I’m not working today since I got a cold. Man, the rain these days can be really poisonous to the body. Just a drip to the head and the next you know, you got a cold the next day. Well, before I go to bed again to have some rest, here’s the wallpaper for this week. Enjoy.
I recently applied for a job at an anime company, for which I’d gladly give up my right nip to get. It’s not that I don’t like my current job. I’m pretty settled, but as time goes on, I find myself longing for something different. After six years, it’s to be expected, I suppose, because like passion in a relationship, passion for a job fades over time. You may start out loving it, but if you don’t shake things up every once in a while, you’ll end up hating everything about it sooner or later. We’re fickle creatures so it’s not the job’s fault. It is what it is…until it isn’t. *sigh*
Here’s the rub: does doing something related to your hobby make work better or does it just turn your hobby into work? I know people who say, “if you really love what you do, you’d do it for free.” I work in a field that I love and the money comes up so short that I almost feel like I’m doing it for free. I’ve reached a point in my life where I need to start thinking about planning for retirement and not about how much fun it would be to work for an anime company. The words “fun” and “high-paying job” do not compute. I guess it’s time to get one of those soul-sucking corporate gigs that pay the big bucks. If it means that I’ll get to retire without having to be a Walmart greeter when I reach my 60s, so be it.
Summary
Edo-period at Japan suffers a big cultural shock. First, the aliens invaded the earth, overpowered the nation’s government, disbanded carrying swords for the once proud samurais. Moreover; these aliens took the people’ jobs and are currently running a sweatshop using them as laborers. Going with the flow, Sakata Gintoki, an enigmatic vagrant samurai whose personal trademark is not only his naturally permed silver hair but also his love of anything sweet and addiction Shounen Jump is making a life out of this chaotic era. He is self employed in a do-it-all shop named Yoruzuya Gin-chan who offers any job for any amount of money. Their jobs range from searching lost kittens and saving the world.Sakata Gintoki is a samurai living in an era when samurais are no longer needed. To add to his troubles, oppressive aliens have moved in to invade. Gintoki lives with Kagura and Shinpachi, taking on odd jobs to make the world a better place…and to pay their rent.
Review
Gintama… is probably one of the most incredible manga and anime to set foot on to this planet. No joke here.
Gintama is a gag story of sorts. Making parodies and references to popular series like Naruto, Bleach and Mario and also cliches that break the fourth wall, like referring to themselves as a manga or anime and talking about their limited budgets for the show continue to entertain the audience, even until the 200th episode.
The episode titles make interesting modern world references, and it seems to point at our short-comings in an oddly amusing way.
Of course, Gintama is not all humor and games. Occasionally, there will be the more serious story arcs that contain intense development and fighting. These story arcs have proven to be rather detailed and well-done, bringing out many different aspects of a character’s personality, such as the popular Benizakura Arc and the Shinsengumi Mutiny Arc.
Gintama feels like a huge collection of genres done well. Parodies and humor aside, the fighting scenes are also great to watch and look at, unlike many other anime series whose fight scenes are long and draggy. The serious arcs are fast paced and enjoyable, while the daily-life arcs are humourous and move at a relaxing pace. Gintama garners a score of 8.3/10.So after completing a manga and watching the entire anime, I get depressed, as there is no longer anything to look forward to reading or watching each day.
This is usually the point where I turn to fanfiction. In order to satisfy my fanshipping and whatnot, I read multiple stories, and write a few of my own as well. I find it both easier to read and write fanfics about completed mangas, simply because all the arcs are finished and each character has been developed as far as they will be developed in terms of being canon.
Sometime soon, I’ll go to my library and pick out a random manga—that’s usually how I find new things to read. I also go through extensive researching to find the names of dubbed animes I come across while on vacation [this is how I found Shugo Chara! Mermaid Melody, and Sgt Frog, to name a few.]
Since I’ve finished the HnG manga, and just watched the conclusion of the anime, I think this is the perfect time for me to start my Hikaru/Akira obsession [ever since that chapter when Akira blows up at Hikaru for playing badly, I knew they were gonna be my OTP.]
