(Apparently, WordPress hates my guts. I apologize if you have seen this post appear and disappear from the front page multiple times, but I promise this is the final version. At any rate, on with it!) I hate to drop spoilers at the beginning, but a meteoric epiphany slammed into my brain when Sena destroyed the illusion generator. Now don't get me wrong, her Di-Sword limit break totally slays, but I'm not talking about Sena-sama's cool moves; I'm talking about the exposed circuitry. After what seems like ages of confusion, six simple letters brought it all clanging into place: NOZOMI (dun, dun, DUUUUUUUN!)

Yea, yea, so they planned it like that. So what! Just because my understanding has been piecing together precisely the way the writers and director intended does not lessen the brilliance of the freshly-illuminated light bulb in my head. Indeed, it was a glorious moment. And while we are on the topic of glorious moments, anyone who happened to read my Touryanse editorial can now add another bold-faced submission to the list of pop culture references I pulled from Wikipedia. I nearly shat my pants at the end of this episode.

Is that a Di-Sword in your pocket, or...

Even without prior knowledge of this episode's insane conclusion, you can tell right away that something immense is about to happen from the little explosions of superb animation quality that pepper its landscape, as well as from Taku's dwindling mental state. I thought he had made it to the 'edge' already, but apparently Yua decided he needed to blow chunks into the schoolyard before she would be satisfied.

As promised, Rimi is there to support Taku through his mental struggles with her indefatigable feminine charms and thank the stars, obnoxious Seira-tan is relegated to a back seat now that (as I have suggested in a past post, accurately or inaccurately) Taku is being forced to quit the unreality of his otakuness and confront the "reality" of his delusions. Sorry Seira-tan but some things just can't be ignored. Let's hope you aren't one of them gwahaha!

WTF moments.

Taku's reaction to the latest New Gene murder -- the darkly ironic total lobotomy of his psychiatrist, who was on sabbatical due to "exhaustion" or "fatigue" or some such vagary -- is understandable, but a bit misinformed. He has a nervous breakdown because he concludes that the New Gene murders and any other strange events in the process of ripping Shibuya apart are all centered around him, but this may be because he lacks perspective; facts. Rimi returns with Cokes in hand to collect his broken pieces and put him back together again.

Yasuji and his chestnut jelly-eating trap of a friend (no matter how many times I listen, the seiyuu sounds like a DUDE) make up for what Taku lacks -- an outsider's objective perspective. They understand that the increased rates of gravity errata in Shibuya are somehow responsible for, or tied to, the New Gene murders and the cultish congregations of people that seem to be accumulating quietly in the background of each episode. They are also aware that Rimi's victim - if, in fact, it was actually her that committed the murder - was actively researching the increasing GE phenomenon and tried to publicize this information before he was killed, information that suggests Shibuya is sitting on top of some massive geological force comparable to a volcano.

Yet, Taku's knowledge about his own role is a vital component in this little mystery. He managed to deduce from Sena's gnomic train car monologue, from his recollection of the school bus incident, and... regrettably... from batshit Yua's (she's competing viciously with Seira for the title of "Maipeisu's Most Hated" in this anime) allegations, that he may possess the psychic ability to manifest his delusions. Add to this the little revelation about N.O.Z.O.M.I.-brand illusion machines, and it wouldn't be all that strange to think that Taku's psychiatrist had been murdered to prevent him from snooping (like the professor?), rather than to provoke Taku. Oh yes, and the other side of it is that N.O.Z.O.M.I. has definitely had its eye on Taku for a long time. Who knows, he might even be the result of their experimentation.

Hell's Bells!

In the end, equally many questions were newly produced as were answered. Taku gets a phone call from Shogun, hears Touryanse playing, which degrades into a freakish siren crescendo and all manner of frightening, lunacy-inducing, ear-splitting, seismic Hell breaks loose, bringing Shibuya to its knees and sending a white, misty haze over everything in sight. I had my speakers turned WAAY up, and this part scared the living crap out of me. What the hell is going on! (C;H VN veterans, I bid thee seal thine lips!)

Next Episode:

YOUR HAIR IS SUPER SPECIAL!

I knew from the very beginning the moment would arrive when this anime would bust out the 'science and progress' like so many anime are prone to do. It didn't dilute the mystery by explaining everything away, though. I'm actually thinking it will make the story even more twisted now that we know the Matrix a high-tech contraption is creating the delusions by utilizing Shibuya's dense pockets of G-Errate... err, something like that. I could ask you not to quote me on this, but seeing how this is a blog...

Random highlights: The Di-Sword was holy space-time-ripping AWESOME. Taku gets two thumbs down for buying that embarrassing cosplay accessory. Ayase looks like Ayanami Rei philosophizing in that indigo swimsuit in the underground tunnel. I don't care that her hair color is one-trillionth of a shade different, I will not forgive contemporary anime for emitting Eva vibes like a foul smell. Kozue's random acts of moeness were unbearably cute, but you can't trust anyone these days. And I'm really starting to wonder if that Gero dude is foreshadowing something. Maybe there's like, a Gero-Sword.

FISH BURGER-KUN!

I hollered bloody-murder last week, and now I am relieved to finally see a few answers. Even if they are being pipelined at a deliberately restrained pace, we at least know we are circling back to the introductory scenes of the series from listening to Rimi and Taku's words resonate between the blue ocean and blue sky of their mental expanse. The moment is serene and beautiful, and of course the obnoxious Seira can't stand the thought of some 3-D slut touching her Takki so she brings him crashing back to reality with her giant, pink, spiky weapon of tortuous moe doom and tells him to get moving.

Kozue trips *up* the stairs and a lot of emphasis is laid on the fact that she whips out a Gero band-aid. She even gives Taku another one to apologize for being too moe, which somehow seems to undermine her original intentions. Things really get rolling out in Shibuya proper when he finds Sena in a train (with... chains... around her feet... for some reason) and listens to her explanation about the delusions and how neural impulses are fundamentally electricity, and how they can be controlled by machines, and blah blah blah maundering pop-sci anime discourse complete with diagrams (I prefer Nogizaka Haruka's maps, thank you.) Long story short: someone or something is controlling people's senses. The delusions may be the lie, or they may be the truth behind the lie.

20 points for bodyslamming Yua \m/. EWW why is she still on the floor?! Get up you freak!

Yua being the diligent soul that she is busily writes Taku another letter about how she wants to "help" him with his Dissociative Identity Disorder (that's DID, Dark Rebirth, not DIP). That tender little social workerish note of compassion in her voice bumps her down a notch on the cool scale. Yua can be a badass shrouded in fake moe, but she can't be real moe covered in semi-real badassedness covered in fake moe! She claims he is a multiple-personalitied murderer, but she's so damn stuck on Taku being the killer without any hard evidence to show for it that I think she's equally insane, not to mention her love for repeating phrases like a wannabe actress showing off in front of her mirror.

This is where things get a bit crazy, because I can’t definitely can’t tell the difference between Taku’s delusions and reality anymore. Yua’s impromptu pedestrian search party is freakish and implausible; hard to accept as reality. But if it’s fake, why is Ayase running too? Another thing, I can’t see why she would need to run from anyone considering that she wields her own badass Di-Sword, but then again I’ve never seen one in action. Something makes more sense to me now, though — if Taku is capable of locating his own Di-Sword, then the fact that the each girl in the harem carries/will carry her own sword does not mean that they are a team. Time to ditch the network idea and make way for the melee.

If the folks back police HQ only knew what Suwa and his senpai actually do on the job...

Anyone who tries to tell me that I'm the ONLY person that first thought Yasuji was consulting an Earth magic pendulum to help him do his investigative work is a dirty, dirty liar. It is a pendulum, but he's not contacting Odin, duh!, he's testing city's gravity waves which display bizarre behavior due to the fact that Shibuya has several G-spots dense pockets of "G-Errate" (which I believe actually refers to 'gravity errata', a phenomena pertaining to quantum gravity functions that is so far above my head that I would need an elevator to talk about it). Oh really. A little hand-waving, and the good detective blinds me with his science uses the phenomenon to explain the massive amounts of young folks gathered in Shibuya (and here I thought it was the shops!) as well as the peculiar incidence of the New Gene murders around the city. Oh goody, more unscientific science! ;- D

This week's surprise is the YouTube video at the end. Taku suspects the cameraman is Shogun! The more important question is whether or not *Taku* is Shogun, or if Shogun is someone else altogether. But the murder is not quite so critical. People die and the public seems to eat it up, what with their silly "sono me dare no me" T-shirts and New Gene fanfare. I'm more concerned about Taku being around the other ladies, because his delusions are becoming more powerful and more frequent. He needs to figure out how to control this power of his (i.e. find his Di-Sword) if he hopes to defend himself. Stupid Seira-tan is not doing anything to help by telling him to run from the 3-Ds every second. What he needs here is a bit of confrontation. The bodyslam was a turning point, and I'm confident he can do more. Oh and for the record, I will RAEG if Seira turns out to be the source of his power. Until next week! ^_^

Next Episode:

Yasuji likes 'em BIG.

What better way to kick things off than with a shot of SEKIGUCHI holding a bloody cleaver in front of a girl's body parts strewn about the background? Oh no, that's not me being sick, that's the beginning of the episode. If you think that's disturbing, and you have already watched it, you may have unwittingly skipped over the implication that there will not be - there *cannot* be - a magic bullet solution to this case, because there is no single culprit to accuse. Hell, at this rate we may need a magic Uzi. That, my friends, is far more disturbing.

The iconic serial killer who commits string of unique crimes invites the idolatry of copycats, a possibility that lurks dangerously in the background of a murder investigation as additional victims are discovered. However, if the details remain concealed from the public, the notion of copycats cannot congeal into a distinct possibility. How can one copy what one has never seen?

Though Kiba bases his assumptions on this logic for a short while, all of his educated guesses go flying out the window when he learns about Dr. Mimakasa's past involvement with the military. Arranged alongside the military's plans to engineer an immortal soldier, the scene from the beginning of the episode and sightings of a darkly-dressed man wearing white gloves point to a multi-person operation, compared to which the quickly fading prospect of a lone killer actually seems... inviting. (Note: If you aren't watching this series, you NEED to be watching it. Seriously.)

Medical experimentation. Military research. Murder.

We are only four episodes in and I am ready to bow down in awe. This is anime at its finest. The first, monstrous segment of the episode rains shuddering impact after impact: bloodstained Sekiguchi wonders aloud why his latest 'experiment' failed as his subject's empty gaze stares into nothing, her body in pieces on the ground; the OP airs, then the episode picks up right where it left off last week, bombarding us with stills of the party's contorted expressions - astonished, bewildered, puzzled faces - while frantic echoes gather up the pith of their verbal crossfire. Kanako has disappeared! Suzaki is dead!

