Omake Gif Anime - Log Horizon - Episode 9 - Nyaa~

Log Horizon - Episode 9 - Nyaa~

How nyou doin' nyaa?

10 Second Anime - Outbreak Company - Episode 9

Outbreak Company - Episode 9



The long awaited beach swimsuit episode! The Last Otaku was born for this day. Minori agrees. It looks like Shinichi isn't the only target for affection.

Such a real world problem - you've got to take a break to use up your vacation days, even if you are stuck in some alternate magical world. So off to the lake beach, using a royal vacation home as thanks for helping the empress with her bout of depression. Oh my, we've got Minori with her megane-oppai look, Miusel with twin-tail elf-meido look, and Elbia rocking the genki-girl look so she can dig holes and do the doggy paddle.

Meanwhile, we establish a running gag back at the palace. Petrarca is busy doing her official duties, but as a way of feeling connected to her friends, and as a reward for being motivated again, the imperial advisors set up a serious committee to design a swimsuit for her. While the other wizened men debate very adult fashionable swimsuits, the youngest baldest one keeps extolling different versions of the school swimsuit. After all the debate, the advisors offer their suggestions to the imperial fashion designer, and we get... school swimsuit. Petrarca is very happy with her prize, while the lead advisor gets all the credit. Poor baldy.

As for the beachgoers, Shinichi and Miusel try to do the manga suggested activities, such as splashing each other, but not knowing whose turn it is. Minori is happy to lay out reading Free! BL doujins. Not a big surprise. Minori has fans too, though. Roic the elf, is walking to the lake to catch a glimpse, and Romilda the dwarf just happens to follow him to make sure he doesn't do anything bad. Uh huh. We got a hint this was going to happen during the soccer match when Roic and his elf-buddy did the BL trope of ripping their shirts off and hugging after a goal, and Romilda got all flustered about it. Plus, we see that otaku culture is beginning to bridge the dwarf-elf divide in the Eldant Empire.

On their way to the lake, they spy some movement in the bush, and Romilda gets attacked by some lightning magic. Roic runs to the lake to get help, and we see three figures in some very green fur skulking about. Roic's description, and Elbia's sketch reminds Shinichi of Morizo, the 2005 World Expo mascot. They move out, to rescue Romilda, and to protect Shinichi, thinking he might be the target of some other traditionalist faction. After some action, and an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction, they reveal the Morizo beings are Japanese soldiers in ghillie suits. The lightning magic was a Taser, and the soldiers were there to offer surveillance and protection. Or so they claimed. Minori asks why they didn't identify themselves when their cover was blown, and why their surveillance equipment is a prosumer grade camera, and why their pictures are all cheesecake shots... Ah. Minori Stomp!

Omake Gif Anime - Yuushibu - Episode 9 - First Paycheck

Yuushibu - Episode 9 - First Paycheck

"My first paycheck! I'll never spend it!"
"Uh, no. You should spend it..."

10 Second Anime - Kill la Kill - Episode 9

Kill la Kill - Episode 9

Gamagoori's gimp suit proves a tough nut to crack. Senketsu learns a new trick. Ryuko provides some added "service" to the spectators.

Gamagoori is such a stickler for the rules. That makes sense, since he is the Discipline Committee president. So, no fighting until the proper time. Aikuro tries to convince Ryuko not to fight all the inner council, but he won't say why, yet. He's still just watching over things. Ryuko, of course, refuses.

Then, it's time for the match. And, it starts off kind of slow:

10 Second Anime - Naruto Shippuuden - Episode 340

Naruto Shippuuden - Episode 340

We're back to Naruto Shippuuden. The cancelling of the Reanimation Jutsu changes the battlefield. Madara continues to troll. And the other Madara moves on to the next phase.

Itachi has cancelled the Reanimation Jutsu, and we see the effects on the battlefield. All those currently fighting and the sealed ones burst into white light, their souls leap into the sky, and the dead body they were inhabiting falls to the ground. They all have a chance to say some kind of goodbye before they leave, and we get call backs to the filler episodes we had during the summer.

Madara is not done yet. As he tries to get one final attack in before he leaves, Tsunade blocks him. She uses up all her healing ability, but thinks it's finally over. Eh, not so much. Madara resumes his reanimated form and throws a Susano'o sword at her. The Kages know they can't make it in time, but Dan, her late fiancé, shows up just in time to block the attack before his soul also leaves. They have a nice moment, and she receives a bit of chakra before Dan disappears.

Madara stands up, fully reanimated, and says there's a reason some jutsu are forbidden, such as never reanimating someone who knows the reanimation jutsu. Because he can cast it on himself in that time the jutsu was undone, but before the soul leaves, and make himself immortal with unlimited chakra. Well, that's no good. He's got his pride, though, and he says the legendary Perfect Susano'o is supposed to be seen by only the dead, so he's a little conflicted with letting the kages live, but he's also bored and wants to join the battle with Naruto. What a guy. The Stone chief won't let him leave just yet.

