Miken: I know this is late, but I’ve put this off even two weeks after my reformat because of the disappointment this series has instilled in me. It’s not downright horrible and I figured that if I could force myself to go through all of K-ON! I had enough courage in me to finish this.

Episode 23: Beyond the Heart’s Darkness
Episode Rating: 7/10

I have to say that bringing in a vision of Mikage’s little sister worked really well — and since I know nothing from the manga after the end of the whole door-thing, I’m not sure whether this was in there or not. I don’t know if it’s my inability to bear Teito as a character or my sympathy to Mikage’s little sis since she has a pretty damn solid argument for hating Teito, but I definitely sided with her. Otherwise, this was just another cliched episode about overcoming one’s inner fears through love and friendship. I’ll give this series some slack and also say Ouida and Liam’s story was pretty touching…though only 2/10 (where Tokyo Magnitude was a full on 10/10 in that case).

So…yeah. An episode full of drawn out epiphanies that we expected ages ago — well, at least in Teito and Hakuren’s cases. At the very least, Ayanami didn’t waste too much time approaching the church yet again. Also — deus ex door! Honestly, that was a really weak way to set up for the final confrontation (?) at least until the sequel if anyone is crazy enough/blinded by the bishounen to sit through this inconclusive cliche-fest again.

Episode 24: The Justice of Those Who Lack Love Is…Oh Heart That is Stolen by Darkness, Forever…
Episode Rating: 6/10

Series needs to have less absurdly-long episode titles. Characters also need to talk less and fight more…but that’s just a personal preference. On the plus side, we learn that the Father who raised Teito was the 07-Ghost named Vetrag, and also sealed Teito’s memories and left everything on his shoulders. As for Teito himself, he’s decided to live for the sakes of Mikage, Father and…I forget. Kid needs to live for his own sake too, though…>:C

Also, Frau’s “battle” with Kuroyuri turned stale the moment the love/hatred conflict was brought up. As for Teito’s battle…nothing really battle-worthy happened. Just a buncha special effects and dodging and a whole damn lot of talking.

Episode 25: The Heart is Led by the Truth Repeated on the Other Side
Episode Rating: 7/10

Note to DEEN: If you’re going to use the upbeat OP song as an insert during the final battle, make sure the battle is actually faced paced enough to match the song. However, that isn’t my worst complaint…all the bad and good guys are stuffed in the same metaphysical realm and then Ayanami orders them to retreat. F*CK IT! He goes through all of that monologue-ing and buildup just to retreat!? NO. I will not take “protecting your friends” as a proper excuse! Now we’re right back where we started! You finally get off your freaking seat and yet you’ve accomplished nothing!! >:C

I hereby nominate Aya-tan as the worst villain of the year.
[Worst as in "does nothing villainous"]

After a nice little reunion between the Eye of Mikhail and Teito, our hero is finally forced to leave the church due to all the commotion. He leaves Hakuren, Castor and Labrador behind and heads off to Seele with Frau…Oh yeah — he’s a certified bishop now too! If they did this earlier, I might have actually felt like watching the last 3 episodes on time. This is much more exciting than the pseudo final battle between Teito and Ayanami…And we end with a ton of open ends that Teito points out himself that mostly involve the past and the Verloren/07-Ghost conflict. Sounds like a nice sequel hook? I sure hope it isn’t.

Lucky for Ayanami, he can regenerate limbs AND clothes!

Overall Opinion? + Some more pictures
[Changing up the setup yet again to make it more organized and with *gasp* Actual Criteria!...Based off of MAL. >_>;;]

Story: 5/10
I went into this series expecting exciting battles and wondrous magical displays, but what I found were long drawn out — and usually cliched — monologues detailing numerous tropes that I feel like I’ve seen a million times before with nothing special added to its execution. It’s not to say that the series doesn’t play it well at some points, but those times are few and far between. For a series with a man already pinned as the “final boss” from the start, the general aura was almost sickeningly light at times. Instead of advancing the plot and providing the action expected of such a setting, I was faced with “Everyday Church Life” for a good portion of the episodes.

