(L) Kokoro Connect [anime]

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Blonto

I like how this episode added a number of smaller issues, such as getting an urge to stuff yourself with food, or sleeping in when you feel like it or yelling something random in public. I like that about Kokoro Connect, not every instance when the gimmick is on will be a world shattering event nor a completely irrelevant comedy/fanservice scene.

Agreed. And it makes sense if you think about it. Everybody has those particular urges (for sleep, food, and/or breaking tension) at one time or another.

Inaba must be envious of the fact that Taichi feels such a strong need to help others, which is the opposite of hers.

I don't think it's envy, per se. I think that Inaba is genuinely worried that Taichi could get himself killed, or at least seriously hurt, if he doesn't start putting himself first sometimes.

That being said, I think Inaba really does feel like she isn't good enough for Taichi, and that eats her up inside. But it's not a question of envy, so much as it's an issue of "There's this great guy I wish I could measure up to, and be with, but I don't feel like I can".

I can't remember the last time I've seen a male lead show some spine against a female.

Yeah, same here. That was a very gratifying moment to me for that reason alone. Now if only this could happen without needing a gimmick like the one of this arc.

[Blonto]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Agreed. And it makes sense if you think about it. Everybody has those particular urges (for sleep, food, and/or breaking tension) at one time or another.

It can be pretty funny to see the kinds of weird things people hide due to manners and I'm glad the anime doesn't just add fanservice scene after fanservice scene to show that. There's awkwardness in smaller things, too.

I don't think it's envy, per se. I think that Inaba is genuinely worried that Taichi could get himself killed, or at least seriously hurt, if he doesn't start putting himself first sometimes.
That being said, I think Inaba really does feel like she isn't good enough for Taichi, and that eats her up inside. But it's not a question of envy, so much as it's an issue of "There's this great guy I wish I could measure up to, and be with, but I don't feel like I can".

That's part of it, sure. But she said she hates herself for not trusting anyone, meaning that she can value trust even if she's not very capable of it. I think it'd be normal for her to envy a person to whom all this comes so easily and naturally. Then again, I still don't see what makes Taichi a "selfless freak". His desire to help just seems more pronounced because his friends don't do much for eachother (sadly the show tends to suffer from main-character-centricity).

Yeah, same here. That was a very gratifying moment to me for that reason alone. Now if only this could happen without needing a gimmick like the one of this arc.

It'll probably be a long time before a male character gets to stand his ground against a girl, but we might be making progress. :P

[Arya]

Apparently HS has hit the mark this time. But be careful HS, what if the game breaks? Maybe this time he'll have to mend things up instead of pushing them.

Anyways, probably this is the best episode so far. Even aoki looked less Aoki than usual, even Iori noticed that Ok, he didn't develop much, but at least he lost the dumb aura. Given that this was an Inaba episode, that's enough. Even the dialogues, no exaggerated nor just plain. Just right.

This time more than usual Inaba dictated times and moods of the episode to the point that just before her outburst I was thinking that was even too much, but after her outburst everything went to the right place. She caught me half off-guard. Well done.
Anyways, the big target was hit by the recoil. To be honest the only thing I can except to her was the tone, the way she told Yui the matter. But she basically explained Yui what HS said to her before, about the "staying closed in a room" strategy. But in fact the real target wasn't Yui, who was already out, but Inaba herself.
Then Iori snapped at school and I also got surprised by Taichi "getting distracted" (?) by Inaba behavior. Has her not living up to his expectations been enough to leave Iori alone? (Anyways Fujishima rescuing her was cute and reinforce that pairing!!). That could be the first hint on how much Taichi cares for her (but is too dense to see things). I hope Taichi is starting to see through Inaba's walls (or even Iori, but Iori situation is really more complex and they basically don't interact with each other on-screen). But so far the only one who can see trough the others is Inaba (that explains why she is so good manipulating them). The other four, as Aoki said even not being his point, just focus on the surrounding, to the surface. And Taichi is in the front row. How could he close the matter just saying he'll call her tomorrow?

And dat train? To be honest the idea didn't ever cross my mind, I think she is too smart for that, but now that you pointed it out... well, even Inaba pointing out how dangerous this situation is for Taichi ('cause he could die just to save someone else) feels just a bit like when she pointed out how Iori should have been the more damaged by the body swap when inaba really was.
It's like Inaba reflects her own fears / issues toward the others, meant or not by the authors. Even with Yui, she said "to not expecting people's help just because you cry". That just looks more like a trust issue, doesn't it? Like what she thinks is "I don't cry because I know nobody will help me". Going a bit further it works like a self-defense against letdowns, I don't ask so I won't be disappointed by you not helping me (or not being able to help me, that's depends on how high her expectations are).
About the train, If I had to guess I would bet on Taichi or Aoki more than Inaba.

