The BEST episodes directed by Yoshimichi Hirai
#1 - The Carefree Cat
Black Cat - Season 1 - Episode 23
As Chronos and remaining members of the Apostles of the Stars fight the monsters outside Eden, Train and Sven go inside to rescue Eve, determined to save her even if it would cost them their lives. While Sven tries to get close to Eve, Train has to face off against his own inner demons first.
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#2 - The Drowning Cat
Black Cat - Season 1 - Episode 20
Having returned from their mission, Train and the others rejoice. Rinslet discovers something called The Eden Project, meanwhile, members of Chronos betray the organization. Sven decides that Eve should leave, and go on to live her own life with girls her own age. Eve however, doesn't want to leave him, and runs off to think for a while. Unbeknownst to the group, someone is after Eve's power.
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#3 - The Fighting Cat
Black Cat - Season 1 - Episode 12
Train learns where the Apostles of the Stars base is, and leaves the group to go after Creed. Sven and the others quickly follow after Train, desperate to prevent him from doing anything foolish. Meanwhile, three members of Chronos infiltrate Creed's base, determined to finish off the Apostles of the Stars once and for all.
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#4 - Devotion of Self
Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova- - Season 1 - Episode 10
With her nanomaterials compromised by her sister ships attack, the I-401 sinks into the deep ocean while Iona tends to an injured Gunzō. Meanwhile, Takao and the others look for them but all communications and radar are jammed by spatial distortions from the last battle. Despite knowing that the only way for her to survive is to abandon her captain, Iona refuses to do so until Gunzō orders her to cut all life support systems, claiming that fulfilling their mission to deliver the vibration warhead is more important than saving him. However, when Gunzō stops responding, a distraught Iona breaks down her own mental model to create a survival pod for him and her core. When Takao locates the pod, she decides to sacrifice her own body and use its nanomaterials to restore Iona and the I-401, bringing them back to surface and saving Gunzō's life. Once knowing that the I-401 has not perished, Kongou can't hide the urge to fight it again, but declaring that she is displaying the same erratic behavior seen in the other ships who deviated from the Admiralty Code, I-400 and I-402 relieve her from duty and lock down her systems. In the occasion, Kongou finds out that Maya's mental model lacks conciousness, being an artificial intelligence created just to watch over her.
#5 - Melancholy Sunday
Devil Survivor 2: The Animation - Season 1 - Episode 1
Hibiki Kuze, is waiting for his friend, Daichi Shijima, after finishing their practice exams. While discussing their future, Daichi introduces and registers them onto a recently popular website called "Nicaea", a video delivery site that allows people to see videos of their friend's death. Later, at the train station, they receive videos from Nicaea that show both of their deaths by an oncoming train at that exact station. Shortly after, before the train arrives, an earthquake occurs, causing the incoming train to derail and cause the same devastation they saw in the videos. On the verge of death, Nicaea offers Hibiki a second chance to live and a Demon Summoning App is forcefully downloaded into his phone. He and Daichi awake to find the station in ruins with most of the people dead. They then witness vile wolf-like creatures eating the corpses of the recently deceased. As the creatures turn their sights on them, rescued fellow classmate Io Nitta and Daichi inadvertently manifest demons from their cell phones which repeal the attacking creatures and allow them to escape. Making it back to the surface, they find that all of Japan has met with the same type of calamity before a strange organization takes over rescue operations, with the officer in charge pondering that humankind must survive "Judgement Day" even if it means using demons. With nowhere to go, the three decide to stick together and while waiting in Roppongi, the crowd is attacked by a demon called Dubhe. At the same time Hibiki receives another video showing Daichi's death, before Daichi bursts out of a corner with a delivery truck, intending to ram the demon. As the truck explodes, Hikibi, overcome with emotion, manifests his Avatar: Byakko, a tiger like demon which he manipulates and successfully destroys the Dubhe. In the aftermath, Daichi had been saved by another one of Io's demons, a pixie-like creature before the group is approached by the Japan Meteorological Agency: JP's. Elsewhere, a mysteriou
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#6 - Into the Storm
Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova- - Season 1 - Episode 2
Takao blocks the I-401's path to Yokosuka by positioning itself inside the eye of a typhoon and after asserting that any attempts to avoid confront are too risky, Gunzō decides to take Takao head on. After Iona barely evades an attack from Takao's Super Gravity Cannon, Gunzō analyzes the combat data so far and points out that Takao's attacks have had pinpoint accuracy from a distance much greater than its usual sensor capabilities and concludes that it is only possible by having a submarine concealed directly under its hull. Gunzō then orders the crew to ready their own Super Gravity Cannon which they salvaged from their previous battle with the Fog ship Hyūga and uses it to destroy the submarine and force Takao to surrender. Having her systems locked down for 24 hours by Iona to prevent her from give chase to the I-401, Takao wonders about the reasons why Gunzō spared her and takes an interest on him.
