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The 'gem' of the fall season? · 18 October 2007
It’s been a while, not a very long while, just a while. First marking period ends this Friday and it’s getting a bit harry, tests, grades, projects, parent teacher conferences and all that jazz. And, my forensics’s season started and the novices are doing better than me. That’s a problem right there.
Anyways, I finally found time to catch up on the new fall season shows, I’m pleasantly unimpressed by a lot of things. Impz, over at T.H.A.T. Animeblog, has crowned Ghost Hound as the gem of the fall season . Am I willing to be to differ? I sure hope so.
Gundam 00, the surefire blockbuster hit of the fall season, hit the ground running early, leaving praise and hatred in its wake. I’m not too sure what to make of Dragonaut yet, but the sheer amount of breasts in the first episode alone left with me a totally “Wtf?” impression.
I was so looking forward to the first episode of Juushin Enbu, only to be bitterly disappointed. The animation was solid, but the story and the characters were so bland. Taitou, the protagonist, is seriously just Edward Elric with black hair and the same headstrong, arrogant, foolish personality. Laila is looking like a dark haired version (well, Chinese people aren’t exactly blond) of Winry, with a squeakier voice and even more melodrama.
In all honesty, Hero Tales is just lacking that element of presentation. The story is actually pretty good: seven stars reincarnated as humans, some mystical King Arthur-esque sword thing going on with some military oppression in the backdrop, with a cast of indecently good looking Arakwa characters. Remember Claymore? How terribly cliche Claymore actually was, but also how terribly amazing the presentation was, the way the story flowed and carried itself so that somewhere along the way you were fooled into thinking otherwise? Yeah, that’s exactly what Hero Tales is missing. I’m still going to see the entire series through, I’m still waiting to be impressed.
Surprisingly, I’m really enjoying Night Wizard. It’s blatantly obvious that it’s game based, they had a party to celebrate the formation of the party. I loved it, though. The whole affair just has a good natured feel to it. Hiiragi, the main character, just really wants to go to school, but his attempts are constantly foiled by his boss, Anzelotte. And, he’s pretty cute for what it’s worth, that’s always a plus. I’m not expecting anything big from Night Wizard except for some random, monster slaying, world saving action.
Looking at the shows so far and how I haven’t seen Ghost Hound yet, I’m willing to pin the title on Rental Magica. I wasn’t knocked off my feet by the first episode, in fact, it felt like lukewarm water. The premise was good, the character designs were good, the animation was good, but it wasn’t anything striking (I have a thing for things that are striking, heh). I watched the second episode today and well, what can I say? It was a step up, a big step up, such a big step that I’m willing to call it the gem of the fall season.
Cmon! It was cute! Icc-chan is so helpless and so scared, and so adorable with that eye patch and so terrified of everything. He reminds me of Jacuzzi from Baccano! So scared, yet so noble and righteous and self-sacrificing. The second episode really dove into the relationship between Honami and Itsuki and it played out beautifully. I’m not expecting big, big things from Rental Magica, I’m just hoping for a good, solid series.
Well, the fall season has some big shoes to fill, replacing shows like Darker Than Black and Gurren Lagann. Regardless, it’s not even past the third episode yet and Gurren Lagann didn’t really have me tied up in knots until episode eight. Darker Than Black had me at hello, but that was only because Hei was gorgeous. In any case, I wait, I wait, if digging up gems were so easy, they wouldn’t be that valuable anymore…
Yet another theme change… · 9 October 2007
I’m extremely fickle, I go through themes like some people do shoes. You wear them for a while, they look pretty and then you forget about them. Personally, I’m attached to my shoes, but I’m not really attached to themes. StripedPlus is just brilliant, though. I was so amazed by that navigation bar thing, I just had to change the theme. Not to mention, it’s one of the few themes that actually have a function sidebar. No matter what I do to anything, none of the other themes register sidebars. And even now with StripedPlus, there’s something wrong with my blogroll and it refuses to be fixed regardless of what I try or do. Aside from that, there is no real reason behind this and that header bothers me slightly, but Cloud’s physical appeal negates all of my worries, for now anyways…
And this tag thing, what is it really for?
