After this episode, my brain has ceased to make any predictions for the final episodes. There's too many possibilities, and I can't even start to form ideas.

but it's fun to see whether you're right or wrong based on your predictions!

saying that however, I came in watching MH 22 not knowing what to expect and just sat back for the ride.

Is it possible that in order to prove Mai is ready to fight and win Reito is going to have her take on Miyu?
This would be a classic paradox where in order to get closer to the one that you want to defeat you have to destroy the only hope of defeating him yourself.

This is one of my favourite Anime, can't wait for the next episode. Thanks for the great summary and get well soon.

I have a feeling that this show might not have a happy ending. However, I still cross my fingers for the remaining HiME to have the best of lucks.=/

*heart break*
no... actually.....
"double heart break"
.....
.....
"blush~"

after i read the summary, I had this 'prediction' after I knew that shizuru summoned her hime (IN FRONT OF HARUKO-CHAN?) that she is becoming an antagonist of this anime!? Shizuru never show her hime in the previous episode no matter WHAT happened.
Except for the sake of Natsuki.
it is because of Natsuki that Shizuru lost her coolness (

sorry for posting twice, but it got cut off.

Shizuru lost her coolness is the key. I predict that if Shizuru never learn how to self-control-Natsuki-desire, she will be a dangerous character., or vice versa.
however, Natsuki is the "maybe" protagonist of this story, so she will "maybe" not die that easily.
thus, Shizuru will not die easily, neither
here is a fun prediction:.
so if everything goes against Shizuru.... Shizuru will kill Natsuki in the end.

even it he predicitons are mostly wrong, but aren't we all have fun with them?

I think all of this is awesome. I just love seeing the total, utter, complete destruction of the mental states of the cast that is happening right now. I might be a little sad because of it, but I also know that I definately am attracted by the sheer thought of seeing people being pushed to the edge of losing thier sanity.

I'm definately going to enjoy seeing what comes next for the HiMEs.

I really still like Shizuru, and I hope that she can somehow (don't ask me how) redeem her actions in the end. It's probably because of all the cool and calm she showed in the first half of the series up to ep 21 that made me warm up to her. I hate to see all that crushed in a single episode and such a dramatic downward change. Aye. Though, if you think about it, it was Reito who slyly orchestrated the whole meeting between Shizuru, Haruka, and Yukino, so I'm going to blame everyone's demise on him, if only because he's a bastard! =D

My favorite, hands-down, has to be Midori though. She's simply amazing, but it's pretty clear that she won't be living long past the next episode.. unless she manages to escape =D How she cares for the girls is quite touching and I wish that Mashiro could have helped her in this ordeal a little more..

Somehow I can't help but be partial to Nao, hehe. Hope that Mai decides to set everything right though and maybe bring everyone back peacefully with her enormous power at the end? (I wish..) I'm missing Mikoto's oblivious character atm and everyone's cheerfulness.. damn Sunrise!

Side note: If Natsuki couldn't call Duran because she didn't have an MVP, who would Mai's MVP be atm after she lost Takumi/Mikoto. Are we assuming Tate here? (if so, i'm going to throw up right now =P)

If Nagi was lying, then what d'ya think is the truth?

Well, everything will not turn to be that bad in the end. I think that the opening theme: Shining Day will play in place in the end.

After all this drama explanation, i think next ep will be a full action one. if only they don't cut the battle short. :P

Actually, I came to the conclusion that Tate Yuuichi was and still is Mai's MVP.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was stated earlier in the show that if a person's MVP dies, so does their child. Well, Takumi died, but Kagutschi is still around, so I assume that Tate is indeed Mai's MVP.

I dunno if Midori will die next episode - I don't really want to sign her death warrant. And technically, except for Alyssa.. none of the HiME actually die, just their MVP.. right? Or am I missing someone? So Midori will probably live, albeit not necessarily mentally intact.

i hope you're feeling better memento. i was starting to worry since you normally update once the raw comes out. from my experience nyquil works best.

since i was recently banned from animesuki i'd appreciate it if can someone can paste this comment there.

i want to comment on whether or not shiho was the bridan gown hime since this ep is making people jump off the bridge believing the hime is shino. also, i'll make a bold prediction about the flow and outcome of the series.

in ep 22 we got a better look at the bridal gown hime. the voice, height, and facial features resemble shiho. however, the hime's hair is black and straight. so i can't help wondering whether or not the writers want us to make false assumptions like the hime is controlled by shiho's subconscious or telepathic abilities and whatnot.

ok, remember ep 6 where the gang was cleaning up shiho gramp's place? that was the first time we got to see shiho's bridal gown. when mai inquired about it shiho replied it was her late grandmother's and she would use it in her wedding with tate.
when the girls took a bath together and shiho asked about the hime markings on the bodies of mikoto and mai. unless shiho's mark is on her scalp she obviously can't be a hime. but after that scene the "cursed seal" that was holding the storage room door was broken by midori and unleashed what seemed to be an orphan. think of it.... why would an orphan be conveniently sealed there? there had to be a better reason to seal the door and a clue is the mark of the hime seen on the wall. so here are 2 possibilities: once the seal was released shiho either became the bgh OR the bgh is actually shiho's grandmother.