Meanwhile, the other Madara sees his reanimated Jinchuuriki take off, and realizes he can't absorb the 9-tail and 8-tail beasts by himself. Got to go with Plan B. He's got a bit of those beasts' chakra saved up from previous encounters, and thinks that should be good enough to recreate the 10-tailed beast. Well, we'll see how that goes. The Madaras have softened up the ninja army, so it's time to move on the next part of their plan. Someone might know a way of stopping this, and Sasuke thinks it's Orochimaru. What? He's dead, right? Shows how much you know about Orochimaru.

10 Second Anime - Kyoukai no Kanata - Episode 9

Kyoukai no Kanata - Episode 9

The Society is definitely aiming for the Nase family. Bad-assery all around from the Nase siblings. Akihito goes haywire, and Mirai goes after him.

The Society's Agent-man holds his own against Izumi, but only for a little while. Things were going to get pretty bad for him the longer the battle drew out. However, he has quite a few little plans in motion, going after whatever pieces the Nase clan has in creating the Beyond the Boundary. Agent-man's plans involved retrieving Akihito and the crystal of the Hollow Shadow. He had to power up his youmu-eating weapon, because he knew that capturing Akihito would involve direct confrontation with a powerful youmu in Ayaka. He had even counted on the timing of the Calm to get past her. He hadn't counted on Izumi showing up, admitting as much when he explains that the gun he has can't hurt people as much as youmu.

His other operation was more subtle. He sowed seeds of doubt in the younger Nase siblings, which is why he had his little talk with Mitsuki and Hiromi about Izumi's intentions toward Akihito and Mirai. This was to have one of them show him or gain him entry into the Nase family vault to retrieve the Hollow Shadow crystal, which Hiromi does. Before Agent-man steals the crystal, Hiromi reads the family files on how Akihito is the key to creating the Beyond the Boundary.

What the society doesn't know is how complicated the Nase family plan is too. The Hollow Shadow crystal was used only as a distraction for the Society, should they ever get that close to the vault. The real prize is manipulating Mirai into killing an immortal half-youmu. Again, the timing of the Calm was essential, to weaken the youmu enough for her cursed blood to work. However, Izumi needed to weaken the human half just a little bit more so that the youmu half was stronger, and Mirai would be forced into killing it.  Wheels within wheels here.

We still get some touching moments in the middle of all this action. Poor Ai was attacked by Akihito's youmu form, and reverted to her two-tailed Scottish Fold cat form. We get a better look at the scars on Hiromi's back from tussling with Akihito from some time before. Plus, we see how well the Nase siblings work together to take down a huge monster, by combining their barrier powers and crushing it to death. And we can't have an episode without referencing the boys' respective tastes. Like Hiromi expecting a thank you from his little sister, but accepting it was for her familiar Yakimo instead. And Akihito planning on getting another pair of glasses for Mirai on her birthday. She said it was "unpleasant," but her tone implied something else.

10 Second Anime - Yowamushi Pedal - Episode 8

Yowamushi Pedal - Episode 8

Onoda catches up. Naruko shows off his sprint-climbing style. Imaizumi aims for King of the Mountains, but Onoda won't make it easy for him.

Onoda makes the catch up to Imaizumi and Naruko, and Naruko pretty much nailed his impression of him earlier in the day. They notice he's now on a road bike, and the club coach has jumped in the follow van, sticking Makishima in the fold-out seat in the back. Everyone's happy to see the little guy rejoin his friends, and Miki is a little touched as well.

As a sprinter, Naruko has been doing pretty well on the incline, but now he wants to show the fruits of his mountain training, by pulling away out of the saddle and in the drops. Imaizumi changes his cadence and quickly catches him. Onoda puts his head down, and matches them too, with a big smile on his face. Imaizumi tells Naruko that Onoda is at his happiest when he's climbing. Makishima is still a little pessimistic about his chances in getting to the top of the mountain first, and Tadokoro blocks his view saying he doesn't have to watch if he wants to keep saying things like that.

They're all climbing pretty well together, but the last 4 km of the climb is an 18% grade, and Naruko starts going backward. Imaizumi pushes onward, while Onoda is sad for Naruko, and wants to keep him company. Naruko tells him that everyone has something they're good at in a bike race, so he better watch out after the peak. This reassures Onoda, and Naruko gives him a tip on beating Imaizumi to the top. I guess we won't find out what that is until we get there.

Meanwhile, Imaizumi has been trying to stay disciplined and keep his heart rate down so he doesn't blow up, but having Onoda behind him, with the chance of catching him again, makes him excited and want to push harder. Onoda tries to figure out what to do to catch, and figures there's only one thing left: raise his cadence another 30 rpm. On an 18% grade, he's doing 150 rpm! With less than a thousand meters to the top, they're together again. But will Naruko's trick help Onoda win the mountain sprint line? Nice way to put a cliffhanger in there.

This week's cycling porn features gear and gears:

Omake Gif Anime - Non Non Biyori - Episode 8 - My Model

Non Non Biyori - Episode 8 - My Model

You will be my model. Make a cute pose.

10 Second Anime - Monogatari Series Second Season - Episode 21

Monogatari Series Second Season - Episode 21

New arc - Love Story. Senjougahara asks the conman Kaiki for help in fooling the snake god Nadeko has become. Surprisingly, he agrees.

