No.6 Episode 2 Review

They grow-up so fast. ;-;

Four years have passed since the previous episode and Shion is now working as a park maintenance person. One morning, he and his co-worker discover a corpse in the park grounds, which may be the episode's (or possibly the series') eventual main conflict. Later, he meets up with his old friend, Safu, and we learn that Shion was stripped of his privileges for sheltering Nezumi. Safu also abruptly announces to Shion that she will be studying abroad in No.5. That same day, Safu confesses to Shion in one of the most comedic ways possible, and the two have a somewhat bitter-sweet farewell. The next day, Shion's world is turned upside-down when his co-worker dies in front of him and his corpse looks exactly like the one from the day before.

This girl is so straight-forward. I laughed even harder when she outright tells Shion that she wants to have sex him.

Pretty~

Another reason for me to hate wasps (or whatever this insect is supposed to portray).

As it turns out, the government is EVIL and they attempt to take Shion in out of suspicion because they were eavesdropping on his conversation with his co-worker. Nezumi manages to save Shion at the nick of time and the two leave No.6 behind them.
This show keeps getting better and better. If I had to nit-pick, I think that the time skip was a little abrupt, but if that's how the pacing for the light novel was like, then it's forgivable. There may also be some kind of epidemic forming that will later play a larger role as the series progresses, though the main conflict right now is the fact that the government is now after Shion. And since Shion is pictured with white hair in the opening and ending sequences, I'm guessing he eventually dyes his hair now that he's wanted. Judging by the next episode preview, the show's usual setting will also be completely different, in a more low-tech location compared to No.6.

I actually thought that he was taller than Shion four years ago too. I guess my vision's getting worst.

Foreshadow~

Capped mostly because the sky looks so gorgeous.

This was another great episode and the animation is still top-notch. What I really liked about this episode was, despite the sudden time skip, the viewer isn't left out of the loop since the characters provide all of the necessary information in between. Chances are, we won't be seeing Safu for a while, but I look forward to seeing how Shion and Nezumi's dynamic will work out in future episodes. Shion is also hinted to be infected with the disease that killed his co-worker, so that could either be a plot turning point or another possible explanation for his white hair.
Anyway, this episode gets:

Mawaru Penguindrum Episode 2 Review

Do NOT diss flat chests!

This series continues to exceed my high expectations. Ringo, the brunette from the last episode, gets properly introduced this time around. As it turns out, she's somehow connected to the "penguin drum" that Nadine asked from the brothers in the previous episode. So, the brothers decide to ditch school and stalk Ringo instead with the help of their adorable little penguins. By the end of the day, they find out that they're not the only ones who have experience in the art of stalking.

I just know that they're going to make over-riced plushies out of these penguins.

I still don't understand why Shoma's the only one that always falls down a whole.

Another bomb is dropped in this episode, though it doesn't top the first episode's bomb, this was still pretty big. I've watched series with stalkers before (Gintama, Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei), but they were all usually just played for laughs, but this time, it wasn't funny. It was creepy. SO. DANG.CREEPY. I actually thought that Ringo was pretty sweet and cute at first, but now, I-I don't even know what to think of her anymore.She also owns this pink, fancy diary that might also be connected to the penguin drum, or at least have some kind of significance since it appears in the opening and all (or maybe I'm just being over-analytical).Creepy plot twist aside, the penguins are still so fudging adorable. I don't care how over-priced their plushies will be, I want one.NOW. As for the plot twist from the last episode, it's never brought up. But, I guess they've decided to save that bit for a later part in the plot. Aside from transforming into Nadine, Himari doesn't do much in this episode either.

While I calmly enjoyed the sheer cuteness of this scene, my sister went through another fangasm.

Edward Cullen ain't got nothin' on these sparkles.

What? This is all the screen time I'll get?

Alongside Ringo, another new character is introduced: Tabuki, the brothers' homeroom teacher and the cause for Ringo's...affections...He doesn't do much in this episode either (other than being stalked), but since he's also featured in the opening, he might play a significant role later on. I'll be keeping an eye on him, especially since he's voiced by Akira Ishida (Kaworu from Evangelion, Katsura from Gintama, Break from Pandora Hearts, to name a few), one of my favorite voice actors. But that doesn't mean I'll be biased to him (but I am a bit biased to Shoma since he doesn't have as big of a "sister complex"). I wonder how long this series will keep dropping plot twists at the end of each episode though. And if they can manage to successfully surprise the audience each time. I'm still not sure where the plot is going, but this show is still amazing.

I WANT ONE.

Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back.

This episode gets:

Ikoku Meiro No Croisee Episode 2 Review

I love it when they randomly switch to chibi form.

Okay, since I'm still blogging Gintama and Nichijou, I decided to just take on three series from this season for now: Ikoku Meiro No Croisee (obviously), Mawaru Penguindum, and No.6. As it turns out, Uta no Prince-sama's second episode wasn't as bad as the first, but again, I can only only handle so much due to my laziness. Anyway, on to the review!
Yune continues to experience more of the French culture and sampling some of the nation's cuisine. Claude decides to take her around town that day where Yune encounters more new products. Here, a rival of sorts is introduced: a department store. Claude believes that the department store may bring all of the surrounding stores out of business since it carries just about everything; he is even more distraught when he learns that Yune's kimono is in the possession of the family that owns said store. It's also hinted that Claude may be running low on money which may cause some conflict later on. The little boy featured in the last episode makes a cameo here again, so he might play a vital role later on as well.

