While the first OVA didn’t really do all that much for me in terms of bringing on the usual Natsume feels, this second one kind of nails what I love about Natsume. While the focus of the story is on a girl who rescued an owl and ended up in possession of a ring that she’s now trying to return, Natsume’s encounter with her is something that is really beautiful to watch unfold.
Which of course is what makes the end of this OVA so bitter-sweet, as Natsume endings often are. But it is the journey, the growth, and the reflection along the way that makes it all worth while.
Unlike the first OVA here, this story isn’t focused on a single yokai but rather looks at a normal human who has had their life intersected by an encounter with a yokai. Something Natsume can relate to quite readily. However, other than Nyanko-Sensei, this story doesn’t bring in any of the other characters we love so much from the series so it really is a fairly independent story and quite enjoyable, though I imagine some of the impact would be lessened for those who aren’t already fairly familiar with Natsume.
All and all, this was a great story and a nice addition to season 6 of this series.
Thanks for reading.
Karandi James
If you enjoyed this post and would like to see more great content on this blog, consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month.
Another way you can support the content here is by buying a copy of ‘Thoughts on Anime 2017‘ as an ebook. It contains a selection of reviews, features and top 5 lists from 2017 and while the content is available free on the site, this is a great way to give a one off show of support for the blog. It is available for $3.99.
After this episode I had to check on MAL to see if we knew how many episodes this show was supposed to be because that felt like story over. The institute that had held Sana is shut down, everyone is pretty much arrested or deported and Sana is now living with Sanae and Zoroku. And close.
Oh, wait, we’re only at episode 5 and we still don’t know what a Dream of Alice actually is or why Sana exists or what the government agency that is now watching Sana actually wants, so I guess they have space to move on, but really, there have been less conclusive season finals on shows that are over than what we got in episode 5 here.
Plus, very cool, very overly extended fight sequence. If only we’d actually cared about any of the participants.
This episode is perfectly watchable but this whole series is starting to make me wonder why I’m still watching it.
I’m really wondering what the point of most of the episode of Alice & Zoroku was. Minnie C, for whatever reason, continue to toy with and generally be cruel to Sana and after Minnie C injects her with some unidentified liquid, Sana essentially goes to some space where she meets a girl who could literally only be an older version of Sana (though they kind of didn’t tell us anything about her).
Anyway, unidentified blonde girl with exact same eye-colour as Sana pretty much tells her that she has someone who will help her and to call their name and suddenly Zoroku finds himself in the car with Sana and Minnie C. Why that was helpful I’m not sure though in the process the little tracking thing they were trying to use that wasn’t working because she didn’t have it with her so they now know where Sana is and rush to the rescue (did Zoroku have the tracker on him?).
Finally, at the end of the episode, rescue arrives.
Possibly if this had been an entertaining 20 minutes, or if something had been revealed, or even if the moment between Sanae and her grandfather had come off as anything other than a desperate attempt to tug some emotional heartstrings, there would be a point. But essentially they start the episode trying to find Sana, at the end of the episode they found her. Everything in between was kind of just there. Admittedly, I’m at a point where I don’t actually care about any of these characters so you could probably blow both Sana’s legs up with a gun and it still wouldn’t get an emotional response from me.
While episode 1 awkwardly merged a facility escape drama with slice of life grandfather character meets cute girl, episode 2 decidedly falls into the slice of life and cute girls category. While the grandfather phones in his parts (literally), the people from the facility sit around in a hotel room and accomplish nothing for the episode, and the episode very much focusses on Alice’s meeting with Zoroku’s granddaughter, Sanae.
It’s adorable and all but other than seeing the catalyst for Alice running from the facility in a very exposition heavy flashback we learn nothing about her power or the facility or what the ultimate point of the show is. Instead we get treated to a swarm of pigs, hot cakes, and then a free tour of the world (including cute penguins).
That said, it is still kind of interesting enough to give another episode but this one is dropping on my priority list and will need to have a fairly solid third episode if I’m going to keep going with it.
I’m going to be honest, I didn’t read much about this prior and Crunchyroll has no synopsis on it. Pretty much what I got its vaguely Alice in Wonderland inspired characters kept in research facility and one escapes. Not sure what else this is about at this point or whether it is going to be slice of life with some supernatural elements in the background or if we are actually going to follow the story of bringing down the research facility, or why there are Yakuza somehow involved.
Review:
I don’t mind going in to things blind but this one took me a bit by surprise. From the title I was kind of expecting another variation on Alice in Wonderland themed anime and it certainly is that, though the content seems fairly far removed from Alice. I wasn’t expecting the first episode to be 45 minutes and I honestly didn’t have a clue where this episode was going. It is enjoyable enough and we are introduced to the characters but I think the overall plot is going to take a little bit more before it becomes clear what this is trying to be. I’m certainly interested in what I saw this episode but there’s so many different ways this could develop from here that I’d hesitate to say that I’m sold on this yet.
Oz has just turned 15 and at a coming of age ceremony is attacked and cast into the Abyss where he meets and makes a contract with a chain named Alice. on their escape from the Abyss, Oz is going to have to confront these mysteries head on as well as a whole pile of new ones.