THAT WIIINK~

Art: 7/10
I admit a good portion of what drew me into the series was contributed by the art on promotional pictures. However, the style eventually lost its luster and the animation turned stale. Even when action and interesting angles were presented in the animation, I learned to expect the same things as usual — the Eye of Mikhail, some Zaiphon being thrown around and then some interspersed action from the bishops. Nothing really caught my eye towards the end of the series. Well, nothing but some pretty bad CG and Castor’s awesome fighting style~<3

......This series has guns!?

Sound: 8/10
[This portion of the review is pretty much a rehash of what I've said tons of times before...]
Despite the ups and many downs of this series, I really liked most of the soundtrack, since it fit the series well — and piano arrangements of theme songs are an almost surefire way to make a scene compelling for me. Other tracks were nice to hear in the background and fit well with the church setting. The OP and ED were both quite catchy — I especially liked the ED not only because of its violin intro, but also because of its soothing melody that fit perfectly well with the water-motif of the ending sequence. However, Noria’s “Raggs no Chinkoka” turned pretty dull after a few listens despite it’s nice calming factor as a lullaby (at least I hope it was intended to be like a lullaby……..)

Okay...so the 2nd one isn't from their actual retreat -- but it looks better. >:C

Characters: 5/10
Honestly, the only reason why this didn’t drop below 5 is because I really like Mikage and Castor…though the both of them really lacked character development because of a certain Teito Klein’s problems coming first and foremost. I know I shouldn’t really complain about the main character getting the screentime he deserves, but the supporting cast around him was just so much more interesting. In Teito, I saw the many overused cliches that I had grown to expect yet dislike at the same time. Royal Heritage? Check. Container for Almighty Power? Check. Troubled Past? Check x 3. Ability to call upon Deus Ex Machina at any time? Check…but what took the cake for me was that Teito spent so much of the series completely held back by his past — it felt like he was running a treadmill set to gradually get faster to the point where he wouldn’t be able to catch up…and then we get his obligatory epiphanies/flashbacks, and we’re right back where we started with yet another past problem creeping up at him…Also, we don’t really get anything about Ayanami’s direct subordinates. While they do act pretty cool from time to time, we barely get the names of half of them.

Nice background, poorly drawn characters...Ah well, that's normal nowadays.

Enjoyment: 6/10
I sorely wanted to like this series, but my personal preferences and the general audience this show was aiming for must have been a (close) miss. While I do like bishies from time to time, this one just overdid it and relied on the fangirl factor 99% of the time. Plus — I expected action and a fair amount of blood, but I was given a boy trying to sort out his many troubles in a generally non-actiony show for its supposed genre. I suppose my expectations were a bit too high…

Series Overall: 6/10

Would I recommend it? Definitely not…unless the person was a blind bishounen fangirl

Led by the Light in the Water’s Depths, He Spies Upon…

Miken: After this week I’m thinking about placing everything on the backburner to get my backed up scanlations work done as well as sort out scheduling problems for school. Of course, I might be too used to this sort of schedule that I’ve come to expect so much that I can’t give it up. Hopefully, everything works out in the end.

I already knew how the bishop candidates were to be judged at the last question, but I still have to say that it’s an ingenious way to sort out the truly worthy from the less-than-worthy. I also now realize that what I said before about the exam was only the first part. This second portion is more exciting in that the characters have to face their inner troubles, but I automatically thought: “Gaaaah, I have to go through more exam episodes?” when I realized it. Either way, I’ve decided to sit this series through, so I have to bear with what Studion DEEN gives.

I’m sure Ichigo is jealous that Teito didn’t have to spend days trapped in the bottom of a hole while his soul chain slowly ate itself away.

This episode, Teito also ~magically~ reattains his Zaiphon by swimming in the waterways, finding a hidden field of sorts and entering a door to a fictional flashback in which he meets his father and the Father and snaps for a bit. This kinda feels like a knock-off for reattaining powers, since a number of other shounen protagonists had to go throuh literal training from hell to reattain their powers whereas Teito freaked out for a minute [seeing as he only had 30 minutes total and he spent a long while swimming and then talking]. Still I admit I liked seeing him in action now without the Eye, I also like that he’s going against an illusion (?) of Ayanami in the same hall where Mikage died.

