A routine scan reveals the presence of a ship that should not be there.

Another excellent episode of Bodacious Space Pirates (Moretsu Pirates) — Now that the voyage of the Odette II is under way, some mysterious things start happening, including the sighting of a Ghost Ship, one that is supposed to have been destroyed for over a hundred years. Besides the cool factor of introducing a ghost ship, this episode did two very good things: it maintained its careful pacing, and it started filling us in on the other characters.

Chiaki Kurihara, left, rational and deliberative. Marika Katou, right, intuitive and decisive.

I didn’t spend much time on the various characters in my first post on this series, but another shift, in which Chiaki and Marika are scheduled to work together, shows that these characters have some of the dynamics of a classic combo, Spock and Kirk. Chiaki is prepared with an assortment of facts, and has a cool veneer that can seem condescending. Nevertheless she shows clear admiration at times for Marika’s confidence and intuition. Together they make a great team, Chiaki keeps Marika’s intuitive enthusiasm from becoming mere sloppy recklessness, and Marika’s intuition and decisiveness keeps Chiaki’s careful deliberation from resulting in paralysis.

From left to right: Jenny Dolittle, President of the Space Yacht club; Kane MacDougall, club faculty advisor; and Misa Grandwood, ship's doctor.

Kane and Misa, being secretly members of the space pirate ship Bentenmaru, are probably the two characters we are most familiar with outside of Marika herself. This episode brought the revelation that, not only had the pirates bugged the bridge, so they could monitor Marika’s decisions, the club president, Jenny Dolittle, had bugged the faculty communication lines, so their faculty advisors could be monitored. In fact, Captain Dolittle actually knows all about Marika’s relationship to the Bentenmaru, which is, of course, the likely cause behind the mysterious events they have detected.

Jenny Dolittle and Marika Katou discuss battle plans.

So far I find all three of these characters likable. Jenny, for example, is willing to accept Marika’s situation as soon as she admits to her situation. She encourages the others in the crew to accept it as well with a very common-sense, “Because of some stuff with her family, bad guys are after Marika.” She asks Marika what she thinks they should do, but won’t accept the recommendation to fight without confirmation that it is grounded upon something. Meanwhile Kane-sensei gets serious cool teacher points for knowing that the students he is responsible for watching over are willingly walking into a fight (with a mysterious ghost ship, no less), but choosing to support them by feigning ignorance.

Odette II with solar sails unfurled.

One more character that has really come alive in this show is the Odette II. It doesn’t have an AI voice, so I don’t mean character in that way. Instead, the show’s hard Science Fiction approach means care has been put into developing the ship so that the design and the systems are consistent and credible. We have previously been introduced to the solar sail and mast systems, as well as the electronic warfare system. This time there was a lot of information about various external monitoring systems (I think “radar” would be too precise a term).

A view of the bridge. Note the split-level design. everybody faces each other, as if they are participating in a group discussion (which, they no doubt are). In addition to their private stations with individual displays, there is a large central display that is shared by the team. Also note the hatch on the bottom, which leads to the central corridor that runs the length of the ship.

Without diving into the weeds, the crew finds a ship that appears at times on some external observation systems, but not all, and not all the time. Further, Chiaki has noticed an anomalous pattern that suggests someone is jamming the signals the Odette II is receiving (and those they can send). When Marika switches on the weapons locking system (a risky move), she gets a return signal indicated she has found a ship that disappeared 120 years ago. Together Marika, Chiaki, Captain Dolittle, and the rest of the crew prepare for what looks like an up-coming ambush.

Great stuff! I’m sure people are still out there complaining about the pace, but they are wrong. Some people, after episode 3, stated that at least this first part was over, and we could now move on to the Bentenmaru. They are wrong. This show is doing a great job of building a compelling sea yarn set on a space yacht manned by high school girls.

And, since I haven’t linked to the OP yet, here it is. I find it pretty amusing. It is a bit of a combination of something Ali Project would do (particular in the beginning) and then more traditional J-Pop. Enjoy!