The next chapter in the Monogatari series is koimonogatari (恋物語), meaning Passionate Love Story, or more simply Love Story. Since this the beginning of a new arc, that means rapid fire dialogue, rapid fire scene changes, and head tilts aplenty. Senjougahari calls Kaiki the conman out of the blue because she wants to hire him for a job. Trying to get out of the meeting, he gets trapped into flying to Okinawa to meet her in the airport.

Since they've been lying but playing at making their lies true, they try to one-up each other with terrible disguises. Senjougahara opts for the Groucho glasses, but Kaiki wins by putting on a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. The subtext, of course, is that this is the usual garb of Oshino, the aberration expert, and now Kaiki is supposed to be filling in that role.

The job is to deceive the snake goddess Nadeko into saving Araragi's life, her life, and she supposes, the little blonde vampire. That last part was a little grudgingly, but a devoted lover must make some compromises. Senjougahara only won a temporary reprieve from Nadeko, but she wants a more permanent solution. Her options have become limited, because she can't find Oshino, and Hanekawa has even gone in search of him. So she turns to the conman, the cause of the fake charms that caused Araragi's sisters trouble, and indirectly was the cause of Nadeko's transformation. When Kaiki describes that indirect cause as similar to a chain of bankruptcies caused by the collapse of a ponzi scheme, Senjougahara has a brief flash of anger and dumps her drink on him. That's because what he described is exactly how her family became so poor so quickly.

Now that he knows the job, they need to negotiate the price. Senjougahara has been saving for just such an occasion, but Kaiki intimates that her sum is too low. She says it could be a down payment. She could even sell her own body... at this point Kaiki himself loses his temper, and throws his drink at her. She must have hit a sore spot there as well.

Kaiki excuses himself to the restroom to consider the job. Everything that Senjougahara presented, whether it was guilt over the little sisters, his own indirect responsibility, or even the amount of money, doesn't cross any kind of threshold for caring about deceiving a minor god, which also has some amusing challenge in itself. But he realizes that his old college colleague, Gaen Izuko, has a niece who goes to the same school as Senjougahara, and she might be affected by this snake god. He refers to Kanbaru, the monkey paw girl. This tenuous relationship to a tenuous relationship is enough to make him care, and agree to the job.

As with any Monogatari story, the title has many layers and many meanings, and here, Love Story is no different. On the surface, we have Senjougahara willing to do anything to save her lover, but with Kaiki's leap to help an old school mate's distant relative, we also have, perhaps, a deep unrequited love for the girl who knows everything. Many story threads are going to be woven into this story, and seeing it from Kaiki's perspective is a bonus.

Pantone 1767 ties many things together.

According to Elcyclista, Pantone 1767 is the color of an eraser, a cherry blossom, and the leader's jersey in the Giro d'Italia. And now, available in coffee cups!



Love Pantone via Elcyclista

Omake Gif Anime - Magi S2 - Episode 8 - Meiers' Entrance

Magi S2 - Episode 8 - Meiers' Entrance

Now this is how a magician drill instructor makes an entrance! She may look tough, but even Ms. Meiers couldn't resist drawing Aladdin to her ample bosom.

10 Second Anime - Freezing Vibration - Episode 8

Freezing Vibration - Episode 8

NSFW for animated boobies

Kazuya's grandfather is skeptical of the E-Pandora program. The girls have discussions in steamy bath rooms and snowy weather. The test subjects attempt to escape.

Kazuya's grandfather, one of the renowned Genetics pioneers, has always been skeptical of the E-Pandora program, and he notices the Nova cells going haywire in the propaganda video the Chevalier group released. He hopes it's just normal activation, but he doesn't think so. His personal aide, the most powerful Pandora in active duty, Su-Na Lee, also expresses her doubts about the program, saying that if her sacrifice in bearing the stigmata was to protect the innocent and incapable, what good is it if everyone can bear the stigmata? That means everyone will be pressed into fatal conflict with the Nova.

At the Alaska facility, the Pandora and E-Pandoras have only heard rumors of a girl going Nova. Charles confirms that it was so, and that she killed her.  Even if we don't have special swimsuit episodes anymore, at least we still have steamy shower scenes. Charles gives the other girls the good soldier advice, and not worry about questioning orders. The head of the facility intends to go full steam ahead with the Mark IV nanomachines, against the objection of the lead scientist. Somehow he has made "improvements" on them, when the lead scientist has not. It must be only a couple days or so after Gina's death, because the other girls don't even know that Elizabeth is missing, only that her company has been brought down by scandal.

The lead scientist remembers back to her earlier work with Dr. Aoi, Kazuya's grandfather, and how he was angered over her decoding of the genome of the first Pandora. He cautions her about what the Nova may actually be, by relating the story of the Tower of Babel, and how it was struck down by Man striving to reach God's domain. That's a little heavy-handed, but this is only a battle anime involving magical girl transformations, mysterious enemies, and nudity. I'm not expecting something subtle here.

