Kurenai Episode 12 Review

We’re approaching the end of the quarter year anime runs and Kurenai episode 12 finally concludes with the Knight saving the Princess after hiding for however long in a shithole of an apartment.

A brief rewind to Kurenai episode 11: Shinkuro, Benika and Yayoi bust into the Inner Sanctuary and get their asses kicked. Result of the final installment of the anime? They crash back in and do the ass kicking instead.

We’re treated to a drag race between Benika and Lin where High Heel Bad Make Up Bitch takes a dive into frozen pond. Then Shinkuro proceeds to take out Renjo while Yayoi gets a little revenge, both using the Hozuki style.

They spend a few minutes of Kurenai episode 12 going through the typical: “Oh you’re wrong” and “You fools understand nothing” spiel blah blah blah. In other words, my penis is bigger than your penis. To be honest I was a little disappointed by this ending. I enjoyed the rest of Kurenai, but this conclusion felt so cliché that my attention kept slipping and I kept having to go back to catch the dialogue. Renjo stabs Benika, and Shinkuro bones him, literally, and goes “wahhh” for a little bit, and they leave.

They also never explain the bone blade thing, not that it was too important, but it just felt arbitrarily present…whatever.

Murasaki makes her decision and Shinkuro goes back to his bitches—two of which definitely wants a piece of him.

Now for my rant:

Why the hell did Murasaki want to know if Shinkuro loved her at the very end? Let’s say the sixteen year old passes up the two other teenage girls to go for a seven year old, does that mean Murasaki returns the feelings? Most of Kurenai seems to be suggesting that. If so, why the hell doesn’t Murasaki just leave with them if she already knows she “loves” him? Murasaki finding love as a conclusion, I can accept, but the entire romance chemistry factor between her and Shinkuro just tilts the scales in a way that I don’t really care to contemplate.

Kurenai episode 12 really gave the distinct impression that there was a lot more about all of the characters that was never aired. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. Many of the minor resulting characters were all too fleshed out for the meager growth they received. And it’s anime. They always cut shit out.

Anyways, I did enjoy Kurenai—I gave it a Very Good Rating on ANN—but it was never something that I was able to invigorate myself for. There was never the end of an episode where it left me dying to see the next. I found it pleasant in a very subconscious way, but it never seized my attention with the same intensity that Code Geass or Soul Eater does. I doubt there will be a sequel, and it doesn’t really seem to need it.