View Full Version : Scryed (S-cry-ed)
Couldnt find any Scryed threads similar to this so I made a new one.
Just finished this series recently and I really enjoyed it, so much I want a second season. So is their any word or rumors of another season of Scryed.
As far as I know, I dun think that there will be a second season for Scryed though.
I was so impressed how the story was developing till the halfway, when some crazy writer messed up the whole story..Some of the questions could have been answered to that point of the series..The writers were just plain lazy to think of anything new..They just repeated things over and over although repetition could be a good thing if it is not so obvious..So the story was just grown to the point of irritation...The last episode was so ridiculous I just forwarded everything to see what the end-line gonna be..The series had so much potential but because of lazy script it just ended up being another average series..
If there is going to be a second season I will be cautious to get my hopes up..
I was so impressed how the story was developing till the halfway, when some crazy writer messed up the whole story..Some of the questions could have been answered to that point of the series..The writers were just plain lazy to think of anything new..They just repeated things over and over although repetition could be a good thing if it is not so obvious..So the story was just grown to the point of irritation...The last episode was so ridiculous I just forwarded everything to see what the end-line gonna be..The series had so much potential but because of lazy script it just ended up another average series..
If there is going to be a second season I will be cautious to get my hopes up..
I thought the series was a little above average. The ending did kinda suck, and didnt make much sense, but Im hoping if they make another season of it, it wont be so shitty towards the second half of it.
tokyopop has realised all 5 books to the manga.
tokyopop has realised all 5 books to the manga.
Do you know if the magna/books goes beyond the anime series
i think thier rather close, according to what little i know of scyed beyond episode 10 it gets a bit darker and that fits with the manga's story line.
Silver_Scorcher
2004-05-31, 12:48
With all of the DVD's out, what are your thoughts on it? I found Scryed to be a melding of X-Men and Dragonball Z. The huge difference being that the fights here took a fraction of the time DBZ did and were far more exciting to watch. I also found the rivalry between Kazuma and Ryuho to be similar to that of Goku & Vegeta. The ending to me was pretty lame, but then again that's nothing new for most anime.
The DUB was absolutely horrendous! And I'm speaking as someone who likes dubbed anime. Ryuho sounds like a friggin wuss and Kazuma well... I can't put my finger on it but he's no badass that's for sure. And Scheris sounds like she has a cold. The only characters that sounded alright to me were Cougar and Zigmarl, but they don't save the quality of this DUB. Bottom line, the DUB sucks and is agonizing to the ears, and the Japanese had far superior acting so I stuck to the original Japanese the whole time.
Overall I really liked this title. IMO it's woefully lacking in the plot department, but it makes up for that with great animation and intense fights. If your into lots of action and super-powers, you should get a hold of this one.
dreamless
2004-05-31, 13:17
It's so-so for me, has some good moments, some good songs, and some GREAT action and WONDERFUL character death scenes... However Kazuma is annoying as hell for me.
I absolutely LOVE Kimishima's death, and Ayase's death is quite good too. The ending is actually quite fun to watch for me, I haven't seen another ending where it ends with whole episodes of absolutely senseless and meaningless fighting, so I guess it's different. a great special effects show too.
Oh and my favorite character is Tachibana Asuka, Eternity Eight >>>> ALL!!!! :p
Silver_Scorcher
2004-05-31, 13:38
Nothin' wrong with an ending where two characters literally beat the living s**t out of each other, it's just that the way episode 24 ended, it could have ended there and I would have been happy. Scryed is at its best around episode 23 when Scheris sacrifices her life for Ryuho , and after the final fight with Mujo, 25 and 26 are pretty lame and pointless. But no doubt, the last fight between Ryuho & Kazuma was really good.
dreamless
2004-05-31, 13:46
that's why I call it different. If it ended at ep. 24, it'd be no different from any other sci-fi action anime. However now it included two episodes of absolutely meaningless fighting, which, makes it different :D
Scryed is at its best around episode 23 when Scheris sacrifices her life for Ryuho
well, different opinions I think Sherris' death is the worst death scene, or may well be the worst scene in the whole series. It's so forced and predictable, and the whole thing is lame IMO. Ryuho already acquired his 3rd stage transformation in the previous fight, however against this "crystal boss" guy he keep using his 2nd stage transformation, and I think I must have shouted "what the **** are you doing? transform NOW!!!" and no he just needs to get himself killed, and needs Sherris to sacrifice herself to save him... I think the show's best moment is Kimishima's death, and the confrontation between Kazuma and Myoji after Ayase's death, partly because the accompanying background song "All I Need is Love" is so great :cool:
Silver_Scorcher
2004-05-31, 23:51
Yeah your right. Sheris's death is kind of cliched. I saw it coming a mile away, thanks to the episode preview for it, and Bandai's summary on the back of vol. 6. I think what really made it heart wrenching for me was how Ryuho was sobbing. Maybe it's just me I guess.
Did Cougar actually die at the end of the last episode? He's sitting in a beach chair with a parasol when it looks like he does. I thought he died fighting Mujo, and I think it would have been better if he did. If that's the way he actually died, than that is by far the worst death out of them all. Cougar's one of my favourite characters, and it doesn't do him justice to see him die like that.
dreamless
2004-06-01, 00:12
Yeah your right. Sheris's death is kind of cliched. I saw it coming a mile away, thanks to the episode preview for it, and Bandai's summary on the back of vol. 6. I think what really made it heart wrenching for me was how Ryuho was sobbing. Maybe it's just me I guess.
Did Cougar actually die at the end of the last episode? He's sitting in a beach chair with a parasol when it looks like he does. I thought he died fighting Mujo, and I think it would have been better if he did. If that's the way he actually died, than that is by far the worst death out of them all. Cougar's one of my favourite characters, and it doesn't do him justice to see him die like that.
I also thought that scene is a bit strange. I assume he somehow got fatally wounded and died some time after... but it seems that "some time" is a bit too long... always think it's weird...
I believe he said it himself that he was slowly dieing since he saw the "other side" so I believe it was the use of his power and that fight w/ Mujo ultimately killed him.
Ryuho at that time when he was fighting that lightning alter guy couldn't summon his third form at will yet, when he summoned it before, it was like out of desperation, but the second time he was trying to force it too much I'd think.
Sheris' death...it was interesting, can't say I was expecting that, though the sexual inuendo of her alter power...think it was called Eternal Devotion when she used it on one of the 3 women created by a guy from Holy (can't think of his name). Buy yeah...her hand was a bit too low when she used it ;)
oh yeah...HAMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've liked this series for a long time. It actually holds my personal title of "Best Series Ending". No series I've ever seen has been able to devote their entire last episode to one last hurrah; they're all wasting time on silly things like plot. Since Scryed's plot ended two episode ago, their free just to give us one big exhibition match.
The dub did suck mightily, though. This was one time I really didn't like Steve Blum. He's just not Kazuma. Soichiro Hoshi, on the other hand... I just love the way he yells when he's pissed/powering up. Very... primal, I think is the term.
R.
Nathan Scott Phillop
2006-06-21, 09:31
I looked through a ton of forums but saw nothing about S-C-ry-Ed that i didn't post myself. THAT MAKES ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!if u have watched the series then tell me what u think of it, cus i think its an incredible show.
I looked through a ton of forums but saw nothing about S-C-ry-Ed that i didn't post myself. THAT MAKES ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!if u have watched the series then tell me what u think of it, cus i think its an incredible show.
Great show.
Kanami should've dropped him like a hot potato.
The last 2 episodes SUCKED!
There you go, a review. :)
plenty of people have seen scryed, I found it very entertaining
since its predominantly fighting the plot is a bit thin but it's one of the better fighting anime's out there.
The OP reckless fire is one of the only OPs that you can sit through every episode
and the ED is decent
I totally agree that subs are better than dubs but I've only seen the dub which I thought was ok, the voices are decent.
When I first watched it and heard Sheris's voice I instantly thought it sounded like Mimi in Digimon
and I was right ^^ wooo
I'd give Scryed an 8/10 or possibly even a 9/10
gencbiba
2006-08-22, 03:49
I just started watching the anime some hours ago. Currently up to episode 11.
As far as the fighting goes, I think Kazuma's power is pretty cool so far. However, I would love to see him fully transform into some crazy metallical monster or something. Since I'm only up to episode 11 I'm hoping that he will...
Shakugan no Shana
2006-08-22, 11:22
If they actually do make a 2nd Season.. It better be good.. It got boring from Half way through cause everything just got. I actually expected a big ending.... But never it never happen. I jut hope the 2nd season has more meaning into it this time.
PatPeter
2007-01-17, 23:18
1) S-cry-ed was my all-time favorite anime above all until I saw the Hellsing Anime.
2) I have no idea what you are all talking about "it died halfway through" or "the ending was pitiful" seroiusly it was an amazing anime. If you hated the ending you obviously hate part of Japanese culture as the ending focuses alot on 'having an honorable battle,' you know, that fighting is not always bad.
Also people who you dont get along with can end up having the same views and if yuo hadn't got off on teh wrong foot, would be really good friends.
3) S-cry-ed was not made to have a continuation, a continuation would ruin the first seaon (watch the end episode 200 times like I did)
At episode 22 Scryed was an awesome Anime.
At episode 23-24 where they basically threw out all the relationships and just went 'Oh lets have a big battle that is totally meaningless'...That's what it means by a messed up ending.
Im mixed on the show, its been a while but i still remember it. It had a great vibe going for it, fun shonen cheese with a fair amount of brains and flair, the characters although cliche were well deliniated and handled very well. Had some nice non SD reliant comedy, interesting alter designs and really really fun music. Im surprised that KOtaro Nakagawa pulled off acid jazz in a shonen fest but it worked SURPRISNGLY well. This was all until they introduced Mujo though, he was WAY too cliche and one dimensional; leading the series into a terrible deus ex machina and the ending battle between Kazuma and Ryuhou was pointless (but still fun)/
PatPeter
2007-01-18, 22:34
now i need to watch 23 and 24
IF ANYONE says that the third form of Kazuma and.....oh Lord God help me I cannot remember the two main characters name :)
Anyway they own, dont say anything bad about them, im off to watch the entire series in one night.
At episode 22 Scryed was an awesome Anime.
At episode 23-24 where they basically threw out all the relationships and just went 'Oh lets have a big battle that is totally meaningless'...That's what it means by a messed up ending.
Yea I agree this anime was such a disappointment for me too. Everything was going great until the end. They totally ruined it. This is a prime example of anime that started great but ended terrible. I did enjoy this anime though I can't deny it but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, just to spare them the huge disappointment they will endure when the series ends. -_-
PatPeter
2007-01-21, 18:46
Yea I agree this anime was such a disappointment for me too. Everything was going great until the end. They totally ruined it. This is a prime example of anime that started great but ended terrible. I did enjoy this anime though I can't deny it but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, just to spare them the huge disappointment they will endure when the series ends. -_-
Can you prove, factually, what was wrong with this anime?
