Assorted Cupcakes

Usagi and Chibi-Usa visited Hotaru to give her the grail. Chibi-Usa didn’t want to give it to Mamoru alone because that would be unfair to Usagi, so she chose Hotaru, her so-called friend. They’ve met, what, twice? And yet Chibi-Usa feels such a strong emotional attachment to the girl. Hotaru doesn’t have much people that genuinely cares for her, so that explains why she has taken a liking to Chibi-Usa, but ... is there like an alter-Hotaru? Heck, is she human?

Aside from Hotaru’s pain (that the crystal miraculously solves), she also has this, idk, alter-ego(???) that comes out sometimes. It was there when she was bullied, and it also came out when she was touching the crystal. And she craved for it. Her father, whom Usagi encountered as she wandered around the house, seemed non-human to her. Does that mean Hotaru is not neither? Or is it just that Hotaru has no memories whatsoever and is being experimented upon? Plausible. 

And of course, we had another attack from the... Death something ladies. This time, her powers are of plants. Again, the sailor guardians powers weren’t enough so they needed extra help from Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, and--surprise!--Sailor Pluto.

Now, at first, I thought Meioh was here to investigate and then help, but I didn’t expect that she’d have some sort of enlightenment, almost recollection, that she does have to help Sailor Moon. 

Most importantly, Was that Haruka?? She had boobs?? So she’s a girl?? Why did she wear guy’s uniform then? And why so sweet with Michiru? And guys why. Why did you not want to help before? And are you really going to be friendly now or will you run away again as soon as the enemy’s gone?

Continuing where we left off last week, Mari was still feeling dizzy so someone had to take her home. Her brother came, and was acquainted with Mattsun.

Mattsun then proceeded to think about Mari, worrying about her health and also about Maa-kun’s identity. He wanted to visit her, but she didn’t want to, so he ended up following Ana to find Mari’s house. And, even tho he did find the house, Mari refused to let him in.

It wasn’t a shocker, knowing Mari. Besides, she kind of helped Mattsun know who Maa-kun is. Maa-kun is none other than Mari’s older brother. She seems to have been very attached with him, even saying she’s gonna marry him in the future. However, he of course got married, moved out, and left Mari. He’s still constantly looking after her since their parents are busy with work, but since he moved out, she glares at him all the time. This just means that Mari doesn’t really hate men. She only hates the betrayal that she believes all men would do. Her brother was everything to her, and as a caring brother, he probably did show her affection, which she misunderstood as something more (or maybe she’s just still naive at the time).

Putting that aside, Mattsun’s declaration was overwhelming. I know Mattsun has accepted his feelings for her, but I didn’t expect him to confess already. He was serious to the point he’s willing to wait for her to open up herself, rather than pry the information out of her. 

The chapter wasn’t very doki-doki worthy, and it was such a cliffhanger. (Probably since it wasn’t doki-doki worthy.) The chapter focused on a marathon event of the school wherein all four main characters were participants. Aside from both girls being physically unfit for the activity, the chapter also showed other girls being mean. These girls were asking information about Rio from Akari. She politely declined. I stress, she politely declined. It’s not like she was snob nor conceited when she said “it’ll be endless. It’s simply because more and more girls would be asking her about Rio. And yet, of course, the girls saw her as selfish.

Anyway, Akari’s feelings for Kazu are getting stronger, and now she’s stated that she wants him to fall in love with her. So much that even though she was feeling ill, she ran with all her might just because Yuna told her that Kazu likes girls that are passionate. She ran until she almost black out. And, just when you’d think it really is Rio that ran after her, leaving Yuna, Rio was in front of Yuna. Rio came back for Yuna. Rio helped Yuna. 

That means Yuna is just as special to Rio.

And that also means Kazu will be the one to help Akari.

All is well.

Except me.

The episode started exactly where it left off, with Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune in front of the other guardians, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask.

Long story short, they stayed vague, and we still don’t know what their real purpose is.

