Naruto 557

Gaara and company battle the old Mizukage's Infinite Explosions Technique.

Why so slow, Naruto? The battle is going to conclude without you.

Summary:
The cloud left over from the explosion shrinks into a weird-looking clone of the Mizukage. Oonoki (still down after throwing out his back) explains that the clone will expand when it heats up and then explode and the cycle continues over and cover again. Gaara tries to capture the clone but the clone is fast enough to avoid Gaara's sand. Oonoki tells the other shinobis to find the Mizukage and the Mizukage should be weak after using the technique. The shinobis locate the Mizukage and Gaara seals him in a pyramid again, but the exploding clone comes around and rips off all the seals. The Mizukage decides that the pyramid is good place to hide and stays there. Oonoki and the other shinobis want the Mizukage to give some more pointers, but the Mizukage decide to withhold the hints to make the battle more fun. The clone bloats up and explodes again, but Gaara shields all his allies with a sand wall. The clone shrinks down and goes after Gaara. Gaara attacks with sand but clone dodges and manages to stab Gaara. However, the Gaara the clone stabbed was a sand clone, and the real Gaara is down below. The clone goes after Gaara again but this time Gaara nabs it with his sand. The clone inflates and explodes, but the explosion is contained and the Mizukage is surprised to see that the clone is now encased in gold. Gaara explains that he mixed in gold dust into his sand clone to slow the exploding clone down, and he also mixed in some hail and more gold to cool down the exploding clone so it can't move. The old Mizukage is impressed by Gaara's quick thinking and lets out a smile.

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

Looks like Naruto's intervention is not needed after all as Gaara defeats the Mizukage's exploding clone with a little gold dust from his father. The Infinite Explosions technique wasn't really as impressive as the name sounds, but I suppose the exploding clone does fit the description of something exploding over and over again. Gaara gets another victory in the bag and a boost to the resume, and the old Mizukage gets one last hurrah, so you can say it's a win win situation. Hopefully this will put an end to the battle in the desert so the narrative can move onto something else, but I do remember Mu giving a warning about something while he was being sealed...

Bleach 466

Renji defeats Jackie, while Hitsugaya battles Yukio.

Too late to go home and cry to mama.

Summary:
Renji has knocked Jackie out but can't figure out how to leave the game dimension. Jackie wakes up and tells Renji to kill her if he wants to leave the dimension, but Renji refuses because he is such a gentleman. Suddenly, the dimension starts folding into itself. Jackie tells Renji once again to kill her to save himself, but Renji refuses so Jackie self destructs.

Meanwhile, Yukio watches the battle from the control room and hopes Jackie's explosion has taken Renji out. Hitsugaya barges in and the two start fighting. Yukio declares himself to be God of the realm and summons a bunch of monsters to kill Hitsugaya, but Hitsugaya dodges them all and then deduces that Yukio has abandonment issues and wants attention. Yukio gets angry and starts blabbing, but Hitsugaya gets behind him and gives him the icy touch. Yukio is frozen to the ground and is slowly turning into a popsicle and unable to uses his wrist controller because it's also frozen. Just for kicks though, Hitsugaya stands behind Yukio so that Yukio himself is stuck between Hitsugaya and the attacking monsters.

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

The shinigami contingent continues to bowl over the Xcution members in battle as things should be. Renji tried to be a gentleman and spared Jackie, but Jackie ended up blowing herself up anyways so she probably bit the dust. It's not like anyone will remember her 20 chapters later though. The story moves to the game master Yukio who looks like he is going to get owned by his own powers. If Yukio really is the God of his realm, he should have made a clone for himself to troll Hitsugaya, but I'm hoping that's not the case since that would needlessly lengthen this side battle. I am guessing that Hitsugaya will save Yukio at the last moment after giving Yukio that scare, but I don't really care if Yukio lives or dies. Minor villains are generally used once and then booted out of the story. In any case, the match-ups will continues, and we are all waiting for Ginjou and Tsukishima to step on to the plate... and then get struck out.

Mayo Chiki! 12

Kinjirou tries to get Subaru her job back.

Perfect moment to cop a feel.

Summary:
Kinjirou wakes up on the pedestrian bridge after being KOed by Subaru's kiss and is met by Usami. Kanade had called Usami and asked her to help Kinjirou track down Subaru. Kinjirou guesses that Subaru went to the beach resort near her mother's grave and has Usami take him there. Kinjirou's hunch turns out to be correct and he finds Subaru at the location where the two had watched the fireworks together. Kinjirou tries to convince Subaru to go back to Kanade and states that Subaru will be his friend regardless of whether she's a butler or not, but Subaru needs some off time so the two stay at the resort for the night (arranged by Kanade). Kinjirou and Subaru sleep in the same room, but neither can fall asleep. Subaru makes a move and asks if Kinjirou wants to kiss and proceed from there, but Kinjirou says no even though his heart says yes. Subaru then sneaks into Kinjirou's futon to sleep beside him. Kinjirou can't resist anymore but his advances are met by a kick from Subaru. The two end up sleeping in their own futons while holding hands.

Neither Kinjirou nor Subaru are ready to take it to the next step.

Time to go back to being normal high school girls.

The next morning Kanade comes by to pick up Kinjirou and Subaru. Kinjirou is dropped back home where a worried Kureha puts him in more submission holds. Subaru returns to Kanade's mansion but she is no longer Kanade's butler. Later at school, the news spreads that Subaru has quit her job and transferred away much to the distress of warring Subaru fan clubs. Meanwhile Subaru transfers into Kureha and Nakuru's class as the fake female cousin alter-ego. During break, Kureha, Nakuru and Subaru run into Kinjirou and Kanade. Kinjirou asks Subaru to have lunch with him and Subaru agrees. Kinjirou is then tasked with carrying Kanade down some stairs because Kanade's leg is still hurt.

Such a gentleman.

Fighting through a dungeon of rabid fan girls is way tougher than fighting through a dungeon of monsters.

At lunch time, Subaru and Kinjirou meet up at the rooftop. Subaru admits that she still wants to be Kanade's butler, and Kinjirou tells Subaru that he'll take care of the problem. Later, Kinjirou ventures into the dark hallways where the two rival Subaru fan clubs hang out and begs them for assistance. Kinjirou and the two clubs start a signature drive to petition Subaru to become a butler again. The campaign is a success and the signatures convince Kanade's dad into giving Subaru her job back, and thus the next day Subaru returns as a male and her female alter ego has been transferred away. Kanade thanks Kinjirou at school and teases that she also has some feeling for Kinjirou. In the evening, Subaru calls Kinjirou out to a park. Subaru is dressed in casual girl's clothing and wants to thank Kinjirou for getting her job back, but Kinjirou is not quite ready for action. Kanade appears from her hiding place and tells Subaru to get it on, and so Subaru grabs Kinjirou and gives him a big kiss on the lips. This proves to be too much Kinjirou and he faints, and as Kinjirou is blacking out Subaru declares that she'll cure Kinjirou of his gynophobia so they can proceed to what happens after kissing.

