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II (Sen o No Shisha Hen II)
“Messenger of the War King II”
I’d like say that this week’s episode was full of surprises, but when you think about it, it’s par for Akatsuki’s course. Because like a certain other unfortunate character (insert reference to Toaru here), he just can’t get a break. True to Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong, does go wrong when Akatsuki’s involvedespecially when it comes to his interactions with others, and it’s another treasure trove of examples this week on Strike the Blood.
Starting things off? The Messenger of the War King himself, who turns out not to be the threat he was expected to be. Au contraire! As it turns out, all he wanted to do was rekindle the love (by leaping over sofas) he had with the previous Kaleid Blood! It’s a pity Akatsuki doesn’t want any part of it, because Vatler does end up spouting some great lines:
“We were in love! So let us speak of love! I shall give you my love!”I sense your blood within him! I see. That makes you my rival in love (Himeragi)!Are you really here to form a questionable bond with the Fourth Progenitor? Of course!
One thing leads to another, and the newly introduced Kirasaka Sayaka ends up having some beef with Akatsuki too. Because Yukina’s former roommate seems to swing the other way too. Of course. To make things worse, she’s specializes in hexes and assassinations, and we got Motoki continuing his stirring of the hornets nest by trying to get Akagi to seduce him too!
Combine all of these with a boatload of hilarious misunderstandings and more passive aggressive reactions from Himeragi:
Even if you don’t feed on me, you might do some sexual to me anyway. Not that there’s anything I can do.
and what we get is the continuation of the recipe that Strike the Blood has been using to great effect. Sayaka’s raging behind the scenes adds a cherry on top, and although I seem to say this every week, Kojou really has it tough.
It’s not all fun and games though, as all of the aforementioned ends up serving as a foundation for a few key revelations. For one, we find out more about Christoph Gardos and his Black Death Emperor Faction. Apparently terrorists, they’re after an ancient biological weapon known as the Nalakuvera, and Akagi seems to be the only one capable of deciphering the instructions necessary to use it. With Vatler intentionally announcing his presence on the island, Himeragi and Kojou end up being blackmailed into trying to take down Gardoson threat of the island “accidentally” blowing up”and need I say it again? I just feel bad for Akatsuki at this point, even though I do quite enjoy watching him squirm.
Ultimately, it’s just another solid episode, and Strike the Blood’s continuing to be a pleasant surprise in a season full of them. With nearly two full cours to work with24 episodesit makes you wonder just what heights the series could reach as we get deeper into the story. It remains to be seen whether or not it’ll continue being this consistent through its entire run, but it looks promising at the moment, especially considering how Akagi just found out the secret he’s been hiding from her. All they need now is to make a replica of Himeragi’s Schneewalzer so I can put it up in my room…
Preview
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SO both our leads have a creepy stalker now?
http://images.randomc.net/Strike%20the%20Blood/Strike%20the%20Blood%20-%2006%20-%20Preview%2003.jpgI hope Akagi doesn’t get netorare-vampired
I have a feeling Asagi got hurt in the blast and to keep her alive Akagi bit her.
Wow, I can’t believe I’m rooting for 2 underdogs in a single season. Mitsuki from Kyokai no Kanata and Asagi here in Strike the Blood.BTW I was wondering why nobody was covering Tokyo Ravens. It’s somehow similar to this having familiars and stuff and the animation is better. They come up with an interesting twist as early as episode 3. TBH I find it more interesting than Strike the Blood, but that’s probably because I’m not that into semi-lolicon characters.
It was something I was pondering covering, but due to its air time and how it would fit (it doesn’t fit well) into my schedule, I chose Strike the Blood instead. Tokyo Ravens has at least been equally enjoyable for sure though, and like StB, is definitely deserving of more views in general.
No worries, I was just wondering why nobody was covering it since it’s pretty good as well. It’s good to know that you watch it as well and I understand you don’t have all the time in the world. I always base on RC when deciding on what shows to watch because you guys give pretty damn good reviews and insights so I was surprised nobody was covering it and I thought it was pretty much underrated.
