2007-10-16, 20:42
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Link #81 |
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I'm a sucker for Harem
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Heh now that's the best defined argument I have heard on this subject in a long time instead of just 'It's Awesome' or 'You suck because you haven't watched it'.
Now of course thanks you I will have to watch all 24 episodes of this again just to get a real feel for how this show sucked at the end but I can remember a few valid points. First off, I loved episodes 1-22. I was rooting for the dumass Kazuma and some of the lamest things he did to make sure the people he knew were protected. Relationships Kazuma throughout the show was demonstrating that he cared about Kanami more than anything else in the world. He was always watching out for her. If i remember right, he was very concerened when she got sick one time. Also Kazuma finally developed a more romantic relationship with the 'water' girl (whom I can't remember her name) but when she was finally controlled by the mainland to kill him, she committed suicide to prevent hurting her man. The Kazuma at the end of the show didn't even think twice about leaving Kanami and went to fight a fight that had no profit. If you remember, he only left Kanami if the price was right. Kazuma also showed that he cared about the people greatly, for the right price. Well MAYBE fighting the mainland was an extension of that, but that is a real stretch to fit 'People's Protector' with this guy who only lives to fight. In that sense his progress was negative. Ryouho, now I can't figure him out thanks to those last 2 episodes. He completely did a 180 in progress and is no more than an animal now. He was calm cool collected. He used his brain to the fullest. Now he just growls and fights. Minori - Well I can't see she and Ryouho should've gotten together. From the beginning he showed little or no attraction to her. But if that is so, why even BOTHER showing the beginning scene where she and he have a little connection. The last 2 episodes basically tell you 'Oh whoops, we never meant for them to be together, so just forget about episode 1'. The purpose of the mainland? To duplicate Alter power of course. They found Alters and changed them to duplicate the power of another. The girl Kazuma liked showed that. (Well she was amplified instead of duplicated). But that overwhelming mass in the last episode was just 'Oh lets throw the kitchen sink' plot. It was LAME. Sorry but it was. Well the whole plot of Scryed was sorta lame, I mean they introduced at least 3 plots that just petered out. That Black /White guy was so cool and he just turned into an alter of the evil dude. So why did he help Kazuma grow the first time? Please. But I was willing to overlook the dumber parts because I was having so much fun. Then the last 2 episodes looked like someone wrote a script in about 30 seconds and hammered the anime staff to make it work. Art went down. Plot went away. Relationships were thrown to the dirt. Technology levels because outrageous. Personalities suffered a shift. That's why I thought it sucked. In a way compare this to Infinite Ryvius. That actually followed a plot and everyone sorta had a real ending. Episode 22 was a real ending. Epsiode 24 was a lame ending.
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Last edited by Forbin; 2007-10-16 at 21:01. |
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2007-10-16, 21:54
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Link #82 |
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Retweet Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: ニュー・オーリンズ、LA
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The last episode of ScryED was the truest, most honest, quintessentially primal apex of conclusions the show could have ever had...Any other ending would have been a smack in the face to the true goal of this work...Which was the universal themes of life soundtracked to the screams of pure will and overly aggressive displays of passionate fighting (By 2 rivals no doubt)....How some of you could have got past ep 1 thinking this show would give some unique meaning foreign to shonen is beyond me...Unlike NSW I didn't enjoy it as a pure-parody because I was too busy enjoying it for what it was...I truly just enjoyed it because it was what it was...Pure cliché, visually entertaining, over-the-top shonen fighter anime...Anime by it's own innate nature is a medium reliant on visual enjoyment...This series simply provided that...
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2007-10-17, 03:08
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Link #84 | ||||
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Weapon of Mass Discussion
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, USA
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2007-11-09, 12:40
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Link #86 | |
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Lets be reality
Join Date: May 2007
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Well said. |
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2007-11-09, 15:39
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Link #87 | ||
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Weapon of Mass Discussion
Fansubber
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, USA
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2007-11-09, 16:00
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Link #88 | |
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I'm a sucker for Harem
Join Date: Aug 2004
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The director (and storyboard writer) of Scryed is the same as Infinite. Scryed came out a year after Infinite! Now tell me the power that Infinite had was the same as the power of Scryed. Buzz...no way. Look at Planet-Es (Which he directed too), I thought it was wonderful. 1) Why did he produce such a sad looking last 2 episodes? The rest of the series looked much better animation wise. 2) Why did he even bother developing love interests that he basically dropped out of the picture? 3) Why was the last 2 episodes throw away? It didn't improve the story line in any way. All it did was bring a new 'unknown' menance and then kill them off! The last 2 episodes of Scryed felt like some kind of special OVA developed just to add 2 more episodes. Scryed should've ended at 22. 23 and 24 just wrecked it for me. Episodes 1-22 were on a good track, Epsiodes 23-24 just felt like the Director wanted to leave production as fast as possible, and just wrote a script on a paper napkin.
