AnimeSuki Forums

Guardian Enzo · 2007-05-03, 22:47

Reading the comments about this episode, they pretty much capture the magic of the series: "Nothing much happened, I loved it anyway." "I was hoping something would happen, but..." This show is all about the journey, not the destination. I see elements of Petepeto-San, Kanon, Zettai Shonen (the good arc), Mahoraba... Certain anime are all about the way they feel and the way they make you feel, and this is one of them. Solid 9/10 for me.

Dreaming of Kalissa · 2007-05-04, 08:20

Nice episode. I gave it 9, because it still is a bit slow, but it's gaining momentum. I like Guido's interpretations, I really haven't had the time to think about those things much, though I probably should have.

I think the thing that stood out most for me this episode was that I finally got the answer to Mana's frequently asked question, "Where do you get that confidence from?"

Short answer, from oneesan (Aono). I actually think that Aono likes the dolls as much as Matsuri does, though perhaps not for the same reason. Aono thinks they're ugly (or Yorito has no taste, more specifically) but they're from Yorito, so she keeps them. Whereas I think Matsuri has the same tastes as Yorito (at least in terms of weird-looking dolls).

I can't imagine Aono having been in hospital all her life though, the kind of relationship she has with Yorito implies they must have lived together for a while at least. Btw, don't kids in Japan have parents? What a massive cultural decline.

And I have to wonder, why is Matsuri getting chased at all? They really have to answer this soon, because atm it doesn't make much sense. She says that over time, she's been targeted, but she hasn't been sucking victims dry or causing rampage to cities and such, though I suppose she could have. But the more likely connection is with Takeshi and Mayuko, and it's possible that her backstory is just to stop Yorito from getting involved with them. I'm just speculating because I'm confused at the moment.

But this ep was about Aono and Koyori, and the interactions in this ep really adds to the sensitive side of Aono and the lonely side of Koyori, which they really both hide most of the time, except with their respective siblings, apparently. I really like all of the characters, and even though sometimes in these series the main boy character just doesn't cut it because he's just so blehh, Yorito's personality seems just complex enough to carry this series along.

**Solace** · 2007-05-04, 09:42

I agree, this character building is nice but they need to get the story moving forward. On that note, one more day till more Sola goodness!

Deathkillz · 2007-05-04, 13:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Kalissa

I can't imagine Aono having been in hospital all her life though, the kind of relationship she has with Yorito implies they must have lived together for a while at least. Btw, don't kids in Japan have parents? What a massive cultural decline.

only 2 possible answers here ~
1) they are away in some distant country trying to earn a living (and its not like the have a choice) or...
2) they are dead ~

Dreaming of Kalissa · 2007-05-04, 20:00

I'm inclined to think the second. Not because it's the preferable option, but because it creates a stronger dependence between Yorito and Aono. Still, I liked it back in the day when parents like the Miyazawas or Souichiros in Kare Kano existed.

Ascaloth · 2007-05-05, 01:12

Well, I finally got my connection back, and now I finally got to watch Episode 4. That said, the first thing I want to say is.....

CAUGHT: Animation Error from 16:41-16:51 of the Lunar sub!. When Koyori hugs Mana from 16:41, her left arm was wrapped around Mana's right.....but from 16:45-16:47, how come her arm is wrapped around Mana's waist, but Mana's left arm remains free? What's worse, from 16:47 onwards, Koyori's left arm is back wrapped around Mana's arm. Gotcha, Nomad!

Anyway, another nice little slice-of-life episode, centering around Aono and Koyori. It's good that they do not forget the side characters, but it makes me wonder how they're going to use the character development between them later on. If they're just gonna leave it hanging there, it will be a negative strike against them in my opinion. Anyway, this one gets another 8, as does all other anime episodes of this type done well.

On another note, it appears that even a reformat and a switch to VLC doesn't completely solve the problems I'm having with the Lunar x264s. Therefore, I'm permanently switching over to their .avis next time. Just thought I'll mention this, since I didn't even have this kind of problem with SS-Eclipse's h264s of Kanon 2006, and it really bugs me that KyoAni-level kami-sakuga quality anime doesn't lag on my computer, while the average sakuga level of Nomad does.

And a question; is there a reason why I keep seeing "J.C. Staff" on the credits? From what I can read of the kanji, it appears that they're in charge of rendering the backgrounds or something. Can someone confirm this?

WanderingKnight · 2007-05-06, 00:44

Quote:

On another note, it appears that even a reformat and a switch to VLC doesn't completely solve the problems I'm having with the Lunar x264s.

