Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Road To The Top

So many horse girls, so little time. Ah yes. With a myriad of different horse girls, it was undoubtedly there would be some that will not get their due screen time. So the only way for some is to get special episodes of their own. Hence Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Road To The Top concentrates on Narita Top Road, Admire Vega and T.M. Opera O. Fans of these horse girls could rejoice now that they are getting their due spot of the limelight. Yes, we are going to be dazzled by their amazing running! Place your bets!

Episode 1
In the Yayoishou race, Narita Top Road beats her competitors to take the win. She continues to train hard under her trainer, Okita. She hopes to repay all that with another win at Satsukishou. At Tracen, she renews her rivalry with fellow classmate, Admire Vega whom she has always admired and looked up. That inspiration played a huge part in her winning Yayoishou. Okita remembers the long road that Narita Top Road has come. Those young days when he trained her and all the races that she has entered and won some. Under his guidance, he wanted her to aim for the top of the Twinkle Series. Yeah, the nostalgia. Of course she has a few worthy opponents to worry about like T.M. Opera O and Admire Vega. Now we focus on T.M. Opera O as we see her training as she is confident of winning her maiden race. Though, her fellow friend, Meishou Dotou is worried she is pushing too hard. She should take a break once in a while. No can’t do. She has to live up to the expectations of the audience. Later she joins Oguri Cap for lunch and gets some inspiration from her. More training snippets we see from Narita Top Road and T.M. Opera O. And now it’s time for Satsukishou as the favourites to win are Admire Vega and Narita Top Road. Narita Top Road and Admire Vega having their pre-show talk when T.M. Opera O joins in and claims she’ll win it all. Race starts. Some intense running drama. Final stretch, Admire Vega who is leading suddenly loses speed, allowing Narita Top Road to take advantage and overtake her. However T.M. Opera O starts having superb acceleration as she zooms past the field to eventually win the race. Narita Top Road feels frustrated. She thought she should have won after putting in all the efforts. So is she saying other horse girls did not put in that much effort?! Yeah, I guess her improvement isn’t enough as she thinks she failed to live up to expectations. But then the crowd cheers her name and is impressed at her run. That’s right. Not time for regrets. Work harder so she can show what she’s got at the Japanese Derby.

Episode 2
Admire Vega is obviously depressed over her loss. Narita Top Road reflects back on what she could have done to won instead of panicking in the last minute but Okita has some great words of encouragement that she needs to focus on honing on her strengths. That’s the only way to win, right? T.M. Opera O continues her intense training and is of course buoyed by her win. Time for Admire Vega to take a trip. A solo camp to reflect on things and find herself. So we hear her narrate how she had a twin but she died at birth so she could live. And hence the reason she is running on her behalf so that her survival won’t go to waste. So I guess one night of camping and reflection is enough for her to return to the training grounds. Narita Top Road has been given all sorts of lucky charms by her classmates. Heh, if that actually works all effort would’ve been freaking useless! Just saying! Narita Top Road sees Admire Vega training hard. They renew their rivalry to run at Japanese Derby without regrets as T.M. Opera O also joins in. They will be her rivals and stepping stone to achieve greatness. Race day is here. Action begins halfway as T.M. Opera O using her sprint to get ahead of the pack as Narita Top Road follows her closely in the slipstream. Narita Top Road manages to pull off a great acceleration to surpass T.M. Opera O. She thought the finish line is hers for the taking when Admire Vega now creeps up from behind to run side by side with her. In a neck to neck race to the finish, it is Admire Vega who crosses the line and wins. Admire Vega relishes her victory and looks like it is Narita Top Road’s turn to be depressed. She felt she has wasted all the expectations of others. What a heart breaking cry. You’re making everyone in the stand feel weird!

Episode 3
Admire Vega dreams of her dead twin happy for her win. But WTF she wakes up from this nightmare and gets depressed thinking that win made her selfish?! WTF I thought this was her goal?! I don’t get it! Time for a summer training camp at the beach. Narita Top Road running through the sand. Hope you don’t get sand in your food! Okita notes she is quite stiff and wants her to relax more. This means taking the rest of the day off. However after she realizes her classmates have been working hard to cheer on her, she can’t let everyone down and so she continues her training. Admire Vega is also doing her own solo training but it’s like the more she does, the more depressed she gets. Okita notices Narita Top Road continuing to soldier on. At this rate she will stress out herself even more. Who is she running for? He gets an idea to have her coach a group of young horse girls having their summer camp nearby. She is refreshed with this so Okita is happy to see her smile like that again. But then it’s back to that fake smile when he points it out. So she tells about her fears of betraying everyone’s trust in her. Despite her best, she still lost. Hence she is in a dilemma wondering if she deserves their support. Okita notes that despite losing, she has never once said she will quit but continued to look for a way to win. That is the Narita Top Road he knows and he is confident everyone will continue to support her because she keeps fighting. Narita Top Road gets emotional but it makes her feel a lot better. To her surprise, Okita has arranged for her friends and shopping district people to organize a small party for her. Eat up on your favourite carrot dishes! Meanwhile Admire Vega continues to be lost. She thinks some injury on her leg will make her last until Kikukashou. So be it. It’ll be her punishment. In the next minor race, Admire Vega beats Narita Top Road again. This time the latter isn’t disappointed and is in fact quite motivated. She hopes to run again with Admire Vega in Kikukashou but WTF is this?! Admire Vega looking like she has turned to the dark side! She doesn’t care how she runs. She is going to win it.

Episode 4
An interview between our 3 heroines before the Kikukashou. T.M. Opera O being proudly confident, Narita Top Road being cautiously confident and Admire Vega, uhm, gloomily confident? Later as Narita Top Road still has doubts if she could ever win, here comes T.M. Opera O to offer some advice. Of course all this is to celebrate herself as the future overlord. Counting her chickens? But I guess you need that confidence. This has Narita Top Road wonder if she gets frustrated sometimes by her limited abilities despite her over the top confidence. None. Because all she sees is the endless road before her. Ironically, what is Narita Top Road’s name again? At least now this gives her some inspiration. Later Narita Top Road talks to Admire Vega (continuing to wallow in depression for ‘taking away races from her twin she should’ve been running in’) to renew their rivalry as well as do her best to run against her. Admire Vega continues to keep her distance and demotivated despite Narita Top Road’s sparkling confidence. Kikukashou is here. Race starts off normally. But it seems nobody is trying to make any moves and taking a wait and see approach. Yeah, the audience is watching a ‘slow race’ and the tension is killing them! In the final stretch, finally Narita Top Road makes her move to dash to the front with T.M. Opera O trailing close behind. Unfortunately for Admire Vega, she loses steam and position. WTF did she die and is now running in the stars with her dead sister???!!! Basically this is the much needed push her sister needs to give her as she tells her living twin to run as much as she wants. Run the way she wants. Have much fun racing. And so Admire Vega comes back to life with renewed passion and resumes the race. But it’s not enough as Narita Top Road finally takes her win! Not surprising. I figured it’s her turn in the script to win. Heh. Finally all that hard work has paid off. Even making Okita close to tears. Oh heck, he’s already tearing up. Admire Vega not as frustrated as before but she promises to work harder from now on. So I guess she’s not retiring. And before we forget this ever existed, our heroines putting up a concert for the audience. Dazzling.

Run More, Worry Less
All within expectations. It is pretty formulaic at this point so personally I don’t feel all that excitement even if they show and present the scenes in such dramatic and exhilarating fashion. I mean, how far can this series stray from the basic formula? Choose a horse girl, learn her insecurities or whatever problem that is bugging her, some training scenes, get some inspiration to run and do better, race day, dramatic racing with equally dramatic monologues of the reasons why the horse girls need to win this, more dramatic neck to neck racing, somebody wins, hooray we all celebrate. Rinse and repeat. So for this special season, it is pretty much condensed like that.

Narita Top Road and Admire Vega having to deal with their own major problems of self-confidence and a dead twin respectively. For some dramatic effect, they were looking at it from a mostly negative perspective but as we all know, just a few positive words and change in perception is all that is needed for them to continue running and get their groove back. After all, it is a happy ending for everybody, right? There’s always the next race as long as you don’t give up… T.M. Opera O almost felt like fantasy because of her 100% positivism at all times. It’s like nothing bogs her down but I guess as a winner, you need this kind of mentality. Because envisioning yourself as a future winner may look like arrogance but remember, doing so is already winning half the race. Hence all 3 rivals need each other if they are to take their game to the next level. May the best horse girl win.

I know it’s all sugar coating and glazed with all the sweet stuffs but if every horse girl thinks they deserve to win, then it wouldn’t be so much of a race. Get what I mean? There are winners and losers. You win some, you lose some. Every race can only have 1 winner. So by this context, you lose more races than you win unless you’re some legendary prodigy. So with Narita Top Road’s insecurities on her small winless streak (so hard work guarantees winning? The same logic applies to whoever buys the most lucky charms is guaranteed to win!), yeah it boggles me if that was what worried her, imagine the hundreds more lesser known horse girls who never made it. Think about it. We don’t see the training of the others and it’s pretty amazing they continue to run and keep propping up the back so as to produce winners like our main heroines. Yeah. So be grateful for every win you get.

I’m not sure if they will do more of such special seasons featuring other horse girls but at this point it is already out of the bag that the series is going to have a third season! Oh yeah. I guess the series didn’t lose any steam and will continue to run as greatly as these horse girls, huh? After all, the Uma Musume franchise is one of the more popular games of Cygames. Yeah, you could say they betted on the right horse! So this special series could be the appetizer before that third season arrives. To whet our appetite as well as bait attract us with such thrilling and exciting derbies as well as really cute horse girls who run them. Are we ready for the next season? All we know is that these horse girls are ever ready and eager to run like never before!

Yama No Susume: Next Summit

Look who is back after 4 years later? That’s right. Who would have guessed Yama No Susume: Next Summit will be the series’ fourth season. Coincidentally, it was also 4 years interval when the second season aired. Consistency is key? You bet. At least when you’re going hiking up the mountains. And holy f*ck, I did unconsciously predict to see them again in 4 years?! Wow the irony. Also, I think they don’t want to lose out to Yuru Camp (because this one is also getting another season!) but I suppose the more realistic reason is that our main characters have not fully conquered a certain mountain yet so this time they’re going to go for it again. Can our lolis do it this time?

Episode 1
Well people, forgot what happened in the previous seasons? Don’t worry. Because the first episode is basically a montage of old recycled scenes from past seasons! Sorry for those expecting new content (like yours truly) but instead we’re having a trip down memory lane. So time to refresh those memories like remembering how Aoi is an indoor person and isn’t good in making friends until she enters high school and suddenly this b*tch cutie Hinata shows up and drags her into the world of mountain climbing. Yeah, Aoi is so meek she can’t even say no. But yeah, it showed Aoi a whole new world and how different it is from her indoor life. We see them climb a few easy hills as well as making friends with Kaede and Kokona. We’re going to be climbing buddies forever! Yeah. Now you remember all that?!

Episode 2
Aoi and Hinata participating in their school’s sports festival. Obviously Aoi isn’t the physical type so she is exhausted and doesn’t enjoy herself. Unlike Hinata who is like the ace of her team and is probably a future champion. During the scavenger race, Hinata takes Aoi from her seat since she needs to bring a friend to the finish line. Can Aoi keep up with her? Don’t worry, even if she falls, Hinata is there for her. Having friends are good thing, no? And the rest of the episode is another damn recap when the girls tackle Mt Fuji but only managed to make their way to the 8th station after Aoi suffered high altitude sickness and they have to retreat and try again another day.

Episode 3
Hinata and Aoi climb up the steep stairs to some shrine for some good luck based on some historical legend. Well, stairs are the mountains and hills of the city, no? Oh Aoi, if you’re already catching your breath this hard after a few steps, how are you going to conquer Mt Fuji?! Oh dear, did I bring up a taboo subject?! At the top, the girls make their wish. Aoi is shocked Hinata prayed to have a successful exam. Even though it is not exam season yet but her thinking of the future shocks Aoi. Yeah, never knew she had such insights, eh? And you thought she was always the happy go lucky kind of girl. And now we resume our recap. The one in the aftermath Aoi failed to climb Mt Fuji and fell into depression. Of course Hinata then took her on some walk and climb to get back her motivation before the girls head to try Mt Tanigawa. Aoi still has a bit of trauma but with her friends supporting her, she gets by. And yes, they made a new friend, Honoka. After a few talk about possibilities and the future, the success of this climb means Aoi is back on track. When in doubt, just keep searching until you find the answer!

Episode 4
Aoi is definitely so disappointed. She thought Hinata and Kokona are going with her to climb Mt Fuji but it turns out to be a great roller coaster ride, Fujiyama! Oh wait, is Aoi scared of such rides? Can’t say no to her friends now, can she? As the ride starts and reach the peak, Aoi gets to see Mt Fuji peeking out from the clouds. Was it worth it? Well, here comes the drop! Thank goodness Aoi survives all that. Because now they want to try other rides too! Hopefully Aoi won’t die before she attempts Mt Fuji next summer. And yeah, this episode is yet another recap staring from their trip to Mr Akagi in Gunma and then their attempt to climb a higher mountain, Mt Kinpu before the year ends. Of course Hinata injures her knee but didn’t say anything so the trip won’t be ruined. All for her friend Aoi, right? She fears them being distant would make them grow apart like before. But as we all know, the power of friendship overrides everything so they’re back to being friends as always and look forward to climbing more mountains.

Episode 5
Good news! New episode with no recaps! Yeah, we’re done with that. Aoi thinks her life is so boring as it has only been a while since their last hike. Suddenly this feisty petite girl, Koharu Senjuin barges in looking for her. You’re scaring her… Yeah, take that back about life being boring. Koharu is part of the mountaineering club and wants her to join. She is Kaede’s friend and the moment she heard about Aoi, she bolted down to go see her. Apparently she tried to recruit Hinata before but she turned her down because their climbs are different. Really? I don’t see any. Aoi goes to check out the club as Koharu wastes no time in trying to get her to register. Don’t be too hasty. After telling all the things the club do and damn, there’s even a competition? The endurance training seems to interest Aoi since she needs to get back in shape before reattempting Mt Fuji. So she joins them in endurance training as they run from school up to the nearest mountain. As we can see, Aoi catching her breath most of the time and is trailing very far. It’s not the best experience for her because it’s all too rushing. She wants to go at her own pace and that’s why she has to turn down pushy Koharu still trying to get her to join. Aoi and Hinata still drop by the club to get some ideas for their next climb. Yeah, Koharu is just dying to tell/brag to them. For them to build stamina, she suggests Mt Buko at Chichibu. The strange looking mountain is a quarry site but climbing should be available on the other side. Aoi and Hinata ponder how to get there. Hinata’s dad won’t be driving them there since he is at Tanzania trying to conquer Mt Kilimanjaro! When Aoi heard her mom suggesting to head to Chichibu this weekend, Aoi butters her up trying to get her to drive them there. Okay. And so Aoi must live up to her promise to help with stuffs. Since her mom is joining, she has to carry some heavy stuffs up. Yeah, all part of the training. Better suck it up and also take some bottles and fill them with rainwater for the restrooms at the top. Part of the training! Feels like eternity inching their way up. It really drains their energy but they finally reach the top and the view is worth it. After a nice lunch, it’s time to hike down. Mom tells Aoi to continue bringing bottled waters on the way down too. Part of the training! If she can’t do that, she won’t let her hike anymore. Yeah. Stop whining and do it! But Aoi realizes this is easier. Perhaps they now know how long it is to go and she got used to it on the way up. That boosted her confidence. Ready for the next hike? Hopefully she’ll be ready by next summer.

Episode 6A
Looks like the owner threw his back while putting on his pants! So with the store closed, Aoi has a free day. Hikari then texts her if she wants to hang out. Sure. Where to? A surprise bus trip. So they head to some lake where there is a small workshop that makes canoes. Then they paddle their canoe around the lake. Hikari surprising Aoi with her good cooking. Then back on land, Hikari drinks not 1 but 2 cans of alcoholic drink. Thank goodness Aoi is still underage. As Hikari lies on Aoi’s lap, now she reveals the truth behind all this. Seems she just got dumped by her boyfriend. She thought she put in a lot of effort in all this but thinks it wasn’t enough. Aoi hopes she will find someone better. Yeah. Whoever dumped this cutie isn’t worthy at all! Hikari feels a lot better. Wow. This is sure getting a little deep. As Aoi returns, Hinata wonders how their ‘date’ went and wants to hear details. Too bad Aoi thinks the adult stuffs they talk about is too complicated for her!

Episode 6B
Aoi decides to throw a Christmas Eve party for her friends. As she and Hinata are to prepare stuffs, suddenly Hikari calls her for emergency. Yeah, owner threw his back again and the store his swamped with customers. Please come back to help for 2 hours despite she is supposed to be on leave today! Oh well, can Aoi refuse? Don’t worry, Hinata will hold the fort. We see Kaede and Kokona waiting for the rest to meet up. Yuuka arrives first. Followed by Koharu. Can’t miss that rowdiness. Finally Honoka. Can’t miss her brother’s beat bass car. The friends arrive at Aoi’s house but they already know her circumstances since she texted them. So they get started and prepare what is needed. By the time the crowd simmers down, Aoi feels so cold and is probably suffering inside. Hikari lets her go since she can handle this herself. She returns home but to no surprise of everyone. In fact they are worried because Aoi looks a bit pale and sickly! Quick get into the hot bath! After warming up, the rest surprise her with a Christmas bash as Kokona borrows Aoi’s Santa outfit and looks doubly cute in it. The party can now begin. Poor Hinata is forced to listen to Koharu’s ranting about her club having limited funding. And more complaints about the stingy student council. Yeah, she’s not even drunk and there’s not alcohol in the drinks. No mountain climbing today but winter can be fun. Winter? Yeah, if you’re all enjoying inside where it’s warm.

Episode 7A
Kokona and Hinata sleep over at Aoi’s house since they are planning to watch the first sunrise of the year. Well, Aoi’s bed is not big enough so it does feel a little cramped. While Kokona is fast asleep, the duo aren’t. Eventually Hinata can’t sleep at all and bugs Aoi over some trivial matters. Thanks to that, the duo got up almost late and now they’re running a bit late. Aoi’s dad drives them there as they hike the rest of their way up. However the spot is packed with people. Maybe they should go a little bit higher? Okay. But it is still pack. And finally the sun rises. Here comes the sun! Happy New Year! On the way down, they get to see Mt Fuji in the distance. Let’s hope this year they can conquer it.

Episode 7B
Classmate Kasumi calls Aoi and wonders if she is free tomorrow. Looks like she hopes they can hike up Mt Takao for their first temple visit of the year. Since she has climbed it before, she thought it would be a good idea. Aoi calls Hinata to join them and of course she will seeing she doesn’t have confidence in her being a good team leader! Time to prove her wrong! Next day, along with other classmates, Mio and Yuri, they meet up at the base of Mt Takao. Aoi feels disappointed since they’re not hiking up but will take a cable car. Well, the queue is so long so isn’t it better to hike up? The classmates might not be properly dressed for it but they think they can handle it. Much more fun than the boring cable car ride? As they hike up, Aoi notices Kasumi struggling and realizes this was how she was a year ago. So she gives her some encouragement to carry on. As they take a break, Kasumi notes how different Aoi is was from middle school. She was always alone reading at her desk or doing some knitting. She looked like she wasn’t interested in mingling with others or get close to anyone. So she’s all grown up now? Aoi thinks how much Kasumi remembers her and this makes her want to get to know her more. But she realizes come the next term, they might be in different class. The rest say even if that’s the case, they can still meet up and climb together. So they’re interested in taking on other mountains already? Whatever the case, Aoi hopes they can continue to make more memories together.

Episode 8A
Aoi calls Honoka and invites her to hang out with her and her friends for Valentine’s Day. They’re going to find some power spot for love or something? Honoka declines at first since she is studying for exams. But when she learns Kokona is coming, she immediately agrees. As they take a tram up, Aoi looking worried as Honoka getting awfully too close to Kokona. Is she her mother? They make their hike and visit several spots, including a tree that is estimated to be a thousand years old. This compels Honoka to take a picture. Is this what a power spot feels like? Then they hike up another hill where they have lunch courtesy from Aoi. Honoka talks to Kokona as she mentions that all the pictures with her gives her this strange warmth. Kokona in turn loves all the photos they take. Their vibe is so good and it makes me wonder if this is the Valentine power spot they’re supposed to be getting at. Uh huh. Lesbians forever!

Episode 8B
Koharu shows Aoi and Hinata snow shoes. Needing to test them out and hike at a place with lots of snow, perhaps Mt Akagi in Gunma would be a great idea. Living near that area is Honoka so she tags along too. Too bad Kokona has other priorities and can’t join. As Honoka’s brother drives them there, why the long face Aoi? Last night she tried the snow shoes in her house and it scratched the floor. Mom was freaking mad! But there is something even more to worry about: There is not enough snow on Mt Akagi! Since they are here, might as well try it out. Yeah, doesn’t feel so fun with not so much snow around. Koharu then wears a balaclava which sends the rest laughing at how funny she looks. Yeah, it won’t be funny if the heavy wind hits you. Because Honoka finds her so cute, she takes a picture. Then as they try to cross a frozen lake, Hinata heads first. The wind is too strong for her to hear Koharu’s advice not to rush. True enough, she falls flat on her belly first. They finally cross the lake as Honoka’s brother picks them up. Now they warm up and have great food. Despite the chilly weather, the girls find many ways to enjoy themselves.

Episode 9A
Since Kokona is here, Aoi’s father invites her to come along fishing with his friend. Oh wow, what does Aoi do? Call Hinata to join them because she’s going down with her too! OMG… Oh Aoi!!! So we see the girls fishing at the picturesque countryside. I gotta say… THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A MOUNTAIN CLIMBING OR HIKING ANIME AND NOT A FISHING ONE!!! Anyway, with the girls not catching anything, Aoi’s dad advises them to imagine where the fish might be and observe the surroundings. Kokona takes up that advice and catches her first fish! OMG. Is she a pro now?! As the girls continue to wait, Aoi asks if she is really interested in fishing. Kokona replies she isn’t but because she is having exams, she thought about her uncertain future. Not sure how this imagining thingy has got to do with fishing but whatever. This has Aoi also ponder about hers. Eventually Aoi catches one. Yeah, don’t compare yourself to dad and his friend. They’ve got lots of fish. In the end, only Hinata didn’t catch any so Aoi trying to brag about that’s life. Wow… All get to enjoy a great fish meal afterwards. Also, Aoi may not understand or become addicted to fishing (phew?) but at least she realizes the importance of spending time with dad.

Episode 9B
When Aoi visits Hinata to study together, she thought Hinata is already lazing around. Turns out Hinata is in the kitchen and the one lazing around is her mom! What’s this? She is so stressed out about her work?! Need to relief stress or she’ll die! Dramatic. Hence dad arranges a weekend trip to Kamakura and yes, Aoi will be tagging along. So we see them visit a few places during that hiking trip. Then they take a lunch break but be wary of all those hawks eyeing their meal. Luckily none get stolen. The highlight is this spot where you throw saucers at a stone to ward off bad luck. Mom screaming out all her stress and frustrations at work. Wow. Must be that bad, huh? But it made her feel good. Lastly, they hang out at the beach as they soon realize come this spring, they’ll be second year high school students. Time passes so fast when you’re having fun…

Episode 10A
The girls are at Kaede’s place for their usual equipment maintenance. But soon it hits Aoi that with the new term coming up, will she be in a different class than Hinata? After the closing ceremony, Aoi’s class wonders where to take a commemorative photo. Aoi suggests taking a hike up Mt Tenran and everyone thinks it’s a good idea. So Aoi is made the leader to guide them there but nobody listens to her. They even stop by the bakery as Hikari gives them a few freebies to celebrate. Consider this as advertising for the future. Hope the store won’t go broke before that! Finally at Mt Tenran, Aoi manages to sum up her courage to tell everyone to get ready for the photo. Her voice finally reaches them so everybody lines up. She even gets a passer-by to help take a photo for them. While all that is fun, Aoi still ‘suffers’ from the impending problem: Will she be separated from Hinata next year?

Episode 10B
Come that first day of their second year in middle school, Aoi is fretting so much that mom had to tell her off this won’t change anything. So much so, she is running late that Hinata is here to pick her up. Yeah, Hinata teasing her for being a worrywart. And the moment of truth… They’re in separate classes! Oh damn! In fact, most of their usual classmates end up with Hinata. Aoi doomed to be alone? Well, there’s Kasumi. She thought she would be her saviour but I guess Kasumi isn’t much of a talker either. Aoi then goes to see how Hinata is doing. Damn, she’s fitting in perfectly! Aoi returns to her class hoping to do the same. Just slip in casually to join the conversation. She can’t. You’re not Hinata! As class begins and the students introduce themselves, nervous Aoi flubs her lines. She thought she failed until Kasumi asks her about her climb last year at Mt Fuji. This has others soon asking other hiking questions. Later Kasumi tells Aoi about her nervousness when she talks. But no need to rush. Take your time and change. Aoi meets up with Hinata who then says everyone else is more interested in her than she thinks. So have more confidence in yourself. That’s right, Aoi. Be grateful you live in a peaceful era and a much nicer place than you imagine. Change bit by bit. Slowly but surely.

Episode 11
Aoi is hiking up a trek. Wet, miserable and tired. She wonders why she is doing this. DID YOU FORGET YOUR LOVE FOR HIKING???!!! Oh right. She soon remembers the reason: It’s all for this beautiful view. But it’s that time again. For what? To climb Mt Fuji! About time! We see our usual girls plan and discuss the route that they want to hike up Japan’s famous iconic mountain. Later Koharu hears about this and is overcome with envy. She can’t come because of her training camp on the same day. Yeah, Aoi wasn’t planning on inviting her anyway. Phew. She is here to ask some advice on her backpack. Although Koharu has her opinion, Aoi wonders if it will be too expensive. Hey girl, you almost died the last time so money is the least of your concerns. Don’t be stingy! Yeah, she’s got a point! So here Aoi is at the store and if she is in a dilemma to get which backpack, the owner relays his good advice. Aoi gets one that fits nicely on her back and doesn’t feel all that heavy. She practises walking up and down the stairs with it to get used to its feel. We then see Hinata scratching her head to determine which items to bring. She need to keep the weight down. Don’t laugh because it’s not a funny matter as she is doing this in preparation that she might have to carry Aoi’s backpack at some point. Meanwhile Aoi is also having her own worries. Yeah, keep looking at the weather reports at Mt Fuji. It frequently changes! And the weather doesn’t look all too good… Even more so, what if history repeats itself and she gets altitude sickness again? Better rest up for the night. Next day, Aoi, Hinata, Kaede, Kokona and Honoka make their journey. Look who is already having a sour face? Aoi is not happy with the cloudy weather. Can’t see Mt Fuji! The girls make their journey there as the girls wonder if Aoi has forgotten her staff. No worries, she has brought trekking poles instead. She can keep it if she doesn’t need to use it. Now the true hike up Mt Fuji begins.

Episode 12
We see the quintet take their climb upwards on Mt Fuji. Aoi still having fears from last year but with Hinata’s assurance, Aoi feels she can do it. She’d better. Or would she like a repeat next year?! As they make their steady climb and resting at several stations, it’s time for the déjà vu and drama. Because yeah, Aoi is starting to feel it. Oh dear. Thankfully with last time’s experience and all the training, this one doesn’t hit that bad. Though, it still doesn’t hide the fact she has some altitude sickness. Since she needs to rest, Hinata stays back with her while the rest continue their climb and promise to meet at the appointed time. Before Aoi can start feeling that guilt again, Hinata takes her mind off with this whistling. They rest up and in the wee hours of the darkness, Hinata wakes her up to prepare and begin their ascension. Yeah, lots of people hiking up. Sorry if it sounds offensive but they look like zombies hiking up the trail! At least with the slow pace, Aoi’s altitude sickness won’t hit so bad. Hinata thought of sharing these cheap snacks with her but what do you know? Aoi brought those snacks Hinata discarded to save weight for! What are best friends for? Finally they reunite with the rest and all they have to do now is wait after coming this far. Ah yes. The beautiful sunrise after the weather and clouds trolled everyone by blocking their view. The climb is worth it. Once that is done, there is still more climbing needed to get to the real top of Mt Fuji. Slowly but surely for Aoi. And finally they did it! They’ve reached the summit! The highest point in all of Japan! Yet, get those wallets ready to buy souvenirs as proof as well as a post office to write to whoever that you’re writing this from the top! Who is Aoi going to write to? Aha. To her future self! She’s going to be stronger than before, right? Of course. Then they take the descend trail back down and oh boy, it was sure a blast. Back to the normal daily life.

Almost Grounded…
So what’s next for these girls? Oh I don’t know, there is no rule to say that once you have conquered Mt Fuji again, they can’t attempt it in the future anymore. Yeah, why not make it a yearly pilgrimage to climb Mt Fuji! Imagine climbing to the top of this mountain for 10 years in a row. That has got to be one heck of an achievement! Same time, same place, next year, Aoi? Oh well, aside Mt Fuji, there are other mountains to take on in Japan so I guess maybe they’ll try to do that. Uh huh. The next goal is to climb every mountain in Japan. So what’s the second highest peak in Japan? Sighs. Nobody remembers second placed stuffs. Thank goodness for Google.

Is it me or does this series is now long enough to be a full length anime? Because when the first season started, it was like only 3 minutes of running time. Then its length increased to about 12 minutes for the second and third season. And now with this fourth season, the series has blown up to 24 minutes! Woah! Of course you could say that many of the episodes are mainly split into 2 stories but still, it is considered a normal length anime now. Well, I think they want to unconsciously tell us something about perseverance. You know, when you start doing exercises and the likes, you can’t start off doing them in long periods. But when you persevere and you make some strides, you will start to increase the pacing. Meaning, eventually you will start doing more if it. Yeah, so I think that is what the episode duration is trying to signify here. And this means with our girls putting all the effort and training, they are at least in better shape and mental preparation compared to the first time they attempted Mt Fuji. That’s right, people. Consistency is key!

At first I was wondering if this season is going to be any better. Oh heck, who am I kidding? It’s a wholesome hiking anime after all. What I’m trying to say is that even when they blow up the duration of each episode, because the first 4 episodes of this season were basically recaps, it got me worried if the rest of the season was going to be like that. You know, they just show original footage for the first few minutes and then for the remainder of the episodes, a blatant copy and paste recap of previous seasons. Yeah, I guess they know there are lazy people like me who aren’t going to watch the whole season again and thus the recap to refresh our failing memories. But thankfully, they have new episodes after the fourth season so it’s not all that bad.

Of course I was wondering if they will have enough time to scale Mt Fuji again. My, what’s my hurry? Of course they will definitely do it again. It’s their goal. But with all the so called ‘filler’ episodes we see in between and heck, even a fishing episode! I was wondering if they were going to climb Mt Fuji this season. Maybe they won’t with all the dillydallying. Perhaps impatient people like me can’t climb Mt Fuji because I soon realize that perhaps the ‘filler’ episodes were also some sort of preparation for Aoi and her friends to climb Mt Fuji. Yes, they are not super humans, you know. Hence they have to make small preparations, little by little in anticipation of that revenge climb again. Also, it’s not like Mt Fuji can be attempted any time as one pleases due to the weather and other conditions. Thus waiting 1 year later to give it another shot again is only logical as it would be the best and safest time of the year for our girls to take on Fuji-san once more. And now they’ve done it. Sniff, sniff. We’re so proud of you girls!

As for the characters, I feel this season puts a lot of focus on Aoi. The rest felt like they’re just merely as supporting characters. Other than the no brainer that Aoi is the main character, if you have seen her from the first season, you would have obviously watched her grow to where she is now. Albeit she is mainly the same girl we all know. Despite finding her new passion in hiking, she is still fraught with worries and anxieties be it related to mountain climbing or her social life. Well, I can still say for the latter, she needs to work on it a lore more but compared to the first time we saw her, she definitely has improved.

That is why some episodes are not hiking or mountain climbing related so as to show that Aoi has some circle of friends than the hiking maniacs. Oops, I mean, passionate hiking enthusiasts. This is proof that Aoi does not necessary be a hiking nerd and the only people she can freely mix with are those who share that same passion. Now that with Kasumi as her new friend, it does mirror a bit of Aoi in her olden days but Kasumi is more poker face and does not show much of any emotions. Hinata is still cheeky but I feel this season she has toned down a lot. She feels more like a casual slacker since it is Aoi who is the one who flusters more even with Hinata’s occasional teasing. Kaede, Honoka and Kokona are also there but not featured as prominently as I think they would. After all, Kaede is like the group’s big sister, Kokona the cutie pie loli and Honoka… Uhm, yeah, she still gets embarrassed by her big brother’s antics but is forced to rely on him.

The other new character to note is of course Koharu. She might be petite in size but she is lively and feisty. Could be a rival to Hinata who might even lose to her in this context! Again, I thought she would be mainstay but looks like she only appears on and off. Don’t understand why the girls won’t join her club since to me it looks like they share the same goals but I guess with Koharu having this ability to bring the house down, yeah, hiking with her might even make the mountains rumble! Better to keep her at arm’s length just in case.

If this whole mountain climbing thing and character development segment is a big bore to you (sorry people, no yuri loli for you perverts), the one thing that this series still takes the cake are the breath taking and picturesque sceneries. Some scenes look so real enough, you wonder if they ‘cheated’ by taking a photo of the scenery and then do a bit of polishing up before inserting into the anime. I believe they didn’t. But they are really gorgeous to look at even for people like me who aren’t really nature lovers. Of course there are some scenes that look like they just use watercolour and paint brushes but it’s still nice to look at. Especially the scenery up on Mt Fuji. Yeah, got to give this place its much due respect and credit. Uh huh. Sometimes looking like a place not on Earth either! Fantastic artwork. But luckily this doesn’t clash or look too jarring with our 2D characters and most probably their cuteness help blend in with the surroundings. Yeah. 8bit who has been animating this series since its first season, continues to animate this fourth one. Yeah people, can’t stress it enough already because, wait for it, consistency is key!

The voice acting remains consistent. So you thought Yuka Iguchi and Kana Asumi were already retired until this series has to call them out from retirement just so they can voice our favourite mountain climbing lolis! Haha! Just kidding on it but yeah, it feels like a long time since I heard from them. The only new one is Emiri Iwai as Koharu. I thought Ai Yamamoto as Kasumi, Kanon Takao as Yuri and Ayaka Nanase as Mio were new but apparently they made their first appearance back in the third season but I didn’t pay attention since they were insignificant. Sorry.

Just like in previous seasons, Aoi and Hinata sing the opening theme, Omoi Nochi Hare. Just like its name hopefully implies, the song is lively and exuberant because that’s all they need to have when they climb up Mt Fuji. For the ending theme, Tobira Wo Akete Bell Wo Narasou, I don’t know, does it feel like a marching band song? Not entirely but it gives me that impression. It has a few versions. Either Aoi or Hinata sings it solo or they have a duet. The ending credits animation changes each time and although it’s not the masterpiece breath taking sceneries, I guess the simple child-like watercolour-like art style of the characters will do. A special ending theme for the final episode, Staccato Days by Aoi and Hinata (the ending song from the first season). Although it sounds generic, not sure why I kept thinking now it sounds like The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper or their other similar songs in that album. Hmm… Must be the fanfare…

Well, I don’t know if there will be another season. Hopefully, not another 4 years later! After all, just like how Yuru Camp got that recent movie showing the girls all grown up, what are the chances this one should because by then, they should be setting their sights to conquer Mt Everest! Yeah! The real next summit! Or maybe lolicons don’t want to ruin all that so that will remain a pipe dream. But don’t fret, if you can’t stomach the emptiness of no mountain climbing girls for the foreseeable future, there is a mobile game coming out after this. Wait. WHAT?! WHAT THE F*CK?! A game about mountain climbing?! I’m just curious how it will play out. Will it be some sort of mountain climbing simulator? Now you can conquer Mt Fuji with the girls without having to step outside! But seriously, if you really want to do mountain climbing, do it for real. If these young girls can do it, so can you. With the proper preparations of course. So what’s stopping me then? Uhm, can I blame my recurring gout problem?

Ani Ni Tsukeru Kusuri Wa Nai S5

Oh wow. This is sure one series whereby I never anticipated it would have another season. Each time it does, it always seems to surprise me. Like, why do I even think this should not even have another season?! Ever since its yearly release, I thought it was done for seeing it had none back in 2021. And what a surprise because Ani Ni Tsukeru Kusuri Wa Nai S5 dropped a surprise back in the second half of 2022. Yeah, from the looks of it, this series is still going strong and popular enough to have another season. The kind of format this series has, I’m sure it will reach 100 seasons!

Episode 1
After watching a TV show, Shi Mao wants to have BBQ. Shi Fen has a brilliant idea as he calls the gang to each bring their stuff. Crowdfunding BBQ? They gather and have all the stuffs ready. All they need to do is to start the fire. So, got any other better ideas than Shi Mao using small paper to burn? Shi Fen looks up on how to start a fire in the wild. Uhm grab the grill with pliers and swing it? Not sure how it will work but the whole thing fell into the river. With Kai Xin helping, it looks like it is starting to work but then the whole thing fell into the river again. I guess the hangry people can’t wait and push them both into the water!

Episode 2
The gang enjoy their BBQ. Shi Fen being a dick of course as he quickly tries to steal everyone’s meat. You snooze, you lose. Of course Shi Mao won’t allow this further and isolates him on a mini rock? Because Shi Mao thinks some extra ingredients would be nice, Banzai calls Wan Xing to get them. At first the little brother won’t want to accommodate his whims until he learns Shi Mao and Miao Miao are here. Instantly this kid arrives with a lot of goodies for the BBQ. They continue to have a great BBQ. In the end after everyone leaves, Shi Fen thought everyone has brought so much and they ate a lot, maybe they should nabe next time…

Episode 3
Kai Xin heard a couple of girls talking about Shi Mao having a boyfriend. Telling his buddies about it, you bet Banzai is super shocked to hear. Shi Fen? Didn’t hear anything about it and don’t care. He thinks it would be good for her to get one too to mellow down. But then we see Shi Fen and Kai Xin tailing Shi Mao and her friends. Yeah, look who is getting all anxious about her having a boyfriend. It seems every guy she meets, they thought it is her boyfriend but they’re just trolling. Yeah, just random dudes asking for direction or signing a petition. In the end, no boyfriend whatsoever. Meanwhile Banzai interrogates those girls and shows them all the photos of the potential boyfriends. Which one is the boyfriend? They point out to this guy. It’s Shi Fen… Duh!

Episode 4
The siblings are scared because… A COCKROACH! What now?! They throw a slipper and although it hit the roach, it didn’t kill it. Well, the roach is mad now and attacks them! Yeah, it’s bad enough that it can fly! Now it’s getting its revenge!!! HORROR SCREAM FEST!!! Few attempts to fight back but I guess there is nothing they can do and nothing is scarier when a vengeful cockroach flies at you. Anything it touches, Shi Mao wants that stuff thrown away! Eventually Shi Fen becomes the decoy for Shi Mao to trap it in a dustbin. After emptying the bug spray and thinking they have won, suddenly they realize the roach isn’t inside. Oh sh*t! On the ceiling! The attack continues! Shi Fen panics as he trips on the spray and accidentally squashes the bug. Victory? Well, Shi Mao wants to throw him away since he is ‘contaminated’.

Episode 5
Looks like an English test is coming up and you bet Kai Xin didn’t study at all. Banzai seeks Wan Xing’s help so he lets Kai Xin play some mobile game? So this measures his aptitude? Wan Xing deduces he doesn’t have bad IQ but lacks some fundamental academic skills. So to help him build his English vocab, Kai Xin writes the items he sees on post it notes and sticks it on them. Banzai so happy when Kai Xin writes him as a friend. Going to frame this note up? What about Shi Fen and Shi Mao. Shi Mao absolutely over the moon when he writes girlfriend. Not so for Shi Fen because, boyfriend?! Not into this gay sh*t!

Episode 6
Shi Mao admires Kai Xin playing basketball. Banzai sees this and imagines himself in this position. Hence he takes drastic action by calling professional basketball players to train him. Yeah, are these guys from NBA?! So with a practice match this Sunday, Banzai works extra hard. On that day, Shi Mao makes lunch for her brother and Kai Xin. Oh dear. Either way, we know he is dead, right? And so he chose… Kai Xin and Shi Fen being wheeled away in an ambulance for food poisoning. With Kai Xin no longer in his team, Banzai steps in as replacement. The teammates don’t think highly of him until he shows how good he is with the shots. The game begins with Banzai playing like a pro. But then he realizes Shi Mao has left and didn’t even watch. His shots still go in so his teammates rejoice with his brilliance. Poor Banzai. Shi Mao noting she’s not interested in basketball unless Kai Xin is in it.

Episode 7
Shi Fen thought You Le confessed to him but it turns out she is noting how nice it would be to go watch the fireworks. Meanwhile Banzai also notices the fireworks event and texts Shi Mao to go with him. Thinking that Kai Xin will be going, she agrees. Subsequently Kai Xin sees a poster of it and texts everyone to go as he has bought the tickets. However this doesn’t sit well with Shi Fen and Banzai because it’s like interrupting their date. Hence Shi Fen lashes back how he is behind in his studies and must not waste time having fun. Go do your homework! A demoralized Kai Xin then texts he isn’t going. This makes Shi Mao sad and since he won’t be turning up, she too changes her mind and tells Banzai she isn’t coming and to give her ticket to Miao Miao. Shi Fen now texts back to You Le, thinking no one will interrupt them. But then she texts back she could see it from her home anyway. I guess he won’t be going too. Banzai gives his tickets to Wan Xing and in the end, only Miao Miao and Wan Xing turn up for it.

Episode 8
Shi Mao agrees to take care of Miao Miao’s cat while she is away. Of course Shi Fen vehemently objects to this as he complains about the mess they leave behind, the hair, the noise, the food, EVERYTHING! NO CATS, PLEASE! However annoyed Shi Mao claims she will look after it herself and use her own money. Definitely won’t bother him. This strains their relationship. Shi Fen trying to look for the slightest excuse to prove she is wrong but Shi Mao carefully cleans up after the kitty. But one day, Shi Fen finally catches it destroying the entire toilet! This is it! Feline is going to pay! However it puts up the cutest face ever so now Shi Fen totally fawns over it. When Miao Miao is here to get her cat back, looks like it is going to be tough because Shi Fen barricades himself with the cat in his room. Nobody is going to separate us! EVER! We’re going to be together forever!

Episode 9
Kai Xin thinks any girl who cooks yummy food for him, he’ll like her. Of course this means Shi Mao is going to try cook some good stuff. Don’t get your hopes up… As we already know, she isn’t good at it as we see her butcher everything with brute force. Worse, she forces her brother to eat everything. Yeah, worse than gorilla feed. That definitely earns him another beating. If you think hell isn’t over yet, Shi Mao will practice all day and this means he must eat them all! Oh God. Hence he calls Kai Xin over. Oh dear. Will Shi Mao ‘kill’ him? Before Kai Xin digs in, Shi Fen sees his sister’s worried face so he decides to do a bit of improvement on the dish. Shi Mao then tries to cover up by saying the food is from her neighbour. When Shi Fen returns, it definitely tastes better. Kai Xin is now in love with whoever this neighbour is!

Episode 10
As Shi Fen’s socks are loose, Banzai thinks he should get new ones instead of skimping and reusing the old ones. Hence Banzai takes him to a shopping centre. However this mall is the one his family owns so he has to hide from Shi Fen the fact the statues of the brothers and the staffs knowing him very well. As they enter a normal clothing shop, the sales girls start hounding them to try on various clothes. They relent and do so. However Shi Fen feels he doesn’t want to buy them and this earns their ire. Oh sh*t. He changes his mind and will do so. Now the sales girls try to sell them more stuffs! Run!

Episode 11
Shi Mao bought a few training equipment. Shi Fen tries the boxing one but finds it too hard to use. Shi Mao demonstrates and look how pro she is! Shi Fen wants one that is easy to use so Shi Mao recommends this equipment whereby a golf ball is connected to the headband? Don’t punch too hard or it’ll come straight back at you. After a bit of practising, Shi Fen gets the hang of it. Once he is a pro, he challenges Shi Mao to a duel. The sister is shocked he could dodge her punches so she gets serious. However Shi Fen soon realizes that all this means nothing because when it comes down to actual strength, Shi Mao is still a brute monster. Pain arriving in 3, 2, 1…

Episode 12
We see the gang taking their final exam. Look at all their different states. Smart kid Wan Xing has done his way ahead of time and even rechecking them. Yeah, just sitting around chilling. Banzai getting his motivation to do his best thinking Shi Mao will like him. Kai Xin is asleep. Shi Fen trying to use the pencil role to determine the answers. Yeah, all the same answers… Miao Miao using the power of her favourite boy band for inspiration going while Shi Mao is too nervous and breaking every pencil she holds! In the end, it is no surprise that Wan Xing is to of his grade while the guys all flop! Yeah, they don’t even care about it as they go hang out. Well, in some degrees I agree because exams aren’t everything in life!

Idiots Among Us…
Well people, I have got to be honest. This season feels a bit underwhelming. I’m not saying it sucks or it is bad but after 5 seasons in, you can feel the ‘strain’ of the whole series already. I know, you’re going to tell me that I said if something isn’t broken, then don’t fix it. Well yeah, maybe now that has come to this stage and the signs are there, in the event if they are going to make another season, perhaps a little shakeup in the formula?

I am not sure if this is the contributing factor that this season feels a bit weaker. Unlike its previous 4 seasons which was helmed by the same animation studio and director, this season changed bow to new ones. Though, I don’t see any obvious difference in the animation quality or style, nor there is any dip in quality. So could it be this also explains the single year hiatus? The previous company and director had no more plans to further continue this series but then the new one decided to take up this project and see how it goes. Take it with a pinch of salt as it is all purely just speculation on my side.

As we all have already seen, the short 5 minute gags play out in similar fashion in previous seasons. Mostly standalone filler episodes just for quick laughs. At this point like I have said, it has become a double edged sword. While it is great to see the same brand of comedy and quirkiness, it now starts to feel stale. Yeah, sometimes I feel the fifth season is actually just season 4.1. Oh heck. Maybe season 3.2. No, perhaps season 2.3. Ah damn, possibly season 1.4! There was nothing new brought to the table especially the romances between the characters. Oh well, I guess it will be still status quo after all. Because once that happens, the story and characters may not be as fun as before.

This means the characters stay particularly the same as in previous seasons and nothing much has developed between them. So I’m not sure if I am supposed to feel disappointed because You Le who supposed has a crush on Shi Fen only has 1 stinking appearance. Like she isn’t very important to begin with and is mostly forgotten after that (and even before as well). Even at Miao Miao has a few appearances although her character still feels insignificant. But for the rest, it’s the same ol’, same ol’. Kai Xin your happy go lucky guy whom Shi Mao still has a crush on. Banzai your rich kid who tries to blend in with our ‘normal’ people and also trying to impress Shi Mao his crush. His brother Wan Xing the little genius. And of course, who could not forget the love-hate relationship of the siblings Shi Fen and Shi Mao. Is it me or do I not notice any violent beat downs from the gorilla woman against her brother? Even if there were, it was probably shown off screen. So maybe that is the reason why this season isn’t as good? Yeah, not seeing smug Shi Fen get a taste of his sister’s punishment takes the fun out of it. Is it no surprise why we continue to love these idiots?

In the end, this fifth season did come to me as a surprise as I am busy figurine out the myriad of animes that I want to watch this season and year and hence this one flew under my radar until a bit later. Even though it is comparably a lot weaker than its previous seasons in terms of the gags and funniness, it is still enjoyable to say the least. Binge watching this in a single seating somehow made me realize that time flew by in an hour (12 episodes x 5 minutes). Yeah. Duh. So until the next season arrives, I’ll be back to scouring other animes to watch. Just like there is no cure for an idiotic brother, there is also no cure for my addiction to watching anime. Oh sorry, I meant therapeutic healing of my life.

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby S2

So, was this what they meant when Umayon ended and said see you next series? Yeah, I thought it was Guraburu but logically, that could have meant the foreshadowing of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby S2. Yeah, it makes more sense that way. You thought horse girls were done after having its first season and special episodes. But nope. Looks like they’re not. Because Cygames are going to have all their animated works have a second season. Shingeki No Bahamut got theirs a long time ago. Granblue Fantasy also had theirs. Zombie Land Saga just had theirs. Princess Connect! Re: Dive is going to get theirs too but who knows when. So for now, we have more horse girls to run in derbies. Yes siree. We can’t get enough of those cute horse girls in fancy outfits trying to outrun each other on the horse track, can we? So who are we betting on this time?

Episode 1
We see a young Teio impressed to the max after Rudolf won the Triple Crown after consecutive undefeated victories. During the press conference, Teio came up to Rudolf and wanted to be like her. Rudolf saw potential in her and told her to start at Tracen first. Now we see Teio meeting up with her Spica members. Looks like Trainer has got a job for them. Yeah, he drew the short end of the stick and they have to do some open campus hosting this year. We see them taking young budding horse girls around the academy. Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond being fervent fans of Teio and McQueen respectively continue shower their heroines with more praises. Yeah, you’ll be just like them one day, right? The focus now is on Teio as she will be running in the Japanese Derby. This is big for Teio as he made a promise to Rudolf that she will win the Triple Crown like her. With already one in the bag (Satsukishou), winning the Japanese Derby puts her a step closer. Teio trains hard until the big day arrives. As usual, all her friends and comrades wish her the best, it’s time to flag off. Teio makes a good start although she ends up in the middle of the pack. Turning the bends, she takes the outer lane and while this has to make her run a bigger round, at least nobody is ahead of her. She already has the talent and effort, now she needs luck. And luck it is that she will have since reaching the final stretch, Teio powers her way to zoom past all her competitors. She breaks away and takes the victory. Everyone cheers for her as Teio edges closer to her dream. Of course not forgetting the concert with Teio as the centre. Man, if she isn’t running, she’s a hell of a good rock singer.

Episode 2
Oh no! Teio has been diagnosed with a fractured leg?! So can’t run in any race until next spring?! I know. We’re as shock as them. See everyone’s faces when this news is release in public. But of course, Teio is stubborn as she wants to still run and achieve her Triple Crown dream. With that much passion, I guess Trainer and her Spica teammates will do anything it takes to help her. Teio shows that strong spirit of hers as she checks out of hospital the next day. Though, she’ll need some time and lots of training before she can run back up at full speed. Meanwhile, Nice Nature thinks of running in Kikkashou too. But first she’ll have to win a few races of her own. More extreme help for Teio since McQueen invites her to her mansion so that she can get all the help she needs from her personal acupuncturist, chef, physician, etc. Well, it wouldn’t be so scary if the physician isn’t carrying needles around so freely! Well, the pain is temporary but looks like it has some effects as Teio now doesn’t need to wear a cast. As she continues her training and rehabilitation, the process is slow and time is ticking down. One night she sees Trainer working overtime, racking his brains to give Teio the best formula. So I guess that’s when Teio decided that it’s over. She’s giving up? She can’t run at full speed at this rate. So Teio participates at Kikkashou only as an audience . A sad feeling as the race begins, Teio starts having visions of what she’d do to run and win the race. In the end, it’s all just too sad. Oh Teio, why you making this harder for yourself?! Now you’re crying harder! But seeing everyone run in their best form makes her feel better. In the end, Kikkashou is won by Rionatal. Nature takes 4th place. At the end of the day, Teio looks at everything in a positive light. She might not have won the Triple Crown but she’s still undefeated.

Episode 3
With Teio changing her goal, looks like her recover is on track. The usual prayers at the shrine for New Year. Then more training. Teio and McQueen have been selected as winners for the URA Awards. With Spica at the top of their game now, lots of other teams are targeting to take them down. Especially Canopus that Nature and Twin Turbo are part of. So instead of training, they go do some pranks? I can see who’s going to be the real champs here. Teio announces she wants to run in the Spring Tennoushou that McQueen is running. Doing so means one of them will have their goal crushed. Teio wants to do so because she has to win big matches to stay undefeated. McQueen isn’t panicking as she expects the day they’ll face off to come. So now with news of their big showdown spreading like wildfire, of course more training. Ikuno Dictus of Canopus is keeping a close watch on Teio since she’ll be running against Teio at Osaka Hai. We have Teio and McQueen’s flashback as we see them trying to outdo each other the moment they enrolled at Tracen. Yeah, that’s how their rivalry started. Coincidence or fate? Now we see McQueen running in the Hanshin race. Only a few competitors taking part since the rest are well aware of how strong she is. Everyone can tell that McQueen is totally marked. So as the race starts, everybody tries to pincer her in. Of course the pressure didn’t work on her as McQueen breaks free and makes a dash towards the finish line. No challenge as she breaks away and wins it.

Episode 4
Osaka Hai begins. Ikuno takes the lead until Teio makes her move and zooms past her to take the win by an unassailable gap. Yeah, she made it look so easy and Ikuno was like struggling. It is no wonder Ikuno is complaining that Teio is a whole different horse girl after her recovery. It’s like she has gotten faster and her legs are more flexible and springy. With Spring Tennoushou around the corner, Trainer has training regiments for Teio and McQueen. The former has to run up slopes while the latter wears heavy iron horseshoes and make practice jumps. Over Gold Ship! Damn, her back is going to hurt real bad if she slips. Oops. Make that twice. And thrice! There is also this Satsukishou race in which Mihono Bourbon is also running in. Just like Teio, she has a reputation of being undefeated and she will be Teio and McQueen’s rival as she too will be participating in Spring Tennoushou. And she blows the competition away, taking the lead from start to finish. I guess our Spica horse girls will now have to train even harder. Nobody cares about Gold Ship’s back… Then a press conference with Teio and McQueen. Both won’t lose to each other but McQueen seems worried because the media seems to be heavily favouring Teio. She talks to grandma about this bias but she reminds her about the classic fairytale about the tortoise and the hare. Why did the tortoise won? Because the hare was looking at the tortoise but the tortoise was looking at the finish line. Get what she means? Meanwhile Teio and Rudolf talk. Because Spring Tennoushou has longer distance, it puts Teio at a disadvantage as she hasn’t run in one before. Teio believes she is more of a challenger despite the media favouring her and that her stamina limit can be overcome via more training. After all, she is going to be the undefeated one. Yeah more training again. Oh, Gold Ship, how’s your back coming…

Episode 5
The hype is building up as Spring Tennoushou draws near. Hope it won’t turn out to be a divisive war between fans for both sides. Of course, more training for our special duo. With their training tools taken off, their feet feel so much lighter and they run even much faster. Yeah, they’re going to blow the competition away. So now the big race is here. We are introduced to a few other horse girls but I feel they’re just for show and won’t be making any impact. Yeah, got to respect them for entering this race to lose! HAHA! Slight drama as McQueen’s horseshoe cracks so the start is delayed to allow her to fix a new one. Some think this is bad luck as this happened before and she went on to lose the race. Superstitious, aren’t we? The rest begins. Mejiro Palmer takes the early lead while McQueen and Teio are running in the middle of the pack. Teio’s strategy is to follow behind McQueen until it’s the perfect time to use her sprint trump card. And so that time comes as McQueen and Teio sprint ahead and leave the rest in their wake. However as Teio puts in maximum effort, she realizes she can’t catch up to McQueen. Something’s wrong. Eventually other horse girls surpass Teio as McQueen builds a gap and crosses the finish line. McQueen wins! She retains her title. Damn, Spica girls and Trainer having this crestfallen expression shows they were rooting for Teio, right? In the end, great show of sportsmanship as the winner is humble in victory and the vanquished is gracious in defeat. McQueen and Teio give each other a big hug and the crowd goes wild. I don’t think it’s horse girl yuri.

Episode 6
As expected, Teio falls into depression as she ponders her goal for running. Basically, she’s lost. In both senses, that is. Although her injury from the race was minor, McQueen’s injury is far more serious. Hence she will be taking time off from school and racing to recuperate. With Teio and McQueen’s absence, Palmer wins the Takarazuka Kinen race and gets some attention. Also getting lots of attention is Bourbon who intends to fulfil Teio’s unfulfilled Triple Crown dream. However during Kikkashou, she lost to Rice Shower by an inch, shocking many fans alike. Bourbon is not cowed by this loss and believes something can be gained by losing. A race where Teio participates, unfortunately her mind is still scattered all over as she wonders why other horse girls are trying their best. To win, duh! Eventually Palmer wins that race and shockingly Teio ends up at the end of the pack. Wow. See all those disappointed and shocked fans’ face. WERE THEY EXPECTING A MIRACLE?! Jesus. Although frustrated, Teio remains positive that she can be frustrated after losing. Yeah, just don’t make it a habit. Just saying… Trainer then makes Teio the team leader to have her do stuffs to understand and see things from a non-running perspective. Teio is suspicious of this support job because it’s like she’s just doing the chores. Are you sure she isn’t being bamboozled? She asks the rivalry between Vodka and Scarlet but looks like she hasn’t quite reach her answer yet. Hence Trainer sends her on some job. Just follow this map. This leads to her meeting McQueen’s butler who then brings her to the family’s sanatorium in the outskirts. Teio sees McQueen training hard. Once she’s done, they talk. So the biggest question: Why are you trying so hard? Long story short, McQueen wants to be stronger than before to defeat a certain someone and thus has no time to waste. If you didn’t get it, that’s you, Teio. McQueen has this pride that she cannot claim glory till her victory is complete. And that is defeating Teio at her best. With Teio’s confidence restored, both horse girls renew their rivalry and challenge. But first, McQueen has her doctor examine her injuries. Oh sh*t… Not that trauma again!!!

Episode 7
McQueen shows she is back in business as she claims first in the next race. With the crowd roaring for her comeback, this sets off Rice’s trauma. Despite some rave reviews of Rice’s performance, she is still depressed. Then it hits its peak when McQueen comes to personally talk to her and hopes to have a good race. However Rice says she is done racing. Gasp! What gives?! Knowing something is wrong with her, Teio and the other Spica members will try to find out in order not to distract McQueen from her training. So each time they approach her, she runs! Even more so when they just mention about the Spring Tennoushou. Looks like that’s a taboo word for her. Eventually they kidnap her just to find the truth. Long story short, when she usurped Bourbon for the win, she noticed the crowd was not happy. She took it as a sign that they did not want her to win because they really wanted to see Bourbon win the Triple Crown. With Spring Tennoushou coming up and everyone expecting McQueen to win her third in a row, Rice believes there is no point for her to enter and win. No one will be happy. McQueen is told about this and although find it unacceptable as a horse girl, Rice’s thinking shows that she had the confidence of beating McQueen. Teio then goes to talk to Bourbon. Although she is sad not to be able to win the Triple Crown, she still wants to redeem herself. Now she finds herself having a new reason to run and that is Rice. The only horse girl to ever defeat her and could be her rival. So when she heard about Rice’s withdrawal, you bet Bourbon is going to lecture her. Only, if she doesn’t scare her away! Yeah, begins a weird chase around Tracen. Gee, Rice runs faster than Bourbon and Teio?! Giving them the slip?! Outrunning them and even the Segway runs out of batteries?! Despite Rice hearing positive comments from other horse girls, her trauma still remains. Once Bourbon catches up, that usual nobody-wants-me-to-win trauma blows up. Bourbon adds that after that run, she was injured. Her master even apologized for pushing her too hard. That’s why she is training so she won’t lose again. She wants to race a strong opponent like her. Therefore Rice is her hero as she has become her goal to work towards to. This means she must run in Tennoushou to prove that. Having said all that with pure emotions, I think it’s safe to say that Rice is back in the game.

Episode 8
Rice continues to train with Bourbon. But suddenly she vanishes and doesn’t attend school anymore. Bourbon manages to find her training alone at an abandoned facility. Her logic is that McQueen has better experience and capability in running long distance. Hence she is here to train alone without all that distraction. Well, see how many pairs of shoes she has already worn out to the max? So as the hype builds up to that day, McQueen is the overwhelming favourites to win her third in a row. Right before the race starts, McQueen is spooked when she sees Rice for the first time since. OMG. Is she emitting dark evil aura?! Did she summon the Demon Lord as part of her training?! So much so, McQueen has been thinking so much about it, that she needs help to get into her starting gate?! And off the race starts. Palmer takes the early lead with McQueen following close behind. But looks like Trainer feels something is wrong for McQueen to be chasing Palmer so soon. He realizes it is not Palmer but Rice who is chasing close behind McQueen. Like as though she is breathing down her neck to keep reminding her of her presence. In the final stretch, McQueen does her move to overtake Palmer. But what’s this? Rice also powers up and runs side by side with her? Damn, those spectators’ comments, cursing Rice in wanting to foil McQueen’s streak. So Rice just f*ck it all and activate her demon power to f*cking speed ahead of McQueen!!! In the end, Rice wins by a few horse lengths and a world record to boot! However no cheers from the crowd. Only disappointment of McQueen’s dreams being ruined. But McQueen and other horse girls soon clap and give Rice her due ovation. In the backstage as Bourbon meets her, Rice breaks down because those boos still hurt and once again she feels guilty for ruining the dreams of many. Bourbon says that is part and parcel of winning and somebody she’ll turn those boos into encouragement. Yeah, those losers need to get a new dream! Meanwhile Ikuno talks to McQueen who is of course a bit down from her shock defeat. She also feels guilty for letting down her fans who were cheering for her as well as Teio who is working hard to complete her rehabilitation. She feels her performance was inadequate and that her false sense of security may have made her lax. As she vows to win Takarazuka Kinen next, what a coincidence because Ikuno will be running in it too.

Episode 9
All the usual fanfare to the build-up of McQueen and Teio’s rematch at Takarazuka Kinen. Then some nostalgia as we see the race between BNW in which Ticket wins. Ah yes, nothing like drumming up some nostalgia and motivation for the next race. More preparations as usual. More talking by the respective parties as usual. Everything’s looking rosy. Until… Teio in her usual training lap, suddenly she stumbles! OMFG… What happened? The doctor says she fractured her leg the third time. Sure it can heal but what are the chances she’ll be running the same way? He is against her running but of course, Teio needs to keep up her baseless confidence that she can do it. But news soon get public about Teio’s predicament. Oh damn, everybody’s face like as though it’s the end of the world! If Rudolf pulls this kind of face too, you know sh*t has hit the fan. Sadly, Teio has to give Takarazuka Kinen a miss in which McQueen won comfortably. Teio goes around as she tries to keep her positivism up. But with people thanking her like as though they’re signalling that’s the end of her, this is going to cast some doubts in her positivism. Even more so that weird dream whereby all her Spica members left her behind as she couldn’t catch up. And when Trainer even wonders if she can run like before, can’t blame Teio for starting to dive into depression despite Spica’s best efforts to cheer her up. Teio sees McQueen training late. She helps time her. Looking at how awesome her run is, she starts crying. I guess it is that point she has accepted the heart breaking reality that she cannot run like that again :’(.

Episode 10
Looks like it has come to this. Teio has written a resignation letter. So when Spica thinks she isn’t showing up as usual, they try to bait her with carrots but I guess that didn’t work. Teio then personally talks to Rudolf of her intentions. With no more running or training, all that’s left for Teio is to have fun! Yeah, she looks happy doing all those fun stuffs by herself. When she returns, Kitasan has a charm for her that wishes her return to running. However Teio politely turns her down. And what’s this? A letter of challenge from Turbo for the All Comers race? Hana talks to Trainer about Teio’s resignation. Trainer is resigned to accept that if that is what Teio wants, there is nothing he can do. But deep inside of him, he still wants to see her run even if she can’t run her best anymore. Still, he can’t force this on her but wants to make her go out with a bang instead of fading like this. Trainer then breaks the news to Spica about Teio’s resignation. Shockwaves. Speaking of the devil, here she is to pack her stuffs up. I guess this is really it, huh? Trainer has a suggestion. Why not make her final performance at the fan appreciation festival? It’s the least she could do. Meanwhile Turbo is revved up to defeat Teio in the next race. Until her Canopus pals ask if Teio has even replied her letter. So when Turbo goes to ask Teio in person, she is shocked to hear that she has quit running. So how? Throw a tantrum! Throw as much as you want. Teio can’t run anymore. This leaves Turbo running away in tears. Oh dear. We all know this hurts Teio more than her, right? Anyway, Turbo returns to complain and whine to her teammates. Can’t end it like this. Need to do something. Worse, the festival is at the same time with the race. Looks like their trainer will think of something. On the day of the festival as Teio goes up on stage to do her final dance, Kitasan then starts screaming that she’ll always be waiting for her. Flashback of Teio’s admiration for Rudolf. Trainer follows up that he still wants to see her run and this leads the rest of the crowd to beg Teio to run again. Canopus then hijacks the transmission to show the All Comers race. Turbo running like hell and opening a considerable lead ahead of Ikuno and Rice. Eventually she wins it. Proof of not giving up? With Spica horse girls now in full emotion begging Teio to stay, I guess you can say peer pressure changed Teio’s mind. Hooray! What a great day. But hey, what do you expect her to say no then?!

Episode 11
Everyone is just glad that Teio is back to training and running again. She’ll start back up from scratch. While she may not be able to compete competitively yet, she tries to help her teammates by going around to gather info on other potential horse girls. In a poorly disguised getup that suspiciously screams that she wants to be exposed or something, Teio stalks, uhm, I mean observes horse girls like Ticket, Palmer, Rice and Machikane Tannhauser. Tannhauser isn’t impressed with Teio’s snooping. While she doesn’t disagree with that, please don’t get in the way of training. Besides, she is impressed Teio considered her a top contender since she was nowhere near one. In fact, at one point she was thinking of giving up either but seeing Teio returned, it made her decide not to give up either. Teio credits many who helped her so Tannhauser hopes she’ll tell them how she feels in return. She manages to do so and all that’s left is McQueen. Too bad she finds it hard and shy to say what’s on her mind. Are they hinting some yuri thingy going on?! McQueen can tell she’s acting strangely and still, Teio can’t simply just say it. So she seeks Special Week’s help to do so. But what better way than to see Kitasan and Diamond do their innocent loli talk with each other. Both are shy and tease each other about their feelings for each other. Hope I’m just overthinking about this yuri stuff. Now Teio has a clear mind of what to do. Yeah, it was that simple all along. So she invites McQueen out for a Halloween date. After a fun filled day, it’s time for the big talk. Finally, Teio admits that she has always looked up to her. McQueen isn’t surprised, though. She is glad that Teio has finally realized it. Because McQueen has always looked up to Teio for the longest time. There. No yuri or anything. No wonder the duo laugh at the simplicity and silliness of it all. Ah, good times.

Episode 12
The usual Teio and McQueen training together. Yeah, wait till we get better to race again, huh? We see the final classic race of the season, Kikkashou that the legendary BNW trio are running in. In the end, Hayahide crosses the line comfortably. Even breaking Rice’s record. As McQueen trains solo, she realizes something is wrong. She has her butler call the doctor. Nothing serious. She just want to play safe and make sure. After some tests, the doctor has her rest in bed. So now she says he is exaggerating? What was it again about playing safe? When Teio visits McQueen at her mansion, her butler says she is not here but at the family’s sanatorium. Oh dear. What happened? McQueen has developed a case of suspensory ligament desmitis in her left leg. Oh sh*t. Sounds serious. Because it is. It requires a year to treat but even so, it can recur. Although it doesn’t prevent one from running immediately, over time it will become worse. The pain will be so severe it will affect her mobility eventually. Oh f*ck. The safest way is to not aggravate it and it shouldn’t affect her everyday life. So basically as good as retired, huh? Then a call to say that McQueen has gone missing. Okay, Teio. Gotta find McQueen. Run! McQueen is trying to do some running to prove she is still okay. See? I’m fine! Flashback shows grandma talked to her and wanted her to stop because she has won so many accomplishments and made her dream come true. She’s proud of her. Of course McQueen can’t accept that and stormed off. Now she is thinking how much of a rival Teio was and how she never gave up despite her setbacks. She’s going to do it. She’s going to do it… Until she can’t. Teio arrives in time. McQueen tries to stay positive that she can still run and needs practice. Oops. She can’t move. Then she breaks down that she can’t keep her promise anymore. In an ironic role reversal, now it is cool Teio who gives her strong words of encouragement. Talking about fate trying to keep them from racing each other, despite what others thought that it was over for her, she refused to quit. True, but McQueen’s case needs a miracle to happen. So… Make that miracle! Teio will prove that they can run together again. Thanking McQueen for helping her when she’s down, it’s her turn now. See watch me. Teio making walking away in the rain with her back facing McQueen so cool.

