Glass Heart

City Hunter. Ryo Saeba is just the funniest character ever (and the most perverted).

Preview of the next episode of Digimon Hunters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFSGEMv4Loo Good to have all those heroes back ! And the vampire Vamdemon was always my favorite Digimon villain so it's great to have him back also !

It's still a mystery. The appearance of the previous heroes is linked to the main plot of season 2 (even if they only appear for the four last episodes of the season).

Taichi is back ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JWl8BkXHZo

A topic about one of Clamp's greatest masterpieces: X/1999. 1999. The day of the promise approaches. Kamui Shiro, a young man with a dark personality, is back in Tokyo to find the people who murdered his mother. He reunites with his childhood friends Fûma and Kotori Mono but he doesn't want to get involved with them again. For some time now, Kotori has some strange dreams about Kamui. He is the Messiah, the one who will determine the future of mankind. But will he become Earth's savior or harbinger ? Two paths and a future yet unclear. At the same time, many people with strange powers reunite in Tokyo. Some become the Seals, fighting for the future of mankind but condemning the planet to its doom, other become the Angels, fighting for the rebirth of the planet but purging her of mankind. It is Kamui's fate to join and lead one or the other of these groups. But, by making his choice, his hidden twin star will inevitably awake to take his place as Kamui's nemesis in the other group. As tragedies are happening, the day of the apocalypse draws nearer and nearer. What future awaits the Earth ?

Episode 19 seen ! Fantastic ! The "rebirth" scene is just awesome ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpn6_ubNdOU

If you are going to watch it, I'll be interested to know what you think of it.

The anime is excellent, but it relies too much on elements previously seen in Evangelion and Code Geass. Also, the first 3 or 4 episodes are correct but not great. It becomes a great series on the length. The last 10 episodes are huge masterpieces and the evolution of the main hero from a Shinji-type character to a Lelouch-type character is excellent.

I strongly recommand Digimon Savers, one of the very best seasons so far and one of the more mature.

Here come the google boys ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDG_h3uxpFk

Digimon Tamers and Digimon Savers are also my favorites. The google boys from all previous Digimon series will reappear in the final two episodes of Digimon Hunters as the final bosses of the series: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rhwoysZ18HA/Tz-yOaHbIZI/AAAAAAAABos/w9QcdaOz8Qc/s1600/Scan1.jpg

I can't wait to see the movies of Lelouch of the Rebellion and Akito the Exiled. Code Geass is my favorite animé series ever, even if Guilty Crown comes as a close second.

Oh my god ! I love Ayase ! She's the best ! :shock: :oops: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHq3RRXfT5M But I'm surprised (and overjoyed) by the new direction the series is taking with those last two episodes. It seems like Shu will evolve further as a leader figure.

New opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptpci3z5ZE4 And the most-awaited soundtrack is finally available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9LxXsq0KQE

I've just watched the second OSS 117 movie. I love it ! One of the funniest movies ever ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF8g69Jt4y4

Trailer of the visual-novel Guilty Crown: The Lost Christmas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXAYBKtfAvY The game tells the story of what happened during the first Lost Christmas from the perspective of a new hero, Scrooge, who comes in possession of the power of the kings. He is followed by a girl named Carol who bears a striking ressemblance to Mana/Inori. I bet the game will also involve appearances of Shu, Mana and Gai as children.

Just watched episode 12 ! And I have to say it's just... AWESOME ! It rocks big time ! And we have finally some major revelations about the story as well as a different insight to Shu and Gai's relationship. We also discover a lot of things about the girl from Shu's dream who looks like Inori, as well as the beginning of an explanation behind the events of the Lost Christmas. There are still mysteries, but this episode offers us many keys to understand the story better. Now, this episode is weird... but also fantastic and very sad. And it's strange that we are only in the middle of the series while this episode seems so much like a finale. I really wonder what direction the story will take now. Guilty Crown is definitely the best anime I've seen since Code Geass. Definitely an anime to be remembered ! Also, there is a one-hour long TV Special that resumes the series so far.

