Fantastic tense episode though I do have one major complaint
They completely ruined the "smile" that Annie has when Mikasa goes on her "it's time to slice of the fem Titan again. The smile Annie made in the manga was super creepy and titan like, the laugh in the anime just made her look human.
I didn't like the laugh either, but rather because it was both out of character and cliché as hell.
"See? She's one of those craaaaazy psycho villains!"
Yeah, no. Why are you trying to make her less intriguing, show?
So that's what the OP was about. I couldn't imagine a better way to go out.
Wolf's Rain is a real masterpiece. These last four episodes in particular have done a masterful job of closing off the various character journeys and contextualizing the narrative thematically. They were painful to watch but so satisfying. Keiko Nobumoto delivered excellent scripts and the directors and animators were up to the challenge of visually realizing them. So many striking images. For the moment I'd rather just bask in the afterglow instead of attempting any more detailed analysis.
I will say one thing:
In the end, this was essentially a creation myth. Or perhaps I should say reincarnation myth, since the cosmology is cyclical instead of linear.
Wolf's Rain is one of the rare shows that after I watched it, I felt more complete as a person for having had the privilege to enjoy it. It really is masterful. From the narrative, to the emotion, the visual and aural accomplishments, etc.
I can still remember watching those final episodes for the first time...
I didn't like the laugh either, but rather because it was both out of character and cliché as hell.
"See? She's one of those craaaaazy psycho villains!"
Yeah, no. Why are you trying to make her less intriguing, show?
I kind of wish it lasted longer, because Kazumi hanging out with the Phantom Thieves was pretty entertaining. But hey, can't fight the power of yuriFRIENDSHIP.
Ah yes. It was that episode. *Video NSFW*
Pretty fun episode, with some nice :SDBurton and Perrine action.
We also got some more insight into Mio's past which was pretty cool. As well as an *ehem* interesting scene of sorts.
A pretty unremarkable amount of [REDACTED] but it made up for it in other ways.
The interesting scene isn't even the one on the video that is 100% Google overlord approved!
*I should say there are other physics bending scenes in it.
It would certainly make a fun plot for an episode if an S3 were based around the 501st again (still hoping for a 502 season if the announcement really is more anime).
10 thousand years ago!?! WHAT? So you mean to tell me that when the Turn A's Moonlight Butterfly leveled the Earth and Moon (in ONE DAY), the Universal Century had been over for more or less 7900 years already!? WHAT.
Trying to think about this hurts my head. I had pegged this as being
several hundred years after Victory, not 10k.
Other than that, what have we this episode? Agrippa
dies at the hands of Midgard
who in turn
is killed by Harry.
Which means
the only candidates remaining for final villain are
Gym Ghingham and of course,
Lord Guin Sard Rhineford, who has basically conquered the moon on sheer charisma alone.
Most notable in this episode, though, aside from
everyone accepting that Dianna and Kihel are the same person now, which again, is gonna make for some odd relationship dynamics between Loran-Dianna and Harry-Kihel
was
The Turn A spewing rainbows of fury as Midgard broke down in utter terror. I mean, sucker all but CRIED when he saw it. And Loran was much, MUCH more aggressive than ever before.
Finally, Toei figured out how to merge all five transformation stocks into something that flows well enough and doesn't take up all the screentime. And we have a school festival episode that's not a rehash of the fashion show story from Smile/Heartcatch. Mana's had a few moments of weakness throughout the story, but this one doesn't have to do with Regina. Though like last week, she can recover quickly. Still borderline superhuman.
I like that the MotW was one of those spinning teacups from Disney Land/World. Those are fun to go on, but if I've been eating beforehand, my reaction is usually like the girls in this episode. Aguri's development continues at a steady pace. Kugimiya Power is enough to bring anybody in line. And I liked seeing the Makopi Fanclub and Rikka's moment with Ira brought up again, too. Little callbacks like that make the world feel fuller.
Good for everyone having iPad powers, even if it's only Mana's that's going to deal the final blow. I've heard Apple is working closely with Toei (see also: Ankh), which may explain some things. Good little story. School festival stories are in every anime ever, but they're a nice way to unwind.
Next week: Alice has actual parents. Even if it's clear she sees Sebastian more as her dad. Also, more Lil' Alice flashbacks, from when she was hiding her God of War Alice persona just beneath the surface.
10 thousand years ago!?! WHAT? So you mean to tell me that when the Turn A's Moonlight Butterfly leveled the Earth and Moon (in ONE DAY), the Universal Century had been over for more or less 7900 years already!? WHAT.
Trying to think about this hurts my head. I had pegged this as being
several hundred years after Victory, not 10k.
Other than that, what have we this episode? Agrippa
dies at the hands of Midgard
who in turn
is killed by Harry.
Which means
the only candidates remaining for final villain are
Gym Ghingham and of course,
Lord Guin Sard Rhineford, who has basically conquered the moon on sheer charisma alone.