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2007-11-09, 17:58
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Link #89 |
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Lets be reality
Join Date: May 2007
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Goro also directed Code Geass and GunXSword in addition to Scryed, Ryvuis and Planetes. Yes you can play the I'm comparing them because they're by the same director game but it's obvious that Ryvuis and Planetes is a different show compared to Scryed/Geass/GunXSword.
I doubt while he was making Planetes he thought it was going to appeal to people who liked Scryed and same deal for Planetes fans liking his next project in GunXSword. I personally think it's wonderful he can go from something as serious as Ryvuis or Planetes and follow it up with something as enjoyable as Scryed or GunXSword. Now the question is with Geass being the megahit it is and with a sequel due next year will he ever do a Ryvuis/Planetes type series again... |
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2007-11-09, 19:39
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Link #90 |
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I'm a sucker for Harem
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Never said I didn't enjoy Scryed I just didn't like the hack job the last 2 episodes of the series got and IMHO it wrecked it.
You can see the similarity to GunSword, but of course Scryed didn't have that nice little 'epilogue'.
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2007-11-10, 11:58
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Link #91 |
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Lets be reality
Join Date: May 2007
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I agree that 25 was crap but as for 26... well "wingdarkness" just nailed it, sorry you didn't feel the same way. 26 is probably the only episode I bother to re watch every now and than (I'm not someone who really rewatches stuff, too big a backlog as it is!).
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2008-01-13, 19:26
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Link #93 | |
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Montreal
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Far too much time on my hands :)
I've read through most of this thread and it occurs to me that very few people clearly understand what is going on in this anime. I intend absolutely no offense to anyone here, I am merely arguing my own point of view and hope that many of you can think on it and appreciate it for what it is. Before becoming enraged and deciding to lash out at me by correcting spelling mistakes or screaming without cause, just calm down and think about this post, if you have the time. Outside of romance or predictable plot devices, there is a far greater meaning to s-CRY-ed. Almost all semi-serious animes have exactly the same meaning, albeit each one deals with it differently. For a clearer understanding of my meaning, read this post, think on it, and then re-watch other animes. An excellent example would be something like Trigun… the same notion is dealt with VERY differently, but it is present nonetheless in the rivalry between Vash and Woolfwood, and more dramatically between Vash and Knives… anyway, ignoring this tangent….
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Wingdarkness also had a point as as much as I disagree with the whole notion of fighting and manliness and what not... I will admit to looking at this from a semi-Westernized view. I don't know too much about Japanese culture... but most of my arguments and observations make sense (from a Western view) regardless. After reading your points of view, I will definitely re-watch the show with that in mind. Human nature has many sides to it. The two strongest and opposing forces, although bearing many names, can be referred to as chaos and order. Kazuma clearly represents the side of chaos. He detests law and order and people who claim to have larger values and ideals. He is blunt and brutally honest. He hides nothing of himself and does not wish to suppress any of his true nature. He is extraordinarily passionate and illogical and always fights with tremendous will power and inner strength. These ideals are very clearly double-sided. Honesty is positive, but brutality is not. Passion and will power are positive, but again, brutality is not. Without keeping Kazuma’s notions in check, destruction on a mass scale could occur. When Kazuma effectively gives up and becomes a fighter in an arena, it is apparent that this is what total anarchy leads to. His idea of never holding himself back is a good one to keep in mind, but one that could be very dangerous. He is, as was quoted above, a wild beast. The flip side is order. Ryuho clearly takes a stand for what he believes in. He fights for order and peace and other such seemingly silly ideals. Most would assume that order is the "right" path... but in looking at Ryuho at the beginning of the anime, it is woefully apparent that this isn't the case. He is passionless, cold, and extremely self-righteous. He hides all of his emotions from Mimori and Scheris and very rarely has emotional outbursts. Trying to be noble is all well and good, but it can ultimately lead to an intense dictatorial attitude present in many religious and devotional fanatics today. He is suppressing everything and this could, and does, lead to a violent explosion. Although he is nothing like Kazuma on the outside, this attitude could lead to him becoming just like when Kazuma was at the arena. What is clear in the above two paragraphs is that neither is completely right in their stance, although neither is completely wrong either. It always comes back to Yin and Yang. The Greeks saw it in Apollo and Dionysus and the Hindus saw it in the Mahabharata. In light there is dark; in dark there is light. It is reason vs. madness and logic vs. illogic. In chaos there is order; in order there is chaos. The point of this show is that only in combining these two distinct and opposing