While Charles is playing the good soldier, something that most Pandoras would agree to, Rock, jogging in the snow with two others (that volt texture stuff is great, huh?), questions some other things about the lab. Like, why they have the most advanced power generator here, if they're just making adjustments to nanomachines. Lots of foreshadowing going on here.

The test subjects have been told who the next candidate is for the "improved" Mark IV, and Amelia tries to convince the lead scientist to let her take her place. She is told that the decision is final, and it's not really up to her anyway. At this point, Amelia hatches a plan, but wants to say goodbye to Elizabeth first, since she was punished trying to protect the normal girls. Her plan is for Amelia to inject the new Mark IV, and bust out of the facility. The girls break into the main office to steal the formula, but convince Amelia that they will all take the formula to make sure they all get out.

Rana lets slip that Elizabeth has been tortured, and is still recuperating, and more of the Pandoras find out about how the Mark IV doesn't really work, and that they are taking extreme measures to keep that failure secret. More battle lines are being drawn between good soldiers and conscientious objectors.

The temporary nature of the Mark IV still works, as the E-Pandoras are now able to go toe-to-toe with regular Pandoras. Just like last time, the top 5 Pandoras are dispatched too, and this time it's Julia's turn in the spotlight. Amelia may have been able to handle regular Pandoras, but one of the elite Pandoras is too much. But before she can land a finishing blow, she is frozen by Kazuya, as he and Satellizer make it back to the lab just in time.

As I figured, we still have some room for steamy shower scenes. And this is where we can find our lighter moments too, since we've entered the dark phase of the story. But when I thought of light moments, I meant funny, not white steam totally washing everything out. I mean, look, I can barely enjoy, er, appreciate the cliché gag of goosing someone in the shower!

Omake Gif Anime - Yuushibu - Episode 8

Yuushibu - Episode 8

If it's hot enough to make you want to flip your own skirt...

10 Second Anime - Outbreak Company - Episode 8

Outbreak Company - Episode 8

Minori tires of moe moe kyuun rice omelets. Petrarca becomes a shut-in. And Miusel gets broken.

This week we explore the otaku phenomenon of hikikomori (引き籠もり), the shut-in or recluse. Some social trauma is usually the cause for the young person to pull away from society and lock themselves in their room. Petrarca has been so busy lately, that she runs away from the castle, only to be found in a nearby warehouse by Garius and Shinichi. She is still a young girl, even if she is the empress.

Meanwhile, meals at the Japanese consulate have become much more fun, with ketchup art, and cute incantations to make the food taste better. Even Bluk gets his own ketchup portrait on his leg of meat. However, Minori has quickly gotten tired of the ritual since this stuff originates from the male-oriented part of otaku culture. I'm sure she'd perk right up if it was done by Bluk or Garius wearing a butler uniform.

The next day, Petrarca is still not done running away from her duties, and locks herself in her room using Eldant magic. People from earth can still touch the door, so the royal advisors ask Shinichi to help get the empress out of her funk. Shinichi figures she has gone hikikomori, and as Matoba vouches that he is the foremost expert on shut-ins in Japan, he agrees to help on the condition that they do not interfere with his methods. Shinichi senses some digs at his social standing from Matoba's remarks... Garius explains why Petrarca may be running away from her duties: she took the throne at a young age because her parents were murdered by Garius' own father, the late emperor's brother. Not an uncommon tale in royal circles, but Petrarca wanted to make sure nothing like that would happen to the royalty again, thereby taking on more duties instead of delegating to other lines of royalty. Garius seems to be a kind man in distancing himself from his father's methods.

Shinichi enters Petrarca's room and sees all the videogames, manga, and junk food strewn all over the place. He also sees a book about shut-ins nearby. The Last Otaku hatches a plan to teach Petrarca all the ways of the hikikomori, and sticks them in a corner of her room with only a single bed and a small table for the TV, your cliché 4.5 tatami mat room. All the manga, snacks, and games are within reach of the bed, with only a backscratcher to reach for other stuff. That's pro level right there. Petrarca still has much to learn, because she wants to take a bath, which is a very rare occurrence for someone locked in their room from depression. Along the way to the large indoor bath, Shinichi must distract guards by dropping naughty fan art. The Last Otaku uses his weapons wisely and well.

Back at the Japanese consulate, Minori tells the staff that Shinichi won't be coming home for that night since he has to stay with the queen. Miusel has a little break down, and the household only discovers this by wondering why dinner is so late, and seeing that she has been stirring a totally burned out pot of stew. I'm sure she'll feel better when Shinichi comes back.

As Shinichi and Petrarca play videogames and read manga all night long, Shinichi shares his own tale of being a shut-in, which was a major depression caused by being rejected by his childhood friend. He says that it became easier and easier to stay inside, as that door became heavier and heavier to open. The problem there, is that the only one who can open that door is the shut-in himself. When Shinichi turns down the volume on the TV, he explains that the shut-in must be sensitive to others, because he's not working, and bothering other people would be rude. As something of a spoiled brat, being sensitive to others is a new thing for Petrarca, so maybe being a shut-in won't be for her. But instead of taking a negative view of that sensitivity, she will remember that feeling and take it with her when she rejoins the world.

