The episode starts out with a scene from the past. Lucia is chasing and shooting down Viruses over rooftops and in the process drops something down to the street below. Still in the past, Sumire is shopping around with Nene. It’s getting late so Sumire heads towards her dormitory. On her way back, she sees something sparkling on the ground. It is the broach that Lucia dropped. Sumire picks it up, but cuts her finger on the pin. She puts her finger in her mouth to stop the blood, but at the moment of contact, she is infused with a strange bodily experience with a momentary vision of Lucia. Suddenly, a Virus blob drops in front of her and is about to attack her when Lucia fires a few rounds from behind and kills the Virus. There are numerous Viruses in the area, so Lucia grabs Sumire and the two run off.

I always thought that there were special circumstances that led to how Sumire ended up the way she did, but from watching this, it looked somewhat convenient and easy as if anyone who poked themselves with the pin on that broach would end up the same way. Of course, I’m sure there’s a deeper meaning to all of it that will unfold later down the road, but from a face value standpoint, it appears too simple of a method to cause so much change. On another note, up to this point, I always thought Viruses were somewhat humanoid. There were a whole lot of blobs in this episode. Either that’s how it really is, or the animation studio was getting lazy. Just toss some eyes on them and move on, eh?

While they are running, Lucia explains to Sumire what the monsters are and that they go after those who can see them. In an alleyway, the broach drops out of Sumire’s uniform pocket and Lucia, for a moment, is relieved that the broach was found. A Virus finds them and is on the attack. Lucia leads the Virus to a graveyard for a better situated fighting area. In the ensuing battle, Lucia accidentally shoots Sumire as the Virus uses her as a shield. Moments later, Sumire gets up. The Virus grabs Sumire, but ends up getting killed by a smiling Sumire.

I pretty much expected somewhere along the way Sumire was going to get shot by one of those antivirus bullets. And on a side note, I find it very clever and cheesy how they call it “antivirus” bullets. It is technically sound, but cheesy. Anyway, we get to see dark Sumire awakening for the first time. Too bad it wasn’t all fancy and stuff. She just gets up and acts like any evil villain standing there with enough confidence to show how invincible and powerful they are.

While dreaming, Sumire is running away from Viruses and is running towards Lucia. Suddenly, Sumire turns evil and turns on Lucia. Then she wakes up in a bed at the Venus Vanguard. Lola explains to Sumire that the place looks like an antique shop, but it is really a virus exterminator shop. Later that night, they explain the situation to Sumire. Lucia asks Sumire to lend her her abilities to fight the Viruses. Sumire is afraid of what’s inside her and doesn’t want to help. Lucia convinces Sumire that they need her. Lola makes a brief comment about the two of them being alike each other, like a person named Lilith.

The dream is a first look as to why the dark Sumire keeps turning on Lucia. The two may be linked somehow since Lucia’s eye starts hurting when dark Sumire awakened. Lucia probably got used to the pain later down the road or this may be an isolated incident. I’m surprised Lucia was able to talk SUmire into joining with the extermination group so easily. And then there’s the reference to Lilith. Who’s that? I don’t know. I’m guessing she’s Lucia mom, but it doesn’t sound right. So it has to be a fallen friend of Lucia’s. Just a guess.

Back in the present day, Sumire is trying to improve her aim with the gun, but to no avail. Upstairs, Lucia grabs the broach and opens it to reveal a picture of her and her mother. Then there is a cut scene of her mother receiving the broach from someone whose face is covered by his hair. Sumire runs off to see Yoshiki at the playground. Observing her from above is a woman with an electric finger… No, really, there were electric-like sparks coming from it.

Here we are introduced to Lucia’s mom and some mysterious guy whose face is covered. I recognize him as one evil looking guy from the opening sequence. Then there’s that girl in the tree watching over Sumire. Seems like there are a number of different characters in this show on different sides of the playing field. But it does look like the bad guys outnumber the good guys by a great deal. I wonder when the episodes are going to start churning out the cliffhangers at the end of each episode.

