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ファイト／ステイナイト 
Happy new year to all anime fans ^_^
With the christmas break over, it's time to get back into the swing with our favorite series airing again. So, let's go through Otome 12 in order to prepare our seat belts, because it seems obvious that the grace period will be over in the next installment.
What we had here was an installment of "everybody plays someone else" comedy on the surface, but it was rather a character development and setup episode instead, with particularly ominous and foreboding news about the last missing character from MH, Mai herself. Very solid execution, but also nothing groundbreaking either.
Episode Rating: +
It was refreshing to see that the maid with nerves of steel - Aoi - finally is at the end of her wits and close to freaking out. To hand it to her, the situation is indeed far from perfect. Sakomizu's comment was riceless: How could we find someone as baka... (cough) as angelic as Mashiro? I wonder ^_^
Arika was involuntarily hilarious often enough. "Maaasaka! If they really (slit their stomachs), wouldn't they die?"
Arika's reaction to the (incorrectly executed) handkiss showed once more how pure she is, and how difficult it is for her to deal with issues like physical contact between sexes ;) ... we'll get way too many followup examples in this one episode alone.
Throughout the episode, Arika will receive tons of sweet tender Nina elbow loving. Even though Nina is very controlled and not a sadist by nature, she definitely didn't go easy on Arika at all. Compensation for former frustrations? I guess this is what you get for Arika's constant tickling.
We're treated to another Aoi-Chie exchange, where our favorite maid flatly drops Chie's flirty attempts, to Chie's big surprise. We don't know right now how the relationship between the two of us is, and from where they seem to know each other. School? Well, but Aoi seems to have been Mashiro's maid for quite a while. Are Aoi and Chie supposed to be the same age? Hmmm...
Finally we get to the meat of episode 12, which actually centers around Mashiro character development, while introducing Takumi and Akira at the same time. Finally, Mashiro is confronted with some of the less pleasant perspectives of her kingdom, and her reaction shows that she was never really aware of it. It's not enough to overcome her foul and arrogant instincts in the beginning, but we see that watching her subjects in poverty doesn't leave her cold.
Takumi, of course, is painted in exactly the same light as he was in Mai HiME: Calm, reasonable, very soft-hearted and friendly... and frail. It's his unassuming yet genuine kindness in treating Mashiro which manages to get past her abrasive armor and reaches her. This has been Mashiro's problem all along: Nearly noone is really honest towards her and speaks what (s)he really thinks. Arika was the only exception so far. Takumi is about to become the next.
The comedy parts were cute, but no big deal for me - I'm generally not TOO fond of pointless fluff like this. Where's the meat, Sunrise? By now we were shocked with the Kazu casualty, vampire attacks and Miyu and Alyssa trying to KILL their classmates in the original series, and I'll never forget the goosebumps I got when we saw Artemis annihilating the bridge. We weren't even CLOSE to anything around this tension level in Otome so far. I've got to admit that I was slowly getting a little bit impatient at this point.
Arika and Nina form a nonaggression pact: You don't tell my secrets, I won't tell yours. Arika is slightly shocked to find out that Nina knows already, but their relationship is solid enough to carry shared secrets. Isn't it? In my opinion, it's still way too brittle to tell. Should Nina find out that Sergey is Arika's sponsor, her world will fall apart. And we know that this is gonna become open knowledge exactly at the most inopportune moment.
Nothing escapes Shizuru's impeccable Yuri radar. I found the way how her lips were twitching to the catlike :3 smile very amusing. That aside, what's WRONG with this girl? More about that later.
Sergey continues to outdo Tate by miles. Watching him tease Arinko is always a joy, just like her spunky retorts are never boring. It should be noted that Arika with her hair down and with an angry look changes from cute to hot. And in some pictures, the resemblence between Arika and Rena becomes very striking. In a way it's a shame that we won't see her like that more often ^_^
Meanwhile, Takumi and Mashiro are having a great time. Whenever Mashiro's bratty reflexes are circumvented by Takumi's friendly insistence, we see a new Mashiro under her unpleasant shell. I guess that the rest of the story will show how Mashiro gradually changes from a foul-spirited arrogant brat into someone more mature, and I give credit to the screenwriters that they make it a slow, gradual change (in animes, the "sweetness" mode tends to be activated too rapidly in most cases).
So we get to learn that Takumi's main goal to visit Windbloom was to trace the steps of his missing sister, Mai. Cute, how Mashiro lit up like a lightbulb when she realized that the girl he was chasing was actually no competitor for her, but rather his sister. So Takumi has instantly been promoted to Mashiro's romantic interest. However, I wonder where this will leave Akira?
My take is that most likely, in the grand scheme of things, Zipang led by Takumi will become the "savior in need" for Arika and the likes, therefore it's likely that Takumi will stay alive until the final climax. If this is the case, and his role remains as Mashiro's primary romantic interest, this doesn't bode well for Akira. After this episode, I would give Akira a survival chance of less than 30%.
Nao continues to both impress and surprise me. Surprise in that very much unlike in MH, she is not isolationist at all: In fact, she's both confidant and advisor not only to our coral girls, but also to Akane. Her life plan was SO Nao however, and it's also very typical for her to frazzle Akane a bit, however with less venom and more care than before. Watching Akane's reaction of panic was very revealing. The next episode will be Akane/Kazu-centric, and this already gave us a little taste that even the top pearl loses her calm composure in no time - all it takes is a little jest. Hm.
Yayoi totally cracked me with her "What a bishounen! What should I do if I catch his fancy?" comment. The very thought of it... goodness. Immediately afterward, elbow-uppercut combination by Nina. Life sure is tough for our little heroine.