One kiss knockout!

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My anime posts have been super late the last two weeks because I have some very important exams to study for, but it's not like many people read these anyways. Getting back to the show, this episode resolves the little cliffhanger from last week and ends with Subaru getting her butler gig back again after some help from Kinjirou. The best part of the episode was when Kinjirou was fantasizing about Subaru to Kanade's voice over while the two were staying at the resort. The rest of the episode was average, but it did what needed to be done and brought Subaru back as the butler. Obviously, Subaru becoming Kanade's butler again was the only possible ending. The only interesting thing to see is if Subaru and Kinjirou's relationship made any progress, and it does seem like Subaru openly likes Kinjirou now after the lip lock at the end of this episode, although Kinjirou's gynophobia still stands as a big roadblock to prevent the relationship from going further. I suppose the two of them can go on dates and stuff, but no kissing and anything beyond that. Kanade also continues to show signs of affection towards Kinjirou, but she'll probably just continue to tease in the near future.

This episode seems like a good point to end this season of Mayo Chiki!, but I'm curious to see that there is still one more episode focused on Nakuru. I guess the makers thought the Nakuru needed a little more love and attention since all the other "main" girls had at least one episode focused on them.

One Piece 640

Battle continues within and above Fishman Island.

So being stepped on the face = headbutt to the sole... I like the way this guy thinks.

Summary:
Back in the plaza, Zeo and Ikaros go after Nami because Sanji seems to be concerned about her, but Brook and Franky come to Nami's aid. Brook is matched up with Zeo, and Franky is matched up with Ikaros. Meanwhile, Usopp and Chopper use some teamwork to land hits on Dosun and Daruma. Usopp is matched up with Daruma, while Chopper takes on big Dosun. Zoro is still fighting with Hyouzou, and Wadatsumi is fighting Jinbe and Sanji.

Above the island, Shirahoshi tries to lead Noah away from Fishman Island. Hody tries to give chase, but Luffy grabs him which slows him down enough for Shirabhoshi to get a sizable head start. Inside Noah, Vander Decken is not dead and wakes up, but then his arm slips and he knocks himself out hitting his head on an edge. With Decken knocked out, Noah starts to fall towards Fishman Island.

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

More match-ups have been made, and if I remember correctly all of Hody's lieutenants have been matched up with the Straw Hats. This leaves Nami and Robin without match-ups, but maybe they'lll just go around cleaning up the weaker pirates and assist the other Straw Hats in their fights. As for the battle above the island, it's interesting that Noah started falling after Decken knocked himself out. I guess Decken's power doesn't work if he is not conscious, because it'd be pathetic if Decken died because because he fell and hit his head (instead of dying from injuries sustained from Hody). By that theory, the ark should stop falling one Decken wakes up again. That's the mostly likely scenario since if the ark falls right now then there is no way to push it away or destroy it completely and thus everyone on Fishman Island including the Straw Hats will be crushed, and we can't exactly have that can we?

Naruto 556

Gaara tries to seal the old Mizukage.

Old men with bad backs really shouldn't be fighting on the front lines.

Summary:
Gaara and company are having trouble against the old Mizukage because Gaara's sand is neutralized by the oil from the Mizukage and the Shinobi Army is stumped by the Mizukage's genjutsu. Gaara eventually finds the Mizukage's giant genjutsu clam with his sand. Oonoki tries to blast the clam with a dust technique, but he discovers that he doesn't have enough chakra and thus goes for a rock punch. The rock punch fails to destroy the clam, but Oonoki uses a gravity technique to power through the clam but blows out his back in the process. The clam is destroyed, but Oonoki is left vulnerable against the old Mizukage who shoots Oonoki with a water gun technique. However, the Oonoki that was shot is Gaara's sand clone, and Gaara snags the old Mizukage with his sand. The Mizukage tries to oil his way out but Gaara seals him inside a pyramid and the sealing team gets to work putting tags on the pyramid. Suddenly, there is big explosion and a giant face forms on the dust cloud that was kicked up. Oonoki mentions that this is the Mizukage's Infinite Explosions technique.

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

An okay battle chapter that somehow didn't involve Naruto. I thought Naruto would come over to help after sealing the old Raikage, but I guess Gaara needs a little bit of spotlight before Naruto hogs all of it. The battle against the old Mizukage is not over yet, so perhaps Naruto's assistance will be needed. I'm little confused as to which Kage became the dust cloud at the end. It would make sense that it was the Mizukage, but Oonoki also mentioned the technique had something to do with Muu (the previous Tsuchikage)'s ancestors? We'll know next chapter.

In the meanwhile, we are all still waiting for Madara, Kabuto and/or Sasuke to do anything meaningful, and looks the wait will continue through the next chapter.

Bleach 465

Xcution vs. Shinigamis continued.

I'm a dirty girl and I'm proud of it.

Summary:
In one of the "game realms", Ikakku is a bit surprised that Shishigawara is breaking trees with his weak-looking punches. Shishigawara manages to hit Ikakku in the left shoulder and the punch dislocates the shoulder via the Jackpot power, but Ikakku pops the joint back in by only flexing his muscles.

In another realm, Renji faces Jackie who uses an exhaust pipe mounted on her shoulder to spew gunk all over herself to power up her "Dirty Boots". Jackie kicks Renji, but Renji only slides back a bit. Renji then obliterates a stone pillar with a back fist and then hits Jackie with the hilt of his sword while stating that Jacky and comrades are too weak.

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So we cover the two match ups that haven't been covered in the previous chapter, and it looks like the shinigami team has the advantage in both battles... as it should be. Other than Tsukishima and Ginjou, I don't expect any of the fights to be really competitive once the shinigami participant starts fighting seriously. Jackie's power-up was just so hilariously dumb... at first I thought her blood was coming out of the pipe and she blew a vein or something. The kicking power is also somewhat mundane since it's just a physical strength and speed increase. Unless Jackie somehow pulls something out of thin air, the battle is essentially over. As for the other fight, Shishigawara is a bit more dangerous since his Fullbring will actually deal damage due to luck factor, so if he hits Ikakku in the jaw Ikakku might actually get knocked out. It was kind of sad that Ikakku actually let Shishigwara hit him. Ikakku isn't known for his speed, but he should at least be able to out run a lowly human.

Hopefully the undercard fights are concluded quickly so we can get to the more interesting/competitive match-ups.

Mayo Chiki! 11

It's back to school again for Kinjirou and friends.

A good way to start off the semester.

Mmmm... neck-licking good.

