Anime My-Otome [My-ZHiME]

[Dagger]

The sequel to / alternate universe version of / parody of [url=http://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/my-hime/web/index.html][u]My-HiME[/u][/url] has started airing in Japan. And by all appearances, it's going to be pretty entertaining.

My-HiME was essentially a riff on the concept of monster-battling schoolgirls. It had plenty of silly moments, of course, but overall I think it really surpassed people's general expectations. [url=http://www.my-zhime.net/][u]My-Otome[/u][/url] (sometimes called My-ZHiME because of the way its logo is designed) takes many of the same cast members and plunks them down in a totally new setting, in which most girls aspire to become an Otome, a sort of... er, extremely powerful maid.

Natsuki is now the school headmistress, Mashiro's personality has become pleasantly bratty, Mikoto is a cat, Mai is nowhere to be seen [spoiler]except in the OP sequence,[/spoiler] and so forth. You get the idea. Essentially the premise appears to be an excuse to put the bishoujo cast in maid-esque costumes, since their duties have more to do with battling mechanical monsters than washing things.

Personally, though, I think My-Otome is going to be better than its predecessor. The world is much more unusual--a mixture of medieval and science-fiction trappings--and many of the carried-over characters have been placed in more mature or advanced roles.

This show [i]should[/i] have been a fan-trap. The idea of fighting maids or whatever certainly seemed to have a lot of people rolling their eyes. But darn it, I like it--or what I've seen of it, anyway. Is anyone else going to watch this?

~Dagger~

[domyoji]

[QUOTE=Dagger]Natsuki is now the school headmistress, Mashiro's personality has become pleasantly bratty, Mikoto is a cat, Mai is nowhere to be seen [spoiler]except in the OP sequence,[/spoiler] and so forth. You get the idea. Essentially the premise appears to be an excuse to put the bishoujo cast in maid-esque costumes, since their duties have more to do with battling mechanical monsters than washing things.

Personally, though, I think My-Otome is going to be better than its predecessor. The world is much more unusual--a mixture of medieval and science-fiction trappings--and many of the carried-over characters have been placed in more mature or advanced roles.

This show [i]should[/i] have been a fan-trap. The idea of fighting maids or whatever certainly seemed to have a lot of people rolling their eyes. But darn it, I like it--or what I've seen of it, anyway. Is anyone else going to watch this?

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

hi dagger. i was curious. are u talking about the My-HiMe anime? or is that an extra OVA for My-HiMe? i dun quite understand what you are talking about. hmmm... i dun recall Natsuki is the school headmistress????

i have finished watching that anime. i think it was awesome. [spoiler]the story is about 12 schoolgirls who can see the cursed star is destinated to fight each other. there is only one winner and she will be with the dark lord to create a new world of their own. and the loser will lose their power and at the same time lose the person most precious to them.[/spoiler]

every character was unique. even though some of them were doing bad things, but actually they are trying to protect something. you will not hate them but pity them instead.

so if you ever have a chance to watch it, please do so. you might like it. it was about 26 episode(if i remember correctly). prepare some tissue too, cause you might cry in some of the scene.

[Dagger]

No. As I stated in the first sentence of my original post, I'm talking about an [b]alternate universe version[/b] of My-HiME. You may to prefer to think of it as a sequel. Either way, My-Otome is a somewhat similar series that takes My-HiME's characters and re-casts them in new roles in a different world. The staff of both series have compared this to casting familiar actors in different parts.

If you enjoyed My-HiME--and you certainly sound like a fan--you should [i]definitely[/i] give My-Otome a look (so far only the first episode has aired, though). Half the fun is seeing what's different and what's the same.

The three main characters of My-Otome are Arika (who has a cameo in [spoiler]the final episode[/spoiler] of My-HiME), Nina (whose distinctive hairstyle can be seen in the first still frame of the My-HiME ED sequence) and Mashiro.

I can post some screenshots if anyone's interested. :)

~Dagger~

[domyoji]

please do post the screen shot if you have.

so is My-Otome the latest anime in Japan? or it has been out for quite some time already? which anime come out 1st, My-HiMe or My-Otome?