Plus both are 2-cour series. Yey!
The bloggers on the Metanorn anime site are covering Tokyo Ravens, if you are interested.
I’m still hoping for somebody to cover Unbreakable Machine Doll.The main character there is voiced by the seiyuu of Katsuragi frm TWGOK :pThough the previous episode (ep05) started to up the fanservice/ecchi elements a bit, so I’m probably guessing if it does get picked up, it’ll probably be by Stilts.
Man, I don’t know if I’d get a nosebleed from it, but this would definitely give me heart problems.All in all, not a bad episode at all. I like how Asagi probably just helped the bad guys unleash a terrible weapon just because she can’t back down from a challenge. Reminds me of something I watched before, but I can’t quite remember it. This guy had to crack this complicated number code and got into some major doo-doo because he was successful. Wish I remembered…Also we had the official introduction of Yukina’s clingy best friend Sayaka (yay!). I’m still calling tsundere though because these yuri hints are rarely ever to be taken seriously in this type of show. I got a good laugh at Valter’s reasoning for loving Kojou though. The person I love is inside you, therefore I love you. Poor Kojou…After how disappointing IS2 has been this season, it’s nice to see another harem show step up its game and be pretty good.
I too, vaguely remember there was some kind of similar situation in something I watched before, but I can’t remember it for the life of me either. -_-
Here are a few possible choices..http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ReincarnationRomance
I assume that you’re talking about Summer Wars?
Ah yes, Summer Wars. That would be it (at least for me).
That guy whom you’re referring to was Kenji Koiso from Summer Wars. He cracked OZ security and gave it to Love Machine which caused tons of damage in real life.
I’m surprised Sayaka doesn’t go ‘ONEEE-SAMA!!’ at Yukina. Goddamn at least Touma didn’t have guys going after him. I think Akatsuki is even unluckier than him (Though he doesn’t have a certain nun biting his head all the time)
Well she cant call Yukina onee-sama because Sayaka is older but as for the rest I see a lot of yuri potential in the way she speaks of her. Also, youre right, someone has finally surpassed Touma in the unlucky department and so far bot are almost equally dense but I think Kojou has more hopes of realizing Yukinas feelings than Touma with any of the girls.
well, Kojo is dense, but at least in the LN, that dense head of his is justified… since it involves some spoilers, I will just say part of it is because he has some fear of his own power and the blood-sucking impulse here
I guess that nuch, any good nature vampire fears what his blood lus would make him do, at the very least the ones that were human. So a victory in the dense department for Touma since has no excuse for being a clueless idiot.
Touma has Accel as his secret Yaoi stalker ! Fukou da!
Asagi is really cute when she tries but I still prefer Yukina, shes the best girl by far. But I think Koujo really wants to make comopetition to Touma, theres a limit to how dense a guy can be! or unfortunate!.
So many weird terminologies… my head hurts.
Is Dimitrie in love with Kojou, or with Kojou’s powers?
Vatla is a battle crazy vampire (most strong vampires are like that since these top class vampire can’t die and they are so powerful, the only thing that will entertain them is to fight strong enemies), given that the only being that he hadn’t conquered is progenitor, naturally he shows a lot of affection to the 4th progenitor. Of course it is more complicated than this (involving the backstory of the last Kaleido Blood, and that involves a lot of spoilers), it is suffice to say at this point Vatla is both in love with Kaleido Blood (and the power) and Kojo himself since Kojo is sort of good looking too lol
High level vampires are eternal as well!? I though the curse of being eternal was only for the 4 Progenitors, Vatla must be beyond insanely strong to be inmune to death, well that will make sense considering the right hand of the Lost War King. Speaking of kingship, I thought the Progenitor ruled the magical and supernatural affairs of their territories but by the way everyone speaks of the War King he actaully rules over a vast empire, humans included?.
well, Vatla is probably the closest thing to a progenitor… so when I say he can’t die, what I really meant was they can’t be eliminated easily without a fight (unless of course they fight against progenitor or take a direct hit of Schneewalzer… of course it will be hard for either to occur)as to the lost war king, he was supposedly the strongest of the three progenitors given he has 72 familiars. What really makes him feared and respected is probably his contribution the sanctuary treaty. I remember in the LN it is hinted that if it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be a treaty like this, and human and nonhuman will continue to fight each other…
So if all the Progenitors are eternal and cannot be technically killed, then how exactly did Kojou kill the 4th Progenitor?
