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Old 06-09-2014, 08:20 AM   #76
Lanturn
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Episode 9
Spoiler: show
Ayano's Theory of Happiness/Ayano no Kofuku Riron was something I looked forward to. The song itself with the PV was beautiful and I loved it. Ayano was also one such character that I was interested in finding out about, given how she seems to tie into most of the Dan's members. Let's just say that this episodes was... it was great on some fronts but others were pretty... disappointing.

Let's start with the opening. It gets me angry in multiple ways. I had no problems with the cover. I might have preferred the original PV version, but this one was beautiful as well, especially when the singer's voice went high. I had no problem with it replacing the opening daze. What I'm disgusted is with the animation... Either SHAFT ran out of money or they're using MCA as guinea pig for their next generation of "art", the animation definitely does not do justice to the cover and the song itself. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I definitely could've loved this episode better if it wasn't for the opening. Ayano's mother looked super weird in the opening.

After the terrible opening comes the scene with kid Seto/Kido/Kano. Kano being a jerk *smacks Kano* to Seto. It was rather interesting how kid!Seto was so much... different than the grown-up Seto. I think Kido seemed a bit more outgoing, though Kano just grew creepier when he grows up. Ayano was cute, drawing graffiti on her own face along with Kido. Seeing sensei was also a joy, it was all in all a pretty, while not necessary, cute scene.

Then the screen went black and showed August 15th. The news of Ayano's parents having been caught in a landslide/avalanche reached Seto/Kido/Kano. It must have hit Ayano the hardest, seeing how close she was. That doesn't mean Seto/Kido/Kano had an easy time, grieving over the one who adopted them. When Ayano said "Tadaima!" in an upbeat voice, it really shows her caring personality about how she felt the need to cheer everyone up and mentally support everyone.

Ayano's father being mysterious to even his own daughter, where he even got angry at his own daughter for sneaking into her room. So apparently she found her mother's diary about her understanding of a folklore that appears to be real, and how the Bakemono left to her own world without her family. Her daughter also gained some kind of 'ability' and had a bad dream when she nearly died and Aya's mom seem to suspect it is coming into the monster's world which swallow kids and grant them power. This seems to be similar to the case of Seto/Kido/Kano/Momo who got their abilities through near-death experiences.

Which draws me to some thoughts. Is the Monster's World only enterable when you're near death on August 14th/15th? That seems to be the case so far, with the snake swallowing everyone up in an earlier episode. Is the Snake some kind of transportation method to the Monster World inside the Snake or something?

Anyways, stuff happen, and Ayano's dad stands outside, when he suddenly stops replying to Ayano, his eyes turning red in an ominous way. Wonder what happened.

Flash forward to the Culture Festival, where Ayano catches up with Shintaro. Tsun-Shitaro when confronted about his bad attitude was pretty cute. And what is he holding... lol. Nice to see even Shitaro still cared about Momo when he's ragey. And Ayano going "your first present... to me" or something, and her spacing off when Shin leaves. It seems to all point to Ayano bearing feelings for Shintaro.

Oh wow, Tsubomi-sagashi... at this time? That was one funny scene lol. It also seems Kano bears feeling for Ayano, and seem to get a bit jealous about her receiving a gift from her friend.

The night with her dad... It was pretty scary, with the music in the background. It seems like Ayano didn't know her father had red eyes until now. It seemed greatly like a split personality, when contrasted with the cheerful Dad in the beginning. This one seems scary, ominous and generally... creep. Then we are told that while the Monster created the world, a "Snake" had a particular mind of its own and pretty much led her to being alone and creating the world. This all begs the question of: Who's the series's real antagonist? Sensei? Snake? Or the Woman? The woman seemed more of a tragic heroine than a ruthless woman, especially with the story at the end of every episode - it seemed like she truly cared for her family. Then what she did to Haruka, that was just...

Shuya~

*sudden timeskip*

Ene and Kano talking with each other. Wow, I'm pretty disappointed by this development. I was hoping more would come out of the Ene/Kano plot, not that I minded it too much. Though we did get some background about Sensei.

According to Kano:

1) His power appears at night - when the man is sleeping.
2) His power has a will of his own.
3) His power gives him a 'split-personality'.
4) He's possessed by a Snake. Who is trying to collect all the snake in the world to make a new "Medusa".
5) The Snake inside him is smart and has been raising money for... space and facilities in a school, what?

This is all a rather confusing ball of mess, but it seems Sensei's 'power' is the snake itself, and the snake has been controlling him when it 'comes out at night to raise funds'. How one would and could get such a big space at a school is beyond me, maybe this is anime!logic.

And that happened...

Marry is linked with carrying the 'queen of snakes' or something. When Kano doesn't say anything, but interrupts her by bring to...

Takane's body inside a tank.

Takane's body.

Takane.

What just happened?

Is she being used as an 'empty husk'? Then what happened to Haruka? Whose body is possessed by 'snakes' or something. By answering questions comes more questions it brings up more questions.

In conclusion, it was all a pretty decent episode. It definitely gave us information, lots of information to work with. Unfortunately, the opening was one huge problem, and I sort of feel that they're really running out of budget. The pacing was alright, if not a bit rushed with all the information thrown at us. Really, I wish this series so far had a better pacing.

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Old 06-13-2014, 11:54 PM   #77
Talon87
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Episode 08:

Spoiler: show
So the being one week late thing continues. And at this rate, I'm about to be two weeks late! @_@ Urp! Better try to catch up.


The opening scene with the housefire. This scene invited a lot of questions that ended up being answered by the later scene where Kido explains to Shintarou and Momo her theory about their powers' origins. But one question remains: why didn't Kido's older sister leave with her? I could understand Kano's mother (if wounded), Seto's dog (if swept away or unconscious), and Momo's father (if unconscious) being unable to make it back into our world. I could also understand none of the four of them being able to make it back had it looked like Kido's sister was restrained, blocked by some forcefield, something. But ... it looks like she just chooses to remain in the burning wreckage. It's very strange. Why did she not go through the door with Kido? Like, why did she not even attempt to? As if she already knew that she couldn't make it through to the other side?


I joked with Yuki about this on Skype soon after watching the episode: while it doesn't stand out anywhere near as noticeably in motion, in static images the way Shaft chose to draw Hibiya at the hospital made it look like he has boobs. ^^;


I got really upset when Kido told Shintarou about Ene. I was like, "WTF!? That's *HER* decision to tell Shintarou when and if she wants to!" She didn't completely give away that Ene is Takane but she said enough that Shintarou is going to be able to figure it out soon. Not cool, Kido.


Shintarou: Hey! Are you in there?
*silence*
Shintarou: Yosh. *fistpump*


hahahahahahaha


With Kido's explanation about the Kagerous' powers, the plot takes an interesting turn. I half like it and I half don't know if I like it, what with the whole "Sometimes 2+ people get sucked in and only one is spat back out" angle. Hibiya saving Hiyori is easy for me to get behind. So is Shintarou saving Ayano. But for some reason, Momo saving their father and Kido saving her older sister ... is harder for me to accept. Maybe it's got something to do with how long ago they disappeared ... but I don't know if that can be it either since two years is still a long time and that's how long it's been since Ayano's "suicide". (I'm assuming Ayano got pulled in and rejecting the suicide angle for now still. Seems too improbable to me that this girl would want to kill herself.) So if I can accept Ayano coming back from the dead, then why can't I accept Momo's father or Kido's sister doing the same?


This scene, with Shintarou exploring the Kagerous' treasure room, is where I get upset with Shaft's animation decisions once again -- because they adversely impact the story. Shintarou is remarking at how huge the stash of treasures is and it looks like a warehouse; but in the novel, given Yuki's description of the secret base's size, it couldn't be bigger than a hallway or adjoining room. So which is it, Shaft? Do the Kagerous have a storage room the size of a closet and only a few trinkets? Or do they have a goddamn hammerspace in their apartment that houses all of the King of Heroes' treasures?


At 19m40s, this painting on the top left stood out to me. I wondered if Shaft was trying to sneak in a message through it. 5 dashes, what looks like the number 8, and 5 bubbles. Iyai, Ihai, Goyai, etc. Can't make out any ciphers that seem like they'd make sense. (5 = i, go; 8 = ya, ha)


At 19m47s, the idea suddenly hit me: what if Shintarou is the dude in the OP who is strangling someone and what if he's about to strangle Marry!? I would freak SO NEGATIVELY if this happened. Thankfully, unpausing the episode revealed no strangulation but instead ...


... another insert song. xfd;


The insert song's visuals seem to shower us with spoilers left and right of things to come. O_o For starters, what looks like a Shin-haired Konoha pulling a gun on them!? Another earlier scene shows what looks like Shintarou holding the gun and on the bottom is either Momo, Marry, or some other girl.




Well ... that just happened. I'd probably say more here ordinarily but since Episode 09 is already out and 10 is about to be, I'll keep it short. I think this will probably be revealed to be a bloodlust vs. personal desire not to cause harm kind of a situation. Like, Marry will be torn between her vampiric urges to do to Shintarou whatever it is that we see her doing and her personal desire to be a nice girl and not cause harm to anyone.


Blagh. Episode ended way too soon. Well, Marry finally gets to do more, it looks like. Though ... I was still hoping for more this episode. :\

Tbh, I didn't think Shaft was *too* artsy-fartsy this week. The opening scene gave me a scare but then they calmed down. And I didn't care for the storage room either. But aside from that ...

Yuki points out that they were lazy though. And I'd say yes, that they were. The hospital scene stood out to me as really, really poorly drawn. I don't mean to be so mean about it, so negative ... but I feel like, given the sales figures Yuki has shown me for the light novels, that this anime is going to go down in history along with Toei's Kanon or Studio Deen's FSN. We're enjoying it fine now, sure, but we're going to want a redo. And some studio is going to want to offer to do a redo. And the redo is going to obliterate this one.


