Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 12

Logic = Defied

On one hand, I'm glad that the series is probably not going to end this season. However, if it were to be, say, 25 episodes long, given that the current situation is seemingly the climax of the story, I'm worried that the later episodes might become pointless or boring. And while the last few episodes have barely resolved anything, but yet were entertaining, I highly doubt this can continue for another whole season. Anyway, this episode, like the past few, required lots of thinking on the part of the viewer, with the main question being, "What is part of the Tree of Genesis logic and what isn't?" And because of the thought-provoking nature of the situation, countless possible situations can arise in the minds of viewers ranging from "Hakaze killed Aika" to "the mage of Exodus killed Aika", or even "Aika may or may not actually dead and is behind all this". But focusing on the present situation at the moment, I'm going to have to lean towards the first point (it doesn't have to necessarily be Hakaze; it could be the Tree of Genesis) since both Yoshino and Mahiro are the only people who still care about Aika's death; getting rid of them would render Aika's death insignificant.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 11

Whee~

In hindsight, I find it amusing how I was quite close to dropping this series early on because of how boring it was. At this point, I'm really glad I didn't. Despite two consecutive dialogue-filled episodes, I was thoroughly immersed in the debate between Yoshino and Samon. To me, the whole scene reminded me of a courtroom, with Mahiro as the judge who has the final say on who he thought was "right". As a viewer, the exchange forced me to think about it myself too, analyzing each party's claims and determining if they were logical or not, which I found to be quite enjoyable. Right now, I wouldn't mind if next week's episode was more or less the same format given how much I liked this one.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 10

om nom nom

Mahiro, why didn't you pull the trigger?! Given his "act first, think later" personality, it was very odd to see him analyze the back and forth verbal exchange between Yoshino and Samon. When Yoshino first proposed his seemingly valid theory of which Mahiro seemed to acknowledge, I expected him to activate the talisman right there. But I guess with the story's end nowhere in sight, rushing along would do no good. Instead, a nice little debate (and some humorous reactions courtesy of Samon) is presented, which I did enjoy for the most part. At the moment, I can confidently side with neither party as both offer valid reasoning for their claims. However, Samon's reactions are indeed suspicious, leading me to lean towards believing Yoshino; his status of "main protagonist" also played a role in my choice. With that being said, Samon's proof of the time gap was concrete and convincing, which is why I'm hesitant to count him out just yet. I find it amusing how the only time Mahiro decides to think things through is also the only time where his decision truly matters; he essentially holds the key to the world's fate with that talisman.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 9

Just one of Kusaribe Samon's many priceless reactions in this episode

At this point, I wished I had only paid more attention in English class back in high school during the study of Hamlet and other Shakespearean plays. As the series is nearing its climax, I feel that the only viewers who are truly enjoying the story are those who are familiar with Shakespeare's works, particularly Hamlet and The Tempest. While I have read the former (and subsequently forgot all about it soon after) and heard of the latter, the fact that I am not familiar with either deals a big blow to the episode's entertainment value for me. That said, I can still say that this was probably the best Zetsuen no Tempest episode yet; Yoshino finally comes out from behind Mahiro's shadow and takes matters into his own hands after a sudden epiphany. What he has in mind is beyond me, but I initially thought that it would have something to do with the story of The Tempest's... that is until I saw the next episode's title.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 8

Seems like something straight out of a horror movie

And yet another series utilizes the idea of time travel as part of its story. But the thing is, in this particular situation, it seemed to me like it was only used as a failsafe approach—when there wasn't any other logical reason for Samon to not bring Hakaze back. Depending on how you look at it though, the use of time travel here can be either beneficial or detrimental to the story. For the former, it adds a new twist and shows that, despite her unworldly powers, Hakaze too is vulnerable to something almost every living being fears: death. However, on the other hand, the confusion and paradoxes that time travel brings with it begs the question of whether it's worth using in the story. Will viewers have a tough time wrapping their heads around the situation? Or will unintended plot holes be created as a result? Personally, I found the whole paradox to be slightly confusing at first so I would've preferred it if time travel wasn't used in the story.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 7

The sunflowers are watching.

Alright, I'll admit that this episode made me see Aika in a better light. However, this doesn't mean that I like her character. I still dislike her sadistic and deceptive personality, but I'm now more curious about what went on in her head while she was alive. There were many hints that she knew more than she let on—including the possibility that she had a feeling she was going to die—since she often iterates her belief that "everything happens for a reason". So this begs the question, just what reason does her death serve then? Bear with me as I explain my plausible but probably unlikely theory.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 6

Significant nature shot

We're at the halfway point now and I can say that I'm actually disappointed with the way things have went with this series. The direction of the story has gotten somewhat blurred; it's unclear whether the main focus is to identify Aika's murderer or to stop Samon from awakening the Zetsuen no Ki. Right now, the latter seems to be the topic at hand, but flashes of Aika in this episode beg to differ. Personally, I'd prefer it if Aika herself didn't show up this often. Then again, it's essentially only because of her that Yoshino and Mahiro continue to work together—the former for the sake of his girlfriend and the latter for the sake of his sister.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 5

He's probably not as innocent as he looks...

