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Rating: 7.2/10

Impressions:

Ok, so I am really far behind on a lot of the things I’m blogging, since there’s this big speech night thing at my school, but I promise I’ll catch up after that’s over, which will be soon. As for now, I guess I have to just do short, low quality entries, but only for the not-so-good shows like Pumpkin Scissors at the moment. Well, I’ve already practically forgotten what this ep is about and whether I liked it or not, since I watched it when it came out. However, I do know that it has gotten a lot better (not compared with the last episode but with a few of the earlier ones) with more action now. The snowy mountain setting is a very refreshing change, and feels far more wild and adventurous. You might call this a filler for no plot progression, but these shows usually do random episodes about random things for maybe the first half of the series, before things become serious and start to flow along nicely. Which means, we’ll probably have to put up with another month or so of these filler-like episodes before the real fun starts. That thought is what keeps me watching. I have found a few irritating things in the show know, which is a shame. I don’t like Alice’s attitude. I did, but it’s gotten old and annoying. I also don’t like Orlando when he’s being soft. The only character I enjoy watching right now is Oreld (he’s the tall pimp right?) Apart from that everything is pretty much fine, so I won’t be dropping this show or anything.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Rating: 7.5/10

Impressions:

Ok yes, this episode is much better than the last, though it’s still just a stand-alone. The only link is the occasional mention of Orlando’s will-o-the-wisp, as well as the connection between the semi-automatic rifles and the reloading tank back in episode…one, was it? However, I am still waiting for a time when the actual happenings in the episode span across several episodes, instead of just concluding after twenty minutes, then proceeding on to something new and relatively unrelated the next episode. It seems that some bloggers have dropped or postponed reviewing this series, so I’ll take that as a sign that its initial average popularity has taken a plummet. However, despite my ranting about Pumpkin Scissors not having a progressive plot, I think the episodes are building up in importance, providing viewers with little random bits of information, before tying everything up and presenting one final arc, spanning over three or so episodes. Actually, it would be better if the entire second half of the series is dedicated to this ‘main’ storyline so that when you describe what happens in the show, you can at least outline some sort of plot instead of “they go around doing army-related stuff”.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Impressions:

I really didn’t want to watch this episode. I sort of had an idea that this show wasn’t gonna get much more interesting, and I still the first episode was the best. Unfortunately, I am right since this episode has been mostly bullshit. I’m really tired now and I didn’t want to write this up until after Yoake (yes, I actually want to watch Yoake more than this), and it’s not even midnight yet…Okay, let me illustrate why this episode sucked so much. The whole story was screwed five times over and ended up being a big pile of filler-like crap that was probably the most boring episode I’ve seen this season. Not only that, it was stupid as well. The most important thing is Alice. That’s why the show bombed when her personality just went into overdrive and she finally showed how ignorant she is of the world. How can someone like her possibly think she’ll be able to solve the crisis of post-war? I liked her for her fiery attitude, but that should only be reserved for the battlefield. And since it seems like there’s not going to be much action soon, I was expecting some in-depth plot development, with some exploration of Orlando’s past and such. The quality isn’t helping either, since it’s only average. And once again, it doesn’t seem like anything interesting will be happening next episode either. I don’t care about Alice’s fiancée or whatever; I want to see some action, heavy plot, carefully plotted schemes and oppression. I thought that’s what the anime would be about – the Pumpkin Scissors doing whatever they can to prevent those things I listed above. That is why I decided to follow this series. Now it’s just turned into some half-hearted quarter-drama and not-so-slice-of-life with boring written all over it. The problem is this is likely to continue for some time before some sort of conspiracy happens.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

Impressions:

I heard that there won’t be any tank battles for some time, which I think is a good thing as the mystery part of Pumpkin Scissors has become much more intriguing that its action aspect. The speech that Orlando gave while on the roof was meant to be a big hint to what his lantern does and how it works, but I still don’t really get it. Do his words prove that he needs the lantern to change his mental state or something, or maybe it’s something to do with his body? He implies that all the times he has killed before was due to the lantern, which also means he doesn’t have control over himself when he activates the lantern. But then again, it could also due to the orders given to him to kill, or something similar. Argh I am so confused. I hope the solution gets laid out in front of me soon so I can understand. Anyway, I though Orlando’s little speech was a bit out of character, and he said it right after meeting Wantz. I guess it goes to show Orlando’s caring side, and contrasts it from when he goes berserk. Oh yeah, did I mention there was a significant drop in quality?

