Shangri-la ep 8 – The one who stands above them all, or what's pink, pissed and uber gar.

You think she's really broken, don't you?

So I took a look around, and for some strange reason I hardly see Shangri-la reviews.  Not sure why, from what I gathered, people had too high expectations for this series and are unwilling to let them go.  The total abundance of all those insanely powerful characters (especially the lolis) that pull things no human could possibly dream, while still appearing much weaker than that, may have drove others off, but I’m seriously enjoying this thing.  Especially episode 8 has to be the definition of what I consider Shangri-la to be; a somewhat realistic setting with lots and lots of characters, some very realistic, some totally disturbed, some rather unique, and certain individuals that could just make the world spin backwards (something Haruhi would have found rather amusing).  And one of those few individuals happens to be Kuniko.   I know this review is rather late, but since I’m picking up Shangri-la to ridic-…eh… review.. I thought I’d at least review this ep before the next one comes out.

... Guess again...

Don’t you just LOVE it when her eyes seem to glow like that?  There must be a reason they’re not always like that, so I suppose it means something.  Long story short, after displaying her superhuman skills in the previous episode, then taking punishment in someone else’s place and displaying her awesome willpower, AGAIN, she stands before the S&M Hitler chick (can’t call her Mistress after all, so I’ll call her SMH, cause really, who cares about her name 😛 ), who is so fascinated with her that she’s gonna have her executed.  Yeah, sometimes, logic fails…

Ok... so, besides S&M and Batman, she's into yuri, too... Her CV is rather impressive...

So they drag her away and Joker (hmm… maybe I should just call her Joker in the end…) goes back to her apparently temporary Prison Warden office, has a cup of tea, doesn’t like it, and throws it back to Slave Boy (who’s also the otouto – aka little brother- of one of her other subordinates, the saint, we’ll see him later), complaining that she was in the mood for something else.  You know them nutcases.  So apparently Joker has a plan for Kuniko, not sure how she was gonna have it work by executing her but I suppose it’s still episode 8.

Somehow that doesn't seem like a desperate deathrow inmate rotting in jail...

Let’s get a closer look just be sure.

"All your bases are belong to me."

Well, for being such a funny series, that was seriously epic gar.  Everything aside, it’s a pretty awesome image really, despite that this is still a pink-haired girl that I’d swear is more of a loli than anything, if I hadn’t read in the wiki that she’s supposedly 18.  Of course, you don’t really believe Kuniko doesn’t have a plan, right?  At least she plays the prisoner well, I’m sure she could just kick a wall and exit, due to her Epic Gar ability.

Meanwhile, news of Kuniko’s imminent execution make the headlines.  The scenes that follow in Duomo, her town, are rather… eh… devastating?

Woot! You made it, Kuniko! You're a star! And you're DEATH, cause for some reason, the other words don't get enough highlight... These people know...

DFC in danger! What are we gonna do?!!!

Send the girl some burger and fries! It's her last meal you know. No wait, that's not the problem.

Cunning Transformer is cunning

Here’s another guy who doesn’t take Kumiko’s closing demise that well.

A bit late but puberty IS puberty I suppose...

And here’s the loli who’s too bored to care to what happens in the world

A genius loli's life is boring...

Well... at least the online dating services tried...

Anyway, back to our wonderful prison, it seems the girls are up to something.  It does make me wonder how they communicated that to Kuniko…. No wait… Kuniko, being as epic gar as she is, communicated HER plan to them… somehow…  Then she gets a visit from Transformer 1 (aka Momoko), who brings, pickles, an okama dress and lipstick.  She… he… that… anyway… Momoko always brings up the most important stuff first.

I can see where you got your transplants from... Poor Kuniko...

Kuniko still wonders whether she’ll really get executed (yeah… even I don’t believe you there…).  She finds a number of goodies in the form of the lipstick and the dress (kinda pity she’s not gonna wear that, I’m curious to see how she’d look), whose use (at least the lipstick) becomes apparent later on.  Then we have Tomoka, who’s turning out to be a really hot piece (for some reason) and seduces a guard to let her see Kuniko.

Really now, and here I thought I was the only one 😛

Whoops, big, ominous guy with gun. What are you gonna do, Tomoka?

Sorry, girl, I can't let you see, Kuniko, absolutely n-

PASS

The radiant sunlight... The GARness... A hero-saint O_O They exist!!