Gundam 00 – The Beginning · 7 October 2007
Simply put, I’m impressed, very impressed. The animation is solid, the mecha designs look even better than the in the promos and I’m loving the cast. Every word Tieria speaks reminds me of Itoshiki, even the character design, with those glasses and that strange, purple sweater they put him in during the ending reminds me of Itoshiki. And Lockon reminds so much of Mullin Shetland from Last Exile, it’s silly. Setsuna sort of reminds me of Raito, but I’m having a hard time hearing the similarities and I haven’t seen enough of Firo in Baccano! to recognize his voice in Hallelujah. Yet.
And, and, the best part is, every single frickin’ person in double O looks good. Even that AEU ace, Patrick what’s his name who got pwned in two seconds flat by Setsuna, looks good. Wikipedia has him down as a “Hot-blooded guy”, which made me laugh. When you say hot-blooded the only two people that come to mind are Simon and Kamina. Even minor characters, like blond ace, who looks slightly like November 11, are beautiful. In the words of Huang, they’d all be GQ models. The character designs are gorgeous enough that I’ll watch double O just to get my weekly bishonen fix, with Hei gone and all. (I’m really suffering emotional detachment problems, I’ve made four references in five sentences. Oh, DtB and GL, how I miss thou…)
At first, the mecha designs didn’t really appeal to me, but after seeing them in action, I’m ready to change my mind. Think Code Geass mecha designs, but better, much better because I’m still a sucker for gundam. Exia, in a word, is beautiful. The sleek and minimal design gives it such a nimble and agile quality, armed with that blade, it’s like some twisted angel of death. Dynames is the sniper of unit, armed with a large, beam rifle picking mobile suits out of the sky like birds. (I still can’t get over the fact that they named the sniper Lockon, lock on? Heh…) Kyrios has the ability to transform into flight mode, which is pretty self explanatory, a cross between some jet aircraft and a gundam. Last but not least, Virtue is the heavy weapons one, even the design itself reflects the elephantine power of that cannon it touts around. Unlike Gundam Wing, the mobile suits in double O are more practical, no scythes or wings here. I’m still hell bent on calling this Gundam Wing minus one, though.
The actual story itself is nothing to write home about. After all, it’s still the generic anti-war sentimental that plagues almost every single gundam series. Waring organizations exploiting smaller countries, enter the peace keepers, Celestial Beings, paradoxically fighting for peace. Not a lot is revealed about the characters, expect for the small prologue about Setsuna and his first encounter with, what I’m assuming to be, Exia. Lockon is probably the most verbose and lax of the four, while Tieria gives off the usual cold and menacing quality. Hallelujah is acting his part as the somewhat depressed one with nothing to say. The creepy, old guy with the monocle, the spokesperson and leader of the Celestial Beings doesn’t even have a name and there’s a bunch of other random, possibly important characters running around.
All in all, I’m quite pleased with the first episode. I was both anticipating and dreading this new gundam series, but from the looks of it Sunrise scored another hit.
Dragonaut – The Beginning · 7 October 2007
The first episode I watched of the fall season was, fortunately, rather good. I’m sure screen shots and summaries are not in short supply, so I’ll save myself the trouble. In short, Dragonaut – The Resonance is looking like the spawn of Code Geass and RahXephon armed with the tragic, orphaned hero, sunny, blue skies, mysterious research experiments, a superfluous cast with shiny, outlandish hair covering all the colors of the rainbow and, silly as it seems, a lot of breasts. The majority of the female cast, including Toa, the female lead, have, well, big breasts.
That aside, the shuttle take off in the beginning, I thought, was gorgeous. It almost looked like a roller coaster ride, the way the shuttle launched, streaming across the sky and right into a flaming asteroid. I loved the expression on Jin’s friend’s face, shock, fear and everything else.
Oh, right, before I forget, the main character, his name is Jin. After that shuttle incident, Jin was taken in by his relatives and he’s not doing too well with them. His father, the shuttle pilot, his mother and his sister all died in the accident and that alone is reason enough for him to be genuinely depressed, unlike most people in anime, who are depressed, sometimes, just for the hell of it.