in one ep shiho was attacked by an orphan but survived. at that point she may have released he hime powers like mai in ep 1, feinted and released her subconscious hime powers, or her grandmother saved her. i'm leaning towards the hime being her grandmother.

someone also pointed out that nagi hasn't paid a visit to shiho. he visited the other himes.....

if shiho is the hime then i wouldn't be surprised. the anime is too unpredictable.

another thing about the cursed door.... it also may explain how reito became the obsidian lord. as of now there aren't too many evidence to support this.

about mai's mvp.... not very obvious. it's either tate or herself. once she started having feelings for tate she avoided him out of respect for shiho, blushes alot, and acts macho... sort of like what teenagers who like each other would do.

about the ending... earlier ep talked about tate's great kendo abilities. something about him always making the finals until he got injured. i'm predicting he'll eventually show up with a katana to either save mai or wake her up from reito's (he such a bastard) mind control. they'll confess their love for each other after tate starts dissapearing or gets severely wounded. that's when mai will summon an upgraded child and whipe the floor. this would be more consistent with the manga.

mikoto is too damn powerful. tate will have to aim for that necklace since it appears the dark lord is controlling her through the necklace.

however, if my hime becomes a continuous series then mai and tate won't admit their feelings to each other but instead be a 3 way love triangle.

Someone over on 2chan made this image to show what they thought things would be like after episode 23. I don't know if 23 will be this bloody, but...

Remaining: Six Plus One.

http://www.fencedude.com/Images4/6plus1.jpg

I think Nagi/Reito is going to have Mai take on Mikoto. He already commented that he already had Mikoto so he didn't need Mai, but he's shown keen interest in her all along, both as his normal self and as the Obsidian Lord. Didn't we see Mai in the room with the life support tank in last episode's preview? That didn't happen this time, yet Midori and Mikoto ended up there, and the OL was controlling Mikoto quite obviously. He's also controlling Nagi to tell Mai she needs to prove her worth to him. It all points to a Mai vs. Mikoto showdown in the next episode.

I also think Mai & Mikoto together are key to resolving this. Mikoto was trained to kill someone she loved, we saw that right before Kagutsuchi attacked her back after Akira's child was destroyed and Takumi dissapeared. That's definitely got to be important, obviously her family knew the day would come when she'd have to kill someone she loved, so who is it? I had thought before maybe it was Mai, but now I'm wondering if it's not Reito. We've learned now that the only way to stop the HiME Festival is to kill the Obsidian Lord, and so far, who's the closest to him and has the best chance of doing it? Mikoto so far. If something happens to that necklace so Reito can't control her I think she'd turn on him. If for no other reason than when/if he targets Mai. Mai's special to her, and she has spent more time with Mai, so that bond may prove to be stronger.

I wonder who Mikoto's MVP is though. Is it Reito? Is it the Obsidian Lord version of Reito? Or is it Mai? Could it be she has none since she doesn't appear to have a child? I think it's interesting that the anime hasn't really answered any of those questions so far, although for most of the other HiMEs we've known for quite some time.

After looking at the imge posted by Fencedude, it looks like there's only 11 "real" Himes. That being said, I think the last one has to be Haruka. Yukino can't fight, and it definitely looks like some battle is going on in the next ep.

Huh? There are twelve.

1. Mai
2. Natsuki
3. Mikoto
4. Midori
5. Nao
6. Akane
7. Akira
8. Yukariko
9. Yukino
10. Shizuru
11. Fumi
12. Shiho/Bridal Gown girl

Fumi is a HiME. Mashiro was in her Child.

This episode is very painful, isn't it? I think what hurts most isn't Mai's tragedy, it's the way that the bonds between the girls have been systematically undermined. Of course, the writers could create a really great, uplifting moment later on if it turns out that a couple of "unexpected" girls (Nao and Natsuki, say) somehow manage to find each other and cooperate in secret to undermine the Obsidian Lord, springing some trap on him at the end of the series.

As for Nagi's loyalties, I've always thought that he has a "thing" for Mai. It may be causing his agenda to diverge from the Obsidian Lord's.

Does Mai actually state explicitly that Mikoto killed Takumi? I ask because I've repeatedly watched the scene in Ep 20 in which Gennai is destroyed, and it seems to be ambiguous as to who exactly strikes the final blow. Gennai is fighting both Mikoto and the crowlike Child, and at around 12:30 Mikoto charges Gennai, who leaps into the air - only to be struck by the crowlike Child. Mai runs to check on Akira, and while she is looking downward Mikoto charges Gennai again, and Gennai leaps again. The "camera" cuts to Mai and Akira, and the crowlike Child is shown flashing above them while they shout something at each other - and then there is a loud crash. The "camera" cuts back to Gennai, who is shown falling and shattered while a dark shadow darts offscreen to the right. Then Gennai explodes into green flames.

