Token Asian’s Anime Blog

I must admit that Nel Zelpher was my favorite character from the game.

I like the style in which the characters are drawn. They seem to have a more lifelike quality than they did in the actual game. Some of the characters are easier to enjoy without the horrid English voice acting. For example, I used to really dislike Tynave and Farleen, the two Sealand spies. If you’ve played the US release of the PS2 game, you’ve probably experienced headaches with their voices.

The omake sections go from funny to just plain weird. The first omake deals with Sophia’s point of view at the Hyda IV resort (Sophia getting Fayt drunk and then getting lost at sea is priceless). The second one… well, it’s just plain weird. Clair’s in it so I didn’t complain… but yeah, weirdness. Oh, just go and read it!

On a side note, I’ve started previewing the Star Ocean EX anime series. So far… don’t watch it unless you liked the original Playstation game.

The series flashbacks once again to their school days. Akane is annoying Mitsuki and Haruka. Akane talks about learning from videos about swimming form. Then they get in some weird fight over the video and Akane ends up begging them not to fight. Mitsuki laughs and says they’d never fight.

Years later, on the same sidewalk where the fight occurred, Mitsuki is walking and is on the job. Haruka, at the hospital, asks Akane is Takayuki will come. Akane feels awkward about this for obvious reasons. Mitsuki then asks Takayuki if he will still visit Haruka to which he says yes. She also asks if he will tell Haruka about their relationship if she gets better. She say’s he’s the only one for him and he says it’s okay… so they kiss. Traitorous…

At the restaurant, the evil waitress is complaining about whatever it is that waitresses complain about. The manager asks Takayuki to cover a night shift but he says he can’t. He then goes to visit Haruka, but runs into Akane, who leaves and says he never learns. Haruka is happy to see him, but feels that the days are passing quickly (scary…). He does his best to make her feel relaxed and she asks to cast the spell again. He says to do it after she gets better but as she says, she was feeling time pass too quickly. Later, he leaves and her parents thank him, asking him to come again because Haruka needs him. He responds by saying that he’ll come every single day, saying how she’s the most important thing to him but later mutters how that’s changed.

Later, he talks to Mitsuki about how Haruka asked why she didn’t come. Mitsuki asks to stay overnight… rawr. A bit later, he meets with Shinji, who points out his crush to Takayuki, who tells him to go for it. They talk about Haruka and Shinji asks if it’s just responsibility (regarding Haruka) and says that betraying Mitsuki would be wrong because she’s weak.

Mitsuki goes to the hospital, but Akane stops her (“you’re just trying to forget about your own pain…” Akane is so right), though she asks to talk. Akane calls her disgusting and selfish, and then asks Mitsuki to suffer more and to go home. Takayuki comes and Akane says that he’s dedicated to his obligations despite a lack of feelings for Haruka. Stings, eh, Takayuki?

Haruka and Takayuki share an embarrassing story about happier times but she loves his smile, and asks him if his studies. She worries about him but he tells her to just heal. Haruka then wonders if he had forgotten the spell. Takayuki feels awkward and can’t seem to say it with her but they manage to say it together once more. He goes home, where Mitsuki left a note about how she had to go home early…

Again, there is a stupid chibi scene after the credits, where the waitresses chant the spell while dressed in witch costumes. Really tasteless, if you ask me.

I’ve been playing Xenosaga for a little while and so far the so-so plot has kept me going (gameplay sure hasn’t). Mashing the triangle and circle button combo is getting tiresome. Leveling up takes forever and I haven’t had a fun battle since… um, that other RPG I was playing. Yeah, I’m pretty into the whole PS2 RPG genre. It’s a lot of bang for your buck.

Just how so-so is the plot? And do NOT take all of the following seriously. I’m just poking some fun at a game that I enjoyed.

*SPOILER WARNING*

There’s a really big fleet of human spaceships that leave port without the ONLY weapon that is effective against their alien enemies. Go figure that they’re transporting a big golden thingie that attracts the aliens. And of course, their fleet is blown to bits. During the big melee, a civilian defense contractor activates her “hot” battle female android, which then helps her and a marine commander escape, only to be picked up by some space truckers (think Lone Star, Napoleon Dynamite, generic blond pilot guy, and white-haired kid). Too bad for the marine commander, he almost gets turned into an alien… oh yeah, the kid-person saves him.

The plot then cuts to a cyborg who has some angsty problems about being human. He’s a special forces sort of cyborg and gets sent to rescue a magical pretty girl (no, really). Apparently, this magical pretty girl holds some scientific secrets of sorts. And so, he infiltrates the base of some nefarious human organization (probably nefarious because they don’t have enough lights in their base), rescues her, and escapes in a really ugly spaceship.

We then go back to the civilian defense contractor. They rescue the escaping cyborg and cargo. Everyone’s happy and then their ship gets swallowed by a giant alien. They begin their escape but have to kill the commander (who’s actually a rehabilitated serial killer) who turns into an alien… again. Then their escape is facilitated by the arrival of a civilian battleship from yet another shadowy organization (apparently this one is happy and full of love because they have a casino onboard).

Then the human Federation comes with their pitiful battle fleet, attempting to take over whatever it is that they want. In order to find evidence to prove their innocence, our intrepid heroes get sucked into the battle android’s brain. After getting sucked into the android brain, they prove their innocence.

And then more aliens come, some battleships named after the German Rhine Maidens save them, the magical pretty girl is kidnapped by a pediophile, a shadowly evil organization interrupts the fight (I guess it’s the mean one that doesn’t have a casino). And then…

… I turned the console off.

*END SPOILER*

Fairly decent plot, though easy to poke fun at. And why does “chaos” not capitalize his name?