Summary:
School starts again after summer, and thus the "treatment" for Kinjirou's gynophobia continues. At lunch, Kanade joins Kinjirou and Subaru and gets Subaru drunk by slipping a little white wine into the food. Kanade then smears some sauce on Kinjirou's neck and Subaru tries to lick it off. Kinjirou manages to push Subaru away stating that they shouldn't be doing this because they are supposed to be best friends, but Subaru indignantly reveals that she had meant to say something else that time (at the end of the maid cafe episode), but Subaru falls asleep before she reveals what she meant to say.

Kanade is a natural-born attention-grabber.

After carrying Subaru to the nurse's room, Kinjirou returns to homeroom to talk with Kanade, but suddenly Kanade start making a weird but cute "newt" sound at the end of her sentences. All of the other students are drawn to the cute sound, forcing Kinjirou to make the sound himself to provide cover for Kanade. Kinjirou and Kanade head to the nurse's room where Kanade bribes the nurse to leave. Kinjirou wonders about the "newt" sound, and Kanade explains that it's her hiccup sound and also her weakness. Subaru wakes up and adds that Kanade's hiccuping has caused big commotions before because of its cuteness. Even Subaru herself gets obsessed over Kanade's hiccup for a little bit before being sent home by Kanade to retreat some tools to help stop the hiccup. Now alone with Kinjirou, Kanade trips Kinjirou onto a bed and straddles him. While unbuttoning Kinjirou's shirt, Kanade asks Kinjirou what happened between him and Subaru as Subaru's attitude towards Kinjirou seems different. Kinjirou manages to shove Kanade off and runs out the room only to run right into Subaru who had bought a box of toys to help stop Kanade's hiccups. Kanade states that her hiccups have been cured because Kinjirou gave her a scare, and Kinjirou wonders if Kanade was faking the whole thing. Kanade notes that Kinjirou is a considerate and gentle person and starts dancing around, but she doesn't pay attention to where she is going and misses a step on the stairs. Subaru tries to make the save but falls down the stairs with Kanade instead, and Kanade ends up spraining an ankle.

This really is a love triangle.

Kanade likes to be on top and in charge.

Kanade is taken to the hospital as a precaution. Subaru is feeling terrible about the whole thing and sulks on the roof of the hospital. Kinjirou gives Subaru a hug to comfort her, but Nagare appears as the bearer of bad news and states that Subaru has been relieved of her duties as Kanade's butler. Kanade appears in crutches and declares she won't let Subaru be dismissed and will convince her father, while Nagare argues that this can be good for Subaru as she no longer has to pretend to be a male in public. Subaru decides to quit and thanks Kanade for her kindness before running off. Kanade bids Kinjirou to give chase. Kinjirou catches up to Subaru on a pedestrian walk bridge and tells Subaru to unleash her frustrations on him, but Subaru tells Kinjirou this is goodbye and knocks him out with a peck on the cheek. Kinjirou's gynophobia takes over and he fades as Subaru runs away.

We all know of knockout punches, but a knockout peck to the cheek?

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It's almost the end of the season, and not surprisingly Mayo Chiki! is trying to work up the drama so there will be an emotional punch to the season finale. I'm not really sure why Subaru decided to quit her butler job at the end of the episode, but I suppose it's probably guilt of letting Kanade get hurt and also her feelings for Kinjirou. Her relationship with Kinjirou has been awkward ever since the "let's be more than friends" incomplete confession, so it'd be great if they work something out by the end of this season. I doubt we'll get any conclusive ending though given that the light novels the anime is based on is still ongoing, but at least the awkwardness will between Kinjirou and Subaru will be solved for the time being. Kanade also appears to have some genuine feelings for Kinjirou, but she is too hard to predict since she is a tease and also has feelings for Subaru.

Aside from setting up for the end of the season, this episode had some decent comedic moments. The scene where Subaru gets drunk and starts licking Kinjirou's neck was pretty funny. Drunk Subaru is quite the character haha. Good thing she's not an angry drunk or she'll be extremely dangerous. Kanade's (possibly fake) "newt" hiccups were kind of fun too, mostly because I find it curious why people would be so obsessed over a "kawaii" sound. Hopefully the remaining episodes of the season remember that Mayo Chiki! is supposed to be a comedy and put in some hilarity instead of going too far down the drama route.

Sacred Seven 12 (Finale)

The final battle with Alma and friends against Kenmi.

The old costume looks better IMO.

Classic example of a human shield.

Summary:
Kenmi powers up after absorbing Unit 0's core and declares that he is going absorb Alma, Ruri, Knight and Fei's powers as well. Knight confronts Kenmi, but Kenmi nabs Fei and flies to the outside. Knight follows but gets beaten up because Kenmi uses Fei as a human shield. Back inside Kenmi's compound, Alma tells Ruri to help him transform, and Ruri states that Alma has the power inside and doesn't need a gem to transform anymore. Alma transforms into a new form and goes off to help Knight. Back on top of the compound, Fei tells Kenmi to kill her so Knight can fight without holding back. Kenmi obliges and tries to crush Fei's neck and Knight is too beat up to stop him, but Alma cuts arrives and severs Kenmi's arm and frees Fei. Kenmi however absorbs Knight's energy and starts fighting Alma, and Knight ends up falling back down into the compound. Kenmi tries to absorb Alma, but Alma tosses Kenmi into Mount Fuji and the fight moves to mountain. After seeing Knight fall through the roof, Fei becomes distraught and transforms into an Ashi Mickey Mouse.

It's Ashi Mickey Mouse!!!

24 karat gold plated everywhere baby! Nobody is more bling than me!!

Back inside Kenmi's compound, the maids have located Ruri and are escorting her. Meanwhile, Aoi wakes up and finds Onigawara in her room. Elsewhere, Kagami shakes off Arakune and goes to find Aoi, and Arakune isn't too interested in giving chase. Kagami's job is made much easier thanks to Onigawara's arrow projections, and Kagami gathers Aoi and Onigawara to meet up with Ruri's group. At Mount Fuji, Alma beats on Kenmi but Kenmi is unfazed. Fei arrives and peppers Kenmi with projectiles, but instead of hurting Kenmi the projectiles actually give Kenmi a coat of armor that renders most of Alma's attacks useless. Fei leaves after realizing that she is not helping the situation and when she hears Knight's voice begging her not to fight. Kenmi thinks he has the fight in the bag and starts spewing secrets (such as how he had Unit 0 kill Ruri's parents), but Alma picks up speed by running a few laps around Mount Fuji and then blasts Kenmi with a super drill punch that sends Kenmi flying back onto the roof of his compound.

I'm gonna drill punch you back to the Stone Age your house!!!

Hovering Pyramid of Doom.

Fei and her Knight in shining armor.

