Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Like virtually every other gamer on the face of planet, I own a copy of Final Fantasy VII. I tried to get into it several years ago when all the popular gaming sites hailed it as the best role-playing game ever. The gameplay never drew me in, and so while I have a passing familiarity with its characters, it was never something I thought much about after trying it for several hours. I saw Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within back when it hit theaters. Like many, I didn't think it had much of a plot but thought it looked spectacular. Several years later, I'm back taking a look at Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It acts as a direct sequel to the story found in the game while sharing the brilliant computer-generated animation of its film predecessor (with whom it shares no plot). And make no mistake, fans of the game will love this movie. No, in fact, they will probably adore this movie, seeing just how lovingly made it is. But as someone who was just vaguely familiar with the whole thing coming into it, I found it almost completely incomprehensible.

To sum up the game: crap happened to Cloud and his friends. Cloud, the one with the inconceivably huge sword, saved his planet from absolute destruction at the hands of madman Sephiroth. Along the way, however, friends were lost, prices were paid, and identities came shattering down. Now there's a pathogen that's caustically affecting the skin of the planet's people, especially the children, and no one's sure how to cure it. In the midst of this epidemic, a cruel gang of ruffians hatches a plan to revive Sephiroth and his aborted plans for carnage and chaos. Cloud's once again called upon to save the world, but he's quite sure he no longer wants to be the hero. As Cloud's old friends rally around to try and engage him in the cause, he must decide whether he's going to mope through the rest of life or engage his destiny.

Now, before getting into the reasons why you should probably skip this film, there's something I should say: find a friend who owns a copy, borrow it, and start it about the 55 minute mark. That way, you can see the absolutely amazing animation during one of the best scenes in the film. Frankly, CGI animation has never been done better. Even the technically impressive Spirits Within doesn't look half as good as this. The detail on various surfaces is so good that the DVD looks like Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. With the sound turned up on a 5.1 system, you can get immersed in one of the most visually astounding pieces of animation you've ever seen. And for perhaps 15 minutes, you will be awestruck. Any animation fan should see the highlights of Advent Children just to revel in the possibilities.

But before you get too excited, realize that I still thought this film was a major disappointment. I could handle some of the absurdities that naturally had to be transferred over from the game (like Cloud's aforementioned behemoth of a weapon). But what I couldn't handle is the plotting department, which seems to figure that everyone who watches this film will be thoroughly aware of what has come before. That's understandable in the third part of a filmic trilogy, I suppose; for example, if you don't know who Han Solo and Luke Skywalker are by the time you see Return of the Jedi, you're not going to get much backstory. But we're talking about completely different mediums here. The only way to have experienced the full plot of Final Fantasy VII was to have spent well over 40 hours playing the game. Most casual gamers don't put in that kind of time. What's more, the plot that is here really isn't very worthwhile. I mean, all it really consists of is a plan to resurrect the game's villain, which isn't a scripting masterpiece. The movie is a long coda that gives a final warm and fuzzy sendoff to Cloud, who didn't get his own happy ending at the conclusion of the game. The action is a veneer to hide the fact that there's little story here. To top that off is the use of terminology that's never explained. If you've played the game and know what the lightstream/lifestream is and can figure out all the vocabulary, I'm happy for you. But for the novice, the dialogue was indecipherable. The only clues to understanding much of the language came from the simplicity of the overall storyline.

I could forgive most of that, but the thing that sent Advent Children into the realm of the "not recommended" was the fact that I just didn't care about these characters. Every last character arc of merit took place in the game already. The movie just assumes that you are already in love with these folks and know what has happened to them...but the average person isn't and doesn't. It's one thing to have a plot that's lacking, but to have characters that are ciphers is unforgivable. Quite honestly, I've never been so bored by a movie with this much action going on, and it was because it didn't matter what happened to the players involved. Even in the most basic of action films, say The Transporter, the lead character has charisma enough to make you interested in seeing if he's going to succeed or not. Cloud has so little stage presence, so to speak, that if he lives or dies matters little.

That doesn't mean this experience has to be a total failure, of course. The easiest thing to do would be for the creators of this movie to go back and tell the right story, the one that drew in millions around the globe, in feature film form. Yes, I would recommend them make a true Final Fantasy VII movie that gets us up to speed on this tale. Sure, the DVD of Advent Children includes a 30+ minute "reminiscence" on the story of the game, but it's nearly as incomprehensible as the film itself. It's nothing more than some of the cutscenes from the game, which now looks pretty threadbare in terms of graphics. They should do it right and make the big story a full feature; then perhaps Advent Children would be worth recommending to a larger audience who wants more substance than eye candy.

Until that point, however, this film is a wonderful-looking curiosity that will bore all but the faithful who waded through the whole game. And if you are one of those folks who did and are angry with this review, don't send me any nasty letters. You know you already bought this film the first weekend it came out anyway in the special edition with all the character statues and trinkets and doodads anyway. This review's for the rest of us who might find the movie visually stunning but too boring otherwise to merit anything more than a passing glance

Hayate no Gotoku 12

SPOILER Summary: In a flashback, we see young Hayate reading his report in school, which relays a sad tale of how bad things are at his home. He doesn't seem sad as he reads his report, but the report has his class shocked. Before he reveals what his dream is, he awakens and remembers his visit with Nagi's grandfather.

Later as Hayate and Maria are cleaning, he asks her what her dream is. Maria states her dream is for Nagi (name unsaid) to become a good adult. She wonders about the question, and Hayate states that dreams are motivation for people to live, which shocks Maria and makes her own dream seem rather worthless. Hayate presses the point, citing people in history such as Mozart.

Meanwhile Nagi hasn't been able to sleep because she remembers what Hayate told her -- that he'd protect her from those who'd make her cry. She comes out of her bedroom and sees the excellent cleaning job Hayate has done and she and Maria talk about Hayate. Maria tells Nagi about how hard Hayate is working and how he has a purpose behind it. Nagi imagines this to mean a future for herself and Hayate (complete with him in a wedding dress). Maria asks Nagi about her dreams and Nagi replies how she wants to become a mangaka and sell 100-billion copies of her works. This shocks Maria (and depresses her a bit), but when Nagi asks further about Hayate's dream and Maria says it must be big, Nagi gets that love-love feeling, which Maria understands may be misplaced.

Outside while cleaning, Maria asks Hayate about his dream and learns his dream is to live in a 3LDK -- meaning his dream is to live in a house (own it?) where there are separate rooms for the living room, dining room, and kitchen. We see a flashback to Hayate at school revealing this dream, which has his classmates and sensei in tears. Maria is stunned by this and Hayate wonders if such a dream is too big. Maria assures him that big dreams are best. She tells him to purchase a new cell phone and to take the rest of the day off since he needs a break.

Purchasing his new cell phone, Hayate wonders about his old high school -- Shiomi Municipal High School. Figuring that since he's paid the tuition, he can return and so does so. However, he gets cold feet at the school's gate until his female classmate, Nishizawa-san, sees him. She wonders where he's been and he tells her in brief, everything including how he's working as a butler. She figures he has to be joking. As they talk, other classmates come by including Souya-kun. He figured Hayate had dropped out and begins teasing Nishizawa-san regarding Hayate's return since she has a crush on him. This results in Nishizawa's wrath coming down on Souya-kun.