Natsuki's brooding in her office trying to figure out how to get Zipang to ally with them is a clear indicator that the harmonium issue has triggered something serious, and that obviously major hostility up to wars are likely enough to scramble for alliances. We'll get more of that over the next episodes, I presume. Shizuru has her own angle of investigation, and sets off to visit "Prince Takumi".
Naturally, Shizuru manages to catch Akira just when she was changing. OF COURSE. And also naturally, Shizuru knows how to mix business with pleasure, by copping some very close feels while holding Akira at bay.
Some criticism from me here: I have absolutely nothing against occasional fanservice and fanbase pandering, but the way how sexual innuendos are distributed with the big shovel is overdoing it for my tastes. A bit less would be much more. Even after Akira escapes, Arika had to blush after Shizuru activates her GEM. Could we please tone it down a bit? I'd appreciate it.
While we're at it, could someone please shoot the designer for Akira's clown gear? I mean, her kunoichi costume? Heaven help my heart, they can't possibly be serious.
So Yori remains to tango with Shizuru. Brave guy. Poor guy. I felt for him when we eventually saw him limping back to the others. He's obviously Zipang's version "Sergey", and the poor guy gets his butt kicked so early...
One notable exchange in the duel between Arika and Akira: "So you're an Otome too?" Akira's reaction was very much insulted. So at least in Zipang, Otomes don't command respect and admiration, but rather have a shady reputation. I wonder if this is just because of Takumi's policy, or if something more important happened to cause this reaction.
Meanwhile, Takumi's and Mashiro's date is drawing to a close. Eager to keep him with her, she's asking him of his impression about her kingdom, clearly expecting some praise. Takumi however, gives her the plain truth straight into her face: The queen has the wrong priorities. Mashiro's weak attempts to defend herself are handled in a friendly but firm way. "So if they don't have bread to eat - let them eat candy!" - it shows how painfully childish and unfit for her task Mashiro still is. And since it's someone she has taken a liking to, and who she recognizes is genuine, the criticism stings her more than anything else possibly could.
In a way, the fact that both still didn't know each others' identities made this exchange possible - even though I wouldn't put it past Takumi to say exactly the same thing to her HAD he known Mashiro's true identity.
The next parts were all a little bit silly ^_^ ... kneel down before the holy pillbox of Zipang *yay*. The whole "take the pill and administer it to Takumi" shenanigans were way off and made no sense, but were obviously added for extra comedy-service. Was that really necessary?
Takumi-Akira, what kind of relationship do we have here? That's been a mighty big chuu, but what are they? Friends? More? I'll reserve judgment on that until we have slightly more data to base assumptions on. Of course, Shizuru had the line of the day. "But they're both guys!!" "That's one form of love, too!" ... and judging by her expression, Mashiro's life just got shorter by a week.
In the end of the episode, the tone gets serious again. Dead serious, in fact. Takumi lays out in an unmistakable tone that he is not about to take sides in the upcoming conflict, but will adhere to a strict no-intervention-policy. I sense Japan's current wish for neutrality and isolation in modern-world politics at work here - the parallels are too obvious to overlook.
Natsuki is not surprised and accepts this, however with a noticeable note of regret and a trace of bitterness. Takumi also criticizes the Otome system in itself. Why is the fate of their worlds put into the hands of young teenage girls? Well, Takumi, that's one of the unwritten anime rules. Combat mecha have to be piloted by kids, and the robes are only particularly fancy forms of that. What are you complaining about?
Natsuki's soft defense that there is a rigorous selection process to protect unfit girls to be put into this position is shot down quickly. Then what happened to the "Ruby of the Flaming Jewel"? It's soon made clear that he's talking about Mai, and Natsuki's face shows shock and surprise. It's obvious that she didn't know that Takumi had a personal connection to her, and whatever happened to Mai must have been BAD (tm) with capital letters.
So she was torn between "Koi" (Love) and "Yume" (Dream). What love? Who was she in love with? What dream exactly? Being an Otome? This was a very very intriguing part for me, yet I believe we have too little information to speculate with any trace of reliability. However...
Mashiro has been taking the news VERY hard and doesn't show up to send Takumi off. Thinking about the humiliation of the past day, she reaches out to crush the flower, Takumi's gift for her. However, for the first time ever in the entire series, she CONTROLS her impulse and spares the flower. Takumi was the first person to cause her to do this, so I'm reasonably certain that their story will continue.
Meanwhile, Natsuki is brooding in her office, watching old class photos of her coral class, where a genki Mai is taking Natsuki's arm in a very familiar way to show a victory sign. In the episodes before, she had been introduced as her "rival". This scene points out that they rather must have been friends, and the way how guilt-stricken Natsuki looked when the talk came to Mai, I can't help but wonder what must have happened that Natsuki feels so personally responsible for it. I'm ready to bet that Natsuki in some way caused Mai's dilemma, having to choose between her dreams and her love. But in which way? Very very intriguing, I'm open for suggestions.
A very strange possibility which would contradict everything we know would be that Natsuki's charms extend farther than just to Shizuru. Don't hit me, I know that Mai was straight, but who could be the target of her affections? There's damn few male potentials (Sergey? Possible, but overbooked already and smitten with Rena. Rado? Why would this be Natsuki's business?), and it's GOT to be something involving Natsuki.
One final thought about Mai: I'm almost certain by now that the five pillars of Garderobe are the Otomes who are contracted to the "shinso", Himeno Fumi. Those will be Natsuki, Shizuru, Yukariko (we saw her materialize freely multiple times), Maria (she still has a gem, but obviously no master) and one more. It would make sense to assume that this last one is Mai, because she's obviously still an Otome and missing - and if she had a master, she should be around him.
