June 26, 2014
NY "Big Gulp" ban is pretty much gone...
Former NY City mayor Michael Bloomberg forced through controls limiting the sales of large volume soft drinks. In true big government fashion, he used the Board of Health to justify this as a health danger.
The New York State Court of Appeals backed two lower court rulings that this was excessive overreach of authority.
From the article: Two lower courts had already ruled against the city, saying it overreached in attempting to prohibit the purchase of sugared drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces, about the size of a medium coffee cup. By a 4-to-2 vote, the justices Thursday upheld the earlier rulings.
With today's Supreme Court rulings and our Presidents cratering poll numbers, are we finally starting to see the dangers of a government positioned to do everything to everyone every day?
Probably not, but a guy can dream, can't he?
The New York State Court of Appeals backed two lower court rulings that this was excessive overreach of authority.
From the article: Two lower courts had already ruled against the city, saying it overreached in attempting to prohibit the purchase of sugared drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces, about the size of a medium coffee cup. By a 4-to-2 vote, the justices Thursday upheld the earlier rulings.
With today's Supreme Court rulings and our Presidents cratering poll numbers, are we finally starting to see the dangers of a government positioned to do everything to everyone every day?
Probably not, but a guy can dream, can't he?
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June 21, 2014
Bokura wa Minna Kawiaisou
Every season should have a well told, slow to develop romcom to watch. It is a nice palette cleanser from the higher energy, violent, slapstick or otherwise busy show. Last season gave us Mikakunin de Shinkoukei. This season, for me, it was Bokura wa Minna Kawiaisou.
Another boarding house romcom without quite as much violence as Love Hina, or quite as much psychosis as Mahraba, Heartfull Days, the show revolves around Usa Kazunari and his entry into living away from his parents for the first time, while attending his freshman year of High School. While working in the library, he sees Ritsu Kawai and is instantly smitten with her. As luck and plot devices would have it, she is also a tenant at his new boarding house. We find out further on that her family owns the place and her Grandfather's sister, Sumiko, is the manager.
The other tenants consist of a male masochist, a buxom, attractive woman whose attitude and demeanor make it impossible for her to hook up with the right kind of guy, and a college girl who acts very nice but is really quite calculating. These cliche characters provide the usual background for the two main characters to look normal against. It works well in these shows, since normal tends to be an unexciting stand alone item.
Like the aforementioned Mikakunin, not much happens over the 12 episodes in terms of romance between the characters. Instead, we have the small yet undeniable acceptance of the more reluctant character towards the other, more invested emotionally one. There's not so much as a hint of intimacy in contact, and it takes Ritsu's accidental drunkenness to see her admit to some affection (in this case, through jealousy) to Usa.
The threat to the budding romance wasn't heavy, no love conflicts, no shouting and hitting between the protagonists, nothing of the high energy sort at all between the two. Just a cautious approach by the awkward male and a slow de-icing of the socially inept female and the small development between them seems like a nice thing indeed.
Another boarding house romcom without quite as much violence as Love Hina, or quite as much psychosis as Mahraba, Heartfull Days, the show revolves around Usa Kazunari and his entry into living away from his parents for the first time, while attending his freshman year of High School. While working in the library, he sees Ritsu Kawai and is instantly smitten with her. As luck and plot devices would have it, she is also a tenant at his new boarding house. We find out further on that her family owns the place and her Grandfather's sister, Sumiko, is the manager.
The other tenants consist of a male masochist, a buxom, attractive woman whose attitude and demeanor make it impossible for her to hook up with the right kind of guy, and a college girl who acts very nice but is really quite calculating. These cliche characters provide the usual background for the two main characters to look normal against. It works well in these shows, since normal tends to be an unexciting stand alone item.
Like the aforementioned Mikakunin, not much happens over the 12 episodes in terms of romance between the characters. Instead, we have the small yet undeniable acceptance of the more reluctant character towards the other, more invested emotionally one. There's not so much as a hint of intimacy in contact, and it takes Ritsu's accidental drunkenness to see her admit to some affection (in this case, through jealousy) to Usa.
The threat to the budding romance wasn't heavy, no love conflicts, no shouting and hitting between the protagonists, nothing of the high energy sort at all between the two. Just a cautious approach by the awkward male and a slow de-icing of the socially inept female and the small development between them seems like a nice thing indeed.
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June 18, 2014
Splitting Iraq?
With all the miasma, muck and mire that is Iraq and Syria, is it actually time to think that, through the inept actions of our fearless leader, his inept V.P. could end up up a prophet?
Wouldn't that be a kick in the rubber parts?
Wouldn't that be a kick in the rubber parts?
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June 15, 2014
Manga to anime - Denpa Kyoushi
Denpa Kyoushi is a manga about a serious otaku who suffers from a self proclaimed disease that makes him do "only what I want to do". His violent, yet overly protective younger sister is so concerned about him that she enrolls him as a teacher in her school.
This is a very clever manga dealing with, primarily, students who do not fit in and feel bad about it. He teaches them, and the others around them, that different is not only okay, but it is what makes the world a more interesting place.
As of chapter 33 the manga has been able to keep up this routine pretty well. It seems to be a plot that can have long term staying power, but it is also a set up that should work quite well as a one or two season anime. Since it has fairly short arcs with a rather subdued through plot, as long as they use the first three or fouor arcs, they can be very flexible with the rest of the arcs.
So far there are 116 chapters as of this writing. It is a weekly series. The author and artist is Azuma Takeshi.
This is a very clever manga dealing with, primarily, students who do not fit in and feel bad about it. He teaches them, and the others around them, that different is not only okay, but it is what makes the world a more interesting place.
As of chapter 33 the manga has been able to keep up this routine pretty well. It seems to be a plot that can have long term staying power, but it is also a set up that should work quite well as a one or two season anime. Since it has fairly short arcs with a rather subdued through plot, as long as they use the first three or fouor arcs, they can be very flexible with the rest of the arcs.
So far there are 116 chapters as of this writing. It is a weekly series. The author and artist is Azuma Takeshi.
