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Old 06-29-2014, 10:50 PM   #101
lilboocorsola
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Lil' Bluey


One last headtilt for the Summer Time Record.

Episode 12:

Let us put an end to this summer story. For the final time... Let's「daze」. (Please make sure you've read my post here before continuing.)

Spoiler: show
Hype train pulling into the last stop whoo whoo~ ...*watches it crash into a truck and burn*

This episode is conflicting to me, both as a finale to the animé and the overall series. I'm more "meh" about it than anything, and will frankly be quite glad to put #SHAFT's MCA behind me. Though it's not just SHAFT I'm disappointed with, but rather Jin's writing, which I'll talk about more at length when I do my in-depth series discussion. Up to this point I was willing to accept the animé as a canon part of the story (if refuse to acknowledge certain parts of its presentation *cough* episode 09 *cough*), but to consider this the "true ending" leaves a slightly mixed taste in my mouth. As I rewatch and read others' interpretations though I'm slowly starting to make sense of and appreciate the events a little more. I'm still not sure I really like some of the developments in the context of what I consider the most prominent themes of the series, but I can understand at least how they got there/what the author was aiming for. I think. (Maybe it was just a test to see if the fandom would really be receptive to a happy conclusion. *shrug*)

With that said... Let's review.


The first thing I noticed as I was rewatching was that Azami's eyes turned red when she wanted to convey her feelings to baby Shion, foreshadowing Ayano's eye ability. This I thought was kinda cute, even though I think what her power turned out to be was pretty cheesy. Both Ayano's and Shintaro's powers were revealed for the first time in the animé. CR actually missed the translation of the name for Shintaro's: 目に焼き付ける "Me ni Yakitsukeru" or "Recording Eyes" as I like to call it to tie into "Children Record". ("Yakitsukeru" literally means "to burn into one's memory".) By unlocking his power at the end of episode 08, he is able to access the memories of all the loops they've experienced - represented by the AMV that portrays all the different things that happened in the other mediums.


Mekakucity Rangers, assemble!

Suddenly rock music starts blasting as the gang runs through the hall. This image is cool since it's reminiscent of Children Record when their silhouettes are standing in front of a doorway with light shining from the back. I liked the part when Kido made Kido noises slipped into calling herself "watashi" - even if it was kinda random and CR completely missed it anyway. (The subs in this episode, man.) Also her giving bathroom cleaning duty to Kano was funny. I really enjoyed the animation of Kano's movement here for some reason. Maybe it's because his sidebang randomly shortens to be the same length as the other routes. Reminds me of my favorite moment in the Yobanashi Deceive PV when Kano turns his head and removes the paint mask. Don't ask me why I like it, I just do.


Roger that, Commander!

The group really does start to feel like a superhero team when they start kicking some gray mook butt (hey, at least they have faces this time).


KONOHA THE FLASH GOES NYOOOOOOOOM PAUNCH!

Kido can apparently teleport as well... And it turns out Kano really is a vampire.


What's wrong with this guy's teeth?

Then Momo randomly drops in from the ceiling... I think she has learned to utilize her power to its fullest potential at this point, since she is able to redirect the grunts' attention to Marry. The best part though was...


BANG BANG BANGITY BANG

I have no idea how Takane is so skilled with guns when she's only played video games + still able to turn into Ene but damn if it wasn't awesome watching her casually take down that guy. Even Konoha looked disturbed there.


Just kiss already damnit. *shot*

So then they run into a dead end thanks to Kano "getting lost"... Still not sure I trust this guy. Hibiya activates his power by taking a dump and peeks into a woman's bath, earning a double KO for him and Kano from Momo. I'm confused as to how this works though, considering the explanation for his power in the novels... Again, pretty sure Jin is just making stuff up as he goes along to suit the story. >.>; Anyway, Konoha goes KONOHULK SMASH and they drop into the Snake's lair.


This is the most KonoHaruShin we get in this show.

Before facing the final boss, there's a brief scene of Shintaro and Ayano meeting Haruka in the Haze (I'm just gonna call the void that from now on since its official name is "Heat Haze Daze", commonly shortened to "Heat Haze" or simply "Haze/Daze"). Still don't quite get what's going on here, but upon rewatching, I'm actually rather grateful for this scene since it verifies that Konoha is considered a "separate entity" entirely from Haruka. Considering Konoha's sacrifice(?) later in the episode, I see him now as a true hero next to Ayano. It's like if Disappearance Yuki voluntarily vanished so that Kyon could reunite with the SOS Brigade. (Kinda ironic just how many similarities there are between the two characters.) He really is a brobot... The animation here was also simple but at least clean/consistent, and the yellow outlines remind me of Shounen Brave's PV.


And Takane says her sensei is "more of a slob".

Up to this point, things are pretty fun just watching the kids come together and kick ass with their abilities - even if it makes no sense. However, as the story reaches its climax I've so been looking forward to, things really start to make no sense and turn utterly cheesy. I blame this on Jin's writing, though SHAFT's underwhelming animation didn't help either. The Snake goes full-on cartoon villain mode, shooting Konoha (hey, at least we get to see some red blood for once) and hijacking his body. Dark Konoha, or "Kuroha" as he is called by fans, is a presence I've been highly anticipating since the start of the show. I was holding my breath since he could've appeared at any point, but of course they'd save him for the last episode... Was the build-up worth it? Eh... While I really do enjoy his over-the-top hamminess in the Outer Science song and manga (as he's yet to show up in the novels) and wanted to hear Mamoru Miyano's take (from the guy who did Light in Death Note), I think I was too distracted by the weird animation to take note of the acting. I heard SHAFT said they liked Kuroha and drew lots of him, but in the end he didn't really get any special treatment. It hardly even looked like his mouth was moving at one point...


What's wrong with this guy's face?

While I like that Kuroha confirms he doesn't even need human tools to slaughter the Dan (and was just using a gun in the manga to mock them), seeing him just throw some punches around was somewhat less impressive than the brutal executions he delivers in the other mediums. Just look at what he does to poor Seto in the manga. (Mind, this also came out of nowhere since he appeared right after the gang left the amusement park, which they did go to in the novels and manga.) I do admire that since Kido was the first to be struck this time, Kano charges at Kuroha. (In the manga Seto charges despite being shot twice... He's so brave. ;~; )


Unlimited Gear Works.

Hearing Marry's scream and her say the line: "I don't want to say goodbye" from the album crossfade was despairing... But then the cheesy "friendship speech" starts and it's like "Are we really doing this? =/ Shouldn't they all be dead by now anyway?" But someone later clarified that it was probably Ayano using Care Bear Stare her power to project the Dan's feelings to Marry - since technically they should've died after their snakes were removed. Doesn't make it any less cheesy, but at least it's a better explanation of how they "survived". She then summons Buddha Haruka(?) to save the day and Marry... Does stuff with the gears. (Okay apparently she had the snakes swallow up the whole fantasy world she created???)

So they all end up in the Haze. Kuroha makes pathetic noises as he watches his plans go up in smoke. I did like how sensei called him "aibou", and the saddest part for me is sensei had to die. =( I wanted a "sorry for being a bad dad" scene to happen and for them to be a family again...


Those kids can take care of themselves... We're off to a romantic evening with the stars!

Kuroha begs someone to make another wish... In a way I suppose it is a bit tragic for the Snake as well since it seems to just be struggling for its own survival by continuously granting the wishes of "wanting to see someone again". However, its new host's wish is what ultimately leads to its demise. My interpretation is that Konoha's selfless desire to rescue/protect (hey, is that why they chose Mamoru for the role? *shot*) someone - even at the cost of his own life(?) - is what was needed to end the cycle of despair. To that end, Konoha serves as a foil to Marry. Both of them wanted friends, but the innocent Marry could only weep whenever they died and naturally express the longing to repeat her time with them once more, whereas Konoha gave himself up so that everyone else - including Hiyori and Haruka - could survive and be together. "I want to save my friends" vs. "I want to be with my friends again"... The latter of which the Snake could twist to its own benefit by perpetuating a fantasy world where it could live forever. The only way to truly save them though was by getting rid of the Snake... So it melts hilariously into oblivion.

Oh yeah, CR's subs were off during Kuroha's dialogue as well, but what he really cried out as he was being sucked into the depths was that he didn't "want to become a replacement for her life". So it seems the Snake was passed onto Hiyori, allowing her to live. (Or maybe it just disappeared and restored her life by granting the wish?) Konoha's Snake (who I now think is the one really piloting his body, trying to fulfill Haruka's wish of "having friends"... starting to feel really bad for these Snakes now) presumably went back to Haruka('s soul?) then, or merged the two together or something. According to others, the reason Ayano was apparently also able to come back is because she had a Snake all along, but chose to stay in the Haze thinking she needed to prevent all the Snakes from gathering. Thinking of it this way, I can kinda accept her and Hiyori's return from an explanatory standpoint. (Better than a magical troll town anyway. *shot*) Do I think it invalidates her sacrifice and a lot of what the entire series stood for up to now? ...A little bit. But I'll talk about it later.


Mom... I've made lots of friends...

I do want to say I liked the scene of Marry talking to her mom, making cute HanaKana noises with that pretty BGM playing. (And Azami be all like "Imma not look at my daughter and granddaughter and just stand here with muh hair waving in the wind~") Shion's line, "The future has always been something created by children", is cliché but probably one of the main messages of the project. The children who have no adults they can rely on for help and feel powerless to change the future finally manage to break free and forge their own path... Though she's unsure of herself, Marry makes her own decision to take a step forward and live in the real world - whatever sad or happy experiences it may bring. The Kagerou Project is very much a coming-of-age story, and here is Marry's moment of growing up and facing her fears of losing everyone.


Yes... I'm really happy...

So finally we have Ayano and Shintaro on their "date". Damn Shitaro still wearing that shabby old jersey despite the heat... I know he does it because Ayano said it suited him, but feel free to switch it up once in a while when this girl got dressed up all nice for you. =3= Did he even change his shirt? He was wearing white in the song PV... (Also the way he sashays off at the end really makes him look like a queen. *shot*)


Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?

Conflicted as I am about Ayano's return (and ShinAya in general), at least we got lots of pretty Aya pics out of it. Tired at this point though and not gonna bother screencapping them all. Plus I'm sad we didn't get more Haruka x Takane interaction - or Konoha x Takane for that matter (the most that occurred was him jumping in front of the bullet to save her), since Haruka was the main focus of the Summer Time Record PV. The more I think about it, it feels like Konoha is really meant to be the "main character" of this story, which explains Shintaro thinking he sees Konoha's feet running. He still exists as a member of the gang in their hearts... Something like that.

It was nice to hear Summer Time Record sung by Jin himself at least (and Marry's 'completed' vocal track from the album - though CR hecked up again and randomly assigned "Shintaro" instead of "I"). He's surprisingly pretty good (better than he is at writing *shot*). The guitar he used was also signed by the entire cast, who according to interviews were apparently really friendly with each other. Unfortunately, the camaraderie that makes up this series just wasn't conveyed well/was overshadowed by the rushed and convoluted plot so there's no impact after the animé experience. As such I won't even link the song at this time.

While I can't bring myself to hate the animé when I love the ideas behind the source material so much, being blasé is the best I can manage now. Maybe if everything is explored better in the novels/manga or revealed to just be a dream I'll be more satisfied with this ending and come back to it with new comprehension + approval. For now though I'm just ready to move on myself.

*mumbles* I just wanted a good feels-y dead kids animé... Is that too much to ask? Shouldn't have been too hard to improve upon the others I've seen *cough*, but MCA's "adaptation" somehow ended up being way worse...


I still plan to make some more wrap-up posts, including the review of 09 that I missed and an overall rating for the animé (which I don't normally do but because I care about this project I also need to be thoroughly critical), as well as a summary of the entire series as I was introduced to it. Some of these may overlap, so it will take me a while to organize my thoughts.

P.S. @Midge: It's IA, not Miku.

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 07-13-2014 at 04:21 PM.
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Old 07-05-2014, 10:13 AM   #102
Lanturn
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With Mekaku City Actors having ended a week ago, I found the time and energy to sit down and write this final post of mine that would cover the final episode and the anime, as well as some thoughts/comments on Kagepro itself.

Firstly, Episode Twelve

Spoiler: show
Man, the final episode. So at the beginning we have the Dan running towards the camera in an epic manner. It really reminds me of Children Record, and Marry getting piggybacked by Seto was pretty cool. The Dan running together was really cool in general, so that's one nice scene.

So the scene where they meet zombie-dudes was pretty cool but at the same time it was... underwhelming in a way. Konoha is cool and all but at the same time he was kind of overpowered. I know Kamen likes him but I'm really "meh" towards him. He really had no troubles beating down the group of people. He went "ZIIIIIIP PAW" and then two down. What did Kido actually do anyways when she went invisible and darted forward? So Kano turning into a guy's illusion... I can't remember what it did but I don't think it did anything of great importance. And while the Marry/Momo combination is pretty cool, it's just... ugh repeated. The whole part just felt really flat and didn't really present any conflict. It's like you're watching a fighting anime where the main characters aren't even putting any effort to beat the baddies. It was just really... ugh. It's a nice scene but at the same time I felt it was really underwhelming and could've been more exciting. Seeing how they were presumably Kenjirou's subordinates, couldn't they have brought along some kind of scientific... thing that clears their powers, given how...

MANGA SPOILER
Spoiler: show
In the manga the Snake of Clearing Eyes (which should be in Kenjirou I think) could nullify the Dan's Eye Powers


Yeah, then they're moving towards to Sensei's HQ. Where Sensei greets them chill and tells a story of Marry, how her friends always died and she made a wish that would allow her to rewind time, so she could eventually find a way to let everyone live. I'm not sure what's with the Shintaro Ability itself, but I think it was somehow unlocked in one of the loops? So the Scene from Episode 9 (?) wasn't actually in current time, but another loop where Shintaro kills himself? How confusing but alright, it was pretty interesting.

Then Sensei shoots Konoha and he turns into... KUROHA! DUN DUN DUN. Kuroha, animated by low budget SHAFT animations, go around beating the Dan up, then strangling Seto, prompting Marry to unlock her QUEEN ABILITEH and then wee clocks bells stuff everywhere.

So one complaint here. What's the entire point of Black Konoha? I mean it was just suddenly thrown to us, no foreshadowing or anything. Snake-possessed Sensei doesn't even look different, but hey, Konoha turns... black! His shirt magically dyes to a different colour that screams I AM EVIL LOLOLOL and his eyes turn yellow.

