Posts in Erementar Gerad Category
May 25, 2005
The gang lands at a town to do repairs on their ship, and while there, Coud and Ren meet another Adilraid, Serena. She's on the run from an Adilraid hunter, Wolks (pronounced "Volks") and his chibikko Adilraid, Tilel. Serena was originally in the custody of Arc Aile, but ran away to reunite with her Pleasure (reaction partner), Alex. She hardbors a hatred for Arc Aile for taking her away from Alex, but something worse lies in store... Adilraids live longer than humans, so when she finally arrives at the town she used to live in many years before, she finds out that Alex died the year before. After the others arrive as Coud fights Wolks, Wolks and Tilel leave. He says that he and Arc Aile are pretty much the same: only using Adilraids as things -- see his treatment of Tilel and Arc Aile's treatment of Serena -- not thinking about how they feel or anything...
I'm not sure exactly what to say here. On its own, this episode was decent enough as a sob story, I suppose, but... I dunno what it is with Xebec recently, but they seem to not respect the original works of the anime they're working on at all (^^;;) They completely disregarded the original setting of Wolks and Tilel's story from the manga. Serena's story this time was an anime original, and while I can somewhat understand why they mixed Wolks and Tilel in, it really wasn't necessary. I'm hoping we'll see more of Wolks and Tilel later -- hoping that they'll show a bit more of Tilel's kawainess and show Wolks' change of heart torwards Tilel after going mano a mano with Cisqua. And... more SD Ren (like this or this), please ;)
A guy, Greyarts, who has an adilraid, boards an air pirate ship, looking for Coud and the Shichijihouju, but he and Ren aren't there, of course. So he takes out everyone on board and the plane crashes... right where Coud and the gang are. Coud, wonderous mechanic that he is, gets to work repairing the engine so they can get to the Edil Garden just a bit faster -- it's pretty far away, on another yet unmapped continent. Coud and Rowen manage to get the plane fixed, so it's off -- with Cisqua piloting, of course, not Coud. However, Greyarts and his adilraid scouted out Rowen and Kuea earlier and now board the plane -- he gets there by skysurfing. Why has skysurfing gotten so popular in anime recently? ;) He somehow mistakes Rowen as Coud, so Rowen plays along and they fight it out inside, then outside the plane with some pretty strong attacks. When Rowen seems to be cornered he asks who the guy works for -- an organization called the "Chaos Choir" (corrected to kaosu kuwaia). After getting that piece of info, Rowen tells that he's not Coud, and the fight continues. Coud and Ren eventually join, but Rowen and Kuea are the ones that finally get rid of Grayerth... and in the process the plane loses its tail and crashes. Oops ;)... It seems the higher-ups weren't pleased with his failure, so Grayerth is disposed of...
Continuing the flashbacks in recent episodes, this time we got a look back at Rowen. He was a perfect student, perfect in every way, but... seeking nothing but perfection does have its faults, as the man teaching him explains. You have to have the determination to follow through even if you aren't perfect at first.
...I could learn from that sage advice a bit, hehe (^^;;) Anyways... past episode or two have been so-so for me -- I'm kinda wanting things to get more back on track with the manga -- but so long as I can see some Ren cuteness (especially SD cuteness) every week I can put up with it, at the least ;) Next time we finally introduce the guy with the giant hammer and his chibikko adilraid that's in the op. And they seem to have completely ignored the setting of the manga... Does that mean no silly onsen antics? ;)
Coud continues his tough training under Cisqua -- doing many push-ups with Ren on his back being part of it ;) After having enough of that, Coud and Ren train with Rowen and Kuea, using a device that gives both Coud and Ren a shock when Coud uses wastes energy. Cisqua doesn't appreciate Coud skipping her training, but she's got an idea to make him shape up -- she hires come ruffians to give Coud some opponents to fight. However, a few of those crazy ninjas from the first episode come and run Coud and the others out of the place they were staying. They seem to be in a pinch since Coud can't do anything since he's still got that shocking device on, but once he and Ren start working together they unleash another new powerful attack and take the ninjas out.
Some bits and pieces of Kuea's past were also scattered around in this episode, though not revealing all that much. Whose grave was it that she was standing at in the rain? Ren was especially cute this time (and so was Cisqua in places) so that was plenty enough to make another decent original episode. Wonder if they'll be getting back on track with the manga and going to the onsen soon.. ;)
The group splits up to search for a town, with Rowan and Kuea going one way, and Coud, Ren, and Cisqua going the other. Coud's group runs into one of Coud's old friends, Digu, a guy that used to be on the same airship as he. They try to take Ren, but that's quickly taken care of by Cisqua. Coud, seeing that, wants to become stronger to be able to protect Ren, and asks her to train him. It hurts just a bit for him ;) However, Digu is back again later, now part of a couple of Stingraids who reacted with him to form a giant spider. A few mysterious characters seen earlier seemed to be the ones who ordered those Stingraids to go after Ren... Coud reacts with Ren and takes them out...