A sensei comes up and wonders why Hayate is there since he dropped out of school. This brings Nishizawa's wrath upon the sensei, but it turns out that Hayate's parents filled out the dropout paperwork and took the remaining tuition money, which was money that Hayate paid with his own money. The sensei continues to talk trying to defend what happened which results in more wrath from Nishizawa.

Hayate decides to leave, so Nishizawa decides to confess her love for him. He's surprised by this, but he thinks of Nagi and so turns her down. Initially, he states his reason is that he's only interested in 2-D girls (including a censored image of what appears to be Suzumiya Haruhi). He tells them that's a joke and says he has someone he can't leave alone. This brings the wrath of Nishizawa on Hayate. Hayate returns home and Nagi takes his cell phone and puts herself into his #1 slot.

At Waturu-kun's video store, Nishizawa returns some videos and is wanting to understand men. When the discussion turns to anime, Nishizawa ends up making a retreat. Hayate comes to the same video store and returns some videos. He liked them but Nagi didn't like them much. As Nagi and Waturu talk, Nishizawa remembers she was supposed to pick up a video for Kazuki and returns to see Hayate leaving the store and figures she has a 2nd chance to make things right with him. She tries to catch him but continues to fail to do so. She ends up at Nagi's mansion where she sees Hayate enter. She's stunned by this and realizes that Hayate's story must have been real, only he's got to be held captive by yakuza. Before she can do anything, she's captured by Nagi's security forces. They consult with Maria, who thinks it could be a friend of Hayate's and asks them to let go of her hands. They completely release her and Nishizawa is off in a flash.

Having lost the security on Nagi's vast estate, Nishizawa is spotted by Tama. Nishizawa is stunned by a tiger being on the grounds, and takes off running. Tama finds he has no choice but to chase her. He wonders if this is his natural instinct kicking in and when he catches up to Nishizawa, his instinct is to lick her all over. She screams for Hayate and he comes to her rescue, kicking Tama away.

Before they can talk much, Nagi comes and immediately, Nagi and Nishizawa see each other as rivals. Nagi's fighting force shows in the form of a Chinese dragon and Nishizawa's form is that of a hamster, which is immediately eaten by the dragon. Nishizawa retreats, vowing to come up with a stronger hamster and Nagi wants to make sure that Hayate doesn't leave her.

Nagi reflects on everything Nagi has done for her and decides she must do something for him.

Thoughts: This was a very funny episode once the story got to Nishizawa. It was even funnier how powerful she is with everyone else, but when it came to Nagi, her power was that of a hamster. I now know why Nishizawa kept being shown in cameos though seeing as how she will apparently have a greater role to play in the story. Love-triangles in romantic comedies are often funny.

"Futari Ecchi" Coming to America?

"Futari Ecchi" Coming to America?

It what I find to be a truly shocking event, TokyoPop has licensed Futari Ecchi, calling it Manga Sutra - Futari H. So why is this so shocking? Well, officially, Futari Ecchi is a manga published in the seinen (young adult) magazine "Young Animal." It is the story of Makoto and Yuura, who are still virgins when they are arranged to be married. The manga then covers their journey of learning about sex and also explores the sexual lives of people around them, thus the mangaka can cover all sorts of sexual topics. While each chapter has some amount of sexual congress, the title avoids the "hentai" label by keeping the amount of hentai material below a certain percentage of the chapter. The mangaka also adds sex-ed charts, drawings, and information, though it is all very dated today (the manga started in 1997).

I became aware of the title when a fansub group did the OVA's. Later I read a thread on a message board where folks argued over whether the manga was a hentai title or not. So, I borrowed the first few volumes and read them. My conclusion? It's a hentai title.

In Japan, it is illegal to show reproductive organs, whether in drawings or in actuality. To comply with this law, Katsu-sensei uses a less obstructive form of censorship. He either has the genitals strategically blocked or makes them invisible. But the reader still gets a very clear picture of what's going on -- major sexual activities. Katsu-sensei also uses sex-ed diagrams at times to show a penis entering a vagina legally. Ha!ha! Isn't he ever so clever?

In addition to Yuura and Makoto's sex life being looked at, we see Yuura's sister younger sister Rika (early 20's). She has not one boyfriend, but four. She has her main squeeze, who's her age. She has the rich guy (I think in his early 30's) whom she bangs in exchange for a taste of the rich life (gifts, fancy places, etc.). She has her sex-friend, whom she hooks up with from time-to-time when she needs a no strings attached shagging. Her forth boyfriend is her pity-sex friend. He's younger than her (he calls her "senpai"), he is not much around girls, and so comes to Rika for advice. Rika feels sorry for him and allows him to bang her.

But no, this isn't a hentai title at all.

I could keep going on, but why bother. You get the point.

Well, lets hear what the man has to say.

"This is not a hentai manga, rather an erotic manga for the thinking mind. It is a compass of love and sex, a reference dedicated to all readers who seeks the ultimate pleasure in life. This is for real. I am not lying..." --KATSU Aki, introduction to volume 1 of Futari Ecchi.

Oh, that is such a laugh. While hiding behind the educational, comedy, and even story elements, Katsu-sensei knows full well that his goal is to produce a manga that just barely fits into the seinen label, but provides "meditation" materials for those horny guys dreaming of marrying a girl like Yuura-san (or banging one of the other girls in the series).

I did end up reading five volumes (I think) before I was totally sick of it. I don't care for hentai. I don't care that TokyoPop has licensed the title. So why the rant? I sense that TP will also try to deny this is a hentai title, and that started with the title change ("Manga Sutra" -- please.). Plus, I suspect that TP will want to modernize and domesticate the title a fair amount to attempt to grow sales beyond horny American otaku who wish to scream out, "Yuuna-san! IKU!" while meditating. Even if this isn't a title I'd buy, those are things I strongly object to. I also object to attempts to label this as non-hentai. It is a hentai title, so if you are going to license it, admit it and go on about it.

Gah! I'll admit that this may be one of the stupidest rants I've done since the title's not out officially in English yet. I already hear some people wondering if America can handle this non-hentai hentai title and ranting about the evil religious right (or some other such nonsense). I guess that's what really annoys me when it comes down to it, with the possible TP domestication coming in 2nd.

Negima! Vol 19 (Ch 174) *SPOILERS*

Negima! Vol 19 (Ch 174) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to AQS for the scans.

Chapter 174: Now that summer vacation has started, Yuuna is staying with her dad again and sleeping in. She gets up and putting on a bra, notes that she's going to have to get a bigger one. Her dad is reading papers on Fate Averruncus (last seen in volume 6 after deciding not to fight Eva) when Yuuna busts into his study. He quickly hides the papers, but Yuuna sees this and is suspicious about what he's hiding. When she goes for it, she extracts ero magazines, which she throws at her father.

As Yuuna prepares breakfast, she decides she doesn't mind her father having such magazines around since he's an adult. She's stunned to learn her father has only been eating instant food stuffs and not preparing real meals. He compliments her on her cooking, stating she'll make a good wife. She replies (jokingly) that she'd like to marry him, which causes him to respond that maybe she shouldn't say things like that. She gets embarrassed because she was joking and trying to be cute.

