[Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Sun Jul 26, 2015 6:20 pm

Belated post! :sweat: Aaaaand the last two Funi-licensed shows that I wanted to check out are finally up for free, so my Summer watch-list is now set! :thumb:



Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 2:

Heh, I had almost forgotten about the second capture. :grin: (It's not like she was helpless, though {she very resourcefully escaped on her own :thumb: }; and for those who haven't read the manga {yet}, don't worry-- this is pretty much the last you'll see of that sort of thing, anyway. :) ) I *adore* how well they're adapting this <3 -- even the little extra touches are perfectly natural/fitting! :jump: My heart is very pleased~ <3



Aoharu x Machinegun:

...Gah-- y'know, I wanted to give this show the benefit of the good old 3-episode test, I really did. Unfortunately, however, I just did not have the time this week to watch ep.'s 2 & 3; and while the first ep. of this was decent enough, it was also merely a 'meh' level of funny (to me) and not anywhere near as engaging as the (many! :pikka: ) other shows I have to watch, so at this point I think I'm just going to have to drop it... :sweat:



Castle Town Dandelion episode 1:

Heh, this was fairly cute and amusing. :) (Although the gag with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: poor Akane's skirt during the game was a bit much :sweat: , it was forgivable {at least this time}. :P ) Will keep watching for now. :)



Chaos Dragon episodes 1-2:

Holy crap... that's... quite a tradeoff... :pikka: Every single time SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the Red Dragon's power is summoned-- and, it seems, summoned for the destruction of *just one enemy*-- there must literally be a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (willing) human sacrifice in exchange :pikka: ... and, to top it all off, it must be SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a person 'precious' to the summoner, *and* the summoner then has to personally SPOILER: Highlight text to read: be the one to kill said precious person (or, at the very least, let them sacrifice themselves), besides? That's... *really* brutal. :wow!: Other than the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: shock-factor of that element (an element which I don't like in the first place), the writing/characters/etc. are really generic, and I can't muster up any emotional attachment to them, either; so, unfortunately, it looks like this isn't even going to get to the level of 'entertaining trainwreck.' :shady: I'll stick with it for one more ep. because I might as well (and I want to at least see what Narita's character is like), but I'll probably end up dropping it after that. (Oh well... *shrug*)



Charlotte episode 3:
KazeShiki wrote:Do you mean the translation or the in-anime naming? Because the translation is perfect as the characters really do call it teleportation. Remember they make a point that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: all the powers are incomplete. I'm not sure if it's a joke or will actually be a plot point, but the difference between what it's called and what it is is most definitely intentional as it's actually listed as "Teleportation (super speed)" on the anime webpage.

Midori wrote:Shunkan idou (瞬間移動) is indeed the word that is used for teleportation, but literally it means "instantaneous movement", so it's more applicable than the English word, which literally means "remote door".

^ Ah, yeah, that all makes more sense then. :) As for this ep.: LOL, Takajou opening the door discreetly but then shattering all its glass anyway with the force from the speed. :lol: I'm really starting to genuinely love that guy. <3 :grin: (Also LOL at Yuu's reaction to the curry. :grin: ) As for the more serious stuff: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The whole new member + channeled sister thing was quite interesting. (The bit with the sister and the poor red-haired guy was really sad, though. :( ) Also: I love Nao's almost-dual-personality thing, and her plan was pretty awesome, too, LOL. :grin: As for Yuu's sister: Someone commented on this ep. the theory that her power predicts the future (y'know, with the messages on the food and stuff)... which I thought was actually a pretty brilliant little guess. Also: She is just TOO DARN CUTE. (I am *way* too suspicious that something unpleasant is going to happen to her, though... :pikka: ) Oh, and I also loved the different ED. <3



Classroom☆Crisis episode 3:

Haha, wow, that was harsh. Poor Sera-sensei. :sweat: Also, the internal politics continue to be interesting. (And wow, Nagisa's SPOILER: Highlight text to read: scars {during the after-credits blatant-fanservice scene, LOL :P :grin: }... :pikka: )



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 2:

...Well, that was depressing. :sweat: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: From how the other girls are dealing with the MC's mental break/delusions (which are depressing enough in and of themselves, especially when placed in contrast to what's actually there... although they are funny sometimes, too :sweat: ), to Kurumi's very sad backstory (and self-appointed soldier role) :( , to the creepy as heck destroyed hallways at night, to their discussions of supplies and rations (both food and power) + their survival + how far the outbreak went + how the zombies behave and if they have any lingering memories + etc... yeah, wow. (Also those little OP changes... :pikka: :sweat: :grin: Y'know, it'd be perfect if they actually *keep* on changing the OP piece by piece every week until there's no cuteness left in it at all by the end of the series, heh.) And oh man, the bit with the zombie in the library near the end actually gave me goosebumps... :pikka: This show is one of the more unique ones I've seen (and I mean that in a good way :) )... bring on next week!



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 3:

Oh wow... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Rui... no! :wow!: :( :( That's it-- forget what I said about the baddie having a screw loose but still a bit of a point; there is no point. The dude is just plain crazy, full stop (...and terrible, to boot!). :stressed: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Also: I understand what they meant about respecting people's principles and wishes, but obviously I was immensely relieved when Tsubasa could no longer stand it regardless and went all righteous-rage-mode to rescue Rui. :thumb:



Rampo Kitan: Game Of Laplace episode 2:

Well, that was... something... :grin: :grin: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ROTFL-- I can't believe I'm saying this, but the tone of that 'autopsy report' was so wildly incongruous that it was ridiculously funny. :sweat: :lol: And they played up Hashiba's little 'crush' even more, too (before, it was just amusing; now it seems almost deliberately trollish :P :grin: ). Also: The heck? So the psychopathic butchering teacher had a thing for Kobayashi, besides? Pffft! :forehead: :forehead: :lol: (And his victims were apparently all suicidal and as crazy as him, to boot...) Oh, and that scene with the new-teacher jumping out the window was just priceless. :lol: (Amusing) OTT-ness aside, though, that was actually quite a nice fake-out with the real culprit-- I was almost certain it was going to be miss new-teacher-with-the-scars-on-her-wrists; had no idea it was going to be that other girl (although that 'shape' dialogue hint was indeed a good one)-- so kudos on that. (Speaking of which: That whole conversation Kobayashi had with said girl was pretty great in terms of showing even more just how 'off' he really is...) With this episode, I realized that you probably need a little bit of a twisted sense of humor to fully enjoy this. (And also that, apparently, I do... :pikka: :sweat: :grin: ) And this is just the beginning-- I'm (somewhat perversely :grin: ) looking forward to seeing just how much crazier, more twisted, and more OTT it can get from here... :grin: :thumb:



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 3:
The way Adlet reacted to everything in this ep. was fantastic (...have I mentioned that I really love him? <3 :jump: :hug: ). And this show is just so darn engaging. Can't wait for the next ep.! :jump:



And Durarara!!x2 Ten episode 3:

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:18 pm

Nyanpasu! Repeat ep. 3 - Sensei deserved that completely for SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the cake being a lie. This second season is every bit as good as the first one. :) 4/5
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Tue Jul 28, 2015 7:41 pm

Sore ga Seiyuu ep. 2 - Alas, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: poor Pipo... Another good episode. I'm a bit annoyed that the distributer completely flaked on subbing the ED, but that's not the show's fault, so not a ding against the show. 4/5

Through episode 2 for this season:
1. (tie) Non Non Biyori Repeat - 9
1. (tie) Sore ga Seiyuu - 9
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby KazeShiki » Wed Jul 29, 2015 7:28 am

skreyola wrote:Nyanpasu! Repeat ep. 3 - Sensei deserved that completely for SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the cake being a lie. This second season is every bit as good as the first one. :) 4/5

I feel like it might be better, even. Anyone not being healed by Nyanpasu is doing anime wrong.

The MC in Sore ga Seiyuu reaaaally annoys me, but the anime does a pretty good job depicting the industry, so I recommend it to anyone interested in what it's actually like.

Akagami no Shirayuki ep2-3 I did not like at all, mostly because of the all the silly lines the characters were spouting. Ep2 was purely stupid and pointless, but at least I can see the need for ep3, just that it was done in a super cliched fashion. That said, I liked ep4 a lot more.

Charlotte is dragging its feet. It needs to do a better job of making me care about its characters before that drama kicks in.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby GeneD » Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:18 pm

/Comes out of lurker mode.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime eps 1 - 3: I hope the manga lovers don't stone me, but for all the hype this got I've been rather unimpressed. It's cute, but it doesn't feel like it's got the same depth that shows like The World is Still Beautiful and Yona of the Dawn have, both of which I enjoyed and are said to be similar (maybe it's just the red hair). I know this's supposed to have a fairy tale vibe, but part of the problem for me is that everyone seems to be oh so perfectly nice and that makes them flat and "un-relatable" to me. Based on Kaze's post, maybe I'll still have a hope for ep 4, but so far I'm disappointed.

Aoharu x Kikanjuu eps 1 - 4: I'm enjoying this show but I have no idea why. I don't really care that much about the characters, the plot's kinda basic and the MC can be downright annoying. It does make me laugh though, but a good amount of the time I'm not sure why I'm watching this.

Chaos Dragon ep 1: I can't seem to work up enough interest to watch ep 2, although some of the spoilers in MangaRocks' post seem interesting to me. I'm probably gonna end up dropping it "officially" eventually, but keeping it on my currently-watching list for now by some misguided optimism.

Charlotte eps 1 - 4: I liked MC's Lelouch-ing in the first episode and I like Nao a lot. I also hope they start getting into the meat of the plot soon though and that ep 4 was the last "monster of the week" type episode we get. Also they need to drop the pizza sauce "joke".

Durarara!!x2 Ten eps 1 - 4: Hello can we get back to Mikado please. I know there can be no such thing as filler in Durarara, but some of it sure has felt pretty filler-y to me. It is making me more and more in the mood to rewatch season 1 though, which I think is good.

Gangsta. eps 1 - 4: Despite the content I'm really enjoying this. Alex is kinda a cliché character, so I hope they do something more interesting with her but I like almost everyone else and the addition of a deaf main character who is also seriously BA is just amazing. The action sequences are great too.