A couple of scenes from Cisqua's past were shown this time. First, when she was still a kid where Airc Aile keeps all the Adilraids they're protecting. A ball rolls over to where Cisqua is, and one of the Adilraid girls comes to get it.. Cisqua says she'll protect them... And in the next flashback, Cisqua's older and is going to react with that same girl we saw earlier. However, Cisqua decides not to do it, saying she doesn't want to treat the Adilraid as just weapons and that she can carry out her mission with her gun and her strength. But that girl cries... So, why did that girl cry when Cisqua said she wouldn't react with her? Cisqua doesn't understand, so she hopes that by watching Coud and Ren she'll find an answer.
For an anime original episode this wasn't bad. Original stuff is fine just like this, so long as they don't mess with the characters' personalities (so long as Coud doesn't turn into an idiot again...). And finally, finally! The staff was nice enough to show us some kawaii SD Ren. More, please :) Next time's another original ep, seemingly focusing on Kuea..
No need for worry out there since Ren's offer to react with Bizon was all an act so she could use her power to stun him and get away. However, even after hearing that, Coud still thinks about what she said about him not being able to use her powers to their fullest. The next time Coud and Ren try to react, it fails because of that doubt Coud has. After the fight with those monsters, they find Paal, seemingly on their side now, offering to show them the way out, but... yup, it's a trap, and Coud has to fight Bizon once again. However, this time Coud and Ren work together to draw out Ren's true power and blow him away.
And so Coud and Ren's journey begins... It'd be nice if the backgrounds for that journey would get better so they weren't so noticibly bland as they were this episode and previously.
Putting that aside, on quite a few Japanese blogs (See Moon Phase to get an idea) I've been reading there have been complaints of the anime not being very faithful to the manga (earning comparisons with Jinki:Extend since the same person is working on Erementar Gerad), so I've been reading the manga to see for myself. It would seem the writers are doing a good bit of picking and choosing what they want from the original work to be used in the anime, as is usually the case with the jump from manga to anime. Perhaps they are taking it a bit too far with changing things, and most annoying to me, making Coud into an idiot :P I will say if they had stuck with the setting in the manga it would have been better, so hopefully they'll do a better job of making the anime a bit more faithful to the manga from now on (they could learn a bit from the Mahoraba writers, who've done an excellent job with that).
Despite those complaints, I have enjoyed things well enough so far so I'll keep on watching. I've got to have my weekly dose of Cisqua (Mizuki Nana!) SD hijinks, anyways :)
Almost had this finished a bit ago but browser decided to crash so I'm going to have to write it all over again :P Took a quick glance at the manga (haven't really read it yet)... the correct spelling for Cisqua's group is Arc Aile... and where's SD Ren in the anime? ;)
「どうした？」いうんじゃねぇ、バカ！！ヽ（`Д´）ノ
Don't say "What's wrong with her?", you idiot!
Excuse my low tolerance for characters like Coud who act like idiots ;) Actually, in the manga he didn't say anything like what he said in the anime to Ren...
Coud still doesn't understand that what he said hurt Ren's feelings, so he goes to Ren to talk.. but she's gone.. So it was a setup.. but the people who let Coud and the rest stay didn't have a choice since Bizon, the guy in charge of the village, told everyone to report if Arc Aile showed up. So Coud hastily runs off to Bizon's castle, and after avoiding the many traps finds himself very much lost... He runs into Cisqua, Kuea, and Rowan, and after the usual hijinks, takes their Adilraid radar and goes to save Ren by himself. He gets there first, but Cisqua's not far behind and kinda misinterprets what she sees (love the reaction) ;)
However, they don't make it out before ecountering Bizon and his Adilraid, Baal -- who's actually different than Ren and Kuea since she's a type called a Stingreid. Unlike those two, a Stingreid's Erementar Gerad -- that stone that's the proof of being an Adilraid -- is artificially made and implanted into a human woman, who then gains all the powers of an Adilraid. Ren gets captured by Bizon yet again, and after Coud gives the big speech about not treating Ren like a thing to Bizon, Ren reminds him of what he said to her... so he finally gets it and apologizes to her, then tries to take on Bizon and Baal by himself, which is hopeless. Cisqua brings out the heavy artillery, but misses and then...
レン：「私とリアクトしてくれる？」
Ren: Will you react with me? (said to Bizon)
Woo, that's quite a line there ;) Ren, as one of the most powerful of the Adilraid, the 七煌宝樹, says she wants to react with someone who can use her powers to their fullest, not someone like Coud. So she begins that chant and...
We're left hanging. Well, y'all are left hanging 'cause I know what's going to happen since I read ahead.. again. Sorry ;) I can somewhat understand why those who've read the manga don't exactly like the anime now. There were some changes in situations and setting and such...
But, regardless, I've still enjoyed the anime so far. Cisqua (go Mizuki Nana!) was funny as usual this time, but poor Ren... easy to understand why she hates humans.. this theme of 差別 -- how humans relate to Adilraid, and Adilraid to humans, and how Coud and Ren's relationship will develop -- seems like it'll be important as the story moves on.
