New Moderator
Thanks to xp for clarifying that MHz means Mega Hertz, a measure of frequency usually used for radios and audio.
This one is... really hard to summarize, so it'll be brief. The detectives are trying to figure out how Taeko got attacked when Lil' Slugger is supposedly in jail, but she has nothing to say. Her amnesia is full force and she remains silent and smiling creepily while her father is in a stupor. Maniwa also sees the old man in the hospital while being about to leave.
When interrogating Makoto more intensely, Ikari gets him to admit that he attacked Shogo and Masami, but not anyone else. Maniwa questions some of the victims to learn that the ones who Makoto did not attack were troubled and feeling cornered. Shogo did not have a problem like that, and while Masami might have... Shogo doesn't fit the pattern.
Maniwa seems to keep hearing static, as if from a radio, and eventually sees himself in a white suit eating with the old man we keep seeing. The old man does a magic trick, going through a wall, and then does another to split himself into two copies. Maniwa looks around to see that everyone besides him in the audience is now a copy of the old man. Oooooookay. ._.
Ikari is not buying Maniwa's cornered theory, and Maniwa keeps pondering about it. If they could find who was feeling cornered, they might be able to catch Lil' Slugger. He suddenly realizes that Makoto himself seems the most likely and drives in a rush to the station. But by the time Ikari and Maniwa get there, it is too late. Someone who looks very similar to Makoto skates away with a bloody bat, and Makoto's corpse is found in the cell. Apparently this causes Ikari and Maniwa, along with many other officers, to be fired.
Maniwa thinks again about who is cornered, realizes he is, turns, and gets hit in the face with the bat... except it was a dream. It ends with a static-filled broadcast about the thoughts of Lil' Slugger not being just one person and going after all the cornered people.
This was... a puzzling episode. I definitely left out a couple of scenes that are probably important but did not seem big enough to write about. This may be one I need to look at again in the future.
</spoiler>
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
This episode was hilarious, and I really liked it even though it didn't seem to directly connect to Lil' Slugger or any of the other characters.
Three people meet for the first time in real life, having been internet friends for a while. One is a young, tall man with a locket that goes by the name Zebra. Another is an old man, Fuyubachi, who is definitely different from the other old man we've been seeing. And then there's Kamome, a cute, energetic little girl. Zebra and Fuyubachi seem shocked that she is so young, and get those dirty thoughts out of your head, they didn't get together for dates or sex or something. No, it's far more innocent: they plan to commit suicide together. Wait WHAT?!
Note that throughout this episode, there are lots of text messages from their chat program shown, but by golly I have no idea what they said because it was kept in Japanese with no subtitles. Ugh.
Zebra and Fuyubachi try to run away from Kamome because they think she's too young to die, but she continues to follow them. Let's go over how they try to kill themselves now and how much bad luck they have with it:
*They try to overdose, but a crane crew knocks down the building they are in.
*They try to jump in front of a train, but another guy does first. They decide that's too messy, and the guy who jumped walks by bloody and muttering, "Ouch, I give up. This hurts more than I thought."
*They try to hang themselves, but the branch breaks and they go tumbling down a canyon. Zebra's locket is shown now, and it seems he is homosexual based on the picture in it. Might attribute to suicidal thoughts.
*The inn they are at is attacked by Lil' Slugger, but he runs away when they chase him and call for him to kill them. There was a time before this where they were implied to know Makoto as another internet friend.
Now at the beginning of the episode, Fuyubachi had said to Zebra, "This is my last pill," before taking the final pill in his bottle. At the parking lot at the end of the episode, he does the exact same thing, with the final pill still being in the bottle. He suddenly begins to stagger as he realizes what is going on; apparently, they are already dead. He snaps out of it when Kamome asks how they will try to kill themselves next, and he says they'll take another train to go far away.
It's really a good episode. Funny throughout, and the realization that they are dead doesn't hurt as much as some places since that was their intention anyway. They stay together and it can easily be believed they remained as a family. It's actually bizarrely touching.
</spoiler>
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
Oh for the love of goodness. This was another episode that wasn't connected to any of the other characters in the series, but unlike eight, I wasn't endeared to these at all. Basically, three women gossipers tell a bunch of stories about Lil' Slugger that they heard, despite them being utterly stupid, with one new woman who just moved in, Kamohara, trying to fit in by telling stories. Hers get called out on being ridiculous though. At the end of the episode, she finds her husband, a scriptwriter, has been attacked by Lil' Slugger, and instead of tending to him, Kamohara tries to get him to tell her how it happened so she can have a story for tomorrow. Ugh.
I'll just summarize all the stories told:
*Kid studies for important exam, goes to restroom due to feeling sick, begins vomiting equations until he gets killed by Lil' Slugger.
*Mother in law is pressuring her son's wife to make her good fish meatballs. The door rings, Lil' Slugger hits the mother in law since she got there first.
*Doctor accidentally gives a would-be mother the wrong sperm and egg, causing her child to show up on a monitor with a bat in hand. Called out by the trio of ladies.
*Boy really loves girl, but girl is sick and will die when all the leaves fall. Boy paints leaf so it will not happen, he turns and sees Lil' Slugger about to attack her, he falls off the ladder and dies too. I was really disgusted by this one, it was just so random. >_>
*Baseball pitcher is being pressured by his teammates to throw different pitches for the winning strike, Lil' Slugger is up to bat.
*Boxer keeps seeing food when he's trying to slim down and beats it up. He comes to a table with a full cuisine that has Lil' Slugger serving.
*A man is starving on an island and Lil' Slugger comes from the water to hit him. Called out for being ridiculous.
*Mob boss asks for his subordinate to get Lil' Slugger. The subordinate gets very nervous at this request and is attacked as a result, calling him out. Actually sort of clever, but called out for being ridiculous.
*Not sure who told this one but some rocket launches fail and Lil' Slugger shows up because he can, who cares why.
I hate gossipers so much. However, this episode was interesting for one thing: it shows how the public is reacting to the Lil' Slugger attacks. That was a fairly nice point to make.
</spoiler>
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
[Spoiler for Paranoia Agent: Episode 10, click to show]Episode 10: Maromi Madoromi
This episode was quite disturbing to watch. It's hard to go in depth though, so I'll have to skim again. This is the third episode in a row to not have involved the rest of the cast, BTW. I keep mentioning this mainly because these three episodes have characters that never appear in the opening or ending.
There are a ton of characters in this episode, so I won't bother naming them all. The one we follow is Saruta, who is basically the village idiot in this crew. This team is responsible for making the Maromi anime, and Maromi keeps popping in to tell us what all the anime team's roles are. Thanks Maromi, I guess.
