B☆RS The TV has arrived…with a vengeance! I thought Sympho-was-gay? I had the guts to actually doubt BRS? Boy was I wrong? I actually had thoughts pop into my mind like “What the hell are Rinne, Moretsu and Sympho think they are doing?” while I was watching this single episode! My smile was wider than my face through out the whole Mato/Yomi scenes while my eyes almost fell out and I swear I swallowed some flies, during the action scenes!

Please forgive me for ever doubting you even for a second My Dead Master!

~

 
 

From the very second minute to the last and beyond, my body was buzzing so much I bet I could light a whole house were my kinetic energy converted! The first thing I noticed, after getting my mind under control that is (which happened on the third watch), was the fact that BRS didn’t seem that changed at all to me. Either my eyes are deceiving me but I saw nothing of the new designs on this BRS. What could it all mean? Or am I really missing something?

Just like the OVA, The story open in the ether world (as I like to call it) with yet BRS taking on BGS (Black Gold Saw). We never actually get to see BGS except for that creepy red eye and that gigantic gold saw that bursts up from beneath intent on skewering our beloved BRS. But unlike the OVA where we saw BRS getting her DFC getting handed to her, this time things seemed reversed with her P’OWN’g BGS.

 

 

 
 
 
 

But some things stayed the same as the OVA, like BRS seeming incapable of speech and those sudden scene changes that make no sense from the real world to the ether world and vice versa. Thus we are taken to the real world where we meet Kuroi Mato who is attending the welcome ceremony. And yet another thing that was kept intact was the quirky humour of Mato’s we all know and love, well, I know and love. And she is also still GAY, GAY, GAAY for our dearest Takanashi Yomi. There were many signs that sent off my bells like her checking out girls’ skirts and words like ‘blooming’ and ‘so many different coloured’. I hope it is not just my mind playing tricks on me if I read way more in the dialogue than necessary.

Mato and Yomi’s meeting was also revamped from the OVA. This time around they met in the hallway with Yomi giving a hand to Mato who had been knocked down on her butt by some by-passing girls. So disappoint that Mato didn’t take Yomi’s hand…so disappoint. But she did pay great attention to said hand at least – when she caught eye of Yomi’s red wrist chain made of cloth. She seemed really taken with it and then Yomi mentioning that she made it herself made her shine even more in Mato’s eyes. Mato has just found her colour I guess!

Later in class things get even gayer when Mato can’t get her eyes off Yomi’s beautiful face…ahem…I mean skin! She was just admiring how beautiful Yomi’s skin was, that was all…Not! That blush totally gave her away and Yomi was not making things any easier with the way she was all giving these ‘I’m fabulous. Adore me’ poses! Poor Mato had no chance. She just had to share these new feelings of hers with her friend, maybe they will help her out a little.

I love her

Koutari Yuu returns as Mato’s best friend (best? Why does she call Mato Mato-san then I wonder! Or was that a one-time thing and she was just playing around? Hmmmm). Any hows, Mato talks about this Kotori Asobi girl she met today and gushes on about her and how fascinating and fabulously beautiful she is and all that. It was somewhat comforting to see that Yuu wasn’t going all yandere so soon. Hopefully she won’t even in the future but I guess she will since at the moment she things that Mato only wants to be friends with this girls with a weird name and not mak her her waifu, or husband since Dead Master is no one’s bit…*Sees Golden Eyes* Oh shi…

 
 

 
 

And yet a great thing of having a TV series and thus more time, we get to finally see Yomi’s crib in all its mansonic glory! That is one big house! But things turn creepy just as quickly to make me forget about the magnificence of the place. While I gush at knowing that it was not just Mato that was taken by the beautiful girl she met that day but that Yomi also was impressed by the funny girl she met on her first day of the new school, as she immediately gushes about Mato in her paper phone to some un-seen person (at first I thought the person she was talking to was in that small house). And is that the longest sentence ever or what!

Any way Yomi is gushing to this unknown person about Mato only to be stopped immediately in her rant. The other person tells Yomi that she can’t (get close to Mato that is) and Yomi’s quick flat reply of ‘I know’ made my skin crawl with all kind of chills – especially when they zoomed in on Yomi’s eyes and I could these gears-like irises of her that made me think that I was no longer seeing Yomi but Dead Master, when the speaker tells her then that she knows what she has to do – which made me think that she was going to do something bad to Mato. Thank the gods the plan was to ignore Mato just. Who is this loli-sounding mystery girl that dares give orders to Yomi! Dead Master is nobody’s…*receives grey cookie*…Ah hell.