Can you prove using intellectual literary terms what was wrong with this anime?
Matt Soulblade
2007-01-21, 18:59
I can prove it.
It started great, with some people with an unidentified "power", a lot of social and political conflicts, two great main characters, both with their own way of thinking and ideals, and even romance!
But what happened? Easy. When you though the conflicts were over, they again show that they are 2 inmature idiots, not to forget that all the complicated conflict ends in a stupid superrepetitive shounen battle. Cougar FTW! He gets 1st and 2nd place for best male character in this series.
Can you prove, factually, what was wrong with this anime?
Can you prove using intellectual literary terms what was wrong with this anime?
Hmmm Factually
You do not introduce 2 love interests and just have them abandoned at the end. They either get together or they don't, the 2 in Scryed just lost interest in their loves.
You do not change the animation of the last 2 episodes so that they are actually WORSE than the series. Everyone knows the last episode is supposed to have a boost of animation, not a drop
You do not introduce a TON of super warships that have no meaning and just have the main characters kill them with no resolution of why they were there at all
You do not remove all brain matter from the 'Smart One' and just reduce him to the same level as the 'dumb' one
You do not end an anime with a throwaway episode that did not improve or reduce the status of the main characters.
So how's that?
Can you prove, factually, what was wrong with this anime?
Can you prove using intellectual literary terms what was wrong with this anime?
Well I could write a whole page about was wrong with this anime show using ie "Literary terms" but I much rather not. For an good explanation read up on Forbin's post he/she provided an pretty good factual one.
Hmmm Factually
You do not introduce 2 love interests and just have them abandoned at the end. They either get together or they don't, the 2 in Scryed just lost interest in their loves.
You do not change the animation of the last 2 episodes so that they are actually WORSE than the series. Everyone knows the last episode is supposed to have a boost of animation, not a drop
You do not introduce a TON of super warships that have no meaning and just have the main characters kill them with no resolution of why they were there at all
You do not remove all brain matter from the 'Smart One' and just reduce him to the same level as the 'dumb' one
You do not end an anime with a throwaway episode that did not improve or reduce the status of the main characters.So how's that?
Couldn't have said it any better.
>> Forbin, Keitaro
1) They lost interest in nothing. They realized that the men they loved would not stay put and would continue on the battlefield, and they let them. They understood them.
2) I can not convincingly argue against this. Personally I did not see anything amiss, but neither did I see anything such in Black Lagoon 23, and some posters seemed ready to slit their wrists because of the animation - or lack of - therein.
3) The mainland tried to subjugate the rebellious Lost Ground. No great mystery there.
4) Ruyhou was never truly an intellectual, or a man who confided in his intellect. He felt driven by his sense of justice and righteousness. In the end he was in a sense won over by Kazuma, who claimed he did what he did because he wanted to. He was the same as Kazuma, except he wore a guise, whether true or not is left to personal taste, but what he did and what he was wasn't altogether too different from Kazuma.
5) The ending is a work of art. The final episode was the culmination of the two characters' stories, not the series' story. Throughout the series the characters were at odds, in the end they were temporary comrade-in-arms, kindred souls even to a point, but they were fighters as well. They had unfinished business between them. Fighting was the natural consequence of this, since really, neither of them were men of peace.
The ending episode of Scryed should be used to help young boys who are late into their puberty. The palpable manliness of the episode should lower their testes to their rightful places posthaste.
PatPeter
2007-01-22, 17:52
Hmmm Factually
You do not introduce 2 love interests and just have them abandoned at the end. They either get together or they don't, the 2 in Scryed just lost interest in their loves.
You do not change the animation of the last 2 episodes so that they are actually WORSE than the series. Everyone knows the last episode is supposed to have a boost of animation, not a drop
You do not introduce a TON of super warships that have no meaning and just have the main characters kill them with no resolution of why they were there at all
You do not remove all brain matter from the 'Smart One' and just reduce him to the same level as the 'dumb' one
You do not end an anime with a throwaway episode that did not improve or reduce the status of the main characters.
So how's that?
1) Gimme me a day or two to check the animation
2) I will simultaniously check the warship bit.
3) What do you mean my smart one and dumb one?
4) Of course the last episode inproved their characters! Read up the Japanese honor code, then come back.
I can prove it.
It started great, with some people with an unidentified "power", a lot of social and political conflicts, two great main characters, both with their own way of thinking and ideals, and even romance!
But what happened? Easy. When you though the conflicts were over, they again show that they are 2 inmature idiots, not to forget that all the complicated conflict ends in a stupid superrepetitive shounen battle. Cougar FTW! He gets 1st and 2nd place for best male character in this series.
Yeah, definity let me watch the series again.
evil|plushie
2007-01-23, 00:21
1. The 2 in Scryed never had intr in their loves in the first place. Kazuma was always looking out for Kanami, but at the end, it was obvious that Kanami could get by without Kazuma. As for Mimori, she was the one who stuck by Ryuhou,not the other way around.
2. No comment. Didn't notice anything
3. Mainland invading the Lost Ground with all their altered Alter users. It's obvious.
4. Ryuhous more educated than Kazuma, but I wouldn't necessarily say he's much smarter. Furthermore, I don't see how he was dumbed down any at the end. He still fought for what he believed to be justice and so-on and he still wanted to fight Kazuma so that he could win.
5. The end of the anime is unconventional by normal story standards. However, it does bring a resolution to the 2 main characters, who have finally settled the grudge between them and gone on living their lifes with Ryuhou doing what he wants to do , ie. bringing justice to the lost ground and Kazuma finding strong alter users to fight with. It's not an ending with a sense of closure, instead it's an ending with a sense of continuance because the viewer feels that things will go on so maybe thats why you feel its incomplete. But it's not necessarily bad, just different.
PatPeter
2007-01-25, 00:33
THANK YOU evil|plushie
Seriously, if you are too ignourant (not you evil|plushie) to actually watch the anime or at least pay attention to the details, do not make stupid comments.
I myself didn't want to second guess things like the warship and animation, but I had the same opinion as evil with those two.
Oh, and even after I said "Can you prove, factually, what was wrong with this anime?" YOU MADE THEM ALL statements! You talk about the two love interests and do not specify them, you do not specify in which ways the smart one becomes the dumb one as that is now only your opinion, and statement number 5 is an opinion as you do not give evidence to this.
Once again, Can you prove, factually, what was wrong with this anime?
No thanks, I'm done explaining. Up to Episode 22 I considered Scryed one of the best fighting Animes out there, then after those 2 episodes I only consider this sorta average.
Jewelray
2007-01-25, 12:30
It's been a really long time since I've seen Scryed, but I still consider it a pretty good show. It seems that the reasons people are listing for not liking the show are precisely why I liked it.
The reason I like Scryed is because it threw away a lot of conventional anime norms. For example, I really like how the love triangle was resolved. If it were any other show, killing off Scheris would have been used as an excuse for Ryuhou to get with Mimori. Instead, he ends up with no one, which while it's surprising, is more realistic. Things don't end happily all the time in real life.
I also liked the final episode. Any other show would have had Kazuma and Ryuhou reconcile their differences and become good buddies, realizing through their journey together that they aren't so different after all (awww touching, really.) But this episode is making a point: People will always fight. No matter how much we cooperate and try to understand each other, humans are stubborn and competitive so the fighting will never end. Take the episode symbolically if that makes you feel better.
The only thing I didn't like was the "ending" before the final episode. I liked that there was no "big bad guy" who was for some stupid purpose manipulating everything, and then the second to last two episodes introduce just that. Oh well, I can live with that.
evil|plushie
2007-02-03, 09:31
No thanks, I'm done explaining. Up to Episode 22 I considered Scryed one of the best fighting Animes out there, then after those 2 episodes I only consider this sorta average.
I think that was the problem. Scryed isn't a conventional fighting anime -_-
NeXion218
2007-02-21, 22:20
How many ep's are there? I saw only so many and I just ordered a box set from eBay with 1-26? ep's. That'd be great if they made a second one.
Might be one of those Bootleg Typos. Scryed is 24 episodes.
Kazu-kun
2007-02-22, 00:59
Might be one of those Bootleg Typos. Scryed is 24 episodes.
Wrong! s-CRY-ed is definitely 26 (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=842) episodes.
Wrong! s-CRY-ed is definitely 26 (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=842) episodes.
Lol I keep wanting to block those last 2 episodes out. :)
animeffs13240
2007-04-23, 12:08
I just recently joined the forum like a few weeks ago so the people argueing won't even get to see what i thought about it but i don't really care
ANYWAYS I just got to say wow, never seen so much hate for an anime on any anime forum. I thought the ending was great, in fact unlike most people i thought the second half was better than the first half. The second half did start off slow but it did end great. The final battle between Ryuho and Kazuma was impressive to say the least (it really showed how much guts and respect these guys had) I know a lot of people were looking for a relationship among the two main characters, but I actually couldn't see them getting together. Ryuho had too much pride and responsibiliyt to deal with a girl (and it was mimori who did cling on to him as someone posted earlier) I couldn't see Kanami and Kazuma hooking up either. Kazuma was like a father figure to Kanami (even though Kanami was the responsible one) Kazama was too wild for Kanami too handle, plus at the end Kanami had an alter power that could tell how Kazuma and Ryuho were doing.
Someone posted that earlier that there should be a second season and some one else argued there shouldn't
I don't think there is going to be a next one but I can kind of see a story come in. I mean the mainland did say they had a couple of spies in the lost ground, but when it showed the image of Kanami grown up (boy, did she look cute:D ) the lost ground was in growing just fine, so i'm guessing nothing really went wrong...if they had done a second season the writers probably would have done it about the second generation and not about Kazuma and Ryuho.
Anyways I liked how the series ended, and I love the series overall.
PatPeter
2007-04-23, 12:47
I just recently joined the forum like a few weeks ago so the people argueing won't even get to see what i thought about it but i don't really care
ANYWAYS I just got to say wow, never seen so much hate for an anime on any anime forum. I thought the ending was great, in fact unlike most people i thought the second half was better than the first half. The second half did start off slow but it did end great. The final battle between Ryuho and Kazuma was impressive to say the least (it really showed how much guts and respect these guys had) I know a lot of people were looking for a relationship among the two main characters, but I actually couldn't see them getting together. Ryuho had too much pride and responsibiliyt to deal with a girl (and it was mimori who did cling on to him as someone posted earlier) I couldn't see Kanami and Kazuma hooking up either. Kazuma was like a father figure to Kanami (even though Kanami was the responsible one) Kazama was too wild for Kanami too handle, plus at the end Kanami had an alter power that could tell how Kazuma and Ryuho were doing.