Gatchaman Crowds Insight eps 1 - 4: The end of ep 3 literally gave me goosebumps. I'm kinda facepalming at SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Gelsadra running for prime minister. I hope someone explains to him at some point that running a country isn't just about "making everyone's dreams come true". I also don't fully trust him, not convinced he's not up to some sinister plan. Hajime continues to be the perfect paradox of surprisingly thoughtful genki girl and I really like how the group's ideas and ideologies are clashing, though I wish Joe, Sugane and the rest of the "original" Gatchamen got a bit more screen-time.

God Eater eps 1 -3: The plot's very Attack on Titan, but I like the characters a lot. The newbie has that destroy-them-all complex, but none of the annoying arrogance or angst (yet) and his team-mates also seem like realistic normal people in a bad situation. I also like the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: science gone horribly wrong aspect.

Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace eps 1 -2: Kinda in the same boat for ep 3 as with Chaos Dragon, just not motivated to watch it. The MC contrasts too much with the rest of the show for me, breaks my suspension of disbelief/immersion. I don't really care about any of the other characters either. It's pretty drop-able at this point.

Rokka no Yuusha eps 1 - 4: Enjoying this but the pacing is really slow, so unless there's gonna be a second core I'm kinda worried about how the story will wrap up. Adlet is a fun, fun character.

Tried out the 1st ep of Jitsu wa Watashi wa and Overlord and kinda scanned through eps 1 and 2 of School-Live! but nothing grabbed me.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Fri Jul 31, 2015 5:24 pm

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 3:

Okay, first things first, I'm going to address some of the other comments on this. I did mention in a previous post that I was looking forward to the 'really good stuff' a little later on-- in other words, it's not quite to that point yet. This is still just the beginning. As of ep. 3, Shirayuki hasn't even taken the entrance test yet, and the Crown Prince hasn't showed up yet, either (just wait until he does and then starts both subtly and not-so-subtly testing her {and Zen, too, a bit}-- after all, if something ever happens to him, he needs to make sure that his brother, and his brother's apparent future consort, are both worthy of and properly prepared/ready for their jobs). Trust me, it does only keep on getting better from here. :) ...Also: Uh, what's wrong with having a pleasant show filled with (mostly) pleasant people once and a while? :eyebrow: Not everyone has to have some kind of dark side, y'know... :sweat: :grin: Point is, this series is much, much less about any sort of real conflict (as in, there's hardly any) and much, much more (as in, almost entirely) about inner strength in terms of knowing/deciding what you want to do in life and then doing everything you must do to move towards that goal no matter the challenge (mental, social, work-related, etc.) or how long said journey might take before you reach your desired destination. (...Plus some nice, gentle romance <3 + apothecary research stuff, too. :grin: ) So you might want to adjust your expectations accordingly, LOL. :) As for this ep.: Obi~! <3 (And oh my gosh, his voice is perfect. PERFECT! <3 ...As are the others' voices, too {oh my, when Ryuu spoke in the preview... <3 } :jump: ) And oh man, the awesome "advancing with her own power" scene actually became even more awesome when animated! :thumb: (Also: I am *loving* the soundtrack. <3 ) Looking forward to the adaptation of her entrance test next week! :thumb:



Castle Town Dandelion episode 2:

"WHOAWHAMMY," LOL. :grin: (Kinda want to start using that as an exclamation now... :grin: ) Also, I was quite pleased that despite the (misleading) 'unrequited love' line in the title, the girl not only managed to confess, but got an affirmative (although to-be-delayed-by-a-year ;) ) response! (That whole section was so adorable, I was smiling all the way through it. <3 :hug: ) :)



Chaos Dragon episode 3:

Yep, unfortunately, it looks like not even the Narita-designed character (appearing only at the very end of this ep.) is going to be able to save this bland, boring, and mediocre show, because I can't even muster up enough will to watch the next ep. to see what he/it/whatever's really like. :shady: Going to go ahead and drop it now. (Oh well... :P )



Charlotte episode 4:

LOL, the class practically exploding with joy when Yusa appeared-- and her 'magic spell,' ROTFL!! :lol: :lol: I also couldn't stop laughing at the look on the guy's face when Nao showed him that priceless SPOILER: Highlight text to read: slo-mo of Takajou touching the base. :lol: :lol: :lol: More seriously: I'm really curious as to what Nao was trying to figure out from having Yuu take over the other guy's body... was it just to troll (er, I mean, hug :grin: ) him? Or to really find out something about either the other guy or Yuu himself? Hmm...



Classroom☆Crisis episode 4:

Heh, Mizuki brazenly asking Nagisa to sign the petition... :grin: Also LOL at the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: wall of posters-- that was priceless. :lol: I did find it pretty (unintentionally) amusing that this anime's idea of 'unclean/unrighteous' unions was merely some political support/pressure/coercing, given that that is pretty innocuous compared to the reputation of the unions (and politicians, for that matter) in my own country... :grin: That said, the fury of the brother when he realized that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the union was supporting a candidate from that particular party was another interesting little tease of what his aims might be... Also: Nagisa's counter-move to the whole union thing was brilliant, as was the team's creative (yet properly-documented) loophole exploiting. :thumb:



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 3:

Wow. I liked this show already, but I am now seriously considering bumping up my MAL rating for it by a point just because of this episode. :pikka: The majority of this was flashback from the viewpoint of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Megumi (who I'm not convinced is actually still alive, given all the hints against that in the previous episodes, even despite *this* ep.'s efforts to make you think that she *is*), and just... wow. That's all I can say. Really looking forward to more of this!



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 4:

Welp, wasn't really expecting SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the baddie to actually let himself get captured this early, but given what happened in the rest of the ep., I suppose it makes sense. Speaking of which: LOL, I knew as soon as they said that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: anyone can enter as a candidate that Gelsadra would go for it. (Also: Sudden aging LOL. And was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she/he/it/whatever really male the entire time? They certainly had me fooled... :grin: {I mean, not that that's actually a surprise, coming from this show... :lol: }) Anyway, totally expecting his(?) intentions to go really wrong now... :grin:



Rampo Kitan: Game Of Laplace episode 3:

:pikka: ...So, the first two episodes of this show made it seem like it was not really supposed to be taken seriously, with all that twisted/crazy/OTT humor... but holy crap-- precisely because of that, I was really surprised at how truly sweet > to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: shockingly sad > to *very* disturbingly horrific this ep. managed to be. :pikka: :pikka: In fact, the implications of that were actually a little *too* disturbing, IMO. It was fine when it was disturbing humor (hence that now rather unfortunate comment I made about looking forward to seeing how much more twisted/OTT it could get... :sweat: ), but if the series really is going to go farther than it did in this ep. with the same tone that it had in this ep., I can't keep watching it. So, unfortunately, this show is now dropped.



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 4:

Um, wow-- are people really being bothered by the pace of the plot in this? :eyebrow: I mean, it might just be because I read novels all the time, and this is an adaptation of a novel series (and from what I've heard about them {will read them after the show is done}, it's supposed to be *far* more mystery than action, anyway), etc.; but, personally, I've been completely entranced by this show the entire time, and haven't noticed any slowness at all. In fact, I think it's perfect. <3 :jump: As for this ep.: Interesting-- so Fremy SPOILER: Highlight text to read: may have been the Brave-Killer after all? But she's apparently not anymore, and there's still an extra (fake) member, so I've got to imagine that the real traitor isn't her. I'm also not really suspicious of Goldof anymore for some reason. Right now, the three most likely candidates to be the traitor IMO are the little kid, the weirdo cat-boy, and-- believe it or not-- Nashetania (the latter simply because it would be the biggest betrayal). It's going to be interesting to see how this all pans out. :thumb: Oh, and awesome Adlet was awesome, as always. <3 (Speaking of which: I love how he was so well-trained in the lore that he even knew how SPOILER: Highlight text to read: to deactivate the barrier-- even though it didn't work, LOL (although I'm sure that's because it had to be deactivated by the same person who originally activated it... and, obviously, that wasn't him :) ). GIMME NEXT EP.~ :jump:



And Durarara!!x2 Ten episode 4:

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby KazeShiki » Fri Jul 31, 2015 10:22 pm

Regarding Shirayuki:

Don't get me wrong, pretty much everyone who's read the manga has told me it gets good and this coming from people whose opinions I tend to agree with. But I'm still going to complain about it if I feel it's bad, even if it comes with the addendum "I still trust you manga readers." It's not like I expect it to be great right away either. As I mentioned, I thought ep4 was done much better, so even if it's still not up to the par of "good," I can see the potential. But maybe you'll see where I'm coming from if I go into more detail.
Episode 1 - fairly generic but overall no major complaints. It does a good job showing us that Shirayuki is, although physically/politically powerless to help herself and still needs prince charming to rescue her, strong willed and doesn't back down easily. Definitely a likable heroine (I'm biased because Hayamin anyway, but oh well).
Episode 2 - Shirayuki begins her self study. Sounds like a great chance for character development. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: They then introduce this drama about her rare, desirable red hair, and by the end of the episode, it feels like a very forced piece of drama to put Shirayuki in trouble. I suppose you can argue it was introduced last episode with what's his dumb prince name but that's even worse that the very next episode once again involves her being captured for her hair. My main issue with her supposedly desirable hair is that at episode 2, it's either 1) apparently going to be a repetitive point of drama where she gets captured regularly for it (yawn) or 2) not actually relevant later on, in which case, there's no reason to have a 2nd episode about it when we're only 2 episodes in. Then I took huge issue with the antagonist with his sob story about once being rich and his family falling to ruin, like wow the lines were just so cringeworthy. Why give him this backstory? Maybe he is a recurring character, but the timing and details of his story is just terrible. All in all, episode 2 was: Shirayuki gets captured because she has red hair and needs the prince to save her. Again. Sigh. Now to be clear, I'm specifically discussing my problems with the episode, so it probably sounds overly harsh. It still had some good points, but my complaints definitely overshadowed my feelings while I was watching.

