Zetsuen no Tempest – 14
…Silly me.
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I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve taken to otome gaming through GREE and it’s killing me. I’m refusing to spend money on it and it’s making it extremely time consuming (aka 2 months and ongoing) to get through one route, let alone 6 with separate story events on the side too. OTL Anyways, Tempest. After the half episode we had last time, I’m looking forward to seeing where the story will go from here. |
Mahiro was the only one who even half listened to what Samon had to say during that long stand off in front of the Tree of Exodus, so I guess it makes sense that the two would team up. I guess I didn’t expect Evangeline in there too though. So I guess technically everyone is (kind of) on Hakaze’s side at the moment? It’s a bit of a shaky alliance, but now that Hakaze isn’t so sure over her control of Genesis, that does put her closer to Samon. I’m sure Evangeline and Takumi are there to figure out a way to deal with Genesis too. I was half expecting the truth about Yoshino’s betrayal with Mahiro on the mountain to come up in conversation since Takumi admitted to seeing him there, but luckily for Yoshino, it didn’t. I’m sure it will catch up with him eventually, but imagine how glorious it would be if Yoshino avoided that too. He very well might since according to Samon, he seems to have escaped the world’s logic a bit.
Yes, his character was kind of hard to place before, but now it seems like even the Tree of Genesis is having a hard time keeping track of Yoshino. I don’t think he’s quite the Mage of Exodus though, since Hakaze doesn’t feel uneasy at all around him, unlike Hanemura. Samon’s explanation as to how and why he defies logic was a bit hard for me to grasp, but from what I understood, he wasn’t actually needed in the entire first half of the anime, so his presence there created a contradiction somewhere and he’s now standing somewhere a bit outside of logic. Hey, maybe this is why the Tree tried to kill him off once he had served his purpose. He was (and technically still is) a dangerous existence. Though with that logic, there’s the question as to ‘why Mahiro too’? Though that might be because he would definitely blame Hakaze for Yoshino’s death since it was the Tree that technically killed him and so he would be a threat to Hakaze (maybe. Ignoring the fact that his powers technically all came from her and I don’t think a gun could have stopped her if she can regrow limbs in the blink of an eye). Either way, he’s certainly moved up to a guy who joined this adventure for seemingly no real reason.
Hakaze’s crush on Yoshino is adorable. Of course, he still has his Aika issues to work out, but it’s cute that she relies on him and tells him her worries. …Unfortunately, I can’t see this ending well. She definitely fell for the wrong guy considering that not only does Yoshino still have a thing for Aika, but nobody really knows about it (including Hakaze). I can’t see Hakaze flying into a jealous rage or anything (unlike whatever Mahiro is inevitably going to do), but since Hakaze pretty much controls the world and all, her emotions might effect things negatively. Normally, I can’t see anyone being a problem, since Hakaze is pretty independent. However, the episode even pointed out that Yoshino is a manipulative guy who’s not really afraid to use anything or anyone even if he doesn’t realize it. If he had the volatile Mahiro wrapped around his finger, I don’t think Hakaze is going to be a problem. If the world revolved around Aika the first half of Zetsuen, then the second half seems to have placed Yoshino in importance.
Okay, let’s stop talking about Yoshino now and move on to how badass Hakaze is.
Seriously. Between singlehandedly stopping the Tree from fully recovering and that fight between her and Hanemura, there seems to be no end to how awesome she is. Though even with all of her awesomeness, the Tree seems to be outside of her expectations. Genesis seems to have taken complete control over the world in a matter of days and even though things have settled down, I guess it’s a bit frightening that it’s still somewhat dormant, but still able to change so much of the world. It even seems to have revived even without Hakaze’s ‘okay’, which might be what’s throwing her off the most and I’m sure she feels responsible for the large percentage of the population that died in it’s revival.
Either that, or she’s afraid of the fact that the Tree absorbing people looks like a terrible, heavily-censored hentai. I imagine that would scare anyone.
Though at least she seems to have a better handle on her life than Hanemura at the moment.
