From watching the past two episodes, it is obvious that Kouichi's character is more developed. While we're still waiting on Thobari's development - I find it harder and harder not to be annoyed at his actions (keeping Miharu from saving Yoite) - I'll take a more in-depth look on Kouichi.

I like Kouichi's aggressive and dangerous side. While everyone assumed that Kouichi was dead, having been shot by Kannuki-sensei of the Kouga clan in the previous episode, it was a shock to see him alive and well. And singlehandedly, like Rambo, Kouichi takes out all enemies and saves the day. Unrealistic, yes, but I guess if you can't die, you might as well make yourself useful.

So there you have it - Kouichi's secret revealed. He, and along with Miharu's white cat, Shiratama, are products of the Shinrabanshou. Unable to die as they watch others around them disappear, Kouichi also reveals to Thobari that he wishes to use the Hijutsu to free himself from his immortality.

In fact, Kouichi is much older than Thobari. A bit unsettling, as Kouichi also tells Thobari that he knows where Banten's scroll, Engetsurin, is hidden. (Rather a weird place...)

I've always wanted an earring like Thobari's. If you don't understand still, well...

Anyhow, as all on Kouichi is revealed, it is still a mystery on how he will act in future episodes. I believe that even though he knows Thobari is against using the Shinrabanshou, Kouichi will use all means to erase his curse.

Meanwhile, looking at the Kairoushuu, Yoite is still alive. However, although Miharu explicitly expresses his wishes using the Hijutsu to save Yoite, Hattori says that Yoite will die soon, and that the Hijutsu should be used specifically for the good of mankind.

Suffice to say Hattori only wants to use the Hijutsu for his own purposes and grand goal. Because of this, Miharu and Yoite leave, wanting to obtain the Banten scroll before anyone else. They arrive at Thobari's house, only to be subjected to Hana-san's loving kindness once again. The episode thus ends, as Yukimi shows up at the house.

Thoughts.

• It seems that Hana-san is somewhat of a mother figure to Yoite and Miharu, although Nabari juxtaposes both childhoods. While Yoite reacts fearfully and angrily towards Hana's love, Miharu smiles, reminded of his own mother.
• Fuuma-dono seems to be the mastermind behind everything - the rest of the characters seem to be mere pawns in his game.
• The new ED for this week is really mellow. In fact, I dislike it, and believe that Elisa's "Hikari" is better. And it seems that Nabari really will be shounen-ai.

Finally, I can stop filling my time by watching hentai and imagining my co-workers in a visual novel.

I suppose the sad part is that I actually was having fun making my workplace into a visual novel in my head.

In Fuuma, Kotarou is flipping over the news that the Kairoushuu have the Daya. While he sends Juuji away seemingly upset by the news, he seems somewhat pleased by the fact that all the scrolls are being gathered together - and, after Engetsurin, Banten's scroll, is collected, he plans to steal the assembled set from the Kairoushuu.

By the seashore, Kouichi reveals his true nature to Raimei and Kumohira - namely, that he is immortal and has been living since the late Edo period. He was the product of the experiments of a holder of the Shinrabanshou, and along with another (shown to be Miharu's cat), they followed any rumors of the Shinrabanshou, seeking the end to their immortality. Kouichi still seeks that, and thinks that Shinrabanshou can grant his desire. He also mentions the activation of the Shinrabanshou ten years prior, but admits he has no memories of it, to the visible relief of Kumohira; but he also admits that he knows where the Engetsurin is. He leans back to fall to the sea, but Raimei and Kumohira stop him; he reminds them that it wouldn't kill him, but Raimei angrily tells him that he shouldn't do it anyway.

At Kairoushuu, Miharu hands over the Daya to Hattori. The group is told that the Engetsurin is wanted within the space of a week, much to Yukimi's disappointment. Miharu asks about the research being done on the kinjutsu scrolls, and states that he is hoping he can help Yoite's health after using the Shinrabanshou. Hattori basically says that the Kairoushuu are on a mission to save all of humanity and its future, thus Yoite is on the backburner. In the hall, Miharu states that Hattori doesn't care about Yoite, but Raikou tells Miharu that Hattori saved Yoite from an abusive childhood, and would have died if he hadn't been saved.

