Phi Brain S2 – 23
…I guess Cubic is more of an orange juice kind of guy.
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Hello, and welcome to another week of…of…BAWWWWW only 2 more episodes and then Phi Brain is overrrr!!!!! *sobs incoherently* After a year of Phi Brain in my life, I don’t think I can survive without it now. I know all about withdrawal symptoms, and I’m going to be hit hard. Shaking. Hallucinations. Irritability. Lack of Sleep. Lowered Immune System. Mass puzzle-theme murdering sprees. But let’s put that aside for now and savour the derp of Phi Brain while it is still here. I’ll save curling up into a fetal position and clawing at the wallpaper for after the finale. :3 |
Jikukawa-senpai returns with some valuable info about Freecell’s mother, Silita. After breaking into her house and rummaging through all her things (I really hope this is the only house he broke into – abandoned or otherwise) he found her diary, which fully explains how the Orpheus Order came to be. It started off as a cult that had an ideal, but didn’t really try to force their own religion on other people. It was only once Klondike stepped in and suggested a more hands-on approach that they decided to revolve around fitting the world with Orpheus Rings. Interestingly enough, Klondike was never the original leader. He just joined and managed to convince everyone to listen to him instead. Right from the beginning it was all for his personal gain though. There’s no corruption we can blame on the Ring – he was just a bad apple right from the start.
The first batch of Replica Rings seemed to have very severe side effects. Silita suffered the usual emotional rollercoaster rides associated with the Ring, but my guess is that the reason she died was also because of the Ring. It’s been shown that these Rings deteriorate one’s health at an accelerated rate, so this could very well solve the issue of Freecell pondering over who killed his mom. It was probably that buggy prototype Ring! What we know for sure is that both of Freecell’s memories are actually correct. As a boy he was probably too naive to notice that his mom harboured feelings of ill will towards him, but the Ring gave him the power of hindsight to realize that she hated him. Perhaps black eyes are for the future and rainbow ones for the past? I think he really loved his mom as a boy, but the Ring let him see the truth of Silita’s hidden feelings so that he started to partially hate her now that he’s older. So Silita hates/loves Freecell and he hates/loves his mom. This is what Rings do to people…
Not only is the Ring notorious for warping emotions, but it’s got this odd little habit of telling the future for those who are true Phi Brain children. The “rainbow soup” eye has been replaced with a gaping black hole that sees into all eternity. Melancholy was scared of Freecell when he was in his normal state, so this terrifies her so much that she tries to rip off her Orpheus Ring. She never was attached to her Ring in the first place, unlike Klondike. However, the result is the same and both Klondike and Melancholy are effectively de-Ringed by Freecell’s overwhelming power. Pretty beast, eh?
The upgrade from rainbow to black must mean that Freecell has somehow gotten even stronger, and will be a huge obstacle for Kaito. In fact, I’m not sure how he’s going to win this if he runs to the puzzle as is. He never actually solved that big issue of not being able to reach Phi Brain mode any more. But he’s going to go to the puzzle anyways. Kaito never turns down a puzzle, and he’s surely going to follow Freecell all the way to a snowy mountain top in order to free him. This would be fine if Freecell didn’t mention that it was going to be a GOD’S PUZZLE which means…wait, what? What the hell does it mean?! We saw that the God Scroll was destroyed, meaning that the world is safe from imploding with knowledge.
Next time be more careful so megane-lovers like Pinochle can loot those rad shades!
A God’s Puzzle is just when two extremely talented Phi Brain children engage in a one on one Solver/Giver puzzle battle, like what Rook made for Kaito at the end of season 1. However, what does this achieve, and how is it any different from a normal puzzle battle between them? Is it just that crazy stuff happens when two really smart people try and outwit each other in a puzzle? God’s Puzzle sounds ominous the same way Darkbad does. It is just some words that are put together, but we don’t know what the hell that insinuates. If I’m getting this all wrong and there is some deep significance in their battle being a God’s Puzzle instead of a regular puzzle, then please enlighten me! I wish to know.
Oh, and Whist switched sides, but he’s a little snake anyways so whatever.
