[Sorrow-K]

Ah, finally, background. I dug the fact that we finally learnt something about these characters that had some weight to it, and also that they managed to infuse some interesting turns (not "twists"... I'm choosing my words carefully) into the plot that set up some enticing confrontations, largely thanks to the way the characters were situated (eg, Mayuko finding herself on the tram just as Takeshi turns up). The problem: the confrontations themselves consisted of some terribly mediocre action sequences (most of my complaints about them have already been aired by other people), and the resolution at the end was a cop out ("oh no, Takeshi, I don't want you to kill anyone, I just wanted to be with you... I didn't realize all this time that you wanted to kill someone for my gain, I thought we were just hunting her for sport.")

One can only assume from this that the Takeshi-Mayuko chapter has come to a close, but there's still a decent amount of unanswered questions. At best, we can assume that the "who killed her" question may be beside the point, but the "who brought her back to life" question is relevant no matter how I look at it, so I'd be incredibly disappointed if they skimped over that. But the fact that the "who killed her" question and "who brought her back to life" question may well be related would make it even worse if they just assumed we didn't care. More important are the "why" questions. Why did whoever choose Mayuko to come back to life? Why was Takeshi under the impression that the only way to cure a Yaka was to kill another Yaka? And, yeah, I think that's a total red herring, since if it were the case, I'd imagine there'd be a far more prominent Yaka Holy Grail War.

Why is Matsuri perfect? I can't sympathize with a flawless character... they're far too removed from anything realistic or reasonable to relate to. Oh well, I suppose it'd be worse still if she were invulnerable... oh wait...

Originally Posted by monir

Spoiler for episode 9:

Is it ever mentioned/hinted in the series that killing a Yaka can return someone like Mayuko to a normal being? Takeshi seems to think Mayuko will be able to roam free, even under the sun, if this Yaka is killed.

Yeah, this is the million dollar question, isn't it? The way I see it, it's either a red herring or poor story-telling. If it's a red herring, bravo, they can blow it away with a well executed plot twist in later episodes. But that seems odd, since the Takeshi-Mayuko arc seems to be, for all intents and purposes, done, and I can't see any obvious reason why either of these two characters will interact with the main set of characters again, or why such a plot twist will have any impact on them, since Takeshi is no longer interested in killing Yaka. Hmmm... maybe if Takeshi was told this by one of the major characters in the show and it turned out to be a life-threatening lie in some way, it could spark a reason for him to get revenge. If it's a detail that they've just assumed that the audience will pick up and accept with no questions asked, it's poor story-telling.

Originally Posted by Mentar

Amazing ep. Wonderful wonderful episode. Sola just managed to climb to number 2 on my personal list of this season's animes

What's number 1, Claymore or Hayate? Where's Seirei no Moribito on that list? I ask, since it seems to be incredibly under-appreciated outside the loyal few that bother to watch it, considering what it is.

Originally Posted by Telliamed

I really wish I had just skipped the first five minutes of this episode. The fight seemed fake and pointless. No tension at all, something that wasn't lacking in Matsuri's encounters with Takeshi. And could someone please introduce the writers to a little thing called "continuity"? (Episode 8: Matsuri walks outside of the train shed and sees Aono standing on the roof. Episode 9: They're inside the shed and Aono is on top of a train car.)

I'm thinking all that time in the hospital, stuck in a bed and staying awake at night... Aono watched a bit too much Aono. We first see her imitating Nagato Yuki. Then Yomiko Readman. And at the end of the fight, it's Kawasumi Mai.

The emotional highlight for me this week was, in fact, Sae taking an umbrella to Takeshi. What a surprise, considering how much I hated her voice at first. I really like her now. She scored quite a few moe-points for calling Matsuri "Yaka-san".

I can't say I disagree with any of this. Yes, the action isn't the point, or even the mechanics of the existence of the Yaka. Still no excuse for them to be so incredibly inconsistent about it. As far as I'm concerned, emotional impact is muted unless the story-telling is at a quality to match it.

Originally Posted by orion

Tsk, tsk ,tsk. All these gloom and doom predictions when this is not a crying game imo.

Spoiler for ending speculation:

Yorito gets his memory back. It turns out that he is a daywalking yaka. He and Takeshi combine knowledge and Aono, Mayuko and Matsuri become daywalkers. Yorito and Matsuri explain it more clearly to Aono that they are not going to abandon her. Matsuri moves in with Yorito and Aono and they all live happily ever after.

Mayuko and Takeshi move into a house that was for sale in the neighborhood. Sae starts running after Takeshi.

Ah, did you write the My-HiME ending? Just checking.

Overall: one of the better eps in this series, but I'm still adverse to call this "good". Just too many flaws in this show (of various magnitude).