The police snap into ready rank and file, and one can almost hear the gears of an official investigation cranking slowly into motion. Kiba retreats to another room with Fukumoto and Youko; there, he desperately entreats her for her trust. Why can't she give him more answers? What is she not telling him? "Who is your real enemy?", he growls as he leans close, his eyes gleaming passion. She replies in barely above a whisper, "...you." The animation is staggering. The emotion, utterly palpable.

It is not over. Kanako appears in the next scene, or rather, a grey-haired and gold-eyed semblance that could just as easily be her apparition as her weakened, bedridden body. She watches Yoriko, Youko and Kiba, bathed in blue, as though through the watery lens of a dream. The three fade like a distant memory; sleep's seductive embrace again pulls her beneath the surface of consciousness for an indefinite stretch of time.

She awakens next in a stark white room, and watches bodiless limbs ascend the walls and fall abruptly through a trap door in the roof. The sheet covering her flies off in a fury, revealing - horrifyingly - mechanical limbs where her real arms and legs ought to be. Their cranking sound is ghastly, alien. She sleeps. AMEMIYA's voice is the last to greet us, as evil, greedy eyes peer inside a metal box to gaze at her sleeping body and gloat at the "work of art" before them. A train whistles, as the screen fades to black. [Commercial break.] WTF??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

I'm loving the 1950's feel.

I usually dislike writing summaries in episodic posts because I assume, perhaps wrongly so, that readers have either seen the episode already and have no need for a rehash of what they already know, or haven't seen it and would much rather not have it all spoiled. However, the aforementioned arrangement of scenes is an unusual case; it is so powerful that even if you have seen it already, it is worth watching again to contemplate its tremendous impact. Each scene is an important piece of a masterful narrative that rotates round and round its mainspring, grinding a bit deeper into the gravelly mystery with every revolution.

After having ruminated upon Kanako's kidnapping and even borne witness to her dreamy interpretation of the surgeries she is being subjected, we are ready to step back into daylit reality and examine the murder incidents Sekiguchi referred to in Episode #02. During the first two or three weeks of September, a total of four victims are identified as the original owners of several limbs found packed neatly into boxes and tucked into random corners of people's compounds. Kiba is officially off the case, unfortunately, and must ponder the meaning of all this from the sidelines (his "base camp", as it were) of a nearby apartment, completely reliant upon his protege's legitimately acquired information. Amemiya has gone missing.

The townspeople blame a kasha, a youkai said to scatter the limbs of ill-fated cadavers. The detectives know better; however they can do little but for the strange politics at play, which ironically afford Sekiguchi and Atsuko more investigative freedom than Kiba himself. The real professionals are held in check by government eyes, eyes easily blinded by a badge's shiny brass and quick to ignore meddlers who might succeed at any number of transgressions whilst they busy themselves with the minutiae of legalities.

...

I mentioned before that Sekiguchi was a detective, but come to find out - he is actually a successful author with a reputation for dark subject matter. "Personal novels", he calls them, but does that mean that they are about his actual experiences, experiences most authors would only dare explore in imagination? What if the girl from the opening scenes was Atsuko? Her hair and eyes are a different color, but then again, they are the same color as Kanako's hair and eyes in her dream. More intriguingly, when could this have occurred? Let us not forget that we are still in flashback mode. Sekiguchi's little bloodstained pout could have happened long after all the other events had played out, which exchanges what little relief might have been offered by knowing that he isn't a suspect in the current case for the assurance that this dark, dark story has no end in sight.

Revelations about Mimakasa's military involvement are what tie everything together at the end of the episode, so we know for sure that the militaristic origins of the medical experimentation are going to play a significant part in the story. And considering how Kiba has another haunting vision of soldiers being fragged towards the end of the episode, I'm wondering if the military won't play a huge role in the case, or if there are some very troubling memories Kiba has forced out of his head that could be relevant to the investigation. He clearly harbors unresolved emotional ties to his past as a military man. How potent are they, and how will they affect his character in episodes to come? Yoriko has already gone off the deep end, Youko has revealed herself to be a liar (albeit a beautiful, stunning, gorgeous one), so Kiba, you must remain strong and preserve your integrity to the very end!

The seemingly unconnected murder cases may actually be linked to Kanako's kidnapping if Dr. Mimasaka's method truly was to assemble an eclectic assortment of body parts in Frankensteinish fashion. The killer could be collecting limbs here and there for his bitter business, selecting only the ones that suit his taste and casting aside the rest. Prostitutes would be a relatively easy target; after all, the man with the white gloves can be seen claiming one as his latest victim in the middle of the red light district where no one thinks too much about the dirty dealings going on around every corner and in every dark alley. But why go through the trouble of placing the limbs in boxes? Mimakasa Medical Hospital had received little press before, so wouldn't this only generate more unwanted attention? I'll leave the guessing aside for now; I just want to bask in the mood. Until next week! ^_^

Next Episode:

Yay! More characters from the OP!

The trouble with series that have overarching plots is that unless the story is a complete nuisance, they are hard to put down! There is no turning back now. I've got to know what happens to Taku next at all costs. It's time for me to strap myself up and get ready for the long haul, because I just felt the opportune time - the time when I could have gracefully dropped Chaos;HEAd before becoming too involved - brush gently by and slip away for good.

But don't get me wrong. I'm not griping because I want to drop C;H. Quite the opposite. I am lamenting the confusion this episode left in my hands, and trying to figure out how to endure another week without answers to my burning questions. This wasn't quite a troll episode (Geass has got a monopoly on those), but at the same time it forced me to toss out a lot of my hypotheses about where C;H is headed, mostly guesses about who the good guys and bad guys are. Is it harem versus Taku? Harem plus Taku versus New Gene murderer? Bah. Hell if I know!

The appearance of the 'real' Shogun threw me for a bit of a loop. That scene in the empty metropolis reminded of Ichigo's psycho-spiritual encounters with Zangetsu in Bleach, so I don't know whether to assume that Shogun is a personality 'within' Takumi (like Seira) or an altogether separate character. Aside from that little tidbit, the harem is my main source of confusion. They have all neatly congregated in Shibuya, but as to their intent... who can say?

The 'boy falls on top of girl and puts his WHOLE HAND ON HER BOOB by accident' scene is an anime classic! This might be editorial material.

So shall we start with the good news or the bad news? Since there's more good here than bad, let's start with the lame. The first thing I'm going to complain about is the animation quality. We all know what Madhouse is capable of, but it looks to me that they are not living up to their reputation in certain patches while putting full energy into others. The result is that the characters look really sleek in some scenes, and clank around like a badly-drawn doujin in others. I wanted to scream during one scene where FES's hair was sticking half off of her head like a cheap wig. Taku seems the most difficult to do justice, though. His face gets fatter and thinner, eyes look too narrow, too droopy -- it's a mess! Did they invite guest animators to do their dirty work while they went out for coffee one day?! Oh well. We all know it well get better again, and as Crusader has noted himself, I can endure a little bad animation as long as the story is good. A little. T_T

The other bad thing is not really so much of a bad thing come to be as it is a mystery egg that seems equally inclined to hatch an ugly ducking or a swan. Taku may be at his wit's end looking for answers, but for the audience, though we have just as few answers, some of the steam has been let out of the pressure cooker now that we know where things might be headed. We know this much: 1) there is a cataclysmic event to be avoided, 2) there HAWT harem with crystalline swords hunting for some ass to kick, 3) there is an otaku with the ability to predict the future(?), 4) there are bizarre murders happening in Shibuya. Beyond that, not a whole lot more can be said with any certainty. We don't know who is on whose side, nor how the prophesied event connects with the murders, nor the source of the crucifixion and vampiring. When the truth unfurls and the real fight begins, it could be a bone-busting explosion of awesomeness... or it could be another cliche with a grandiose lead-in.

∫øø7 ∫3715#.

Despite being a filler, this episode had its gleefully insane moments and a token 'critical plot development' reserved, predictably, for the very end. Taku's delusions are becoming so kinky that it's mildly disturbing, even if appropriate situated in dark harem show. Sena's foot job was the best (worst?!) by a long shot and I swear it won't be long now before the writers to break out the S&M. But the strange thing about his delusions is not that they are perverse - come on, people are guilty of far worse than foot fantasies - but that their sexual aspect is tangled up with their clairvoyance. Think back to the Phantasm concert. During that intense moment when their eyes locked, if Taku received some kind of telepathic insight into FES's purpose, why was it necessary that the imaginary FES mash her mammaries into his torso? It's as though alongside all the psychic meaning, he interprets any and every expression of interest from a girl as fundamentally sexual... even his little sister. EWWWW imouto-complex! Ecchi! Ecchi!

Most of the rest is all business. A lot of little loose ends are, if not tied, then tidied up. FES and Taku have a post-concert rendezvous, and she tells him he needs to find "the sword" to attain salvation, probably the same "Di-Sword" that Sena referred to earlier. Detective Suwa was huge n00b and couldn't handle a simple task like finding a high school student, so with big daddy Yasuji's help they FINALLY locate Taku and throw a few questions at him. Rimi pays Taku a surprise visit and cranks up the rabu rabu after he tackles her (and her boobs) to extract his new Seira figurine from her clutches. Taku checks himself into the mental hospital again to find that his doctor is on a leave of absence ("conspiracy", you say?); he returns to the shipping container to search for the mythical Di-Sword that might guard him from the chaos.

HA HA imouto broke Taku's Di-Sword!

The best is saved for last. Watching the so-called Di-Sword get snapped like a twig during imouto 's orange-flinging rage was even more hilarious than Taku swinging it like it could actually cut something. Really, it was kind of funny and pathetic at the same time, sort of like watching someone take five boxes of Benadryll to get rid of that 'mysterious little itch' and then sobbing when it returns with a vengeance in the morning.

Besides that, I'd say three important events are yet to come. The final member of the harem, telepathic Kozue Orihara, makes her debut in Taku's class under the much-abused guise of transfer student. Following that, Taku experiences a low-grade mental breakdown when he realizes he has no retreat from the chaos, from which he raises his head to greet the most intense delusion yet -- one where all of Shibuya's denizens have disappeared. He runs through the deserted metropolis, desperate to find someone, anyone. A withered little man sitting in a wheelchair is eager to oblige; he introduces himself as Shogun (dun, dun, DUUUN!) Last but not least, the sound of Rimi's voice jars Taku back to consciousness. A concerned slap, a gentle caress, and Taku is all but ready to throw himself at her mercy, eager to forget the deceptions that lay at the edge of the previous romances. We'll see how things work their way back to that scene in episode one, eh?

Next Episode:

Abunai!

