Subculture Anime Blog

Wha-? Only one episode left? Huh~?

Summary:

As Haihane sets off to take care of the escaping Sekirei with Benitsubasa, Natsuo takes the chance to ask about Karasuba’s relationship with the first disciplinary squad member. This was Yume, who had given her life to Musubi several years ago in order to save her life. Karasuba was angered when Yume gave her core to Musubi, as this no longer gave her the chance to defeat her with her own hands. With Minato and the rest of the group in place, they all make their move when Matsu announces the time to start. Hikari and Hibiki take down several of the M.B.I. guards, and Kusano ambushes many herself by using her power of growth. With irregularities in her prediction a bit later, however, Matsu announces how dangerous the situation has become. When Minato expresses his need to save Kusano despite this, Matsu is no longer able to let herself stay distanced from the rest of the group. In other places, Takami finds that Minaka had expected these things to happen all along.

On motorcycle, Matsu quickly saves Kusano from the M.B.I. members surrounding her. Kusano fires rounds while riding behind her afterwards, using them to sprout plants out from underneath her enemies. Seeing the large stalks from Yukari’s room, Shiina realizes that this are Kusano’s doing. Minato and the others are finally able to cross the bridge they were headed for, but they encounter Haihane and Benitsubasa before they can escape. Musubi seems to be overtaken by Benitsubasa, but she refuses to lose so easily. Benitsubasa continues to send very large attacks in Musubi and Minato’s way, and when Minato is sent to the side of a ledge, Musubi has no choice but do as Benitsubasa orders. Minato is eventually able to get back onto safe land, but Musubi’s Sekirei mark seems to disappear due to her defeat by Benitsubasa. In other places, Tsukiumi also leaves the Izumo Inn with some words of advice from Miya.

ED: “Kimi wo Omou Toki 「きみを想うとき」” by Saori Hayami - I absolutely love the new ending by Saori Hayami, and that probably comes to no surprise by now. They could have easily put in another character from their usual set up though. Maybe they’re saving characters for the second season?

Preview: The finale.

Impression:

Can’t say I didn’t tell you so….like five times. But we can put that, and my grumpiness from just coming back from my 8:00-10:00 lab, aside for now. This episode was pure action from start to finish, and very entertaining. I did think that some of it could have been better, like the awkward art at times, but that is a very minor complaint. Things like Kusano firing rounds out of a freaking rocket launcher while Matsu drove her via bike was ridiculous, but hilariously awesome at the same time. Shizuka Itou fans will be jumping for joy after watching this episode, as she played the dangerous Benitsubasa. This character was a thrill to finally see on screen, though seeing her tongue sticking out was a bit distracting when compared to the manga.

I did think that the fights, and the whole arc at that, did seem to go by a lot faster while watching them animated. I’m actually quite surprised that we are already at this point, after only 11 short episodes. I do praise Seven Arcs move to stay almost completely true to the manga though. It’s probably impossible to count the number of times I’ve heard people complaining about anime ruining some of their favorite manga counterparts. Musubi’s defeat might have come off as a surprise to first time viewers, though the preview kind of ruins that cliffhanger. There’s more to it though…don’t worry. I’m more excited about seeing Tsukiumi’s fight next week, and a nice climax to end the first season of this great show.