Pandora Hearts Episode 12

Yes. My post is being posted terribly late this night/morning. Note to all bloggers: do not attempt to blog anything while watching the movie Quarantine. The results will be special.

The movie was too much for Gilbert too....

But being the trooper that I am I moved forward. And didn't turn the movie off. So after major freak outs and nearly dropping my laptop the post was finally finished. Only 3 hours after I started it...but finished.

I hope everyone has fun reading my special post this week. Excuse me as I try to go and sleep with the light on.

Break...up to something?! MY WORD!!!

Uncle Oscar wakes up and is sad that the trio have already left for the morning. Break explains that they had to go and find Gilbert’s lost hat. Uncle Oscar was looking forward to making a dramatic reunion with his charges. Sharon suggest Uncle Oscar goes with Break to town. Uncle Oscar thinks Break is up to something and Break mentions something about bait. In town Gilbert is not pleased at their current situation. Oz gives up a recap explaining they found Raven’s hat but the man wearing it refused to give it back. Oz suggested that they have an arm wrestling contest to decide the outcome of said hat. Gilbert is not amused. Oz is up first and he whispers something mysterious into the hat wearers ear. Oz wins his round but won’t reveal what he said. Instead of arm wrestling the girl Uncle Oscar appears out of nowhere and is Gilbert’s opponent. Gilbert tries to run away but is capture. He mumbles about how he betrayed Oz’s family and is not worthy. A blushy face Gilbert loses the match. That means Alice is up against the biggest guy in the group. She talks a big game and mocks the man. Then she remembers that her powers are sealed and that she is boned. Gilbert’s face almost melts off as he realizes his hat is in massive amounts of danger. But then Alice nearly transforms and wins the match. Oz smirks as Gilbert explains he had to unlock Alice’s power for his precious hat was in deep trouble.

Alice is way too cute!

After the epic battles Uncle Oscar hugs Gilbert and Oz and tells them how happy he is to see them (even if Gilbert feels incredibly guilty for being a dirty rotten traitor). Alice happens upon the happy scene and runs off. She feels confused on why she is so upset as she enters a dark alley. There Break is “hiding” behind a wall like a freak. Break smiles and says that Alice has been stalked and she really should have been worried about that instead of him. Insert creepy eyes here. Then we see Oz walking down the same alley and coming across Alice’s food and Break’s doll Emily (is that stupid thing alive?). After the commercial break Alice tries to piece together here memories. She remembers a blond man with blue earrings and how she was always chasing after him. She wakes up in a strange place which is neither the Abyss or the real world. Break explains that the Cheshire Cat lives here. It turns out that the Cheshire Cat is obsessed with the Will of the Abyss and since the Will wants Alice dead the Cheshire Cat will make that happen. Break decides to run as there are too many monsters around. Alice starts to feel funny as she senses one of her memories. As they ascend the stairs Alice questions why Break thinks that the Cheshire Cat is a special chain like her. Break explains that Alice is a special Chain because she does not need to eat humans. He also explains that the Cheshire Cat is a special Chain that doesn’t need a Contractor to come to the real world. So he concludes that they are special Chains with a different purpose.

Alice likes to break it down for the audience.

Alice is a little put off that Break is using her to get information about the Will of the Abyss. They enter a room and Alice freezes. She says that this memory fragment feels different from the rest and it leaves her chilled. The “white” Alice appears and taunts Alice, asking why getting her memories back is so important since she forgot them in the first place. Alice is overwhelmed by all the craziness and runs out. Before Break can chase after her a past version of himself (fresh eye wound version) pulls him through a mirror. Back at the mansion Sharon is creepily explaining where Alice and Break are. Oz concludes that it was part of Break’s plan to have Oz and Gilbert go after them in this crazy land. Gilbert is against this plan but agrees to go (or maybe he is hurt that Alice means so much to Oz). Sharon uses her Chain to open a portal to the place where Break is. They float down to this magical place without Gilbert’s hat. We then see a human looking Cheshire Cat waiting for someone to come. Elsewhere Vincent is talking to someone in the shadows about how much of a pain Break is and how things would be easier without him around. Vincent then seems to order Echo to get rid of Break. Alice runs through the hall until she happens upon a cat. She notes that this cat was the same cat she had in her memories, her precious friend. She chases after this cat and…THE END!

Loving the cute kitties!

So I was half right in my little mind. The first part of the episode was light hearted fun, a step off from the serious nature of last week. But then it became a little serious and confusing and on to the plot of the story. So..it was made of win in my book.

Alley of justice=Sailor Moon?

The entire let’s get the hat back part of the episode was entertaining. There was a bit of sadness when Oz did not reveal what he was saying to tall skinny man but I guess it makes it more fun to pretend what was said. Alice winning because Gilbert needs his hat OH SO BAD was made of laughs. This part of the episode was pretty much unnecessary to a point. But this series does need laughs and time to let the characters become close and friends. So maybe it is really was necessary.

Gilbert knows what is important in life.

But maybe the hat scene was just a catalyze for Uncle Oscar to be reunited with his little charges again. A weak sort of reason but I guess I will take it. It would be too sad if Oz found out later his Uncle was hiding from him. :( And I think Oz has way too much to be sad about already without him thinking that his relatives hate him. Well not all of his relatives.

We get it! You wanted your hat back! Move on!!!

But Oz meeting up with his Uncle again felt a little empty. Too much focus was placed on Break and Alice being missing and not what Uncle Oscar thinks of this entire situation. I am sure Oz would go MMMMHHH Uncle what do you think of me being in the Abyss all this time? Or isn’t it funny how everyone else forgot about me and my ceremony except a few select people? But no, we just get a fluffy reunion that doesn’t touch on any serious or sticky information at all. Sadness.