Character from an anime that people don't really care about, who nonetheless is trying much too hard to draw attention to herself.

I can’t recall a single season preview from around the Aniblogiverse that pointed out Gokujyo as a potential watch, so I can’t say there was a lot of anticipation, but probably more than a few people took notice on January 16, when the first episode FAILed to air. The second episode was later broadcast, and we have Psgels intrepid reportage: “The entire episode was about someone getting hiccups and trying to get rid of it. Yes, these guys put some thought into this storyline! There were some weird ideas along the way, but they were more disturbing than funny.” And so nobody was probably particularly paying attention when … an announcement was posted online that the third episode will not air as scheduled during Monday’s episode of ”SKE48′s World Domination Girls“.

This time, instead of an apology during the broadcast, which seemed to irritate the mangaka, prior notice was provided with the explanation that the “stupidity” of the content didn’t justify its broadcast. The reaction has largely been charges that this is a publicity stunt. After all, there has been a lot of really stupid anime produced recently.

I personally don’t think this was a secret plan to drive web traffic or disc sales. I think this was a big screw up on someone’s part. This isn’t a random anime that can be compared against shows like Manyuu Hiken-chou. This show was supposed to be a comedic short that aired in between segments of real 15 year old girls (from SKE48) doing impressions and singing. Somebody made a decision to select this particular manga as the source, and funded production. They did this without thinking through the consequences of pairing real 15 year old girls, with an animated story about perverted things happening in a high school dormitory. Ultimately those responsible for the integrity of the SKE48 brand (and convincing the parents of prospective members SKE48, or any ***48 band, that their daughter would be safe) realized that they couldn’t mix the two.

Gokujyo manga cover. Whose responsibility was it to check the source material before green-lighting production?

Just so I’m clear, I am not against graphic depiction of the human body in states of undress; I did my undergraduate thesis in Art History, and took several studio art classes that included working from a live nude model. I have personally created paintings of naked people, and I personally believe that the human body is one of the most beautiful subjects for artistic representation that can be found. I also think that one of the worst things about fan service is that it is now a formula that lazy anime producers use instead of creating worthwhile content. However, Japanese anime industry obsession with underage girls has led to a precarious justification: “these aren’t real girls”. That justification vanishes when you slip the same material between performances by the likes of Jurina Matsui. Remember the TPO, Time, Place, Occasion!

What do you folks think? Was this an incompetent production blunder that has only served to damage everyone involved? Or is the last minute censoring really a calculated act intended to drive up sales of streams or discs?

Ririchiyo Shirakiin (me of the title) and Soushi Miketsukami (the dog).

This article is a three episode taste test of Inu X Boku (The Dog and Me), a Winter 2012 anime series. I had been interested in this series since Sapphire Pyro wrote about the manga series. On the other hand I was a little unsure because a series about a tiny tsundere who treats the main male character as a dog just doesn’t seem as fresh as it once did. I am happy to say that, based upon the first three episodes, This series has a couple of very positive things going for it. First, Ririchiyo, the main character, isn’t “just” a tsundere. She is quite compelling and believable as a human being. Second, it is the kind of love story that has gravitas. I’ll describe the show in more detail, including both of these points, in the article below the jump.

Ririchiyo moving in to an elite apartment complex, the Ayakashi Kan.

Our viewpoint character is Ririchiyo, a young member of the wealthy and powerful Shirakiin family. She says she is moving into this elite apartment complex “to be alone”, a desire that is thwarted at every turn.

Renshou Sorinozuka, hipster, big brother figure, flying scroll demon.

One of her neighbor’s in this “celebrity mansion” is Sorinozuka, who considers himself her big brother, since he knew Ririchiyo since they were kids. He also knows about her “bad habit”, but some combination of relaxed attitude and compassionate understanding enables him to let it all slide.

Ririchiyo's "bad habit".

