.hack//sign- The Eve- Episode #23

The episode starts with some of the characters from the show saying a phrase, like Crim saying "I'd like to offer a strategic base!" or Mimiru saying "Who are you?" It's a bit confusing to start off with, but it quickly flows into the episode.
The actual dialogue begins with Mimiru walking across a stone bridge. But before she can start to cross, Sora teleports onto the bridge. Clearly annoyed, Mimiru gets angry. Sora, being his usual childish self, says "Aww, are you mad at me?" Mimiru doesn't think of it as funny, and tells him she doesn't have time. She eventually gets so annoyed of Sora that she draws her blade.
For the first time in a whole episode, B.T. is talking with Bear. B.T. thinks that she should help them, but asks why Bear is so obsessed with Tsukasa. Bear says that Tsukasa was just a turning point, but it's a quest that he wants to see to the end. Bear goes on to say that when you meet someone, you should find meaning. B.T. says when she first met Tsukasa, she only wanted to use him.
Subaru is sitting on the floor of the chapel-ish place she goes to, with a sad look on her face. As Crim meets up with her, he realizes what's wrong. It seems Tsukasa still isn't showing any signs of returning. As Crim talks, Subaru keeps cutting him off. She says she wants to become involved with Tsukasa again. When Crim asks why, she says she's been protected by him, Silver Knight, and many other people. For once, she wants to help protect someone else. She sends another weird glowing ember and it lands on Tsukasa's shoulder, back in his haven.
The bed where Aura used to float collapses.
As the fight starts between Mimiru and Sora, Mimiru is quickly disarmed and is held at the mercy of Sora's Twinblades. As Sora is about to kill Mimiru, Bear and B.T. appear behind Sora and tell Sora to back away. Sora expresses his mock joy that Bear and B.T. have made up, but finally makes a smart move and teleports.
Tsukasa meets up with Crim, but sounds very scared and shaken up, saying things like "Don't hurt me!" and "I'm sorry!" Crim tries to calm him down, and asks who did this to him. He doesn't reply. Crim tries to convince him by telling him he should be like Subaru. She wouldn't be afraid. Between breaths, Tsukasa says he doesn't have Subaru's strength. In hopes of getting Tsukasa to join them, Crim tells Tsukasa about Subaru in the real world, how she was really clueless when she first showed up. But Subaru grew from that, and has become the confident young lady she is now. This hopefully convinces Tsukasa some way.
Sora returns to the place where Aura is being held, and comments about the Key of the Twilight. Most importantly, how does it work? He wonders.
Silver Knight meets with B.T., Bear, Subaru, Mimiru and Crim, saying he's thought about it. Crim asks Silver Knight what he wants to protect, and he replies "Lady Subaru." Crim welcomes him to the party, and Subaru tells Silver Knight to leave "Lady" out of her name from now on.
A Helba gate opens, and the group wonders if they should go. Crim says "If you desire to know the truth, you also need the courage to accept it." it was a quote from a novel everyone in the party seems to have read, except for Mimiru. They discuss the scene, and agree to meet on the other side. Bear, B.T., Silver Knight and Mimiru go first. Crim goes next, but waits for Subaru to come. She says she wants to wait for Tsukasa, so Crim just goes into the gate.
Tsukasa is sitting in the chapel, still saddened, saying "No... no!"

Anime# 18- Marmalade Boy

Introduction[Contains Spoilers!]

First off, I'll tell you the reason this anime is called "Marmalade Boy". One of the main charcters, Yuu, is referred to as a Marmalade Boy by another main character, Miki. The reason Miki calls Yuu "Marmalade Boy" is because she believes that people don't see him for his bitterness, they only see him for his sweetness (bishounen), just like marmalade xD!

Ok. On we go with the summary. Miki's ordinary life is turned upside-down when her parents suddenly announce that they're getting divorced in order to swap partners with a couple they met in Hawaii :\. They seek her approval of the change, telling her that they have arranged a dinner to meet the other couple, as well as their son, who is about Miki's age.

At dinner, the adults share their plans of living all together in one big house. Miki reluctantly gives them permission. The other couple's son, Yuu, turns out to be fun and attractive, and Miki finds herself falling for him. Of course, it doesn't help matters when Yuu kisses Miki while she is pretending to be asleep in the nurse's room at school. Little by little, Miki accepts her new family arrangement.

