Aldnoah Zero - ep04

Now that the battle with Trillram is over they are trying to regroup with the rest of their forces. That it is in this moment of peace that some of the unresolved issues are being addressed. That the first of the issues is the Princess of Mars introducing herself as Seylum in-front of Inaho and his sister Yuki. This leads to his sister getting the wrong idea on why Seylum wants to be alone with Inaho. This leads to her revealing her identity to Inaho which wasn't unexpected given her supposed hypothetical situation. This causes Inaho to keep her secret because she would be the ideal target to take out their grief on. Although this also cause a problem with how she will tell her people that she is still alive, so that the war can be stopped because all long range communication are impossible.

This also hits on another issue the fact that Slaine knows that she is alive. Initial he wanted to tell Count Cruhteo, but with how he is acting Cruhteo might just kill her anyways because it would be inconvenient if she was still alive. That with her death they have a valid reason to wage war on the earth so that they can take for themselves. That until Slaine can really find out who is really behind the assassination it is best that the Martian continue to believe that she is dead. This leads to him convince the count to let him join the fight because the is the only way his is going to discover the truth.

This returns us to Inaho and the others as they are gathering supplies while waiting to rejoin the rest of their forces which are set to converge on this abandon warehouse. That while waiting they are attack by another enemy, but instead of trying to defeat them Inaho's goal is to buy enough time so that they can escape. Also his other goal is to find out the characteristic of this new enemy. This leads to him learning that explosive round are useless because the enemies sword just cause them to explode while armor piercing rounds are diverted because the tips of the bullets melt which cause the bullets trajectories to be altered. That through the fight they just didn't manage to gather intelligence on this new enemy but they were also able to do enough damage that would prevent them from following once they began to make their escape. The question is what will happen now that they have rejoin with the main force.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - ep17

Normal you would expect that Tatsuya would be question about his victory, however they ignored the growing speculation around Tatsuya true skill and instead focus on the progression of the story. This leads us to the day of Miyuki's event on the ninth day of the competition. This also shines some light on Tatsuya's action, it hard to believe that he doesn't know No-Headed Dragon's intended is to have the First High School lose despite not knowing that it is all related to them trying to cook the books. That would mean that the most practical way for him to protect Miyuki was to lose the Monolith Code event which he participate in that would guarantee that they would come in second but with his victory the only thing stand between the First High School and their third year as champions is Mirage Bat competition. This also makes it No-Head Dragon's last chance to sabotage the First High School.

Now the first match of Mirage Bat begins however in this match someone else from the First High School is participating in this match because Miyuki's match comes later. It turn out this is fortunate because as Tatsuya expected they have stop trying to indirectly sabotage and have gone for a more direct approach. Although in expecting that something might happen he has Mizuki careful watch the match and she catches a flash of light around Kobayakawa's CAD before it failed. Which tells Tatsuya that they are now force to directly sabotage their CADs but this also gives Tatsuya a chance to catch them in the act. It just unfortunate that someone need to be sacrifice to allow Tatsuya to catch them.

This leads them into catching them in the act when Tatsuya is submitting Miyuki CAD to pre-match examination. That it is here that he catches them in the act and proceeds to integrate the saboteur. That is until Retsu Kudou shows up and question Tatsuya's on his actions, and when he informs him of the act of sabotage that he witnessed. Retsu confirms what was actual done that the committee member inserted Golden Electron silkworm. That it is a delayed activation sequence that cause the CAD to fail, that in the light of this event he suggest that Tatsuya uses a Backup CAD and there will be no need to have it check since the integrity of the committee has been compromise. Although because of this event Retsu is able to get a meeting with Tatsuya at a later date.

Now as Miyuki is participating in her first match it isn't going as well as Tatsuya would like. This leads to Miyuki requesting to use his flight magic, which he allows. That in using this spell it allows Miyuki to easily get first place guaranteeing her place in the final but with this act it is almost painfully obvious that Tatsuya is Torus Silver. Also this unfair advantage that he caused has the other school to obtain his sequence based on the grounds of cheating. Then to alleviate those concerns they leaked his sequence to the other schools allowing everyone to have access to flying magic.

