Things I have learned from Anime Fandom

We lurk among you.

Everyone can be shipped with anyone in the same series. Even if they have never talked to each other or had a scene together. Someone out there thinks they make the cutest couple despite not being the same species/same side of the conflict/hating that gender.

If you go against the main pairing/pairings in a series crazy fan girls will have your head. But since they are so busy fighting who is more deserving of Amu (Tadase verses Ikuto) you might make it out alive.

You can make anyone into a chibi version of themselves and the product will sell like hotcakes at a local anime convention.

There are stages to your otakuness. You first start off as a bright eye newbie who can’t wait for anything anime. Then you transform into a crazy person who spouts off half Japanese sayings/phrases and put down the newbies for not knowing the hip and new series. Finally you become an older, jaded otaku who reminisces about the days before free downloads and how kids these days only like the “popular” titles and need to give the classics a chance. Also get off my lawn territory exists in all stages of okatuness.

When conversing on anime forums it is important to misspell as many things as possible and make your train of thought nonexistent. When some members point out that your spelling is horrible and the forum isn’t a text message the appropriate response is to go postal on them.

The more obscure the anime the more people will sing its praises and act like it’s the best show ever. Even if it sucked.

Fan boys will use any excuse to defend their favorite show from being more than hentai. They like the other parts of the show, the art is great, the storyline is awesome, ect ect. There is more to the show besides huge breasts, panty shots, and moaning girls. Only there isn’t.

Crazy yaoi fan girls will die for their pairings, despite how uncanon the pairing may be. We just do.

Time to spend 1k on useless but awesome stuff.

Fans will spend gobs of money on all kinds of merchandise, clothing, ect. But when it comes to actually buying the DVDs/manga the series is based on it’s “I’m not paying money for that!!!”

Otakus are routinely made fun of on the internet for being weeaboos. Part of that is because people are stupid and enjoy making fun of others because of their interests. But part of the teasing is brought on because some otakus act like utter morons and make it hard for the rest of us to like our hobby. Thanks jerks.

Not exactly going incognito....

Anime fans get really pissed off when they are treated “badly” by hotel staff during conventions. Sure generalizations really suck and it’s not fair that everyone is treated like a moron because some convention goers act like idiots when they are 5 feet away from their real lives. Instead of being mad at the hotel staff/police officers for (overzealously) doing their jobs get mad at the people who ruin the fun for everyone. Also if I ran a hotel and for an entire weekend the majority of my clients were 15-21 I be giving the stink eye to people too. GET OFF MY BALCONY!

Con tip: One cannot live on ramune and pocky alone.

That being said….anime fans have really awesome convention stories. If your trip doesn’t involve dating drama, drunken accidents, a police phone call, and general WTFness you are doing it wrong.

Anime characters are hotter than real life people. No one can admit that all “hot” anime characters tend to look alike and don’t represent how real people look. The ones that DO look real (ie acne, hair besides on the top of your head, wrinkles) are viewed as creepy/old/ugly. Even if actors/actresses are air brushed to death there are still interesting things about them that make them unique. But don’t tell that to a crazy die hard fan.

When anime fans try to discuss mature topics/news breaking headlines it can either go the WOW people can like anime and still be mature adults route…..or not. The not happens more often than…not. XD

The deaths in animes will always top the deaths in horror movies. SAW skirts this line but I am convinced they get some of their material from gruesome anime scenes.

Cosplays are very serious business. From commissioning people to make their costumes, to getting personal time with a “photographer” to commenting on someone’s cosplay online. Follow etiquette or suffer the consequences.

Fandoms all have crazies. Mine just happens to have ones wearing Naruto headbands in the manga aisle at Books-A-Million.

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Kobato Episode 14

The poison has already gone to his head.....

What the heck was wrong with those sweet potatoes?!?!?!?!

I mean…..welcome to another exciting Kobato episode post. Has it been a week already? Time flies when the post office won’t deliver your package and customers are trying to scam free food out of you. Ah memories.

