Knight in the Area - 18
[...]
The terminology sure as hell pissed me off this episode more than it should have this episode, you'd think I'd get used to it.
"Below top" position is really called the Second Striker, not exactly a pure striker (who normal wears the number 10 shirt) but the one who commonly wears the number 9 shirt and always sits behind the striker scores goals and provides assists, more commonly used when teams employ the 4-5-1 formation.
That...was the Un-Go'st experience I've had in weeks!
I don't know what to say about it, in all honesty. It's very Un-Go, for all that implies, except this time they actually delve into the set-up for the whole story. If you imagined this would involve things making more sense, you'd be wrong.
Well that was the best episode of the season so far. Kerry is pretty cool at this point in time. Should have expanded this to two episodes at least.
Shirely was so dumb why would she take the pills herself. If Kerry knew he could have spared his father. Action wise great, felt like a Resident Evil of sorts.
Fate/Zero 18:
Well, that was pretty fucked up. The episode did a great job of making me feel for the characters, and even though
you knew shit was going to go bad, I was really shocked at just how bad everything went.
Thematically, the core of this episode ties into Kiritsugu's story, along with the story of the Grail overall. It changes how I think about his actions and words up to this point, for sure.
This kind of story isn't uncommon in anime, or in any form of narrative. 'Work hard to achieve your dreams' must be one of the most common types of story around. The reason that you should spend your time with this particular variation of that tale is largely down a really likeable, well written central character and supporting cast. Funnily enough we don't always get that these days.
That sounds like an extremely simple reason to like the show, but really there's not that much else to it. The quality of the direction is good, but it's nothing to write home about, just like the animation. It serves it's purpose and it's not poorly done in any area, so it's very consistent.
The entire Sako&FNC scene was delicious. And the anime original content was pretty good too. Xebec is trully the best secret anime studio of the world.
After a little Amazon check, it looks like Japan is the same opinion.
The entire Sako&FNC scene was delicious. And the anime original content was pretty good too. Xebec is trully the best secret anime studio of the world.
I was right to be hyped for this fight. An intense display of hot-blooded bromance! So much happened even after the fight was over. Cool stuff. I do hope the deus ex machina gets explained though.
Even if the writing isn't all that, I still find Haru endearing as fuck. This really is a good, well-produced show despite the bathroom.
So there are no more ending theme songs? Kind of a dull episode overall, guess just fighting random monster xyz just feelings like grinding against random grunt z in any rpg, dull. I wouldnt mind if Toriko's moves actually looked flashy (I mean I never get tired of seeing getsuga tenshou or rasengan or Karyu no Hoko against random hollows and shinobi and mage), but a simple flying fork just doesnt have the same thrill. Melk is kind of boring. Hope 53 is back to the action.
This episode far surpassed my expectations. I was pretty excited for a Kiritsugu flashback to learn more about his character, but the way Ufotable handles these "stand alone" stories in Fate/Zero is really, really impressive. Like with episode 10, this felt like a very complete self contained story. It also had a distinctive unique style which is unlike the regular show, allowing the director and the animators to really flex their creative muscles to make something cool and different.
While episodes like these don't continue the on-going story, they are very important to the overall pace of such a series. For such a show to take breathers after week upon week of major events, and to instead dive deeper into the characters and setting instead is a bold move, but to bother doing it well and putting strong effort into it is even bolder.
I loved the color scheme in this episode most of all, and it really felt like a powerful contrast to the series at large. The story was both expected and yet surprising.
It is effective how the show expands on themes we are already familiar with previously. We know about the Executors and the Mage Association. We know what they do and we know that there are cover ups. These are things we have all heard about in the previous 17 episodes. But here we see them in action, and we now know first hand the sort of "average" situation they deal with from day to day when there is no Grail War.
By showing these events through Kiritsugu's eyes, we also know that these are things he knows first hand since he was a child, and this shapes his character development without the show having to specifically say it. We now know the first encounter he had with the larger "magical world" and that is the first hint as to why he has no disregard for their ways and their rules - because they have no regards for the lives of normal people who are not part of their closed society.