Man, this doesn't really make sense for me. The thing I'm annoyed about is that it could've been KuroKido, or KuroSeto (I think the latter would actually be more impactful, given his relation with Marry) but no, it was KuroKonoha. I mean, sure the part was cool and all but I felt that Kuroha was made so the plot could later bring it forward with Haruka.

THE POWAH OF FRIENDSHIP! Why does Shintaro look weird in almost every shot? Also, the Power of Ayano's Love. A bit cheesy, but it almost confirms my beloved ShinAya!

So stuff, and everyone gets to the Kagerou World. Apparently, stuff happens. So Haruka and Konoha are two separate identities, where Haruka is the "Soul" trapped in the never-ending world, while Konoha is the empty shell? From what we've seen it confuses me, since it seems like those two are entirely different person, with Haruka's body still being /there/ in the Lab.

And Konoha makes a wish and takes the Snake down with him, and Hiyori is alive.

Marry's talk with Shion was pretty nice, but a bit cheesy.

So in the end, ShinAya so much in the park. And in the end shot...

Haruka is there, Hiyori is there.

While I sort of understand why Hiyori is there (Konoha made a wish to save her), Haruka confuses me. I'm going to guess that the rule for the Daze is not that you HAVE to be 2+ people to enter, but rather only one person may leave with the snake at one time. So Hiyori made it out with Konoha's(?) Snake, but how about Haruka? How did he manage to escape and get inside his body?

Also Ene getting back her body was unexplained.

Overall, an alright, if not a bit mehish, ending. The episode itself was pretty alright I guess, but 11 or 10 definitely was better by miles.


And with the 12 Episodes out of the way, let's do a final anime review!

Spoiler: show
So with Mekaku City Actors ending, I can't say I felt a little bit hollow inside. It's probably my fault from joining the hype train as one of the more devoted followers, but hey, the hype train was what made the anime fun in the first place. So in my opinion, I find that Mekaku City Actors was held down by a combination of writing problems, pacing and SHAFTness.

So Jin's writing is... eh. There are a lot of holes and habits I'm not exactly a huge fan of. First off, what was Headphone Actors? There are just so many interpretations, and I'm going off with the "Takane's Haze Experience" right now. According to yuki it hasn't been explicitly confirmed... which. Wow, is just not great. There's a difference between "inferring" and "shoving it in the beginning of the episode with lots of WTF points". I mean the timing was really poor, though I really didn't know how else they could've placed it. I really loved the Yuukei Yesterday part as well, so replacing that would make me sad.

Another huge nitpick - the entire Kagerou Days plot was lackluster for the "series's highlight". Not only did they left out one of the most important portion - which was Hiyori remembering how Hibiya died and how she died herself to prevent him from dying, making this a double time loop which they're saving one another, they also completely neglected Konoha's State of World - which was Konoha's view of Kagerou Days. So it was really awkward. HibiHiyo gets hit by a truck with Konoha, the snake eats all three of them up and suddenly Konoha just disappears right outside the Dan's place... yeah. They didn't even explain how Hibiya managed to get out, though I sort of think Jin skipped that part by not having a double-time loop in the first place, which is really... ugh.

Pacing problems! There really wasn't enough time to explain everything, but some stuff just seemed... forced? Like Takane somehow magically getting her body back. Either way, I thought some of the earlier episode were really wasted, and scenes that were really unneeded for the sake of "comedy" was there. I didn't mind the song Kisaragi Attention, but the classroom scene was really dragged out. So is Hibiya's so-called comedy scene... It just really isn't worth the time and could've been spent explain the more confusing stuff. I've always thought that the anime would be an adaptation of Kagepro that could clear up questions, but nope it just seems like a half-baked adaptation that took the lazy way out in a way (Kagerou Days). Had this been a bit longer, it could've been better, though I'm not sure if Jin/whoever does episode pacing can handle a longer time well. I mean the first few episodes were slow, and it only really picked up at the Ep10 or so zone.

Animation? Let's [EPISODE 9 MMD]

Despite my criticisms, at the end of the day it was still an enjoyable series and I'm giving it a 6. I liked the openings and the Kagepro songs, and the characters were really likeable. The Skype Chat also made this experience really awesome, so thanks to Yuki for setting stuff up and be our Danchou-san, and Lost for... doing stuff. Thanks to Kamen for all the mayo jokes and keeping the chat active when it wasn't usually active, and Cibbir for being a Shintaro. Thanks to Kaisa and Blaze and Everyone else in the chat for making this super fun and joyous. It was really nice while spending time in the Mekameka Chat. THANKS!


Coming next - Hiyori's Split Personalities Across Medias

now to hype up Hamtaro
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Old 07-07-2014, 09:35 AM   #103
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Speaking of which I remembered I should do a final character ranking of the Mekakushi Dan + Haruka/Takane/Hiyori

Drumrolls....
Spoiler: show
1. Seto
2. Momo
3. Marry
4. Ayano
5. Hiyori
6. Takane
7. Shintaro
8. Haruka = Ene
9. Kido
10. Konoha
11. Kano
12. Hibiya

Going from the top, Seto aka Deer Man is easily my favourite character from Kagepro. He's just really nice and is seriously awesome. Momo follows, having grown on me with a lot of moments in the anime, while Marry's moeness rounds up Top 3.

4th place is occupied by Ayano, who's just a great oneechan. People might be baffled at Hiyori being at 5th, but it's due to a huge bias because of the manga (which I will rage about when I find the time about Jin writing Hiyori). 6th is Takane, who's tsundereness gives her an edge over her counterpart and her boyfriendo, the pair of them tied at 8. Sandwiched is Shintaro at 7. Despite somewhat annoying moments sometimes, he's just really fun to make fun of with all the manwhore jokes.

9th is Kido, who I like as well but I like everyone (almost) so she sadly is pushed behind, and her song in the Vocaloid version isn't exactly the greatest. 10th is Konoha, who's just kinda... Well, doesn't fit my taste exactly. Kano is at 11th because I'm really meh towards him (all the crazy fangirls scare me as well ;;) while Hibitchya rounds off the list at 12th.
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Old 07-12-2014, 03:33 AM   #104
lilboocorsola
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Lil' Bluey

My motivation has been wavering over the past couple weeks for a number of reasons, but I'm going to continue with my review(s), whether people will read/care or not.

That said, let's start with 09 and go from there. Since I said most of what I wanted to at the time here, the main purpose of this post will be to provide background information on the characters that wasn't shown/help catch the story up to speed with the other mediums. Most of the songs I will consider separately, so this summary generally focuses on the novels with a few references to the manga. (Also please keep in mind this post that not every detail described here may universally apply.)


Graffiti Rangers, assemble!

Episode 09: Spoiler warning for the novels/manga. (+ comparisons to characters from other series)

Spoiler: show
Things open nicely enough with MILF Ayaka reading a bedtime story to her daughter, giving us a frame for the fairytale portions at the end.


Smiling baby Aya and a stuffed bunny. Damnit SHAFT stop trying to win me with cuteness. You know what you did next.

So yeah. The OP happens. I'm not gonna raeg about it anymore, but the one thing I want to stress again is that they skipped the part where Ayano gave the kids their hoodies as little "hero outfits". (Perhaps this explains why they also skipped the part where Seto gave Marry his original white hoodie in Kuusou Forest... *sigh*)


Cute Kano because I can.

Anyway, like I said I already mostly analyzed the "Graffiti Rangers" scene, so instead I'm going to take the opportunity to talk about the orphan trio one by one.


What are you staring at lolikon?

First up is #01 herself, Tsubomi Kido. The animé portrays her as more girly compared to the other versions, as evidenced by her reading what appears to be a fashion magazine and even keeping the frilly fancy skirt she wore originally. (Though it might just be SHAFT's laziness in not wanting to draw other outfits. *cough* Headphone Actor. *cough* Summer Time Record. *cough* Or maybe they thought it'd be simpler to recognize everyone in the same regular wear for TV. *shrug*) Kido actually comes from a rich family, however she was a bastard child thus the entire household looked down on her. Hence why she wanted to "disappear", or felt like she already had in the eyes of others. In that sense she very closely resembles Little Busters' Haruka Saigusa. The similarity likely extends to her relationship with her sister as well, who probably was only allowed limited interaction with Tsubomi and could only watch from afar as she was spat on by the rest of the family. Guiding Tsubomi to the exit and urging her to live her life, thinking she'll surely find people who can (better) watch over her, I'm sure the older one saw as her chance to finally act as a "big sister" for once. (Incidentally, it was their adulterous father who set fire to the house after he went bankrupt.) Kido was the most nervous of the three when she found out Ayano would be their sister, as it most likely reminded her of the one she lost.

As an aside, seeing Kido's also wearing a red muffler in the banner pic (Fire Sisters 2.0?) makes me recall another scene in the novel where Kido gives Kano her scarf when they first met outside the orphanage (since he was forced to wait outside in the cold while his relative spoke to the caretakers). *insert more clothing symbolism* While I don't think she was exactly spoiled, the fact she didn't recognize how expensive the gift was shows her upbringing. Though the servants treated her delicately due to the family drama, they must have still cooked and cleaned for her. It's impressive then how far she's come to be the leader who takes charge of all the housework chores.


I like how all the scenes we get with young Seto are of him crying.

As mentioned before, Kousuke Seto cried a lot as a kid. His parents were out of the picture since birth, so he was the first to arrive at the orphanage. There he was bullied a lot - in fact it was the other children who threw his dog Hanako into the river, and he dived in to try and save her. (Since he had trouble talking to people, he could only become friends with a dog, and wished to be able to communicate with others "without using words". There's a theme here of "be careful what you wish for"...) Gaining psychic powers as a result didn't help, in that he became like Kotoura from Kotoura-san - reading and repeating/replying to other people's private thoughts unwittingly. Even the staff would refer to Room #107 as the "Monster Room", especially after "ghost girl" Kido showed up. (Normally the living facilities aren't co-ed, but since there was no other open space and the three were like the youngest anyway they ended up together.) Seto's overly demure nature didn't win him any favors with Kido at first either. Due to her past, Kido retains a grudge against "keigo" or "polite speech" since people would use it to insult her to her face. She would get angry with Seto for normally utilizing it, eventually stating "friends don't use keigo with each other", so he made an effort to change and ended up adopting the weird "-ssu" tic instead. (I'll elaborate more on how his personality develops when I get to the PVs.) Before she warmed up to the boys and explained why she was so upset, Seto considered Kano to be his first real human "friend" (and vice-versa, though Kano met Kido first and thought of her as "Friend #1" - becoming overwhelmed with emotion when she finally responded to him calling her name), and timid as he was felt the need to tearfully ask for confirmation if they were.


Blushing Kano is best Kano.

So then we come to Shuuya Kano. Kano, Kano, Kano. ...Where to begin with this boy?

Okay, first of all, Kano was abused by his biological mother. He still loved her immensely though, and would do anything to please her - he died trying to save her/stop the robbers from taking her jewelry, apologizing for being "useless and stupid" and wishing she thought just once in the end, "I'm so glad I gave birth to that kid". As such he's developed a low sense of self-worth and warped view of relationships. He admits as much that he projects his mother's image onto Ayano, which is why he could never go against her wishes. His desperation for love and attention means he'll put up with any sort of pain - physical or emotional - so long as the other party doesn't hate him. Which sort of puts an uncomfortable spin on Kido's beatings... At the same time, it's a reassurance that she cares to see past the façade he puts on in order to "hide his scars" (literal and internal), as pain is what cancels out his ability. When he's hiding his tears over their foster mother's death, Kido puts a stop to his compulsive lying with a punch, declaring "I'll keep on beating you up in the future as well". He puts his faith in the happiness he still has with his remaining family... Only to have it slowly stripped away from him again and again by the Satan Snake. (It has an official name btw but I'll use Talon's for simplicity.)

Yet, he still chooses to shoulder the responsibility all on his own. I said before that Kano actually used to act more as the leader of the group (and still does, according to the author). When the other two would sit and cry over their situation at the orphanage, Kano would organize meetings to try and improve it. He'd even go around observing cats outside the orphanage so that he could turn into one to help cheer them up (having noticed they both like animals). ...Though this didn't exactly help their reputation, since the way his power works in the novel is that he needs to know the look, feel, and smell of a living creature (which he is only limited to - he can't, for instance, turn into an airplane - though he tried once when discovering his power) in order to imitate it. Yes, he became known as the "weird kid who sniffs cats". ...This also means he must have smelled Haruka. The Deceiver, ladies and gents.

It's for this reason I believe the "female version" of Kano in his PV might actually be based on his mother (despite her being depicted with short hair in SHAFT's stained glass image - hey they already misrepresented her relationship with her son). His maturity likely stems from the fact he had to take care of himself at home from a young age. After his mother died, his only desire was to grow up fast and become an adult so as not to burden others. (His first thought after the plane attempt was how he would've compensated for any damages caused had he succeeded. Rather than an Itsuki Koizumi, he reminds me more of the titular protagonist from Natsume Yuujinchou crossed with Izumi's backstory from Full Moon wo Sagashite's manga.) But to be an adult, he thinks (in part due to corruption by the Snake), you have to lie in order to protect yourself and the ones you care about. Who knows how much of what he says is really the truth, when he claims to not even know himself anymore. His narration is unreliable to the point where it was only revealed in the animé (as well as recently in the manga) that Kano himself was probably meaner to Seto than he let on/partly at fault for Seto running away from home. (And subsequently meeting a "cute girl", lol.) The manga lets us know it was out of concern though that he scolded Seto for still not being able to keep his powers in check, triggering his brother to run off. (Kano was able to master his pretty quickly, and Kido eventually learned to control hers so she could sneak up on the guys when they were discussing "certain things".) While he may often have good intentions, Kano's way of handling issues tends to drive a rift between him and others. See Ene's and a later example I'll bring up.


"It's okay. It'll be okay."

I'm not quite done scrutinizing Kano yet (and never will be - damn sad clown archetypes with too many layers), but let's move on to the next scene. Ayaka's death signaled the beginning collapse of happiness for all of them. Kano, who had just finally gained the will to enjoy life and his childhood, finds himself losing a mother again and soon thrust into a cruel adult world along with his siblings - "as if conspired to be". Kido, who probably admired Ayaka most of all, says what's on his/all their minds: "I thought we finally had a chance to be happy..." Only for it all to come crumbling down. Ayano the big sister tries her hardest to keep their family from falling apart, but eventually they lose her as a pillar of support as well. Her words "It'll be okay" are echoed by Seto in episode 11, who gives Kano the comfort he needs and allowed the others to have before him. Despite their disagreements, they will always stick together as family, and I think that's one of the strongest aspects of this story.