I have come to the conclusion that Mouryou no Hako must be blogged at any and all cost. Impz says it is an impossible series to blog, and he may be right. There are layers upon layers that require penetration, scenes upon scenes that demand a still eye and ear, and moments upon moments that beckon us to immerse ourselves in the story's beautiful, terrifying design.

Episode #03 ropes us in right where it left off in its typical whirling-dervish fashion, picking viciously at the periphery of what I am going to conveniently refer to as 'The Box Incident' from here on out, while leaving the core facts cryptically undisturbed. Clues continue to collect, drip by drip -- most significantly, we learn that the giant box that Sekiguchi stumbled upon is actually the "hospital" Kanako was headed for, a grim and grey death-machine far more appropriately described as a "laboratory" than a "hospital." Given the historical context, it seems these incidents happened at a time when professional standards were less stringent, physicians were less scrupulous and curative medicine wasn't as far divorced from scientific experimentation as one would expect... or hope.

Kiba is looking more manly than ever.

Actually, before backpedaling to the train incident, we get an utterly terrifying glimpse into psycho-physiological assaults that Yoriko and Kanako are/were subjected to at various points in time. A young lady (Kanako?) awakens under hospital lights to find herself being dissected by "demons", hinting at the truth behind her "treatment"; next, a flashback(?) scene shows a crazed mother-figure suddenly leaping forward and strangling a young girl. Scared the crap out of me. It all happens so quickly that it is difficult to who is who in each scene. The patient under the knife is probably Kanako, and if you pause the video and take a closer look at the next scene, you might recognize the assailant's bland, unadorned features as belonging to Yoriko's mother... or I could be wrong. But the identities of the girls in these scenes are of secondary concern. I think the important thing here is that their identities are being intentionally blended and confused, fastening haunting weight to Kanako's proclamation, "You were me in a past life."

The remainder of the episode is a vortex of snapshots from various dates in August; the initial confusion created by the increasing speed of the vortex is relieved by the fact that these snapshots wind tighter and tighter around the selected timeframe, honing in on Kanako's plight. Detective Sekiguchi is out of the picture for now, though we learn he is but a stone's throw away when Detective Kiba briefly complains about the other detective's involvement as he prepares for another day of observation and guesswork. The date is August 31st, not even a full day after Sekiguchi stumbled upon the hospital.

"I have found something to protect."

It is not entirely clear to me why the writers have selected certain scenes while leaving out other parts of the story. If we assume the anachronic narrative is an fundamental part of the original work, we also assume that there is a distinct purpose to each of the sections we are shown, as well as a lack of immediate purpose to the parts that have been queued until later episodes or omitted altogether. The intent, I imagine, is not to obfuscate the facts, but to present the drama in a way that best embraces its cast. Consider -- do we even know what the story is about? Who is the protagonist? Is it Sekiguchi? Kiba? Yoriko? Kanako? Whose tale is being crafted through whose actions, and why?

For me, Detective Kiba was in the spotlight this time around. From what I have gathered of his personality, which is at best a handful of fragments and tatters spread thin by the winds of time, something in him has awakened. There is a purposefulness in his step, a hardness to his jaw, a piercing vigilance in his eyes... his passionate actions betray the fire blazing in his heart. It is the same fire that moved him to tears in the movie theater, and the same fire that had nearly been extinguished by the ghosts of his fallen comrades. It may only be a spark when the episode rewinds to the train incident to fill us in on the details of their ride to the hospital and their introduction to its chief physician and his creepy assistant Suzaki, but surely an ember is building strength. Fast forward to the night when Kiba climbs the stairs to find his lovely Youko, mortified, ransom letter in hand, and quickly rushes over to investigate and to console, and we see that the ember has already roared to life. Suzaki's taunt by the stairwell is all too knowing. He understands why Kiba endures the stifling summer heat every single day. It is not for Kanako, but for Youko, and Youko alone.

Within the hospital-box, devilish, miniature boxes lay strewn about.

Perhaps I've given away my fondness for this love affair. Forget lolitas and harem girls; Youko is a REAL woman and I'm not afraid to admit I am quite captured by her beauty. Sure, maybe I've let myself get a bit sidetracked, but one cannot help but be sidetracked by this anime. There are, after all, so many places for the wandering mind to go! MnH is a fantastic story because it draws from the strength of several sideplots, each with its own ambiance, direction, and unique role within the overall narrative. The new romance that seems to have sprung out of the ashes of Yoriko and Kanako's coffeehouse tete-a-tetes and moonlight dances is no exception. Consider: a detective in love with a damsel in distress (notice the film noir feel) is a much more convincing motivation for this wholly uninviting investigation than honor, which only an epically-proportioned superdetective would work himself to the bone to preserve. Classic murder mysteries have deceived us into thinking that all detectives will resort to such zeal, but the truth is that the world has room enough for only a few Detective Ls. The rest, like Kiba, respectable as he may be, are human. And besides, there is no honor to be gained, just a mystery to solve and a lady to protect. Makes sense to me.

But wait. Is theirs really a love story? Is it really so clean cut? Will the forthcoming events concede to Kiba's heroic notions of protection and duty, or is he inviting betrayal? We need to keep in mind that there are multiple motivations at work here. Perhaps Youko can be absolved of undue suspicion. She *acts* the part of the concerned sister flawlessly, but then again, she is an *actress*. Then there is Masuoka. Kiba, whose sharp eyes let nothing slip by, guesses that the ill-tempered Mr. Masuoka is a lawyer, so there must be the prospect of an inheritance tied to Kanako's demise. And we cannot forget the live-in guardian Mr. Amemiya, ever furtive, peering around corners, timidly offering his help and participation, all the while doing little to free himself or his comrades from scrutiny. There may be more to the situation than Youko is willing to let on, and Kiba might have to find that out the hard way.

There are others: Kanako is under the knife and wire of two doctors who, as far as I'm concerned, might as well be mad scientists. Yoriko's mother is a nut whose paranoia of goblins makes her hate Kanako and drives her mad enough to invite a two-timing hustler of a monk to purge her house -- of yen, if anything, which her male friend and the monk will probably divvy up out of her sight once the deception is complete! (During the exorcism scene, I recalled how one of her dolls looked at Yoriko in the first episode; it occurred to me that the mouryou she blames Yoriko for might be entirely her own doing. We need to watch this woman carefully.) Finally, there is the mysterious dark-haired man who shoves Yoriko, and reminds her in the process that Kanako did not jump in front of the train; she was pushed.

Bizarrely, the story decided to end with Kanako's disappearance from hospital, practically in the middle of Yoriko's visit. I mean, if we know already that she was kidnapped and held for ransom, then why bother with all the fanfare? The note from earlier (later, chronologically) points to a kidnapping, but it happened so quietly and sneakily that we might just wonder, in the midst of everyone's wide-eyed incredulity, if Kanako actually did ascend to Heaven in the mysterious way she claimed all goddesses expire. Until next week...

Next Episode:

This still scares me so much, I don't even like to look at it. You folks enjoy it.

And just when Takki thought it was safe to leave the shipping container and bump elbows with the 3-Ds! Actually, Taku makes a surprisingly levelheaded decision for being such a doofus. He checks himself into the local hospital for a psychiatric examination. That's right, he thinks he's crazy. Wonder what would give him THAT idea?

Taku is not crazy. My reasoning? Exhibit A: He is at least sane enough to step back and realize that he has specific moments that feel like utter, bottomless insanity. If he recognizes that he is going crazy, then he is not totally crazy, at least not yet. Exhibit B: Taku only goes into the hospital to check on a certain part of his sanity. He only wants to know that the little part of the human mind that makes sure we all don't go around hanging unsuspecting sarariman up with wimbled crosses and forgetting about it afterward is intact. He mentions nothing about Seira, who goes out of her way to make an entrance on his hospital bed decked out in nurse cosplay. He just wants to know that he isn't the one committing those horrible murders.

Then again, maybe he's so batshit that he only he thinks he's partially insane, when in fact, he is about as far off the deep end as one can get. Maybe he IS the one committing the murders. Maybe there is a reason that Yua is busy researching dissociative personality disorders. When a buxom harem shows up toting gigantic, fantastical swords and insinuates that a poor, helpless loogey of a NEET is going to bring about the destruction of the world, you know *something* has got to be up. Let us scrutinize the otaku in question. Sorry for the late post; was waiting for m.3.3.w. subs, as requested ^_^;

"Hellooooooo, nurse!"

So after a brief recap on the last episode (oh the abundant good and wonderfulness of brevity), poor Taku is on his way into the hospital to get his head checked. Looks like the Cokes and animu aren't doing it anymore. Looks like Yua's revelations really jangled his nerves. Problem is, he didn't really think it through. For one thing, he's not willing (or able) to tell the doctor all of the details of his troubles. He only gives a vague account of the problem. So the doctor resorts to the cliche placatory measures that are expected of all witless physicians -- he tells him without batting an eyelash, "sleep disorder", and has him spend the night in the hospital.

Okay, so what's really happening here? Well before I get to the big, fat, shiny golden hint that we need to tuck into the backs of our heads, let me first mention this: yellow. Tons and tons of yellow. The color yellow is associated with insanity, especially the sallow, jaundiced yellow you might expect to find in an abandoned building, creeping out in places where white once prevailed. For some reason, they decided that this would be a good color to have in the mental health block of the hospital -- you know, to keep the patients appropriately "stimulated". Yellow is not only in the hospital, but it is also in the uniforms of Taku's school and it is impassably obvious in the flashback scene with the big eye staring at young Takumi... Kind of reminds me of The Gate from FMA...

...Which brings me to the next point: the flashback. The hospital scene was kind of stupid, on the surface. I mean seriously, what was it? Taku goes to a hospital and starts gushing about mental problems he can't explain. They put him to bed and strap him up to a few monitors to help him make sure he isn't a somnambulatory psychopath. Seira shows up and puts in her two cents. He wakes up and they send him on his way. WASTE OF TIME. FAIL. Obvious idiocy aside, the hospital scene was a neat little way to explain a few things we didn't realize before: 1) the flagrant displays of yellow are not a coincidence, 2) Taku has a childhood history of causing accidents with his psychokinetic powers, and returned to the hospital not so much because he sought legitimate answers, but because he had had his noggin inspected by the same doctor when he was a child, and...

3) ...N.O.Z.O.M.I., the big shiny clue. There was a top-level government agent (obviously government, because they always, always, always wear all black and dark glasses) watching young Taku not so stealthily from the background during the flashback. Which means there probably still is a government agency watching Taku. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the name of the agency is NOZOMI. The doctor, of course, is blissfully ignorant. And if you believe that, I got a bridge I can sell ya for reeeeeal cheap.

Wanna know what REALLY creeps me out? I think he is smiling in that security image.