Ririchiyo is seriously lacking in social skills. She finds herself being haughty and rude when she is forced to interact with people. There are two things that make Ririchiyo different from your run-of-the-mill tsundere: her behavior is based in traumatic experiences from her past, and she knows what she is doing is wrong. Instead of being a rude person (like Louise, from Zero no Tsukaima, for example), Ririchiyo’s rudeness is a an act that she habitually puts on to try to get by socially. Her desire to “be alone” is in no small measure her attempt to stop hurting people. She is actually quite compassionate, and hates herself for hurting others, even though she has a hard time admitting that (or anything) to anyone else. Ririchiyo’s self-diagnosis is a fair approximation of Wilhelm Reich’s notion of Character Armor. To protect itself, the developing psyche builds defenses, for example,

The child resolves to never again permit themselves to be vulnerable, and so decides to instead manipulate and overpower others with their will.

The heartbreaking thing is watching Ririchiyo succumb to her bad habit, and see her obvious self-loathing, when she shuts down yet another social encounter that could have been pleasant and normal if she hadn’t just tossed a verbal hand grenade.

Soushi Miketsukami, humble body guard, self-effacing dog, and fox demon.

Ririchoyo is surprised to find that there is a body guard waiting for her. An even bigger surprise is that he is impossible to abuse, because he seems to be unhealthily loyal to his new master. It is Soushi who calls himself a dog. Meanwhile Ririchiyo is concerned that Soushi should care for his self more. While Ririchiyo lashes out in all social contexts, even when she truly has no desire to inflict pain, Soushi is willing to accept any unfair treatment, even a risk to his own life if he can only have a spot at Ririchiyo’s feet.

Soushi, your faithful hetero-chromatic servant.

Surprisingly Soushi occasionally displays a great deal of resolve and craftiness. He manages to get his way with his new master, sometimes through displays of unswerving devotion, sometimes through pure guilt trips. Through it all, some questions pose themselves, such as why is Soushi so willing to throw away his life. Why is he so dedicated to Ririchiyo, when she can’t remember ever having met him?

He'll always be there.

And this gets me to my second point about this series: it has the makings of a love story with gravitas. So many love stories in anime these days are try to catch ‘em all type romance comedies, in which the protagonist tries out many pairings in turn, often ending up with them all at the same house. Sometimes in shoujo material an obvious pairing is presented, but the fruition of that pairing is endlessly deferred. In either case these shows can seem shallow because the reason the pairings occur is “duh, love”. Inu X Boku already surpasses these lighter romance stories (despite being full of humor), because there is a profound reason that the two must be together. They are both broken people. We know a lot more about why Ririchiyo is broken, but Soushi is hinted to have had a rather dramatic past (possibly having been used as a sex slave?). By coming together they both are offered healing and an escape from the separate hells they find themselves in.

Ririchiyo's demon form.

I don’t actually want to go into this in any depth, but there is also a supernatural element to the show.

The first three episodes clearly doesn’t complete the character introduction phase of the show, so I also won’t bother pointing some characters we have already met. Exactly where this show is going is anybody’s guess (well, I suppose those who read the manga might have a better idea. At the moment I find it very satisfying for the compelling psychological portrait of Ririchiyo, and hope that there is some healing ahead for both Ririchiyo and Soushi.

The artwork is fairly nice.

Finally, the artwork is a very pleasant combination of simplicity with an eye for interesting details. The character designs are mostly flat (highly stylized), with heavy use of chibi in part or all of a scene. It’s an odd show because it can get kind of emotionally dark at times, but the majority of the show is light in tone. Either way it looks good.

I’m definitely enjoying the series so far, and look forward to watching more of it.

Episode 16 of Chihayafuru is mostly a recap episode, but between recap segments we are treated to a number of short gags. These short comedic moments managed to explore some side issues that you might have wondered about, such as where does Nikkuman get all of his T-shirts?

Chihaya's older sister brazenly steals her New Year's money.

The recaps felt quite natural, because the episode starts off with a series of gags about Chihaya not getting her New Year’s money. The feel was as if we were getting additional stories from when they were kids.