Haruka is confusing the hell out of me---What. Are. You. Doing.

What is his purpose? Is he (she? what?) getting close with Usagi simply because she’s the princess? Like how the other guardians are just really comfortable and attached to her? What is this anguish and pain that Usagi is feeling from him?

Whatever that is, I know we’ll find out soon. What I did like about what Haruka did is the effects of it regarding Mamoru. Mamoru was jealous. And he was really cute. He was distancing himself, waiting for Usagi to initiate the talk! And damn boy, you know how to comfort a girl.

Well, Chibi-Usa did help them, pushing them to talk. She was intent on making this grail that apparently Princess Serenity was using before. Chibi-Usa made a very roughly similar grail, so Mamoru and Usagi decided to help her make it better. They successfully did so, and I am so sure this will turn out useful.

Will it be one of the talismans? (How did Chibi-Usa know that Michiru’s mirror is a talisman?)

When asleep, both Usagi and Mamoru had the same dream: a deserted place with a lady seemingly praying. Mamoru addressed her as the Deity of Destruction. Well, he assumed she was that, but doesn’t she resemble Princess Serenity? And did Usagi and Mamoru really have the same dream or did Usagi see it in the perspective of the lady?

One thing’s certain---the animation’s gold.

Starting with Haruka, ending with Michiru. (Fvcking beautiful Michiru.)

As usual, one of the Death Busters attacked, this time cornering Ami by luring her into an intellectual contest. The brainy soldier that she is, she realized what was happening and immediately contacted the girls. However, she couldn’t fight the with alone. Heck, even with the other guardians with her, the witch still stood.

Not until Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus came. The two were immensely strong, and Luna said they weren’t supposed to be close to the other guardians. Doesn’t that mean that something terrible is going to happen? If guardians that were afar before, including Sailor Pluto, are now close, doesn’t that mean the four guardians that are currently protecting Sailor Moon aren’t enough for what’s about to happen?

Oh wait, we don’t even know if Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus are really into protecting her. They’re allies, and then they’re not. What?!

Oh well. They’re still stunning though, especially Sailor Neptune. The transformations were done beautifully once again, and the special attack of each guardian was wonderfully executed! ♥

M’lady is still as angsty as ever despite their experiences in their trip with the previous arc. If anything, it’s Mattsun that has developed feelings for Mari. He was really interested before, and he loved teasing her, but it was only in this episode that he got truly frustrated to the point that he wanted to tell her directly about his intentions.

That little encounter with the assertive girl was actually rather irritating, and I probably had the same reaction as Mari. Because, come on! As if you couldn’t push the girl away!

Anyway, Mattsun did make up for it when he carried Mari to the clinic princess style. Mari was oblivious to this, having lost consciousness during their game, but the other girls were flailing and his friends were confused as hell. I think Mattsun genuinely cares for Mari now.

When Mari was at the clinic, he was murmuring “Maa-kun”. 

Who. Is. He.

Okay so the important thing that I believe we have to take note of regarding these two interacting again and befriending each other, is that Chibi-Usa literally lent Hotaru her amulet. Why. For all we know, her father is seriously one of the antagonists of this arc, and is, I don’t know, maybe partially responsible for the attacks and Chibi-Usa gave her crystal to Hotaru who would be seen and checked by that guy. Oh well. We’ll see.

What’s important is the latter part of the episode.

So, as per usual, one of the lady antagonists attacked and Sailor Moon and the guardians tried to defeat her. Tried is the term here. They did the usual, including Sailor Moon’s final blow, but the attacker was not completely defeated. Two other guardians helped and the lady attacker vanished.

And yep, you guessed it right! The two sailor guardians (that I’ve been eager to see for so long) have introduced themselves to the team. We still don’t know their purpose clearly---telling Usagi to stop, then helping them defeat the villain. And what’s with the Deity of Destruction? Are they supposed to collect the thingies or what?!