Speaking of homes, Mato’s is still the same home like in the OVA. She still has that bothersome little bro and her Mom is as hot as ever! But where is the father? Could it be that…Nah! I shouldn’t be insinuating anything but I will be looking out for father dearest in future episodes just to confirm my theory. Interestingly, Mato’s favourite book is about birds (birds of colour) and her dream was to meet a bird that would take her way to a world of colours. She has just met an all new kind of bird today, well, she thinks that way at least, so could it be that all this is a metaphor for something? I mean the dreaming of a fantasy world, all these talk about colours, categorizing girls in colours, being terribly fascinated by the colours of this particular girl, whose name Mato insists in connecting to birds.

Yes, I see everything!

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

The next at school, Mato having gained up enough courage, approaches Kotori Asobi-san and strikes up a conversation. Nothing begins if you don’t take a step, right? She can do this, after all she spend all night thinking out a plan. With determination on her face, she gets Asobi-san’s attention. Her name is not Kotori Asobi though, it is read Takanashi because birds like to play in places without hawks, which is the meaning of Taka-nashi (No hawks). The idea behind the name is too profound for Mato’s simple mind who praises the name for its deep meaning. This makes Yomi break out in smiles of course which boosts Mato’s resolve up even more.

Wanting to find ways to get even closer to Takanashi-san, Mato asks her if she had decided on a club to join yet – You know, so she could join the same as well or stalk the day lights out of Yomi, either idea welcome! But a look at Mato’s hopeful face and Yomi remembers that she is not supposed to get close to this girl, which will result in her hurting that beautiful smile of hers. Yomi’s smile falls and she leaves Mato standing there alone giving the excuse that she’s going to the rest rooms. The hurt look of rejection on Mato’s face was much bitterer than umeboshi (dried ume).

Mato relays her rejection to Yuu and she seems real hurt. I guess this was the first time she got rejected and it being this particular person had to hurt real badly! She thinks that Yomi is annoyed because of her persistence, which could not be any more wrong. I was kind of shocked though to learn that even she gets annoyed by people who cling to her. I thought Mato was a saint, I guess not. I am very much looking forward then to when Yuu starts getting jelly obsessive later on.

Mato’s problems are bigger than Yuu so they visit the councillor’s (Irino Saya) room. I am totally calling it now that she is BGS! No exceptions! Yuu and Mato visit her but the first time they only drink her tea and leave. I guess Mato doesn’t see her troubles that big just yet to talk to a shrink so they go to the after school activities. Just like the OVA, Yuu and Mato join the Basket ball club, even though poor Yuu is put on cleaning duty first thing while the rest are doing actual basketball activities. I guess size really does matter…and I did not just say that! Catching my eye in the club captain (at least I think she is captain). Well, it was much later on when I decided to notice her but what the hell!

As she ushers the girls for a marathon outside, we are switched over to the Art club room, where Yomi is. This is different from the OVA, to those who remember as she joined the volleyball that time, well, arguably she was trying to be closer to Mato but wasn’t too good at basketball so volleyball was the next best thing. This time the circumstances are different. The basketball club members pass by the art room on their run and Yomi’s eyes drift, as if being pulled magnetically, towards Mato!

The words, they fail me!

 
 
 
 
 

Things get heated up to almost 9000 degrees Celsius when Mato makes her way back home and fate brings hers and Yomi’s path together. As Mato speaks on the phone with her mother about what to eat for dinner, her Yomi-sense tingles and finds that Yomi is walking by behind her. She tries to look away and try to ignore Yomi, maybe she won’t notice her! But for some reason she just has to look only one more time, just one, so her eyes drift at the corners stealing views of Yomi.

As Mato chants ‘please notice me’ over and over in her mind, her prayers are answered when Yomi actually does stop but it was something else that had caught her eye. She is fascinated by Mato’s phone strap. It is a toy if the bird from Mato’s favourite book but wait! Will you guess it? It turns out that it is Yomi is a fan of the same book as well. In fact her phone wallpaper is of that rainbow bird. She also has the first edition of the book which lights up Mato like Christmas lights. She wants to see it so badly. A shadow passes over Yomi as she debates of what to do but seeing that wonderful smile of excitement on Mato’s face, she licks reason to the cub and invites Mato over!

