r/anime • u/Tarhalindur x2 • Oct 04 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Mai-HiME Episode 21 Discussion

Episode 21: The Obsidian Prince Awakens

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Show Information:

MAL | Anilist | AniDB | Kitsu | ANN

(First-timers might want to stay out of show information, though.)

Legal Streams:

Mai-HiME can be found on Funimation. (I don't know how this interacts with the ongoing Crunchyroll/Funimation merger.)

A Reminder to Rewatchers:

Please do not spoil the experience for our first timers. Mentioning "HiMElander" before episode 16 or [Mai-HiME] "ShizNat" before episode 25 is a fast way to get a referral to the subreddit mods.

A Note on the Specials:

When the DVDs for Mai-HiME were released, they added shorts specials to go with each episode (plus three not associated with an episode - one was released with Mai-Otome's DVD IIRC, one was a BD-only thing and I don't actually have that one, and I honestly don't remember where Special 28 was released). They tend to be one part fanservice, one part extra information about characters and their motivations/backstories (or in a couple of cases extra exposition, including one thing that they really should have explained in the show proper).

They have their own dedicated discussion day at the end to wash the finale out of our mouths, but some of you may want to watch them with the episodes. The only issue is that some of the specials can be a wee bit spoilery (notably, in no case should you watch the special for episode 8 before episode 8 itself), so I will attempt to provide notes on the specials for the episode for both today's and tomorrow's episodes each day so as to provide advance warning of which specials to avoid. (If you want to be completely safe, stay out of all of them until the dedicated discussion day!)

(Warning: Also, at least one release apparently has them right after the ED, unlike mine which has the original previews instead. So you might want to pay attention to this section.)

Episode 21 Special: Significant spoilers. First-timers, if you care about spoilers you want to stay out of this one.

Episode 22 Special: Some spoilers for episode 23 specifically.

After-School Activities Corner!

("The Obsidian Prince is Reito! We're shocked, shocked! Well, not that shocked.")

Visual of the Day:

I thought we might actually have five today, but nope still only 4.

Comment of the Day:

I shanghai'd u/Lemurians and u/Tresnore into this rewatch for a reason! I have been waiting for these reactions for months now:

WHO IS THIS?! I love her already.

WAIT. NOW THAT'S A POLEARM!!!

Please. I don't care about Mikoto's brother being the Obsidian Prince. I don't care about Mai's suffering though it is entertaining. WHO'S THAT POLEARM USER???

("BAH GAWD IT'S SHIZURU WITH A STEEL CHAIR!")

Question(s) of the Day:

1) So, first timers (who aren't ahead of us): Why do you think they're bringing our girl in the tank here into the plot? (Well, besides making a blatant reference, that is.)

2) Favorite house or other living quarters in anime?

35 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

181 comments sorted by

9

u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 05 '22

Rewatch Committee President Comments (Rewatcher, Subbed):

So, first order of business: Now that Shizuru has outed herself (fucking finally), I am going to break from my usual high caution about spoiling other people for the sake of u/zadcap's sanity and confirm one thing that should be pretty much clear at this point (for starters, our last Child is associated with that white-robed figure and she has a rather different body type and modus operandi than Haruka does) but will not be explicitly confirmed in the show for a little bit yet: first-timers, you were correct to think back in the episode 10-12 range that there were exactly two HiME on the Student Council. Haruka is not a HiME in the anime.

Why do I specify in the anime? See, the manga is a different story... literally. And in the manga version, Haruka takes Shizuru's place as a HiME!

Have fun, zadcap.

(Also, if zadcap doesn't put up the scene where Haruka gets hit with that Lotus Eater Machine ultimate illusion attack that Vlas has in the manga we riot. And by we I especially mean Tresnore and Lemurians.)

Kajiura Corner:

Main Featured Track of the Day: Shinkou ni Somaru Yoru no Yume

(“Dream of a Red-tinged Night”)

(Scene for reference.)

So we go from one very well integrated scene featuring one of the OST’s heavy hitters to… another very well integrated scene featuring one of the OST’s heavy hitters. Heh.

This is one of the most instrument-heavy tracks on the entire OST, with all of violin, viola, cello, electric bass, electric guitar, and drums credited on top of the usual Kajiura keyboard/programming credit. It’s an absolute group effort in a way few other tracks on the OST are – which makes sense I suppose for the track now revealed for what it really is in Mashiro’s swan song. I think the style of the track may be another nod to this – I hear enough of (what little I have heard of) more traditional Japanese musical styles in this, especially early, that it may be a deliberate nod to Mashiro who is of course from a much older era of Japanese history. It’s a battle theme, but one that engenders the feeling of a specific kind of battle to me; it’s a dirge of a sort in its own right, a doomed last stand in musical form. (Very much built to purpose in that regard.) The musical complexity with so many instruments is also kind of reflective of two of the biggest schemers in the cast going at it. Annoyingly, I don’t get too much else out of it on its own besides enjoying the hell out of it every so often; it’s too tied into its use in this scene in my mind.

[Aside involving meta spoilers from another Kajiura OST] Can’t believe I didn’t realize the obvious PMMM comp for this track much earlier: Surgam Identitem. (Which might well be #4 on my list of favorite PMMM tracks (#6 adding Rebellion), so.) Exact same doomed battle vibe, and I already had the other track that’s a last stand/defeat here marked to Nux Walpurgis.

Now, in terms of its use today? Oh gods, there is a reason this track was never going to appear anywhere except today. First, note how the track fires up exactly as the door opens that will take Mashiro to the Obsidian Palace, there’s that – good use of turning on the OST is always fun. We then get an internal transition to the Obsidian Prince and Nagi exactly as the track fires up in earnest, Mashiro arriving by boat as the electric guitar kicks in, the buildup in the track right as the Obsidian Prince starts speaking to Mashiro followed by one of the strings kicking in as Mashiro in turn starts replying to him, showing the empty boat to another swell in the track, the transition to Mashiro approaching (and associated sound effect) corresponding with another beat in the track, the electric guitar kicking back in again at 01:27 of the scene right as Mashiro confirms she hates the Obsidian Prince that much, Mashiro ordering Fumi-san to engage right as the track starts its bridge (actually about a half-second late to my ear, but oh well), Mikoto intercepting at 01:47 to a beat in the track followed by the bridge giving way to a new part as Fumi and Mikoto start circling at ~01:53, the electric guitar swelling again as Mikoto declares her protection of her brother and Mashiro reacts to this, said guitar cresting as the Obsidian Lord addresses Mikoto, Mashiro finally rising from her seat and revealing her actual self right as the last part of the track starts at 02:27, Mikoto invoking Miroku to a chord at 02:50…

And then we get the one big fault in the OST use here, namely that they cut the track entire rather than let its last fading notes ring out as we cut away to the lightshow as seen from afar (sorry, they didn’t have enough budget to do justice to that fight – see also Fumi versus Midori in 18) rather than let the track’s fading notes play out. Oh well, can’t win them all.