We keep getting flashes between Saruta driving his car and being at work. He seems to have a thing for nodding off. As the stress of deadlines comes up, the team members begin to die, presumably to Lil' Slugger. However, Saruta is shown at the end to bludgeon the last man in the head, meaning he may have killed all of them. He has delusions of Lil' Slugger following him though, and winds up dead as well. Someone takes the finished tape from him and begins to play it. It shows Maromi playing with a kid and saying, over and over, "Take a break." Creepy.
This was an interesting one to watch, if nothing else. I kept wanting to smack Saruta though, because even if he did get teased a lot, he did do a lot of dumb things. One guy asked him to handle his drawing carefully, and he responded by FOLDING IT UP. I'd cry too.
</spoiler>
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
We're finally back with the main cast. Since Ikari got fired recently, he is now working as a security guard, and half of the episode focuses on what he does there. He juggles three jobs on that work, and on the way to his third one, he finds and picks up a keychain of Maromi. He meets up with a criminal he once caught and put behind bars for five years, Mikari (yes really). He is surprisingly not bitter at all, and they instead hit it off quite well.
While working, Ikari sees Tsukiko for the first time in a while and comments that Mamori is actually rather cute, which gets her to smile. After the last job, the duo goes to a restaurant for some drinking. Mikari has said that he is doing an honest job now because the old days of burglars with burlap sacks are gone. Ikari maintains that that was the main reason he became a cop, to chase after those types of criminals. He has a vision when they leave of entering a cardboard cutout land, which apparently resembles the old days. Don't ask I don't even know.
The other half focuses on a haggard woman. She says to a doctor that she cannot afford the operation he is suggesting, despite it being the only thing that can save her life. As she leaves the hospital, she sees Tsukiko on television being interviewed about Maromi's anime being released. I learn then that Maromi is actually a male. Oh.
When the woman, Misae, gets home, she finds Lil' Slugger waiting there for her. She says she called him there with her despair, but that she does not want him there any longer, for she realized that if she died, she would betray her husband. We learn that she is Ikari's wife, and that they have been faithful to each other for a long time. Misae thought herself unworthy of Ikari, but always did what she could as his wife. As she thinks negatively, Lil' Slugger begins to grow bigger and swing his bat; when she goes to positive thoughts, he is reduced in size.
It comes to a climax when she states that their relationship was very strained due to Ikari devoting himself to the Lil' Slugger case, and then being fired, but that their love was still strong. Even though it seemed hopeless, he took up new jobs and she continued to wait for him to get home each night. Even if it would be hard, she would have the operation in the end. She says that he provides false comfort, and that he and Mamori are the same. Lil' Slugger screams and vanishes at that. Illusion? You decide. Maniwa shows up at the end to look for Ikari, but Misae says he is not home yet.
Another good episode overall.
</spoiler>
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
Maniwa must be totally in his own RPG world because he fights a monstrous Lil' Slugger with a sword. Realizing he is not strong enough to defeat him, he goes to search for the truth and more power. He stops by the old man's room for some advice and gets the phrase, "Dance with the bunny," before the old man perishes. Well that's sage advice if I ever heard it.
Tsukiko is being interviewed in many locations about Maromi, who is exploding with popularity. Her boss tries to persuade her to come up with a new character design soon, but Tsukiko, still spaced out as ever, simply thanks him for the ride he gave her home. He suddenly grabs her by the mouth and threatens her to make a new character, until she manages to fall out of the car. He apologizes before speeding away. A car crash sounds as he is found dead.
When Maniwa looks for Ikari, he only finds Misae. Seeing the destruction in the house, he demands to know how she faced off Lil' Slugger on her own. She says that she stated he and Maromi were the same. The television flickers on to show several channels talking about Maromi. Minawa leaves and sees a bigger television screen showing an interview with Tsukiko, where it is said that Maromi is based off a dog she owned when she was young. Among her concept drawings is one of Lil' Slugger.
Maniwa is shown to be even more out of this world when he sees a small bunny girl jumping across people's heads. He recalls the old man's words and follows her. He meets several girl dolls, most with animal features. The maker of the dolls is now crafting ones of Lil' Slugger's victims and does not pay attention to Maniwa at all. One of the girls does a search on the interwebz and finds that there was an attack similar to Lil' Slugger's rampages ten years ago, and Tsukiko was the victim. He goes to her father's house to find out more information, and finds a golden bat in Maromi's dog house.
Tsukiko is working in her office when Maromi the plush dog tells her not to blame herself for any of this. She gets a phone call from Maniwa, where he says he knows about her past and tells her that her father says not to be afraid. Maromi decides to interfere by cutting the phone cord, but Lil' Slugger in monster form shows up. Maromi helps Tsukiko to flee, and Maniwa shows up to fight him off. Maromi opens a door to the cardboard cut-out world that Ikari is in, causing him and Tsukiko to run into each other. All of the previous, living Lil' Slugger victims are shown while a news cast says that all the Maromi merchandise has vanished.
Confusing mainly due to trying to distinguish what is taking place and what is not, but that's the name of the game and I love it. Good episode.
</spoiler>
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
Okay. Read this summary and marvel at how it makes no sense, yet makes perfect sense when you watch the series.
Ikari and Tsukiko wander around the cardboard cut-out world and buy some fish. Maromi says this is Ikari's world. In the real world, since Maromi is gone, people are beginning to become devoured by a black ooze. Maniwa calls Ikari to tell him to bring back Tsukiko, or they're doomed. Ikari sees this on a television and throws a rock to destroy it.
At a bar, where people are referring to Tsukiko as Ikari's daughter, Ikari sees Misae as a barmaid. She asks him to come home, and Maromi says she should not be there and causes the whole building to collapse. Ikari finds Tsukiko is now young in age, has a kimono, and is walking her real Maromi. They go to a festival and Ikari muses he always wanted a daughter. Misae is there as well, and it causes Ikari to remember that he told her to never give up, never to run away from the real world. Misae soon vanishes, dying in the hospital.
Now filled with resolve, Ikari takes a baseball bat and begins to break apart the cardboard world. He then takes out the Maromi keychain and bats it at the sun, causing it all to be wrecked. The world is transformed into Maromi toys.
Maniwa meets them back in the real world and tells the true story: Tsukiko had a puppy named Maromi who apparently got killed by a kid with rollerblades and a baseball bat. Turns out she let go of the dog's leash while distracted and Maromi got killed by a car. Afraid of how her strict father would react, she made up the story about Lil' Slugger. But her father knew all along what the truth was and played along with her because he was afraid of hurting her.