At school, a long time classmate, and former crush of Miki's, Ginta, becomes jealous of Miki's new 'friend' and decides to try and gain her affections. He kisses Miki unexpectedly, for which he gets slapped. When Ginta later admits to Miki that he has loved her for years, and that his earlier rejection of her was a misunderstanding, Miki struggles between which of the two she wants to be with. Ginta tries to force Miki to choose between himself and Yuu. After a bit of indecision, Miki chooses Yuu. Yuu shares that he was the child of his mother, and some man other than his father. Miki sympathizes with him, and the two become boyfriend and girlfriend.

As the series progresses, Miki becomes very attached to Yuu...So much, that she is jealous whenever she sees another girl with him. It makes matters worse when his old girlfriend, Arimi, will do anything to get Yuu back. However, Miki has no reason to be jealous because Yuu is totally devoted to her.

Meanwhile, Miki's best friend, Meiko, is dealing with her own problems. She is seeing one of the teachers, who is affectionately referred to by the students as "Na-chan". She loves him very much, but dating a teacher is taboo. They get caught, and when they do, Na-chan resigns his position and leaves for Hiroshima. Meiko is depressed, but is encouraged by one of the seniors at school who wants her to write a story, and she does. Turns out she ends up as an acclaimed author. After much hardship, her and Na-chan end up together again ^^.

Miki later gets a part time job in order to help fund a trip with Yuu. As she does this, one of her co-workers, Kei-kun, falls for her, and tries to win her affections. At the same time, a cute model, Suzu, is trying to steal Yuu away from Miki. Yuu and Miki fight briefly, however, the two overcome all obstacles to stay together. As a result, their love for one another grows stronger.

Unexpectedly, Miki discovers that a transfer student from America, Michael, will be living with them for a while. He is attractive, and all the girls chase after him, however, he seems attached to Miki. Yuu suddenly decides to go to America to study architecture as an exchange student. Miki misses him terribly, and on top of that, she is pursued by both Kei-kin, and Michael. Due to a misunderstanding, Miki is led to believe that Yuu is cheating on her. She flies to New York, and the situation only gets worse. She decides that she is too lonely, and has turned into an awful person while having to wait for Yuu, so she breaks up with him.

Back in Japan, Kei-kun and Michael force Miki to choose between them, and she reluctantly starts dating Kei-kun. He treats her well, and she is happy, but she still can't forget Yuu, and feels lonely somehow. Yuu comes back to Japan for summer vacation, and Miki is even more troubled. She cries when Kei-kun is about to kiss her, then tells him she is sorry. She runs off, and makes up with Yuu.

Back together again, their happiness is cut short when Yuu finds evidence that leads him to belive Miki is actually his sister. He breaks up with her, and goes back to New York. Sad, and unable to forget Yuu, Miki goes to New York to confront Yuu, and he tells her that she is his sister, and they can't be together. Upset, Miki runs off and gets lost in Manhattan. She is bullied by a gang, but Yuu shows up and saves her just in time. The two decide that their love is too strong, and that even if they are siblings, they want to be together.

At the airport, the rest of the family shows up because they were worried about Miki. Miki and Yuu confront their parents for not telling them they were siblings in the first place. The adults burst out laughing as they tell the couple that they have mistaken the situation, and that they are not siblings after all. Yuu is really his father's son, not another man's. The two are relieved and happy. Meiko marries Na-chan. They all live happily ever after...

Characters[Contains Spoilers!]

Miki is one of the main characters in Marmalade Boy. She is cheerful, silly, and very energetic. She is also an incredibly loyal friend, and loved by all who meet her (unless they are after Yuu^^). She in turn, also loves everyone, causing problems in her romances. She was the only one who was opposed to the marriage swap in the beginning, but that all changed when she found out who she'd be living with ;). Miki's best friend is Meiko, they share a diary to tell eachother things, when they would not be able to talk otherwise. Another one of Miki's friend is Suou Ginta, and when Miki was in Junior High, she had feeling for Ginta that were more serious than friendship. But, later Miki realizes that Yuu is the only one for her.

When Yuu and Miki first met, he was pretty rude to her, but soon they fell in love. Before the whole remarriage fiasco, Yuu lived with his mother and father. He went to Sakaki Academy along with Arimi and Tsutomu. This is where he met Arimi, and agreed to her plan to go out for three months, and then break up if he /still/ didn't have feelings for her, which he didn't. Unfortunately, she had feelings for him. When he transfered to Touryou Highschool, he didn't join any clubs. Instead, he spent all of his time in the school library, or at his part-time job at Junk Jungle. We later find out the reason Yuu spent so much time in the library. He had discovered that the man he had thought was his father, was not. The man who he thought might be his father, was an architect who had several books published. This man was Satoshi's father. Satoshi saw Yuu reading the book, and started hitting on him (or so we think). This of course, freaked Yuu out. Yuu was also the first one to find out about Meiko's and Namura's (Na-chan) relationship. He saw them in the library together, yet he didn't tell a soul.