Most notable in this episode, though, aside from
everyone accepting that Dianna and Kihel are the same person now, which again, is gonna make for some odd relationship dynamics between Loran-Dianna and Harry-Kihel
was
The Turn A spewing rainbows of fury as Midgard broke down in utter terror. I mean, sucker all but CRIED when he saw it. And Loran was much, MUCH more aggressive than ever before.
THE FUCKING MOTHER FUCKING SHINING FINGER WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK NO WAY HOW WHO WHAT THE FUCK THE SHINING FINGER!?
It's been a long, long time coming, but it was nice to at long last see
Guin Rhineford make his move, and simultaneously see Loran rebel against it full force. Like not even cooperate a little. The moment is punctuated by Loran grabbing a wine bottle and swinging it at Guin's head while shouting for the last time "MY NAME'S NOT LAURA!!!" Stuff has gone banaynays here, though, with Guin's acquisition of quite literally the blue prints for every mobile suit in every Gundam series ever. Except AGE. FUCK AGE. Anyway, this means that given the time and resources, Guin could mass produce Zakus, Zetas, Strike Freedoms and Gods and Wing Zero Customs if he wanted to, and the Moonrace would just be fucked because Dianna would never allow the mass production of S Tier Gundam Class Mobile Suits. So needless to say, things are about to get REAL.
BEHOLD THE TRUE FACE OF EVIL WITH ITS DISTINCT ROMAN NOSE! Indeed and unsurprisingly we finally confirm the identity of The Female Titan and yea the obvious answer was indeed obvious. As an aside, I get irked at cartoonishly obvious super corruption being done out in the open, I mean seriously , that is so brazen it is being as to be caught. Anyway, really glad, we didn't drop this Female Titan business and I can only hope that Eren doesn't choke again, still not getting over the fact he whiffed those punches.
So the event that caused the loop was Dee's death, which is why she's no more than a ghost in the real world. In almost any other supernatural story, I'd say this could only have a tragic ending. Death is usually the one thing that can't truly be overturned by any kind of magic; the inevitable can only be delayed. (Which is certainly what this loop is doing, in its own twisted way...)
However, this is Kaminai, where death is a distinctly more...malleable concept. I mean, hell, there's an entire city in this world populated almost entirely by dead people. So I'm inclined to trust in Ai's instincts and hope that there's a way to end this without having to give up on Dee.
One thing that I thought was interesting in this episode - I don't know if it actually means anything, but it might - was the question of what Class 3-4 chose to do for their school festival activity. According to Alis, in every other loop, the class ultimately decided to put on a theatre show. I initially assumed that this meant that was what happened in the original world before the loop. However, according to Dee's memory of the original course of events, she died while the class was setting up its food stall - so the class must have made the opposite choice.
Has the world been actively avoiding the "food stall" route as a part of the class' wish to avoid Dee's death? Or has Dee herself been actively guiding the world away from that route? (I noticed that during the class vote, Alis voted for the food stall, but it looked like Dee voted for the theatre show. Perhaps in the original world, Dee voted for the food stall as well, which is why the vote went the other way?)
Either way, it looks like thanks to Ai, the world is heading down the "food stall" route for the first time since the original world before the loop began. Could this be the key to breaking out of the loop? Perhaps they need to recreate the original circumstances under which Dee died, in order to move forward from there? Though if that's the case, I have no idea how they're going to escape the loop without losing her.
I also recall that the route through which Alis and Dee managed to slip out of the loop into the real world was through a window. I'm guessing that must be the same window that Dee fell out of when she died. With that in mind, I find myself wondering with what exact timing the loop starts and ends. Does it end at the exact moment Dee fell out of that window? If so, would recreating the circumstances of Dee's death mean that the loop ends the instant she falls out of the window again? Would it then be possible for someone to, for instance, catch her before she hits the ground, thus breaking the loop but preventing the actual death itself from happening? (That feels awfully like cheating, but I dunno...)
So many questions. So many feelings.
Not least Dee's feelings for Alis, which are just making things more complicated. Particularly with that little conversation she overheard at the end of the episode. Ohgawd. Personally I'd bet good money that Alis would NOT include Dee in his list of things he would gladly sacrifice to save the class from the loop, but good luck convincing Dee of that with her inferiority complex.
I got nothing to add, lifelong goku fan so ya'll know where I stand, just want to say your username is one of the best I've seen so far. Top 10 material.
Attack on Titan Episode 23 Smile - Raid on Stohess District (1)
Why was 18 minutes spent on useless losers and pointless details no one cared about. Regardless one the characters we actually like got involved it did take off. Kind of mixed about it
the one time I start to feel somewhat sad for a character they go and end up being proved the antagonist and have a weird personality. (also how in the world did she not have time to bite her hand yet a rather healthy dude was able to jump from one rooftop, roll on a shed top, and run over to her and grab her...The best moment was Eren trying to give her a second chance, and the line when she was like "Im hurt" kind of genuinely felt like the plan was a bit unfair to her in that regard.
It's simply a case of diminishing returns, though. There's only so much craziness you can watch before it becomes, well, boring! Which is precisely why I never enjoyed too much of DBZ. How can the audience feel a stake in what is happening, when it simply devolves into a game of escalation?