Yuuna is a bit frustrated at her dad's slobby appearance and feels he's no good without her to look after him. She sends him off to shave and notices a photo fall from him. It is a picture of a blond woman and has a telephone number. As her father asks about Negi, she tells him a few things while pondering who this woman is. The phone rings and the number on the caller-ID is the same as on the photo. She gives the phone to her dad, who after talking a bit, hangs up and tells Yuuna he'll be late.

Later, Yuuna tells Makie, Ako, and Akira that her father is cheating, even though he's not currently married. They tail her father to his meeting with the blond woman. She's not happy with this woman and despite her protests, the other girls see nothing wrong, commenting that Yuuna's "Papa love" might be going a bit too far.

Professor Akashi and the blond woman talk while sitting in the outdoor section of a restaurant. She notes Yuuna and her friends spying on them, which he states is his daughter and her friends. Keeping up the appearance of normal talk, the two discuss Fate and the lack of a connection with Chao as well as his connections with the Graf.

Makie and Ako decide to check things out better while Yuuna and Akira are left behind. They learn the woman's name is Donnet McGuinness from England. Returning to Yuuna and Akira, Ako and Makie think Donnet is good, but Yuuna is not convinced. That night, she has trouble sleeping because of this and when she does sleep, she has a memory-dream of herself as a kid, holding a practice wand, walking home with her mother.

The next morning, Yuuna tells her dad they are going on a father-daughter date, no matter what. They spend the day together, spending lots of his money, and when the date ends, Yuuna tells her father that she's OK with him marrying the blond. He's puzzled by this but when Donnet shows up, Yuuna learns that Donnet was an old friend of her mother. Yuuna is embarrassed by this and when they walk home, Yuuna asks if he still like Mom. He says he still loves her. Yuuna tells him she won't get mad if he gets remarried and he reminds her he has no partner.

Thoughts: While we've seen cameos of Yuuna's dad from the festival, it was neat seeing how he is studying about Fate. That he and Yuuna's mother were mages seems obvious. Too bad we didn't learn what became of Yuuna's mother. For Akamatsu-sensei to do a whole chapter solely about Yuuna (with hints of Fate and the Graf also thrown in), I can't help but wonder if somehow she'll now be a factor in the upcoming Wales arc.

Tsubasa: RESEVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol 14 (Ch 103-105) *SPOILERS*

Tsubasa: RESEVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol 14 (Ch 103-105) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to BWYS for the scans.

Chapter 103

Syaoran and company flee from the massive attack from creatures since as Fai acknowledges this is faster than fighting. They race to the goal of Sakura's feather and suddenly they find themselves in Clow Country, where Syaoran and Sakura are from. Fai realizes that they are in a memory from the Book of Memories based on his magical experience. Kurogane grills Fai a bit on using his "magic" which Fai says is focus on unnecessary things. The group comes to the ruins and Sakura tells the story of Syaoran's father and her trips to the ruins which irritated her brother. However, she cannot remember why she kept going to the ruins (Syaoran).

As they walk, Fai finds what appears to be a type of pocket watch at a bench which triggers a memory within Syaoran. He recalls Sakura bringing him food to the ruins and sitting at that bench. The watch is there and turned such a way that Sakura can claim not to know the time and stay a little longer.

Back in the present, Fai figures that the watch is there from Sakura's memory since it made such a strong impression on her. They walk down some stairs to a large room where a wing (tsubasa) emblem is on the floor and Mokona can feel the feather's power. It is then that the floor begins to give way.

Chapter 104

With the floor gone revealing a large, black hole, Fai asks Sakura-chan if she remembers what's down there. She doesn't but Mokona can feel the feather's power from the hole. Syaoran volunteers to go down the hold and Sakura-chan wonders why he feels the need to go to such an extent to get the feather back. Even though the person that slew his mother isn't on this world, Kurogane agrees to help Syaoran under the guise of getting them to the next world. As the two leap into the hole, Mokona encourages Sakura to be there waiting for them when they return.

Syaoran finds himself standing on ground even though he never hit the ground. He finds the Book of Memories but finds the library's guardians waiting for him. A battle ensues and Syaoran tries to get the feather without harming the guardian. Kurogane chastises him for this since he can't defeat the guardian with defensive moves, but it is too late as the guardian knocks Syaoran out. However, Syaoran gets up as a man possessed leading Kurogane to wonder.

Chapter 105

The seemingly possessed Syaoran attacks the guardian with no seeming regard to himself. His attacks are vicious and the giant guardian beast is utterly defeated. As Kurogane observes, Syaoran breaks the book and takes the feather. It is then that Kurogane asks who the boy really is. The illusion is broken and as it is, Syaoran returns to normal and puts the feather within Sakura-chan. Since people from the library are on their way, Mokona plans to evacuate them to the next world, but cannot activate the magic. Fai reasons that this is a defense of the library to prevent the book from being stolen.

The group takes off to attempt to get to a place where Mokona can transport them off world but another guardian is waiting for them in the library.

Thoughts:

The possessed Syaoran is certainly very vicious and cold. Its kinda creepy and makes you wonder where CLAMP will take this. The return to the ruins via Sakura-chan's memories is interesting since I believe that a hidden power under the ruins has been mentioned before. Other than that, there's not a lot to mention since 104 and 105 are filled with a lot of shounen action.

Inuyasha Vol 47 (Ch 466-468) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to Freelance for the scans.

Chapter 466

Ginta and Hakkaku join the group and talk with Miroku and Sango about recent events. Kouga asks Kagome if she's going to be OK and remarks on how heavy his legs are without the shards. He walks over to Inuyasha and puts a foot on his head, but instead of Inuyasha's normal reaction, he remains calm. Kouga is leaving because he doesn't want to be a burden on them. Since Inuyasha isn't doing his normal bickering back at Kouga, Kouga yells at him for thinking he's the only broken hearted one. While this causes a reaction among the group, Inuyasha remains calm and depressed. Kouga tries to provoke Inuyasha but only gets a weak response.

Kouga turns to Kagome and tells her Inuyasha will need a lot of work to return to normal. He leaves the matter to her and after embracing her, he and the rest of his pack take off. Before Kouga can leave, Inuyasha tells him that his desire to fight Naraku wasn't in vain. Saying his final goodbye to Kagome, he takes off in a run and is still much faster than Ginta and Hakkaku.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru-sama is apparently looking for something, which causes some speculation between Rin, Kohaku, and Jaken. Kohaku appears to know that Kikyou has passed away and wishes he were stronger. As Sesshoumaru observes the sky, a giant dog youkai appears there. He transforms himself into his giant dog youkai form and joins the other youkai. The two return to the ground and transform into human form, the other youkai into a woman. The woman addresses Sesshoumaru without an honorific, much to Jaken's irritation. However, the woman has a good reason to not use an honorific since she's Sesshoumaru's mother.

Chapter 467

Kagome suggests the group go look for Kohaku-kun because of Kikyou's last words to her. The group discusses this while Inuyasha notes the scent of Sesshoumaru and another youkai.

At a large Japanese estate (palace?), Sesshoumaru's mother asks him if he intends to eat the two human children with him. He doesn't and changes the subject to the Meidou attack of Tenseiga. She produces a Meidou-seki (a stone) and tells Sesshoumaru that she had been instructed by his father to use it if Sesshoumaru came by and that Sesshoumaru would be in danger. She decides to test Sesshoumaru and summons a hell hound. Sesshoumaru uses the Meidou attack, but it is only a crescent and not a full circle.

