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Old 2012-09-08, 16:15   Link #1861
Triple_R
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flawfinder View Post
First of all, don't act like Yuuji Sakai. Unless you're meant to be a reactionary tool, don't be a reactionary tool that only does whatever is required to get the plot moving. Also, I know people will say that his "white-knight issue" is what defines him, but that's not really much of a personality, plus it gets tiresome when that's all he ever does.
Well, as easy as it is to forget, he also loves pro wrestling.

KC needs an episode with a long scene of Taichi cheering on The Undertaker against John Cena. That'll win him over with some more people!


Oh wait... I have a better idea! Taichi suggests to Inaba and Iori that they fight a WWE-style pro wrestling match over him. It'll be a Ladder match where what's hanging from the rafters isn't a championship belt, but rather a dreamy picture of Taichi attached to two tickets for the latest romance movie. I wonder what Inaba and Iori's pro wrestling tights would look like? I wonder what would be good monikers for them?
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:17   Link #1862
Flawfinder
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Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
Well, as easy as it is to forget, he also loves pro wrestling.

KC needs an episode with a long scene of Taichi cheering on The Undertaker against John Cena. That'll win him over with some more people!


Oh wait... I have a better idea! Taichi suggests to Inaba and Iori that they fight a WWE-style pro wrestling match over him. I wonder what Inaba and Iori's pro wrestling tights would look like? I wonder what would be good monikers for them?
That could be fun. Joking aside though, liking pro wrestling is not a personality trait. That's a character aspect. They're not the same thing.
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:18   Link #1863
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Originally Posted by Flawfinder View Post
Also, I know people will say that his "white-knight issue" is what defines him, but that's not really much of a personality, plus it gets tiresome when that's all he ever does.

Doesn't that only means that you don't like it, and not that it isn't one?
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:22   Link #1864
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Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen View Post
Doesn't that only means that you don't like it, and not that it isn't one?
I like white knights fine, but not when that's the only aspect of his personality that exists. It's like a character who whines a lot (ala the main from Deadman Wonderland). I didn't have a problem with the fact that he was a whiner because of his situation. But when that's the only thing that defines you, and it's all you ever do, then I can't say the guy is full of personality.
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:32   Link #1865
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Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
Going into this episode, I have to admit I was hoping for Inaba and Iori's relationship to become seriously strained with the realization that they both love the same guy. I was hoping for some real drama and continuing conflict there. But the anime chose the Shana/Kazumi approach instead, because it plays things safe with the whole "Friendship Always Triumphs" approach that you see in a lot of anime shows.

Basically, Kokoro Connect doesn't go off the well-trodden "anime" path as much as I'd like... but it also maneuvers down that well-trodden path better than most.
I really wish Kokoro Connect didn't shy away from doing any lasting damage or continuing conflicts with its characters. I was also hoping to see Iori and Inaba's friendship to be at least somewhat strained (any girl would feel angry if a friend kept trying to hook her up with a guy, only to then want him for herself). I didn't expect it to actually happen precisely because the show doesn't like to stray too much from where it already is. Things might get serious, but they get fixed so quickly that they don't seem threatening.

Still, by episode 5 I had already accepted what kind of show this is and that's really the only way to enjoy it for what it is. And despite not doing as much as it could have, I have to admit that it does the already-done well. Despite everything it's a good show.

Last edited by Blonto; 2012-09-09 at 03:13.
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:43   Link #1866
Guardian Enzo
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It hasn't failed "as an adaptation", it's failed as a standalone story, if you imagine that was ever their intention. As an adaptation, if things aren't yet revealed in the source material and are coming later, it makes the most sense for the anime to hold off on those elements and wait for them to be revealed as the source reveals them, because their goal is to present the original story in animated form. Them randomly changing things could have an unknown impact on the timeline of the story. In particular with this adaptation, each arc is named precisely to match the novel titles, so they've made it pretty clear they're adapting each novel, not creating a new story based on the novels. So even if the anime ends, they never claimed that was the whole story -- they just animated the first four novels.
Semantics. If a character comes off as flat and incomplete, that's a failure as an adaptation as it relates to that character - which is exactly what I said. If an anime is going to use a character as a major plot driver with no intention of developing that character because they aren't developed in the parts of the story they plan to adapt, that's one choice - but it isn't their only choice. Knowing they don't have time to adapt the entire story, they could incorporate elements from later volumes to allow the character's actions to have meaning in the context of the volumes they are adapting.

