No, just your run-of-the-mill crazy girl.

And we finally seem to stand on the verge of the conclusion, with Kuijreika (shock!) going crazy (unless you consider not letting your people fight back just so you can take all the glory and try and fulfil the non-existent expectations of your dead mother due to your sister issues “sane”) and crushing the invading force (still don’t know who’s attacking who in this war) while Akiyuki and Haru arrive at the main location of the Quickening, whatever that is.

The imagery of tears in this episode was almost too prevalent. It seems like it could’ve been done with a bit more subtlety, say if Yango hadn’t BAWWWW’d his eyes out at Nakiami leaving/ hiding her ture feelings. I really just don’t like the kid. On the other hand, it was well done with characters like Kuijreika and Midori showing how secretly the two were both secretly mourning the fact that they were trapped by their own insecurities and the expectations of others.

The nameless Tessikan soldier who died about 5 minutes after he was introduced had the most impact on me, mostly due to his unflinching dedication and, most likely, love for Kujireika and the fact this happened to him:

Ouch. Rest In Peace, oh respectable and heroic nameless one.

I’m not really sure what’s going on with Sentan Island (other than what’s occuring with Midori.) Ryuzo seems to be static, while his general friend seems to be the most active, although what significance his actions will play has yet to be revealed, I think we’ll be seeing more of him from now on.

Hopefully, we’ll get more of Kujireika going mad and wrecking things next episode. Just beacuse she isn’t a delicious yandere, doesn’t mean I don’t like complete madness in my anti-heroines.

Diggin’ Akiyuki’s long haired look :P.

Obey!!!

I’m starting to get tired of episodic blogging, mostly because I took on too many shows at once and didn’t keep a steady schedule (nor did the fansubs, and before you say it, omo, I know Xam’d isn’t “airing” anywhere) so I’m keeping it short and sweet from now until the next season for all my posts, where I’ll probably only take on one show over here.

Episode 17

Though Xam’d isn’t a boring show per se, I feel like the extenstive build up and hints towards future events rather than many things actually happening in the show hurts my experience of the show as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the character interaction, dialogue and subtle cinematic techniques, but it just seems as if the show moves kind of slowly and unless a show is really amazing that’ll probably mean I get disinterested somewhere along the line. Those are just overall thoughts though, as there were plenty of moments this episode to ponder, laugh at and be creeped out by.

I loved the atmosphere of the farms and Akiyuki being somewhat a messenger of death, delivering letters to people who’s loved ones had died in the war. The peaceful imagery of Amau placed next to people breaking down in front of him as well as that creepy monologue somehow coming from EYETOY (copyright omo) seemed to just create a depressing and distubring air to me.

Kakisu’s a douche, that’s just a given now.

I have no idea why Prois let Haru out (jealousy?) but there mst be some sort of logical reasoning behind her actions. Either that or she just plain crazy. Point is, now Haru’s out and ready to find Akiyuki/save her sister. W00T GO HARU!

Episode 18

Any idea of Kujireika being a “Queen bitch”, as it were kind of disappeared now that we found out that she’s pretty much a less completely crazy version of Furuichi. You’d think someone’d be monitoring her actions in some way, or that there’d be someone akin to Nakiami in the tribe who’d be opposed to young maidens slitting their wrists and creating drugs steroids body-strengtheners.

Hell yeah, Haru’s on her way! Though I’m kind of disappointed that she didn’t do much of anything to stop her sister beyond saying “Don’t go there, it’s dangerous”, I know she’s focused on meeting Akiyuki but I thought her one and only crippled younger sister who’s having her mind and body corrupted right in front of her would’ve been a higher priority. Midori’s intentions (other than “wanting to be able to run” again) remain unclear to me but this can’t end well, for anyone involved. Also, I lol’d at Kakisu’s frustration at Haru’s note. God, you’re an asshole, Commander.

The Zanbani’s on the move again, or at least Raigyo and Ishu (who to be honest are the only characters I really care about of that entire group at the moment) so we’re (shock!) building up to the beginnning of the EndGame here; it seems things’ll be centred around this “Quickening Chamber” we keep hearing about. Akiyuki is… still trying to remember his name. I hope they don’t stay in that retreat for too long as crazy old somehow able to understand the thoughts of EYETOY lady irritates me somewhat.

Episode 19

First off, WTF at Sumako being Kakisu’s mother. Not much else to say there just… kind of a random plot twist, the purpose of which I don’t really understand.

Anyway, Kakisu the asshole’s just complete poisond for Midori and Azami’s prediciotion taht she’ll suffer soon just makes me feel more and more sorry for her. Not only that, but now she knows the reason that Kakisua and whcihever army he’s affiliated with (still not keeping track of who’s on what side or the war or anything) came to make war not peace she’s 1. Got to feel terrible and 2. got to feel trapped because we all know that Kakisu does’t let people go who he considers may be useful “assets.”

Haru’s so awesome in this episode, especially with her SHINBUDO DROP-KICK. It’s also strange to still see comedic relief coming in at this point in the story, especially with all the emo/suicidal momemts that occur in the episode. How will the Zanbani crew deal with their leader leaving them? How the hell should I know?

Meh, Kujireika, Nakiami, sibling rivalry, tension, fight bla blah blah. To be honest, I’m bored with Kujireika after the, what, two episodes she’s been in? I just wish she’d hurry up and go crazy so that someone’ll kill her.

I awwww’d at the field of flowers on the coast. Then at Haru saving Akiyuki through LOVE POWA~~. Then at Akiyuki growing Eureka Wings- wait, WTF?

I’m just going to push that to the back of my mind for future reference. This also marks one of the rare cases where we have events after the credits in Xam’d and I have to thank omo for pointing it out as I had already skipped to the previews before seeing such a CRUCIAL piece of information. Turns out the EYETOY was the Hiruken Emperor who wants Akiyuki to kill him. Duh duh duh….

Oh! Perhaps the Quickening Chamber is the room where the Hiruken Emperor is in isnide that mysterious Tower…

Next Episode

Just realised, that arm looks like that kid’s…

Raigyo, you dumbass.