Basically, Jin cuts school because his classmates were talking about him, goes to watch shuttle launches feeling incredibly lonely and yearning for his parents. Walks home at night, runs into a giant beast eating a women, ends up getting chased by giant beast and subsequently tossed out of a building. The fall reminds him of the shuttle incident, where he was caught in an eerily similar situation and just like last time, a random flash of light saves him. The random flash of light is our female lead, Toa, a ‘Communicator’. She reminds me of Latias, the Pokemon, because somehow her hair splits in the back just like the Latias’ wings. Anyways, she’s pretty kick ass, saves Jin and subdues the monster. The monster gets hit by a truck that, almost randomly, explodes into a giant flaming ball of fire. Arriving minutes after, in a limo, is a surprisingly flat girl and her butler. I’m assuming they were trying to catch the monster, but missed it.
And! In the meanwhile, remember Jin’s best friend? Right, he’s turning into the new Suzaku as someone else pointed out, joins up with the ISDA (International SolarSystem Development Agency), some paramilitary organization. Kazuki Tachibana, voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara (Simon from Gurren Lagann, guess I’ll be hearing his voice for a while) is inducted into the Dragonauts after completing his Resonance. I’m not sure what it was all about, but it’s giving off a seriously RahXephon, Evangelion vibe.
The best of the episode, save for that catastrophic shuttle ride, was the meeting between Jin and Toa. They are just so irresistibly cute, probably the main reason I’m watching Dragonaut is to see their relationship develop.
There are a million other things going on, there are a million other characters unnamed and it’s hard to remember to talk about everyone. There’s a psychotic big breasts lady armed with a sword. There’s a photographer guy and another big breasts lady conducting some research project. There’s that flat girl and yet another big breats lady that drove Kazuki to the ISDA place. And! There’s a pretty cute, bespectacled guy from the military and his partner, who really isn’t my type.
To top it off, I still have no idea what any of this has to do, if at all, with dragons!
Well, anyways, I think I’m going to keep on watching this just to see where it goes.
All the Lights in the Sky Are Stars · 1 October 2007
Perfect. Just perfect. I just want to thank this show with all my heart for showing me how absolutely wonderful everything is.
Fall Season Shows (07), Only because it's October 1st · 30 September 2007
The stuff I might be watching…
Because the guys are kinda cute…
Night Wizard
Summary – Borrowed from Japanator: When the red moon rises to heaven, our common sense will crumble away and reality will become nothing.” In this parallel world, people with magical abilities (the wizards) fight the Emulators, shapeless invaders that possess living creatures and absorb their life force. And they do it all while keeping their existence a secret from the rest of the world.
Thoughts – That brown haired, sword wielding guy in the middle looks reasonably cute, cute enough to have my interest. I’m not big on game based anime, but Tokyo Majin is slowly changing my mind.
Dragonaut – The Resonance
Summary – There really is no summary, but I’m under the impression that it’s about a bunch of dragons battling in space, hence the name. And the green haired child is like a chosen one to command the dragons or ride the dragons or something related to the dragons.
Thoughts – I’m liking the character design and the story, even if it’s a tad bit cliche. How many shows have I seen about dragons? Regardless, the green haired kid is cute. It’s also from GONZO, another plus, even if Last Exile wasn’t that good.
Suteki Tantei Labyrinth
Summary – Some sort of detective anime.
Thoughts – The blond boy with the tea cup is adorable. The dark haired, butler guy in the back is cute. Even though I have no idea what the show’s going to be about, I’m liking the way it feels, guessing it’s a comedy-mystery anime.
Because I’m sorta interested…
Mokke
Summary – Borrow from Kita za Inbou!: Based on the seinen manga by Kumakura Takatoshi, serialised in Afternoon. Shizuru and Mizuki are sisters born in a family with spiritual abilities. While the older one, Shizuru, is able to see spirits, goblins and stuff like that, the younger one, Mizuki, has a propensity for getting possessed. As their calm and peaceful days of youth progress, they have many encounters which lead them to respect and treasure life and all its beauties and marvels.
