After the previous episode of Aku no Hana, I was expecting the same tense atmosphere in this episode. For some strange reason though, I found this episode to be rather amusing instead; perhaps it was because Takao's actions in this episode were too dramatic.

My thoughts:

• Continuing where we left off in the last episode, it seems that the “Flower of Evil” that bloomed was Takao's lust. We see that he has an internal struggle as to whether he should take Saeki's clothes, but in the end he still succumbs to temptation. Alas, his unique interest in literature does not make him different from any pubescent teenage boy largely driven by raging hormones.

• His biggest mistake, however, was that he reacted without thinking and stole her gym clothes when he thought someone was going to discover him. From the way it looks, it'll indeed be something he regrets for a long time, and he'll have to pay for the consequences heftily.

• Despite being constantly stricken with guilt (he even thinks that he'll have to atone for his mistake “his entire life”), he is unable to muster up the courage to confess. It's a pretty accurate reflection of how most people would feel in such a situation actually – the moment you commit a “heinous”, immoral crime, you fear the embarrassment and condemnation by others should you either confess or be discovered. Such is the way society works, where many people never really forgive and forget about what bad things others have done.

• Unfortunately for poor Takao, the incident was blown up when Saeki reported it to their homeroom teacher the next day, making it even harder to confess. What's worse is that he was actually caught in the act by Nakamura, who blackmails him into forming a “contract” with her in exchange for forgiveness. Even his classmates unknowingly trigger his guilt pangs by expressing their disgust at the perpetrator.

• The plot progression in this episode brings up multiple questions: Did Nakamura actually catch Takao in the act or was her accusation a blind guess from observing his behaviour in class? When she said she wanted him to bring her past the hill on his bicycle, did she mean it in a literal or metaphorical way? Why did she want to leave the town as well? What exactly is the nature of this “contract” that she bound him to?

• The way Nakamura blackmailed Takao in this episode was pretty harsh as well; she actually called Saeki to the library as well to force Takao to either confess or listen to her demands. What was even more unexpected was how she pushed Takao right into Saeki – I totally did not see that coming.

• In fact, this episode seemed to be setting up a pairing between Nakamura and Takao to me in its own way as well. Both are “distant” from others; Takao in the sense that few others appreciate Baudelaire as much as he does, and Nakamura in that her thoughts and actions are weird, not to mention that she has no friends. The part during gym class where we see  both Takao and Nakamura sitting on the ground in their own worlds seems to highlight this. Actually, even the note she passed him in class looks kinda like a love letter if you look at it in another way.

• On another note, the poetry recitals here weren't as sublime as the previous episode; here it seems like he's reciting phrases from a bible instead. Perhaps this serves as a testament to how much he worships Baudelaire and his poetry.

• Another interesting thing I noticed was that guilty as Takao was, we see him saying “I'll confess” with his face buried in Saeki's clothes. Such is the nature of sin: Even when you know you are wrong, the allure of it still draws you in deeper.

In conclusion, this was another interesting episode of Aku no Hana. I wonder how the next episode will be like…

Screenshots:

FYI: Living in the US, I am following the US release schedule for this show. I realize that the pre-air episodes are up to episode 5, but I will be blogging on the Funimation release schedule. In addition, the video quality of the pre-air episodes is just too sad, especially for a PA Works show with astounding background art. Now back to your regularly scheduled review and highlights post…

Review:

Episodes 2 and 3 of RDG raise the bar considerably. While episode one introduced the main characters well and set the tone, we didn't learn a whole lot about them or what makes them special. What exactly is a “Himegami”? What is the relationship between the “mountain monks” (Yamabushi) and the Himegami? Why does looking at Wamiya give me the creeps? Over these two episodes, we learn quite a bit about why Izumiko is special, what Miyuki's role in her life is, and Wamiya's true level of creepiness. This information is presented in a way that is entertaining and suspenseful.

Atmosphere is one of the true strengths of this series. Both of these episodes are presented with flair and style. When Izumiko and Mayuki are in danger, there is a palpable sense of dread. When things are quieter, there is a relaxed sense of beauty to everything around.

The animators at PA Works do a wonderful job of working with light and shadow, as well as using the animation to the fullest to tell the story above and beyond the dialog. I will be putting a bunch of screenshots at the end of this post, but, as I collected them, I couldn't help but reflect on how inadequate still images are at conveying the absolute radiance of some scenes and the visceral impact that a change of lighting can have on the mood of the show.

The character development in these episodes was tremendous. At the end of episode 1, Izumiko came across as an entirely weak and self loathing character with some weird powers that she didn't seem aware of, Wamiya seemed like a nice guy, but with an air of creepiness about him that was off-putting  and Miyuki left the impression that he is arrogant, competent, but a first class jerk, to put it politely. In episode 2, the Izumiko and Miyuki get to know each other better on a class trip to Tokyo as they share some very tense situations. Wamiya is in the early part of the episode, and a bit more aggressive in his creepiness. By the end of episode 3, Izumiko and Miyuki have both grown as characters considerably, and the true creepiness of Wamiya is fully on display. Episode 2 sets up a very standard protector/protected relationship vibe between Miyuki and Izumiko. When that relationship is briefly reversed in episode 3, it is a breath of fresh air and a shining moment for all of the characters involved.

This show was one I was looking forward to prior to the season, just based on the synopsis,the fact that it is done by PA Works, and the original character designer, Mel Kishida. Three weeks in, it is in a close race with Gargantia for my favorite of the season.

Episode Highlights:

Episode 2:

By the end of episode 1, Izumiko's desire to go to a local high school instead of the academy in Tokyo that both her father and Sagara want their children to attend has been accepted as the new plan. Neither Miyuki or Izumiko is very happy about the fact that he is going to be forced to attend that country school with her. Miyuki appears to be fitting in well at the middle school, with many of the girls becoming fans.

However, with the school trip to Tokyo is coming up, Izumiko receives a new cell phone from her mother Yukariko, and a letter saying she would like to meet with her. It seems to be an opportunity to get things straightened out. According to Miyuki, Yukariko is one of the only people Sagara is likely listen to. He agrees to take the cell phone and help her contact her mother in Tokyo, since she would only break the phone and he wants out of this servant business without forfeiting his life if possible!

Wamiya has noted that Izumiko hasn't seemed like herself lately. He wonders if it is because of the new transfer student and point blank asks her if she hates Miyuki. Izumiko replies that she does. Wamiya feels the same way and encourages her to attend the local high school with him. The lighting and music manage to make the scene have a lingering sense of dread, despite the upbeat, friendly manner Wamiya speaks with Izumiko.

When leaving for the trip, Izumiko finds out that Wamiya is not coming. She seems surprised, but her classmates are not, saying that it isn't the type of thing he would do. When he is watching their plane leave, it is an extra special creepy moment.

On the flight to Tokyo, it seemed that Izumiko's technology destroyer was going to kick in for a minute, but it turned out to be a sense of someone following her, even on the plane. (To be honest, my first thought when she started having the “weird vibe” on the plane was that she was going to fry the planes electronics. A real danger for a girl like her!)

At the airport, the weirdness continues, with dark, shadowy figures lurking in the crowd. Izumiko is clearly out of her element here. Miyuki is skeptical about these shadowy figures, as he can't see them. He has gotten the meeting details via text from Yukariko, however. The class is going to be at a government building with some free time, they are to meet her on the observation deck on the south tower.

Once there, they get another text. Yukariko can't make it and tells them to leave immediately, because “they” have already found Izumiko. Miyuki begins to wonder if there is something to this seeming paranoia. (Is it really paranoia if people really are out to get you?) Yukariko tells them to meet her at her house instead, because there are barriers there that will keep Izumiko safe. Looking up the location, Miyuki discovers it isn't very far, just a short train ride.

Of course, nothing is quite so simple when dealing with a RDG! When she passes her ticket for the train through the machine, the entire bank of gates breaks. Then, once they are on the train, there is a malfunction that causes the shut-down of the entire line. If they are going to get to Yukariko's house, they will have to find another way. They start out on their way, but soon Izumiko is getting tired. Miyuki takes her hand and urges her on.