Trailer of the movie Code Geass: Akito the Exiled. A lot of new projects, including a movie based on Lelouch of the Rebellion, were also announced today. Links: http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/01/12/code-geass-lelouch-of-the-rebellion-movie-project-social-game-musical-and-more-announced http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/01/12-1/code-geass-boukoku-no-akito-project-details-emerge

Finally ! The villains of Xros Wars 2 reveal themselves !

Part 2 I just read again the chapter and you're right, it could have been Tooru. On the other hand, I doubt she could feel Vermouth by that distance, especially since Haibara said it was behind her (meaning Tooru's car or Masumi's bike). I'm sorry but I don't understand why you say that I'm making a dangerous assumption on that one. It would be if it really came out of nowhere, but not if I can make some logic reasoning to prove my point. Masumi and Tooru's phones rang at the same time. Vermouth can't be calling both of them at the same time (if it is only a possible thing to do) because it would reveal Bourbon's identity to the other. And, apart from Vermouth that was on the scene, who else would call the other that someone who was also already on the scene and who called only after the end of the car chase ? I really don't think Aoyama would introduce a wrong number or something like that in his story just for the sake of hiding Bouron's identity to the reader. As for Subaru, he already has his hearphones on and he reacts at the exact same time Masumi and Tooru's phones are ringing, but there was no sound in the Subaru's car (ok, he could have also put the vibrations on, I've also thought of that but maybe it's a little too much). I agree that we can't totally be sure of anything but the attitude really makes me think of that. The same for the time Subaru did a stunt which seems pretty clear to me that he was trying to shoot at the wheels of the kidnapper's car. Maybe, but are you sure of that ? Honestly I don't remember any element that could give some validity to that explanation. Still, a theory is a theory and that mustn't prevent to think about other possibilities. But I must thank you for helping me to test this one. I'll have to rethink some parts but the general reasoning seems to work. In fact, you have also helped me quiet a lot to think about some elements and find explanations for them (the reason why Scar Akai appear in front of the FBI), helping me to develop my reasoning further, so I'm grateful.

Part 1 I agree but, at the same time, she hasn't much choice. For her investigation, she needs to join Conan's close circles. She recognizes him as Shinichi but she can't say anything about it to him (otherwise he will suspect she might know more than she admits). So she places some clues to make him remember but she speaks to Ran instead of Conan (with conan being near). Problem: he still doesn't remember her (and even if he did, he can't admit since Masumi and Conan aren't suppose to have met before). So she forces her way. I'll add that Subaru and Tooru are not better in term of stalking: one obviously stalks, the other imposes himself with no reason and even Ran finds him suspicious. I didn't say she collected the picture because of the case, that's probably even thanks to that picture that she learned about Haibara in the first place. But after she confirms Haibara's presence, the picture was no longer useful to her, and she allows herself to talk about it to Conan (who won't suspect a true BO operative could reveal such an information to them). Since then, Masumi still wants to meet Haibara and asks Ran and Sonoko questions about her, so she continues her investigations. The real question is: if she's not Bourbon, why would Masumi be interested by Haibara in the first place ? As I said, if Masumi is Shinichi's childhood friend, she probably knows about Conan being Shinichi's younger self, about Ran, about Kogoro, about Agasa... but not about a girl named Haibara who comes out of nowhere and who seems to be shrinked to the same age than Conan while having a mature attitude. And I don't understand what's so hard to believe about her backstory. She's a former resident who comes back at the city of her youth and who installes herself at the hotel. I don't see why the hotel should be more difficult than any other place if she knows how to deal with her belongings. She could just have to keep all of the informations she collected on a USB flash drive and to keep it safe. Which doesn't mean it won't come later. Bourbon is still a BO member and he would have heard it from the others, while refusing to accept it (explining how Gin and Vodka would know of it). But, honestly, I really don't think that someone who thinks Akai to be dead would react like Sera did. Once she saw him, she instantly runs after him with strong determination. She didn't have any second of hesitation like Jodie and Camel who were petrified. I don't know many people who could run after a supposedly dead person like Sera did, and I can only explained it by the fact she didn't thought him to be dead. Now, she could have thought that she made a mistake this time (being so fixated on finding Akai) after Scar Akai vanished. I don't see any contradiction in my argument. She doesn't have to investigate Shinichi and his friends if she had already known them by the past. The only one she doesn't know is Ai Haibara, explaining the picture. But, even if she doesn't know her, why would she do an investigation about her unless she needs to know everything there is to know about Conan's close circle ? Maybe because she is Bourbon. But you're right on two points: she could only have known about Conan's name and his presence around Mouri during the cases by reading some papers. All the more reason for her to be Bourbon if she has read the paper about Akemi Miyano's death and spotted Conan alongside Mouri. Also, by reading them, as her childhood friend, she could have been able to recognize Shinichi's younger self in Conan, at least having some suspicions she still needs to confirm because she lacks a logical explanation. As for the last elements: Everyone in the bus could have learned that Ran was Shinichi's girlfriend and a karate champion by just listening to the girls' conversation. It's even easier if she has heard of Ran, or even met her, by the past. As for Conan's detective skills, even if she probably knew about it beforehand from papers, he did show them to her by pointing out the real pervert.