Despite watching several times, I cannot identify that black shadow. It could be either Mikoto or the crowlike Child. What's more, I don't see how Mai could be certain, since she is looking down at Akira at the time Gennai is struck.

Kylara - I rewatched the first part of episode 17, and there's nothing about the death of an MVP causing the death of the Child. Nagi does say that the death (including suicide) of a HiME causes the death of the Child and in turn the death of the MVP.

More generally, I think a HiME's powers arise not just from her desire to protect her MVP, but to protect the people she cares about in general. That's why Mai is able to reinvent Kagutsuchi in ep 16 as some sort of Klingon warship and take off into space: her concern is to protect everybody, including but not limited to Takumi. (And that might be why Mai may turn out to be more powerful than Shizuru. Shizuru cares intensely about one person, but apparently is indifferent to most everybody else.)

That also may explain why Dhuran is relatively weak compared to all other Children: since Natsuki's mother is dead, while her love for her mother has always been strong, her desire to protect her is sorta... academic.

I think it's not so important who really killed Akira's child (and therefore Takumi). What is important is who Mai _thinks_ did it, and it's pretty obvious she thinks it was Mikoto.

I like the idea about the more you care about others the stronger the child is, but it's also important to note that Kagutsuchi went oribital to take out Alyssa's child without Mai's consent, she was along for the rather frightening ride. Kagutsuchi might have been responding to her unspoken wishes (to save everyone, although that did harm Alyssa, something Mai didn't want to do), just as he may have been when he attacked Mikoto without Mai's consent. Somehow I feel Kagutsuchi being able to go against Mai's wishes is important, but I have no idea how.

Are we certain Fumi counts as a HiME for this generation of HiMEs? She and Mashiro, along with Nagi, appeared to be around since the last HiME festival, so she may not count. That would leave one more. It would be interesting if there is one more we don't know about, although it seems to me that Nagi or Reito/Obsidian Lord should know.

On official rosters, Fumi is listed as the 12th HiME. There's noone more waiting to be discovered.

Maestro4k,
Mai was not shown at all in the life support tank room in last ep's next ep preview. However, she is shown in the church in -this- ep's next ep preview. Yukariko is also shown there summoning Vrus. I believe something will go down between those two.

dbm,
If you watch ep 20 again, you'll notice that Mai saw ONLY Mikoto fighting Gennai. She didn't know that the Crow Child was there at the time(she still thought it was fighting with Natsuki). So naturally when Gennai is burnt to a crisp and Takumi goes poof, she's going to think Mikoto did it.

As for a Child -dying- when an MVP dies, that has never been said. However in ep 20, Ishigami, who I'm pretty certain sent Nao after Takumi to kill him, says to Yukariko:
"Mai's power is excessive. Therefore, if she loses her MVP (who he thought was Takumi), Nao can defeat Mai, who won't be able to summon her Child. And if that happens, our biggest obstacle will be gone."

This implies that when an MVP dies, the corresponding HiME loses the ability to summon her Child. Of course it also raises more questions:
- Why would Nao still have to defeat Mai if she can't summon her Child?
- Ishigami is/was trying to make Yukariko the final remaining HiME so he could get the power of the star, but don't you have to -kill- all the Childs to do that? Is not being able to summon a Child the same thing as killing it?

If what Ishigami said is true it would also add more weight to Natsuki's mother still being alive.

Momotato, I remember that I discussed this part with T_I back then when you made the slight difference in translation. T_I's interpretation was that with Takumi in her grasp, Nao could blackmail Mai not to summon her child. My japanese isn't worth a damn, but would that be an option?

Also, right after Takumi's death, Mai _was_ able to summon Kagutsuchi just fine. So either he never was her MVP to begin with (which I doubt), or her MVP switched to the "next best" (which I consider more likely). If that's the case, killing the MVPs to prevent childs from being summoned seems like a fairly futile exercise...

This MIP switching idea begins to bother me. Please correct me if I'm wrong but to me, nowhere in the series has this been stated nor implied. I think the idea is flawed because then the MIP could continually switch resulting in a never ending cycle. So assuming Mai original MVP was Takumi. When he died, it switched into Tate. So what if he died? Will it switch to Mikoto? And what if she died? Who will be next? Chie? The Yakitori seller down the street?

My objection with this idea is that it devalues the idea of MIP itself, which if anyone still remember is an acronym of Most Important Person. How many MIP does a person normally have? Not that many I'd say. Because that's what makes the position special and irreplaceable in one person's heart.

I think the idea that MIP can continually change is way too overwrought and complex even for this show. Amusingly enough, this idea has actually been debated endlessly too between X fans when they were trying to figure out how MIP in that series work.

The notion that Natsuki's mother is still alive has been hinted at in past episodes. Also considering that Miyu was something similar to an android would indicate that the technology had been available for quite some time and they could have repaired any damage that Natsuki's mother may have received in the crash. She was after all far too important for them to just let her die.

