A Black Falcon said:
The Twelve Kingdoms 31-35
However, that's also about all it does, most of the time -- there's no real main plot here, just a series of character stories. The series does not have the structure I expect from this genre. Part of the problem is that the anime only covers about half of the content from the book series, certainly, but even in that half, there's no real main plot, just a bunch of interrelated character stories. It is annoying, I like fantasy a lot, but one thing I like about it is that there's usually a continuing plot. This doesn't really have it, and what it does have isn't the focus of the series. The characters' thoughts and opinions are far more important to the series than the plot is, really -- actions happen as much to give the characters something to think about, or be depressed about, as much as anything, it often feels. I like plot above characters, so I find this focus frustrating -- I want an overarching plot that matters on its own, while this has a very different approach.
Does the current Earth have a plot? Stop whining, plot is all about perception, Escaflowne had other countries whose only appearance was at the end in airships, just how shit works, even during WW2 the WW wasn't every countries plot nor the plot of the world and whether the war was won or lost the world would keep spinning regardless, plot is nonexistent.
And putting this nebulous plot above characters is insane, without them whatever plot you do get forcefed feels fake and heavy handed, like Hidan no Aria or Escaflowne, at that point you're just on some rollercoaster ride of images that happen to have some images that sometimes look like people and act like people even less of the time.
A Black Falcon said:
In addition, TTK has a very slow pace. Things do not happen quickly in this series -- each arc has basically one central plot which takes a long time to happen, if it even finishes in that arc. Everything takes a long time to happen, and there are long delays in between actions. Some of this is because it's showing that yes, it does actually take a while to travel from place to place in a world like this (a good thing to show, it could have just glossed over it but it's more accurate this way), but the result is that the whole thing goes so, so slowly. Also, it helps with the impression that the whole series so far is just a beginning towards a greater story. Maybe it is in the books, because there is another half of the story, but that's not true in the anime; instead, it's just slow.
It's not slow! It's just not fast, it's semi-realistic or whatever you'd want to call it. I have a feeling you'd say Escaflowne had good pacing and while it was a more exciting show I don't think it had better pacing, the pacing was too fast, too unrealistic and relegated everyone to moving set pieces, that's not good pacing either. Each episode is like 20 minutes long and sometimes as much or more stuff happens than in a single 40 minute episode of Battlestar Galactica so come on.
A Black Falcon said:
Still though, it's certainly a very good series, as I've said. It's important to say that so it doesn't sound like I think this is a bad show. I don't.
You have some sanity left I see.
A Black Falcon said:
Even so, the sheer amount of depressing stuff that happens in this show does bother me. Seriously, so many pointless tragedies happen in this series. On that note, I kind of think that in Twelve Kingdoms they use a modified version of the usual "and the hero appears at the last moment to save the person in trouble" -- in this series, instead the hero appears a few moments too late, getting there just in time to cry over the dead body of the person they wanted to protect. This disc certainly has a lot of that. Occasionally the person actually gets there in time
Absurd. Absolutely absurd. For one the show is flat out showing you that no tragedy is pointless because the characters grow from living through those tragedies and make themselves and the people around them better for it, that is not pointless, for pointless tragedies look no further than, again, Escaflowne where they're essentially allowed and crafted by the powers that be because those people aren't the people they're going to intervene with, the characters in Escaflowne don't learn from anything that happens around them, if there's violence it's because the show wanted to show you some action not because it needed to get violent and none of the characters ever learn or grow from any experience. That's pointless tragedy. In the Twelve Kigdoms the hardships everyone faces strengthens them and contributes to the them at the end, they would not be the same people at the end of the show without those tragedies, they would be lesser people, so I fail to see how that's pointless.
And again, the hero does not always show up late, several people have been directly saved from Youko with her sword. And also, again, this is perception, she may be too late to save Suzu's friend but because he died she's now acting proactively and will save countless others before they're even in trouble. So perception. Zoom in far enough and make the story about Suzu's friend and yeah she was too late but Zoom out and she's saving countless people.
A Black Falcon said:
And then, the series will replay that scene over and over in the following episodes as they struggle with the depression that losing someone they cared about, and feeling responsible for it, brings. Yeah, that's kind of episodes 31 through 35 of The Twelve Kingdoms. I like happier things better... this is a bit depressing.
The reliance on flashbacks however is a pain in the ass.
A Black Falcon said:
As for the events, in these episodes Shoukei finally gets sane. It happens without much warning, in the middle of a conversation with Rakushun -- one minute she's repeating the same stupid "my father was right all along, people who do things that are bad must be punished!" idiocy she has been all along, and one flashback later for no apparent reason she makes a complete 180 and flips completely to realizing how bad he had been and admitting that everyone was happy to see him killed. It's pretty bizarre, how quickly she changes. I mean, it's good to see, and I certainly understand her being angry that her parents were killed, but why suddenly admit that you were indeed ignorant and wrong, after so much denial? I think that there should have been a better transition, it just isn't handled very well at all. Also, this admission seems to have completely cured her insanity somehow. Convenient.
Lol, you've been wanting her to change since the second it was shown there was an issue and now you're unhappy, Blow(in my best bruce Campbell voice). Anyways, the mouse guy whose name is too ridiculously hard for me to remember is like the first person who treated her like a person, convenient for the story sure but if you're wondering whose suggestions would have more weight between the guy who killed your family, a bitch who makes you work twice as hard because she hates you, a bitch loli queen that also hates you and a mouse/human guy who treats you like an equal despite your issues I think it's fair to say why some would only listen to the latter.
A Black Falcon said:
Ehh I hate Suzu, she's not bad but I just didn't like her say what you will.
A Black Falcon said:
Oh yeah, as for Youko in specific, she's still certainly the best character. I don't want to give everything away (people should just watch the show!), but as I've suggested above, Youko has some troubles this time too, both about the boy that was with Suzu (Youko was there right after he was killed) and with her own tragedy when the place she was staying is attacked by the enemies. At least she's competent and a good person now through this whole arc. I like how she gradually learns more and more about the world as it progresses, this idea to go out into her kingdom and learn more about this place was a good one because not only has it revealed the true conspiracy and her real enemies, but also she's learning a lot about how this world works and what she should be doing as the kingdom's ruler.
Finally, in this arc the three characters meet, sort of, as they head towards a united front to crush the evil lords. Good luck, these guys are really evil.
And Youko's boss, she rocks.
Articalys said:
Spice and Wolf II 9-12 (end)
On one hand, that was absolutely beautiful. Both ep. 12 and the series as a whole.
On the other, I'm now going to be in withdrawal waiting for the nonexistent season 3 for the rest of my life.
And Yen Press can only manage two of the novels a year... and they're barely on the fourth... out of sixteen. Well, on the bright side, they'll eventually finish it. Or I learn Japanese first.
But, umm, at least there's something to look forward to?
