Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru discussion thread

[something]

Why am I being left to make the thread for a show like this? :sd:

ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11033)
Official Site (http://www.uraboku.jp/)

Note
As usual, please try to follow these three easy forum courtesy habits when replying:
1) If you're the first person to post about an episode in any given week, please respond to the root post (this post) and indicate in the subject line which episode you're posting about.
2) If someone has already posted about an episode before you, please respond to that post (or a relevant reply to that post). Keep in the right subthread.
3) Don't use the blue "Post Reply" button because it causes your reply not to correctly inherit the subject line of the post you're replying to. Just click "Quote" to the post you want to reply to.

[something]

Episode 1:

- I wasn't even going to take notes, but man the seiyuu list on this is impressive. Ueda Kana, Yahagi Sayuri, Minagawa Junko, Ono Daisuke, Ishida Akira, Kamiya Hiroshi, Miyano Mamoru, Miki Shinichirou, Koyasu Takehito, Inoue Marina, Kuwashima Houko, Fukuyama Jun, and Yukana. Plus some others who I recognize but don't pay as much attention to.
- As for the leads: Sakurai Takahiro is Luka who was Meme in Bakemonogatari, Suzaku in Geass, etc. He hasn't spoken much yet. Yuki is Hoshi Souichirou, who was Kei in Onegai Teacher, Kira in Gundam Seed, Keiichi in Higurashi, etc. Thank goodness he's not using the horrible, horrible voice he used for Tomoki in Otoshimono.
- Speaking of Yuki, he, um, was a girl in a previous life. So is this the BL version of the type of gender bending that turns me off in some allegedly "yuri" anime? :sd:
- Stuff stuff, orphanage, Inoue Marina and Fukuyama Jun together! I'd say they're on track to be the only straight couple in the show but given Yuki's, uh, background, I'm not so sure what counts as straight.
- Also, Yuki can read people's emotions and see what they're struggling with by touching them, or something. And he's getting death threats from one of the guys he wants to help.
- Oh Yuki, just give yourself up to Ishida-oniichan. He'll make you feel all better. ...And with so many guys I have a feeling I'm just going to be referring to characters by their seiyuu rather than trying to remember their names.
- Luka and Yuki meet. They gaze into each others' eyes. Etc etc.

I'll be surprised if I finish this, but I'll give it another ep to hear more from the seiyuu. And who knows, it might pull out something really neat and keep me interested.

[sir_integra]

Episode 1:
- Speaking of Yuki, he, um, was a girl in a previous life. So is this the BL version of the type of gender bending that turns me off in some allegedly "yuri" anime.

It's been used before. It's dishonest and a cheap way to make the relationship (which I'm using very loosely at this point) "ok". I took lots of points off for this.

As you said, the seiyuu list is impressive and worth sticking around for, well, maybe a few more eps.

I like BL well enough, heck, I review it, but this stuff - I don't quite know what it is. I guess a big fat tease of implication. Why can't we ever get a BL series with fanservice equivalent to what "the other side" gets?

[something]

I like BL well enough, heck, I review it, but this stuff - I don't quite know what it is. I guess a big fat tease of implication. Why can't we ever get a BL series with fanservice equivalent to what "the other side" gets?
Yuri fanservice isn't too hard to come by, no, though true, serious yuri series like Aoi Hana are still sadly uncommon. Not that I'm saying UraBoku looks like it'll play that role on the BL side, since they've already introduced the gender cop-out.

And bleh, I almost forgot the subject line for my initial subthread post. Fixed.

[ilmaestro]

Can't... not watch... J.C.Staff show...

But actually, it was kind of interesting. Depends on exactly how the mystery/supernatural side of things is as to whether I'll keep it going.

[something]

Episode 2:

- Guy with scar, talking sadly about upcoming battles. Koyasu Takehito!
- And some tacky CG roses.
- The police stop by to get a report on the death thread but they don't seem particularly interested in doing anything about it.
- And Koyasu's character is Giou Takashiro. He's also claiming to be Yuki's brother... I guess the easy thing to do is write is off as a lie but I'm not sure.
- Ah. Different mothers, but Yuki's mother met (but never married) Takashiro's father, who only found out about Yuki after Yuki's mother died. Well, this is of course rather suspect since we know Yuki isn't what he appears, but if there was a true death and rebirth it could be true in this life at least.
- As Yuki is fretting, some kinda power manifests and blows all the windows of the orphanage out. Guess it's time for you to move on, Yuki.
- Uzuki does his moping again.
- While Fukuyama and Inoue kill those little creatures from before.
- And there goes the power at school again. Yuki runs away, and Luka finds him.
- Luka[?] introduces himself as Zess when Yuki finally asks his name. Guess he can't reveal himself yet.
- Then the "Duras" attack, larger versions of the beasts the other two were fighting. Geh, the effect on their skin is so tacky looking.
- Fukuyama and Inoue (Ah okay, they're named Tsukumo and Tooko) save "Zess" and Yuki from the Duras, and it appears they're in the employ of/part of the same clan as Takashiro. The cast is finally gathering in one place.
- Takashiro tells Yuki that he needs to come with them and learn to control his powers.

The music was pretty awesome during this scene, really exciting and all. Pretty good episode overall.

Also: Takashiro likes melonpan.

[sir_integra]

Koyasu Takehito. There's no mistaking that voice. I'm just waiting for Miki Shinichiro to make his entrance. I know nothing about this story, but since he's another Gio I wonder if he'll be the "evil" member of the clan. I love Miki when he's bad.

Still feeling so-so with this. It feel recycled and the animation could be a lot more energetic and vibrant. I know the atmosphere is supposed to be gloomy, but it seems more murky than gloomy. I do like Tsukumo and Toko. Such a sparkling couple!

