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ローゼンメイデン 
This is actually a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect the original arc to be this entertaining. It's also nice to see the animation quality to be higher than last week. The blur effect that the animators overused on last week's episode is barely seen here. In addition to this, the artistic styles that the studio employed for the super-deformed characters are pretty good. Story-wise, this is pretty much the comedy part of the arc. As a result, there aren't much information given about the arc. Judging from the arc's name, I wonder if the story will focus on the three main houses in Hinamizawa. One thing that I also notice here is that most of the main characters are a lot closer to each other than they were in the other arcs. I wonder if this means that they'll less likely to become paranoid.
OP Theme: 「奈落の花」- Naraku no Hana (12.4MB, for PSP/Quicktime) by Eiko Shimamiya
I give up trying to find a high quality copy of the raw. I've put up the opening and ending for download but they are only in PSP format since the avi format is way to crappy to watch. As for the story, this is actually a reunion episode which is meant to bridge the first season with the original arc, Yakusamashi-hen and the last two original arcs, Minagoroshi-hen and Matsuribayashi-hen. They do this by presenting the informations that weren't included in the first season. These are seen through stories told by Asakusa, Ooishi, and Asakusa's kouhei in a reality based on the Tatarigoroshi, Himatsubushi, and Tsumihoroboshi-hen. Since I've pretty much guessed the real plot back then, it's kind of hard to be excited about the series. I'll probably still cover the second season but I think I'll cover it arc by arc instead of episode by episode. I do hope that the series can still fill me in on several plot points that I didn't understand in the first place.
Aww, it finally ends. I don't know what I really feel about this. I wasn't impressed with the slow, boring parts of the show around Tatarigoroshi but seeing the ending kind of rectified it a little bit. I think the unfortunate part about the story is that it ends just as the story starts to unravel. There is little to no explanation to the mystery around Rika and the murder mystery. I think the anime would have benefitted from longer episode counts, more inclusion of the game storyline and better character design/animation. I also think that some of the lines are a bit cheesy and could have been written better. This is the second game to anime adaptation from DEEN that I've watched and both have been rather disappointing in their own way. Oh well, I think I'm just going to read the manga to fill in the blank now.
September 26, 2006 | 
17 Comments
Well, this has been a fun series to watch and I'm quite satisfied with the explanations provided thus far. Unfortunately, there is only one episode left and there are some mysteries that have not been explained properly. I really hope that the next episode won't end in a similar manner to the other ending but since this is not the final arc in the series, I doubt it'll get resolved in any manner. Another downside about this series is the occasional cheesy lines that the characters get to deliver. I understand what the writers try to accomplish but I think those scenes would have been better achived if the characters actually do something instead of saying things outloud. As a side note, I was quite amused after I watched these episode because they remind me a lot of Biohazard 4. Even though I don't think that was the intended idea, Rena's explanation in episode 25 certainly brings back memory of the game.
September 14, 2006 | 9 Comments
Unfortunately, there wasn't anything new from these two episodes as these are just new permutations of the story. In addition to this, there are some cheese-tastic moments in episode 23. Having said that, I actually enjoyed the comedic parts of the story. The gun fights between the students at the start of episode 22 was exciting to watch. That was probably one of the few times when Keiichi actually looked almost cool. I was also amused to see Shion and Kasai's interaction in episode 22. They are quite an interesting pair to watch. I wish there is 'The Shion and Kasai story', featuring the duo on various comical scenarios. I'm sure it'll be more fun to watch than watching Shion obsessing about Satoshi. With only 3 more episodes left, I wonder if the writers can actually write a satisfying conclusion for the series.
September 3, 2006 | 31 Comments
I recently had the chance to take a look at the manga version of this series and was surprised at how good the quality of the drawing is in comparison to the anime. It's unfortunate that the anime doesn't get the same treatment especially considering the fact that the animators get to reuse many scenes over and over again. It makes me wonder if the budget for the anime adaptation is really low. Having said that, I'm actually quite happy with this arc. It actually answered most of the questions posed in Watanagashi-hen. The only thing that I have problem with is Shion's obsession with Satoshi. I find it hard to believe that she'll go this far for someone she barely knows. But I assume this is one of those irrational teenage love and compounded with her 'affliction', it drove her over the edge. Anyway, I can't wait to see the answer arc for Onikakushi-hen especially since this will be the last arc for the anime adaptation.