A montage of the harem is all we need to realize that something immense is unfolding, and that Taku is at the center of it all. But that raises even more questions, like, "why does Rimi act act so moe if she was the one that stabbed the dude full of holes?" Did she really commit it or not? It would be a mistake, I have realized, to assume that because Rimi held one of those giant swords to Taku's chest in the scene from the first episode, that she is a murderer. In fact, a giant decorative sword indicates just the opposite. Both a murderer and a warrior kill, but each kills for very different reasons; each act is propelled by very different motivations. I may have mistook Rimi for a murderer (all according to Madhouse's plan, no doubt), when the actual murderer might have been the one on the business end of her blade.

More questions: are they really all a network, or are they individuals working separately toward a similar purpose, perhaps even competing? Let's suppose that they all know each other. Let's also suppose that they each know of the New Gene murders. Let's suppose that they all suspect Taku for their own, individual reasons. Yua has her research, FES has her mythological prophecy, Rimi has... big, bodacious, magical pink hair!!! But if they all suspect him, and they are working together, and they all agree that he is the culprit, it wouldn't make sense for them to approach him one by one unless there was something holding them back.

It would be more plausible if they didn't all belong to this fictitious network I speak of. It is a network insofar as it represents the trappings of shounen, but within the scope of the story itself there are some glaring disjunctions that cannot be ignored at this point. For instance, Yua doesn't have one of those gigantic swords. The library scene suggests that Rimi does not know FES. Past encounters imply that Yua and FES are not acquainted. Yua gave her little 'helpless girl who can't throw a ball' performance in front of Taku's sister. I'm more inclined to believe that none of them know each other, that they are deliberately hiding from each other, and that not all of them share an equal understanding of the grave and apocalyptic situation that FES ponders in the library.

This is good. This is good because it means that Taku still has a chance. He is not being suffocated by a merciless harem serpent. The alliances have not been decided yet. Romance has not restructured the equation yet. There may be bitchfights (pardon the French, but we are dealing with *harem* here.) I'd even go so far to say that is not some grotesque psycho-thriller masquerading as a harem show; it is an altogether new breed, a titillating syncretism that will make its mark with a familiar cast but a new kind of script. I am excited.

As a musician, I just had to love the Phantasm concert.

With the montage complete, Seira sets the ball rolling again by making the delightfully naive suggestion to Taku that all he needs to do is prove that the Shogun images didn't come from him. If it were only that easy! To both their ohshiatness, his efforts fall flat on their ass and he instead confirms the accuracy of Yua's dreadful research. The image was created the day before it happened, September 28th, without a shadow of a doubt. (Here, I couldn't tell if Seira was simply his kimochi-warui way of thinking out loud, or if she was just giving him bad, bad advice for a change.)

Anyway, Taku bites the bait and hunts for some information on precognitive abilities. The info search leads him to Phantasm, a four-piece goth punk band whose frontman goes by the name 'FES' (the blue haired girl that goes to his school). For me, the concert was the highlight of it all. I did not totally comprehend how and why the "Crucifixion Mass" lyrics could/would have described the murder exactly as it happened, but it wasn't terribly distressing, because I was totally absorbed by the music. I may be a sucker for all things musical, but more moving than the sound of the band was the way it tied everything together, gave a voice to the haunting bog of events we have already sunk knee-deep into, and into which we will inevitably submerge. At the height of the epicness, FES leaps off the stage with her giant sword and crosses the cultishly entranced audience to stare Taku in the eye while she presses her bosom against his chest, sword inches away from him. So. Intense.

I think I've babbled enough. He runs from the concert, but he cannot escape. Taku spots another sword girl in school uniform looking for someone while he is out on a date with his sister the next day (note: she buys him a cellphone and forces a gero on it, an act not at all without significance.) To top it off, back at his apartment, he receives an image of the next murder victim, a person sucked completely dry of his or her blood... and Taku's trademark slogan smeared on the adjacent bathroom wall. Now that the harem has been gathered neatly together, things are about to get quite interesting.

What a gem...! It's fortunate that I've been immersed in literature driven by time-divergent narratives lately, because as exquisite as Mouryou no Hako's animation is, its narrative is the centerpiece and demands a nimble eye. It is based, after all, on an award-winning mystery/horror novel written by the youkai-obsessed Kyougoku Natsuhiko, so any effort that falls short of granting the storyline its due process would be a grave injustice.

If an episode or two cannot secure our unconditional trust that the animation renders a meaningful interpretation of the original, then the mere mention of the names 'Madhouse' and 'CLAMP', at least, should be enough to dispel any fears that this series will fail to be a worthwhile indulgence. Mouryou no Hako is a priceless opportunity for the said animation dream-team to run rampant in its metier; and run rampant, it does - every possible detail has been lavished and arranged with meticulous care. This is a confection to be savored slowly. Deconstruct and reconstruct its component flavors diligently, and enjoy it as it should be enjoyed.

Impz described this series as confusing in his first post, and I don't think that's an unfair assessment. However, MnH is no Gordian knot awaiting a final episode's conclusive blade; it really is a tangle of lives that are all somehow connected to a mysterious box containing a dead woman's head, a tangle that must be untangled in order to fully appreciate the circumstances. Whereas episode one led us gently by the hand, dancing to the motions of Yoriko and Kanako's moonlit love story (after greeting us on a train with a head in a box), episode two leaves us groping in the dark for answers, as it probes two past timelines that explain the beginnings of Sekiguchi's case.

Probing thus, MnH continues to introduce its rich landscape of unique personalities: for instance, Kanako's elder sister Youko Yuzuki is a former star-actress; the ill-tempered Mr. Masuoka, her confidant. Kyougoku Chuzenji is an exorcist; and protagonist Mr. Sekiguchi is revealed to be an esteemed detective that has become dangerously fascinated with the girl in the box for reasons we are only beginning to understand. What manner of mystery will unfold? One thing is certain. Kanako's supposed attempt at suicide brings to light the other characters' relationships to her, which her actual death is tied to more, perhaps, than her mystical musings could foretell.

A graveyard. Way to start with a bone-chilling 'bang'.

Is a week's wait capable of erasing our dread at the possibility that Kanako's collision with the train was fatal? Apparently not mine. Peering between stalks of sunflowers at gravediggers stabbing the earth during the very first scene sent shivers down my spine; I remembered vividly, and immediately assumed the worst. But it was a feint. A foreshadowing feint, yes, but a feint nonetheless. Sekiguchi's memory of his grandmother's burial is used as a jumping off point to explore and discuss themes of death; the strangeness of women; boxes and their otherworldly contents.

Sekiguchi, the very picture of cool composure, is inwardly on the brink of insanity.

The opening is also used to render a creative explanation of his obsession with the woman in the box. I say "obsession" because it is strange enough that a person (even a detective) should take such a passionate interest in case, strange enough that he shouldn't flinch, but rather react with jealousy upon hearing the girl's first words, and yet a bit too strange that he should be hallucinating boxes and heads at every turn.

Out of her head with shock, as expected.

The episode rewinds to the train incident. Despite Yoriko's wretched state, war-torn Detective Kiba remains unresponsive and unsympathetic. He is not a bad person or even a cruel person, but his compassion is buried beneath layer upon layer of toughness and manly decisiveness. His inner state is a tug-of-war between sentiment and duty, the latter of which usually seems to take command. Kiba strikes me as a man drawn to hidden truths like a moth to fire, making for an aggressive detective, one who would involve himself in Kanako's situation, unsolicited, and gain interest as mysteries peek from between the facts. The negative side is that this unyielding interest in obscurities may eventually drive him to extreme measures.

What murder mystery would be complete without a sultry, seductive actress?

One after another, symbols appear that draw Detective Kiba closer and closer into the case. First, it was the familiar image of Kanako's face, tugging at memory. Kiba drives Yoriko to the hospital where Kanako is being treated. Mr. Masuoka awaits him inside and rudely demands his identity on first sight. The two lock horns briefly. It is not long before Kanako's sister (the starlet) appears; her unexpected appearance sends Kiba into an emotional tizzy. A fond memory of one her movies reveals that a passionate heart throbs beneath his gruff exterior, bringing a softness in him that softens his behavior toward Yoriko, at least temporarily. Either by means of intriguing fact, or sentiment, or sometimes both, Kiba is roped into the case by a cascade of coincidences and soon finds himself among Kanako's inner sanctum, peering suspiciously at the adults.

How could he resist those eyes, the eyes of his goddess?

What I find most interesting about this sequence is that while Yoriko broods in a corner, Youko, Mr. Mazuoka, Mr. Amemiya and Detective Kiba continue to analyze the possibility of foul play. No one has tried to force an explanation out of Yoriko, despite the fact that she was on the scene at the time of the incident. No. They continue to chisel away at the possibility of murder as though it were the only feasible explanation and the only explanation they could bear to accept. Suicide, somehow, is unacceptable.

Irrelevant, you say?

And then there are those cryptic allusions to "Kanako not being able to die before [someone]", or her early demise being a convenience for Mr. Masuoka, or "irrelevance". Forget their wildly varying displays of emotion; when they have unscrupulous discussions such as these, as though she were some kind of mutual business investment, we need to separate the teary-eyed hullabaloo from the evils, and see which one effervesces first.

We must approach this mystery as a detective would. MnH only tells us the tidbits we need to know -- while that may imply that there will not be much divulged at once in the way of backstory or conspiracies, by the same token, it also implies that just enough loose threads will be exposed for us to begin picking away at the tapestry whole. Kanako is not dead yet, but will she be murdered before she has the chance to die in a fashion she would have liked? What do they want with her? More intriguingly, is it possible that her "suicide" would have violated an agreement she made with them?

The protective familial instincts have kicked in.

I'll reserve my judgments for Kanako's questionable next-of-kin. A jarring collision with the cold, hard fact that she will die unless transferred to another hospital is what it takes to shake them out of their ponderous complacency and build the tension appropriately. They are all holding their breath when the surgeon steps out of the operating room to deliver a status update: she will live.

"...I heard about it half a month later," interjects the narrator, referring to a murder.

Sunflowers and graves. A drive under the country sunset and a conversation about murder.

Now here's the confusing part: the segue is narrated by Sekiguchi. Meaning that even though he was not present at the previous chain of events, the train incident still ties into *his* story. Although his meaning in the segue is obscure, one interpretation could be as follows: the anime shifts forward roughly half a month (from August 15th to August 30th). The dismembered body of a girl has been found. The implication is that it is either Kanako's body, or the body of the girl whose head is in the box, which may or may not be one and the same. Nothing is explicitly stated. The authorities have located the limbs of the body (in a box, no less), but not the head -- this would make sense if in the present time, Sekiguchi is still chasing after her head.