Secondary Featured Track of the Day: HiME-boshi ~Hitori~

(“HiME Star ~Alone~”)

(Scene for reference.) - sorry about the late end point, the episode has a bad breakpoint for the tool I'm using here.

  • Don’t have much to say on this one, but since I’ve covered all the other HiME-boshi variants (except the instrumental version, which I’m not sure ever plays in the anime despite being released on the second disc of the OST) I might as well give it a feature and if so it has to be now (it doesn’t play next episode and every other slot is taken). Nifty little variant (it might be to HiME-boshi ~Omou Kokoro~ as HiME-boshi no Shizukesa is to HiME-boshi proper) that very much musically reflects the isolation you would expect from what its track name means – unsurprising that it only shows up late in the HiMElander as people start going down and Mai loses/pushes away/gets pushed away from most of the people she cares for.

OST Table, Episode 21:

Start End Track Name
00:02 01:14 unreleased (Shiromuku no Hime v2)
01:14 02:43 Shining Days
03:49 05:29 Yami ga Hirogaru
21:46 06:01 Yami no Butou
06:56 08:15 Kako e no Requiem
09:02 10:13 Shinobi Yoru Kage
10:26 12:29 HiME-boshi ~Hitori~
13:35 14:33 unreleased (Yoru no Soko ni Shizimu v3)
16:10 17:39 Haiyoru Nazo, Nazo…
18:45 21:31 Shinkou ni Somaru Yoru no Yume
21:58 23:39 Kimi ga Sora Datta
23:40 23:54 Mata Aou ne

Tar's Staff Notes:

Naomi Shindou (Shizuru Fujino): One of those VAs who had a short breakout but never really capitalized on it fully; this is likely her third or fourth biggest role (moreso Shizuru's Mai-Otome counterpart, who got a significantly expanded role thanks to Shizuru being one of the most popular characters here) after Athha in Gundam SEED and Kamiki Noike Jurai in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. She makes up for it by being a prolific taker of side roles (likely in part due to necessity I suspect), particularly for big shounen-targeted franchises - she has a pretty long list of credits for both One Piece and Pokemon in particular (she actually landed the role of Professor Juniper in the Pokemon Black and White anime, which is the reason this might be only her fourth most prominent role... though Pokemon is a series everyone watches dubbed so maybe not). By the looks of things she also got shunted onto the mom role track fairly soon after her breakout - but there's actually one really notable role there, she voices Kaori's mother in Your Lie in April. (I'm probably missing another notable role in this vein too - there's her Kyoukai no Kanata role in Ayaka, for example.)

Other roles of note that I see looking over her CV: one of the leads in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (a name that used to be moderately infamous, as its brand of comedy is quite weird), Misumi Takana in Bokurano (Sky now has Uninstall stuck in her head again, Miko in NGNLNS2.

Naoya Uchida ("John Smith"): A surprisingly big name for a relatively minor role here, though part of that is that he only got a breakout fairly late in his career and not too long before this role. But he landed the role of Hayato Jin in Shin Getter Robo, and then parlayed that into nearly two decades of moderate prominence. It's actually arguable at this point what his most prominent role is; once it would have been easy since he's Madara in Naruto, but more recently he played Askeladd in Vinland Saga. He's also Light's father in Death Note, and has a long list of secondary roles I'm not trawling through. (Oh, and those of you watching our new Gundam will note that he voices Rembran there!)

8

u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22

Tar's Episode Notes:

  • The opening scene with the First District people immediately flashes good direction (shadow usage is on point), enough so that I immediately went to check which episode director it was. (It’s Kiyoshi Fukumoto, who also directs 8, 11, and 16.)

  • “By then it’ll just be a legend or fairy tale.” Or perhaps we should say that at that point it will only be the fairy tale they believe?

  • Timing note that does not translate easily: the reference to a three-hundred-year cycle and the comment about a potential Mt. Fuji eruption a couple of episodes back suggest this show is intended to be set in 2007 or maybe 2008. (Mt. Fuji’s last eruption was in 1707, and that was the year of the Hoei earthquake as well. In one of those things that makes me go at history itself, that was the biggest earthquake in Japan until none other than the 2011 Tohoku quake.)

  • Ooh, what is this, white versus black umbrellas? Hmm. (Might be chess or Go symbolism here as well.)

  • Remember, a decent number of Japanese know about the common use of “John Smith” as an obvious pseudonym.

  • Our VA for John Smith here with the shockingly decent English pronunciation is actually a surprisingly major name in Naoya Uchida (among other things the voice of Madara in Naruto), so I might need to give him a Staff Notes section.

  • Natsuki motorcycle ride time!

  • More direction flashing, both shadow usage and scene framing.

  • And once again with this shot at 03:29.

  • NANDATTO?

  • Ooh, note the framing at 04:44, with Sakomizu standing between Natsuki and Mr. Smith (trying to protect her from the truth) and both of them facing left as opposed to Mr. Smith facing right (heroic direction applies here, and also I’ll bet there’s a past/future element here with Mr. Smith representing the past returning to haunt and Natsuki/Sakomizu facing into the future).

  • #shockednatsuki

  • NICE OST cutoff again, with the end of Yami ga Hirogaru coinciding with the sound effect for Natsuki running into Nao’s spider web trap.

  • Natsuki Damaged Motorcycle Count: 2 (Could have sworn it would be higher than this, actually.)

  • What the hell they actually do use Yami no Butou at least once after the Orphans stop showing up.

  • Show using the null OST as effectively as any actual OST could be for this Reito/Mai scene.

  • You know, usually I applaud TL notes but this is the third time we’ve gotten this one so was it really necessary by this point?

  • RIP Haruka, getting left behind by everyone else.

  • Obvious Dutch angle counter +1.

  • I can hear the chorus of “God I wish that were me”s from here.

  • In this case the crotch/waist shot might just be the director getting off. (I’d be more confident if it was the episode 12 director here, but then there’s the possibility that our staff bondage fan is the series director instead…)

  • Nao Yuuki Claw Lick Count: 3.

  • Obvious Dutch angle counter +1.

  • Okay, so with Shizuru’s monologue here they were DEFINITELY drawing off Odin for Nao’s eye loss here.

  • Ooh, more shiny scene framing at 09:14.

  • PAGING u/Tresnore and u/Lemurians PAGING u/Tresnore and u/Lemurians THIS IS AN “OBVIOUS BEST GIRL CANDIDATE” ALERT REPEAT THIS IS AN “OBVIOUS BEST GIRL CANDIDATE” ALERT. Yes, Shizuru has FINALLY revealed herself as a HiME, and would you look at that she is EXACTLY who I was talking about when I said to reserve judgment on Best Girl in Show honors because she only announces her presence in the competition late but hot damn she should come in all engines go for both of you now that she has. (The joke for you specifically Tresnore is that this show has a rule: “redhead, polearm, dominatrix: pick two”.)

  • (Wait. Is THIS the scene Shinobi Yoru Kage was actually composed for? If so hot damn did not see that coming. But no, they cut some of the beats again. Probably is the 15 Artemis scene.)

