With my work starting, I am getting busier with lesser time to spend on the anime blog. Hence, as much as I want to update it often, time restrictions mean that it is almost impossible to do so. With such, summaries on the blog will be getting slightly on a less frequent level, with Saiunkoku Monogatari and Bokurano kept as the two mainstays. Seirei no Moribito and Kaze no Shoujo Emily will be relegated to the I.D. Analysis, where only a short summary will be provided rather than the detailed ones (read: lengthy and problematic) or at the worst case scenario, none at all.

Episode five of Seirei no Moribito is filled with dialogue over the water spirit, while Emily is creating a little stage production and making a script for it. These two episodes, especially Emily, provided a very intriguing set up for the future episodes.

Seirei no Moribito Episode 5

Episode synopsis

Torogai realized that Chagum is the second prince and checked out the egg of the water spirit as she placed her head into Chagum’s body. However, she was unable to touch the egg and was out of breath. She explained that the egg was the great water spirit of a clan, and it was impossible to remove the egg. Torogai then explained about Nayugu and Sagu, which were the spiritual and real world, and they exist accordingly. When Torogai asked when the egg was felt, Chagum said that it was during spring time, which was the full moon where the bond of the two were the strongest. However, Torogai said it was an irony that Chagum, descendant of the New Yogo clan, was the Seirei no Moribito, or the guardian of the egg. That was because his ancestor had killed the water king, and now his father had to kill his own flesh.

Chagum, shocked at the blunt words, went out of the house, with Saya and Toya giving chase to give him some comfort. Inside the hut, Barsa discussed the plans and successfully guessed that the emperor would probably try to make a fake funeral for Chagum and said he died in the fire. Torogai also said that Tonda was good at healing due to Barsa, rather than magic. Torogai asked whether Barsa had killed anyone, and she said she did not ever since she left this hut two years ago. Torogai also warned Barsa that she might be protecting someone that would cause a huge drought, but Barsa said she would protect Chagum at all costs.

Tonda, after Barsa’s request, went to find the “Blue Hand” after looking for the jewellery. Tonda passed the message that Barsa wanted to buy all his goods and Tonda realized that the goods were human slaves. As the men met Barsa in the hut, they hit a compromise as Barsa’s plan to escape the mountain while the search was going on was revealed. She was attempting to use the slaves to disrupt the search process. Barsa warned “Blue Hand” not to capture the slaves she released and also bought over the fast horse from the “Blue Hand”. Tonda then came in, saying that even though she was always successful in her plans, he wished that she would depend on him for once, got angry and stormed out. On the evening horizon, the slaves were released while Barsa looked on to the sky.

Thoughts

This episode is definitely filled with words, and it is very hard for me to actually churn out a short and concise summary. I do apologize if some of my terms are inaccurate since I am not exactly the best person when it comes to listening to terms. For this episode, there is little plot moving, but we did realize that the revelation of Barsa saying that she had killed no one meant that Jin is not dead yet. It is possible though that the previous hurt that Barsa had to face when Torogai asked her such a direct question was painful. It seemed that she had killed quite a few people due to the vow she made the years before she left this hut two years ago.

I also like Chagum, who is showing a very human side. He is but a child, yet shows quite a bit of maturity that does show the regal side of him in terms of his royalty status. Even though I am somewhat disappointed that I still know very little about his personality, there is at least quite a bit of sophistication in terms of Barsa’s plan to escape. I also did not expect Barsa to be so decisive in her decision making, and that she is very intelligent to guess the works of the emperor way in advance before she received the news from Toya and Saya.

Tonda clearly has some feelings for Barsa. It seemed that he is somewhat angry in a way that is generally more than a friend, and his hope for Barsa to rely on him clearly shows a rather different emotion comparatively. I must admit that I am slow to feel the vibes of this possible romance, but it’s perhaps that the romance cannot go forward, not without Barsa clearing the vow of protecting people.

Torogai is definitely a mixed bag. I am not sure of her allegiance except that she is definitely very interested in the egg, since she seems somewhat neutral and nonchalant what happens to everyone. Yet, on the flip side, it can be her harsh way that shows that she is actually concerned over what is happening to the others. I do wonder which interpretation might be more accurate. The next episode talks about Barsa finally being able to escape, but she has pursuers from the royal assassins.

Kaze no Shoujo Emily Episode 5

Episode summary

In school, Emily was dozing off in class when the teacher told her about the festival, and she was told that a play would be interesting. Rola then told Emily that since she was such a good writer, she should write a script and make up a play. However, she could find no one for the play except Ilse who was dozing off. IIse told her later that Emily was tricked by Rola and two people would be too hard to make up a play and they did not even really know how to make a script. As she returned home to tell Elizabeth about the play, she was scolded by Elizabeth, who said that acting was fine but writing was not of a Murray’s pride. She went out, talking to the wind and enjoying the breeze as she could feel that the wind was telling her to go on writing. She also talked to Teddy and Teddy encouraged her.

