First Red, then Blue, now Yellow

A new piece of artwork. I like to save these posts for the days I have nothing to write about. Anyways, this is part of the continuing series of female mecha Super Sentai/Power Ranger characters that I've been drawing for the last year or so that may one day become mascots of this blog (posts on Red and Blue). Yellow 05's name is Rebecca. Coming from a rich family, Rebecca is usually easy going and composed but sometimes suffers from rich girl/ojou-sama tendencies. Primary weapon is a heavy broadsword that can split open in the middle to reveal a beam cannon.

As usual, this began as a pencil drawing that was lined and colored in Photoshop. I like how the face came out, but the body pose looks a little strange but it's too late to change it. I also got lazier with the background compared to the blue ranger. Overall I like the blue one better, but this isn't bad by my (low) standards. This is probably the last piece of artwork I'll produce in a while, since next month I'll be leaving home to go to grad school and I won't have time to do much else.

Bleach 414

LOL.

Can Aizen handle Gin's no-look pass?

Summary:
Gin returns and reports that he has killed Rangiku. Aizen takes Gin's word for it and turns to deal with Tatsuki and the others who are standing around instead of running, but Gin volunteers to take care of things. Gin touches Aizen swords and walks forward, and using his robe to conceal his sword he stabs Aizen in the heart. It turns out Gin has wanted to kill Aizen all along, and thanks to Aizen's previous battles against the shinigami, Gin has learned that the only way to escape from Aizen's hypnosis is by touching Suigetsu. Aizen also knew that Gin wanted to kill him and kept Gin around to see how Gin will try to kill him. Aizen is not impressed by the stab through his heart, but Gin explains that there is more to his attack. Gin states that his bankai isn't as long or fast as he had said before, but instead the sword turns to dust for a moment during extension and retraction, and on the interior of his blade there is a deadly poison. So during the stab, Gin has purposely left a piece of his sword inside Aizen. Gin then calls out his zanpukto's incantation and a hole blows open in Aizen's chest.

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LOL that certainly came out of nowhere. It's obviously that Gin has some beef with Aizen, but I didn't expect him to act so soon. So let's get this straight: Gin had always wanted to kill Aizen and was lying in wait to discover the solution to Aizen's hypnosis and Aizen kept Gin around to see how Gin will try to kill him? What a great plot development! So great that it can only be described as "ridiculous". If Gin's attack had something to do with Rangiku then it'd be a rushed but still somewhat plausible development, but this is just too hilarious. Actually, I don't really have that much of a problem with Gin taking a stab at Aizen for any reason, but for Gin to play his hand so soon means that Aizen will probably come back via his invincibility hax and go "close, but no cigar", and I'm a little sick of seeing that. I suppose the only piece of good news is that there was more to Gin's bankai then just extending very long, so at least we can call off the penis jokes. And also the plot is getting somewhere with the "Royal Key", but that'll be after Aizen comes back and deals with Gin.

Naruto 504

The end of the story of how Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto.

Kushina: Wait...Damn that Minato. He called me a motor-mouth at the end in front of our son!

Summary:
Minato starts the Dead Demon Seal and convinces Kushina that what he is doing is the best for Naruto and the village. Nearby, the 3rd and helpers arrive but they are kept away from Kyuubi by a barrier that Minato set up. Minato uses the Dead Demon Seal to take away half of Kyuubi's power, and Kyuubi shrinks to a much smaller size. Minato then goes on to set up an altar for the Eight Trigrams Seal to put what's left of Kyuubi and Kushina into Naruto. Kyuubi makes one last effort to kill Naruto, but Minato and Kushina throw themselves in the way and are impaled by Kyuubi's claw and Naruto is saved. Despite being mortally wounded, Minato continues with his plan and summons Gamatora to take the keys of the seal to Jiraiya. With Gamatora gone, Minato is tells Kushina to say her last words to Naruto before being sealed, and Kushina lets off an emotional speech to her infant son. Minato tells Naruto to listen to his mother and performs the seal.

Back in Naruto's mind-world, Kushina apologizes to Naruto for not being there for him when he was growing up, but Naruto doesn't mind and thanks his parents for filling him with love. Kushina breaks down and thanks Naruto for accepting Minato and her as his parents and she then fades away.

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That's the end of the flashback story. As expected, there weren't any surprise developments and the sealing went ahead the way Minato wanted it. I still don't really understand Minato's reasoning for sacrificing himself, but once Kyuubi skewered him and Kushina it was the only way to go. I liked the scene with Kushina giving her "final" words to infant Naruto, and Kishimoto did a good job conveying the emotions of the moment. Kushina's advice to Naruto was pretty interesting. Naruto did make some friends as Kushina had hoped, but he failed big time with Sasuke. Also since Kushina said that Naruto should pick a girl like her, I'm guessing she is endorsing Sakura over Hinata lol. Poor Hinata, forever ignored.

Now that this flashback is over, it's back to training with Killer Bee on the freaky island. Naruto did take control of some of Kyuubi's powers, but is that the end of the training? Or maybe Kisame will make a move to keep thing interesting.

One Piece 594

Various people react to Luffy's latest stunt.

Luffy will beat these five up... 300 chapters later.

Summary:
- In the holy land Marijoa, the five Elder Stars (guys in charge) discuss what to do about Luffy, Blackbeard, the Shichibukai and the current situation in the pirate world.
- Also in Marijoa, Pan-Fleet Admiral Kong allows Sengoku and Garp to go into "semi-retirement" where the two will only assist in training young marines. Sengoku then recommends Aokiji as his replacement.
- In Marineford, Aokiji reads the news of Luffy's latest stunt while Smoker is in the office asking to be transferred to the 5th branch of the Grand Line Marines.
- In the Marine HQ hospital, a doctor explains to Coby that he had used haki during the big battle, and Helmeppo is jealous that Coby has obtained this new power.
- In the agenda room, a group of high ranking marines meet to discuss Luffy's latest stunt. Luffy returned to Marine HQ with Rayleigh and Jinbei, and the trio stole a marine ship and sailed it around the island. Luffy then showed up in town alone and rang the famous Ox Bell 16 times and laid down some flowers, and none of the Marines could catch him. The Marines then decide that Luffy's stunt is a declaration of war.
- Somewhere in the New World, Eustass Kid read the news about Luffy's stunt and asks his lieutenant Killer about the Ox Bell. Killer explains that the Ox Bell is rang 16 times during new year celebrations, and Luffy may have rang it 16 times to signify the coming of a new age. Kid promises that he isn't going to let Luffy have all the glory and he quickly kills a pirate crew that was unfortunate enough to get into his way.
- Elsewhere in the New World, Capone Bege's ship is lifted up into a giant object in the sky.
- On the Grand Line, Luffy is returning to Kuja Island using the Kuja's ship and he wonders if his crew has gotten his message. All over the world, Luffy's crew members realize that Luffy is trying to tell them something by pulling off the stunt, and the smarter ones have already figured out the message.
- In the New World, Basil Hawkins prepares to fight the Brownbeard Pirates.
- Also in the New World, Urouge's crew come upon an island that is covered in lightning. A strange boat appears at sea and an old lady asks if Urouge's crew wants umbrellas.

