Little Busters ~Refrain~ - Episode 9 Discussion / Poll

[monir]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Little Busters ~Refrain~, Episode 9.

Thread Guidelines

• Raw requests and offers are not permitted anywhere on this forum.
• Spoilers or hints about future events must not be posted in this thread.
  If you need to reference something that would spoil a future event, reply directly with a private message, or seek out a more appropriate thread.
• Discuss your expectations of the episode if it has not aired yet.
• Be polite to your fellow forum members.
• Please try to keep the discussion on-topic.
• Do not post multiple times in a row. Please edit your existing post if you wish to add additional thoughts.

Episode Thread Spoiler Policy

• Any comment that discloses events, characters, plot or other information before it is revealed in the anime is expressly forbidden whether or not it is behind spoiler tags.
  Spoiler tags should still be used where appropriate.
  Please consult the AnimeSuki Spoiler Policy for more information.
• Adding a Spoiler tag:
  

  Just highlight your spoiler and click the button found on the "Quick Reply" and "Reply to Thread" forms. Make sure that you include a useful title!

• Please use the Report button if you see any inappropriate spoilers:
  

  Click the button found to the left of the post, just under the poster's avatar. Using the Report button is anonymous and helps the Moderators locate and deal with problems quickly.

• Posting inappropriate spoilers may result in a ban.
  Note: Reporting a post does not mean the poster will be banned instantly.
  The Moderators will use bans if warnings are repeatedly ignored.

[elior]

i have to say this was great episode they did good job

[Yye1]

This episode was awesome, and the loops are finally starting to connect

[Kanon]

That was a great episode. The ending where Kengo broke into tears was particularly powerful. Little Busters has really come a long way since the first season. I'm glad I stuck with it even though I didn't like the first season much, the pay-off was worth it.

[ChampDream]

really great episode, it was awesome and really beautiful.

[Narzia]

I have to say it's getting frustrating watching Riki continue to be clueless when the viewer likely has figured out things for a long time now, as JC Staff really are no masters of subtlety and their hints are as blatant as humanly possible. Maybe the novel was that way, too, but it really is grating.
Well, with only 4 episodes left they're bound to let the cat out of the bag soon.

That said, I enjoyed this episode a lot more than I thought I would. Kengo is by far my least favorite Little Buster, so I was really surprised when I started tearing up at the end. I have no idea why, I didn't really think it was that moving, but it happened anyway.

And it's high time they start using another song. It's the third time already.

[Yye1]

^ Song of Friends is the song of the original five Little Busters and is very importatnt symbolically. I would be angry if they used something else

[Reckoner]

There's a lot I want to say about the cheap tricks scene flashback, but I'll wait till we have a little more information in the anime.

But what can I say... This is one of the more powerful scenes of Little Busters and I feel JC Staff nailed it. There's really no complaints I have with what they did here. Kengo's voice actor does a magnificent job. The secret is not so secret anymore, but next couple episodes will truly reveal everything. I think everyone at this point should know in their gut what's in store here. The actual revelation isn't so important as is the character motivations and development to get there.

[MCAL]

Originally Posted by Narzia

I have to say it's getting frustrating watching Riki continue to be clueless when the viewer likely has figured out things for a long time now, as JC Staff really are no masters of subtlety and their hints are as blatant as humanly possible. Maybe the novel was that way, too, but it really is grating.
Well, with only 4 episodes left they're bound to let the cat out of the bag soon.

There's a reason why Riki has remained clueless about the secret, which should be explained soon.

[Magicflier]

Originally Posted by MCAL

There's a reason why Riki has remained clueless about the secret, which should be explained soon.

I won't be surprised that he's probably intentionally avoiding what's really behind this secret, and doesn't want to face whatever reality is behind it.
Though I need to directly hear it from him, it's been implied a few times already how Riki said he feels like he's forgetting something important. He even explicitly said that somewhere in season 1 that he feels like he's been in a very long, scary dream. Can't wait for the next episode, let's see what will happen next.
By the way, Kyousuke really looks beat up. >>

[Leo_Otaku]

Really fantastic episode it actually had be crying! I loved what they did, even if Lawrance was left out!

Originally Posted by Narzia

I have to say it's getting frustrating watching Riki continue to be clueless when the viewer likely has figured out things for a long time now, as JC Staff really are no masters of subtlety and their hints are as blatant as humanly possible. Maybe the novel was that way, too, but it really is grating.
Well, with only 4 episodes left they're bound to let the cat out of the bag soon.

