Endless 08 – Details, episodes & analysis

From the ill-fated Studio Flag with character design from Fullmetal Alchemists's Hiromu Arakawa, the wuxia inspired action series Hero Tales follows a group of warriors brought into conflict due to a celestial prophecy, with each warrior being an incarnation of one of the stars in the Big Dipper. BJ and Duffo discuss a Chinese empire falling apart due to poverty and corruption, a legendary archer who starts hanging around because he really wants to hook up with your sister, and a necromancer who loves stealing and redistributing holy swords to whichever side he feels like that day.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Frankenstein bracket brings us a new compilation featuring a lot of Kingdom Hearts cutscenes, going up against the (now identified as a Karas AMV) post-war story of Memento Mori.

"Falling Dreams - Kingdom Hearts" - MysteriousRyder

Memento Mori - NightPunisher

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Charlie and Shamus from Real Fantasy Encounters join us for another bite of Studio Deen's Vampire Knight franchise, where the drama, violence and incest (uh oh) are all ratcheting up. BJ, Duffo and the group discuss Yuki's unfortunate habit of following creepy children into dark alleyways, Kaname bragging about having his DNA inside of Zero in the most homoerotic way possible, and yet another evil pureblood villain whose weakness is being shot with a gun.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

A strong judges' favourite is back, competing against a bye round contestant featuring Super Smash Bros and classical dubstep.

Watch the contestants here:

Smashing it Old School - Zarxrax

Bustin - DriftRoot

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

With the arrival of a new Flame Haze and the villains finally getting into action, Shakugan no Shana II is going to try and pack in all the plot that should have been happening in the first half of this show. BJ and Duffo watch from episode 13 onwards and discuss the Amulet of Kill Yourself, an information network that is too busy getting attacked to do their paperwork properly, and a Christmas Eve villain plot that falls apart because someone looked at a bird once.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

J.C. Staff’s Shakugan no Shana combines supernatural action with slice of life as it follows a group of teenagers drawn into a world of demons and magical hunters fighting a shadowy war. BJ and Duffo watch the first 12 episodes of the second season and discuss the many unexplained proper nouns that make this the most challenging show so far to pick up without pre-2008 context, as well as examining another clear-cut example of our “all maids are ninjas” rule and a perpetually drunk white lady who should probably not be anywhere near these Japanese teenagers.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The second round of the AMV bracket is underway, with our first bye round contestant bringing in Elfen Lied to challenge a first round winner.

Watch the contestants here:

Occupat Artus - Misk

Clarissa - BoneFixer

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Studios Gainax and feel. collaborate to present Shikabane Hime, an action horror anime about a boy who stumbles into a world of Buddhist monks and undead girls fighting cursed entities from beyond the grave. BJ and Duffo discuss zombie kindergarteners, factional disputes about whether women are people, and a villain collecting tortured souls with an evil driverless car.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

It's mashup on mashup violence in this week's Frankenstein division match up, backed by Yellowcard on one side and bass-heavy trance music on the other.

The Air In My Lungs - Malificus

Auriga - Nostromo

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Romantic comedy Haruka Nogizaka's Secret is a Diomedéa production following the relationship between an average teenage boy and his rich heiress classmate who accidentally reveals her anime fangirl side to him. BJ and Duffo discuss the perils of Akihabara, sending out mercenaries in jets to hunt for your runaway daughter, and receiving magical girl doujinshi from the Prime Minister of Japan.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.