Meiko is a kind, serious girl who has been Miki's best friend since Junior High. Although Miki tells Meiko everything, Meiko doesn't confide in Miki completely. Meiko's family is very rich, but her parents have a very bad relationship, and are always fighting. Meiko's unhappy home life is only one of the secrets she keeps from Miki. Meiko is very beautiful, but never goes out with boys her age. Meiko wonders if that's because she has seen her own parents' unhappy life, but she denies that that's the case.

Ginta is very serious at times, and is very hot tempered, but that's what makes him such a good character. He's passionate about everything, including Miki - his love interest since junior high. When Ginta got a letter from Miki saying she loved him, he was really happy, because he really did love her, too. Unfortunately, Miki had put the letter inside a magazine, and that magazine actually belonged to a friend of his. Earlier on, all of the boys in school had made a deal, that since they all liked Miki, none of them would be the first to go out with her. Ginta sadly was not aggresive enough to go against that. Miki didn't know this until Ginta told her only after she had already fallen for Yuu(>.<). When he met Arimi, she came up with a plan. She said she would make Miki jealous and want Ginta more, by going out with each other. Surprisingly, her plan worked, and Miki started to get jealous, seeing as she still had feelings for Ginta. Unfortunately for him, Miki liked Yuu more. When Ginta finally accepted that he couldn't have Miki, he fell in love with Arimi. Tsutomu and Ginta are cousins, and don't get along too well. Tsutomu loves Arimi, yet Ginta gets her :\.

Arimi is a cute, and outgoing girl, who has her own fanclub. She loves to flirt, but isn't picky about a guy's looks, which is why she's so popular. The only boy whom she just can not stand, is Tsutomu (>.<). Arimi fell in love with Yuu when they went to the same Junior High. She later told Miki that she would not give up on him. She is a schemer, and even persuaded Yuu to go out with her once. Obsessed, much?

Miwa Satoshi is the student president of his school. He's in love with Meiko, and will do anything and everything to have her. In the beginning, Yuu believes to be his brother, and thinks that Miwa's father was his father as well. Immediately, a strong and deep friendship is born between the two of these guys. Fortunately, this friendship remains when they both find out that there is no blood connection between the two of them.

Tsutomu is a guy with a very jealous nature (surprise?). He claims to be in love with Arimi ever since he was a young boy. Unfortunately for him, Arimi despises him. He has a very competitive relationship going on with his cousin, Ginta. The fact that Ginta is dating Arimi doesn't help the situation =P. Since Yuu also dated Arimi once, Tsutomu has a grudge against him, too. He has the habit to challenge people, choosing absurd punishments for the loser. He challenged Yuu and Ginta at a time, and claimed that the loser would have to shave all his hair off. Ironic to say that Tsutomu finds himself getting a haircut ...

Not much info on him, but Namura, or Na-chan, is a teacher at Touryou High School. He has a love connection with Meiko, and loves her dearly. Nevertheless, their connection will be, and was obstructed as a result of the age difference between them, and Meiko's parents' reactions. Meiko loves him too much, and escapes the house, simply to live with him, and marry him later on in the series.

Kei-kun is - yet another - guy who falls for Miki. He met her in an ice cream shop, where the both of them worked. Even though he doesn't seem to be much of a problem, he causes quite a lot of ambiguous problems. Yuu sees them, while they embrace eachother, and Suzu believes that Miki is cheating on Yuu. Kei-kun is a capable pianist, but decided to leave his talents. Thanks to the help of Miki, he later goes back to the school, and starts playing again.

Suzu is a very well-known model, and is soon finding herself falling hard for Yuu (*gasp*?). She tries many attempts to get him to notice her, but in the end, it's no use. Her attempts of flirting while he helped her in math, just didn't work. She loves attractive things, and immortalizes it all with a photographic memory. She seeked, and still seeks to seperate Miki and Yuu at any cost.