[Dagger]

It just started airing this October. My-HiME began around the same time last year. And as you requested...

[IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24562&stc=1[/IMG]

The three leads--from left to right, it's Nina, Arika and Mashiro. Mashiro is holding Mikoto, who happens to be a cat.

[IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24563&stc=1[/IMG]

Another cast shot. The returning characters are (again from left to right) Akane, Chie, Shiho and Nao.

[IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24564&stc=1[/IMG]

Haruka, of course. Notice that in My-Otome she appears to be very powerful (possibly as powerful as Shizuru).

[IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24565&stc=1[/IMG]

Natsuki. I have to say that I really like her new hairstyle.

[IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24566&stc=1[/IMG]

Meister Shizuru preparing to battle it out with a mecha.

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Well, I had to see what all the fuss was about so I've just seen the first episode of [i]My-Otome. [/i]I'm pleased to say it's got me intrigued enough to keep watching, even if I'm not head-over-heels hooked just yet.

I have to ask, does the series assume I've seen [i]My-HiME? [/i]Because the first episode's raised a lot of questions, and what with this being anime and not Western TV, I don't know whether this is assumed knowledge or stuff that's going to be gradually revealed over the course of the series.

It's leagues away from my usual anime taste, but I'm enjoying it thus far (first magical girl transformation I've seen, I'm really an otaku now, heh). The setting reminds me of [i]Final Fantasy [/i]a little bit, especially [i]FFVIII; [/i]I think it's the fusion of fantasy and sci-fi elements, and the specialist academy for bodyguard-type people that's making that connection in my head.

I'll see how it pans out, then post more of my thoughts.
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[Dagger]

[quote name='Raiyuu][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I have to ask, does the series assume I've seen [i]My-HiME? [/i]Because the first episode's raised a lot of questions, and what with this being anime and not Western TV, I don't know whether this is assumed knowledge or stuff that's going to be gradually revealed over the course of the series.[/font'][/color][/quote]
Plot-wise, it has nothing to do with My-HiME, and information about the Otome world/setting is gradually given out within the show; HiME wouldn't have helped you understand the political factions in Otome, for instance. But since so many of the characters are alternate versions of those who appeared in My-HiME, you many not be able to make some of the automatic connections that HiME fans would.

As an example (sorry, this one has some vaguely stated spoilers for both series): the most recent episode of Otome was about Akane Soir, who was called Akane Higurashi in My-HiME. People who had seen HiME were very interested in her fate, since in HiME [spoiler]she suffers horribly, and her suffering served as one of the show's big turning points.[/spoiler] But in Otome, she [spoiler]ended up getting the ultimate happy lovey-dovey ending--so far, anyway.[/spoiler] So while that was an interesting twist, it probably wouldn't have seemed quite as surprising or unusual to someone who didn't know what happened in HiME.

Similarly (spoiler tags are just for safety, in this case), people who have seen My-HiME almost universally assume that Otome-Shizuru is also [spoiler]in love with[/spoiler] Otome-Natsuki, though there isn't a tremendous amount of evidence for it in My-Otome alone.

I'd say go on and watch it, since you'll still be able to follow the story. There's a fair degree of silliness in the earlier episodes, much like there was in HiME, but the seriousness has recently started to settle in. You can bet that the second half of the show is going to be one hell of a ride.

Episode 14 will air in a couple of days, and apparently there's supposed to be a new OP song. Some speculation, based everything up to & including episode 13: [spoiler]I think Tate is going to be a character. Possibly a dead character, or some other kind of non-speaking role, but I strongly doubt that Sergei is the one who Mai fell in love with way back whenever. That would be a little too strange and complicated, especially given his obsession with Rena (not to mention Arika's current crush on him).

I hope they come up with something a little more creative than having Nina turn to the dark side because of Arika and Sergei. They're pushing so strongly in that direction that to me it feels like a red herring. We'll see, though. As for the upcoming Otome war, it would be awful if the Coral class had to become involved. Really awful.[/spoiler] Which is why I'm hoping the writers will do that. :devil:

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I'm really quite enjoying this now. I've been pleasantly surprised by the characterisation, which keeps bucking my expectations. For example: seeing Mashiro constantly running away from the palace, I assumed she'd be the 'tomboyish princess who would rather be out amonst the commoners' stereotype. Instead, (as you said) bratty and spoilt, and has good motivation behind it too ([spoiler]the rumours disputing her claim to the throne, which mean she feels the need to 'act the part' of royalty[/spoiler]).

