[Winter 2016] Season of Snow

[MangaRocks!]

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, S2 episode 9:

LOL, I almost forgot how hilarious Obi's teasing always is. (And it's always amusing when Mitsuhide gets teased, too. Zen and Mitsuhide really are the best to get {affectionately} picked on, LOL~ ) Anyway: Yes. Obi. <3 ...Also: Yay, the next ep. is going to be a Kiki one! (I hope her mentioning to Zen that she's planning to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: propose to Mitsuhide at some point {!} <3 was in that particular chapter {I know it was in one of the chapters focused on her, and I think it might've been that one; I'm just not recalling for sure if it was }... either way, though, I love her chapters, so I'm quite looking forward to this~! )



Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, a.k.a. ERASED, episode 11:

AAAAARGH, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!! What the genuine HECK!!!?? ......*takes deep breath, calms down*...... Welp, so not only did everything that I predicted happen, it actually turned out far worse. And to top it all off, they were supposed to be 'ending the anime the same way as the manga,' but instead they just went into meltdown mode and *literally rewrote the entire flippin' ending!!* ...Before I even get to that bizarreness, though, let's go through the three fulfilled predictions in order. First, the killer's backstory and the exploration of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: his psyche: I expected it to be cut to ribbons and rushed besides, but even still I could not believe that bit at the beginning of this ep. was all they left in. It wasn't even the entirety of the very story they were telling SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (what about the 'spider string' that the killer sees on *himself*?), and even that story was only a fairly small part of the overall picture when it comes to the true nature of the killer's twisted mind. (Plus, what about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the whole thing with his brother that actually started him on the whole little-girls + pinning-the-crime-on-someone-else path in the first place??) They seriously did a disservice to that entire character by doing that. Second (speaking of disservice to characters!), Airi: In an almost ironic twist (which I'd laugh at if I wasn't so ticked off), they actually didn't even *try* to fit in the whole bit with her at the end (which, as I mentioned, would have had little to no emotional impact anyway due to all the stuff they {should not have!} cut with her from the beginning)-- instead, they actually just excised her completely! Third, the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: hospital mini-arc: Not only was this as rushed (and also thus way less emotional) as predicted-- they even cut out all the great and touching stuff with Satoru's friends, and some of the stuff with his mom, too-- they used both that and the excising of Airi to squeeze in that OOC and completely bizarre sequence with the killer revealing himself (seriously, why the flamin' heck would he do that? That's another disservice to his character, because he's too calculated to do something like that at that point)... which then, of course, led into that *WHOLESALE REWRITE* of the ending (and let me tell you, *NONE* of the writing in the anime-original scenes even come close to the {quite frankly chilling, and I mean that in a very good way} quality of the manga's original scenes they replaced). I seriously cannot even.



Koyomimonogatari ONA episode 10:

I laughed out loud at SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ononoki carrying Araragi all around town standing on top of one finger. And I enjoyed how this one was also quite connected into certain events of Second Season, as well as the little insight at the end.



Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuku episode 11:
BEST. EPISODE. This was touching, beautiful, hilarious, adorable, and AWESOME. There was so much meaning packed into it (and especially in the directing again, of course!) that I won't cover it all, but I'll just mention a few points: With this episode, Kiku and Sukeroku finally understand one another properly now-- no acting (pardon the pun ). (Although, Kiku did turn on his well-practiced charm for little Konatsu, and it was adorable. ) And oh my gosh, when Kiku and Sukeroku ended up doing that rakugo double-act, it was pure *magic*! (Indeed, it made me giggle like little Konatsu herself! ) And then, oh man... seeing Sukeroku lit up with life once again during that performance and then just melting into a mess (and presumably ready to return to rakugo) thanks to his rekindled passion, his kid's happiness, and Kiku's persuasion... that was both absolutely beautiful and yet also terribly sad (since the viewers know that he's just about to die, and seeing the happiness-that-could-have-been for all of them was just too heartbreaking... ). ...On another note, I just found out that there is apparently a longer director's cut of the opening ep. of this series , which I now must search for, because I need as much of this series as I can get! Without question, this is the show of the season. <3



And Durarara!!x2 Ketsu episode 11:

Thoughts on this in the dedicated thread, as usual!