Huge rabbit Chains need love too. :(

Alice runs off because she is sad that people are happy and have a family bond. She feels lonely and left out. I guess it is way too soon for Alice to feel a part of Oz’s little family. That and she is Alice and doesn’t want to appear weak or vulnerable. She thinks she isn’t human and can’t remember her past. They have history and she is someone who has infringed herself on their life. So I get that she has to run off dramatically and have a cry in the corner.

What I don’t get is why Break knew that was going to happen. How does he calculate all these things with unstable variables? Gilbert’s hat being lost was just a fluke incident. Uncle Oscar coming to help out the young lady was not a planned event. And Alice running off because she was sad and lonely about everything wasn’t Break could count on. Yet he said this was part of his plan to flush out the Cheshire Cat out. Break is either very lucky or mighty scary.

Powers?! We don't need no stinkin powers!

I am going to go with stupid though. Because he had planned to use Alice as bait to draw out the Cheshire Cat but he didn’t have a plan on how to defeat or fight against said Cheshire Cat? I mean, I would have included Oz and Gilbert in this plan from the get go. Not this follow us later crap. He needed them there from the start so Alice would be useful in a fight. But this all goes back to Break not making any sense and following his own agenda anyway so…yeah.

Maybe cute?

The Cheshire Cat being a human like Chain makes me happy. I am not sure why it makes me so happy but it does. Maybe I am just tired of these gross looking creatures and I want something pretty to look at. And maybe I think Alice will feel less lonely if there is another Chain that is different like her. That and the Cheshire Cat is a usually a creepy purple blob in most versions so anything else is appreciated. Yay for eye candy (hopefully).

This week I think it is Oz.

Something that had me going X_X was when Alice was referring to this new memory feeling different from the other ones. Err, what other ones? She has gotten one memory back on screen. Unless our trio is running around battling more Chains there has only one fragment retrieved. Which we can deduct from Alice’s increase memories this episode…she has recovered more. Which makes me upset. I wanted to get a piece of new information each time it happened so the puzzle could slowly open us. Now I feel left out of the process.

Not that her increased memories amount to much anyway. She is just running after the blond hair dude again and now she knows she had a cat. So maybe there is not enough to feel left out about. Only now I am more confused about who the blond person can be. I keep flip floppin on who it can be. Anyone with blond hair is a suspect in my little mind.

MMMM freak outs.

We don’t get to find out too much more of the plot as Alice decided to have a freak out and run out of the room. She runs into her pet cat and we are left with not much to go on. I am more confused on if that is Alice that was taunting our Alice was Alice’s inner self or that White Alice we have seen in other episodes. And that last sentence had too many Alices so it is time to move on.

Poor Gilbert's heart breaks.

I think Oz is super cute and super stupid for wanting to save Alice (and Break). I think Gilbert comes off as being a meanie when he really is being the sensible one. And the realistic one. Break needs to stop being such a mysterious person and just tell people what the hell is going on. I am sure it would give their team better results if everyone was on the same page and not guessing on what the plan is.

...mind telling us what is going on?

Sharon is still get on my nerves. I hate that little knowing smile of hers and how she leaves important details out of her explanations. So while Break is actively confusing people and manipulating the situation she is sitting by letting him do it. I don’t buy the whole she doesn’t understand his thinking for one second. We want answers Sharon. Don’t pretend you don’t have them!

Break is just chillin and knitting.

So in all…we learn nothing more and end up with more questions. I think I would be a little pouty about not really learning anything new but my brain is seriously fried from Quarantine.

Quarantine is slightly scarier than this moment...

Read more!

Nana the manga series: Why is it so popular?

When I first found out there was going to be a new manga magazine coming out in June 2005 I was pretty excited. When I saw that Yuu Watase had a new (well to me) manga in the magazine I knew I was going to buy each and every copy just for that series alone.

But it became pretty clear that out of all the titles in this new anthology that Nana was going to be the more popular series. And while Nana was in Shojo Beat I looked forward to the series each month. At times the art was a bit iffy and you could always sense that disaster was about to strike our lovely Nanas…but I stuck with it.

Such promise...

Around volume 7 or 8 the writers/editors/someone decided that Nana was becoming a little more mature than their targeted audience and instead of editing the scenes or upping the age, they decided to cut Nana from their series list. I am sure if they had kept Nana in their line-up sales would have been better and Shojo Beat wouldn’t be dead. But I digress as this post is about Nana and not my beloved Shojo Beat.

For a while I focused my manga love on other series and let my friend spoil the series for me periodically. However the other day Borders had an amazing coupon and I decided to go crazy and catch up on a bunch of series I had been neglecting, Nana being one of them.

After reading the volumes I had bought…I was feeling a little bit shocked. I spent the rest of the night catching up on the entire series, up to the current chapters. And then I became more shocked.

I am not sure how I feel about this series now. At first it seemed edgy and not your usual shojo esque manga. These girls had serious flaws and maybe that was easier to relate to them. Now this manga has morphed into something twisted and darker than life. At times I felt really, really sick. Or sorry for this bunch of people. Usually I walk away from a manga feeling for most of the characters and hating just a few. But out of this bunch of characters…I just feel disgusted.

As a major disclaimer…the following will contain major spoilers. I shall rant and rave about every aspect of Nana, up until the most recent manga volume. So there are going to be MAJOR spoilers. Tons of spoilers. So if you are trying to keep this series a surprise for you…well this is the wrong post. XD But if you are up to date with the series or don’t mind spoilers then click on in and start reading! Oh and it gets incredible long. Forgive my wordiness!

One of my favorite pictures out of this whole series.

Let’s start with Nana K. She is a whore. But we are supposed to overlook that fact because she calls herself a romantic and she is looking for her happy ending. But the cold hard truth is that Nana K. is a slut. She jumps from man to man looking for the next person to take care of her.

