ANIME SPOILERS: Share them! Readers read at your own risk!

[nestlE]

---

bleach - 66

[img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2001.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2002.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2003.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2004.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2005.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2006.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2008.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2009.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2010.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2011.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2012.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2013.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2014.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2015.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2016.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2017.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2018.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2019.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2020.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206620-2021.jpg[/img]

Summary:
Ichigo leaves his real body in the care of Urahara, and then receives a call from Ririn telling him to go to the museum so that they can continue the game. This time, Kon gets to come along, but only after Ishida turns him into a backpack. Inside the museum, Ririn wants to play hide and seek, saying that if Ichigo finds them, they’ll return Inoue and Sado. But first, Ichigo and Renji are required to hang up their zanpaktou in special (and mislabeled) cases. The three advance to the next set of rooms, but Ishida feels something weird as they pass through the doorway. They see that the room they are in connects infinitely down the three paths to their front, left, and right. As they quickly find out, the rooms are arranged weirdly, so Ishida takes some string out of Kon and has Kon unravel the ball as they progress through the maze, leaving a trail.
The group reaches a room with three empty display cases with their names on them, and Inoue and Sado already in their respective cases to the side. The room darkens and all three find themselves stuck in the cases, unable to move. But Ichigo suddenly feels punches - Kon’s - and wakes up. They return back to the sequence of infinite rooms, and reach an impassable room with a giant pit in the middle. The three eventually find the string that Ishida originally tied, meaning that they’re back to where they started. Ishida realizes that the entire place is a Moebius circle with all of the rooms warped to tie together. But the three are unable to find the way out, and after endless searching, Ichigo and Renji start to argue. The two head in opposite directions, but Ishida notices something in the door in front of him. Using his deductive skills, he figures out the maze and calls for Ishida and Renji.
The three make their way out of the labyrinth by passing over the giant pit, that turns out to be only an illusion, and find Ririn waiting for them back in the front room of the museum. After explaining how he figured it out, Ishida is grabbed from behind by Nova. However, Ishida had borrowed Ichigo’s shinigami battle license and is ready for his assailant. He uses it to knock a ball out of Nova’s mouth - a mod-soul. However, Claude retrieves the mod-soul, returns it to Nova, and the three villains make their way out of the museum. In pursuit, Ichigo and company also go outside, but they find Sado and Inoue waiting for them. Ririn has honored her deal, and Nova even returns the zanpaktous. As she disappears into the gate, Ririn tells them that the next game is starting, and this time it will involve their school and classmates.

Well I think it’s official: My Pace is my favorite part of this filler arc. I’m becoming more and more inclined to call this a filler arc because of the level of story quality (or lack thereof) that we’re getting. For the most part, this episode amounts to Ichigo, Renji, and Ishida wandering around a labyrinth until Ishida’s Scooby-Doo deduction skills save them (with help from Kon along the way). That being said, I did find the mod-soul development interesting, and at least Inoue and Sado were returned. But, the next “game� of Ririn’s will involve the school. I really hope they do something more original than just kidnapping Ichigo’s classmates. The preview does show Soi Fong and Ukitake, so maybe they’re going to get some captains involved.
Actually, the Female Shinigami Association extra at the end is kind of amusing. How ever did Yachiru become their leader?

[nestlE]

bleach - 67

[img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206720-2002.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206720-2004.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206720-2006.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206720-2008.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206720-2013.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/bleach%201/Bleach20-206720-2018.jpg[/img]