In this interpretation, the important point to keep in mind is that Sekiguchi gets involved after the train incident. My kneejerk reaction is to assume that the girl is Kanako, but we cannot rule out Yoriko, and above all, we cannot make assumptions about facts that are not supported by evidence. To our knowledge, Sekiguchi has never met either of them alive, and it is unclear what went on in the fifteen days that transpired. Considering how careful the series is about what it lets escape and what it does not, I would prefer to err on the side of caution and keep my eyes open.

And guess whose haunting figures await...

Mr. Sekiguichi is joined in his investigation by a Mr. Toriguchi (the driver and an informant of sorts), and Atsuko, Kyougoku Chuzenji's younger sister. Their pleasant cruise in the sunset abruptly turns sinister (notice how fast the sun sets here) as Toriguchi's proclivity for getting lost leads them swiftly away from their destination and forces a U-turn onto an unknown road. Well, whether lucky or unlucky, one can be sure that some kind of luck is at work. Wrong turn, indeed. Toriguchi is SO skilled at getting lost, in fact, that he manages to lead the trio to a secret research facility patrolled by men in uniform. Surprise! Detective Kiba is there (if Kiba-danna has been away for a stretch of time, you can be sure that somewhere, something juicy is going on!) And guess who else appears? A ominously large box looms in the background like a monolithic ghost.

Next Episode:

...

C;H #01 made it clear that (o)Taku suffers from serious delusions -- there's no doubt about that. What remains unclear is when we are being shown another delusion and when we are being craftily fed the truth. There was some speculation that the murder scene in the first episode was another delusion -- but I never bought that. I could not buy that. I would demand the precious, wasted seconds of my life back from Madhouse if the central premise of the story turned out to be a big, fat, steaming lie (::Maipeisu proceeds to bludgeon himself to death with a series of convulsive facepalms::). No, no, no -- that would be the troll way out.

But what of the opposite extreme? Are Taku's grandiloquent fantasies simply there to help define his character? Will they lose significance as the series progresses, to make way for the gruesome facts of the central plot? Or will Taku's psychological interpretation of the New Gene murders prove to be just as important as the murders themselves? As episode two continues to integrate his delusions into its piecemeal unveiling of the truth, we find that there's a bit (okay, a lot) more to Taku's wild imagination than meets the eye. The plot thickens...

Devil moe = Otaku's worst nightmare.

So, picking up where we left off, kawaisou Taku discovers to his horror that the culprit (the person he saw at the scene of the crime, at least) behind the New Gene murders is in his classroom, sitting right next to him. She goes by the name of Rimi Sakihata. "But wait," you might be thinking, "it's too early to draw conclusions! She's so innocent and sweet! Maybe he imagined the entire thing!" Let us not forget the introductory scenes, which left off with her straddling him, her lips on his, and the tip of her massive blade poking his chest. Though it hasn't happened yet (presumably), we are privy to this information for a reason. And though his head is a jumbled, fragmented mess of information, strangely enough I believe Taku's paranoia is justified. Moe moe smile is NOT to be trusted. Later, we'll see why.

WTH

Rimi insists that they are friends, and that Taku forgot her [name/face/flamboyantly pink hair] because he rarely goes to class. Adding insult to injury, Daichi steps in and 'proves' it by showing him a cell phone picture of the three of them together. Who to believe! I think she and Daichi are in cahoots. I could bore you all to tears with few rudimentary explanations, but the story is so wide open to possibility at this point that I'm just going to admit that I'm damn confused. Time will tell. I will say one thing though -- allowing for exceptions like Perfect Blue, protagonists tend to be among the more credible characters in a story. If it's his word against theirs, I'm siding with Taku.

Something is acutely wrong with that statement O_O;

I'm willing to bet money that Seira will have an important role at some point or another (above and beyond being Taku's personal aidoru.) She's too permanent a fixture to stay stuck in that nasty shipping container. Funny question: is she really just a subconscious creation, or does she have a will of her own? Although she sometimes tells Taku what he wants to hear (as though a device to articulate his thoughts in a fluffy, moe sort of way), there are other times when she gives him advice that he *doesn't* want to hear (e.g., "wake up", "go to school", etc.) On the flip side, she never appears when he is in the process of confronting reality, but that doesn't really help to cast her as an innocent imaginary friend. It kind of makes me think her intentions are ever so slightly less than benign (you know, like that little demon that whispers strange things in your ear when no one else is around... or is that just me?)

I know what a wimble is, I don't know what a "wimbled cross" is, and I'm not sure I want to find out.

Rimi marks the third member of the harem evil moe network to invite herself over Taku's 'economy apartment'. He promptly offers her a glass of GTFO and sends her on her way. I would advise him to change the locks, but, well, it's a SHIPPING CONTAINER.

The boys in blue are hard at work, as usual (::snicker::).

"So let me get this straight, gentleman. You are dealing with one of the biggest, most twisted and bizzare murder cases you have ever encountered, and you decide to conveniently ignore the fingerprints on the fifteen gazillion wimbled crosses you found sticking out of that poor man's body, and conclude, simply because you have a grainy surveillance photo of some boy running with one of them in his hand, that he is the killer?" (Boy are they going to be surprised when they find out their first suspect is an epic FAIL at the game of life. Still, the video is a good lead, and more importantly, we can now confirm a vital piece of information: the murder... was real.)

Notice the distressed look on Seira-tan's face.

It's like a harem tag team! Rimi leaves the shipping container, Yua takes her place and reminds Taku of their pre-planned trip to Anime8 for some shopping. The directing makes it painfully obvious that the owner of the bag that Taku saw in Room 36 of @Cafe in Episode #01 is Yua! ドン！ It was quite darkly amusing how the date were scenes so carefree and happy (with pleasant tunes, to boot), while this giant assfuck piece of information was tucked neatly between the visuals. True to the Japanese storytelling style, we get the news long before word reaches Taku, but he'll find out eventually. Oh, and notice how cutely concerned Seira-tan looks while reading Yua's e-mail to Taku. The standard harem love competition has begun... err, rather, let me rephrase - what *appears* to be your standard harem love competition has begun. Underneath the surface, something wicked lurks. Each girl is interested in Taku for a very, very different reason.

That uniform symbol looks vaguely reminiscent of a weed leaf.

Yes, the harem cliches are in full effect. The date scene was cute in its own cheesy sort of way, a watered down version of what one would expect in a shounen anime like Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, tolerable because we know that it will all crumble to dust before the episode is over. I sort of felt... bad... for Taku. I mean, Yua succeeded in coaxing him out of his shell, only to let the hammer fall abruptly and harshly on his horrid dreams of becoming the progenitor of a new generation of mutant otaku at the expense of some poor young lady finding that special someone.

INCOMPETENCE.

If I ruled the world, I would have this doofus fired. Oh sure, it is very possible to miss someone when searching for them in a crowd. I'll allow that. I'm mad because he didn't have the good sense to meet Taku at home, rather than searching for him at a school where he *may or may not* be. Had they really wanted to find him, it would have been done by now!

Moe moe smile is NOT to be trusted. Here's one reason why.

Come deito number two, the beans are officially spilled. Taku notices the Gero keychains on Yua's bag and she accidentally knocks her New Gene research materials out of the bag while trying to pull off a Gero to give to him (how a *zipped* bag managed to split open in one fluid action, I'll never know.) With her cover blown, she turns off the moe and turns on the badass. Taku's overactive imagination may have shaded the encounter a degree or two darker than what it actually was (especially considering the ridiculous and creepy way she kept repeating her accusations in emphatic threes), but the general gist of what happened, we can be sure, is true. Looks like that whole "oh I'm a prissy, girlie girl and I can't throw a ball" act in Episode #01 was just that--an act. Yua is not your average high school student. In fact, I'm not even sure she's a student at all. She has an exceptionally good grasp on the situation (the police must be a few thousand donuts and coffees behind her) and singled out the person with the most relevant exposure to the murders. How she accomplished this, I have no idea. I am utterly confused and will await further backstory. But, the REAL kicker is why she is interested in Taku ~

Prescience. Precognition. Prediction. Foresight.

Yua concluded from Taku's net convo about the Shibuya incidents, as well as the image of the murder which was taken the day before it happened, two things: 1) ドン！ Taku himself is 'Shogun', and 2) ドン！Taku has the ability to see the future. If he really is Shogun, then he has some important knowledge locked away in his mind. Somewhere amidst the chaos in Taku's head, lies the truth. ...The bad news is that his perception of events is now called into serious question.

Next Episode:

Your guess is as good as mine. More harem?

Okay, okay, so this isn't really about anime or manga... but I don't care! This is an important announcement aimed primarily at the numbered yet staunch fanbase of the SNES RPG cult classic, the one, the only -- Earthbound (known in Japan as Mother 2.) For all those who haven't heard the awesome news, I am extremely pleased to say that after two loooong, arduous years, the Mother 3 English translation is finally complete. Let us rejoice! Visit the fan-translation site, buy the game, download the ROM, download the patch -- whatever. If you enjoyed Earthbound, I hereby decree that it is your DUTY to play Mother 3. I promise that it is a game well worth your time, and the translation patch is a gorgeous piece of programming.

Rather than relate the entire tale of how Nintendo refused to produce a United States (English) version of Mother 3 (due to a supposed lack of fanbase, which, lacking in quantity, we Earthbound fans MORE than compensate for in quality), I decided I would copy the website summary. Have a look:

When on your way out

The Backstory

"Mother 3 is the sequel to EarthBound (an epic Super Nintendo RPG released in 1995) which was in development for 12 years before it was released in Japan in April 2006. It soon became clear that Nintendo of America was uninterested in localizing the game, so in November 2006 the fans took matters into their own hands with the Do it Yourself Devotion project.

Be sure that you say goodbye

For two years a team of translators and hackers worked to produce an in-depth, professional translation and localization of MOTHER 3. In August 2007 the team began blogging about their progress, attracting the attention of the gaming industry, media, and more than half a million unique visitors. On October 17, 2008, version 1.0 of the fan translation was released. Crazy times." (Quoted from the fan translation website.)

Then lock the door tight

Well, where to start? I have so many good things to say about this episode and I am so excited to follow this series that I haven't a clue where to begin. I watched it in several five minute snippets while rushing back and forth from the kitchen to cook my hangover breakfast (what a night!), practically trembling with excitement after each installment. The aptly named Chaos;Head is a maniacal muddle of humdrum Japanese high school student life, twisted murder, and most importantly, EXTREME MOE-INDUCED PSYCHOLOGICAL OTAKU-DELUSIONS! Best of all is that we never quite know which mode is at work at any given time, which fractured lens we are viewing the world through. The directing is fantastic, and fluctuates between extreme moods so eagerly and effortlessly that a golden-haired beauty like Kusunoki Yua could babble on about Seira-tan one moment and shake fifteen blades out of her skirt under a crimson glare the next, without seeming the slightest bit out of place. Never has that ‘moe moe smile’ looked so delectably sinister.