Well, we got an explanation on how Hanemura acquired and figured out how to handle his powers. I’m satisfied with that. As for his character, well… let’s just say that he’s still the perfect Kaji Yuki character. He definitely has the potential to be a badass like Hakaze, but something is definitely holding him back. I don’t think it would be a problem at all for Samon to get him under their control since he seems straightforward, unlike the main characters. Though there’s always the possibility that he was the one who killed Aika… which I am extremely doubtful of since he freaked out cutting Hakaze’s arm off. On the other hand though, Kaji Yuki characters always seem to have a moment where they’re not so pathetic anymore so maybe they can change him into a better character? …Yes, I’m totally basing assumptions on Kaji’s past roles. From the OP, Mahiro seems to be training Hanemura, so there’s something. The question remains though as to what they’re training him for and what that means for Genesis, which we don’t even know if they want around or not anymore.
One a last note, the new OP isn’t quite the full English song like Spirit Inspiration that I wanted (which is a shame since Kylee grew up in the States and it would have been totally doable), but it’s not a bad song and I’m quite fond of the new visuals. Yes, it’s putting a ton of focus on Aika, but I like Mahiro nonchalantly fighting Hanemura with his hands in his pockets (…and wearing a bright purple tracksuit). The recycled animation actually has some relevance too, since the vision of Aika on the cliff in (presumably) summer shifts to Hakaze in winter. It’s like the story’s saying that it’s moving from past to present.
Well, the new arc has started and it’s a bit unclear as to where the characters stand in relation to each other and what they want to do in the situation. …Of course, Samon has made his intentions totally clear. I don’t know about Mahiro killing Yoshino yet since he kind of just laughed the suggestion off, but it’s heartwarming that he’s teaming up with Samon to protect Yoshino from the background… though he still doesn’t know about Aika. Everyone else is either keeping it to themselves or they seem unsure. Junichiro was notably absent from the episode as well. I assume he’s alive since he appears in the OP (plus he’s in the episode preview), but I wonder how the rest of the clan (you know, the people chanting with the chains and hoods during the entirety of the first arc) faired since the Tree seemed to cause a cave-in around them. Anyways, it’s still kind of difficult seeing where the storyline is going, even though it is moving places. Like always, Tempest leaves me looking forward to the next episode.
…I really don’t know how I feel about Mahiro’s outfit here.
About Karakuri
University student and the one at Metanorn who's known for wearing glasses. Likes blood, insanity and plot twists, but also plays otome games and adores cute romance anime. It balances out... somehow.
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
If you don’t mind me posting an extract from the manga regarding Yoshino’s betrayal on the mountain top and Mahiro finding or not finding out about it?
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POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Whoa, I wonder why they cut that part out. They should have kept that in since it shows that Mahiro took Aika’s advice about Yoshino to heart. Plus it seems like the anime has been dumbing Mahiro down a small bit since they make it seem like he doesn’t always realize these things… Oh well, thanks for the insight!
(Oh and congrats on the first comment, hope to see you around more in the future~)
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The contract has been signed and Karakuri has another soul in her collection. How many is that now?
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Er, not a clue? I haven’t been keeping track, to be honest xD
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
If I had a different mindset, I’d say that those are the words of a sadist who’s claimed so many victims that it’s no big deal to them how big the number is. Yet I’m not really that frightened by it (I hope that doesn’t make me an “M”. LOL).
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
LOL I like that sadist interpretation. Let’s go with that xD
Ahahaha I’d say you’re still safe from “M” territory. Besides, if you were frightened, I imagine it would be difficult having conversation here xD
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
Actually ive read all your reviews about Zetsuen 😀 i just never commented on em :/ but now i will 😀 and yaayy first comment 😀 and your welcome!
i agree Mahiro needs to look a little smart too :/ if only it wasnt for that extra recap ep they wouldnt have had to fill so much up in ep 14 and have to cut out important scenes 🙁
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Two new souls on the same post. Kara is going to have a field day with this. Welcome, newbie.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Seems like you’re having more fun with it than Karakuri is. 🙂
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hmm, I didn’t think of it that way. Maybe I am. 🙂
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
BB wants more 吸血鬼 (kyuuketsuki) understudies. He won’t get me, tho!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Oh, BB, speaking of kyuuketsuki, I was wondering if you’d ever watched Fortune Arterial? (lol, I went back to the Meta Fall 2010 preview, that show sure didn’t get a lot of love… “ewwww, Harem”)
I dunno if it would offend your vampire-style sensibilities, but I found it interesting enough to watch, although a bit unsatisfying at the end. But if you’re interested in high school shows, harem shows, and vampire shows, it’s a good enough intersection of the three.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
@Highway: I don’t know how you found out about my ambition but I applaud your detective skills. Who blew my secret?