Similarly, I thought Sergei would be the typical 'nice guy in a position of authority', a bit like Maes Hughes, who could help out the main character. And though he's turning more into that now with [spoiler]his sponsorship of Arika,[/spoiler] at the beginning he seemed to take an instant (albeit fairly benign) dislike to 'Arinko-chan', and at times acted coldly towards Nina despite her obvious adoration. That, and the fact that he seemed to vocally advocate punishing both Nina and Arika for the episode one debacle, fell outside the stereotype I was expecting of him.

Interesting stuff. I think this is one I'll see through to the end...
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[Dagger]

Yeah, Sergei is an interesting guy. Much preferable to Tate, his look-alike in My-HiME...

I just saw episode 14. Arika learns about [spoiler]Rena[/spoiler] from Erstein. Finally! [spoiler]The overall mood at school is very grim, due to the war between Remus and Romulus (way to be subtle with your mythology, Sunrise).

Meanwhile, Tomoe shows off her evil side even more. I feel like I should hate her by now, especially since she embodies the "psycho lesbian" stereotype that's popped up more than a few times in recent anime, but I find her unexpectedly intriguing. Someone at another forum suggested that she could actually be the real princess, since she's the only Otome candidate other than Nina who comes from Windbloom. That could lead to some fascinating ramifications for our heroine, not to mention Nina & co...[/spoiler]

As for other family tree theories, I'm going with the camp that says [spoiler]Mashiro and Arika are fraternal twins. When you take eye color into consideration, their resemblance to Rena and to each other is striking.[/spoiler]

There were a lot of character appearances in this episode, such as [spoiler]Midori and her gang.[/spoiler] On that note, [spoiler]Miyu[/spoiler] shows up again! Once again, she retains that nice air of mystery. It's funny--I hated her guts in My-HiME, but I kind of like her Otome incarnation.

About the episode 15 preview: It's cool that Arika is such a go-getter, but [spoiler]kissing Sergei[/spoiler] is just going to create a ton of awkwardness for everyone. Hoo boy. :animeswea

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Just watched episode 15.

Well played to Sergei for [spoiler]not kissing Arika[/spoiler]. But now I'm all intrigued about what Nagi has up his sleeve, and where Sergei's loyalties are ultimately going to lie. He's fast becoming one of the most interesting characters in the series.

I kind of see what you mean about [spoiler]Tomoe - I am intrigued by her motivations, in the hope that they aren't going to go purely with "she's in love with Shizuru and therefore jealous". I'd hope it runs deeper than just that. Having said all that, I don't think I'm going to stop hating her just yet ;).

As for Arika and Mashiro, I think it's been revealed that Arika is the queen's daughter and Mashiro is Rena's, unless I've misunderstood. They have actually given Mashiro and Rena a slight family resemblance, I think, although I could be looking for one.[/spoiler]

It'll be interesting to see how much detail we're given of the [spoiler]battle exam[/spoiler] next episode - whether we get any depth, or just a montage.
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[Dagger]

Wow, you caught up quickly. :)

As for episode 16--new OP alert! And it's awesome. It's very Gundam-esque, actually, both in the way it's composed and the fact that it's full of spoilers. Although I'm sure the actual show will have more nuances than what's shown in just the second OP, haha. Of course, the most important thing is that [spoiler]Mai has been elevated from flaming silhouette status. She's even wearing the Red Scarf of Justice![/spoiler] Ah, HiME nostalgia...

So it looks as though the five Pillars are [spoiler]Natsuki, Shizuru, two yet to be introduced characters, and Nao. I have to say that Nao's appointment took me by surprise, although I guess it's partly because I still can't mentally separate Otome Nao from HiME Nao, and they become increasingly different from each other with every new episode. Also, I was kind of hoping that they'd use existing characters for the extra Pillars (I'm quite surprised that Yukariko isn't one--why can she materialize without a master?).