Now that things seem to be set up, I'm hoping for an improvement. I'll watch, but I don't care about simulcast.

[something]

Episode 3:

- After Yuki asks for a bit of time before making any decisions, and leaves, we get a hint of the complications present in the Giou faction. "Zess" does not like Takashiro at all, and Takashiro seems like he's willing to be pretty ruthless in how he uses Yuki. Tooko and Tsukumo really seem to like Yuki, but they're on Takashiro's side here. I don't think any of the group wants to hurt Yuki, but with Yuki supposedly being the key to saving the world, Takashiro is not going to be shy about doing what he must to strengthen Yuki's powers.
- Also: Tooko-chan is easily the best character.
- Well, Zess immediately ignores Takashiro's orders not to go near Yuki. Sounds like Takashiro really needs Zess, though, and can't do much about it.
- And jeeze, I never noticed Zess' fingernails before, but they're pretty ridiculous looking.
- Yuki is warned to stay inside the next night, known as Walpurgis Night.
- Meanwhile Takashiro remembers an old nemesis, Reiga the Necromancer. Presumably whatshisname Yuki was with in ep 1. Well, especially since the voice was the same. Er, I think. Don't feel like going back to confirm.
- Yuki calls Takashiro up and declines the offer to join him. Zess was right, Yuki isn't going to follow Takashiro's expectations. Time for Plan B?
- Of course, Yuki does go out on Walpurgis Night, since a few of the kids are missing.
- Urgh, the Duras look sooooooooo bad.
- Way to not translate the on screen text, Crunchyroll. Oh well, it says something about Uzuki having the girls and telling Yuki to meet him on the roof of the school.

He runs up to the roof and it ends there.

Pretty good again. I agree with sir integra that it does feel more "murky" than "gloomy". But it's decent enough to keep watching so far.

[sir_integra]

I'm warming up to this and am up for watching more.

And yes, Toko is the best character.

It just hit me that Takashiro (voiced by Koyasu Takehito) is wearing a white cross on his lapel. White Cross. Weiss Kreutz. Get it. Reminds me that I should watch that again. (Taketori SHIIIIIIIIIIIIII-NE! ...)

[something]

Heh, this is such a lively discussion thread. :sd:

Episode 4:

- Yuki is, unsurprisingly, spectacularly naive. So he gets to the roof and once again persists in believing that Uzuki is on his side. Silly boy... girl... boy... thing.
- Turns out this Uzuki is being possessed by a "Mid-Villain", a rank of Duras. Fighting and stuff ensues, Yuki awakens, Uzuki is saved and the mid-villain destroyed. Stuff.
- Oh and Luka/Zess is an ex-Duras.
- Uzuki and Yuki share a moment.
- ...Hey, think someone could untie the kids? They're still sitting off to the side all bound up. :sd:
- Yuki gets ready to finally leave the orphanage. But the most important part of this scene is Tooko's striped thighhighs!
- Heh, Zess tells Yuki his real name, Luka, and Tooko is pissed that she'd never heard about this before. <3 Inoue Marina.

Decent episode. We're off to Tokyo now, so we'll see how that changes things up.

Next episode preview is about the wonders of electric toothbrushes!

[sir_integra]

Heh, this is such a lively discussion thread. :sd:


Indeed. I'm warming up to this but Yuki's whining and tears are beginning to annoy.

It's probably me, but doesn't the girl shown at the opening, Yuki's past self, look like Yuki in a wig. Yeah, I know they're supposed to be the "same person", but she really should look a little softer and not like cosplay.

[sir_integra]

Well, we now meet two more members of the Giou Clan - Hotsuma and Shuusei. Typical BL bishie couple. (No surprise as to who would be on top here.) Looks as if they just stepped out of a BL novel - well, of course, they did.

I think we still have two more to meet and this was ep 5. There are only 11 episodes I believe. What kind of action are we goind to see here - giant meet and greet?

The cg is still bad, not that I expected better.

I got sucked into watching Vampire Knight at Viz' streaming site. I can see why somebody remarked that the opening in Uraboku looks like that of Vampire Knight, very much like it for me. Going for the same audience I guess except that Vampire Knight is more like a Fruits Basket with biting.

[something]

Well, we're the only two commenting on this (and the only two watching maybe? :sd: )so it's not a huge deal, but when you start subthreads, can you do it as a reply to the first thread? You replied to one of the ep 4 so it's listed under those.

I forgot this was out on Sundays, guess I'll get to it in a bit. Bah where did my Sunday go, it's so late already...

[sir_integra]

Well, we're the only two commenting on this (and the only two watching maybe? :sd: )so it's not a huge deal, but when you start subthreads, can you do it as a reply to the first thread? You replied to one of the ep 4 so it's listed under those.

I forgot this was out on Sundays, guess I'll get to it in a bit. Bah where did my Sunday go, it's so late already...

Sorry. If I get to the new ep first, I'll remember to do so.

[something]

Episode 5:

- Hahahah! Yuki has an interesting dream. All the more interesting because he doesn't seem to realize he was a girl in his dream. Actually, even if he did, it might seem weirder to him. :sd:
- I don't know why it took five episodes, but I'm suddenly really bothered by how sharp their chins are. I think it was Tooko looking back over the seat that did it. It looked so odd.
- Ah, a new pair. Shuusei and Hotsuma. Miyano Mamoru and Ono D!
- Little girl trips and loses her balloon. Wtf, she looks like she got mugged and beaten. That's a hell of a trip.
- The girl is so cute~ She sounds a bit like Itou Kanae.. ::checks credits:: Yay, she is.

