PinkuBentoBox

Not Adult Swim’s best weekend ever. One show stayed strong, two took a turn for the iffy, and the one that sucks…actually didn’t suck so bad. No, really, s-CRY-ed was actually decent this week. Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha kept on getting better, Champloo tried drama, and Paranoia Agent lifted Millennium Actress.

Inu-Yasha - Episode 106
ZOMG CLIFFHANGAR. But more on that in a second. With this episode, the Band of Seven arc just keeps getting better and better. I can honestly say it’s been a long time since I was this into Inu-Yasha. The episode marked the return of Ginkotsu, as well as the first meeting between Inu-Yasha & Renkotsu. Clever move on Renkotsu’s part to disguise his scent of graveyard soil with the surrounding soil of the shrine and the clothes of the priest he killed. It also seems as though he’s definitely got plans against Naraku. Using Inu-Yasha to get answers on him (so…the Band of Seven have not even met Naraku, I take it?), he decided Naraku wasn’t to be trusted and swiped Kagome’s Shikon slivers seemingly to that end. Also, strange how Naraku’s insects made off with Ginkotsu’s remains. My guess is he simply plans on removing the sliver that keeps Ginkotsu alive and then disposing of him.

This episode also marks the return of Kouga in an utterly random battle with Jakotsu. Is it me, or is that little tornado thingy used to suggest Kouga running really fast like…really, really cheesy? Anyway, fairly pointless battle, which I guess was just a way to reintroduce Kouga into the arc. Then there’s, of course, the cliffhanger. Shippou shows a surprising amount of worth by managing to keep the others from burning up, but it seems the lingering poison of Mukotsu’s has taken its toll and killed off Kagome, Sango, & Miroku. Of course, it’s obvious that won’t last…my guess is Sesshoumaru will use the Tenseiga to revive them (given that he’s in the next-episode preview berating Inu-Yasha). But though it’s clear our three heroes will survive this, it was interesting to see the series actually go there and provide this sort of suspense, where others of its kind probably wouldn’t have bothered.

Samurai Champloo - Episode 7
If you’ll recall, a while back I said that I honestly didn’t think Samurai Champloo’s cast was very well suited to heavy drama like Cowboy Bebop’s cast was. I said I felt the show should stick completely to comedy & action and stay that course on through to the end. Well, this episode went a good ways in adding weight to my argument. Basically, the entire episode revolved around this kid who resorted to pickpocketing and dealing with local criminals in order to pay for medicine for his sick mother. After getting her purse stolen, Fuu goes after the kid, only to gain sympathy for him and try to help him. However, the kid also stole from some really ugly yakuza types who’re also after him, and then gets cornered in a shop by the police. In the rush to escape both, the kid gets killed despite Fuu’s best efforts. Pretty dull episode, to be honest; I’d even go so far as saying it was the least enjoyable of all the ones I’ve seen. If anything, it just felt like Watanabe was revisiting the Waltz for Venus episode of Cowboy Bebop to much lesser success. I was able to like Roco a lot better than this kid, and it was less of a total mess at the end. Waltz for Venus also featured at least a little bit of Jet & Faye, whereas this episode was nearly devoid of Mugen & Jin to my memory, barring the first couple minutes.

There’s also something else that’s been bugging me about Samurai Champloo for a good while now. Frequently—very, very frequently—the character designs and overall feel of the animation have reminded me greatly of Witch Hunter Robin. Now before you suggest it, yes, I checked every possible angle—character designer, art director, chief animation director, etc.—and no one in any sort of visual production field worked on both shows as far as I can tell. Yet they both look surprisingly alike. The character designs, primarily in older & minor characters, look remarkably similar between Witch Hunter & Champloo, and the use of colours seems to match up, too. Fleshtones & scenery share generally matching colour palettes (between design & colour, the petty thief from this episode looked way too much like Sakaki for my tastes…having the same dub voice actor didn’t help), and even the way things move when animated has a similar feel. It’s not exact, but it’s way too alike for me to simply ignore.

Paranoia Agent - Episode 5
Y’know, I honestly don’t know what to think of this week’s Paranoia Agent episode. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite up to the level of the last four. With the supposed “Li’l Slugger” in custody, Detectives Maniwa & Ikari begin interrogating him, only to find he’s just some middle school kid named Makoto Kozuka who delusionally believes he’s the hero from some video game RPG, hunting down the evil lord Gohma. Ikari presses him for answers and gets nowhere, but then Maniwa spontaneously begins following along with the kid’s rantings (using a game guidebook for reference) and begins piecing together what are supposedly the various attacks on Usshi, Ichi, Harumi, & Akio. The kid’s final words leave Maniwa with a hunch, and, with Ikari in tow, he seeks out the old homeless lady that was an early suspect back when Tsukiko Sagi was the only victim.