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Luffy's latest stunt is finally revealed, and it wasn't too outrageous but it was sort of clever. The stunt declared war on the Marines, pay tribute to the casualties of the big battle, and sent out a message to reassemble the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy would probably never come up with something like this on his own. I don't really know what's the message that Luffy is trying to get to his crew, but I'm guessing it might have something to do with meeting up at certain location in the New World.

Other than Luffy's stunt, this chapter covered a ton of other stuff as well, ranging from the World Government to the Supernova pirate crews. Many of the developments in this chapter will probably become significant down the road, but right now they are just interesting info. By the time these details become important I would probably have forgotten about this chapter lol. These "update" chapters contain a lot of material, but they are not that fun to read. I'm hoping that the series will start focusing on Luffy (or a single group) again instead of trying to cover what everyone and their grandmas are doing these days.

Gantz 322

Tae and the other escapees venture into alien town to discover the disgusting truth.

This is probably what it feels like to be chipmunks standing beneath a crowd of people.

Summary:
The giant alien grasshopper jumps onto Tae's back, giving Tae a good tonguing (and possibly stinging Tae in the unmentionable place). The lolicon punches the grasshopper off of Tae and the group fight their way past the grasshoppers, but many of the escapees are stung by the creatures. At the end of the tunnel, the escapees find a grate leading into the alien city. Everything looks familiar other than they are all super-sized. Some of the alien civilians spot the naked humans but pass them off as nothing but a curiosity. The escapees run away from the spectators to a open air cafe where two aliens are eating. The aliens don't like their food, so they pass their plate down to their elephant-sized dog, and the escapees are shocked to discover that the plate if filled with human remains. The sight of people being eaten is so appalling that some of the escapees start puking, and while puking the guys discover strange lumps growing on their bodies. A group of aliens gather around the humans, and an uniformed cop alien uses a thread gun to capture all of the escapees except Tae.

While all this has been going on, Kurono #1 has stopped the flow of water at the slaughterhouse. Kurono ventures up the path Tae's group has taken and cuts through the grasshoppers with his Gantz sword as other human survivors follow closely behind.

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Well... that is a rather straight-forward answer to the systematic slaughter of humans by the aliens. One of the reasons why the aliens invaded the planet is for meat, and humans are numerous enough to fit the bill. Gantz sure knows how to turn up the yuckiness. With Tae's group naked and all the blood and body parts being shown, it's hard to find a panel in this chapter that is only mildly questionable. The aliens probably had other reasons to invade the Earth that's related to the Gantz program, but the "eating humans" thing is probably enough to justify the aliens' eventual slaughter at the hands of the Gantzers. I don't know if it will stop the series from playing the "aliens are people too" card though.

Anyways, looks like Tae's lolicon protector is done for, and Tae herself is in danger from being threaded on a rope. To make things even worse, there is also the stings from the grasshopper creatures and Tae may have been stung in a bad place. The only good news though is that Kurono #1 is on her trail and not too far away, and with his weaponry he can take out a couple of alien soldiers without any problem. They might be in trouble though if Tae did get stung and the wound starts acting up (actually upon closer inspection, Tae probably didn't get stung). This "rescue Tae" storyline has been going pretty well so far, and let's hope the developments will continue.

Highschool of the Dead 04

Takashi and Rei run into a crazy rapist.

After the end of Shaun of the Dead, Shaun eventually became an oil tycoon and took over Shell.

Yeah, the best way to restrain someone is to grab them by the boobs.

Summary:
Takashi and Rei travel through the night into the city on their newly acquired motorbike. On the way, the two discover a police car that has been crushed by a truck, and Rei scavenges a revolver and other useful items off of the dead cops. The two get back on the road, but they are unaware that someone is stalking them. Eventually Rei and Takashi to stop at a gas station for fuel, but neither has enough money for the pay-first gas pump and this leads to an argument in which Takashi brings up Hisashi. Takashi eventually decides to go into the abandoned store to "borrow" some cash with his baseball bat, and at this moment Rei is grabbed by a man with knife. Takashi runs outside to confront the man, but the man holds a knife to Rei's throat and Rei is unable to get away. The man, crazed from having to kill his own family in the zombie crisis, wants the bike and Rei and starts groping Rei relentlessly. Takashi refuels the bike as per the man's demands, but when the man refuses to let Rei go Takashi charges in with his revolver and shoots the man in the shoulder. Takashi and Rei then make their getaway on the motorbike, leaving the man to the zombies that have gathered due to the commotion.

The crazy guy has to be pretty darn slow for Takashi to run in and shoot him at point blank range.

While Takashi and Rei are off having their adventure, the other survivors from the school are stuck in a traffic jam on a route protected by the police.

Early in the morning after the sun has risen, Takashi and Rei are traveling across a bridge when a military jet flies overhead. The jet flies in close to the bridge to take a picture of the two students and Rei waves at the camera.

Jet pilot: Hey, that girl in the back is pretty hot. Let's go down for a closer look.

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This was the slowest episode so far in the series. The first 1/3 of the episode was recap, which I don't think was necessary given that we are only four episodes in and not that much has happened thus far. The rest of the episode was about Rei and Takashi having their usual arguments and awkward moments and then Takashi coming through to save Rei from the crazy guy, and this wasn't that compelling either when compared to what we saw in the previous episodes. I suppose the crazy guy is an illustration of how some people react to a crisis, and there was plenty of groping to satisfy the fan service lovers, but Rei was just so darn useless (for a girl who has kicked her fair share of zombie ass). Looks like Takashi will always have to save her behind once in a while.