Summary:
The group arrives at school to find Ichigo and Renji’s bodies already in the front yard. Ririn appears and tells them the rules of the next game: there is an imposter in their midst and they have to find out who it is before noon. If they screw up, then everyone in the school is going to disappear. Since Claude isn’t with his partners, the group immediately realizes that he must be pretending to be one of them. Ichigo’s classmates soon start arriving for school, and Renji is introduced as Ichigo’s relative.
During class, Renji interrupts Ichigo’s thinking and the two’s argument gets them kicked out into the hallway. Ichigo thinks that Renji is acting strange and suspects that Renji may be the imposter. As a result, he tries to get Renji to take off the gigai, but it’s interpreted by everyone who hears them as him trying to take off Renji’s clothes. After Ishida starts suspecting that even abilities can be copied, Ririn decides to take her first victim: Tatsuki. Meanwhile, in Soul Society, Ukitake orders all traffic between the worlds to be stopped temporarily. At Yoruichi’s request, Soi Fong makes it out of the gates before they close and heads to the real world.
Inoue finds out about Tatsuki’s disappearance during gym class and goes to see for herself, only to find Tatsuki’s wristband on the floor. Ichigo has to calm her down after Inoue starts to suspect everyone. But with time running out, and very little in terms of options, Ishida suggests that they use their intuition to find the imposter. Unfortunately, that leads to Ichigo pointing to Ishida, Ishida pointing to Renji, Renji to Inoue, Inoue to Sado, and Sado back to Ichigo.
With only ten minutes left, the entire class starts to disappear. Only after everyone is gone, including their teacher, does Ririn offer them the deal of returning everyone in exchange for Ichigo and company. But Ichigo senses something and rushes over to the window where he sees Yoruichi and Soi Fong running towards them. As Soi Fong jumps over the school, she kicks out the window in front of her. Sado starts acting strange, and Ichigo realizes that Sado must be the imposter from the fact that he referred to Soi Fong and Yoruichi as only one woman (meaning he didn’t know Yoruichi was female). Sado reveals himself to indeed be Claude, and Ririn announces the start of the final game.

This episode has some genuinely funny moments, including what everyone perceived as Ichigo trying to strip Renji. Because of those scenes, I ended up liking this episode a lot more than the last one. And it doesn’t hurt that we get guest appearances by Ukitake and Soi Fong, the latter of whom became the reason that Ichigo finally figured out who the imposter is. But ultimately, the whole imposter thing seems like an elaborate way for the new villains to get Ichigo and company to trade their lives for their friends. I guess Ririn really likes her games, though it seems that we’re up to the final one.
Next week, another one hour special! Unfortunately, the animation quality looks pretty poor from the preview, though it does seem like we’re getting another scene of naked Yoruichi.

[nestlE]

fate/stay night - 06

[img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate20stay20night20-200620-2016.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate20stay20night20-200620-2013.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate20stay20night20-200620-2009.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate20stay20night20-200620-2007.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate20stay20night20-200620-2006.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Fate%20stay%20night/Bleach20-206720-2018.jpg[/img]

Summary:
Rin breaks into the room and starts hammering the desk Shirou is behind with her magic. The force of the blasts eventually break it, and Shirou is thrown against the wall. However, Rin doesn’t finish him off and instead lets him stumble into the hallway. She wants Shirou to give up his command spells (the tattoo on his hand), but he refuses because it would be betraying Saber. Hearing that, she starts a countdown so that he can decide between that or his life. Fortunately for him, a girl’s scream echoes down the hallway, and Shirou rushes off to see what’s wrong. He and Rin find a girl collapsed, though seemingly uninjured. Rin diagnoses that the girl has had her life force drawn out and would die if she were left as is. As Rin gets down to help the girl, Shirou goes to close the door. Suddenly, a projectile comes flying towards Rin’s head, but Shirou sees it and blocks it with his arm. The weapon then seems to disappear after having pierced into Shirou’s arm.
An injured Shirou goes outside and into the woods looking for the perpetrator, but instead briefly sees the silhouette of his friend Shinji. Shirou feels a tugging on his arm and a blade comes out of nowhere and slits his throat. While recovering from the fairly shallow wound, Shirou sees another figure in front of him - a Servant. His reflexes are good enough to block this Servant’s next hit, but then the Servant vanishes again. Shirou considers using one of his command spells to summon Saber, but then he remembers her previous injuries and decides against it. His opponent eventually gets him on the ground using the invisible kusari stake that’s actually still attached to his arm. She then uses it to hang him by his arm off of a tree branch, and throws the other stake at him. But black shots coming from behind her force her to retreat, and the those same shots - Rin’s - free Shirou from the chain.