Pfft, really? Is that so? I accept your challenge, sir. I’ll just add you to the list under Karakuri and Overcooled. Get the sadists first then spreading the influence will be like child’s play. Muhahaha!! I already suggested Trinity Blood to Kara some time ago.
Fortune Arterial? Been there, done that and I still have the downloaded episodes on my external hard drive. Definitely deserved some love. It was one of the three vampire animes of 2010 that played alongside Dance in the Vampire Bund (Winter) and Shiki (Summer) while it aired in the Fall season.
I go for anything that so much as hints at the vampire genre, anime, movies and manga alike and because of that, I gave it a shot. I liked the anime despite it being mostly in the school life genre and the characters were exceptional. The second half was better because Erika started losing herself to her bloodlust. The best one was episode 10. The ending was unsatisfying but a cliffhanger because there’s an OVA to go with it.
If you’re still interested, read the manga. The story’s longer and there’s a lot more depth to it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, I actually liked Fortune Arterial until the very end, with that wuss out, non-committal “You can’t take her away from her friends!” Heck, the first half I was wondering if it was even an actual harem show, because it looked like it was all Erika and Kouhei (I commented to some other people that it was more a railroad than a route). It felt more railroaded than the first half of Mashiroiro Symphony, even.
The OVA was pretty good, actually, for a non-committing after-the-series OVA.
That whole series was definitely better than Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi. I watched the first two episodes of that and said “yeah, naaaaaah”.
As for other vampire shows, nah, not really interested. 🙂 The one in Princess Resurrection OVA was cute, tho.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
@BB
I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m still not done Trinity Blood OTL@Highway LOL I just looked up the old preview and I guess Metanorn was very anti-harem at the time xD to tell you the truth, I was too (Shuffle! ruined them for me) until I blogged UtaPri and realized at the time that I knew enough Japanese to actually play otome games with
a tonsome help from a dictionary. Now I see their appeal xDPOWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
@Karakuri: But you’re enjoying it so far, right? Best two shipping couples: Abel Nightroad x Astharoshe Asran; Ion Fortuna x Esther Blanchett.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
@BB I stopped around the time the church was destroyed and killed that one black haired woman, so I haven’t even gotten to Ion or Astharothe. …You know, now that you mention it, I might as well go finish the series right now. I had completely forgotten about it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
xD I always forget that people other than the ones that comment read these… But yeah, welcome to the group of people that comment!
Oh? Did they cut out even more than the Mahiro part? But yeah, if I didn’t think Mahiro was great for deciding to defend Yoshino, he’s definitely great for doing that AND putting up with Yoshino’s habit of betraying him.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I pretty much took that for granted. It seemed like it’s just part of who those two are. They do their own things, team up when convenient, don’t tell each other stuff, keep secrets. The thing I’m most amazed at is that Mahiro didn’t ever figure out that Yoshino was Aika’s boyfriend. But I guess with Aika seeming to trash him (with the truth) every other sentence, he might have gotten thrown off the trail.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I think part of Mahiro not figuring it out might be some really deep denial about the whole thing too. Why would Yoshino know who Aika’s boyfriend is? Mahiro knows that Yoshino doesn’t
have friendsreally interact with others, so it couldn’t be that someone told him. With Aika’s hints, and the fact that Yoshino has an unknown girlfriend, it should be one of the first conclusions is that it was Yoshino himself. Mahiro seems to brush this possibility off completely though.POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think it’s believable to Mahiro that Yoshino would know who Aika’s boyfriend was, because Yoshino has a proven aptitude for digging up information. Mahiro demonstrably does better with making connections with the information, but Yoshino’s usually the one providing it.