What was wrong with those sweet potatoes?! X_X

Err….let’s get on with the show. That involves abnormal sweet potatoes and lots of them.





This episode was all anime related. I fear that we are going to have only anime related episodes from now on. Kobato manga chapters come out slower than mud, once a month in most circumstances. So taking into consideration that the artists aren’t drawing the episodes two days before they air….yeah. There isn’t really much left that the anime hasn’t covered yet. I fear there will be more sweet potatoes in our future. And boring little kids.

Hello random farm!

Yomogi Nursery has decided to take a field trip to a potato picking farm. That is located a few blocks away from the nursery. Special. I get that kids go on little trips during school but I have a hard time believing that someone has an entire front yard just growing sweet potatoes in their neighborhood. Because I am cynical. And have no yard in which to grow my own sweet potatoes.

My word is law!

Kobato is exciting about this day, Sayaka is busy being the one paying attention to the kids, and Fujimoto is being the fun police. Random fact: My dad is the President of the Fun Police. Anywhere we go/what we do he manages to be the one to scream the rules at us or remind us that we can’t have any fun. Rules are important but there are nice ways to express them and there is the Fujimoto way. Not that I would carry any of their sweet potatoes anyway. I am a little smarter though and would have limited the potato count to 3/random number. Why am I bagging Fujimoto, I hate kids and have just as much patience as he does. X_X

Putting the health department on speed dial.

Okay. Those potatoes were green. Do you see that picture? Snap those babies in half and they are green. I am not a fan of sweet potatoes but I know they are orange. Not green. I even goggled Japanese sweet potatoes to see if they might be referring to a different kind of vegetable. I found pictures of some that were yellowy and some that were white looking in the middle. NOT GREEN! Run away kids!

NOT YUMMY!

While the kids are picking free green sweet potatoes Fujimoto notices another kid picking off to the side. Because you know how big someone’s front yard is in Japan. It is hard to notice random children stealing green potatoes. And dude it made Fujimoto so mad you would have thought that they were his potatoes. The little hungry kid runs off and everyone looks at Fujimoto like the freak he is.

Get off my lawn!

It really makes no sense on why Fujimoto was making such a huge deal about the few potatoes when Kobato picked 499 of them. X_X I love you Kobato but DUDE. Maybe Kobato thought she was helping by picking that many or she just got carried away. I suppose she didn’t have to take them all like Fujimoto said. The potato farm owner could have said you can keep those and sell the rest herself. But this is a CLAMP universe so that means people really don’t care about money and if they do they are greedy people. How dare you make money off your own stuff you grow in your magical yard. But back to the point not sure why Fujimoto was so UPSET when Kobato picked 15 times as many as random kid did.

Fujimoto is very pleased with this task.

Instead of letting the nice lady who thought she was inviting a few kids to pick potatoes keep her crop Kobato and gang carry them all the way back to the nursery (or maybe the potato lady wanted to unload all her dangerous green potatoes on these kids and helped them cart the poison veggies away). And instead of sending the potatoes home with the mothers of the kids (because it is hard to have a school when all the kids are dead) Sayaka decides that Fujimoto and Kobato will hand out the potatoes! Nothing says like getting to know your neighbors like giving them the runs. Also doesn’t Fujimoto have a job or a test to study for?

Do you really want to get the kid in trouble over poison potatoes?

The purpose of handing out these potatoes is to find that potato stealing kid. Also Kobato has to go with Fujimoto because otherwise people would be too scared of accept food from his happy self. His smiles light up the whole world! But running into the potato stealer was inevitable because he is the friend of the week!

Why aren't you dead?!

For a split second there I thought Keita was going to be interesting. I almost thought he was a ghost. I was like WHOA happy anime is going to show its CLAMPness and give us some actual sadness. Not everything can be as simple as some little kid problems. No this kid wants to go back home and we will find out his mom moved away after he died and that Kobato will help him move on and go to heaven.