Perhaps all of her unhappiness is karma for being the other woman in her first “love” relationship. You would think the karma train would have been enough once her boyfriend Shoji cheated on her but apparently this girl is meant to suffer.
And the readers are supposed to cry for this girl and appalled her decision to keep a baby despite the crazy circumstances. I mean, she is willing to marry a man whom she knows is not good for her but good of the baby. That makes her a good mother right?!

Wrong. That makes her a disgusting human being. She decided who to make the father based on Nobu’s and Takumi’s shocking reaction to the news. Had I been told that my girlfriend was pregnant with another man’s baby I might not have handled the news very well either. Especially if said girlfriend just sat there and CRIED when I tried to ask her what the hell was going on. So we can’t blame Nobu for being confused and not being hugs and kisses and puppy dogs. Takumi is a scum bucket and managed to say a few sweet words in Nana’s time of confusion. Of course they were not sweet as much as controlling but that is beside the point.

As she falls into his trap....

The point is that Nana could have just asked Takumi for child support and kept her life as similar as it was. While Nobu was not ready to be a father neither was Takumi. I am not sure why she thought “ruining” his life was okay but not Nobu’s. She didn’t even ask one of the potential fathers what should be done and that makes me ill. Especially now in recent chapters if looks like the kid is Nobu’s.

The part that is really sickening is that Nana wants the baby to have a happy family and she thinks Takumi will make that happen. In reality Takumi is scum and is cheating on her. He rapes her and controls her all the time. In Takumi’s arms is the furthest place from safe. The baby will grow up in a sad household with mommy crying because daddy is cheating on her all the time. Or daddy will look resentful at a son that is not his. Yeah, this is all swell Nana K.

The way she walks around forcing herself to think everything will be okay is supposed to be heartbreaking. But it just makes me upset that one person could be so stupid and blind. She cuts off her friends to be with a man who is NEVER there and is off cheating on her. She forces herself into situations that make people feel uncomfortable. She flip flops all the time over who she loves more, Nobu or Takumi. She makes things more complicated than they need to be but that also applies to…everyone in this series so it is hard to fault her on that.

Nana K. is supposed to be a cute girl who is caught up in love and makes mistake after mistake. But she is supposed to try really hard and be supportive of her friend. She is supposed to be the mother figure to many of the characters. But she is just putting on an apron and playing house. This stupid 20 year old doesn’t know anything about…anything and it pains me to think how her actions affect so many people.

I can’t believe I moved on from Nana K’s…rant and I missed the most important fault! Of course it is also Takumi’s fault too but really…Nana K is the stupid one. She sleeps with a guy who is a known play boy and doesn’t use a condom. Obviously something “bad” does happen to her and we are all too busy focusing on Whoa that is stupid, use a condom or have a baby to realize…SHE COULD HAVE DIED. She knows this guy gets around and if he doesn’t use a condom with her why would he use a condom with other people. Imagine how many people Takumi has slept with (or don’t, that might make you barf) and now Nana K is exposed to all that crap. And she is continuously putting her baby at risk as Takumi sleeps with other woman and her at the same time. This manga is real about everything else in life so why not STD’s and AIDS? -____- This is me throwing up.

Nana O is insane. It becomes more apparent in the later chapters but her obsession with Nana K is clear from the start. She wants to give Nana K reign over her kingdom, control who Nana K is with, and gets upset later when Nobu doesn’t go with the plan to get Nana K back with him. She isn’t as controlling as Takumi is but that doesn’t matter to the others. She gets called out more on being only concerned with Nana K and being her “owner” more than Takumi.

But that is just the beginning of Nana O’s problems. Like all the other band members in this series (minus Nobu) she grew up with no love and a chain smoking habit. She is a COOL edgy kid and the rules don’t apply to her. But somewhere along the lines she started to believe she was something much different than a kid with a dream. Power went to her head in a very bad way.

The most irritating thing about Nana O. is her crazy relationship with Ren. The whole MOG I shouldn’t depend on him and the MOG I need him right not gets really boring. She is constantly pushing him away and I really can’t figure out why he keeps coming back for more. She is really quite abusive towards him and I don’t see what is so cool about her treating him like crap. It isn’t cool when guys treat girls like that so it’s not cool when girls treat their men like that.

Their relationship gets really bad once they get engaged or married. She continues to treat him like crap despite his best efforts to strength their relationship. Both Ren and Nana O. are very busy people but it seems as if she goes out of her way to avoid him. And by avoid him I mean she doesn’t come home for days, gets pissy when Ren calls her (while Nana K. would kill for a phone call), and acts like depending on Ren is the worst thing ever. Tie that in with the fact that she really views this marriage as a P.R. move and out of love…and yeah this marriage is just as failtastic as Nana K’s.

She is FAR from okay....

I understand that Nana O wants to stand on her own and have her band succeed with their works and not on the coat tails of Trapnest. I get that. But she takes that obsessed to an extreme. It comes off as she is jealous of Ren’s success and she wants to be his rival. However she wants all this fame and doesn’t understand that fame takes hard work. She gets to Tokyo and is like…yeah sign us now bitch. Trapnest took years to get to the point where they are now and she doesn’t seem to get that.

But back to my point. What was my point again? Oh, how she throws herself into her work and ignores her relationship with Ren. Had she really wanted to focus on her work then she should have told Ren LOOK after I make it big and get on my feet then there can be us. None of this leading him on and treating him like crap…crap.

It seems to be hard to put into words what is off about Nana O. She wants to be in control and prove to everyone that she is the MAN. But in reality she is just like everyone else. She has faults and gets scared and is human. She tries to place herself up so high, above everyone else and that nothing can touch. But she is probably more broken than Nana K.

