Gundam 00 Second Season – 22

- Short post then. They are fighting a lot in this ep so there’s not much to cover anyway.

- Feldt gives Setsuna a flower. Damn, even though I’m not against Setsuna x Feldt in the slightest, I’ll surely bang my head against my pillow if the pair ends up together. They didn’t interact with each other at all. And I still see Feldt as a rather low-level supporting character (whereas Sumeragi is a high-level one, sorry the lame vocabulary). It’s just kinda random, like their interaction in S1’s ep 24.

- Kati and Patrick are against A-laws now (as expected). Kati and Soma are probably my most favourite female characters in G00.

- Mass produced Innovators are Bring’s and Divine’s children.

- New BGM, and a great one at that. Looking forward to OST4 which will be released on April 1.

- Soma has started to accept Alle. She says he can call her Marie.

- Marina, what exactly can you ever done. You’re so useless, probably the one of the most useless characters I’ve known and that’s exactly the reason why I don’t hate you.

- Ribbons, shot in the head by Regene and appears in the preview. I know there may be a movie coming up but somehow I feel that they can’t resolve everything in the last three episodes. There is some certain developments that I don’t like and feel that they are handled quite poorly (Liu Mei, Hong Long, Nena and Regene and Ribbons’ agenda as well as Marina’s song of salvation). Still keep my hope that they will have a decent ending.

Best moment: The battle. Because of awesome BGM

This week’s ranking: Setsuna = Lockoff = Alle = Tieria (history repeats itself. I love them all).

Gundam 00 Second Season – 21

- Death count: Nena, Liu Mei, Hong Long. Ok, seriously, what’s the point for them to last until now and die without any clear explanations? Like Liu Mei and Hong Long’s relationship; why Liu Mei wanted to change the world that much, what Nena hoped to achieve when she killed Liu Mei and Hong Long and more. Nena’s death is by Louise’s hand, which is a reasonable end in my opinion. She got what she deserved for killing Louise’s family, although I still think it’s unfair on her end since she couldn’t kill Ali yet. Louise has also displayed a certain level of insaniy after killing Nena. Also,  her pills has changed. I start to doubt her chance of survival.

- Naked again. Setsuna again. This time Mr. Bushido joins him. Alright, so to make up the lack of boobs shown, they decide to show more Naked.

- Setsuna is becoming an Innovator. Like wut? I really don’t want to see a main character with special ability that will save the world. Argh.

- Marina song’s in again. As much as I love the melody to death, the way they repeatedly show it and indicate that it will be the song to save the world just irritates me so much. This is not Macross.

Best moment: Call me whatever but it’s Nena’s dimise.

This week ranking: Off for once. My my’s kind of blank about this topic right now.

Gundam 00 Second Season – 20

- I intended to at least wait until I get the raw before blogging this, but decided to do it now anyway (whatever).

- I’ll get straight to the point. Anew is death, killed by Setsuna. So apparently the spoiler is true. Honestly, I don’t hate Setsuna for this. If he hadn’t done that, Lyle would have been death. I know think that Setsuna is a sinner. I feel both sorry for Lyle and Setsuna. At the very least, Anew’s feeling for Lyle is genuine.

- I don’t know how Lyle will survive until the end. It seems to me that he will gone mad after this and will kamikaze with any of the remaining Innovators (possibly Revive). And now, one of the couples in ED is seperated, I would think that the others will too. Louise and Saji may be fine (their shirts are tight together after all and their development would make you think that they will have a happy ending) but I’m not sure about Alle and Soma/Marie. One possible end for them is that Alle dies protecting Soma/Marie who will later lead a normal life without fighting just like she’s always wished. It could be vice versa where the one who dies is Soma/Marie. And if Alle, Lyle and Tieria will all die, then Setsuna will live. Judging things as they are now, I don’t think Setsuna and Marina will end up together either. Both will keep in contact, but will pursuade their own paths. Just some speculations.

- And there’s a naked scene again.

- Oh and Liu Mei and Hong Long are still alive in the preview. I think they and Nena will all die at the same time.

- And Ali is still no where to be found, although our lovely Mr. Bushido has appeared again.

Best moment: Setsuna shot Lyle to distract Anew. It actually doesn’t have any strong emotional impact but it’s kinda bold and surprising and I like it.