The hell hound goes toward Rin and Kohaku and takes them into the crescent and into hell. Sesshoumaru goes to follow and is stopped by his mother. She wonders if he's become soft to save human lives, but he states he's just going to kill the hound. He enters the Meidou and it closes behind him, leaving his mother to say he'll not be able to return to the land of the living.

Sesshoumaru finds the hound on a path and attacks. Within the body of the hound, he sees Rin and Kohaku. Back on the estate, Sesshoumaru's mother sits on her throne and remarks that to improve the sword, sacrifices will have to be made.

Chapter 478

Sesshoumaru uses Tenseiga to defeat the hell hound, using the same power that kills the "pallbearers" from hell. Rin is still alive, something Sesshoumaru's mother observes via the Meidou-seki. She then asks Jaken what Rin means to Sesshoumaru. He can't really answer beyond saying that Sesshoumaru treats her better than he. Sesshoumaru's mother states that Rin will die. Kohaku has the power of the shards which keeps him alive. Various hell creatures attack and Sesshoumaru orders Kohaku to take Rin and run. He fights the creatures but ends up having to save Rin and Kohaku. He chastises Kohaku for making him waste time as his remaining arm was meant to hold a sword.

As they journey, the cliff-path they are on begins to break up behind them. Sesshoumaru's mother continues to observe their progress, noting that only hell is before them and they cannot return the way they came. She notes to Jaken that once they enter the true darkness of hell, not even Sesshoumaru can return. As they proceed, Kohaku notices that Rin has stopped breathing and is apparently dead. Before them lies the darkness of hell.

Thoughts

With Kouga gone and shardless, I keep wondering if this is a further sign that Takahashi-sensei will end things sooner rather than later. However, the big item of interest is Sesshoumaru's mother. It's nice to get some information on Sesshoumaru's family and maybe we'll learn something more about their father.

Tsubasa: RESEVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol 14 (Ch 103-105) *SPOILERS*

Tsubasa: RESEVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol 14 (Ch 103-105) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to BWYS for the scans.

Chapter 103

Syaoran and company flee from the massive attack from creatures since as Fai acknowledges this is faster than fighting. They race to the goal of Sakura's feather and suddenly they find themselves in Clow Country, where Syaoran and Sakura are from. Fai realizes that they are in a memory from the Book of Memories based on his magical experience. Kurogane grills Fai a bit on using his "magic" which Fai says is focus on unnecessary things. The group comes to the ruins and Sakura tells the story of Syaoran's father and her trips to the ruins which irritated her brother. However, she cannot remember why she kept going to the ruins (Syaoran).

As they walk, Fai finds what appears to be a type of pocket watch at a bench which triggers a memory within Syaoran. He recalls Sakura bringing him food to the ruins and sitting at that bench. The watch is there and turned such a way that Sakura can claim not to know the time and stay a little longer.

Back in the present, Fai figures that the watch is there from Sakura's memory since it made such a strong impression on her. They walk down some stairs to a large room where a wing (tsubasa) emblem is on the floor and Mokona can feel the feather's power. It is then that the floor begins to give way.

Chapter 104

With the floor gone revealing a large, black hole, Fai asks Sakura-chan if she remembers what's down there. She doesn't but Mokona can feel the feather's power from the hole. Syaoran volunteers to go down the hold and Sakura-chan wonders why he feels the need to go to such an extent to get the feather back. Even though the person that slew his mother isn't on this world, Kurogane agrees to help Syaoran under the guise of getting them to the next world. As the two leap into the hole, Mokona encourages Sakura to be there waiting for them when they return.

Syaoran finds himself standing on ground even though he never hit the ground. He finds the Book of Memories but finds the library's guardians waiting for him. A battle ensues and Syaoran tries to get the feather without harming the guardian. Kurogane chastises him for this since he can't defeat the guardian with defensive moves, but it is too late as the guardian knocks Syaoran out. However, Syaoran gets up as a man possessed leading Kurogane to wonder.

Chapter 105

The seemingly possessed Syaoran attacks the guardian with no seeming regard to himself. His attacks are vicious and the giant guardian beast is utterly defeated. As Kurogane observes, Syaoran breaks the book and takes the feather. It is then that Kurogane asks who the boy really is. The illusion is broken and as it is, Syaoran returns to normal and puts the feather within Sakura-chan. Since people from the library are on their way, Mokona plans to evacuate them to the next world, but cannot activate the magic. Fai reasons that this is a defense of the library to prevent the book from being stolen.

The group takes off to attempt to get to a place where Mokona can transport them off world but another guardian is waiting for them in the library.

Thoughts:

The possessed Syaoran is certainly very vicious and cold. Its kinda creepy and makes you wonder where CLAMP will take this. The return to the ruins via Sakura-chan's memories is interesting since I believe that a hidden power under the ruins has been mentioned before. Other than that, there's not a lot to mention since 104 and 105 are filled with a lot of shounen action.

What I'm Watching 11

What I'm Watching 11

As an aside, I had planned to keep the "What I'm Watching" entries to a paragraph summary and some thoughts. However, sometimes that's easier said than done, so it will be a 2-3 paragraph summary with thoughts. Having said that...

Genshiken OAV 1 (Ep. 13) -- Its the time of year for new kids to join college clubs and Sasahara and Madarame discuss whether Saki-san will allow new folks to join. Kuchiki arrives (having been rejected by Saki-san last year) and looks for a game rematch. When Saki arrives with Kohsaka, she calls him "Ku-chii," something no one in the anime club will do but something he wants very much. After initially appearing to reject him becoming a member of Genshiken, she allows it much to Sasahara's and Madarame's great surprise. Things are interrupted when a commotion across the courtyard at the manga club where the group sees a girl leap backward from the club window and injure herself.

The next day, manga club member Takayanagi-kun comes with the girl. While Genshiken knows the manga club is pawning her off, they decide to giver her a look. The girl, Ogiue, introduces herself, states she hates otaku (especially female otaku), and asks why female otaku like homos so much (yes, she says "homos" in the Japanese). She attempts to pick a fight with Saki-san and then Kuchiki. Kuchiki hits her, provoking the wrath of Saki-san. The following day, Ohno sets a trap for Ogiue by leaving a vast amount of yaoi doujinshi on the table. While she and others spy on Ogiue, hoping to catch her enjoying said doujinshi, Saki-san comes into the club room and foils the plan. Ohno returns to the Genshiken room after a call from Saki-san and she and Ogiue get into an argument over yaoi doujinshi and getting off to it. The confrontation ends when Kuchiki comes and outs Ogiue, having taken pictures of her at a yaoi otaku event. This leads to another punch out of Kuchiki by Saki-san, after which she attempt so keep Ogiue from jumping out the window.

Thoughts: I was reminded of how much I love the manga Genshiken as I watched this. The anime writers didn't try to do anything fancy and as such did a good job of adapting the manga chapters into this OAV episode. It was interesting to see that the Japanese used the terms "homo" and "homos" which Del Rey made more politically correct by changing to "queer" and "queers." The politically correct version is less funny IMO.

