The battle over the Igniter involved hostages and some real sacrifice. Kagakagari returned with another plan that of course ended up dragging Tomoharu and Misao into danger.

Impressions:

Well the series managed to end on a fairly tragic note. Considering the tone of some of the series I didn’t expect a sacrifice like that to be made. Though suppose calling the burial dolls living sacrifices is quite fitting. As they use the powers of their asura machina the souls are slowly being consumed. In the end to avoid losing everything Aine was sacrificed. It was probably a good use of time to give her and Reishirou some focus in order to make the loss felt more. The actions of Aine also make more sense since she was such an active person before her death. As time went on her soul was consumed and near the end there was only so much of her left. Even if they had found another way she probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer.

At least now it is made clear why Kanade was so forceful in trying to keep Tomoharu from fighting. Though talk about being hypocritical in her case. She is fine with sacrificing her own life by using her abilities without a contractor and yet stops Misao’s soul from being used. Besides the fact that she just isn’t strong enough on her own I have to wonder what she expects Tomo to do after she dies? You have to think sooner or later a contract will be made and make Tomo into an Asura Cryin. Talk about a hit to the gut that Tomo wants to save Misao and instead has been causing her harm. How long will her own energetic self last?

Oh and apparently the world is going to end 631 days so plan ahead. Really we have to think back to earlier in the series when it was said the world had ended once. If this is a second world it’s apparently running out of time. Seems like not only the burial dolls but everyone has a ticking clock that will be running out. I’m sure in the end things will be resolved but that doesn’t bring much comfort regaring those already lost like Aine.

Final Thoughts:

Well in the end I feel mixed about this series. Really I thought it could be pretty good with the mix of magic and science. Besides Misao really seemed like a fun character who could probably carry the whole thing on her own. Oddly she nearly had to do that since many of the other characters were people I didn’t care much about. Tomoharu had his moments but really couldn’t become a very strong lead. The guy just gets dragged around by things and he is the type you could see double timing because he can’t say no. Of course part of the problem was people not telling him anything. The situations might not have changed but wouldn’t his actions if people had told him Misao would be consumed by Kurogane?

The fights themselves were a high point for the show. They managed to get the asura machina to work nicely and make the whole thing pretty flashy. You can’t go wrong with Kanade’s fire power either which stayed pretty effective right to the end. There were pretty numerous kinds of powers from gravity control to the akuma who can give and take luck.

I don’t really have many strong feelings about the series overall. It was solid in some points and then kind of weak in others. The fanservice was fairly forgettable and I wonder about their sense of comedy with using the Igniter on Kanade. They really didn’t explain much through a 13 episode series. A lot of things happened but only a few facts were explained. It actually took them all this time just to say what happens to burial dolls.

Anyways it was still a decent enough show that I’d say was a 6/10.

This arc was pretty good since it brought forward the meaning of the show’s name and hinted at some future troubles. All of the akuma in the city would have been killed if Kagakagari wasn’t stopped. It also showed just how far people are willing to go for those they care about. In the end numbers and power managed to settle the dispute in this arc. Though you have to wonder if the power Tomoharu currently has will be enough in the future conflicts.

Impressions:

Tomoharu is a pretty amazing person in a way. The fact he can say stuff like not being able to watch anyone being sacrificed and yet can use Kurogane which uses Misao as a sacrifice. Is it just that he ignores reality or that he is stupid? I mean he was told this already about the person inside the asura machina being a human sacrifice. Sure he wants to get her out of there, but he doesn’t seem to comprehend his own actions. At any rate it seems Kanade picked up on this fact even if Tomo is naively ignoring it. I can understand the frustration of villains when up against that kind of person. Maybe I’m too hard on him but really the end of this arc just left me feeling this way.