I have to applaud 7th Expansion for coming up with this series. While watching these two episodes, I realised that the company must have laid out the general plot right from the start because there is no way they could have come up with explanations that are this precise otherwise. Having said that, I'm curious how they'll reconcile the difference between Watanagashi/Meakashi arcs with Onikakushi/Tsumihoroboshi arcs. And while Tatarigoroshi/Himatsubushi arcs can be slotted rather easily with the other two pairs of arcs, I'm wondering if we'll ever get explanation to the cause of the gas leak. It's unfortunate that the series will end at the end of Tsumihoroboshi arc because there are actually two more arcs left. It makes me wonder if the finale will actually solve every single mystery or if the producer will develop OVA to conclude the series later on.
While both of these episodes are interesting to see, the standout is definitely episode 17 (Meakashi-hen 2). Of all the violent scenes I've seen in either film or television, this one is definitely one of the goriest one. When I was a kid, I got into an accident where my little finger got crushed by a door. Doctor had to stitch my wound because it won't stop bleeding on its own. Both the pain and the stitching part were not pleasant experiences to say the least. Thankfully my finger is still functional despite the accident. Seeing 'that scene', however, brought back the memory of unbelievable pain that I felt back then. Although I think in Shion's case it is far more painful. Anyway, for answer episodes, these two are still rather hard to decipher but at least there are a few mysteries from other arcs that are cleared up by these episodes.
I realise that I'm way behind on almost everything at the moment but I'm trying my best to catch up. Besides I'll come home soon so hopefully I'll be able to follow each series in a more regular manner. Anyway, I have to say that I'm quite surprised with the ending of this episode. I never thought that it'll actually be in line with the ending of Tatarigoroshi-hen. This suggests that unless something happens, the series will end in a manner that has been described at the end of Tatarigoroshi as well as this arc. This is interesting because the anime writers decide to present the bad ending first and foremost just like a player will most likely get when they play through the game for the first time.
I must say I'm rather pleased with this episode mostly because it is an entirely different story seen through a new character. This episode, which is numbered as 14 by the anime, is actually more like a prequel to the main story that features Keiichi as the main protagonist. This kind of story-telling method was also used in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, which is the prequel for Twin Peaks. In that film, the story changes its focus from lead protagonist Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) to Special Agent Chester Desmond (Chris Isaac) and the story happens a few days prior to Laura Palmer's death. This means that the prequel is used to explain details that were left unclear during within the main part of the story.
While the first 2 episodes of this arc has been rather slow, I think the last 3 episodes have been rather good. The over the top elements of the series such as the girls' facial expression have been toned down and the series now focuses more on the mystery that surrounds the character and the village of Hinamizawa. I can't help but thinking a lot about some of the mysteries presented in these episodes. It's actually nice to be able to do this
Dear Kei-chan,
The next time you plan to murder someone, please make sure that you have contingency plans in case something goes wrong. There's nothing more embarassing than a murder done half-heartedly. If you hadn't been lucky like in this one, your target would have been able to escape. That's a big "No-no" in murder. Before you know it, you'll be prosecuted and the only thing you can say in your defense is "Oyashiro-sama forced me to do it!!". To begin with, do not leave your finger prints all over the place. Get intimate with latex gloves. They're your best friends in murder. Second of all, never ever use your own belonging to clean up the mess. If the authorities suspect you, you'll be busted in no time. Finally, do not leave your belonging near the scene of the crime no matter what anyone else says to you. You'll just incriminate yourself.
Sonozaki Mion
PS: No, I never murdered anyone. That incident never happened - no one saw it and you can't prove it. No, I don't have multiple personality disorder. Please don't interrupt me while I'm writing a letter to Kei-chan, that's just rude!!
This one feels a little bit off the mark for some reason. I actually think Satoko's story is quite good. However, the constant changes from the abuse story to the paranormal one was rather abrupt. I also think there are too many repetitions from the previous arc included here. For example, the scene where Keiichi meets with Tomitake and Takano should have been shortened because it doesn't have that much of an effect on the overall storyline. Besides, one can guess easily what Takano said to Keiichi from his conversation with Mion later on. I am also rather surprised to see the blood-thirst nature of a character in the story. I hope that this will tie in to the overall story because at the moment, it seems as if the storyline treats murder as if it's just a part of one's daily routine.
