C³ OVA: Overcome Your Fears, or She’ll Curse You

Remember that show with cute girls that were actually cursed tools? And the male protagonist who could hold his own in a kitchen with a naked girl? That’s right, C³: CursedxCubedxCurious returns with a class trip OVA. Though the trip turns into a mystery after various creepy signs point towards a monster inhabiting the surrounding forest, the visuals and character nostalgia make this a very enjoyable break from the season’s regulars. The story ends with Fear rushing past her fears to save Haruaki from the clutches of…Kuroe and Sovereignty, at the request of Sekiabashi.

As stated, the visuals are just as enamoring as the original series, if not more so. With all the characters in their set roles, it was much easier for the story to just set into motion. Though I don’t think I remember Sovereignty and Shiraho being such a blatant yuri couple. I mean, it was certainly implied back in the original series’ run, but Shiraho stalking Sovereignty and having quite a time inhaling her pillow scents…I always saw her as more composed than that.

Why doesn’t this have a second season yet? I mean, the visuals are borderline perfect, and the story has all kinds of room to move forward. No real conclusion as to how to help cursed tools was ever reached, and then there’s the mysterious bad guys that never got identified at the end of the first season, or even mentioned in the OVA. Despite the sheer force of fanservice from the start of C³, which also permeated almost every scene in the OVA, that could run this show on awkward situations alone. Which reminds me, Haruaki is still my favorite male protagonist. He certainly isn’t shy about being surrounded by cute girls (not like they’re shy around him, either, if you know what I mean).

C³ – BeldenOtaku Photobucket

C³: The Transcendentals are Everywhere

Hey minna,
back with the last curse for the Fall 2011 series C³: CubexCursedxCurious.  Fear, Kirika, and Konoha, prepare for a showdown with Alice and her cursed tool, able to remember any attack it’s blocked and reproduce it, along with her mirror cursed tool, able to duplicate herself many times over. The odds are bleak as the numbers stack up against Fear, who is forced to kill and slaughter one of the dobble-gangers, much to her disgust.

Only with the help of Sovereignty and Shiraho breaking the mirror, was Kuroe able to move again and hold all the dopple-gangers with her hair, while it’s up to Fear, Haruaki, and Konoha to take down Alice, once and for all.  Haruaki and Konoha are able to hold off Alice, but it wasn’t until Fear finally stood up and declared that she chooses to side with the humans, because what they can’t do makes them ever stronger because they still try.  Through fierce curse-calling and teamwork, Alice is given her curtain call…

Despite what looked to be a clean kill, destroying the cursed tool and even the dopple-gangers disappearing, Alice still stands, beaten but not out. Until she jumps for a getaway boat also carrying two new faces, one being a cursed tool himself.  Quite a way to leave a season, nothing but questions. Fear has another Intelligence Disc, but what about these new guys? And Alice is still on the loose.  I’m gonna dish out some curses of my own if a second season doesn’t come soon to tell how this story really ends.

Overall, a very enjoyable series, finding a good balance between frightening action and hilariously misunderstandable comedy (Haruaki never catches a break, does he. But at least he can fight.).  Though I felt the animation style changed somehow in the last episode (it seemed more streamlined in style and less gothic in the action scenes), the visuals stayed solid throughout the series and offered a very unique feast for the eyes, the closest approximation to the styles would probably be Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (with less variances). If you can put up with a little lack of information at the beginning (and the whole “never really explains cursed tools” thing), you should find the plot moves at a steady pace and the action keeps you wanting more.  The comedy is also deliciously awkward, no situation is too serious for someone to interject innuendo or a funny face. Looking forward to a second season, they just can’t leave it hanging like this.

Until next time,
- BeldenOtaku

C³: The Fanatic is Somewhere

Hey minna,
back with another curse and a new episode of C³: CubexCursedxCurious.  After tracing the murders back to Kuroe and identifying the victims as all being patrons of her salon, Fear, Haruaki, Konoha, and Kirika have a sit down to solve the case.   Not wanting to believe Kuroe had lifted her curse but continues to hurt people, Fear storms out of the room.  Afterword, Kuroe explains to the three remaining that she discovered some time ago that her power is derived from consuming human hair, so she indulges it. (Because that makes total sense, right?)

Their discussion gets interrupted when Alice reveals herself, and draws Konoha and Fear out for a fight, leaving Kuroe and Kirka in the house to protect Haruaki.  Unfortunately, it was all a trap. After incapacitating Kuroe with some kind of incantation, Alice then uses her cursed tool to threaten Haruaki’s life if he and Kirika didn’t follow along, making them her hostages.  She takes them to a warehouse where she has them handcuff themselves and sit quiet while Alice video-tapes a ransom message to Fear and Konoha.

Alice requests that Fear join her organization, the Viviolio Families. And, from my understanding, it seems the Families stand at odds with what Fear wants to believe. Alice’s Families don’t think a cursed tool can be “cured”, but they do believe in “acceptance” and apparently letting the tools live out their curses to the fullest extent…which means mass murders for tools like Fear.

Kirika is able to escape thanks to her partner from the Lab, but he doesn’t bring Haruaki or Konue with him, saying that their job is only surveillance. Kirika, unable to accept this, swerves the car they were riding into a wall, apparently killing her partner.  Now that she’s on the run from Emirate Laboratory, she rejoins Fear and Konoha as they prepare to take on Alice to save Haruaki and Konue….

Until next time,
- BeldenOtaku

C³: The Sadistic Person is Nowhere to be Seen

Hey minna,
back with another episode of  C³: CubexCursedxCurious.  After a new villain and a new ally made their appearance last week, their plot points really start to pick up.  Several murders have been discovered, which one leaving victim very deformed.  Remembering what Alice said last episode, “The culprit was me”, Fear, Haruaki, and Konoha believe it was her who committed the vicious crimes and set out to track her down.

After finding Alice, the team is lead on a chase through the forest to Alice’s hideout, where she breaks out her cursed tool. It’s exact specifications are still unknown, but she was to level the building and disappear using it.  But, before she vanished, Alice did tell them that all the victim’s had something in common and she wanted them to figure it out.

Meanwhile, Kirika is having troubles of her own.  And after being shown how much Haruaki cares for her well-being and opinion, she decides to reveal to him the true cost of her cursed tool.  While Ginstmag’s Love will keep her alive and free of bodily harm so long as she doesn’t take it off, “The River of Black Strings”, as we already know, has the ability to bind and crush its opponent, but at the cost of frequently strangling and breaking the body of its user.  Which leaves Kirika writing in pain on many days, approaching death, only to wake up some time later completely healed.  Haruaki shows she doesn’t have to handle all her burdens alone, even offering to take “Ginstmag’s Love” with him, seeing as curses apparently don’t affect him.

A new victim is found, again very deformed, and Fear believes she knows the similarities now. All of the victims had their hair cut at Kuroe’s salon, they even check security video of Kuroe’s shop to find her receiving a gift bag with a victim’s hair…could Kuroe really be behind these vicious murders? Or is this some kind of trick by Alice?  Speaking of which, what is the real power of her cursed tool?

Until next time,
- BeldenOtaku