I love that even the strands of her hair stand up.

So it's basically their version of Wal-Mart.

Yune makes the cutest faces.

Later during supper, Claude lectures Yune to not force herself to eat food that she doesn't like. Yune explains that she wants to believe that the food is delicious so that she can cook food that Claude and Oscar can genuinely enjoy. But even so, Claude continues to urge Yune not to over-exert herself.
With the introduction of a potential rival/antagonist and new characters (judging by the next episode's preview), I look forward to how this series will handle the additions. The backgrounds continue to be nice and detailed and the characters are still enjoyable to watch. The scene where Yune first tries French bread is absolutely adorable, in fact, I pretty much had the same reaction when I first tried it back in the Philippines. The one that Claude bought probably tasted better, though, since it was still fresh.

And now I'm hungry.

Seriously, Yune, stop being so fudging moe!

I like that they added steam to show that it was fresh. This show makes me hungry.

Another nice, relaxing episode. Claude and Yune's relationship is becoming more and more disgustingly adorable and their cross-cultural experiences are pretty amusing to watch. The last few minutes where Claude tries umeboshi (a type of Japanese plum) for the first time was also pretty hilarious, especially his reaction face. But, since I'm not fond of sour food myself, I probably would have reacted the same way.

*sparkles*

This episode gets:

Nichijou episodes 14 and 15

Matrix

Episode 14:
I know, I'm late again so I'm cheating by doing a lump review. But it's not entirely my fault. All those new series came out so I got side-tracked. Why didn't I do this with Gintama, you ask? Though I do favor that show a bit more, it wasn't because I prioritized it. Okay, maybe I did watch it's latest episode ahead of Nichijou, but again, I was distracted by the new shows.
Back to the actual review! Nano finally gets to attend school and (predictably) befriends Yuuko, Mio, and Mai. Professor has a bit of a fit at first, but she ends up reluctantly complying with Nano's wishes after much persuasion. There are some new characters that have entered half-way through the series, and possibly even more judging by the opening. The sequence is nice, but I prefer the previous opening's song. The ending theme will probably change periodically this time around as well. Episode 14 had the fourth rendition I've heard of Tsubasa wo Kudasai (Please Give Me Wings) and episode 15 had some kind nursery rhyme sung by a grown  man and a chorus of children.

They look like owls.

I like this new character so far. And despite being related to and being just as adorable as Sakurai-sensei, he isn't as much of a push-over/shrinking violet.

Every heard of currency exchange?

If only most fights ended this way.

We have the usual mix of comedy in this episode. Nano asking Professor to take her screw off so she can be more "normal" and Professor refusing. Yuuko being Yuuko, Mio being Mio, and Mai being awesome. There were some refreshing changes to the series usual plot, like placing Nano in a different environment and introducing a new character in the Igo Soccer Club. The new character is without a doubt related to Sakurai-sensei and is without a doubt a welcome new addition. Nano finally interacting with the main trio of girls was pretty enjoyable to watch as well. And the episode ends with Yuuko and Mai having an epic fight over food.

What is it with Japan's obssession over the German Suplex?

 This was a much better episode than the last. New opening, new ending, new characters, and (in Nano's case) a new setting. There still some random little segments here and there, like that dog named Buddy who feels like his one purpose in life is to comfort Yuuko. But admittedly, that segment was pretty dang funny and Buddy is adorable. Let's hope they keep this streak up in the next episode.

Episode 15:

There are so many great reaction faces in this show.

Yuuko grows suspicious over Nano and believes that she is a robot. Mio immediately disagrees, but Mai on the other hand...Well, she gives Nano oil and a monkey wrench, so I guess it safe to assume that she agrees with Yuuko. A snail (or was it a small screw?) comes out of Nano's mouthbut thankfully, Mio and Yuuko are too busy bickering to notice. Mai, however...

NOTHING gets past Mai.

Another new character is introduced, a science teacher named Nakamura-sensei. She, like Yuuko, is convinced that Nano is a robot. Cue her trying and failing several times to "experiment" on Nano. Her introduction also confirmed her gender for me. She's featured in the opening, and since her skirt couldn't be seen at the time, I assumed that she was male. Her deep voice didn't really help, either. As for her actual character, she feels more like a genter-bent version of Stein so far so I guess I'll have to wait a bit more before I can make any final judgements.
Back at the Shinonome lab, a few of Nano's "special skills" are revealed, one of them being an arm cannon of sorts. Oh, and the best part of the episode was Nano giving Professor the beating she deserves for giving her such random crap to put up with.  

If she wasn't wearing a skirt, she could have classified as a reverse trap.

Holy-

That poor, abused daifuku.

 Nakamura tries out another one of her plans to prove that Nano is actually a robot. She ends up accidentally electrifying an innocent student as a result and does the most logical thing after he passes out. She runs away. Elsewhere, that one teacher that has a crush on Sakurai-sensei misinterprets Makoto's relationship with her. Cue Annaka (the blonde chick with the huge ribbon) and another one of her "EH?!" gags sprout up. She saves the day by clearing up the fact that the two are actually siblings. Then, Professor continues to bully poor Nano by adding more useless functions to her.

Apparently, fixing someone's button is the same as immoral sexual activity.

Yay for Super Mario reference!

This episode wasn't as good as the last, but it was still pretty funny. I'm beginning to grow fond of Annaka and her "EH?!" segments. I also look forward to seeing more of Makoto, possibly Nakamura, and the rest of the new cast that have yet to be introduced.
This episode gets:

1/2