I want to take a moment to remark on the uniforms the kids are wearing. In the novels, Kano explains they ended up not attending school for very long since they couldn't adjust to the environment. The three cried for an entire night in frustration, having wasted the textbooks and encouragement their parents gave them. Whether it was altered for TV to streamline the story or show the variations between routes I don't know, but it doesn't change the fact that these kids are constantly giving their all to earn and maintain the Tateyamas' affection.

For that matter, another major difference is that in the novels, the children (including Ayano) were unaware their parents knew of their powers. They had thought the "Mekakushi Dan" was their own little secret that they only shared with their sister, keeping their abilities hidden for fear of being kicked out. They're good kids who simply require guidance, but are too afraid to ask for it.


Kano is clearly envious unimpressed with the size of Shitaro's fish.

Skipping the rest since it's not really relevant at this point or I already examined it in my previous post, the other major thing I want to touch on is the dynamic between Kano and Shintaro. Kano has disliked Shintaro since the day they "met". ...Probably because the guy was an irresponsible dick despite being older, but it could also have something to do with Kano's feelings towards his older sister - whether as a possible romantic interest or simply out of protectiveness. (He assures that if ever Ayano got a boyfriend with "questionable motives", the entire family would go and beat him to a bloody pulp. ...I believe it.) Whatever the case, there's a history of hidden resentment from Kano's side. And it comes to a head when he's walking home after pretending to be his sister's corpse, still disguised as her. He runs into Shintaro, who chides "Ayano" for crying over what he believes is because of remedial lessons... To this Kano snaps and tells Shintaro coldly: "It's all your fault for not noticing anything."

The next day Shintaro finds out his closest friend killed herself.

Kano's cutting words are likely what drove the nail into the coffin that caused Shintaro to break over intense remorse and become a shut-in. The worst part is that neither of them really deserve that much blame for what they did. Everyone got hurt horribly in the heat of the moment. The two especially suffered the most over Ayano's death, not knowing how to deal with the grief and guilt aside from lashing out at themselves and others. Like many of the parallels in this series, they truly are two sides of the same coin. Which is perhaps why it pisses Kano off so much to see Shintaro moving on while he stays stuck in the past. As I added onto the end of my reply to Lanturn here, it's suggested novel Kano confronts Shintaro directly in the present instead of Ene, taking on Ayano's guise again to taunt him. Kayano accuses Shintaro of forgetting "something important" and failing to save her. It remains unclear what Kano's full intentions behind this act might have been, or if it was even real or imagined. It's possible he might have been trying to help trigger something related to Shintaro's power. (Someone observed it only fully activated for the first time in the animé when Shintaro finally said Ayano's name, when he's avoided referring to her as such in all the other mediums. There have been flashes of memories from preceding routes, for example when Kido was explaining their background Shintaro already guessed their powers gave them a hard time at the orphanage.)

I imagine part of it at least was his own venting though. After all, he also exploited Momo's image beforehand. It probably bothers him more to see Shintaro display such concern for his own sister. In the manga when Shin steps up to defend her from Kano's "flirting" during their "first" meeting, Kano flashes a strained smile, as if both annoyed and amused that the random jerk he hated so much back then decides to play the "hero" now. (At least that's how I interpret the scene given the above context.)

The novel route has last left off with Kano, Seto, and Takane (who's just been restored to her body) returning to the Base after Kano confessed everything to Seto. (FYI, this did not take place in the graveyard, which the gang never went to aside from Kano in the novel to visit Ayaka's grave instead.) Kano wonders if "Nee-chan" is watching over them now, informing her that he will continue to play "secret organization" with everyone, and talk to Shintaro. He asks her to wait for them, promising they will come rescue her. It remains to be seen whether they will succeed there, and how Shintaro will react upon finding out the truth.


Thank you if you've read so far up to now. The next time the signal sounds... I'll tell you an even stranger story.

P.S. The full cover of Kisaragi Attention is now available.

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 07-13-2014 at 04:22 PM.
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Old 07-17-2014, 10:53 AM   #105
Talon87
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So ... it's no secret that Mekakucity Actors was disappointing to some viewers. I've had a difficult time motivating myself to write posts about a series which has wrapped up and which, to top it off, I wasn't too thrilled about. But I didn't hate the series either. And since I've held off reading others' posts until writing my own posts up, it's had the unfortunate consequence in this particular case of me not being able to stoke conversation about the series while it aired. It's a bit too late now, but I'm going to go back to the first posts I've yet to read, read them, and reply to them here. Then I'll try to squeeze out my thoughts on Episodes 11 and 12, read your posts on those episodes, and reply to those as well.

Replies to thoughts on Episode 09:

Spoiler: show
I obviously agree with Lanturn, Yuki, and anybody else who expressed disappointment with the animation during the "Ayano's Theory of Happiness" segment. I'm not interested in excuses: it was hideous and distracting.

I thought the secret underground facility at school was silly too. One big problem I have with it is that the show elsewhere implies that the snake controlling Sensei only takes hold of him from dusk 'til dawn. If this means that Tateyama-sensei is in control of his faculties during the daytime, and if it also means that he has no memories of what he's done as Evil Sensei during the evening hours, then:
  1. Shouldn't that mean that he has no idea about the underground secret base?
  2. Shouldn't that mean that he wouldn't be going out of his way, during the day, to prevent people at school from exploring and discovering his lair?
  3. And shouldn't that then mean that a janitor, wandering student, or random faculty member would discover the secret lair and report it?
It's all kinds of silly. How do you build a base like that on school property without anyone finding out? I'm not sure how much of this is Shaft's fault (for making the secret base look immensely huge and hi-tech) and how much of it is Jin's (for writing the secret base to be that big and/or that advanced), but it looks like something out of a science-fiction story with aliens from an advanced civilization. It doesn't even look like something that one spirit-possessed man could build all on his own. Where did he get the money? Where did he get the supplies? And how did he build it without anyone seeing him do it?

Yuki's information about the origins of the orphans' hoodies and why they would wear such thick clothing even in the summer is appreciated. I never really gave it much thought, to be honest, but it's true: hoodies would be rather stifling in the sweltering summer heat, so why wear them? It's a shame that this wasn't explained better by Shaft. In fact, it's a little surprising to me that Shaft not only cut the scene from the AToH segment but that they didn't even animate the kids in hoodies afterwards. Like, how late in their lives with Ayano did they receive the hoodies, Yuki? If it was an early gift, then Shaft really mis-animated the whole thing. If it was a later gift, then never mind.

What evidence do you have that Tateyama-sensei is supporting the orphan trio financially after they leave his house? I don't remember seeing anything that would suggest that he even knows if they're alive or dead, much less that he knows the routing number to their bank account and can deposit money there for them. Besides: while it's a hard sell that Seto could make enough money to support four children working the sorts of jobs that unskilled child laborers can manage, the fact that Seto is working to support them would seem to imply that they're not being given money by Sensei since, I would think, if Sensei were to give the kids any money at all then he would give them the full amount of money necessary for them to get by (food, clothes, rent) without having to work.

Replies to thoughts on Episode 10:

Spoiler: show
In his post for Episode 09, Lanturn brought something up which I also mentioned to Yuki on Skype: Azami's curious role in Haruka's death at the hospital. Just about everything besides that scene supports the idea that Azami is a nice person. The storybook segments at the end of each episode gently support it while Episode 10 strongly supports it. Episode 10 also demonstrates that Azami and the snake that is inside of Tateyama-sensei are not friends or allies anymore. Azami is clearly shown doing her best to thwart the snake, and the snake is shown doing his part to subdue Azami. So why, then, does Azami appear to be an ally of the snake's in the hospital scene where she destroys Haruka's body and replaces it with the homonculus named Konoha?

LOL, Lanturn picked up on how the snake sounded just like Miyano Mamoru (Dent from Pokémon Best Wishes, Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club, and of course Haruka from Mekakucity Actors) too. It is kinda hard to miss if you watched Best Wishes though, I'll admit. A combination of a distinctive voice and a voice you heard weekly for three years.

I *THOUGHT* MARRY LIVED IN A SMALL CABIN OUT IN THE WOODS! There's very little I saw of KagePro before watching Mekakucity Actors, but one of the earliest things Yuki showed me years ago was a Kuusou Forest-related video or picture (probably the music video itself) that showed Marry staring out of what appeared to be a window to a small cabin in the woods. I didn't question it that much when I saw Episode 10 myself, but augh ... now it all makes sense! D: More Shaft "we'll draw what we want! X3" bullshit! >_< Dammit! Gosh, the tower wasn't honestly that bad imo -- I could buy that such a beautiful tower might have been built -- but the simple log cabin makes so much more sense. Gah. Dammit, Shaft. You had one job -- faithfully bring KagePro to life -- and you blew it! Again and again and again! >_<

Yuki's comment about Azami's apparent death being a shocker ... yeah! I definitely thought that she had died, though obviously I hadn't ruled out anything yet. ("It's not over 'til it's over!") But hearing you say that "the scene where Shion is crying over her mother's body was long hinted at in one of the PVs - but the entire fandom completely misinterpreted it until now" is pretty interesting. :o I guess it just goes to show you how sometimes things can be hidden right under everyone's noses for the longest time when the presentation is deliberately vague.

Getting to see Azami use all of her powers was indeed awesome.

Seto's ancestor was indeed a mix of O_o and . Though has it been confirmed for certain that this was Seto's ancestor and not merely Shaft being playful?

You really loved this episode, didn't you, Yuki? XD

I've been wondering about Marry's father for a while but the thought never once crossed my mind that it might have been Tsukihiko. Thanks. (Nah, I remain confident that the tombstone thing was a Shaft fuck-up.)

Glad to see you guys liked the insert song's animation. I guess I'm the only one here who was severely underwhelmed by the scene, both in its content and in its visual presentation. ^^;

Quote:
Oh, and it's less obvious in this video, but as seen in the one Lanturn linked - Marry's hair is somewhat sentient/has a life of its own, being descended from Medusa after all. XP (That's why the kidnappers were interested in it.) It wiggles when she's happy, like a puppy. =3
What!? :o No way! That's adorable! I never noticed that.

Not sure I agree with your/the fans' interpretation of Marry's power's potency though. Like, I would have been willing to roll with it had petrification been a genetic (i.e. a non-snake) power of Azami's lineage, but Episode 10 implies that petrification is one of the seven serpent powers; and the entirety of the series implies that the other children have no problem using their snake powers at full capacity even though they are 0% Medusa; and so I don't think you can really explain it away that the reason Marry only immobilizes people rather than turning them to stone is because she's 75% human.

Putting it another way, if we are to roll with this theory, then we have to crucify Jin for being a poor writer. Because the thing is, if Marry can only use her snake power at 25% power because she's only a quarter Medusa, then Jin ought to have written the story such that Kido couldn't disappear anywhere near as well as Azami could, that Momo couldn't draw people's attention anywhere near as well as Azami could, that Seto couldn't read people's minds anywhere near as well as Azami could, etc. And that's not what was shown. What was shown was that Seto and Azami's mind-reading power is about equal. That Momo and Azami's "Hey! Over here! " distraction power is about equal. That Kido's and Azami's ability to vanish is about equal. So on and so forth. Shouldn't that not be the case if we're going to argue that the amount of Medusa blood you have coursing through your veins determines how well you can use a snake's power?

Though I guess there is another problem -- and that's the problem of whether petrification is even a snake power or not. Like I said: Episode 10 makes it seem like petrification is mixed in with the other snake powers and thus is a snake power. But at the same time we also know that Azami had not given Shion any of her snakes. That the snakes were all trapped with Azami in the other dimension. So like, if Shion was snakeless, then how the heck did she petrify Marry's attackers? This would seem to support the fan interpretation that petrification is a genetic property of Azami's lineage ... but that then leaves unanswered the question of what snake-power Marry had. (And don't tell me her snake-power was "to naturally attract all of the other snakes to her side." )

I dunno ... maybe that is the explanation. That Marry's snake-power is to attract the other snakes. But I really dislike that. ^^; And would have to chalk that up to poor writing by Jin and poor delivery by Shaft. The poor delivery by Shaft is, don't mix in a genetic power with snake powers and have Azami use the same language to describe them both. That's confusing. The poor writing by Jin is, why would you not make it so that the snake whose power is "I attract everyone's attention! " (i.e. Momo's snake) is also the snake which, per its power of attraction, draws the other snakes towards it? In fact, might that not have made better sense for Marry? That she lives out in the middle of nowhere but because of her power of attraction she draws birds, squirrels, and eventually Seto towards her? That she's an incredibly shy girl yet ironically is burdened with a power that draws everyone's attention? I dunno ...

Funny that weeks after the show ends I finally learn what Marry's last name is. And you were right: it wasn't really much of a spoiler. ^^; *eh heh?*

Last edited by Talon87; 07-17-2014 at 11:00 AM.
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Old 07-17-2014, 12:23 PM   #106
lilboocorsola
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>09

Spoiler: show
All I can say about the lab is that the animé is the first time it was revealed to be beneath the school. It's stated in the show that the Snake was gathering funds - presumably to build the facility and hire henchmen. In the novels it's explained that the Snake also has influence over the police and authority figures. How it accomplished this I don't know.

As for the hoodies, you saw in the AToH PV she gave them to the children when they were still small.

I may have jumped the gun on saying Tateyama (or Kenjirou I guess I may as well call him now) is supporting the kids, since Kano goes on to say in 11 that they didn't want to be a burden on him anymore. He must have signed off on the apartment though... Or wherever it is they're living now. *looks at SHAFT*


>10

Spoiler: show
Re: Shion crying over her mother's body

She was mistaken for Marry crying over the loss of her friends in the Konoha's State of the World PV. (It also hinted at other things such as Momo's drowning and Ayaka's relationship to the original trio, plus Ene's past identity as Takane.) Looking closely, you can tell the bangs are different and there are what appear to bookshelves in the background.