Miharu goes to check on Yoite. Kazuho (previously named here as 'Amatasu' - this is her surname, not her given name) is in the middle of checking up on him, as she is a licensed doctor. Miharu wonders if a hospital would help more, but Kazuho says that they could do little to help. But she also says that his stab wound healed very quickly, probably helped by the Shinrabanshou... and that if they could use the Shinrabanshou, they might be able to save a kira user. But Miharu says that the healing of the stab wound was only incidental, that he cannot control the Shinrabanshou yet. Kazuho wonders why Yoite took on the kira technique when he knew it would eat away at his life even though he hangs on so stubbornly to life.

In the hospital, Raikou watches over Gau, who is still comatose.

Back with Miharu, Yoite wakes up. The two quietly discuss the matter of the Engetsurin. Yoite asks Miharu is he is going to get the scroll for the leader, but the two plan to get it first so that Miharu can use the Shinrabanshou for Yoite's sake.

Meanwhile, Hattori instructs Yukimi to find the Engetsurin and obtain it. He also asks what Yukimi thinks of Kumohira, and if Kumohira will really seal the Shinrabanshou given the chance. Hattori becomes a bit intense, and Yukimi begs him not to get anyone else involved in the whole thing.

On a boat, Kumohira is seasick. Raimei goes to buy drinks for both him and Kouichi, and the pair dicuss matters after she leaves. Kouichi asks about the events ten years ago, saying that it has seemed for a while that Kumohira was hiding something about it. Kumohira doesn't answer, and instead asks Kouichi if he is ok with not having his desire to be mortal once more fulfilled. Kouichi states that they have the same goal ultimately - to seal the Shinrabanshou, in Kouichi's case so that no one can create more 'monsters' like himself.

By the vending machines, Raimei hangs up her cell phone.

In a train elsewhere, Miharu also hangs up his own phone, and tells Yoite that he has asked one of his Banten friends to help him find the Engetsurin, but that don't know anything about where it might be. Miharu suggests that they go see Hanabusa, and Yoite agrees, and warns that the Kairoushuu might use offensive tactics to secure the Engetsurin, the implication that they would against Hanabusa.

In a parking lot, Yukimi is being told to find Yoite and Miharu, as they have disappeared. He says he supposes this means to not return until the Engetsurin has been located, and sets off to find the pair.

In Banten that evening, Miharu and Yoite visit with Hanabusa. She offers them dinner, and when Yoite insists he isn't hungry, makes him some porridge. Yoite comes in to sit down, and Miharu asks Hanabusa about the Engetsurin. It is quickly obvious, though, that she knows nothing about it, and Yoite demands to know how she doesn't since the two live together. She tells him that they keep the Nabari things separate from their relationship. When Yoite questions her inviting them in, as both are from Nabari, she says that a guest is a guest. As Hanabusa cuts dessert, Yoite suddenly has a flashback, and dashes outside.

After Yoite's departure, Hanabusa serves dessert, and Miharu has his own flashback to his mother. Hanabusa asks what is wrong, and Miharu says that nothing is, but he seems to notice something suddenly. The doorbell rings, and Hanabusa wonders if it is Kumohira, and goes to answer it. She passes by Yoite, who is coming back inside, and Yoite and Miharu share a knowing look.

At the gate, Hanabusa opens the door... but it is Yukimi standing there, not Kumohira.

Impressions:

Oh man, I hope Hanabusa doesn't come to any harm. I really like her, and she was being wonderfully motherly to Yoite and Miharu. I don't think I mentioned this before, but she's forty years old - not that this is necessarily relevent, but it seems like I should mention it (she's fifteen years older than Kumohira).

The plot is thickening, as it seems even clearer than ever that, even within groups, opinions and plans on the Shinrabanshou are sharply divergent. Hattori definitely realizes that Miharu has ulterior motives, but it remains to be seen if either Kouichi or Kumohira realize what Raimei has in mind, or if Juuji and the majority of the Fuuma have any idea of what Kotarou is plotting.

We see that Miharu's cat definitely is involved with everything, and I remain convinced that the cat is Shijima, but there is no confirmation.

I'm beginning to wonder about who had the Shinrabanshou before Miharu - was it perhaps one of his parents? It definitely seems it wasn't Miharu, which would also mean that the Shinrabanshou can move from a dead person to one already alive (I had thought it was reborn into another at birth, not granted at a later time). While we saw a bit of Kumohira's side of the tale at the beginning of the series, we have yet to have seen anything else, so I'm getting pretty curious about it all.