As it is, Petrarca can only stand being a shut-in for one day. She's already worried about how she bothered her advisors, and feels embarrassment about it. This kind of shame should be familiar to anyone who has experienced long bouts of depression. But when she opens that door, Garius and Zakhar are waiting there, ready for her. This should also be a lesson for those depressed shut-ins: the shame you feel is many times greater than whatever disappointment you imagine your family and friends have for your behavior. They just miss you. This show is meta in its metanarrative.

However, as we saw earlier in the season when Miusel was recuperating for a month, things around the manor house devolve quickly when she's not there. The morning comes, and she's still stirring that burned out pot, and the other three have gone hungry. Which is the worse situation here?

10 Second Anime - Kill la Kill - Episode 8

Kill la Kill - Episode 8

Satsuki orders up another purge. Ryuko sees this as a vacation. Gamagoori drives like crazy.

After last week's purge of the 2-star suits, Satsuki decides to extend the purge all the way down to the 1-stars. If they can survive the week, plus a sudden death battle royale at the next assembly, they can reclaim their 1-star uniforms. Those who took suits off of other 1-star students will have a chance to keep them.

The Inner Council and Ryuko see this week as a chance for a vacation. Ryuko and Mako take a moped trip back to the old Matoi house to see if she can find anything else about her father's research. She reminisces about how they grew apart after her mother's death and how she found him stabbed with the scissor half she now carries. It wasn't the scissor that killed him, but the house blowing up after Ryuko caught a glimpse of someone with long black hair carrying a blade fleeing the scene. It certainly is suggestive of Satsuki, but the blade didn't necessarily have to be the other scissor half, and just her own. Ryuko finds the basement lab empty.

On her way back, the moped runs out of gas, and Mako and Ryuko get picked up by Gamagoori in a huge pink Cadillac. There's a truce of sorts since they don't have to attack each other during this purge week, but that doesn't stop other students from attacking Gamagoori. They get ambushed by the merger of the Automotive and Airsoft clubs. This means there's 2-star suits trying to take the 3-star suit away from Gamagoori. Bad idea.

Gamagoori flashes back to when he was student council president at another middle school, but couldn't stop the bullying of another student because he did not have external power, whereas the bullies were the children of an influential businessman and the Police Chief. Satsuki shows up wielding her own parents' power, buying out the car dealership and ousting the chief with bribery charges. Gamagoori has followed her ever since.

At the final battle royale at the end of the week, in addition to the scrum in the main field, 5 pillars rise up so that whoever is the king of that hill becomes a candidate for the Inner Council. The Elite Four are already atop their pillars, and Ryuko runs up the 5th one. Since it was probably going to end up that way anyway, they propose to each have a one-on-one fight with Ryuko while they're there. Gamagoori is the first to challenge.

One thing I hadn't noticed before is that all the 1-star students have particular hair styles made to look like old German Stahlhelms, the kind storm troopers wore. More of that fascist/nazi/communist iconography there. Another thing is about Ryuko's father's death. She didn't actually see him die, and since the wound from the stabbing wasn't that serious, he may have had a chance to get out of the house before it blew up. Still fits in with my fanciful theory that he's actually Senketsu. Maybe...

Also, Mako's other superpower, besides her Mako Moment, is the ability to sleep anywhere.

Omake Gif Anime - Golden Time - Episode 8

Golden Time - Episode 8

This was a very special fabulous! episode. Fabulous!

10 Second Anime - Naruto Shippuuden - Episode 339

Naruto Shippuuden - Episode 339

Sasuke to Kage Shippuuden - Episode 10. Yay, the kages are back almost capturing Madara. Boo, Madara went full power and is going to kick their butts. Itachi undoes the Reanimation Jutsu and says goodbye to Sasuke.

We check in with the Kages' battle against all the Madara clones, and they're not doing so hot. Ohnoki, the Hidden Stone Village chief rallies them for a final attack. Madara sees that he should have done something about the old man before now, since his battle experience is making things harder than he thought they would be. As the kages are about to seal Madara, he explodes in a huge ball of chakra and shows off his ultimate Susano'o. It's big. Madara brags that it's a good thing he's not fighting Tsunade's grandfather Hashirama, otherwise the mapmakers would be too busy making corrections. He says that as he casually lops the top off a mountain.

Meanwhile, back in the cave, Itachi learns the last few hand signs to undo the Reanimation Jutsu, and Sasuke laments that getting to be with his brother again raises his anger toward Konoha village. As Itachi makes Kabuto undo the jutsu, he flashes his sharingan at him, and shows Sasuke his memories of the days before he massacred the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha were on the verge of open rebellion, and Danzo, as the commander of the secret military police, orders Itachi to take out the entire clan before the Hokage orders it, in return for allowing him to spare Sasuke. His best friend Shisui offers his own eye to Itachi to save it from being stolen by Danzo. This was a contentious point much earlier in the story of Naruto, because Shisui committed suicide soon thereafter, instead of joining the clan's revolt, and Shisui's sharingan had unique powers coveted by others. And finally, Itachi meets Tobi and offers to join his mercenary group in exchange for the safety of the village and his little brother thereafter. All those little loose ends in Itachi's story finally tied up.

