Asakomi

Alright! So my computer is back up and running. Which means it’s now time to play catch up for downloading/watching and of course - blogging.

How cute was Eve watching the fireworks for the first time? And how gorgeous were those fireworks? I agree with Ten, they were very Gankutsuou-esque and you really can’t go wrong there!

Train tries to deal with his grief by trying to beat the crap out of Creed, and we get to see another beautiful fight sequence made more powerful by the melancholy piano medly and intermittent shots of Saya’s bloody hand. We then see flashbacks of our previously oh-so genki Saya. (Yeah, ok, rub it in more that she’s gone, make it more painful to watch.. hmph.. Though.. a part of me still thinks she’ll be back in later episodes.)

Train either loses the fight or it ends in a draw. In any case, he ends up unconscious and rescued by Sven and Eve. They tend to his wounds and it seems they’re all gonna be teaming up together now, though Even doesn’t trust Train and Train obviously doesn’t want to trust anyone. It works out well though, since they are all on the run from Chronos.

Now, during the fight Creed exclaims, “Those eyes! It’s those eyes!” And during Saya’s flashback scene she comments that Train’s eyes are as beautiful as the fireworks. Is there something special about his eyes? Or is it just that they’re really gorgeous and made not only Saya fall for him, but his obsessive partner too?

Gah, the animation style and direction is just so great, and the movements of the characters so fluid. It’s a treat for the eyes!

What an episode! We get action, gorgeous fight scenes, tension, drama, tender moments between Saya and Train and then… heartbreak! I don’t believe what happened at the end actually happened. Nope, I just don’t believe it. I guess only time will tell.

Why oh why does this show have to be so poorly animated? It’s such a shame.

I liked Suzuka in this episode. She apologized. She cheered him on. She seemed softer.

Honoka tells Yamato off (good on her!) and breaks up with him.

Yamato continues to be a lunkhead and a big fat liar. (He dumped her, riiiiiiiiiiiight. Ok so he did it to protect Suzuka’s feelings, but stillllllll.)

I’m tired, so that’s all I’m saying.

Train takes out 50 men, but lets one go alive. The spared man watches Train leave and wonders what has changed in this supposed merciless killer.

Later Train broods on a rooftop and asks the singing sweeper girl (did I miss her name or have they not actually told it to us yet?? Gah!) why she does what she does. She replies that she believes it’s the right thing to do. This causes Train to brood some more. But his thoughts are interrupted by a message that he’s to return to headquarters, where he gets into trouble for not killing Eve and for letting the man go at the beginning of the episode.

He’s once again ordered to kill Eve, but instead of accepting the mission he declares that he will do what he feels is right, not necessarily what they order.

This upsets the bossman who retorts, “You are not entitled to any freedom. You are merely our pet cat.” - Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.

Train picks freedom over orders, and leaves the Chronos Organization.

Train now becomes a target of Chronos, so they send his partner Creed to “persuade” him. The resulting duel is lovely visually, stylistically, musically. It’s so fluid and just.. great.

I love the blues and reds used inside the Chronos building! The operatic style music was also really beautiful. But I think Train’s partner is creepy and oogy and stuff and has many many issues.

Sven/Rin/Eve got a bit of screentime at the beginning, but this episode mostly focused on Train and Chronos, for which I am grateful. I hope eventually we get to see more of how Train came to be part of the organization, and how he turned into a merciless killer. As for now I like how his character is already evolving as the story goes along. He’s making decisions that take him away from a person who blindly follows orders and kills, to one who attempts to consider what is right or wrong before he acts. And you know I’m all about character development!

We start off with Yamato sitting in his room brooding over the things that Nana had said to him. For a moment he really seemed to grab hold of the fact that he hasn’t invested any time in really getting to know Honoka and was pretty remorseful. However, at the end of the scene his motivation for going to buy Honoka a great birthday present wasn’t to make Honoka happy just to make her happy, but once again just to be a so-called “good boyfriend”, which puts the focus back on him. So even though in the next scene he asked himself what present would make her happy, I had difficulty believing his sincerity. And oh my goodness how unintentionally cruel it was of Yamato to make Suzuka try on that necklace.

And Mentar, you are so right. Hattori has definitely fallen from the pedestal I had him on. But in a way that’s great, the fact that he can be so insightful in some areas and so completely retarded in others makes him a much more realistic, much more human, character. He did say some smart stuff this time around though, like when he told Yamato to put his own embarassment aside and not just think about himself when going to buy Honoka a present.

Oh, and have I mentioned that Honoka’s outfits are so cute? That white sweater with the yellow shirt underneath paired with the adorable blue pleated skirt. Adorable! And then the pink and white outfit? Where does she shop? Do you think such stores exist in reality? I need her wardrobe.

It’s too bad she’s so horribly insecure. She knew Yamato was shopping for her birthday present, and she even heard him say “thanks for your help today” and yet she still had a little freakout, though she seemed to be over it by the next day. That is of course until Yamato blabbered too much and went on and on and on about his shopping excursion with Suzuka, which served to only make her feel insecure again.

Way to ruin her birthday Yamato.

We pick up where we left off last time - Train on his way to kill Eve, Sven on his way to save her.

Sven is like a Maguyver wannabe with his unconventional ways and his “Operation Here Kitty Kitty.” Ahaha.. He lights some little red balls on fire, which apparently release a form of cat nip that lures dozens of cats to the front gate. The guards come to see what all the noise is about and are overwhelmed by the amount of cats. Sven and Rin take this opportunity to dash through the open gates, only to have Train whiz by them. Rin’s comment amused me, “Because of your Operation Kitty whatever, you’ve lured Black Cat into the mix!”

I thought the scene where Sven chased Train was quite intense. The music, animation, and camera angles really added to the overall effect. I like Sven more now that he’s bent on saving Eve, instead of trying to do a job just to get money so he can eat. As for Eve.. my heart breaks for her. It’s horrible to be told that you’re just a weapon and a demon. I’m glad that Sven wants to treat her like a normal little girl, even though I guess she’s really not. But she looks so sad, and I want to hug her.

In the end, Sven saves Eve and Train makes the decision to go against orders and not kill her, though it seems that since the laboratory was destroyed his superiors have decided that the mission was a success. I wonder if they know he didn’t kill Eve? I guess we’ll find out.