On the Sixth Day of Kurisumasu My Imouto Gave to Me: A Bloody Swath Cut Through Bakemonogatari Episode 15

As mentioned in yesterday’s moment, my relationship with Bakemonogatari over the course of 2010 was similar to my relationship with K-On. Having gone from almost dismissing the show in 2009 to finishing it and enjoying it with a wishy-washy sort of ‘almost love,’ my feelings for the series then slowly shifted.

In the wake of watching Bakemonogatari and To Aru Majutsu no Index, my love for them became superbly interconnected. To me, Bake and Index were two sides of the same coin, and I experienced fandom for both series very similarly in terms of the way I loved the characters and the way I loved certain aspects of the shows so deeply that they made me forget about the parts I didn’t care for; as well as in the way I went on obsessive doujin hunts for both. These were, I would say, the first two anime that came to be unmistakably favorites of mine for reasons that extended far beyond watching the actual anime.

My feelings toward Index became more mixed as the year progressed, mostly because of the disappointment of Railgun and being reminded of all the worst parts of the franchise in the first episodes of Index II. Meanwhile, Bakemonogatari finished its three extra episodes and they were so utterly amazing that all my wishy-washiness towards the series was blown out the window.

Having rewatched it for the sake of this post, I really think that episode 15 qualifies both as one of the best episodes of 2010 and as one of my favorite episodes of anime in general.

The Complications of Self-Honesty: Heartcatch Precure 15

(For the most part, this post is readable without having seen episode 15.)

For most of us, being honest to ourselves is not always easy. This is especially true if living up to our own expectations requires even the smallest amount of lifestyle change. Ultimately, I think that self-honesty is the biggest hurdle that all of us have to jump. I believe that in order to truly be happy, one must be able to think that they are living up to what they want to be. Among many other anime, the leading focus of Heartcatch Precure’s episodic adventures is teaching people to achieve that self-honesty and realize that in order to satisfy themselves, they must make the change that they want to see. However, as simple as that sounds, self-honesty is a complex animal. It’s not quite so clear-cut as ‘doing what you want.’

Because sometimes it’s hard to know what you want, and harder still to know how to get it (or to convince yourself that you can go through with making the change.) A lot of us want many different things, and it takes a lot of ‘soul-searching’ to figure out which feelings are genuine, and how to even balance them all. I take myself for example (as always~): I am a man of many aspirations. I would love to become a director, a writer, an artist, a singer, a martial artist, and an expert at Parkour. Hell, I’ve had flights of fancy between being a chef, a train-hopping hobo, and a gangster. However, I cannot be all of those things at once, and I must truly ask ‘what path will satisfy me?’ If I become a chef, will I be okay with letting the director boat sink? This question is put in front of Itsuki Myoudouin in episode 15, but the answer to that question is still less simple than meets the eye.

Aside: If I was a cute, fashionable little blue-haired girl, I would so wear those glasses <3

Episode of the Month – Mai-HiME Episode 15 – School Girl ☆ Through the Galaxy

To make up for obviously not posting anime moments weekly, here’s an anime episode for the whole month. More specifically, it’s about 2 particular moments from the episode, neither of which I wanted to miss out on talking about. There are spoilers for Mai-HiME, and if you haven’t seen it, this isn’t a show you want to be spoiled on, though I wouldn’t say anything truly big has happened at this point compared to the episodes that come later.

Much like Gurren Lagann, Mai-HiME sort of has two climaxes – one in episode 15 and one in episode 26. The first climax takes out the first major villains in the series, though ultimately the whole villainous force was probably just a thing to push along the set-up part of the story. I’d go so far as to say the whole first 16 episodes are just set up for the stuff that happens later, but extremely well-written set up done in ingenious ways. Therefor, the first climax, while exciting, doesn’t hold all that much weight in light of the act that the overall plot and drama just breeze right by it, barely paying attention to it. However, not wanting to be just a throwaway plot, the first climax makes a point to be doubly exciting and fun.