Confronted by this truth Tsukiko had tried to bury, she is pulled along by Ikari as Maniwa raises his sword to fight the ooze. He gets swallowed quickly. When they get below a train station, they are taken too. Tsukiko sees herself as a child looking at the dead Maromi and thinking about making Lil' Slugger, as his shadow stretches from her. The grown up Tsukiko picks up Maromi and says she is sorry, and Lil' Slugger says goodbye before vanishing. The black ooze disappears and leaves a beaten up Tokyo in its wake.
Two years later, Tokyo is finally rebuilt, everyone who got eaten by ooze is around now, Ikari's still being a security guard, Tsukiko got her hair cut, and Maniwa has white hair and is writing the same equation the old man wrote from the start. The next episode preview shows Maniwa taking the place of the old man and saying that no mystery remains unsolved forever.
Did you get all that? No? Good, you weren't supposed to. That's the kind of series it is!
</spoiler>
[Spoiler for Paranoia Agent, click to show]I'd rank this series about 9/10. There was a lot about it I really liked, so it's hard for me to justify putting it lower than that. Episodes three, five, seven, eight, and thirteen were my top five of the series. Maniwa and Ikari are the top two characters, with Tsukiko probably taking third place, the cast from episode eight in fourth, and Harumi/Maria taking fifth.
It's hard to do many rankings for this simply because it was shorter than, say, Evangelion. But I'll tell you one thing; it has one of my favorite openings ever. That'll stick with me for a long time.
</spoiler>
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
This right here.
This is one of my favorite scenes of all time.
In anything.
But then I'm a nut for anti-escapism messages! <_<
Episodes three, five, seven, eight, and thirteen were my top five of the series.
Needs more twelve.
Radar Man best ever
Two years later, Tokyo is finally rebuilt, everyone who got eaten by ooze is around now, Ikari's still being a security guard, Tsukiko got her hair cut, and Maniwa has white hair and is writing the same equation the old man wrote from the start. The next episode preview shows Maniwa taking the place of the old man and saying that no mystery remains unsolved forever.
In case you missed it, a lot of people interpret this as something to the effect of "Maniwa finally solved the equation the old man was working on, and realized that the answer doesn't make sense."
What does that imply? I have no idea. >_>
</spoiler>
---
"There's a pony in the shop, but don't buy it. It might do something unfortunate to you." ~from the first Summoner's Seal topic
New Moderator
This is one of my favorite scenes of all time.
In anything.
But then I'm a nut for anti-escapism messages! <_<
I liked it a lot myself. It sounds over the top to talk about it, but watching it... it's AWESOME.
In case you missed it, a lot of people interpret this as something to the effect of "Maniwa finally solved the equation the old man was working on, and realized that the answer doesn't make sense."
What does that imply? I have no idea. >_>
My interpretation of this was "Maniwa solved the old man's equation and realized the series of events is a time loop" based on the 'next episode preview' thingy. But I'm totally open to other suggestions.
</spoiler>
So did I slack off these past few months? In writing, yes. Watching, no! Here's what I saw:
March: Serial Experiment Lain
April: Elfen Lied
May: Fire Emblem OVA
So why haven't I done write-ups?
Serial Experiment Lain: YOU try watching it and then writing it up. It will NOT be an easy task.
Elfen Lied: I'm debating on whether I want to take it from a comical or serious perspective. The series definitely has really touching moments and a lot of serious parts to it, but then you get scenes where the gore is so over the top that I couldn't stop laughing.
Fire Emblem OVA: It's two episodes long. I deserve two months for that. It is THAT BAD. (Mind you, this is the dub. The sub might at least have better voice acting. Maybe.)
I'm going to try to watch something tomorrow for June. I leave the house on June 5th and don't return until August 3rd (or so I believe), so that means July is rather screwed up. I have two choices.
One: Skip July and watch two in August.
Two: Watch a really short series I don't have on Youtube.
If I did number two, it would have to be an OVA or FLCL or something as short as/shorter than FLCL. If anyone has any opinions on that I'd be interested to hear them.
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
[Spoiler for Mirai Nikki, Chapters 1-14, click to show]Prologue
Girl: *Kisses Yukiteru*
Yukiteru: Use [Dart] on [Girl].
Girl: Nope, the [Future] is different.
*One week earlier*
Yukiteru: I sure hope I won
New Moderator
Akise: Run away from the dogs! Forget that corpse we
New Moderator
Yukiteru: Okay we
New Moderator
Minene: RETREATING NOW
John: Good thing my secretary has a
New Moderator
Woman: OMG A TERRORIST NOTICE <3
Masumi: That
Advanced
Paradox > Mosaic > Main
---
SIEG ZEON, dood!
Provisional
---
LMAO he ain't my lover I'm not into guys -Tengu
New Moderator
I watched three full animes recently which is more than... I have any time in the near past. Here are my thoughts.
*Angel Beats! is great and should be watched. Really had fun with it and Tenshi is awesome.
*I saw the first four episodes of Ghost Hound, and while I probably will watch the rest, it is... questionable. Showing close up shots of flies is a huge do not want.
*Baccano! is one of the best animes I have ever seen and should be watched by everyone. To those unfamiliar with it, the same person who wrote Durarara!! also wrote the novels for this. Yep.
*Canaan is nice, not as good as the other two full ones I saw but still worth seeing. It also has one of the MEANEST scenes I have ever seen. I would expand on that but, well, spoilers and all that.
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
Greatest anime ever? Very possible!
Definitely between it and Evangelion. If you asked me right now I'd say Fate/Zero, but maybe we should wait a while and see if I'm still saying that!
Honorable mention for Steins;Gate for third place, but Fate/Zero and Evangelion are just on another level.
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
New Moderator
So, let's talk about this. Because boy does it DESERVE talking about. I knew I was going to like it but you can never understand just how much you'll like or dislike something until you see it. And I wound up, well, really liking it. Let's talk about why.
[Spoiler for Fate/Zero Episodes, click to show]
May as well start with the basics. I won't summarize episodes, just make comments on them. Note that quotes are paraphrased so if I get something a bit wrong, that's why. Episode names taken from Wikipedia.
Openings and Endings
They're all good. I prefer the first opening to the second in terms of scenes showed, songs are about equal. First ending is actually quite interesting, but the second is beautiful in how it shows Kiritsugu and Irisviel's relationship developing, so I prefer that one. And both songs, again, are about equal, though I think I prefer the opening songs.