Kenmi is mortally wounded by Alma's attack, but Fei happens to be nearby. Kenmi grabs Fei and falls down the hole in the roof, and during the fall Kenmi gives Fei his core so Fei will absorb the hate and go nuts. Kenmi dies after the fall. Fei loses her Ashi form, but she encases herself in a giant upside down triangular pyramid which rise into the sky and starts shooting out beams everywhere. Inside the compound, Knight wants to save Fei but he doesn't have the energy to transform, but Aoi arrives and uses the gem on her necklace to help Knight transform into a Sacred Seven form. Knight flies out to meet up with Alma to work out a plan. Alma uses his powers to seal the pyramid and prevent it from falling, while Knight uses his "walk through walls" power to get into the pyramid and extract the rotten core from Fei's body. Fei is saved and flies off with Knight. Alma returns to the compound where Ruri and Aoi share an emotional embrace.

Aoi: I sleep for a couple years, and now I'm the little sister?

In the days after the battle, Ruri and the Aiba Foundation set things right again, and all the maid are hired back. Knight and Fei are looking cool on a tower somewhere. At a cemetery, Arakune visits Kenmi's gravestone and leaves. At the end, Alma, Wakana, Nanami and Ageha join Ruri, Kagami and Aoi on a leisurely cruise on Ruri's boat.

The appearance of peace is merely a temporary illusion...
And I thought Ruri would have a bigger boat than this.

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

It wasn't exactly a great finale, but I guess we shouldn't expect too much given the show itself and how the build up to the final showdown only started in the previous episode. As expected, Kenmi goes bat-shit crazy and starts screaming nonsense, and despite Fei helping him on every turn Alma still kicked his ass single-handedly. The battle against Kenmi was alright, but we've seen better from this series. Alma's lapping drill punch was kind of cool, but I was disappointed that Arakune was just written out of the battle instead of doing anything significant. Fei was still the most disappointing of all though. She just completely sucked this episode. At the end of the previous episode it looked like Fei was going give Kenmi a personal ass-whooping, but instead Fei ends up helping Kenmi in the battle over and over again: first Kenmi uses Fei as a human shield against Knight, then Fei gives Kenmi an armor power up (not really sure how that worked), and then Fei herself turns into the final threat. Fei should have just hid in a corner or something. The whole final segment with Fei turning into the Hovering Pyramid of Death just seemed unnecessary given we've got Kenmi the batshit crazy villain. Just give Kenmi some more improbable power ups, and then have Alma and new Knight work together to put him away. Sometimes going with the predictable route can be a good thing.

Overall, Sacred Seven was certainly not a good series especially when plot or even pacing is concerned, but at least it wasn't boring. The over-the-top action is mostly decent and can be pretty impressive at parts; the production quality is very good just as what one would expect from Sunrise, and the comedic parts can be somewhat amusing. I just wished the show would have spent a little bit more time building up to the final showdown with Kenmi though. Sacred Seven is not a series to watch for enlightenment, but it's not a bad way to kill a couple hours of time. Supposedly a special/OVA focused on Knight would be made, so the people who enjoyed this series will have something more to look forward to.

Gantz 347

The Tokyo Team and survivors are under attack by alien creatures.

Curious how the mutagen also makes the victim grow whatever clothes they are wearing (in this case the Gantz suit).

Summary:
The two little kids appear holding the alien turkey with a bunch of tall humanoid aliens standing behind them. The injured Gantzer warns the Tokyo team to get away, and suddenly the turkey explodes a releases sparks that float and spread through the air. The injured Gantzer tell the Tokyo team to get down and not to touch the sparks, but a spark enters the guy with glasses (forgot his name. He's probably not important).

Meanwhile, Yamasaki and the nerdy guy have chaos on their hands as the aliens creatures attack the survivors. Yamasaki blasts a large caterpillar creature which explodes and releases sparks into the air. The sparks touch some of the survivors, and those survivors soon transform into hideous monsters where their head rips open and they grow multiple copies of their own bodies and limbs. These mutated survivors then start killing the other survivors.

Back to the Tokyo Team, the glasses guy notice that there is a ball moving within with his arm. The injured Gantzer warns not to let the ball reach the head, so another teammate cuts off the glasses guy's infected arm. Unfortunately, it's too late and the glasses guy transforms into hideous giant mulit-limb, head and torso version of himself.

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

Finally the battle is getting more interesting. The mutagen sparks is a big problem for the survivors and Gantzers, because it's not something that the Gantzers can defeat by force alone. Until this point of the story, the Gantzers always won by blasting the enemies into oblivion and chopping them to pieces, but doing that in this battle will make things worse as the alien creatures release the mutagen sparks upon death. Kurono #2 and the Tokyo team will have to use some brains or have a lot of luck to survive this battle. Maybe the key to survival lies in the hands of some of the other aliens that are around.

One Piece 639

The battle continues at Fishman Island.

Even a giant Umibouzu can be a victim of bullying.

Summary:
After being stabbed by Hody, Vander Decken touches Hody with his left hand and tosses an axe and attack with blades on his foot, but Hody throws Decken into the returning axe and Decken is knocked off the front of the ark and falls onto the main cabin. Hody then goes after Shirahoshi by blowing past her two brothers, but Fukaboshi arrives with Luffy and Luffy bats Hody away. Hody tell Luffy that he can't protect anything, but Luffy states that he'll protect everything. Back down in the plaza, Wadatsumi the Umibouzu is convinced by Hody's forces to attack the Straw Hats. Wadatsumi knocks out the kraken, but Jinbe and Sanji give Wadatsumi a couple of hard kicks. Meanwhile, the drunk octopus swordsmen Hyouzou hungers for blood and slices through some pirates for kicks. Hyouzou then hones in on Robin but Zoro gets in the way.

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The battle continues, and the Straw Hats on the ground (and Jinbe) are starting to form match ups with the more powerful bad guys. Zoro vs. Hyouzou is the expected swordsman vs. swordsman battle, but Jinbe and Sanji vs. Wadatsumi is a bit more unconventional. The rest of the Straw Hat gang will probably be matched with Hody's lieutenants. Above the island, Hody appears to have disposed of Decken, but I have a feeling that Decken is quite dead yet. If that's the case, it'll be good news for Luffy and company. Luffy is severely handicapped in the water, while the princes aren't strong enough to take on Hody. Their best chance might be to go to Noah. Decken seems to be able to move about freely on the ark, which means Luffy can probably do the same.

Bleach 464

Ichigo and friends vs. Xcution.

Rukia's weakness has been exposed.

Summary:
- Kenpachi kills Giriko and exits from game space. Seeing that no one else is done, Kenpachi wants to go home but is stopped by Yachiru.
- Ichigo and Uryu face off against Ginjou in a fake Karakura Town setting. Uryu and Ichigo have a little chat and Ichigo doesn't really care what Uryu is saying.
- Hitsugaya is chopping pixelated missiles while Yukio is hiding somewhere.
- Riruka stumps Rukia with a collection of giant plushies.
- Byakuya declares that he is best person to kill Tsukishima and states that he'll finish Tsukishima before Tsukishima has a chance to finish swinging his sword.