That said, I enjoyed this episode a lot more than I thought I would. Kengo is by far my least favorite Little Buster, so I was really surprised when I started tearing up at the end. I have no idea why, I didn't really think it was that moving, but it happened anyway.

And it's high time they start using another song. It's the third time already.

I'm not sure why. In any book or novel the reader wants to be smarter than the characters in it and want know what is going to happen. You piece things together. Things are not being presented to Riki as they are to the viewers so obviously it would not be obvious to him. Hell, we are only guessing and speculating.

As for the song being overused. I love this song, but i to thought it should be used for one certain episode. But his song does have a powerful meaning. It is the Song for Friends.

[Burden]

Originally Posted by Narzia

I have to say it's getting frustrating watching Riki continue to be clueless when the viewer likely has figured out things for a long time now, as JC Staff really are no masters of subtlety and their hints are as blatant as humanly possible. Maybe the novel was that way, too, but it really is grating.
Well, with only 4 episodes left they're bound to let the cat out of the bag soon.

That said, I enjoyed this episode a lot more than I thought I would. Kengo is by far my least favorite Little Buster, so I was really surprised when I started tearing up at the end. I have no idea why, I didn't really think it was that moving, but it happened anyway.

And it's high time they start using another song. It's the third time already.

I understand how you feel but I think the conclusion is a little too abnormal. If weird things were happening around you, would you think that that was the reason why? I wouldn't... unless I were really baked.

[Deathscyther]

Really good episode. The episode nearly brought me to tears, just like the VN did at this part. Even though they changed a few things, I have to say that I like this version just as much. The scene where Rin 'remembers' the cheers the other Little Busters gave her in episode 26 of season 1 was especially strong.

Episodes 7-9 made me realize just how much Riki has really grown throughout the story. These episodes show that two of Riki's strong points are his determination and persistence. He won't give up when it comes to his friends. We already saw this during the routes of the girls, but in Refrain this is made even more clear. To think this is the same boy as the one at the start of the story. He started out as a boy who needed to be protected/helped by Kyousuke all the time, but he's the one helping his important people now.

Lastly, I have to say that I love how the anime handles Rin during Refrain. I already liked her in the VN, but the anime makes me love her even more. Especially her emotions are handled much better than the VN counterpart. I know that Rin isn't the kind of person to express her feelings much, but the VN made her seem like a robot at times. The anime is doing a much better job at this department. A good example is the scene were Rin high fives Riki and punches Masato's glove after Riki got his home run. She looks really happy there.
Because of this Riki's and Rin's bond feels much stronger as well. You can really feel that they want to be with each other and help each other. The scene where Rin looks at the worn out Riki walking past Kengo and then decides to pitch in his stead was really strong. Then during the match she wants to do her best, because Riki did his best as well. In the end she manages to defeat Kengo, mostly because Riki kept cheering her on.

Originally Posted by Leo_Otaku

Really fantastic episode it actually had be crying! I loved what they did, even if Lawrance was left out!

Leaving the Lawrence scene out is the only reason why I couldn't give this episode a 10/10.

[Yye1]

Hmm, one of the advantages of an anime vs a VN is that you can see the emotions of all the characters in the screen at the same time, as opposed to a single image, so the impact is greater, and is what I feel makes this episode work

[MCAL]

That was damn well adapted. And JC Staff continues to improve Rin's character to an astonishing degree. Never thought someone would be able to do it this well.

[The Butcher]

Jesus, another amazing episode.

though that song is starting to be overused. Hope they don't do it until the end now.

I can't say if I liked Masato or Kengo's episode better. Kid Kyousuke is awesome to.

[shenzu]

Originally Posted by Deathscyther

Leaving the Lawrence scene out is the only reason why I couldn't give this episode a 10/10.

What's the Lawrence scene? Is it important for the overall story or just something that can be cut out without much drama? Now I'm curious what the scene is ^^

I like Kengo the most out of the original group but for some reason I didn't like this as much as the Masato arc, and I don't know why and I'm stumped because everyone else is saying how they almost cried at the end. Maybe I just didn't fully understand Kengo's actions in the end?