All fine and good, Garten, but look at for example Akira. We know from the outcome as a matter of plain fact that Takumi was her MVP. However, when she became a HiME, she didn't even know him. And I strongly doubt that she contracted Gennai _after_ she fell for him.

The rule says "you need to put the life of your most precious person on the line". It did not specify if that implied the most precious person when the child was contracted (unlikely, see Akira), so I assume it's supposed to describe the most precious person at the time of the death of the child.

Oh, and Ronbo: In which episodes was hinted that Natsuki's mother might still be alive? Keep in mind, the manga has nothing to do with the anime. And I can't remember a single scene in the anime which seemed to put into doubt that Dr. Kuga is dead. Could you please give examples?

The MIP constantly shifting would lead credence to the interpretation that Ishigami-sensei wanted Takumi held hostage instead of killed. Capture the person you know is the MIP instead of killing that person off, because you don't know if that HiME considers anyone else important.

After all, look at Natsuki being unable to summon Duran anymore. It pretty much shows that her mother was her MIP and that she doesn't have any other MIPs. Shizuri might have had a chance in that spot with a little time, but at the moment it got blown up by Yukino spilling the beans about her peeping on them and what she thought she saw Shizuru do.

Off hand I can't remember the episode numbers but here are a couple examples. Flashback scene where what appears to be Natsuki laying in a hospital bed after the accident. In the room is the shadow of a doctor and as he leaves we see the shadow of a woman with him. The gardener and the art teacher are talking and the gardener says something like she is definitely Dr. Kuga's daughter. Don't quote me on the last part it's as close as I can remember without tracking it down.
We have never been shown without a shadow of a doubt that she is in fact dead nor have we any direct evidence that she is alive. But the possibility that she is still alive is actually greater than that of her being dead. Also now that we know Natsukis MDP is her mother it makes sense to me that she is still alive since I don't think a dead person qualifies as someone that you can put on the line, so to speak.
What I'm saying is that I have no direct proof, it's just a hunch of mine based on what I've picked up in past episodes.

On the other hand, on the stipulation that the MIP is indeed "cashed in" at the death of a child only, this would actually be an indirect piece of evidence that Natsuki's mother must indeed still be alive :-P

Try to follow my reasoning.

The only thing which has changed between Natsuki being able to summon Duran to stop Mai and Mikoto in ep20 and her inability to do so captured by Nao in ep21 was that her core belief having to avenge her precious mother was shattered. Her mother wasn't her most precious person anymore. And since Natsuki doesn't have an MVP anymore, Duran won't be summoned.

BUT. Only Natsuki's trust died, not Dr. Kuga herself. Would the "rules" allow Natsuki to hold on to a dead person as MVP? If we accept the "cash in the MVP on child death" theory, it would imply that she must still be alive, because otherwise her ghost couldn't have fueled Duran by now.

See what I mean? The bastards are still messing with our heads ;) ... I'm curious if they will manage to come up with a logical and consistent explanation in the end.

Oh, Also Mentar; I have stressed many times over in the SS forums not to use the manga as a reference as the two story lines are different. So at least we both know not to do this.

I still think Shiho will be a key player in the end. If you remember the scene where Tate is asleep with his head on her hospital bed you hear Shiho saying to him that she really does love him. Then she gets out of bed and gives him a tender kiss on the cheek. I took this to mean that she was sorry for everything that she had done but it was something that has to be done even if it means loosing him.

To be honest I still believe myself that the MVP can change based on the idea that I can't believe that Mai had Tate as her MVP when she first summoned Kagutsuchi. Because it would either mean that she fell in love with Tate instantly. I just can't swallow that at all. Or she was predestined to have Tate as her MVP. Which I'm sorry would make the whole love the HiME has for her MVP seem fake and forced.

So unless the instant love or forced fate comes into play, Mai MVP had to be Takumi at first. Thus since she can still summon her Child even after he was completely deleted when Akira lost her Child. Her MVP must have changed to Tate at some point. Since Takumi was no longer a plausible MVP. Since his final role was Akira's MVP when she lost and thus he got punished as it were.

However the idea about why Natsuki could not summon Duran would lead me to believe that it's not as simple as the next person in line. The next person in line must be deep in the heart and mind of the HiME in order to count. To be honest I'm becoming more convinced that Natsuki's mother may still be alive. However it's hard to say for certain.

As for Shiho's role in the story. Her current role it to be a rival for Mai and to cause problems right now. Her ultimate role really depends on three factors. When/if she loses her Child, who dies because of it, and of course how much she learns herself. Those three factors along with her choices will effect everything. Obviously there is quite a bit of difference in how the story will play out if Tate gets deleted versus Shiho's grandfather getting deleted. Ie Mai would be crushed over the idea of Tate being deleted more so than Shiho's grandfather. Same for Shiho herself of course.

Based on what others have said, I believe that Shiho knows about the BGH, but only as a dream. Of course the question is why are the dreams bad to her? My theory is she may be afraid of the type of person she is in her dreams. In other words the BGH may be going too far for even Shiho. Well deep down BGH may be doing what Shiho desires since she is Shiho probably. However on the surface, Shiho may not want to go that far. Of course there are probably other reasons she could consider it a bad dream, but ah well.