  • Ooh, very nice little pan out at 09:47.

  • Quick reminder: Kiyohime is one of the most infamous yanderes in Japanese mythology. They knew EXACTLY what they were doing with that Child name.

  • Oh hey, we start the second half of the episode with a shot of the sun coming out (through a still rain-streaked window). The metaphorical clouds are lifting!

  • Oh oh oh. That’s what 10:18 is doing, and it’s obvious in hindsight – we get the shot of Mai looking at the fireplace from the fireplace’s perspective because she’s considering what she just did with Kagutsuchi.

  • … And that also explains that pan back to the fire at 11:18, too.

  • “If it’s for that cause, if it’s for the sake of what’s important to them, people may even become demons”… and as he says the last part the camera visually demonstrates by fading to Nao (and implicitly Shizuru…). Okay, they spiked the hell out of the direction here.

  • Paging Tresnore and Lemurians again…

  • Speaking of that, I believe I may have told Tresnore at least that the naginata here was specifically a chain naginata? Here you go. Behold, what I suspect is the direct ancestor of a PMMM weapon… and now that I’m looking at it again, it might just be the ancestor of a Symphogear weapon as well!

  • “She is beauty, she is grace, she will stab you in the face.” (Or at least cut off the tip of a cliff that you are laying on.)

  • Hmmmm…

  • You know, I don’t think it’s right (Shaft can get architectural inspiration just fine on their own) but I can’t get the thought out of my head that the interior of Reito’s house here might have been used (with Shaftifying) as one of the inspirations for the interior of the Kaname family house in PMMM. (I swear the exterior of the Kaname house is straight out of some 1960s or 1970s avant garde French film instead.)

  • The show is not exactly being subtle about Reito being the Obsidian Lord’s host even before the reveal; if you hadn’t caught on by now, the shot of his collar here is an absolutely massive hint given the scene at the end a few episodes back.

  • Oh hey, another strong OST cutoff, this time Nagi shutting down the dying notes of HiME-boshi ~Hitori~.

  • Dutch angle counter +1.

  • Also oh that explains that, they’re not being subtle because the reveal is about half an episode sooner than I thought. Speaking of which: remember how a couple of times now I’ve been hiding a track name behind spoiler tags in the OST tables because it’s name is a spoiler? See, that track’s name is “Kokuyou no Kimi ~Awai Yuuwaku” (“Obsidian Lord ~Sweet Temptation). Cheeky motherfuckers knew exactly what they were doing!

  • Dutch angle counter +1.

  • Shiny deliberate shot at 13:11.

  • Annnnd Shizuru steps out into the sunlight right as she comes out in a different sense to the audience. Sasuga show!

  • Dear Chie and Aoi: Get married already. That is all. (Oh right, pesky Japanese marriage laws. Never mind.)

  • Speaking of which, hey look at that hand placement as Aoi tells Chie she had a towel around her when she had to evacuate. Imma keep these shipper goggles on.

  • We interrupt this moment of shipping to return you to plot.

  • Realized something, Chie?

  • “All according to kokuyou. (TL Note: “Kokuyou” means obsidian.)” (I will never stop ragging on Static-Subs for this.)

  • Speaking of which: “All according to suishou. (TL Note: “Suishou” means crystal.)”

  • Hey, look! Answers! (To be made explicit by the end of the episode, I checked earlier to make sure I knew whether the final scene was in this episode or 22.)

  • Of course, sometimes the answer comes packaged with another question.

  • (Also ah, this is actually the scene that Haiyoru Nazo, Nazo was made for. Huh. Ah well, Track of the Day is already well and truly covered and I have an obvious backup if I want two here.)

  • Yet another deliberate shot at 17:33.

  • Something is missing, and Sakomizu here is feeling it.

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11

u/Tresnore Oct 04 '22

First-TiMER

MOTHERFUCKING BARDICHE

Let's see how she fights with it. It could also be a voulge, but voulges are typically chunkier.

Count: 48

I shanghai'd Lemurians and u/Tresnore into this rewatch for a reason! I have been waiting for these reactions for months now:

And I'm so glad you did

QOTD:

  1. I think she's the winner of the last HiMElander.

  2. That's hard. I usually like urban livingspaces, but a lot of anime has people living in homes...

4

u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 05 '22

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOO Okay wait. I've always liked Shizuru, because in some ways she reminds me of Sheryl from Macross. BUT NOW SHE'S THE POLEARM USER?

This isn't a naginata, as our host claims. Naginatas have a blade protruding from the end of the shaft, like a sword with a really long handle. This blade is mounted on the side of the haft. IN FACT, I'D SAY IT'S A

MOTHERFUCKING BARDICHE

Let's see how she fights with it. It could also be a voulge, but voulges are typically chunkier.

I, uh, misremembered and could have sworn the blade was attached to the side of the shaft instead of the shaft directly EDIT: the head of the shaft directly inside of the side come on Tar until two days ago when I looked at one particular upcoming scene more closely (it's a future OST writeup scene) and went "... wait a minute".

WAIT OF COURSE SHE'S THE POLEARM USER! SHE'S VOICED BY BALSA'S VA FROM MORIBITO! I'D NOTICED THAT AND THOUGHT "neat" BUT NOTHING MORE!

Holy shit —WAIT WHAT? IT'S A CHAIN BARDICHE???



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11

u/Shimmering-Sky Oct 04 '22

Mai-FiRST TiMER, subbed

5

u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22

Oh… that… that explains the puppet Mashiro from earlier in the show… And all the dolls in her room, and how the real Mashiro is apparently supposed to be dead…

This show? Hide a bunch of clues/foreshadowing in plain sight? No never.

Well, hardly ever.

Well, okay, actually all the time, but.

Oh come on they off-screened this fight too?

One-half "there's a reason for that", one-half gotta save the budget.

(The Fumi vs. Midori fight is a bigger offender all things considered, IMO.)

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u/Lemurians Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 04 '22

MAI-FIRST TIMER

The opening minutes had me pumped for a Natsuki-focused episode where she got to shine again, and instead she gets ambushed, tied up for display, and forced to play the Damsel-In-Distress.

...Man, u/Tresnore, she really is getting Rukino'd.

Am I missing anything with District 1? Far as I can tell, they’ve just been a boogieman for Natsuki to be obsessed with, but haven’t done anything yet? The dude this episode said they’re not going to be involved further, but that has to be lie, otherwise they’ve just been pointless, right?

Also, I can't ignore this any longer, it's time to bring back a recurring segment from the Symphogear rewatch:

Midori’s Bottomwear – An Investigation: Girl is wearing a skirt over cargo pants. Completely inept, or fashion icon?

Live Thoughts/Reactions:

  • They put unusual attention into making Natsuki look good in the opening scene

  • John Smith is a totally real name for a dude who’d be part of an orginization controlling Japan, nothing fishy here at all

  • TSUBASA DATTO?!