Isn’t that nice, Tomoka, you get to save what’s left of your… eh… purity, for Kuniko… What? Did you believe there wouldn’t be any yuri around here with that many girls?

Love is so wonderful...

Tell me the juicy details later.

Afterwards, the hero-saint lets the girl go, but he’s spotted by his fellow Joker subordinate who doesn’t seem to mind much.  Back to the prison, the other girls are playing Crazy scientist with orange juice and some other stuff, preparing for Kuniko’s execution.  A MacGyver comment I saw somewhere was rather accurate 😛 See, the girls gather and distill orange to get hydrogen (at some point, after getting alchohol that is) and get some other ingredients with their usual favorite part-time (that is seducing the guards, yes, that’s right, everyone has fun in that prison).  Of course, the guards being stupid can’t comprehend the master plan, and mumble a series of FLW (Famous last words) like this one.

Of COURSE not, there's no WAY they have THAT...

Here are some random gar moments before Kuniko’s execution.  Marvel at the awesomeness, please.

Seriously... how gar can the people in this series be...

How the world doesn't wet its pants when Kuniko walks is beyond me.

Yup, this series is full of... eh... interesting people...

Ok, people, the event you’ve all been waiting for! The stage is set, the lights are on, time to make some people cry with our godlike pwnness.  Because, almight Kuniko can take THIS:

So, 5...6 against 1? Is it fair? Maybe you should have brought a tank... I doubt it'd matter. The pink girl has you.

And change it into THIS:

PWNED! And she got her yuri partner, too 😛

By the grace of oranges, a balloon tailored from scrap, and THIS:

Do you hear it? It's the lulz you get for being owned by a pink-haired DFC midget with a lipstick.

Where did she get such a bizarre plan?  Oh, that’s easy.  Remember the first image of this post, after her 3 days punishment in the sun, no food and all that?  Oh, she didn’t mind, she was crafting her plan during her wonderful time.  She just seems tired cause she was thinking too much in order to come up with the plan that wouldn’t blow the whole Earth up.  I mean, it’s Kuniko.  She sees you, you’re dead.  Needless to say, Epic Kuniko didn’t just escape.  She sliced all of her executioners’ weapons, plus their leader’s sword with this lipstick thing before making her grand exit.  She landed somewhere with Tomoka, and after a short tender yuri moment, they spot Transform… eh, whatever, Momoko, who’s there to pick them up.

Is there such a thing? Could this be the "silver" they get for losing the "gold"?? Did we finally find it?!

In the meanwhile, Joker, despite the execution failing, doesn’t seem too distressed about it.  She orders her people to depart, and supposedly has all the prisoners killed, but I kinda doubt that until I see some corpses.  The episode ends with a solar eclipse falling, then Gar Kuniko and gang spot this nice sight.

Ok... some strangely dressed, weird people with masks are chanting something ridiculous (which makes it rather creepy) next to the mandatory sakura tree and a weird loli plays around... (You can also spot Transformer 2 -aka Mi~ko- there).

I wanted to upload more funny screens but Mistress will get angry cause I’m wasting the webspace >_< .  So anyway, this episode was fun.  It IS rather funny seeing a small pink-haired girl own everything with such ease.  It’s those sparks of GARness in what appears to be a realistic setting (you know, rules of gravity apply, no kamehame waves, no flying around, etc etc) that make this thing fun, more so when it’s a pink-haired DFC that pulls them off like she’s some legendary hero whose spit melts steel and can reduce you to toothpaste cause you got reflected in her eyes.  That, along with some pretty weird and hilarious characters, like Joker (Lady Ryoko or something, meh), the sadists, the slaves, the lolis, the trannies, the grannies, makes this a pretty entertaining watch.  Sometimes I can’t even believe I’m seeing certain things, but that’s the beauty of it.  It’s terribly fun, albeit really weird at times.  I suppose those who actually took it too seriously will be pulling their hair at episodes 7 and 8.  For me, episode 8 was immensely enjoyable.  The only thing I wonder is what will be the next epic thing Kuniko will pull.  I suppose making the earth rotate backwards isn’t out of the question 😛

Next episode… next episode… Who cares.  Kuniko’s epic 😛

PS, Shangri-la ED single is hopefully coming out this week.  YAY!

PS2 No closing pic today, the post was too gar, it reeks of epicness, you don’t need a closing pic 😛

PS3 There’s a cute japanese singer below, go read 😛