Forum - View topicAkane Analyzes (Spoilerific).
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4828 |
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Everyone hyped up how Wolf Children "IS SO SAAAAAAD!!!" for me but when I finally watched it, I was like "....um this has nothing on other shows I've seen." lol
So yeah, I find it overrated. I mean, there are SOME moments in anime that were so tragic and depressing and haunting (like I can't stop dwelling on them) that I'm never ever ever going to rewatch them. Ever. 
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 9838 Location: Virginia |
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I do my level best to avoid tearjerkers but I do occasionally get caught.
With regard to Cowboy Bebop: I would say that Edward's leaving is not tragic as she is pursuing some point in her life. Spike also gets what he was seeking. I would argue that the tragic figures are Faye and Jet. Jet is left spoiler[with no money, no partner, no crew and no job. He will likely have to sell the ship for enough money to live like one of the old timers from the first episode.] Fay finds spoiler[her mysterious past is just pointless, she is left with no goal, no friends and no future]. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11348 |
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I know what you mean, but the two big ones I left in are not just super well-known (and one was already spoiled in this thread), but to me, knowing ahead of time that the series is not going to weasel out of it later actually makes the impact heavier the second or umpteenth time I see it than the first, since I'm not distracted from the scene by wondering how they're going to write their way out of this one. Like character death in Naruto was pretty much meaningless after the first 5 or 6 times people came back, and even the four or so who didn't got short-changed by my jaded disbelief that they would stay dead. And then there's DBZ... spoiler[On the other hand is] Clannad AS, spoiler[which was a tearjerker because I was certain they weren't going to write their way out of it, but, surprise! But even knowing,] it still rubs sriracha in my eyes and shoves onions up my nose anyway. |
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louis6578
 Posts: 1861 |
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Alright. Let me try this again. Top 10 saddest anime moments for me, pre-2000, no movies allowed, OVAs are acceptable. That limits it enough for me to make a pretty decent top 10 list.
10. Amuro kills Lala (Mobile Suit Gundam 0079) - THAT'S RIGHT! I actually watched a Gundam show! And the original one at that. This one is sad, not as much for how good of a character Lala was (she basically only existed to give Amuro and Char a mutual love interest) but because of the fallout her death had for Amuro and Char. It turns their rivalry from something where the two are just opposing soldiers to perhaps my personal favorite rivalry in anime, all because Amuro killed Lala (who jumped in front of an attack meant to kill Char). This certainly leaves the two of them with a lot to think about for their next meeting and hammers in the whole "War is Hell" motif of the franchise. 9. Captain Harlock's backstory - It's probably a mutual origin story for whatever timeline or continuity, but I'm talking about Space Pirate Captain Harlock, the 1978 anime in particular. His relationship with Mayu makes a lot more sense when you realize that she's all he has left to remember his best friend by. Of course, contextualizing his godfather relationship with the little girl doesn't make it any less heartbreaking when he goes into space and she writes letters to him that never end up being sent by her jerk orphanage. 
8. The ending of Gunbuster - I REALLY don't wanna spoil this one. 7. Bora's death (Dragonball) - Before character deaths were commonplace. The death of Bora to Mercenary Tao in front of his own child was perhaps the first death to make me cry in an anime. Hearing his son cry out for him, clearly in denial at his father's death was a lot for me to take in, ESPECIALLY since the solution of "lets bring him back with the dragonballs" was never brought up before in the series. Even the narrator sounds choked up as he leaves the episode off on a cliffhanger. 6. The Sailor Guardians are killed one by one (Sailor Moon) - Pretty emotional, but the fact that I knew the deaths wouldn't stick REAAAAAALLY pushed me feelings. Of course, seeing that the girls were willing to go that far for each other was pretty nice. 5. Ryoko's "death" (Tenchi Universe) - I know, right? Surprisingly, this death got to me when I saw the anime! I suspected it was a fakeout death (which it was) but damn if that wasn't a beautiful scene. Like, holy crap! Dang! She was bleeding out and decided to help Tenchi save Ayeka despite hating Ayeka. It was kind of a perfect way for her to go out too, changing into a selfless hero willing to die to further her beloved's goals. Of course, she lives... but this was a rare fakeout death where the character's survival is a happy moment for me, not an annoying copout. 4. Lord Il Palazzo shoots Excel (Excel Saga) - If you think I'm joking, think again. Excel's desperation, bordering on delusional, to convince herself that Il Palazzo actually cares about her when she's told that he was sending people to kill her... it's actually shockingly touching. To see her fists bloody as she bangs on the door and begs to be let in, only for Il Palazzo to answer by coldly shooting her. It was a total shift in tone that I gladly welcomed after the childish nonsense preceding it. 3. Grave of the Fireflies - The reason that it's not #1 is because I feel it needs more depth than just being sad. The characters were pretty flat. 2. Nappa kills PIccolo (Dragonball Z) - We all know this so I won't bother explaining it. 1. Everything from the moment Guts rescues Griffith from torture to the activation of the Behelit (Berserk) - Holy crap. Seeing such a proud, charismatic leader like Griffith sink into a pathetic shell like that. All his tendons were slashed, his tongue and teeth were all removed, his nails were horribly removed, he was fed just well enough to keep him alive, his skin was burnt off, and I don't WANT to see what Guts saw under that helmet. Rendered tortured and mute, hearing that his soldiers all want to move on, he's too weak to even force himself upon Casca or use the final ounce of his strength to kill Guts (whom he perceives as the one who led Griffith astray). After trying, and failing, to do those things, with Guts not even realizing the latter had happened... Griffith attempts to end his miserable existence by impaling his throat on a sharp piece of drift wood, something that he proves too weak to even do. Just... ouch. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11348 |
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Isn't Grave of the Fireflies a movie?