Juuji continues to take Miharu's side swapping pretty seriously - she says in her conversation with Kotarou that Miharu has been brainwashed. She's a bit of a side character, but she does keep appearing, which makes me wonder if we're going to learn more about her and her past. Her strong feelings regarding Miharu's conversion also suggest that something major is going to happen here.

Not much on the BL front this time around - the scarf scene that made everyone nervous was really of Miharu remembering his mother and associating Hanabusa with her - so all you BL-haters out there can breathe a sigh of relief.

Oh, and one last thing - Kotarou was playing a dating sim on a PSP-type device at the start of the episode - so typical, huh?

Episode 12: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HQN3JSLW

--
More Yaoi no Ou for the soul ;0~

• Autor: Yuhki Kamatani.
• Género: Acción, shonen.

Uno de los animes que más me llamó la antención este año fue Nabari no Ou.

Muchos lo comparan con Naruto. Puede que al principio parezca, pero luego la historia va por un camino totalmente distinto.

Reseña: Rokujo Miharu pareciera ser el típico alumno que vive su no tan felíz, pero sí tranquila vida, hasta que un acontecimiento hace que su mundo quede patas para arriba. Y es que su profesor de inglés (cof cof shota), le dice que una fuerza muy poderosa vive dentro del chico de 14 años y que las llamadas "personas del mundo de Nabari", quieren apoderarse de él para poder usar este poder denominado "Shirabanshou".

Luego de una escena de lo más yaoilezca en la que el sensei le promete brindarle protección a Miharu (claro que no supera la escena de Monochrome Factor cuando Shirogane despierta poderes en Akira juju), Miharu cae en la cuenta de que no le queda otra que seguirle el paso a aquellos "locos" personajes. Básicamente de ahí en más, Miharu junto con sus compañeros irán en busca de una forma de extraer el Shirabanshou sin que Rokujo muera en el intento. Más luego (y como no podía faltar), aparece el Kairoshuu, un grupo de ninjas que bajo el mando de un viejo con cara de pervertido, quieren apoderarse del Shirabanshou para poder crear un mundo a su gusto. El mismo grupo está integrado por Yoite (alias el emo cute), Yukimi (un escritor que tiene bajo su tutela a Yoite), Raikou (el hermanito de Raimei) y Gau (el fiel seguidor y casi amante de Raikou x3).

Todos los personajes son más que interesantes, empezando por Miharu quien lo que menos hace es involucrarse con los demás. Eso (a mi modo de ver), lo hace un personaje de lo más interesante (¿por que será? -.-). Luego y siguiendo la línea de Miharu pero tal vez en un grado más importante, está Yoite quien se ha ganado el cariño del 99% de los fans.

Sobre Yoite: Ya sea por su frase "¿Estoy realmente vivo?" o el hecho de que mate y/o tuerza los huesos de la mayoría de las personas que se le crucen, este niño de boina es realmente interensante. Yoite tiene algo así como un poder muy raro dentro del mundo de Nabari que se denomina Kira. Este Yutsu es tan poderoso como dañino. Es así que cada vez que Yoite lo utiliza, su cuerpo termina más dañado al punto de que a la larga, morirá. Por un motivo que se desconoce aún (al menos en el anime), Yoite evita implicarse de forma sentimental con los demás personajes. Hasta que por esas cosas de la autora, termina involucrándose con Miharu (no, no es yaoi, pero que tira mal, tira mal xD).
Sobre Yoite y Miharu:

No quiero extenderme tanto, pero Miharu y Yoite terminan haciendo una especie de pacto en el cual cuando Miharu sepa cómo controlar el Shirabanshou, va a cumplir el deseo de Yoite, esto es, desaparecerlo de la faz de la tierra como si nunca hubiese existido. Yoite a cambio le dice que va a ayudarlo todo lo posible. Es así que Yoite y Miharu comienzan, sin haberlo querido, a entablar una gran amistad.
Y es que si uno se pone a pensar, Miharu y Yoite son muy parecidos en su forma de ser, nada más que el primero lleva siempre puesta una máscara.

Eso es, a no tan grandes rasgos, Nabari no Ou.

• La fan yaoi dentro de mí dice: Así que si te gusta el shonen-ai, pero ya te terminaste los 12 capítulos de Junjou Romantica y estás que te subis por las paredes (que exagerada), podes ver este lindo anime que es bastante yaoizable y además interesantísimo xD
• Puntaje: 10/10 Desde los personajes, pasando por el desarrollo y la historia, creo que no le falta nada.
  