[Anh_Minh]

I think she feels sorry for herself. Everyone always relies on her to be the brains of the outfit, the boys are always giving their all to help Iori and Yui... but when can she be the damsel in distress and just let the others cover for her? Why is it alright for Yui to hide in her room, but not for her to run away from dangerous or painful situations?

[frivolity]

Did anyone find it weird that Taichi sent an email to his younger sister to apologise? They live in the same house after all. If it were me I would have apologised face to face, or slipped a handwritten note under her room door.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by frivolity

Did anyone find it weird that Taichi sent an email to his younger sister to apologise? They live in the same house after all. If it were me I would have apologised face to face, or slipped a handwritten note under her room door.

Email probably refers to their text msg.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by frivolity

Did anyone find it weird that Taichi sent an email to his younger sister to apologise? They live in the same house after all. If it were me I would have apologised face to face, or slipped a handwritten note under her room door.

His sister was at school. He wanted to reassure her as soon as possible.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Blonto

Then again, I still don't see what makes Taichi a "selfless freak". His desire to help just seems more pronounced because his friends don't do much for eachother (sadly the show tends to suffer from main-character-centricity).

It's not Taichi's desire to help that's so exceptional (you're right, that's just standard 'good friend' stuff; maybe a bit above average, but nothing 'Wowsers!'). It's his willingness to seriously hurt himself while doing so that's exceptional.

It'll probably be a long time before a male character gets to stand his ground against a girl, but we might be making progress. :P

Hopefully so!

Originally Posted by frivolity

Did anyone find it weird that Taichi sent an email to his younger sister to apologise? They live in the same house after all. If it were me I would have apologised face to face, or slipped a handwritten note under her room door.

I guess he forgot to apologize until he arrived at school, and then he didn't want to wait any longer to apologize to her, so he sent her a quick e-mail/text.

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

I think she feels sorry for herself. Everyone always relies on her to be the brains of the outfit, the boys are always giving their all to help Iori and Yui... but when can she be the damsel in distress and just let the others cover for her? Why is it alright for Yui to hide in her room, but not for her to run away from dangerous or painful situations?

Yes, she feels sorry for herself and that was the trigger for her outburst. But the problem is that she acts and reacts to avoid to be seen in that position, damsel in distress, even if she was, because she fears the others wouldn't help her. So, she wouldn't hide in her room, even if she would like to, that was her very first thought back then, when she asked that to HS. Her low self-esteem already makes her think she doesn't deserve any care, so now she's avoiding people's confirmation of that thought of hers. In her mind everything make sense even if it is frustrating.
Unlikely Taichi hit that spot hard. She is not good.
Well, I'm curious to see how they handle an episode w/o the princess. Assuming that she will stay away from the group.

[ThereminVox]

Originally Posted by Arya

Well, I'm curious to see how they handle an episode w/o the princess. Assuming that she will stay away from the group.

I think so too. They started the arc with five active members. This week it was down to four. The second to last scene lingered on the three bags in the clubroom signifying Himeko had tapped out, and next week's episode is "And Then There Were None" so I'm thinking it gets worse before it gets better.

Going back to the more meta discussion on Taichi's outburst at Inaban, who like many anime girls gets away with a fair amount of both physical and verbal abuse on her male clubmates: I agree that from a removed perspective, it's actually kind of refreshing. All the more so because of Taichi's nature. Perhaps that's Heartseed's idea of making him more "interesting." Also, fuck Heartseed.

In context, of course, I found the damage he caused pretty affecting, partly due to Miyuki Sawashiro's delivery during her response. While she's always been pretty great, she's damn near broken my heart twice now in this show. As for Taichi's grievances, he's got a good argument from his perspective, but it shows a fundamental lack of understanding of Inaban's character. I'm not faulting him for that, of course, because Inaban has been deliberately obfuscating her insecurities and motivations from the start.

So yes, I'm glad they had him do that. It didn't make it any easier to watch in the moment, but it's breaking with the formula, and that's usually a good thing in KC's case. Case in point: Fujishima. After episode 1, who would guessed she would be such a total bro helpful class rep?

[Lantern]

Stuff to lighten up:

Images

For Thy Iori Ship

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[sikvod00]

Ahh, Iori. I just can't get enough of girls with cute little moles.

[SPARTAN 119]

Originally Posted by sikvod00

Ahh, Iori. I just can't get enough of girls with cute little moles.

