My first reaction to this scene was: “What gorgeous shoulders Revy has…” (;^_^)
The narrative alternates between flashbacks to a Nazi submarine fleeing Germany for Japan and the Lagoon gang’s activities which eventually come together with Dutch planning the recovery of a priceless painting from the sunken submarine which a previous (French) attempt had failed to achieve. After eyeing scuba diving equipment amid the tropical weather, Rock gets his wish and descends to the wreck with Revy. However as the away team enters the sub, the Black Lagoon mothership is attacked by Neo-Nazis packing anti-ship missiles. So another cliffhanger and the promise of Revy arse-kicking in the next episode.
Much of the conversation especially between the u-boat captain and the SS officer I absolutely caught no ball but it was interesting how the tension between the professional and political militaries was explored. The presence of the Japanese officer onboard and their attempt to join up with Japanese forces remind us of how the Allies were victorious in Europe first.
I thought it was pretty ironic that the diving suit was the most clothed I’ve seen Revy so far. Must have a Bikini Revy episode. Also it was quite cute how delighted Revy was when Dutch passed her a brand new underwater-capable submachinegun, courtesy of Balalaika. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind seeing Bikini Balalaika either.
Eat your heart out, Kaorin - this ain’t no dream!
Mako-chan, kissu wa dame da yo~~~!!
I didn’t really know what to make of this series - a bit like picking up a girl while suspecting that you might need to have a few drinks first. Anyway it seems to be somewhere in between In Your Face Yuri (e.g. full-on kiss on the smackers in the first episodes of Kannazuki or Simoun) or Akogare and Plausibly Deniable Yuri (e.g. MariMite).
While the anime’s story seems rather lame and much fun can be made of it (e.g. Mangaminx’s treatment of Ep 3 was a riot!), it does seem better than the manga’s, artwork-wise the converse seems to apply.
The fourth episode was more enjoyable than the first three - mainly because I like the Hikari-Amane-Yaya triangle better than the Nagisa-Shizuma-Tamao trioka. Amane and Hikari promise to be such a sickeningly good couple while Yaya exudes possibilities of much crazed lesbian angst and jealousy (cf. OP sequence). Nagisa is too clutzy, Shizuma combines the bad qualities of Sei Satou and Sachiko Ogasawara without many of their redeeming points and Tamao displays some symptoms of Tomoyo Syndrome.
The thought of Hikari-Amane and Nagisa-Shizuma going head to head on the Etoile battle seems promising to me though. Let’s have a good fight! Even if it’s unlikely to be mud-wrestling.
In agreement with the consensus, I felt that ×××HOLiC has been so-so especially because it’s hard to live up to the superb animation quality of the movie. I also agree that the manga had a darker tone that doesn’t seem to have been successfully adapted into the anime. Watanuki (another one of those good-hearted but intensely whiny male leads) also became more annoying in the anime because I couldn’t just skip over his tantrums like I did in the manga.
This episode recovered some of my enthusiasm for this series. Firstly, there was lots of Yuuko. Love her stage presence and her outfits. Secondly, some scenes felt more complete in animated form e.g. Yuuko’s surprise at the gate of the first fortunetelling venue, her cold disdain during the first session and the odd mix of mystery and soothing of the whole mood of the second session.
I’m no expert at calligraphy but I can’t resist commenting that Yuuko’s brushwork seems to suggest someone who responds to the burdens of the world by being nimble and as light as a feather.
Saber’s cute schoolgirl embarrassment and Sakura in Boxcutter mode were the highlights of this episode for me. But overall, somehow, the series just isn’t grabbing me, am currently still onboard just to see it through to the end but I’m not actively unhappy, just a bit bored. It’s also not disappointing enough for me make fun of it - though I really enjoyed Garten’s got excellent mouseovers.