• Fansub: Hay varios fansub que están subtitulando el anime de Nabari. Estos son: Akatsuki no Fansub, Anime Underground y Unilimited no Fansub entre otras. Personalmente prefiero Akatsuki no Fansub, pero solo porque me gustan la fuente que usan xP.

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Episodio 12 Agregado

]]> http://gargarstegosaurus.wordpress.com/?p=275 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:08:04 +0000 adaywithoutme http://gargarstegosaurus.wordpress.com/?p=275

Now with better editing and less sleep-deprivation.

Recently, Nabari no Ou (from here on in, NnO) has been making BL rumblings, something that has come as a joy to some, and a horror to others. I myself am fairly pleased with it, to be honest. But I want to take a look at why I'm pleased, exactly, beyond the obvious that I'm one of those freaky BL-loving fangirls.

To an extent, I welcome BL in the shows I'm watching. But if the show isn't specifically BL, I will admit annoyance when the BL isn't very realistic. If BL suddenly popped up in Kanon between Yuuichi and Kitagawa, I would've been annoyed - it wouldn't make any sense at all, and would've had no prior build-up (this is assuming it just suddenly happened, just got dropped into the show, not if the writers took a totally bizarre left after Makoto and wrote it in). I also will get irritated with myself if I start unintentionally slashing characters who make no sense together. Or if there's already a canon straight pairing involving one of the two that I like. Case in point: Terra e... - Soldier Blue and Physis were fantastic together, but then my mind tried to throw Soldier Blue with Jomy. DO NOT WANT.

Anyway, to get off my tangent and back to NnO and BL, I enjoy the BL that is building up in NnO because it is very realistic. We don't have any of that wonky Junjou Romantica buttsekhs in the first twelve seconds crap going on (which would really horrify me if it ever showed up in NnO, honestly, since the obligatory buttsekhs scenes in Junjou were seriously over-the-top, not to mention that the players involved in NnO are way underage, so that'd be gross).

Anime, as a rule, tends to not be realistic. This I know. However, even if setting is unrealistic, even if the circumstances are unrealistic, anime can still nail human emotions correctly. Even a harem anime can do this (see Kanon 2006). So I am not calling for an eradication of fourteen-year old mecha pilots or warring library factions - I just like it when the people at least behave reasonably as can be expected for that situation.

So while most BL follows a general formula, NnO is eschewing such. Which isn't too much of a shock, in a way, as NnO is not a BL show, just a show that happens to contain some elements of BL.

Here is the BL formula:

• guy A becomes enamored of guy B... and then realizes, HOLY CRAP, that's a guy! he has a p3n0r! and, oh crap, HE WANTS ON THAT P3N0R!!!
• so guy A freaks out for a little while about that little conundrum of his
• meanwhile, guy B is all suave and sexy
• this leads to guy A getting seduced by guy B
• then, some angst afterward as guy A wonders what it all means - does he really like the buttsekhs? does guy B really want him? or did he just jump him for shits and giggles, and isn't really into the buttsekhs?
• cue some more angst triggered by misunderstandings usually involving a guy C who makes jealousy appear in the heart of guy A
• but it all gets cleared up in time for some last-minute buttsekhs
• rinse and repeat

I like BL. I really do. But I like it better when it deviates from this formula (probably why I liked Junjou Terrorist the best out of the Junjou trifecta). And I like it when it's more believable.

To get back once again to NnO, I like the developing relationship dynamic between Miharu and Yoite because it is very believable. Miharu doesn't suddenly want in Yoite's pants between bursts of angst over that fact. He slowly falls into his affection for Yoite, and belatedly recognizes it as such. And when he admits it to himself, that Yoite means something to him, he does so ambiguously to himself, because even admitting that much is difficult for a young person to do, regardless of the gender of the one they like. Honestly, that's hard for even an adult to do. It is frightening to admit that another person is very important, because it exposes vulnerabilities within oneself.

Miharu also decides to himself that he will not tell Yoite, since he doesn't want to make it harder for him. Miharu is a fairly mature young man in some ways (although, thankfully, the show never forgets that he's fourteen, as evidenced by his covering his ears as he walks away from Kumohira at the end of episode fifteen), and in his maturity he seeks to prevent things from becoming even more difficult for Yoite. At the same time, though, he is admittedly protecting himself from being hurt, as not admitting the way he feels to Yoite also means he cannot be rejected by Yoite. Hello, realism.