On the topic of Ayanami — the real one’s returning too…Hopefully that means more battling and less of Teito and his silly little exam.

Also, the names of all of the 07 Ghosts are finally given (or were they given before and I just forgot?): Zehel, Feist, Profe, Randkalt, Rilect, Ea, and Vetrag. Each Ghost has only one skill to make it even harder for the second Verloren to be born upon the land. However, there’s the price in that while the Verloren is sealed on Earth, the 07 Ghosts cannot return to Heaven. This will probably be more important in the next season or something…

Next Time: Behind the Heart’s Darkness

Looks to me like an action-based episode with a heaping portion of angst on the side.

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 7/10
Miken’s Anticipation Level: 7.5/10

Therefore, You Pass Through the Door of the Defeated…
Miken: Man am I glad they managed to stick the entire exam mini-arc into one episode, since it was kind of annoying reading it even though I can’t even remember how long it was in the manga…and it’d be for the best to get past it quicky. Now that the end is in sight, I wonder what the anime will do for its finale. Will it leave itself open-ended so as to provide room for a sequel to animate future episodes? Will it opt for an anime-only finale? Personally, I’m leaning towards the former, since getting to Ayanami so fast in 5 episodes would be jumping the gun — Plus, we’ve already established that they’re heading away from the church.

Anyways, this is around the point where I stopped following the manga. I’m pretty sure I’ll go back and catch up all the way later. In the meantime, starting with the arc, I’ll start knowing less and less about what’s going on beforehand and will really be able to give my opinion that is not swayed by knowing what has happened beforehand. Maybe by not seeing Teito do dumb things more than once, I’ll grow more tolerant of him too~ [Ack, who am I kidding?]

As for this episode, it was pretty formulaic. They beat the whole mantra of being true to your friends into the viewer yet again and naturally made Teito and Hakuren pass the exam. I was kind of miffed in a bored way when Teito suddenly found out his couldn’t produce his Zaiphon. I would’ve thought he’d have checked before the exam. Then that guy helps him…Why can’t Teito help himself for once? If its not Frau who saves him, then it’s a random passerby…gaaaah.

*raises a glass of apple juice* Well, here’s to Teito growing a pair!

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 6.4/10
Miken’s Anticipation Level: 4.5/10

Next time: Led by the Light in the Water’s Depths, He Spies Upon…

Episode 19: That Once-Sided, Yet Never Dying Love Finds Itself…

It finds itself with a hand inside its chest

Miken: More details and stuff…and it seems like Feist is another one of the 07-Ghosts, who grants love and all that mushy stuff to people. I really don’t know why the hell I’m posting this now even though I can’t remembering anything happening other than Castor and Kuroyuri’s fight…and maybe also Bastian’s funeral.

(more…)

Katt: Toward the end of the winter season, I wrote up an entry talking about all of the animals who appeared in various anime that were airing at the time. Though I’d intended to make another post looking back on some memorable animals in anime from the past prior to the end of the spring season, I never did–whoops. I will have to wait a little longer for that post. For now, however, I want to pay homage to the wonderful animal characters that have been introduced in anime airing this spring! Yes, this means it is time for my second edition of Animals in Anime~

Mameshiba – Eden of the East

To start things off, it’s Mameshiba the shiba inu! Last season I mentioned the kitty-cat Madara first, so a dog gets his turn this time around. The shiba inu is one of the few dog breeds that were originally bred in Japan, so it is unsurprising that this breed appears in an anime. An attribute associated with shibas are their difficulty to train–the same can be said of many dog breeds, like huskies, but as I’m sure we’ve all gathered from recent films showing well-behaved huskies, even the tough-to-train dogs can become impressively obedient! Akira evidently did a good job training Mameshiba because this relatively small dog shows lets Akira put wings on him, causing an adorable breed of dog to be even cuter. (Maybe Juiz helping with the training, though? Maybe she used her connection to get Cesar Millan?!) Mameshiba shows that his needs come first, though, when it comes to retrieving his own food and pestering Akira to give him more. Way to use those brains, puppy!

