Linked for bad words... but at least we've learned some things are not be lewded.

I've got a review coming for an anime that I watched a long time ago, and thoroughly recommend. Get ready!

As long as the Pocky scene is only the beginning.

Popey Recommends: Ga Rei: Zero

So, this is an anime that I watched a long time ago. I gave it 8/10 on MAL. Let's see how the first episode stacks up, shall we? BTW, the videos I link to all have episode spoilers in the comments, so don't read them until you finish my writeup.

Episode 1: Above Aoi


0:14 - Meanwhile, in Tokyo...



Okay Popey, what the hell? I thought you said, back when you watched destiny of the shrine maidens, that you hated this kind of stock panoramic background sweep? [-5]

0:31 - Why yes, inner Popey, I did say that. But this has animated flame effects. And it's not a narrator dumping exposition, it's police radio chatter letting you know that stuff is about to happen. So be nice. [+5]

0:47 – A helicopter passes overhead, as a moody young adult flicks his cigarette lighter. I’m guessing this guy is going to be our protagonist, right?

0:56 – Nope! Fooled you! He wasn’t lighting a cigarette, he’s lighting the incense he’s placing on a grave. Really nice touch. [+1]

1:05 – Latin guitar licks play over a flashback of fire, and a white-haired boy is pushing a corpse wrapped in white linen under a sea of burning tar. Cool, but dissonant. [+1]

1:21 – The fiery flashblack ends as a pistol is fired (get it?) and a swarm of blue butterflies cross from bottom-left to top-right of the scene. This is going to be a leitmotif, isn’t it?

1:35 – *Rev rev*. Our protagonist’s reminiscence is interrupted by our first named character: Natsuki. She’s tall, has long, dark hair, and rides a motorcycle in the same orange colours as her outfit. Come to think of it, protagonist man is wearing the same jumpsuit. Looks like a uniform then. Again, cleverly done, not bashed over your head, but planted unmistakably. [+1]

1:50 – Our protagonist’s name is Toru, and he was visiting the grave of a girl called Aoi. Episode title drop! He’s been slacking off from work to visit her grave.



There’s a lot on show here, Toru is stuck in the past, but Natsuki cares about him. The bike, meant for two people, and matching their uniforms, shows that they’re meant to be together, but Aoi, who is out of the picture both metaphorically and literally, is the third wheel. And three is a crowd. [+5]

2:15 – The moment is killed by what appears to be a teenage girl, working as a radio dispatcher for whatever organisation Natsuki and Toru are part of. Section 4, it would appear, based on the dialogue and the big number 4 on Toru’s arm. They walk towards the bike, but Toru has the fiery flashback again, and promises to “kill him myself”. Ominous.

2:31 – The first cool music track plays. Oh, did I not mention? The music for this anime is fantastic. [+2]. Some firemen are spraying a burning… wait, they’re trying very hard to keep it out of sight for the viewer. Something is clearly afoot. [+1]

2:52 – A helicopter, carrying the “PDCH Special Unit”, and we see that the fire is the same set of burning cars we saw back at 0:31.

2:58 – Ah, okay. They’re section 1 of the Ministry of Defence’s Paranormal Disaster Countermeasure Headquarters. The firemen need to go away. Seems legit. Crap name. [-2]

3:15 – A car door violently bounces along the road, seemingly from nowhere. What was that, indeed? Vehicles start to be crushed by invisible forces. Lights shatter. Cars shift unnaturally. The firemen run around like headless chickens, and the Section 1 commander declares that they’re dealing with “40 category Cs”. But we’re in the dark.

3:38 – Ah, the soldiers have cool visors which allow them to see the green ghosts which are doing all the damage. Nobody has been named yet, so I bet that all these mooks are toast.

3:51 – Gunfire turns the ghosts into spaghetti. Well, I never. It turns out that paranormal beings die just like normal beings!

4:02 – HOLY WATER GRENADE LAUNCHER [+3]

4:46 – The cars are all on fire, but all the ghosts are dead. Great job XCOM, back to base.

4:52 – A lorry goes kaboom. You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?

5:16 – We get to see a “Category B”, a giant firebreathing dinosaur, visible to the naked eye. Suddenly, all the ghosts are back, and they’re eating the soldiers. That feels a bit forced, even if it is nice to see the cost of failure as a couple of dudes get eaten. [-2]

5:29 – The ghost things rise out of the road with this silly sliding animation. I really can’t take it seriously. [-1]

5:56 – While dealing with the ghosts, the soldiers get killed by the dinosaur. Their commander pleads with the firemen to leg it. Then he’s thrown around in midair like a rag doll, and we see the dinosaur eat him through his fallen magic visor. So normal people can’t see the phantoms. Cool. [+5]

6:31 – Suddenly, awesome music plays, and we see Toru shooting two pistols at the dinosaur, standing on the back of the motorbike like a badass. [+5]

6:32 – Neither Natsuki nor Toru are wearing helmets. But we saw Natsuki take hers off, when she was first introduced. [-2]

6:40 – Toru can see the dinosaur. He has main-character powers.

6:48 – His bullets have shiny, spinning, gold inscriptions which make them awesome and can kill monsters. I accept this at face value.

7:05 – But the beast is only stunned. Natsuki barks at the firemen to take their wounded and evacuate, like a badass. [+1] for a moment that establishes her character as taking charge with extreme competence.

7:27 – Toru gets off the bike, Natsuki immediately does a doughnut. The magical glyphs sparkle on the bike’s back tire, and along the skidmark she made. I guess it’s time for…

7:32 – Did you guess “pulls a wheelie and hits the ghosts with her bike, spinning it around like she’s kung-fu fighting”? No, me neither. [+10]

7:36 – Natsuki’s hair wafts back and forth, and her violet eyes are fixed with this piercing gaze. I like the art direction a lot, it’s dark and muted with a lot of warm glow around things you’re meant to pay attention to. [+5]



7:41 – In case that’s too much girl power for your taste, Toru is also being pretty badass as he shoots as many ghosts alone as the soldiers managed as a platoon.

7:59 – Toru is impatient, and doesn’t want to wait for Masaki’s team to spray them with Holy Water.

8:21 – Spraying all that holy water angered the beast, and now it’s rampaging off the highway and into the city. Oh dear.

8:30 – Bad CG demon dinosaur does a lot of roly-polys. [-5]

8:51 – It turns out, if you ride a motorcycle and fire lots of guns into a bad CG dinosaur, it will die when you shoot the very last bullet in your clip. [-2]

9:22 – A board of middle-aged military men are now counting the cost of the operation. All the soldiers were casualties, and apparently that’s what “wiped out” means.

9:38 – I genuinely chuckled. Our heroes Natsuki and Toru are in competition with the ministry of environment to see who can eradicate the most ghosts.

10:14 – Three years ago, the ministry of the environment performed an exorcism which quieted the ghost attacks. Now one of their top operatives has been incapacitated, and it’s all kicking off. Coincidence?

11:05 – Back to the highway to hell. Natsuki, Toru, the dispatcher girl, and the Holy Water Helicopter crew are cleaning up the debris. Natsuki declares that if all people were “seers”, everyone would be more religious. I need to think up names for this crew. I think hers will be “Biker bible-basher”.