Kiritsugu's relationship with his father is also interesting, because the closest contrast we have to his father by the end of the episode is Tohsaka Tokiomi. I think it is no coincidence that the show chose to place this episode after the one where Tokiomi is also stabbed and killed by someone he did not expect. In fact, there is a strong unspoken parallel here about traditional mages who are so lost in their own ways of seeking the Root that they are oblivious to the feelings and rational of those around them. While Kiritsugu killed his father because he felt a sense of outrage and injustice in the research being done, Kirei killed Tokiomi for much more personal and psychopathic reasons. Yet both mages died simply because of the fact that they didn't take the time to understand those around them. They didn't feel the need to because they felt what they were doing was completely natural as long as they were seeking the Root.
So yeah, I love the shit out of this episode, and I'm glad it looks like the next one is going to continue expanding on Kiritsugu's story too. I really want to see Saber in the V-MAX, but I'll live as long as Ufotable keeps the quality of these episodes up. Goddamn.
Slow start to the ep but the game of cat and mouse in the forest was pretty cool once it got rolling. There's something appreciable about Mellowlink having to consistently outwith the AT pilots.
Numerikov is one creepy deranged dude and apparently his Scopedog wears long sleeves.
New set of demons that aren't excessively cartoony like that wolf dude that betrayed Dante? I'm down with this. Even some poorly animated succubus action was to be had. I think I'm learning the humans featured in the first five episodes are the worst part of the show due to being utterly boring.
Heartcatch Precure 9
Another drag for the most part although I do like Tsubomi working with flowers. She's at her most natural then. Action at the end was rather cool though. I'll give it that.
Heartcatch Precure 10
Dark Precure!!!
Holy shit she knocked the Precure right out of them!
This episode was so awesome.
Fate/Zero 18
fuck fuck fuck
Wasn't feeling this at first but once everything went south, I was hooked. There was some great tension in there
Once again, I'm surprised at how good this series is.
Upotte 5!!
This was probaly the best episode to date. Sako is making for a great depraved villian and the ep actually ended on a proper cliffhanger. Shame Galil is paired up with her. What a waste.
I actually preferred this weeks episode to last week because it was less boring. Which is to say that it was still boring. I can't really say that I am particularly engaged with the concept of 'teenagers natter away solving uninteresting mysteries to pass the time'.
It sure is pretty though.
If you'll allow me to channel the spirit of a well-known anime blogger:
"Chitanda's pony tail is the MVP of the season. KyoAni have finally returned to their roots."
A child-centered episode that didn't make me roll my eyes!
The concentration from a large,
cool body of water to the destructive nature of flames.
Minor touches such as
Shirley taking a bite of red fruit, leaving red around her mouth like the blood from the chicken she would feast on later when turning "Dead" and the breaking of the cross when Father Simon is killed by Natalia (situations beyond the presence or protection of entities such as "gods")
. They really made the episode for me.
Right before Kiritsugu
stabs his father, you are obscured from most of the look in his eye and mouth. Is it one of anger? Sorrow?
You do gain a glimpse of the specifics at the moment (or at least I believe it was similar on the standby), but the obscuring beforehand was good cinematography.
Also the music for when Kiritsugu was
cornered by the Dead Apostles
had a good type of "islander eerie" to it and when
Natalia came busting in
it got bumpiiiiin'. Great example of using music to enhance the scene at hand.
Well, learning guns this way beats reading Wikipedia.
The parallel between
chicken nugget powder and gun powder was lulz.
Also,
U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
I'm starting to notice just how thick the thighs are on the girls. They be thick!
This week's question for doomed/Pdot:
So does the teasing from Sako and foxtrot suppose to be a slight parallel to how their gun models "mock" the assault rifle? Or am I looking to much into it?
Sako, Woaaah! (You guys know what I'm talking about). Mad Pierrot would be proud.
Slow start to the ep but the game of cat and mouse in the forest was pretty cool once it got rolling. There's something appreciable about Mellowlink having to consistently outwith the AT pilots.
Numerikov is one creepy deranged dude and apparently his Scopedog wears long sleeves.
I think that I like this show better when it's about underworld dealings with warmongers in shithole warzones with a touch of military porn. This episode was largely one continuous scene of two sides alternating between firing bullets at each other and taking cover, which I didn't find narratively or visually intriguing. This arc's antagonists are also stock psychopath assassins and were an unfortunate step down from the interesting military figures of previous episodes. Unless there's an interesting development yet to occur, I'm hoping that this storyline ends with the next episode.
Jormungand 04:
It's no different from Elvis shooting his televisions, right?
Well that's that. If you can't make characters interesting, just kill them!
Koko, as expected, has pretty fucked up logic regarding the morality of arms dealing. Maybe she's so cheerful all the time because she's just really really crazy.