Episode One: Summoning Ancient Heroes
*Here we get a look at six out of seven Masters, and that one missing is not a loss at all. There's a good reason this episode is as long as it is. It's a great way to have insight on who we will be following through the series, and it serves as a base template of sorts to see how they will change. Especially so with Waver, I found, but more on that in specific character thoughts.
*"I... have no right to hold that child." And our first Tear Jerker is like a few minutes in! (Okay I didn't cry but seriously that was a sad scene.)
*Kotomine in this looks a LOT better than the flashbacks in the FSN anime. Thank everything. Also they mentioned his nameless wife. And still didn't give her a name. Sucks for her.
*When I saw Waver get delivered a package for Kayneth, I quickly realized what he was about to do. And lol'd when it happened. Spanner in the Works.
*Uuuuugh get Zouken out of here.
*UUUUUUUGH did NOT want to see Sakura getting raped by worms. Thanks anime.
*I can only imagine Kiritsugu and Iri's conversation after Saber was summoned. 'Hey, are you SURE that was Avalon?' 'Yeah it has to be.' 'Then why'd we get a girl?'
Episode Two: False Start
*Already it is obvious Rider is going to be one of the most entertaining characters. Period.
*HNNNNNNNGH YOUNG ILYA. The scene where Kiritsugu plays with her is one of the most adorable things in all existence. ALL. EXISTENCE.
*Ryuunosuke (I copied that name to paste whenever I need to because screw typing that) is already unlikeable. Awesome, I'm so glad we needed this Master to complete the group.
*Oh good Caster's just as bad. Infant Immortality is not present here.
*As if Assassin would die second episode. ...I kind of wish he had though. Bah.
Episode Three: Land of Fuyuki
*Kirei is a cheater lololol.
*"My biggest obstacle will be this Clinton guy." I lol'd.
*I'm not a huge Saber fan but I did like the scene where Irisviel talks about never being out of the castle and Saber deciding they should take a walk.
*Maiya and Waver should just be related. Good gosh look at them.
*"The Walther weighs more than Ilya." Emotional punches keep 'em coming.
*First fight upcoming... on the fourth episode. Actually I appreciate the build up. And no Gilgamesh killing Assassin was not a fight.
Episode Four: Blade of the Demonic Spear
*I had never even heard of Diarmuid before. Huh.
*I was just waiting for that shorter spear to do something. As if the longer one was all that he had for a NP.
*Saber has some great luck with these cursed spears. She just keeps being unable to be healed.
*Lancer and Saber would make great members of a turn-based RPG team. Just saying they enjoy waiting their turns and being honorable and such.
*I kind of hoped Kiritsugu would just snipe Lancer's Master to see the reactions of everyone present. Oh well.
*Rider out of nowhere+everyone's utterly stupefied looks=hilarity
Episode Five: The Vicious Beast Roars
*While Waver and Rider get a lot of heartwarming moments, this is one that really got me to start liking them as a team beyond 'they're funny'. Kayneth insulting Waver, only for Rider to tell him off, is great. Basically going 'He rode with me into battle, while you hid, so he's a better Master' was all kinds of awww.
*Also on that note Waver and Kayneth never encounter each other after that. Sort of odd and disappointing since they had a direct tie to each other, but oh well.
*As much as I hate Caster, I wish he had been there. Why? It was the closest we ever got to having all seven Servants in a war in the same place at the same time.
*LOL that CGI for Berserker. I don't know whether to say it's neat or awkward.
*What I can say, however, is that him countering Gilgamesh is all kinds of amazing.
*Command Spell to make Gilgamesh retreat. LITERALLY when he could have tried to wipe everyone out at once with Ea. Tokiomi apparently didn't want the series to end yet. (Yes I know Gilgamesh probably wouldn't have done that, it's still funny.)
*And we get our first sign of Kayneth being dumb. "Hey I know, I'll use a Command Spell to make Lancer fight Saber now. Never mind that Rider still hasn't sided with anyone yet and Berserker is nuts and would turn on me after this, we have to fight the crippled Saber RIGHT NOW."
*Apparently Rider is skilled in Grand Theft Auto. Pancake Berserker.
*I was hoping Caster was not talking about lusting for Saber. And he was. UGH. Come on guys stop goggling over Saber, there's other females in this series.
Episode Six: Night of Schemes
*Irisviel, the best driver.
*Okay, Caster being Gilles and believing Saber to be Jeanne d'Arc is actually a nice change of pace and makes a lot more sense. ESPECIALLY with what he does with children. What's funny is watching this after playing the game Jeanne d'Arc. Gilles in that is actually a good guy and one of the better units. I could go into why this works but I won't because this is a Fate/Zero discussion.
*What kind of a name is Sola-Ui? And yeah, all the more reason to dislike Kayneth. He gets a loyal Servant, so of course he talks Lancer down at every chance he gets. Not cool.
*'Hahaha they will never get past my several floors of traps and demons!' *Explosion, building collapses* I love Kiritsugu's methods.
*Kirei meets Gilgamesh. And a true friendship of REJOICING was born.
Episode Seven: The Evil Forest
*Here we have one of the dumbest, and I mean the DUMBEST, people ever. A group of men investigating the bombing of the building from last episode see what looks like a floating ball of liquid. What does the lead guy do? STICK HIS ARM IN IT. WITHOUT ANY SORT OF PROTECTION. YOU DUMB ****. Hopefully he exploded offscreen or something so his genes won't be passed on.
*Wait you can reward additional Command Spells? ...Hey if it means Caster dies faster I'll support it.
*Heart-wrenching conversation with Kiritsugu and Irisviel. Even though I knew it wouldn't happen, I wanted so much for Kiritsugu to decide that leaving the War would be a good idea.
*Saber and Lancer versus Caster. Also known as 'two honorable people versus scum of the earth'.
*Kayneth goes to fight Kiritsugu. Hahahahahahaha. This'll be good. (It is.)
*Kiritsugu has a Reality Marble? Good grief.
Episode Eight: The Magus Killer
*Irisviel fights Kirei with triumphant music, a true appearance of heroic victory... then he just knocks over the tree she tied him to. Oops. Sort of takes the fanfare away.
*It is glorious to see Kayneth get wounded by a pistol after all his talking down of modern weapons. And then to get wiped out by Kiritsugu's special bullets. Before that second happens, Kayneth makes remarks on how he plans on torturing Kiritsugu by constantly healing and destroying his body repeatedly. So really, I wasn't feeling sorry for him at all when he got his Magic Circuits fried.
