(CR) Kemono no Souja Erin ~ Beast Player ~

[TinyRedLeaf]

Spoiler for Episode 30:

I'm not sure why the producers felt the need for another recap, especially since the scenes being replayed were broadcast not too long ago. As a result, this episode felt very redundant to me.

I suppose it's meant to mark the end of a chapter and a beginning of a new one, with Erin now 18 and on the verge of taking a more active role in the politics of her world. Like FlareKnight, I think it's fairly obvious that the new teacher, Kiriku, is being set up as a "bad guy" who may threaten the pact of silence between the faculty, students and Erin.

However, since he's supposed to be an expert on poisons, I suspect that Erin may one day learn from him about the poison that killed the touda of Ake village.

[golthin]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Spoiler for Episode 30:

I'm not sure why the producers felt the need for another recap, especially since the scenes being replayed were broadcast not too long ago. As a result, this episode felt very redundant to me.

recaps save money.

[BBOvenGuy]

Since no one has said anything yet...

Spoiler for Episode 33:

Erin and Lilan get back to school. I'm not sure how they did it, since the whole point of the episode is that Lilan hasn't yet learned how to take off. Remember that in Episode 31, she fell off the cliff by accident. So did Lilan walk back from wherever she landed for the encounter with Nason in Episode 32?

Anyway, Erin tells everyone how hard it was to hold on when Lilan was flying, so they rig up a saddle and riding outfit for her to use. Lilan doesn't like the saddle at first, and throws Erin about twenty feet into some snow. But eventually they get it figured out.

Erin trying to teach Lilan how to fly is pretty hilarious. She keeps getting Lilan to run down to the edge of a cliff, but when they get there, Lilan just stops. I really like how they've written Lilan's character - they've retained a lot more of her animal nature, instead of just making her a human being in an animal's body.

It's probably not much of a spoiler to say that eventually Lilan learns the trick, and they go zooming through the sky again.

Meanwhile, that poisoner guy is still up to his poisoning stuff. I still don't know whose side he's on, because I can't understand the dialogue. I suspect that he's supposed to be a bad guy, but Erin reminds him of his dead sister, so he may switch sides later on. That's my take on it, anyway.

And also...

Spoiler for Episode 34 Preview:

One of the beast-lords is sick - the work of the poisoner guy, perhaps? I don't think it's Lilan, because it was one of those grungy-colored beast-lords, not bright white like Lilan usually looks. Erin has to go for help or supplies or something, and she runs into Ial along the way. (Insert dramatic sting here...)

[Miles Teg]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

Since no one has said anything yet...

Since episodes 31 watching the raws we can have a basic understanding of what is happening on screen but everything plot related is completely hidden from us. So it's better to wait for the sub before commenting on the episodes

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by Miles Teg

Since episodes 31 watching the raws we can have a basic understanding of what is happening on screen but everything plot related is completely hidden from us. So it's better to wait for the sub before commenting on the episodes

Aww... but making totally random guesses can be fun!

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

Aww... but making totally random guesses can be fun!

Ok, there was at least one thing I understood.

Spoiler:

It isn't that Lilan was slow to learn the trick, but rather she didn't want to learn. You see, in her intent to teach Lilan how to fly, Erin forgot that she was ordering her to do it, like a master would do his beast. Eventually Erin realized that Lilan being pretty wild would no listen to Erin's orders. Besides, Erin also understood that this was defeating the purpose, because what she has always wanted is for Lilan to be as wild as possible.

So she changed approach, and stopped trying. She simple waited for Lilan to go fly by her own accord, and that worked.

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Ok, there was at least one thing I understood.

Spoiler:

It isn't that Lilan was slow to learn the trick, but rather she didn't want to learn. You see, in her intent to teach Lilan how to fly, Erin forgot that she was ordering her to do it, like a master would do his beast. Eventually Erin realized that Lilan being pretty wild would no listen to Erin's orders. Besides, Erin also understood that this was defeating the purpose, because what she has always wanted is for Lilan to be as wild as possible.

So she changed approach, and stopped trying. She simple waited for Lilan to go fly by her own accord, and that worked.

So what you're saying is...