Anyways, it was a comparatively slow episode this week, although it still hasn't fallen into the realm of boring or terrible just yet. Instead of seeing Takashi and Rei, I'm more interested to see what's going on with the people on the bus and the power struggle going on inside, and looks like we'll get to see that next week.

Sekirei ~Pure Engagment~ 04

Homura becomes hot and bothered around Minato.

Warning: some screen caps not safe for work.

That's the way to start off a party.

Don't be such a party-pooper, Homura.

Summary:
Uzume attempts to deactivate Kazehana but changes her mind when Kazehana starts talking about Uzume's dedication to her Ashikabi. Uzume then leaves the inn and skips Minato's "welcome back" party. To get more participants, Minato invites Kagari who attends. However during the party Minato starts to get on Kagari's nerves even though Minato isn't doing anything out of the ordinary. Kagari abruptly leaves the party, and Minato wonders if he has made Kagari mad somehow.

Why so scared? Kazehana, Musubi, and Tsukiumi wouldn't even notice those comparatively tiny man-boobs of yours.

Back in his room, Kagari struggles with his bodily reactions and realizes he might be reacting to Minato. Kagari tries to forget about things by taking a nap, but he has a nightmare where he is taunted by Minaka. Kagari wakes up and decides to take a bath to cool down. While alone in the bath, Kagari remembers that Takehito and Takami told him that his body and power will be unstable until he is winged by an Ashikabi. While Kagari is pondering what to do, Musubi, Tsukiumi and Kazehana suddenly enters the room, prompting Kagari to let out a bloody-curdling scream. The three female Sekirei stay outside of the bath, but Kagari doesn't want them to see his body and is therefore trapped inside the tub.

At least Minato doesn't have to worry about studying for his exams anymore.

Meanwhile, Minato's party has finished, and Minato suddenly realizes he hasn't been keeping up with his studies. To help Minato out, Matsu gives Minato an aptitude test based on Tokyo U's entrance exams. Minato finishes the test without much difficulty, and Matsu is surprised that Minato has answered all the questions correctly. Matsu realizes that Minato's problem is with his nerves and not his brain, and she encourages Minato to have more confidence in himself (or she can always change his scores by hacking into the servers).

NSFW screenshot of the day that has nothing to do with the story at hand.

At this moment, all the Ashikabis in the city receive a text message from Minaka in whcih Minaka announces that the last unwinged Sekirei is in the northern part of the city. At the inn, Matsu explains that the message will trigger a free-for-all for the last Sekirei, but she encourages Minato to go after this last Sekirei. Matsu blurts out that the last Sekirei is actually nearby, but she quickly retreats back into her room in fear of being barbecued. Meanwhile, Kagari finally manages to escape from the bath but he is feeling hot and bothered. Kagari bumps into the Minato in the hallway. Minato is surprised by Kagari's soft chest and Kagari almost kisses Minato but ends up knocking him out with a punch. Kagari gets the notion that everything is Minato's fault and thinks about killing Minato, and uncontrollably flames appear in his right hand. Before anything more can happen, Minato and Kagari are doused by Tsukiumi who heard the commotion outside. The water seems to cool off Kagari a little, and Kagari realizes that he should be going after Minaka instead.

It's sure getting hot in here...

... but Tsukiumi is here to cool things back down.

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After spending three weeks to steer the story back to the manga material, ~Pure Engagement~ has gotten down to business with the story of Homura's winging. This episode is just set up though, so there is not much in the way of action or excitement (unless you count Seo's in-bed scene with Hikari). Most of it was Homura feeling icky and hot around Minato which is amusing but not much to talk about. The real action will begin next week when Homura leaves the inn and walks right into an open season featuring himself as everyone's target. Given the preview to next week's episode, I think the mini-arc regarding the free-for-all for Homura will last at least four more episodes, probably more. Hopefully the anime won't move as slowly as the manga, or at least provide enough original material to keep us entertained. The Homura mini-arc is fairly long, but I don't think there's enough material to go until the end of a 12-13 episode season, so I'm still wondering how much material this season of Sekirei anime will cover up to.

Deadman Wonderland 37

All out war at Deadman Wonderland.

The beast has finally awakened.

Summary:
Makina and her special forces buddies and prison guards continue to storm through Deadman Wonderland trying to find Tamaki. Things aren't looking good for Tamaki as all of the Completed Forgeries have been defeated, but Tamaki and the crazy doctor still has a secret weapon in the form of giant tub of man-eating ooze made out of many Forgeries. Tamaki leaves for another control centre and releases hordes of Forgeries upon Makina's forces, but Makina's forces beat back the Forgeries with skill and firepower in the form of giant guard mechs (the ones that Ganta and some of the Deadmen fought before). During the battle, people living in Deadmen quarters are evacuated by the bodyguards, and during the evacuation Azami's armadillo Kincho escapes from Yo's arms and runs back into quarters.

Deep inside the prison, Azami backs away from Shiro as Shiro gets back up. At this time Sakigami and the twins also arrive and Sakigami applauds "Shiro" for awakening while the lullaby is still playing. "Shiro" asks Azami where Ganta has gone to so she can say hello and kill him, but Azami refuses to give away Ganta's location and launches an attack at "Shiro". Elsewhere, Minatsuki, Masaru, Senji and Hitara meet up and start on their way back.

In the lab, the crazy doctor is about to unleash the man-eating ooze when somebody enters through the lab door. Not long after, Ganta finds his way to the lab and finds ooze and dismembered body parts (including the doctor's) lying everywhere. The disgusting scene reminds Ganta of what happened to his classmates when the Red Man showed up, and this makes Ganta think that perhaps the Red Man is back.

Meanwhile, Tamaki has made his way back to his office. Tamaki is planning to take all the research data and escape using a helicopter, but suddenly Makina and her forces crash through one of the walls.

The conquering party has arrived.

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It look like Deadman Wonderland is really headed towards a conclusion. The Red Man is on the loose, and Tamaki has been apparently cornered. I say "apparently" because as one of the chief villains, Tamaki might have one final trick up his sleeve. Makina obviously has been planning her rebellion for a long time, but it be a slight letdown if Tamaki is caught just like that.