#7 - And Then
As the Moon, So Beautiful - Season 1 - Episode 12
School is almost out. Both Akane and Kotaro's rivals make their intentions clear. Akane is moving to Yokohama, and Kotaro is staying Saitama. Kotaro has only his writing to go back to, but...
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#8 - Not Human
Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova- - Season 1 - Episode 5
The I-401 returns to Yokosuka to pick up the secret weapon developed by the Japanese Government, the "Vibration Warhead", before returning to their base at Iwo Jima to make the final preparations for its journey across the Pacific. Meanwhile, Haruna awakens and meets Makie Osakabe, the child who rescued her. Pretending to be a human, Haruna keeps Makie company while Kirishima's core uses some of her nanomachines to make a spare body for her out of a Teddy bear. Takao arrives at Iwo Jima ahead of I-401 but is stopped by a vicious attack from unknown origin. Realizing that Makie is related to the deceased Tōjūrō Osakabe, the creator of the Vibration Warhead, Haruna and Kirishima contact their flagship Kongou and are instructed to investigate further. In the occasion, the two mental models are introduced to Tōjūrō, who is revealed to be alive, but bedridden. Tōjūrō reveals that after several failed attempts to develop a weapon to counter the Fleet of Fog, he came with a plan to create an artificial being with superior intellect capable to succeed where he did not, and the only surviving offspring of said project is Makie, who was the true creator of the Vibration Warhead. To protect Makie from the government, Tōjūrō forged his death and kept watching over her from the shadows but knowing he has not much time left and seeing how attached she became to them, he asks Haruna and Kirishima to take care of her. However, the army is already aware that Makie had made contact with ships of the Fog, and sends a unit to dispose of her.
#9 - The Cat Under Fire
Black Cat - Season 1 - Episode 6
Coming back from his first failed attempt to bring back Train, Creed returns. With Train fully turning his back on Chronos it is all up to Creed. Since his first attempts failed Creed uses his magic to kidnap Train. When that doesn't work he goes for the thing Train cares about the most... Saya. Can Train stop him?
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#10 - Dog and Me
Inu × Boku Secret Service - Season 1 - Episode 1
Ririchiyo Shirakiin, a girl from a rich family, moves into the high security Maison de Ayakashi apartment complex, where she finds herself assigned a Secret Service agent named Soushi Miketsukami. Ririchiyo is reluctant to have Soushi as her Secret Service, particularly as she doesn't feel worth protecting as her family household has taken up much of her being. One night, a burglar breaks into the complex to try and rob Ririchiyo, only to learn that Soushi, along with the other Secret Service agents in complex, have the power to channel the spirits of monsters. Having been protected from a gunshot by him, Ririchiyo accepts Soushi as her bodyguard.
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#11 - Sunday of Realization - II
Devil Survivor 2: The Animation - Season 1 - Episode 13
Not having anymore hesitation to fight, Hibiki reminds Yamato of their promise of defeating him and having an audience with Polaris. As their battle begins, Yamato notes that Hibiki is driven by his anger towards him and his warped reasoning behind sacrificing the lives of everyone. Although, Hibiki defends by stating that as a human, he cannot allow such injustice to prevail, causing Yamato to question his own humanity. As Hibiki defends an attack using Shakko's power, Yamato acknowledges him as an equal and reveals that their current situation had all been part of a grand scheme put into motion by Polaris since the moment of their births. However since Polaris itself is flawed by its own nature, it had left it up to humanity to decide amongst themselves who should survive until the end, whilst citing the anomaly of Alcor's nature as proof of this. This truth shocks Hibiki, but Yamato simply brushes it off as semantics in his goal to reshape the world into a meritocracy. As their debate continues, Hibiki desperately tries to defend the previous world that he and his friends fought so hard to protect, although Yamato remains adamant in his reasoning that those with power have a responsibility to erase the cancerous nature of humanity's current train of thought which had lead to world built on corrupt foundations while simultaneously exposing Hibiki's naivety. As Hibiki tries to explain how people can work together, he tries to get Yamato to realize that they had been friends all along because of their actions, but Yamato rejects the very notion of friendship, claiming that it is weak. As Yamato starts to show injuries from his previous battle with Alcor, Cerberus weakens a bit and Byakko utilizes the opportunity to eradicate them both with a lightning attack. Hibiki once again tries to assert his friendship with Yamato, claiming that they don't have a reason to fight although Yamato chooses not to accept this, since disregarding his goals after coming this far would
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#12 - Happy Birthday Time
Assassination Classroom - Season 2 - Episode 22
The students fight to see their teacher one last time. A figure from Koro Sensei's past arrives with a serious grudge against the super-creature.
