TwiddleGeek

While the whole story about the monsters and such were cool, I’m really just watching this for one reason: Girl kicking ass with flaming hair and a sword. The character art intrigued me and I’m really just hoping the story is at least passable. While a giant baby isn’t exact original, the first couple of monsters were in fact pretty cool. Shana dispatched them with a good deal of style, a lot more ruthless than I had expected. I also enjoyed the first episode being told through the boy’s narrative, I wouldn’t mind if they kept that up.

In the mean time, flaming hair! How cool is that? The way they animated the over-brightness of it and the embers falling was quite stunning. I’m a sucker for anime with glowing vaguely magical circles and such anyway, I’ll admit. At least her sidekick is a talking pendant rather than some annoying talking rodent, which usually seems to be the case.

After slowly pulling some back story from Shana about just how screwed he currently is, things only go downhill from there. Yuuji’s new friend is disappearing, much like he someday will, and that just sucks for him. While everyone else begins to slowly and happily forget she ever existed, he remembers her perfectly well. Doing everything he can to save her, they spend her last day together along with Ike.

Yuuji naming Shana is pretty cute, and I like that he’s at least trying to fight it. I don’t think this really needed another random obsessed food item thrown in, but what’s an anime without a few cliche, I suppose. I’m a little curious as to why one of his many questions to Shana wasn’t “Hey, did you know your pendant is talking?” or “By the way, your hair was on fire earlier…” But I guess when you’ve seen a giant, talking, existence eating baby, you take a few things in stride.

Shana decides to barge in on Yuuji’s friend’s life, conveniently taking what’s-her-name’s place. Ah yes, Hirai Yukari. Alas, we hardly knew ye. Well despite the complete differences in personalities, things work out and life goes on… until another attack comes and the innocent students get massacred. This ain’t as dark as Gantz though (boy was that ever messy), so things generally work out.

I rather enjoyed Shana smacking down all the instructors, while causally dismissing her classmates as nobodies. “Bai bai…” She’s lucky she didn’t get sworded. Or sword’d. Maybe Swor’D! sword’!? Moving on… kind of annoying to see Yuuji is such an obedient little pup, but I guess it makes sense to stick with the girl with the flaming hair when giant babies want to eat you.

Shana agrees to come inside for the night, leading to the predictable comic mischief. Poor Yuuji is thought of as nothing, less than human and of no consequence. Small wonder, the way he’s acting. I’m surprised he doesn’t go make her coffee — Oh, wait. This guy seriously needs to find his spine sometime soon, but there’s one like him in every anime these days.

Meanwhile another Flame Haze is making her way through town, chasing after a different target. That book is one terribly annoying character — HA HA HA HA! Not even seeing her drop kick the thing makes it worth while to listen to — HA HA HA H… nevermind. While the new Flame Haze is rather amusing, and quickly puts the smack down on Shana, does she really have to be a giant blue rat / wolf / bear thing?