Anju is the childhood friend of Yuu's. She is a very soft spoken person, and has been in love with him since the 6th grade. A little later in the series, she ends up meeting Miki, and respects her relationship with Yuu. She doesn't want to come between them, and only wants to see Yuu when Miki isn't busy with him. In fact, she tells Miki that she's in love with Yuu, and wants to be second to Miki. Miki is confused by all this, but she really likes Anju, so she gives in to her. Anju has a serious heart condition, and leaves for America to have a life threatening surgery. The surgery is a success, and later on in the series, she bumps into Yuu and Bill. Anju starts to develop a crush on Bill, and they seem like a great couple ^^!

Michael is an American who becomes a transfer student to Touryou High School. He learned to speak fluent Japanese by watching ninja and samurai movies as he grew up. As the series progresses, Michael falls big time for Miki. He is completely oblivious to Miki and Yuu's relationship, until he catches them kissing. All this time, he thought they had the typical step-sibling thing going on (there is no such thing as step-siblings in Japan). Michael becomes really pushy when he gets a call from Brian, his brother, saying that Yuu got a new girlfriend as soon as he went to America. This isn't true, but Brian really believes that it is. Michael is so mad at Yuu for betraying Miki, that he barges into her room and kisses her very soundly on the lips. He apologizes, and tells her why he did it. He also asks her to see him as a man, and not a brother.

Jinny is a girl at Yuu's school in America. It appears she falls in love with him almost instantly. Michael's brother, Brian is in love with Jinny, and is jealous of Yuu immediately. Jinny has told him time and time again that she doesn't want to date him, and that she barely considers him a friend (xO). Jinny is almost like Arimi, in the sense that she's going after Yuu, and won't stop until she gets him. Jinny is a lot more aggressive and forward, more than Arimi ever was. At one point in the series, she breaks Miki's heart, and Yuu isn't there to pick up the pieces. When Bill finds out about this, he gets so mad that he slaps her xO! Eventually, Jinny encourages Yuu to go back to Japan and get Miki back. When Miki comes to Japan for the second time, Jinny is a real friend to her. Jinny ends up dating a very unlikely guy.

Brian Grant is Michael's older brother. He lives in New York, and goes to the same school as Yuu did in New York. Brian has a quick temper, especially when Jinny is concerned. He is in love with Jinny, but the fact that she keeps pushing him away makes him angry. Brian sees Jinny kiss Yuu, and immediately thinks that Yuu is her new boyfriend. He tells Michael, and that causes problems in Japan. When Brian realizes that Yuu is going to remain faithful to Miki, his soft side emerges. He gets along with Yuu and they become pretty good friends. Brian continues to go after Jinny for most of the rest of the season until his eyes are opened to a young lady that he falls in love with.

Bill is Yuu's roomate in New York. If you're wondering, yes, he's a boy. When they first met, Jinny hints that Bill likes guys, and not girls (not true!). This makes Yuu uncomfortable, but he seems genuinely like Bill, so he doesn't let that come between them. Bill is very quiet and sensitive, and him and Yuu become really good friends. Bill is there for Yuu when he goes through problems with Miki, and is even upset that Yuu doesn't confide in him anymore. Bill actually has a secret love for Jinny, and only let her think that he was gay so that he could be close to her. At one point in the series, it looks like he might try a relationship with Anju. They get along great and have similar personalities. They become very good friends.

Anime Awards /05

The following anime were the main ones used for nominations:
Inuyasha
Gundam Seed
Sailor Moon
.hack//sign
DNAngel
Marmalade Boy

The following others were anime that got one or two nominations:
Yu-Gi-Oh (Yu-Gi-Oh G/X Also)
Witch Hunter Robin
One Piece
D.I.C.E.
Pokemon
Transformers (Energon)
Dragon Ball Z
Zatch Bell

Here are the winners!

Best Hair
Inuyasha (Inuyasha

Best Costume
Sora (.hack//sign)

Worst Costume
Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon)

Most Annoying Scream
Kagome (Inuyasha)

Best Catch Phrase
Sora (.hack//sign)

Worst Attempt at a Good Plot
D.I.C.E.

Worst Drawn Character
Usopp (One Piece)

Best Hero
Bear (.hack//sign)

Best Villain
The Being (.hack//sign)

Thank you very much and good night!