Say it ain't so!!!!!!

Then it was all shattered to the ground. Keita has run away from home because his grandfather is mean. He makes him eat his vegetables and go to bed at a decent time. Clearly it is the end of the world.

Yeah I am pretty disappointed in the not so awesome friend of the week. I know this is a feel good, aimed a much younger audience kind of show but lets not go the Shugo Chara route okay? The manga does have some serious moments and topics so lets not water it down into nothing okay?

Clearly this kid suffers....

Putting aside the fact that the friend of the week wasn’t a ghost….BLEH. Running away because your grandfather is strict? And Fujimoto and Kobato….okay Fujimoto didn’t call the parent….okay he did. Well in any event why did they cater to this kid’s stupid wish?! Running away from home should not be encouraged or help. But Fujimoto decided to have a nice moment since he remembers being a little kid away from home and unloved and all that jazz.

The problem was rather simple this week. Not sure how Kobato helped out as the kid figured it out for himself. And Fujimoto was the one who called the grandfather so they could have the emotional reunion. But….Kobato did listen to his problems and that seems to be what she does with most of her candy victims. Keita needed to vent out his problems to hear how stupid this whole thing was.

Way to go grandpa!

And the grandfather did club Keita in the head, like he deserved. So the kid is getting some discipline in his life. All is not lost.

Sorry dude. You never had a chance.

So….this episode had a lot of walking, a side of dumb kid with dumb problem, and cute Kobato being clueless about life. The main purpose of this episode was to show us that Fujimoto isn’t a complete jerk. That way in the next few episodes when Kobato realizes she likes Fujimoto we aren’t all screaming that he is too mean for her and more people support the pairing. The kid and the potatoes were just side dressing.

I think I miss the tree…..

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To Aru Kagaku no Railgun Episode 15

This episode contains 95 percent less mopey Saten. That would be good...but since this episode also contained 95 percent Saten it is just sad the one scene she was in she was mopey. Maybe next week Saten.

I get to be in this episode too?!

Now onto the show and spoilers.




The new plot is upon us. Or at least a new mini plot. And it is a totally new and refreshing plot too! People without powers are jealous of those who do have powers! Exciting I know! Let’s discuss it shall we?

Thugs so poor they can't even afford shirts!

There are more thugs in Academy City. It is truly shocking I know. What with no police presence and junior high kids patrolling the neighborhood I think they are lucky that there isn’t chaos in the streets. But for a city that has mostly students you would think that they would try to up the protection just a wee bit. You know, since students tend to not make the best decisions in life and their parents/other adults aren’t around to protect the kids. But this city has decided it is smarter to have less people protecting venerable people. Smart.

Do they ever learn...

Putting that aside a group of thugs (all young males without powers, the only kind of thugs there are in this show) run around and get a kick out of harassing espers. At this point I am wondering why nonespers stay in the city. Once it’s established they have no powers wouldn’t they want to get out of a city that reminds them of their “failure”? Or is it more fun to be bitter and mess up a city that tried to bring you to your full potential? Personally I think that once a student graduates from college/high school they either must become professors/scientists in the city or leave. Only those with supportive jobs can stay in the city. This is supposed to be the most advanced city in this universe right….

I laughed. XD

At first I was rolling my eyes at the thought that ability users would have a hard time against some punks with poles. But then I remembered some abilities are useless (or the person with the powers is useless coughUiharucoughcough) so while they might be able to do something that normal people can’t do IE move the wind… that won’t save you from 5 someones with baseball bats. That and even if your ability is semi cool, unless you can use it all around you at the same time you are in trouble.

This van is very attractive.

None of this really matters as even the strongest ability user is rendered helpless with the loud high pitch noise ability stopping machine. It is pretty special how these nonability thugy people manage to somehow make great technology to stop ability users. Oh wait…it is usually a scientist who gives the technology to said thugy people because they are expendable. Now which one of the people in the new opening theme song is responsible for this new machine…..