11:12 – “I didn’t know you followed a religion”
“Led Zeppelin” [+3]

11:18 – Toru picks up a shard of the blue butterfly wings. Then, the adorable Mami-chan (the teenage dispatcher girl) exclaims that another category B ghost is in the city. Uh oh. It’s the person Toru wants to kill. And he’s chilling with his butterflies on top of a bridge. Toru shall henceforth be “Gunslinger guy”

12:42 – Underappreciated Holy Water Glasses-kun doesn’t think there’s enough holy water to fight the latest category B. So they’re going to have to create what they need on site from a body of water. This should be fun.

13:26 – Biker bible-basher has been deployed to do that move Trinity pulls in the second Matrix film, while Gunslinger guy and Underappreciated Holy Water Glasses-kun travel in the helicopter with Adorable Dispatcher-chan and a Really Gruff Man. Triple-B is leading it on a merry dance through Tokyo towards their site of holy water.

14:00 – The awesome music from 12:42 really hits its stride as Underappreciated Holy Water Glasses-kun and Gunslinger guy rig explosives in what looks like a storm reservoir, or an enormous sewer, or some kind of dry-dock. With pillars in it.

14:15 – Gunslinger guy is once again called upon to be an actual gunslinger, as he lies prone with a Bren LMG. [+1]

15:59 – BBB does a crazy 100ft drop on her bike, but uses bungie cords to slow her descent and land. But it’s presented so matter-of-factly that I barely have time to blink. They’re blowing the levee and flooding the chamber with water from what looks like a river, but there are clearly docking cranes in the background. So is it a storm drain under a harbour?

16:21 – The bombs were actually car batteries, and they’re producing Holy Water with “mantra codes” emitted by what appear to be glow sticks. I can’t even [-2]

16:44 – Wait, there’s a scope on Gunslinger guy’s LMG. So it’s a Bren LMG sniper rifle. Seems legit. He now has to shoot the dinosaur as it does its barrel roll, while BBB lures it towards him.

17:06 – Oh no! As he shoots, a blue butterfly crosses the scope!

17:14 – The hit glances off, and BBB gets caught in the wake as holy water fills the chamber and the still-rolling dinosaur crashes into her bike. Adorable Dispatcher-chan repeatedly calls for her on the radio, to no avail.

17:28 – BBB is unconscious, and has lost her helmet, but the dinosaur seems to be dead. The next concern is the holy water now flooding the tunnel she’s in as Gunslinger guy rushes to her aid. Drama alarm [+1]

17:51 – Underappreciated Holy Water Glasses-kun and a Really Gruff Man save the day with their helicopter. Now it’s time for coffee at the safe landing zone, back in the first chamber. BBB is awake again, and Adorable Dispatcher-chan apparently saved the day.

19:20 – Oh shit. Gunslinger guy steps on a blue butterfly wing, and we hear the sound of a sword slicing through flesh.

19:33 – Underappreciated Holy Water Glasses-kun’s hand falls the the floor, and he stares at it blankly, as though someone has told him a joke he didn’t get. This is not a drill.

19:41 – More concerned about the coffee he dropped than his hand, Underappreciated Holy Water Glasses kun gets skewered by a girl with dark hair, holding a katana. What a bait and switch. [+5]

19:50 – It’s a category A: not the ghosts, not the dinosaur, but a fully-human monster, moving like lightning and turning a Really Gruff Man into shashimi. No pictures, because this anime is not for the faint of heart. He’d tried to shoot the category A, but his hand was already severed and his bullets blow up their helicopter, so there is no escape for the others.

20:00 – Gunslinger guy takes a pot-shot, but she slices through his bullets. That’s not how it works. [-3]

20:11 – No, not Adorable Dispatcher-chan! A pulsating purple jellyfish is stuck to her head, and she picks up a pistol while laughing maniacally, then places it against her temple.

20:36 – Gunslinger guy tells Triple-B to make a run for it, but she slumps to her knees, as her head falls one way, and her body the other. Fortunately, it’s discreet, but Gunslinger guy hears her fall and dares not look. You know, as you wouldn’t, given the circumstances. [+5]

20:45 – Back to the fiery flashback, we see the… girl who is killing everyone… begging Gunslinger guy to shoot his friend Aoi. Which he does.

22:08 – Back in the present, we see the scary samurai girl who is killing everyone remind him that it’s all pointless, then killing him. The credits roll, we only hear the flickering of the flames burning the helicopter, and the tagline is revealed:

Ga-Rei: Zero – Would you kill someone you love, because of love?

22:26 – I am aware that all the extremely likable characters are all dead now. [-15]

23:37 – The final card reads: “This show is fiction. The characters and organizations that appear in it are not real”. Wow, I really wasn’t sure.

Verdict: What a hook. So much is happening, and so much is being teased. Obviously it’s playing with the continuum of time, as this is episode 1/12, and we have seen the fiery flashback were Scary Samurai Girl doesn’t seem to be a villain. But she just killed everyone, and I’d quite like to know why. Will she be the protagonist? Will we see how she falls from grace? And why Would you kill someone you love, because of love?

Oh yeah, and this would score higher, but the fantastic opening song didn't get played. Next episode.

Final Score: +20

Rating: 8/10 (Great)

Btw, I wholeheartedly recommend the Ga-Rei manga, which is excellent and just a joy to read.

Formerly on "Watch Anime with Popeychops:"

Kannazuki no Miko - Destiny of the Shrine Maiden

Episode 1: The Land of Eternity
Episode 2: Overlapping Sun and Moon
Episode 3: Secret Love Shell
Episode 4: Direction of Affection
Episode 5: Over the Darkness of Night
Episode 6: You Where the Sun Shines (POPEY GETS OFF HIS TITS ON CODEINE EDITION)
Episode 7: Rainfall in the Hell of Love (POPEY GETS OFF HIS TITS ON CODEINE EDITION)
Episode 8: Storm of the Silver Moon
Episode 9: To the Edge of Hell
Episode 10: Invitation of Love and Death
Episode 11: Dance of Swords
Episode 12: Priestess of the Godless Month

[This message has been edited by Popeychops (edited 01-07-2019 @ 06:08 PM).]

Boring Shipgirls - Kantai Collection

Episode 1: Hello Commander!
Episode 2: Without Dissent, Without Shame, Without Resentment!
Episode 3: The Operation to Capture W Island
Episode 4: Now It's Our Turn! Follow Me!
Episode 5: Don't Compare Me to the Girls in Carrier Group Five!
Episode 6: Division Six and the Battle of Curry Seas!!
Episode 7: I Hate Carrier Group One!
Episode 8: I am not a Hotel!
Episode 9: Second Remodel-poi?!
Episode 10: Let's Do Our Best!

[This message has been edited by Popeychops (edited 01-21-2019 @ 05:27 PM).]

Just to complete the spam:

Kantai Collection

Episode 8: I'm not a Love Hotel!

