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ファイト／ステイナイト 
After waiting for 12 episodes, we're finally rewarded with Yin's background story. It's interesting to know that her personality in the past is quite different from her current personality. It makes one wonders if Dolls actually retain the personality of the original person or if they have their own unique personality, even though they are limited by their program. In a way, the Dolls (and Contractors) can be compared to Replicants in Blade Runner or its literary source, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The main difference is that Replicants can mimic human emotion effortlessly while Dolls can't seem to do the same. There was actually some reference about Contractors not being able to see dreams on last week's episode so it's a natural extension for this episode to continue along that theme. As a side note, this episode also provides brief explanation as to why Tsukiakari is integral to Yin's story.
Ketsumeishi - Mata Kimi ni Aeru (43.9MB, for PSP/Quicktime) | YouTube version
I become a 「ケツメイシ」(Ketsumeishi) fan when I heard their 12th single, 「旅人」- Tabiudo (yeah, I know it's normally read "Tabibito" but "Tabiudo" is the official Hiragana reading given by the band). I continued to be impressed by their next single, 「男女6人夏物語」- Danjo 6-nin Natsu Monogatari. And although I'm not too crazy about their 14th single, 「トレイン」- Train, it was still a good song. They've just released a new single on the 12th of this month titled 「また君に会える」- Mata Kimi ni Aeru. I have to say that this is definitely on-par with both Tabiudo and Danjo 6-nin Natsu Monogatari. In general, their song have that lazy, summer feel which make them perfect songs to listen to on summer vacation. Anyway, this PV itself features a popular Japanese model, Ebihara Yuri, or "Ebi-chan" as her fans called her. If you're interested, this site has more information about her. You can even see some of the CMs which feature her.
Well, that was a little bit disappointing. For some reason the animators felt that they must diverge a little bit from the manga ending. I just think the manga ending is a perfect fit and ties in with a lot of the early plot threads from the series. However, the ending in this version basically watered down that strong ending right down to a very powerful and creepy epilogue. Instead of showing those, the writers decided to show montage of the characters running around the wharf. Oh well, whether I like it or not, this is the ending. Overall the adaptation was okay but could have been better. I think the unnecessary meddling of the anime writers actually made the series a lot worse than it should have been.
I was surprised to see a flashback to an episode that we never saw during the TV broadcast. I am referring to the story where Chiaki helped tutoring Nodame and Mine. I always think that this particular story is one of the funniest in the series. It was unfortunate that the producers decided to exclude it from the original TV broadcast. However, with the brief flashback included in this episode, I hope this means the story will be included on the DVD. Anyway, it's nice to see Matsuda in this version because although the guy was mentioned in the live-action, we didn't get to see him at all. I hope we'll get to see him conducting in this version because I like the idea that despite Chiaki leaving R☆S Orchestra, the rest of the members are in good hands because Matsuda will be taking over the conducting position.
This one is a little bit hard to watch for me because I don't find the supporting characters to be that interesting. There was potential in Nick and Hei's friendship but since both characters were in their 'persona', I have no idea if their friendship was genuine or not. I supposed one can argue the friendship was genuine because back then, Nick didn't know about Hei's identity. I wish the actor who played Nick gave more emphasis in his reading of "I am happy to have met you". I think that line, when said to a friend can be very powerful but in this episode it comes across as simple pleasantries. As far as 'love interest' goes, Meena is probably the most annoying thus far. It doesn't help that Hei has this cold attitude towards her. As a result, there was lack of chemistry between the two characters.
What a fantastic episode. It's been a while since I feel genuinely excited with this series but this is exactly how I felt when I read the last volume of the manga. It's unfortunate that the series were prolonged more than necessary because I think it would have more bite if this confrontation happened a lot earlier. I supposed the author wanted to show how Kira's terror eventually takes over the world. To a certain extent, the series did that. However, I don't think it was thorough. We saw how extreme some people could be in their Kira worship. The thing is, we don't know if they are just a group of extreme individuals or if the rest of the world also joined in the madness. I think it would have been better if they had shown the reaction of some other people. Oh well, next week is the finale. If you don't know the ending, place your bet on who's going to win. If you know the ending, put your knowledge in spoiler tag please.
