We’re getting mighty near the end, as this is the next to last episode in the series. Makoto increases his harem once again, only to have mass disembarkments from the HMS Makoto. Will Kotonoha-in-a-daze + knife result in any blood? And Sekai finds out that she has been afflicted with a common side affect of unsafe sex.
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It’s School Days episode 10, and we go several levels deeper into the depths as hell as Makoto increases his jackassedness, Taisuke confirms his jackassedness, Setsuna is willing to do anything for Sekai, Sekai views some a wholesome family footage from the lounge, and is that a knife that Kotonoha is looking at?
This is a pretty action (of the drama type) filled episode, so this is a very long episode writeup, with a lot of pictures (there was no way I was going to be able to cut it to just 24 or 26 this week) with a really long review of the episode and what I think will come next at the end. In short, it’s a really long post this time, and I have a feeling it’s going to be like this the rest of the way. However, I hope that doesn’t stop you from getting your fill of Makoto, Sekai, and Kotonoha this week.
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It’s School Days Episode 9. Remember that remark by Makoto in the last episode where he basically admitted to himself that he’s a jackass? Well forget about it! That remorse has now been beaten to a pulp, stabbed, incinerated and had it’s ashed spread all around the universe as Makoto shows that he’s willing to sleep with any human being that has different equipment than he.
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What? Two School Days episodes two days in a row! Indeed that is the case as I finally catch up in this series.
It’s Episode 8, and now that Kotonoha has revealed to Sekai via a nice hard slap that she’s aware of what Makoto and Sekai are up to, what will Sekai do in response? Plus, Setsuna finally finds out that Makoto never actually broke things off with Kotonoha and decides to take things in her own hands. We also discover that Makoto and Setsuna have some history between them, as well as what’s up with Setsuna’s empty room. Meanwhile, the first day of the school festival comes around and…and…and Setsuna did WHAT!?
A lot of stuff happens, so it’s a rather lengthy writeup today, so just hang with it.
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I can tell that I’m going to be driven crazy now that all of these spring and summer series are heading towards their conclusions. The two shows that I think I’ll go craziest over are School Days and Idolmaster Xenoglossia, as all hell as now broken lose in both of those series.
Luckily for School Days, we now have what looks like a very reliable speed sub group taking it on, and they appear to at least know how to write English, so that’s good. That means less waiting time to get more of that.
Idolmaster is, well, behind but not as behind as they used to be. Serin is still 2 episodes behind on getting it out, but once again it took 10 days between releases. I’d download the raws, and if this were earlier in the season I might, but I don’t want to be half-spoiled about what happens by watching the episode but have no idea what people are saying.
As for other series, none of them are really heading towards any sort of major ending as far as I can see. Nagasarete Airantou has the potential for a significant ending, but we’ll see what they do. Lucky Star will probably just end with graduation. As for Seto no Hanayome…well, well see. Doujin Work will probably have some sort of cute ending. Sky Girls is supposed to be a full season I think, so we’ll have to wait until December or January or thereabouts before seeing how it ends. For Moetan, Nanatsuiro Drops, and Umisho - I don’t really give a flying flip for the most part.
On to Episode 7, and we’ve passed the half-way point of the series. What will Kotonoha do now that she’s seen that Makoto and Sekai are fooling around behind her back? What will happen now that word has leaked out that Makoto has “broken up” with Kotonoha, even though he hasn’t officially done so yet?
Also, a huge Setsuna episode. Anyone who loves her will probably love this episode.
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It’s Episode 6, and now that Makoto and Sekai have done the deed, and Makoto finds Kotonoha boring, that means he’ll go straight over and break up with her and live happy ever after with Sekai, right? Right? Of course not! Where’s the fun in dumping a girlfriend you don’t care about when you’re cheating with another woman, when you’re just cheating with the other woman because she puts out, and you still want to get in your girlfriend’s pants because you like how big her kahoonas are, right?
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Episode 5 arrives, and this time it’s a swimming episode, so it is a fan-service fest this week too. The amount of fan service has been increasing over the episodes, much to the detriment of the series I think, and the the very nature of this episode screams fan service, so if you’re annoyed by it, just bear through it. Most of the good stuff is at the end this week anyway as Makoto finally scores! But with who?
Oh yeah, and plenty of Setsuna staring action in this episode as well.
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Maybe this is standard operating procedure and I just don’t know it since this is the first anime season that I’ve downloaded fan subs for several shows, but it seems to me that fansubbing groups are rather, well, slow.
I’m probably not one to talk, but it would seem to me that, even if you take up something like fansubbing which is volunteer work, a group should at least try to stay on schedule (ie, get an episode out before the next episode airs, or at least before two more episodes air). The primary reason for this is that there are people who are waiting to watch, and the more behind you get, 1) the less likely they are to watch your shows later, and 2) the more likely they’ll just read about what happens elsewhere.
Given the range that I’d kind of expect an episode to be out, that’s basically an episode weekly, so between 6 to 8 days, give or take on any given week. However, most groups seem to be way behind, at least as far as the series I’m watching.
In any case, here are how the fansubbers are doing by series, with days since the last episode released, and number of days since the next episode they need to release has been aired:
School Days
Conclave: Last release yesterday; 14 days behind next episode
Nagasarete Airantou
Ayako - Last release 4 days ago; 6 days behind next episode
Seto no Hanayome
Ayako - Last release 22 days ago; 30 days behind next episode (at this rate, might have dropped)
gg Fansubs - Last release 5 days ago, 9 days behind next episode
Otacon - last release 5 days ago, 2 days behind next episode
Your Mom - last release 8 days ago, 2 days behind next episode
Idolmaster Xenoglossia
Serin - last release 10 days ago; 29 days behind next episode
Lucky Star
JEEB - last release yesterday; 9 days behind next episode
a.f.k. - last release 10 days ago; 9 days behind next episode
Sky Girls
Ayako - last release 11 days ago; 12 days behind next episode
Umisho
Ayu - last release 9 days ago; 7 days behind next episode
Moetan
FSH/MugiMugi - last release 16 days ago; 16 days behind next episode
Kedex - last release 9 days ago; 9 days behind next episode
Nanatsuiro Drops
Kedex - last release 18 days ago; 15 days behind next episode
Aquastar - last episode 3 days ago; 15 days behind next episode
Doujin Work
Spoon - last release 6 days ago; 7 days behind next episode
Ok, so ten series, and only 4 which are on time, if you consider 7 days behind still on time. Given the best group for each show, the average lag time is currently 11 days, and even if you take out the month behind Serin is on Idolmaster, it’s still 9 days. I guess actually looking it up, it’s not even as bad as it feels, but 3 series are now a full 2 weeks behind (one is 4 weeks behind) and another is at 12 days.
Also, there doesn’t seem to be any groups which are always good or bad. Ayako is on time with Nagasarete Airantou but almost two weeks behind on Sky Girls, and may have abandoned Seto no Hanayome, for example. For six series, it has also been more than a week since any group that is subbing those series has released an episode as well.
Then there are groups like Devil’s Lair which seems to just be taking up random episodes here and there, and while they’re quick, they’re not consistent on what show they’re subbing.
Also, am I the only one infuriated that 6 of the 10 series I’m watching only has one group which is taking up the series, yet 5 groups are doing Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. Ok, I know that it’s a sequel to a pretty popular show, but come on, we don’t need 5 groups doing the same series when we have other series who have only one group doing them and is behind.