*Saber literally letting Lancer go so he can save Kayneth. I can't blame Kiritsugu for not trusting her. And on that note, what the heck is with Saber in this Holy Grail War? She seems far less ruthless than the 5th one. The ending of Fate/Zero actually makes this seem sort of Fridge Brilliant but I dunno if it's intentional.
*Ow. Poor Irisviel. Good thing Avalon is broken.
Episode Nine: Master and Servant
*Looks like Sola-Ui is a psychotic woman that believes torture is viable for getting Lancer's Command Spells. Now, okay, I get that his uncontrollable charm worked on her. This is still a scene that makes me dislike her. A lot. And no she never redeems herself. At least Kayneth does something decent in the end.
*Lancer's backstory made me =(.
*Waver and Rider going to Caster's place. "If anyone didn't have that kind of a reaction, I'd punch them." A good scene at least came out of the stupidity of Caster and his Master.
Episode Ten: Rin's Adventure
*Filler! Because everyone loves Rin.
*It's nice to at least see Tokiomi do something besides being boring. His interactions with Rin are rather sweet.
*Little girl Rin literally beats a Master. Ryuunosuke the worst.
*I was waiting this entire episode for Kariya to show up. And he did. Hurray.
*...Yeah this is the weakest episode of the lot.
Episode Eleven: The Grail Dialogue
*But that is made up for by this meet-up. This episode is fantastic for so many reasons. Let's list off why.
*Rider storming into the castle... to drink with Saber. And he invited Gilgamesh. Hilarity ensues.
*Gilgamesh declaring his wine sucks, and then using Gate of Babylon to produce wine from the gods. Now that's what he should be using it for. Forget the arsenal of Noble Phantasms, have it produce wine all the time.
*This entire time Irisviel and Waver are both just standing at a distance with silent and dumbfounded expressions. It's fantastic to see them trying to wrap their heads around how this is really happening.
*Conversation about what makes a king. And Rider utterly shoots down Saber's ideals. It is GLORIOUS. After how many people treat her as a perfect being in FSN and hype her up in Fate/Zero, this is something that I was delighted to see happen.
*And then after all this? Assassins show up. And refuse to drink with them after being offered. So Rider pulls out a *Reality Marble* that is full of SERVANTS. His greatest Noble Phantasm is literally having all his friends help him. Loyalty beyond the ages? I loved Rider before this, but let's face it, this sort of character trait is right up my alley. He really became a favorite after that.
*Speaking of which one of those guys interested me in appearance. Only later did I make the connection: looks sort of like an older Waver. Which would be all kinds of heartwarming.
*"The king is never alone!" And then Assassin died. And it was glorious.
*And after all this? Rider leaves Saber being utterly crushed in her ideals while Gilgamesh is like "Well that was amusing."
Episode Twelve: The Grail's Invitation
*Well gee this house sure looks familiar. Take note that the circle Irisviel makes here is the entire reason Shirou survives Lancer's attack in FSN, as it lets him summon Saber.
*Wait, Assassin is the only Servant gone, yet Irisviel already lost her sense of touch? What the? I thought it'd take a few more before she began degrading.
*Gilgamesh trying to push a Kirei/Kariya ship. He is such a match maker.
Episode Thirteen: Forbidden Banquet
*Uh all I remember about this episode specifically was that Caster and Ryuunosuke have an over-the-top evil speech about how they're part of God's story.
*Then Caster summons a tentacle monster. Just what Fate needed.
*That said I do recall liking some parts of this episode so Waver and Rider were probably involved somehow.
Episode Fourteen: The Bloody Battle of Mion River
*I would make a Jesus joke about Saber but no I won't.
*El oh el Tokiomi trying to get Gilgamesh to fight Caster.
*Speaking of Gilgamesh has quite a fabulous aircraft.
*Here we have two dumb-but-not-as-dumb-as-that-guy-in-episode-seven pilots that try to investigate Caster's monster. It goes poorly for one.
*The other? Gets the honor of Berserker making his aircraft a Noble Phantasm. Cue air fight between him and Gilgamesh. In all its jaw-dropping glory.
*It really is too bad Kariya doesn't just say 'uh Tokiomi your daughter is being violated by worms every single day by the creepy old man you gave her to.' It would have made things a lot nicer for Sakura probably. But nope. Neither is interested in talking.
*Ryuunosuke gets assassinated by Kiritsugu. And much rejoicing was had.
Episode Fifteen: Golden Radiance
*It's too bad Caster's monster does not seem to require water to live. The idea of Rider's Reality Marble killing it because it's a desert amuses me for some reason.
*I honestly thought Saber and Lancer were going to finish their battle so Saber could get her arm back. I didn't realize breaking the spear would do that same thing. Whoops.
*Sword of Promised Victory has a pretty cool remix here. Most of the music is really good TBH.
*Also lol at Berserker destroying Gilgamesh's airship. Only for Lancer to bat him out of the sky.
*No, no, no. You can't make me feel sorry for a guy who tortured and murdered several children. Not even the pretty version of Jeanne d'Arc in this universe will make me forget that. Just saying.
*Toasty Kariya. Poor guy gets destroyed.
*Interesting to note that in FSN, Saber sees this river and remarks that there was a battle there in the Fourth War, and that Kiritsugu moved a boat so as to avoid backlash from Excalibur wrecking the city/hurting others.
Episode Sixteen: The End of Honor
*Kayneth's plan: get Command Seal, shoot priest, go win war. ...He forgot the ??? and Profit though.
*Goody, we get brutal arm cut-offs here too.
*Being Lancer is suffering indeed. Second time a Lancer's been forced to commit suicide by Command Spells. His eyes are really creepy in this part.
*At least Kayneth does something nice by giving up his spot in the war in hopes of saving Sola-Ui. This would be more touching except that she's a psychotic torturous woman who nearly cut off his arm. I don't care if it was a curse that is still way overboard.
*Kiritsugu tears down Saber's ideals. And it's great. Again.
Episode Seventeen: The Eighth Contract
*Sort of an interesting parallel here. Gilgamesh mentions that Kirei regrets not getting the chance to kill his father himself. In Heaven's Feel, it's said that Kirei's regret with his wife was not being the one to kill her, instead it being the illness that took her.
*Good work with having Tokiomi giving Rin a book in their last meeting. The anime of FSN and UBW showed her getting her pendant with their last meeting. This is not true, she actually finds the pendant right before summoning Archer. So I'm glad Fate/Zero got it right as it Just Bugs Me.
*'Boy I'm glad I can trust you Kirei! Have a dagger so you can not backstab me!' Though this is sort of an odd sense of justice in that he planned on backstabbing Gilgamesh at the end of the war. And in the Fate route it's even more funny because that same dagger, which Kirei gives to Rin at the end of Fate/Zero, is given from Rin to Shirou, and he uses it to kill Kirei. What goes around comes around.