I hate to say it, but this episode really didn’t help Satoshi Kon’s “genius director” label, seeing as how it was basically him doing the exact same bit from Millennium Actress all over again. Two guys listen to someone’s story, slowly getting caught up in it until it seems as though they’re helping act it out. Only, instead of a pair of filmmakers and an eldery actress, it’s two detectives and a hallucinating kid, and all the magic & artistry Millennium Actress carried was effectively done away with. This episode also seemed to be played a bit too much for laughs, basically revolving around Ikari having a massive fit over Makoto & Maniwa playing out the game in the interrogation room. It was really funny, don’t get me wrong. The comedy aspect was well-done, and I got more than a few laughs out of it (the “GAME OVER” bit with the giant green monster had me rolling with laughter). But here’s the problem: Paranoia Agent is not a comedy. It is a psychological suspense/mystery series, and while the occasional laugh here & there isn’t a bad thing (rather I applaud them for doing that thus far), having an entire episode practically devoted to comedy just seems out of place.

The script also seemed to have a couple hiccups in it, as well. Namely with Detective Ikari’s dialogue, and how he spontaneously breaks into philosophising over the generation in the middle of his interrogation. It seems like he just breaks into rambling clear out of the blue, and Detective Maniwa even calls him on it. While it worked in the last episode when he was out drinking with his friend, to randomly start mumbling in the middle of doing something else just seems off.

Also of note, this episode seems to destroy my theory that Li’l Slugger is an entity that attacks both the stressed and their stressor. Seeing as how the attacks on Usshi & Akio appear to be effectively pinned on this Makoto kid, it would appear to rule out the real Li’l Slugger being behind them. However, the attacks on Ichi & Harumi were also tied to this kid, leaving the only unexplained attack being that of Tsukiko Sagi. Given that I remain skeptical about this kid being the real Li’l Slugger, that would mean that either this kid really wasn’t involved in these attacks and the two detectives are reading too much into his stories, or it was all a happy coincidence and this kid was just copying the real Li’l Slugger that actually attacked Tsukiko alone. Detective Ikari passing off the kid’s story as “an open & shut case” leads me to suspect that I’m still at least a little right in that the kid’s story is all a waste. Something else of note, though, is that if Makoto’s story is to be at least partially believed, it would implicate the crazy elderly man from a couple previous episodes in the case to some extent. Interesting.

BTW, Harumi in her black butterfly outfit = hawt. Well, when she’s not making those cartoony monster faces, that is.

s-CRY-ed - Episode 5
Well, after four episodes of crap, this show finally begins to show some level of promise. Not much, but it’s there. Rather than being some mindless filler or random backtracking on the so-called “plot,” there was actual progression in the character development & interaction. Basic plot of the episode involved Kanami (the Loli-Lacus) falling ill while Kazuma’s out randomly attacking HOLD members, which prompts Kazuma to go and attack a medical transport with Mimori on it in order to get her treated. Once that happens, he’s attacked by that Tachibana kid he was ignoring back in the episode where he was escaping HOLD’s Alter facility, and manages to kick his ass with little effort.

While it was kinda predictable as far back as her introduction, this episode first begins showing Mimori openly questioning HOLY & HOLD’s ethics regarding people in the Lost Ground. She willingly helps Kanami & Kazuma, and continues volunteering for the medical aid unit despite protest from others within the organisation…most prominently Ryuho. Speaking of Ryuho, he continues to be a total asshole, essentially berating Mimori into not joining the medical unit and then giving her the “we’re no longer friends like we used to be” angle, and also giving the cold shoulder to that annoying blue-haired chick with the major thing for him (of course, they use little things like double-takes and wide-eyed expressions when nobody’s looking to show he “cares,” but he’s still a completely unlikable character so far). There’re also hints that Kanami seems to be connected to Kazuma’s Alter ability, since for the past couple episodes she’s been describing dreams that fit Kazuma’s battles. And that Tachibana kid seems to have this obsession with some Cammy chick’s photo.

By the way, good going s-CRY-ed dubbing cast for being the first people I’ve ever heard mangle the name “Tachibana.” TachIbana. TachEEEEbana. TachWRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYbana. Sad thing is, I’m not making this up.

Also…Tachibana’s Alter power sucks. Seriously, it’s WAY too easy to make some “playing with your balls” crack with it. Nevermind the fact that it’s just weak. And silly. Very silly. And how in the hell did the voice actors manage to pull off “I can’t find my balls!” and “your tiny balls!” with a straight face? And why am I acting so immature about this whole thing?