Shadowy figures still loom for Izumiko. Since Yukariko has stated that “They” have found her, Miyuki decides to get a hat to hide her braids. The scenes frequently pan to the ever-present security cameras, and indication that I took as Miyuki starting to believe that they are being tracked using them. The take a cab at one point, but are dropped off in the wrong spot, leaving quite a ways to walk to get to the house. As luck would have it, it starts pouring down rain.Izumiko is clearly terrified. She can sense that the shadowy figures are coming. They can't get away. Miyuki is profoundly affected by her level of fear. He comments that he has never actually seen anyone tremble in fear before.

He is starting to believe that something may actually be out there. He asks if she would like him to chant a mantra against evil, having learned some during his training on the mountain. She says that it probably won't work, but… if possible… could he hold her hand. When he did that earlier it made her feel a little less afraid. He offers her his hand and she, very tentatively, takes it. The amount of time and detail spent on this simple scene is touching and says more about the changes occurring in the characters, and between them, than any amount of dialog ever could.

The shadowy figure is approaching. The two teens go inside the entry way of the apartment building they are in front of and Miyuki begins to do his “evil be gone” mantra. The approaching figure is also chanting a mantra, however. The tension builds so thick you can practically taste it!

“Something wicked this way comes”, as Ray Bradbury once wrote. The door slides open and the shadowy form appears.  Lightning crashes and…

Yukumasa Sagara is the person standing at the door. He chides Miyuki, in a very telling comment, that Izumiko is the one he should be exorcizing, not him. (Side note: It seems that the chants that both of them were doing are chants to exorcize a person possessed. For some reason, Yukimasa thinks that Izumiko needs it?) Miyuki challenges him to prove that he is the real Yukimasa, since Izumiko was obviously afraid of him as some sort of evil while he was approaching. He says that Izumiko clearly can tell that he is who he appears to be. She thinks that it must have been her imagination, that she was mistaken and worried over nothing. Miyuki doesn't buy that one bit. He may not have sensed the lurking presence, but he knows her fear was real.

Yukimasa explains that her fear of him is proof of his identity. She is still confused, saying that she sensed something truly bad approaching. Yukimasa explains that she probably sensed someone other than just him. There are many people who have her in their sights and wish to make her theirs.

Yukimasa informs Izumiko that Yukariko gave up on seeing her when she couldn't make it to the observation deck, so they won't be seeing her even at her house. But he takes her there because of the barrier, which makes it a good resting spot for her. When they get there, he encourages Izumiko change out of her wet clothes and rest. (Side note: the name on the door is Tanaka Ryuugi, not Yukariko Suzuhara. I don't see any record of that name in the character lists though.) Izumiko is obviously sad that she won't be seeing her mother, but Yukimasa explains that Yukariko chose to be a decoy to draw attention away from Izumiko.

When they are alone, Miyuki begins to change out of his wet clothes. Yukimasa tells him to keep his pants on since they are in someone's home. Miyuki bristles that he knew to do that already. Yukimasa wonders why Miyuki is always angry when their together and why they cannot have a “peaceful conversation” when they are alone.

Miyuki confronts Yukimasa about his story about “others” being who Izumiko was afraid of, accusing him of exorcising her to alleviate her fear. He also suggests that Yukimasa is the real reason Yukariko left, not because she was protecting Izumiko.

Yukimasa basically admits as much, saying that “it is in their nature to run.” He tells Miyuki that there are a whole bunch of people who want to use the powers of women like Yukariko and Izumiko for personal gain. “Such as enterprisers (Side note: does that mean entrepreneurs?), politicians, researchers, men of religion, and even us Mountain Monks.” Miyuki asks what exactly these powers are. (Finally, the meat of the puzzle!!)

Yukimasa explains that there are a rare few that are born with the”‘pure' power that the Mountain Monks train to obtain. Such power is limited to women since ancient times.” Miyuki counters that Izumiko is basically a “big scaredy cat who can't do squat”.  Yukario counters that she hasn't fully awakened. Miyuki tells his father that if she needs protecting, he needs to do it himself. He won't be his lackey. As he is talking, the building begins to shake.

Suddenly, Izumiko appears before them, dressed in a kimono, with light radiating about her.

As she turns and sends an appraising glare toward the half dressed Miyuki, it is clear that someone else is manning the store, so to speak. A look of wisdom and a bit of mischievousness, if I am not mistaken, is all conveyed without words, but by the tilt of her head and the set of her eyes. It is a masterful piece of animation, using facial expression and posture to inform the viewer of the situation.

Yukimasa is clearly taken aback, refers to her as “her highness”, and tells Miyuki to get back. He must not appear before her dressed as he is.

It is the Himegami. She seems surprised that Yukimasa is there, as he bows to her and apologizes. She says  it is not a problem, since she came unannounced, this being the first time she has descended into Izumiko. She states that the body is uncomfortable due to its youth, but she came because she “sensed something taking wing.” When she says this, I got the impression that she was looking directly at Miyuki, and the expression on her face is priceless, and a bit amused, I think. What is it that was “taking wing”? I guess we'll find out over the course of the season!

When asked if she with be “staying” with Izumiko from now on, she replies in a playful manner, “It is not as if you have caught me yet.” (Side note: An interesting bit of byplay here. Is somehow the goal of the Mountain Monks to “catch” the Himegami? What exactly did she mean by that…) Then she tells them to take good care of Izumiko's body, as she will most likely be her last vessel. Yukimasa is clearly shocked. Then her eyes begin to droop…

Izumiko is back in control of her own body, and clearly confused. Yukimasa lets her know that she will remember everything in time, and she runs away.

So now Miyuki knows that Izumiko is from a long line of women who are easily possessed. My take on this is, since the Mountain Monks learn spells to exorcize people who have been possessed, they are the protectors of these women, making sure that only the Himegami has access to her vessel and that no evil beings take control of these powerful, yet at the same time uniquely vulnerable, women.

Yukimasa seems to feel he underestimated the value of Izumiko for some reason and informs Miyuki that her protection is far beyond his capabilities and he is relieved of the duty. Miyuki, given what he was asking for, responds with anger. Yukimasa comments that he should be more happy. But it is clear that Miyuki cannot get the vision of Izumiko possessed by the Himegami out of his head. Perhaps what he wants has changed?

Episode 3:

Back at the shrine, Izumiko seems to be at peace with the world. Things seem back to normal, but Izumiko's attitude toward Miyuki has softened considerably. She even invites him to come with her to see the view from the top of the mountain, as on a clear day like this, you can see the ocean.

On top of the mountain, Miyuki seems like a different person almost. He seems happy to be there. Izumiko asks him when he will be transferring back to his old school, since Yukimasa told him he didn't have to attend her school anymore, and he says he isn't planning on going back. It seems that the experience with the Himegami has changed him somewhat. He asks her if she can remember what happened when she was possessed, and she says she can, but it was like she was just watching someone else talk. He suggests that she consider the Himegami another person. She asks if, since she isn't the Himegami, if that means he won't pick on her abut being useless anymore. He laughs and tells her there is no need to worry about that.

He tells her that he will be transferring to a school in Tokyo soon, Hojo Academy, the same school that her father wanted her to go to. He tells her, “I'm not going to avoid standing in the same ring as Yukimasa anymore.” He wants to really learn to be a Mountain Monk. She wonders why she wanted to go to the local high school in the first place?

At school, a group of girls gives her a gift bag that they bought for Wamiya while they were in Tokyo. They know that she felt sorry that he couldn't go, so they want her to give it to him. It is clear that they think she likes him.

She finds him by the shoe rack and gives him the present. This is one of those scenes that still shots just don't do justice to. The change in lighting, combined with the background music, when she hands him the present is positively eerie! He asks her about the trip, tells her he wishes she hadn't <

For this week, we have a song by Last Note, one of my favorite composers.

Last Note is a relatively new producer who started uploading songs only at the end of 2010. Since then, most of his songs have been hits, staying at the top of the rankings for 1 or 2 days. His most popular songs which made it to the hall of fame are Setsuna Trip and Ren'ai Yuusha.

This song is not exactly new, it's been released in an utaite compilation album “endless resist” where Last Note remixes all the songs himself. Osananaburu is covered by MidoriInu in this album but the GUMI version is not released at this point. The GUMI version was only released in Last Note's first album “first trip”. On a side note, I highly recommend MidoriInu's cover of this songs. It's already a cute song in the first place but she managed to make it sound even cuter. You can listen to it here.