*And an unholy alliance was born. Another fun fact: Tokiomi is responsible for Kirei and Gilgamesh partnering up, and he gave Sakura to Zouken. So basically we can blame a ton of FSN all on him. Good job dude.
Episode Eighteen: Distant Memories
*Young Kiritsugu is cute as heck. So of course he has to be broken.
*I was going to whine about how ridiculous a Zombie Apocalypse is in this series. Then I heard they were vampires and instantly made a connection to Tsukihime. Which I have not played yet but do want to. At least that makes sense now.
*Needless to say, it's easy to tell what powers Kiritsugu's thinking by seeing this. Effective flashback.
Episode Nineteen: Where Justice is Found
*His bullets were made out of his powdered ribs. Uh. OW.
*Natalia seems like a cool character. Too bad she's doomed for Kiritsugu's backstory.
*OH NO NOT THE BEES, NOT THE BEES, THEY'RE IN MY EYES, MY EYES, AHHHHHHHHHH, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
...Sometimes the most obvious joke is the best one.
*I had gotten a bit teary in other episodes, but this one is the first where I flat-out cried. It's obvious what Kiritsugu plans to do with that plane, so hearing the conversation between him and Natalia is heartbreaking. And his reaction after only amplifies it.
Episode Twenty: Return of the Assassin
*No Assassin does not return. Thankfully. Screw Assassin.
*Last conversation between Kiritsugu and Irisviel. Things only get worse from here.
*Why the heck does Waver go into a full-body sleeping bag? He looks seriously ridiculous.
*Ewwww Zouken get out of here and take your virginity-stealing worm with you.
*Oh no, Rider kidnapped Irisviel! Except that's totally out of character and implausible to the point that even Kiritsugu doesn't believe it! Oh and Maiya's dead. Which is sort of saddening after the interactions she got recently. She's not a top tier character by any means but I still felt bad to see
*Also another Command Spell used for something that seems sort of mundane. I mean, these are things that can cause miracles. So what do most Masters use them for? Either attacking someone they don't feel like attacking or teleporting. Yep.
Episode Twenty-One: Knight on Two Wheels
*Because Saber is dumb she decides to race against Rider instead of looking for Irisviel. Why yes she thought Rider had her, but apparently it was beyond her to grasp that A: Rider isn't the type to kidnap her, and B: Kidnapping Rider flew away instead of using his chariot. Aderp.
*Oh look Shinji's father. And he's just as wussy as his son.
*That 'mimic as other Servants' thing is really cool and I wish it got more use than just here.
*Zouken trolling Kirei is actually far more amusing if you've seen the next time they meet: way into HF, where Kirei isn't about to take any sort of garbage from him.
*Kirei and Gilgamesh trolling Kariya and Aoi is a painful thing to watch. Kariya just can't catch a break.
Episode Twenty-Two: All Evil in This World (Angra Mainyu)
*I never thought the old people Waver was living with would do anything, yet here Grandpa is having a touching scene with Waver. Awww indeed.
*Noooooo Irisviel. =(
*The 'dream' Irisviel has with Ilya is so touching. ...And then CREEPY CLONE SMILE WHAT THE ****. Nightmare Fuel for weeks thank you very much.
*"I'm no longer your Master!" "But you'll always be my friend." Words cannot express how warm that entire scene made me feel.
Episode Twenty-Three: The Sea of Ends
*Gilgamesh vs. Rider. I don't need to say anything else, but I will anyway. One of the best fights in the series, and that says a lot considering Gilgamesh was always in the winning position.
*"If you're a loyal subject, don't you have a duty to take revenge for your king?" "If I challenge you, I will die." "Of course." "Then I can't. I have been ordered to live." More on that when I talk about characters but let it be known this scene, and what led up to it, is one of my favorite moments in the entire show.
*Oh yeah and Berserker is Lancelot. I was kind of hoping for Berserker to be a girl this entire time for hilarity, but this works too.
Episode Twenty-Four: The Last Command Seal
*Another fight I can't say much on. Kiritsugu vs. Kirei is just so epic that there's nothing to attach words to. It has to be seen to be understood.
*Oh and Lancelot dies because Kariya sucks as a Master. It is scary to think of how effective Berserker would have been in the hands of Kiritsugu, Tokiomi, or Kayneth.
*"Daddy loves you, Ilya. He will always love you." BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. And yes, I was basically crying all the way through episode twenty-three's end to twenty-five's.
*So after Saber's ideals are crushed a third time, what happens to her? Gets defeated by Gilgamesh in one second and then ordered twice to destroy the Holy Grail. Saber gets one of the biggest Bad Ends of the lot, really.
Episode Twenty-Five: Fate/Zero
*Gee thanks I really wanted to see naked Gilgamesh. ...I must be one of the only straight girls on the planet who genuinely would prefer he has clothes on.
*Watching Kiritsugu wander aimlessly about, all hope lost and eyes completely dead, is one of the most heart wrenching things in this entire anime. As is the utter joy he has upon finding one person did, in fact, survive.
*Poor, poor Ilya. Never will she know her daddy really was trying to reach her. Interesting fact is that evidently Kiritsugu traveled a lot while Shirou stayed at home. Some of these travels could have been to try and reunite with Ilya, not that it ever worked.
*Kariya is another guy who just gets the worst ending. It hurts a lot to see since he really was a nice guy who was trying to save Sakura.
*Oh hey Aoi survived. But is brain damaged. And Rin is basically alone now. ...Well. Uh.
*We can take solace in the fact that one person made it out okay. Waver's character development has seen him through and not left him either dead, guilty, or insane. Hurray.
*Last scenes: more crying. I don't know if it's because I get easily emotional or not, but gosh this anime wrung me dry.
And there we go. My favorite episodes? I would probably say my top five were... 23>24>11>25>19. But hard call to make. I didn't outright dislike any. I was mostly neutral with 10 and everything else was better than that. [/spoiler]
Character thoughts next post.
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
[Spoiler for Fate/Zero, click to show]
Openings and Endings
To The Beginning (OP 2) > Oath Sign (OP 1) >= 2nd ED > 1st ED
I forget where I'd place Manten (the ED for the flashback eps) but they're great too.
*LOL that CGI for Berserker. I don't know whether to say it's neat or awkward.
Intentional. One of Berserker's abilities is the one that disguises his identity and stats so they represented it with the CGI. It goes away much later when he uses Arondight which seals that ability (and most of his others.)