When Shin gets caught with drugs Nana O. could be less caring. It is MOG this is bad for my band what was he thinking. Putting aside the fact that all of Shin’s problems can be blamed mostly on…everyone else….Nana is in no shape to throw stones at people who have problems (as she is married in a coke head). I hate how she went for her solo career and really wasn’t there for her friends. And she was really shitty to Nobu.

The most real thing about Nana O. are her panic attacks or whatever they are. That I find believable. I want to see someone stressed out in this crazy life and suffer the consequences. So in that aspect…I think the manga is spot on.

I also think they hit the mark on how Nana O. is handling Ren’s death. She was in shock when she first heard the news and said the comment about “but I have work…”. That was a perfect reaction given that Nana O. is a crazy person anyway and the fact her husband died on her birthday. Then she breaks down and goes into a state of…let’s not talk or eat…or bathe…or move. That is also very believable. I think this state would have been better had it lasted longer. Only 2 weeks in bed after her husband died? I think that if that had been my husband I would still be in bed but she might not be better (as in the future she is missing and everyone is afraid she is dead) so I might be speaking too soon. Besides her Nana K was in danger.

Overall Nana K. is slightly easier to handle than Nana O. But she is no role model either. She is a chain smoker (like 90 percent of the rest of the cast), a high school dropout, and someone who has a very unhappy relationship with a man. I guess we can give her a cookie for taking birth control (which is so subtly taken all the time) so she isn’t AS stupid as Nana K.

She also isn’t a major slut like Nana K. She does have a weird thing going on with Yasu but that is mostly on his side. The way she handles it bugs me a bit but it’s not that bad. She wants to be his friend and it is not her fault he has some weird love thing for her. She could handle the situation with a little more care for his feelings but that is not her style.

On to the other misfits of this manga! Let’s start with Takumi since he is easy to hate.

Takumi is the biggest slut out of everyone. He is not redeemable at all and quite frankly I wish he had died in that car crash instead of Ren. I mean, I can pretend everyone else has something special about them and that only a tiny part of them is broken instead. Takumi is just…evil

He is so evil yet confusing. I can’t for the life of me figure out why he wants to marry Nana and raise this child. Why not give her money for an abortion and move on? Or just give her child support and keep on having all the crazy sex with sluts. Or..do nothing. WHY DOES HE CARE! Someone please explain that to me!

Well, some people have. Takumi’s actually in love with Nana K.? Pshht, I laugh. Takumi had a crappy childhood and doesn’t want to put his potential kid through that? No as Takumi can only think of himself. Takumi is actually a really responsible person and tries to make the best of a sticky situation? No, the thought of Takumi being responsible and not conniving makes me throw up. Takumi is jealous that Nana left him for Nobu and is possessive over what he thinks is his (whether he wants this toy or not)? That is probably the answer that makes the most sense. It follows his character more and makes him look like a true villain.

In the end I don’t care. Whatever his reasons he is a sucky human being. He came in at the right moment and managed to say a few right things to make Nana K. to trust him over Nobu. Not that Nobu gets a get of jail free card but still. Takumi controlled the situation from day one and no one could really escape his manipulative plan.

But…WHY?! Nothing changes in Takumi’s life after he “wins” Nana K. Her life changes dramatically but he is the same old play boy. He doesn’t make any effort to spend time with her. He continues to sleep around like a slut. And he continues to be whatever with Reira. He only thinks about the band in very calculating ways and seems to forget there are actual people involved. So…why? WHY?!

His relationship with Reira pretty much pisses me off, but that is more on her end. He is a playboy so it is expected he is going to screw anything that moves. But you would think for the sake of his precious band he would be able to keep it in his pants. At least with other woman people can pretend that Nana K. is still more important…but Reira is still and always will be more important than anyone else in Takumi’s life. So in that regards that is why his cheating on Nana K. with Reira is more of a sin than with the other hookers.

I hate that this attitude happens in real life.

You would think a play boy/slut would be more careful with his junk. You know, those silly things like unwanted pregnancies and STDS and the herps. But no Takumi’s penis is magical! It can withstand many rolls in the hay without a scratch on it. It must be Nana K’s nasty vag of doom that made him unlucky this time. I just hope all “rock stars” aren’t this stupid with their mighty genitals of doom. Oh and did I mention he was friggin stupid for not using protection?!

In conclusion Takumi sucks as a human being. He treats all the women he bangs very poorly which I guess….is expected. But he also treats his friends/band mates pretty crappy too. He sees their band as a business and moves his friends in certain positions that benefits himself. He can never just do something to be nice for a human being. When was on drugs Takumi had to tell him to get it together…for the band. He sold out his own personal relationship not to protect Shin and Reira’s delicate relationship but he was worried about the band’s reputation. Some may think he is not cold and calculating but he has trouble expressing his true feelings.
Cry me a river. Takumi is a douche bag. The end.

Ren isn’t as bad. Really he was one of the more likable characters out of this band of misfits. He wanted to be in a band…to have people hear his music. After become rich and famous he was still the same down to Earth guy. Or whatever Ren before he was famous. For the most part he was an okay guy and I think he put up with a lot of crap.

The only time I thought he was a big jerk when he was talking about Nana K.’s pregnancy. And even thought Ren wasn’t only him who was calling Nana K a gold digger…it still felt like the meanest. Especially since later he goes on to act like they are such good friends and that he trusts Nana K to take care of Nana O and all that jazz. The fact that everyone talks shit behind everyone’s back and pretends like it doesn’t happen is annoying. Oh and the fact that Ren knows more about Takumi’s cheating ways and doesn’t tell Nana K about her assface husband pisses me off too. But besides those…jerk moments Ren is a decent guy. Granted they are pretty big jerk moments…but I am grasping at straws to like someone.