This week ranking: Setsuna > Lockoff > Tieria = Alle (come on Alle, do something)

Conditions for a show to beat G00’s first spot in my heart

Because I’m so tired that I want to write something, because like I said before, I don’t know how to live after G00 ends. The chance for a show that can beat G00 to appear (and appear right after G00 ends) is really really really slim, because:

• It must have four main characters that I absolutely love. If the number is less, then the love is more, ie I must be CRAZY over the main characters more than I am over Setsuna, Lockon, Alle and Tieria. What’s the odd for this to happen?
• It must have no characters that annoy me. So far only Darker Than Black can satisfy this.
• It must have good soundtrack and theme songs. For this, Gundam Seed is more or less qualified. And maybe Macross Frontier. Something along DTB and Fate/stay night is also acceptable.
• It must have the artstyle and color that I like. Beside G00 and DTB, Claymore and Deathnote come to mind. Too bad that they are not original anime.
• It must be enjoyable to watch and rewatch.
• It must have good storyline (of course). But this actually doesn’t matter much as long as I can rewatch the show without feeling bored.
• It must keep unnecessary fanservice and “filler” episodes as low as possible. Code Geass clearly has a big “NO” here. In short then, it should beat DTB first before it can beat G00. And that’s not easy either. Frankly, I don’t dislike fanservices but they kind of add a cheap feeling to the show. And since I’m fine without them, it’s better if they are left out.

It may appear that I’m too obsessed by G00, but whatever. Who knows. Before G00, I also said “DTB will always be my most favourite show” but look what had happended. Time will tells.

Gundam 00 Second Season – 19

- Late post is late. I was away last weekend (for Valentine if anyone wonder) and was very tired when I got back on Sunday evening. So that’s why.

- First off, Marina is alive (which is totally expected). I don’t know why they would bother to make such a cliff hanger where most people didn’t buy it. And while I hardly hate Marina’s pacifism before, it’s very irritating when she refuses to hold a gun, which she explains “I would never look into their eyes (the children) if I hold this”. Totally honestly, it’s kinda…bullshit. It’s fine if you don’t want to fight or to kill but you can’t protect without power. For a moment, I had hoped that she would make a determination and hold the gun but then my hope was destroyed instantly. Oh well, at the very least, Shirin (and maybe other characters, too) doesn’t support Marina’s naive ideal. That’s the main reason Marina has been kept from being on my hate-list. She’s naive, she’s stupid, she’s useless, she knows it and others know it.

- Saji gets to meet Louise in a dream-like space (thanks to 00 Raisers’s trans-am). I find Saji’s talk pretty touching. And I like the scene where he hugs her. It gives out a very “protective” feeling.

- Halle reappears for a moment due to 00 Raiser’s trans-am as well.

- It was Revive who was captured. But then again, maybe he does it on purpose. When he was brought on board Ptolemy and removed his Helmet, his Innovator’s eyes are glowing. Lyle realized it and immediately think of Anew. Now, there was a disscussion as to why none of the crew realize that Revive and Anew are related. My answers are: 1) Except for Lyle, no one has seen Anew’s Innovator’s eyes. 2) I myself don’t find their face alike (just like I don’t see Ribbons looks like Healing) 3) Hair colors is the only factor they share that people can notice. But seriously, have you ever seen anyone said “they have the same hair color, they must be related” or “her hair is pink/green/blue/red/orange!” in an anime?

- With Revive activating his Innovator’s power, Anew has turned against the crew, claiming that she’s an Innovator. I still think that she has always been a sleeping agent and it’s only when under Revive’s influence that she remembers her identity as an Innovator. The preview showing her holding Mileina hostage without her eye glowing though. So we’ll have to wait and see next week.

Oh, and Nena betrays Wang Liu Mei and shot the Throne’s ship with her Gundam Throne Drei (carried inside her MA). This has to do with Ribbons, although I doubt that she really cooperates with him. Beside, now that she’s all alone, her machine is an old one (a defensive type with fake GN Drive) I really don’t know how she will survive the fight (in case she does fight). Beside, showing that she hasn’t changed anything since season 1 (she even said the same line “why don’t you just die” like when she attacked Louise’s family), I can say her deathflag is pretty high now. As to whether Liu Mei (and Hong Long) is dead or not, it’s 50/50. Again, wait for next week.