On Yoite's part, he does break down and finally admit that he doesn't want to die to Miharu. Which indicates that Miharu is someone he does trust, since this is clearly something he hasn't admitted to anyone else, but it hasn't been indicated to us that Yoite feels similarly about Miharu as Miharu does to him. But slow-boil human relations are more realistic than fast-paced ones, so this, too, rings true. And if Yoite never returns the affections, that would be fairly realistic, even if it would be horribly galling.

In short, the relationship between Yoite and Miharu is a sweet one, slowly evolving as time passes, and completely endearing me to it.

Anyway, Gau and Raikou also appeared in the above picture, but I'll be spending a LOT less time on them. To me, it is very clear that Gau has a crush on Raikou, with a fair dose of hero worship mixed in. Folks, no straight guy pictures his friend with sparkles and a rose held between his teeth (here I will admit to adhering to the Kinsey Scale, so I think that a straight guy can fall in love with another guy... but that a gay guy can also fall in love with a girl). Sorry Gau, but you have teh gay for Raikou. Hero worship bleeding into romantic feelings happens all the time in real life, so this comes off as legit, too. Raikou obviously cares a lot about Gau, since he thinks about him a lot, and also because he bursts into tears when he realizes, as Gau is unconscious and on a ventilator, how much Gau cares about him. They slash themselves, the viewer need do no work.

But in this it also seems realistic, since we get no buttsekhs moments or crazy-ass BL-angst moments. It happens as people's relationships really do - naturally. It doesn't happen all at once, it is a slow realization over time, a blur between the different ways in which a person matters to another. And it's really nice to watch, just to see a sort of innocent affection coming to bloom.

Holy shit, I'm a sap, aren't I?

And this small girl -- Kuroukano Shijima is his mother.

As this Kouga girl stated, it looks like Fuuma is a mastermind behind the scenes. After this episode, Thobari seemed so pathetic more than ever. Too bad, Miharu didn't fully activate the Shinranbashou.

Whoa, did somebody say siscon?

So, admittedly, some little evil part of me wanted him to kiss her, but then I remembered that they're brother and sister, but then I remembered I didn't care... but then I also remembered all the RaikouxGau stuff I found on 4ch, so, I ultimately was a 'no' vote on that one.

*coughs* Anyway, enough about my depravity, this time around I'm doing a bullet-point style summary since my laptop overheated thrice while I was watching the episode itself, and is once again getting far too warm - it's summer, I don't have AC, so it goes.

To recap:

• Kumohira goes into useless, semi-catatonic stage when Kouichi collapses against him, appearing to die, but the whole building shudders and a strong wind comes from the basement, so he runs downstairs
• in the cellar, Miharu is going all Shinrabanshou in his wish to help Yoite; the seitokai tries to stop him, and get knocked back
• Kumohira tries to stop Miharu, and gets blasted away
• the Shinrabanshou questions whether Miharu wants to grant Yoite's wish by erasing him, or if he wants to grant his own by saving him
• Kumohira tackles Miharu, ignoring Miharu's accusation that he isn't doing it because he cares about Miharu, and Miharu loses consciousness as the Shinrabanshou slips away
• the group confronts the seitokai about the Daya, but then they all get locked in by the Captain Herlock escapee Kannuki
• Raimei learns that Kouichi has apparently died and gets upset, although Raikou manages to calm her down
• off in the corner, Catalina and Subaru are stewing in their own juices, with Subaru tearing up as she thinks about the fact that Kannuki is now doubtlessly threatening the headmaster
• oh, hey, she's right - Kannuki first threatens to shoot the headmaster, and then threatens to gas the everyone in the cellar if he doesn't hand over the Daya... but the headmaster doesn't have it any more
• so, Kannuki is about to shoot him, but zombie-Kouichi not-dead-Kouichi bursts into the room, kills everyone, and we find out that he's immortal
• in the cellar, everyone is bumming out, but then Kouichi opens the door, to the shock of everyone who saw him get shot
• upstairs, Catalina and Subaru rush over to the dying headmaster while Shijima has an internal monologue about people caring about one another, and that she has had some question answered in watching it all
• Juuji tells the headmaster that he needs to get to a good hospital, but he says that he is old and ill, so it's ok if he passes away
• Subaru, however, begs him for the scroll to save him, and then holds Juuji hostage to try to blackmail it out of him, but he again repeats that he has entrusted it to another and no longer has it
• Yukimi shoots way the knife Subaru is holding, and Catalina smacks her across the face and tells her that they were the ones making the headmaster the saddest with their actions
• the next day, the group is standing around, getting ready to part ways, when Shijima approaches Miharu with the Daya; the headmaster had entrusted it to her
• Shijima explains that Alya Private Academy is now getting a new headmaster, and that the ninja-only classes are being dissolved, as was decreed in the headmaster's will; the will also says that Shijima is to pass on the Daya to whomever she sees fit once he has died
• Shijima also reveals that the person who truly triggered the whole event was the Fuuma head, Kotarou
• as she walks away, Yukimi asks Shijima who she really is, but she just tells him her name once again with a smile
• after Shijima leaves, Miharu tells the other Kairoushuu that they should get going (by the way, Yoite has been unconscious in Raikou's arms this entire time)
• Kumohira yells after Miharu that he cannot use the Shinrabanshou to save someone (huh, sounds a bit like Raikou and Raimei's mum), and that he'll never forgive him if he uses it; Miharu covers his ears and simply walks away