Ren having a drug problem surprises me. Ren being the only one with a drug problem does. I wish we knew when this little drug problem started. Was it after his marriage to Nana O and she was being the biggest bitch in the world? Or was it the only part of the glam life he gave into? Regardless I think Ren having a drug problem is very sad and the few people who know about it don’t make the situation any better. But we all know Takumi is a jerk who can’t care about anyone but himself and managers tend to be jerks.

But Ren had a drug problem. I am not sure why his manager was supplying him with the drugs but maybe it was safer that way. In any event I think that had Ren lived he would have kicked the habit. I think out of all the characters in this story he was the most loyal and had the best potential as a human being. I think he was going to tell Nana O to stop acting like such a bitch and be the support she needed. Or tell her he did have a problem and that he needed her help.

Despite having a drug problem he is one of the most rational people in the series...

We will never know how things would have gone as Ren died. It makes me sad that he died in such a way that people don’t know it was an accident. I don’t want it to be spun a suicide/drug related problem. I think he could have become more an adult to this band of misfits but now he is a giant sad reality to these people that their lives aren’t mistake free and they need to shape up.

Moving on to a guy I loved but now LOATHE is Nobu. I think that he was my favorite character for quite a while but then it exploded into hatred.

Why do I hate Nobu so much? Um because he is sleeping with a porn star. Not that I hate her because she is a porn star but I hate her because she is one. How does Nobu go from a nice “wholesome” (it pains me to type that but that is how she was supposed to be portrayed) to a porn Queen?

Oh because Nana broke his heart! And he made a mistake by turning to Yuri after seeing Nana K. after all this time. Okay I can get down with that. Not really but I can see how a broken heart can make you do something really stupid like sleep with a porn star one time.

But then he decided to have a relationship with her? Did the people in this manga not get the memo that just because you sleep with someone it is not true love?! Of course I think you should only sleep with people you love but that is not the point. The point is that if Nobu is still in love with Nana K he shouldn’t put Yuri’s delicate porn heart in danger.

Perhaps this wouldn’t piss me off so badly had Nobu not been pretending to be happy with Yuri. If he actually moved on with Yuri it would be different. I would still hate him because I want him and Nana K to be together but I would understand he needs to move on. But then when Ren dies and Nana K comes to take care of Nana O he puts the moves on her. He has not moved on with his life. He wants them both to become cheaters because apparently being so close to Nana K is too much.

I am against cheating. I am not a fan of the theory people can’t control themselves around certain people. Sometimes you have to put your big boy pants on and deal with a sticky situation. Also I think Nobu is utterly stupid for not know Nana K was unhappy with Takumi but most boys are stupid so I guess I will let that slide.
What I won’t let slide is the fact that Nobu told Nana K she was ruining his happiness by being there. Hello, which is it!? Do you want to be with her or not? Either you are happy with Yuri or you are unhappy because you are not with Nana K. You can’t blame her for everything stupid.

Make up your damn mind!

Maybe things would be different if Nobu stepped up and fought Takumi for the baby. I am not saying that Nobu would have made a good father but he certainly would be a better one than Takumi. I think the most sensible plan would have been to tell Takumi to back the hell off until it was proven whose baby it was. Because when Nobu gets older and a little wiser he might regret his actions and resent not having a relationship with his son.

I am not saying this was all Nobu’s fault. He left out of anger because he thought Nana K was a cheater or because she wouldn’t answer his simple questions. He was shocked and probably pissed off that Takumi knew about the pregnancy before him. He was confused and acted a little bit crazy. So even though I want to be mad at him for not playing a more active role in the pregnancy it is hard to just blame him.

There were some really sweet things about Nobu. He was similar to Nana K in regards to the fact they “fall in love” rather quickly. They both were/are fun loving and slightly dramatic with their reactions to situations. He tried to lead Shin on a better path in life (him and Nana K being the only ones who really tried). He has a passion for music and he is afraid of letting people down.

It is a shame that I hate him now. And it is also a shame that 10 years in the future he and Nana K are still not together. Or they are and are cheaters. Either way it is a shame.

Shin is an adorable kid. Except the fact he smokes, is a prostitute, has a minor drug problem, and is being statutory rapped by a woman he now loves.

Okay maybe he wasn’t rapped per say because the age of consent is so low in Japan. And really it isn’t his fault as she should know better. But still the idea is creepy.

I can’t really be mad at Shin for all this crap. He is a rich kid who wanted to be cool and got caught up in a tough situation. It is the people around him who are more at fault. His family for not coming and rescuing their child from this prostitute lady. All his band mates for not curbing his drinking/smoking habits. His band mates for not keeping better track of his coming and goings. Reira for not being more bothered that she was sleeping with a 15 year old and paying him to do so. All the adults around Shin suck and they should be thrown in jail for contributing to the delinquencies to a minor.

But Shin could only be helped if he wanted to be helped. He is not blameless in this all. He could have been stronger and not followed in the path of these loser adults. Since he was acting so grown up he should have been more mature about certain situations. 15 is not really a child so you can’t say he didn’t know any better.

I wanted Reira and Shin to be together despite how their relationship started. I wanted them to wait the two years and do things the right way. But I can’t blame Shin for throwing away the slut away. In the future he seems to be okay and he is not suffering from the scandal that happened to him when he was younger. I am glad he got his act straight.

She is a famous singer and the best she can get is a paid 15 year old prostitute?

While I am on the subject I hate Reira. She was okay for a while even though everyone was falling down to please her and give her undying love. But her flopping around from loving Yasu to loving Shin to them always loving Takumi was annoying. How can you be in love with three people at once? Yeah you are a slut too Reira.

I can see her having lingering feelings for Yasu. I can see why she has a problem letting Shin go. But I hate that she throws herself at Takumi. He is married and that is supposed to mean something. So congratulations on being the other woman. Also congratulations on being his whore as he explained to you that you would only be one of his many lovers. If you are going to be involved in an affair I think that love should be involved.