Anyways this arc introduced Nia and finally displayed what Asura Cryin is. The power that can be born from a contract with a devil and having an asura machina is pretty amazing. Of course when faced with numerous opponents even that kind of power just won’t be able to hold out. Kagakagari almost accomplished his goal, but just wasn’t able to make it to the finish line. I really wonder what happened in the past to make him take such an extreme method. Clearly one person he cared about was in the asura machina but I can’t believe he didn’t care at all about Nia’s sister Christina. Just too many things that were left unanswered. It seems like he was running out of time as well. Is there a limit to the burial doll inside the asura machina or some lifespan limitation due to making those contracts?

While it didn’t happen this time I can’t believe Tomo won’t get involved in Asura Cryin himself at some point. He just seems to be the type to play both sides since he doesn’t have the strength to outright reject someone. He’s already tied to Misao and obviously was the one who got her into the asura machina in the past. Yet there are feelings attached to Kanade and you have to think they will reach a painful event in the future that will force Tomo to make a contract.

The entire event was pretty messy with luck demons which were almost like vampires coming into this. Honestly it was somewhat funny seeing the luck deprived Tomo get into comical skits. Nia wasn’t a very complex character. She had a strong attachment to her sister Christina which made her come all that way and start searching for clues. But she did have trouble getting along with people like Tomo and picked up a dislike of humans along the way. I think she realized not all people are bad by the end of it.

Anyways this is probably the last major arc of the series and we’ll just go through the remaining episodes before wrapping things up.

The struggle over a stabilizer leads to a confrontation with Susugihara.

Impressions:

Well things have started to progress with the characters. The stabilizer was the main focus here as Tomoharu and company tried to keep a hold of it. Now this was far from an easy task with Susugihara going after them with a pretty powerful asura machina. Shuri was just getting taken down with ease since the ability to cut through space makes projectile weapons pretty ineffective. I’m still wondering if Shuri really is human since there are a ridiculous amount of weapons stored in her body. Maybe it’s a cool factor to some, but I’m still trying to figure out what she is supposed to be. Weird that I can rationalize summoning mechs and not get the girl with the numerous weapons.

At any rate the whole affair ended in a pretty big way with the stabilizer getting eaten by Kurogane. The result seems to be people able to see Misao now. I’m sure it’s a very nice development on her side since she can interact with more people. The principle issue of her body being stuck inside Kurogane still has to be resolved of course. Still have to wonder how they managedt o get a spirit girl transfered into a school.

The one tough thing is figuring out all the factions that seem to be at work here. Now we have the Kanto Student Alliance coming into the picture. Seems they didn’t want the secrets of the stabilizer getting out so it was supposed to be retrieved or destroyed. But instead it was taken by Kurogane. Though if that is the case it shouldn’t be possible to study it considering where it went.

I do think that Tomo could be a bit more firm in various situations. But you can at least tell he’s a good friend that wants to help Misao. The first thoughts after finding out about the stabilizers possible functions was her. At least there seem to be a good bond forming between the characters. With Shuri’s memories being messed up for a while they got to dig more into her life. Not to mention we got to find out more about demons and familiars. Could understand the concerns if Tomo had not only an asura machina at his disposal but a familiar as well. Something to keep an eye on though doubt it woudl be something done on a whim.

The series is starting to make things more clear and providing some decent action. The girls around Tomo definitely have the ability to be pretty flashy. It will be tough for the guy to stand out considering the people that are surrounding him.

Impressions:

Some things are still unclear with this series, but others are starting to fall into place. At least after the first few episodes the groups are starting to define themselves more. We have the akuma who seem to be a mob group. Then you have the royal dark society who is connected through the science club and the sacred defense squad who are connected through the student’s council. It will probably take more time for these groups to strengthen their position though I have to say it’s amazing how messed up that school is. Being involved with various organizations who have the ability to destroy that building probably isn’t the best idea.