One thing Episode 08 does not make clear to me at all though is ... regarding the events that ended Episode 05 ...
  1. Where the hell is Konoha now? He already had his run in with the snake lady. Why would he be sucked back into that world a second time? Wasn't it the others' lives who were in danger this time and not his?
  2. What the hell happened to the minivan and the people on it abducting Hibiya and Hiyori?
  3. Why were those people even abducting the kids?
  4. Was that really a life-threatening situation? If so (in that the abductors intended to harm the kids), why would a group of 4+ people work together to abduct 2+ children with intent to cause them harm? Normally when you hear about violent abductors, you hear about people who work alone and abduct a single person at a time, do you not?
  5. How does the abduction scene tie in, if at all, to Hibiya's recurring dream with Hiyori dying?

Another thing that hasn't been explained yet and I was hoping would be explained by now is, if Tateyama adopted the kids from the orphanage, then why on earth do they appear to live at their hideout? Like, why don't they live at "home" with him? If it's because he's a bad man, then why hasn't this come up yet?


And speaking of this family picture ... I noticed while putting this post together something interesting about the hairbands. It could be nothing, but Ayano's mother (?) is shown wearing her hairbands the way that Ayano in the series has worn them up through now. Yet Ayano herself is shown wearing her hairbands in a way we've never seen her wearing them before -- in an X-shaped pattern. Does this mean that the "Ayano" we've been encountering is actually Ayano's mother and that she's been making us think she was Ayano? It seems a bit too incredible to be probable, but who knows.


The funeral scene reminds me ... AGAIN, HOW DID TAKANE SEE AYANO SHORTLY BEFORE SHE DIED YET SHINTAROU KNEW NOTHING OF TAKANE'S DEATH? Like, even if they had died on the same day, okay, fine, whatever. BUT HE WENT TO THE WAKE. Something is definitely up.
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Old 06-14-2014, 12:25 AM   #78
Talon87
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Well, reply time. Not too much to add to Lanturn's or Yuki's posts, but Connor's said quite a few things that, even if I'm two weeks late in responding, I'd like to address.

(Spoilers through Episode 08.)

Spoiler: show
Not too sold on your first theory, but it seems to be a key component of the second two ideas you advance and I'm a big fan of those so I guess that means I can't be too against the "every time Shin dies time starts over again" theory either. I guess the only reason I don't like it for right now is that we have a grand total of one data point for the data plot called "# of Times Shin Has Died". So it feels ... I dunno ... like something I feel like you'd only have just gotten more through a lucky guess than evidence-based reasoning if you're right. That may not sound nice, but you should like what comes next.

Quote:
Shin was meant to be the pair for Ayano in her death, but for some reason he never did. I'm convinced that at some point Shin will enter the Void!World and meet Ayano with his memories intact. What happens then, I have no idea.
I think you've hit the nail on the head here in a huge way. I hadn't even considered Ayano as part of a "failed pair." I saw her and Shintarou as a successful pair just like any of the others we've heard about so far. But I think you're right: they're a failed pair, and until they finish the job they won't be rid of their curse. So, what's the job that needs doing? Well I think ... that Shintarou has to die. I get the feeling, from your own line of reasoning and from what I think of the story so far myself, that Shintarou was "supposed" to die but things got fucked up and Ayano ended up dying instead. Consequently, until Shintarou replaces her, we have our little story called Mekakucity Actors. But once he goes in, she'll get to exit ... and he'll have to stay behind.

Next up is Marry. While you started off saying nothing that I hadn't already said before, I oh so smugly noted ;p, you then drop an excellent observation bomb on this discussion:

Quote:
and that said 'Monster' is in fact a Medusa. The snakes and hair design are both huge giveaways, as well as the scales on her face. I was possessed of this notion at first, and of the latest episode I'm even more convinced. When Marry appeared behind Shin, she had identical scales to him, and it seemed she was using an even more powerful version of her eye power to freeze people in place.
Why had I not considered medusas.

Yuki: "Vampires." X3

I correctly called the snakes connection, but only with the help of the snake imagery we'd started to see in scenes like the one where Konoha stops the van or the one with Haruka in the hospital. In other words, I called something that 99.9% of viewers would've called by that same point in time. But not once did I make the connection between Marry's eyes of immobilization and a Gorgon's eyes turning people to stone. I guess because no one has been literally turned to stone yet, and thus it just didn't click for me. I've seen immobilization with eye powers before from non-Medusa characters -- Ilya in FSN, Lelouch in Code Geass, etc. -- and yeah. But no excuses. I think you've totally nailed this one and I feel dumb for not having thought of it myself first. The snakes. The eyes. The freezing people in place.

Sorry that I don't have anything to say regarding others' posts. I feel bad about it since I know that you guys take the time and effort to read through my own tl;dr posts.
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Old 06-14-2014, 10:40 AM   #79
lilboocorsola
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Lil' Bluey

I've been busy so haven't had time to write up a proper post on 09, and will be for the next few weeks up until the series end. I'll try to squeeze in reviews if I can, but no promises. Either way I plan to do a full post-mortem once the show is over, as there's a lot I want to say - especially about the PVs and novels (and perhaps also parts of the manga).

Anyway, I came here mostly to report a couple bits of news:

First is that the 「days」 lyric video has been released:

Spoiler: show
BORKED


In addition the series has been licensed by Yen Press.

While I'm here, I'll respond to a few points on 09.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lanturn View Post
Episode 9
Spoiler: show
Let's start with the opening. It gets me angry in multiple ways. I had no problems with the cover. I might have preferred the original PV version, but this one was beautiful as well, especially when the singer's voice went high. I had no problem with it replacing the opening daze. What I'm disgusted is with the animation... Either SHAFT ran out of money or they're using MCA as guinea pig for their next generation of "art", the animation definitely does not do justice to the cover and the song itself. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I definitely could've loved this episode better if it wasn't for the opening. Ayano's mother looked super weird in the opening.
>OP

Spoiler: show
Truck you SHAFT.

(...Though I admit at this point I am kinda torn over laughter at the whole thing. Best troll move since E8/Aku no Hana.)


Quote:
Originally Posted by Lanturn View Post
Spoiler: show
After the terrible opening comes the scene with kid Seto/Kido/Kano. Kano being a jerk *smacks Kano* to Seto. It was rather interesting how kid!Seto was so much... different than the grown-up Seto. I think Kido seemed a bit more outgoing, though Kano just grew creepier when he grows up. Ayano was cute, drawing graffiti on her own face along with Kido. Seeing sensei was also a joy, it was all in all a pretty, while not necessary, cute scene.
I disagree. I felt it was necessary.

Spoiler: show
While we're still missing some of the most crucial parts of these kids' backstories, this scene at least gives us a glimpse of how their relationships and personalities were in the past. As you said, Seto was very different in that he was a crybaby. If you notice the heights, he was once the smallest of the three, and thus got picked on a lot for being weak. Now he's grown up big and strong, and takes on a fatherly role by working to provide for his siblings. (It's been observed through visual clues in all the mediums that each kid takes after a different member of the Tateyama family - Seto after sensei, Kido after their mom, and Kano after Ayano.) Kido actually seems to show a bit of a prissy princess side to her, but like Seto she's now the most responsible one in charge of taking care of the house, fulfilling the function of a mother figure in Ayano's stead. (Probably she wears a ponytail to resemble their mom.) In fact, Kano used to act more like the leader of the group, and on the outside at least was perhaps the most mature/outgoing of the three originally. Their father mentions how the kids are so delicate they won't even come out of their room when strangers are around, but I'm starting to wonder if Kano didn't drag the shy adolescent Kido out to the Culture Festival. (The fact Seto chose to stay home dashes my theory that he was the gray hooded guy looking at the poster in episode 06 though...)

Despite being poorly adjusted to handling social situations, the scene shows how comfortable they are living and playing together as a family. Though they thought of themselves as monsters, Ayano taught them not to be afraid of the red eyes, but to be proud of their powers/themselves by "playing heroes". The OP skipped a scene where she gives them the hoodies as "uniforms" for their "secret organization". (Hence why they still wear them even in summer. Incidentally, the reason Shintaro wears a red jersey is because Ayano said it "suited him".) What the Mekakushi Dan originally stood for is a way for these children to feel welcome and accepted for the first time in their lives. Now that they seem to be self-sufficient and getting along in society, it's clear they've come a long way since the lonely, scared and withdrawn orphans that arrived at the door, thanks to Ayano's and their parents' support. (Of course, having all of that stripped away so suddenly meant they likely had to grow up fast again...)

Also when I say "playing together as a family", I'm including everyone. What I especially loved about this scene and the episode is that it shows what a good/fun guy sensei is. He truly is a loving father and teacher - when he's not being possessed by a snake, that is. I can see why they chose Hughes' voice actor from FMA for him. ;O (Btw, young Kano is voiced by the same person as Kido's sister. XP) I felt really bad for him after this episode. The man must be incredibly lonely. =/ It's like he's Tomoya x10. First his wife dies, then his daughter, and even his students... (If he knows about their deaths but not that he was the cause, I wonder if his thinks he failed to save them as their mentor.) Even his adopted kids leave him(?) for reasons he doesn't know... Though the episode comforts me in that I'm sure he still cares about the trio, and is probably helping to support them financially. (Maybe the snake gathered money so they could buy all that junk in their base, lol.)