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louis6578
Posts: 1861 |
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Excellent point. I am, however, above editing my posts after someone corrects them, because then it looks like I'm trying to hide my mistakes. I'll replace it down here, as I thought of a more deserving #3 spot. 3. Genkai's death (Yu Yu Hakusho) - Anyone who has seen Yu Yu Hakusho knows that this death was one of shounen's best examples of exploring the difficulties of losing a loved ones and methods of coping with loss. The fact that Genkai comes back, however, lowers the value somewhat. It still had me in tears just when Yusuke brings it up prior to her revival. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Akane Recaps Ouran Episode Ten- In Which Haruhi's Dad is Amazing And Embarrassing
Last time on The Young, the Rich and the Air-Headed: Haruhi Fujioka and a bunch of hot boys make up the Ouran Host Club, catering to young women everyone. However, you can't have a successful business without a few rivals, and that's where the Zuka Club enters. They are made up of Straw Feminists who hate men and want Haruhi to join their cult of misandry. Of course, she said no because that's how these sorts of episodes tend to go. Also, the boys crossdressed to win her over. Yes, it was Tamaki's idea. On today's installment, "A Day in the Life of the Fujioka Family", the boy's go over to Haruhi's house. It's...actually really adorable. Especially because we get to meet Haruhi's dad, who is the best. Seriously, I've been looking forward to sharing this episode with all of you. It's just precious. Alright, so before we can truly begin this episode, I need to warn all of you about something. This episode's script uses certain words that non-cisgendered readers may find incredibly offensive. Back then, these words were not seen as the slur it's known as today. With that in mind, any instance of said words will be replaced with [REDACTED]. *** The episode begins with the boys staring in abject horror at the Fujioka family's shanty house. It's dirty, the lights barely work, and poor Haruhi is dressed in rags. They can't even afford proper teacups or food. Needless to say, the hosts can't believe what's happening. And it's not happening. For you see, this entire visit was just a nightmare that Tamaki was having! ...Aw, he really does care about Haruhi's well-being! Tamaki rushes down the stairs to get to school, refusing breakfast because he's in a huge hurry. All the while, he worries about Haruhi, hoping to God that she really isn't living below the poverty line. So he decides that as soon as the opportunity strikes, he's going over to his crush's place. Of course, being a huge ditz, he doesn't realize he's wearing pajama pants and house slippers until his housekeeper points it out. Not only that, but it's Sunday. 
Not the type to give up, Tamaki calls Kyoya to head on over to Haruhi's place. Speaking of, Haruhi herself is walking back from a grocery store run to find not just Tamaki and Kyoya, but the entire host club right outside her apartment complex. As her neighbors marvel at the club's limo and Tamaki reminds his friends to be nice to the Fujiokas (much as he doesn't want anyone not named Kyoya with him), Haruhi grows more and more angry. Unfortunately for her, telling them to p*ss off fails due to Tamaki charming the neighbors. And so Haruhi has to let her friends come over, especially since Honey brought cake to share. The boys comment on the Fujioka's humble abode, and as revealed by Honey, they're so ignorant to the ways of the normies that they don't know they have to take their shoes off in the den. Haruhi herself can only look on in annoyance at her fellow club member's obliviousness towards the non-rich's way of life. Still though, I find it hilarious and charming how the boys are determined to be as polite as possible. Anyway, Haruhi goes off to make milk tea, the "tea" part being an African variety provided by the twins. After a brief freak-out over their being ignorant to Haruhi's life, Tamaki imparts some rich wisdom about poor wisdom onto Hikaru and Kaoru: "Nothing we know to be true in our world holds true here. We have to be careful how we react! One little off-handed remark could break Haruhi's heart! That means in this fight, the first person to embarrass Haruhi loses!" It's time for tea, and Haruhi gets first pick of the baked goods. Mori seems to be winning the "don't make Haruhi red with humiliation" contest by offering her more strawberries to go with her cake, much to Tamaki and the Hitachiin's dismay. Soon, it's lunchtime, and Haruhi goes off to get sushi on Kyoya's suggestion. Tamaki loses points for "warning" Haruhi about the supposedly low quality sushi, which she ignores. Which becomes moot when she decides to just make sushi and everyone tags along. After this litany of jokes (seriously, it was HARD to write this recap because of how much of the episode consists of rapid-fire comedy), we get an actual serious moment. As the boys head out, Haruhi notices that Tamaki has stayed behind. He insists he's going along too, but he wanted to pay respects to the decased Mrs. Fujioka. Tamaki mentions that Haruhi takes after her mother, to which she responds that that's what everyone says. She goes on, mentioning her mother was a lawyer, and a great one at that. She even smiles, but the drama is diffused when Tamaki slips on a banana peel and trips on Haruhi. Right when her father gets home. 