Now as Miyuki is obtain the victory for the finals of Mirage Bat, there is still the fact that No-Headed Dragon still tried to compromise the tournament by trying to enact a massacre to cause the tournament to be called off before the First High School could be declared the winners. However this attempt was intercepted by Tatsuya's comrades. This shows that No-Headed Dragon has stop their attempts of Sabotage and are now trying to direct assault the Tournament grounds. It is likely that with this latest failure, their next attempt is not going be stop as quietly as the last one. That everything is going to come to ahead on the final day of the tournament.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha - ep03

Now as the big game is getting started everyone one has to get their club to participate. It seems that for the relay only two member per club can participate which is convent for Koutarou since he and Sakuraba are the only members. Although how he tried to convince her to help him out sound a bit too much like a love confession, but it clear how she feels about Koutarou if her disappointment is a sign of her true feeling once she realized what he was truly asking. The others join the relay with no problem it just that Sanae can't join because she is a ghost but instead she has to decide who to support and she will get the same place as them.

The race itself was kind of interesting with the various challenges to over come at each station. The other issue is that Theia and Kiriha set up traps to back stab the other competitors. The first was how Kiriha set up a massive pile up at the school gate. Which force Koutarou to take drastic action to allow him and Sakuraba to continue the race. The other big act of sabotage was done by Theia where she place a landmines beneath the last obstacle, which ultimately changes the results of the race. Although the most interesting point is the development of Sakuraba relationship with Yurika.

That this friendship is first formed when Yurika is have trouble to find to will to continue on and it is Sakuraba that is there to help pick her up. That from this moment on they progress together side by side not really caring what place they come in at. This turns out to be a fortunate out come for Sakuraba when she has an attack and the only one that can help her is Yurika. Although normal she would just give up but because she done so much or her she doesn't give in. this shows us that Sakuraba isn't quite normal since something help Yurika's magic along. Then there is the fact is her willingness to accept that Yurika used magic to heal her and not reject the fact like everyone else has done. That it is through their bond that allows them to come in first place when normally they would have came in last and the minefield did help them out. It seem that the nature of the game is going to make sure that no-one wins and no-one lose either. The other point that seems to exist is the exploration of the truth behind Sakuraba.

Aldnoah Zero - ep03

Now that Inaho and the others are safe for now from their stalker, they are going about probing the enemy to find it's weakness before they rush off into battle. This is probable the key reason they everyone else has died fighting these guys because the use brute force rather than finesse. This is most likely going to be key in this series by studying the enemy to learn it characteristic so that they can discover it weakness and use it against them. The importance of this is shown through Inaho's planning, that the enemy negates anything that make contact with it no matter what it is. This also means that he is blind and deaf but he is able to see by alternative means. This is how he was able to find them as they were running away and also why he did give chase when they enter the tunnel. This means that his only real means of seeing is through his satellites.

This leads to the execution of their plan which is first to blind him using smokescreen, but before that happens they draw his attention by sending out the armor transport first which is conveniently being driven by his target. Although the main goal of the smokescreen is to keep him ignorant of their true intent, which is to lure him out onto the bridge. In the end their plan is almost destroyed with the reappearance of Slaine who informs him of the location of the trailer. Then shortly after that he is taken out by Calm but not before he is hit as well taking him out of the fight.

Things come to a close when Trillram forces the Trailer to crash but they still need more time before the final phase of the plan can be executed. This leads to the martian princess revealing herself to Trillram but with his unwillingness to bow to her proves that elements within her government are trying to assassinate her. Then with this growing problem they get some reinforcements with the arrival of Lt. Marito who has rescued Yuki with the other civilians. This buys them enough time for Inko to get into position to take out the bridge knocking Trillram into the water. Where Calm uses a drone to observe the effects of the water has on his armor. That with this they are able to determine where there is a chink in his armor. That once this is known Inaho who is hiding in the shadow of the bridge is able to strike and end the threat. Although it seems that Trillram survived but when he shows that he is displeasure in the fact princess is still alive leads to Slaine killing him. The question is what will Slaine do, will he return to Count Cruhteo to inform him of the princess survival or will he try to join up with the princess.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - ep16

Now we have a bit of preparation before the showdown between between First and Third high school. First thing is that we find out what was in the case that kokonoe had Haruka deliver to Tatsuya. It turns out that it wasn't something for him but it was for Mikihiko and Leo. That these capes are engraved with spells that will amplify their casting potential, but their real purpose is as a counter measure to Kichijoji magic since it needs visual recognition to lock on the target. That these capes are design to prevent that. Even with all these preparation Tatsuya is questioning the fact that victory might be beyond them. It also seems that there is some limiter on his powers that Miyuki is responsible for and it leads to Tatsuya questioning the fact that if they both fought without limitation would it even be possible for him to win.