The bigger problem at hand though is of course the Red Man/Wretched Egg awakening, and that's bad news for everybody. Azami put up a valiant stand against the Red Man, but I think the next time we see her she might be in pieces. That is unless Sakigami decides to save her, but nobody knows what he is up to these days. The manga is hinting that it was the Red Man who slaughtered the ooze and the crazy doctor, although that's not clear at this point who was responsible. I kind of wanted to see the giant ooze in action though given how it was the doctor's "secret weapon". Too bad it was killed off camera.

I think the remaining chapters of the series will be focused on Shiro/the Red Man and how the others will try to stop her. We'll know that the series is near the end when Ganta comes face to face with the Red Man one more time.

Bleach 413

Tatsuki, Keigo and company run for their lives against Aizen.

Who is this guy again?

Summary:
Tatsuki, Keigo and Don Kanoji run into an alley way where they left Mizuiro and Chizuru and finds that both have woken up. Mizuiro is strangely calm, but Chizuru is confused and wants an explanation. Suddenly, Tatsuki and Keigo feel Aizen approaching and tells everyone to run, but they find Aizen right in front of them. Mizuiro tries to buy time with a spray-can bomb but it has no effect. The group runs out onto the streets. Keigo decides to stand his ground with the katana he picked up, but the owner of the katana Zennosuke Kurumadani (referred to as Af-san) jumps in to take back his zanpukto. Zennosuke attempts to trap Aizen with his zanpukto's shikai, but it doesn't work either and Zennosuke runs away with Keigo's group. At this time, Gin returns to Aizen's side.

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The little chase through Karakura Town continues, and once again not much is going on with the story. Mizuiro was fun though, "borrowing" stuff from shops, grabbing stun guns and using the improvised spray-can bomb. So the "Afro shinigami" that everyone was talking about is Zennosuke Kurumadani, Rukia's replacement as the guardian of Karakura Town. For some reason I have no memories of this guy whatsoever. Kubo continues to gather the weak but named characters in Karakura Town for Aizen to chase, so we probably shouldn't be surprised if Ichigo's sisters show up sooner or later. Hard to say when we will get to an actual battle though given how Ichigo is still stuck fighting Zangetsu-Hichigo. I wonder when a capable opponent will show up to fight Aizen. Maybe Gin might do something, but that's a long shot at this point.

Naruto 503

After forcing Madara to retreat, Minato sets his sights on stopping the fox.

Gamabunta rides the nine-tails in the 203rd Giant Toad Rodeo competition.

Summary:
Minato hits Madara in the back with the Raesangan and uses the opportunity to put his mark on Madara's body. Madara recovers and tries to back away, but Minato teleports right in front of him (using the mark he planted). Minato wounds Madara on the left arm with his kunai and then hits Madara with a contract seal and thus severs the link between Madara and the demon fox. Madara decides that a strategic retreat is in order, but he promises Minato that he'll make the world bow to his will before teleporting away.

Meanwhile at the edge of Konoha, shinobis led by the Third are trying to drive the demon fox back, and in the midst of the battle Iruka's parents are injured. Iruka wants to be with his parents, but his father tells him to get away. Elsewhere, the juvenile ninjas of the village are rounded up and placed inside a barrier for their safety. Back at the village outskirts, the fox prepares to fire another chakra ball, but Minato arrives and summons Gamabunta to hold down the fox so that Minato gather enough chakra to teleport the fox away. Seconds later, Minato and the fox are transported out of the village to where Kushina. Kushina uses her remaining chakra to tie down the demon fox and is prepared to drag the fox back into herself and die in order to save both Minato and Naruto. However, Minato has another idea where he will seal half of the fox's powers and himself away with a Dead Demon Seal and seal the remaining half and Kushina's last bit of chakra into Naruto. Minato believes in Jiraiya's theory that a great conflict will soon arise in the world and thinks that Naruto may be the destined savior. As the Third arrives, Minato begins to perform the Dead Demon Seal.

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So this is the chapter with the big answers: it explains why both Minato and Kushina are sealed inside of Naruto. For such an important piece of the story, I didn't find this chapter too compelling. That action was good, but my main beef with this chapter is that it didn't convey enough sense of urgency. Maybe it's just me, but it should be a really really desperate situation for Minato to arrive at the conclusion that he should put both his life and his wife's life away to seal the fox inside his newborn son, but near the end of the chapter Minato and Kushina had the fox handled for the moment with help not far away. It certainly didn't help that Madara retreated rather quickly, although I was expecting the guy to retreat once Minato landed a good shot on him. I guess you could say Minato was looking at the "big picture" and wanted Naruto to have the tools to save the world.

Anyways, the next chapter will probably be the conclusions to Kushina's story. All that's left is for Minato to perform the seal and that should be about it.

One Piece 593

More updates on various supporting characters:

Way to show them who is the man around here, Sanji.

List of highlights:
- Nico Robin meets up with people from Dragon's Revolutionary Army and they provide a carriage to travel on the giant bridge. On the way she learns of Luffy's new escapades via a newspaper.
- In the Kamabakka Kingdom, Sanji tries to get Ivankov to tell him about Luffy's whereabouts, but Ivankov refuses as Sanji doesn't look like the picture on the wanted poster. Sanji tries to force Ivankov to tell him but gets beaten up, and afterwards Ivankov hands Sanji today's newspaper with news about Luffy.
- Ivankov and Dragon talk over the phone to discuss about their future plans and Kuma.
- On Sabaody Archipelago, Duvall and his gang guard the Thousand Merry against bandits while Keimi, Hatchan and Shakky are sitting nearby. Suddenly, Kuma arrives on the scene, and Shakky isn't sure if Kuma is friend or foe.
- In the Alabasta Kingdom, Vivi and allies learn about Luffy's escapades from the paper.
- Elsewhere, Crocodile and Mr. 1 also learn about Luffy's latest stunt and they plan to go to the New World.
- On an island somewhere on the Grand Line, Buggy reunites with his old crew and Alvida. Buggy is busy celebrating when Mr.3 alerts Buggy that he has received a letter from the government.

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For a third chapter in a row, it's more updates on Luffy's crew members and other important supporting characters. Sanji's update wasn't as funny as I had imagined it would be, but it's good that he is still himself and hasn't succumbed to the influence of the Kamabakka Kingdom. On the hand, I was pleasantly surprised by Vivi being included. It makes me wonder if the characters from the Alabasta Kingdom will return to a prominent role in the story some time in the future. Crocodile and Buggy are still in the thick of things and that's no surprise. The only people who might be in a bit of trouble are the people near the Thousand Sunny. Shakky doesn't know that Kuma has been turned into a cyborg, and Kuma is probably bad news.