Going back to what I said about the kids being close to certain members of the family, the scene also hints at how strong Kano's feelings towards his older sister are... Whether purely platonic or romantic (though the animé sure seems to be pushing towards the latter). The way he stood in the background watching on in the rain when their mother died emphasizes again how he tries to act like an adult by bottling up his feelings (even in the PV he seemed to be holding in his tears the most at the funeral) - all of it leading up to the importance of the role he plays learning the secret about the snakes. He says as much to Ene that he doesn't have the luxury to speak freely. The graffiti scene also helps establish his relationship with Ayano and hence his inability to refuse a request from her. Returning to what I said in this post (which is safe to expand now), he's clearly the one hit hardest by his sister's death, even if he doesn't show it around others. You say he "grew creepier" when he grew up, but basically what he's doing is smiling and putting on a show so as not to worry the people he cares about - maybe even making himself out to be a scapegoat to protect them. He is sweet and sad in that sense. Similar to how you describe Ayano acting cheerful for the sake of her family after their mother's death, Kano does the same - again showing how much he reflects her.

Speaking of the graveyard scene, I can also now add another reason Kano might have been pissed is because of all people, Shintaro was the reason everyone left. While he deliberately avoids the subject, Kano really doesn't care much for the guy... Perhaps part of it was due to jealousy, but there are other factors as well...

So yeah. "Graffiti Rangers" is one of my favorite scenes so far, next to the Base Dinnertalk. Because I need my adorbs, if not feels. *shot* Also to build up the happiness before it all comes crashing down.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Lanturn View Post
Spoiler: show
Ene and Kano talking with each other. Wow, I'm pretty disappointed by this development. I was hoping more would come out of the Ene/Kano plot, not that I minded it too much.
Spoiler: show
It's kinda funny how Kano's mindfucks keep getting written off in this story.

Novel spoilers:

Spoiler: show
It's implied at one point Kano pretends to be Momo and then Ayano during the night to mess with Shintaro in a similar fashion. Shin passes it off as a dream the next day though.


Ene and Kano do seem to get along pretty well generally. In the novel Kano states that she reminds him of himself. They are both dishonest about their feelings...

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 06-14-2014 at 07:14 PM.
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Old 06-14-2014, 11:29 PM   #80
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Episode 10
Spoiler: show
Anyone on skype (well at least most people that are active in the Mekameka Chat) can tell you what a big fan of Souzou/Kuusou Forest I am (and general SetoMarry shipper =3=). So when this episode was announced (along with the name of Ep11 but Lost raged at that) I was literally squealing and hoping SHAFT doesn't screw this up.

"Let us grant the wish of our lord" and the episode became one of the better ones in the series. No terrible MMDs, a fantastic out-of-the-mold male cover for Kuusou Forest an SetoMarry running rampant. While I still find the PV slightly cuter, I'm not going to be greedy here and ask for more, because this is pretty great already.

The starting was Azami, the Bakemono whose name was released, along with Shion, Marry's mom, waiting for Tsukihiko's return. It seems like they decided to pick the story up from when the ending story last ended. They're getting rather impatient, and boom! What's with this series and masks anyways? First you have clown faced terrorists, then you have fox-faced villagers with guns. It was rather interesting to see Azami having the ability to use all the eye powers like Momo's power and Kido's power were shown amongst many others.

And well, well, what just happened. Seto's ancestor. I'm not sure if that had any relevance to the main plot, given how one of the masked guys had hair like Kano's. I don't think this is going to be expanded any further, because hey seeing Seto!villain is kinda painful ;;

The story flashes over to the Kuusou Forest/Souzou Forest, with Shion and her daughter Marry. How did she even get a daughter anyways, who did she marry to have Marry (ehehehehe did you see what I did there). Apparently Marry decided she wants to go outside, but she keeps getting blocked by Shion who wishes for her safety. In the end, the both of them were attacked, and it seems like Shion managed to turn one into stone with her eyepower, but both of them were struck with the "near-death experience" and sent to the snake world.

Snake world. Whaaaat just happened? All three of them were tied up in a pillar, even Azami - who was the creator of the alternate world herself. It seems like her snakes have lost control and betrayed her? In a sense. She manages to let Marry go, but something about the queen of snakes I don't get. Also, the snake sounds extremely like Dento's VA when he went "ahhhh", like when he had one of his tasting times in BW.

So Marry gets out alone, while Shion and Azami gets stuck in that painfully looking world. Is that the treatment of all that fail to leave the snake world? That seems something hugely painful - given how we know a few people are there. Hiyori, Ayano, Kido's hot sister, Seto's dog ;;. Maybe Hiyori is a super bitch but she's still like... eight or ten. That's rather disturbing I guess.

Anyways, moving on from that. Seto! Yay! Seto appears, and he meets a rabbit. That interaction was hilariously cute, and so much of squeal cuteness. It nice to see how much braver Seto has gone, and the sheer thought of Kano trying to bully Seto in the present time makes me go LOLNOPE. Moving on, Kuusou Forest, where Seto manages to hear Marry's voice/thought. The lake was pretty nicely animated in my opinion. And Kuusou Forest happens, where Seto manages to chance upon Marry's totally not unnoticeable house-tower.

I'm gonna talk quickly about the tower. It seems like they're trying to reference Rapunzel or however you spell it. The tower and the girl being a lock-in on top of the tower. Even Marry's attacker mentioned something about her hair. This is a case of SHAFT, because having watched Kuusou Forest/Souzou Forest as the song that got me into Kagepro, their house was a small cabin and supposedly built by Tsukihiko himself. Oh well, the tower was pretty nice, so no complaints there. Still, SHAFT REALLY doens't know how to animate small houses, lol.

So Kuusou Forest. The cover was pretty nice, and even though I find the SetoMarry here a bit sudden, it was still cute. No complaints there, other than the fact that it was hugely cute.

And with that, the flashback ends between Seto meeting Marry. The time flashes back to present, where Marry is completely oblivious to the fact that Hibiya was completely gone. And where did Shin go? I know he had that LTM AMV thing, but that doesn't mean he can disappear. I don't get it ;;

So Marry meets Konoha, and she offers to be his friend in a heartwarming fashion as Seto offering to be Marry's friend. Then she turns on the TV, only to see Momo gather a crowd. The building behinds seems like the school, so...

TIE-IN INTO OTSUKIMI!

*hears Lost rage in the background*

All in all it was a solid episode in character building, and we definitely got the backgrounds to three different characters - Azami, Shion and Marry. And kyahh kid!Seto is so cute =3=


With that conclusion, I have taken over Yuki's job of linking songs for this week because this is my episode. Bath in the songs of the three... whatever their last name is

Also this is Yuki approved so you can open this:

Shinigami Record
Spoiler: show
BORKED

The Story of Showing Kindness

Gunjou Rain
Spoiler: show
BORKED

The Story of Going into One's Eyes without any Pain

Kuusou Forest
Spoiler: show
BORKED

The Story about seeing Eye-to-Eye

The first two songs are without PVs and the video inside is fan-made, so own's discretion. Though the third one is legit, it's cuteeee >w<

[replies to come at a later point]*

*may or may not happen because I'm a lazy person*

*but wil try to make it happen*

*try
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Old 06-15-2014, 12:45 AM   #81
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I promise to write a full review of 09 eventually, but there's just too much I want to say about it (that may involve spoilers, so it might be easier to circle back at the end anyway). For now I'll just offer my thoughts on 10 while they're fresh.


Wherefore art thou, Seteo?

Episode 10:

Spoiler: show
This was a fairly nice episode. Getting to see Shinigami Record actually animated at last was a treat. Ms. Monster's moemoe tsuntsun was pretty endearing. The relationship she has with Tsukihiko actually very closely reflects Takane and Haruka. Even the boys' pale skin match...


Okaasan...?

Watching Azami get shot suddenly was a bit of a shock (though having recently read some of her parts in the novel I knew she would likely survive). It kinda makes me laugh though since it turns out 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.


You've awakened the beast...

Seeing her use all of the snakes' powers in combination was really cool (and OP). The stone statues instantly crumbling in this version was kinda silly but a cruel concept. I liked the music played here too. The biggest surprise though was...


SETO. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE INSTEAD OF HANGING OUT WITH THE DAN WHERE YOU BELONG?

Apparently it was leaked that there would appear another character with Seto's voice actor in this episode, but I hadn't heard about it all so I was incredibly confused at first. (I suspect part of the reason for it was to poke fun at the Imagination/Fantasy Forest PV, where the ones who tried to kidnap Marry were originally boys who looked a lot like Seto, which misguided a lot of people. They probably changed the ages to make it more PC.) It's kinda funny how Seto's ancestor still wears a hairclip (I always thought it had to do with Ayano) and dorky sandals, and ironic his descendant should end up with the same fashion sense Stealing Eyes when it was used to read his mind. I liked the little touch of showing his silhouette during the Tsukihiko interrogation scene to indicate it is being played from his POV.


Gin, is that you?

Meeting Tsukihiko was another pleasant surprise. He's voiced by that same guy you hear everywhere, isn't he... It's interesting he wears a mask in the animé just like the villagers, so it must be a cultural thing in MCA's historical world. (Maybe the joker terrorists are descended from them, lol. SHAFT sure likes their masked villains...) The image evokes an unexpected sense of nostalgia in me since it matches the atmosphere of Natsume Yuujinchou/Hotarubi no Mori e. The fact he wears it to the side so his is the only face shown is most likely symbolic as well. I was actually kinda conflicted to learn that the other villagers were trying to "save" him in a sense, despite torturing him. Azami mentions that she thought the village always treated him like scum, and in the novel the last time he tried to go back there they beat him up just because he "looks different" due to his pale features. (I think the fact Azami didn't kill Seto's ancestor is because Tsukihiko didn't want her to hurt anyone in revenge for him - since it would make her no better than them - and seeing him reminded her of that.) When he met Azami he was returning from the battlefield since he was discriminated against, being told they couldn't use him as a soldier. At the suggestion he build her a house, he leaped at the chance to "be of use to someone so pretty". Speaking of which, someone pointed out it seems he built their home on the same spot where they met, which I find sweet. Does SHAFT really expect me to believe he made that giant phallic tower by himself though...