Mustafa – Hanasakeru Seishounen

Snow leopard~ <3 I have a biased love of kitties above all else, but big cats like Mustafa leave me more in awe of their beauty than with the temptation of going, “aww, so cute!” I was distracted looking at a bunch of snow leopard photos for this post because they are so mesmerizing. These creatures demand so much respect and admiration with their appearances alone, and Kajika shows this in the series. A snow leopard, though…doesn’t belong on a Caribbean island. Although these felines do live in an environment with both summer and winter, these regions are very mountainous and so they can avoid the summer heat by climbing higher up the mountains. Apparently there are no records of snow leopards attacking human beings; however, livestock and other animals are another story… I still find it hard to believe that Mustafa would cuddle up to little Kajika, though, whether snow leopards are aggressive or not. Then again, ‘wild’ animals have been known to behave differently when they are raised in captivity, so maybe it isn’t that much of a stretch!

Canada’s polar bear — Axis Powers Hetalia

Honestly, Canada’s polar bear doesn’t even look much like a polar bear. It’s just a typical teddy bear coloured white. But okay, I’ll bite: it’s a polar bear. Now why, oh why, is this polar bear associated with Canada? I personally have lived in Canada my entire life and yet have yet to see a wild polar bear. Since Hetalia plays on stereotypes, however, it makes plenty of sense for a polar bear to be in Canada’s company. The stereotype is that it’s always cold in Canada, so we live in igloos in the presence of polar bears. In truth? Polar bears are pretty much limited to the land touching the Arctic Ocean, their main habitat–and not at all the main habitat for the majority of Canada’s human population. With the exception of people who opt to live in the northern territories, the only odds that Canadian citizens have of seeing polar bears are during winter and near the large bays, which are still further to the north than most people live.

Burupya – 07-Ghost

Oh Burupya, what are you? Aside from cute, of course. Looking at the different physical characteristics of Burupya, I am going to say that he is a hybrid of a jerboa, bunny, and sparrow that was dyed pink upon his birth. It is mostly the jerboa that stands out, I find, in the long ears and long, thin tail with a little tuft at the end. But truth be told I find jerboas pretty creepy-looking, and yet Burupya is adorable. I attribute this to his fuzziness, which is where the bunny comes in in my imaginay hybrid. There are very few things in this world as soft as a bunny’s coat of fur! Then last but not least, we have the sparrow, which is added into the mix because of the wings, of course. I could have picked pretty much any bird, but sparrows are small so there wings would fit on a little rodent, right? Now that I have established what animals combined could possibly look like the cuddle-able Burupya, let’s get to work on our genetic alterations, okay Miken? Burupya shall be ours!

Yumekichi – Sengoku Basara

I am nowhere near being an expert on monkeys, so my attempts at finding out what kind of breed of monkey Keiji’s little pet monkey, Yumekichi, is supposed to be have run up empty. No existing types of monkeys that I found on searches looked much like Yumekichi, especially not those native to Japan. He probably isn’t based on a real breed. If he were, though, it would have to be a small breed–like the pygmy marmoset, the smallest monkey breed in the world! Since these tiny animals’ natural habitat is in South America, it’s safe to say that there wouldn’t be any in Japan during the Sengoku period. These days, though, pygmy marmosets are seen all over the place in zoos and even pet stores. I remember that for a long time there was a pet store in Montreal that had a couple of pygmy marmosets on display at the storefront. They were cute, there’s no denying that, but exotic animals are always best off in their natural habitats, even if Yumekichi seems to get along just fine with Keiji.

Wolfis — Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S

Wolfis–the spirit contracted with Eufinley in this series–is quite obviously based on a wolf. Wolves, the ancestors of dogs as a whole and incredible examples of canine behaviour. Honestly, to talk about wolves would be similar to talking about the basis of training a domestic dog. It is all about the hierarchy with these beautiful beasts. Contradictory to the commonly used expression ‘lone wolf’, wolves are almost always found living in packs, which is where the tie to dog training comes in. Wolf packs have leaders and subordinate members, usually divided between parents and pups. The basic rule of canines is that what the alpha says goes, and this is most recognizably present in wolves. In households, the division might be a little less distinct because some dogs, like my mutt, just love testing their boundries and talking back if they’re told to do something they don’t like.  She’d get put in her place pretty fast in a pack of wolves, I’m sure, that back-talking mutt.