Kagami Junichirou
Kagami Junichirou
Kagami Junichirou
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Great opening lines
The Mississippi delta was shining like a National guitar.
Graceland - Paul Simon
Graceland - Paul Simon
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June 14, 2014
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and the head movement
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has an oft copied, usually parodied four point head movement - mostly before declaring "I'm in despair!"
You wonder where the original idea comes from when you see these things.
I might have found it. Stolen from right under the nose of my youth. Jump to 1:46 to see the inspiration:
As wrong as I likely am, who could blame the guy?
You wonder where the original idea comes from when you see these things.
I might have found it. Stolen from right under the nose of my youth. Jump to 1:46 to see the inspiration:
As wrong as I likely am, who could blame the guy?
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June 13, 2014
Centipedes?
Episode eight of The daily Lives of High School Boys (which is often quite funny) and episode 9 of Bokura Wa Minna Kawaisou (ditto - and sometimes sweet also) both feature bits aboiut centipedes. Is there something in anime or the culture in general that greatly fears these insects? In both episodes the image is either obscured (HS Boys - in the pixilated manner) or cartoonized into a cute li'l thing (Bokura).
Are they much larger than the ones in new England? I see quite a few over here and, while they pinch a bit, as a general rule we are mightier than they.
Just asking.
Are they much larger than the ones in new England? I see quite a few over here and, while they pinch a bit, as a general rule we are mightier than they.
Just asking.
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June 10, 2014
Shorter Ranma 1/2
"Mr. Jusenkyo Guide. Can you show us to the Cursed Spring of the Drowned Man?"
"Thank you."
-the end-
"Thank you."
-the end-
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June 09, 2014
Rik Mayall - Young Ones star - R.I.P.
The Young Ones was one of the UK comedies I would set the dial to watch. It was "appointment TV" when that actually meant something. Four college kids living in a flat ( or a townhouse?) and the daily misadventures that would befall them. Three were outstanding in their unique character designs and one was supposed to be a cool playboy, who was at best mediocre. The show also gave the "Landlord", Alexei Sayle, a chance to do a stand up routine nearly every show.
Rik Mayall played "The People's Poet", Rick. He self fashioned himself as the spokesperson of his generation and was generally the target of Vyyvian's punishment (when Neal wasn't on the receiving end). Mayall was one of the creators of the series. He, like Vyyvian, the nihilist and Neal (neal), the failure of a folk hippie played their roles with a passion. They threw themselves into the series completely and with great success.
Mayall was a very creative writer and appeared on many shows both as a guest and a featured performer. He co starred in an American feature called Drop Dead Fred (if I remember right), but I never saw the movie, so no comment there.
There is so far no cause of death listed, but Scotland Yard does not suspect mischief at the moment. he was 56 years old.
Rik Mayall played "The People's Poet", Rick. He self fashioned himself as the spokesperson of his generation and was generally the target of Vyyvian's punishment (when Neal wasn't on the receiving end). Mayall was one of the creators of the series. He, like Vyyvian, the nihilist and Neal (neal), the failure of a folk hippie played their roles with a passion. They threw themselves into the series completely and with great success.
Mayall was a very creative writer and appeared on many shows both as a guest and a featured performer. He co starred in an American feature called Drop Dead Fred (if I remember right), but I never saw the movie, so no comment there.
There is so far no cause of death listed, but Scotland Yard does not suspect mischief at the moment. he was 56 years old.
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June 08, 2014
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - series at Ep 10
One of the better series (IMHO) this year has been Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, or The Irregular at Magic High School. I was turned onto this by Ubu Roi in a couple of his early posts about the series. Before I saw the first episode, I read the manga until the point where the translations stopped. I think that was chapter 22 at the time. I then read through all the translations at Baka-tsuki.
It is a very exposition heavy series, with further tech jargon as you read. Not especially my forte, but it is a good enough - and original enough - story that it has kept me very entertained. The series is now into the Nine Schools Competition arc. This arc is very long and highly detailed in the LN. As with the entrance ceremony arc, the anime is very careful and very successful in my opinion on distilling the information while moving the story along. The writers know they can't skimp out on the action, which forces them into surgical territory to explain as they entertain. So far so good.
I still do not see how they can get through it all in this season (12 or 13 episodes), but I have to say they moved the earlier arc along quite well. I hope we see all of the competition, but i just don't know how they will do it and still end the story with the huge reveal at the end. It is truly something else. This is where they justify all the hype about the "Irregular" student.
Tatsuya, our main hero, has been tagged a Marty Stu, and I can see why he gets that. He is truly a spectacular talent with few around him able to compete on his level. He compares in some respects similar to Kenshi in War on Geminar, but whereas Kenshi is physical, Tatsuya is both a physical and intelligent character. They both finally meet stiff competition deep into their respective stories.
I will continue reading the translations as they become available, and I hope they do so soon. I am not thrilled with them having Miyuki (his adoring sister, and immensely powerful magician in her own right) seemingly so accepting
It is a very exposition heavy series, with further tech jargon as you read. Not especially my forte, but it is a good enough - and original enough - story that it has kept me very entertained. The series is now into the Nine Schools Competition arc. This arc is very long and highly detailed in the LN. As with the entrance ceremony arc, the anime is very careful and very successful in my opinion on distilling the information while moving the story along. The writers know they can't skimp out on the action, which forces them into surgical territory to explain as they entertain. So far so good.
I still do not see how they can get through it all in this season (12 or 13 episodes), but I have to say they moved the earlier arc along quite well. I hope we see all of the competition, but i just don't know how they will do it and still end the story with the huge reveal at the end. It is truly something else. This is where they justify all the hype about the "Irregular" student.
Tatsuya, our main hero, has been tagged a Marty Stu, and I can see why he gets that. He is truly a spectacular talent with few around him able to compete on his level. He compares in some respects similar to Kenshi in War on Geminar, but whereas Kenshi is physical, Tatsuya is both a physical and intelligent character. They both finally meet stiff competition deep into their respective stories.
I will continue reading the translations as they become available, and I hope they do so soon. I am not thrilled with them having Miyuki (his adoring sister, and immensely powerful magician in her own right) seemingly so accepting
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June 02, 2014
Liebster? rolls. Hot or cold
Thank you, Don at Zoopraxiscope for nominating me for this honor (?).