Pandora Hearts Review – Not holding back from spoilers at all:
Right, if you are looking for an anime that finishes or offers any resolution you can pass on Pandora Hearts right now. While there are 25 episodes of this we are really just starting to meet the characters who have some of the answers to some of Oz’s and Alice’s mysteries when the show comes to an abrupt and inconclusive end.
Before I talk about the end anymore, I am going to point out that Pandora Hearts is actually an amazing anime and I really enjoyed watching it. Right, so now I’m going to spoil the last few minutes of the final episode so if you want it to be a mystery skip over the next bit.
Okay, Oz has an epiphany about his own existence and goes and tells his father off but otherwise we aren’t given much in the way of a resolution. And are Oz’s daddy issues really the main point? Other than that we’re given this pearl of wisdom from the final episode:
And I’m just not sure that writers should advertise the fact that their own story is ridiculous.
Anyway…
If you can forgive an ending that pointless what you will find in Pandora Hearts is a really interesting piece that is an incredibly dark tale with heavy influence from Alice in Wonderland as well as a unique story in its own right.
While Oz remains 15, his time in the Abyss doesn’t measure up with time in the real world so his childhood friend is significantly older than him on his return to the real world. This creates a really interesting dynamic in the show because Oz’s memories of his friend and the reality of the man he has become keep blurring and his expectations are met and then betrayed again and again.
For Gilbert, while his motivation never changes, he’s had a lot longer to sniff around the mysteries surrounding Oz and has had to give up a lot to gain the power that he needed to be able to help him. It makes for one of the more interesting childhood friend stories I’ve seen in a while.
Oz himself is a bit of an air-head. He comes off as rich and pampered but of course has been rejected by his father and has been lonely and hurt (because who doesn’t need a tragic back story). He’s also really weirdly accepting of strange things to the point where even the creepiest characters in the show point out that Oz is in fact quite creepy.
The thing is, we’re never really sure where we stand with Oz. Is he what he looks like, a rich 15 year old who went through a trauma and is now out for answers and revenge, or is there really something going on with him (other than possible possession, past lives, or just plain evil). It’s fun guessing but without the series giving any answers that’s all it remains (and yes, I know some people will say read the manga and in this case I am seriously tempted but haven’t committed to that just yet).
Outside of the Oz/Gilbert relationship we also have Alice. She’s a chain from the Abyss but was human. She’s lost her memories and part of the story involves Oz helping her find fragments of her memories, though they might be better off if they just gave up on that one given every time they find one things get more twisted and confused and darker.
She also transforms into the Bloodstained Black Rabbit who is kind of awesome in a fight (at least at first) and seems overpowered though later in the series she seems to get defeated more and more often. Stronger enemies or loss of focus we aren’t really sure. That said, as is always the case in anime, when Alice and Oz’s feelings match up, she suddenly gets signficantly stronger again.
I’d also have to mention Sharon and Break. These two characters are fantastic (if equally creepy) but never really give us anything more than fragments of information. Whether that is because they genuinely don’t know the answers or because they are working at manipulating the situation (or a bit of both) is also never made clear.
The last character I’m going to talk about (although there are literally dozens of others that could be mentioned) is Jack Vessalius. He mostly appears in Alice’s memories and looks suspiciously like an older version of Oz and occasionally takes over Oz in order to make weird and confusing declaration. He’s definitely got his own agenda but what that agenda is remains shrouded in as much mystery as the rest of this series.
I think what I like about Pandora Hearts is that it just kind of goes. It has that Alice in Wonderland feeling of she’s fallen down the rabbit hole and now she’s reeling from encounter to encounter and along the way she’s going to learn about herself and she wants to find the way out but you are never quite sure when that’s going to come of why.
The exploration of darkness within humans is done really well and the idea of being careful what you wish for is also woven through the story quite nicely. That said, the anime is a mess of ideas that don’t get enough time or attention to ever be actually called a storyline. Instead our story is just Oz running from place to place and dealing with immediate threats while piling up foreshadowing that never really eventuated into a climax.
Normally I don’t rewatch anime that don’t end but Pandora Hearts just hits the right notes to suck me into the world and the story. It’s dark while not trying to be soul crushing, it has action but balances that with character development and dialogue, there is intrigue in the overall narrative but also smaller stories with side characters that are resolved, and at the end of the day I just enjoy watching it.
Pretty much if you like darker fantasy adventures with some character self-reflection this anime is going to appeal, though be prepared for an ending that just makes you want to throw your hands in the air and ask ‘why’.
They really are pushing the Alice in Wonderland theme at times and the inclusion of a tea drinking scene and the design of Papika’s ‘house’ just kind of reinforced that this episode. Of course, they are also pushing all and any symbolism to do with illusion and the idea of two things being one. At least the symbolism and themes are consistent as the story is all over the place and the pace doesn’t know whether it is going full speed or just chilling by the side of the road.
I’ve decided now that I’m definitely wanting to know where this show is going. Other than the still images we get of the school and other students from time to time as transitions, it’s pretty and vibrant and while the story is still fairly ambiguous there’s enough cohesion to enjoy going for a ride with these characters.
That said, I’m really hoping Yayaka (or whatever her name is) has a better goal than world domination.
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional cookies
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
more great content on this blog, consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month.
