Ao no Exorcist 16

The last fifteen weeks have basically been building up to this: Rin’s friends now know the truth: Rin is the son of satan. I honestly didn’t know how all the various characters would react to this news, but fortunately for him, most of them sided with Yukio and Shiemi, who want to save him. The new Paladin, Arthur August Angel, shows up to take Rin into custody and put Pheles on trial with the Grigori court for treason.

This episode keeps two distinct story points – Rin’s trial and his friends’ efforts to repair the sword that seals his blue flames – and it keeps them both interesting. During the trial, Mephisto Pheles goes to bat in Rin’s defense, and though we still aren’t sure we can trust him, it’s clear he’s the only one who can save Rin. He and his angry brother Amaimon, who shows up just in time for Pheles to suggest they sic Rin on him to prove he will be useful fighting against Satan & Co.

Yukio also does Rin a solid by telling everyone the whole story, and how Rin himself has only known about his lineage for a few months. Shiemi in particular is, predictably all for saving him no matter who is dad is, but it was good to see at least one dissenting voice…but to my surprise it was neither Izumo or Bon! In fact, Bon recognizes the sword as once belonging to his temple, and suggests a trip to Kyoto to get it fixed by the 11th Yoshikuni, a girl with purple hair and a really weird accent.

The mission to retrieve jewel steel for the repairs is interrupted by a battle with Mara demons who try to lead Yukio and Bon astray, but Renzo and Izumo are right there to snap them out of it. In all, this was one of the best Ao no Exorcists to date. It was action-packed, well-paced, never boring, and was a very good payoff to all the building up to date. But it isn’t over: Rin still has to wake up and defeat Amaimon, and his sword still needs to be fixed. But so far so good.

Rating: 4

Hanasaku Iroha 18

Nako’s the quiet, shy, nervous one, right? Well, yes and no. Turns out Nako would have preferred to be born a fish, because she prefers swimming in a sea to the ordinary human world. But she considers her home a sea, and a haven, in which to be herself. She has a big, loving family that can be a hassle sometimes.

But this “Real Nako” is loud, cheerful, and assertive. Somebody we’ve only seen in the shortest of bursts – when she rescues the author from drowning, for instance. She is also grown quite comfortable with Ohana and Minko, to the point they’re almost like sisters…almost. She’s still nowhere near as loose and free around them as she is at home.

When she recieves a considerable raise from the madam manager, she assumes it comes with the expectation she’ll improve. This comes from her father’s philosophy towards child-rearing: praise your child, and she’ll strive to improve herself to be worthy of that praise (contrast this with her mother’s more tough-love stance). Nako is aware of the disconnect between her “real” self and how she acts at the inn, at school, and anywhere else in public.

After trying in vain to “change” herself by spending lots of money on a new outfit and coming to work trying to act like she does at home, she makes a mistake that lands her in trouble. It is then that the manager tells her her raise wasn’t a challenge, but a reward, after guests wrote her a glowing report. Despite not having to change, I do hope to see a little more of that real Nako; she was way more fun to watch.

Rating: 3.5

Dantalian no Shoka 3

This episode was a double-feature, with two cases on either side of the halfway point. The first was a creepy and potentially very intriguing case of a teacher who gave their children access to the phantom Book of Wisdom to increase their intelligence. Problem is, it worked too well. Huey and Dalian are exposed to this case via Camillia, a blonde young aristocrat who’s always wearing the latest fashions from Paris or America.

Dalian takes an immediate dislike to the “spinster” and her “hysterical” get-up, to the point of rudeness. However, she’s somewhat appeased by Camillia’s offerings of tea, scones, chocolates, jam, and clotted cream. When it comes to sweets, Dalian is still a little kid. As for the case? The detective duo slinks into the school to find a bunch of very creepy kids who know everything about them. Rather than put up a fight, they promise not to start anything, as they’re “not dumb enough” to take over the world. Well, then. Slink away…

The second case, in which burglars storm Huey’s mansion, tie Huey and Dalian up, and scour the place for a book called “Queen of the Night.” Thing is, it isn’t a book at all, but an immense carnivorous plant in the conservatory that lures prey with book-like petals. It eats both of the half-witted interlopers, making this an episode where there’s lots of excellent Huey and Dalian banter, but they don’t actually do a whole lot. Rather, they kind of observe cases more or less solving themselves. Who says it always has to be hard every week?

Rating: 3.5