(L) Jormungand

[Mentar]

Originally Posted by velocd

I'm not sure about Koko's seiyuu. Didn't expect that voice at all. This voice doesn't seem capable of extremities, and Koko needs that. (As preview hints: "Her name is Koko she is LOCO").

Let me disagree completely, 100% ... to be honest, it was the Shizu-sama doctrine which got me to try this show, and it's her character which actually sold me. It doesn't get any better than that.

Fun stuff. I just got me the full season ticket.

[Archon_Wing]

Shizuka Itou voices quite a few badass characters, so it works well.

[Guardian Enzo]

I'm not quite sure what it is about Shizuka's voice that's throwing people - maybe someone could explain in detail? I had a very clear idea of what I expected from reading the manga, and she seemed spot-on to me.

[Triple_R]

One good thing about this season - Between Space Bros., Lupin the Third, and now Jormungand, the anime world is trying material very different from its usual fare of the past few years. It's good to see anime really expand its horizons a bit.

Personally, I never had a problem with Koko's voice. It fits her zany crazy characterization, imo. Koko isn't just intense crazy, like a stonecold killer, as she has a zanier/sillier side like we saw in some of this episode's more lighthearted moments. I think her voice fits her somewhat playful personality.

I like how eye-patch girl has a very yuri-esque dedication to Koko.

The visuals in this weren't great, but they didn't really get in the way of me enjoying this episode.


Jonah brings the interesting complexity (I do love the internal contradictions already on display with his character, and his compelling backstory), Koko brings the fun-crazy female lead, and the rest of the cast brings the full atmosphere and style of the show all to life. Pretty good so far.

I'll give it 8/10.

[hoarfrost]

I feel like a work like this could be very good with sophisticated execution. I don't see any evidence of that here. To me, there is an optimal position on the curve of action, too far right and it looses all impact, too far left and it's boring. Jormungand is just a bit right of center for my tastes. The writing is so-so with some statements by Koko and Jonah regarding the philosophy of conflict bordering on trite.

My first impression thus far is Black Lagoon without the charming personalities and settings. I'll give it a few more tries. I'm am always happy to see something out of the ordinary but there are certain issues that are a fine balance between compelling and exploitative and I will leave it at that for now.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by hoarfrost

I feel like a work like this could be very good with sophisticated execution. I don't see any evidence of that here. To me, there is an optimal position on the curve of action, too far right and it looses all impact, too far left and it's boring. Jormungand is just a bit right of center for my tastes.

By "right" do you mean "explosive, flashy, a lot of it", and by "left" do you mean "gritty, realistic, subdued"?

Just trying to get a feel for what you mean here.

If that is what you mean, then yeah, I do see your point here. Violence can feel a bit too tacked on (and hence lose its impact) if the context for it doesn't fit well. On the other hand, without any sizzle, the steak can be boring, yeah.

[hoarfrost]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

By "right" do you mean "explosive, flashy, a lot of it", and by "left" do you mean "gritty, realistic, subdued"?

Just trying to get a feel for what you mean here.

If that is what you mean, then yeah, I do see your point here. Violence can feel a bit too tacked on (and hence lose its impact) if the context for it doesn't fit well. On the other hand, without any sizzle, the steak can be boring, yeah.

That's more or less what I mean. I find action better when there are stages of planning and buildup preceding the execution and when the execution itself has somewhat of a tactical, purposeful element to it.

For clarification, something from this season I thought was to the left of Jormungand, I'd say Mouretsu Pirates first major arc. I actually got fatigued of that buildup though its detail was impressive. For a center left happy medium I'd nominate Fate Zero S1.

I'll not be hasty to judgement as this seems to be the in-media-res approach which rarely works out well with action plots IMO. Maybe later we will have some factions with which we can identify, so that it will feel satisfying when they are spectacularly blown up.

[Flawfinder]

So this is the anime that the blogs are raving about. I haven't heard of this anime before, never saw its source material, or anything like that.

From what I could tell, it's about an arms deal group. It has some nice action. Some complex motives. Its characters have been introduced, but haven't really been established that much. Hopefully, they'll grow more interesting with time. And hopefully, that kid won't be the focus character, because he gets dull real fast.

[Guardian Enzo]

This is really nothing like Black Lagoon at all, although hardly anyone seems to write about it without mentioning that series. It's understandable because the superficial connection is obvious, but that's all it is - superficial.

And yes, "that kid" is the focus character. He doesn't always dominate screen time (it's an ensemble show, really) but he is the focal point in terms of character arcs. If you're not open to that, this might not be your cup of tea.

[Reckoner]

I thought the premiere was fantastic, but I still am not seeing the connections to Black Lagoon that much myself.

