(L) Karin the Blood-Giving Vampire

[aliensporebomb]

I was thinking much the same.

Spoiler:

Is she going to bite him or kiss him or what? On the other
hand, is Usui going to maybe make a move? When they were in
each others arms I was more than a little surprised.

And, Anju watching silently at the end makes me think she knows a
lot more about what is happening than even her parents or Ren or
anyone. She seems to exhibit an other-worldly knowledge of events
and situations that we haven't quite seen the end of yet.

Spoiler:

The preview seemed to show Karin being upset that Usui
visited Anju to talk to her without her knowledge. My suspicion?

Usui is going to tell Anju that the blood increasing situation is
escalating. He's obviously concerned - when they were in the
locker he kept asking her if she was okay.

I think what Anju tells him back might just be enough to scare
the heck out of him but who knows?

Think on THAT and be dismayed!

[mangatron]

Originally Posted by aliensporebomb

I was thinking much the same.

Spoiler:

Is she going to bite him or kiss him or what? On the other
hand, is Usui going to maybe make a move? When they were in
each others arms I was more than a little surprised.

And, Anju watching silently at the end makes me think she knows a
lot more about what is happening than even her parents or Ren or
anyone. She seems to exhibit an other-worldly knowledge of events
and situations that we haven't quite seen the end of yet.

Spoiler:

The preview seemed to show Karin being upset that Usui
visited Anju to talk to her without her knowledge. My suspicion?

Usui is going to tell Anju that the blood increasing situation is
escalating. He's obviously concerned - when they were in the
locker he kept asking her if she was okay.

I think what Anju tells him back might just be enough to scare
the heck out of him but who knows?

Think on THAT and be dismayed!

Eh, you could say episode 9 was very much a Anju ep, but not in a way some of you may have thought....

Spoiler for episode 9:

lol the summary is in my blog...link in sig. I'm too tired to do anything lol....copy...paste.....paste a copy of a pasted copy that was copied from a paste from a copy....

Why was this in page 3?

[aliensporebomb]

Very much an Anju episode but also showing further development on the
Usui/Karin front and only a brief appearance by Winner (HILARIOUSLY
curtailed by the suddenly strict and no-nonsense Maki). Another great
episode. Future episodes should be pretty interesting - will Karin act on
Rens' advice or will she keep going on this particular path? Could be
interesting either way.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by aliensporebomb

Very much an Anju episode but also showing further development on the Usui/Karin front..... Another great
episode....

I agree. The episode gave me a very good feeling. Yahagi Sayuri continues to be fabulous as Karin. And you can't help being fascinated by Anju (voiced by Inokuchi Yuka, who also did Chochomaru in Petopeto-san). I keep wondering if they will be able to include that amazing early Anju side-story from the manga somewhere.

Spoiler for ep9:

I was much relieved when Winner was yanked out of the picture. Go, Maki!

[Lambda]

Did that scene with Winner and Maki make anyone else think of that couple from Card Captor Sakura, one of which is the lie-telling boy? (Can't remember either of their names.)

[Telmah]

Did that scene with Winner and Maki make anyone else think of that couple from Card Captor Sakura, one of which is the lie-telling boy? (Can't remember either of their names.)

Chiharu Mihara and Takashi Yamazaki?

I noticed that similarity as well.


On another random tangent, I’ve some speculation about the effects of Karin biting Usui in this spoiler below.

Spoiler:

In episode 5, during the family meeting, it is suggested that Karin bites Usui to control her blood by her mother. He father makes a cryptic comment like “an idea partner.” Karin however seem not to want to do this. This seems to suggest to me there’s some type of other ramifications, that Karin considers problematic, though her parents don’t. Again in episode 9, when Anju and Ren talk, Ren seems to think that Karin should bite Usui. It seems like the creators are beating us over the head with the fact that Karin biting Usui will change something? But what?

I think that perhaps if the age is similar, biting someone will create some type of infatuation. We certainly see this with Ren. It could explain her father’s comment about an “ideal partner”. It explains why Karin doesn’t want to do it to Usui.

[aliensporebomb]

Responding to Telmah's posited idea:

Spoiler:

If biting someone causes a hypnotic fascination on the
part of the bitten with the biter (which explains Winner's behavior),
and since Karin seems to be developing warm feelings for Usui,
perhaps she would prefer him to like her in the natural way rather
than a hypnotic after-effect of biting. In other words: Karin wants
a boyfriend who likes her for herself (which Usui seems to be doing
rather well, the only interaction with young males she's had before
was punky dismissive males calling her "nosebleed girl"). I could
see her not wanting things to change at all. Watch in particular
her over-the-top-relief after Anju speaks with Usui about the misunderstanding. She also might realize that now Usui can
think and act and keep her secret and why tamper with a good
thing? I could see Usui perhaps having some misgivings about
having a vampire girlfriend but so far she's done nothing but try
to make him happy (with unpredictable results). Perhaps if he
was bitten his ability to think independently would be tampered
with rendering him somewhat valueless (who would you trust to
protect you? A clear headed young guy like Usui or a ranting
lunatic like Winner? (Was he always that frenetic?))

Much to think about in the weeks ahead.

I haven't read the manga so it could go either way I suppose.

[aliensporebomb]

I thought of another thing that corroborates what I just said:

Spoiler:

Usui's mother was feeding a bat she called "Entree'" (how cute).