Interesting thing to note is in the preview it's clearly shown that Shiho is outside the hospital and shocked about something. I think it's possible that the reason she is shocked because she may be seeing the very damage the crow caused and thinking about how it matches her dream. Of course she could be shocked over something even more major than that. Or something so minor it makes no difference.

Things that I find interesting regarding Shiho.

The crow/raven is considered to be a messenger from the spirit world.
The HiME that controls the crow/raven is a spirit. (if not Shiho's spirit then who's?)
This HiME is also called the pure white princess. (the true princess of light?)
If Mishiro was the Queen of Hell shouldn't their also be a Queen of Heaven? (darkness / light)

Things that are common to both Mishiro and Shiho.
An older brother that they truly love/loved. (not necessarily blood related)
An accident in the past that confined them to a wheelchair. (but they can both stand on their own just fine)
Use of their soul's or spirit's to control their Child's. (Mishiro's looks like a demon from Hell and Shiho's looks like a temple priestess)

When you take all of these bits of information into consideration you can see why I feel that Shiho will have a major part to play later.

Although these may all just be a coincidence I don't think the writers would have done so without having something big in store for us. We are all being led to believe that Shiho is after Mai out of jealousy . The writers are constantly misleading us on purpose just to keep us guessing.
Shiho's feelings for Tate go far deeper than just sisterly love and she regrets what she is doing but it must be done. I believe that Shiho is actually trying to stop Mai before she becomes a demon and can no longer be stopped. Even if it means sacrificing herself or Tate in the process. This is not what Shiho wants but it may be the only way.

As far as the HiME star goes, I don't believe they want to stop it at all! As each HiME is defeated and falls into despair the HiME star grows larger. It's as if they are feeding it with sorrow and hopelessness in preparation for the next reign of the black prince.

in one ep where natsuki was captured by miyu the "father" told miyu to kill her. miyu replied, "it's useless unless the child is out." to me this implied that the hime, child, and mvp can't be killed unless the child is out.

mai's child was not summond whereas akira's child was. so takumi's loss became akira's and tate has moved up the list. either that or takumi was never her mvp since it seemed to me she's looking after takumi because of her checkered past much like how tate is taking care of shiho because of the incident.

mikoto will definitely not be on mai's mvp list. mai thinks mikoto killed her brother.

so the question is what would happen when 2 himes sharing the same mvp loses that mvp..... if shiho is a hime then we'll find out.

First off Tate would have to return Shiho's feelings in order to establish a binding relationship with her Child. If this does not happen then it is a one way street and Tate would be bound only to the Child of whoever he has true feelings for if she also has the same feelings. (Mai)

We can only pray this series doesn't end in a reset...

...I'm up for a sequel series, how about you???

^____^

i can see another sequel being set up from this: reito serves as a vessel for the obsidian lord and in order for the lord to be released then he'll need to be an mvp of a hime and get killed.

PROPOSED MODEL FOR Most Important Person
------------------------------------------------------------------
From what I've seen of the show so far, I'll propose a model for how I think the MIP works.

MIP is not fixed and can change over time depending on who the person loves most. Define side-effects to be the death of an MIP as a result of the death of a child or vice versa. Side-effects can only occur if and only if there is a one-to-one relationship between a Hime and her MIP. In other words, the Hime has to confess her love to her MIP and vice versa before killing the child will cause the MIP to disappear and vice versa.

I believe this model is correct because so far, all the Himes who die are the ones who show love to their MIPs and the love is reciprocated. Alyssa and her father; Akane and her boyfriend; Akira and Takumi.

Even if this model isn't entirely correct, since the Obsidian (sp) prince enjoys the tears and suffering of the Himes, it is the optimal condition to extract tears and suffering from a Hime.

PREDICTIONS
-----------
If this model is used, then the prime candidates for elimination are Yukino (since she is starting to be more and more assertive about her love), and the Sister (since she is showing more love to that sick pervert teacher). Midori also may die, but I think that her thesis will have to reach her professor first (I suspect there is a love letter along with the thesis).

This model is also consistent with how Mai can still call her child. Even if she loved Takumi, Takumi loved Akira best and things weren't going well at the time between Takumi and Mai. Since one-to-one wasn't satisfied, Mai can call her child if she finds another MIP.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PURPOSE FOR A HIME
------------------------------------------------------------------
I also think that in order for a hime to call a child, the hime must have a goal or purpose in mind. Nagi's conversation with Mai just before releasing her child suggest this. Alyssa's last confrontation with the himes (when she told them they didn't have any goal or purpose) also suggests this.

This would explain why Tatsuki can no more call Duran because she has no will to fight. If Tatsuki finds someone to love or at least a reason to fight, Duran may show up again.

MORE PREDICTIONS
----------------
Mai and Tatsuki are the free rollers right now because Tatsuki is heartbroken, and Mai is just out for blood. If this continues, then they should be the main survivors. I also agree that Tate might fight the Obsidian Prince because Reito carries a katana around, and Tate used to be practice swordsplay.