Kojo did not “kill” Avrora, but rather “devoured” her… The best analogy I can give without going into deep spoiler is like taking over the control of someone else’s power (of course it is more complicated than this). The same mechanism applies to how Vatla was able to “eat” two second generation pure blood vampires and become as strong as he is today. Also, while it is technically true that Progenitors can’t die, a direct hit of Schneewalzer can still kill them since the lance has the power to negate all magic powers including the curse of eternity (that is why lion king org sent Yukina in the first place)
@jrj: I see…This makes me even more interested as to what Kojou’s past with Avrora was. I promise I won’t pressure you for novel spoilers until the plot points have been introduced. :)@haseo0408: An Animesuki forum user translated some terminology from the shows website re. Progenitor territory. These territories, called Dominions, are governed by demons with a Progenitor as supreme leader, and provide living rights for demons alike. Although humans are still the majority population within Dominions, their rights vary from Dominion to Dominion.So since the 1st Progenitor rules Eastern Europe, think of all the Eastern European nations as being governed by an elite, powerful demon minority.
well, both half of vol.7 and the whole vol.8 are devoted to that backstory, so it is super complicated and I am sure there are things that not yet revealed in the LN either (like the complete list of all 12 familiars of Kaleido Blood)… but the most basic thing between Kojo and Avrora was (given it is almost impossible for the anime to get to that in season 1) the following: Kojo became the blood servant of Avrora (ie bond to her, share eternity, but not complete vampire), and after a series of events, Avrora, in her attempt to save Kojo, transfers the power of Kaleido Blood to Kojo via their link while getting hurt, (thus the event at the end of episode 1 of the anime in that flashback) I am intentionally skipping all the important details since it is still possible for the anime to insert stuff like that into it. Will say more as we get more into the story though 🙂
Another solid episode 🙂 My favorite Asagi is finally start to shine 🙂 She will definitely take the center stage in this arc so I am very happy! and Sayaka is pretty awesome too… (sorry Yukina, at least the LN editors all love you to death with all that covers)I like how the anime is making some subtle things in the LN more apparent (with Asagi’s abilities, the enemy at the end of episode, etc) and easier to digest 🙂 As to the story, I am sure if they continue the way the show is being adapted, will remain this high standard. Definitely one of my most wanted show of the season 🙂
Will Asagi and Kojou get more closer than ever before? I’m starting to like Asagi more here now. She’s sweet, pretty, and not annnoying, compared to Yuki who suddenly took a step down to me because of being cold to our poor 4th progenitor. Poor Kojou. Not only he has women problems, but he now has guy problems as well. His purity is now in danger. XDI’m curious as to what relationship of Asagi and Kojou is and how they both. And what does Kojou think of her.
as much as I want to tell you, I can’t spoil the arc, so I will just say that we all know that Asagi has clear feelings for Kojo… As to Kojo, right now he thinks of her as a “male friend that you can joke around with, only that she is a girl” (I think that is how the LN described them at this point in the plot). Of course Kojo is dense, but he really cares for her and doesn’t want her to be in danger. Thus there is a part of him that tries to hold back from getting too close to any of his friends due to his power (hence he didn’t want to take Asagi or Nagi to the party in the last episode)
i see. Thank you for answering my questions since only chapter 1 of volume is translated and it seems no one at bakatsuki is volunteering to translate the LN.