Someone posted that earlier that there should be a second season and some one else argued there shouldn't
I don't think there is going to be a next one but I can kind of see a story come in. I mean the mainland did say they had a couple of spies in the lost ground, but when it showed the image of Kanami grown up (boy, did she look cute:D ) the lost ground was in growing just fine, so i'm guessing nothing really went wrong...if they had done a second season the writers probably would have done it about the second generation and not about Kazuma and Ryuho.
Anyways I liked how the series ended, and I love the series overall.
I KNOW THIS ANIME IS AMAZING!
Look at Hellsing TV Series threads and you'll see no one likes that either. It's ironic that my favourite anime are the ones that people hate the most...first is Hellsing, then S-cry-ed, then Big O
hobbes_fan
2007-04-23, 12:51
Not a fan of this genre in general but there's a few I like so I gave this a shot when the boxset was on sale for $40
Good:
Pretty to look at, some smooth fluid fight scenes
The alters were an interesting premise
Lots of random explosions and destruction
Bad:
Really, Really unlikeable lead characters. They're selfish irresponsible arrogant halfwits. The ending reflects this. Halfway through I was begging for one of them to die soon so I didn't have to deal with them.
Plotwise there isn't very much in terms of depth. About as deep as a puddle. All the non-fight scenes are cliched and forced. I kept waiting and waiting for some development but any plot twists you could see a mile off
Side characters are disappointing, Scheris and Kanami suffer from weak dialogue or cliched stereotypical endings. villains are forgettable.
Maybe my expectations were too high, I was expecting something along the lines of Kenshin. It really didn't help its case when the leads were so unlikeable.
PatPeter
2007-04-23, 13:58
Not a fan of this genre in general but there's a few I like so I gave this a shot when the boxset was on sale for $40
Good:
Pretty to look at, some smooth fluid fight scenes
The alters were an interesting premise
Lots of random explosions and destruction
Bad:
Really, Really unlikeable lead characters. They're selfish irresponsible arrogant halfwits. The ending reflects this. Halfway through I was begging for one of them to die soon so I didn't have to deal with them.
Plotwise there isn't very much in terms of depth. About as deep as a puddle. All the non-fight scenes are cliched and forced. I kept waiting and waiting for some development but any plot twists you could see a mile off
Side characters are disappointing, Scheris and Kanami suffer from weak dialogue or cliched stereotypical endings. villains are forgettable.
Maybe my expectations were too high, I was expecting something along the lines of Kenshin. It really didn't help its case when the leads were so unlikeable.
Yes, your expectations were too high, but I did laugh when you said you wanted one of them to die so you wouldn't have to deal with him.
But the plot was much deeper than a puddle, because what you described sound like only the crust of the plot, about the main characters and everything.
How you put down some of the side characters? Do you know how many people like Cougar??!?!?
hobbes_fan
2007-04-23, 14:20
Cougar. As the end neared you knew he was dead man walking He has a few meaningful moments probably more than the others but I don't think that's saying much. It's not a matter of what others like, it matters what I like.
The water girl I forget her name, her end was cliched as well, The guy with the green balls, he's was in for a beat down from the start. Ryuuho's transformation into a good guy, saw that coming from about episode 2, Scheris's sacrifce not unexpected well if you do nothing the whole series but be pretty scenery you probably should be killed off. Kanami's "hidden power" was evident from her 1st dream. That's about all I remember and that's considering I've watched the series twice (once with the dub , once with subs as is my SOP) doesn't really rank high on my memorable list if I've had this for 2weeks and was my last purchase so it was a recent viewing
But take my opinion with a grain of salt. I don't really like shonen titles generally. There's a few I lke but they're few and far between
animeffs13240
2007-04-23, 14:20
Maybe my expectations were too high, I was expecting something along the lines of Kenshin. It really didn't help its case when the leads were so unlikeable.
oh yeah your expectations were extremly high, kenshin is like a league of its own. Scr-y-ed may have seemed rush to you because it was only a 26 episode series, kenshin is definitly more than 26 episodes (even though the third season was not even worth looking at). I thought Scr-y-ed was seemingly rushed as well but it was made decently, didn't you complain about the voice-acting... i'm going to agree with you, english dub was pretty bad
PatPeter
2007-04-23, 14:28
Cougar. As the end neared you knew he was dead man walking He has a few meaningful moments probably more than the others but I don't think that's saying much. It's not a matter of what others like, it matters what I like.
The water girl I forget her name, her end was cliched as well, The guy with the green balls, he's was in for a beat down from the start. Ryuuho's transformation into a good guy, saw that coming from about episode 2, Scheris's sacrifce not unexpected well if you do nothing the whole series but be pretty scenery you probably should be killed off. Kanami's "hidden power" was evident from her 1st dream. That's about all I remember and that's considering I've watched the series twice (once with the dub , once with subs as is my SOP) doesn't really rank high on my memorable list if I've had this for 2weeks and was my last purchase so it was a recent viewing
But take my opinion with a grain of salt. I don't really like shonen titles generally. There's a few I lke but they're few and far between
oh yeah your expectations were extremly high, kenshin is like a league of its own. Scr-y-ed may have seemed rush to you because it was only a 26 episode series, kenshin is definitly more than 26 episodes (even though the third season was not even worth looking at). I thought Scr-y-ed was seemingly rushed as well but it was made decently, didn't you complain about the voice-acting... i'm going to agree with you, english dub was pretty bad
Who are Kenshin and Scheris I can't remember.
I haven't watched any version other than english dub what is better
and Ryuuho doesn't necessarily become a good guy, but both fighting sides on the island join together to face a common enemy
by cliched you mean...?
animeffs13240
2007-04-23, 15:56
Who are Kenshin and Scheris I can't remember.
I haven't watched any version other than english dub what is better
and Ryuuho doesn't necessarily become a good guy, but both fighting sides on the island join together to face a common enemy
There was no one named Kenshin, I was just comparing the anime Rurouni Kenshin with Scr-y-ed for Hobbes_fan, because he too was comparing the scr-y-ed with Kenshin
Scheris was the girl with short hair that worked with Ryuuho during his days with Holy. She had blue hair and wore a triangle headpiece. She sounded like a woman who sucked in a lot of helium in the dub version. She too was in love with Ryuuho just like Mimori She sacrificed herself to save Ryuuho
and the japanese is soooo much better (probably because we english people can't tell when foreign languages are acted wrongly)
ibreatheanime
2007-04-23, 18:47
There was no one named Kenshin, I was just comparing the anime Rurouni Kenshin with Scr-y-ed for Hobbes_fan, because he too was comparing the scr-y-ed with Kenshin
Scheris was the girl with short hair that worked with Ryuuho during his days with Holy. She had blue hair and wore a triangle headpiece. She sounded like a woman who sucked in a lot of helium in the dub version. She too was in love with Ryuuho just like Mimori She sacrificed herself to save Ryuuho
and the japanese is soooo much better (probably because we english people can't tell when foreign languages are acted wrongly)
I agree that the english dub was pretty much butchered.
winry039
2007-04-23, 18:53
i also finished watching the show recently and i dont think there will be another season but if there was one then i would be so happy
hobbes_fan
2007-04-24, 04:50
It didn't feel rushed at all, I felt it dragged on too long. because for me there wasn't enough interesting plot points at maybe 13 episodes I'd have higher rating.
Those who dislikes Scryed are those who don't really understand the show. The show is about two men of men fighting to be the strongest. true men always aspire to be the strongest, to fight to the top, and there can be only one. That's why boxing and pro-wrestling are so popular, there doesn't need to be some good vs. evil grand battle of morals, just the dream to become the strongest, to reach the top, that's enough to be a true man's dream. And the two leads showed the ideals of order and chaos, laws and freedom, one is a wild beast, fights for total freedom, total anarchy, the other fights to maintain order and rules, but in the end they are true men, they fight to see who is the strongest of all. They are among the most likeable leads in all anime. Scryed is the show that make people recall their lost ideals, their lost dreams, their lost aspirations to become the strongest of the strong, to become the man of men, to recall the adrenaline in their souls suppressed by the drab day to day business and work. The last two episodes are what truly make Scryed shine, to truly distinct it from other beat-the-bad-guy anime. It's completely different from Kenshin, that's for sure. Both are great in their own different areas and different goals.
hobbes_fan
2007-04-24, 05:35
Did none of what you describe for me. More of a lesson of how not to to overcomplicate a simple story. My comparison would be Scryed is more like Rocky V than Rocky I which does everything you say. Honestly watch Hajime no Ippo its a better example of what you say. No good vs evil it's a simple story but t comes under no pretenses. Does it a whole lot better and the leads aren't as aggravating
That's a big call, saying they're the most likeable in anme, considering I've already outlined why they're unlikeable and plenty of others have pointed out. It would've been fine if t was a simple beat em up story, but it tries to do something else where it fails miserably.
wingdarkness
2007-04-26, 01:03
Scryed is an extreme shonen fighter and it should be viewed as such...It's all about the characters (and designs), visual concepts, fight-creativity, and the uniquely different alter-powers...The character journeys are as cliche and enjoyable enuff IMO...If one goes into a character based shonen fighter expecting much more than this, one is simply asking for too much...For what it was worth Scryed was a really cool and enjoyable shonen fighter..Ridiculous visual acid (remember the epilepsy warning before the orginal eps?) with action and the always sucessful "clash of rivals" aspect...I orginally watched it in Japanese and re-watched the dub and enjoyed both (Many people hate Scheris' dub voice, but in actuality it matches the annoying tone she has in the original)..It has some soft and tender moments but it also has some very harsh and disturbing moments...
The lead character Kazuya is an extreme take on a common archeatype and I saw it as the creator wanting to tell a shonen-fighter from the perspective of a more insane type of aggresive character (You can only have so many happy-go-lucky shonen leads)...It even disregards the final boss for a final showdown of it's 2 main characters which was insanley fun BTW..It's about style over substance, but still there's substance (however cliche--but be reminded cliche is cliche because it has proven to be effective)...Overall this show is less about story and more about characters and universal themes, and by it's conclusion you see these things play-out to a bevy of color-soaked visceral action sequences (which is why you tuned in right?--That's why I tuned in)...Like I say alot of times, you have to put things into the proper context to ascertain the most enjoyment...