Late at night, Emily was rushing out her script and did so. At school, Rola was boasting to invite everyone to her house and enjoy chocolate and biscuits, as Emily and Ilse looked on. Emily passed IIse the script, and Ilse was impressed as she promised to act. Even though IIse did the role well, she had problems remembering the exact words of the phrase. Ilse and Emily then got into an argument about the script, as Ilse said it did not make a difference whether she said sky or no, and left in anger. Perry passed by, and took the script from Emily as he was learning words by the day, and was improving as Emily invited him to watch them rehearse. It would help his learning of the language too. The next day, Ilse as expected, was no longer fuming and brought a green cloth for the role of the green pixie.

The practice was going well with Ilse well suited for the role and Elizabeth was cleaning up when she found the script. As Emily returned home, Elizabeth confronted Emily and said that it was unbecoming of a Murray. Emily said she felt that there was nothing wrong and Elizabeth tore her script up as Emily was wet with tears. However, she said that Elizabeth could tear off the script, but would never be able to remove the script in her head. The next day, Jimmy went for the play but Elizabeth refused to go. Rola’s group was doing decently but Rola had not memorized the script and caused a serious blunder. Emily’s play went well and it was one about love, home and the yearning of belonging. Elizabeth was looking at the play as Emily noticed it, and left when it ended. Even though Emily’s play was a big success, she had a long way before convincing Elizabeth.

Thoughts

The lesson that I got from this episode is how pride and the lack of practice can hurt you. If you notice, Rola simply tried to look down so much on Emily, being malicious and boastful about all the clothing and the likes. Despite how beautiful their costumes are on the stage, how wonderful they look, those children are merely humans that are very ugly inside and they showed it at the end of the play when they fouled up. This perhaps tells us a very classic moral story: not to judge a book by its cover. As much as a person is beautiful on the outside, Episode five shows that it is most important what lies inside.

Another thing is practice. Unlike Rola’s group who bothered about flashy gimmicks that are merely ornamental in nature, Emily and Ilse made a proper rehearsal after another. It is perhaps a harsh lesson that no one is a talent. No matter how smart you are, how great you are, how wonderful you are, without practice, you are just like any other common person on the streets. In fact, a very common, average person on the street can beat you easily with some rehearsals because time spent on rehearsals and practice cannot be replaced by raw talent.

In a way, the verses spoken in the play by Emily is really beautiful, as I particularly like the part where she talks about the yearning of the home. Despite Emily’s initial discouragement from going to the Murrays, I can tell that she is enjoying herself in the lush and comfortable place which allows her a ton of creativity coming out from her heart. I really like the beautiful words in the play, and I might take some time to just translate the words of the play when I have the time.

Nevertheless, Emily just gives you this warm feeling in your heart and tells you that innocence and the beautiful world is still around.

Do you know the feeling of a backlog that you never discovered due to an immense amount of work and you told yourself that you will watch that anime soon? By the time I discovered it, I realize that Kaze no Shoujo Emily Episode four has been happily sitting on my hard disk for a fabulous four days. That shows you one thing: Once you get buried in work and turn into a Hataraki Man, it’s impossible to notice many other things around you.

Nevertheless, it’s time once again for the weekly review of I.D. Analysis, and I will cover my current watching anime, my thoughts on it as well as perhaps a short summary for Emily skipping the summary for Emily for this episode due to time constraints.

The episodes analyzed includes: …

Claymore Episode 5: Click here
Overdrive Episode 5:Click here
Lovely Complex Episode 4: Click here
Nanoha StrikerS Episode 5: Click here
Lucky Star Episode 4: Click here
Kaze no Shoujo Emily Episode 4: Click here

Episode five is just totally insane. I am not crazily in love with Claymore for the first four episodes. Yes, Clare is very cool, and we did see some nice character development of Clare and that inside a Claymore, there is demon blood but there is also the life and heart of a human. Episode four deals with the history of Clare, through the vision of Teresa who picked up a young girl. This episode brings us back to some sort of a flashback, telling us about the journey in which Clare undergone before she became a claymore. I must say that this episode really gets Claymore going, simply because of the appearance of a wonderful character.

Teresa. This character has a rich voice and I apologize for my lack of knowledge of seiyuu but this seiyuu who voiced Teresa really has this wonderful tone that makes Teresa really unique in a way that I cannot describe. I have not read the manga yet but I feel that the humanizing of Teresa, the most powerful “Claymore” in this episode has a strong influence on Clare’s behavior in the future, and that is what we can somewhat see when we get back to the situation when Clare is back in the frame as a “Claymore”.

