Amagami SS - Episode 16 Discussion / Poll [Archive]

NightWish

2010-10-21, 13:50

Welcome to the discussion thread for Amagami SS, Episode 16.

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margafred

2010-10-21, 14:30

Nice episode... overall was enjoyable. First half was about the school's Xmas festival, where Junichi was helping Ai handling the swimming club's oden stall. Few funny stuffs happened at the stall, like Haruka stealing the dish from the stall, the girls from Tea Club doing some oden taste check, Takahashi sensei being drunk becoz of Rihoko, building size Gundam (yeah really, somehow a club managed to make a real 1/1 Gundam) went out of control and start moving on its own, Sae running away from the miss Santa contest, and Ayatsuji staring at the festival from somewhere inside the school building, with sad face (?)....

And i love the part when Miya being happy when Sae confirmed to her that she can stay at her house, and Miya started to hum a birthday song tune, only for Sae to correct her, stating that the tune Miya was humming wasn't an Xmas tune.

While the 2nd half was about Ai taking Junichi to a hotspring spot outside of the town, and both of them were spending their time together. Pretty much the 2nd half was the best part of today's episode... the duo's trip to the onsen was pretty funny, especially Junichi that fantasizing on things that he thought Ai might probably do to him at that time, similar to how he did the same thing when was asked by Kaoru to meet her behind the school after school ends. And the confession at the hotspring was brilliant and beautiful. Ai jumped onto Junichi when Junichi replied her love confession was fantastic. And kissing together while being openly naked.... wow. This is exactly like the manga..

But the finishing scene wasn't really that much to comment. Junichi sleeping on Ai's lap on the beach, while rubbing Ai's leg.... awwww... and, its the end (?) No time skip either.... well, kinda okay i guess.

Overall i would give it 8/10

Next week - Rihoko and Junichi doing some memorable stuffs.... well at least that's what the title is trying to imply.

DJLowrider

2010-10-21, 14:47

Posting my thoughts as I watch with my final thoughts on Ai's arc afterwards.

So not only is Haruka a fetishistic, delusional nutter, she's also a food thief. Another of her "charms" I suppose.

Oh please let that quick shot of Sae in a Santa outfit be her sole appearance in this episode.

Seeing that oden stand is making me want oden now. Been ages since I had it last. Wonder if I can find a recipe somewhere? I digress.

Showdown over oden courtesy of the Tea Ceremony Club. And apparently Ai learned her oden techniques from Hibiki. The shounen vibe here is amusing to say the least.

Teacher is drunk and it's because Rihoko is an enabler? Now that's comedy. And Tsukasa calls in the goon squad to haul the teacher away.

Why is there a full-size working Gundam at this school festival? :twitch:

Aww, Ai taking a fresh bowl of oden to the kids that dropped theirs. I approve.

Insert song is the second half of Ai's ED song. Nice touch.

Need a moment? Grab a Twix Eat some oden. Love Ai dodging Junichi's question by eating. :heh:

Miya's staying over at Sae's for the night? I can't be the only one considering the possibilities there through the power of Mugivision™. :D

Out into the mountains in the dead of night. The perfect place to bury the body where no one will find it have a date.

Heh, unless Ai's wearing a bikini we didn't know she had, she's lying about wearing her suit under that towel in the onsen.

Confession time. Yay. And I was right about the non-existent swimsuit. And Ai says Junichi is the pervert... :rolleyes:

No need to guess what happened next there.

And a nice, brief epilogue where Junichi is finally calling her "Ai" instead of "Nanasaki".

8/10 episode, but honestly Ai's arc did not impress me much. This is a case where the heroine in question is better than her story. Like Sae's Arc there was no drama or tension whatsoever and the progression of events here felt too straightforward. At least unlike Sae's Arc it was far more grounded instead of being absurdist comedy. Plus, as I remember stating at the beginning of her arc, Ai is instantly likable and that theme remains constant throughout the story. In fact, Ai's personality is what carries this arc since there is just about no underlying story at all.

My ratings for the arcs so far overall:
Haruka - 5/10
Kaoru - 8/10
Sae - 1/10
Ai - 6.5/10

And next we start Rihoko's Arc. Time to see how Amagami handles the osananajimi angle. My only expectation is it'll at least be better than Sae's Arc, but then it really doesn't take much to accomplish that.

Ekureiru

2010-10-21, 16:05

I'm going to wait for UTW's subs of this, although I hope it'll end well.