It even comes with a retractable hammock!

This also leads me to other huge and heart-rending reveal to me: Tsukihiko survived and returned right after Azami left to protect her family. I had heard a number of reasons/rumors he wasn't able to go with her to the other world - he died in a war, was attacked and killed by the villagers, etc. When the end of 09 stated Azami never saw her beloved again after he went to make wedding preparations, I was afraid the latter would come true. Turns out not... At least this means someone was around to take care of Shion as she grew up, but it was still tragic - especially after Azami's heartfelt goodbye to her daughter. Tsukihiko's screams of anguish were well-done, both here and when the villagers threatened to go after his wife.


Gonna miss that sweet ass... ;O *shot* (But hey look at that buttshot, toldja he resembles Haruka. XP)

So then we timeskip to a young Marry trying to sneak out of the house. The OST is once again very pretty, and Shion caring for her own daughter was charming. Though something that I noticed while rewatching this scene sorta bothers me - there are three places set at the table for tea. I've always assumed Marry's father was dead by this time. Perhaps it was meant to be a reminder of him. Though I kinda wonder how Shion even found someone to have a child with, if she was keeping herself hidden from the world.... Come to think of it, there were just two graves outside Marry was praying at, and Shion said that her dad had died... Don't tell me they... oO;;; *shot repeatedly* (At least there was only one in the PV. XP)


"Let go of that child."

So after witnessing Marry's and Shion's deaths(?), we see they got dragged into the other world with Azami, who speaks with the giant snake that taunts her. She manages to break free and give the "queen" snake to Marry, who is allowed to leave the world and live as a result.


Ahh I've been waiting to hear this hamminess. SUBARASHII~

Skipping forward again, we come across a young Seto who's run away from home. (Because of Kano's teasing apparently. Jeez he's such a jerk in this version...) He then encounters this series' greatest enemy...


DUN DUN DUN

Is that Shintaro's rabbit? Must also be his ancestor, lol.


Hng. SHAFT stop trying to win me over with cuteness. I'm still mad at you for 09... Baka.

Seto's eyes turn red as his power activates, and he hears Marry's thoughts about how lonely she is. He follows them to her house, and sees her sitting on the balcony. Lanturn likened this scene to Rapunzel, and hearing that made me actually appreciate the design choice for the building. Marry is the princess trapped in a tower, and Seto is the brave knight in shining armor hoodie who comes and rescues her. (Though he's the real Disney princess. *shot*) Watching her fall off the railing upon seeing him was also cute and funny. XP


Suddenly Shoujo palette switch.

Cue adorable insert song. Having male vocals for Kuusou Forest was unanticipated, but they were great and reminded me of halyosy's version. (Apparently the singer was a classmate of Jin's from the same town, which is cool.) The arrangement was wonderful (wee flute and saxophone~) and I love how the music got louder when Marry put in the earbuds. The animation for the visuals was simple, but effective, so I suppose I can forgive SHAFT a bit for the travesty that was AToH.


Here we go with the headtilt.

It's hard to see and I can't find a good screencap/gif of it, but I'm pretty sure Seto is blushing during this scene as well. XP (Edit- Found one.) His smile is different from the glowing one he gave in the original PV, but still lovely. <3 I could've done with a little less Marry randomly walking around and talking to the birds, but seeing her delighted expression was almost worth it. Though I still would've preferred to have the scene where Seto gives her the hood instead. =<


Smiling princess and prince~

After that, we return to the present with Marry waking up to find herself alone. Heading outside, she discovers Konoha asleep in the middle of the road. Man, what a naďve/innocent girl she is, to invite in a strange guy dressed like that. ^^; Especially considering this awkward shot...


SHAFT sure likes to show off Konoha's crotch. *shot*

Konoha talks about wanting to have "friends", and Marry offers to *ahem* become his "friend". Then the TV randomly turns on and shows a crowd gathered around the school? Marry seems to know Momo's the source of all the attention for some reason, claiming she can "hear her". Hm.

...And then credits. =| Damnit. However, there's a twist to the fairytale portion this week it seems, instead focusing on Marry. I can hear a certain song in the background too...


So, since Lanturn has done the courtesy of linking most of the music this week, I'm just going to go ahead and add a couple comments:

>Shinigami Record

Please note that the video linked is a fan-made PV. There is no official version.

>Gunjou Rain

This is one of my favorite songs of the series, and probably the one I listen to most (since it's easiest on both my ears and emotions ^^; ). It's so beautiful and relaxing. If an extra cover of it (+ other songs) is included on the OST I will be so happy, since no one ever covers it even though an official instrumental was released. =< (Though I actually just found a decent one that was recently uploaded, and has much better subs + a fan-made PV to boot. \o/ Male vocals again though. XP)

What I really like is Jin's commentary on the song:

Spoiler: show
Quote:
"When it's raining all day, you shouldn't spend it doing nothing at home. In this generation, there are things like TV games and the internet, so there's likely no such thing as free time. However, in the past, naturally there weren't these useful things. Reading books, drawing pictures, talking with family. Compared to this generation, there might have been significantly less enjoyable things. Surely, once the weather becomes nice, you'll want to go out right away. I would definitely do the same. This song takes place inside of that kind of house, a story about a parent and child that pass the time without going outside. Earnestly waiting for a happiness to visit someday. I'd like this song to be listened to while imagining the very ordinary and small lifestyle of these two."
I read in an interview that he wrote Gunjou Rain as a "love song" from mother to child, thinking of his own mom. D'aww.


>Kuusou Forest

FYI, the original upload was titled "Souzou (Imagination) Forest" and the PV was slightly different. I kinda prefer the first version for the consistent artstyle (+ Seto's gorgeous smile *shot*), but the second one is cute too. (P.S. This has English subs.)

Spoiler: show
BORKED

To clarify a couple things: When Marry says "If I look you in the eye, you'll turn to stone," the original Japanese is actually ambiguous as to who the subject is. So Seto apparently misunderstood her, thinking she meant she would be "petrified" from shyness.

Also, it's been implied/theorized the reason she doesn't turn people to stone is because she's only a quarter-Medusa, thus her powers are weakened. (She was apparently not aware of this though.) Her half-Medusa mother probably ended up having to strain herself to use her full power, as indicated by the blood she coughed in the episode. Whether she died from overexertion or her assailant is unknown.

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


>last name

I'll go ahead and reveal it, since it's not really a spoiler or anything.

Spoiler: show
Marry's last name is Kozakura.

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 06-20-2014 at 11:58 PM.
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Old 06-15-2014, 11:10 PM   #82
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I don't know who to ship anymore.

It was Ayano x Shintaro, now I guess it's Ene x Shintaro and Seto x Marry?
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Old 06-15-2014, 11:18 PM   #83
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YES BOW TO THE SETOMARRY

//totally not the biggest SetoMarry shipper on the thread
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Old 06-15-2014, 11:19 PM   #84
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Seto x Marry
Kido x Shinugget

Harutaka OTP
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Old 06-16-2014, 03:04 PM   #85
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Old 06-16-2014, 05:10 PM   #86
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Yukirin is awesome for doing this for me! And by Yukirin, I mean lilbleucorsola.
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The Kamen Fleet (TL5 / A- Grade Referee) | Cameron Kalmia: Viridian's Maskmaker
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Shizuya Kasen: SHSL Armourer

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Paradise lies beyond the horizon, challenge it because it is unreachable.
Speak of the absolute territory, and grasp it with your hands.


Spoiler: show


SAAVE ME


FLOOF AND MOFUMOFU JUSTICE! *WHACK*


Spoiler: show

"Quit poking my face! >_<"
"Ahahaha, you'll never get rid of this! *hiss*"

Spoiler: show

"STOP POKING MY SISTER!"

Spoiler: show

"That was a terrible idea. But holy carp, this tastes pretty nice."


Spoiler: show
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"YOUKOSO WAGA CRAZY E"



Love burns brightly for one and all.

Spoiler: show


Please don't diss idols or fluffy things in my presence.
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Old 06-16-2014, 07:23 PM   #87
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Old 06-20-2014, 10:14 PM   #88
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Episode 09:

Spoiler: show
Apologies for the brief post but if I ever want to catch up I'm going to have to make some sacrifices and this week's episode may as well be the spot to do it.


Yuki had warned me going in that the animation was poor this week. The good news was, it was only really poor at the beginning. The rest of the episode was as good as usual. The bad news was, the beginning was ABYSMALLY poor. Holy cow. Normally I'd rant and rave about this at length but I'll just let one final picture do the talking for me on this point and move on.



Gyaaaah! >.<

The sad thing too is that the horrible animation was attached to what could've otherwise been the best scene in the entire series yet. Like, what a perversion this was, to attach Hell to Heaven. The song was beautiful, scoring top marks for vocal performance and sentimentality. (Poetry-wise it was kinda lame but that's been the case for most of Jin's song lyrics: they're hardly poetic. What his song lyrics lack in poetic value, they hope to make up for in clearly telling a story.) And the scene itself was lovely too. Like, getting past the horrid animation, what the scene depicted was really dear. It reminded me of similar scenes in other beloved series.