Before he disappears, Itachi makes sure that Sasuke knows that everything he did was for the sake of the village and his little brother. The rest of the reanimated former heroes and villains of the ninja world begin to disappear too, and we see a brief flash of the guy this show is supposed to be about. Madara is about to smash the kages, when he feels the effects of his reanimation ending too. If you think that's enough to put Madara down, well... We're almost back to Naruto Shippuuden. Almost there.

Those imperialist Japanese just took over another island!

Kyodo News via AP

Oh, wait, no they didn't. A new caldera formed near the Bonin Islands.

"This has happened before and in some cases the islands disappeared," Yoshihide Suga said when asked if the government was planning on naming the new island. "If it becomes a full-fledged island, we would be happy to have more territory."

Heh.

10 Second Anime - Kyoukai no Kanata - Episode 8

Kyoukai no Kanata - Episode 8

Serious anime got down to serious business... after a few more eyeglasses jokes, and a special appearance from Akihito's mom.

When Akihito's mom sends a funny cosplay postcard, you know there's a big bad youmu coming to town. But first, some details carrying over from the last episode. Sakura has moved in with Mirai, and she has taken over the quiet girl type. Plus, she has no problem going with the flow with making jokes at Mirai's or Akihito's expense.

We open the episode with Izumi practicing a spell on an assistant that puts her awareness in a different place and informs the old man behind the screen that we saw earlier this season that she has a plan for things that may happen during the Calm. As explained by several people, the Calm is a period of time when the youmu lose their strength, and the spirit world warriors get a chance to defeat strong monsters that they normally couldn't. Akihito's mom is worried because of his half-youmu state. The Society Agent explains to Mitsuki that the Calm comes from a powerful bodiless youmu. Like the Hollow Shadow made other youmu more aggressive, this one makes them sleepy.

Unfortunately for Mitsuki, getting a ride home from the mysterious Agent was not just a nice gesture, but to get more information about the Calm from the Nase family. These powerful, bodiless youmu are to be feared since they would cause boundless destruction if they ever took form. This is why they are called Beyond the Boundary (dun-dun-dun) and are watched over by the more powerful warrior clans. The Society thinks the Nase clan has more knowledge about the Calm than they do, and somehow thinks the cursed blood clan which Mirai comes from and Akihito the half-youmu are related to this hidden knowledge. The Nase clan being in possession of the Hollow Shadow crystal, which was killed by Mirai, plus stopping Yui's family from exacting vengeance on her after killing their daughter, are all interesting data points.

Before Agent-man can either ask Mitsuki for help or kidnap her for leverage (that scene could have gone either way, and that man is way too happy slinging around that pink tentacle weapon thing while carrying a juicebox, so I can't gauge his motivation at all), Hiromi shows up and they end up seriously fighting. Having Sakura power up that weapon was part of his plan for confronting the Nase clan.

As the Calm approaches, the other warriors prepare to battle the weakened youmu, and we see Izumi put Akihito to sleep like she did her assistant on his train ride home. Akihito is taken to Ayaka and Ai's place, with Mirai and Ai taking care of him. Agent-man appears to take Akihito in custody, and Ayaka refuses since his care was entrusted to her. She takes on her youmu form, a version of the nine-tailed fox, and does battle with the powered up weapon. Agent-man is no slouch either, but even he is surprised at how powerful Ayaka still is with the effects of the Calm weighing on her. He has to resort to using his own power in addition to the weapon, but before he can get a hit in, Izumi comes to the rescue. Big battles are set up for the next episode!

A few things struck me watching this episode. One is that the Nase clan is very interested in these bodiless youmu, as we saw with the Hollow Shadow, and that it would be a very bad thing if one of these things ever took form. This leads me to suspect that one tried to take form already, and is actually Akihito. His name is a combination of Japanese words that mean Demon-person, which is suggestive of his monster-human duality. And their interest in the cursed blood clan, by helping Mirai, I suspect stems from her blood's ability to make a bodiless youmu take form.

We saw it happen with the Hollow Shadow, by drawing out its still very small core, and making it solid enough for her blood sword to strike it down. And she used her blood to suppress Akihito's out-of-control youmu half, again, perhaps by making it regain its solid form by reassuming the human half.

And the last thing that struck me was how Agent man was talking to the pink tentacle weapon, assuring it would be getting something before the Nase clan, presumably the Calm's crystal. With how little spirit power Sakura had, the weapon stayed in one shape, but in Agent man's hands, it shifted into a handgun, and also seems to disappear unless called upon. Perhaps another bodiless youmu that he has taken as a partner, which will later betray him? Serious anime evokes serious foreshadowing, even with all the jokes about glasses, little sisters, and young ladies without boyfriends. Although, that was a good-looking dude who took Nino's kill. Maybe love is in the air there too.

Omake Gif Anime - Gingitsune - Episode 7

Gingitsune - Episode 7

Gintaro sure likes spirit heralds when they're brats, er, younger, right? Right, Gintaro? Gintaro...