Taichi gets his fair share of abuse.

I rather liked the way this episode was used to show characters interacting in a different way than they would if we just stuck to the main plot.

The guys discuss Kanade's ample good points.

I suppose what made these segments work was that they were both amusing and had some truth to them as well. If they were just jokes, I don’t think it would have worked quite as well, because the conceit here is that we are gaining some additional insights into the characters.

Meta discussion of the anime by the characters.

They even managed to address something I had been wondering about for some time: those shirts the club is shown wearing in the OP are not very practical.

Most of the gag sequences used abstract backgrounds.

This episode carefully avoided advancing the plot in any way, but it ended up being clever and fun. It has the feeling of the sort of episode one airs when broadcast falls on a major holiday (like New Year’s Day), and viewing audiences are going to be lower than usual.

Need something to make your next Karuta match more exciting? Listen to this.

Those who are watching Chihayafuru already know that the music is one of the many great things this show has to offer. The series features tracks that add a lot of tension, often converting that built-up tension to a more positive emotional outburst. The Original Sound Track (volume 1) is available now, so it is time to start listening to it in earnest to see  what makes it so good. Of course I can’t do justice to an anime OST review, so what follows is just me pointing things out until Anime Instrumentality gives you a proper review.

First an overview: There are three types of tracks on this CD:

1. Character songs, 3 songs
2. OP / ED, 2 songs
3. Background tracks, 20 songs

My focus is going to be on the background tracks. The OP (by 99RadioService) and the ED (sung by Asami Seto, who plays Chihaya) are both pretty decent pop tunes, so you can consider them a bonus, if you don’t already have copies of them from their single releases. The “character” songs are not my interest; these three tracks are recorded by the voice actors who play Chihaya, Arata, and Nishida AKA Nikuman (“Meat Bun”). The character songs might have novelty value, but that isn’t what gets me jazzed about this album.

Chihaya Ayase tries to sleep, but has to wonder if she is really being the team captain that she wants to be. Is her love of Karuta blinding her to the needs of her team mates?

The background tracks (composed by Kousuke Yamashita) are a brilliant match to the emotional content of this show. Many of the tracks, as I said above, use the build-up of tension and ultimate conversion into a different mood as leverage to generate more energy than simply going to the positive emotion from the start ever could have. The Classical example of this has to be Beethoven’s final string quartet in which a dark question is posed (“MUST it be?”) and then emphatically answered (“It MUST be!”). With 20 tracks, I’m only going to give a sampling of what I am talking about, and this structure isn’t the only one that can be found in listening to the album, but I think it bears pointing out.

Takaburu Kimochi

This is a perfect example of what I am talking about. The track begins with a staccato monotone riff on the violins that is very tense and suspenseful, but by about 1:30 it develops into something exultant, with horns and harp sweeps.

Himeta Omoi

Here the emotional conversion is from sadness to happiness. It is like “hearing” tears turn into a radiant smile. The track starts off with a legato melody on the strings punctuated by “echoes” on piano then bells that almost seem to be the tear drops falling. The theme is then sensitively developed, until about 1:30 when a cymbal wash introduces a brass re-interpretation of the theme in a much more positive light.

“Chihayafuru” Main Theme

This one doesn’t quite follow the same structure, because it goes back and forth between a hesitant, introverted motif, and a soaring treatment of the full theme. It does demonstrate the basic idea of starting with one emotional idea and unexpectedly converting it to another to generate an even stronger impact than the second section could have on its own. Besides, its a beautiful piece, so listen and enjoy.

Omowanu Tenkai

This last track doesn’t quite fit the thesis I was building above, but it is a great track. The instrumentation is mostly percussive (especially in the beginning) and it is highly syncopated at times, which gives it a somewhat tense mood to start off with, but it develops into a great groove in the latter half, and ends up recalling some of the triumphal aspects of the Main Theme at the very end.

All in all this is a great album. I hope you enjoyed what you heard here, and that you rush off to get a copy of your own.