[nestlE]

Amaenaideyo !! - 01

[img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20Katsu20-200120-2001.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20Katsu20-200120-2004.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20Katsu20-200120-2005.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20Katsu20-200120-2006.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20Katsu20-200120-2007.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20Katsu20-200120-2009.jpg[/img]


Amaenaideyo !! - 02

[img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20-200220-2001.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20-200220-2005.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20-200220-2015.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20-200220-2023.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20-200220-2047.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Amaenaideyo/Amaenaideyo20-200220-2051.jpg[/img]

Summary:
Ikko is working the hardest out of everyone during the summer and finally decides to sneak out one night. Chitose decides to go with him after realizing that her life is rather boring. The two sing their hearts out at karaoke, then end up at a game center. They take a picture, and as they are about to leave, the goons inside stop them. Chitose ends up lecturing the group of them and in the process exorcises their spirits. In fact, the entire game center turns out to be an illusion. When they return home, Ikko’s grandmother delivers some painful punishment (but only to Ikko).

[nestlE]

Jigoku Shoujo - 01

[img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2001.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2005.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2009.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2013.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2022.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2030.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2032.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2034.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2040.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200120-2051.jpg[/img]

Short Summary:
Hashimoto Mayumi becomes the victim of bullying after she loses some fund-raising money and has to rely on another girl, Kuroda Aya, for help. While fetching drinks for Aya, Mayumi hears of a dangerous website called the 地獄通信 (Jigoku Tsuushin, or Hell Communication). Mayumi visits the site that night at midnight, and it prompts her to enter the name of the one she has a grudge against. She types in Aya’s name, but is too afraid to click the submit button. The next day, after being physically abused by Aya, Mayumi actually submits the name. She immediately gets a confirmation message on her cell phone from the Hell Girl. Nothing happens to Aya though, and the bullying continues. Aya forces Mayumi to hit on guys for money, but Mayumi back away from it though not before Aya gets an incriminating photo. At wits end, Mayumi decides to commit suicide by jumping off a building. However, on the way down, she is met by a girl who takes her to an alternate red world. The Hell Girl identifies herself as Enma Ai. She gives Mayumi a straw doll, and tells Mayumi that pulling the red string off the doll will take care of the person that she hates. However, there is a price to pay: when the string puller dies, his or her soul will also go to hell, forever to be in pain and anguish. The next day at school, Mayumi experiences the final straw in the form of her teacher getting the picture Aya took of Mayumi the night before. Mayumi goes to the rooftop and pulls off the string. A strong wind immediately blows the doll out of her hand, and it disintegrates. That night, Aya, who gets called to school, sees Mayumi. She chases her inside, but loses sight of her. As she searches from room to room, she sees several horrors, from a faceless classroom to her friends being swallowed up by the wall. She finally ends in a classroom where she meets several creepy looking characters, including Ai. The flower pattern on Ai’s kimono knocks her out, and she wakes up in a boat, being rowed through the gates of Hell by Ai. The next day, Mayumi seems a lot happier, but she is forever branded with a symbol on her chest that serves to remind her of her eventual fate.