This is Ryoji "Ranka" Fujioka, played by Mike McFarland. Yes, that is a man in the above image. See, Ranka works at a crossdresser's (or, as the show puts it [REDACTED]) bar for a living, and as far as I know, we rarely see him out of costume. Oh, and the reason I brought up the warning about a certain slur is because of Ranka. Anyhoo, Ranka comes in to see a now mortified Tamaki on top of his daughter. How else does this father respond to seeing a stranger on top of his only child by shoving him out of the way, then carrying on as if nothing has happened. Even Haruhi is kind of freaked out. Sadly for Tamaki, trying to appease the Ranka through tea doesn't work, and he's further defeated when the twins show up and literally walk all over him while introducing themselves to Haruhi's father. Several grovelings and further humiliations upon Tamaki later, Ranka finally realizes that these are the fine young men his daughter has been cavorting with. Kyoya, upstanding manager he is, has kept Ranka up to date on his little girl's school life, much to both Haruhi AND Tamaki's chagrin. Soon, Haruhi's had enough with her embarrassing friends and dad and decides to go to the supermarket on her own. At this, Ranka gets nostalgic, flashbacking to eight years eariler. We see him as Ryoji, wondering why Haruhi didn't tell him about "Bring Your Parent to School Day", to which she replies she didn't want him to go. Believing it's because he's a [REDACTED], he drinks himself into oblivion. However, when he gets home Haruhi explains that she didn't want him to come because he'd already worked so hard and he deserved some time off. 
As the boys learn that Haruhi DOES talk about them a lot, they and Ranka make a plan to surprise her at the supermarket. Not only does he refer to it as "the stalking game", but he admits that he just wanted to be surrounded by cute guys (points for being bi). Ranka further explains that ever since his wife (named Kotoko) passed away, his baby girl has taken on the duty of doing the shopping, and being a single father, he can't help but worry. A few shenanigans over who loves Haruhi more leads to her discovering Tamaki, leading to an eerily similar interaction she had with her father in the past. Ranka looks on as the boys wander around, and his daughter talks to Tamaki about making a stew pot for lunch. "I know it's going to happen eventually," he thinks to himself. "One day, my precious little girl will be all grown up. And she'll want to have that special someone by her side." The episode ends with everyone sitting down to a homecooked meal and just being their hilarious selves. *** In spite of the questionable usage of certain vocabulary, this episode is pure and perfect. It's funny, it's heartwarming, it has Haruhi's awesome dad in it- what more can you ask? This episode is a gem, and I forgot just how cute it is. That's what this episode is- cute. NEXT TIME: More Ouran, headed your way! |
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louis6578
Posts: 1861 |
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You know, one thing that endeared me to the show was how no one really minded Haruhi's dad being a transvestite. They seemed eager to meet one.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11348 |
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Yeah, this is one of my favorite episodes too, especially the opening dream with her mismatched cups and bowls. The horror!
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louis6578
Posts: 1861 |
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"We've been fasting for three days so we could afford this supermarket sushi..." I died. How the 1% view middle class people. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11348 |
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Was this the first episode where the characters openly acknowledged Tamaki's mushroom farming when he's in a funk? I know they notice when he sulking, but I don't recall them mentioning the mushrooms before. (or was that a dub-only thing anyway?) I liked that even when he went shopping with them, he still had shroom-head.