Genshiken OAV 2 (Ep. 14) -- Saki gets Ogiue to come with her and with Saki's "normal" friends, they discuss fashion in the cafeteria. Madarame happens to be in the area and even though Saki waves at him, he ignores her. This leads to an argument in the Genshiken club room where Madarame tells her she's from another planet and that dating Kohasaka (whom he also says is from another world) doesn't change anything. Its then that Saki notices Madarame's new rectangle glasses and finds them amusing. She then goes to lecture on fashion, which leads Madarame to a trip to buy some new clothes. He goes into a trendy shop but is quickly intimidated and flees to an arcade. After recovering a bit, he returns and notices the high prices for everything. Normally he only spends about ¥2000 on clothes, but here, that won't buy him a sock. Eventually, he decides to approach this as he would purchasing otaku things -- don't worry about price, just buy what you want.

Returning home, he runs into Saki with more of her normal friends. Learning from his previous error, he goes out of his way to speak to her. She seems offended at first, but introduces him as her boyfriend's friend. They recognize him as otaku and since they were parting company anyway, Saki decides to return home with Madarame. Before going to the train station, they stop as a sushi bar and have a lengthy talk about things including the fact that Saki has been playing more games at Kohsaka's place. On the train ride home, Madarame offers an empty seat to Saki, but she turns it down, telling him to offer her the seat is just like an otaku. He takes the seat. When the get to the train station, Kohsaka is waiting for them and wishes he could have partaken in the sushi feast. At school the next day, Madarame wears his new digs and gets approval from Saki over his choices. Ogiue also arrives with new clothes, which do not meet Saki's approval.

Thoughts: This was a bit boring since the anime writers put in a lot of filler into this episode. They changed things up to give Saki's "normal" friends some airtime, something they haven't had in the manga that I've read thus far. And the anime writers changed the sushi bar scene a bit so that Madarame isn't shown to be worrying about getting the cheap sushi. We see him just pick stuff from the conveyor belt and Saki order expensive stuff, but the conversation and Madarame's thoughts never broach the subject of sushi. Still, I enjoyed the episode just the same.

Pumpkin Scissors 13 -- In the country of Loderia, young Princess Septième is made aware of a smuggler (from Loderia) that the Imperial Army S.S. III captured and that this is "Alice-chan's" unit. So she and her elderly butler decide to pop into the Imperial capital to pay a visit. Section III is notified of this and Alice tells what she knows of the princess. At the train station, Princess Septième looks for a hot dog stand she remembered from her last visit but sadly it is no longer there. At the same time, Ored and Machs (having a day off) have been looking for the same hot dog stand with no success. Ored has other plans and takes off with a girl "Rosana-chan" on the motorbike with sidecar leaving Machs' to fend for himself.

Machs is in the restroom when Septième comes in through the window. She is haughty and arrogant as she talks about Machs being a commoner. She introduces herself but Machs doesn't believe her to be a real princess. As her butler looks for her, Septième gets hungry and Machs suggests a hot dog. Septième really wants the hot dog from the same vendor as Machs, so off to the tax records office they go to find out what happened. Machs doesn't try to pull rank but Septième does. They get the information because the head of the office knows Machs and approves. The search leads them to a bad part of town where Septième tells of the hardships of the competition between her siblings and herself over who will rule Loderia next, which includes attempted assassinations. They find the vendor and because of the costs, Septième tries to use the vendors lack of paying taxes to get a free meal. She's chastised by Machs and flees to an even worse part of town.

Meanwhile, Septième's butler is at the Section III office and with the threat of a diplomatic incident, Alice, Stekkin, and the butler get into the Section III armored car and take off, having learned where Septième is. Septième is assaulted by residents of this bad part of town and Machs comes to the rescue. He uses his military training to get her free just as Alice and company arrive. Back at HQ, Machs is stunned that Septième is really a princess and as her butler attempts to get the smuggler free, Septième decides to leave him in Section III's hands. She then kisses Machs passionately on the lips and demands that Machs be made available to her every time she visits the city in exchange for Section III being allowed to keep the smuggler. On the train ride back to their home, Septième and her butler have a talk where he comes to realize that Septième has come a long way beyond the petty using of others.

Thoughts: I rather enjoyed this episode for some reason. Yeah, it is somewhat clichéd, but I liked Machs using his military training and how Septième fell for this commoner. It was just a fun episode.

Inuyasha Vol 48 (Ch 469-472) *SPOILERS*

Inuyasha Vol 48 (Ch 469-472) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to Freelance for the scans.

Chapter 469

Since Rin appears to be dead, Sesshoumaru tells Kohaku to put her down. Sesshoumaru drawn Tenseiga to bring her back to life, but he cannot see the imps known as "the pallbearers of the afterlife." Outside of hell, Sesshoumaru's mother, who's observing everything, tells Jaken that Rin is in fact dead. Back in hell, Sesshoumaru is bothered by Rin's death and quietly asks Tenseiga why. Kohaku tries to apologize but is cut off by Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru quietly reflects that he didn't have to bring her with him when he raised her from the dead after they first met.

In hell, the darkness grows and washes over them. Rin's body is removed, leading Sesshoumaru and Kohaku to go deeper into hell. Sesshoumaru's mother observes this and Jaken gets very concerned about Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru's mother tells the little youkai that she would regret losing her son while he studies his sword, and so opens a path to him. She tells Sesshoumaru to come out of hell since he won't be able to leave if he continues on his path. Sesshoumaru tells Kohaku to take the path while he follows Rin scent. Kohaku decides to follow Sesshoumaru and these events annoy Sesshoumaru's mother.

Kohaku notices the stench of rotting flesh which Sesshoumaru identifies as the scent of death. A giant, slimy, humanoid shape is carrying Rin and drops her on a mountain of corpses. It is then that Sesshoumaru becomes firm in his desire to bring Rin back.

Chapter 470

In an attempt to save Rin, Sesshoumaru uses Tenseiga to cut off the arm of the "Master of Hell" -- the giant, slimy humanoid shape. With the arm gone, Rin falls to the mountain of corpses but is caught by Sesshoumaru. On "the surface," Sesshoumaru's mother continues to observe the events in hell and reminds Jaken that Sesshoumaru has already resurrected Rin once before. As such, he cannot do so again with Tenseiga. In hell, Sesshoumaru is realizing that Rin cannot be saved and drops Tenseiga, which pierces the ground. Sesshoumaru's mother observes this as Sesshoumaru grieves over the loss of Rin, deciding that Rin's life was more important that mastering Tenseiga.

Tenseiga begins to react and the mountain of corpses tries to move toward Tenseiga. Sesshoumaru grabs Tenseiga and the dead in hell begin to be purified by the sword. A meidou is opened from inside hell and from it, Sesshoumaru emerges with the body of Rin as Kohaku follows.

Chapter 471

As Jaken and Kohaku observe the body of Rin, Sesshoumaru's mother observes her son's upset countenance and reminds him that he did what he came to do. Sesshoumaru notes that she knew this would happen to Rin, leading his mother to explain the limitations of the resurrection powers of Tenseiga. He cannot save life as many time as he wants and she reminds him he is not a god. He had to learn the lesson that he must feel sadness or fear of losing someone close to him. He must understand life and have a compassionate heart when dispatching his enemies.