Thoughts – I actually have no idea why I’m interested in this at all. It sounds like a cross between Mushishi and Dennou Coil. For some reason, I found the premise and the art to be extremely attractive.
Ghost Hound
Summary – Borrowed form Japanator: The world we live in– the Apparent World –has had a twin, a parallel world, since long before the digital age we know of. Our ancient ancestors called it the “Unseen World.” Three children living in a small town in northern Kyushu experienced childhood trauma that gave them the ability to travel to the Unseen World. Previously, happenings in the Unseen World never affected our world…but things are starting to change. Will Taro, Makoto, and Masayuki be able to prevent the Unseen World’s changes from extending into the Apparent World?
Thoughts – The girl I’m assuming to be the title character looks like Kafuka from Zetsubou Sensei crossed with Emna Ai from Jigoku Shoujo. Though I’m not that interested in the whole childhood trauma thing, I’m intrigued by the whole parallel worlds thing.
Because I feel obligated…
MapleStory
Summary – Does this really need a summary?
Thoughts – Because I was addicted to Maple for such a long time, I feel very, very obligated to at least see what MadHouse did with the anime.
Code Geass – Season Two
Summary – Does this really need a summary, too?
Thoughts – For all the hype and praise Geass got, I was extremely disappointed with the first season. It ended with a terrible cliffhanger, nothing was resolved, nothing really happened. I’m hoping that season two will redeem itself and save the series from going down, in my book, as a hideous plane crash with no survivors. And, just a side note, the background in the pic above reminds me of the Gate from Darker Than Black, but it might just be a subconscious longing for DtB.
The stuff I’m definitely watching, definitely…
Because, I’m interested and the guys are cute…
Rental Magica
Summary – Due to his father’s disappearance, Itsuki Iba has to take over the family business: a magician dispatch service. Their family basically employs countless magicians and other supernatural beings in order to send them out to help those who need magical assistance. As a leader, Itsuki now has to be tough, commanding, and reliable, but there’s one problem, he’s a coward. Also, in order to run a successful business, he has to connect with his employees, which is more difficult than it seems due to his personality. But not only does he have to deal with his own employees, he also has to deal with those who threaten the family business.
Thoughts – Itsuki Iba is adorable, I love his eye patch. Ironically, he’s voiced by the same guy that did Lelouch, who is the total opposite, personality-wise, from Itsuki. It’s also an adaptation of an award-winning light novel series. I’m usually good with light novel adaptations, seeing how Baccano! is turning out to be an excellent series. The character designs are also quite nice, even if there’s a guy that reminds me of Gin from Bleach.
Gundam 00
Summary – From Wiki: The series will be set in 2307 AD of the Gregorian calendar. During this time, fossil fuels became exhausted and the distribution of fuels became imbalanced. Humanity must rely on three large-scale solar power systems that are in the hands of the three “major powers” on the planet: the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (ユニオン in katakana; based on the United States Of America), the Human Reform League (人類革新連盟 in kanji; comprised of China, Russia and India) and Europe’s Advanced European Union (based on the European Union). Constant warfare around the globe for fuels and energy lead to the formation of a private military organization, called Celestial Being, dedicated to eradicating war with the use of four humanoid machines called Gundams. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 follows four mobile suit pilots termed Gundam Meisters (ガンダムマイスター, Gandamu Maisutā?). The protagonist is 16-year old Setsuna F. Seiei (刹那(せつな)・F・セイエイ, Setsuna F. Seiei?), a quiet, taciturn young man who grew up in a war-torn Middle East, being of Kurdish descent, and a Gundam Meister since two years ago. He will pilot the GN-001 Gundam Exia, a high mobility mobile suit effective in melee combat.
Thoughts – I love Gundam. I’m watching this regardless of what happens. Hot guys, guns and mecha, there’s no way I’m not watching Gundam00. I think I already made a post about this, so, it’s basically etched in stone. You are guaranteed to hear me rant and rave about this.
