Personally, I don't feel like it had to go down the path that it did. I realize that this change was inevitable in terms of the show being unable to deviate too far from the source material, so I suppose that this is as much a criticism of the manga as it is the anime. The plot could have easily focused on more thought-provoking material like the question of whether or not it's possible to be truly reborn, whether one's humanity rests in the body or the soul, etc.
I'm confident that in better hands, there could easily have been enough exploration of these themes to fill the entire middle portion of the series, and even if not, the gratuitous fanservice has still always been completely irrelevant to the events of episodes 4-6 and its inclusion was a deliberate directorial choice. And honestly, I'm forgiving enough that I could probably still endure all of the fanservice shit if the show had at least retained its really beautiful visuals, but because it's fallen apart in both style and substance, there's nothing left to hold my interest. I think I'll see if I can force myself not to watch the next episode, and if I'm successful, I'll consider it dropped.
Shining Hearts is legitimately so-bad-it's-good with the euphemism method of watching. It's puerile, but I do derive enjoyment out of it that way.
I think it could have focused on more thought-provoking stuff, but even in the early episodes, those questions were asked indirectly, as a consequence of the characters acting according to the same motivations they're working under now. I think that they're still sometimes being explored. That's why I'm still invested, despite the show's decline.
That doesn't excuse the fanservice or the relative decline in artistic quality, though. And I'm not trying to convince you to keep watching. If that's how you feel, you'll be happier putting it behind you.
Great episode better then the last one, I wasn't ready for that catchy soundtrack in later half, it had me nodding my head to it and rewatching it 3 times.
so much class
I like the ed track but the ed is ruined by naked young fujiko pics
Fujiwhore 3
this episode was ok but kinda meh thanks to plot feeling like one you already seen before(uninteresting) but not bad , I did like how the show avoids rectoning the first series.
Fujiwhore 4
zengata is an ass man
-I still don't know what oscar is , I went from seeing the character design thinking that was a woman but after ep 1 "huh oh anime that's a dude" to now "huh his wearing high heels? is he a tranny?"
The main issue with this show is someone thought it was a good idea to make show about the least interesting character in the Lupin world, the power seduction is all there is to fuijko, lucky the weekly guest stars make an appearance to make it interesting.
It's pretty obvious that Mutta's gonna end up saving the day thanks to his rather insane attention to detail that the show hasn't shied away from reminding us about.
A Makoto episode again so soon? Sure, fine with me.
This episode was really just all smiles, and not because I'm biased for green mahou shoujos. Usagi and co.'s interaction was top-notch, with great expressions, face faults, and slapstick aplenty. With material like this, I'm in no rush for the plot to advance.
I'm just glad that I had a light on for this episode because some of the stuff in the Daimon battle was just downright seizure-inducing.
Poor Mako, she was such a good match for that monk
.
Sailor Moon S 106:
If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born. We are the chick; the egg is the world. If the world's shell does not break, we will die without being born. Break the world's shell! For the sake of world revolution!
was really great. This was a solid directorial effort from Igarashi Takuya, who will apparently go on to be series director For Sailor Moon Sailor Stars.
There was so much pent-up passion and melodrama in Haruka's early interactions with Michiru
; I ate it all up. Really fun stuff befitting their characters.
I sleep 12 hours, I wake up. I go through the thread, and I see that people are bitching about duckroll hype, making up crap like duckroll maxim and whatever. I'm just going to cry and go back into bed.
I have been saying this for 10 years or more now. Heads are the most unrealistic part of mecha design, and this is why most realistic military based mech designs generally don't have heads. You know what else is totally unrealistic and would never make sense to actually design a build on a mech? Fingers.
It's pretty obvious that Mutta's gonna end up saving the day thanks to his rather insane attention to detail that the show hasn't shied away from reminding us about.
"Shinji Washington Ikari, get in here right now and clean up all this LCL! I'm going to go shopping, and when I get back Tokyo-3 better still be here!"
What a surprisingly great episode. Now, dont get me wrong, I usually enjoy watching MGX, but some episodes are far more effective in developing the characters and their relationship than others. This week they really did a superb job of packing the episode important character moments. It felt extremely dense but in a good way, I didnt feel like they were rushing through the story.
Last weeks beach outing, for example, didnt really do much on this front, especially given the fact that they spent most of the episode building up the excitement surrounding a visit to the beach. It certainly did a great job of placing the viewer in the mind-set of Tsubaki, but it really spent a lot of time covering the exact same ground e.g. hes excited to see Urabe in a swimsuit. This time around every single scene felt necessary and important.
The first major scene is quite interesting.
When Oka bumps into Tsubaki in town were already aware that Oka knows far more about Tsubaki than hes aware, which gives her a distinct edge when they talk. At first Tsubaki is very hesitant to join her, for instance, but Oka easily gets Tsubaki to come with her. She seems to be fascinated by Tsubaki & Urabes relationship, the method she uses to investigate their feelings for each other is through spit, of course, it feels like shes intruding on their relationship in a strangely invasive manner.