The preview was particularly interesting this time. First of all, it seems that something nasty happens which targets Kazu-kun (we have one frame in which a robed-up Arika obviously tries to protect him in battle). Angst and tears from Akane, who pours her heart out to Nao, who plays the big sister to more than just the corals. And then the two frames which I found most intriguing:
First, we have a frame in which Akane in her pearl armor flies off with an extremely angry facial expression. Whatever she is planning to do, it looks violent, like on a revenge mission. However, Shizuru in her Meister robe and Kazu-kun are in the background, she LEAVES THEM BEHIND. Garderobe needs authorization for anything else than a rescue mission, so why the hell would Shizuru allow Akane to fly off like this?
Even more interesting the next frame, which is animated in a way that something extremely fast-moving passes through Shizuru's hair, leaving a hole. She also shows utter incredulous shock and surprise, so what could cause this? There are two options I can see. The first one is a profane bullet shot (in this case, I fear for Kazu-kun). The second one is even more unsettling, but more logical in MY opinion: The hole was made by Akane, probably with her extendable otome staff. Normally, Shizuru would have to hold Akane back, but probably she said "no way in hell" and nearly missed Shizuru to point out how serious she is, right before she flies off. This would also explain Shizuru's shock. I admit, only a wild theory, but... that's what Otome is all about ^_^
Since Kazu-kun is obviously standing behind Shizuru in her battlegear, I believe that unless he's snipered, he should be able to survive the next episode. Akane however... whatever is going to happen in the next episode won't be pretty. Or, to be more exact, it's gonna be lovely for us anime viewers.
Review
We almost reached the half-point of the series, but we've yet to wait for our first casualty. In a way, this is both bad and good. Bad because Otome doesn't come near the drama and impact of the original MH yet. It's more balanced and more comedy- and fanservice-oriented, with much less drama. The good aspect is that this increases the chances that we will NOT have to suffer one more reset, and that's why they need to be more careful with the characters. The bad aspect is that Otome just isn't as exciting as the original, at least NOT YET.
After episode 13, I'll try to make a decent comparison between both shows, and also review what we speculated about in the last analysis. Only 4 more days. Looking forward to it!
Aaah, so that's what you were talking about in that shot. I saw Shizuru, Kazu and Someone Else but couldn't put together what that actually meant. (I'm not the best thinker around, sad to say.)
I'm not certain about the Mashiro+Takumi thing. They made a point of doing two things to discredit that future plot path: Akira gets a LOT of screentime agonizing about Takumi, and Takumi makes a point of saying that Zipang won't be visiting again for a while, "Neutral for the time being" and all that. He's going to wait to see how things shake out (and who's really on which side?) before taking action, if any. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a returning Takumi, unwrapped Akira on his arm, congratulating a now-mature Mashiro on... whatever it is she ends up accomplishing in the series.
Let the games begin!
I believe we'll see him again MUCH sooner - when Mai reappears. We have a Mai track on the first OST already, so it shouldn't be too far before we see her again.
For me, it seems that Akira looks very very expendable. And Mashiro needs a counterweight. You don't want to let Nagi be the one to help her growing up? ^_^;
"For me, it seems that Akira looks very very expendable."
Wearing that costume, any other character would be too =S
Since the Otome episode previews have mislead me in the past I will not try and guess what'll happen next. But still...I hope Shizuru gets even with whomever shot at her Yuri hair :-)
Did Mai die or something? Where did she go? What is all this Otome stuff? What is Mai's brother doing?
"I know that Mai was straight, but who could be the target of her affections? There's damn few male potentials"
I don't think that a love between Mai and Natsuki would necessarily force Mai to choose between love and a dream. It's prolly just a character we haven't seen. But don't overlook Sergey just yet since he had a letter that was presumably from Mai. Could even be Tate (continuing the trend of bringing back all the MH leads). I know Sergey looks like Tate. But Sergey could have..*gasp* a brother! lol :-p
In any case, we'll prolly find out soon. And the sooner the better cuz I miss Mai (quit your groaning Kabitzin lol) and I want to hear her music in the show (I think it's a great track).
According to T_I, who I trust about this, the letter Sergey reads is from Takumi.
The "kneel down before the holy pillbox of Zipang" part nearly had me fall over laughing. It is a fairly direct immitation of the ending of most episodes of Mito Komon. That's a jidaigeki (samurai drama) that's been running on Japanese TV since about 1969 and is now at over 1000 episodes. For more info, you can see this site describing the series.
At the end of the typical episode, one of Mito Komon's faithful attendants displays Komon's inro (which looks a lot like the "holy pillbox"), and the bad guys of this episode, seeing the Tokugawa mon on this, kneel and bow before Mito Komon and promise to right their ways. Seeing Akira flash the pillcase with a mon, and then having Nina and Arika kneel like the miscreants was too good. I guess this is another tie between Zipang and Japan.
Well, a few comments.
First, on how Otome has less Drama than HiME, I don't reall agree. Otome and HiME are telling their stories very differently. Otome has given us FAR more information than HiME ever did, In HiME the info came in fits and starts, while with Otome ever episode has added something directly plot related. Also I think that when things finally do explode in Otome, it will be FAR messier than it was in HiME.
Now, for the birthday girls, I'd say that of the three, Nina ended up having the best day, with Arika having a rather middling day, and Mashiro having a pretty bad day, all thigns considered.
The main problem with the preview is that its just so horribly disjointed, its impossible to tell when thigns are happening in relation to each other.
That being said, I give Kazu a 60/40 chance against of him surviving the episode. And if he does survive, the chances of him making it to episode 20 are virtually nil.
I do think Akane will live, but I think she'll be very, very embittered.