And that's why i dug this show..Now if I could just find out what the hell S-Cry-Ed means I could move on with my life^^...
hobbes_fan
2007-04-26, 01:45
Scrying - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scry cliff notes: Pretty much fortune telling
Pretty much refers to Kanami's alter power
wingdarkness
2007-04-26, 02:18
I've actually heard that explanation before, but it was defunct by the fact that saying 'Scryed' was merely a fan interpretation ignoring the fact the word is broken into 3 hyphenated phrases (s-CRY-ED)..Neither the anime, nor the manga even mentiones this...Wiki's scryed page explains it as the "word for evolution" in-terms of the alter users...But yet again no proof of this...I agree Kaname can be thought of as scrying, but still no evidence suggests that her alter is explicitly the name of the show (and why would it be?)..Not that anime names make sense (BLEACH anyone?), but the actual presentation of the word has to mean something I think...
hobbes_fan
2007-04-26, 03:05
lol Bleach, I remember asking for it at the video store and they told me that the grocery was down the street.
I can live with the wki definition as it hits on a couple of levels.
PatPeter
2007-05-17, 15:03
No thanks, I'm done explaining. Up to Episode 22 I considered Scryed one of the best fighting Animes out there, then after those 2 episodes I only consider this sorta average.
1) Its not your run-of-the-mill fighting anime
2) Have you seen Samuri Champloo (I know I spelled Samuri wrong someone correct me)?
It's been a really long time since I've seen Scryed, but I still consider it a pretty good show. It seems that the reasons people are listing for not liking the show are precisely why I liked it.
The reason I like Scryed is because it threw away a lot of conventional anime norms. For example, I really like how the love triangle was resolved. If it were any other show, killing off Scheris would have been used as an excuse for Ryuhou to get with Mimori. Instead, he ends up with no one, which while it's surprising, is more realistic. Things don't end happily all the time in real life.
I also liked the final episode. Any other show would have had Kazuma and Ryuhou reconcile their differences and become good buddies, realizing through their journey together that they aren't so different after all (awww touching, really.) But this episode is making a point: People will always fight. No matter how much we cooperate and try to understand each other, humans are stubborn and competitive so the fighting will never end. Take the episode symbolically if that makes you feel better.
The only thing I didn't like was the "ending" before the final episode. I liked that there was no "big bad guy" who was for some stupid purpose manipulating everything, and then the second to last two episodes introduce just that. Oh well, I can live with that.
I also like how they throw away all the conventional stuff.
THE LAST EPISODE is not about fighting at all, it is about honor. It is just like Samuri (yes, I know I am spelling it wrong) Champloo where the two samuri meet and want to fight, but somehow have to work together, and eventually become friends. Kazuma and Ryuho fight as a sign of friendship.
Wait could you explain your dislike of the three before last episodes again? I do not quite understand.
I think that was the problem. Scryed isn't a conventional fighting anime -_-
Exactly.
How many ep's are there? I saw only so many and I just ordered a box set from eBay with 1-26? ep's. That'd be great if they made a second one.
Second Season would only be good with different characters, so as not to risk destroying the ending of the first season. And they would have to bring the characters at some point to the mainland, maybe have them go to the labs and see the horror of the experimenting done on such people.
EusebioKun
2007-06-14, 19:32
With all of the DVD's out, what are your thoughts on it? I found Scryed to be a melding of X-Men and Dragonball Z. The huge difference being that the fights here took a fraction of the time DBZ did and were far more exciting to watch. I also found the rivalry between Kazuma and Ryuho to be similar to that of Goku & Vegeta. The ending to me was pretty lame, but then again that's nothing new for most anime.
The DUB was absolutely horrendous! And I'm speaking as someone who likes dubbed anime. Ryuho sounds like a friggin wuss and Kazuma well... I can't put my finger on it but he's no badass that's for sure. And Scheris sounds like she has a cold. The only characters that sounded alright to me were Cougar and Zigmarl, but they don't save the quality of this DUB. Bottom line, the DUB sucks and is agonizing to the ears, and the Japanese had far superior acting so I stuck to the original Japanese the whole time.
Overall I really liked this title. IMO it's woefully lacking in the plot department, but it makes up for that with great animation and intense fights. If your into lots of action and super-powers, you should get a hold of this one.
*bump*
I thought this was a great post. Unfortunately the only thing I have access to is the dubbed so I'm gonna have to watch the series with it (on ep 4) : /
oh well, currently this has been the best summary of the series so far I'll say if I feel the same way after I finish S-cry-ed.
Lara Jill Miller is the voice of Scheris Adjani. She did do Ikari's voice on Digimon; give her some credit imo.
Also, haven't u guys ever heard of spoilers? I read a couple things I shouldn't have. thanks > : o
PatPeter
2007-06-15, 12:56
*bump*
I thought this was a great post. Unfortunately the only thing I have access to is the dubbed so I'm gonna have to watch the series with it (on ep 4) : /
oh well, currently this has been the best summary of the series so far I'll say if I feel the same way after I finish S-cry-ed.
Lara Jill Miller is the voice of Scheris Adjani. She did do Ikari's voice on Digimon; give her some credit imo.
Also, haven't u guys ever heard of spoilers? I read a couple things I shouldn't have. thanks > : o
Then don't read the thread! Lol jk, but really you can't join a thread about an anime without having seen the whole thing and having your own opinion, otherwise your posts really cant contribute to the topic at all. Do you know what I am saying? No offense on the statements or the question, but I just want to make sure I am clear.
Am I the only one who thought that this would make a much better RPG than an anime? The whole time I was watching it I imagined that many of the fights were boss battles and things of the sort... I duno...
The last ep was just pure fanservice and I enjoyed it a lot.
That's a big call, saying they're the most likeable in anme, considering I've already outlined why they're unlikeable and plenty of others have pointed out.
You call the main characters unlikeable just because you are expecting different things, which is not what Scryed is about. The main characters in Scryed are straightforward, they may be "selfish" for you but that's because they are always true to themselves. Much more likeable than the other main characters in other animes who tries to play some "selfless" goody guys or dwell upon some ridiculous "inner conflicts" or whatnot. And "likeable" is highly subjective, your attempt at "outlining why they are unlikeable" is just meaningless for others. You can see them as "selfish", others can see them as straightforward and true to themselves. See that there are plenty of others disagreeing with you as much as those agreeing with you here. In the end let's say it's something like the Call of the Wild, and whether one likes it depends on whether one is a wolf or a dog. For dogs who are used to be tame and dutiful, it may be completely meaningless, but for those who still have the wolf's blood flowing in their veins, the Call can make their blood boiling. Scryed is like that, it is to reawaken the adrenaline, the hotblood dreams within people, but may be too wild for some to accept it.
PatPeter
2007-06-16, 14:03
Am I the only one who thought that this would make a much better RPG than an anime? The whole time I was watching it I imagined that many of the fights were boss battles and things of the sort... I duno...
YES!!! I can't remember if it was this website or another but I brought up the same statement. Yes! It would make an amazing Fighting game (not really RPG but at the same time not a 2D Fighting game like Mortal Combat, or the 3D Mortal Combat, but the ones with really SMALL arenas) in S-cry-ed the video game you would be in HUGE arenas where you can just completely destroy the arena, like when you and your opponent climb up to space and you bring him back down to earth in a bady slam it makes a crater!
The last ep was just pure fanservice and I enjoyed it a lot.
Exactly I hate when people bash on it.
You call the main characters unlikeable just because you are expecting different things, which is not what Scryed is about. The main characters in Scryed are straightforward, they may be "selfish" for you but that's because they are always true to themselves. Much more likeable than the other main characters in other animes who tries to play some "selfless" goody guys or dwell upon some ridiculous "inner conflicts" or whatnot. And "likeable" is highly subjective, your attempt at "outlining why they are unlikeable" is just meaningless for others. You can see them as "selfish", others can see them as straightforward and true to themselves. See that there are plenty of others disagreeing with you as much as those agreeing with you here. In the end let's say it's something like the Call of the Wild, and whether one likes it depends on whether one is a wolf or a dog. For dogs who are used to be tame and dutiful, it may be completely meaningless, but for those who still have the wolf's blood flowing in their veins, the Call can make their blood boiling. Scryed is like that, it is to reawaken the adrenaline, the hotblood dreams within people, but may be too wild for some to accept it.
Exactly! How many comments come about that compare this anime to others! If anime is based on comparision, in that world, that mind set there would make it so that no good anime arose. And for someone to be selfish they have to have a very small amount of care for other people, when Ryuho and Kazuma risk their lives for their loved ones and would fight for them to the death. I wouldn't say inner conflicts are ridiculous though, they make for good anime characters sometimes. And it is good to ouline why something is unlikable because it might be because that person doesn't understand something in the anime, and that by telling them they might start to like it.
Kiba_5477
2007-06-17, 01:06
no but I wish I was almost crying at the end its was so freaking good and it had one of the best theme songs ever.
Oh and did straight couger die I mean he was talking to those kids while watching the fight but then it showed behind him and his hand coullapsed like he died. so i'm a little confused about that especally since he was one of my favorite charecters.
For all you scond half haters out there butt out I mean come on you got to addmit it was pretty dramatic Ii was a huge shocker part (for me anyway) the killed off so many people its ashame even kazuma's best freind man I was crying at that part it was so sad. :[
Ok I didn't how couger died I mean just cause his a side charecter and he got to play hero and save Ms. mimori dos'nt mean "hey lets kill him off for reasons unown in a parck in front 100s of children and old people" really I think the writers wanted kids to be afraid of parks with people in beach chairs and give old people heart attacks:p. So yea if anyone could give me some feedback on how couger died that would be swell.
problemedchild
2007-06-17, 02:14
Wasn't Couger refined too many times? From what I remember, refining an alter user increases his or her powers, but also shortens his or her lifespan. It's what happened to Ayase Terada.
Here is what wiki provided:
Cougar was thought to be fatally injured in a fight with Kyouji Mujo, but appears afterwards in order to rescue all of the secondary characters left in HOLY HQ. He seems to die in episode 26, when he is seen sitting on a lounge chair reading his book, thinking about what Kazuma and Ryuhou should do with their lives instead of fighting (i.e. spend time with their loved ones: Kanami and Mimori). His thoughts then begin to slow down and he lays still in a lounge chair. It is still debated if he died or if he merely fell asleep. However, in the manga, he fights with Kazuma and is fatally wounded, but is executed by Urizane's alter power for treason.
That show really went downhill midway through though. That's just my opinion though.
You really didn't need to triple post, then make another topic about the same topic you just triple posted in though........
hobbes_fan
2007-06-17, 23:31
You call the main characters unlikeable just because you are expecting different things, which is not what Scryed is about. The main characters in Scryed are straightforward, they may be "selfish" for you but that's because they are always true to themselves. Much more likeable than the other main characters in other animes who tries to play some "selfless" goody guys or dwell upon some ridiculous "inner conflicts" or whatnot. And "likeable" is highly subjective, your attempt at "outlining why they are unlikeable" is just meaningless for others. You can see them as "selfish", others can see them as straightforward and true to themselves. See that there are plenty of others disagreeing with you as much as those agreeing with you here. In the end let's say it's something like the Call of the Wild, and whether one likes it depends on whether one is a wolf or a dog. For dogs who are used to be tame and dutiful, it may be completely meaningless, but for those who still have the wolf's blood flowing in their veins, the Call can make their blood boiling. Scryed is like that, it is to reawaken the adrenaline, the hotblood dreams within people, but may be too wild for some to accept it.