[skreyola]

Ooya-san wa Shishunki ep. 10 - Well, that was awkward, but not terribly creepy.. 3/5

ERASED ep. 10 - Ugh! That was horrible! The cliffhanger and everything. I now know exactly what's going on, but it's all really crazy. 2/5

[skreyola]

Rakugo ep. 10 - That was great. I'd heard that story about the doctor before. I wonder if it originated in traditional rakugo, or if the writer(s) put it in there after seeing it elsewhere. Poor Sukeroku. As great as this was, I still hope we get back to the ex-con eventually. 4/5

[skreyola]

Stride:Alt ep 10 - The after-school special vibe is getting too strong in this show. The brooding is too internalized, and the solution comes out of nowhere with the last few episodes. It would be better if the problem were expressed such that the solution would flow naturally, and then be just a matter of implementation. But I guess that's too boring for a TV show. Anyway, I'm not impressed right now. 3/5

[John_Smith]

Current Ranking:

Erased (10)
Dimension W (9)
Grimgar (9)
Assassination Classroom (10)
Divine Gate (9)

The numbers are the episode I'm on. Yeah, I know half of them have ended already. I'll catch up... eventually.

I still love Divine Gate, but it’s pretty clear it won’t reach its full potential at this point.
Dimension W and Grimgar, on the other hand, have become pretty stellar.
I initially felt too mainstream for putting Erased in first place. But from every anime website I visit, I’m seeing disappointment.
Assassination Classroom is… itself. Despite what I last said of the series, it still manages to have just enough of a level of seriousness and risk to keep me interested.

[MangaRocks!]

. . . Erased . . . from every anime website I visit, I’m seeing disappointment.

...Yeah, well, there's a reason for that-- the reason being that they completely borked the entire ending in pretty much every possible way (as explained in my previous post).

(See, *this* sort of thing is why I am usually wary of adaptations... )

[John_Smith]

I finished Divine Gate… which was interesting. Episodes 10 and 11 are hands down my favorite of the series. But then the finale happened. It was one of those endings, where too much is crammed in, and yet still drastically failed to tie up the loose ends.
Ultimately on MAL I’m giving this a 7. Despite its many problems, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the only time I’ve seen a young Santa Claus take on Loki with a baseball bat or the knights of the round table battle the Norse god pantheon (even if highly adapted interpretations).

…And I finished Erased.

...Yeah, well, there's a reason for that-- the reason being that they completely borked the entire ending in pretty much every possible way (as explained in my previous post).

(See, *this* sort of thing is why I am usually wary of adaptations... )

Okay, maybe disappointment was an understatement. Breathe, MangaRocks. Just breathe.


I think this is a situation where it’s an adaption fail, but a good series if viewed for its own merits. With the exception of the teleporting cops, I’ve been oblivious to most of the problems I see people mentioning. I can definitely see how more episodes could have improved it, but the lack of time didn’t ruin the characters. Instead, it left me wondering more about them. The scenes and lines they had were valued and left me wanting to see more of them. For me, that’s a sign that I’ve just watched a good story. At the very least, that’s a testimony to the skills of the original author.
Right now I’m giving it an 8.

[skreyola]

Ojisan to Marshmallow ep. 11 - This was okay... pretty silly, and what happened to the stuff from last episode? 3/5

Dimension W ep. 10 - Pretty good episode. I hope that interruption doesn't come back to bite our MCs in the butt. The reveals are coming faster and faster. 4/5

[MangaRocks!]

Okay, maybe disappointment was an understatement. Breathe, MangaRocks. Just breathe.

I think this is a situation where it’s an adaption fail, but a good series if viewed for its own merits. With the exception of the teleporting cops, I’ve been oblivious to most of the problems I see people mentioning. I can definitely see how more episodes could have improved it, but the lack of time didn’t ruin the characters. Instead, it left me wondering more about them. The scenes and lines they had were valued and left me wanting to see more of them. For me, that’s a sign that I’ve just watched a good story. At the very least, that’s a testimony to the skills of the original author.
Right now I’m giving it an 8.