Can we please love Saten?! PLEASE?!

Once again our girls have to hunt down these baddies and find out what they are after. Except Saten. Because that one time she took the Level Upper and made a poor choice. Therefore every time something goes bad Saten must look guilty and be made to feel guilty. Or how about NOT.

Pay no attention to me as I act completely normal!

As the girls are discussing this new gang (which is called Skillout and Big Spider despite being the same group of people) Konori gets all quiet and dramatic. The words leather jacket, spider, and him almost make her lose her mind. The high school student who is usually so calm and collect decides to pass off the work onto the younger girls (oh wait…) because this all hits a little too close to home.
So clearly the leather wearing dude is her brother. Or her ex-boyfriend. My money is on her brother though.

We fear no gun!

Now one would think that because these goons have weapons and have been targeting people and beating them up that the real authority (AntiSkill) would investigate this matter. But no it is time for the 13 year olds to put their lives on the line again. This time into the ghetto.

What, no stray dogs?

Yes the best city on the face of the planet has a ghetto. Which shouldn’t surprise me since every nice city is always surrounded by a not so nice part of town. It’s a rule or something. But I guess I like to glamorize this city and think they shouldn’t have the same problems as any other city. It still made me go X_X though. Why would they keep building elsewhere and just leave parts of the city in crapland? There isn’t that much space in Japan so can they afford to just keep building more and more buildings? Also if they have such a problem with thugs why don’t get rid of their thug like hangouts? Why am I asking realistic questions?

I don't have powers. Woe is me.

The girls went to the BAD district and confront the baddies. There they meet up with the leather wearing dude….and they don’t really question him. Despite the fact that he saves the girls from thugs and is wearing leather and they are looking for someone who saves people from thugs and wears leather he is not questioned. Because he is drinking milk. And he brings up some sad story about how the nonability users are sad and feel like life has no meaning and how discourage they all feel. The issue that has been going since the beginning of time in this series. Nothing new.

I would be sad too if my hair looked like that...

So after the girls get saved by leather dude once they go back to town to fight some more baddies. Because the baddies are looking for something that only the espers have? Or learn something about the espers. It’s really not clear since the baddie leader with really ugly and stereotypical Japanese bad guy hair is too busy having really bad and ugly hair. Did I mention his hair was ugly? But they want to know/something and we will find out about it next week.

Konori...knows someone?!

Konori might know what is going on. She seems to know the fake Kurozuma and the real Kurozuma (the fake one being the gang boss and the real one being the leather wearing hero). Of course I say might but she was acting special all during the episode. And at the end when she confronts Kurozuma. So yeah I say seems and really she might be the reason they are doing this. Or she use to roll with these guys and changed her ways to join Judgment.

Don't mess with my milk!

Whatever the case may be this episode exists to set the stage for episode 16. For now it was a little….familiar. Nonability users being all mad, picking on ability users, and 13 year olds saving the town. But now…there is a milk drinking hero. See, totally different.

Next episode now please!

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Ookami Kakushi Episode Two

Today my mother's close friend died. She was a very sweet woman and had a very positive outlook on life. She leaves behind a huge family and tons of friends that will miss her. I think the only thing that is keeping my mom from crying every single moment is the thought that her friend is now in heaven and pain free.

I usually open up my anime episode posts with a happier/snarkier note. And I had planned on doing so today. But I couldn't bring myself to put on a fake smile and talk about something nonsensical when something truly sad touched my mother today. Of course blogging anime when my mother is so sad is nonsensical itself but my mother is asleep now and sometimes you need something to take your mind off the sadness.

But this woman was truly a special person who left those she loved way before her time.

I won't apologize for bringing down the mood in my own blog post. I say what is on my mind and heart. I will miss this wonderful woman and I will continue to pray for her family during this rough time. Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you could please pray/send your positive thoughts to her family as well.