The episode starts out with two kids playing outside and then a Virus appears. Back at the playground, Sumire returns a book to the guy she met in the previous episode to return a book to him. She is terribly infatuated by him. Here he identifies himself as Yoshiki Kusanagi. He loans Sumire another book. At the Venus Vanguard, the girl from the beginning of the episode appears. She browses around at the items in the shop and one of the items catches her attention. Lucia quickly realizes the situation and the girl (Tsukuyo) pulls out the Venus Vanguard brochure.

There is no sense of time between what happened in the last episode and the time of this episode. To me though, it feels like SUmire has quickly befriended Yoshiki in very short time, and obviously is starting to have feelings for him.

She explains that recently, her twin brother has locked himself inside his room and wouldn’t let her in. Lucia decides to go and investigate. Outside the shop, we have the two siblings from the first episode camping outside so that Riku can ask Sumire out on a date. Unfortunately, they end up missing her. over at the house, Lucia convinces the brother, Youji, to let her in. Meanwhile, Lucia tells Sumire to stay in front of the door and not move away no matter what. While Lucia is in Youji’s room, Tsukuyo talks Sumire into going downstairs for food. The moment Sumire moves from the spot, we notice that she just walked off a protective barrier.

Well, I take it that those two siblings are going to be the comic relief for the show. It feels like comic relief in an anime is usually a sign that the series is going to last a while. Which is about time for me anyway, because I haven’t had a chance to see a relatively long series in a long time (besides D.Gray-man and Bleach). Anyway, it’s pretty obvious that Lucia already had an idea that Tsukuyo had something wrong with her. And Sumire is quite ditsy to be tricked into leaving the safety area. But that was Lucia’s fault too, for not telling Sumire about the dangers.

After a loud bang erupts, Lucia bursts out the room and finds Sumire and Tsukuyo gone. Tsukuyo is the Virus and is on the attack against Sumire. Sumire protects herself with a special dagger designed to protect her for the time being until she learns how to fight back with it. Sumire attempts to fight back, but she doesn’t have it in her to hurt Tsukuyo. Lucia rescues Sumire from harm. Youji shows up to try to help out Tsukuyo, but the Virus in her wants to attack him. She tries to hold back the Virus in her body, but is unsuccessful. At that moment, Lucia shoots her down killing her.

Though I skipped most of the details in the above summary, the episode unfolds as to how all of this happened beginning with the two playing and a Virus feeding on Tsukuyo’s soul, leading all the way to Youji locking his room to protect himself from the Virus within Tsukuyo. Kind of creepy if you think about it.

The next day, Sumire is hanging out with Yoshiki again discussing Lucia’s personality. Sumire thinks Lucia is a cold person. At the store, Youji shows up at the Venus Vanguard. Lucia gives him the pendant that Tsukuyo was looking at the day before. The pendant had the image of the sun and the moon on a circular ring to represent that the two always chasing each other. Sumire catches Lucia seeing off Youji in the street. Inside, she notices Lucia blushing.

That was nice of Lucia to give him the pendant. I didn’t even expect the boy to show up either since I already dropped that event as just another weekly situation without any real content. And there really was no content. I didn’t read the manga, so I’m not sure if it’s a filler or not, but sure feels like it. Wait, they did introduce that dagger that Sumire used in the first episode. But that’s about it. The preview for the next episode looks like it will finally get things rolling on this show.

Note: Damn. Usually I try to get these summaries up as soon as I get the episode, but I was just too tired. Now that it’s Friday and the work week is over, plenty of time and energy to go around. Screen caps will come later though. Like tomorrow. Anyway, let’s begin.

