Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 episode 3

No kindness for medals

Three in a row. Three very realistic episodes in a row, and I'm liking it. The situation just wentfrom bad to worse. That city really got raped by the aftershocks, and worst of all, they almost got pwned by a large wave caused by debris. Personally, I felt sad for all that wasted infrastructure. To imagine my own city's rapid transit lines and freeways crumble just like that would make my eyes bleed. As I love infrastructure, these things represent a certain social core. Tear one of these things apart and society breaks. In their case, good bye bridges, freeways and metro systems. That is a loss of more than several trillion Yen, courtesy of mother Earth.

Then there's the righteous among nations, Mari. She indeed is a great help especially to Mirai. Not that Mirai is incompetent, which is not the case (ep.2). She's just trying her best to do a role beyond her own capability as a 13 year old. Mari's the best character of this episode, doing medal-worthy things to complete strangers but Mirai is right in a way, she's nosy. Compare that to the public who acted very rudely when it's their own safety at stake. To be honest though, I'd shove anyone who gets in my way if I were there. Even if it is a woman or a child, I'll throw them around. I'll never allow anyone to get between me and my safety.

If you haven't watched this yet, or are stuck finding anything significant in 6 straight troll episodes of Haruhi Suzumiya while Kyoto Animation laughs at your ass, stop what you are doing and download this anime. I guarantee enjoyment.

Stay tuned.

Ristorante Paradiso episode 3

Whoa, Nicoletta loves Sant-0

Hehehe. I don't know why I have a very favorable impression of this series, but whatever it does, its definitely working for me. On one hand, we have this 20 year old chick who falls for someone old enough to be her dad and on the other, we have a set of geriatric, bespectacled "gentlemen" who pretend they don't like a taste of pussy. All combined, it makes for something quite original and effective in luring fans dismayed by the crap flowing out of this season's line up.

Maybe it's Nicoletta's strong personality (mixed with childishness though) that proved key to her being likable, to me at least. Most often, girls in anime aren't pushy. Worse, they are shy, feminine and generally useless pieces of shit (cough*Nagisa*cough), especially in the harem crap shits that we unfortunately have in abundance. Not here though. Aside from series' like Paradise Kiss or NANA, I have never seen any romance angle viewed from the POV of the female, not until Ristorante Paradiso. Usually, it's always the same routine, which is the males POV and quite frankly, it's getting old. Good thing that Ristorante Paradiso is going in the not-so-usual track. Kudos! One more thing, most male oriented romances are pumped full of adolescent rage, not this.

Or Maybe it's because of her mom. Her quite carefree way of being one and the nature of her relationship between her and Nicoletta, which resembles something more like intimate friends or sisters rather than the traditional parental role. I've also gotten tired of moms being portrayed as plain homemakers with no redeeming uniqueness or just as wallflowers, partly because my own mom was neither. But this series is different. The mom is a significant part of the entire story itself. Just like other moms in real life, there are things she does for herself, and she has her own quirks. Olga is a solid character for a role that's usually very flat. Her individuality makes her unique, unlike Nana (Hachiko's) or Caroline's mom.

I like this series. Maybe this and Eden of the east are only the two worth my time.

Stay tuned.

Eden of the East episode 3

Definition of terms?

Okay, episode 3 was slower as expected. The seeds of the main plot had been sown and things are more or less, clearer now. For the first time, we know for a fact(?) that Takizawa is a part of a shady organization whose involvement in the missile attacks grow clearer by the day. The question is, why? Yes, they may be "forced to play a shitty game, bokurano style", but the extent of their involvement are still unknown. Some rules of the game are also revealed, such as the purpose of the special cell phones loaded with e-cash (the colloquial term for it), and the consequences of blowing all 10 billion Yen... Ouch.

I must say that pop culture references aside, this series is veering in the direction of a linear retracing of the memory tale, much like the Bourne trilogy. There will be a lot of action as Takizawa unravels his still unknown past. Unfortunately for Saki, she will be dragged into it. Her innocent flesh will be put to the crucible of the underworld. I hope there will be blood. Just bleed, guys. Now that Takizawa has the vaguest idea of who the flying fuck he is, he will inevitable retrace his identity before the wipe, and what all these things mean, though his case will not be as serious as Jason Bourne's, as he comes off as a happy-go-lucky goof like his spiritual predecessor, Shinobu Morita.

All in all, I liked the episode. Though it is slower than the first ep, it does not pull punches for a third ep. Most series by this time either reveal too much or plod too slowly. This does not. The pacing is just right, tease the audience but don't blow the load. The visual quality hasn't dropped yet, though I don't expect it to anyway. But I saw through that little cheat in the parking lot scene. Way to go making light reflection effects on the floor.

Stay tuned.

[simulcast at thingle.wordpress.com]