2019-01-23, 14:44
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Link #543 | |
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Born to ship
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Texas
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2019-01-23, 14:52
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Link #544 |
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Let's play a game!
Join Date: Sep 2006
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I have a friend who will occasionally point out architecture in shows or movies, and say, "That city was designed by an asshole." For example, the big glass-domed cities in space stations, or whoever made the dual-leveled city in Tiger and Bunny.
Well, I saw that church in the first shot they described it, and I have to say, that church was designed by an asshole. It looks like some sort of origami paper construct, and you have to wonder how anyone uses the upper levels. I do have to say, it was weird when, during Naofumi's gripes about the country being full of lolicons, a bunch of street vendors were gushing over how cute Raphtalia was. Anywhere else, I wouldn't have considered it odd, but in this capital city, with active, "We do not serve demi-humans" levels of prejudice, it just felt strange. On the other hand, if these are the merchants that are willing to sell to Naofumi, maybe they're not as prejudiced against demi-humans. I suppose it shows a little that not everyone in the city is the same. Also, Raphtalia has seemed to have picked up Naofumi's bargaining skills (or at least obsession with getting a good deal). Probably a good thing, as Naofumi just seemed depressed and not in the mood to haggle. (He had bags under his eyes pretty much the whole episode.) By a week past the dog fight, they'd gotten to 180 silver, which is a nice amount. Also, Raphtalia is no longer wearing the slave collar; just the bracelets. She seems to still be wearing the same outfit as before. The sleeves come down to mid-forarm, instead of her wrists, and the bottom of the skirt is mid-thigh instead of knee-length. Despite the fact that the rest of the outfit shouldn't fit her, regardless, it can largely be passed off as clothes-fitting magic. Naofumi has a ridiculous number of shields, and manifested another couple new effects: Shield Prison (handy for keeping something pinned down), and the elemental defense aura. (Side note: I'm annoyed he didn't get to go feed the Wave's boss monster to the shield.) The fight was fairly disappointing. The action parts were good, but anytime anyone stopped to talk, it seemed like all the monsters just stopped and did literally nothing. It just felt sloppy. Current levels by end of episode: Raphtalia is 22, and Naofumi is 19 (though they each might have made another level in the concluding fight section). The super big zombies each gave about a quarter of a level to each of them. Raphtalia continues to get more XP, ranging from +27% to +40%. Still no clear explanation on why the disparity fluctuates so much. The level gap was still 2 levels for most of the episode, but is now in Raphtalia's favor instead of Naofumi's. That means the XP difference can't simply be due to level scaling, since if it was, it would even out when they were both at the same level. I think someone has mentioned it being a bonus from Raphtalia getting the kill shot, but it varies too much for that, too. |
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2019-01-23, 15:27
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Link #545 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
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There's probably other modifiers when it comes to leveling party members we aren't aware of. Some reviewers have pointed out that the anime does skip over details found in Light Novels, like the Wet Ore Shield, the Pickaxe Shield, Naofumi picking Raph up because she was a woman and he was projecting his disdain for Myne, etc. As per usual, if you want the finer details you'll have to hit up the source materials.
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2019-01-23, 16:22
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Link #546 | |
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Let's play a game!