***
NEW CHARACTER ALERT

Yamato Nadeshiko (Yamato)

***
Verdict: A new character was promised to Fu-boring and co, before the OP. What did I call any of these gimmicks?

Okay, Resting Bitchface wants to do naughty things with Overly attached girlfriend’s crush, but a snake (*chuckle*) interrupts before she can drag her into the bushes and make like Kannazuki no Miko. I'm glad I can laugh about that trainwreck anime now. It makes me feel recovered from the time afterwards when I was very depressed, and fought with chud and oliver for criticising Stacey Dooley. God, 2016 was a really rough year for me.

Haha, Potty-mouth made me smile by suggesting that they "maybe" were in the wrong place.

Oh, the annoying noise with the annoying face is back. And I spent 2 hours on that Ga-Rei Zero episode so I don't want to pause.

So, new girl, Yamato Nadeshiko is a pretty pretty princess with MASSIVE GUNS in a totally not subtle way.

Ecchi-sketchy Counter: 12

Pantsu in the OP. Until they change it, the E-S counter will have a minimum of 1.

Bathing scene with underage boobs. FFS.

Bikini boob jiggle on the beach

Bikini ass jiggle on the beach as Resting Bitchface wants to do more naughty things with her waifu

RHJ walked in while I had the video paused, chatting on discord about EU4 to CarolKarine. Shameless was bursting out of her top. FML

Yamato Nadeshiko defies gravity.

Another bathing scene with underage boobs. FFS.

A cutaway, then back to bathing, yuck yuck yuck

Floatation devices also defies gravity, with ground-up "camerawork" up her dress. Are we sure this is for little girls? Or is it actually for adult men with really disturbing fetishes?

THIRD bathing scene for Floatation devices

THIRD bikini beach scene

Nudie Fu-boring in the ending sequence.

Rating: 3/10 (I am now on another government watchlist)

---

Member of BlackForest Studios
Co-creator of Silent Evil (4.6) Voted Best Multiplayer Scenario of 2009 (Most Fave'd Multiplayer Scenario)
and The Seas of Egressa (4.8) Voted Best Multiplayer Scenario of 2010
"Popey just hates everywhere." - Chocolate Jesus, on my fear of Romanian organ-traffickers
"Hooray for Dear Leader-Comrade-Generalissimo-Presidente-Lord Protector Popey!" - Lord Sipia, on my benevolent, iron-fisted rule
"You're not Popeychops; you don't get to physics." - Moff, in response to a clumsy muon simile

Episode 9 - Kai Ni, Poi?

So this one leans heavily into game mechanics. Obviously, as a game, as you collect your fleetgirls and they gain experiece on operations and missions, you unlock upgrades. So general sequence is Base Ship, Base Ship Kai (which means "improvement," according to Google translate. So Mutsu Kai would be Improved Mutsu), and then Kai Ni (improvement 2). Further, there's typically a small aesthetic change on the base character image for Kai, while the Kai Ni gets new art (different pose, different outfit, etc). And these remodels buff base stats, make the ship more powerful, unlock more equipment, et cetera.

We open with Ooyodo delivering a report to Nagato and Mutsu, comparing Abyssal strength to current fleet strength at Truk. Based on their overwhelming strength, there's a projected 80% chance of victory if they execute Operation MO. But because the bulk of the fleet is at Truk, other fronts are undefended, so if they're gonna do this, it's gotta be quickly.


1:02 - Haguro knocks at the door to report that something's wrong with Yuudachi.

HOLY SHIT GIRL BE GLOWING. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. However, excessive loli "Wooaa", "Oooo," etc. Rule of threes, Japan. You did four. You cannot do four. You of all people should know that four is bad. (-1)

Understandably, the gathered crowd of Shimakaze, DesDiv 6, Fubuki, and Mutsuki are concerned. And fascinated. Ships shouldn't, well, glow. That's usually a precursor to something Very Bad Indeed. Okay, okay, ships shouldn't have hair, eyes, skin, and other elements of a girl's body but, you know. Stay within the premise. That said, fever + destroyer full of fuel and ammunition does seem like a Very Bad Thing Precursor.


1:38 - Mutsuki thinks Yuudachi's in love. Yes, Poi is overcome with koi. THIS IS WHY THE UNIVERSE CHEWS ON YOU AND SPITS YOU OUT, MUTSUKI. Ikazuchi has the more reasonable estimate of bad fuel, while Akatsuki jumps the gun to "SHE GONNA BLOW." Comedic leap backward for everyone (poor Yuudachi-chan; your friends are utterly horrible). So Inazuma asks Ikazuchi to do something. Ever reliable, she winds up... and thrusts her palm forth with a "HAAAAAAAAAAAAA" at Yuudachi. It's not very effective. Fortunately, Nagato comes along and orders Yuudachi... to the factory.


2:14 - You said it, Yuudachi. You get one guess as to what her response was.



3:48 - So Fubuki and Mutsuki are at factory. The sounds are not encouraging given we're dealing with flesh-and-blood boatgirls. They ponder over their friend's condition, and then Ashigara pokes her head of out of a window and lets them in. The place is full of curtained-off cubicles. I kinda get a hospital vibe from it. We hear a mechanical hiss and click noise, so our intrepid duo poke their heads through the curtain to see if it's Yuudachi. Turns out it's Kitakami and Ooi doing maintenance on their torpedo launchers. Specifically, an enthused Ooi adjusting the straps and slightly carressing the straps on the launchers around Kitakami's legs. Kitakami then says that when she's all set, she'll help Ooi with hers. Flushed, hopeful upward pitch to "You will?"

4:54 - "Mm. Okay, let me see your legs." Oh sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...

Okay, no yurisplosion yet. Instead, we see her insecurities! "They're clean, right? If they're too fat, Kitakami-san will think I've gained weight!" And then she spots two scouting destroyers. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU--

Oh, good. They have the sense to run away and later discuss how scary that was. Good. You two do have brains.

5:16 - So they check another room... where someone is using an oxygen torch. Yuubari?

Yep, Yuubari. But she's making some kind of modern art sculpture instead of power armor. Shame. But she's also making scary noises, so the Destroyer Duo slowly closes the curtain and backs away. (+1)


5:27 - And now Kongou is in another room, having a naughty dream. "No, Admiral! My ears... my ears are ticklish!"

Even Fubuki stops and asks, "We're sure this is the factory, right?" Mutsuki's excuse is, "It's a little hot in here, so I'm sure everyone's just light-headed." Yes, that's why Kongou's having sex dreams. Sure. Why not.


5:50 - "Poi! Poi!" HOME IN ON THOSE POIS, SONAR! So our boats throw open the curtain... and oh God that just makes me feel so wrong. Yuudachi Kai Ni is there in her bra and panties, with a slow ground up camera pass across her. Ick. (-5)

So the pair gawk a second, scream, "WE'RE SORRY" and shut it again. Yuudachi calls them back in. Now, for context... remember, their appearance does change a little bit.


So, she's taller (okay, that's not obvious from the scaling of the pics, but she is), her hair is longer and has red highlights, her eyes have turned bright red, her hair has little tufts like pupper ears... and yes, she does in fact fill out her serafuku a bit more.