You have your method, I have mine. That's not the point here. We are not here to judge a method but to search theories and to test them by pointing out their contradictions with the facts of the manga. But she made it apparent to him that she was testing him. But it was only on a friendly rivalry term. And the way I see things, even as Bourbon, she needed to gain Conan's confidence in order to investigate him and his close friends, once she suspected him of being Shinichi (and since she probably knew Shinichi as a child, she would have recognized him directly). By making him understand her true identity and the fact that they were friends, she could gain his trust. No, that would not be a clever move from her part. Her main goal is Akai. If she tries anything against Haibara, she will reveal herself to Conan and his friends and it will surely compromise her investigations on Akai. Masumi/Bourbon is clever and patient enough not to do that, that's what makes her so different from Gin. If she tries something against Haibara, it will be done once she has already finished with Akai. She deletes the picture because it's not a useful element to her. It explained the Youtube case, but once the case is over, it's no longer useful. She probably has more interesting elements about her on her database than this picture. As for the hotel, it's also a clever move from her. Sure it is a little risky, but on the other hand the FBI doesn't know her identity as Bourbon and, if she goes into a residence with more security, she would be more suspectful than by going into an hotel. And she's supposed to not having lived in Japan for some time, so it would be strange if she had a residence. But that doesn't mean she isn't able to protect her privacy into an hotel, especially if she is a spy from the Black Organization. I think Tooru is part of a rival organization of the Black Organization. Each arc introduced a different organization: the FBI with Vermouth, the CIA with Kir. With Bourbon, I think it could be another criminal organization. And I don't think we are still at the end of the Bourbon's arc. I think there's still more to come (otherwise, the end of the arc would have begun from chapter 800). For my part, I think she says that because she is troubled. She is convinced he's not dead, but everyone reminds her of the contrary. When it seems like she has hallucinations, I can understand why she would say something like that. She knew Shinichi beforehand (so she had many informations about him and his close friends) and she was trying to meet him again. From that point, she tested Conan to make sure he was Shinichi. I doubt she has made such researches on him before, why would Bourbon be interested in this little boy of he knows nothing about his alliance with Akai ? I don't think we are at the end of the arc. I still think more elements will come before that. "Deletion, for data at least, is an easy task to accomplish." How would Sera say something like that if she doesn't know anything about the organization and the fact that Haibara is a target ? And, as I said, Haibara has clearly felt an aura coming from Sera, so I don't see how Sera couldn't know anything about the Black Organization. There is also the phone calls. One was from Vermouth. Subaru was likely listening this one by pirating the communication. But, between Masumi and Tooru, one of them received a call from someone else. So Masumi is clearly not alone on her investigation. And I see several elements until now which suggest Masumi might be a BO operative, without making it too clear, like the picture of Haibara. How can we be sure about that ? The picture could also have burned with Akai's car for what we know. And I don't think the FBI would do such a mistake. They are very careful about those things. They would never commit such a mistake as to send a picture about one of their cases, especially one of an important witness to them.