[WARNING: I've had one complaint already, so beware -- spoilers abound.]

From the pits of Otaku Hell.

Summary: If I don’t have a clue what’s going on, how can I possibly be expected to summarize! Nevermind, let’s start with the basics: Nishijou Takumi is a moe-obsessed hikkikomori high school sophomore who inhabits in a dingy metal shack atop the roof of a high-rise, surrounded by empty Coke bottles and Seira-chan merchandise. He sits long hours hunched over his HD computer monitor watching anime, playing games and Netsurfing. He is the ultimate otaku Loser, and has receded so far into the cavernous depths of his perverse imagination that he regularly has psychotic hallucinations, many of which somehow involve the incorrigible (and generously-endowed) Seira-chan, who always seems to be cheering him out of an apathetic funk or dragging him out of bed to go to school. Things get very interesting when the mastermind behind a series of grotesque local murders (who Takumi had accidentally discovered burying the final knife into her latest victim) turns out to be an attractive young transfer student that looks disturbing similar to Seira-chan. Why does she know his name? What does she want from him!?

Review: “Those eyes… whose are they?”, is not only Takumi’s signature utterance, but seems to capture the very essence of the show. We never know exactly whose eyes we are viewing the unfolding of these strange events through. Chaos;Head opens with a scene of Takumi laying in the middle of a catastrophic pile of rubble in the rain, his distant gaze suggesting paralysis...? Grave fatigue? Perhaps the dwindling sputters of life that precede death? Takumi narrates a time-displaced monologue about a world where “only the two of us” exist, as a pink-haired girl in school garb kneels to kiss him while holding a massive blade to his chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

Intro.

It would be reasonable to conclude that the remainder of the episode is an extended flashback; reasonable, to assume that the chronology will eventually work its way up to the time of the introductory scenes. Problem is, we are not dealing with a *reasonable* show here. Considering the way Seira-chan tries to wake "Taki" and get him to go to class (with bouncy J-Poptronica fistpumping in the background), or the way Takumi's garden-variety classmate Misumi smacks on the shoulder and reports his latest efforts to capture all the girls in his class while he sits hunched over a desk in room 2-C, one would almost expect a 'normal' slice of life to ensue... until we realize that Seira-chan is the diseased outgrowth of his supersaturated imagination, and that the weird tune accompanying the classroom scene hints (if not assures) that 'normal' life will provide no such retreat from the insanity. (I can almost hear the director chuckling.) Takumi sweats profusely from uninterrupted torrents of neurosis, mumbles to himself, constantly compares his daily life to an eroge, thinks perverted thoughts about his sister, triumphs gleefully in video games -- all from the suffocatingly comfortable enclosure of his otaku-box apartment. This dude is a Class-S NUT, so unbelievably over-the-edge in his otakuness that he has transcended the outer limits of depravity and reached some kind of impenetrable, folded-space character archetype that I can only clumsily describe as 'otaku-moe'. (Limit: one per series.)

The killer.

Misumi quickly changes the topic to the New-Gene(ration) murders happening in Shibuya. He continues to pester him about it over chat once Takumi is back home. With new information to worry over and a chilling chat conversation that will reveal pictures of the next murder, the dramatic mood shifts seamlessly away from school business back to the basket case zigzags of Takumi's thoughts, as though they were bouncing off the walls of his stuffy apartment like three-dimensional Pong balls. When Takumi discovers the identity of the New-Gene killer, things take an unexpected twist. Outwardly, of course, it is a mindfuck. But more significant to me were the psychological implications of his discovery. The borders between Takumi's imagination and reality are beginning to shift in unprecedented and frightening ways, as his hallucinatory idol seemingly incarnates as a bloodstained avatar that knows his name and confesses that she "wanted to meet him" (she looks like Seira-chan, doesn't she?) In addition, we are fed subtle hints that a dangerous network of moe (Nanami, Yua, the killer, and the blue-haired girl?) have surrounded Takumi and are beginning to circle closer. If three-dimensional women frighten him, threaten him, then he must be absolutely terrified.

This scene was pure genius.

If we were to dissect the show (assuming that Episode #01 is an accurate augury of things to come), and examine its component pieces, we would find that each is strong in its own right. The music is diverse, yet never strays far from the comically insane undertones that tie it into the meat of the show, even in the most lighthearted moments. The animation is gorgeous in terms of color, contrast, style and balance. The directing is superb, making clever use of simple but spontaneous cinematographic tricks to delicately adjust the mood of a particular scene (e.g. minimizing Takumi's visual dominance during bloody encounters, or skillfully reusing a still to introduce school scenes, or shifting between shots of Yua's and Takumi's feet while maintaining precisely the same gait in the scene where he realizes she is following him.) But what has impressed me most about Chaos;Head is that each of these aspects operates in near-perfect unison. As a coordinated effort, the show seems to give equal balance to visual, contextual, and aural elements, the result of which is a juggernaut first episode that pleases in almost every way possible and is definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY worth replaying. Chaos;Head is off to a strong start, and sets the bar high. Let's hope #02 does not disappoint.

Verdict: B+/A-, and I will definitely be blogging this.

Impz on Understanding The Delusional State of Takumi

To end off Maipeisu's excellent entry, I have invited myself to this entry in order to present the true delusional behavior of Takumi. This will be a very serious continual editorial to understand the true delusion of Takumi. It is also to strengthen and build up the logical hints of confusion into a state of instability and chaos. It's time for the true chaos: Understanding the delusional state of Takumi and Chaos;Head.

Key Case #1

The surface issue is to debate whether Takumi has a younger sister. I bet most of you have not thought beyond how he tried to sexualize his younger sister. Considering how fake the sister is (I mean, a stereotypical genki young sister with an otaku elder brother), I believe that it is in fact a delusional thought by Takumi to imagine a younger sister that is annoying. In the near future, he will start realizing that she is in fact a non-blood sister and starts to find her moe. Eventually, he will create the first delusional virtual reality world where he has 1055 clones of Level 6 younger sisters who can conjure balls of electricity and the 1056th clone is the one who looks like a 300 pound Girl Saurus.

If we dig in deeper, there is in fact a sublime delusion that aims to affect us in real life. That is in fact a conspiracy by Coca Cola to usurp the control of Pepsi in the oriental country of Japan. Despite the great popularity of Coca Cola in Japan, it is said that one of the rare population groups that have not taken on the brainwashing is the otaku group. The otaku group has generally went up in arms after realizing that Coca Cola is the mastermind that has orchestrated the creation of a stereotype known as retarded moe, aiding in the development of Soul Link (*the greatest anime show that is strangely and wrongly hated by 99% of all anime viewers*) and the delay of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Key Case #2

This is in fact a quicktime event where he has forgotten to press the X button within 3 seconds at the top right of the screen. If you notice, that X button is the key to getting 100% completion in the game, "How to click off stupid and ridiculous chain letters.", a cult hit among the spamming population. In fact, it has hit triple platinum recently and has sparked a fresh debate whether to make the 195th sequel.

Moreover, anyone can tell you that the image is photoshopped. Yet, is it really a photoshopped image that is blatantly fake? Being a conscientious viewer, this is where the confusion comes. It is actually a photoshop image after not being photoshopped. Try to figure that complex psychological fallacy created by the brilliant mind of Takumi.

Key Case #3

Have you heard of the show called Truman Show? It is a series about a salesman where his life is in fact a TV show. This is in fact the complexity of Takumi's life as his parents has sold their son to the secretive media known as the "OOC" - The Obsessive Otaku-loving Community. This OOC has some of the most influential members of society, whose main aim is to broadcast the confusion of otakus when they have scenes straight from various games.

This is in fact a scene re-created by the OOC to see how Takumi will react to a killing that is from a visual novel known as Chaos;Head. In fact, the OOC spent a million dollars on the cosmetics and special CG effects to appear real to Takumi. Moreover, they also spent two hundred thousand yen to make the advertisement sound like a news piece in order to make it great. Of course, everyone but Takumi knows about this, and is a secret subscriber to "The Takumi Show: Your life is ruined when you watch this."

Key Case #4

If you think that this is in fact a delusion, you are wrong. It is a delusion to think that it is a delusion because delusions which are so easily delusional are obviously not delusional unless you do not believe that it is a delusion. Try to figure that simple delusion problem.

For those that are lazy, the truth is that Takumi is already dead after being killed by this killer bishoujo of hell. She is in fact known in the otaku circle as Sena the murderous Aoi for her ability to kill otakus using female figurines of the rarest order. She usually tangles it around their face after binding them with her ninjutsu, making them lose blood from profuse nose bleeding until they die in extreme agony.

Key Case #5

The bikini is a lie. She is naked.

Well, friends, we have finally arrived at the end. It feels like just yesterday that I picked this series up, so it is hard to believe that some months have already passed me by. Time has flown; and true to the adage, dare I say -- it has been a lot of fun. This will mark the completion of my first full series at THAT. Modest as it may be, I'd like to thank the NYC fans for their comments and continual support. I am definitely looking forward to the fall season's pickings, and hope to blog two new series that will engage our readership's interest even more. You can expect some very different shows; among my choices are Tytania, Shikabane, possibly Chaos;Head (if I can vanquish the rabid Impz and claim it for myself), or Ef. At any rate, on with it!

Episode 13, as the title of this post implies, is basically a curtain call for the significant (intelligible and anthropomorphic...?) characters in the series, many of which appear in the OP. It's a great feeling to finally recognize all of the characters in the opening sequence, isn't it! As far as plot is concerned, this episode is about as devoid of direction as it could possibly be. It is more like a reflective montage of character appearances that coincide at the local akimatsuri (Japanese fall festival). Thus, #13 falls somewhere between the dreaded recap and the usual short story format, but it is nonetheless festive because for a few precious hours, the gap between the human and youkai worlds is metaphorically bridged. Takashi, finding himself surrounded by familiar faces (both youkai and human), is finally able to savor the peace and satisfaction of belonging...

At least he has fashion sense enough to wear the fanny pack in the back.

If I could have left Takashi with one piece of advice, it would have been to stay out of wooded areas. You may have noticed that the worst youkai always come from the forest when he's taking a shortcut or somesuch. After his run-in with Master Belch the previous episode's giant blob of evil, I can't even watch him walk through the woods without a flutter of apprehension. (If he can't stay out of the woods, he should at least keep Nyanko close by or work on that right hook.) Naturally, at this point in the ep, I couldn't help but wonder if there was one more evil awaiting Takashi in the darkness.