We have another episode in the inn and since we’ve seen Ana and Natchan and Mari and Mattsun, this time we have Nozomi and Keiichan. Though the really sweet geeky couple didn’t have their own episode for this vacation, that short moment of them seeing each other and having the room by themselves is enough dosage for me. It was short, but really sweet.

Alright, moving on to the pairing of the week, we have Nozomi head over heels in love with Keiichan even without knowing his “true colors”. Keiichi has always appeared to be gentle, kind, and friendly---and he really is---but he’s very cautious on showing his S side to people.

When he stayed with Nozomi to let Tsuyoppon and Yukirin have some alone time, he was being kind to Nozomi by agreeing to her requests. The requests were quite aggressive and forward, but Keiichan still agreed just to make her happy.

Mattsun wasn’t happy with this, and it is completely understandable since he knows Keiichan’s ways. He’s simply looking out for his sister.

Mattsun tried to force Keiichan away from Nozomi but the girl followed him. They talked, and Nozomi is apparently observant and perceptive. She’s not just blindly in love, just following and following Keiichan, but she also notices Keiichan’s simple changes in attitude. She’s also persistent, in a way that makes you commend her for her ideals and beliefs.

Keiichan showed her his nature very briefly, but Nozomi noticed it. She also realized that Keiichan is keeping something. Keiichan is now interested with Nozomi, thinking she might be suitable with his lifestyle after all.

Though Keiichan technically is not doing anything bad. Nozomi is persistent in pursuing him after all, but does this break some sort of bro code? Keiichan knows that Mattsun is overprotective of Nozomi, and I bet Keiichan also understands why. However, Keiichan still chose to keep it a secret from Mattsun since he’ll be aggravated with his decision to let Nozomi in.

Before all the seriousness of the plot, I just want to address the scenes that showed the characters’ daily lives. The scenes between Michiru and Haruka was quite sensual (or maybe I’m just looking way into it) and the after-school hang out of Usagi and the gang, including the birthday surprise and at the inn, was adorable and funny! I love that the animators incorporated these events, and animating them really well, making the show even more entertaining.

On to the story.

Mamoru and Rei saw a premonition about gathering three talismans. The lady antagonist was doing some sort of sorcery to find answers regarding their goal. Moreover, the couple, Michiru and Haruka are also looking for the same talismans. Why are they so important? Are these talismans similar to what Hotaru’s father gave her? Does Hotaru’s father know anything about those talismans or their effects? Worse, does he utilize them and have some evil plans etc etc?

I guess there’s no such thing as a vacation for magical girls.

They were supposed to celebrate Rei’s birthday, but of course they had a different matter to settle. One of the five witches attacked, so the guardians had to defeat her. They successfully did so, but she’s stronger than the ones they fought before. Or is it just because of better animation? The fight scenes were really enjoyable and beautiful to watch! 

The fire element of the 5 witches is now defeated, but I’m looking forward to ice and water. They look stunning!

Last week was about Ana and Natchan, and this week is about my favorite pair.

Mari’s distance was glimpsed upon last episode, but we only see it eye-to-eye this time. She was utterly jealous of the happiness that Ana is feeling with their newfound friends. Mari and Ana used to be separable, and they were perfectly content with one another. Ana was not exactly against the idea of befriending others, hence the fun she’s having with the bunch. However, Mari is not. She claims she’s not having fun with being all of them because they just make her miss Ana. They’re all physically together, but Mari felt so distant.

She then escaped, saying she’ll buy something. Mattsun noticed her mood and immediately followed. Scratch that, Mattsun followed her because he wants to be with her, and he’s worried about her well-being. 

When Mattsun did find her, she was crying. Her defense was down, so she blurted out everything. Despite Mari’s proclaimed hate against Mattsun, she does trust the guy, since she told her about what she’s feeling. He’s probably the first person who knows her feelings for Ana, and now Mari is confiding in him. Even more so, is that she did found comfort with him. Mattsun was blunt and direct, but his words did comfort Mari.

