Episode 2 was very good. I have no opinion as to how it compares to the first one. It's just more of the same good stuff. Count me in as one who actually enjoys the dialogue. I love seeing those two together.

So I'm not the only one that feels that way. Good to know because I love the dialogue. One of the few shows of the last year where I have liked the dialogue.

No, you're not the "only one who loves the dialog" by a long shot. Author Nishio's dialog is a treat for many. Complaining about it is about like complaining about all the elves in a Tolkien work. :)

No idea if this is actually how sheaths works, but theoretically the only point of contact a sword has to have with its sheath is at it's hilt, right? The hilt holds the sword in place in the sheath, and that's why it doesn't cut it.

Alternatively and perhaps more realistically some sheathes may be designed to hone its sword's blade as it enters/exits? That is to say, the blade contacts the sheath, but the sheathe is designed in such a way that that contact acts as maintenance for the blade rather than wear and tear on the sheath.

Also: looks like I'm switching over to Mazui, lol. Oh well, it's already downloaded anyway.

I believe, that with a katana, the sheath (saya) is form fitted to the blade so the edge of the blade never contacts it. The sword is kept in place by a snug fit between the mouth of the saya and a collar at the end of the blade. The blade is always carried edge up and, when drawn, the back of the blade is allowed to slide along the mouth of the saya.

Absolutely not. Maybe in some fantasy world, but the sharpening of a katana is a very exacting and precise art. It takes many years to learn how to do it in a traditional way.

Of course, in Katanagatari, we are talking about a semi-fantasy world and Koumori did tell Shichika that he had done some research and found out that Shikizaki had dabbled in the occult and alchemy. So the assumption is that those 12 swords are magically enhanced... which means they could have any kind of special properties the author saw fit to give them.

Hmm, interesting. That would make sense. So then presumably the sheathing of the blade would also involve sliding only its back along the mouth of the saya.

The 'unbendable' blade last month really seems like the most n00bish and generic of the lot. Durability almost seems like a given since all 12 of these blades are supposed masterpieces, so it's not like any of them would break (for the sake of the story) anyway. The 'cut anything' feature of this month's katana is also a pretty standard idea for swords/knives, but nonetheless it is a cool concept and does seem a step up from the other one. Given that we've gotten the paired 'sharpest'-'hardest' duality already, I am kinda wondering know what other attributes we'll get with the other swords, 'cause unless Nishio does step into magic and elemental attributes or something it does seems kinda inevitable that he'll run out of sword variations and have to depart from the katana entirely (well, some of the silhouettes of swords back in episode one already suggest this).

Anyway, episode 2:

I loved Shichika's voice acting in that one line in the beginning, when that cute blue-haired girl asked him "aren't you cold?" and he just said "iie" with his weird lilt. Somehow that really expressed his sort of slow, solid, unflinching personality to me. It was really great.

Also from that part: wow that blue-haired girl was cute, I kinda wish she were a recurring character and holy shit is Togame short when compared to Shichika, lol that made me do a serious double take seeing her stand next to him. He is practically, like, twice her height. That's ridiculous.

Regarding the hair sniffing part. I didn't really think it was erotic, but Togame's minor discomfort was cute. lol at 'lick me'.

Nishio's still got the meta 'novel-writing' stuff going on and it was just as weak as it was last episode, but the 'catch phrase' thread he lead up to from there ended up culminating in one of my favourite scenes this time, Togame's 'you are not allowed the privilege of last words' line. Man, death seems to loom so close in this series. I can just sense the fatefulness, the tragedy, all wound up in that line. Damn, I can hardly wait. Togame and Shichika are already super cute together, but I am so looking forward to that raw emotion.

It's kinda ironic though how Uneri's last words ended up kinda underwhelming. I do get the sentiment and all, and think that's a really beautiful way to think about death personally, but their connection to Uneri's character in terms of the ideas and themes used throughout the rest of the episode is tertiary at best. :P Was kinda expecting more after Shichika got me all hyped for it.

The heron dude was pretty fun. Sure having to read backwards was a little bit distracting, but the over-the-topness of it all was great. If all the Maniwa ninjas are supposed to be as crazy as him and Koumori, I can't wait to meet the rest of them.