I love Nina's Meister robe. Thank goodness they didn't stick her in puffy sleeves. Nao's is a little bizarre; I like the HiME homage, but did they have to make her look like Spiderman? I mean, really.[/spoiler]

At the very beginning, before the OP, [spoiler]Arika is shown beating Tomoe, but that's all we see of the battle exam. A Pearl (Chie & Shiho) vs. Coral (Nina & Arika) graduation battle is about to start at the end of the episode, but that gets interrupted. Hopefully we'll get to see Chie and Shiho even after they're sent off to defend their respective countries.[/spoiler]

This episode raises some questions...
- Which Coral student [spoiler]received the letter? I don't think it's Tomoe, judging by the shape of the hair. I'd have to go back and look at the shadow again, but maybe it's Ers-chan or Irina.[/spoiler]
- Why didn't Erstein [spoiler]rat on Tomoe?[/spoiler]
- Which side will [spoiler]Mai[/spoiler] be on?
- By now, is Tomoe [spoiler]completely irredeemable?[/spoiler]
- [spoiler]Will Miya ever return, and if so, is she going to have to smack a *****?[/spoiler] :p

And so on and so forth. After seeing the episode 17 preview, I'm praying for a [spoiler]massive battle, complete with Natsuki materializing.[/spoiler] Don't cheat us out of that, Sunrise.

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Don't forget the very last image of the new OP, with [spoiler]Arika and Nina fighting. They've been heading towards that for most of the series, but with Arika becoming Mashiro's Otome, Nina becoming Nagi's, and Artai going to war with Windbloom, it's becoming more and more inevitable[/spoiler].

Once more taking evidence from the OP, it looks like [spoiler]Tomoe probably is beyond redemption, at least in the sense that someone's going to have to physically defeat her rather than talking her out of whatever crazy crusade she's on. She's shown (in a Meister Robe?) standing with a line of what could be cyborgs, in which case she could be in with Midori's group, or more likely the new, more Child-like Slaves[/spoiler].

Last OP sequence point: [spoiler]Sergei is juxtaposed with Rena's dead body. We know he knew her when she was alive, but is that shot showing his regret at letting her die, or hinting that he was involved[/spoiler]? The little extra bit of Nina flashback we got later in the episode was interesting, too, [spoiler]with her pointing a gun at bloodied Sergei[/spoiler]. I'm anticipating a Nina-Sergei-(Rena?) history episode later on, maybe [spoiler]when Arika fights Nina, or when it comes out that Sergei's been sponsoring Arika[/spoiler].

(I did entertain the notion that [spoiler]Miyu][/spoiler] might be one of the Pillars, but neither of the unknowns look like her, and Shizuru didn't recognise her when they met last episode.)
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[Dagger]

About Miyu: It's been theorized by some that she's [spoiler]the same Miyu who appeared in My-HiME.[/spoiler] Now, that would require some seriously incredible writing to pull off, but it's an interesting prospect to entertain. Even if she's a different version of the original character, like everyone else, she could still be an [spoiler]android.[/spoiler]

An Arika theory: I'm not yet sure whether or not I espouse this, but more than a few fans seem to believe that Arika is [spoiler]some kind of perfect-Otome construct, since she had no negative reaction to the nanomachines, and she partially materialized in episode 1. Of course, that would require the old lady being wrong about her identity.[/spoiler]

And about Rena: In episode 17, [spoiler]she appears, albeit very briefly. It looks almost as though Schwarz is using her as ammo. Maybe a Schwarz-controlled Rena replica or something will appear in a future episode.[/spoiler]

As for episode 17: Holy mother, [i]this[/i] is what I've been waiting for. Nonstop excitement and ***-kicking. Plus a subtle but nifty Haruka & Michiru (from Sailor Moon) homage from Shizuru & Natsuki.

Working backwards, the episode 18 preview makes me fear for [spoiler]Aoi.[/spoiler] It also appears as though [spoiler]Miyu[/spoiler] will be playing a bigger role. Maybe she and Arika will finally be able to meet up again.