Wanted to get to Durarara!! before work, so coments got kept brief. Decent episode though. Hotsuma totally had the hots for Yuki before and got rejected for Luka.

I think we still have two more to meet and this was ep 5. There are only 11 episodes I believe. What kind of action are we goind to see here - giant meet and greet?
Heh, yeah I've got pretty low expectations for how the final battles will play out. Didn't know it was only 11 episodes. Sheesh. Well, at least the core story is simplistic enough so they should be able to deal with it. I'm interested in seeing if Yuki stays male or if they kinda cop out and turn him back into female Yuki.

[LKK]

I think we still have two more to meet and this was ep 5. There are only 11 episodes I believe. What kind of action are we goind to see here - giant meet and greet?
Heh, yeah I've got pretty low expectations for how the final battles will play out. Didn't know it was only 11 episodes.
No, there are 24 episodes. 12 DVDs with 2 episodes each according to the CD Japan listings.

[sir_integra]

I think we still have two more to meet and this was ep 5. There are only 11 episodes I believe. What kind of action are we goind to see here - giant meet and greet?
Heh, yeah I've got pretty low expectations for how the final battles will play out. Didn't know it was only 11 episodes.
No, there are 24 episodes. 12 DVDs with 2 episodes each according to the CD Japan listings.

Well, the pacing makes more sense then. I had seen only 12 episodes cited at the wiki page (not that wiki pages are always correct). But this brings up other issues such as whether they have enough material to fill out those eps without dragging things along.

Edit: CR lists 12 episodes also.

[something]

I think we still have two more to meet and this was ep 5. There are only 11 episodes I believe. What kind of action are we goind to see here - giant meet and greet?
Heh, yeah I've got pretty low expectations for how the final battles will play out. Didn't know it was only 11 episodes.
No, there are 24 episodes. 12 DVDs with 2 episodes each according to the CD Japan listings.
Amazon has 12 discs listed as well. Heh, guess I'm in for longer than I expected with this one, but that could be for the best.

[Helschadenfreude]

wow, thought it was just the list of guys voice actors were stacked in this show. Just caught my attention since my friend was watching it...

[sir_integra]

This series is slower than House of Five Leaves! The only thing we really saw in this week's confrontation was Shuusei's power - kekkai creation and bad guy annilhilation through some type of spell and balls of light.

It was not a complete loss, however. We did get some innuendo laden banter between Hotsuma and Shuusei. The more desperate of us, myself included, will overinterpret this; it's all we've got. This is a hot couple, forget the whiny kid and the silent, depressing dude. Makes me wish this were "HotsumaXShuusei: Paranormal Investigation with Hot Guy on Guy Action!". But it's not happening. (I've seen types like Hotsuma and Shuusei in any number of BL graphic novels. I have expectations based on this.)

[something]

Episode 6:

- "Who needs him?" Sorry, you do! Remember, this is anime. Hard work does not pay off unless you're the protagonist, duh. If the protagonist is the source of some special power, that means you're hopeless without them. =P
- Little Itou Kanae girl is soooooooooooooooo cute. oo bad she's totally possessed by a Duras or something like that.
- Luka's fingernails still freak me out.
- Haha what the shit? Yuki does something awesome, and then SUDDENLY CHIBI.
- Ono D, it's totally okay to let loose with a "Hazukashii serifu kinshi!" at Yuki here.
- Ah, so Shuusei is our obligatory magical barrier creator.
- So why didn't Kanae-chan disappear with the rest of the humans in the barrier? Relevant or just convenient? =P
- Luka comes in and shwos up Hotsuma. But the icky mud dolls keep coming. Kanae-chan is kinda having a bad day. I'll be shocked if they gets out of this with her memory intact.
- Ahahaaha, "Master Stroke".
- Dude, Luka, your magical incantation is waaaaay too long.
- Luka Used: Completely Ridiculous Overkill Dragon.
- Luka Says: Fuck collateral damage!
- HAHAHAH YES! Adorable Kanae-chan is strangling Yuki and acting badass. But why does she have to be the Duras? ;_; Well, Luka will be able to take it out without hurting her, if Uzuki is any indication.
- "I need to create some kind of opening! Maybe I'll... USE MY HANDS." Yuki you GENIUS. So that's what those things hanging by your sides were for! I thought you were just going to sit there and keep getting strangled.
- Stop hitting my moe button with a skyscraper-sized jackhammer, Kanae-chan. ;_; You're not a bad girl! You're a very good girl!
- Yuki Used: Tearful Hug!
- Ah so Shuusei can extract the Duras from their hosts as well.
- HAHAHAHAHA. Oh Shuusei. LICK THAT WOUND, BABY.

We better see Kanae again. ;_;

It was not a complete loss, however. We did get some innuendo laden banter between Hotsuma and Shuusei. The more desperate of us, myself included, will overinterpret this; it's all we've got. This is a hot couple, forget the whiny kid and the silent, depressing dude. Makes me wish this were "HotsumaXShuusei: Paranormal Investigation with Hot Guy on Guy Action!". But it's not happening. (I've seen types like Hotsuma and Shuusei in any number of BL graphic novels. I have expectations based on this.)
I actually rather liked this episode, but then that's primarily because of Kanae-chan. I may be the only person watching this show that thought she was the highlight. :sd:

But I liked the rest too. Hotsuma and Shuusei are indeed pretty promising, and I like that Takashiro actually showed a little bit of remorse at the end for whatever it is he'll need to do to Yuki. Genuine remorse makes his character more interesting than just "Hehehe, I am so clever and scheming" would.