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So Kenpachi really did kill Giriko. I guess Giriko had no new powers worth mentioning, and thus deserved getting squashed in two pages. Unfortunately for Kenpachi, he'll probably be waiting for a while as all the other fights are just starting. Rukia vs. Riruka look like a joke-fight right now, but maybe things will get more serious. As for the other fights, I'm sure Kubo will milk all the fights for all they are worth. I am most eager to see Byakuya kick Tsukishma's ass because Tsukishima is such a prick with his memory manipulation powers. Ichigo vs. Ginjou is the main event, so that'll be the end. I doubt the bad guys will win any of the match ups, but hopefully Ginjou and Tsukishima will still put on a decent showing.

Naruto 555

Conclusion of Naruto vs. 3rd Raikage.

Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself.

Summary:
Naruto tries to form the Tailed Beast Bomb but fails and loses his fox chakra form. The old Raikage goes after Naruto, but the old Cloud Ninja makes a rubber ball to draw the old Raikage away. As the old Cloud ninja happens to be in the communication group, Naruto uses the Shinobi Army's network to call Killer Bee and the Hachibi for some advice. Hachibi states that he and the old Raikage fought to a draw and each ended up still holding their own ninjitsu. The old Raikage zombie finally figures out the rubber ball didn't contain Naruto and comes after Naruto again. After hearing Hachibi's answer, Naruto gets an idea and goes into Sage mode and forms a Rasengan. The old Raikage attacks with a electric finger poke, but Naruto dodges at the last second and uses the Rasengan to push the Raikage's arm into his own chest and take himself out with the finger poke. Temari and the rest of the squad then seal the old Raikage. Naruto explains that he figured that the old Raikage's scar came from his own attack, and the old Cloud ninja is impressed. Meanwhile, Gaara is having a hard time with the old Mizukage.

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Once again, the Tailed Beast Bomb attempt was another tease, and Naruto still hadn't gotten the formula down yet. Fortunately, Naruto still had his sage mode which for some reason made him faster/better at forecasting attacks? I thought fox mode was the greatest, but Naruto did run out of fox chakra at that point so he might not have had much of choice. Anyways, with a little long distance call to Hachibi and a bit of smarts, Naruto made the old Raikage poke himself and ends the battle. Naruto has been surviving against the strong zombies thus far, but his wins aren't that impressive against the Kage-class opponents. In particular, fox mode seems to have whiffed out whenever Naruto went against someone really strong, but perhaps the best is yet to come. We'll see a tailed beast bomb from Naruto sooner or later. With the Raikage sealed, the old Mizukage is next on the clean up list.

Rosario + Vampire II 45

Ruby and friends continues to battle Raika inside Fairy Tale HQ.

This is what happens when you declare victory before making sure that you've won.

Summary:
After surviving Raika's shock attack, Ruby pulls out her spell book and uses talisman paper to summon some crows to attack Raika. Raika blasts the crows with his electricity, but the crows turn into dust and Raika blows himself up in a dust explosion. Ruby and company think they've won and Ruby starts recalling how she trained under Touhou Fuhai because she wanted to help her friends, but suddenly Raika returns in his youkai form and takes out beats everyone up. Ruby is hurt, but she opens up a her spell book and plans to use a forbidden, life force-consuming spell to stop Raika.

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

Pretty standard battle chapter. Ruby gains the early upper hand with a bit of smarts, but she makes the often-seen mistake of giving a premature victory speech and the bad guy Raika powers up and stomps everyone, and now Ruby has to use some secret weapon/last resort attack to stop Raika. Ruby can withstand the shocks, but Raika has considerable melee attacks so just being a masochist alone isn't going to give Ruby the win. I guess the series is saving Tsukune and the others' powers for later, and thus they were completely useless and get beat up in the battle. This make them look weak at this point. The other often used alternative is one person stay to hold off the enemy while the others move on, but that's not that great either. Is working as a team to win too much to hope for? Oh well, let's see if Ruby has any creative ways of beating the much stronger opponent.

Sacred Seven 11

Ruri is captured by Kenmi which prompts Alma, Kagami and the maids to join forces with Knight to mount the rescue operation.

Stop hogging the attention of all the girls. I'm the protagonist damn it!

Summary:
The Aiba Foundation is being investigated for tax evasion and has its assets frozen. Ruri and company knows that someone is trying to destroy the foundation, but Ruri gets arrested. Meanwhile, Alma and the stone club members are trapped inside the school with reporters pressing against the front gate. The group decides they should do something and sneak out a hole in the chain linked fence. The group spot Kagami sneaking around and Alma joins Kagami in the car. Kagami explains that Ruri and Aoi have been taken away and the maids have been laid off to prevent them from being dragged deeper into trouble. Kagami is about to drive off but the car is boxed in by Kenmi's men. Kagami and Alma are apprehended, but Onigawara and the maids show up to take out the Kenmi's men. Soon after, Fei appears and states that Knight has went ahead to have a final showdown with Kenmi. Fei knows Alma and Kagami are going to rescue Ruri from Kenmi and wants Kagami and Alma to take her to Kenmi's lab as well,

My big rifle trumps your little pistol.

Such an unfair fight.

At Kenmi's lab, Kenmi has strapped Ruri to a table and wants to cut out Ruri's heart/the Sacred cystal, but Ruri's power activates and she encases herself in a crystal. Kenmi then tells his helper to prepare the Cyclop power suit. Meanwhile, Alma's group is on their way to Kenmi's lab. Alma and Kagami ask Fei what Kenmi wants with Ruri. Fei answers that Kenmi wants to sole control of the Sacred power but is not sure what he plans to do with the power. Soon after, Kenmi's lab is attacked by Night. Alma and Kagami's contingent arrive soon after and busts down the front gate. Kagami's mech is confronted by Arakune in her power suit and the maids take on the guards. While all this is happening, Fei and Alma sneak into a hallway, but Alma is attacked by Unit 0 (Fei's Ashi brother). The battle spreads into a storage room, and in the room Alma finds the jewel from his mother that he had lost. Knight arrives and traps Unit 0 in a wall, allowing Alma to get away. Knight plans to kill Unit 0, but Fei brought the medicine and convinces Knight to try to save her brother.

No wonder I can never find this by the river.

Time to use up another million dollar gem. Saving people is expensive.

Alma doesn't stick around to watch and runs to the room where Ruri is being held. Kenmi is standing in the room with his power suit, but he chooses to watch. Alma tries to reach Ruri, but the crystal bounces Alma away and Ruri's body starts to freeze over. Alma refuses to give up though and uses his mother's crystal to break through to Ruri. In the process, Alma remembers that Ruri's mother had given his mother the jewel so that Alma's powers are under control. This all happened at a construction yard where Aoi and Ruri were playing. Suddenly, a bundle of steel beams fall from a crane above Ruri, and Alma runs in and uses his powers to save Ruri from being crushed. Back to the present, Ruri is not encased in a crystal anymore. Ruri wakes up and she and Alma have a little romantic moment before Kenmi reminds them that he is also in the room.