Now that you mention it, for the first few episodes, I kept thinking Iori's mole was something on the screen and trying to wipe it off!

[evil|plushie]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I guess he forgot to apologize until he arrived at school, and then he didn't want to wait any longer to apologize to her, so he sent her a quick e-mail/text.

I thought he didn't wake up until AFTER his sister had gone to school?

[Kenju of the Right]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN 119

Now that you mention it, for the first few episodes, I kept thinking Iori's mole was something on the screen and trying to wipe it off!

That's what I was totally thinking in the first episode too

[Lantern]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN 119

Now that you mention it, for the first few episodes, I kept thinking Iori's mole was something on the screen and trying to wipe it off!

Originally Posted by Kenju of the Right

That's what I was totally thinking in the first episode too

You guys are so mean It's a beauty mark man, beauty mark!

[Kenju of the Right]

xD It's just I don't see it much, a lot of characters in animes have the clearest of faces so I didn't expect it

[Sphire]

So, my thoughts about the latest episode. Overall I liked it, and I think it was because Super Taichi didn't swoop in to solve someone's problem. He didn't magically get Yui out of her funk.

There were also a few light hearted moments. Mostly to do with simple urges. Some hit or miss, but I'd prefer meh comedy to fanservice.

I really liked how Yui made it absolutely clear, in that while these outbursts aren't controllable, they are nevertheless how that person really feels. That was great to see. Which gave more power then to the Taichi vs Inaba scene, since they both know they can't just shrug it off as 'I wasn't in control' anymore. Which is why I think Taichi knew he couldn't really simply apologise (although he tries to later, so maybe I'm over-reading things).

Having said that, some parts still feel a bit contrived. Mostly Inaba's feelings towards Taichi. Might just be me, but how she points out that 'Guess I'm not good enough for you' kinda oversells the point. From the looks of it, Taichi probably didn't fully understand the point anyway. Couple that with the train scene.

More and more, I'm thinking Taichi's just a good-willed dumbass. I felt Inaba was right (more like there is no right or wrong answer) in not wanting to see Yui, because her outburst was how she felt. So it was likely to happen again, which wouldn't help Yui at all. So a valid point. Taichi just can't take that as an excuse over a 'must do good deeds' mentality (which is bordering force). Kinda like how he was willing to switch bodies with Iori (although there was 'love' involved too, ie. would he have been so eager if it was Aoki who almost died?), but switching would mean Iori would be in his body, a man's body, with a whole different life, forever, a fate perhaps worse than death.

Other than that, I also think Inaba's outburst against Yui was also against herself. She's annoyed someone's doing something she wants to do. Although, to be honest, I think Yui has every right to do what she wants anyway (again, more like no right or wrong answer), all the more since her reasons are sound. The main issue here being HeartSeed's an ass (but a kind ass, given how he didn't ignite the probable desire with regards to the train scene).

And Fujishima needs more screen time! Love her words in the preview for the next episode too!

[Silvance]

Things escalated far more than what I expected. I'm rather curious why Taichi didn't go and follow up with Iori. I thought for sure his desire to protect/help her would kick in, but it didn't. Maybe the situation wasn't dire enough? D:

Good episode nonetheless. I'm loving the tension and drama for this new story arc.

[Lantern]

Originally Posted by Sphire

Having said that, some parts still feel a bit contrived. Mostly Inaba's feelings towards Taichi. Might just be me, but how she points out that 'Guess I'm not good enough for you' kinda oversells the point. From the looks of it, Taichi probably didn't fully understand the point anyway. Couple that with the train scene.

For that scene I want to point out that it might be a translation ambiguity.
Taichi's line was more towards that of "I'm disappointed that you're only that sort of (low sort of) people." Meaning he normally sees her as a respectable figure and now learn that she's only the opposite sort.
And Inaba's respond was "I'm sorry that I'm merely that sort of people." which doesn't really imply any feelings (towards Taichi) from the sentence itself, aside from being hurt for Taichi directly calling out her shadow and knowing that it's true.

Note, this is only and only from the sentence itself. While it may be true that coming from Taichi would hurt her more than it should, but I don't think she's trying to imply anything else towards Taichi with that respond.

"Guess I'm not good enough for you" felt a little ambiguous in that sense, for me at least.

Originally Posted by Sphire

The main issue here being HeartSeed's an ass (but a kind ass, given how he didn't ignite the probable desire with regards to the train scene).

Not so sure about the "kind" part. I mean if you're the troll master and you want to maximize your enjoyment value, you wouldn't want to kill off your "toy" amirite? Reasonable, yes. But definitely not kind.