I accept both the awrd and the challenge with but one exception. Here are the rules I so lazily copied from Don's site:
The Quasi-Official Rules of the Liebster Award
If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:
1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a "widget†or a "gadgetâ€. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. provide 11 random facts about yourself.
5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
6. create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
7. list these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)
So let's have at it. Starting with Don's questions.
1. Who should write your biography?
Melville would probably put the proper style I would like to have, but Lovecraft would frame it better.
2. Who should direct the movie version?
John Ford should direct the life I would like to have had, but Capra would be much more kind to my real history.
3. Who should do the musical score for the movie?
Ian Hunter and the late Mick Ronson as a collaboration. Good poetry and great arrangement.
4. Please tell a favorite joke (keep it tasteful, thank you).
A man decides to take a short vacation from his job and travel somewhere exotic. So, he books a trip to a small, essentially untouched Pacific island where the native culture is still intact.
So, he sets sail on his chartered ship to the island paradise. As the boat is approaching the island, he notices the sound of drums. "How quaint," he thinks, "the natives are engaging in an ancient ritual with drums." He arrives at the island and gets something to eat. All this time, the drums are going. Well, after a few hours, he begins to wonder when the drums are going to stop. So, he asks a native why the drums are going on so long. The native runs away screaming with a terrified look on his face.
Thinking he has probably disturbed the sanctity of the native ritual by asking an intrusive question, the man decides to just forget about the drums and enjoy his vacation. But, after another two days of continuous drums, it's really beginning to bother him. So, he asks another native, "When are the drums going to stop?" The native just looks at him. So, he asks, "Why are the drums going on so long?" This native, like the first one, runs away screaming.
So, after another two days, the man has had it with drums. He grabs the first native he sees by the neck & demands that he make the drums stop. The native replies "I would rather die than be the one who stops the drums." The man asks him why. Slowly, the native answers…"Because when the drums are over, the banjo solo starts!"
5. What book should everyone read?
Twice-told Tales, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
6. What obscure movie is worth tracking down?
Wow, lots of possibilities. Here's three:
Brazil
Dreamchild
The Gods Must Be Crazy
7. Do you have a battle song, i.e., a tune that you hum, sing or stomp your feet to while on the way to a difficult day at work or an unpleasant appointment?
It varies, really. There is no song where the lyrics are geared towards inspiration (Big Time by Hunter/Ronson comes closest), but they always have a driving beat. The OP for the final Ranma season, Once Bitten Twice Shy by Hunter/Ronson, Jean Genie by Bowie, The Third Hurrah by Jethro Tull quite a few more, really.
8. What fictional character do you particularly identify with?
Any character who had big dreams but always chose the safer route. For family, for security. Small regrets until he sees his kids safe and his business secure, then he realizes the value in the smaller world. There must be a character like that somewhere. Walter Mitty?
9. Which mode of literature do you find most congenial: comedy, romance (in the Arthurian, high-fantasy sense), tragedy or satire?
Probably satire.
10. Who is a writer you once thought highly of but have since outgrown?
Actually a Playwright, Neil Simon.
11. What neglected writer, composer or performer deserves rediscovery?
Fred J. Eaglesmith,, before his voice went. Actually 'discovery' would be more apt.
..................................................................
11 random facts about myself.
1. I discovered anime very late in life, other than Saturday cartoons like speed racer that I had no idea were anime at the time.
2. I have been in musical groups on and off since High School.
3. I play bass, sing, write lyrics/music and dabble in piano and guitar.
4. I run the family business. A countertop fabrication shop.
5. I have two wonderful kids.
6. Married/divorced twice. I have indeed learned my lesson.
7. I love boating.
8. I used to scuba dive often.
9. Block Island, R.I. is a wonderful vacation spot, but it used to be better when I was a kid, like many beach destinations were before regulations limited access and use.
10. I hate mosquitoes more than any other insect.
11. I am an extreme newcomer to blogs, and it shows.
...............................................................................
more...
Thank you, Don at Zoopraxiscope for nominating me for this honor (?).
I accept both the awrd and the challenge with but one exception. Here are the rules I so lazily copied from Don's site:
The Quasi-Official Rules of the Liebster Award
If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:
1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a "widget†or a "gadgetâ€. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. provide 11 random facts about yourself.
5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
6. create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
7. list these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)
So let's have at it. Starting with Don's questions.
1. Who should write your biography?
Melville would probably put the proper style I would like to have, but Lovecraft would frame it better.
2. Who should direct the movie version?
John Ford should direct the life I would like to have had, but Capra would be much more kind to my real history.
3. Who should do the musical score for the movie?
Ian Hunter and the late Mick Ronson as a collaboration. Good poetry and great arrangement.
4. Please tell a favorite joke (keep it tasteful, thank you).
A man decides to take a short vacation from his job and travel somewhere exotic. So, he books a trip to a small, essentially untouched Pacific island where the native culture is still intact.
So, he sets sail on his chartered ship to the island paradise. As the boat is approaching the island, he notices the sound of drums. "How quaint," he thinks, "the natives are engaging in an ancient ritual with drums." He arrives at the island and gets something to eat. All this time, the drums are going. Well, after a few hours, he begins to wonder when the drums are going to stop. So, he asks a native why the drums are going on so long. The native runs away screaming with a terrified look on his face.
Thinking he has probably disturbed the sanctity of the native ritual by asking an intrusive question, the man decides to just forget about the drums and enjoy his vacation. But, after another two days of continuous drums, it's really beginning to bother him. So, he asks another native, "When are the drums going to stop?" The native just looks at him. So, he asks, "Why are the drums going on so long?" This native, like the first one, runs away screaming.
So, after another two days, the man has had it with drums. He grabs the first native he sees by the neck & demands that he make the drums stop. The native replies "I would rather die than be the one who stops the drums." The man asks him why. Slowly, the native answers…"Because when the drums are over, the banjo solo starts!"