Formal wear for pirates in mourning.

Bodacious Space Pirates (Mouretsu Pirates) was the series I was most looking forward to of the new shows to air in Winter 2012. I am very pleased to see that it has met my expectations. This show has done several things right so far. First, the setting is very interesting; it has the feel of being an advanced space-faring society without being unintelligible, full of magical pseudo-science, or cold. Second, the story, so far, has been far from predictable. And finally, though the cast does feature a lot of female characters, and thus some portions of the show could be categorized as moe, this is not a fan-service show. I’ll discuss these topics more below the jump.

Marika Katou, heir to the captaincy of the space pirate ship, Bentenmaru.

Our story takes place in a future when humanity has settled multiple worlds. In this future society, a relatively normal high school girl, named Marika, finds out that her parents were actually space pirates. In fact they were “legal pirates”, often known as privateers or corsairs. Essentially the planet she lives on (Sea of Morningstar) authorized the space ship Bentenmaru to attack other space ships as a means of supplementing its war efforts in a fight for independence. Though the war is long over, the “Letter of Marque” that confers privateer status to the Bentenmaru is still valid, as long as the captain is a direct descendant of the original captain.

That awkward moment when you find an old photo of your mother from her space piracy days.

So part of what makes the setting credible is the way they explained the concept of legal piracy. Another is the way that advanced technology is worked into their everyday lives. Display and input systems are advanced, but not utterly magical. Unlike some shows, society still seems warm and welcoming, whereas unlike other shows, technology has impacted how people get around, and gain access to buildings. To me Bodacious Space Pirates strikes a good balance between a thoughtful consideration of what a society with advanced technology would look like, without either getting completely fanciful, or losing sight of something enduring in the way humans prefer to live.

Odette II, the practice ship of the Hakuhou Girls Academy Space Yacht Club.

Speaking of the technology, the space ships all look pretty good. The approach is surprisingly “hard SF”. There is discussion of the way EV suits handle safety protocols, and a lot of time is spent covering inspections of the ship, and various basic routines, such as pre-flight checks, and raising of the solar sails after disembarking.

And this brings me to my second point. The storyline has gone in an unexpected direction. I think, when I heard about the show, I assumed we would have a single episode in which the background was provided, and then we would jump straight into life aboard the pirate vessal Bentenmaru. Instead Marika is (quite reasonably) reserving judgement on whether she should become a space pirate. Although various shady characters have an interest in Marika, now that she is set to inherit a pirate ship, Marika is engaged in club activities. She is a member of her high school’s Space Yacht club. Thus her first time going into outer space is as a member of the crew of the Odette II.

As the initial voyage gets underway, a malfunction in the mast deployment sequence results in a trip outside the ship to fix the problem.

Bodacious Space Pirates is full of girls … girls in high school uniforms, girls in maid uniforms, and girls in skintight space suits. It is not, however, full of fan service. This might be surprising to some, as the name is really quite silly, and the scenario can seem tailor-made to focus on moe antics and mini-skirts. Now I want to be careful to avoid making it sound like there are no moe antics and no zettai ryouiki. I guess you could say the show is mildly risqué at times, but it is certainly tame in contrast to many shows out there.

Chiaki Kurihara, a mysterious transfer student.

Lilica Katou, Marika's mom.

Misa Grandwood (left) and Kane MacDougall (right), pirates of the Bentenmaru.

I haven’t said much about the characters, but we actually have been introduced to a lot of them already, and even more are featured in the OP. I guess the most important point is that Marika is fairly likable. She isn’t a know-it-all, but she is decisive, which is a good thing in a ship’s captain, and also in a main character. Marika’s mom is pretty cool. She clearly wants what is best for her daughter, including giving her the opportunity to make her own decisions. Chiaki is a bit of a tsundere, but she seems to have an appreciation of Marika’s better qualities. Misa and Kane are also quite likable. They clearly are trying to stay close to Marika to observe and protect her, and hope that she will agree to become the Bentenmaru’s captain.