It's not as if studios don't make changes to source material to give the best possible presentation in the time allowed - it happens all the time. Maybe Taichi isn't developed in the novels either, I don't know - but in the end, it doesn't really matter. An anime has to be able to stand or fall on its own terms.


@Chaos: in terms of being a person instead of device, how about a little motivation? How about some exploration as to why Taichi does what he does, instead of just having him stand wherever the plot needs him to stand? "White Knight Syndrome" is a character trait and no more, and liking pro wrestling isn't even that much - it's a gag. We know why Yui is afraid of boys, and why Inaba feels inadequate and overcompensates by acting arrogant and superior, and why Nagase has identity issues. We don't know why Taichi does any of the things he does - that's the difference.
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:44   Link #1867
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No, it's simply an one-sided standard of measurement that most reasonable person would not use, given that it had already been announced how many volumes the adaptations would use. If there had been no prior announcement, the story was a loose adaptation, or it was an original story, your standard might be possible, but not so when we have all the plot laid out in front of us. I doubt they would have announced the four arcs beforehand if it wasn't important.
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:46   Link #1868
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Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
To be fair to Taichi, he did say that him and Iori love one another right now. Here we have Taichi showing more foresight than usual with the "right now" part - Maybe the dude is learning to keep absolute statements down to a manageable minimum.

So Taichi did his part to be faithful to Iori, imo. It's just that Inaba pressed on anyway, and Iori really did kind of bring this situation on both herself and Taichi.

One more thing I want to write in Taichi's defense - Him saving a kitten out of a tree is interesting, precisely because it's such a cliche hero thing to do. It shows that, contrary to what we may have believed before, Taichi's "White Knighting" goes beyond just trying to win over girls. I mean, I didn't see any girls that would clearly benefit from this cat being rescued out of a tree. So while a small gesture, I think it shows that Taichi's heroic side is about more than just impressing girls, and maybe that's a good thing.
Haha, that part actually annoyed me. It was the one moment I would've been ok with Taichi being firm and decisive. The way I see it, if he really liked Iori, he didn't have to say 'right now'. Immediately after he said that I thought to myself 'that leaves so much open'. And of course, Inaba takes advantage.

Like I and Blonto touched on previously (albeit about Iori's own words), it weakens Taichi's and Iori's relationship for the sole reason of allowing Inaba in. Why say 'right now'? If Iori died, would he just move on to Inaba straight away? It cheapens the relationship.

Of course, I'm not saying relationships are this absolute one-true love thing, but once you've declared love to someone, especially the way Taichi and Iori (and Aoki) did, and then can't back it up, it makes the character look so mentally immature. As though love is a fickle thing. Again, these are teenagers, but that excuse should only go so far.

Of course, plenty of anime shows do this. So my gripe covers many other anime too, not just specifically to KC. Honey and Clover is a good counter-example.

As for the cat saving thing and Taichi wanting to be a hero...it just doesn't have an impact on me. The show seems more intent on the plot moving the characters rather than the characters moving the plot. So I see his cat saving as something to just get Inaba into a fit. Same as him saying 'right now', just so that Inaba could jump in. He sounded so convincing when initially saying he loved Iori, but then added 'right now'. And I'm still mixed on the kiss itself.