Reira handling Ren’s death is a little bit selfish. I am glad she didn’t have an affair with him as well although it would have made more sense than Takumi. But when she tried to tell Nana O about why Ren was driving that was selfish. And I am glad Shin told her so. Of course Takumi has to protect his princess and leave Nana K out in the cold regardless of anyone’s pain.

In the future it is unclear if Reira is better. She is around the baby Ren and will only sing for him. I get that Ren was her band mate and someone really important but I think the only person who is allowed to be bonkers if Nana O. I take it as a sign that Shin learned that he was not the most important person in Reira’s life and he moved on without her. Which is how it should be, I am glad he did not lower himself to be with her.

I think Yasu is a victim of too many people depending on him. Girls are crying on his shoulder all the time and all the guys are coming to him for advice. He can’t help who he loves and I think he does a great job of hiding the fact that he loves Nana O. Perhaps not that good of a job since Nana O and Ren both no but he never makes a move on her and that’s what counts in my book.

Always the one who had to be there for other people despite the fact he is suffering too.

That is because he understands how to be a good friend. He does have feelings for Nana O but his relationship with Ren is more important to him. He chooses not to get back with Reira because she is a dirty whore. That and he knows he would just be second to Takumi and he knows a healthy relationship should not be based on settling. No, he decides that he is going to be with a NORMAL person. Miu is (was) a 27 year old virgin and has no past with anyone. Clearly she is a catch. They are seen later in the time skip and it appears they are still together. Which I hope they still are.

Junko is the worst best friend on the face of the planet. I understand that Nana K is a slut and very immature but COME ON. Junko couldn’t be ruder if she tried. There is being concerned over your friend making stupid mistakes all the time and being a bitch. She tries to come off as knowing more and just trying to give Nana K helpful advice but it comes off more as cruel. It’s almost as if she gets off being mean to Nana K whenever possible. The line that pissed me off the most was when she was referring to Nana K being spoiled by Takumi. Yeah, how about you know something about the subject matter you are talking about before you give advice.

Shoji and Sachiko can go die in a fire together. He cheated on her for very jerk reasons. Not that most reasons to cheat on people are good ones but his were out of left field. I mean…I would expect to live with my boyfriend after a year and living in a new city. Then she goes out and gets a life like he told her too and he cheats on her with his co-worker? Yeah he needs to be shot. He picks Sachiko because she was willing to fight for him? WELL DUH ASSHAT. What did you want Nana K to do, declare her undying love when you cheated on her? So really Shoji doesn’t love Sachiko as he wanted Nana K to fight for him. And I am not buying this Sachiko is an innocent little angel crap. I am not sure why these two are suffering for their crimes why everyone else does. Or maybe Sachiko gets a little bit of what she deserves as Shoji still has feelings for Nana K.

Yuri is a skanky slut and that is about it for her...

Misato is cute. She is very likable despite the over the top way she dresses. The whole mess about her picking her name based on who Nana’s maybe sister might be is a little bit shady. Oh and the fact she might be Nana’s sister too is a bit weird. But….she is a pretty decent role model. I just hope she isn’t sleeping with the producer of the studio to get ahead in the company.

Naoki? Whose Naoki?!

The most amazing part of this manga is that it all takes place within a year (more or less anyway). This of course is not including the future peeks we have been given but meh. It is crazy that people are falling in love out of love and back in love with all these people in such a short amount of time. Also that BLAST was able to get signed in a relatively short time period. Nana gets knocked up within 6 months of moving to Tokyo and her relationship with Nobu only lasted weeks.

But I guess that happens in most animes and mangas. Characters meet each other and fall in love in a short amount of time often. I guess I have a problem with all the love triangles, rectangles, and pentagons that happen in said short amount of time.

It also hurts to see how these characters treat each other in regards to communication. Everyone is so busy they have to text most of the time to talk to each other. And even then no one is being really honest with what is going on. Why doesn’t anyone know that Nana K is ignored by Takumi and that she is really unhappy? If Nana O is really her bestest best friend she should pick up on that. But everyone is too busy in their own drama to be concerned about what is going on in their important people’s lives. Which happens in real life all the time so that makes it all the sadder. I just have a hard time buying all this closeness and drama when they don’t talk to one another.

Now after I spent almost 6 thousand words bashing this manga….there are some redeeming factors. There would have to be or I would be a moron to keep on reading this series.

I think it does do a good job portraying how confused young people feel about relationships and situations. Granted there is a lot of confusion going on but maybe I am just a goody two shoes who knows nothing how real 20 something years act. So while I might not agree with how crazy their actions end up being, I like how emotional they become and feel conflicted like normal human beings

I think the sex scenes were portrayed very accurately too. Sex isn’t also awesome and wonderful and laying down in bed. Sometimes you have sex with a nasty porn star standing up. Sometimes you have sex on a bench and nearly die because you are into exotic affixation. And sometimes your ex-boyfriend pins you down and takes you from behind and almost rapes you. Sex is not glamorous and full of love. Sometimes it is messy and awkward.

The women in this series are very complicated which is pretty realistic. They are not as strong as I would like them to be but they do have their moments. They are love sick fools yet are easily pissed off. Half the time they don’t what they want. And they cry all the time because they are emotional. Good times, good times.

Of course Nana K cries the most....

Given I am on page 10 of Microsoft word I think it is about time to stop. Nana started off as a much different manga to me. It had hope, a few girls that had big dreams, and some hot boys who were second to these Nana’s relationship. It turned into a slut fest chain smoking event and I got disillusioned. I wanted the characters to learn from their mistakes and grow as people. I didn’t want them to keep on failing and hurting each other. I wanted there to be something positive for someone, anyone! But now everyone is unhappy and the future is bleak.