I haven't quite enjoyed any route since Haruka's as much as this one. Although Haruka has, and will remain, my current consistent favorite. (I mean, c'mon, she's voiced by my favorite seiyuu, Shizuka Itou). Other than that, here's to subs in... a couple of hours.

Shadow5YA

2010-10-21, 19:28

Aside from Ai herself, I think the most enjoyable part of this arc isn't seeing Ai fall for Junichi, but Junichi changing into a better person because of her. I thought seeing him pick up the trash at the beach because of Ai and apologizing for his perverted nature in front of the entire swim team was touching.

The way Junichi is, he really doesn't deserve Ai. He's definitely a nice guy, but he hasn't shown much of a change in character since the very beginning, and his character in the beginning is nothing outstanding.

Nightengale

2010-10-21, 21:35

How should I put it... it feels like part of Ai's arc had 2 different directors or something.

The first half of the previous episode as well as this episode... in comparison to the 2nd half of each. It feels like the potential is not used to its best for the sake of lesser parts of the story, like the goddamn delusions and the... external factors in this episode.

U<3Anime

2010-10-21, 22:15

Posting my thoughts as I watch with my final thoughts on Ai's arc afterwards.

So not only is Haruka a fetishistic, delusional nutter, she's also a food thief. Another of her "charms" I suppose.

Oh please let that quick shot of Sae in a Santa outfit be her sole appearance in this episode.

Seeing that oden stand is making me want oden now. Been ages since I had it last. Wonder if I can find a recipe somewhere? I digress.

Showdown over oden courtesy of the Tea Ceremony Club. And apparently Ai learned her oden techniques from Hibiki. The shounen vibe here is amusing to say the least.

Teacher is drunk and it's because Rihoko is an enabler? Now that's comedy. And Tsukasa calls in the goon squad to haul the teacher away.

Why is there a full-size working Gundam at this school festival? :twitch:

Aww, Ai taking a fresh bowl of oden to the kids that dropped theirs. I approve.

Insert song is the second half of Ai's ED song. Nice touch.

Need a moment? Grab a Twix Eat some oden. Love Ai dodging Junichi's question by eating. :heh:

Miya's staying over at Sae's for the night? I can't be the only one considering the possibilities there through the power of Mugivision™. :D

Out into the mountains in the dead of night. The perfect place to bury the body where no one will find it have a date.

Heh, unless Ai's wearing a bikini we didn't know she had, she's lying about wearing her suit under that towel in the onsen.

Confession time. Yay. And I was right about the non-existent swimsuit. And Ai says Junichi is the pervert... :rolleyes:

No need to guess what happened next there.

And a nice, brief epilogue where Junichi is finally calling her "Ai" instead of "Nanasaki".

8/10 episode, but honestly Ai's arc did not impress me much. This is a case where the heroine in question is better than her story. Like Sae's Arc there was no drama or tension whatsoever and the progression of events here felt too straightforward. At least unlike Sae's Arc it was far more grounded instead of being absurdist comedy. Plus, as I remember stating at the beginning of her arc, Ai is instantly likable and that theme remains constant throughout the story. In fact, Ai's personality is what carries this arc since there is just about no underlying story at all.

From what i have seen so far,I agree, that Ai's arc wasn't very interesting. I felt she was too overhyped. For now, I will actually rank Sae's arc above Ai's, since there hasn't been any moments in Ai's arc that has made me go "DAWWW"(AKA sweet moments). The chase scene at the pool from last week had potential, but it was ruined by the low budget animation. Also, the haunted house scene was just flat out random(and i thought Haruka's ramen scene was crazy). It just reinforces my idea of Juinichi being some shroom addict.

MeoTwister5

2010-10-21, 22:26

Subs are out.

Now that it's over... bring on Rihoko. <3

GundamZZ

2010-10-21, 23:03

This school is crazy. Someone actually developed a Gundam.

The ending surprises me. See game thread for the reference.

Zanibas

2010-10-21, 23:15

I will go with the general consensus here, and say the ending wasn't as great as it could've been. Too much time was spent on events that didn't deepen the main characters, and too little time was spent on the climax. I feel like they could've spent MUCH MORE time at the hot spring, possibly tying in Nanasaki's monologue released earlier today...

However, what still intrigues me is the relation between Tsukasa and Ai. Again the show had an extended look between the two, and still no explanation has been given! Are they going to resolve this once Tsukasa's arc rolls around? On the flipside though, that was one of the more intriguing parts of the arc that really made me wonder what was going to happen next.