[something]

Episode 7:

- Finally Yuki arrives at his new home.
- Woo, another female character. Kureha Aya, seems to be in charge of household affairs and such at the mansion.
- Hahaha! I love the chibi bits. Tooko comes and gives Yuki a big hug, and Luka totally glared at her. But Tooko is not afraid!
- Oh hey it's Miki Shinichirou. As Giou Tachibana. He looks like he'll be fun. The brim on the hat coming down low makes me think of another Miki role, Kisuke in Bleach. :sd:
- And now we meet the eccentric doctor, whose name I don't think we get. Either way he's hot for Luka.
- Tachibana goes to show Yuki to his room, but Yuki already seems to remember which was his.
- Once again I feel like pointing out how hot Tooko's striped thighhighs are.
- Now we get the obligatory "cute" mascot animal thing. Sodom, Luka's familiar.
- Yuki dreams of Kanata and stuff.
- Yes! The girl from the thumbnail cap is voiced by Ueda Kan! Ashley or something like that.
- Ah the doctor was Fujiwara Isuzu. Voiced by Narita Ken.
- Next up is the cook, Tooma Kasumi. Okamoto Nobuhiko.

Need more Ashley!

[sir_integra]

Episode 7:
- Hahaha! I love the chibi bits. Tooko comes and gives Yuki a big hug, and Luka totally glared at her. But Tooko is not afraid!
I sooo like Tooko better than Luka. She's so girly and fun. Crossover, Yuki, crossover. She's the best guy there!
- Oh hey it's Miki Shinichirou. As Giou Tachibana. He looks like he'll be fun. The brim on the hat coming down low makes me think of another Miki role, Kisuke in Bleach. :sd:
And he didn't mail in the performance! There were only a few moments there when I thought - whoa, Roy Mustang?! (Or maybe I just can't get over that he's voicing Roy Mustang.) His voice has changed over the years; I think it's the smokes.
And when I saw the hat, I thought the same thing.

I was late in watching this. I went to NYC to scout for CMX titles that I needed. :cry:

[something]

I sooo like Tooko better than Luka. She's so girly and fun. Crossover, Yuki, crossover. She's the best guy there!
It's almost like she doesn't belong in this show, as if she's too well-adjusted and happy to mix with all these guys. So it's nice to see that the Twilight Mansion has some lively characters as well, like Tachibana and Isuzu.

[Suwako Moriya]

Speaking of Yuki, he, um, was a girl in a previous life. So is this the BL version of the type of gender bending that turns me off in some allegedly "yuri" anime? :sd:

Well, my first thought is along the lines of "I like the previous life better":P As for being a turn off, ignoring my preference for females for a minute here, it's hard to say. Come to think of it, I did enjoy a series where they pulled the gender switch. I think part of it depends on what route they take.

In the case of permanent change or at least a change that's not so easily reverse, the past gender is thing of the past. Ie you may as well consider X to be Y now. So it mostly becomes a question of whether the change has a positive effect, negative effect or makes no difference.

In the case of being able to switch back and forth, it gets complicated. Some people may remain focused on the original gender. Others may go for the new gender. In the end, it's hard to get past what the person was originally and can fall back on.

Well, I look at it this way. The gender may have changed, but at least the species remained the same. Seriously depending on the story and belief, reincarnation can be quite free flowing. I was once a rat, but now I'm a cat. Next time I'll be a bat.


Stuff stuff, orphanage, Inoue Marina and Fukuyama Jun together! I'd say they're on track to be the only straight couple in the show but given Yuki's, uh, background, I'm not so sure what counts as straight.

Heh, well, those two might have some potential depending on what they get to do in the story and how they're developed. As for Yuki's background, I'll just smile and nod for now.


Also, Yuki can read people's emotions and see what they're struggling with by touching them, or something. And he's getting death threats from one of the guys he wants to help.

You know they could easily take this concept and make a parody version out of it. Yuki touches someone and finds out the person is insanely happy. Some of them being happy for rather strange reasons.

[Suwako Moriya]

They seem dedicated to convincing us that Yuki's life really really sucks.

I don't care if he's being manipulated or not, I want Glasses Jerk to die already.

Yuki, you may as well join this err clan of major characters. Especially since it has a girl in it. A girl that better not die and come back a guy later. Once is more than enough.:P

[Suwako Moriya]

Of course, Yuki does go out on Walpurgis Night, since a few of the kids are missing.

Clearly, the people in this show haven't been watching enough anime, have they?

For some reason, I find the opening part with the thorns and roses to be kind of cruel and creepy.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah, so Yuki's powers awaken and he makes a decision to go on a road trip with everyone.

I've come to the conclusion that Tooko may be the most major reason to watch the show. The outfit near the end and the hairstyle just works.

[Suwako Moriya]

The girl is so cute~ She sounds a bit like Itou Kanae.. ::checks credits:: Yay, she is.

This being the most important part of the episode aside from Tooko. Ok, I'll admit the dream was interesting if for no other reason than the weird factor. Plus, seeing people like Luka sleeping is amusing for some reason.

I'm interested in seeing if Yuki stays male or if they kinda cop out and turn him back into female Yuki.

Or maybe Luka will end up turning into a girl some how.:P Well, either way I'm treating this as one of those "I love you no matter what form you're in" type stories. That way the whole "I used to be X" and "I've become X again" thing won't matter.

[Suwako Moriya]

We better see Kanae again. ;_;

I'm just hoping she'll end up with a loving family because it's clear her current parents are a bunch of heartless jerks. They're not worthy of Kanae.

In any case, watching "evil/possessed" Kanae, I couldn't help but think "Ruiko, don't hurt Kazari" for some odd reason.

While there may be some merit to it, the strategy of "Yuki, isolate yourself, avoid everyone" is not going to work as well as they think it would.

Heck the way, the plot is set up, Yuki getting involved and interacting with others will be what ultimately ends up resolving issues like the one poor Kanae had.