Episode 13
Wow. It’s like the end of the world when the papers announced McQueen’s run as good as over. Meanwhile Teio wants to run in the last race of the season, Arima Kinen. Well, if that’s what she wants. A lot of big names here will be running too like BNW, Nature, Palmer, Rice and Tannhauser. Before the big day, of course Rudolf pays Teio a visit and dispense some advice. Race starts with Palmer taking the early lead and break away. Teio fans seem to be relegated to be just happy to see her run. Oh, McQueen is here to watch the race. Don’t be shy. Go to the stands to see how awesome Teio is running. So it gets serious when Hayahide zooms past Palmer and it looks like she is going to take the win. Until… Yup, Teio powers up! Oh my. You mean everybody is looking THIS shocked to see Teio up to the challenge? Yeah, they didn’t really expect it! I guess even God too because it’s like He took away her injury and let her run faster! OMFG! Everyone is cheering for Teio now! And then Teio powers her way past Hayahide. The finishing stretch, can she make it?! AND TEIO WINS IT! OMFG! A miracle! No wonder everybody is crying hysterically over this miracle since Teio has been absent for most of the year. We can guess McQueen’s emotional level, eh? Everybody is chanting Teio’s name. Oh heck, even Suzuka is personally here to congratulate Teio. But of course the best congrats comes from McQueen herself. You’ve seen the miracle so now do you believe? Not forgetting the aftermath concert. If Teio can prance like that as the centre, I guess God really took away her injury, huh? Next spring arrives. Kitasan and Diamond get ready to enrol at Tracen. Teio and McQueen finally race with each other even though it’s just practice. Why does this feel like a race between Superman and The Flash?

Luck Has Run Its Course…
I suppose Teio fans can rejoice she made their day by ending the race year with a surprise win. Seeing that she and McQueen are still at Tracen, I think everybody is now riding on this miracle wave that anything is possible. Yup, don’t let that silly injury bog you down and ruin your morale for the rest of your life. Because God too loves to watch horse girl races and if you’re determined enough, He’ll bring you that miracle! With so many races and so many horse girls, I’m sure that each will have their turn and time to shine. And if Teio and McQueen still insist on running an official race together, why not organize a special race that just have only both of them to run? Say, Teio VS McQueen Special Charity Run, no? A win-win situation for fans and others alike, right? And all proceeds will go into the funding of treating their injuries ;p.

This season’s story seems to be rather okay, if not, ramping up a lot of drama and the feels. Last season we had Special Week and Suzuka as the main characters and rivals to each other so it would be pretty weird if they get more of the spotlight again this season. After all, there are so many horse girls around and they can’t always be the main characters, right? And hence it is obvious that this season will focus on another rivalling couple of Spica, Teio and McQueen. It would certainly be boring if their rivalry plays out the same style as seen with Special Week and Suzuka. So what is better and more dramatic than having a horse girl dealing with a nagging feet injury? Why, 2 horse girls having to deal with a nagging feet injury! Oh my. Is this the fate of our favourite horse girls this season? Yeah, seems like God is trying to play a cruel joke on them.

Teio seems to have the bulk of focus this season since we have to see her go through hardships of not giving up thanks to her injury. I guess that is only fair because it gives us a reason why we want to support her and this doubles as a good character development. And just when we thought we are settled with Teio’s rehabilitation because we’re so confident that she’ll just recover and run one day, God throws another spanner into the works because f*ck you b*tches, now McQueen has this very serious sounding injury. While it might seem like the end of the world for them, I can take heart that this series setting is way more lenient in real life. Why? Because in reality when race horses have injuries and cannot run anymore, they’ll be put to sleep! Tragic indeed. So imagine if horse girls who can no longer be useful as racing assets and become a liability, be put to death because of that. So while it’s a sad thing for Teio and McQueen to be experiencing this while they are at their prime, at least even if they cannot run anymore, they can still retire and live. Maybe it is God’s way of saying to let other younger potentials take their place? Not if you’re a Teio or McQueen fan!

As said, Teio and McQueen have the biggest focus (and heart wrenching drama) for this season. Their character developments were okay and good but this means the other characters fall to the wayside. I am thinking that other horse girls make their short cameo appearances just as to give some variety and not to bore us with the overwhelming Teio-McQueen drama and rivalry. That’s why many in that sense don’t really matter and sometimes I find it mind boggling. For example, Palmer I think is newly introduced this season (not sure if she had a short cameo in the first season since there were too many horse girls too back then), aside from some races she entered, there is this small running joke of her visiting some horse girl fortune teller to get her readings. So, it’s like she doesn’t believe in her own abilities? I don’t actually understand the significance of this and it could just be a small time joke. Otherwise, pretty insignificant and just to fill up a few seconds or minutes of the episode’s running time.

This means that the other members of Spica are just borderline passable. They feel like side supporting characters. Even more so for Special Week who was last season’s main character. Like as though her role has been downgraded and she’s like a normal Spica member who doesn’t stand out. After all, Suzuka is away at USA so what else can she do? Oh right. She flew back just for Teio’s special race. I guess miracles (of surprise) do happen. Then there’s that dumb rivalry between Scarlet and Vodka just for laughs but still pretty forgettable. They’ll challenge each other and argue about anything. My guess is that if there is going to be another season, they are most likely to be the ones to be in focus. Yeah, they’ll turn this series into a joke if we continue to see their brand of rivalry. And Gold Ship? Just another joker character but seeing she has no partner like Scarlet and Vodka, I guess she’s the solo type. Trainer’s a good guy but there is only so much he can do to help his team. Otherwise, he’s just pretty plain this season.

My memory may not be good but I think a hell lot of other horse girls seen in the first season were obviously missing from here. Most notably Team Rigil. It’s like they don’t even exist here. Had I not refer to my old blog, I guess I would’ve forgotten about horse girls like El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder and Narita Brian. Rudolf is the only one from this team with a decent amount of screen time and only because she is Tracen’s student council president. Other newer horse girls didn’t really make an impact too such as the new Canopus team. Turbo looks crazy and cheeky but that’s all about her that I remember while Ikuno looks too serious. Worse, their trainer feels like a wuss! No wonder Canopus seem to be walking all over his head whether intentionally or not. Even those horse girl loli fans of Teio and McQueen were just barely. Next generation of horse girls will have to wait.

If there was any other horse girl who made any slight impact for this season, it would be Rice. The middle of this season seems to make a detour and focus shortly on her. The slight breather we need from the usual Teio-McQueen rivalry? Anyway, Rice is interesting not because of her character but rather of that drama of how she perceived herself as an unwanted winner because she upset the favourites and caused fans of the favourites to be in sour mood. If gaming had a toxic community, this one is it for this series and sport. That’s why it sucks to be an obsessed diehard fan of a team you 1000% throw your support behind. Especially big teams or those that have won multiple titles. Because they’ve become too big to lose or fail. Losing to other big names is okay, but a small fry? Everyone becomes a pitchfork wielding mob! Just exaggerating but you get the idea. So this affected Rice’s morale so much that it was just pitiful seeing her in that kind of state and mentality. Yeah, ironically she had more impact on me than those threatening injuries of Teio and McQueen. So f*ck those loser audiences. Run the way you want! I mean, they can’t be even happy for your win. If favourites are to win all the time, races would’ve become boring. It is such unexpected wins from underdogs that make races unpredictable and exciting.

So my theory is that if you have more fans and a popular favourite, you’re given a free pass. That’s why when Teio won Arima Kinen when she was not expected to, she was greeted by cheers and not jeers. Eventually, there are so many favourites out there that one day you won’t stay at the top forever. A new up and coming prodigy will replace you and relegate you to legendary status of yesteryear. And will the fans find a new horse girl to be their favourite hero once the popular ones start to retire? Yeah, I’d love to see this possible future setting.

And I thought there would be something coming out from Bourbon since she is portrayed like the next big thing. Especially her trainer who looks and sound ominous. Like as though he could be the season’s next antagonist. Really. I mean, look at the way he gives orders to Bourbon to run and win. Sounds like a typical classic villain. And Bourbon is like a robot who just agrees to it all because it’s her dream to make her master’s wish come true. Is she brainwashed? Is she suffering in silence? Can someone save her from this invisible shackles and prison of the mind?! Sorry folks. All that just my delusions. Those things didn’t turn out the way I expected them to so I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Perhaps Bourbon was just supporting in Rice’s mini arc. Then it is back to more Teio-McQueen drama for the homestretch.

As for the races, my sentiments about them are pretty much the same as I have described from the first season. Yeah, boring. Okay, not as boring as I thought as it would be as the first season but still, you can expect the same kind of drama and tension because otherwise everything would end in a split second. Just like some of the non-important races. Start! Horse girls turn the corner! And somebody crosses the finish line already! So highlighted and important races that feature our important characters will have all that drama and tension to make it last longer. The only ‘fun’ part for me was to guess which horse girl would win. Safe to say that my guts were wrong and I had more than half of them wrong! Even the Teio-McQueen showdown at Spring Tennoushou. Yeah, I was betting on Teio to win. Because she was putting in so much effort. She had a super cheery disposition and never give up attitude. She had her dreams and promise to Rudolf to live up to. How can she not win? The ingredients were all there for her to take it. I was subsequently proven wrong. Thank goodness I was never into horse racing in real life. Even the last race I didn’t bet on Teio despite all the cliché writings on the wall! I really thought it would be somebody else but her! So as to show Teio has run a good race and that’s good enough. Yup. Gotta show us she’s better than that. Thank goodness I’m not a bookie. Also almost forgot, the concerts after the race. Those weren’t prominent and forgettable. They just show it after some races just to remind us that there is this after each race.

Also, there were other dumb baffling questions from the last season that still rang in my mind. I didn’t expect them to be answered but oh well, looks like it will continue to bug me whenever I think about this series. From whether horse girls have another pair of human ears to their rights as humans or horses and to the curious question of how they breed. Yeah, have you ever wondered so? I don’t think I asked this question the last time but let me try and ask here then. If horse girls exist in this world’s setting, does this mean that real horses do not exist then? I mean, it would be weird to see another horse race featuring real horses and their jockey’s, right? Maybe that’s where the real money is to be made. Horse girl races are for dreams and dreamers! And to add on that, I wonder if horse girls seeing real horses, they would go say, “Ah, look. Those are our ancestors and somewhere down the line we decided to break off and become a whole new species of evolution instead. Now we’re eating good processed food and they’re still chowing on hay”. Yeah…

On a trivial note, I noticed there is one mini running joke in almost every episode. Viewers might have noticed that one of the many spectators is the barber and her client. Yes. Can you see where I’m going with this now, right? It starts off with a mini joke that the barber accidentally cuts off her customer’s hair the wrong way because both are engrossed with the race on TV. Can’t they watch now and cut later?! Then the joke continues to progress with a few variations up till a point the client wears a helmet to the barber shop?! I mean, WTF?! DO YOU INTEND TO GET YOUR HAIR CUT OR NOT?! And besides, why does her hair grow so fast?! What formula is she using?! Poor barber can’t cut her hair. In the end, customer gets revenge by cutting her hair! Who’s the barber now?! Better still, they shave each other’s head and finally made up. Because it was a good race, right? Yeah, I don’t see how it’s related. Weird.

Art and animation are consistent with the first season so nothing drastic changed here. As usual, the weird fancy outfits that horse girls wear during races can be mind blowing as you would sometimes feel they are more for show rather than aerodynamics. I want to say that is the reason why some of them don’t win but I couldn’t find any conclusive evidence or correlation between race winners and their fashion garb. This season’s opening theme is Yume Kakeru and sung by the Spica horse girls. Feels like a spiritual successor to the first season since it has that typical opening fanfare and upbeat feel throughout the song. The main ending theme is a slow and lovely ballad, Komorebi No Yell by Teio and McQueen. Other special ending themes include another love and lovely ballad this time sung by Rice, Sasayaka Na Inori as well as Teio singing as the lead in the aftermath concert to celebrate her win, the lively rock beat of Winning The Soul. Of course the final episode is one big get-together song. Umapyoi Densetsu literally has the entire known cast of horse girls singing this. Don’t believe me? See the f*cking credits! Trying to put USA For Africa’s We Are The World to shame in terms of guests singing? Anyway, it’s one big cacophonic mess to me.

Overall, if you love the first season, you’ll find the second season to be at home too. Just with more compelling drama but a different set of horse girls. I mean, the main reasons why these horse girls continue to run their best is because of their rival, right? Are there any other reasons? Oh… Run for revenge? That should be interesting, but I’m not betting this series would stray from its happy-happy formula. Unless… I am not sure if there would be another sequel but I can’t discount that this will be the last one seeing today’s trend. This means which horse girl pair to put as main featured rivals now. Oh boy, there are so many horse girls at Tracen and if they want to animate them all, this series will never end! After all, every horse girl has their own story to tell, right? So I’m betting on Scarlet and Vodka to have their turn next. Or, uhm, maybe those new loli juniors. Assuming if they join Spica, that is. I hope my guts are right this time since I’m putting my entire self-confidence on the line here.

Gochuumon Wa Usagi Desu Ka Bloom

Wait a minute. WAIT A MINUTE!!! You mean the order has not yet finished! There are more?! Who would have guessed that after 5 years, the third season of Gochuumon Wa Usagi Desu Ka Bloom would reach the airwaves. Oh right. That movie and extra OVA in between but I guess I missed those. But anyway, with the third season gracing our screens, did we not suffocate enough from the extremely cute lolis from the past 2 seasons?! Did we not die of extreme asphyxiation and heart tightening conditions?! I guess we’re so addicted that we need to extra order another season for more of them. Since it has come this far, there is no more turning back. The moe loli hell has become our moe loli addiction. We now need this to survive. We now need this to get through our daily lives. What would life be without our cute little lolis?! I can’t imagine that?! So we’re ordering a lot more extra orders for the road and the future! We have already crossed the line of no return…

Episode 1
It’s a hot summer. Our Rabbit House trio thought of wearing yukata to cool down but it seems this only scares away Aoyama… Yeah, she thought she went to Amausa by mistake. Because the vest makes them feel hot, they remove it. Unfortunately the usual loli customers couldn’t recognize them! Yeah, their colour code is so important! Hence Cocoa gets an idea to make their own summer outfits. They head to the store with sale but all those housewives are making it tough even for Rize to approach. Don’t worry. Sharo is here to help. Sugoi power… As they go to another shop for the fabric, it seems there are no pink fabric at least to match Cocoa’s colour. No, the sequin one won’t do. Cocoa remembers she might have some at home and after going through all that junk, they finally find it. Yeah, thank Chino’s mom for leaving such great fabric behind. With all that junk, the trio go to sell some at the flea market. Yeah, nobody buys… They are so happy when a customer did. Cocoa then spots Sharo and Chiya buying china. Quite expensive… So when Chiya accidentally drops them because she’s exhausted, Sharo instinctively goes to save the china! Teacup set > Chiya! Sad… Returning to her pals, looks like their depression just increased because no sales. So leave it to Cocoa, Sharo and Chiya to somehow bring in the sales with their cute charm. Oh yeah. The customers are coming now. Rize and Chino want to help but looks like they have to deal with a lost child. While Rize goes to find her mom, Chino is stuck with her. Lost. Who is more lost? A magic trick backfired and didn’t work. So Chino gives her a toy rabbit. All smiles again. Thanks Chino onee-chan. Like the sound of that? Back home, they celebrate their success and Cocoa has bought lots of coloured doorknobs. Now you know why the junk keeps piling. Chiya has bought an old shirt from Rize. Since Sharo wants one too, Rize has the size for her. Now she can die happy. Cocoa also gives hers to Chino but in return wants hers. Is this a trade? Calculating the profits, it looks like this brings in more profit than Rabbit House! Oh dear. The unsold magic set, Cocoa decides to buy it and put on a magic show for them. At first it backfires but then she starts to bloom flowers like a pro. Wow. So magical. At least to Chino. The Rabbit House girls have completed their summer outfits. Looks the same but with slight design changes. At least it feels cooler now.

Episode 2
Chiya trying to force Sharo to do kimodameshi with her? You bet Sharo keeps turning her down. And somehow her home has turned into some paranormal activity thingy? How the heck did this rumour start?! Anyway, with Maya and Megu here, they also think it is a good idea to do kimodameshi. What else for Sharo but to accept? As Chiya and Sharo walk through the dark forest and reminisce old times, Rize tries to shoot them with her water gun but Chiya keeps unwittingly avoiding and it all splashes onto Sharo. Then they stumble into Tippy and stuffed rabbits! Scary! They make a run for it but fall face first into the mud. This is supposed to be cue for Cocoa to come scare them but seeing their dirty state, safe to say the girls freak each other out. In the end after all the apologies, this turns out to be Cocoa’s idea because she noticed Chiya and Sharo haven’t been hanging out with each other often recently. Sharo admits she did enjoy the whole thing. So I guess this is a success, huh? That night, Sharo even obliges to watch a horror marathon with Chiya but the latter is in shock thinking she is not well because isn’t she supposed to get mad at her?! Nobody understands Sharo’s good intentions… On another day, Cocoa is impersonating the famous phantom thief, Lapin. Noticing Sharo is outside spying on her, it is revealed Fleur de Lapin is doing a collaboration with the phantom thief but Sharo didn’t do well as the main Lapin star and it is the detective whom the kids are attracted to. So she’s trying to spy on Cocoa since she is good with kids. So you bet Cocoa is going to help Sharo turn into the real Lapin instead of some girl cosplaying as her. And that means watching some Lapin movie the whole night! Yeah… Damn, Sharo and Rize getting so emotional at the end? They never knew! With more practice, Sharo now becomes the perfect Lapin. Be careful, she might steal Chino’s heart from you, Cocoa! As thanks Sharo gives Cocoa an extra Lapin mask. However Cocoa thinks she might want a greater favour in return. Sighs. Nobody understands Sharo’s good intentions… On the day of the collaboration, the kids are swarming around Sharo as Lapin. Until Cocoa shows up as the other Lapin, all the kids now flock to her. Poor Sharo… Her business got stolen…

Episode 3
Because Chino hasn’t decide which high school to go yet, this makes Cocoa worried. Very worried. Megu invites Chino and Maya to tour a fancy high school to give them some ideas about the high school they should enrol in. Meanwhile Cocoa and Chiya are put in charge of this year’s cultural festival. Oh f*ck! Is that a sex museum suggestion I see on the board???!!! The duo act tough that they can handle it but later Chiya baulks from the pressure, wondering if she can handle it and affect her performance at Amausa. The loli trio start their tour with a speech by a scholarship student, Rin Mate. At first the speech is all nice until it ends with something personal. A bounty on Aoyama’s head! She is Aoyama’s editor and has been pushed to the limits by her?! While Chino and Maya wait for Megu to do her business in the ladies’, a slight distraction has them lost. Megu bumps into Rize while the others bump into Sharo. Both think the lolis are trespassing and hence let them wear their school’s uniform to find the other. Oh yeah. How does it feel to wear such fancy uniform for oujo-sama? Gokigen yo! Lots of gokigen yo experience and they even get to experience a few real oujo-sama activities like teatime and ballroom dancing! They could get use to this. More gokigen yo greetings until both sides pass each other. Rize and Sharo are embarrassed once they learn the truth but I guess the lolis just wanted to play along and have some fun. It seems Maya is thinking of enrolling here. Surprise! Her teacher actually recommended her here since she got good greats! You girls don’t think she’s just a stupid loli, right?! She thought they should all enrol here but her friends start teasing her keeping lots of secrets. More mayhem because Cocoa and Chiya are also here. It seems they are here to borrow supplies for the festival and became friends with some club. They start teasing Rize and Sharo about all the etiquettes, embarrassing them further. The lolis think this may actually be a fun school to study in. Hope they don’t find all those gokigen yo stuff choking. Chino starting to really think about her high school future now.

Episode 4
Flashback shows some other class got collaboration with some stall who sell juice. Hence Cocoa’s class might look dull if they sell the same thing. Hence that wise idea of having their interior look fancy and thus borrowing stuffs from that gokigen yo school. So when Cocoa and Chiya return, their pals think they’ve been brainwashed since they’re still wearing that uniform (in hopes of showing off). Then they show all the stuffs that they got via winning competitions from various clubs? Did they also ask from the occult club or something? Rize and Sharo look jealous that Cocoa’s school is having much more fun. But so as no one will be left out, Cocoa and Chiya give their pals invitation to their festival. Now everyone can have fun. Arriving at the festival, they are quickly led to Cocoa’s class who seems to be doing a mock Oktoberfest. Underage kids serving and drinking beer???!!! OMFG!!! Oh… Just apple juice… Lots of fun and all as Rize and Sharo are invited to dress up as them. Well, thanks to their overlapping schedule, some girls have to participate in their other clubs. Thankfully, Rize and Sharo are no strangers to serving so bring on the customers! As thanks for their efforts, they are also given their school uniform to dress so they can blend in and have fun elsewhere in school. Gee, is this necessary because I thought the festival is open to the public and the invited? Oh, iinchou wants to wear their fancy gokigen yo uniform… More fun till the end of the day. And with that, Chino hints that she knows which school she wants to go next. Because Chino left a very touching photo of her friends having fun together at the festival (one of the activities provided from the photography club is to take any photo you want around the festival). Back home, Chino sees Cocoa’s uniform and tries it on for size. When Cocoa sees this, she is so happy and won’t let go of Chino. I hope this won’t change her mind…

Episode 5
Once more Rin is chasing Aoyama for her manuscript. This has the girls note they’re chasing each other all day like a marathon. This reminds Cocoa that their school is organizing one soon. Chiya rues running a lot but with Cocoa promising to be her big sister and the likes, you bet Chiya is motivated. Initially Cocoa wanted Rize to help her train but since she cannot wakeup in the wee hours of the morning (despite making Chino as her personal alarm clock), so I guess Rize goes to train Chiya. It is tough at first but she perseveres. A stamp card to help motivate her once she fills it all. Cocoa then begs Sharo to help her train because she wants to secretly train from Chiya. Guess what? She still couldn’t wake up! Chiya finishes the stamp card and she gets to eat all the sweets? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? During marathon day, we see Cocoa latching onto Chiya’s hair like reins as they reach the finish line! Not bad for Cocoa who didn’t even freaking trained a single bit! On another day, Cocoa and Chiya see Aoyama out in town. Since this is her day off, she doesn’t know what to do. She suggests playing hide and seek. And it’s no difference since she has Rin trying to catch her! Isn’t this the usual? Rin has Rize and Chino on her side as they chase Aoyama’s side all around town. Yeah, it’s like giving Rin’s group the big run around and making fools out of them. Like as though fate just doesn’t want Rin to catch Aoyama no matter how close she is. Is this a joke? Cocoa then ‘betrays’ by letting her get caught by Chino because she wants to get smothered by her hug. Chiya’s running pays off and can outrun Rize. Until she hits a dead end. Bummer. The chase continues until I guess everyone decides to have fun riding the bunny carousel. Cue for some flashback between Aoyama and her old master (currently reincarnated as Tippy, remember?). She became motivated to become a novelist thanks to the pen he lent her. Once again, she thought she heard old master’s voice. It’s just Tippy on her lap… And I suppose everybody had so much fun today that Aoyama lets Rin catch her on purpose. Good things must come to an end. Don’t worry, there’ll be more chases in the future when Aoyama fails her deadline.

Episode 6
With the photo shoot for the yearbook looming, Chino and friends think of just going natural instead of prettying up themselves. Later Megu sees Chiya giving Sharo a haircut. She wants a trim too but Sharo and Chiya argue about giving Megu that. Something about the bangs… it ends up Chiya’s grandma giving her the haircut. Oh sh*t… Meanwhile Maya is at the hair accessory shop. Rize is also there. Both know nothing about it but chose the same accessory. Chino is impressed seeing Tippy all nicely trimmed by Cocoa. COCOA! You bet Cocoa is going to feel so needed when Chino asks for one. And of course she messes up her bangs. Oh sh*t. As penance, Chino can do the same to her. Eventually they both ended up having the same style and Takahiro notes they look pretty. When the lolis converge and realize everyone had done up, they accuse each other as traitors! Rabbit House will host another bread festival. With Cocoa and Rize preoccupied trying to promote the bread, Chino sulks because it’s like they’re trying to turn Rabbit House into a bakery and nobody cares about the coffee. Of course she’s just trolling. Customers stream into Rabbit House as Chino serves her special blend. Oh sh*t, I don’t know if she put some drugs in it because we see exaggerated reactions of them dancing in the flower field! Is this meth?! Oh well, coffee is already technically a kind of drug. Oh, Chino says she puts her feelings in it?! Okay. I believe her. Cocoa drinks one of Chino’s failed blends. Chino mentions this isn’t any different since Cocoa can never distinguish between the different blends. How could Cocoa? Because all her coffee tastes delicious to her! Chino blushing so cute… At the end of the day, more Chino blushing since the rest note her blend was a hit with customers. Chino wonders if she has changed. Even if everyone praises her, rabbits still run away from her. Tippy tells her to look behind. A lone rabbit who didn’t run away and allows her to touch. Are you convinced now?

Episode 7
Trick or treat! The town is all geared up for Halloween. Maya and Megu visit Amausa. Probably the most elaborated Halloween theme ever. Since Chiya hurt her hand, the lolis decide to help her out. However they start arguing due to the random points Chiya gave them. To soothe them, Chiya promises to give them candies. It’s revealed it is just a ploy to make her do so. Chiya’s turn for payback as she’s going to do some witch retribution. Next day, Chiya invites the duo to do some summoning because it somewhat came true for her when she bumped into Rize and Sharo last night. No harm trying. And with that, suddenly Cocoa and Chino come in! Wow. Such big coincidence. Chino gets worried when Maya and Megu claim to join new forces with Chiya. But big hearted Chiya hugs Chino and assures her that she’ll never take her place. Now we have Cocoa worried and jealous over this. Oh well, nothing like a big hug to cure this conflict. Later the friends meet up at night. Everyone except Rize dressed up as Lapin? Trying to save some money? They notice Cocoa not around and you’ve guessed it, she’s lost. She also meets a lost kid and tries to cheer her up with some magic tricks. She fails. Damn, the kid even tells her she sucks! Oh boy. That’s got to hurt. Cocoa really crying?! Then a strange magician (probably Chino’s mom in ghost form!) cheers her up by showing and teaching her a little magic trick of her own. Meanwhile the rest decide to go look for Cocoa. How to spot her with everyone in some Halloween garb? Oh well, try shouting out to your onee-sama! Embarrassing. But could be effective… Time for ghost magician to go so she disappears. Wow. Best magic trick ever? Cocoa finally reunites with the rest and as penalty for causing them distress, she has to treat them. As Halloween draws to a close, Chino gets worried thinking about the souls of the departed. Tippy assures her that it isn’t his time yet so Chino hugs him as hard as she can. When Cocoa shows Chino the newly magic trick she learnt, this brings back memories because mom often showed this trick to her to cheer her up.

Episode 8
Rize had a fight with her father so she ran away to stay at Cocoa’s place. Apparently when Rize said her dream was to become an elementary school teacher, father laughed at it. Let’s say her reason to become one is lolis. To put it crudely! Gotta have more lolis for this show, right? So Cocoa wants to help Rize achieve that dream? By having her cook for her, clean up her mess and take a midday nap? Does Cocoa just want to laze around? Chino is a little stricter. But this has Cocoa and Chino end up in some competition to earn stamps from Rize. Don’t fight. Here’s a stamp card for each of you to commemorate this special occasion. When Megu enters Rabbit House, it seems it’s because Cocoa is going to be her teacher?! Seriously?! You jealous, Rize? Anyway, Cocoa isn’t a good science teacher anyway. Megu and Chino then head over to Amausa because Chiya is going to be their Japanese teacher. Then they go over next door to peek at Maya being coached by Sharo sensei. Maya gets embarrassed that her secret is being found out. The trio end up studying together but it’s a bit hard because they just want to laze around and talk. Next is the Rize sensei giving them pool lessons. Megu pushes herself too hard and almost drowns! Yikes. Luckily Rize saves her as they hear Megu’s reasons of working too hard is because she wants to catch up with her friends and not be left behind. I think we all think they’re going to grow up just fine. Lolis growing up. THE HORROR!!! When Rize returns, Cocoa and the others are mad that she and the lolis went to the pool together? Turns out they were just trolling and has set up a great party to celebrate her effort. The girls have fun until Rize’s papa shows up to pick her up. A long awkwardness as father and daughter drive back home. Papa tries to break the ice but Rize is clearly not in the mood. Heart breaking. Until he says he was actually impressed by her dreams and only laughed just to hide his tears. He regrets his stupid pride hurt her feelings. Okay, but what must he say now? Sorry seems to be the hardest word but when he says that, all that animosity is blown away.

Episode 9
Wow. Chiya just defeated to class president to take over her position! Thanks to the recent festival, Chiya earned a lot of points. Yeah, the class president was way resting on her laurels… Let that be a lesson! And Cocoa trying to take credit for being her producer?! Later, Rize decides to have an image change and let her hair down. While Sharo and Chiya recognize her, Cocoa and Chino don’t. Hence, Rize tries to pull a prank on them to get back at them and also to see if they’re also pulling a fast one on her. Heck, even the lolis can tell it is Rize but they’re forced to play along. Yeah, the lies are growing bigger. Rize grows tired of putting up this charade. Until she pulls out her gun, only then Cocoa recognizes her. She claims she knew it all along but was just bluffing as it was just as recently she knew about it. Chino on the other hand is a little late to realize this and feels embarrassed. Later Cocoa tries to pull off this trick but she’s not fooling anybody. Except Chino. Poor Chino gets so mad that she threatens to ban them from having snacks! Hope that is the last straw. Chiya has a poster for Amausa although it looks like a poster of her for an election. Chino writes and reads her recommendation letter for Chiya. Stop! Anymore and she’ll explode! What about Cocoa? Chino only has bad recommendations… Sharo also announces that she is running for student council president and everybody wants to celebrate. When customers come in, Cocoa helps Chiya. But Sharo notices something odd about Chiya. Could it be due to the missing crown she gave to her when they were kids? Later when all the girls left, Sharo spots that crown on Chiya’s grandma. She’s using it as a hairpin! Sharo then returns it to Chiya who is so relieved as well as embarrassed she never knew it was this close. Sharo then tells her that she is pulling out of the election but is too embarrassed to say why. Lolicons would love the flashback of Sharo and Chiya loli versions when the former gave latter the crown. And the latter wanted to use it to rule the world?! Wow. Such big dreams. Later when everyone gathers to celebrate Chiya’s posting, it seems her class president is the one celebrating? Turns out Chiya pulled out of the race. I guess it’s a win-win then. Chiya and Sharo have the same reason of pulling out: They don’t want to spend less time from the things they love doing. Yeah, those eat up a lot of time, you know.

Episode 10
Cocoa temporarily working at Fleur de Lapin as she needs some extra cash. Cocoa is sure chirpy about her job. And that is embarrassing Sharo a lot. When it’s time to break the bank, Cocoa realizes she only has 53 yen in it?! So she thought she had 5000?! I guess mean more part time jobs. When Sharo goes to her crepe part time job, Cocoa is also working there! Then at Aoyama’s book signing event, Cocoa is working there too! Fate or coincidence?! Anyway, Cocoa working all these jobs is because she wants money to buy everyone Christmas gifts. Ah, it’s that season. And with all the friends suggesting gift exchange, looks like time to work hard for more cash or you’re all going broke for the season. Later when Chino is out and planning to visit Cocoa at one of her jobs, she thought she was surprised by her from the bank. Turns out to be Sharo impersonating Cocoa. Close. Then Sharo thought Rize did the same thing. Turns out to be Chiya. Disappointed? Chino then stumbles into Megu and Maya trying to coerce Rize to buy treats for them. She joins in. Coercing success! When Chino picks up Cocoa from her work, she realizes she forgot the umbrella. It makes this whole thing pointless. But it’s not. Because it’s snowing. The duo dance in the snow but you know, it’s slippery so they slip. As they return to Rabbit House, they realize there is a long queue outside. Chino in shock! What’s this? Rize’s dad also helping as backup? Takahiro explains that Aoyama wrote a feature article on Rabbit House and it appeared in the magazine. Yeah, everyone is coming in to try. So uhm, Cocoa already sleeping on the job? I guess it’s to hear her sleep talking about trying to be everyone’s Santa. Oh Chino, you can work hard too. No pressure… I hope. Cocoa works nonstop that she just fell asleep once she plonks on her bed. Chino realizes they haven’t changed into their winter uniform yet and as she looks through the wardrobe, realizes a few other coloured uniforms Cocoa has completed. Hmm… The right size. Time to suck in her pride and call for backup to help with the busy season. Chiya and Sharo, are you free now?

Episode 11
Sharo and Chiya are reinforcements to replace Cocoa and Rize at Rabbit House. The duo are trying to hijack and turn Rabbit House into their own coffee house and since Chino doesn’t want to lose out, WTF this nightmare latte she’s making?! Is Rabbit House doomed?! So what about days when Sharo and Chiya won’t be available? Don’t worry. Loli reinforcements! Wow. Chino so happy she starts crying!? WTF?! First order is to put a replica of Tippy as the star of the Christmas tree. When everyone is around to help, Chino starts spacing out because she can’t believe there are so many helpers are Rabbit House. Cocoa tries to fool everyone in her Santa getup but nobody’s buying it. With all their colour coded jackets, I guess the girls can do some Power Rangers spoof pose. Tippy really worried his Rabbit House is now turning into something else. At the end of the day, the girls celebrate their success as they also exchange presents. Safe to say, everybody loves their gifts. But there’s more from Cocoa since she has brought presents for everyone and does a lovely magic trick that doesn’t suck! Wow. Cocoa now a pro magician! Later that night when everyone has gone to bed, China tries to sneak her secret present into Cocoa’s room. Too bad her own internal alarm wakes her up. WTF is Santa time?! Next morning, Chino can’t turn off the alarm clock which is a surprise present from Cocoa. Damn, its alarm is Cocoa’s voice!!! OMFG!!! So annoying! Turn it off! TURN IT OFF! Oh sh*t. Can’t turn off… OH NO!!!

Episode 12
Before we forget they even exist, we take a glimpse of Cocoa’s mom and her sister, Mocha doing at their bakery in the outskirts. Mocha is feeling depressed since from the photo Cocoa sent, she and her friends are having fun. Worse, Mocha’s coffee is still horrible as ever! Just when her depression is at the lowest, mom has all the customers say what’s best about her. Instantly she gets her motivation back up and is ready to serve. Her coffee still sucks, though. What do you mean it’s even worse than before?! Cocoa soon receives a fruit cake from them as well as her middle and high school uniforms. Cocoa tries the middle school one for size and it brings back nostalgic memories. Chino tries the high school one and though it is loose for her, she thinks she has seen this uniform somewhere before. Back to Mocha and mom, the former finds a photo album of mom. One of the most memorable pictures is a high school pic with a friend named Usagi AKA Saki. She hints she isn’t around anymore. Meanwhile Chino also stumbles into that same photo in her album. If you’re still unsure who this chick is, it’s Chino’s late mom. This has Chino realize mommy didn’t spend her entire life in this town. Yeah, starting to realize the world is bigger than you think? Next day when all the friends meet, Chiya brought a pie and one of the slices contains a ring that will make her the king (queen isn’t it?) who will get to give orders to the rest. Chino is the lucky one but she needs time to think on her order. At the same time, the rest go sightseeing around town that hints world travel like overseas painting, international aroma, international cafes, and of course travel luggage. Not until Cocoa talks about how looking at the sky makes her feel connected to her family, Chino finally knows what her order is. She wants Rize to pass her college entrance exam and together with her loli friends passing theirs, she hopes all of them will go on a world tour. Sorry Cocoa, it’s not to become your little or big sister. Rize then reveals she already passed her exam but forgot to say. Everyone so happy they celebrate by throwing snowballs at her? Then a big group hug! Thank goodness for the snow. But for now, Chino’s immediate order is for everyone to hang out at her place all night long. Such a lovable king. Or queen. Later Chino talks to Cocoa and to summarize all that she said, it is thanks to her friends that she was able to discover new things. So yeah, thank you very much.

Order Now & We’ll Throw In Free Extra Lolis!
Oh man. Once again I survived the onslaught of cute girls doing cute things. Referring back to my blog from last season, now it seems I did remember that I was expecting to be ready when this third season hit the shores. Too bad I didn’t expect it to be 5 years later! And so yeah, that’s why it caught me by surprise when my guard was down. Just when I least expected it (or rather never at all), suddenly they throw at me this third season. Boom! Here I go again. Reliving all the moe and cuteness this series had to offer. Yeah. That wasn’t so bad, was it?

Don’t worry if you can’t remember much about the past 2 seasons because from the nature of this series, you won’t really lose much. It is all about the cute young waitresses doing cute things in their cute little lives. Having fun all the way from working at their respective coffee houses to their school lives and even their day offs. Oh yeah. It’s like one big paradise for them and I can see why they want to continue staying this way forever. Too bad though, one day all of them are going to grow up and old! Horror for lolicons! But don’t think too much about that. That’s another (horror) story reserved for the future. Or perhaps an alternate spinoff timeline and story. Sheesh. The show has got to have turned into levels of boring if I ever dream of that happening.

So yeah, everybody is having fun in their cute ways that will either make you squirm with delight and excitement or puke with all the putrid kawaii cute factors. Such a nice delightful wonderland for our young ones to live out their youth. Sorry, if I sound like repeating myself because that is basically not much I can tell. Otherwise, it is your typical cute girls doing cute things anime of the season. Even better because this is a more popular franchise and has already gotten sequels and a movie over the years compared to others that just died out after a season and faded into obscurity. (Gee, on a side note, I really thought Blend S would get another season so I guess based on this theory of mine, it wasn’t as popular as I thought it was in the first place).

The characters. Pretty much the same as we all know them for the past seasons. Nothing has really much changed because that is how we love them. Everyone is still an airhead in their own ways. Everyone is a joker/funny girl in their own ways. Everyone is a rebuke/retort expert in their own ways. Eventually, everyone is so darn cute and kawaii in their own ways! Yeah. You just can’t really hate them and sometimes you want to squeeze, cuddle and mofumofu them to death! And I guess Cocoa mastering her magic means we can’t make running jokes or meme about her being a bad magician, no? But we still can about Mocha and her bad coffee… Hehehe… I’m not really a Sharo fan but it seems this season I kind liked her a lot most probably because of her tsundere personality and her very shrieky retorts, making her a fun and cute girl to watch. Because Cocoa feels like a retard and Rize is like funnily serious that it makes her weird in some ways. Chiya sounds too girly, Chino too blur and the loli duo too loli. Yeah. What am I saying? So yeah, Sharo might not have 100% overcome her fear of rabbits but she’s making progress. Slow but steady and surely.

Basically things have never changed as Aoyama continues to run away from her responsibilities and not finish her whatever book. Perhaps she can hold the record for longest unfinished book ever. Not sure if that book signing ceremony was it or if it’s another one of her shorter works. But oh well, if she gets the job done, Rin wouldn’t have the job of chasing her. Yeah. Weird. Rin’s job would’ve been mundane and redundant if Aoyama always hands in her work in time. Tippy continues to be the grandpa reincarnated as furry rabbit watching over everybody and the same for Takahiro. No place for old elderly men in this anime meant for cute little girls! We do get a little more glimpse of Aoyama’s past relationship with old master but that’s so much about it.

Although art and animation stay largely the same with the characters looking overly cute and moe and the setting of the town is your old European-like style houses, this third season Encourage Films (Isekai Cheat Magician, Love Kome, Hitorijime My Hero) has taken over producing this series from White Fox (though, it was Production DoA who did the subsequent movie and OVA). You won’t notice any huge difference but I do notice that the sceneries of the town especially during festive seasons like Halloween and Christmas, they are a sight to behold. With all the shiny decorations, wow, they are actually good to look at. Quite nice visual candy, actually. So if you get tired at fawning over the lolis (really?!), you can just admire the lovely backgrounds. This time at the end of the ending credits animation, they present to us latte art, which is of course nice and amusing to look at.

This season our same quartet of Cocoa, Rize, Sharo and Chiya sing the opening theme, Tenkuu Cafeteria. Your usual generic and typical cute and upbeat music that will have you squeal with all the cuteness and probably dance to the beat. The only thing that I somewhat dislike about the song is that it suddenly ends. Like as though they needed to fit into the 1.5 minute opener limit and have to cut it off. I don’t know, maybe it is intended that way but it just suddenly killed my vibe. Just like past seasons too, the ending theme is sung by the loli trio of Chino, Maya and Megu. Nakayoshi Nakayoshi is another predictably cute song with all the liveliness you would expect. Only this time Alice In Wonderland theme? Might as well ramp up the cuteness at this rate since we’re already here. For the final episode, Yume Utsutsu Happy Time by the aforementioned quartet somewhat reminds me of Secret Base. Don’t know why, it’s not even the same song but somewhat it gives off that feel.

Overall, if we can survive 2020, we can survive all the suffocating cuteness that this season has spammed in our faces. Because if you ever need to run away from brutal reality and only extremely cute girls can heal the vicious cycle of life, this anime is it! Uh huh. Not kidding. I can see why this is one of the very few cute girls doing cute things series to get sequels. That is why if they are going to make a fourth season, I’ll be ready for all that when it comes and better die of extreme asphyxiation and heart tightening conditions than the stress of everyday life. Whether it is another 5 years or 10 years later (assuming very heavily these lolis will NEVER grow up!), all I need is to do is sit back and relax while sipping my cup of coffee. Oh yeah. How far down the rabbit hole can I go to escape realism? I am now ready to order again, if you don’t mind…

Ani Ni Tsukeru Kusuri Wa Nai S4

Oh wow. I actually did not expect this. Ani Ni Tsukeru Kusuri Wa Nai S4?! Season four of this popular Chinese web series? Come to think of it, this series has been releasing a season steadily for a year since its debut in 2017. So I guess releasing another one in 2020 wouldn’t be so surprised. Considering how sh*tty the year is, we need to be reminded that there could possibly be things that are more worse than the year itself. Or perhaps just continue laughing at the antics of a particular idiotic brother and a violently brutal sister. Yeah, 2020 does seem a little better right now… Oh, who am I kidding?!

Episode 1
Shi Fen invites Banzai into his room but it is filled with garbage everywhere! Be careful where you step! I guess he has had it stepping on things so he tells him to get rid of them all. Every item Banzai wants to throw out, Shi Fen has some sort of excuse not to. Then he picks up what seems to be Shi Mao’s pantsu! Did he find some treasure? Actually Shi Fen admits that is his underwear. The argument resumes until Shi Fen gives his dramatic plea that he can’t throw them all away because of the fond memories it gives him. Banzai then sees the onyx stone he gave for his present and understands. Can’t throw this away, right? But Shi Fen throws the stone away without a thought. That can go! Banzai then continues to throw everything else out. In the aftermath, the decluttering has done some good. So clean and spacious now. However they forgot to put back Shi Fen’s bed (a reason why it is so spacious), so he is sleeping in the hallway, blocking the door to the toilet.

Episode 2
The gang are at the amusement park. The siblings want to sit out the roller coaster ride, giving excuses. Aren’t they just scared? Shi Mao notices the haunted house ride. It brought back lots of memories. She was scared all the way but Shi Fen was just cool. At the end of the ride, he calmed her down and it made the whole experience less scary. Now, she wants to ride it for nostalgic sake. Of course this time she is trying to pretend to be scared but ultimately she had a lot of fun. After the ride, she wants to go get some commemorative photos. She notices Shi Fen’s eyes closed all the time. When she pries it open, she sees fear in it. Yeah, his legs are shaking. This shatters that cool image of her bro. Feeling so disappointed…

Episode 3
Kai Xin has brought great achievements to the sports team. But with the new rules, he must score a minimum in his tests, otherwise he cannot participate. So he claims to have studied for 6 hours straight for it. But when Wan Xing tests him on a basketball term, he gives the obvious wrong answer. Shi Fen watches a secret video (mind if Shi Mao joins in too!) of Kai Xin studying. But after 3 minutes, he slacks off. Hence after a short moment of focus, this is followed by long periods of slacking off. Next day, Shi Fen confiscates his handphone and ties his hand to a pencil. He must focus on his studies if he wants to get it back. So Kai Xin goes into overdrive mode and does all he can to concentrate on his studies. And after a long while, he thinks he has done his best and wants a break. Only, it has only been 3 minutes!

Episode 4
Wan Xing spots Shi Mao and Miao Miao coming so he has to abandon getting into his car to avoid being seen as chauffeured. Yeah, walk all the way home. Because of that, the rest wants to help him by lending their bicycle. Well, Shi Fen’s missing a wheel and Kai Xin is too high for his legs to reach. Shi Mao offers him a ride but accidentally keeps kicking him off! This is starting to irk Wan Xing and has thoughts of giving up this friendship thingy. Then Miao Miao gives him a bike her cousin made. But with training wheels? But once he rides it, he gets the feel of it and likes it. Ever since, he prefers to cycle to school, much to the confusion of his chauffeur.

Episode 5
Time to be reminded as Shi Mao beats up Shi Fen. But soon he recovers and this amazes Banzai. He thinks he has what it takes to become a martial artist. So they head to the dojo where Shi Mao is trained to meet her master, Heihachi Shi Han. He remembers Shi Mao and praises this prodigy of his. But when he learns this is her brother, he starts mocking him that he can’t do martial arts because of his bad posture and habits. Shi Fen doesn’t like how he sounds so he tries to pick a fight with him. In no time he gets beaten to a pulp. But then Shi Han feels something strange. Something wonderful. He realizes that Shi Fen is a prodigy, a man born to be hit! Why, his perfect durability enhances your confidence as a martial artist! Hence Shi Fen is the perfect human sandbag! Ready for your next beat down?

Episode 6
Kai Xin somehow gets picked by all the teachers to solve problems on the board. How can this be? Banzai points out that his size and stature may make him stand out. Hence Kai Xin goes for an image change and tries to look nerdy but the teachers still pick him. How now? Shi Fen has the solution: Become the wind and disappear. Before he could call crap on that nonsense, Shi Fen demonstrates on how it’s done. Oh sh*t! Shi Fen disappears before their eyes! Teach me, sensei! And so the next time the teacher is trying to pick someone, he notices Shi Fen not around and asks Kai Xin what happened to him. Happy guy replies that he has disappeared with the wind! Teacher marks him down as skipping class.

Episode 7
With all the girls screaming over Kai Xin’s abs, Shi Fen doesn’t want to lose out and shows them his. However they get freaked out because they’re just fats! Hence Shi Fen takes it upon himself to do some sit-ups but unfortunately that doesn’t last long. So Shi Mao is going to beat him up into shape?! I don’t know how but it worked! Damn, he has a six pack now! However, he needs to think of a way to show them off without looking like a pervert. Watching Kai Xin drink and then wiping his mouth with a shirt, he does the same. Only, the girls aren’t watching. So he keeps drinking and drinking in hopes they would look. But by the time they do, they scream at his abomination. Because he drank so much water, his stomach is so bloated that it is looking fat now! Goodbye six pack…

Episode 8
Banzai and Wan Xing are before a public bathhouse. The little one is hell bent never to enter such establishment for commoners. Then a bus splashes mud over them. I guess they have to now. But they get intimidated with naked men with abs! Why do they all pose like famous Greek statues?! They want to escape but looks like Shi Fen and Kai Xin are here. Can’t escape no more. When they wrap themselves in towels and look like Greeks, Shi Fen and Kai Xin disrobe Banzai until he becomes crazy and one of them. Wan Xing will not fall for this trick but to his dismay, the bath has no individual stalls. Hence he calls his driver for the ultimate equipment that will protect the family’s honour. Turns out to be a full body swimsuit that includes covering the whole head! Yeah, he looks like a creepy weirdo… How the f*ck can he bathe in that thing?

Episode 9
The public bath continues. Shi Fen and Kai Xin try to get Wan Xing join them soaking in the water. But by farting in the water?! Of course Wan Xing will not join in such unsanitary filthy act. This irks Shi Fen so it’s a showdown to see who can last longest in the sauna. Both try to outdo each other but eventually both come rushing out to cool themselves in the cold water. Somehow this strikes an odd friendship between them because Wan Xing allows Shi Fen to scrub his back. However he scrubs so hard that Wan Xing flies off, skips over the water and crashes into the wall! Damn, that knocked the kid out. And ever since this traumatic event, he never goes to another public bathhouse again.

Episode 10
Shi Fen is late for class and the teacher will not hear any excuses. But what’s this? You Le is also late? Everyone is worried something happened but she owns up, admits her own tardiness and promises it won’t happen again. Later, Shi Fen tries to ‘welcome’ her to the dark side of being late but she remains steadfast that it was her own fault and will never happen again. This irks Shi Fen because she sounds so much like a robot. Next day as Shi Fen leaves early so as won’t be late again, he spots You Le coming out from a store. He tails her to see her feed a stray cat at the park. He realizes he is running late and leaves. So the class wonders if You Le is going to be late again but here she is, doing this crazy stunt of pole vaulting into the class! Just in the nick of time! Everybody cheers! Except for Shi Fen. He just couldn’t care less anymore.

Episode 11
Shi Fen showing off his new shoes. Shi Mao almost beats him up thinking he wasted their money but he claims he was being given the pairs. You see, some old guy dropped his wallet so Shi Fen gave it back to him and in return he bought him the shoes. Later as Kai Xin ridicules this shoe, Shi Fen starts passionately explaining all the mumbo-jumbo of how hi-tech and that it is the shoes of rich people and nobles! Banzai heard this. Yeah, he is wearing the same shoes! He throws them away! So when his pals see him shoeless, he claims they dissolved. Shi Fen feels bad and gives him 1 shoe. Yeah, Shi Fen now hopping on 1 foot. But then the teacher is mad. He thinks Shi Fen was the one who threw the shoe that hit his head! Though it isn’t him, can Shi Fen run with just 1 foot? He makes a huge jump, believing in the shoe’s technology to cushion his landing. Banzai takes a look at his half and realizes it is fake. Uh huh. Bad landing for Shi Fen… The pain…

Episode 12
10 years ago, Shi Mao was fascinated with the story of a woman who traded up a paper clip till she get a house. Shi Fen was amused but heck, he tried it anyway. Well, eventually he traded up to a bicycle. On his way back, he sees Kai Xin watching a basketball match. Seems he wants to play ball but because he sucks at studying, his parents forbade him to play. Hence Shi Fen trades in the bicycle to get a basketball for him. That was when they started becoming friends. Shi Fen might not trade up to get a house but he sure earned a friend! And that itself is priceless! Oh, and that bicycle he traded actually belonged to Kai Xin because his father is some comic book collector and Shi Fen traded the previous comic book for a bike. Now Kai Xin has to walk to school…

Fail Guys…
This season doesn’t disappoint at all but it still doesn’t bring anything new to the plate. While I am not technically complaining but maybe I am a little bit. Because when I am saying such things, it means that I am already starting to feel that if this doesn’t change, I might find myself to be bored if the next season rolls around and I will give this series a much lesser score. While I don’t intend to see any big shake ups, I am hoping to see something a little more different while the main integrity and core of everything else could remain the same. You know, maybe something about You Le’s love for Shi Fen… Just saying…

But other than that, there is nothing else to say about this season since it is basically the same as its past predecessors. We have the guys being the dumb prideful idiots and with Shi Fen being the main joker, he bears the brunt of all the fails that backfire. He lives up to his role as the resident idiot perfectly. Shi Mao also beats up Shi Fen but this season also feels it has less of that as it focuses on more of the other dumb antics the characters have to give. After all, it would get a bit too tiring and repetitive to see Shi Mao’s violent side, right? Then we’ll start to question, can this series do anything else more and funnier than a sister beating the crap out of his brother? Yeah… At least the final episode shows how Shi Fen and Kai Xin became friends. Not a bad way to end the season. They might be idiots but they’re still friends.

Many other characters also don’t seem to change much. Because what is the love progress of Shi Mao over Kai Xin? I guess none because if Shi Mao finds out how much of an idiot and similar he is to her brother, everything is over. Banzai continues to try to fit in as a normal person and hide his rich status. Funny and cute but still it’s more of the same thing. Wan Xing feels he got a little more screen time here but in a way he feels like a mini punching bag as he bears some of the unfortunate shenanigans. So far so good for this little guy and it is hard to say if he would become like his brother (an idiot in the making) or one who would shun this commoner life entirely and become a hateful character. I vouch for the former. It’s more fun that way.

Overall, this season feels a lot like an extension rather than a real continuation whatsoever. Heh. What am I saying? All the short skits are so random of each other that they all might just independent filler standalones. Whatever has been said, has been said. I don’t want to repeat myself like a broken recorder (and also I don’t really remember what I said the last time. Teeheehee!). But don’t worry. Even if the following year they come up with another season, I will still watch it as I still love the antics of this series. Maybe add some new direction to the romance or heck, maybe add in some wacky character. There might be no cures for idiotic brothers but I’m sure there will always be the cure to blow away the blues after a disappointing 2020, which is also the biggest idiocy too. Albeit just a temporary one, but better than nothing. Yeah, I wanna see Shi Mao beat the sh*t out of 2020…

Umayon

I guess it is a trend for some shows. After the TV series has ended its run, that series itself will have a chibi spinoff short. Just like in the case of Toji No Miko having Mini Toji, Shingeki No Kyojin having its Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou, BanG Dream and their Garupa Pico, YuruYuri got their Mini Yuri as well as Ansatsu Kyoshitsu’s Koro-sensei Q, I suppose Uma Musume: Pretty Derby too is going to have their own chibi spinoff short, Umayon. Your guess is as good as mine what is going to be shown here. Uh huh. No need for any rocket scientist or Einstein prodigy to deduce the kind of content that we’ll be up to. No, siree. Just sit back and enjoy the chibi silliness.

Episode 1
Teio and Suzuka narrate a make-up exam taken by Glass Wonder, El Condor Pasa and Special Week. Special Week looks awfully sleep deprived. Did she do last minute study and cramming it all in? The exam begins and we see Glass Wonder and El Condor Pasa off to a good start. Special Week struggles but then starts to buck up and catch up by using her special dice pencil to decide the answers! In the end, it is Special Week who finishes first! Hooray! Of course may I remind you that this is an exam and not a race so it doesn’t matter who finishes first. What matters is your final score and looks like Special Week failed!

Episode 2
We see a PR video of Tracen Academy as narrated by Rudolf. Typically, she explains all the great facilities and school life this academy has to offer. If only Teio can shut up about he jokey comments. In the end, this promotional video is all great except for the fact that Teio can be seen in almost every scene trying to get some obvious screen time attention. Yeah, reshoot the whole damn thing again.

Episode 3
Mayano Top Gun and Yukino Bijin are talking how beautiful Gold City is since she is a model for a fashion magazine. Speaking of her, here comes the person in the flesh. They think it’s so cool for one to be a celebrity but City doesn’t think it of a big deal. She invites them to her next photo shoot. They are sceptical since why would a celebrity bring nobodies like them. And with just a call, City informs her manager she’ll be bringing a couple of friends to her next shoot. The power of celebrity… So the duo watch City in action and are of course awed by everything. So I guess the lesson City is trying to tell them is not to be afraid to follow your dreams. It won’t feel right to give up without even trying. Pretty simple. The next fashion edition, the duo are featured with City in the middle spread. Such gorgeous smiles.

Episode 4
A change in pace, we see a Broadway musical sung by Maruzensky, Fuji Kiseki, T.M. Opera O and Smart Falcon. A song about who loves who better and more. But I guess at the end of the day of such typical musical, everybody just loves everybody because love wins it all. Not too sure if this is going to be a smashing success…

Episode 5
Today’s race is a ramen eating contest. And our gluttons contestants are Special Week, Oguri Cap and Taiki Shuttle. As they start off, we see them each having their own method in chowing down the big bowl of ramen. But halfway through, Taiki is already full and is slowing down. So it is down to Special Week and Oguri Cap. Both are neck to neck and ultimately both of them finish at the same time. A photo finish reveals that Oguri Cap drank more soup than Special Week so she wins it. Our horse girls leave satisfied and with a huge stomach to boot. Gochisousama!

Episode 6
Fine Motion invites King Halo and McQueen to fine dining. Turns out the place is a pretty normal beef bowl shop for normies. Had it not been for their guide, Ines Fujin, it would have been embarrassing. So we see how the high class horse girls being stumped with all the normalcy from the menu and even to the ordering of the food. Shocking, eh? Eventually they manage to get by and enjoy their food. King Halo getting a champion sized serving… Can she finish it? Of course. With a bloated tummy now… Finally they’re going to pay with their credit card?! Ines will just take the bill and pay by cash. So our high class horse girls get a taste of ‘fine dining’ at its finest. Yeah, they can’t wait to try the monjayaki place next. Oh boy…

Episode 7
Ticket suggests Hayahide and Taishin to come join her in hunting rhinoceros beetles in the morning. Ticket is quite confident with the tips she got from the internet the place where they can snag a lot of those beetles. On some trees in the forest, they found a few. Want more? They start kicking the tree to dump more beetles out. Wow. What a catch. Loads of them. However one of the kicks then stirs the hornet’s nest. Oh sh*t. Run! So who runs faster? Hornets or horses?! Well, the horse girls run like they’ve never run before and finally lose the hornets by diving into the sea. Phew. They bet they even set their new personal best record.

Episode 8
It’s time to spoof the sentai genre! Yes, a mad scientist unleashes a monster to terrorize the streets. Uma Soldier V is here to save the day. But what’s this? 2 same pink members? Must be something to do with their name… Unfortunately group fight is negated when their commander prefers 1 on 1 fights! So the 2 pink members against the monster is considered that? Eventually they unleash their secret carrot cannon to blast away the monster. Mad scientist won’t admit defeat yet. If her monster drinks this black tea, she’ll revive and turn giant size. Only downside: Monster doesn’t like black tea. And with that the baddie is defeated! Is this the power of justice? More like power of crap because you can’t blame the green member for being traumatized from all this crap and runs away!

Episode 9
Presenting the idol group, Getaway Sisters! Original it was made up of Falcon, Suzuka and Mihono Bourbon but Falcon saw in her dream that they should add 2 more members. While searching for other members, Maruzensky has been waiting for the moment to join them but is accidentally usurp by Ines who is in a hurry. Falcon takes this as a sign that Ines should be the new addition. So they chase after her and Ines throws down the challenge if they can keep up with her, she’ll listen to what they have to say. So this was just a race to the cheap sale? Anyway, Falcon tells her intentions and Ines isn’t so sure since she isn’t into that sort of stuff. Until Falcon mentions about getting paid so she’s all aboard. Suddenly Maruzensky comes by to beg to join their group. Not sure about her twisted reasoning but I guess it was good enough for Falcon to accept her. And so the new quintet of Getaway Sisters start prancing away on stage for their fans.

Episode 10
The horse girls are going to do kimodameshi. Vodka and Scarlet trying to outdo and challenge each other that they’re not scared but let’s see when the real deal comes. The one who will judge them is Matikane Fukukitaru so as she follows the duo as they enter the dark forest to begin the challenge. As Fukukitaru leads them to different forks, it soon dawns to the duo that something is wrong. And then of course they get spooked by other horse girls as they run for their lives. Eventually they made it back out to the starting point. What a big relief, eh? However Fukukitaru seems to be annoyed that they started without her. Eh? But she has been with them all the time, right? Apparently other horse girls point out they only saw the duo enter the forest without Fukukitaru. So the one they’re with means… OH SH*T! Furthermore, the path is all straight and not forks. DOUBLE SH*T! With the duo spooked out of their daylights , so it’s safe to say this challenge is a draw.

Episode 11
Time for a detective mystery suspense. Nice Nature and Mejiro Ryan confront Eishin Flash regarding the attack on Hayakawa Tazuna. They deduce that her times and speed she is able to make it back and do the crime. Flash dismisses that possibility. Because do they have proof? They admit they don’t! Heck, she has to even hint about Air Shakur who keeps all the data so if they had just asked her, maybe they would’ve gotten their proof! But they didn’t. Yeah, the irony Flash chastising them for a sloppy detective job! Even more so when Flash reveals why and how she did it to take out Shakur and Tazuna. The duo want to take her in to the station but that won’t be necessary since Flash jumps off the cliff. They claim this extreme move is due to her being a genuine perfectionist. Then they rue they forgot to ask why she attacked Tazuna…

Episode 12
Finally! An episode about horse girls racing. But it’s not going to be a straight race. Tamamo Cross, Super Creek and Hishi Amazon have to go through obstacles like, uhm, face in powder obstacle? Then they have to get dressed in an embarrassing cosplay before a scavenger hunt. Before the final stretch, Gold Ship appears and the trio are mad at her because she set all this up to embarrass them. In the end, Gold Ship crosses the finish line and wins it. Legal or not, who cares?! Oh, our disgruntled horse girls are! Get back here!

My Little Ponies…
See you next series? So does that mean there is going to be another season of this chibi madness or actually the second season of Uma Musume the TV series or another unrelated spinoff? Or is that just red herring to troll us into doing a wild goose chase and come up with our hands empty? After all, we had our fun horsing around so we don’t even know if they’ve been leading us astray all the while. Uh huh. Don’t think those chibi horse girls are innocent! They’re up to something… I know they are!

While the shorts are pretty simple and enjoyable in its own mini rights, I guess that you have to be a fan of the series to fully appreciate it. Because take it from me who isn’t really close to a fan and more of a casual viewer watching this series just for completion’s sake. I find the little random skits to be funny but it’s not that it made me look forward and wanting more. It’s not like I was laughing my ass off every time either. It’s just something to pass the time and I’m ‘obliged’ to do so since I have watched the main TV series and since it’s just 3 minutes long how is that going to waste my time? Heh. Maybe I just did. But I didn’t care. At least it was still pretty enjoyable. That in the loosest terms :-).

Remember how the original TV series had so many horse girls and that so many only had like a few seconds cameo and some never reappearing again? Well yeah, my guess for having these shorts is to introduce more horse girls! OMG. I believe that they introduced more of them and those who did not appear in the TV series at all. I don’t know. I may be wrong but not entirely. There may be some horse girls whom I don’t remember making their appearance here and in the TV series but I also believe there are some really new ones appearing in the shorts for the first time. Hence if there is a small fry horse girl you like that didn’t pop up in the TV series, chances are they might here. And yeah, too bad a lot of them only appear for 1 episode and without reinforcement, looks like I’ve already forgotten the earlier bunch in initial episodes… Damn, my memories so bad… And I don’t even know if there are those who didn’t even show up here. I think those who didn’t got screwed over…

Hence the characters come and go per episode and it’s like as though they just want to give them a few minutes of the spotlight. Hey, it could have been any other horse girl. Imagine an episode, replacing that horse girl who appeared with another one. Do you think it would make a difference? I doubt it. After all, many of them look pretty much the same to me! Therefore it is my own silly conspiracy theory that the producers spun the wheel to randomly pick a horse girl o two to be featured for that episode. After all, the random satires that mocks and parodies almost every genre thinkable, the characters and the story don’t really have to match! Think about it! For instance that sentai parody, imagine other horse girls replacing those that we have seen as Uma Soldier V. No difference, right?

Art and animation are okay, characters in their chibi format gives the whole thing a funny and light-hearted feel. Nothing to complain about. It’s only 3 minutes long so there’s no excuse for bad animation. This short is jointly done by DMM Futureworks and W-Toon Studio as both are masters in doing short animations together like Nora To Oujo To Noraneko Heart, Mini Yuri and MahoYome. For a short series, they sure have a bunch of ending themes. Though, they just last about 30 seconds. After all, remember the winners of the race do go on stage and sing. So we have Pyoitto Halleluyah as the first one (typical genki denpa song), Ring Ring Diary as the second (typical idol song) and Nigekiri! Fallin’ Love as the third (even more denpa idol combo song upping the ante on the dubstep effect).

Overall, mostly simple and fun. It served what it was supposed to do and nothing more, nothing less. But still, not really anime of the season material. Heh. Not sure this would lead to another season in terms of another sequel for the TV series or the spinoff would get a continuation. But that would be a different story altogether. As far as this season is concerned, we had our fun horsing around with these cuties. Umayon was definitely a sweet little umai dessert course. But alas, it would have been a little bit perfect, icing on the cake with cherry on top had it had a beach fanservice episode… So yeah, maybe this in the next series?

Senki Zesshou Symphogear XV

Oh boy. I really thought they forgot all about it when they announced the fifth season altogether when the fourth was starting. I didn’t think it would run back to back and that they would take a season or two break before resuming. Who’d knew that it would about 2 years for the fifth season to come out! I was somewhat waiting and waiting and then conveniently forgot all about it. And then here it is, Senki Zesshou Symphogear XV. Speaking of which, looking back it seems that this series releases a season about every 2 years so I guess it’s valid. By that time I think it’s safe to say that I’ve forgotten everything and I’m too lazy to go rewatch the previous season. I’ll just roll along and let the girls do the fighting and saving the world! Because I believe in them!

Episode 1
We see some dying guy managing to activate something before he dies. Meanwhile our Symphogear girls have dropped into Antarctica to face this giant Sarcophagus. So this giant robo dung beetle is the ancient relic guardian of something? After the girls set their firepower on it, cue for some tension as the Sarcophagus renders them immobile. WTF interfering with the laws of the universe?! Hence a flashback sees Hibiki finally passing her singing test. Because she sings from the heart?! While out with Miku, they spot an explosion on a cruise ship at sea. Apparently SONG has a lab hidden in there and were analysing some gear left behind by an Autoscorer and probably its defensive mechanisms activated when the researchers delved in a bit too far. But the data they managed to extract pointed them to a lake in Antarctica. And that is where it brings our girls to. As agents have also been investigating the remnants of Pavarian Illuminati, they discovered Adam wanted to use the divine power to achieve the goal of destroying the Sarcophagus in order to become the world’s ultimate ruler. But it looks like a group of girls from Pavarian Illuminati, Vanessa Diodati, Millaarc Cranstoun and Elsa Bete are targeting it for an entirely different reason. They don’t want it destroyed but to use it to rebuild their future. Our Symphogear girls break free and continue attacking the Sarcophagus. Heck, to show how awesome they are, their combo has them locate and destroy its only weakness located in its neck with pinpoint accuracy and timing despite all the obstacles that stand in their way! Damn, they make it look so easy. In the aftermath as the scientists try to salvage it, they discover a mummified corpse inside.

Episode 2
I guess everybody is teasing Chris she is using the gloves they got her for her birthday. You want to be sad for her not using it then? Flashback shows during the retrieval of the corpse, Alca-Noise showed up attacking the US vessel to steal it. Kirika and Shirabe went to deal with it but stumbled into Elsa whom they also fought with. In the end, Elsa is forced to withdraw and not go all out because they cannot risk damaging the corpse. Meanwhile Genjuurou gets lectured by Fudou (Tsubasa’s grandpa) because Japan relinquished their right to examine the corpse to US and he even let the Pavarian remnants off the hook. He is warned not to bring further shame. Meanwhile our girls are already late for Tsubasa and Maria’s concert because of the damn traffic jam. Why not just go on foot? It’s this close, right? So as the duo belt out their hits, suddenly Alca-Noise drop in to slaughter everyone! Oh sh*t! Everybody dies! Damn those fans paid to enjoy a good concert and they all got slaughtered instead. You mean the other Symphogear girls can’t transform right now and go? Stupid traffic jam! Tsubasa’s trauma activates when Millaarc kills a hostage before her eyes. This allows Millaarc to scan and capture whatever data was needed before fleeing. You bet Tsubasa is in despair, thinking important things keep slipping through her fingers. Meanwhile as the scientists scan the corpse, the moment the bracer was scanned, the corpse turns into dust.

Episode 3
Tsubasa so traumatized that she’s in coma. Millaarc and Elsa doing some shady exchange with American agents. F*cking Americans. Because a few biker guys happen to see this, wrong time, wrong place, the Pavarian duo go out to slaughter them. Biker boss praying for angels to come rescue him. God answers his wish in the form of Symphogear girls! Millaarc trying to play psychology with Hibiki because without her Ignite Module, she cannot beat her. But with Chris backing her up, the duo manage to escape by the skin of their teeth although they had to leave behind an important suitcase. Analysing its contents, it contains a very rare blood type known as Rh-xxoyle. It is believed the US is behind this but their suspicions are put to rest when they get news that their lab in Los Alamos is destroyed by Pavarian Illuminati. Further investigation by Yatsuhiro reveals the lab also deals with heretical technology research. And FIS was part of Los Alamos. Also, although several relics with no power were stolen, that bracer known as Shem-ha was one of them. Yatsuhiro will press the US government to help resolve this matter. Tsubasa is back up now and before she can claim she is okay, a stinging message from Fudou that she allowed enemies to attack Japan and that she cannot protect the people. He believes songs cannot protect the world. There goes Tsubasa getting depressed all over again. Kirika is joking that the enemies might be targeting blood banks. What do you know, Millaarc shows up at one! With Shirabe, they attack and defeat her. Don’t let her sew doubts in your thinking because Millaarc claiming she wants to protect her family, cue for Vanessa to drop in. This fight was just a decoy for Elsa to get the blood. Vanessa then blackouts all electricity in the vicinity. This give them time to escape as our heroines are forced to save the patients. Damn hospital has no backup generator?! We see Vanessa talking to Fudou and will give him Shem-ha as he wanted. He believes this is what Japan needs to reclaim its rightful place.