The song's title is read as “Osana na Buru” which would translate to “Childhood Blues” as you can see in the video. The song is typical Last Note's style, upbeat and cheerful (yes, it gets cheerful later). GUMI is tuned very nicely here, cute and doesn't sound very electronic, as with all of his other songs.
Also, I cannot stress this enough, but MidoriInu's version is extremely cute. Seriously, go listen to it.

Enjoy!

These episodes continued to ramp up my expectations for the anime. Along with another titan, we get another dose of shock and awe as we continue this series.

Episode 2 was mostly a precursor for the time skip, once again hammering in how desperate the outlook is for the people who live in these meager walls. The only way for them to escape to the abode of the inner walls is through boat, and even the gates could not hold the titans back as another unique titan charges through the gates and breaks into another layer of the walls. Hope is slowly fading as you have people jumping onto the boats to try to stay alive for yet another day. The food shortage is resolved by sacrificing a majority of the population in order to decrease food consumption, which is a brutal yet realistic way to solve the problem.

We are left to wonder about the mystery of the key, however. What could Eren's dad have injected him with, and how does it relate to the key? Earlier in episode 1, Eren's dad says “When I come back, I'll show you what's inside the basement/attic”, and references the key. Manga readers will know what the key foreshadows, but until then, it remains a mystery.

Episode 3 basically jumps to the time skip, in which Eren, Mikasa, and Armin have all grown up to become soldiers in training. Eren finally begins to realize his dream of fighting off the titans, starting with basic training. However, unlike Mikasa who is already perfect in training regimes, Eren falters and his emotions are wavered when he realizes that he cannot even complete the basic training. Although he barely gets help from his fellow recruits, it is eventually revealed that his equipment was simply faulty and to be able to finish training with faulty equipment already sets him apart from the rest. I'm really looking forward to the results of his training.

Until then, fight onwards, Eren.

My apologies for the late post, as I just finished my exams. Next week will continue as normally scheduled!

OK, this one has been a long time coming. As soon as I received my copy, I went away for a couple of weeks and didn't get a chance to play it until recently so everyone has probably already finished the game long before me but I would be amiss to not give this great game a post on its own. I should have really done one for Metal Gear Rising too. Those 2 games are easily my fave games of this year and I predict they will still be near the top come the years end!

At the very least, I don't think I need to do much explaining about this game. Infinite is the next game from the people who brought us the amazing Bioshock back in 2007 and, while another team gave us a direct sequel to bioshock which was set in the same world, infinite is considered by many to be the “true” sequel to the underwater adventure game.

In Bioshock Infinite, you play as Booker DeWitt, a guy with a rather shady past and an even shadier present. Seems he's gotten himself into some trouble and has been hired by some people to find a girl named Elizabeth and take her to New York. If he does so, his debts will be cleared.  The game starts off very much like Bioshock in that you find yourself at a lighthouse and, once you reach the device inside, you're transported to another world. But in this case, instead of  going underwater, you're shot up into the sky and find a city up there called Columbia. Columbia is basically an american history lesson as it's modelled after the country at the turn of the 20th century. The rich/poor divide is huge, racial segregation is the norm, work laws are practically non-existent… Basically it's paradise if you're a rich white man and, well, not if you're anyone else. It is kinda interesting when you remember that, unlike Rapture, which was more of an experiment and a look into the nature of human beings in general, Columbia is full of things which happened! You can look into your history books and see all of it. And it's not just stuff like wounded knee or the boxer rebellion (incidentally, at the risk of sounding racist, the Chinese at the turn of the 20th Century were basically screwed over multiple times. Blacks may call back on injustices and whatnot but the chinese had it just as bad, if not worse. They may not have been taken from their homes and used as cheap labour, but their homes were simply taken too and the people were treated as 2nd rate citizens in their own country. Heck, the British made a huge chunk of southern china into drug addicts to get them to work on their opium farms! It's no wonder that the current China is so cold and near hostile to pretty much every other country out there!) but the whole culture of Columbia.

Anyway, the game has you running around, finding Elizabeth while avoiding the police as you've been outed as an outsider and dangerous element and once you find Elizabeth, you gotta find a way out of columbia! While trying to avoid spoilers, that's pretty much the game in a nutshell. You get the regular assortment of weapons and also “vigors” which work in the same manner as plasmids from Bioshock. One new addition is the skyhook, a special device which allows you to perform incredibly violent and graphic executions on enemies as well as ride Tram lines around Columbia to reach higher areas. One other change is the addition of Elizabeth. Once you find her, she becomes a persistant character who helps you out in situations and never gets in your way. She's also central to the plot in more ways than you first think!

So, how was the game?

LOVED

• Elizabeth – Like it or not, she is the single largest “make-or-break” element of the game. How you view her as a part of the game will have a huge sway on whether or not you enjoy it! Luckily for me, I found her to be brilliantly done. A persistent NPC who feels almost alive and never gets in your way. We've come a long way since Goldeneye on the N64 and Nataliya… She also saved my ass more than a few times with a conveniently timed health item. Eurogamer tried to convince us that Eleanor from Bioshock 2 was actually a better character than Elizabeth but there's a major caveat: Eleanor only appeared near the end of the game while Elizabeth was your constant companion. It's easy to appear more interesting when you're not around for us to see what you can do!
• SkyHook – It's way too much fun flying around on the beams spraying death to the enemy units below.
• The plot – Overall, most of the plot was very cleverly written and the game did a good job showing the dark nature of human beings, particularly with Fitzroy who, at the start, when she and her allies were being oppressed and fighting a losing battle, seemed just and in the right actually turns out to be no better than the people she was fighting against once she gained the means to fight back. In fact, she may have been worse. Having said that…

HATED

• The Plot – Ultimately, when you have a plot which runs on the idea of multiple dimensions, time travel and whatnot, the level of paradoxes can become unbearable. By the end of the game, my head hurt more than when I watched the movie “Looper” and trust me, my head hurt plenty when trying to make sense of the time travel in that film!
• Vigors – Unlike in Bioshock, the vigors in infinite are effectively weapons unto themselves. There are far fewer opportunities to use them with the environment to increase their effectiveness, though they can be combined together to do so. But I miss the fun times you could electrocute many enemies by luring them into a puddle and then firing lightning at the water! There are puddles in Infinite, but the tactic is much less effective this time around.
• Songbird – Songbird was hailed as the “big bad” you need to watch out for in the game, a boogie man similar to the big sister in Bioshock 2 but it hardly had an appearance in the game at all! And when it does appear, it's impact was just to push the plot forward, though you are able to control it to a degree in the later stages of the game. But, aside from one recording which hinted that he may be based off the big daddy in Bioshock, there's little to no info about it or how it was created or how it functions! It's just there!

Ultimately though, I really enjoyed Bioshock Infinite. But overall, it doesn't hold up to the original. While Bioshock was the story of Rapture and how it was built, maintained and then ruined by peoples ambitions and greed was a really interesting story for me and Infinite doesn't match it. Afterall, it's not so much a story of Columbia but one of Elizabeth, and it doesn't kick in until around halfway! The first main antagonist, Comstock, also comes off more as a raving religious fanatic, closer to Sofia Lamb than Andrew Ryan and far less memorable had it not been for the obligatory twist in the plot. But this was also something weaker in Infinite. Afterall, I saw this one coming! “Would you kindly” still sticks in my mind as one of the few times in my memory where I was truly sucker punched by a twist I never saw coming. I knew things weren't right, I knew that certain characters were not to be trusted but I never saw that!!

As a standalone game, Infinite is great but it doesn't quite match up to its predecessor. Still, I'd take it over Bioshock 2 any day!

In episode 1 our protagonist, Kazuya Maeda, made the questionable choice of joining the photography club, which is a den of perverts for the most part. Will he turn out to be a creep, or was it a big mistake?

This series garnered a lot of discussion on various message boards because of the creepiness/perverseness of the Photography Club members and the perception that Kazuya, as the main character, was also a creep like them, since he joined their club. Many of the arguments displayed the general lack of understanding of the rights of photographers, which, as a professional photographer, I always find disheartening. To put it bluntly, nothing that the main character did in the first week was remotely close to a violation of either the laws that photographers work under or any ethical standards. Taking pictures of people in public places is perfectly legal. What is not legal is using those pictures without permission. Interestingly, the Photography Club, den of perverts and creeps that it is, explicitly stated that they don't use photos unless they have permission from the subject. This was brushed off as meaningless by so many posters on so many sites that it is maddening! In any case, it was rather interesting that a show with such a reserved level of fan service, given the basic theme of the show, caused so much discussion.