It’s time for a flashback episode!

Takayuki is sitting alone, recollecting what Akane had said. Mitsuki says it was great how Haruka is up. She flashes back to a swim meet where she failed miserably. At their graduation, Takayuki was just plain miserable and Mitsuki was doing her best to take care of him. Shinji said to her that Takayuki needed to be left alone and had to learn to be an adult. However, Mitsuki blames herself for what happened to Haruka. She meets up with Akane, who says that she is mad at the swim team for thinking that Mitsuki’s skills are suffering because of an infatuation (*cough*). Akane also thanks her for caring for Takayuki, and begs her to take care of him until her sister wakes up. She asks Mitsuki to study her swimming form via video and gives her a VHS tape before she leaves.

Takayuki is then seen sitting by Mitsuki’s bedside while Mitsuki is back at his apartment, taking care of the apartment. She watches the video of Akane, but he comes home, looking like crud. She takes him out the next day to have some fun at the aquarium. She takes his arm, but he gets mad. Mitsuki gets him to buy them a pair of cups (seem in a previous episode) in the gift shop. At the end of the day, he thanks her for the fun time.

I love her cups!

On the way home, he sees a sign for a picture book exhibition and remembers Haruka’s dream. When Mitsuki doesn’t see Takayuki come home she begins to worry but Shinji says that Mitsuki worries too much. He’s really at the tree, where he recalls happier times at the festival. Man, this guy must be going through a lot right now.

Later, Takayuki is talking to a comatose Haruka at the hospital. He tells her about the exhibition and that it’s a shame that she can’t go. Takayuki then tries to take her form the hospital, but is stopped by the doctor. Mitsuki is then seen sitting and asking herself why this had to happen. She chases after Takayuki, who is despondent after Haruka’s parents had asked him not to visit the hospital anymore for his sake. Mitsuki takes him home and says how they’re so helpless… but then demands the non-responsive Takayuki if he’s alive or not. She slaps him and then kisses him. She then confesses that she has always loved him and pretended not to know her own feelings in order not to betray Haruka. But she says that she can’t hide it anymore and asks him if she is evil for doing so. They then embrace and kiss once more.

First kiss…

The next day, she goes to a hair salon and has her hair cut short. Akane wonders if Takayuki is sick and goes to his house, but she notices Mitsuki’s shoes, not to mention that she also sees an underdressed Mitsuki sleeping in Takayuki’s bed (alone, not with him). Akane accuses her of deceiving her the entire time. The flashback then ends and Mitsuki says the rain has stopped. Haruka, who is still I the hospital, notices the rain stopping as well…

Star Trek is actually pretty popular in Japan.

http://megami.starcreator.com/nanaca-crash/

Check out this link. It’s the most strangely addictive anime flash game to ever cross my path. Everything is in Japanese but the game is not hard to figure out (it helps that everything in the game is in English).

When you start the game, you have to click the left mouse button to select the angle and then hold it down to select the amount of force you want to launch the guy with. Then there are two types of “aerial crash.” When the “blue Aerial” symbol is shown, you can launch boost your character downwards. The “red Aerial” symbol means that you can launch a character upwards. All you have to do is click when you see the symbol. You are limited to three red Aerials and your blue Aerial recharges (shown with a gauge).

If you hit a character on the field and the word “special” pops up, you can click the left mouse button to activate a special move. There are five different characters that give you a boost, so be sure to experiment with all of them! Note: you have less than one second to click before the special disappears.

Many thanks to Merri for the link!

When the living are silent, their loved ones mourn.

Ishida, Mitsuki’s coworker, is then seen telling Mitsuki that she has been screwing up a lot lately, and asks if she has had a lot on her mind lately. Takayuki then calls her at work, which prompts Ishida to say that the two of them are doing well. In any case, he asks her to meet up with him later. And here comes the comic relief. The two waitresses catch him in the act but when the manager comes he blames it on the um… foul-mouthed waitress.

When the two of them do finally meet, he takes a look at real estate ads. He says it’s not like he wants to forget about Haruka, but they have to live there lives. He takes her hands and says for them to go. She starts crying and he comforts her. Meanwhile, Doctor Kouzuki, who is caring for Haruka, meets with Akane and says Haruka’s body is fine but she has to wake up on her own. Akane goes to talk with her sister but notices her sister’s hand has fallen out of the bed… is Haruka waking up?

Takayuki is a caring guy… towards the wrong girl, though.

Ishida is then seen telling Mitsuki to stop vacillating about housing. Later, Takayuki and her get into a cute little fight but end up having a peaceful dinner. The phone rings and Akane leaves a message (they ignored the phone), saying her sister is awake and that Haruka wants to see Takayuki very much. He tells Mitsuki that he’s not going to the hospital, but Mitsui says he’ll regret it if he doesn’t, and he’d go back to “the way he used to be.” They agree to go together the next day.

Akane calls with bad… er, good news for Takayuki and Mitsuki.

Their first meeting after years of separation…

Akane glares at Mitsuki, though Mitsuki is thanked by Haruka for the flowers that she brought. Akane says not to worry because she has to get better. The doctor asks them to leave so she Haruka can rest. Akane asks why Haruka had to come and how she can show her face at such a time and trashes the flowers in anger. She scolds the two lovers, saying that Haruka was betrayed by her best friend. Akane continues, saying that Takayuki is so important to her sister, yet he’s such a coward.

Ever since the last episode, those two waitresses (in chibi form) have been doing some weird funny stuff after the credits. Really… weird funny stuff. In the next episode, they do a weird Star Trek parody.

Stay tuned for more serious drama… and pointless humor.