.hack//sign- Phantom- Episode #22

Bear, Mimiru and Subaru are getting ready to go to a dungeon, but wonder where B.T. is. They guess she's not coming. They leave, and B.T. (hiding behind a tree hearing every word) says "It's too late now." As everyone leaves, a mysterious figure walks onto the field.
As Bear's group goes through the dungeon, Bear goes on to say that the old man in the upside-down castle was indeed Harold Horwich. Harold put himself into the game to try and make peace with the whole world. Though he exsists everywhere, he also exsists nowhere. Mimiru says he's kind of like a ghost. A monster appears, and the three players get ready to attack it.
Sora and Silver Knight are walking along a desert path, and Sora thinks of something. He tells Silver Knight that if he were able to beat an undefeatable monster, he could be able to gather the Crimson Knights back again. But Silver Knight refuses, saying he hasn't lost his pride. To tempt him more, Sora tells him he could become a new legend, like Orca of the Azure Sea or Balmunk of the Azure Sky. This tempts Silver Knight, so the two go off to find one of these monsters.
As Bear's group goes farther into the dungeon, Mimiru remembers back to the first time she met Tsukasa. It turns out they were in the exact same dungeon where she first met him.
Tsukasa is back in his haven, still glassy-eyed, and is picking apart the teddy bear. The eyes of it are gone, and he is sticking his finger in the teddy bear and stuffing is coming out. Tsukasa is uttering a faint moan.
Their path is blocked by a weird creature with a red eye. Mimiru asks if the monster ever exsisted, and bear says "Whatever it is, it cannot be defeated." He tells them to all make a run for it. Subaru just stands there, frozen in perhaps fear. Subaru finally snaps out of it, but trips over a rock. The creature summons an attack, but it's blocked by a man with spiky white hair.
To Subaru's surprise, it turns out to be Balmunk of the Azure Sky! He tells them to go, and that he'll take care of this monster. They run off.
As Sora and Silver Knight are walking, Sora says B.T. never showed up, but she's useless anyway, so it doesn't matter. They hear a scream, and they know it's time to fight the undefeatable monster. The players who were fighting it were in trouble. They thank Sora for helping, and he kills them.
Finally at the end of the dungeon, the group steps through a gate that Helba opened so that they could visit Harold again. When they first see him, he starts to repeat what he said last time. Mimiru is annoyed and says "Just tell us about the girl!" Harold stops in his sentence, and says "The girl... the girl... can it be you know about Aura?"
Sora and Silver Knight are about to fight the monster. Sora looks at it, decides he won't fight it, and leaves Silver Knight to fight it.
Harold says he was the one who created Aura, to be a father, but says he had no right at all. He says Aura is being taken away by another being. He created the being to awaken Aura, but instead, it's destroying her.
Silver Knight is running top speed from the monster, but trips and falls over. He gets up and sees Crim.
Harold says that Aura was created as the fruit of his feelings, but is feelings are now being warped. He says that if the being awakens Aura now, she'll be woken as a black Aura, not the correct one. He says that if Aura is to be awakened correctly, it will have to be done without the being knowing it happens.
The being says it will not let Harold interfere. It engulfs Harold in blackness, and the group runs.
Crim is talking to Sliver Knight on a boat now. Crim basically says Silver Knight doesn't play the game for fun anymore. It's just a game, and should be enjoyed. Silver Knight should find something to protect, and ask himself why he logs in.
Out of the dungeon now, the group wonders how this being can be defeated. It's probably like Harold, exsisting everywhere but nowhere. They also find out that Tsukasa might be able to wake the correct Aura.
Tsukasa is sitting, the bear has a lot of stuffing ripped out. Tsukasa is moaning again. A voice calls him (not the being) and Tsukasa say the first word he's said in a few episodes, "Who is that calling me?"
Maha teleported from the being's lair as soon as it started to engulf Harold. As it opens a portal, it turns out Sora is watching. He jumps into the portal, and is in the lair. His face turns to a smile when he sees Aura.

Anime #17- Zatch Bell (Konjiki no Gash Bell)

NOTE: This anime can be referred to as either title. The main character can be referred to as Zatch or Gash. I will call him Zatch in this description, but you're welcome to call him Gash as well.

Intro (some spoilers)

Every once in a while, a strange, small being called a Mamodo will come to planet Earth. The only things they have with them are their clothes and a book. Unfortunately, the Mamodos cannot read the spells listed inside the book. These spells are powerful, but need to be read by a human. So, the Mamodos look for a human partner that can unlock their powers. One catch: if the book is destroyed somehow, the Mamodo is destroyed along with it.