Enough ranting, since this week's episode answers several of the questions about the moral character of our protagonist, while opening up new ones at the end. He states several times that he would never take pictures of girls that are degrading or rude, as many of the people ask him about it, given his club choice. In addition to saying that he wouldn't do such things, he seems legitimately uncomfortable with the fact that the other members of the Photography Club do take pictures like that.

Review: 

The art continues to be a bit of a disappointment, with several times when the faces of the girls were poorly rendered, like the nose entirely disappearing except when in profile, etc… These are common issues with anime, but it is still disappointing. Worse than that is the animation. There are far too many places where the animators use pans over still images, even for things like people playing tennis and other action-oriented activities. Really, the only place where the animation and art step up to an acceptable level are when Kazuya is taking pictures. Then the animators make good use of the camera viewfinder, sometimes to somewhat humorous effect, like the shot to the left, with the focus point activating in a very suggestive manner.

On the topic of fan service, I have been surprised at how little of it there has been and how reserved as well. Take this set of pictures for example:

This was just one of many scenes in the episode where there could have been an easy panty-shot, but they chose to avoid them entirely. Yes, the camera lingers on the hips, legs, backsides, cleavage, etc… especially when the protagonist is framing a shot, but they don't stoop to gratuitous up-skirt or down-blouse shots. Instead, by showing the process of framing a photo, and all of the options Kazuya has in the process, then showing the final shot he takes being not only appropriate in terms of prurient content, but also in terms of the general standards of good photography (rule of thirds, selective focus, etc…). When you add to that the fact that, in one scene, he actually solicits advice on exposure settings from one of the fellow photo enthusiasts at his school, it really paints a good picture of a young photographer learning the ropes.

The music is still unremarkable, with the best use of sound having to do with the shutter effects. Story wise, the show picks it up a notch this week. While the big question at the end of episode 1 (Why was Tomoe crying?) was answered in a round-about way and with a very ho-hum answer to boot, the relationship dynamics of the story took a step forward, both between the protagonist and the female lead and the protagonist and the members of his new club. (Yes, it is a harem, but to be honest, it is very clear from the beginning that Haruka Nimi is the leading lady.)

Last week, Haruka's eyes seemed to cling to Kazuya's face, with a rather sad look of longing, as she innocently asked about why she never got to see him over break. This foreshadowing was followed up this week by an almost brazen, just shy of a confession, scene. Kazuya's level of cluelessness seems to be rather high at this point, which could be an issue if it continues.

The other area where the story moved forward is with the student body president, Aki Muroto. (In last week's entry, I mentioned her as being on the swimming team. That may still be the case, as she is featured in a swimsuit in the OP and in the previews for next week, but it appears that being the student council president is the more important aspect.) She continues to berate Kazuya for minor violations of the rules and for a general lack of familiarity with said school rules. However, near the end of the episode, Kazuya catches her in a compromising situation, which results in what he refers to as “Blackmail material.” This opens up some questions about Kazuya's moral character again, however, given the amount that Aki had been dogging him about the small stuff, I find it perfectly understandable that he might think about the fact that he has figured out a weak spot in little miss perfects facade as an opportunity. It is only human nature to recognize that having leverage to use against someone in a position of power is desirable, even if it would be wrong and mean to use that information against them.

All in all, I am enjoying this show more than I really feel I should based on the technical merits of the show. Perhaps it is the fact that I have read some of the manga, but the show just sort of rises above the lack of execution and polish. I suppose it could be that I find the main characters quite likable?

Episode Highlights:

We start out with Tomoe Misumi arriving at class and seeming to take extra effort to pass near Kazuya. Could it symbolize something? Maybe something to do with the big secret she shared in episode 1? Hard to tell…

The episode quickly delves into the fan service bin. But wait! It's guys changing into their gym clothes!

 Nonoka sure doesn't look like she's trying to cover her eyes effectively there… hmmm. Anyway, she is coming to deliver some more character assassination … er … I mean development, for our protagonist. She wants to borrow one of his books. She would rather borrow Haruka's, of course, since her notes are so awesome, but his is the next best thing, since it is like having a brand new book with no notes what-so-ever. Nothing to distract you or lead you astray! Yes, they are painting a picture of Kazuya as a fairly poor student who doesn't really try hard. That may be Nonoka's main purpose in the show…

Thanks to Nonoka's delaying him, Kazuya is now running late for gym class, so he has another stairwell collision with the ever bossy student body president, Aki. She informs him that he is supposed walk, not run in the halls, and also that he is to stay to the right side of the hall in order to avoid events like what just happened. He wasn't aware of that, so she shoves the student handbook in his face and suggests he read his copy. She seems a bit strict…

Next, he see's Haruka looking pretty worn out, hauling softball gear. He asks what's up and she says she is getting them for their gym class. Haruka asks him about having joined the Photography Club, since he has never been in a club before. (Kanon told her, of course) He tells her that the club president kind of forced him into it and wouldn't take no for an answer, which is kind of how I felt about the whole thing at the time. When she asks what they do in the club, he makes up something about recording the days of youth of the students, which Haruka seems to buy. 

Incidentally, about that time Kazuya notices the perverts from the Photography Club lurking with their cameras to get a picture of Nimi in her bloomers. He offers to give her a hand and she says she's fine. (He is, after all, obviously late for his own gym class already.) But when she bends over to pick up the softball equipment, something shines in her eyes, blinding her. Upset at the situation, he blocks the shots of the other club members and helps her carry the softball gear outside, even forgetting to take off his indoor shoes.

To setup the next scene, his stomach growls embarrassingly while he is talking with Haruka, since he skipped breakfast because he was running late today. After getting clocked by a soccer ball in gym class, probably because he wasn't moving fast enough, he runs into his sister, who seems concerned that he has been hurt. After a stomach growl of truly epic proportions, he asks if she has anything to eat? She has a vitamin jelly pouch in her skirt pocket, which he gratefully accepts and starts to chug. However, the warmth of it puts to mind where it was, which seems to creep him out a bit. After all, it was snuggled right up to his little sister's upper thigh. (So nice that it doesn't excite him!)

However, this provides Madam President with another opportunity to shove the rule book in his face, since he isn't supposed to eat or drink in the hallway! The fact that she startled him and made him nearly choke doesn't seem to faze her…

Next, he is wandering looking for “shutter chances” and once again comes across his sister's friend Mai doing gymnastics, this time with the whole team. As he lines up a shot, Mai comes over to stop him.

Kanon has told her about his joining the club as well, and she informs him that he is not allowed to take pictures during club practices. The coach has banned the Photography Club due to their trying to take pictures from embarrassing angles. He says he would never do that, which Mai quickly believes. Kazuya is upset because he is already running into limitations as a photographer, so soon after taking up the hobby. She tells him that she will talk with the captain about getting an exemption for him, since he is not a creep. Not sure how that will work, since it is only his word on that… (Is it me, or is she more developed that lat week? I don't recall her having obvious breasts… but I guess she was wearing a loos fitting t-shirt…)

Speaking of creeps, one of the ever-present Photography Club members, Mr. Low Angle in this case, is there to give Kazuya props for getting cozy with Mai in order to get himself excluded from the club ban. (Not that Kazuya perceives this as what he was doing.) He informs him that the first year “Mai-Kano” duo is crazy popular. Kazuya berates him for doing stuff to get banned in the first place, then asks who this “Mai-Kano” duo is? He gets the Mai part, but who is Kano? None other than Kanon Maeda! This causes Kazuya to have a bit of a fit prior to informing the idiot that Kanon is his little sister! Kazuya evidently doesn't perceive creepy perverts being into his little sister to be a good thing.

Mr. Low Angle thinks for a moment, then says he needs to start calling Kazuya “Brother” now! Evidently Mr. Low Angle has a bit of a crush?  In any event, it promises to be a running gag going forward, which may or may not be funny.

Continuing with the rounds of flag setting for the various heroines, Kazuya happens upon Hikari Sanehara, the Kuudere Photo Club girl, taking pictures against the light of the setting sun. He takes this opportunity to ask her about techniques to compensate for the lighting, since he gets “blocked up shadows”. Her initial response is a cold Who cares as long as it creates a mood. However, she then suggests that he could use the exposure compensation dial. A little bit of the dere side there? Maybe… In any case, he gets a text from his club president calling all of them to the club room after school tomorrow, which he seems to dread. Why did he join this club again?