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louis6578
Posts: 1861 |
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I think it's the first time it gets acknowledged. I don't remember if it was in the sub, but I definitely remember Haruhi saying it in the dub. Weird. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Akane Recaps Ouran Episode Eleven- In Which Nekozawa Cleans Up Nicely
Last Time on The Young, the Rich, and the Air-Headed: Haruhi Fujioka, during school hours, is an ordinary girl who must pass herself off as an ordinary boy as part of her job in the school's host club. Outside Ouran Academy, she lives a humble life with her crossdressing father, Ryoji "Ranka" Fujioka. Of course, Tamaki being Tamaki, he decides to go over, along with all the other hosts. Hijinks ensued as Haruhi grew ever more angry with her friends embarrassing her, try as they might to not be. It all culminated in Ranka coming home to see a bunch of hot boys in his apartment, leading Haruhi to stomp off to the grocery store on her own. In remorse, Ranka drags the hosts with him to spy on Haruhi. It doesn't work for too long, since Haruhi spots Tamaki while shopping. Of course, she can't stay mad at her friends, and so everyone sat down to eat a nice lunch. Today's episode, "Big Brother is a Prince!" features Nekozawa as the Client of the Week. Remember him, from Episode Five? The one I recapped three months ago (...Oh My God). Nekozawa, of course, is hilarious and one of the best guest characters on this show. Here's why. *** To start, I'm giving this episode a Funny Aneurysm Moment. Been a long time, huh? Funny Aneurysm Moment: 19 Why? This episode features a conflict between two family members, and how important it is for them to get along. In case you're wondering, I didn't give a point to the last episode because that one wasn't completely funny. Now, on with the show! The episode begins with a little girl (voiced by Cherami Leigh) no older than five wandering Ouran Academy's campus. We hear from her internal monologue that she's looking for her older brother, whom she admires above all else. Of course she heads to the host club's room, where Haruhi and the boys are dressed up as law enforcement. Um... 
It is here that we also learn that the little girl might not be as innocent as she looks. "It's a reverse harem!" she cries, pointing at Tamaki. "This is a reverse harem!" The Host King can't believe a small child would know such a naughty word, and neither do Hikaru and Kaoru. "There's debauchery here!" she continues. "Yay! There's debauchery here, isn't there!? You're the glasses character, you're the boy lolita and the stoic type, twincest, and the bookworm!" No need to point out who she's pointing to. Finally, the little girl looks to Tamaki, who is shocked at her knowledge of lady porn. Instead of pointing out what archetype he is, she instead mistakes him for her big brother, who is blonde. The child introduces herself as Kirimi, and Tamaki tells her that no, he is not related to her. (Side Note: The otherwise consistent dub uses the "chan" honorific with Kirimi, and it irks me a lot.) However, seeing Kirimi cry causes him to backpedal and is overcome by her adorableness. Then, as Haruhi and Kyoya decide to see if the girl's older brother is an Ouran student, he arrives. Although unrecognizable at first (having blonde hair rather than his usual wig and cloak), Nekozawa appears from next door to see his baby sister. His maid and secretary helpfully explain his severe photophobia, as well as Kirimi's extreme nyctophobia. Sadly, Nekozawa's attempts to win his sister over with Beelzeneff fail, due to his creepy appearance (and that it's a cat puppet). In fact, according to the goofy- and they ARE quite goofy- servants, it's quite difficult to get Kirimi and her big brother to get along due to their contrasting fears. Also, the Nekozawas are apparently weapons manufacturers. Anyhoo, Kirimi fell in love with the ideal of a princely big brother, rather than the perky goth the hosts are familiar with. Her servants tried to read her as many bedtime stories with princes, but they eventually ran out and began to substitute shoujo manga. For those who don't see the significance of this, imagine reading Twilight to a kindergartener. Actually, don't. 
[In fact, never read Twilight to your child or anyone else, really.] The hosts, Nekozawa, and his servants lament over Kirimi refusing to recognize her brother as he is. Of course, Nekozawa isn't the type to despair, as he's been praying for Kirimi to join him in his black magic activities. The twins disagree, thinking that Nekozawa should accomodate Kirimi's fears. Upon seeing her cling to Tamaki in fear once more, the chuuni king finally admits defeat and runs off in tears. Suddenly, gears start turning in Tamaki's empty head. It's time to get Nekozawa and Kirimi together, and the only way to do that is to change Nekozawa from a prince of darkness to a prince of light! And who else to help them with their plan than anime expert Renge herself? So begins Operation Change Nekozawa! We cut to Nekozawa- minus wig and cloak - being put through Prince Charming Boot Camp with Renge as his drill sergeant. All his attempts to woo a teddy bear Kirimi fail miserably when he inevitabily slips back into his goth persona. In fact, Renge has been keeping track of every time he uses an occult term (having a dark and brooding side is okay, but Satanism is a big no-no). Of course, the hosts watch as their manager puts Nekozawa through the Etiquette Classroom from Hell (or in Nekozawa's case, Heaven). Let me just say right now that I forgot how FUNNY this episode is. In fact, I think it may be even more hilarious than the last episode. I guess it's because of Nekozawa and his entourage, but the other characters put in a few laughs too. Monica Rial in particular is side-splittingly comedic, especially when she's trying to motivate Nekozawa into practicing. Admist trying to get Nekozawa to confess to the Kirimi teddy through demonstration (with a Haruhi mannequin), the real Haruhi announces that the real Kirimi has dropped by to see Tamaki. Apparently, Haruhi has been entertaining the little one by reading smutty shoujo manga (props to Caitlin Glass's delivery), and it's starting to wear her down. Speaking of, Kirimi drops by, and Tamaki entertaining her is what finally drives Nekozawa into exposing himself to sunlight/evil beam. Sadly, the "scary flashlight face" trope comes into full effect and scares off Kirimi once more. 