^ LOL, thanks. *cools down slightly* (And I guess in your case it's a good thing that you actually *can* learn and see more about them in the source now, right? )




Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, S2 episode 10:

Heh, I've always loved how Zen got out of that. And aw, I guess this wasn't the part where Kiki said the thing about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: proposing to Mitsuhide. *sadface* Ah well; still loved it. (Oh, and BTW, Izana's definition of 'ally' still involves quite a few tests {as it should, really-- because if they're really going to make it work, they need to prove they can, plus Izana wants to make sure that they're both worthy of and responsible with the power they'll soon be taking-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Izana is going to become king shortly, which means Zen will then be the next in line + have even more responsibilities, etc.}, so there's still quite a lot of interesting things ahead~ {at least in the manga, LOL} )



Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, a.k.a. ERASED, episode 12 (end):

......I honestly didn't even want to watch this episode after how awfully they screwed up the previous one. I did, though, and... yeah, minus those feel-good last few seconds (which are still not even as impactful as they could/should have been), this ep. was screwed up nearly as badly as the previous one. Please, even if you watched the anime-- no, *especially* if you watched the anime-- JUST GO READ THE MANGA. The manga is *amazing,* and the anime did *NOT* give the source's characters or story the justice they were due (especially Airi, the killer, a lot of stuff in the beginning, and of course pretty much the entire ending).



Koyomimonogatari ONA episode 11:

Heh, well, I was not expecting that ending...



Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuku episode 12:

Oh wow-- this ep. contained the first truly touching rakugo story performed so far, and Sukeroku being the one performing it just made the heartbreak all the worse (since the vast majority of the performances in this show have directly related to the performers' current emotions/situations, and this one was not only his first 'sentimental' performance, but it directly related to him SPOILER: Highlight text to read: finally wanting to do the right thing for those he loved, etc.). (Not gonna lie, I teared up at it~ <3 ) And as for the ending of the ep. itself... just, wow. I had a feeling that there was a bit of unreliable narrator going on there (Kiku is the narrator of this entire thing, after all, and his audience includes the now-adult Konatsu, so who knows what he might have edited for either/both their own sakes; plus, there's the extra-theatricality of the sequence, and some obvious discrepancies with the fragment of memory that Konatsu had about the event; etc.), and then I happened across a few comments from people who've read the whole manga in Japanese that directly hinted SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that there was indeed some unreliable narration. It'll be fascinating to see the contrast (if they actually show it sometime during next week's finale; otherwise, I hope there's either a second season and/or that the fans who've just started translating the manga do the whole thing straight to the end! ).



And Durarara!!x2 Ketsu episode 12 (end):

Thoughts on this in the dedicated thread!

[skreyola]

Ooya-san wa Shishunki ep. 11 - Yeah, I'm a little behind. This episode was cute. I liked the blue dress the best. LOL at staring the night away. 4/5

Girls/Wasteland ep. 11 - Pretty good episode. Nothing spectacular, but too good to rate as meh. 4/5

[skreyola]

Stride:Alt ep. 11 - That was pretty fun. The reunion thing seemed a little rushed and out there, but it was more or less okay, anyhow. 4/5

...and for Friday, Apr 1 proper:

ERASED ep. 11 - The first ten minutes of this episode was utterly unintelligible until the hospital bed scene. What happened in the car?!?!?! When does the opening VO happen? I wonder who the little girl's sister is. What was the deal with her phone? I'm kind of getting a Rear Window vibe from the last scene. I wonder how this will end, but I don't have high hopes for it. 3/5

[John_Smith]

Here I am talking about being behind, yet I finish before skreyola. Spring Break, yay.

Grimgar: 7. While I thought this series was doomed to get no higher than a 6 from me, the last episode pulled it over. Few series get consistently better as this one does. The last episode itself, alone, would be 8 or even 9.

Dimension W: also 7. I hardly talked about this one before… It probably would have been better if it had more time, not because it was too jam packed, but rather because it could have thrived in a more procedural style which could have better established the characters and mythology before entering into its Easter Island arc (it’s rare for me to say something like this… I love serials). Also could have done with less Miraservice.

Dimension W - up through episode 5 - this is getting frustrating. It's a shame because I liked it up through episode 3 well enough. Or rather, I was intrigued by the relationship between Mr. gruff wolf Kyouma and the cute Mira. (I keep hoping that some day he'll act more like a puppy than a beast, but no luck so far. ) But anyway, apparently these first five episodes cover more than 30 chapters of the manga. So it makes sense that I thought the last two episodes were ridiculous and senseless, and that I didn't care about the side characters at all... really, if the producers weren't going to do the arc justice, they should have just skipped it Maybe one day I'll try to read the manga, since I imagine the pacing and development is much better. But I'm not sure I care that much.

After readin that… I’m pretty sure Dimension W is an even bigger adaptation fail than Erased. And I wonder if what I wrote above (which I wrote before reading EventualDay’s post) is how the manga is structured.