Still have to appreciate that animation of him crying though and hearing the other girl character's voices again. (Did Komari even disappear on-screen? I don't even remember but I guess since it's in Refrain original Little Busters mode I guess the focus is more on them now anyway)

[~Yami~]

Kengo and Kyousuke's conversation is the main point of this episode
it's like almost whole thing got explained

meanwhile, Rin is showing some guts that she didn't showed in previous episodes
it's like.... "Welcome Back, Rin!!!!"
and she's got stronger in mentality as well

I love character development in this episode

[Deathscyther]

Originally Posted by shenzu

What's the Lawrence scene? Is it important for the overall story or just something that can be cut out without much drama? Now I'm curious what the scene is ^^

It's not important for the overall story at all. Let's just say that it took Riki, Rin and Masato more effort to find out about Kengo's lie in the VN. It was a very funny scene.

Spoiler for Lawrence scene. VN spoilers. Only open after watching the episode:

Riki finds out about Kengo's arm in the same way as the anime. Riki notices that Kengo almost uses his injured hand to pick up an eraser from the ground, but then stops and uses his other hand instead. Instead of just confronting Kengo, because Riki thinks that Kengo will just deny it, Riki thinks of a trick to reveal his lie. They use a teddy bear, wrapped in a blanket, and lie it down on the ground in a hall. Masato is hiding behind a fake wall that he can push forward. They plan to call Kengo there, and then make Kengo use his injured arm while saving the 'child'. Rin is playing the role of the mother of the child.

They make the wall and Masato hides behind it. Riki then asks Rin to practice shouting.
Riki: "Now, the wall is coming for the baby. Rin, give it a shout."
Rin: "Oh my, it is actually a moving wall!"
Riki: "How come you sound like you've seen one before?"
Rin: "Because I've seen them in anime and movies. I'm sure I'd say that if I saw one in person. That's realism, isn't it?"
Riki: "That would make Kengo pay attention only to the wall..."
Rin: "Right. That's absolutely right."
Riki: "You didn't have to agree twice. Just follow the script. Now, the wall is moving. Shout."
Rin: "Oh my, the wall is moving! And oh my, there's a baby on the floor!"
Riki: "Isn't that supposed to be your child? It felt like you were doing a live coverage on the events. You sounded far from worried about your own child."
Rin: "That's right. Ah, that's right!"
Riki: "Your sudden fancy of agreeing twice like that is most interesting, but I need you to play your role like I'm telling you next time. Now, the wall is moving. Shout!"
Rin: "Oh my, the wall's moving! Lawrence!"
Riki: "Lawrence...? That name makes me think of a soldier rather than a baby...Could it be that you picked it up from a war novel or something?"
Rin: "It came out very naturally."
Riki: "Okay, I guess I'll respect your idea for the baby's name..."

Riki then calls Kengo and hides. Once he sees him, he gives Rin and Masato a one-ring call.
Rin: "Oh my, the wall's moving! Lawrence!"
Kengo sees the wall moving and is surprised. "What's happening?"
Rin: "My lawrence!"
Kengo: "Lawrence? Is that something important to you? I'm not sure what's going on, but it seems that my help is needed!"
Kengo then picks up the wrapped doll with his good hand, but he's too slow and has to hold back the moving wall with his injured arm.
Riki: "It's enough Masato!"
Masato: "What the heck? I was getting to the good part..."
Riki: "You have to stop or else Kengo will really get injured."
Kengo notices that he was tricked. "Rin, here, Lawrence."
He throws it, but Rin simply dodges.
Kengo: "Hey, it's important to you, isn't it?"
Rin: "I'm sorry, but....I don't have any children."
Kengo: "Eh...? Is that what the thing was supposed to be?"

Also, in the VN they hadn't seen Lennon for some time and Rin was pretty worried about him. After hearing from Kyousuke that Kengo was lying about something, Rin thought that his lie was that he had kidnapped Lennon and that he was building a cat kingdom somewhere.... They actually look for the cats in his room after this.

[silvercover]

im hoping this ep will put out the remaining hate on kyousuke. I believe there were still quite a number of fans who disliked him til now.
this ep should show how sharp and sensitive kyousuke really is, considering masato's situation was a bit easier to figure out/solve. I like how kyousuke was able to tell that kengo was being pressured and that he fought his father, the real source of it, rather than what typically happens in anime/manga where he targets kengo directly.