Jumping ahead to the end of the episode, I'll just go ahead and throw this opinion out there: I thought that the Snake Queen plot development was dumb. The episode had had me excited up until the part where Kano and Ene enter the school after hours. Mere seconds before that point -- and I know this'll break Yuki's heart to hear it ^^; , or it would if I hadn't already told her it on Skype -- I had been contemplating bumping this series up to a possible 8/10 on MyAnimeList and certainly a 7. But now the series sits at the "6/10 - Fair" score it's sat at for me all season long, and there it shall probably continue to sit. Because I thought that the plot twist with the snakes trying to cross over from their world to ours was just that dumb. Before this point, Mekakucity Actors had been a series driven by young adult themes. After this point, it became a series about monster snakes from another dimension that want to take over our world. Seriously, what the fuck. I mean I don't mind science fiction like that from time to time. You could probably try to draw some comparisons between it and my beloved Suisei no Gargantia. But Suisei wasn't guilty of a bait-'n'-switch. Suisei didn't promise me one thing at the top of the series and then LOL! suddenly switch over to a completely different genre and plot in the last act. Imagine if you were to watch a performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth ... and then in the fifth (and final) act of the play, it was revealed that the "trees" were actually Ents and that the soldiers behind the trees were actually Davinians from the planet Davos and that they were after Macbeth's head not for his betrayal of Duncan but for his blood, unique to him and him alone on all of Planet Earth, which they would use to cure their princess of space tuberculosis. Imagine if that was the plot of Shakespeare's Macbeth. You'd be pissed, right? Maybe not, but then you're weird. I'm pissed because I'm not weird like that. I get upset when I'm watching a show with a certain category of science fiction elements and themes (space-time travel, alternate dimensions, life and death, and so on) and then OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE come the interdimensional snakes. . Oh, so much "".

I could write more but for now let's cut it short here. If I'm inspired to write more before or after watching 10 then I will. Until then!
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Old 06-22-2014, 04:28 AM   #89
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Episode 11:

Spoiler: show

WHAT TIME IS IT? SUMMER TIME. *breaks into song*

IT'S GUSHING TIME.

Ahhh this episode was so great to me I need to fangasm, even it it's by myself because I'm biased. <3

First off, black hoodie Shintaro is back, and he seems to be remembering all sorts of horrid things...


DESPAIR INTENSIFIES

Lol at how they used the same blood spatter from Kagerou Days though.

Then Ayano!Snake (Note: Not saying that she is Ayano, just that they obviously share the same voice) starts talking to him. I love how the episode started off with the same ominous piano OST we usually hear and then suddenly turns inspirational. (Based on my prior knowledge, this is even more of a bait-and-switch.)


THE RETURN OF THE FETUS

She tells him of his power - that she is his power - and that he's possessed it since long before he was even born. We see him meeting the Queen Marry, adding more ship fodder.


Never forget this tragedy...

(I realize probably none of this makes sense to anyone who's only seen the animé, and I'm confused as well by all these new developments, but please bear with me as I promise to fully explain everything I know/understand once the series is over.)

Shintaro remarks that he always found it strange - that he's been good at "figuring things out" ever since he was a kid. Here's where I wish we would've seen part of his backstory that was skipped over. Since it's sure not to be specified any further, I'll go ahead and clarify something rather significant about his character:

Spoiler: show
Shintaro is a genius with a 168 IQ who would score perfectly on all his exams. In the drama CD that was just released with a limited edition of the 「daze」 album, it's revealed that the reason he does so well in school is because he has something similar to the popular definition of "photographic memory". Once he remembers something, he doesn't forget it. It goes beyond reading and memorizing textbooks in the sense he recalls all events that happens to him, whether he wants to or not.

Quote:
It’s not all just good things. Even if I want to forget or don’t like it, I end up remembering everything. I always worry about insignificant things. It’s a pain in the ass.
This in part explains why he's so hung up on Ayano's death, and suggests he may have what would be more accurately diagnosed as hyperthymesia. Though seeing as the condition doesn't necessarily correlate to intelligence/enhanced rote memorization skill (i.e. there's no overlap with "true" photographic memory, of which there are no real documented cases of), it's perhaps best to treat his talent as a made-up mixture of many representations in pop culture. Hence it makes more sense to attribute it as a supernatural ability (whether it undermines his innate aptitude or not).



HELLO THERE SCISSORS-SAN. DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE YOU.

(Seriously, what's a NEET need with a drawer full of scissors...)

Aya!Snake asks him what he will do about the future, armed with this new knowledge. Shintaro responds with... Uh...


THIS IS NOT OKAY.

After the OP, we see Momo and Kido catching up to Hibiya. Momo uses BODY SLAM and paralyzes him. Then suddenly gray zombies appear. ...Okay.

Cut to Kano walking. He reflects back on Ayano telling him about the Snake's plan, leading up to her confrontation with it on the rooftop of the school. (When it showed a flash of sensei's coat followed by Ayano's hairclips btw, I figured that was foreshadowing/referencing he wore them later.) The Snake explains that it's simply "granting" its host's wish to see his wife again - and will use whatever means to get there. Ayano, however, has a plan to stop it...


You won't get away with this.

As soon as she started backing up, I knew what was coming was unavoidable, but I still shrieked "DON'T DO IT" on Skype (even though no one else was watching XP). Then she smiled and I just...


Angel.

When Kano ran out and started crying for her to stop, around that point my heart clenched up. As the scenes progressed, I really did start to tear up. I knew most of it from the novels of course, but seeing it actually happen still hurt.


"Sorry, Shuuya..."

I want to save most of my in-depth character analysis for my summary posts after the animé, however I'll touch on one aspect now since Talon mentioned something on Skype earlier that reminded me of it. One of the main reasons I love and admire Ayano is that, though she was an ordinary and fairly average person, she did everything in her power to save the people she cared about. "Awkward and shameful", lacking any real smarts strengths, she still (thought she) found a way to be the hero she always dreamed of and portrayed before her siblings. Weak as she was, she was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the safety of her family. She too is only human, putting on a brave front as she admits that she's scared. But her resolve to go through with something so drastic makes her a hero in my eyes. Even if she made mistakes so her strategy didn't fully succeed (in the beginning I even thought she was simply trying to obtain the red eyes for herself so she could help fight and "save someone's future" - according to her song lyrics - and unfortunately didn't realize you needed a partner to escape?), it's clear she had a major impact on everything that's happened since then. Jin himself stated that Ayano's death completely changed the course of the story.


THIS IS NOT OKAY.


THIS IS NOT OKAY.


THIS IS SERIOUSLY NOT OKAY.

Kano's wail nearly destroyed me. (Although taken out of context, his expression is pretty hilarious. XP *shot* Reminds me of The Scream.)

The pain doesn't end there, as Kano charges at the Snake in Tateyama's body, yelling "I'll kill you!" The Snake simply taunts him with the fact that it's the only thing keeping his father alive - and could murder Kano and his siblings at any time if it wanted to, provided Kano doesn't cooperate. It even tells him to feign being his sister's corpse, as if the poor kid wasn't already traumatized enough witnessing her being swallowed up. The animé adds the Snake reaching out to strangle Kano to prove its point, which was really not okay.


GET YOUR DIRTY FUCKING HANDS OFF MY BABY YOU SICK BASTARD. DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM.

There are a quick couple new scenes following this. The first is of young Kano watching Takane's and Konoha's bodies floating in the tank in the lab, which explains how he knew where Takane's body was. CR's subs were kind of weird in this ep, but I think the "mental one" (lol) is referring to Ene('s power?). Jin has stated that Ene is supposed to represent the "mind", and Konoha the "body".

Next shows Kano and Kido getting settled in their new base, confirming that they left the house of their own accord. Even Kido thinks of how lonely their father must be now that they're all gone, but Kano believes it for the best. While it might just be an excuse he's using to get (his siblings) away from the Snake, he probably does think it's ultimately their fault and shouldn't cause trouble for their dad anymore (sounding like Azami in the last ep). I want to add that due to their pasts - Kano's especially *cough* - these kids take on a lot of blame and self-doubt. They're good children who are desperate for and in need of love and support, but don't wish to be a burden on others. By "re-establishing" the Mekakushi Dan - a game they recognized was just pretend when they were young - and treating it as a serious thing, it shows how much they're just kids trying to act like adults. It's both adorable and sad how they've had to learn to grow up so fast. (Other members could count as well, like Momo.)

P.S. Kido was super-cute during this scene. <3 (She sure does like looking at the ceiling though... Must be another ant. *shot*) I like how it explained why they call each other by their last names now as well.


Back to the present. We see Kano standing back at Ayano's grave, where Seto finds him. Seto offers to pay respects to Ayano, but Kano doesn't seem interested in hearing it. When Seto questions what's bugging him, Kano loses his cool - all the pent-up rage and emotion comes spilling out at once. This is one of my favorite scenes in the overall series, where Kano's mask finally breaks, so I'm really glad they included it. What I like about some of the new dialogue they added is that...

a. It reveals Kano really wanted Seto to look into his mind (even using hand gestures to illustrate, which I thought was clever of SHAFT), to read the feelings and secrets he was too afraid to say aloud. In the novel he leaves it at "Why has no one ever noticed me!?…" Seto in turn acknowledges that he also realized Kano was forcing himself to smile for everyone else's sake, ever since they were young. Seto however refuses to use his power on people if he can help it because not only does it bring him pain personally, but he feels it's (unwittingly, until he learned to control it) intruding on others' privacy. Only when Kano was ready and willing to share does he agree to use it - which the animé also makes clear compared to the novel.

b. It verifies what was said earlier about Kano resenting everyone for not remembering Ayano. It must be a huge internal conflict for him. Much as he wishes for everyone's happiness, to see the others changing and moving on, living carefree while he worries and battles the hardest by himself, knowing the truth about everything... Including his sister's death... He fears change, including his own. It's gotten to the point where he can't even understand himself - who he is or what he wants, why he's here.