VLC sucks when it comes to softsubs, but as far as I'm concerned, there should be no problem with Lunar's, since it's hard-subbed (unlike Doremi's releases). If you mean you're having trouble on the opening, like me, well you probably should (unless you have CoreAVC, but that's a no-no if you run Linux, like me), the opening is full of speedy camera pans, which can kill framerate pretty quickly.

pirs · 2007-05-06, 20:02

very nice episode! Aono is soooooooo cute!!! <3<3<3

Kaioshin Sama · 2007-05-21, 17:34

Spoiler:

The plot advancement was non-existant in this episode really, but that wasn't the point this time, the point was character relationship development. I enjoyed how they continued off from the Matsuri/Mana relationship that has been developing from episode 3, and I also enjoyed the Koyori/Aono bit that was carried almost solely by Koyori (Who I must admit is now my favourite character. Impossibly Cutesy Loli With A Heart Of Gold). The Maria/Richter parts were kind of pointless though and they never really went anywhere with Matsuri or her apparent doll fetish. Two nitpicks are that the Koyori being hospitalized plot point came out of left field as they made no effor to make this apparent in the first 3 episodes that I saw, and that they had the opportunity to go somewhere with Matsuri and her doll thing, but didn't do it. Also, despite the fact that Aono smiled in this episode, she is still unbelievably dry and boring as a character. I think I will give this one a Seven Out of Ten.

One of the better character development episodes of the season, but has some pacing and plot point introduction issues.

View Poll Results: sola - Episode 4 Rating
Perfect 10	8	12.70%
9 out of 10 : Excellent	15	23.81%
8 out of 10 : Very Good	25	39.68%
7 out of 10 : Good	10	15.87%
6 out of 10 : Average	3	4.76%
5 out of 10 : Below Average	0	0%
4 out of 10 : Poor	1	1.59%
3 out of 10 : Bad	0	0%
2 out of 10 : Very Bad	0	0%
1 out of 10 : Painful	1	1.59%
Voters: 63. You may not vote on this poll

2007-05-04, 08:20	Link #62
Dreaming of Kalissa still dreaming... Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia	Nice episode. I gave it 9, because it still is a bit slow, but it's gaining momentum. I like Guido's interpretations, I really haven't had the time to think about those things much, though I probably should have. I think the thing that stood out most for me this episode was that I finally got the answer to Mana's frequently asked question, "Where do you get that confidence from?" Short answer, from oneesan (Aono). I actually think that Aono likes the dolls as much as Matsuri does, though perhaps not for the same reason. Aono thinks they're ugly (or Yorito has no taste, more specifically) but they're from Yorito, so she keeps them. Whereas I think Matsuri has the same tastes as Yorito (at least in terms of weird-looking dolls). I can't imagine Aono having been in hospital all her life though, the kind of relationship she has with Yorito implies they must have lived together for a while at least. Btw, don't kids in Japan have parents? What a massive cultural decline. And I have to wonder, why is Matsuri getting chased at all? They really have to answer this soon, because atm it doesn't make much sense. She says that over time, she's been targeted, but she hasn't been sucking victims dry or causing rampage to cities and such, though I suppose she could have. But the more likely connection is with Takeshi and Mayuko, and it's possible that her backstory is just to stop Yorito from getting involved with them. I'm just speculating because I'm confused at the moment. But this ep was about Aono and Koyori, and the interactions in this ep really adds to the sensitive side of Aono and the lonely side of Koyori, which they really both hide most of the time, except with their respective siblings, apparently. I really like all of the characters, and even though sometimes in these series the main boy character just doesn't cut it because he's just so blehh, Yorito's personality seems just complex enough to carry this series along. Last edited by Dreaming of Kalissa; 2007-05-04 at 08:41.

2007-05-04, 09:42	Link #63
Solace (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006	I agree, this character building is nice but they need to get the story moving forward. On that note, one more day till more Sola goodness! __________________

2007-05-06, 20:02	Link #68
pirs Yuki.N is love~ Join Date: Apr 2007 Age: 38	very nice episode! Aono is soooooooo cute!!! <3<3<3 __________________ Saimoe: serious business.