I was wondering how they were going to get [spoiler]the handkerchief[/spoiler] out in the open, but that whole sequence was choreographed beautifully. From the moment that [spoiler]John Smith outed Erstein, it was obvious that some bad stuff was about to go down. Even so, I was in suspense when Sergei dove in front of Arika. As Nina made her contract with Nagi, I was wondering whether they were just going to shove Erstein in the background and resolve the situation with her in the next episode--but those two different threads came together with a vengeance. I loved Arika & Nina's expressions at the end.[/spoiler]

Plus, there was [spoiler] Youko's reunion with Midori and Reito/Rad.[/spoiler] So much happened! Any ideas about the significance of the small blond girl who keeps showing up from time to time? That is, the one who [spoiler]stole Nina's pendant[/spoiler] way back when.

A moment of silence for [spoiler]Ers-chan...[/spoiler]

EDIT: Oh, and something VERY interesting that I didn't notice until I glanced back through a few screencaps... in the scene when [spoiler]Natsuki appeals to Shinso-sama (Fumi), the words that show up seem to be "Otome-type Highly Advanced Materializing Equipment." [b]Hi[/b]ghly Advanced [b]M[/b]aterializing [b]E[/b]quipment is where the HiME in My-HiME comes from.[/spoiler] Do I smell a connection, or are they just trying to tease us?

And if the blue star really is [spoiler]the Earth, could the mystic red star in My-HiME be Arika's planet?[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[font=Trebuchet MS]

[/font] [center][font=Trebuchet MS]^^ A moment of silence ^^[/font]
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[font=Trebuchet MS] [quote name='Dagger][/font] And if the blue star really is [color=#000000][spoiler]the Earth, could the mystic red star in My-HiME be Arika's planet?[/spoiler][/color'][font=Trebuchet MS][/quote] That's unlikely, isn't it? The HiME star [spoiler]actually descends to Earth at the end of HiME, and it doesn't look like a planet - more like a malevolent ball of red with weird bony support structures around it[/spoiler].

On a related note, Galderobe's [spoiler]Robe Controller - the one fried by Schwarz - is the same shape as the HiME star, which probably isn't significant, but was fun to notice[/spoiler].

This really was the best episode yet. I'd been dreading the revelations that [spoiler]Sergei was sponsoring Arika, knowing how Nina would react, and that Arika was the real princess, knowing how Mashiro would react[/spoiler]. And they managed to have everything revealed in the same sequence! I'm expecting major emotional ructions next episode, provided [spoiler]anyone actually survived Nina and Arika's scrap[/spoiler]...

I think we had a bit more exposition on the way Robes function, as well. [spoiler]Arika's Blue Sky Sapphire and Nagi's Black Diamond were unaffected by Schwarz's attack on Galderobe, which presumably means Meister Gems - excluding those worn by the Pillars - are independent of the control system there. That could explain how Arika managed to partially Materialise in episode one; I'm not a fan of the 'perfect Otome' theory, it doesn't seem the type of series to have engineered beings in. So other Meisters - Haruka and Mai, for example - are presumably still fully functional, despite the Pillars and Galderobe students being rendered Robe-less. Maybe some of them will come to the rescue?[/spoiler]

The little blonde girl? She's on the OP sequence, huddled with Mashiro in front of Rad and the other Asward cyborgs, so I assume she's significant somehow. We can only keep guessing until Sunrise reveal that one, I think.
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[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Raiyuu][font=Trebuchet MS][color=green]
That's unlikely, isn't it? The HiME star [spoiler]actually descends to Earth at the end of HiME, and it doesn't look like a planet - more like a malevolent ball of red with weird bony support structures around it[/spoiler]. [/color][/font][/QUOTE]
Oy vey! Right you are; thanks for reminding me. :animeblus

Episode 18...