Best moment: Saji hugging Louise

This week ranking: Setsuna > Lockoff = Tieria = Alle

Gundam 00 Second Season – 18

- Ho boy, not quite an episode packed with action and excitement but I do love it, especially since there’s lots of things to lol at

- First off, Soma is back, and poor Alle is being glared at/snapped at mercilessly. He then joins Saji’s club of boys who are dumped by their girlfriends. Poor poor Alle, he’s just escaped from being a battery…

- Andrei takes advantage of Louise. The boy who killed his own father and the girl who seeks revenge for her family. Well, just as Revive said, they’d make a perfect couple. But I still root for Saji x Louise.

- To the biggest (or second biggest) surprise of this episode: Lyle x Anew. I won’t spoil the deliciousness But, ho ho, I can’t stop laughing whenever I remember that. And “don’t space out while we’re kissing.” Lyle, you’re a genius

- And lastly, everyone saying the name of his precious person, which goes like this: Saji: Louise; Louise: Saji; Andrei: Mother; Alle: Marie; Soma: Colonel; Lockoff: Anew; and finally Tieria: Veda; Setsuna: Gundam. Poor win if you ask me

- Unlimited Sky and TOMORROW make appearance again. Just as much as I love TOMORROW, I find it kinda lame and stupid to use the song almost every single episode. This time, it even goes as far as having the song broadcasted via radio.

Best moment: Veda and Gundam. I like Lyle x Anew moment too but this last scene is just hilarious.

This week ranking: Setsuna > Lockoff > Alle = Tieria (that’s the power of shipping)

Gundam 00 Second Season – 17

- Wow, it’s really well worth the non-stop talking “prelude to tragedy” (episode 16) because the “tragedy” itself is realy really awesome, plot-wise, animation-wise and music-wise.

- So, 00 Raiser has another ability: Trans-Am Raiser (which requires a pilot in 0 Raiser). I had my eyes wide open while watching that scene, thanks to the awesome BGM and the not-a-shot-but-the-beam-saber surprise. Oh and Divine is dead now.

- Orbital elevator collapses (as expected). The outer layers autopurge and the pieces fall down. All the factions (CB, ESF, Katharon, Coup, A-laws from Kati) join force to snipe down the pieces so that they don’t fall on the urban areas. That scene is easily one of the most memorable scenes from 00.

- GN-Archer finally debuts. Despite not being fond of it at first, I find the design pretty decent now. Only that CB’s pilot suit can’t show off Marie’s curves ie. she doesn’t look much different from the dudes (although it’s completely irrelevant to GN Archer’s design).

- RIP Sergei (Hercules as well). Honestly, everyone is amazed that he survived this long. But then, being killed by his own son, before they could clear up all the misunderstandings, is really a sad end for him (although story-wise, this totally makes sense and does a huge impact on the fans). Surprisingly, as much as I love Sergei, I just can’t bring myself to hate Andrei. The way I see it, he was enraged by the fact that the coup caused many lost lives. Then he discovered that the one behind was the man who was quite close to him (Hercules). You could say that he would have felt betrayed. The same thing went for Sergei against whom he had had a great grudge. I’m not trying to defend or justify his action. I just want to see if I can explain logically (considering the situation, the relationship, the personality, etc) why he acted that way. Killing your own parent is actually quite a crime, and I can see a death end waiting for him, possibly while protecting Louise. Or if he can make it out alive, he should blame himself for the rest of his life. As for the scene itself, I like it how they implement the ending into it and how Sergei pushes Andrei away so that the explosion won’t catch him.

Best moment: Trans-Am Raiser. It’s actually quite hard to decide. I also love the union scene and Sergei death scene when the ending kicks in but Trans-Am Raiser scene has a new BGM music support it so it wins.

This week ranking: Setsuna > Lockoff = Alle = Tieria (damn it, I love them all).

Gundam 00 Second Season – 16

- I may change my opinion after watching the sub but for now this is probably the most boring episode so far. Not to mention the long talk (which I of course don’t understand), the fact that Setsuna and Mr. Bushido’s fight was postponed until the last minutes of the episodes is really anti-climax. It kind of destroys the chronological sense when you expect to see the fight right after the episode begins.