Episode 15

Just Akiyuki’s luck to be caught up in the slave trade, though considering the fact he’s gone completely spacy, I don’t think he’ll be complaining about it much. What’s interesting is that weird eye thing seemed similar to the wierd blob thing that seemed to mindrap Haru in Episode 12. Were they from the same weird blob thing then this could be the key to Akiyuki getting back his memories; only time will tell.

Furuichi’s death is all but confirmed, unfortunately. If I had seen a cell- sorry, a “prepared room” like that I would’ve run away as fast as possible. It’s really surprising to me that Haru didn’t think it might not have been the best idea to descend into the dark cellar with bars on the windows and a steel door, but hey, maybe she’s got some sort of plan. Though why she wouldn’t at least try to leave when Prois said “Everyone cries at first” is beyond me.

The segregation and general dislike for Tessicians is brought up again in this ep, though I’m struggling to see why people dislike them exactly; perhaps they’re seen as thieves or gypsies of some sort. That kid very much irritates me, mostly due to the cloying and slurred sound of his voice, but seeing how he develops with Nakiami alongside him is still something I’m looking forward to, as I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes an ally in the future. Too bad we had to lose the amazing Beat Kayak though, and what’s even worse is those Generic Anime Thugs are going to sell it off to a chop shop ;_;.

It surprised me that the chubby, random Sentan Island commander who seemed incompetent and incapabale turned put to be one of Ryuzo’s war buddies. What exactly has the good doctor completed, I wonder? We also have the deaths of one of the Jibashiri, which means that after more than 10 episodes, we’re finally going to see Lady Sannova do something.

Episode 16

One thing that really stood out to me during this episode was the dialogue. It contained a mixture of insight, allusion, comedy and hints towards the future of the show that really had me engaged the whole time. Like this gem from Raigyo:

“Who doesn’t like drinking a toast out of empty shell casings?”

This show also knows how to get place just the right camera angle at the right time to conjure up emotion and awe, which goes to show you don’t need stellar animation to create amazing shots (Though, this being BONES, I’m not sure to what extent I can say that :P) I hate racism in any form which is why it both angers and saddens me to see the way Tessicians are treated in the show. The war’s taking it’s toll on many, thought I’m still not sure what exactly the goal of it is (though there’s never normally a good reason for war). It’s great how the series always manages to look at the destruction and repercussions of the ongoing war without making it seem cheesy or, on the other hand, emotionless; it’s even shown in the very title of the episode, “Burning in Our Wake”. Delicious subtlety.

Ugh, now they’re even grabbed Midori. From this point on I’m pretty sure we can see Prois and Kakisu as antagonists, though not so much with the doctor (completely forgotten his name); he’s tied to Ruikonism in a big way, considering his reaction to seeing Azami, but why did he have to pick a disabled child to take Azami’s place? In any case, Kakisu’s going to be in the shadows watching from now on. I loved that moment when Azami just looked Kakisu straight in the eyes and told him about his Mama issues, he needs to have his psychological cage rattled every now and again.

Awwww sad Nakiami in the snow. Yango’s having a positive effect on Nakiami, getting her to open up a little more (I lol’d at how she said her heart used to be closed; so what we’ve seen up until now was and open and welcoming Nakiami).

Finally, things get moving again. I’m all for slowing down and taking some time out (heck, this episode was great) but it’s also the sense of something bubbling below the surface and building up that keeps me watching the show. Not only has that girl, Nazuna, finally woken up after 14 episodes, but Azami’s become a prophet of dangers beyond the horizon. What is the Quickening? Why must the Xam’d gather at the Hiruko’s Advent? What darkness threatens to consume the souls of many? It highlights the fact that in the show there hasn’t really been a Big Bad Evil that must be fought yet (I don’t count the Northern Government as such, that’s kind of removed frmo the overall storyline for me). Haru actually has a reason to get out of there other than finding Akiyuki, so hopefully we’ll see more of her epic encopunters in the future. Speaking of Akiyuki:

He’s been bought by some crazy old wheelchair lady. Hmm…

Next Time:

The false Queen Bitch.

I’m not sure if that’s the same pun in English as “Lambs to the Slaughter”. Interesting connotations.

Just because I don’t hate him as much, doesn’t mean he’s not a douchebag.

Episode 13

I’ve always loved the relationship between Yunko and Ishu, they’re so supportive in each other. DRINKING FIXES EVERYTHING.

The further we get into this series, the more Kakisu looks like a villain, which funnily enough is the exact opposite of how I thought he’d turn out to be. He’s just so cold and unfeeling, ready to turn in the son of the man who saved his life without batting an eyelid. You could perceive that as dedication to his military, but considering the fact that most of the way the military works seems to irritate and/or sicken him, that doesn’t seem like a viable option. What exactly is his stake in all this?

Best greeting ever. Akiyuki just shows up at his father’s house after disappearing for weeks and they’re like “Yo, I’m back”, “Welcome home” and revert to their normal style of conversation. Father son bonding ftw. We already know that Ryuzo knows all about the Hiruko, but now he knows Akiyuki’s a Xam’d, maybe he’ll be able to support his son in some way (though from far, far away. Akiyuki ain’t comin’ back for a while).

This and the later scene of episode are a great turning point for Haru’s character. Hearing her say she loved can’t live without Akiyuki after all this preamble was really gratifying. With this, the HaruXAkiyuki combo seems pretty set in my mind; previously, Nakiami and Akiyuki never seemed to give off that vibe of hot passionz loving each other.

That was a really well done scene, showing just the right amount of love, loss and desperation (whoever gets the reference gets a cookie) with the paralells between Akiyuki’s reminiscence at the beginning of the episode and Fusa’s description of his mischievous youth. Seems kind of harsh that Akiyuki would leave a tantalizing memento for his mother, then run off, but it’s probably due to the fact that had he met her, she would’ve tied him up, shoved him in his room, locked the door, bolted the windows and never, ever, EVER let him go outside again. This way, she can at the very least know he’s safe. (Side Note: Love the half-face shots in the episode, though I’m not sure why.)

B’AWWWWWW. Already said, delicious Haru emotional development.

