Dymmmmmpernicki

PAH-TOO! WAZAAA!

Utawarerumono 10 and 11

I didn't find episode 10 terribly interesting so I'll just give a bulleted summary.

• A slave ship gets shipwrecked during a storm. A woman in chains breaks free.
• When the crew comes to shore so does the previously chained woman. She massacres them all barehanded.
• Hakuoro's men find her and keep her in a cell. Oboro doesn't really like her, Benawi says she was from a ship from Na Tunk which deals in human (if you can really call them that) trafficking.
• Then she barges in and tells them that her name is Karura and asks if Hakuoro will send her back to Na Tunk. Instead, Hakuoro has Eruruu do a check up on her.
• So Eruruu plays "doctor" with Karura. Karura asks some probing questions which make Eruruu blush and protest vigorously (hint: about Hakuoro, and Eruruu's possible lesbianism).
• Also, full back nudity (plus a tail!) is involved.
• Eruruu asks Hakuoro to let Karura free. Hakuoro agrees. But Karura would rather live in the cell.
• Aruruu wonders what the shackle on Karura's neck is and Karura says it's a necklace, y'know, one of the latest fads. Karura makes a floral necklace for Aruruu. Instant friendship (how come most of Aruruu's new relationships involve someone giving her something?)
• Karura's ammenities include barrels upon barrels of osake. Appears to have an iron liver.
• Urutorii now is working full-time (?) for Tusukuru (so is Kamyu, but I think it's just so she can spend time with Aruruu and Yuzuha). Apparently, she knows Karura and they hit the bottle together.
• Hakuoro wants to put Karura in the army. Oboro disagrees. Kurou agrees, but then again I think he's trying to get lucky.
• To test her, Karura is to fight Benawi. They clash. Benawi seems to be much weaker than her, but his finesse helps him stand a chance. Karura is so strong that her missed attacks destroy whatever weapon she is wielding.
• Shikinaro (the merchant with the dried sea creature penis energy drink) brings in a gigantic sword (more like a gigantic hunk of metal) that Karura requested. So heavy that Kurou can only lift it a few inches whereas Karura wields it like a toy. Sanosuke Sagara, anyone?

Ep. 11

The scene is back with Teoro and everyone in Tusukuru's (the grandmother) old village. Teoro and friends run out of fertilizer and he wonders if he can ask Hakuoro to make some more for him. His wife tells him that is a stupid idea since as the new Emperor, Hakuoro has much more important things to do.
Urutorii had arranged for neighboring countries to unite with Tusukuru (the country) to defend from hostilities against Shikeripetim. Kamyu returns with souvenirs for Aruruu and Yuzuha.
Urutorii begins the unification ceremony, but before the delegates sign the contract, Teoro barges in and warns Hakuoro of an enemy force that attacked his village. The enemy is at the castle walls. Hakuoro and Co. meet the enemy but Teoro stays behind to rest. When everyone leaves, Teoro slouches on a pillar and we can see blood flowing out. He has a vision of his wife and the other villagers and tells her than he kept his promises. He wishes luck for Hakuoro.
Hakuoro's men, thanks to an ingenious entrapment tactic, annihilate the enemy with ease. The last enemy soldier to fall tells him that their commrades will put an end to them and wishes pain and suffering upon Hakuoro. Benawi tells Hakuoro that the soldiers are not from Shikeripetim.
Sometime later, Hakuoro and friends are gathered around Teoro's body. Meanwhile, Aruruu is desperately trying to wake Teoro up. Kurou comes with a report on Teoro's village. He stalls a while, but finally says that the village was razed. Aruruu is still trying to wake Teoro up but Hakuoro tells her that he is now where Tusukuru (the grandma, again) is, right now. Aruruu has an emotional outburst and Eruruu chloroforms (yes, I'm serious) her so she can get over it. Then Hakuoro chloroforms Eruruu.
Oboro is pissed off and wishes to attack Kuccha Keccha (the enemy) but Benawi says they shouldn't do so until they find out the truth. Oboro continues to protest until Hakuoro tells him to be quiet.
That night, Karura shares some booze with Hakuoro. Hakuoro is mystified as to why the attackers were so vehement as to attack with no hope of success and Karura says that they "were already dead." She wonders what Hakuoro must have done to piss them off so hard but he says he doesn't know since he has no memory before Eruruu rescued him.
Urutorii tells them that the sudden attack on Hakuoro's castle discouraged the neighbor countries from signing the unification treaty. Then, a wounded messenger comes to Hakuoro and tells him that Kuccha Keccha attacked his company/unit/whatever. Hakuoro decides they must attack Kuccha Kecca.
While they march, they suddenly find themselves surrounded on all sides by Kuccha Keccha. A female warrior with winglike ears appears and wastes some of Hakuoro's scrub units with her mad iaijustsu skills. Her name is Touka. Before she can attack Hakuoro, Karura blocks her. The leader of the enemy army calls Hakuoro "Rak Shine" and accuses him of being a traitor. He also says that "Rak Shine" is his younger brother-in-law.

Me = screwed

This confirms it--the more free time you have, the more free time you waste. As much as that job sucked, quitting McDonald's was the worst mistake of the '05-'06 schoolyear.

BIPN 100 tomorrow, first thing in fact.