That creepy-looking cat — Cross Game

I have to admit that I’ve never watched Cross Game despite all the good things I’ve heard from my blog-mates. It was Minnie who mentioned this creepy-looking cat to me and I have to say…a creepy-looking cat? Blasphemy! Such a thing is unheard of! And this is coming from someone who has met quite a few cats with strange attributes while volunteering at an animal shelter, but none of them have made a cat look creepy like that feline from Cross Game. Take Penelope, the kitty at the right here; she’s missing an eye, though that doesn’t stop her sweet temperment from shining through and making her beautiful. Then there are others like the cat with fangs who always has his tongue sticking out; he looks a little goofy, but people love it. Or the fatty cat missing half an ear, what a cute face he has! This creepy-looking cat in Cross Game? A gross misrepresentation of feline-kind.

The Beast-Lords — Kemono no Souja Erin

As I looked at the touda from KnSE in my first Animals in Anime post, it is only fair that I look at beast-lords in this one. I recall one episode explaining the sort of mix that these fantasy creatures are, though I haven’t managed to find that scene so perhaps I was imagining it. In any case, there is no doubt that the face, teeth, and fur are meant to be features of wolves. But I finished talking about wolves when discussing Wolfis; let’s look at the bird part of these beasts. To be a carnivorous flyer that is that big, I can only guess that there is some bird of prey in this fantasy hybrid. Or a dinosaur. Okay okay, seriously–judging the largest bird is difficult because some have larger wingspans, and others are bigger in body. The beast-lord seems pretty damn hefty in both regards, much like the Andean condor. Its wingspan tends to be about 10-feet and males apparently weight 20-27 lbs on average. Hmm, maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t seem all that big when compared to beast-lords. I’m pretty sure even the baby beast-lord Lilan could show up the largest Andean condor to ever live.

Well, anime fans, that is all that I have to say on animals for this season. I swear one of these days I will write a post and acknowledges the animals of animu past; however, if I don’t, you can at least count on me making a post for the summer animals in anime! There haven’t been many in the series that I’ve had a look at thus far, but I’m going to keep on hoping that this season brings us some memorable animals. You can bet I’ll be sad if it doesn’t! So who was your favourite animal this season? Did I miss any that you felt deserved a mention? For now, this edition of Animals in Anime is done~ 

Miken: Lazy blogging style to speed things up as I try to catch up on everything~ XD;;
I haven’t blogged this in over a month, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on it. I’ve just lost a ton of interest with my favorite character gone. Plus, Teito’s hard to stand as the protagonist and Hakuren’s only *this* much better…I shall now spend my time being more attentive of the Bishops since…well…I don’t find them annoying yet.

Kapitel 10: That Is But One Form of Atonement

Teito is found to be generally angsting over Mikage’s death, and Frau and Castor meet with sentience of the Eye of Mikhail as he possesses Teito, earning themselves a nice illusory trip to hell and back. Once the priests are tired with Teito’s moping around, they lead him back to the hall where Mikage died, leaving our lead to finally crying over Mikage’s last words as Frau tells him to live in order to protect the life Mikage sacrificed himself to save.

At this episode, I’ve started to realize that this show has met the “hump” where the first exciting arc ends and you go “what next”. To be honest, I finished watching Gundam 00 Second Season, started marathoning Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and did a bunch of other stuff before even thinking about catching up on this. Still, this anime is far from bad…it’s still sticking to what it does best.

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 7/10

Kapitel 11: Atonement for Loved Ones Is…

A little dab of angst over how to atone for Mikage’s death and Castor suggests that Teito take the exam to become a bishop, thus giving him full means to move in and out of districts with little obstacle. Thus, the studying begins! Teito manages to make Frau look like a dimwit by remembering all the little excerpts from the bible whereas Frau took 3 years to learn the stuff. Some hands on training with a Bascule proves problematic and Castor creates a doll in the image of Frau, with a Kor as it’s soul. The doll does some hilarious antics and Teito finally uses the Bascule properly when the doll goes too far and starts chasing after the nuns. Unfortunately…that causes the limiter on the doll to break, giving Teito a bigger problem when the Kor takes form. Labrador thankfully saves Teito in the nick of time and gives him some nice tea to heal his broken heart. A breakdown later and some reminiscing about Mikage lead Teito to decide that his form of atonement is to reveal the truth of the world even if Mikage would’ve never forgiven him for doing so…and the Eye of Mikhail seems to agree too.