Hey look, Furuichi’s gone insane. 12 CENTIMETERS OF HEIGHT GET. Can’t wait to see Akiyuki Kick his ass next ep.

Episode 14

Well, Akiyuki kicked Furuichi’s ass this ep. But not without him crying like a little baby over how he was never accepted, always in the shadow, always played second fiddle to Akiyuki blah blah blah. Okay, okay, he’s not as annoying or as easily hate-able as he’s been up to this point, and I did empathise with him. Ever so slightly. LOL at how his hatred kept him from turning to stone. Remember kids, the more you hate, the longer you’ll live. There were some weird transformations in this episode, Ghibli style. Though it was more hilarious than anything else.

Kakisu the new douchebag. Gets kidnapped and a broken arm after trying to deceive Akiyuki then using his golden PIMP revolver to take him out. Well, at the very least, Akiyuki knows not to trust that guy. Though the state he’s in now doesn’t mean he’ll remember that useful tidbit of information.

Yay memory loss! I can only assume that Akiyuki lost himself to the Hiruko beacause he stopped “thinking”. God knows what happened to Furuichi, with this final scene:

I don’t know if he’s dead or alive.

Well, just took a look at L/Ibrevis’ post (What’s your name now?) and these momentary thoughts of sympathy popped up:

And it seemed to me (and I’m the last guy that should be justifying Furichi the Douchebag’s actions) that the feelings of hatred and inferiority that he had were just amplified by the Hiruko. I think he does deserve our sympathy, as a boy sway to the supernaturl elements that seem rife in this crazy ass world.

Also, see Omo on some thoughts on “hands” in this episode. Delicious symbolism.

Oh yeah, that awesome series I’m supposed to be writing about…

There’s waaaaay too much that’s happened in this series to cover extensively, so I’ll just give a bullet point highlight of my thoughts per episode. Don’t worry if you’re one of the few that’s both watching Xam’d and reading about it here; we can get back to heavy analysis when ep 13 rolls around. BTW Xam’d: Intermission time. It’s be back in a couple of weeks, from what I can decipher.

Episode 8

• Government deception never ceases to piss me off. “You’re not really searching for suits, but soulstones we can use for sick experiments!”
• Furuichi’s an asshat. His disapproving facial expression of everything and everyone around him is what pisses me off the most.
• Damn right “Human’s are more dangerous than Humanforms”. Especially Furuichi the asshat. Is it me, or does the message “Man is the most dangerous animal of all” show up often in anime?
• Furuichi’s a SERIOUS ASSHAT. Who the hell would hit someone they’re trying to protect? I can’t believe he doesn’t even believe in Akiyuki, his so-called “friend” and says he “abandoned” Sentan Island. Guess he didn’t notice that huge fight that occured minutes before Akiyuki was abducted.
• New purple Xam’d is AWESOME.
• Awwww, I wish Haru could’ve given Akiyuki his band back, just so they’d have something connecting them.
• How to make an entrance: crash your bike through the wall of a ship that’s taking off. Oh, and have a really bushy beard.

Episode 9

• Oh, Haru, will you ever truly make sweet love to be able to meet Akiyuki again? Furuichi, you’re still an asshole.
• Raigyo’s badass with everyone in the crew. Jealous Akiyuki is jealous. Anyone else see something having happened between Raigyo and Ishu? <3<3<3.
• “There’s still much you must learn, grasshopper.” Madame Tenhin = ALL KNOWING SAGE. I bet you “What does a Xam’d seek?” is one of those questions which doesn’t have an answer; you just wander about all over the place trying to find out the answer till you die and realise you’ve wasted your life. You’ll still have had a kickass time with you’re powers though.
• Crazy Sensei claims they’ve made a “Perfected Anti-Humanform Weapon.” More like perfected weapon that’ll go CRAZY.
• Don’t let your love be crushed by those officials Haru! Akiyuki’s still human and you know it!
• Can’t wait to see an actual scene of this Tessik rebellion rather than just hearing about it all the time.
• Furuichi’s an ass-f**king-hole.

Episode 10

• Photography is the art of the badass. Raigyo = badass. Photography = Raigyo. Hence Photography = badass.
• Loli Nakiami!
• Creepy-loli Nakiami…
• Don’t slap loli Nakiami!!!
• Raigyo’s words of wisdom will echo throughout my soul… I can’t remember them, but they echo.
• Furuichi’s now a robotic asshole. Fire, correct angle, fire, correct angle. You can’t correct your angle on the battle-field dumbass, stand still and you’re screwed. <— Irrational comment but who cares? It’s Furuichi.
• Hey, look, they haven’t completely forgotten Akiyuki’s parents! Relationship development ftw.
• Epic and honourable grave is epic.
• Everybody smile for the magical camera that shows Hiruko stones!
• Haru should just leave the army, they don’t understand love. Kakisu’s shaping up to be more of a tool than I thought he’d be. A kind tool that empathises with his soldiers is still a tool.
• Still waiting for the introspoective, philosophic, MINDF**K episode where Akiyuki goes crazy and comes to terms with his Hiruko. It’s already happened to Raigyoas you can see, unless you haven’t noticed that huge claw mark on the wall yet. It’s been shown, like,  a thousand times.
• Hell yeah, childhood memories and meaningful messages. Poor Haru’s mum ;_;
• Even though it’s symbolic, poor Haru’s Long Hair ;_;
• Lessons through air-fighting? My kind of lessons.

Episode 11

• “Think for yourself”. First Nijuu Mensou, now this?
• Hell yeah, air battles. Raigyo’s water power ups are awesome. I wonder what Akiyuki’s special element is?
• Love the tolling of the bell of doom that precedes the Humanfrom’s attacks.
• Ahm has mad sniping skillz.
• Argument between Yunbo and Ishu shows just how striong their friendhip is ^_^.
• Oh, turn’s out Akiyuki’s element is rubber. GOMU GOMU NO STRETCH GRAB RING PULL.
• Deadly calm-voiced Ishu is creepy…
• Don’t know what the difference is between dissembling the Humanforms and destroying them, but I hate to see Nakiami cry… ;_;
• So THAT’s what an Ongoro’s for! Damn jewels were just prancing about until this ep.
• Heated confrontation between Ishu and the suicidal enemy is heated.
• Furuichi’s now the crazy, OD-ing asshole who wants to kill himself for war.