Episode 3 - As I said, I understand the reason for this episode and its drama, but it was not done well at all. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: How dare a prince involve himself with a peasant girl! Okay, yes, this is completely inevitable given the scenario and as cliched as it is, is something that should be addressed in some ways. We could talk to her or...nah let's just ban her from the castle under fake orders. Normally this order comes from someone above the prince, but here, they use the prince's name, so this means the guy (sorry, I forget his name) is acting above his own authority. That doesn't really make sense. He could appeal to someone higher up, but nope, takes matters into his own hands. But Shirayuki is already inside so let's shoot an arrow at her instead of just like, restraining her? I know, let's threaten her with the sword instead! Oh it didn't work, I guess she really is someone who moves forward with her own strength (this line...is nice but was used way too much which made the writing very annoying to me). This episode had guys doing things way outside their authority to get rid of some girl, who they now are impressed by because of that line which got shoved down my throat. Yes, I am actually annoyed at that line a lot because any line repeated so much means the author doesn't have the ability to depict it without constantly reminding the audience of it. There were so many different ways the characters/drama could have been worked out, but this episode just felt very questionable because of the sudden use of violence for such a, well, non-violent issue. This complaint also ties a bit into episode 4.
Episode 4 - Hey, I liked it! I particularly liked that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Shirayuki clearly demonstrates her own strength and willpower in a setting that is neither forced (you have such beautiful hair!) nor questionable (threatening violence when you shouldn't be allowed to). They could've connected the issues of episode 3 with the trials of episode 4 and get a similar result - hey this girl is more awesome than we first gave her credit for! I almost think they could've cut all the drama from eps2-3 and go straight into the exam, and I would've been so much happier, but since I don't read the manga, I won't judge how "necessary" the earlier stuff may or may not have been.

Maybe I'm just being too picky. Maybe it's precisely because all you manga readers are telling me how good it is that I feel so annoyed by these opening episodes. I don't even doubt you because no one has actually told me "what? the first 3 episodes were great!" but always respond with "no it actually gets really good." Okay, you're probably right, but those first 3 episodes were not promising at all.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby GeneD » Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:22 am

RE: Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

MangaRocks! wrote:Also: Uh, what's wrong with having a pleasant show filled with (mostly) pleasant people once and a while? :eyebrow: Not everyone has to have some kind of dark side, y'know...

I believe I specifically said it makes the characters seem "flat and un-relatable" i.e. one-dimensional to me, not that I had a problem with a pleasant show. That's why I did like the second half of ep 4 a lot more, where she was at least emotionally moved/affected by something SPOILER: Highlight text to read: specifically that guy disrespecting the apothecary kid and learning of the prince's medical history.

Thinking about it, and drawing on some things Kaze said, it's like the show can't decide if it's an adventure fantasy or, as you say, a low-conflict, character-driven/growth piece, considering every episode so far has had (some fairly shoehorned) conflict stuffed into it. Even in ep 4, I think SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the test could have played out just fine without them getting locked in by some shady nobody (do we ever find out who that is? I'm assuming it's never addressed again which also annoys me, like did he go around locking a bunch of students in? Or just her and then why just her? We don't see any of the candidates interacting with each other, so did this guy just single her out because he somehow knew she was the main character a strong candidate? Did he wait around knowing the prince would show up or was he just in the area and made a snap decision to lock them in, not considering that oh hey the prince can just explain the situation and INSTANT RESOLVE. Seriously, logically, what did he hope to accomplish?! It makes zero sense, except as a sloppy way to shoehorn drama into the situation, which IMHO is bad writing. /rant) Anyway, storywise it added about 2 seconds of "oh no she might be disqualified if he helps her" non-drama and yeah sure she would probably not have gotten all the replanting done on her own but I kinda don't see the point of him having to be there. This also ties in with the everyone's "too" nice, the "problem" that the prince helps her might have actually meant something if the evaluators weren't so wonderful and understanding.

On the topic of "moving forward on your own strengh": in ep 1, I loved, loved the part where Shirayuki decides to just up and leave instead of give into the awful prince's wishes. From that point the show was living up to my expectations 100%, but the repeated rescues (ep 1 + 2) and her now suddenly having to derive inspiration/strengh from Zen to keep moving forward (ep 1 + 4) kinda killed that awesomeness a bit. Maybe I'm interpreting it incorrectly but it irks me.

Here's another side rant, but did that Lord guy in ep 3 get punished in any way? I mean, faking orders in your prince's name for a fairly trivial matter is a scary abuse of power and probably high treason to boot. Like, how has there not been a huge friggin coup in this country already? I'm assuming the prince's superpower is that he automatically makes anyone he comes into contact with as pathologically nice as he is. Another problem I'm having with "everyone's too nice", it breaks my suspension of disbelieve. (Also if that guy never shows up again, it will be my personal head-canon that he was arrested and executed on the quiet. XP jk jk)


Anyway, I'm not giving up on it and will look forward to the "good stuff ahead", and yeah, I will adjust my expectations accordingly, but it still does itself a disservice by having one of it's biggest selling points right now be that it gets good later. If there wasn't all this manga hype, would I still be watching, idk, though lord knows I've stuck through things that were a hundred times worse.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:35 pm

Sore ga Seiyuu ep. 3 - That was painfully awkward, but that's what the story called for, and it was brilliantly executed. ED talk was cute, this week, too. :) It's amazing how energizing the ED of this show is to my feeling. 5/5

This season, through ep. 3:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu - 14
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat - 13
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby KazeShiki » Wed Aug 05, 2015 5:08 am

GeneD wrote: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Here's another side rant, but did that Lord guy in ep 3 get punished in any way? I mean, faking orders in your prince's name for a fairly trivial matter is a scary abuse of power and probably high treason to boot.

No, but this was addressed by Zen who does say something like it would've caused an uproar if others found out about it. So I was somewhat abated that they at least admitted how absurd his actions were.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby Mullet Death » Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:59 pm

I've been watching Himouto Umaru-chan! What wonderful concentrated does of cuteness! Always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and laugh. Of course, I've never had a little sister, so I can't relate to disliking my annoying siblings, so maybe that's why I think it's so adorable; I just don't know any better. I've also been watching Monster Musume, which I would not recommend to other people. It's a shame, too, since it's a genuinely interesting premise and in general has good things going for it-- but fan service harems automatically get docked a few points for moral reasons.

I haven't gotten around to watching much else yet. I've only watched the first Non Non Biyori Repeat and Durarara X2 Ten episodes. I'm ashamed of myself... Still super stoked for them and a couple other shows from the season though. Got an Overlord recommendation from a friend, too, so I'll be checking that out.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:58 pm

Nyanpasu Repeat ep. 4 - That was great. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The TTB segment was hilarious, and the shrimp segment was somewhat profound. I had thought about babies when they cleaned out the tank, but I didn't expect the hatchlings at the end. :) As usual, I'm happier than I was when the episode started. This is such a great show. 5/5.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Fri Aug 07, 2015 11:16 pm

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 4:

@KazeShiki & @GeneD: Ah, alright-- thanks for explaining your guys' reactions/thoughts a bit more. :) I understand your points. Honestly, in my case I didn't really remember all of the details from the earliest chapters (I read them a long time ago, and the later chapters' goodness probably colored over at least some of the not-so-goodness of the earlier ones, etc.), but yeah, I guess the first 3 or so were a bit sub-par. :sweat: That said, I do remember that the stuff that ep. 4 covered was where I started to really like the manga (and this episode was pretty wonderfully adapted in that regard :jump: ), so I'm glad that it seems to be that way at least a little bit for new viewers, too. :)



Castle Town Dandelion episode 3:

Cute. :)



Charlotte episode 5:

I'm kinda curious as to why Nao SPOILER: Highlight text to read: didn't fight back or even defend herself against those bullies (which is partially why Yuu didn't aid her), and why Takajou was obviously instructed not to interfere when that sort of thing happened... :eyebrow: Speaking of which, it was nice to get a little bit more character building for Nao in terms of what she wants to do and such. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Her giving Yuu the music player, him falling asleep to the music, and that triggering more memories was all significant, too. (...inb4 ZHIEND ends up being the other family member, LOL... :grin: :thumb: ) Also, oh crap, the stuff with Yuu's sister in this ep. was way too ominous... :pikka:



Classroom☆Crisis episode 5:

Hohoho, that nasty brother is sooooo out of his league with Nagisa... :thumb: Anyway, the rest of this ep. was almost entirely either comedy or just straight-up silliness. :P I do have to admit that I couldn't stop laughing when the hacker kid SPOILER: Highlight text to read: just waltzed right onto that computer after Nagisa said that it was fine as long as no one got the password :lol: :lol: , and the little gag with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Nagisa's laptops/tablets keeping on getting accidentally wrecked was decently LOL :grin: , but the rest of it... yeah, basically it was just your typical beach/onsen episode. :eyeroll: :P :grin: (Oh, and while we're on the subject of predictability: Watch it be revealed at some point now that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Nagisa got his scars in the same incident that gave Iris amnesia... :P ) Now that that's out of the way, though, hopefully it'll get back to normal next ep. :)



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 4:

Ah, and here's the backstory of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Miki in the mall (and it's the first half of a two-parter, no less!). And oh man, the way this series handles its SPOILER: Highlight text to read: horror elements is surprisingly effective. For example, in this ep., SPOILER: Highlight text to read: when the elevator started moving... the exponentially increasing sense of dread at the impending horror that you just knew those opening doors were going to unleash... *shiver* :pikka: (On another note: I gotta say that the name brand of that bottled water was really ironic... :grin: :sweat: )



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 5:

This was a very aptly-titled episode. And haha, yep, it's really easy to see where this is going. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Gelsadra wants everyone to be 'united' in mind, but majority opinion is not always right (in fact, quite often it's very definitely *wrong*), and is swayed in all sorts of directions all the time by media or other people. Plus, the supporters of each side of an argument/fight/etc. always think they're in the right and the other side's in the wrong-- and it takes logic and true wisdom to discern which is truly correct. In this case, as Rui pointed out, going with the current majority opinion will most likely only serve to lessen freedom and increase dependence. Speaking of RL parallels, LOL, the PM really should've kept a better reign on himself, especially once he saw his numbers falling... although, he was acting just like a lot of real politicians do, so it was not at all a surprise. And, sadly, the not-so-deep reasons most people had for voting were also the reasons a lot of people use for voting in RL, too (going with the flow, etc.). Also: Jou's reasoning for his actions was interesting-- as was the entire conversation with the former baddie (who I unfortunately have to admit does, once again, have a point-- even if he went about demonstrating it in a quite evil way himself :shady: )...



