Black Rock Shooter
Number of Episodes: 8
Production Company: Ordet
ANN Encyclopedia Wikipedia PV NicoNico Video
Brief Overview: Mato and Yomi meet, and are instantly drawn to each-other's complimentary personalities. In another world, Black Rock Shooter and Deadmaster battle while being watched by Black Gold Saw. Somehow these two realities are connected by fate.
Occasionally I find it in me to write about some aspect of my life that isn't directly related to reviewing anime or manga, so I thought I might try scheduling a time for that and seeing how that goes.
While it may seem like the majority of my life is spent in front of my computer screen, I actually have managed to have a decent social life since leaving college and entering the "real world." I get together with my friends on a regular basis, help organize a sort-of-spiritual group, and somehow thus far managed to keep from becoming a crazy cat lady (thought my husband may one day achieve the status of "crazy cat dude" at this rate). One of my outside projects is doing work for Anime Detour, an anime convention that takes place in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota. My involvement isn't really as intense as that of some of my friends, some of whom head departments and help organize major events, but I put on several panels during the convention and help out behind the scenes where I can (for example, in the past I've done artwork for the publications department, and this year I'm providing a good chunk of the DVDs needed for the video rooms). This year, I was asked to be in charge of running the AMV contest, which is one of the most well-attended events at the convention (and at most conventions, judging by the ones I've been to). So far, it's been an interesting experience, and while I'm actually a pretty patient person, I can see how the job of picking and choosing amongst a lot of worthy entries or having to re-explain entry rules multiple times could start wearing on a person.
This piece contains spoilers for several episodes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. If you haven't seen the series, it's probably best to skip this.
So far we've done a fair bit of pontificating about the roles that the characters in Puella Magi Madoka Magica play within the context of the series, as well as in a broader and more specifically feminist sense. Both Mami and Kyouko are introduced to us as established magical girls and serve as examples of the despair that awaits all Puella Magi at the end of their cycle of usefulness. But what of the girls who we see being coerced into trading their lives for a single wish? While Kyouko and Mami do mention their own histories briefly, it's Miki Sayaka's insecurities that unfold and blossom before our eyes, causing her to enter into a devil's pact that seems perfectly logical until it's twisted by the whims of human nature into a monster that cannot be overcome.
Sayaka's story is what I would consider the most personal of all the characters, primarily because she's a character who we become familiar with immediately as a normal, average, everyday sort of girl with the type of problems that we're all most likely familiar with on some level. She's supportive of her friend Madoka and seems excited by the prospect of wielding the type of power granted to a magical girl. She also harbors a secret; she holds vigil at the bed side of an injured boy on whom she has a crush, and her desire to have him see her as more than just a friend prompts her to consider wishing for his health to return. Even someone unfamiliar with the series itself could probably guess what happens next: Sayaka makes her wish and waits for her reward. Unfortunately, things manifest in a way that she couldn't have predicted.
Thermae Romae
Number of Episodes: 3
Production Company: DLE Inc.
Brief Overview: Roman architect Lucius has run out of ideas until he discovers a mysterious tunnel that leads to modern-day Japan. Noticing the Japanese bath-houses, he decides to take what he's discovered and create his own spa, which he names Thermae Romae.