Episode 12

• Furuichi’s now the crazy, melancholic, hikikomori, diseased asshole who don’t like his mama’s home cookin’.
• Awesome book reading over the radio which shows the depths to which people have “enemies” and is juxtaposed with one freaky weird mindrape scene of Nakiami by some seriously disturbing black blob is awesome.
• I think I’ve probably missed something, but what’s the Crimson revolution actually about?
• Akiyuki’s dad keeps rising in my ranks while Kakisu continues to fall, expecially since he doesn’t wear his great military hat very often anymore. I loved that hat.
• Somber funeral for someone who tried to blow you up? Crew of the Zanbani, I salute you.
• “But I have never thought of you as a bother”. Ishu, that’s the exact opposite of what you’ve been saying about Nakiami for almost all the series. Tsundere girls are so win.
• Blah blah blah what does Xam’d seek blah blah blah I don’t know I’m going on a journey to find out whatever. Just say your goodbyes (except to the jealous Akushiba) elope with Nakiami already.
• “Protect Nakiami or I’ll kick your ass” is what I think the captain was trying to say.
• Who the f*ck do the creators take me for? Other people might not feel this way, but I think that having Furuichi just repent for everything and say he want’s to “go back to the way they were” after all the bullshit he’s pulled just cheapens his already dislikeable character. I really hope he dies. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop hoping.

I still have no idea where this show is going, but I’m still enjoying it. As Ibrevis says, this all seems to be preamble to the main event; many things bubbling under the surface and yet not many answers. Hopefully, all this foreshadowing pays off when we get into the meat of the main story.

Oh yeah, Furuichi crying makes me happy.

Take THAT bitch.

But it always seems to happen./Like AMAZING TRACKING DEVICES.

Episode 6

Thoughts:

In the words of Ibrevis, there’s no point in saying that “this was a good episode” anymore with this show, as they’ve all been good so far and barring some sort of horrible trainwreck of an installment, they’ll probably continue to be good. Anyway, plot theorisation time!

Akushiba, grow a pair and do something if you like Nakiami you perv, don’t just push your competition of the deck. Unless he takes an active approach to dealing with this it’s just going to be pathetic to watch.

The further we get into looking at the nature of the bio-weapons in the show, the more we seem to learn that they’re more bio than weapon. I thought that the case with Shidara was just an experiment gone wrong, but it seems all Humanforms are made by using living creatures. This highlights such questions of it being right to kill them (I’d say no), do they themselves have a will (how much control do the pilots really have?) and what’s the real relation between their nature and that of the Xam’d, if any. There’s also the existence of the ASP’s which depend on the psychological state of the user to be any sort of use; it’s a risky weapon, loss of the “Mainsoul’s” sanity/coherence/calmness (if that’s a word) on the battlefield could lead to tragic occurences. As such, ithink something of the like may happen to Furuichi at some point, he doesn’t seem to be the most well adjusted of characters, something shown by the relationship between him and Haru. Which is irrelevant for the moment as it’s all about HaruXAkiyuki(XNakiami) ^_^.

Speaking of the other two, it’s interesting to see how Nakiami viewed Akiyuki saving her. It shows how, though she may seem cold on the outside, she does have a soft spot for all living things in general, or at the very least things that aren’t human. Her reaction to seeing the Ongoro sprouting from the Ututu seed is priceless ^_^. I’m not sure what she meant when she said that Akiyuki lost himself. He looked pretty in control to me, but maybe there’s a deeper meaning to the colours the jewel on his arm changes than just “Not Fighting” and “Fighting”. Could Blue mean Akiyuki’s in control and Red mean just the HIruko’s battle instincts? Then there’s the whole “dismantaling” thing, wondering how that would be any different from just killing the Humanform and putting it out of its misery. On a side note, it’s great to see some action in the series again, Bones’ animation skills should be put too good use.

Furuichi will probably fail in the race for Haru’s heart, or at least I think he’ll have a hard time getting there. He hasn’t had enough developement/screentime to be seen as a major character yet, even when he was shown at the end of the episode he seemed to be largely second place next to Haru’s awesomeness. But lol at how he thought Haru was taking the exam to stay with him, and she just said “I’m going after Akiyuki” poor guy. At least they’ll be sharing getting that chocolate roll together.

The entire scene with Haru was just so heartwarming, so many letters in reply to Akiyuki’s single one that she seems like a stalker. She’s strong-willed (the opposite of Furuichi at the moment) and her actions are truly heartfelt (the way she unwittingly(?) tries to help Akiyuki’s parents is sweet)and itll be a pleasure to see her continue to grow through the series, as she gets closer to meeting Akiyuki and continues kicking major ass.

With parents who are divorced, there’s always the (mostly irrational) hope that they’ll get back together, and the scene between Ryuzo and Fusa demonstrates the fact that she’s still there for him, if only to listen to things he has to get of his chest. How must he feel knowing he participated in experiments that would lead to the creation of such things as the Humanforms, turning human soldiers who had fought and almost died for their Government into mindless weapons? What a weight on his conscience…

Incidentally, the image of the cell he was examining looks strangely similar to the series’ logo, to me at least. Perhaps a hint at links between the numerous bioweapons in the show?

That doctor is so crazy. Kanba’ll probably end up dying screaming something about his experiments while being crushed mid-sentence by a gigantic foot. Or at least I hope so. It’s impossible not to draw Evangelion vibes from the scene where the artificial Xam’d went crazy, though similarities end around the point you see a baby with it and giant exploding soap bubbles of death appeared. Does this mean that the Xam’d are/ once were an actual race of beings?

Anyway, this hopefully sets up for a ZOMG AWESOME battle next week, though there are absolutely no scenes from the would-be fight in the preview.

The one who has a sniper rifle.

Episode 7

Thoughts:

Why does this show keep raising questions? More importantly, why don’t I care that it keeps raising questions?