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

The hug was done a little differently in the novel, where Kano falls to his knees and breaks down beforehand. Seto pulling him in to sob on his chest was sweet too, and I liked the little touch of Kano calling him "Kousuke", in light of the last scene.


The SetoKano is strong with this one. *shot*

I really appreciate Seto's last line: "We're brothers, after all." It's exactly what I imagined him saying from the novel summaries, and when I read the chapter myself it made me pleased he did just that. The whole of the fifth novel comforted me at least in that it firmly establishes they all do see each other as family. As shown in the rooftop scene, Kano truly loves Tateyama as a father and begs the snake to give him back. The brotherly bond between Seto and Kano also runs deep.


Now kiiiiiiiiiiiisssss. *shot*

Phew. Okay. With all that despair out of the way (though there are still some parts missing that likely won't be shown), we move into the final quarter which is full of utter bullshit but it makes me squee because yay everyone's happy and awesome and finally getting together as a group~ (...Except Shin. Damn lazy protagonist playing with scissors. *shot*)


"Believe in the me who believes in you because you're you!" (Children Record reference?)

Having IA still sing Otsukimi Recital was a surprise, but I suppose it appeases the Vocaloid fans. Still would've preferred a cover though. =< Plus hearing it come out of Momo's mouth was weird, especially when someone else sang Kisaragi Attention. >.>; Lol at how Seto and Hibiya comment on how it's definitely an "idol's" voice though. XD

Kido and Momo 2x combo-ing their powers was pretty cool and reminiscent of the plan to take down the terrorists - if pushing the realm of disbelief. *shrug* Pretty sure Jin just writes his magic's rules as he sees fit for the situation. XP

Takane back in her body was adorable. But speaking of BS, before anyone asks - how she returned to it wasn't/hasn't been explained in the novels either. ^^; So don't expect any answers.

The best part was Marry and Konoha. (Though I can't believe first this girl invites a stranger in, then lets him carry her... *facepalm*) Her squeal + expression of delight when her new piggyback pet leapt into the air was priceless though.


KONOHA BLAST OFF AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT.


TO INFINITY AND BEYOND.

Looks like an E.T. reference there... First we've got vampires and medusas, now aliens (+ zombies)... Maybe she's a Vamedusalien. *shot* "Marry phone home."

P.S. Watching that part again reminds me of how strange CR's subs are. XP Let's smash that "loneliness" crap!


"You guys came after all."

Seto and Kano joining Takane running in the hall was cute too. I liked Seto's statement that they "belong together", indicating he now knows everything.

The ending did feel a bit rushed/contrived (shouldn't Momo and Kido have been surprised to see Takane? Hibiya sure cheered up quick as well), but I'm just excited 'cuz everyone's finally gathered at last. 8'3 ...Except Shin damnit.

But where is he? =O The post-credits holds yet another lovely surprise. Ayano sitting in the lonely deserted classroom, at the same spot where Shintaro was in the first episode, as our protagonist struts up the stairs to her, looking the coolest he has since the start of the show. I really liked the way SHAFT animated him walking for some reason, with his hands casually shoved in the pockets of his red jersey... And him commenting on Ayano wearing her scarf despite the heat, recognizing the meaning of the color red himself... Back in LTM, when she gave him the red scarf, it now stands to show that it symbolizes her passing on the hero status to him. And here he accepts it fully, telling her not to fight alone anymore.


The proud protagonist finally appears.

He then tells her "everyone's waiting", implying he plans to take her back to the real world. o.o I don't know how he intends to do this, seeing as I always thought Ayano couldn't/wouldn't be saved. (Does this mean Shintaro stabbed himself with the scissors in order to rescue her? Hm...) Guess we'll find out next week if one or both of them manage to make it out...


Beautiful tears.

Much as I liked most of the animation in this ep, there were still moments of inconsistency, like comparing the above to below:


Bored waiting.

Shin's smile at the end looked awkward too. But then his smiles are always awkward. XP

Aside from those minor complaints though, I really enjoyed this episode and am looking forward to seeing what the last one has in store. =3 It's been a slow and stumbling build-up, but here's hoping things will end with a bang.


For music this week, I'm going to pass on linking the title song, since I feel it's not really that relevant at this point - depending on how much you get from the episode. Instead, I'll provide the pair of songs this episode actually focuses on/finishes. I won't talk too much about them now since I already stayed up way too late to write this (it's okay my sleep schedule's been completely off anyway >.>), but I want to say these are the two PVs that probably drew me most into the series (disregarding the first couple I watched). Kinda funny how closely they ended up being related...

Spoiler: show
BORKED

"The story of deceiving one's eyes."

Spoiler: show
Eau my dirty.


Spoiler: show
BORKED

"A story about memories left in the heart."

Happiness is a curious thing.

I'd like to note that before the release of this song, Ayano's relationship with the original Mekakushi Dan was completely unknown. Previously she was only seen as a side character who was friends with Shintaro but committed suicide, rendering him a shut-in. (The crane is a reference to Toumei Answer where she first appeared. It is made from Shintaro's test paper he ripped up.)

P.S. I highly recommend listening to Yumeko's voice-acted version because the Vocaloid is especially bad.

P.P.S. Bonus piano! T-t-triple punch!

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Old 06-26-2014, 10:06 PM   #90
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And Marry be like "taking a phoooto1"

Episode 11
Spoiler: show
In the newest instalment of Lanturn has a truckload of time but he's just really lazy sometimes, I present you the quite-a-few-days-late Mekaku City Actors Episode 11!

So before the opening had a Shintaro scene. I'm rather confused by the part, but it seemed like he had a hidden eye power? So it seemed like Marry was the one who granted him the power to what "not repeat the tragedy"? Also the snake sounds exactly like Ayano. Did Ayano, who was stuck in the other dimension, pass her power into this world right onto Shintaro? Full of confusion!

The beginning scene with Momoobs + Hibiya was quite cute. I reckon people might've gotten annoyed with Momo's outspokenness during that part, but I thought it was pretty in character and generally cute. Her violence, wow. Body Slam! Paralysis! 30%! Then the zombie abductors come and seal them in a hilariously spacious room that's incredibly cool-looking, which is rather unrealistic and really SHAFT-y. I mean this series taught me that SHAFT really has a hard time animating small buildings/houses.

So the scene flashes to Kano thinking about Ayano. It shows us his discussion with Ayano and why she decide to jump off the roof. She wanted to get one of the snakes by entering the alternate dimension alone - or one of the eye powers so the "gather all the snakes into this world" thing doesn't happen. It was... Well I sort of knew that she died to save her siblings because Yuki allowed me to watch AToH after the episode.

Wow, the roof part though. It was brutal. Seriously snakes flying to gulp a falling girl isn't okay. I think. Since Yuki sort of talked quite a bit on this scene, I'll just skip commentaries man it's really hard to write posts without repeating going second.

My favourite part of the episode and definitely one of the better parts in the series is the Graveyard Scene. Man, Seto was fukken cool during that part. Kano really had a lot of pent up emotion coming off Episode 7, probably from what he perceives as Kido not caring enough for Ayano and Seto just... running off. Especially since Kano was a lot more... closer in a sense to Ayano compared to the other two. Man, and Seto is just being a bro. That scene really shows how close they are as brothers and how cool Seto is caring :')

Moving on it was Momo singing. Man, I mean it made some degree of sense but... at the same time it didn't. I mean they can probably control their power so Momo turned her eye power to FULL VOLUME - but still, skys turning rainbow coloured, ehhh?

Also Takane is back! They probably ran out of time for anyone to react to that. It's like everyone is like "lol hey new membah". I'm pretty sure Momo didn't know about the INSERT ENE INTO TAKANE plan, since things sort of just escalated from the graveyard part and Kano/Ene went their own ways. But okay.

Also SHAFT-animated world! With Shintaro and Ayano. ShinAya!*

In general this was one of the better episodes coming off the series. I liked it quite a bit but time constraints + Lanturn is a lazy prick that prevented me from writing too long of a post.
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Old 06-28-2014, 10:28 AM   #91
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KAMENOHA REPORTING IN TO SAY I WAS SLAMMING MY KEYBOARD LIKE MAD TO TRY SAY SOMETHING ON SKYPE BUT NOTHING HAPPENED.
WAS WATCHING
WILL SAY SOMETHING LATER ON
IN A DAZE RIGHT NOW
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Speak of the absolute territory, and grasp it with your hands.


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SAAVE ME


FLOOF AND MOFUMOFU JUSTICE! *WHACK*


Spoiler: show

"Quit poking my face! >_<"
"Ahahaha, you'll never get rid of this! *hiss*"

Spoiler: show

"STOP POKING MY SISTER!"

Spoiler: show

"That was a terrible idea. But holy carp, this tastes pretty nice."


Spoiler: show
Kamen's mind:

"YOUKOSO WAGA CRAZY E"



Love burns brightly for one and all.

Spoiler: show


Please don't diss idols or fluffy things in my presence.
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Old 06-28-2014, 11:22 AM   #92
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I think you mean

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Old 06-28-2014, 09:58 PM   #93
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Just saying I am not a fan of the dubstep in episode 10.
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Old 06-28-2014, 10:00 PM   #94
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I've been paging Morg! If he doesn't answer soon imma head off to dream-land.
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Old 06-28-2014, 10:36 PM   #95
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IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING THE ANIMÉ; PLEASE READ IF YOU'VE FINISHED WATCHING THE SHOW AND HAVE NOT BEEN SPOILED ON THE SONGS/MANGA/NOVELS

There's something people should be informed of before opening up to overall series discussion.

