Harukanaru Toki no Nakade - Hachiyoshou

Akane and the Hachiyou Eight

Harukanaru Toki no Nakade - Hachiyoshou, is the latest anime I have started watching. It's pretty interesting however be warned it borrows themes heavily from Fushigi Yugi, yet the story still has some original elements to it. the heroine of the story is named Akane, a normal school girl who as been summoned to the alternate world of Kyou to become the Priestess of Ryujinn, because the other four Gods (Suzaku, Byakko, Genbu and Seiryu) have gone missing. In any case two of Akane's friends Shimon and Tenma are also dragged to the other world with her. So begins Akane's quest to gather the Suzaku Seven.....err i mean the Hachiyou Eight, once she gathers the Hachiyou Eight(The Eight Leaves) then Akane will be able to summon Ryujinn. The enemy who is trying to use her is named Akram who is considered a demon by the people of Kyo. Akane however aware of Akram's cruelty is slowly beginning to fall in love with him, it is this that makes the story take an interesting turn and differs from Fushigi Yugi. No matter how much the Hachiyou eight try to protect Akane, she cannot help but be drawn to Akram and oftens meets him when he summons her. Anyway this is not a bad anime, right now I am only up to episode 11 and look foreward to the next episode. Although as of now Honey and Clover is my all time favorite anime to be released this year, but Hachiyoshou is also one worth taking a look at, especially for those Fushigi Yugi fans out there.

Fruits Basket Chapter 116

Well Fruits Basket chapter 116 is finally out and to me at least it was semi interesting. It was a continuation of the last chapter about Momiji's freedom from the curse. Akito upon feeling the curse has been lifted on Momiji runs to his house within the Sohma complex, Akito then proceeds to ask Momiji not to leave her. Momiji then looks at Akito with pity wondering how this one person can possibly bind him, this weak and frail person. Akito hating the looks that Momiji is giving her demands that he stop looking at her like that. Momiji tells Akito to just return to her room and that he will not tell anyone that he has been freed from the curse. Meanwhile at school the gang is looking for Momiji and he is no where to be found, meanwhile from a window on the otherside of the school Momiji stares at Tohru. Kyo who runs into Momiji mentions that he looks a little different. Momiji then asks Kyo how would he react to know that the curse had been lifted from him hypothetically speaking. Kyo confused by the question was unable to give a decent answer, but the Momiji goes on to say that Tohru would be much happier if the curse had been broken on Kyo, she would be even more happier then if the curse had been broken on him(Momiji). Momiji goes on to say that he is the one feeling devestated, to this Kyo responds that he does not want to know that sort of thing from him. Momiji then goes to Akito to apologize for telling her to go back to her room. Momiji then tells Akito that he will no longer remain by her side, that she can no longer bind him anymore. Akito calls him a traitor and tells him that he has no family to return to and that he would never be happy going back to them. Momiji the thinks to himself that even though the curse is lifted her feels more lonely then ever, the bond that connected him to everyone has been broken. Momiji flashbacks to the morning remembers how he ran into his mother, she barely recognized him as she comments on how much he has grown. Momiji's mother then tells Momiji that she and the family will be going on a family vacation and asks if Momiji will be going with his family on a vacation somewhere. Momiji thinking that his happiness may be somewhere in the future tells his mother that he will be going on vacation with his family. The flashback is broken with Akito yelling at Momiji to get lost. As Momiji leaves he remembers his mother telling him that morning to have a nice trip and good luck.

My Thoughts
Well this chapter I felt was pretty bittersweet. I mean though Momiji is free from the curse he is still in many ways bound by other things. It is sad that he realizes that Tohru will never come to love him the way she loves Kyo; and how heartbreaking was that scene when his mother asks him if he will be going on a trip with his family. The other thing I found interesting was that Momiji felt lonely no longer connected to anyone involved with the curse. If Momiji feels this way it suprises me that besides Akito none of the other zodiac members have noticed there connection with Momiji severed; especially Kyo, I would have thought that would have noticed that Momiji has been set free, it seems that Kyo treats momiji like a little annoying brother. Perhaps Haru noticed since he was the one looking for Momiji, but who knows. Also Kudos to Momiji for choosing to leave Akito, the way he saw her before the curse broke and how he sees her now I find very interesting. I wonder if Kureno views Akito the same way, I wonder if it is pity that keeps Kureno by Akito's side.