Next, we come to the meat of the episode – a photo shoot with Haruka! Kazuya is musing over the fact that he was so worried about the meeting that he couldn't sleep. (Again, why are you in this club?) Haruka is returning from the swimming pool, which was the gym class activity for the day.  She evidently forgot her hairband or something, and had to go back to get it, leaving her all by herself, in her swimsuit. He starts to beat a hasty retreat, but she stops him and offers to model for him.

He is a bit shocked at the offer. He clarifies that she means in her swimsuit, and she confirms it. She says it will be embarrassing, but she'll do her best because she wants to do what she can to help him with his hobby. When he asks why she would do something like this for him, she responds that she want to spend more time with him, “just like I used to!” She asks if he he doesn't want to, he says that isn't the problem. She responds rather forcefully, saying “Then take it! Take my picture!”. She then gets a bit more shy, looking away, and saying, “If you don't mind, I want you to take my picture.” Then she swings back to a more aggressive stance, saying, “I want you to look at me!” Kazuya looks a bit like a deer in headlights after this… If I may editorialize: Dude! That was practically a love confession you big dope! The most beautiful girl in the school is willing to pose for you in her swimsuit, despite being embarrassed about it, because she wants you to look at her! Climb aboard the clue bus on this one and realize that she is in love with you! Why? Who the heck knows, but don't be an idiot! (Of course, he will eventually be an idiot! That is a given.)

So they do their first photo shoot together, a private, secret, swimsuit photo session. Lucky guy!

Later, in class, Kazuya does a nifty bit of daydreaming and remembers his discussion with Tomoe that has been danced around the whole episode. What she revealed to him wasn't earth shaking or anything, nor that interesting. (No yuri love tringle this time around it seems…) However, it was sufficient, when it happened to interupt Kazuya's ability to pay attention in class, to warrant a whack on the head from the hot teacher.

Moving along, we get to the Photography Club's meeting, where Kazuya has yet to learn the club motto and seems totally uncomfortable. The purpose of the meeting is to reveal the winner of this year's “Miss Photogenic” contest. It is an annual poll by the club members to determine which of the schools photographs the best. The club then puts up a gallery of photos of the girl at the school cultural festival. Kazuya feels sorry for the girl already.

This year's winner is obvious: Haruka Nimi. Kazuya wonders out loud if this is the real reason the club recruited him. The response of Stealth Girl suggests he hit it on the nose! Kazuya is not at all pleased!

The next morning, the hot teacher sends Kazuya to take out the trash, since it had been his turn the night before and he flaked on it. While out there, he decides to take the long way back to class and take a few pictures. 

At the same time, a girl appears to be trying to sneak onto the campus the back way. Kazuya sees this and immediately identifies this as a “Shutter Chance”.

It turns out to be none other than the ultra strict, rule quoting, student body president – Aki Muroto! She gets a bit upset that Kazuya is taking pictures of her in this compromising situation, then in classic rom-com style falls on Kazuya, with her skirt heading directly toward his face at one point.

Aki accuses Kazuya of taking pictures of her panties, he tells her he would never do that! In the end, she tries to use her usual haughty tone with him but he isn't having any of that! He figured out that she was trying to avoid a tardy by coming into the school the back way, while he has a legitimate reason to be behind the school. She ends up asking him, very sweetly, if he would mind not telling anyone, as it would cause her to lose the respect of the students. He has a bit of a delusion of grandeur as he realizes that the normaly bossy Aki Muroto-sempai is acting all sweet and subdued. He agrees to not tell anyone. She then asks him to delete the pictures he took, which he refuses to do, because it would be a shame to let good pictures go to waste. As he heads back to class she tells him not to show them to anyone. He says he won't. She pouts, and Kazuya considers the fact that he now has some blackmail material to use against the student body president!

 A quick note here, as I'm sure there are tons of posts around the web about how absolutely wrong Kazuya was to not delete those pictures. He was perfectly within his rights to keep them! However, it would be illegal for him to use them for anything other than personal use, since she refused permission. You may think that she has the right to make him delete the pictures, but that is not the case.

Previews for next week:

勇者, 心の温かさに触れる | The Hero Feels the Warmth of the Heart

Emi had other worries to think about. Maou-san's actions in saving the people during the earthquake caused her to feel conflicted over her feelings towards Maou. I do feel the same way. Is he good? Is he bad? In Ente Isla, he was thought to be a savage and vicious ruler but now he seems so nice. Why is he so different from his previous self?

Though Chiho does harbor some romantic affection towards Maou, the question is will Maou reciprocate those feeling of affection? It's too soon to say what he feels towards her. We might never know the answer as the arrival of Lucifer threatens to disrupt Maou-san's simple life. Is he a friend? Probably not from the way he destroyed the public place after he recharged his power from feeding on Chiho's negative emotions. The two, Maou and Lucifer, finally meet face to face amongst a pile of rubble, probably raring to square off with one another.

DRAG ME TO HELL!!!

I was excited to see Maou in his true form but that lasted only for a short while but at least we got to see the appearance of Lucifer. That reminds me, the small tidbits of information scattered around this episode mentioned of a mugger stealing things. May have been a foreshadowing to Lucifer's attempt in adapting to Japan.

Lucifer's appearance is not the only twist to the story. Miki-T, the landlady, knows about Ente Isla and Maou-san's predicament. I did feel there was something odd about her but what does that make her? Friend or Foe? Who is she? find out next week!!!

You see this hand? I'll show it to you again next week.

Yes people, it's official! After all the ruckus that the Kyoto Animation commercial for a swimming-themed anime stirred, they have just confirmed that the show is indeed getting an anime. You can watch the official PV for the anime above.

KyoAni had earlier put up a countdown site that counted down to their announcement of their new anime series, with a link to the live announcement video on Nico Nico Douga. And yes, this is it.

Key slides from the presentation:

For those who have not watched the original TV commercial, you can watch it below:

The official site for the anime is now up at iwatobi-sc.com, which stands for “Iwatobi Swimming Club”. Do check it out for more details!

The second episode of Henneko didn't disappoint; in fact, it turned out to be way funnier than I expected. I had a few good laughs this episode, and I felt that the scenes were pretty well executed with good pacing including the drama at the end.

My thoughts:

In this episode, we learn some pretty interesting things. Azusa had no friends in her old school and hence transferred. At the same time, she's trying to maintain an ojou-sama facade in her new school (with much thanks to Youto) and seems to have difficulty accepting others as friends. I do wonder what's her backstory?

On Tsukiko's front, things do not appear to be going that smoothly as well. There seems to be some form of conflict between her and her sister; they obviously did not appear to get along all that well during  their coincidental meeting in the arcade which eventually developed into something like a a confrontation. I hope we'll get to explore more of this in later episodes too.

Even with all the story development and drama though, we had no lack of fun scenes this episode as well. Youto's inability to conceal his perverted nature led to some pretty epic shenanigans this episode which were entertaining and enjoyable.

To top that off, Ogura Yui and Ishihara Kaori's voice acting really shone through this episode, each bringing much life to their characters. And when their two characters came together in the later part of the episode, you could really tell that the two of them have really good chemistry between them – you could almost tell how close they were in real life through the characters that they portrayed.

While Tsukiko might not be able to express her emotions through her face or voice, we are reminded that her actions and body language are still existing avenues for her to convey her feelings (Youto could tell she was scared when she was shaking and hiding behind him). Apart from that, something I really liked was how even tense situations in this show are dissipated through comedic means such as the scene in the picture above as well as when Tsukushi threw Youto onto his fellow club members after he screamed “RUN!” and grabbed her breasts.

On another note, many scenes in this episode look like they came straight out from a visual novel, perhaps because of the art style and Kantoku's character deisgn. Besides, story wise it seems to me that Henneko would make a darn good visual novel as well since well, there are different “routes” for the characters after all. What do you think?

Screenshots:

Full-length images:

And with that, we've come to the end of another episode of Henneko. The drama at the end of the episode was really unexpected, but it was very well done. I can't wait to watch the next episode!

Reminds you of that K-ON episode. JR Kyoto Station

Just about 2 weeks ago I came back from Kyoto.  I was in Kyoto from the 9th to the 17th of April, missing the main part of the sakura season.