Poor Keiichi. In almost every arc, there's always a reason as to why he gets killed. I hope I'm wrong about this but Keiichi being dead in an arc is what Yuuko from xxxHOLiC usually refers to as "Hitsuzen". It's inevitable that he'll get killed in every arc. He's like Kenny from South Park only more tragic. And judging from the way this episode unfolds, I suspect that this time around he's going to get killed for trying to protect someone. As unfortunate as that might be, I'm glad to see this arc because it marks the return of Psychotic Rena to the series. As far as horror factor goes, I think her facial contortion beats Shion. It helps that Nakahara Mai's voice also sounds terrifying when she is in her "Oyashiro-sama" mode. Unfortunately, the rest of the episode is kind of boring this time around so I hope the pace will pick up a little bit on the next episode.
I really need to remind myself not to watch this series late at night. The last scene from this episode induced what I call a 'silent scream'. This is the kind of scream that you'd normally find in Japanese horror movies. In these kind of film, you'd see a character clearly screaming but audio-wise, you can't hear anything. I always find such scene to be rather disturbing because it visually represents the unspeakable horror that the character has to endure. Much to my displeasure, I felt this way upon seeing that last scene. Having said that, this series is just amazing. This is truly one of those series where the story makes you frustrated and excited at the same time. Of course, the addition of the horror doesn't hurt either. It's unfortunate that the animation is kind of lousy and I did think that some of Mion's shots in this episode look rather bad. In fact, in comparison to the manga, the Mion in anime looks rather bad. Just take a look at the image below:
I have to say that I'm really impressed with this series so far. I like how every episode always manages to give a little bit of hints while asking a whole bunch of new questions. It's also amazing how the writers manage to make the viewers unusure if there is actually a rational explanation behind the murders or if they are actually achieved through supernatural means. The most frustrating part of the series is that it seems as if the answer is actually in front of your eyes and yet you can't figure it out yet because you haven't got enough clues to solve the mysteries. Anyway, next week's episode should wrap up Watanagashi-hen. Since this is episode 7, it seems the anime writers decide to designate 4 episodes for each arc from the game. This means the anime will either stop at Tsumihoroboshi-hen or Minagoroshi-hen. Anyway, I didn't have the time to do full summary so I ended up only highlighting parts which I think will have some importance to the plot.
I am glad that I didn't eat anything while watching this episode because I would surely lose appetite halfway through the episode. Having said that, the scene in question made me realise that Higurashi contains some word play that would have been funny if this is actually a comedy series instead of a psychological horror. For example, Mion asks Keiichi back in episode 3 if his lunch was Oishikatta (delicious), a pun on the name of the detective, Ooishi. I remember how at first I wasn't sure if I should laugh or shiver in terror due to the way the sentence was delivered by Mion. This episode contains a similar scene but this time around there is no question that the scene is meant to scare the viewers. Anyway, I should probably mention that if you keep up with the anime numbering, this is basically episode 6 within the series.
In case you're keeping up with the anime episode numbering, this is basically episode 5 of the series. I've covered episode 1-4 in the Onikakushi-hen entry. Since episode 5 is basically the first part of Watanagashi-hen, that's the title that I ended up using. Anyway, this is a very nice opening to the series' second arc. I think I am starting to appreciate the comedic part of the series a little bit. It's probably because I already know the characters and therefore can sympathise with them a lot more here. Just like the first part of Onikakushi-hen, however, this episode is rather light on the information and the mystery. It does, however, explains a few things from the past few episodes in a rather interesting manner, as well as showing what would happen had certain events never took place in the story to begin with.
Opening Theme: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni by Shimamiya Eiko - PSP format (11.1MB) | AVI format (43.8MB)
I am sorry that I haven't got around to write the last episode of School Rumble 2nd Term but I've been trying to catch up with Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Some people recommended the title to me a few weeks ago but the problem was, I couldn't get myself motivated to watch more than half of the first episode. So this time around I decided to jump straight into the second episode to see if it's any different. And true enough, the good stuff actually starts in the second episode. So if the first episode turned you off with the cute antics and squabbling of the characters, I'll recommend jumping right away into the second episode then revisit the first one. It's been a while since I was freaked out like this seeing something on screen. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to do episode-by-episode analysis so I decide to just talk about the first 4 episodes right away. This arc is what is known by the gamers as Onikakushi-hen or Spirited away by Ogre