I sure hope Inaba doesn't become this goofy lovestruck teenager now though. Her personality was great before.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
Oh wait... I have a better idea! Taichi suggests to Inaba and Iori that they fight a WWE-style pro wrestling match over him. It'll be a Ladder match where what's hanging from the rafters isn't a championship belt, but rather a dreamy picture of Taichi attached to two tickets for the latest romance movie. I wonder what Inaba and Iori's pro wrestling tights would look like? I wonder what would be good monikers for them?
Damn, for a moment there I thought you were going to suggest it be Taichi himself hanging there. Suffocating as the girls fought, with disastrous consequences if they fought for too long. Of course, there would be mud everywhere too, yes?
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Old 2012-09-08, 16:54   Link #1869
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Personally I think Taichi was developed well with his fights with Inaba and Aoki and when he had to say goodbye to Iori in the previous arc so I don't think he's a flat character. But I do think he was handed a rather unfortunate role this episode. The bigger problem is that we still haven't been given the full picture on Taichi as we have with others. But I don't really mind that. It's just my opinion but I'm convinced they're saving him for last and that he'll be the true problem character in the end.
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Old 2012-09-08, 17:02   Link #1870
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Originally Posted by Flawfinder View Post
I like white knights fine, but not when that's the only aspect of his personality that exists. It's like a character who whines a lot (ala the main from Deadman Wonderland). I didn't have a problem with the fact that he was a whiner because of his situation. But when that's the only thing that defines you, and it's all you ever do, then I can't say the guy is full of personality.
I do agree with you on Taichi's only defining character trait being his white knight tendencies. I think he might be more of the Emiya Shirou type of character, a person who can only find personal happiness by helping others. That said I do hope we get to see more character development for him soon, otherwise he might become the scrappy of this fandom.
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Old 2012-09-08, 17:37   Link #1871
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Old 2012-09-08, 17:45   Link #1872
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We haven't actually seen the Taichi-Iori relationship develop that much before this though, and this could be why Iori decided not to press for exclusivity. For a girl who doesn't even know who she is, how can she truly understand what she feels about someone else? We haven't really seen how Taichi felt about Iori either. All we know is that Himiko perceived that Taichi liked Iori, but there hasn't been much evidence to affirm that. This links to the earlier scene in which Taichi first intended to confess but ended up not doing so when he thought about how much of a selfless freak he was being, because the new developments suggest that he was not truly in love with her. In addition, prior to this episode, Taichi and Iori weren't really dating because Iori requested for them to remain as friends for the time being.

Two things irked me a little about the episode. First, the music during the confession scene made it have a comedic feel. I felt that it would have been better to have more serious music. Second, what's with Inaba's shirt? The criss-crossing black lines looked really ugly to me. Maybe she should get some of Sawa's fashion sense...
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Old 2012-09-08, 19:22   Link #1873
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Well, I really liked this episode. Inaba was awesome more than usual.
Speaking of Taichi, well I guess that the show is consistent in what is trying to do. I mean, HS is trying to break everyone shell and until then they will be closed inside that. I guess that Inaban's has broken now so I'm expecting to see her true self from now on. Iori's and Taichi's hasn't yet so they are still restrained by their shields. That means that Taichi is still defined by his White Knight persona and Iori by her masks. Ironically Iori true self came up with Inaban and not with Taichi who should be the one "in charge" of if. It came up once before with him, but it was too early for anyone to understand that, and particularly for Taichi who is the less intuitive of the three. Even for that reason I really enjoyed the confrontation even if I wasn't expecting it. It keeps proving that he is still not good at white knighting for many reasons. He do is only with simple problems, like the cat.
The fact that we haven't seen yet Taichi true self IIRC could means that his shell is stronger, his behavior is more deep rooted than Inaban's or Iori's. Even simply because he doesn't see is it as an issue like her friends did and do. So in a way it could be justified his arc being the last one, and I suppose it will be a big one.
On the Iori and Taichi reaction to Inaba declaration/confession I give them the benefit of the doubts, because as said from Triple_R, what they say seems to be smart and naive at the same time, they don't thing in the long run (everyone but Inaba), and that's believable for their age. So we have to take their words with grain of salt. Probably Iori will snap due to Inaba approaching Taichi and consequently Taichi will, due to the hard choice. If he has, as I think, feelings for Inaba too. And then, who will he knock down the tower? Given the repeated references to falls or trains I start worrying about what choice he could take if put in that position.
Not that I'm trying to negate the flaws of the show, because tbh so far Inaban is the only one truly well developed, wonderfully I'd say , but it is inherent with the plot and even with this kind of arcs narrative, in which they want to go back, more or less, to square one at the end of each arc. Even if each time there are differences it underplays any tension or drama they have previously built up.
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Old 2012-09-08, 20:16   Link #1874
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Was I the only one who thought that Iori was already aware that Inaba liked Taichi even before she kissed her finger? I know I never got the impression that the kiss was what gave her the "haha" moment and actually considered that she went after Inaba precisely to get some time alone with her and approach that particular subject.