forces can victory be achieved. Much of this is even explicitly stated, so trying to dig deeper isn’t always necessary. Kazuma says that Ryuho is the switch that triggered his power. Ryuho says many such similar things about Kazuma. Kazuma’s barbarism unchecked is wrong. Ryuho’s self-righteousness unchecked is wrong. If Kazuma could take his passion and use it for good in order to protect law and order, he would become a much more stable person. This is effectively what happens when he fights Cougar and realizes what he needs to do. If Ryuho could take his self-righteousness and stop hiding who he his, the exact same outcome could occur for him. A perfect example of this can be found in the types of alters the two of them have. Kazuma’s alter is a harmonization type and from the beginning is a part of his body. Ryuho’s alter is external and allows him to be slightly detached from the fight. Clearly, Kazuma, the passionate and aggressive man that he is, wishes to be a part of the fight. Ryuho on the other hand seems to want nothing to do with fighting. Ryuho never fully applies himself in order to preserve himself and thus, he does not attain his true power. Kazuma is being held back by his insistence upon his passionate, destructive ways. Ryuho is being held back by the fact that he never yields to his own passion. It is true that Kazuma finds more power by himself when he enters the alter forest, but the power starts to destroy him. At the end of the anime, his alter power has clearly stopped destroying his being entirely. Ryuho’s alter never had that kind of an effect on him. Kazuma’s, I suppose one could call it, self-mutilation is completely and utterly barbaric. Although he attains more power, he almost destroys himself in the process. Zigmarl and later Scheris’ deaths allow Ryuho to unleash his passion and thus accept chaos into his life. He becomes one with his alter. Kazuma on the other hand, sees Kanami being held hostage. To him, she is the symbol of the small amount of order in his life (she is also the symbol of chaos to Ryuho, but no time for that now). He wants that order to be a part of his life no matter what and in order to protect it he attains his true power. This next point may seem like a tangent, but it is an attempt at clarifying more. Most people on this board seem angry about the predictability and apparent stupidity of Scheris’ death. I would like to argue that it was intended as predictable and that there is no reason to think it stupid. Scheris is like Ryuho. She represents order. Order can either be weak and effete, or else cold and dictatorial: the white mage or else the paladin. If the cold Paladin is Ryuho, then Scheris is the compassionate White Mage. Don’t misunderstand my use of the word compassionate. She is not passionate or anything like Kazuma. I only mean that she feels for others more than herself. She has no chaos in her whatsoever. Her compassion, noble though it might be, is stupid. She sacrifices herself entirely for the sake of Ryuho. She is the weak version of order known as kindness and compassion. She never truly accepts chaos and thus her death is inevitable. For rabid fans willing to rip my head of for bashing her, I would like to point out that I cried as she died. Her weakness is an extraordinarily beautiful flaw. The opposite of Scheris is Cougar. Chaos can be destructive and cruel, or else unpredictable and passionate. Kazuma is clearly destructive and in his arena fighting phase is quite cruel. Cougar is the other kind. Like Kazuma, he represents chaos. No one really knows what Cougar is thinking throughout the entire show. Who is he, what is his goal? Is he good, is he evil, is he insane? Cougar cannot accept order into his existence. As such, although clearly dedicated to his causes, including self-preservation (unlike Scheris), he is just as doomed as Scheris. His passion would always come out as he tried to make the best of his quick life. He explicitly states that his most desperate wish is to get places as fast as possible so that one can make the best of one’s limited existence on Earth. He then says that he wishes that he could drive forever. He even explicitly states that he is aware of the contradiction, but is content with it. He is passionate and illogical, as is expected of his side of the coin. In the end, he sacrifices himself for his convictions, but even more importantly, he sacrifices himself for Mimori, just like Scheris did for Ryuho. The difference is that all Scheris has ever been since the day she was saved by Ryuho is his eternal devotee, like her aptly named alter power. She even goes so far as to say that she should have died the day Ryuho saved her, thus, her existence after that moment was entirely devoted to the existence of Ryuho. Cougar was unpredictable, although clearly had some hidden raison d’être and inner passion. He finally found something to devote his passion to, namely love. The similarities are apparent, but the differences cannot be shrugged off. Both Scheris and Cougar died for love; however, they loved and died in very different ways. Their deaths were intended as predictable. Since neither accepted the other side in life, they were consumed. The only thing that made Cougar’s less predictable was the fact that he is unpredictability incarnate. It was never a matter of whether or not he would die; that was set in stone from the start. It was a matter of when. As much as Scheris’ death was heartfelt and intended to evoke passion from the viewer, Cougar’s death was simple and evoked little passion, although is as equally beautiful a moment. The irony of these moments is the key here. Each died becoming the other side just for a moment. Although they could never achieve their full potentials in life, they reached them in death. This constant acceptance of death is an important notion to note. Both Ryuho and Kazuma accept the fact that they might die in battle, while Scheris and Cougar are willing to die for their respective loves. Death is another means by which the union of chaos and order can occur. In life there is death as is