Anyway, it’s now affirmed that Haru’s connection to the Humanforms/Xam’d isn’t something limited to Akiyuki as she’s heard the voice of the test-type mother Xam’d as well. There’s also that WTF huge tower with an eye that showed up out of nowhere, but of course those genius’ at BONES (and several other studios) decide to not explain anthing about that either. Whta’s interesting is that both times Haru heard the voice of the Xam’d, it was saying “I want to live” and also in both cases the Xam’d was trying to protect something (Akiyuki – Haru, Mother Xam’d – Baby) so perhaps there’s something in that as well. Furuichi continues to be seen in a negative light (at least in my eyes), I can understand him wanting to defeat the Xam’d, due to the atrocities that happened on Sentan island, but the fact he showed not an ounce of hesitation, even when Haru asked him to stop, kind of bothers me. Haru is still the warm and loving person she’s been portrayed as in the show, even as she’s battling the Humanform, and this just leads to her character growing on me even more. (I have a feeling it’ll be my dislike of Furuichi will increase with my love of Haru throughout the show).

It’s nice to see that we’re continuing to learn about the crew even with the slightly confusing developement of the main story; the small girl with the green shirt (I forget her name) probably represetns a large portion of children who have lost their parents in the wars between the governments, and it was both saddenming and sweet to see her sending letter to her dead mother. Akiyuki and Haru seem to be getting much closer through their exchange of letters than one would have initially thought in the 1st episode of the series. The dynamic between the two suggested nothing but friendship, but then again that was only around 1/2 an episode. In any case, the significance of letters in a world without an easier form of communication continue to be on eof the strong points in the show, and always makes me wish that the two will be re-united soon. (Also, W00T at Akiyuki’s parents starting to show signs of reconciliation ^_^).

It seems that Tsumebara Pass will be the point where things really get moving, with the convergence of Akiyuki, Haru and Furuichi at the location (and possibly Nakiami, as she’s gone to search for him). There’s also the question of the soldier who turned into a Humanform with the mere mention of Tsumebara (though the little girl, Kio, said it was the Netsukodama flowers that set him off) which suggests that the Nothern Government were probably performing experiments there as well, or something happened in the air raid a month before which caused the inhabitants in the area to get some sort of Humanform infection.

Furuichi’s definitely looks like he’s going to be a problem, though I hope that he doesn’t just think Akiyuki’s “like them” and become hellbent on keeping Haru away from him, as that would be slightly cliche (and would give the poor guy almost a zero chance of redemption in my eyes).

(Side Note: Noticed how Haru throws the letter at the start of the OP and Akiyuki catches it at the end. Nice touch.)

I use this title only because Akushiba the Mail-Runner’s pride commands me too.
Summary:
Kakisu starts delegating orders to the Sentan Island military, and decides to rename the area the Far East Autonomy to encourage more self-reliance among the people and soldiers. Watching the scene behind a fence is Shidara, who seems to slowly be going crazy. Akiyuki’s doing secretarial work as part of his Xam’d training, and asks why they’re delivering letters to their enemy, the Northern Government. Akushiba says by that logicthe northern refugees are enemies too. It seems most of the crew despise the Tessik refugees just as much as the Northern Government. Without Nakiami, the crew won’t have a guide to plot routes, but Ishu’s too stubborn to forgive her. Back on Sentan, Haru and Furuichi are helping with the recovery operation. Kakisu gets a visit from the mad scientist about an applicant for his experiments.

Nakiami heads onto the Tessik ship while at the same time a couple of the Tessik crew search for what turns out to be an “Ongoro”. She has a better command over it and returns it to Zeygend. While the crew of the Zanbani keep wondering about what Ishu and Nakiami are really going to do, Zeygend tells Nakiami of the “Sun-Maned” Kujireika, who’s become a chief of the Tessik village and is trying to take back the Holy Land. Nakiami is the righful chief of the village, and Zeygend tries to convince her to return and take back her throne (if you could call it something as grand as that) and he offers her an Ututu seed. Akiyuki realises that he’s forgotton to deliver Haru’s letter and asks Akushiba to do so instead, using the mail-runner’s pride to get in his favour, and when that fails, resorting to blackmail. Turns out Akushiba really is fast.

On Sentan, Dr. Kanba reveals to Kakisu he’s put a Hiruko from the giant Xam’d into the depressed Shidara; Kakisu’s anger is justified, but the scientist belives that as long as they’re are performing anti-Humanform experiments here, they’ll already go down in history as war criminals, so they should try and do as much for their side as possible while they can.

Ishu talks with Akiyuki and tells him Nakiami is just a name she herself gave to her. At the same time, Nakiami is led off of the ship, pretty much disowned by Zeygend, seemingly against her wishes. Zeygend also mentions that Ishu is the “Writer of the Crimson Revolution”. Ishu and Nakiami meet, but Ishu still doesn’t want to forgive her or accept forgiveness. Akiyuki convinces Nakiami to go about apologising in a different way.

Back on Sentan, Furuichi tells Haru he wants to become an ASP pilot. The two find Shidara sitting in a ruined building, but she suddenly changes into a Humanform Weapon and hits Haru. Furuichi leads Shidara away until the ASP units show up shoot her down; Kakisu arrives and harshly deals the final blow himself.

Aushiba shows up  the next morning, exhausted after delivering the letter, and the Zanbani crew leave the port. Later, Ishu finds a letter stuck in her door and opens it to see a sunflower. It’s Nakiami’s form of apology, as she can’t write.

Next Time:

Battle with the giant Humanform Weapon.

Thoughts:

Poor Shidara ;_;. I didn’t think that she’d end up in such a pitiful way; on the contratry I believed she’d have been comforted by Haru and made into a character with a bigger part to play or something but as soon as the fact she’d had a Hiruko put in her was revealed, you knew that she was probably going to die very soon. It did serve as some small amount of action which was good to see after a couple of episodes without many fights. Nothing that interesting happened on the Zanbani side of things (Nakiami and Ishu make up, Akushiba proves his SUPER SPEED-O) except for, you guessed it, new questions and maybe 2 answers. We now know that Nakiami appears to be of royal descent so it’ll be interesting if we her ending up fighting for her village or somesuch occurance. But what’s an Ongoro, or an Ututu seed or a Sun-Maned? Why is Ishu known as the Writer of the Crimson Revolution? This series needs to balance questions with answers; to the characters all these terms and events are standard things, so the creators may be trying to keep things as authentic as possible, but I wish things were a bit less confusing.