[Darth Vader]NOOOOOOOOOO!!!11![/Darth Vader]

Seriously, though, I liked this episode a lot, but it's oh so very cruel. Awesome comedic moments aside (Nao and Natsuki need their own show!), it's one of the most nuanced and well-written episodes yet. It contrasts nicely with episode 17. [spoiler]The exchange between Sergei and Nina had some great voice acting on both sides. But the highlight, of course, was Aoi's "death." I actually found it to be a lot more moving than Erstein's death scene. Still, I'm not ready to count Aoi out yet; I'm inclined to be suspicious of long falls from cliffs. But Chie's expression in the next episode preview was foreboding.[/spoiler]

Also, the soundtrack leapt to new heights at just the right moments. Three cheers for Yuki Kajiura.

It seems that episode 19 might deal with [spoiler]Shizuru and Tomoe.[/spoiler] Its title is highly suggestive--although the big question is whether [spoiler]the 17-year-old mentioned is Midori (haha), Mai or someone else altogether.[/spoiler]

Speaking of which, here are the next few episode titles:
19. [spoiler]17 Year Old of Destiny[/spoiler]
20. [spoiler]Don't Call Me Nina![/spoiler]
21. [spoiler]The White Princess Awakens[/spoiler]
22. [spoiler]Song of Destruction[/spoiler]

This is probably a good point to mention that I'm actually kind of impressed by how My-Otome is structured. With most of the show having been spent on character establishment and various hijinks, I was starting to get worried about how they'd take care of things in the remaining episodes. If they keep up this new pace, though, it'll be just fine. Better yet, the new pace doesn't feel unnatural. I'm actually pretty confident that the writers will be able to [spoiler]introduce Mai, plus the final two Pillars and any other yet-to-appear characters (human!Mikoto, for example),[/spoiler] keep the plot from falling apart, and still do justice to the entirety of the enormous cast.

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Hmm, so what's happened since I last posted...?

[quote name='Dagger][/font]the big question is whether [color=#000000][spoiler]the 17-year-old mentioned is Midori (haha), Mai or someone else altogether.[/color][font=Trebuchet MS'][/spoiler][/quote] Looks like it was [spoiler]Midori after all[/spoiler]! It was good to get some background on Aswad; up until this point, Aswad and Schwarz have been kind of blurring together into "the baddies" for me, but now it's clear that [spoiler]Schwarz are the actual baddies, while Midori's lot have laudable aims, but are going about achieving them in the wrong way (i.e. through violence)[/spoiler].

[quote name='Dagger][/font]About Miyu: It's been theorized by some that she's [spoiler][color=#000000]the same Miyu who appeared in My-HiME.[/color][font=Trebuchet MS'][/spoiler][/quote] I didn't give much credence to that theory, [spoiler]but it looks like it's been proved right. She's definitely still a robot, and her reference to 'someone who called me Miyu' (especially given the glance towards canary-Alyssa) would seem to confirm that she's the same Miyu as before[/spoiler]. I'm interested to see how the writers explain that one. :animestun

Also ... a nice HiME homage with Natsuki and Nao's hitchhiking antics!

The end of episode 19 seemed like an excuse for a cliffhanger to me, so hopefully Sunrise will make something interesting of their predicament to make up for it ... the episode 20 preview certainly has me on tenterhooks. It looks like it'll jump about a bit, with sections focused on [spoiler]Tomoe (maybe we'll finally see what makes her tick), Arika and Mashiro, and Natsuki and Nao meeting up with Yukino and Haruka. And the Otome we see materialised ... was she the one attached to the other king? Looks like Harmonium features again, too. Maybe human-Mikoto will make an appearance[/spoiler]...
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[Dagger]

Haha, yeah, that hitchhiking scene was golden.

I have just one thing to say about episode 20 (the linked image contains spoilers, of course):

[url=http://img124.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ep209jg.jpg][u]OH NO SHE DIDN'T![/u][/url]

Also, [spoiler]Nina's first meeting with Sergei[/spoiler] was finally shown in full, along with what seems like confirmation that [spoiler]she was the capsule baby.[/spoiler] But at this point, who knows what that really means...