As a result, her old roomies they don't immediately recognize her. The exchange is as follows. Sadly, it is going to lose something in the conversion, but I'm not posting panty-clad loli butts (worked into the previous demerit).
Mutsuki: I though Yuudachi-chan was just here.
Yuudachi: Poiiii! *waves with both hands, smiling*
M: Could you be...?
Fubuki: Yuudachi-chan onee-san? (Yuudachi's big sister?)
M: No! Yuudachi-chan's sister ship is Shiratsuyu-chan.
Y: Chigau! (No, wrong!) Yuudachi wa, Yuudachi poi yo! (Yuudachi is, like, Yuudachi!) (+2)
F/M: Fuaa?!


6:38 - Now that she's her clothes on, I can start doing screenies. So the rest of the destroyers we've cared about have gathered to see their comrade's upgrades.

So they go over some technical specs (new guns), a brief nod to a small alteration in her personality (as she's now more "grown-up"). And, yes, Fubuki takes a jealous second glance at that hurricane bow.


7:26 - And then Sipikaze pours a touch of salt on things. "Does it bother you? ...I'm kind of surprised. I thought you would be first." After all, Fubuki's the only destroyer serving as a flagship. And she's a nameship. But everyone's fawning over the airhead Yuudachi instead of hard-working Fubuki.


7:51 - So this drives Fubuki to seek out Yamato for advice on how to get a remodel. Except, well, she never had one. But generally, it's done by "having a lot of experience and skill." Akagi joins and immediately picks up on the jealousy--well, envy. And feeling of being left back. After all, who could have more experience than a flagship? Who could have greater skill? But as both capital ships point out, training required depends on their situation. And each ship has different requirements for their remodels (again, another reflection of game mechanics; each ship does have its own level requirement for upgrades). So Fubuki just hasn't hit the cap yet?

Besides, the point is to reconquer the seas. "Hast thou exerted all possible efforts?"


9:14 - And then Akagi lightly rubs Fubuki's head... aaaaaaaaaaand that girl is never gonna wash her hair again. When she gets back to her room, she is dancing through the door.



Looks like everyone's getting what they want tonight! Also, this is impossibly adorable. (+2)


9:44 - After Bucky throws a salute formally announcing, "Tokugatakuchikukan Fubuki is very happy!," even Mutsuki's getting a little weirded out, given the sweat bead on her face. Tone it down, Foob. You're scaring your attainable waifu.


9:48 - I KNEW IT!


Now Mutsuki draws the line. The defense is, "She patted my head, and if I wash it, it'll go away!" We're in full on moeshit territory now. So the suggestion from Mutsuki is to, "Have her headpat you again."

This did not occur to a more and more manic Fubuki, whose eyes shimmer while stars sparkle around her. Mutsuki reassures her that if Fubuki keeps working hard, more headpats are in the bag. So wash your dirty, stinky hair. But first, Foob is gonna go for an enthused run... where she runs into Yuudachi. Turns out Poiboat was testing out her new gear and just wants to go to bed. But Nagato has other plans, summoning both of them to her office. Turns out there's some dire news that can't even wait until morning... but we can wait because:

SHOOO KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! Whouzh a good widdle Nightmare of the Sholomons? You are! Yezz you are! (+1)

Anyway, she's being transferred to CARRIER DIVISION ONE. Her first thought is "Am I really good enough?" She's now part of the main striking force, even though it means eternal vigilance and constant readiness. While Fubuki... is recalled back to the main base. Fifth Fleet is disbanded, and with it, Fubuki's flagship status. This is explained as Yuudachi relays it to Mutsuki, who immediately bolts off trying to find her despondent friend.


12:43 - Fubuki believes she's going back because she made a mistake. You know, when she saved two crippled carriers and charged a battle fleet by herself, even badly damaging an enemy carrier? This after knocking out an enemy flanking force? Fubuki thinks Mutsuki is just being nice, but... no, she achieved something pretty amazing. Mutsuki even began looking to her as a role model for courage and effort.

But the admiral has recalled her. Taken away her fleet. Do you do that to the MVP? Or the f**k-up? So Fubuki quickly "remembers" she was gonna go for a run and dashes away from a very worried Mutsuki. We see her sob-running across the beach, flashing back to meeting Akagi and her own training and combat experiences, her meetings with the commander... until she slams into Kongou. And when the battleship asks our protagonist if she's okay after getting knocked down... Fubuki bawls her eyes out. Kongou gives her a hug, because while she's an insenstive dummy to Yamato, she knows when someone needs help.


14:56 - So Moffboat brings Fubuki back to her quarters and tucks her in, after which Mutsuki fills Kongou in on what happened. Kongou's convinced there's more to it, since the admiral must know how hard Fubuki is working and what results she's getting.


15:20 - We cut to Fubuki running across some water... without her gear. Since I don't think they're quite ready to make her a religious figure, I'll skip ahead slightly and say this is a nightmare she's having.

As she runs, Akagi--in full gear--sails by her, without so much as a first glance. Bucky breathlessly calls out for her to wait, but then Yuudachi shoots by, with a cry of "poooiii!" and creates a surge that overtops Fubuki, soaking her. Then Yuudachi takes up her spot next to Akagi, both of them with their backs to Fubuki and they sail away, leaving her far behind. This... is not the face of a good night's sleep.


So in six minutes, we've gone from the elation of Fubuki to her desolation. Efficient!


15:59 - So back to the seaside for Foob for contemplative staring. She reflects again on her battle experiences, saving Mutsuki, being shelled by battleships, her difficulties in training... "I worked hard, too..." But then she hears an explosion. It's Yuudachi, drilling hard with her new gear. Practicing over, and over... the way Fubuki had to. "I'll fight with a hammock for a sail if I have to!" (Recall historical note in Episode 1). She fires on her targets and swings to another pier where Jintsuu is observing.
"You've gotten better!"
"Really? "
"One more time? With more speed."
"Okay!"

Sendai comes up behind Fubuki. "A long time before we came here, around the time a destroyer became the flagship of the Fifth Fleet, that girl said she wanted to get better and started training in the mornings." Fubuki inspired the lazy, devil-may-care Yuudachi to do things right, to work harder. She couldn't forget her "torpedo girl's soul." Those are the words that strike Fubuki right between the eyes. She realizes her jealously is completely misplaced, and her bitterness shatters.
17:57 - She calls out to Yuudachi.
"Oiiiiiiiiiii! Oiiiii! Oooooooooiiiiiiiiiii! Oooiii! Oooooiiiiiiii!"
"Poooooooiiiiiiiiii!"

Oh, good. I thought that went on longer. Still, it was a nice moment. (+1)


18:18 - So Fubuki, Mutsuki, Mogami, Hiryuu, and Soryuu will go back to the main base. Remember that Mogami and Mutsuki serve together in the Fourth Fleet. Their departure is overseen by Nagato and Mutsu, who receive an important communique from the admiral: the operation is canceled. Now everyone is recalled. Nagato wants to remind him, though, that for right now, they can take this base.