Spoiler: show
Here's the thing: Mekakucity Actors was never actually an adaptation. It is an extension of a project that spans multiple media. The animé is meant to show a different route from the other mediums. Each follows the story of alternate loops - hence the variations between them. In that sense, the animé may be called the "true end(?)" of the series.

I'd like to make clear it was not my intention to 'deceive' anyone. *shot* (Though I suppose in a way it was an experiment to see if people could figure the trick out + gauge its appeal to a broader audience.) I sincerely thought the animé could present its case - and most importantly the core themes - to new viewers without requiring knowledge of prior content. However, due to the 12-episode format (plus other factors such as poor pacing >.>), it became apparent this was not achievable within the timeframe.


I just want to get that one thing straight so the ending/editing choices of the show will hopefully make somewhat more sense. I will try to write my own review of 12 within the next few days, most likely under the assumption everyone will have read this knowledge - although I will also be judging the animé alone by its own standards. Eventually I will formulate my own summary posts to take one step-wise through the series, including information from the songs, novel, and manga - though it will be less of a beginner's guide as others have written and more an explanation of my personal impressions/experience with the project. As such, I encourage anyone who's curious and/or disappointed with the animé to please feel free to check out the other mediums in the meantime.
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Old 06-29-2014, 08:27 AM   #96
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KAMENOHA HAS ARRIVED!
HE COMES BEARING NEGIMA AND MAYO!
FEAST UPON THE GLORY YE MORTALS!


*throws negima at Caps Lock key*

Much better. Anyhoo, as the Skype chat knows, I've also been watching Mekakucity Actors, in fact having dragged a friend from SPPf into it. Said person being Akanjao and all that. That said, I was spoiler free until a time after… Episode 4. And then the fissure that is despair sort of split open, and all hell broke loose. (curse my curiosity and the fact that I can be easily lured into doing something because of said curiosity *glances at Lost*)

Back to what I was saying. This has been one heck of a ride, Mekakucity Actors. It had its bouts of rather nice animation, and then there was that one incident of "OMG AYAKA WTF DID THEY DO TO YOU?!", but it redeemed itself after *overcoming* the Even Episode Curse that Talon coined. More or less. Of course, what a fair few of us were interested in were the anime renditions of the songs sung by IA, and Jin didn't disappoint. Ones that come to mind would be Ayano's Theory of Happiness and Kuusou/Souzou Forest (Imagination/Fantasy Forest). I know there were a few more that I enjoyed, but that's all I can remember off the top of my head.

Most people would find that watching this alone may leave you quite disorientated, due to having little context or background about certain points, or having some parts left unexplained until way way way into the series. Having read a portion of the light novels, and also as much of the manga (which I regret a lot, especially having done so at 2am in the morning), I found it much more easier to understand the story, how certain things work, etc etc. Mekakucity Actors is one of those shows that you ABSOLUTELY need to see multiple run-throughs of each episode, as there's so much to find to aid you. Oh, and spoiler stuff:
Spoiler: show
Someone managed to make a link with time, or more rather, the possibility of time loops, akin to the Endless Eight of the Haruhi series (which was absolutely silly to me having not known that), which sort of became more prevalent as the series went deeper. And then we found one date that tied everyone together.

August 15th


While I couldn't say much along the lines of theories because I had already been spoilt to a degree, it was fun to observe people making notes about these seemingly minor pieces of animation. In knowing that some of their theories were for the most part correct, I felt joy in taking a read of your own little synopses.

Well. I might as well get started with the only episode review I'll do for MCA. I'll probably do a better review in the future when I've rewatched it.


"KONOHA SMASH!"

Episode 12:
Spoiler: show

So... we start off with an absolutely adorable baby Shion with her family, but get asked the question: "What now, my love?"


*insert Yakety Sax here* *stomped by Yuki*

And then we get thrown into the Mekakushi Dan, sans Shintaro and Anyano, running from(?) or to the lair of the snake possessing Sensei. We also get told of the snake's plans which involves the snakes that have given the gang their powers. Marry's still adorbs though, and will always be a princess. We see Momo connecting the dots about the snakes gathering around the queen, which is why we have the Mekameka Dan... *shot* I mean Mekakushi Dan with Marry! Kido doesn't like being left out, huh. *pats Kido's head before getting gut-punched*

Kano gets bathroom clean up duties, Hibiya continues being a bitch, Konoha is still so adorbs. And then we get Momo asking Ene about Konoha, but Ene's still nervous since Konoha's reserved personality and superhuman physical ability is the polar opposite of Haruka's rather outgoing personality and frail body. And then Momo calls her out on her personality changing as well, which was rather humorous.

We hear the gang questioning where on earth Shintaro is, and Momo just calls him a lil shitaro loser, while Kano and Kido get genre savvy with Shintaro possibly preparing for a grand entrance. More grey guys, this time with LINES! try to pull a Gandalf, but Konoha just goes "KONOHA DASH! SHOOTING BAD! KONOHA PAUNCH!" and has everyone go WTF. Some classy tactics with everyone pulling a Chain Link attack while Ene and Seto do nothing *shot*

And then it turns out one is still able to block their way, grabbing Ene hostage! And the grey guy gets quite the ear destruction, with Ene still able to hijack electronics and blow out his eardrums with 124 dBs of doom, before learning why she's the Lightning Dancer. Ene: Pure badass, yes?


MECHAMECHA DAN! ROLL OUT!

Then! We get warped to Snake!Sensei, who spills the beans on the fact that he needs to keep this time loop continuing lest he stop existing. He's seems to know that Shintaro is a spanner in the works at times, but he couldn't care less. Oh, and HEADTILT 45 DEGREES.

And then we're at a roadblock, Kano having messed up a bit by forgetting where they were. Great. At least we get to see a woman's bath *shot* from Hibiya getting constipated testing out his eye power! And MOMO BUSTER takes both Kano and Hibiya for being perverts. Good job, Momo! Thanks to her beating him down, Hibiya sees Sensei directly beneath them! How on earth are they going to get there though?



nYOOOOOȌ̷̘͓̞̭̓̏̅̆ͥ́͟O̴̠͇̩̍͑͆͆Ò̬͇̍̕Ȏ̲̝̼̊̄ͣOͩͤ̿̅̊ ̸͍̈͝O̢̧̬̤̪̽̓̉̀͑͒ͣ͂ͦO̵̮̣̖̻̻͆ͮ̆̃̊̓̿͝Ọ̶̢̜̫̩̿̽̒ͣ̾̊̏M̏ ̻̮̏̔́!

With KONOHA SMASH, that's how! I was cackling myself to tears seeing him be so relaxed and all and then surprising everyone by smashing the floor to bits!


Don't cry me a Cibbir *shot*

And then we get sent to the Heat Haze, where we see that Haruka hasn't gone either! Turns out he's still on life support there, but to see him still alive was pleasant for me. Shin agrees as well.


YOUKOSO WAGA TAINAI E *ahem* Whoops, wrong person.

Warping back, the gang lands relatively unharmed from KONOHA SMASH, and we get to actually have the kids meet the treacherous snake, who starts telling us a little story, not unlike the ones that had been appearing at the end of every episode until 11(?). Oh, and if you look around the room, you'd notice that it's the same room that Ene and Konoha were in during the opening montage of Episode 1! FULL CIRCLE WHOO!


Once upon a time...

Turns out Marry's been causing the time loops, wishing to stay with her beloved friends! The snake continues on, saying that if the wish he is asked to grant comes true, he ceases to exist! But if the wish never comes true, then he stays! AND THEN HE PULLS OUT A GUN. *insert panicked screaming from Kamen here* AND SHOOTS KONOHA! *more screaming* NO NO NO DON'T GRAB HOLD OF KONOHA YOU BASTARD NO NO NO NO


I AM REBORN... *insert madness here*

*snapped* AHAHAHAHAH IT'S HAPPENING OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD *slapped back to his senses* Ahem, so the snake possesses Konoha, digivolving into the thing that gave me nightmares for a few days. "Kuroha" proceeds to cause chaos, sending Kido flying and injuring her greatly, effortlessly doing the same to Kano!


KUROHA PAUNCH! Also, Wheeee~! Flying Kano~!

*insert more panicked screaming from Kamen here*


KUROHA CHOKER *couldn't find a decent one >_>;*

And with everyone in danger, especially her beloved knight, we see the extent of Marry's powers as the Queen of the snakes, nuking opening up the Heat Haze to go back to the happier days, giving into the despair Kuroha has made. The clock starts to turn back as Marry refuses to bid farewell to her friends!


Do not fear, Marry. This is not goodbye.

The gang manages to stop Kuroha's plans from coming to fruition, reminding Marry that the Mekakushi Dan will be together forever! Then again, shouldn't they be dead if they had their snakes removed? >_>; SHAFT.

AND THEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT. *rave party* And then Kamen rejoiced! Ayano returns from the Heat Haze, with Protag!Shintaro with her! Donning the Red Scarf of Justice, she reveals her eye power is the power to project her emotions to and from others, which is what Hibiya and Shintaro experienced earlier in the series. Cue Kuroha's panic and my joy in watching him panic.


Wherefore art thou, Shintaro?

Turns out Marry had another power, similar to how Azami had many snakes herself, which she gave to Ayano. That was pretty nice.


I AM THOU THOU ART I! YOU SHALL NOT HURT MY FRIENDS ANY MORE!

Enter: Haruka! His wish to stay with his friends locks Kuroha down, the snake now unable to move! With Ayano's help, Marry sends everyone to the Heat Haze, but not in her state of despair!