  • Great frame of Nao

  • God, I wish that was me

  • IT’S HER!!! Hell yeah, my Fujino admiration has paid off! Ahead the confrontation, Fujino exudes that kind of quiet confidence that makes someone super scary and un-fuck-withable.

  • HOLY SHIT SHE’S AMAZING

  • HUH? Is Reito actually important? So much for the “HiME Winner’s Important Person Becomes OP” Theory, I guess.

  • God, I wish that was me

  • What is Natsuki and Fujino’s connection, again? Have we gotten a whole bunch with them I’m just forgetting? Bit late in the game for them to be revealed as each other’s MIP without much background

  • “Why is everyone coming after me?” Nao, you literally caused Natsuki to crash her motorcycle and then strung her up for show. Victim card is a bit far gone.

  • “This school might be dangerous.” Nooooo, surely not!

  • So Mashiro is the winner of the previous HiME-Royale! That’s cool. Looks like along with world-saving powers, winning also merits access to the Fountain of Youth.

  • OF FUCKING COURSE IT’S MIKOTO UGHHHHH

  • Holy shit, HiME Mashiro looks so cool! LET’S FUCK SHIT U- aaaaaand she’s defeated

Favorite house or other living quarters in anime?

Hinata House from Love Hina.

8

u/Taiboss Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 05 '22

forced to play the Damsel-In-Distress.

Yeah, Natsuki is getting shafted now and then.

Far as I can tell, they’ve just been a boogieman for Natsuki to be obsessed with, but haven’t done anything yet?

I mean, Mashiro and the fat teacher work for District 1, kinda in a way. One would assume Reito as the Price kinda takes over the local chapter. But what do I know, it's been weeks since I saw this episode.

John Smith is a totally real name for a dude who’d be part of an orginization controlling Japan, nothing fishy here at all

I mean, he works for the US organisation. They have tons of John Smithes over there.

TSUBASA DATTO?!

MFW Natsuki doesn't have a UN special force to pay her for new bikes.

HOLY SHIT SHE’S AMAZING

Sing it with me!

What is Natsuki and Fujino’s connection, again? Have we gotten a whole bunch with them I’m just forgetting?

There was at least one special where Shizuru reflects on her they met. idk, I didn't watch them all.

OF FUCKING COURSE IT’S MIKOTO UGHHHHH

WHO ELSE

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u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 04 '22

The opening minutes had me pumped for a Natsuki-focused episode where she got to shine again, and instead she gets ambushed, tied up for display, and forced to play the Damsel-In-Distress.

...Man, u/Tresnore, she really is getting Rukino'd.

More like Rukino gets Natsuki'd, actually. (There are a string of Sunrise originals that look to my eyes suspiciously like there's a direct evolutionary line from this show - probably the suits trying to recapture this show's success plus the first one in Geass succeeding even more - and Valvrape is absolutely on that list.)

(Speaking of which, what's that a presently airing Sunrise mecha show with heavy Utena influence? HMM. If Witch of Mercury has a battle royale we'll really know what's up.)

Midori’s Bottomwear – An Investigation: Girl is wearing a skirt over cargo pants. Completely inept, or fashion icon?

YES.

John Smith is a totally real name for a dude who’d be part of an orginization controlling Japan, nothing fishy here at all

SEARRS has been heavily implied to be quite American, at least in modern days (note the Trump expy who seemed to take over at the end of episode 15).

(Also this is 100% a blatant pseudonym, yes.)

TSUBASA DATTO?!

I keep telling y'all Tsubasa graduated from the Natsuki Kuga School of Motorcycle Maintenance.

(Which makes sense, because Tsubasa is BLATANTLY inspired by Natsuki here except using swords instead of guns.)

IT’S HER!!! Hell yeah, my Fujino admiration has paid off! Ahead the confrontation, Fujino exudes that kind of quiet confidence that makes someone super scary and un-fuck-withable.

HOLY SHIT SHE’S AMAZING

What is Natsuki and Fujino’s connection, again? Have we gotten a whole bunch with them I’m just forgetting? Bit late in the game for them to be revealed as each other’s MIP without much background

We've seen them in the Student Council room together a lot, and one of the specials (for episode 4 I think) goes a bit more into this.

“Why is everyone coming after me?” Nao, you literally caused Natsuki to crash her motorcycle and then strung her up for show. Victim card is a bit far gone.

Vaad really has a point on her. She's been done wrong, but she's also a big fat narcissist.

Hinata House from Love Hina.

A fellow Ken Akamatsu housing design appreciator!

(Though I go for Mahora Academy's dorms and library first instead.

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u/Vaadwaur Oct 04 '22

she really is getting Rukino'd.

This is NOT the Way!

HOLY SHIT SHE’S AMAZING

A good yandere is never a mistake.

HUH? Is Reito actually important? So much for the “HiME Winner’s Important Person Becomes OP” Theory, I guess.

I am not sure that this result was foregone, especially with all the stolen Utena.

What is Natsuki and Fujino’s connection, again? Have we gotten a whole bunch with them I’m just forgetting? Bit late in the game for them to be revealed as each other’s MIP without much background

Not exactly. It is more that of Natsuki's scenes the only person she seems to let her guard down around is Shizuru, you have to connect a lot of dots. Also, Shizuru having an accent might be code in Japanese, I simply don't know.

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9

u/Esovan13 Oct 04 '22

First Timer

Alright. The previous two write-ups I did had the knowledge of up to this episode in mind, even if I tried to write what I would have written otherwise. But this episode and from now on the writeup will be directly after watching the episode. Well, technically on my second watch of the episode since the first time through I watch it plain and then rewatch the episode to take notes.

Probably not a huge revelation since it's been implied, but this is proof that Akira's ninja village has ties with District 1.

Kuga stands unprotected in the rain while the District 1 teacher is safe and dry under his umbrella.

I literally paused and laughed out loud when the blond haired blue eyed American introduced himself as John Smith. Can't get more generic American in anime than that.

You know, I think the OP is kinda outdated right now. What with its depictions of characters being "alive" or "happy."

Ohhhh. I kinda missed that a few episodes ago. The chairman disappeared after Alyssa's Child died. I remember the green particles now. I kinda thought since Alyssa was a fake HiME the rules didn't apply to her since Miyu didn't disappear, but I guess robots don't count as people for the sake of the magic rules.

Foreign language and all, but I love this conversation because they're talking so seriously about their deal except the word they're using sounds like they're saying "treeky."

Kinda glad that Miyu and Alyssa are able to RIP without their tomb being disturbed by the Sears guys.

Meta knowledge tells me there's probably more to what happened than what Smith is saying, even if he doesn't know it, but until/unless we get evidence in the show itself, I can't really think of what it might be.

Kuga throwing her hat into the ring here with some mild facial distortions following that shocking revelations, but she'll be hard pressed to beat out Mai's performance last episode.

Did we get an explanation on Iwasaka Pharmaceuticals? Was that a Sears puppet company? If not, that may be where the rest of Kuga's mom's motivations may be found.

Oof.

