AnimeSuki Forums

SimplyEd · 2004-04-10, 20:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfy

This anime will be good. Dun you people worry. Can?t you tell that it?s gonna be good? Also, couldn?t you tell that the Final Fantasy animation would end up in the pits from its first episode? These are senses one attains after watching many animes.

I know you want more. It?ll happen. I know you?re disappointed with Roan being the main character since he?s nothing special. Well too bad, because he?s young and innocent. The good guys usually abide by their morals until someday they meet the dominatrix. Roan will become twisted. He?ll crave more than the desire to protect. After all, Yuufa is already dead!

Gosh, you seem to have some freakin' psychokinetic superpowers

....that's bloody awesome how skillfully you dissected this shows future events, BUT even predictions from a magical glass orb require a *spoiler*-box, shame on you

LinChoiSin · 2004-04-10, 22:22

it's never good to judge a show after seeing only the first show but i'm under the impression that: hack sign+ bad jokes= ragnarok the animation. i hope i'm wrong

Kiro · 2004-04-11, 00:04

ok ok, the fighting makes a lot more sense, now that you gave me some insight into how the game works. but still, those holy lights were just useless. that monster was coming to them anyway, why taunt it even more? also you are trying to justify every action in that epidose by the game mechanics. then how comes, that the swordsman, allthough not healed (lack of mana) suddenly gained his strength back and proceeded to bash the clock tower?

about the unoriginal part: i didn't correlate that with the fighting system. (which is just a twist on the normal magic system imo.) with unoriginal i meant the overall appearance. nothing in that episode wasn't allready shown in another series. or do you want to tell me that there was even one little "wow-cool-idea"-effect?

and i think i can say, that something isn't special without getting told, that i should do it better before i critizise. yes, i can say: "this movie is bad." and noone needs to come by and tell me that i "should do better before i grouch". if a movie sucks, it sucks. it's that easy. and if i think that ragnaroks first episode really wasn't special, then i am allowed to say so. am i not?

i wasn't bashing support chars. support chars are mighty (sometimes annoying for your opponents) and i play them. i'm just wondering if RO doesn't have any other cool character classes that could have been the main chars. something like a necromancer (who is saying, they have to be evil? see also diabloII) or druids or a mixed class. but no, we get to see our standart party: melee-char (male), support-char (female), sorceress (female). wow, that's... new... . i admit though that i still have to see a male support char in the FF-series...

i have the intention to dl next episodes to see where this is going. i'm not making up my mind yet because of the first episode. but i can still rant about the first episode.

jpwong · 2004-04-11, 00:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiro

then how comes, that the swordsman, allthough not healed (lack of mana) suddenly gained his strength back and proceeded to bash the clock tower?

I can field that. In Ragnarok Online, you could be at 1HP and still do 100% damage. Lower HP does nothing to your damage output. It is possible to physically stun a player rendering them unable to retaliate until stun wears off. This was likely the case in the show.

Dinaluban61 · 2004-04-11, 01:25

I'm sorry, but I gave up on this anime after the first few minutes. I mean come on, look at the animation. Maybe its just me, but the story seems pretty lame. This show doesn't even look like real anime. My hat's off to you gravity :fingers:

Wolfy · 2004-04-11, 02:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by SimplyEd

Gosh, you seem to have some freakin' psychokinetic superpowers

....that's bloody awesome how skillfully you dissected this shows future events, BUT even predictions from a magical glass orb require a *spoiler*-box, shame on you

I did forget the icon, my mistake. But these futures I can predict simply because there's no room to spare for B.S. HaaHaaaHAA!!

KIRO:
1) It was so cute for Yuufa to place those no effect spells on the clock AND YOU GO AGAINST THAT!? Please, give it more credit.
2) The swordsman, Roan, was obviously weak. But when you push his buttons then of course he'll use death berserk! Dun give him a hard time, and add more credit pls.
3) The effects were so awesome. I think you missed the frame where Roan threw DA BOMB.

dreamless · 2004-04-11, 03:47

lol, if we are talking in terms of game mechanics, how the heck did a lv 1 swordie survive more than a couple attacks from the clock tower keeper? he should be insta-killed right on the spot. also how the heck did a lv 1 acolyte learn holy light? is she at character lv 1, job lv. 30 or somethig? O.o

Diedrupo · 2004-04-11, 04:17

the anime obviously does not try to correspond with the game. I mean you could tell that from the very first scene (people don't die in the game, they just respawn to their save point, but in the anime, people actually die!).

so I don't see the point in nitpicking things like how on earth a swordie, mage, and acolyte could take on the clock tower manager. it could have been baphomet for all I care (although that'd have made the anime suck even more than it already did).

it's a poor quality story, but what did you really expect? it's just aimed at fans, and from that perspective, I still enjoyed it (despite cringing at some scenes, like when Takiusu made her speech about morality).