Sorry to interrupt, but it's villain mastermind monologue time!

Gotta watch your back around a two-face like Kenmi.

Meanwhile, Knight battles Unit 0 and manages to hold the Ashi down for Fei to inject him with the medicine. However, the medicine isn't strong enough, and Unit 0 goes wild and runs off. Back in the lab, Kenmi then goes on the villain monologue on how everything was planned by him, including Alma losing his crystal. Kenmi declares that he is going to take Alma and Ruri's power for himself, but Unit 0 busts in. Unit 0 kills Kenmi's right hand man because he took part in experimenting on Fei, but Kenmi kills Unit 0 by ripping out his heart/Sacred crystal. Kenmi then puts the crystal in his power suit, and the Cyclops powers up and grows some horns. Kenmi thinks that he is invincible now, but Fei, Knight, Alma, and Ruri are not impressed.

We are not impressed.

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This episode was just ridiculous lol, but then again I wouldn't expect any less (or more) from Sacred Seven. From start to finish, this episode just had so many "wow, are you serious?" moments, but at least it was amusingly bad rather than just bad. As expected, Kenmi turns out to be a super genius scheming villain who has been manipulating everything the whole time and also has the judicial system of many countries at his finger tips. I chuckled at the fact that Kenmi can get away with murder and inhumane exploitation, but the Aiba Foundation gets done in by tax evasion. Don't mess with the tax man! I guess with 2 episodes left, the show needed to create the crisis really fast so to leave enough room for the final battle, but Sacred Seven should have paced the story better so that it didn't need to manufacture a crisis in five minutes.

Other ridiculous but funny moments include Kenmi's speech Aztec human sacrifices (while trying to cut up Ruri), how Alma just happened to stumble upon the gem that he lost, and of course Kenmi's super cliche villain monologue. What really takes the cake though was the end of show where Kenmi powers up, but Alma and Fei had the look of disdain instead of fear. At this point of the story after the villain power-up, you'd expect the good guys to be taken aback by the villain's powers a little bit, but Alma and Fei didn't look like they were impressed by Kenmi. The look was more "You had your fun, but now we are going to kick your ass". That's probably what's going to happen, but the end of the episode made Kenmi look weak because the good guys don't respect his power. And also, if Kenmi only needed Unit 0's heart to be "invincible", why couldn't he have done so earlier? It makes no sense, but then again this is Sacred Seven.

The rest of the episode was the fairly standard final assault on enemy home base with some flashbacks thrown in for good measure. The maids had a good showing, although this is complimented by the fact that Kenmi's guards can't shoot worth a damn. Matching Arakune up with Kagami is a bit of waste since Kagami's mech isn't nearly nimble enough. Arakune should be fighting Knight or Alma instead as to take advantage of her martial arts skills. Last thing to mention is that supposedly Aoi was taken away as well. I wonder what role she will play in the final battle. Let's hope the final battle will at least be entertaining and action-packed. It's too late to expect anything to make sense at this point.

Mayo Chiki! 10

Everybody celebrates Kureha's birthday.

Even the famous Japanese ghosts came to celebrate Kureha's birthday.

The key to good acting is for the actors themselves to embrace the story just like Nakuru is doing here.

Summary:
August 28th is Kureha's 16th birthday. Kureha wakes up in the morning looking forward to her birthday, but she discovers that Kinjirou is still sleeping. Instead of laying the smackdown on Kinjirou as usual, Kureha leaves a note saying that she'll be out until dinner time. While Kinjirou has a relaxing day at home, Kureha heads to celebrate with the others. First Kureha goes to Usami's haunted apartment (with three spirits) to celebrate with Usami and Nakuru. Usami provides the lunch and gives Kureha a Subaru body pillow, while Nakuru gives Kureha a pair of glasses and also convinces Usami to act out a scene from her Kinjirou-Subaru BL story with her. Usami goes along with it until Nakuru tries to kiss her at which point she tosses Nakuru away.

I want a maid cafe contingent to sing happy birthday to me.

The celebrations is not over yet and the three head to the maid cafe which has been taken over by Kanade to celebrate Kureha's birthday. Subaru, Kanade, Usami, Nakuru and the other cafe staff sing happy birthday to Kureha and Subaru gives Kureha a sheep plushy as present. Kureha then recalls her eighth birthday when she was angry that her father (who had passed away) wasn't around. Kinjirou eventually cheered up by giving her a giant teddy bear to abuse. Kanade then shows Kureha her present which is a fighting video game where Kureha fights a perverted Kinjirou. Kanade commissioned the game and it was programmed by the school's games club.

Textbook German Suplex.

After the fun at the maid cafe, Kanade and Subaru give Kureha a ride home. On the way, the car passes by a park, and Kureha remembers that she had argued with her mom on her 10th birthday and ran out to the park. Kinjirou came to retrieve her for her birthday party, and Kureha thanked Kinjirou by suplexing him and putting him in various submission moves. Kureha recalls that she had fun celebrating her birthdays with Kinjirou up to her 14th birthday. However, Kinjirou had completely forgotten about Kureha's 15th birthday, and this prompted Kureha to cry and give Kinjirou a beating. Kureha states that even though Kinjirou forgot her last birthday, he is still a good brother. After dropping off Kureha, Kanade wonders if Kinjirou remembered Kureha's birthday this year.

Great form on the Camel Clutch. It seems by age 10 Kureha has started abusing Kinjirou.

Kureha arrives home and Kinjirou presents her with a big gift box which turns out to be a large polar bear plushie. Kinjirou made the mental note not to forget Kureha's birthday, and Kureha is so happy with the present that she suplexes Kinjirou and puts him in more submission maneuvers.

Kinjirou should have bought Kureha a man-size teddy bear for her to beat up.

Meanwhile, Usami is at home playing the video game that Kanade had given her at the cafe, and the three ghosts are also watching. The game features Usami as the playable character, and Usami soon finds out Kanade made the game to make fun of her.

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We get an episode on Kureha this week. It's the random birthday episode that doesn't have much to do with Kinjirou's dealings with Kanade and Subaru or even Usami, but it wasn't too bad. It was fun seeing Kureha slap various wrestling holds on Kinjirou if nothing else. Despite Kureha's tendencies to practice wrestling on Kinjirou regardless of her mood, the two siblings do have a close and loving relationship. Kinjirou forgetting Kureha's 15th birthday was regrettable, but then again Kinjirou gets beat up whether he remembers or not, so in that sense remembering Kureha's birthday doesn't spare Kinjirou any physical pain.

I also thought Usami's haunted apartment was a nice touch with the spirits from famous Japanese horror movies. The girl was definitely from the Ring, and the large kid ghost might be from the Grudge, but not sure about the smallest one. It might have been fun if the series went further with the haunting angle. Usami definitely need a visit from the Ghostbusters or someone who takes care supernatural problems.