With the introduction of Hakuren, our soon-to-be replacement BFF, the series is probably going to start building up again soon. Still, I was genuinely amused by the Frau doll~ Ahahaha, I loved the quip with the nuns about how the doll was “just a regular pervert” and another responding “So it IS Bishop Frau!”. Other than that…*sigh* More powering up and angsting as usual.

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 9/10

Kapitel 12: The Darkness Called “Pain” Treads Ever Closer

We start off with a random guy accepting 3 wishes from a shady (but pretty!) fortuneteller. Of course, he kinda forgets the whole “in exchange for your soul” part of the deal, he goes crazy and…he sprouts Kor wings. Back at the church, Teito and Hakuren strike up a rivalry. Later, we are introduced to Assistant Archbishop Bastian as he exterminates a Kor during some sort of demonstration. For the record, the Assistant Archbishop excels at healing-based Ziaphon (as does Labrador). Meanwhile, the guy from the opening scene’s walking around, spreading terror like the Kor-possesed man he now is. Naturally, though, Frau is nearby and ready to extinguish the Kor as usual. Of course, this time, he doesn’t stop short at anything, killing the man along with the Kor. When Teito moves his room to the area set aside for applicants, he finds his roommate to be none other than…….Hakuren!! Also, the receptionist at the area where Teito and Hakuren prepare to train with their Bascule collapses of an unknown ailment, and the two somehow agree enough to lug the guy to the infirmary together. After the two race back to class, Teito realizes how to use the Bascule — the Zaiphon are triggered by words, and since the military type was brought on by hate, then the Bascule would probably respond to his desire to never lose anyone dear to him again…Though he still fails to make more than a smoke cloud. Even though he gets laughed at, Teito still recieves the support of both Hakuren and Bastian. Then, Teito fills his heart with thoughts of Mikage and overloads on power~ Of course, when Hakuren finds out that the staff Teito was using was Frau’s…he goes into jealous fanboy mode, since Frau holds the record high score on the test. Meanwhile, the receptionist from before is found dead and Aya-tan schemes.

I still don’t like Hakuren all that much…*sigh* Still too attached to a certain character. >_>;;
The episode really didn’t feel like much to me except for setting up Hakuren and Teito as well as the exam. Dammit Ayanami, I may hate you for killing Mikage, but do something already!!

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 6/10

Kapitel 13: Down the Path of Light I See…

The aftermath of Aldo’s death continues as Teito sees Frau posing dramatically atop the church, later suffering a flashback as he roams the church. When he returns to his room, he accidentally wakes up Hakuren, who later flatly states that Teito isn’t ready to open his heart to him.In the library, while researching his past and the Eye of Mikhail, a gust of wind IN THE MIDDLE OF A CLOSED BUILDING blows his page to an article about “Verloren”, and then the words on the book come flying off and Teito sees another vision, waking up with a jolt. Then, Hakuren and Frau enter the scene become fast friends through bribery, though Bastian confiscates Frau’s porn. Later on, Teito goes to return Frau’s now-broken staff and unfortunately hears  that he won’t be let out of the church if he doesn’t master the use of his Zaiphon. Teito interprets Frau’s knowledge about the eye as suspicious and runs off. He flashbacks once more, this time remembering the war and how the Father entrusted the Eye to him. He breaks down and declares that he doesn’t want to love anyone anymore since his loved onse have the sad penchant of dying for his sake. Out by the fountain during sunset, Frau and Teito confront one another, with Teito asking Frau if the church is planning to use him too. Of course, Frau soon realizes that Teito doesn’t remember the times when the Eye took over and gives a response that causes Teito to attack, but the kid’s easily pinned to the side of the fountain. Frau declares that he has to protect Teito, but he doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to stay with him. He wills Teito to become stronger…words reminiscent of the Father who raised Teito. Frau later tells Teito to protect the Eye that Father entrusted to him…and a moment later, Teito realizes that he never mentioned the Father to Frau, to which Frau replies that he’ll find out. Lastly, some kind of shadowy hand stalks Castor…probably the work of one of Ayanami’s subordinates.