5. What book should everyone read?
Twice-told Tales, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
6. What obscure movie is worth tracking down?
Wow, lots of possibilities. Here's three:
Brazil
Dreamchild
The Gods Must Be Crazy
7. Do you have a battle song, i.e., a tune that you hum, sing or stomp your feet to while on the way to a difficult day at work or an unpleasant appointment?
It varies, really. There is no song where the lyrics are geared towards inspiration (Big Time by Hunter/Ronson comes closest), but they always have a driving beat. The OP for the final Ranma season, Once Bitten Twice Shy by Hunter/Ronson, Jean Genie by Bowie, The Third Hurrah by Jethro Tull quite a few more, really.
8. What fictional character do you particularly identify with?
Any character who had big dreams but always chose the safer route. For family, for security. Small regrets until he sees his kids safe and his business secure, then he realizes the value in the smaller world. There must be a character like that somewhere. Walter Mitty?
9. Which mode of literature do you find most congenial: comedy, romance (in the Arthurian, high-fantasy sense), tragedy or satire?
Probably satire.
10. Who is a writer you once thought highly of but have since outgrown?
Actually a Playwright, Neil Simon.
11. What neglected writer, composer or performer deserves rediscovery?
Fred J. Eaglesmith,, before his voice went. Actually 'discovery' would be more apt.
..................................................................
11 random facts about myself.
1. I discovered anime very late in life, other than Saturday cartoons like speed racer that I had no idea were anime at the time.
2. I have been in musical groups on and off since High School.
3. I play bass, sing, write lyrics/music and dabble in piano and guitar.
4. I run the family business. A countertop fabrication shop.
5. I have two wonderful kids.
6. Married/divorced twice. I have indeed learned my lesson.
7. I love boating.
8. I used to scuba dive often.
9. Block Island, R.I. is a wonderful vacation spot, but it used to be better when I was a kid, like many beach destinations were before regulations limited access and use.
10. I hate mosquitoes more than any other insect.
11. I am an extreme newcomer to blogs, and it shows.
...............................................................................
more...
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Scenes I'd like to see rewritten - Asu no Yoichi
In Asu no Yoiochi Washizu, the love rival turned friend of Yoichi is confronted by a gang he once clobbered other members of. They have kidnapped Ayame Ikaruga, sister to the girl he has a crush on. The leader tears off her skirt (hakama?) opens the top of her uniform, exposes her and threatens to take a picture and upload it if Washizu does not submit to a beating. It will be a severe beating and he knows it.
He submits. Our hero, Yoichi jumps in, and the two of them end up kicking the crap out of the bad guys. Ayuma's sister, Ibuki happens on the scene, surmises incorrectly that Yoichi was getting rude with her sister and beats the crap out of him. Hilarity.
There are a lot of scenes like this in anime and maybe I don't get the culture, or maybe the writers just want whatever scenario to set up the scene, regardless of how ridiculous it is, but I would like to think that Washizu would have appeared much cooler if he said the following to the leader of the gang:
"I just want to get this straight. You already have committed a serious crime in the kidnapping and sexual assault of this underage girl. you want me to submit to a beating so you can get away with the sexual assault, under the threat that you will humiliate her further if I don't. You have also threatened the lives of the rest of the family she belongs to.
Let em offer you an alternative.
I will kick the crap out of your fellow gang members. Then I will kick the crap out of you. I will beat you so bad you will be incapable of hurting anyone else for the rest of your life. I will take your phone and either delete the images or show them to the police when we drag you to the station to be arrested for assault on me, sexual assault on her, and whatever crime we can get you on for trying to humiliate her.
You will go to jail. When you get out of jail, since you are on record as threatening the family, if you go near them I will hurt you so bad you will never walk again.
Do I have this about right?"
He submits. Our hero, Yoichi jumps in, and the two of them end up kicking the crap out of the bad guys. Ayuma's sister, Ibuki happens on the scene, surmises incorrectly that Yoichi was getting rude with her sister and beats the crap out of him. Hilarity.
There are a lot of scenes like this in anime and maybe I don't get the culture, or maybe the writers just want whatever scenario to set up the scene, regardless of how ridiculous it is, but I would like to think that Washizu would have appeared much cooler if he said the following to the leader of the gang:
"I just want to get this straight. You already have committed a serious crime in the kidnapping and sexual assault of this underage girl. you want me to submit to a beating so you can get away with the sexual assault, under the threat that you will humiliate her further if I don't. You have also threatened the lives of the rest of the family she belongs to.
Let em offer you an alternative.
I will kick the crap out of your fellow gang members. Then I will kick the crap out of you. I will beat you so bad you will be incapable of hurting anyone else for the rest of your life. I will take your phone and either delete the images or show them to the police when we drag you to the station to be arrested for assault on me, sexual assault on her, and whatever crime we can get you on for trying to humiliate her.
You will go to jail. When you get out of jail, since you are on record as threatening the family, if you go near them I will hurt you so bad you will never walk again.
Do I have this about right?"
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May 30, 2014
Latest Railgun arc ends - it was a good one.
In the Index/Railgun world, the Academy City wide school system's Daihasei sporting event takes place over a few days. Two major events, coupled with several secondary events, takes place during this timeline.
First, in Index, we have the Croce St. Peter's arc. This is well covered in the Index anime series. On the minor, but impportant side, Kamijou Touma's parents and Misaka Mikoto's Mother meet up. Misaka meets up with Index, I think for the first time, and naturally the tension and jealousy generally gets directed towards Touma. It is after lunch that the stories really start.
While Touma is running around in his arc with Styil and Tsuchimikado, doing the Index storyline, Misaka is is getting embroiled into an arc that is peripherally connected to the sister's arc, but focuses more on Shokuho Misaki, the telepath number 5 level 5 and self described rival of Misaka Mikoto. Always looking for a tie in to exploit in a later story, Misaki meets Touma while she is talking with Mikoto, when he returns with drinks. Seeing Touma eyeing Misaki's prodigious knockers, Mikoto gets a tad violent and Touma, once again, bears the brunt.
more...