She realized that she was just holding back. She was simply scared of losing Ana as she thinks Ana would get tired of her and leave her for Natchan and the others. The poor girl is insecure and anxious. Honestly? I can relate to her. I’m also constantly scared that people would just wake up and realize I’m not worth their time---they’d just leave. However, despite that constant fear, I’ve realized that I should stop thinking about possible endings and just enjoy now.

I hope Mattsun could help Mari realize that what’s important is that she enjoy today. She has to let go of the crippling fear that she’ll be alone one day and enjoy the company of all the people surrounding her now.

You can’t say no, because it really did. The animation is gloriously different. There are no more shots nor scenes that made me cringe with bad body proportions and contortions. I don’t notice much blank faces or unfit animations. I am so in love with this new season, seriously.

Anyway, on to the story. (I will eventually move on from the animation change, don’t worry.)

The crew went to Mugen Academy to investigate. Usagi transformed herslef into a student of that school and met Michiru who’s still stunning. She was playing the violin, but it almost seemed like she was luring Usagi in. She knew she was somebody and she’s not particularly happy of her appearance.

As the guardians wait outside, they meet Haruka who didn’t really greet them with warmth.

Meanwhile, the antagonists were also shown. They’ll also make an appearance in my posts soon, don’t worry, particularly the silver-haired and blue-haired ones. They were so beautiful and elegant! Anyway, these girls are the last-week’s-lady-in-red’s team of sidekicks. Naturally, their aim is to destroy Sailor Moon and her guardians.

They tend to use some sort of negative power to possess a living thing. Last week was a student, and this week’s a cat. The guardians were successful in defeating it, and holy strawberry, they did it beautifully as well. There are equal appearances for each guardian, all of them showed one by one, not just during their transformations, but also with the battle. They attacked the monster, and they did so with poise. Sailor Moon, on the other hand, along with Chibi Moon, just ran around frantically while waiting for the signal. Even so, their frantic running was actually funny and cute. 

Sailor Moon did have her shining moment when Luna told her it’s time to seal the monster away~

As for Chibi Moon, though she did not do any damage to the monster itself, she did help a weak young girl who was about to get hit. She saved her, scratching herself in the process. The girl saw her scratch and freaking healed her. Obviously, she’s not a normal person. I do recognize her as one of the bigger group of guardians, and with the process of elimination, I have realized what her sailor name would be.

As for the mysterious couple, they remained mysterious and creepy, watching Sailor Moon and the guardians battle with the monster. They look really intimidating and strong, with a knowing look in their eyes, like they know so much more than the other guardians plus their cats. Despite the suspense, i still believe they’re the most enchanting.

The episode continued exactly where it left off: Ana was being dragged by a random guy towards the ... Ferris Wheel? Alright, that was really lame of him. I thought he’d like drag her towards an alley or a room!

Anyway, thankfully he didn’t do worse than this because Natchan got the opportunity to pull Ana away from the guy and into a passenger car. The two had the best time during their Ferris Wheel ride! They talked about love, each other’s type, and current status as well. Oh love is in the air~ ♥

It’s not surprising that Ana hasn’t been in a relationship before, nor is it surprising that she’s not much into boys. Until now, that is. And who do you think made her interested in love? Of course it’s gonna be the first guy who was nicer-than-just-nice to her---Natchan. I know she didn’t say that exactly, but who else would have changed her outlook?

After that, all of them went to the hotel and checked in. I didn’t expect this event to be a trip! I was already happy that we get two episodes for one event, and now we’re (probably) getting more!

Before dinner, they all took baths in the hot spring. The girls’ topic was light and cute, talking about boys, relationships, and travel. The conversation sure was headed by Yukirin, but at least they got one really positively-hyper friend! Nozomi seems to be seriously lovestruck with Kenchan, and they were all pretty surprised by her proclamation. Mari was becoming jealous and wary of Natchan, realizing Ana is really warming up to him.

On the other hand, the boys’ topic were also of girls, but not of feelings nor places they went to. Instead, they talked about girl’s body parts. Generally, the topic were the same, but their focus is so different! It was great though, very entertaining.