Sure whatever, remember you were the one to make the call that they were the most likeable in anime, when clearly they are not. AS you said plenty agree with me. When characters divide opinion to the extent they do I would hardly say that qualifies them for "most likeable". Your attempts to make them likeable are just as meaningless as others.
They are among the most likeable leads in all anime. Scryed is the show that make people recall their lost ideals, their lost dreams, their lost aspirations to become the strongest of the strong, to become the man of men, to recall the adrenaline in their souls suppressed by the drab day to day business and work. The last two episodes are what truly make Scryed shine, to truly distinct it from other beat-the-bad-guy anime. It's completely different from Kenshin, that's for sure. Both are great in their own different areas and different goals.
and for what its worth Bucks "ridiculous" inner struggle is what makes Call of the Wild appealing. His sense of duty as a domestic dog vs his instincts as a wild animal, which all domesticated animals have. By the time he makes hs choice you understood why he chose that path considering his past experiences.
And for someone to be selfish they have to have a very small amount of care for other people, when Ryuho and Kazuma risk their lives for their loved ones and would fight for them to the death. I wouldn't say inner conflicts are ridiculous though, they make for good anime characters sometimes.
Err remember why those people needed to be rescued in the first place, who was the main cause of it? Seems to me they wouldn't be in this position had they continously not forsaken others
Bu anyways carry on. I've said all have to say on this series. My apologies if you think I'm trolling
PatPeter
2007-06-19, 22:46
no but I wish I was almost crying at the end its was so freaking good and it had one of the best theme songs ever.
Oh and did straight couger die I mean he was talking to those kids while watching the fight but then it showed behind him and his hand coullapsed like he died. so i'm a little confused about that especally since he was one of my favorite charecters.
For all you scond half haters out there butt out I mean come on you got to addmit it was pretty dramatic Ii was a huge shocker part (for me anyway) the killed off so many people its ashame even kazuma's best freind man I was crying at that part it was so sad. :[
Ok I didn't how couger died I mean just cause his a side charecter and he got to play hero and save Ms. mimori dos'nt mean "hey lets kill him off for reasons unown in a parck in front 100s of children and old people" really I think the writers wanted kids to be afraid of parks with people in beach chairs and give old people heart attacks:p. So yea if anyone could give me some feedback on how couger died that would be swell.
Yes he did die problemedchild explained that pretty well, he used too much energy and only had enough to put up his lounge chair.
Wasn't Couger refined too many times? From what I remember, refining an alter user increases his or her powers, but also shortens his or her lifespan. It's what happened to Ayase Terada.
Here is what wiki provided:
Cougar was thought to be fatally injured in a fight with Kyouji Mujo, but appears afterwards in order to rescue all of the secondary characters left in HOLY HQ. He seems to die in episode 26, when he is seen sitting on a lounge chair reading his book, thinking about what Kazuma and Ryuhou should do with their lives instead of fighting (i.e. spend time with their loved ones: Kanami and Mimori). His thoughts then begin to slow down and he lays still in a lounge chair. It is still debated if he died or if he merely fell asleep. However, in the manga, he fights with Kazuma and is fatally wounded, but is executed by Urizane's alter power for treason.
That show really went downhill midway through though. That's just my opinion though.
You really didn't need to triple post, then make another topic about the same topic you just triple posted in though........
Wait who triple posted and made another topic about this? And how could you say it went downhill?!
Sure whatever, remember you were the one to make the call that they were the most likeable in anime, when clearly they are not. AS you said plenty agree with me. When characters divide opinion to the extent they do I would hardly say that qualifies them for "most likeable". Your attempts to make them likeable are just as meaningless as others.
How do you defend your idea that the reasons they are likable are meaningless?
and for what its worth Bucks "ridiculous" inner struggle is what makes Call of the Wild appealing. His sense of duty as a domestic dog vs his instincts as a wild animal, which all domesticated animals have. By the time he makes hs choice you understood why he chose that path considering his past experiences.
I...have...no...idea
Err remember why those people needed to be rescued in the first place, who was the main cause of it? Seems to me they wouldn't be in this position had they continously not forsaken others
Bu anyways carry on. I've said all have to say on this series. My apologies if you think I'm trolling
No please stay here, the point to a message board is to collaborate on ideas and your's seem very interesting.
And NO Kazuma and Ryuho are not always the main cause of things, if ever. How about the episode when Kazuma defends his friends from the bully gang alter user who wanted to take their turf? He didn't go there because he knew Kazuma would come.
I also want another season or something. But most of the time we end up getting something worst.
Just finished the series, and it was a decent ride, but could have been better. first two thirds of the series were quite enjoyable and entertaining, even some of the characters were annoying, though not absurdly so, thankfully. They managed to remain consistent about the character powers and they are different enough to be interesting to watch.
Sadly it all went downhill later down the road with the series degrading in to typical shounen CheeZe as they just kept introducing more ridiculous power ups and consistency was thrown aside. The final arc is nothing short of a gigantic plothole and excuse for fanservice. The 'final boss' even had his evil lair set up ... the heck >.> His abilities seemed to turn up in ways the plot required to squeeze out more fanservice as well. But hey - nothing that a final DBZ style plothole powerup can't fix :)
The attacking army from mainland only made matters worse ... where did those flying pterodactyls shooting laser beams from their mouths come from ? (and those bug-like-things on ships) ... that part really put a dent in to credibility of things. Last episode was pure fanservice, and its usefulness is arguable.
Overall a good and entertaining show, but it fell downwards past the middle point. 6.5/10
NoSanninWa
2007-10-15, 23:05
What a coincidence! I just finished the series last week. :D
I have to disagree about the show going downhill by degrading into typical shounen. The show began as very typical shounen. Kazuma is a idiot whose only value is that he's good at fighting. Heck, he even knows that is his only redeeming feature. If I had to survive another repetition of him saying that you can call him trash or garbage or a worthless human being... Ug.
His rival Ryouhou isn't really much better. While he claims at first to be working hard to make the world a better place that motive quickly crumbles away as we get into the second half of the series and he turns into an exact clone of Kazuma, except that he's more arrogant. Ug.
If I was to say that Kazuma has one outstanding trait it would be that he is the worst communicator in all of anime history. He can have the best reasons in the world for doing something... Even when he's fighting to save people... Even when his "enemy" would be on his side if they only had a clue that he isn't a bastard... When his "enemy" asks him point blank why he's attacking them, he'll tell that it is just because he's a piece of trash who only lives to fight. Ug.
It is as though the show was actually created as a parody of typical shounen. They reuse practically every cliche in the book. I was particularly irked by the discovery that there isn't a single combat capable female in all of HOLY. Three of them turn out to be a man's alter and the remaining girl's ability was unbelievably weak except for the one single time that it became a plot device. Ug.
I couldn't stop laughing when the final boss, Kyoji Mujo created his final dungeon. It was like a scene from an RPG. It was the huge "living dungeon" that I've seen as a staple of such games. And there was very little reason for him to create it other than to terrify the populace, announce himself a villian of terrible ambition and crate a cool fighting stage. Ug.
As you can tell, this show wasn't exactly one of my favorites. Why did I watch 26 episodes of something that I so severely diss? Well, sometimes I just want to turn off my brain and laugh at campy entertainment. The fights were fun and I enjoyed the silly powers. This show did have some of the more outrageous powers I've ever seen. Just imagine Crisis Maxfell in any other show? LOL!
The attacking army from mainland only made matters worse ... where did those flying pterodactyls shooting laser beams from their mouths come from ? (and those bug-like-things on ships) ... that part really put a dent in to credibility of things. Last episode was pure fanservice, and its usefulness is arguable.
While I don't disagree with your assessment, it didn't come from nowhere. I considered that this was just an evolution of the same "refinement" technology that produced the Darths. It seemed to be a more successful method of mass producing alters.
foreverdissevered
2007-10-15, 23:59
I loved the series, but cant remember whats its about now. Didnt really have any morals or anything to remember it by
NoSanninWa
2007-10-16, 00:42
Last episode was pure fanservice, and its usefulness is arguable. Having just read the entire thread I notice that this final episode has a great deal of controversy so I want to throw in my 12 cents.
That final episode was the only way that this show could possibly have ended. If you thought that the show was about fighting Kyoji Mujo or the Mainland or The Crystal Entity or the fight between Native Alters and HOLY, then you weren't paying attention. This show was always about the struggle between two men: Kazuya and Ryouhou. The driving force was their mutual desire to be the best. By having each other to strive against they were able to exceed their own limitations and reach for the greatest heights that men may reach.
If you think that this is laughable, then you probably didn't enjoy the show at all. It was about the fights. All the plot was only ever really an excuse. Characer development was how Ryouhou was moved by the way Kazuma was true to himself. Then the two of them continued to develop by throwing away all other attachments in this world, including the women who weigh them down from becoming true men amongst men.
You say that this was just fanservice? Heck, this whole show was fanservice. The final episode was the truest expression of this show's inner self. If they hadn't ended it with a final battle between the two then they would not have been true to themselves. Sure it was adolescent and stupid. Sure it was predictable from beginning to conclusion. That doesn't take away from it at all. In their eagerness to do battle against their only rival in this world they expressed their determination and passion. That was the nature of their honor and meaning.
As an aside I want to say that the difference between the final episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho and Scryed are as great as anything can possibly be within the genre. Yu Yu Hakusho is about growing past adolescence while Scryed is about embracing adolescence. By looking at just the last episodes you can see how those two shows are truly different. They each contain that show's truest soul.
Now now, don't say i didn't enjoy the show, as i certainly stated i did :) It is pretty clear the show is mainly about Kazuma and Ryouhou and the clash of their ideologies and the whole plot is a stage for the two to meet on the worst terms to fuel their rivalry and hatred towards each other. (Though it is not solely about them either, even though most events somehow tie together directly with the two).
It might have started as typical shounen indeed, but it was highly entertaining and i found myself throttling through the episodes, which doesn't happen if i don't enjoy the show ;) (Ep 1- 18 in one day. Beat that :p) I liked the setting and the way they went about the powers. It was a fun ride and i don't have a real reason to be harsh on the series, hence i am not. That said, Kazuma's first powerup was my first eyebrow rising moment, with the alter fountain in the middle of a forest.