Spoilers for Ookami Kakushi episode two behind the cut.



I have no idea what is going on with this series.

It’s still up in the air whether or not that is a good thing. I will need a few more episodes under my belt to get a good feel about this show. Or to decide if the confusion is the good kind. Also I need a belt.

Note to self: Don't go missing in this town.

Hiroshi and Kaname are slightly worried about their classmate’s sudden disappearance. Perhaps what is most alarming is the fact that none of their other classmates care or find it odd. Isuzu shows a little hostility when Hiroshi tries to bring up the fact that everyone is acting odd. But then Isuzu turns on her odd (or normal) behavior and Hiroshi and Kaname are left to themselves to wonder what kind of crazy town they live in.

Only I can bother Hiroshi!

Nemuru is not pleased with the class still bothering Hiroshi. One would think the sudden demise….disappearance of their classmate, the classmate that was bothering Hiroshi the most, would make the other kids a little scared of Nemuru’s wrath. But that is not the case and everyone still pesters Hiroshi. Until Nemuru enters the room. Then everyone scatters and Hiroshi wants to know why his dad picked this crazy place to live.

Call me crazy but it looks like Nemuru cares for Isuzu...X_x. What is going on here?!

Isuzu is the only one who openly defies Nemuru even if it is only for a few minutes. Later the two are seen screaming but whoever made this series really hates my soul. Their fight is put on mute and we can only see the anger on the girls faces. Clearly the ending of the show is being discussed and we are not allowed to know this awesome information yet. Only the Isuzu swears she will protect Hiroshi and that Nemuru is warning her to do something. This is meant to confuse the viewer. We all think Isuzu is the scary villain and Nemuru is the one protecting Hiroshi. But since that is too obvious Isuzu must be the good guy and Nemuru is the evil one. But that would what everyone is thinking so the twist will be that BOTH girls are good and Hiroshi is the bad guy.

I have no idea what is going on. So I wished I could have heard that fight. But Isuzu is still annoying.

Everyone in this series is a freak.

We are introduced to Issei, Isuzu’s older brother. He seems the typical older brother type. Not really sure what I meant with that since the typical older brother type likes to taunt the younger sister and scare off potential love interests. I suppose that he is playing the I am pretending to be perfect but really I am a crazy wolf who wants to eat your son. Or rape him. Seriously the preview for next week is X_X.

Thanks for telling us stuff about our town from our town's history book. So informative.

Issei and Kaname are interested in Hiroshi’s father because he is apparently some occult teacher and they are both interested in learning about the wolf legend of the town. Because Issei doesn’t know more than someone who just moved to town and Kaname just arrived off the bus and had no time in the last X amount of months to research the subject herself. We all know that Issei knows what is going on in the town so he has to feign ignorance. The thing I am interested in is why Issei wanted to meet Hiroshi’s dad. He must be after something if he is willing to listen and lie like that. Kaname is just dumb. Cute but dumb.

But what about the wolves?!

The town is celebrating its orange festival of not orangeness. Instead of learning about the legends of the town, something that might keep Hiroshi safe, he lets Isuzu teach him some silly game. Okay maybe it is a fun tradition but not what Hiroshi should be doing when he is in a new town with crazy people. What he needs to learn is where the nearest silver bullet store is.

Pay not attention to that part of town!

The issue of not going to the older part of town is mentioned again and again I wonder what is going on. Give a girl a clue okay! This looks like it might be a 13 episode long series so I don’t want to waste time with pointless details.

Wolves killing wolves?

The end of the episode was rather good though. A young girl runs through the town much like Hiroshi’s dead classmate. The wolves chase her and the head wolf girl (or so I think) makes a comment about the girl being a lost wolf before she hacks her head off. A drunken boy is then shown being drunk and angry over the fact his girlfriend is dead. Vengeance is on his mind!

But I doubt it will come next week. As Hiroshi is too busy being molested….