First episode and we are already visiting homes! Well, they have not beat Madoka and Muginami’s record but still…When they get to Yomi’s home, she quickly locks doors and closes curtains and I was having my eyebrows creeping off of my face when I suddenly have Kannazuki no Miko flashback! Thank the gods it wasn’t that! *Whew* It turns out Yomi was just keeping someone else out of her business, or tried to because that idea didn’t work out as she had expected. But I am getting carried away here.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Yomi and Mato have fun as they do all kinds of girly stuff after they read through the Rainbow Bird book. They exchange e-mail addresses and Yomi gives her wrist band to Mato seeing as she was so incredibly fascinated with it. The smiles they share squeeze my heart in so many ways I feel like I won’t need any sugar in my coffee anymore.

Trouble hits paradise though when the doorbell rings! The look of terror on Yomi’s face was so not delicious! I too had even forgotten that she was breaking some promise or whatever when she invited Mato over but for the Judge Dredd Kagari to come right at this time when Mato was still present…I wasn’t expecting that. Dear mother dearest, can’t you read the atmosphere here? Why you bring Satan herself in in and even leaving the three alone?!

Madness I tell ya!

Even worse, Mato doesn’t sense the disturbances in the force. I know she is only in first year of middle school and thus still has much to learn, young sky walker, but still! Izuriha Kagari sets her straight though by dropping bombshells of words all over the place at first meeting. She says that Yomi did that to her. I don’t know what she is referring to exactly but since she is in a wheel chair, I guess she is talking about her disability.

What did she mean by that? The signs point to them not living in the same house so that rules out the possibility that she was pushed down the stairs as they played in childhood but u guess that can’t be limited to just family members, they could have been friends…best friends when it happened. Another possibility is that Chariot (Kagari’s ether self) was completely obliterated by Dead Master in the ether world but then it wouldn’t make sense for DM to be her bitch so what gives?!

Needless to say, after that cold intro the tea party afterwards was like the last supper! The air could be disassembled by a single breath. Kagari was not done; in fact she was just getting started as she began to officially bully poor Mato by forcing her to eat all the weirdly coloured short cakes. Seeing Mato eating them was like seeing Ripopo (NMB48) entering a haunted mansion. Yomi tells her that she doesn’t have to eat it if she doesn’t want to but Mato is so scared out of her pigtails by Kagari’s creepy golden eyes that she can’t seem to stop.

Speaking of Kagari, one would think that if what she said Yomi did to her was something like disabling her legs, she would instead hate on Yomi, right? So why is she being super nice to her, giving her all the good-looking cakes and all the smiles?! For some reason her guns are aimed at Mato and Mato alone. Ugly cakes? Give them to Mato. Ugly scary looking dolls? They are all for Mato! Oh lawd, I don’t even want to imagine what was going on inside Mato at his time. But wait, that was not the end of it. Kagari pulls the trigger when she uses ventriloquism to chant ‘go home’ over and over to Mato.

My…I mean Mato’s heart when she run back to the safely of her room…God! When she gets there she starts crying her heart. She really was scared of Kagari, not that I blame her. That was first class creepy right there, if I ever saw one. Yomi sends her an apology on her cell and this scene totally reminded of the other one on the OVA where Mato is all depressed in her room. The pose she took was exactly the same too. So if they played this card now, I wonder what they will do Yomi does disappear. I can’t wait.

Back to Yomi, she makes the scheduled call before bed to Kagari who says that she did warned her. Kagari asks Yomi to take responsibility for her actions. Uh-Oh, I wonder what this could mean! The fact that the next scene is on the ether world, makes me all the antsier.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

In the Ether World, BRS is following THE trail that leads her into the broken dolls layer. The trail of green smoke threads can only belong to one being, right? And the broken dolls layer should give away whose hang BRS is walking straight into. As she makes her way inwards, suddenly, out of nowhere, comes one big ass boulder that looks like a mutation between a giant spider and a scorpion which runs BRS over like she was a piece of rock on a road, then skewers her on its spikes, then squishes her in the ground and many more ways of torture! Oh the irony…I know it makes sense since it is connected with what’s going on in the real world but Mato suffering Kagari’s wrath over there and then BRS also getting smashed over here by Chariot is just so…arg!

