other perhaps beyond the point of being just friends as evidenced by the hug near the end of the episode. The two of them would make a very nice couple :D.

As for Irma, I liked her character design and the fact she's a good fighter. Irma doesn't show too much emotion, but the episode definitely hints at an interesting back story since Irma seems to have her own agenda in addition to carrying out orders from her organization. I guess Irma wants to overthrow her boss Arda (the current reigning champion of Queen's Blade) and become queen herself. It makes sense for Arda to have a group of people to take out potential competitors so she could hog the throne, but why she hired the ninjas to attack Tomoe's temple is still a mystery. Perhaps Arda already knew Tomoe is a big threat to her throne, or maybe she just wants to take over Japan. Anyways, the whole situation with the Queen's Assassins of the Fang is pretty intriguing, and I'm sure Irma and some of her colleagues will show up somewhere down the road.

Last note: did Shizuka wet herself after being knocked out during her interrogation, or was that blood? It was just weird that the screen was zoomed in on Shizuka's hips (and a nice pair of hips that is) while Irma was beating her. We saw Reina wet herself twice in the first episode, and I didn't get the point. People peeing on themselves is not fanservice, at least not to me. I guess this is just one of the those things that separates Queen's Blade from the other fanservice heavy animes.

Tenjou Tenge 124

Mitsuomi and Souichiro continue to battle it out.

Hmm... Mitsuomi's attacks actually have some effect now.

Summary:
The fight between Mitsuomi and Souichiro has turned into a slugfest and the battle has spilled out to the roof of the skyscraper. While trading blows with Souichiro, Mitsuomi knows that he doesn't have enough time as his heart is about to give out. At the same time, Mitsuomi's father notes that his son is managing to fight evenly with a living god on sheer will. Back on the ground, Jushi retrieves his father Yoshira into the van and drives away from the Takanyagi building. Yoshira wakes up and wonders why Jushi driving away, but he soon discovers that a tornado has formed on top of one of the Takanyagi skyscrapers, signaling that Souichiro has summoned his Dragon Fist. Mitsuomi attacks while Souichiro is charging but he is bounced away. After charging up, Souichiro dashes at Mitsuomi to deliver the devastating attack.

Back in the dream world, Aya calls Souichiro out for becoming the giant three-eyed baby, and the giant baby actually reacts to her words. Aya and the others can tell that Souichiro's consciousness still exists inside the monster and they all call out for Souichiro to continue fighting.

Mommy is here to teach her son a lesson.

Back on top of the Takanyagi skyscraper, Mitsuomi was able to dodge Souichiro's attack thanks to Aya and company's distraction in the dream world, but Mitsuomi is not condition to continue the fight. After wondering why he missed, Souichiro again charges at Mitsuomi to deliver the finishing blow. As Souichiro approaches, Mitsuomi realizes that he didn't want to die and wants to continue living. Fortunately for Mitsuomi, his prayers appear to be answered as Makiko appears out of nowhere and blocks Souichiro's strike with her shield.

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

Mitsuomi is still alive after all this? I wanted him to go down in blaze of glory... Oh well, Mitsuomi is pretty much half dead anyways so hopefully we won't see too much of him after this. Anyways, the action in this chapter was a lot better than last chapter, and Oh! great kept everything fairly simple this month so it doesn't take a great understanding in abstract metaphors (or be high on something) to understand what happened. As expected, Makiko is next up to face Souichiro. Out of all the good guys, Makiko is probably the one most familiar with Souichiro's powers, but she's pretty beat up even before the start of the fight so I'm not sure how long she'll last. I still think Masataka will have the honour of defeating the current Souichiro, and maybe the real Souichiro will be freed from the monster and deliver the finishing blow himself? We'll see :).

Gantz 299

Kurono #2 follows Reika back home...

Summary:
After accepting his fate, Kurono #2 follows Reika back to her apartment. Reika offers to share her bed with Kurono (only 1 bedroom), but Kurono #2 is angry at Reika and decides to sleep on the couch. At night Kurono #2 can't sleep because he keeps thinking about Tae. To take his mind off of Tae, Kurono #2 walks into the bedroom and attacks Reika, but he backs off when Reika becomes submissive.