Diary Footnotes: Show ▼
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Final Thoughts
This week’s format is a little different from the puzzle-of-the-week schtick, introducing a battle of wits instead. The POG and Klondike have a battle of simply outsmarting one another and planning ahead in a more loose format where anything can happen. This isn’t a puzzle with rules, turns, and strict time limits. It’s a free-for-all. There were some genuinely good moments in their little cat and mouse game, but Phi Brain still accels more when it’s just showing puzzle battles. Some of the counters were predictable, such as Klondike having secret buttons that conveniently do everything he would ever need on his desk. It’s a wonder a trap door didn’t open and send Doubt and Pinochle falling into a pit, only after comically pumping their legs in the air while suspended in time like Wile E. Coyote.
However, something new was attempted, and I appreciate the attempt because it was at least partially entertaining even if there was no “FUCK YEAH” or “OH SHIT” moment to really hammer things home. I also found it hilarious that the main POG members were being focused on, yet they weren’t actually the ones doing the hacking. They kept asking Diceman how the hacking was going and he would just smile and hold up dice, like he thought that was actually how hacking worked.
Learning about Silita was great, although I found myself getting a bit bored. I honestly forgot about Freecell’s past, mostly because he’s now raging mad and has a glowing eye that sees the future. THE FUTURE! The closure was needed before the final face-off though, so I had to re-focus my mind away from psychic powers for a moment. Alright, BACK TO THOSE PSYCHIC POWERS! I love how they ditched he rainbow eye in favour of a black hole eye that peers into souls and makes them cower in fear. Melancholy’s reaction was priceless, and seeing one simple shot of Klondike lying there lifelessly like he was just mugged by 5 thugs was much more effective than if we had seen the entire puzzle. The whole scene with Freecell confronting those two was excellent, and (thankfully) marks Freecell as the main villain of the show.
Preview: …Somehow the previews are funnier than the actual show. Anyways, Freecell and Whist kidnap Nonoha to lure Kaito to their God Puzzle in the Himalayan mountain tops. Kaito broods during the plane ride and Nonoha has a long chat with Freecell, who is reunited with his old necklace. Whist looks suspicious as per usual. 2 episodes left! Stay tuned, Phi Bros!
Secret twist: this is actually Canada, and Freecell is luring Kaito there to get officially married
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: iLurker with 17 comments
Hahaha! I laughed so much when Cubic punched Jikugawa in the stomach as a means of welcoming him back XD. Jikugawa still has his unhealthy obsession with apples :P. When he pulled out the diary and said “Nikki”, I immediately thought “Mirai Nikki!” LOL XD.
Hmmmn so Freecell’s mother was also a Orpheus bracelet test subject. Interesting. Explains the love/hate relationship Freecell had with his mother.
You know, when Klondike and co. were in the elevators I was thinking “Couldn’t they have just taken the stairs and saved themselves all this trouble? Lazy gits :P”.
ROFL. Freecell and Hoist the butler are in it together and they totally kicked Klondike and Melancholy’s asses. Uhhh that sure was quick. Bye Klondike, we barely knew ya ;).
Freecell’s eye has turned into a funky purple colour (from one end of the colour spectrum to the other end LMAO). Next week, Kaito and Freecell begin their EPIC showdown in the Himalayas and I am forever laughing at the dramatic choice of location XD.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I didn’t find the scene that funny, but I’m glad Cubic is becoming such a feisty character. Hogging Kaito to himself and punching people when they leave him and all.
Yeah, they could have taken the stairs too! I guess that would have taken too long and Pinochle and Doubt would be able to corner them if they did that. But I swear they were closer to the bottom than the top, so they could have probably ran down the stairs…
The final puzzles are always in super dramatic places, heh. Himalayas is pretty out there though. Every now and then I remember they’re supposed to be in school too… =_=
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 37 comments
Yeah, it wasn’t until the point where Silita ran away that I was like OH ITS FREECELL’S MOM. I feel bad for Freecell, kind of, but also for his mother because its not like she hated him intentionally. And you know who else is feeling bad for them? NONOHA! She was brought to tears by Freecell’s tragic past! Her sympathy points are off the chart now! Oh noooo! I say ‘oh no’ but I’m actually not-so-secretly excited by this. Next episode the two of them get to have a nice chat again, and Freecell gets his necklace back. In the preview it kind of looked like he was fiddling with it- I always thought that because its made of several pieces, the pendant must be a puzzle of some sort. If so, what will happen when its solved? Hmmmm.