Anyway…back to reading. [I actually feel a bit happier at the prospect of Akaru/Hikira* fanfics.]
*A portmanteau of Hikaru and Akira. Since they switch roles [seme/uke] quite often, Akaru will be when I’m referring to Akira as the seme, and Hikira will be when I’m referring to Hikaru as the seme. :3
Watch out. Long long LONG post today. Kinda. -.-”
You know that “hot burning sensation” your teacher talked about during a particular pep-talk?
Well… News Flash! She wasn’t talking about first penetration.
Instead what she really meant was how your eyeballs would feel after sitting through two weeks watching nothing but the best mind-boggling animes Japans has to offer.
After 5cm per second, I continued with Mouryo no Hako. Some thinks its a murder mystery, some might say it’s supernatural, even paranormal.
Bah… to me; It’s good old mind-rape.
Though I enjoyed the anime, I should warn you guys that there is a high chance that you’ll be skipping through the anime as their truckloads worth of facts will inevitably bore most viewers.
Hate how the mystery was solved just because the detective knew the prime suspect. A solution which is slightly too much of a coincidence for my taste. I would prefer it if it was solved because of some revelations made or some clues discovered. Instead of the reason that just because they were acquainted, hence he knows the mystery behind it. Something that involves real detective work… you know.
4-Stars then. Mind rape is mind rape :p If not for the scene where a head was shot up sky high and blew into fireworks. Lol.
Anyway, completed Mouryo no Hako and that’s when I thought I’d try a epic anime marathon. Epic in the sense that I’d watch all the great animes everyone has talked about. Instead of spacing and slotting a mediocre anime in between like I’ve always tried to do. Thinking back and still remembering how good Sasameki Koto and 5cmpersec were. Mouryo no Hako definitely was a slight hiccup. But let’s move on to more great animes.
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So what did I watch? Spirited Away… FINALLY!
Been planning to watch this since god knows when. And I think I understand why it has always been a must-watch classic. The imagination found in this movie is god-like. I’ve watched my fair share of animes (not to boast or anything) through the recent years and even so, I can still feel Spirited Away beaming** with originality. And I’m just a sucker for endings like the one in Spirited Away.
Although I really want to give it a go, I won’t dwell into the anime any further. Cause frankly, there are way more epic posts out there on this anime. It’s a fact. 
Though I’d like to add that I felt the ending didn’t do the whole anime justice. The build-up was epic. Too epic to be ended so sudden with my face full of question marks. Like how No-Face was just “dumped” at the elder twin sister’s home without knowing why it followed XXX in the first place. “Just because”? I don’t buy it. Still a 5-er in my books though.
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Completed Spirited Away, what’s next? Looked through my store and Woot! Has to be this. Kara no Kyoukai! Been saving this baby since forever! And reading Klux’s post about just makes me more eager to start this. Still remember watching chapter 1 ages ago. Was blown away then. Still blown away now. Seriously, the wait was well worth it.
You know what makes Kara no Kyoukai epic?
The music; the song, the background music.
Never have I been so amazed by the bgm of an anime.
When was the last time I even mentioned bgm with regards to an anime? I don’t even remember… Pfft.
The sudden burst of tempo as things pick up pace. The mystical piece when characters face revelations just makes it more intriguing.
Woahhh!
Sheer perfection, if I may.
Kick ass graphics, Yes.
Mind blowing story, sure.
Periodic mindfark, don’t even mention it.
However, it will all start to lose effect after watching 3 episodes in a row. The dark theme starts to feel boring as curiosity builds up but are barely satisfied with brief recaps of the past which leaves viewers at the mercy of their own imagination to fill up the missing gaps. That being said, as long as you don’t marathon the series, you’ll do alright. Unfortunately, that’s not how I watch (or review) animes. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t get a 5 out of me.
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*Am watching Fate/Stay night the Reproduction at time of drafting this post. Gawd Damn, I forgot how hot Tohsaka Rin and Saber was!! But Shiki of Kara no Kyoukai is just >*. Lol.