Now that all of the Straw Hats have received their little update segment, so hopefully we won't see another updates chapter in a while. Having the narrative jump from place to place isn't the best way to tell a story, and I'm more interested in seeing what sort of stunt Luffy had pulled while the narrative was focused on the other characters. From what the other characters are saying, Luffy seems to have done something big after he met with Rayleigh, but the series has yet to reveal what. Hopefully the series will reveal Luffy's big stunt soon.

Tenjou Tenge 135

Masataka chats with Mitsuomi before starting the final battle with Souichirou.

It's almost GO time. Almost, but not quite.

Summary:
Masataka catches one of the falling petals from the cherry tree and declares that he is ready to face Souichirou, but suddenly the petal starts burning his hand. Masataka, Aya, and Bob then notice that all of the petals have turned dark red. Using her Dragon Eyes, Aya sees that the tree has been taken over by the wicked energy that Souichirou had absorbed and the tree is in agony. Aya is about to draw her sword to end the tree's life, but Masataka is one step faster and knocked the tree down with a punch.

Later in the day, Masataka is walking home when Mitsuomi's limo pulls along side him. Mitsuomi wants Masataka to get in the car, but Masataka refuses and Mitsuomi ends up walking with Masataka to his apartment. Emi and two bodyguards arrive shortly after to scope out the place for threats, and then Emi and Mitsuomi start talking to Masataka about the situation with Souichirou. Mitsuomi and Emi state that Souichirou has absorbed more supernatural powers than they've predicted and might be impossible to beat in a fight. Instead, Mitsuomi and Emi give Masataka plane tickets and suggest that he hide out in hopes that Souichirou will self-destruct from absorbing so many powers. Whether Masataka stays or runs, Mitsuomi believes that the prophesied 100 year war will arrive and plunge the world into darkness. Masataka chooses to stay and face Souichirou, and Mitsuomi hands Masataka the Takayanagi Family battle robe for the fight against Souichirou (which Masataka has no plans to wear).

On the day of the school president selection battle, members of the Juuken Club and other students pack into Juuken Club house to watch the fight between Souichirou and Masataka. All of the audience are intimidated by Souichirou, but Masataka remains calm and collected as the fight is about to begin.

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Not too much going on this month, but at least the final showdown is on the verge of starting. Given that there is only two (or is it one?) chapters left in the series, the final battle had better start. Most of this chapter was devoted to the conversation between Masataka and Mitsuomi/Emi. Even though he is a has-been, Mitsuomi just can't stay out of the spotlight. At least he improved somewhat and cares about his brother nowadays, but he and Emi didn't really offer Masataka anything that would give him an advantage in the battle. The running-away plan might make sense if Masataka was only interested in his own survival, but Mitsuomi should have known that Masataka isn't that selfish. Masataka has been dead set on facing Souichirou for quite some time so he isn't going to chicken out now.

A note regarding my summary: I ignored a bunch of stuff near the end of Mitsuomi and Masataka's conversation where in an effort to console Mitsuomi, Masataka states that "people hurting each other isn't always a bad thing" and how people beating each other up unites them. Just another one of Tenjou Tenge's peculiar attempts at being philosophical.

Anyways, Souichirou has finally returned and will face Masataka in the final battle. With only 1 or 2 chapters left, I'm not really expecting an amazing ending, but hopefully we'll at least get something decent. I'm hoping that all the other characters would get involved in the battle as well. I can't really imagine Maya or Aya doing nothing in the final showdown.

Seikimatsu Occult Academy 01-03 - First Impressions

I realize that it's pretty late for a first impressions post now we are already three weeks into the summer season already. Nevertheless, here is my first impressions post on Seikimatsu Occult Academy, a show that I decided to pick up a couple of days ago.

It's out of the park!!!

Not sure which one of the two is more frightening.

Premise/short summary of first two episodes:
In 1999, a girl named Maya becomes the headmaster of an occult academy in Japan that was founded by her deceased father. Maya knows about the occult but hates it because her father became obsessed with the occult and caused the family to break up. Maya originally intends to run the academy into the groun, but shortly after taking over as headmaster she is visited by a time traveler named Fumiaki Uchida from the year 2012. Fumiaki states that in his time, the world has been ravaged by aliens, and the aliens emerged from the occult academy. The surviving humans managed to obtain the alien's time traveling technology, and Fumiaki was sent back to find and destroy an object in the academy known as the Key of Nostradamus in order to prevent the alien invasion. Maya is initially incredulous towards Fumiaki's story, but after an attempt on her life by an evil spirit, Maya learns that her father was killed in connection to the object Fumiaki is looking for and she decides to join forces with Fumiaki to find her father's killer.

What? You've never met an exhibitionist time traveler before?

One reason why one shouldn't live alone in a big mansion.

Despite all the monsters, demons, and spirits, Maya is the most fearsome creature on this show.

(I wanted to capture the frame just after this one, but couldn't do it in about 30 attempts and gave up)

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Three episodes in, Seikimatsu Occult Academy is turning up to be quite an enjoyable series. Production quality is quite good, and the comedy, action, plot, and the supernatural elements make a very interesting mix. There is just a lot of stuff going on in Seikimatsu Occult Academy, and most of it is attention-grabbing. In the span of three episodes, we have had a naked time traveler and a plot to save future mankind from aliens; a girl giving her own father's dead body a steel chair shot and then hacking the head off with an axe; a guy executing ground and pound on a school girl (she was possessed, but still...)... and the list goes on. I also enjoy the scenes that look like they came out of supernatural horror movies. I won't lie: episode 2 was slightly unsettling lol. There is no mistake that this show is about the occult.

As for the characters, Maya seems to be quite a competent and strong female lead. Maya has shown her vulnerability, but she has the strength when it counts. Meanwhile, Fumiaki appears to be the complimentary meek male sidekick in contrast to Maya's strong personality, but he'll probably have to show some skills too if he and Maya are going to be successful at saving the world. The supporting characters have been decent too, but it's a little early to tell.