*What I can say, however, is that him countering Gilgamesh is all kinds of amazing.
Gil v Berserker is always the best.
*Command Spell to make Gilgamesh retreat. LITERALLY when he could have tried to wipe everyone out at once with Ea. Tokiomi apparently didn't want the series to end yet. (Yes I know Gilgamesh probably wouldn't have done that, it's still funny.)
Probably could have gotten a few with Gates of Babylon if he cared to!
*'Hahaha they will never get past my several floors of traps and demons!' *Explosion, building collapses* I love Kiritsugu's methods.
Really, Kayneth's biggest mistake was giving Kiritsugu a reason to go after him! Kayneth was probably the most skilled mage there, he just picked a fight with the guy who has spent his life being the anti-mage.
*Irisviel fights Kirei with triumphant music, a true appearance of heroic victory... then he just knocks over the tree she tied him to. Oops. Sort of takes the fanfare away.
It's actually really impressive she was that successful! Looking back on it, you have to believe Kirei wasn't taking it seriously!
And on that note, what the heck is with Saber in this Holy Grail War? She seems far less ruthless than the 5th one.
Kiritsugu rubbing off on her?
Now, okay, I get that his uncontrollable charm worked on her.
Nope, she is a sufficiently talented mage that she had the magic resistance to block it if she wanted to.
*Little girl Rin literally beats a Master. Ryuunosuke the worst.
Why did this episode happen?
His greatest Noble Phantasm is literally having all his friends help him. Loyalty beyond the ages? I loved Rider before this, but let's face it, this sort of character trait is right up my alley. He really became a favorite after that.
That's not even the best part. Rider didn't do that because he needed to. His NP was basically his way of demonstrating his view on kingship and he was using it to win his argument with Saber. Assassin just got in the way/gave him a good excuse to use it.
*El oh el Tokiomi trying to get Gilgamesh to fight Caster.
Hey, Gil gave a token effort!
*Speaking of Gilgamesh has quite a fabulous aircraft.
It is just so great that Gil has one of those.
*Gets the honor of Berserker making his aircraft a Noble Phantasm. Cue air fight between him and Gilgamesh. In all its jaw-dropping glory.
Gil v Berserker is always the best.
*Kiritsugu tears down Saber's ideals. And it's great. Again.
Kiritsugu ruining the Saber/Lancer fight just because he can. Also because he's just better at this than everyone else.
Episode Twenty: Return of the Assassin
*No Assassin does not return. Thankfully. Screw Assassin.
They're talking about Kiritsugu. >_>
*That 'mimic as other Servants' thing is really cool and I wish it got more use than just here.
Well, the cost for Kariya was prohibitively high.
*Kirei and Gilgamesh trolling Kariya and Aoi is a painful thing to watch. Kariya just can't catch a break.
Kirei and Gil are just having fun out there.
*Gilgamesh vs. Rider. I don't need to say anything else, but I will anyway. One of the best fights in the series, and that says a lot considering Gilgamesh was always in the winning position.
Gil is just so amazing in this fight. His monologue is just fantastic.
*"If you're a loyal subject, don't you have a duty to take revenge for your king?" "If I challenge you, I will die." "Of course." "Then I can't. I have been ordered to live." More on that when I talk about characters but let it be known this scene, and what led up to it, is one of my favorite moments in the entire show.
And Gil lets him go. 4th War Rider is probably the only one that Gil ever had any respect for. Outside maybe Kirei, their relationship is pretty interesting.
*Another fight I can't say much on. Kiritsugu vs. Kirei is just so epic that there's nothing to attach words to.
That fight is so good.
*Watching Kiritsugu wander aimlessly about, all hope lost and eyes completely dead, is one of the most heart wrenching things in this entire anime.
What about Kirei getting so excited for a rematch and then seeing that in Kiritsugu's state he's not even worth bothering with. =(
>_>
Also no mention of Kirei's troll face. =(
Favorite Episodes? I don't even know, but the top tier is probably: 24, 23, 22, 16, 7, 8, and 5. That's a lot. If you made me pick one, probably 24. 10 is by far the worst. But the "by far the worst" episode in Fate/Zero is still fairly good. [/spoiler]
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
___
~ Ogordemir ~
"The sciences have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." ~ H.P Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu
Liberal Arts Major
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
___
~ Ogordemir ~
"The sciences have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." ~ H.P Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu
Liberal Arts Major
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
New Moderator
In other news, I just watched the first ten episodes of Sword Art Online last night. So I will be talking about that now, and then the next ten tomorrow, and then the last five after that. Good times.
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
what are you doing >_>
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
New Moderator
I have been meaning to watch Sword Art Online for a while, but I got kicked into gear by a Play By Post game revolved around it being about to start. I was in the previous version of that game, which took place alongside the anime and did not require any knowledge of it. But this game is a sequel of sorts to the anime, so to avoid spoilers and know what the heck I am doing, I needed to see it. Thus this quasi-marathon that has been going on.
Since I have only seen up through episode ten, some of these comments might be invalid later. Likewise, I have not read the light novels. So nothing I can say about them.
With that preamble, now let's take a look at specifics.
-
Plot
The plot is pretty straight forward for the most part. Some jerk who created Sword Art Online, a virtual reality MMORPG, has locked everyone inside during the first day of purchase. Ten thousand players are stuck in there and can't get out until the game is beaten. Trying to do so will involve microwaves frying their brains, which has already killed two hundred thirteen of them. "Whoops." There are one hundred floors, and clearing the top one beats the game and lets the people still alive out of it. Problem? Beta testers have gotten through floor eight at max. Cue a looong ride. Oh and if your HP hits zero, you die. Another problem, and one that probably involved two thousand or so people dying to level one boars.
For the most part, this is solid. We have a crisis immediately and a clear end goal. There's little doubt it will be reached, it's the type of anime to have the protagonist succeed. But the journey there, and what happens to the characters along the way, is compelling. And it seems like there will be a lot of room for that with a hundred floors.
Which is where we hit a problem. Skipping a lot of these floors makes sense, because watching Kirito level-grind would be the most boring thing since counting a chest full of pennies. But it feels as if some plot points are rushed over. It's especially odd to only see a few bosses be fought. Were the bosses on the first and seventy-fourth floor really all that was worth noting?
It also leaves little room for compelling villains. The guy who trapped everyone, Akihiko, does not have a gun to shoot himself with, but he does have a spiffy red cloak. He also gets mentioned in like... two episodes out of ten. Great stuff! It's flat-out weird to have Kirito be in rage mode at him in episode one, then like not think of him at all until, uh, what episode was it... bah, one of the later ones in this group. And even then it's barely anything. I assume Akihiko will play a bigger role later, but for now, he's a plot device.