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Popularity: 3% [?]

Impressions:

This episode is my favourite so far, as it combined everything that makes a good watch (that a show like this is capable of I mean): action, mystery, blood and a lot of insight into Orlando’s past, something I’m sure a lot of viewers want to know more about. There were a lot of explosions and freaky Orlando-on-killing-spree shots. The gushing blood from his leg injury was a nice touch. I’ve seen a few anime where someone gets stabbed really badly, yet after a little dribble of red the blood seams to stop, just like that. There was a lot of mistrust this episode too, with Machs wondering what Orlando’s really like. This is sure to escalate very soon, seeing as how Machs was so shocked when Orlando took a strike to his leg without so much as a second thought, that he called him a monster (monologue) instead of saying ‘thankyou’ (for saving his life). Soon, probably everyone’s going to start distrusting Orlando except Alice, and the Pumpkin Scissors will spilt up. Then, during a mission where both sides try to take on the evil-guy-of-the-episode on, they find that they have to help each other out. After saving each other’s lives, the team make up. The truth should be revealed soon (unless the entire series is going to revolve around figuring Orlando’s past out), but I’m not sure whether that will clear all the distrust up or worsen it. For now though, I just want to see some more gore and big door knocker explosions.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Impressions:

As everyone has already pointed out, the animation quality has dropped a little. I also thought there were some fluctuations in the way the characters were drawn. Inconsistencies in artwork such as that really gets to me, but thankfully it was only a little this episode. Let’s hope Pumpkin Scissors doesn’t take the same downhill path that NHK ni Youkoso did in terms of quality. I enjoyed the episode surprisingly more than usual for an episode with degrading quality. I really liked seeing more of Alice and getting further insights to her past. Although we all know the type of person she is, I thought she needed an episode to establish this. This episode also served the purpose of depicting Alice maturing fast (mentally XD). We also see her blush a lot, which I don’t think suits her. In fact, I don’t think any form of romance goes well with the style of the series, though I do believe something’s going to happen between Orlando and her.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Impressions:

Orlando, the former 901-Anti-tank Trooper, probably the most interesting character in the series so far. His past is still quite mysterious and I wonder if he was always this gentle or if it was a result of the war. As for the blue “will o’ the wisp”, I believe it’s something that reminds Orlando of his cause (to defeat the enemy) which allows him to switch to Terminator mode. Of course, this might be wrong and the little blue lantern is actually something supernatural which brings out the ATT’s hidden powers. I don’t like that idea though, as I like Pumpkin Scissors for its realism – realistic weapons, realistic wars, realistic corruption, realistic oppression etc. I wonder if Orlando will be able to ‘unlock’ his powers and be able to become the ultimate tank killer without the lantern. Hang on, maybe he doesn’t really need to use it and just switches it on as a warning or something. Hmm…more speculation: Orlando is the first success (or one of the successes) of top secret experimentation on superhuman strength. Maybe we will meet other ATT’s like him…kekeke.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Genres: Action, Drama, Military
Release: Autumn season 2006
Studios: AIC, Gonzo
OP: “Aoki Flamme” by Yoko Takahashi
ED: “Mercury Go” by Kana Ueda & Yukai na Nakama-tachi
Official Site: http://rikujyo3ka.com/

Impressions:

When I read the numerous other entries on this anime from other bloggers, I could not see myself liking this type of show. Firstly, it looked like it’s set in the past, which I dislike. Second, the character design (especially the hair) didn’t appeal to me at all. Third, it looked pretty dark and serious. But then there were a lot of people saying it was good, so I decided to try it anyway. And I can’t believe I loved it! Thankyou to those bloggers and their commenters, as without them I would’ve most likely missed this awesome anime. It seems that this will be another one I will be blogging (crap I won’t be able to keep up! I must control myself before saying these things, as probably I will have to drop a few due to time restraints).

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Popularity: 4% [?]