Kakisu… Well, people kept saying that he was going to be an antagonist and I believed he exact opposite but it looks like they were right, for now at least. It raises the question: how far is he willing to go so that they can win this war? He’s obviously got a good sense of morals, he himself ordered the prioritisation of  reconstruction over armaments, but maybe there’s a reason why he’s going against them beyond the fact it’s for the good of the people; he was quite ruthless in the elimination of Shidara. But the previous events make him seem slightly self-sacrificial, if nothing else, as he doesn’t care about being known as a war criminal, only that he can help the people of Sentan Island. However, there’s an unmistakable darkness/frustration in his eyes when he kills Shidara.

One thing I noticed is that Kanba has the same patterns on his face as the Tessik tribe, so does that mean he’s got a relation to them? He even said he understands the loneliness of not having a place to return to.

Also, I am so looking forawrd to Haru kicking ass ^_^.

Akushiba’s speed is so awesome, he turns straight men gay.

Omake:

SHUT UP AND EXPLODE?

More like:

]]> http://yukan.dasaku.net/anime/xamd-lost-memories/xamd-lost-memories-5-run-away-run-away-run-away-repeat-ad-infinitum/feed/ 2 http://yukan.dasaku.net/anime/xamd-lost-memories/xamd-lost-memories-4-lolpostal-training-time/ http://yukan.dasaku.net/anime/xamd-lost-memories/xamd-lost-memories-4-lolpostal-training-time/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:39:21 +0000 Omisyth http://yukan.dasaku.net/?p=1276

Well, not really LOL worthy, but there is some EXTREME postal training.

Summary:

An ASP squad drops down upon a Humanform Weapon attacking the town of Kondaral and defeat it by tearing a ring of its neck, which causes the same type of purple stone that was on Akiyuki to grow upon it and stop it working. In another location, more white-haired children (carrying cloaks and staffs) are ordered by a woman named Lady Sannova to return the Hiruko to the great Ruikon. On Zanbani, Akiyuki’s adjusting to life delivering packages on the ship. One morning, Nakiami takes him to see Madame Tenshin for the beginning of his Xam’d training. He is asked by the old woman, “What does Xam’d seek?” Akiyuki says that he doesn’t know, he just wishes to return to Sentan Island. He’s told that the only one who knows how to remove the Hiruko from him is Lady Sannova, who was exiled by the Nothern Government and whose whereabouts are unknown. Telling Akiyuki that the Hiruko will enlighten him as to the answer to the question, Madame Tenshin tells Nakiami to begin the drills. In the Captain’s office, Yunbo plans the routes with Ishu and at the same time, Akiyuki finds out the “training” is just stamping letters as fast as he can.

On Sentan Island, Haru meets her sister and Furuichi (finally know his name) at a harbour where they see a Southern Continent Free Ship. A militia is forming to defend the island during the new war. Haru spots a classmate named Shidara, who’s in shock and depresed due to the fact her parents were some of those wiped out in the previous air raid. Haru’s attempts to console her are futile and off of the ship comes Commander Kakisu.

Akiyuki begins to replace stamps on packages addressed to Sentan Island; though they can’t be delivered now, he can’t let them be destroyed either. Eventually, he gains some help from part of the rest of the crew, and we see how he’s slowly being accepted by them as well. Seeing Madame again, he’s told that in moments of idleness, one begins to craft their true self. That night, he begins to compose a letter to Haru and Akushiba holds a picture of Nakiami with the kids which has the kid’s crossed out; this picture was apparently one of Raigyo’s. The next day, Akiyuki begins to help Kiselji on the outside of the ship and spots another ship flying above them. The ship drops towards them at a sharp speed and lets out a smoke screen, which seems to alert Nakiami. She leaves on the Beat Kayak and we learn that it’s a Tessik ship and for some reason Ishu doesn’t want Nakiami going there. Kiselji says that they are pawns of the Northen Government, without a homeland.

Ishu denies Nakiami’s request to see them, as they’re traitors to the anti-government army and sell-outs; it seems Nakiami has a personal relationship with them and their leader, Zeygend. The conversation gets heated, Nakiami gets slapped and both of them part feeling depressed. Nakiami and Akiyuki go to see Madame Tenshin again; he still doesn’t really know what Xam’d seeks, but discerns that they are lonely and wish to be with their own kind. He’s told by the old women that Hiruko are thoughts that couldn’t be given life. He’s told no more than to continue to think of the answer to her question. Elsewhere, Ishu gets drunk and later Akushiba is just an annoyance to Akiyuki, thought he offers him some “Fantasy Goggles”.

Ryuzo is approached by Kakisu’s assistant, who’s name is Prois Sukkaki. He’s asked to help them with research to combat Humanform Weapons, and though he at first declines, when he hears Kakisu’s name his interest is piqued as Kakisu was apparently saved by Ryuzo at Barador. Back on Sentan Island, the pilot of the Humanform Weapon in Kondaral is being chased by soldiers who have orders to shoot on sight. At the same time, people in strange cloaks with hoods resembling birds appear and extract some strange light from a dead pregnant woman. The pilot spots them and trembling in fear names as the Jibashiri who pull Hiruko from the deceased – just before he’s killed by a headshot.

Next Time:

Thoughts:

Not much happened in this episode until the end and it wasn’t as good as the first two. For now, the show seems content to continue developing on Akiyuki’s acceptance of the crew and vice-versa while throwing in hints and twists here and there. On the home front it still doesn’t seem like Haru has much of a part in the plot so far, but at least the shows keeping its more personal view on the affects of the war with the introduction of Shidara, who’ll be appearing next week, from what the preview’s shown.