Re: Seto's ancestor

Nothing's been confirmed, but it seems the likely explanation. *shrug* Maybe that's what Jin meant by the promise we'd get to see more of Seto. >.>

Re: Liking the episode

It was cute, and good by the standards of the show. I had just read most of the Azami segements in the novel, which is why I had a ton of information to offer. Imagination Forest (as I still typically refer to it as) itself admittedly holds a soft spot in my heart for being one of the first songs to get me into the project (the other being Kagerou Days). Partly as a result it naturally makes me want to cry everytime I hear it, now knowing how something so happy and sweet ended up being the source of so much despair. I did almost tear up when the music grew louder - as if bursting with joy - at the part that always gets me: Hearing how excited she is on meeting Seto and the thought of getting to see the world, yet what's waiting for them outside the forest is...

Re: Snake Powers

The way I understand it, Marry's "Staring Eyes" (目を合わせる) seems to just be a name attributed to her inborn Medusa power and is not associated with any of the Snakes. The Queen Snake that Azami gave to Marry grants her the "Combining Eyes" (目を合体される), which allows her to combine and control all the Snakes, as well as the Heat Haze. When the Snakes are combined, Marry becomes a full-fledged Medusa, and gains the ability to turn back time.

According to Azami's diary (which Marry/Kenjirou? is seen holding in the OP and throughout the series), she created the never-ending world using 10 Snakes. It's unclear whether this is the total number of Snakes she had in her possession, but I believe this explanation makes sense if each of the nine members of the Dan + Kenjirou receives a single Snake, and the rest of Marry's "powers" are attributed to her Medusa status. Don't quote me on this though.

Edit- I realized this doesn't account for Ayano's power. So it's possible the Satan Snake is considered separately from the others, merely being the instigator and not involved with the creation of the world. Or there may be more to the origin of Shintaro's Snake, given that he received it from Marry instead of Azami.

Re: Attraction

While Marry doesn't have the ability to attract others, Kano did state the Snakes will naturally gather around their Queen. So that could be considered a byproduct effect I suppose. The manga is currently covering the Shounen Brave/Souzou Forest arc, and it just revealed that normal people should not be able to enter the area where Marry is residing. The fact Seto had an eye power is what allowed him to gain access.

Incidentally, the way Momo's "Captivating Eyes" (目をうばう) works is that not only can she focus people's attention on herself, but under full control she can direct it elsewhere, as seen in the last episode. She is also able to sense where people's attentions are already focused in the surrounding area (as visualised by SHAFT's diagram in episode 03). Azami used to use this skill to avoid people's eyes as she traveled, so it can basically be used in reverse if handled properly.

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 07-27-2014 at 10:36 PM.
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Old 07-17-2014, 03:55 PM   #107
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Episode 11:

Spoiler: show
This episode contains much of what is right and what is wrong with Mekakucity Actors, both as a Shaft animation project as well as as a story. Let's dive right into it, shall we?


The rooftop scene where Ayano confronts the snake possessing her father was one of the best-animated scenes Shaft offers in the twelve-episode run. That isn't to say that it was ufotable-level good or anything, but it was still miles ahead of the lowest points we've seen from this show. In fact, it offered so many pretty pictures that I couldn't even decide on which ones to go with for this section.


One thing which characterizes the animation in this scene is how powerful a little linework and shading can be. I think that's the single greatest difference between a picture like the one of Ayano telling the snake that he's crazy (above) and pictures like we've seen elsewhere in MCA that look much less well drawn. The KagePro character designs haven't changed, they're still there. And Shaft's general approach to how to draw these characters hasn't changed either. If I were to show you any one of the pictures above, then show you ten random pictures -- nine of which are fanart by different gifted artists and one of which is another Shaft drawing of the character -- and ask you to identify which of the ten was drawn by Shaft, you could probably do it 99 times out of 100. And yet ... you can still tell with the work that went into the rooftop scene in Episode 11 that there is something different, something wonderfully different about how Shaft is drawing things. It looks good. Maybe not great, but it looks good. I really wish the entire show could've looked this good. But at least KagePro fans got to see it period. At least they don't have to continue to wonder, "What might KagePro look like if it were competently animated?" Here you go, guys. The rooftop scene answers that question for you.


It was nice to finally find out what Ayano's plan was, how she died, etc. I was somewhat surprised by the plot twist:
  • what we were told: Ayano committed suicide
  • what I had expected: that she was actually murdered by her father
  • what really happened: Ayano performed an act of self-sacrifice rather than teenage depressive suicide; however, she was the one who made the move, not someone else
While we may have been told again and again about how dumb the girl is, this scene showed just how courageous and noble Ayano was.

Though I'm not entirely clear on how her plan worked. I asked Yuki about this weeks ago and she explained. But since I've forgotten her answer since then, I may as well ask it again. Ayano mentioned how if someone with a snake inside of them were to die then the snake inside of Sensei would be fucked over. But the thing is, we'd never seen any proof of Ayano having a snake inside of her up until and through this point. It's not until we meet Afterlife Ayano that we see an Ayano with red eyes. So I really don't understand how/why her suicide would have worked given that she didn't have red eyes yet when she did it.

Also, I thought that in order to get a snake into our world there had to be two. Hence why it's always been happening that way; I figured it was a requirement and not pure coincidence. Someone who stays behind and someone who gets spit back out. While I could see two going in and this time the snake-bearer is the one who chooses to remain behind (screwing Satan Snake over), Ayano entered alone, so ... :\


I'll admit: I was pleased at first by the gut-wrenching plot twist that the snake smiles when Ayano kills herself. I liked it because it suggested, in a rather horrifying manner, that Ayano was "dumb 'til the end" and that she had made a huge oversight. That while everything she'd said had been correct to a point, there was something she hadn't realized -- and thus she killed herself for nothing. "Stupid girl." It would have been super tragic but it also would have fit super well with what we'd been told all series long -- that Ayano is dumb.

The flipside of this point is that I was disappointed when (small spoiler):

Spoiler: show
the series ended and it still hadn't been explained what it was that made the snake smile there, what it was that Ayano hadn't considered as she plummeted to her death. Like, it's kinda pointless to be all "Oops! She goofed!" only for the series to end without any evidence of her actually having goofed.


Earlier in the episode, we see Shintarou committing suicide by impaling his neck with scissors. Then later in the episode, in a "different timeline" (as hinted at by Satan Snake inside of Uncle Kenjirou), we see that same pair of scissors still on Shin's bed, suggesting that in this timeline he might have heard Momo's singing and went to check it out rather than kill himself. Except ... the end of the episode then happens, wherein we see Ayano in the empty classroom from Episode 01 ... and Shintarou joins her there, to her mixed delight and sorrow. The scene would seem to suggest that he committed suicide after all and thus has wound up where Ayano wound up. But it's ... still not very clear to me why he would have committed suicide or what has happened that would have led him to reach the conclusion that suicide = the way out of this mess.

One thing I didn't realize about this scene until writing up this very post was the fact that ... (Episode 12 spoilers)

Spoiler: show
whenever Marry has reset the clock, presumably she's only been resetting it for our dimension, not for the dimension in which Ayano is located. And thus while our heroes have been reliving the same summer again and again and again, poor Ayano has probably had one continuous temporal experience wherever she's trapped. Has she been there for years? Decades? Centuries? Who can say. But the point is, while we already knew that she had been waiting for Shintarou for no less than two years, it's quite possible that she's been waiting for him for as many as thousands. Man. It all depends on whether this is Ayano's first time seeing Shintarou (which Episode 12 seems to suggest it is) or whether the two of them have met multiple times over the millennia.


So, Takane. If Ayano's scene was great and if Shintarou's, while good, made me confused, Takane's is where we clearly make the jump from good to bad. Because with this scene ... I have no idea what the fuck was going on. It would appear that Ene managed to get back inside of her original body somehow. (WHY WAS THIS NEITHER SHOWN NOR EXPLAINED?) And, even weirder to me, that the other Kagerous instantly recognized her and didn't think it the least bit strange that she was back to being Takane again. Uhhhhhhhh ...


Kido's, Momo's, and Hibiya's abductors: not really clear what this is all about either. Shaft's animation choices obscure it to a great degree too. :\ And speaking of animation choices ...


Shaft's shit animation. UGH at the lazy bones, low budget-style approach to animating non-Kagerous in such scenes! Yes, let's just draw everyone with white fields and black lines, no color at all. The fans will LOVE THAT!

But it isn't just non-Kagerous! The apex of the horrible animation was perhaps when Konoha leapt up into the sky with Marry riding piggyback. Heeeeeer faaaaace ... just hoooooorribly animated. Absolutely awfully animated. The expressions she made were fine. I have no problem with those. It's the drawing I'm talking about! Awful! Just awful! >_<


But worst of all -- worse than the animation -- was the pacing in the second half of the episode. It ... was ... ridiiiiiiiiiiiiiculous. Anyone who's ever seen the Unlimited Blade Works movie and played the Fate/stay night visual novel will know what I mean when I say, "This was like the UBW movie." And for those who don't I can just spit it out: the pacing was far too fast and was clearly written to hit all of the most crucial, un-axe-able plot points as quickly as possible for lack of time. This is what happens when you try to tell a story like Mekakucity Actors in only twelve episodes and don't budget your time properly. If earlier weeks already had Yuki frustrated about how fast we were blazing through the plot, I can only imagine what she thought of the second half of Episode 11. I already complained about Takane's scene above in its own separate paragraph, but her scene along with all of the other (non-Shin, non-Aya) Kagerous' scenes in the second half were just stupidly fast. I feel like we covered no less than two full episodes' worth of material in less than half of an episode. And we didn't do it in the feels-good way of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, no. This felt clumsy. This felt forced. This felt super rushed. It was bad. It was just plain, plain bad.
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Old 07-17-2014, 04:56 PM   #108
lilboocorsola
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Lil' Bluey

>11

Spoiler: show
Re: Ayano's plan

She did not already possess a Snake. She willingly went into the Haze in order to obtain a Snake and prevent them from gathering in the real world. Having two people enter at the same time may or may not have anything to do with receiving a power/escaping.

Re: Takane

The reason Ene's restoration to her body wasn't explained is because a. time constraints, as you said, and b. it also was not shown in the novel. I just mentioned this earlier in my 09 post, but the most latest development in the novel route is Takane appearing before Kano and Seto after their 'talk', and the three are about to return to the Base. There was no kidnapping plot, and she has not reunited with the other members of the Dan yet. Whether the next or a future installment will provide an explanation or not remains to be seen.

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 07-17-2014 at 09:11 PM.
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Old 08-15-2014, 11:03 AM   #109
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Lil' Bluey

Yuki's Lil Big Kagepro Masterpost

"Being 'alone,'
Doesn’t mean that 'no one is around you,'
But rather, it means, 'you are not connected to anyone.'"
-Jin/Shizen no Teki-P (Children Record commentary)

There are two major overarching themes of the Kagerou Project:

1) Connections

2) Moving On (or so I thought up until the animé - but this post is not a discussion of Mekakucity Actors, though there will be references to it)

Everything can mostly be subcategorized under one of these two headings. "Connections" is purposefully a blanket term - it includes friendship, familial connections, connections to people and events we never knew we had... While I've seen several stories that often place emphasis on one over the other, the Kagerou Project is perhaps the first I've encountered that incorporates and focuses on all these aspects as a whole.

I'd like to emphasize that this is all my personal stance on the subject, and my views are not representative of the entire fanbase. Kagepro is a series that is highly open to viewer interpretation, so it's understandable that opinions will differ even without taking individual tastes into account. Its world is so expansive though that it tends to have something to offer almost everyone (which is perhaps both a strength and weakness of the franchise).

That being said, the purpose of this post is not to provide an unbiased summary of the project, but to explain my overall experience and impressions. It is not intended as a spoiler-free introduction. In the interest of conciseness, I will be skipping certain songs and focus mainly on the ones with PVs, since the movies are the source of most entertainment and speculation. I will also try to minimize repeating points I've made before. If you're looking for a full overview of the entire project (including when to start with the LN/manga), I suggest checking out this link Akanjăo provided (though I will now take the opportunity to clarify some of the information presented in it). There are probably other guides fans have written that are more comprehensive than mine.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I will go through the PVs roughly in the order I was introduced (with some alterations) and give my own commentary on each. So let's start with #1... While I don't recall whether it was exactly the first PV that I saw, it is the most famous and thus deserves to serve as forerunner - especially since it has not yet been linked in the thread.

Kagerou Days/Daze

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A song that will overwhelm your eyes."

It was purely on a whim one day that I began browsing YouTube looking for Vocaloid videos. While I didn't care much for Vocaloid aside from one song or two, I was aware some of the PVs could be interesting. Being bored with nothing better to do, I searched for some to simply occupy my time, and one of the ones I came across was the above. I first watched it without subs so my only reaction initially was: "Vocaloid producers sure do favor little girls getting hit by trucks."

After coming back to it later and understanding the story, I grew more appreciative of it. I link Wannyanpuu's fan-made PV first rather than the official version since it is the method that hooked many people such as myself in (even though I wasn't terribly impressed by the visuals back then compared to other artists). Though parts of it have been proven to be inaccurate (for example, Hiyori's design and personality + the existence of mirror images), it captures the crux of "a boy and a girl trying to rescue each other from repeated death". It is that secondary twist of the victim trying to simultaneously rescue the savior that takes it a surprising step further than other instances of death-time loops, which was sadly missing from the animé.

P.S. This haunting nico chorus is also a recommended alternative to awful synth-singing.


The other earliest song I can remember seeing is the one featuring our favorite fluffball...

Souzou/Kuusou Forest

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story about seeing eye-to-eye."

I believe it was Baru's version of Imagination Forest I first stumbled upon. Again, I first watched it without subs (the one I just linked does contain them) and so had very little context. But the tune stuck in my head, and when I looked up the original I saw people chatting in the comments section about a manga. I also learned that it was related to the Kagerou Days video, and needless to say I was confused but intrigued. I then made a note to check out some of the other songs belonging to the series. While I thought the idea of a moe Medusa was a bit silly (and still do), the story was cute as a stand-alone and I was curious how it tied into a grander arc. Little did I know how significant this meeting would be both within the universe and for myself...

Having already talked at length about this PV in previous posts, the one thing I want to add is that the version Lanturn linked - titled "Fantasy Forest" - is not simply a remake/remastering as the author of the guide Akanjăo referred to suggests. I have heard Jin stated the two versions were intentionally different, thus giving the first early hints of a repeating time loop.