Titlecard

The series has gotten off to a good start. I think the story is moving in an interesting, and unexpected direction. The artwork and animation is pretty good. The background music has had a couple of interesting tracks including something that sounded like a reel, which carries a pirate story feel. I’m certainly planning to watch this show to the end.

Aizawa brothers Suguru and Kakeru. Both are on the Soccer team, but in different ways.

This article gives my first impression of Knight in the Area (Area no Kishi) based on episodes 1 through 3. The story is about a boy who is overshadowed by his brother, the Soccer team’s ace. Due to circumstances he is forced to step up and become a great player. Now some people dislike sports shows in general; this show is about Soccer (aka Football), so I don’t expect it to appeal to everybody. I also have one major concern about the source material.

To get to the point, this show hasn’t proven itself yet, although I think it is possible that it will turn out to be a decent watch for some viewers. Despite it’s flaws, Knight in the Area is an interesting show, and I am interested in seeing what Tadashi Agi has in store for us. I’m not a huge sports fan, but I’m not a huge war fan either, and I’ll watch shows about soldiers. The big question is, will this show have a compelling story to tell?

A strange encounter in the park at night.

My biggest concern for this show is that the author of the manga upon which it is based is Tadashi Agi (writing under the pen-name Hiroaki Igano). Agi wrote the mangas for two other series that I have reviewed: The Case files of Young Kindaichi and Detective Academy Q. Both of those shows were Mysteries, not Sports genre. There is something I noticed when watching those two shows; both shows rely on character concepts, rather than developing complex and interesting characters. This really isn’t a serious flaw in a Mystery, since the focus in a Mystery is the plot, or more specifically the process of revealing the secrets behind the mystery. Knight in the Area has the same feeling; the characters aren’t deep and interesting in themselves, but rather are character concepts that are subordinate to the plot of the story. In other words, if the plot of the story turns out to be wonderful, this won’t be much of a problem.

An event beyond their control.

Now the thing about plot is that it isn’t just events, it is a collection of events that add up to something meaningful. And that is the good side of a story written by Tadashi Agi. There is a story. This isn’t random school life hijinx. Events aren’t put in to make things seem exciting — they have meaning in the context of the story that is being told. Of course the thing with a true story-based show is that you have to see how the story turns out before judging it. For this reason I can’t say definitively how I feel about this show.

This show isn't quite as emo as this screen cap makes it look.

In addition to the characterization, I would say weaknesses of this show include the quality of the artwork. That isn’t to say it is terrible, but it can’t credibly be termed anything better than average. Now to the producer’s credit, the animation of some of the gameplay scenes has been pretty good. There has been very little actual gameplay depicted so far (given that this is a soccer show), but in addition to a few scenes of real gameplay (some in flashback), there have been some interesting scenes of Kakeru playing soccer at night with a mysterious person who wears an alien mask. This is an important and tricky thing to handle well. A number of scenes ambitiously attempted to animate tricky footwork, instead of simply showing long passes and people running.

Aliens know how to play soccer, because they have been watching our broadcasts of the World Cup for years.

There is another positive aspect to having Tadashi Agi behind the story, and it intersects with the way that soccer is depicted in this show. Agi is a clever, thoughtful writer. This comes through in Knight in the Area with the central problem in the game that must be solved. The name Knight in the Area, refers to a striker, a forward player who manages to get into the penalty area (the area around the opposing team’s goal) to score. Suguru, Kakeru’s brother, is hailed as a great conductor. He stands in the mid-field and orchestrates plays, by conveying the ball to one of the forwards. But Suguru stresses that his role is meaningless if there is no knight capable of receiving his passes in the penalty area.

The second episode has the most detailed gameplay of the first three episodes, and instead of focusing on the score, it views the events through the lens of this forward pass. In fact the actual goal that won the game, not only isn’t shown, it is downplayed in post-game chatter. The significant moments are the almost impossible passes that Suguru makes to his brother. Despite never scoring, Kakeru is credited by the opposing team’s defense as having ground it down by playing so aggressively that their failure after Kakeru’s retirement from the field was already inevitable. And despite that, Kakeru is denied a spot on the team, because his failure to score will have a demoralizing psychological effect on the other members.