Also, I had to look up what in the world Dimension W actually was. Apparently, according to some info I found on MAL, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: it's a "possibility wave," like the idea of Schrodinger's cat. As long as you don't know what it is, it can be anything at all. However, once you know what it is, it can only be one thing. So that scientist "discovering" that Dimension W was infinite energy is sort of like rigging the dimension. Confusing enough?

This actually gave me better a better view of the series. With my… extremely limited, nearly non-existent knowledge of quantum physics, this sounds theoretically possible. Okay, let me explain that: I don’t expect for us to someday find unlimited energy like that anytime soon (or at all). For me, if a sci-fi (or even fantasy) can establish a set of rules and work within them, I’m good with calling it ‘realistic,’ no matter how improbable or even impossible it is.

(And I guess in your case it's a good thing that you actually *can* learn and see more about them in the source now, right? )

I have never read a manga in my life… this may be the time to start.

[MangaRocks!]

I have never read a manga in my life… this may be the time to start.

Indeed!




Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, S2 episode 11:
ROTFL, I love that they actually included this bit (because it's hilarious). (And sweet, at the same time, of course. <3 But mostly just hilarious. ) Also, yay for Shirayuki SPOILER: Highlight text to read: passing the test! Now, all that said, there is still an important arc that they skipped due to time reasons ( + there's an even better arc later on, too), but what they've covered they've done pretty darn well (minus cutting the line from Kiki about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: planning to marry Mitsuhide <3, which now that I've thought about it some more, I think was indeed supposed to be in that chapter they covered last week *sadface* ), so I'm satisfied. On to the season finale next week! <3



Koyomimonogatari ONA episode 12 (end):

HOLY CRAP...!! ...Well, while most of the episodes of this miniseries were just there to be decently amusing and a few did have some interesting little plot connections/details, this one episode alone was more than worth watching the entire miniseries for. It was completely new and vital to the overall plot, and that ending SPOILER: Highlight text to read: *with Araragi literally getting sliced into pieces by Gaen (who now has the Oddity-Killing sword)!!!* ( + the after-credits scene with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Mayoi, somehow!) was shocking and amazing (both in terms of it even happening in the first place as well as the visual portrayal of it). My mind is still trying to wrap around this twist, and my hype for Owari... S2 is now pretty much off the charts. Whoa.



And Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuku episode 13 (end):

Wow... that was quite the ending to poor Kiku's backstory (and it shows quite clearly how he became the man you see at the beginning of the series). That said, it was (adorably!) fun to get back to Yotaro (and adult Konatsu), despite it being quite a timeskip. (Also, whoa, was not expecting that little revelation from Konatsu, despite it being in-character... I *did* expect Yotaro's reaction, though. <3 ) Oh man, though, that bit with old-Kiku and SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Sukeroku's ghost or whatever near the end was so emotional... (And yep, I teared up again... ) Amazing way to close it, though (especially with that scene going right into SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Yotaro flat-out asking to inherit Sukeroku's title! ). <3 (EDIT: And I found a super-good analysis of this episode here.) I also really liked the new final image in the ED <3 , and the fourth-wall-breaking in the after-credits scene was just perfect. ...Oh, and not only is there apparently a little more to tell in regards to the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: *real* 'death scene' in the past (?), there's also clearly more to tell about Yotaro and that whole time period-- and guess what? A second season has indeed been greenlit!! I was definitely hoping for-- but just as definitely not actually expecting-- this, so I was absolutely delighted by the news. Can't wait for Second Season! <3

[skreyola]

Here I am talking about being behind, yet I finish before skreyola. Spring Break, yay.

Yeah, I'm really behind. The new season has already started appearing on the streaming sites.

Ojisan to Marshmallow ep. 12 - Well, that was kind of cute. 3/5

Ooya-san wa Shishunki ep. 12 - That wasn't a bad ending. 4/5

Rakugo ep. 11 - Looks like things are coming to a head. 4/5

Dimension W ep. 11 - This show has too many madmen. But it's still a very enjoyable show. I wonder what he did with it. 4/5

[skreyola]

Rakugo ep. 12 - Wow. That was unexpected. I mean, it was expected, but not in that way... 4/5

[skreyola]

Girls/Wasteland ep. 12 [final] - This episode was a bit annoying, at times, but it wrapped up the show pretty well. 3/5

[skreyola]

