Kamisama Dolls

[Ryllharu]

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6559/topmain01l.jpg

Description: Kyouhei moved to Tokyo from his ancient town in the mountains to get away from a certain series of events. While at a club meet, he is dared by his friends to confess to the hard-to-get beauty of the group, Hibino, who happens also be from a family who left his town some time ago. After drinking for a whole night, he and Hibino find a shattered body in the elevator. Hibino remarks that he was able to stay very calm given the circumstances...of course this was far from the first body Kyouhei has seen. Kyouhei's impulsive sister appears with her Kukuri, her Kamisama Doll, an ancient construct, and tells him that Aki, one of his old friends from the village, has escaped.

Genres: Seinen, Supernatural, Intrigue, Reluctant Protagonist, Little Sister
Links: AniDB (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=8275), ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=12532), Official Page (http://www.kamisama-anime.jp/)

HorribleSubs: Eps 01 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=225869), Eps 02 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=227839)
Doki: Eps 01 (http://tracker.anime-index.org/Doki_Kamisama_Dolls_-_01_1280x720_h264_AAC_6F5BFAE4.mkv.torrent), Eps 02 (http://tracker.anime-index.org/Doki_Kamisama_Dolls_-_02_1280x720_h264_AAC_7A4158A8.mkv.torrent)
Chihiro: Eps 01 (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BChihiro%5D_Kamisama_Dolls_-_01_%5B1280x720_H.264_AAC%5D%5B0F0355B1%5D.mkv.tor rent), Eps 02 (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BChihiro%5D_Kamisama_Dolls_-_02_%5B1280x720_H.264_AAC%5D%5B6001268F%5D.mkv.tor rent)

I had serious stuttering issues during the OP due to the karaoke on Doki's releases, but your mileage may vary.

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This has certainly one of the more interesting shows this season, and thank the gods that the male lead is in college in lieu of high school. The thing that gets me the most is the really off-putting singing that the Kamisama Dolls do when they are in use. It's simple single-syllable song at the perfectly eerie tempo. Any slower and it would be only gloomy, any faster and it would soothing.

As for the characters, oho...ultra large boobs and unrealistically tiny waist for Hibino. Lack of Realism yay! Kayano Ai (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=20497), the actress who played Menma in AnoHana, sounds nothing the same in Kamisama Dolls. I love when I can barely tell they're the same seiyuu. Her voice is very mature and motherly, and it fits her character really, really well.

Utao, played by Fukuen Misato (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=304), does a excellent job as the impulsive little sister given what amounts to a flying tank. Her eagerness comes off very refreshing, and the way she is torn between responsibility, wanting to be with her brother, and just being a young girl is done wonderfully.

Kyouhei, played by Okamoto Nobuhiko (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=390), does a nice job as well. He comes off very natural as someone who knows a lot more than they ever tell anyone. He's very guarded and reserved, reluctant yet slightly wistful. I'm used to him playing more panicky or wild characters (Accelerator, Niizuma Eiji). But this is far more like his role as Layfon in Chrome Shelled Regios.

Now that I say that, the series' overall feel reminds me of that. There is a lot of things that have already happened and are hinted at. Kyouhei is the same kind of reluctant protagonist, and we know from the opening minutes that he is lying about how he wasn't good at controlling Kukuri. It's not a perfect comparison, Kamisama Dolls is much more subdued than the over-the-top combat of Regios. I couldn't quite put my finger on what this series reminded me of until I remembered that Okamoto also played Layfon.

Lastly, the antagonist, Aki, played by Kimura Ryouhei (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=2225) is sufficiently vicious. He's cold, ruthless, brutal, arrogant, and obsessed with Kyouhei. A perfect psychopath. His Kamisama Doll's song is even creepier than Kukuri's. You just know bad shit is going to happen when you hear it.

Between Kayano Ai's performance, Utao's eagerness, Aki's psychosis, and all the reluctance and subdued rage Kyouhei exudes, this is working to become my favorite series so far this season.

[animus]

"Genre: ... Little Sister"


Lol.


Anyways, it's kinda interesting. It reminds me of something else, but I can't recall exactly what.

[shinta|hikari]

I love the OP and ED. It's from the same artist as the one who sang the Bokurano songs, and gives this series a serious and tragic tone.

[Buffalobiian]

I love the OP and ED. It's from the same artist as the one who sang the Bokurano songs, and gives this series a serious and tragic tone.