Oh, some Mai related things:
I think that Mai learned...something. Maybe a "Dark History" from the library in the Otome shrine. Thats why she disappeared.
I believe she'll appear as part of Miyu's faction, possibly along with Rena.
What I'm thinking in regards to Mai (and kind of hoping for because I think it would be interesting) is that she will show up initially as a villain..almost certainly of the tragic/sympathetic flavor, but a villain none the less. It will be because of something she learned (like Fence mentioned) or because of some tragedy that resulted from her making a choice and her grief. I also think she will be pulling the strings of at least one faction opposing Garderobe.
Of course, I base this on nothing more than random guessing, some fanboy yearnings and anticipation of the mysteries beginning to unfold. Something about this show (like MH) makes me want to speculate wildly whereas I don't for just about any other show.
There's damn few male potentials (Sergey? Possible, but overbooked already and smitten with Rena. Rado? Why would this be Natsuki's business?), and it's GOT to be something involving Natsuki.
I am thinking...Mai's love interest could be Rad. Why?
Mai is torn between love and dream. I'm guessing the love is Rad and dream is to be a good Otome. Rad is from Asward and Asward hates Garderobe (from what Midori said). Recall from ep.10 how Rad addresses Natsuki. Seems like he holds some sort of anger towards her.
Here are some speculations about Natsuki:
- Could it be that Natsuki knew that Mai likes Rad and stopped her relationship because Otome *should not* fall for a guy?
- Could it be that Natsuki tell Mai that Rad got close to the latter because Asward wants to steal Garderobe's technology?
Speculations about Rad and why he shows a certain anger towards Natsuki:
- Rad trully loves Mai, but Natsuki spoils the relationship by telling Mai that maybe Rad is making use of the former to steal Garderobe's technology or discourages the relationship because of Otome rules.
- Rad wants to make use of Mai's love to steal Garderobe's technology, but Natsuki foils the plan by warning Mai that resulted in Mai going into *hiding*.
Speculations about Mai:
- Mai cannot decide what she should really do so she ran away... To not betray her dream -- Otome & Garderobe, and not betray her love -- fighting against Rad & Asward.
Hehe...These are my speculations from the 12 episodes so far. We shall see more as more episodes unveil. I really love mai-otome because there are so many speculations & possible plots. That's why i find Mai-Otome alot more interesting & exciting than Mai-HiME. :-P
Mai took the red pill eheheh j/k
Well...MO they can always pull a G-Gundam final battle...just for eye candy...
...then in season 3 (if there is one by chance) it goes back to the realm of MH...but who knows.
One thing that worries me about MO is that it ends with a "Twlight Zone" plot twist...in the end Arika and Nina wake up from the same dream and they're in their dorm of Fuuka Academy. Arika has on her necklace, then recieves a phone call from her mother, Rena, while Yuuchi says hi and Nina calls him Sergei...in the final scene you discover that both Arika and Nina have strange marks on them resembling the HiME marks. This is out of a limb but for some reason I'm getting this "Twlight Zone"/"Outer Limits"/"Tales from the Darkside"/"Amazing Stories" vibe to it...
coefficientX's theory sounds plausible to me... If Mai was indeed a Pillar, the reason why she left Garderobe and went into hiding could quite possibly be because she found herself caught between loyalties (to Garderobe and Asward). Hmm... might be something to see Mai fighting alongside Midori. Gakutenou and Big K!!! Ooh, yeah.
On another note: DAMN YOU, SUNRISE! Why can't you just lay your sadistic hands off Akane?! The poor lass has been through enough already!
At least Akane lasted this long thus far, Ascension...her and Kazu-kun.
*shrugs*
Can't wait to see the next ep. hehe
Also can't wait to see Mai in robe, wonder what she looks like, lolz. She'll definatly be wearin' red ^^
I can't help but love what they do with Arika's antennae... lol
Also that sproing of hair that sticks up in front
Sometimes I think it's too much, but still, I can't help liking it :D
Wai! You have your entry up! Excellent work as usual. ^-^
Hmm... A few questions. Pearl Otomes still need the authorization of others to let them use their Robes, right? In the second last pic where Akane flew off with a "No Mercy" expression on her face, I assume the person who granted her permission to use her Robe is Shizuru since she's seen in the background. Or could her Robe have been activated by someone else?
I looked closely at the pic with Shizuru, Arika and Kazu-kun in the background, I noticed both Shizuru and Arika were still in their casual wear (Shizuru in her purple and white dress which she wears most of the time, and Arika in her construction clothes. Umm... I assume it's Arika coz those overalls look quite familiar).
I was wondering... Did that particular situation where Akane took after the enemy with the angry face happen on an occassion different from the one where she presumably blew the hole in Shizuru's hair (Perhaps the enemy came back later in the ep for a second chance at killing Kazu-kun)? Or is it possible for the same situation to get out of hand that Shizuru herself needs to materialize her own Robe later to supposedly go after Akane and try to stop her from doing something brash (Hence the latter retaliating)?
Btw.... Tomoe looks hot in the screenshot you captured. Despite me having negative things to comment about her most of the time, I actually like her very much. Weird... Must be Tanaka Rie working her Suigintou charm on me. Gah! :p
ACK! There goes my theory! You're perfectly right, in Akane's "take no prisoners" dash-off, Shizuru is wearing her normal clothes, not her battle robe. Which also means that my theory about Akane poking a near-miss at Shizuru (wearing her battlewear by then) is wrong too. *sniff* ... good catch, Dav!
We don't know for sure if Pearls can materialize their robes by themselves, but I'm willing to bet that they can't. Even Meisters can't do it on their own, only Pillars can.