I liked the ending of the episode, but I can’t remember much of the first half clearly…Frau definitely has his share of secrets…and since I haven’t read past 20-something in the manga and I have a horrible memory, I’m quite curious as to what his past entails.

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 8/10

Kapitel 14: A Reason to Fight Together….The Right to be Called Brothers in Arms

Thanks to the nature of the exams, our 3 bishops have a dillema with finding the military soldiers within the mass of people planning to take the exam to become bishops, though Frau takes it upon himself to protect everyone. Later that night, Castor takes Teito out for some training so he can be ready to use a Bascule without breaking it. The task? Running around the church atop an enchanted path while maintaining a shield in a race till he doesn’t mind losing to the numerous annoying Frau dolls. The people from the military (Haruse and…?) spot Teito, but don’t attack on account of the dolls being bodyguards too. When Teito gets back to his room, Hakuren wakes up and sees the mark on his back signifying Teito’s purpose as a battle sklave. Teito then spills the beans on why he’s taking the test [for Mikage obviously]. Hakuren also spills the beans on how he decided to become a bishop after his mother was infected by a Kor even though the rest of the family refused to acknowledge that she could have to protect the family name, locking her up instead. Luckily, the passing Bishop (Frau)  happened to jump into the room and heal her. Thus, he has decided to go against family tradition and has joined the church. More training later, Castor lets Teito use a pro-level Bascule with nice results while Hakuren hides until called upon to join in. In the dark hallway back, Teito’s ambushed and Hakuren is thrown out a window, causing Tieto to jump out after him. Luckily the master of Deus Ex Machina himself shows up to save them. Frau reveals that the being is a Wars — a Kor that has gotten all 3 of its wishes granted, in this case, Aldo. The Barsburg soldiers manage to get away too, but not before calling Frau a murderous traitor. In a bishop meeting, we learn more of the Wars and the Archbishop brings up the possibility of a Warsfiel (black sorceror) being involved since Aldo didn’t make a contract with a Kor. When Teito and Hakuren wake up…next to each other…Teito decides to be an ass in order to stop Hakuren from getting closer to him, but Hakuren refuses to back away. Teito still won’t shake hands, though Mikage’s spirit talks some sense into him. Then…Frau wakes up from within a casket. More talk about how Wars and Kor are trying to resurrect Verloren ensues. Out in the hall, Teito declares that he’ll become Hakuren’s friend once he’s strong enough to protect him. Finally, we have Frau flashbacking to when Labrador told him to “never let go of Teito’s hand”. and complaining about how his right arm felt like it was burning the night before.

Still love the “OH YEAH!” sound effect…Man, this show doesn’t even try to mask its subtext. Mmmm…summaries getting longer and personal opinions getting shorter. I liked this episode far more than the last couple — we got a nice bit of fighting, the dolls are back~, and I’m starting to warm up to Hakuren as a character.

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 8/10

Next time on 07-Ghost! – “That Day, I was With Him”

Miken’s Anticipation Level: 6/10

Now that the Spring Season is ending... what are our top five anime of the season?

Another season almost over already? Blah! Actually, this season wasn’t as great as last season for us for some reason. The more popular anime like K-ON and FMA Brotherhood became dull after a while… but surprisingly, there are a few gems for each of us this season from the most unexpected places. Who knew anime that we scoff at the preview become such jewels after giving them a try? Proceed to see what we mean with our top five writers~

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Miken: Finals next week, don’t even think about seeing any posts till the end of ‘em. DDDX

Summary: Teito and the possessed Mikage continue their battle, with Teito’s Eye of Mikhail giving him more leverage than he usually would have. However, it still takes Frau’s intrusion in the form of the 07 Ghost, Zehel, to bring the battle to a standstill. Despite Frau’s hesitancy at defeating Mikage, which would cause him to die due to the nature of his possession, Ayanami does the honors. We get a tearful departing with Mikage, a fairly long montage/flashback honoring Mikage, some humor regarding Teito’s collar and……BURUPYA~~~~~<3