Kurono #2 is going to punish Reika for being such a bad girl.

The next morning Reika states that she'll skip school to spend time with Kurono #2, but Kurono #2 basically tells Reika to leave him alone. After Reika goes to school, Kurono #2 checks out all of Reika's sexy DVDs before going out on a stroll. While walking around Kurono #2 bumps into Kurono #1. Kurono #2 explains what happened to Kurono #1, and Kurono #1 actually isn't all that shocked and is envious of Kurono #2. Kurono #2 wants to trade spots with Kurono #1, but Kurono #1 states that he'll be faithful to Tae and suggests that Kruono #2 go make Reika happy.

Later back in Reika's apartment, Reika tells Kurono #2 that she had quit her job so they can spend more time together, and afterwards the two make sweet, sweet love.

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Such a hilarious chapter! Everything went so quickly, and it looks like Kurono is really the type of person who just goes with the flow. Instead of hating Reika and being shocked by his copy, Kurono #1 was actually joking around and wishing that he could score with Reika instead. That moment was great. I guess nothing really surprises Kurono these days since he has been killed, forced to play a dangerous alien-slaying game, killed again, and revived (twice). That's probably why Kurono is the main man and Kato, despite being tall, dark, and handsome, is just second banana. Now that Kurono #1 has accepted his copy, he'll probably have to tell Tae about it to avoid confusion. Since explaining how Gantz works is too complicated and possibly fatal, Kurono #1 might just pass Kurono #2 off as his cousin or something. I think one of the Kuronos needs to dye his hair or so people can easily tell the difference. Looks like we'll get our Kurono tag team after all hahahaha.

Interesting note: Kurono #2 and Reika obviously made love at the end of the chapter, but contrary to Gantz tradition the sex scene itself was never shown in detail. For those who still remember, there were quite a few scenes depicting intercourse over the course of the series, so it's a bit peculiar that Oku didn't draw Kurono #2 scoring with one of the hottest females in the series. Is Oku becoming more conservative now or is he just being lazy lol?

Mid-season Anime Thoughts Spring 2009

It's time for another edition of my mid-season impressions on the anime series that I'm following. I'm following six shows this season, with five new series and one carry-over from Winter 2009 (Kurokami). Without further ado, here are my short impressions on the shows and with screenies this time. Note that these are just random thoughts that I grab off the top of my head, so don't look too deeply into them XD.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Welcome back, Fullmetal Alchemist!

The 800lb gorilla known as FMA has reappeared on the anime stage amidst much fanfare and everything looks promising thus far. Production quality is high as expected for a premier series, and all the FMA characters we know and love are back. We are still in "rehash" territory after seven episodes, but Brotherhood is moving through the story a lot more quickly than the old anime. Other than the first anime-only episode to reintroduce all the characters, all the other episodes shown so far as been true to manga, and it's clear that Bones is sticking with the source material down to the point where the majority of comedic-SD-faces moments in the manga are translated straight into anime form. Compared to the old anime version, Brotherhood is definitely lighter in terms of the mood which is fine in most cases, but there are certainly scenes where the seriousness of the moment was interrupted by sudden appearance of SD faces. I know all the comedic moments are in the manga, but I guess I'm just too used to the old anime version.

Overall, the first seven episodes of FMA: Brotherhood have been good, but there is nothing that really impressed me... yet. If Bone is really staying true to the manga (and it appears they are), then the show is only going to get better. It might be a while though as the first really good part won't happen until Brotherhood completely departs from the storyline of the old anime (after Greed's story).


Hatsukoi Limited

Xmas in May? I'm all for it.