So, we found out that Mattsun likes butts, Kenchan likes boobies, Tsuyoppon likes forearms (???), and Natchan likes anything Ana. Hahaha.

Though we see only Ana and Natchan’s interaction this week, I am still immensely satisfied with the episode. Even with friendship as its focus, I am extremely entertained, happy, and contented.

I have lots of reasons for squealing, widening my eyes, flailing my arms, and just going crazy, but it’s really just because I’m way too thrilled to have Crystal again! And, and, and! The anime is so good---they’re so cute!

The CG transformations are gone, and as much as I like them for the modern edge they give to the animation and the entirety of the series, these normally(?) animated transformations are so much better. They fit well with the episode and with being an anime in general. It was so pleasing to watch, and all I was thinking through the five transformations was that they all looked so freaking beautiful. Sure there were still some poses and movements where their bodies somehow looked distorted or too unproportioned, but admit it, it improved a lot.

Not just the transformations too! The normal scenes were changed as well, they had some chibi appearances which were so adorable! Unlike with the previous seasons where they always looked so poised and ladylike, I found the characters more lovable this time. I know, it was just one episode, but it’s just better. 

Okay, enough with the animation chatter. Let’s talk about the story.

Season III starts off with a glimpse of the antagonist, Pharaoh 20 (Is there really a need for a number?) and an evil right-hand lady. Then, a little girl who seemed to be seeing a tragedy (or are those the events of the previous season?) was shown too.

After that came Haruka and Michiru. They’re so attractive. Stunning. Bewitching. They looked utterly beautiful on their own, and even more so together. Anyway, despite their extreme beauty, they are quite mysterious. I did watch the old anime adaptation, but I was young really young, and I don’t remember much. I do, however, can deduce that this couple doesn’t seem to be an ally. Or maybe not yet anyway.  Since they’re sailor guardians, they’d accompany them sooner or later (right??). Oh well, let’s just wait and see.

Not only did Akari realize her feelings for Kazu, she even told Yuna already! It’s not a secret that Yuna and Kazu are close, as he’s one of the rarely rare men whom Yuna can spoke to. Akari still decided to tell her. Yuna was supportive. Though Yuna had a pretty heartbreaking rejection, and is still constantly feeling a bit of pain because of her love for Rio, she’s not hating on love, and I adore her for that. She’s happy that Akari is happy and excited, given that she hasn’t experienced this kind of love before.

Akari said she did love her previous dates, but this one’s different. That’s probably because her previous dates all liked her first. She did like them, but it was a conscious effort on her part. This one was a surprise. She wasn’t looking at him, and yet his actions made her notice him. I don’t know if I’m making any sense, but that’s how I see it.

Rio noticed this right away. He had never seen some of Akari’s facial reactions before, and they’re reactions he probably would have preferred to be because of him. He has no say in this matter, and he’s right that Kazu wasn’t at fault here. Kazu was just being himself! Rio’s initial reaction towards Kazu was understandable, and he even called him immediately afterwards! Though Rio would be unadmittedly jealous of Rio, I commend him for still continuing their good friendship.

Kazu is still unaware of things. Or is he? Does he normally pull ladies’ hands and smell them just because they’re close? Does this mean he’s comfortable with Akari or is this something normal for him? Though Kazu is adorable and lovable, he’s a mystery you know. Or am I just digging too much? I like the guy, you can’t blame me.

Amusement park episodes never disappoint. They’re always entertaining, both for laughs and for love. In this series’ case, however, it’s not just romantic love but also friendship. Nijiiro Days isn’t always about love anyway, and it has proved that many times before, including this week.

The whole gang---including Nozomi!---went to an amusement park and they had lots of fun. Ana and Mari stuck with each other until Mari felt way too sick because of... exerting too much energy? Ana was quite passive with all the rides and booths, but Mari felt them way too much.