Same problem: too many blocks. I have to post the second part of the reply as a separate message. Sorry ! Maybe, but I don't remember it just like that. What is the problem ? Tooru is not FBI so I don't see how he could no anything about their arrangments with Kir. And it can even be a criminal organization As for another organization, the FBI was revealed during the resolution of Kir's arc and the clues weren't really explicit until then. But the possibility exists: during Vermouth's phone call. I don't see why she would call anyone else than Kir. If I think that Subaru/Akai is in fact pirating Bourbon's phone to spy on their communications, the last character is likely receiving a call from someone else at that precise moment (confusing the reader about who Vermouth is really talking too). And I think the one who calls is someone from that third organization which I think Tooru is part of. Maybe after she sees him, but for the moment that's more like the contrary. I think Tooru has taken his Scar Akai persona once more not because he was testing Sera but because he needed to hide his real face from her. He doesn't want her to recognize him.

Tohru fits the bill too much, I think. And, even though the Gundam names imply a strong rivality between the two, that doesn't necessarily mean that he is Bourbon. The Gundam names, which are apparent, might be part of Aoyama's trick. Akai's cover as Subaru and Tooru's cover as Scar Akai. Tooru ignores that Akai is still alive, but he poses as him to make it appears so in order to attract Bourbon (whose Tooru doesn't know the true identity). Bourbon hates Akai more than anyone else in the world and he doesn't believe that he's dead while everyone else think he is. He would jump to any possibility to confirm his suspicions if he has the chance. Tooru/Scar Akai uses that to lure him, as a bait. Now, for Akai, revealing himself to stop Tooru would mean exposing their true identities to the eyes of the Black Organization and he needs to stay hidden in order to protect Rena. So he could not intervene and he even had to prevent Jodie from stopping Scar Akai. I think Tooru is part of another organization. I never said he was the FBI aligned or Akai's ally (I even said he thought him to be dead). But, on the other hand, he is quiet happy to have attracted the Black Organization's attention because that means that the bait works and that Bourbon is likely going to search for Akai in the city. The way I think it, Tooru isn't linked to the FBI (he's part of another organization) and so it's likely he doesn't know anything about the arrangements between the FBI and Rena Mizunashi. And even if he did, would he care ? So he has no reason to refrain himself from the Scar Akai persona, he has everything to gain from it. As for appearing in front of the FBI, I didn't thought of that, but now that you make me remember it, it makes me think of something: he doesn't know how to attract the Black Organization, so he appears in front of FBI members. The two groups being at odds, there is a huge possibility that the BO spies on the FBI members, meaning he could attract the men in black attention (and especially Bourbon's attention) that way. It makes some sense. For the civilians, I don't know if he even cares. His organization could be a criminal one. That's a possibility (and, as you said, Aoyama actually used it), but mine is also. All there is to know is how the dialogues must be understood in their real context and we will know that with the resolution. It's easy: Shinichi and Masumi knew each other but Shinichi doesn't remember her. As Masumi isn't supposed to know Conan (Shinichi's child form), she makes it like she speaks to ran, while she gave the clues about her mother's bug breasts to Conan (which is near). Or the Masumi Sera that Shinichi once knew. But maybe he didn't even know she was a girl at that time, maybe he thought she was a boy (the manga Family Compo, about a family of transexuals where the daughter changes her sexe freely every year, made me thought of that). But the possibility exists. It already happened with Vermouth. It's a theory, but based on some elements: -Masumi Sera know Akai (confirmed during chapter 801 where she chases after him). If she is Bourbon, then their past is not a good one (while whe can also be Akai's sister but having reasons to hate him, like Sayla Mass was among Char's enemy). -Bourbon hates Akai more than anyone else in the world. -Scar Akai's appearances attract the attention of the Black Organization (even more if he appears on the news), so likely Bourbon's attention too. -Masumi Sera appears sometimes after Scar Akai's appearance in front of the Black Organization and their called-off. -She has no mean to know that Conan and Akai worked together. And, except for Vermouth who said nothing to protect Conan and Kir which is a double-agent, no one among the Black Organization agents know that the FBI was helped by a kid with glasses. She investigates Haibara, but her prime target is Shuichi Akai. If she wants to do anything to Haibara, she has to wait until she has completed her real assignment (identify and eliminate Akai), otherwise she might lose the chance to kill Akai if she exposes herself to soon. But Subaru appears to fear for Haibara's safety since Masumi has appeared, and the end of the Youtube case confirmed she was investigating her. It even confirms that she knows Haibara is a target for the Black Organization, something only the FBI, the Black Organization, Conan, the professor and maybe Shinichi's parents and Hattori could have known of. So it's likely she's closely linked either to the FBI (but she doesn't appear to be one of their agents and I doubt that Akai would share those details even with his supposed sister) or the Black Organization. As for Jack Black's reaction to her picture, it's obvious he knows her, but maybe only as Akai's sister. The FBI doesn't know Bourbon's true identity. In fact, the only one who likely knows Bourbon's true identity is Akai. And he is clearly more worried about Masumi's being around Conan and his friends than he is with Scar Akai/Amuro.