Spoiler for Episode 33:

Lilan had to want Erin to go flying with her. She was willing to wait for Erin to get her flying gear on and get the saddle, in the same way that she wants Erin to play with the hat or the ball with her.

It's entirely possible, then, that Lilan might want to go flying without Erin at some point. That could be interesting.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

So what you're saying is...

Spoiler for Episode 33:

Lilan had to want Erin to go flying with her. She was willing to wait for Erin to get her flying gear on and get the saddle, in the same way that she wants Erin to play with the hat or the ball with her.

It's entirely possible, then, that Lilan might want to go flying without Erin at some point. That could be interesting.

Something like that...

Spoiler:

It's not about doing things with or without Erin. I mean, it's not that Lilan didn't want to fly with Erin. It's just that Lilan won't go flying at all if she doesn't want to, even if Erin orders her to do it.

Lilan doesn't mind doing things with Erin, in fact she wants to. Yet, she's still wild, and so will do things in her own terms, regardless of whatever Erin wants her to do. In fact, if Erin orders Lilan to do things, pressures her, Lilan would not respond, and instead would get stressed, as we saw in this episode.

When Erin understood this she realized the best approach was to let Lilan do things by her own accord. To put it simple, she waited until Lilan would want to go flying, instead of pressuring her to do it. And yes, Lilan waited for Erin to get the saddle. Like I said, she doesn't mind doing things with Erin, as long as Erin doesn't pressure her into it.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Episode 31 sets so many firsts in the series, and takes it in such a radically new direction, that I'm truly saddened, for the first time, that more people aren't paying attention to this gem of the year.

Spoiler for Episode 31:

First off, I loved the new OP and ED. The OP uses the same tune but with its different lyrics and background animation, it takes on a whole new majestic tone foreshadowing the heavier themes to come. And the ED is simply lovely, employing watercolours and an impressionistic aesthetic to superb effect.

Secondly, maybe it's just me, but I think the crayon backgrounds improved considerably in this episode. Perhaps it's because of the heavy black-and-white contrast of the winter scenes depicted here. It has the effect of making everything look sharper, more crisp and, surprisingly enough, more real. They're like Hallmark cards come to life.

Thirdly, at last, we have our first full episode of 18-year-old Erin. (The last episode doesn't count as a full episode, since it was essentially a recap.) And, oh my, how she has grown. I feel so proud of her.

Fourthly, Lilan learns to fly, and unheard of feat for captive beast-lords. The magic of the moment defies description.

Lastly, the masked assailant who fought Iaru long ago finally reveals his identity: he's none other than Kazalm's new instructor of poisons, Kiriku. He's apparently a Horon, a son of the race of people disenfranchised by the aristocratic Wajyaku. My only small gripe here is how he doesn't seem to have aged, even though it has been at least eight years since he first appeared.

No doubt, his formal introduction into the series indicates that politics is at last taking centrestage in the show. Already, Kiriku is studying ways to exploit Erin to his advantage, even as rumours of Erin's amazing handling of beastlords are, perhaps, making their way to the royal court. Back in the capital, Seimiya is also nearly a grown woman, and getting ever closer to becoming a naive pawn to her royal uncle.

The pieces are being set up and the chessboard being prepared for battles ahead. Seen in this light, the imagery of a hungry fox watching a hapless rabbit amid the white snow takes on a special significance indeed.

Next episode, Erin meets a long-lost kinsman, who had probably been watching her carefully from the shadows all these years. Looks like Erin is going to learn more about her destiny at last.

Gosh, I haven't been this excited about a long-running series since the final arc of Twelve Kingdoms. Thanks, Erin, for restoring my faith in anime as a vehicle for great stories.

[signorRossi]

Is the new OP sung by Chitose Hajime? The style of singing reminds me of her...

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by signorRossi

Is the new OP sung by Chitose Hajime? The style of singing reminds me of her...

Bingo (and confirmed by Xcomp in his blog). She's the first person I thought of, too, when I heard the remixed song. I'll never forget her moving rendition of Kataritsugu koto from Blood+.

[LordCalgar1984]

Amazing, is my only way to describe episode 31.

[Proto]

Holy crap, that last sequence of ep 31 is easily one of the best I have ever seen in all of the time I've been watching anime, across the +400 series I've seen. Really, really, masterfully done. As a series Erin is not without of faults, but I was as awed as our poison teacher during that segment.

