(L) Tari Tari

[Midonin]

Because of my internet upbringing and personal tastes, I never questioned the scene for a minute, nor do I feel some need to explain why I enjoyed it even though it was "unrealistic". Believability is more important to me than realism, and I bought everything Wien had going on. Group costumes and roll calls, and standing up triumphantly while giving heroic speeches - all of those feel as natural to me as any drama.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Maybe that was the whole point - Wien started singing to try to psyche out the thief until more help could arrive. If so, it looks like his plan worked.

I think he was more trying to psyche himself up.

Originally Posted by Arya

About Wakana I tend to agree with Kazu-kun about her passion for music, she sings because that connects her to her mother. We have always seen her playing music with her mother, so it difficult to know if she really was passionate or was simply mimicking her mother.

On the contrary. In her mother's last months, there was a rift between them. Her greatest regret, maybe: she studied music seriously instead of spending time doing music with her mother in her (the mother's) terms, just having fun. I think she gave up music in part as a punishment for that.

[Dextro]

Well that was a good episode. Completely cheesy for the last stretch there but I was loving every step of the way. You don't really need everything to be completely realistic every time. Sometimes you need that tiny bit of randomness that makes us, the viewers, smile and enjoy ourselves. I think that a big problem with many anime has been that they just can't lighten up for a tad to let the viewer breathe and they end up either too melodramatic or sprinkled with mood whiplash moments that just swing completely on the opposite direction at random (Kokoro Connect has had a couple such episodes btw).

Also: I just can't believe the timing with Triple_R posting the Power Rangers photoshop and the current episode. They must be watching us! Either that or Triple_R is actually a plant to gauge our interests. Admit it! (JK)

On a more serious note let me add that Hashimoto Masakazu is probably a name to mark down on our watch-list. I know it's a bit early and we should wait for the end of the run but this is his first time writing a TV series he's made a fantastic job at it. Couple that with the very well received Professor Layton movie that he also directed and you have two high positives in a row. I'll stay tuned for what he directs (and/or writes) next at least.

[Sphire]

I was randomly wondering if Wien chased the thief simply because he was in GanbaRed Mode and got carried away, but then I remembered him doing something similar when that Spanish dude was chasing Wakana. So he does have that hero mentality in him. Just, the suit brings out the song

[Infinite Zenith]

Originally Posted by Sphire

I was randomly wondering if Wien chased the thief simply because he was in GanbaRed Mode and got carried away, but then I remembered him doing something similar when that Spanish dude was chasing Wakana. So he does have that hero mentality in him. Just, the suit brings out the song

Or rather, the suit accentuates his inner hero. Upon rewatching it, this moment just made my list

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

On the contrary. In her mother's last months, there was a rift between them. Her greatest regret, maybe: she studied music seriously instead of spending time doing music with her mother in her (the mother's) terms, just having fun. I think she gave up music in part as a punishment for that.

I agree with you in general, what I'm not sure, or I didn't feel, is the passion factor in Wakana. Studying something doesn't imply passion, and the regret is more related to Wakana's refusing her mother (her attitude) having the music as the mean, not the substance. It's the same for the punishment.
Tari Tari has been explicit more or less on that matter with the other characters. Sawa and Badmin-kun have passion, Konatsu and Wein not (ok, Wein is questionable ) Wakana seems to fall in between, mostly for her mother issue, sure. But the show was quite unclear on that matter.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Arya

Wakana seems to fall in between, mostly for her mother issue, sure. But the show was quite unclear on that matter.

I like that about her character. She's a little more complex than the others. She doesn't know exactly what she wants (we see this again in that "interview" with Ohana) but she puts all her mind into the task at hand (the song) anyway. Her lack of direction doesn't undermine her drive, and that shows both how much she loves her mother and how strong willed she is.

I think at this moment Wakana's passion lies mainly on her mother and her friends. Music is her mean to bring all those things together.

[Sphire]

I don't really think we should segregate each character into having only 1 passion. That's not true in real life so why impose it here?