Wait. If Pearls can't materialize their robes at will, how the hell did Nao activate hers back in Ep.6?
Just a comment on yours about Shizuru in the preview. On the steps, isn't she wearing her normal everyday outfit, not the battle gear? The next scene of her getting her hair holed has her in her battlegear. Its interesting that whatever Akane is flying off to with such a look, Shizuru is just standing by in the background, she even has her hands folded at her waist.
errr.... and I didn't see the previous comments in regards to mine :/
Pearl Otome certainly need someone else to activate their robes. It wouldn't make any sense for them to gain the ability to self-activate and then lose it when they become Meisters. In episode 6, Irina runs for help, then after a while we see Nao fly out from the school building, and shortly thereafter Irina comes back with Yukariko. Clearly, Yukariko activated Nao's robe and told her to go ahead.
It looks like some really good (ie bad :3) developments are ahead. I especially liked the stunned Shizuru in the preview - it's about time she met her match. It would be boring if she always remained the invincible unfazeable ultimate fighter. :)
And Mai as a villain? That would ROCK. After all, we know from MH that, despite her cooking, her *real* specialty is causing mayhem. :))
Well, episode 13 might also have similarities to chapter 19 of the manga. If this is the case, we are going to be seriously surprised and Akane might actually have a real dilemma concerning her love and dreams. This means the discussion between Natsuki and Takumi might be foreboding Akane's situation. ^^ I hope this is going to happen.
I read the first chapter of the MH manga and found it revolting. I then decided to ascribe any Mai-* manga to the most despicable merchandising crud, and ignore its very existence forever. Does anybody else feel that way? :)
I’m sorry, you must be delusional. There exists no Mai Hime manga :P
But yes. Some people think it’s just gross while others find it to be quite enjoyable. Those people doesn’t try to compare it to the anime so much and rather see it as an addition. Something for everyone ;-)
I remember when I first saw some of the manga I mistakenly thought it was another bad doujin :P
Wonderful review like always Mentar.
I think you missed an important pic for the preview of next episode. Whatever Akane is doing/fighting, she must do it very well because she become a meister-otome at the end.
http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/3721/bscap0286sa.jpg
And she looks really good as one.
I believe that Akane will end up like Mai. Torn between dream and love. Hopefully it will be a better ending for her as in Mai-HiME.
Akane becoming a Meister is sort of a known fact about the episode.
Magazine Previews reveal that Florince's current Meister Otome is retiring, and they have chosen Akane (not particularly shocking, she's from there afterall) to replace her.
And again, an episode with too much nonsensical plot to be fully enjoyable and a Mentar review that is almost more fun than the episode itself :). Some comments:
“Should Nina find out that Sergey is Arika's sponsor, her world will fall apart.“
Do you really think so? Nina knows that Rena is/was Sergeys love and that he believes Arika to be Renas daughter. That makes him a likely candidate for the position of the unknown benefactor. Nina should suspect it or at least it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise once she finds out.
“Some criticism from me here: I have absolutely nothing against occasional fanservice and fanbase pandering, but the way how sexual innuendos are distributed with the big shovel is overdoing it for my tastes. “
Mentar? Is that really you? The one who rated episode 6 ++? Did you come to your senses? ^.^
But I think I understand what concerns you. Usually the ecci in otome comes in the form of comedy and is in no way meant to be taken seriously. While when Shizuru is concerned it feels less like fluff and more serious. And if we are honest: it’s almost sexual harassment. Just imagine she were a guy. Boy! Running around and feeling up under aged girls. I would so hate him.
But for some reason the Shizuru touching other otomes yuri doesn’t bother me as much as other things in this show. Oh well ^.^
What does bug me is this:
“It's obvious that she didn't know that Takumi had a personal connection to her, “
Naniii?? Ok, I rewatched the episode and you’re right. But... Mai is – besides Shizuru – probably _the_ most important person for Natsuki. How in the world could she not know that Mai has a brother and that it is Prince Takumi? And how does she want to win alleys if she has so little knowledge of what is going on in the other countries that she apparently doesn’t know basic things like the ruler of Zipang is Mais brother??
One word to the next episode: it will probably be like this: we will get some drama with Akane and Kazu-kun wherein Akane tries to make her mind whether her love (Kazu) or her dream (becoming an otome) is more important to her. Then some bad guys attack Kazu, some fighting follows which ultimately results in Akanes charging them and beating the s*** out of them (hopefully). This incident will probably help her to make her mind. Which could be that she realizes that she still wants and needs her power as an otome (to protect Kazu). Shizurus surprised face is probably not connected to any of this and rather a cliffhanger for episode 14. It’s either that or something else :)
PS: http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/3721/bscap0286sa.jpg
This isn't necassary a proof that Akane becomes a Meister otome. It could be her vision, her dream of becoming a meister otome. It's an important picture nonetheless.
And also naturally, Shizuru knows how to mix business with pleasure, by copping some very close feels while holding Akira at bay.
I'm actually a little concerned that Shizuru didn't share her suspicion about Akira with Natsuki despite being asked directly about it. Plausible deniability for Natsuki? I'm reminded of the time when she sensed Rado and went off to fight him, leaving a very surprised Natsuki looking for her when the aircraft started falling. Shizuru reprising her loose cannon role again?
Shizuru also pretty obviously knew from the very beginning who Takumi was.
But then again, is she actually subordinate to Natsuki?