Maybe that is a more realistic outlook though. Sometimes life is crap and there are people who just make one bad decision after another. Maybe I am upset because I wanted a happy ending. Maybe I just can’t do complicated.

Perhaps this series is so popular because of all the drama. Maybe people don’t want their lives to end up like this. Maybe people feel pity for these characters or try to focus on their good points (as limited as they may be). Or maybe people like it because it is edgy and different.

And really, do any of my rants matter? I am still waiting for the next chapters so I can find out what happens to Nana K, Nobu, and Nana O. Clearly whatever draws people to these series has drawn me in too. So…this manga is a success at the end of the day. Damn.

Read more!

Eden of the East Final Episode

X_x

x_X

x.X

Or maybe a forced smile too....

The many faces of Tenchi and her reaction to the ending of Eden of the East. The only thing keeping the X_x face from turning into -_________________- face is the promise of two movies in the works. If and only if these movies pick up where episode 11 ends and doesn’t go before the series started or flat out just repeats the entire series my X_x will turn into a XD face. But until then the x_x faces remain and for good reason.

:( This does not make me think yaoi thoughts.

So I came into this last episode waiting for certain things to happen. Akira was going to make himself the bad guy and warn the country of the bombs. He would appear as the villain but people would be warned of the impending doom. He would use the last of his money to save all of Japan. He is somehow killed through his heroic actions and Saki is one of the few people who knows the truth. Japan reforms after this horrible event and Akira “wins” the game so to speak.

If they had pants on they would be totally reasonable!

So the club members make it to a safe place in the mall and get in contact with Saki and Micchon. The club members warn the two girls to not come to this dangerous place but they insist on it. And Ohsugi keeps on being a brat about the whole Akira is a bad guy thing.

People are so ungrateful!

Then the moment of truth. Saki decides to tell us exactly what Mononobe told Akira last episode. And what she says is pretty much exactly what is to be expected. Back when Akira had his memories he found out about Yuki’s lame plan to get back at THE MAN. Akira gathered up all those 20k NEETS and they are the ones who saved the day. The NEETS used all their nerdy info to get supplies together and help coordinate a rescue effort. However the rescuees started to question why these saviors had prior information on said attacks. Also his fellow rescuers started to loot the would be bombed areas and started to suspect that Akira was up to no good. So he decided to convince these NEETS that he was bomber and they went WTF! Akira sends them to Dubai for three months and Akira erased his memories because he is so sad that everyone hates him.

Man down! MAN DOWN!

Exactly what we expected! So now Akira saves the day again and this time dies and there is significant change in Japan and we find out who Mr. Outside is! But not yet. First we have to see Ohsugi, club president, and the pudgy kid run around naked. But they are have good reason to. See, they left the laptop in the lounge and they must be among the naked masses that are the NEETS. Sissy doesn’t get to join in this fun as all the NEETS are boys. Sadness fills my heart.

He gave the laptop cooties!

So after they get the laptop Akira saves the day and Mr. Outside reveals who he is and we all go MOG right? Well not yet. We have to have some comedy scenes with the boys running around naked and poor Saki and Micchon have to cover their virgin eyes to not see any tan Johnnies. Oh and there is some more symbolic subtle not so subtle stuff about cell phones. After all is said and done club president and chubby are lost to the NEET crowd and Ohsugi gets the laptop back safely.

Ring tones are scary!

Before the dramatic ending can occur they analyze the information Panties left for our gang to find. Oh and Ohsugi puts on a jacket to cover his nakedness…instead of pants. But everyone ignores that as they realize they are boned. Before they can boo hoo about their impending doom everyone gets a phone call. And by everyone I mean all those NEETS and their broken down phones in that huge pile. It is Akira trying to convince everyone he is the bad guy again and that he is sending bombs all over Japan.

Can't he find a way to blame...someone else? Like oh..Mr. Outside?!

YES! Things are going according to plan. Saki starts being OH SADNESS about the situation as the NEETS get angry. Akira works everyone up into a frenzy and tells them all to go to the roof. We get a brief look at the three Selecao dudes. Mononobe leaves in a helicopter saying that he is going to find out where Mr. Outside is. Tsuji taunts Yuki, saying that he was totally played by Mononobe who could have been the Supporter and he leaves. Yuki is pissed off. The club members make it to an elevator but the naked NEETS try to break in. Akira has to come and kick a few in their faces.

This screenie looks more like abuse but I swear it was romantic!

Everyone is GASP it is Akira and I sense the ending better happen soon as time is ticking. There is a dramatic moment where Saki refuses to leave Akira’s side and yells at him for placing him in the villain role again. Instead of leaving her alone like he did on the train he takes her hand and they make it too the roof together. All of which is very dramatic as all the NEETs and club members make it up there.

Sit right there and watch my awesome plan!

THE MOMENT IS UPON US! Akira is going to unleash his mighty plan to stop the missiles and save Japan. Okay, he talks to the NEETS and gets them all upset again. Here comes the plan!!!! X_X Wait….his plan is to ask everyone else how to stop the missiles? X_X That is his mighty plan?

Err...okay.

Okay…so that really wasn’t what I was expecting. And the fact that all the NEETS came back to Japan seems like a plan after 3 months, not some new calculation that Akira came up with on the train. But okay. Sometimes great leaders have to rely on others to make it through. I mean, the president of a company is not always the smartest, just the one with a vision and seeks out those who can make his vision possible. So while it is not MOG amazing it’s fine. With all these NEETS around I am sure they will come up with a spectacular plan and Akira will run off to find Mr. Outside and all will be revealed!

That was expected....

….The plan is getting some jets to shoot down the missiles? Something that makes total sense and was expected? Something that even I could think of the top of my head? X_X Really, were all the NEETS needed for that idea? And WTF is up with this horrible song choice? It is making what is supposed to be a dramatic moment really lame. Okay so these NEETS aren’t really amazing. But now Akira can run and destroy Mr. Outside and punch him in the face!!!