Jaken tears up at the knowledge that Rin had to die in order for Sesshoumaru to have a compassionate heart. Sesshoumaru's mother notices him crying, and he states that because Sesshoumaru-sama cannot show tears due to his disposition, Jaken will in his stead. Asking if Sesshoumaru is sad, his mother takes the meidou stone necklace off and places it on Rin. With it, she brings Rin back to life.

Rin opens her eyes and Sesshoumaru gently touches her face, telling her she's OK now. Jaken expresses Sesshoumaru's thanks and states that Sesshoumaru is extremely happy. Sesshoumaru's mother notes how like his father Sesshoumaru has become. Sesshoumaru then leaves with Rin and Kohaku follows. Sesshoumaru's mother stops him, asking how he was able to survive hell. He explains it is the Shikon shard. Understanding this, Sesshoumaru's mother tells him that his life cannot be saved by Tenseiga either.

Elsewhere, Inuyasha's group comes on a village surrounded by sweet smelling flowers. The flowers are making Shippou-chan and Inuyasha feel ill, but the villagers encourage the group to spend the night. In the house set up for travelers, the group takes residence with Inuyasha mildly complaining. Sango is surprised that Kagome hasn't grown weary of this, but Kagome knows that Inuyasha is still grieving for Kikyou. Meanwhile, the villagers report to "Kaou-sama" that the travelers are in the lodge, which he notes the scent of a wounded soul.

Chapter 472

As the group sleeps, Inuyasha becomes a bit irritated with the stronger scent of the flowers. Kagome awakens and tries to encourage him to lie down since he hasn't had a good sleep in a long time. Shippou-chan awakens with hay fever symptoms and Kagome has him blow his nose. Meanwhile, as some villagers make their way through the flowers, Kagome and Inuyasha observe the villagers acting strangely as they begin to cry tears of blood while vines attach themselves to the villagers. Miroku awakens and decides to end this by flinging fuda strips into the flowers. This causes ground to be revealed, which is shaped like various human bodies.

Kaou appears and states this is a flower nursery. Kaou asks the villagers that Miroku saved if they were OK since they were forced to experience something horrible (Miroku's fuda). The villagers say they are OK but express concern for those who became soil. Inuyasha demands to know if Kaou is a youkai, but Miroku doesn't sense any youki and Kaou asks Inuyasha if he senses youki. Kaou goes on to say that they must be sensing contentment. With that, the smell of the flowers gets strong and Inuyasha warns them not to smell the scent. Sango passes out and Kaou notes her unhappiness over Kohaku.

As Miroku holds Sango, vines approach them and he dispatches them with a fuda. Kaou notes that the Houshi-dono (a title for Miroku) is worried about his body and may be afraid of death. Kaou tells Miroku to entrust his body to the flowers and become happy. This causes Inuyasha to unleash Tessaiga and a Kaze no Kizu attack. This wipes out the flowers and Kaou disappears, leaving only a small amount of blood behind. Inuyasha decides to follow the blood scent and Kagome decides to go with him. He objects, but Miroku informs him that Kaou is using peoples suffering as food. Inuyasha takes off anyway, so Miroku gives Kagome a warding talisman so she can follow Inuyasha.

Inuyasha and Kagome come to the Japanese castle, where the grounds are covered in flowers. Kaou is waiting for them, having left blood on purpose for them to come to him. Beneath Inuyasha, the flowers become red like blood and Inuyasha finds he can't move.

Thoughts

The Sesshoumaru story was really enjoyable. He really does love Rin like a daughter and it was nice to let us see this. It was a shame that we never learned his mother's name though. I did fear that Takahashi-sensei was going to kill Rin since it feels like she's getting ready to wrap up this manga this year. I was glad to see that she didn't do this though.

As to the new story-arc for Inuyasha to follow, I guess this will resolve Inuyasha's depression. It feels like another so-so story though at this point.

Negima! Vol 18 (Ch 165) *SPOILERS*

Negima! Vol 18 (Ch 165) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to AQS for the scans.

Chapter 165

Nodoka comes to the confessional where Misora and Cocone are. She confesses that she knows Yue likes the same person she does (Negi). Nodoka goes on to state how she's afraid of her own heart. She had told Yue that they should remain friends and try their best. Nodoka had decided that she's be OK with Yue going out with Negi. Misora asks if this is how Nodoka truly feels. However, in the aftermath of the battle with Chao-san, Nodoka seeing Yue talking with Negi caused her to feel something negative in her heart, something she refers to as jealousy. Nodoka continues by stating that Yue is her best friend, yet the dark feeling within her won't go away even if she wishes it. This is what scares her -- having something dark within her.

This causes Misora to lose it briefly, calling Nodoka by her nickname "Honya-chan" (honya is Japanese for bookstore) and asks if she's still in elementary school. Nodoka asks if the priest just said "Honya-chan" but Misora recovers and says no. She goes on to tell Nodoka that it would be unnatrual not to feel the way Nodoka feels. She advises Nodoka not to be afraid of her dark feelings, but be aware of the fear itself. She continues, telling Nodoka not to lose herself in those dark feelings, but not to surpress them. As long as she continues thinking considerate thoughts toward Yue, she'll be OK.

Leaving the church, Nodoka consults her book artifact and sees a proposed solution to her situation -- saishoudoukin. Since saishoudoukin is a Japanese term for living with one's wife and mistress at the same time, this solution has Nodoka in shock. Unfortunately for her, Ku Fei and Haruna have been looking over her shoulder. Haruna wants to know if Nodoka will be the wife or mistress.

At school the next day, Nodoka reports that going to see the priest helped her. This causes quite the stir with others considering going to see the priest while Misora is amused at the thought of the things she'll learn today. At the church, Misora gets into her nun outfit and justifies her actions to Cocone by saying she wants to help. In addition to using voice-changing magic, Misora decides to use an illusion spell to make her look like the priest.

Her first customer of the day is Setsuna. She asks if it is OK for two girls to kiss each other (the only way she can make a pactio with Konoka). This is shocking news for Misora and with Cocone there as well, Misora tells Setsuna that it is not only OK, but she should do it all the time. She further chastises Setsuna for being behind the times. Setsuna leaves, feeling inexperienced and old fashioned.

Ayaka arrives and her confession is her love for a certain person that won't stop flowing out (Negi). Yuuna arrives and talks about how much of a slob her father is and how her chest has gotten larger. Other girls come asking things from pets to how interested in sex a 10-year old boy would be to nothing at all. As Fuka and Fumika leave the church, Sister Shakti overhears their remarks about God, referring to Him as "that fat big-stomached god."

Negi is depressed and doesn't want comforting from Chamo. He thinks about what Asuna said to him, comparing him to Chao-san. Realizing that Asuna was right, he goes to the church where Misora is still in the confessional, remarking to Cocone how dumb her classmates are. Negi confesses that he doesn't know how to keep on living and wants to know what life is. Negi confesses his inability to figure out what to do which leads to Misora going off on Negi, telling him he's an idiot. She tells him he should be more relaxed and that its OK for him to go out and play if he wants because he's still a kid. He doesn't feel this is right since he's a teacher and has to train. If he took time to play, he wouldn't get his work done.