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I don't know. Something else. Also terrible.

Today something really awesome happened.

Or really crappy. I haven’t decided yet. Or perhaps it’s a bit of both?

My mother defended me at work today and didn’t focus on how the issue was my fault and instead got mad at the person who blew everything out of proportion. Truly it is a day that will be etched in my mind forever.

So what grievous offense did I commit today that caused a customer to lose her sanity?

I cut a pizza into 8 pieces and not 10.





Let’s start at the beginning because that makes life much more fun. It is a slow day at our pizzeria and I was munchin on some cookies. A woman comes in with her 4 teenage kids. She orders half something half pepperoni pizza. She actually orders drinks despite bringing in her own tub of tea which shocks me to my core. She asks me to cut the pizza into 10 pieces. It makes sense as there are 5 of them, thus everyone gets 2 pieces. I write “cut in 10” on the ticket.

Being that I cut pizzas all the time and 99 percent of all those pizzas are cut in 8 my brain is program to cut in 8. I wasn’t thinking and I take full responsibility for not paying attention. I went on autopilot, cut the pizza, and served it. Clearly I am the devil.

When I took the pizza to the table the mother had WTF is that smell look on her face. Only then I remembered the pizza was supposed to be cut in 10. I am just that awesome. I immediately apologize and pick up the pizza. I say I am going to cut it in 16 slices so everyone more or less gets the same amount of pizza. Only one slice will be left over and I am sure one of the boys would have eaten it in a split second.

The woman says no, this is fine in a way that sounds like I have just run over her baby kitten and she is doing her best not to eat my soul. Before I can offer the woman two slices (MORE PIZZA THAN SHE ORDERED) her eldest son says No it’s fine. But he says it in a way that actually sounds like it is fine. I apologize again and scamper off.

Now I am sitting down in the “break room” (IE a table that is like 5 feet from the dining area) and eat my own lunch. And the rest of my cookies. Maybe if this lady had her own cookies the story would have ended happily. I am sitting there talking to my brother about his really insane teacher. Our manager (our mother) is standing up so she can see us talking and can still look out into the lobby at the same time.

Apparently the mother sat there the entire time not eating anything. All of her kids offered her a slice and she kept refusing them, like she was a victim of some horrible crime and would rather suffer than seek help. My mom says that the kids looked uncomfortable and didn’t enjoy their meal. After all 8 pieces of pizza are done the kids get up and start getting ready to go. That is when the action starts.

The mother gets up and starts pacing in front of the register. Well not in front of it like HI I have a question but in front of the register area waiting to explode. My mother had been listening to my brother complain about his teacher but suddenly she disappeared. I hushed my brother because I am the nosiest person on the face of the planet.

Since I couldn’t hear everything I shall give you the basic rundown: The woman finally stopped pacing and told my mother she went without food because her employee couldn’t follow basic instructions. The woman didn’t feel it was fair that she had no lunch because I couldn’t fix a problem properly. My mother grew a backbone today and reminded the lady that I had offered to cut the pizza into smaller pieces so everyone would have equal slices. The woman apparently got snippy and said 16 was not 10. Thanks for that math lesson honey. But it basically would have been the same amount of food you would have gotten with 2 slices of a 10 slice pizza. But math is hard. So is sharing.

So my mother ignores her rant and says that since she (the woman) said it was fine and her son said it was fine that we took the situation to mean it is fine that I made a mistake and that we (the family eating the pizza) would make it work. My mother said that we would have fixed the situation because a mistake was made on our part but since we were given the go ahead to move on with life we moved on with life.

INSERT SCREAMING MATCH HERE.

I have never heard my mother so angry at someone she wasn’t related to ever. Okay maybe I have but clearly this lasted the longest and was the most epic. X_X It was like we switched personalities. I was nearly crying in the corner (I am going to claim PMS on this one folks, no way I would miss out on a scream out on a normal hormone day) while my mother was standing up to a loser customer. And my brother looked on in X_X. X_X describes this situation well.

