That was… a fuckin’ good pair of episodes.

My heart was bumpin’ the whole time. For a show that’s been riddled with random comedy and silly antics, I didn’t expect it to ever get this serious. Not only that, but it really delivered on the drama. These two episodes put this anime in a while new light.

Episode 13 was especially good. The story built up steadily and it climaxed beautifully at the end of the episode… right at the cliffhanger. That shit hit hard. I was planning to throw up an entry after just one episode but with the way this one went, by the end, I was going insane. I had to watch the next episode, haha. Oh man, if I watched this when it was coming out and I had to wait who knows how long for the next episode… seriously, I don’t wanna think about it.

Johan was a surprisingly good villain. Again, since most of this anime has been light-hearted, I figured even the villains would show their silly sides regardless of how the story progresses, just like Emelenzia’s battle with Ayako. He kept that stone-cold face up the entire time.

Whooo, Mamoru is a trooper. He’s a smart kid and he knew he was overpowered by Johan but he kept thinking of what to do next. That is, until he chickened out while talking to Ayako on the train. Then when he started thinking he really wasn’t good enough for Ayako. Then he had to flat out be told why Ayako was stressin’ so much about leaving. Then he finally figures everything out. Then I got pissed.

Actually, I was pissed when he didn’t say anything on the train.

Yes, I’m still waiting for Mamoru to do some cool shit. He redeemed himself a bit at the end of episode 14. And when he finally got the last word in on Johan? That shit was tight. Still, I want more. He should have some bigger balls now. He best work harder!

Poor Ayako. She thinks Mamoru is giving her strength but really, he just broke down her empty shell and now she’s gotta start over. All this time, she was fueled by wanting to prove herself for just herself but now, she sees things in a new light. It sounds good on paper but hell, she could’ve become uber even w/o Mamoru. Haha… but that wouldn’t make a very fun show, would it?

I’m loving the pace of this anime. Mamoru and Ayako are growing nicely (independently as well as with each other) and at a slow and steady pace. This isn’t one of those animes where the MC(s) becomes super buff at the drop of a hat. I really like this. Mamoru just needs to figure things out on his own more often. Then this would be almost… realistic.

I was expecting and thoroughly enjoying the light-hearted yet wildly silly comedy but now, I have something more to look forward to. It’s changed my expectations.

Don’t be disappointing me now.

And after all I raved about the previous episodes, these last two really slowed things down. The funnay was mostly still there but the rest of it was bleah. Episode 12 was especially hard to watch.

Emelenzia wasn’t into Mamoru as was (sorta) implied at the end of episode 10. She just wanted his mojo and the whole training dealie was used as a means to inflict drama between Mamoru and Ayako… so misunderstandings galore, the traditional “accidentally see something you’re not suppose to” scene, umm… more misunderstandings… yeah, should have stuck with the comedy.

Drama is good. No matter how silly an anime is, proper use of drama can add a nice spin on things. Exaggerated, predictable, unrealistic and overly stretched out drama does not work.

And I thought adding Emelenzia to the mix would spice it up. I was saddened at the lameness of these two episodes.

I did have some good laughs… though most of it was in episode 11.

Ah well… at least they finally kissed.

Took ‘em long enough.

Granted, it was after all that fake ass drama, it was still a nice moment.

I spent nearly a week watching these episodes. I’d watch an episode or two then tell myself I’ll watch more after a break… then a day or two would pass, heh. I didn’t feel like blogging anything about this until now. There isn’t all that much to get into anyhow.

A short arc introducing Emelenzia then back to the episodic comedy.

And what friggin’ hilarious comedy it was, especially episode 8.

The scene at the end…

…when the boys were getting wtfpwnd and Mamoru was having “flashbacks” of when the boys were hangin’ out… this whole parody scene was a riot. I was laughing my ass off during it; I kept having to pause the show cuz I was laughing too much.

HAHAHAHHAA… I’m laughing right now.

Moving along… after 10 episodes, I’m still enjoying this series. It’s slightly different than the usual and along with the comedy, it’s keeping me in.

And now, with Emelenzia being a regular, the love polygon may begin.

Right?

It would be unbelievable if there weren’t more love interests for Mamoru. That’s just not how romantic comedies work. Then again, most romantic comedies don’t start off with the guy and the girl hookin’ up either. Hmm…

Anyway, Emelenzia’s cute. She’s got the quiet loli thing going on but her added naivety makes her a bit more interesting. I love her posse too; they crack me up. She could develop into a fun character.

Now, for our couple…

Ayako is developing nicely. She’s not as hardass as she used to be and shows her smile often now. She’s also so earnest in wanting to know more about Mamoru. I’m still curious why she chose Mamoru. I forget if I mentioned in the last entry but it’s buggin’ me. In episode 9, Itsumi asked Ayako that question and I thought I’d finally get the answer but it went off on some other shit and left the question hanging. Ohhh… that was such a tease. Of course, maybe the question doesn’t matter anymore but shit, I still wanna know.

Mamoru, on the other hand, isn’t developing at all. He’s still the same, innocent, naive, and cute kid as from the start. I do want him to do more “cool” things but at this rate, I don’t think he will. Everyone around him doesn’t expect that either. I swear, he’s like the complete opposite of all the other male MCs in a romantic comedy. He’s not perverted nor indecisive and he doesn’t do super cool things at just the right time. Basically, he’s the opposite of the cliche. I’m not sure I can say I like him yet but he’s still definitely not annoying.

So, will things start moving on now? Or will it just be more comedy romps?

Either way, I’m sure I’ll be laughing the whole way.

Moar new stuff cuz I can’t stay focused on just one thing!

I kinda like this one though.

It’s a cute story with notable yet disposable characters. None of the characters truly stand out but they aren’t overdone to the point of annoyance. In other words, this is a rather passive watch.

The only one really notable is Mamoru. His character himself is nothing grand but for a romantic comedy, having such a child-like, mild-mannered MC is unusual and thus, he stands out. He doesn’t annoy me but he needs to do more cool stuff or I’ll get bored of him.

Ayako is like the poster child for tsundere. She goes from raging, violent bitch to meek, helpless child at the drop of a hat. It’s actually amazing. If I think of some other tsundere types off the top of my head, like Naru or Rin, they don’t go from one extreme to the other so quickly nor as often. Plus, their “soft side” only lasts for brief moments. Ayako practically has two complete personalities.

She does have some redeeming qualities.

She’s so cute when she’s shy and angry.

Actually, that’s it.

With the way the plot is set up, this has the potential to have some intense storylines. I’m not sure if it’ll ever get that serious but I’ll be impressed if it does (of course, it has to be done well).

Most of all, when will the other three Beatrice Witches (or whatever they were called) finally show up. They kept name-dropping this since the beginning but Mamoru never questioned it. I’ve been going nuts about that from the start. Reveal it dammit!

Oh, a quick note on the student council members.

At first, they were annoying. They kept screwing with Ayako and especially with her relationship with Mamoru. Actually, they still do annoy me but not as much. Yet even with this annoyance, they provide much entertainment.

I can’t help but laugh whenever Ayako wtfpwns them.

Ayako’s punishments are so violent, it’s hilarious.

Again, this is a rather passive series but I’m surprisingly enjoying it more than I thought I would. So far, it’s just episodic comedy while building Mamoru and Ayako’s relationship. Hell, if the whole series is just about their growth, it still might turn out fine. I’m sure there’ll be more to this series though.

Now, should I watch more or go find yet another series to start and never finish?

Hmm…