Misora decides to force Negi to tell her if there's a girl he likes. Negi thinks of the girls in his life, rejecting Asuna, Anya, and the rest as girls he really likes in a more than friendship way. However, he thinks of Nodoka and her love confession for him and he blushes. Misora sees this and asks if he likes that girl. Negi protests it isn't, stating that a relationship between a student and teacher isn't good. Misora informs him she's not telling him to date the girl. But she encourages him to do things like think about the girl he really likes or doing things with friends for fun.

As Negi leaves, Misora knows she couldn't solve Negi's problem but knows that he has lots of friends there for him. Misora leaves the confessional with Cocone and are met by Sister Shakti. Even though Misora is still in disguise, Sister Shakti knows who it is and is about to inflict massive amounts of punishment on her and Cocone.

Thoughts: This was kind of a fun chapter. Misora is certainly more interesting in the manga than she ever was in either anime adaptation thus far. It was interesting that Chamo was able to know who it was Negi was talking to and more interesting that Cocone knew that Chamo knew. As to who Negi likes, is Akamatsu-sensei steering him to Nodoka with that one moment? I guess they would be a sweet couple (Negi being a 10-year old aside).

Tsubasa: RESEVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol 14 (Ch 106-108) *SPOILERS*

Tsubasa: RESEVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol 14 (Ch 106-108) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to BWYS for the scans.

Chapter 106

The second guardian is waiting for the group and breathes fire on them. The flames spread to the books, but the books are not consumed by the flames and are unharmed. Syaoran is relieved the books are fine while Kurogane carries Sakura-chan to safety while he remembers the possessed Syaoran. He then asks Mokona to bring out his sword, but Mokona is unable to do so. Fai whistles and wonders if they could win even with weapons. Kurogane instructs Syaoran to attack the leg of the guardian, which Syaoran does with flying feet attack.

The group flees the scene while a group of mages (dressed like witches) come in on winged wands. The group continues to run while the mages attack. They make it to the door but find themselves surrounded by an ocean. Kurogane states they'll just jump in, but Fai stops him. He tosses his hat into the water and it dissolves. Fai whistles again as the injured guardian arrives to attack them from above. Fai continues his whistling which creates a kind of barrier around them. Kurogane and Syaoran are stunned by this and Fai instructs Mokona to evacuate them to the next world. Mokona protests because of the restrictions on magic, but Fai assures the critter that it will work. Sure enough, Mokona is able to send them to the next world as Syaoran and Kurogane look in amazement at Fai.

Chapter 107

The group escapes to the next world where Kurogane places the sleeping Sakura-chan on the ground. Mokona asks about Fai's use of magic since he stated he wasn't going to do so. Fai attempts to justify it by saying he's using magic by sound (the whistle) rather than how he'd normally perform magic. Kurogane points out that magic is magic which Fai sorta agrees with. Syaoran apologizes for not putting more thought into their escape from the library once they'd stolen the book, but Fai reminds him that he got Sakura's feather.

Syaoran is troubled that when the first guardian swiped him, he has no memories after that until much later. At that time, he could tell that he'd fought and defeated something even if he didn't know what. Mokona comes over to make sure Syaoran is OK. Fai wonders what kind of world they are currently on and climbing up some ruble, he finds the ruins of a vast, modern city where skyscrapers have fallen over.

Meanwhile at Fei Wong Reed's place, the boy in the liquid-filled chamber opens his eyes. Both Yuuko-san and Fei Wong detect this and Fei Wong wonders who will benefit the most from this as he observes the Tsubasa group. That group heads into the ruins of the city with Kurogane carrying Sakura-chan. Kurogane wonders what kind of place this is while Fai states it would be nice to find a place to treat Syaoran's wounds. Syaoran notices the rubble have been rounded by a weather event. As he mentions this, it starts to rain and the rain is painful when it hits their skin.

Chapter 108

The rain falls, which Mokona doesn't think is made of water. The group runs to the only building in the city that has suffered no damage -- a large twin-towered skyscraper. They make it safely to the building, but find dead bodies of people who'd been slain. Fai remarks that he's glad Sakura-chan is still sleeping to miss the gory scene. Syaoran gets Mokona to sense for the feather. Mokona does so, but senses a great power, which Mokona can't identify. The power is coming from below them, and as they explore, Syaoran wonders what could have caused so much destruction.

He finds himself under attack as arrows land all around him, while he somersaults to safety. Kurogane and Fai hear Mokona exclaim while Syaoran tries to defend himself and Mokona from the arrows. One hits his leg where he finds a group of people up on the rubble with crossbows. That group comments on Syaoran's not giving up and his actions during their attack. The group then asks their leader, Kamui, what he's going to do.

Thoughts

Fai using magic to get them out of the tight spot in the library was most interesting. It had long been implied that he had great powers and the tattoos he handed over to Yuuko-san as payment to travel between universes had nothing to do with giving him power. Now we know that indeed, Fai is most powerful, and scarily so considering the ease with which he erected a barrier in a place were even Mokona couldn't use it's magic. The introduction of Kamui brings another character from another CLAMP manga, this time from the series X/1999.

What I'm Watching 12

What I'm Watching 12

Negima!? 15 -- Now that everyone in the class (sans Eva because she's a vampire and Chachamaru because she's a robot) has partnered with Negi, the first order of business for this alternate magic world replica of the real Earth (only without people apparently) is to figure out how to get out. With Takahata-sensei observing, the class debates on what to do. Takahata-sensei, Eva, and Chachamaru go off where Chachamaru prepares ramen while the class divides itself into three groups. The first group is the Exploration Group lead by Asuna. The second is the Research Group lead by Ayaka. The third group is the Caretaker Group lead by Satsuki (basically, they feed the troops). Negi is depressed by the situation, but is encouraged by Asuna, Setsuna, and Konoka. Each group sets out to do its thing and the Research Group studies a Star Crystal. During this research, Ayaka accidentally sends it into a pillar, causing Negi to use Sayo's powers to retrieve it (leading Asuna to wonder if Sayo's really a ghost).

Thoughts: A case study on how to waste time in an episode. Boring, not funny, and no plot advancement of any kind to say nothing of any character development.

Pumpkin Scissors 14 -- An injured soldier and his companion are in the sewers. The non-injured soldier promises his injured companion that he'll get him to the doctor. Unfortunately, a person dressed in something looking like an old diving costume arrives with a flamethrower. The non-injured soldier empties a gun at the armored flamethrower person, but to no avail. The flamethrower person speaks of being cold before incinerating the two soldiers from Section I.

Meanwhile, Pumpkin Scissors have come to the sewers where a large refugee population now resides. With the government having opened up some farms for people to work, Pumpkin Scissors now has to evacuate the refugees to a new home. When they arrive, they find some employees of Waterworks (who owns the sewer system) attempting to extort sexual favors from an attractive woman as "rent." Ored puts a stop to it as Alice informs the people of the new farms. Strangely, some don't want to leave and when the dog Mer-kun leaps on the employee Metz, some packets of drugs (like cocaine) drop out of his pocket. Alice immediately has him arrested and performs the interrogation.

