New Layout

The Masked Ndi's Anime Blog has a new, Kobato themed layout. What do you think of it? Leave a comment or contact me with your feedback.

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Sasameki Koto Episode 5: Friends

I'm continuing my catch-up on this week's anime with Sasameki Koto Episode 6. This episode continues the new plotline introduced in the last episode, and also continues to up the ante for comedy. The show is progressively getting funnier and funnier, but is still retaining the drama and sweetness that it's had from the start.

I haven't been the biggest fan of Ushio up to this point, but I really grew to like her in this episode. There's a lot more to her character than what the anime has showed so far, and I really liked what I saw. If she continues to be this likable I might just start rooting for her and Sumika to get together after all.

Sasameki Koto is really turning into the sort of anime that anyone could enjoy. If you have a friend that you've been trying to get into yuri shows, and they haven't been sold on them yet, try getting them to watch a few episodes of this one. Hopefully the show will continue on this path so that it's something I can recommend often.

Rating: 88/100

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The Book of Bantorra, Episode 5: A Betrayal, a Cup, and a Meandering Path

Onto Episode 5 of The Book of Bantorra! The newest episode of the series has changed up the OP a bit with some new scenes and provides some great insight into the show's characters. I loved the scenes with Mirapoc and I hope she continues to get a lot of screen time. It's really easy to get into her scenes, and they even managed to squeeze some great comedy into them.

The shocker from the last episode appears to have stuck, and this episode squeezes in a few new shocks as well. Anime tends to get called predictable a lot, but I don't think that's a label anyone's going to stick on The Book of Bantorra. I can see how the way the show constantly fluctuates makes this show less accessible, but I can't see it as a bad thing, even though I've struggled with getting into this anime.

I feel a lot more intrigued by the story arc the show is focusing on now, and I hope that those feelings last. I really do believe that this anime is the sort that will grow on me after rewatching it a few times. I'm still not sure how I'd feel about recommending The Book of Bantorra, but it's definitely shaping up to be one of the better shows of this anime season.

Rating: 87/100

If you'd like to watch this episode for free online, you can do so here.

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Seitokai no Ichizon, Episodes 5 and 6: The Intermission Student Council and The Helping Student Council

I've managed to fall a bit behind on Seitokai no Ichizon, so I went ahead and powered through the last two one after another. Episode 5 is the show's requisite swimsuit episode, while episode 6 features the student council actually doing some student council work. It manages to be much of the same regardless of this.

I'm really growing bored with this show. Both episodes had some really great references, episode 6 in particular, but so many of the other jokes repeat over and over and over again. After a while, Sugisaki proclaiming his desire for a harem stops being funny and starts becoming irritating.

Now that I'm pretty much half way through the show, I see no reason to stop it, but this definitely isn't going to be one I recommend. I do hope that they do something totally wild and different for the ending. In spite of the show's repetitiveness I can completely see them pulling something like that off. It would definitely help to keep the show's remainder interesting.

Rating: 75/100

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Kobato, Episode 5: Hotaru's Promise

At long last, I've been able to see Kobato's 5th episode. I got lucky and got to get the 4th episode a bit early last time around, so it feel like ages since I've been able to watch this show. It's been hard to fight the urge to pick up the manga so that I could get my Kobato fix. This episode was worth the wait, though.

Kobato's weekly healing storyline was beautiful, and it was wonderfully told. The art used in this episode was absolutely exquisite. I also really enjoyed seeing the main storyline move along some. I like the slow build to a better relationship between Kobato and Fujimoto- it's more my speed then big dramatics. While I've really enjoyed the plot of each week's episode, I'm eager to see the main storyline take a bigger role. I'm sure there's going to be some good stuff here.

Every week it seems like I fall more in love with this show. This is exactly the sort of thing I like to watch, and I'm so glad to have a CLAMP anime to enjoy this season. Look out for a new Kobato inspired layout to take over this blog sometime soon.

Rating: 96/100

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Kimi ni Todoke, Episode 5: Determination

Kimi ni Todoke is now on episode 5, and it continues the storyline from the last few episodes. Kazehaya, Yoshida, Yano, and even Ryū all got some good screentime in this one, and it didn't feel like anyone of the major characters neglected because of it. I especially enjoyed the Ryū stuff. I hope we see him do more in the future.

This episode felt a little too short to me, as if 5 minutes or so had gotten chopped off. I actually went ahead and checked to make sure this one was a long as all the others because it felt so cropped to me. I suppose it's better to feel like to didn't get enough of an episode than to feel like you got too much, but I wish I could've seen a little more before things ended. At least the cliffhanger has me excited for this week's episode.

Even though I haven't been thrilled with this plotline, I still really enjoy this show and the characters. Next week's episode, Friends, looks like it'll be a great one, and once this story wraps up I think I'll appreciate the new episodes even more. I know I've been a bit hard on this show lately, but it's only because I like it so much. I can't wait to start raving about it again.

Rating: 88/100

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The Sacred Blacksmith, Episode 5: Bond -Together-

In this week's episode of The Sacred Blackmith, Bond -Together-, we get to spend some time with the always adorable Lisa. This episode didn't move along the plot like the last two have- in fact, it almost felt like filler- but I enjoyed it all the same. The Sacred Blacksmith has officially won me over.

I really wished that we could've gotten a little action in this episode, but I really liked that they continued to develop the characters. I've been intrigued by Lisa since early on in the show, and I hope we have enough time to learn more about her. I was also impressed with how well a little dose of horror was injected into an episode that was otherwise quite sweet. The imagery during Luke's explanation to Cecily was nightmare inducing.

I'm sure The Sacred Blacksmith will be back to its normal routine in episode 6, but I really didn't mind the deviation. I'm so pleased with how much this anime has managed to grow on me. That doesn't happen too often. If you haven't checked out The Sacred Blacksmith yet, I implore you not to give up at the beginning. It may start out weak, but it picks up fast.

Rating: 85/100

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