ANNOYING STUFF
--------------
I really don't see how having someone take advantage of the characters in their sleep contributes to the storyline. First it was sister, and now Tatsuki :( . And those were the hottest characters too. What's next? Yukino taking advantage of Haruka? Or maybe Shiho will give Tate a special cup of coffee!!! Speaking of which, does anyone out there actually like Shiho???

P.S.
----
Get well soon Memento :)

*spoiler starts*

I have always assumed that the pillars are somehow linked physically to the MIPs; that they're a temporary containment for the MIPs' "souls" or whatever, since they disappear into a burst of green sparkles instead of actually dying per say.

I have also been assuming that if the Himes themselves were to die, not because of being someone's MIP, then they would die naturally like everyone else. Which means no fancy green flame/sparkle and stuff like that. BUT seeing as how the green flame surrounding Miyu in the ep 23 preview seems to indicate the death of Midori, does that mean Himes who die either naturally, by accident or mudered/killed also get the privilege to disintegrate into green sparkles? Do they get their own pillars too? Even when they aren't anyone's MIP?

To me, the pillars act as a "second chance" for the characters to come back to life again. I mean, it's not like Takumi's corpse is laying around somewhere rotting. If Himes who get killed just die, then wouldn't it be unfair if , say, Shizuru's child dies and causes Natsuki to disappear and another pillar to rise. This would mean that if the people represented by a pillar can come back to life, only a few Himes can live(ie. Natsuki), while other Himes who weren't MIPs of Himes stay dead.

Anyways, that's all assuming if the dead MIPs can be brought back to life from the pillars. And since Midori seems to have disintegrated into green flame/sparkle, even though it wasn't because she was the MIP of anyone, she should have a pillar herself shouldn't she? If so, wouldn't there be like...pillars for each Hime's MIP AS WELL as each Hime themselves(Minus the Himes who have Hime MIPs)?

Of course, it could also be that Midori simply disappeared without causing a pillar to rise. Or maybe she didn't die at all....
Bah, damn this unpredictable serious.

It's definite the main focus of My HiME is more about the relationship each HiME has with her MIP (current), the other HiME and of course everyone else. Just to varying degrees of course. Obviously for Mai her relationship with Mikoto is more of a focus than her relationship with Nao.

As for people liking Shiho. There are people that do. I happen to be one of them. Sure she's overly emotional and has flaws. However that's part of the reason I like her. Sometimes it's nice to have characters who have the type of flaws Shiho does. Although to be honest the emotional child or child-like person with flaws seems to be a very unpopular character type.

As it stands Shiho is my favorite character in the anime. Yes even taking into consideration the idea that she is the Bridal Gown HiME and her actions of course. Actually I like her even more now because of her current role. Even if it means on a deep level she is attempting evil acts. Although the idea of the dreams being bad to her makes it certain that it's not as simple as Shiho using her evil power on purpose. Hopefully she'll learn the truth of the whole thing very soon.

You dare spell Natsuki's name wrong!

Anyway, I agree with the people who are saying that the "MVP can change." I think Mai had already dropped Takumi as her MVP before episode 20 (most likely in 19 as Crocodile said, if he ever was her MVP in the first place). Now that I think about it, this is probably why Ishigami wanted Nao to take out Mai even after killing off Takumi, so she couldn't designate a new MVP in the future and gain back her ability to summon.

Mentar,
As for my translation, that's what Ishigami said for sure.
"Kanojo no taisetsu na mono wo ushinawase, Yuuki-kun wa Child dasenai Mai-kun wo taosu."

Breakdown:
When she (kanojo) loses (ushinawase) her MVP (taisetsu na mono), Yuuki-kun (Nao) will defeat/kill (taosu) Mai, who can't bring out her Child (Child dasenai Mai-kun).

Ushinawase is from ushinau, which means to lose. When it pertains to a person, it means to lose that person in -death- and death only. English equivalent phrase: to lose a loved one.

I don't think there's indication of blackmail at any time. All the Japanese blogs I read that commented on this aspect think the same thing as well: Ishigami was trying to get rid of Takumi to get rid of Kagutsuchi, which in turn would let Nao finish off Mai very easily. He tried the direct approach (kill off Mai) in episode 19 with Yukino, and then he tried this approach with Nao.

dznutz,
I thought about what Miyu said in episode 12 too. It makes me think that a HiME can commit suicide/die and her MVP will remain intact, despite what Nagi spouts out (which I think are mostly lies anyway, to get the girls to do what the Black Prince wants).

As for Natsuki's mother being alive, don't forget that in this episode it was mentioned by Smith that a female scientist was responsible for Miyu's anti materializer sword (or Miyu herself, it wasn't directly specified). This could just be the writers trying to play with our heads, or it could mean that Natsuki's mom went to SEARRS after the accident, unknowingly to Natsuki. Which would mean Smith didn't give all the facts to Natsuki and...bah too much thinking.