First, in Index, we have the Croce St. Peter's arc. This is well covered in the Index anime series. On the minor, but impportant side, Kamijou Touma's parents and Misaka Mikoto's Mother meet up. Misaka meets up with Index, I think for the first time, and naturally the tension and jealousy generally gets directed towards Touma. It is after lunch that the stories really start.
While Touma is running around in his arc with Styil and Tsuchimikado, doing the Index storyline, Misaka is is getting embroiled into an arc that is peripherally connected to the sister's arc, but focuses more on Shokuho Misaki, the telepath number 5 level 5 and self described rival of Misaka Mikoto. Always looking for a tie in to exploit in a later story, Misaki meets Touma while she is talking with Mikoto, when he returns with drinks. Seeing Touma eyeing Misaki's prodigious knockers, Mikoto gets a tad violent and Touma, once again, bears the brunt.
more...
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May 27, 2014
Kanojo ga Flag o Oretara
When I see an anime that looks interesting, I will often go for a manga, or visit Baka-tsuki and read the light novel, if it is there. This worked out quite well for Irregular at Magic High School, where I started both the manga and the LN after reading this post at Ubu Roi's. I hadn't even seen the first anime episode, but I was hooked pretty good and have caught up with the translations.
I have been watching Kanojo ga Flag o Orareta and was interested enough to start the manga in parallel. I have to say that, so far, the manga is both funnier and has better plot reveals than the series. I won't go into plot so much as to note that the manga does a better job of fleshing out both the story and the characters. Also, many jokes that work well in the manga don't hit the mark as well in the anime. Some are simply thrown away or left out entirely.
Here's a 'for instance': Souta, the male lead, is afraid of the ocean (for good reason). He is on a field trip, partly to learn how to swim. There is an oft used joke about fish gathering around him while he is in the water that I didn't quite get until I realized he was blowing chunks due to his fear. Comes out much better as a joke read and reread versus seen.
I have been watching Kanojo ga Flag o Orareta and was interested enough to start the manga in parallel. I have to say that, so far, the manga is both funnier and has better plot reveals than the series. I won't go into plot so much as to note that the manga does a better job of fleshing out both the story and the characters. Also, many jokes that work well in the manga don't hit the mark as well in the anime. Some are simply thrown away or left out entirely.
Here's a 'for instance': Souta, the male lead, is afraid of the ocean (for good reason). He is on a field trip, partly to learn how to swim. There is an oft used joke about fish gathering around him while he is in the water that I didn't quite get until I realized he was blowing chunks due to his fear. Comes out much better as a joke read and reread versus seen.
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...and on the non guilt buy front...
I'm also watching Hyakka Ryoran. It takes quite a bit to get me to leave a series once I start, but this is getting close. Kind of a cross between Yumeria and Ahh, My Buddah (although with less censorship) themed with girl samaurias in an alternate time kind of thing (kind of a tired trope already). Prodigious use of black ink blots must mean this show concerns commercial printing. Or something. I don't know. Something...
We've seen the ditzy heroine who miraculously gets awesome. We've seen the evil brother doing what he thinks is best for the country while hurting, killing and experimenting on those who are supposed to be dear to him. Harem? Check. Big boobs versus small boobs - hah! that one never gets old. Maid Megannekko protector? Checkamundo.
Any way, it is okay for same old same old so far. I'm half way done, and only 54. I quit smoking a few years back, so I have some added time to waste.
Was it popular? It certainly is going for the fanservice viewer.
Not that that's a bad thing. Because - 54 and all...
We've seen the ditzy heroine who miraculously gets awesome. We've seen the evil brother doing what he thinks is best for the country while hurting, killing and experimenting on those who are supposed to be dear to him. Harem? Check. Big boobs versus small boobs - hah! that one never gets old. Maid Megannekko protector? Checkamundo.
Any way, it is okay for same old same old so far. I'm half way done, and only 54. I quit smoking a few years back, so I have some added time to waste.
Was it popular? It certainly is going for the fanservice viewer.
Not that that's a bad thing. Because - 54 and all...
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May 26, 2014
Watching guilt buys
I've built up a small backlog of guilt buys from Robert, and I am going through them. Many in the queue are older, such as Captain Tyler and some are recent, such as Girls und Panzer and HSoD. Claymore, Natsume's Book of Friends, Three seasons of Koihime Mousou, Full Metal Panic - Second Raid, Strike Witches, Eden of the East, Nyarko-san, World of Narue, Linebarrels and Shigofumi are waiting as the mood for whichever genre strikes me.
I just finished Busou Renkin and I forgot how good a series it was, both in terms of parody and as a general story. The hat tips to other shows are subtle but there. They poke fun at themselves and all the Shounen tropes while telling a good story, with excellent pacing. in Papillion, they have conjured up one of the best villains out there in action comedy.
In the player right now is the first season of Someday's Dreamers. I already watched the second season (I prefer it a bit more), but this was a very touching show that provides a nice break from BR. Up next might be Shigofumi, if I am in the need to break a good mood and get totally depressed.
I just finished Busou Renkin and I forgot how good a series it was, both in terms of parody and as a general story. The hat tips to other shows are subtle but there. They poke fun at themselves and all the Shounen tropes while telling a good story, with excellent pacing. in Papillion, they have conjured up one of the best villains out there in action comedy.
In the player right now is the first season of Someday's Dreamers. I already watched the second season (I prefer it a bit more), but this was a very touching show that provides a nice break from BR. Up next might be Shigofumi, if I am in the need to break a good mood and get totally depressed.
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May 22, 2014
Another customer who got what they paid for
I was talking to a remodeler today who is finishing up a job for a customer and needed advice. I did not sell his customer her countertop, but my experience says you get back when you help folks out. His customer ended up going with the cheap cabinet outfit. She will probably pay the difference in increased labor for the extra work this remodeler needs to perform. We were musing on this and how common it is for people to never learn the "get what you pay for" lesson.
It reminded me of the Samuel Johnson quote about second marriages. He describes it as "the triumph of hope over experience."
It reminded me of the Samuel Johnson quote about second marriages. He describes it as "the triumph of hope over experience."
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May 19, 2014
mahouka koukou no rettousei
Actually, not anime, but light novel.