The series based on Mizuki Kawashita's short-lived manga is surprisingly good. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the intertwined short-stories format with a large cast, but it actually works out pretty well. The characters were distinct enough that I didn't have too much trouble distinguishing them or their relationships. I always liked Kawashita's character designs, and what's more the light comedy in Hatsukoi Limited is actually funny. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's enough for a grin every so often. The fanservice level is not excessive, but then again I am watching Queen's Blade at the same time so my fanservice sense may be a bit dull these days. I wasn't expecting much from Hatsukoi Limited, but it turned out to be pretty decent and hopefully it'll continue to be that fun little show to watch on the weekends.


Kurokami

Kurokami has reignited.

The first 13 episodes of Kurokami were at best mediocre. After a fairly impressive first episode, the quality of the fights went down and the protagonist Keita spend a good part of the first 13 episodes being an annoying emo. However, this all changed after episode 13 where the entire world within Kurokami was turned upside down. The main villain Reishin was sent away and Keita's former friend Kuraki took over briefly as the principle bad guy. Keita looks like he was going to die but thanks to some miracle he and Kuro become more powerful than ever and they defeat Kuraki. After that Reishin returns and everything is even more of a mess. Basically, it has been improbable development after improbable development; none of it makes any sense, but surprisingly all the improbable developments have breathed some new life into the series and it's actually more interesting to watch now. The show seems to hinting that Kuro may be some prophesied goddess of destruction and Reishin may be doing all of the bad things to prepare for Kuro's eventual awakening. Can't wait for more crazy plot twists.


Queen's Blade

If I didn't have an iron resolve, I'd have probably done this and dropped the show.

Probably the most infamous anime series of the season, Queen's Blade is a terrible show just as everyone expected. The first episode was shockingly horrible (and the main cause of the series' infamy); the second episode was surprisingly decent; and the rest were somewhere in between, but most of them are leaning towards the boring side. For a show that uses nudity as its selling point, Queen's Blade actually disappoints even in that aspect as there were certain episodes that had no real nudity and lacked in both the action and story department. The cast also can also use some improvements, and this holds true especially for the protagonist Reina, who is devoid of both combat skills and a personality. The only character that I actually like is Shizuka, who is at least funny some of the time. On the plus side, the animation quality is decent, and the girls are generally quite attractive, but that's not nearly enough to make up for all the other deficiencies. Queen's Blade is without a doubt the worst show I'm watching right now, but I'm going to keep watching until the bitter end since I made a promise and also Queen's Blade has the neat side effect of making all the other shows in my lineup look better :).


Sengoku Basara

One of the reasons why I watch Sengoku Basara.

A video-game adapatation featuring historical Japanese warlords fighting each other in an over-the-top fashion, Sengoku Basara is what I would characterize as mindless entertainment. Despite the historical setting, you don't actually need to know anything about Japanese history or remember any of the people's names to enjoy this show. I mostly watch the show for its beautifully animated action and for Kusuga's reactions when Kenshin touches her. Well actually these are probably the mains reasons why people watch this show, since (I hope) no one will mistake the show for a legitimate historic drama.


Valkyria Chronicles

Huh? You didn't know that I run the show?

Might as well rename this show "Alicia Chronicles" since Alicia and her wide-range of facial expressions are the real driving force behind the show. Alicia's (over)reaction to everything is very amusing, but I can't help but think that the production company spent too much time designing Alicia's experssions and not enough time planning out the battle scenes. For a series that's supposedly based on a "tactical" RPG, the battles and action in Valkyria Chronicle are far from tactically sound and it seems that everyone has failed to their basic military training. I'm not really expecting a lot of realism when it comes to the combat, but at the very least I'd expect that the soldier would know better than wasting their bullet by firing rifles and submachinguns at tanks. I could elaborate on how the military aspects of the show failed, but I'm too lazy so if you are interested in the discussion about everything that is wrong with Valkyria Chronicles' portrayal of military battles, just scoot over to the comments on this post from Sea Slugs!. On the plus side, Valkyria Chronicles has decent production quality and a likable cast of characters, especially Alicia and her cute piggy Hans. Valkyria Chronicles' would have been a good shows if the military aspects were half as good as Alicia's funny faces. Sadly that hasn't been the case, and therefore the show is merely okay thus far.