I concur. The artist reminds me of someone (I haven't heard the Bokurano songs), but I can't put my finger on where I've heard it. Shakugan no Shana S1 ED1 sounds similar in flavour to her voice, but it doesn't sound the same.

I'll take the shallower post and say that this show fills the well-endowed Onee-chan fetish and the Imouto fetish at the same time. Awesome.

[Yukimura]

I just finished ep 1 and this looks worth watching though I'm predicting heavy use of formula and standard plots. The production values seem quite high and the premise is rather similar to Cencorol which everyone and their mother wished would get a full series so why not.

[Buffalobiian]

I concur. The artist reminds me of someone (I haven't heard the Bokurano songs), but I can't put my finger on where I've heard it. Shakugan no Shana S1 ED1 sounds similar in flavour to her voice, but it doesn't sound the same.

I'll take the shallower post and say that this show fills the well-endowed Onee-chan fetish and the Imouto fetish at the same time. Awesome.

Took me a day of thinking to get it, but I finally figured out which song I've heard this voice in before: Prototype - Gundam 00 S2 ED1

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 03 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=229550)

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 04 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=231419)

[Ryllharu]

Talk about the episodes Buff, rather than just posting the links. Quit being lazy!


This easily became the best series that started this season. Complicated character dynamics, intentionally not telling us what happened in the past but constantly making reference to it, and a nice mix of humor here and there.

Kyouhei's barely suppressed rage, and I use that loosely because he lost it this time, is a particular selling point for me. Aki really pissed him off this episode, just like he wanted to do last episode. You know that a lot of really terrible things happened between the two of them back when Kyouhei was still a Seki, but none of the details. Hibino's resemblance to their teacher of course makes me wonder if their teacher was in fact Hibino's mother. It would make sense then that she and her father left the village if/when Aki/Kyouhei got their teacher killed if Hibino's mother was one in the same. It's these kind of questions that make me desperate for the next episodes.

If that wasn't enough, there is the appearance of Utao's twin. One might think that it is just one big reveal, but there was a large element of subtlety to the twists here. Kyouhei was equally shocked that the twin existed. That conflicts with the thought that Kyouhei had right after the bath scene. He stated to Utao that the Hyuga brought two along, but thought something else. He seemed to have a particular person allied with his family in mind. Only it turned out to be not at all who he thought it would be...

[Buffalobiian]

Talk about the episodes Buff, rather than just posting the links. Quit being lazy!

I finished Episode 4 no less than 5 minutes from the writing of this post... (like you can talk :P )

I was rather surprised that their teacher didn't look more like Hibinor (read: didn't have massive boobs).

But on a more serious note, I must not have posted because I didn't think of anything to post.


It's these kind of questions that make me desperate for the next episodes.

It's like those books where situations flow without being random or forced, and twists aren't made for the sake of having a twist, yet each chapter introduces something new right at the end that makes you want the next one (and subsequently read it till 3am).

Talking about questions, my biggest immediate question is that Kyouhei knows the mech, but not the boy. And as for this show being set apart from the others that started airing this season, when was the last show where a shower-intrusion scene did not end with a bright red slap? Props for that one, really.

Your point about slowly revealing the past events is valid even for the detailed little segment that showed just what happened during that fight.

On a final note, while the OP is indeed really groovy, I think the ED is the one that hits better emotionally.

[shinta|hikari]

I prefer the OP. It's just different and refreshing.

I really want to see how much Kyohei can own with Kukuri. When he said that he was not qualified to control it, I'm sure it's because he lost control, not because he wasn't adept at it.

The glasses girl is really interesting. The two psycho obsessive characters seem to fit each other quite well. I'm actually surprised Aki didn't just lop her head off and use her room, but I guess he also finds her worth paying attention to.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm actually surprised Aki didn't just lop her head off and use her room, but I guess he also finds her worth paying attention to.

I felt his action was best summed up with "You've got balls. I like balls."

And well... if the girl just suddenly disappeared, there would bound to be people knocking on her door soon.

[Buffalobiian]

[Nipponsei] Kami-sama Dolls OP ED Single - Kukanzen Nenshou [Ishikawa Chiaki].zip (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=torrentinfo&tid=231811)

[Ryllharu]

Kamisama Dolls - 05 (720p) [HorribleSubs] (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=233433)


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I'm really starting to like the dynamic of Kyouhei and Hibino with Utao in the middle. Kyouhei is very nice to his precocious little brat of a sister, but he is very stern with her when he is playing mentor. Considering what he has seen from the kakashi, and knows what people like Aki are willing to do with them, I think his attitude is understandable. Utao got hot-headed and nearly destroyed the thing she holds most dear. Kirio did too, so I guess Kyouhei, Utao, and Kirio really are related.

