PinkuBentoBox

Ah, Mai-HiME episodes 11-18. Really getting into the thick of things with the series, going from one heavy story arc meant to shock viewers to attention, to the next which only shocks even more. Ever since about episode 6 or 7, this show has only gotten continuously better and more intriguing with each passing episode, with this little group of episodes thus far proving to be the most attention-grabbing to date. I don’t really have much else to say to introduce this entry, so let’s just get right down to things, shall we?

So, of course this is the part of Mai-HiME where things begin to get really dark, really serious, really quick. And it all starts with the Searrs arc kicking into high gear. Having the school get taken over by military forces was actually a really surprising move, I thought. I had figured that at most, they’d just have a bunch of tanks lined up in a nice, big radius around the school while the Searrs leadership made some big, devious, boastful claim…y’know, generic villainy stuff. I was glad to see they didn’t adhere to dull convention there. The Fuuka Bat Cave was a bit of a surprise, mostly because I had figured it was all some trap on the Searrs’ part until Mashiro popped up. Must’ve really chapped Natsuki’s ass to essentially get saved by First Division agents. Also, that massive tower of TV’s kept reminding me of the Brain Scratch episode of Cowboy Bebop. Y’know, the one that kinda-sorta parodied the Heaven’s Gate cult leader? It was also revealed (I’m going out of order, I know, I don’t care) that Alyssa is at least somewhat of a HiME herself through a delightfully abrupt fashion. Just seems like a generic festival episode, the lovers’ quarrel is just about to kick in, and then the BRIDGE FUCKING EXPLODES. Fantastic stuff for the sheer surprise of it. And speaking of Alyssa’s Child—sort of—while I found it cheesy how Mai’s Child inexplicably Pokevolved and god-moded off into space to kill it, I have to admit I thought it was handled rather well. Something about it seemed a lot less craptacular than other scenes of its type, where the hero/heroine gains some new power for no reason that’s just slightly enough to kick the villain’s ass in the end and is rationalised off later as “spirit” ot “gumption” of some crap.

The end of the Searrs arc was quite a downer, too. When Miyu was first revealed as a villain, she was this cold, unfeeling murder machine. Alyssa was somewhat similar, with her rather evil demeanor when invading the school. And yet by the end, they were cast in a very sympathetic light. Miyu moreso than Alyssa, I thought. Yeah, Alyssa’s the poor child created solely to do nefarious deeds, but Miyu’s perspective on things was actually fairly refreshing. It wasn’t your usual “robot laments with all the awkward motions of Frankenstin’s monster and the cold sterility of a doctor’s office and that’s somehow supposed to be touching” act that seems to be frequent in science fiction, but rather something much more genuine and heartfelt. She was a guardian created solely for that purpose, who came to care for her charge as if she were a little sister, and then ultimately failed to protect her at the most crucial point. Much more tragic stuff from that perspective than from Alyssa’s, in my opinion. And the fact that they approached it very casually in regards to the non-human object learning to feel made it much more touching in that respect as well, not having it crammed down our throats and all that “teh robo is feeling zomg!” All in all, it was a sudden end for two surprisingly sympathetic antagonists, that I honestly thought wouldn’t come for another ten episodes (if at all in Alyssa’s case).

Episodes 11 & 12

So, the Searrs arc ends and things return to normal. Mai even bumbles into class at the last second for good measure (with Mikoto’s panic and the image of Mai’s floating shoe, actually having her and Kagutsuchi sacrificing themselves would’ve conceivably been very nicely done had they actually decided to pursue it…or at the very least giving the cliffhanger more time). All the HiME gathered thus far minus Akira all go out for a good time and karaoke to celebrate their newfound comaraderie and all’s well…until Nagi pops up to ruin their fun for the rest of the series. I knew there’d be something big to pop up eventually, but I had planned on it being perhaps that Pharmaceutical company named alongside the Searrs Foundation, or the HiME having to band together against the true evil underneath Fuuka (perhaps kindly Mashiro turning out to be truly evil while Nagi was the good one all along, something like that). Having the HiME pitted against themselves was quite a twist. And for me, it further raises the question of just what are all the HiME doing this for, anyway? Something about pleasing some Lord Kokuyou and some coronation, but the exact end result is still a bit vague, if I recall correctly. Is the HiME’s fate to become one of the old women Mashiro conferred with behind the screen? Or to become some ritual sacrifice a la one of the priestesses in Kannaduki no Miko to ensure the prosperity of Japan? Seems to me that’s what they’re suggesting.