I think it's unfair to chastise Konatsu and say she isn't passionate/driven. Her only slip was with the Condor Queens. A group she has fond memories of and reminds her of her grandad (who we can assume has passed). So in essence, she also has a passion for the Condor Queens and was starstruck. Give the girl some slack. And it relates to her grandad, and a passion for family can always be implicitly assumed. Real artist/sportspeople have passion for their field, but that doesn't mean they don't have the same passion for family members or anything else really.

Badmin-dude has a passion for badminton, but we also saw how he didn't choose to go to the better badminton school because he idolised someone at his current high school (his sister?). Does this suddenly imply he isn't fully committed to badminton? Not really, it's just a mixture of passions.

Same with Wakana. I think she really enjoys music, seen from her singing in this latest episode, and from her singing in the club room the first time. But she obviously loves her mom, and wants to keep her memories of her close to heart. I don't think it belittles her passion, it just intersects. You could even say the same thing about Wakana's mom, did she really have passion for music, or was she using it to get closer to her child? It shouldn't matter when the person loves both aspects. Even if Wakana doesn't continue professionally, doing it as a hobby doesn't necessarily detract from it. Especially when you see how professionals can be forced into producing artificial music to please publishers. That'll suck the passion right out of you.

Sawa's a bit more set, which kinda makes her case extra sad in that regard. But she still took the time out to help Konatsu in the first place.

I'm growing to like Konatsu more and more. She's reminding me of Tenma from School Rumble. The aloof one that rarely gets serious/dramatic, but is the gel that holds the group tight.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Dextro

Well that was a good episode. Completely cheesy for the last stretch there but I was loving every step of the way. You don't really need everything to be completely realistic every time. Sometimes you need that tiny bit of randomness that makes us, the viewers, smile and enjoy ourselves. I think that a big problem with many anime has been that they just can't lighten up for a tad to let the viewer breathe and they end up either too melodramatic or sprinkled with mood whiplash moments that just swing completely on the opposite direction at random (Kokoro Connect has had a couple such episodes btw).

I completely agree. While I like Kokoro Connect, it rarely make me smile, and it doesn't make me happy in that giddy kiddish way, like Tari Tari sometimes does (to be fair, Tari Tari rarely intellectually engages me the way that Kokoro Connect does).

There's something I like to call "the Fun Factor". It's basically the main reason why Saki is amongst my all-time favorite anime shows (yes, the yuri certainly helps a lot too, but if the mahjong matches were played entirely realistic/straight, I'd never like Saki anywhere near as much as I do).

The Fun Factor is basically moments of extreme cool, scenes where characters get to be larger-than-life winners, and basically where things become flashier than normal and are executed for maximum entertainment value. TTGL is another good example of an anime show with a strong "Fun Factor", given its many flashy GAR moments.

The Fun Factor has to be used carefully. Too much of it, and nobody will take the show seriously at all. But carefully timed and placed bits of the Fun Factor adds some real color, magic, and pizazz to a show.

Tari Tari, imo, has just the right amount of Fun Factor. It puts the cherry on top of its overall "Fell Good" narrative.

Also: I just can't believe the timing with Triple_R posting the Power Rangers photoshop and the current episode. They must be watching us! Either that or Triple_R is actually a plant to gauge our interests. Admit it! (JK)

I've actually been working for PA Works for some time now. Why do you think I critique KyoAni so often?

On a more serious note let me add that Hashimoto Masakazu is probably a name to mark down on our watch-list. I know it's a bit early and we should wait for the end of the run but this is his first time writing a TV series he's made a fantastic job at it. Couple that with the very well received Professor Layton movie that he also directed and you have two high positives in a row. I'll stay tuned for what he directs (and/or writes) next at least.

Agreed.

[Theo]

AAAH! They're singing! They're singing, Marge! Why aren't they killing each other?!

Here comes Sawa, thank God. She's always drunk and violent!

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Arya

I agree with you in general, what I'm not sure, or I didn't feel, is the passion factor in Wakana. Studying something doesn't imply passion, and the regret is more related to Wakana's refusing her mother (her attitude) having the music as the mean, not the substance. It's the same for the punishment.
Tari Tari has been explicit more or less on that matter with the other characters. Sawa and Badmin-kun have passion, Konatsu and Wein not (ok, Wein is questionable ) Wakana seems to fall in between, mostly for her mother issue, sure. But the show was quite unclear on that matter.