There were still some left so its cool.

The plan went something like this,

Day 0 - 

1. Singapore Changi Airport
2. Hong Kong International Airport

Day 1 -

1. Arrive at KIX ->
2. Limited Express Haruka ->
3. Kyoto ->
4. drop luggage at hotel ->
5. (from here onward, unplanned) AVANTI's animate to pick up April's Earth Star ->
6. Yodobashi Kyoto ->
7. find lunch (Mcdonalds) ->
8. Higashi Honganji ->
9. Nishi Honganji ->
10. check in at hotel ->
11. find dinner ->
12. end of day.

Day 2 -

1. JR Kyoto Station ->
2. JR Inari Station ->
3. Fushimi Inari Taisha ->
4. up the mountain ->
5. chill at halfway point with view of city ->
6. back down ->
7. buy lunch ->
8. JR Kyoto Station ->
9. JR Saga-Arashiyama ->
10. eat previously bought lunch ->
11. walk to Togestukyo ->
12. sit along the river and chill ->
13. cross Togestsukyo and cross back ->
14. walk to Shigureden ->
15. check out Shigureden ->
16. walk to/through Bamboo Forest ->
17. walk to Torokko Arashiyama Station ->
18. JR Saga-Arashiyama Station ->
19. JR Kyoto Station ->
20. dinner ->
21. end of day.

Day 3 - 

1. Kyoto Station (Subway)
2. Kitaoji Subway Station
3. (Raku) Bus to Kinkakuji
4. Kinkakuji
5. Bus to Nijo jo
6. Nijo jo
7. Dinner at Matsuya
8. Walk to Kyoto Gyoen
9. Walk around in Kyoto Gyoen
10. Marutamachi Subway Station
11. Kyoto Station (Subway)
12. end of day.

Day 4 - 

1. JR Kyoto Station
2. JR Tofukuji Station
3. Keihan Tofukuji
4. Gion Shijo Station
5. Walk to Yasaka Jinja
6. Walk to Maruyama Park
7. Walk down the streets with wooden stuff Kiyomizu michi area to Kiyomizudera
8. Kiyomizudera
9. Lunch at Kiyomizudera
10. Walk along Gojo dori to Kiyomizu Gojo Station
11. Kiyomizu Gojo Station walk to Sanjo Station along Kamogawa
12. Sanjo Station
13. Discover Book Off
14. Book Off
15. Walk to Heian Jingu
16. Heian Jingu
17. Walk to Nanzenji
18. Nanzenji
19. Walk to Keage Subway Station
20. Keage Subway Station
21. Karasuma Oike Subway Station
22. Kyoto Subway Station
23. Dinner
24. end of day.

Day 5 -

1. (Raku) Bus to Ginkakuji
2. Ginkakuji
3. Walk along Philosopher's Path to Nazenji
4. From Nanzenji walk to Keage Subway Station
5. Keage Subway Station
6. Karasuma Oike Subway Station
7. Kyoto Subway Station
8. Lunch
9. JR Kyoto Station
10. Otsukyo Station (Shiga)
11. Walk to Oumi Jingu
12. Oumi Jingu
13. Walk back to Otsukyo Station
14. JR Kyoto Station
15. Dinner
16. end of day.

Day 6 - 

1. Walk to Toji
2. Lunch at Yoshinoya
3. Walk along Kamogawa to Sanjo
4. Sanjo
5. Walk back to hotel
6. Dinner from Lawson.
7. end of day.

Day 7 - 

1. Kyoto Subway Station
2. Shijo Subway Station
3. Get some sort of lunch at Daimaru
4. Walk to Nishiki Market
5. Nishiki Market
6. Walk out to Animega store
7. Back to Nishiki Market
8. Walk up Teramachi Shotengai
9. Gamers
10. Lashinbang
11. Sanjo Shotengai
12. Walk down Shinkyogoku Shotengai
13. Food at some food place
14. Animate
15. Vanilla + Matcha soft cream
16. Walk to Toranoana
17. Toranoana
18. Walk to Book Off at Kawaramachi OPA
19. Walk back to Shijo Subway Station
20. Kyoto Subway Station
21. Food from Lawson
22. end of day.

Day 8 -

1. Kyoto Subway Station
2. Shijo Subway Station
3. Walk to Nishiki Market
4. Nishiki Market
5. Fishcake at Nishiki Market
6. Teramachi Shotengai
7. Sanjo Shotengai
8. Lunch at nice small eatery place
9. Teramachi Shotengai
10. Gamers
11. Lashinbang
12. Shinkyogoku Shotengai
13. Matcha Soft cream
14. Animate
15. Walk back to Shijo Subway Station
16. Shijo Subway Station
17. Kyoto Subway Station
18. Acquire food at Lawson
19. end of day.

Day 9 -

1. JR Kyoto Station
2. Limited Express Haruka
3. Kansai Airport Station
4. KIX
5. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
6. Hong Kong International Airport (for 3hours or so)

Day 9+1 - 

1. Singapore Changi Airport

That's about it for the plan. There was a lot of walking done within those days.

Next post will be Day 1 and the post after that, Day 2 and so on.

• Overview
• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5
• Day 6
• Day 7
• Day 8
• Day 9
• Day 9+1, Conclusion

Day 1 -

1. Arrive at KIX ->
2. Limited Express Haruka ->
3. Kyoto ->
4. drop luggage at hotel ->
5. Find food at Kyoto Station Building
6. (from here onward, unplanned) AVANTI’s animate to pick up March’s Earth Star ->
7. Yodobashi Kyoto ->
8. Higashi Honganji ->
9. Nishi Honganji ->
10. find lunch (Mcdonalds)
11. check in at hotel ->
12. find dinner ->
13. end of day.

Loot - 

1. COMIC Earth Star April Issue
2. Komatsu Mikako's THEE Futures
3. Hanazawa Kana's claire
4. 2nd and 4th light novel volumes of Hyouka

Day 1 was tiring, having not slept for more than 24hours. Still managed to keep my brain working though and visited a bunch of places.

Summary of places visited - 

• Yodobashi Kyoto
• Higashi Honganji
• Nishi Honganji

For lazy people: skip to the pictures.

It felt like a long walk from Higashi Honganji to Nishi Honganji, I was wondering how I'm gonna walk to places the next few days.

First up was crossing over to the hotel from the station.

Kyoto Station Building seen from the Kyoto Tower side

Good thing the hotel I'll be staying at is just across the station, next to Kyoto Tower. Feels like K-ON/Seitokai Yakuindomo.

After dropping off the luggages at the hotel, it was time for some lunch. Back to station building to find some food.

Kyoto Tower

Above shot is from the front of Kyoto Station Building. You can see the hotel at the bottom left .

Interior of Kyoto Station Building, roof.

After getting some food, which comprised of Onigiri and some water, it was time to check out places nearby. First up, Yodobashi Kyoto.

Yodobashi Kyoto was great. Awesome selection of camera equipment, you can test the lenses there unsupervised. There's a lot of headphones for testing too, from low end to high end ones, I probably spent the most time here testing headphones. Conclusion from headphones testing: open-back headphones sounds great. Yodobashi Camera is a fabulous place for camera and audio people.

After Yodobashi, is AVANTI. I needed to get the April issue of COMIC Earth Star before it gets sold out. Avanti's Animate had 3 in stock so I got one, should've gotten 2.

Its time for some historical places, and Nishi and Higashi Honganji are “within” walking distance from the hotel.

Higashi Honganji Exterior Walls

Looking back, Karasuma shichijo.

Karasuma shichijo

One of the entrances to Higashi Honganji

Roof of the gate

The sun was strong that day, and the following days as well.

Water here

Kyoto Tower visible from Higashi Honganji

Parts of Higashi Honganji was undergoing restoration/renovation.

Half-half

Kyoto Tower again, from Higashi Honganji

Random sidegate in Higashi Honganji

No Smoking

Cross section of a roof

Section of roof

Founder's Hall Higashi Honganji

The inside was great. Nice, huge and quiet.

Peeking over the wall

The grass is not only greener on the other side, there're flowers too.

Petals are almost all gone

Lots of flowering trees outside.

Its nice and windy outside, temperature was great too.

More flowers

Singapore may be green and stuff, but compared to Kyoto, SG's not even close to being a ‘garden city'.