I'll tease a bit here and say a trip to the 温泉 should be coming soon after we finish this story ;)
Ren gets nabbed by the ninjas, but Coud manages to rescue her. The fight has damaged the Red Lynx's ship so much it crashes... And now Coud's in a bit of a bind as he and Ren, along with Cisqua, Kuea, and Rowan crash. No money, no town nearby... After that, Ren and Coud talk and Ren says she wants to go a certain place, the Edel Garden. Coud, being the shounen hero he is, will get her there, of course. Cisqua and the rest want to come as well.. but first, there's the matter of finding food and a place to stay...
Coud "reacts" with Ren again -- with nifty stock footage showing it -- to rescue a father and daughter who were being chased by a giant animal, who offer them a place to stay and food as thanks. However, it seems that it wasn't for friendly purposes.. and things between Coud and Ren aren't too good, either. When asked about Ren, Coud says he's glad she's there because he got stronger with her around, as that weapon. Ren leaves after hearing that and goes to her room by herself. And he doesn't even realize what he said hurt her feelings, as he did what he told Cisqua not to do -- treated her like a thing instead of a person. All alone, Ren says she hates humans after all, then a shadow comes near...
Dang it, Coud, think before you speak, man! :P Anyways, it's not Coud who really draws me to this show, it's Ren (of course) and Cisqua. Cisqua provided a good bit of comedy, and overall this time was a mix of that comedy and some more serious bits, and worked well for me. It'll be interesting to see how Coud and Ren's relationship develops from here out...
Anyways, I'll definitely continue watching Erementar Gerad, and probably continue blogging it like I am now ;)
Opening: 「Forever...」 by savage genius: Not quite to my liking as much as "Omoi wo Kanadete" (Uta~Kata opening) was. After a few listenings it's not too bad, just a different style than "Omoi wo Kanadete" was. Nice animation to go along with it.
Ending: 「約束」 by Kuroda Norihiro: Fitting song, as we see scenes of Coud and Ren together :)
Our typical shounen hero who acts before he thinks about it, Coud, is a member of a gang of air pirates, the Red Lynx, and they're about to make a raid on a ship. Coud joins in and lands right in the ship they're raiding and makes his big speech... but the others already got what they came for so it's back to the ship. Back on the ship, Coud proceeds to exaggerate what he did quite a bit to the other members of the crew. He's not really that great a pilot in the first place, not flying straight, running into things, etc., etc.
He wonders into what looks to the storage room for all the loot the air pirates have stolen, and among them is a something that looks like a coffin. Of course, Coud opens it.. and inside is a rather beautiful girl. And she's still alive and gets out... but she says she hates Coud. He has the smell of a human.. Before they can get to anything else, the alarm sounds. A ship has appeared, but it only asks for permission to board.
And on board come a crew of three. The short girl, Cisqua (CV: Mizuki Nana), the leader of the group, part of the エディルレイド完全保護協会「アークエイル」 (I'll wait to see how the sub groups translate that...). The other two with Cisqua are Rowen (the guy) and Kuea (the gal). And they're there to retrieve that girl, who's actually not human, but an エディルレイド Adilraid. Coud has no idea what Cisqua's talking about... the captain says the Adilraid fought together with humans before.. Cisqua's group has been searching for that girl for a while, as she's quite a special one, it seems. Cisqua offers Coud some cold hard cash to turn her over.. but he's not going to cooperate, telling them to stop screwing around, and to stop treating her like she's just a thing and not a human. And now he's done it, getting Cisqua rather pissed off, so she takes out her rather large gun...
But before she can shoot, ninjas board the ship and attack, with Coud left to guard the girl. They run after a bomb is planted in the bridge, and end up getting cornered. Coud sees Kuea and Rowen come together, with Kuea turning into some kind of weapon. So that's what a Adilraid does... Cisqua comes to back Coud up, but she's out of bullets, so he's left o fight on his own while she reloads, and gets his butt kicked. After reloading, Cisqua tells him to keep it at that, since that girl shouldn't want to get involved with him. Adilraid can't get involved with humans anyways... Coud says he was all alone, right after he was born, and if he hadn't been taken in by the captain.. That girl's probably the same, so he doesn't want her to be all alone by herself. The girl goes to Coud and holds his hand.. she doesn't understand. He's human, but he's a strange person.. strange, but.. because he's strange... and a light starts to shine, like it did with Kuea and Rowen, and she fuses with him, turning into a rather big sword
And the first episode ends with that. From what I've read on some Japanese blogs this seemed to be changed quite a bit from the manga, adding in elements original to the anime, and in a negative direction as well. The same person who did story editing for Jinki:Extend (which got pretty negative reviews) is doing the same for Erementar Gerad, so it seemed people were afraid of that happening. I can't make any judgments on that since I haven't read the original work (has anyone out there read it?), but we'll see. XEBEC did a decent job with the animation so no worries there (for now).
Ren (that girl) is kawaii~, and Cisqua's pretty entertaining as well, so I'll keep on for now. Have to anyways to find out what happens since this episode ended in the middle of things ;)
In the opening some others who can combine with Adilraid like Coud and Rowan were shown.
Are the Adilraid all cute girls or something? And the mean-looking guy has the cutest-looking one ;)
...lovely Engrish lyrics at that point in the OP as well :)