Fate · 2004-04-11, 08:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dinaluban61

I'm sorry, but I gave up on this anime after the first few minutes. I mean come on, look at the animation. Maybe its just me, but the story seems pretty lame. This show doesn't even look like real anime. My hat's off to you gravity :fingers:

Lame... first episode but claims no story... not a real anime... finger.

Wait, I shouldn't even try to critically analyze and respond to this person - obviously, he/she lacks such intelligence, much less knowledge and appreciation of anime.

Please, define real anime, then come again. Your definition may restore some unearned respect.

SimplyEd · 2004-04-11, 08:49

My outlook on things would be, that things only can get better. It is pretty obvious that the anime desperately tries to get close to the game version, but maybe it would have been better to forfeit on the level-thingy because it just doesn't fit and gives many people a bad aftertaste. Overall, the first episode fails to deliver the right *feel* that Ragnarök players experience day-by-day. Yes, there are a whole lot of elements that are familiar or you can relate to, but there are just as many that are out of character, misplaced or simply wrong. And as a seasoned RO player i'm not that convinced about the current approach of the animation studio to the Ragnarök universe. But that doesn't mean that i'm not willing to continue watching the show and i will do so with an open mind and wish for the best

I won't even go down the lane as to compare it with the powerful manhwa-version of Ragnarök, because the only advantage the anime has would be that it is animated and it has a music score...both of them are very weak arguments at best. The manhwa version is superior in story, chara-design, comedy and most importantly in a delivered *feeling*.
Again, you have to consider that everything i said so far is directly linked to the FIRST episode, we will see how everything unfolds from here on.

Gold_Rogers · 2004-04-11, 08:52

Sounds like if I had played Ragnarok Online I might enjoy the show, but otherwise I probably wouldn't. I have trouble enjoying shows/movies/anime that are based on games, although Tsukihime and KGNE were exceptions to the rule (they weren't based on online RPGs though).

HellRaver · 2004-04-11, 08:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpwong

I can field that. In Ragnarok Online, you could be at 1HP and still do 100% damage. Lower HP does nothing to your damage output. It is possible to physically stun a player rendering them unable to retaliate until stun wears off. This was likely the case in the show.

Plus Swordsmen have something called HP Regen

Fate · 2004-04-11, 08:54

Luckily, this isn't a movie, but only the first episode of the anime, Kiro. -.o
Of course you can criticize, I just think a few people were stirred up by the mindless bashing. And more people bash than defend... and even fewer make use of constructive criticism.

Besides, there already were some original aspect, some very unique to RO. Just happen to missed it. Besides, you can do very little with 18 minutes in a fasntasy type anime that already starts you off in the middle of an adventure. I mean how the characters are already there.. yea.

As for the characters, I doubt you can do any better against an enemy like that. Holy Light isn't really strong in the first place, even at higher levels, but it's still probably stronger than a melee attack, so might as well try and put some effort? Let's say you're playing a MMORPG with your friend... even if you know your attacks are useless (and saying your friend is stunned and can't flee) will you simply run away or do nothing? At least show effort to say you care.

And we don't know the levels and skills of the characters. So that Acolyte may not be level one. We don't know the swordman's level, but either way, he could have survived from his luck and HP deduction misses from the enemy.

The anime already corresponds to the game. Probably meant a few aspects were different. We don't know if people actually died. And who knows which characters are players and others, NPCs. And did they even "save" their game?
MORE IMPORTANT, this anime is in "IC" mode. Save points, players, respawn, etc. is an "OOC" aspect of any RPG. In other words, it doesn't exist the in fantasy world, but merely a program designed for the USER.

As I said, one can't attack the story by the first episode. Story is something that develops. Please watch the whole series before anyone else criticize the story. -_-

How many anime SERIES have storys from the first episode? Naruto, Trigun, The Slayers, Full Metal Panic, Ranma 1/2, Love Hina, CCS, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, etc. etc.
None really has any story right off the bat. Now, after you watch the whole series or enough seasons, its possible to make some light arguments and connections to the other episodes, but I suppose we're not up to that case yet in this situation.