19:26 - And we meet up with our old friend from Episode 7: One-Eyed Wo! Now she's all menacingly emitting blue flames. Looks like Yuudachi's not the only one to get an upgrade. I wonder how many shipgirls from other bases she killed for the XP?

Spoopy music, of course. Her crab hat opens up and launches some planes. We cut back to Bucky, Mutsuki, and Mogami sailing along ahead of Hiryuu and Soryuu when an alarm goes off. They spot the planes... and are also in visual range of the naval district. For the enemy to be so close bodes ill. Mogami dispatches a message to Truk and the Naval Base. But then Mutsuki sees that the base is in flames. Smash cut to Nagato's "NANDATE?!" while Ooyodo reports that the base was bombed at 1215. Abyssal carriers cut through those stretched lines like butter... and flattened the primary base. Factories, refineries, and a lot of shipgirls...


20:33 - The devastation is total. There isn't a building standing on the shoreline. Mogami, Fubki and Mutsuki split up to survey the damage. The destroyers run across Mamiya outside the destroyed cafe. She tells them the fleet girls who were at the base are safe. But the admiral was overseeing the evacauation and was in the command room, refusing to leave until everyone escaped... which is now a pile of splintered beams and shattered brick.


21:27 - Apparently, only shipgirls can work on the naval base?

PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT, POPEBOAT! Foreboat Twintails barks out, "First priorities are the docks and factory!"

21:41 - DesDiv 6 is hammering doors back on. Ikazuchi smugly notes, hammering in a final nail, "See? I told you to count on me." And the door next to the one she's working on falls over.(+1)


21:44 - Ooi finds a picture of her and Kitakami with a smashed frame in the rubble. "Damn that Abyssal carrier group. They ruined my memories of Kitakami-san." She has veins popping out in places I don't think it should be possible... and the montage continues with a communal soup pot and a speech by Nagato concluding the work. They're going to find One-Eyed Wo and her carrier group and crush her for this attack. Sadly, the admiral is still missing... but he left behind a set of mission orders. And a special order for Fubuki...

She's to be remodeled. DOES THIS MEAN FUBUKI WILL GET HER FUBUBIES? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!


TOTAL SCORE: +2

PREVIOUS NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
Episode 11
Episode 12

[This message has been edited by Kongou Dess (edited 06-29-2020 @ 11:21 PM).]

1:05 – Latin guitar licks play over a flashback of fire, and a white-haired boy is pushing a corpse wrapped in white linen under a sea of burning tar. Cool, but dissonant. [+1]

O_o

Our protagonist’s name is Toru, and he was visiting the grave of a girl called Aoi.

Ya--YAMADA-CHAN?! NOOOOOO!

He’s been slacking off from work to visit her grave.

*sniff* HE HONORS HER LEGACY THE WAY SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED

There’s a lot on show here, Toru is stuck in the past, but Natsuki cares about him. The bike, meant for two people, and matching their uniforms, shows that they’re meant to be together, but Aoi, who is out of the picture both metaphorically and literally, is the third wheel. And three is a crowd. [+5]

Or a good team of automotive presenters.

Section 4, it would appear, based on the dialogue and the big number 4 on Toru’s arm.

Four is death.

3:38 – Ah, the soldiers have cool visors which allow them to see the green ghosts which are doing all the damage. Nobody has been named yet, so I bet that all these mooks are toast.

3:51 – Gunfire turns the ghosts into spaghetti. Well, I never. It turns out that paranormal beings die just like normal beings!

WHEN THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
WHO YA GONNA CALL

TED NUGENT!

5:16 – We get to see a “Category B”, a giant firebreathing dinosaur, visible to the naked eye. Suddenly, all the ghosts are back, and they’re eating the soldiers. That feels a bit forced, even if it is nice to see the cost of failure as a couple of dudes get eaten. [-2]

This sounds f**king awesome.

6:40 – Toru can see the dinosaur. He has main-character powers.

Usually comes with dead little sisters. Or wives. Or mothers. Whatever Aoi was to him.

6:48 – His bullets have shiny, spinning, gold inscriptions which make them awesome and can kill monsters. I accept this at face value.

After this is done, we're watching Youjo Senki together.

9:38 – I genuinely chuckled. Our heroes Natsuki and Toru are in competition with the ministry of environment to see who can eradicate the most ghosts.

DEC and EPA f**kin' wish they could be that awesome.

19:33 – Underappreciated Holy Water Glasses-kun’s hand falls the the floor, and he stares at it blankly, as though someone has told him a joke he didn’t get. This is not a drill.

O_O

20:11 – No, not Adorable Dispatcher-chan! A pulsating purple jellyfish is stuck to her head, and she picks up a pistol while laughing maniacally, then places it against her temple.

20:36 – Gunslinger guy tells Triple-B to make a run for it, but she slumps to her knees, as her head falls one way, and her body the other. Fortunately, it’s discreet, but Gunslinger guy hears her fall and dares not look. You know, as you wouldn’t, given the circumstances. [+5]

So literally everyone we know is dead or dismembered.

I dunno. After a pilot like that, I'd be both intrigued and enraged. This could easily turn me off from a series.

After this is done, we're watching Youjo Senki together.

Sure!

Confused and enraged is the way this feels, but it's a nice enough premise that I wanted to continue. And the music, oh, the music!

Kantai Collection

Episode 9: Second remodel-*annoying noise*

Verdict: A whole cacophony of annoying noises. It could have been worse, I suppose, a lot of the factory sketches were lighthearted and amusing enough. A lot of filler in this episode and a lot of crying. It's boring. Not even Pottymouth can save it.

Watching the naval yard get bombed reminds me that this is a whitewashing of the Japanese Pacific Theatre in WWII and the Abyssals are the allied forces.

Ecchi-sketchy Counter: 6

Pantsu in the OP. Until they change it, the E-S counter will have a minimum of 1.

Annoying Noise with the Annoying Face is in her undies when Fu-boring and the girl who I always forget come to see her. They close the curtains in embarrassment.

And of course, it double-dips. It's basically porn at this point.

And, while discussing "dimensions", there's one we can't forget...

I got bored and stopped paying attention, so I looked away and when I looked back it was focusing on Floatation Devices' chest. That counts

Nudie Fu-boring in the ending sequence.

Rating: 5/10 (Mediocre)

---

Member of BlackForest Studios
Co-creator of Silent Evil (4.6) Voted Best Multiplayer Scenario of 2009 (Most Fave'd Multiplayer Scenario)
and The Seas of Egressa (4.8) Voted Best Multiplayer Scenario of 2010
"Popey just hates everywhere." - Chocolate Jesus, on my fear of Romanian organ-traffickers
"Hooray for Dear Leader-Comrade-Generalissimo-Presidente-Lord Protector Popey!" - Lord Sipia, on my benevolent, iron-fisted rule
"You're not Popeychops; you don't get to physics." - Moff, in response to a clumsy muon simile

C'mon Popey...


LOOK AT THAT FACE

It's slightly less annoying, yes

Best gurl.

IJN Mutsu?

Popey Recommends: Ga Rei: Zero

Episode 2: Expression of Hatred

0:10 – Oh boy... that was quite something. Now, where were we?