Episode 4
These remnants call themselves Noble Red and they need the blood to filter the impurities from the use of their powers. Fudou sees Noble Red to activate Shem-ha. He uses the American agents as bait by having them killed. One of them panics and puts on the bracer and he explodes! Fudou realizes the divine power won’t let itself be used so easily. Elsa has a proposal. When the Symphogear girls drop down to fight Noble Red, Hibiki learns their goal is to return to being normal girls and be friends with everyone. So why fight then? Can’t we just talk? No can do. People reject and ostracize those who are different. This fight is just a distraction for Shem-ha to be taken away and once so, Noble Red retreats. SONG picks up some device from the ruins and analyses its waveform to be in some strange music format. Because Maria planted a tracking device on Vanessa during that fight, they are able to trace their makeshift hideout. Although Noble Red realizes this too late, they prepare to fight the Symphogear girls. So the moment they land and before they can finish singing their first sentence, BOOM! Landed right on the minefield!!! Is this a joke?! Of course it will take more than that to kill them so Noble Red traps them in some indestructible blocks that turned into some giant pyramid labyrinth. Then they compress their weak powers in a confined space to multiply the explosion exponentially. Since Hibiki is feeling down about losing, cue for vision of Saint-Germain to lecture her whom she lost to. To yourself? Hibiki being Hibiki, that’s enough to pull her out of the doldrums. Why, Saint-Germain lending her powers means golden protective barriers? Wow! Hibiki’s outfit has transformed into even something shinier! Now packing some power punches to counter strike Noble Red. But she won’t deal the final blow because she remembers Vanessa wants to be friends. Can we just shake hands and talk for a start? Suddenly an order from Genjuurou to abort mission now. Looks like the Japanese government has got SONG at gunpoint.

Episode 5
Not sure what is going on because this sneaky official forces SONG to cooperate so as they can investigate whatever. Noble Red rendezvous with Fudou. He tells them to begin the last phase of the plan as everything has been set. However he warns them that because they have failed in some ways, there are people sniffing around his feet. Vanessa’s flashback shows us she was working as a researcher in Pavarian Illuminati. While researching Faust Robe, it exploded and almost killed her. But her body was replaced with cyborg parts and she was further humiliated by being experimented on. Her only solace were Elsa and Millaarc as fellow experiment subjects. When Pavarian Illuminati fell, they escaped. However their bodies require special blood and Fudou offered to supply them that in exchange for their assistance with his plan. Genjuurou manages to contact Yatsuhiro. The latter laments that proper paper has been filed for this despite noting there are shady individuals involved. There are also traces that Fudou might be involved but it is best not to suspect him until they have solid proof. For now, Yatsuhiro is trying to fix failing relations with US and hopes the joint lunar expedition will solve it or he will threaten them with some WMD incident. With the Symphogear girls on standby, I guess now it’s a good time to take a break. Hibiki is out with Miku, Tsubasa and Elfnein. Hibiki and Miku end up in an argument about Tsubasa’ feelings. But they have to put that aside since Alca-Noise are attacking the city. As Hibiki and Tsubasa go into action, Genjuurou and SONG manage to get court order to take back their commandership. Tsubasa becomes riled up seeing Millaarc and launches relentless assaults. Though, they are just illusions but that didn’t stop her from powering up. Damn, is she responsible for the destruction of the city?! The real Millaarc is hunting down Miku and Elfnein and has orders to take in the latter. It seems that sneaky official is in cohorts with her. Miku thinks she can stall them and let Elfnein run away but looks like Millaarc has a different plan for her.

Episode 6
Yeah, there’s a lot of blood on the scene. Whose blood? Let the lab find out… Meanwhile, the Symphogear girls are in despair over the missing duo. Worse, Tsubasa thinks the rest are blaming her for her err in judgment and gets a little edgy. Then Fudou calls Tsubasa. Like as though he hypnotizes her, he tells her this is not her battlefield and to come to him for guidance if she is lost. Lab results are in… The blood belongs to… Neither! Hooray! Elfnein wakes up and realizes she is in Chateau de Tiffauges. Flashback shows Millaarc killed the official as they have no use for him. Yup, that’s his blood. That scene was so horrifying that the duo passed out. Miku is also alive but is unconscious in another room. It seems Elfnein is tasked to activate something. Looks like some huge generator. Vanessa realizes Ogawa has got his hands on some evidence linking Noble Red to Kazanari Institute. She goes to intercept but thanks to Ogawa’s awesome driving that turns his car into some ninja (car cloning???!!!), he manages to get away. But that is also thanks to the help of Maria and Chris arriving to tackle her. Knowing she won’t be enough to beat them, Vanessa decides to use innocent civilians in her fight. Luckily they are able to save them and also defeat Vanessa. Before they could interrogate her about their pals’ whereabouts, some great light activates from Chateau de Tiffauges. You can’t miss that bright light shooting towards the heavens over there.

Episode 7
Millaarc brainwashes Elfnein to go break through some system security. However because of the abundance of energy, it went berserk. So I take it that this godly monster is Shem-ha? The other Symphogear girls drop in to fight it. Ultimately Hibiki takes the biggest blow and knowing without her god slaying powers this would be a battle they can never win, they make a tactical retreat. When Vanessa returns, she hears their explanation about the need to do an emergency purge after drawing out the divine power from Miku and the output was way beyond their expectations. Back at the base, analysis shows that the wave emitted by Shem-ha is the same as the song from Maria’s homeland, Apple. Vanessa is about to kill Elfnein who has outlived her usefulness. Damn this brat had enough reflex to avoid that? The next time Vanessa tries again, this time Elfnein is saved by the appearance of her Autoscorers. Somehow their scrapped bodies were chained to the reactor core and conveniently revive during the output. Elfnein then contacts SONG and tells them about her whereabouts. Don’t worry, Miku is also safe. Also they’re lucky the diving being hasn’t completely materialized yet. However she can’t hold out and is asking for backup. Unfortunately Genjuurou can’t send his Symphogear girls now, especially their trump card Hibiki is out. So hang in there until they can send reinforcements. So I guess it’s cue to see the Autoscorers serve and protect Elfnein from Noble Red till their last breath. Vanessa thinks she can finally kill this brat but think again! Another miracle! The Autoscorers’ sacrifice has made Elfnein able to transform into a badass Symphogear lass. Oh wait, is this Carol?

Episode 8
Noble Red can’t even touch Carol as she owns them. Better escape while they can. She would have gone after them had not Elfnein tell her their priority is to rescue Miku. Carol then contacts SONG and she wants them to destroy that monster while she finds a way to save Miku before she becomes Shem-ha’s vessel. Fudou is not impressed with Noble Red’s failure. He looks reluctant giving them another chance but when Vanessa hopes he remembers his promise to give them human bodies after he obtains divine power, he shuts her off. Meanwhile Hibiki has her own issues to deal with. Traumatic dream of Miku won’t be her friend anymore? Gee, that’s really like the end of the world. The other Symphogear girls try to power up with their combined swan songs but it has no effect on Chateau de Tiffauges and it’s already taking a toll on their body. Worse, Shem-ha is attacking them. Noble Red returns to fight Carol. They thought their pyramid labyrinth could do the trick but all Carol needs to do is just sing and blast her way out. Remember, her song alone has the Phonic gain equivalent to 7 billion swan songs! Oh, Carol might tire out now but this powers up the other Symphogear girls as they fight back. Noble Red are weakened as Vanessa suspects Fudou has put poison in the blood transfusion. Finally the Symphogear girls have the edge when Hibiki is now launched towards Shem-ha. I guess she has gotten over her trauma. Yeah, what’s the point of wielding Symphogear if she can’t even save a friend? So saving the world isn’t as important? Anyway, with the other Symphogear girls relegated to protecting Hibiki from Shem-ha’s attacks, Hibiki finally uses her extended arms to give the deepest direct punch into the monster. Though she punches through, she is shocked to see Miku waiting for her inside. Wow. Miku has her own Symphogear transformation scene? Apparently this isn’t Dark Miku. Shem-ha has materialized.

Episode 9
I suppose Shem-ha didn’t completely materialize into Miku so that’s why she’s fighting it. But it is that exact moment where Fudou activates a seal in Tsubasa to turn her into his lapdog as she kidnaps Miku from the rest. Everyone is in shock with Tsubasa’s betrayal but continue to believe in her. Hibiki is on probation so she hangs out with her dad? He tries to listen to her problems but don’t get your hopes up. Yup, sorry can’t help with that kind of problem. With now Miku in Fudou’s hands, he is trying to override its feedback system so he can be its master. This is not Symphogear but Faust Robe. Yatsuhiro and Genjuurou summon Maria for a new mission. They have evidence that Kazanari Institute is behind this and will be going to arrest the patriarch. Maria refuses because this mission also means slaying Tsubasa. So she’s going to try diplomacy first, huh? Upon arrival, Alca-Noise greet them. Genjuurou faces off with Fudou while Maria fights Tsubasa. Oddly, a slap from Maria is all it takes to break the seal. And also some lecture since when she cares more about herself than others. But this leaves her only in more despair because she views herself as insufficient to protect the weak. Meanwhile Genjuurou lost to Fudou. He could have won had he had the killing intent. So Fudou finishes him off with this extreme piledriver move!!! During this commotion, Noble Red sneak in to override the instructions but were promptly slain by Miku! Fudou now faces off with Tsubasa and views her as bringing shame. Since the seal won’t work, he shoots her with his gun. But wait! Yatsuhiro fast enough to protect her with his body! Last words from father: Don’t protect people because they’re weak. Protect them because they’re worth protecting. True. But how to know if they’re worth it? Oh Tsubasa, you’re so confused. Tsubasa levels up to an even better gear to fight Fudou. Heck, Fudou is willing to let her kill him so she would become the monster to protect Japan. She is actually going to do that but Genjuurou stops her. Can’t waste everything they’ve worked for, eh? Poor Tsubasa. So confused. I hope she doesn’t break further. And then something activates. Looks like big sh*t hits the fan. So much so Hibiki is called for help. Screw probation. Just when Hibiki’s dad was trying to at least say some cool things to help his daughter.

Episode 10
God has awakened. Humanity is screwed. Maria tries to intercept but Shem-ha is defended by Noble Red. Because they are so powered up, a tactical retreat is best for now. Shem-ha doesn’t even think of going after them because now that Yggdrasil has risen, mankind has nowhere left to run! Sure, but you’re giving them time to fight back? We now see Fudou in prison, Yatsuhiro is dead and Tsubasa given back her authority to fight alongside her Symphogear comrades. Some emotional reunion before sh*t hits the fan. Flashback shows Noble Red was killed by Shem-ha. However her powers are not how they used to be so she revived them and make them perfect monsters? Huh? So being perfect is anything other than being human? Since Noble Red can never become human again and so Shem-ha offer them to serve under her instead of wallowing in depression. Huh? Yeah, she’ll erase all rejection and loneliness in this world. With the rise of Yggdrasil, it triggered some reaction on the moon. Hence the next mission is to head there. Thanks to Yatsuhiro’s diplomatic efforts, US is willing to cooperate. However the mission will be helmed by the Americans while the Symphogear girls will be defending the launch. Because true enough, Alca-Noise and Noble Red attack to prevent the launch from happening. Noble Red is so powered up that they overwhelm the Symphogear girls and even destroy the rocket! There goes the billion dollar programme up in smokes. The big bulk of the fight is focused on Shirabe-Kirika vs Elsa. In the end of this vicious battle, our Symphogear pair combine and power up to take her down. Even lecturing her about there is no need to become a monster just to ease her loneliness. Yes, walls in your heart aren’t meant to keep others out but to protect and accept who you are! Noble Red is going to escape. You mean to show off your escape device? Because enough time for desperate Tsubasa to cut in and try to teleport to their base to save Miku. Well, her comrades are also fast enough not to let her go alone. With that, all of them disappear from the face of the Earth. So where could they be? From the look of it, they’re on the moon! Yeah, saved a 3 day trip there.

Episode 11
Maria has this strange dream. In the past, Enki was fighting Shem-ha. He lost but sacrificed his arm to revive. Then they killed each other so Shem-ha sacrificed her own life so she could have a future. Such a convenience that the ruins on the moon has air and same gravity as Earth. Drones attack the separated girls and though they manage to hold their ground, thanks to Maria and Tsubasa finding the control centre room, they manage to deactivate the defence system. Great convenience that this room has a hologram of Enki who tells them everything. In turn they contact back to SONG to relay back this big reveal. So it is some higher alien lifeform that helped humans on Earth to evolve and all? What’s that again about the Yggdrasil system that connects all humans as a cluster of biological computer terminals? Unfortunately, Shem-ha had different plans of her own and revolted by challenging them to battle. Well, I can see who won. Now Shem-ha exists as data fragments that remain in humanity’s genetic info. Hence she is basically immortal as each defeat means she can regenerate from whatever data fragments remain. Thus the rest created a jamming system known as Balal, they sealed her and abandoned Earth. Hence the curse of Balal is the root of all conflict but is also the same source that is protecting humanity. If Shem-ha removes this curse, she will turn all lifeforms into monsters she can control. Therefore the goal is to destroy the lunar ruins. We interrupt this with Millaarc attacking Tsubasa and Maria. She powers up by cloning herself so we can have this very strange pro wrestling tag team fight. Of course Tsubasa and Maria just need to remember the song they first sang together to power up (and regain Tsubasa’s shattered pride) to defeat her. While everything is fine on the moon, back on Earth it is not. Yggdrasil has popped up everywhere! Time to remodel Earth.

Episode 12
Elfnein plans to face Shem-ha as Carol. It’s a suicide move because for Carol to fight on par and defeat her, it is at the expense of her memories. But even so, it wasn’t enough to defeat a God. Hence, Shem-ha’s reward to her is to let her live so she can witness the end of the world. Damn, Earth has become so red that it’s Mars? Meanwhile on the moon, Hibiki and Chris team up to fight stubborn Vanessa. And of course the power of friendship has Vanessa defeated. After some lecture, I guess Noble Red realizes that even if they are perfect monsters, they don’t want to have a heart of a monster. Yup, finally they’re tired of doing all this sh*t. Too late. Because Shem-ha possesses Vanessa to inject some virus into the system and take over it. Hibiki’s hesitation to punch through Vanessa with her god slaying fist only made that possible. Shem-ha considers herself reborn and thanks that event from a year ago (from last season) where everyone combined their hearts which revived her then. The girls realize the irony that it wasn’t because humans couldn’t be connected but must not. The place is crumbling and how to get back to Earth without dying? Easy. Noble Red forms a long pyramid labyrinth as their passage back to Earth. Take this as their final repentance for all they’ve done. Yeah, don’t worry. The Symphogear girls will make sure their will lives on through them. Adios, Noble Red. Upon reaching the exosphere, they manage to contact SONG. It seems everyone in the world is coming together to fight Yggdrasil! Because Yggdrasil is using the computer networks, we see the world hackers coming together to put up the biggest firewall!!! Now it’s the Symphogear girls’ turn to sing for the world. Don’t worry, they won’t vaporize when they re-enter the atmosphere. In fact, they level up into angels just in time for a final showdown with Shem-ha!

Episode 13
Wow! My eyes are bleeding from all the flashy godly pow wow beam blasting effects!!! Wow! My ears are going deaf from the singing, talking and heavy rock music in the background! WOW! My head is going to explode trying to compute everything! All typical and usual until Shem-ha doing a dick move by putting up Miku’s cute innocent face to make Hibiki falter once more. Oh yes. Can’t hurt a cutie girl, can we? Carol uses up all of her powers to protect the Symphogear girls and give Hibiki some hope that her fists aren’t just cursed but give hopes to those whom she doesn’t know too. And then everyone is broken from Shem-ha’s connection. WTF?! Network interruption?! Now the humans of the world send over their hope to Hibiki as Hibiki mercilessly fights back Shem-ha and believes she can still save her friend instead of killing her. And then she overcomes the curse to purge Shem-ha and rescue Miku. Well, drama’s not over yet… Elfnein meets Carol one last time in her subconscious. It seems she used up all her memories and will now disappear. Bye. Will never forget you. Meanwhile, despite Shem-ha gone, Yggdrasil is still active. They have to find the core and shut it all down. Rats, those pesky enemy minions. Do have time for this? Don’t worry, Miku in her Symphogear form joins them! Yeah, Elfnein tweaked her a little so you bet she’s ready to join Hibiki. However Elfnein warns them of Carol’s last words. Even if they destroy the core, another unit will take over. Essential, fighting a losing battle. So Elfnein’s idea is to use Phonic gain and make all of them self-destruct simultaneously. So the girls start singing their swan song at the core. Damn, it feels like roll call when we see the ghosts of dead characters (also from previous seasons) popping up to support this miracle! The girls succeed and they have to race out as Yggdrasil is destroyed. WTF the ghost of Shem-ha still trying to pull them in?! Well, Shem-ha trying to ask them one more time about what the f*ck they’re trying to do. Even if it’s painful and suffering, they’ll still continue to walk their future. Then it’s like finally Shem-ha has given up. Okay. You do what you want. It’s your future. And with that, finally can we see we won this whole sh*t?! Behold! The dawn of the new future starts now! Lastly, Hibiki and Miku finally get to say what they wanted to say to each other for a long time. I’m pretty sure it’s not, “NOT ANOTHER SYMPHOGEAR SEASON”!

We Are All Connected In More Ways Than Just The Internet!
Well, let’s hope that’s the end of it. While no future seasons were announced, there may be still trouble for the world and its future. You know, everybody was okay with suffering and the pain in the future so I’m guessing there will be disgruntled assholes and jerks trying some similar dick move in the future. Hence SONG’s job will never be done. But as far as I can see for the anime format, it is highly not likely because they do some roll call at the end so this might actually be their swan song. But then again, they didn’t put the ‘magic word’ called ‘final season’ in the title so everything is still up in the air. There is always hope for the future (instalments)! Don’t you ever forget that. The Symphogear girls fought for us that!

I think the storyline has become somewhat predictable or at least it follows some kind of pattern. There is some group, normally one that has a bunch of gorgeous babes fighting in front, having their own nefarious goals. Somebody wants to play God or bring an end to the world and humanity. Hence SONG and the Symphogear girls use their ever transforming and evolution gear to fight and thwart the enemy’s plan. Even if the world or humanity is close to being defeated or on the brink of destruction, never give up till the last drop! Because you bet that somehow songs and the power of friendship will be there to always save the day. It’s that easy. Because after all, it’s all just fiction! Oh yeah. Carry on, Symphogear girls. Carry on protecting the world and your friendship the way you have always been doing.

I don’t know what’s up with the strange alphabets when naming the seasons. Symphogear G was the second season, then followed by AXZ for the third, then GX as the fourth and now the current one as XV. Do they stand for something? I don’t know. So when can we have Symphogear XXX? Oh sh*t! I think that itself already exists if you know where to look on the dark side of the internet! *Wink, wink*. Heh. Another way humans are connected to the dark side…

So yeah, honestly I’ve been going through this season as blur and even more so that I can be. Not remembering what has happened in previous seasons and the terms and sci-fi jargons are still all over the place in my head. Yeah, I don’t know watching this series would constitute in wasting my time. But to be honest, the only thing that I could ‘understand’ (other than the cliché plot of some ‘God’ wanting to destroy the world) is the action parts. I guess this is the only part in the entire series that I never consistently get bored of. Despite all the exaggerated and flashy power moves, it is that same reason why I still find them so fascinating and exciting. All those loud over the top punches, projectiles and the likes are so outrageous that it’s just so amusing. This season packs even more punch as we see our characters level up and hence adding more firepower to their arsenal. Sometimes I think having so much power feels like if they’re not careful and slip up, they might destroy the entire city! Oh wait. That happened once when Tsubasa went berserk, right? Good thing it is just one off. Phew. Good thing the gears are overall still in good hands, right?

This season too has ramped up the blood spills and body count. You’d think that nobody in this season will die, especially innocent people, right? Well, time to relive your trauma of the first season by massacring all the innocent concertgoers! Damn, a future generation all wiped out like that. It’s so sad so next time dad forbid you to go to some live concert with your friends, better be safe than sorry. Oh heck, just screw it all and just go have fun with your friends! And also not forgetting, RIP Yatsuhiro… On a side note, Alca-Noise has now being reduced to some low level warm up baddies for the Symphogear girls to fight. They still looks weird but now it gets even weirder because I thought I saw some of them riding a Segway!!! WTF???!!!! WHAT THE FFFFFUUUU???!!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

In previous seasons, the Symphogear girls have their own transformation scene. I don’t remember past seasons’ transformation scene but it seems the ones I do notice here seems to be a little sexier. Is this what happens when you power up that your transformation scene is also freaking awesome sexy? Okay. Whatever. When you have the girls dressed up like that as their battle uniform, what else can I say?

As for the characters, I guess there is nothing much for me to say here except that perhaps we need some kind of catalyst for this series’ drama and hence the tension in Hibiki and Miku’s friendship. But that is a bit overshadowed by Tsubasa’s drama because she is in a dilemma whether her sword could continue to protect the people. It was a bit disheartening to see her lose her way for a while and get disillusioned but as you would have expected, once her friends bring her back to the right path, she’s back to the Tsubasa we all know and even stronger.

For the new characters especially Noble Red as the antagonists, it’s that same ol’ formula from previous seasons that these hot babes are once more tricked into doing stuffs that would bring harm to humanity as a whole. And just like in previous seasons, once they are truly defeated by our heroines, they turn over a new leaf and there are only 2 options for them: Join and become their comrade or die but their will lives on inside the hearts of our heroines. I bet SONG Doesn’t have more space to accommodate more heroines and they don’t want to blow it up and give AKB48 a run for their money so I guess these girls better die. Don’t worry, like I’ve said, they will continue to live on inside our Symphogear girls’ heart so all is not lost. So in future seasons, they might be brought back in some ghost form to power up our heroines should they ever find themselves in a pinch.

I don’t know if this season ramped up the sexiness too because Noble Red feels sexualized. Especially when you have Vanessa being the kind of monster that could shoot missiles from out of her boobs!!! So the members of Noble Red feel like they take some form of sexualisation. Vanessa has all the right curves. Millaarc is thicc. Elsa is flat and child-like. All you men out there with any sort of fetish of your ideal women, we have it all here in Noble Red!

Shem-ha as the true final boss, I guess this is the only way they could make Miku have her own supposed Symphogear outfit. Personally, I think I find Miku in her Shem-ha dark form to be hot and looking better than the rest! But her white Symphogear form seems clumsy… And so the irony that Shem-ha is going to use humans as well as their internet technology to connect and destroy mankind? Yeah, I thought she would just crack open the lands, cause tsunamis, extreme tornados and burn everything down. But I have to remember that this ‘God’ is actually some intelligent alien lifeform from somewhere and considering how humans today are so dependent on technology these days, it’s the best way to get back at them. Is this also live by the sword, die by the sword? Not if all the hackers of the world could come together and at least be a stumbling block to Shem-ha if they can’t destroy her. Uh huh. An irony and big joke if Shem-ha gets taken down by human technology! Now I see why it’s best left to the power of friendship and the songs of these girls to finish her off no matter how cliché and ridiculous it sounds. Yeah. What a sham hahahaha!!! Sorry, bad pun. But really, trying to show us that humans can and will unite to defeat even the mightiest of God with their songs and internet technology. Damn, I must be missing something here…

I’m glad some of the older antagonists of past seasons stay dead or at least didn’t revive in this season. Yeah, you don’t know how annoying it was to have Fine and Ver come back alive just for some plot twist (I don’t count that final cameo roll call scene). Let’s hope they stay that way and with Fudou out of the picture, let’s hope he just stays a senile old man locked up in his cellar. I can understand why he doesn’t believe in songs that would save the world. Seeing the world is in constant threat and that results are needed, the Symphogear girls may not be considered as victorious as they have continually fought off wave after wave of threats. So it’s not entirely a failure but with the world at stake, you’d want something that would just kill off all the threats once and for all so I understand why Fudou is being the bad guy because when you want something done, you just have to do it yourself if you have to become a monster. But leave it to the Symphogear girls to find another way than that because, wait for it, power of friendship! Don’t fight fire with fire in this case.

Previous seasons’ seiyuus return and retain the roles they’ve voiced. New ones joining this season are Mao Ichimichi as Vanessa (Fana in Black Clover), Aimi Terakawa as Millaarc (Kasumi in BanG Dream), Kana Ichinose as Elsa (Kurai in Hitori Bocchi No Marumaru Seikatsu) and Noriko Hidaka as Shem-ha (Kikyou in Inu Yasha). Just like in past seasons, the opening and ending themes are hard rock and also the place to show off Nana Mizuki’s awesome vocals. At least for the opener, Metanoia and the special ending theme of the first episode, Final Commander. The ending theme is sung by Ayahi Takagaki, Lasting Song. Even so, not really my cup of tea. And also not counting the numerous hard rock insert songs. Boy, they could compile and make albums out of these.

Overall, yet another mind boggling Symphogear series for me. I guess I never changed. Still find everything else boring and confusing and this itself prevents me to appreciate and enjoy the series even after 5 seasons. Yet the only thing I like are the outrageous power action bits. It’s not that I don’t want to understand, I just simply can’t! Now can you see why humans are doomed from the beginning? They don’t need some advanced alien being God or Almighty Himself putting an end to humanity because we are on that path of self-destruct. You just have to be patient and wait a few more generations for that instead of instant death. I suppose singing John Lennon’s Imagine won’t cut it and save the world, huh? Maybe some Metallica and Megadeth will do… And if you think cutting off our internet will make us all lose hope in living, think again because we’ll all gang up and turn into angry mobs and witch hunt. Nothing makes people of the world come together and band as one when you take away their internet porn! Yup, the irony of porn connecting us all! So when can we expect the official Symphogear XXX to come out?

Sora No Method: Mou Hitotsu No Negai

Oh man. It’s been like 5 years already. I didn’t see this coming and I am guessing this little extra episode that came out in late 2019 is for nostalgic purposes. For those who were ‘old’ enough, you might remember that saucer-themed friendship magical drama, Sora No Method. After half a decade later, suddenly we have a special episode popping out from nowhere, Sora No Method: Mou Hitotsu No Negai. I didn’t remember much of that TV series and I mostly found it boring. Even skimming back to my old blog, damn, did I really forget almost everything that I have written and watched? Oh well. Maybe the saucer’s wish can make me remember some of the things I saw in the TV series then. Oh yeah… Shione having a small role in a Kirigon movie! Uhm, that couldn’t be it and the only thing I remember about the show, right?!

Make a little wish…
We are introduced to a new character popping up in the sleeping town of Lake Kiriya, Carroll. Looks like she is coming for Noel. Nonoka visits Yuzuki’s café in which Noel is helping out perfectly fine. Koharu finds Carroll peeping outside. But Carroll is startled and runs away. The girls talk about Shione’s upcoming birthday. Because Noel doesn’t know what birthday means, they explain it to her. And because it sounds sad that Noel who was born of a saucer has no memories, Nonoka decides to look at her old photo albums for clues. She still can’t remember much of those photos but that photo when the groupie had their first snow, yup, she clearly remembers that day when the saucer was born and hence this should be Noel’s birthday. What a convenience. It’s coming right up too. At this point, Carroll confronts Noel and wants her to leave with her. You see, once UFOs have done granting a wish, they must leave. Oh boy, there are so much more stars and wishes in the sky so what the f*ck is Noel staying around? But Noel being Noel, she really wants to stay with her friends here. Apparently this isn’t the answer Carroll is looking for so she runs away in tears. Thinking that Noel will go away if her UFO isn’t around, hence she has this idea to wish on her own saucer to chase away Noel’s UFO. But, where is her own saucer? You mean this little disc is it? Better than nothing. We see Carroll ‘praying to the gods’ to chase out Noel’s saucer. I guess nobody is going to take this loli seriously. Yeah. Nobody is listening. Our friends see her and this riles up Yuzuki as she goes to tell her how it’s done! Hey, she’s got experience in doing this before, right? Hope she doesn’t scare the loli away! Carroll is stunned when Noel also helps her. Even more so when Noel is pretty cool about staying around since she has already granted their wish. This doesn’t sit well with Carroll as usual so as she runs away, she crashes into the monster cardboard. Oh dear. It broke. Oh my. Carroll crying hard. I don’t think it is because the cardboard is broken… After patching it up (bad job but I guess it’ll do), nothing like Koharu’s sweets to calm the loli down.

When Nonoka is out to school, Carroll hangs out with loli for the day as they stroll through the town. Heh. What else can they do in this sleepy town? On the day they are to celebrate Noel’s birthday, Souta just returned from the airport. I guess the girls are busy making preparations and missed his message to send somebody to pick him up. You’re on your own. Luckily he manages to reach back in time but since he feels awkward going back into his own home and hanging outside, Koharu has to usher him in. Don’t sit around doing nothing. There are things they still want him to do. Shione is done doing some chores and she spots Carroll sitting at her favourite spot with those dejected looks. She goes talk to her since she was once like her and can tell about her troubles in mixing around with others. After giving her earnest answer, Carroll then rushes to the observatory to find that paper she wrote her wish on. Nowhere. And then here is Noel. She is here to pick her up for their birthday party. Yup, it is a double celebration of Noel and Carroll’s birthday. And then Carroll’s saucer returns to its full power and size. So now it is going to grant her wish as it sucks up Noel? Oh Carroll, you having a change of heart and wish now? Noel hopes Carroll will always smile and knows why she came here: It is to grant her wish. It is then that Carroll makes another wish, a wish to allow Noel to stay here with the ones she loves forever. Let’s hope the UFO has some retract clause because Noel is missing… Just kidding. She’s still around. Phew. The birthday girls are seemingly late for their party. The friends contemplate on looking for them but the power of believing in friends yields its miracle as the duo return. Just in time. Best first birthday party ever.

One More (Saucy) Friend…
Ah well. I guess that’s rather, uhm, okay. Still, I find it overall boring but because of the lapse in years, I figure it was a lot tolerable. Hey, it is already a good thing I didn’t fall asleep halfway or anything. And so with the miracle and power of friendship, yet another new friend joins the groupie. At least Noel now doesn’t have to be lonely as she has someone her age and kind to be with. So my theory is that if more UFOs come following this way, damn this place is going to be filled with loli saucer friends! The next saucer tries to take them away but gets pulled in after realizing that staying would be a better option because you know, even saucers have feelings so instead of going around to grant wishes, might as well stay here in this little place and be happy. And before you know it, this place would become saucer loli town and attract people from all over Japan and the world. No more sleepy town any more. Yeah…

And the other weird part that had me thinking is saucers like them exist to grant wishes. I suppose it is a never ending job seeing there are as unlimited wishes there are as much as there are stars in the sky. So if 2 saucers decide to ditch their job and stay at Lake Kiriya forever, is this even allowed? I mean, they did mention they want to stay here forever. FOREVER. Will that put the burden on other saucers? And then like I said in my previous paragraph if each of them come looking for those slackers and bring them back but to only end up staying, eventually there will be no more saucers to grant wishes and nobody wishes will come true anymore! Oh horror! This looks like is going to have a bad ending assuming all this are true. Nonoka and co better be thankful that they’ve got a pair of wish granting lolis staying with them. They don’t know how many wishes were wrecked just because a couple of saucers (and possibly a few more in the future) decided not to do their jobs anymore. It will be even more awkward if the government decides to kidnap them and use them for their own wish granting nefarious ends. Yikes! Better not turn this simple friendship into some dark drama.

So the other characters didn’t really matter since it is all about Carroll and Noel. I guess there is nothing much else to tell about them since whatever issues they have back in the TV series were mostly resolved. I’m not sure if they are going to produce another episode or wait another 5 years to surprise us with another additional instalment but I have a feeling that some obsessed fan must have made a wish upon it. Yeah, it took 5 years for this wish to come true and we might have to wait another 5 years for another. Damn, saucers are such a complicated wish granting device. It’s no wonder the genie lamp is a much easier alternative.

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – BNW No Chikai

Main race is over. Some win, some lose. But if you aren’t satiated by the thrill of horse girls racing, be glad to know there are special extra episodes, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – BNW No Chikai for you to bet extra money and quench that gambling thirst. Oops, I mean fulfil the excitement of watching these horse girls locked in close battle derbies. As its name implies, Team Spica isn’t going to be the main stars of these special episodes but a group of horse girls remembering their promise to run together always. That promise is put to the test when they have a fall out. Nothing like a little drama to put that friendship back together again via a big race, eh? Oh the power of (horse) friendship!

Special 1
Team Spica continue their usual training. Special Week is aiming to run at Summer Dream Trophy because she made a fool out of herself at the Winter Dream Trophy. Before the race started, she was talking to her rival and before you know it, they flag off and she was stranded. Trainer comes in with good news for his girls. They will be supervisors for the cultural festival! Uhm, actually doesn’t that mean he drew to short end of the stick? We see Team Spica going around to supervise, partially I feel it’s an excuse to introduce some of the other horse girls that will not make their cameo any more. But the focus is on Biwa Hayahide, Narita Taishin and Winning Ticket (the trio collectively known as BNW). They notice their strained relationship. When they go talk to Rudolf about it, she shows them a clip from the Japan Derby. A very close race between BNW that was eventually won by Ticket. It solidified their friendship-cum-rivalry. But now what? She is organizing a relay race between them. Team Spica isn’t particularly interested until Rudolf mentions the winning team gets free sweets for the whole year! You bet they’re going on a recruitment spree! While Hayahide accepts, Taishin and Ticket are not interested. I know some of Team Spica is desperate but resorting to dumb tricks that only make a fool out of themselves? Definitely not working. Timely reminder that Suzuka is currently away overseas so she calls Special Week to keep in touch. Hearing about this problem, this reminds them about the time Trainer lectured them about their rivalry during their training camp’s mock race. It gave them a lot of motivation. Now Special Week knows what to do. And that is to say the same exact lines from Trainer to Ticket! Word for word! So what happens when she finishes? Ticket not impressed… Oh sh*t… Better think fast… Because this is so comical, Ticket starts laughing. So it’s revealed perhaps their strained relationship originated from a race where Hayahide and Ticket was running. They were supposed to win but lost. Yeah. That. Taishin was out on an injury. Anyway, Special Week now in her own words mentions about her unfulfilled promise to Suzuka but she still loves her and hopes to fulfil that. Can the same be said for Ticket? With that, the next day Ticket joins them to help recruit members for the relay race.

Special 2
Scarlet goes around to interview the teams. Ticket’s team is doing fine. Even got the motto for motivation: Sweets into our mouth! Hayahide’s team are very technical. In a serious strategy meeting now, huh? Taishin’s team… Yeah, everybody is all over the place. Even if they put up some fake delusional spirit, it’s more of style than substance. And with special effects! The clincher: They don’t even know where Taishin is and think this is okay to get them running for the relay race! Scarlet wants to report this to Rudolf but seeing she has already given a good impression to the press, oh yeah, everything is going perfect! Scarlet finds Taishin who is just being a zombie to her Smartphone. Talking to her, looks like she’s not interested. Yeah, some trauma flashback. Whatever. Taishin still won’t enter and is considering retiring. Scarlet then tells Narita Brian about this and in turn she talks to Hayahide and Ticket. Yeah, remember those good times together? Later Brian talks to Taishin. Still won’t change her mind? Brian mentions about her own devastating lost that made her think deep she wanted to quit. She gives Taishin a charm and hopes she’ll come. Everyone’s waiting. Race day is here and Taishin is nowhere to be seen! Scarlet getting close to panicking. Better set out and look for that girl. Don’t want to fail spectacularly in Rudolf’s eyes. After all, she promised her she’ll see to it this race’s success till the end. And yeah, Broye is also attending this event. Don’t screw up now. How not to because Hayahide and Ticket are even cool about making Sun Visor as Taishin’s substitute! They think this is really going to fool everyone, huh? The relay race begins and I guess that’s why it’s a relay. So we have time for some drama and for a certain someone to make it… Anyway, this race isn’t confined to the stadium but across town. That’s why it’s just weird that they have to run through a train crossing?! It feels like Special Week got the raw end of the stick and needs to wait for the train to pass???!!! Some call it unfair, some call it strategy… Of course the anchors of the teams are BNW. They are interviewed about their chances so they hijack the mic to tell Taishin to come run. This is her place to run. Everyone’s waiting for you here! Yeah, enough to change her mind and start running back. Good thing she’s watching the TV, eh? And meanwhile another race is going on: Oguri Cap trying to finish 1000 bowls of ramen???!!! Damn, she’s eating faster than the ramen can be replenished!!!

Special 3
Thank goodness it must be a short train since Special Week is able to make up time. Because it won’t be fun if they turn it into a 2 horse race. As the interviewer interviews the leaders, Hayahide and Ticket try to change the topic. However she tries to interview ‘Taishin’ and is stumped she is staying silent. She is even going so far as to unhood her. It’ll be over if Sun Visor is busted. But thankfully Taishin arrives in time. I’m sure everybody is confused about Taishin not being at her starting position but what the heck, the real deal is here so let’s continue with the race. However there is another emergency. Hayahide suddenly becomes sick. Probably searching for that charm during the rain was the culprit. Oh Taishin, too late to blame yourself and trying to take responsibility. It’s already done. With Hayahide unable to run, Rudolf makes an announcement that the race will end when the relay reaches the anchors. That will be the finish line. Everyone is disappointed. But don’t worry. We’re not here to cheat your money. Because Brian will step in to replace Hayahide. She is after all her sister. Technically her name still covers for her team. So we see a very close race between the trio that has Taishin winning, Ticket in second and Brian coming in third. However! The judges start deliberating. Because Gold Ship went off course and accidentally took a short cut, hence Taishin’s team is disqualified. So does this mean the win goes to Ticket? Nope. When Special Week missed passing her sash to Vodka, Vodka took something else to replace it. Disqualified! So it’s Brian’s win? Also nope. Because McQueen is accused of blocking her opponent’s path. So… Nobody wins?! Yeah, Rudolf confirms it. Damn, is this the most disappointing race? But don’t worry. Even though BNW was unable to make their full proper appearance here, be happy to know they will be racing in the upcoming Osaka Hai race! I guess everybody can overlook this farce and look forward to this one. Probably Oguri Cap is the only legit winner after finishing her thousand bowls. Yeah, she looks like super pregnant… Finally we get to see BNW race together at Osaka Hai. Another close fight between the trio that has Hayahide winning. Great race. Won’t lose next time. But of course.

Run Of The Mill But Keep Running
Luckily I didn’t bet any money on any one of the teams so I didn’t lose. Haha! Anyway, these extra episodes don’t really add anything much to the main storyline as seen in the TV series. Because with Suzuka away overseas, it’s like the rivalry between her and Special Week is put on hiatus until the former returns. With that, they focus on BNW and if you’re a casual viewer like me, you’re wondering why the heck? Who the heck are they? Well, not like it is going to make any difference if they focus on other horse girls. Because again there are loads of other horse girls introduced here that don’t matter that it makes you wonder if it is actually relevant or not. I don’t remember if they are introduced in the TV series and even if they were, they’re just insignificant at least as far as this series go. My conspiracy theory is that there are many great race horses throughout the years in the Japanese horse racing derby. So in order not to have a few being left out, hence their cameo here just for some sort of tribute. There, here is the name of your favourite horse personified as a horse girl in this anime. Happy? Now, be gone!

Back to the main BNW trio themselves, I fail to see anything that would have made these special episodes, uhm, special. Sure, they have some sort of failure in the past. Hey, you can’t win every damn race you enter, right? One failure was enough to give Taishin some trauma and then it strained their relationship. Then plot convenience commands that they should get back together for the greater good because there are lots of fans who are still supporting her and them. Also probably lots of other people betting lots of money on her! Haha! So Taishin, you’re still young and healthy, don’t you even think of retiring after one moral zapping race lost! If I had to bet on one of the team, I would have chosen Ticket, because you know, it’s in her name, baby! With a name like that, how could you lose?! Oh wait. She didn’t win… Thank goodness I’m not addicted to gambling in any forms. Especially horse racing. On a trivial note, initially I saw the title as BMW! It would have been weird if those horse girls had that automaker’s speed and power for a race… Too weird.

Overall, fans of the series as well as the game should appreciate these extra episodes better. Casual viewers like me won’t find anything special and wonder what the fuss is all about. We’re probably here just to see the novelty of so many different horse girls and the strange racing cosplay because it is mind boggling how Hayahide, the one whose outfit looks so heavily dressed is the one who won the Osaka Hai race. I still believe if the horse girls wear appropriate attire like human female athletes, they would have run much faster. And Hayahide might have won by a few centimetres instead of a close photo finish. Just saying. Well, I also sometimes believe that even if you win, you still have to go out and win in style. Same for those who lose. Hey, at least you lose in style. Everybody wins. Horse girls win because they get to race with each other again. The fans win because they are entertained by all the horse girl racing action. Sponsors win because it brings in more revenue. Punters win because they made money from all the bets. Uhm, except maybe those who bet on the wrong horse and lost heavily. BNW: Bet, Nit, Wager…

Manaria Friends

I never expected this series would see the day of light that it would get released. You see, a few years ago when Manaria Friends was scheduled to be released, it was then hit with some sort of unexplained problem that caused it to be postponed indefinitely. So instead, we got the very amazing and awesome sequel of Shingeki No Bahamut. So I suppose whatever technical issues they faced then were solved now since it finally got its airtime. Although it is set in the same world, it is entirely a different storyline and not related to that fantastic action adventure. The daily lives of 2 best friends from 2 different races studying and spending time together in this exclusive academy.

Episode 1
Princesses of their respective races, Anne and Grea are having breakfast together. Anne asks why Grea studies here at Manaria Academy and it is because Grea’s mom was an alma mater. Suddenly Lou comes crashing in. It seems there is an emergency at the library. The phoenix guardian is mad after Lou accidentally stepped on it. With the librarians having a hard time dousing the fire, Anne steps in and unleashes her frozen magic. In the aftermath, Hanna beats herself up over her uselessness to contain the emergency and believes she isn’t fit to be the class rep. Anne then returns to Grea and is shocked to find her still waiting at the same place just for her. I guess it’s too long the wait that it’s time to go get something to eat. Owen narrates he is one of the greatest paladins of the kingdom. But one day he is tasked to be in the service of the princess. He notes Anne is blessed with great magic and has long studied how to be an effective ruler while striving to improve herself, thus making her popular at school. However he noticed a hint loneliness in her smile. Owen keeps watch over her but he looks like a suspicious stalker…

Episode 2
Grea is in great pain that no magic or medicine can help. When Lou brings in forbidden books thinking it might help, Anne gets an idea and darts off. So she’s like rushing to every place and completing some sort of tasks to get the whatever? Man, why does this arduous journey feel like a method to get the ultimate video game cheat code or equipment?! Even when Anne makes it back, she still needs to analyse it?! You mean it’s not ready?! Can she make it?! Because now something is happening to Grea… Uhm… Just shedding her scales? But since she is fine, this brings a great relief to everyone. Yeah, Grea didn’t remember all that and didn’t realize how big that incident was. Grea gets embarrassed when Anne keeps some of her shed scales. Later Grea thinks her tail has grown bigger is a sign of getting fat. She tries to diet and hide it from Anne. But Anne eventually sees a tail and finds it splendid. Unfortunately Grea didn’t take that as a compliment as she walks away depressed. Was it something Anne said?

Episode 3
Anne and Grea head out to town. Anne thinks her incognito will work but everybody soon recognizes her. In town, they discover a secret alley that leads them to a shop filled with various (cosplay) clothes. Turns out this shop is owned by their teacher, Miranda and this is her big hobby. But since school prohibits a side job, Miranda agrees to let them take whatever they want just to keep quiet. And so Anne tries her hands trying different outfits, much to Miranda’s glee. Grea wants to stay out but the cosplay maniacs force it upon her. She looks beautiful in that dress to say the least. Later when the duo go boating, Grea can tell Anne is afraid since she is holding onto her tail. Anne lets out a secret that she cannot naturally swim although she can use magic to float, etc. Grea thanks her for letting her come along today. Anne so happy that she rocks the boat. Thankfully it did not capsize but has them in an ambiguous yuri position. The mood is right for Anne to ask if she can stay in her room for a sleepover. Sorry, Grea rejects. Anne sounds so surprised… The reason being Grea’s bad habit to sleep cuddling her tail. So embarrassing she doesn’t want Anne to see. After Miranda finishes class, instantly she pops up her atelier and let her passion run wild. Once done, all she needs is somebody to try them. Anne and Grea return to retrieve something they forgot. Welcome, my guinea pigs…

Episode 4
The test is coming so you can see everyone studying and putting their focus into that. But why does Anne feel so sad? Why does she look forlorn? Does she feel left out because she is smarter than the rest? So we see some flashback of her waltzing into some place whereby she saw and heard Grea playing piano underneath some giant beanstalk tree for the first time. The test come and go. I know Anne is so smart that she handed in her paper first and probably got full marks. But does she have to walk away like as though she’s still so sad about something? I mean, what’s eating her? Thankfully, Grea notices this. So she finds her sitting at the piano. So it turns out that she was lonely all the while. Yeah, I guess that happens when you’re a genius. So with the test over, this means she can continue to do friendship thinks with Grea. On a side note, why do I have a feeling this episode feels like promoting this particularly calming piano piece that is permeating throughout the episode?

Episode 5
Finally we get to see some action? The academy is under attack by waves of monsters. Hanna as the student council president is in charge however with buildings collapsing, the monsters advancing their invasion and those getting injured increasing, she is under immense pressure. Will she flip? She wonders what Anne would do in such situation. Anne and some of the other students and teaching staffs are located safely in the other half of the school. Anne wants to help but is reminded of her duty and stay put. With the situation worsening, Hanna makes the decision to abandon their base and evacuate. When they are at a final stretch, a golem pops out from the ground. Grea tackles it but is no match. But thankfully here comes Anne to help out. With Owen guarding her back, she summons a giant knight to stab through the golem. It crashes into a building before crumble. That is when the teacher calls this drill off! Looks like they’re going to take a while to fix this building. Anne is an observer and shouldn’t have intervened. Now look at the damage done. As a teacher tells Hanna the flaws in her leadership, another building goes down. School is going to be closed for a while. Flashback sees the student council planning this drill. Anne was really excited to participate but is told to only be an observer since this drill will help student think for themselves instead on relying on Anne’s powerful magic. Complain this, complain that. Promise this, promise that. What to do? The answer is still the same. Life is so unfair when Anne learns Grea will be part of the intercepting group.

Episode 6
Beach episode! Sexy girls in swimsuit! Oh yeah. While we see a furious beach volleyball game (Hanna using her super flaming spikes while Liz defends by bending her voodoo doll and use Lou to block them all!), we see Grea take Anne through some dark cave. Anne is reluctant to go but Grea insists it was her idea. After all, she wanted to practice without anyone looking and Grea promised to see it through with her. At the end of the cave, a beautiful scenery of ruins by the sea. Anne is still reluctant but after constant pestering by Grea to get into her swimsuit and to not even use any magic, we see Anne being very afraid of the deep waters as she clings on tightly to Grea. Cool Grea guides her on how to float. Anne struggles at first but once she gets the hang of it, it is the best and most beautiful experience ever. Yeah, she’s doing it naturally now. Thank goodness she learns quickly. Thanks Grea. Not sure what happened to the volleyball match but I guess everything got destroyed. You thought Hanna and Liz’s handshake meant something sportsmanship but their grip is so tight… At night, all play sparklers and fireworks. It’s Anne’s turn to pester Grea for a sleepover. Look who’s turning all nervous now.

Episode 7
It must be a slow day as Grea helps Anne with her library job. So bored that Anne reads a book on how to snag a man. It even comes with a love potion. She wonders if it will work on a girl. I guess they’re really bored and no one is visiting the library on a rainy day so Anne suggests playing hide and seek. Anne counts to 100 as Grea hides. Anne is confident to know where Grea is hiding but she’s not there. Slowly as she looks around, the enthusiasm turn into worries. Where are you Grea? Has she really vanished? I guess Anne regrets this game and calls out to her this instant. Then she floats down. Miss me? Instantly teary Anne hugs her. Found you anyway. Later as Grea is invited to drink tea with Anne, she is suspicious if she laced it with the love potion. It doesn’t help with Anne sounding pushy and suspicious. Uh huh. She made it extra special today… As they talk about the books they read, Anne says she reads the kind that would bring them closer. Much closer. Grea freaks out and spills her tea. Is Anne trolling or Grea just overthinking?

Episode 8
Today is a big day. It’s the school play. Miranda just finished putting on Grea’s costume and she looks stunning. Gorgeously stunning. However she is nervous and naturally her stomach feels pain. But Anne interprets that to an extreme point. She thinks it is really big trouble and will use her magic to cure her! Luckily Grea convinces her it isn’t such a big deal. To help calm her down, Anne starts reciting her lines from the play and Grea also follows suit. The play begins with Hanna belting out a spectacular opera-like hymn. With Anne realizing it would be their turn next, now it’s her turn for her stomach to feel pain. Nervous, aren’t we? Flashback to earlier in the morning, we see Hanna up early practising her lines, Grea also up early but still feels nervous and Anne… She just went back to sleep. Pretty confident, eh?

Episode 9
Tension between Anne and Grea?! Really?! It all started because Anne saw Hanna coming out from Grea’s room. Anne was upset that she wanted and begged to go to her room but was always refused. They’re not on talking terms and this awkward silence is causing those around them to fear! It gets worse when Hanna calls Grea for some help. Anne then avoids Grea like a plague. As Grea spends time alone, she remembers all the moments spent together with Anne. I guess that’s when the power of friendship says it is enough. Grea rushes to find Anne and finds her sitting at that piano. The power of friendship weaves its magic. Grea sits next to her, touches her hand and invites her to tea. Okay. There. Back to friends again. We see Hanna giving a brave speech to her fellow student council members. What’s this? Something about some chaos will destroy the world and that this crisis will threaten the peace? Grief and despair? War between nations? She’s going to protect everything? Is she talking about Grea and Anne? Wow. So touching and moving that her friends want to support and help her! As she and her team make their way to Anne and Grea, looks like they’ve already made up and are back to being best friends. Hanna looks like a fool now. Deep in shock, she screams to return all the time and effort she spent to solve this!

Episode 10
With the seniors graduating, Grea ponders how much time they have left together. So Anne gives her a letter and they’ll talk about this when she returns from her trip back home to do some official duties. Now it’s Grea’s turn to be melancholy. She wanders around the campus and not even the library is her best friend. She goes to Anne’s room but it’s empty! Except for the bed. Probably it’s too big to move. Grea feels sad and starts crying. However Owen is here to get her as Anne was looking for her but couldn’t find her. Grea asks about her empty room. You mean she hasn’t read the letter yet? It states her application to share a room with Grea. Remember what she said earlier about how much time they have left together? Perhaps the best excuse to get yuri with her every morning. Oops! With that, Grea signs and acknowledges the slip and makes it official. We see Anne returning to her homeland to do her duties. Once she is done, she wants to leave immediately but her father the king wants to chat. She is not thrilled about it because yesterday’s quick chat lasted till sundown! Hence she makes her sneaky escape through all the secret corridors in her castle until she meets Owen outside for her getaway carriage. She says studying and experience at the school are her important priorities right now. But I can think of the other greater importance… Yeah Grea, Anne’s coming home soon…

Serenade Of The Bahamut: Madonna Friends
After all that mind blowing fantastical action in the first two Shingeki No Bahamut series, is this considered a let-down? Not quite. Even if the pacing here is slow and there is nothing much that basically happens, it is still able to weave a decently beautiful tale between 2 friends. But that is basically so much about it and if you really want a lot more than this, you’re definitely going to be disappointed. This slice of life series is meant to go at a slow and relaxing pace without any sort of convoluted plot and twists that would have ironically undermined the beauty of this series. Sure, there might have been some trolling moments (like the ‘attack’ on the academy) and ‘suspenseful’ moments (Grea being sick as well as Anne and Grea having a fight that turned Hanna into a worrywart, overthinking it to be the end of the world), but eventually it all boils down to the wonderful nature of their friendship. So those who are into fast moving plots, you’ll have to look somewhere else.

Some of the stories are really exaggerated and trolling like that attack on the campus. Even when Grea was sick and Anne and Owen went to great lengths and journeyed across the universe just to get some sort of solution that eventually didn’t amount to anything. Is this their brand of humour? It feels weird but, okay. Whatever. Some just feel like a long draggy drama like that hide and seek episode. You expected some sort of punch line or twist (or maybe jump scare in this instance) but in the end, perhaps we did a Hanna and overthink, thus nothing really happened.

At times I was contemplating with myself if because of the slow and relaxing pacing of the series, with nothing much that happens, are the characters a bore too? Well, there are always 2 sides to a coin. The problem when you are trying to expect something from characters and then they don’t turn out to those expectations, it is surely disappointing. Therefore this series just showcasing their friendship might simply be nothing much. Some might go, “So what?”. But if you stop being impatient to want to see their character development go somewhere, you would realize that being slow and steady is what builds this development. Like they say, it is the journey and not the destination that matters. Therefore watching Anne and Grea’s friendship unravel at a snail pace over the 10 episodes might not seem to amount to anything much but that is where the beauty of this series lies. You don’t come into this anime with any sort of expectations. You just go with the flow and accept all that has to offer. If you do basically just much that, the characters and series are very much enjoyable in this aspect. So sorry folks, don’t expect this to turn into some hentai flick with a hot dragon chick banging a cute human girl.

It would have been a lot better if the series fleshed out more of Anne and Grea’s back story but in some ways, perhaps it is a good thing that we just know them as best friends forever. Anne being seemingly the perfect princess who could do almost everything but she also harbours a few insecurities of her own (like swimming and fear of losing Grea as her friend) that makes her less than perfect as others may seem to think of her. She as after all a princess. At least for the human side. Grea is on the polar end with her character being meek and reserved despite being from the dragon race whom we all have stereotypic views that dragons are fierce and majestic. It makes you wonder if she is of the same dragon tribe that Nina of the original series is from. But I suppose the series do not want to delve too deeply on their character background and instead continued to focus on their friendship. Hence that’s why the English title of this series, Mysteria Friends. Maybe there is a certain charm when you don’t know much about the characters. Because if you do, you’ll look more like some sort of obsessed fan-cum-stalker!

Not much to comment on the other characters with Lou looking a lot like a comic relief character. Due to lack of screen time, she is almost as forgettable as the rest. Including Owen whose role is just hiding from the shadows and guard his princess. Probably the most wasted role ever since there is hardly anything threatening and even if there was, Anne probably could have handled it herself.

If the story and characters do not interest you, perhaps you would be a little more impressed with the animation and artwork. To say the least, the sceneries and backgrounds around the academy are picturesque and quite breath-taking. They are quite nice to look at if you are feeling a bit bored from the slow pace and this eye candy makes it worthwhile to sit through the 15 minutes. Though, the character designs are just normal and average, nothing really that spectacular. Just want to comment how Anne suspiciously looks like Princess Principal’s Princess. And Anne’s a princess too. Hmm… Suspicious… This series is done by CygamesPictures, a subsidiary of Cygames who developed the Shingeki No Bahamut series.

Voice acting is also okay with me recognizing Nana Mizuki as Hanna and Kikuko Inoue as Miranda. But I was stumped to learn Anne is played by Youko Hikasa and going back to listen to her lines again, I still couldn’t really imagine it was her. Maybe I have come to stereotyped her to sound something like Rias from High School DxD so making this slightly squeaky voice made her unrecognizable. The other casts are Ayaka Fukuhara as Grea (Kasumi in Dies Irae), Wataru Hatano as Owen (Gajeel in Fairy Tail) and Kimiko Koyama as Lou (Komoe in To Aru Majutsu No Index). The other spectacular thing about this series is the background music and I believe the piano themes are the one that take the cake. It is slow and easy, definitely relaxing. So once again, if the story and characters are too slow for you, the visuals and the music balance it out to make it enjoyable.

Overall, this series might not be for everyone and personally I was initially on the fence to call it boring or interesting. Seeing the hectic pace that I am watching animes these days, it soon dawned to me that perhaps sometimes this kind of slow and relaxing anime is what I need to relax my mind. So yeah, I personally rate this series to be a little bit more than average towards the interesting side. Perhaps the reason why our main characters’ friendship could blossom so peacefully because the other casts of the original Shingeki No Bahamut were on the other side trying to deal with all the chaos. And then one day, maybe, just maybe when things are so boring and slow, that we’ll get to see some hentai flick of a hot dragon chick banging a cute human girl.

Yama No Susume S3

Why do I have a feeling that Yama No Susume S3 came out nearly after 4 years the second season aired was because it is to rival Yuru Camp? I guess we are going to have another cute girls doing cute things but with a new subgenre of outdoor lifestyle. Or maybe it is to coincide with Mountain Day on 11th August. Or maybe our characters haven’t conquered Mt Fuji fully yet and hence the need to remind us that another season is necessary. Well girls, take your time and only climb when you’re fully prepared. Because it’s not like Japan’s most beloved mountain is going anywhere, right?

Episode 1
Aoi wants to give a gift to Hinata so she wonders how she could combine mountain climbing and night scenery for it. So when she asks Hikari about it, she thinks she has got a boyfriend. Even the owner thinks so and gets worried? After hearing her out, Hikari suggests Mt Tsukuba as it has quite a night view. Aoi thinks it is a good surprise idea. Aoi brings unsuspecting Hinata to Mt Tsukuba who seems to just go along with the flow. When she tries to ask, Aoi averts the question. She’ll find out when she gets there. The night climb sure brings a different experience and when they get to the top, they are amazed by the night lights of the city below. Hinata is surprised but Aoi is most surprised herself at how beautiful it is. So is this a failure or success? As they sit and admire the scenery, Aoi renews her motivation to train and learn more to take on Mt Fuji again. When they take the ropeway down, they see a lot of romantic couples flirting. It blushes Aoi and it doesn’t help when Hinata comments they are a like a couple too. Hinata wants to stay for a while since the lights here are pretty too but Aoi cannot take all this anymore and wants to leave right away.

Episode 2
As advised by Kaede, climbing Mt Fuji now is dangerous because of all the snow. Guess they’ll have to wait till next spring. So for the time being, they go shop for some hiking shoes. Oh, bring 40,000 Yen too. Better not compromise on safety. At the shop, the knowledgeable salesman makes some recommendations. After getting Aoi’s feet measurements and the shoes, Aoi tries to practice climbing on a small miniature slope. She finds it hard to walk in. Kaede advises her to walk with her whole foot instead of just using her toes. Aoi doesn’t look satisfied as she still thinks she would like to have a cute pair since she is going to splurge that kind of money. And then it’s like this pair is signalling to her with this blinding light, “Pick me! Pick me!”. And so Aoi has found the shoes she wants. A few advice to inspect shoes before climb as Aoi also learns how to tie laces so it won’t come loose. They test their news shoes with a practice hike on Mt Tenran. Aoi feels at east walking in them and realizes why they are now heavy and stiff. Feeling you’re ready for Mt Fuji?

Episode 3
Aoi’s mom suggests Hanno Alps for her next hike. Did Aoi lie to mom because she knew Hinata can’t make it and didn’t tell her so as she would not stop her to go? You know how worried moms get when you go hiking alone, right? At the site, Aoi decides to take the easier route but soon gets a little tired. This track must be dead since nobody is around and she can’t help ask around for help. Finally a spot to rest. Much needed rest. Luckily soon after, Kokona comes by. Now she has a companion. Aoi is thinking of going home now but since Kokona wants to continue hiking, I guess she can’t lose out. The hike pays off as they get to take pictures of elands in their natural habitat. They arrive at a shrine with few deities and a giant pair of sandals. There’s some legend about the gods protecting your legs from injury if you pray sincerely but I wasn’t interested :(. They pray at the shrine and no prizes to guess Aoi’s wish to conquer Mt Fuji next time. With the breath taking view too, Aoi feels great that she has gained a little more confidence from this tough walk. So this is tough? Kokona was like no sweat.

Episode 4
We take a break from anything mountain climbing or hiking related as Aoi begins the new school term. As usual, she is nervous in making new friends in her own class. Some take an interest in her because they are amazed at her knitting skills. She is invited to hang out with them but this only makes Aoi more depress as she starts overthinking how she might not fit in. This must be more stressful than hiking. At the karaoke joint, Aoi is in her usual nervous mode. Her friends sing better than her and when it comes her turn, she thinks of using the toilet as an excuse but Hinata ‘cuts her off’. Aoi knows a song but fears this mountain song is so obscure she will be laughed at. Then Hinata starts singing it. It boosts Aoi’s confidence as she sings another less popular song (although she is still obviously nervous). Luckily her friends know it and soon they start singing along together. In the end, Aoi and friends had fun. Just a little more of this and she’ll be part of the gang in no time.

Episode 5
Aoi, Hinata and Kokona make their way to Gunma as Mt Tanigawa holds special place in their hearts. However they’re not climbing the mountain this time but to visit a special attraction there, Lockheart Castle, a very Scottish medieval-like castle. They meet up with Honoka who is also supposed to join them on this trip. We see the quartet having fun inside its many attractions as it lives up to his name with so many heart-like locks hanging everywhere. They also have a chance to dress up as a princess and do anything to their heart’s content. At the end of the day, Honoka’s brother is here to pick her up and the rest realize why she is reluctant to say anything about him. I’m not sure if trashy is the right word but you can hear his heavy dubstep beat from his car… Yeah… Honoka is very embarrassed and even more so when onii-chan doesn’t understand why she is acting so differently when she always swoons over him. Oh dear… As Honoka is a shy girl, no punch or beat down. Back home, Honoka enjoys the many photos they have taken together.

Episode 6
Aoi sees Hinata trying mountain coffee and thinking she would be teased for not being an adult, she decides to try one too. But first, Aoi practises making some and although it tastes bitter, her mom likes it. Yeah, you didn’t follow wrongly the instructions wrongly. Aoi at the coffee shop tries to look up for some beans. I believe there are brans she hasn’t heard off. Sausage? There, she meets Kaede and Yuuka and tells them what she is doing. Yuuka understands Aoi wants to be a cool person but it would be cooler if she likes what she likes. Aoi and Hinata then hike up Takayama Fudo-son as the former try to show off her coffee making skills. The coffee is bitter as usual as Aoi ponders if this is how adulthood is. You bet. And then Aoi witnesses this atrocity. Hinata putting milk in her coffee! Hey, it’s not like Hinata said she liked mountain coffee, right? Everything was just Aoi’s paranoia. Here, have some milk. Tastes good, right? So the lesson of the day is not to be an adult when you’re a kid. Take your time to become an adult. Oh, you’ll need it when the time comes…

Episode 7
Hinata wants to take Aoi to the planetarium tomorrow but apparently she has work so looks like she has to go herself. Out of habit, Hinata sometimes think Aoi is with her but realizes she is all by herself. It’s no fun being alone. Keep this up a few more times and maybe a few will take notice and think you’re a mad girl with an imaginary friend. Meanwhile Aoi is doing her best at the patisserie. A little girl who came in to buy a cake for her mom who just gave birth, she is short of money but the owner gives a discount seeing it is such a special day for her. Can’t ruin a customer’s smile, can you? Even after the store is closed, Kokona’s mom came in late to buy some cake as atonement. Unsure what to choose and the ones she wanted are out of stock, Hikari dispenses her knowledge on some of the cakes (which she learnt from Hikari who learnt from owner) for her to make her decision. Aoi goes home tired but her effort made it worth it. Yeah, a reminder that Japanese are the best in providing you the best service!

Episode 8
Honoka calls Aoi to invite her to Mt Akagi. At the same time Hinata called but since Aoi isn’t picking up and was on the other line, Hinata got ‘jealous’ of the other person she is talking to. So Aoi calls Kokona to invite her to Mt Akagi. Now, Aoi calls Hinata at this moment and of course she can’t pick up as she is talking to Kokona. Hence Aoi is ‘jealous’ that her best pal is talking to somebody. Geez, can’t these girls have other friends outside their groupie? Next day in school, both feel very awkward to ask each other. When Aoi finally has a chance to ask, somehow Hinata declines. And WTF she was hoping Aoi would continue to pester her into accepting?! Too bad it didn’t happen this time. Hence Hinata meets up with Kokona for their trip as well as Aoi and Honoka (is her brother going to play his dubstep music all the way?!) also heading there but from the other side. Honoka is quite knowledgeable about the town they pass through while Kokona knows her way through the tough hiking trail.

Episode 9
Continuing their trail up Mt Akagi, Aoi has no problems in climbing the numerous steep steps. All those mountain climbing must have really paid off. They arrive at a hotspring that Honoka wishes to try. Might as well since they are here. Aoi is reluctant but since Honoka is already getting naked, if you can’t beat them, join them. It is a good thing too because the water is warm and relaxing. But of course. Which Japanese hotspring is not enjoyable?! Meanwhile Hinata and Kokona have reached the peak and make this picturesque spot as their picnic area. If you think the weather is going to ruin their day, don’t worry, God loves lolis so he makes those ‘angel stairs’ phenomenon instead for them to be awed. Honoka and Aoi finish and head back. Oh dear. Honoka has to put up with more of her big brother’s embarrassment. Big brother wonders why she is quiet? IF YOU JUST TURN DOWN YOUR DUBSTEP!!! They arrive at a shrine and like any other Japanese shrine, you can write your wishes. No prizes to guess Aoi’s is to conquer Mt Fuji. Aoi parts ways and takes a train home. Coincidentally, Hinata and Kokona are on board this same train. They catch up on each other’s adventures.

Episode 10
Aoi and Hinata are invited by their friends to Ikebukuro. Hinata is unable to come as she will be out with her parents and Aoi is left in a lurch. She fears that Hinata would tease her for being unable to hang out with others without her. But back home Hinata finds out she mixed up the day with her parents and hence she has free time. It makes it awkward for her to join (fearing Aoi will tease her for the mix up) in but she worries about Aoi. So instead she hangs out with Kaede and Yuuka. Too bad Kaede dreads Yuuka the Spartan teacher because that is basically what this hangout is going to be. Hinata is awed after hearing Kaede’s ambition to go to college while still wanting to continue mountain climbing. Meanwhile on Aoi’s side, they all had fun. But one of the friends make it a point for Aoi to remember her. Yup, for the years that they were in the same class, Aoi never knew her! At least now Aoi is much more approachable than before. Hinata sees Aoi having a swell time with her friends and it’s that worried look on her face that she doesn’t need her anymore.

Episode 11
Hinata is still reeling from the fact that Aoi has new friends. Kaede invites them to hike Mt Mizugaki and Mt Kinpu. They’re going to climb the mountain and spend the night there so prepare your tents. Aoi and Kokona spend the night making food. Thankfully they didn’t doze off at the kitchen. However when morning comes, not even the alarm clock could wake them up. It took a while for Kokona to wake up but it’s going to take a lot more effort to wake up that heavy sleeper. Luckily they’re just in time. Just a second late and they could have missed the train. Because of that, Hinata is clearly upset as she lectures them about taking care of their health. Why so angry? What’s the deal, girl? They’re sorry, right? Even when they hike up the mountain and set up their tent, Hinata is still visibly mad. She makes careless moves that could have injured her. I’m sure the picturesque view of the mountain should blow away some of her blues. Hmm… Maybe it’s going to take a bit longer.