So stop your whining and watch. I can understand alittle because as many new anime fans join the community, they are explosed to many anime series that are already completed.

Look at the Asian children watching new anime as it comes out. They learned patience from all the years of experience... while many of us would be dying if we have 200 cliffhangers at our throats each week.

Kazahaya · 2004-04-11, 09:34

I think the producers should treat this more as an individual _anime_ rather than pulling stuff from the game and putting them together and trying to attract fans... i have the impression that anime based on novels have a better storyline and feeling than those on games (usually very typical)
anyways, it's just the first episode and ^_^ was fast on releasing the fansub.

I hope I can find something that attracts me to continue watching the series other than the fact that it's based on a good game.

Kiro · 2004-04-11, 10:07

hm, i think i didn't really ranted about the story, but more about the presentation, the chars and the plot of the first ep. even if there will be a main plot introduced in later episodes, the first episodes still have a little storry going on for themselves. for example, planetES MAIN-plot started at ep. 18 but all others episodes before had their little stories that i enjoyed very much.

what was the plot of this ep? (besides the ogre/goblin/orc-plot, whcih seems to be the main-plot for the next few eps)

-we get to see the swordsmen and the acolyte
-team rocket has stolen an item bag from the sorceress
-the sorceress wants it back, meets swordsmen and acolyte while confronting the thieves.
-team rocket escapes and plans revenge
-team rocket summons a monster which they can't control
-our hero party defeats the monster

nothing to rant about. they had to introduce the characters and the world, so one can't really expect more. what i didn't like, was the presentation of the plot and how silly some actions of some characters were.

the sorceress was hunting in the woods and got her "item bag" stolen. um, how? didn't she have her stuff with her? is she stupid?

just before team rocket and the hero-party would have fighted each other over that item bag, that knight on a chocobo (sorry, i couldn't resist

) arrives and team rocket escapes. the sorceress is glad, that the knight intervened and prevented a fight. why? those bastards still had her item bag and she acted like she would smash them, if the knight wouldn't have apeared. but at that moment she turns into the female version of mahatma gandhi and is glad that there was no fight. wow, sneaky bitch.

team rocket can actually summon a lvl70 moster out of a branch! and they can't control it! what's that for a skill?

chaos call:
"summon random monster, which bashes anything it sees including you."

is there a character in RO that can do that? i wanna play this game! first you collect some branches, then you go into town, summon some monster and watch them kill some low-level players and then loot their corpses.

dreamless · 2004-04-11, 10:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazahaya

I think the producers should treat this more as an individual _anime_ rather than pulling stuff from the game and putting them together and trying to attract fans... i have the impression that anime based on novels have a better storyline and feeling than those on games (usually very typical)
anyways, it's just the first episode and ^_^ was fast on releasing the fansub.

I hope I can find something that attracts me to continue watching the series other than the fact that it's based on a good game.

however the very purpose of this anime is meant to be a promotion for the game, basically it's an advertisement of the game, so I guess it can't be helped...

Wolfy · 2004-04-11, 12:06

What do you expect!? That all the characters should've died against the clock keeper, except for the mage? Then everyone else around them could've called them n00bs and then "lol". What a great anime!

No, my friends. This anime already has good characterization. It's flow is good. What is cool is that everything that took place in the anime could hypothetically take place in the game! From the n00b looters to Yuufa eating a banana! The only thing that couldn't happen was them sitting on chairs! But besides that, what was so far fetched about it? Why can't you enjoy the setting? It's not happy land in Prontera. It's people with their own agendas, and by golly someone's gonna get married so be ready with the wet naps!~

Jehuty · 2004-04-11, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiro

is there a character in RO that can do that? i wanna play this game! first you collect some branches, then you go into town, summon some monster and watch them kill some low-level players and then loot their corpses.

actually, you can do that @_@ they're called "Dead Branch", and although you can't loot the corpses, you can watch the monsters kill and kill and kill... well, for about 5 seconds, before everyone kills them, heh

there's people known to release hundreds of DBs... @_@;

sometimes, you can get some really high level monsters... x_x

---------------------

well, I just watched the anime again, and.. I'm dissapointed x_x

I know, it's the first episode... and I will probably end up liking it...

but they could have done better >.>

Anyone know if the manga has been translated by any fan groups? I want to read it.

I've seen some images of Chaos and Loki though... eeee.. badasses!