Amanchu! 23

Apparently the "special" chapter in June was also chapter 22 of the manga, so now we are onto chapter 23. In this chapter, Futaba is visited by her two friends from Tokyo.

OMG!!! It's Aika and Akari!!!

Summary:
At the train station, Futaba meets up with two good friends Aika-clone and Akari-clone (can't translate their names, but they do resemble Aika and Akari from Aria) from middle school in Tokyo. Aika-clone and Akari-clone were worried that Futaba would be lonely without them, but Futaba states that she's doing fine. Outside of the station, the three friends meet up with Hikari and Hikari's grandma who volunteered to show Futaba's Tokyo friends around town. During lunch, Futaba reveals that she was worried if Hikari would get along with her Tokyo friends, but Hikari assures her there's nothing to worry about because they are all Futaba's friends. Later at a seaside cliff, Aika-clone states that she thought Futaba would have been feeling lonely given Futaba's personality, and Futaba answers that she did feel lonely initially, but it all changed after she met Hikari. Futaba feels that she has found somewhere she belongs in Izu just like in Tokyo. Akari-clone is happy for Futaba, but Aika-clone seems a little uneasy.

Next up, the group visit a famous suspension bridge in the area. After talking to Hikari, Futaba asks if Akari-clone and Aika-clone want to try scuba diving. Akari-clone and Aika-clone agree to give it a shot, and so Hikari phones Katori-sensei to set things up. While Hikari is dialing, Aika-clone suddenly slips but Hikari reacts in time to prevent Aika-clone from falling. For some reason, instead of thanking Hikari, Aika-clone just pulls away and runs after Futaba and Akari-clone, and Hikari is left to talk Katori-sensei on the phone.

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So apparently Hikari wasn't Amanchu!'s version of Akari. Instead, that designation goes to one of Futaba's friends with Tokyo, and the other friend is an Aika clone. The hair might be a little different, but the faces (standard or super deformed) are definitely Aika and Akari, and the Aika-clone even tossed the "kishi" signature phrase. Talk about recycling characters, but maybe Amano-sensei is trying to dispel the notion that Hikari and Akari have anything to do with the other. Amanchu! could certainly use more interesting characters as well, and Futaba's two friends from Tokyo can make appearances from time to time. Anyways, the old friends meet the new, and while Akari-clone is okay with things, Aika-clone seems to be a little uneasy about Hikari. She probably feels that Futaba is ditching the old friends and moving on with the new, but I'm sure Hikari and some scuba diving will win her over.

Since Futaba's two friends represent Akari and Aika from Aria respectively, does this mean that Futaba is Amanchu!'s version of Alice? Futaba's hairstyle in the chapter was certainly reminiscent of Alice's hairstyle. Just more food for thought.

Looks like Amanchu! is still sticking with the quarterly schedule. Next post will probably be in December.

One Piece 638

Shirahoshi tries to lead Noah away from Fishman Island.

I thought Great Whites attacked using their teeth.

Summary:
Shirahoshi heads out the top exit of Fishman Island in order to lead Noah away, and both Luffy (sent up by Sanji) and Hody are clinging onto Noah's giant chains. Shirahoshi swims upwards and this causes Noah to lift up and away from Fishman Island. In the ocean above Fishman Island, Luffy props open a bubble, but he is confronted by Hody. Fortunately, Fukaboshi arrives to save Luffy while Hody gives chase by using a blade as his dorsal fin. Luffy tells Fukaboshi to set him down on Noah's deck so he can fight Hody properly and also take out Vander Decken. Meanwhile, Decken throws more knives at Shirahoshi but they are blocked by Shirahoshi's other two brothers. The two princes along with King Neptune's pet whale Hoe help to lead Shirahoshi, and their goal is find a safe place to set Noah down. Suddenly, Hody appears on Noah's deck near Decken, and to Decken's surprise Hody stabs him in the stomach with a trident.

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Hmm, looks like the prediction of Shirahoshi leading Noah to the surface needs some reworking. Shirahoshi trying to lead the giant ark away was expected, and the interference by the princes weren't surprised, but I was a little surprised that Hody would take out Decken, especially at this stage of the battle. Given the position Noah is in and Hody's last line of the chapter, Hody might be trying to drop the giant ark onto Fishman Island. It would make sense of Decken's powers to wear off if he dies, but we'll see if Decken will just die like this. Maybe Shirahoshi will have to call in some giant Sea Kings to save the day now. Whether or not the ark drops or anything else big happens, we'll probably see the Luffy vs. Hody battle continue first. Noah gives Luffy some solid ground, but Hody is much faster in the water than he is on land so it should be a much more even battle.

Naruto 554

Naruto and Shinobi Army vs. the 3rd Raikage.

Destructo Disk!!!

Summary:
Naruto tries to hit the old Raikage with the Rasenshuriken. The old Raikage dodges the attack twice but Naruto tags him on the third attempt. Temari's soldiers try to bind and seal the Raikage, but the Raikage fights off the attempt, and Naruto is shocked that his attack did next to no damage on the old Raikage. The old Cloud ninja explain that the old Raikage is built like a tank and is extremely hard the hurt. The Raikage charges up his own version of Lightning Blade/Chidori, and the old Cloud ninja tells Naruto and the others to retreat. The Shinobi Army ninjas erect a thick wall to protect themselves, but the Raikage plows through it with his attack and takes out a bunch of overzealous ninjas as well. Naruto notices a scar on the Raikage's body and wonders where it came from, and the old Cloud ninja explains that it came from the eight-tails. Naruto then gets the idea and tries to form a Tailed Beast Bomb.

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A pretty standard action chapter. The old Raikage turns out to be a tank, but Naruto probably has the right power move to defeat the armor (given how the last page said that the fight ends next chapter). Lets see if Naruto can actually form a full Tailed Beast bomb or just some other new attack. If Naruto takes out the old Raikage quickly then it might dampen Kabuto's plan just a little bit. We'll probably get more Naruto vs. zombies battles while we are waiting for Kabuto to bring out his trump card or having Sasuke or Madara appear on the battlefield.

Bleach 463

Shinigami vs. Xcution.

That was quick...

Summary:
Ginjou gives Ichigo's Fullbring to Jackie, Yukio, Giriko and Riruka to power them up. Tsukishima asks why Ginjou didn't give Shishigawara the upgrade, and Ginjou explains that Shishigawara might be too dangerous if he gets a power up. Ginjou also tells Tsukishima to kill Shishigawara after the battle. Despite the Xcution members getting power ups, Ichigo doesn't take them seriously and walks in and appears to cut them all down, but the Xcution members evaded the attack thanks to Yukio's video game powers. The other shinigami join in, and Yukio uses his powers to separate the two factions into one on one match ups. Ikakku gets Shishigawara, Hitsugaya gets Yukio, Renji gets Jackie and Rukia is matched up with Riruka. Kenpachi is matched up with Giriko but wants to switch with Byakuya to get Tsukishima instead, but Kenpachi is too slow and ends up facing the bartender. Giriko uses some instant steroids to grow some big muscles, but Kenpachi walks past him and cuts him in half.