Actually the green flames would mean that Midori's Child dies in episode 23. It doesn't mean that Midori died. Plus it was already stated that in episode 17 if the HiME dies her Child dies thus her MIP dies. This means that if Midori were to die in episode 23, her Child would die then her MIP would die. So in reality the process would not be changed at all.

From what I've seen so far, it seems the primary purpose of the festival isn't to select a Champion, but rather, to create as much emotional anguish as possible.

Shizuru is awesome. Both her nice and evil sides are cool. I hope all ends well with Natsuki and Shizuru.

That's what Reito said in ep22, isn't it? The more the grieving maidens suffer, the more powerful the HiME star gets. I guess that's what Midori was referring to when she commented that this festival was the lowest. Blasted Nagi has been lying after all ;)

What Natsuki needs now is a new MDP. My guess is that Masashi will be the one.

remember the old ladies in ep 18. they know a bit too much. former himes?

also, does mai know that reito's a bad guy? i don't think midori told her that the reito's the obsidan lord.

No, Mai does not know.
At the time even Mishiro did not know so she could not have told Midori. It was not until Mishiro met him that she found out who it was and she's in no position now to tell anyone.

Ronbo: I can tell that "Mishiro" is supposed to be "Mashiro", but who the heck is "Masashi"? :)

I've got to stop posting things a 3:00am.
In any case Masashi is the name used on the My HiME TV site for the dark haired guy that seems to have a crush on Natsuki. I can never remember all of their names so when I need a memory boost I get their names there. Mishiro should have been Mashiro just as you said. Typo on my part. Remember, 3:00am?

Mentar, quick question. Can you read Japanese or know of someone who can? In my attempts to verify how many episodes this series has I ran across a couple of Sunrise screen caps that look real but since I can't read Japanese I can't be sure. They are caps of their webpage showing the before and after aring of episode #26 giving their standard short and long descriptions for each episode. If I'm right these two screencaps give away the ending.

Aaah, you mean Takeda, the captain of the dojo. If Natsuki should develop anything for him THIS LATE in the anime after being only a comical relief character I'll faint. Please lord, no! ^_^

Not me. My japanese reading is next to nil and my listening-comprehension is only ultra-basic. But some other fine folks on this board could do it. Momotato, T_I, Garten...

I have my doubts that Sunrise would give the ending of this series away already though ^_^;;

I agree it seems pretty far fetched at this point, but this series continues to turn itself inside out and make the improbable probable.

As far as the episode site caps go, I believe them to be real.
Most likely all of the episodes have already been re-caped and all they do when they update their site is to add another page. I don't think Sunrise released these but rather someone that had access to them did.

Newtype has the rundown for the last 4 episodes. You can get most of what they have to say over on the AnimeSuki forums. I guess predictions now are pretty much pointless. Darn, that was what I liked most about this series. Trying to predict what would happen next.

How can Mai summon Kagutsuchi then, with Takumi gone... she won't let Tate into her heart on account of losing Takumi. So is her anger fueling Kagutsuchi's presence, unlike Natsuki?

Just some observations, take what you will from it:

1. Miyu's importance - if we take the assumption that Miyu is in the tank, what ramifications will this have? Remember, in the confrontation with Mai inside the mansion, Miyu stated that she has the power to neutralize (i.e. defeat) HIMEs. It is an ability that has been demontrated with Akane's defeat as well as Miyu easily slicing through Duran's bullets in the battle at the factory. Searrs is also searching from someone, most likely Miyu. As they are an organization that is intricately linked with the 300 year cycle of the HIMEs, to create both a fake HIME and a cyborg that can destroy them do not seem like trivial pursuits.

2. Note that of all the childs that we have seen, all except Kagatsuchi and Koihime are machine like. Akane's was a machine tiger/lion. Duran's mech dog, Julia's a mech spider, Gennai's a mech frog, and Gakutenou is a mech something, there's also the mech crow. But Kagatsuchi and Koihime are not machine-looking Childs. In fact, they fall in line with Miroku, if in fact it is both a weapon and a child of sorts. Thus the "special" childs that Mai and Shizuru have hint at an important role for these two characters, Mai obviously being the series's namesake, and Shizuru for her seemingly exceptional power. Further, remember that Nagi did say when Mai pulled out Kagatsuchi's sealing sword that of all the childs for that one to be hers. What other special abilities besides the phoenix reborn and suborbital rocket does this dragon of the flame possess?

That's just my observations. No predictions intended.

Maybe Miyu's role is to kill the final Hime :P
Haha. And I'm not sure if the green flames that we saw in the previews with Miyu are actually green sparkles from a child or Hime dying (Midori). Maybe it's just the effect from the battle. And maybe Miyu woke up in time to stop Midori from being defeated.

Anyway Mentar, thanks for the favor. :)
I'll check back when the remaining fansubs are out. No more spoilers for 23-26! :P

please i'm dieing here, i completely refuse to read any of these reviews because i would be putt off by any spoiling of My HiME, sure there are lots of good animes out there, but few ever grab my attention to the point where unconciously hold my breath for 10 minuts (end of ep.15) i can only find 1 - 18 if anyone knows where i can find the next few torrents i would be forever grateful, im not sure how grateful my hardrive will be but i will be completely. i kinda had a debat with a friend over mikoto, what exactly is her Child and basic element/ability?