A question below the fold for those who are reading/have read the series:
(Note - this is waaay into the novel. Well past where the anime will have gotten too, even at the end of the season)
more...
A question below the fold for those who are reading/have read the series:
(Note - this is waaay into the novel. Well past where the anime will have gotten too, even at the end of the season)
more...
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April 13, 2014
Clearing the decks
Last season was not as bad as I thought it would be, but there weren't too many stellar series. Unfortunately, at first blush, it looks like a better season than the current one.
I need to clear the decks and make room. Quick summaries to follow. I am not spending much time on plot descriptions. merely closing thoughts:
D-Frag
One of the better comedies, and one I did not hold much hope for. There were some genuinely side-splitting moments and the writers did a good job at building each moment on top of the previous one. The characters were well drawn, and because I was fairly new to the "art shift to chibi" trend it seemed frsh to mne. That seems to be a trope that will get tiresome very soon, unfortunately.
The worst part is the MC tended to operate on eleven most of the time. Some more dimension would have been nice. The other characters made up for it.
All in all worth the time. Not the kind of show that had a big resolve, so no problems with an unfinished storyline. Could have a second season. I would probably watch. Possible buy.
Buddy Complex
Most of the shows I followed were worth a watch and told an interesting story, but stopped short of excellence, or in most cases of anything better than good. Buddy Complex was a good example.
Mecha sci-fi that indulged in time travel paradox, the show at least attempted to deal with the inherent problems, at least at the end, and did it's best to resolve the loop problem. Main Character is brought to the future by a girl who tells him to seek out a certain boy so that destiny will do its thing. When he gets there it turns out that this future timeline, she is the enemy and the story is the path taken to make her an ally. The gaping flaw is how things got started in the first place, since he was the reason she she migrated over in the first place. The resolve is how he recognizes the loop and breaks it.
At least the story gets resolved, and it was a decent ride to get there. Definitely not a buy.
Z/X Ignition
Again, an interesting series that revealed character backstory well, but holds out promise of a more important backstory over all which was only hinted at. I would follow this if they had a second season, if only to find out the truth about the five different types of invaders that occupy territories on Earth.
For some reason, it is possible to capture and manage individual members of the invading species using a card shaped device. What makes this possible, and who created these devices are subjects for future seasons. The focus characters have myriad reasons for wanrting to use the creatures, but there is usually a shred respect between Human and alien.
Again. the story is way too big for one season to flesh out all the ideas, and they do an okay job with the time they have, but it hurt the story a bit not getting to all this. It's a dilemma they did not resolve well. Worth the time, but that's about all. Not a likely buy.
Tonari no Seki-kun
A fun seven minute series entirely based on a schoolgirl's observation of the boy who sits next to her in class, and the various ways he wastes class time. I lasted about ten episodes, but considering the low time investment, and the creativity of the writers, I may go back every so often and waste some of my own time.
Definitely not a buy.
A Pilot's Love Song (Toaru Hikūshi e no Koiuta)
Another decent story set in no certain time line concerning a pilot trainee who has a dark past. He meets and fall in love with a girl who is connected with this past and, once he realizes this, he has decision he must make.
There is a jarring reveal concerning both enemy and possible ally airframes that would have made for an important story reveal, but seemingly nothing is made of this. This is a shame, because the visual head smack becomes nothing more than something that pulls us away from the world we are getting used to. It ends up serving as a spotlight on the odd ball technologies that inhabit the series. This is not enough to ruin the story for me, but it is not a small flaw by any measure.
The story is not well resolved, but the only remaining arc is nowhere near enough to warrant a full season. Maybe a few OVA's might do the trick?
Meh, I didn't feel that my time was wasted, but they did not manage the story well. Not a buy.
Sekai Seifuku Bouryaku no Zvezda
A young girl (?) conquers the world. Pretty much, anyway. A young man finds love and purpose in his crappy life.
The show starts at the end and spends its time getting there again. It was creative, had interesting characters and was well written until the creators realized they were rapidly running out of time. All of a sudden the whole thing took a huge turn to the dark and raced towards an ending that should have been run for at least three more episodes.
Almost no time was taken to develop the Big Bad, and the story rushed more in the last three episodes than it did in all the previous nine, which was mostly exposition and character fleshing.
it did resolve, but it was erratic in the way it got there.
Might be a buy.
Witch Craft Works
A teen boy has powers he is unaware of and people around him reveal to have been protecting him for a good portion of his life. Not the most original idea, but told fairly competently. The series has a very familiar structure, with exposition combined with plot arcs that last two to four episodes. It has a decent rsolution, but also indicated it is no wahere near finished. I would watch additional seasons and I am following the translated mangas.
the biggest problem is the female protagonist. She has as much emotion as a soap dish and as much as I am no fan of crazy mannered women, I would li8ke to see some more out of this one. I know it is central to her character that she be this way, but that does not make it a forgivable offense.
While the male protagonist grows quite a bit, and we see his growth in emotional attachment to the female lead, it would be nice if his proclamations to her do more than give her a slight blush.
Depending on the future of the series, this one might be worth a buy. Only if there is more development with more seasons.
Mahou Sensou
Interesting beginning that tended to fall of the rails at the end. Ordinary students become entangled in the world of magical instruction and warfare that will inevitably spill over to their world.
Interesting concept handles poorly. So many events happening with not too much order. An ending that begs for another season that it will not likely get. This could have been something so much more but stumbled badly.
There were plot lines about friendship turned fake romance turned real romance. there were issues concerning one brother's angry attitude towards the other brother over a mistaken accident. there are moments when the antagonistic side makes a convincing case that they are in the right. All of these are either dropped from further consideration, or are resolved in ways that confuse the plot rather than help the plot.
The term that comes to mind is: a shame. Not a buy.
Kill la Kill
Audacious and unrelenting in its over the top story line and energy level. clothes take over the world, or at least try to.
There is absolutely no point in talking about where things worked or didn't here. Most things did not suffer any kind of analysis, and that was totally besides the point. The phrenetic pace is easily on par with Excel Safga and FLCL. The characters were about as deep as a scotch brite pad. it was a fun ride that I would say fell short of it's goal if I thought it might have had one. having said all this, it was an interesting concept and was worth the ride. Once.