[nestlE]

Jigoku Shoujo - 02

[img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2007.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2008.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2011.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2014.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2018.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2029.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2030.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2032.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2036.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=141]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/chad_ntc3/Jigoku%20Shoujo/Jigoku20Shoujo20-200220-2038.jpg[/img]

Short Summary:
Someone is stalking Takamura Ryouko, and so, desperate for help, she turns to the Jigoku Tsushin. After her parents scare away the stalker that night, Ryouko gets a confirmation message from the Jigoku Shoujo. The next day, her father talks with one detective, Kisaragi, who casts some suspicion on another, Akimoto. At school, Ryouko follows a woman into a classroom that takes her to the alternate red world. Enma Ai and her three companions appear before her, and after listening to her story, Ai offers her a doll with the same conditions as last week. Waiting for his Ryouko at school, her father spots Akimoto standing nearby. When he goes to confront the detective, he finds him already dead. He turns around just in time to see the detective Kisaragi’s shovel coming down on his head. Kisaragi takes his car and kidnaps Ryouko, taking her to an abandoned building. Ryouko becomes really scared when he starts threatening her and swinging the shovel, so she pulls the string. A police officer appears and scares away Kisaragi. The cop reveals himself to be one of Ai’s companions, and he points out the symbol that’s now on Ryouko’s chest. That night, as Ryouko and her mother watch over her hospitalized father, Kisaragi comes for revenge. However, he falls into the trap set by Ai and her companions. As Ai is taking him to hell, the bone woman appears and starts torturing him. In the real world, Ryouko seems to be enjoying life again, but can’t help be reminded of her eventual fate.

This episode reveals a lot more about the workings of Enma Ai and her group. For starters, apparently the website doesn’t require your full name, unlike Death Note, because Ryouko certainly didn’t know the detective’s name when she was typing it in. During the red world scene, Wanyuudo turns into the black doll, and Ai picks it up and gives it to Ryouko. We also see all three dolls propped against a wall near the beginning of the episode, when Ryouko first submits the name. I guess they stay in doll form until they’re needed, and each doll might represents a different type of grudge, sin, or sitauation. The official site has names for all of Ai’s companions: Ichimoku Ren - the information gatherer and the blue doll, Hone Onna (Bone Woman) - seductress who is a master of disguise and the red doll, and Wanyuudo - becomes the flaming stagecoach that Ai rides when she’s on her way to send someone to hell and is also the black doll.
This is another solid episode of Jigoku Shoujo, though I am growing a little worried about the episodic feel. Hopefully most of the show won’t just be Ai sending people to hell; hopefully there’ll be some overall plot tying each encounter together. Or maybe there already is and we just haven’t noticed it yet - it’s still too early to tell. One theme that is developing is the ultimate price one. Both Mayumi and Ryouko were victims, but to get rid of their suffering now, they offer up their souls once they die. Both have shown that they are happy once their source of suffering disappears, but both have also shown signs that they are constantly aware of their eventual fate (the marking on their chest being the reminder). It’ll be interesting to see how they further weave this element into the plot (and I’m sure they will somehow).

[nestlE]