I didn't like how the whole [spoiler]sand monster[/spoiler] thing played out. It kind of crossed the line in terms of being a ridiculously obvious plot device. It would have worked much better, as far as I'm concerned, if [spoiler]Arika had stayed at the village, witnessed Fia's attack, and ended up fighting out of concern for the other people there. [/spoiler]

After seeing the episode 21 preview (in which [spoiler]un-shadowed, human Mikoto makes her first appearance,[/spoiler] by the way), I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that [spoiler]Chie will kick the bucket in the next few episodes.[/spoiler] We'll see. :animedepr

Episodes 25 & 26 will be aired as a double. But this doesn't change the fact that [spoiler]the writers really need to hurry up and introduce the rest of the characters in the second OP.[/spoiler] Besides, [spoiler]Nao[/spoiler] still needs her Meister Robe.

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[font=Trebuchet MS]OH YES SHE DID! And [spoiler]Shizuru's reaction was typically inscrutable[/spoiler]. Maybe [spoiler]Tomoe[/spoiler]'s turning in to this series' [spoiler]Shizuru[/spoiler]...

Totally with you on the whole [spoiler]rock monster[/spoiler] thing. Considering how well the series has been constructed so far, it seemed a very forced / rushed subplot that could have been handled better. Tsk.

[quote name='Dagger][/font]...along with what seems like confirmation that [color=#000000][spoiler]she was the capsule baby.[/color][font=Trebuchet MS'][/spoiler][/quote] Well, that passed me by. Perhaps I'll watch it again to try and spot that. A nice glimpse of [spoiler]what Sergei used to be like[/spoiler], though, as well as a bit more light shed on why [spoiler]Nina seems to want so desperately to impress him[/spoiler].

So apparently, to create Coral / Pearl Gems, [spoiler]an Otome that chose love (read: did the nasty)[/spoiler] is required. There are [spoiler]two candidates I can think of that Schwarz / Nagi could be using in their nefarious deeds: Rena and Akane[/spoiler]. The focus thrown on the coffin / container thing in this episode suggests that'll be a major revelation: [spoiler]maybe Akane didn't quite get her lovey-dovey ending after all[/spoiler]?

Looking forward to [spoiler]Mikoto[/spoiler]'s reappearance next episode...
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[Dagger]

Just saw 21. Once again, I watched it raw. Fortunately, that didn't prevent me from picking up on the best HiME/Otome line ever: [spoiler][i]Kyou no wa chotto omoshiroukatta desu ne?[/i][/spoiler]

I was laughing so hard, I actually had to stop the episode.

[QUOTE=Raiyuu][font=Trebuchet MS]Looking forward to [spoiler]Mikoto[/spoiler]'s reappearance next episode...
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[spoiler]Typically enough, that ended up being one big tease. Some extra stuff was revealed, though: the short scene with the real Mikoto afterward made it seem as if she's controlling a variety of proxies. Her location is a mystery, at least to me. I have a hunch that she and Mai will make their grand debut together.[/spoiler]

This was not an action-heavy installment. But it did serve to confirm my belief that Mashiro is the real heroine of the series. [spoiler]The title "White Princess, Moment of Awakening" was apt indeed. I also liked the scene in which Arika kissed her ring and said "Yes, Master!" for the first time. Trust the HiME creators to turn such a stock, silly maid-show staple into something touching.

Plus, Aoi lives! That's what I'm assuming, anyway. And Mimi dies rather abruptly. RIP Mimi; to be honest, I never liked you that much to begin with...[/spoiler]

[spoiler][url=http://img404.imageshack.us/my.php?image=maisama5pg.jpg][u]*hyperventilates*[/u][/url]

Somehow, it's perfect for her to be carrying a cooking ladle. I sincerely hope that her appearance is not just another instance of a HiME/Otome preview being deliberately misleading.[/spoiler]

[spoiler][i]Horobi no Uta[/i], huh?[/spoiler] Bring it on, I say.

~Dagger~

[Fasteriskhead]

"Brigadier General Armitage!! P-p-please marry me!"

[i](Haruka blushes)[/i]

"WOW, LOOK AT THIS UNEXPECTED SIDE OF HER! BRIGADIER GENERAL EVEN POSSESSES WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A MOE CHARACTER!! SHAMELESS! HOW SHAMELESS OF YOU, ARMITAGE!!"