My new theory now that chapters 800 and 801 have brought some new elements: So, like Chekhow would have guessed, Subaru Okiya is indeed Shuichi Akai. He would have gone undercover to protect Rena Mizunashi. Conan helps him to hide and, at the same time, Subaru watches after Haibara and him. Haibara is weary of him because she used to know him as a BO member (under the name Dai Moroboshi) and as the one who caused her sister's death, explaining why she has this weird feeling when he's around sometimes. When Subaru/Akai saw someone looking like him, he comes to investigate. Naturally, he would think of a trap set by a BO member against him, but it could also be something else and, in that case, Rena would become suspectful to the eyes of the Black Organization. In that case, he would have to improvise something before everything goes out of control. Seeing Scar Akai, Subaru is able to identify him as Tooru Amuro, his longtime deadly rival. While they don't like each other, Tooru is not part of the Black Organization so Subaru lets him go. If he has tried to stop him, it could have destroyed both their covers and he also had to prevented Jodie from doing it. Tooru's goal is in fact to bring Bourbon in the city by making it look like that Akai as survived, but Tooru himself might ignore that Akai is indeed still alive. He even ignores Bourbon's true identity and his physical appearance. Gin tries to investigate this matter, but he is called off by Vermouth and the boss because someone else is in charge of this case (Bourbon) and this agent doesn't want Gin in his way. Masumi Sera comes to the city where Scar Akai has appeared. She has some past with Shinichi and Ran, implying during her appearances that she knows Shinichi from a long time ago. She knows several facts about him and she met or she has heard of the professor. She makes several allusions about her mother to Ran but she is in fact talking to Shinichi (she isn't supposed to know Conan), explaining why Ran doesn't get it at all. The problem being that Conan doesn't get it too, but he still admits that the girl reminds him of someone. He could have known her well but thought she was a boy at the time, thus being unable to identify her. Her attitude toward Conan is very friendly, so I suspect they knew each other very well as children, maybe thanks to their parents. Being Bourbon, Masumi would have seen Akai appear on the news, explaining why she came back to Japan with this timing. She would have a past with Akai, explaining why she hates him, but she would ignore that Shinichi and him know each other. While knowing that Conan and Shinichi are one and the same, she isn't able to explain it (the organization ignore the effects of the Apotoxine) and she tries to investigate it, at first suspecting that the professor might have something to do with it. She is able to collect several informations, the more important being that the professor hides a girl called Haibara whose attitude is also very mature, leading her to think she could also be an adult (her interest to Haibara is implied at the end of the Youtube case). During her investigations, Subaru spots her and, from that moment, he becomes extremely careful, often spying on the professor's house and following the detective boys, making his attitude really suspectful. But, for some reason, he hasn't intervene to stop her yet. Vermouth might know the secret of their youth so she passes a deal with Bourbon: Masumi learns about the Apotoxine and the association between Conan and Akai, but in exchange she must promise she wouldn't report anything to the other members, her main target being Akai, to protect Shinichi. Being Shinichi's friend, Masumi abides to the deal, but knowing about the link between Conan and Akai makes her even more interested by the young boy and the people surrounding him, suspecting that Conan could have lend his help to Akai. At this time, she has already join his close circle of acquaintances. By this time, Tooru, who has previously met Kogoro Mouri under his Scar Akai disguise, meets the band again and becomes interested by something about Sleeping Kogoro, leading him to ask to become his assistant. When Conan is kidnapped, everyone comes to the rescue. On Bourbon's part, Masumi wants to save