Due to its excellent debut episodes, Seikimatsu Occult Academy has been the best show I am watching for the summer 2010 season so far. I would blog this series, but too bad I've already committed blogging Sekirei and Highschool of Dead. Blogging a third anime series would take up too much time as I have to get ready for grad school in the next month. I'm also planning to watch the first two seasons of Black Lagoon. I watched four episodes of Black Lagoon by chance and it's the kind of show that's right down my alley. Getting back on topic, I won't be blogging Seikimatsu Occult Academy, but I'll definitely be following the series.

Highschool of the Dead 03

Takashi and company attempt to get to the school bus and runs into other survivors along the way.

Yeah, let's all pose as if someone is making a video of us.

Running through zombies is an excellent group exercise.

Summary:
After learning from the TV news that the whole world has fallen into chaos, Takashi and company plot their next move and they decide to get to the school bus in the parking lot. To get to the bus, the group has to move through the front doors, and the group manage to sneak by and fight through the zombies and along the way they pick up another band of surviving students.

Serenity in midst of the chaos.

At least she seems to know how to drive a manual, unlike myself.

The now larger group of students make their way outside of the school and dash towards the bus. Two students are killed by the zombie, but most of the group makes it to the bus. As Shizuka starts the bus, the survivors notice another band of students led by teacher Koichi Shido. Rei hates Shido because of some past event and tells her fellow survivors to ditch him, but Shido's group makes it onto the bus and Shizuka drives out of the school, plowing through dozens of zombies in the process.

The good ol' "using someone else as the bait" trick.

Thank you! Thank you! Next up, I will tell you why I should rule the world.

The survivors drive into town and see that the city is in burning and in chaos. On the bus, Shido starts preaching about how the group needs a leader and manages to win over the students who are not in Takashi's group. Rei eventually has had enough of Shido and gets off the bus near a tunnel and Takashi follows after her. Takeshi tries to convince Rei to tolerate Shido until the group leaves the city, but suddenly a commuter bus filled with zombies loses control, flips over and blocks Takeshi and Rei into the tunnel. Takashi tells Saeko that they'll rendezvous at the police station at 7pm and he and Rei leaves through the other side of the tunnel as the commuter bus explodes. After surviving the explosion, Takashi is attacked by a helmet-wearing zombie but is saved by Rei. The two then finds the zombie's motorcycle nearby and they ride back into the city together.

Zombie barbecue.

That's a rather crappy helmet.

And yet again, we have another new ED song.

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Another enjoyable episode. Running away from and bashing zombies haven't gotten old yet, but then again we are only three episodes in. This episode introduces the first questionable character in the form of Koichi Shido, a homeroom teacher from the school. He is trying to survive like everyone else, but things about his demeanor (stomping a student in the face during escape and preaching about how he should be the leader) give off a threatening feeling about the guy. The message of "not to be trusted" is written all over Shido's face, but most of the students that the main group picked up this episode seem to be sheep and bought into Shido's fancy suit and speech. Desperate people make desperate, but not necessarily the smartest, decisions.

The arrival of Shido already put some of the survivors in jeopardy as Takeshi and Rei are separated from the others. Rei probably has every right to be pissed at Shido, but she should have tolerated him long enough for the group to get to relative safety out of town. It's much easier to survive with numbers, but the development does give Rei and Takashi some alone time for the two to rebuild their relationship.

Last thing to mention about the characters in this episodes is that Shizuka actually showed a surprising amount of resolve. She ran over zombies and told the group to stop arguing. I guess she is not just an air-head with jiggling boobs and is capable of asserting herself when necessary.

Looks like next episode will be devoted to Takashi and Rei going out on their date in zombie-land. I'm a bit more interested on what's going on in the bus, but I guess the series will save that for later.

Sekirei 103

Minato and crew start their operation to rescue Chiho.

Matsu should have worn some shades.

Summary:
Minato and his Sekirei start their operation to rescue Chiho from Higa's hospital. Matsu (providing leadership and strategic support), Tsukiumi, Kusano and Musubi will go to the hospital while Minato, Kazehana and Homura stay home on standby. Matsu has chosen the operation date so that Miya would be visiting Takehito's grave and wouldn't be home during the day.

After Miya leaves the inn, Matsu's group start on their way to the hospital. After the others have left, Kazehana thanks Minato for being concerned about Uzume even though she is technically an enemy Sekirei. Suddenly, Matsu's computer alerts Minato, Kazehana and Homura that an enemy Sekirei is approaching, and Minato spots Uzume approaching the inn.

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After spending a couple of chapters talking about the rescue operation, Minato's crew is finally on their way to rescue Uzume. Conveniently, Matsu decided to choose a date when Miya isn't at the inn, thereby leaving the inn vulnerable to attack by Higa's forces. If Miya was home, it would probably be nearly impossible for anyone (except maybe for Karasuba) to attack the inn and hope to live. I'm guessing the author threw in this coincidence so that there would be a battle at Izumo Inn to create some drama. I don't think Miya would have gotten in the way of Minato's operation if she was home.

So now Minato, Kazehana, and Homura are charged with defending the inn against Uzume and possibly more of Higa's forces, while Matsu leads her group of four to Higa's hospital to rescue Chiho. Matsu's bumbling ways in this chapter (getting blinded by the sun) goes along with her indoor only persona in the manga, but I wonder how the anime is going to handle this since Matsu was riding motorbikes and firing bazookas near the end of the first season. Maybe Matsu is only weak in sunlight, or maybe they'll just assume that manga readers will forget this little detail by the time this part of the manga is animated.

Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~ 03

Kazehana tries to rescue Minato from Benitsubasa and Haihane.

Minato with the takedown!... Well, actually maybe he wanted to give Haihane a feel. Pervert.

Summary:
Tsukiumi is on the streets searching for Minato, but she finds Musubi instead and the two return to Izumo Inn. At the inn, Matsu tells the two that Minato is currently at the wine warehouse near the shore, and Musubi and Tsukiumi quickly departs.

One of the disadvantages of having razor sharp claws.

Whistling is a sign of guilt, not innocence.

Minato has a penchant for getting crushed by steel beams.

At the warehouse, Minato gets free from Haihane (who then gets drunk from the wine that spilled onto her) and Kazehana pushes Benitsubasa back with her wind attack. However, Haihane and Benitsubasa manage to regroup and they injure Kazehana in a two on one attack. Benitsubasa unleashes a shockwave that sends steel girders crashing down at Kazehana, but Minato pushes her out of the way and gets trapped by the girders. Moved by Minato's selfless act, Kazehana frees Minato and then kisses him, thereby becoming Minato's fifth Sekirei. By getting winged, Kazehana now has access to her chant attack and she sends Haihane and Benitsubasa flying out of the warehouse with a tornado just as Tsukiumi and Musubi arrive.