He should be dead. Dead!

But, no. No more evil demons stalking Takashi in the darkness, and no Alice-a'tumbling-down-the-rabbit-hole business; just a fat cat slipping down a hill on a collision course with a unlucky passerby and the eventual promise of fall festivities are all that await. It's strange how a gentle series like NYC can be far from peaceful, but if you look back on all the trouble that Takashi has had to go through (not counting returning names in the middle of the night), he's had hardly a moment's rest. Am I the only one feeling some relief?

The sequence above is a bit of an anomaly; it's the first time Nyanko speaks to another human besides Takashi. Basically he starts mouthing off at Kaname after cannonballing into him and knocking himself out, but what I find interesting here is that he does so under the assumption that Takashi had already told Kaname about his true identity... Is this a plot hole covered in the manga, or does it allude to something else?

Sasada: OMG you can like see them amirite?!

Maybe all of Takashi-kun's trouble's aren't over yet. As long as he lives, breathes and talks to spirits, Sasada will continue to stalk him. Unfortunately for her, luck never seems to be on her side, at least when Kaname is around. Run away!

"Fox's Rain"

Clearly, it just wouldn't be a proper curtain call if everyone's favorite androgynous furry didn't make his appearance. As usual, he's getting picked on and getting in trouble T_T Youkai are reputed to be attracted to lively congregations of people such as fall festivals, so it naturally follows that Madara, the fox-boy, and many other unmentionables (I don't want to spoil them yet) will be drawn in like moths to a flame. All of Takashi's favorite 'people' in the same place...!

Shuuichi: How could I ignore a shota in distress?!

Not quite the savior he was hoping for but a savior nonetheless, Shuuichi pops out of nowhere and comes to the rescue. I'm surprised that Red & Blue got off easily as they did, considering the utterly spiteful force they were up against. Then again, I'm also surprised that Shuuichi took the time to save a youkai. Does this portend a change of heart? Or does he have a thing for furries too? More than those, however, there are bigger questions to be asked:

WTH, a secret society!

What exactly is ShuuIchi-the-(youkai)killer doing at a place (i.e. the festival) where hundreds of ayakashi have gathered? What is this darkly lit room full of strangely-dressed figures, some human and some perhaps not? Was the previous scene just a farce? Are they planning a mass-exorcism? There is also the business of Hiiragi shadowing the fox -- why did he order her to do that? These are some of the questions that popped to mind over the few seconds it took for this scene to play out, which ultimately (if neither disappointingly nor thankfully, then at least misleadingly) proves to be Shuuichi's final appearance in the episode. NYC stays true to its mostly-benign plot designs.

Ninja skillz.

Hiiragi decides to help him recover a lost item, rather than simply tailing him. At that point (when Shuuichi first ordered her to follow him), there was still a possibility for mayhem, still a chance for something to run awry and destroy the delicate mood that is gradually building as the magic hours near. But when she finally agrees to help him, one can safely assume that there just isn't enough time left for the episode to consolidate its plot-tatters into a sinister side story. You can count on a lighthearted remainder and a succinct denouement.

Where the hell is she going?

Sasada goes to extreme measures to get Takashi to return. She ties the cat up. That's right, she takes Nyanko hostage as insurance that Takashi will stick around when he sees her next. She *ties* the cat up. Nyanko could have transformed to escape, obviously, but Tamiko-chan (another cameo appearance) cuts him loose before the need arises. Why she decides to drag him up a hill, I have no clue. At least they are even now. But man, that is one naughty little girl!

LOL, this is what we call "the look" (refer to top two images.)

Hinoe is here to join in the fun as well, to watch Takashi and enjoy herself. Takashi is too busy searching for his fat cat to give his boneheaded friends the time of day so they get blown off and don't receive a second of screentime beyond what they are due. The merchant gives them the "I've been here all damn day and I'll rip you a new one if you screw with me" look after the dark-haired (no, I don't care to remember his name) one complains about not having received his kaitenyaki, which had been craftily pilfered by Hinoe. The search for buta-neko continues.

Praises to the one who can identify this book for me.

I was going to hop back some seconds to point out that Touko-san was home worrying about Takashi (and include a relevant still), but I found this image of a book too interesting to pass up. Marketing ploy? Oddly unsolicited and meticulous detail? A real book? Can anyone translate the title?

Another beautiful shot.

This was another screen capture that I found far too visually appealing to leave out. Such a lovely contrast of reds and blues. The lanterns almost make you feel like you are there...

Mmm, corn.

The fox-youkai is really the star of the show in this episode. He finally locates his aniki and the medicine that he had lost (which will enable him to transform into a human for a single night), and then returns hand-in-hand with Takashi to the festival. Only then does Takashi actually participate in the festival (note that he forgets about searching for Madara around this time), perhaps because he feels a certain sense of satisfaction in knowing that youkai and humans alike have gathered together to celebrate, or that he can be of some use to the little fox.

This can't be the end! I had hardly any screen time! What about my big finish!

So, at the end of it all, my entry on the final episode turned out to be more of a massive image dump than a set of literary reflections. I'll admit that there isn't much to be said here, although there is without a doubt much to be experienced. For one thing, it leaves behind such a subtle set of impressions than attempting to discuss it in words is a more or less futile effort. It should simply be watched.

As the culmination of an episodic series, #13 affects an emotional response by perusing the character relationships that were explored in previous episodes, as well as establishing a few new relationships in order to tighten the social network (of both human and ayakashi) accumulating in Takashi's hometown. Character by character, word by word, piece by piece, a generalized, composite impression of peace and festivity is established (at least for a single night) and NYC takes a final bow.

I'll reserve my overall assessments of the series for a review editorial, which I plan to post shortly, so please look forward to it! Also, fans of NYC be on the lookout for season two!

Pretty dank contrast to the usual festivity of THAT's front page, wouldn't you say? Episode 12 is finally here (don't blame me, blame the subbers if you must), and for a penultimate episode, it most certainly doesn't disappoint. Perhaps the writers were very insightful, and realized that they had mixed in enough lightheartedness and sensitivity to warrant a few drops of bitter business to keep things interesting. Apparently, they had an ace of their sleeves.

We, the viewer-collective, finally get to experience another run-in with the dark side of youkai purported by Mr. Maerimashita and his cousin's appearances. A bloodthirsty demon casts "Doom" on (a.k.a. 'curses') Takashi-kun with a five-day countdown. So, of course, Takashi struggles to break free from the curse with the help of his youkai pals. There may or may not be a moral here, I'm not sure, but there are definitely some edge-of-your-seat moments that play to an entirely different set of tastes, strangely, without losing that gentle NYC touch. This episode is a very satisfying climactic point for the series and was definitely worth the wait. As usual, count on Nyanko for the lulz.

Impressions:

Ah, puberty.

It's very odd that we haven't been exposed much to Takashi's romantic inclinations, other than a few blushes here and there. Never has Takashi seemed more refined and adult-like in contrast to his pals. If not that, he's running behind a few years, or he's too "fabulous" for that sort of thing :-> More importantly though, I guess I should point out that this is another rinse-and-repeat intro with Takashi's two friends. The evils of a limited time slot have demoted them from significant side characters to background noise.

Can anyone figure out what's wrong with this picture?

Correct me if I'm wrong (no, really), but since when do frogs get caught in spiderwebs? Seems a fairly strong indication that something is amiss (more on this later). But Takashi, being the openhearted, unassuming person that he is, doesn't make a big deal out of it and releases the frog.

FEE FI FO FUM!

Yes, that is a youkai in its mouth. The boss of this week's dungeon is an inky blob of pure evil, so nefarious that whoever managed to seal it was in such a rush that s/he/it didn't even bother to enshrine it; the captor simply tied it to a tree and left... or so it would seem. Takashi knows instinctively not to right cross it, but to run like hell instead. (Good thing those fight-or-flight instincts are still working.) But the big question on my mind is -- where was Madara???

Very nice 'shot.'

This was a really nice shot. I love nicely composed scenes like this one, especially since NYC spends an inordinate amount of time showing close-ups of the characters' eyes. While they may not be at all central to the plot, such scenes are equally important. They require a fair amount of time to produce and as such are usually found only sparsely in an anime that doesn't have a gold mine budget on hand to satisfy its every whim. That's what I love about studios like Production IG, who (in my experience) are easily recognized by their attention to visual perspective.

You know what they say about curiosity and cats...

But back to the story, Takashi made the unfortunate mistake of gawking a split-second too long at the black blob's cannibalistic glee and allowed himself to be touched by one of its tendrils. The demon left a curse on Takashi that slowly whittles away at the victim's energy until weak enough to be devoured (allusions to a spider, perhaps?) As for Nyanko-sensei...

The mark of evil muahahahaha!

...Nyanko adds to the error by touching the curse, which instantly screws up his ability to control the size of his restrained form. If just touching the youkai's curse was enough to damage the great Madara, I dare say he has finally met his match. My advice: sit this one out and have someone else take care of it.

Tantalize us with backstory hints, will you!

If it was not clear before that Madara shared a fairly significant relationship with Reiko, this little line drives the point home. Madara recommends using the yuujin-chou to summon one of the youkai for protection and assistance, as he lounges lazily in a... fried squid ring? Dreading as I was episodes with big flashbacks, I really have to admit that I'm very curious about Reiko's life; too bad we probably won't get to explore her past, at least not before the first season is complete. Which reminds me -- for anyone who hasn't heard the news, a second season of NYC has been announced!

Youkai transmutation is forbidden by law!

Whoever is behind this little scene is seriously lacking in scruples or, much less credibly, has NEVER seen Hagaren! Not only do we get a transmutation circle, but it comes complete with a hand-clap and an equivalently-exchanged mirror/drop of blood! At least they left out Takashi's maroon cloak from the promo pic. That would have been a bit much.

Misuzu! I choose you!

It should come as no great surprise that Misuzu made it onto Nyanko's first draft. Don't get me wrong, I am completely in love with Nyanko, but I have to admit that aside from him, Misuzu is the COOLEST youkai in the series, not only for size, strength, and speed, but also his even temperament. Misuzu has the air of a very respectable and wise elder.

Tantalize us with tales of yuri long past, will ye!

Misuzu calls upon Hinoe, a buxom, passionate lady youkai that used to be in Reiko's... service (I'll leave that open to interpretation.) Of course she goes through the same initial incredulous response when she finds out that Reiko is long deceased and that Takashi, a boy, is rightful heir to the yuujin-chou. I really enjoyed seeing what the yuujin-chou could do when put to proper use. It's a shame that Takashi-kun cannot find other excuses to thumb through it and call various youkai to his service. Then again, he probably lacks the strength to do anything but return the names. As we will come to find out, simply having the name of a youkai in the yuujin-chou does not prevent them entirely from acting on their own...