Conan but she is also interested by this new man surrounding the Mouri's agency, thinking it might be Akai. During the car chase, many things happen: -Haibara begins to suspect that Subaru Okiya is in fact Dai Moroboshi (the name under which she knows Shuichi Akai). -Haibara feels an aura similar to the BO members behind Subaru's car: it was Masumi on her bike. This is the first time those two characters are closed, having not met each other actually. Maybe Haibara knows her from the time when she was Shiho Miyano (it's a possibility). -Subaru tries to shoot in the wheels of the kidnapper's car. He is stopped when his eyes and Tooru's meet each other's, meaning Tooru may have identify him at this occasion. Subaru lets Tooru save Conan but he was prevented at the last moment by Masumi. Tooru and Masumi know each other (maybe in a friendly or even in a romantic way) but he clearly didn't expected her to be here, leading him to wonder if she might be Bourbon as a matter of fact. At this point, Masumi is contacted by Vermouth while Tooru is contacted at the exact same time by his own organization (from which we don't know anything yet, except that it's neither the FBI or the Black Organization). Subaru is pirating Masumi's communication, hearing everything Vermouth tells to her. Tooru arranges to be questioned away from Masumi, evading before she could spot him. The next day, he takes a break from the Café Poirot to spy on her, based on his newfound suspicions that she might be Bourbon's real identity. Until this point, maybe he didn't even thought that he would have to take that persona again, but it would be too dangerous for him to spy on her while his true identity. Masumi and him know each other and she could easily recognize him. On her end, Masumi continues to act like nothing happened, trying to get informations about Haibara (maybe she will try something against her once her main mission is complete) and still wanting to meet Kogoro's new apprentice (she hasn't seen him, thinking he might be Akai. At that moment, she spots someone looking like Akai (Tooru/Scar Akai) and she runs after him (this moment confirmes that she knows him). What could happen after that: -The meeting between Haibara and Masumi might trigger something. -Tooru will try to avoid meeting Sera. -Tooru is more interested to investigate Sera (Bourbon) than to investigate Subaru (Akai), but maybe they will see each other later. Even though they're deadly rivals, they could work together to bring down their common enemy (like Amuro Ray and Quatro Bajeena (Char Aznable) did in Zeta Gundam). -Subaru/Akai probably knows everything there is to know at this point. -Even though they may be friends (even if Shinichi doesn't know it yet), Conan and Bourbon are still enemies so a confrontation between Conan and Masumi will ultimately come. Now, for the detective game (because that's the subject of the Vermouth's arc): -Conan tries to understand who is who. His real identity is Shinichi Kudo. His friend Ai Haibara's real identity is Shiho Miyano (meaning Conan has two secret identities to protect). -Subaru leads some investigations for the security of Conan and his friends and his own. His real identity is Shuichi Akai. -Masumi investigates everything: Shinichi/Conan, Haibara, Akai, Kogoro's new apprentice... Masumi is Bourbon's real identity. -Tooru investigates Bourbon's real identity, maybe without actually knowing that Akai was indeed still alive until they saw each other during the car chase. Tooru occasionnally hides his identity under the Scar Akai persona. So, my answers: What is Bourbon's identity? Sera Masumi What is Bourbon's real assignment? (multiple choice) Find and kill Akai -> Main assignment Find and kill Sherry -> Optional. She might do it after. Investigate Conan/Shinichi's true identity and kill him if necessary -> Optional. Normally, she should have to do it if she has confirmation that Shinichi is Conan (which she already know by the way), but... Bourbon doesn't want to do his assignment for personal reasons (e.g. sympathy) -> Masumi and Shinichi are friends from a long time ago and, even though she has to investigate him, she doesn't want him to be killed (and she has also made the promise to Vermouth that she won't do anything to him).