Urusei Yatsura – 35 – What’s at Cake / A Fox’s Tale
Atari spots Ran in the park but loses her, but not before she drops a neatly-packaged cake from her basket. A cake she said would “knock him dead”. Hearing her use those exact words puts us in the Lum’s state of mind, because when she finds Ataru, he’s flat on his back and in bad … Continue reading "Urusei Yatsura – 35 – What’s at Cake / A Fox’s Tale"
Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun 2nd Stage – 13 (Fin) – Stage Clear
Most of this finale is given over to Fuuka’s play, which serves as a proxy for how Fuuka has wrestled with who she is, who she wants or thinks she should be, and what she wants. Tama plays the isolated, pure Kris; Misuzawa plays the awkward yet curious Libra, and Aoi plays the clever but … Continue reading "Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun 2nd Stage – 13 (Fin) – Stage Clear"
Gushing over Magical Girls – 13 (Fin) – Love’s a Game of Give and Take
Vena gives the Enormita girls a much-deserved day off at the beach. Utena rejects the tiny purple micro bikini Kiwi picked out for her, going with a cute lilac one piece instead. Turns out Tres Magia also got the day off, so Haruka, Kaoruko, and Sayo are also there. Big Sis Haruka builds sand castles with … Continue reading "Gushing over Magical Girls – 13 (Fin) – Love’s a Game of Give and Take"
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! – 12 (Fin) – Cool Like You
This finale starts, somewhat surprisingly, with Tsubasa and Minami sharing a hotel room together. Turned out they missed the last bus home because they read the weekday schedule on a weekend (I’ve done that too many times to count). But when Tsubasa calls his dad, he tells him a friend has a hotel he’s welcome … Continue reading "Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! – 12 (Fin) – Cool Like You"
The Dangers in My Heart – 24 – School Trippin’
The class trip to Nara and Kyoto is coming up, but Kyou can tell Anna is preoccupied with something. She shushes away Chi asking whether she got the part in a recent audition, and she’s checking her phone a lot. Kyou doesn’t want to pry, but he can’t deny that he might be looking forward … Continue reading "The Dangers in My Heart – 24 – School Trippin’"
A Sign of Affection – 12 (Fin) – Their Time in the Sun
Itsuomi leaves their first official date out together to Yuki, and she picks the most beautiful spot for it: a park absolutely bursting with blooming flowers. She loves photographing flowers, and has always found it cute how each type of flower waits its turn to have its spotlight in the sun. The parallel here is … Continue reading "A Sign of Affection – 12 (Fin) – Their Time in the Sun"
Urusei Yatsura – 34 – The Flowers of Pee-vil
As is the case with most Urusei Yatsura episodes, this one is split into two distinct parts. The first begins in media res with Onsen-sensei castigating Ataru, Lum, Shinobu, Mendou, and Ryuu for causing chaos, the evidence of which is the destroyed classroom and the rest of the class behind a barricade of desks. The always-easygoing … Continue reading "Urusei Yatsura – 34 – The Flowers of Pee-vil"
Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun 2nd Stage – 12 – Playing with Firelings
Helping Fuuka break out of her cage she’s built for herself isn’t something Tomozaki thinks he should do, but it is something he wants to do, because he, like me, likes Fuuka just fine the way she is, and she shouldn’t think she has to change just so she can follow in his or Hinami’s footsteps. He … Continue reading "Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun 2nd Stage – 12 – Playing with Firelings"
Gushing over Magical Girls – 12 – Playtime is Back
Utena is now Supreme Commander of Enormita by unanimous vote of the other girls, but morphing Lord into a kid took a lot out of her, and she’s worried about Tres Magia and Azure in particular. When she hears from Matama and Nemo that not only are Tres Magia just fine, but Azure has developed … Continue reading "Gushing over Magical Girls – 12 – Playtime is Back"
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! – 11 – Symphony in Pink
This week opens with the first of many rare sights: Minami without any makeup. Of course, she’s still stunning. Watching her gaze into her mirror and wordlessly go about her beauty routine, putting extra care and thought into her appearance for her upcoming day with Tsubasa, it just felt so real and intimate. Both that … Continue reading "Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! – 11 – Symphony in Pink"