Oh right, that’s where. 10 second recap of all the named-character deaths. Poor Gunslinger guy gets to watch all his friends die. This is basically the expression I had while watching it. Those characters were cool and did cool guy things! And the flashbacks set up a narrative that I want to see explained. And the girl doing all the killing is clearly not a villain in the flashbacks. So what’s going on? Tell me, anime! [+2]

0:23 – Wait a second, is that the same highway from the last episode, but not trashed?



0:53 – Five staff of the ministry of Environment are all stuck in traffic. Two of them are identical twins, both called “Nabu”. Meesa dink dis a berry bad wry-teen [-5]

1:05 – One of them has a weasel on his shoulder. And uses the bad kind of crash helmet.



It’s cool music time. And also time for the dinosaur from episode 1.

1:57 – The magic weasel with red eyelashes can turn into lightning and kill ghosts. That’s really cool. [+1]

2:07 – Nobu and Nobu are leaning out of their hummer, shooting hand-cannons. This almost makes up for their incredibly stupid names.



2:28 – A young salaryman (that’s the first name for the squad, right there) smashes a ghost’s head in with his briefcase, after loading a minidisc into it. There are green flashing lights. This is awesome. [+4]

2:35 – The Section 1 solders, who are still alive at this time, make it clear to us that these dudes are the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasure Division, and can see the ghosts, which is a special ability.

2:44 – A ghost jumps on the hummer, and sticks its head into the open front-passenger side window (which is on the right, because in Japan, they drive on the left, like civilised people). Goatee-Mohawk drills its face off with a huge drill, like it’s Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. [+1]

3:07 – Cut away to a girl in school uniform, casually eating pocky in the darkness under a bridge. Apparently her name is Kagura, and she’s on standby.

3:24 – Wait, Goatee-Mohawk is sat on the front-left, but he’s the one driving? Animation goof! [-2]
He swerves, and flips the hummer upside down in the air, like a cartoon. It does two barrel rolls, then comes to rest on all four wheels, almost completely wrecked.

3:30 – Young Salaryman calls out to Kagura, that the monster is all hers. We get a close-up of her sword, which is a katana with a shotgun trigger on the scabbard, and bears the name MICHAEL. Yes, I see the reference to the angel who kicked Satan out of heaven in Christian mythology.

3:41 – She cocks the hammer on her sword. Yes, I know how ridiculous that sentence is.

3:59 – Kagura splits the category B in half, with a little bit of a “You are already dead” moment where it stays together, and then falls into two separate pieces.

4:07 – She didn’t even break her pocky. She nods, then snaps it herself, allowing a satisfied grin as she looks back at the slain monster. Without her so much as saying a word, we’ve established Kagura as a complete badass. [+5]



4:45 – Okay, now a narrator is recapping the events of episode 1 while we see the profiles of the squad who died on a computer screen. Poor Dispatcher-chan was only 16

5:08 – The Minister of Defence is now explaining to some three-star generals that his forces have been completely wiped out, and a lady in a wheelchair, from the Ministry of the Environment. has entered the room with her carer, and is shutting down all the brass as they complain about her getting let in. Representation win [+10], but I am now completely lost with the timeline. What I think happened is that Kagura and the moe team just killed a category B, while Gunslinger Guy, Biker bible-basher, and the others were being chopped up in the tunnel. [-5]

6:08 – “Great darling of the moe” HAHAHAHAHA! Yep, that’s sticking [+2]



6:50 – The Queen of Moe smiles sweetly and tells the assembled brass that if they were less shit at their jobs and worked with her, fewer people would have died. [+2]

7:10 – Her carer is actually her secretary, and she’s her to get shit done as well. We learn that the Paranormal Disaster division was created to keep moe in check. They know much more about whatever is going on, including having possession of a “spirt map” which looks just like an isobaric weather map. They also divulge that more category A activity leads to the creation of category B and C ghosts. And they are described as ghosts. I was right!

8:39 – Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Young Salaryman and Mohawk-Goatee are watching paramedics rush around while Kagura attempts to dial a phone number that’s not in service from her mobile.

8:54 – Magical weasel man approaches her, and reassures Kagura that “I’m sure she’s fine”. She’s very obviously not fine, whoever she is. Dispatcher-chan?



Kagura’s new name is Headpat-chan. [+2] It’s completely unanimated though.

9:22 – Now one of the corpses from section 1 is coming back from the dead. A bit spooky. More come to, then they start munching on the living. All of them have “latchers”, a category D ghost which we saw in possession of poor Dispatcher-chan.

9:48 – One of the Nobus has a shotgun the size of a house. I really like how this anime totally doesn’t take itself seriously, despite the dark and moody tone. [+1]

10:25 – Seriously, this anime is amazing. More awesome music plays. I think every song in the OST is gold. I’ve got it paused while I listen to some of the songs as I write this. It’s so good. [+5]



10:35 – Young Salaryman’s briefcase opens to become a machine gun. [+1]

10:55 – Headpat-chan winces at the sight of the dead soldiers, proving that she’s squeamish about human bodies. Young Salaryman casually thwacks a monster with his briefcase as it tries to eat him, not even needing to look at it.

11:58 – Meanwhile, as the Queen of Moe watches a video she’s “spirit analysing”, we see the girl from last episode slicing up some more dudes. Is it the video, or is it happening now? [-1]

12:10 – It’s happening now. The Cleaning Crew are aware of her presence.

12:38 – The evil demon girl sticks a sword into a body, then calls Headpat-chan. When she picks up, we get this fantastically camp “Haloooh Kagura!”



12:56 – Headpat-chan’s phone wallpaper is a picture of her and evil demon girl together. Her name is Yomi, and she was part of the Cleaning Crew. Oh no. [+5]

13:11 – She’s the category A. She can summon a magical lion beast with her sword, at will. The beast can shoot lightning blasts.

14:15 – The Cleaning Crew all dodge in time, but now the Category Ds are launching a human wave attack on their position. Young Salaryman asks “where are they all coming from?” Which is what I want to know. Magical Weasel Man and Headpat-chan are going after Yomi.

15:10 – That’s one hell of a pothole.



15:11 – Oh good, there are stairs.

15:22 – Yomi used these tunnels to deploy her undead forces. We see the Magical Weasels following our two heroes.

15:58 – They choose to split up, but can use the Magical Weasels like tin cans on a piece of string. I won’t question it. [+2]

16:41 – Headpat-chan is a lesbian. I did say that this was Kannazuki no Miko, but good, right?



16:48 – Oh, she’s the third-wheel in the love triangle. Yomi and Magical Weasel Man were engaged before she took a turn for the murderous.

16:56 – UHOH. The weasel’s head disappears into mist, and we head a sword slicing sound. Very ominous. [+5]

16:59 – Yomi approaches, surrounded by the evil blue butterflies. There’s blood on her cheek, and she lunges at Headpat-chan.