Time for a little mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Team Rocket is blasting off once again!!

Minato: Hey, I thought the goal was to collect'em all, or at least as many as possible.

After the battle, Minato collapses from his injuries, but his mother Takami arrives to take him to the hospital. Takami also calls Yukari tell her that Minato cannot make the dinner. Takami then visits Minato at the hospital and Minato, Musubi and Tsukiumi are surprised to see her. Takami explains to Minato that she lied about her job and is actually the head researcher at MBI and she had helped "condition" Musubi. Musubi leaves to fetch some water for Minato, and on the roof she runs into Karasuba. Musubi notices that Karasuba smells of blood and Karasuba once again tells Musubi to keep on surviving until only she and Karasuba are left before leaving. Back in the hospital, Takami asks Minato about what happened on the bridge when Yume appeared. Minato recalls what happens and asks Takami about Yume, but Takami doesn't answer. Instead, she plays a joke on Tsukiumi and then leaves because a Sekirei has been seriously injured (by Karasuba).

It's natural for a wife to hate her mother-in-law.

Miya shows that she is still in charge.

Sometime later, Minato is released from hospital and returns to Izumo Inn with his Sekireis. While the others are welcoming Minato back, Uzume is on the phone with someone who is giving her orders. Kazehana comes into Uzume's room to look through Uzume's costumes. Uzume notices that Kazehana's back exposed, and she is tempted to try and deactivate Kazehana. Meanwhile, Kagari/Homura is on the roof thinking about the Sekirei Plan and he swears to himself that he'll never be winged.

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Pretty good episode, especially the first half. This anime-original stuff is actually quite entertaining and possibly better than the source material. It's funny though that Minato got crushed by girders again and the Disciplinary Squad was sent flying again in order for the story to return to the manga material in the second half of this episode. The fighting in first half was more than decent, and I was impressed by Minato's performance during the battle. It seems that Minato actually has some balls now, and he managed to own Haihane during the entire battle, tackling her, getting her drunk, and the tripping her with a wine bottle. This is much more than he has ever done in the manga (thus far). Haihane was again hilarious, but it's a little sad that she is being turned into a joke, but I'm sure she'll make a comeback when the "real" battles start. She is the most comedic member in the Disciplinary Squad though.

Compared to the first half, the second half of the episode was back to the manga material and wasn't as exciting as it was mostly talking. Takami showed up and revealed herself as one of the head researchers at MBI, but other than that she didn't reveal anything concrete. The same goes for Karasuba, who just repeated her message to Musubi and nearly killed a random Sekirei. The second half was still a good refresher for me though, since I don't remember those scenes at all from the manga. It might be a good thing I don't remember much though since it'd feel like that I'm watching new material.

Naruto 502

Minato battles Madara as the nine-tails attacks Konoha.

That's a dangerous game of tag these two are playing.

Summary:
In different parts of Konoha, Itachi, Kakashi, and the 3rd Hokage all suddenly have bad feelings. Near the edge of the village, Madara summons the nine-tails, and the demon fox starts destroying nearby buildings. The 3rd Hokage is alerted to the attack and leads a band of shinobis to take on the fox.

After destroying nearby buildings, the demon fox notices Minato standing upon his own head in the Hokage Monument. The nine-tails fires a chakra blast at Minato, but Minato transports the blast away with his Water Gate technique. Minato is about to go on the attack, but he suddenly notices Madara behind him. Minato tries to stab Madara, but his blade passes through Madara's body and Madara grabs his hand. Madara tries to suck Minato into his eye hole, but Minato escapes by teleporting to the outskirts of the village. Madara quickly follows with his own teleportation and Minato starts asking questions. Minato figures that his opponent must be Madara given all the abilities the intruder has shown, but the masked man doesn't confirm nor deny this identity. Madara and Minato then charge at each other, and just like the previous exchange Minato is unable to land a blow and has to teleport to avoid getting hurt himself. Minato realizes that Madara is only "solid" when he is trying to land a hit, and therefore the winner will be determined by who is faster.

The two combatants charge at each other yet again. Minato tosses his kunai which goes through Madara. Minato then goes for a Rasengan, but Madara touches Minato just before the Rasengan can make contact. Madara thinks that he has won, but he doesn't realize that Minato's marked kunai is on his back, and Minato uses the Flying Thunder God teleportation to nail Madara from behind with the Rasengan.

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Pretty solid action chapter. Minato actually ends up fighting Madara first, leaving the 3rd to hold off the demon fox. It's the pretty good battle between the two elite ninjas. While Madara's teleportation seem to be at will, Minato's technique has a mechanism to it. You'd think that would be a disadvantage, but Minato took advantage of the mechanism to land the blow on Madara at the end. Minato has the advantage so far, and perhaps he will force Madara to retreat and then go deal with the demon fox. I hope Madara isn't finished though. Since this was an action chapter, there wasn't too much on storyline developments, so we'll just have wait to see how Naruto and Kushina will come into the fight again.

Bleach 412

Rangiku confronts Gin.

Gin: Jeez woman, just come out with it and tell me that you love me.

Summary:
Rangiku arrives and persuades Don Kanoji to carry Tatsuki away. Aizen wonder what Rangiku hopes to accomplish by showing up in this state, that Rangiku doesn't answer. Instead Gin tells Aizen that he'll take care of it and suddenly whisks Rangiku away to the top of a nearby building. On top of the building, Gin asks Rangiku why did she show up. Rangiku questions back, asking why Gin decided to follow Aizen and betray Kira's trust, but Gin knows that Rangiku is just bringing up Kira to cover up her own emotions. Gin approaches Rangiku, but he suddenly pulls out his zanpukto and tells Rangiku that she is too much of a bother.

Not too far away in the streets, Tatsuki has recovered and walks with Don Kanoji. The pair bumps into Keigo who has retrieved a sword from somewhere. Keigo warns Tatsuki and Don Kanoji to keep going as Aizen's spiritual pressure is approaching them.

Back on top of the building, Rangiku is lying on the ground with a wound to her chest, and Gin quickly makes his exit. Meanwhile, Ichigo is still having his internal battle while Isshin is having trouble maintaining his barrier.