On the other hand, Hibino is very kind and motherly to Utao. She praises her, gently reassures her, and comforts her. Utao has a lot on her shoulders, and while Kyouhei needs to be harsh with her, she also really needs that reassurance that Hibino gives. I'm glad she is curious enough to brave the village her parents fled. Utao will definitely need her support and guidance.

I loved that the kakashi are made of wood, and are full of ligaments like a puppet. It would have really disappointed me if they were some kind of ridiculously advanced (even for the current era) machines, some sort of alien thing, or even some ancient stone artifact. It added a little believability to the whole thing. Whatever advanced thing is behind their unique special abilities, blood contract, and power sources, they're still constructs that could be made by people of the medieval era. Hibino's musing of how wood can be so flexible was something else, but I still like that their limbs at least are rooted in human technology.
edit: Like a Karakuri ningyō (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakuri_ningyō).

I'm guessing Amaterasu is that rogue kakashi that Kyouhei beam-nuked as a child.


What makes this series really great is the quick interjections of humor. That Utao's priority right after saving them was pushing them apart instead of confronting Kirio gave me a good chuckle.

[shinta|hikari]

I absolutely agree with everything you just posted.

This series needs more people to watch it. It has so much discussion potential.

I wonder who triggered the absorb>counterattack Kukuri did. Was it really Utao? She seems like she is not fit to be a Seki, and the thoughts of the one eyed geezer supports this line of thought. Does Kyohei still have a bit of control left in there? Does Kukuri have the ability to defend itself when its user is inept? These are questions to which I am really looking forward to getting the answers.

Who is fit to pilot Amaterasu? So far, the story seems to imply that Kyohei is the best candidate. It isn't an actual implication, but judging from the narrative clues and general style, he seems to fit.

[Buffalobiian]

I wonder who triggered the absorb>counterattack Kukuri did. Was it really Utao? She seems like she is not fit to be a Seki, and the thoughts of the one eyed geezer supports this line of thought. Does Kyohei still have a bit of control left in there? Does Kukuri have the ability to defend itself when its user is inept? These are questions to which I am really looking forward to getting the answers.

I'm thinking it was Kyouhei. The ED sequences and all to really point to him becoming a Seki again, though whether that's for Kukuri or Amaterasu is unknown. Besides the fact that the wood can be flexible, I was wondering how the wood can be so tough. They were crashing into buildings and everything without a care in the world. Only each other's attacks hurt the other. While Ryll mentioned that the wooden construct increases believability, I think the way it was handled also decreased it. Wooden dolls shouldn't in any way knock down a truck without any visible damage.

One other point that wasn't mentioned was how similar to Aki Kyouhei looked when he was all pissed off on the phone. Scenes like that keep reminding me that Kyouhei still has all these hidden sides to him that hasn't been revealed yet.

I haven't bothered to rewatch those episodes yet to clarify which people belong to which clan.

[Ryllharu]

IWhile Ryll mentioned that the wooden construct increases believability, I think the way it was handled also decreased it. Wooden dolls shouldn't in any way knock down a truck without any visible damage.Maybe "believability" is too strong a word. It supports the Suspension of Disbelief.

I admitted that Hibino's remark about how wood can be so flexible (yet crush stone, dent and tear metal, etc.) was something else. Certainly connected to the mysterious power source that allows these to teleport, shoot energy or electrical blasts, change form, and so on. Despite all these fantastical abilities and their remarkable durability, the kakashis' movement is all rooted in being like a Karakuri ningyō or European Renaissance era puppet/automaton, similar to Leonardo da Vinci's robot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo's_robot) from the mid-1400s.

[Buffalobiian]

[Single] Chiaki Ishikawa – Fukanzen Nenshou (石川智晶 – 不完全燃焼) [Flac][Download][2011.07.27] (http://rula.us/2197.html)

Lossless FLAC version for those who want it.

[Belial]

Like this show so far, despite the loli / big boob thing going on, has good action and lots of mystery and drama

Can't wait to find out more about the past (something with that big doll happened as far as i can tell, somebody tried to control it and failed miserably, maybe this sensei ?)