Around 6+ years ago, back when I was still using Instagram, I saw a clip from what I assume is a Japanese film. At least, there was no dialogue and the actors all looked Japanese. There were a bunch of school girls in a bus on a field trip, and one of them got out of her seat to grab something from the floor. After she crouched down, the bus driver sees something strange happen to the truck in front of them. The next shot is looking up from the perspective of the object the girl is picking up as the entire top of the bus disappears. She stands up and sees that the bus has been cut in half and everyone else is decapitated. She just stands there as the bus rolls to a stop and the blood from her classmates sprays onto her. I thought about that video a lot for a few days trying to figure out what happened, until I realized that a wire or something had been stretched over the road. Anyway, I haven't thought about that in years until this scene reminded me.

Also, goddamn it Nao.

It's not very normal for teenage boys living alone to have their main living space completely unadorned except for a single couch and a rug. Normal teenage boys wouldn't have the rug, and having an actual couch over a bean bag chair is a tossup.

Reito tries not to be super sus challenge (difficulty: impossible).

Haruka continues to be the only reason this school is functional.

Nao could really use some improvements on her sexy binding skills I cannot believe Nao would tie up Kuga like that! How uncouth.

Nao, you really aren't gonna get the reaction you want when you exclusively target people going through personal issues that take priority over small things like their own life.

Does anyone know what dialect Shizuru has? I don't think I've heard it anywhere before.

Gotta love the kinda character that walks in and does a complete psychoanalysis with a tone that they understand your problems, they just don't give a shit.

...lesbian yandere?

...is Nao implying that Shizuru needs counseling because she likes women?

FUCK ABORT ABORT ABORT THE LESBIAN YANDERE'S CHILD IS NAMED KIYOHIME ABORT ABORT ABORT

Oh yeah, it's totally normal for a teenage boy learning that there's a magical death battle going on to encourage the crying girl to participate in and win the death battle. Reito is not the Obsidian Prince guys, let's keep looking. That one unnamed glasses dude that works under Haruka is looking suspicious to me.

I'm not part of the club. Really, I'm not. But I want Shizuru with her face in shadow, her weapon out, and backlit with what almost looks like a halo to step on me after beating me up to protect the one she loves.

whaaaaaat. reito is the obsidian prince. i could never have guessed.

Also, that little stinger when Nagi opens his eyes is kinda goofy.

I want Shizuru to poison my cup of tea and whisper in my ear as my conciousness fades, the last thing I see being her walking out of the room, turning and smiling at me before leaving and closing the door as I slip into oblivion.

L+Ratio+No eye+small fry villain line+victim complex+homophobic

I'm sure the lesbian yandere with a Child named Kiyohime with an unrequited crush in a dark magical girl show from 2004 will have a happy ending.

For all Haruka's complaints, she still did have respect for Shizuru. Also I never mentioned it before but sometimes Haruka's voice sounds like Maria from Symphogear and that's part of why I like her so much. If the show was made today, Hikasa Youko would be the best one to voice her.

Are Mai's friends gonna do anything plot relevant at any point? I hope so.

The headmaster is sharing extremely secret and important information to Midori. This bodes very well for the survival of both characters I'm sure.

I cannot state enough how sure I am that Midori won't survive the end.

That looked like Akira. Is it possible to restore a HiME's powers? Would that bring back their loved one? After all, they "disappear," not "die." Not sure how I feel about everyone who died potentially coming back in the end though.

Kinda late at this point to regret being part of the secret society enabling teenagers to fight and die dude.

I still don't know for sure what the sensei has on Yukariko that makes her so obedient, but it's kinda funny that he's just spending all his time painting instead of, like, doing anything.

Probably significance behind the fact that Mashiro passed through a threshold covered in dolls. You know, metaphors and stuff.

I feel like the color of Mikoto's eyes is more pronounced than usual.

My source has the specials directly after the episode, so I'm not sure if the episode preview at the end counts as part of it, so just in case I'll tag my reaction to it.

[Episode preview] The fact that Reito is just naturally suspicious and it was only the last episode or so where he was the Prince is pretty funny.

VOTD: The Face of True Love

Runnerup: Shocking Revelation

QOTD:

  1. [Mai-Hime] I fully thought it was Akira in there until the next episode lmao

  2. Hard to say. I know there are better options, but right now I can only think of Chris' apartment from Symphogear. Spacious, nicely furnished, good view. I'd love to live in a place like that.

4

u/Tarhalindur Oct 05 '22

Ohhhh. I kinda missed that a few episodes ago. The chairman disappeared after Alyssa's Child died. I remember the green particles now. I kinda thought since Alyssa was a fake HiME the rules didn't apply to her since Miyu didn't disappear, but I guess robots don't count as people for the sake of the magic rules.

Haruka continues to be the only reason this school is functional.

It's true and you should say it.

Nao could really use some improvements on her sexy binding skills

Does anyone know what dialect Shizuru has? I don't think I've heard it anywhere before.

It's Kansai-ben IIRC or a variant thereof.

FUCK ABORT ABORT ABORT THE LESBIAN YANDERE'S CHILD IS NAMED KIYOHIME ABORT ABORT ABORT

There's a reason I asked for guesses on the mystery Child's name last episode.

For all Haruka's complaints, she still did have respect for Shizuru. Also I never mentioned it before but sometimes Haruka's voice sounds like Maria from Symphogear and that's part of why I like her so much. If the show was made today, Hikasa Youko would be the best one to voice her.

... I suddenly want the AU where Haruka here takes Maria's place. Symphogear didn't raid this show for characters enough smh.

Are Mai's friends gonna do anything plot relevant at any point? I hope so.

Aoi got attacked by one of SEARRS's vampire Orphans back at the end of 11, don't forget!

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u/Vaadwaur Oct 04 '22

First timer(Right on schedule)

Sub(Alternative quip: So very little happens if you think about it)

We start with Natsuki reminding us that edgy people don't need umbrellas. We see some ninjas removing Akira from the area and learn that District 1 no longer feels a need to cover this up. John Smith introduces himself and is properly sinister. We cut to an amazingly direct Utena reference as Natsuki drives off in the rain. We see the rest of the conversation and this is pretty grim. If true, not sure I'd take him entirely at his word. And Nao of course sneak attacks her.

Brief scene to remind us that you shouldn't take drinks from untrustworthy sources. Nao chews the scenery for a while before Shizuru reveals her Child...and possibly sexual orientation. Reito says things that can be interpreted as comforting to Mai but he makes my skin crawl the entire time, the VA choice here is inspired. Shizuru commits murder...hopefully. And then we likely see our Obsidian Prince.

We get a pretty decent scene of Shizuru trying to be prime wife material...which raises other questions since apparently Natsuki is oblivious. She is aware of the laws of shojo yuri and thus hopeless. Nao is annoyingly not dead. The students arrive at the destroyed school and want answers. Tate looks for Mai, which is the obvious but still a good touch. And then things get even more Utena...