I would not be surprised if it turned out that a human can't host a Duras forever. I mean aside from the fact humans are mortal in the first place. I'm thinking along the lines of having your life forced eaten away at.

[something]

Episode 8:

- So the Twilight mansion has a communal bath. Of course. :sd:
- Oooh! Aya and Tooko getting undressed. =D But the target audience isn't interested in that, so we don't see anything. ;_;
- Hahahah whaaaat? That... that was a weird way for Yuki to find out he used to be a girl. Tooko remarks that she bathed with Yuki many times before, and Yuki asks if that means he usedto be a girl and, uh, there you have it. And here allthis time I thought it would be some huge revelation of extreme melodramatic importance later on. Well then!
- Yeah, when it's time for the boys to bathe we get loads of bare chests. =P Actually, it's pretty short, and if it were my thing I'd be complaining about how brief the scene was, like all those bathing/onsen scenes in other anime that go by without any good fanservice (pretty sure the latest Working!! caused such a complaint, I'll find out later today).
- Cue Shuusei/Hotsuma touching. Shuusei has an unsightly wound! But Hotsuma loves him, wound and all! ::caress, caress:: Heh.
- Luka has a license! ...Sort of. Maybe.
- Mmm, lots of zettai ryouiki for the girls at Yuki's new school. Anyway, are Takashiro's people really not having anyone watch over Yuki at school? I mean as soon as Yuki is dropped off and Luka leaves, there's Kanata/Reiga to chat with Yuki. That's bad planning. Guess they thought things would be okay until Tooko, Tsukumo, Shuusei and Hotsuma arrived. I hope Yuki is in Tooko's class...
- Heh, Kanata is putting the moves on Yuki.
- But Tooko to the rescue!
- jesuswtf. That was incredibly creepy. Luka and Yuki are talking in the car and all of a sudden theres this bizarre animal sound that I swear was coming from behind my walls. I thought a pissed off rodent got into my room. But it was just Sodom freaking out.
- Ahahaa. A trio of mid-villains try to snag Yuki but Luka justr obliterates them. It's really quite amusing to watch. I do have to say, I was really worried Yuki was going to run up and stop Luka and ask him to spare the duras. Guess I should give Yuki more credit.
- Poor guys, they were nothing more than a catalyst to get Luka telling Yuki about his past.
- Not that we learn much.
- Tooko owns a pretty gaudy cellphone. But I love her outfit. I guess she's got some loose socks going on, then thighhighs with zetryo, skirt, and a long sleeved shirt with a wide neck. Tooko, you're so sexycute~ <3
- Apparently this is the first time Yuki has been reborn as a guy. I wonder if maybe Hotsuma's hang-up is that he and Yuki were at item waaay long ago, before Yuki met Luka?
- Yuki makes necklaces for everyone. Apparently they'll act as protective charms. Shuusei hasn't had much chance to interact with Yuki but he seems to be pretty nice.

Good episode again.

Post-ED:
- Ashley~~~~~!

[Suwako Moriya]

Tooko comes and gives Yuki a big hug, and Luka totally glared at her. But Tooko is not afraid!

At least we know for certain what the real "final" battle will be.

It will be interesting to see more of Ashley in the future. Even if she is on the bad side.

The doctor is just creepy.

[something]

So much to watch today and so little time... keeping my comments short!

Episode 9:

A whole lot of Shuusei and Hotsuma this time. We find out how Shuusei got his scars (while trying to stop Hotsuma from burning himself to death). After Yuki helps Hotsuma come to terms with his past, Shuusei, who has been acting weird lately, disappears.

Eh? I wonder if he's really gone for good. Feels a bit early for one to disappear, and under circumstances like this where they weren't even fighting against any enemies.

A little bit of Ashley, but not much. More of her next ep I guess.

[Suwako Moriya]

Oh, by the way you were a girl. That was simple.

Sorry ladies, but he prefers men that were once girls.

This show has amusing preview dialog.

[something]

Episode 10:

- Well this is strange. Not strange that Shuusei is still around, but they played up the end of 9 as if he 1) knew disappearing was coming and 2) accepted it as some kind of release, now that Hotsuma was "saved". And yet here he is, waking up in Ashley's hide-out as if this were all her plan.
- More importantly, ASHLEY!
- Awesome, her little familiar Opast is Iguchi Yuka! <3
- ...I think Ashley just killed it.
- Ashley seems to be running some a twisted kind of dating service.

- Yuki and Hotsuma have a heart to heart.
- Ashley sends the random video. Gokigenyou!
- Tooko and Tsukumo go out to investigate and things go rather badly for Tsukumo. Poor Tsukumo.

Kinda liked the atmosphere that pervaded much of this episode. And Reiga/Kanata seems like he could be kinda badass if needed.

[sir_integra]

Although not so great for the main storyline perhaps, but the story has shifted to HotsumaXShuusei - much more interesting couple.

It's difficult to take Ashley seriously what with her name and the cute familiar. (And cute dolls!) And what was that word she used to describe herself- orgu...orgia... whatever. Is that even a word? Seriously, the translators need to watch this stuff.

[Suwako Moriya]

In this episode, we get history, angst, relationship, and some fire. Yeah, that about sums it up.

[something]

Episode 11:

- What is it with villains and a complete inability to finish the good guy off? So you greviously wounded Tsukumo and left him bleeding and unconscious on the ground. Then... you stop and leave. What about a good old decapitation? I like Tsukumo and all but jeeze, you bad guys are so sloppy.
- Toookoooooooooo! Tooko-oneesan has to keep it together for everyone else's sake. Thankfully, Luka decides to be nice and let her cry on his shoulder (or back). It's weird seeing Luka care about anyone other than Yuki. But hell, if even Luka wants to be nice to Tooko, that means everyone loves her!
- Yuki does his healin' thing and Tsukumo comes to, eventually. Yuki passes out but wakes up the next morning.