Boys are special.

Or..or he can stand on top of the carousel and pretend to be the one firing the missiles like the dead detective did. Yeah and there is about 3 minutes left. Me thinks this is not going to end well. At least not end well for me.

Even Juiz is surprised.

WTF! King of Japan?! What the hell is going on?! He is going to use all his money up to become King of Japan since being a terrorist won’t be enough to cover this up. Forgetting the fact that those 20k NEETS know who he is…won’t he die? If he has used all this money up and he has yet to save Japan the Supporter is supposed to come and kill him. And just because you are elected (self appointed) King of a nation does not mean you automatically save it. Change takes time and well the Supporter isn’t really a kind person. So this plan is kinda made of fail. And random.

DO NOT LIKE!

MOG!!!! He made Juiz wipe his memories AGAIN?! And he gave Saki his phone? What the hell is going on?! Wouldn’t it be better if he had his memories from the…last week (X_X) so he knows what the hell he is up against and can better run a nation? Or better yet NOT DIE! Now he has a limited supply of people who really know what the Selecaos are. X_X And why would he put the phone in Saki’s pocket? Won’t that put her in danger? We need more answers.

This is seriously the end?!

THE SHOW IS OVER! Saki says some stuff about how now Akira is a Prince and it is on to the crazy ass theme song. That is all we get!

*takes a moment to gather her angry thoughts*

Considering how much this show has put us through with all the secrets, the Supporter, Mr. Outside, and all this Selecao crap you would think that we would be getting a more dramatic ending. I guess they think that letting Panties live is enough of a gift for us loyal viewers but I am not so sure about that.

Yay for not being dead XD

This show ends without any significant closure to any plots. Unless you count the dramatic ending of Saki and Akira’s relationship. That has been a huge let down for me in this series. I was expecting more out of those two and we really didn’t see much progress with their attraction to one another. The first few episodes were great with the blushy faces and Saki wanted to follow Akira around. But then her club members got involved and Akira began chasing down his past. Saki just became cute side dressing and I guess a reason for Akira to want to live.

Since we didn't get a kiss this will have to suffice.

But now he has pushed her away again and this time she might not be so forgiving. She was standing right there and he couldn’t tell her what was going on? He is a typical guy who feels that he has to protect the helpless girl so it is inevitable I suppose. But he really should have thrown that phone away instead of slipping it in her pocket. Unless he is giving her the burden to figure out this whole mess. In which case Akira sucks even more.

I think the Eden website was also a big letdown. I think the concept behind it was pretty amazing and I thought that it was going to play a big role in the last episode. Instead it was just used to have the NEETS spew ideas all over a forum so Juiz could pick the best one. They could have used any forum in the world so using the Eden one wasn’t really a big deal. But it did play a big part in the club members finding out that Akira was not really Akira. So while it wasn’t totally amazing it wasn’t a giant failure either.

WTF is on his head?!

The club members never really got to shine much either. I especially liked how the president was the least knowledgeable out of all of them. But since I just got done saying that a president of a company is one who can bring the best people together and doesn’t have to be the best one….I will just nod my head and smile. Sissy was useless most of the series as was the pudgy guy. But I really thought Micchon was cute and brought something special to the show. Ohsugi got on my nerves but I understand the thinking behind his madness. He made the most sense and I guess you have to have at least one friend who is a rational thinker and skeptic. But I am surprised he didn’t die.

What if INDEED!!!

The fate of the other Selecaos is left unknown that that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We didn’t even get to meet most of them for goodness sake. Akira better be careful to not win the game too fast or all the other Selecaos will be hamburger meat really soon. Mononobe seem to expect Akira to be able to stop the missiles, as if it was a part of his plan. Yuki is pissed off he didn’t get to blow up Japan and get his revenge on people who made him…work for a living. Tsuji didn’t do anything interesting at all except point out that Yuki was a fool to trust Mononobe. And prostitute Selecao was…doing nothing. I think the show would have been better if all the Selecaos had be mentioned, even if it was revealed some had died before the start of the show. Too many things are left unanswered with this mysterious crew.

I often take pictures of impending doom.

I thought that with all the focus on cell phones we were going to get a massive lesson in how technology is running our lives. I think how cell phones were portrayed in this series is very accurate on how the youth of today depend on them. I was just expecting a moral message at the end about how we need to interact with our fellow man and not rely on such impersonal means of communication. But the last episode had cell phones saving the day so to speak with the NEETS texting in their ideas. So…lesson not learned.

No one knows what Mr. Outside looks like so have a picture of Akira being a cop instead.

Mr. Outside is still out there. We did have Mononobe explaining to Akira Mr. Outside’s reasons for all this mess but I wanted to hear it from that man himself. Or at least see the guy's dead body/grave. I wanted to see Akira punch him in the face. I wanted to see what kind of man thought blackmailing 12 people would help save Japan. I don’t think motivating people out of fear really works all that well but what do I know. I am not Mr. Outside and nor do I know him.

It is hard to write my final thoughts about this series as it might not be over. There are two scheduled movies coming out for this series and I can only hope all the things that I have voiced complaints about are explained then and there. It all depends on the kind of movies they are of course.

And I don’t want to end my blogging of Eden of the East on a sour note. Besides the last episode this series was really, really good. Saki and Akira had potential. The plot was complicated yet in a simple way. The art was great. The entire thing flowed well together. It just fell apart for me in this final episode. I rather see it as a cliffhanger for the movies to come instead of THE END. Because if this was the end..I would call this a fail. So I will wait and see if the movies make this series truly spectacular instead of WTF kind of ending was that?!

And wtf was up with the Johnnies?!?!?!?!

Still do not understand AT ALL!

Read more!