And that's how the story begins. A young Mamodo named Zatch Bell is flying through the air on a bird, and drops to catch a fish.
14-year-old Kiyomaro (or justy Kiyo) Takamine wakes up and tells his mother that he doesn't want to go to school. This isn't just teen angst, this is because Kiyo is a genius, and school is too easy for him. His mother gets angry, but then Zatch falls from the bird and into the apartment building. He tells Kiyo that he should be at school and be a good boy. Zatch also gives Kiyo a letter from Kiyo's father. His father congratulates Kiyo on his 14th birthday, and he says that he found Zatch in a forest. To repay Kiyo's father for his kindess, Zatch travels to Kiyo's place to make sure he goes to school.
Kiyo spots a red book and accidentally says something from the book, he says "Zakur". Suddenly, lightning bolts come out of Zatch's mouth, and his room is almost blown to pieces!
Kiyo's mom tells Kiyo that he has to take care of Zatch if he stays home, so Kiyo goes to school, for the first time in a few months. On his way out, he takes the red book that Zatch had.

When he arrives, Zatch follows him without his consent. During one of his classes, Kiyo starts to look at the writing in the book. Some is red, and some is blue. It's in a language he's never seen before, yet he can read the red writing. He is interrupted by the teacher, who tells him to solve a long equation. Kiyo solves it in two seconds. His sheer genius is the reason he doesn't have friends. Upon exiting the class, he sees Zatch and tries to hide him.

Zatch tells him that he should be nice and try to make friends, and then tells him about his plan: Operation: Hero of Justice. Kiyo thinks the plan is grabage, and that he has his own plan. Kiyo guides Zatch up the stairs to the rooftop, and tells Zatch that this is where the bullies hang out, and that Kiyo will be there in case Zatch needs help. As soon as Kiyo closes the door, he walks down the stairs and smirks.

On the rooftop is a girl named Suzy, who thinks she is Kiyo's girlfriend. Kiyo, however, thinks she is a waste of time. Then, the door opens again and a bully named King steps out. He instantly starts to beat up Zatch, and Zatch isn't doing a thing to stop him. Kiyo can hear the sounds of Zatch being pulverized, and wonders why Zatch isn't shooting lightning bolts from his mouth like her did earlier. A little bit worried, Kiyo goes up the stairs and listens outside the door. Suzy is horrified, and Zatch is hurt.

King goes on about how much Kiyo isn't wanted at school, and this makes Zatch angry. Zatch says that Zatch had friends in middle school, but in high school, people got jealous of him and changed into cruel people. He said it was them who changed, not Kiyo. This speech hit Kiyo hard. Listening outside the door, he almost opened it.

When suddenly, out of the sky, a boy riding a board lands on top of King! It turns out this boy's name is Eido, and he also has a Mamodo named Hyde. Hyde can control wind. Eido goes over to Suzy and declares her his girlfriend. She refuses, and gets Eido mad. He starts thrusting wind out of his hand and knocks Zatch and Suzy back. Unable to take watching anymore, Kiyo bursts out and figures out that shouting "Zakur" can make Zatch use his power. He yells it and lightning explodes from Zatch's mouth, making Eido and Hyde flee.

And so, the adventure begins.

Zatch
A young Mamodo found in the neck of the woods by Kiyo's father. He is unusually optimistic, and will protect Kiyo no matter what happens. He is determined to help Kiyo make friends.

Kiyo
A genius who thinks school is a complete waste of time. For a 14th birthday present, he receives Zatch. He becomes Zatch's partner, and helps unleash his incredible lightning power. This helps him become a better person.

There are many other Mamodo-human counterparts, but the main ones have been listed.