- Well huh that went more easily than expected. Yuki and Luka free Hotsuma and decide to go after Shuusei. I thought they were slipping out since they did it without Takashiro's permission but then they go see him anyways and tell him they're going. And Takashiro, uh, okays it and agrees to help.
- Yuki's group gets to an abandoned amusement park and starts looking for Shuusei, while Takashiro does something or other in a library? He seems to have his own special book like Reiga.
- And Yuki/Hotsuma stumble upon Kanata. Not suspicious at all! Anyway he tries the "come back with me!" routine and fails, again.

Looks like we're ending as they find Shuusei. Still not sure what Takashiro is doing.

[LKK]

Episode 11:
Looks like we're ending as they find Shuusei. Still not sure what Takashiro is doing.
UraBoku isn't ending yet. It's only reaching its midway point. The series is 2 cour.

[something]

UraBoku isn't ending yet. It's only reaching its midway point. The series is 2 cour.
Ending as in ending the episode.

[something]

Episode 12:

- Ashley in action! Yuki goes to grab Shuusei while Hotsuma takes on Ashley.
- Huh, Ashley well and truly kicks Hotsuma's ass. She's a hair-weapon type. So well Hotsuma get back up and go burnyburny again or will Luka save them?
- I love Ashley.
- More of Hotsuma getting pummeled.
- And it's Shuusei who saves them instead.

- Now it's Shuusei and Hotsuma vs a really pissed Ashley.
- Awww... poor Ashley. The mean Zweilt are picking on her! ;_;
- Although the demon boy twins step in.
- And Ashley is back up. This looks like your cue, Luka.

- That it was. Ashley dead, Jekyll too. And Jekyll? I'd never caught their names before, heh. Shuusei takes out what must be Hyde. Also, Luka seems to have a fetish for chopping off arms.
- Ennnnnter Reiga.

Oh good, Yuki finds out here that Reiga is Kanata. I much prefer they get that dealt with now, rather than having it wait until the end.

[Suwako Moriya]

I know she's an evil one, but the fangs and voice of Ashley make me want to join the dark side.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, the good news is you found him. Now you just have to deal with some other issues.

[something]

Episode 13:

- First half of the show, in brief: Yuki in denial and Lots of things freezing.
- Also, Reiga was a Giou.
- Reiga tries to kill Yuki, Taskashiro saves him. The others are busy with the twins and some ice wolves.
- Takashiro and Reiga get their magical circles and magical books and cheesy looking magical dragons on.
- Yuki is so annoying in this episode. His entire contribution has been the following: 1) staring blankly, 2) denying everything he's seeing. Yawn.
- Aaaaaand the stupid old "spare the villain" routine from Yuki. Yuki is making this episode kinda... bad.

Here's hoping next week is better. Or that Yuki dies.

[something]

Episode 14:

Uhhhh, Sodom licks Yuki's tears and transforms into a shorts-shota catboy....!?

Other than that, a whole lot of Yuki forcing himself to act unreasonably chipper. Which is always really awkward to watch, because such characters act really unnaturally. In some ways it's as bad as moping.

The good news is that everyone engages in a Yuki Love Love Fest and he gets over it. I still wish Reiga had been killed off, though, because this is all just going to happen again when the fight gets serious once more.

Oh and we meet the Kamiya Hiroshi character.

[something]

Episode 15:

- New OP, but not much to say about it other than that it looks like Yuki gets some control over his powers. And Reiga will clearly be the bad guy through to the end, boo.
- Ah, comedy. This show needed some of that. Tachibana trying to keep Yuki's departure to the main residence a secret led to some quite amusing scenes.
- Two new Zweilts. Sen, a likable ditz. Kuroto, a kinda dark and stand-offish younger guy who had to quit shogi in order to dedicate himself as a Zweilt. He doesn't seem to like Yuki very much.

- Crap, I heard bath water sloshing about and instinctively perked up, until I remembered what show I was watching.
- We meet Takashiro's butler. Aka lover.
- I do like that Takashiro is being portrayed as fairly conflicted about whatever it is he's planning to do with Yuki. It'd be easy to just make him a heartless Machiavellian bastard but they haven't done that.
- Ah, Fuyutoki is the older brother of the Twilight Mansion maid girl.

New ED as well, doesn't do anything for me either.

Definitely a much better episode than 13-14, which were just... kinda bad.

[something]

Episode 16:

In this episode, Yuki gets introduced to breasts. Shikibe Tsubaki (Kuwashima Houko) seems to be quite fond of him. She normally hates men but Yuki is different. For obvious reasons.

We also learn that Takashiro is immortal, so unlike the others who keep getting reborn, he's been in the same body. And his big secret, his terrible sin, is... uh, I dunno, really not as horrible as I thought it'd be. Basically, he forcibly reincarnates the Zweilts to continue the fight. And lied about being Yuki's brother. Which is kinda rude I suppose but I could come up with worse things, certainly.

Next week, back to a period with samurai and such? Well it has been going on a thousand years. I want to see Touko from that period!!

[something]

Episode 17:

- Now we go back a thousand years or so? UraBoku in Summer!
- And we meet some Yomi chick who is clearly going to be the catalyst for Reiga going bad.
- Backstory = Reiga kills everyone, including Yomi. No explanation as to why. And now he and Takashiro have been fighting for over a millennium. Alrighty then.
- Yuki's mom was hot.

Aww, Tooko crying. And the big unknown mentioned in this episode is this Giou Ario, the last member of the Takashiro/Reiga/Yomi quartet.

