Quick Picks: Inifinite Stratos S2 Ep 9, Valvrave the Liberator S2 Ep 8, Samurai Flamenco Ep 8, Kill La Kill Ep 9, Yuushibu Ep 9, Log Horizon Ep 9

Inifinite Stratos S2 Ep 9: Kazashi refused to see Ichika after knowing her sister, Sara was the one who asked Ichika to help her. Sara declared the tournament opened and Ichika still couldn't find Kazashi.

Suddenly unmanned IS units attacked the school and Houki and the others rushed to stop them. One of the enemy IS attacked Kazashi and Ichika managed to save her. They began battled the enemy while Houki and Sara battled another. Sara used her Lance to pierce the enemy IS and it cause a large explosion knocking Sara out.

Ichika went to find out where the explosion is, leaving Kazashi to battle alone. When she saw her sister unconcisous, she flipped out and was knocked to the ground. The enemy IS tried to stab her but Sara shielded her and fell. Kazashi could hear Sara telling her to accept her weakness and turned it into a strength and became more focused.

Houki gave Ichika a recharge of power and together with Kazashi defeated the enemy IS. The other girls also defeated the remaining IS and the danger was over. Later, Kazashi and Sara make up and reconcile as sisters. Kazashi lend Ichika her anime DVD to him and accidentally claim she love anime instead of him...

The focus of this episode is Sara and Kazashi. Clearly, Sara want to protect her however it actually make Kazashi to live in Sara's shadow which make her a loner. But when Sara saved her, she realised her sister do care for her and they finally overcome their differences. The unmanned IS units are clearly from Phantom Task and Chifuyu's reason to lie the government that all core units are destroyed is still a mystery. Given that two of the cores are still in the school, I am guessing Chifuyu want to lure Phantom Task out in the open...

Valvrave the Liberator S2 Ep 8: Haruto and the others managed to stop a Maguis ship from reaching Module 77 and they returned to the school with open arms. However L-elf is in a slump and blamed himself for failing to save Riselotte.

A famous news reporter, Barlet interviewed them and Shoko explained that they are getting supporters from many countries against Dorssia. Meanwhile, X-eins discovered a hidden compartment in H-neun's earrings.

As the representatives of different countries arrived for talks at Module 77, Amadeus, ruler of Dorssia intercepted the meeting via satellite and stabbed Saki in the heart. However her wounds regenerated and claimed that the students are not human...

So one trouble after another, L-elf is out and without his help, the students were left to fend themselves but with Amadeus using Saki as an example, it will cause widespread panic with the countries disbelief and suspicious. Can Haruto be able to overturn the tides without L-elf's help and what did X-eins discovered in H-neun's earrings?

Samurai Flamenco Ep 8: Masayoshi, the Flamenco girls and Goto defeated another of King Torture's monsters and were glad that there were no casualties. Three weeks ago, King Torture want the government to surrender which the government refused to compile.

A Torture monster hijacked a bus with passengers (Masayoshi's manager Sumi is in the bus too) and Masayoshi and the Flamenco girls defeated the monster with teamwork.  As the weeks goes by, more monsters appeared and the heroes defeated them. Masayoshi even got a new armor and gadgets to aid him and it make Mari jealous.

Masayoshi claimed he is enjoying the role of a hero which got Goto worried that he is getting self-centred. Meanwhile, King Torture was furious that Samurai Flameco is ruining his plans and began planning his next move...

So the battle is on as our heroes are battling monsters every week (like a regular toku series) Although there is no deaths after the first sighting but I am sure someone is going to get hurt since now Masayoshi is being self centred which I am sure it is going to come back in a backlash. Sumi also suspected that Masayoshi is Samurai Flamenco and even Konno also think that Mari and her friends are the Flamenco girls. So what plans will King Torture devise in order for our heroes to fall?

Kill La Kill Ep 9: Ryuko want to battle Gamagoori now however he explained that the battle will only start at 1 p.m which she has no choice but to compile. Mikisugi warned Ryuko not to underestimated the Elite Four however she took it optimist since she know Gamagoori's strength.

The battle began with Ryuko and Gamagoori. However she refused to attack him knowing it will bounce her off. Gamagoori instead beat himself up and activated his second form. Ryuko has no chance in getting close to him and kept getting beaten.

Gamagoori recalled his fight with Satsuki which she was impressed by his stubbornness. She told him to be her followers and shed his last tears for her. He tried to squash Ryuko however Senketsu told her to trust him and she deactivated her powers. Gamagoori trapped her in his body instead, Senketsu released the second form and defeated him easily. Inumata was her next opponent as he walked down to face her...

Continuing from last week, we get to see how Gamagoori battle (which I am thinking he is a masochist) and he is pretty tough for Ryuko. He is also the most loyal among the Elite Four as Satsuki inspired him and is willing to bet his life for her. With a new form from Senketsu, can Ryuko battle the brains of the Elite Four-Inumata who has yet to reveal his powers till now...