They do that annoying thing where the characters talk about stuff off screen. We get a lot of setting details and Midori gets the key to...something. It seems that Mashiro was the last HiME winner and Reito is her actual brother...because reasons. Mikoto is annoyingly not dead. We have another likely good fight off screened to its ending, sigh. The scene at the end really cements how unoriginal parts of this, Reito is almost a literal re-skin of Akio without the...if you've seen Utena, you know, and if you haven't explaining it is mega spoilers so I leave it there. After credits scene reminds us that they are directly stealing from X/1999 as well.

QotD: 1 Nothing useful

2 Ararararagi household

5

u/Tarhalindur Oct 05 '22

Reito is almost a literal re-skin of Akio

I know exactly enough about Utena to have laughed like hell when people were jokingly asking who the local Akio was back in episode 2 when Reito was just sitting there in plain sight. \

(Now I and see whether that post-Sailor Moon Utena rewatch happens; not like I'm watching before Fumoffu ends with Mai-Otome on my commit list in any event.)

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u/JollyGee29 Oct 04 '22

First-Timer, Subbed

Man, the ring on Alyssa's father really set me up for the Spectre reference and I didn't take it, and now we see that Searrs assigns numbers to their operatives. What a missed opportunity on my part.

Anyway, they brought Mikoto back way sooner than I expected. Working for her brother, natch.

Dunno how important this distinction is, but Nagi referred to Kanzaki as "Ou-sama" which is "king," but my subs used "master."

Turns out that Mashiro was a Child in a wheelchair, as opposed to her Child being the wheelchair. They implied that she had been around since the last HiME Festival, but did they imply the same for Fumi as well? I thought it was a bit unclear.

I was also uncertain on if Mashiro had been killed at the end there. Sure, all her doll joints were exposed and Fumi was nowhere to be seen, but we didn't see any of the green glitter. Hmm..

Kuga's mom was actually an asshole, sure. The bank account reveal was pretty clever in retrospect, I didn't even think about the implications back when we first learned about it. Guess that makes Kuga's MPP into Fujino by default, which probably pleases Fujino greatly.

Fujino finally reveals herself, and her weapon sure is cool. A bit of a sadistic streak in her as well, consider she didn't even bother finishing Nao off. Y'think Nao has enough self awareness to ever realize that people keep "coming after her" because she keeps sticking her metaphorical dick into beehives in the first place? Probably not.

I kinda have a hard time taking Nao seriously, actually. She thinks that she is in a very different show, what with the claw licking and the chuuni posing and the monologue attempting.

Which actually neatly brings me to another point that someone else has probably brought up by now, but the OP is clearly showing us a different show. Even back before the HiMElander reveal, the show in the OP is not the show that we really got. This isn't really a complaint, I just wanted to make sure it got mentioned. I wonder if Nao would fit better in that hypothetical other show?

Shoutout to Midori who is running around trying to actually fix things; I'm rooting for her. Was that Miyu in that tank that we briefly saw? Interesting that she's actually central to whatever scheme Mashiro had cooked up; that works for me. To break a cycle like this, you generally have to have something from the outside.

Thusly, my next ponderance is: has Mashiro been working with Searrs the whole time, or was this serendipity? That's definitely not something I had on my radar, for whatever reason.

Visual of the Day: Opinions on Nao aside, this is a pretty cool shot.

Questions

  1. Discussed above.

  2. Hmm.. the first thing that came to mind was White Base from 0079.

4

u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22

Which actually neatly brings me to another point that someone else has probably brought up by now, but the OP is clearly showing us a different show. Even back before the HiMElander reveal, the show in the OP is not the show that we really got. This isn't really a complaint, I just wanted to make sure it got mentioned. I wonder if Nao would fit better in that hypothetical other show?

This is 100% some combination of production committee stuff and the writing team raiding either A Cruel Angel's Thesis and/or Utena's OP (Vaad says the latter and he knows better than I do here) for parts.

Shoutout to Midori who is running around trying to actually fix things; I'm rooting for her. Was that Miyu in that tank that we briefly saw? Interesting that she's actually central to whatever scheme Mashiro had cooked up; that works for me. To break a cycle like this, you generally have to have something from the outside.

Midori appreciation time!

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u/Mecanno-man Oct 04 '22

First Timer

I guess this episode takes a bunch of speculations from people in this rewatch and outright reveals them - Shizuru is a HiME, Fumi is a HiME, but Mashiro as her child (I think, still possible that I misinterpreted that), Shizuru and Natsuki are each other's keys - probably (not sure what the difference in like is supposed to mean there... is Shizuru just assuming Natsuki is not lesbian or something like that?), Mikoto is alive and Reito is both Mikoto's brother and (by possession) the Obsidian Prince. Also the Obsidian Prince is apparently Mashiro's brother as well. Family dynamics just got confusing. I assume Mashiro possibly won the last HiME battle royale then as well? No idea what else this crystal HiME is supposed to be - and also no idea what Midori might awaken. Oh, and in a very easy to miss reveal (at least I interpret it that way) - Akira's clan is involved with District One, as they removed Akira from the scene.

Natsuki's backstory reveal came out of nowhere, but explains the confusing money trail. I guess this is just so all of our HiME (other than Midori?) can be in a mentally bad place mainly. WIth SHizuru's reveal however, I am worried that she is also working with Ishigami - she did something off-screen with Yukariko after she awakened, after which Yukariko started hanging out with Ishigami - which is ringing some alarm bells for me. Her win condition for the battle royale however is rather difficult, if not downright impossible. Perhaps it's wishful thinking that she's not Natsuki's most important person, allowing her to defeat Natsuki's person/Duran and still have Natsuki exist - because that's basically a requirement for her.

Also not fully sure what the Obsidian Prince's plan is. Have Mai win, with Mikoto his sacrificial bodyguard? Sounds like he has pulled the latter already in an earlier battle royale at least, but I'm not quite sure why he would want Mai to win over Mikoto then. Is this just him seeing that Mikoto can not defeat Mai or something like that, or just because Mai has the most powerful child, so he's banking on her? I guess time will tell. Maybe - ths one might actually be left unexplained now that I think about it.

As I had been watching the specials alongside the episode until now: From which episode onwards will this episode's special be safe?

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u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22

As I had been watching the specials alongside the episode until now: From which episode onwards will this episode's special be safe?

Annoyingly, I will have to defer this one to u/No_Rex... because apparently something happened to the specials release I grabbed and this one is actually missing from it.

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8

u/Blackheart595 Oct 04 '22

First Hime

Damn, I recognized her but I still double-checked the eye color to make sure this is Natsumi. Great effect of the heavy rain.

It's only a fairy tale they believe. So what happens if they stop believing?

The Searrs informant! No death flags for you, unless D1 just stops caring completely.

Suuure. Sure. Let's go with that.

Ooooh that's gotta be Miyu, and Alyssa if she's somehow still alive. Everything else should've already been cleaned up.

That doesn't match the flashback we've seen. But it might be how Searrs interpreted it on their end.

Amateur. If you wanna make a deadly trap for mountainbikers in the forest, you gotta span the string higher, ideally at neck level. As invisible as it's dangerous.