[something]

Episode 18:

- Ponytail Tooko~
- New character, Elegy. Minagawa Junko. General class Opast, and totally loves "Zess", and therefore hates dirty human girl Yuki.
- Tsukumo and Tooko save Luka's butt when Elegy tricks him with a hallucination fo Yuki. Tooko... has a large sword! Wow, has it really been so long since she's fought that I totally forgot about that?

Yes Luka you silly man, Tooko is your ally. You better appreciate her!

[something]

Episode 19:

Kuroto's backstory. It's always a bit funny when characters as young as seven years old are already "consumed by their past". :sd: Granted, in this case it makes sense - he lost his former partner a long long time ago, many previous lives past.

We get to meet another villain too. Cadenza, a red-haired Opast. General class I assume. He's taken down in the flashback but returns at the end, revived I guess.

Really good episode, really. Laughed at the bit where Kuroto is putting the ring on Senshirou's finger, heh. Especially since we find out right after that Senshirou ended his engagement to Tsubaki. He already has a wife!

Somewhat amusing: Cadenza is voiced by Kuroda Takaya, and Kuroto by Kamiya Hiroshi. It's Simon vs Izaya!

[something]

Episode 20:

Yuki can be so frustrating sometimes. He acts recklessly our of concern for others, but it leads to trouble for exactly the people he's worried about.

Cadenza wrecks Kuroto and Senshirou but is stopped by, uh, Reiga.

I really like the music that played during the battle, which itself wasn't too bad.

[sir_integra]

Episode 19:
Really good episode, really. Laughed at the bit where Kuroto is putting the ring on Senshirou's finger, heh. Especially since we find out right after that Senshirou ended his engagement to Tsubaki. He already has a wife!


I'm back and almost caught up. (Need to watch 20.)

Yeah, that ring thing was a little obvious and over the top. Hope the fangirls emjoyed it.

Ther series is doing a lot better than I thought considereing we get the introduction of so many new characters seemingly on a schedule.

[something]

Ther series is doing a lot better than I thought considereing we get the introduction of so many new characters seelingly on a schedule.
Yeah I'm pretty impressed. It started wearing on my patience quite a bit when Yuki was being mopey but since then has picked up very nicely.

[something]

Episode 21:

- First half of the episode is quite good. Cadenza is being played up as the major villain now, as he rebels against his necromancer Reiga. Reiga is weakened due to having two General-class Opasts under his control at once. I'm not quite sure Cazenza will survive this battle though, and think Reiga will get all he antagonist focus in the last 3 eps.

- A lot of stuff went on in the second half. Luka arrived, got to look pretty badass, and broke up Cadenza and Reiga's fight. The Zweilts all showed up by the end. Only annoying bit was Yuki turning on the waterworks again, so I took particular delight in Reiga telling him to shove it. Even if he's clearly going to turn to the good guys' side by the end. Pretty sure he'll die at the end though. There's really no place in the conclusion for a redeemed Reiga so he'll likely die saving Yuki from Cadenza or whatever.

Really liked this episode. After the meh mopey-Yuki episodes this show has really been on a roll.

[something]

Episode 22:

- Aya! Been too long since we saw her last.
- Tooko is cute.

- Alright so Cadenza conspired with Elegy to test Reiga's resolve. They join up with that other dude and launch an attack on the Giou compound.
- Matchups are what you'd expect. Hotsuma and Shuusei pointy ears. Tooko and Tsukumo vs Elegy. Senshirou and Kuroto vs Cazdenza.

Yuki, you really are a fucking imbecile. After he's repeatedly told to stay away from the fight, he runs in and tries to do his thing anyway. And, of course, gets captured.

I really hate him. It's a good thing the rest of the cast is enjoyable.

[ilmaestro]

I was worried for a lot of the episode that this had gone back to its slow burn approach, despite having just a few episodes left, but they made up for that towards the end. Why didn't they add a little bit of ass-kicking and Luka doing... stuff into the middle of the series, too. :(

I really hate him. It's a good thing the rest of the cast is enjoyable.
I would go as far in either direction - more like "don't much care for" instead of "hate" and adding in "a few of" before "the rest" - but I basically agree with that sentiment.

[sir_integra]

Yeah, Yuki. Aren't those magic users with low hit points a pain? And that stuff about trips to the beach and camping. (Am I remembering this right?} Once was bad enough from Kanata but to have Yuki repeat it - ugh. So sappy.

The rest of the large cast is fine and this is surprisingly well handled.

[something]

And that stuff about trips to the beach and camping. (Am I remembering this right?} Once was bad enough from Kanata but to have Yuki repeat it - ugh. So sappy.
That made me cringe. I can take sappy drama (or I wouldn't be watching this show) but that was pretty awful.

[something]

Episode 23:

- Everyone looks more emotionally well adjusted back at the mansion than they have in a long time. :sd: And the fact that none of them are even all that injured just drives home how utterly stupid Yuki is. Hell it wasn't even some "noble sacrifice", he just straight up walked into the enemy's hands and screwed everyone over. God damn that's so dumb.
- Yeah so the good guys find Reiga's palace and everyone splits off into the expected fights. Eh, not surprising but a bit boring.
- Although Tooko gets to be pretty awesome for a moment.

Blah blah, it ends up being a painfully predictable episode. Until the last scene, that is. Reiga finally snaps and tries to kill Yuki only to be stopped by, uh... Luka's little brother, Luze. >_> What? Introducing him in the next to last episode, really? Or if he has been introduced before it was in an exceptionally minor capacity.

Not quite sure where they're going with that.