ERASED ep. 12 [final] - On its own, this was a pretty solid episode, in spite of all the telegraphing they did with the various twists. But I guess they didn't want us to feel they pulled some of that stuff out of their rear ends. As much as I have to admit I liked this episode (it even got a laugh at one point, and I was relieved when he went to the bridge), I still didn't care much for this show's ending. It just didn't feel at all satisfying, except on the most surface level. I mean, yeah, they wrapped up the loose threads that were bothering me, but I just didn't like the whole SPOILER: Highlight text to read: getting caught by the killer, inexplicably survive and spend 15 years in a coma, catch the killer on a lesser charge by getting him to talk, talk, talk, and end up with the OTP who doesn't even know you this time around thing. I wanted him to set things right in one last revival, so I was disappointed with the trajectory of the ending, even though the ending was executed well enough for the trajectory they chose. Unfortunately, I'm not going to check out the manga, because I don't want to spend any more time looking into the head of the killer; I just don't think I'd enjoy that story. 4/5

[MangaRocks!]

^ @skreyola: But it's so much better! And the *real* ending is far better explained (and IMO not pulled out of you-know-where, either , at least as far as I've read {and I'm very close to the end}). They totally made a bunch of stuff up in the anime version of the ending (and butchered a lot of the rest). (And I promise the manga's not all about the killer!) So... at least just give a second thought to giving it a try? Please?



And finishing up my Winter shows:


Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, a.k.a. Snow White With The Red Hair, S2 episode 12 (end):

Aww man, IIRC she actually *did* give an answer back to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Izana directly later on, but they didn't include it. Oh well... otherwise, this was certainly a nice enough ending to the adaptation, and I had no real issues with it (aside from those couple of missing lines here and a few ep.'s ago), so I'm pretty well satisfied. Good show~ <3

[skreyola]

^ @skreyola: But it's so much better! And the *real* ending is far better explained (and IMO not pulled out of you-know-where, either , at least as far as I've read {and I'm very close to the end}). They totally made a bunch of stuff up in the anime version of the ending (and butchered a lot of the rest). (And I promise the manga's not all about the killer!) So... at least just give a second thought to giving it a try? Please?

If you can promise me he doesn't SPOILER: Highlight text to read: catch the killer by being so fascinating as a comatose person that the killer gets distracted for 15 years, I'll consider it. That was just lame-o. But even then, unless the manga did a lot more with the concept of revival, this kind of story isn't quite my cup of tea, either. But I'd be willing to give it another look.

Dimension W ep. 12 [final] - That was good. There were a couple of things I wish they'd given us closure about, but it was a solid ending. Not good enough for 5 stars, but solid. 4/5

Stride:Alt ep. 12 [final] - That was kind of meh. I mean, it was a solid episode and all, but it just really didn't seem as powerful as the ending of, well, any of this season's shows. 4/5

So, with all but one show completed, here are my rankings for this season:
Position. Title (episode rating total) - Show rating
1. Dimension W (51) - 8.5/10
2. Rakugo (50) - 8/10
3. Stride:Alt (48) - 7.7/10
4. Girls/Wasteland (44) - 7.3/10
5. Ojisan to Marshmallow (46) - 6.8/10
6. Ooya-san wa Shishunki (41) - 6.6/10
7. ERASED (50) - 4.7/10

[skreyola]

Rakugo ep. 13 [season final] - Well, that was pretty good, except the cliffhanger. 4/5
And that wraps up the season.

[MangaRocks!]

If you can promise me he doesn't SPOILER: Highlight text to read: catch the killer by being so fascinating as a comatose person that the killer gets distracted for 15 years, I'll consider it. . .

Yeah, that was *really* overdone in the anime. (I did say that they made a bunch of stuff up there... ) Actually, the killer promised to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: leave all the people in that particular town-- that is, Satoru's original, childhood hometown, not the (different) town he's later living in as an adult-- alone from then on in exchange for Satoru's life. He did *not* promise to swear off his... uh, activities... in *other* towns/cities. Indeed, you actually see him nearly abduct that one kid (in the new town) right in the beginning of the series, and IIRC there were other unsolved/framed cases scattered around different towns during those 15 years, besides; so, clearly, he didn't stop. He just kept his promise by doing it elsewhere. Now, that said, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he *did* get so obsessed with Satoru-- most *particularly* with the fact that Satoru actually thwarted him (multiple times), as well as with the fact that he actually managed to survive (which, BTW, also was much better-explained in the manga; it was at least half-believable, scientifically speaking... but I'm going off on a tangent now, LOL)-- that killing anyone else no longer satisfied him; but yeah, he didn't quit entirely.

...I'm really glad to hear that you're willing to at least think about possibly taking a look at the manga, though; that's all I ask.