Episode 2:

The day after, Sumire is still fatigued by the effects from being in Berserker mode. At the organization, they plan to perform more tests to make the Berserker mode more stable and safer. During the tests, they test different concentrations on Sumire while locking her within an energy barrier. The tests aim to have her be in conscious control of her powers, instead of being on a rampage. They also notice during the tests that the symbol on her shoulder has been changing in pattern.

Depending on how many episodes are slated for this series, Sumire will either be able to learn how to control her powers or they go out of control at the end and Lucia has to put an end to her. I predict that if it’s a short series (12 or 13 eps), Sumire will be pushed to the limits and her Berserker mode will remain permanent. If it’s a long or longer series (24+) chances are that Sumire will somehow find a way to control her powers at a very important time to save the day. And the strange symbols.. it’s definitely a ticking time bomb.

Sumire thinks back to her earlier experiences when she runs away from the Venus organization in an attempt to regain an ordinary life again, which is about two weeks after joining forces with Lucia. During that time, Lucia tries to persuade Sumire that she can’t return to the world she knew. Eventually her body might go return to normal, but in the meantime, she needs to put it to use. Sumire refuses to accept the facts.

When I first saw this episode, I didn’t realize she was having a flashback. Of course, on the second time around, things made a little more sense. And I’m guessing the hopes that Sumire’s body returning to normal is nothing more than wishful thinking. I doubt the viewers will stand for it, considering the subtle relationship that is portrayed between the heroines in the opening, ending, and intermediate stills.

At school, she’s unable to avoid staring at the Virus that stalks the campus. She finds herself in trouble when her eyes meet up with the Virus. Sumire runs back to her classroom and pulls out the antivirus gun in her bag. The Virus chases her around until he is hurt by one of the antivirus bullets. Sumire goes on the chase but is led to the roof of the building where she is cornered.

Despite the fear that Sumire displayed when seeing the Virus and running away from it, she sure had some guts to go chasing after it. Then again, she does have a trump card if it came down to it.

After wasting her second to last bullet on a missed shot, she runs out of options and shoots herself with the last bullet. In Berserker mode, she makes short work of the Virus. Lucia appears shortly after and locks Sumire in a barrier, but Sumire breaks out of the barrier. That is the last thing that happens before Sumire wakes up and sees that her altered self had injured Lucia. She tells Lucia that she realizes that she can’t go back to an ordinary life.

With this flashback, does that mean that that particular Berserker mode is a lot stronger than the one later down the road as this one can tear apart the barrier or is it that they developed a stronger barrier? And what do all the symbols mean? It does look like from the vantage point that the symbols reshape themselves to provide special skills to Sumire. Gotta wait and see (or get my hands on the manga).

Back in the present day, Sumire is less troubled by the testing. She finds a playground on the way home and finds a person there reading a book. He happens to be the same person she bumped into on the street in the previous episode.

I had a feeling that guy would make a second appearance. In the first episode, there was a slightly longer pause to show his face in that scene than it would for just some nobody. Of course, someone could as easily point out that the guy is in the opening credits. However, although very unlikely, I have this feeling he’s working for the bad guys. Because what other purpose does he really serve besides a possible love interest for Sumire?

Episode 1 - Blue Invitation

In an old church building, we have a light-blue haired girl with an eye-patch on her left hand, wielding a revolver. She quickly disposes of the strange black swirls appearing out of thin air. Outside, there’s a short-haired girl waiting for her. The gun-slinging girl unloads her empty shells, and the two pull out daggers and engage in fight.

Well, I have no idea what’s going on, but at first sight, the girl with the eye patch kills ghosts and spirits that linger in the world. As for her relation to the other girl, they could be enemies. But, it doesn’t quite seem to be the case as the opening credits begin.

The credits show the two girls at the beginning, along with the supporting cast along with the bad guys. Then we see the eye-patch is covering a different colored eye and the other girl possesses a darker side to her that I believe turns her into a dangerous foe. Why not, right? On first impressions alone, they seem to be friends, if not even friendlier; if you know what I mean.