This leads into the actual showdown and the one that draws the most attention is the confrontation between Tatsuya and Ichijo. Where their fight is the embodiment of an immovable object meeting an unstable force. That eventually Tatsuya's defense start to slip up which leads him into upping his game by using his elemental sight which allows him to recognize activation of spells before they even form. Although this ends up putting enough pressure on Ichijo where he unleashes a sequence that is design to kill Tatsuya but he is able to counter most of it but not all of it. That with taking this hit it knock him right next Ichijo and it is during this that we see another one of his special skill instant regeneration where all the damage is negated. That it is in this moment that Tatsuya finish Ichijo off but also takes himself out of the fight as well. That at the end of this fight we also get to here what flash cast is from his superiors. That it the ability to call up activation sequence from memory to void the time delay in activation to such a degree that he does even need a CAD. Although it is obvious why he didn't use it because people would start question the validity of him being a course two student more than they already are with his victory over Ichijo.

Now with the two aces taken out of the fight it is mainly a fight between Kichijoji and the rest of Tatsuya's team. First Ichijo tries to take out Leo but is surprised when he turn his cape into a shield which allow him to create the prefect defense against his magic but before Leo can strike down Kichijoji he is taken out by Ichijo before his conclusion of his fight with Tatsuya. This leads to him mostly fighting Mikihiko although he gets in a couple of good hits on Mikhiko ultimately he is defeat by Mikihiko combination of spirit magic that keeps his attention focus on the ground while he strikes him down from above. However with his victory he is left exhausted and vulnerable to the third high schools last player. This is the time that Leo rejoins the fight by first blocking the attack directed at Mikihiko then finish him off with his long range CAD. That with this they are victorious but Tatsuya is starting to get some unwanted attention particularly from Mayumi because it is undeniable that she is going to question on how he manage to get back up after he was hit by Ichijo. There is also the issue that the founder of the ten clans Retsu Kudou has become interested in Tatsuya and it isn't unlikely that he will request an audience with him in the light of his victory. Then there is also the issue that maybe this over-attack that was done that initial is responsible for getting Tatsuya involved wasn't arranged by his superiors to force a confrontation between Ichijo and Tatsuya. Although the most pressing question is what is Tatsuya true potential, now that they mention his limiter it is only a matter of time before it is removed.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha - ep02

It still kind unclear on the direction that they intend to go in with this series but this time they go over the rules that Shizuka set out. They are not allow to fight directly to solve their dispute this is when Koutarou come up with the idea of playing a game of cards. That they are going to fight for the room through a game of old maid, although poker I would think would be more practical. How things work is that each player gets one tatami mat for their territory that it is this territory that is their currency. That they get 1 point for each centimeter of the mat for a total of 180 point. First place get four point from the person in last, while second get one point from the person that come four and third doesn't gain or lose any points. That they are limited to five game a day, this make the game a lot like No Game No Life where their fate is determine by a game.

However this is only the initial setup but it seems that they are further invading Koutarou life by joining his school. Although it seems like there is a bond forming between Koutarou and Sanae because they have the most common ground because they just want to keep their home. That they have form a bit of an alliance which leads to Koutarou planning to knock Yurika out of the running by force her to join a cosplay club since no-one really believes that she is a Magical Girl but it is ironic that by join this club end her losing streak and she is able to gain back most of what she lost.

There is also the fact that Kiriha is starting to get on better terms by extend an olive branch to Koutarou by cooking for him. It seems that thing might not rely on eliminating anyone from the game but by coming to an understanding between the five of them. Although this has begone to some extend however the one most exclude right now is Yurika but that will not change until something happens to force them to believe her. Although it seems that thing are moving forward with introduction of a new game in the form of a obstacle course as suggested by Kiriha, since card games are getting a bit tiresome. It is possible that this game might end up changing their relationship but the greater question is how can a ghost compete.

Aldnoah Zero - ep01&02

This series does an interesting spin on the idea of martian invaders, where we made first contact by discovering a dimensional gate on the moon that made colonizing mars possible but through this gate we encounter an evolved human race that left earth many thousand of years ago and they want it back. However the one thing that is never real explained is why a peace treaty was formed, but this is the world we come into 15 years of peace since initial contact. Although some believe that the peace won't last, this is proven true when the martian princess come to visit earth and she is assassinated. Then in the wake of her supposed death the martian waste no time in igniting the fires of war with out even taking the time to investigate if she is still alive or not. Even going further by assuming that earth was responsible for it not even considering that there wouldn't be people in their government that would wish her dead because she stood in their way of take back what they saw was already theirs and this would allow them to finish what they started.