I find that it is rather strange that they did not give any indication or reason why the monster actually kept Clare instead of eating her up. I mean, demons like to abuse humans but it seems to me for the past few episodes that they are more keen on eating everyone up for the fun of it rather than torturing them. I will wish that there is somewhat of a more logical answer than “being kept for sheer malice”. The young Clare is also cute too, and I wonder what has caused her to be unable to talk.

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Over Drive Episode five is quite average by any standards. I actually enjoy Mikoto’s extreme dorkiness in his actions. I mean, it is almost public suicide to post such provoking pictures of Fukizawa and the bicycle in order to attract people. In a way, the humor in this series somehow cater to me and I always find myself laughing at the almost out of this world antics by him as he tries to go on.

Episode five is the aftermath after the first training session with the cycling team. Mikoto finds himself having a severe pain after over straining the muscles that are used to cycle, and he was asked by the seniors to do some physical exercises to build up his endurance. For one, his way to build up endurance (doing pushups in the corridor and sit ups in the classroom) are just so crazy that I wonder what kind of lifestyle he has for the years that he had lived. I mean, anyone with any common sense will do not such a thing.

I guess that is why Mikoto is really pure and naive in the things that he wants. Honestly, I do not really understand about the sudden emotional trauma of Fukizawa at the very end about not knowing about her goal, but it’s just like out there. I find that the transition from humor to serious drama is a bit poor but on the whole, it is still worth watching and I do want to at least get to see a cycling contest already!

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Risa is just so amusing when she is quizzing herself whether she actually likes Atsushi or not. I always feel that Atsushi is much more sheltered in revealing his emotions compared to Risa, who is more of an open book but that is also good because she is in fact very pretty and beautiful at the same time. The very fact that Atsushi is completely oblivious toward her emotions of him and the scene where he goes all suspicious when she bought him a gift is just pure comedy.

This episode deals with Atsushi and a new girl who is in fact a freshman in the class. After Atsushi saved her from a ferocious dog, she fell deeply in love with him and started to be attracted. I am fully interested about why in the world Atsushi accepted the proposal of the new girl to be her boyfriend. I mean, yes the girl is cute, but it is totally out of any sense to be even carried out by such a kiss. Maybe, it is possible but I lack the experience to actually answer that.

On the whole, Lovely Complex Episode 4 still delivers quite a fair number of laughs, but Haruka is somewhat getting on my nerves. I know that it is supposed to be a show with quite over-exaggerating emotions, but Haruka’s antics just annoys me.

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I actually wanted to write three paragraphs to say how much I like this, but the next few words will describe how I feel about this episode.

Mahou Transformation. Naked. Feito-chan. Great.

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Lucky Star episode 4 finally got me to laugh, since I finally got some of the references and culture jokes that are within this episode. For one, I really like the association of Kagami with Haruhi’s armband, since they are both tsunderes. Trust an otaku to find the best gift for their friends. However, I do not get why Kagami’s sister has the uniform of To Heart and I must say that some of the jokes in this episode are like a on-off for me.

For once, I am not that bored with the actual scenes of the show but this week’s lucky channel lacks that oomph that usually gets the most laughs. Other than that, I find that when the characters talk a bit too much, I find myself a little distracted by the volume of words that are communicated in every single episode and I guess I am not the type of person who fully concentrates on the dialogue while watching any anime.

It’s on the waiting list of being dropped soon, I think.

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Kaze no Shoujo Episode 4

I really adore Terry a lot. This episode is centered toward Teddy and Perry, where we know a bit more about Teddy’s family situation, as well as a little squabble between Perry and Emily over writing being an childish behavior. I do not know why Teddy’s mother acts the way she does, but the many rumors spoken on her in the town will probably have a terrible psyche onto her mind. When she cried in the night, Teddy must be wondering a lot.

It is also good that the influence of Emily and Teddy finally allowed Teddy to break the ice with his mother and eventually allow the freedom of mind to draw the portraits that can bring her true freedom. It is sad that she has allowed herself to retreat into her little shell in using Teddy in order to fulfill her sadness but by opening up, she has finally released herself from the prison that she has locked herself into. Perry is also given quite a bit of development, as we realized that Perry has never studied and never understood any words, but the effort he spent into writing Emily is quite admirable.

His dream to be a president of Canada is hilarious though, and despite the laughs, it is quite a wonder why he has such a dream. I guess that shows that they are still somewhat innocent and the joy of Emily after viewing the drawings are cool too. I do wonder what the suffocation of being unable to explore the books that Jimmy allowed her to read will be. It seems apparent that Elizabeth is clamping down on Emily’s poetic activities.

