(L) Katanagatari

[Daniel Lind]

Don't tell me it was because of Daniel Lind's trailer.....

To the contrary, I used Mazui's translation when subtitling the trailer.
They posted names for all 12 swords with the first episode on their website.
I know what they did is not quite perfect but I find their subs to be the best overall (Frostii... don't make me start on it) so I kinda went for consistency there.

[omimon]

Originally Posted by Daniel Lind

To the contrary, I used Mazui's translation when subtitling the trailer.
They posted names for all 12 swords with the first episode on their website.
I know what they did is not quite perfect but I find their subs to be the best overall (Frostii... don't make me start on it) so I kinda went for consistency there.

I see, I see, well if i was up to me I would would say that most of the names are right except that I would called the fourth one "The Thin" and the fifth one "The Bandit". And yea, Mazui is definitely one of the if not the best fansub group in the whole community.

[Remilia]

Spoiler for voice actors:

vs

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Freeter

I hope next ep's preview is another brilliant troll and we end up getting more collarbone action

Yeah it's impossible to trust the preview for episode five.

Though i do like what i see, and hope the episode follows up on that. I loved this epic troll of an episode, though i hope things go back to normal for the next episode. Troll episodes are best when there's only one.

[Hypernova]

Originally Posted by alu546

Also, what makes Nanami scary is not that she is so sadistic, which she is, its that because of her background that she doesnt understand what level of pain is inhumane. Shes kinda like her brother on some levels of ignorance.

But damn...........it wouldntt surprise me if the reason their father got isolated was to keep his daughter contained.

She has felt all the pain there is to be felt since childhood, nature is kind of compensating for giving her such overwhelming power. If she was healthy she would have probably depopulated Japan by now.

I'm taking that part of her sadism is taking that frustration out on people when she gets the chance.

[tsunade666]

then I don't want to be the one who she vent her frustration on.

[clarakiss~]

i think shichika's father chose him as a family head was cuz he was someone that had a good heart while his sister nanami was just too dangerous to begin with. she seems to enjoy torturing and killing without any remorse. i don't get why she's planning on intruding in the sword hunt. maybe her little brother will need her help later on.. who knows? or her sadistic side will get the better of her and become a villian in the end?

[Haak]

That is quite possibly the biggest piss-take i've ever seen...

Regardless, my observations of this episode.

Spoiler for episode 4:

Yet another hint that Shichika really is a deconstruction of the Raised By Wolves archetype. Togame is already starting to doubt.

So Katanagatari is set over 100 after Musashi defeated Kojiro. That would make it the 18th century, around the end of the Edo Period. Does that mean we might see Bakumatsu? Probably not but that would be interesting.

It's interesting that for supposedly bad guys these Maniwa ninjas actually seemed pretty nice. It's clear to me that they'll be protrayed and less black and more grey as the story goes on.

...and Nanami provides a very creepy contrast...

They didn't really need to go THAT far to portray the rest of the insect squad as nice guys. I think that was just a little too much. They even decided to have that Bee guy outright state it.

Nanami was deliciously evil in her fights. Well I suppose a more correct term would be amoral. Definitely a deconstruction of the Raised By Wolved archetype.

[Deadwings]

Originally Posted by clarakiss~

i think shichika's father chose him as a family head was cuz he was someone that had a good heart while his sister nanami was just too dangerous to begin with. she seems to enjoy torturing and killing without any remorse. i don't get why she's planning on intruding in the sword hunt. maybe her little brother will need her help later on.. who knows? or her sadistic side will get the better of her and become a villian in the end?

She's alone, and (probably) very bored, that should be enough for her to join the search But I don't think she will. If she does, the search will become... too easy?

[Daniel Lind]

Now that I think about it, I would somewhat enjoy a version of Katanagatari in which Nanami is the leader of Kyotouryuu and travels with Togame to collect the twelve swords.

Oh the implications!

[Sol Falling]

Are you talking yuri ones? Yeah, that'd be quite awesome.

As for why Nanami's leaving the island...her "Thanks to you, I've now learned for the first time how to wield a sword" line is totally ominous and I'm now seriously dreading the day she becomes a villain.