[Wamp wamp wamp...] Nekozawa cries over his failure and tells Tamaki he should be Kirimi's big brother instead. Tamaki in turn tells his senpai that he can't take Nekozawa's place, and that he should be there for Kirimi when she needs him. And would you look at that, there's a cat preventing the kid from leaving Ouran's grounds. Nekozawa explains that Kirimi's not just terrified of the dark, but of animals, especially cats. Without even putting on his wig and cloak, the chuuni king leaps out the window and runs to his sister. And that's when Kirimi accepts him as her big brother. ...D'aw. No, I mean it. This moment is genuinely heartwarming. Anyway, Nekozawa comforts his baby sister, telling her Beelzeneff will protect her before he finally collapses from being outdoors. Several days pass, and it appears that Nekozawa has gone back to being everyone's favorite goth, much to the hosts dismay. However, we see at their home that Kirimi is no longer afraid of her big brother, even when he's wearing his cloak and wig. The episode ends with a shot of Nekozawa's portrait with Beelzeneff drawn on, as Kirimi narrates about how her princely big brother will always be there for her. *** This episode is definitely Top Ten or even Top Five material. It has great comedy, a great premise, great characters, and great heartwarming moments. I think I might like it even more than the last episode, and that's saying a lot. Nekozawa is a wonderful character, and this episode is a gem. I love it that much. Funny Aneurysm Moment: 19 NEXT TIME: Back to Code Geass! |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Akane Recaps Code Geass Episode Four- Local Criminal Saved By Caped Weirdo
Last time on Code Madness: Clovis: Oh my god, Lelouch, I thought you were dead! Lelouch: But I'm not. Clovis: Well...what do you want? Lelouch: Ideally, I'd like my mother back from the dead and my sister able to see and walk, but that's not gonna happen now, is it? Clovis: ...no? Lelouch: Tell me about my mom's murder. Clovis: Sorry, Lulu, but I can't help you. Ask Cornelia or Schneizel. Lelouch: Thank you. Clovis: What was I doing? Oh, Lelouch, I have to tell everyone- Lelouch: You know too much. He shoots Clovis and kills him. Lelouch: ...well, sh*t. Later at School... Milly: LELOUCH! Lelouch: I DID NOTHING WRONG- I mean, yes, Madame President? Milly: Stop dillydallying and get to work on the club budgets! Isn't it a nice day at School? Rivalz: It sure is! Nothing bad ever happens at School! Somewhere else at School. Kallen: I'm glad to back here at School, everyone. Nothing bad happens here. Lelouch: Well, I'm screwed. Meanwhile... Jeremiah: Isn't social climbing fun? Viletta: It sure is, Margrave Jermiah! But first, we need to find a scapegoat for Prince Clovis's murder. Jeremiah: How about...that guy? Kururugi, is it? Viletta: Fair enough. Back to social climbing! Jeremiah: For the crown! Later... Kallen: Take that, bee! Lelouch: Hey, you, I need some answers. Kallen: Um...okay. Lelouch: Did you pilot that robot? Kallen: Yup. Lelouch: Why do you blow sh*t up? Kallen: Because I'm Japanese. Lelouch: Fair enough. Now shut your trap about this. Kallen: No. Lelouch: ...no? Kallen: Yes. Lelouch: Yes? Kallen: I SAID NO YOU CREEP. Later... Nunnally: Big Brother, -nun! I'm glad to see you, -nun! Sayoko: Welcome back, Master Lelouch. Lelouch: I'm glad to see you too, Nunners. Nunnally: I'm adorable, -nun. Lelouch: Yes you are. Somewhere else... Mysterious Science Group: We're f**ked! Oh well. Back to our heroes! Kallen: I wonder what's up with that creepy guy? And how did he know I was at Shinjuku? Lelouch: Yo, Kallen, we have a surprise for you! Kallen: This better