Now that I'm 40, I guess I have to pay attention to this stuff.

Hangovers hit harder after 40 years age. I'll just have to make sure I drink a bit more water with my hooch. I also have to keep my brother's future liver transplant just a bit more healthy than he's keeping mine. At least he's no longer taking Tylenol for his hangovers. Thanks bro!

10 Second Anime - Yowamushi Pedal - Episode 7

Yowamushi Pedal - Episode 7

Onoda on a road bike goes fast. The captain says to catch the front two, you need to pedal faster. Onoda says okay. Imaizumi and Naruko meet their coach.

Once Onoda got on that lugged chromoly (steel with chrome and molybdenum alloy) bike, he quickly dispatches the three other first-years up ahead, and some poseur trying to impress a girl at a rest stop. Well, he had a nice Cannondale.  He was explaining to the girl with the collapsible bike that he knew the first two kids were serious because they had bike shorts on, the next three had regular shorts on. I don't know about that, though, because it looks like ask-me-anything Sugimoto had some black bike shorts on. Maybe that poseur meant racing bibs.

Anyway, Onoda is now in third doing about a 90 rpm cadence on a medium climb. In the van, their ace climber says that he's doing pretty good for a beginner, but he's not going to catch Imaizumi and Naruko. The captain hands Onoda his forgotten water bottle and tells him, he's not going to catch Imaizumi and Naruko. Onoda deflates. Kinjou continues, that he can burn himself out and might need to be picked up by the broom wagon at the top of the climb. Kinjou then tells him he's now third place on the road, which makes him extremely happy. He's never been placed that high in anything before. He can finish the race at this pace, but he won't join Imaizumi and Naruko at the end. The captain then says he can choose, finish third or race with the other two. Onoda pauses only for a beat, and says he'll join his friends. Kinjou says "Good, you'll need to raise your cadence 30 rpm." The other three kids in the van react. The ace climber thought he only needed to do another 10 to catch. Onoda responds, and just churns his legs faster.

Meanwhile, up the road, Imaizumi and Naruko are marking each other, checking out their strengths, doing about 85 rpm. They pass some fat white guy cheering them on, but that guy keeps tripping and they stop to help him up. Again, stopping their bikes for a reason instead of staring up into the sky, and leaning their bikes against the guardrail, like normal cyclists. Those little things impress me. The foreigner then tells each of them to work on some part of their pedal stroke, and that they better hurry and get back on their bikes. Kinjou had just called him saying one little kid is gaining on them. They realize they're talking to the cycling club's coach, and that somehow Onoda is blazing towards them. They look back and hear the support vehicle approaching!

This week's cycling porn is a bit catch-all.

10 Second Anime - Monogatari Series Second Season - Episode 20

Monogatari Series Second Season - Episode 20

Gaen Izuko does indeed know everything. Hachikuji has to say goodbye. Ougi gives dark hints about who she really is.

Gaen has conditions on helping Araragi get back to town and reconnecting with Shinobu. They all involve Kanbaru, the girl with the monkey paw that became her arm. Gaen is a distant relative, and needs that arm's spiritual properties to complete a job she's taken up. And she'll need his help to complete the job that Ononoki was supposed to do, she was the client, before they all got caught up with the nameless darkness. With Araragi's agreement, she begins to explain everything.

Gaen does have all the answers about the nameless darkness. It is not an aberration, but more like an aberration enforcer. If an aberration begins not doing what it is defined to do, this thing seeks it out and eliminates it. It came after Heart-under-Blade 400 years ago because she had started acting like a lake goddess instead of a vampire. It did not come after her because she started acting like a vampire again in Antarctica, and she continues to act like a vampire now. So who was the target this time?

Hachikuji is supposed to be the aberration of a snail demon and lost ghost. Her job is to make people get lost if they follow her, but for the last few months after meeting Araragi, she has not been losing people. She directed Araragi to the exact spot where Shinobu had run away, and presumably saved the world in the process, and has been giving exact directions to Araragi and others since then. She was no longer acting like the aberration she was supposed to be. That's why the nameless darkness went after her. And it would keep going after her whenever she was awake. When she was asleep, Araragi and Ononoki were lost in the mountains; Hachikuji was doing her job, so the aberration eliminator didn't follow her. If Hachikuji doesn't want to get eaten, she just has to function as the lost ghost again.

But she doesn't want to do that anymore. She was aware that she was leading people the wrong way and hated it, but meeting Araragi changed that. She changed. The solution is to act like a ghost and pass on. Even Gaen called her the ghost of a ghost, because the original Mayoi Hachikuji died eleven years ago, and this lost ghost changed when Araragi was able to stop her from being lost. She has to say goodbye. With the help of Ononoki, she kisses her big brother friend goodbye.

In the epilogue, it's four months later, and Araragi is telling his story to Ougi. She takes her leave, thanking him for the story, but she has to go to work. From her description of what she does, she sounds exactly like the nameless darkness doing its job. Shinobu, from the shadows, asks why he told Ougi about Hachikuji, when he's been keeping her passing a secret to everyone else? Araragi wants to see how just Ougi knowing something will affect things. I'm reminded of Ougi's supposed chance meeting with Nadeko started the whole snake god story, and how this fits in with how she "rights wrongs and brings to an end things which must end." Ominously, she says Araragi will find out what she does soon enough, and she may need his help then too.