I am a person of action so my heart was in a whirl because I could not bring my feelings under control when BRS was getting mutilated but on the other hand, the animation was superb! Should I fap to the quality or cringe at the pain which BRS was definitely in and cry out in her stead? I didn’t know what to do, so I did both! Poor BRS! I also saw comments where people were glad that they didn’t show blood! I guess they were blind because blood was everywhere, only in a different colour! We are given a break from the bloody mess and taken back to the real world.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

At school, Mato is still depressed but seems to want to get closer to Yomi even after all that, as she steals glances towards Yomi’s seat. Some classmates come over to Mato to ask her out to go together at some festival. Before she answers, Mato sneaks a glance towards Yomi’s desk as if she was looking for some kind of clues from her, though what kind exactly, we shall never know. When Yomi looks back to her, Mato breaks out in a smile for some reason but when Yomi turns away again, the smile falls and she turns the girls down! Honestly, I have no idea what sign she was looking for but I ain’t complaining. It’s too gay a scene to complain about it. When Yomi leaves, Mato’s full attention is on her retreating back, the girls forgotten!

This problem calls for an expert so Mato visits Saya-sensei, the Shrink. There, she find the captain of the volleyball club (Kohata Arata) who has love troubles. Census says she has a crush on another girl, though the fact that she thinks her book size is the issue points to it being a guy. Me disappoint dear Kohata-senpai, me disappoint!

Any ways Mato spills what’s been bothering her to Saya-sensei who informs her that making enemies against one’s will is natural. In other words, ‘haters gonna hate’, is what she means. She also informs of Mato that even if she gets hurt, she won’t feel the pain forever because someone else is taking it off of her (BGS, I say, BGS). Also I kept hissing at Saya-sensei to keep her hands of Yomi’s girl because she was sending off warning bells in my mind. I mean, lines line ‘I noticed how pretty your eyes are’ and then feeling Mato up in guise of sending the pain of the heart point across is kind of…

As Mato walks the hallways her mind full of thoughts, she hears Yomi’s voice from the Art club room. Mato steels herself and walks up to Yomi. She strikes up conversation with compliments of Yomi’s work. Yomi is not in the mood though. She tries to make Mato understand that they can’t be friends. That she will only hurt her in the end but Mato is not listening to any of that! Instead she invited Yomi to go to the festival together. Yomi turns her down saying she can’t because she doesn’t want to hurt Mato. Mato not ready to give up just yet, channels the words that Saya-sensei said to her only minutes ago, and tells Yomi that it’s okay. She says no matter how she hurts, she won’t feel any pain so it’s okay.

Then she proposes to her waifu!

WOOT!

I spy with my little eye two girls who actually want to truly sparkle! Unlike the one who invented the term – yes, I am talking to you Ohana!

 
 
 
 

 

With the battle won over here, we are taken straight into the Ether world where BRS (Black Rock Shooter) is still taking on Chariot! With the happiness Mato gained in the real world, BRS gains motivation and GAY-JUICE over here so she levels up her game. She is about to K-O Chariot with a direct hit when the Master intervenes!

BRS is suddenly enveloped in chains and then just as quickly gets immobilized on a large rock. Without any way to avoid, Chariot transforms into a gigantic drill and starts giving drilling lessons with BRS as an example obstacle. Dead Master simply watches on her throne like the alpha she is. Even when under someone’s orders she knows her rightful place. What really gets me is that I didn’t see her signature twin skulls anywhere! I sure hope this is because she isn’t herself and that she will get them back eventually!

Anyways, the episode ends with BRS getting drilled not unlike the heavens by Simon!

~

OMG!

I was not ready for this episode! For some reason this hit me from sideways. I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting BRS to air this week! But this was much, much sweeter than actually looking forward to it. It feels like a surprise present to me.

This episode!

I am sorry but all the other shows (the yuri shows I mean) on this season take a back seat to B☆

RS both in yuri, story and action/animation!

Please forgive me for ever doubting you Black☆Rock Shooter.

I apologise!

Crud, now the sweet pain of waiting for the follow-up episodes!

Arg!