It's usually considered a classic of that particular genre (horror) moreso than lit-lit (insert air quotations at your will) in general. I don't think there's any problem with calling it a classic in general, though.*
I am disappointed by this week's episode like last week's. Why would KyoAni pick this up for adaptation? If this is a character-driven show, then the mysteries are taking up too much screentime. Is it just going to be lame MC guy solving mysteries every week? All that went down this episode was:
Mayaka: Derp.
Satoshi Derp.
Eru: Derp and [something relevant to the solution of the mystery].
Houtarou: stfu every1, my apathetic energy-conserving ass has got this mystery on lockdown.
I want to like this show but it doesn't want me to.
Edit: I can't stop listening to that OP. Favorite part of the show.
Edit2: Oh, Hyouka is going to have 24-episodes? For some reason that gives me hope. This show has to pick up eventually. It's going to get better. It has to.
Edit2: Oh, Hyouka is going to have 24-episodes? For some reason that gives me hope. This show has to pick up eventually. It's going to get better. It has to.
Edit2: Oh, Hyouka is going to have 24-episodes? For some reason that gives me hope. This show has to pick up eventually. It's going to get better. It has to.
Yes, it's 21 episodes. And having done some research into the novels, it does appear that people who aren't happy with the show now probably won't ever be happy with it.
Yes, it's 21 episodes. And having done some research into the novels, it does appear that people who aren't happy with the show now probably won't ever be happy with it.
You gotta be fucking me. We're going to have elementary level mysteries for 21 episodes? What the fuck. This shit could be going towards another season of Haruhi.
=It's a good episode, but it's probably not a great first episode because it doesn't really introduce the characters, so if you don't know them it probably doesn't entirely make sense...
Yes, it's 21 episodes. And having done some research into the novels, it does appear that people who aren't happy with the show now probably won't ever be happy with it.
=It's a good episode, but it's probably not a great first episode because it doesn't really introduce the characters, so if you don't know them it probably doesn't entirely make sense...
Grad school and being a travelling composer are happy fun times, yay! Last week I had three concerts with my music in it and a reading/recording session.
Yeah, Utena s a whole is billed as a show about lesbians, but the TV series really is more ambiguous about it. The focus is much more about their friendship, and romantic feelings are left more to the viewer to decide.
Okay, I'm going to cut straight to the gist. The start of this finale surprised me with what seems like
Rock's decision to accept and even absorb some of the energy from Roanapur. He not only requests that Balalaika completely crush Yukio's clan, in order for her to have no more purpose/binds to the darkness she has taken to; but also shoots a gun to help "conclude" Balalaika's final meeting in Japan.
Now, this is showing that Rock has taken some things to mind since his kidnapping in the first episode of the series.
A scene is done after the
brief shootings showing Rock being handed a gun by Balalaika. I take this to be symbolic of his newfound "villainy" as Balalaika names it. He tells her that he doesn't like to hold guns or things in general. Rock then passes the small gun back to Balalaika, who with a smirk and a passive toss throws it out the window into a garden pond.
This personifies his acknowledgement of the new space he has inhabited over the past year, but lack of (open) indulgence in it.
Balalaika's easy nature with the situation is understanding of Rock's stance, which is now no longer static as it has been for the majority of the series. Whether she does this knowing full well that he will come around to bigger extremes or not, is never explained. It can be observed by her words in the beginning few minutes, however, that the former is a very viable option.
For an ending execution for Rock's growth that I do not favor, the narrative did have some thought put into the destination (in terms of the anime's development) that I appreciate.
Next comes ol' Yukio,
she halts Rock and Revy during their escapade from the shooting scene and kidnaps poor Rock. She forces him by gunpoint to lead her and Big Boy Gin to Balalaika, even though Hotel Moscow has called off all attacks. This is reality, which she has hidden all these years is now a part of her resolve and she must see it to the end. Rock tries to talk her out of it, but she's not taking any of that, just like in "The Dark Tower."
Here it is: On the docks of Tokyo, not too different from the seaside of Roanapur. You can hear the seagulls making a ruckus, the sound of a blow horn. At this
height of the Tokyo Arc, Roanapur and Tokyo have set themselves in similarity by close proximity of the link that connects one place to another "water".
Lol Okay, bullshit symbolism aside, the
seaside/docks
is a perfect place to start up a climax to the end-game of this series as the major beginning events began on the
sea.
It seems to work for me.
As
Gin and Revy "dance", Rock speaks to Yukio and of her flawed decision that resulted from going to extreme measures in a way that only showed even more her weakness towards darkness. Rock informs her that she could have easily put down her weapons and fled the situation, but she forced her way further into the shadows, fooling herself into believing it was what was best for her. She responds with dreams of the normal life that she has considered impossible, even up to this point. Supposedly, Rock's talking to Yukio is what distracted Gin and made Revy the survivor of the duel. In defeat and shame, Yukio puts Gin's blade to her throat and...well, you know the rest.
Well, that's that, folks. The impressions you love to skip are now over! I initially jumped in this series expecting lots of breakneck action. This front was delivered at times, but to a lesser degree than expectations. The characters were what really made up most of the first half of this series.
When I first started "Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage", I said I wanted at least one of two things from it. I requested "great action" or "great characterization and growth" in order to fully appreciate the experience that had been laid out for me. By the end I can say characterization won out. The fighting was more mixed in variety with this half, which I appreciate. It hosted different weapons and faced characters behind them then did the first half. However, I rarely found emotion behind the action (well not counting the
last three episodes
or what I'd consider "great" action in the physical sense.
Characterization for most was a different story. We get some more time with Benny who speaks on behalf of himself in the Asian underworld and for Rock. They touched on this in the first series, but it is done stronger in the second half. Dutch unfortunately doesn't get much time to flesh, but this is made up with Balalaika. Balalaika's past to me was really neat and I wish a whole episode was dedicated to it rather than some minutes. Her transformation from a doe-eyed girl looking up towards her
military family
to declaring the name "boss" in Webster's would have been a treat.
Revy doesn't get as much past filled in as I would have liked. She does, however, have neat interactions with Rock, which range from older sister to true friend. As for Rock, I've said it in past statements. I have better grasp of the
Tokyo Arc's
point for the character, but I did not like it for the most part. How they put the curtains on it is worthy of some praise, but I still would've liked it sooner.
Overall, not a bad show, in fact, in introducing and showing off and introducing most characters and side characters throughout the story, it's pretty darn good. The landscape of the environments are set out nicely and give definition to Rock's situation and the world as a whole. The visuals for the most part did their job, not much more. Most of the transitions were also pretty standard, yet again, the points come across regardless. In other words, the characters made the underworld that they were in and I felt some of the interactions within and outside the world really connect (while others didn't). In equivalence, Black Lagoon threw me in the back of a shady van and hit the pedal. There were bumps along the way, but I came out alright, even had fun hanging with the new company a bit.
Ah the third year should be back again, although he looks like one of the twins, he was pretty cool. I did like the actual plot and that climax moment was pretty heartwarming. Whats taking so long for this to get a disc based release.
It's pretty clear that they're investing this series' small (I assume) budget in the stuff that really matters: football animation.
The scenes in which the characters are just talking are as simple as they can be, but the action makes it all worth it. It's a complete different experience from something like Tsubasa. The characters are actually playing the match, and not having minutes-long instrospective conversations with themselves after each step.