So at the end of the yelling match it is IMPLIED that the woman thought I should be fired if I can’t do my job without making mistakes. Also sucky customer claims they are the BEST CUSTOMER EVER and they order from us all the time. Note to readers that my mom and brother did not recognize this woman at all. I didn’t either but I don’t recognize people who actually do come in all the time so I don’t count. Woman claims that she ALWAYS orders her pizza 10 cut and she has never had a mistake before. And that my mother is incredibly rude and we have lost a valuable customer and you are going down for this dramatic.

Had I not been all weepy in the corner this would have been a joyous and humorous event.

Now one would think that if something was so horrible that a person would ask for the pizza to be remade or to be given two slices so there would be 10 total slices. One would think that cutting the pizza into 16 slices would be a reasonable solution. One would think that in the grand scheme of things that a mistake of this insignificance would be brushed off easily and one would go about their day as a normal human being.

But not for Ms. Crazy pants. Apparently sitting there starving and stewing in your own anger and hunger is a better way to handle a simple mistake. Because you think if you do that and make a huge scene that you will get the pizza for free.

That’s right folks. I gave these people the correct amount of pizza they wanted with the correct toppings and offered to cut the pizza into smaller slices so everyone got an equal amount of pizza, nearly equal to what they WOULD have had with two slices. But clearly if there is a minor fixable problem you are entitled to your entire meal free because you refused to let us fix the problem and went all martyr on us.

But not today sucky customer. Not today. Because today my mom stuck up for me. That makes today a good day.

Then the Cloverfield monster crushed the city. The end.

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Kobato Episode 13

For some reason this episode really made me happy and smile. Despite the fact it was about a tree. Oh spoiler alert: this episode is about a tree.

Nothing majorly exciting happens and this episode is pretty fillery. There isn’t even a friend of the week per say. But this episode has a lot of Kobato charm to it. It has an innocence about it that is hard to explain but I love it just the same. Even the kids didn’t annoy me this week with kid problems and kid whining.

But fantasy stories are the best!

It is time to enjoy this week’s episode of Kobato. Come enjoy it with me and please bring cake. I crave cake.

There it is folks!

Could have done with less anger since Ioryogi is always angry...

I would like to take this moment and have an insane FINALLY moment. After 12 episodes of complaining about the hat issue THE HAT ISSUE was discussed. Rejoice the masses AKA the three people besides me who really wanted this issue to be mentioned. Okay it took a whole 20 seconds and comes off very unimportant but I don’t care! The point is that it’s out there in the back of people’s minds. That and it didn’t get that much more attention in the manga. Ioryogi does make a slightly bigger deal about it in the manga instead of screaming at Kobato like he always does but for the most part it goes unnoticed and not brought up again. Until the end of the series of course when it turns out that Kobato has massive cat ears under all her hats. For now I am happy that this small issue (that could have been brought up in any episode) has been brought up. Go writers.

Although sometimes anger works...

Of course this goes hand in hand with Ioryogi telling Kobato that she needs to get her butt in gear in regards to her candy collecting. She is down to 6 months now and she only has like 10..WHERE DID ALL THAT CANDY COME FROM? That bottle wasn’t so filled last episode. Me thinks that is a bit too generous of the artists but I guess if they showed how many Kobato really collecting we would all be feeling a sense of dread right now. Now we think Kobato has a fighting chance WOOT!

I know YOU know. Now tell me.

BUT WHERE IS SHE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOING?! I want to know.

Wooden blocks are very serious business.