The president of the company, Albert Mione, soon arrives and has Metz released. The head of Section I comes and protests to Captain Hunks because Waterworks provides a lot of funding to the army. Hunks gives Alice a way to keep arresting Metz and his goons legally since Section III cannot investigate normal crimes. As such, Albert continues to have to pay to get his thugs out of prison and with sales of the drugs going down, he's not happy. He provides his men with the latest rifles so that they can kill the members of Pumpkin Scissors. In addition, he dispatches Hans, the flamethrower person. The thugs ambush the Section III members but their inexperience prevents them from hitting anything. Oland briefly activates his lamp and nearly succumbs to the German voice that says to kill. The group flees the scene of the ambush and Alice gets a bad feeling. She has Machs stop the vehicle for a bit, before continuing into the sewer, only to find Hans waiting for them with his flamethrower.

Thoughts: The episode was interesting enough, though there's not a lot to say about it. More corruption in the Empire, more forbidden weapons projects (the 908HTT flamethrower dude), and more downtrodden people. Oland suddenly having an issue with using his lamp seemed out of the blue, especially since he hasn't had a problem with it lately.

Ah! My Goddess Chapter 222 *SPOILERS*

Ah! My Goddess Chapter 222 *SPOILERS*

Thanks to GMT for the scans.

Chapter 222

As Bell and K1 look at the picture of the young woman, Belldandy thinks she's seen her before. K1 speculates the picture is pretty old, and the camera confirms it is from June 25, 1964. Keiichi gets frustrated with the camera since it remembers the date but not the name of the woman nor the person who originally owned it. When Skuld wonders why the camera works only part of the time, the camera responds that it was instructed to only take pictures of beautiful things. Of course this pleases Urd and Skuld since it took their picture.

Welsper shows up and states that the camera is cursed. Urd isn't convinced, figuring the cat is lying since it wouldn't take his picture. As such, she unleashes a bunch of abuse on Welsper, which causes Belldandy to be stunned and Urd to backtrack for Belldandy's sake.

Bell suggests to K1 that they go to the shop where the camera was picked up. It is an antique shop who seems to know "Morisato-kun." The proprietor of the store, a man named Susuki, is eccentric and gives a lengthy speech on antiques. Of course Belldandy is taken in by his enthusiasm even if Keiichi isn't. When they finally get around to the camera that Tamiya and Ootaki purchased, Susuki doesn't recognize the woman in the developed photo. His records don't show the previous owner. Since it likely belonged to a previous president of the Photo Club, they decide to do a search of all previous club presidents. Before they can leave, Belldandy gets a dreamy look and asks to be allowed to tidy up the place. This has K1 leading her out of the store in a hurry while Susuki wishes she would have stayed and cleaned.

Somehow, K1 gets a list of presidents going back to the club's founder. However, he doesn't recognize any names, and neither does the camera. Belldandy wonders why Keiichi is trying so hard to find the previous owner of the camera. He explains he wants to get the camera working and give the photos to the proper owner. K1 realizes that the photographer should be reflected in the eyes of the girl in the photo and Belldandy agrees to bring him forth from those eyes.

Thoughts: This story arc isn't doing anything for me because it is boring filler. The speech by Susuki on antiques is a real eye-roller. And personally, I could care less who owned the smegging camera. The only thing of interest to me was Welsper insisting the camera was cursed. Welsper's demon origins would certainly make him qualified to know this.

Inuyasha Vol 48 (Ch 473-475) *SPOILERS*

Inuyasha Vol 48 (Ch 473-475) *SPOILERS*

Thanks to Freelance for the scans.

Chapter 473

As Inuyasha stands unable to move in the flowers, Kaou notes the condition of his soul. He was able to sense Inuyasha's pain through the vines and pollen and notes that he's depressed and wishes to die after the woman he loved died. The vines grab Inuyasha and pull him down to Kagome's dismay. Kaou has disappeared as well and Kagome thinks on what he said. The vines reach up to grab her, but the ward Miroku gave her keeps them at bay. That's why she still feels sad.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha has a vision of a smiling Kikyou inviting him to come with her. In reality, Inuyasha is tied to a post by vines and bleeding from the eyes as Kaou watches, remarking on how peaceful he looks. Kagome goes to look for him and when she tries to enter the dwelling, a barrier keeps forces her back. She screams his name and fires an arrow at the barrier but to no avail. She continues to scream his name, which he hears and reacts to. Inuyasha breaks free and punches Kaou to his surprise. Kaou wonders why since he showed Inuyasha the dream he wanted, so Inuyasha attacks. Punching Kaou in the stomach, Kaou reveals that he's apparently made of the vines and sends a group of them at Inuyasha to kill him.

Outside the residence, Kagome uses the ward to attach to an arrow to break the barrier as vines rise up her leg.

Chapter 474

Kaou goes to remove Inuyasha's physical heart but is interrupted when Kagome's arrow breaks the barrier and he breaks off and disappears. However, as Inuyasha looks outside, Kagome is being overcome by the vines. Having sampled Kagome's soul, Kaou is even more pleased by her wounded heart. This seems to surprise Inuyasha but before Kaou can say what the cause of her pain is, he falls silent as she grips her bow. Realizing her thoughts are known to him, she fires an arrow into the flowers. She's angry at her thoughts being known to him and his plans to announce her pain. She fires another purifying arrow and clears the castle of the flowers.

Looking behind them, Inuyasha sees Kaou rising to attack Kagome. He slices the top-half of Kaou's head off, apparently killing him as the flowers begin to disappear everywhere. Inuyasha and Kagome inquire to each others wellbeing and he confesses what he saw in the dream state. Kagome wants to know if he wanted to go with Kikyou, but his answer of Kagome bringing him to his senses doesn't satisfy her. He continues, saying his inability to save Kikyou pained him but he was only thinking of himself and not Kagome's feelings. He didn't know her pain and so he apologizes to her. Kagome forgives him, knowing Kikyou causes the entire group pain and Inuyasha was the one hurt most. Inuyasha wonders how she can be so strong, but she angrily tells him it isn't being strong, but kind. With that, the group heads off to the next adventure.

Chapter 475

Naraku remembers Kikyou's final attack on him and notes that the now-corrupted Shikon no Tama still retains a point of purity he cannot remove. That purity point is a threat to his life, meaning that killing Kikyou hasn't made him any safer.

Kanna, Naraku's first detachment creation, sits in a tree with her mirror and the wind reminds her of Kagura. Byakuya gives her orders from Naraku to go to Inuyasha's group and open her mirror.

Inuyasha's group meet some old Japanese men who talk about a strange light. Shippou-chan is amazed that Inuyasha decided to help without complaining. The group sees the light and heads to it. It is coming from a lake, where Kanna's mirror sits. From it, a large (crystal-like?) creature emerges. Inuyasha sees Kanna and draws his sword. Silently, Kanna points to Inuyasha's group and it begins to glow more. Inuyasha attempts to use the Kaze no Kizu attack, but nothing happens. This stuns everyone, and the creature forms a Tessaiga-like sword in its right hand.

Thoughts

I know that flower-youkai story was supposed to bring closure to the pain of losing Kikyou, but for me, it just didn't work that well. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It felt like a forced resolution rather than a genuine one. As to the new story with Kanna, I liked how Kagura was mentioned in passing. Even though there's a tiny part of me that would like to see Kagura somehow come back and end up with Sesshoumaru, I doubt she comes back. We'll see what happens with this newest Kanna arc.