And speaking of this Lord Kokuyou character, just who might he be? It’s possible he might just be some deity type deal we haven’t seen yet, but it’s more likely with how solid the series’ writing’s been, that he’s someone we already know. Right now, my money’s on Reito. The dullard’s done nothing else of late. Or ever, aside from trying to get into Mai’s pants. And he does have the voice of a villain, being played by Toshihiko Seki, formerly Gundam SEED’s Raww le Klueze and Trigun’s Legato Bluesummers. Tate’s possible, but unlikely, I think. He seems too much the male hero, and I can’t help but get vibes of him and Reito coming to blows somehow after their staredown in the festival episode. Nagi I doubt, because he’s more a lackey or messenger type. For whatever reason, I’ve gotten serious Loki vibes from him since the series started. Of course, there’s now the possibility of Ishigami-sensei, the art teacher. But I think that’s a slim possibility, too. He just seems more a plot device to screw with Yukariko. He’s possible, but I don’t think he’s nearly important enough to the overall cast to make a worthwhile choice if Lord Kokuyou’s supposed to be someone we already know.

Episodes 13 & 14

And you know what? The exact role of the Orphans still bugs me. Nagi states that the Orphans are “just the beginning,” but I fail to see exactly how they coherently fit in with the grand scheme of things. Unless they’re meant to train the HiME and test their abilities, I don’t really see the logical progression from “fight these random monsters” to “fight each other in order to survive.” And where exactly do they come from? What are they, precisely, and what are the Children, for that matter? What about Nagi? He’s obviously not human, and I’m still not quite ready to rule out my previous theory that he himself might be an Orphan. Like, the grand lieutenant of Orphans, or something. Also, how are HiME selected? I’m hoping this won’t be like Gundam SEED, where the SEED Factor and Cosmic Era’s definition of Newtypes both went utterly unexplained even on into the sequel.

So anyway, about the HiME. Now that we know they’re supposed to fight each other, there’s still the matter of not even knowing who one of them is. There are twelve total, and we know for certain that Mai, Natsuki, Mikoto, Midori, Akira, Nao, Akane, Yukino, and Yukariko are HiME. Shizuru’s a HiME, which was spoiled for me by…well, by Mai-ZHiME, really. Kinda put two & two together, there. And the ghost girl with the Crowbot is obviously Shiho. Well, maybe not obviously per se, but once Negs pointed out to me that what she was wearing was a wedding robe, everything fell into place really quickly. So there is one HiME left that remains unknown. Mashiro’s maid seems to be one, though I’d think that to be something of a copout, personally. I’m leaning more towards her being of the same type of creature as Nagi. Alyssa was a HiME, but she was an artificial one. Haruka’s a possibility, but I see her more as something for a certain HiME (Yukino, obviously) to protect more than an actual HiME herself. And unfortunately, there isn’t really anyone else that comes to mind, unless one of Mai’s two friends from class starts busting out HiME powers pretty soon. That seems unlikely, though.

And on the subject of known HiME, am I the only one that knew Akira was a girl the entire time? I didn’t realise I was supposed to think she was a guy until about episode 16.

Episodes 15 & 16

Okay, so, art teacher rapes Yukariko, Yukariko blames it on Nao, Nao loses an eye through all of this ( ), and the HiME infighting begins. Where do I think this will go next? Well, my big prediction is that one of the main three HiME will definitely lose at some point. My money’s on Mikoto. Mai’s the main character, so I can’t see her losing until maybe the very end. Same with Natsuki, though mostly for the fact that the only logical “protected person” I can think of is Shizuru, so you’d have one helluva double-kill if Natsuki were to lose. I can maybe see that for the next to last episode or something, but not anytime soon. I definitely see Akira losing, as it would kill off Takumi and create immense drama for Mai. I also see Shiho losing late in the series, thus doing in Tate, perhaps right as he’s about to genuinely confess his love for either Shiho or more likely Mai. Yukariko’s cannon fodder. Nao I see suffering some indignant, tragic end to garner some last-ditch sympathy for her. Midori I’m on the fence about…I possibly see her going out in some grand blaze of glory, sacrificing her Child for justice. Shizuru I can’t see losing anytime early on for the same reason as Natsuki. One goes, they both go, simple as that. All very, VERY enticing options; it’s going to be one helluva trip seeing where things go from here.

And yes, I am kicking myself for dragging my feet and waiting so long to see this series.

Episodes 17 & 18