[silverwolf0]

Yay for Lilan flying! What I didn't like was the repeat flying scenes. What I do like was the sparkly stuff and the cool space hyperjump look. What needs improvement is Kiriku's face as he looks younger than Erin. The whole camera panning around to his face was pretty cheesy looking too.

This ep makes up for the lackluster vibe of 27-30. I think the opening looks really great too, if you replaced the opening song with the old one. Didn't SS say something about a sake drunk taught by strangled cats? I concur.

The producers and NHK are also setting up the show as an educational program for detecting child predators.

[Proto]

Hey, those were some beautiful female falsetto's, you don't see that style much in Anime nowadays (last time I remember hearing it was in Hitohira's ending) and as a lover of that singing resource I am pleased by the vocal selection.

BTW, I apprecciated 27-29 as excellent character development episodes, and I don't consider them to be lackluster. Well then again, that is an opinion as well.

[SuperKnuckles]

The final moments of the latest episode re-showed too much footage for me to agree that it's the best visuals in anime, though the scene itself was pretty moving. 30 episodes of buildup..

I just wish the repeat-shots (some certain scenes repeated like 4 times in a row..) didn't happen, but very nice.

Sorta weird that the awkward, geeky, cheeky kid in Erin is becoming a Shonen-manga heroine type. But I'm not complaining.

[FlareKnight]

Yeah besides the repeated shots 31 was a great episode. You just knew that sooner or later Lilan would be taking to the sky. I guess the good old approach of putting one in danger to learn a skill paid off. I mean toss people into the ocean to learn how to swim, jump off a cliff to learn how to fly . Luckily it worked or it would have been an odd way to finish the episode.

Once again get that Uncle advertising "hey I'm a villlain". Yeah I'd expect a guy like him loves to manipulate things and look down on others.

Evil teacher (who cares about his name ) still leaves me worried. I mean the guy goes around poisoning people. Maybe they can kill him and have the two goofballs bury him in the back somewhere?

[rabbitking]

Episode 31 just made me want to stop watching this series. I was hoping they really wouldn't have Erin flying on the Lilan's back, but in hoping I kind of expected it. It reminded me that this show is a sucky family anime, and children watching it must have been put in a state of awe. It would've been awesome if Lilan had crashed into the sea and broke a wing.

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by rabbitking

It would've been awesome if Lilan had crashed into the sea and broke a wing.

If that's what you're looking for, then yes, you're more likely to find it elsewhere. Best of luck to you. But what took you 31 episodes to realize that?

[Arabesque]

Originally Posted by rabbitking

Episode 31 just made me want to stop watching this series. I was hoping they really wouldn't have Erin flying on the Lilan's back, but in hoping I kind of expected it. It reminded me that this show is a sucky family anime, and children watching it must have been put in a state of awe. It would've been awesome if Lilan had crashed into the sea and broke a wing.

It was pretty clear that KnS was targeting a younger audience from the very first episode, and if you managed to make it to the 31st episode that fact must have been obvious at this point.

Personally, I thought that Lilan's first flight was among the shows best scenes thus far (and that is saying a lot, considering that this show is filled with them). Aside from the recycled scenes, my only other nitpick is that I wished they went with another remix version of Shizuku like they did in episode 29. Other than that small complaint, I loved every bit from what was presented. Brilliant stuff.

As for the Family/Children's show thing, I always thought that it was a ridiculous reason to stop watching. Yes, it is a series aimed at kids, and I don't see that as any reason for giving it a minus for doing so. It is a well-written, has some really good themes that I don't find ridicules or rehashed and does not insult the intelligence of its viewers which allows viewers from all ages to enjoy it to enjoy it. I honestly wish there were more animes were like KnS.

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Evil teacher (who cares about his name ) still leaves me worried. I mean the guy goes around poisoning people. Maybe they can kill him and have the two goofballs bury him in the back somewhere?

While he did manage to set up his creepy teacher image nicely during the episode, I thought that from the moment he envisioned Erin as his sister, he lost some of his threatening aura and already set for a good-guy/redemption ending. Not that I think he will be automatically be a better person or stops from trying to rat out Erin secret mind you.