Akashi. The coolest girl in anime since FLCL’s Mamimi?

I like how the girl’s face is almost symmetrically reflected across the piano’s surface; her sad eyes fixed on something far into the distance; long hair resting casually across her face, random bunches out of place and messy.

I’ll say it again, Gilgamesh is a strange series. Made in 2002, it’s one of those rare gems that seems to have no real reason to exist, doesn’t fit neatly into any particular demographic or genre, and is so far out of step with what’s considered modern and popular. The character design is particularly interesting, with its protruding lips, scruffy hair and crumpled clothes; many an anime fan would write this off as ugly and leave it at that. So, I have no idea how Group TAC convinced the money men this could be lucrative enough to make, but I’m glad they did, because on this evidence, Gilgamesh is very good.

Dark (and by that I mean literally dark; so far most episodes are either set at night or in darkened, candle-lit rooms) and foreboding, the Earth is nearing its end after a cataclysmic event that shrouded the planet in a mirror that reflects its surface. Cities have fallen into ruin and society appears scattered and failing. Weird things are afoot; strange creatures stalk the skies and high rises.

The story involves two mysterious sides, neither appearing good or bad, trying to gain control of brother and sister Tatsuya and Kiyoko Madoka. On the one side are the creatures called ‘Gilgamesh’, on the other are a trio of psychic children and their leader, the gothic Countess of Werdenberg.

Much is shrouded in mystery, but the story is fascinating and the action exciting; particularly as it’s set not in the clear of day, but atop crumbling buildings and within long, cramped hallways, all in the dead of night.

Since I’d already seen (and thoroughly loved) the Planetes anime, I’d never really felt tempted to check out the (original) manga as well, but having since started on Makoto Yukimura’s other series, my now beloved Vinland Saga, my interest in his vision for Planetes was ignited.

I’m just one volume in so far and already it’s totally different to the anime. Most notably, Ai is nowhere to be found, whilst this first volume (out of a measly 5) ends with Hachimaki already looking to join the long expedition to Jupiter, something that doesn’t happen in the anime until at least the half way point. These differences are quite exciting; it’s not like I’d want to read the exact same story over again anyway.

Some things are still the same, though. Fee is still the nicotine-addled hard ass, Yuri is still the tragic romantic and Hachimaki the obnoxious dreamer. I’m glad. These characters, their comradery and dreams were always the beating heart of Planetes.

The last volume of Parasyte is excellent and concludes the series at an all time high, yet it’s far from being the perfectly formed manga I wanted going into it. The sheer bulk of 64 chapters is the biggest problem; just considering that there are at least two full-on murder sprees in main character Shinichi’s school, the story feels padded out and lacking a sense of credibility, yet the last third, however, is outstanding. Delving more into the psychology of the parasytes themselves provides a fascinatingly darker perspective on what’s happening and how people react to it, turning the parasytes from villainous, heartless monsters into something much less detestable, while the humans themselves become the savages, embarking on a harrowing sequence of bloody xenocide in a government building that’s as chilling in its mechanical malevolence as any parasyte could possibly inflict.

Once that’s over, all that’s left is for Shinichi to face Gotoh, the strongest parasyte of them all, culminating in their face-off in the forest. By this point, Gotoh has cast aside his human look and embraced the visage of a true demon. The parasytes are pure instinct, so, for them, it’s nothing personal, they simply eat humans because it’s in their nature; they value their own lives as much as we do, so, this final fight is undercut by a sense of melancholy; a man and demon fighting simply because they want to live.

In the end, Shinichi is forced to make a choice; whether to kill Gotoh or to let him live, knowing full well that Gotoh will kill again. “Forgive me…,” Shinichi says, “I have nothing against you… Forgive me…”.

Basically the whole of volume 3 of Eden: It’s an Endless World! is shocking and all we’re left with at its end is a story without sentiment and sympathy for the reader, in no uncertain terms that people are weak, fragile things. It was a great and exciting read; it’s not like I wanted these characters die, in fact, I really wanted them to survive, but I suppose that was always the point; it wouldn’t feel any where near as devastating if these were just more random people being sent to slaughter. The last few pages of chapter 18 are bitter-sweet and cruel and chilling; the way Endo slowly pulls back from the girl’s dazed state of mind only to reveal her body scythed in half by a land-mine, the sheer, bleak violence of the moment is hard to take, payment for the girl’s bravery and daring, of not wanting to die without struggling to live.

So far, our Meguru has shown none of the talent that having your name in the title suggests; in his first two fights alone, the guy’s been knocked out in both. I mean, future champions hardly tend to lose much, so, perhaps it just isn’t that kind of Ippo-esque sports manga? Not that that’s a good or bad thing, but at least it’s not as predictable as seeing Meguru win fight after fight.