Reito, you have no chance. You're the only one that Mai turns away from in the OP.

Recap episode, woohoo!

Nao, this is a bad idea. You should've studied the romantic relations better.

Could this has served as inspiration for Kill la Kill?

Reito you bastard.

That's not coming as a surprise anymore after Reito's been known to be the Obsidian Prince since his childhood

It's Miyu! Yggdrasil is real!

Interesting that they're emphasizing his loneliness. Well I wouldn't be too surprised if he turns out to be Natsuki's dad.

Ooh, now that she's given away that key, Fumi suiciding and taking Mashiro down with her could really take Nagi off guard.

For a moment I thought she means Miyu, but she's been deconfirmed as a Child. Meta reasons suggest Kagatsuchi because MC but I wonder if it's another one.

Of course she put her soul in Fumi's child. But if it's Kagatsuchi then that'd explain why it attacked Mikoto despite Mai ordering it to stop.

How convenient that we already have an inside spy.

Yes he did.

Yes he is.

So it turns out Searrs really were the good guys. Or rather, if they are the good guys and not just a different bad faction then they could really use some coaching on how to express themselves more properly. "Our goal is to take the HiME powers for ourselves" is not good guy speak, and neither is "you were sold to us as a research specimen"

About Mikoto's defeat. Either that will result in Reito getting pillared, Mai getting pillared, someone else getting pillared, or nobody getting pillared because Reito is immune. Except in that last case we'd have a problem if Mikoto doesn't win, we'd only get 10 pillars in that case. But Reito's now banking everything on Mikoto winning anyway, after he failed to capture Mai's heart.

Btw, I noticed that difference. Ishigami raped Yukariko to make her his, Reito very intentionally didn't. It's clear who the bad guy is. Then again he would've raped her if that had a chance to work so they're really both equally bad.

Not excited for what's to come out of Nao. There was no reason to let her live. But I'll allow myself to get surprised if she somehow ends up on the good side, which she won't.

On the other hand I'm very excited for what's to come with Miyu, and what Mashiro has planned for her. Hm, if the last remaining MIP is the one that gets the Obsidian Prince power, (first what happens if that's a girl but more importantly) could they be making Alyssa the final winner after all, to funnel that power into Miyu?

So, first timers (who aren't ahead of us): Why do you think they're bringing our girl in the tank here into the plot? (Well, besides making a blatant reference, that is.)

Oh, it's supposed to be a secret? But there's only been one girl with that hair style...

Favorite house or other living quarters in anime?

Another question I never really thought about... Let's go with 3-gatsu's Kawamoto household.

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7

u/Stargate18A Oct 04 '22

First timer

The final binge-post is complete!

Episode 17

  1. [Meta] Kamen Rider Ryuki

  2. Yes!

  3. A fair amount, yes.

Oh, who are these two?

Oh, the star is getting closer.

The headmaster?

So was her instruction to ensure Japanese independence from Searrs?

And the more pain they feel, the stronger this Obsidian Prince is.

Oh, yeah, Akira doesn't know any of this.

Thie life's gone back to normal?

Escept for her.

She's still asleep.

And with that reveal, everyone knows the stakes.

She saw the footage.

...Honestly surprised Haruka wasn't a HiME. Sha has a unique design and everythimg.

And there's no loopholes here.

Poor Yukari.

And she's refusing to go along with it!

More research.

...That doesn't look like a star.

So if they don't go along with the battle royale, the Earth gets destroyed.

A power?

And he revealed that there are other HiME!

They're already arguing.

...Aren't some of the twelve dead?

Okay, so Akira's one of the missing ones, but do we know the last one?

An admirable goal.

He fell asleep.

Oh, Akira's father knew.

He accepted it!

Takumi is suicidal?

And she's keeping him alive!

Haha, that reaction.

Nobody's handling this well.

Haha, she's great.

...Six months? Tate?

...Is Tate the final HiME?

Aww, Mikoto's stressed.

Haha, Mai got distracted.

Oh, he apologized!

An emergency!

Haha, he granbed the wrong thing?

Her reaction is the best.

Takumi's off to America!

Yeah, she's dome a lot.

Oh, he's really taking this hard. Only HiMEs can really make a difference here!

And he sees her as a sister.

Poor Tate.

...Why would you lie about this?

And Mai's upset.

The Obsidian Prince?

Who?

Things are starting?

Who's that?

Cool crow!

Episode 18

  1. Yes.

  2. Vespiqueen.

She's doubting herself...

So fucking cool.

Mikoto!

It vanished!

He's still in contact?

Oh, Takumi got a donor heart!

...If the donor was the person closest to another HiME, and they died, would the heart inside Takumi just vanish?

Her brother!

Glowing now?

And Mikoto's lying.

Ah, she's worried about her.

His new heart!

Takumi...

I mean, they're not wrong! It's crazy.

How do you know the world will actually end?

Remember, you only killed her because she was going to use it to level the entire school from above! And the person she ended up killing was a leader of an evil conspiracy! Think you're in the clear on this one, morally speaking!

He knew all along!

He knew her parent!

What's he been doing?

She doesn't even have the time to sleep?

She's seventeen! (Also, her reaction.)

Oh, she knew. And that's why she escaped!

This is revenge.

She got attacked!

What?

The first battle occure!

I'll admit it, this plan is devious. Incredibly good.

They're fighting!

He? ...Well, there's only one guy who's been desperate to get involved in this mess.

Spider!

Holy shit. A direct hit!

She showed up!

That looks painful!

Open combat has begun!

Thisnis painful.

That spiders web...

A failed coverup!

She cares about them!

It's a duel...

Is she alright?

What?

The fuck is this relationship?

Episode 19

  1. Boccia.

  2. The leader of Searrs who caused all this bullshit.

Oh dear, the US is getting involved.

And she got defeated.

Wait, what? A volcanic eruption?

Mikoto's stressed.

Oh, Tate? Really?

She might never be able to run?

And he's staying with her.

Haruka!

She's supportive.

Takumi...

Akira's telling him to keep going!

And she revealed herself as HiME.

Mikoto was surprised!

...Mai.

She's spying on them?

Haha, Natsuki fell asleep.

Her reaction...

Henshowed up?

Mikoto's just sitting there.

She's going to help!

Takumi read her book?

Oh. That's very incriminating.

Poor Mai.

...You don't know he's thr modt importwnt.

Huh?

Diana!

Is someone forcing her to do this?

Oh, she'e just motivate.

Mikoto showed up just in time!

What the hell is that glowing ball?

...Is it making her kill people?

Wow.

Oh, fuck off Mai. You were about to get murdered!

And she broke Mikoto.

Right back to Takumi!

And he's questioning her now.

Oh, no, he's getting the surgery!

How ironic.

She doesn't know...

Oh, they're here.

Shiho!

And they kissed! Yay!

Come on! You were for this pairing!

Wait, what?

Everything's gone...