2007-05-21, 17:34	Link #69
Kaioshin Sama Banned Join Date: May 2004 Location: Neither Here nor There Age: 39	Spoiler: Well it seems this whole time Koyori has been in the hospital as well and considers the Doll Monster (Aono) a friend. Maybe they covered this, but I swear I don't recall the show mentioning she was in the hospital, and this seems like a very important plot detail. Anyway: Yorito: Has chalk thrown at him in class (This happened to me once in French class, only the teacher whipped it at the wall to get the classes attention and it would have hit me instead were it not for my quick reflexes). Later he goes to a doll shop to feed Matsuri's apparent obsession. Koyori: Has strange taste in friends. Later on she lolis it up to an almost absurd degree. As she starts to introduce herself to Aono, I'm wondering if at least part of this episode is occuring as a flashback, or if the show is caught in a time warp. Has learned to cover her head in the presence of Mana. Mana: Continues to build her relationship with Matsuri (Isn't it all to rare that the girls build a genuine relationship with the other girls in these shows, instead of only with the male lead. This is really good and I'm am left to wonder why they don't have these interwoven character relationships in every show). Continues to abuse loli's. Any time she appears on screen the loli factor of the scene seems to skyrocket exponentially as well. Matsuri: Obsessed with dolls. One would imagine her having a thing for this shows doll mascot Aono when they meet. The Doll: ENTHRALLING CHARACTER! Maria Renard: Surprise she's back at Mana's restaurant (who didn't see this coming). Not as good a loli as Koyori, needs to try harder. Richter Belmont: See Maria point 1. Seems infatuated with Maria. The plot advancement was non-existant in this episode really, but that wasn't the point this time, the point was character relationship development. I enjoyed how they continued off from the Matsuri/Mana relationship that has been developing from episode 3, and I also enjoyed the Koyori/Aono bit that was carried almost solely by Koyori (Who I must admit is now my favourite character. Impossibly Cutesy Loli With A Heart Of Gold). The Maria/Richter parts were kind of pointless though and they never really went anywhere with Matsuri or her apparent doll fetish. Two nitpicks are that the Koyori being hospitalized plot point came out of left field as they made no effor to make this apparent in the first 3 episodes that I saw, and that they had the opportunity to go somewhere with Matsuri and her doll thing, but didn't do it. Also, despite the fact that Aono smiled in this episode, she is still unbelievably dry and boring as a character. I think I will give this one a Seven Out of Ten. One of the better character development episodes of the season, but has some pacing and plot point introduction issues.

2007-05-03, 22:47	Link #61
Guardian Enzo Seishu's Ace Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kobe, Japan	Reading the comments about this episode, they pretty much capture the magic of the series: "Nothing much happened, I loved it anyway." "I was hoping something would happen, but..." This show is all about the journey, not the destination. I see elements of Petepeto-San, Kanon, Zettai Shonen (the good arc), Mahoraba... Certain anime are all about the way they feel and the way they make you feel, and this is one of them. Solid 9/10 for me.

2007-05-04, 20:00	Link #65
Dreaming of Kalissa still dreaming... Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia	I'm inclined to think the second. Not because it's the preferable option, but because it creates a stronger dependence between Yorito and Aono. Still, I liked it back in the day when parents like the Miyazawas or Souichiros in Kare Kano existed.

2007-05-05, 01:12	Link #66
Ascaloth I don't give a damn, dude Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: In Despair Age: 37	Well, I finally got my connection back, and now I finally got to watch Episode 4. That said, the first thing I want to say is..... CAUGHT: Animation Error from 16:41-16:51 of the Lunar sub!. When Koyori hugs Mana from 16:41, her left arm was wrapped around Mana's right.....but from 16:45-16:47, how come her arm is wrapped around Mana's waist, but Mana's left arm remains free? What's worse, from 16:47 onwards, Koyori's left arm is back wrapped around Mana's arm. Gotcha, Nomad! Anyway, another nice little slice-of-life episode, centering around Aono and Koyori. It's good that they do not forget the side characters, but it makes me wonder how they're going to use the character development between them later on. If they're just gonna leave it hanging there, it will be a negative strike against them in my opinion. Anyway, this one gets another 8, as does all other anime episodes of this type done well. On another note, it appears that even a reformat and a switch to VLC doesn't completely solve the problems I'm having with the Lunar x264s. Therefore, I'm permanently switching over to their .avis next time. Just thought I'll mention this, since I didn't even have this kind of problem with SS-Eclipse's h264s of Kanon 2006, and it really bugs me that KyoAni-level kami-sakuga quality anime doesn't lag on my computer, while the average sakuga level of Nomad does. And a question; is there a reason why I keep seeing "J.C. Staff" on the credits? From what I can read of the kanji, it appears that they're in charge of rendering the backgrounds or something. Can someone confirm this?