not be a trap... Student Council: Surprise! Rivalz: Welcome to our club! Have some booze! Oops! To make a long story short, Kallen gets sprayed with champagne. Kallen: ...if I weren't an ill girl, I'd have strangled you by now. Later... Kallen: Doo doo doo, showering... Lelouch: I've got your clothes. And your coin purse! Kallen: And I have you at knifepoint! Are you that guy from Shinjuku? Lelouch: Huh? No, of course not! In fact, he's right on the other end of this phoneline. Kallen: You're joking. ???: No he isn't. Meet at Tokyo Tower. Mystery Guy is out, peace~ Lelouch: Also, you might want to put clothes on. Kallen: GAH! You win this time... Some time later... Nunnally: It's horrible, -nun! Clovis is dead and our friend Suzaku's been arrested, -nun! Lelouch: Oh my god, it IS horrible! Nunnally: I'm really cute, -nun. Lelouch: Not now, Nunnally! We have officially reached “His Name is Zero”, wherein Lelouch’s famous alter ego Zero makes his debut. Folklore has Robin Hood, comics have V, and anime has Zero. His first episode is about as awesome as you think it is. Here's why. *** The episode begins with Suzaku being interrogated by Jeremiah over the murder he didn’t commit. We learn that Suzaku’s father was the last prime minister of Japan before the whole takeover by a hostile foreign government thing. Of course, Jeremiah brings this up so he can assign a motive to Prince Clovis’s death. The gaslighting doesn’t work on Suzaku, however, and he is predictably tortured. 
Back at Ashford, Lelouch is putting his little sister to bed. Nunnally expresses concern over Suzaku’s wellbeing, even wondering if he really did kill their half-brother. Lelouch tells her that what the news said is wrong (yes) and that they just made a mistake (no). We then see how the other characters deal with the death of Prince Clovis and Suzaku’s arrest. One of Kallen’s buddies are expressing disdain that THEY didn’t get the credit for Clovis’s murder, and the other laments over how better Kallen’s deceased brother Naoto was at leading. A memorial service is held at Ashford, Lloyd Asplund sighs over losing Suzaku, and Lelouch? Well, he’s still making plans to free Suzaku using his super-duper hypnosis powers. As Lloyd and Lelouch explain to Cecile and the redheaded girl respectively, Suzaku is merely an Honorary Britannian, which means no white privilege can save him from the electric chair. After the services, Kallen and her friends head on over to Tokyo Tower (now converted to a propoganda machine aimed at Britannians), summoned by their mysterious savior. At four in the afternoon, Kallen receives a communication device via a lost items booth. She is immediately contacted by said savior, now addressing himself as “Zero”. He- or rather, Lelouch- kindly asks Kallen to board a certain train and to bring the other terrorist comrades with her. Elsewhere, Jeremiah is speaking to a familiar news reporter (Dietard Reid, voiced by Jamieson Price). Both are discussing the memorial service for Clovis, more specifically, how well it was handled. Anyway, the point is that Jeremiah is assigning Dietard the job of filming Suzaku’s public execution. Viletta points out that there might be disruptions from Elevens who view Suzaku is a hero, to which Jeremiah brushes it off, claiming he’ll handle it. On the train, Kallen maintains contact with Zero. He tells her to look outside and tell him what she sees. To the right is the shiny, clean Britannian settlements, and to the left are the filthy, decrepit Japanese ghettoes. Zero then tells her to meet him at the front of the train, and they do. Suddenly, the sight of a caped stranger stops Kallen and friends in their tracks. 