Out of all the arcs, Haruka's end was the most unpredictable, thus making it the most effective ending. I sort of wish that Ai had followed the same route, possibly emphasizing more of her hiding her feelings (such as lying about her brother being sick so she could see what it was like to have a date with Jui).

However, one thing really ruined it for me...

PEEPING DEER!
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5347/41101808.jpg

Sprite_Coke

2010-10-21, 23:36

^. Combine those two words: Peeping + Deer = Deerping -> Derping -> Derp?

Tits. I was gonna go to sleep then this got released... Must watch.

FlareKnight

2010-10-21, 23:59

The deer did kind of creep me out :heh:. Hilarious though that the club actually made a Gundam and it went out of control. Now if they used the time spent on the tea club for that it would have been an even better episode :D.

Though seriously I thought the tea club stuff was kind a waste of time. They dragged it out and made the whole thing way too serious. Don't mind the other characters getting some attention, just don't waste too much episode on them.

Thought that bit with Ayatsuji by herself near the end of the festival was pretty interesting. The bits we've seen of her during this arc really has left me curious about her arc.

Not too bad when focused on Ai and Junichi. Could have done more with it, but was still pretty good. Got the confessions in there and a short, but decent epilogue scene.

Sprite_Coke

2010-10-22, 00:33

Amagami never fails to leave my heart satisfied.
Must watch the Onsen scene repeatedly.

Mairsile

2010-10-22, 00:45

Not every relationship needs unwanted drama, which is why I liked Ai's arc so much. From the very first episode, Ai and Junichi just hit it off. Because of this, I expected a simple yet sweet ending to wrap up what was a very natural and beautiful relationship.

I'm sure some people would have preferred the first half to be something different, but I think having them volunteer at the Founder's Festival during Christmas reinforced one of Ai's best traits - her compassion for others. After all, its the season for giving and once again Ai demonstrated how perceptive she is of the needs of others when she hurried over to give the kids a new bowl upon noticing they had spilled theirs. I was wondering when Junichi would screw up at the stand, but it seemed he did alright - with the support of Ai of course - and didn't mind spending time with Ai volunteering. In general, I would say Junichi is a very considerate person; but I believe Ai's personality rubbed off and made him even more so. I really wished the Gundam would have malfunctioned sooner and rampaged its way towards the stand to end the intrusion by the Tea Club. That was a missed opportunity to add some laughs. LOL. Anyway, not every date has to be filled with romance and I believe them helping out at the festival was a nice activity they could do as a couple together. Besides, their date wasn't over because Ai had plans for later :)

Since the hot spring segment in the manga is so short, I was wondering how they'd handle the confession. It was nice to see Junichi act serious and declare his love for Ai after hearing her feelings. I also liked how playful she was in baiting Junichi so she could leap towards him. It didn't surprise me to see she purposely went in nude as she is a bold person [for starters] and most importantly, as she said herself, it demonstrated how comfortable she is with Junichi and the level of intimacy between them. We got treated to a nice passionate kiss which Ai initiated and Junichi pulled her close and held Ai firmly. It was cute to see Ai spoiling him by letting Junichi enjoy the moment a bit longer as he rested his head on her lap to which he thankfully replied and called Ai by her first name.

In all, I gave the final episode an 8 of 10, and the arc as a whole was a solid 9, making it my favorite arc slightly above Kaoru, which was an 8.5.

Kotohono

2010-10-22, 00:47

The Episode was very good and enjoyable even if a bit on the uneventful side, and no epilogue I'd say give it a 9, because of Ai :heh:. Onsen scene was pretty nice and I had a feeling she wasn't wearing one since you could see the part of skin that was normal covered by it was a lighter shade since it wasn't normal in sun compared to the other parts, a nice detail shown :).

msg

2010-10-22, 00:53

quick tidbits and thoughts

The Clown that gave away free tickets to Jun is the same voice that do the gay michael gallagher a friend of Morishima sempai (if i'm not mistaken).perhaps he's doing part time job^

The haunted house - In the game, jun will bring the 6 heriones to haunted hse and each of them jun will experiences different delusions depending on the heroines.In tsukasa delusion..Jun saw tsukasa boobs become bigger, awkwardness ensues after that..Its been rumoured that the haunted house is run by yakuza or sorts ^

More ruriko and manaka screentime.Saw the bully Norika kurosawa another side and minor character trailing tsukasa.theres actually a story behind it.