Kiro · 2004-04-11, 12:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfy

What do you expect!? That all the characters should've died against the clock keeper, except for the mage?

why did it have to be that lvl70 clock tower in the first place?

Quote:

This anime already has good characterization.

that is YOUR oppinion. i am also alloed to have one. :P

Quote:

Yuufa eating a banana!

the animation of that scene was soo disapointing.

just to short and choppy.

Quote:

Why can't you enjoy the setting?

because i have seen it a million times before! boooring!

Wolfy · 2004-04-11, 14:20

KIRO:

It's more likely that the Sorceress lady (Takiusu) was sympathetic to begin with when "Team Rocket" initally took her loot bag. It's just that they happened to bump into each other in Prontera, so she asked for it back to remind them that they had broken the rules and to show that even pettty theft doesn't go unnoticed and shouldn't be unjustified.

This is proof about characterization:
1) Roan fights to protect Yuufa, not just because he loves her, but because she is all that he has left from his past. That's why he's so strong when it comes to her danger.
2) Yuufa knows that Roan likes her because she uses him to get all those gifts for herself!
3) Even though Yuufa is a support class, she isn't afraid to stand up against any wrong-doers. She has guts! Even though she and Roan were probably no match for the "Rocket Team", the most she could do was also the least she felt she could do. Doesn't that bring a tear to your eye? Dammit
4) The closest to Yuufa's heart is her dead brother. She called to him in her time of crisis. And she got all those gifts at the beginning (in a comedic sense) really because she wanted to get her mind off his death.
5) There is more to Takiusu's blindfold than just using it to practice concentration or to sense the truth. The truth is something that she's afraid of.
6) The head of security of Prontera will never be a bad guy, because he states at the beginning that their duty is to protect. And the way he speaks shows that he's a very earnest individual. Just like in the game, you'd want such a person in that position to be of utmost positive in nature.

Think of the twig in terms of a "pandora's box" or a box of chocolates.

The setting isn't boring. It's beautifully rendered compared to many other animes! They design the scenes by using the game as a guideline, yes, but it's very detailed... absolutely nothing short of bothersome. Dun you wish the real game was like that? Go take a look at the game.

2004-04-10, 22:22	Link #62
LinChoiSin Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: paris Age: 41	it's never good to judge a show after seeing only the first show but i'm under the impression that: hack sign+ bad jokes= ragnarok the animation. i hope i'm wrong

2004-04-11, 00:04	Link #63
Kiro chocolate overdose Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Germany/Berlin Age: 41	ok ok, the fighting makes a lot more sense, now that you gave me some insight into how the game works. but still, those holy lights were just useless. that monster was coming to them anyway, why taunt it even more? also you are trying to justify every action in that epidose by the game mechanics. then how comes, that the swordsman, allthough not healed (lack of mana) suddenly gained his strength back and proceeded to bash the clock tower? about the unoriginal part: i didn't correlate that with the fighting system. (which is just a twist on the normal magic system imo.) with unoriginal i meant the overall appearance. nothing in that episode wasn't allready shown in another series. or do you want to tell me that there was even one little "wow-cool-idea"-effect? and i think i can say, that something isn't special without getting told, that i should do it better before i critizise. yes, i can say: "this movie is bad." and noone needs to come by and tell me that i "should do better before i grouch". if a movie sucks, it sucks. it's that easy. and if i think that ragnaroks first episode really wasn't special, then i am allowed to say so. am i not? i wasn't bashing support chars. support chars are mighty (sometimes annoying for your opponents) and i play them. i'm just wondering if RO doesn't have any other cool character classes that could have been the main chars. something like a necromancer (who is saying, they have to be evil? see also diabloII) or druids or a mixed class. but no, we get to see our standart party: melee-char (male), support-char (female), sorceress (female). wow, that's... new... . i admit though that i still have to see a male support char in the FF-series... i have the intention to dl next episodes to see where this is going. i'm not making up my mind yet because of the first episode. but i can still rant about the first episode.