There was one other noteworthy PV I recall watching before delving into the manga:

Toumei Answer

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story where one averts their eyes."

Like the previous two, this is another song that works as a strong one-shot while also increasing interest to know more. It introduces the "protagonist" of the story: Shintaro Kisaragi. I feel he is one of the most relatable members of the cast, in the sense of seeing someone - a friend - who's in trouble but being unable to help. Shintaro embodies the social awkwardness of anyone who's avoided a problem until it's too late. Being scared to confront his own feelings - let alone try to approach another's despite caring about them - is a common regret that weighs deeply on his soul, but drives him to not make the same mistake by abandoning the Mekakushi Dan. At the same time, meeting them and making new friends - forming "connections" with others - is what gives Shintaro a new lease on life, just as Ayano once brought him back from the brink of despair due to isolation.

It is a shame that Shintaro's backstory is barely touched on in any of the media aside from this exclusive album track, as it explains his motivations and makes him a much more sympathizable character, whereas I find him rather bland and detestable otherwise. (Though he seems as much aware of his own boringness, which in turn leads him to feel worthless and reject attempts at interaction, covering up with pride. Despite being "intelligent", Shintaro illustrates that depression can strike anyone.) I would have disliked him right off the bat when I began reading the manga had I not gone in with this prior knowledge.


By association, another PV also "caught my attention". Har har.

Kisaragi Attention

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A song where all eyes are on you."

While not as memorable as many others, Momo's PV does have a certain colorful charm to it. I didn't think much of it at first, especially since the vocals were so grating (Miku's in Kagerou Days were bad enough), but now only the way IA sings "you are not alone" fills me with warm satisfaction in a manner humans can't imitate. The power of first exposure/familiarity, I guess.

The important point I took from this video is that it established the concept of "children with special powers". As a world-building tool, I thought Momo's ability was pretty fascinating, since "animal attraction" is fairly unique in fiction, and more rarely seen as a curse. Using it to rise to the top as an idol was a neat idea, but then causes her to question her talents. (The same could be said of Shintaro now that his Snake is revealed to be the source of his excellent memory - another example of connecting parallels.) It is only when Momo makes some real friends who understand her condition that she gains the confidence to perform to her heart's content, to enjoy singing as much as others enjoy it - no matter the reason behind their adoration.

P.S. The YT description also taught me that she and Shintaro were siblings, so no surprises there.


From here, the order in which I investigated the other PVs that were already released doesn't make a big difference (in regards to impact on my manga-reading experience), so I'll start with the actual "opening song"...

Children Record

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story of children's faces."

Honestly, I thought this sounded just as - if not worse - than Kisaragi Attention. (Here's Jin's cover ft. MARiA for anyone else who can't stand the Vocaloid, though the lyrics may be slightly off. Like [daze], I've grown to accept it as the true "OP" of the series, and the instrumental is actually really nice.) So I "laughed it off as being just too harsh", deeming it unimportant... Until I came back and realized just how rife with spoiler-clues it is. One of the things I love about the PVs is that every time I watch them/find observations by others I learn something new. Ex: Kano briefly flashing as Ayano's figure. Heck, just recently I've come across a fun theory that the "Ayano" in it is actually Kano based on the text. I even noticed on my own as the animé was starting that Kenjirou's shadow appears behind Hibiya's at the end... "You still don't see?" indeed.

"So what do you think of this heat, and our values that just so happen to meet?"

Children Record is probably one of the best samples that show how all the stories connect into one (obviously symbolized by the "red string of fate"), and the amount of planning that went into the project. Even the title is apparently a play on Mekakushi Code/Chord, as in "Re: Cord". Both of their lyrics seem to imply that despite the pain the group went through together as a result of their meeting, in the end it wasn't "so bad"... I for one would wholeheartedly agree (from my own perspective as well meeting the Dan and following their journey).


This PV was all but entirely skipped in the animé, and connects back to Kagerou Days:

Konoha no Sekai Jijou

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story about opening his eyes."

While I appreciated being able to hear echoes of "Kagerou Days" in the part before the chorus, frankly my first response to the introduction of a third observant party was ambivalent. Konoha has since grown on me a lot though, which is one thing I can thank the animé for. (Also for making me adore/feel sorry for Kenjirou. Unfortunately his song doesn't have a PV, though I do like the creepiness of it. ...Incidentally, you can see him briefly in the beginning here, which I also didn't pick up on until recently.)

At any rate, here it's evident how much of a "Nagato-like" entity Konoha is, being forced to not only watch the cycle repeat endlessly, but knowing the true hopeless/ironic nature of the situation and being unable to do anything about it. Although he behaves as a robot, he clearly cares about the people he considers his friends and will do anything to protect them. In the novel Konoha leaps to save Shintaro from falling off a cliff, mortally wounding himself in the process. (He is "healed" by the Snake inside him.) When asked why he would do such a thing, his answer is simple: "Because we're friends."

Following in Children Record's footsteps, the PV also provides many teasers of things to come at its end - things that would only make sense once the full context was given. Ex: Shion crying over Azami being shot.


The next video is also somewhat related to above...

Headphone Actor

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story about doubting your eyes."

As the tagline indicates, this is a difficult PV to decipher visually. The author of the guide in Akanjăo's link passes it off as merely a metaphor, although up until the animé I wanted to believe the events were real. The idea of finding out one has been living their whole life inside an experimental facility was really cool IMO, but the show has essentially confirmed it describes Takane's Haze experience. A bit disappointed "it was all a dream" after all, but I suppose this way it fits with the rest of the story.

Still, there are some interesting recurring motifs in the video that may tie into the overall plot. Birds and the moon, for one. The hexagon in particular has appeared many times throughout the PVs, and is similar to the box shape also seen in the [days] ED. Living inside a box, traveling along red and blue lines, which also appear in [daze]... (Note: [daze] has so many hidden references it's not even funny.) The red and blue schemes become important as they are associated with different timelines in a later PV. (On that note, I would pay attention to the use of color throughout Headphone Actor. You may catch other creative allusions...)


After reading what was available of the manga and getting to know more of the characters, a new PV came out around that time...

Yobanashi Deceive

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story of deceiving one's eyes."

And then tumblr exploded.

I will shamelessly admit I fell for Kano's "eau my dirty" tactics. And I mean that literally in that I did not see such a dark side coming from the way he was initially portrayed in the manga. More than that, he reminded me of my Itsuki!analysis days (from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), and I looked forward to having a new angst puppet to play with. (Even the fact his design is based on Othello surprisingly coincides.) Kano has impressed me by since developing into a character both simpler and far more complex than Itsuki Koizumi. Reading my initial reaction, I shake my head at how horribly fangirl-y I sounded. Rather than imposing stereotypes on him, he should be respected as his own person (he's more than earned the right to be treated as one), though he and Itsuki do share the sad self-responsibility of shouldering the world with a smile. (Even his relationship with Shintaro resembles the Itsuki-Kyon dynamic.) For all the suffering he's had to face from an early age, Kano is just a kid pretending to be grown-up, who's trying his best to hold his and others' lives together. His actions may be deplorable at times, but he is also admirable in his own right, as are nearly all the Kagerous the more I get to know them. (Translation: Came for the creep, stayed for the company. <3)

Additionally, I enjoyed both the improvement in music and Shidu's artstyle. Although the song has fallen somewhat out of favor on my playlist, I consider it one of Jin's best works. Story-wise, I knew at this point I had chanced onto something with potential, but even then I had no idea what a crazy ride I was in for...

Aside: I realized for the first time when watching the PV after episode 11 that Ene at the end foreshadows whom Kano was telling the story to. (Even though it was revealed in the fifth novel. These PVs, man.)


I never bothered to keep up with the release of PVs that closely, but when I next checked I found two new ones were already out, so I watched them in close proximity.

Lost Time Memory

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A story of repeating regret."

This is a heavy PV that I didn't know what to make of at first. I was disappointed(?) to hear another generic rock song, although since then it became one of my favorites. (Even upon first listen I was kinda thrilled to recognize the Children Record riff during the bridge.)

Disregarding the messy multi-route business, the main message I get from this video is that it shows the consequences of being unable to deal with issues - especially loss - to the point of shutting one's self off from the world vs. being able to move on. It also highlights how much having friends can help make a difference in a person's life. I liked this contrast so much that I made my first AMV for the series shortly after. (The annotations also express my thoughts as I was watching the video. *shot*)

I want to take a moment to examine Ene a bit more, as none of her songs have official PVs therefore I won't be linking them. While I didn't think I would like her at first, my esteem for her has risen immensely over time. I was actually afraid she'd be a subservient program since I tend to hate that trope, so imagine my pleasant surprise she subverted that expectation by turning out to be a mischievous scamp instead. She sort of strikes me as a mix of Navi + Midna from The Legend of Zelda in her relationship with Shintaro. Even her usage of "Master" was explained in an acceptable/amusingly clever manner, and as mentioned before her "annoying" personality is intended to push Shintaro - the guy that was her rival but also a friend - back on his feet. The fact is that without her intervention, Shintaro would never have left his room and met the Mekakushi Dan. Route XX reveals what happens when he completely cuts her off, resulting in him becoming overwhelmed with more grief and guilt by (yet again) rejecting his only companion. Sick of his rotten self, he finally gives up on everything. (Aside: Someone suggested the number of scissors in the drawer signifies the number of times he's killed himself. Yeesh.)

Route 1 Shintaro, on the other hand, sports the red color of a hero, and defends his newfound friends by taking a bullet (as Konoha would also sacrifice himself for Shin). At the end when Ayano gives him the scarf and disappears, his smile would seem to indicate he's accepted her death, whereas XXtaro is still stuck reaching out for her. Shintaro also serves as a foil to Kano - who might stand to learn a thing or two - being perhaps the one most caught up in the past and unwilling to forgive anyone "forgetting" about "nee-chan". On that note...


While I was still reeling from such a huge development dump, the next PV made the emotional weight hit like a truckload of bricks:

Ayano no Koufuku Riron

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A story about memories left in the heart."

And the fandom cried for days.

When I heard the first few out-of-tune notes of this song, I cringed, bracing for what I assumed would just be an assault on my ears. As the melody progressed though I found myself enjoying it more, and the story more than made up for any auditory pain. (Although the story itself caused pain in a different way...)

Ayano's Theory of Happiness remains one of the most beautiful and brilliant moments of writing that I've come across. My mind was utterly blown by it on so many levels. Someone that had previously been seen as a side character suddenly became one of the most important driving forces in the series. It felt like everything had been building up to this - the reveal that all things were indeed connected. Ayano's relationship to the Mekakushi Dan, the reason for her suicide, the "oh shit" realization that it wasn't Shintaro's fault at all... The true meaning of the color "red". What once stood for sadness became a source of strength and warmth instead. "Happiness."

It was here that I fell truly in love with the project, and it sucks that most of the suspense was stripped from the animé by the reordering of information. Whatever power the scene had left was utterly destroyed by the animation, and I will never forgive SHAFT for that decision. If for nothing else, I wanted to share this most of all. Simply put, they ruined it. Even if it was to troll the fans, it's not fair at all to newcomers.

Anyway... I already spoke about why I admire Ayano so much, but I'll expand on it a little more now. Dopple once asked me about some of my favorite characters, and among them I listed an obscure one from the Spiral ~Suiri no Kizuna~ manga: Hiyono Yuizaki. She is a girl who, despite seemingly not having talents matching the physical and mental capabilities of those around her, finds a way to be of use by slicing her arm to buy time for the protagonist, whom she believed would come up with a method to save everybody. Such an act of bravery shocked me and won my regard... Although I had mixed feelings when it was revealed she was a secret agent whose sole mission was to support the protagonist. *shrug* As discussed in my 11 post, Ayano's case is similar, but as far as I know she's the real deal.

It's not only her self-sacrifice that makes her a hero in my eyes though; just being a big sister to these kids who really needed it was more than enough. One of the refreshing aspects of AToH is that it focuses on pure sibling bonds that aren't same-sex or heavily incestual. Family is just as important as friendship in this series, and comes first before any romance.

Ayano is one of the most human heroes I've met in fiction. She is the girl who puts on a smile for the sake of those around her even though her home life is falling apart - all the while crying in secret. Even though she's scared, she overcomes her weakness and makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the ones she loves. In turn, her kindness has reached out and touched so many lives... She is the real hero of this story - in more ways than one.

P.S. Here's Yumeko's voice-acted version (+ piano without subs) again for anyone who prefers.


The following PV was made by Wannyanpuu, who hadn't done one since Kisaragi Attention. Guess who it's about...

Otsukimi Recital

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A story that brightens the eyes."

I don't have too much to say about this, other than it was cute when it came out. It was nice to see all the throwbacks to Momo's first PV and how much Wannyanpuu improved. As much as I now consider Momo way out of Hibiya's league (bitch doesn't deserve her *shot*), her energy and support in trying to cheer him up is really endearing. She possibly prevents him from becoming another Shintaro who gives up and pines after Hiyori. While the tears Hibiya sheds for Hiyori are sad, reaching out for Momo's hand at the end could indicate the start of a potential new relationship - at the same time not forgetting the old.


This PV was also full of the fluffs:

Yuukei Yesterday

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"Yesterday's story about a girl who couldn't be honest."

Again, not much to say about this one since it basically reiterated the then currently running Yuukei Yesterday arc in the manga, while hinting at despair to come. The song is dang catchy though, and seeing such joyful smiles while knowing what happens to these two always gets me, just like with Imagination Forest. ;( "LA LA LA~" indeed.

As an aside: The manga takes Takane's headphone "acting" to a whole new level, as she pretends to listen to music in order to get Haruka's attention, not realizing that he's having a heart attack - possibly even crying out to her for help. Such tragic irony, which adds to her self-blame for him ending up in the hospital...


The last few songs I am going to cover slightly out of the order that I viewed them in. Chronologically, this next PV was released directly after Yuukei Yesterday, but I did not see it until after the subsequent one.

Outer Science

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story of the eyes saying as much as the mouth."

Welcome to my womb.

Quote:
“This story isn't fictional.
And that’s why all of your ‘tragedies’
Are so stupid that it makes me yawn.”
Just like how when children are told by adults, “That’s so immature,”
There are times when people are looked down on from above.
Even if children view it as something grand and magnificent,
To the adults, it seems lacking and worthless.
However, imagine that there is an existence that looks down at those adults in the same way.
This is the song of a monster that overlooks everything.
People’s lives, hearts, meetings, memories, deaths— He looks down on it all, as if they are “stupid” events in a book.
What if that existence started influencing someone’s everyday life to merely kill time?
Please enjoy this helplessly unfolding tragedy.
-Jin (Outer Science commentary)
Outer Science was originally claimed to be the "last PV" of the project. For many fans, this was the ultimate troll move. ...I think the video pretty much speaks for itself.