Impressions:

Wow, that was some damn good animation in this episode - particularly when Miharu was walking at the beginning of the episode while under the Shinrabanshou's sway, and then later when Subaru began to cry while they were all trapped in the cellar. Those moments were both incredidly impressive on the animation front.

Anyway, I'd say that not only is Shijima probably Miharu's cat (which I've said before), I'm pretty sure she is, like Kouichi, immortal, since they kept giving us shots that seemed to imply as much. This would make sense, I suppose, given how much she seems to know about everything. For a little while, I wondered a bit if all three of the seitokai were immortal and somehow bound to the school, based on some of the stuff the headmaster said - I got sort of shades if the Shadow Play Girls from Revolutionary Girl Utena, honestly, but I'm fairly certain that only Shijima is immortal.

As for other parts of the seitokai, I think Catalina was, in the end, fairly underdeveloped as a character, although I guess that isn't terribly shocking. I really think that Subaru, ultimately, was in love with the headmaster, which is a bit strange since he was so much older than her, but it definitely came across that way. I liked the seitokai a lot.

Next week we get some more BL-looking stuff - I'll save some comments on the YoitexMiharu dynamic thing for then. And it wasn't shown, but I wouldn't be surprised if Kouichi's secret of immortality is revealed to the rest of the Banten. I'm pretty sure Kumohira gets it now, though.

If you want a better summary, click here to read the write-up over on Subculture Anime Blog.

Nabari no Ou is an anime I started watching for the sake of satisfying my guilty pleasure. I never thought it'd get this good and its doing nothing but getting better. Nabari isn't like any other ninja anime I know. It's serious and fairly realistic ... and it's heart-wrenching. We're more than halfway through the anime and a lot of elements are being thrown around here and there without anyone really noticing it. I said it before: Nabari no Ou is the definition of the gray areas between what's right and wrong. There's no one in this anime who's right or wrong. Everyone has their own agenda and everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their own goals. There's no enemy and thus there's no hero either. And really, that's the best thing about Nabari no Ou: the fact that you're not really sure what's going to happen. When there's a hero, you know he's going to beat the bad guy but in Nabari's case ... there's no real bad guy. The further we get into the series, the less clear the ending becomes. In the beginning, the bad guy was Kairoushuu and the goal was getting Shinranbanshou out of Miharu. Clear enough. Simple enough. But things didn't stay that way. By episode ... what? Six. The gray areas were emphasized but we still had a goal: Miharu wants to save Yoite. Then now, Miharu hesitated. He doesn't really want to erase Yoite's existence but he wants to save him still. Then there's Kumohira-sensei thinking he's being righteous. He's just as gray as the rest of the characters.

I've said it before, right? That out of everyone, it's Kouichi I'm the most curious about. The Kouga arc managed to enlighten me a lot about his character. For one thing he's immortal and quite ... vampire-like. That's when I realized something about Shijima and Kouichi. The headmaster mentioned it right? "You're her ..." -cut off- Then there's Shijima being completely unfazed by Kouichi's arrival as if she knew he'd come. Shijima did mention it in the end as well ... that she's just a spectator. Everything considered, Kouichi is probably the same: a spectator. I also think that both Kouichi and Shijima have some kind of relationship with Shinrabansho ... aside them all having white hair ... (I'm against the vampire idea even though Kouichi and Shijima have sharp teeth anything but vampires ... please!)