I'm not sure what would qualify as passion for you, but Wakana was certainly committed.

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

I like that about her character. She's a little more complex than the others. She doesn't know exactly what she wants (we see this again in that "interview" with Ohana) but she puts all her mind into the task at hand (the song) anyway. Her lack of direction doesn't undermine her drive, and that shows both how much she loves her mother and how strong willed she is.

I think at this moment Wakana's passion lies mainly on her mother and her friends. Music is her mean to bring all those things together.

Agreed. That what I like of her too.

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

I'm not sure what would qualify as passion for you, but Wakana was certainly committed.

What I'm trying to say is that Wakana is resolute, strong-willed in whatever she does. But it doesn't imply necessarily "passion".
Speaking of which, what I intend for passion is what make you resolute on that thing, dedicated, something on which you would lose hours over without having enough. Even on the boring things. Just because you love it.
That's what Wakana is lacking on music right now, and it was even pointed out by the show. Since she is a really resolute person, she is facing the song composing with resolution, not with passion, and for the same reason she doesn't make progress. She is not having fun doing it (not the same having fun of Konatsu btw). I don't know if she has no passion toward music, if she buried it or if she lost it. But until now what I saw is determination, not passion. And as Kazu-kun has well explained, that's what make Wakana Wakana.

To clarify anyways, I wasn't by any means judging Wakana or any other character by that. There's nothing wrong in not having a passion, even because they are young so they have time to find, if they will, what they love.

[Qilin]

Huh. This show has a habit of surprising me. After a couple or so relatively average episodes, I didn't expect to be left profoundly impressed by another episode. It's like that moment in a series where you can finally see the entire picture, and everything suddenly makes sense.

Of course, I'm talking about the confrontation between the vice-principal and Wakana. I've been waiting for this moment ever since since the relationship between the vice-principal and Wakana's mother became clear. Needless to say, I was not disappointed in the least. In fact, the vice-principal is probably the one character in this show I can rally behind. At the very least, she seems to me to be the most conflicted character in the show.

Right now, it interests me how she ended up going down an entirely different musical path from Mahiru (Wakana's mother). One possibility is that they simply drifted apart. Another is that it was pressure from society that caused her to become that way. I'm more inclined to go with the latter though, since it's pretty clear that now and then Naoko (the vice-principal) held Mahiru in high esteem. But then it really becomes even stranger how she became so rigid and uptight if she still held Mahiru's views so close to her heart. Maybe there's some self-loathing involved here. How did she become so intent on suppressing the music of liberation and expression that her best friend once cherished?

The rest of the episode was fun as usual, but it all paled in comparison to this one scene for me.

[Cipher]

Why does wikipedia say it has a "Shounen" demographic?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Cipher

Why does wikipedia say it has a "Shounen" demographic?

I think that's probably about as good of a genre placement as any. I assume it may have to do with the magazine where the manga version is running in (Gangan Joker, a shounen magazine). All anime tend to also attract an older audience than the genre-listing indicates anyway (some of the most popular franchises among fans of all ages and gender are shounen action shows, for example).

[Anh_Minh]

Also, now that the prologue's just about over, it'll be revealed that the sentai suits really give the wearers powers (why they were able to catch up to a guy on bicycle) and they'll start to fight monsters or something.

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I've actually been working for PA Works for some time now. Why do you think I critique KyoAni so often?

I should have known!

PS: and I can't believe I forgot to use the "Coincidence? I think not!" punchline there.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Cipher

Why does wikipedia say it has a "Shounen" demographic?

No, wikipedia indicates that shounen is the demographic of the manga adaptation, which is true, since it runs in Gangan Joker (a shounen manga magazine).

The anime isn't shounen, it's an original anime.

[Midonin]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

The anime isn't shounen, it's an original anime.

It can be both of those.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Midonin

It can be both of those.

But there's no way to know because unlike manga publishers, anime producers don't disclose their target demographic. It might be implied in some cases, but for the most part it's never stated. Plus their target doesn't necessarily overlap with the target of the manga adaptation (if there is one), so it's not that you can use that as an indication either.