Regarding Taichi's response at the confession scene: don't you think that the "right now" he added at the end shows that he isn't 100% sure on who he likes? Sure he likes Iori at the moment but he is unable to honestly say that he doesn't like Inaba as well.

And I'm still hoping for a harem end.
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Old 2012-09-08, 20:21   Link #1875
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Was I the only one who thought that Iori was already aware that Inaba liked Taichi even before she kissed her finger? I know I never got the impression that the kiss was what gave her the "haha" moment and actually considered that she went after Inaba precisely to get some time alone with her and approach that particular subject.
Yeah, the finger thing wasn't much of a tell, I think it was just a bit of extra business to illustrate her being out of sorts. Outside of the context of what Iori already suspected, it wouldn't have given away anything except that Inaba wasn't her usual self.
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Old 2012-09-08, 20:23   Link #1876
Sakanaka Shouko
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Spoiler for Himeko:
Hahaha, this pic is the best. ^_^
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Old 2012-09-08, 23:05   Link #1877
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Just a few points on Taichi, that may help shed some light on his indecisiveness between Iori and Inaba.

I think that Taichi truly does love/like Iori, but she doesn't inflame his passions much. I think it was Kaoru Chujo who brought up how there's not a lot of physical interaction (i.e. touching) in Taichi's relationship with Iori, and I see some truth there. I think that Taichi views Iori as a really nice and sweet person, and somebody he can relax around and that he can easily care for. But there's a distinct lack of passion or desire to their relationship - I think Taichi likes the idea of Iori being his girlfriend more than the actual reality thereof.

By sharp contrast, I think that Inaba slightly intimidates Taichi, but I think she also stirs his libido. Taichi and Inaba definitely have the better sexual chemistry of the two competing pairings within the love triangle.


So, I think that in Taichi's head, this is the choice - The girl who's the picture perfect girlfriend and may one day make a nice wife, or the girl who truly excites him and may present him struggles within a serious relationship but also wild weekends.

I can understand Taichi wavering here.


I'm also inclined to agree with Haak on Taichi - I think that the nuances within his "white knight" persona have been explored well.
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Old 2012-09-08, 23:08   Link #1878
Chaos2Frozen
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Just a few points on Taichi, that may help shed some light on his indecisiveness between Iori and Inaba.
Was it really indeceiveness? I mean Inaba called him out on a technicality .

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So, I think that in Taichi's head, this is the choice - The girl who's the picture perfect girlfriend and may one day make a nice wife, or the girl who truly excites him and may present him struggles with a serious relationship but also wild weekends.
Notice Inaba's reaction after her kiss- she might be alot more otome than you think
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Old 2012-09-08, 23:10   Link #1879
Sumeragi
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Old 2012-09-08, 23:25   Link #1880
zeniselv
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the conclussion of this ark whats very unexpected, specially how it was eventful with nothing really happened, the bad thing is that now i dont have a preference to who should achieve the happy ending with taichi, but it certainly will add more to the dynamic of the group that way.
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