Before I move on to the actual "ED theme" of the series, I want to visit a couple other songs. This one doesn't have a PV, but I include it here because it is a lovely little tune...

Marry no Kakuu Sekai

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A story that closes the eyes."

Quote:
If... I were to go back to that time…
Maybe there was such a future like that.

If, on that day,
I hadn't had met you…
It might have been an unexpectedly boring world.

That surprisingly normal day…
That day where red eyes were rubbed…
That hazy summer day…

Certainly, I, tomorrow as well...
-Marry (Crying Prologue)
As much as I don't consider Marry one of my "favorite" characters, her songs hold a special place in my heart. I do applaud the audacity to "break the cutie", as the "token moe" turned out to be the source of central conflict. Marry is the most childish in that she knows only how to cling to her friends, wishing to repeat her days with them over and over, never moving forward. Whenever she turns back the clock though, sometimes she does retain vague memories. Often they take the form of nightmares of her friends' deaths, but I think she must also recall the warmth and support the Mekakushi Dan gave her. When wondering why her personality in the animé is much bolder than her manga counterpart, I believe it is because she has experienced meeting the others so many times that she is unconscously already somewhat comfortable around them. Bit by bit, as she sheds her shyness, she is slowly learning and gaining the confidence to face the future, however sad it may be. Trusting in her friends, that they'll find a way out of this mess... There's one person in particular who will always be there to tell her "it'll be okay"...


The PV for this was originally canceled due to "spoilers", but was released as a special DVD bonus months after the song series concluded.

Shounen Brave

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A story that steals your eyes."

A.k.a. why Seto is awesome.

Let's talk about Seto, who has been sorely neglected. For a long time fans had theorized that Seto knew about the timeline resets/deaths due to his power, and this PV confirmed it. It's ambiguous whether Seto saw the "future" from Marry's thoughts in the animé or Imagination Forest PV(s), but the take-home message here is that regardless of whether he knows their meeting will end in tragedy, he will still be willing to become her friend. The more I reflected on this, the more I grew to appreciate Seto. He is a brave boy, especially for one his age who was always frightened of others... He could've easily gotten scared and run away, leaving Marry in the woods - but instead he chooses to stay and comfort her. Seeing someone that reminds him of himself, he finds the "courage" to combat his own fears, and become a hero for that person. "A heart that rescues hearts." Even when his suspicions are likely corroborated by Kano's confession, he doesn't lose hope and reassures his brother. They will continue to fight, to change the outcome of a terrible future...

Aside: I know I once complained about the animation in the PV, but I liked it more after seeing it in high quality. I'm still kinda bothered by the fact Seto's hair wasn't colored in this frame though.


Finally, we come to the "end"...

Summer Time Record

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story of the spinning eyes."

Quote:
When I was young, I made a secret base with my friends.
In a place where the grown-ups wouldn’t find us, we’d bring our treasures there,
And every day after school, we’d play until it became dark outside.
However, when I find myself wondering what’s become of that secret base now, I realize something.
For some reason, I can’t remember how it all ended.
Was it destroyed by the grown-ups?
Did we destroy it ourselves?
Or was it because of the fact that as we grew up and became adults,
We were no longer able to see it?
-Jin (Summer Endroll commentary)
When I first watched this PV, I didn't know what to expect (especially since I wasn't too attached to the track yet). In fact I had already made my own short rendition, and it was the spike in viewcount that alerted me an official PV was out haha. It was released just a couple days after Outer Science, to everyone's surprise. (Watching OS after STR btw left me with an even more confused bittersweet feeling. ^^; ) To be blunt I was bored by the scrolling text in the first half, and wondered if this was really the note the series would end on... Then the character art kicked in and kicked me straight in the feels. It really felt like saying goodbye to a group of friends I'd gotten to know, even if it was for a short while.

As with everything else in the series, I think Summer Time Record is a song best left to the listener to determine what it means for his/herself. Whether it symbolizes the Dan growing up and moving on with their lives, or literally forgetting about each other... There is no "right" answer. The animé may have provided one, but whether it is really the "true" ending or not is up for debate. Kagepro is whatever you want to make of it, and that's perhaps part of the magic and fun of looking back on our memories, realizing we might be remembering some things wrong but treasuring the experience all the same. Even my inferring Shintaro as a "decoy protagonist" based on this PV isn't necessarily accurate. Ultimately, one could say there is no "main character" either.

Of all the songs, I admit this one is now my favorite. Like AnoHana's ED Secret Base, it's a song that for many evokes a sense of summer nostalgia. Although there's been no official instrumental release, there are a lot of beautiful covers and arrangements. The one I would most highly endorse though is this one.

Yumeko's version also deserves special mention for making it sound like the entire Mekakushi Dan singing together.

If anyone wants more feel free to ask, I've got plenty. *shot*


That about covers most of the music. Please feel free to check out the manga and light novel translations if you're interested. Lots more info and links can also be found on the Kagerou Project Wiki. You can ask me any questions as well, though I might not have all the answers.

I'm going to close off this post with one more music video of my own making.[/shamelessadvertising] Song choice preference aside - while it or this type of expression might not suit everyone, I feel it best sums up the "story through my eyes". It's not perfect by any means either and there are mistakes, but it's the one I poured the most effort and affection into as a "tribute" of sorts soon after the song series "wrapped up" with STR.

Spoiler: show
BORKED

This is not the end... Nor is it the beginning...

When I first got into Kagepro, it was out of wide-eyed curiosity. Now, it's become something much more than I could've even imagined. Eventually we all move on and the brightness will fade someday, but this "stunning story" is one I will never forget. So long as it keeps going - whether through official releases or fanworks, I will cherish it for now.


tl;dr These children are precious (to me). They're not out to save the world or anything, but they are fighting their own battle - albeit clumsily, as children do. Their opponent involves the supernatural, but also internal struggles such as social anxiety and depression, loneliness, coping with loss, etc. Through it all they find strength and support in each other. At its core, Kagepro is not a very complicated story. It's just about a group of kids - good people - trying to live their lives. It's about friendship and growing up and all that jazz that comes with your typical coming-of-age tales. Kagepro just takes everything that I love and combines it together in one huge glorious mess (with a dash of mystery for good measure). I can't say I mind the mess either, as it's fun getting eau my dirty sometimes. ;O (Even if I'm the one stuck cleaning up after it. Damn [daze] hoodlums and their spray paintcans.) Adolescence is a messy time in one's life, but seeing these children trying their hardest to act at being adults despite their inexperience is adorable and heartbreaking in its own way. I've decided to watch over them to the end - whatever that "end" may be.

My next post will contain a final review of Mekakucity Actors, as well as some closing comments on the series overall. I hope you've found this post somewhat helpful, even if it just turned out to be me ranting on various things.

Happy August 15th, and stay safe, everyone. Remember that there is always someone out there who cares about you. You may not have met them yet, but there are kind souls in this world. Those who understand, who are willing to take the time to, and others who may even be going though the same situation. You are not alone.[/cheese]

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 09-29-2014 at 01:28 AM.
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Old 08-16-2014, 12:38 AM   #110
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I'll admit it, I didn't even know what MCA or Kagepro were until last week, when I watched all 12 episodes this past sunday. I was about to do my customary rewatching for hidden details when I found about the PV's........ Which managed to give the same amount, if not more, information than the anime in the time frame of about two episodes. That being said, I'm gonna give my thoughts on those because they're fresher in my mind (never mind being superior story), then give my thoughts on the anime afterwards. Without further ado...

Children Record
Spoiler: show
Just like the opening of an anime, the first PV isn't a story on it's own but full of spoilers. What made this one fun was searching for all the little references amongst the obvious ones. Seeing as both the PV's and the anime are full of blink-and-you-miss-it details, I'm fairly certain I'm still missing something after three views, but hey. That's part of what makes Kagepro so awesome.


Artificial Enemy
Spoiler: show
After the introduction that is CR, we instantly get thrown into a mind game that's EVEN MORE mind blowing to those who've seen the anime. Aside from giving a massive story spoiler before the singing even begins (blood in a techno vid? What is this?), it then proceeds to show Shintaro deleting Ene. What. The. Heck. Then, to make matters even more confusing, she's still around for the remainder of the video. Seeing as I already knew Shin's scizzorcide to be canon, this really left me wondering what in the world was even going on. The song itself is pretty cute, though, with Ene trying to convince Shin to hold to life by joining her in the web. His response was downright coldhearted, to quote another song, and cue deletion scene. Later on down the road, we are treated to a nice scene of the two coming as close to holding hands as they can get with they're limitations, which opens them up for hiki-NEETshipping. (Yes, I just went there.)


Mekakushi Code
Spoiler: show
Third in the list comes the code by which the 'Blindfold Gang' lives by (The original three, anyway). Paling in comparison to Artificial Enemy's mind games as far as content is concerned, this peace more than makes up for it with a rather catchy beat and a confirmation that AE's doubts were wrong (oh, what a fool I am). Despite being sung by everyone's favorite cybergirl, I believe it gives a good feeling for Kido's view in regards to the Dan's sudden explosion in membership. It's also one of the few times we get to see Konoha's blank face in the PV's, so I guess it get's that recognition.


Kagerou Daze
Spoiler: show
Well, this one is the most famous song for a reason. It tells a gruesome but moving story, it's got a catchy 'chorus' with the circle-sound-bar-things looking vaguely like Chibi Konoha running, and a twi- Wait a minute, Hiyori actually cares for Hibiya?!? Having only been in contact with the anime version of the story, this revelation hit me harder than initially intended. I really was not expecting that ending at all, though it does give a possible explanation as to why Hibiya was the one who escaped the Haze rather than Hiyori. I now understand why people consider her to be one of SHAFT's biggest failures...


Headphone Actor
Spoiler: show
This baby has been known for confusing fans as to what it is, and by golly it does. That end just left me wondering exactly what just happened despite being pretty similar to it's MCA counterpart. The song itself really doesn't have much to say about it, with it's somewhat simpler animation and straightforward story. What is worth noting is that they did flash Ene's image when Tanake mentions she was listening to her own voice, similar to how they flashed Takane over the blue dan way back in Artificial Enemy. They really did know what they wanted to do with the story from the very beginning!


Imagination Forest
Spoiler: show
Funny story: I first watched this one with spanish subtitles. I found a use for my hispanic heritage while stateside after all! My spanish is a little rusty, though, so I had to rewatch it later anyway. With that out of the way, this was a pretty little song. It delves into the (not) treacherous depths of Mary's childhood, detailing both how Shion died and why she never left the house in the woods even though she had the freedom to do so. Along comes Seto, who braves his way into her house despite her warning him about her medusae eyes. After that, it really was only a matter of time before she got adopted into the Dan- Something she needed after a century with next to no human contact.


Tomei Answer
Spoiler: show
We finally get a song for the main character, and it's one of the saddest shared spotlights I've heard. It tells the story of Shintaro's few interactions with Ayano, and how her death affected him. "Even though I tried to get to know you..." Just, wow. It really would be a bit of a waste to try to put the feels into words... And Shin knew she was troubled the entire time...


Kisaragi Attention
Spoiler: show
After the emotional bomb that is TA, we get the overly energetic and upbeat song for Shin's younger sister. What's interesting about it is that it does a good job setting Momo apart from the rest of the cast. Unlike the other Dan members, she isn't suffering from emotional trauma. Instead, she has what would be mundane problems if she didn't have the Attracting Eyes. In fact, the reason that her problems aren't of the everyday sort is because she had used her power to become an idol. She was about ready to give up on that job when she encountered the Dan, who's very presence was enough to motivate her back onto the stage. As annoying as the song is, it's story is pretty dang touching and Momo's various mishaps were pretty funny. It also revealed that red eyes=powers, a fact that had been untouched since CR.


Konoha's State of the World
Spoiler: show
It's funny how the anime's two biggest failures involve the same scene... KSotH builds upon the story in Kagerou Daze, revealing that there was another person involved in the loops. You really have to feel bad for Konoha, seeing as all his attempts to save Hibiya and Hiyori are thwarted much like their attempts to save each other. As terribly lackluster the song is in comparison to most of the rest, it does fill a giant gaping plothole the anime left while simultaneously laying the underlying groundwork for events to come...


Dead and Seek
Spoiler: show
I'll admit that this the only song I've listened to that lacks a corresponding video, but really does deserve some comentary. The song is about Mr. Tateyama's experimentation as he he loses his sanity after Ayaka and Ayano died and the Dan ditched him. It's unique in it's respective twisted sound and overall dark feel t it when compared to the other songs, but it's also unique for a more problematic reason: it's completely disconnected from the rest of the songs. The poor teacher has a drastically smaller (read: non-existent) role in the PV's, only appearing in one scene of Children Record where there's no distinction between his coat sleeve and the wall behind him. Unless he's hiding out somewhere in Headphone Actor or KSotW. Wouldn't put either past him with this interpretation. It's sad, I had fun with him as a character in MCA before the snake showed up...


Night Tales Deceive
Spoiler: show
This was a neat one, indeed. While it doesn't do anything to continue the plot, it officially introduces Kano and reveals his power, making him the third kagerou to have his explicitly revealed (the other two are Momo and Mary). It does, however, reveal that most of the snake powers are given to the kagerou to grant their biggest wish, as well as the fact that Kano believes himself to be nothing more than a lying monster. Of course he denies that at the end of the song after having obviously just spilled his guts. What's interesting about NTD on a musical note is that it swaps genres twice over the course of the song, mirroring the intensity that Kano tells his story at in that point in time.


Shounen Brave
Spoiler: show
Yet another introductory video over halfway through the series, this time we have a character we met in the Imagination Forest: Seto! In a similar vein to Momo's idol troubles, Seto's power caused him a lot of frustration. He was unable to control it and wound up listening in on the thoughts of those around him- a terrible thing across all media. Being the first song to reveal the wish that resulted in a power, it details the events that led to him meeting Mary and how she unwittingly helped become the brave young man he is today. It would certainly make an interesting motivational speech!

Note: The last comment was to poke fun at my principal, who reads 'Oh, the Places You'll Go!" whenever he needs to give one such speech. Lame, I know.