And i hope we get more explanation on the dolls themselves, made of wood thing surprised the hell out of me, put a hole in my alien technology theory

also the OP is great

[Ryllharu]

Kamisama Dolls - 06 (720p) [HorribleSubs] (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=235401)


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Now it makes sense that they would use wood. Wood easily absorbs all kinds of things, and the Kamu no Chi is no different. They're staining carefully selected wood, probably free of knots and other imperfections, with "god's blood." That connects with the mystical whatever-it-is power source and attuning core, and then it's largely a remote controlled flying puppet with a couple coats of ultra-omega-polyurethane.

While the series has plenty of substances and systems that presently require suspension of disbelief (the god's blood and the yet to be mentioned kakashi cores), I'm definitely liking that they thought this kind of stuff through.


Random bits:
- I'm guessing from the question about Aki that Moyako is the girl from the opening moments of the first episode. Same hair color and she seems to be pretty close to Kyouhei as well, though in a platonic way. Obviously not the case with Aki.
- It's cute that Utao wants to know how to be a big sister. Moyako actually is one, but it's pretty blatantly obvious who Utao should try to replicate to achieve her goal.
- Kirio's been treated like crap for so long. He's obviously never been properly treated to a nice dinner. Koushirou is a good guy, and he's got a good wife too. That was a bit unexpected.
- Perhaps Hibino has always been interested in Kyouhei. The more she learns about Kyouhei, the more she wants to know...

[Buffalobiian]

- Kirio's been treated like crap for so long. He's obviously never been properly treated to a nice dinner. Koushirou is a good guy, and he's got a good wife too. That was a bit unexpected.

Totally. He looked like some punk who'd have his own messy room somewhere where he just sits in a dark corner and drink all day in a singlet or something. And his house was pretty modern and western compared to the rest of the village. I wonder if that's a difference between the Hyuuga and Kaga - resistance vs will to change? Nothing to really back this up other than it being a random idea.

Either Utao's really light, or Hibino's got some uber anti-rapist pants that offer 35KGs worth of resistive force unless you take them off properly. :P

[Ryllharu]

Either Utao's really light, or Hibino's got some uber anti-rapist pants that offer 35KGs worth of resistive force unless you take them off properly. :PIt's Hibino's spectacular hips and stellar ass. Utao was hanging off the front, so Hibino's hips and plump bottom were holding up her pants and Utao.

:p

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 07 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=237473)

[NeoCybercoin]

Pretty good episode. Actually feel bad for Aki.

[Buffalobiian]

Pretty good episode.

Really? Holy Shit episode I thought...


Okay, maybe objectively speaking it wasn't that much of a spin, but still, I was riding the emotional wave there. Certainly stuff happened that I would never have thought of. For one, did Aki look like the crash-kid, or the kid's dad? That's some wtf mentality there..


Actually feel bad for Aki.

Same. This episode completely turned around my (and I'd think an overwhelming majority of the audience's) opinion that Aki was screwed in the head, to agreeing with him that the village is a shithole. Kyouhei wasn't wrong when he said in the beginning that the village's been left behind in time - including the ruling structure.

I guess the thing that kinda left me stunned was that they the following in one smooth go: reputation/rumours and their damages, the perceived right and wrong conducts of teachers and nature-vs-nurture of kids.

Kyouhei didn't tell us exactly why he stopped being a Seki as well. Maybe he himself doesn't even know. Was it to honour his teacher's words to not abuse privileges and he recognises the possibility or potential in himself - or even just owning a Kakashi? Was it so he can distant himself from all of these Seki, including the raping guy and Aki? Or was it to cut as many strings as possible with the village because he too saw it in a negative light?

The last thought definitely leads to his eventual leaving of the village, but his initial reason for resigning still begs to be answered somewhat - though it's probably not that important since the overall gist is pretty clear. Then again, "honouring the teacher" would have had something to do with it as well, since Kyouhei realises already that he didn't really have as much push as the offending Seki because he was still a kid in school. He could have instead kept Kukuri and followed in that guy's footsteps in using his power to realise his own personal justice.

I guess I feel a bit better knowing you can override a kakashi if you were more talented or if you had more will. I wasn't quite sure I'd like the idea of Kyouhei re-performing the ritual and taking Utao's kakashi from her as if she failed at her role. Come to think of it, Kukuri under Kyouhei's control this episode sang a little more deeply, from memory.. compared to the current one.

