Mai-Hime ep 24
Damn, suddenly Natsuki is unbelievably cool!! And drawn awesome, too :D
Shizuru, off in la-la land, cleans house with the 4-headed Snake from Hell. She’s rackin’ up quite a body count there, not to mention copious amounts of property damage.
Of course, Shizuru stops by Natsuki’s place as Nao (also known as the Really Messed Up Girl due to Traumatic Childhood Experience) announces to a once-more strung up Natsuki that she’s bait. I would like to add that Nao is also one Really Stupid Girl, since she actually thought she could take on Kiyohime with Julia. Guess she didn’t see Shizuru deflect Kagutsuchi’s Death Beam without breaking a sweat.
Nao takes the fight to the rooftops. Oh no! Kiyohime is caught in webbing! Oh shucks! Turns out Shizuru’s pretty handy with that naginata - in a flash Julia’s legs are little itty bitty pieces as Natsuki falls to the ground with a painful thump. (Shizuru, you baka, this was your chance to catch her gallantly. Guess you were too busy proclaiming your love to the world.)
Nao is quite unhappy. Rather, make that she’s finally realized she’s in real deep shit. Oh yes. I would panic too, if I had a psycho Shizuru smile and say, “You think I’m going to let you get away with just that, after you hurt Natsuki?” She basically screams what the hell is going on and how no one can be trusted and how love is just a bunch of crap etc etc.
Oh yeah, sometime, Kiyohime just had Julia for lunch. I’ll have to rewatch to confirm when this happens, but basically Nao’s MIP is her mom, and she’s pretty devastated.
Shizuru’s about to finish Nao off, permanent, when suddenly a newly enlightened Natsuki runs in front of Nao.
“Why, Natsuki?” asks Shizuru.
“Because, we are alike.” We then get a flashback to Natsuki’s younger, more disillusioned days. She is about to crush a flower, when a young Shizuru (ka.. kawaii… ToT) admonishes her and says that flowers are pretty because they bloom and should be left to for their short lives, or something philosophical like that. “We both trusted nobody.”
The Natsuki says, “The reason I didn’t turn out like Nao, was because you were there for me. I should have realized earlier, what was really important!” Then she materializes her guns!! Woo woo!! Go Natsuki!! Ah, she’s so cool ToT *happy dance*
And Shizuru stops, and she gives a sad little smile, and says, “Good, your powers have returned.”
Short pause… Then, “I’ve just been over to the Old Ladies Association to murder the filthy lot. But there’s still a couple pockets of dastardly old people left here and there. Can you give me a bit of time before our showdown?”
Then the girl takes a real classy exit by stepping right off the side of the building and riding her snake off into the sunset.
Preview - Shizuru in ripped up kimono! Looks like she’s been pretty busy tearing up the town. Guess she and Natsuki go at it… uh, not that way, you perverts!!
Mai-HiME was pretty sucky the last episode, what with the deus ex machinitis the writers cast on the HiMEs to utterly change character and act without logic or reason. The bad writing continues, but damn, Natsuki is sooo f*ckin’ cool (’bout time, geez), and Shizuru, even in insanity, is once more proven to be Still Damn Hot. Therefore, I may actually buy the DVDs.
At least I go to sleep happier tonight than I did last week.
But wait, so if Shizuru has now taken Natsuki’s MIP spot, and Natsuki is Shizuru’s… Uh… Dude, no matter which way you cut it, neither is gonna survive this fight. But, oh, what a way to go!! This had better give us some satisfaction on the yuri front, or I can imagine hordes of highly pissed off yuri fans rising up against the Sunrise staff in righteous fury. Or, maybe not.
Mai? Yeah, stuff happened with her and Tate. I guess it was a big deal, but I was too busy thinking, “Oh my god, Natsuki doesn’t hate Shizuru after all!” to pay much attention.