Another gate of Higashi Honganji

And off to Nishi Honganji. I accidentally walked the long way, but hey, discovered the tons of vending machines with awesome drinks.

Across the street from Nishi Honganji

A hall in Nishi Honganji

A gate at Nishi Honganji

Side view of a hall in Nishi Honganji

Some panoramas. Open the images in a new Tab/Window.

Nishi Honganji

Nishi Honganji

After Nishi Honganji is the long walk back to the hotel/Yodobashi for lunch.

Lunch was Mcdonalds which was located next to Yodobashi Kyoto.

Outside Yodobashi Kyoto

The day's loot to wrap things up.

The day's loot. Excludes books.

Day 2 -

1. JR Kyoto Station ->
2. JR Inari Station ->
3. Fushimi Inari Taisha ->
4. up the mountain ->
5. chill at halfway point with view of city ->
6. back down ->
7. buy lunch ->
8. JR Kyoto Station ->
9. JR Saga-Arashiyama ->
10. eat previously bought lunch ->
11. walk to Togestukyo ->
12. sit along the river and chill ->
13. cross Togestsukyo and cross back ->
14. walk to Shigureden ->
15. check out Shigureden ->
16. walk to/through Bamboo Forest ->
17. walk to Torokko Arashiyama Station ->
18. JR Saga-Arashiyama Station ->
19. JR Kyoto Station ->
20. dinner ->
21. end of day.

JR Kyoto Station has so many lines, you can go almost everywhere. Hopped on the Nara line and off to JR Inari station for Fushimi Inari Taisha.

JR Inari Station

JR Inari Station

Station in shrine colours/design.

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Lamp

Fox with rice

Path to the shrine

Smaller scale ones

Entering

Awesome architecture

Weather is great, sun is strong.

The area with purification water

Fox

Fox

Flowers are fabulous

Flowers

Roof

One of the reasons I came to Kyoto was to look at the (wooden) architecture.

Stage

東丸神社

東丸神社

Ema 東丸神社

Fabulous Roofs

Fox

Fox

Map of Fushimi Inari Taisha

Fox

Torii

Fox

Nice walk up the mountain.

Torii

In a line

I think the oldest one I saw was dated to some date in Showa.

Torii

A tunnel of Torii

Some Kyoto Trail marker

More Torii

More…

Even more…

The back

The path continues

At some checkpoint

Flowers up the mountain

Taking a break from the red

Flowers

Overlooking Fushimi area (I think)

Another look

Yet another look

Its not yet the top but, well climbing mountains killed my knees, time to go down.

Going down

A body of water partway up

More Torii

2 paths

Some stones now

Suddenly a bridge

After the bridge

Time for a flower break

Flowers

Fox

Fox

Back to main shrine

Sky is great

Main shrine ground

Fabulous architecture

Going off

Got lunch at a Konbini, some Okonomiyaki. Next stop, JR Kyoto Station to switch to Sagano line for Saga-Arashiyama.

Arashiyama will be in Day 2 Part 2

And thus Azusa became a Mahou Shoujo!

This week's episode of Henneko was pretty good as well, though the pace with which the story moved surprised me.

I did not expect Azusa's problem to be resolved within a single episode given all the drama we faced at the end of last week. That being said, there was nothing unsatisfactory about how her arc is brought to a close; we got to learn of the reason why she transferred, and also had some meaningful character development where she learns that she'll be likable by just being her true self after some counseling by Youto.

She also has a really pretty and awesome mother…

Another interesting thing I found was how the plot progressed. Despite being hurt by Youto (he even rejects her in the romantic sense) plus learning that he wanted to get closer to her because he wanted his facade back, Azusa willingly returned his facade to him. I guess she really likes him a lot.

However, since Azusa has now lost her ojou-sama facade, we've lost the tsundere side of her too and won't be seeing that in future episodes. Darn, now it feels like she's become less of a character from losing a part of her personality (though it wasn't hers to begin with, I've actually warmed up and gotten used to it).

囧

Moving on to Tsukiko's part of the story, I was actually initially wondering whether we were seeing a flashback to the past or Tsukiko was dreaming; the part where she told him that she was going to his high school pretty much confirmed that it was a flashback to the past though.

One interesting point of contention is why she reacted as she did to Youto in episode 1 if she had seen him before. I guess the answer depends on whether she could see through her mask. If she couldn't, then she'd be seeing Youto for the first time in episode 1. If she could, I guess she didn't notice it was Youto initially out of shock from stumbling upon a person carrying a risqué dakimakura in the middle of the night.

Even so, I wonder why can't Youto recognize Tsukiko's voice…

Screenshots:

Full-length images:

With that, the wait for the next episode of Henneko begins…

Day 2 -

1. JR Kyoto Station ->
2. JR Inari Station ->
3. Fushimi Inari Taisha ->
4. up the mountain ->
5. chill at halfway point with view of city ->
6. back down ->
7. buy lunch ->
8. JR Kyoto Station ->
9. JR Saga-Arashiyama ->
10. eat previously bought lunch ->
11. walk to Togestukyo ->
12. sit along the river and chill ->
13. cross Togestsukyo and cross back ->
14. walk to Shigureden ->
15. check out Shigureden ->
16. walk to/through Bamboo Forest ->
17. walk to Torokko Arashiyama Station ->
18. JR Saga-Arashiyama Station ->
19. JR Kyoto Station ->
20. dinner ->
21. end of day.

Day 2 Part 2 – Arashiyama Area

JR Saga Arashiyama Station

After sitting down on a bench in front of the station to eat the okonomiyaki I bought back at the konbini next to JR Inari Station, its a long walk to Togetsukyo.

To the right, Togetsukyo…

… and mountains.

To the back…

Katsuragawa (Ooigawa)

To the front…

The river, Katsuragawa (Oigawa)

To the left…

To the left, more river

I spent some time sitting by the river, it was a nice place. Got some shots for panoramas too.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

After chilling by the river, it was time to cross the bridge to check out the flowering trees over on the other side.

Togetsukyo

Kyoto Tower in the distance

You can actually kind of look through the water to the riverbed. The water is very clear.

The colour of the river looks fabulous.

On Togetsukyo

Patches of land

Across!

Now for the purpose of crossing the bridge besides just for crossing the bridge.

The other side

There are still some flowers with petals, otherwise they're on the ground. Well, they bloomed early this year, if they didn't my trip duration would be spot on.

This one still had its petals

A look back at the bridge before more flowers.

The Bridge

I blame my half working brain for not switching to the 50 prime.

Mostly bald

Crossing back

Back across

Next stop, Shigureden.

Exterior of Shigureden

I had to exercise my language skills here, it worked good enough.

If I remember right, there's no English information on the exhibits here. So if you can't read Japanese or Chinese, you probably won't be able to read or get some understanding of the text. (There isn't Chinese info too, but you can get some understanding from the Kanjis)

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2

3

4

5

Another reason I came to Kyoto is to check out the historical stuff. For example, the above depicting some Heian period scene. This period has some nice old stuff, Edo period and older.

Up to the 2nd floor

You can put on a Heian period attire up here.

After that, back down for the gift shop. Got 3 postcards here and a full set of Karuta cards.

Now to look for the Bamboo Forest.

What flower is this?

After much map checking and aligning to North.

Bamboo spotted!

They're very tall

More of them

Its time to find our way back to the hotel. Nearest station to the forest was Torokko Arashiyama Station, a 3 mins ride away from JR Saga Arashiyama Station, it costs about 600 yen or something. Language skills were used again as the station appears to be half closed.

Looking out of the train…

Ogura yama

All that Ogura Hyakunin Isshu feels. Also Yama no Susume feels.

Back to JR Saga Arashiyama Station, train back to JR Kyoto Station. After that, food hunting and back to the hotel.

I think I got a some onigiri to eat. There was salmon, tuna mayo and something else, all were nice.

End of Day 2.

Gallery

I think it's about time to call this one in! Afterall, her kit wasn't exactly the most complicated thing I've seen (clocking in at a mere 8 parts for the whole thing) so once painting started, it was pretty smooth sailing, tho I have to say that the Games Workshop liquid green stuff was a godsend for filling in some of the pinholes and liquid putty is hard to come by here for some reason!

Anyway, here's my latest finished work, Kumashiro Maya from Sekimatsu Occult Gakuen (remember that show?)