[Ryllharu]

I think the bigger "holy shit" was that it was Kyouhei controlling Kukuri when Kirio had it on the ropes and was about to utterly destroy it. A kakashi's song changes depending on who controls it. The more complex it is, the better they are at using it. The song coming out of Kukuri when it used the absorption and return-fire was exactly the song it sings when Kyouhei controls it. Utao was so emotionally flustered back in episode 5 that she could barely make Kukuri flop around.

I think despite Kyouhei feeling betrayed by Aki at the time, the gory scene was the moment Aki convinced Kyouhei that he had been right all along. They've talked about it before, with Kyouhei getting enraged remembering (apparently this incident among others). Kyouhei just doesn't want to admit it to Aki.

edit: One detail that I rather liked was that the teacher wasn't a pure, innocent victim like Kyouhei originally thought during the flashback. She really did have sex with the father of one of her students. Everyone in this series is shades of grey.

[Buffalobiian]

I think despite Kyouhei feeling betrayed by Aki at the time, the gory scene was the moment Aki convinced Kyouhei that he had been right all along. They've talked about it before, with Kyouhei getting enraged remembering (apparently this incident among others). Kyouhei just doesn't want to admit it to Aki.

Right about what?

Good pickup on the Kukuri thing. I forgot about that..


edit: One detail that I rather liked was that the teacher wasn't a pure, innocent victim like Kyouhei originally thought during the flashback. She really did have sex with the father of one of her students. Everyone in this series is shades of grey.

Except Hibino. To date she's pretty pure white.

[Xelbair]

Wild guess - you cannot stop being Seki. Even through the Aki wasn't the Seki anymore he could still control his old Kakashi, and as Ryll pointed out same thing had happened with Kukuri.

[Ryllharu]

Right about what?That the whole place is a shithole, and that Aki isn't the crazy one, the village elders and hierarchy are.

Except Hibino. To date she's pretty pure white.
I figured you would say that, and while she's certainly the closest, I still disagree. Hibino isn't doing everything out of selflessness. She asked to go to the village, and the benefit is that she finally got to visit her mother's grave again. She also didn't go purely out of the desire to learn about her family's past, or to visit her mother's grave, or to protect Utao. We don't know the exact reason she gave her father (probably visit her mother's grave), but we found out a bit more from her walk in the forest with Moyako. Hibino didn't, "seem too put off by it." She wants to get closer to Kyouhei...really close. She's like an #FAFAFA (http://www.color-hex.com/color/fafafa).

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 08 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=239452)

[NeoCybercoin]

Huge tits are huge.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 09 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=241588)

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 10 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=243485)

[shinta|hikari]

Just how powerful is that left arm supposed to be?

The barrier skill of Mahiru is kinda cheap since it is specifically anti-seki, but if they fought in open air it should be easy to neutralize.

[Buffalobiian]

Just how powerful is that left arm supposed to be?

The barrier skill of Mahiru is kinda cheap since it is specifically anti-seki, but if they fought in open air it should be easy to neutralize.

Yeah. It does have its limits though. From what we've seen, the barrier has to have her Kakashi in the center (or there abouts), is determined by the length of her wires (if their length limits the practicality of the barrier), and requires the wires to be attached onto something (ie they can't just free-form a dome from pure air). Still, Koushirou and Aki's kakashis are only capable of physical attacks, so their offensive capabilities are pretty much neutralised as opposed to long range types like Kukuri and Takemikazuchi.

Aki's speed would have beaten her too, if the Seki aren't so focused on just using the kakashis and actually thought about attacking the opposing Seki personally while their kakashis are engaged.

It also hasn't been established as to how much skill is required to use the barrier even though Mahiru said she read it in the manual. It sounds like she's an even more talented than Kyouhei is normally. (normally as in when they're not pushed into life/death Limit Break mode). Ryll's theory that the complexity of their tune reflecting the Seki's skill/potential seems to hold true thus far, and Mahiru's a bloody guitar riff.

So right now the families are:

Kuga - Aki, Utao, Kyohei
Hyuga - Koushiro, Kirio, Mahiru

Until this episode I had always been assuming Aki was on the other side and that the Hyuga were cleaning up their own mess of a Seki.