- We get to see Holly (Sergei’s wife) and looks through his past a bit. This will probably get carried until the next episode.

- There’s a second Memento Mori (which problably will be destroyed next week and make an elevator’s fall).

- Next week preview shows Marie in a redd-ish orange pilot suit and Saji in a white pilot suit (the one he wears in the OP). Saji looks surprisingly cool in the preview.

- And that’s all.

Best moment: Gundam hugging Gundam

This week ranking: Setsuna > Lockoff >= Tieria >= Alle (poor Alle)

Manga Highlight: Historie

Title: Historie
Original Title: ヒストリエ, Historie
Author: Hitoshi Iwaaki (story & art)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Historical, Psychological, Seinen
Status: On-Going (4 volumes)
Scanlation: On-Going
Description:Historie takes place in ancient Greece and follows the life of Eumenes and his childhood, who would later in his life grow up to be the secretary and general to Alexander the Great.  (taken from Baka-updates Manga)

Until recently, Historie had been my most favourite manga (despite not being complete yet). It’s a nice mix between what I want for a great series: psychology, purposeful violence and purposeful nudity. The art is clear and clean (which are all I’d ask for) although I have to say it’s one of the most boring artstyle I’ve seen (I’m just talking about the art itself here, not how the author uses it). However, this style actually fits the story and narrative very well and the way Hitoshi Iwaaki portrays strong emotions is brilliant. He just does it bluntly. No extreme exaggeration yet you still get the feeling. But then again, it only works well in strong scene. For normal scene, everything just looks “normal”.

I’ve never heard about Eumenes before I read this manga so his story is a mystery to me. The whole story (at least, up to now) is told from Eumenes’s point of view, who is quite knowledgable about the world and an impressive analyst. He would explain everything in his inner thoughts together with his analysis about the situation so you would understand about the settings/environment/situation, what the main character is thinking and what the situation would become. That, plus the fact that Eumenes is not really a good-hearted person but has quite a cruel nature deep down, is the main draw that hooks me in.That’s said, Hitoshiki Iwaaki’s narrating skill is one of the best (together with Hideo Yamamoto (Homunculus, Koroshiya Ichi) and Kaoru Mori (Emma, Otoyome Gatari)). No cheap trick to cliff-hang a chapter (which regrettably Naoki Urasawa (Monster, 20th Century Boys) and Kubotite (Bleach), my once favourite authors, have done a lot recently), the story just flows smoothly and naturally and you would have the feeling “this guy knows what he’s talking about”.

Historie a great series, although I don’t think it’s appealing to everyone. One may find the art monotonous and boring or the subject matter tedious or the pacing slow. But then again, if you’re fine with seinen (because I know some is not) and have little to no problem with nudity and violent scenes (although I find them quite mild and not really gruesome), I urge you to try this out.

Gundam 00 Second Season – 15

- Compared to last episode, I’m not quite as excitied as I should (and that’s why this post was late).

- I kinda like the comforting scene between Marina and Setsuna, mainly because of the hands’ gestures (don’t ask me why).

- Tieria x Mileina moment anyone? Initially if Tieria would ever hook up with a girl, I had hoped that it would be Feldt. But on second thought, Mileina seems to be a better choice. Firstly, Feldt has an issue with Neil. Secondly, their appearence’s contrast is, well, weak (ie they would look like two beautiful women more than anything else). Lastly, their interaction time is almost zero. Not that Tieria really has much more interation with Mileinia, but their scene in this episode urges me to root for them (if it really happens).

- New ED. The song is okie, just that I find it kinda monotone, but the animation accompanied is beautiful. Oh and just so you know, the sheet person is indeed Anew. Now we all know where the clothes they took off in the OP went. You know, in Vietnam there’s a song whose lyrics goes like this: “We’re in love, we take off our clothes and give them to the other” (lol, it sounds so funny in English. Vietnamese lyrics is really hard to translate). I was wondering if the directors had known about this song

Best moment: Marina & Setsuna scene

This week ranking: Setsuna > Lockoff >= Tieria >= Alle (poor Alle)