12 Days of Christmas – Day 10 – Lumps of Character Coal

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I’m sure you all have had your fair share of sub par gifts. Sure, you may or may not get the new video game console or the newest version of the I-phone, but there is always one thing you can count on, and that is some lame present that you have no use for what so ever. Usually, these types of gifts come from some sort of third aunt, twice removed or cheapskates who are trying to weasel their way out of their holiday obligations, ala George Costanza. The same basic concept applies to the types of characters  found in anime.

Practically the only thing Simon did the entire series

New York Anime Festival 2010 – The Cosplay

If you’ve been following my Twitter feed at all, you know that I was at New York Anime Festival (combined with New York Comic Convention) this past weekend. I’m working on a proper writeup of the convention overall, but in the meanwhile, enjoy some photos of the great cosplayers I took over the weekend. You can find all the cosplay photos I took in my Picasa web albums: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. The resolutions have been reduced from their original 12MP so that they don’t take up insane amounts of space, but if you’d like the full-res version of any of them, just ask. And to all the cosplayers during the convention, thank you!

Durarara 24 – The Reset Button

What a long and varied ride Durarara has been!  We began with a rollercoaster of overlapping plot points as we introduced the characters.  This built up to Mikado’s dramatic reveal as the leader of the Dollars.  Then we had all the possessed madness as Anri took a level in badass.  Finally, we ended with three mopey teenagers learning the vital lesson to trust in each other.  So where exactly does this episode leave us?  The director essentially pressed the reset button.

It's like it was all some kind of strange dream!

Durarara 23

After last week’s tremendous let down of an episode, and some would say let down of a month of episodes, I wondered if Durarara could recover itself.  Well, I have to say this week improved matters a bit, and everything has positioned itself for an avalanche of plot completion. I figure they will continue the series in a few seasons, so not everything will resolve, but we should have some sort of satisfying conclusion.  That’s for next week though.  Now we concern ourselves with this week.

YOU! Stop being such a freaking enigma!

Durarara!! 22 – WTF Mate!?

Alright everyone, I will admit I am tired.  I’ve been fighting something since Colossalcon, I’m not quite sure what it is, but it has destroyed my sleep cycle and I feel constantly fatigued.  Of course, when I get tired, I also get cranky.  And then when I watched Durarara!! today, it went into full swing anger mode.  I have constructed most of this post from undistilled rage.  Why?  Mikado and Kida are unbelievably stupid.

But before that, enjoy Anri looking all adorable.

Durarara!! 21 – Control, and Letting Go of It

So I guess I’ve been designated as the Durarara!! blogger for episodes that are 0 mod 3. Anyway, I’ll be doing this week’s post again instead of Rakuen.

This was another pretty slow paced episode. Can’t really say that too much happened, with the episode mainly focusing on Mikado’s internal struggles with his responsibility as the Dollars’s leader. I’m eagerly awaiting the next episode, though; the preview shows that something interesting is going to come out of Anri being captured by the Yellow Scarves.

For the first time, Mikado realizes just how alone he is without his 2 real life friends.

Durarara!! 20 – I Reject Your Reality

I had fully intended to make this post yesterday, but two problems got in my way.  First, I didn’t have access to a computer for most of the evening, and that’s mostly my own fault.  It didn’t matter anyway though, because after watching episode 20, I really had no idea what to make of its message.  I’m writing this without looking at any other posts, but I have a feeling many others felt the same way about Erika and Walker’s little exchanges during the episode.  I’ve had almost a full day to think about it.  Let’s see how well I can do at explaining things.

I can't make screencaps right now, so thanks to Random Curiosity!

Durarara!! 19 – Your Betrayal

I just heard this song on the radio and I thought the title was appropriate for what just happened.  This episode felt like a game of roulette where the main protagonists found out some details about their major roles in the conflict.  Of course, no one knows everything, and none of them realize Izaya has done a fair amount of work manipulating from the background.  The key here is how they find out about each other or their affiliated groups.

Could you turn the creepiness down a notch or two?

Durarara!! 18 – A Tale of Middle School Love… and Regret

Rakuen is off to Anime Central, so I’m taking over once again.

As expected, this one was all about Kida. We learn a bit more about his history with the Yellow Scarves. His past relationships with Saki and with Izaya shed light on why Kida is back with the Yellow Scarves and why his current motivation is revenge. And finally, Anri finds out that Kida is the leader of the Yellow Scarves, and it’s possible that Kida will find out that Anri knows in the next episode.

Durarara!! 17 – The Chessmaster

This week we got to see Shizuo do what he does best, with a side order of kick-ass.  We also got Anri’s backstory, and afterwards she received a power upgrade.  Finally, in case you’ve been unconscious up to this point, it drove home Kida’s true allegiance.  However, Izaya’s manipulation of events, starting back in season one, is perhaps the most important aspect.  They have always painted him as The Chessmaster, but his Xanatos Gambit solidifies his position.  Can anyone hope to stop him?

Can't you let me play chess in peace?