(L) Otome Youkai Zakuro

[Hooves]

Originally Posted by Zome.qq

What you do not like main cast? And if I'm not mistaken it will be 13 episodes.

I think you misjudged the word "terrific" If my vocabulary is correct, it means "very good" or "wonderful"

[Zome.qq]

Originally Posted by Hooves

I think you misjudged the word "terrific" If my vocabulary is correct, it means "very good" or "wonderful"

Oh, you surely noticed, sorry for the mistake)

[Sinestra]

Im curious as well as who the women was who helped the twins. Im thinking she was just a random villager and she was caught helping them and was killed by the villagers. I think she told her husband or she was caught helping them and for it they killed her. This is why the random villager tried to kill them before they were saved. However the angry husband called them "mother killer monsters" It could be possible she was spirited away gave birth to the twins in the cave and her and husband tried to keep it a secret. But that does not fit with what the twins stated. They said they were always alone in darkness and one day a woman came and was nice to them. Now the woman could have abandoned them thinking they would die but she came back and saw they were alive decided to help them. But something seems off with the woman even though there is evidence to support that she was their mother my gut is telling me its not so simple.

Im not surprised that the twins were the first to openly say they love Ganryu. Their affection for him is obvious but they said they loved him and i believe this is why they chose to share their story with him. I felt the sincerity in their voice when they said it so i do believe this is romantic love. I especially liked the part of the story where they explained why they didn't talk when they first arrived. Since they could communicate without talking they never realized they could. I like that as a special touch to their personality since they are twins. In the end i think Ganryuu understood where they were coming from and why they chose to protect him even though it could have cost them their life. He had every right to be upset and given how young he is im not surprised at how emotional he got. I do hope he mans up in the future but hes a good guy and the twins are a perfect match for him.

Good scene with my favorites Riken x Susukihotaru i mean damn they are already married if you ask me. Riken for once took a little initiative and said out loud he shared his cookies with Susukihotaru because he enjoyed watching her face while she ate. Thats a big step for silent yet gallant hero. We finish up the scene with a little teasing by Zakuro causing Susukihotaru to blush and say in a very soft but cute face "have you no shame" lol. I dont care what scene these 2 are in but they seem to win every time.

Zakuro is obviously different from the rest of the half spirits. We received a small but i feel important hint in this episode. Zakuro remembers her mother being served by Kushimatsu. If her mother was a normal human as she was told she would not have been served and or waited on by a spirit. This tells us that her mother was someone of great importance or standing. If her mother was not human then that would make her a spirit and that means we should start wondering who Zakuro's father is. It could be quite possible that Zakuro's mother was also some type of deity or goddess. Im just guessing here of course but the flashbacks we saw of her mother made her look rather regal someone born of nobility or of great standing.

A rather slow but satisfying episode. Im surprised i should be bored by all the cliches in the series but its executed so well that i find myself looking forward to it every week and it helps i love all the characters. Including the elephant dude drinking tea everytime i see how he holds the cup i burst out laughing.

[Hooves]

Originally Posted by Zome.qq

Oh, you surely noticed, sorry for the mistake)

Din't mean to be mean about it, please don't take me wrong

Also the woman that helped the twins, she was probably just your random villager. Remember why she told the twins to never come out during daylight, and when they came out during night they saw a "few" villagers pass by with torches and such. It could mean that they caught the woman that was helping the twins, and eventually got her killed. The husband, going into a furious rage about his wife's death, looked for this cave that the twins were in, and wanted to kill them. Or thats how I see it.

[PreSage]

Originally Posted by Sinestra

Good scene with my favorites Riken x Susukihotaru i mean damn they are already married if you ask me. Riken for once took a little initiative and said out loud he shared his cookies with Susukihotaru because he enjoyed watching her face while she ate. Thats a big step for silent yet gallant hero. We finish up the scene with a little teasing by Zakuro causing Susukihotaru to blush and say in a very soft but cute face "have you no shame" lol. I dont care what scene these 2 are in but they seem to win every time.

For a very taciturn man, Riken can make very bode statements sometimes. I couldn't help but go "awww" when he shared his cookies with her. That was so sweet.

Okay, Hanadate totally lied through his teeth when he said he "followed a suspicious person." After watching the OP again, slow-mo, I'm beginning to agree with everyone else that that mask villain may be Hanadate after all - at first I thought the mask villain's hair was lighter in colour but that was only the lighting. Moreover, now I'm suspicious that Zakuro's mother isn't human and that the mask villain may be her father (although if it turns out to her father...then he can't be Hanadate...or maybe he's her brother?).

This series is among the very few that I actually have taken a real liking to all the characters. I usually don't like the passive types like Hotaru but in this series, she is portrayed so well that I really love her character. She's not passive at all but really acute to situations (a good extension of her power into her personality). And the twins aren't simply silly girls but really contemplative individuals. This series is really an unexpected diamond-in-rough this season.