Mahiro was probably thrown off because even after Aika’s death, Yoshino continued to seem to interact with his girlfriend. So if Mahiro believes that he’s texting her, which is what he seems to be doing, then he’s not going to think it’s his dead sister.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I guess the cell phone would throw him off, but I still think that theres some denial in there.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Eventually, that cover is going to fade away. I’m surprised it’s still effective after so much time and that Mahiro hasn’t let his curiosity get the better of him.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
The relationship between Yoshino and Mahiro is almost the opposite from the ones in Haganai. In Haganai, they’re friends who won’t admit it, but everyone can see that they are. In Tempest, everyone thinks they’re friends, but both Mahiro and Yoshino understand that they’re just two people who work well together sometimes. Neither of them is really of a type that makes friends; it’s hard to even think of Aika and Yoshino being ‘friends’, as their romance had much more of a fittingly Shakespearean feel of a tryst. The only ones who actually seem to understand this relationship are Mahiro, Yoshino, Aika, and now Hakaze.
I think Samon’s argument about Yoshino being redundant only applied after Mahiro and Yoshino got to the Tree and raised Hakaze’s spirits. That’s when the Tree tried to kill him. That he continues to live is the confounding factor.
I’m actually really interested in how this story will go, because it doesn’t have a ‘bad guy’. It’s a lot like Rinne no Lagrange in that aspect (the majority of the way through, there wasn’t a bad guy, and it felt like they just tacked that onto Moid at the end). There are different ideas, there are different plans, but everyone is working, really, for the same goal.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Yeah, I know I complained back during the childhood ‘friend’ episode that they weren’t close enough, but now I really like the ambiguous relationships Mahiro and Yoshino have here. They’re closer than acquaintances, but definitely not friends. That goes for the other character too since nobody is really explicitly biased towards anyone’s side, they all do what works best for themselves.
Wouldn’t that apply to Mahiro too in that case? I rewatched the episode and Samon directly said that only Mahiro was needed to revive Hakaze. Apparently even if Yoshino hadn’t been there, Mahiro would have found a way (whether he knew it or not) to tip Hakaze off about her ability to move through time. Either that or he would have set off the talisman, forcing Samon to bring her back. Yoshino’s presence there was what made Hakaze question the Genesis, therefore, he is an anomaly. …I don’t know how Samon came to this conclusion exactly, but those were his words.
Ahahaha Moid’s plan did feel rather last minute in Rinne. Yeah, that was the interesting part back with Samon reviving Genesis for the good of the world, so I’m glad that they’re continuing on with that theme. They all want a stable world, but everyone has a different idea on how to go about that.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Perhaps it was that it was only Mahiro. But I think it would have been more difficult for Mahiro to get there without Yoshino.
For what it’s worth, I think Samon’s got some horrible logic trying to prove that Yoshino is the Mage of Exodus. I think it’s far more likely that Hanemura is the true Mage of Exodus. What Yoshino is, exactly, I don’t know. Maybe he’s something like Junichi, someone who is outside of the ‘normal’.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Oh definitely. Hakaze’s revival was definitely made easier by the fact that Yoshino was there.
Ahaha true enough. Samon seems to look and act more reliable then he actually is. Hanamura is certainly looking like he’s set up to be the Mage of Exodus. Not only the fact that he has the magic for it, but his character is almost the exact opposite of Hakaze’s. Plus, Hakaze said that he doesn’t have the soul of Exodus since he isn’t causing chaos, so he’s already an unusual advocate of that Tree. Yeah, I imagine that Yoshino is something like Junichi. He’s made himself a pretty powerful figure in the fate of the world.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Zetsuen sure has a reputation for twists and turns. Yoshino and Hakaze make a good couple but he’s hung on Aika. It’s amazing how a dead girl can have such an impact. And Hakaze is too overconfident. What if she couldn’t regrow her limbs.
I don’t trust Samon. First, he does everything in his power to get rid of Hakaze and revive the Tree of Exodus and now he’s acting like he’s concerned for her safety and branding Yoshino as the bad guy. The guy is working an angle.