She was terrified of the vampire on television after being bitten.
Now she thinks this bat is cute and is feeding it.

Interesting that a family only able to afford tomatoes is feeding
fish to a bat out back.

Real Interesting.

And what's the deal with Usui's mother? Worst luck in job hunting
ever. She needs employment counseling. Okay, I'm getting weird
about a comedy but...

[Vexx]

Usui's mother and jobhunting:

Spoiler:

Sadly, this kind of harassment is still available in many countries including the US and its a lot harder to prove than one would think. Often the government only collects statistics and may act only if an overwhelming history is documented. In Japan, often they are less than progressive in this area, particularly outside of the largest cities - and it is often considered the woman's fault for not putting up and shutting up. It massively sucks and more males should actively shun guys that pull that crap.

[Furudanuki]

Observation about the bat:

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by aliensporebomb

<snip>
Usui's mother was feeding a bat she called "Entree'" (how cute).

She was terrified of the vampire on television after being bitten.
Now she thinks this bat is cute and is feeding it.

Interesting that a family only able to afford tomatoes is feeding
fish to a bat out back.

Real Interesting.
<snip>

Hopefully she is feeding the bat scraps because she thinks it is cute. Otherwise, given their current financial straits, Usui might want think twice about any unfamiliar meat product that shows up on the dinner table. "Entree" could be a description instead of a nickname!

[teh_suck]

Spoiler for Bat Food:

They're probably those little dried fish in the package like Eyes had in Spiral. I forget what they're called. Not really people food.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Furudanuki

Observation about the bat:

Spoiler:

Hopefully she is feeding the bat scraps because she thinks it is cute. Otherwise, given their current financial straits, Usui might want think twice about any unfamiliar meat product that shows up on the dinner table. "Entree" could be a description instead of a nickname!

Spoiler:

We have 3 quail that live on our property (and produce a lot of little quail) but my wife calls the threesome Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

We use those little fish as sprinkles in some Japanese dishes (once they're ground up).

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by Lambda

Did that scene with Winner and Maki make anyone else think of that couple from Card Captor Sakura, one of which is the lie-telling boy? (Can't remember either of their names.)

Lol, now that you recall it, I have to admit it's true, they are a lot alike

Episode 9.
By judging them each by each, standalone, this has to be my favourite. It may be because Anju is probably my favourite character in the series. It could be because I love both her voice and Karin's voice (great new seyiuus growing! ) .

Spoiler:

It may be because there was again a slight but at the same time strong development on Karin-Kenta relationship. They had put the major awkwardness aside now, and they're so pretty when they're together ^^ I was happy too when Winner was literally smashed out of the screen

Overall, this episode was so sweet, so melancholic, so "feel good". If episode 8, being so Winner-based , had annoyed me, with ep.9 the series not only tied up but gained even more point than before.
I hope that Anju's character will keep an important role in the main story, and I hope that things could proceed with such a sweet and lovely pace and atmosphere

[Sinestra]

I love the series it funny as hell i mean a vampire that has too much blood a vampire hunter who is affraid of blood by the way i think Karins little sister is soooooooo uber cute is that creep sort back ally i love to hug her but would she bite me lolita way i will definetly keep watching

[deathcoy]

woah dude... where are your " . " lol...
epi 9 was nice... karin blushing is cute especially when usui said she'd make a good mother... i wonder if karin'll bite usui anytime soon... gotta agree with ya that mayb the bite will cause drastic changes in their lives...

[PsychItsMike]

I dont want her to bite Usui because he will be temporarily happy and she wont have any more nose bleeds which usually lead to something cute happening between the two :P.

[Cyz]

episode 9 was all Anju also, it was amusing to see karin imagining her to be a mom i guess she was in love with kenta

[Furudanuki]

Watched episode 10 last night, and Karin continues to be a joy to watch. I noticed in the We Suck fansub that the little "puppet theater" part of the intro was missing. Anyone know why? I'm not complaining, I'm just curious!

Some random impressions:

Spoiler for episode #10:

I am the father of two young girls. My wife watched this episode with me, and every time Karin's father showed up when Usui and Karin were together she would elbow me in the ribs and laugh, "That's going to be you in a few more years!". It most certainly will not - I do not start smoldering in the sunlight.

Given the devotion and concern Usui has shown for his mother up until now, it was a bit jarring the way that he treated her in this episode. But I have to congratulate the writers, because it added depth to the character and made him seem that much more of a believable human being to me. And finding out more about his past helps the viewer better understand his motivations.

Is it my imagination, or does Karin keep getting cuter every single episode? And I cannot give her voice actress enough credit - she is doing an amazing job of bringing Karin to life.

Since the focus of this episode was on Karin, Usui and their families, there was very little Maki time. Hopefully we'll see more of her next episode. But I'm biased because Maki has rapidly moved near the top of my "favorite secondary character" list.

[teh_suck]

There just wasn't a puppet theatre this week--if you'll notice, there was no credit for the narrator this time either.

[Furudanuki]

Originally Posted by teh_suck

There just wasn't a puppet theatre this week--if you'll notice, there was no credit for the narrator this time either.

That would certainly explain why it isn't there! Many thanks to you for the info, and many more to your group for giving the japanese-language-impaired among us the opportunity to enjoy this great series.