Kiyohime: episode 6 was a ++ if there ever was one. :P
Regarding the Mai/Takumi connection, it was probably a well-kept secret. After all, Zipang is supposed to be a remote and mysterious country - nobody in Windbloom even knew what Prince Takumi looks like. I don't find it that surprising that Natsuki didn't know about his sister. As for why Mai never told her... well, if she is Takumi's sister she is royalty, and yet she wanted to be an Otome... isn't that unusual? I guess her life was complicated even before the mysterious choice. As it should be - it IS Mai, after all. ;)
Fencedude: Shizuru also pretty obviously knew from the very beginning who Takumi was.
So she said "You cannot fool my eyes" instead of "I knew it all along" just because she wanted to look cool?
I was referring to Takumi being Mai's brother.
That comment was about realizing that Akira was really a girl.
It's amazing how the Tokiha's keep their last names. I laughed at the pillpox screenshot, that one was the best.
Oh, I forgot to add one thing. Check the big old coral class photo once more. All corals shown in this picture have been briefly shown as active Meister Otomes in service.
Quite an impressive class, obviously.
I don't think ALL of them have, but I know several of them have.
Unless you can match up the others better than I could.
All of them (only the one besides Natsuki would have to be Fia - now with slightly shorter hair). All of the others are clear matches.
Fencedude: ah, I see. But what makes you think that Shizuru knew that?
And now, let's try to name the girls in the photo. From left to right:
?, Mai, Natsuki, ?, ?, ?, Shizuru, ?, Haruka. Hmm. Who can fill in the blanks?
Ok, Mai, Natsuki, Haruka and Shizuru are givens.
The Coral with the twin ponytails is the current Meister for Lucitia Romulus. The Coral with Dark Skin and White Hair is the current Meister for Lucitia Remus . (both of whom are scheduled to appear again in episode 14)
The Pearl on the left (last of the Trias?) is unknown.
I don't think the Coral next to Natsuki is Fia Gross, the hair color is wrong, and the blonde Coral I've never seen before.
Yeah, I don't think the blonde coral is Rosalie Crowdel, the only blonde Meister we've seen. The hair just seems wrong.
But hey, maybe we'll find out next episode, since she's the supposedly retiring Royal Florincian Otome.
And the pink haird one CAN"T be Fia, just all wrong.
(I reserve the right to be wrong, just in case)
Mentar is right. They're all shown in Episode 3, more specifically in the scene with all the rulers from different countries entering Windbloom Castle for Mashiro's coronation. They appear in this order:
-Fia Gross (The one with pink hair next to Natsuki)
-The one in the middle with dark green hair (escorted by Chie)
-The blonde one
-The dark-skinned one with short hair on the far right
Quite an impressive class indeed. Maybe it was positive influence from Shizuru and Haruka. Or not. :P
Whoops! Didn't see your posts up there, Fencedude. Well, you seem to know more than I do... I exercise my right to remain silent.
I'm just guessing here, but I think the line up of girls on the posters in ep 5 was meant to be the top pearls year by year. So Shizuru, Mai, and Akane were there, and so was Fia, iirc. So, if I'm right, Fia wouln't be in the same year as either Shizuru or Mai.
I'm guessing, but...
Maybe Swarchz came by. I heard Aswald are smart enough to not even get close to Gaurderobe. So Swarchz, probably came by, and was going to attack Kazu. Then Akane get's angry and goes for the attack to attack then, while Shizuru, Kazu, and maybe Arika in her work clothes(In the background where Akane flies), can probably be saying"Wait Akane!" While Akane takes her revenge on trying to kill Kazu. Where you see her just walk forward in the preview, maybe that's before Swarchz came by and she was graduating? I'm not really sure.
In Akane's "take no prisoners" dash-off, Shizuru is wearing her normal clothes, not her battle robe. Which also means that my theory about Akane poking a near-miss at Shizuru (wearing her battlewear by then) is wrong too.
Nah... I wouldn't dismiss it just yet ^-^. I assume the incident where Akane dashed off and the one which showed Shizuru having part of her hair blown off could have happened on entirely different incidents. Akane may still be the one who did that to Shizuru but perhaps it occurred during another event or something.
Nevertheless after pondering some more, I'm starting to wonder whether Akane had those sort of weapon capable of being projectile-like. The hole made in Shizuru's hair looks as if it's caused by a projectile of some sort as you speculated - for instance, a bullet; and a rather huge one in fact (Air cannonball? :p). We have yet to see whether all Pearls in general have their own specially customized Elements, such as Nao with her "Nao whip" ;p, instead of using that stick um, staff ^^. If Akane had no such weapon, then it's quite possible the opponent Shizuru is facing is a different person, perhaps someone new or it could be one of those guys who have appeared before e.g. Asward (Maybe one of them has a new weapon?), or John Smith (Did he get a bigger pistol? XD).
LOL, sorry for deviating the discussion for a bit. ^^;;;
Shizuru, Kazu, and maybe Arika in her work clothes(In the background where Akane flies), can probably be saying"Wait Akane!" While Akane takes her revenge on trying to kill Kazu.
Hmm... I can imagine Arika and Kazuya calling out to Akane but probably not Shizuru. Someone has got to give permission to Akane to activate her Robe, right? Since Shizuru was the only visible person with the authorization to do so during that scene, I presume she's the one who gave permission to Akane unless some other notable figures were there to do it for her.
Ah, it's true, they're all in episode 3. Fencedude, where did you get all the names? I don't have time to rewatch all of ep 3 right now, so I might be wrong, but I don't remember all of the characters being named. And if they were, I can't remember all of those names after several weeks... :>
Back around when that episode aired there was a scan showing the Meister's who came to visit. The only ones who were named in that Scan were Fia Gross (who was also mentioned in the show), Rosalie Crowdel and Haruka.
The others were just listed by country. We also only have the titles for Fia Gross (Lovely Onyx) and Haruka (Topaz of Jewel Isles)
http://www.fencedude.com/Images6/Countries.jpg
Thats the scan.
