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ローゼンメイデン 
Well, the final episode didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would be. Never the less, cliche and reuse of Evangelion imageries and themes can be found within every inch of this episode. What is worse is the fact that they were done poorly. The only part of the story that was borderline interesting was Ryo and Kimi's storyline. I find that at the very least, I can finally sympathise with two characters on this show. Well, three if you include Akari in there. Overall, I'm disappointed with this series. It doesn't make me feel as if I've wasted time watching it but at the same time I will always feel that this series missed so many good opportunities to tell a good story. I have no choice but to blame this on the decision of the writers to spend the first half of the series on useless fan service which doesn't get the story anywhere.
With only one more episode to go, this episode tries to squeeze in as many resolution and action scenes as possible. The result is not bad at all, but it is nothing to write home about either. For a penultimate episode, this one sure lacks the urgency and the tension that other series with this kind of story present in their penultimate episodes. I never even find myself worrying much about the lives of the characters in this episode. This is mostly because there doesn't seem to be anything which suggests that their life could be in jeopardy. And if there are, the episode seems to imply that somehow everything will be returned to the way they were before the end of the series. Hell, even the crimson butterflies that fill up the sky actually make the show prettier instead of providing some kind of danger to the characters.
Sometimes I get the impression that this series aspires to be Evangelion and now it looks like the writers have finally crossed the obsessive line. There are at least 5 Evangelion references in this episode, beginning with Jennifer similarity to Ritsuko/Misato, Ritsuko's "Liar" line which is now delivered by Hikari, the monster of the week, the psychology talk about the ability of a person to love another, and Hikari's Rei Ayanami-like rejection of the person who supposedly 'love' her. The problem is, these references end up drawing comparison to the famous show and make it hard for this series to stand up on its own merit. Oh well, at the very least these references make for one interesting episode. And I have to admit that the events that happened in this episode are very exciting. Plus, I get to see the look on Mari's face when she realises that she indirectly responsible for causing the end of the world. That in itself makes this episode worth a lot. :P
If I ask nicely, will someone please restrain me? :) I just had this sudden urge to strangle Mari, despite knowing the fact that she's a fictional character. I think it's bad enough that her character is completely pathetic throughout the series. But she reaches a new low this time when she interrupts an interesting discussion between two of the more interesting characters in the show with her whiny, annoying voice. I know that I probably have an intense dislike for the character more than what is considered healthy. Having said that, there's nothing that I'd like to see more than the expression on her face when she realises that she has single-handedly become the cause for the world's destruction. Well, some death tolls will also be nice in addition to this. Because when things are said and done, I really don't care for any of the characters on this show. Therefore, their possibly small survival chance will not bother me in the slightest.
Now, this is more like it! The show finally moves to a more interesting direction, abandons its so-called 'character development', and focuses more on the mystery that surrounds the two main characters. To be honest though, the revelation is not as shocking as it could have been. Probably because most people already discussed the possibility to death before the series itself moves in towards this direction. At any rate, it's better to be late than to never explore the theme at all. This episode also did a better job in trying to show how life or the world can be 'beautiful' and 'ugly' at the same time. There's simplicity in the 'slice of life' scenes that they show in this episode that makes it work better than the previous episodes. Plus there's a possibility that Mari's creepy obsession for her own cousin may eventually brings Dark Hikari's wrath. I will definitely be on the lookout for that one.
Thankfully this episode is a bit better than the last one. The supposedly wacky hijinks part of the episode is actually funny unlike the ones that were shown in the previous episodes. Having said that, I still think that so far the series has failed to show me what is 'beautiful' and what is 'ugly' about the world that these characters inhabit. To me the world that the characters inhabit looks very bland and fake. If I compare the 'slice of life' part of this show to the one from another show, I'll say that NieA_7 does a better job in showing how a simple life can be both beautiful and difficult. Oh well, at least there are some intriguing scenes and questions scattered all over this episode. It especially helps that Evil Hikari rears her pretty head again. She is definitely the reason why I watched the show to begin with and why I still keep up with it now.
Dear Gainax,
In case you guys haven't realised it yet, you have spent half of this series' episodes mostly on fan service and only a small portion on the actual plot. Now, maybe this series doesn't have that many stories to tell, to the point that the plot has to be stretched thin so that it'll last until episode 12. Or maybe it's because the series has been green lighted for more episodes and therefore you can develop the story at a more leisurely pace. But at any rate, I'm begging you to actually give the story more priority. This episode is as bad as episode 2 in the sense that it doesn't tell me anything much. Something is definitely wrong when the plot is given less time than the trivial matters within the episode. I really think this series has a lot of potential and I'm disappointed to see that so far none of it has materialised.
Yours, sincerely
Well, it looks like the series is a bit better this time around. I actually get the feeling that the plot starts to move a little bit. It also has the same amount of philosophical discussion as the last two episodes although it feels a bit preachy this time around. I do think that Hikari has become slightly more interesting now that it is implied that there are two personalities which co-exist together within her body. So it's a bit more complicated than if she's simply an evil entity who puts on an innocent mask. I am also glad to know that the comedy elements have been toned down a little bit. Never the less, I still feel that the remaining comedic elements feel misplaced somehow. It looks like the series tries to be funny and sinister at the same time but failed to pull off the right balance between the two.
In some ways this episode reminds me a lot of episode 2 except with Akari as the center of the attention instead of Hikari. Having said that, this episode is not as embarrassing as the second episode fanservice-wise and it actually has some hints of plot as well. The episode introduces the viewers to a new character called Kimi and I'm glad to know that she's actually an interesting supporting character unlike Mari. The series also starts to hint that things are not what they appeared to be. Hikari may appear all innocent, normal, and boring right now but I think these are all just a front to fool everyone around her. This episode seems to suggest that Hikari wants to tighten her claws around Takeru. It also appears that she dislikes either Akari or Ryo for some reasons.
I've been a bit disappointed with this series lately that sometimes I want to stop watching it. Having said that, the opening title has always managed to make me see the entire episode. I think this is partly because every time I see the opening, I ended up thinking that maybe this time the episode will be as promising as the opening. Well, this episode is an improvement over episode one and especially two but that's not saying much. What makes the third episode more interesting to me is the fact that it contains some philosophical discussions that hopefully will be part of the story in future episodes.
Well, that was disappointing. I was hoping for a heavier storyline in this second episode especially since the first one was quite light in plot but instead I got a situational comedy with some fanservice thrown in for good measure. There are actually some plot hidden in this episode but in comparison to the rest of the elements, they feel like an afterthought that is inserted into the episode after the comedy and the fanservice parts of the story are completed. Oh well, at least the character designs are really nice and that gives me something to look at until the actual plot starts to kick in sometimes in future episodes.
I'm not sure what to think of this series. I supposed I can start by saying that I like the opening theme song, Metamorphose. For some reasons, the song reminds me a lot of the opening theme from one of those 80s mecha anime. I also like the character design in general and the colour palette that the show utilises. But as a first episode, it wasn't exactly special. But then again, I also wasn't that interested in Evangelion until the third episode so I think I'll continue watching it for now.