**beaming
Hmm… Is there such a word as breaming? Initially I went “breaming with originality”. Inputs appreciated…
***Guess what I’m moving on to next?!. Summer Wars then Tokyo Godfather… Can’t wait! :p
Track List
1. We can do it!
2. Shy Girls -Hayama Nayu ver-
3. 女の子の本音-葉山奈由編- (Onna no Ko no Honne -Hayama Nayu-hen-)
4. We can do it! -off vocal ver.-
Four character song singles released on the same day… well, I don’t have to do lyrics again for Shy Girls, and the third track is a drama, so it’s not so bad. (track 2 cleverly redirected to the Shy Girls post)
Chu-Bra!! is actually pretty good music-wise. You’d think the songs were just your usual moe themes, but they’re actually really cute. It probably helps that the seiyuu cast is great. Minorin’s got a good singing range – compare cutesy stuff like this to say, Paradise Lost from Ga-Rei -Zero-.
Yako, Haruka, and Kiyono will have to wait until tomorrow. -w-
Also, this time I’ve actually bothered to make the song page jumps clickable from the main page too, since I’ve noticed that some people are clicking them from there only to reach a dead link. I’ll incorporate this from now on… editing of previous posts will be done eventually. Maybe.
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We can do it!
Hayama Nayu (CV: Chihara Minori)
女の子同士だって 言えない秘密があるよ
onna no ko doushi datte ienai himitsu ga aruyo
サイズの違う 心と身体 持って余してる毎日
saizu no chigau kokoro to karada motte amashiteru mainichi
一度きり! 二度とない青春を
ichido kiri! nidoto nai seishun wo
どんなときも諦めない
donna toki mo akiramenai
ひとりでは出来ない 冒険でも
hitori de ha dekinai bouken demo
みんなでなら 出来そうでしょ
minna de nara dekisou desho
恥ずかしくなどないよ
hazukashiku nadonaiyo
強く強く 願えばきっと
tsuyoku tsuyoku negaeba kitto
叶う未来（あした）がある We can do it!
kanau ashita ga aru We can do it!
ひとつひとつ 頑張ることで
hitotsu hitotsu ganbaru koto de
気持ちいい ぴったりの
kimochi ii pittari no
笑顔に会えるはず
egao ni aeru hazu
女の子の一日は ドキドキすることばかり
onna no ko no ichinichi ha dokidoki suru koto bakari
周りの声に 戸惑いながら 抱きしめている情熱
mawari no koe ni tomadoi nagara dakishimeteiru jounetsu
大丈夫! 無理しても仕方ない
daijoubu! murishitemo shikatanai
好きなように楽しんで
suki na youni tanoshinde
いつもなら見れない 大きな夢
itsumo nara mirenai ooki na yume
みんなでなら 見れそうでしょ
minna de nara miresou desho
照れることなどないよ
tereru koto nadonaiyo
高く高く 望めばずっと
takaku takaku nozomeba zutto
育つ友情（きずな）がある We can make it!
sodatsu kizuna ga aru We can make it!
自分自身 信じることで
jibun jishin shinjiru koto de
それそれが いつの日か
soresore ga itsu no hi ka
素敵になれるはず
suteki ni nareru hazu
立ち止まらず 前を向いて 歩いて行きたい
tachitomarazu mae wo muite aruite ikitai
胸の中には 高鳴る希望があるよ
mune no naka ni ha takanaru kibou ga aruyo
強く強く 願えばきっと
tsuyoku tsuyoku negaeba kitto
叶う未来（あした）がある We can do it!
kanau ashita ga aru We can do it!
ひとつひとつ 頑張ることで
hitotsu hitotsu ganbaru koto de
気持ちいい ぴったりの
kimochi ii pittari no
笑顔に会えるはず
egao ni aeru hazu
Anime fans – here’s an exciting announcement from Viz just for you. Free episodes of some great series, (with 400 already up, and more to come!).
VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES VIZ ANIME
A NEW OFFICAL WEB DESTINATION FOR SOME OF THE HOTTEST ANIME CONTENT
Optimized Technology Allows Fans To Connect And Interact And Spend Less Time Looking For The Latest Anime Episodes And More Time Enjoying Them
In a significant news announcement, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has detailed the launch of VIZ Anime – a brand new, free-to-use interactive web destination that will become a permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series as well as new content which will be added on a weekly basis. VIZ Anime is accessible at:www.VIZAnime.com.
VIZ Anime kicks off with more than 400 episodes from hit series such as BLEACH, BUSO RENKIN, DEATH NOTE (complete series), HIKARU NO GO, HONEY & CLOVER, INUYASHA (complete series) and INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT, NANA, NARUTO (complete series) and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN as well as THE PRINCE OF TENNIS. The site will also be the future web home for many other eagerly anticipated anime series set to launch later this year!
Episodes can be streamed for free with new ones being added weekly. A variety of interactive social networking tools and features also help foster an official online home and community for VIZ Media anime fans allowing them to connect on and discuss favorite shows, and offer ratings and opinions of various episodes. New functionalities will be added regularly.
“We’re committed to developing VIZ Anime as a premiere online destination, and hope to offer a real community for VIZ Media fans to interact with each other and share their love of anime,” says Ken Sasaki, Senior Vice President & General Manager of VIZ Media. “We will also utilize the site as a means of two-way communication to better understand what our fans enjoy most and want, and how they engage with anime and manga online. With a lot of content to select from, VIZ Anime will become a favorite site to visit again and again!”
Book of Bantorra is the greatest love story ever told in the history of greatest love stories ever told in history.
It should be pretty obvious by now that everything that happens in Bantorra (of significance) boils down to “someone loves someone, then someone dies because of that love.” Colio became obsessed with Calico and because of that love he killed an arrogant Church “true man.” Volken was in love with Mirepoc and the concept of “justice” and ended up dying pathetically and branded a traitor. Noloty loved everything and refused to do anything worse than give someone a black eye, and she died and nearly triggered an apocalypse.
Until the latest storyline, though, one could argue that the whole “love” angle was just a subplot to spice stuff up. Said latest story blows that out of the water and proves that Bantorra is ultimately about love and how it makes us do crazy shit and get killed and blow up people. For love.
Chacoly was bred to basically be a weapon of mass love-in. She can manipulate people’s emotions, essentially making someone fall in love with her if she so desired. She was then conditioned to only want the love of one man: Ruruta. Ruruta is essentially god in the world of Bantorra, since he ousted the namesake of the series or something like that and became a book-eating tree that’s actually the “heaven” everyone talks about. Chacoly wants to fall in love with him, make him fall in love with her (using her hair-glowy mind tricks), and then pull a murder-suicide to save the world. All in the name of love.
Catch is, Ruruta already has the hots for some other chick. As far as we know she died (because of love) billions of years ago, but Ruruta still longs for her. Since he’s already dating, he’s able to resist Chacoly’s super-flirting and turns her into a gibbering shell of herself that instinctually tries to Jedi Mind Trick anyone that gets close to her into being her love toy.
Then Hamy snaps her neck. Again, because of love.
We’re coming to the end of the series, and everything is turning into a big apocalyptic soap opera. It’s as if The Young and the Restless got super powers. Matt’s getting into the mix, since he’s able to resist Ruruta’s world-ending snow machine power through the dual powers of love and bullets. Despite all of Hamy’s awesomeness, Matt’s “I’ll shoot myself to keep myself awake because I want to be the one to put the final cap in Hamy’s ass” moment is the most badass (and romantic) moment of the series so far. I’d wager that he knows what Hamy really wants, much like how Minth read her soul and knows she’s an empty, self-loathing love-sick puppy (who mass murders). He’s come to that realization at some point and knows that he has to be the one to fulfill her ultimate wish.
Matt has to perform the ultimate gesture of love and put a bullet in Hamy’s head. It will be beautiful.