[Ryllharu]

Mahiru is so obsessively insane it's a bit disappointing. I hate to say it, but she is (so far) everything we thought Aki was until the flashback. He got a great deal of depth from his flashback, but in her own flashback, Mahiru is only the lesser. She throws glorious little fits, but she feels a little shallow. I'm hoping that the next episode adds a bit more to her. Right now, she's half child (not in the good way that Utao and Kirio are), and half obsessive stalker. The one thing I did like about her introduction was that the very first thing her kakashi did was try to kill Hibino. It proves that if anything, she's the monster, and not Aki. She was crying her eyes out in the flashback, lost all control from fear when she attempted to control the holy sap in [Amaterasu], but she was the one who broke the most that day.

As for the barrier, she specifically mentions the Kami no Chi (holy sap stuff). Like Buff said, it probably requires an immense level of control. She uses the barrier to interfere with a Seki's ability to control a kakashi, but she's doing it by stopping the Kami no Chi directly. She isn't blocking the transmission, she's blocking everything else. It would be like stopping a remote control toy by physically holding on to all its motors, gears and servos, rather than just covering the antenna. Actually not even that, it's like she's holding electrons still. So she may very well be more talented than Kyouhei, but uses nearly all of it just to use her kakashi's unique ability.

As for Kukuri's left arm, it simply returns everything it is struck with. In the first episode, we all assumed Kyouhei used a supercharged version of Kukuri's eye beam to fry the rampaging kakashi. What we know now because Mahiru witnessed it, is that Kukuri's eye beam was never powerful enough to stop [Amaterasu]. In his subconscious/insane state, Kyouhei opened the arm, and returned the full force of the blast it received. It can probably take anything and everything that is sent at it. We don't know if that also extends to physical attacks, or if is only the energy blasts.

[Ryllharu]

[HorribleSubs] Kamisama Dolls -11 (720p) (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=245212)


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Kamisama Dolls never fails to convince me within 5 minutes why it is my favorite show this season. It's the little touches. Mahiru idly twirls the stun gun around her finger by the strap. If it was any other show, her speech would end and she'd confidently grasp it. But in this series, it flies off her finger like it would anyone else's, and she curses and leaves the frame to pick it back up.

It comes off in a casual way that never feels forced, and it really adds to the whole environment of the series. It makes the characters feel like real people, even if some of them are a touch exaggerated (Kuuko).

I'm not sure what to think about Mahiru now. She's obviously still a child mentally. She wasn't nefarious as I thought she might be, but she's certainly not thinking ahead. She probably figured killing Hibino would turn Kyouhei against her, but she doesn't seem to have much of a plan at all. As villains go, she's pretty weak. I guess that is to be expected, since she is being manipulated by the diet member and his staffer in a power struggle for dominance over the village. She felt like yet another comedy relief character (Utao is really enough all by herself) after she hopped up on top of Hibino and fondled her without really threatening Hibino or doing anything.

I do like her preference to teleport onto tables and desks, any surface that puts her physically above her audience or targets. It fits with her personality and superiority complex so well.

[Buffalobiian]

Kamisama Dolls never fails to convince me within 5 minutes why it is my favorite show this season.

Every episode Kamisama Dolls reminds why I can't like it 100%, even though I'm pretty damn close to it.

It's because even though they do everything correctly (one could argue), every episode's the same format:

-Spend the first 20 minutes of the episode resolving the cliffhanger from last episode
-Move the story along a bit, throw in some comedic relief
-Throw in a curve-ball cliffhanger in the last 30 seconds or less
-See you next week. (Kukuri's corner and OP/ED take up the rest of the time)


The formula's not bad. It clearly works. I just guess that even the best formula can get predictable and therefore introduce a certain amount of boredom with repetition. It also leaves us with not too much to discuss here since they clear up mostly everything in the episode, and the cliffhanger's all guesses.

The only episode that really broke the mould (and I'm unsure if I liked that as one of my favourite episodes for that reason) was the flashback ep with the sexing teacher.

Talking about flashback, according to Mahiru's memory Kukuri absorbed some energy before firing a return shot at the rogue kakashi, indicating that it's not entirely a counter-style weapon that can't take the initiative to attack. Kyouhei didn't seem too phased when Kukuri returned Takemikazuchi's shot, so he must have either been able to use Kakashi's left arm without losing consciousness since the rogue-kakashi incident, or he sort of out of it when he recently saved Kukuri too.

Teleporting - with people. Yeah, that's pretty hax.