As for Mujo - i would have preferred if he had dug himself deep within HOLY HQ and watch the building burn and crumble as our two hotheads crash their way through it. Self-regenerating structures are no fun when you have the power to level cities at your fingertips :p Yes, the guy was a walking plot device (just like that black entity from the other dimension), but i was expecting as much :) Him turning in to that monster in the end that looked like something that crawled out of Lost in Space film though. I think they could have done without it :heh:
While i was expecting a fight between the two in the final episode (And hoping for no more fights in space :heh:), i was expecting a bit more of a global conclusion regarding the mainland. Heck, having the two 'accidentally' blow up the HQ on mainland while they were fighting would have been good :) (Was i the only one thinking what would happen should the mainland turn up when the two had knocked each other out ? :heh:)
My biggest knock against the show is that they managed to remain fairly consistent about the character 'power levels' in the start, but threw that all out the window in the end in favor of hourly scheduled power ups of unprecedented magnitude. But i am not complaining that much about it, and 6.5 from me for a show like this is not bad at all, and overall this is definitely a show i would recommend to someone who is looking for some no-brainer action, because the action was good and energetic indeed.
As for Yu Yu Hakusho - haven't seen that one yet, but planning to check it out sometime, only the number of episodes keeps scaring me away :)
NoSanninWa
2007-10-16, 03:05
My second post was mostly intended as a response to the last 3 pages of this thread. If you read them you should understand why I needed to rant a bit.
I liked the setting and the way they went about the powers. It was a fun ride and i don't have a real reason to be harsh on the series, hence i am not. That said, Kazuma's first powerup was my first eyebrow rising moment, with the alter fountain in the middle of a forest. I was also enjoying the 1-2-3 nature of Kazuma's power since it was somewhat different from anything I'd seen before. It created an unusual rhythm and tactic to his battles. However I was completely unsurprised by his first powerup since I was expecting it from episode 1. The only question I had was when he'd powerup. As soon as he went into the Alter Forest, I knew it was powerup time. It was a shame really, since the upgraded alter was much less interesting.
While i was expecting a fight between the two in the final episode (And hoping for no more fights in space :heh:), i was expecting a bit more of a global conclusion regarding the mainland. Heck, having the two 'accidentally' blow up the HQ on mainland while they were fighting would have been good :) (Was i the only one thinking what would happen should the mainland turn up when the two had knocked each other out ? :heh:)That would have been an amazing conclusion, you're right. It would have been a kick if they had beaten up all the military forces between Lost Ground and the Mainland, then had an argument and immediately started fighting each other while standing in front Mainland HQ and destroyed it with the unintentional backlash. That might have been an improvement to episodes 25-26.
As for Yu Yu Hakusho - haven't seen that one yet, but planning to check it out sometime, only the number of episodes keeps scaring me away :)Don't let that scare you. The story, amazingly, manages to stay fresh from beginning to end. It never has any pointless filler episodes nor repeats itself. It is the perfect length for the story that it is telling. If it was shorter, or longer, the show would not have been as good. Well... maybe it could have been better with another 3-5 episodes, but not more than that.
Yu Yu Hakusho stands with Flame of Recca as my two favorite shounen genre shows for good reason. Nothing else is quite as good as them.
I was also enjoying the 1-2-3 nature of Kazuma's power since it was somewhat different from anything I'd seen before. It created an unusual rhythm and tactic to his battles. However I was completely unsurprised by his first powerup since I was expecting it from episode 1. The only question I had was when he'd powerup. As soon as he went into the Alter Forest, I knew it was powerup time. It was a shame really, since the upgraded alter was much less interesting.
Oh, i was fully expecting a powerup somewhere down the road - that much was obvious :) Though i was not particularly pleased with how they went about it. (The piece of that guy's spine he tore out got absorbed by his hand ? Yea ...). That aside - indeed, i liked his first stage a lot more. It was more interesting and thrilling to see him launch in to one of his crazy blitz attacks instead of flying forward with that propeller on his back :heh: The 'use limit' of the former was a nice touch as well. Hm, perhaps it is not so much that i dislike his 'power ups' per se, but i simply find his earlier version much more interesting to watch in combat :)
Don't let that scare you. The story, amazingly, manages to stay fresh from beginning to end. It never has any pointless filler episodes nor repeats itself. It is the perfect length for the story that it is telling. If it was shorter, or longer, the show would not have been as good. Well... maybe it could have been better with another 3-5 episodes, but not more than that.
Yu Yu Hakusho stands with Flame of Recca as my two favorite shounen genre shows for good reason. Nothing else is quite as good as them.
Hum, might give it a shot then :) Personally i am more geared towards fantasy-adventure type stories (Erementar Gerad for example), but i can definitely enjoy a good brawl as well. With all the slower paced shows i am following now, some action flick is needed indeed. Yosh! Gonna give Yu Yu Hakusho a try.
Kyero Fox
2007-10-16, 07:07
Yu Yu Hakusho has lots of powerup momments :) but they are good ;) im a huge YuYu Fan :) you'll like it!
I don't know NoSanninWa,
I still think the last episode were just a very badly done OVA. They basically threw away the plot, any relationships they spent time building up (And in some cases, killing off). The animation for the last 2 were a joke. That was terrible stuff. Well not terrible but the show had a higher quality than that last episode.
I enjoyed Scryed up the almost end, but that last episode felt so transplanted that I didn't enjoy it at all.
NoSanninWa
2007-10-16, 17:16
I still think the last episode were just a very badly done OVA. They basically threw away the plot, any relationships they spent time building up (And in some cases, killing off). The animation for the last 2 were a joke. That was terrible stuff. Well not terrible but the show had a higher quality than that last episode.
I enjoyed Scryed up the almost end, but that last episode felt so transplanted that I didn't enjoy it at all.I have to disagree.
The plot was not thrown away since it was always about the conflict between Kazuma and Ryouhou. This was the true conclusion to that plot. If by throwing away the plot you are referring to that very vague and ill defined "Lost Ground vs Mainland" plot, then I have to disagree. It was a cookie cutter plot completely lacking in a well defined enemy. That wasn't a plot, it was merely an event created to drive the real conflict.
Here's a quick test: Tell me the names or purpose of the "Mainland" that we keep hearing about. Several times I saw a number of men sitting around a table talking about portentious and poorly defined goals, but they were pretty much ingnorable. That's not an enemny.
Eventually Kyoji Mujo was introduced as their face, but honestly he had as little interest in them as I did. He was just a generic power mad psycho who provided our protagonists with an opportunity to bond together by fighting.
Next you bring up the issue of relationships. Heh. Really? You think there was romance in this show? The only important relationship was the relationship between Kazuma and Ryouhou. Even the girls only existed as extensions of them. Did any of them ever go out on a date? Did they express romantic feelings? These girls were just color inserts. Sheris was just a paper doll and Kanami existed just to be narration and cuteness. As for Minori, she was the only one of the three who had an actual personality, but Ryouhou never showed more than feelings of nostalgia and friendship for her.
The relationships with these girls were not severed in the last episode. They were severed several episodes before that. You were merely refusing to believe the protagonists when they said that they had no interest. I understand the hopefulness of wanting there to be romance in a show, but it didn't really exist here. Perhaps the boys need to grow up a little more before they are actually able to share their lives with girls. Or maybe they're gay. All I know is that they really weren't interested and that was made clear throughout the show and finalized before the last episode.
As for the drop in animation quality. Okay, I can't debate that at all. It was dumb for them to use up too much of their budget. At least they had more budget left for the last 2 episodes than Evangelion! Anyway, at this point that is hardly the biggest concern. Either you were enjoying the fanservice or you weren't. If you were having fun watching episodes 1-24, then you would have fun with episodes 25-26. Picking on the animation is just a way for you to find one more thing to complain about.
Quite frankly this show isn't evolved enough for your complaints to be relevant. You seem to be complaining that Scryed was the kind of show that it was. I wonder why you actually watched episodes 1-24, because all the things you wanted were only shadows.
Shinji103
2007-10-16, 18:15
I agree with everything Skyfall said, with the exception of two things:
1. There were indeed romantic feelings displayed by Sheris, and Minori to a lesser extent, while Kanami could be said to have shown either a brother-relationship to Kazuma or young love. Sheris' feelings for Ryuho were all-to clear throughout the show (Sheris worried about Ryuho going to find Minori thinking he was going after her out of love, for one example). Minori didn't express her feelings as clearly, but you can tell she cared for Ryuho. That said, it's true that the main inter-character relationship in this series was the hostility between Kazuma and Ryuho from day 1. There was no abandoning of that.
2. To a lesser degree of disagreement, I don't think the final episode's animation was bad at all. Especially in that last hand-to-hand scene when they lost their Alter extensions, the animators showed a great amount of detail in the art as well as Kazuma's and Ryuho's actions and reactions.
In fact, the last episode was probably my favorite episode, as it gave us the long-awaited true conclusion to the conflict that had been going on the entire series.
Heh now that's the best defined argument I have heard on this subject in a long time instead of just 'It's Awesome' or 'You suck because you haven't watched it'.
Now of course thanks you I will have to watch all 24 episodes of this again just to get a real feel for how this show sucked at the end but I can remember a few valid points.
First off, I loved episodes 1-22. I was rooting for the dumass Kazuma and some of the lamest things he did to make sure the people he knew were protected.
Relationships
Kazuma throughout the show was demonstrating that he cared about Kanami more than anything else in the world. He was always watching out for her. If i remember right, he was very concerened when she got sick one time. Also Kazuma finally developed a more romantic relationship with the 'water' girl (whom I can't remember her name) but when she was finally controlled by the mainland to kill him, she committed suicide to prevent hurting her man. The Kazuma at the end of the show didn't even think twice about leaving Kanami and went to fight a fight that had no profit. If you remember, he only left Kanami if the price was right.
Kazuma also showed that he cared about the people greatly, for the right price. Well MAYBE fighting the mainland was an extension of that, but that is a real stretch to fit 'People's Protector' with this guy who only lives to fight. In that sense his progress was negative.
Ryouho, now I can't figure him out thanks to those last 2 episodes. He completely did a 180 in progress and is no more than an animal now. He was calm cool collected. He used his brain to the fullest. Now he just growls and fights.
Minori - Well I can't see she and Ryouho should've gotten together. From the beginning he showed little or no attraction to her. But if that is so, why even BOTHER showing the beginning scene where she and he have a little connection. The last 2 episodes basically tell you 'Oh whoops, we never meant for them to be together, so just forget about episode 1'.
The purpose of the mainland? To duplicate Alter power of course. They found Alters and changed them to duplicate the power of another. The girl Kazuma liked showed that. (Well she was amplified instead of duplicated). But that overwhelming mass in the last episode was just 'Oh lets throw the kitchen sink' plot. It was LAME. Sorry but it was.