17:20 – Headpat-chan halfswords, holding her blade inside the scabbard. She’s not willing to draw steel against her friend/lover, even though she probably just killed Magical Weasel Man. We’re shown how much she still loves her, not told. [+2]

17:33 – In a slick move, she draws her own sword, then catches Yomi’s katana in the sheath, disarming her.

17:45 – Holding the blade to her opponent’s throat, Headpat-chan refrains from the killing stroke. Again, showing, not telling. Yomi compliments her on how much she’s improved as a fighter,.

17:58 – In any other anime, this would be Ecchi-sketchy counter: 1, but this anime shows a bit of taste. As we pan the camera across the ground, showing Yomi pinned beneath Kagura, their legs are entwined to display a lot of thigh, but hide all the underwear. This is really impressive, given how short the skirts are in this anime. It’s almost tasteful enough to post a picture of it. But not quite. And it gets the point across. There is intimacy. [+2]

18:25 – Yomi teases Headpat-chan, begging her to kill her, but telling her how she knows she won’t. She wishes that they could have been together forever. But now she hates her. Then, with a flourish, she kicks Headpat-chan and swings her now-free katana.

19:13 – Headpat-chan pleads for her to stop, but Yomi pushes forward. She calls out to Magical Weasel Man, but Yomi licks her lips, and says “He’s not coming. He’s gutless.” Ooof. [+2]

19:50 – They lock eyes and stand still for about 20 seconds. I guess they were short on money and needed to pad this episode out? The only reason I know it’s not a frozen video is the blue sparks flashing from cut electrical cables. [-5]

20:19 – Headpat-chan abandons her sword, shooting it out of the holder like a gunshot. But it was a feint! She pierces a gas pipe, and the sparks from the cable ignite it, causing a huge explosion as she runs away. Brilliant! [+3]

20:39 – Headpat-chan crawls out of the maintenance tunnel, and collapses. But Yomi is already there to greet her.

21:00 – The morning sun rises, and Yomi looks almost serene. If not for the subtitles, you might be forgiven for thinking this was a different genre of girls-love anime.



21:07 – Yomi’s lion, now invisible, bites holes through Headpat-chan’s hand as she tries to run away. This is proper grim now, I don’t want to have to say goodbye to another character I’ve spent an entire episode bonding with. My heart can’t take this.

21:15 – The lion flips her over in the air, by her hand.

21:31 – Yomi slices gently through her top in one stroke, revealing bare skin. Now actually Ecchi-sketchy counter: 1, after it was doing so well. And this is creepy, a really ambiguous relationship marred by violence, just like Kannazuki no Miko. I don’t like where this is leading, but at least Yomi is maybe-dead and definitely possessed by demons. [-10]

21:53 – “Why, big sister Yomi?” *shudder* She definitely said “suki” earlier, as-in, “like-like”. [-5]
Yomi lines up the sword, but is waiting for Headpat-chan to say her piece. She swings, but it’s an exaggerated motion, deliberately unclear what happens next.

23:03 – We’re treated to Yomi singing the OP, a cringey song about how much she hates the world. Okay, maybe there are some bad songs in the OST.

23:37 – The final card reads: “This show is fiction. The characters and organizations that appear in it are not real”. Again, not really necessary, but I guess the font is pretty?

Verdict: Again, so much is happening. The ending was kind of flat, but I suppose that's to be expected as it sets up another hook and can't play the "kill everyone" card twice. That alone suggests that Kagura isn't dead.

The pacing is all over the place, but the characters are being shown off, not explained. I'm a fan of that. Coincidentally, we arrive at the same score as the first episode. I double-checked. It's actually higher.

We didn't get the fantastic opening song this episode, either. Patience is a virtue...

Final Score: +24

Rating: 8/10 (Great)

[This message has been edited by Popeychops (edited 01-09-2019 @ 04:59 PM).]

Ga-Rei: Zero

Episode 1: Above Aoi
Episode 2: Expression of Hatred
Episode 3: The Times of the Chance Encounter

[This message has been edited by Popeychops (edited 01-10-2019 @ 08:49 AM).]

17:58 – In any other anime, this would be Ecchi-sketchy counter: 1, but this anime shows a bit of taste. As we pan the camera across the ground, showing Yomi pinned beneath Kagura, their legs are entwined to display a lot of thigh, but hide all the underwear. This is really impressive, given how short the skirts are in this anime. It’s almost tasteful enough to post a picture of it. But not quite. And it gets the point across. There is intimacy. [+2]

-10 for being a Discord tease.

If you really want to see it that much, I think someone uploaded the episode to youtube

Oh, is it not on Crunchyroll?

It is!

Popey Recommends: Ga Rei: Zero

Episode 3: The Times of the Chance Encounter

0:30 – Recap of last episode. Ecchi-sketchy counter: 2. It wasn't necessary then and it isn't necessary now.

0:35 - We go back in time to a sepia-tone flashback. A younger Headpat-chan is mourning the death of her mother, and she meets a dear person to her.

0:49 - In a neat reversal, now we have the encounter described from Yomi's perspective. The narration travels back and forth, like a tennis match.

1:06 - The only colour in the past are Yomi's purple eyes, Kagura's blue eyes, and Yomi's red bow on her dress. It's chilling. [+1]

1:18 - "It was the beginning of a story". I smell a time-skip. The whole series is going to build up to the first two episodes.

1:25 - Yomi is doing battle in a forest with a snake which has massive ears. She cuts it up with ease.

1:59 - Then she rushes to Kagura's father, who is carrying Kagura's mother in his arms. A solitary blue butterfly enters the otherwise desaturated picture. [+1]



2:22 - Kags' dad now has to link himself with the Spirit Eater Byakuei, who Kags' mum was formerly in control of. There's a funky satanic ritual to get it done.

2:50 - We learn that Yomi's dad has now taken over the role of being chair of the ghost-policeman clans, so that Kags' dad can do more fighting.

3:19 - Yomi sits next to a withdrawn Headpat-chan, who understandably is struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother. The art is really really good. I can't praise the clean style of the characters enough, and each one has some distinguishing facial feature (Kagura's blue irises, the pointed corners of Yomi's eyes), despite the efforts to make the family members resemble one another. And so far, this episode has covered three colour palettes (dark and moody recap, sepia flashback, and now a bright but cool-toned timeskip). It really is worth watching. [+5]



3:44 - Yomi narrates Kagura's family history, and Headpat-chan reacts with surprise when Yomi mentions that Kagura will one day become head of her clan and inherit Byakuei. And she's been "assigned" to support her.

4:03 - Yomi's dad is very tall. Headpat-chan has come to live at his home.

4:24 - Yomi mocks her dad for being indecisive when he last met Headpat-chan, and he tells Headpat-chan that she doesn't need to be formal with him. They're old family friends, and he wants her to think of them as family.

5:15 - Instead of going back to her old home to collect toys and games, Headpat-chan tells Yomi that all she needs is the framed photograph of her mother. She places it on a desk in her new bedroom.

5:34 - Snap forward into a bright and fluffy bedroom, apparently Yomi's. It's a stark contrast to the colourless and empty room which Headpat-chan set herself up in. I feel like this is an establishing moment where we see the two characters' personalities laid plain.