Yuushibu Ep 9: Raul and the others finally got their paycheck with extra bonus. Sera told them they are doing well despite Amanda's opening. Pino went to use her paycheck to get something special and Sera suggested that Raul accompanied her the next day.

They went to town which Pino learned how to buy things on her own. They then went to the market place and Pino was excited about it that she got lost. She came back wearing a dress that she bought and even used up all her money to buy unnecessary things.

Raul treated her to a snack and in return, Pino bought him a hand phone strap which she claimed it is the remains of a dead Yuusha. Later Pino was assaulted by someone unknown and when Raul came to her aid, she claimed the attackers are Yuusha who want Pino to be the next demon king and to revive the demon world...

Pino literately spent all her money in one day after getting her first paycheck which is so naive of her. But she also did give Raul an inspiration speech claiming that their paycheck was the result of hard work in the store and should be proud of it. But now with people claiming to be Yuusha who want Pino to be the next demon king could mean trouble for them.

These people claim without demons, many people ran out of jobs related to demon hunting which I am thinking they are selfish because they are so self centred and the peace after the last demon king is fragile and should be cherished. Will Pino forced to make the hard decision and Raul be able to convince her not to do anything foolish?

Log Horizon Ep 9: Shiroe gathered the major guild masters in Akihabara for a round table meeting and explained his motives. He want them to consider the safety of the city however Silver Sword's Guild Master-William did not care about his motives and left the meeting.

As Shiroe buy time, he has already ordered Akatsuki, Naotsuge, Shoryu and Hien to assist the rescue of Minori and the others players in Hamelin Guild. Shiroe also proclaimed the Guild Building is now his property which the funds are from the merchants guild.

With the Guild Building at hand, he basically control all the Guilds entry zones and the banks in the Akihbara Sever. Minori and Tohya make their escape but was spotted by the Hamelin leader, Schreider. The two of them managed to enter the Guild hallway but Schreider followed through. Akastuski arrived to aid them and blame herself for forgetting to add Schreider in the blacklist.

Shiroe managed to kick Schrieder out of the building where Naotsuge handle him with ease. Shiroe continued his plans to have laws in the city so that the players can enjoy the game and perhaps the rest of the world. However Issac of the Black Sword Knights insisted that Shiroe is hiding something else from them and demanded to know what is it...

So Shiroe's five million golds was to enquire the Guild Building in the sever. With it, he can blackmail all the guilds with this trump card in hand. With the banks also in his command, the guilds will have no choice but to listen. Furthermore, instead of going a frontal assault at Hamelin, he make the smart move of controlling the entrance of the various Guild zones and blacklist any players he please. Although his plans is to have law and order in the city, but Shiroe being Shiroe has a hidden agenda which we will find out in the next episode...

Quick Picks: Infinite Stratos S2 Ep 8, Valvrave the Liberator S2 Ep 7, Samurai Flamenco Ep 7, Kill la Kill Ep 8, Yuushibu Ep 8, Log Horizon Ep 8

Infinite Stratos S2 Ep 8: Ichika tried to get Kazashi to be his partner but she refused and even gave a slap at him. The girls later found out that Ichika did not choose any of them as his partner and become "disorientated." Furthermore, Ichika was too dense to see any of the girls' reactions.

Houki partnered with Sara and during a body scan, she discovered that Houki's abilities has increased to S rank after piloting Akatsubaki and suspected Tabane could be behind it. Kazashi tested her IS however it suffered engine failure and nearly crashed. But Ichika saved her and she started to accept him.

He offered to help in fixing Kazashi's IS and got some of his classmates to help out. After fixing her IS, she finally agreed to be his partner. Later, she went to pass some cookies to him and overheard his conversation with Sara. She then realised that it was because of Sara that Ichika want to partner with her...

Oh Ichika, you are a dork. I know that sooner or later Kazashi will find out it was Sara who asked him to partner with her. I'm pretty sure that in the next episode, Kazashi will get pissed at both of them. I know Sara meant well for her sister but making Ichika a scapegoat isn't fair for him. Now he has to deal with all the girls for his actions which I am pretty sure it is not going pretty after that. Anyway, the tournament begin and how it goes. I got a feeling that Phantom Task will return but first, Ichika better take some cover from everyone!

Valvrave the Liberator S2 Ep 7: As L-elf took Riselotte away from the castle, Saki found her body and quickly switch back. However A-Drei found her and demanded to know what is going on.

L-elf was confronted by Q-Vier and they began battled with knives. Haruto arrived and L-elf instructed him to take Riselotte away first. As L-elf rushed to the draw bridge, Pino recognize Riselotte as one of them and she admitted to Haruto that she belong to the Magius, an alien race that has been secretly hiding for centuries on Earth.

She explained her race crash landed on Earth and has been possessing living things to survive. They formed the council of 101 and their plan is to turn all humans into energy sources. But because Riselotte was against the idea, she was punished by having a seal that drain her energy every day.