Well the whole plot of Scryed was sorta lame, I mean they introduced at least 3 plots that just petered out. That Black /White guy was so cool and he just turned into an alter of the evil dude. So why did he help Kazuma grow the first time? Please. But I was willing to overlook the dumber parts because I was having so much fun.
Then the last 2 episodes looked like someone wrote a script in about 30 seconds and hammered the anime staff to make it work. Art went down. Plot went away. Relationships were thrown to the dirt. Technology levels because outrageous. Personalities suffered a shift.
That's why I thought it sucked.
In a way compare this to Infinite Ryvius. That actually followed a plot and everyone sorta had a real ending. Episode 22 was a real ending. Epsiode 24 was a lame ending.
wingdarkness
2007-10-16, 21:54
The last episode of ScryED was the truest, most honest, quintessentially primal apex of conclusions the show could have ever had...Any other ending would have been a smack in the face to the true goal of this work...Which was the universal themes of life soundtracked to the screams of pure will and overly aggressive displays of passionate fighting (By 2 rivals no doubt)....How some of you could have got past ep 1 thinking this show would give some unique meaning foreign to shonen is beyond me...Unlike NSW I didn't enjoy it as a pure-parody because I was too busy enjoying it for what it was...I truly just enjoyed it because it was what it was...Pure cliché, visually entertaining, over-the-top shonen fighter anime...Anime by it's own innate nature is a medium reliant on visual enjoyment...This series simply provided that...
Dark Lord Zenigame
2007-10-17, 00:21
Minori -
...Mimori desu...
NoSanninWa
2007-10-17, 03:08
Kazuma throughout the show was demonstrating that he cared about Kanami more than anything else in the world. He was always watching out for her. If i remember right, he was very concerened when she got sick one time. Also Kazuma finally developed a more romantic relationship with the 'water' girl (whom I can't remember her name) but when she was finally controlled by the mainland to kill him, she committed suicide to prevent hurting her man. The Kazuma at the end of the show didn't even think twice about leaving Kanami and went to fight a fight that had no profit. If you remember, he only left Kanami if the price was right.Honestly there was no evidence he thought of Kanami as anything other than a little sister and considering her age I really hope that is how he thought of her. He probably left her because being near him is far more dangerous for her than anything else. I thought it interesting that she responded to this by learning how to use her alter in an offensive method so that she could be near him. Maybe when she turns 13 he'll be ready to be courted by her. :heh:
Kazuma also showed that he cared about the people greatly, for the right price. Well MAYBE fighting the mainland was an extension of that, but that is a real stretch to fit 'People's Protector' with this guy who only lives to fight. In that sense his progress was negative.Oh come on. He was never the "People's Protector!" Sure he liked fighting those who put down his homies, but mostly it was about ego. It was because they were HIS people that were being hurt, not because he really cared about them. He only really cared about Kanami.
Ryouho, now I can't figure him out thanks to those last 2 episodes. He completely did a 180 in progress and is no more than an animal now. He was calm cool collected. He used his brain to the fullest. Now he just growls and fights.Seriously take a step back and ask yourself what makes you think he turned into an idiot. He didn't get stupid, there just wasn't anything to think about. He wanted to protect Lost Ground for somewhat more idealistic reasons than Kazuma did. The Mainland was going to enslave Lost Ground and wasn't willing to negotiate. The only possible response is to kick their butts. How could he have done that in a "smarter" way? As for his desire to kick Kazuma's butt, can you say he should have done that in a smarter way? Heck no. That desire was 100% adolescent testosterone. He did it to satisfy the desire to battle which he used to ignore. Because he is now honest with his feelings doesn't mean he is stupid. Those just aren't situations where he could have benefited from a well reasoned deduction.
The purpose of the mainland? To duplicate Alter power of course. They found Alters and changed them to duplicate the power of another. The girl Kazuma liked showed that. (Well she was amplified instead of duplicated).That isn't a purpose. It is a method. Please don't confuse them. Why did they duplicate alter powers? Were they going to use these powers to conquer the world? Were they going to use the infinite energy of the other world to solve their dependence on foreign oil and reduce pollution? Did they want to create a utopian society out of the chaos of the Lost Ground as an example to the world? Were they concerned that enemies in the Other World were going to invade us if we couldn't match their potential power? These are motives. Duplicating alter powers is just a means to an end. Without a motive I cannot take them seriously as a real enemy. It is ridiculous how poorly developed they were.
PatPeter
2007-11-05, 22:37
S-cry-ed ftw!
Though I have to admit, it just recently left my top three:
Hellsing (Anime), Fullmetal Alchemist, The Big O, S-cry-ed, Outlaw Star
The last episode of ScryED was the truest, most honest, quintessentially primal apex of conclusions the show could have ever had...Any other ending would have been a smack in the face to the true goal of this work...Which was the universal themes of life soundtracked to the screams of pure will and overly aggressive displays of passionate fighting (By 2 rivals no doubt)....How some of you could have got past ep 1 thinking this show would give some unique meaning foreign to shonen is beyond me...Unlike NSW I didn't enjoy it as a pure-parody because I was too busy enjoying it for what it was...I truly just enjoyed it because it was what it was...Pure cliché, visually entertaining, over-the-top shonen fighter anime...Anime by it's own innate nature is a medium reliant on visual enjoyment...This series simply provided that...
*wipes manly tears from eyes*
Well said.
NoSanninWa
2007-11-09, 15:39
The last episode of ScryED was the truest, most honest, quintessentially primal apex of conclusions the show could have ever had...Any other ending would have been a smack in the face to the true goal of this work...Which was the universal themes of life soundtracked to the screams of pure will and overly aggressive displays of passionate fighting (By 2 rivals no doubt)....How some of you could have got past ep 1 thinking this show would give some unique meaning foreign to shonen is beyond me...Unlike NSW I didn't enjoy it as a pure-parody because I was too busy enjoying it for what it was...I truly just enjoyed it because it was what it was...Pure cliché, visually entertaining, over-the-top shonen fighter anime...Anime by it's own innate nature is a medium reliant on visual enjoyment...This series simply provided that...That's it exactly. While I enjoyed this show in a slightly more cerebral way, I have to admit that you have summarized the purpose of this show. And the final episode was the epitome of this feeling. I don't know how anyone could have watched more than a few episodes if they don't enjoy the feelings that reached a crescendo in the finale.
In a way compare this to Infinite Ryvius. That actually followed a plot and everyone sorta had a real ending. Episode 22 was a real ending. Episode 24 was a lame ending.How can you compare this show to Infinte Ryvius without taking a blowtorch to your cerebrum. I'd have trouble finding a less likely comparison if you paid me money. Infinite Ryvius had 500% more plot and 500% less testosterone. And the characters... the characters are totally different types of people.
That's it exactly. While I enjoyed this show in a slightly more cerebral way, I have to admit that you have summarized the purpose of this show. And the final episode was the epitome of this feeling. I don't know how anyone could have watched more than a few episodes if they don't enjoy the feelings that reached a crescendo in the finale.
How can you compare this show to Infinte Ryvius without taking a blowtorch to your cerebrum. I'd have trouble finding a less likely comparison if you paid me money. Infinite Ryvius had 500% more plot and 500% less testosterone. And the characters... the characters are totally different types of people.
Hehe How can I compare it? Because it was the same people! Scryed, Gundam Seed, Infinite Ryvius and Gundam Seed Destiny were all part of Sunrise.
The director (and storyboard writer) of Scryed is the same as Infinite. Scryed came out a year after Infinite! Now tell me the power that Infinite had was the same as the power of Scryed. Buzz...no way. Look at Planet-Es (Which he directed too), I thought it was wonderful.
1) Why did he produce such a sad looking last 2 episodes? The rest of the series looked much better animation wise.
2) Why did he even bother developing love interests that he basically dropped out of the picture?
3) Why was the last 2 episodes throw away? It didn't improve the story line in any way. All it did was bring a new 'unknown' menance and then kill them off!
The last 2 episodes of Scryed felt like some kind of special OVA developed just to add 2 more episodes. Scryed should've ended at 22. 23 and 24 just wrecked it for me. Episodes 1-22 were on a good track, Epsiodes 23-24 just felt like the Director wanted to leave production as fast as possible, and just wrote a script on a paper napkin.
Goro also directed Code Geass and GunXSword in addition to Scryed, Ryvuis and Planetes. Yes you can play the I'm comparing them because they're by the same director game but it's obvious that Ryvuis and Planetes is a different show compared to Scryed/Geass/GunXSword.
I doubt while he was making Planetes he thought it was going to appeal to people who liked Scryed and same deal for Planetes fans liking his next project in GunXSword. I personally think it's wonderful he can go from something as serious as Ryvuis or Planetes and follow it up with something as enjoyable as Scryed or GunXSword.
Now the question is with Geass being the megahit it is and with a sequel due next year will he ever do a Ryvuis/Planetes type series again...
Never said I didn't enjoy Scryed I just didn't like the hack job the last 2 episodes of the series got and IMHO it wrecked it.
You can see the similarity to GunSword, but of course Scryed didn't have that nice little 'epilogue'.
I agree that 25 was crap but as for 26... well "wingdarkness" just nailed it, sorry you didn't feel the same way. 26 is probably the only episode I bother to re watch every now and than (I'm not someone who really rewatches stuff, too big a backlog as it is!).
I really like that anime too but their is no second season
but try to watch some thing similar to that like
Buso Renkin its almost the same story
Symphonic
2008-01-13, 19:26
I've read through most of this thread and it occurs to me that very few people clearly understand what is going on in this anime. I intend absolutely no offense to anyone here, I am merely arguing my own point of view and hope that many of you can think on it and appreciate it for what it is. Before becoming enraged and deciding to lash out at me by correcting spelling mistakes or screaming without cause, just calm down and think about this post, if you have the time. Outside of romance or predictable plot devices, there is a far greater meaning to s-CRY-ed. Almost all semi-serious animes have exactly the same meaning, albeit each one deals with it differently. For a clearer understanding of my meaning, read this post, think on it, and then re-watch other animes. An excellent example would be something like Trigun… the same notion is dealt with VERY differently, but it is present nonetheless in the rivalry between Vash and Woolfwood, and more dramatically between Vash and Knives… anyway, ignoring this tangent….