It's simply a case of diminishing returns, though. There's only so much craziness you can watch before it comes, well, boring! Which is precisely why I never enjoyed too much of DBZ. How can the audience feel a stake in what is happening, when it simply devolves into a game of escalation?
I'm still trying to figure out what would qualify as hentai that I wouldn't be embarrassed to show anywhere. Cream Lemon's pretty classy I guess, but I still wouldn't show it to my mom.
I'm still trying to figure out what would qualify as hentai that I wouldn't be embarrassed to show anywhere. Cream Lemon's pretty classy I guess, but I still wouldn't show it to my mom.
It's simply a case of diminishing returns, though. There's only so much craziness you can watch before it becomes, well, boring! Which is precisely why I never enjoyed too much of DBZ. How can the audience feel a stake in what is happening, when it simply devolves into a game of escalation?
This is probably why I quit at the start of the Majin Buu arc. I'd already seen Goku defeat the strongest warrior in the known universe, and then an android that was somehow stronger than that. Now a magic marshmallow? Iunno.
I'm still trying to figure out what would qualify as hentai that I wouldn't be embarrassed to show anywhere. Cream Lemon's pretty classy I guess, but I still wouldn't show it to my mom.
Sono Hanabira is probably the least explicit hentai OVA I can think of, though showing my mother or anyone who isn't some lewd anime nerd it is not something I'd do.
Finally, Toei figured out how to merge all five transformation stocks into something that flows well enough and doesn't take up all the screentime. And we have a school festival episode that's not a rehash of the fashion show story from Smile/Heartcatch. Mana's had a few moments of weakness throughout the story, but this one doesn't have to do with Regina. Though like last week, she can recover quickly. Still borderline superhuman.
I like that the MotW was one of those spinning teacups from Disney Land/World. Those are fun to go on, but if I've been eating beforehand, my reaction is usually like the girls in this episode. Aguri's development continues at a steady pace. Kugimiya Power is enough to bring anybody in line. And I liked seeing the Makopi Fanclub and Rikka's moment with Ira brought up again, too. Little callbacks like that make the world feel fuller.
Good for everyone having iPad powers, even if it's only Mana's that's going to deal the final blow. I've heard Apple is working closely with Toei (see also: Ankh), which may explain some things. Good little story. School festival stories are in every anime ever, but they're a nice way to unwind.
Next week: Alice has actual parents. Even if it's clear she sees Sebastian more as her dad. Also, more Lil' Alice flashbacks, from when she was hiding her God of War Alice persona just beneath the surface.
- I doubt that will last though. Toei has always been inconsistent with stock footage.
- Well I hope the school event overall isn't a rehash of the most popul-- reused event ever.
- I wouldn't say borderline superhuman
- Good to see Ira moments still happen
- Fucking called it on the iPad.
Sexy mechanical warfare errywhichway. Merrybell is basically at the end of her welcome, here. Girl's straight up finst to die. Keith the Baker! Still a dweeb. We have Amerians vs Dianna Counter (under Mjr. Phil and Lt. Poe's command, so basically if I was to try and hit you from where I am with a napkin that would be the efficacy of those guys) vs Ghingnam/Willgame vs the Whale. Nothing says last five episodes of a Gundam show quite like that.
Meanwhile, while I still contend that the Zeon were a bunch of idiots lead by idiots, I commend the craftsmanship of the Zaku, er, Borjanons.
TEN THOUSAND YEARS OLD and still kicking ass. Of course, considering everything in the Mountain Cycles was covered in Magic Butterfly Nanomachines, it may well be that these fossilized Borjarnons were rejuvenated or preserved by that. Which means that they're only EIGHT THOUSAND YEARS OLD.
It dawns on me that in some ways, Turn A Gundam is about digging up dinosaurs and making them fight aliens.
So now Dianna Counter is back in the Queen's hands. Some interesting revelations in this episode, most especially that
Corrin Nander himself is older than any records to which the Queen had access, excluding the Dark History. Also Corrin is back.
The Turn A is safely returned to the good guys' hands.
And boy is Guin Rhineford not happy about it. His ambition, to raise Terran civilization to the height or above of the Moon, has taken him very far. His new mantra "war is not just about weapons" seems odd for a guy who is concerned with mass producing the most important and powerful weapon he has seen, and who is more than just a little trigger happy when it comes to the CMPC on the Will Game.
Highlight of the episode was his breakdown when Loran would not so much as CONSIDER joining his side. This whole show Guin has been completely wrong about Loran and Lily flat out told him he was. He claimed to welcome the day Loran would turn on him, but his eyes tell a different story. Guin Rhineford is genuinely hurt by "Laura Rola"'s betrayal. I joked before that Guin kept calling him Laura and "she" because he had some feelings for him, but now I wonder how much of that was actually a joke . . .
The pilots... the five (one does not count because we can't confirm the sex :3) of them. Which of the five do you hate so much that you refuse to acknowledge their existence? ;P