Join Date: Sep 2006
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1) Naofumi had a preference for a male slave, though not a requirement. 2) The only three slaves in his price range (40 silver) were two males and a female. 3) One of the males cost 40 silver, which would have left 0 for equipment, food, lodging, and everything else. (Not to mention the slaver's "commission" fee.) It rather undercuts the entire purpose of buying a slave if you can't give the slave the equipment needed to actually fight. Yes, he could go collect more money, but it would likely take a couple days for what was needed, and time was the more important resource. 4) The other male was a demi-rabbit with his arm broken and healed badly, such that it bent the wrong way. I can't imagine that being viable for someone you want to help you fight. Not that a little girl is much better, but still... 5) The screed about Myne, and being able to imagine her face in place of the slave's, felt very much like him making up justifications for why it was reasonable for him to choose the girl, despite the preference for a guy, and the background fear of another girl betraying him[*]. Because the guys were, sadly, worse options than Raphtalia, when considered logically. And I think all of that adds up to why the anime didn't bother putting in that bit. It's difficult to fully interpret, providing an artificially skewed view of Naofumi's personality, and doesn't add anything significant once the purchase is made. Given the pacing the anime is going through, if they emphasize too much hate early on, it's harder to make a believable reduction in that in the time they have available, and they're clearly wanting a slightly less edgy protagonist here. Given that that particular incident wasn't "real" hate, it's easy to drop. [*] Special note: When Naofumi and Raphtalia went to the blacksmith's shop in episode 3, there were certain callbacks to Naofumi's original visit with Myne. Namely, the budget (180 silver in this case, 250 in the original case), and that the girl was pushing for things to be bought, including getting armor for Naofumi. In a lot of ways it seems like an event that might trigger Naofumi, due to the similarities. Yet in other ways, there were differences. Namely, though the purpose of the visit was to get equipment for Raphtalia, she insisted on getting armor for Naofumi as a priority, compared to Myne buying tons of stuff for herself (in the second visit). Overall, it was mimicking the original visits, yet Naofumi seemed much more laid-back about it — possibly due to the stress and depression he seems to be suffering under (he actually seems mildly surprised by the back-and-forth between Raphtalia and the blacksmith when she's trying to get a discount), but also due to him seeming to trust Raphtalia more. Or at least just not worried about her. At least, up until the incident with the other heroes at the church. That brought everything boiling back to the surface. He's in a very complicated emotional space, and very worried about losing the only bit of light he's found in this world. (And, assuming he has a realistic view of his own actions, he likely also recognizes that Raphtalia being a slave would be a huge lever the other heroes could use against him in any effort to take Raphtalia away, or 'free' her and have her abandon him.) |
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2019-01-23, 16:26
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Link #547 | |
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Master of Killing Time
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Makinohara Service Area
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Now, as to Naofumi's observation about how everyone in that world is a lolicon, that's a little bit more inexplicable 
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2019-01-23, 16:35
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Link #549 |
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Born to ship
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Texas
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From the manga, they changed one thing distinct from the smith scene. In the manga, the smith didn't offer a huge plate mail, he offered chainmail, and Naofumi reacted just about the way you'd expect given the last one he had.
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2019-01-23, 17:22
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Link #550 | |
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Let's play a game!
Join Date: Sep 2006
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Raphtalia started out terrified, then was relatively quickly won over (mainly by the kid's meal and ball), reached "normal kid" status, practiced hard, and eventually overcame her other fears as she fought incarnations of each. In this episode, she has continued to grow, being assertive and happy, and in the end, feeling like she might actually be making a difference, due to being able to save some people. Only at the end, after their fight in Lute, do some of her own real insecurities seem to leak through. Naofumi, on the other hand, seems to be spiraling downward. He started off gruff and edgy (post-betrayal), using his anger to get what he needed, and keep people off his back. He kept that gruffness when purchasing Raphtalia, but afterward seemed to be relaxing back into a happier state. However in this episode, rather than reaching a comfortable balance with Raphtalia, he seems to have fallen even further downward. Without his anger propping him up (sort of like an adrenaline rush in a fight), and without needing that anger to get what he needs (now that he has Raphtalia helping him), he seems to be dropping into a severe state of depression. He still works through the routines, grinding XP and medicine, but there's a complete lack of motivation to go much beyond that. He was seriously wounded by the porcupine, yet barely reacted to it, and doesn't have the personal motivation to get better armor to protect himself. He doesn't haggle, or have any of the banter with the blacksmith he had early on. And in fact, Raphtalia's behavior seems almost an explicit counter to Naofumi's depression. She's happy and perky and trying to lift his spirits. She chastises him like a mom big sister (despite her status as a slave), likely just to try to get a reaction out of him. Naofumi sees it, and considers it Raphtalia standing up for herself now (or maybe just being rude), but doesn't see it as Raphtalia trying to help keep his spirits up. In fact, it's worse, in a way. He sees Raphtalia becoming someone who can survive in this world without him. She's strong, and capable, and standing up for herself. She's surpassed his level. People actually like her (cf: street venders). The only thing tying her to him is the fact that she's his slave. His sword, as she reminds people. A possession; not a person. Remove the slave contract, and what reason does she have to stay? She might be swept off her feet by a dashing lady's man like Motoyasu. Or she might just leave him with a, "It's been nice knowing you!" Or she might look down on him with the same eyes as everyone else, once she hears the rumors about him. Naofumi had a bit of a crush on Myne, because she was so pretty. Her betrayal hurt him, but not in a truly personal way. What really hurt him — what triggered the 'anger' — was everyone else siding with her, against him. Raphtalia, on the other hand, has practically been a daughter to Naofumi. He made medicine for her when she was sick. He comforted her when she woke up screaming from nightmares. He taught her how to fight. He splurged on the child's meal, and bought her presents. There was no romance, but she's certainly found a place in his heart. If Raphtalia left him — if she saw him as a horrible person, not only for the false accusations, but for his later actions, and keeping her as a slave — that would be intensely personal. And I think the depression he's feeling is that dread anticipation leaking through. Some of it is probably carryover from the original accusation incident, but it really did seem like he was getting over that by the end of episode 2. Right now he seems more to be working on an "I don't deserve good things/things will eventually get worse" attitude. Last edited by Kinematics; 2019-01-23 at 17:37. |
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2019-01-23, 18:32
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Link #553 | ||
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
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I think they also decreased her bust size for that reason as well compared to her manga counterpart, which I am grateful for. But I didn't see the man with a scar on his face in the chapter. Is that part of the LN or is it Anime-Exclusive?