[klare]

as i have suspected, the sister is actually stronger, but the way she acts still surprised me

in that few minutes when Nanami was doing her thing with that praying mantis ninja, i felt cold sweat on my back, and using the seiyuu of Rena from Higurashi is an excellent choice

it seems inevitable Nanami will be the final boss that Shichika have to face, if he really want to be the strongest in Japan

eps 4 raised my rating for this show

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

As for why Nanami's leaving the island...her "Thanks to you, I've now learned for the first time how to wield a sword" line is totally ominous and I'm now seriously dreading the day she becomes a villain.

Yeah she's totally last boss material, though the way i see it using her for that would totally spoil what we've seen in episode four. Guess it really does depend if she leaves the island or not. Impossible to tell at this point.

[TinyRedLeaf]

It's been a long time away from anime for me now, and to return with a series like Katanagatari is refreshing indeed.

Have got up to Ep2 and, thus far, I highly enjoy the colourful art style, the witty puns and banter reminiscent of Bakemonogatari and, most of all, the pathos of the chambara setting.

Definitely a keeper, for me at least. Now for the other stuff I've missed from this season and last.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by clarakiss~

i think shichika's father chose him as a family head was cuz he was someone that had a good heart while his sister nanami was just too dangerous to begin with. she seems to enjoy torturing and killing without any remorse.

Shichika's remorseless enough himself. He might have been too dumb to think of questions to ask, and torture might not have occurred to him in the first place (or taking prisoners, for that matter), but he wouldn't have batted an eyelash either.

I don't think he'd have enjoyed it, though. Sadism's too intellectual for him.

Originally Posted by Haak

It's interesting that for supposedly bad guys these Maniwa ninjas actually seemed pretty nice. It's clear to me that they'll be protrayed and less black and more grey as the story goes on.

Hm, hello? "The brother is too strong, so we'll kidnap his sister so we can kill him" isn't nice. They may have found themselves mugging a monster, but they're still muggers. Or kidnappers, thieves and murderers, anyway. All that can be said is that they're nice and loyal to each other.

...and Nanami provides a very creepy contrast...

They didn't really need to go THAT far to portray the rest of the insect squad as nice guys. I think that was just a little too much. They even decided to have that Bee guy outright state it.

Nanami was deliciously evil in her fights. Well I suppose a more correct term would be amoral. Definitely a deconstruction of the Raised By Wolved archetype.

Yes. Then again, she did take the trouble of burying them (which on her stamina can't have been fun) and to pray for them. She's one of anime's scariest women, right up there with Balalaika, I won't deny it. But she's not 100% evil, either.

[Daniel Lind]

Dunno about Nanami as a final boss... You'd think shadowy figures in the opening video are much more suspicious.

[Sol Falling]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Hm, hello? "The brother is too strong, so we'll kidnap his sister so we can kill him" isn't nice. They lay have found themselves mugging a monster, but they're still muggers. Or kidnappers, thieves and murderers, anyway. All that can be said is that they're nice and loyal to each other.

:P You gotta admit the "Even Kuizame, who was practically a murderer in a ninja outfit" line was cute though, and says a great deal about these guys' mentality. At least in one insect squad member's view, guys like Kuizame are far from the standards for ninja decency.

[SquirrelLuvsPnut]

I think all of the Maniwa ninjas couldbeniceintheir own right, but in the case of Koumori (squee!!!), Shirasagi, and Kuizame, they didn't get a chance to show their nicer sides. I was hopeing we'd get to see a little bit of that in Maniwagatari.

[alu546]

If Nanami were a final boss, Shichikia would lose. Just saying.

She probably just ends up helping him with his style.

Also, some evil doers are unstoppable monsters, but not all unstoppable monsters are evil doers. Shes quite something, but it was all selfdefense in the end.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Hm, hello? "The brother is too strong, so we'll kidnap his sister so we can kill him" isn't nice. They lay have found themselves mugging a monster, but they're still muggers. Or kidnappers, thieves and murderers, anyway. All that can be said is that they're nice and loyal to each other.

Okay fine, the darker kind of grey, then. Remember the first Maniwa and how he was trying to point out how manipulative Togame truly was? And one of the Maniwa's this episode suggested the reason they betrayed Togame was to help the 'Maniwa village'. I'm not saying they're good guys, but I do think that the author intends them to come across as more and more grey. I'm sure you could've seen the contrast between them and that cute little sociopath they just unleashed.