[ilmaestro]

Yeah, I was racking my brain trying to think if they'd foreshadowed it and I should be a bit more stunned... but I don't think so. I'd actually forgotten I'd even watched this episode until I read your post, which is a shame because it had got a lot better over the last few weeks. I don't even think the episode was that bad, just largely forgettable until the "twist".

[something]

Knocking this out means I only have K-ON!! left from Spring.

Episode 24:

- Somewhat anticlimactic first half but also somewhat understandable. Takashiro arrives, theres about 30 seconds of fighting, Yuki goes supernova, Cadenza, Elegy and Luze escape the light, and Luka holds hands with Yuki.

- After that the pacing is a bit unexpected. Very slow, with everyone back at the Giou compound and just kinda chillin' before the final battle, which they predict isn't any time soon.
- This is like, epilogue without anything being resolved. They throw characters at each other in odd pairings that have rarely or never spoken to each other before and they do buddy buddy type things.

Um, huh. ...Maybe they're planning on a second season? Sales haven't been very good though.

So basically they introduce a new character (Luka's brother, for crying out loud) in the next to last episode and then end with none of the villains taken care of. I didn't really understand the explanation for why they can be carefree now, assuming Reiga or the Duras won't attack. Something about God's Light making you reflect on your actions or something. >_>

Pretty weak ending. I guess the trajectory of the show was:
- Hit or miss for the first half, but overall decent.
- Some really bad eps where Yuki mopes a lot.
- Some really good eps after that
- Finally, two really weak episodes at the end.

::shrug:: Call it a 6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for not copping out and making Yuki become a girl again, and for beating my expectations, particularly with the post-mope/pre-ending episodes. May change my mind and round down instead but either way I don't regret watching it.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ashley dead,

In spite of the fact she was evil, these two words together still make me sad for some reason.

(Yeah, I've been catching up. Not sure if I'll comment on every episode though)

[Suwako Moriya]

Yuki is so annoying in this episode. His entire contribution has been the following: 1) staring blankly, 2) denying everything he's seeing. Yawn.

Sometimes I wonder if certain characters actually take courses to master those two skills.

[Suwako Moriya]

Uhhhh, Sodom licks Yuki's tears and transforms into a shorts-shota catboy....!?

Thus, they've decided to seek out an additional target group. Well, whatever works in the long run.

[Suwako Moriya]

In this episode, Yuki gets introduced to breasts. Shikibe Tsubaki (Kuwashima Houko) seems to be quite fond of him. She normally hates men but Yuki is different. For obvious reasons.

Now this is the kind of meeting that I find to be of high importance. Yeah, perhaps my priority if screwed up. Nah.

[Suwako Moriya]

Backstory = Reiga kills everyone, including Yomi. No explanation as to why. And now he and Takashiro have been fighting for over a millennium. Alrighty then.

It just had to be the "While you were gone, I decided to just for the heck of it become pure evil" scenario. May as well be that.....:sweat:

[Suwako Moriya]

Yes Luka you silly man, Tooko is your ally. You better appreciate her!

Well, at the very least I can appreciate her for giving a reason to watch the show.

[Suwako Moriya]

Reiga vs Cazenza is one of the better moments of the series.

Regardless of the motivation behind it, it's still weird to see Reiga protecting Yuki.

[Suwako Moriya]

Yuki, you really are a fucking imbecile. After he's repeatedly told to stay away from the fight, he runs in and tries to do his thing anyway. And, of course, gets captured.


It's kind of funny. Sometimes doing what Yuki did results in exactly what happened this episode. Other times, that very action somehow ends up saving everyone. It's almost like a gamble...


I really hate him. It's a good thing the rest of the cast is enjoyable.

Note sure if I'd use the word hate, but in many ways Yuki's character hasn't really amounted to much. It seems his main purpose is to be that depressed object err person.

[Suwako Moriya]

Thus in this episode did M.Bison err I mean Reiga give the usual speech about how and why humans are auto-evil! Seriously, Reiga's outfit makes me think of M.Bison.

Yeah, they just had to introduce a brother for Luka this late into the story.

[Suwako Moriya]

Knocking this out means I only have K-ON!! left from Spring.

In addition to K-ON!!, I also have Giant Killing, Lil'Pri, and maybe Maid-Sama. Granted that's where the fun comes in. In the case of the first two, it's just a matter of watching the final episode.

Maid-sama, I've been slow to progress in for various reason. Lil'Pri is err let's face it. Even if you're fine with watching the show like I am, it's not possible to complete it right now. Unless you have magical powers!


I didn't really understand the explanation for why they can be carefree now, assuming Reiga or the Duras won't attack. Something about God's Light making you reflect on your actions or something. >_>

Clearly you failed to realize that God's Light is actually Mugi's light. The light of Mugi has convinced everyone to take a break from fighting to have tea and cake. Who knew Yuki possessed such a power?


In all seriousness, I can understand the explanation in way close to what you said. However I have trouble accepting it. I just can't. It feels cheap somehow.


Pretty weak ending.

I'm not even sure I'd call it an ending. It feels more like a forced stop. A poorly done cut-off point. Ending would be too positive a term.



::shrug:: Call it a 6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for not copping out and making Yuki become a girl again, and for beating my expectations, particularly with the post-mope/pre-ending episodes. May change my mind and round down instead but either way I don't regret watching it.

On one hand, I agree somewhat that Yuki becoming a girl again would be a cop out. On the other hand, I'm still depressed that they ruined a perfectly good female by making her become a guy.

I wonder this is to balance the force. After all we've had guys in other series end up becoming girls for one reason or another.. Or maybe I'm thinking too hard about things again.


In any case, the series had its flaws, but it also had its decent aspects. The fact it got me to watch and finish it has to count for something. And my disappointment is more along the lines of "It could have been better" as opposed to out right hating it.