At a school, we soon find out the short-haired red head is named Sumire. She also has a secret admirer, who has a sister, and the three of them know each other. Though not identified well, the boy is most likely Riku and his sister is Nene. Sumire hurries off in a rush out of the school at the time.

Here we’re introduced to a few more characters who more or less pop in and out of the episodes. It’s all speculation right now for me, but from experience, I’m sure it’s going to be less of them, and more of the two main characters.

Underneath a train overpass, Sumire reaches her destination and apologizes to a person named Ruchia, who we quickly find out is the girl with the eye-patch. Ruchia tells Sumire that they have a client. This client, Risa Toudo, shows them a pamphlet called the Venus Vangard. In it advertises that Ruchia’s services (I’m assuming she runs the show at this mysterious place) can solve all problems. Ruchia explains that only a select few are able to read the wording on the pamphlet.

For some reason, this whole scenario reminds me of the TV drama Angel as people come looking for help against strange and dangerous phenomena. Anyway, from what I can tell, this organization that Ruchia runs is probably referred to as Venus. And it would seem the pamphlet is disguised as a jewelry catalog from what I can tell.

Risa explains that one day she discovered a shadow following her. Risa explains further that since then, her friends have gone missing. Ruchia accepts the case, calling the incident caused by a “Virus,” an evil spirit. They manifest when a human-like existence’s soul has been snatched. Therefore, they hunt for other souls. Only a select few can see the viruses.

At least I don’t have to do much work in guessing where Virus comes from in the title. On one end we have Venus and the other Virus, and hence the title. It’s quite a catchy title too. It’s simple, it’s explanatory, and it’s a quick three word alliteration.

Risa leads the two girls to where she’s seen the virus the most. Risa and Sumire are suddenly attacked by the enemy and left unconscious. Back at their headquarters, Ruchia takes off her eye-patch to find the truth from Risa. She falls to the floor moments later after using her eye.

Here’s where we see what Ruchia’s hiding beneath that eye-patch. It does seem like this theme echoes along the lines of Kakashi’s Sharingan eye and Allen Walker’s Akuma detecting eye, but I guess I can live with that. We are also shown some of the nightmares that Ruchia endures because of her eye.

Later that night, as Sumire is to stand watch over Risa as she sleeps, Sumire falls asleep as well. Then, Risa sits up and the shadow she casts on the bed takes on another form headed towards Sumire. Ruchia stops the advance, and explains that she found out that the virus was inside Risa the whole time. The virus jumps out of the room with Ruchia following suit. The two engage in battle. After a momentary victory by Ruchia, the virus comes back grabbing Sumire as a hostage.

I had a feeling that was going to happen considering the virus healed his wounds during the fight. It wouldn’t make any sense if suddenly he were to be defeated by a single bullet.

Ruchia fires a bullet into Sumire’s head, and suddenly Sumire becomes full of rage and attacks the virus. The old man who indirectly identified himself as Ruchia’s father, but also identified as Rola’s uncle (Rola being another character in the Venus organization), explains that Sumire turns into a living “anti-virus” when she comes into contact with the vaccine that they use to fight viruses. However, this form is dangerous as she becomes uncontrollable and attacks at random. As Sumire grabs Ruchia and is ready to lay in a powerful attack, the trance wears off and she faints.

Watching this whole fight is a winged eye beaming a visual back to a woman in a dungeon. Pretty safe to say she is part of the bad guys. Also, there are three shadows cast on the wall, which means there are two more villains.

After watching this pilot episode, it now makes sense why Sumire appears to have an evil side to her. Because she does! What doesn’t make sense is the very beginning of the episode because under the trance form, Sumire has starred pupils. However, she has regular eyes in the opening sequence. I’m going to guess it’s foreshadowing how this series is going to end.

So this series looks promising enough. Hopefully it doesn’t end in 13 episodes or less. I would like to see a full 26 if not a massive 52. At least the Bleach fillers are over.