I think this is one of the rare occasions where the antagonist (i.e. Samon) actually fears the protagonist (i.e. Hakaze). Most of the time, you get an overly-confident villain who, even when things look to be going his/her way, ends up being defeated by the valiant hero who often has a bit of luck on their side. However, in this case, Samon is more fearful (or cautious) than confident. He fully acknowledges the fact that Hakaze can easily stop him in his tracks but is also necessary in case his plan fails, and thus, chooses to isolate her instead of killing her. And so, it'll be interesting to see how this whole thing will play out given the statuses of the people involved. The skull at the end (what a twist~) will inevitably play a large role in the near future as our two leads must now figure out whether Hakaze really is dead.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 4

Yoshino is not amused.

I wouldn't call this a bad episode, but it definitely wasn't a good one either. The pacing has seemingly slowed down the speed of flowing molasses, which I honestly didn't expect given that the synopsis hinted at a possible fast-paced story in which the protagonists try to stop a mage from essentially taking over the world. Throw in the random male fanservice in this episode and you get a dissatisfied viewer in me. That said, it was nice to see the story behind Mahiro and Yoshino's relationship and how they got to know each other. And while they don't outwardly claim that they're friends, deep down inside, both realize that they were only able to make it this far because of the other. Like Hakaze said, two individuals with such contrasting personalities generally don't get along well with each other. But in the case of our two main characters, I think their differences are what enables them to get along as a dynamic duo.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 3

Playing with fire?

It's funny how, despite the fact that their personalities are totally different, Yoshino and Mahiro make quite the dynamic duo. While the former is quiet and thinks before he acts, the latter is the opposite, an arrogant loudmouth who often rushes into things before analyzing them. Now, that's not to say either is better than the other; their strengths and weaknesses compliment each other's. I have a feeling the two will be able to go far, and Hakaze is lucky to have their help. Still, I can't shake off the feeling that the pair will eventually part ways due to conflict of interest, even aside from my now (probably) incorrect suspicion that Yoshino had something to do with Aika's death given that it was a Kusaribe clan member who was responsible. However, I actually think that whether this separation happens or not depends on how Hakaze functions as the middle(wo)man in their friendship.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 2

Here, have a random dead girl.

The pacing for this episode was much slower in comparison to the first. Most of the episode was spent emphasizing the fact that Mahiro is a revenge-crazed psycho who's a bit too full of himself, while Yoshino is a depressed teenager who has seemingly lost his direction in life right now due to the current happenings; the overall feel was quite melancholic. One thing that bothered me a lot was how both Mahiro and Yoshino seemed to know about the latter's relationship with Aika. It's so heavily implied by the tone of their conversation that it's almost as if their understanding of the situation is mutual yet they don't want to be the one who brings the topic up. To further go out on a limb here, I really feel that Yoshino is somehow responsible for (or at least involved in) Aika's death. It wouldn't surprise me if, in the end, once everything involving the Kusaribe clan has been dealt with, that Mahiro gets his chance to avenge his sister's death by killing her murderer, who turns out to be Yoshino; it'd be a nice plot twist, that's for sure.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Episode 1

First thing that came to my mind: Butterfly Effect

Slightly confusing, yet completely captivating—the first episode of Zetsuen no Tempest far exceeded my expectations. The set-up of the story was extremely effective; I felt that every word from the dialogue and every scene had its own important meaning which greatly contributed to my understanding of the story. Still, the fact that an episode is only 24 minutes long does leave out some blanks that have yet to be filled, the most interesting of them being the relationship between Aika and Yoshino, with the latter possibly being involved in the former's "death". Betrayal and deception seem like they will be important factors in the story, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they will affect the characters and story. On a slightly negative note, I do feel the Shakespearean elements are unnecessary, but that's a totally subjective and biased remark given how much of a pain Shakespearean plays were to study in school.

Zetsuen no Tempest - Preview

An interesting synopsis is all it takes for me to consider watching an anime. While good artwork, talented seiyū, and amount of hype also factor into my decision, the three together still fail to outweigh the importance of the synopsis. And with Zetsuen no Tempest, I find the premise to sound really interesting. A mystery-based story filled with action and psychological drama is what I'm expecting from this show, and I really hope it doesn't disappoint. The trio of Hanazawa Kana, Sawashiro Miyuki, and Mizuki Nana, which I greatly approve of, are sure to have many seiyū fanatics hooked already. I'm going to go ahead and predict that this will be one of the better shows this season simply because shows of its genres usually bode well with the general audience. Now, let's hope the first episode lives up to my expectations.

Fall 2012

Unlike the Summer 2012 season where there weren't really that many interesting titles airing, the Fall 2012 season appears to be quite promising. Currently, I'm planning on watching 16 shows, five of which I will blog about; these numbers would've been higher except I fear not being able to keep up with everything while juggling a full-time job that takes away twelve hours of my day. Like always, my picks are subject to change, more so during the first month of airing.