.hack//sign- Despair- Episode #21

After a talk between Bear, Mimiru and Subaru, it seems that Tsukasa is once again missing. Subaru of course blames herself, but Bear trys to make the most of it. Subaru says she should try looking in the place where he took her, but it'll be difficult, since she only got there via Tsukasa's guidance.
For a moment, we see Tsukasa. His eyes are glassy, the teddy bear is knocked over, and the trees are almost gone.
Another meeting of the Sora group is taking place, and it seems that both groups are stuck. Sora is once again making fun of how scatter-brained Silver Knight is. When Silver Knight tries to say he knows more, Sora says "Did you know Tsukasa is a girl?" Silver Knight was wide-eyed when he found that Tsukasa in the real world is actually a girl, not a guy as he looks like in The World.
B.T., obviously doing some spying, starts talking to Subaru. B.T. is about to tell Subaru the secret of Tsukasa's gender, but Subaru says she'd rather find out about Tsukasa from Tsukasa, not anyone else.
Crim is alone on a server, fighting a huge monster. It is large, a reddish colour, and seems like it has been torn apart, but it's still moving. Crim is struggling with this monster. Even though he's dealing direct damage to the monster, it's not killing it. Crim finally concludes that this is one of the monsters that cannot be defeated.
Crim reports back to Bear's group and tells them about the undefeatable monster, and the group tries to find out what's causing such irregularites.
Back in Tsukasa's ex-haven, Tsukasa is just sitting there, destroying the teddy bear. Maha appears, and Tsukasa gives him a weird twig.
After a couple moments of pondering the situation, Bear's group goes over some evidence and decides that they have two objectives: One, to find the girl and Two, to defeat the undefeatable monster.
Sora, who's idea it was to steal their conclusions, found out about the undefeatable monsters, and decides to go hunting around. He kills two players when they know nothing about them.
Bear remembers the broken man from the upside-down dungeon, and thinks it would be best to visit him again. But since they have no idea how to get back to that place, they are a bit stuck. Bear thinks it would be best to contact Helba. But to find her, Bear uses Mimiru's finding strategy: using the message boards.
Maha takes the twig and goes through a portal into a large green space. The girl is floating upside down, and the voice talks to Maha. It says Maha shouldn't worry about Tsukasa, because he isn't needed anymore.
Bear makes a remark about how his plan went, as he is now face-to-face with Helba.

Anime #16- Full Moon Wo Sagashite

Introduction [Contains some Spoilers!]

Kouyama Mitsuki lost both parents at a very early age. She lived in an orphanage for a short while before finally moving in with her maternal grandmother, and austere woman who was never able to resolve her differences with her daughter and Mitsuki's mother, Hazuki. Mitsuki loves to sing, but for some reason, her grandmother forbids music in the house.

Not very long after, Mitsuki was diagnosed with throat cancer. With this, it prevented her from raising her voice too much, let alone sing too much. A very bishounen (handsome) doctor, Wakaouji-sensei, looked after her and even made house calls because her grandmother wanted her to stay in the house as much a possible. One day, Mitsuki was sitting in her room, depressed, because she passed the first stage of the new Seed Records artist audition but couldn't go to the second stage because her grandmother wouldn't let her out of the house --;.

Suddenly, two strange people popped out of Mitsuki's wall. One is a guy with cat ears, and the other is a girl with bunny ears. Both of them have wings. What's even more odd, is that they started talking with the sense of her not even being there. When she finally got their attention, they appeared freaked. Apparently, they weren't supposed to be seen. The two strange "people" introduced themselves as Takuto (the guy with cat ears) and Meroko (the girl with bunny ears). They are a shinigami team named Negi Ramen. Shinigami means gods of angels of death, while Negi Ramen bluntly translates to onion noodles xD. The hilarity of their team name outweighed their ominous sense of their shinigami nature, while Mitsuki laughs her head off.

When Mitsuki started playing with their weird ears (she stopped taking them seriously after the Negi Ramen thing), Takuto and Meroko explained they had to dress that way because they were on a pediatric's case. That immediately sobered things up. Takuto and Meroko then broke the news to Mitsuki, telling her she only had a year left of living. With renewed resolve, she dashed off to her audition, leaving Takuto and Meroko scrambling after her. She wanted to achieve her dreams of becoming a singer so her childhood sweetheart, Echi-Kun, could find her again. Mitsuki met Echi-Kun in the orphanage, but he was adopted and moved with his new parents to the U.S.

Takuto decided to help Mitsuki achieve her dreams of becoming a singer by transforming her into her 16-year-old self (auditions have age limits^^). Naturally, after the judges heard her sing, they immediatelyended the auditions and selected her as their next star. It was the start of Mitsuki's double life as a dutiful granddaughter and a rising star. Their general strategy involved having Meroko stay at home as Mitsuki, as she can change her appearance. Takuto goes with Mitsuki and her manager, Ooshige-san. Later in the anime, Takuto and Mitsuki let Wakaouji-sensei and Ooshige-san in on their secret. It was not long before Mitsuki had four people helping her achieve her dreams.

Full Moon wo Sagashite chronicled Mitsuki's rise to fame and how she dealt with various challenges along the way. Her professional obstacles involved doubts about her abilities and her envious rivals who would sabotage her career at every possible opportunity. At home, Mitsuki's relationship with her grandmother became even more strained, especially as she learned more about her parents. Her 12-year-old health went on a decline as the cancer spread more. Through it all, Mitsuki never lost faith that she would meet Eichi-kun again, but that too took a dark turn after she crossed the Pacific in search for him.