Jyushin Enbu – Hero Tales
Summary – From Wiki: A period piece, Jushin Enbu features Taitou, a young man who hates the empire that rules at the time, with his sister Laila as they learn of a mysterious power Taitou holds, unknown to him. Taitou is the incarnation of a mysterious star that grants him a huge amount of power that he has yet to fully master. Joining them is Ryuukou, who has a power that is similar to Taitou, just more honed.
Thoughts – Oh my dear god, another Hiromu Arakawa manga based anime! You have no idea how much I adore Arakawa’s work. Hagaren is my favorite manga, ever. I can’t wait to see this. I mean, it’s a period piece set in ancient China. Taitou looks like a cross between Ed and Ling. There’s a guy with a pony tail that reminds me of Roy. It’s Hiromu Arakawa! Need I say more?!
Everything else airing in the fall…
It’s safe to assume I’m not watching anything besides those mentioned above.
Darker Than Black – Is the Dream that a Shinigami Has a Darkness Darker than Black? · 30 September 2007
though it’s all over
times i wonder still
“what you doin’ now?”
well…
tears are all i ever get enough of here
without you in my life
Well, that’s it my friends, the very last episode of Darker Than Black. It’s almost like I’m in mourning. I can’t even bring myself to write about it. I avoid thinking about it. This page’s been open for a good forty minutes, I’ve managed two lines. Was it the fanfare, and the attention and all the big names working on Darker Than Black that made me laud it so or did I honestly enjoy it? It’s characters like Havoc, Yin, November 11 and Hei, episodes like episode twenty-three, combined with that painfully heart wrenching soundtrack, that makes me believe, yes, what I have here was indeed something…good.
Personally, I liked Hei’s little dream sequence, everyone there with him, Huang, Mao, Havoc, November, Nick even and of course, Bai and Amber. The human pretending to be a contractor, he picks to bear the burden of both, saying goodbye to all that he’s wished for, to his sister, to Amber, to everyone. Then he falls into a whirlpool of darkness, someone calls his name, Hei. He calls back, Yin, reaches out for her hand. Don’t leave me alone. And he’s back, Yin holding his sleeve. He looks for Amber and sees a pile of clothes, notices the time and realizes that Amber planned it this way all along.
without you in my life
might be time to loose you
let it go
and walk away
ain’t no use tryin’
cuz you’re too far away now
The whole Organization thing with Hourai seemed just so tangled and ridiculous and wonderfully incoherent. Apparently, Hei’s powers has the ability to change matter on a molecular level, which is probably the coolest ability. What leaves me a bit confused is when Misaki calls out to Li-kun and Hei stops, turns and tells her no such person exists anymore. Was it just for her sake that he said Li doesn’t exist anymore? Or, has he truly abandoned, well, himself? I prefer neither, if he picked both worlds, then Li-kun should still very well be there.
All of this aside, it’s still the characters that get me, who they are, their relationships, their personalities, their lives, the little things, like April leaving flowers for November 11, Guy and Kiko in the noodle shop, Kounu and Saito catching contractors, the landlady and her husband and all their tenants. Despite all that’s happened, people keep on moving. Hei, probably the brightest star in all of this, caught in the middle, finally finds his place. And, I think I just found the answer to my own question about Hei’s comment about Li-kun. It was one man’s life that overlapped with the fate of the world, if you will, and when all is said and done, only the future remains.
empty rooms that i can’t hold
silence gets cold
no one’s home
nothin’ i can do
i had it all within my reach but now it’s gone
Melancholy is the only word I have to describe the end, when Misaki steps into Li-kun’s empty apartment, no one’s home. When she steps out onto the balcony and catches a glimpse of his green jacket, frantically she chases after him, only to loose sight of him around a corner. Just an empty street, the sunset, Mao and Yin’s observation ghost under the bridge.
The ending makes me want to tear things into little tiny pieces, makes me want to cry and cry and cry and cry. I loved this series so much, and it’s one of those things you just can’t get out of your head, one of those things you blow completely out of proportion just because you feel like you have some emotional attachment to it. I’m learning to embrace the end, learning to part ways, learning to accept the fact that Misaki never caught up to Hei, accept that no one’s home.