[Hell yeah.] Not noticing the other passengers not noticing them, Kallen asks the stranger to confirm his identity as Zero, which he flashily does. He asks them what they’ve learned from his tour of the city, and is disappointed by their answers. Zero explains that their current methods of opposing Britannia aren’t going to work, and that if they want results, they’re going to have to start targeting the suppressors instead of the civilians. Still, the resistance demands Zero show his face, to which he says something along the lines of “You’re just going to have to bear with me, guys.” Somewhere else, a different faction of the resistance debates over whether or not they should save Suzaku from being executed. Their leader (Tohdoh, voiced by STEVE BLUM, MOTHERF**KERS), tells them to do nothing for now. Speaking of Suzaku, he’s being visited by Lloyd, who has good news and bad news. The good news is, Lelouch and Nunnally made it out okay. The bad news is the Britannian government is going to kill him, which he...surprisingly accepts. The reason why will come soon enough. We cut to the night of Suzaku’s execution, as well as the student council and Nunnally watching. Dietard is conducting the live broadcast of the parade, which is filled with throngs of viewers. Then...he says something actually poignant. “What a circus this is. And I’m as corrupt as any of them.” Even HE’S acknowledging how f**ked up this whole thing is. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Cecile talk about how unfair Suzaku’s circumstances are, even when they did their best to save him. Suzaku himself looks like he’s just given up, like there’s no hope for him left. As the parade continues and the audience watches, Lelouch gets into costume. The stage is set, the players are assembled, and the show is just about to start. Jeremiah receives word of Prince Clovis’s personal transport interrupting their route, and thinking it’s a joke, stops the parade. Of course, it’s actually a fake, as exposited by the driver, Kallen herself. In fact, they got the car from...you’ll see. The Britannians, however, don’t see through the disguise, which means when Zero appears from behind a burning curtain, and everyone reacts along these lines: 
Zero formally introduces himself, and everyone- from the military to the terrorists to the civilians- watches in awe. Before too much time can pass, though, Jeremiah has Lelouch and Kallen’s car surrounded by Knightmares. However, Zero is far more clever, and with a snap of his fingers, reveals that the car was actually the stolen truck from the very first episode. And everyone thinks it’s filled with poison gas. Jeremiah is shocked, but before he can shoot Zero, the caped terrorist demands he turn over Suzaku. When the margrave insists that Suzaku killed Prince Clovis, Zero rebuts him and claims HE did it. (Well, he ain’t wrong). The audience is held captive know by these events, with even Dietard capitalizing on the theatrics. Jeremiah refuses still, and that’s when Lelouch plays his trump card- that of “orange”. 
[Congratulations! It’s a meme!] The paranoia gambit works, and Lelouch uses the opportunity to hypnotize Jeremiah into letting Suzaku go. Nobody can believe it, especially not the military. Satisfied, Zero leaves, though not before releasing the “poison gas”. The resistance manages to get away with the help of a mind-controlled Jeremiah ordering those under his command to not interfere. Later that night, the Japanese resistance muse over their surprise success under Zero, realizing there may be hope after all. Nearby, Lelouch is trying really hard to convince Suzaku to join his side, because the Britannians are big jerks and all that. He further explains that while he did kill Clovis, that wasn’t poison gas inside the tank. However, Suzaku politely declines his invitation, much to Zero’s angry protests. Not only does he want to change the system from within, but if he doesn’t go to his court martial, things will get worse for the Japanese. He doesn’t even care if he’ll die, since it’s all for the greater good. Back at Ashford, Nunnally is listening to the news of Suzaku’s return. She’s glad to hear he’s going to be acquitted thanks to Zero’s testimony, then suddenly, she hears the door open. She wonders if it’s Sayoko, but it’s not. In fact, it’s the mysterious young woman who was found by Lelouch and thought to have been shot dead. Cue end credits. *** I think this might be my favorite episode so far. It manages to avert the Curse of Four entirely through great direction, animation, voice acting, and music. It's the perfect episode to introduce anime's favorite masked vigilante, and I love it. What's Nunnally Doing? Nothing useful, but that mysterious stranger behind her seems important. NEXT TIME: I'm off to Pittsburgh until Monday morning! After that, it's my birthday and an Ouran recap after that! |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Akane Recaps Ouran Episode Twelve- In Which Honey and Mori Are Gay
Last time on The Young, The Rich, and the Air-Headed: The Ouran host club compromises of several hot boys (and one secretly a girl) dressing up in costumes and serving tea to horny high school girls. However, an usual guest arrived at the host club- unusual, because she’s a small child. Kirimi Nekozawa wishes to find her big brother, who is a handsome prince. Said big brother is the host club’s neighbor, a goth dark magician who is a far cry from Kirimi’s prince charming. Through various hijinks involving etiquette boot camp and reading a small child smutty comics, the Nekozawa siblings eventually got along. It was...adorable. On today’s episode “Honey’s Three Bitter Days”, Honey and Mori are my OTP. No, seriously. This episode is what cemented HoneyMori as one of my favorite (non)canon ships in anime. I don’t know why I love this ship as much as I do, I just find it incredibly cute. Here’s why. *** Our story begins with the boys freaking out. Why? Well, someone spilled a cup of tea onto Honey’s beloved stuffie, Usa-chan. And we all know what happens when Honey’s angry about something. 