Those who dislikes Scryed are those who don't really understand the show. The show is about two men of men fighting to be the strongest. true men always aspire to be the strongest, to fight to the top, and there can be only one. That's why boxing and pro-wrestling are so popular, there doesn't need to be some good vs. evil grand battle of morals, just the dream to become the strongest, to reach the top, that's enough to be a true man's dream. And the two leads showed the ideals of order and chaos, laws and freedom, one is a wild beast, fights for total freedom, total anarchy, the other fights to maintain order and rules, but in the end they are true men, they fight to see who is the strongest of all. They are among the most likeable leads in all anime. Scryed is the show that make people recall their lost ideals, their lost dreams, their lost aspirations to become the strongest of the strong, to become the man of men, to recall the adrenaline in their souls suppressed by the drab day to day business and work. The last two episodes are what truly make Scryed shine, to truly distinct it from other beat-the-bad-guy anime. It's completely different from Kenshin, that's for sure. Both are great in their own different areas and different goals.
This show is about the nature of humanity. The quote above is the only fairly perceptive argument I have been able to find. I disagree with the concept of men trying to be strong above all else, but the notion of them being the same although they clearly represent different sides of a coin is very important. The concepts of suppression of self and wild beasts are extremely important too.
Wingdarkness also had a point as as much as I disagree with the whole notion of fighting and manliness and what not... I will admit to looking at this from a semi-Westernized view. I don't know too much about Japanese culture... but most of my arguments and observations make sense (from a Western view) regardless. After reading your points of view, I will definitely re-watch the show with that in mind.
Human nature has many sides to it. The two strongest and opposing forces, although bearing many names, can be referred to as chaos and order.
Kazuma clearly represents the side of chaos. He detests law and order and people who claim to have larger values and ideals. He is blunt and brutally honest. He hides nothing of himself and does not wish to suppress any of his true nature. He is extraordinarily passionate and illogical and always fights with tremendous will power and inner strength. These ideals are very clearly double-sided. Honesty is positive, but brutality is not. Passion and will power are positive, but again, brutality is not. Without keeping Kazuma’s notions in check, destruction on a mass scale could occur. When Kazuma effectively gives up and becomes a fighter in an arena, it is apparent that this is what total anarchy leads to. His idea of never holding himself back is a good one to keep in mind, but one that could be very dangerous. He is, as was quoted above, a wild beast.
The flip side is order. Ryuho clearly takes a stand for what he believes in. He fights for order and peace and other such seemingly silly ideals. Most would assume that order is the "right" path... but in looking at Ryuho at the beginning of the anime, it is woefully apparent that this isn't the case. He is passionless, cold, and extremely self-righteous. He hides all of his emotions from Mimori and Scheris and very rarely has emotional outbursts. Trying to be noble is all well and good, but it can ultimately lead to an intense dictatorial attitude present in many religious and devotional fanatics today. He is suppressing everything and this could, and does, lead to a violent explosion. Although he is nothing like Kazuma on the outside, this attitude could lead to him becoming just like when Kazuma was at the arena.
What is clear in the above two paragraphs is that neither is completely right in their stance, although neither is completely wrong either. It always comes back to Yin and Yang. The Greeks saw it in Apollo and Dionysus and the Hindus saw it in the Mahabharata. In light there is dark; in dark there is light. It is reason vs. madness and logic vs. illogic. In chaos there is order; in order there is chaos.
The point of this show is that only in combining these two distinct and opposing forces can victory be achieved. Much of this is even explicitly stated, so trying to dig deeper isn’t always necessary. Kazuma says that Ryuho is the switch that triggered his power. Ryuho says many such similar things about Kazuma. Kazuma’s barbarism unchecked is wrong. Ryuho’s self-righteousness unchecked is wrong. If Kazuma could take his passion and use it for good in order to protect law and order, he would become a much more stable person. This is effectively what happens when he fights Cougar and realizes what he needs to do. If Ryuho could take his self-righteousness and stop hiding who he his, the exact same outcome could occur for him.
A perfect example of this can be found in the types of alters the two of them have. Kazuma’s alter is a harmonization type and from the beginning is a part of his body. Ryuho’s alter is external and allows him to be slightly detached from the fight. Clearly, Kazuma, the passionate and aggressive man that he is, wishes to be a part of the fight. Ryuho on the other hand seems to want nothing to do with fighting. Ryuho never fully applies himself in order to preserve himself and thus, he does not attain his true power. Kazuma is being held back by his insistence upon his passionate, destructive ways. Ryuho is being held back by the fact that he never yields to his own passion. It is true that Kazuma finds more power by himself when he enters the alter forest, but the power starts to destroy him. At the end of the anime, his alter power has clearly stopped destroying his being entirely. Ryuho’s alter never had that kind of an effect on him. Kazuma’s, I suppose one could call it, self-mutilation is completely and utterly barbaric. Although he attains more power, he almost destroys himself in the process. Zigmarl and later Scheris’ deaths allow Ryuho to unleash his passion and thus accept chaos into his life. He becomes one with his alter. Kazuma on the other hand, sees Kanami being held hostage. To him, she is the symbol of the small amount of order in his life (she is also the symbol of chaos to Ryuho, but no time for that now). He wants that order to be a part of his life no matter what and in order to protect it he attains his true power.
This next point may seem like a tangent, but it is an attempt at clarifying more. Most people on this board seem angry about the predictability and apparent stupidity of Scheris’ death. I would like to argue that it was intended as predictable and that there is no reason to think it stupid. Scheris is like Ryuho. She represents order. Order can either be weak and effete, or else cold and dictatorial: the white mage or else the paladin. If the cold Paladin is Ryuho, then Scheris is the compassionate White Mage. Don’t misunderstand my use of the word compassionate. She is not passionate or anything like Kazuma. I only mean that she feels for others more than herself. She has no chaos in her whatsoever. Her compassion, noble though it might be, is stupid. She sacrifices herself entirely for the sake of Ryuho. She is the weak version of order known as kindness and compassion. She never truly accepts chaos and thus her death is inevitable. For rabid fans willing to rip my head of for bashing her, I would like to point out that I cried as she died. Her weakness is an extraordinarily beautiful flaw.
The opposite of Scheris is Cougar. Chaos can be destructive and cruel, or else unpredictable and passionate. Kazuma is clearly destructive and in his arena fighting phase is quite cruel. Cougar is the other kind. Like Kazuma, he represents chaos. No one really knows what Cougar is thinking throughout the entire show. Who is he, what is his goal? Is he good, is he evil, is he insane? Cougar cannot accept order into his existence. As such, although clearly dedicated to his causes, including self-preservation (unlike Scheris), he is just as doomed as Scheris. His passion would always come out as he tried to make the best of his quick life. He explicitly states that his most desperate wish is to get places as fast as possible so that one can make the best of one’s limited existence on Earth. He then says that he wishes that he could drive forever. He even explicitly states that he is aware of the contradiction, but is content with it. He is passionate and illogical, as is expected of his side of the coin. In the end, he sacrifices himself for his convictions, but even more importantly, he sacrifices himself for Mimori, just like Scheris did for Ryuho. The difference is that all Scheris has ever been since the day she was saved by Ryuho is his eternal devotee, like her aptly named alter power. She even goes so far as to say that she should have died the day Ryuho saved her, thus, her existence after that moment was entirely devoted to the existence of Ryuho. Cougar was unpredictable, although clearly had some hidden raison d’être and inner passion. He finally found something to devote his passion to, namely love. The similarities are apparent, but the differences cannot be shrugged off.
Both Scheris and Cougar died for love; however, they loved and died in very different ways. Their deaths were intended as predictable. Since neither accepted the other side in life, they were consumed. The only thing that made Cougar’s less predictable was the fact that he is unpredictability incarnate. It was never a matter of whether or not he would die; that was set in stone from the start. It was a matter of when. As much as Scheris’ death was heartfelt and intended to evoke passion from the viewer, Cougar’s death was simple and evoked little passion, although is as equally beautiful a moment. The irony of these moments is the key here. Each died becoming the other side just for a moment. Although they could never achieve their full potentials in life, they reached them in death.
This constant acceptance of death is an important notion to note. Both Ryuho and Kazuma accept the fact that they might die in battle, while Scheris and Cougar are willing to die for their respective loves. Death is another means by which the union of chaos and order can occur. In life there is death as is always apparent in our surroundings, while in death there is life. Each one is willing to die to protect others from doing so as well.
Alright, back to the main characters. Ryuho lets go of his cold, hard exterior and embraces the apparent darkness, in order to reach his full potential (which is exemplified in his battle with Commander Zigmarl). Scheris’ death is another trigger of sorts for Ryuho. Kazuma flipped the switch to allow him to tap the chaotic side of his strength, but Scheris allowed him to really let it out. Kazuma tells Ryuho that he can’t suppress his emotions; it’s all right to cry. Through Scheris’ death Ryuho achieves the union of all of the forces. He has the ideals of the dictator and the compassion of the devotee. He also has the passion of the destroyer. Kazuma is present for Ryuho’s explosion, yet he himself seemingly remains calm. It is in this moment that the viewer can see that Kazuma is actually holding himself in check. Tears appear at the corner of his eyes, but no more. In the last episode in a discussion with Kanami, it becomes apparent that he has now achieved a level of self-control that he didn’t have before. He is holding everything in for her benefit, although she can sense him boiling over. Both Ryuho and Kazuma are able to embrace their true natures.
The final battle is their attempt at finding out which force is stronger. Will Ryuho and order, or Kazuma and chaos win? The answer is neither. Neither force by itself can defeat the other. Only together can they become strong enough to be successful. The two of them have embraced both sides fully, and thus neither is stronger than the other. Has anyone noticed that Kazuma’s armour is radiant and noble, although he is chaotic, while Ryuho’s is dark and sinister, although he is order? Again this is another look at the dual nature of humanity.
There is a lot more to this show than meets the eye. It truly is thought provoking. I haven’t even touched on Tachibana, Mimori, or Kanami, Kimishima (who clearly represents some form of order and his death is another catalyst for Kazuma's descent), Ayase, Zigmarl... etc. Their relationships to each other as well as the four characters discussed above make human nature an even more complex beast to tackle. Although I believe that all of what I said above is true, this show leans heavily towards the chaotic side over the ordered one. Contradiction in some of my points is also inevitable simply because chaos and order are contradictory. For order and chaos to exist simultaneously is a paradox and yet it is this that is required for survival. Much like Cougar said, I am content with my contradictory existence. Thank you all for your time.
I am a big fan of this series. For some reason, Kazuma just embodies pure determination. Nothing ever stops him. I don't know if I've ever seen a character walk towards the hostage like that while their life was being threatened. Mujo isn't the type to bluff, but Kazuma didn't care. Kazuma's relationship with Kanami is one of my favorite of all two-character relationships in anything. Throughout the story, Kanami breaks down the wall that normally separates two peoples' minds until there is nothing between them. Plus, Kazuma protects Kanami no matter the cost, but he always intentionally screws up and acts like a jerk so that she won't be too reliant if he dies (which is likely.) That just says something about someone as prideful as him.
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