Ononoki turned out to be quite a kind girl for being an artificial construct made out of a corpse. Perhaps Araragi is changing her too.

10 Second Anime - Freezing Vibration - Episode 7

Freezing Vibration - Episode 7

NSFW for animated boobies



Holly and Satella battle, but it's Louis who loses, while Holly wins on her own terms as well. Satella breaks free of Louis' hold over her.

Holly's motivation to fight for Louis is mixed with a lot of jealousy. She's been the woman in Louis' life for the past few years, but she was still the other woman in Louis' heart as he was obsessed with his half-sister Satella. While in Bali, Louis, who knows what he is doing is wrong, takes out his frustration on Holly. What a crazy messed up love triangle.

The battle is pretty straightforward, with Holly showing her obvious strengths, and Satella showing her battle experience. When Satella releases her nova wings and begins to overpower Holly, Louis freezes her to allow Holly to strike her. Kazuya shows his power in cancelling Louis' freeze, and Satella incapacitates Holly. Seeing Satella and Kazuya holding hands is too much for Louis, as Satella declares she is no longer the Untouchable Queen, meaning that Louis is no longer the only man to touch her intimately, and jumps off the nearby cliff to kill himself. Holly leaps after him and saves his life. Louis realizes the depth of his own feelings for Holly, and his obsession for Satella breaks. Seems too neat a resolution following years of abuse, but this is a battle anime with mostly naked women, so roll with it.

Louis promises to talk with their father about exposing the E-Pandora project, and Kazuya and Satella learn from Rana about what happened to Elizabeth at the Alaska facility. They decide to leave Bali early to return there before the el Bridget parents arrive. Meanwhile, on their own private jet to Bali, Mr. and Mrs. el Bridget learn they'll just miss seeing Satella. Mr. el Bridget is signing a nondisclosure agreement with the ALOC Corporation, which will complicate the help Satella is hoping to receive. Back to Alaska now, with civil unrest brewing among the Pandoras.

Omake Gif Anime - Magi S2 - Episode 7

Magi S2 - Episode 7

Morgiana sure likes her fish...

10 Second Anime - Outbreak Company - Episode 7

Outbreak Company - Episode 7

Elf-maid in Japan. Akihabara becomes date city. Miusel out-maids the maids.

Shinichi complains that his requisition orders are getting messed up by the military. Like getting the cosplay porn versions of anime, or even worse, getting the second season of "Manami-ke." Industry inside joke there, since the director of the mostly agreed upon worst season of Minami-ke is now directing this anime... So Shinichi asks to go back to Japan for a day to make the requisitions himself. He'll have to be knocked out and woken up the same way he found himself in the Eldant Empire, but he needs those quality goods. Miusel, worried that Shinichi might not come back, stows away in a second bag.

Petrarca needs to do a lot of paperwork, but is unmotivated. Garius promises to bring Shinichi for a visit when she finishes her work, but that plan is complicated since Shinichi is in Japan. Well, they figure she won't be done before he gets back anyway.

Shinichi has a nice dream before he wakes up from the sedation, imagining all the girls in naked aprons, but when a naked Garius intrudes, he pleads to wake up now. He's in his old room, still messy, and the first thing he checks is whether he's been paid. Smart man. But then he finds a second bag filled with Elf-maid and he's surprised and concerned. Originally he had asked for Miusel to accompany him, but Matoba made up a story that our atmosphere is poisonous. Well, Miusel is fine, and they decide to go to Akihabara together to pick up the things on his shopping list. Along the way, Miusel gives us scenes of never seeing technology before, like using an electronic toilet, boarding the bus, riding the train, and eating at a maid-themed café.

The waitresses there are impressed that she's outmaiding the maids by refusing to eat her master's face drawn in ketchup on her omelet. They have a nice day out together, but then Shinichi freaks out because he suddenly realizes that he'll be in a room alone with an actual girl. He is the Last Otaku, after all. Well, he doesn't take advantage of a sleepy elf-maid, even when she wears a T-shirt telling him "Be true to your desires." He could have woken her up... but he is a polite gentleman. He sleeps on the floor.

Meanwhile, Petrarca was so motivated, that she finished her paperwork, but without Shinichi there, Garius and Zahar cannot fulfill their promise. Zahar, ever the master strategist, has a plan, just in case. Dress like Shinichi, except keep wearing his hood, and oh, come on, how was this supposed to work? His military targets may have been tough, but the heart of a young maiden is tougher. Petrarca is too disappointed to be mad at them.

Shinichi wakes up back in Eldant, and realizes that he did not buy any of the things he went back to Japan for! Miusel distracted him, of course, so he's very contrite. Matoba is very disappointed, but Shinichi says that he did bring back one thing: Miusel now knows how to make ketchup faces on omelets. Culture is a thing, right?

Oh, she better have practiced her Moe Moe Kyuun, too! This is very important!