You gotta have heart.

Now I come to the elephant in the room. I don’t have a way on this blog to sensitively handle SPOILERS, so those who don’t want to know what happens in the first three episodes STOP READING NOW.

Kakeru just doesn’t seem to have the “heart” to compete. That all changes when a traffic accident leaves Suguru dead and Kakeru gets a heart transplant. Frankly I find the details of that twist a bit silly. I think Kakeru might have re-evaluated his life and attitude after the accident and could have had a “change of heart” without LITERALLY swapping his heart out. After the transplant some silly things happened. Honestly, heart transplants don’t cause personality changes. For me, this goes back to my earlier concern about Tadashi Agi, and characterization. Personally I think a reality-based (if melodramatic) change in Kakeru would have been favorable to this magical heart business. It is too early to tell if this will continue to be played up as much as it is. I hope it fades a bit into the background.

The glory of ancient Rome is only part of the story.

Thermae Romae is already half over. This review is based on viewing the first three episodes. Behold the story of Lucius, a Roman architect, who finds inspiration in the most unusual of ways: via a hot tub time machine. This short series is entertaining in a low-key way. For the most part the humor is found in looking at ordinary Japanese customs from the perspective of a stranger.

Before I go any further, I wanted to hook you up with the ED, which is performed by Chatmonchy. It is a fun song, so feel free to play it while you read about the series.

The architect Lucius Modestus tries to relax in a public bath.

The main character is an arrogant Roman architect. His ideas for public bath houses (thermae) are rejected, however, because his thinking is too traditional. The show essentially follows him as he relaxes in a bath and gets inspired by a journey he takes to an advanced civilization populated by a “flat-faced” tribe. Lucius himself is barely likable in that he starts by believing that Rome is the most advanced civilization possible. He does, however, come to appreciate the “genius” of the Japanese, in the advances they have made in bathing culture.

Inconsistent artwork.

It is important to note that this is a Flash-based animation. In fact, I feel like saying “animation” because the images jerk about, but no effort is made towards making the movement smooth or natural. The artwork, on the other hand, is a curious mixture of interesting and horrible. Most of the characters are older men, and a surprising variety of character designs is present. The main characters in an episode are generally handled nicely, but some background characters are bizarre or poorly drawn or both. I don’t understand the inconsistency in styles at all. This is the weakest aspect of the show.

In-joke. Hiroshi Abe is seen in the poster use behind them ... the poster for the movie version of Thermae Romae.

One thing I wondered when I picked this as one of the more intriguing titles of the Winter 2012 anime season was whether the anime would really turn out to be just a commercial for the live action movie. A bit of a flag was raised when the movie poster appeared in episode one, but I think it stands on its own. Although the production values could have been much better (if they hadn’t gone the Flash route), it does have a certain charm. I certainly will continue watching to see more of the strange observations on bathing culture.

You can't beat fruit milk after a hot bath.

As I said, the humor in the series comes from looking at everyday things (for a Japanese audience, at least), but from a stranger’s perspective. Simple things, like fruited milk, become revelations to our ancient Roman perspective character. Novelties that he is eager to bring back to his own time and place.

A good example of a character design that you wouldn't normally see in an anime. If these characters were brought to life on a reasonable budget, this show would have been more interesting.

If you look over all of the screen shots of Lucius, you will notice that he almost always looks EXACTLY the same. This is a perfect example of how lazy the animation studio is. The main character was seen as a vehicle for reducing costs by re-using the same graphic over and over and over again.

Awkward.