And the other villains? Dear gosh. We have Rosalia, who is nonsensical in her desire to steal a flower from a little girl who is trying to revive her pet dragon. She wants her to hand over the 'rare item' which... is totally useless for her since all it does is revive the pet that the owner has. *Thumbs up* To be fair, her other motive is "we're players in a virtual world and have no proof people actually die so let's go PK and stuff". Which, while stupid, is totally plausible for players to do, as sad as it is.
Then there's... Grimrock/Grimlock/GrimmersonMcGrimmers. Wow, that guy. I actually liked the murder mystery plot that was going on, and even called out the girl for planning the whole thing, but the ending was dumb. Not that Grimlock or whatever murdered his wife. The reason that the main characters thought of that happening for, because he was trying to get a rare ring from her storage, makes sense in a greedy jerk sort of way. But NOPE, turns out they were married in real life and he killed her because she changed in this world. ...OH NO! Seriously why was that necessary? It just makes things silly. That said, I liked how the deaths were faked with exploding armor, that was nifty.
And then... Kuradeel. Also known as "Cartoon Villain #263". He's a creepy stalker who gets beaten by Kirito and then nearly kills him while laughing maniacally. Now, let's be fair, his scene of torturing and killing bearded dude (Godfrey I think, who cares he's dumb) was fairly eerie, and him torturing Kirito and nearly killing him was... also a bit "yikes". But good grief, he's so bland and For The Evulz that it's ridiculous.
Other than them, we have bosses and generic monsters. Which are computer programs, thus they do not show development. You can tell how exciting they are. I look forward to seeing some actually memorable villains or seeing WTH Akihiko is up to.
Oh yeah, and another thing? Two years have gone by in ten episodes. That... is fast. Again, I see why, but it makes some characters seem as if they've radically changed in a short time. Sort of disorienting.
But really, the overall plot is fine, and a lot of these are character related too. You'll notice a lot of my complaints, if you've seen the show, aren't... that big of a deal. They just stand out to me when I'm thinking back on it.
-
Characters
I already went over the silly villains, so let's look at everyone else. There's a fair number of characters, but not so many that I'm lost trying to recount them all. I think it's a well-sized cast, considering how many people they COULD have. I assume more will end up with them later, but we'll see how that goes.
Kirito is the most compelling to me. He does some things differently than your average shounen hero, namely in how several incidents do affect him and his outlook on the world. Especially with Sachi. Whoo boy, Sachi. But it is fun to see his different sides and how he evolves. Plus he's got a lot of awesome fight scenes, and is funny at several points (I particularly like his use of the word 'scrubs' in episode two). My one problem for a while was he had no close calls and was basically god moding everything. Then floor seventy-four happened. Then Heathcliff. Then Kuradeel. So yeah. That complaint isn't really valid any more.
Asuna... bothers me. I liked her at first, and... well, I still do, but it's like she completely flipped around. She hardly has the tsundere qualities that she originally displayed, and her love for Kirito, while welcome (seriously how many animes just leave it hanging?) is already established by episode ten. That's quick, as is her attitude shift. I mean, let's put it this way. In an earlier episode, she talks about sacrificing NPCs. But we never see it happen and she never shows that kind of ruthlessness again. What on earth was the point of that scene? Sure she had two years to change overall, but it just felt strange in terms of episodes. I dunno, I don't have a problem with her for the most part, it's just a strage situation.
Silica and Pina are adorable and I enjoyed what little I saw of them. Lizbeth is okay, she's not really my type of character but I can appreciate some of what she did. I did feel bad for her liking Kirito when it was obvious Asuna was a OTP for him. Egil's kinda amusing for the few times he shows up, and he did have a good scene in episode two. It is cool to have weapon experts around, much like I enjoy Asuna being a chef. And Klein is an absolute bro. Too bad Kirito still can't get over being rejected in episode one. Seriously you two just get married already.
As for the minor characters, most of them do fine. Heathcliff will probably not remain minor for long, but dang, time hax. Or something. For what little Diabel did, I thought he was an interesting character to show. Though I will say, this is one thing that kind of bugged me. Everyone loses their avatars to become how they look in real life. That's fine, and I'm guessing there is a reason, but what I wish is that we could have seen the other important character's avatars before they vanished. That would have been interesting.
Oh, and Sachi. I admit that I was surprised with her dying. I figured with her in the opening and being a potential love interest, she'd be around for the whole thing. But nope, dead in the introduction episode. However, the time that was spent with her got enough attention for me to feel bad for her dying, and the crystal she sent Kirito was quite touching. The way he is affected by her is interesting.
-
Setting
They really hit the nail on the head. I could see this situation playing out in the real world with ease. MMORPG traits are captured, and people act as they would in the game and as they would in real life, often as a good mix. Diabel's a fair example of that. He tries to help everyone out, and seems to genuinely care, but tries to get a rare drop and dies for it. A flaw, but one I can see in an eager game player, while he still maintained a positive influence. Even the jerks like Rosalia make sense from an ingame perspective.
The details that are added are great. I particularly noticed the sleep PK method, which made me go, "...yikes". Talk about paranoia fuel. Most of the rules in the game can be related to other MMORPGs, but still get stated here so that we know what is going on.
Of course, this leaves a few... oddities. Namely, how are these people ALIVE?! Episode one has Kirito saying they need to eat in the real world, yet two years go by and they're dandy! I guess procedures used on coma victims could be at play here, but we never see it. So I'm left scratching my head at that.
There's also some specifics that I feel the anime doesn't go into enough detail about. Warps are seen being used, but where can they go? What is the max level, how much money is seen as 'a lot', how many guilds are there, do only beta testers get unique skills, how many people typically die to PKers and how many die to monsters, etc etc. There's so much that could be answered, but... is not. I wonder if the light novels cover those kinds of things.
-
Miscellaneous
"Beater" is a stupid, stupid term. I keep thinking Kirito is going to go attack eggs.
Why the heck was Asuna wearing a cloak that she never wears again? Great job hiding the girl we saw in the opening twice already.
Speaking of the opening, it's a really nice song. Ending is fairly good but not something I think of as much.
Needs more Klein.
Overall I am enjoying this so far. You saw a lot of complaints, but again, they're not that big a deal. The world and characters are compelling enough to make me want to see more. Which I will do now. [/spoiler]
---
"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
Initial impressions after Episode 1: I'm thinking the .hack//G.U. team would just cruise through this fairly effortlessly.
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
---
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?