hontou ni Stripey Insists Sisters Cry Oniichan Now

Asura Cryin EX014

Summary:

Tomoharu and Misao rush to sickbay only to find a supposedly ill Kanade in a compromising position. The resulting fireworks draws the ire of Reishiro and Toru; the latter gets the former to respect her authority over Tomo and punishes the Science Club with pool cleaning duty. Even before cleaning gets properly underway, the gang follow Nia into the tunnels in pursuit of a koala but quickly become lost. Shuri cautions them about the First World ruins of Rakurou in these very tunnels but is separated by a flood of water unleashed unknowingly by President Toru's draining of the pool.

The remaining group of Tomo, Misao, Kanade and Nia follow said koala, who springs numerous traps on Tomo, to a pyramid in the ruins which has the feel of a research centre. As Misao touches the large spherical machine at its core, Tomo is filled with the visions of the First World where a black hole experiment led by Naotaka went horribly wrong - two worlds collide and their world is coming to an end. Misao suffers from hizaika, her existence fading away, and to save her and the world, Tomo - with Kanade in hand and Ritsu's assistance - calls on the power of the Asura Machina. Back to the present, the group come under attack from the ruins' guardian Castas Machina, provoked by said koala, but are saved by the arrival of Shuri, Toru and Yoh. As the ceiling comes down, everyone retreats and Toru reveals that the koala is actually the MIA Science Club president.

Reaction:

This episode had great pacing and explanation that actually helped me to understand much of the background of the first season; I suppose it was necessary to keep us in the dark for us to share Tomo's ignorance and then horror at the revelation in the last episode of the first season. It looks significant that Tomo lied to Misao about why he did not call on Kurogane - she herself does not realize the terrible cost to herself in using the Asura Machina.

I'm always a sucker for love beyond space and time. Even more so because of how the dynamics of I MUST PROTECT HER here are atypical and thus interesting - Tomo wants to save Misao but needs to chip away at her existence as a burial doll to fuel Kurogane. He could lessen the burden on her by relying on Kanade. But without contracting (i.e. having sex) with her, her own use of magic to those ends accelerates her own fading away. To protect Kanade (and by extension help extend Misao's shelf life which the ED ominously shows a Bad End), Tomo will have to be unfaithful to her and to risk the wrath of those like Reishiro and the Guardian Dragoons for whom the existence of an Asura Cryin, an Asura Machina handler who is also a Demon Contractor, is taboo. To fulfill his promise, with the minimum damage, to the girl he loves as well as to another he cares deeply for will depend on how effectively he can marshal the powers they grant him. This dilemma is the core of this series that captured and continues to hold my attention and I look forward to its further development and resolution.

What Others Are Saying

• FlareKnight contends that "Since Aine is gone [Reishiro]’s no longer able to detect [Misao]" - but I thought Ex-Handlers can still see Projection Beings? Or is President Toru just more kinds of awesome?
• psgels likes the new OP and ED more than the content of the episodes; personally I preferred the songs/musics of the first season though the visual content of the second season's OP is suitably melancholic and ominous.
• hashihime's succinct characterization of this series is succinct: "supernatural mecha romance" covers all the areas in a most appealing way.
• I share Calawain's unalloyed pleasure at how "we get declarations of love and making out in the first episode of this new season. I like it, no pussyfooting around." Or as Hinano would say: KISSING YEA.
• Even Lord Commander Aroduc, Supreme Allied Curmudgeon In Chief, Animeblogosphere, applauded the pacing, recapping, action etcetera and even bestows a "Bravo, Seven Arcs." To which I hasten to add that lively expectation of future goodness: Please keep it up. Will the Second Season save the First Season like the way the Second World hopes to save both itself and the First?

Related posts:

1. Asura Cryin EX016
2. Asura Cryin EX015
3. Asura Cryin EX017