AHHHHHH THE GENERIC NAMED BAD GUY ORGANIZATION KNOWS ASAGI CAN TRANSLATE THE THING THAT CAN DESTROY CIVILIZATIONS AND WILL NOW KIDNAP HER AND KOJO WILL HAVE TO SAVE HER. another good episode
Sayaka! If it wasn’t for her obsession with Yukina she might be top of my list, after Akagi and Yukina of course. I have a tingling feeling that Sayaka might fall for Kojou later on though.
I see death flags already
wait… where’s the full-length image of Astarte in meido outfit? 🙁
Oh wow, Vatla doesn’t mind whether the successor to his beloved Avrola’s blood is a guy or a girl, making for a great BL fodder. And it seems like minds attract, for he managed to convince Sayaka, who has her own lesbo complex with Yukina, to work for him. At least Touma didn’t have to worry about any reverse BL harem when he already has a sizable harem of his own numbering over 9000 (literally). :DBTW, for those who didn’t notice close enough: Sayaka wears pink. (Hint hint)That said, most of the service this episode goes to Asagi, who finally gets some spotlight. Woot.
‘And it seems like minds attract, for he managed to convince Sayaka, who has her own lesbo complex with Yukina, to work for him.’I think it’s more that Sayaka was assigned to escort him.1)Dimitrie gets word that the Black Death people are converging at Itogami.2)He makes arrangements to travel down there.3)Since Itogami Island is a Japanese Special Admin Region(like HK), the government only allows him to travel down there with a government escort to monitor him. Sayaka gets chosen, or assigns herself to him.4)Sayaka finds out beforehand that the Shishi-ou superiors have sent Yukina to Kojou, and he is the 4th Progenitor. She confides in Dimitrie, and invites Kojou to the liner to sum him up.Definitely some kind of lesbo complex. Sayaka’s acting more like a smitten girlfriend than a concerned senior.
the blond vampire was funny, i also liked his veiled threat.
Dunno, i feel this “Yuri” course wrong in place, as if they dont have any Subplots.
there can be Soul mates, of the same sex. but not into sexual love, Soul mates bounds are deeper then Marriage Bounds. As if you seeking this person a life long, and know your Soul. Perhaps a “Clone” of your own Soul
and here you see an “Spoiler” what we will expect near the End of this Arc. This Giant Anthttp://images.randomc.net/Strike%20the%20Blood/Strike%20the%20Blood%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2027.jpg
As much as I enjoyed the series, the passive-agressive behavior and jealousy annoy me. You people didn’t have the guts to say you like a person, then you don’t have right to complain.
At this point, why still retain demons in the setting if they’re so useless? If they streamline this setting as humans and vampires, would be far more interesting.
actually the high level beastman or other form of demons are really strong too… Vampire is only referred to as the strongest demon in this story due to their familiar. In fact, if you could stop them from summoning familiars (there are actually quite a lot of ways to do so), vampires are super weak. I think it is simply the fact we haven’t got to the later arcs and been introduced to the more powerful versions of other demons. Just be a little more patient 🙂 Plus if it is just vampires, it won’t be as diverse and interesting haha
Sayaka is certainly one of those annoying obsessive stalker type characters. But unlike Kuroko from Toaru, who is actually hilarious, Sayaka is more on the obnoxious side. Cant say I like her very much as of now, but that might change later.
Strike the Bloody Nose indeed and the yuri is strong in Sayaka
More like the Shizuru is strong in Sayaka >_<
I forgot to ask. Anyone knows who’s the girl surrounded in flames in the OP?
this girl? : http://puu.sh/5fUCQ.jpg if you are asking about her, all I can say at this point is that she and the girl with bullets will make their debut in the next arc
Yes, that’s the girl. Looking forward to that their arc then.
Compared to Sayaka Kuroko from Indexverse is harmless…And Asagi gets to witness the supernatural side of Koujo.Add bunch of terrorists, stir and wait for explosions. Explosions fix everything! – Nabeshin (sorry could not stop from quoting…)
it can’t be a terrible anime without the clingy overprotective female who thinks all but one or two men are sick vile lolicon perverts.