Episode 12
Watch some beautiful stars in the night sky before tomorrow’s climb on Mt Kinpu. Next morning as they begin their journey, it seems Hinata injures her knee but chooses not to say anything so as not to ruin the journey and worry her friends. Eventually she cannot go any further and tells her friends about this. She wants them to carry on while she makes her way back down. Of course Aoi will not leave her friend behind and will stay with her. So as not to waste this trip, Kaede and Kokona can go on ahead. So I guess this is necessary so the duo can amend their friendship and go back to how it always was like before. Yeah, believe in them to quickly reconcile because there’s no merit to drag out this drama, right? Okay, okay, we made more friends but they are still each other’s best friends. We get it. Can we move along now? Kaede and Kokona return and show them the nice pictures they take of the peak as they prepare to descend. Aoi accompanies Hinata home. Hinata raises her hopes when she says she has got a present for her but won’t tell her what it is. So we get to peek at it first? This weird owl flower thingy…

Episode 13
Aoi’s stamina has been steadily increasing as she prepares for that eventual date with Mt Fuji. Had not Kokona reminded her, she would have forgotten about Hinata’s birthday next week! It is suggested they do a surprise party for her. Kaede would have loved to join but not if Yuuka sensei has something to say about studying. Aoi is tasked to choose a gift since she is her best friend. Yeah… Technically not wrong. Unfortunately Aoi doesn’t have a clue what Hinata likes. Lots of ideas but eventually they’re unsuitable. Yeah, that means a baby sister isn’t possible. So why do we need to have flashbacks of Aoi’s sad unsociable life and the thought she could make it alone through high school until Hinata popped up? Oh, the memories. I guess Aoi is so stuck and acting weird that when Hinata asked, accidentally she spilled the beans about the surprise party. Oops. Hinata laughed hard but thanks her because it made her really happy. And then the secret thing Hinata wanted to tell her… I guess we’ll have to guess and wait as she whispers in her ear… More typical friendship banter from the duo. Life’s good. Soon they celebrate Hinata’s birthday and Honoka joins in via video conferencing style. Even her brother wants to join in?! And thankfully Kaede ditched studies just for today to celebrate this special occasion. So I guess the present they got for her is some makeup kit. Will Hinata look beautifully mature now? She looks like a clown… Oh well, a few more practice…

Yuru Climb
See you again? Sure. Hope it won’t be in another 4 years. Honestly I don’t find anything that special with this season. Is it because of the many years this series was ‘absent’ and hence my failing memories? As said in my previous blogs, I was never a mountain enthusiast and this series failed to spur any sort of mountain climbing interest or healthy outdoor lifestyle living. Otherwise how do you think I managed to complete and watch so many animes every season?! What I’m saying this that this season feels pretty drab to me and there was nothing really special that piqued my interest. I’m sure some of the mountains featured here are like mini advertisements in hopes of garnering some interest to not only climb the mountain but visit the other local attractions in the vicinity.

This season still has its share of mountain climbing and hiking but somehow I feel it is not as prominent as its previous seasons. Maybe I don’t remember much. So in place of that, we have this character development and as always, the ‘yuri’ relationship between Aoi and Hinata. Nothing new until the part where they start to ‘fight’. Yeah, I guess we needed some friendship drama because it’s getting boring with all the happy-happy and sparkling smiles of eagerness to climb mountains. And so they ramp up some drama of Aoi and Hinata with their friendship on the docks because they’ve been so best friends with each other for so long, seeing them mix with other groups is unthinkable. Yeah, I wonder how they came to a conclusion that means bye-bye to their friendship and move on to new friends. Remember, their friendship only blossomed recently and they were away from each other before that. And as expected, such friendships must be mended in the end because it shows some growth in characters of accepting the other has other circle of friends than themselves. Your friend is also my friend. Gee, what a happy carefree world.

Kaede and Kokona aren’t prominent in this season and so is Honoka. Kaede seems to be slowly turning into some reluctant studying slave while Kokona still remains her cute side. Honoka feels like an extra-extra character because if they feel they needed an extra character, they just bring her into the picture. Because she doesn’t really feel like she is part of the circle of the main quartet. The only amusing character is Honoka’s brother because of his penchant to play his dubstep 24/7. Does he ever turn off that thing? When you hear the dubstep, you know who is around. It’s interesting to see the other side of Honoka as she tries to hide her love for her brother but dense big brother can’t tell and continues to spill the biggest secret she wants to keep from her friends that she is a doting little sister. I guess all of us have sides that we don’t want to see. With Honoka hanging out more with her friends but still cannot not rely on her brother for transportation, I guess she’ll have to live with the embarrassment. Ah, they grow up so fast.

Art and drawing still maintain its quality and although it might not be so breath-taking that you want to pause your video and let tears roll down your eyes to appreciate the masterpiece background and sceneries, well, sorry if I was exaggerating but yeah, the background and sceneries still provide nice eye candy if you ever get tired of watching our loli drama. Heh. The opening theme just like in previous seasons is sung by the mountain climbing quartet. But with Yuka Iguchi as Aoi starting off the song, I don’t know, it makes the entire song sound so girly despite all the jazzy fanfare. Even more so when it reaches Yui Ogura’s turn (Kokona’s voice). It’s the Aoi-Hinata duo combo for the ending theme, Irochigai No Tsubasa which sounds a bit hip hop and a bit better than the opener. Can’t help wanting to go “Yo! Yo!~” at certain points. But overall this song has some dramatic elements that makes it feel it is also suitable for a visual novel game.

Overall, this season feels average since mountain climbing is given a lesser limelight and replaced with some power of loli friendship drama. Plus, Aoi didn’t get to conquer Mt Fuji yet and it still remains her (pipe?) dream so I suppose that gives another excuse to make another season if there is a need for it. Hence perhaps this is another reason why I didn’t find this season so appealing because instead of taking on the final boss of all mountains in Japan, they continue to attempt and conquer smaller ones. It’s not a bad thing but we’re mostly here to see little girls conquer the risky and treacherous mother of all Japanese mountains that the Japanese themselves revere and admire so much. Oh right. Kaede said it is dangerous to attempt Mt Fuji at this time of year. Oh well, I suppose until that adventure takes off again, looks like I’m going to wait and watch season 2 of Yuru Camp first! XD.

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby

What could be more exciting to see horse racing? Unless you love horses and races (or just a flat out gambler), I don’t think anyone would be interested in seeing horse racing. But leave it to anime to turn that around and make it ‘interesting’. Yes, you don’t just see horse racing, but horses anthropomorphized as cute girls running on race tracks! You might be thinking if we wanted to see cute girls running, why don’t we just watch a 100m or 400m athletics meet? That’s why they are horse girls… Anyway, I was sceptical at first to watch Uma Musume: Pretty Derby for this reason. But learning that this series was created by Cygames, the one who made the awesome Shingeki No Bahamut as well as the pretty average Granblue Fantasy, I decided to give this a chance. It’s not like there is going to be a twist in the plot of horse girls turning into heroic characters and slay the evil resurrected dragon. WOULD THEY???!!!

Episode 1
Special Week arrives in Tokyo keen to make her dream to become the best horse girl in Japan come true. Being the country bumpkin, she misses her stop. Don’t worry, she can run the rest of her way there. At the racetrack, she is enthralled by the beautiful and popular Silence Suzuka. Rumours of molesters in the big city might be true. Some guy starts feeling up Special Week’s legs. Never stand behind a horse when it kicks… Special Week is annoyed he keeps following her but don’t mind, the race is about to start. As expected Suzuka wins it. More leg molestation by that dude. Sure he doesn’t have leg fetish? The other special thing about this race is that the podium winners will hold an idol concert with the winner being the centre. Special Week is so awed with everything that she realizes she is late for the school she is supposed to transfer to, Tracen Academy. I guess there were some horse girls are kind enough to let her in. Special Week introduces herself in class as we are so introduced to some of the main ones like Haru Urara, Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa and Seiun Sky. Then we are briefed with the race system of the many different kinds of ranking races with G-I being the ultimate. When asked what team she wants to train with, Special Week wants to be with Suzuka. Lucky her. There is an entrance test for Team Rigil, the strongest team in the school in which Suzuka is in. The winner gets to join the team. Special Week takes this chance to race. We see her determination and special skill of boosting her speed in the closing stages of the race, impressing a lot of people. Just when she thought she won, it is El Condor Pasa. As Special Week laments her loss, she is kidnapped by Gold Ship, Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka to their room. Special Week is shocked to see that molester. Call him Trainer and he is the trainer of Team Spica. Here is another shocker. Suzuka also just transferred from Rigil to Spica today since they don’t understand how she runs. Say what? You mean running fast just wasn’t enough. Okay. Technicalities, I guess. With everyone having their own dreams, Trainer wants to help Special Week achieve hers and since the Twinkle Series is starting next week and with enough members, he is going to make her debut run. So soon?

Episode 2
Special Week must be special lucky for Suzuka to even be her roommate. Special Week is summoned to see the student council president, Symboli Rudolf who is a Triple Crown winner. I’m sure we don’t understand the school’s motto of “Eclipse first, the rest nowhere” for now. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. Rudolf assigns Tokai Teio to tour around the school. Then back to more rigorous training for Special Week. Is playing Twister is legit because how does this help in opponents bumping into you during the race? Maybe you have to be stretchable? Fuji Kiseki who is the dorm head, tells Suzuka to take care of Special Week since she grew up without any other horse girls her age. So now she gets special treatment too? When Trainer has a meeting with his team, the plan is to have no plan! Just run the way she wants to run. That night when Special Week looks nervous, Suzuka talks to her. She finds out she has 2 mothers. Her natural mother who is a horse girl who died shortly after giving birth and her adopted mother who is human. As they were both friends, mom adopted her as her final wish and raised her as her own child. She also trained her to be a competitive horse girl and Special Week’s promise to her is to be the best horse girl. Special Week makes her stage debut and is obviously nervous. As she has forgotten her bib, Trainer has Suzuka give it to her. A chance to talk about pressure and fear. It helps eases her anxiety. At the starting gates, Special Week gets intimidated by the opponent next to her. Probably her delinquent looks and crude way of talking scared her so much so Special Week makes a slow start. So we see her starting from the back of the pack before using her special boost to pip the leader and win the race. She is amazed with everyone cheering for her. I know, everybody loves a winner. Of course this means Special Week now gets to be the centre of the idol concert. One problem: She did not train for this and so she just stood there like a rock!

Episode 3
Other members of Spica also win but they too didn’t practice dancing and hence their concerts all end up in shambles. Hence Trainer has them train singing with Teio. She is a good karaoke master. With Trainer acknowledging Special Week as the only one who can win the Triple Crown in their team, her first race for that is Yayoishou in which she must win the Satsukishou which acts as its preliminary race. The unique thing about this track is that the final stretch is an uphill battle so she is going to need a lot of willpower. The opponent she needs to watch out most is Seiun Sky. The race starts with Special Week doing well and Seiun Sky is leading. Running up the hill part, she uses all her willpower boost to pip Seiun Sky and win it. As they celebrate, Teio drops a shocking announcement that she wants to join Spica. Originally from Rigil, she talked to Rudolf about it and that her goal is to be like her and she wants to have fun running. You mean she can’t do that in Rigil? Rigil more like Rigid… More training for Special Week and with a few wins under her belt, the mood and motivation are good. Suzuka even gives her specially made boots as a gift. That’s not all, as Satsukishou is a prestigious G-I race, she must also dress the part. Yup, time for to see what kind of cosplay our horse girls will don. Honestly, it looks pretty tame if you compared it to other teams. As the race starts, as usual Special Week is propping up the back but manages to slowly pass her opponents. Seiun Sky starts to pull ahead and Special Week does her specialty but finds she cannot close the gap. Even during the uphill, she still cannot catch up. She maintains her lead to win it with King Halo coming in second and Special Week finishing third. I suppose when you’re on a winning streak and then you suddenly don’t win, it’s a real bummer. So with Special Week yelling out her frustrations about being arrogant, Trainer does the same with her about not training her better. He tells her to use her loss to get stronger. She is going to beat Seiun Sky in the next race, the Japanese Derby.

Episode 4
Special Week is so down that it’s obvious. Yeah, it’s making her clumsy too. Then a wakeup call. She gains weight. Time to train harder. On a side note, Urara is doing well in her derby match and El Condor Pasa dominates her race. When other horse girls learn of Special Week’s troubles, they agree to help her on her diet. Time to put away the temptation and prepare for Sparta training. That includes high diving. Because you need guts! Trainer reviews Special Week’s run and he realizes her flaws. So he goes to see Hana Toujou, the trainer for Rigil to request a mock race between Special Week and Taiki Shuttle who is the fastest short distance horse girl. Basically a sprinter? As Special Week is still worried, Suzuka is even more worried. Because she put on weight (ouch) so her clothes can’t fit (ouch) and might hurt herself. Trainer advises her the usual: Don’t think. Just run. She’ll learn much more in the real deal than training. The race begins with Taiki Shuttle sprinting ahead. But Special Week manages to keep pace thanks to running in her slipstream. Then the uphill part as Taiki Shuttle starts pulling away. Special Week then notices her running rhythm and adjusts to it. It seems while running uphill instead of taking bigger strides, run in smaller steps. This enables her to catch up but Taiki Shuttle is still fast. In the end, Taiki Shuttle wins by a whisker. Special Week might have lost but she looks happier as she had fun running. Spica watches El Condor Pasa run in some race and win it. Hana announces that in order to get her to the global stage, she will be running in Japanese Derby too. El Condor Pasa challenges Special Week to run against her.

Episode 5
In order to help Special Week overcome the uphill obstacle, she trains to run up steps of the shrine. Meanwhile Mejiro McQueen still hasn’t join a team and Teio suggests she join Spica because Gold Ship threatened her with a pile driver if she failed to do so. McQueen remembers Gold Ship harassing her but it always backfires. She relents but might change her mind after Trainer molests her thighs. However with Gold Ship being close to tears, McQueen falls for this bait and will just sit in for now. The Japanese Derby is here. As it flags off, King Halo and Seiun Sky take an early lead while Special Week and El Condor Pasa are running in the middle pack. Seiun Sky then surpasses King Halo until the final uphill stretch where Special Week’s training pays off. Using her stamina and mini strides, she manages to overtake Seiun Sky and turning her into a frustrated horse girl. However this is also where El Condor Pasa sprints ahead. Man, this has got to be the longest final 50m stretch as Special Week tries her best, pushing herself to the limits and not giving up as she keeps pace with her rival. Conveniently her teammates are seated right at the finish line and using the spirit of friendship power, Special Week has some power boost to catch up with El Condor Pasa. But it is a close finish and it requires a photo finish. A tie! Joint winners! Uhm, I guess there is no provision to say there needs to be a special runoff to decide to winner. Yeah, the crowd is happy about it, even more so with them hugging each other. Lesbian horse girls, crowd loves it. But I think Special Week wins because she is somewhat the centre in the idol concert. And who the f*ck is that third place horse girl in that concert? You mean it wasn’t Seiun Sky or King Halo taking third place?

Episode 6
Special Week writes to her mom to update all that she is done. This includes Spica doing well and winning many of their races, McQueen officially joining Spica, some weird beach training and finally it’s time for the Twinkle Series Fan Festival. Highlights include Rudolf killing it as a butler café, McQueen taking her fortune and it says bad luck (oh, you know who), a doughnut eating contest won by Oguri Cap and Suzuka at the weirdest moment revealing she can’t run with them next year because she is trying her luck overseas. That is why she needs to win races in Japan in which she has been doing recently. Special Week is happy for her but it’s not surprising she feels sad too. Later Suzuka talks alone to her about her reasons for that. She has always had fun running and didn’t want to give up on that every time she raced or trained. That’s why she opted out from Rigil into Spica. She’s having lots of fun right now and wants to run in more races. Trainer talks to Hana and knows the problem she is facing with Grass Wonder. She is one of the top stars in Rigil but due to a nagging injury, this is going to hurt a lot more people than her if this persists. In this next race, Mainichi Okan, Suzuka will face off with El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder. As the race starts, Suzuka takes the lead. El Condor Pasa plays catch up as usual. On the last stretch, it becomes obvious that Grass Wonder cannot keep it and thus it becomes a 2 horse race. El Condor Pasa is stumped that she cannot keep up with Suzuka’s pace and in the end Suzuka reaches the finish line. Suzuka is so focused that she didn’t know she crossed the line after a while. El Condor Pasa is sad this is her first loss but has to admit that Suzuka is in a class of her own. With Spica dominating, Hana is not pleased Rigil is on the slide. But does Trainer have to rub it in?

Episode 7
Special Week loses to Seiun Sky again in Kikkashou. She makes a promise with Suzuka to run together but looks like they have to push forward that date because after the Japan Cup, Suzuka plans to go to America. Hana continues to train Rigil as they note how Suzuka has become a different horse girl ever since joining Spica. Usually there are strategies and tactics while running a race but for Suzuka, it is like she doesn’t care about all that and just runs the way she wants. Trainer has Spica do some strenuous training to find some inn. Thankfully they reach there by night fall. Suzuka takes this chance to tell the rest about her American move, shocking them. Special Week pleads to Trainer she wants to run with Suzuka in Japan Cup. This means a member of the same team will lose but it all boils down to running with her. During the Tennoushou race, Suzuka takes an early lead and starts to make a huge gap. El Condor Pasa and other horse girls are shocked that they cannot catch up. Suzuka continues to increase that lead until something very wrong happens. She starts slowing down and runs in a very bizarre manner. Everyone is shocked as all horse girls zoom pass her. Suzuka didn’t finish. El Condor Pasa won the race but nobody is happy. Nobody. Suzuka wakes up in hospital and it seems her left foot is fractured. This is due to all the intense training and she never let it up. While her feet will heal and she will run again, it is not known if she could run at top speed again like she did today. Blasting the gloom and doom away is of course Special Week who reminds about their run. Suzuka always keeps her promises, right? So look forward to that! And with her teammates supporting her, this is just the beginning of their next stage.

Episode 8
Special Week has been visiting Suzuka every day and trying to cheer her up. But I don’t think that is to blame for her losing Japan Cup. Looks like her dream to run with Suzuka will have to wait a little longer. Suzuka has healed enough for discharge and go into rehabilitation. They have a special New Year party as they watch Winter Dream Trophy that Rudolph participates and wins. I guess it’s special since the winner only gets to sing solo. With their renewed vows, Spica train and work hard. Special Week gets more motivation with El Condor Pasa writing her a letter telling that she is doing well overseas. In the Takarazuka Kinen race, Special Week is up against Grass Wonder. It is obvious that Special Week isn’t running at her best as she keeps thinking about Suzuka (as this was one of the races she won). Because of that, Grass Wonder finds it disappointing and zooms past her. She easily wins and in the aftermath asks Special Week if she has given her all. Time for reflection and depression. Got even time for that? That’s where Trainer comes in to remind her about her true goal. It wasn’t just to run with Suzuka. It’s to become the best horse girl in Japan and have her mom watch it. Remember that? She’d better. Because Trainer says she is going to win all her races in autumn. Wow. That’s really a massive load of confidence or foresight.

Episode 9
El Condor Pasa calls Special Week to cheer her up. But after putting down the phone, Special Week returns to her worrywart look. Trainer takes Spica for a training camp at the beach. Rigil is also there but Spica won’t be in the same luxurious hotel. It’s a rundown inn instead. Trainer splits Spica into teams and wants them to practice. They will hold a match with each other in the end. We see the horse girls train hard but it looks like Suzuka still has some ways to go. El Condor Pasa calls Rudolf to tell she met Europe’s greatest horse girl, Broye in which they will be running together in an upcoming French race. The match Spica will compete is triathlon. They’re not interested till Trainer says the winning team gets free buffet at Rigil’s hotel. Off they go! During the race, Suzuka and Special Week prop up the rear. Suzuka is still weak and Special Week wanted to help only to be told off by Trainer. Is Special Week really going to stop and help in the middle of a race? Is this Suzuka’s best? What about their promise? If they want to help each other, they should become rivals. His dream is to see them run and fight each other to be top. This motivation has them running like the wind as they zoom past the front pack. They regain their confidence to run but all that tension turns into a joke when they can’t stop to navigate a corner, went straight and crash into the sea. It was really a good laugh. At the end of the day, all of them get to eat the buffet. Everyone watches on TV the French grand prix. El Condor Pasa makes a great start and takes the lead. Not surprisingly, Broye makes her move and pips her to victory. I know everyone is screaming (like El Condor Pasa could hear) for her to go faster or even ‘escape’ but how can she do so when Broye is running even faster than her? Why are the Japanese horse girls so sad? They knew she was up against the best in Europe and were they really hoping for a miracle? Not this time. El Condor Pasa calls Special Week and excitedly talks about her experience. But that soon turns to tears after realizing how painful it is to lose. Yeah, you win some, you lose some.

Episode 10
El Condor Pasa returns to Japan to train more. We see a very motivated Special Week training hard and eating hard. It’s like she has this Duracell battery imbedded into her. Hence the next race we see her much sturdier and everyone is impressed of how well she has improved. But then she falls flat and finishes 7th. What a bummer. Trainer believes she has been secretly training instead of having proper rest. Hence he has the team rest until the next race. This means Special Week has to go back home. Mom must have gotten the memo and won’t let Special Week run at all. Mom has created a scrapbook of all events and races Special Week appeared in. She isn’t sure if she can be the best horse girl in Japan but she is going to try her best. Mom gives her a horseshoe charm she made for her. Special Week will use it in her upcoming Tennoushou race. She lets Special Week do a bit of night training. The break is over as Spica returns and do more training. Special Week and Suzuka renew their vow to win races and race with each other as rivals. Tennoushou is here and it has been a year since Suzuka was injured in this race. Although Special Week is running in it, Suzuka will not even be watching as a spectator as she has more important stuff to do as her rival. Training? The race begins with as usual Special Week at the back of the pack. Then as expected she start speeding up until she is ahead of the pack and holds on until she wins it. Seiun Sky and King Halo are not sad that they lost since the stronger their opponents, the stronger they will become. But make sure Special Week doesn’t always stay ahead of you or you’ll always be second best.

Episode 11
Big news! Broye is going to run in Japan Cup! Why? To show everyone she is the strongest horse girl. Yeah, she’s going to show you Japanese horse girls why European horse girls are better. This means Special Week has to practice harder and also this is Suzuka’s comeback race. Broye tours the race ground and even does a demo run. Her time shows she is way faster than Rudolf. French horse girl can understand what Japanese journalists say but choose to reply in French? Where’s the damn translator?! They don’t have the luxury of subtitles like us viewers :). Snippets of hard work and training. Even El Condor Pasa gives Special Week some advice and wants her to win. Suzuka enters the race a day before Japan Cup. She is given an ultimatum by her rival, Sun Visor. You know how in such situations they will always have to eat their words, right? As the race begins, Suzuka is as expected at the back. Everyone thinks she is still injured and Sun Visor is disappointed. But in the last stretch, Suzuka initiates her secret move. Not really secret. She just runs faster than everyone else. She never looked back since and crosses the finish line well ahead of Sun Visor. So Sun Visor not congratulating her and promising to beat her the next time, that’s like being a sore loser? Suzuka returns to her happy friends and rivals who prepare to celebrate her victory. And now it’s time for the main course, the Japan Cup. Showdown between Broye and Special Week. You can disregard all the other participants.

Episode 12
Broye might sound arrogant and confident in winning (more press conferences for her?) but I guess this is what to be expected from a champion. She’s not disrespecting her opponents. Special Week’s mom is also here. Coincidentally she bumps into Trainer and Suzuka. She asks if her daughter has a chance to win. Wait. I know winning is everything but I thought at least she would ask if her daughter is going to give it all (even if it sounds like a no brainer because mother believes in child). We also see Special Week gets lots of support from her friends. The real race is here but before that, Broye pecks Special Week on the cheek, sending the crowd into shock. Is that some sort of declaration of challenge? Well, it could have been worst. I mean, a French kiss… Special Week has learnt some French words from El Condor Pasa but apparently she didn’t Google it to double check so her cocky statement offended other French horse girls. The race starts with Special Week propping up the back. Broye is following close behind her to observe her move. So when Special Week begins her sprint, Broye also does so. However Broye starts sweating that she cannot gain an inch from her. In the end, the power of support enables Special Week to win! She is the best horse girl in Japan! And possibly the world too seeing she beat the best. But it boggles me if Broye couldn’t even catch up, was her super practice time a fluke or did Special Week break that record? Anyway, everybody is so happy with her win so we don’t care about it. It seems Special Week will only do a solo concert. Apparently French horse girls don’t have idol concerts and they can’t speak Japanese. So be double thankful for Special Week’s win, you idol fans out there! Before she starts, she is interviewed and her speech of wanting to make dreams come true and giving those who cheered on her dreams too, led to lots of tears flowing. Now the Tokyo EX Winter Dream Trophy is around the corner. We have an all-star cast for this ‘battle royale’. Special Week, Suzuka, the other Spica teams, El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, Oguri Cap, Fuji Kiseki and Rudolf are among the names. But wait. No Seiun Sky or King Halo?

Episode 13
Special Week writes to her mom on the great achievements of everyone in Spica. Suzuka won all her G-I races and went to America. But I guess what she did there wasn’t important because now Special Week is at the airport to pick her up from her return. With Winter Dream Trophy approaching, there is a big party and press conference. Trainer remembers his own struggles where he was left depressed and devastated when horse girls quit, thinking he wasn’t serious in training them. Only Gold Ship remained. After seeing Suzuka run, he got motivated to get back up and started recruiting. And look where Spica is now. More rivalries and revelries between the horse girls. Before the race, Spica wants Trainer to say a few words. The usual. Don’t think. Just run like they always do. In this big derby of 18 horse girls, Suzuka makes a strong start by taking the lead. Then in the final stretch everyone catches up for an intense final battle. I suppose Trainer is the most anxious because he doesn’t know who to root for. Can he root for everyone? But yeah, there can only be one winner. In the ultimate f*ckery, because f*ck, don’t tell me everyone crossed the finish line at the same time! This would be more than just coincidence because I will suspect fixed game! Well, I’ll be damned because all of them are featured in the idol concert. Giving AKB48 a run for its money… I want to think winners and losers get to sing onstage for this concert too… And prevent fans of certain horse girls getting targeted if ever there was a clear victor. During the concert, Trainer spots a new potential horse girl being awed with everything. He feels up her thighs. Expected horse kick. He asks about her dream and she’ll definitely achieve it if she doesn’t give up.

Horsing Around – Pretty Derpy
And so they lived happily ever after, running and racing and singing with each other. Wow. Life is such bliss for these horse girls. They make it look like it is so easy being a racer and an idol. Uh huh. They must really have the stamina to do all that with a smile and still have the strength to live their lives. Oh right. Who am I kidding? There are horse girls. Horses, damn it. They should have stamina that would allow them to gallop for miles and kilometres. But I’m just pondering with all our featured horse girls in the Winter Dream Trophy being so powerful because the narration said it’s like they’ve won races and hold so many crowns of so many races, I wonder if they will continue to dominate the racing scene and obliterate every other horse girls. Unless they’re just village champs, get what I mean? Otherwise they’ll go out there and dominate the world! Not fair to point out what happened at Suzuka’s short exploits in America but I guess she coming home isn’t just to fulfil her promise with Special Week but I am thinking more of the lines that there is no place like home.

There isn’t much plot to begin with. With Special Week being the main focus, it is predictable that it is mainly going to be about her starting as an amateur with dreams of becoming the best horse girl in the world (but of course, which horse girl doesn’t harbour this dream but because she is main character, she is one of the lucky few who got to live out her dream), becoming a dark horse and then a local hero and favourite who will become the best at the world stage while technically still remaining as herself. A few struggles in between, some few obstacles in between, becoming stronger physically and mentally, nothing that our horse girls cannot overcome because the power of horse friendship.

I can’t also say that I am very impressed with the character development because it feels pretty predictable and cliché. Though, I don’t mean that in a bad way. The main focus is on Special Week and Suzuka. They have their bonds but I just don’t feel that they are particularly close enough. Special Week feels a bit like a retard for comical purposes and Suzuka as the other end of the pole as emotionless. But when they put their minds to it, they become formidable. The other downside about the characters is that there are too many of them! Even more if you want to count all those that are just irrelevant. I know that the horse girls are taken after and are personifications of real life race horses in Japan. So by featuring a lot of them but reducing them to just minor and unnecessary background characters sometimes feel like they need to pay homage and tribute to these certain horses but sorry since you aren’t main character, that’s all the time you get. Yeah, I don’t even remember their names.

Therefore for horses like Urara, I don’t even know what the heck her role is besides her ‘running joke’ of going and returning from trips of races in other areas. It’s not like she is in Spica, Rigil or any of the other nameless teams at Tracen. I also noticed that if you observed closely at Tracen, there is one glutton horse girl who keeps eating and shoving her face with food in the background. She is named (like any other horse girls who are introduced, their name will pop up on the screen) but I can’t remember seeing how insignificant her character is. As for other horse girls, for example Spica. This is what I summarize them as: Boring irrelevant rivalry between Scarlet and Vodka, Gold Ship’s constant harassment over McQueen, McQueen coming from a famous pedigree but nothing more is shown about her achievements and Teio with her dreams of becoming like Rudolf seems like a distant dream that Special Week achieved hers already. What the heck is Sun Visor’s appearance for? Only one episode as Suzuka’s rivalry and that’s it? Feels redundant.

Trainer is being a good and nice guy but mostly feels irrelevant because otherwise watching horse girls train themselves without a proper trainer would feel just weird. You know that when they get lost, at least there is someone who will guide them back on the right path. But I have a feeling that he really doesn’t have a plan. Every time he tells his horse girls the same thing of not thinking and just run. Well it’s good in a way because sometimes the best strategy is not to have one. At least in their cases. It’s just running and run faster, right? So with him telling this every time to his horse girls, don’t they expect that this is what he will most probably say? Maybe they hope he’ll actually say something different, huh? Hence with Trainer and his no-plan strategy, it is like as though the master is trying to make the student think to come up with an answer when he himself doesn’t have the solution. And he’ll go along with whatever the students come up with.

On a trivial and very unfortunate note, the real Special Week passed away while the series was still running. It feels like an irony that the show that made it its main character and for that main character to just pass away, it just feels sad. Because of that, I was wondering if Special Week winning against Broye was some sort of tribute to the real counterpart, making it even more special for those who have close ties to that real horse beauty. RIP, Special Week. Your legacy lives on in the anime! At least for those who don’t know you in real life. But something feels fishy (or horsey?) because if Special Week can beat Europe’s best horse girl, she can’t beat the rest from Tracen?! This is assuming all of them crossed the line at the same freaking time in the final episode’s derby!

If you want to talk about the races in the series itself, personally I find them boring. Therefore I see them drumming up typical anime style drama and tension just to hype up some excitement. Which isn’t really exciting in my books. Yeah, blood needs to be spilled and characters need to die for me to be considered exciting! Woah! Such a bloodthirsty sadist I am. The races follow this somewhat and predictable pattern. The supposed winners whom you could predict and get it right for 90% of the time would usually make a slow start or prop up the back of the pack. In the final stretch, they will exert all their power and make a final dash to the finish line. I wonder if they run on extra friendship power because that seems to be the booster always. There is no real magic so there is hardly any variety to see other than the horse girl running faster. That’s why they added in a lot of other effects to try and make it super exciting but I did not buy into that. No wonder in certain ways, the final episode’s Winter Dream Trophy felt something a bit lacking. That’s why they wasted time dedicated more screen time showing other non-racing stuffs.

So whenever they pass some random horse girl participant who often spout “Muri!” (technically means “Impossible!” but translated as “I cant!” for accuracy), I keep thinking how the heck these other participants even get to participate in the race. I mean, they are horse girls. They’re supposed to have stamina, right? As they reach the end or being zoomed past by our main characters, you hear them complain this line. I mean, I know you horse girls won’t win but how the heck did you get in the front in the first place? Did you sprint like 100m sprinters and use up all your energy but forget there is a few 100 more metres to go? Yeah, that kind of attitude will not let you win races. But in the true spirit of sportsmanship, we often see the winners being humble and the losers being gracious. No wonder the crowd loves them all. I’m wondering if a horse girl wins a race, what kind of prizes does she get besides bragging rights. Don’t see them winning money or cash prize. No jockey, so that’s one less problem. I suppose enough for them to keep racing because this isn’t a dark series where bribery and fixed racing is rife. It’s all about the passion of running!

The one thing that kept me boggled during such races is that the outfits they wear. Because they look more like cosplayers than anything! Sure, they are supposed to look good (that’s why it’s called Pretty Derby, I guess) and I agree on that. But some of the outfits that I see them wear are just freaking wind resistance. No wonder they can’t win. That kind of outfit is not even conducive for running! Oh well, if you can’t win races, might as well look good while running. This is the big reason why I say Broye CANNOT beat Special Week! I mean, take a look at Broye’s outfit. Basically a prince charming outfit with a fur cape. A FUR CAPE!!! How does that not let her being dragged down by wind resistance?! No wonder she lost. And Special Week must be smiling and be thankful for her win. Merci. But I still find it amazing that even after the race, the outfits are not messed up one bit. Are they put together with special glue and material?

But in view of this, now that I look back at it, there is no fanservice whatsoever! Despite their weird costumes, there are no sleazy shots or even bouncing boobs just to attract that male demographic attention. So maybe that is why this series works in a way. They didn’t have to resort to such underhanded tactics and can still go on to make a pretty decent story. I’m sure it would have been distasteful but remember, these horse girls were taken after real horses so don’t want to disrespect them. Oh by the way if you’re asking, Trainer’s thigh molestation doesn’t count as real fanservice. That’s sexual harassment!

Aside from what is seen in the anime, there are other mind boggling questions that I want to ask especially about the horse girls. One of them includes: How the f*ck do they breed?! Okay, I accept that in this world there is another intelligent species of horse girls. But like in its name, they are all only females. Who the heck fathers them?! They have mothers but no fathers! If they are being fathered by real horses, OMFG!!! IS THIS CONSIDERED BESTIALITY!!!! This is f*cking weird just thinking about it. Even weirder than porn! Besides, with horse girls in this world, are there even real horses?! Surely you don’t see them in the city but it really begs the question. Yeah, what do people ride on before modern transportation? Thinking of how they sit and ride on horse girls is just weird. Very weird. The more I think about it, the weirder it gets. Hence…

This thought just came up. Do horse girls have the same rights as humans? Or are they just animals with some human rights? Because if that is the case, can I have a horse girl as a girlfriend AND pet???!!! Oh sh*t! Again, this arises the beastiality question if one tries to perform something kinky when making out with a horse girl. Yeah, what kind of offspring while you get if a human mates with a horse girl… Very curious questions… I wonder if our relationship would also be stable… Haha!!! Also, imagine if weird rich girls instead of wanting a pony as their present, they want the best and cutest horse girl. So awkward…

Another weird concept I want to question is: The horse girls’ ears. Yeah, they have a pair right on top of their head. Actually I never noticed this until they started talking on a phone. The landline one. Because I noticed the receiver is long enough to reach their mouth and to the ears on the top of their heads. At least this dispels the question or any oversight that those ears are useless and only for decoration. But this also begs the question if they also have human ears on their side. I cannot ascertain this as all the horse girls conveniently have hair long enough to cover their side. Imagine if they have no ears there… I would look like horror! And if they do have ears, it makes me ask a new question if they can really use both sets of ears. It would be awesome if they could. Also to note, as all the horse girls have different hairstyles for differentiation, can I say that this is their mane?

Do horse girls who have serious injury and cannot recover be put down? Thank goodness for Suzuka recovering (and Grass Wonder too) and of course I believe injured horse girls will be forced into early retirement instead of being put down. But how come I don’t see any old horse girls becoming trainers? Why are the trainers humans? This means, how long is a lifespan of a horse girl? Don’t tell me they all die shortly after childbirth! That would be too tragic. Besides, seen any old or retired horse girls around? Do you even know their parents?! Sheesh. This is getting even more worrying the more I ask.

Art and animation feel average but I’ll give them points for putting in the detail and do not slack during races. Because it is during that animation where it gets hell to animate. You know, when they run, their arms moving back and forth. Now you know why animators save a lot of time, energy and money animating anime series like Naruto, when they run, their arms are unanimated and we all believe it because of that aerodynamics crap. If not for the different hairstyles, I think I might get confused with their generic looks. Like Special Week and Teio look close to each other thanks to that white strip of hair they got. Thankfully their different outfits and other accessories also help. I always somehow keep thinking El Condor Pasa is a Zorro wannabe… This anime is made by P.A. Works but since I’m not into furries (can horse girls be considered as furries?), I didn’t really see their trademark gorgeous bishoujo art style here as seen in Hanasaku Iroha, Tari Tari, Shirobako, Sakura Quest, Glasslip and True Tears. But I guess better to have horses anthropomorphized as girls than the other way round. Yeah, talking horses with makeup and dresses would be awfully weird.

There are lots of seiyuus lending their voice due to the many characters but the only one I recognized is Rie Kugimiya as Sun Visor. The rest of the main casts are Azumi Waki as Special Week (Mai in Toji No Miko), Marika Kouno as Suzuka (Yua in Hinako Note), Minami Takahashi as El Condor Pasa (Megumi in Shokugeki No Souma), Machico as Teio (Serina Nishiyama in Sansha Sanyou), Saori Oonishi as McQueen (Aiz in DanMachi), Kouji Okino as Trainer (Tetsutetsu in Boku No Hero Academia), Azusa Tadakoro as Rudolf (Chtholly in SukaSuka), Megumi Toyoguchi as Hana (Revy in Black Lagoon) and Akari Kitou as Seiun Sky (Kaho in Blend S). Broye who speaks all her lines in French is voiced by Haruna Ikezawa (Yoshino in Maria-sama Ga Miteru). Since I don’t know nothing about French, I can’t say id her French is authentic or just another of those ‘Engrish’ type. But to be fair, she is born in Greece! Although raised in Japan. Not sure if she is halfie either.

I never really think of this series to be an idol one. Sure, there are a handful of idol bits but that is not given its prominence unless otherwise. So there are quite a few songs in this series. Aside from the typical upbeat opening and ending theme, Make Debut and Grow Up Sunshine respectively (both sung by the members of Spica), there are special ending themes that are slower ballads to pull those heartstrings and work up those feels like Arigatou Kamisama by Special Week and Silent Star by Suzuka and Find My Only Way by Spica. Then there are those idol-like songs like Endless Dream, Koi Wa Derby and Nanairo No Keshiki but I’m not really attracted by them.

Overall, not a bad series but if you do not place too much expectations, this series is still enjoyable in its own right and even without the need of putting in any blatant fanservice (even the swimsuits during the beach training is very modest and nothing sexy nor revealing). The plot and characters might be predictable and cliché but also satisfying in its own pace in seeing how the characters grow and bond. I won’t be betting that this series would get a popular following. Sure, the game and the anime itself will have their own set of fans but if you’re talking mainstream, not very likely. Unless an upset occurs. But for these horse girls, they are more than happy for us viewers to watch and cheer them run. Once they’ve achieved their dream, they know that they can gallop away into the sunset knowing that they lived their life to the fullest and giving others hopes and dreams. Unless I bet on the wrong horse, then all my future dreams are dashed while they dash to the finish line… It’s still a race after all and the winner still takes it all.

Amanchu Advance

Man. I’ve never expected Amanchu to have another season. But here it is, Amanchu Advance as its second season. Another dozen episodes of calm scuba diving and underwater submerging tranquillity. Could they really be going the way of Aria and have more sequels? Whatever the future for this series, they’re taking it slowly and at their own pace. Enjoy the moment. Always look to the future with hope. Imagine a series about diving teaching you all these stuffs.

Episode 1
Teko and Pikari are supposed to meet at grandma’s place. When Teko (riding on a scooter) arrives at the intersection, Pikari starts running! Probably Teko is a safe rider so Pikari beats her to the ‘goal’. Next time she’ll start running when she reaches the bus stop. After hearing Teko’s narration on her gratefulness of meeting Pikari that changed her life, the girls have to help out with grandma since the beach house is packed with people. Later after another round of diving with customers, Pikari suggests the siblings to join her in a hot bath boat provided by the facility. A hot bath? In this summer heat? No thanks. As Pikari soaks alone, she notices the customers (a group of old guys) getting into the next tub. She realizes she forgot to wear her bra and hence a possible nip slip. Thank goodness for her handphone as she calls her friends. Due to them being busy at the moment, nobody picks up. She ultimately texts for help. Ai finally sees the message and tries to help her. She didn’t realize she is topless as she tries to pull semi-conscious Pikari out. Will the old men have the best view of the day? Thankfully here comes Teko distracting them with free pork soup before putting back Pikari’s top. Safe. Too bad Makoto got kicked by Ai for nothing. To thank Teko for this, Pikari suggests a BBQ tonight. They go shopping and some like Mato help contribute to the seafood BBQ. During the party, Chizuru sends Teko a picture of a steak in hopes of making her jealous since coincidentally her side is having a BBQ party too. What a downer. Later Pikari and Teko talk alone about their worries that one day they will soon have to part and the fun will end. I know it’s good to prepare but they’re taking this so seriously. Pikari in denial refuses to let that happen! Can’t envision a future without them together, eh? But since there are lots of things they want to do, they can’t imagine that yet. Even if that day comes, they’ll be sad. But they’ll think of all the fun times because fun is infinite. Yeah, whatever logic fits the bill to beat the blues. Cue for awkward confession they like each other.

Episode 2
Pikari sees a local boy near her place. She goes diving with him and shows him an octopus nest. Although impressed, he won’t tell his name. Back at grandma’s, Pikari sees the fireworks festival poster and invites her friends to come. She’ll make it real special for them. Next time Pikari sees that boy again and knows he is trying to find the octopus nest but couldn’t find it due to the change in tide. She will lead her there in exchange he tells his name. Kokoro Misaki. Pikari fawns over his cute name. That’s why Kokoro didn’t want to tell her. Kokoro sees an eel trying to hunt at the octopus’ nest. The eel ‘warns’ him. Now we see a short epic battle of the octopus fighting the eel! Kokoro feels sad he can’t help the octopus but is relieved when the octopus mom returns to her nest safely (but with some bruises). After they part, Pikari realizes too late she should have invited Kokoro to the festival. On that night, With the exception of Teko, the rest didn’t come in a yukata, disappointing Pikari. Pikari doesn’t see Kokoro around and Teko starts worried and overthinking about her new friend but comes to terms that Pikari is the type who can easily make friends. Thanks to Pikari’s hard work, the friends get front row VIP seats to watch the fireworks. It’s such a good view that they shower her with praises. Pikari loves it. Keep it coming… This fireworks display has Mato remember her own when she was young. She was too short to see so an old woman lifted her up to watch the magnificence. She gets to see this similar scene again thanks to Pikari. Next day, Pikari finds Kokoro at the usual spot. However he is depressed. The octopus mom is gone. Kokoro investigates but tries to stop desperate Kokoro trying to swim further to find it. She tells him the harsh cycle life of an octopus. Its mom will fast until its offspring hatches. In the end, it will always die. If the nest is unlucky, predators will find and eat it. But all is not lost as the nest hatches and they get to see the wonderful phenomenon of small translucent octopus babies scattering around. It’s like their own underwater fireworks.

Episode 3
Mato teaches Teko how to use an underwater compass on land. She seems to handle it well. Until the real test. Because she has to do it underwater alone and without Pikari. Gulp. Visibility is very limited as Teko sums up her courage to make her first step. All goes well until she realizes she is alone. Can’t see anyone. Is she lost? She starts overthinking and close to panicking that she has messed up. She thinks of quitting by rising up to the surface but after thinking Pikari might be disappointed with her, she continues. She remembers other lessons like observing her surroundings and the ripple marks on the sand. It leads her back to her pals. Success. When they are cleaning up on land, Teko notices Ai and Makoto not packing up yet. That’s because they are going for night diving. Of course this spooks Teko and she declines joining them. At night, Teko and Pikari see off the siblings as they show off their bright lightings to be used. They are awed to see so many divers and their lights as it reflects off the surface of the sea. Despite Teko having a better view on night diving, she is still scared of diving in darkness but hopes to overcome that. Mato finds Teko up early next morning. She massages her feet to help relax her body. Since Teko still has low self-confidence on the things she does and always keep dreaming things, Mato tells her all the good stuffs she did was reality. Writing them off as dreams would be a shame. She can’t change the past but can change herself and the future. Teko is now further motivated to overcome her weaknesses and relishes all her special memories are real. Well duh. Can’t be dreaming this entire time, right? Her next goal is to get her advanced licence.

Episode 4
Summer just went by in a flash. Don’t worry, autumn is here. This means sweet potatoes! Yay! At the shopping district, Kokoro spots Pikari but doesn’t want to call out to her. Too bad she spots him and now hangs out with him. Meanwhile, can Teko suddenly tell the future? Because she can tell the things that are going to happen around her! Then she realizes this is a dream. She is cool about it. Because she takes a broom and flies! OMG! Has this series become so boring that they resort to this? Heck, even the girl next to her is shocked at what she saw. As Teko confirms to her that this is a dream, she even teaches her how to fly! Uhm, Flying Witch? They fly all over town and to the park where they see the autumn sakura. On the other hand, Pikari hears out why Kokoro has been depressed all day. Somebody teased her and scribbled her about having octopus lips. Pikari trying hard not to laugh… When Kokoro says he is going to find the culprit and smack him, Pikari thinks he will regret it. So she takes him to see the autumn sakura. Well, it’s not really in full bloom but just small patches. But better than nothing. Before Teko and the girl could tell each other their names, the latter disappears. Teko takes this as she has awakened from her dream first. Shortly after, Teko too. She realizes this place has gotten so boring relaxing that she fell asleep. Then she calls Pikari and tells of her experience. Both are awed about the coincidental autumn sakura they saw. Teko notes that autumn has many wonders of its own but the best is that you have someone you can share the joy with. So let’s go find more wonders!

Episode 5
Mato tells about the legendary mermaid who helps those in a pinch. If you are friendly enough, she will take you to Ryuugu Palace. So our diving enthusiasts take a dive in the ocean. Teko is awed by the air rings the friends made to her. As they continue diving, suddenly Teko feels she is rising. She panics and the more she struggles, the more she rises. Thankfully Pikari and Mato bring her down. Back on land, Teko feels ashamed for failing. Due to the different level of the seabed, she had to get rid of excess air to maintain her buoyancy. She panicked and had she rose too fast, the nitrogen in the air of her suit will build up. This could be fatal and worse, when Teko was trying to swim downwards, she raised her feet and that’s where the air built up. She learnt a valuable lesson today but it’s a bit hard for her to get over the depression. Pikari’s little sister, Kodama visits. Teko learns she too has a diving licence and technically her senior. But she hasn’t dived with Pikari for quite a while since big sister often brings trouble so she maintained her distance. Pikari is embarrassed when Kodama and Teko prostrate to each other to take care of Pikari. Awkward… The gang goes diving in the sea again. After Ai and Makoto dive to deeper depths, Pikari and Teko spot a turtle and follow it. Mato then sees something swimming fast zooming past her. She thinks it is the legendary mermaid. However… It’s just a big fat grandpa?! But Mato decides to take a gamble and has him take them to Ryuugu Palace. He agrees! This dude really swims fast! Is he really human?! The ladies are awed to the colourful seabed teeming with ocean life before bringing them back. Back on the boat, Ai feels jealous she couldn’t meet that legendary mermaid. Mato has this fuzzy and warm feeling she has met that ‘mermaid’ before. We see that ‘mermaid’ turns out to be Pikari’s grandpa. This weird looking guy has become a legend now…

Episode 6
It’s the Halloween! Teko is dressed like a cute princess than anything scary. And Kokoro is a cat girl? Too bad he had to stumble into Pikari. So cute! Teko and Kokoro meet for the first time. Pikari leaves them together to get drinks. An awkward silence. Teko starts overthinking about taking the lead and when Pikari returns, both of them are so relieved. Ai and Makoto are doing an event. However nobody is participating despite the prize of a large octopus plushie. Maybe that’s why. But Kokoro seems interested… They make up some suggestions of adding extra prizes but the one that suddenly catches everyone’s attention to participate is a kiss from Pikari! Woah! See the long queue! Suddenly Teko steps in. She is going to protect Pikari’s lips! So mature? In this scavenger hunt, they have to get the item listed in the random piece of paper without letting the people know they are part of a game. It looks like an intense showdown between Pikari and Kokoro. Both have it tough. People rather be tricked by Kokoro than give him what he wants and Pikari is too scared to approach a guy, turning into a stalker and making that guy nervous! Somebody is stalking you! So when both eventually get what they need to, they are neck to neck racing towards the finish line. In the end, both cross together. Kokoro gets her plushie and Teko gets her peck from Pikari. Pikari also gives one to Kokoro. They’re joint winners, right? But did Teko and Pikari suddenly fall asleep because they realize that they are in dreamland when they could start using magic. The duo then have a Halloween dance with Teko being the prince and Pikari the princess. They snap out of their dream and realize they are in a hot Jacuzzi tub reserved by Mato as reward for their hard work. Don’t you think floating off into dreamland and then only snapping back out in a different place is a bit dangerous?

Episode 7
The students are working hard into the night as they prepare for the school’s cultural festival. But Mato knows something many don’t and she hopes Peter will not mess with her students. Teko and Pikari head to Ai’s class to sell drinks. They only have mostly gourd juice. Ugh… Their homeroom teacher, Mamoru Towano is kind enough to buy them all for his students! Damn… Ai goes to buy another drink to wash off that gourd taste (since Pikari ‘forced’ one upon her). Sitting alone on the stairs, she notes how different and quiet it is at night. Then this Peter guy pops up and wants Ai to slack off with him. She refuses and trips. I don’t know how she could do a somersault like that but Peter saves her and they both land on their feet. Ai felt as though they were both flying for a while. She thinks she owes him one and follows him as he brings her through the corridors of the school. It brings back some nostalgic memories like as though she is reliving her school days. This has her thinking if she could stay like this forever. At this point, Mato learns that Ai is missing. The girls heard she went to buy a drink but never returned. Peter asks Ai if that is how she feels. Sort of. Ai knows that despite all the fun times, it will eventually end. When Peter decides to bring Ai, this is when Mato has found her. She warns Peter not to do anything to her but he says he is only trying to fulfil her wish. But with Ai letting go of his hand, he assures he only takes those who really wants to go. He walks away. Mato brings back Ai to the crowd as confused Ai tries to find out more about Peter. He is a nasty ghost of the school and takes away those who doesn’t want to grow up. So… You mean Peter as in Peter Pan? Ai feels the shivers but tries to brush it off as untrue. Mato adds that the place where she bought the drink is the top floor. You cannot go anywhere further. That is where Peter went. Mato carries on that Peter tried to take her away once when she was a student in this school. He hasn’t aged since and looked exactly as he was.

Episode 8
Ai says Peter’s name and Makoto wonders who. Poor guy gets beaten up for nothing. She falls asleep and dreams of Peter. She wakes up and makes a dash. She trips on a can but luckily Towano breaks her fall. She gets up and continues her dash towards the vending machine. She falls asleep and enters the dream world. It is day time and everywhere is flooded ankle deep. There is nobody around either. She wonders if she has gone back in time since a candy store that closed when she was young is still open. She then spots Mato. Or at least during her days at a student. She thinks Ai is a stray and wants her to leave. But since Ai knows her, Mato explains the truth. This is the dream of a baby left at a shrine. Powerless, all he could do was dream an endless dream called Neverland and live forever. That’s how this world came to be. People who dream started straying into this world. As many people come from all walks of life, the baby takes all their info and memories and ‘grows’. He is Peter and formerly the shrine was only his world but now he started to expand it by his will. Mato knows this because she asked Peter herself. There is a flying ship in the sky and he believes that is where Peter is. So how do they get up there? They fly up there! Can you transfer experience of flying? Sure Pikari heard from Teko the expert dreamer but that doesn’t mean she can do it? Oh heck, it’s a dream so they can. Mato first met Peter during her graduation and she didn’t want that day to end. He showed her his world and she visited many times. The ship is spilling water and if this keeps up, the world will be closed off eventually. Nobody will come here again. Peter thought to expand this world by bringing outsiders but Mato was against this idea. This made him sad as he told her never to come back here again. She never saw him again and wished to do so to tell him what she couldn’t then. On the ship they see Peter. He shows them a room that leads them to a shrine where the baby continues to cry. This is the source of the flooding. The more he expands the world, the more it leaks. So he is going to stop bringing outsiders and close it forever. Mato agrees but will stay with him here. That is what she wanted to say. After they hug, Ai is forced out of the dream. Her other friends are puzzled she is sleeping here. Ai starts crying and asks Teko how to continue a dream. There is something she must do.

Episode 9
Ai is stumped that despite Mato spilling out her feelings, Peter pushed her away and holed himself inside Neverland. With Teko and Pikari agreeing to help out, they give instructions on how to dream again. Man, it’s that easy. Ai is now back in Neverland but Teko and Pikari are there too. Well, they did say they will help her. Don’t worry, Makoto is guarding them for those curious enough to get close. Flying back up to the ship, Peter’s cat is trying to close the door on them but Teko and Pikari hold it long enough for Ai to go through. At the shrine, Peter is shocked to see Ai. She knows he loves Mato and hence pushing her away so as not to drag her into this world. It is that same love why she kept returning. Since Peter is dense about love, Ai confesses she likes him! Is that just an example? If Peter wakes up, he will go back to that baby and harsh reality. Neverland materialized thanks to this cat snuggling up to the baby. Ai will not stay by his side. She wants him to wake up and cry with all his might so someone might hear and find him. Peter is okay being alone as that is how it all started. Ai disagrees and knows he is still crying out of loneliness. Since he created Neverland, he can end it. As this is the town they are in, she is sure they will someday meet. Peter has come to terms with this and agrees but notes she like everyone else will forget this dream. She promises she won’t. Ai regains consciousness as Makoto is by her side (the duo returned to class). As Ai leaves, she feels she is forgetting something until she sees Mato, she remembers. She talks to her and assures Peter will never show up again because he has awakened. Mato starts to remember too. Growing old means her memories were getting hazy, huh? They then see Peter’s cat and it is trying to lead them somewhere. The shrine. They are disappointed to see Towano there. However he knows about Peter’s story. The mother of the abandoned baby returned shortly to take him back after changing her mind. He grew up to lead a normal life. He always thought Neverland was just a hazy dream. But what convinced him to be real? When Ai tripped and accidentally showed Peter her pantsu as well as her tripping before Towano. Pantsu activated those memories! Ai leaves the adults to be alone. Awkward at first, Mato then pinches him for not saying anything. Would you believe it if he did? Ai is left in tears and heartbroken. So she really loved Peter? Who else but her brother could lend a shoulder to cry on? They return to school and the mural theme of Peter Pan is finished.

Episode 10
Teko is going to stay at Pikari’s grandma’s place overnight for the New Year countdown. It’s not just her but the rest of the friends. Mato, Ai, Makoto, the cats and even Kokoro. Oh, Kodama too because of her pyjama party with friends failed to materialize. Great food, great games. Such a great time. When the rest hear Kodama is still hesitant to join the diving club, she gives excuse she doesn’t want to follow her wandering sister around. Since they have time to midnight, grandma decides to tell stories from her youthful days. She was diving for pearls but got hooked on scuba diving. Those days, scuba diving wasn’t sophisticated. She was scorned and laughed at by other fishermen. Nevertheless she continued to dive and explored the seabed to her heart’s content. One day she was at the edge of her exploration area. But she saw something that piqued her interest. She decided to go further. It was then she discovered a beautiful spot that eventually became one of the most famous diving spots in the area. It was also thanks to all the conditions that were right that enabled her to find this gem. The kids are awed but the point of all this is to do what your heart wants to do. So diving is still an option, right? Too bad everyone fell asleep before midnight and missed the countdown. Teko gets up early and has a chat with grandma about the many things she wants to do as a person despite her flaws. Everyone wakes up in time to see the first sunrise of the year. Teko gets a call from Chizuru and Akane who are doing the same. Great timing. Mato decides they should all visit the shrine now.

Episode 11
Pikari is sick. And today is her birthday. Teko has this idea to visit her at home but outside the school gates, she sees Kokoro sneaking around. Of course he is here to give Pikari a present but she is absent. Kokoro remains distant to Teko despite after showing each other their present for Pikari. Teko suggests a ceasefire since it is Pikari’s birthday. They have the same idea of getting her a star shaped birthday cake. Upon arrival at her doorstep, it seems grandma points out a ‘problem’. Grandpa, mother, father, brother and sister all brought cakes! So with theirs, there are literally 4 cakes! But Pikari is so happy she cried tears of joy. Can she celebrate while sick? Oh screw it. Just do it! Kokoro was reluctant to say but eventually tells his birthday which falls on Hinamatsuri, a day for girls. Later Teko knows Kokoro wanted to ask Pikari for a request. Hesitant at first, he finally reveals a burn-off event he wanted her to attend. It is an event where they burn dead grass over the hill before planting new ones. So Teko organizes her diving club members to come on that day as surprise. Kodama is also here and brought her friend, Kotori whose father is a staff for this event. If Kotori looks familiar, it is because she is that girl sharing the weird dream with Teko. As the gang tour the hills, the smoke may be thick but how the heck did Teko get lost from the rest since there is only a path to follow?! Because of that, she bumps into Kokoro in the midst of his job. It is then Teko realizes he is a boy. She always thought he was a girl trying to be a macho man! Insult? When Teko realizes that his love for Pikari is of the man type, Teko wants to support him! Is this embarrassing? Even getting help from the ‘enemy’? At the bottom of the hill, all participants get ready to burn a fire barrier. Being noobs, Teko and Pikari almost falter only for manly Kokoro to save the day. This is when the rest realize Kokoro is a boy. Ai still in shock denial… Here is another shock: Kotori is Kokoro’s older sister. It’s such a small world…

Episode 12
All Teko needs is to select one more diving elective and she will get her advanced diving licence. As the gang take their usual dive, Teko snaps some photos of the sea life. But back on shore, the photos of course turn out to be less than satisfactory. Mato suggests underwater photography as her last elective but surprisingly Teko wants to do night diving. Kodama and Kotori will soon be first years in high school. Pikari assumes Kodama will join the diving club but little sister reminds her that isn’t a given yet. Although Kotori expressed her interest to see Teko, Kodama might only do so to accompany her. Then there is more talk about their worries that the fun will someday end but you know what? Why think so much? Just go all out and have fun like they always have! Teko prepares herself for her night diving. To her surprise, Pikari has brought Kodama, Kotori and Kokoro as her cheer and watch squad. Teko takes a dive with the rest. She is awed at the different view of the seabed. The gang then gather, switch off their lights and wait a while. Once they get accustomed to the darkness, they start to move. Doing so causes the planktons to react and hence lighting up like as though they are fireflies. Back on land, our divers are treated with grandma’s great pork soup. When Kotori asks if Teko was afraid, she replies of how cool everything was. She might be a bit exaggerating to say how everything is so magical and fantasy-like. Maybe. From her perspective. But it’s reality. With grandma assuring how everything will be fine, this has Kotori excited to join the diving club. In that case, Kodama too. Yay. All the gang’s here now. At the start of the new term, Teko and Pikari are fortunately in the same class. They read each other’s letter to the other. As expected, lots of thanking and the things they look forward to do together.

Subnautica: Diving Deeper Into The Abyss Of Friendship
Just like last season, I wasn’t expecting anything much for this sequel. Hence the same eternal dilemma of whether to classify this series as absolutely boring or just calming healing anime. Or both. The usual ‘shenanigans’ involving our usual suspects especially Teko, of experiencing new firsts and realizing things (meetings, partings, etc) as she identifies and overcomes her weakness at the same time. From the looks of it, it looks like she still has a long way to go. That might sound forever if you compared in today’s fast moving world and standards but in this sleepy coastal town, doing it by her own pace is justified. At least we can all agree that Teko is somewhat closer to her goal now than where she was when she first started, right?

I might have said this anime is the same boring and/or calming effect like last season. However, there is one ‘shock’ factor that I did not anticipate. It is the supernatural part. Yes, Peter’s arc was to a point nostalgic and even spooky for me even if it is not meant to scare any daylights out of you. This small supernatural arc reminds me of Aria The Animation’s second season, Aria The Natural in which that season was filled with supernatural stuffs. It was a little scary now that I think back of it. Thus there was this fear that there might be some spooky supernatural stuff just to spring in some surprise but alas, nothing of that sort. Heck, even that Cait Sith makes its cameo appearance. It made me wonder if both these series are relate din the same universe! Both series are written by the same author so there is that possibility. Making it even more possible is that there is no timeline in dream worlds. Anybody from anywhere could pop up in the same dream of someone simultaneously. It’s a mystery nobody can really explain.

Thinking further about how Peter is Towano gives me headaches because it is like that time paradox thingy. Towano only managed to survive and live on because of Ai from the future being persistent in saving him from staying forever in a closing dream world. So if the future Ai have never done that, Towano wouldn’t have existed today. Ai and Towano might not be directly related or effecting each other in their lives but imagine the things in life that Towano had done, those small little ripple effects and consequences that might have not led to Ai or any of the other characters’ birth or coming into existence. Great. I’m getting a small headache trying to reason this. But not sure if it is plot convenience that Towano and Mato don’t remember this until the final moments. Especially Mato who knows about Peter, she should have at least remembered Ai since she has been in her class for a few years! I mean, when she thinks of Peter, she should know who Ai is, right? She was an integral part of Neverland, at least in its dying moments, which is one of the crucial moments of the dream, right? Therefore brushing it off as a dream before coming to terms it was real, yeah it feels kinda convenient.

Another surprising element for this particular arc is how Ai was thrust into the limelight for once. It was always Teko and/or Pikari who has been hogging episode after episode. Therefore this mini arc saw a nice little change with Ai becoming the main character for a while. It was surprising as well as lovely to see another side of Ai that we don’t often see. Because we all remember her as the one who always kicks her brother for every and no reason at all! So perhaps we see the power of love changing Ai for the better? Yeah, it was heart-breaking too at first when Ai’s love couldn’t be materialized. But I suppose in the end we all would prefer the spunky Ai we all know. Thus I could also say that this arc has the most ‘interesting’ episodes for this season, if not the entire series itself.

Many of the characters remain the same from last season. I would mainly be repeating myself again. Despite having said Teko still has got some ways to go and things to learn, I surmise that in this season I believe she has achieved becoming an expert dreamer. Yeah, that ’nonsensical’ flying dreaming episode sealed it. It’s like telling me, if she can’t get her open diving licence, at least she can be a dreaming expert. You don’t need any sort of licence for that! Just your imagination! But don’t laugh. Because remember what John Lennon sang in Imagine? You may say I’m a dreamer/ But I’m not the only one… Yes people, the world needs not more professionals, pros, specialists, masters or experts, but dreamers! Now that she has gotten her advanced licence, she can go on to dream further. So don’t worry about fun times going to end. If it comes, it comes. You will cross the bridge when you get there.

Come to think of it, the cats aren’t very prominent here either. As though they don’t want to get in the way of our main characters. They’re just hanging around and in case you need to be distracted for a while, you can watch them do whatever cute things they are doing. Hence no proper episode that focuses on them this season. Not that it matters anyway.

Kokoro as the new character adds a little more variety. Because of all the girliness we have seen in our main characters, Kokoro is more of the stubborn and manly pride type (like as though he was supposed to turn out female but God screwed up in the end and made him male last minute). Only made ambiguous by his gender. My guts told me he is a male and there were some ambiguous elements to try and confuse us and make us think he is otherwise. Well, I suppose Kokoro eventually being officially male is supposed to be the surprise factor that shocks our main characters? You know what they say on how strange the truth is. But let me get this straight. Teko when she thought Kokoro as a girl, viewed her as a love rival for Pikari? But now that she knows Kokoro is a boy, she supports him to be Pikari’s future lover? Okay. Perhaps that is no rivalry in that way. It’s a win-win situation for everybody because Teko can have her lesbianism friendship with her while Kokoro will be able to get a straight and healthy relationship with Pikari. Once he reaches the legal age, that is.

Kodama and Kotori feel somewhat irrelevant here since they don’t have many episodes for themselves and only limited screen time. Like as though they are just introduced in case there is another season, then they can appear more. Hence having setup Kodama having some sisterly issues feels like this is going to be her ‘challenge to overcome’, which I predict it won’t be overly complicated (sisters get into some small quarrel, reconcile, best sisters ever in the world again) before she would becoming a diving member once more. But now that they are part of the diving club, we should hear from them often. I doubt that they will be replacing Ai and Makoto because even if they have graduated, they’ll still be around as alumnus and alumna.

It goes without saying that the main draw for me to return watching this series is the BGM music. Yes, those lovely and calming acoustic guitar pickings that could rival those in Aria The Animation. Although this season has its own brand new album, many that I hear sound like taken from the original series. But that’s just because maybe I wasn’t paying attention enough. But I do notice that there are much more variations to the Umi To Sora piece. It is like this has become the main theme of the series. Nevertheless, most of the BGM pieces are still calming and fun to listen.

Last season, Maaya Sakamoto who did the opening theme now sings the ending theme, Hello, Hello. It’s a cute and calming song and if the series itself doesn’t have more Aria x Ohime love, this is where you’ll get your cat love spam. I guess it is better than last season where Aria spends most of his time in this part of the animation chasing after Ohime. Now they’re like a couple. Minori Suzuki sings the opener, Crosswalk. It tries to have that same feel as the previous season’s opening theme, Million Clouds. It is also nice in its own right but I still prefer Million Clouds. With last season’s seiyuus maintained, new ones joining are Ai Yamato as Kokoro, Aya Suzaki as Kodama (Kaede in Ansatsu Kyoushitsu), Ai Kakuma as Kotori (Miyako in Imouto Sae Ireba Ii), Miyu Irino as Peter (Ritsu in Mob Psycho 100) and Hiroki Takahashi as Towano (Hisoka in Hunter x Hunter series).

The art and animation still remain consistent as last season. The background and sceneries are gorgeous to look at if you find the story and plot too boring to follow. Also, the characters still have that trademark Pac-man face for comical purposes. But I find Kodama’s Pac-man look to be a bit strange because it makes her look sleepy. Those half covered eyelids must be it. But the oddest looking character is Pikari’s grandpa who looks so cartoonish that as though he popped out from some cartoon. I thought he might be some sort of spirit and it boggles my mind how someone this big can move so much agile and quick in the water (possibly faster than dolphins too). Maybe he is big because of all the air and buoyancy inside his body? Nah! Also, we see Pikari’s grandma in her young hot youthful days. It makes you wonder how she became so hagged like as though she is another person now. Maybe all that scuba diving and being in the sun through the years caused her skin to be like that?! Remember people, take extra precautions when being exposed to the elements.

Overall, this sequel is pretty enjoyable if you love the first season despite the same recurring themes that some would find boring. Not really sure if this series would go on to have more sequels and spinoffs like Aria The Animation but you can count on me putting it on my watch list if they ever get produced. Especially those irresistible acoustic guitar picking BGMs. Time to add more of those pieces to my personal library. Still not into scuba diving for laidback leisure (if this what this anime subtly intends us to explore) but with those great pieces of music, it’s more than enough laidback time I need. More than enough toxic cleansing and healing I need before I head back into the pitch black and corrupted wild seas of anime. Hope this is enough ‘air’ to get me through till the next season arrives.

Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho

Space. The final frontier. The final place where men has yet to discover its potential. Too bad this isn’t sci-fi so space isn’t the final frontier. It’s South Pole AKA Antarctica. Yup, the giant inhospitable wasteland serves as the final frontier on our lonely little planet that mankind has yet to fully explore and understand. Despite being so ‘near’, it is in its way the furthest place from the universe. Hence, Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho. That is why 4 high school girls are going to brave the sub-zero temperatures for a life changing journey of a lifetime. High school girls going to Antarctica? Is it a public park now? I guess it is going to sound cool when they tell their friends about the field trip they made. Oh, been to Kyoto? Boring. Tropical islands of Okinawa? Too warm and sunny. But have you been to South Pole? Now that’s a real field trip.

Episode 1
Mari Tamaki AKA Kimari has a list of to-do things she wants to accomplish in her life. Not much. But yet she has checked off none. So she thought of starting with the easiest on her list: Ditch school. Uhm. Okay? She even tells her best friend, Megumi Takahashi about it. Well, what can she do? It’s her choice. Heck, she even helps cover for her absence at school. But Megumi knows Kimari well. Because at the end, she chickens out. Unfounded fears of what might happen to her. A meteor falling. Whatever. You’re a good joker at least. So we see Kimari telling Megumi about how this bad habit came about. Every time she tries something, the thought of failure spooks her. Thus it is that part of herself she hates. One night while returning from the train station, she notices a girl dropped an envelope. It contains a million yen! Oh sh*t! Telling this to Megumi, Kimari notices the girl who dropped it was wearing their school uniform. They go around school looking for her. And then Kimari hears someone crying and regretting in the toilet. Sounds like her. You can’t imagine how grateful Shirase Kobuchizawa is when Kimari returns her money. Shirase explains what this is all about. Her mom, Takako wrote a book on Antarctica but went missing subsequently. Hence the money is to pay for her trip to South Pole and look for her. Many mock her for doing the impossible but she is going to prove it and shut them up. But can she earn and save that much money via part time since middle school? Okay. I believe her. This interests Kimari as she is now interested to go to Antarctica. She tells Shirase about her bad habit and this is why she wants to support her going to Antarctica. Although Shirase invites her to go, she needs to test her resilience. This weekend she will be checking out the boats and if she can come, she’ll believe she is serious (the ship named Shirase is at the nearby port for public exhibition before its departure). Of course Kimari starts out as optimistic and then her bad habit starts to kick in midway. Thankfully she doesn’t chicken out this time and meets up with Shirase to start her first ultimate adventure.