I do wonder what the talents of Perry and IIse are, or whether they are merely normal people compared to the clear skills of Terry and Emily. Anyway, yes, that’s it at 3 am in the morning and enjoy!

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The 3rd episode of both series can only be described with one single word (make that two): TOTALLY AWESOME. If any of you out there is not watching these two series, you are missing out on the candidates for the top five series of the spring season and that is definitely not an understatement. Even if my personal endorsement means nothing, I beseech you to at least take a peek at these two wonderful series that has captured my attention.

With detail, graphics and fight choreography being so realistic in Seirei no Moribito, to the detailed character analysis, emotions and innocence of youth in Kaze no Shoujo Emily, both series up to this stage can proudly say that they had excited anime fans. Move first into the world of the mystics as Barsa fends off assassins on Chagum, before seeing how Emily adapts to the new children in her school.

Seirei no Moribito Episode 3

Summary in a chunk

Barsa told Chagum to hide in the forest while she took the four assassins. Hitting and running, she was able to fend off the fighters, but her mast head of her spear came off with the strings being broken, as she was stabbed and escaped while incapacitating the leading man. Chagum was caught by one of the assassins and was rendered unconscious as they took him away. Jin tried to find Barsa but she had escaped as Jin took Chagum away to the capital. Even though the other fighters admired her fighting scenes against the odds, Jin said she was a mercenary and would not return as they dispersed.

Toya and Saya were hiding under a boat, as they tried to look for Tonda who was peddling his medicine to people in an area and waited there as there were advertisements to look for him. Jin was carrying Chagum before carrying him down. A flashback showed Chagum had given him some food when he was tortured in his training and was vomitting badly, and Jin eternally thanked Chagum for his kindness ever again. He then professed to kill Chagum, since he knew that Chagum would be killed for the water spirit in his body. He would bear the crime but he was eliminated by the hurt Barsa.

Barsa continued to carry the unconscious Chagum away until he woke up and said he could walk. Barsa immediately fell down after the stress to her body and told Chagum to meander around the tough terrain (rough rocks, animal trail, grass field) in order to find Tonda. Chagum nearly fell to his death due to the slippery ground with the rain pouring down and a wolf was also following him. Eventually, he reached the destination but he found no house as Chagum stepped forward and fell into a pool of water.

Chagum was about to drown when Tonda did arrive and saved him. Chagum informed him about the plight of Barsa and he rushed away.Toya also found out where Tonda was, as Tonda was out of medicine and went back to retrieve some more. Two masters were fighting around Barsa, and one eventually killed the other as the killer cried. Before Barsa passed out, she saw a girl that she somewhat recognized, and Tonda arrive to the scene to the bleeding Barsa, who was not going to last to the evening with the loss of blood from her midsection. She lost consciousness in the unsympathetic rain, as the voice of Tonda continued to ring.

Thoughts

Oh my god, Seirei no Moribito just goes from strength to strength with this episode three going totally crazy with the fight scenes at the start and the end. The fights are very realistic, rather than making it all heroic by making Barsa overly strong and killing them easily. The thing about the characters is that there is in fact a distinct difference and personality from the assassins, rather than some token evil killers that just enjoy killing. I have enough of lame evil killers, and Seirei no Moribito makes the assassins humans, compared to mere robots.

One of them is warped enough to kill Chagum so that Chagum will not have to face with the fact that he will be killed by his own parent. Yet, it gives each character more life, even if they are to appear for a short while. With that form of character sophistication, I really applaud the story writer and animation company for doing such a great job with the story board of this episode. It really makes such an excellence graphical show even better. I am just in awe and Seirei no Moribito got to be one of the top five anime of the spring season, along with Bokurano.

I also find that Barsa’s character is filled with warmth and irony. She laughed at her own weakness of being unable to protect her appointed customer, and laughed at herself for getting help from him. However, she does have a strong sense of honor herself, simply thinking of how to save Chagum even though she is physically weak. I also feel that the fact that she returned to hunt down Jin in order to retrieve Chagum despite her injures is very admirable. In all, the realistic portrayal of a woman that is strong yet vulnerable is done excellently.

I personally feel that Chagum is still not as special as it is, but there is at least a bit of character development. Considering his upbringing as a child that is given anything he wants, he is showing a great extent of maturity as well as strength in terms of the things that he has been doing. I mean, walking on a thin trail along two high cliffs is not something that can be done by a child like him, if he had no strong conviction to save Barsa, as well as his own willpower to move on.