The question of why they stop the war fifteen years ago is more unclear because she the technology that they use there was no need for them to stop the conflict since they had an overwhelming tactical advantage. It seems that right now it seems that this war will be resolve through political means rather than through violence. This become more clear when we see Sir Trillram met up with Princess Asseylum assassins, that we discover that they were a sleeper cell planted on earth at the end of the conflict. That for their survive they where promise knighthood however that promise Trillram has no intention of fulfilling that it is more convenient that they are silence. However Rayet escapes when she is rescue by Yuki, who is to only witness that can speak of Mar's guilt.

Then you have the fact that Princess Asseylum isn't dead, that who died in the attack is her body double. That through her meeting Inaho she ends on the same armor carrier that Rayet is on, but the problem is that Trillram is pursuing because of Rayet. The other issue is that how does Inaho plan to defeat Trillram since it appears that the armies attempt have been futile. There is the other issue of the fact that they barely manage to escape. The question is even if they do succeed are the Martians going to just willingly accept that Asseylum is still alive, and if they do who to say that still won't try to kill her anyways since using her identity against Trillram would back fire since it would be inconvenient to him if she is still alive. Then the issue would be how would they get her to Count Cruhteo who is the one that would be most loyal to her.

Mahou Koukou no Rettousei - ep15

Things return to Tatsuya informing Leo and Mikihiko of the part they will play in the Monolith Code event. That in a way it seems that Tatsuya derives some pleasure from this since he couldn't get out of it then they have no right trying to escape their fate either. This leads to Tatsuya explain his plan for the event it self. First is the issue with Leo since his magic is focus on self fortification which would make is magic illegal under the rules of the competition since direct physical attack are forbidden. However Tatsuya has a loop hole in this by having Leo use the splitting sword which would allow him to use fortification from a distance not breaking the rules. The second issue is Mikihiko doubt in his magic and how he feels that modern magic is superior to ancient. However Tatsuya clears this misconception by going into the fact that the only thing Modern magic has going for it is speed, while Ancient magic is superior to it in all other respects such as potency and diversity.

This gets us into their position in the event itself Leo will be the defender protecting the monolith. Mikihiko will provide support to both Leo on defense and Tatsuya that is on offense. Then point of this formation is not to directly engage the enemy by win by accessing the monolith. While it seems that the other school have trained in this event for direct confrontation are in the end ill prepared to counter Tatsuya tactics. The just cruse through all of the other school expect their true competition the third high school that will be decided next time. However they were fortunate drawing field that suit their tactics. Although the match against the Third High School is going to be difficult for Tatsuya because it is on an open field which Misaki Ichijo excels on and there will no where to hide. This is why Ichijo has issue a challenge to Tatsuya in his last match before the fight to force Tatsuya to fight him head on.

While Ichijo might get his wish I don't expect that Tatsuya will play fair. First you have his military superiors mentioning two spells he hasn't used yet Flash Cast and Elemental Sight which hint at the fact that he has been saving them for the final match. Then you have this package that Kokonoe-sensei has Haruka deliver to Tatsuya and is this something he is going to use in his match with Ichijo or is it something that he will use in the coming confrontation with the No-Headed Dragon that is coming. Then towards this end he offers to pay Haruka if she can find the location of No-Headed Dragon's base of operation, that he wants to know where they are in case they decided to attack but for now it is just for preparations.

This also leads to the question of the ramification of what victory will mean for him. That Ichijo is the third high school star player the best of the best. What will this mean if Tatsuya a 2 course student beats him. Someone that normal would have never have competed if Morisaki's team was never taken out. There is also the fact that the field that they will battle on is very convent for the third high school giving them just what they wanted. While Ichijo might not be connected to the syndicate it is possible that Kichijoji is because it is something that could have easy been arranged and it seemed like Kichijoji knew it was going to be an open fielded. It appears that Monolith Code has too much attention brought to it for direct interference to be possible but it might just be that they don't think it is possible for Ichijo to lose to a course 2 student in direct combat.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha - ep01

This is going to be an interesting spin on the Harem genre, the story begins with our Protaginst Satomi Koutarou starting his life in his 6-tatami mat apartment. What is interesting is he is renting it for about 5,000 yen which is about 50 dollar, which inherently means that there is something wrong with it but he doesn't care. The reason is he want to make things easier on his father so he isn't going to allow anything to drive him away from this cheap apartment. Although there are some unanswered question such why father and son need to live apart as well as how Koutarou mother died. This is going to be important since they don't immediately explain why.