This may have even topped Arika's "Puni puni puni puni BANG" from the last DVD special.

[ProjektAquarius]

I heard that Otome isn't as good as HiME. I've seen HiME, so tell me, is Otome worth my time? Or will I be disappointed?

[Raiyuu]

[font=Trebuchet MS]...what Dagger said, I guess. There's not a lot more I feel the need to add about 21. The 22 preview, however: [spoiler]looks like we're in for some decent fight sequences, with Arika and Midori both wading in - presumably against Sergei's Valkyries. I [i]still [/i]don't think I've quite got that guy figured out - I can't work out whether he's going to turn on Nagi in the end or not. I can picture him dying and repenting to Nina as he goes, but that's wild speculation...

She seems to have acquired Mikoto's silhouetted-upper-body-with-glowy-red-eyes look. I almost expected to see a little feather-and-gem necklace glowing round her neck! But you can bet she'll appear right at the [i]very [/i]end of the episode, either saving Arika's hide or appearing as a new and scary opponent, just to leave us all hanging.[/spoiler]

[quote name='ProjektAquarius][/font']I heard that Otome isn't as good as HiME. I've seen HiME, so tell me, is Otome worth my time? Or will I be disappointed?[font=Trebuchet MS][/quote] Despite the recycled character designs, they're really quite different series, at least in terms of the kind of story. Where HiME was all about a small group fighting the odd monster, by the halfway point Otome is more of a war show. It's got political factions to keep track of, military manouevrings to be surprised by. The style, however, is pretty similar - more one-on-one and less summoning-monsters-to-fight-for-you, but there's definite similarity.

If you enjoyed HiME, the little references and recurring characters provide nice little moments. I don't know whether I can say which series is [i]better, [/i]but Otome's definitely worth a look-in.
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[Dagger]

Episode 22 was ridiculous, in a good way. I'm actually not going to say too much about it, since any further thoughts would mostly consist of various ZOMGs for [spoiler]Super [strike]Saiyan[/strike] Psycho Tomoe, Miyu's abundant awesomeness, Nina's glowing yellow eyes, Mai & Mikoto showing up (even if it was just at the end), Fia getting totally pwned by Midori, etc.[/spoiler]

I'm hoping that episode 23 doesn't consist [i]entirely[/i] of [spoiler]onsen antics, though.[/spoiler] We'll see.

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Hee, I [b]said [/b]they'd only appear right at the very end of the episode...

I'll add "nice exposition on [spoiler]Sergei's motives[/spoiler]" to that list of great things about this episode. I've been wondering where he's coming from for a while now.

My main questions now are:
1. [spoiler]Who are Mai and Mikoto? From the OP sequence Mai is an Otome; perhaps Mikoto's, which would make Mikoto some sort of royalty. And what's the relationship between this Mikoto and silhouette-Mikoto in Harmonium? What actually happened when Nina fought silhouette-Mikoto?[/spoiler]
2. [spoiler]Speaking of which, what is Harmonium and what exactly does Nagi plan on doing with it?[/spoiler]
3. [spoiler]What's with the cats? This episode we had one that Miyu met right at the beginning, with a sort of slanted T-shape on its head; another later on with a crescent moon, and of course cat-Mikoto. Are they relevant or just random, like the cat in Trigun?[/spoiler]
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[Dagger]

You know, here I was planning to write a lot about episode 24... but I can't. I just can't. Under normal circumstances, I'm not nearly this squicked about [spoiler]incest or pseudo-incest,[/spoiler] but great heavens above, the [spoiler]ick factor[/spoiler] just soared off the frigging charts. I don't know why it bothered me so much; oh well. It's not like [spoiler]Sergei[/spoiler] can really be blamed or anything...

Some plot points: [spoiler]Nao gets her gem and the remaining Pillars (Columns, whatever) show up; I rather like the blonde one.[/spoiler] Anyway, I guess [spoiler]Nagi[/spoiler] is an expert shot, too? :animeswea

Changing directions a little, the next episode preview gave us [url=http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11431334001072a234lu.jpg][u]this[/u][/url] beauty. *cackles*

~Dagger~