[ars89]

Originally Posted by PreSage

now I'm suspicious that Zakuro's mother isn't human and that the mask villain may be her father (although if it turns out to her father...then he can't be Hanadate...or maybe he's her brother?).

would that make Hanadate a half-spirit as well, or maybe a full spirit?

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Hooves

...Also the woman that helped the twins, she was probably just your random villager....

I feel almost certain she was their mother. The man blamed them for getting his wife killed, but also called them "mother-killers." Makes it all even more tragic....

As for Hanadate, could he have been following that suspicious woman arm in arm? Lol. He's so suspicious that I wonder if he's not actually suspicious at all.

Riken and Susukihotaru are just great. Good work by both Satoshi Hino (Yuuji in Shana, Akito in Bakuman) and Hanazawa Kana.

[PreSage]

Originally Posted by ars89

would that make Hanadate a half-spirit as well, or maybe a full spirit?

Well, if he's the son with a human wife (before Zakuro's father was "spirited away"), then he would be human and Zakuro's half-brother. But it would be hard to imagine how a human was able to form an alliance with the black widow, a full spirit.

...I still feel that Hanadate is just a conniving human and that's all. Despite what I said earlier, deep down I still feel he's not the mask villain...he just doesn't give off that...evil greatness, if you will. He feels more like a lackey...maybe that's it...Zakuro's father's lackey. Okay, I'm beginning to really stretch things here.

On the other hand, I do wonder whether Zakuro is actually a full spirit. Hotaru did say that when the others are around her, they feel a surge in power (of course, that could also mean increase in confidence).

Gah...I just want to shove Agemaki and yell at him "Make a move already! We know you are more capable than this!"

[Joojoobees]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

I feel almost certain she was their mother. The man blamed them for getting his wife killed, but also called them "mother-killers." Makes it all even more tragic....

I think the woman probably was their mother, but I have seen so many anime where non-family members were called

• Grandmother
• Uncle
• Brother

and so on, that it actually seems plausible to me that the guy was just referring to "mother" as in she was the mother to his children, or even a woman who was a mother, or a woman who was the right age to be their mother...

My guess is we'll never know definitively.

[zato_1one]

The twin are very very cute! I also think that that woman is their mother. If she isn't then I think that it should make more sense for him to just call them murderers or killer monsters.

This series is unexpectedly really good!

[Midonin]

Spoiler for OYZ 07 - Nonstandard Catgirls:

Kei's father really is a blowhard, but it does explain where he got the spirit fear from. The end of the episode was sweet. Pets always being there for their owners is one of those things that tugs at the heartstrings of many people, and Itsue's story follows suit. Also, nice performances by Kaori Nazuka as Tae and Sayuri Yahagi as Kumiko, however brief their performances were. A bit of change in perspective from monster fighting is nice every once in a while, though the MotW formula has its merits too.

[Shiroth]

Spoiler for Episode 07:

Very nice episode. Some lovely Kei and Zakuro interaction, with a bit of development for the both of them. You really can't go wrong there.

Bit of a mystery how Kei's younger sister could see the cat, though i'm sure we're not supposed to look more into that. Also the fact that his Mother knew Zakuro was a spirit was quite something.

& learning the reason behind Kei's fear was a nice surprise. That was a very nice scene.

[Kanon]

Spoiler for episode 7:

Zakuro <333

That was a very nice episode. A touching little story about a cat, a cute little sister and more romantic development, what more could I ask for?

Spoiler for ep 8 preview:

It seems like Agemaki and Riken will switch partners next week. This should be very interesting.

[0utf0xZer0]

Spoiler for episode 7:

"She's looking for the blond."

Is that actually an accurate translation? I'd always assumed that this was a case of using hair colours to differentiate characters, and I've generally gotten the impression CR's translation is pretty liberal. If accurate, it does raise some interesting questions.

Zakuro doesn't exactly easy time hiding her identity when you think about it - she needs to disguise her lack of human ears as well. I guess the ribbons help.

I generally dislike "break between dramatic arcs" episodes. That said, this was actually pretty well done for a break episode so I still enjoyed myself, just less than the last few weeks. It's also nice to see the male characters getting some backstory - I wonder if the other two are going to get the same treatment or if its specific to Agemaki because he's the lead. And yes, Agemaki's father is a huge blowhard.

Looks like Agemaki and Riken will be swapping partners for next week's episode. I'm actually really interested in seeing that because aside from the conversation between Agemaki and Susukihotaru last week, we haven't seen much interaction between characters from different pairings yet. I wouldn't be surprised if Susukihotaru's fear of revealing her power comes up again.

[thundrakkon]

Episode 7 was a nice change of pace. I'm still getting used to the lips design of the animation, but it took me a while to get used to it in Tenshi na Konamaiki (one of the greatest series that did not get the attention it deserved), too.