fate/stay night - 07




Summary:
The morning after Shirou was attacked by Rider, Saber questions why he violated their promise. In addition to scolding him for not calling on her, Saber wishes that Shirou had consulted with her first about cooperating with Rin. Though she doesn’t disapprove, Saber reminds him that Rin is the enemy and that he should be more careful. After a breakfast where Saber eats basically the entire meal, Shirou is leaving to go to school with Sakura when Saber announces that she’s going with them because it’s her duty to protect Shirou. But when she opens the door, Rin is standing right there. Rin tells Sakura that she’s here to go to school with Shirou, and then winks at him to back her up. Shirou tries to diffuse the situation by suggestion that the three of them can go together, but Sakura runs off to school by herself.
When Shirou and Rin arrive at school (she convinced Saber to stay home), he experiences the pain in his chest again. Rin attributes it to the force field that’s growing in power. If left alone, it could activate in two or three days. Issei comes up behind the two and is shocked to see them together (Issei doesn’t like Rin). Since Issei is pulling Shirou away from her, Rin asks Shirou to meet her on the roof during their lunch break. Despite Issei’s objections, Shirou is able to get out of the classroom during lunchtime and is heading towards the roof when he comes across Sakura. Because she rushes off at the sight of him, he decides to chase her to clear things up. After he explains that Rin won’t come again and that Saber will be staying home, Sakura’s mood improves. Before she heads off, Shirou asks her about Shinji, but she doesn’t seem to know his whereabouts either. Rin, who is pissed because Shirou kept her waiting, then shows up beside him, forcing him to explain about Sakura.
Rin tells Shirou that Ayako has been found alive, but completely unresponsive. Though the hospital thinks it’s some kind of poison, Rin and Shirou attribute it to a Servant. And there’s also the activation of the force field - which would absorb human spirits - looming in the horizon. For now, the two need to find a way to delay the activation of the force field, and Rin thinks that destroying the incantation engravings around school will accomplish just that. Emiya points to a random spot on the roof and, much to Rin’s surprise, there’s actually one there. With Shirou’s ability and Rin’s magic, the two go around after school destroying all of the engravings.
After finishing with the job, Shirou teases Rin for being an Honors Student with such a foul mouth and calls her a fraud. Rin replies that it’s a mage’s duty to hide their real selves. And since she’s the Tohsaka family successor, if she weren’t an Honors Student, she’d be unable to face her father in heaven. Since Shirou doesn’t know about Rin’s father, she explains that he died when she was young, but also that she didn’t feel sad. Shirou thinks she’s lying because it’s always painful when a person dies, even so more if they were close to you. Rin concedes that he’s right, and the two decide to go home. After departing from school, Shirou senses something again. Rin has already gone out of view, so Shirou decides to investigate himself. Drawn to the dojo, he finds a huge wall marking inside. But he’s even more shocked to see Rider and Rider’s master, Shinji. After dismissing Rider, Shinji remarks that he and Shirou haven’t played in a while and then invites Shirou to his house.

[nestlE]

Blood+ - 19



Summary:
A young woman is walking through the dark streets of Ekaterinburg when she’s surrounded and attacked by three cloaked figures. They drink her blood and then move on in their quest to find Saya. In the morning, Saya, Hagi, Riku, and Elizabeth check into their hotel even though David and the others still haven’t returned. While taking a shower, Saya talks to herself about her dreams. Elizabeth comes in and asks her about them, so Saya explains about the Russia dream (episode 17) and about her visions of killing Chiropterans and people in Vietnam. Meanwhile, driving back to the hotel, Julia advises David that a person cannot live by their strength alone after David thinks that he’s gotten weaker.
In the hotel’s dining room, Saya is eating with the rest of the group. Elizabeth doesn’t join them because she doesn’t want to eat anymore than necessary and she doesn’t eat for pleasure. According to her, a person eats to live, just like how a Chiropteran has to drink blood to live. Elizabeth starts questioning Saya on what she knows about her enemies, but Saya can only say that she fights them in order to protect people. Elizabeth counters by asking if Saya is really doing what she truly wishes to do, and mentions that there’s something else that she has to do. Riku breaks the thick tension by collapsing on the table with a high fever.
In Riku’s room, Elizabeth continues her psychological assault by saying that Saya doesn’t know the meaning of fighting, doesn’t understand the other side, etc. Saya starts to get angry at the weird behavior, but Elizabeth then starts talking about how no one will tell her the truth of her past. Furthermore, all that Saya herself has remembered up to this point has been fighting. And whether it is in Vietnam or Siberia, every day her hands are dyed with the color of blood. Saya collapses from the mental stress, but Hagi rushes into save her. The imposter finally shows her fangs and admits to having killed the real Elizabeth. Her last question for Saya asks who she lives for and what her own wish is. Saya answers that she defeats Chiropterans for the sake of the people who need her. Upon hearing that, Elizabeth knocks Hagi, whom she identified as a Chevalier, out of the window and then almost crushes him. Saya comes out with her sword, but Elizabeth feels the need to continue to educate her. This time, she reveals that Saya isn’t human and is actually one of their comrades. In other words, Saya is also a Chiropteran.
Seeing Hagi struggle to stand up, Elizabeth accuses him of knowing everything but not telling Saya. He tries to hit her, but she easily gets behind him and impales him with her hand. After seeing her companion thrown across the snow, Saya goes into her battle mode and charges with her bloodied sword. But even she is no match for Elizabeth who announces that playtime is over and then breaks apart Saya’s blade with a sonic attack. Elizabeth says that Saya has a genuine family with a younger sister named Diva. Thus, Red Shield had wanted her to kill her own sister and everyone had known, including David and Hagi. Elizabeth instructs Saya to go to the zoo if she wants to learn more. At this point, the imposter notices the three cloaked figures watching them from the woods. Those three, who she identifies as Shifu, retreat because of the Chevalier in front of them. Elizabeth herself then departs after bidding Saya goodbye (in Russian).
Sometime later, David’s group has returned to the hotel and is taking care of Riku. David finds the broken sword and a note that has the word “gomen� (sorry) crossed out so that it only reads “usotsuki� (liar). Meanwhile in the interior of an aircraft carrier, the door to Diva’s container is open. A bare foot steps out on a floor stained with blood.