19-22 have only been out as RAWs (anime without subtitles), but just today a mini-sub came out for episode 19 - you can find it at the usual sites. It has a few glitches, but is good enough to follow. You'll have to wait for the rest, I guess.

So far, Mikoto has no child. And it _seems_ hat her giant sword Miroku is her element after all.

Mikoto is not the sharpest, but once she gets something in her head that's all she thinks of and Reito telling her to protect Mai may be his undoing.

what does it take to have a child? for mai it was pulling something out of a wall. as for mikoto... well, her sword seems to have a mind of its own. recall the first episode where it was able to slice a flywheel without physically touching it. another is that it seems to respond to her commands.

i'm really interested in ep 24. i have to know what made mai go beserk....

can you tell me all childs name?
total 12 is it? Is Alissa Sears a hime? She got a child call Artemis at eps 15? Is it true?

it seems that artemis is an artificial child since it's like a sattelite but when it blew up she died, and her dad died.

HiME - Child

Mai - Kagatsuchi
Mikoto - Miroku? (closest thing she has anyway)
Natsuki - Duran
Midori - Gakutenou
Nao - Julia
Akane - Hurry
Akira - Gennai
Yukino - Diana
Shiromuku no HiME (Shiho) - Yatagarasu
Fumi - Shuisho no Hime
Shizuru - Kiyohime
Alyssa - Artemis

You forgot:

Yukariko -- St. Vrus

wow! all together total 13 hime...this story really complicated...its say 12 hime but having an additional is really confuse me... anyway, does anyone knows hime element?

Thanks Rava.

Wan, its not complicated really. There are 12 real HiMEs, and then Searrs went and made an artificial one, so 13.

There are also two other major female characters who don't count as memers of the the 12 HiMEs, Miyu and Mashiro.

Anyway, you wanted to know the HiME's elements? I'm not certain they have names, but I'll describe them.

Mai - Anklets/Bracelets
Mikoto - Miroku
Natsuki - Ice Pistols
Midori - Axe
Nao - Claws/threads
Akane - Tonfas
Akira - Kunai
Yukariko - bow
Yukino - Mirror
Shiromuku no HiME - Flute
Fumi - Scythe
Shizuru - Naginata
Alyssa - Her hair?

I had always considered Miyu to be Alyssa's element. Since she was a fake HiME both her Child and element had to be created for her. Her only real abilities were that she could control her Child and create orphans both of which took almost everything she had just to do so.

I also discover that their childs ability transforming a vehicle mode.

for examples:

kagatsuchi : jet plane episode 15
duran : moto bike episode 18
gakutenou : ???
diana : some kinds like a spy camera and computer

do you guys know others??

Gakutenou would be a Chariot as far as I can tell. As for the others I have no idea. I didn't even realize Diana did any transformation. As for Alyssa's element. Well considering Miyu her element in a sense is interesting, but then so is the idea of considering Alyssa's hair her element.

I dont understand that why mashiro call reito onii-sama(big brother)... Whats its mean?

Is that body(doll) hanging there at eps 21 that mashiro operate is fake? and the key that sugiura hold to operate real body is in that laboratary?

Wan, there were already spoilers explaining that miyu is the person in the tank.... Does anyone else find ishigamis "rape" of yukariko quite disgusting? Ew! And he paints pictures of her! EwX2!!!!! Sick pervert!

Some are saying that Yukariko's pregnant. What do you guys think?

And I still think Alyssa doesn't count as a HiME but Mashiro does because when Takumi died his was only the 2nd pillar (when in reality if Alyssa was a true HiME linked to The Festival, Takumi sohuld be #3) but er... I dunno...
Sigh~ Ep 23 was great. I am utterly DYING for ep 24.

I also can't wait to see the proper explanation for Fumi and Mashiro. I refuse to believe Mashiro got whacked so easily!! And I can't believe Minagi Reito (for he is Kanzaki no longer) is really such a 2d character. Oh well. It's Toshihiko Seki so who cares

wan: I think that Mashiro was calling Reito onii-sama because he was making Mashiro to believe that she was really his little sister in the past, just like now with Mikoto, because at the time that Mashiro fights Mikoto she yells to Reito "You did it again?" when Mikoto shows up protecting him..

Shiho can turn into a ghosty bride while she is asleep,why don't she just "play" with Tate instead of killing Mai,and Shiho's nightmares is about fail to kill Mai,and Tate runs to Mai in this episode.

Shizuru's scary kiss for Natsuki,she is 100% GAY

shizuru is out of control....she's becoming a demon bcuz of her protecting natsuki but haruka and yukino are going to get into some trouble and shizuru and natsuki are probably going to solve there probs sooner or later....anwayz mai is getting serious but she doesnt even know what she truly wants...