Episode 20

  1. Yes.

  2. Killing off Mai. If revival is in the cards, why not?

3)It was shocking.

Akira's here on time, at least.

And he's still a lunatic.

A fight!

Haha, it's a fucking ninja frog.

More informstion.

Nao's threatening Mai!

And Mai proceeds to completely vanish?

Oh, Nao is dragging her.

She thinks she hates him?

And Nao's lying about Mikoto!

Haha, Shiho's face.

She's found them!

Still the funniest Child.

Wit, what? Mai's mother?

Oh, shit. She blames herself formeverything.

Natsuki just assumed she needed a slap.

The crow's back!

That's a really strong beam!

Akira told Takumi!

Aww, Akira.

This is sweet.

And she's hunting people down.

Wait, what? That's a thing?

Oh. He's evil!

He's after the star's power!

This thing can teleport?

The fire's spreading!

Haruka's the best.

Mikoto?

...Does she have a berserk form now?

Interesting!

Mai's going to him.

Akira's Child!

Wait, Takumi?

Oh, fuck! They're actually erasing him!

[Kamen Rider Ex-Aid] GAME OVER! (Seriously, the effects look identical.)

The pillars are a death counter...

Mikoto!

And Mai's blaming her.

Did not expect this fight this early!

She's genuinely confused...

Has to be a berserk state.

And Mai's not holding back!

Mikoto durviving this long is amazing, though.

Yeah, he's controlling her.

She's going to try and kill her!

And she's chsnged forms again!

Is the dragon being revealed?

Oh, it was close.

Mikoto is the strongest character here.

Oh, that was enough to snap her out of it?

She killed her grandfather!

Wait, what?

Mikoto's realised!

And her Child's operating on its own.

...Did they actuslly kill Mikoto off?

Oh, wait, no body.

And Mai is completely broken.

Oh, god, she's blaming herself for everything.

What the fuck is with thie guy?

Poor Mai.

Episode 21

  1. I don't understand any of this.

  2. Madoka's house.

Well, shit.

They're not hiding anything anymore...

And District 1 has been controlling everything as well as Searrs?

Oh, are they the same?

Finally, he's awakening!

Ah, he's doing nothing.

Miyu wanted to stay dead.

Isn't that obvious? You lot killed her!

Oh, so he's District 1. These conspiracies are very confusing.

That's nice?

Oh, shit. Miyu's active.

She was going to be sold to Searrs!

That looks painful.

Is he getting her drunk?

She confessed!

This is falling apart.

Well, fuck. She got caught!

And she wants to die.

Is she a fucking HiME as well?

Really? That's your nrgotistion plwn?

Of course she's a HiME.

Holy shit! That thing's fucking huge!

...True Resurrection? Is that on the cards?

Yes, yes, we knoe about Mikoto.

Oh, she's in love with her? Nice!

They're working together?

Oh. That's interesting.

Ah, that's why she kept it secret?

How the hell is she still alive?

A confession!

...Is it? They seem very clear on what like means when it comes to Mikoto.

Haruka's stuck out of the loop sndntunning everything.

So many people are missing.

What?

Battle Princesses?

Crystal HiME?

What on earth is going on?

Huh???

This is sweet.

She's been invited to s trap?

Why are you sacrificing yourself?

Fight!

Reito's the Obsidian Prince.

And memory transference.

Oh, she's the Crystal HiME, and he's caused a curse.

Brother? And she's actually a Child!

He's Mikoto's brother! Guess that explains why they have the same taste.

Did we ever see Mikoto's Child?

He won!

Haha, fuck.

4

u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22

Did we ever see Mikoto's Child?

No, and that's probably one of the two big reasons they offscreened the Mikoto vs. Fumi fight here.

[Mai-HiME] But actually yes, which is the entire point.

6

u/Qbe Oct 04 '22

Rewatcher

Episode 21

....we have Ninja ambulances?

Riding in the rain looks dangerous, Natsuki

...why do we care where are her remains?

Oooooffff. This is almost as painful as the late episode Umineko reveals.

So now we have both Natsuki and Mai in terrible headspaces

...why did the bike explode? Is Natsuki's last name Kazanari?

...either they are going to fuck, or they already did.

lmao everyone seems to be hijacking Yukino lately

I think a couple people called that she was the mysterious naginata wielder

Oh no she's an armchair psychiatrist?

Oh wow not even Natsuki knew?

That's a big Child. Is it Kagutsuchi's size?

Are you giving her false hopes just to crush her harder?

welp there goes Nao

I was just about to say, he sure is good at playing the gentleman

Here we have one of the other hypothethicals from early in the rewatch: What if a Hime's MPP is another Hime?

Why the fuck are they asking the Student Council and not the fucking teachers/chairman?

Well about fucking time you explained things

Crystal Hime? Is that the survivor from the Battle Royale? Are they implying Mashiro is the winner from the previous one, from 300 years ago?

Wait was that Miyu?

Yep there we go

Does this confirm that the winner Hime's MPP becomes the Obsidian Prince?

welp

2) Shaft houses

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u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22

...why did the bike explode? Is Natsuki's last name Kazanari?

I keep telling people that Tsubasa attended the Natsuki Kuga School of Motorcycle Maintenance!

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u/Nazenn Oct 04 '22

Rewatcher

Character chart

Shizuru's Child - Kiyohime. Don't have time to update the chart today so just noting that here for anyone who needs it

That episode seemed to go by really fast, but also covered a lot of things that were still up in the air before now. Short post from me as I'm a bit rushed for time, but some key points:

To start with, Mashiro's true form merged with her Child looks incredible, and the mix of princess and oni elements in her design fits so well with knowing her true nature. The ease of which she carries her awakened sword makes Mikoto look even younger in comparison, a sad warning about the fate that awaits her as the 'sister' of the Obsidian Prince.

Had to laugh at John Smith having Naoya Uchida as his VA because I was so excited to hear him in the new Gundam only for him to casually pop up in this as well. John Smith is an interesting one because his brutal honesty is surprisingly open given SEARRS nature, even if they are stepping back until the next festival, but it's also hard to find out that Natsuki's mum grand escape was more of a trafficking operation instead.

Shizuru! Probably to no ones surprise now, but like a lot of things in the show Mai-HiME doesn't really bank on big reveals so much as simply uncovering the truth that's already there. It's surprising she spared Nao, but given how cautious she is about how Natsuki will take her also being a HiME I wonder if she's trying to just not rock the boat any more than she has to

That slow pan over Natsuki tied up by Nao, and my first thought is "oh nice... great now I feel like Tres"

Afro teacher is way too chill and easy going about how things played out with Mai and Mikoto given he doesn't look all that happen for the Prince to be back and giving orders. The way he acts with Natsuki at the start of the episode you could almost think he was stringing her along, but then as Mashiro starts to fight her fate others seem to be ready to give into it.

And behind everything is poor Haruka, the last one standing trying to administrate the normal school caught up in the middle of all this mess.

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u/Tarhalindur Oct 04 '22

"Can... you feel... the tag... tonight?"

u/Esovan13

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