L-elf managed to get the drawbridge open and the crew took the space shuttle and blast off to space. Haruto got L-elf and returned to the shuttle. However the shuttle suffered damages and is unable to ascend. Riselotte used her powers to raise the shuttle but in the process lost her life...

I was right about the Magius are aliens and they want to turn humans into energy because of their abilities to produce Runes. You know, the girls in this show seem to get killed off easily. First it was Aina in the first season then Maria and now Riselotte. Man, they killed all the cute girls. But we do know that what the Magius really are and hopefully Haruto and L-elf could come up a plan to defeat and perhaps save the universe?! By the way, Saki is perhaps captured by A-Drei but I am pretty sure she has a plan to get out of her predicament...

Samurai Flamenco Ep 7: The city became peaceful because of Masayoshi and Mari's actions which make them bored especially Marie. Masayoshi later flipped his grandfather's notes and discovered that his parents were killed in a robbery overseas years ago.

He told Goto about it but because he has no memories of his parents. He decided to take it optimistically and continue to fight crime. The next day, Masayoshi was invited to be the police chief for a day and joined a drug bust with Goto.

During the raid, a man suddenly turned into a Giant Gorilla and started killing off the policemen. Masayoshi tried to stop it but it was too strong. Goto and him finally pushed the monster out of the window and it exploded after giving out a loud roar. A masked figure appeared in front of them and proclaim himself as King Torture and challenge Samurai Flamenco...

So for reasons unknown, a real Super Villain appeared and they mean business! Masasyoshi's parents killed by a robber remind me of Batman's back story but because he has no memories of his parents, it doesn't affect him that much which could be a good thing as Masayoshi could be cold and heartless if he found out his parent's death earlier.

But now we have real monsters and super villains in the city! I thought this show is just a mock on Kick-Ass but no, we have a serious problem! That Gorilla monster named Gorilla Guttoline is creepy as he decapitated people with his stomach! (Jesus!) With none of his gadgets not working and King Torture proclaimed war with the city, can Samurai Flamenco protect the city!?

Kill la Kill Ep 8: Satsuki proclaimed an election and the students are to battle for seven days. The survivors will then battle each other for the ownership of new Goku uniforms. Ryuko and Mako took a break and Ryuko went to visit her old house.

Ryuko recalled her father was obsessed in her research and she was left to fend herself. One day, she received a message from her father and found him dead and the murderer holding the other half of the scissor blade. They later hitched a ride from Gamagoori but they were attacked by other student clubs.

Gamagoori took upon himself to battle the clubs and recalled that Satsuki inspired him to be stronger in his younger years. He defeated the clubs with ease as his uniform has a second form. Seven days passed and everyone started battling, leaving Ryuko and the Elite Four standing. Gamagoori challenge Ryuko and they began battling...

We learned more about Ryuko's past and how she was left to fend herself during her younger years. But because of her father's death, she now has a new goal in life. Gamagoori is also a honorable warrior, he will not hurt Ryuko outside the school and show how awesome he could be. Furthermore, he was inspired by Satsuki as she showed her power against some bullies after Gamagoori was unable to and he shed his only tears for her. What a man! But now, the bets are off and Ryuko and Gamagoori are to battle each other if Ryuko is to know the truth of her father's death...

Yuushibu Ep 8: Raul and Pino brought Nova into the resting room and learned that the air-conditioner is spoilt. With Lore fixing it, the heatwave is unbearable. Sera suggested an open air sale and the girls wore bikini to attract customers.

The idea worked and even Elza, Lum and Airi got into the act. Lum came up with many ideas to attract customers and the shop sold many items for the day. Raul met the elder woman's son and he happened to be a reporter. He wrote a good article about their shop which caught the attention of Amanda's boss. He ordered a mysterious man in the shadow to take down Leon Magic Shop and claimed it is for Princess Pino...

What can I say but fan service! I love all the girls in their bikini except for Lore who finally got the air conditioner at the end. Airi was sent to spy on them however she got dragged into their antics and was having fun with it. I hope Airi will join because I kinda of want her in the same team with Raul. But now the head of Amanda is furious and send down this mysterious man who is somehow connected to Pino. I am guessing that he is also a demon which could mean trouble for Raul and company in the future!

Log Horizon Ep 8: Shiroe instructed Marielle and Henrietta to negotiate with 3 of the biggest merchants in the Akihabara sever. The two ladies asked for five millions gold from the merchants claiming that Shiroe is spear heading a quest that require a large capital.

The ladies also claimed if they are willing to sponsor the quest, they will get the food recipes that are successful in the guild. The merchants agreed and Shiroe moved to his next stage in his plan. As Minori and Tohya recalled their time after being trapped in the game, Shiroe invited several guild masters for a meeting in order to carry out his plan.

This episode is more of exposition since it is more of negotiating an agreement with the merchants and they were successful. We also know more about Minori and Tohya's time and the abuses they received by the Hamlin Guild and they were wondering should Shiroe risked for the two of them. So what could Shiroe be planning as he invited the guild masters for a meeting? Only time will tell as we wait for the next episode...