This was so.... WOW.
Yeah, yeah, there are some plot holes, and some things aren't likely to be explained in the last episode. But flaws are ignorable when the good parts in it are over the top!!! xD
Oh this episode just made me more amazed with the series than I already am, and love the characters more than I already do =3
(IKEBUKURO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
OMG, after finding out that Taketazaki is an information broker, I don't think I'm the only one who got reminded of my favorite from the series Durarara!!, Izaya Orihara. Taketazaki may not be a heartrob, nor is he as retarded as Izaya; they're both freakin' twisted and could help out the protagonists if they want to (In Izaya's case though, he's usually the "villain"). They do their jobs very well too and pretty much updated to technology. Izaya's online chatting and Taketazaki's "tweeting".... hahahahahaha! Oh information brokers like these are so much fun~
Another character who stands out in this episode for me is Masakaki.... especially the North American Masakaki. They're both jerks, but the American one seems more of an asshole compare to the Japanese Masakaki, bwahahahaha!
But of course Japanese Masakaki is still the more amusing one~ His facial reactions upon meeting up with the American Masakaki was funny. It was also hilarious to watch him pretending to be affected when the hyper inflation was happening in the real world. I think he just feels like doing it; no apparent reason. Hahahaha:
Third character who stands out for me is Q. Finally, the moment I've been waiting for has come: Q going berserk. OMG SHE'S SO CREEPY!!!! It appears that she REALLY loves to eat. That was so wicked.
Jennifer is aware of how frightening Q is. I am very impressed with how the seiyuu had voiced her during her battle. She sounded really desperate... in a losing battle. Listening to her final words had been so heartbreaking.
Speaking of the voices, I also love how Hearts Dude (I forgot his name, but I love this guy xD) was voiced during his battle with Kimimaro. One moment he's hyper, then later he sounds serious, then terrifyingly angry. Those switches on tone and voice.... freakin' awesome xD
The traitor among Mikuni's subordinates had been revealed. It's cool that Isurugi still managed to do what he and Taketazaki was planned even though he didn't expect to be caught. Since he lifted his card, there might be a fight between him and the Smiley Belt Guy (it looked like a smiley to me, haha). Haven't seen his Asset yet, so I really look forward to his Duel~
So only Flower Dude and Smiley Belt Guy are those that are loyal to Mikuni. I suppose they do want to save Japan as much as Mikuni does, but their only difference is that Mikuni cares about his Asset; the other two don't give a damn if their Assets are hurt.
Mikuni's not really a bad guy, but the drastic negative effects of his recent actions are making him a "villain". Even if what he's trying to do is something good, when blinded by hatred and vengeance, there's no way the results of his actions not be stained with malice and blood. He does not realize that what he's doing right now is the same as what his father did: giving Japan (company) more priority than those that matter more to him, like his Asset (his daughter). Though he's getting a hint of that because he was seeing himself on Kimimaro, when Kimimaro is voicing out his beliefs... which were similar to his way back then. Oh how power could change people...
Speaking of change, looks like Kimimaro is no longer the "Normal" Entre because he was granted with the black card. It's sad that we weren't given an explanation on how the hell their Cards change. This episode only admitted that Kimimaro got an upgrade because of special treatment, not through normal procedure.
In any case, this is better than Kimimaro powering up (because of a miracle) in the middle of his match with Mikuni. His victory against Flower Dude might've made his cash close to Mikuni's. Kimimaro's got two Assets now too... (same as Mikuni's) and George's seems very powerful. They're also exhausted from the previous fight. So right now, I think Kimimar's on the same level as Mikuni's now.... the only advantages that Mikuni's got is his better physical combat ability, and his experience. Oh we know Kimimaro's going to win despite that.... but how he wins... we'll see *_*
I don't think it had been Jennifer's intention to make Kimimaro face off with Mikuni. She shouldered the more difficult and risky task herself; which is just right since she's the older and more experienced one. Kimimaro was supposed to be just a decoy... or someone just to hold off one of the Mikuni loyalists. But since Jennifer failed, and he's the main protagonist anyway, that's the only time he stepped into the grand arena. My point is, though Jennifer does expect Kimimaro to be the one who can stop Mikuni, she didn't depend too much on our hero.
About Kimimaro's battle against Flower Dude, I'm not sure if I should be impressed or not. I mean, I wonder where the hell Kimimaro got the money to afford a Macro-inflation. And he was very decided not to let Mashu out at first, but after their moment and Flower Dude launches an attack, he sent her out to defend him anyway =_= But putting those parts aside, I think it was pretty awesome~ Well, yeah, Kimimaro's been a freakin' martyr for trying to fight on his own... and he has been a very pathetic fighter. But Kimimaro's only a normal kid; the only fighting moves that he's really capable of are the surprise attacks, which he had done with his first battle as a Guild Member, and now on his first battle against one. Call it luck, but I think it had been Kimimaro's strategy to target the broken part of the Asset, and make a direct hit at Flower Dude when he comes close. That was pretty cool~
It's been a while since we've got fight scenes in this series.... nice to see them back and I think they were freakin' awesome! It might still not be visually appealing to the majority, but for me it felt like I was watching some RPG game on some game console with high quality graphics, hehe. And oh, the fighting moves based on economic terms are back: Overheated Economy, Cannibalization, and Mergers and Acquisitions. Kimimaro's moves are so destructive; Mikuni's so freaky (from something gallant (White Knight) to something barbaric (Cannibalism)); while Jennifer's so mystical!
Of course, this series is not limited to economic terms! There are many other references in this series *_* Michael has spotted a number of them. The show's obviously showing economics and finance references behind the "card battles", but it's more subtler references are the occult, religious, philosophical, psychological, and sociological ones *_* People who have the time and knowledge to look into the series more deeply (but not going too far) astound me.
I really love it that this series is still hinting a powerful message even behind the romance. Yes, the moment between Kimimaro and Mashu was so.... daaaaaaaaw.... but Kimimaro's determination to protect his most beloved is the same as "protecting hope". Even with its uncertainity, only the chance of a bright future can save us from the miserable present. With no future, the present ain't gonna last long. This is related to the significance of protecting children in the real world... because they're our future.
It's so sad that this series is going to end soon. With more episodes, we could've learned more about the Financial District and even meet the Entres from other parts of the globe (The North American District being proud of having a lot of Super Entrepreneurs really intrigued me. I think opponents over there are waaaaaaaaay tougher than our Mikuni). I'm hoping for special episodes, or better if there'll be a sequel~ But *sigh*.... I'll just be sadder if I get my hopes too high, hehe.
(Kimimaro looks so like a mainstream bishie shounen hero here xD)