2004-04-11, 01:25	Link #65
Dinaluban61 Taicho! Join Date: Apr 2004 Age: 37	I'm sorry, but I gave up on this anime after the first few minutes. I mean come on, look at the animation. Maybe its just me, but the story seems pretty lame. This show doesn't even look like real anime. My hat's off to you gravity :fingers:

2004-04-11, 03:47	Link #67
dreamless /Ultimate Magic Attack!!! Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Time Warp/Future	lol, if we are talking in terms of game mechanics, how the heck did a lv 1 swordie survive more than a couple attacks from the clock tower keeper? he should be insta-killed right on the spot. also how the heck did a lv 1 acolyte learn holy light? is she at character lv 1, job lv. 30 or somethig? O.o

2004-04-11, 04:17	Link #68
Diedrupo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003	the anime obviously does not try to correspond with the game. I mean you could tell that from the very first scene (people don't die in the game, they just respawn to their save point, but in the anime, people actually die!). so I don't see the point in nitpicking things like how on earth a swordie, mage, and acolyte could take on the clock tower manager. it could have been baphomet for all I care (although that'd have made the anime suck even more than it already did). it's a poor quality story, but what did you really expect? it's just aimed at fans, and from that perspective, I still enjoyed it (despite cringing at some scenes, like when Takiusu made her speech about morality).

2004-04-11, 08:49	Link #70
SimplyEd Claytard Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: U.M.N. Age: 45	My outlook on things would be, that things only can get better. It is pretty obvious that the anime desperately tries to get close to the game version, but maybe it would have been better to forfeit on the level-thingy because it just doesn't fit and gives many people a bad aftertaste. Overall, the first episode fails to deliver the right feel that Ragnarök players experience day-by-day. Yes, there are a whole lot of elements that are familiar or you can relate to, but there are just as many that are out of character, misplaced or simply wrong. And as a seasoned RO player i'm not that convinced about the current approach of the animation studio to the Ragnarök universe. But that doesn't mean that i'm not willing to continue watching the show and i will do so with an open mind and wish for the best I won't even go down the lane as to compare it with the powerful manhwa-version of Ragnarök, because the only advantage the anime has would be that it is animated and it has a music score...both of them are very weak arguments at best. The manhwa version is superior in story, chara-design, comedy and most importantly in a delivered feeling. Again, you have to consider that everything i said so far is directly linked to the FIRST episode, we will see how everything unfolds from here on.

2004-04-11, 08:52	Link #71
Gold_Rogers Famous Dead Pirate Join Date: Mar 2004	Sounds like if I had played Ragnarok Online I might enjoy the show, but otherwise I probably wouldn't. I have trouble enjoying shows/movies/anime that are based on games, although Tsukihime and KGNE were exceptions to the rule (they weren't based on online RPGs though).

2004-04-11, 08:54	Link #73
Fate Mystic Arcane Join Date: Apr 2003	Luckily, this isn't a movie, but only the first episode of the anime, Kiro. -.o Of course you can criticize, I just think a few people were stirred up by the mindless bashing. And more people bash than defend... and even fewer make use of constructive criticism. Besides, there already were some original aspect, some very unique to RO. Just happen to missed it. Besides, you can do very little with 18 minutes in a fasntasy type anime that already starts you off in the middle of an adventure. I mean how the characters are already there.. yea. As for the characters, I doubt you can do any better against an enemy like that. Holy Light isn't really strong in the first place, even at higher levels, but it's still probably stronger than a melee attack, so might as well try and put some effort? Let's say you're playing a MMORPG with your friend... even if you know your attacks are useless (and saying your friend is stunned and can't flee) will you simply run away or do nothing? At least show effort to say you care. And we don't know the levels and skills of the characters. So that Acolyte may not be level one. We don't know the swordman's level, but either way, he could have survived from his luck and HP deduction misses from the enemy. The anime already corresponds to the game. Probably meant a few aspects were different. We don't know if people actually died. And who knows which characters are players and others, NPCs. And did they even "save" their game? MORE IMPORTANT, this anime is in "IC" mode. Save points, players, respawn, etc. is an "OOC" aspect of any RPG. In other words, it doesn't exist the in fantasy world, but merely a program designed for the USER. As I said, one can't attack the story by the first episode. Story is something that develops. Please watch the whole series before anyone else criticize the story. -_- How many anime SERIES have storys from the first episode? Naruto, Trigun, The Slayers, Full Metal Panic, Ranma 1/2, Love Hina, CCS, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, etc. etc. None really has any story right off the bat. Now, after you watch the whole series or enough seasons, its possible to make some light arguments and connections to the other episodes, but I suppose we're not up to that case yet in this situation. So stop your whining and watch. I can understand alittle because as many new anime fans join the community, they are explosed to many anime series that are already completed. Look at the Asian children watching new anime as it comes out. They learned patience from all the years of experience... while many of us would be dying if we have 200 cliffhangers at our throats each week.

