Speed Grapher!

[Kenjo]

yeah man so many of H scene in epi 11 =_=

[tsujoi]

[VictoryK]

Well episode 12 came and went and it proved that my theory about Suitengu was wrong. Oh well... Even though Saiga was MIA for the whole episode, we at least get to see Suitengu use more of his "blood power". I thought it was really cool how he was able to stop a ton of bullets with it.

[Kenjo]

oh yeah the new openning scene in Speed Grapher looks much better than the previous one.....

[VictoryK]

[Cruton]

I know I'm going to sound like a freak when I say this, but...

Does anybody else think there's some menstrous symbolism in the new opening? I mean this is in all seriousness, especially since it's a plot point that

[Lazuline]

[Cruton]

I'll give it to Gonzo. There was some real science in the last episode of Speed Grapher. There was also alot of fake science, but a respectable amount of the real thing (at least, as respectable an amount as you'll find in any anime that uses 'mutation' to explain powers).

Ginza is starting to worry me. Can anybody figure out why she's so attached to Saiga? Or why Saiga just doesn't tell her to go to Hell? I hope there's an episode in the future that explores the history between them.

[VictoryK]

[SeekerDarksteel]

I am thinking that the writers heard about retroviruses and decided that's what they wanted to base this virus on, but didn't know exactly how they worked. A real retrovirus inserts its own segments of DNA into the host's genome rather than actually affect the bonds between the two helical rails of the DNA.

[Cruton]

To VictoryK....

Yeah, the virus inserting itself into Saiga's DNA was fake. Based on the model they showed, the "virus" was placed in between the hydrogen bonds of the nucleotide bases. Not only would this require a complex protein structure to fit in a space of, on the outside, about 0.0000000004 meters (for references, the covalent bonds between carbon atoms are a little more than a fourth of that distance), it would be disrupting the structure that holds the two DNA strands in a helix in the first place. Assuming, of course, that it even got into the nuclear membrane or the cell itself, for that matter.

What they said about most viruses was true, though. Retroviruses, specifically, function by injecting into cells a cocktail of RNA and biochemical reagents. The protein producing machinary of the cell is highjacked and made to, in effect, work backwards and create a new DNA strand from the viral RNA. The viral DNA is spliced into the cell's normal chromosomes. The cell is from then on programed to create more and more of the virus at the exclusion of its other functions. This goes on until there are more viral copies than the cell can hold and the cell bursts, releasing the new viruses into the body.

Another realistic thing they mentioned was the degeneration of the cells. It Saiga is indeed willing his DNA to rewrite itself, that means alot of wear and tear on the DNA strands themselves, as would their rapid reproduction to regenerate his wounds. Normally, when a cell replicates, the DNA strands unwind, are copied, and rewind with a new strand. At any given time in this process, the movement can damage the strand, either by removing a piece of it or causing a malformation in the strand structure. Error checking mechanisms within the cell will replace damaged parts of a strand after replication, but these aren't always full-proof. If a strand is so damaged that it can't code its intended sequence, then the cell will possibly fail and die or become cancerous. One of the causes of aging is when more and more cells start to get damaged in replication and die, coupled with the exhaustion of the telemeres, caps of the ends of the chromosomes that provide replacement sequences for commonly damaged areas of the strands.

Now, the process of the Euphoria Factor is much more radical than just copying and winding the DNA. So, it probably has an even higher chance of damaging the strand. Which means that every time Saiga uses his power, it's statistically more likely that more of the associated cells with die. He primarily alters his eyes, so his eyes will suffer from cell loss first. Suitengu alters his whole body, so it will get nasty when the math catches up with him.

This may explain why Shijidou wears his mask instead of turning his power on and off, if he really is a euphoria. The less he has to alter his nose back and forth, the longer it will last him.

And yes, I wrote this post as much to read my own words as to answer your question.

[VictoryK]

Wow! Thanks for the long and indepth response. It was quite an interesting read. I find it funny how Gonzo mixes and matches scientific fact and fiction in order to explain the 'Euphoria Factor'. However, it is nice that they gave an interesting scientific explanation about how people get their superpowers in this anime. It's a good change from a lot of other animes where the guy is just born 'special' or he finds a 'magic thing' and then all of a sudden gets superpowers.

[SeekerDarksteel]

haha, just had to show me up, didn't you?

[tsujoi]

[Cruton]

Episode 14.

Hoom.

Episode 14.....

It's not that it was bad. I really enjoyed it. But it was...different. Special, you might say.

Who am I kidding? That priest belonged in Guilty Gear XX.

Hopefully, this will be a high-water mark in terms of how odd this series can get. Previews for 15 suggest that it's returning to its original darker, fetishistic themes. The plots hints they gave in 14 were interesting, and certainly the storytelling suffered a bit from the animation budget. The whole just got camp, though. The huge gothem-esque cathedral, Saiga's suit o' cameras, Bob's ability to produce a helicopter out of nowhere. Definately not the subtle storytelling that drew me to this series.

My beef with the episode as a whole aside, I did really like the scene between Bob and Saiga. It brought out some of Saiga's characterization that I've been waiting to see, built up Bob as something more than a gag character, had well-written dialogue, and in general was beautifully directed. Bravo.

In the next episode, I'm hoping that they look a little closer at Tsujidou (Man, was that his name? I feel like a dork). That guy seems to have something heavy on his chest.