The story isn't just about Mitsuki, but also about Takuto and Meroko. They were mostly in the background when the story first started, but they soon became very important characters with their own issues. Meroko is so in love with Takuto that she had confessed to him about 57 times already xP. Takuto, however, has bigger problems. Soon he found himself falling in love with Mitsuki, and it bugged the hell out of him whenever she talked about Eichi-kun. Even worse, memories of when he was alive was returning to him, which had serious implications.

Characters [Contains Spoilers!]

Mitsuki is a 12-year-old girl with a strong passion for singing. Ever since she was a young girl, she has dreamt about becoming a famous singer. However, there are many obstacles that stand in her way. She is currently suffering from throat cancer, making it not only painful to sing, but fatal to her health. On top of that, she lives with her very strict grandmother, who would do almost anything in her power to prevent Mitsuki from leaving the house.
Becoming a singer is not only a dream for Mitsuki , but also a promise she made many years ago. When she was much younger, a dear friend of hers had left for America to pursue his dream to become an astronaut. Before he left, he told Mitsuki that he would find her again one day, him as an astronaut, and her as a singer. In order to fulfill this promise, Mitsuki is determined to sing. Even if it means death.
Mitsuki is a kind young girl with an innocent soul. Despite all the problems she must face, she is still able to continue smiling for the world. Although tis has become one of her draw backs, she is easily pushed around by loved ones, and often fails to find the energy to to fight for herself. She has the tendency to put other people's happiness before her own. She may be only 12-years-old, but Mitsuki is a very mature girl.

Takuto is one of the "Gods of Death" Mitsuki encounters in her room while plotting a plan to escape from her house. They are invisible to all humans, but for some reason, Mitsuki can see them. It was later discovered that the reason for this was because Mitsuki only had a year left of life. Takuto has the ability to change into the form of a stuffed toy cat.
Takuto is very empathic towards Mitsuki because in his past life, he too, was a singer. Throughout the course of this series, his empathy slowly turns into strong feelings, perhaps even into the extent of love. Despite his role, he does have a soft spot for Mitsuki, often helping her in times of need.

Meroko is Takuto's partner in the "Gods of Death". The two accompany each other on jobs. Meroko makes it well known that she cares very deeply for Takuto - whether he takes her fits of confession serious or not is another thing. She easily gets jealous when Takuto doesn't pay attention to her. She instantly sees Mitsuki as a threat to their "romance", yet she still helps Mitsuki become a singer. She has the ability to turn into a stuffed toy rabbit, which she becomes to assist Takuto on their jobs.

Eichi can be referred to as either Mitsuki's first love, or perhaps simply a close friend. I personally prefer the former. Eichi is the one who Mitsuki made her promise with. Little is known about him, except that Mitsuki cares deeply for him. She goes through extreme extents to ensure his happiness. Eichi has a deep interest in space, and hopes to become an astronaut one day. He currently resides in America, pursuing his dreams.

Wakaouji-sensei is Mitsuki's private doctor. He visits her house on a regular basis to make sure she isn't straining her voice too much. Unlike Mitsuki's grandmother, Wakaouji is very caring and understanding of Mitsuki's position and dreams. Most of the time, he is willing to do everything in his power to protect and make Mitsuki happy, however, the only thing he doesn't approve of her is her singing. He realizes that Mitsuki's singing will only make Mitsuki's cancer worse, therefore, he never accepts it. He is also a close family friend, particularly towards Mitsuki's father, Aoi. This is probably why he treats Mitsuki like his own daughter.

Mitsuki's Grandmother gives the impression of a very mean and stern person. She seems cold and unsympathetic towards Mitsuki's dreams and passion. She is constantly trying to prevent Mitsuki from being a singer, and would even go to the extent of locking Mitsuki into a room!
The truth is, Mitsuki's grandmother is very over protective. With Mitsuki as her only granddaughter, and perhaps only relative left, she wishes that Mitsuki lives a long life. With the knowledge that singing could actually shorten Mitsuki's life span, she will do everything in her power to keep Mitsuki alive. Unfortunately, Mitsuki doesn't always see her grandmother's actions from this angle.

Ooshige is Mitsuki's very cheerful and enthusiastic manager. She strives to her very best to get Mitsuki noticed under the spotlight. She loves working hard to ensure Mitsuki's success. She is your average "happy-go-lucky" sort of person. She cares for both Mitsuki and her singing career, doing her best to always assist Mitsuki in any way she can.