This connection is made deeper with his desire to join the Knitting Club so that he can finish the sweater that is place next to the family photo on his desk back home. However the event that begins the chaos is him falling down this hole and meeting with this spirit which bares a remarkable similarity to Sakuraba his club President. That after this encounter we see ghost images of various invaders that he will be meeting later. Things really begin as he returns home and encounter the ghost Sanae that tried to scary him last night and failed. Things get complicated when Sanae is even prepare to kill Koutarou to get ride of him so that she can have the apartment to herself again. However Koutarou is prepared for this fight because his Grandmother loves sending him go luck charms.

Although before the fight could escalate even further it is interrupted by the Magical Girl Yurika which neither Koutarou or Sanae take seriously. Than as she is trying to explain that he must leave this room because it will become the site where a great battle will take place over the great magical power the room holds she is interrupted by Kurano Kiriha who come up through the floor. That her clam is she an ancient human that were force underground many millienum ago and she want the room to rebuild their shrine. This leads to Koutarou seriously considering her offer because she is act in a civil manner, this changes when he discovers that she intends to take over the world.

Things get worse still with the arrival of an alien, however Koutarou has had enough and tries to force this newest invader out before they even arrive. Although it just make the situation worse with his hands on her chest as she come through the wall, which alone leads to her being further offended with his statement of her being flat chested. This leads to the others uniting against this newest intruder which results in Sanae dealing to final blow with tying her dress about her hand give this new comer the nickname tulip. Which cause her to lose her temper and try to wipe them out but is brought back to her sense by her attendant Ruth. Now with some degree of peace obtained it lead to a confrontation with the Landlady Shizuka which is very displeased with the stat the room is in. The question what is the nature of the agreement that she had them sign, will they all start living in the same room. Currently it unclear the direction that the series will be going in.

Mahou Koukou no Rettousei - ep14

Things return to the moment that Ichijo and Kichijoji are confronting Tatsuya. It seems that they are interested to see if he will be involved in the Monolith Code. However they act disappoint the he won't be, on the other hand it seem that Tatsuya gain more than them from this interaction then they did. First of all he finds it extremely convent that these two enroll in the same school to the point it seem criminal unfair. Which seem to imply that it might have been arranged by the No-Head Dragon syndicate however there is yet to be any clear connection but it is also suspicious on why this syndicates action are so supportive of the Third High School.

Although things are lighten up a bit with Honoka winning her race. Then moving onto the conclusion of Pillar Break where it come down if they want to continue the competition or share first place since the outcome no-longer matters since it will not effect the First High School score. However Shizuku and Miyuki go forward with the competition but largely it seems more about the two trying to impress Tatsuya. Now it seems the competition is entering it final phase with the last to competitions being Mirage Bat and Monolith Code. However it seems that tragedy has stroke again with an A rank illegal spell taking out the first years.

That with this clear act of sabotage Mayumi once again consults with Tatsuya on what he think about what happen. That he he conveys that it isn't revenge against them by Blanche for bring down one of their branches. Then he uses the sabotage attempt that he and Mikihiko stop as grounds to informer Mayumi of the party involved while hide his deeper connection to the military. Also it seems that Mayumi implies that they might not be out of the competition just yet since Jyumonji is currently negotiating with the representative since they are contemplating voiding the entire event.

It seems that trouble is on the horizon for Tatsuya because he has done to good of a job. Since Nakajou-Sempai has caught on to the fact that Tatsuya is Tarus Silver. That she adds up the fact of his specialize CAD his comment at the begging of the Tournament with his knowledge of these A rank spells that he shouldn't know unless he developed them. This is not the least of his problems since Mayumi has reach a comprise with the the officials that they will be allow to select a replacement for the Monolith Code. It seems that they are already grantee second place but to win first the must take Monolith Code and towards this end Mayumi select Tatsuya. Although Tatsuya tries to get out it by falling back on his statues as a second course student. However Jyumonji rejects his defense by stating he doesn't have the authority to reject Mayumi decision, that he is competing in the Monolith Code and that is final but he is able to choose two other of his own choosing to compete with even if they weren't part of the original 21 sent to the completion. Towards this end he chooses Leo and Mikihiko this means the fate of the school lies with three second course students but the question remains did Tatsuya expect this all along since he made that new CAD for Leo or is he honesty surprise about the turn of event that has force this upon him.