Can't recall where I picked this info up or verify it's accuracy but I have this list of Otomes and their jems you all might not have seen:
Rena Sayers: Souten no Seigyoku - Blue Sky Sapphire (now belongs to Arika)
Shizuru Viola: Kyouen no Murasaki Suishou - Graceful Amethyst
Haruka Armitage: Suzu no Kougyouku - Topaz of the Jewel Isles
Fia Gross: Kenrei no Shimamenou - Lovely Onyx
Natsuki Kruger: Hyousetsu no Ginsuishou - Silver Quartz of Ice and Snow
Monica Jullen: Ryuusui no Tokiseki - Diopside of Flowing Water
Fumi: Mashiro naru Kongouseki - Pure White Diamond
Mai Tokiha: Enju no Kougyouku - Flaming Ruby
I can imagine now that Natsuki has Silver Quartz of Ice and Snow. Like in episode25 easy view of Mai Hime, there's Natsuki summoning out Duran and all the ice flew out when she flies on to Duran.
Damn, I would like to see Fumi in action; I really liked her scythe in MH.
To bad she died long ago...
I wouldn't discount seeing some Akane vs Shizuru either, but probably not in the context of real combat. Akane is graduating after all, so it's not too much to expect that there would be some sort of final exam. And a Butou with Shizuru could certainly fit that bill.
Can't recall where I picked this info up or verify its accuracy but I have this list of Otomes and their jems you all might not have seen:
That would be the list compiled by me, with the assistance of T_I.
I wouldn't discount seeing some Akane vs Shizuru either, but probably not in the context of real combat. Akane is graduating after all, so it's not too much to expect that there would be some sort of final exam. And a Butou with Shizuru could certainly fit that bill.
Yeah, "survive for more than a minute and you graduate!"
Shizu is so broken. Here's to hoping that Miyu kicks her ass in 14.
Damn, I would like to see Fumi in action; I really liked her scythe in MH.
To bad she died long ago...
I think there is a better than even chance we'll get to see Fumi, in some way.
I also have a feeling that we'll get to see Fumi. Even if she died, we'll probably see her in action. Maybe show her in the past, fighting. Or maybe she wasn't really dead, if course there's a really low chance that Fumi is still alive if you say she's dead.
Thanks a lot for the info, Fencedude!
It's strange that they published that information on a magazine, yet didn't put them on the website. I guess the character section only lists characters who have had a significant role in the episodes aired so far.
OMG i so agree with you when you talked about Akira's new "costume". when i first saw her change into her costume my first impression was actualli "how do they change so fast?" but then i was like so shocked when i saw how it looked so hm... interesting. Honestly, even her old look was better and i thought even that was just soso. other than that i still like Takumi and Akira sooo much and just hope that Takumi wont have to marry Mashiro or anything.
I wonder how Arika had so much hair. If she tied them both back to normal, wouldn't it be bigger?
"ACK! There goes my theory! You're perfectly right, in Akane's "take no prisoners" dash-off, Shizuru is wearing her normal clothes, not her battle robe. Which also means that my theory about Akane poking a near-miss at Shizuru (wearing her battlewear by then) is wrong too. *sniff* ... good catch, Dav!"
You forget one key detail that keeps your theory alive, the preview's scenes may not have been shown in order. For all we know, the "Akane fly off" could be early, then "Akane becomes a meister" somewhere in the middle, and finally "someone fires a shot at Shizuru" possibly to close the episode.
My questions may sound silly but I'd like someone help me. I have two questions. The gem stone Arika always wears is supposed be sapphire and looks bluish. But when Shizuru kissed the stone Arika wore in the room darked by the smoke Akira used to escape, the stone looked reddish. Looks like more ruby. Does it mean Arika has two jem stones? Arika made a contract with Mashiro. I thought it means the only person who can activate Arika's contract is Mashiro, not any other person, no? Why could Shizuru activate the contact and make Arika materialized?
"One final thought about Mai: I'm almost certain by now that the five pillars of Garderobe are the Otomes who are contracted to the "shinso", Himeno Fumi. Those will be Natsuki, Shizuru, Yukariko (we saw her materialize freely multiple times), Maria (she still has a gem, but obviously no master)"
Whose Yukariko and what episodes does she materialize? I always suspected the Azure Gem was a pillar gem, but if those are the pillars then my theory is dead.
Hey, i just found this on a forum
Might be a bit off topic =P
Didn't think Nina was actually from Mai HiME as well o.0
http://img53.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nina2xc.jpg
My questions may sound silly but I'd like someone help me. I have two questions. The gem stone Arika always wears is supposed be sapphire and looks bluish. But when Shizuru kissed the stone Arika wore in the room darked by the smoke Akira used to escape, the stone looked reddish. Looks like more ruby. Does it mean Arika has two jem stones? Arika made a contract with Mashiro. I thought it means the only person who can activate Arika's contract is Mashiro, not any other person, no? Why could Shizuru activate the contact and make Arika materialized?
Remember, Miyu removed the Blue Sky Sapphires from ARika's earing and Mashiro's ring several episodes ago. Then Maria discovered the empty earring and Arika got another Coral GEM.
Whose Yukariko and what episodes does she materialize? I always suspected the Azure Gem was a pillar gem, but if those are the pillars then my theory is dead.
*sigh*
She's been shown in her robe several times, and in episode 9 she Materializes to stop Arika's run towards the ocean.
Hey, i just found this on a forum
Might be a bit off topic =P
Didn't think Nina was actually from Mai HiME as well o.0
I think its required that someone discover either this or Arika in the last episode of HiME in EVERY SINGLE THREAD.