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 5:

Introductions all around! :grin: Anyway, I snickered a bit when Adlet mentally noted that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Hans was the most suspicious-- because, given that this series is actually a mystery, the most suspicious person is pretty much automatically ruled out as being the real traitor (...unless there's a rare, sneaky double twist in there, which is also possible, of course). :grin: And wow at Flamie's backstory (even just the part of it that was revealed so far)... :pikka: Finally: Ha, so it's not just a mystery, it's a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: locked-room mystery! I love it! :thumb: (Although poor SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Adlet is now the one basically on trial for SPOILER: Highlight text to read: his life thanks to it... :pikka: ) GIMME NEXT EP.~! :thumb:



And Durarara!!x2 Ten episode 5:

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Tue Aug 11, 2015 8:34 pm

Sore ga Seiyuu ep. 4 - We finally learn the meaning of the Earphones! card in the ED. The whole ED makes sense, now. Futaba doesn't handle change very well, hehe. The worries each girl had were well done. 5/5

This season, through ep. 4:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu - 19
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat - 18
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:57 pm

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 5:

Ah yes, that little incident at the outpost. I always liked this bit. <3 :) (And fantastic adaptation, as usual! :jump: ) Also, after the credits: The Crown Prince appears! :thumb: Ohoho, this next ep. is going to be quite a wake-up call for the MC's in terms of them realizing precisely what pretty much everyone except themselves and Kiki/Mitsuhide actually think is going on...



Castle Town Dandelion episode 4:

ROTFL at the cat. (Best character of the show.) :lol: Anyway: Um, yeah... I guess the creator of this really has a thing about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Akane's pantsu, LOL. :eyeroll: :P :forehead: Strangely enough, though, while that particular gag can drag out a bit when it appears (as it kinda did here-- although I have to admit I did snicker a bit at the army-of-guys scene :P ), it's not actually annoying me as much as I would've expected it to; and the parts that *aren't* about that have been cute/amusing enough to override it for me so far, too. *shrug* :)



Charlotte episode 6:

:pikka: :pikka: ...Welp, things just got real. :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The whole first part of the ep. was quite amusing, aside from the fear of what Ayumi's power might do; but then holy crap-- from the moment that crazy girl drew that blade the tension just started snowballing faster and faster... I had waves of goosebumps from there all the way to that HUGE double-cliffhanger of an end. :pikka: And then that after-credits scene... :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh... no...... Whose blood was that? Ayumi's...? Or Yuu's...? Or Takajou's...? Or...? :pikka: Crap...! It's going to be a really long week...... :pikka: :pikka:



Classroom☆Crisis episode 6:

LOL, so the businessman gets it tossed right back at him once he realizes just how highly-specialized and high-level the studies in this class actually are. ;) As for his backstory: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So he's an illegitimate son-- yeah, that was pretty much exactly what I figured from all of the previous context. It's also not surprising that his mother was a descendant of the *other* founder's family line. Seriousness (mostly) aside, it's been looking for a good long while now that Mizuki was going to be Nagisa's love interest, and this episode in particular really seemed to move things in that general direction... ;) Also, it was cute how much Nagisa genuinely smiled this ep. :) , as well as how they're all gradually coming to respect one another, even if they're still 'enemies.' :) Finally, as for that after-credits scene: Well, it's been obvious right from the very beginning that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Iris and Nagisa have some sort of connection, but that dream/returning memory made things even more interesting. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: What exactly is she to him? Bodyguard? Sister/half-sister? Both?



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 5:

Ah, a quick flash of a new scene in the OP-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Kei, doomed... :pikka: :( Anyway, LOL at the swimsuit 'fanservice'... it took on a completely different tone in that context... :grin: Seriously, though, oh man. That movie theater scene... and then Yuki's SPOILER: Highlight text to read: repressed memories momentarily starting to resurface... and then SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Miki's rescue... :pikka:



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 6:

OH MY GOSH THAT TSURITAMA REFERENCE, BWAHAHA!!! :lol: :thumb: :lol: ...*Ahem*-- anyway, Gelsadra's straightforward responses to the politicians and such were pretty LOL, and his *intentions* of peace and happiness and such are good. The problem is his hard-line SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'united' hive-mind-like goal, plus him basically becoming a dictator to accomplish it. :pikka: Without individuality, there will never be any progress, just stagnation. Hajime also brought up the very interesting point that Gelsadra's thought bubble has never been revealed-- and I bet it's going to be very interesting when it finally is... (Another interesting point: Tsubasa was always doing the breathing exercise wrong, which means that Gelsadra-- who learned it from her-- and everyone following him are almost certainly doing it wrong, too. How much you want to bet that Hajime, who wasn't in sync with them, was actually doing it correctly...? ;) )



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 6:

Man, that was a *really* thorough set-up. :pikka: Given all of the conditions, I'm still not sure exactly how that trap was even possible... :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: although I'm wondering if the key to the door has something to do with it...? Maybe the creepy sadistic kid is in on it or something? They weren't sure of her whereabouts, after all... Also: I can kinda see Adlet's logic with the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'Eighth'-- he meant like a mastermind behind the whole thing, etc.-- but I think that could've been explained a tad better in the dialogue. :sweat: Though, I understood what he meant, so whatever. :) And then that little bit of character development for both Adlet (part of his past, and that brutal start to his training :pikka: ) and Flamie (her starting to be interested in something outside of herself, as Adlet accurately put it)... The next episode is going to be interesting in more ways than one! :thumb:



And Durarara!!x2 Ten episode 6:

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:01 pm

Non Non Biyori Repeat ep. 5 - This episode would have been very relaxing and fun, if I weren't so SPOILER: Highlight text to read: sad that Natsumi was being such a mean witch. Still, 4/5
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby Kraavdran » Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:24 pm

Did anyone see episode 7 of Charlotte?

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That was tragic. I honestly wasn't expecting Yusa to be killed. Although, there is the possibility that she isn't... and taken by the same people who took Tomori's brother.

Also... Did anyone catch the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Angel Beats! episode playing while Takajo ate pizza in the Internet cafe and reading place? Jun Maeda. I'm glad that they threw that in. Has anyone seen any other references to his other works?
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby KazeShiki » Sun Aug 16, 2015 3:44 am

Kraavdran wrote:Did anyone see episode 7 of Charlotte?

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That was tragic. I honestly wasn't expecting Yusa to be killed. Although, there is the possibility that she isn't... and taken by the same people who took Tomori's brother.

Also... Did anyone catch the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Angel Beats! episode playing while Takajo ate pizza in the Internet cafe and reading place? Jun Maeda. I'm glad that they threw that in. Has anyone seen any other references to his other works?

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Yeah I suspect something like that happened and she's not really dead.

And SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Key is famous for referencing their own works in their works, and Charlotte has not been an exception. There have been GDM ads throughout the show in the background, for example.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby Kraavdran » Sun Aug 16, 2015 5:02 am

KazeShiki wrote:
Kraavdran wrote:Did anyone see episode 7 of Charlotte?

And SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Key is famous for referencing their own works in their works, and Charlotte has not been an exception. There have been GDM ads throughout the show in the background, for example.


oh, interesting. I haven't watched too many anime produced by Key. I'll have to look out for more SPOILER: Highlight text to read: GDM ads.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Tue Aug 18, 2015 8:24 pm

Sore ga Seiyuu ep. 5 - Ichigo and the Terrible, Horrible, No-good, Very Bad Day. Guest VA was Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket (though I didn't know that until I checked her MAL page after the show. Loved the interview in the ED. Seems the requested song always comes from an anime the guest VA was in. The ED plays a ridiculously large role in how good I feel about each episode. ;) Looks like next week, we'll find out if the ED is, indeed, the debut theme for the Earphones. 5/5

This season, through ep. 5:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu - 24
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat - 22
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:34 pm

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 6:

Okay, so I actually happened to stumble across a really good review of this ep. which says pretty much everything I would've, only better, LOL-- so enjoy. :thumb: (And yes, I really enjoyed this ep. :thumb: Favorite line: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "I think I might pass out." :lol: ) As for what to look forward to next week: Resolution + a bit of explanation about the princes' relationship + even a little (admittedly minor, but significant-for-him) character growth for Raj. :thumb:



Castle Town Dandelion episode 5:

Oh... my... gosh... that first bit was genuinely hilarious! :lol: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The entire 'conversation' with the watermelon, ROTFL!! :lol: :lol: And then the inevitable twist to their trip, as well as the *really* inevitable end, complete with the 'Akane fanclub' guys at just the right time and place-- LOL! :grin: The second part was typical but still amusing. And in the third part we see that Misaki's seven clones are actually SPOILER: Highlight text to read: embodiments of the famous Seven Sins, just with her looks and what her personality would be if she herself were an embodiment. It was also kinda nice to see a bit of inner conflict on her part, since that makes her a little bit more of a character instead of just... there, LOL. Finally: Haruka confirmed to be sweetest sibling. <3 :)



Charlotte episode 7:

Oh... man... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: they went there. They really did go there. :pikka: I am impressed. The first few minutes were brutal in their realism of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: shock and grief, and I was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: tearing up right alongside SPOILER: Highlight text to read: poor Yuu when he broke down in her room. And then his deep depression spiraling into a full-on violent mental break (holy crap, that was outright terrifying :pikka ), and then him nonchalantly almost resorting to hard drugs, besides... Just, wow. :pikka: I mean, I knew going into this that it was a Key production, and Key is certainly no stranger to utilizing SPOILER: Highlight text to read: death in their works (far from it, in fact). But in this particular case, it just feels so much more... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: final. :pikka: I mean, if SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she really did die, as this episode pretty heavily made it seem, I don't think there's any supernatural method here that could bring her back/change fates/whatever like in some of their other works. (Hence me saying it felt so 'final.') ...Now, all that said, of course, given the emphasis there has been on SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the scientists and such, there's still probably a fairly good chance that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the scientists actually got Ayumi instead, and were just covering it up or whatever (plus, who was that girl { + driver} who ran into the school 'too late'-- scientists {or working with them}? Or...?); but I'm honestly not sure what to think about that possibility ATM. I mean, I'm sure they could do that very well and all, however with the way this episode really drove home the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: grief and near-madness it brought about and all of that, which was pretty hard-hitting, I'm concerned that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: having Ayumi actually still be alive would dilute this episode's impact. On the other hand, I suppose that scenario could also just end up making it SPOILER: Highlight text to read: hurt even more, because if that were indeed to be the case, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: then she wouldn't have even gotten the mercy of a relatively-quick death... but rather months and months (at the very least; this episode seemed to cover quite a span of time in and of itself, and I'm guessing that if they do reveal her to have been captured it'll be a few more episodes on, meaning even more time yet) of cruel (to the point of mind-breaking) experimentation done on her... :pikka: Okay, yeah, I actually just changed my own mind-- that could work after all. So I guess I'll just look forward to seeing which way that plotline goes and how it's handled. :) ...Oh, and BTW-- that reveal about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Nao basically having been with him the entire time was really something. I honestly hadn't even thought of that, even when the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'bonus' salad appeared, etc., although of course it's obvious in hindsight that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she would, and did, do so. So, yeah, basically this was a heck of an episode (and I mean that in a good way). (Have I said "wow" yet? :thumb: )



Classroom☆Crisis episode 7:

It's so cute that Nagisa keeps on smiling around Mizuki now. :) (Also, nice teamwork. :) ) That said, though, the using-real-(bullet-firing-)guns-inside-a-spacecraft bit was so dumb I literally facepalmed (seriously, were they trying to kill themselves? :forehead: :forehead: Plus, you're in a sci-fi series set in the future with high tech here-- upgrade your guns as well! :eyeroll: :forehead: ), but that short little low-gravity fight was pretty awesome, so whatever, I guess. :P And seeing Angelina actually be protective (and even a bit SPOILER: Highlight text to read: self-sacrificing) was nice. Also: Confirmation that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Iris' family served Nagisa, etc. etc. Oh, and as for that after-credits scene: I had completely forgotten about the *other* brother, LOL. :sweat: Nice to see the bullying one get reprimanded for a change, but of course that's only going to make him (try to) take things out on Nagisa even more... So, yeah, aside from the gun thing being *really* contrived and out-of-place (and dumb, LOL...), I guess this was okay...? :P



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 6:

Oh my gosh, that music room scene... :pikka: The sound design on that was perfection, and the whole thing was just SPOILER: Highlight text to read: heartbreaking, as well (even despite the fact that we already knew what was going on). I also found it really interesting that Yuuri said SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (in a rather ominous way) that it wasn't about whether or not Yuki gets better... which also seems to tie in with Kurumi's comment about Yuki coming up with stuff that helps them right when they need it the most... meaning-- if I'm understanding the hints right-- that they're actually keeping themselves sane precisely because Yuki isn't... :pikka: Oh, and that was also a pretty profound realization Miki came to (that there's a huge difference between 'just not dying' and 'living'). How is this show this good? :pikka: :thumb:



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 7:

Heh, wow, that is some real good emotional manipulation Gelsadra's got going on there (particularly with Tsubasa)... :pikka: :sweat: Also: LOL, that third option on the voting is indeed what a lot of people do in RL, sadly enough (and Tsubasa not wanting to think about anything that's 'difficult'/etc. rings a bell, as well)... :sweat: And ohoho, yep, you know it's desperate when SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Berg-Katze actually ran away from Gelsadra in fear... :pikka: :grin: Finally, my reaction to the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: regurgitated thought-bubbles eating (/getting eaten?) by other thought-bubbles and then turning into bizarre tricolor entities with apparent 'minds' of their own: What the...? :eyebrow: Well, that can't be good... :grin:



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 7:

What... the... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that... that crocodile-/dinosaur-/whatever-ish fiend! LOL! :lol: (I mean, that was supposed to be a really serious moment, and then... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: it tips its hat and talks-- snarkily, even! Oh man, that comedic timing... :grin: :thumb: It did get serious again right after that, of course, but yeah, nice unexpected laugh there. :) ) Anyway :) , it was nice to get a little bit more info on both Adlet's training as well as the awful fate of his village, even though both were already shown/implied a bit before. Also, wow-- so given her questions and tone when asking them (as well as that little comment to herself once she returned), Flamie was indeed SPOILER: Highlight text to read: actually interested in him. :) Plus, wow, the rest of Flamie's backstory was quite sad; and yeah, in some ways they really are kinda alike. (Oh yeah, and she even gave him a means to 'call' her, no less. :) Also: LOL at Adlet's sudden turn to the tsundere for just a moment there. :grin: It's plain to see where this is going, and I certainly don't mind... ;) ) Oh, and that section also gave us the awesome line: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "A man can't become strong for revenge's sake. He becomes strong because he believes in something." <3 On another note: LOL, Hans got told to shut up more than once in the span of just a few minutes. I am pleased. :grin: :thumb: Although, while I do really dislike Hans (and not for the reasons I've seen some others give-- for example, I actually kinda like his weird catlike design and speech mannerisms-- rather, I dislike him for his completely amoral assassin attitude, plus-- particularly-- him very strongly and persistently SPOILER: Highlight text to read: singling out Adlet as the supposed fake), I was actually quite impressed with his fighting style, and rather want to see more of it. :) That cliffhanger, though... :pikka: (I mean, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Adlet's plenty well-trained enough that I doubt even sitting on his back is going to do Hans much good :thumb:, but still... :) )



And Durarara!!x2 Ten episode 7:

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:00 pm

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 7:

See, Izana's more interesting than he first appears, and the princes' relationship is also a lot more respectful than it first appears. :thumb: (That said, Izana does want to make sure that Zen shapes up to be a good and competent prince, and a good and competent ruler in and of himself, if something happens to Izana, as Izana hinted in the flashback {as well as of course making sure that whoever Zen chooses to consort with-- both figuratively and literally, LOL! ;) :grin: -- is up to the same standard, hence his concern about the perceived situation when it first came to his attention, and his backing off just-ever-so-slightly at the end of this ep. once he sees that there's more to her than it seemed, since she is not at all intimidated by him, nor is she just after political power/advantages/wealth/etc. (that's what SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the fake forehead-kiss was testing). :) Though, he does still continue to test both of them as time goes on, of course, just as he should. :thumb: }) Next week: Ah yes, that particular bit of backstory-- not only is it good in terms of Zen's (and Mitsuhide's) character background, it also shows you more of Izana's mindset on how he originally perceived the whole thing with Zen and Shirayuki. :)



Castle Town Dandelion episode 6:

Well, that got surprisingly serious (...twice, no less!). :pikka: That's certainly not a bad thing, though :thumb: -- I mean, it finally explains why Kanade wants to become ruler so much, as well as why Aoi really *doesn't* want to-- and thus, in turn, why both Shuu and Aoi are helping Akane's efforts. :) As for the rest of it, it was amusing and cute as usual :) -- the 'Misaki summits' and the Shiori/Teru speech, in particular. :grin:



Charlotte episode 8:

I like how they're showing more than telling SPOILER: Highlight text to read: some of the quite realistic after-effects of Yuu's grief (his expressions/sighs/etc., his trying to being considerate of the other characters' consideration of him, his habit of calling home resurfacing and then him realizing a split second later that there's no one to call, etc.) Also: Heh, wow-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ZHIEND's lead singer is a very interesting (and likeable) person (and clearly was a power-user at one point, too. I'm really curious about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the 'trade,' now... :pikka: ). Speaking of, I was pretty clearly wrong about my guess that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the singer was going to turn out to be Yuu's 'other family member,' LOL, but I don't mind at all. :) Also: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Wow, that scene with Nao's brother... :pikka: I appreciated the fact that he didn't *fully* recover (because that would've been too much :sweat: ), but calming down + being able to get out a broken word + recognizing his own sister is a very good start, and it was a very beautiful scene in multiple ways-- particularly in showcasing just how far Yuu has come (his genuine care and emotion about it, etc.). He *has* changed quite dramatically for the better now. <3 As for the foreshadowing/etc.: Well, there was a bunch of it, LOL, particularly with the singer-- but aside from her obvious 'trade' comment, another one that really stuck out to me was: "It feels... nostalgic..." :pikka: ...Which, in turn, brings up Yuu's mysterious faulty memory again... :pikka: Oh: And I ran across a rampant-speculation thread on MAL, which was mostly kinda out-there (LOL), but it also happened to include some very interesting screencaps + interview snippets + bits of a few theories with a bit more evidence for them which hint to there being something much more to both Yuu's and the water-dude's powers than has been revealed to the viewer so far, as well as made me realize just how many times Nao has responded to Yuu's thoughts as if he had directly spoken them aloud......



Classroom☆Crisis episode 8:

LOL, it was kinda cute to see Nagisa (actually quite competently and diligently) painting posters on the floor-- complaining all the way, of course. ;) :grin: Also: Aha, finally some (minor) details on what the brother is up to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (or, actually, apparently *both* brothers). Oh, and this episode actually made me laugh at politics, which I've become generally rather disgusted with in RL, LOL, so bonus points for that. :thumb:



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 7:

Finally got a number of new modifications to the OP again + a completely new ED, and... yeah... *especially* the new ED...... :pikka: :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Also: The emotions in this ep... </3 <3 Oh, and that was an interesting little aside about the solar panels and such-- I mean, it was obvious that they had to have some sort of independent power source this whole time, but there was a little bit of extra emphasis put on it here, like making you take notice that it's unusual... hmm... Finally: Uh-oh, the whole thing with the key seems to be rather ominous... :pikka:



Gatchaman Crowds Insight:

(No ep. this week...)