Can't remember what it was which attracted me to this kit way back when, but I'm sure it was something to do with the simplicity of it all.

Of course, that simplicity makes it a little tough to talk about the process as there's not really much to talk about!

The parts were kinda rough tho. Especially around the shoulders so those needed to be touched up and there was a bit of a fitting problem with the left arm. Otherwise, it was all very smooth.

I'm still undecided about the skintone though. Looks a bit too pale for my liking. It got a passing grade when used on Taiga but it didn't sit so well on me this time around. Perhaps with my next kit, I'll put the light skintone on first and then add darker tones as opposed to the other way around like I did here.

Not too sure about the eyes either. I've revised my eye painting technique a little and Taiga and Maya are the first recipients. Overall, they look fine but I keep wondering if I gave them a bit too much of a piercing gaze. If so, I'll need to think of a way to soften them.

Yeah, way too white… Well, it's not like it's bad. Just not to my tastes so I'll darken things up next time. Might be good for Selvaria though…

Now, time to think on which kit I should do next. In all honesty, I really should pick up Noel again, but my solitary Dead Master kit is calling as is Fate. Nanoha needs some company!

And for those curious, I believe that the Mecha anime OPs video I have been working on has been completed. I just need to figure out the best way to distribute it. Uploading is a long shot anyway, as the video is a little over 2GB long now!

The seventh and final promotional video for Shaft's upcoming prism-nana anime has been released a week ago. If anything, I guess that means we can next expect an official anime air date soon. I hope the anime turns out to be worth the wait thus far!

Day 3 - 

1. Kyoto Station (Subway)
2. Kitaoji Subway Station
3. (Raku) Bus to Kinkakuji
4. Kinkakuji
5. Bus to Nijo jo
6. Nijo jo
7. Dinner at Matsuya
8. Walk to Kyoto Gyoen
9. Walk around in Kyoto Gyoen
10. Marutamachi Subway Station
11. Kyoto Station (Subway)
12. end of day.

Summary of places visited -

• Kinkakuji
• Nijo jo
• Kyoto Gyoen

Kinkakuji

First time taking a public bus outside Singapore, all went well.

Check out this post for Kinkakuji scenes in Seitokai Yakuindomo and K-ON.

There will be a sign (exactly the same as the one in K-ON) pointing the way to Kinkakuji.

Kinkakuji

It was crowded that day in the morning. I had to squeeze a bit to move about.

Kinkakuji

But the crowd lessened after some minutes for some reason.

Kinkakuji. Because its gold, more of it is fine.

The weather was great today too, sun was strong as well.

Kinkakuji

How do I know that the sun is strong? My spectacle lenses turned very dark very quickly.

The roof.

This scene was in Seitokai Yakuindomo.

Another roof shot

Spring A (I forgot the name lol)

Spring B. (Again, forgot the name)

The water is very clear.

Some stairs

Moss is awesome

Tree bark roof

A building

Exiting

Stairs

Exit only

Off to Nijo jo by bus. Continues in Day 3 Part 2.

魔王と勇者, 笹塚を救う | The Overlord and the Hero Save Sasazuka

I told ya I'd show THIS HAND again…

As usual in these types of situation, help always comes late. The “help” came in the form of Emi's other allies which have no relation to the church back at Ente Isla. They brought news that all is not well back home. The church have been doing some suspicious things after the departure of both Maou and Emi. Not quite sure what had happened but I'm sure it was nothing good. Though I suspect that plot detail will come in to play in the future.

Just before their parting with Emi, they left us with another reminder of the question that has been niggling inside us all. Is he really a Dark Lord?

scratch that HE IS THE DEMON LORD!!!

Day 3 - 

1. Kyoto Station (Subway)
2. Kitaoji Subway Station
3. (Raku) Bus to Kinkakuji
4. Kinkakuji
5. Bus to Nijo jo
6. Nijo jo
7. Dinner at Matsuya
8. Walk to Kyoto Gyoen
9. Walk around in Kyoto Gyoen
10. Marutamachi Subway Station
11. Kyoto Station (Subway)
12. end of day.

Summary of places visited -

• Kinkakuji
• Nijo jo
• Kyoto Gyoen

Now for some Nijo jo.

The bus stop is in front of the castle entrance.

Next to Horikawa (river).

That's the entrance.

The entrance to the castle is on the other side of the road. You buy tickets from vending machines (middle right).

Flowers on this side

Anyone knows what flowers are those?

Got some more shots of Horikawa and the bridges going over it before crossing over to the castle.

Horikawa

Horikawa

One more before crossing.

Horikawa

Moat

There are fish in there.

Entering Nijo jo via Higashi Otemon

The roof

Some text

A map

Walls

More Walls

Ninomaru Palace

Roof

Roof of the entrance to Ninomaru Palace

Postcard shot

No photography allowed inside.

Some gate

Exterior of Ninomaru Palace

Some bells

Ninomaru Garden

Ninomaru Garden

Ninomaru Garden

It started raining and it became cold.

Ninomaru Palace exterior

But there's the palace's roof providing shelter so its fine for a bit.

Ninomaru Garden

Heading to Honmaru Palace

The gate provided shelter from the rain too. You can see the rain in the above photo.

The moat around Honmaru Palace

Pass the gate

Exterior of Honmaru Palace

Big slaps of rock as steps

Exterior of Honmaru Palace

Overview of Honmaru Palace

Honmaru Palace exterior

Steep steps

Honmaru Palace

Big rocks

Another bridge

Moat again

More flowers

Nice tree

There was a rest stop here so I took a break. Some vending machines nearby too, I got a can of warm milk tea.

Toilet that way.

Toilets nearby too.

Flowers, when they bloom and where they bloom in Nijo jo.

Nice path lined with flowering trees

Yellow flowers on the ground

Towards another section

Walls are awesome

Still raining.

Weeping Cherry I think

An exit

A bridge over Horikawa.

Can anyone make out the 2nd Kanji in the above photo? The bridge's name will do too.  Its Nijo Bashi/Nijo Bridge. Thanks Rakkyo.

On the way to the next destination, by foot.

Ebisugawa Bridge

Ebisugawa Bridge

Horikawa

Horikawa and stone steps.

The distance between the stone steps are quite wide.

On the way to the next destination, I spotted Matsuya. I checked the time: ~4pm, well whatever early dinner it is.

First beef bowl in Japan was great.

Now for the last destination of the day, Kyoto Gyoen.

Kyoto Gyoen

But that will be in part 3.

Kyoto Gyoen

Day 3 - 

1. Kyoto Station (Subway)
2. Kitaoji Subway Station
3. (Raku) Bus to Kinkakuji
4. Kinkakuji
5. Bus to Nijo jo
6. Nijo jo
7. Dinner at Matsuya
8. Walk to Kyoto Gyoen
9. Walk around in Kyoto Gyoen
10. Marutamachi Subway Station
11. Kyoto Station (Subway)
12. end of day.

Summary of places visited -

• Kinkakuji
• Nijo jo
• Kyoto Gyoen

Kyoto Gyoen time.

I like this shot

Sunset, shadow, gate, walls and trees.

A long straight

An exit/entrance. A shrine on the other side of the road

Kyoto Gyoen feels epic.

Wide, quiet, open spaces. Greenery and flowers. Spring is a great season to be at Kyoto gyoen.

Getting a closer look

Green cherry blossoms

I didn't know they existed. This one still has buds that have yet to bloom.

The usual variety

You can see the fallen petals on the ground clearly.

A nice pond

Identify this!

Sun is setting

Walls!

You can spot similar walls in a Kyoto episode of Oda Nobuna no Yabou.

Long stretch

Corner

Gate

Wide, as wider than Hidamari Sketch

All that feel. It really is nice to be in such a wide place with very little people around you. Its relaxing to walk and walk towards an unknown destination.

I'll visit this place again whenever I'm in Kansai in the future.

Mountain visible from Kyoto Gyoen

Gate

Did I mention that I like the walls and gates and the architecture in general?

Wall and gate

And a person for perspective.

Gate

Gate

Walking around Kyoto Gosho

That's the end of the Kyoto Gyoen trip, I'm gonna have to spend more time there the next time.

The walk to Marutamachi station was a short one, following that a subway ride back to Kyoto station. Shopping for supper and its back to the hotel.

Kyoto station's underground shopping area is huge.

Gallery