I’m going to remember Li-kun, his button-down shirt, his jeans, his sneakers, his calm navy eyes, the way his hair parts and settles on his forehead, his enormous appetite, his smile, that naive and innocent, pained smile. I’m going to remember Yin, remember her standing in the moonlight, remember her pushing the corner of her lips to smile. I’m going to remember Mao and all his cute expressions, I’m going to remember Huang and everyone else.
A year from now, maybe I’ll look back on it and just shrug it off as a momentary obsession, or maybe it’ll still get me just as badly. At the end of everything, all this babbling and all this random mental torment, I have but a memory, one memory, because the second time around just isn’t the same.
there’s no smile in my life
there’s no you here to love me
Toward the Terra – The End · 30 September 2007
Toward the Terra is hard to talk about. It was a surprisingly poignant piece of science fiction that evoked emotions ranging from paranoia, fear and rage, to happiness, peace and understanding. The science fiction aspect almost seemed like a vehicle for a greater message, allegorical in some strange sense. On one hand, it’s message is clear and simple and on the other it’s an enigmatic fleeting emotion. It’s almost impossible to capture both in words and even more so to communicate it to others.
Words are shallow, completely lacking in conveying the true nature of human emotions. The most striking revelation from watching Toward the Terra is, flashy explosions, physic powers and superhuman abilities aside, the true nature of the Mu’s power is to communicate with others. They share feelings, they literally feel each other’s pain and sorrow, each other’s joy and happiness. It was Karina who took hold of Jomy’s hand, Karina who calmed him and made him stay. It was Shiroe, Sam and Matsuka that finally got through to Keith, breaking through his mechanical exterior. It was Leticia who came to Swena and told her she finally understood what her powers were for. If the Mu are truly our successors on the evolutionary ladder, then perhaps all humanity needs to do is listen.
Unfortunately, there’s a difference between hearing and listening. The SD system, governed by a network of constructs referred to as Mother, was created to keep human beings in check as they spread across the universe, suppressing humanity’s greatest sin, greed. It was also, lest I understood this incorrectly, some sort of strange experiment to test whether or not the Mu factor was able to survive. The fatal flaw in all of this was that neither the SD system nor Mother was created to accept the Mu. In the end, Keith Anyan, the perfect child of Mother, made a decision for himself, finally fighting alongside Jomy, humanity working side by side with the Mu, to destroy Mother. In his own words, he unleashed human greed from Pandora’s Box.
Perhaps an even greater revelation came when Keith asked Jomy if he regrets this or not, he answered that at the bottom of the box was hope. I suppose, this greed is really synonymous with all human desire. Was it not greed, was it not desire to see Terra, the promised land, the beautiful blue planet that made it all possible? Was it not a longing for peace and co-existence, a hope for a better future that everyone sacrificed their lives for? The last shot of Terra, in shades of green and blue, sparkling with life, the shining planet carrying all the hopes and dreams and sacrifices of countless people, makes it quite clear what life truly is.
Regardless of my random babbling, Toward the Terra was something I truly enjoyed. Had it not been for bateszi’s post, it would’ve escaped my attention completely. I would’ve missed out on something astonishingly brilliant. It’s powerful, stuff like this moves you, but then again, my words don’t really matter, you have to see it for yourself. Toward the Terra is like a great symphony, each note, each measure, each movement a crucial piece making up the whole. All you have to do is listen.
Upgrading to 2.3….And other stuff, heh · 27 September 2007
So, Halo 3 came out, I waited on line for a good while before I noticed the “we check ID” sign and had to go home empty handed. But! My friend and I were smart enough to pre-order elsewhere and I secured my copy the day it came out. And yes, I bought the Legendary edition, helmet and all. Too lazy to take pictures, but it’s pretty unbelievable that a scale model of a Spartan helmet is sitting on my kitchen table. When I find room, I’m going to build a shrine around it. Though, I have to admit, missing out on Midnight Madness was a tad bit disappointing. Anyways, more on my gaming obsession later. Of course, now that I have it, I’m going to beat Halo 3, play multiplayer and never shut up about it.
I also have Toward the Terra sitting on my desktop, a couple episodes of D. Gray-Man and the newest Baccano! episode. I need to seriously find time between Halo, school and anime. And in the middle of all of this, I’m upgrading.