As much as Hamy’s a superduper ultrabadass, and as much as she’s become one of my all-time favorite female anime characters over the course of the series, I think Matt’s my favorite character from the entire series, and a lot of that is due to what’s hinted at in this episode. He’s genuinely in love with Hamy, and he’s all but gone to hell for her sake. He was already fairly cynical before meeting her, but his love for her has caused him to do some rather nasty things he’d otherwise never give a damn about. He’s almost as wrapped up in the conspiracy as she is, knows about “the truth” behind all of Bantorra’s crazy secrets, and has performed all manners of heinous acts all for her sake. The others see him as her lapdog, but he’s doing it all out of genuine devotion.
Most male anime leads never have to sacrifice anything to get the girl. Usually it’s the girl who seems to “settle” for the guy due to some plot contrivance that’s nothing more than wish fulfillment, but Matt is the one that’s giving up what little he believes in for the sake of the woman he loves. Granted, he still gets him some on the side (which makes him all the more awesome, since he’s willing to cheat on a god-killing super villain), but this is one of the few anime relationships where the guy is on the giving side. He didn’t wish for her or lucked into knowing her as a child or saw her naked in a pool/beach/hot spring episode or picked the right choose-your-own-adventure lines and accumulated love points.
Hamyuts x Mattlast is the best anime relationship since Revy x Rock.
My first Blu-ray disc.
Sweet.
This is not a review post; my schedule will need to clear up a bit more before I can write one of those. (There’s also the minor, completely inconsequential fact that I don’t have a Blu-ray player at this particular moment, but that little hiccup will be remedied within the day.)
We have the front of the slipcase above, and the other side below. Printed cardboard with an iridescent layer.
Freed from the slipcase, the actual disc folder features Ikari Shinji on the back (left) and Ayanami Rei on the front (right). Printed cardboard.
The folder contains the Blu-ray disc mounted on one side and has a small pocket for the information booklet on the opposite side. Cardboard with an iridescent layer; clear plastic.
The pocket also holds a mail-in reply card and a small promotional insert listing Funimation’s Blu-ray anime releases. I normally don’t pay much attention to these things, but one title in particular caught my eye (and has now been marked out as a potential future acquisition).
More on this soon (time permitting). Cheerio.
Let’s get this show in the road. Draw a circle for the shape of Naruto’s chibi head and then add the facial guidelines. You will then draw the limb lines for the arms, torso, and legs.
Step 2.
You will now start drawing out chibi Naruto’s face like you see here. You will notice that all my chibi characters have basically the same shaped face because that is how they are supposed to be drawn out. But every person has their own style so what ever you want to do is fine. Once the face is drawn out you will need to draw the thick lining for his chibi eyes, and then his cute cheeks. Draw a mouth and then start the lining for his hair style which is sharp looking.
Step 3.
Finish drawing chibi Naruto’s hair style out and then draw the bandanna that he is wearing. Once that is done you can start drawing out the arms and then the hands. Draw the chopsticks and then detail inside the ears.
Step 4.
Start drawing out the jacket or his torso and then finish off the shape of his arms. Draw the marking lines for his coat and then add some wrinkles and crease lines.
Step 5.
You will draw the collar out for his jacket and then start drawing the zipper line and then cuff up the bottom of the coat. Start drawing out the shapes for his legs and then draw the crease and fold lines near the crotch area.
Step 6.
Here is your last drawing step and all you have to do now is draw out the left leg and both of his shoes and or feet. Add some definition and detailing to his clothes and then start erasing all the guidelines and shapes that you drew in step one.
Step 7.
When you are done your chibi character should come out looking like the one you see here. Color him in and you have just learned “how to draw chibi Naruto step by step”.
This rant comes from a region fairly close to my heart. One of my ribs or something. And just as in the book, god created Eve from a rib of Adam, so do I on the internet create a rant from a metaphorical rib. Pretty poor metaphor at that.
Anyway, let’s begin.
There’s a lot of nice communities and subcultures around, and with the dawn of the internet it has become easier for them to discuss and co-ordinate, ranging from quiet hobbyists, to anime clubs, sci-fi groups and the gothic/alternative communities. But the problem with the internet is that people forget that there are other human beings on the internet, too. Or maybe they don’t. I’m not sure how the minds of these people work.