Episode 2
Shirase pinpoints the schedule and journey of Shirase. As the ship will be leaving soon and they are not, they will take a plane to Fremantle, Australia and meet up with it there before heading towards Antarctica. Since this is the first time in 3 years that the ship will take on civilian passengers, they can’t miss this boat. Kimari excitedly talks to Megumi about this but the latter has her reservations. It takes a huge amount of money as well as the dangers of the expedition (it has claimed lives before). So I guess the girls need more money and hence they chance upon this easy job. An ad that pays good money for high school girls just talking to boys. Hmm… Sounds too good to be true. But you won’t know if you don’t try. Kimari also works part time at the local convenience store. Her fellow colleague, Hinata Miyake knows all about Kimari and her plan to Antarctica. She overheard them the other day. She wants in. Does she have money? Got it. From her job. She still has to take time off school. Don’t worry. She doesn’t go to school! And she is the brainy kind too. Her dream is to ace everything and show up everyone who goofs off in high school and fails. Of course she plans to do something extraordinary this year before she takes her college entrance exams. Later Hinata reveals more to Kimari why she doesn’t go to school. She hates blending in with the crowd but seeing them together made her envious. The trio try to find the Antarctica expedition meet in the crowded streets of Kabukichou. Ironically Shirase is scared of meeting others. I don’t know what the girls are trying to do to ‘seduce’ the guys but when a couple of ladies, Kanae Maekawa and Yumiko Samejima spot them, Shirase recognizes them and tells her pals to run! And so it becomes a helter-skelter chase throughout the crowded streets. Wow. Those ladies could sure keep up even if the trio separate. In the end, the trio blunder and knock into each other. The ladies (Takako’s friends) hear out their plan to get a male member in their group so it would be easier for them to enter the expedition. Shirase flashes the cash and will give it to them if they can bring them along. But they reject her money although they invite them to come to Fremantle as they are going too. That should be good news but Shirase still thinks if she had more money they would have accepted her right on the dot? Hinata and Kimari didn’t like her negative vibe so they vote to a majority to dismiss her as the group leader and just head to Antarctica.

Episode 3
As part of the civilian expedition, a high school girl will also be tagging along as a reporter. She is Yuzuki Shiraishi and a famous child actress. Shirase has this idea to tag along with her but makes her friends call her agency because she is scared to talk to strangers? But don’t worry, Yuzuki is here! In short, Yuzuki wants Shirase to go in her place. Am I hearing this right? She really doesn’t want to go as she is sick of the cold (she’s from Hokkaido). While it might seem like a dream come true, it comes crashing down soon. Tamiko, Yuzuki’s mom and manager arrives and disagrees. Yuzuki has a job and she must do it. But what if they can do it in her place? Well, Shirase is a poor actor. Even though Hinata is naturally good, she doesn’t have the looks. Ouch. What about them combining? Bye. But they are left with a slim hope that if they can convince Yuzuki to go, they can tag along as her company. So the trio ‘stalk’ her outside the hotel she is currently staying. Then they go confront and try to convince her while she is doing her homework and revision at the nearby café since it offers free refills. Yuzuki knows mom put them up to this. So she explains as a child actress since 4 years old, she does not have any friends. Not a single one (she always had to leave for a job instead of joining them). This year she vowed to make one and hence the reason she doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t think they understand as they’re all best friends. They quickly dismiss that as they are all strangers and known each other for about a month. The only thing they have in common is the destination. Yuzuki feels better about it but the trio realize they forgot to convince her. So that night they hatch a plan to kidnap her from her hotel via window?! Flimsy ladder on a stormy night! They’re falling! Thankfully it’s just a dream. But the trio did come and get her. Normally through the front door. Yuzuki is so overcome with emotion that she starts crying. First friends, eh? They accompany her to the Polar Science Museum and check out the things that are to be expected for the expedition. Yuzuki couldn’t have felt happier in her life.

Episode 4
Shirase has all the paperwork done that will allow her to take time off from school for training and the trip. Kimari? Oh well, I guess she is being over paranoid trying to figure out if mom knows her intentions. Why does she have to pick a time when she is cutting vegetables? When she tells her the truth, it seems Kimari has used her stamp without her permission. Mom turns into a serial killer… Not even dad could save her because he saved himself. Thankfully Kimari didn’t die and is given the ultimatum to pass every test or else. She hopes Hinata would coach her but is told off she goes to school and this means allotted study time. If she can’t manage that, then she is useless! So true! The quartet are picked up by Yumiko for their training camp. This isolated woods would be a good practice simulation for what is to come. Inside the lodge, she introduces them to Gin Toudou who will be the captain for this expedition. She lays down a few basic ground rules like treating everyone equally regardless of anything. The girls practice to use compass and mark their routes. There is also the real practice of sleeping outside in a tent. Kimari can’t sleep and is noisy. So she asks if Shirase knows Gin. Takako and Gin were high school friends. Both went to Antarctica. Only Gin came back. End of conversation. Kimari wakes up before the break of dawn and sees Gin looking at the horizon. She asks about Takako. Strange, convicted and stubborn. She might not know her daughter well but she gets the vibe she is a splitting image of her. Kimari also explains her reason of wanting to go to Antarctica and not just somewhere. Although Shirase invited her, she decided it herself. She met others along the way who wants to go and she really wants to go with them too. Kimari wakes up her friends to see the sunrise. This motivates them further to go to Antarctica together.

Episode 5
There’s a school ceremony to tell Kimari and Shirase will be taking leave for Antarctica? The quartet practice reporting but Shirase is still as stiff. But she isn’t one if you insult her because she is willing to pick a fight. Kimari packs her stuffs so her room is in a mess. Besides, with the weight restrictions, it seems her sister is taking the liberty to throw out stuffs she shouldn’t need for this trip. Yeah, look how many tour guides and dictionaries she planned on bringing. While cleaning up, Kimari discovers Megumi’s video game console she borrowed and forgot to return. For 3 years. So she returns it and has some nostalgia playing the only game she could ever beat her. At the park, Megumi meets Kimari’s friends for the first time. When Megumi cautions them about bad rumours circulating, Shirase loses her cool and wants to get to the bottom of this. Hinata keeps her head cool that this won’t solve anything and that they don’t have solid proof they did not either. Besides, they are leaving tomorrow. They have a karaoke party to celebrate for tomorrow’s departure. Next morning as Kimari says goodbye to her family (dad is most emotional), outside waiting is Megumi. She came to break up their friendship. It is revealed she was the one who spread those bad rumours. In short with all the tearful drama, Megumi was jealous ever since Kimari decided to go to Antarctica. All the while, Megumi had always decided for her and this superiority made her feel belonged. She now realized that she was the one who was hanging on to things. Because without Kimari, Megumi would have nothing. So is it too late for Kimari to invite her to come to Antarctica? Well, it is Megumi’s first step into a world without Kimari so it won’t be wise to follow her. Kimari parts ways with her but rejects her break up. She meets up with her travelling companions at the airport.

Episode 6
The girls are now in Singapore. Their flight to Fremantle will be in 2 days. Wow. Haven’t been to Singapore for ages and I can’t recognize the place. Except for the Merlion still there. The girls go sightseeing and a little culture shock when the Japanese food in the menu isn’t the actual Japanese food when ordered. It says ramen but it’s not actually… Their first time tasting durian ice cream stinks… When Hinata asks Yuzu if she has her passport with her, Yuzu instantly can sniff out something is wrong and forces her to spill the beans. It seems Hinata has lost hers. She carried so much junk and not a passport in sight. You do know you cannot leave or return to Japan without it, right? Don’t worry. Google’s solution is to head to your embassy and request a replacement. The fastest is half a day. Too bad it is closed on Sunday. That’s tomorrow. Instantly Kimari could berate the government for being inefficient because she compares them to convenience store workers who work 365/24/7. Yeah… Welcome to reality. Although they can change their flight to a later date and still make it in time to Fremantle, Shirase is against this. Something about the strict rules of their expedition and she doesn’t want to leave that first expedition that they are running late. So Hinata has this idea the 3 of them should go without her. She’ll just get her replacement passport and head home. Next morning, Hinata’s alarm didn’t work. She wakes up only to see the rest has left without her. She catches up to them at the airport as Yuzu is trying to haggle to change their flight date but is unsuccessful. There are no openings for these tickets till next month since they got it cheap. Shirase tries to bribe the officer?! Will it work?! After all that friendship lecture, Shirase wants all 4 of them to go to Antarctica. In the end, they manage to change their tickets to the more expensive business class. Shirase then sees Hinata’s passport in her purse! Oh my. Flashback shows after they got down at the airport, Shirase wanted to tie her shoe laces and gave it to Shirase to hold. How could she have forgotten? With Shirase acting so nervous, Yuzu can sniff her out… Spill it. As punishment, the duo are made to eat the stinky durian. One each. Thank goodness I’m not part of this group…

Episode 7
Another TV reporting test run. Shirase still sucks… They board Penguin Maru as Kanae shows them their room and the few ropes to get around. Yeah, new things to learn. Better learn quick. Especially not losing your directions. Gin points out their room was once used by Takako so please take care of it. Shirase tries to find any clues left behind by her mom but none. With limited manpower and supplies, naturally the girls are worried if they could ever make it to Antarctica. They ask Kanae so she assures them they have taken a lot of measures and with the people on board determined to go, of course they’ll get there. After all, Antarctica is not going away from them! Didn’t think that was a good ice breaker… The girls aren’t convinced and feel she is hiding something. So they snoop around wearing masks? They find a panicky girl regretting coming on board. From what they hear, looks like her boyfriend ditched her and she came just to prove her love. And since he isn’t coming… Yeah… Also, some adults getting drunk. Suspicious… Sleeping in their bunkers, it seems under a bed there is glow in the dark paint making it look like the stars believed to be by Takako. Later Gin talks to Shirase how they started all this. Realizing there was no civilian station on Antarctica, they did all they could to make it a success including securing sponsors. Despite all the danger, they hope to find something worthwhile. Then the unfortunate happened. Sponsors withdrew and the next expedition was delayed till it was postponed indefinitely. Despite all that, they haven’t changed. She hoped to look at the same stars again. Many of them who went before are now back. Many don’t have anything to gain and some may even lose when they return. That’s the kind of ship this is. Kanae introduces the high school girls. Shirase is still nervous but she manages to get by and rally everyone’s motivation to head to Antarctica.

Episode 8
The girls are basking on the warm concrete of the deck. Soak them up because it’ll be freezing when they get to Antarctica. As the ship sets sail, they begin their interviewing. Shirase still sucks. At the kitchen, they are made to peel potatoes. Then it is time for exercising. Ironically they have been walking around all day and for so long, they get tired after one big round around the ship? Better work on the stamina and shape up. Don’t want to be a liability when you reach the world’s largest desert. At the rate they’re working the dumbbells, they might turn into Amazons by then. Shirase blames others for forgetting to do laundry when it was her whom the group decided on for this task. But the real challenge is here. Due to the constant swaying, the girls are seasick. It is just taking effort to hold it all in. They force themselves to eat the next meal for energy but everything went back out. Kanae ‘instils fear’ in them because they aren’t prepared for the worst that is to come. It seems they are entering the rough seas area in which the boat will be rocking from side to side like a roller coaster. This must be worse than a horror movie. At this point the girls are like the masters of throwing up. But the thought that everyone else is holding their ground and them being useless gives them a little motivation. They chose this so they should be prepared. Probably they’ve gone crazy with all the swaying so they decide to take a look outside. They are awed by the vast darkness and laugh in delirium when the salty waves splash all over them. Yup, they’ve gone mad. However the good news is that the next day they are all fine again. Like as though that was the ritual needed for some sort of immunity. As the weather is all clear, they finally see land. Or ice, rather. Antarctica ahead!

Episode 9
Toshio Zaizen suddenly confesses to Shirase that he loves her! Oh my. Did seasickness turn into love sickness? When they talk it seems he is in love with Gin and wanted to ask Shirase if she knows anything about her since her mom was close to her. So I guess he panicked. Unfortunately she doesn’t know much. But the girls would like to help him out although he cannot get involved. Under the guise of an interview, they try to find out her type of men. Too bad she won’t answer anything that is not expedition related. Shirase do eventually get to talk to Gin alone. She doesn’t hate her as mom always talked about Antarctica and she was well aware of the danger. Gin still has some regrets in making a decision to leave Takako behind. When Gin asks Shirase if this is what she really feels, she starts breaking down relating how she knew mom was never coming home. She kept telling herself every day that if she wants to change, she has to go to where mom is. A place further than the universe. The ship hits a fast moving ice. Instead of going around it, they use the ship’s weight to cut through. While so, more snippets of Takako always leaving Shirase to Gin whenever she leaves the house. Gin remembers the final moment when Takako went missing. Her final words over the transmitter was that she something so beautiful. I hope it wasn’t the gates of heaven. Gin starts crying. Right at the moment when Zaizen had his courage all summed up to confess. Hence he can’t and takes out his frustration while drinking with Yumiko. She tries to cheer him up by advising to try someone within his reach. Guess what? Now he loves her! Oh sh*t! Her plan backfired. When the ship finally lands, the girls take their first step on the continent. Shirase starts boasting how she has achieved her dream and take those to all who do not believe her. With the girls also supporting her on this, the entire crew is also influenced and yells the same. In your face, non-believers!

Episode 10
The girls arrive at the Syowa Station. Even though it is December and it is summer in South Pole, it is still damn cold. Kanae gives them a quick tour around the place and they’ll each have their own rooms this time. It is good for Yuzuki since Kimari sleep talks with her eyes open! As this is the first time Syowa Station has people staying in 3 years, there will be a lot of cleaning up to do. Don’t let that cute penguin distract you. Yuzuki receives word from Tamiko that she has been accepted by the drama audition that she took prior to this audition. This makes Yuzuki sad because she will be busier and the quartet won’t spend time together anymore. However they note they will still live separately and they are all friends. But this confuses Yuzuki because since when did they become friends? Weren’t they just strangers with a common goal? This causes her to have trust issues with them. Hence she comes up with a friendship contract that will have all of them remain friends once this is over. But Shirase believes it doesn’t mean a thing. She has been alone before and knows it. However Kimari is so touched that she starts crying. Yuzuki freaking out? So the rest try their best to explain about Kimari’s actions to her. This friendship and trust thingy is sure confusing. Hinata and Kimari try to do a Christmas show but all the drunk adults have passed out. Not sure what Kimari was doing stuck up the ceiling so she could just talk to Yuzuki? More talk about friendship thingy. The other friends then bust in to give her a surprise belated happy birthday cake. They were too seasick that time for that and thus Kimari suggested they all should celebrate it at Antarctica. I guess this means we’re all friends. I guess this also means it’s time for Yuzuki to cry her heart out. Even more when she messes up by blowing out the candles with her accidental sneeze. Not sure if this is inspiring because they think friendship is this one word. Uhm, isn’t friendship itself a single word? Ne?

Episode 11
Nobody can stop laughing at Kimari’s goggle tan lines. Reverse racoon? Even during the live stream, mom and sis laugh the moment they first see her. When it is Hinata’s turn, a few old friends show up. Instantly she shuts the camera and fakes injury. Shirase notices Hinata has been stressed since and sees her taking it all out via violently abusing the snow. Shirase wanted to talk to her about this but the circumstances wouldn’t. Hence there is an email in the public computer addressed to her. Shirase knows it is wrong but the temptation is too great. She takes a peak and is caught in the act. Hinata not pleased. So here is the backstory anyway. Hinata was part of the track and field club. Her club members tell her to go easy and lose out to the seniors since it is their last year. Hinata didn’t listen and she got selected. She then heard some of them badmouthing her. That was the last straw. She quitted. They tried to spread all sorts of rumours of her so she also quitted school altogether. Hence the reason she came to Antarctica is because there is nothing here. An empty place with no one to tie her down. As the girls carry on their work, Shirase lets Hinata know about her thoughts of it. She wouldn’t stand for anyone who treats her badly but yet she is smile. Hinata isn’t Shirase, you know. Hinata thanks her for her concern and the truth is, she is still scared. On another live stream, Hinata wonders if she should forgive them if it would make her feel better but the thought of knowing they would be relieved would disgust her. So when Hinata’s friends are online, Shirase hijacks and tells them to leave Hinata alone. They might think she has been sad ever since but the truth is she is having a lot of fun. Getting straight to the point, since they hurt her friend, they get to live with this. No halfway state business. Hinata so moved to tears. Perhaps the final taking out of the frustrations of the year as the quartet ring the makeshift bell made out of the drum can. Hope it doesn’t break.

Episode 12
Shirase still remembers she was in the middle of class when the teacher called her to go home. That feeling never ended. So when Kanae invites Shirase to head inland where her mom was last seen as part of their next expedition programme, she shocks everyone by wanting some time to decide. Her friends talk to her as she relates how eager she was to come here and did everything she could. But now that they are here, there is nowhere left to go. And if nothing changes, she is going to live the rest of her live feeling this way. The friends do not pressure her but give her some space to think. Shirase talks to Gin about her reason coming here. She has to accept the fact Takako is dead and came here latching onto the supposed dream she wanted her to come back here. But in the end, those dreams weren’t enough as motivation. It was the injustice of reality that made the impossible possible and allowed them to proceed. Of course Shirase eventually decides to join the team but still has this forlorn look on her face. Moving deeper inland, it gets colder and colder so much so you can use a banana as a hammer! They are awed with the sun pillar phenomenon before retiring into their snowcat. A blizzard hits that night and it reminds Gin of a very similar situation of how they lost Takako. She believes she left the main station after forgetting something and slipped. Despite she was right behind her and tied to a rope, it broke and the next thing she knew, she was gone. Next day it is clear as Shirase narrates a letter if she was to write to mom. She talks about having friends who are willing to go this far for her. They finally arrive at the site which is supposed to be an observatory site. It is still far from completion. After seeing Gin shed tears, Shirase’s friends get frantic to look for anything that Takako left behind. Anything. Proof she was here. Shirase remains sceptical but hey look. What’s this? A picture of mother and daughter together. Uhm, wait. Isn’t that a laptop too? After 3 years, it is still working in fine condition???!!! Wouldn’t the electronics just freeze? Apparently Shirase knows her mom’s email password after the second try. Guess what? It starts downloading (not really sure but is wifi available this deep?) all the emails Shirase sent to her. Oh my, there are over 1,000 unread emails!!! Cue for Shirase to cry and scream for mom. If that doesn’t move you to tears, perhaps her friends outside crying for her will. DAMN WHERE ARE THE TISSUES????!!!!!

Episode 13
The girls have got used to things so well that this could be their second home. Yeah, Shirase is such a killer at the mahjong table. Watch out, Saki. There might be a new kid in town… As the girls would soon have to leave, Kimari has this silly thought of continuing their stay. I understand she likes it here but the rest instantly shoot her down because they have families and school to think about. So on their last day, they play baseball. Nobody could take Gin’s pitching except Shirase. Because only Takako was the other one who ever did. Shirase then shocks everyone with her new look as she cuts her hair to shoulder length. A sign she has gotten over this Antarctica and mom issue? The morning comes for the high school girls to depart. The winter team is supposed to swap with them but since there is none, the adults are continuing their stay. Gin makes her speech about this successful experiment featuring high school girls before passing the mic to Shirase. Typical heartfelt speech that leaves everyone crying. Even Gin. Shirase passes her mom’s laptop to Gin. She doesn’t need it anymore. Takako would be mad if she didn’t stay for the winter. Oh, so mom’s spirit now resides in this laptop? That night, the girls get to see the beautiful aurora lights. Shirase receives a mail from her mom’s laptop. Actually Gin sent it after noticing a mail in the outbox. You mean now it only has wifi? What about when Shirase downloaded all those inbox messages? Did she not notice that single mail in the outbox? Anyway it states that the real aurora is ten thousand times better. How convenient and precise timing and setting. The girls return to Japan and part ways before returning to their normal life. Kimari texts Megumi that she is back but too bad the latter isn’t home. In fact she is away at the North Pole! NO WAY!!!

Have A N-Ice Day! Frozen Friends
I guess once you have experienced something so awesome, returning to your mundane everyday life seems like hell. I’m not saying the girls dread going back to society but I can feel that from all the promises they made during their fastest friendship building days, they are certainly ready for the next trip together. Well, if their schedule isn’t packed or conflicted. While many ordinary people are too busy to even bother the achievements of high school girls going to Antarctica (or the most give a 2 second wow, that’s cool line) and shrug it off as so-what-it-doesn’t-have-anything-to-do-with-me, not many could say they went to the freezing hell and came back alive and in one piece plus an even motivated spirit. I wonder if this is comparable to the other kind of hell that is known as the biannual Comiket, going and returning from there alive. Yeah, too many people have done that so it doesn’t seem so Antarctica cool.

Like they say, it isn’t the destination but the journey that is important. This is what this series is all about. Hence the main draw is not Antarctica but rather their journey together and the bond that they created in this short journey that has turned them into lifelong friends. From mere strangers with a common goal into inseparable BFFs. This is the beauty of this series. Despite at times when I thought it was going to be boring and lacklustre, the dynamic interaction between the main quartet sure proves interesting.

There are going to be lots of heartstrings tugging moments to move your heart as you see the girls bond closer each other while working towards their goal. Might not be the most tear jerking anime ever nor one that would normally needs tissues, but unless your heart is as cold or even more frozen than the depths of Antarctica, you will definitely be moved the moment Shirase finds her mom’s laptop despite I still find it silly it still works but the overall atmosphere was so moving that it made me forget this sin. Many times they drum up the drama and the feels close enough to make us cry. It is like they built up all that emotions welling up to this point that became the clincher to release the flood damns of tears. Damn they did it so well I would have gone full blown emotional if I was the weepy kind. Seriously.

It might seem like they are painting it look easy and even accessible for high school girls to jump on this dangerous expedition. I mean, you want to see old guys in place? Anyway we have seen them in harsh conditions and overcoming it (because power of friendship too) and with the supervision and guidance of veteran adults, it is not as impossible as we think. It might seem unrealistic that the girls are having lots of happy times while on the trip but I assure you that this is the correct attitude. Nobody is going to take you seriously if you keep on complaining and whining. Besides, the girls know very well what they are signing up for and hence getting grumpy at the point of no return is going to cause a lot of problems for everyone. Always keep a positive outlook.

As mentioned that the dynamic interactions between the main quartet is the main driving force of the series. All four of them are not without any problems aside from their character flaws that serves as the series’ comical moments (Shirase being forgetful and stiff in front of the camera while Kimari has weird sleeping habits). They have their own issues to deal with and are properly fleshed out during the course of this series. Like Kimari who has done nothing eventful in her life because she is a coward decides to do something big and for a person who has achieved nothing in life, that is commendable. Even Megumi didn’t want her to go because who else would she ‘show off’ to? But I guess in life, changes are inevitable. In order for Megumi to ‘evolve’ to the next stage of becoming her true friend, she have to come to terms and accept Kimari’s freedom. The will to let go. I mean, even when apart they can still be friends, right? Damn that girl pulled a fast one over Kimari because without anybody noticing, she’s now at the Arctic. So why doesn’t anybody talk about the North Pole? Penguins over polar bears… And also Santa never existed… Because of Kimari’s frank and honest nature, sometimes she feels like the comic relief character of the group after Hinata whose outgoing personality is just so outgoing.

Yuzuki is probably tired of being in the spotlight and just wants to have normal friends. Ironically the first friends she makes are while she is out of Japan. Even the cheerful Hinata has her own issues. While it might seem childish that she ran away from society, what would you have done in her shoes? Well, probably heading to Antarctica wouldn’t be on my top 100 list of things to do to escape from bullying. Perhaps the journey refreshed her in a lot of ways. Yeah, nothing like taking a long trip and taking your mind off things. Screw society. Antarctica has nothing and the best place to represent nothing.

Finally Shirase as the one who commenced this group trip has the biggest load of burden over her shoulders. It is one of the most traumatic ways to lose your mom and never having to say goodbye to her. Hence sometimes I feel this is one big trip to pay her last respects by visiting her ‘grave’. It is a long winded process for her to overcome and accept that mom is never coming home. It is her only chance of putting the rest the ghost of her mom’s disappearance and demise. Yeah, I came to funnily believe Takako’s soul is now in the laptop. Because otherwise what kind of ‘power’ do you think would have kept it in good running condition after 3 years of not in use? I know today’s technology allows wifi in Antarctica but I can’t help think it is cheaper to strap the modem on the penguins’ back. Haha!

Other supporting characters aren’t really prominent in the spotlight but they especially Kanae and Gin (also staying strong and trying to overcome and accept the death of her friend) do help support the main quartet in their stay. It was interesting and funny to see that girl who got the short end of the stick with her boyfriend leaving her on this trip alone. It was like the biggest stand up ever. One way ticket to Antarctica if you want to dump your girl (assuming it was but it isn’t in this case). So as not to see her lose everything, he had the heart to contact her in the end.

At the end of this journey, no doubt that Kimari wants to return to South Pole with her friends, it makes me wonder if this will be the only thing for the rest of her life she will be doing. Sure, she has been bitten by the South Pole bug but remember at first she has a list of to-do things she wants to accomplish in life. So is she going to devote the rest of her life not doing anything else but become a permanent explorer of team Antarctica? If so, what makes her think this would be life’s best experience (assuming she said this) if this is the only thing she has accomplished in her life? So if Kimari is going to stay true to her bucket list, I guess she’ll have to spend the rest of her life travelling to other parts of the world and experiencing different new cultures and the likes. Yeah, less time for Antarctica then. Well, at least she did something than nothing. But if she wants to forever stick to Antarctica is fine with me. Hence Kimari’s life will also be known as the Ice Age. Sorry, bad pun.

Art and drawing feel pretty normal and decent. The characters look simple enough and lacking detail. Also, the colouring hues feel a bit bland. Especially when you get to South Pole, everything is pure white and even from myself if I focus too much on the white ice and snow, I feel I might get some snow blindness! Okay, a bit exaggerated I admit. However the background and sceneries of the cities especially the one in Singapore look gorgeous enough. Even so, the backdrop and characters don’t clash and blend in together. I also want to note that one of the biggest exaggerations of this series is when the characters cry. Their tear drops are freaking big! I thought they were crying translucent pearls! It might be this series’ sort of trademark and exaggeration but I find it a bit weird that they really cry big teardrops. Animated by veteran Madhouse who brought to you One Punch Man, No Game No Life, Highschool Of The Dead, Ore Monogatari, Chihayafuru, Overlord, Black Lagoon and Death Note.

Voice acting, got to credit my absolute favourite Mamiko Noto first. Although sounding serious in her character role as Gin and nothing like the upbeat and fun type like Liszt in ClassicaLoid, it may be nothing special to others but she will always sound special to me! Cringe? More like me still fawning over her! Also recognizable is Yuka Iguchi and her lively voice makes it perfect as Hinata. Other many recognizable seiyuus include Kana Hanazawa as Shirase, Saori Hayami as Yuzuki, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Zaizen, Youko Hikasa as Kanae and Sayaka Ohara as Tamiko. Also recognizable is Kana Asumi’s cameo as that girl who keeps pining for her boyfriend who left her on this icy trip by herself. Gotta prove this freezing journey is not what breaks their relationship. Break the ice! Not the relationship! Oops. Went a bit off there.

Other casts include Inori Minase as Kimari (Rem in Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu), Lynn as Yumiko (titular character in Fuuka), Ai Kayano as Takako (Inori in Guilty Crown) and Hisako Kanemoto as Megumi (Ika in Shinryaku! Ika Musume). The opening theme is The Girls Are Alright by Saya. An upbeat song that instils motivation and hope, enough for you to feel you want to root for the main quartet. The same can be said for the ending theme sung by the main quartet, Koko Kara Koko Kara.

On a trivial note, I keep wondering why despite the series is called and pronounced as Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho (A Place Further Than The Sky) when its original kanji writing is Uchuu Yori Mo Tooi Basho (A Place Further Than The Universe) and this one is often referred to throughout the series. I am guessing what lies beyond the skies are the stars and technically the universe. So using double writing and meaning in Japanese is like Japanese being Japanese, huh? Well, like I said in my opening paragraph about space being the final frontier. When you’re at the southernmost point of Earth, it feels like you’re in space and on an alien planet, no? Or maybe the meaning is just simply interchangeable in this case.

Overall, despite in sub-zero temperatures, their friendship continues to burn and keep our hearts warm. Heck, they even melted it at one point. So is this one cool story then? This is one anime where they correctly use the power of friendship to drive its plot and characters. Even if you are not into this friendship drama thingy, this is still a worthy and entertaining watch. Sometimes it is good to take a break from a long journey and stop to smell the roses once in a while. Who knows the detour you might take and experience something even better? Who’d knew that going south was such a positive thing? This series really gives a whole new positive meaning about heading south. Things are sure looking up in this case.

Yama No Susume: Omoide Present

Wait a minute. You mean the climbing isn’t through yet? Oh right. Somebody failed to conquer Mt Fuji in the second season. It has been almost 4 years ago since the second season aired and I thought that was the end of it. Apparently not. Yama No Susume: Omoide Present is a special OVA released back at the end of 2017 just to inform us that a third season will be gracing the airwaves in 2018. Time to pack those hiking and climbing gears once more. Mr Fuji, here we come again.

Summer: Kokona
It is the summer break for Kokona and her mom feels bad that she has to work and not bring her daughter somewhere. Luckily Kokona is used to this and understands. This is an excerpt of one of her solo walks during summer. On a bright summer morning, Kokona as usual heads off by herself to Honnou. Along the way, she reminisces the old times she spent here as a kid with her mom. She also sees Kaede being dragged and lectured by her friend to go study at the library. She has to if she knows what’s best if she wants to get into college. Good luck. Later she stumbles into a lost girl who got separated from her mom while she was following a stray cat. Brings back memories when she got lost too. Luckily she helps her find and reunite with her mom. Kokona notes she is never lonely because of all the past memories. Literally, it’s like she’s been everywhere. Why the angel or fairy getup when she was a kid? Later when Aoi and Hinata join her, Kokona tells them of a second Mt Tenran. They don’t believe her until they look it up and find how true it is. Yeah, she knows the place like the back of her hand. Back home, Kokona has made dinner as her mom returns. Kokona tells her of all the memories she remembered today. Good news as mom says she has the next weekend off and will be able to bring her somewhere.

Autumn: Hinata
Hinata hangs out at Aoi’s place. When Aoi’s mom calls her, Aoi warns her not to touch anything. Of course cheeky Hinata despite making that fake promise then looks through her stuffs and finds a weird acorn badly glued on a stock with the word ‘te’ on it. Aoi returns and Hinata barely manages to put everything back. Acting so suspicious… Then they go through their old photo album before Hinata shifted away. When Hinata goes home, she spots a dropped acorn. She feels nostalgic but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She asks dad about it so he shows his own photo collection where Aoi and Hinata used to hang out together at a children’s park. He still keeps a gingko leaf because it was her first present to him. It would be bad if he didn’t treasure it. Deep in the night, Hinata then remembers. The day before her family moved, Aoi made a doll out of acorns while Hinata just glued one on a stick. The girls were emotional when they separated and gave each other that acorn memento. It wasn’t written as ‘te’ but ‘hi’. Such bad handwriting. Hinata fears she has lost it and turns her room upside down to find it. Nothing. She fears Aoi will hate her for losing something important hence it is obvious she is spacing out very often. Dad doesn’t know the problem but figures if she did something wrong, just go apologize! I guess after all that thinking, Hinata decides to do that. She is sorry she lost that acorn. Aoi doesn’t mind and suggests they go find acorns and make new ones. Hinata is surprised by her forgiveness but as they pick acorns, Hinata remembers when she returned and introduced herself, Aoi did not f*cking remember her at all! That’s worst! Oh Aoi, trying to change the subject?

Climb More, Worry Less
If this OVA reeks of all that moe friendship and nothing about the climbing, don’t be surprise it is. This is what I remember the series is mostly about. It is like the little warm up that this series need for viewers before they get into the main dish of climbing and hiking up mountains or hills. There’s nothing much I can say here since this OVA just mainly delves into the special memories of the characters in the series. Memories, the priceless treasures than mankind could have. As long as you have them, your friendship could go a long way. Well, I suppose it is forgivable if you forget once in a while. Okay, maybe not. At least not the most important aspects. That’s why it’s funny to see how life changes as we grow up. We made promises never to forget and will always remember and then as time passes, we forget all about it. Sorry if I sound a little philosophical about this. It was just an excuse to cover up my forgotten memories for this series. No big deal now that I have remembered (some of it). So let bygones be bygones and move on and trek forward!

Himouto! Umaru-chan R

Don’t really remember if this series was going to get a sequel. It wasn’t that long ago but I guess the original was popular enough so we get Himouto! Umaru-chan R as the second season. Ah yes. The beautiful and elegant sister who could do no wrong in the eyes of the public. She is the dream girl whom every guy would love to date and marry. Until you know her terrible true personality of being a spoilt brat behind closed doors. I salute to thee, big brother who has always put up and tolerated her selfish ways. Because now he is going to do all that again in this season. Hopefully, perhaps she’ll grow and mature in some ways instead of annoying us.

Episode 1
Taihei will be away for work since the deadline is near. This means Umaru is going to stay up and do whatever she wishes! Play all the games she wants, eat all the junk food she wants and certainly watch all the late night anime she wants. This is the life. Then she falls asleep and the next thing she knows, it is tomorrow’s night! OMG! She slept through 16 hours?! So when Taihei returns that night, Umaru couldn’t be glad to welcome him back. Umaru is forced to voluntarily help Taihei and Ebina pull weeds around their apartment. Because what would others think if she starts getting lazy… At first she finds it fun pulling them out but when she almost hurts herself, she starts turning into a cry-baby and threatens to call it quits. However seeing Ebina carrying on, Umaru sucks it up and continues helping her. A class football match is coming up and since UMR pulls off an accidental skill, Sylphinford wants her to teach her. UMR thought of doing so if this means she can talk to her easily. And after that ‘world class’ training, on match day it seems they scrapped the class match thingy and just randomly put girls in one team. This means it will be Umaru’s side (containing a hell lot of never-seen-before weirdoes like as though this is some shonen anime) against Sylphinford’s side. You bet she is powered up with her training. From what I see, it is basically one (wo)man team Sylphinford against Umaru and her weirdoes. The only highlight is how the ball bounces off Ebina’s boobs for an amazing own goal. In the end, Umaru’s team fought back for a 3-2 victory. Umaru thought Sylphinford was saddened by the loss after putting so much effort but seeing how her teammates are praising her, there’s nothing to worry about. Then there’s the volleyball tournament coming soon… Oh no… Umaru thought an anime about a friendship being struck just because they walk home together is crap. But in reality, looks like she yearns for that. While talking to Ebina, she sees the ‘stalkers’ following behind. Umaru invites them to walk home together and a beautiful friendship begins.

Episode 2
Alex and Bomber arrive at Taihei’s place for dinner. This is the first time Umaru sees Alex and has this strange familiar feeling (he is Sylphinford’s brother) especially when he starts to like anime. Soon she deduces he might be her rival’s brother but in the end, the power of anime has them become good friends. Taihei and Bomber discuss about Alex being hired in the company in the first place and they’re unsure. Could it be he is a spy? He sounds like he is making a suspicious call about making contact with Umaru but is promptly hung up. Umaru uses the ear pick and doesn’t put it away so Taihei accidentally steps on it. Though he plans to buy it later, he didn’t count of Umaru’s ear itching soon after. It’s hell when she can’t scratch it. Eventually Bomber helps buy many types of ear pick much to Umaru’s relief. The best ear pick is always when someone does it for you. It reminds Taihei how mom used to do it for him. Is Bomber kidding when he wants that service from Taihei? No way! Umaru hears strange rumours that her dad is German and Taihei is a famous actor. When Sylphinford invites her to her place, Umaru sees the anime posters sticking out all over the place like a sore thumb in this very traditional Japanese house. But underneath this spooky basement is a well-respected library. It seems Sylphinford brought her here to study for their tests. It is then Umaru realizes the people got mixed up the rumours of Sylphinford’s heritage with hers. Taihei teaches Umaru how to clean, especially putting things away nicely. Those that can’t? Throw it away! Then she threatens to throw away this cleaning motivational book in which he is reading. Okay, she can keep some things. But because Umaru has a habit of not putting CDs back in its original case, Taihei has a hard time doing so and allows her to leave things messy. Umaru and her friends go watch a movie. In this Detective Conan spoof, Sylphinford is fast asleep and Ebina is embarrassed her stomach would growl but thankfully the loud noise of the movie covered it up.

Episode 3
Kirie’s sanctuary at Umaru’s place is threatened now that Alex is a frequent visitor. Plus, their anime conversations are so deep that Kirie is lost. Alex brings a new dating simulation to play. At an important crossroad, Kirie uses her own experience for the decision. Alex the so called expert disagrees. In the end, Kirie’s decision turns out right, sending the anime master into despair. Taihei notices Umaru has been spending hours on a new game just to get a rare item. Not only that, he notices others around him doing the same. If you can’t beat them, join them? Taihei buys the game and plays with her. However he only restricts it to an hour a day. Responsibilities, you know. This is his way of showing her that the game can be enjoyed this way. When she finally gets the rare item, a sequel is announced. Long nights are here to stay… Bomber tells Umaru how Taihei is once nicknamed a demon because of his top scores at school. Exaggerated but not totally a lie. When they try to steal taste his cooking, Taihei becomes mad like a demon that he actually looks scary! It causes Umaru to cry! They too realize they are in the wrong because they could have done something dangerous. Kirie’s join turns into disappointment once more. Yup, Alex is here. It seems Alex has presents for them. Yes, even you Kirie. But an erotic figurine? Kirie takes it and leaves, contemplating of throwing it away. But when she remembers how her strict family doesn’t celebrate Christmas and she never receives presents for her birthday, I guess she’ll be keeping it. After all, Umaru praised her for getting a present so it isn’t all that bad. After watching that McDonald spoof ad (more like a fake Pennywise!), Umaru now wants to eat hamburgers. So she and her friends go down there to order a hamburger combo. Oh yeah! I’m lovin’ it! Umaru notices everyone around is enjoying their burger. She used to enjoy it too but does it alone. So it’s more fun eating with others, eh? She notices Ebina ordering tons of them though she says it is for later. But for now, let’s enjoy the warmth and tender juiciness of their burger before them.

Episode 4
Taihei and the guys attend an anime concert while Umaru and her friends hang out in town. Sylphinford then invites them to a Christmas dinner at her home. There is an extra place so Umaru thought it is for Alex but it turns out to be for UMR! Uh oh. Will the secret be out today? It might be somewhat exaggerated that Sylphinford starts singing praises of her friendship with UMR but everyone knows whoever this person is, is a good person. Unfortunately, UMR didn’t turn up so after everyone leaves, Umaru decides to go back to do something. This leaves Ebina alone to walk home. It won’t be for much longer as Taihei accompanies her. But this risks them of being called a couple by a kid. When Sylphinford was young and first met Santa in her home, she wanted a wish: To have Japanese friends! Santa was so confused! She talked to Alex about it and learnt that he is going to Japan to study. It made her sad since they have always been together. Not long, she soon found some company in video games. Sylphinford wakes up from this dream and guess who is at the doorstep? UMR in Santa outfit. Couldn’t be happier. On New Year’s Day, nothing wakes Umaru up more than New Year money! So after getting an envelope from Taihei, she notices another envelope. She thinks he meant to give her 2 and takes it. Then the moment of truth. He is supposed to give it to Ebina. Oh sh*t. That guilt look is all over your face, Umaru. Knowing better, she returns it. Umaru starts realizing that Taihei has always been good to her while she has been a dick to him. Yeah, took you long enough. Not wanting others to think she is always pushing him around, she starts treating him nicely the first thing he gets home from work. However he has ‘bad news’. He has been chosen to go on a business trip and he will be away for quite a while. Aww, you don’t know what you’ve lost till you lose it. Sad Umaru cries as she cannot imagine being without her dear brother for months or years. Then it turns out it will be only for 2 weeks. Disappointed? Mad? She shows her repulsion by telling him to get out of here and stay away for 2 weeks!

Episode 5
Taihei packs his bags for the trip. He gives Umaru 10,000 Yen as allowance but when Bomber comments that isn’t enough, he doubles that amount. Umaru so happy! However when she hears the business trip to Hanamatsu is famous for its eels, she throws a tantrum and insists of coming along. Taihei and the guys take a trip there. They wonder why Kanau is coming along since she has got nothing to do with it although she planned the trip. It’s written all over her face so we can guess why. To Taihei’s dismay, Umaru actually tags along! In fear of getting his bonus cut, he doesn’t introduce her and has her sit somewhere else. Upon arrival, Kanau realizes she messed up the time. The meeting is supposed to be 8pm and not 8am. This means they’re free to do their own stuffs, right? I’m sure Kanau misinterpreted Taihei’s words about looking for the future because there’s a bridal ad nearby so to speak… Taihei and Umaru do some sightseeing. This is when Umaru asks about Kanau. Don’t worry. She is her boss and the CEO’s daughter. Not dating or anything. Yet. After Umaru has her delicious eel meal, she goes home. Taihei and the guys are supposed to help a restaurant with their customer data but they end up being the chef’s assistants? The chef is sure strict. He can even tell Taihei that he has a very spoilt sister from the way he prepares the food! Then they learn he is the older brother of Ebina, Kouichirou. Taihei remembers Ebina telling him there was a particular restaurant she was looking for that her brother was working in. He left home for Tokyo 10 years ago and never heard of him since. She hopes he is doing well. The trip ends with Taihei feeling good but not Kanau. Nothing she wanted (with Taihei) was done. When Taihei returns home, the place is in a mess! Time to blow his top. All that goodness from the trip out the window. Of course he wastes no time in restoring the place back to normal. Taihei and Umaru go to give Ebina an eel foodstuff souvenir. The same for Sylphinford but she has a feeling she has seen them recently. Yeah, Alex brought back a few boxes of them. A few days later, Umaru suddenly breaks down and cries. What gives?! She starts bawling how lonely she was while he was gone. Time for some big brother comfort.

Episode 6
Kirie won third place at a prefectural swimming tournament. Her classmates praise her but she keeps her guard up. Later as Kirie shows her certificate to Umaru, accidentally a storybook Kirie wrote using Umaru as the main character drops out. Fearing this is insulting, on the contrary, Umaru is interested to read it despite Kirie very much embarrassed about it. Sylphinford wears a kimono to school. Though it is a few days late past Hinamatsuri. As Umaru and the rest wore kimonos last year, Sylphinford feels the need for all of them to wear and take pictures of it. This time at her home. Meet her young Japanese mom. And since she is some kimono champion, the kimono that she puts on them must be perfect! Because of that, they do lovely and beautiful. They enjoy themselves with some refreshments. Kirie still believes her art is not there and wants to sketch Umaru. But as Umaru is conscious, Kirie will use her special skill of removing her presence to observe Umaru in her ‘natural habitat’. After a few sketches, Kirie feels something is missing. Till Taihei returns, she puts all her tools away in a flash. It is when Kirie realizes Umaru’s biggest smile is when she is around Taihei. Kirie then goes to shop for art tools but Taihei and Ebina stumble into her. She tries to hide them and Taihei asking some questions makes her feel uncomfortable. He then realizes Ebina was trying to be considerate and cover for her. He prompts Ebina as a kind person and this makes her fluster. Now Ebina is too conscious being around Taihei. Umaru is complaining it was so hot last night and couldn’t sleep. She bugs him to use the air-cond but he dismisses of using it so early. Something about the body will fail to regulate temperature if grown too dependent on it. Huh? I think I’ll buy the high cost reason. Eventually he got a stand fan from Bomber to cool things down. Umaru sees him lying in an awkward position near the glass door. Wow. Look at all the stars! Taihei sure knows his stuffs as he points out all the constellations in the sky. Too bad Umaru is already fast asleep. I don’t think he was that boring… Next morning, it looks like nobody got a good night’s sleep. What’s the problem this time? Mosquito bites.

Episode 7
Kirie thinks it is going to be a fine day today. At least this is what her horoscope fortune says. Although she gets to go to the amusement park with Umaru and co, ‘bad luck’ starts happening to her like tripping on her shoe lace, not tall enough to ride certain rides and her hairband snaps causing her to scream (more like opera singing). Umaru takes her to ride the Ferris Wheel as Kirie laments she is such a boring girl that Umaru will never invite her out again. But Umaru puts on a big smile and says she had fun. It raises Kirie’s spirits as they go ride the next ride. Well, with the rest of the friends. And Ebina’s boobs are constantly in Kirie’s face… Thank physics and momentum… Umaru goes to receive an award for being the top of her academic grade. Also receiving this award is a loli named Hikari Kongou but she is from the special advanced placement class. She feels she has seen her somewhere before. Snippets hint to us that Taihei taught her about the stars. Umaru asks Alex if he ever feels lonely and wants to go back to Germany and be with his German friends. He reveals he had none as he spent his time watching anime in his room. Until a ‘saviour’ suggested he go study at a Japanese high school. He is grateful for that because he made lots of Japanese friends and had lots of great time with them. After Alex leaves, he gets a call from Kanau. He quickly rushes to her place after hearing Hikari’s award and feels the need to celebrate it by watching the entire anime Blu-ray collection? No thanks. Hikari will pass. It is revealed that Kanau is his ‘saviour’. 10 years ago at Akita when Ebina was suffering from heatstroke, Kouichirou assured her she will not die and cooked her a great meal. That was the last she saw of him. By the time she recovered, he was gone. Though she knew where he went, she never understood why he left (for a job). So when Ebina moved into this apartment, meeting and interacting with Taihei made her nervous because he reminded him of her kind brother. Although she still flusters around him and has that same fuzzy feeling when she had a heatstroke, this one isn’t scary but a happy kind of fuzzy.

Episode 8
The horror! Kirie’s parents will be away and she will be left alone with Bomber! So seeks for permission to stay with Umaru in which Taihei agrees. So as not to leave that afro guy alone, Taihei will stay there in Kirie’s place. Kirie and Umaru have a great time together. It brought back some old memories where Kirie used to love Bomber very much. But at Bomber’s place, that drunk guy is crying and complaining to Taihei how Kirie now doesn’t love him. Tough times… After reading a romantic comedy manga and Umaru’s advice to believe what she wants to, Kirie decides that she is going to support Ebina. So by asking her straight up she is in love with Taihei? Oh my. What can Ebina say? That is why she is going to discuss that with her and shall root for their love. Yup, this is awkward. With Umaru spending too much time indoors, Taihei decides to get her outside and this fireworks festival is the perfect excuse. She agrees to come but calls her other friends too. Sylphinford has a makeover for all of them in traditional kimonos before they hit the festival grounds. It was a fine outing. In school, Sylphinford and Kirie describe a kind person Taihei is but of course their love is not of the romantic kind. Still, Ebina is dead shock. When Umaru goes home and thinks she can ‘scare’ Taihei from behind. However Hikari usurps her and hugs him, calling Taihei her onii-chan. He doesn’t recognize her as Hikari snarls at Umaru. Taihei has to be the kind guy by inviting her in (thinking she is Umaru’s friend). There is a ‘standoff’ between the girls as Umaru thinks Hikari knows about her secret lazy identity when she was actually talking about herself. Taihei finally remembers who Hikari is. She is Kanau’s little sister. Umaru is not impressed as she still calls Taihei her onii-chan. Hikari leaves but will come back another time. One last snarl at Umaru… Umaru questions Taihei about things like why Hikari calls him so but it’s been so long he can’t remember.

Episode 9
Bomber gives Taihei his camera since he has a new one. Umaru notices old photos in it so Taihei takes it out as not to be rude. Then they take many photos of each other. Apparently this is Bomber’s ‘gift’ to Taihei as he wants him to take pictures of Umaru now as she will not be the way she is forever. When the usual arcade is closed, Sylphinford suggests heading to an old department store. It’s quite a nice but quiet place and it soon becomes their hangout. Sylphinford is quite sentimental hanging out. Umaru doesn’t understand why until the place is closed down and demolished. Hence Umaru suggests to her friends to hang out at an amusement park the next time. Ebina visits to cook and join them for dinner. Apparently this is part of Kirie’s plan to support Ebina to get Taihei. So that way is via cooking? Oh well, a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Being this close to him makes her very conscious. Umaru tries to help out to hide the fact she cannot cook but blunders. So much so a huge fire scares Ebina and Taihei had to catch her. Umaru is sorry and reveals she cannot cook but Ebina can’t hear since her mind is going all fuzzy with Taihei holding on to her. Umaru is not amused when Taihei brings Hikari back for dinner. Coincidence? She thinks not. Time for a showdown… They compete among each other to make pancakes. Fail! Ultimately it is Taihei who makes the best pancakes. However he is eating their failed creations because they said they were making for him. The girls feel bad as Hikari apologizes for lying that she met him by coincidence when it is in fact intentional. Umaru returns the award she left behind the last time but soon she gets mad because nobody praises her for getting that same award too. Umaru plays with her hamsters but gets lectured by Taihei for treating them as toys. He warns her of the stress little animals can die from. For the next few days, Umaru doesn’t take them out until one night Taihei works late. But it might be the hamsters that are considerate towards Umaru because they notice her feeling the blues that her big brother is not around so they play with her. When Taihei comes back, he scolds Umaru for playing with his hamsters. Yeah, they look like having fun…

Episode 10
Once again, UMR ‘bankrupts’ the video arcade’s vending machine prizes. Sylphinford is impressed as usual and invites her to her home. UMR learns she has the same feasting habit on snacks while watching anime. When Sylphinford is interested to play this Pokee game (thinking it is a tradition of Japan), UMR raises her voice to protest because it’s a game where 2 people eat 1 end of the stick until it leads up to a kiss. She apologizes and they go watch an anime. So happens that anime has the characters play Pokee. Sylphinford gets embarrassed and understands what she meant. Hikari visits again one night but Umaru has caught her with her pants down because she left her home without telling Kanau. Hikari is obviously panicking as Umaru tries to hint to Taihei to let Kanau know. However Umaru knows what it is like to eat alone so she allows Hikari to finish dinner with them before reluctantly giving Taihei the green light to allow her to visit once in a while. When Hikari gets home, she gets scolded by Kanau as she knew she snuck out of the house knowing she would be working late today. Sylphinford talks to UMR she was in Japan many years as a kid before. She fears the place she last visited has changed a lot. But UMR brings her there and surprisingly it has not changed a bit. This also prompts sad memories because it was the last place she visited before returning to Germany and will not see Alex anymore. They end up having a boat ride as this was what she did with Alex. Ebina is nervous should would fail her tests. Sylphinford suggests a study group at her library. Ebina claims she is weak in all subjects but it turns out she does pretty well in them. Umaru believes she has performance anxiety. They suggests way to allay her anxiety but it only made it worse. Ebina remembers the first time she transferred to Tokyo from Akita. She felt like a ‘foreigner’. She wanted to talk to Kirie but heard nasty rumours about her. She tried Sylphinford and because she was the first one to speak to her, she took Ebina’s words as a challenge. When Umaru comes by, Sylphinford throws another challenge to her. Looking back, Ebina wondered if they could be friends and now they are. She starts laughing and feels better. She has no troubles acing her tests and hopes to continue hanging out with her friends forever. Though, she still feels anxiety when Sylphinford offers any sort of challenge.

Episode 11
Bomber couldn’t find Kirie so when he visits Taihei’s place, he finds her there. He then discovers she stole his cream puffs to share it with Umaru. He doesn’t get mad at her but is glad she has a place to hang out instead of being alone at home. Just when the siblings look like they reconciled, it’s bad blood between them again when they discover they each call Umaru by a different nickname. Umaru then makes peace with both of them over a cola. Taihei visits the bookstore to get Umaru some book. He sees Kirie there but she panics and runs away. Because it is raining outside, she cannot get far. She tells him about her dream to write about Umaru and was doing research. She has low self-confidence of her dream but Taihei believes it is a great one because unlike him who was just studying all his time. Umaru comes to pick him back home but on the way he realizes he forgot to buy her book. Kirie’s next plan to hook up Ebina with Taihei takes them to the ice skating ring. Only one problem: Taihei doesn’t know how to skate and hence can’t teach her. Umaru and Sylphinford are naturals but Ebina is just totally a clumsy noob. Though Ebina is happy to hang out like this, Kirie feels disappointed the goal wasn’t reached. Hikari hangs out at Taihei’s place for dinner again. After that they look at the stars outside and this prompts Taihei to remember he was the one who taught her the constellations. Flashback shows Hikari was always alone and Kanau always scolding her for eating only bread. Who is she to say because… One day she brings Taihei home so she could give him some recipe book. Hikari could tell Kanau likes him and pesters Taihei to stay so that Kanau could cook for him. Thing is, Kanau can’t cook! So as she stares at the cookbook for hours, while the rest wait, Taihei teaches Hikari about the stars. Now Hikari hugs him as thanks for remembering her. I wonder how long Umaru can tolerate this. She would have told her off had she not see the tears in her eyes. Both girls clinging onto him hard and he can’t move. Don’t know who gave up first but eventually when Hikari goes home, Umaru sheepishly says see you soon.

Episode 12
It’s a bit cold so Sylphinford has the girls cuddle up together like an old children’s game. In public. Thankfully the warmth isn’t from the embarrassment. Umaru wants pizza so Taihei looks fired up to make it. Bomber and Alex are invited to join in and to Umaru’s horror, she learns they are making okonomiyaki instead. Technically, Japanese pizza. The guys are in a dilemma what to include it as filling. Up to you Umaru. Mix everything! It turns out delicious thankfully. Umaru bugs Taihei to buy some very expensive special limited edition game she already has for her Christmas gift. He doesn’t say anything so she assumes he will buy it. Too bad he has to work on Christmas so she’ll have to hang out with Ebina. Umaru panics when she asks what present she will give Taihei. Selfish girl never thought of that, eh? So the duo go to shop for presents. Ebina gets Umaru a hamster cap. Then they decide to wait for Taihei to show up here after work and ‘ambush’ him. Boy, is he surprised. They hand them their presents and he asks what they would like. Umaru reminds him about the game… Kanau narrates how Hikari have been acting strange lately ever since she knew Taihei. Kanau also got some school achievement award like Taihei and was fantasizing her usual. This made Hikari think she would be praised if she also got such award. She managed to do so and despite Kanau praising her, she wants to be praised by Taihei. Kanau is in a bind because she plans to invite Taihei over to dinner as her present for Hikari. She can’t. She thought of spending Christmas alone with Hikari but Hikari knows what she has been doing for the past Christmas. Watching rented videos alone before going to bed. Sad! Sylphinford invites her friends to her home to celebrate New Year. In their kimono they play traditional badminton (they call it tennis?) as well as other games. It was a swell time. After Umaru gets her New Year’s money from the guys, this year she decides not to give into her greed and save them. It might seem silly she exchanged them for all small coins but this way it is hard to spend too much at once. Uhm, you mean she has one coin left in the piggy bank? She’s hinting he could help contribute some… Then it hit her all her money is gone! Taihei isn’t going to help her this time but seeing how she is sad she can’t make good her promise to do something together, he helps donate a small sum. Umaru then lectures about how such small value isn’t much these days and hopes he could increase the amount. Why you ungrateful brat! Is sorry too late?

Hamsters Of The Same Fur Flock Together
Another year, another season. Not too sure if they would surprise me with another season seeing this series is popular enough in Japan so don’t count that out yet. Basically if you have watched the first season, this sequel feels very much at home with lots of things staying mostly the same with a few new and nice little developments but nothing much that would overhaul and change the entirety of the series. Umaru will always be the Umaru we have started to know her from the beginning and looks like she will continue to remain that way until at least she graduates high school. Don’t fix something that is not broken?

Just like the last season, the episodes feel like standalone fillers and each episode is divided into skits that may or may not be related to whatever that theme was for that episode. Hence hot really much of a plot to being with in the first season so what is the point of having one right now? So if you are watching this sequel without watching the first, you won’t lose much. But highly recommended to watch the first season as it sets up the characters and their relationship. This season expands that albeit a little. Of course we have a few new discoveries and introductions like Ebina’s brother, Kanau’s little sister and that Alex and Sylphinford are blood related.

So speaking of that, basically if you have watched the first season, you will see that this season enhances the friendship between Umaru, Sylphinford, Ebina and Kirie. It looks like there is still a long way before their relationship would hit the BFF type but they are making enough strides to head that direction. After all, the quartet each has their own quirky personality and even Umaru herself isn’t spared. She might be a genius and elegant lady in public but hides another personality whom many would never know it is the same person because of her extremely good ‘transformation’ skill of turning into that chibi character. In this group of weirdoes, we also have the overzealous and hyped Sylphinford (~desu wa!) who looks more like Umaru’s friend than her rival now, the shy and panicky Ebina and the socially awkward Kirie who is now somewhat Ebina’s relationship manager. So odd no wonder they stick together because everyone else in their school are so normal.

Interestingly, Umaru is much less in her spoilt tantrum throwing brat. I don’t even remember if I have seen her in this state this season. Even if it was in the beginning, it was mostly forgotten. Because this season sees Umaru slowly converting into one who has learnt to appreciate Taihei in his absence. Sure, Umaru is still basically the same slackster we all know and generally she still is. Even last season, Umaru too wasn’t as bad and annoying as we thought she would be (still irritating nevertheless) but here it is like as though she somewhat has matured a bit. It is just hard to imagine Umaru going into her chibi mode and start screaming her head off at this point. Perhaps with Kirie and Hikari hanging out more often, there is not much personal time for herself or even Taihei who is required to work late more often. So at least in this aspect, I believe Umaru has grown up a little and learnt to appreciate the sacrifices of Taihei. The thought that one day they can no longer be like this is a scary one. Better value what you have now and count your blessings if you know what is good for you. Because now it feels the more annoying one is Kirie hating Bomber. At might look like the series’ running joke but after a while, it just feels annoying because Bomber is trying to be the nice big brother (he still has lots of areas to improve, though) but it’s like the moment she sees him, he is public enemy number one and does not hesitate to beat him up. Like, what’s the problem, girl?

Hats off to Taihei for being the most patient and understanding brother of all time. One of those in running for the Best Big Brother Award of the year. Often siblings hate each other as seen between Kirie and Bomber which is a very common occurrence everywhere. Therefore Taihei’s patience and kindness sometimes feel wasted on Umaru for viewers who don’t know about them. After all, Umaru is his only sister and family member around and it won’t do him or Umaru any good if he goes overboard. The occasional getting mad at her is okay (because it is also mainly her fault) but it won’t go so far as to physically abuse her or control her life. Umaru is already a grown teenager and she should be able to decide by herself.

This season introduces Hikari as a new character. Nothing really much about her except now that she has become Umaru’s rival for Taihei. Another reason why she should appreciate her brother more often. Because if you don’t, some genius loli is going take him away. Hikari’s debut also gives Kanau more reason to appear albeit still very much less. With the revelation and confirmation of Alex being Sylphinford’s big brother, it opens up some heart-warming stories and flashback between them and how they come to Japan and love its culture. Heh. Which foreigner in anime doesn’t love Japan’s culture? Even Ebina has her own but that is not as focused as those aforementioned. But it is good to know that she too has some family matters. Now all that is left is to know how Kirie came to hate Bomber so much while growing up because we have seen they were so close and cute together as kids. Eventually fate has all these characters related to some way or another.

This series could potentially turn into a harem series but I highly doubt that because many of the girls seem to have a thing for Taihei. Like Kanau who is still having nervous feet around him but she is too slow in doing anything that would make an impact. Is it a good thing that Taihei is dense? Ebina is the same but I also doubt under the guidance of Kirie there would be progress. There is a chance Kirie would also fall for Taihei since she is helping Ebina and with him being so kind to her, it is not impossible although the chances are remote. Of course there is Umaru for his sisterly love and now Hikari for some loli love. Man, this guy is sure popular. Now, how to fit Sylphinford (~zushaa!) into this equation…

Last season I remember there were a few trivia from the otaku culture to spot. I am not sure about this season because I don’t remember seeing any. Maybe that took a backseat in exchange for the character development. Art and animation remain the same with Sylphinford (~shupaan!) still looking the weirdest because of those petals (or was it stars again) in her eyes. Hikari can join that list of looking weird too. In her chibi mode, her eyes really look weird. I don’t know. It feels like as though she might turn into a crazy killer… Also, Hikari’s general design of having white hair and bushy eyebrows make her look some sort of anomaly, like as though she was some specimen who escaped her experimental tube. Do geniuses look like this? Okay, Albert Einstein… Hikari looks so different that you won’t even know she is related to Kanau.

This season’s opener might not be spamming that U-M-R line and make you go crazy, but Nimensei Ura Omote Life by Aimi Tanaka (voice of Umaru) still retains its spunky liveliness. The draw this time is the ending theme, Umarun Taison by Sisters (Umaru, Ebina, Kirie and Sylphinford). Despite all the fast paced techno frenzy effects, this feels like one big odd callisthenic exercise song. Even though seeing the girls in their chibi form doing those cute callisthenic moves, I figure that I shouldn’t follow them because I realized how silly I looked. The girls are alright because they are cute to begin with… Puura, puraa, puura, puraa, puura, puraa… Okay, swing your hands like a pendulum now… Old casts retained while the new ones added are Inori Minase as Hikari (Hestia in DanMachi) and Nobuhiko Okamoto as Kouichirou (Bakugou in Boku No Hero Academia).

Overall, this season feels a bit better than the previous because Umaru doesn’t go into her spoilt brat mode and the characters are more developed this time. It still maintains its own brand of quirkiness and cuteness altogether and hence enjoyable in its own right. But just like everything else, this will all soon come to pass and this would end up as just a phase in life and only remembered in memories. We can only take so much of the childish shenanigans and all the glittering-cum-energetic ~shupaaaaaaatz and find it cute and funny before it turns into something irritating. We all have to grow up one day and change. Okay, maybe some of us don’t. Ugh… Too lazy to change…

Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ

Wow. There’s still more? So much more because not only Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ is the series’ fourth season, they also announced the fifth season at the same time! What a way to really douse speculations if there would be more seasons. But I’ll cross the bridge once I get there. For now, this fourth season… Ah shucks. I can’t remember much of the storyline anymore. I was mainly confused in past editions so I now I’m going to be even more. I know I mustn’t give up like Hibiki. Maybe at the end of it all there will be hope for me to understand everything. Or not.

Episode 1
Hibiki still slacks in doing her homework. But is this considered saved by the bell because she is being whisked away for a mission? She heads over to a South American nation to join Tsubasa and Chris to take out a dictator’s military arsenal. No matter what you’re shooting at the girls, you’ll never best their singing and firepower. Not even this giant ship he is piloting in the sky. Nothing like a load of extreme firepower to take it down and not incur a single casualty! Although this mission is a success, another one awaits them. After noticing the UN quickly treating to wounded locals of a nearby village, they join up with Maria, Kirika and Shirabe to destroy the weapon’s factory of the dictator, Val Verde. Hibiki remembers being told about the Pavarian Illuminati. Apparently all the events that have happened since the first season, this group is the one who has been pulling the strings behind the shadows. From FIS to Frontier, they have a hand in all of them. Now they have at least some evidence to prove their existence and that is why they are in Latin America as signs of Alca-Noise have popped up. But this place doesn’t hold too many fond memories for Chris. It looks like her parents died here and Sonya prevented her from following suit. Time for more action with the Symphogear ladies engaging the military as well as the Alca-Noise they can produce. Of course things go berserk as the Alca-Noise also starts killing some of the soldiers. Hey, at least they aren’t discriminating. Hibiki befriends a local boy, Stefan who helps guide them around. He tells them the military has been forcing the locals to work in the factory. Eventually the factory is taken down and Val Verde and his top aides are about to flee. But 3 cuties from Pavarian Illuminati pop up and will put him to good use. I don’t know what happened to them but I believe they’re dead and their life force contributed to whatever Saint-Germain is planning. Along with Cagliostro and Prelati, they head to the basement to recover some doll. The guys from SONG are spying on them when the damn laptop of Sakuya Fujitaka had to beep (finished scanning some data? Could he have put it on silent mode?). Run! Saint-Germain decides to experiment and unleashes some giant dragon spirit, Yohualtepoztli. Lots of men died while trying to protect the data extracted. Before it is Fujitaka and Aoi Tomosato’s turn, here comes Maria’s team! Just in time.

Episode 2
It seems Yohualtepoztli can regenerate no matter how much damage it takes. Saint-Germain views this experiment as a success because it is a step closer to attaining divine power. With that, she stops this experiment and return to base. So they’re letting them go? Saint-Germain says their priority is to retrieve the doll, Tiki. Meanwhile Stefan leads Hibiki’s team to where his villagers are being held hostage by the factor’s director. As they fight the Alca-Noise, Stefan is in danger of being killed by one. But Chris had to do what she had to do. She shot off Stefan’s leg before the infection could spread. Because of that Sonya is blaming her? Hey, he still got his life. Naturally it strained their relationship and this isn’t the kind of reunion they were hoping for after all these years. Flashback 400 years ago when the Pavarian Illuminati was founded on alchemy by gathering pieces of technology left behind by Phine, this led them to clash with Phine herself who sought to monopolize such technology. Adam Weishaupt who was the founder wanted to attain divine power and give it form. But Tiki was lost and their plans put on hold and the organization banished into the shadows. Now that Phine is no more, their revival is imminent. All they have to do is bring back Tiki. Cagliostro and Prelati decide to take lure out the Symphogear girls by attacking the airport. Maria and co respond to the call to fight the duo, dispose of the Alca-Noise and give the airplane the necessary lift off. However they ran out of power and can no longer fight effectively. Think of summoning Yohualtepoztli to finish them? Think again because here comes Hibiki punching right through it! You defy logic by punching through everything! So much about that immortality thingy.

Episode 3
Saint-Germain pops up to bring her comrades away. Back at the base, Saint-Germain revives Tiki who is supposed to be an Autoscorer created to precisely record the movements of the planets on a star map. Tiki is such an energetic bubbly girl? She is more concerned about Adam who she cannot function without. Conveniently speaking, he comes a calling. Too bad business comes first. Saint-Germain wants to investigate how Hibiki tore through the mechanisms of Yohualtepoztli but Adam tells her all that is unimportant. Just destroy the Symphogear girls. Say no more because Cagliostro and Prelati have already launched a pre-emptive strike on Maria and Tsubasa’s plane. Not only they survive, the all-important data is intact too. Returning to SONG’s base, Genjurou explains more about Tiki. During the war, Germany wanted to seek an alternate energy for fossil fuel and Japan as their ally helped in the research and hence some of the Relics like Gungnir ended up in Japan. Everyone can tell Chris has been down ever since Stefan’s incident although she brushes it off. Before they could do anything to cheer her up, it’s those damn Alca-Noise again. Saint-Germain tests another prototype and sends the Symphogear girls to another alternate space. Are they fighting on some alien planet? Actually it is a subspace pocket of Alca-Noise and all their attacks have no effect. The girls have no choice but to up the ante by using Dainsleif but I figure at this point they are a pro at using it. More extreme action to see how they break through everything and return to normal space. Saint-Germain is satisfied of the data they got from this experiment despite the failure. However Tiki has other ideas. She thinks this is the best spot to pick a fight with God.

Episode 4
There is a flashback of Saint-Germain who was being treated as a child slave and led a tragic life. Genjurou explains to the Symphogear girls about this base, Matsushiro where the military HQ was relocated after WW2. It also houses the secret Kazanari Institute. Currently the data is being deciphered but it will take time. The girls wonder why trouble the locals for evacuating them for this mission as ordered by the top boss, Kamakura. Genjurou replies the harsh reality that their mission is to protect the country and not the people. Can there be a country without its people? Maria’s team go down on the ground to find others who have not evacuated. Yup, an old lady plucking tomatoes. Look who decided to show up? Cagliostro is disappointed to see Maria’s side but nevertheless unleashes her Alca-Noise to deal with them. Luckily Chris was nearby to handle her to allow them to escape with granny. When Hibiki and Tsubasa arrive, Cagliostro has orders to retreat. Granny gives Maria a tomato as reward. And something about people’s life and tomatoes’ are similar during hardship? The decryption isn’t going well so Genjurou gets a direct call from Kamakura about his recent failures as he allowed him to use the facilities to make UN be indebted to them. More Alca-Noise are detected. Hibiki’s team take them on with their Dainsleif. Looks like the Pavarian Illuminati trio decide to show up too. This time they have something similar to Dainsleif, Faust Robes. It repels and nullifies their Dainsleif. It’s overpowered too that our Symphogear girls are left defeated. Saint-Germain explains the creation of Faust Robes by uniting the philosopher’s stone with the human body for the ultimate alchemy. It’s all thanks to the data they got from Chateau de Tiffauges. Their goal is to free mankind from oppression. Before they could finish them, here comes Adam. He uses his alchemy to trigger nuclear fusion and turns his fireball into some destructive power worth 10 megatons! Better escape if you know what’s good for you. There’s a giant simmering crater in the aftermath. But the most eyebrow raising thing is that, does he have to do all that naked?!