I'm gettin' the Silent Hill vibes, what with the new PS3 title coming out tomorrow.

Shame on Madara for making light of the shadow (no pun intended.) Actually, it's all the more reason that he needs to sit this battle out. He was unable to sense that this figure was actually a shadow-version of the demon encountered earlier, a puppet whose agility will increase proportionate to the amount of energy that he curse has drained from its victim . When the time is right, it will be able to strike at its leisure.

Details, details...!

This was a bit of an unexpected insertion (I'm referring to the pages, not the green tea.) It's fascinating what a few insignificant frames can do for character development. If nothing more, we are left with a vaguely and infinitesimally increased sense of Touko-san's character, or rather a heightened sense of mystery as to her true nature. I don't exactly know what the page reads, and I could be wrong, but I am fairly certain that the last katakana word translates to 'raifu', or 'life'. So -- something-life? The katakana below read 'furniture', 'chair', 'garden chair', etc. Maybe it's a catalog. Anyway, at least we know she *has* a life. Don't ask me what the kanji mean.

Lavi: Oubuta kobuta! Man! MAN!

From last week's previews, I expected this to be one of those "oh look I'm small now, what do I do!" episodes, but NYC has continued to evade some of the most explicit cliches. And it is as it should be. A second to last episode ought to be focused on the main character, not filler. When the shadow demon finally makes it inside Takashi's home, he decides that he needs to leave the house (under the pretense of staying over a friend's for three days) in order to protect his family. I'm not sure if this situation was the show's way of flirting with Takashi's earlier thoughts about leaving home permanently, but it definitely forced him to confront his desire to stay with Touko and her husband. And now, a haiku:

Will Takashi leave?

Or will he best the demon
And then return home?

{BEGIN RANT} Apparently one acclaimed anime wasn't enough, they had to rip off TWO before they would be sated at Brains Base! What am I referring to? Of course, the striking resemblance between the evil youkai and some of Miyazaki-sensei's supernatural creatures, that's what! Go watch Spirited Away if you don't believe me. I'm not implying that Miyazaki has a patent on youkai design, but still...! Even down to the big, flat hippo-teeth and purple tongue, they look soooo similar! {END RANT}

Goldeen Goldeen!

Having weakened significantly from the rapidly spreading curse, and with Madara incapable of interfering on his behalf, Takashi's last defense against the demon was a shiki. As ridiculous-looking as it was, the shiki that he managed to summon was heavily symbolic. I'll curtail the analysis and simply say that it was a very accurate representation and manifestation of his character -- a gentle, delicate, pure creature whose true strength lay far beyond the physical and visible.

You've been had!

Surprise, surprise! It was all a test. Misuzu led Takashi onto the path leading toward the evil youkai. For all we know, he might have sealed the youkai in the first place. Who can say. Did Takashi pass the test? No. But the youkai like him anyway, which says a lot. Veneration is not always achieved through brute strength.

Next Episode:

The final episode will be a curtain call cleverly disguised as a seasonal festival. I'm looking forward to it!

Since Nyanko-sensei is responsible for like ninety percent of the lulz in NYC, it should come as no surprise that an episode *about* Nyanko-sensei would turn out to be MEGA-LULFEST. Prepare to laugh your ass off. The fat cat commits one too many atrocities (namely, eating all the shrimp in the fridge) and Takashi finally loses his cool and kicks him to the curb. The prideful ayakashi skulks away in a huff and goes on an alcoholic, gluttonous rampage around town. Oh yea, I forgot to mention that there's a little girl in there somewhere too, but she's just a cleverly disguised plot device used to usher in a heartwarming ending. Stupid androids. Anyway, look forward to it!

(Note: Please forgive me for the late post. I have been tied up all day doing panel reports at Anime Weekend Atlanta 2008. I am surrounded by kyaaing fanboys and fangirls, and I am nearly at my wit's end with exhaustion after having written for a nearly 12 solid hours. Give me a shout if you were here!)

Drunk goggles.

Another long night, eh Nyanko? Nyanko with a hangover trying to catch "three little birds" is pretty entertaining despite being rather Garfieldesque. These two fat cats may need to duke it out to decide who gets the dibs on the jokes. And if you think you know whose side I'm on, think again. I actually love Garfield, at least the Garfield that reigned before Jim Davis put down the ink pen. Anyway, this joke is a pretty standard opener; it doesn't betray a bit of the awesomeness that lies in wait.

SHROI KOBUTA!

Nyanko-sensei's attempt at a live breakfast fails miserably and he falls into a random ditch. Enter the cute little plot device (see image above), who happened to have fallen in there herself. From last week's preview, I was anticipating a cheap knockoff of Alice in Wonderland (what with the whole 'falling into the hole' business - call me crazy), but thankfully, the writers didn't take it in that direction. Little missy will appear two more times before this ep concludes.

Forget shrimp, Takashi should praise the heavens that Nyanko didn't eat his entire family instead!

Takashi returns home and discovers that Buta-neko has pilfered the shrimp from the fridge. To add insult to injury, Nyanko denies the allegation and accidentally cracks the plastic case of a CD that Takashi is borrowing from one of his friends. This all sends him over the top and he tells Nyanko to GTFO.

Madara: You punked out, baldy, white asparagus!

I think Takashi blew everything out of proportion. How easy it is to forget that Nyanko is not really his pet cat, but probably the baddest youkai around (how many other youkai has he seen sealed away by a keikai?) And Madara has saved his life, like, how many times now? Furthermore, had he actually stopped to think about it he would have realized that those CD cases are extremely easy to replace (they can be disassembled and reassembled within minutes, by hand.) But angry people will be angry people and do the things that angry people do, brashly, in the heat of the moment.

Conspiring against Madara has its consequences...

Apparently the local ayakashi were none too happy with Nyanko's ravenous appetite, drinking habits and off-key singing. Too bad he's about to stomp them for talking trash. They should know their place.

This is what we call "adding insult to injury".

Maybe "beating a dead horse" is a better expression. Madara's meddlings in the human world force him to take don his schoolgirl disguise. Here, he asks the local priest (the father of Takashi's classmate) to exterminate those "ungrateful ayakashi" out of spite. Onto the next event, as the rampage continues!

Oh look, Fresh meat Takashi's friends!

Since Takashi's best buddies have between them little more intelligence than an amoeba, She-Nyanko convinces them to take her out on a date (what better way to get back at your ex than dating the best friend???) Nyanko enjoys long walks in the park, sake, and...

Revenge is a dish best served hot, and in copious quantities.

...All-you-can-eat buffets! Suspiciously similar to Garfield, wouldn't you say? If I were that poor waitress, I would have called the police and had her detained for examination in a military research facility.

Just like a laid-off sarariman...

Next stop: the arcade! Nyanko has little trouble coercing Takashi's friends into treating her to a few games. Maybe they thought they were going to *score* muahahahaha (yes, horrible pun intended.)

*Sigh* it's just not the same without Nyanko's fat buttprint...!

Meanwhile, back at the house, Takashi's host parents wonder aloud at how they haven't either of them seen Nyanko in a good long while. Now, if there's only three people living in that house, I wonder who they thought was responsible for stealing the shrimp from the fridge. If Takashi had said "it was the cat", they might have been inclined to ask what manner of cat Nyanko would have to be in order to manipulate the fridge door open. But that's assuming they would take it that far. The reality is that out of necessity, all side-characters hover around in a mundane haze, oblivious to more things that just the hidden world of ayakashi. All eyes on the protagonist.

Oh, loli plot androids, what would we do without you!

I swear I could do an entire editorial on loli plot androids, the most obscene and sophisticated example being, perhaps, an actual android -- Pino, the Auto-Reiv from Ergo Proxy. But I digress. Takashi makes a deft escape after his stalker gets distracted by the Tamiko-chan. Along with the bus-stop escape from an earlier episode, that makes two for two. Run away!

If looks could kill.

Remember that machine from The Fly? If you took Noah's Ark and chopped it in half and stuffed one half in each side of the machine, you *might* produce something as ugly as this week's youkai. Forget about chimeras and Chinese dragons (tail of a carp, mane of a lion, etc.), this dude is just an inglorious trainwreck of Neopolitan ugly.

PWNAGE \m/

But my, how news travels. It took little more than a day for Enkou (ugly) to find out that Madara had quit his job as protector of the Yuujin-chou, so he figures it would be a good time to snatch it. Notice, however, that he approaches Madara first, just to make sure that it was true and that he wouldn't encounter any resistance when he took the book. Basically, he knew from the get-go that Madara would be a tough nut to crack. Nice try, ugly. This was actually a pivotal moment in the episode, because Madara encounters the final and most important sliver of his ties to Takashi, his agreement to protect him and the Book of Friends. Protective fury wells up out of nowhere before he has a chance to comprehend his actions, not in response to Enkou's threats to steal the book, but at his taunts that Madara has begun to "care" about humans. It is a truth that Madara has not fully accepted and is only beginning to acknowledge.

The replacement (read: Nermal)!

Blasphemy! How dare a presumptuous kitten sully Nyanko-sama's royal food dish!? Off with its head! We'll show no mercy! Throw the parents in the pit! ::Ahem:: and now, a haiku:

Between love and hate

He befriends a little girl

And he makes a choice

The plot device makes her third appearance. She has snuck out of her parents' sight to embark on a forbidden picnic and manages to fall in the same ginormous (new dictionary word; check Webster) hole a second time. A for effort, Tamiko! Shortly after, Nyanko wakes with a hangover and pulls the same stunt with the three birds that he did at the beginning of the episode and, predictably, joins Tamko-chan in her 'secret hiding spot.' Edit: The plot device actually only appears twice, chronologically speaking. The final scene is a flashback to where the beginning of the episode had left off, with Nyanko and Tamiko-chan stuck in the hole. When it starts to rain (goodness knows she might have caught pneumonia if she had been alone!), Tamiko panics because her mother told her that rabbits will die if exposed to rain, thinking that the rain may also be detrimental to buta-nekos. She throws an adorable little fit and eventually cries herself to sleep. Something in him shifts, and he makes an interesting choice...

LASSIE!

The minute it begins to rain, Takashi goes searching for Nyanko. He was thinking about him the entire time! Considering NYC's delicate sense of symmetry, I'm tempted to say that Madara has now come full circle (similar to Takashi-kun) in that he appreciates human beings, just as Takashi-kun has learned to appreciate youkai. But that may be a bit of a hasty conclusion. After all, Madara was never socially-isolated or shunned because he could see humans. As far as I can tell, ALL youkai have that ability. Also, I'm willing to bet that it was a human that shut him up in the keikai. But I thought it was worth mentioning nonetheless.