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 8:

This episode was *fantastic.* :jump: (Actually, IMO, the entire series so far has been-- but you know what I mean. :thumb: ) For one thing, I wanted to see more of Hans' fighting style, and I definitely got what I wanted! :thumb: Oh man, that was really good (as was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Adlet being able to hold his own, even against a genius, as he put it <3 :thumb: :thumb: ). I loved every second of that entire sequence. <3 :jump: And whoa, not only did this ep. make me revise my original assessment of Hans-- he's actually *not* completely amoral, he's just amoral about his assassination jobs, LOL :P -- much to my pleasant surprise, I actually even started to genuinely like him here (and I mean that for himself, not just his fighting style)! :wow!: As for suspicions: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Yep, my suspicions of Maura have pretty much skyrocketed to #1 at this point (they were rising for a while now for various minor reasons, but now it seems most logical for it to be her). It was suspicious from the start that she had the key for the door but that no one has suspected her of using it (indeed, Chamot even said that it "can't" be her... which, of course, is actually a major flag for the opposite :) ). Also, her attitude about certain things is rather suspicious... etc. So, yeah, she's the most suspect right now. (Although I wouldn't rule out the princess just yet, either, since, y'know, biggest betrayal for twist value and all that. :) ) On another note: Okay, I just have to say for the record that I really, really, really dislike Chamot-- I mean, sure, sometimes bored psychopaths are fun to watch, but not her. :?: (I suppose part of what majorly bothers me that she thinks absolutely nothing of senselessly murdering her own supposed comrades just because she's bored :pikka: , and what makes it even *worse* {if that's possible} is that the fate of the entire WORLD could be doomed by that. And the even *bigger* problem is that she is *unbelievably* OP... which means that there's really no way to stop her. :pikka: Ugh. :?: ) ...I'm pretty sure that's the reaction you're intended to have to her, though, so I don't consider that a knock on the show/books themselves or anything. :) So, yeah-- Chamot aside, LOL, I adore this series. <3 :jump:



And Durarara!!x2 Ten episode 8:

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:21 pm

Non Non Biyori Repeat ep. 6 - Kazu-nee has her moments. :) 4/5

Sore ga Seiyuu ep. 6 - Wow, that was a very deep and interesting thing... and Ichigo was totally oblivious. I wonder when, if ever, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she'll let her partners in on her struggles... New ED... not near as fun as the original; I hope it's only for this one episode... couldn't quite tell if the lyrics are the same, but I don't have time tonight to check. Anyway, 5/5

This season, through ep. 6:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu - 29
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat - 26
"Click click click. Still defective."
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby Zeldafan2 » Sat Aug 29, 2015 2:37 pm

Charlotte episode 9: This was an intriguing episode. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: : I'm glad that we're finally going to get some elaboration on the scientists, and the new cast of characters that they just introduced has potential. It's just . . . I'm worried the series is going to resolve itself in a cliche fashion, particularly when it comes to its villains. I'm still hoping Jun Maeda pulls it all together in an interesting manner.

And, I totally relate to Yuu in regard to Nao's outfit. I probably would have been even more skittish than he was.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Tue Sep 01, 2015 6:59 pm

Nyanpasu! Repeat ep. 7 - That was really cute. Poor Hika-nee. I'm not sure if her misery is because Renge planned it that way, or if it's just a side effect of Renge's eccentricities. :) 4/5

Sore ga Seiyuu ep. 7 - Great episode. Looks like all three girls learned something about working with others and the challenges of their new assignments in this episode. 5/5
ARGH! I'm so mad at the subbers Hulu is using! They keep skipping the ED Free Talk! >:( :rant:

This season, through ep. 7:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu - 34
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat - 30
"Click click click. Still defective."
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Wed Sep 02, 2015 7:12 pm

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 8:

Young Zen and Mitsuhide (and Izana, for that matter). <3 SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (As well as the whole thing with Atri... :( {BTW-- wow, that whole fight was more brutal than I remembered... :pikka: }) ...And now you see why Izana has been especially wary of people cozying up to Zen. :sweat: Excellent ep., as usual! :thumb:



Castle Town Dandelion episode 7:

Cute. :)



Charlotte episode 9:

OH MY GOSH, THIS EPISODE... :pikka: :jump: :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Okay, before I get to the serious stuff: The beginning was so cute (Yuu's clothes-picking dilemma {usually it's the girl who does that ;) }, Nao's outfit/hairstyle/etc., his reactions to what she looks like {and everything she does in general}, her fangirling, etc.). :) And then came that (later revealed to be a previous, alternate timeline) flashback... :pikka: ...Holy crap, so their brother-- the 'other family member,' and the person Nao looks up to-- could time-leap! :wow!: (I had originally thought it was going to be some memory-erasing thing... :pikka: But it turns out that's a different character's power.) And YES, so Yuu *does* have another aspect to his own power, just as people had been speculating before-- actually stealing (apparently permanently, no less!! :pikka: ) the abilities of any power-user he takes over! :pikka: :thumb: Holy crap, that entire flashback was intense (and awesome!). :thumb: (Also: Ah, so the mysterious characters from before were working for Yuu's brother. Of course. :thumb: ) Looks like there's going to be even more explanation next week-- can't wait! :thumb:



Classroom☆Crisis episode 9:

Yep, this is pretty much exactly what I expected would happen-- that is, a seemingly 'lost battle' (for ATEC) on the way to (Nagisa) winning the overall war-- but I loved how ingeniously it was done. :thumb: (And it was touching to see Nagisa so torn up about it afterwards despite his personal victory, as well. {That conversation with Kaito... :sniffle: <3 })



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 8:

Oh... man...... so Yuki really *WAS* SPOILER: Highlight text to read: talking to Megumi this entire time... :pikka: :pikka: And that journal entry was so haunting (the text that wasn't translated onscreen as well as the text that was), not only for the whole situation with her, but also with the larger picture-- if these zombies really do have that much memory left underneath the sickness... and if their bodies haven't really broken down all that much yet even after what seems to be quite a while... that brings up the question of if they are even truly dead? It was a biological (/viral?) cause, after all; perhaps there might still be a possibility of a cure later on for the ones who haven't totally rotted by then? ...Although, if so, that in and of itself would bring a whole new layer of disturbing... :pikka: Anyway, as just mentioned, yep, so it was a secret weapon-testing plan that went horribly awry (expected), and the school was part of a backup survival plan in case that happened (also, by now, expected, given all of the emphasis on the school's extra facilities/equipment/etc.). As for why the plan (that they found here) was never activated, apparently the outbreak spread so fast that the conditions for opening it weren't met. BTW, I'm really curious now as to why the number of zombies in the area of the school is increasing...



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 8:

...Can I just link to this? Because that review describes the ep. pretty much perfectly. :thumb: (This show is way more realistic in certain aspects than you might think...)



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 9:

So good. <3 :jump: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I laughed when Adlet forcefully kicked Hans forward, but that teamwork *was* pretty awesome. :grin: :thumb: (And handily disproved Chamot's boast about defeating the Big Bad on her own, too, which was quite satisfying in and of itself... :P :thumb: :grin: ) Also, Hans' conversations with Adlet are quite interesting. As for the locked room thing: Ah, of course. Since it seemed impossible under the stated conditions, of course the underlying assumption was flawed. Now, Flamie's rebuttal seemed to kill that theory, too... :pikka: ...however, I have a feeling that at least part of that theory is right, Adlet was just getting the mechanics/'how' wrong. It'll be interesting to see how that unfolds. Finally: Aw, Adlet finally got through to Flamie there at the end... <3 :) As for current suspicions/etc.: Darn... now I really, really, really dislike Maura, just as much as (maybe even more so than) Chamot. :shady: She seems to be starting to freak out a little bit (maybe there's some sort of time limit or something that only she knows about? :eyebrow: ), and is going even more hardline on the whole Adlet thing now because of that; however, while she obviously persuaded Chamot, and despite the fact that Hans can't really argue with her (she's too forceful/intimidating and, now, close-minded for him to really get a word in, as you can see here), thankfully I don't think he actually really believes her. At the very least, I don't think he'll ever try to attack Adlet again personally. :) (And he'd better not, because I like their instant-comradeship way too much. :thumb: ) All that said, though, despite my intense dislike of Maura's current mindset, with *this* episode my suspicions of Maura have actually lessened quite a bit indeed, since she's going at it way too hard (in other words, it's way too obvious now for it to actually be her-- just like with Hans earlier on, who I never really suspected at all for the same reason), and thinking back over the course of the whole series, there's just way too many other little things that point to it *truly* being Nashetania (indeed, I've even mentioned before that I thought it might turn out to be so). For example, just in this ep. alone: "I'll work just as hard..."? At *what*? :pikka: :pikka: Then there's her neatly winding Goldov right around her little finger with everything she does, including that 'princess' comment (which I haven't gone back to double-check yet, but which I'm pretty sure is an outright lie... and which wouldn't be relevant at all even if it was true :pikka: ), and, even more so, distracting him/increasing his attachment/decreasing any rationality he might have at the time by having him examine her mark-- which, you know, is in *that spot*-- when she not only *knows* he has a sky-high crush on her but acted very coldly towards him about it just a little while ago... :pikka: Then there are her different 'acting' moments, her occasional strange expressions, etc. etc... And, of course, I'd always thought that the whole thing with Nashetania going berserk + saying those oddly specific words + breaking that tablet back during the 'deactivating' bit was really suspicious-- and, as it turns out, that particular event was conspicuously absent from the little flashback clips shown in this ep... Yeah, right now I'm pretty darn sure that it's her. On another note: Apparently in the novels, volume 1 is the 'finding the fake' arc (which the anime is covering), and the other things start to kick off in vol. 2. While I'm planning on reading the novels (as far as they've been currently translated) immediately after the finale (seriously-- the second I'm done watching the anime's last ep. {well, and writing down my thoughts about it, I mean :) }, I'm diving straight into the novels, because I can't wait for more! :jump: ), I'm really, really hoping that the anime gets an S2 as well, because while I'm sure I'm going to love the novels just as much (and quite possibly even more so, given that it's the source material :thumb: ), I do love seeing it in motion/voiced/etc., too. <3 :)



And Durarara!!x2 Ten episode 9:

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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby Zeldafan2 » Sat Sep 05, 2015 6:42 pm

Charlotte episode 10: The quality in this episode was spotty, but it was solid overall. Jun Maeda failed to convince me of the dynamics between Shun and his siblings, unfortunately. I can see the fact that they love each other, but they don't seem to really interact as siblings in a manner that reflects their personality. Also, we didn't get anything significant on the extended cast of characters who appeared in the previous episode. Their appearances felt more obligatory than anything else. On a positive note, Shun's gambit was pretty well-thought out, and his relationship with Kumigami is fine, if a bit cliche.
Meanwhile, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I'm kinda worried that Takajou and Yusarin look like they've been demoted to extra. They never became well-rounded characters, and now that the plot has finally gotten started, it seems they aren't going to be important any more. :( Meanwhile, the show's view on how people would view teens with super powers is a bit one-sided, reminding me of a lot of Marvel's more narrow-minded comics. Where are the regular people who see these powers as cool? Where are the super-powered teens who become celebrities thanks to their abilities? Where are the guys who flaunt their abilities in public, thereby revelaing that super powered people exist? The narrative in this case is a bit too linear in scope for my tastes. Still, watching Yuu employ his plundered abilities to scare off the box cutter girl was pretty awesome, and his reunion was Ayumi was touching. Things are sure to go wrong after this, but it's novel when a time travel scheme like this actually works, rather than destiny deciding the outcome. Now, if only box cutter girl's murderous behavior had been explained . . .