Episode 5
Don’t worry, all our favourite characters are still alive. As they regroup, Genjurou admits it was their total lost. The base is destroyed as well as all its secret documents. They discuss the fearsome alchemy the enemy possesses that it was able to force out their Dainsleif. Kirika and Shirabe despite injured, continue to train but their injury gets the better of them. They believe doing so can increase their sync rates and they won’t need Linker anymore. Until Elfnein mentions she is close to decipher the last piece of the puzzle from Ver’s recipe. Long story short, she needs to find some part of the brain that is connected to the Symphogear to minimize the stress. There is this VR system Ver left behind. In short, Elfnein can use it to peek into one’s mind but the risk is high since both their minds can merge and can turn into vegetable state. With no time to lose, Maria offers to be the test subject. As the rest waits, they see on the news that Stefan is in Japan to receive to undergo surgery for a prosthetic leg so he could continue his dream to play football. Meanwhile Genjurou is being called by Kamakura for his failure. There is no use chewing him out. He has a job to do. Do it. Elfnein enters Maria’s mind and relives her life. Whatever pain Maria feels, Elfnein could also feel. Too bad most of the memories are painful ones during her time at the facility under Nastassja. Then we have this episode’s obligatory Alca-Noise action so we have Maria who is self-conscious fighting waves of it and emerges victorious. After all, she can dream all she wants in her mind, right? But then they enter the subconscious area and this is where things get unstable and putting their physical bodies in danger. But look who decides to pop up now? The Pavarian Illuminati trio once again unleash a Hydra-like Alca-Noise. While the other Symphogear girls head into action, look who pops up in Maria’s subconscious? Ver! Even dead bad guys like him continue to haunt her in her mind. Yeah, the nightmare is about to begin.

Episode 6
Don’t really get this part but from what I understand, this vision of Ver is trying to lead Maria to the part of her brain connected to Symphogear since he was very intimate with the research. Meanwhile the other Symphogear girls are fighting the Hydra. But when they cut its heads off, it revives and splits into independent creatures. It could be a ploy to split them up and fight them separately but they’ll take the challenge. Maria and Elfnein are in the subconscious part whereby Maria still reels from her fears and insecurities. Then they get absorbed as Maria discovers she is now back in time during her harsh training at the facility. Despite remembering Nastassja being harsh, she remembers closely that each time she did so, she would always have a sad look on her face. She always hid her pain when seeing them suffer. She remembers she also protected all the other children who have gone on to have a brighter future. Nastassja’s harshness was their strength. With that, Elfnein knows that brain part that connects to the Symphogear and wakes up. Time to get to work. The Symphogear girls are being tested on their endurance as the Hydra keeps replicating. To Hibiki’s fear, one of them is heading towards her school. She is about to hit the panic button when Kirika and Shirabe drop in to help take out the Alca-Noise. This time they show no strains on their body and is able to perform at tip top condition. And that Hydra heading towards the school? Easily taken out by Maria. So it seems the all important ingredient in the brain to connect to the Symphogear is… Love! You mean it was this simple and cliché?! With the Symphogear girls emerging victorious and cornering the Pavarian Illuminati trio, time to spit out their intentions. Despite claiming wanting to save mankind, they don’t intend to work together. Because they have the power of God to tear down the curse of Balal. This is sounding to get more ridiculous…

Episode 7
There’s a brief explanation of that but I’m totally lost. Basically, it justifies their reason to sacrifice others. But screw all that, it’s the fights we’re here to see. Kirika and Shirabe thought they could use Dainsleif but their power up is only short-lived. Cagliostro deflects Chris bullets and they almost hit Saint-Germain. Because of that she decides to call for a retreat. Adam isn’t so pleased the trio failed to take care of the Symphogear girls. But with Tiki drawing the horoscope clearer, it’s time to prepare the altar. The trio don’t like how cocky Adam is but Cagliostro and Prelati note their loyalty isn’t to him or the organization but to Saint-Germain. She was the one who gave them perfect bodies and goals when they were originally fakes. So as Saint-Germain prepare the altar, the duo will rid of the Symphogear girls. Elfnein works hard without any break that she might be breaking herself at this rate. It would be sad if she hasn’t found anything after putting in such effort and for plot convenience, here it is. She notices a waste of lump matter that was transmuted from Hibiki when she merged with Gungnir. Since it has the opposite effect of the philosopher’s stone, she proposes using this fool’s stone (that’s what they’re calling it) to be upgraded into the Symphogear. But since it is stored at the underwater Neptune Palace, good luck finding a needle in a haystack. During this time, Cagliostro and Prelati show up to destroy the Symphogear for good. Kirika, Shirabe and Chris are the only ones who can go into action since the rest are underwater looking for the fool’s stone. They can’t let the enemy know about this or they’ll try to stop them. So how can Kirika and Shirabe fight without their Dainsleif? Unison. All they have to do is work together and be in sync. And you see how it work wonders as they kick Prelati’s ass. Because of that, another retreat. Saint-Germain reports the altar is ready but it lacks enough life energy to power its central plinth. Adam suggests sacrificing one of the duo as their perfect body will provide all the life energy needed. Not so keen on sacrificing now, eh? Well, she’s got to choose. Her cause or her comrades.

Episode 8
For the sake of progression, the fool’s stone is found. Elfnein works hard to make a new Ignite module for them. Then Genjurou trains them and despite their firepower and numbers, they cannot beat him! And this is just warm up! WTF?! They should just send this guy to do their battles! Saint-Germain begins the ritual as Adam reminds her it is time to choose. With those pesky Symphogear girls still on the loose, Cagliostro offers to destroy them for good since Prelati is injured and out of action. Before Stefan and Sonya return to their country, they see Chris and Tsubasa. There is still some animosity between Chris and Sonya. As usual, Alca-Noise drop in to attack. Cagliostro is running wild with her powers. When other Symphogear girls arrive, Cagliostro sends Hibiki, Tsubasa, Kirika and Shirabe into separate subspace pocket. Chris and Maria are left to fight her. Chris discovers Stefan and Sonya still haven’t evacuate the building. Wheelchair got stuck. WTF?! Before Cagliostro could kill Chris, Stefan stands up and his football kick saves the day! WTF?! He can perfectly get up and walk so why was he even ‘stuck’?! Anyway Stefan argues how petty the ladies are still bitter about the past unlike him who is so the future. Yeah… It motivates Chris to fight back. This time they use the fool’s stone to negate Cagliostro’s attacks. Their unison and bond are also high enough that their combo forms a twin-seater jet to destroy Cagliostro once and for all! With Cagliostro now dead, Adam sarcastically points out to Saint-Germain this saves her the trouble of choosing. They will sacrifice Prelati who is not in tip top condition. You mad, girl? Oh right. Adam has no humanity, blah, blah, blah. We know. He knows. Big deal.

Episode 9
Tsubasa and Shirabe try out their unison but it’s not working well. It seems only Shirabe is the one who doesn’t register any sort of phonic gain increment with all the unison combo. Naturally, depression sets in. A message from Yatsuhiro comes in regarding the Divine Gate, a power that the Pavarian Illuminati is looking for. For a change of pace, Genjurou sends the Symphogear girls to a shrine to investigate. The priest shows a map that shows the markings of the 7 Hikawa shrines that is like a mirrored version of the Orion constellation. Traditionally known as the Drummer’s Gate to Heaven, it is a gate where gods were known to descend. And possibly what the Pavarian Illuminati is looking for. Since Shirabe is still ‘lost’, the priest talks to her about walls. Walls aren’t just for rejection. Meanwhile Tiki wants Adam to turn her into a real human girl after he gets the divine power so he can be his real wife. They are confronted by Prelati who wants to know his true goal. He reminds them that they should have known their lives are part of his plan for his divine power. However this is the first time Prelati hears this and attacks them. But she soon leaves to go warn Saint-Germain as it is Adam’s to sacrifice all of them all along. Adam won’t go after her and let the Symphogear girls do the job. Shirabe and Tsubasa with the highest mobility go into action first. Prelati desperately tries to shake them off and is not open to listening. Time to use that unison thing. Shirabe still not confident. And yeah, the theme is kindness so something about ii that allows them to power up and combine into some weird drag car? Anyway Prelati gets killed. Tiki calls Saint-Germain to taunt her that Prelati has become road kill and because of that, they cannot use her as a sacrifice. Adam orders her return before the Symphogear girls disrupts the ritual.

Episode 10
Genjurou and co discuss the use of the leylines for a greater ritual and thus started to evacuate the people. Although there are methods to counter it, Adam destroyed all that was stored in Kazanari Institute. That’s what happens when you keep all your eggs in 1 basket. Saint-Germain starts the ritual by sacrificing her life to open the Divine Gate via Earth’s leylines. But Genjurou’s side has done some preparations. The priests of the shrines simultaneously cut the seals to sever the power lines. This disrupts the ritual and cause Tiki to be lifeless. Cue for Saint-Germain to fight Hibiki and Kirika (the rest cannot go into action as their modules are being repaired by Elfnein). Not sure what combo the duo pull off but it doesn’t look like some weird vehicle. Saint-Germain is defeated but even if her will to overthrow oppression is great, she lacks energy. This is where Hibiki comes in and uses the power of persuasion for her to use it in a better way. Just when you thought Saint-Germain is going to cave in, here comes Adam to restart the ritual. Even better, he uses the leylines from the stars in the sky!!! After all, there is that Orion’s Belt in the constellations, right? Saint-Germain tries to ascertain if he is going to use this godly power to overthrow oppression. Nope. Yup, you’ve been duped. He uses Tiki to fire a super blast. Everything could have been vaporized had not Kirika use her swan song to protect it. Although she suppresses its recoil by overdosing on the Linker, it will still be harmful to her body. With Kirika out of action, looks like Saint-Germain is going to defeat the oppressor. Make that 2 of them because Hibiki joins forces with her.

Episode 11
Saint-Germain tells Hibiki to destroy Tiki as she is acting as a vessel and focal point for the power transfer and hence preventing the divine power’s manifestation. Adam gets in their way and as they both fight, Saint-Germain realizes something. Adam could have easily destroyed them with his nuclear power thingy but yet he didn’t. He is waiting for the power from the heavens so this is their chance to take him down. When he is slightly wounded, they are shocked to realize Adam is a puppet. That mere word makes Adam mad. In turn it makes Tiki mad as she transforms into some alien monster. This is supposedly the divine weapon? Too bad it regenerates whenever Saint-Germain damages it. Adam reveals he was created by them as the group’s representative. However he was even perfect as a prototype and tossed away. Because of that, Adam cannot accept the perfect losing to the imperfect. So to answer Saint-Germain’s question if he has humanity left in him, heck he isn’t human to begin with! Tiki unleashes a powerful blast. Though it missed the girls, it seems it hit some American military satellite. Shortly, Genjurou is contacted by Kamakura about this farce. This has already become an internationally known incident and outsiders will deploy their ‘peacekeeping forces’ under UN’s name to invade Japan. Kamakura feels he has to intervene in the battle eventually. An unknown source contacts Genjurou and reveals they have decrypted all of Val Verde documents. One of them included some spear believed to be the one that kill gods. However it doesn’t possess such attributes but contains the same powers as Gungnir. In short, Gungnir is the weapon that could destroy the divine power and it is cue for Hibiki get back up and finish the job. Saint-Germain connects the dots that Adam’s weapon was not intended to destroy the Symphogear but to destroy information that would thwart his plans. Tiki cannot regenerate after being punched by Hibiki. Before she destroys the monster completely, Adam has Tiki eject from it. Though still partially destroyed, he still needs something to harbour the divine power. A puppet. Yeah, his left arm that he just ripped out. Unfortunately all that power didn’t go to him but being absorbed into Hibiki who turns into an eerie cocoon.

Episode 12
It has been 48 hours since Hibiki is in that state. Adam will not give up on that power still so I guess he has gone back to the drawing board. Genjurou is in a pinch since the Americans via UN are threatening to engage armed intervention and Yatsuhiro is trying his best to delay it so his side must produce the results in a very limited time. Thanks to information from Saint-Germain, Elfnein has gotten lots of clues to create an Anti-Linker. Because Yohualtepoztli and the divine weapon need a vessel to manifest stably its immense power, this is also how the Symphogear works. They can assume that same power is engulfing Hibiki. Time is certainly running out as Kamakura has already mobilize the unlimited national defence to prevent this disaster. Of course you know, the girls protest this is called a disaster. This is their friend. Old impatient fart won’t stand for it. The army tanks fire but it only serves to break a giant angry monster out. Yeah, see how powerful her blasts are. The Symphogear girls go into action but their normal methods couldn’t stop her. Once the Anti-Linker pods hit the monster and the effects are taking place, this is where Miku comes in. She screams Hibiki’s name? Apparently using her voice as some electromagnetic signal to get through Hibiki inside. You know, how to voice of your friend tends to wake you up. At least for Hibiki. With that, she breaks out from the monster and into safe hands. Also, with this result, the UN agrees to step down. Happy ending, right? But no. The damn US president (I want to say he looks like Donald Trump but he doesn’t) while on his vacation doesn’t want to take any risk and initiates a missile targeted at Japan! F*ck you America! With the missile homing in, there is not enough time. Even if they manage to cut it, the shockwave will still contaminate the area. This is where Saint-Germain gets to play the tragic hero. She starts singing but is surprised when Cagliostro and Prelati sing by her side. Their ghost? Nope. The real deal. Apparently Cagliostro faked her death to hide from Adam and then saved Prelati before she died. They have been preparing a special transmutation since. Saint-Germain fires this bullet to contain its explosion but it is still not enough. So they use their lives to diffuse it once and for all. All over, right? Nope. Adam returns and he has absorbed all the divine power into his hand. Literally, the power is in his hand. He won’t let them interrupt again but love maniac Tiki grabs on to him. This is what happens if you don’t give your doll enough hugs. This allows Hibiki to smash the divine weapon.

Episode 13
Despite the victory, Hibiki is still sad she couldn’t save Saint-Germain. Save that for later. They’ve still got Adam to deal with. Some Alca-Noise to deal with so as not to ‘forget’ them. When Adam’s body cannot maintain his perfect form anymore, he reverts to his true monstrous form. The people who designed him must be messed up… Guess what? His true form is faster and more powerful! WTF?! So the price of perfection is less speed and power? That isn’t perfect! Eventually all the girls risk their lives by joining their powers to sing their swan song. Leave it to Elfnein and SONG to try and divert the strain to Dainsleif. More beating up until Hibiki’s gear gave out too soon. Luckily the other girls send some of their power before her doom. Hibiki evolves as she now can do all their special moves! Finally, she has the support of Saint-Germain and co as she transcends into a shiny gold armour to give Adam a heap of punches! So explosive that Adam explodes like a nuclear bomb?! More good news as the Pavarian Illuminati members worldwide are arrested. But with the organization gone, the remnants will be the hard ones to track. Yatsuhiro talks to Kamakura about the world condemning America for trying to use such measure. But Kamakura throws him a thought. They have seen a power that rivals God. What if Japan has that power. They wouldn’t need to worry about being attacked and invaded anymore. Tempting… On the lighter side, everyone celebrates Hibiki’s 17th birthday. Just in time. Man, it was one heck of a build up to her birthday. But I suppose the best birthday gift is their victory. As usual, Hibiki is still having worries over her fist-only solution. As usual, Miku is up to remind her no matter what, she will always hold her hand. There. Friendship level increased. Elfnein tells Genjurou her theory why Hibiki was able to serve as a vessel for the divine power. Hibiki was hit with Shenshou Jing and that purified her curse, hence cleansing of her sin. However Genjurou remembers there is another person who was hit by that: Miku.

Star Doors: The Illuminati Strikes Back! Even so, It’s All In The Punching
What else can I say about this season? Everything is left hanging because we already know from the start there will be another season. Things are not done yet. Things have to be done. Basically what I understand this season is that the big final boss of everything has finally shown up and with all the Illuminati conspiracy and memes going around, I suppose they’re going to make use of them here as the main antagonist. After all, Phine is already gone so who else left is there to pull the strings? Blame it all on the Illuminati! Illuminati confirmed! Who’d knew that this sci-fi action series would eventually tread down this path of using the Illuminati as their antagonist. Maybe we will get more of such memes in the future…

This season I am still lost with all the technical terms and jargons like Linkers because I think I could barely remember them. What the heck is that Balal curse again? Therefore when they start getting technical using such terminologies, my brain automatically gets shut off. Yeah. Uhm. Whatever they said. As for the recurring characters especially our Symphogear girls, there isn’t much drama to be played out on them since with have seen them being fleshed out in previous seasons especially last season about Hibiki and her dad. So this time round we have Chris and her connections with some South American acquaintance but that itself isn’t much. Then there is also Kirika and Shirabe and snippets of their past but that too isn’t enough. Tsubasa and Maria are like treading in the background like Hibiki. When Hibiki temporarily turned into a monster, I guess it feels like déjà vu because in the previous seasons I think I remember she too turned into some berserk monster form. Although Miku is sorely missing in action (because in a previous season she did turn into a fighting machine), looks like her eternal role is to always cheer Hibiki up whenever she feels down. Yeah, the cheapest tonic to cure her depression: Friendship! But in the final scenes it is hinted she is more than a bunch of smiles so by the next season she could play an even more significant role.

The new characters for this season are the antagonists. Adam feels like a two dimensional villain because as usual, a powerful head of an organization who wants to wield absolute power. And before you can claim that he is so cliché that he has no humanity in him because of how cruel he is, they think they can pull a quick one over us because of the revelation he isn’t human to begin with! Oh, the irony. A puppet trying to destroy humanity. Turns out he looks more like a demon than your typical puppet. Am I paranoid to think this is what would happen if AI gets more intelligent than mankind in the future? I fear so… The biggest irony that a puppet is the one thinking he has the right to decide on the fate of humanity when we humans don’t even give a sh*t about each other.

As for Saint-Germain, Cagliostro and Prelati, I already predicted that they would be misguided and then somewhat become allies with the Symphogear girls in the end although it is just for a short while. Though Saint-Germain will not consider them fighting alongside each other as an ally, but if you’re fighting the same enemy together, that is good enough for me to consider that temporary team up as allies. Too bad they didn’t live in the end and hence breaking the combo of when the next season comes by, the Symphogear girls would have a new face joining their ranks (maybe they could as ghosts). Because that is what Elfnein is literally. She is now like the mad scientist of the group, only with a lot of anxiety and guilt because of the need to make better Symphogear technology for the girls to fight better, blah, blah, blah. One of the biggest ironies is how Saint-Germain was so confident and did not bat an eyelid in taking lives of others for her misguided cause only to start sweating when Adam the jerk decided to use hers and her aides. It’s like saying she can do unto others but others cannot do unto her. Like having 2 different set of rules applied. In the end, I guess all that matters is that she is satisfied to finally put her life for good use. Hey, you can’t make great progress if you don’t put your own life on the line, can you?

I suppose if there is something that I need to ‘praise’ and something that I have ‘enjoyed’ this season is the ridiculous action. Yes, this season like the previous maintains its over the top exaggerated action. It has all the flashy and explosive effects that would make your jaw drop in disbelief. You could almost feel the power packed in all those explosions. Bang for your buck? It is nonsensical but it’s fun. I wouldn’t go as far as to put the action on the same level as Hollywood’s Mad Max: Fury Road. But I’ll say it is more along the lines of that kind of mindless action. After all, when you are fighting hordes of colourful and ‘cute’ Alca-Noise, you need to destroy them in bulk as it would definitely be inefficient to destroy them one by one. This season also introduces combo team ups from the Symphogear girls as they form some sort of weird getup to destroy the enemy. Nice gimmick. So I guess we can look forward to the other strange versions they will turn into via different combinations in the future.

But nothing beats Hibiki’s punching. It’s like saying there is nothing that cannot be defeated with a good punch. Her Gungnir is like the answer to almost everything. Ironically she wants to win battles without sacrifices but always ends up using her fists. I guess that shows her persuasion skills aren’t as good as her punches. Oh well. You know what they say about action speaks louder than words. Also, it would be just plain boring and unrealistic to see Hibiki just winning over the enemy with words. That’s not why we watch this series, right? And now that she has the ability to do special attacks of her comrades… How further more will she evolve? Sometimes it feels funny that the Pavarian Illuminati girls decide to go destroy the Symphogear girls, only to always get defeated, it feels like some sort of joke because it’s like rinse and repeat every time. They feel confident in taking them down and when they clash, they lose. Retreat. Rest for a while to get back that confidence. Have a go again. I suppose this is only how we’ll get our Symphogear action.

I also want to mention the character designs of the antagonists. When Adam first made his appearance, instantly I thought what the heck is Sinbad from Magi doing here?! Has that king of Sindria finally gone rogue?! Plus, with his white suit, at certain angles he reminds me of Michael Jackson! Aaow! Heehee! Smooth Criminal! Okay, his white suit doesn’t resemble like Michael Jackson’s iconic one in Smooth Criminal but I just can’t help remember that King of Pop when looking at him. His true form she got me thinking of what is deemed as perfect. At least in the visual and physical department. Because if Adam deems his own looks as perfect, is this what humans who created him model after? Then why the heck was his true form hideous? Don’t really get it. Then there is the battle suit of Prelati. She is the oddest of the lot as it makes her look like some mini monster. Worse, it could be one of those animal pyjamas that kids go to sleep with. Serious. Then there is those Alca-Noise do come in all colours, shapes and sizes. However I tend to notice a few that really looks ridiculous. I believe I saw a few as bananas… WTF?!

I don’t know if a few political punching bags were made because the first adventure of this series that has them head to South America, one of the dictators reminded me of Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro! Maybe it was just me but then again, many dictators are stereotyped as fat bad moustachioed guys. And then there is the one of the US president. Doesn’t look like Donald Trump as I have said earlier but why do I get this feeling that it is supposed to be referring to him? And why does the pre-emptive missile strike feels like the one about North Korea?! Hopefully it is just me and crazy reality. Then there is that instant back down of the UN once SONG managed to diffuse the situation. It’s a good thing they are trying to tell us negotiations are the way instead of WMDs as proof that humans can get along. But from this reality which I came from… It sounded like BS crap. Honestly.

New casts joining this series’ line-up are Miki Shinichiro as Adam (Urahara in Bleach), Minako Kotobuki as Saint-Germain (Asuka in Hibike! Euphonium), Rina Hidaka as Prelati (Last Order in To Aru Majutsu No Index), Hina Kino as Tiki (Sylvia in Masou Gakuen HxH), Natsumi Fujiwara as Sonya (Chihiro in Shonen Maid) and Asuna Tomari as Stefan. The surprising one is Shouta Aoi as Cagliostro. Very rare that a man voices a female’s role. He certainly has a very feminine voice that would fool many into thinking that he is a woman. After all, many of his anime roles are effeminate guys like Ai in Uta No Prince-sama series, Licht in Oushitsu Koushi Haine and Renren in Hatsukoi Monster. The only other female role he voiced is Michael in Shingeki No Bahamut: Genesis. Like in previous seasons, Nana Mizuki takes on the opener, Testament while Ayahi Takagaki does the ending theme, Futurism. The techno rock style of these music isn’t my cup of tea and so are the many songs they sing during battle.

Overall, I believe only true Symphogear fans would enjoy and appreciate what is going on up till this point. If not for the mindless power action, I would have been even bored to death with all the confusing terms and plot (although it is as simple as girls in revealing sci-fi suits fighting the baddies who want to destroy or rule the world). So I am deducing that the next season would be the big finale that would end the series because after working so hard to come this far, all the battles they have fought, the lives they have saved and the friendships created, it would be a major insult to suddenly have a new hidden antagonist popping up and who is the actual big bad boss behind everything so far. Please don’t turn it into such cliché because we really want to see off the girls gracefully in their most beautiful swan song when the time comes. A song that would become an evergreen classic.

Hina Logi – From Luck & Logic

This is what I didn’t have in mind when I heard Luck & Logic was going to have another season. Heck, I believe ordinary people wouldn’t have thought it was the sequel so they had to put it in the name just to tell us. Yup, make no mistake. Hina Logi – From Luck & Logic is not exactly a direct sequel of the original. Instead it takes place many years after the Foreigner threat has been stabilized. There is now world peace. At least humans and Foreigners are somewhat coexisting. So what is left to tell when you don’t have alien baddies from another world to harm us? Why, you have a group of cute lolis in a school that trains them to be future Logicalists to maintain the future and world peace. That’s about it! So, this has turned from some sci-fi action fantasy into some cute girls doing cute things?

Episode 1
Liones “Lion” Yelistratova hitches a ride from the countryside to arrive at Pirari Academy, a training school for Logicalists. Nina Alexandrovna sees a huge backpack before her. My, what a cute blue little furry critter. Turns out it is Lion crushed under the backpack and she knows Nina. Belle is her pet familiar. After feeding the hungry girl, Nina is tasked by the teacher to show Lion around but since she is dirty, shower time first. Lion then meets Rino Fujisaki, the assistant homeroom teacher and is given an ALCA card. Lion is nervous introducing herself in class. Yayoi Tachibana the class rep warmly welcomes her to make her feel at ease. Now we have a short review of generally the terms in this series so as to refresh our memories what are Logicalists, Foreigners and the likes. Lion has lunch with her classmates. They learn she is the only child of a royalty of a small country and despite being a highly ranked, she is unsure of what it takes to be a Logicalist. Like she already has Belle but has not make any contract with it whatsoever. When they want to analyse Belle, it starts jumping about mischievously. In all that confusion, Lion worries what she’ll do. Her card then activates as she turns into some plant whipping princess? Not only that, her character has changed into a playful one. The vines go out of control so Nina believes she is Trancejack. Nina transforms into her sci-fi magical girl form to turn her back to normal. While Lion is unconscious, she dreams of this mysterious woman. Later, Lion talks to Nina and she knew her because she saw her on TV before. She admired her and wanted to be like her, her reason for coming here. However Nina lets her know she is only here because of orders from her superior. Therefore she isn’t confident they can become friends as she might go back to HQ soon. Lion remains positive that even so, she’ll be right behind her tail. Lion must be overflowing with love so she tries to hug Nina and they end up falling over the bridge into the shallow river. Cue for all the girls to take a bath together. They further learn Nina snuck away to this academy since her father was against her enrolling here. It’s like she ran away from home but her mom knows she is here.

Episode 2
The girls take their midterm exams. Wait. Lion doesn’t even know what that is?! It’s no surprise she can’t answer and is damn right she should be worried about her score. I guess Lion is cute enough that she becomes the object of tug of war between the student council president and her vice, Mizuki Azuma and Yuuko Morigaya respectively. They note how the world is peaceful enough that Logicalists on active duty are able to transfer to study here. Later we have mock practice battles between the girls like Nina vs Yayoi in which the former wins. Homeroom teacher, Shizuha Kagura has Lion register Belle to her card. Lion is transported into another dimension where she comes face to face with that mysterious woman, Rosa. She wants to stay with Nina and be stronger. With that, she is able to transform without being Transjack. The results are out. Lion scores 15%. Hey, at least it isn’t zero. Nina remembers her superior, Veronica wanted her to study and train at Pirari despite having understand all the fundamentals and possessing capabilities of a university graduate. There is something she wants her to learn there. Nina thinks this is her way of telling her she is weak. She will prove herself and then apply to reinstate her previous mission. Lion, Nina and Mahiro Kyoubashi make their way to go flower viewing. Nobody trusts Mahiro’s device because it always malfunctions and explodes in the end. They manage to find the place and enjoy themselves. I guess it was worth it even though Nina remembers she missed today’s training.

Episode 3
The girls are alerted when the alarm is sounded. Was there supposed to be a drill. Lion’ sharp eye could spot something approaching. It is a man in armour riding a missile! All the anti-aircraft guns can’t take it down. Kagura’s bazooka took down the missile. The man then barges through the door and fights Kagura. It all comes to a stop when Lion tells her stupid dad to stop! That’s her dad?! Oh, he is the kind of father who dotes on his daughter (he even named her after his kingdom). No wonder Lion is so embarrassed and doesn’t like him. So hate is his taboo word and he’ll get emotional if that ever happens. He is here to see his daughter. Because he keeps bugging, the vice principal is forced to allow him to stay and watch. It must be weird, awkward and downright embarrassing for Lion to have her dad following around and cheering her. The only time she opens to him is when he serves lunch. But even that she realizes how embarrassing it is and wants to be left alone. Poor papa… During a mock practice battle between Lion, Nina, Yayoi and Mahiro, Mahiro didn’t want to lose and messed with that missile (why the f*ck is it still there despite being cordoned off?) and they all blast off towards the snowy mountains. Nina couldn’t stop hugging a cute bear cub. Father bear takes this the wrong way and gets mad. Time to run. But Nina still won’t stop hugging… Hiding inside a cave, Lion uses her plant power as a mark to pinpoint where they are. The bear corners them. For once, Lion is praying for dad to save her. And you bet this Russian dude is going to trek and climb all the way to save his daughter. There is no man stronger than a father protecting his daughter. One punch is enough to knock the bear out. Seeing the cub crawling back to it, father understands they are the same. Best reward for him when Lion comes hugging him. Back at the academy. Lion is grateful and realized daddy was worried about her. But worry no more. She has her own friends. Should papa be sad? When it is time to eat, Lion takes all the containers to share them with her friends in her dorm. Oh, only women are allowed in this dorm. Sorry daddy, your little girl has flown the nest.

Episode 4
Mahiro is updating Yuuko’s PC. It seems her password is very easy to remember because it is her birthday. Then the girls realize that today is her birthday! So Yayoi and the rest have a secret meeting to give Yuuko a surprise birthday party (Yuuko is kept busy with all the updates and installation progress). All is set for a pyjamas party when Nina points out what about the presents. You fail as birthday organizer! Yayoi, Nina and Lion head to town to shop for a present while Mahiro, Karen and Karin Kiritani try to stall Yuuko. As the party will be in her room, they need to get her out. Mahiro uses her remote to spam fake viruses. So she leaves to go find Mahiro. Since she could come back anytime, they have Mizuki lure her away by saying there is a bomb in her room! Those virus alerts must be it. Mizuki wants to invite Yuuko to her own personal birthday party but she is taking too dramatically long and Yuuko is gone. With nowhere to go, Yuuko cleans the bathroom. Does she need to Trance just to clean? Meanwhile, because Lion is having fun eating here and there, I guess they got some delay in buying a present. They bump into a little crying girl who insists on getting a dahlia. They ask all the flower shops but coincidentally dahlia has all been sold out. One shop only sells the seeds but this is enough for Lion. She uses her Trance to water and grow them. The little girl is happy and goes on her way. By the time they get to the store, it is already closed. But Nina points they already have a present. After Yuuko is done bathing, she sees an invitation card in the basket asking her to come to her room dressed in these pyjamas. The girls surprise her (honestly, she doesn’t sound THAT surprise) and it is the best birthday party ever. They hand her dahlias as present but she hands them back each a piece as thanks. Mahiro has created a long ass password that is better fool proof. They look like random letters and numbers… That little girl could be the school’s principal in her chibi form? Mizuki continues to eagerly wait for Yuuko…

Episode 5
In addition to the written exam, there will also be a practical exam for these future Logicalists. Yayoi trains hard as she wants to be number one but it seems Nina can do her training even better and without sweat. Trying hard to catch up? Fujisaki explains the practical exam whereby they have to move ‘victims’ in the form of cute stuffed dolls past certain spots to safety at the principal’s office. I wonder if they will be listening to the rest of the rules like the limited number of times they can Trance and not allowed to hurt others. If their victim gets injured or they lose it, they get disqualified. Veteran Logicalists like Chloe, Mana and Yukari helping out. The first part of the test sees Kagura standing before them. Are they going to fight her? Hell no! Jump off the bridge and into the water to bypass her! While climbing the rocks, Mana snipes at them while Yukari helps out. Yayoi falls off but Lion Trances to save her. Yayoi wants to disqualify herself but is told their mission is to get the victims to safety. Nina duels with Chloe and although she beats her, she gets taken about by Mana-Yukari combo. Yayoi then comes to face Chloe and the latter warns her comrades not to help her. Yayoi feigns and gives Chloe the slip since she has a secret help from Lion. I guess that’s what you get when you don’t allow your pals to help. In the end, Lion takes first place and Yayoi allowed her to do so since it was her strategy that made her realize what is important. So while everybody has fun soaking in the hotspring, only Nina looks miserable. Later Kagura has Lion undergo a test by letting her hold a mirror. As she thinks about Rosa, the mirror starts to glow green stuff. Kagura explains the mirror shows her balance with Rosa. As a Logicalist and Foreigner share half their Logic and become one, Lion is entrusting too much to Rosa. It is bad as it could damage herself and her surroundings. She must learn to retain her own will. Nina continues to train hard but she still doesn’t look happy.

Episode 6
Everyone is at Lion’s home and kingdom for the summer vacation. Why does the air-cond in the place have to break down at all times? I’m sure Lion’s mom’s great hospitality would cool things down. Except when she’s going to teach her husband a lesson for all this. When school just ended, he came to pick up Lion back home. However Lion wants to stay with her friends a little longer. He ‘enticed’ them that back home has got lots of food, luxurious amenities and a place to explore Foreigners! Wow! Please let us come! Only Nina has no interest but with Lion begging with puppy dog eyes, that’s how the whole gang is here. Meanwhile Lion and Mahiro are out in nearby forests researching about Foreigners. Mahiro explains her entire family are ALCA researchers. They’re so obsessed in researching, she wonders if they’ll ever come home. They didn’t find any Foreigners here so Mahiro hopes perhaps Belle could have some clues. Lion isn’t sure and views it as a family member. Thanks to Lion’s dad using his might to create a pool, the girls can now rest easy and cool off. After a nice BBQ, they head to the nearby woods to watch the stars. Seeing a shooting star, they all make their wish. Mahiro blurts out hers as wanting to go to the alternate world. She is really curious about Foreigners and wants to see what their world is like. Her parents were against it since it will be dangerous as a human body is not very adaptive. So why not ask Belle? Well, if that critter can talk. Nope. But it can sing! Maybe Lion taught it? Lion also hums along. The girls have not heard it before so Lion’s dad points out this song is not from this world. It used to be a song Rosa sang. Mahiro is excited and wants to meet her but Lion left her card back at the academy. Looks like she’ll have to wait till they get back. The next day the friends leave. Nina had to ‘assure’ Lion she’ll come back to the dorm early to give her some hope. Maybe she doesn’t want to be too long with her baka dad? Even if dad wants to have fun with her all day? But mom tells her to finish something important first: Her homework!

Episode 7
Mizuki is at her usual spying on Yuuko in the morning. She almost gets spotted and I don’t think acting like a bird will do the trick. Luckily a call from Lion that she is coming home tomorrow (daddy is heard crying so badly in the background) distracts her. But Mizuki is now stuck on the tree. Yuuko is in a dilemma since she will be having a career discussion. She doesn’t know if she wants to join ALCA once she graduates. Here comes Mizuki to give her opinion. I guess it sounded exaggerated because of some grand revolution nonsense. But as she explains how ALCA has put a lot of effort to maintain the balance in all the worlds, it sounds very true and realistic. Yuuko remembers she had many dreams as a kid including being a patisserie and florist. She joined this academy but her powers are not suited for battle. Mizuki on the other hand couldn’t form a covenant but is proud that she is able to see the world the way she does. As Yuuko is still uncertain in her life, Mizuki says to do whatever she wants. There is no better motivation than that. She wants to invite her for the Bon festival dance competition but Lion has returned and cuts her off. Maybe next time. With everyone back at the dorm, it’s time to prepare for the festival. But first, those who didn’t finish their homework are forced to do so. Luckily Lion has already done hers. All thanks to tiger mom. We see the girls in their yukata enjoying their evening at the festivals. Some moments together between Lion and Nina. Then an incident. The prize for the dance is stolen. Black feathers are seen around it. Of course they’re going to find it and it’s cue for your girls to Trans this episode. It doesn’t take a genius to know the culprit is a crow and no time for them to retrieve it. Lion sees Yuuko spying at them from a tree branch and climbs up to go join her. This makes the other girls fluster since she isn’t wearing anything underneath. Strange, because everyone is doing the same. They don’t have to get Mizuki down since she falls off after a massive nose bleed. Everyone goes back to have fun. Yuuko tells Mizuki she likes it best seeing Lion and her friends have fun. She likes their smile and wants to watch them grow up. It sounds creepy but if that is her dream, so be it. Oh, Lion won the dance.

Episode 8
The girls are showing their summer research projects. Mostly as weird as it gets. Then it’s Mahiro’s turn. She is really eager to show her mecha that allows human to enter the Paradox Zone. Too bad she spent so much time, the teachers won’t let her demonstrate it. Then Mizuki announces their school’s cultural festival and hopes everyone could pitch ideas on what to do based on the theme of coexisting with Foreigners. So the girls start thinking of what to do until Mahiro hits the idea of singing that song Lion hummed. They should be able to learn Foreigner culture from such songs. Since they have only 1 song, Yayoi suggests making a play out of it. This means Mahiro is made the project leader and has to write the script. Responsibility feels so heavy… You can tell how hard she works as she falls asleep in class with lame mechanisms to make it look like she is still awake. The teacher isn’t going to bother her… The rest have a mock battle. At the end of it, Lion still has that green glowing stuff. Kagura suggests she’ll need to train her in more ways. Especially of the heart. How? Kagura feigns attacking Lion and she immediately Trance. This shows she is too sensitive. With threats as small as this, her emotions run wild. Lion isn’t only having trouble trying to be the best Logicalist. Nina too is pondering how to get back to ALCA. Lion doesn’t want to bother Mahiro so she sleeps at Yayoi’s room. She notes that Mahiro always puts in a lot of energy to do things. Of course she has failed many times. But she wouldn’t be Mahiro otherwise. Mahiro has finally write up the script. She makes her casting announcement with Lion and Nina helming the starring roles. While Lion is ecstatic, Nina isn’t.

Episode 9
It’s funny. Lion’s father engaging his entire maid force just to rescue a cat stuck high up. They make it sound so dramatic. But then he has to leave for a more important mission. It’s the school’s cultural festival. Preparations are coming along fine. Except for Lion. Her acting sucks. However she can only act whenever she is in Trance. Otherwise, normal Lion is just as stiff as ever. During the festival, since the play will be in the afternoon, the girls go visit the various stalls. Lion notices a number on Yuuko and it seems those with them are candidates for a popularity contest. And suddenly Lion gets one too. Yeah, you bet her father is promoting very hard to make her win. He has got competition from Mizuki since she is also promoting for Yuuko’s victory. It comes to a crashing halt for big daddy since his wife is here to take him away. Oh, that cat mission was a success. During the play, everything is going well with Rosa in Lion’s place. Until the climax part Lion accidentally slips and is snapped out of her Trance. She gets stage fright. Nina quickly improvises and calms her down so they manage to sing the song together and end the play on a high note. Lion later hugs her mom and ignores her dad. Nina gets a surprise visit by Veronica who is glad she has adapted to high school life and wants her to continue enjoying it. Mizuki announces the winner of the popularity contest: Yuuko! Poor Lion’s dad can’t stop crying. But why do I have a feeling the result is rigged? Yayoi talks to Mahiro that although their play got second place, everybody worked hard for it and believes Mahiro’s message was delivered. Too bad Mahiro is fast asleep.

Episode 10
Lion must be happy winter break is coming. But first… The exams… Not so happy now. Like the last time, there will be written and practical exam. The latter will be in knockout format and it looks like Lion will face Nina in the first round. Nina talks to the principal and is confident she will be placed first in everything. She is requesting for a chance to go back to ALCA. She didn’t give a straight answer but I’m figuring it’s a no. Lion continues to suck at practice with Kagura. I don’t see any improvements at all. So Nina and Lion’s fight is here. Surprisingly, it is Lion who goes on the offensive. This makes Nina mad because it is as though she is hiding her strength all this while. She tries to go easy on her then but Nina feels insulted for being pitied. Sh*t hits the fan when Nina doesn’t consider Lion her friend. Wait. If she isn’t your friend, but you’re worried she is now crying? That is when Lion loses it and her powers go berserk. Rosa takes over and wrecks the place. Nothing like a few shouting from her other friends to bring Lion back. But when Nina tries to talk to her, Rosa takes over again and escapes. Nina volunteers to look for her and Belle is brought along since it has this power to balance her out. When Lion is found, Rosa’s vines start attacking her. Nothing like whipping a few pain and scratches to stir up some emotion. Finally Belle gets to Lion and, uhm, starts glowing. Lion reverts back once Nina manages to touch her. Kiss and makeup, okay? As Nina passes out, Lion notices they are lost in the middle of the icy desert. She seeks Belle’s help and at this point Belle turns into her true majestic Foreigner form. They both make a pact. This means a new Trance outfit for Lion. They return safely. In the aftermath, they are told that the practical is cancelled (but of course) and they’ll calculate their scores based on something else. They also have to report to ALCA in detail. It doesn’t matter who is at fault as ALCA will be the one who decides. That will take some time. More importantly, the duo are back safely. Lion and Nina further reconcile and return to the rest of their friends who are already all geared up for the Christmas party.

Episode 11
The friends leave for the winter break. Nina is only left at the dorm. She is happy because she can now watch her reserves of comedy. What? And also study something about the universe. Huh? All that comes crashing down when she sees Lion in her room. Didn’t she leave? Apparently she heard Nina wasn’t going back and decided to stay. I guess it’s better to be in her company than her dad’s, eh? If you can’t beat them, join them. They got addicted to the kotatsu that they’re so lazy in answering the door. They do a staring contest and Lion loses immediately and laughs like mad. Nina is insulted since she didn’t do a funny face. But Belle is laughing too… It seems someone delivered high quality crabs. From who? Don’t know. But after eating it, they realize it is sent to the wrong person. Fujisaki seems to be waiting forever for it when it finally arrives. She is going to share this with Kagura but something tastes off… It doesn’t tastes like high quality crab… In actuality, Nina and Lion rushed to the store to buy crab sticks and replace them before delivering it to the right doorstep. As Yuuko is making Valentine Chocolates, Lion and Yayoi help out. Lion accidentally spoils the oven but nothing like Mahiro can fix it. But you know how she fixes things… The oven ‘attacks’ Lion but is luckily taken out by Nina’s arrow. Lion gives the chocolate as thanks but after Nina eats it, she feels different. Suddenly Nina confesses she loves Lion and starts hugging her! OMG! First lesbian loli sex?! Why you so freaked out Lion? Didn’t you like this? It is believed Nina’s arrow had some sort of effect so they need to dispose the rest. How? Mahiro eats one! Now she has lesbian loli sex with Yayoi! Karen and Karin walk in to see this betrayal. How will they protect her? Join in and make it a foursome! Yuuko needs to dispose the last one but bumps into Mizuki. She thinks the chocolate is for her and eats it. But we aren’t surprised seeing we know her character. I don’t think she is under its influence as she gets down to her knee and proposes to Yuuko. But Yuuko isn’t shocked. She believes the effects will wear off and returns to the rest. Mizuki feels so rejected. The affected girls return to normal. Nina must be in damn shock to learn what has happened. It’s Lion’s turn to get lovey-dovey with her. Though Nina still gives her own chocolate to Lion and this makes her very happy.

Episode 12
It looks like Lion and Nina won’t be punished by ALCA. However Lion will need to take extra supplementary classes. Later Fujisaki and Kagura talk to Nina privately. They hand her a letter from ALCA commending her actions. Does this mean she has a chance to go back to ALCA? Yayoi and Karin heard this and report it to the rest. The only one still overreacting is Yayoi. Even Lion is happy for Nina. But her happiness looks fake… And then seeing Yuuko packing her stuffs because she is graduating in 2 more days puts a lot more damper. Yayoi thought of hatching up a plan to make it look like there is a reason for Nina to stay but you’ll know it will fail. Like this lavish dinner, the topic of Yuuko leaving permeating the conversation. Then there is this leaving photos of Lion and Nina as a trail. Nina finds it creepy and the one who fell for it is Lion. Yayoi and Mahiro best Karin and Karen to win the right to face Nina in their challenge letter. Nina takes on both of them and in the end she beats them both despite not even going all out. Graduation ceremony is here. Mizuki has lots of fan girls crying over her. Not sure why Mizuki is ‘sad’ when Yuuko tells her juniors that she has been assigned to the same ALCA office as her. Is it because she knows she considers her as troublesome? Is this a hint she doesn’t like her? Suddenly the withered sakura trees bloom back to life. This could only be the work of Lion so Nina starts finding her. Apparently Lion must be so important that Nina purposely runs pass Veronica even when their eyes met. Pretend to look the other way? Eventually Nina finds Lion and learns she did this as a parting gift. Lion promises to catch up to her. Is 5 years enough? Okay Lion. Stop pretending to be tough. It’s time to cry. Nina hugs her and drops the biggest news: She is staying. How could she leave all her previous friends behind? Now everyone can be all smiles again. After they see off Yuuko and Mizuki, they walk home holding hands. They tell each other the kind of Logicalist they want to become. Nina whispers softly that she looks up to Lion. Care to repeat that louder? They return to their waiting friends. Lion bursts the bubble telling them Nina considers them as previous friends. Big smiles! Big group hug! But don’t overdo it! Too late. Lion did so and they all fall into the river. How the heck can Lion catch a fish?!

Screw Logic! Because, Friendship
I guess that is the price we all have to pay for peace. Everything looks so boring unless you enjoy little girls having fun hanging out together you lolicon! It was really kinda expected of Nina to remain because it will be totally sad that if Yuuko goes, it will be double blow for another one to go. I mean, who is going to fill in that freaking huge friendship gap?! Make new friends?! At this point where the anime has just ended?! Screw that. Even happier ending when ALCA decided not to fully punish them because it is a crime to just punish lolis. They might lose some brownie points if they do so because some higher ups might have that sort of fetish. Oops… So another day, another year and another term. I’m guessing more or less the same thing will happen to our friends because what else could happen if there is nothing bad or evil lurking in this time and world but only good and fun times? We better be grateful for those Logicalists who fought and sacrifice their lives for this.

I don’t know. I feel that if the series had not been associated with the original Luck & Logic and stands on its own and everything, I’m not sure if I would feel this way. Because it still is one boring cute girls doing cute things. Sure, there are some cute and light hearted moments but nothing in general that would make it stand out from the numerous cute girls doing cute things shows that I have seen throughout the seasons and years. So for familiarity and nostalgia sake, they use a few familiar terminologies like Foreigners and Logicalists as well as making some of the characters in the original series to return. But they too don’t add much to anything. After all, what plot is there to tell when the Foreigner threat has been subdued? I can only blame myself for expecting that this sequel would be close to the original despite I wasn’t that impressed with the original and had this hope this sequel would make it up. Well, it didn’t. Maybe if I don’t compare it with the original, this spin-off sequel does have its own merits. Like cute girls doing cute things. That can’t be entirely a bad thing, right? Better than seeing cute lolis being sent to battle and fight hostile aliens and seeing them being injured. World peace is the best!

This means whatever questions you want to know and development or things you want to find out about the other worlds especially the Foreigners, they will not be answered. We have no clue about the other world these Foreigners come from or the history or why they have been hostile to us and that curious song that Lion knows that belongs to Foreigners. But screw all that, right? Who cares about Foreigners who look like cute adult humanoids when you can have a bunch of cute lolis.

As for the characters, the main concentration is on the Lion and Nina pair. It’s to showcase their ‘beautiful friendship’, I guess. Because in such peaceful times, Lion is ‘forgiven’ to be helming the role of the airhead, ditz and klutz. We put up with it because she is cute and have that moe charming effect on us. We don’t hate honest girls like her and since she is super genki and lively, all is forgiven. Yeah, I can’t even find myself to consider her annoying as much as I want to. Because you know, moe factor. For dynamism in many friendships, we need to have another character who is at the other end of the pole. That is where Nina comes in. At first she doesn’t show any emotions and isn’t as bubbly as Lion. Slowly she opens up her heart to her and finds that it isn’t bad having her as a friend. It was interesting to note why she was sent here by Veronica instead of continuing her stay at ALCA. I suppose Veronica had some sort of vision of Nina’s attitude and wanted her to experience something that only schools could provide. For better or worse, Nina does change a little. She might not put up big smiles but at least eking out a little smile is better than no smile. Even when she decided to stay and I saw this coming from miles away, it wasn’t really a surprise. From a girl who looked so bent in returning to ALCA has succumbed to the temptations called friendship. Yeah, it can really do wonders even for a strong willed girl like her. My worry is that if Lion drags her down and doesn’t buckle up, they will join ALCA much later. But that’s okay. They have each other, right?

As for the other characters, there isn’t much to note about them and it feels like they are there for a bit of variety. Because there is the danger of us getting bored if they spam too much Lion-Nina time. So like Yayoi, she sounds and looks like a typical oujo-sama although she has her pride, it is a good thing she isn’t the arrogant type like how most oujo-sama types always turn out to be. She is friendly and helpful at times. Her personal bodyguards, Karin and Karen also feel like poles apart. Because with Karin being the more responsible one, Karen is the airhead and ditzy one. Is there some sort of trade off for that because as a result for being the more responsible one, Karin is as flat as a washboard while Karen is so well-endowed. Is this where her brains go to? Mahiro’s running joke is that whatever inventions she makes or fixes, it will tend to blow up in her face. Is this what we all want to remember her by?

Then there is Yuuko and Mizuki. It also feels like a running joke that Mizuki is trying so hard to charm Yuuko but all that always fails and backfires because Yuuko ignores it all or she doesn’t give a sh*t. Maybe it is because of Mizuki’s dramatic over the top acting. Sorry to say this, but perhaps Yuuko isn’t accepting you isn’t because of all the fakeness and bad acting. You should be yourself if you want a better chance of Yuuko accepting you. Or maybe this is Mizuki’s true self? Or Yuuko is just one big blur head and doesn’t know it even if it is spelled out in front of her eyes. Well, keep trying. And keep being disappointed. At least we’ll give you points for being perseverance. Not too sure if Mizuki is trying to be something like Revolutionary Girl Utena because the way she dresses reminds me of so although I didn’t see that anime.

Adding to the mystery aspect is the principal and vice principal. They barely show up unless necessary but the principal herself is a big bag of mystery. I’m sure we have many questions about her existence like why is she always playing a harp in her spare time and why is her hair such an odd colour or maybe if she is some sort of hybrid between a human and Foreigner. But with all the focus on our moe young girls, why do we care about older women anyway?

For added cuteness and the need for an animal mascot of the series, hence the reason why Belle sticks around with Lion. Perhaps the same reason why Pikachu follows Ash instead of being cooped up in the Pokeball like other Pokemon. Because as I have noticed, the girls do possess multiple contracts with several Foreigners and is able to switch and Trance between them. So for Belle to be besides Lion everywhere she goes, it is like a subliminal plot to have them enter a contract eventually. In which in my case, so what? I guess it is better than popping up a random never seen before Foreigner.

Personally, the most interesting and my personal favourite character in this series is not any one of these girls. Yup. The only guy in this series is Lion’s father. Not that I’m being gay with him after being hit with all the loli lesbian fanservice but this guy is just funny. This macho guy isn’t so macho once you get to know how much he dotes on Lion and then gets depressed when his little girl ignores him. The way he overdoes his love and ‘protection’ of Lion is just funny. But I guess that is a father’s love for you. He might be the king of his own little kingdom but he can never be king of Lion’s heart. Because Lion must be going through that puberty phase. Only his wife can put a stop to his extreme ways to spoil his daughter. This guy should get more appearance. And ruin Lion and Nina’s lesbian loli moments? I’m sure papa would approve. As long as it isn’t a boy. I can already imagine this big guy’s reaction if there is ever a time Lion falls in love with a real boy. Imagine that kind of ‘foreigner’…

One of the funniest segments has to be the next episode preview. In many instances, we see the teachers of the school drinking at the bar and mostly Fujisaki and the vice principal complaining about something. Especially about finding her Mr Right. Typically how a frustrated single woman who isn’t getting younger by the day would cry and blurt it all out over a few cups of alcohol. I guess they’re desperate they’ll take on any advice. Even taking some from Lion’s mom who appeared once as a guest. At the end of it all, we see Belle giving us that smirk. Is it trying to imply something about these no hopers?

The action scenes in this sequel isn’t really something to look forward to. It feels forced. Because mock battles between the girls feel necessary from time to time to remind us what this show was about as well as to showcase their magical girl outfits and the transformation scene. Yeah, only in such weird outfits that these girls could pull off special powered moves. Otherwise, the fights are just as boring since it feels like the lesbian loli fanservice is the factor that they are trying to focus on. So if you like your women mature, look somewhere else. So no real fights with dangerous Foreigners because they’ve all been tamed enough so our girls can have a good time frolicking with each other.

Art and animation are very bright and colourful. Important when you want to highlight how cute and moe the girls are. Well, I guess having them in normal school uniform and the occasional magical girl-like outfit when they trance is better than the original’s ALCA uniform whereby the crotch area looks freaking weird. Imagine the female characters wearing those… Just too weird. Animated by Doga Kobo who also did the original series, they also did lots of moe anime like YuruYuri, Koihime Musou, New Game, Love Lab, Sansha Sanyou, GJ-Bu, Gabriel Dropout, Himouto! Umaru-chan, Hidan No Aria AA and Mikakunin De Shinkoukei. I’m sure they have perfected the art of drawing moe girls.

Voice acting feels okay with me only recognizing Rikiya Koyama as Lione’s father, Kana Ueda as Yuuko and Yui Ogura as Karin. The rest are Madoka Asahina as Lion (Nene in New Game), Hibiku Yamamura as Nina (Hibiki in Anne Happy), Natsumi Takamori as Mahiro (Miyano in Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge), Suzuko Mimori as Yayoi (Sherlock in Tantei Opera Milky Holmes series), Kaede Yuasa as Karen, Maaya Uchida as Mizuki (Rikka in Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai), Mai Aizawa as Kagura (Neris in Shining Hearts: Shiawase No Pan), Tomoyo Takayanagi as Fujisaki, Akiko Yajima as the principal (titular character in Crayon Shin-chan series) and Atsumi Tanezaki as the vice principal (Mizore in Hibike! Euphonium).

The opening theme, Butterfly Effector by True is a heavy rock piece and didn’t resonate with me. But what I find creative in the opening credits animation is the cut out paper stop motion animation that is used amidst some of the real life backdrop. It is pretty cool and creative. Another rock piece for the ending theme, Baby Bird ~Gakuen Logic~ by the trio behind Lion, Nina and Mahiro. The song also isn’t to my liking but again what I find amusing is the ending credits animation of how we see the trio chasing far and wide after their egg rolls away. When they finally grab the egg and it starts hatching, it pops out another egg! It rolls away and hence another repetitive cycle of chasing it down.

Overall, this sequel is just decent and appeal to those who are very much into moe lolis and cute girls doing cute things. Otherwise, fans of the original series would be in for a shock to have discovered how different everything has become. Perhaps another season to explain what happened in between? You know, that goal Yoshichika and Athena supposed to have and do at the end of the original season? No? Don’t remember? So do I. So we have to thank the efforts of the Logicalists who have worked hard to bring peace between the worlds. That is why we are able to enjoy seeing lolis having a good time being lesbians with each other. Ah, good times. Maybe that is why the Foreigners stopped attacking because they too are intrigued and getting a boner in seeing little girls getting overly friendly with each other. Because f*ck logic as long as we get to see cute (lesbian) girls doing cute (lesbian) things.

Amanchu

Initially I gave Amanchu the slip and really did not intend to watch it for the foreseeable future. Mainly because it is a scuba diving theme. Hah. Scuba diving. How boring. Right?! Plus, looking at the promotional poster, I thought some of the characters had this ‘scary doll look’ like that Zatch Bell character. I know, I know. I didn’t look close enough but at that point I didn’t want to scare myself despite knowing this diving themed anime would mostly be a very calming series. All that changed when I learnt that this series is somewhat a spiritual successor to the Aria series because they are written by the same author! OMG! Instant nostalgia hit! Must see this!

Episode 1
Just before Hikari “Pikari” Kohinata goes scuba diving, she smells her grandma boiling pork soup. Later, Futaba Ooki arrives at the seaside via her scooter. She seems depressed as she has just transferred here. As a newbie in the area, everything is new for her. Grandma talks to her and treats her to a drink. She realizes Futaba will be enrolled in the same Yumegaoka High School as Pikari. Futaba is awed by the waves of the sea and it lifts her spirits. Pikari returns and the other guys in her group are so freaking awed by the sea it’s like they’ve turned into a new character. At the point, Futaba has left on her scooter. Next day is the new first term of the semester. Pikari sure knows how to attract attention as she marches in with a whistle in her mouth and lets this strange cat, Aria ride on her head. Pikari and Futaba’s shoe locker are next to each other. They see a fancy card in it. Pikari is excited as it is some sort of map designed by their teacher to make it more exciting. It leads them to their classroom. Futaba is amazed at the beautiful chalk drawing on the board that indicates their seat. Pikari says it is their teacher’s love. Guess what? They both sit next to each other. Their homeroom teacher is Mato Katori as she has the class introduce themselves. Futaba is very nervous. What will she say? She flusters and just says her name. Pass. When it is Pikari’s turn, she starts whistling! Is this her way of leaving a first impression? She needs to get smacked by the teacher. Then she passionately introduces herself including her passion for scuba diving. While the students line up to get their textbooks, Pikari admires Futaba’s beauty, making her blush. Because of her thin eyebrows, she decides to nickname her Teko. In return, she wants her to call her nickname. Teko notices Pikari’s zipper open. She denies it while zipping it up. Teko notes even she can get embarrassed. Teko might still be anxious of the many firsts she will experience but is confident she will get used to it.

Episode 2
It’s going to be a lovely day for Pikari to go to school. Riding the bus, she doesn’t realize Mato is sitting behind her. So she opens the window and the wind messes with her hair. Pikari wants to press the stop button but Mato beats her to it. Mato gets down with her and wonders why she stopped at the shopping district instead of riding all the way to school. She woke up early so as to see the lovely route to school. Then it descends into a race to see who can walk to fastest. Pikari takes a big lead but then Mato has the last laugh: She hitches a ride with a motorcyclist. Is this cheating? Pikari won’t lose out and takes the shortcut through the woods. So imagine Teko’s shock when she is taking a picture of the sky only to see Pikari suddenly entering her frame. The landing is painful so when Mato tends to her, they realize they are both enthusiasts in scuba diving. Now they are best friends! Teko is left wondering how weird Pikari is. With the club recruitment drive next week, depressed Teko believes she’ll join none for the rest of her high school days. That is, until Pikari drags her along to the scuba club. Looks like somebody is already there. Aria? Pikari nicknames it Tea and believes it isn’t just an ordinary member but the club’s advisor. Pikari then explains the difference between the wet and dry diving suits. Before Teko knows it, they already try on the suit. Pikari dives and floats in the school’s swimming pool as Teko ponders how she has been dragged into her pace all the while. But she notes the fun she has while watching her do stuffs. It makes her heart beat in excitement. Teko takes a deep breath and dives in too. Pikari mentions about how the border of the body and sea cease to exist when diving. When that happens, she would like to think they were all born from the sea. She hopes Teko would try diving with her. Those sparkling eyes in her looks of anticipation… Well, no harm trying. She’s already gone this far.

Episode 3
Teko tries to make friends with others but since she is still scared, I guess another day. Luckily she still has Pikari around. On their way to school, Teko tells Pikari she came from Tokyo. Everything is still new to her so that’s why she is afraid to make new friends. She finds it strange herself that she is usually bad with talking about herself to others but yet can tell it so easily to her. Pikari admits she too is bad with talking to others. Probably this explains about her being scatterbrain. Because Teko is still worried if she can make friends, Pikari takes her to a street filled with sakura trees blossoming. She quotes from grandma about thinking to be happy then you’ll forever be happy. Besides, doesn’t Teko have her as a friend? Teko feels much better. The duo are now trying the scuba club as trial members. Mato as the club’s real advisor is waiting inside. First, she asks if they know something about last week’s intrusion. Somebody intrude here. Gulp. Teko is scared but Pikari quickly admits it was her. She gets smacked by Mato. Even more afraid, Teko also admits she was here. I think Teko looked so meek so Mato smacks Pikari on her behalf! Mato starts her first lesson by explaining about external and internal air pressure. The deeper you go, the less air you have in your lungs and other areas with air as it will be crushed. So the key is to keep breathing. But like the ear which cannot breathe, how do you clear it? There are a few ways as Mato has Pikari demonstrate them for beginners. Mato tests Teko about the most important rule in diving. At first she doesn’t know the answer but thinking harder and from the hints she just learnt, the single inviolable rule is to keep breathing. Teko starts breathing and it calms her mind while thinking the new experience she will have in this new town. This in turn makes Pikari excited and hopes Teko could join her diving together. Even happier when Teko calls her nickname for the first time. Teko narrates she was always waiting and praying for someone who would call out to her. She hated her cowardly self who could only wait. But even those feelings became a piece with meaning.

Episode 4
Teko will be observing Pikari dive with a couple of customers, twins Ai and Makoto Ninomiya. She learns of Pikari’s dream to become a full fledge diving instructor one day. Teko observes how everyone checks each other’s gear before diving into the sea. She talks to Pikari’s grandma and learns that the visibility of the sea at this time of the year isn’t good. She gets worried but luckily Pikari and co return safely. They swap their tanks and go back for another round. When they’re done, they start washing their gear. Pikari is embarrassed to see she left her panties out. She tries to telepathically communicate with Ai about letting her have it (since she doesn’t want to Makoto to know about it). Not that she understands but she allows it. Then it turns out to be a head hood for diving. Pikari frantically calls grandma for the customer’s number. Teko will have her first dive at the school’s swimming pool. Pikari and Mato will dive with her. After putting on the full gear, of course it feels heavy but it won’t be once she starts diving. Teko finds she is floating and it proves that the buoyancy works. After a while and a few dives, Teko can’t help emerge since she is not used to water getting into her mask and panicked. It also causes her a bit of breathing difficulties. Although she remembers Mato’s lesson on how to clear it, the water quickly seeps back in. This makes her scared and lose motivation. She wants to get out but Pikari continues to believe she can do it. If she doesn’t try, she’ll never do it. But Teko continues to remain scared so Pikari calms her down she is here with her. They go back underwater and Pikari helps her get rid of the water seeping and this gives Teko her confidence back. They manage to dive to the deeper end of the pool. When they return to the surface, Pikari is very happy they did it together. But when Teko tries to leave the pool, she has no strength because the suit has absorbed water and has become heavier. Time to work on those muscles.

Episode 5
Teko’s muscles were aching since but has recovered. They are expecting to do more scuba diving but Mato tells them to go job and build some muscles. I suppose Teko needs lots of practice. She’s slow and even catching her breath. Pikari runs ahead first and bumps into the twins. Ai is impressed with Pikari as an instructor and even wants her to join the diving club. Pikari remembers they are the senior members Mato told them whom they have never met yet. When Pikari tries to tell them this and Makoto reminding Ai that the club has already 2 new members, Ai starts to beat him up! She will not forgive those members for trespassing the club! Oh sh*t. By the time Teko catches up, Pikari fears things will get worse so she takes her away to explain. Ai remains stubborn she won’t meet her new members. When Mato says they are nearby, she runs off to find them! Teko and Pikari arrive to explain themselves so Makoto tells them to go home and won’t be blamed. Too late. That monster has returned! RUN!!! Hey, Teko is running pretty fast this time. Eventually Ai catches up and realizes who they are. How will the showdown end? Pikari prostrates herself and apologizes. Teko explains how Pikari brought her to the club that sparked her interest in diving. This leaves Ai in a lurch because it looks like she is the bad guy now. Ai might not admit it but you can tell she accepts them as she is going to beat the basics of diving into them by calling their first emergency meeting. In the classroom, Pikari asks straight up if Ai is still mad. Not really. To prove her sincerity, lunch is on her. Or at least Makoto is paying. As they discuss, Ai wants Teko to get her open certification as her first step to become a diver. This will allow her to dive with a buddy even without an instructor. You bet Teko is motivated to do that. When Pikari doodles sea animals in a chibi form on the blackboard, Ai counters that by drawing a surreal version! Makoto joins in and adds some effects and eventually Ai is roped in to colour. It turns out to be a masterpiece. Ai claims this is the first sea that they dived together. Sea of colours? After taking pictures, they erase it.

Episode 6
Today Teko will be having pool lessons with Mato. Alone. It only makes sense since the rest already have their licence. Feeling lonely? Well, the rest are actually hiding and watching from afar so once this is over they will give Teko a surprise congratulation. Teko is scared when Mato wants her to fill her mask with water and then discharge it. She is made to do it many times and it is to help her overcome her fear. Once she is done, she is now stripped all her gear and is told to go swim laps. However there is 1 big problem. SHE CAN’T SWIM!! WHAT???!!! Oops, Pikari and co got busted. So they realize why she is always afraid of water leaking into her mask. So as Mato test her to swim with fins without sinking, she sank immediately! End of today’s lesson. Teko feels down as she believes she is holding everyone back. Mato then suggests taking them for a drive. Actually Mato just wants to take her car out for a spin… At the station near the port, Teko talks about her gratefulness to get into the world of diving. They get embarrassed when Mato comments about their self-discovery and friendship. Teko feels she still isn’t as good as she should so Mato advises her not to take her own wish or ambition too seriously. It’s good if she has it but there is also nothing wrong about following someone else’s suggestion at first. As long as she keeps moving, she’ll be sure to find something. Pikari has found some ribbons whereby they can write their wishes and hook it up along the shrine. Teko writes her wish to dive 150 metres and pass her pool training. It might look simple but at least it is a wish she can grant by her own power. Pikari won’t let Teko see hers because it is embarrassing. What did she write? Her wish for Teko’s wish to come true.

Episode 7
It is the rainy season and the humidity is messing with Ai’s hair. Look at how many pins she has. But has she got to take it out on Makoto? He has more pins on his head… Mato watches Pikari seeing off Teko to her pool training. Then she notices Pikari sneaking off in the wrong direction. She tails her to the train station. Since she is deep in her thoughts, Mato is discovered by Pikari. So what is the meaning of this? When the time is right, the train passes by a lovely field of hydrangea flowers. It’s only for a moment so hope you see all its beauty. So Pikari just got this train trip just for this? Yup. It is the only season where they bloom best. Now that the rainy season is over, it is hot like hell! Is the end of the world coming? Club activities are out since it is a time for students to study for their exams. But the diving club quartet are bumming around in school. Pikari leads the gang to stretch their hands in the sunlight to test its warmth. Mato isn’t impressed so she has them play Red Light Green Light with Makoto as It. In this heat? We see Teko is really good at the game. She survives and wins most probably Makoto had to choose his sister. Not thrilled, Ai decides to play again with her being It. Again Teko is naturally talented in this game. Ai can’t even get her! Finally Mato decides to join in the game. It looks like Makoto and Teko won but Mato throws her slippers at them! Anything the It possess and touches you counts. Was this part of the rules? Mato is so happy with her victory, it prompts the rest to think she is the most child-like among them. So this is a lesson that even as adults, searching for answers can be still fun.