Kaze no Shoujo Emily Episode 3

Summary in a chunk

Emily had a fight with IIse, and as Ilse ran away, Emily’s skirt got trapped along the fences. The teacher finally came and the skirt of Emily got torn as everyone went into the classroom. Emily introduced herself, and people were gossiping about her being with the Murrays, considered to be one of the stuck up families in the area. She talked about her interests in writing and poetry, before sitting near IIse. Emily tried to get the girl beside her to share her history book but was ignored. When IIse offered hers, Emily simply ignored her meanly. Some of the girls, after class, placed a snake inside a box passed by a girl called Roda, who seemed to be kind and interested in Emily’s poetry.

Roda told her that the girls were mean to her as Ilse told them to, and IIse’s father was a wizard that conjured magic to curse people. Roda then pointed out the direction of the house, telling her to bring a rose for protection tomorrow and left. Jimmy looked on as Emily went on the road to see IIse’s house. As Roda left, Emily tried to look at the house, with a man mixing chemicals using test tubes. IIse caught her peeking and Emily confronted her for trying to instigate the other children to bully her, with IIse looking clueless. Eventually, they fought, slapped and got each other in the mud, before IIse’s father came out to call her in.

Emily was looking all dirty when she came back, hoping to escape from Elizabeth but she failed. Only a good lie from Perry that Emily fell from her horse and Jimmy confirming it as he brought back the basket Emily left while searching for IIse’s house saved Emily from a thrashing down. As Emily cleaned up, she told Jimmy about what happened, and it was the first time she fought. Emily also found a secret hidden room with the cat’s house, a place like an attic as she decided that it was the place she would start writing. The next day, Emily was not bullied, as she ambushed IIse who was about to go home.

Emily questioned IIse why she did nothing today, and IIse replied innocently that she was no longer angry after the fight. Emily then heard Roda talking badly about her with the three bullies, with Roda bribing them with sweets to work with her. Emily confronted them and slapped Roda. She told Roda that she was Emily and should be treated as so. One of the girls took her writing book, as they threw it around until IIse got it back as they escaped. IIse’s father was in fact a chemist that was also a medicine man, and they were on their way to Terry, a sickly boy that they visited every week. IIse suggested to Emily to pick some flowers for him. Terry’s mother said that Terry was out on the fields since he was feeling better. When Emily saw Terry drawing in the grass field, she was entranced by his good looks, as the wind blew peacefully.

Thoughts

Kaze no Shoujo Emily is definitely the best show to watch after Seirei no Moribito, being in a totally different spectrum in the genre. It’s always good to watch something relaxing, soothing yet a bit subtly amusing, and Emily is all that. The petty fight between Emily and IIse is just so hilarious, since Emily is someone who really does not easily forgive anyone, yet is so naive at times that we tend to forget that she is but a child that believes whoever is treating her nicely even if it’s an act.

I personally like all the characters of Kaze no Shoujo Emily because they are all so appealing. We have the really spunky and ready to fight with anyone if they do her injustice Emily, the rather bratty yet helpful Perry, the stern and yet still caring Elizabeth, the jovial and happy go lucky Jimmy as well as the quick to tease, yet open-minded IIse and also Terry, a good looking young man that seems to be good at drawing. The character dynamics between all the people in this show are just like a fluid movement of emotions and interactions. They are really just so fun to watch, and the novel must be an excellent read with such a compelling cast.

I must add that Emily can be a tad too judgmental. It is apparent that IIse, for all her mean behavior at the start, is just a playful girl that immediately become nice to her after lending her book when the fat girl refuses to lend her the book. Her quick temper starts and ends fast, and she is clearly someone who forgives easily, a good complement for Emily who does not really seem like someone who will ever forgive someone and makes sure that they pay a hell lot.

To be honest, the episode portrayed the society very logically, an ironic touch to the elitism of society. We often think of elites as a group of snobbish people and when they turn out to be snobbish, we allocate it to their status. We have to remember what Emily said in her declaration toward Roda, that she should be treated as Emily, not a member of the Murray family since she is herself and not belonging to any personal ideology of others. Perhaps, the little lesson that can be learned in this episode is not to judge a book by its cover, and to approach anything with an open heart, rather than stereotyping things that will twist your views before you can take the time to understand.

These two series seem to do pretty well, even though both of them are mostly overlooked by fansubbers for one reason or the another. Nevertheless, they are both competent series that should be given a look for excelling in the genre that they are in, with great production values in terms of graphics for Seirei no Moribito and great storytelling for Kaze no Shoujo Emily.

It’s time once again to bring you the summarized proceedings, as well as a little of my humble thoughts in the series. And some rather not humble thoughts for the fun of it.

Seirei no Moribito Episode 2

Summary in a chunk

Barsa and Chagum fled from the palace in a midst of huge flames from the burning imperial palace, and Barsa told Chagum that he, as the prince, does not exist after today. She also told Chagum to take good care of the gift given by his mother. The Imperial Stargazer Shuga watches the blaze from afar as Gakai acknowledged that it was the third attempt on Chagum’s life. After Chagum was dozing in his sleep, Barsa offered to piggyback him and told him it was a common practice among the commoners for a mother to carry their child that way.