As for Yoshino, he’s probably not the Mage of Exodus but he is different. Not to mention he has a habit of keeping secrets. I’m thinking he may be a different Mage. Hanemura is weaker than I thought which is a disappointment. Was hoping for him to have a little combat experience but it proved to be asking too much.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 22 comments
The only reason Samon betrayed Hakaze was due to him strongly disagreeing with her opinions to the point he feared she would endanger the world. However, Hakaze now agrees with his opinions so he is allied with her again.
As for his present concern, he is more afraid that Yoshino may endanger the world (in case he is a Mage of Exodux… lets remember, Samon only wanted to use Exodus a bit, not side with it: he still honors Tree of Genesis) by manipulating Hakaze than for Hakaze’s safety.
All in all, Samon is just a guy who wants to save the world but horny teenagers make it all complicated XD
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think Hakaze was tremendously surprised at what did happen with the Tree of Genesis, to the point where she is questioning her opinion before. But it’s also one of those things that hindsight is 20/20: The Tree of Genesis brutally counterattacked and was as bad as Samon feared.
But perhaps Samon was wrong, and reviving the Tree of Exodus is what elicited such a vicious overreaction from the Tree of Genesis. If his faction hadn’t forced the issue, perhaps the Tree of Genesis would have been more benevolent.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Well considering the fact that she’s supposed to have 100% unfailing faith in the Tree, I would consider her surprised. I wonder what might have happened if Samon didn’t touch Exodus. …But I guess we won’t know, unless they do a ‘what if’ scenario in the anime.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I don’t think she’s supposed to have complete faith in the Tree of Genesis. Didn’t she say before that part of her responsibility as the Mage of Genesis was supposed to be a final decision about whether the Tree of Genesis should revive, implying that she has veto power over the Tree itself?
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Oh, right. I had forgotten that in Samon’s speech about Yoshino throwing things off. At the very least though, she’s surprised enough about the results that she doesn’t know if she should revive it fully or not (which isn’t supposed to happen).
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Yep, Aika continues to have a huge impact on the storyline. I think Hakaze has a firm grasp on her abilities, so she knew she could regrow limbs even before the fight started. I don’t think she would have even given Hanemura the chance to do that if she wasn’t 100% sure she could deal with it.
There’s no real proof that Yoshino didn’t have magic when he reunited with Mahiro, so you could be right. I just don’t think he’s the Mage of Exodus since Hakaze didn’t sense anything about him when they met in person. Though Hakaze knows all of her Mages and she can sense Exodus, so what other kind of mage is there?
I was actually impressed by the fact that Hanemura did actually manage to cut off Hakaze’s arm when he got serious. I’m thinking that there might not be such a big gap between them as the fight might have suggested. Hanemura was just scared by the fact that he hurt Hakaze and threw the fight. Plus Hakaze doesn’t pull her punches, making him look even weaker.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
A question that comes up: Will Yoshino tell Hakaze that he was Aika’s boyfriend? Or will it all be revealed to everyone at the big showdown (which I presume will be coming).
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I think the truth will be revealed at a moment that he has no choice but to say it. Yoshino doesn’t look the type to willingly say what’s on his mind otherwise he wouldn’t be so quiet.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Well Mahiro seemed pretty damn intent on figuring out who Aika’s boyfriend is. In his dream about the state of the world, his main concern seemed to be shaking an answer out of child Yoshino. Unless there’s something huge going on to distract him, I’m sure the question will come up the next time the two meet.
POWUH: 400-499 with 489 comments
I didn’t think you could regrow a limb… I also didn’t say that
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
With biased magic on your side, anything is possible.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Is it even possible for Hakaze to lose? I mean, logic seems to side with her no matter what. I assume she could twist that into whatever she wanted, as long as it was within reason.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The Tree of Genesis is the dominant organism on logic. As long as it stands, Hakaze has access to almost unlimited power and it can’t be fully revived without her approval. So in a way, it’s bias.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Of course Hakaze could regrow her limbs. I should have known that from the start. OTL
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
You don’t start to consider things being possible until the moment it happens right in front of you.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Darn you, Spammy, for eating my comment. I put a decent amount of time and thought into it. Give it back!!
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I assume someone saved it already…? I don’t see it in there. In other news, I think this is the most comments I’ve ever had on a Tempest post xD
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yeah, it came back a while after I submitted it.
Congratulations!! The number is high, no doubt about it.