What I am here to discuss is the pathetic in-fighting that ravages these communities regularly. Not only are most of them ostracised from regular society because of their lifestyle choices, there’s an amazing amount of cliques within the damn groups themselves; a subculture that contains all of twenty people could have upwards of three groups of people who treat each other like dirt.
Most of us, if not all of us have been privy to this kind of thing; friend drama, animosity and for lack of a better phrase, bullshit. You all know what I mean, you’ll have that one friend who has an argument or mishap with another friend and then they drift apart and suddenly one or both of them is making you choose between them. Not only is this completely unfair, it’s also entirely too common.
Niche communities should not be doing this. It’s bad enough that they’re rejected from mainstream culture, if they don’t choose to hide it, anyway. These people are the worst; if you’re not going to let your friends be themselves around other people you know, then that too, is unfair.
In-fighting and drama makes for a hostile environment that everyone can feel from the first encounter, and it often makes people feel unwelcome, out of place or even unsafe, and there’s been many a newcomer who’ve never returned due to it. I usually stick it out but even I tend to shy away from groups where I can feel that this kind of thing is happening.
So take a note, please.
But you know what? It’s not all bad. Because there are the nicer folk who stay in the communities. They’re the ones who welcome newbs and ignore the drama, even after they get dragged into it. There’s not enough of these good people around. I salute each and every one of these guys. The helpers, the welcomers, the jokers, the people that give advice or just generally go out of their way to make sure that the forum or message board’s atmosphere isn’t completely terrible.
I’ll remain part of these communities because I couldn’t imagine life without a decent amount of similarly like-minded folk around me, but it comes at a cost, and the cost is dealing with fuckholes like those noted above.
Ever wanted to bang your favorite heads-in-a-jar? Ever desired to get into the pants of your beloved little brother? Or perhaps you’d like your head transplanted bimonthly as well. Whatever you name, the Yagiri siblings will deliver; 100% satisfaction guranteed!
Summary: Compared to other people’s love, Yagiri Namie’s love is different. Not because it’s directed toward his little brother, oh no, but because it is more vast and absolute. Too bad Mika Harima doesn’t approve of this, as she secretly throws Seiji’s phone into the fountain to prevent Namie from contacting Seiji.
The next morning, Namie finds her little brother missing. Frantic, she leaves her office and starts recounting how the head of Mika Harima is nothing but a doll to her. She’d first encountered the head in her uncle’s study, and finding it beautiful and totally not creepy at all, invited Seiji to look at it.
Seiji fell in love at first sight with the head floating in a jar.
Back at the present, Namie enters Izaya’s office and offers him money in return for locating Seiji. Izaya questions the importance of that, seeing as Yagiri Pharmaceuticals is facing absorption by a large foreign company called Nebula. At Namie’s insistence, Izaya agrees to help, though not before trolling her a bit for his own amusement.
As Izaya gets to work, Namie recalls how after Seiji first saw the head, he’d grown more and more in love with it by the day. Worried, Namie had decided to relocate the head into her research center, but Seiji broke into the lab and stole it. Soon later, he phoned Namie saying he might’ve killed someone, and at his room, Namie found the corpse of a stalker named Mika Harima. She decided to perform an operation on the body.
Namie’s flashback gets interrupted by Izaya, who assures her the cops will take Seiji into custody soon. As Namie receives a phone call and hastily leaves, Izaya puts on his signature Evil Smile™.
At a cafe, Mika receives a text message (presumably from Izaya) warning her to run. She pulls Seiji away from the cafe and into the park, where she encounters Celty and Shizuo. Celty recognizes Mika’s head and gives chase, while Seiji holds Shizuo at bay by waving around his extremely dangerous pens. Mika then bumps into Mikado, who, upon noticing the headless rider charging at them, randomly decides to escape with the girl through an underground subway. Meanwhile, Seiji pokes a pen through Shizuo’s hand and receives a headbutt for it, before getting taken by the cops.