Shuga approached the Seidoushi, which tried to deny the assassination attempt before letting him into the secret that it was in fact granted by the king. The Seidoushi knew that the second queen was hiring Barsa to protect Chagum and there was indeed a spirit within. With that, the Seidoushi concluded that the spirit was the legendary water spirit and warned Shuga that knowing too much about politics was a path that he could not return. He then explained that in the history books, the first king had slain a water spirit within a child and became a ruler. Even though it was ridiculous, the king wanted to kill Chagum so that he could secure his throne, even though he was hurt emotionally for killing his own child for it.

Barsa finally reached Toya and Saya’s hut, as she instructed Toya to buy some goods. Barsa hid the jewels for future use, as well as doing maintenance on her spear when she saw a bright glow around Chagum. As she shook his body, he awoken and the glow disappeared, and Chagum asked if he said anything funny and said that he wanted to live. Barsa said she would protect him but he said it felt that way ever since that thing in him appeared. Toya was also interrupted by someone with a brimmed headgear as he escaped after the person pressed about information of Toya burning necessities for a long trip.

As Toya informed her, Barsa passed him a gold bar and told them to move, as it was dangerous. On the road, Chagum stubbornly refused to be carried with the huge weight, and Barsa said he was not like a prince and he had pride. However, she acknowledged that it was going to be hard without a horse. There were also two moons appearing. Suddenly, she could sense that there were pursuers as she told Chagum to run as men similar to that brimmed headgear man that talked to Toya appeared, rushing forward as a battle looked eminent.

Thoughts

This is perhaps the first time that I have found a second episode having a higher graphical quality compared to the first, and that is considering the fact that the first episode of Seirei no Moribito literally blew me away with its graphical excellence in design and background color and scenery. It is perhaps its strongest point to drive, considering that the plot though good, is not as strong compared to some of the most moral disturbing and complicated plots in the spring season anime.

More about the minus side of the anime later, it’s time to give them a slap on the back for giving such a high standard among a really quality abundant season. To me, the scene at the end of the episode with the rice fields is one of the best animation of a beautiful rural background for ages, and I was replaying that scene two or three times to absorb the amount of detail captured only by another well known animation company known as Kyoto Animation. The dramatic headgear throwing was a tad excessive though, and it feels so cliche.

I found that Seirei no Moribito is one of the top shows this season and rightly so for its excellent portrayal of Barsa as a multi-faceted character with a past that begs for answers, as well as an endearing character amidst her role as a bodyguard. She is definitely extremely likable, and it’s apparent when she carries the young prince like a mother, treated him like how a parent would to a child when she talks, and yet is still calculative and plans ahead with the groceries as well as a good judgment of friends with Toya. It’s always a good show when you find the main character compelling because you can feel for her/him. For now, the blemish is that I have little impression over Chagum.

In all, I do want to know a little bit about the tale of the water spirit, which I believe that it will be told in due time. Next episode seems to be a fight that Barsa might be outmatched, and I do wonder what happens as she looks battered.

Kaze no Shoujo Emily Episode 2

Summary in a chunk

Emily broke the vase and Elizabeth noted the cat was there, only for Jimmy to jump in and say that he had brought the cat home. He told Elizabeth that there was a rat problem and used the cat, and promised that it would stay out of the main house. With that, Elizabeth simply asked Emily to get ready for dinner. Perry helped to clean up the broken vase and said Emily was courageous to talk back to Elizabeth. As they had their meal, Elizabeth told Emily the roles she had to do such as letting the cows free, helping with after meal cleaning. Emily also wondered why they were still using candles, but Jimmy said it was part of the Murray tradition.

Elizabeth also informed Emily that she would be sleeping with her. Emily was uncomfortable, and asked Elizabeth about her mother’s room, but Elizabeth was avoiding the issue and said that no one entered and told her to sleep. The next day, Emily overslept, and Elizabeth was forcing her to get rid of her pigtails, only for Emily to insist that it was something that her mother and father upheld. Elizabeth said it was the pride of the Murrays to be prim and proper. Emily was then locked inside a dark scary room, and was asked to repent in the room. She hated the Murrays and wanted to return home. Emily tried to escape from the window through a huge tree, only to be caught by Jimmy and Perry.

Jimmy and Perry brought her first to the butter factory where they made her own butter, which fascinated her. Then, Jimmy brought her to his very own garden, where she could feel the imagery of the trees being nymphs and princesses, while the wind aunt appeared as well. It was almost like a garden paradise and Emily was surprised how Jimmy could see the imagery too. As they went up, Emily found a site with tombs, as Jimmy explained that it was the place for the Murrays. Hugh Murray was the head and he had brought up this barren land into a rich field. Mary Murray was Jimmy’s mother, and when she had a contagious flu then, Elizabeth allowed her in and nursed her back to health, never ostracizing her in fear of being inflicted.