The whole scene between Oka and Tsubaki almost plays out like a fake-date, which is of course interesting because they both have significant others. For Tsubaki, Oka represents a much more normal girlfriend. Unlike Urabe she is outwardly happy to see Tsubaki, pleasant to hang out with and shes not incredibly obtuse. She seems far more impulsive and direct than either Tsubaki or Urabe, who are both hesitant to display their feelings. As we've seen in her interactions with Urabe, Oka is oddly sensual as well, but the show doesn't really swell on that side of her.
Still, there isnt much tension in the scene because Tsubaki isnt really interested in Oka, beyond her ample breasts, but the dynamic they have represents something he does not have with Urabe. You cant imagine Urabe and Tsubaki casually strolling around the city and then relaxing in a café with some icecream. Urabe isnt that kind of girl.
Indeed, later on in the episode we do get a scene where Tsubaki and Urabe go to the park to hang out, which pretty much encapsulates what their time together is like. Tsubaki only leaves Urabe alone for a minute to grab them both a drink and by the time hes returned shes fallen fast asleep, which most people would consider fairly rude. Urabe could be considered a let down over even small requests, like her flat-out refusal to smile when her photo is taken. She cant even cooperate over minor matters like this, which puts further strain on their already weird relationship.
Its important that we get all these scenes in the same episode in a short space if time. They do a pretty good job illustrating what a normal relationship might look like for Tsubaki and how abnormal and (apparently) problematic a relationship with Urabe is. She's far from the 'ideal girl'.
The episode hints that there will be some progress in the relationship between Urabe and Tsubaki, namely that they will start to call each other by their first names. Three scenes set this up Tsubaki and Oka at the café, Oka and Urabe at school and finally Tsubaki and Urabe in the park. Oka appears to have sowed the seeds for such a moment by planting the idea into the minds of both Tsubaki and Urabe, so as viewers we are expecting the final sequence to involve that kind of progress. However, theres actually a bait and switch as the focus shifts from something fairly minor first names onto the much more important topic of fidelity.
Hayakawas appearance and subsequent offer was fairly unexpected, at least for me, but apparently thats just because I hadnt been paying attention to the start of the episode. She actually appears in the second shot of the episode as a brief piece of foreshadowing for those paying attention.
In terms of sheer temptation, Hayakawa is about as bad they get for Tsubaki, after all shes the girl he had a huge crush on. The scene that plays out between on the bridge takes that into consideration and theres a moment where you can clearly see that Tsubaki is giving her offer some serious consideration, but hes able to reject her and affirm his commitment to Urabe because thats the girl hes actually in love with now. This is obviously important because it shows him passing a test of sorts which demonstrates his sincerity and commitment. Whats equally important is that we also get to see Urabes reaction to all this. As we dont get a peek inside Urabes head and because she acts in such a bizarre fashion it can be quite difficult to judge her opinion of Tsubaki, which is why its far more effective for her to communicate via saliva.
I wasnt expressing the show to touch on such serious relationship drama for quite some time, if at all, so I am really glad to see that they actually have done. Moreover, Im impressed that they managed to encapsulate it all so neatly into one episode and have all the seemingly unconnected scenes during the course of the episode all play an important role in how it turns out.
Heck, we got all that and some got some development for Okas character! Thats very efficient storytelling.
So, as you can tell, I think this was a great episode. It has everything you could possibly want, including 2D cars:
Also, before this season began I really didn't think that Mysterious Girlfriend X would turn out to be a better show than Fujiko Lupin. It's funny how things turn out.
Boy, the life of a carnie sure is lovely. You get to live with interesting people, eat exotic food, and best of all, marry a guy twice your age and half your height! Who wouldn't want that kind of life!? Suehiro Maruo definitely knows how to make an otherwise dull occupation and make it fun fun fun.
Also, before this season began I really didn't think that Mysterious Girlfriend X would turn out to be a better show than Fujiko Lupin. It's funny how things turn out.
Neither Space Brothers or Mysterious Girlfriend X have impressed me with any particular 'Wow' episode that really knocks my socks off, unlike say, Sankarea but what they've done instead is to be consistently good, which is something a number of shows (I'm looking at you, Fujiko) completely fail to do. It really feels like both shows are being managed well enough to ensure they don't have a really 'off' episode. Maintaining a standard is less exciting then hitting dizzying heights and disappointing lows, but it produces a far better overall experience.
Neither Space Brothers or Mysterious Girlfriend X have impressed me with any particular 'Wow' episode that really knocks my socks off, unlike say, Sankarea but what they've done instead is to be consistently good, which is something a number of shows (I'm looking at you, Fujiko) completely fail to do. It really feels like both shows are being managed well enough to ensure they don't have a really 'off' episode. Maintaining a standard is less exciting then hitting dizzying heights and disappointing lows, but it produces a far better overall experience.