Also, there were several shots for next week’s ep that had Freecell looking confused, so although he’s become super powerful I still don’t think he’s the true ‘villain’ of the show. I’ll reserve that for Hoist, who’s been manipulating everyone from the start and is probably manipulating Freecell still. I wonder what he gains from this? Data for an even better replica ring? The secrets of the universe?
I’m not saying much about the actual episode, but you’ve covered most of everything I was thinking. POG hacking scene was clever but hilarious, and watching Freecell confront Klondike and Melancholy was just great. It was also nice that Doubt and Pinocle got a role, but I wonder what Mizerka’s up to? She kind of just disappeared, but in return we got Jikukawa back so… I don’t really care about him actually, he’s just a plot device to bring the gang info as far as I’m concerned. Which is why it was great to see Cubic punch him! We’ll probably get a ‘what’s everyone doing now?’ thing when the series ends. But I don’t want the series to end! Only two more episodes left oh god T.T
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
As soon as I saw the white hair and blue eyes I was like “OH MY GOD IS THAT…? IS IT…???” and when they zoomed in on the little bundle of joy in her arms, my thoughts were confirmed. I was surprised that Nonoha was the one crying over the story when Kaito is the one trying to save him o_o She really cares about Freecell now. She’ll probably have an important conversation with him next week. I think the necklace is some sort of puzzle too, but…I have no clue what’s inside it or what happens if it’s solved. Ahh..
I have no idea why Whist is involved in any of this. He’s not wearing an Orpheus Ring (as far as we know) and Freecell is just doing selfish things for his own desires. Maybe he’s interested in the God’s Puzzle. If he wanted the Final Ring, he’d have stayed with Klondike. The blueprints for that thing should still be somewhere.
Yeah, what’s Mizerka doing? I think they’re going to show her with Eve at the end of the series though. I hope they do, at least. :/
I don’t want this to end either! I’m going to miss this show…
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
I surprisingly loved the scene of Pinocle and Doubt running around the building with the POG helping them out. I wasn’t expecting them to win though. I thought Kaito would swoop in at the last second and puzzle-time Klondike. Only it ended up with Freecell with the new crazy eye version!
I’m sad that Phi Brain will be ending in the next two episodes but hopefully it will go out with a bang. I also wonder, with Nonoha being kidnapped and all, will she let her hair down next episode? Also will that necklace she’s been wearing come into play?
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I thought they would rescue Freecell, but not be quick enough to catch Klondike. Freecell just broke out on his own though XD Hmm, Kaito didn’t do anything this week, now that I think about it. No puzzle time for him.
I have no idea if she’ll ever let her hair down again. It would be nice for the finale, but that one scene might be all we get. The necklace from Freecell should be important next week, as she gives it back to him. Or at least…lets him hold it for a while. I’m just waiting for that thing to do something…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’m going to feel hollow inside when Phi Brain ends. Unbelievable that it’s going to be a year since we’ve first seen the anime. It’s going to be Shiki all over again with the anxiety of wanting more and the withdrawal. Maybe we’ll find a worthy replacement next season. I’ve already got my sights set on Jormungand season 2 and that show Robotics;Notes.
What was different about this episode was that Kaito got little screen time, there weren’t any puzzles being solved, the Orpheus Rings do more than just increase your intelligence (The illusions and powering up that would make you think they’re Super Saiyans) and you can actually feel murderous intent throughout the characters. Particularly in Freecell. It almost felt like Yu-Gi-Oh!
As Silita was the first test subject for the Replica Rings, it’s possible she died because her body gave out from all the side effects that have now become known to everyone. It’s just that she wasn’t lucky because there was no information beforehand. Klondike probably tracked her down and used her misery from the Ring as data to further his project. The theory is plausible considering Melancholy and the Orpheus Order members were there at the academy that Freecell and Kaito first met each other
Klondike getting overpowered in an apparently brutal way. Boy, did he have it coming to him. There definitely should be punishment for so much greed and evil. Freecell, who seems to be suddenly running on dark power, scaring Melancholy into a manic state was the ultimate slap to the face for her bratty bitchiness. OC, I don’t know if you were predicting the future but what you said a couple of episodes back came true. Melancholy got a glorious mental breakdown. Very satisfying.
What I didn’t see coming was the butler’s betrayal. I thought he was purely on Klondike’s side. You just can’t trust anyone these days.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Phi Brain was such a special show…D: I remember being really sad when Shiki ended as well because it was my favourite show to blog. Phi Brain ranks pretty high up there too. I’ll save talking about the next season for our Fall Review (yes, it’s coming! Eventually!)