'Can't wait until next week's episode.
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby skreyola » Tue Sep 08, 2015 8:10 pm

Non Non Biyori Repeat ep. 8 - Seeing the girls younger was part cute, part annoying. Onii-san has mad carpentry skills. Shokichi-san's bandage was really cute. Koma-chan is growing up, though she doesn't look any older than in the flashback. ;) 4/5

Sore ga Seiyuu ep. 8 - Futa-Futa does some narration work. Improvement comes with relaxation. I imagine the person in the gorilla story was the experienced seiyuu telling the story. I wonder what Rin will put on her career form. 5/5

This season, through ep. 8:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu - 39
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat - 34
"Click click click. Still defective."
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby MangaRocks! » Wed Sep 09, 2015 11:17 am

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 9:

Really nice interactions/development here between Shirayuki and Obi as well as Obi and Zen :) , plus the conclusion to the previous episode's flashback (featuring a bit more of the interactions/development between Zen and Mitsuhide {and even Izana, by extension/implication}, and which also ties in with Zen's reasoning for SPOILER: Highlight text to read: making Obi an official attendant here). :)



Castle Town Dandelion episode 8:

LOL, it was so funny when SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Shuu just popped in and started complaining about their powers going nuts and then he popped right back out before his sentence was even finished. :grin: It was also really nice to see Hana again, since the one previous ep. with her (I think it was #2?) was easily the best of the show (and, until this ep. came along, the only one I'd rewatch). That said, the thing with Akane here was a bit silly and annoying SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (I mean, the gravity ripping apart all her clothes? Really? :eyeroll: :forehead: ), but Hana's 'save' was hilariously awesome. :) Also: The parents' story was really adorable :grin: , plus talking about it gave Shuu the push to finally give Hana his (equally-sweet) response now, instead of later. :)



Charlotte episode 10:
Zeldafan2 wrote: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ...Where are the regular people who see these powers as cool? Where are the super-powered teens who become celebrities thanks to their abilities? Where are the guys who flaunt their abilities in public, thereby revelaing that super powered people exist?...

^ Actually, that has already been both shown and explained. :) SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Kumagami can locate power-using kids very early-- apparently (inferring from context here) pretty much as soon as their powers manifest (if they're near him) or are used (if they're farther away)-- and the whole point of Shunsuke's final plan (with the schools and such) is to try to catch, gather, and/or stop as many of them as he can before their 'talents' become widely revealed/known, because if they *do* become revealed/known they'll be captured and experimented on by the scientists (as had already happened to other characters even in that final timeline-- Nao and her brother, for instance), etc. :sweat:

Anyway, this was another excellent ep.! :jump: That flashback was totally awesome (as was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Shunsuke, for that matter <3 <3 ). Shunsuke had an unexpectedly (and adorably) funny side :lol: <3 , and his brother-like relationship with Kumagami was nice, too. :) (Also: LOL, so Kumagami's whole hair-and-water thing was actually just a disguise all along! :grin: :thumb: ) And wow, so Shunsuke had to try (time-leap back) over and over and over again, since they kept on failing and getting the 'bad ends' (basically, this aspect is very much like Steins;Gate-- only instead of reliving a couple of days each time like in that series, Shunsuke actually had to relive multiple *years* each time :pikka: )... and that also revealed the trade-off/'cost' of his power-- the gradual loss of his sight (and, therefore, the use of his power itself). :( :pikka: And oh man, Shunsuke's goodbye to his siblings in the final timeline was so touching. :sniffle: <3 (What you saw of their interactions was brief, but you could tell how very deeply he cared, both in this scene as well as when he gave Yuu his ability. <3 <3 ) Also touching was Yuu's heartfelt thank-you to Nao. <3 Oh, and bringing up S;G again: The rescue scene was great :thumb: , but whoa, I was not expecting Yuu to actually get off that easy on the whole saving-Ayumi thing (I totally expected another sort of bad thing to happen in return)... :pikka: I mean, of course *something* is still going to happen (there are apparently 3 whole episodes left, after all! :P ), but I was a little surprised that there wasn't something in *this* ep. to at least make it a cliffhanger. Guess they're just letting us catch our breath and bask in the relief a little before the next batch of plot hits. ;) Seriously, though, even without the expected cliffhanger the end was awesome (I laughed out loud when Yuu called Kumagami 'Pooh' :lol: :thumb: ). Can't wait to see the *proper* family reunion next ep.! :jump:



Classroom☆Crisis episode 10:

Welp, I can honestly say that I was not expecting that. :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So the dynamic between Iris and Nagisa is actually the exact opposite of what was implied/expected from all of the context given throughout the entire series (and even this very episode) before the reveal-- that is, Iris is actually the *real* Nagisa, and the guy we've known during the series up until now as 'Nagisa' was actually *her* bodyguard/decoy all along. :pikka: (Which also adds a whole other level to all of the crap he'd been through and is still going through now... because he's not even the real Nagisa! :pikka: ) Along with that quite unexpected (and honestly pretty good, IMO) twist, the rest of this ep. contained some interesting intracompany politics and (male-)Nagisa being a sweetheart and a boss all at the same time by weaving his desire to save A-TEC right into his plans (although that didn't help much in the end, but hey, it's the intentions that count, right? :P ) *and* Mizuki simply, honestly, and without any embarrassment whatsoever admitting that she likes (male-)Nagisa (yay! <3 ), as well. :thumb: All that said, of course, then there was the rest of that ending... in which (male-)Nagisa's plans seemed to be shattered pretty darn thoroughly indeed by the CEO's own clever politics (which of course provided the cliffhanger)... :)



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 9:

...Uh, filler much? :eyeroll: That ending, though... :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Death flags, death flags everywhere! :pikka: And oh crap... how did Megumi get down there?? (And why is the barrier propped up?) :pikka: (And I'm pretty sure that means they're going to have to kill her {permanently}, too... :pikka: ) Also: ED change again-- it's back to the old one, but once again it's modified... (only Taroumaru is walking out... :pikka: And Kurumi was missing from the end of it... :pikka: Also, was Yuki always alone in that last shot...? :pikka: :pikka: )



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 9:

Man, the accurate social commentary here... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So Gelsadra isn't actually controlling the 'Kuu-sama' things (they were made out of the 'atmosphere' people create-- which makes sense)... but he has absolutely no problem with them eating people, either (!). :pikka: Glad Tsubasa finally got some sense through her thick skull now. :P Also: Those people saying "No way it can be bad when it feels so good"-- oh my gosh that mindset is so depressingly realistic that it almost hurts (actually, the entire ep. was like that). Finally: Uh-oh-- to top it all off, Mr.-VAPE-leader-guy is up to no good once more... :pikka:



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 10:

...This has easily become my #1 favorite show of the season. :jump: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ahhh~, I absolutely *adore* Adlet. <3 (I mean, I'm pretty sure you all knew that already, LOL :grin: , but seriously, the explanation he gave to Flamie here at the beginning of the ep. was just... <3 <3 <3 :hug: {Not only was the whole thing just so honest and natural and absolutely beautiful, I also loved his response to her question of what exactly he liked about her-- "No idea" :grin: -- because it was just so *real.* Indeed, if you truly love someone, you don't just like one part or aspect of them, nor can you usually pinpoint *exactly* why. <3 :) } Seriously, how can you possibly resist that man? <3 :grin: ) On another note (although I will get back to the awesomeness of Adlet x Flamie again in a minute :thumb: ): I am absolutely certain that the Princess is the fake ( + apparently completely off her rocker, as well... :pikka: I mean, holy crap, those eyes... :pikka: She actually kinda genuinely creeped me out a little bit here :pikka: ), but still, holy crap, Maura-- that blatant lie about Hans...! :pikka: :pikka: (Speaking of Hans, though, on the bright side, I was indeed correct about him :jump: -- he is totally *NOT* on board with this; he just can't really do much about it ATM because of Maura and Chamot's massive power advantage over him when they're working together. :sweat: ) So, yeah, Maura is pigheaded and narrow-minded as heck; however, annoying as it is, given the fact that her powers are those of mountains, I suppose it does make sense for her to be as obstinate and unyielding as one. :P :grin: Back to Flamie and Adlet: I already said that Adlet's whole conversation with her in the beginning was beautiful <3 , but really every single thing about the two of them in this ep. was beautiful. <3 From Flamie obviously thinking that she cannot allow herself to even begin to hope for a life and happiness after the 'end' (due to the merciless betrayal thrust upon her in the past)-- hence her desperately trying to shut him out at first, all of which Adlet completely understands <3 -- to the fact (which I also loved) that it took all the way until the very end of the episode before she finally couldn't help but give in (...because it took not only his {did I mention beautiful? :) } words, but also his {even more beautiful! <3 } actions to finally crack her resolve {those actions being that he was completely, fully, and 100% willing-- and, indeed, going by his expressions was actually *expecting*-- to literally give up his life just to prove her innocence! :sniffle: <3 <3 <3 }). That + Flamie instinctively saving him there <3 + her emotions + her finally opening up very nearly made me tear up as well. :sniffle: <3 :hug: Now the only problem is that Adlet and Flamie are surrounded, and their one other ally-- Hans-- is currently being held back by Chamot... :pikka: Although, Hans *is* very intelligent, so there's still a definite possibility that he'll be able to escape... :thumb: TL;DR: This episode was one of my favorite episodes of anything in a long time (indeed, I might even rewatch it before next week!) <3 :jump: ... and I've come to love this series so much that my desire to read the novels is starting to overpower my usual stick-with-one-version-to-the-end-first-before-starting-another policy, even despite the anime's awesomeness in and of itself...! (Did I mention this show is my favorite of the season? :thumb: )