Jimmy said that was the pride of the Murray, where they never feared pain or trouble, but moved on with grit. Perry informed Emily that Elizabeth had returned home, as she rushed back. When Elizabeth entered the room, Emily admitted she escaped and was willing to face punishment. Elizabeth said her punishment would be for her hair to be cut. As Elizabeth was about to cut her hair, Emily said that she could do it but her pride and view will never change on it. Elizabeth could feel the pride of the Murray blood in Emily, and decided against cutting. Finally, they allowed Emily to go to school, but on some really old fashioned clothes. It was clear that the students did not like the high handed family and a blond threw Emily’s book down, telling her to get lost.

Thoughts

I really like this mellow series quite a bit. Personally, I like Jimmy as a character because he is such a casual person that helps to save Emily with his glib tongue, even against someone as harsh as Elizabeth. I find myself liking Jimmy, even though he feels rather simpleton in most situations currently. Still, I really like the part where he joined Emily in the imagery of the nymphs and princesses from the view of the trees, and I found myself absorbed at the youthful innocence.

If anyone of you can look over the character design, Emily is clearly another strong lead, with her determination and drive to follow her own will at things, just like how the first Murray of the house, followed his own will due to the pride of the family to carry on in situations of despair and uncertainty. I also enjoy the moment where Elizabeth’s harsh stance was cooled after seeing the determination in Emily’s eyes. The eventual hug and thanking of Elizabeth for not cutting her hair is also rather cute as Elizabeth looked stunned from the affection given to her. She is probably not used to hugs.

I do wonder a bit about Perry though. He seems quite interesting and I want to know about his origins from being a stable hand in the family. I want to know who picked him and there seems to be a bit of a disdain by Elizabeth for his position. I guess being a hand of sorts is considered to be degrading and it’s probably something that Elizabeth, the head of a high class group, will do. I also wonder about the blond that shoved Emily’s books away. Why is there such an unstated anger and hatred for Emily even before talking to her. The answer will probably be revealed in the next episode.

Signed, Impz

After scanning through the Anime blogging community, I realize that there is absolutely no news or fanfare for these two series. There can only be two main reasons for it. The first reason is that it’s so bad that it does not deserve any attention at all, which is the case for some of the hideous series ever seen on the Japanese shores. The second reason is that all the hype that surrounds a few huge series that are coming out have caused the hidden gems to be well, hidden from the eyes of the viewer.

These two series seem to be rather quiet on the front. Shining Tears X Wind is a RPG adaptation turned into anime series, revolving around a group of students entering into a fantasy alternate world where monsters of all types roam and maliciously hunt down the living. Kaze no Shoujo Emily is a story about a girl, Emily, where her life is depicted through her very eyes as we see the story of loyalty, friendship, hurt and pain living under the roof of another after her father died from an illness.

One of them belongs a little to the first reason, while the other series belongs to the second reason. The moment of truth awaits.

(Sorry for being cheesy. I realize I apparently have an addiction to be cheesy)

Shining tears

Summary in a chunk

The story starts with a missing boy like Nakayama, who went missing after some mysterious circumstances that no one knew much. The student council (I think) was discussing about how to resolve the matter, with Saiyoji and Soma stating how if there was any problem, Keira would be able to defend them with his art at the kendo. As they left the meeting room resolving to go, a girl came in to talk to Saiyoji about the incident being similar to a book that she had seen, as they stayed back. When Soma somehow forgot to get something from the meeting room, he returned simply to see the book open with no one in sight. Saiyoji had disappeared and they discussed about him the next morning. They then talked about returning back to school during the holidays to investigate this mysterious incident.

At night, a girl was chasing around to look for a being called “Zero”, as well as a monster who was running away. The next day, Soma and Claire were there first in school as Soma confessed his love to Claire, but Claire seemed resistant as she had an inkling for Keira instead. However, the monster appeared in the school, with the cat-like Mao (the girl chasing) appearing to fight the monster. With Soma and Claire helping her out, she was able to easily defeat the monster as she informed that she was from an alternate universe. However, the monster suddenly broke free from the ropes and broke the mirror on Mao’s chest transporting them to the other world.