I’ve really enjoyed reading it so far, mostly for getting into the life and psychology of competing in a fairly brutal and demanding sport. The high-schooler Meguru is something of an enigma, seemingly fighting and training more out of boredom than passion. His half-arsed approach regularly gets him pounded, not least of all by two really cool female fighters whose presence and attitude adds much spice and difference to a sport and genre typically overflowing with manliness.

Canute is just so cool. In this chapter, he’s finally officially crowned the King of England, and almost every panel here bleeds epic power, but with that transformation now complete, where else has this phase of Vinland Saga left to go? The first half has clearly just ended, and, for what it’s worth, that first half was really fucking good, but personally, I’m now more interested in Thorfinn’s side of the story.

The man has just spent the best part of his life in the thick of war, but without Askeladd around, he has no reason for being that guy anymore. In that fateful moment, his life lost all meaning, so it’s no wonder he has ended up a slave. A part of me just wants to see the old Thorfinn, with knives in hand, rise up again, but his perspective has changed so much since then; chopping trees out in the middle of nowhere. It simply wouldn’t be natural for our old Thorfinn to return now. No, I think his future will be different. I just hope to see him smile again.

I can’t believe Cross Game is ending soon. Just three more weeks and that’s it. I’ve loved watching this show. It will go down as one of my favourites.

Episode 47 was perfect.

Cross Game is the kind of baseball show that excels outside of the sport itself, it’s all about the characters. Entire episodes pass with barely a pitch thrown. The music is so delicate and the dialogue so guarded and short. I love how scenes transition as the same song is still running, the way it shifts from afternoon to evening with the light dimming and the sound of the cicadas slowly dying.

This episode was all about Kou and Aoba. Will they? Or won’t they? It’s like when they are together, every second counts, every episode makes it clear just how long Kou and Aoba have known each other, and how everything that’s happened between them seems to make things difficult. They both seem to care for each other, but neither is willing to come out and say it. Everything they do or say seems to be done in avoidance of admitting the truth, because neither wants to be the first to admit their feelings for the other. Aoba can’t even sit in the same train carriage as Kou. In this episode they came so close to just being honest. Their vulnerability in this episode was so endearing.

It took me a while to finally finish up Revolutionary Girl Utena. It’s regarded as one of the classics of anime for good reason. That is to say, I think it’s worthy of its reputation. People have spent years analysing it and I think I held back on finishing it for so long precisely because I was worried about not being able to make any sense of it. A part of me doesn’t want to do the hard work, but another (the part writing this very monologue) admires Utena for its sense of feeling. I thought every character was interesting, every one of their stories affective. It feels like a fairy tale; the darkness and the magic of that kind of story, a stage fit for the insanity of adolescence.

When the final episode finished, I was slightly confused and went off reading other’s comments, but stopped half-way. Utena is famed for its symbolism, but symbols are subjective. I shouldn’t have to read about them after the fact. Utena speaks in unsaid words and how it made me feel while watching is so much more important than any cold analysis I may read after. So, as the last episode was rolling, I felt sad for Utena, but inspired, too. What she does for Anthy, trying to save her, crawling, crying, screaming to the very end, is heart-breaking and absolutely wonderfully heart-felt and warm. ‘End of the World’ is an apt phrase for her last duel, it was apocalyptic and surreal and without mercy. I so wanted Utena to just straight up win, but this feels better, more important. Another watch of the series may well reveal more, but right now there’s something to the ambiguity of Utena I find quite thrilling.

(Typical! Having said all that, a quick look back over the final episode suddenly brought me to the following conclusions on the end of Revolutionary Girl Utena! I hope I’m at least close to the mark here, but please, feel free to join in with my speculation in the comments below.)

1. When Utena’s parents die, she loses faith in life.
2. She sees her own pain in the tortured Anthy and wants to save her. To save herself.
3. Akio tricks young Utena into believing she can become a prince to protect Anthy (the Rose Bride). Ultimately, all Akio desires is power.
4. But Utena is a girl, not a prince. The life she has been leading through out this story has been a lie.
5. In the final duel, Utena first fails, ultimately, because she is not a prince. That façade is shattered when Anthy stabs her in the back.
6. Even still, Utena tries to save Anthy. She’s no longer doing this as a prince, but merely as Utena the girl. Because Anthy is her friend.
7. Utena empathises with Anthy so strongly because she understands how it feels to suffer in silence, to have lost hope. Anthy represents Utena, the damaged little girl. As she finally prizes open that door and finds the weak Anthy looking back at her, it’s like she’s seeing herself, her frailty, her weaknesses, and her friend, for the first time.
8. In pain and weak from stress, Utena loses grip of Anthy, but regardless of the outcome, she has finally accepted herself and is not trying to be something she is not. She has, for lack of a better phrase, grown-up.
9. It’s an apt moment for her to disappear, having grown from adolescence.
10. Alas, I still think it’s sad that she loses grip of Anthy, even if Anthy’s now inspired enough to believe in her own strength. I suppose the point is that Utena loses grip because she’s now just a normal girl, no longer the super human prince. The fantasy is dead.