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#13 - Right Hand and Gun
BBK/BRNK - Season 1 - Episode 4
Kogane's enraged cry of "I'll gouge out your everything!" rings out as she engages Matobai in battle, but her opponent's attack power overwhelms her. When Azuma tries to help her, Matobai mercilessly fires his Bubuki gun at him, but the heart Bubuki shields him. Azuma tries to use the heart to call Oubu to fight, but it doesn't respond... and Matobai sneers at their confusion as he takes out Entei's heart Bubuki.
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#14 - Leader Time
Assassination Classroom - Season 2 - Episode 5
Competition between the elite A Class and downtrodden E Class heats up at the school sports festival, with Isogai's livelihood hanging in the balance.
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#15 - Reveal Your Feelings
Remake Our Life! - Season 1 - Episode 5
Nanako's singing practice is put to an unexpected test when a sudden change in programming for the university's school festival presents an opportunity for her.
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#16 - Think Outside the Box Time
Assassination Classroom - Season 2 - Episode 12
The end-of-term exams come down to one doozy of a final problem. Principal Asano comes to Koro Sensei with a little wager that has a lot riding on it.
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#17 - The Setting Sun
As the Moon, So Beautiful - Season 1 - Episode 10
With the news that Akane is moving to Yokohama, Kotaro has to make some difficult decisions. Where will he go after middle school?
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#18 - Arrival of the Psychokinetic Girl!
Hinamatsuri - Season 1 - Episode 1
Telekinetic girl Hina drops into the home of vase-collecting yakuza Nitta, who she then coerces into letting her stick around by threatening to destroy his entire collection.
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#19 - A Handful of Sand
As the Moon, So Beautiful - Season 1 - Episode 2
It's the last sports festival of middle school. Kotaro gets put in the relay race, though he does not do very well. He becomes friends with one of Akane's friends who bandages his scraped hand.
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#20 - The Shattered Heart
BBK/BRNK - Season 1 - Episode 10
As Oubu finally achieves its complete form, Entei stands before it controlled not by Reoko, but by Zetsubi. Laughing boldly, she tells the shocked Azuma that he can't beat Entei, but Kinoa insists that they and Oubu are different from before. Zetsubi is cornered by Oubu's ferocious attack, so she takes the Russian team's Bubuki to use as Entei's limbs, and Oubu is overwhelmed again. Can Azuma and his party win this fight?
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#21 - Mauro's Wish, a Longing that Cannot Be
Shadowverse - Season 1 - Episode 43
That is sin. A guilt that hurt a friend. That is punishment. Punishment for destroying the world. The encounter between the two sinners is inevitable.
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#22 - The Hunter's Bullet
BBK/BRNK - Season 2 - Episode 4
The Buranki Entei flies freely through the sky... and the one controlling it is not Reoko, but Kaoruko. Demokratia, led by Guy, has used its technology to make Entei recognize Kaoruko as Reoko. Guy then tells Kaoruko that there is a traitor among them in Demokratia, but she's unable to conceal her shock when told that the traitor is a fellow Bubuki user and ordered to eliminate them.
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#23 - The Comet Opens Its Eyes
BBK/BRNK - Season 2 - Episode 10
Inheritance: if one were to express it with a different word, it would be "curse." Guy, an inheritor of a heart Bubuki, was released from the curse through the only possible method... only to have it return to him in a sudden turn of events. In anguish, Guy made up his mind to eliminate from this world all the Buranki that had tainted human blood and placed this detestable curse on them, thereby returning the world to untainted human hands. Now, 16 years later, everyone watches the sky as a huge comet approaches Earth...
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