So back to the meat of the episode: Kids are spoil brats. Okay okay…maybe not. But those kids fighting made me mad. They shouldn’t have called the toys crummy; they should have called each other doo doo heads or whatever. How dare they be unthinking creatures and say such cruel things! Clearly calling old toys old means that Sayaka is dirt poor and everything is her fault and it’s the end of the world.
So since Fujimoto runs out insulted that wooden blocks aren’t considered cool Kobato is left to pick up the pieces of this tragedy. She takes the nursery to the huge tree she happened upon this morning. Just this morning….This tree is like a million feet tall and in walking distance from the school and Kobato just now noticed it?! And some of the kids and neighbors didn’t notice the tree either. X_X Such crazy people.

Kobato is too cute sometimes.

But back to the point Kobato takes the kids to play with tree leaves (because tree leaves>wooden blocks apparently) so she can be there when the MOG moment happens. Men arrive to set up a barricade around the tree. Turns out that a few people have noticed this tree (thank God) and complained about the mess so down the tree goes. Now here I thought the Japanese were the kind of people who cherish old trees and would have some sorta cool legend behind this particular one. But no, everyone wants this tree gone and Kobato looks on in HORROR!

That stupid tree, losing leaves and stuff!

The tree business makes the toy conversation earlier a little more relevant. The boys toss aside the toys because they are old and people are tossing away this tree because it is in the way of progress. Putting aside the fact that this would be an improbable problem in Japan this is a very real scenario, a very real situation to feel sad about. Sure it is easy to say it’s just a tree, it’s just some toys but you can replace tree with just about anything. Something that is important to you but it is old and considered by others too useless/out of date to keep around. And that’s what this episode is so sad.

Yes because neighborhoods don't need trees.

I feel as if I am not explaining myself well and that I am being wordy. ME wordy?! Never. While the episode was playing I was saying WOW a tree….such drama over a TREE. But then I thought how sad I would be if I grew up in a neighborhood/lived there all my life and there was something cool about it. But then one day someone decides this cool, yet old thing wasn’t worth it anymore and that a condo would look better in its place. Then I realized it wasn’t just a tree but it was progress that made the episode so sad. You hold all these wonderful memories (like I am sure Fujimoto played with those very same blocks) and someone comes along and changes it all. Sure progress can be good but sometimes progress means that traditions are forgotten and part of our present becomes part of our past way before its time.

Of course this all would be much more powerful if the person feeling bad for the tree wasn’t Kobato. I love Kobato but she hasn’t been around that long. If Kobato was trying to help someone who had lived there for 48687 years and wanted to save the tree that might have been more powerful. But since it was a newbie to town it loses a bit of its importance.

But since Kohaku has been around since like 200 years (at least) does that count as an oldie being upset at the cause? Even if she wasn’t upset and she totally gets used as Kobato’s close friend which doesn’t exist in the manga?

Summon up some sadness please?

Part of me wishes that Kohaku had been a little more concerned about the issue. But Kobato is very emotional and Kohaku seems more mature. Which is a good thing she is an older angel. She has seen her own boyfriend die 5 times so it is probably hard for her to cry over a tree that seems happy to die. But yeah, her voice was a little bit too happy for me.

And here we have it folks. The moment that Kobato will look back on for the rest of the series: the day Fujimoto hugged her.

And none of this matters as the tree died anyway. :( Sorta like Knowing. Oh snap more spoilers.

The tree appreciates your song.

But the singing was nice. Wish Kobato had a new song to sing but it was nice and pretty and fillery.

BRB dying of shock.

But the tree dies of natural causes which makes the whole thing less sad I guess. It is better to live a full life than for it to be cut short. And now pieces of the tree can be loved by little kids for years to come thanks to Fujimoto’s rare moments of nonjerkiness. Kobato earns a piece of candy and Ioryogi isn’t as angry as he usually is. This episode was a complete success!

So yes I got a little dramatic with the explanation, something that I fault animes/mangas for at times. But I guess it’s okay to be a little dramatic sometimes. Only sometimes of course. So that is my take on an episode that is probably just okay at best but touched me for some reason.

Now if they would focus some of the story back on the nursery school drama I would be a happy blogger. See me never being happy? XD

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