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The battle against the Aragami (plant-monsters) intensifies, as does the romance between Momiji (the 15-year-old Princess Kushinada) and her dashing protector Kusanagi. The increasingly powerful Aragami attacks are inspired by the reborn god Susano-Oh, who is being raised by Murakomo and Kaede, Momiji's twin sister (who died in the first episode). The adventures and romance are played against an overt ecological message--large numbers of trees are dying, indicating that the islands of Japan are suffering. But the message is wrapped in right-wing rhetoric that recalls the ultraconservative cabal in Gasaraki, rather than the pleas for ecological sanity in the films of Miyazaki: contemporary Japanese culture is damned as "barren," "dead," and "cannibalistic." But fans of Blue Seed are probably watching for the fantastic designs of the Aragami and magical-girl romance, rather than the political messages or Shinto references. Suggested for ages 12 and up: violence, minor profanity, brief nudity, and violence against women. --Charles Solomon
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