always apparent in our surroundings, while in death there is life. Each one is willing to die to protect others from doing so as well. Alright, back to the main characters. Ryuho lets go of his cold, hard exterior and embraces the apparent darkness, in order to reach his full potential (which is exemplified in his battle with Commander Zigmarl). Scheris’ death is another trigger of sorts for Ryuho. Kazuma flipped the switch to allow him to tap the chaotic side of his strength, but Scheris allowed him to really let it out. Kazuma tells Ryuho that he can’t suppress his emotions; it’s all right to cry. Through Scheris’ death Ryuho achieves the union of all of the forces. He has the ideals of the dictator and the compassion of the devotee. He also has the passion of the destroyer. Kazuma is present for Ryuho’s explosion, yet he himself seemingly remains calm. It is in this moment that the viewer can see that Kazuma is actually holding himself in check. Tears appear at the corner of his eyes, but no more. In the last episode in a discussion with Kanami, it becomes apparent that he has now achieved a level of self-control that he didn’t have before. He is holding everything in for her benefit, although she can sense him boiling over. Both Ryuho and Kazuma are able to embrace their true natures. The final battle is their attempt at finding out which force is stronger. Will Ryuho and order, or Kazuma and chaos win? The answer is neither. Neither force by itself can defeat the other. Only together can they become strong enough to be successful. The two of them have embraced both sides fully, and thus neither is stronger than the other. Has anyone noticed that Kazuma’s armour is radiant and noble, although he is chaotic, while Ryuho’s is dark and sinister, although he is order? Again this is another look at the dual nature of humanity. There is a lot more to this show than meets the eye. It truly is thought provoking. I haven’t even touched on Tachibana, Mimori, or Kanami, Kimishima (who clearly represents some form of order and his death is another catalyst for Kazuma's descent), Ayase, Zigmarl... etc. Their relationships to each other as well as the four characters discussed above make human nature an even more complex beast to tackle. Although I believe that all of what I said above is true, this show leans heavily towards the chaotic side over the ordered one. Contradiction in some of my points is also inevitable simply because chaos and order are contradictory. For order and chaos to exist simultaneously is a paradox and yet it is this that is required for survival. Much like Cougar said, I am content with my contradictory existence. Thank you all for your time. |
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2009-02-19, 01:03
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Link #94 |
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Transdimensional phoenix
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Trash Can
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I am a big fan of this series. For some reason, Kazuma just embodies pure determination. Nothing ever stops him. I don't know if I've ever seen a character walk towards the hostage like that while their life was being threatened. Mujo isn't the type to bluff, but Kazuma didn't care. Kazuma's relationship with Kanami is one of my favorite of all two-character relationships in anything. Throughout the story, Kanami breaks down the wall that normally separates two peoples' minds until there is nothing between them. Plus, Kazuma protects Kanami no matter the cost, but he always intentionally screws up and acts like a jerk so that she won't be too reliant if he dies (which is likely.) That just says something about someone as prideful as him.
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2011-11-16, 06:38
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Link #95 |
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Natural Born Killer
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Roanapur
Age: 32
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I didn't expect I'd enjoy this series as much as I did...
As predictable as it was, Scheris's death was still pretty damn sad. I cried a bit during that scene. ;_; She was the only female character I liked during the whole series... And Straight Cougar is pretty awesome ! He was my favorite character of the show. I liked his philosophy  "the faster you do one thing, the more time you have for the next thing"As for the ending, it was just how I wanted it to be! One last awesome fight between Kazuma and Ryuhou to finally settle their difference and find out who's the strongest betweeen them. It's obvious Kazuma won, amirite? 
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2012-09-06, 15:35
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Link #96 | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Romania
Age: 37
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As for Alteration, man, that was sure a cruel way to start it. |
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2016-12-19, 20:46
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Link #97 |
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Corrupted fool
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: I'm everywhere
Age: 33
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Really a fan of the series. I first watched it when I was a teenager and I thought it was "average". However, I rewatched once again years later I was mindblown by how enjoyed every single episode.
BTW, is there a hidden meaning in which Kanami calls Kazuma "Kazu-kun"? Kazuma seems to kinda dislike that nickname. Also, for some reason, Kazuma's past is never explained. There are only some hints that appear to be point out that his own family kicked him out of his house due to he being an Alter user and later was raised by Cougar. When he met Kanami for the first time, in the Spanish dub he said he had no last name which kinda bugged me. Do the novels explain that? |
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Fly since ↔...