Zeygend seems like a manipulative bastard from the 5 second of screentime he’s had and his face just screams “I AM AN ANTAGONIST” so Nakiami being with him can’t possibly come of any good but she’ll be leaving for a while anyway (and most likely coming back after being betrayed in some way) regardless of how much Ishu doesn’t want her to get hurt. It’s pretty obvious that’s the reason she doesn’t want to let her leave, forget about all that “Tessik people are sellouts” stuff. Madame Tenshin has become the token old, cryptic, prophetic woman who doesn’t actually do anything (even though we already have one in the show in the form of Lady Sannova) and though Kakisu and Ryuzo’s relation to each other didn’t come as much of a surprise, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

The white-haired children are as mysterious as ever, now that they seem to have been identified as the Jibashiri (notice that they are carrying the cloaks and staff of the Jibashiri) and now the nature of the Hiruko’s become even more questionable; are they all obtained from the deceased unborn? This would go in accordance with what Mdame Tenshin said about Hiruko being thoughts that couldn’t be given life. What’s interesting is the way that the pilot seemed in such fear just by seeing the Jibashiri; I always thought that their beliefs were in accordance (being followers of Ruikonism) and they were allies of some sort but then again the pilot’s most likely been employed by the Northen Government. Still, something deeper has been hinted, at which is good.

Disappointingly, there doesn’t seem to be any greater level of action next week; once again, though the show’s interesting and well-animated, there hasn’t been any of the surprises or twists or the cracking pace as seen in the first episode. Hopefully things become so intricate that it’ll leave me thinking more about the plot than anything else and being a bit more satisfied.

Alcohol.

The cause of, and solution to, all of lifes problems.

]]> http://yukan.dasaku.net/anime/xamd-lost-memories/xamd-lost-memories-4-lolpostal-training-time/feed/ 1 http://yukan.dasaku.net/anime/xamd-lost-memories/xamd-lost-memories-3-information-in-exchange-for-action/ http://yukan.dasaku.net/anime/xamd-lost-memories/xamd-lost-memories-3-information-in-exchange-for-action/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:42:26 +0000 Omisyth http://yukan.dasaku.net/?p=1119

I’m anticipating the fights too much after the awesomeness of last episode’s battle.

Summary:

At the shelter within the school grounds, it’s revealed that the white-haired girl is still alive. Meanwhile, a groop of high ranking military personnel appoint Kakisu as the one in charge of Sentan Island, where five more bombings have occured involving white-haired children. He’s known as the hero who survived the Battle of Barador 17 years ago, though he claims he simply survived through luck. Back on the International Postal Ship Zanbani, the crew’s pilot decides they should take a detour to avoid a government patrol, but Captain Ishu decides that they should just take the shortest route to save time.

Akiyuki’s given some tea which should calm the Hiruko down, and tries to take off what he probably thinks is a bandage but has his hand slapped away by Nakiami; it is in fact an Exsanguination Needle which inhibits his Xam’d awareness. He keeps saying that he’s not this Xam’d person. At this point, Akushiba arrives and tells Nakiami that Ishu wants to see her. Back on Sentan at the school, Haru meets her sister and father and asks her father (who is also a doctor) if anyone knew the white-haired girl, but he apparently forgot to ask. On their way out, they spot Akiyuki’s dad, who’s been looking for him everywhere so much one of his shoes has worn out.

On Zanbani, breakfast is made and Akiyuki sits down only to be punched by that little brat Hinokimaru (aka crotch punch boy) and told to get off because it’s his seat. It turns out that he and his mom (or at least that’s what he calls her, her name seems to be Yunbo), are followers of Ruikonism. Akushiba tells Akiyuki he needs to get to work with the crew of postal workers, but of course Akiyuki says that he should get back to his family on Sentan Island. Akushiba takes him to the pilot about this, but he’s just directed to the Captain, the only one who’s decision counts. Nakiami talks with Ishu about keeping Akiyuki on the ship, as she had previously said it’s the last time (although she’s done this type of thing quite a lot) that she would take a Xam’d on the ship. Though it’s putting everyone in danger, Ishu knows the reason that Nakiami shouldn’t let him go. On the way to the Captain, Akiyuki meets some of the rest of the crew: another young child and the mechanic, Kiselji.

Akiyuki eventually meets Ishu, and respectfully asks that he be let off at the next port so he can make his way back to Sentan Island. Ishu punches him in the face for not introducing himself; at the same time, the pilot gets an alert about a ship breaking off from the patrol and Akiyuki takes of the Exsanguination Needle in anger. His arm starts to mutate and the patrol ship drops a flying Humanform Weapon that abducts Akiyuki. In the cockpit, the Captain tells the pilot they’re getting out of here, only Akushiba notices that Nakiami’s on the Beat Kayak (flying mini-jet) to try and get back Akiyuki. There was also something mentioned about her using a time-catapult, whatever that is. She manages to get onto the back of he Humanform Weapon, save Akiyuki and get off. Ishu then proceeds to blow one of it’s wings off with her portable cannon and it’s destroyed.

Afterwards, Nakiami tells Akiyuki “thinking” is the only way to gain symbiosis with the Hiruko. Akiyuki thanks her for saving him again, and drinks the disgusting tea. On Sentan, Haru pays a visit to Akiyuki’s mother, to tell him that she should keep believing her son’s alive and also tells her that Ryuzo’s been looking for Akiyuki as well. She takes one of Akiyuki’s arm bands and leaves. Ryuzo takes a look at some sort of object from days long past; he was in the Battle of Barador, and seems to know more about the Humanform Weapons than we would first think. At the military base, the mother Xam’d is being taken to another location. Commander Kakisu tells his assistant that Sentan Island’s going to have to learn to fend for itself; he’s later given a report on the bus explosion, and is surprised to see that Akiyuki Takehara, a missing person from the explosion, is the son of a doctor who serverd at Barador. While going to sleep, Akiyuki’s told by Akushiba about another Xam’d that was brought onto the ship, Raigyo Tsunomata, who’s Hiruko drove him over the edge.

Next Time:

Postal Ship training for Akiyuki and a deeper look into the mysterious religion.