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Last edited by Twi; 2019-01-23 at 19:00. |
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2019-01-23, 19:10
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Link #554 | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
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○ Naofumi has a human understanding of biology/maturity (physical maturity as a function of time, the more that time passes the more that your body will grow/change/physically age). ○ It's been about 1 week since the battle in the mine with the dog (and Naofumi hasn't really spent that much time in the world) ○ One week ago it would be hard to classify Raphtalia as anything other than a fragile little girl In our (real) world the law doesn't care if someone is over 6ft tall and has massive boobs, if they're a minor (underage) you're going to be in massive strife if you do anything 'adult' with them. From Naofumi's perspective ○ He obtained a mentally unstable little slave girl ○ A little over a week ago she enjoyed kids meals and playing with a ball and he'd even cradle her whilst she cried in his arms over her parents ○ A week after (life or death in mine) the old guys in the town are hitting on said little girl If you make an exception for demi-humans (power leveling results in maturity, so if you power level them enough you can consider them all grown up) then it sets a creepy precedent, assuming that ushering in the next generation doesn't have any obvious downsides (like loss of lifeforce, etc). Just because someone seems to be all grown up doesn't stop them from being a child (and thus, all the guys hitting on her in town are more or less lolicons due to hitting on said child). Hell, one of the 'rites of passage' so to speak for children is the denial of being a child anymore. One of the extreme (worst case scenario type things) would be if demi-humans wanted to form an army asap. Obviously we don't know the finer details about conception/pregnancy, but assuming no practical limitations (and since exp is shared) they could probably form a super powerful army fairly quickly.
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2019-01-23, 19:10
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Link #555 |
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: United States
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While I'm glad that 4 years haven't passed like I initially thought to be the case, I can't say the actual explanation for Raphtalia being older in this episode is any better--I feel like they just did it to justify her's being in love with Naofumi, and it's a little convenient that he doesn't have to explain having someone so young traveling with him to the other heroes.
But I don't hate her as a character, the fact that she's grown so much means they've been spending a good amount of time together, so her being in love with him feels a little earned--even if I did wish they just kept the father-daughter sort of relationship they seemed to be building towards in the last episode. She also has some trauma she's been trying to overcome, so that gives her depth beyond that. I think it's sweet that some of the knights actually decided to stick around and fight the monsters with Naofumi. I just wish the wave lasted a bit longer than it did as it didn't really feel like much of a threat--especially if this is supposed to be a global catastrophe.
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2019-01-23, 19:13
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Link #556 |
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Strangely dependable...
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: some random place out there...
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It's pretty clear, at least to me, in the latest episode that Naofumi's greatest fear (maybe unconsciously) is the possibility of Raphtalia deserting him. It's probably why he still hides the "rumours" about him from her, and his possessiveness during the scene with Motoyasu.
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2019-01-23, 19:30
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Link #558 | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
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2019-01-23, 19:44
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Link #559 | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
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2019-01-23, 19:49
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Link #560 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Cali
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This episode was great without a doubt, love how Raphtalia changed so much, is obvious that she's more mature at this point judging by how she express herself and her reactions to different situations like when the knights didn't gave a damn about Naofumi during the battle. By the way what kind of training are they receiving? that isn't even close to a Phalanx.
The spear hero is just a piece of shit of a human, same goes for the other 2 heroes who just follow what he does. That scene was great not only because of Raphtalia but it was good too because Naofumi showed how afraid he is of losing her especially after the rumors and how he thinks that may affect the way she look at him. Personally I believe in her words that no matter what she'll be there at his side because she wanted to, not because of her status of slave. |
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| isekai, traumatized protagonist |
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