Utawarerumono ep. 8 and 9

Ep. 8
The episode begins with Teoro and his wife (and the villagers where Hakuoro originally lived) saying goodbye to Hakuoro and company.
Hakuoro is now living the American Dream--in Tusukuru. He is the Emperor, Eruru is his press secretary (?? well, what do you call someone who reads reports to him and all his ministers?), Benawi is his nanny who gets upset with him when he doesn't do his mountains of paperwork and Oboro and Kurou more or less occupy the same positions they previously did (gay ninja with a sister complex and big ugly strongman who makes his boss look good). OK, I made the last two up, slightly. And we also learn from Aruru that Eruru has a frightening habit of laughing in her sleep.
The winged people from the end of the last episode come on a diplomatic mission to Tusukuru. Apparently they serve (or are?) greater gods and their job is to prevent disasters. Urutori (the blonde one with big gazongas) says that their intention is to become friendly-ish with Hakuoro. She also wonders if Eruru is the queen, to which Hakuoro responds that he is not married and Eruru is more like a kid sister (DENIED!) Eruru shows Urutori and Munto (the old bastard accompanying them) and Urutori says that things are generally happier now that Hakuoro is in charge.
That night, Hakuoro gets bored doing paperwork and goes to the lake. He sees a girl with black wings flying around and generally having fun and he also sees Aruru's 2nd animal companion (judging from the OP, Aruru has a smaller mammal as a pet later on). When Hakuoro goes to his bed chambers, the same winged girl is sleeping on his bed. Alarmed, she tries to use an invisibility spell (that fails). So she runs away but runs back because of Mukuru. So she hides in a box which Mukuru later bats around. Urutori goes to Hakuoro's room and wonders if a certain silver-haired chick popped in earlier. She notices black feathers from the box and scolds the girl (who BTW is Kamyu). Hakuoro lets the whole incident slide and lets Kamyu stay.
The next day, while Kurou and Oboro argue over how Hakuoro should spend the military budget, Kamyu tries to get friendly with Aruru and fails repeatedly. Hakuoro tells Kamyu a "super effective" way to win Aruru's friendship. Kamyu gets a bowl of honey comb and gives it to Aruru, who then tells her to have some. They become friends instantly and so does Yuzuha, who just happened to be in the same room.
The Spoiled Little Sisters trio (as I call them) spend the day fooling around (with Mukuru too!) to the dismay of Munto and especially Oboro. Cue a montage of general fun activities (WARNING: Montage contains PARSHELL NUDATEE!)
Later, we find out that indeed Urutori knew who Tusukuru was, since she was a Med School dropout, apparently. So I guess Tusukuru really was the best doctor in the world.
Urutori, Kamyu and their entourage leave at the end of the episode. Urutori hopes to have a long lasting alliance with the new nation and Kamyu promises Aruru and Yuzuha that she will come back to play.

Ep. 9
A large, foreign contingent of soldiers march into Hakuoro's castle. Three messengers from Shikeripetim (sp???) tell Hakuoro that their emperor, Yue, demands the immediate surrender of Tusukuru. Oboro is pissed but Hakuoro accomodates them and even holds a party for them.
Benawi tells Hakuoro that Shikeripetim is three times larger than Tusukuru and that their army is TEN TIMES larger.
Convinced that Hakuoro is a fool, the messengers tell Yue that they should have no problem conquering him. Yue calls them imbeciles and tells them that even though made a fool of, Hakuoro did not reveal the weaknesses of their nation. He is interested in what kind of dude Hakuoro is.
Later, Shikeripetim soldiers attack Tusukuru's border outposts. Benawi reports this to Hakuoro. He also warns that calling back the border guards may open up an opportunity for other nations to attack Tusukuru. So Hakuoro orders some of his soldiers to completely abandon a certain strategic castle while he orders Benawi and Kurou to defend another one for three days. He has a special assignment for Oboro.
Kurou doesn't know why Hakuoro ordered the evacuation of one castle, seeing as it is practically an invitation to the enemy to use it as they please. Benawi (correctly) guesses that Hakuoro wishes them to do so. As they are speaking, the enemy uses the empty castle as a storehouse.
Hakuoro sends Shikinaro (the trader/spy from episode 6) to get a certain materials. Eruru overheard what Hakuoro ordered and tells him that Tusukuru once said that there is a "taboo" method of preparing those materials. She asks him why he ordered those things but Hakuoro tells her she doesn't need to know.
Benawi and Kurou establish a line of defense at another castle and do their best to repel the enemy attack. Kurou fights the three messengers (who apparently are high-ranking officers, lol)for a while, but Benawi helps him. Meanwhile, in the abandoned-castle-turned-storehouse, Oboro, Dorii and Gura take out a few guards stealthily and Oboro plants the ingredients Hakuoro ordered.
Eventually, Eruru, Aruru and Mukuru catch up with Hakuoro. Eruru asks one more time why Hakuoro would break a taboo. He explains that all humans need food, air and water to live, and his plan was to deny these things to the invading enemy. After he says that, the castle explodes. He and a contingent of cavalry massacre the retreating enemy and steal their supplies. The attackers where Benawi and Kurou are stationed are ordered to retreat. It appears that Hakuoro won, but suddenly, he is attacked by a crazy dude with a naginata-like weapon. He is Yue. The collapsing debris interrupts their little conflict and Yue vows to meet Hakuoro again.

What ruined Fate/Stay Night for me

....was that I thoroughly spoiled myself. When the anime makers said they would be making a totally new plot for the anime, I didn't expect it to be a minor digression that would make nods toward the other plot lines and go back to the same train wreck that they were riding.

Had I not spoiled myself, I would not be so upset at all the crap they are leaving out. Then again, I may have quit the series altogether by episode 15 because of the BIG F*CKING DRAGON storyline.

I won't make the same mistake watching Utawarerumono. Actually, I think I did--a spoiler mentioned that Hakuoro is supposed to be the final boss. But since I already came to a similar conclusion myself (right from the FIRST EPISODE), I don't think it's really a spoiler.