Spoiler for Kumiko, Kei's Sister:

Zakuro mentioned that there are exceptions where humans can see spirits. Kumiko, Kei's sister, seems to be one of these exceptions. I wonder what her background story is like, to be able to see spirits? Was she spirited away? Is she a spirit hunter? I do hope they develop her story more, but considering this is 13 episodes, I am guessing they will not cover it.

As for Kei's mom, as they say, behind every great man, there is a great woman. Kei's mom was able to observe Zakuro during the dinner, see her reactions to the talk about spirits, and figure out that Zakuro is a half spirit. She is definitely the brains in the family.

This is definitely one of the better series this season.

[FlareKnight]

Spoiler for Ep7:

A nice change of pace going to Agemaki's home. Really it was nice to see his background and get an understanding of why came to fear spirits in the first place. Too bad at the core it was a misunderstanding. Of course the blame also rests on Agemaki's father who while not a really bad guy is a blowhard. Glad that in the end Agemaki and Itsue managed to have that moment. It helps close a chapter of Kei's past and let him reunite with a precious pet.

Good development for Agemaki and Zakuro also. She gets to understand him better and see what kind of background he comes from. Love shocking her with how big his home is and how he really is a rich kid. Impressive that he could come from that kind of background and still be such a good guy, though I guess his mother helped with that. They definitely got closer during this with some great moments.

Agemaki really does have a nice mother and sister. Curious that the girl has the ability to see the cat. Ironic that the sister seems to have a special skill related to spirits and his son is getting pretty close to a half-spirit.

Well a servant who loves Agemaki was good to help confront Zakuro. Of course Agemaki is pretty dense to it, but still a rival is always good to help push feelings along.

Spoiler for Ep8 preview:

This could be something fun. Could see Riken and Zakuro either working decent in tandem or just completely clashing since both are the types to jump in front to fight the enemy. At the same time kind of worried with Agemaki and Susukihotaru if they get into actual trouble.

[Arya]

Nice episode, even if I rate it as the least good of all the episodes till now.

Spoiler for episode 7:

I was expecting Zakuro interacting with Agemaki family, but she practically didn't interact with anybody except Agemaki. And I have to say that the cat story was very silly, in a tender way obviously, but still silly Anyways it fit well with Agemaki. But as I stated before, I don't care for the plot here
More relevant was the female branch of Agemaki's family, I liked his sister and his mother, it looked like both of them could sense (and see, at least the sister) spirits. I hope they'll pop up again before the end. This tell us that the father has to have some hidden good points.
Best scene, the first one in which tae was hugging Agemaki and then the camera suddenly turned on the others standing with their mouths open

[ars89]

Spoiler for my take on ep 7:

Agemaki really looks sweet playing wit hhte kids, Zakuro was so jealous when Tae hugged him, what were those stamps for, was it candy?, so Tae seems to like Agemaki but he doesnt realise it, i liked when she confronted Zakuro about it, Kumiko is so cute and she can see spirits for som reason, didn't like the dad, Zakuro got to see his background and where he came from, the sock when she saw the jesuit castle was great, nice story about the cat and Agemaki, explains his fear of spirits, but funny how it was all a misunderstanding, so his mom knew Zakuro was a half-spirit, i liked how she thanked Zakuro also, good development of them together this time, Zakuro also enjoyed her time and is growing to like Agemaki more and more, so why are they switching partners next week, i hope the pairs don't get split permanently

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by ars89

Spoiler for my take on ep 7:

Agemaki really looks sweet playing wit hhte kids, Zakuro was so jealous when Tae hugged him, what were those stamps for, was it candy?, so Tae seems to like Agemaki but he doesnt realise it, i liked when she confronted Zakuro about it, Kumiko is so cute and she can see spirits for som reason, didn't like the dad, Zakuro got to see his background and where he came from, the sock when she saw the jesuit castle was great, nice story about the cat and Agemaki, explains his fear of spirits, but funny how it was all a misunderstanding, so his mom knew Zakuro was a half-spirit, i liked how she thanked Zakuro also, good development of them together this time, Zakuro also enjoyed her time and is growing to like Agemaki more and more, so why are they switching partners next week, i hope the pairs don't get split permanently

Spoiler for Ep7:

Yeah seemed the stamps were for treats. Probably not just candy, but different foods that Zakuro expected Agemaki to buy for her in exchange for her not kicking his ass at his home .

I'm sure the partner swap is just a temporary thing. Might be done to help develop better teamwork with the whole group. The teams were done initially since the pairs matched up pretty well. Probably not going to stick with teams that might have some issues. But should be fun to see how the new teams do for an episode.

[Master Chibi]

This was a beautiful, touching episode.

Spoiler for D'awwwwww:

I got pretty damn teary eyed with the scene regarding Itsue. Her demon form was adorable, I want fanart of her!

Happy to see more development between Age and Zakuro.