So you think the Ring hastened Silita’s death too? I really don’t trust those Rings, because they seem to do a ton of bad stuff with only one benefit. It’s a terrible trade-off. Anyways, I guess Klondike used people from around the Crossfield Academy as test subjects and then started recruiting students there. I wonder why he chose teens (and a little girl!) to test his stuff on, aside from them being smart.
Haha, I don’t even remember saying that Melancholy would have a mental breakdown. That’s how unimpressive my future-predicting skills are XD It was a very cool turn of events though. It made me aware of precisely how powerful Freecell was with his new powers if it could make Melancholy freak out and Klondike suffer a punishing loss.
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 60 comments
He should have known his mother didn’t love him simply by being named Freecell. Who names their child Freecell? -.-
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
LOL It could be worse, though. He could…um…Actually, no, Freecell is a pretty horrendous name.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 47 comments
Yeees, perfectly fitting exit for Klondike and Melancholy 😀
But, are they dead? Or they’re gonna become like Jin? :/
In any case, we’re off to final arc of Phi Brain~
As much as exciting that is, it’s very sad at the same time 🙁 Withdrawal from anime is the worst D:
It’s good that we got to know full background of Orpheus Order and learned the truth about Freecell’s mom at the same time. Just in time to clear up the stage for final battle and conclude this series :/ (unfortunately for us T___T)
I’m very interested of the reason why is Hoist working with Freecel. At the end of the episode with Gusha puzzle training where they met up in the forest, Freecell mentioned the future they both envisioned. I wonder what is it :O
I heard there was going to be re-broadcast of 1st season on the channel this was aired on, so i don’t think there will be 3rd season. At least not this fall :/ maybe winter? Or spring? It would be awesome if third season would air too on my birthday, like this one xDDD
Aaah, I see you also blogged Shiki! 😀 Now I get all references Black Briar makes about it xD Great series! Too bad I couldn’t follow it with you guys~ xP
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 47 comments
I’m not so sure about rebroadcast thing through, my japanese sucks so I could be wrong ^__^;
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Naw, they’re not dead. Their Rings just broke off, and everyone temporarily falls unconscious whenever that happens. When they wake up, they should be fine. Jin only became like that because of a God’s Puzzle, I believe.
I have no idea what Whist is up to. Either he cares about Freecell and is being loyal, or he has his own objective that he will reveal when the time is ripe. He might just want to see this God’s Puzzle.
Ahh, no more seasons? Well, it had to end some time…D: Yeah, I also blogged Shiki here! It was the first thing I ever blogged for Metanorn (along with highschool of the dead). A great deal of my conversations with BB inevitably derail to talking about Shiki. ^^;
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Ah, so you were Fresh Meat when I first came along commenting here. That meant I was one of your first captives. “shivers”
Unfortunately, it did end and none of us wanted it to. It was simply too awesome.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Because it seemed very appropriate to talk about that anime with one of Metanorn’s sadists (The second one being your imouto Karakuri). Especially the psychological aspect of all characters involved. After two years since it first started airing and I’m still in awe of that show.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 47 comments
Shiki really is amazing! 😀 I love all about it! From uncharacteristically bright animation and style (without which you just can’t imagine it without by the end) to the psychology of every character, both main and supportive. Shiki really is a gold 😀
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Talking about the character’s fragile state of mind under all that despair was the best part of the show. That’s what really reeled in all the sadists. It is the best show of 2010. I even unloaded a lot of my thoughts on the subject on OC’s lastest Playing Doctor post.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 47 comments
Hope so :/ Don’t really care about that old fart, but it would be shame for Melancholy. If you take out the bithiness that’s probably caused by ring, she doesn’t really have evil intentions, she just wanted to play~ xD
If Jin ended up like that because of God Puzzle- and Kaito and Freecel are gonna have their showdown at God’s Puzzle too- there could be some serious problems for the looser O___O
We don’t know enough about that God’s puzzle thingie >__> And we should! This is Phi Brain- frikin’ Kami no PUzzle. Or that will end up being some sort of Metaphor for life and shizz like that….Much like how question of Nonoha’s hair is becoming -_____- Which I wouldn’t mind in the end through.
Sorry for rambling on xD