5:46 - Yomi is trying really hard to accomodate Kagura, but she doesn't want to drink, eat, play games, or talk. But all she wants to do is train in the dojo.

6:20 - The dojo it is, then. Headpat-chan is already good. But in sparring, Yomi is confident. And rightly too. she immediately disarms Kagura, who clearly has no confidence in herself. It turns out her father has instructed her to fear failure.



8:18 - Yomi insults Kagura's dad, calling him pigheaded and a crank. Immediately she's recognising the unhealthy burden Kagura's been placed under, and how she needs to break that spell quickly if she's to grow as a person. And then... [+1]

8:31 -



8:42 - The music is once again really pretty, but now it's jaunty and bright as we see Kagura looking up to Yomi while they play video games together. If she loses, they both have to eat century-egg stir fry. Yuck.

9:10 - Headpat-chan protests, and calls Yomi "Yomi-san", meaning stranger. Yomi pauses the game, and insists on being called "Yomi onee-chan", meaning "dear older sister". Up until this point, she's referred to Headpat-chan as "Kagura-chan",and this is another defining moment for the pair. A very nice callback to the last episode. [+2]

9:18 - For the first time, Headpat-chan smiles. [+5]

9:21 - They had century eggs for dinner. Headpat-chan looks ill.

9:35 - Holy guacamole. They're not even TRYING to be subtle. And Yomi looks like she's about 14, which makes her engagement to magical weasel man in 3 years' time a little creepy. [-3]



9:54 - But the phone rings. Yomi has a message from her father, to come to the hospital. But it's a "call code" for her part-time job. Hmmmm...

10:20 - As Yomi apologises for having to leave, Headpat-chan remembers the last time she saw her mother. This is a really touching moment, and you get the impression that Kagura has lived a very sheltered life and Yomi could be the first real friend she's made in a long time. She doesn't beg Yomi to stay, or if she can come with, but we see in her eyes that she wants to. And as Yomi leaves, her smile fades. [+1]

11:18 - We see the Queen of Moe and her secretary discussing the Cleanup Crew's operation, and some agent who is looking for something in the Vatican. You'll never get my doujins!

11:33 - Uhoh, a bonus for the eagle-eyed, we see the agent's family photo includes the little boy who Yomi begged Gunslinger Guy to shoot in his flashback. [+1]

11:47 - Oh, and we're going to undo that subtlety by focusing on the picture for five seconds. [-1]

12:33 - Headpat-chan was waiting for Yomi after school, and they laugh about being told to do things by their dads. And they're going to make cream croquettes for dinner.

13:41 - But Yomi has work again. She doesn't know for how long, which is what Headpat-chan's mum said before she left. Kagura sobs uncontrollably, and Yomi embraces her, promising not to leave her alone. We're going to see what Yomi does. (We already know. Was the writing order a victim of executive meddling? I get the feeling they may have needed to fill episodes with the timeskips and repetition.)

15:00 - Mohawk-Goatee shouts as Kagura gets into the Hummer. Yomi shouts back. I don't care, I love it. [+2]

15:10 - Dropping Headpat-chan's surname is enough to make sure she's included on the mission detail. Which is weird, given that demon-slaying parents aside, she'd still be a liability.

15:27 - Headpat-chan looks just as confused as I am.



Apparently being called the same name is a cultural thing "where they're from". Alright. Looks like Kagura is being introduced to everyone.

15:49 - Magical Weasel Man thinks that the more chicks along for the ride, the merrier. Hecking pervert. Dude, she's like 12.

15:51 - Yomi puts him in a headlock. Wear your seatbelt! [-1]

15:52 - Apparently he only has eyes for her. Good thing he looks quite young here, too, or this would be very creepy. Yomi blushes as he kisses her hand.

16:08 - Headpat-chan is given Michael-12, a pneumatic Vanquisher sword. Because she's a Tsuchimiya, she can handle it. If you pull the trigger, pressurised air triples the cutting force. Science. I would actually prefer it to just be magic [-2]

16:50 - As they all exit the Hummer, Headpat-chan points and asks what the glowing thing covered in symbols is. Pedestrians are walking past, oblivious. She's got the gift of sight. And we're shown, not told. [+10]

17:12 - Yomi tells Headpat-chan "This is what our job is. That was quick!

17:26 - They're part of the Ministry of Environment. They kill ghosts and break curses. Awesome. [+1]

17:40 - Yomi summons her lion, Ranguren. It's apparently a Chimera, a spirit beast which resides in her sacred sword.

17:54 - We don't see any fighting, though, as we cut away to Yomi's dad admonishing her for putting Headpat-chan in danger. Kagura peeks around the corner, and hears how she was only taken in by the Isayama family because Yomi insisted.

18:16 - Uh-oh, bathing scene. I have no idea why two girls who've known each other for two days would suddenly get in a tub together, even if it's the size of a double bed. [-5]

18:31 - Yomi reveals that she asked for Kagura to join them because she wanted a little sister. There's enough cleavage on display for this to be Ecchi-sketchy counter: 3 [-5]

18:54 - Ha, Yomi thinks that being a little sister is the same as being an underling. She dries and brushes Headpat-chan's hair, which is sweet, but it's questionable to be so lewd given their implied ages. Ecchi-sketchy counter: 4

19:15 - Yomi gives Headpat-chan a bracelet, and warns her that she can't be a spirit-warrior until she's older. But poor Kagura is sad because her father doesn't even yell at her, and they rarely talk

19:44 - Yomi reveals that she's only an Isayama by adoption, and her parents were killed by phantoms when she was little. Nawwwh

20:10 - Yomi carries the sacred Isayama family sword, and she wants to repay that kindness.

20:40 - Meanwhile, Headpat-chan's dad is chanting with Byakuei in a dark dojo.

21:00 - Three years later... it's time for High School. Headpat-chan is still using the "Mum's illness" trick. As she gets into the Hummer, Yomi suggests that she was sleeping, and there's dried dribble on her face. [+1]

21:41 - But it was a trick, and she made Kagura look. And now her phone screen is a picture of Headpat-chan pulling a goofy face.



21:57 - Kagura cuddles up to Yomi as she eats pocky, and sets her own home screen to the picture of them snuggled up on the car seat, which we saw last episode. It's a bittersweet moment. [+2]

22:08 - And as we close out the episode, the awesome series theme plays. We get to see this picture of the two girls together, showing off what they are. All the awkwardness and tension of their meeting has completely gone, we've seen Headpat-chan become this warm and bubbly girl under Yomi's guidance. I'm left with a feeling that they really care about each other, despite the shitty hand that they've been given at life. And I also already know how it's all going to end.



Verdict: This anime, man. It's decided to be really brave, and I like it a lot. You should watch it.

Final Score: +17

Rating: 7/10 (Good)

[This message has been edited by Popeychops (edited 01-10-2019 @ 08:48 AM).]

I bought my first physical copies of manga. What is my level of weebness now?

I have... ~ 20 physical volumes of manga

I think I've ever owned one manga book, a volume/comic book of the original Dragonball that I read a couple times and threw away since I'd never collect any more and it didn't fit my aesthetics