Notes: …Mikage…Mikage…MIKAGE…MIKAGE!!!! I saw this coming thanks to the manga, and have been waiting for this episode since I ever got to that chapter, but it still tugged my heartstrings having to see him go. Right now, I’m at least somewhat thankful for the fillers letting him stay on for the few extra episodes he did. I really like how versatile the ED song can be when used as BG music — the use of the music during Teito’s meeting with Burupya, which not only made me “Baaaw”, but also brought a few tears to my eyes.

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 10+/10
Miken’s Anticipation Leve: 9/10

Screenshots and Commentary:
More than usual because…well…I really liked the episode

What an awesome smirk~

If only for a moment, we get to see Mikage’s smile once more. I love his evil smirk, but his smile is much more contagious~

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The boy needs some meat in his diet!

I- IT’S SO CUTE~~~~

Hwaaaaa~~~~

Mikage Burupya lays down the laws on approaching Teito.

…I see where this one is going…

Bad news delivered in a manner in which you are left unable to cry.

……And there goes the mood whiplash.

I want one to snuggle too~~

Rather than Mikage’s death, this scene is the one that almost made me cry, since it explains that Mikage chose to watch over Teito in his next life too.

And one more to top it all off~

Miken: Not that late this week, though my timing could be faster…I also have 10 episodes of assorted shows to catch up on. Gah, my hard drive does not like this.

Summary: The episode starts out like the past couple, with Mikage and Teito talking, but it soon takes a darker turn. Mikage finally succumbs to Ayanami’s meddling, first denying his bromantic relationship with Teito and requesting that Teito kill him. Later, he full-out attacks Teito, but he’s obviously not in his right mind. Ayanami doesn’t want to play fair and attaches one of those obedience collars on Teito. Our hero ends up being the underdog till the Eye of Mikhail decides that it wants to even out the playing field. Also — Frau walks around the church in his 07-Ghost form (?) and gets glomped by a completely different set of girls who are not nuns, but instead part of a team of spirits acting as a security force or something of the like and we learn that Mikage is only sporting half his sould right now thanks to Ayanami and should the wing on him be destroyed and Ayanami’s influence dissipate, he will die.

Notes: DAMN YOU AYANAMI!!! Other than that, it’s a pretty good episode, getting to the point that I was waiting for this past month. Mikage’s finally getting some fighting in even though he isn’t doing so willingly.

Miken’s Enjoyment Meter:  9.5/10
MIken’s Anticipation Meter: 10/10

Screenshots and Comments:

No way in hell Teito’d go back with that kinda face waiting for him.

Dun Dun DUUUUUN

…Interesting choice of words there (“daisuki”). Still, they’re bros for life, so I’ll let that slide.

I woulda thought you’d like that, Frau~

And I can already hear “One Winged Angel” playing in my mind…

Though I disliked the delivery of the line, the actual shot was a very pleasing way to end the episode

Miken: A filler for us this week, and although it isn’t half bad, it still follows the formula and ends off being horribly predictable.

Summary: Little kid whose name I don’t recall [Tajio] runs around the church, steals bread and ruins a play. Daddy comes back, but is really possessed by a Kor. Fighting ensues, the Eye of Mikhail protects Teito and Frau saves the day once again. Finally, Mikage decides not to turn in Teito, even though his mere presence at the church is proof enough of his decision. Also, Ayanami has reached his destination.

Thoughts: Like I said before, this was really really predictable. The little kid was kinda annoying with how they played up how he doesn’t connect with the “normal” people, overreacting to a play. All in all, this episode is really forgettable.

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 6.5/10
Miken’s Anticipation Level: 10/10
(I blame having already read the manga…)

Screenshots and Commentary:

“Whoops, my foot slipped!”

Labrador makes perfect use of his looks and effeminate hobbies~

Damn kids and their lack of table manners. >:C

Mandatory Mikage Image

Ah, it’s my OTHER favorite form of deus ex machina!

Well look who decided to wake up nearly 2 months in.