And Durarara!!x2 Ten:

No ep. this week. :(
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Re: [Summer 2015] Season of Adventure

Postby Zeldafan2 » Wed Sep 09, 2015 12:07 pm

MangaRocks! wrote:Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, episode 9:

Really nice interactions/development here between Shirayuki and Obi as well as Obi and Zen :) , plus the conclusion to the previous episode's flashback (featuring a bit more of the interactions/development between Zen and Mitsuhide {and even Izana, by extension/implication}, and which also ties in with Zen's reasoning for SPOILER: Highlight text to read: making Obi an official attendant here). :)



Castle Town Dandelion episode 8:

LOL, it was so funny when SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Shuu just popped in and started complaining about their powers going nuts and then he popped right back out before his sentence was even finished. :grin: It was also really nice to see Hana again, since the one previous ep. with her (I think it was #2?) was easily the best of the show (and, until this ep. came along, the only one I'd rewatch). That said, the thing with Akane here was a bit silly and annoying SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (I mean, the gravity ripping apart all her clothes? Really? :eyeroll: :forehead: ), but Hana's 'save' was hilariously awesome. :) Also: The parents' story was really adorable :grin: , plus talking about it gave Shuu the push to finally give Hana his (equally-sweet) response now, instead of later. :)



Charlotte episode 10:
Zeldafan2 wrote: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ...Where are the regular people who see these powers as cool? Where are the super-powered teens who become celebrities thanks to their abilities? Where are the guys who flaunt their abilities in public, thereby revelaing that super powered people exist?...

^ Actually, that has already been both shown and explained. :) SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Kumagami can locate power-using kids very early-- apparently (inferring from context here) pretty much as soon as their powers manifest (if they're near him) or are used (if they're farther away)-- and the whole point of Shunsuke's final plan (with the schools and such) is to try to catch, gather, and/or stop as many of them as he can before their 'talents' become widely revealed/known, because if they *do* become revealed/known they'll be captured and experimented on by the scientists (as had already happened to other characters even in that final timeline-- Nao and her brother, for instance), etc. :sweat:

Anyway, this was another excellent ep.! :jump: That flashback was totally awesome (as was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Shunsuke, for that matter <3 <3 ). Shunsuke had an unexpectedly (and adorably) funny side :lol: <3 , and his brother-like relationship with Kumagami was nice, too. :) (Also: LOL, so Kumagami's whole hair-and-water thing was actually just a disguise all along! :grin: :thumb: ) And wow, so Shunsuke had to try (time-leap back) over and over and over again, since they kept on failing and getting the 'bad ends' (basically, this aspect is very much like Steins;Gate-- only instead of reliving a couple of days each time like in that series, Shunsuke actually had to relive multiple *years* each time :pikka: )... and that also revealed the trade-off/'cost' of his power-- the gradual loss of his sight (and, therefore, the use of his power itself). :( :pikka: And oh man, Shunsuke's goodbye to his siblings in the final timeline was so touching. :sniffle: <3 (What you saw of their interactions was brief, but you could tell how very deeply he cared, both in this scene as well as when he gave Yuu his ability. <3 <3 ) Also touching was Yuu's heartfelt thank-you to Nao. <3 Oh, and bringing up S;G again: The rescue scene was great :thumb: , but whoa, I was not expecting Yuu to actually get off that easy on the whole saving-Ayumi thing (I totally expected another sort of bad thing to happen in return)... :pikka: I mean, of course *something* is still going to happen (there are apparently 3 whole episodes left, after all! :P ), but I was a little surprised that there wasn't something in *this* ep. to at least make it a cliffhanger. Guess they're just letting us catch our breath and bask in the relief a little before the next batch of plot hits. ;) Seriously, though, even without the expected cliffhanger the end was awesome (I laughed out loud when Yuu called Kumagami 'Pooh' :lol: :thumb: ). Can't wait to see the *proper* family reunion next ep.! :jump:



Classroom☆Crisis episode 10:

Welp, I can honestly say that I was not expecting that. :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So the dynamic between Iris and Nagisa is actually the exact opposite of what was implied/expected from all of the context given throughout the entire series (and even this very episode) before the reveal-- that is, Iris is actually the *real* Nagisa, and the guy we've known during the series up until now as 'Nagisa' was actually *her* bodyguard/decoy all along. :pikka: (Which also adds a whole other level to all of the crap he'd been through and is still going through now... because he's not even the real Nagisa! :pikka: ) Along with that quite unexpected (and honestly pretty good, IMO) twist, the rest of this ep. contained some interesting intracompany politics and (male-)Nagisa being a sweetheart and a boss all at the same time by weaving his desire to save A-TEC right into his plans (although that didn't help much in the end, but hey, it's the intentions that count, right? :P ) *and* Mizuki simply, honestly, and without any embarrassment whatsoever admitting that she likes (male-)Nagisa (yay! <3 ), as well. :thumb: All that said, of course, then there was the rest of that ending... in which (male-)Nagisa's plans seemed to be shattered pretty darn thoroughly indeed by the CEO's own clever politics (which of course provided the cliffhanger)... :)



Gakkou Gurashi! (a.k.a. SCHOOL-LIVE!) episode 9:

...Uh, filler much? :eyeroll: That ending, though... :pikka: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Death flags, death flags everywhere! :pikka: And oh crap... how did Megumi get down there?? (And why is the barrier propped up?) :pikka: (And I'm pretty sure that means they're going to have to kill her {permanently}, too... :pikka: ) Also: ED change again-- it's back to the old one, but once again it's modified... (only Taroumaru is walking out... :pikka: And Kurumi was missing from the end of it... :pikka: Also, was Yuki always alone in that last shot...? :pikka: :pikka: )



Gatchaman Crowds Insight episode 9:

Man, the accurate social commentary here... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So Gelsadra isn't actually controlling the 'Kuu-sama' things (they were made out of the 'atmosphere' people create-- which makes sense)... but he has absolutely no problem with them eating people, either (!). :pikka: Glad Tsubasa finally got some sense through her thick skull now. :P Also: Those people saying "No way it can be bad when it feels so good"-- oh my gosh that mindset is so depressingly realistic that it almost hurts (actually, the entire ep. was like that). Finally: Uh-oh-- to top it all off, Mr.-VAPE-leader-guy is up to no good once more... :pikka:



Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers episode 10:

...This has easily become my #1 favorite show of the season. :jump: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ahhh~, I absolutely *adore* Adlet. <3 (I mean, I'm pretty sure you all knew that already, LOL :grin: , but seriously, the explanation he gave to Flamie here at the beginning of the ep. was just... <3 <3 <3 :hug: {Not only was the whole thing just so honest and natural and absolutely beautiful, I also loved his response to her question of what exactly he liked about her-- "No idea" :grin: -- because it was just so *real.* Indeed, if you truly love someone, you don't just like one part or aspect of them, nor can you usually pinpoint *exactly* why. <3 :) } Seriously, how can you possibly resist that man? <3 :grin: ) On another note (although I will get back to the awesomeness of Adlet x Flamie again in a minute :thumb: ): I am absolutely certain that the Princess is the fake ( + apparently completely off her rocker, as well... :pikka: I mean, holy crap, those eyes... :pikka: She actually kinda genuinely creeped me out a little bit here :pikka: ), but still, holy crap, Maura-- that blatant lie about Hans...! :pikka: :pikka: (Speaking of Hans, though, on the bright side, I was indeed correct about him :jump: -- he is totally *NOT* on board with this; he just can't really do much about it ATM because of Maura and Chamot's massive power advantage over him when they're working together. :sweat: ) So, yeah, Maura is pigheaded and narrow-minded as heck; however, annoying as it is, given the fact that her powers are those of mountains, I suppose it does make sense for her to be as obstinate and unyielding as one. :P :grin: Back to Flamie and Adlet: I already said that Adlet's whole conversation with her in the beginning was beautiful <3 , but really every single thing about the two of them in this ep. was beautiful. <3 From Flamie obviously thinking that she cannot allow herself to even begin to hope for a life and happiness after the 'end' (due to the merciless betrayal thrust upon her in the past)-- hence her desperately trying to shut him out at first, all of which Adlet completely understands <3 -- to the fact (which I also loved) that it took all the way until the very end of the episode before she finally couldn't help but give in (...because it took not only his {did I mention beautiful? :) } words, but also his {even more beautiful! <3 } actions to finally crack her resolve {those actions being that he was completely, fully, and 100% willing-- and, indeed, going by his expressions was actually *expecting*-- to literally give up his life just to prove her innocence! :sniffle: <3 <3 <3 }). That + Flamie instinctively saving him there <3 + her emotions + her finally opening up very nearly made me tear up as well. :sniffle: <3 :hug: Now the only problem is that Adlet and Flamie are surrounded, and their one other ally-- Hans-- is currently being held back by Chamot... :pikka: Although, Hans *is* very intelligent, so there's still a definite possibility that he'll be able to escape... :thumb: TL;DR: This episode was one of my favorite episodes of anything in a long time (indeed, I might even rewatch it before next week!) <3 :jump: ... and I've come to love this series so much that my desire to read the novels is starting to overpower my usual stick-with-one-version-to-the-end-first-before-starting-another policy, even despite the anime's awesomeness in and of itself...! (Did I mention this show is my favorite of the season? :thumb: )



And Durarara!!x2 Ten:

No ep. this week. :(


In that case, point retracted. :)
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