Golden time
The main character has an accident and suffers amnesia. The series revolves around moments of (re)discovery, as well as an approaching fear about the reversed affects that he might face should his memory get restored. It goes where no other series has gone in this, and explores it fairly well.
The story had wonderful moments, but generally did not have a satisfying ending. It well out paced the translations of both the light novel and the manga, so I have nothing to compare it to, but one major question was answered at least (what was her reply?), and an all too cute resolve between the two female interests resulted in a less than satisfying conclusion.
Same as all the others - interesting enough to watch, but nothing to crow about. Not a buy.
There are some ongoing shows, and some I have mentioned down blog, such as Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, but I needed to clear out the cobwebs and this was the easiest way to do it. I do fear that this season will not even live up to the past season, but I thought the same about that one. we'll see.
I need to clear the decks and make room. Quick summaries to follow. I am not spending much time on plot descriptions. merely closing thoughts:
D-Frag
One of the better comedies, and one I did not hold much hope for. There were some genuinely side-splitting moments and the writers did a good job at building each moment on top of the previous one. The characters were well drawn, and because I was fairly new to the "art shift to chibi" trend it seemed frsh to mne. That seems to be a trope that will get tiresome very soon, unfortunately.
The worst part is the MC tended to operate on eleven most of the time. Some more dimension would have been nice. The other characters made up for it.
All in all worth the time. Not the kind of show that had a big resolve, so no problems with an unfinished storyline. Could have a second season. I would probably watch. Possible buy.
Buddy Complex
Most of the shows I followed were worth a watch and told an interesting story, but stopped short of excellence, or in most cases of anything better than good. Buddy Complex was a good example.
Mecha sci-fi that indulged in time travel paradox, the show at least attempted to deal with the inherent problems, at least at the end, and did it's best to resolve the loop problem. Main Character is brought to the future by a girl who tells him to seek out a certain boy so that destiny will do its thing. When he gets there it turns out that this future timeline, she is the enemy and the story is the path taken to make her an ally. The gaping flaw is how things got started in the first place, since he was the reason she she migrated over in the first place. The resolve is how he recognizes the loop and breaks it.
At least the story gets resolved, and it was a decent ride to get there. Definitely not a buy.
Z/X Ignition
Again, an interesting series that revealed character backstory well, but holds out promise of a more important backstory over all which was only hinted at. I would follow this if they had a second season, if only to find out the truth about the five different types of invaders that occupy territories on Earth.
For some reason, it is possible to capture and manage individual members of the invading species using a card shaped device. What makes this possible, and who created these devices are subjects for future seasons. The focus characters have myriad reasons for wanrting to use the creatures, but there is usually a shred respect between Human and alien.
Again. the story is way too big for one season to flesh out all the ideas, and they do an okay job with the time they have, but it hurt the story a bit not getting to all this. It's a dilemma they did not resolve well. Worth the time, but that's about all. Not a likely buy.
Tonari no Seki-kun
A fun seven minute series entirely based on a schoolgirl's observation of the boy who sits next to her in class, and the various ways he wastes class time. I lasted about ten episodes, but considering the low time investment, and the creativity of the writers, I may go back every so often and waste some of my own time.
Definitely not a buy.
A Pilot's Love Song (Toaru Hikūshi e no Koiuta)
Another decent story set in no certain time line concerning a pilot trainee who has a dark past. He meets and fall in love with a girl who is connected with this past and, once he realizes this, he has decision he must make.
There is a jarring reveal concerning both enemy and possible ally airframes that would have made for an important story reveal, but seemingly nothing is made of this. This is a shame, because the visual head smack becomes nothing more than something that pulls us away from the world we are getting used to. It ends up serving as a spotlight on the odd ball technologies that inhabit the series. This is not enough to ruin the story for me, but it is not a small flaw by any measure.
The story is not well resolved, but the only remaining arc is nowhere near enough to warrant a full season. Maybe a few OVA's might do the trick?
Meh, I didn't feel that my time was wasted, but they did not manage the story well. Not a buy.
Sekai Seifuku Bouryaku no Zvezda
A young girl (?) conquers the world. Pretty much, anyway. A young man finds love and purpose in his crappy life.
The show starts at the end and spends its time getting there again. It was creative, had interesting characters and was well written until the creators realized they were rapidly running out of time. All of a sudden the whole thing took a huge turn to the dark and raced towards an ending that should have been run for at least three more episodes.
Almost no time was taken to develop the Big Bad, and the story rushed more in the last three episodes than it did in all the previous nine, which was mostly exposition and character fleshing.
it did resolve, but it was erratic in the way it got there.
Might be a buy.
Witch Craft Works
A teen boy has powers he is unaware of and people around him reveal to have been protecting him for a good portion of his life. Not the most original idea, but told fairly competently. The series has a very familiar structure, with exposition combined with plot arcs that last two to four episodes. It has a decent rsolution, but also indicated it is no wahere near finished. I would watch additional seasons and I am following the translated mangas.
the biggest problem is the female protagonist. She has as much emotion as a soap dish and as much as I am no fan of crazy mannered women, I would li8ke to see some more out of this one. I know it is central to her character that she be this way, but that does not make it a forgivable offense.
While the male protagonist grows quite a bit, and we see his growth in emotional attachment to the female lead, it would be nice if his proclamations to her do more than give her a slight blush.
Depending on the future of the series, this one might be worth a buy. Only if there is more development with more seasons.
Mahou Sensou
Interesting beginning that tended to fall of the rails at the end. Ordinary students become entangled in the world of magical instruction and warfare that will inevitably spill over to their world.
Interesting concept handles poorly. So many events happening with not too much order. An ending that begs for another season that it will not likely get. This could have been something so much more but stumbled badly.
There were plot lines about friendship turned fake romance turned real romance. there were issues concerning one brother's angry attitude towards the other brother over a mistaken accident. there are moments when the antagonistic side makes a convincing case that they are in the right. All of these are either dropped from further consideration, or are resolved in ways that confuse the plot rather than help the plot.