[Triple_R]

A show about a bunch of adults (or mostly adults) doing shady, very violent things that aren't exactly legal or on the up-and-up, but with style and pinache and a "Devil may care" attitude.


Yes, that's a largely superficial similarity, but it's rare enough in anime to get comparisons made.

[DezoPenguin]

Slightly more than that; they're the same underlying genre--the suspense/spy thriller. Which is to say, if Jormungand and Black Lagoon were books, you'd find them both in the same section of the store as the Robert Ludlum and Vince Flynn books. You and Guardian Enzo are both right in saying that they're not really similar to each other (any more than, well, Ludlum and Flynn are). It's just that there's virtually no anime at all which falls into that genre--the first things I come up with when trying to think of another one are Bee Train's Girls with Guns trilogy (Noir, Madlax, and El Cazador de la Bruja), and those are all much more different. I think the shows get mentioned together so much simply because within the medium of anime, Black Lagoon is the closest point of similarity. You'll notice they each start the same way, with the "outsider" (Rock/Jonah) being introduced to the main group (Lagoon Trading/HCLI) so that the writers have a chance to introduce the setting and the people through the eyes of someone whom, like the audience, doesn't know anything--a common narrative device, of course, but it emphasizes the similarities.

That said, I find that where Black Lagoon focuses more on the visceral and the personal, Jormungand's stories tend to be a bit more intellectual in their plotting and characterization. That is, where Black Lagoon will be about how characters feel, Jormungand will be as much about how they think. It's a generalization, of course, but it summarizes the general difference in tone with a sound-bite.

(The other main difference is that where Lagoon Trading consists of outsiders from society, who work on the fringes where criminal power groups such as Hotel Moscow and the Triads, plus shady political/espionage interests intersect, HCLI is itself a player in those games, with goals beyond "stay alive," "protect your buddies," and "find some cash," so the definitions of "win" and "lose" will be different.)

[AvianWing]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I'm not quite sure what it is about Shizuka's voice that's throwing people - maybe someone could explain in detail? I had a very clear idea of what I expected from reading the manga, and she seemed spot-on to me.

The voice felt odd to me at first, but then it made sense once I reasoned through it.

To me, it seems like Koko is a genre breaker, and I have to rely on crutches when picking out a voice. What comes immediate to mind are voices like Paku Romi's Hamyuts Meseta or Koyama's Balalaika. Of course, that doesn't make sense, since Koko is more playful of a character. Shizuka's Koko, however, swings very strongly the other way, and breaks precedence of a character like hers in a genre that Jormungand fits into. In other words, Koko's voice is very vibrant, which fits her character. It, however, sharply contrasts with everyone else's voices, which are more tame, and typical of the given genre. I don't speak for anyone else who finds her voice odd, of course. It's just my personal take.

[hassam]

Is it wrong that after the first ep I want Koko to die a slow and painful death?

[Tempest35]

Heh, I picked up the manga a few months a go and read through a bit so I know what I'm getting into. 1st episode felt a bit rushed but that's to be expected. It's interesting enough for me to keep watching and sorry but I did feel a slight Black Lagoon vibe from it (possibly because of the gun porn/visuals). The slow fall of the expended casing(s) will always invoke that in me.

[Yu Ominae]

I have said before that I taught Marina Inoue would have made a good Koko.

But Shizuka ain't bad.

Glad to see most of the Drama CD coming back... except Mie Sonozaki replaced by Mutsumi Tamura and Ayumi Fujimura by Sayaka Ohara.

[MrTerrorist]

I can't help but think Koko sounds like an evil Hingagiku. lol

Anyway, love the 1st episode. BTW, what Special Forces were chasing Koko and Jonah during the first part of the episode?

[Azuma Denton]

Originally Posted by Yu Ominae

I have said before that I taught Marina Inoue would have made a good Koko.

But Shizuka ain't bad.

Glad to see most of the Drama CD coming back... except Mie Sonozaki replaced by Mutsumi Tamura and Ayumi Fujimura by Sayaka Ohara.

Marina Inoue cant do such a tease voice like that.
I think Shizuka Ito is a good choice for Koko...


Overall, it a enjoyable serie. But i kinda feel that the story is rushed as they put two seperate story into one episode.

My question is the same as MrTerrorist?
Why did Special Forces chase them in the first part of the story?

[Elestia]

I thought Mamiko Noto could have been another great choice for Koko, she has done characters that were similar.

But I did like Shizuka Itou enough for the cast, episode was pretty good too.

[creb]

I loved her voice and thought it fits the character perfectly.

But, I'm not a manga reader, so have no pre-conceived voice in my head to compare it to.

Of course, if Miyuki Sawashiro had been cast instead, I wouldn't have complained.