Ookamikakushi – 8

Man, every time I think Hiro could not possibly be more of a dumbass, he admirably goes out of his way to prove me wrong. Kudos to you for continually raising the bar on dumbassery, Hiro! You get the gold medal!

The funniest thing has to be Hiro’s requirement of more proof. “They’ve tried to kill me a few times, and I’ve actually seen them kill people . . . but I don’t if I can help you fight them unless I really know they are monsters, because Nemuru saved me earlier and it was nice lol.” HILARIOUS. Whether they’re monsters shouldn’t even matter — they were going to kill you. This must be like Memento, and Hiro forgets everything happened in previous episodes. Seesh.

Durarara!! – 8

So everyone who theorized from the beginning that Mika Harima is “wearing” Celty’s head (including good ol’ Scamp) . . . you all just earned yourselves a Stephen Colbert-sized “Called it!” Take advantage of this opportunity to shout it to the heavens! Unfortunately, I was swayed to this theory a bit too late to be able to join in on the fun — but I believed in you all the whole time!

Kimi ni Todoke – 20

Sometimes you just need to fight it out to find yourself on the right path, even if you feel like a huge goofball for a while afterward.

I’ve got mixed feelings on this episode, but strangely enough, that actually brought me a bit closer to the series. I’m not sure what makes me enjoy this episode more than the main episodes in the Kurumi arc. Maybe the drama is simpler and not quite so contrived. Maybe the emotions are messier in a way that is understandable for both parties involved. Maybe it’s just that this is clearly not the end (not if that shot of Tohru in the next episode preview has anything to do with it).

Nodame Cantabile Finale – 6

brb squealing like a fangirl

Definitely the most satisfying episode of the series so far — it’s one of the few since Nodame‘s first season ended where I believe that in terms of tone an execution it could fit fairly seamlessly into the first season. Probably not a coincidence that it also focuses almost exclusively on Nodame and Chiaki, with little bits of Tanya and Kuroki peppered here and there, with a dash of Li and Frank to top it off.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – 45

Maaaaaan, what a killer fight this is — just 40 seconds (yes, I counted :p) of high-octane badass. Some fights have been disappointed so far in the series, but Wrath always seems to step up to the plate when it is time to throw down.

As much as I am sure Wrath wanted to beat the crap out of Greed, he probably is at least a little relieved that Greed decided that he preferred to not get his ass kicked and instead ditched the fight. If Greed is killed, Amestris could cover up the existence of Homunculi easily enough, but Wrath’s waifu would probably badger him with questions. If I were her, I’d want to know what the hell ruined our living room, too. And, worse, if Greed somehow makes some headway in the fight and Pride has to get involved, well, their cover is really fucked, and at the very least the wifey must die.

Not a good situation for anyone involved. At least this way Wrath can pretend the military is making inquiries as to who the hell this crazy MFer who busted into his home was.

The Role of OPs and EDs

After posting about some inappropriate EDs last week, I thought a bit more about the subject, specifically about what the hell we expect from OPs and EDs. And it probably isn’t a shocker to know that OPs in general have a fairly defined role (with leeway on execution), while EDs are a different story altogether.

Durarara!! – 7

IZAAAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The title of the episode — “Badass Dude” — doesn’t joke around. Shizuo is a badass dude, even if he does not particularly enjoy his fits of badassery. Omni’s comparison of Shizuo to the Incredible Hulk is apt. Shizuo isn’t exactly abnormal when nobody is bothering him. His appearance might be different (I guess the dyeing of the hair is to give him an image more befitting of his wild reputation), but he isn’t really prowling around like a pissed-off tiger looking for trouble. Poor guy just has the shortest fuse in existence.

(By the way, I love the nonsensical ritual Shizuo performs before he lets loose all the violent feelings that build up inside him. It’s not that he has to put out his cigarettes before he goes on the attack — rather, I get the feeling he started smoking cigarettes because they are the item that makes most sense to be snapped in two and stomped on.)

Ookamikakushi – 7

MAL has Ookamikakushi listed at 12 episodes right now. For anyone who has played the visual novel and knows how much story is left, does this seem like a good number? I want it to be 12 episodes mostly because I don’t know that 24-26 episodes of glacial pacing and stalling is going to be very fun to watch. (And of course 24-26 episodes of Hiro, yuck.)

Basically this episode makes things clearer and catches Hiro up on important plot points that just about everyone who has watched the series has guessed about by now. Too bad Hiro doesn’t have Internet access in his town — he could just hit up a few bloggers and know exactly what is going down. That is reason No. 666 why the Internet has made everyone’s lives better.

Kimi ni Todoke – 19

Maybe I am just softening to Kimi ni Todoke‘s charms, or maybe it is just getting better at nailing these moments (or perhaps a bit of both), but the drama has really taken a step up to me in the past few episodes.

The ending of this episode is a good example. While the plot is fairly predictable (probably 9/10 people at the very least guessed that Tohru probably had a girlfriend/fiance), the feeling behind it shines through. Chizuru is obviously hurting. Maybe she can convince herself on the outside that she can let a crush that has developed for seven or eight years float away relatively easily, but that love leaves a mark. It hurts to let it go; admitting to oneself that a dream — even if it is a farfetched dream — won’t come true is a tough moment for anyone. Chizuru walking away from Ryu’s house, an outsider when she believed she was an insider, is such a perfectly melancholy moment. I felt it right in my gut.

Hilariously Inappropriate EDs

Anime EDs have it rough. In general, they don’t really get the fanfare received by OPs, even though they have a tougher job — OPs are able to set the tone for a series and can pretty much be whatever they want given those bounds. EDs, however, have the burden of playing after a viewer has been swept up in the emotion of an episode. Often times they have to let you down gently after a roller coaster ride, which doesn’t give them nearly as much room to be memorable as OPs. (Not that many EDs don’t manage to be memorable despite this.)

If an ED sounds even a little bit off, then things can get awkward in a hurry. As an anime fan, if you watch enough series, you are bound to come across a few shows with EDs that sound completely wrong. Mood Whiplash is a common occurrence with these songs, I find. Maybe a certain episode will have a particularly dramatic end, you’re completely caught up in all the emotions . . . and the ED smacks you upside the head and is completely disorienting. Perhaps these songs are not bad on their own; however, when connected with the wrong series, even a good song can quickly turn to crap.

So let’s pay tribute to some EDs that make for awkward listening (and viewing!) experiences!