Though the episode is slow paced until the last several minutes, there’s certainly a truckload of revelations they dumped onto us, even if most of it has already been hinted at. At the center of it all, we learn that Saya is indeed a Chiropteran. And even more surprising, she’s Diva’s sister. But Saya is less distraught about learning this than and more about how everyone knew but didn’t tell her. I guess as the saying goes, “it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.� It’s interesting that she had started to write an apology for running away, and then crossed it out and simply put “liar� instead. I also assume that she took Hagi’s body with her since David only discovered the broken sword in the hotel courtyard.
As for the bad guys, Elizabeth’s imposter is a lot more powerful than either Hagi or Saya. She, or he as the case may be, is basically toying with Saya for the entire episode, turning her against her family and friends. And then there’s the Shifu. They appear to be a third faction not related to Diva or the Chevaliers, and it’s not really clear what their ultimate objective is aside from the fact that they’re also after Saya. The OP shows ten of them, but we’re introduced to three this episode; the ending credits identify them as Moses, Kalman, and Irene.

[nestlE]

fate/stay night - 08

Summary:
Shinji reveals that he put up the force field as a defensive measure against Rin. After Shirou follows him home, he also swears that he wasn’t responsible for Ayako. Shirou is amazed to learn that the Matou family has magic in its roots, even though they aren’t mages anymore. Shirou is concerned about Sakura being involved, but Shinji doesn’t have any information about her. He only knows that when there are two children, the elder son is chosen to be the successor. Rather, Shinji’s own concerns are with Rin, and he proposes that the two of them defeat her together. Shirou then realizes that if Shinji isn’t the other mage in the school, then there must be someone else, meaning that there are four Masters going to their school. Unwilling to fight Rin, Shirou gets up to leave. As a token of goodwill, Shinji tells him that there is another Master at the Ryuudou temple (Issei’s home), supposedly a witch who’s collecting souls.
Shirou ends up asking Rider about the validity of what Shinji told him. She confirms it and tells him to be careful about going up there. Shirou then runs into Issei and Issei mentions a beautiful woman at the temple. When he gets home, Shirou finds both Saber and Rin waiting and worrying about him. He tells them about his meeting with Shinji and about the Master at the Ryuudou temple. Shirou had felt that Rider was a bit different from the other Servants he’s encountered so far. Rin suggests that Servants are similar to their master, and what Shirou felt was Rider’s murderous intent. In any case, Saber thinks that they should attack the temple, but both Shirou and Rin oppose the idea.
Rin happens to have a duffle bag with her because she’s actually moving in with Shirou. Rin settling into her new room causes Saber to start insisting that she sleep in the same room as Shirou. Somewhere in the middle of it, Shirou realizes that Rin has started to address him by his given name. While Rin starts cooking dinner, she proposes that they ignore the Master in the temple for now and focus on Ilya and Berserker. Sakura and Fuji-nee then come home, and neither takes too well to Rin staying there. Rin tells Sakura that she doesn’t need to look after Shirou anymore, but Sakura refuses to listen. Rin tells Fuji-nee that her house is being remodeled and how Shirou suggested that she move in with him. During dinner, Saber starts to sense something. Afterwards, she once again approaches Shirou about the witch, but Shirou still won’t allow her to go. Because he’s her master, he won’t put her in danger and doesn’t want a repeat of what happened with Berserker. She eventually decides to obey her Master. But later that night, as Shirou and Rin are sleeping, Saber sneaks out towards the temple. Standing on the temple gate, a Servant waits impatiently for his enemy to arrive.