Thoughts:

I’m a complete stickler for action so I was dissapointed that the battle (more of a rescue really) was so short. This episode wasn’t as good as the first two, but mostly because it’s trying to establish his growing raltionship with the ship’s crew, who are all interesting and quirky in their own right. Except Hinokimura, rude boy need’s a spanking from his mom -_-. Speaking of which, how deep soes the religion of Ruikonism go? It seems to be connected to everything, even the military, as the Ruikonists were apparently wiped out (possible genocide?). I continue to enjoy the way the show’s looking at familial ties; something about Haru’s mom was mentioned and we’ll definitely look deeper into that, but also the fact that Fusa knows that Ryuzo’s looking for Akiyuki seems to bother her, in a good way (whatever that means). We even look at the fact Kakisu’s mom was originally from Sentan Island, and I believe that there are connections between both Akiyuki’s and his own family.

There’s also the nature of the Hiruko, which I think may be the “will” or whatever of the power Akiyuki’s obtained. It’ll beintersting ti see what type of psychological route the writers takewith this, or even if Akiyuki’ll be able to control it; it’s similar to Bleach, when Ichigo had to fight the Hollow within for control of his body (I only make this comparison as the mask and whole melting white stuff in the first episode reminded me of Bleach too) though this seems like it’ll become more of a partnership than anything else, with Nakiami mentioning the Hiruko has it’s own life. I’m all for him going crazy and wrecking everything for a while as in my opinion, crazy + powerful = good. Also taking note of a possible love triangle due to the conversation between Akiyuki and Nakiami at the end (she looked so surprised bordering on happy when he said her name ^_^) plus Haru. I’m all for love power on any show (except for Code Geass where all love seems to equal either craziness, yaoi, memory manipulation or tables). Next episode seems to indicate less action, unfortunately. I want MOAR Xam’d battles!

Move befo’ I kick yo’ ass, fool!

But it doesn’t matter if the show’s as good as this.
Summary:

A large number of what turn out to be “Humanform Weapons” are dropped upon Sentan Island in the middle of the invasion. They change from huge brown objects into  blue, turtle like creatures and begin attacking the island with lasers that cause implosions. Outside of the school after the bus explosion, Haru knocks out the guard that’s pointing a gun at the transformed Akiyuki. As a Humanform Weapon attacks them inside the bus, her schoolfriend tries to get her away from the danger zone but Akiyuki holds her back. The Weapon’s attack seperates them from each other, and it charges into Akiyuki, smashing through buildings in the process.

Akiyuki lands in the middle of a waterway and proceeds to battle the creature. During this time, Haru chases after them, and Akiyuki saves her from a fall. Then, Nakiami (the girl from the plane with her own miniature flying machine) spies Akiyuki, who she calls “Xam’d”, and heads towards the scene. Akiyuki defeats the monster, while still holding Haru, and is then confronted by Nakiami, who is wondering what a “completed Xam’d” is doing there says he should come with her if he wants to live. Akiyuki says so and then passes out, transforming back to normal and being carried away by Nakiami. Haru passes out as well, and when she wakes up, her schoolfriend is next to her and Akiyuki is gone. Nakiami returns to the ship and she and the crew take off. She places some sort of rod in the jewel on Akiyuki’s arm which turns into an X shaped strap. A guy named Akushiba comes to check on her but Nakiami tells him to be quiet as “the Hiruko” fallen asleep. He leaves and then gets punched in the balls for not calling a little girl’s pet the right name. Nakiami laments the fact that that no-one was there to celebrate the “Xam’d’s birth”.

The casualties are reported over the radio to the survivors in the shelter, where Haru and her schoolfriend are. Haru say that she didn’t keep her promise with Akiyuki’s mother, who is at that moment walking to her husband’s house. Ryuzo is helping people recover at his house, and when he meets Fusa (the mother) he initially believes she’s here about the divorce. Fusa and he argue as he didn’t know what had happened to Akiyuki, and we see the reason that the two are undergoing divorce proceedings.

At this time, some random man in a Humanform Weapon blows himself up, while praying to get closer to the “true Hiruko”. We then see a military man being accompanied by an assistant who reports the state of the island to him. The man, Commander Kakisu (through recent promotion it seem) meets a disabled scientist, who shows Kakisu what he calls a Xam’d, which seems dead or at least inactive and is much larger than Akiyuki was. Apparently, the scientist believes it to be a mother in the middle of protecting its child.

Next Time:

Attack of the Flying Humanform Weapon.

Thoughts:

First off, I may shorten my summaries to be more concise depending on what people would like, as because though this one is quite long, it’s still missing small things, such as certain parts of character dialogue that I would pretty much need to copy to convey the meaning of. So it could be ridiculously detailed or just the main points from the episode.

But overall, this was an even better episode than the first. I wasn’t overly attached to the whole school life thing, but the short amount of time spent on it in the first episode contrasts well and does a good job of establishing that those days won’t return for Akiyuki and his friends. The action wasn’t that detailed at some points but really flowed well and the fight was quite entertaining. There was yet another rush of information in the episide, including new characters/ names to remember (I still keep forgeting the name of the guy who was with Akiyuki and Haru), new terms like “Hiruko” and “Hiruken”, and the nature of the war’s still a bit fuzzy but the pieces will fall into place eventually (hopefully). The mystical/ sci-fi element’s much more interesting; the bio-chemical nature of a lot of weaponry makes a lot of the action seem weird and warped, especially the implosion causing lasers. There’s also the nature of “spirits” which was thrown into the mix by something that Nakiami said, so that could develop well. I like Kakisu already and I can already see him becoming an ally of somesort later in the show.

There’s a lot of variety in the show as well. It’s not only focusing in the bigger picture (Xam’d and the war) but also the relationships between the characters, most prominently Ryuzo and Fusa. The schoolfriend just bores me, though, and I hope he disappears to never be seen again very soon. The interaction of the ship’s crew was fun to watch as well. But there’s still a lot of history, concerning everyone and everything, to be heard in this story, and I’m eagerly anticipating the next episode.

(Good quality video ftw).

Everytime you don’t watch Xam’d, a man gets punched in the crotch.

Have some compassion. Watch Xam’d.