Fruits Basket Chapter 115

Well I thought I would give you all a brief summary of Fruits Basket chapter 115. I am sorry I did not put a review up for chapter 114, but the main point in that chapter was that Tohru tells Rin that Kyo is the most important person to her and that she wants to protect him, Kagura overhearing this gets angry at Tohru telling her that she should be telling Kyo how she feels and then punches Tohru out, and because this is Kagura doing the punching poor Tohru passes out, but enough of chapter 114. In chapter 115 it is all about Akito. Apparently Akito has this box which may contain Akira's(Akito's father) remains (I am not too sure), in any case Akito is not willing to part with this box, which she feels is extremely important. Meanwhile Ren(Akito's mother) also has her eyes on the box and wants it as well. Kureno has seen inside the box and does not really think anything of it, Shigure says to Ren that the box contains nothing that Akito needs indicating that he has somewhat of an idea of what's in the box. Meanwhile Ren remembers how her and Akira fell in love, and how she was mearly a servent at Sohma house. A suitible wife was being searched for Akira and during that time because she was Akira's personal servent, they fell in love. The marriage of Akira and Ren caused a division in Sohma house, the elders of the family looked down on the marriage will the younger Sohma's felt it was a good match. Eventually Ren gets pregnant much to Akira's delight and Ren's dismay. Ren feels with the birth of a child Akira's love would be divided. In any case because Akito would be heir Ren tells Akira that regardless of sex the child would be raised as a male, and if he did not agree she would abort the child. Akira naturally agreed to the decision.
Back to the present Shigure and Ren are fighting and Shigure says that he only pities Ren, he does not hate her. Ren tells Shigure that she pities him as well that he is caught up in a dream, and that he looks at her as if he wants her. Shigure tells her that she is correct that he when he looks at her he thinks of Akito, if Akito had been raised as a woman, that she would look like Ren. Shigure goes on to say that he wanted Ren to get the box from Akito because Ren should be the only person haunted by Akira. That pisses Ren off who claims that Akito would not be alive if it wasn't for her.
Meanwhile Akito is dreaming of better days with her father, a time when he told her that she was special and that she would never know loneliness or fear, when she suddenly awakens to feel Momiji's bond has broken. Momiji collapses to the ground in tears realizing how easily the end (of the curse) came.

My Thoughts
This was an interesting chapter, in that I feel the box represents Akito's unwillingness to change. Her refusal to give up the box shows how unwilling she is to let the past go. I feel that the box is probably empty as Kureno knows what's in it and Shigure has probably guessed as well that the box is empty. Shigure seems pretty sure that Akito does not need the box. That brings me to Shigure it's kind of sad that he looks at Ren and sees what Akito could have been. I thought that Shigure may have been moving on but it seems that he also is hanging on to a dream. Another interesting point is that Akira seemed to think that Akito would never be alone or live in fear, how far from the truth he was. I wonder if it was his words to Akito that make her try to keep the zodiac twelve near, at this point it is rather unclear. Finally Momiji who is now free of the curse, what will Momiji do, it seems now he is free to leave Akito, free to see his mother and is now free to pursue a relationship with Tohru if he chooses to do so. Momiji is now free to leave the Sohma's, the question is will he? My opinion is that he probably won't leave the Sohma's because it is where Tohru is and he wants to protect Tohru.

Bishonen of the Month

Priest Genjo Sanzo

Well this is our Bishonen of September, High Priest Genjo Sanzo. Why Sanzo well I seem to have a thing for cold, selfish, egotistical men...lol. Anyway Sanzo is of course the priest in the manga and anime Saiyuki. Along with his demon companions Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai; Sanzo is on a journey west to India to stop the resurrection of the great demon Gyomaoh. Sanzo's weapon of choice is a banishing gun and his sacred scroll. In his past life Sanzo along with his demon companions were Gods, Sanzo was known as the God Konzen and was the nephew of the Merciful Goddess. How or why Sanzo and the others were reborn on earth has yet to be revealed.

New Autumn Anime

Paradise Kiss

Well Paradise Kiss is one Anime I am really looking foreward to. That being said I am really unimpressed by the character design. This anime will replace Honey and Clover when it ends and as you all know I love Honey and Clover, but all good things must come to an end. The anime is based on Ai Yazawa's manga of the same name. I have read all five volumes and really enjoyed it so much, so I hope the anime will do the manga justice. We'll just have to wait and see.