Happy ending for Sensei. ;-;

Sensei finally reunites with his wife, no longer needing the snake that had possessed him all these years. Now desperate to exist, Kuroha begs for someone to make a wish, and boy, he does not like that wish. Konoha fulfils the promise he made to Hibiya: To bring back Hiyori, and fades away with Kuroha.


I'M MELTING! MELTING!

Marry also gets to reunite with her mother and grandparents *although we don't actually see Tsukihiko. He's probably building another tower house, lol.* At least Marry's happy as well! *bursts in tears*


Marry, are you happy?

And then we get sent to the future! Or at least a few days or weeks after that incident. Ayano without her scarf felt odd, BUT IT'S SUMMER. She's really cute in that dress though. ^^; Shintaro, don't complain that it's hot if you're wearing a frickin' jacket! And then SHAFT teases us by screwing up a confession scene *shot*


Ayano, why you so cute? *dies*

SHAFT gave us no reunion between Ayano, Kido, Kano and Seto. Much disappoint. Well, we get one final glimpse at what appears to be Konoha running, only that it's a flashback. Maybe. HEADTILTS EVERYWHERE. But at least the gang's all together now! *celebrates*


\(^o^)/ TRUE END GET! \(^o^)/


Man, Yuki. Blaze. Lanturn. Lost. Connor. You guys took me on one heck of a ride with Mekakucity Actors. It's been fun, and I look forward to another truck of chaos and despair. (No despair, I was kidding about that. Seriously)

Speaking of despair, I present to you the stuff of my nightmares.

Outer Science
Spoiler: show
BORKED

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

When I get time, I'll see if I can do a final HEADTILT count for the entire series. I think I counted 22 in Episode 12. I might be wrong.
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Hizumi Yukikaze: Emerald Breeze~ | Tokikou Nobuyuki: Time Mage
Ludger Bullenaar: Bastion of Raji City | Helena Levinton: Violet Stitching
Shizuya Kasen: SHSL Armourer

Waifu Squadron and Explorers | Cavern of Chaotic Creativity




Paradise lies beyond the horizon, challenge it because it is unreachable.
Speak of the absolute territory, and grasp it with your hands.


Spoiler: show


SAAVE ME


FLOOF AND MOFUMOFU JUSTICE! *WHACK*


Spoiler: show

"Quit poking my face! >_<"
"Ahahaha, you'll never get rid of this! *hiss*"

Spoiler: show

"STOP POKING MY SISTER!"

Spoiler: show

"That was a terrible idea. But holy carp, this tastes pretty nice."


Spoiler: show
Kamen's mind:

"YOUKOSO WAGA CRAZY E"



Love burns brightly for one and all.

Spoiler: show


Please don't diss idols or fluffy things in my presence.

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Old 06-29-2014, 02:50 PM   #97
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I'm going to give the anime a 3/10. It was just completely haphazard and incomprehensible at times. I told the chat, but I rewatched Neon Genesis Evangelion's 25/26 and it was legitimately less confusing than Mekaku has been for the past couple episodes, especially this one right here. Evangelion at least had a philosophy with a clear logic path that was just dumped in the finales, with surreal imagery to go along with them. This had the surreal imagery AND it was utterly disjointed.

For a series based on character songs, the Kagerou Project, the music itself was not very powerful, moving or spotlighted when it was supposed to be. I got tired of heckling it too for the SHAFT-style because the poor assembly of writing, art, animation or music created a sufficiently negative experience to overpower any humour from criticizing it.

I had no idea what Kagerou Project was about before watching this. And, perhaps successfully, the show has managed to not spoil me because I don't know anything about it after watching Mekakucity either.
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Old 06-29-2014, 04:21 PM   #98
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Episode 10:

Spoiler: show
Despite my complaints with Episode 09, I really quite enjoyed Episode 10. While Seto's meeting Marry was for me underwhelming, everything else was quite nice.


I really liked Azami. Yuki jokingly refers to her as the Moe Monster, and I'll admit that there was plenty of moe here to win me over. MoeMon impatient (pictured above). MoeMon in love. MoeMon deathly furious. MoeMon disgusted. And MoeMon's tearful farewell to her daughter.

Seeing Azami use all of the Kagerous' powers (including some that had yet to debut in the series by this point in time) was pretty cool.

Seto's possible ancestor was an interesting cameo. I honestly thought it might have been Seto himself at first. Like, I was half expecting Azami to be like, "I hereby banish you to 200 years into the future! " or some such. But yeah: it sure would be strange if that guy, despite looking like Seto and sounding like Seto, had absolutely no relation to Seto whatsoever.

Shion was pretty cute. I assumed that Shion was to be Azami's name, and that Azami was to be Marry's mother. So it was an interesting little twist to have Shion in between them, Azami's daughter and Marry's mother. Though aww ^_^; at her intense bawling as Azami prepared to vanish from Shion's life. The way Shaft animated that, I was torn between laughing (the mouth shape and the eye ridges, man! So prominent!) and my heart breaking. ;_;


This was a pretty adorable scene. Shion evoked some Irisviel vibes and Marry evoked some chibi Ilya vibes, for sure. I guess that's what happens when you combine an elegantly beautiful mother with white hair and red eyes with a totes adorbs daughter with white hair and red pink eyes.

The scene in the forest with Marry's would-be abductors was one of the harder scenes to watch in Mekakucity Actors. Had all the disgusting vibes of the child slave trade coupled with the tragedy of Shion's death and the shattering of Marry's innocence. Though I guess "shattering" might be too strong a word to use given how much she seems to have rebounded by the time our story takes place? That's one thing that I guess is kind of weird to me. All of the other Kagerous still seem to be pretty traumatized by what's happened to them in their lives but Marry seems to be pretty much over it by now. Like, you wouldn't look at Marry and think that she's had the life she's had. Kinda nuts.


I wasn't a fan of this scene. :\ It was confusing to me that the "Satan Snake" appeared to be voiced by Miyano Mamoru (the same voice actor who voices Haruka). He was also annoying. I think I got the general gist of the scene just fine: 1. Shion and Marry survived the attack in the woods, Azami having pulled them into the dimension where she exists where time does not pass; 2. the Satan Snake has tricked Azami and, in this realm, she is powerless against him; 3. she transfers her powers to Marry; and 4. the Satan Snake decides to have Marry be his new "master", now that she's the one with all the powers, instead of Azami. But if what I've said is true, then I guess it's strange to me that Marry's only ever shown us the power of petrification and not any of the other powers. I guess it'll be explained in greater detail in Episodes 11 and/or 12.


I've been looking forward to the scene where Seto and Marry meet since ... well, since the day Yuki first tried to sell me on the Kagerou Project many moons ago. Maybe it was for that reason that Shaft's treatment grossly underwhelmed me. But no, I don't think that's it. I don't think it's Shaft fault that I found the scene underwhelming and I don't think it's because I had high expectations either. I think the scene was just flat out underwhelming. "Seto finds Marry in the woods, it's love at first sight, and he ... lets her listen to music on his iPod." How weak. I guess to Jin, as a musician, this action reflected the great respect he has for music. But the iPod ... the headphones ... I dunno, I just didn't like it.

To Shaft's discredit, the animation also super sucked during this scene. If you want proof of that, go and try to find an excellent screencap of Seto and Marry that doesn't also have the washed out watercolors-ey animation. You won't be able to. This picture (above) was the best I could do. That's ridiculous, Shaft. Fucking A, we Jin hired you to bring the KagePro project to life with animation, so fucking bring it to life with animation!


The scene at the end of the episode with Konoha and Marry was weird. I did not expect Marry to be one of the first Kagerous to meet Konoha. I certainly didn't expect her to meet him all by herself, no one else around. That was weird. Given the material we saw during Shin's insert song at the end of Episode 08, and given this episode's scene with Satan Snake who sounded an awful lot like Miyano Mamoru, I was on guard the entire time that Konoha was going to harm Marry. It didn't happen, thankfully, but we'll have to see next episode what the two do.
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Old 06-29-2014, 04:34 PM   #99
big bad birtha
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Watched the last episode myself. When I first started the show, I was fairly interested in it. The plot was interesting, and while the characters were weak, the show had its moments. I even got into some of the events at times, but every time, what's going on gets interrupted by an episode long flashback. After a while, I just stopped caring. The show became a test of patience for me. Watching this show became like banging my head against a wall. The animation was also piss poor at times, especially that abysmal CGI part. SHAFT really knows how to take an interesting story and chew it up and spit it out. Mekakucity Actors gets a 5 from me.
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Old 06-29-2014, 08:33 PM   #100
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Episode 12:

Spoiler: show
From episode 11 just cause I remembered it: Momo sings a song that is clearly Hatsune Miku but passes it off as her own voice. I'm sure Hatsune Miu doesn't exist in the Mekakuverse but it just irks me.

'Bad guy tells the good guys his evil scheme' cliche.

"I'm suprised that had an effect on your indestructible body" ... care to explain that?

Animation is pretty poor for that whole fight fiasco... and they're not dead either. :s

Sorry for the pessimism, I'm tired and as the series has gone on I'm finding it harder ti pick out things I like about it. I'm sure the actual Kagerou Project was way better than the anime was, but as a stand-alone anime this is pretty average. Things I liked about it were the crazy cool character designs, some of the personalities, and the great music. But it was rushed in terms of story (much in the same way that BlazBlue was SO rushed even though it could've been amazing), which made it confusing and nonsensical in a lot of places. I'm also dissapointed that a shaft anime had lazy animation, especially since it had the same style of cinematography that Monogatari had... and that has the best animation I've seen in ANY show.

Overall, I'd put this on the same boat as the BlazBlue series. I'm sure that the actual story is great and makes sense, but not in a 12 episode series. Like, it could have been a lot better if it wasn't so rushed. Will give this a 5/10.
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