That night, Celty recounts the whole mess back to Shinra, adding that she was in the park because Izaya told her to wait there. As Celty wonders why her head is tacked onto a body, Shinra speculates that someone might’ve chopped a corpse’s head off and stuck her’s onto it. Celty is totally creeped out, but she is even more uneasy at the fact that her head no longer wants her anymore and has found a new love partner.
After bringing Seiji back to her lab, Namie promises him that she’ll find Mika. In reality however, Namie has already deemed Mika an interference to her love, and she orders her underlings to capture her dead or alive.
At Mikado’s cruddy apartment, Mika receives a text message from Izaya. Izaya receives a reply, which excites him so much that he spins in his chair. Mikado finishes brewing his tea and offers Mika a cup while asking her some questions. Mika admits that she has amnesia, but refuses to go to a hospital or a police station. She believes she must leave however, before Namie interferes again.
Credits to Kanon of ASuki
I sort of already knew that Durarara!! has merely been building up its settings/characters for the past 8 episodes, but watching this ep is akin to getting slapped 17 times in a rapid succession by a wet octopus: now this is what I call plot movement. Don’t get me wrong though, because the past 8 weeks were still a load of fun in and of themselves as we looked into each character’s quirks and habits, and how they all fit into the grand scheme of things. In fact, without these developments I doubt this episode would’ve been as impactful either, seeing as the situation more or less remains largely unchanged. But now that our Mikado has decided for whatever reason to throw himself onto the stage naked, everything we’ve ever known is finally going to start colliding into one big wild party. It’s like those fancy domino mazes that people with no life spend 10 years to make: the first piece has begun its descent.
By the way, I don’t tend to go around being a hater but damn do I want give Seiji the old one-two. Here is a guy who believes in the power of love and risking his hide saving his girlfriend; that’s all good and dandy if not for that fact that he also has enough of an appetite to eat noodles in front of someone he just killed, and that he is shameless enough to open his palms wide for his sister to throw him cash. When he loses his girlfriend, he whines to his sister and go hides in a corner looking worse than a person who just lost his top 10 in Saimoe all in one round. And that’s an understatement. Although coming from a family who decorates their room with a head-in-a-jar, I guess it was inevitable Seiji would be pretty messed up himself.
Speaking of the head-in-a-jar, various forumers and bloggers have noticed that Namie’s uncle and Shinra’s dad seem to share a few similarities, namely their connection to the head, their tendency to not be shown with a 
face, and of course, their overall demented behavior. Although the fact that the uncle was not shown twirling his pen and the question of why in hell Shinra’s dad would be living in the Yagiri household remain, assuming they’re the same person, the connection between Shinra and Yagiri Pharmaceuticals (as shown in ep08) would be easily resolved, since Namie’s uncle is apparently the company’s head honcho. And in fact, it has been pointed out that one of the dude’s hairdo in Mika’s operation resembles that of Shinra’s, meaning Shinra might’ve even taken 
part in the operation as well. Do take note however that at this point, it’s still up in the air whether the surgery was intended for head transplantation or simple plastic surgery. Here are some counter arguments given by forumers for why the scene might just be a big fat red herring. Naturally, this calls into question Mika Harima’s current behavior and why she would retain her attraction to Seiji even after her own head is no longer here. It may well be that this is her head, only made to resemble Celty’s so much it’s deceiving everyone. Who knows? (Well, besides those cursed light novel readers >_>)
Some other miscellaneous observations/details:
- stuopidget at ASuki did an analysis of Izaya’s cheshogo game (i.e. the abomination formed from a threesome between chess, go, and shogi) and found out that it might be reflecting the current situation in Ikebukuro.
- In the preview for Durarara!! 10, Mikado narrates that the dude who’s in the classroom next to him is in the Dollars. Holy shit.
- Who the hell is this guy? Is he the one in the Dollars that Mikado is referring to? I thought he looked like Togusa at first glance, but his eyes look more feminine than half the girls I’ve seen so I don’t know.
PS:
Suffer with me.