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It would have been hilarious if Ichigo one-shotted the lesser Xcution members as he appeared to do in page 7 of the chapter, but alas Bleach goes on in its typical fashion and has makes the one on one match ups. I guess we can't have the new look Xcution members be disposed of that easily. They probably deserve a chance to show off their tricks before their shinigami opponents put them away. Kenpachi appears to have made short work of Giriko, and I hope Giriko stays dead. The last thing we need is for the side match ups to take up too long. As for the match-ups, most of them aren't too surprising. Rukia vs. Riruka in a cat fight (for Ichigo); Hitsugaya vs. Yukio in a scrum between the boys on each team; Byakuya vs. Tsukishima in the match up of the tall, pale and mysterious; and Ikakku vs. Shishigawara in the battle of hot heads. Jackie and Giriko were left, and unfortunately for Giriko he drew Kenpachi. I'm guessing Hitsugaya vs. Yukio will end last since the video game rooms are probably going to disintegrate when Yukio is defeated. Of course, we still have the main event of Ginjou vs. Ichigo, but where does this leave Urahara and Isshin? I guess those two will be on back up if Ichigo and the others get into some trouble. The good guys seems to have the advantage in power and numbers, but maybe Ginjou or Tsukishima will pull an Aizen lol.

Sacred Seven 10

The history of how Ruri's sister became encased in a crystal and how Ruri's parents died.

Which is which?

Summary:
Alma and Wakana notice Kagami and Ruri aren't at school and wonder what's going on. Later during the day, Ruri appears at school to retrieve Alma. Ruri brings Alma back to her mansion where Alma can see that Ruri's petrified sister Aoi is no longer encased in a crystal. Ruri and Kagami hypothesize that Aoi must have resonated with Alma's powers and thus the crystal disappeared, but Aoi is still in a comatose state and is barely alive. Ruri asks Alma if he can feel anything (sign of life, consciousness etc.) from Aoi, but Alma can't sense anything extra. Afterwards, Ruri talks with Alma over the tea. Alma asks Ruri what happened 5 yrs ago that left Aoi in a crystal, and Ruri starts to explain:

It's almost Christmas time. The Aiba family will head to their country mansion for the holidays, but they decorate their luxurious penthouse before leaving. While Aoi and Ruri are putting on the decorations, Mr. Aiba is visited by Kenmi. Aoi and Ruri are sent to the back room where the two make a wreath, but Aoi realizes they had forgotten a trinket and goes back to the main room to get it. On the way, Ruri overhears Mr. Aiba's conversation with Kenmi, and Mr. Aiba tells Kenmi that the Aiba Foundation can no longer support Kenmi's inhumane experiments. Mr. Aiba was funding Kenmi's experiments due to Aoi and Ruri's powers, but he decides Kenmi is going too far. Kenmi decides to drop the issue for now and leaves.

The Aiba family is about to leave for their winter mansion, but while packing up Aoi accidentally breaks the wreath she and Ruri made. Ruri and Aoi get into an argument and Ruri stubbornly chooses to stay and fix the wreath. Mr. and Mrs. Aiba decide they and Aoi will head to the mansion first with the family butler Mr. Kagami, while the young Makoto is tasked to stay with Ruri and bring Ruri to the country mansion once she calms down.

Santa Claus isn't nearly as nice as legends make him out to be.

You've been a naughty girl, Aoi, and naughty kids need to be punished!!!!

At the winter mansion, Aoi is feeling that bad about the argument with Ruri, while at the penthouse Ruri is also feeling terrible about fighting with Aoi. Ruri eventually fixes the wreath and heads for the mansion with Makoto. Little do they know, the country mansion is being attacked by an Ashi (Kenmi's unit zero). Mr. Kagami fights the Ashi but is badly injured. The Ashi breaks into the mansion and kills the staff and finally corners Mr. and Mrs. Aiba and Aoi. Mr. Aiba realizes Kenmi had sent the Ashi and tries to give his wife and daughter an escape path, but the Ashi kills Mr. and Mrs. Aiba and reaches for Aoi. In desperation Aoi activates her power and encases herself in a crystal. As the Ashi leaves the mansion, it is confronted by Mr. Kagami again and Mr. Kagami detonates some underground gas tanks which destroys the Ashi's right arm and sends it packing. Makoto and Ruri arrive a little later to find the mansion on fire, Aoi encased in a crystal, and the dying Mr. Kagami lying in the snow. Before passing away, Mr. Kagami states that he couldn't protect his masters and entrusts Makoto with protecting Ruri.

Ending the party with a BANG!

Back to the present, Ruri tells Alma that even to this date she isn't sure exactly what happened at the mansion 5 years ago, but from that day she vowed to use her resources to defeat the Ashis and eventually revive Aoi. Ruri thinks that Aoi would have done the same if she and Aoi had switched places, and Alma promises to help Ruri. On the way back home, Alma runs into Knight. Knight tells Alma to stop let the humans order him around, but Alma states that he feels happy protecting people. Alma asks Knight to join Ruri's side instead, but Knight states that their paths are different and his only goal is kill Kenmi.

At Kenmi's research facility, Kenmi is getting ready to release Unit 0 once again to somehow get his hands on Ruri.

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A flashback episode that revealed quite a bit of the back story of the series. Even though Ruri, Makoto and Alma don't know it yet, we the audience now know that the tragedies in the Aiba family were all caused by our antagonist Dr. Kenmi. The series is doing a decent job building Kenmi up as the two faced villain, and it'll make his eventual downfall all the more enjoyable. Kenmi was already sending out Unit 0 to do his bidding 5 years ago, and we even saw how Unit 0 lost its right arm in the battle against Mr. Kagami. Mr. Kagami dad was pretty bad ass in his fight against Unit 0, but too bad he didn't have Makoto's mecha and heavy weapons which are probably more effective against Ashis. It seems that Kenmi sent out Unit 0 because he was displeased that he was displeased with Mr. Aiba's refusal to fund his projects, but it also sounded like he was after Ruri as well.

Given Sacred Seven is supposed to be a one season show, the final showdown should be starting in the next episode when Kenmi somehow gets his hands on Ruri. If Ruri was Kenmi's target all along, then why did it take Kenmi so long to make a move (before Ruri recruited Alma)? I guess we'll have to wait until Kenmi does his villain monologue about how he is going to take over the world haha. Knight and Fei will be involved in the final battle for sure, but I wonder if Aoi will participate now that she is no longer inside a crystal.