Anyway, final verdict--I was pleasantly surprised that there were actually some overarching deeper themes again this episode, just like episode 1. There was actual content beyond the basic 'whose the next ninja', 'what's the next sword', 'how will Shichika beat him', all that standard plot/shounen stuff. Just like last episode, they managed to pull some unexpected threads together and give this a sense of being a complete story, that had something interesting to say in and of itself and not just as one piece of an overarching story. I'll be looking forward to more next month.

Regarding the sword convo. If you design it so the katana is held by its non-blade sides then its possible to hold even a sword that can cut anything with out much of a hassle.

That is correct. The thumb and forefinger are used to guide the tip into the saya and then it is slid into the seated position. Something else you'll notice, if you watch for it, is the way the sword is "unseated" from that snug fit. It's done by gripping the saya near the mouth with the left hand and pushing against the hand guard of the sword with the thumb. This makes it so the sword is free to be pulled from the saya quickly with the right hand.

I just checked... right before Uneri tries to attack Togame, around 29:16, they show a close up of his hands. You can see his left thumb doing just that, and there's that "chink" sound. That's the collar coming loose from the saya in preparation for drawing the sword.

I thought the sword unlocking is common knowledge? Then again, I suppose that really is not native westerners' forté :heh:

I rather like the oldschool 'modern medieval' style of pure ironclad scabbards though. Not only is it meant for holding swords but it was a blade protector. For all its class, the Japanese saya/scabbards just seems to be there just for someone to hold onto, not protect the blade necessarily. And besides, the western-medieval scabbards makes a cool sound when unsheating.

I think the irony of this show is that even with the very good and sometimes decently deep dialog and idiosyncrasies, it precisely is such a shonen type of story. Which probably is the author's prerogative. Maybe a bit of a postmodern twinge to it.

Probably. I threw that out there just in case.

After Haruka Tomatsu as Hiteihime, I hope they'll invite Shiraishi Ryoko to do a role for Katanagatari. There are at least three opponents that she could possibly do (Vol. 03, 09 and with a bit of stretch, 06). Though, I'm judging from illustrations and storyboards. :heh:

I heard Midorikawa Hikaru as the cool character with the very cool catchphrase "I'll have you fall for me." I hope it doesn't take long for his awesome self to appear.

Cheerio!

I couldn't stop laughing at the characters' respective denseness. It is certainly two idiots running around feudal Japan collecting swords.

Shichika stepping on Togame : "Gyafun!" :D

Episode two was great. That's all i have to say.

The one thing that really bothers me about this anime, is the fact that you really can't get excited about any of the other characters except for Togame and Shichika. All the characters only appear once and *poof* they're gone.

I highly disagree with that. I was very much enjoying Uneri's time on screen in the second episode, and enjoyed learning more about the type of personality he was going to have. Quite the development he had, i must say.

Also looking forward to the other sword holders we shall see in the future of this story.

I rather like the way Togame launches into all these obviously well-rehearsed speeches prepared on her assumptions of how the conversation will go... only to be totally blindsided after the fact by the actual conversation.

I don't think it would be intersting to see every Maniwa Clan ninja (12 of them!) getting developed like Koumori. Some should just shoot and go with a blast without much ado, like Shirasagi, just because.

In a situation where nearly every character is an enemy, they longer they stay, the more problem it brings for the heroes. :heh:

Huh... I wonder if Maniwagatari will get an ova or something. Probably not...
Edit: Ladies and gentlemen, there's a little thing called "obsession" that we need to discuss.
http://pics.livejournal.com/yafurichao/gallery/00001c3h

I'm not going to comment on whether character death reduce the attachment you have for the character since everyone have their preferences, but going by what Togame said about there is always a need for negotiation first since some of the sword holders might be nice people, maybe we can hope not every one of them will die?

Going by RPG rules, strongest boss is the last one (Togame did say he's the strongest in episode 1 iirc). I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for him :D Of course, this rule doesn't include the "hidden" and "true final" bosses.

Hahaha, speed of light lost its power long time ago, but still funny that you mentioned it.

Is that you?