Amazing how much drama there is Nabari now, it honestly surprises me when I bother to stop and think about it. At this point, Yukimi is the only the character we know virtually nothing about. I'm really hoping he doesn't stay comic relief with Raikou (who's sort of lost his purpose after his and Raimei's arc) because I'm quite curious about him now. Well, he did a pretty nice observation in this episode ... to bad it's just made him into comic relief again. Lastly there's Fuuma who seems to be just as mysteriously fucked as Kouichi. It's like he's at the bottom of all the crap and drama that's been happening. Oof.

Anyways, the Kouga Arc is now then and all is left the Banten scroll. From the preview, looks like Yoite is still out of it and Miharu's wearing the scarf he gave him. It's not really helping me know what's going to happen though.

(And damn is it weird to watch Nabari after an episode of Zero no Tsukaima ...)

We're back, I'm sunburnt, Day isn't, and we got through a little bit of anime/manga while we were gone, but Day failed on the 3x3 Eyes bit. Go laugh at her.

Later on Day'll get up reviews for Nabari no Ou 15 and Birdy the Mighty Decode 2, and I'll get on Natsume Yuujinchou. I'm bouncing around the idea of reviewing Aoi Hana vol. 1 and 2 since I read them this week, but we'll see how ambitious I'm feeling. We do have to finish unpacking, and gotta work on trying to cool the house off because the laptop'll overheat if we don't, so don't get your hopes too high.

Oh, and Day wants you guys to know that she's dissappointed in all of you for failing to come up with any decent hentai suggestions. Way to fail, folks. She also wants Baka-Raptor to know that he should cosplay as Eli Manning so she can go as Tedy Bruschi or Adalius Thomas and have the satisfaction of smooshing Eli Manning, if only by proxy. I'm pretty sure she didn't mean anything sexual about that... but I giggled like a 12-yr old anyway.

As for me, I guess I just want to tell you guys that sunburns really suck, and that skin-cancer in 20 years is gonna suck even more.

EDIT: Might be a bit longer on those reviews, we're now both rolling on the floor in agony because both our orders for 5 cm per second got canceled.

:DDD  I'm kind of satisfied with this coloring style~  It makes them look nicer!

Series: Nabari No Ou
Characters(s): Kouichi
Time: 2 Hours
Layers: 9 Layers
Program: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0

(Spoiler Text Version)  (Spoiler Text Signature Version)

^^  I'm really satisfied by the way I did his hair.  I think I may edit the Krad picture.  u.u  I'm not really satisfied witht that.

I haven´t talked about Nabari no Ou for a while, even if it´s getting better and better with every new episode. Things like Yoite and Miharu´s deepening relationship and Raikou´s flamboyant actions are too tempting to not talk about so from now on, you have to bear with weekly episode commentaries of Nabari no Ou. The fact that this series is constantly making me chuckle won´t help me to keep my mouth shut anymore.

What´s happened so far: Koga´s ninja village invited other clans to their village, which is a school. Everyone came because they want Koga´s medicine kinjutsu scroll Daya for their own reasons. One of the teachers, Kannuki, is scheming against the headmaster while student council is trying to save him by using Daya. It requires bodies of young ninjas to work so Koga´s students are targeting school´s visitors. Miharu and co. are lured to basement where student council attacks and knocks them out. After taking serious damage from Shijima, Yoite asks Miharu with tears in his eyes to save him from dying. Of course Miharu responds to this and finally decides to use Shinrabanshou for something, awakening it by doing so.

Yoite and Miharu have gotten awfully close with each other. In a fight, Yoite protects Miharu with everything he have. Outside of battle, Miharu supports him emotionally even when Yoite pretends he doesn´s want that. Before he just blackmailed Miharu to erase his existence and turned down kindness Miharu showed to him. At last in this episode he opens up to Miharu when he makes his plead. Miharu also admits that Yoite´s not just annoying death god and actually wants to know more about him. There´s very nice development in both Yoite and Miharu´s character when you compare this episode to the 6th episode. Back then they were apathetic and in their own worlds. Now they have something to protect and a goal in life. Yoite is desperately clinging to life so his existence can be erased and Miharu is trying to help him to keep his life so he can erase him. In Miharu´s case, he also wants to help Yoite love himself before he´s gone. We still don´t know why Yoite wants his existence to be erased, but despite their means to achieve it, Yoite and Miharu´s goal is the same and their teamwork is excellent.