Yukei Yesterday
Spoiler: show
This is my personal favorite of the three lighthearted songs on the record, depicting Takane's attempts to come to terms with her love for Haruka and confess, all of which end in failure and humiliation. Of course, it does have it's fair share of revelations beyond that. It confirms that Haruka and Konoha are the same being, as well as the fact that the term 'Headphone Actor' stems from Takane usually pretending to listen to music with her headphones not plugged into anything. Seriously, that one's bothering me for a while... And then there's stuttering in the lyrics that actually succeed in enhancing their charm without sounding stupid. Maybe I'll give it a shot... D-d-d-d-die, ya stupid hunk of swiss cheese! ...Nah, I don't think that one's worth keepi- wait a minute! Don't close the spoiler ta


Ayano's Happiness Theory
Spoiler: show
At long last, Ayano enters the scene as something more than a faceless side character... with a face! In all seriousness, this is one of the heaviest songs in the series, telling how Ayano helped build the original Mekakushi into who they are today, her discovery of Tateyama's experiments on two of her friends, the steps she takes to save everyone she holds dear, and her thoughts after it's all said and done. All this occurs in a single five minute piece of music... whose animation was horrendously butchered by the anime. Just why, SHAFT, why?


Moonview Recital
Spoiler: show
Hibiya escapes the Haze without Hiyori and gets depressed, causing Momo to become concerned. Where Momo's previous song was cute for it's mishaps, MVR is cute for all Momo's attempts to cheer Hibiya up. A lot of what she does either reminds him of the girl he left behind or was just plain stupid (shouldn't it be illegal to sing one of your own songs at a karaoke booth?). She eventually becomes desperate and attempts to sing him a motivational song, only to pass out from exhaustion. Hibiya takes her hand when she comes to, and cue HibiXMomo. Hey, if Seto can get an albino snake girl more than a century older than himself, then Hibiya can get an idol who's three years older than him!


Explanations Galore! I mean, Lost Time Memory
Spoiler: show
The goal for this piece is simple: reveal the existence of two story paths, and depict the differences between the occurrences. In one path, Shin decides to honor Ayano's suicide by looking after her adopted siblings, swiping his signature red jacket off the wall on his way out. He then winds up taking a bullet Konoha had meant for himself, dying on the spot.
The other path is much darker, having him delete Ene and spiral into a deeper oblivion upon realizing that he just killed his last friend. This eventually leads to him killing himself with a pair of scissors.
Both paths lead to meeting Ayano in the haze, though the similarities end there. She gives 'Red' Shintaro both her red scarf and her snake power, before permanently fading from life. 'Black' Shintaro, on the other hand, never reaches her and wakes back up with nothing but more pain.
This video splits the rest of the series and some aspects of previous songs into two paths: Route 1, or the Path of the Red Hero, and Route XX, or the Path of the Black Pessimist.
It also clears up the mess Artificial Enemy made of your mind a long time back. The first, cold part of AR is on Route XX, while the cute scene at the end is on Route 1 (now with 100% less ratata!). They really did know what they wanted to do from the beginning...


Outer Scinece
Spoiler: show
HOLY FLYING PINEAPPLES! Maybe this shouldn't have been my first PV. I came into this with the anime's ending fresh in my mind, so it really hit me harder than Truck-Senpai could ever dream of, terrible cameo included. I didn't to watch Lost Time Memory to get the point of OS: it could've ended in a cold-blooded massacre. The end of Route XX is absolute nightmare fuel- and Mary has to live through the nightmare again! Ugh!
The question stands at this point to how Outer Science came to be, and the answer is actually given in LTM. Black Shintaro wasn't there to stop Konoha from blowing out his brains, causing the blank body to enter the Haze a second time that day. From there, he either a) realizes that he cannot die and goes insane or b) gets possessed by the Snake of Clearing Eyes. Either way, the end result is absolutely terrifying.
The massacre itself, however, isn't as bad as it initially appears. At that point, Ene has been deleted from existence, Shintaro is too busy drowning in despair, Kuroha needs Mary to live so he can do what he wants, and he isn't about to kill himself again. That leaves only the original Dan and the Moonview pair, just over half the number of children who would've died if the gang was all there. Doesn't change the significance of it all in the slightest, though.


I haven't yet seen Summertime Record, so I'll move on to my thoughts on the anime:
Spoiler: show
Note: Much of the following is speculation.

Mekakucity Actors is an odd mix of both Routes, with Shin obviously heading towards XX while being forced outside in a similar fashion to 1. He doesn't spend as much time with the Dan, allowing him to meet Konoha before the Game Doll joined. Shin's presence during Truck-Senpai's hug proved instrumental in skipping a major part in the XX trajedy: Konoha believed the Shin was still around during the Heat Haze and thus knew the torment of being unable to stop the cycle of death. This feeling of connection was what stopped Konoha from killing himself again, allowing him to encounter Mary.
Meanwhile, Shintaro's snake realizes that things are going differently from either path and reveals it's existence to him, imparting unto him his memories of the loops in hopes that he'd find a way to end a cycle. Shin used this new knowledge to determine that in order to beat the Snake of Clearing Eyes, Ayano must be saved, and so he started on doing that. From there, all the events that would lead to that night's massacre began to take place without any intervention, though the battle ended quickly due to Shintaro's interruption. Upon realizing that Mary no longer had any need for the wish that cursed the world, the Snake was forced to beg for another wish to be made. However, because the circumstances were so different than normal, Mary didn't make the wish he wanted (I wish I had the power to save my friends). Instead, Konoha made a wish of his own: I wish I could stop my friends from getting hurt. Since he was the biggest source of their pain at the time, the powers that be destroyed him and the Snake along with him.

While Mekakucity Actors had it's great many flaws, it is still a separate story from the Vocaloid, and a beautiful one at that. They made up for their mistakes with they're unique takes on the situation, twisting a few minor details to have huge effects. Sure, they could've done things slower and and not skipped the major plot points that they did, but they did an excellent job of making what they did have work. I still say the Vocaloid is better by a long shot, but it's that very thing that gave me a deeper respect for what MCA is. With all that said and done, I give Mekakucity Actors a seven out of ten.


Finally, I have something I found while hunting for English subs for Daze (these songs sure get plenty of spanish subs). I sure hope you all enjoy it!

Last edited by Median Dia; 08-16-2014 at 10:09 PM.
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Old 08-17-2014, 01:24 AM   #111
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MedMana View Post
I'll admit it, I didn't even know what MCA or Kagepro were until last week, when I watched all 12 episodes this past sunday. I was about to do my customary rewatching for hidden details when I found about the PV's........ Which managed to give the same amount, if not more, information than the anime in the time frame of about two episodes. That being said, I'm gonna give my thoughts on those because they're fresher in my mind (never mind being superior story), then give my thoughts on the anime afterwards.
Wow, I'm really pleased and impressed you took the time to express your thoughts on the entire series, including the songs. =O Your interpretations were quite entertaining to read and are a perfect example of how people can have fun coming to their own conclusions. (It's clear you've even read others' posts as well, which is always satisfying as a reward for the effort put into them. ^-^) There are just a few things I want to clarify:

>Artificial Enemy

I'm assuming the video you watched is this one, in which case I should inform you that this is a fan-made PV, created after the release of Lost Time Memory. The original upload simply used a picture of Ene as the background. (One thing I would take note of is the clothes she's wearing though...)

>Mekakushi Code

Again, if you watched this video, please be aware that this is also fan-made. (I wouldn't necessarily say it's sung by Ene either, just that it also uses Miku's vocals.) As before the original just contains an image of Kido's character art. (Aside: When I first saw it I thought "hey that's a cool-looking guy". *shot*)

P.S. On that note, the full animé version is out.

>Kagerou Daze

See disclaimers above for this version. Here is the original, which isn't quite as static as the previous two but essentially repeats the same pattern.

I hope you enjoy these videos all the same, as they show the fans' hard work and dedication to bringing some of their favorite songs/characters to life. (I'm really glad you decided to mention Dead and Seek btw and give Tateyama-sensei his due.) Just remember that they're not necessarily canon so I'd take their visuals with a grain of salt.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MedMana View Post
Finally, I have something I found while hunting for English subs for Daze (these songs sure get plenty of spanish subs). I sure hope you all enjoy it!
I saw this myself the other day and it gave me feels. ;-; Especially at the part where...

Spoiler: show
Shintaro almost fades away until Ayano wraps her scarf around him, bringing him back to color and life. <3 She may have really saved him from committing suicide once... Even though he tells her "don't touch the heart that only wants to disappear". ;(


I also really like this piano cover, strangely even more so than the slow ballad version. Seems I have a weakness for happy-sounding things that are actually sad. OTL

Thanks very much for sharing that with the thread, and again for writing your analysis. If you have a Skype account btw there is a chat group where such fanworks are also welcome. (More like I still spam it everyday with pictures and crack. ^^; *shot*) Nowadays it's also used for light animé discussion and just general hanging out. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like to join. =)
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Old 08-18-2014, 12:54 AM   #112
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Yeah, I figured out the PV's I watched for AE and MC were fan-made a few hours after my initial post. Thankfully, the original Kagerou Days was the one I watched first, so I get off scott-free on that one (screw you, shadow doppelgangers!).

@Ene and Mekakushi Code
I was looking at a specific line when I came to my conclusion: "By the way, even me- I'm a 2D otaku, hikikomori, NEET". Ene is the only character who fits that description (Shin and Konoha are 3D, after all). Since I've seen it in two different translations now, I don't believe it's a translation error. Besides, if I had been using the diva as my proof, then Ene, Konoha, and Hibiya would all be Miku, and I'm fairly certain two of them are of the wrong gender for that to be the case. Her character should stay away from Kagepro.
...Wait, was this song even played in the anime? I don't remember it's episode leaving enough room to do so...

On the other hand, I think I've drawn a solid conclusion regarding Outer Science:
Spoiler: show
Considering the tone of the song, chances are that this Kuroha is possessed by the Snake of Clearing Eyes, who has been shown to dislike guns in the other media. So why does he use one on Kano in the massacre sequence? The answer lies on Kano's view of himself, as shown in Night Tales Deceive- a monster of lies. Kuro Konoha is making an exception to his usual tendencies just to 'clear' the lies from Kano's head. Turns out even greedy, murderous snakes have their ordeals...


Anime note:
Spoiler: show
At the end of ep. 12, there are 9 kids silhouetted before Shin and Ayako rejoin them. Looks like they got Haruka and Hiyori out of the haze after all! Though we can't tell if Haru retained Konoha's eye marking like he does in the PVs...


I'll try to get a Skype set up later join you guys, though I can't give any guarantees. My computer is having a few issues despite my father being an IT worker, so yeah.

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Old 08-22-2014, 04:55 PM   #113
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Sorry I meant to reply to this earlier but got distracted by things. >.>; (i.e. Skype & streams OTL)

Quote:
Originally Posted by MedMana View Post
@Ene and Mekakushi Code
I was looking at a specific line when I came to my conclusion: "By the way, even me- I'm a 2D otaku, hikikomori, NEET". Ene is the only character who fits that description (Shin and Konoha are 3D, after all). Since I've seen it in two different translations now, I don't believe it's a translation error. Besides, if I had been using the diva as my proof, then Ene, Konoha, and Hibiya would all be Miku, and I'm fairly certain two of them are of the wrong gender for that to be the case. Her character should stay away from Kagepro.
...Wait, was this song even played in the anime? I don't remember it's episode leaving enough room to do so...
I've consulted a couple people who are more experienced with Japanese than I am, and the consensus is that "2D otaku" simply refers to "an otaku whose interests are in 2D". "2D" is not a literal descriptor of the noun. As for who the speaker is... Context seems to suggest that it's Kido referencing herself, although canonically I have a hard time agreeing with that assessment. (Personally I think that the line should be about Shintaro, although it's weird since neither of them use the "boku" self-pronoun.) *shrug* The lyrics to this are very strange/hard to decipher, and the English translation is notoriously bad so I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Someone more familiar with the language and/or franchise may be better able to explain.

(Although one interesting bit of trivia I learned from researching the lyrics is that "heel" can refer to "The actor assuming the part of the bad guy, who is designated to piss off the audience", so the "blond heel" may be referring to Kano.)

Mekakushi Code was played during the show. I linked the full animé version earlier. Here was the TV portion. (If you're referring to Artificial Enemy then no, it was not played during the first episode. Neither of Ene's songs appeared in the animé.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by MedMana View Post
On the other hand, I think I've drawn a solid conclusion regarding Outer Science:
Spoiler: show
Considering the tone of the song, chances are that this Kuroha is possessed by the Snake of Clearing Eyes, who has been shown to dislike guns in the other media. So why does he use one on Kano in the massacre sequence? The answer lies on Kano's view of himself, as shown in Night Tales Deceive- a monster of lies. Kuro Konoha is making an exception to his usual tendencies just to 'clear' the lies from Kano's head. Turns out even greedy, murderous snakes have their ordeals...
People speculated that...

Spoiler: show
Kuroha (or "Kuro Konoha", according to this recently released magazine *shakes fist at Jin troll*) - who is proven by the animé to be possessed by Kenjirou's Snake (a.k.a. the Wide-Eyed Snake/Snake of Clearing Eyes) - used a gun in order to mock humans, which the animé also supports. In the manga he shoots everyone though, not just Kano. He does comment on Kano being the "deceiver" from "back then" before firing, which hinted at the two having met before (albeit in a different host body).


Quote:
Originally Posted by MedMana View Post
I'll try to get a Skype set up later join you guys, though I can't give any guarantees. My computer is having a few issues despite my father being an IT worker, so yeah.
Hope you can get things worked out. You're welcome to join any time. ^^ (Just be prepared for crazies. *shot*)

In other news, the animé version of Kagerou Days/Daze is out.

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Old 08-28-2014, 09:43 AM   #114
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Yuki brought something up in Skype.

This happened.

Spoiler: show


Note: A few small mistakes. ShiBiya should be entirely Brotp, TakaShin should be entirely I Ship It. ShinMarry should be Yes No Maybe So. Paint.net sucks and I'm lazy!


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Old 08-28-2014, 11:31 AM   #115
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Connor View Post
Yuki brought something up in Skype.

This happened.

Spoiler: show


Note: A few small mistakes. ShiBiya should be entirely Brotp, TakaShin should be entirely I Ship It. ShinMarry should be Yes No Maybe So. Paint.net sucks and I'm lazy!