Rather than spend the entire entry talking about what parts of this episode I didn’t like, I’ll just simply say that the first half of this episode is slow and move on.
Actually, the second part wasn’t too bad. Shirou’s harem is slowly growing now that Rin is living with him. Her relationship with Shirou and her rivalry with Sakura are half the reasons I watch this show (the other half being the action). And past all of the sitting around talking, there are some interesting points. Rider actually seems a little more human after her conversation with Shirou. Shinji helps Shirou realize that there must be another magic user in the school, a fourth Master. Out of the current list of characters, the two main candidates seem to be Issei and Sakura. If I had to choose, I’d say that Sakura would be the one. And there’s also the new Master/Servant combo that Saber is defying Shirou to go fight. I’m cautiously optimistic that the next episode will have lots of action between Saber and the new Servant (Assassin) and between Rider and whoever she’s fighting.

[nestlE]

fate/stay night - 09


Summary:
In front of the temple, Saber meets her opponent: Assassin. To her surprise, he introduces himself with his True Name - Sasaki Kojirou. Saber is ready to return the favor and tell him her name also, but he stops her because it’s sufficient that they know their enemies through their swords. The start of their fight is marked by the sound of metal against metal. At home, Shirou wakes up with another pain in his chest. With Saber not in her room, it’s becomes apparent where she went. While Saber and Assassin are locked in battle, Rider bypasses them and enters the temple grounds. However, she’s confronted by a horde of skeletal warriors.
Assassin is pleased with Sabers abilities, and manages to figure out the dimensions of her invisible sword by her attacks. He also thinks that Saber is holding back. He decides to use his Tsubame Gaeshi attack, which knocks Saber back with three consecutive hits. Inside the temple grounds, Rider tries to attack Caster, but her opponent makes effective use of her magic to block. During this time, Assassin is explaining the Swallow Reversal technique, and Saber figures out that it was because of a multiple dimension refraction phenomenon. The reason that she’s relatively unhurt is because the stairs gave him bad footing for the attack. When Assassin raises his sword to do it again, Saber decides to unleash her powers. Rider uses the resulting winds as a distraction to escape from Caster.
Shirou, who has arrived at the base of the stairs, notices that his tattoo is reacting to what must be Saber’s magical powers. He then sees a fleeting shadow from the forest. That same figure catches the Servant’s attention, interrupting Saber’s attack and dissipating the winds. After Assassin ends the match for now and vanishes, Saber falls over from exhaustion, right into Shirou’s arms. He carries her body home and puts her down inside the house to catch his breath. Rin finds him trying to pick her up again and teases him for trying to do something to her. But Rin also figures out what really happened. By the time Shirou has made the tea that Rin requests, Saber is back up on her feet. Shirou wants to know why she fought, so Saber responds by saying that it’s natural for Servants to fight. Of course, Shirou feels that girls shouldn’t be fighting and getting hurt. The two start arguing because Saber thinks that Shirou is looking down on her. Rin tries to calm Saber by telling her that Shirou is only trying to prevent her purity from being damaged. After some thinking, Saber decides to let Shirou fight, but she’s going to give him sword training first.