2004-04-11, 09:34	Link #74
Kazahaya Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2004	I think the producers should treat this more as an individual _anime_ rather than pulling stuff from the game and putting them together and trying to attract fans... i have the impression that anime based on novels have a better storyline and feeling than those on games (usually very typical) anyways, it's just the first episode and ^_^ was fast on releasing the fansub. I hope I can find something that attracts me to continue watching the series other than the fact that it's based on a good game.

2004-04-11, 10:07	Link #75
Kiro chocolate overdose Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Germany/Berlin Age: 41	hm, i think i didn't really ranted about the story, but more about the presentation, the chars and the plot of the first ep. even if there will be a main plot introduced in later episodes, the first episodes still have a little storry going on for themselves. for example, planetES MAIN-plot started at ep. 18 but all others episodes before had their little stories that i enjoyed very much. what was the plot of this ep? (besides the ogre/goblin/orc-plot, whcih seems to be the main-plot for the next few eps) -we get to see the swordsmen and the acolyte -team rocket has stolen an item bag from the sorceress -the sorceress wants it back, meets swordsmen and acolyte while confronting the thieves. -team rocket escapes and plans revenge -team rocket summons a monster which they can't control -our hero party defeats the monster nothing to rant about. they had to introduce the characters and the world, so one can't really expect more. what i didn't like, was the presentation of the plot and how silly some actions of some characters were. the sorceress was hunting in the woods and got her "item bag" stolen. um, how? didn't she have her stuff with her? is she stupid? just before team rocket and the hero-party would have fighted each other over that item bag, that knight on a chocobo (sorry, i couldn't resist ) arrives and team rocket escapes. the sorceress is glad, that the knight intervened and prevented a fight. why? those bastards still had her item bag and she acted like she would smash them, if the knight wouldn't have apeared. but at that moment she turns into the female version of mahatma gandhi and is glad that there was no fight. wow, sneaky bitch. team rocket can actually summon a lvl70 moster out of a branch! and they can't control it! what's that for a skill? chaos call: "summon random monster, which bashes anything it sees including you." is there a character in RO that can do that? i wanna play this game! first you collect some branches, then you go into town, summon some monster and watch them kill some low-level players and then loot their corpses.

2004-04-11, 12:06	Link #77
Wolfy Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Age: 42	What do you expect!? That all the characters should've died against the clock keeper, except for the mage? Then everyone else around them could've called them n00bs and then "lol". What a great anime! No, my friends. This anime already has good characterization. It's flow is good. What is cool is that everything that took place in the anime could hypothetically take place in the game! From the n00b looters to Yuufa eating a banana! The only thing that couldn't happen was them sitting on chairs! But besides that, what was so far fetched about it? Why can't you enjoy the setting? It's not happy land in Prontera. It's people with their own agendas, and by golly someone's gonna get married so be ready with the wet naps!~

2004-04-11, 14:20	Link #80
Wolfy Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Age: 42	KIRO: It's more likely that the Sorceress lady (Takiusu) was sympathetic to begin with when "Team Rocket" initally took her loot bag. It's just that they happened to bump into each other in Prontera, so she asked for it back to remind them that they had broken the rules and to show that even pettty theft doesn't go unnoticed and shouldn't be unjustified. This is proof about characterization: 1) Roan fights to protect Yuufa, not just because he loves her, but because she is all that he has left from his past. That's why he's so strong when it comes to her danger. 2) Yuufa knows that Roan likes her because she uses him to get all those gifts for herself! 3) Even though Yuufa is a support class, she isn't afraid to stand up against any wrong-doers. She has guts! Even though she and Roan were probably no match for the "Rocket Team", the most she could do was also the least she felt she could do. Doesn't that bring a tear to your eye? Dammit 4) The closest to Yuufa's heart is her dead brother. She called to him in her time of crisis. And she got all those gifts at the beginning (in a comedic sense) really because she wanted to get her mind off his death. 5) There is more to Takiusu's blindfold than just using it to practice concentration or to sense the truth. The truth is something that she's afraid of. 6) The head of security of Prontera will never be a bad guy, because he states at the beginning that their duty is to protect. And the way he speaks shows that he's a very earnest individual. Just like in the game, you'd want such a person in that position to be of utmost positive in nature. Think of the twig in terms of a "pandora's box" or a box of chocolates. The setting isn't boring. It's beautifully rendered compared to many other animes! They design the scenes by using the game as a guideline, yes, but it's very detailed... absolutely nothing short of bothersome. Dun you wish the real game was like that? Go take a look at the game.