Here's the original in case anyone else wants to have some fun.

My version:

Spoiler: show


I have such strange and complicated feelings. '~' Would take too long to explain so just a couple notes:

1) For split colors, the one on top is typically what I lean towards more.
2) There are differences depending on the person's perspective. (Ex: HibiKono is separate from KonoHibi.) I also darkened the orange so it's easier to differentiate from yellow.

Probably missed/mixed up some stuff but meh.

P.S. In the spirit of shipping, the full Yuukei Yesterday is out! (Will edit with a YT link once one's available.)
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Old 08-31-2014, 12:25 AM   #116
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I just realised something. All those scenes with Shintaro and Ayano conversing with each other. Perhaps Ayano was just the shape Shintaro's inactive snake took on before he actually realised his purpose. Because same VAs and all. Maybe. So he never actually saw Ayano until HERO MODE Shintaro finally got his act together.
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Yukirin is awesome for doing this for me! And by Yukirin, I mean lilbleucorsola.
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"YOUKOSO WAGA CRAZY E"



Love burns brightly for one and all.

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Please don't diss idols or fluffy things in my presence.
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Old 09-02-2014, 07:07 PM   #117
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So, with Yuki prompting me, I have a few thoughts to share. Bear in mind these are very much so quite gushing and aren't really well fleshed out.

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As much as I loved Mekakucity Actors, I personally feel like a few certain things could have been better. For one, I would have preferred Ayano did not come back. While I love her as a character, I feel it almost cheapens everything that the Dan did that she and Hiyori come back safe and sound. Their deaths very much so drove a large part of the development for certain characters, and played a huge role in pushing the Dan closer together and solidifying their ties. Them coming back feels like ... cheapening the entire experience. Like, they were all pulled together in some part because they had a shared sense of loss and tragedy and then ... the tragedy for a few is just erased. As if nothing went wrong. It feels very much so like all of the development which sprung from these troubles is just ... erased.

Speaking of development, I personally believe that the series as a whole would've just been more poignant had Ayano stayed gone. We would've had all the feelings of her passing, and everything that it entailed, but we would've also had, I have no doubt, some substantial development from Shintaro. Had she stayed gone, Shintaro likely would've come to accept her passing fully, and I would've liked to see the development springing from this. For me, MCA ending with a Shintaro who accepted that Ayano is gone but very much so still a part of him and everything he is, a Shintaro who has moved on but can accept that Ayano was an incredibly important person to him, a Shintaro who can look on the past with fondness but also embrace the future with an open heart and a determined walk. That Shintaro would've been, for me, the best Shintaro MCA could've showcased. It's a dreadful shame none of this came to pass, but I guess what is done is done.

I also think that Kano would have, in a way, benefited from Ayano remaining gone. He was embittered by losing her, no doubt, but I can't help but think he has a kind heart, deep down. His actions throughout the anime prove this, the lengths he went to protecting his siblings from the crushing truth. Had Ayano stayed gone, he might've found it in himself to forgive Shintaro, for all their differences they remain, in truth, fairly similar to one another.

But I mean this is all I have. Rant over!
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Old 09-02-2014, 08:01 PM   #118
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Final Review of Mekakucity Actors

One year ago, the Kagerou Project music series came to a close with the release of the Summer Time Record PV. With summer almost over and in honor of Kagepro's ending anniversary, it’s time to put the review of its sister series, Mekakucity Actors, to rest however much it may be considered the black sheep of the family. I will try to keep this brief, though there are some sentiments I want to add by the end.

Story: 5/10

When you get down to it, the Kagerou Project is not a complex tale. In fact it's perhaps the childish simplicity of it all that I find most refreshing. However, the animé presents itself in such a vague, disjointed, and pretentious manner that is bound to confuse and drive off anyone already unfamiliar with the plot (or lack thereof). While this method of withholding information to keep people guessing may work in other forms of media, it obviously did not pan out for television. Due to its very nature, Kagepro may be a story inherently unsuited for a linear episodic format - which was only made worse by a combination of poor pacing, planning, and limited timeframe.

Characters: 6/10

Where Kagepro lacks in plot development, it aims to make up for in the character department. Mekakucity Actors is meant to be an emotionally driven narrative supported mainly by its characters and themes, but none of them came across to the extent I had hoped for. Despite focusing half of its allotted time on essential backstory, the show barely scratches the surface of most of the (extensive) cast, making them feel hollow. (It is a similar problem with Angel Beats!, which I was afraid of when I heard the runtime.) Where it did succeed in exploring certain character dilemmas, it failed to resolve them in a satisfactory manner. There were moments where the Kagerous got to show off their charm - and courage - though, and as vehicles for simply telling the story they served their purpose well enough.

Art: 4/10

Whether you're fond of SHAFT’s surrealism or not, the general animation quality here was utterly low, with some horrendous aesthetic choices given the broad audience's expectations. I won't fuss over specifics at this point, but needless to say I was sorely let down by the lack of care and attention afforded to not just a widely popular production, but one that is dear to so many. (Even JC Staff treated Little Busters! better than this.)

Giving credit where it's due, I feel SHAFT did try to adhere to the PV formula by leaving lots of visual clues here and there. It takes an invested/educated fan to spot them though, and for the casual viewer it's not enough to rely on "all style and no substance". *wonders how many critics have abused that phrase*

Sound: 8/10

Where the series shines is in its source: music. Here is one area where for the most part Mekakucity Actors did not disappoint. Most of the song covers by themselves were great, even if some of them could've been worked into the story/matched with the visuals better.

The BGM was mostly bland and forgettable, but there were a couple pieces that stood out to me (in connection with certain scenes). The voice acting was also good, and it was a treat to finally hear favorites speaking. Though some weren't exactly how I imagined the Kagerous to sound at first, all the voices have grown on me immensely.

Enjoyment: 7/10

For all my gripes and complaints, there were parts of the animé I really liked - particularly in addition to canon. I appreciate MCA's existence for the one or two heartwarming gems and tidbits of information alone, even if aside from those few rare instances the show has little to offer.

MCA marks the first time I've been super-excited to watch an animé as it was airing, so it was a brand new experience for me - knowing some of what would happen yet also looking forward to new content. What really made watching it more tolerable engaging was discussing with fellow viewers each week. I will shamelessly admit the most fun I probably had was hyping and chatting with others on Skype. ^^; Whenever terrible execution or progression got me down (to the point I was even considering dropping the show after 09), it was always the encouragement of fans and friends that brought me back.

Overall: 6/10

I went into Mekakucity Actors tentatively anticipating a personal 8/10 or above, even if objectively it did not reach such heights. After episode 04, those prospects were significantly lowered, wavering back and forth for a while without assuming it would get much better despite bouts of enthusiasm. Then 09 came along and nearly drove the nail into the coffin. Even when 10 and 11 restored some of my faith, I knew it could never match the vision I once had. As much as I had still wanted to stick with a standard 7 up until the series finale, given the lackluster conclusion and number of other strikes, I'm going to have to be fair(ly generous) by scoring Mekakucity Actors a final 6/10, which is the same rating I gave the Little Busters! adaptation. While I would say LB handled itself more sensibly, having not played the game I can't really judge as well. All I know is I adore the original Kagerou Project and what it stands for. Even if MCA didn't live up to the same glory, I'll at least allow myself a little bit of room for bias.

Overall Series Final Thoughts and Impressions

Quote:
I just tried my best to do something interesting.

I've never considered its genre or whatever, or make up a big question, or send out a message. I just wanted to write something that people enjoy reading it.

That could be like a glass ball, who knows.

You can decorate it, or even play with it. But the way you decorate or play with it is up to you.

No matter how much we’re teased doing silly stuffs, as long as everybody likes the characters (although that was kind of unexpected), or interpret the story and mystery together, as long as you can enjoy it freely, it’s good enough.

And, if possible, if everybody could tell me how you much enjoy it, I’d be very grateful.

-Jin/Shizen no Teki-P (Kagerou Days Disintegration Book)
The Kagerou Project is a highly ambitious endeavor - the likes of which I have never seen before. It experiments with many different novel approaches to storytelling - through song, multiple media, emphasis on backstory, etc. Perhaps because it tries to do so many things, it ends up being a huge mess... For some this may be off-putting, but I personally don't mind. The amount of variety and leeway for interpretation makes it unique, and for a story about being stuck in the past, it makes sense that most of the characters are largely defined by their histories. Although this doesn't make their accomplishments and efforts to move forward any less admirable in my eyes.

I like these kids a lot, and I'm proud for them and Jin that they got their animé debut - even if the results were less than stellar. The Kagerous are some of the sweetest and bravest souls I've had the pleasure of being introduced to. Of all reasons to fight, all they want is to have friends/family - and I approve of that 100%. They are such cute and strong little heroes in their own right - as well as my adorable babies I want to protect, and screw anyone who tries to mess with them. *hiss* That includes SHAFT, the author, and fans as well.

The story is not without its flaws, and Jin's newbieness as a writer clearly shows. Still, the amount of love and dedication put into the project is apparent. Sacrificing time, energy, and even friendships for one's passion... Is something I can relate to. Though I can only dream of creating something that is able to reach out and affect others in such a way.

Kagepro has everything I could've ever wanted in a franchise. It is a mess, but it is a beautiful mess to me. Where there are weaknesses, the fandom has stepped in to help fill the gaps/improve it. I've enjoyed everything that's come out of the fandom: theories, fanart, comics, music, crack... The amount of creativity Kagepro inspires is astounding, and I agree with its original concepts so much that I believe they do deserve attention. While none of the individual media may have honestly impressed me that much yet (outside of the songs), taken as a collective whole - fandom included - the Kagerou Project, and even by extension Mekakucity Actors, has been a wonderful journey (if occasionally stressful). There's still plenty of potential for further expansion in the novels and manga as well, so I will continue to watch over the Mekakushi Dan there.

There's one last thing I want to say before wrapping up, both on Jin's and the Kagerous' behalf, and from myself...


THANK YOU FOR WATCHING! \o/

Kagepro is very special to me and has become a big part of my life. I want to thank everyone who tuned into Mekakucity Actors for being willing to give the show/my recommendation a chance, and I appreciate those who stuck with it/put up with my ranting. XP To the fans and new viewers alike out there, thank you. For not giving up, providing criticism/input, or even just checking out one episode... I'm glad the series got exposure even if the majority of responses turned out to be negative.

For me, the best part of Mekakucity Actors has been getting to meet and know better so many awesome people. ='3 You guys are such amazing friends... I love y'all. <3 (Minna... Daisuki...)

The Skype chat is still open to anyone who wants to join. ^^ You don't have to be into MCA/Kagepro either, just like you don't need to have red eyes to be a Mekakushi Dan member. (Although be prepared to deal with tons of spam/craziness. *shot*) Please also feel free to keep using the thread for discussion if you like; I will probably continue providing updates with news/song releases in the future.

Until next time...

See you later.

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 09-03-2014 at 11:50 PM.
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Old 11-24-2014, 10:20 PM   #119
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Lil' Bluey

We interrupt to bring you a special important announcement.
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Old 11-24-2014, 10:34 PM   #120
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lilbleucorsola View Post
We interrupt to bring you a special important announcement.
Thought it was going to be news that a redo by another studio was coming. But this is still nice. And a satisfying admission of guilt from what has seemed to be an otherwise unapologetic production staff.

It's too bad I can't take it back for my own virginal experience, but I'm at least happy that future viewers won't have to have their experience ruined for what really ought to have been one of the best scenes in the entire story.
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Old 01-02-2015, 11:48 PM   #121
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Lil' Bluey

I haven't updated with song releases in a while, but with all the DVDs out at this point I've decided to just make a post with the full MCA OST for reference, including bonus tracks. Singers listed in parentheses.

daze (MARiA from GARNiDELiA)

days (Lia)

Children Record (Jin feat. MARiA from GARNiDELiA)

Kisaragi Attention (Haruna Luna)

Mekakushi Code (Yasagure Koneko)

Kagerou Days (Shoichi Taguchi)

Yuukei Yesterday (LiSA)

Headphone Actor (LiSA)

Konoha's State of the World (Nanou)

Lost Time Memory (Kohta Matsuyama from BYEE the ROUND)

Ayano no Koufuku Riron (Okui Aki)

Kuusou Forest (Takumi Yoshida)

Otsukimi Recital (IA)

Summer Time Record (Jin)

Still hoping they release the BGM at some point... If only for that one track from ep. 08...

Also for anyone who wants to see the re-done version of the 09 OP, here's a link to it on tumblr. (I haven't been able to find a clean high-res version uploaded to YT yet. Will edit if one appears.)

Happy New Year, y'all Mekakushi Dan.
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Old 01-03-2015, 03:29 AM   #122
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I asked this in Skype, but what of the Kagerou Project songs would be classified as high-intensity? I'm looking for something similar to, say, Kaiji's opening and dissimilar from Idolmaster's "Aoi Tori". To juxtapose the extremes.
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Old 03-07-2015, 04:09 AM   #123
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GUNJOU RAIN HAS A COVER AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL
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Old 03-07-2015, 01:32 PM   #124
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Lil' Bluey

To clarify, the full MCA OST is being released on April 1, and it will also include new covers of some of the songs. This site lets you preview the tracks. It doesn't seem to have all the new covers (I expect they'll be on the special edition). However the full Yobanashi Deceive arrangement was uploaded last night along with an AMV. (Yes, another SHAFT montage.)
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Old 04-11-2015, 07:59 PM   #125
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Lil' Bluey

Today marks the 1-year anniversary of MCA's first episode. To celebrate, here are a bunch of new song covers that were recently released on the Mekakucity M's soundtrack:

Yobanashi Deceive (LiSA & MARiA from GARNiDELiA)

Shounen Brave (nano.RIPE)

Outer Science (ONE)

Marry no Kakuu Sekai (Lia & Maya)

Shinigami Record (Lia)

Gunjou Rain (Okui Aki)

Toumei Answer (Shoichi Taguchi & Annabel)

I also want to take the chance to promote a petition to have Jin as a guest at Anime Expo this year. He's currently in a rough situation right now, so it would be really nice to show him support in any way.

Thank you, Jin, for all you've given us. This series has had its ups and downs, but I still appreciate the amount of effort and love you've put into it. Please remember to take care of yourself, and that you have fans out there who enjoy your work and wish you well.
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