[Xelbair]

I still think that Kukuri moved on its own, well maybe not fully on its own - it just assisted the Seki, back then, and i think that Kakashi have some kind of soul inside them, in Aki's one there is probably the teacher's soul right now - i'm just guessing, mind you - his 'discussion' with it hints at that(few eps ago).

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 12 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=247397)

[shinta|hikari]

Seki - Kuga Kyouhei.

Cannot wait for the next episode with that title.

[Buffalobiian]

Seki - Kuga Kyouhei.

Cannot wait for the next episode with that title.

After what I said last week, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this episode, most likely it was thrilling from start to finish. Even the detective girl's comedic actions were part of her rescuing Hibino, so it was still enshrouded in a much more heavy atmosphere of racing against time rather than seeing her leisurely toy with people.

Ironic how Kyouhei will need to become a Seki again to stop the village from interfering with his life - and by doing so be bound to the village once again. Given how free the Kakashi have been revealed to be though, what's stopping a Seki to run away from the village with his kakashi?

If Aki's an example, then the answer's "nothing.. except pursuers". Kyouhei's not really into killing the whole village like Aki is, but when he breaks who knows.

[shinta|hikari]

If Kyouhei had the same mindset as Aki, then no other Seki or Kakashi would be left alive.

[NeoCybercoin]

Fuck this is an awesome show.

[Ryllharu]

While someone (either on here or on irc) lamented about Utao hurting the series for them, I think this episode illustrated how much of a child she really is. This is a good thing. I think it actually helps to frame the other characters. Comedy relief she may be, but her perky nonchalant attitude about all the happenings has become an important part of understanding the whole dynamic of the village and those tied to it.

Kirio is the same age she is, and while his biologically Kuga hot-headedness certainly shows itself, he's a lot more mature than Utao is. Her motivations for fighting are squished cookies for goodness sake. Her first female friend and essentially older sister figure (the one whom she looks up to for how to treat her twin brother) has been viciously attacked in fits of rage multiple times (by a miracle never actually hurt), got kidnapped, and nearly raped, and Utao's first concern is getting revenge for her cookies.

Compare this to Mahiru. She's a little bit older, borderline insane ("borderline" because of her showing some remorse when her kakashi went berserk), but she thinks about her position and standing. She sees things outside her own little bubble. The same way Aki and Kyouhei learned to, first saw the monster kakashi, and later the fallout from the teacher. Mahiru wants to change things, for her own selfish ends, but she knows the system is broken to the core.

Utao, in contrast to all the other seki and Moyako, has been insulated from the nightmarish truth her entire life. Her lack of maturity shows how well her parents and brother have kept her from all the horrible things both her brother experienced. Despite being a seki, she's actually very much a normal girl, living a naive and blissful life.

In this episode, we've seen that kakashi can go berserk on their own, just by breaking their control system. This may give us a clue to why Amaterasu is the way it is. Even if Kyouhei becomes a seki again, and takes back Kukuri, Utao can still be a seki too. What I'd really love to see is how Utao will develop once her brother can no longer insulate her from these disturbing truths that have only now revealed themselves from the shadows. Or will she be kept in the dark to grow up the most well adjusted person to ever leave that village?

We've only begun to scratch the surface of what this series has to offer.

[Buffalobiian]

Horriblesubs - Episode 13 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=248669)

[NeoCybercoin]

Awesome, can't wait. Downloading now.

[Buffalobiian]

That was a promise, right?

Movie? Next season? Anyway, can't complain at all.

I'll have to check, but I think the naked chick in front of the Amaterasu in the ED scene was the same "assistant" lady who was always with the Elder. She looks like a 20 year old version of Utao/her mum....

Thinking back, the Elder did say that those twins (Utao & Kirio) were meant to be some sort of progidy, or at least had some sort of biological affinity for Kakashis.

Kukuri's fight was awesome - I didn't expect it to do anything else other than use its absorb/super beam that we've seen at least twice so far. Boxing the shit out of Magatsuhi looked way better.

Mahiru seems like the only one who knew Kyohei was responsible for that (and maybe Aki if he was watching), but I doubt Hibino would have felt any differently had she known.

[Munsu]

Just finished watching this series, and really enjoyed it. Doesn't seem like we'll see any more of the series due to poor sales or something. Anyone has any updates on a potential sequel?

Also, any of you read the manga, and if so, do you know where the anime ends and was the anime faithful to it?