Wow, two more episodes and that will be it for this series. I can't believe that two series that I cover will end almost simultaneously. I think Death Note will conclude next week while this series will end the week after that. I've been hoping that there'll be a second season but at this point, it doesn't seem likely. Maybe if the DVD sales is good and the manga is concluded soon, we'll see a sequel in the not-too-distant future, just like Honey and Clover. I do hope that we'll at least get a glimpse of the second season towards the end of this season because that's one thing that the live action didn't show. They don't even have to have a voice track. I just want to see the arc animated while music plays in the background.
Wow, I can't believe I finished that proposal. I thought it'll never end. Anyway, I'll have to play catch-up with the blog now, which will be hard but I'll try to do what I can. Things will probably won't return to the way they were until 1 or 2 weeks later though. It doesn't help that Summer season is about to start and I haven't decided what I want to follow yet. Thankfully at least 2 series that I follow right now is about to end soon. I'm referring to Death Note and Nodame Cantabile. This means I have at least 2 new shows that I can follow without much difficulty. The only problem that I have now is choosing which shows I want to follow. Anyway, Nodame Cantabile will come a bit later after I get a rest.
I'm sorry for the late entry as usual. I will also have to postpone writing about Darker than Black and Nodame Cantabile until Monday because my proposal is due in two days. After that, I hope I will have more time to resume my normal blogging. Anyway, with only two more episodes left, next week should be both exciting and confusing because Light and Near will finally have their confrontation. As for this episode, up to this day, I still don't fully understand Mello's full role in capturing Kira. I mean I understand that Mello's action inadvertently causes a flaw in Light's plan. However, I think it's rather hard to believe that Mello could predict what both Light and Mikami would do if something prevents Kiyomi from writing the name in the notebook.
Well, we're down to 3 more episodes left. I kind of wish we'll get to see a second season but after seeing the limited budget that the animators get for the series, I don't think that will happen. What I'm interested to know is how popular the anime has been in terms of Noitamina timeslot. I think apart from Honey and Clover, this is the only other Noitamina series that I've been really interested in. I know that Honey and Clover set the standard for high number late night viewing. However, I remember that it has been eclipsed at times by other series. This is why I'm interested to know about the ratings that this series received. I assume just like Honey and Clover, this series probably already has a built-in fans who followed the manga before the live-action series and the anime came out.
What's with Pizza Hut getting their hands all over anime series screened in Code Geass/Darker than Black's timeslot? It's not hard to tell that unlike other, barely recognisable brand, such as the infamous McDoness Burger, theirs is one of the few real-life brands which make it into the show without being disguised as something else. Personally, I don't mind in-series advertising, providing that the series' animation and writing quality remains good. Unfortunately, I feel that the series hasn't been as good in the past 2-3 episodes. I think the main problem that I have with this arc is Wei and his silly ability. His ability feels too over-the-top even for a series about super-powered people. I feel that I went from the usually constrained but stylish series to a tacky, over-the-top Speed Grapher wannabe.
Woot! 3 more episodes and this series will reach its finale. All of these times, I always wonder how many people have actually read/seen the ending. I've heard that many people left the series after L's death so I assume that they didn't stick around to see the ending of the series. As someone who has read the ending (but not this part of the story), I have to say that I find the ending to be satisfying. Having said that, I now understand what people say when they claim that between L's death to the ending, it feels like the storyline is dragging. I think the storyline certainly lacks the excitement of the early plot. However, I'm not sure if it's because L's death or because the plotline is being reused over and over again. At any rate, I think it's really about time to end the series.
I never really pay that much attention to the second ending theme but lately I'm starting to like it. I think it reminds me a little bit of Honey and Clover ending themes, Waltz and Split. I must be feeling nostalgic. It's been a year since that series ended and I have yet to find another anime series that can be the successor to that series. I was hoping Nodame would be the one but while I love the live-action, this anime adaptation has been quite underwhelming. The lack of details in the background, the static performance sequence, and lead voice actress which doesn't really mesh with Nodame's character really hurt this adaptation a little bit. Oh well, with only 4 more episodes left, I hope the animators will start using the budget to make the remaining episodes look good.
I've been kind of disappointed with the last 2 episodes of this series. I especially dislike this one because the ability of the Contractor is starting to remind me of those freaks from Speed Grapher. I just think the new ability is a bit out there even for a show about people with super powers. At any rate, I hope we'll get to see more character arc. I've been wanting to know more about Yin, for example, but we never have a story about her. I suppose this episode was meant to give Misaki a background story. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything surprising about her background.