Btw. Raikou´s lovely so I definitely need to highlight his brightest moments. This week he blackmails Koga´s student with tickling.

Series:  Nabari No Ou
Chracter(s):  Raimei
Time:  8 Hours
Layers:  35
Program:  Adobe Photoshop Elements

Click on the picture to see the original size.

:D  I think I did a really good job on this.  The thing I'm kind of sad about is her eyes.  D:  I couldn't get it to look really nice...so I just left it like that.

o.o  I realized how I don't color girls that often...I think I should play fair and calm down on the hot boy coloring XD33

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Yes, Shirogane. We all know.

Run! Hide! Check you insurance and if you don't have make one quick! Write a will just for safety purposes! The apocalypse might be approaching!

Okay, maybe not. I'm just making a fuss. So anyways, I was watching Monokuro and the realization hit me. Both figuratively and literally (I should stop keeping manga in strange places, my room's raining them). So anyways, I just went "Is it me? Or are men in anime starting to lose interest in women?" Well, at the very least, all male characters (with the exception of Toudou maybe) in Geass have already lost interest in the opposite sex. Just look at Lulu! He just lost Shirley and they let Orange-kun in. What's his harem now? 3 women, 5 men? Or are there more I'm just forgetting? Not to mention Shirley's death is going to be cause of the Black Knight's downfall with Lulu going all mental and losing what little sanity he had left. Although, Suzaku isn't any better. Kallen's looking good in that dress at least but let's pray she doesn't mental too after taking the drug. It's GSD all over again. Come on Sunrise! You can do better than that right - Oh crap, right this wasn't a Geass post.

I mean just look at Monokuro. There are girls in them but their basically decorations. Nabari? Not a single male character in there looks like they have potential interest in females. Kumohira-sensei doesn't count because has a wife and is only interested in her ... and other than her there's Miharu. Oh wait! There's hope. We've still got Macross! Alto's straight right? As long as Sunrise stays away from them, we'll get a normal ending with either Sheryl or Ranka. God knows how much I don't want to see a AltoxLuca or MikhailxAlto ending ... out of doujins at least. And oh look! More hope. Toki in Amatsuki potentially likes Kuchiha right?

Alright ... maybe this isn't so hopeless after all. Back to Balett Star.

STATS
15 Episodes Watched

Looking at the watching schedule of the past week it is pretty obvious what I was focused on: Kure-nai and Zero no Tsukaima II, taking 11 of those 15 episodes. Kure-nai was finished up and what a show that was. Other than a few animation hiccups and a subpar episode it really surprised me. Zero no Tsukaima II was the same old show. More fighting between Saito and Louise. I have one episode left in that series which will probably be watched tonight. I failed to finish the series before season 3 came out on the 6th. Oh well, it will be pretty damn easy to catch up on that one. Ergo Proxy seems to be setting itself up for an exciting finish, which is good since the show really put me off in the middle. I was going one episode a night for the first 13, and it's taken me a few weeks just to get the next 5 down. To-LOVE-Ru took a bit of a nosedive this week for me: probably due to the fact that I'm not a Haruna fan. I also feel like the show would be more enjoyable if it stuck to the manga (yeah yeah, "get over it, it's the anime not the manga you fag!"). Nabari no Ou also has gone in the wrong direction for me. I really wish Yoite would die so that the skin crawling manlove in the show would stop.

Next Week Plans
Finish up Zero no Tsukaima II
Finish up Ergo Proxy
The Weekly Releases
Start Zero no Tsukaima III

STATS
9 Chapters Read

Kind of a slow manga week for me. Hayate no Gotoku! took most of the chapters here with Volume 6 coming to an end. This also wrapped up the Butler Training chapters as far as I can tell. There were some good moments, mostly consisting of Nishizawa and Hinagiku. I also have a soft spot for Hayate vs. some big robot. To-LOVE-Ru had a couple chapters as well, which get a thumbs up from me. Again, I have to play favorites and say chapter 107 is pure awesome since it focuses on Yui and gets a pinch of Yami as well.

Episode 11: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OQ2R6G8U