Episode 8
Makoto sees a letter in Ai’s shoe locker. She takes the letter and quickly runs! So when he finally manages to ask her about it, she points out to some baseball guy who wrote the letter. She finds it odd because they don’t talk much so why did he write that letter? She hasn’t read the letter yet but what are the chances it is a love letter? Makoto is shocked to see Ai blushing. So when she starts to read it, suddenly she has this unimpressed looks. She runs away! Actually puts the letter back. It seems the guy have put it in the wrong place and was meant for the other girl sharing her shoe locker. Ai claims she didn’t read the rest of the letter and stopped once she read who it was addressed to. Makoto fears for that guy’s life as you know what his sister can do. But he can’t be worried about him, Ai is going to take it out on him! Surprisingly she did not. Instead she acts cool and deduces that guy must be so nervous thinking about the letter that he put it in the wrong place. It takes a lot of strength to do all that. Ai is glad seeing others putting effort to make others happy and in a way grateful to him. Makoto notes that he is able to see the other side of Ai he never sees. However she returns to her old self beating him up. Back to worrying about her future. Later Ai cleans up Makoto’s messy locker in which he hordes stuffs from long ago including a magazine about diving. She notes worrying about his future. Teko hates the physical examinations. In the hall, she gets separated from Pikari. Because of that, she becomes clumsy during the examinations. So with Pikari around, it looks like she could do it decently. During the 50m race, Teko starts great. Wow. It’s like she can run now. However halfway she loses steam. Like as though she gave up. When it is time for the 1000m race, Teko gets scared and starts thinking negatively. But Pikari has a solution. First they start last and run slow to conserve energy. When the final lap is announced, they sprint all their might to surpass those ahead. In the end, they achieve quite a decently high position. As they catch their breath, Pikari realizes something about Teko. Could it be she is a sore loser? Even so, she is a lovely sore loser and respects her more. Uhm, is that supposed to be a compliment?

Episode 9
Teko continues taking pictures. Each one of them carries precious memories and she sets it up so each time she on her handphone, a random photo will pop up. When Ai suggests a group picture (Makoto is excluded of course – he need to take the picture), the memory card is full. As suggested, Teko should transfer out the data for more space. However it’s not that simple. It’s like the end of the world for her. Don’t laugh. You don’t know how deeply attached and important each of those photos are. Unlike us who keep taking and never once see them anymore :’(… Teko further remembers when she moved here, her friends sent her a handphone strap as a birthday present. Even if Teko was happy, she couldn’t help felt sad because it marked the start of separation. She felt lonely. Teko was a lonely girl who just existed until a couple of girls in middle school became her friends. Middle school? That late, huh. So she learnt the wonderful things of friendship and came to appreciate how precious it is. That is why even with the simple push of a button to transfer her data, she just can’t do it. She gets a call from her diving club to meet. There, Pikari then hands her a present. Ai takes her away to lecture her about suddenly giving a belated birthday present and putting Teko in a spot. Well, we can all hear you. The present is a digital photo frame. She can put her memory card here and display all the photos she has taken. Problem solved. Geez, I thought they would have got her a new handphone… Nah, this is cheaper. Now that she is able to snap more treasured memories, looks like life will continue fine and dandy as usual. Oh, Teko is crying? Tears of joy. You’re welcome. Teko continues snapping as usual. She picks up a call from her old friend. Looks like they have lots to chat and catch up. At this rate, it’s going to be full soon…

Episode 10
Teko and Pikari are at Ai’s house to pick her up so they can go out together. They are at the bookstore to pick out a log book. The designs are too cute and they are spoilt for choice. Then they go buy swimsuits. Once done, Pikari invites them to her grandma’s place so they can have fun in the sea (and probably test their newly bought swimsuits). After that, Teko talks to grandma about her treasured memories and how grateful she is for meeting Pikari. But she feels sad she has nothing to give her in return. She advises about the blinding light when stepping out from the darkness after a long time. But the light isn’t the one making the scenery. Everything has been there from the start. The light didn’t do anything. As long as she doesn’t block out Pikari, she will shine on her own. Later Teko talks to Pikari about feeling lost. Even if she passes her pool test, she isn’t sure if she will be ready. But she is really excited to go diving with everyone. She wonders if she’ll hold everyone back or worthy to be her friend. Pikari replies she sometimes get lost too. That feeling means you are dissatisfied with where you are. Therefore feeling lost is a good thing because is an opportunity. A chance to have more fun. So if you’re lost, then let’s go. Teko takes the pool test. Mato times her. After clearing 100 metres, she manages to float on her back for 10 minutes (this is her specialty?). With that, Teko passes and can now go diving with everyone. First stop, the sea!

Episode 11
Teko and Pikari see Aria walking off a path. They try to follow it but the path becomes blocked. At least for humans. Wondering if cats have their own secret path to walk and that Pikari doesn’t know every inch of the area as Teko thought she would, they decide to have their adventure of discovering new and unknown places together. So as they travel the path less taken, they see a crow bullying a little kitten! Shoo! Shoo! Time to squeal our hearts because the kitten is so cute rolling around! But time to head back to reality because they wonder if it is lost or abandoned. They notice it is hungry. Nothing like the internet to help search what cats eat. They head to the convenience store to buy milk and then go back to grandma’s place to make it. Kitten is crying tears of joy? Of course the problem now is what to do next. Teko’s place doesn’t accept pets and Pikari’s mom is allergic to cats. Oh, grandma can’t keep it here too. They could ask their classmates to adopt it tomorrow but for now, Teko will secretly let it live in her place for tonight. Next day in school, Mato senses something strange when the duo anxiously keep going back and forth from the club. Then they got busted for hiding the kitten there. Mato reminds them about the responsibility needed if they are to save it. Teko starts thinking how the kitten is just like her. Lonely. Because Pikari pulled her out of that, she wonders if she can be the kitten’s Pikari. Of course she could. As they try to look for anyone who would adopt it, the principal (black afro guy?) pops up. He is the owner of Aria and noting that Aria needs a bride and the kitten is female, he wants to adopt it. And since the cats like each other, case solved.

Episode 12
The diving club members head to a beach where it is the holy land for first time divers. This is also for Teko to do her sea practical. After checking the gear, the swim out to the buoy. While getting ready to dive, Teko realizes one of her fins is missing. Is it already over? Luckily a kind diver found it and returns it. Sliding down the rope to the bottom, they see lots of other divers there too. After experiencing and watching the marine wildlife, it is time for Mato to test Teko for her sea practical. From mask clearing to buoyancy to hand signals, Teko looks like she’s got it all under control. Surfacing back up, Teko can’t stop talking excitedly about her experience. Later Mato informs Teko about her sea practical’s result. She passed and is now presented her very own C-card, the badge of an open water diver. Of course, we must have that Teko-Pikari talk with Pikari describing her past self as one who was afraid of love and empty. She hated herself for that. Now she has totally changed and a complete opposite. She wants to find out more things to love and show them to Pikari. Because now Teko has come to love herself, this Pikari means Pikari will love her too. I hope that isn’t in a yuri sense. They look forward tomorrow. Fun for all, all for fun? What the heck. Let’s just go!

OVA
Teko’s friends, Chizuru Himeno and Akane Mizunashi visit her. They are happy to see each other after a long while. When Teko introduces them to Pikari, she is in fact very eager to be their friends. Pikari will be their guide today and guide them around. During lunch, the friends can tell Teko is fitting in nicely and their worries were baseless. After touring a few scenic spots, Teko asks her friends if they would like to do guided scuba diving. It felt like they’re waiting for this moment and eagerly say yes. Pikari calls Mato for it. When Chizuru thinks about this diving thing, she starts to lose her balance. Pikari catches her. However Chizuru feels something wrong. A tingly feeling in her heart. Something uneasy. She decides to hide it for now. Next day before when they go diving, Mato has them sign a form. They are not too pleased they have to fill in their weight… And a contact number in case something happens… Teko assures them everything will be alright because there are 3 certified divers here. After putting on their gear, Chizuru learns from Pikari about Teko’s nickname. She is not impressed. After diving in, Chizuru starts to feel pain in her ears. She stars panicking that she is going to die! Luckily Pikari tells her how to clear it. Pain instantly gone. However, it is panic once more when Chizuru starts spinning uncontrollably. Till Pikari takes her hand to join everyone else. Here she sees the beauty of the deep sea. It is like a piece of heaven. Back on land, while Akane enjoys every bit of it, Chizuru takes this chance to complain how it was hell! But everything was worth it in the end. She then explains at first how she was worried that Teko was a different person than she knew. She was jealous that Pikari had stolen her friend away but realizes Pikari is a great person. In fact, she realizes the Teko here is the real Teko. So yeah, it was fun. Thank you. As they leave, Pikari hopes they would come back again. Even if she did not ask, they will. So until then, please take care of Teko for them. Ai is full of regret when she learns Teko’s friends went diving with them. She really wanted to join in. Please don’t kick your brother for that missed opportunity.

ABZU: The Depths Of Calmness And Friendship
Well… Yeah… While writing this, I am having mixed feelings if I am bored or just filled with calmness. It’s a bit of both and that is why I am having trouble of deciding if it is one or the other. But you know me, it can be both. So honestly, this series didn’t really inspire me or anything because I am not really interested in the world of diving (the thought of sea creatures still scare the hell out of me) and there were many times I caught myself being distracted by something else that is not on my monitor. Therefore the only reason why I have this calm and ‘satisfied’ feeling is perhaps because of the nostalgia factor and how much it brings back memories of the Aria series. So in a way you could say that while I was watching this series and in the midst of being calmed by its overall theme, it was more of the unconscious thought of relating all this back to Aria that made me continue to watch this series to the end without complain. It’s like I’m watching Amanchu but my mind and heart is actually seeing it as Aria. Uh huh. Amanchu, the HD version of Aria, so to speak.

Forgive me if you are going to hear me compare a lot of Amanchu with the Aria series. Both series have so much in common but yet they are so different and unrelated to each other. For starters, the Aria series is more of fantasy as its setting was on a colonized Mars that looked very much like modern day Venice. Whereas here in Amanchu, the setting is based on the real location of the Izu peninsula. I believe there is a website out there that compares a few scenes from the anime with its actual real backgrounds and locations. Therefore even if both series had the same calming theme of friendship and overcome one’s fears, Amanchu feels more relatable and realistic as it is set in a real place. You can visit Izu any time you want but you can only visit Aqua and Neo-Venezia in your head. Or rewatch the Aria series again, that is.

There is basically no real plot in such healing anime series like this. Therefore its drive focuses mainly around the main characters and what they do. Hence the drama of friendship and overcoming your inner obstacles might a big yawn fest to those who aren’t into this kind of genre but hey, you have been warned or at least guessed when you read the synopsis. You did read it, right? So just like in the Aria series, the real charm is in its characters as they slowly transform and learn from the bond and everyday interaction that we see. So a big portion of the series ironically isn’t underwater but above ground and on dry land.

It might look like nothing much because Teko for start is just a new girl in town and naturally like everyone who has left a place they were so comfortable with for something new, there are fears if she would find her place and settle in. Well, Teko must really be a lucky girl for finding eccentric Pikari. Thank goodness she didn’t get into any bad company. I know it is impossible for this series since basically everybody are good people. Assuming that. Although Teko still has her fears and worries, she slowly opens up thanks to Pikari’s ‘guidance’ but that is only half of it. You might want to guess the other half is the other people but I lump them in the same half as Pikari. So this other half I am talking about is Teko herself. She gave herself a chance to change for the better. She might not have drastically changed and she is overall the same Teko we know at the start but she is better off in the end since she has lesser insecurities or at least more positivism than before. And yeah, Teko is like the Akari of the Aria series…

Pikari is in the same boat as Teko. But because she shows a lot more exuberance and confidence, it feels like she knows what she is doing. But then again, maybe not. I feel she is like the mix between Aria’s Aika and Akari since she can be cheeky but at the same time an airhead. Teko and Pikari make a great pair not for yuri reasons. They are like best friends who complement each other. Because at this point it is just odd to see one without the other. So could it be that their meeting was God sent? I mean, we don’t really learn the reason why Teko transferred here. So for them to meet each other has got to be the work of God and miracle, right?

The other characters are pretty okay in their own right. Like Mato the nice teacher and diving instructor. Then you have Ai who feels like she was ripped off from Aika because of her cheeky personality. It’s like a running joke and the only thing you’ll remember about the twins is how she loves to kick Makoto for absolutely every and no other reason. Everything is his fault. Kick him. If nothing is his fault, then kick him too. Please people, twin brothers are not meant to be abused like that. If this was the real world, Makoto might have murdered her and dumped her body in the ocean! Yikes! That’s why I say everybody here in this anime are so goody-goody.

Last but not least, Aria. Somehow I feel they want to leave some sort of Aria series legacy by having a cat named after the president of a gondola company as well as suspiciously looking as lame (sorry) as him. Aria doesn’t really intrude or interrupt the flow of the series and is just there for some cute factor, hence its very minimal appearance throughout the series. Though, ever since the kitten joined them in the final few episodes, Aria seems to be hanging out almost everywhere with them. Speaking of the kitten, I thought she was going to be like some sort of a running joke with reference to the Aria series. You know, President Aria was always trying to impress Hime but never gets her heart. Sad. I thought the same thing here because in the ending credits we see Aria ‘chasing’ after the kitten. So it turns out they really do like each other. Well, now it seems the kitten has this habit of sneezing. Is this a running joke too? I’m sure we’ll all goo “Aww…” when it sneezes because cats do it so cute, right? If it isn’t sneezing, it likes to suck on something…

Now, the biggest thing that hit me for my Aria’s nostalgia is the background music. They have this very similar and hence nostalgic feel to the many songs in the Aria series. Especially those gentle and calm acoustic guitar pickings. Oh man. I instantly fell in love with them when I first hear them. These background music are the ones that take the cake and the part which I love the most in Amanchu. I really need to scour the internet for its tabs so I can play them on my guitar too! Even if the guitar style is similar, they aren’t composed and played by Choro Club. Instead, they are composed and performed by Gontiti, a pair of Japanese acoustic guitar guys with lots of their own original compositions a decade ago. Also, there is a song in Amanchu that uses the voice as its instrumental piece, thus further reminding me more of Aria’s Barcarolle. In line with the calming theme of the series, both the opening and ending themes are also calming as you can get. A song worthy to be part of Aria’s theme if Amanchu never happened and Aria got another season. Million Clouds by Maaya Sakamoto as the opener and Futari Shoujo by Tekopikari (Teko and Pikari of course) as the ending are calming enough to complete your peaceful day.

Voice acting isn’t anything particularly special. Ai Kayano is the one of the 3 casts who played a role in the Aria series who also got a role in Amanchu. As Teko here, she was Anya in Aria The Avvenire. I think she did a good job in voicing Teko and make have that sound of insecurity in her character as well as the hope that she can overcome it. It feels like they want to pay homage to the Aria series because they had Erino Hazuki who voiced Akari returning as Akane and Chiwa Saito who voiced Aika returning as Chizuru. No wonder they sound a little familiar. Heck, their character’s names also suspiciously sound related to their Aria character they played… Hmm… Embarrassing remarks are not allowed! No, they didn’t say that but I wished they did. The other casts are Eri Suzuki as Pikari (Chinatsu in Flying Witch), Saori Oonishi as Ai (Aiz in DanMachi), Yuuichirou Umehara as Makoto (Mitsuhide in Akagami No Shirayuki-hime) and Shizuka Itou as Mato (Hinagiku in Hayate No Gotoku). Even Aria has his own seiyuu, Yurika Kubo (Hanayo in Love Live). Easiest lines ever. Shockingly I discovered Kikuko Inoue as the voice behind Pikari’s grandma. Hey wait a minute. I thought she is always 17???!!! Why does she sound like a real grandma here! No wonder I can’t sniff her out! Whoops…

As for the art and animation, nothing really too special. I would like to point out that the sceneries and backgrounds are gorgeous although I won’t go so far as to say they are masterpieces that should be displayed next to Mona Lisa. They are indeed nice to look at but not so much that it puts you in a trance that you really want to go live there now. At least not for me. Oh, remember what I said about the ‘scary doll look’ in my opening paragraph? Well, turns out it is this series ‘Pac-man’ look. And boy they sure have a lot of them. So it isn’t that scary once you get used to it. But it feels a bit odd that they put up this face for almost half the time since Pikari is being her usual idiot so that’s her Pac-man face and Teko is being nervous so that’s her Pac-man face. And yeah, the others too have their own Pac-man face.

Overall, this is beautiful series about friendship but with a scuba diving theme. There are a few lessons you can learn about scuba diving but it is just the very basics because if you are really interested, there are proper channels to pursue. Otherwise the series would be just one big bore. Personally, I still prefer the Aria series over this because of nostalgia and the fantasy setting although this isn’t too bad either but like I have pointed out, I’m not really into scuba diving. Also, Aria had more episodes and seasons so there was time for proper development and pacing to give it a proper ending as well.

I recommend that all of us watch such calming and healing animes once in a while. Because we definitely need some inner cleansing after watching Titans eating humans, females bumming out each other with their bums into the pool, lonely people trying to steal each other girlfriend/boyfriends, high school kids trying to lose their virginity, noisy rock music, warring kingdoms trying to outdo each other and a hell load of other anime controversies that could only be so because anime. So it’s like this series is trying to tell us sometimes we need to take a dive deep enough where it is quiet to clear our minds. Then we find our true inner peace… Embarrassing remarks aren’t allowed! Oh yeah? Screw that because when in doubt, let’s go!

Sansha Sanyou

Wow. This cute girls doing cute things trope is really getting out of hand. Every season we have at least one that falls into this category and this season of spring 2016, it would be Sansha Sanyou. It is their turn to spam and add to the ever growing number of series that falls under this category. Again from the very vague synopsis, it generally tells the daily lives and activities of 3 high school girls whose personalities are as different as night and day. This is how they survive from day to day with their clashing personality. In this funny story. Ah, the keyword is funny. You got my attention there. So there you have it. Your cute girls doing cute things without a decent and proper plot for the season. And we (especially yours truly) keep falling for the same thing in hopes there would always be something different. Sometimes we are surprised of something unique but most of the time it would be disappointing or plain boring. That is why the only way to determine if this is just another run of the mill genre or otherwise is to always watch it yourself.

Episode 1
Yoko Nishikawa is eating her bread crusts alone when Futaba Odagiri and Hayama stumble in and join her. The duo just like everyone in school knows about Yoko. Because she is a rich girl. Apparently Yoko eats alone because she has no friends. Before recess is over, the duo tell her to deep fry the crusts and sprinkle sugar on them to taste better. She tries making this never-made-before recipe. She wants to try it out with them tomorrow but they are not at her usual spot. She feels disappointed but then they stumble in again. As they chat, they hear some weird sounds coming out from the bushes. Who the f*ck is this guy screaming?! He is Mitsugu Yamaji and Yoko’s ex-butler. He is glad to see Yoko making friends especially since her father’s company just went bankrupt, he is happy that she is getting along fine despite her pampered rich upbringing. Yoko claims he is exaggerating. Next day, the trio meet again at the same spot. Futaba this time eats an entire loaf while Yoko puts mayonnaise on her crusts. I don’t think this is as healthy as she thinks. Again, Yamaji pops out from the bush, crying in his happiness that Yoko is making normal progress with commoners. Is this going to be a recurring thing? But Yamaji can’t be reported as a stalker trespassing as he is working part time to refill vending machines. To show his happiness, he gives Yoko the entire pudding stock. That made her day… As they talk about their favourite foods, Yoko feels the need to give an answer that won’t sound strange. But pudding with rice does sound gross. Since the mayonnaise answer didn’t quite cut it, she fears they might start hating her. Thus she goes home to make onigiri. However they are just rice without any fillings or salt. Futaba laments she has failed but the duo pick up and eat them. Not bad, right? The trio then go to the public bath. Yoko can’t waste Hayama’s kindness and tries to stay as long as she could but only dizzies herself out.

Episode 2
As the trio eat together, a cat pops out from the bushes. Hayama can’t restrain herself and cuddles it. Hayama loves animals and it is her dream to open a park filled with them. In fact she has a pet cat named Bel. That’s short for Beelzebub, the demon lord of flies?! It seems Serina Nishiyama considers Hayama her rival. But Hayama always outranks her in everything. Even when she tries psychological insults, Hayama will not snoop low to her level and instead Nishiyama herself reels from her own backlash. But what riles Hayama up is when there are abandoned kittens on the roadside! She will not stop to find them proper shelter. She manages to do so for all but one. Nishiyama’s friend, Asako Kondo suggests to give Nishiyama since she had a cat before it died. A life saviour! While our trio try to call each other nicknames, Yamaji pops out of the blue just to tell them to call Yoko as it is. Yes, Yoko-sama. This has Futaba wondering Hayama’s first name. Each time she asks, she changes the subject. Till this girl, Kou starts calling her as Teru. After a few teasing, who is this Kou girl? She is Hayama’s older sister! No way! She gives them sweets to try but as soon as Futaba pops it in her mouth, she collapses! Holy sh*t! Is she the kind of girl who is bad in cooking?! Kou and Hayama go out to buy ingredients. They bump into Futaba along the way as she joins them. They see Yoko tussling with other elderly women for a cheap sale on mayonnaise. Pathetic… They enter the raffle. While Futaba is bad luck, Kou has the best of luck because she won all top 3 prizes! That was how she won the free public bath ticket too. Flashback shows Hayama often gets hurt and sick a lot and Kou was always there to nurse her. That is why she is always trying to make sure she gets her nutrients regularly. It made Hayama realize she has always been worried about her health. However the next day, Kou joins the friends during lunch and her onigiri looks like it is made out of poison! What nutrients is she talking about?! This doesn’t look healthy at all! But Futaba feels bad Kou went out her way to make food and can’t waste her kindness. She starts stuffing down the food! Don’t kill yourself! Note: The way she is breathing and chomping it down sounds horny ambiguous…

Episode 3
Futaba brought her own lunch because she ran out of lunch allowance for this month. She thinks about taking up a part time job and this also has Yoko thinking the same. But they can only imagine her as an arrogant waitress. They are in luck when a flyer flies into Futaba’s face indicating a newly opened bakery. But when they visit, they see blood on the floor! Oh sh*t! They follow the trail and the corpse of a maid falls out from the room! Horror! Then she comes back to life! Double horror! But Yoko is not freaked out and knows who she is. Shino Sonobe was her former maid. Apparently she was making jam but fell asleep while eating. Sleeping with her eyes open? Since making sweets is all that she is good for, thus the reason she opened a bakery after her retrenchment. Sonobe enters a strong emotionless reaction learning Yoko has made friends. She is more than happy for her to work here. However Yamaji opposes and won’t let Yoko work. The former butler and maid enter an epic battle and it ends when Yoko orders them to stop. Since this isn’t Futaba’s cup of tea, she kills 2 birds with a stone by entering an eating competition and wins its cash reward. This way, she won’t go hungry and still have extra money. I hope that person won’t go out of business quick… Futaba and Hayama visit Yoko when she is working at the bakery. With its small selection and mostly female customers, she is able to get by. Next day in school, Futaba and Hayama are shocked to see Sonobe here. She even made a perfect uniform and fits in with the crowd. You can’t even tell if she is an outsider. She is here to share some food with Yoko. It seems Sonobe may have intended to come here all along as she has made Yoko’s favourite mayonnaise food. She hopes the friends would take care of Yoko and continue to be friends. Then she goes off because Yamaji is here to pick a fight with her. Next morning, Sonobe is handing out flyers to students about her bakery. This incurs the wrath of Yoko but she ignores her and continues handing them out.

Episode 4
The trio reminisces their childhood days. Yoko being the ultimate oujo-sama life, Futaba the energetic glutton and Hayama… Something about getting depressed because of the wrong present she got from Santa and therefore the need to work hard even if it is just all a show. Wow. So deep… Nishiyama is mad the pictures of her cat she submitted are not featured in the magazine. Even more unfortunate, Hayama’s is and the duo begin a cat fight. Literally. However they find their cats too cute to quarrel to begin with. Yoko would love to have a pet but I think she already has one. Because when she throws a stick and says fetch, Yamaji quickly jumps out to catch it! Nishiyama won’t lose and desperately tries to take cute pictures of her cat. But you know cats, they literally make your life hell so in her case it won’t sit still. In the end she couldn’t get a decent cat photo. Futaba mentions her hobby is cooking but the rest don’t believe her. When they ask about Yoko’s parents, she says her mom died when she was little and her dad is trying to start anew again. Although living away, he still sends her money for living allowance. On the way home, they bump into this kid, Yuu Takazono. He is Yoko’s fiancé. You know, that kind of promise you make as a kid to marry in the future? Yeah. He is that kid. But Yoko doesn’t seem too keen on that past promise now. When Yuu passes Yamaji, he believes he is superior than this ex-butler and calls him a stalker. Futaba needs her friends help as she goes to pick up her cousin, Sakura Usuda who would be staying here for a week. Does a little girl need so many luggages? What an irrelevant question. She is a woman no matter the age! Haha! Thankfully that is what Yamaji is good for. Yuu happens to come by to give Yoko some high premium Wagyu beef. Sakura suddenly hugs him. He is her potential husband candidate although Yuu is not happy about it. Since when did this anime get complicated in the romance department?! Yoko is deep lost in her Wagyu fantasies… Unfortunately when she tried to cook them, it is burnt to a crisp. Don’t worry. Remember Futaba can cook. The most awesome Wagyu meal ever! Respect. This has Yoko reminisce her mother’s cooking and she feels good as it has been a long time since she ate with others. She vows to learn cooking and invite them over.

Episode 5
While hanging out at a diner, Yoko accidentally dozes off and bangs her head on the table. This rude awakening has her screaming who did this prank before realizing in embarrassment. Now that she has a bump on her head, it will be difficult for her to work facing the customers. Yamaji is seriously affected that his oujo-sama is hurt. After Sonobe tells her to rest, she falls into panic mode wondering how her store would cope. As Futaba teases Hayama to work here, Sonobe ropes in both of them. Hayama is not pleased she is wearing a maid outfit while Futaba wears a different one but similar to Yoko’s. Well, let’s just say Futaba’s size is different from hers… While Futaba is natural in mixing with the customers since she is an oddball herself, Hayama isn’t. By the time she sums up her courage to welcome customers, it is Kou at the door. Apparently Futaba called her here. She wants to give sweets as reward but you know how bad they are. Even a sweet lover like Sonobe clearly stays away! Then Yuu barges in, disagreeing Yoko should be working in such a creepy place. Kou nicely tells him off to be careful with his words or he’ll hurt others. He has a change of heart. Wait a minute. Does he like her now? Or does he like older women? Kou wants to give her cooking to Yoko. Better stop her before she never recovers! However the next day, Yoko is back to normal and filled with energy. I don’t know what Kou put in that food because she couldn’t sleep for the entire night! Nishiyama and Kondo patron the place. Sonobe can sense a great rivalry between them and asks if she would like to work here. But Sonobe is interrupted by Yamaji as they get into an ‘epic’ fight about hiring another weirdo. After they leave, Hayama gives Nishiyama treats for her cat. Next morning, Nishiyama goes to the bakery to get more of those treats. Sonobe misinterprets she wants to work for her and before you know it, she already dons the maid outfit. However Sonobe notes her smile is either unnatural or creepy (but she still snaps a shot anyway). To get that beautiful smile, she compliments her for a job well done. That perfect smile is first seen by Hayama and co. Busted… Since the store is getting busy, the others help out. At the end of the day, Nishiyama has enough money to buy a new camera to take more pictures of her cat. Then she spots Sonobe too. What is she printing? Multiple copies of Nishiyama’s smile! Is she using this as blackmail to work for her?

Episode 6
The beach, the sun and the sea! Too bad our girls are here to work at Sonobe’s beach house. Since Yoko doesn’t know what a beach house is, this leaves the rest appalled over her sheltered life. Yoko orders Sonobe to explain it to her in some ritual dance. WTF?! I don’t even know what she is doing in the sand… While the girls are handing out flyers, Yuu is seen speeding in with his speedboat. He wants to help Yoko with the sales and orders everything from the menu. They only sell desserts so he has to eat all of them. I wonder how long his brain freeze will last. And Yamaji revels in seeing this kid suffer as her serves more. And there is meat BBQ after that too. You up for it? Then Kou comes by and will help out with the cooking. I guess this isn’t funny anymore. Time to call the ambulance just in case. On the final day at the beach, the girls have the day off but they can’t swim and the beach is deserted since there is a warning that sharks have been spotted. Bummer. But thanks to Yuu, they can play in a hotel pool. Yuu thought he could have fun with Yoko but it seems Sakura is here too on a family vacation. The moment she seems him, she jumps to hug him as they both fall into the pool. An ambulance picks Yuu up and Sakura accompanies him. Death has never been this painful… Guess who is here too? Nishiyama and Kondo too. Their cover is blown when Nishiyama goes to retort Futaba fishing cockles out of the pool. How in the world? Is that legal? Kou forces her sister to learn swimming by pushing her into the pool. She barely came out alive and she thought of staying positive that she has lasted this long without knowing how to swim, only to be dragged away for lessons at the kiddie pool. Luckily Sonobe and Yamaji are here to deliver their lunch. At the end of the day, they take a train back. They see Nishiyama and Kondo leaning on each other sleeping. Futaba does the same on Yoko. Since she is sleep talking about food, Yoko gets the wrong idea she could have a feast if she falls asleep.

Episode 7
While walking home, suddenly a boy confronts Futaba. Looks like he is mad at her but soon runs away. They ponder who this kid is since Futaba doesn’t recognize him. After she aces another eating challenge, since each of her win is commemorated with a photo, could it be that is how he knew her name? Then in school, this time a girl who looks bloody similar like that boy, confronts Futaba. She too runs away. Deja vu? This girl turns out to be Sasame Tsuji and Yoko’s classmate. Tsuji is told to meet Yoko at the rooftop later but she didn’t count on meeting Futaba too. Tsuji clarifies that boy, Hajime is her older brother and not her twin. She wants Futaba to stop hogging the wins at the eating challenge. Futaba assures she will beat him so bad that he will never overdo it himself again. Erm… I don’t think she put it right. Because Tsuji feels even worse and ends up crying. Futaba tries to be considerate in her next eating challenge by not taking it up. But since Hajime is here, the challenge is on. Despite he finishes first, Futaba is enjoying her meal. This makes him feel that he has lost and won’t forgive her the next time. Tsuji is in a dilemma to help put a stop to Futaba because she fears Yoko won’t be her friend anymore. So with a lame trap that everyone can spot miles away, she is exposed of her intentions. Time to run away crying again? In school, Tsuji bumps into Yoko. She panics and causes a series of bloopers that ended up spilling her money. More ‘trauma’ for her when Hayama comes by. However she isn’t as bad as she thinks as she lends her money. It made Tsuji feel a little nice inside. She wants to go to return the money and learns Yoko works part time at the bakery. As she spies outside, she is spotted by the trio and ushered in. Though she panics how she ended up in their company, she starts enjoying it. Yamaji and Sonobe are proud of Yoko because Tsuji is the first classmate she talks with. It shows she can make friends without using money and that it is a good thing she became poor. I understand their intentions but they might have chosen the wrong words… Their fate intertwines again when they are paired together for PE class.

Episode 8
Nishiyama and Hayama happen to be at the cat cafe. Seeing each other just ruined their mood and experience. Because of that, Futaba gives a ticket to Hayama to visit a petting zoo. Because there are only 2 tickets, Hayama wants to discuss how to split it. Unfortunately Yoko has to work and Futaba doesn’t like animals (what?!). How about Kou? She’ll be too tiring to deal with. Thus Futaba gives it to Nishiyama. They both turn up and you know sh*t is going to explode any time soon. Futaba and Kondo spy from afar and have this feeling throughout the entire day. However Nishiyama is bragging about her knowledge on everything and Hayama is just holding it in. You know how animals react when they sense earthquake? Yup. Hayama’s limit of tolerating Nishiyama’s arrogance is about to explode. No more Ms Nice Girl… Well, let’s say at least there are no casualties. When Futaba suggests forming a rock band, suddenly out of the blue Kou starts singing a song for the dead! OMG! Yoko becomes so ‘captivated’ that she sees her life flashing before her eyes and almost crosses the River Styx! Then when Kondo eggs Nishiyama to sing, she blows her top instead. Because of that, Yoko notices Kondo has been by herself since. Did the duo really have a fight? Because now Kondo seems to join the trio for lunch. Kondo is such a blunt girl that her honest words really cut your heart. Yeah, she lacks tact. You don’t know if she is praising, belittling or just insensitive. When Tsuji confronts Futaba about beating Hajime again, she spots Yoko with Kondo. Kondo mentions she is special and in turn Tsuji gets the wrong idea and runs away crying. Kondo accompanies the trio to the bakery to get something to make Nishiyama feel better. Sonobe would gladly give the maid uniform instead of a cake. Yoko is embarrassed when the rest clarify her misunderstanding that Kondo and Nishiyama were fighting. Nishiyama is actually out sick. As she is recuperating in bed, she hums a song about her cat. The rest are outside her room. I guess they have to wait till she finishes?

Episode 9
As the cultural festival is coming up, Hayama’s class is taking suggestions on what to do. Futaba suggests a curry cafe and with Sonobe barging in to give her support, everyone is convinced to choose this. To learn more about curry, Futaba takes the eating challenge but for the first time she couldn’t finish it as it was too spicy. Apparently someone beat her to it yesterday: Sonobe. The owner thought it was too easy and increased the spiciness. Hajime thought he could defeat her but he too cannot finish. As Yoko’s class is doing a haunted house and she is commissioned to play a zombie and doesn’t know how, Kondo suggests visiting the toilet legend Hanako. Futaba who hates ghosts is against this but Yoko seems very enthusiastic about it. Before Futaba knows it, she is alone. She gets a jump scare when Nishiyama pops up. Kondo and Yoko soon return. They find that visiting every toilet would be troublesome and scrapped the idea. The festival is underway. When Hayama and Futaba are promoting their curry cafe, a group of scared people are seen running away. What is that hideous thing creeping out from the corner? It’s zombie Yoko! OMG! Her face makeup is so scary like real!!! All thanks to Sonobe’s makeup skill. Yamaji who was once against Yoko being a zombie because it isn’t her character, now supports her all the way because he believes these commoners should be fearful of Yoko! Futaba and Hayama visit the haunted house. Tsuji thought she could scare Futaba and avenge her brother. Since both sides are fumbling in the dark, when Futaba switches on the torchlight, it is that scary face of Yoko! Even Tsuji is freaked out! Thanks to their genuine scream, it attracts more people to the haunted house. Great advertising. Sonobe is unfortunate to be roped into Kou’s juice stand. Then she is made to carry full glasses of juices to her pals. Hope she doesn’t spill… The other highlight of the festival is Sakura’s horrible karaoke. The most unfortunate is Yuu as he is standing next to her as she sings. Can’t get away. Tight hand grip… When Yoko eats at the curry cafe, all the patrons freak out and run away. Even after the festival ends, you wonder when she is going to take off her makeup.

Episode 10
Yoko and Futaba are planning their Christmas party when Kou lets them in on a big secret: It is also Hayama’s birthday. Because of this knowledge, the duo become very conscious before Hayama and it makes everything seem awkward. They plan a surprise birthday bash when Sonobe wants Yoko to help out distribute cake flyers. Cake shops will always be busy on Christmas day, you know. What’s more, if sales are good, Yoko might get a raise. Hayama almost heard their plan but thanks to Sonobe distracting her, the rest are safe to proceed. When Nishiyama learns Hayama’s birthday is on Christmas, she falls into depression! Her favourite day of the year has to be the same day as her rival’s birthday! Hayama is really surprised by Yoko and Futaba surprise. She never thought about it because since celebrating her birthday has naturally become secondary in celebrating Christmas. Yoko eats Kou’s dish and I’m not sure if she is feeling energetic or dead. Next day, Hayama brags to Nishiyama how the world celebrates her birthday but an upset Nishiyama wants her to apologize for being born on that day and taint the meaning of Christmas! The snow is getting heavy and Hayama doesn’t want to go out. To motivate her to do so, Kou built a snow hut. Looks nice. But then it collapses on her. It’s always safe and warm inside… As the girls plan for New Year, Sonobe suggests having a pyjamas party. Yoko will gladly be the host. But as it turns out this pyjamas party… The trio just sit around in an empty room covered with blankets. So cold, so boring… It gets more awkward when they fall on top of each other. And Sonobe is trying to record this pathetic event with her camcorder. It isn’t all that bad since the next morning Futaba has made mochi. But she has made many flavours of it and large servings for everyone. You can have my share…

Episode 11
As Yoko tells her friends how she saw a cat stuck up a tree and Yamaji helped brought it down, they believe this will lead to Yoko being repaid by the cat in the future. So when that happens, Hayama wants Yamaji to capture that moment and gives him a film. Hayama also dreams of her cat repaying her but in real life it gives her a bug? Hayama and Nishiyama get into another argument whose cat is cuter. It is decided they take pictures and their friends will judge. Hmm… Hard to call… I guess they’ll settle for both of them being cute. When Hajime again challenges Futaba, however this restaurant has banned her and kicks her out. Tsuji claims victory by default in which Yoko congratulates him. When he goes to tell his sister about this, she is not very happy. Because they are not close friends yet, this may make Yoko feel awkward. Tsuji throws pillows at him to show her displeasure. After learning Sakura wants to make Valentine chocolates for Yuu, Yoko tells her intention to Yamaji. He is making excuses not to hear it. Sonobe also gets the wrong idea believing she will overwork herself, causing her to fall sick and Sonobe will be busier than ever! Thus she pleads Nishiyama for help and she is not too pleased. But with Futaba and Hayama offering, I guess she can’t refuse. To Hayama’s horror, she is made to dress in a different outfit. Sonobe thought she didn’t want to wear this one and pulled 2 nights straight to make a new one for her! The girls work hard as the bakery is swarmed with customers. But a successful day nevertheless. When Yoko learns Sonobe was sleeping throughout the entire time to make up for her all-nighter, she blows her top. Kondo praises Nishiyama’s outfit during her stint but when Hayama does the same, she becomes embarrassed and like a tsundere. Not used to her compliments? Yoko has finished her chocolates and gives them to her friends. They don’t melt but they’re still edible… Huh? When Tsuji receives those chocolates, she goes into extreme unbelievable crazy reaction. How can she repay all this?! It’s like the end of the world for her. Same thing for Yamaji. Never expect he will get some, eh? Sonobe is eagerly waiting her turn but never gets hers. Did Yoko miss out somebody? On purpose?

Episode 12
Yoko finds the characters of her friends totally changed. Like Hayama is polite and Nishiyama very timid. Kou is a delinquent who wants to smash up everything with a smile?! What’s this? Yamaji is a noble teacher?! Yoko thinks he is fooling around and slaps him! How dare she slap a teacher?! She even dares him! You know something is wrong when Sonobe is a sexy busty lady. Yup, turns out to be Sonobe’s dream. I knew it. But this is definitely real when Sakura wants the trio to hear out her ‘idol voice’. I think Simon Cowell would have died hearing that. They let her practice by putting a bucket over her head. You know how bad she is when her voice echoes within the bucket and makes her stop singing. When Yoko is working at a bakery, an old school friend drops in. Surprisingly Yoko puts up a professional display and the friend leaves her contacts at the end. Everyone praises her professionalism but after that Yoko starts collapsing and panicking, a great relief that ordeal was over. After being chided by Sakura that she lacks feminine appeal (ignoring her singing while eating like a glutton), Futaba tries to change her appearance to be more feminine. Will a ribbon do? Her feminine action is so creepy it gives Hayama the hives. Futaba even turns down an eating challenge from Hajime and he lectures her how rude she is to not give a chance to those who lost to her. With her friends preferring to see Futaba in her usual way, she casts away all her feminine side and beats Hajime in the competition. Here comes Kou thinking Futaba needs to be more feminine and has concocted this poison juice for it. I think she’ll just shrivel and die. Yuu has great news their dads will be working together. To cement their relationship, he thought he could ask her to sign the marriage registration form. Too bad Sakura caught it. And he has to live with her awful singing… Tsuji returns a few boxes of chocolates to Yoko as return for Valentine but I suppose she is a week too early for White Day. The trio talk about and refer to the characters in this series as some sort of animal. Whether it is endangered species, protected species or dangerous animals. Yoko announces she is graduating from bread crusts and will now eat instant noodles. Her friends are sarcastic when they tease how she ruined it by putting in the sauce first. Embarrassed Yoko gives up on it and returns to bread crusts.

Three’s A Company ~ A Friendship You Can Be-Leaf In
That was it? What kind of ending was that? Wait a minute. Try to remember what the plot of this anime was in the first place again. None? Ah well, I guess that kind of life goes on for our friends should be a decent ‘ending’ for this kind of genre. Although this series in a nutshell isn’t all that bad, it lacks something that needs to make it stand out. That is why in a why I am glad that it only has a dozen episodes instead of dragging it out to 2 cours with cute silly nonsense that might seem repetitive and boring after a few episodes in.

We have already been clearly warned on what kind of anime this is therefore it somewhat helps in reducing our expectations of this show. Take a look at the plot. What plot?! Exactly. This series is even more generic than other similar cute girls doing cute things animes. For instance like Anne Happy we have misfortune as somewhat the theme. Kiniro Mosaic has blondes directly from England while Gochuumon Usagi Wa Desu Ka at least has coffee shops and tea shops to go with. Even YuruYuri has that wacky Amusement Club and student council group. But what about Sansha Sanyou? I can’t seem to place precisely what it is supposed to be. So it could have been anything and anybody for all we know. But fortunately even if it does seem general, this show isn’t that all too bad as I have said.

The characters themselves are a hit and miss. While they are not as lovable, you won’t loathe or hate them either. Yes, yet another bunch of generic characters and groups that have seemingly the cliché character tropes. From glutton girl with a black hole stomach to a fallen rich oujo-sama trying to live her life as a commoner to a dual personality animal lover. Well, Hayama’s case may be questionable because I don’t see her really being a nasty demon. She might not be the nicest person but she isn’t seen all that mean either. But then again, she may be showing us her angelic side for most of the time and that might be a good thing because you don’t really want to be traumatized if you ever see her true colours.

As for Kou, I can’t remember anything about this sweet girl besides her deadly poison cooking that could have rivalled Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn’s Bianchi. But hey, at least some of her cooking ‘revitalizes’ you. Okay, maybe it is like being high on drugs… So if Hayama has a devil personality and Kou’s cooking is more like a demon’s dish, and both sisters have this pleasant outlook, wouldn’t that make them just dangerous? Thank goodness nobody dies… It would be interesting to see how Yoko came to her predicament from a rich girl to a commoner (and if there are other ex-servants she will bump into because you can’t be a rich girl and just have a couple of servants, right?) but I suppose you have to take things here light heartedly as opposed to taking things too seriously. Basically the entire series is about them interacting with each other and other supporting characters. How well it plays out depends on how well you love them. For me, well, they’re rather okay. Hah. Middle ground stance again…

Aside the main trio, I feel the other characters are lacking. Like Yamaji who is just a stalker and Sonobe the emotionless maid who always needs to solicit help and business for her bakery. But these two aren’t so bad and at least provide some interaction and laughs. Because Sakura and Yuu just feel wasted as their roles and potential. So what if Yuu is Yoko’s childhood self-promised fiancé? So what if Sakura is Yuu’s self-proclaimed fiancée? It feels it could have been at least decently developed but unfortunately it turned out to be some sort of minor running joke and distraction. Something that isn’t necessary in the first place but needed because you need more ‘interesting’ characters besides the main trio.

Also feeling a little wasted is Nishiyama as Hayama’s rival. Showing more of her pride and rivalry might have enhanced Hayama’s angelic-looks-but-mean-personality reputation as we see the bespectacled girl owning the resident loser all the time. But in some cases Nishiyama ends up helping Hayama out although at the end of the day she doesn’t top her at all. Then there is Nishiyama’s friend Kondo who is as blunt in her conversations and lacking tact. Could have been another interesting character too if not for her limited screen time. And the Tsuji siblings feel also the same with Hajime reduced to a running joke as Futaba’s eternal food challenger and Tsuji being anxious about every inch of her friendship with Yoko. It is odd that the duo finds friendship among themselves as they cannot find friends with others in the same class. It feels like making a right with 2 wrongs. As the saying goes, best friends are like a four leaf clover. Hard to find and lucky to have. I’m sure the duo fit in nicely here. In a nutshell, sure, these characters add variety to your main ‘3 leaves’ but they hardly add any spice to it all. Looks different but tastes the same.

I have a feeling that food is also a subtle theme in this anime because in every episode you can see the characters munching on something (thanks to Futaba) or some other food on display. While it is not obvious as it is to advertise the food, it could run from Yoko’s running joke of only eating bread crusts (Futaba just devours the entire loaf), the food challenges between Yoko and Hajime, Sonobe’s bakery and the Valentine chocolates (although the process of seeing Yoko make the chocolates is entirely skipped). But seeing all the yummy food, it didn’t make me feel hungry. Is that a good or bad thing?

Art and drawing are also in line with the cuteness of everything. So are we complaining? Done by Doga Kobo who also produced similar genres like YuruYuri, GJ-Bu, Himouto! Umaru-chan, Hoshizora E Kakaru Hashi, Love Lab, Hidan No Aria AA, Koihime+Musou and Mikakunin De Shinkoukei. It is that time again for me to reiterate how some characters look like they are from other anime thanks to their uncanny looks and because I have seen so many animes that I think I’ve seen them somewhere before. Like the most obvious ones such as Nishiyama whom I think is Hinagiku of Hayate No Gotoku fame trying her luck in this series after there is no word if that said series would have future seasons. And doesn’t Yoko look like that Miyuki girl from Angel Beats? Kirie from Girls Bravo comes to mind whenever I see Futaba. Just minus the boobs. And Tsuji doesn’t she look like that sneaky Shiranui of Medaka Box? At certain angles, Sakura looks like a young Rin of the Fate series. I’m sure that I have seen the rest from somewhere but at this point I’m too lazy to think about it. Yeah… If you are a cat person, it is probably a bonus to see cute cats here.

I have this misconception that Satomi Arai was behind Sonobe’s voice. Maybe my ears are failing me. Turns out to be Rika Momokawa instead whose only other role so far is Shizuku from Fushigi Na Somera-chan. Many of the casts are newbies too such as Yuu Wakui as Yoko (Sumire Hikami in Aikatsu), Mai Kanazawa as Futaba (her only other role is an minor extra in Monster Musume), Ayaka Imamura as Hayama (Miyabi in Absolute Duo), Machico as Nishiyama (Sophie in Seiken Tsukai No World Break), Aina Suzuki as Kondo (Shiori in Joukamachi No Dandelion), Haruka Watanabe as Yuu (Kai in Chaos Dragon) and Kotone Kuwayama as Hajime (Ameiro Cocoa is her only other anime so far). Chiemi Tanaka as Tsuji and Nao Natsuno as Sakura are making their debut in this anime. Of course there are some veterans like Kenji Akabane as Yamaji (Arashi in Triage X) and Asuka Nishi as Kou (Shinobu in Kiniro Mosaic) and a few others as minor extra characters.

Both the opening themes are sung by Triple Feeling. Clover Kakumation as the opener is as hectic and chaotic as it can get as lively as it already is. Stepping up that frenzy pace is how the singers sing some of the lines very fast like as though they are rapping. It makes you wonder if there is any full stop in the sentences and if the singers ever stop to breathe. If you think about it, I think it is quite amazing in that sense having to sing for long periods without stopping and still managing to make the song sound cute and all. The ending theme, Guuchoki Parade might not be as crazy as its opening counterpart but it is still lively and upbeat as ever.

Overall, nothing ground breaking and all that unique but if you really love the genre of cute girls doing cute things, you will find this your acceptable fix for the season. Otherwise, just another anime with some hits and misses in its potential and would most likely be forgotten by the time the next season arrives. Like many animes, they shine brightly and leafy green for the current season only to fade away into oblivion into the next. It seems the standards of anime need to once again evolve and provide something different and refreshing if they are going to keep using this cute girls doing cute things genre. Better to have your leaves in different kinds of colours no matter how weird they look because it beats having a dry wilted leaf.

Aria The Avvenire

Wait a minute. I thought it was over? Too good to let it go? Well, I suppose it was good enough that Aria The Avvenire was produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary since Aria The Animation first broadcasted over the airwaves. Wow. Come to think about it, it has been a long time. Feel so old… Feeling so nostalgic. Ah, I guess that is why this is another reason to bring back up this series for one last time (assuming this would be the last one). Those who have watched the series and loved it would have fond memories of all the miracles, meetings and character bonding the series had to offer. Now we get to relieve it again with its 3 episode specials.

Episode 1
I’m not sure of President Aria’s plan in making friends with seagulls with an equally ugly seagull doll. No wonder he gets pecked! As Ai has been promoted to a Single, she sets out for another practice with Akari. So this sets another flashback as Akari tells to Ai. When Alicia was still active as an Undine, Akari noticed her busy schedule. At this rate she won’t get a moment’s rest. Then she spots Akira outside spying. Seems she is here to give Alicia a present for her faux birthday. Unlike on Man Home (Earth), Aqua (Mars) operates on a year with 24 months. This means everyone has a second ‘fake’ birthday. She doesn’t mind waiting but it seems there is change in the schedule that increases Alicia’s workload. Thus Akari hopes Akira can help her practice during this time. At the end of the day, Akira mentions how pathetic and nostalgic she feels about this. The trio used to be together all the time when they were Singles. When they became Prima, they hardly had time for each other. Times they spent together were precious. She doesn’t want to go back to those days, it is just that she really wants them to get together for today. Then a miracle happens. Alicia is seen rowing in front of them. Making it better is Athena is also in the picture singing. Akira then tosses her present like throwing a baseball. Nice catch. The best present would be their radiant smiles. Ai is encouraged by Akari’s story. She wonders if she could find her own friends like she did and those before her. Of course she can. Because Aqua is the planet of miracles. Even their meeting is a miracle itself.

Episode 2
Ai wants to show Akari a miracle. Flashback to what happened. While Ai and President Aria were rowing their gondola, they spot a mysterious cat shadow in the alley. They think it is Cait Sith and went to go after it. As hard as they follow, it led them to some unknown part of town where they stumble into Azusa B. McLaren of Himeya and Anya Dostoyevskaya of Orange Planet who are looking for the same thing too. They know all about Ai since they researched her since they are curious about the new girl at Aria Company. The trio agree to look for Cait Sith together but to no avail. So as they take a break at plaza, Ai notices the duo are training together so she requests if she could join them. But of course. And that is the miracle that Ai is telling Akari. The miracle of Cait Sith granted her this miraculous meeting. Akari still believes Cait Sith is watching over them. Time for her to tell her experience in meeting Cait Sith for the last time.

When Akari told Aika she couldn’t see Cait Sith anymore, she thinks it is because they are becoming adults so the first step is to stop seeing things they see as children. Then Alice brings them to one of the 7 mysterious of the town. There is an unfortunate stone where everyone avoids stepping. It is believed to bring bad luck. Alice immediately jumps on it and nothing happens. She explains she has been doing this since young. Perhaps it doesn’t work on her. Perhaps this is an experiment to see if it anything would happen to her friends? After Aika and Alice leave for their work, Akari gets curious and steps on it. You know what they say about curiosity and the cat. At first nothing happened but suddenly she drops down into the stone! Then she finds herself free falling from the sky above the town! Also falling with her is Cait Sith. She is happy to see him again and wants to do so in the future. However Cait Sith hints this is the last time they’ll ever see each other. Akari is sad but he points out he will always be in her heart. As long as you remember, right? Akari hopes she will always stay with her in her heart. Cait Sith hugs her as they plunge into the river! I think smashing into the river at this speed is like hitting a brick wall… But when Akari opens her eyes, she is on a gondola with President Aria. In her hand is a pendant from Cait Sith proving she did meet him for one last time. Now Akari shows the pendant to Ai and they believe the lights inside it must be miracles. Akari feels that despite saying goodbye to Cait Sith on that day, she was able to see him again thanks to Ai. Could it be the feelings of love awakened this miracle?

Episode 3
We go back in time to see Alicia putting up a recruitment poster outside. Shortly after, she receives her first applicant. We all know who that is, right? On the phone, Akari was a bundle of nerves. The first time Alicia laid eyes on Akari, she was attracted to her and knew she would be the one. In the present, Ai continues to hang out with Azusa and Anya. They vow to work hard to become a Prima. With the rainy season, they realize the Aqua Alta phenomenon is around the corner. Next morning, Ai is ecstatic to experience her first Aqua Alta as the ankle deep waters flood the area. Akari would love to spend the day with her but it seems Ai has her own plans. Looks like lunch and dinner will be on her own… Ai then meets up with her friends. By noon, Akari receives mail from Ai to meet. It seems the young ones have planned a celebration feast for their seniors. Not only them but the Water Fairies as well. Except Athena couldn’t come. As the celebration goes along, they notice Alicia has fallen asleep. She has been tired from working with the Gondola Association and trying to change things for the better. We see her dream how the association guys visit her numerous times to convince her to join them. At first she declines but their persistence has her curious and interested. Though, she vowed to train someone enough to take over her company. And she wanted to take her time to slowly nurture her. So we have more flashbacks of their time together, the happiness and the sadness of their meeting. When Akari was ready and promoted to a Prima, it was time for Alicia to move on as she can’t stay in the same place forever. Her time that had stopped had begun to move again. Alicia wakes up and tells the rest of her wonderful nostalgic dream. Their discussion turn to Athena whom they lament would have loved to attend this party. Then a miracle happened. They hear her trademark singing. There she is. I guess she could make it after all. What a happy end to the day. Now everyone can look forward to more miracles in the future.

Embarrassing Nostalgia Is Not Allowed!
Sniff, sniff. Yup. It wasn’t anything much except that it played very well on my nostalgia. So well that at times I could feel tears welling up and that squeeze in my heart thinking back about the old scenes (although I have mostly forgotten many of them). This special stays true to its Aria-style of storytelling and doesn’t break the mould. Like I said, it is mostly to play on old fans and viewers’ nostalgia. For newer audiences, they might be bored to death and not understand a thing or what the heck this is all about. But then again, this special was intentionally made with such old audiences in mind.

And yes, it goes without saying that they played again all those cool and easy going BGM soundtracks. From Aqua to Tenki Ame, they are very familiar tracks that would instantly evoke nostalgia for those who heard and love their brand of music (like yours truly). It is nice to hear them once more. Even the opening themes are the familiar Undine, Euphoria and Spirale. Ah yes. More nostalgia at your service. So if you think that the music for all the specials are just rehash of old music, there is a new music for it and that is the ending theme, Piacere by Shiena Nishizawa. Another calm and soothing (read: Beautiful) slow piece that is in line with the Aria songs that you have heard so far. And do I need to mention the awesome backgrounds and scenery? Still breathtaking after all these years.

As for the characters, everyone is the same and kind soul like they are on this planet. Nobody are vicious criminals because if there were, they’d be in the wrong anime! So anyway, this special now gives Ai the focus and introduces a couple of new characters who would no doubt as expected become her friends. I guess there is this trend that Undines have to follow throughout the generations. Uh huh. One budding Undine from each company becomes close friends with each other. We can’t have more than that since Aria Company always and will only have a single apprentice at any given time. For the rest of the Undine veterans, some may feel they lack much screen time but with only 3 episodes to spare and they want to bring the focus to a new generation, I guess I can pretty much forgive that.

Despite the nostalgia hype in this special, there is also a small amount of sadness it brought out. For fans, you would know it is very subtle in Athena’s case. Her seiyuu has passed away many years ago and thus you would notice that her character doesn’t have much appearance and if she does, she does not have lines. Besides, her singing voice (even in the TV series) was done by another singer and the lines you hear in this special are actually taken from the TV series. No new recordings for her. RIP Tomoko Kawakami.

Overall, this series only holds a special place in the hearts of fans who have watched the entire series in the mid-2000’s. Newer generations might not hear of this gem and would just go, “WTF is this piece of boring sh*t” but that is understandable seeing there are too many animes these days and so many just fail to live up to decent expectations. Although there is not much of a story in this special, that is where the miracle of nostalgia starts to weave its magic and work on our senses. That is why even though if the plot offers nothing new and no new direction (despite the constant ‘reminders’ and ‘spamming’ about the wonderful future the characters will have and miracles to meet), the wonderfulness of the TV series of the bygone era was there, still in its effect. It may be so too if they ever make more of such specials in the future. Yes, this is one truly miraculous series that has stand tested throughout time.

Pan De Peace

Cute girls with cute… Hmm… We’re running out of ideas as themes to insert in to go by with those cute girls. Come on, think of what else we can use as setting for cute girls doing cute things. What’s that? We can use the bread as the theme? Oh what the heck, let’s just do it. Because it doesn’t matter anyway since the viewers would just view this as another cute girls doing cute things bread version. And that my people, is how the short 3 minute anime series, Pan De Peace came to be. At least that is how I think it is.

Episode 1
It is Minami Tani’s first day at high school. You know it will be a good day when mom makes her favourite egg sandwich with strawberry jam. In class, she doesn’t recognize anybody but she notices Yuu Aizawa having mini bread key chains. Since they both love bread, they become bread buddies. Yuu also introduces Fuyumi Fukagawa who is her childhood friend. To commemorate becoming bread buddies, Fuyumi gives Minami some croissants. Minami is so happy that she wants to date her! Wait a minute. Is this a yuri theme series? While Yuu may look jealous, Fuyumi playfully says her heart already belongs to Yuu. Yup, getting yuri already. Minami happily eats the bread. Then she asks if they could teach her baking. What a happy day indeed.

Episode 2
Petite Noa Sakura is so cute that the other girls are hounding her. The she draws her ‘weapon’. A French bread? Luckily Fuyumi takes her away. Noa must have some sort of chuunibyou because she considers her French bread as a special item with 2 attributes: Weapon and food. Minami wonders if Noa is Fuyumi’s sister. She clarifies she is their classmate and went to the same elementary school together. The girls discuss and notice that each drink different number of glasses of milk a day. Perhaps there is some sort of inverse relationship between boobs and milk. Because Noa has been drinking lots of them and is still as flat but Fuyumi drinks the least and is the bustiest. Then they start imagining Noa with big boobs and find her cute too.

Episode 3
Fuyumi’s family runs a bakery and you bet Minami is darn happy to visit. She gets to taste a few of their specialties like red bean bun, red bean bun with cream and green tea melon bread. Definitely heavenly. Minami reveals she tried baking bread once but she failed miserably and they turned out to be cookies instead. So the girls help and teach Minami how to bake together. Minami shows her gratefulness by hugging Fuyumi and then comparing her body’s softness like a bread. I think it’s a compliment. The rest can tell from her looks that she wants to join their ranks. Hasn’t she already? They welcome her to Pan De Peace.

Episode 4
Minami tells her friends about the fabled bread this school sells, ciabatta. It is only limited in stock so they join the mad crowd in trying to grab the Italian bread. The sight of this madness is enough to turn Yuu off but Minami and Fuyumi won’t give up. They’re not going to settle for other bread as they return joining the ‘fight’. Yuu thinks she’ll just go for the chicken curry bread. At the end of the day, they failed to get the bread. They thought they lost Noa in the crowd but she returns with the fabled ciabata in hand! She got it! Like a true friend, she shares it with everybody.

Episode 5
Yuu draws a lot for her manga. When Fuyumi asks about the man seen hanging out with her, Yuu denies whatsoever he is her boyfriend. He is a relative of hers that introduced her to a manga assistant job. Becoming a manga artist is her dream. Fuyumi will support her all the way even if this means they won’t get to be like this again. Yuu assures they’re only at discussion stage and if she took the job, she’ll be sure to tell. She wants to spend them with them now. The girls try to give funny ideas for her story but it just embarrassed her. Hey, where is my bread focus for this episode? No, the consolation chicken curry bread doesn’t count.

Episode 6
Oh no. Fuyumi has gained weight. And you know what that means. Time to go jogging and lose some of it. Unfortunately not even halfway she tires out. She thought she could have some melon bread as reward but her friends resume their jogging and leave her behind. Next day, the friends decide to help make mini versions of it. They ask how Fuyumi’s store gets its named Fuwa Fuyu. It was definitely named after her as she was born in the winter where the bakery was also opened. Once done, they noticed a bread missing. Could the culprit steal a piece? Well, Fuyumi claims she needs to test taste them. The rest don’t mind since she looks so happy. And her face so fluffy… That didn’t stop her to take another one.

Episode 7
The girls visit Noa who is sick. Fuyumi is crying like as though she is going to die! Serious case! They see her sleeping in a cute cornet sleeping bag. They are treated with great hospitality by Noa’s little sister, Ami. Noa is looking so cute that everyone admires her like an idol. Fuyumi gives her drink some strawberry milk drink. She has also made lots of strawberry based bread for them to share. Noa reacts to all those strawberry goodness like as though it is some sort of magical life potion. I’m sure she is feeling much better and will be able to attend school tomorrow.

Episode 8
Noa patrons a newly opened French bakery store, Guillame. Mai Kawai serves her baguette and since she is new in town, she hopes she could be her friend and in return she can have their freshly baked baguette every day. Wow! So when Noa tells this to her friends, the most worried of the lot is of course Fuyumi. So she is now like her mother asking her not to take food from strangers? Next day when Noa brings Fuyumi to Guillame, the showdown between the French bread girls is inevitable. Fuyumi tells Mai to stop giving bread to Noa. Oh, since when is Noa her property? Mai hugs Noa and asserts she will continue to give her bread to deepen their friendship, much to Fuyumi’s ire. She even teases that since Noa has tasted their French bread, there is no need for Fuyumi to supply her anymore. Next day when Noa visits Guillame as usual, Mai is chirpy giving her extra service to put baguette in her bag. But it is filled with baguettes already. What happened to her textbooks? Fuyumi took it. Damn that girl beat her to it.

Episode 9
The girls are dressed in cat maid outfit for their school’s cultural festival. Mai is here to take cute pictures of Noa. She is spending most of her time talking to Noa and ignoring Yuu who is waiting to take her order. Fuyumi is trying to hold in her rage. Let’s hope she doesn’t lose it till the end of the day. Mai surprisingly orders a croissant and finds it good. She praises them as she finds out they were made from Fuwa Fuyu. The other girls invite Mai to drop by Fuwa Fuyu and they would love to talk to her more, much to Fuyumi’s dismay. That sour look on her face… She no like it…

Episode 10
Fuyumi’s worst fear comes true because Mai really did patron Fuwa Fuyu! But how did she find the place? She tailed Noa like a stalker! Mai lets them taste Guillame’s new addition, cod roe French bread. Fuyumi gives good comments about it and suddenly what do you know? They’re talking like good friends? Fuyumi also lets her taste her red bean bread. Good comments too. But eventually it boils down to the fundamental issue that they should be Noa’s French bread provider. Ah… The girls take a public bath and it is a much needed one for Fuyumi who just ended her ‘psychological battle’. Fuyumi admits Mai is a nice girl and they could be friends as they like the same thing. But when it comes to Noa’s French bread privileges, she is not giving in! Always remember the fundamental issue…

Episode 11
Minami is saying how Yuu and Noa are afraid of the swimming pool because they can’t swim. But Noa thinks as long as she has the ‘invincible’ inner tube, she’ll be alright. It is decided to have them get better than swimming. While Minami coaches Yuu, Fuyumi handles Noa. Mai also can’t swim but didn’t tell them. However the chance to snap pictures of cute Noa learning swimming is too good to pass up. As Mai tries to make her way to Noa, her foot suddenly cramps up. She cries for help and Fuyumi is surprisingly fast (like running in water?) to come to her rescue. She even did that with Noa in hand! After Fuyumi massages her feet and tells her not to do the impossible, Mai starts bursting into tears and crying in her bosom while not admitting she is a cry-baby. Again hey, where is my featured bread for this episode?!

Episode 12
The girls are invited to Mai’s summer villa, though she initially only intended to invite Noa only. They meet Mai’s older sister, Mana as she thinks Fuyumi and Noa are mother and daughter respectively! I think Fuyumi will be taking that as a compliment. So as the girls start having fun on the beach, Ami manages to drop by and joins them. Perhaps it is this load of luggage she is carrying. All of them are camera equipment to capture Noa’s moments! Mana has made some bread for them. She also prepares steak as Minami and Fuyumi dance like idiots, cheering their support for meat. No sexual innuendoes here, please. The pain de campagne steak sandwiches are completed and as expected taste like heaven. Probably Yuu has been embarrassed by the acts of Minami that she lost appetite and don’t want second helpings.

Episode 13
All the girls sleep together except for Mai whose pride probably won’t allow it as she sleeps alone. The rest talk about their bread adventures which are basically a very condensed summary of some the, uhm, important bread incidents in this series. All this bread talking makes them hungry. This is when Mai feels like she wants to join them and the rest gladly accepts her. So the bread pyjamas party carries on with the girls eating bread, talking about bread (yes, the mind boggling statement how bread brings peace), their friendship bonding over bread and at the end of it, take a group photo. Peace out!

Panned In Pieces…
Usually food themed animes are pretty decent in my books but very unfortunately this could be the first series ever that actually disappoints. Sad to say that this series is just mediocre and perhaps way below that. There is nothing here that particularly excites me. Not even the breads that are supposed to be the main attraction of the series. Or so I believe. So technically if I don’t really label this series as a food theme anime, would it be okay then? Either way, this series is still bad and instead of whetting my appetite, I would just spit out the bread and walk out of the store. Call the Michelin star food critiques to close this down forever. The only good thing about this entire series is that it just lasts 3 minutes. Short enough so you won’t be tortured further by it unappealing, uhm, everything.

Like I have said, the breads I believe are supposed to be the star of the series, if not the co-stars alongside the characters. It is just sad that they are relegated to something like a cameo and even with their short appearance in already a very short series, it makes it even worse. That isn’t the bad part of it. You know a food themed anime is going to be good when the food itself looks delicious that it makes you salivate and want to take a chomp out of your monitor. This one doesn’t. It doesn’t even look good to dream. So okay, they look pretty normal but that is about it. It doesn’t make it feel any special. Worst of all, some episodes don’t even feature any bread at all. Again, this might be just me having expectations but then if you are going to have bread as your theme, one doesn’t simply exclude bread from any episodes, right?

Failing as much as the bread or even making it worse because they do nothing in enhancing the bread appeal are the characters themselves. They are just generic and boring that I don’t really want to even say anything else. You know, you have the lively one, the emotionless one, the airhead one and the, uhm, other one? Yeah, you can find usually one or more or even all of those in any cute girls doing cute things group. Even if the last episode is meant to be some sort of fanservice because the girls are in their nightgown pyjamas, it is so boring that you wouldn’t even want to ‘eat’ them. Seriously.

I’ll just mention that Minami looks like your typical plain ‘main character’ but I felt that Fuyumi is the one stealing the limelight because of her very eccentric character and her ‘obsession’ with Noa’s bread meals. It gets heated up when a new rivalry in the form of Mai appears. I guess this is the only ‘funniest’ thing ever happening in the entire series. The most ‘happening’ of everything so far. Noa doesn’t pretty much care about their spat as long as she gets to eat their bread. An absolute win-win situation for her as she gets to taste the best of both worlds. Having side characters like Ami and Mana don’t do any better because heck, the series could have been the same and as boring as ever even if they are nameless background characters.

Art and drawing are pretty generic and standard. Like I have implied, they just don’t stand out. Cute, yes. But to a level that is considered a masterpiece? No. This series was animated by Asahi Production who also did short anime series like Himegoto, Orenchi No Furou Jijou, Million Doll, Onsen Yousei Hakone-chan as well as standard length series such as Futari Wa Pretty Cure and both the Medaka Box seasons.

The voice acting is rather okay and nothing distinctive since all of the seiyuus are relative new and/or unknowns. The small casts include Ibuki Kido as Minami (Chinami in Golden Time), Erii Yamazaki as Yuu (Roboko in Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku No Zvezda), Moe Toyota as Fuyumi (Fumi in Jinsei), Nichika Omori as Noa (Yurika in Rokujouma No Shinryakusha), Madoka Asahina as Mai (Maki in Nurse Witch Komugi R), Natsuko Hara as Ami (Rena in JK Meshi) and Yu Shimamura as Mana (Hare in Guilty Crown). This is one of those few series where Petit Milady doesn’t sing and do voice acting. Here, they only sing the opening theme, Seishun Wa Tabemono Desu. Sounds just decent and generic anime pop idol kind of music but even so this wasn’t really enough to wash the bad taste of this anime. Yeah, I figure they even know how to stay away from something this bad…

Overall, although this is not a very bad anime in general because there are a few funny moments and who wouldn’t love seeing cute girls eat bread in a cute way, this series could almost threaten to break your faith in the anime and bread industry. The kind where if the host offers you seconds, you would say no thank you I am already full although deep inside your heart (or rather your stomach) you would feel like you want to throw up a little. Okay, okay. So I exaggerated a little. But bad enough to have me think that had they put in sleazy fanservice and named it Pantsu De Peace, I would have even bought it no matter how cheap and cliché the echhi parts are. But now the bread here doesn’t make me feel at peace and instead feeling some rage and wanting to go to war. In that case I guess nothing really beats pantsu for peace.

