hontou ni Stripey Insists Sisters Cry Oniichan Now

The unraveling of Chrome Shelled Regios – Nina's arc

I'm not going to make any excuses for Chrome Shelled Regios. The concluding eps made a mess of what could have been ZEXCS comeback series. Do note that I still regard the series very highly mainly because it achieved astoundingly (in the first 20 eps), the 4Cs upon which I grade anime on - Consistent characters, coherent plot, compelling pace and the congruence of the first 3 elements.

The first 20 eps were very well knitted indeed. The character development was deeply rooted in the main story arc which in turn drew strength from the intriguing premise. All 3 key facets of the tale were developed steadily and symbiotically. Throw in ZEXCS's Midas touch on crafting endearing characters, it should have been a winner. But this tight integrated storytelling was also the instrument that engineered the unraveling of the plot, specifically with Nina's path which also concluded the show.

ZEXCS latest triumph on the tsundere landscape – Felli Loss

Few studios do tsundere like ZEXCS. And they do it right because unlike most others who shape characters out of a tsundere core, ZEXCS first lovingly craft credible characters and THEN coax out tsundere qualities ONLY IF they are aligned with her personality. ZEXCS understands 3 key things about tsundere -

1. No one is ALWAYS tsundere.
2. Tsundere is not character but an expression of it.
3. Any girls in love CAN be made tsundere.

Adhering to these basis, the audience would then be assured not to get tsundere-poisoning (overdoses of unnecessary, unjustified tsundere) and yet able to enjoy strategically released tsundere charm from any female in the cast.

ZEXCS most recent triumph in the tsundere realm is Felli Loss. Traditionally there are 2 characters classes that make good tsunderes - ojousama (with their tremendous 'royal' pride) and brother-loving imouto (who need to hide their taboo inclinations). Adilicia (Rental Magica) and Nemu (Da Capo) are classic examples of well-crafted tsunderes from ZEXCS. With Felli, we can now officially add EQ-challenged psychokinesis users onto the list.

I don't deny that my overwhelming love for Felli could be influenced to her light-hair attribute or Nakahara Mai voice but most of the credit needs to go ZEXCS for bringing out her endearing qualities. Underneath that seemingly violent, shin-bashing, disinterested facade lies a confused little girl, grappling with powerful feelings for Fon-fon yet having poorly developed avenues of expressing them.

For those who haven't discovered Hontounia's current top tsundere, do check out Chrome Shelled Regios - also my current favourite series airing. You may just find more than well-crafted, endearing tsunderes.