Yes, we know. We've known for a LONG TIME.
Anyway, her name in HiME was Chun-Mei, not Nina.
Hmm, this is sorta weird: (taken from cdjapan)
My Otome - Intro Theme: "Crystal Energy"
Minami Kuribayashi
Release: 2006/02/22 | CD
New OP? Interesting if true...
And if someone still doesnt know, they also list OST2 Otome no inori for March 8 release. YAY.
Bleh. I still say they should have gotten Fiction Junction YUUKA to do this op.
So much wasted potential.
Yeah, Akira, Yukariko, and the one that Yukariko is in love with aren't in the MH op theme. Neither does Akira in MO op1. We still haven't seen Reito(Probably that one in Midori's photo), Takeda(Funny scenes haha), and Yukariko's love(Which kind of scares me). You think they'll show up?
@ Fencedude
I agree with you since Nanri Yuuka is RIGHT there working in the seiyuu department while Kajiura Yuki is responsible for the music. Although... Knowing the kind of music FictionJunction YUUKA performs, I'm not sure if it's the right kind for a series like Otome. It worked extremely well with MADLAX and Gundam, but Otome... Hmm... A bit hard to imagine them performing a more upbeat almost genki type of song, apart from "Seiya" maybe. Nonetheless, since the drama may get more tense as the series progresses then I'd say "Yeah, wish they'd gotten FictionJunction YUUKA to perform the opening instead" :p. Or maybe the insert song! That would be good too! ^^
@ MattAlchemy:
You're right about Ishigami-sensei (more likely than not he'll never reappear in MO), but Takeda has been seen, albeit briefly. He's one of the politicians attending Natsuki's meeting in Ep.2. His hair colour is different and he wears an eyepatch, but he's still very much recognizable. As for Reito... it's generally accepted that he's either dead or horribly mutilated, and his consciousness has been reconstructed into Rad the cyborg.
First things first, Akane does nothing to Shizuru, and second, the ending is happy, happy, happy!
And isn't the "Holy pillbox" like the one that Takumi uses in MH?
"Whose Yukariko and what episodes does she materialize? I always suspected the Azure Gem was a pillar gem, but if those are the pillars then my theory is dead.
*sigh*
She's been shown in her robe several times, and in episode 9 she Materializes to stop Arika's run towards the ocean."
Oh the teacher! Pearl Class has to have a teacher too. They just dont show her because the show doesnt focus on them. I just assumed the teachers could materialize on their own.
It wouldnt make sense to me to have the better otome teaching the lower level coral class. Most wont ever make it to pearl. While the pearl class is being tuaght by a lesser otome. Normally you would put your best resources on the best talent.
I love to read your entries about Mai Otome, Mentar! Just as I love to read the ones of Mai Hime time ago. =)
Im waiting eagerly to see the new episode. So many theories!!
And so many questions...
Are the happy days of the Otomes over?
Where is Mai?
Is alive Rena?
What is that giant organ?
And so many others... I cant wait!!!
Hey, that little blond kid. Doesn't he look like Alyssa?
And the pillar talk... didn't we have pillar's in Hime?
Oh the teacher! Pearl Class has to have a teacher too. They just dont show her because the show doesnt focus on them. I just assumed the teachers could materialize on their own.
It wouldnt make sense to me to have the better otome teaching the lower level coral class. Most wont ever make it to pearl. While the pearl class is being tuaght by a lesser otome. Normally you would put your best resources on the best talent.
I've been working under the assumption that Maria is in charge of the Pearl's and Yukariko is in charge of the Corals.
Hey, that little blond kid. Doesn't he look like Alyssa?
No. No no no no no.
And the pillar talk... didn't we have pillar's in Hime?
Yes, but not even REMOTELY the same thing.
Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. =)
Well, in Hime the VIPs went into the pillars. Now, the Otome's themselves are the pillars. Someone at sunrise must like phallic symbols.
The kid has blonde hair and blue eyes, past that she looks NOTHING like Alyssa, the hair and eye colors aren't even the right shades.
Besides, Alyssa's already accounted for, she's Miyu's bird.
but Takeda has been seen, albeit briefly. He's one of the politicians attending Natsuki's meeting in Ep.2. His hair colour is different and he wears an eyepatch, but he's still very much recognizable.
But isn't he this guy?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattmages2/Compare.jpg
Sorry, I mean't to use the URL.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/mattmages2/Compare.jpg
Sorry Fence,
Wasn't trying to perplex you... I was just being cute ^..^
The hairstyle is different - way too curly. Eyepatch boy's hair has the same spiky shape as Takeda's, and they also have the same VA - Ueda Yuuji.
May or may not mean anything, but in the photo with Mai , she's giving the "V" for victory sign.... the only other time I've seen it so far is when Arika defaeats the slave in the underground chamber, she does the sign also... Maybe Mai and Arika are connected in some way.... Just a thought
look on the last mai hime right at the end arika is behind natsuki
heeeeey....what if in episode 12 when arika, nina, and mashiro were playing each others roles, that was in fact what their parents were? like mashiro is the queen, arika is the otome, and nina is the bystander. where as their parents....arika was pretending to be mashiro the queen so arika's parents were the king and queen, nina was pretending to be arika the otome so nina's parent was the otome, and mashiro was pretending to be nina the bystander so mashiro's parent(s) was the bystander o.O
I have to say, the way you analyze everything is spectacular! I agree about the part of Akira's ninja outfit being ridiculous!! However, I don't support the coupling of Mashiro and Takumi. Takumi and Akira BELONG TOGETHER!!!! They're the cutest couple I have ever come across and although they never officially mention it, it obvious the two love each other!
Ok, rant over. ^^
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