See, upgrading scares me because they make such a big deal out of saving and backuping EVERYTHING or else it’s going to be gone FOREVER! And, I’m pretty inept with computers, so if after the upgrade, things go missing, well, you know what happened. If I do loose everything, forever, I’m going to go weep in the corner and take out my anguish on aliens.
All right then, to upgrading!
Claymore – The End · 26 September 2007
Well, Claymore is probably the first series I’ve blogged start to finish, even if the first thirteen episodes were condensed into a massive summary post way back when on my first blog.
I have to say, for a series that I picked up on a whim and because I was bored, it sure turned out to be one helluva show. Granted, I thought the first half of episode twenty six to be seriously, almost criminally, cheesy and melodramatic. C’mon, Raki crying, naked Priscilla on the floor, all that hugging, I was ready to gorge my eyes out. I guess they went for the dramatic ending instead of the action-packed, big kaboom ending I was hoping for.
But, I have to admit, it made the latter part of the episode all the more enjoyable. The last ten minutes really did it for me. The show definitely ends here, but at the same time, nothing ends here. Easley (the ever so elegant sportscaster) runs off with Priscilla. Helen, Deneve and Miria desert the organization, going off on their separate ways, vowing to meet again. Clare pays her respects to Jeane, more hugging and crying from Raki, one last smile from Teresa and off they go as well. Even Galatea gets two seconds of screen time before the final closing shot.
This post is not complete without at least mentioning the whole “Don’t Kill Priscilla!” bit. Honestly, I wanted Clare to slice that damn bitch’s head off. Christ, so what if it’s a weeping, naked girl? She killed Teresa, about two seconds ago she was a big, purple demon! It was just so irritating, just so darn irritating. I wanted to see her head go flying! But no, no, of course not, you can’t kill weeping, naked girls no matter what genre you’re in. And poof, appears Raki, brave Raki to save Clare from being a youma. Ugh, I hated and loved Raki at the same time.
And, Jeane, I don’t even know what to say about Jeane. She basically saved everything. I was so certain Raki was going to be the emotional catalyst that salvages Clare from eternal damnation, but that switch-a-roo they pulled the last second was a good one. That’s where the episode started getting better. It was emotional, but it was good. Hearing Clare’s voice crack when she finally turns back, weeping for Jeane was so much better and way beyond anything the whole Priscilla thing did for me.
Side note: Galatea’s two second role felt a bit pointless, but the stain glass window scene looked amazing, so I’m not complaining. Just the colors from the sunlight melting into the background, gave me such a serene feeling, went along nicely with Galatea’s character.
I also loved the part where Raki hugs Clare and the fog clears, the sky opens up, all the colors come back and you just get such a sense of relief, contentment, it’s almost as if you were carrying a ten ton boulder that suddenly disappeared. All that tension, gathering and collecting ever since the first episode just went away with the fog. It’s like holding your breath for a really long time and feeling the ridiculous rush when you breathe in again.
My only complaint is that Claymore didn’t feel the least bit emotionally captivating. Some things just felt kind of flat, like the War in the North arc, where everyone was dying very abrupt deaths. What am I supposed to feel? Hello and good bye, off you go, diced into tiny pieces. Things like Teresa, on the other hand, felt genuinely heartbreaking. Somewhere along the way, Claymore lost a little bit of that heartbreak.
Aside from that, I really have nothing much left to say. The Teresa arc was a high point in Claymore, for me anyway. Ophelia’s arc had me hook, line and sinker. The Pieta arc felt slightly strange and just a bit random, but the gore and action was enjoyable. The ending was two seconds away from pitching itself off a cliff, but managed to save itself in time.
I’ve really come to love Claymore. It’s one of those things you just walk away from feeling so damn good. When it’s all over, you can just get up, stretch and grin saying that it was just damn good. Claymore has a very elusive, unexplainable attraction. It’s not too blatant and not too subtle, but enough of both to get your attention and enough lack thereof to keep it there.
What else am I supposed to say besides that Claymore was just, so, goddamn, good!?