At least we’re starting to understand the asura machina better now. It’s hard to believe that Misao’s real body is inside of that Kurogane. It’s a dangerous situation since if it gets defeated she could be in danger of dying for good. Still the presence of a real body does give the possibility of saving her at some point. Things would be tough if she was really dead. Though now I wonder just what happened that she needed to be put into that thing? Considering what happened to Aine it might have been quite the messy situation. You could see how much Tomo cares about her with his reaction early in the episode. She’s not just some ghost to him. Whether she is just an important friend or if there is something more is still to be determined.

I wonder about that Kanade though. It seems like she will make it a triangle in regards to Tomo. Have to say she was pretty different from first impressions. She can be pretty serious when the time comes and yet she is also an airhead. There just doesn’t seem to be much going on in that mind at times. Still she should be a loyal ally for Tomo in whatever he gets involved in. While he has been dragged into the dark society I’m pretty certain Tomo will follow his own path.

These first few episodes have mostly been forming of the group and setting things up. Now we know just who the major players are and the main goal of helping save Misao. There are still questions about where things will go from here and how Misao and Tomo got together in the first place. While the series does jump around a little and focuses a little too much on characters posing, it is still a solid series.

The first episode did jump around, but at the same time it managed to get us right into things. There were a lot of characters introduced and it might take some time to remember those outside of the main pair. I thought it was interesting with them trying to mix together magic, guns, spirits, and even mechs. It reminds me a little of Index with the clashing of different powers like that. Hopefully they can handle it well and turn it into a pretty good series without the long explanations Index had.

Impressions:

The OP was a pretty nice one I thought. The music was pretty energetic which works for the kind of show this is going to be. It also manages to send out the message of how many groups there are going to be in this series. From it I’m guessing there will be a romantic triangle going on between Misao, Tomoharu, and Kanade. It is a little early to start getting into pairing discussions, but have a feeling I’ll be on Misao’s side here. It might make it the first time I’m cheering for someone who doesn’t feel like the underdog. Anyways it was a pretty good OP so won’t have a problem watching that for each episode.

I think the bright point of this episode was Misao. Ghost characters can vary, but I think that this girl will be a good one. Misao is energetic and a pretty likable even without a physical form. I did wonder how having a ghost for a childhood friend would go but it doesn’t seem bad at all. She can joke around with Tomoharu and point out that it is boring to just wear the same clothes. I guess a positive for being a ghost is saving costs on buying clothes. Being able to change to the school uniform like that even saves time. Think it would be worth following this show just for her.

So far Tomoharu doesn’t seem like a bad protagonist for the show. Sure he isn’t brimming with confidence, but he is still a fairly nice guy. There is a lot that I’m wondering about this guy though. Just what is his connection to that trunk? We’ve gotten some flashbacks, but he did seem to not recognize it when it was presented to him. So maybe its some kind of repressed memory? Still he reacted fairly well considering people have been barging into his place and attacking him. I can’t really blame the starting at Misao’s sleeping form. Plus it’s not like he could have missed it when she was floating right above him. Here’s hoping he develops nicely as the series progresses. Though unless he wants to be labelled as crazy he might want to work on not calmly talking to Misao in public…

The ED for this show was also pretty solid. It definitely fits with a calming influence after all that has happened in this episode. There is also a message being sent that there should be a few tough moments for the characters. Although at this stage it is tough to know just what is going to happen. Still it was a nice song to finish an episode with.

At this point there are a ton of questions that I’m left with. Will have to see just where that trunk came from and why it belongs to Tomoharu. It also seems clear that Misao isn’t just a regular ghost who became friends with the guy. A little curious if they can get her turned into a human or something by the end of the series. Not that it is necessary, but I figure there are more perks to being alive than the living dead. It will also be nice to see these factions get cleared up a little bit. Some really did seem like the mafia although the powers are going a bit beyond what the mafia usually has.

This should be a pretty good show I think. The first episode helped to clear up what kind of show we are getting into and I’m glad for that. The main characters seem pretty likable at this point and here’s hoping they develop well as people.