The term that comes to mind is: a shame. Not a buy.
Kill la Kill
Audacious and unrelenting in its over the top story line and energy level. clothes take over the world, or at least try to.
There is absolutely no point in talking about where things worked or didn't here. Most things did not suffer any kind of analysis, and that was totally besides the point. The phrenetic pace is easily on par with Excel Safga and FLCL. The characters were about as deep as a scotch brite pad. it was a fun ride that I would say fell short of it's goal if I thought it might have had one. having said all this, it was an interesting concept and was worth the ride. Once.
Golden time
The main character has an accident and suffers amnesia. The series revolves around moments of (re)discovery, as well as an approaching fear about the reversed affects that he might face should his memory get restored. It goes where no other series has gone in this, and explores it fairly well.
The story had wonderful moments, but generally did not have a satisfying ending. It well out paced the translations of both the light novel and the manga, so I have nothing to compare it to, but one major question was answered at least (what was her reply?), and an all too cute resolve between the two female interests resulted in a less than satisfying conclusion.
Same as all the others - interesting enough to watch, but nothing to crow about. Not a buy.
There are some ongoing shows, and some I have mentioned down blog, such as Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, but I needed to clear out the cobwebs and this was the easiest way to do it. I do fear that this season will not even live up to the past season, but I thought the same about that one. we'll see.
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March 28, 2014
End of season - Mikakunin de Shinkokei
Mikakunin de Shinkokei (Engaged to the Unidentified) has ended its run with episode 12. It's kind of a shame, because they should have made this a two episode arc. If they did, the ending could have been both more dramatic and the relationship between Kobeni, the sister who finds herself thrown into a rather strange engagement, and Hakuya, the low energy but very faithful boy she is engaged to could have solidified quite nicely.
Mikakunin de Shinkokei is a fairly low key series as a whole. With no tragedy, combat, Love Hina-type "misunderstandings", or other over the top events that can tend to dull the senses in other shows, the lack of hyperactivity lets the smaller moments work quite well.
The quiet, unassuming Hakuya shows almost no emotion, but when he does, it is always towards Kobeni, and she is the only non family member who notices. This is a recurring theme, but not beaten to death. The surrounding characters wonder why Kobeni is reacting to Hakuya, when his expression does not change. She sees his emotional reaction clear as day. We see it as a background shift in the animation art. Flowers sprout and a multi colored world tends to fill the background. Sadness, meanwhile, shows Hakuya as surrounded in waves of dark mood. When he does smile, his smile leaves a nice impression because of the rarity. It isn't until the last episode where the two of them smile at each other at the same time, and it turns into quite a nice moment.
In return, because Kobeni has few quirks and is clearly the "normal" character, her gradual warming to the engagement and her emerging affection toward Hakuya is comforting for us to discover along with her. Early on, she asks the brother and sister not to reveal anything about the engagement. In a later episode, she finds herself distressed when Hakuya does this very thing. To her credit, this is not lost on her. Later on, while not willing to admit deep affection, she nonetheless makes sure he knows she is not unhappy that they are engaged, merely she wanted to avoid the rumors engulfing them.
That's not to say there aren't high energy characters. Kobeni's older sister, Benio has such a sister complex, that she is having a tough time with Kobeni's maturing, and often whines about it to her best friend. In steps Hakuya's younger sister, Mashiro, who is about nine. Regrettably for Mashiro, Benio now has someone who she can once again dote on the way she doted on a younger Kobeni. Mashiro is at first frightened, and then angry at this smothering, wondering aloud how Benio could have hypnotized the student body into adoring her so. Mashiro has that kind of whiny voice that can get on one's nerves, but she tends to be as affectionate to Kobeni as she is angry at Benio. She is full of the special ignorance that comes from those who thinks they know all, but is informed enough to help her completely out of his element older brother cope with their new surroundings. She is the most annoying character in the series, but she has her moments.
mild spoilers below
more...
Mikakunin de Shinkokei is a fairly low key series as a whole. With no tragedy, combat, Love Hina-type "misunderstandings", or other over the top events that can tend to dull the senses in other shows, the lack of hyperactivity lets the smaller moments work quite well.
The quiet, unassuming Hakuya shows almost no emotion, but when he does, it is always towards Kobeni, and she is the only non family member who notices. This is a recurring theme, but not beaten to death. The surrounding characters wonder why Kobeni is reacting to Hakuya, when his expression does not change. She sees his emotional reaction clear as day. We see it as a background shift in the animation art. Flowers sprout and a multi colored world tends to fill the background. Sadness, meanwhile, shows Hakuya as surrounded in waves of dark mood. When he does smile, his smile leaves a nice impression because of the rarity. It isn't until the last episode where the two of them smile at each other at the same time, and it turns into quite a nice moment.
In return, because Kobeni has few quirks and is clearly the "normal" character, her gradual warming to the engagement and her emerging affection toward Hakuya is comforting for us to discover along with her. Early on, she asks the brother and sister not to reveal anything about the engagement. In a later episode, she finds herself distressed when Hakuya does this very thing. To her credit, this is not lost on her. Later on, while not willing to admit deep affection, she nonetheless makes sure he knows she is not unhappy that they are engaged, merely she wanted to avoid the rumors engulfing them.
That's not to say there aren't high energy characters. Kobeni's older sister, Benio has such a sister complex, that she is having a tough time with Kobeni's maturing, and often whines about it to her best friend. In steps Hakuya's younger sister, Mashiro, who is about nine. Regrettably for Mashiro, Benio now has someone who she can once again dote on the way she doted on a younger Kobeni. Mashiro is at first frightened, and then angry at this smothering, wondering aloud how Benio could have hypnotized the student body into adoring her so. Mashiro has that kind of whiny voice that can get on one's nerves, but she tends to be as affectionate to Kobeni as she is angry at Benio. She is full of the special ignorance that comes from those who thinks they know all, but is informed enough to help her completely out of his element older brother cope with their new surroundings. She is the most annoying character in the series, but she has her moments.
mild spoilers below
more...
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