Keira and the other girl came to the school, only to notice that the non-blooming Sakura tree in the school was flowering completely, and they were reminded of the words in the book talking about the Sakura bloom. Soma and Claire were now within a dimension meeting “Zero”, an winged angel with rings and black-white wings. He said something about Soma replacing him as they were teleported onto a lush green field. Monsters started to appear and with Claire ineffective, Soma was left to fight on his own. Monsters continued to sprout as Soma told Claire to escape while he stopped them. Eventually, they cleared almost all monsters except a huge ogre as Soma was strangled. Just when the sword of the ogre was about to strike, Claire blocked it with her body. In a dream sequence, Soma grabbed the hilt of a sword representing Claire’s heart and struck the ogre into two as he continued to defend her.

Thoughts

I have seen some favorable reviews from Useless Thoughts and Psgels but I am completely unimpressed. If the quality of a RPG adaptation is supposed to be good with this standard, I think I fully understood why I never bothered consciously with any. I am not saying that it’s not good but it’s not very impressing with either the graphics, the lead up, the basis (that I feel is required in any RPG) and the characters too. Nothing really wowed me, and it’s probably the bad luck of this series to be alongside some of the greatest first episodes in this season.

I seldom dislike an anime and I will be loath to post it up if it is such an anime. It is definitely decent and there are some redeeming things about this. For one, I actually like the monster design, especially the ogre was good design since there is at least a basis from the game itself. I also like the battle style since there is a lot of variety and that the character themselves are pretty good at fighting for a start. It makes for a decent show, but with the many great shows that are going to be out this season, it is definitely hard for me to have any time for it. If you do like a decent fantasy RPG adaptation, this might be for you. It’s not for me though.

Kaze no Shoujo Emily

Summary in a chunk

Emily is a girl with a great talent to write from her heart, as her eyes see trees and the wind aunt through her imagination. As she wrote about the emotion of the wind crossing through her heart, her father came to call her back. Emily’s father was sick from a disease but they were together in the same house after Emily’s mother died early in her life. Her father was loving to her and appreciated her abilities to write from the heart. During her 11th birthday, her time with her father was ending, as her father’s condition was worsening fast. He told her that her mother, Juilet, was part of the rich Murray family and she would be able to be adopted once he was gone.

He knew that his time was up and he told her to be strong and believe that love was all around, as long as she continued to seek it. He eventually died as the Murray appeared to see Emily for the first time. Aunt Ruth was suspicious and very vile toward Emily’s father who was a small time reporter and writer. Jimmy and Rola are rather nice people, while Aunt Elizabeth looked harsh and she was in fact the head of the Murray family. They started to talk how Emily’s features took over certain people, but Emily strongly rebutted and said she was her and her only, and not made up of other people. Emily earned a retort from Elizabeth for being unladylike. In the funeral, Emily tried her best not to cry in order not to show any weakness. Ruth said that Emily was so heartless while Elizabeth looked on intensely.

Emily was wondering how her life would be like and prayed hard she would not stay with Ruth. The family then appeared, with Emily hiding under the table as they wondered who would adopt her. Most of them had harsh words for Emily, especially Ruth but after some statements, Emily rushed out of the table and Elizabeth scolded her that eavesdropping was a very dishonorable habit and chased her up. Ruth eventually thought of balloting to choose her adopter.

As Emily finally chose, it was Elizabeth but before she read it out, Elizabeth took the piece of paper without looking, crushed it and said she would take charge. As they finally left, Emily’s cat escaped in the straw bag. A boy came out to disturb Emily after hearing the cat’s calls, and as the cat escaped, it accidentally knocked down an expensive vase as the voice of Elizabeth came. A new dawn would appear at New Moon, the new residence of Emily.

Thoughts

I totally loved this. This anime is based on Emily of New Moon, the first in a series of novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I personally like the mellow feeling in the story, especially with the main female lead being a child with a great talent for writing. The set up of the story was excellent too, even if it is a bit predictable who Emily will go to eventually when she gets adopted. I do hope that Aunt Ruth will not be the stereotypical bad woman that will torment Emily so badly that it will be living hell.

It is already apparent that Elizabeth will not take to Emily too kindly considering her harshness, and I know that Jimmy and Rola are token nice people who have no power to shift anything. Hence, I am hoping that either Elizabeth or Ruth will become the role where they are harsh to Emily but eventually helped Emily in times of trouble. One thing that I feel will definitely turn off people is the design of the characters. I mean, what in the world is wrong with the huge forehead of Emily. It looks like someone out there has a forehead fetish, if there’s such a thing in the first place. I believe that the character design can be better for the child but the adults are decent.

I feel that this anime will be the hidden gem of the season, just like how Red Garden is. I might even pick this up for constant blogging, but I am not too sure how it will go. Emily of New Moon or Kaze no Shoujo Emily demands yet another look to see how it goes because I have a feeling that it will have a very compelling story of loyalty, friendship and sheer guts complimenting with the harshness and gentleness of human souls. I will be quietly looking forward to this.