Gochuumon Wa Usagi Desu Ka S2

Phew… Panting… Panting… If you think you have survived the merciless onslaught of the moe and kawaii factor, be warned and do not even rest yet. For it is not over. Because there is more I tell you. You will be left to fear for your lives again. That is right. There is a second season of it. Horror! So if you have survived the extreme asphyxiation and heart tightening condition as well as managed to overcome all other similar syndromes and side effects, it is time for a second round of it. Still not dead? Still able to breathe? Good. Now proceed to watch the next season of Gochuumon Wa Usagi Desu Ka S2. Are you sure you can handle it? I can see you in cold sweat. I can feel that shiver down your spine. I can sense that you are thinking if your life is worth risking to watch another dozen episodes of it. I know that once bitten twice shy, never scared of the dark till you have seen a ghost. Think hard. Think carefully. Make a wise choice. If you can’t go through another punishing phase of moe and kawaii lolis doing nothing except whatever they do make everything look extremely cute, then this is your chance of turning back and get out of this moe hell. This is your final warning. Quit while you still can. No? You say you are up to it after all that toughening and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? Hehehe… Then get ready then for another season of cute girls doing cute things. You are crossing the line of no return…

Episode 1
Cocoa is bugging to take pictures of Chino and Rize so she could send them home to her mom. However Chino is being very shy and always gives her the slip. In actual fact, she does not have the confidence to smile like Cocoa. Cocoa now takes Chiya and she is very eager and posing in every way. Then there is Sharo too. She got duped into being taken a few shots during work. Cocoa then goes back to plead for a nice shot of Chino. Rize suggests they take a shot together. But both their faces turn out gloomy! It looks funny enough for Chino to smile. But Cocoa has left the building and missed this opportunity. She brings back Chiya for support. Chiya’s posing has Cocoa laughing so Cocoa definitely didn’t miss this shutter chance. But her smile turns out more of a mock smirk. The girls go through the magazine that reviews eateries. It seems that every other eatery in town has an article except for Rabbit House. Chiya is shocked that Fleur du Lapin has a bigger article than Amausa despite saying she doesn’t mind starting small. Then they realize maybe a reason why Rabbit House doesn’t have an article… No customers! Thank goodness here comes Aoyama as their saviour. They further look through the magazine and even spot an article on Cocoa’s family bakery in the outskirts. Yeah, definitely a conspiracy to leave out Rabbit House. When Aoyama takes a seat, the chair breaks apart! Could it be this place is so old that journalists even avoid it? Sharo tries to comfort Chino that all the marks and scratches tell a story till she hears they are clumsy scrapes and abrasions by Cocoa! Rize thought the phone call means another customer. But it turns out to be her dad who is willing to send his guys over as customers if they have no business! Chino is still having trouble smiling so Cocoa cheers her up with some good news she heard from Chino’s dad. In the next magazine, Rabbit House is featured. This makes Chino smile and Cocoa snaps it right.

Episode 2
Late into the night, a pale Sharo seeks shelter at Rabbit House. Seems her place is haunted! She heard movements in the attic and sometimes when she gets back, there is a pile of leaves! I don’t think the duo are making her feel any better speculating what kind of ghost it is. A rabbit ghost? That’s scarier at least for Sharo. Rize is ready to help exorcise the ghost. Chiya is upset Sharo didn’t seek her help. Well, she did. Notice the miscalls? Heavy sleeper… The ghost turns out to be a stray rabbit living in her attic. So are those leaves supposed to be rental payment? Hey wait. Aren’t those the herbs Sharo is growing? Chino thought of going to the exorcism as it would help her get better at talking to people. Cocoa supports her and will man the cafe alone. But what scares Chino the most isn’t the ghost but leaving the cafe all to Cocoa. Since they feel bad letting the stray rabbit go, it is decided Sharo keeps it and to help overcome her rabbit phobia. After suggesting a few names, they call it Wild Geese. Chino comes in full exorcism gear. Too late. The matter is resolved. Wild Geese is a bad delinquent because it spits on Tippy! Sharo makes a cardboard house for it but since she is too shy to admit, she says it is her own house. Chino and Cocoa pay Rize a visit since she sprained her ankle. They thought they would be greeted by maids but see MIB agents! Fortunately they are pretty nice people with perfect manners. Chiya and Sharo are working temporarily here as maids because Sharo felt bad when Wild Geese jumped on Rize and caused her sprain ankle. Cocoa accidentally breaks an old telescope. She will use Rabbit House as collateral?! I guess to clear her conscience, Rize has her work here as maid to ‘clear her debt’. Rize feeling bored, decides to show her room with gun collections. They thought an enemy has entered but it is Sharo serving tea. But the jump scare has her spilling it all over Rize. An excuse for her to dress up as a maid and play along with the rest. They take turns playing lord of the house and the others serve her. Rize is embarrassed when she realizes her father has been watching her.

Episode 3
Cocoa and Chiya see Chino and her friends looking around town for things to sketch for their drawing competition. Since cafe is suggested, they head to Fleur du Lapin to sketch the building. I’m sure they know pretty much about nothing about sketching as they don’t know what those big art terms mean and they’re just posing for the sake of looking like pro sketchers. Sharo must be wondering what the heck these girls are doing. Back at Rabbit House, they seek Rize’s advice. She draws a surreal picture of Tippy and this makes Cocoa jealous since she is supposed to be their ‘teacher’. So they sketch some other stuffs which later become pictures hung up on Rabbit House’s walls. The most eerie ones are those sketches of Sharo since her cafe was too hard to draw… I think somebody is a Picasso prodigy… Chino and friends are also practising for an interpretive dance contest but they haven’t come up with a song or choreography. I don’t think Moonwalking is any original. Chino then plays a tape that belongs to her father. This calm song motivates their body to move on their own. Thinking how magical this ballet song is, this is what they’ll do and since Megu’s mom is a ballet teacher, they’ll seek lessons from her. Of course it is going to take lots of discipline and stamina for them to learn the basics but they’re getting the hang of it. Chino even practises walking tiptoe at Rabbit House and this causes Cocoa to panic thinking she has grown taller. Chino is surprised Cocoa is making herself at home while watching them at practice. Actually she is here to bring them lunch and she got curious in trying out a move and crammed her legs. With the good food, it hit them their dance theme should be cafe. Cocoa sees it as some sacrificial ritual. When Rize visits, she sees Cocoa taking ballet lessons! When Sharo and Chiya visit, they see Rize taking ballet lessons too! I guess you know what’s coming. Surprisingly, these girls fare better than Chino and friends. Megu’s mom would love for them to join as they have potential but they site they are busy with a part time job or no money (Sharo). Maya notices Megu enjoying herself a lot in practice. Usually she gets embarrassed of dancing in front of people and quit. She can see how she sparkles in ballet. Although still needing more practice, Chino is graceful and elegant in her feet work back at Rabbit House. Practice makes perfect. Or at least almost.

Episode 4
Everyone heads to the cafe for an afternoon tea. Chino and her friends try to observe the rest so they could imitate and become a proper lady. Even when it comes to eating their cakes, they continue to observe. But no hot dogs like Sharo is eating, so how? Cocoa and Chiya sense they are being observed so they simply talk about scientific stuffs just to look intelligent. When Aoyama stops by, they ask her opinion so she suggests eating like normal. They think what constitutes normal is different between them so Aoyama thinks she might be abnormal. Then Aoyama heads over to Cocoa’s table and blurts out she is observing them on the little one’s behalf. Trying to sound smart again, eh? The little ones even get up and follow Rize to the toilet and that is when she discovers their intention. She tells them the important thing is to enjoy the meal because manners only exist so everyone can have a good time. Cocoa tries her best to become a better big sister to Chino but the latter is being modest about it. Next morning, Chino is shocked that Cocoa is acting strangely and different. Well, she tried to make toast for her but it’s still burnt. Cocoa is even hardworking and ushering customers in elegantly. Could she be an imposter? Chino tries to act all cute so she couldn’t resist hugging her but it didn’t work. It makes Chino feel insulted too. When Rize’s worst fear of Cocoa collapsing due to working comes true, they learn she is doing so because her elder sister is coming to visit. She wants to put up a good impression. So everyone tries to help train her and this includes acting like dumb employees (which is so painful to watch) and acting like her little sister (which is pointless no matter how you see it). They noticed Cocoa’s cafe latte art has improved gradually and when she is going to show off her 3D latte art, it turns out to be Tippy in a cup. On the day Cocoa’s sister, Mocha is supposed to arrive, Cocoa is frozen with anxiety. Hello, Earth to Cocoa…

Episode 5
The anxiety is going to kill Cocoa since Mocha is supposed to be here hours ago. So she rushes out to find her but got a little distracted in taking snapshots of a bunny. She bumps into Sharo and Chiya and enlists their help. As for how to describe her, she has got to be more specific than saying her sister is female… She tries an impersonation but isn’t that just herself? Mocha is already in town. Just that she got distracted chasing a stray rabbit. She ends up talking to Aoyama about visiting her little sister who rarely comes home. It has been a year since she last saw her. Mocha enters Rabbit House wearing a disguise in hopes of surprising Cocoa. But she is nowhere to be seen and her suspicious actions of looking around has Rize wonder if she is a spy or smuggler. She stands up in disapproval when the toast she ordered is not to her standards. She takes out a bag of flour to show how it is done but Rize thinks it is drugs and that she is really a smuggler. She is ready to jump into action but all that simmer down when Mocha reveals herself. She knows about them because Cocoa often sends photo back to her. All goofy ones… Rize is embarrassed with Mocha’s smothering but Chino accepts it like as though it’s the comfort of her mom. Mocha offers to help out working here and the duo are blown away by her reliable aura unlike a certain unreliable sister… Mocha teaches the duo to bake bread and they get along very well. Cocoa and the rest watch outside and they can’t help notice how sisterly the trio look. It brings Cocoa to tears because it’s like as though Mocha is stealing away her big sister position! When Cocoa enters disguised to surprise her, it seems everyone can tell who she is. Cocoa revels in seeing her sister again but realizing her friends are watching and this makes her emotional reunion embarrassing, she puts up a tough act acting like the big sister around. Mocha relays the good news she will be staying at Rabbit House for a few days. She is impressed with Cocoa’s improvement in latte’s art. Till Rize reveals she slacks in all other areas. As the sisters retire to their room, Chino brings coffee but sees them sleep leaning on each other. They look so sisterly so it tempts her to try out and sleep with them.

Episode 6
Flashback shows Cocoa used to imitate everything from Mocha. Now, she thinks of surprising her by waking up early and making her breakfast. Looks like she is beaten. Then it turns into a cooking competition to see who can win Chino over. Mocha hangs out with Cocoa and her friends. Cocoa is scared that Mocha’s hugging spree means she is trying to turn her friends into her little sisters! After picnic, they go for a boat ride-cum-race. Rize can tell Chiya is bothered. Seems she is the only one who didn’t get Mocha’s hug. When Cocoa is down that she has never beaten her sister before, Sharo slaps her for being a coward and if this is the version she wants Chino to see. Cocoa’s eyes are opened as she gets enough power to paddle. She did zoom past Mocha but Chiya’s extreme last minute strength beat her to the finish line. So what is Chiya’s wish? A hug from Mocha! Cocoa starts giving big sister the cold shoulder thinking if she continues to be spoilt by her, Chino would not look up to her. Poor Mocha has to drink out her sorrows. Don’t worry. It’s just milk. Rize brings depressed Mocha out to town. Rize fears Mocha’s hugging and hides behind Sharo. When Chiya serves her an ice cold cocoa drink, it just brings back depressing reminder how her little sister is treating her… On the day Mocha is to leave, Cocoa dressed in a strange rabbit mask kidnaps and ushers her into the room where they hold a farewell party for her. Mocha hugs her so hard I think she could crush her. When Mocha is being friendly with Maya and Megu too, Cocoa voices her displeasure. Chino is worried they are fighting but the rest assure that is how the sisters communicate. Cocoa has also brought Aoyama to the party. Mocha becomes nervous and seeks her autograph on her rolling pin? I don’t know how she could blunder and run out of space to sign. In the evening, Cocoa sees off Mocha at the train station. Mocha hopes she comes home once in a while but Cocoa worries Chino will be all alone. Or rather, Cocoa doesn’t want to be alone and away from Chino. Mocha observes them and realizes Cocoa isn’t imitating her anymore. She is really like a big sister now. She is glad Cocoa came to this town because the family once came here before for vacation and Cocoa fell in love with the place. When they go back to Rabbit House, it seems Mocha has left a better latte art for them. So impressive that Chino and Tippy would really miss her reliance. Another cause for Cocoa to be upset that Mocha didn’t just leave but also leave with the hearts of her friends!

Episode 7
Cocoa’s uniform is stained. But the washing is broken. Don’t worry. She’ll wash by hand! She’ll gladly wash all their uniforms as well. Sharo can’t stand the way she washes and interjects. With everybody helping out, it becomes a big bubble making activity instead. Chino thought she is being attacked by a ghost but it turns out to be Cocoa underneath the sheet. She gets an idea to wash the curtains too. So everyone pitches in and starts stepping. I don’t know. Don’t they look like squashing grapes instead of washing with their feet? But an hour later, no progress is made and they’re tiring out. They rest and they have Chiya’s special green tea. One of them is spiked. Chiya gets spiked. You reap what you sew. When the washing is done, all the buttons come off! Washed too hard? Even the buttons from the stuffed animals came undone. This makes Chino wonder if they should redesign their uniform. So with a few suggestions and later that day, the uniform turns out to be quite frilly and with miniskirts. Maybe some more adjustments are needed. While shopping for dinner ingredients, Cocoa doesn’t want Chino to be so formal with her. She tries to speak casually but ends up stuttering. Sharo even teaches her how to do a perfect fake smile. But when Sharo calls Rize to invite her to her curry dinner, she becomes stiff and crude. Before dinner, Rize has her friends eat chocolates that were given by one of her dad’s men. Chino is certainly drunk after eating one with liquor. Cocoa too but she acts like an oujo-sama after eating a high class chocolate. Chino is still drunk and acting like a good little sister. The moment Cocoa has been waiting for? Unfortunately Chino goes to hug Chiya as her big sister and then turn to Rize. Jealous Cocoa challenges Rize for the big sister title and while they are at it, Chino sleeps on Sharo’s lap. Finally when Chino hugs Cocoa, Sharo throws Wild Geese accidentally hitting Chino’s head, bringing her back to her senses. She is very embarrassed on what she has done and claims she has been acting all the while. After their curry dinner, Sharo has packed lots of curry leftovers for Rize. Since Sharo ate most of the chocolates that contained caffeine, it is her turn to become drunk. And she’s going wild! This party is just getting started!

Episode 8
The first biggest problem ever?! Because Chiya is crying that she had a fight with Cocoa! This is serious! Confiding with Sharo, it seems it stems from their talk of how their class reshuffles the students each year. There is a chance they might end up in different classes and Cocoa hinted she didn’t mind. How vague… Sharo talks this to Rize and Chino. Although they feel it is nothing to worry about but just for collateral, they go to buy stationery as charm for the new semester. On the way back, they see Chiya looking very dreadful. She has been given the ultimatum by Cocoa to meet at the park! The girls hide behind the bushes as they hear Chiya explain to Cocoa. Cocoa is freaking surprised to learn about the class reassignment. She thought Chiya was worried about being a big sister! Then they drink coffee so that Tippy could read their future. They’ll receive their just desserts tomorrow. I think they took it literally and ate some snacks but got stomach discomfort. So the rest now has to intervene that even if they are put in different classes, it is not the end of the world. They can still chat with each other during break. With that, they become positive and look forward to just about anything. We don’t even know why this ‘fight’ started anymore… Next day, Cocoa and Chiya have to seek help from the rest to finish their homework or else they’ll start the next semester in supplementary classes. This must be their just desserts. After school, Maya quickly leaves to go tail Rize. She thought Rize’s sharpness has her found out but actually it was just a rabbit. Seems Maya wants to learn how to tail others so Rize teaches her and their first target is tailing Aoyama. Unknown to them, Sharo is tailing the duo. When Aoyama stops at a shop, she can’t help notice Sharo hiding in the corner and starts observing her. The three-way observation never moved… Till Sharo gets up and realizes she is late for her shift. Aoyama goes after her but trips. Rize and Maya help her up but are told to quickly follow her. Unknown to them, Chino and Megu are tailing them. Likewise, Cocoa and Chiya. This pair is in a full detective getup and they’re sweating like hell. Rize learns that Maya is worried about her friends drifting apart after graduating from school. That is why she thought of taking action. This touching scene has all the stalkers get out from their hiding place and reassure her it would be okay. Nobody noticed Aoyama was spying on them nearby? Looks like nobody noticed Tippy spying from afar and that mascot too didn’t realize Chino’s dad is also spying on him because he left Rabbit House unannounced.

Episode 9
Chino has always thought there was some rivalry between Rabbit House and Amausa but since Chiya doesn’t know anything about it, could it be just Chino’s grandpa’s misunderstanding? Cocoa and Rize talk to Sharo to find out about their past since she is Chiya’s childhood friend. Since she can’t remember, Aoyama explains and will even write it down! Eventually Rize deduces that old rivals become new friends in today’s age. When they go back to Rabbit House, Tippy is in battle mode ready for kamikaze! He barges into Amausa to take on Chiya who isn’t sure what is going on but plays along. It stops when Chino intervenes. They learn both their establishments once served coffee amitsu as joint promotion. So I guess there were some sore feelings between their grandparents when their coffee or tea weren’t praised as good as the other. As part of her school’s assignment, Chino works part time at Amausa for 3 days. It isn’t the kimono that makes her feel uneasy. Having nothing sitting on her head does. No Tippy? Anko will do. Similarly, Maya is working at Rabbit House while Megu is at Fleur du Lapin. Chino is introduced to Chiya’s grandma who is quite strict especially learning Chino is that old dude’s granddaughter. Chiya thought she could make Sharo jealous that they have a new employee. But Sharo knows who she is and also teases her back. Chiya actually starts pouting with jealousy! She also feels down that this could mean there is no appeal for her to work at Amausa. Tippy calls Chino during the break to get more info but grandma comes in to give her snacks. Despite her harsh words calling Chino a glutton, she’s a pretty nice lady if you think about it. Tough love? Tsundere? Chino enjoys the snacks and hangs up before grandpa starts calling her a traitor. Chiya left a note to Sharo that she would love to work at Fleur du Lapin with her. So Sharo misunderstood it and lets her wear her uniform. Chino deduces the uniform she is wearing was meant for Sharo. Sharo’s happiness is short-lived when a button pops into her face. I think the chest area is a little bit too small for Chiya, don’t you think? Time for Sharo to blow her top. Forget about working at Fleur du Lapin. Give back her uniform! When Chino sends a picture of her and Chiya so sisterly-like, Cocoa goes into a jealous rage and sends a picture of her, Rize and Maya being even more sisterly.

Episode 10
Rize excels in all sports activities as she notices Sharo supporting her among the wild fan girls. The other girls think Sharo wants to join in so this has Aoyama relive her younger days in clubs. She was in the literature club and always had a junior pestering her about deadlines. Rize invites Sharo to become her assistant in the clubs she’ll be filling in. We see Sharo become her PA in various club activities. She hears others compare her to a legendary person that led numerous clubs to victory with questionable offhand advice. She is only known as Midori or Miss Emerald. In a bid to find her identity, the duo had to participate in each club’s challenges. But even so, they get nothing much out of it except she might be from the literature club and had a habit of mingling with other clubs that her junior had to drag her back. Hmm… Sounds familiar… When Cocoa asks Aoyama for her real name, suddenly a furious woman comes in to look for her. Instantly Aoyama hides under the table! That is her editor as she is here to drag her back for missing the deadline. Oh, she calls her Midori… Could it be? When Cocoa wants to play with Chino, she is pretty much preoccupied with her bottle ship building. What about going bug catching with Rize then? Her men tell her that she is busy for today and will not be available. Cocoa bumps into Aoyama running away from her editor. She is desperate enough to cook a story that they bumped into each other and switched bodies! Not buying it! Next morning, Cocoa wakes up to find everybody gathered outside Rabbit Cafe. They’re going camping at the mountains. Didn’t she get Rize’s invitation? What invitation? Oh no… Cocoa feels so upset that nobody wants to play with her that she locks herself in her room. It isn’t the postal system that is bad. She did get the invitation card but it was in her pocket and she didn’t read it. So it is going to take a lot of coaxing to get that fuming girl out. And when regretful Chino is about to do her part, Cocoa bursts out all dressed up for the camp. She was just trolling everybody and was never mad in the first place. Gotcha! Chino feels this is her first time away from time and can’t help feel anxious if she would enjoy the great outdoors.

Episode 11
The girls look all geared up for their camping trip. Nothing could go wrong, right? Till Rize finds out their food provisions are empty! Time to go survival hunting? Can these girls do it? So they try fishing and despite being amateurs, they reel in quite a haul. Only Chino has not caught any so Cocoa offers to give her aura of support and instantly she caught one. Chino not amused… Chiya and Megu are tasked to find mushrooms but all they find are poisonous ones! When Chino’s straw hat is blown away and floats down the river, she tries to go get it back. Although successful, before she knows it, she is trapped on a sandbar. To think that she didn’t even know how to swim. She signals to the rest for help but they think she’s just waving. Until Rize swims there to bring her back. Chino gets scolded by Cocoa for being reckless and that she is more important than any fish or straw hat. Wow. Cocoa sounding like a big sister for real for once. But she blames her the most for not keeping her eyes on her. Sharo thinks Maya is drowning and saves her. But Maya was just swimming. All the girls start splashing at each other. Chino reflects on Cocoa’s scolding. But her patting was full of warmth. Cocoa and co fend off zombies but get eaten! Megu and Maya are the only ones left as they tell Chino who just awakened from her dozing. Megu then transforms into a zombie and this scares the hell out of Chino. See how she hops like mad in her sleeping bag! Outside, she sees Cocoa and co doing BBQ and looking fine. What about the zombies? Then she gets horrified upon seeing blood on their face that she faints. I guess the ketchup prank went too far.

If you’re wondering why they are camping instead of staying at the cabin, it seems somebody sabotaged the electricity. After dinner, Sharo is already drunk on caffeine so everyone starts spinning around the campfire so fast that they might even lift off. When everyone lets go of their hands, they flew a few metres back. Sharo had so much fun that she hugs Rize. When a shooting star is seen, Chino immediately makes a wish for all of them to have fun again. Sounds embarrassing but not so like the others. Cocoa’s surpassing of Mocha, Chiya’s globalization of Amausa and Sharo’s stomach full of melon bread. But that is nothing compared to Rize’s grudge wish for the person who sabotaged their trip to get what is coming. Hey, all is not that bad since they get to see the stars. Rize’s dad suddenly his drink spills on him by itself. Well, we know the perpetrator now. He needs a new drink so Chino’s dad wants him to pay up. Rize’s dad challenges him to a blowgun contest. It got so intense that their shots look like shooting stars. Chino goes to return Cocoa’s straw hat and thank her. But she is already asleep. Revenge time: Snap a picture of her sleeping face. Next morning, everybody paints their face with ketchup to scare Cocoa as penalty for falling asleep first. It is sweet revenge for Chino when she gets to scare the daylights out of her. See how fast she hops in the sleeping bag.

Episode 12
The photos from the camp are ready. There is one picture of Cocoa in a very elegant pose. Cocoa herself didn’t realize it was her! So different? Chino has caught the photo bug and she is now interested in snapping photos of everybody in their daily natural action. If only Cocoa didn’t try so hard and ruin it because she becomes stiff and clumsy inside her shots. Cocoa stumbles upon a Ciste map behind a picture frame. The rest mentions how they played this game a few times before (basically a map that leaves clues to let others find your hidden treasure). Cocoa gets ‘jealous’ that everybody has played it and wants to play too. Chino agrees to accompany her and brings Megu and Maya along. This game also brings back memories for them because it was the first time they met Chino and became friends. They misinterpreted this barista job as some super powered thingy and wanted to be her friend. Cocoa might sound cool in her deductions but could it be she is just as naive as she sounds? The girls finally reach the final treasure box that contains mini items put by previous treasure hunters. Megu and Maya tease Chino that she has Cocoa to thank for because she gets to play this game again. Back home, Cocoa wonders if Chino is mad because she is going through all the photos and none are reasonably good. With Cocoa being goofy, you know why… Cocoa thinks she doesn’t deserve to become her big sister but some petty girly argument ensued (including pillow throwing) before Cocoa realizes Mocha had sent letters to Chino and she requested her to send natural ones as Cocoa only sent goofy ones. Mocha is happy that she gets letters from both Cocoa and Chino. But she couldn’t recognize this elegant lady is her sister! You mean she really looks that different? Mocha is left panicking because Cocoa left a little ‘threat’ at the end of her message. She won’t be sending her letters for a month for trying to steal her Chino! What?! Megu and Maya make a new Ciste map and hand it to Chiya and friends for them to play. They manage to win and find some adorable items to keep. And Cocoa got a photo of a goofy girl and she didn’t even realize that was herself! Sharo accidentally picked another Ciste map from the treasure and this one belongs to Aoyama. Looks like they have to go play it.

Rabbits And Coffee To Go. Would You Like Lolis To Go With That?
OMG… Oh… My… God… I didn’t think I would last this long till the end. Because it seems yet again I have survived the moe onslaught and lived to tell the tale! Oh yeah! I thought I was about to be doomed by all the cute and cuddly factors that seemed so overwhelmed. Never had there been a break to catch a breathe and it was a continuous assault of moe, wave after wave of kawaii-ness I tell you. Man… It felt like an eternity but the battle to overcome the moe is finally done! I have emerged victorious! Standing tall amidst the bloody moe nose bleeds and burst blood vessels from the overall moe factor, I can stand tall and proud that I have defeated and conquer the ultimate that many has perished along the way. Yahoo! Kudos! I am the legend! Alright! Time to celebrate! And for all those who came out from this barely alive but having your little ounce of life intact, a big pat on the back and a big congratulations for making it. Yeah… Forgive me little exaggeration if you will.

Back to this season, I guess this is what to be expected from a genre that is totally about cute girls doing cute things. You could say that everything here follows exactly the same pattern as it did in the first season. The familiarity is so similar that viewers who have watched the first season would definitely feel right at home watching the second one. It hardly strays from there as everything remains the same like as though this season was just a delayed extension of the first season. So for those who are expecting any slight changes or deviation from the formula, you’d be disappointed. Heck, the moe of everything is already enough to kill you so need I elaborate more on that?

With everything feeling right at home, this means there are hardly and character development and the main characters remain largely the way they are as we know them ever since. Well, some things do not change. Like Cocoa who is still the annoying klutz and the big sister wannabe. She doesn’t have the material to be one and she is a very long way off from being the ideal sister even in Chino’s books. But hey, you have to give her points for keep trying and never giving up. Just like many of her traits, her annoying character is also her good characteristics. Her silly antics are the ones that provide the main laughs of the series. Some may call it repetitive but if you find it moe and kawaii, you’ll never get enough of it no matter how annoying it will be. Then you have Chino still timid as usual but she is making tiny progress in opening up and one little step closer to her dream to become the ultimate barista. Well, keep on trying. Then there is the reliable action girl (although there are hardly any action around) Rize and the prankish Chiya whose annoyance could be only second to Cocoa and could even be her partner in crime when it comes to annoying others with their cute silly antics. She still would do what it takes to promote her Amausa but since this is a cute and kawaii series, this means nothing dangerous like underground mafia and kidnappings. Yikes!

If there is any member of the group who has changed slightly, I would say it would be Sharo. Because I remember this girl has got phobia on rabbits. Surprisingly this season sees her completing the rabbit mascot among the coffee and tea houses with her taking a delinquent stray rabbit as her pet. It goes to show that she is indeed making some big progress with her phobia. Sometimes to a point I think she isn’t really that afraid anymore. Somehow I feel that the rabbit mascots don’t steal the limelight this season. I don’t remember if they did last season but Tippy’s presence is already quite minimal despite his role feels relegated to some sort of rebuking joke just to add to the cuteness. And it still always boggles my mind that whenever Tippy speaks, everyone thinks it is Chino’s great ventriloquism. If that girl is not around, they feel puzzled hearing that strange voice from somewhere. I know rabbits don’t naturally talk but aren’t they just curious? Maybe not. Speaking of rabbits not getting enough spotlight, this means Anko remains relatively forgettable wit even much more limited scenes. Even more disappointingly Wild Geese. I thought that stray is here to stay but after that single episode and being adopted by Sharo, it’s like they have forgotten all about it.

The mystery of Aoyama continues although I believe the other interesting ‘progress’ about this novelist who never seems to finish her work, is we get a little more insight of who she is back in high school. But that is about it and maybe it will take another season if you want to hear more about her. Speaking of new characters, Mocha is the only new one introduced and with her having the same character as Cocoa but slightly my big sisterly and responsible, it goes without saying that the seed doesn’t fall far from the tree. The other so called new character is Aoyama’s editor but she only appeared once or twice and she isn’t anything relevant to our main girls. It’s like they’re trolling us when she first appeared. Could she be a new character to stay? Because now that she has found out Aoyama’s usual place to hang out and slack, I thought maybe it will become a running joke to always barge in and bring her away. But it seems dragging Aoyama away has been going on for a long time stretching back to their school days. Looks like more things are not going to change. Another interesting thing to note is the ‘rivalry’ between Rabbit House and Amausa that seems to go back to when the grandparents have some sort of feud. I’d like to know more about it but perhaps it would be distracting from the main girls.

If one thing that bugs me, I started realizing that Rabbit House, Amausa and even Fleur du Lapin are void of any customers! The place is always empty and the most one or two customers. And that itself is rare! It is perhaps that without the bustling business, the girls are able to have so much time on their hands to go have fun and play with each other. It is amazing that their businesses have not gone bust yet. Even more so, Aoyama seems to be their frequent main customer all the time. It’s like she is their only customer! And I do realize that this town seems void of people too! It feels like a ghost town! It could be this town has a very small population despite the very beautiful European-like buildings and such, but I just can’t help notice there isn’t much people around. Like as though the main girls are the only ones around. Where the heck is everybody? That’s why I have this eerie thought that all this might actually be just one big imagination and dream. In reality the town is decimated in a zombie apocalypse. The girls are dying and only clinging on to this dream. That is why you have Tippy the talking rabbit and the magic of everything moe! Haha! Super conspiracy theory! And then all the moe factor wakes them up in this deserted wasteland. Ultimate shock and twist! Yeah, I don’t think I really want to have this kind of revelation for this series.

This season’s themes feel absolutely similar like last season. So if you wonder why Nopoi, the opening theme for this season sung by Petit Rabbit’s, sound so awfully similar, now you know why. The lively pace of this song with all the cute, moe and kawaii elements bring back those memories. If last season made you go “pyon-pyon”, this season now makes you go “poitte-poitte”. The similar bouncy feel of last season’s ending theme can be said for this season too. Tokimeki Poporon by Chimame-tai has all that bubbly and moe-ness, so much more than the opening theme because we have Chino and her friends doing cute dances and playing rock-scissors-papers at the end that it would just tighten your heart each time you stay and watch the entire ending theme from start till end. Furthermore, hearing this song reminds me of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s style of music but a moe version. Even more so for the special ending theme for the final episode, Nantoku Mirai by Petit Rabbit’s which is of a slow lovely ballad. Made me want to go Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Fixing A Hole and A Day In Life.

Overall, there is nothing much to be said from this season because there is nothing that is different to make it stand out even more. It is like this season is made for those who love the formula of the first season and thus those who are not really into this genre will not really find anything attractive. Seriously, is there anybody in this world who cannot resist moe lolis? Oh yeah… Macho guys… *Shivers*. So if this series and season doesn’t let the moe kill you and bleed to death and choking, then at least it will calm you down a little and make you smile. Oh heck. I remember there were very miniscule fanservice in the previous season. There are one or two seasons here too but it is so minimal that you won’t even remember it. Since you’ll be overawed by the blinding moe. Just when you thought the moe onslaught is over, here comes another wave of moe zombies bringing you terror once more. One cup of coffee for the road then… I’ll be ready when the third wave/season comes…

Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX

And so it is here. The third season of girls in high tech combat gear, singing their songs while in the midst of kicking ass cute and colourful but dangerous creatures that would turn you into carbon at the mere touch. Yes, people. Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX finally made the airwaves after 2 years since the second season ended. Oh God. That feels like an awful long time. And you know what this means for me. Forgetting a big chunk of what happened in the predecessors. Well, at least the fine details but overall I’m still okay. So what is new in this season? Well, if you consider a new enemy but with the same ol’ goal of destruction and the same ol’ singing technology to defeat them. Yeah, let the music save the world again.

Episode 1
Remember the pod that Nastassja ride up to space to sacrifice herself to save the world in last season? Well, due to orders from UN, they are to retrieve whatever technological remains and her corpse. The shuttle that retrieved it is experiencing malfunctions and is free falling from the atmosphere. It is projected to crash through the Mount Everest area. That is where our Symphogear ladies come in. In this exhilarating high speed action to stop the speeding shuttle, they had to cut a mountain in half! OMG! It is no longer one of the tallest mountains in the world! WTF?! And though it rips through a town, major damage is prevented when they successfully put a stop dead in its tracks. Phew. Thank goodness. As narrated, Genjurou and his team now head a paranormal disaster relief force called SONG under the UN. Hibiki and her friends continue their daily school lives. Kirika and Shirabe are also joining them as they are on probation. Everyone converges to watch Tsubasa and Maria’s concert live in London. Maria isn’t as free as you think she is. Thanks to her part in last season’s crime, she is also under some probation and forced to be a heroic idol putting on charitable concerts for a righteous cause so some parties could save face. After the concert, a series of deadly attacks occur. Genjurou quickly sorties the Symphogear girls. Maria is ambushed by Phara Suyuf who is an Autoscorer. Tsubasa comes to her aid. Hibiki is tasked to save the trapped people in the building that is caught on fire. After that, she is confronted with this witch loli, Carol Malus Dienheim. At first she thought she was a lost child but she then displays her alchemy powers and claims it will shatter the world and slaughter miracles. And there’s this tragic flashback about Carol’s dad being burnt at the stake under suspicions for practising witchcraft. His last words were for her to live on and experience more of the world. I hope she didn’t take dad’s words the wrong way.

Episode 2
Hibiki refuses to change because she believes her Symphogear is to help others and not fight. This only makes Carol mad. Chris faces off with another Autoscorer, Leiur Darahim. After Chris almost gets dropped by several yachts, Elfnein approaches her. She has been looking for the Symphogear girls to help her in her quest to protect the girl from Carol’s alchemy. Meanwhile Garie Tuman might look like a cute goth loli walking around. But be careful. She is sucking the life force out of others! Kirika and Shirabe who were told to hold the fort and not come into battle because they do not have suitable Gears and Linkers to fight, can’t just stand by and watch their friends fight alone. Hibiki continues to provoke Carol by not engaging in battle. She wants to know why Carol wants to fight. There’s something unclear about her being spied on an invasion of privacy but ultimately she says it is a task left behind by her father. Yeah, I think she really did get the wrong idea. Since Garie has collected enough memories, time to withdraw. Hibiki collapses shortly. Tsubasa and Maria escape but no matter where they go, Phara is always ahead. She can summon Noise to fight them. To everyone’s shock, upon contact, Tsubasa’ Gear starts to disintegrate. Similarly, the same thing is happening to Chris.

Episode 3
As Elfnein explains, those were Alca-Noise created to dissect the world. Kirika and Shirabe transform to retrieve Chris and Elfnein. Carol orders the other Autoscorers in the battlefield to withdraw so our heroines can thank their lucky stars they are safe for now. Maria is about to be taken into custody by the agents. She contacts Genjurou and wants to formally transfer to SONG. Although she doesn’t have her own Gear, she cannot remain a false idol in this crisis. Tsubasa also retires from her music business temporary to return to SONG. There is some explanation about their Relics but all I understand it cannot be fixed. With Ryouko gone, nobody knows how to fix them. The only Gear left is Hibiki’s. Kirika and Shirabe’s are not official as it put a lot o f strain on their bodies without a proper Linker and sync rates. Garie kisses Micha Jawkan to transfer all the collected memories into her and activates her to life. Carol believes Micha is their strongest fighter. Elfnein explains what she knows. Under Carol’s orders, she constructed some giant apparatus. One day she discovered it was supposed to destroy the world and fled to try and end her plan. Alca-Noise is originally based on a recipe for creating Noise and it can destroy anything including Symphogear. Thus, Carol’s next step is to construct a giant apparatus designed to turn that power on the world. Unfortunately, Elfnein was created as her homunculus and only ‘installed’ the necessary power and knowledge for the construction. She doesn’t have the specifics but she does know Chateau de Tiffauges is close to completion. That is why she has brought this Relic, Dwerg Dain that is capable of thwarting Alca-Noise and Carol’s alchemy power. Later Maria and Hibiki got into an argument. Maria views her as arrogant despite having the power to call forth Symphogear and yet she won’t use it. Garie appears before Hibiki and her friends. She is going to force her to fight by summoning Noise. But the most shocking thing is when Hibiki cannot sing! Gungnir won’t respond to her and this means she cannot transform. Yeah, even the enemy is freaking shocked-cum-disappointed with this development.

Episode 4
Garie is going to target Hibiki’s friends but one of them mentions not to drag them into this and that they aren’t her friends. It’s just a ploy so when Garie lets them go, they make a run for it. Garie sets her Noise upon them. Before Hibiki can be toasted, here comes Maria flying into the scene (thanks to Ogawa’s awesome driving). She grabs Hibiki’s Gear and transforms to fight and defeat all the Noise. When she is about to face Garie, she is at her limit and reverts back to normal. Garie is so disappointed that she just retreats. Although Marie is bleeding from overstraining, Hibiki snatches back her Gear and screams it isn’t supposed to be used that way. This is her Gungnir and she is the one who is supposed to use it. Wow. Did she wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Well, maybe. She can’t sleep that night since she is in a dilemma about her songs her people so Miku has to assure her that her songs don’t. Her friends even think if Hibiki remembers the reason why she couldn’t sing, maybe she’ll sing again. Maria, Kirika and Shirabe visit Nastassja’s grave and they want to be stronger. Elfnein tells Genjurou and the girls about her Project Ignite. Theoretically putting some alchemy into their Gear to have a fighting chance. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Alca-Noise is detected. Micha leads the Noise chasing after Hibiki and Miku. When Miku is cornered at an abandoned building, she makes a last plea to Hibiki how her songs saved people and that she loves them. Miku is about to die and this causes Hibiki to become desperate. She starts singing and this allows her to transform. She realizes she was trying to run away from her responsibility. Now she will not. After saving Miku, she kicks some Noise ass and even gives Micha a run for her money. Just when Hibiki strikes the most devastating blow, Micha turns out to be a water illusion. The real Micha fires a powerful shot that blasts Hibiki into the sky and shatters her Gear. Hibiki dead?!

Episode 5
Hibiki is wheeled into ICU. The rest hope and believe this won’t kill her because we always know she’ll bounce back, right? Right?! Well, it’s been a week and Hibiki is still under coma. Time to panic? Thanks to Genjurou’s brother who is also Tsubasa’s father, Yatsuhiro manages to pull some strings as a high government official to get external power sources to maintain their operation as currently there is a concurrent worldwide energy maintenance. Elfnein is making significant progress with her Project Ignite. She dreams of Carol’s memories of her times with her father. His last dying words is the reason Elfnein will protect the world from Carol as she wants to find out what the answer was. With Alca-Noise detected destroying energy generators worldwide, Kirika and Shirabe sneak into some medical room to get prototype Linkers so they can fight them. These prototypes left behind by Kanade help reduce the recoil of their Gear and go easy on their body. As a team, their attacks are more devastating and effective. Despite the good news that Hibiki is now awake (after another round of her own tragic family past) and grateful to Miku for all that she has done, Micha enters the fray and gives them a run for their money. Kirika becomes her first victim when her Gear is destroyed. With their power drastically reduced, Micha summons Alca-Noise to toy with Shirabe till she is cornered and once her Gear is destroyed too, all that is left for her is to succumb to fate while Kirika is reduced to screaming for anybody to help. You don’t say because here comes Tsubasa and Chris with their brand new Gear. Looks like Elfnein finished in time. Another reason to thank your lucky stars.

Episode 6
Thanks to Project Ignite, not only the damaged Gears are repaired, it also boosts its output power. They are able to fight on par with Micha till Carol enters the fray. She tells Micha to retreat because the plan’s progression is utmost important and she will take care of this. Carol summons her harp weapon that summons some Relic and transforms her into an adult version to fight. She is very powerful thanks to the memories she absorbed as fuel and since she has been living for a long time, yes, she is that freaking powerful. Tsubasa and Chris are down so they initiate an Ignite module, Dainsleif. It stabs their hearts. The pain is very immense and they are in risk of going berserks like how Hibiki did last season. But that is the essential of this module. To bring out that berserk power but the risk is suicidal if they cannot handle it. They are forced to face their past nightmares and regrets. Although they pull each other out from the abyss, the synchronization failed. Carol then unleashes Alca-Noise to destroy the city if they can’t get back up and fight. Now Hibiki enters the fray. Elfnein has given back her repaired Gungnir and she is all set to go. Once again, the trio activates Dainsleif. The reward for surpassing that painful madness? A cooler and darker outfit! To prove how powerful they are, Carol unleashes 3,000 Alca-Noise so that they could just wipe them out with their freaking awesome firepower. Then Carol also tries to show off her awesome power and kills some of her Alca-Noise in the way. The combined effort of the trio finally bring down Carol. Hibiki asks her reason to destroy the world. Can’t remember. So long ago that now it has become her reason to fight. Carol won’t leave Hibiki in peace and reminds her that her song cannot save anyone before burning herself. Hibiki may be left traumatized but she stays strong and prove her wrong.

Episode 7
Elfnein gives Maria and co their upgraded Gear. I suppose the girls are supposed to train but when the beach is so tempting, they can’t help have fun. And call it part of their training. That’s why I can’t blame Elfnein for asking Hibiki to properly train because despite their new Gear has extra protective layers, it is still dangerous. Then Garie pops up to attack. What better way to train via the real deal. Garie throws Alca-Noise to separate the rest so she could target Maria. She thought wrong if she doesn’t have her Gear. Maria uses it to transform and fight back. She thought of using Dainsleif to finish the fight but she failed to overcome her darkness and now becomes a wild beast. Garie defeats her and feels so disappointed that she just retreats. While everyone else discusses the Autoscorers retreating instead of finishing them off each time and the mystery they can still move about with Carol’s orders, Maria is alone thinking about her weak self. Elfnein tries to encourage her when Garie returns for another rematch. Although still weak, Maria remembers what she thought to Elfnein. Despite Elfnein had no fighting abilities, she still acted bravely in the face of danger. True strength is being yourself. Activating Dainsleif this time, Maria overcomes her weakness and powers up into a cool suit to beat up Garie and finishing her off for good. During this fight, Phara has snuck into the base and stole some chip. The girls continue playing their sparklers. Hibiki is made to go buy snacks. Miku accompanies her. But at the convenience store, they are shocked to see Hibiki’s dad. Her first reaction? Run away!

Episode 8
When Hibiki calms down, she meets her father. Looks like he wants to start all over again after realizing that she has been in the media as a hero saving the world. However she still blames him for leaving the family when they needed him most and leaves. This guy couldn’t get more despicable than he is. He asks Hibiki to pay his bill! Phara returns with the stolen data of some Photosphere. It contains data of the world’s ley lines that Nastassja used to focus Phonic gain for Frontier. Hibiki is still angry as she joins Shirabe and Kirika to fight Alca-Noise. She takes out her frustrations by doing a lot of damage but when she realizes that she might also be responsible for the family’s breakup, Micha owns her. The others come to her rescue and could have lost had not Micha had orders to retreat. The girls are thankfully alright but Kirika and Shirabe are fighting that they think the other is being a burden. Hibiki apologizes for letting them get involved in her personal matter. Oh, now Miku feels responsible too. So it’s everybody’s fault and yet nobody’s? Genjurou discovers a plot by the Autoscorers to map their power routes. After the destruction of power supplies, they have been sending additional energy to government facilities as compensation. Micha returns to fight Kirika and Shirabe. Again they think they’re getting in each other’s way. But then they realize all that thought was because they care about each other. Other people got mad at them because they care about them. Yeah. Okay. Whatever. This gives them the motivation to use Dainsleif as they power up and combine their powers to destroy Micha. Later the duo are reprimanded by Genjurou and Chris for being too reckless. Surprisingly they feel remorseful so they let them off the hook. Carol has revived back in the base. After learning Garie and Micha has died glorious deaths, it is time to hasten Apocalypse and slaughter every last miracle.

Episode 9
Genjurou has deduced there might be 2 spots the enemy might attack. Neptune’s Palace, the secret of the most secret of all bases hidden underwater that houses all dangerous and unknown and unanalyzed materials. As keystones of shrines around the country are being destroyed to disrupt the ley lines, the other location is no other than Tsubasa’s childhood home. I guess it’s like going home to see papa, eh? Tsubasa and Maria are tasked for this one. Let’s say Tsubasa and Yatsuhiro’s relationship aren’t the warmest. Don’t expect to see any father-daughter hugs and kisses. More of the kind that says, “You’re still able? Do your job then”. Even Maria got upset on Tsubasa’s behalf on this. Phara then attacks. Although Tsubasa fights her, her sword breaks because Phara’s ability is that no sword can destroy her. Once she destroys the keystone, she retreats. Genjurou saw this coming that the enemy is also attacking Neptune’s Palace simultaneously. He sends Chris, Kirika and Shirabe to face off with Leiur and Carol. Elfnein believes Carol is after Yantra Sarvasva which has awesome controlling mechanism and properties. It is essential in her world destruction plan. Once Tsubasa has recovered, Yatsuhiro shows them lots of research works some German company who created their Symphogear suit, analysis of the Alca-Noise and alchemy. Whatever. Sounds too technical. Since Tsubasa is fine, he wants her to take it elsewhere to analyse further. Time for Maria to get upset again…

Tsubasa brings Maria to her old room. It’s a big mess! And it was from 10 years ago! Hey… Not dusty? Tsubasa explains her thorny relationship with her dad. It all began when grandpa couldn’t decide an heir to the family. Neither Yatsuhiro nor Genjurou were chosen and instead he chose Tsubasa right after she was born. She didn’t understand but later found out she wasn’t her father’s daughter. To keep the family’s blood pure, grandpa forced her mom to bear his child. That’s Tsubasa. So grandpa is her real dad?! Tsubasa kept fighting in hopes Yatsuhiro would accept her. But if this is all she has to show, it must be disappointing. Phara returns to attack Tsubasa particularly. Again, she loses. Tsubasa feels useless till Yatsuhiro surprisingly tells her to sing and not be afraid to hold her dreams. Since Tsubasa hasn’t guessed it yet, Maria tells her Yatsuhiro hasn’t abandoned her. That speckles room? He cleaned it for the last 10 years! He held on his memories for her by holding on to her room! He also distanced her from the family so she could achieve her dream. Complicated … Tsubasa revives and uses Dainsleif to power up and sing again. But can she defeat Phara with a sword? That is not a sword. Those are her wings which carry her dreams! Oh gosh! She just defeated Phara’s concept just like that? And with that too, she cuts Phara in half. Carol has got her hands on Yantra Sarvasva. Chris and co attack relentlessly. When a missile is going to hit Carol, guess who stopped it with only a bare hand? IT’S DR VER!!! OMG! THIS BASTARD IS STILL ALIVE??????!!!!!!! If you’re wondering where Hibiki is, she is resting. Could have been nothing if not her father kept calling her! Look at the miscalls in her log!!! OMG! Stalker material! She shuts off her phone. Ah, true peace…

Episode 10
Kirika and Shirabe stop Chris from going all out because they fear killing Ver would mean no more Linkers as he is the only one who knows how to make them. But still, she doesn’t care and had to be stopped for her recklessness. This allowed the villains to get away. This has Chris very mad as she views she doesn’t need her juniors help and can solve this herself. Elfnein wonders why Carol is still moving forward with her plan since Yantra Sarvasva has been destroyed. She remembers confronting Carol about destroying the world which isn’t part of the deal. So she thinks. She told her that father wouldn’t want the end of the world but Carol snapped back at the clone for calling herself his daughter. Ver tells us why he is still alive. Because his left hand is now Nephilim, he is treated as an object after being recovered and imprisoned at Neptune’s Palace. As Genjurou leads Chris and co to catch up on the villains, it dawned to him it is like they know the area well. Like as though somebody hacked HQ. Could it be there is a mole among them? Turns out to be Elfnein! OMG! However Elfnein is unsure herself. Carol’s projection reveals because she is a clone, she can hack her senses so unwittingly Elfnein has been projecting information back to her. The reason the Autoscorers continue to attack the Symphogear ladies is because their cursed melody is essential to the destruction of the world. Yes, Ignite module has been part of their plan. Whenever they use it, the Autoscorers will record them and send it to Carol. Therefore they don’t need the Gear users in the end. Although Phara is disabled, she had enough time to explain all that to Maria and Tsubasa before self destructing. Elfnein feels so guilty, she wants to be killed off. But kind Genjurou reminds her about her mission to thwart Carol’s plan. Leiur fights Chris and co so Carol and Ver could escape. When Kirika and Shirabe got knocked out, this leaves Chris an emotional wreck. She is afraid of being alone again in this cruel world, blah, blah, blah. But the juniors manage to tell her about relying on her and learning new things. This gives Chris the motivation to use Dainsleif and blow the crap out of Leiur. Thanks to Kirika and Shirabe’s cooperation, they manage to seal off the section instead of being blown up together. But now the place is crumbling so they rush and return to the main ship. As they race to surface, a giant humanoid monster is chasing them. Once on the surface, the monster chops the ship in half!

Episode 11
Chris destroys the monster. That was easy. Though, Elfnein was slightly injured. Meanwhile Hibiki sums up her courage to meet daddy again. He wants their family to get back again but he is afraid of seeing mom?! WTF?! Has he got no balls?! And Hibiki was ready to give him a second chance… The sky cracks. Here comes Chateau activated by Ver. You know, Hibiki’s dad is a real dick. He is recording this Armageddon tool and thinking how much he can sell on social media! If the world is still around… Because Ver considers Carol’s goal of destroying the world pathetic, he will take over her reigns as hero. Before he can start his hero ranting crap, Carol stabs him. You tell it to him, sister. Side characters can never be heroes! Carol goes down to Hibiki to bring her more despair. Although her dad might did a surprise move by pushing his daughter to safety, that’s all to it. He now runs away like a coward as Carol targets him. How shameful. Not even Hibiki has words to answer that. But wait. Daddy isn’t just running around for fun. He is using this as diversion so Hibiki could escape. The line that seals it when he says if he wants the family to work, she has to be part of it. This makes Hibiki that his words were always what kept her going when it was tough. He has always been looking out for her. Wow. All the faith restored in just a split second. Hibiki revives and transforms to fight Carol. Carol will kill her father then but thankfully Hibiki’s pals have arrived to help. After daddy is ushered to safety (he is brought back on Genjurou’s ship where he continues to watch his daughter because like he literally said, he won’t take his eyes off her), Carol transforms into her adult version and starts her destructive damage. She can continue singing her swan song without straining her body. Chateau resonates like a tuning fork, amplifying her song and causing one hell of a big energy blast! While Hibiki’s team fights the powerful Carol, Maria’s team heads up to Chateau to try and stop it. But looks like they’ve got lots of Alca-Noise to deal with. To their surprise, they see Nastassja before them. What the heck is this series bringing back dead people?

Episode 12
Nastassja tells Maria her hands are tainted and cannot be saved. Doing so means only finding salvation for herself. Kirika and Shirabe don’t want her to be duped by this fake and take her and run. Carol explains about some history between songs and alchemy. So songs destroy the world? I don’t get it. Maria’s team stumble upon Ver. I knew he wasn’t dead. He has lost a lot of blood and can’t control Chateau. So he is going to work with them to destroy Chateau. Yes, this means taking all of them onboard as well. When Nastassja confronts Maria again, Maria denies her and she turns into Fine, a dark culmination of Maria’s mistakes. Elfnein contacts Ver to give him the blueprint of the Photosphere. You know characters are going to sacrifice themselves when they start saying goodbye. That’s what Maria’s team say to Hibiki’s team. Before you know it, Chateau explodes. Carol is left in despair that her world destruction plan is in tatters. Elfnein tries to convince Carol that this is not what father wants. Carol still believes in her revenge to overcome her grief. After all, he left them questions without answers. Elfnein further explains about alchemy. Its goal of understanding and harmony. Therefore father’s solution is forgiveness even if the world rejected him. This is what he wanted to tell them. You think Carol would learn her lesson. But no. She is going to use all her power to destroy the present even if it means risking all her memories. Hibiki and co have no choice but to use Ignite to fight her. Even unlocking their safety they still cannot do much damage as they get blown away. Carol’s Phonic gain alone has 7 billion swan songs!!! And then… They hear Maria and co singing! I knew it was too good to kill them off. Apparently Ver saved them so they could tell his tale of how great a hero is for saving the world. Sure, she’ll tell the world about him being the worst hero. There you go… Bye Ver. The Symphogear girls start singing and there’s lot of power blasting whatever. Seems they are using Carol’s Phonic gain against her. With Elfnein giving her final miracle, it has the Symphogear girls in new sparkling bright outfits! Hey wait. I thought I’ve seen these outfits before at the end of last season?

Episode 13
More numbers. More power. Even armed with a miracle. You think that’s enough to beat Carol? Carol tells her dad’s story whereby he created medicine for a plagued village. But they show their thanks by burning him because he isn’t a guy who is supposed to bring miracles. That’s why every miracle is a curse to her and she’ll destroy every last one of them. She sends out more Alca-Noise or the Symphogear girls to fight but that is just for their warm up and distraction so that Carol has more time to power up and summon a mecha dragon. Zoids? More power lights exchanged by both sides. Carol starts to falter when memories of her dad resurface. Thinking it is trying to stop her, she’ll even burn them to burn everything. The Symphogear girls focus all their power to Hibiki so she could save Carol. Even when Carol is defeated, she remains adamant her songs cannot save anybody. She refuses to be saved. Hibiki desperately reaches out her hand. Carol sees Elfnein reaching out to her but it turned into her dad. I guess his words were enough to save her (in reality, it is Hibiki taking her hand). But the dragon exploded and everything within the 12km radius is decimated! Wasteland from Fallout 4? In the aftermath, miraculously no civilians died (at least it was not stated). Our Symphogear girls are alive but Carol is nowhere to be found. They casually chat with Elfnein like as though they are best friends in the world. But after everyone leaves, Hibiki cries alone in the toilet and Miku provides a shoulder to cry on. That night, Carol visits Elfnein. She doesn’t remember who she is. Wait. She can’t recall her name but she could find this room? Despite losing her memories, all Carol could see was Elfnein’s face so she thought she might get answers if she sees her. Elfnein talks about their dad but it seems Elfnein’s body cannot last any much longer. She thought she would gladly die for the world but now she feels she wants to live. We get our yuri moment when they kiss. It’s such a heart stopping move that Elfnein’s heart literally stops. The other girls rush in. Elfnein is gone. Carol is standing there. But wait. It’s not Carol. It’s Elfnein in Carol’s body! So happy they can’t resist a group hug. So… Carol + Elfnein = Ca-nein-> Canine? Just kidding… End scenes show Hibiki getting along well with her dad. Chris exerting her senior muscles while supervising Kirika and Shirabe over summer homework. Maria and Tsubasa fly to England together. Elfnein is now working at SONG. Finally, Hibiki’s dad sums up his courage to make up with mom. Since both adults are hesitating, Hibiki takes the initiative to join their hands. She’s never letting go. I mean, not in the literal sense.

Symphogear GX Zesshoushinai

Just like last season, these are short skits lasting around 8 minutes each that you get when you buy the DVDs. If you can’t get enough of the girls, the fun continues in bite size and in chibi form.

OVA 1
Taking place mostly after the Frontier incident, Hibiki complains about studying for the test but then she realizes this is something normal and thus is happy to conclude she has returned to her everyday life. Genjurou receives report about the sunken pieces of Frontier. While majority of its parts are useless or destroyed, they find a torn letter with some sort of mysterious poem on it. They have formed a special team to decipher it. Maria, Kirika and Shirabe are in prison. Shirabe seems to be greatly anticipating when the clock strikes 12. Because this is when the food is served. And boy, do prison food tastes good? Must be the kind of prison they’re in. Heck, they’ve been treated to very good meals that Maria can’t help curse her luck during their time at FIS because they only had meals they could only dream of. Therefore she is in a dilemma to continue being stubborn so they can be locked in prison and get served good food. Hibiki, Miku and Chris watch Tsubasa perform on TV as well as her blunders on variety show. When Hibiki and co visit Maria and co, Tsubasa notes how they have become well rounded in terms of thinking. But they misinterpret it as becoming fat due to the inactivity of lying around in prison! Tsubasa’s graduation day looms and she will fly off to London after that to fulfil her dream of singing on stage there. Tsubasa teases being worried for Chris because she will tend to hide her tears. Chris embarrassingly protests that and counters back that Tsubasa is the one who will cry at the graduation ceremony. Tsubasa in turn refutes that because a sword doesn’t cry. Then at the ceremony she couldn’t stop crying. Chris can’t make fun of her after hearing her tears were because she can’t stand the thought of being separated from everyone. This too infects Chris as she starts crying. But save the crying for later because they get a message about a space shuttle re-entry having difficulties. Time to go on a mission one last time together.

OVA 2
After Maria graduates and leaves to become a UN agent, she seeks a favour from Chris to look after Kirika and Shirabe because she figured she is the best person to guide them around and to make them feel at home. Chris is not amused that she has got such a reputation and when she finds out Hibiki was responsible in giving Maria that impression, she punches her! Call it memory rage! Chris tries to dictate how Hibiki and Miku should address her but since it got so confusing and nobody is listening, she just lets them call her however they please. Chris and co take Kirika and Shirabe to tour the school. However they already know the layout of the school so well when they learnt it during the infiltration that they feel bad of spoiling it. Just go with the flow. As they explain the several facilities, the duo cannot help think this is some sort of elaborated Symphogear training ground. You think too much… Tsubasa has arrived in England and awaiting her new challenge. Then Ogawa hands her a list of variety shows she will participate in. Not the kind of challenge she is looking for? Maria reads her contract as an undercover singer and feels like a hero. She feels proud but when the thought of Tsubasa crosses her mind, she feels she can’t compare to her. Tsubasa and Maria call each other. Each feeling awkward in their conversation. Tsubasa tells her about receiving so many variety jobs that she has trouble deciding which ones to reject. Eventually they decide to work with each other and sing on stage together. They heave a sigh of relief to have a friend saviour. Chris is cleaning her place and complaining while she is at it because her friends will be coming over. But she seems happy with the thought of having them over.

OVA 3
Finally an episode for Carol and her Autoscorers. Taking place before the start of this season, Carol is not pleased that despite using her own thought patterns to create her Autoscorers’ AI, she feels ashamed to see them pose like that. Garie reasons how people want to see cool final bosses-like pose but it just pisses Carol off to think just that. Yuri moment! Garie kisses Phara and Leiur to bring them alive. Carol watches this and is embarrassed and reminds to mind where they do it. But Garie argues they are based off her AI so she herself might actually like public display of affection. Carol’s plan begins by setting loose Elfnein. But she is so busy doing last minute checks that Carol just tells her off to just escape, damn it! And since she is being such a klutz even in escaping, Carol orders Leiur to chase her out in pretence of attacking her but without giving away their intentions. Leiur feels clashed because Elfnein looks like Carol and her conscience might stop her from doing so. Since when did Carol program conscience into her? Phara and Leiur discuss about random and fair use of rock-scissors-paper and lottery ladder. This is just to show off their statistic knowledge. The Autoscorers comment on Micha’s weird pose. Micha thinks it is cool despite not knowing its meaning so the rest think it could only mean Carol came up with it. Garie is not too happy Micha continues to bug her. This time her ribbon came undone and because of those monstrous hands, she can’t tie them back. Ironic for an ultimate Autoscorer she can’t do the simplest things. But I suppose Garie had a change of heart when Micha claims she’ll be pretty much useless without her around and fixes her ribbon so she can stop saying ‘stupid’ things.

OVA 4
Maria and Tsubasa are on a plane back to Japan. Maria thinks the rest will start teasing her when she returns and fears facing them. But luckily she manages to give off that asserting feel thanks to the in-flight food. Miku and Hibiki are cooking and eating beef stroganoff. I think Hibiki’s cooking is horrible but she is forcing herself to eat it so as to remember the taste and not make the same mistake in the future. During the time when Maria chides Hibiki for running away from using Gungnir, the reason Hibiki can’t look her in the eye is because her face is covered in blood! Chris imagines using Hibiki’s Gungnir but couldn’t stand the fact it is yellow. However she sniggers like a maniac dreaming about using Kirika and Shirabe’s Gears. Tsubasa too seems to be ‘depressed’ because she also knows what Chris is thinking and had those same thoughts as well. A time when Hibiki, Tsubasa and Chris unleash Dainsleif to fight against Carol, the process was so painful to watch that Kirika and Shirabe wonder if the trio have become the sheath instead of unsheathing the weapon. Kirika didn’t realize she was thinking aloud and embarrassed everybody when she thought of how much she loves Shirabe. The girls are in special training so Miku starts snapping photos of Hibiki like a mad paparazzi. For documentation purposes? You mean for her own collection, that is. Kirika and Shirabe and treading slowly and carefully in the water. They wonder how Ogawa does it by running on the water while carrying them. Simple. That f*cking guy is Jesus Christ! Just kidding!

Elegy Of Alchemy, Requiem Of Delirium
So let me guess. If they ever going to make another season, we now have Elfnein as part of the team? Yeah, the team is expanding and getting bigger and bigger the more seasons it gets. And I suppose if that happens, they’ll resurrect her Autoscorers and reform them into good guys too? Yeah well, we’ll leave that for another time. As far as this season goes, I guess it would be what Symphogear fans would expect. The songs, the action, the girls in tight fitting combat gear. Despite the ending is a happy one without much of a cliff-hanger (I believe it is time for our heroines to have a relaxing time that they deserved and earned from all the suffering they’ve been through this season even if it is just shown for 5 seconds at the end), there is of course still that little threat seeing Genjurou and Yatsuhiro were discussing about the emerging threat from Europe considering the great ol’ America has fallen.

I suppose they try to shake things up a little by introducing enemies that somewhat do not use the Symphogear technology but ancient alchemy. Because something feels a bit wrong when you see the enemies always getting the better of the girls but yet they do not finish them off but come back to fight them another day. I suppose it is to show that they are not perfect and instead of always expecting the Symphogear girls to come out tops each time, they finally meet their match in a stronger enemy. Sometimes it feels like a big training stint to power up the girls because what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Heck, I thought they might pull off this shocking revelation that Carol and the Autoscorers are actually the good guys on their side, just playing the villains so that our Symphogear girls, the last saviours of mankind could power up greatly and defeat and even bigger villain. Too bad it wasn’t as complicated as that.

I’m sure they are trying to add some drama effect this season too. Because last season we had Miku almost turning into a baddie and for this season, we had Hibiki’s father returning to ruin her life again. At first looks he passes off as no more than a parasitic selfish jerk whom viewers would instantly love to hate. Heh. At least Ver was a bad guy but what is worse than that is a father who dared to come back into her daughter’s life without any sort of repentance. But since we cannot have jerks like him in this show especially if he is to live and be reunited with Hibiki in the end, suddenly he redeems himself by having a change in character. And before you know it, he is the best dad in the world at least from Hibiki’s renewed point of view. Yeah, with all those cool fatherly lines at the end, it is hard to cast him as a douchebag anymore from the way he shows his remorse and worries while watching over Hibiki’s final fight. To sum it up, he isn’t the perfect or the best father role model ever but he is still Hibiki’s dad no matter what. Aww… Time for a big warm hug?

Then there is Tsubasa’s case too about her estranged father and such but that felt a little rushed seeing her case wasn’t as bad as Hibiki. I’m sure they would have done something for Chris too if her parents weren’t dead. Either ways, our girls reconciling with their father seems to be the turning point and motivation that encourages them to fight better. So I’m guessing this season’s theme is all about the father, eh? Yeah well, Genjurou as the father figure didn’t do pretty much just like last season except commanding in his ship and watching over the girls. But still, a father figure nevertheless. Maybe a mother figure for Maria, Kirika and Shirabe. And when we have Hibiki’s family back on track again, they decide to add the theme of family in addition to all that. Fathers, friends, family… F*cking fabulous!

I can’t say much about the villainesses for this season because Carol’s excuse to destroy the world just because they burnt her fire doesn’t seem like a good justification for Armageddon. Of course, from Carol’s point of view, her father is the world and everything and natural if your dad is killed by dickheads, you’d definitely want to watch the world burn too. And her Autoscorers I thought they were just fancy posing mannequins in fancy dresses that would make them look like models for a photo shoot. They lack any deep personality except maybe for Micha who is probable to most psycho of the lot. But that itself pales in comparison to the madness of Ver.

I had this thought that the series was going to bring back dead characters because when they did it for Carol (seriously, how can the big little boss die so early and before her Autoscorers did), I didn’t expect they would bring Ver and Nastassja back although the latter is just some sort of clone. Hey, Hibiki nearly died and she came back. I know, she’s the heroine. Heck, I thought at this rate they might even bring back Ryouko (at least yet another Fine’s reincarnation) and even Kanade and Serena! Thank God they didn’t. But I find it pretty annoying that characters who are supposed to be dead should stay dead no matter how popular or favourite that character is in my books. Because doing so just makes it feel cheap. That kind of twist and revelation doesn’t work these days in today’s stories. So I guess they had the ‘decency’ to kill off Ver (again) and even if Carol’s gone, at least she lives on in Elfnein. Like I said earlier, if they really tried bringing back dead characters, maybe next season we would have Autoscorers joining their ranks.

In every episode there is guaranteed to be some sort of action from the Symphogear girls. I can’t recall how exaggerated the actions were in the previous seasons but with the third season, they get more power ups and the more powerful they get, the more colourful their songs and beams are. As seen in the big final epic battle. Yeah, sometimes I think it is one heck of a big magic light show and the only difference is that you can’t stay too close and be in awe of those magnificent lights because they will kill you. Otherwise, the unique display of each of the Symphogear girls’ skill sets are still an amusing watch as each comes in their own typesetting font style and move names. With the threat of Carol and Autoscorers, Noise (or Alca-Noise as they are now termed this season) seems to be a very distant threat now. It is like they have become enemies our girls to warm up and the obligatory little minions they must fight before battling the stage boss.

Many of the casts from the previous seasons are retained. New ones joining the line up are Inori Minase as Carol (Nagisa in Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa), Misaki Kuno as Elfnein (Hawk in Nanatsu No Taizai), Shizuka Ishigami as Leiur (Stella in Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry), Masumi Tazawa as Phara (Saionji in Yamada-kun And The Seven Witches), Shiori Izawa as Micha (Tanpopo in Witch Craft Works), Michiyo Murase as Garie (Slywia in Schwarzesmarken), Kazuhiro Yamaji as Yatsuhiro (Senor Pink in One Piece) and Toshihiko Seki as Hibiki’s dad (Senketsu in Kill La Kill).

Just like in previous seasons, the ever great Nana Mizuki as usual sings the opening theme. Exterminate doesn’t sound that all different from its predecessors. Displaying her powerful vocals as well as the fast paced techno rock music that permeates throughout the entire series. The main ending theme, Rebirth-day by Ayahi Takagaki also follows this same pattern. But breaking that pattern is Bayonet Charge, a duet by both of them. This special ending theme is more of hard rock. Then there is Glorious Break by Nana Mizuki which is more dramatic sounding with all the choir voices and orchestra music in the background. Like in previous seasons too, the insert songs of the girls singing are aplenty. I believe there is as much if not more insert songs than last season although from what I can see from the list is that most of them are remix variations from the main ones. Well, not that I noticed which ones stand out since I can’t be focusing my senses to both that battle and the songs. And since I can’t really hear what they are singing, I guess I’ll be concentrating on the power fights instead.

Overall, if you are a fan of the series or a big fan of any one or more of the famous seiyuus-cum-singers, then you’ll probably enjoy and feel nostalgic for the sequel that mostly many might have forgotten over the years. It would just be another ordinary show of girls in tight sci-fi outfits fighting villains via singing for casual viewers who has at least watched the previous 2 seasons. Newcomers jumping in might be confused with what they’re seeing without all that back story. This series is still worth a shot if it gets another season. But of course it cannot go on forever and like everything else, has to come to an end one day. Even the once popular American Idol is now over, right? So when it does happen for this series, let us hope they will bow out with grace with their swan song.