This lead to Mari feeling very sick, and proceeding to the comfort room. At first, they were left alone by the gang, but Ana was pulled by some random man insisting he knows a clinic that can help Mari. Ana, the passive girl she is, wasn’t able to fight him off. Natchan followed suit while Mattsun helped Mari who was then arguing with the random guy’s friend. 

Mari felt dizzy again, and Mattsun immediately caught her... and then accidentally touching her. Oh Mattsun you!  *evil grin*

Meanwhile, these two went off on their own again, and damn! They just never fail to make me smile like a freaking lovestruck teenager. They’re too cute and too in love! I just adore how Tsuyoppon almost never talks, but he’s such a good observer, so perceptive, that he’s able to make her happy all the time. He’s so in love with her just as she is! ♥

Anyway, since majority of the spring season is my vacation, I tend to pick quite a lot of shows at the beginning. I pick up whatever piques my interest, hoping I’ll have more to watch during my vacation because yep, I just stay at home most of the time.

Despite that, I have only five shows to show you. One of them, I’m even hesitating upon. Why like this.

Magi Sinbad no Bouken

I loved the special episodes (OVA?) of Sinbad, and I’m so happy they decided that Sinbad have his own series! Magi is a really good anime, and Sinbad was one of the characters who made it so. He was such a strong character with an equally strong sexual appeal, and I’m so thrilled to see how he reached that status!

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Crystal Season III

I seriously screamed when I saw this on the list. I watched its PV, and I lost it. The animation seemed better, and seeing all these guardians together makes me squeal with so much delight! I also watched the OP and woah, the focus is on the ladies and not Usagi and Mamoru. Gotta love that.

I’m so excited for this! (Neptune and Uranus’ love omg)

Flying Witch

We all need slice of life right? Flying Witch may be supernatural, but its PV kinda focuses on their lives. (I’m sorta hoping for a hint of romance? Hehe.)

Mayoiga

It’s Okada Mari. The writer that always makes me bawl. How would I skip this? This is pretty weird, and I’m so not looking forward to memorizing everyone’s names, but I’m also curious you know. What kind of experiences would they have? And how are their relationships with each other?

Will surely cover this.

Kiznaiver

This one, I just picked on a whim. The blurb kinda made me curious, but the PV did not convince me enough. This would be a series that I won’t cover even if I would watch it continuously.

And there you have it. Those would be the five series that I’d be watching, plus Fairy Tail and Nijiiro Days.

Nozomi is Mattsun’s younger sister! What a wonderful coincidence! Nozome saw Mattsun hanging out with Keichan which lead to her insistence that Mattsun introduce her to him. She was truly fascinated with him, that he seemingly sparkles in her eyes. Though she doesn’t know about his “preferences” yet, she seems to fit in with that! She’s polite, shy, and pretty emotional. She cries easily, and obeys orders immediately as well. (Or is that just with her brother?)

Anyway, Kenchan didn’t recognize her, but when they retold what happened, he did remember the incident. Kenchan was quite gentle in talking to her compared to how he initially reacted back on the beach. He’s gentler because he knows she’s Mattsun’s sister. Mattsun is very protective, so Kenchan is trying to please both. He’s nice to her, so she’d be happy, but he’s also holding back, for Mattsun.

I don’t want him to hold back tho. Hahaha.

Makoto told Reita she likes someone else just so he’d stop. But he won’t. Reita strongly believes she has feelings for him and he’s got to test it out. He did so by pushing her physical limits--while I swoon and go weak at the same time. Makoto does like him, so instead of stopping him or pushing him, she held her stand and let him kiss her. When Reita told her she likes him, she continued on denying. 

She went as far as to look for a prospect for her to fall in love, to prove that she doesn’t like Reita. The other guy was there---of course---and offered his help. Damn him for taking advantage of her. Instead of pushing her and encouraging her that since Reita is so special to him, just like she is to him, that they must go and dive thinking positively, he asked her to go out with him! Goodness, he’s definitely not a nice guy.