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So much for the confrontation between Rangiku and Gin. They didn't really get very far with the conversation. We all know Rangiku has a relationship of sorts with Gin, but it'd be nice if she gave a verbal confirmation. I suppose Kubo is saving that for later. It seems that Gin has gotten rid of Rangiku for good, but he probably just gave her a non-fatal wound so Aizen would leave her alone. Aizen probably knows, but he probably doesn't give a damn either.

While the conversation between Gin and Rangiku was serious, the rest of chapter had lots of comedy, but then again what else is Don Kanoji good for? It's interesting that Keigo got a sword from somewhere. I don't think he'll suddenly turn into a shinigami, but it'll be interesting to see what he can do these days.

One Piece 592

Members of the Straw Hat Pirates try to rejoin their captain Luffy.

Franky leaves his mark on Karakuri Island.

Can't blame him for accidentally blowing up the island though, since self-destruct buttons should be a large round, red button.

Summary:
In the castle of the ruined Shikkearu Kingdom, Perona is crying after learning about Moria's death from Mihawk. It turns out Mihawk lives in the abandoned castle, and he notes that when he left Marine HQ Moria seemed fine. Outside, Zoro struggles with a group of man-sized mandrills called "Human Drills" in an effort to get to the ocean, but he isn't getting anywhere. Mihawk shows up and advises Zoro to return to the castle, but Zoro doesn't care and wants to get to Luffy as soon as possible.

Up in the sky island of Weatheria, Nami is also trying to get to Luffy, but she is captured by the weather wizards for various thefts. Nami calls for Haredas to get her out of trouble, and by using her acting skills, Nami gets free and kidnaps Haredas in order to commandeer a balloon.

In the winter island of Karakuri, Franky breaks into Dr. Vegapunk's old laboratory to search for a icebreaker to get off the island while the Marines are hot on his trail. In the middle of the chase, Franky accidentally presses the self-destruct button in the lab and causes a huge explosion.

Meanwhile on Namakura Island, Brook captures the three bandits from the Longarm tribe. The short armed people who "summoned" Brook want to sell the Longarm bandits out of the country, but Brook opposes this and sets the bandits free. The bandits then quickly kidnap Brook and run back to their country.

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A straight-forward check-up on some of the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates. I guessed I got what I asked for. All of the crew members we've seen so far seem to have heard the news about Ace's death and the battle at Marine HQ, and they are trying to get off their islands with varying degrees of success. It's apparent now that Kuma probably planned out all the places where he sent the Straw Hat members. Zoro definitely didn't end up in Mihawk's place by accident. Some of the crew will probably return with power-ups (like Nami), but others (like Chopper) didn't really develop their abilities after being sent away by Kuma, but we'll have to see when they return and fight a challenging battle. The only two Straw Hats that haven't been covered yet are Nico Robin and Sanji. I'm looking forward to seeing what has become of Sanji nowadays lol.

Highschool of the Dead 02

Three groups try to stay alive at the school in midst of the zombie chaos.

Uh... you guys are not supposed to be doing that at school.

Armed and dangerous, baby!

And we have to respect the power of tape.

Summary:
On the roof top, Takashi and Rei uses the fire hose to blast away most of the zombies and they kill the rest with their weapons. In the infirmary, ditsy school nurse Shizuka Marikawa is saved from the zombies by kendo champion Saeko Busujima, and Shizuka asks Saeko to escort her to the staff room so she can retrieve her car keys. Elsewhere in the school, smart stuck-up girl Saya Takagi and overweight Kohta Hirano try to stay alive. Being a gun otaku, Kohta fashions a rifle of sorts with a nail-gun found in shop class. After running around in the school, Saya and Kohta find themselves surrounded by zombies near the trophy cases. Kohta runs out of ammo, and Saya trips as a zombie approaches her. In desperation, Saya grabs a nearby power drill and jams it into the zombie's head, while Takashi, Rei, and Saeko arrive to mop up the rest of the zombies.

She certainly has her priorities straight.

Saya demonstrates how to make a zombie blood shower.

After the battle, Saya breaks down and cries in Saeko's arms. She eventually regains her composure and the new group of six (including Shizuka) make their way to the staff office where the group plans to escape using the school bus. The TV in the room is turned on, and the group learns from the news that the entire Japan is in chaos.

The group is stunned when the World Cup coverage cut out on them.

There is a new ED song, although the animation sequence is the same.

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Lol I forgot this show airs on Sundays, so hence the late post. Not that it matters though since I can never be as fast as some of the dedicated episodic anime blogs out there. This was another good episode, once again throwing the narrative right into the zombie chaos. While last episode focused on Takashi and Rei, this episode expands the coverage to properly introduce the other important supporting characters at the school. Saya, Kohta, Saeko, and Shizuka have obvious assets that make them useful amongst a band of survivors: Saya has the smarts, Kohta has the marksmanship and gun knowledge, Saeko has the sword skills and Shizuka is the nurse. With Takashi and Rei added to the mix, the core band of survivors from the high school looks complete.

Out of the newly introduced characters, Kohta is definitely the funniest as he is usually meek but turns hardcore whenever he gets his hands on a gun or a gun-like item. I'm not sure if that qualifies as split personality lol. Meanwhile, Saeko is the most dangerous-looking out of the group and appears to be enjoying killing zombies, which could be good thing as far as survival is concerned. As for Saya, other than showing off her attitude and intelligence, she distinguishes herself as the only person to have a tearful breakdown, but I suppose somebody had to do it given the situation. There were also hints of her feelings for Takashi, and I wonder if she will get anywhere with that. And finally, Shizuka is the ditsy nurse that probably won't be good for anything other than her medical skills and for fan service purposes.

Compared to the last episode, this week's show was just as violent, but the fan service appears to be toned down slightly, at least during the action sequences. Or maybe I'm just becoming used to the show. There were still lots of panty flashes though given that Saya and Rei wear mini-skirts, and of course there were Shizuka's jiggling assets. There are also no more of those cool, computer-aided panning shots, but I guess Madhouse was saving their budget for upcoming episodes. After two episodes, Highschool of the Dead looks pretty good so far, but I wonder if there will be anything else in the show to keep our interest once the zombie carnage and fan service get old. Or maybe zombie carnage and fan service will never get old. We'll just have to see.