So should you watch it? The first thing to consider is that this is actually the running length of a short OVA — I believe there are only 6 episodes that will be broadcast, and two more to be included as specials on the discs. It is not the most hilarious show I have ever seen, but it is amusing. It certainly is unique. It had the potential to be much more, which might be a bit of an unfair critique, since the judgement should be on what it is, not what I feel it should be. I’m happy enough having watched it, but I would not spend money on a disc set. I am interested in checking out the live-action movie to see if the material is handled better. It certainly isn’t a “Must” watch, but I don’t see any reason to “Avoid” it either.

Rook's buried memories are uncovered.

Phi Brain episode 15 is lighter in tone than recent episodes have been. POG is still willing to kill to get Kaito to achieve the Phi Brain in preparation for solving God’s Puzzle, but Ana Gram doesn’t take what others say too seriously. Despite Kaito’s angst over his handling by the person he thought was his friend, Ana manages to keep things amusing.

When friendship goes bad. Kaito Daimon X Rook Banjo Crossfield.

Luke wants Kaito for himself, so he has his subordinates threaten Kaito’s friends to leave him. In Phi Brain this means one thing: Puzzle time is about to begin! Kaito, however, doesn’t want to belong to Luke, and he doesn’t like the way Luke is treating his friends.

This week's Giver. She doesn't get much respect.

This week the POG target is Ana Gram. A puzzle is sent to him to lure him out to the “Great Henge”. This ends up being a frustrating experience for the Giver, as Ana doesn’t bother listening to the instructions and manages to have a grand time anyway.

Ana Gram skipping through Great Henge.

Despite being told that his life is in danger, Ana is carefree. He solves the puzzle without giving it much thought, and is less concerned with the puzzle itself, than the voice of distant memories. It was at this place that Kaito and Luke were forced apart 10 years ago. Ana finds proof that Luke’s intentions at that time were sincere. It was his rough treatment as a prisoner of the POG that has turned him into the Luke of today.

Okabe. Cubic's invention.

Just as Ana solves the puzzle, thus ensuring his safety, Cubic and Gammon arrive with the mistaken assumption that they need to save him. Cubic causes Okabe (I didn’t know he had a name) to transform, and sends him into the Great Henge maze. This causes it to collapse. Fortunately Ana is fine.

Kaito X Rook. Kaito rages that Luke's promises were all lies. A puzzle from the past will shock them both.

Now that Ana has discovered the puzzle that ties them together, what will become of Kaito and Rook? Will Kaito be able to rehabilitate Rook, who was clearly manipulated by years of POG indoctrination?

Next episode looks like it will take place in Venice, and be a Gammon-focused episode. I can’t wait for puzzle time to begin!

These Karuta cards are all I need to see.

In episode 15 of Chihayafuru the national tournament ends. Everyone has an opportunity to witness their own limitations. They may be beaten, but they are not broken.

Chihaya has activated Queen Shinobu's dark powers.

Come forth, Snow-maru, and do my dark bidding!

Wakamiya Shinobu takes a card from Chihaya Ayase. She's smiling, so you know she is having fun.

Even though Chihaya fights valiantly, she is just too far behind to do anything but lose badly (25-5). Still it is enough to make Shinobu take notice. She burns her opponent’s name into her memory and hopes for a rematch — so she can crush Chihaya even more soundly.

"White Alice" Shinobu.

I like the “White Alice/Black Alice” thing they have going for Shinobu. Most of the time she is operating in Black Alice mode. She exudes a dark aura, and doesn’t interact pleasantly with the other players unless she is subtly mocking them. But on occasion she slips into White Alice; in particular when discussing cute toy characters like Daddy Bear and Snow-maru.

Taichi Mashima faces off in the B-class final.

Inspired by Chihaya’s determination, even after suffering a serious defeat, Taichi is looking ahead to a match with Arata Wataya. He works his way up to the final round, where the rest of the team watches in horror as the cumulative matches take their toll.

Taichi's loss is a terrible blow to the whole team.

The Karuta club has done a good job by even making it to the national tournament, but they fail to take home a trophy. As dispiriting as their collective losses are. The team goes home committed to the fight. They take up jogging to improve their stamina, and clearly are eager to keep playing.