[Pictured: that time Honey didn’t get the last slice of cake] Apparently, Hikaru and Kaoru were trying to get Haruhi into a Playboy Bunny costume (and invoking recursive crossdressing). As the boys argue over the mess that was made, Kyoya recommends that none of them disturb a napping Honey. Which is bad because 1) the boy lolita has a habit of waking up cranky, 2) he’s pretty much a human hydrogen bomb and 3) his deceased grandmother made that bunny for him. Haruhi is rather incredulous about the idea of Honey exploding and destroying the campus, until Tamaki casually mentions that their sempai shares a blood type with Shadow King Kyoya. (I could go on about blood types in anime, but we’d be here all day). Tamaki suggests finding a medium to channel Honey’s grandma to make a new Usa-chan, and when the twins point out how impractical that idea is, he settles for sending Usa-chan to the cleaners and having Haruhi sub for the beloved bunny stuffie. All this is rendered moot when their yelling wakes Honey up, so the boys are forced to replace the bunny with Tamaki’s teddy bear. Let’s just say it fails epically, especially because they forgot to remove Usa-chan. Here’s a personal fun fact for y’all. Back when I first watched this show all the way through, I was also going through the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series for the first time. Right as I was beginning the former, I had already reached the episodes introducing Wrath. Both Wrath and Honey are portrayed by Luci Christian, who even more disturbingly used the exact same voice for the two of them. So let’s just say it was kind of awkward and move on. Just as all looks hopeless, Honey’s guardian/boyfriend Mori comes to the rescue! He explains that Usa-chan wanted a drink of tea, which Honey buys hook, line, and sinker. I don’t know, I’m still convinced Honey was okay about it because he loves Mori that much. Either way, the hosts’ collective butts are safe for now. We cut to host club hours, where it is established that Honey likes candy and Usa-chan and all things childish. Amusingly, Renge is providing a lemony narration of Honey’s stats not just to us the audience, but everyone in the host club. The point is, Honey really, really, REALLY loves anything that contains sugar. And in spite of his upstanding dental hygiene, he gets a toothache. 
[And somewhere on the planet, a diabetic viewer laughed vindictively.] Honey himself insists that nothing is wrong, shocked that his diet of cakes and candies has caught up with him. He refuses to let anyone inspect his mouth, except for Mori, who does so in a homoerotic fashion. (Okay, I admit it- the first time I saw this, I squeed.) Renge is very pleased by the moeness of it all, but Honey is upset that he does indeed have a cavity. Because that means he has to go on a sugar detox until his tooth heals. As the host club’s manager put it: “...One little cavity and suddenly Honey-senpai’s life became a living hell.” We cut to presumably after Honey’s dental surgery. In spite of the temporary outlawing of sweets, he’s desperate to have a bite of candy. Sadly, Mori isn’t on his side this time and promptly takes all his edible loot away, much to everyone’s surprise. In fact, as revealed in a candy-less host club, it was Mori’s idea to ban them. Later, Haruhi catches a female student confessing her feelings to Mori. Though he never talks, the poor girl understands that he has eyes for another. She runs away, and Haruhi, having secretly been watching, lookes on in a contemplative manner. Good thing I know who Mori likes! Hint- his nickname rhymes with “funny” During all three days of the detox, Honey attempts repeatedly to get his cute little hands on goodies. Pretending his tooth has healed doesn’t work, trying to convince some clients to sneak in cake fails, and emotionally manipulating Haruhi only wins him some kombu strips. By Day Three, you can practically hear the sound of Honey going crazy from his forced detox. That’s not an exaggeration, by the way- you can hear the swarming of bees as Honey mopes in irritation. When he realizes the candy storage has been emptied out, though, that’s when Honey goes into temper tantrum mode. He throws Tamaki’s teddy bear (again), then bites the president when he tries to check up on him. As Mori lectures him on his behavior, Honey EXPLODES. The boy lolita throws him across the room and screams about how much he hates him, then runs off to cry some more. 
Hikaru and Kaoru notice that Mori is a bit out of it, to which Haruhi realizes that everything Mori has done in this episode was all to get Honey to hate him. She further speculates that Mori was doing this to punish himself for Honey getting a toothache, which he confirms. He says it’s his fault, stating that he forgot to remind his ward/boyfriend to brush his teeth. How do the other hosts react? They...don’t get it and think he’s just being melodramatic. Honey, however, is quick to apologize, having been listening the entire time. The two make up and are incredibly gay, and things go back to normal. Everyone is happy, except for Kyoya, who now has to start spending money on Honey’s goodies again. And remember the girl who got rejected by Mori? Turns out she’s quite the yaoi fangirl. The episode ends with said girl being inducted into the world of boy’s love by Renge. 
[Me too, girls. Me too.] *** Homoerotic subtext deliberately played up aside, this episode is a gem, beginning our descent into the best episodes of the series. It has charm, it has humor, and it has Honey and Mori being super gay and I love every second of it. I admit I may be biased in judging this episode, but I have no shame in spite of it. What can I say? I like this pairing very much. COUNTS: Funny Aneurysm Moment: 19 (Unchanged) NEXT TIME: Another Ouran, then Code Geass |
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