I'm being biased so i gave this a 10/10:p.Ai is my fav amagami girl.for those who complain Jun didn't deserve her ...well all i can say is that he was made to be as generic and likable as possible..

next stop Rihoko

MeoTwister5

2010-10-22, 00:58

There is something strangely but undeniably heartwarming about the final scene before the ~fin~. Nothing complicated, but it might be my favorite epilogue to the series so far. There is something completely fitting about Junichi sleeping on her lap.

Hooves

2010-10-22, 01:04

I would give it a 9/10 (The confession scene was done perfectly in my view :)) but really dint like the finishing scene all that much... Well I did like the moment between Junichi and Ai on the beach. Also with the peeping deers sorta creeping me out o.o

Pocky Yoshi

2010-10-22, 01:05

First half was okay.

I liked the part where Ai was being kind-hearted to the kids who spilled their food. I also liked that she's capable of cooking the recipe of Hibiki's udon recipe. The Sensei was hot, drunk and funny. Those were the three scenes that got me smiling gently.

Jaw drops. Rewatches the second half. Repeats.
Oh gosh. Cute, sexy, bold, and quite passionate.
I literally went like this throughout the whole thing:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:3xQ3vcEQLnkGwM:http://cdn2.knowyourmeme.com/system/profile/icon/4913/big/HNNNNNNGGG---HNNNGGG.jpg&t=1

Episode. 9/10. Arc. I'd give it a 9. I should of set my expectations a little lower, but this arc's heroine is just too lovable. Lucky Junichi.....

Mairsile

2010-10-22, 01:09

quick tidbits and thoughts

The haunted house - In the game, jun will bring the 6 heriones to haunted hse and each of them jun will experiences different delusions depending on the heroines.In tsukasa delusion..Jun saw tsukasa boobs become bigger, awkwardness ensues after that..Its been rumoured that the haunted house is run by yakuza or sorts ^Ah, so that explains it. I wasn't sure if they had created that segment specifically for the anime adaptation. Thanks. I'll have to play the game then.

sgwc

2010-10-22, 01:50

Good ep but the ending is....well it's alright.

HandofFate

2010-10-22, 01:59

satifying end.

The first scene at the Oden stand felt awkward. When those two random girls challenged Ai's cooking skills. I have a feeling this is just a case of one of those scenes that work okay in VN type games, but transition very poorly in anime form. Also what's with the tea club serving alcohol at a high school function?

The hotsprings scene was pretty good though. The deer spying on them annoyed me alot for some reason...damn eechi deers..

I liked how Ai lied about having a swimsuit underneath. I know a lot of anime or manga hotspring scenes have the girl go in with a towel wrapped in them like that...but do they actually do that in real life? I thought the rule was that you weren't suppose to mix your towel in the water like that.

The next arc looks like it be an interesting take.
Rihoko's going to be the main protaganist in that one. In that, the arc is going to be focused on through her eyes. Instead of the other arcs, where the main girls had screentime, but it was really mainly Jun'ichi's main perpective.

D-Gold

2010-10-22, 02:28

I dont want this arc to end;-;

I liked at the end where Jun was laying on Ai's lap. They look so cute together.

Mairsile

2010-10-22, 03:23

Same. I'll be dreaming of Ai tonight:p

Kusa-San

2010-10-22, 03:40

This school is crazy. Someone actually developed a Gundam.

They sure have a lot of money :heh:

Other than that, I am disappointed by this episode. The pace was too slow :

The first half was not good mainly because there was not enough focus on Junichi and Ai relationship. Serioulsy, what's the point to have so much development for other people when it's not even their arc and when there is only one episode left ? :mad:

The second half was better but it should have happened sooner ! Too much time was also lost with Junichi thought when they were walking though the forest. The last scene was strange : Junichi call Nanasaki by her firstname when Nansaki still call him senpai. Why ?

I was waiting something better for the most popular girl. I give this episode a 7 in the poll but come to think of it, it only deserves a 6/10.

Om Nerabdator

2010-10-22, 04:03

4 eps werent enough for nanasaki she needed at least 6 :D

Francismeunier

2010-10-22, 04:41

Yeah it was incredible! Notice how they fitted Ai's theme of water with the offspring water part all along with the confession. Now that was well done.....My comments as 2 section....one with the founder's festival and the other one after the founder's festival.
The Founder's Festival!
The first thing I noticed is how nice the girl with the pink is here. (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/c1c5accb.jpg) Could this be Ayatsuji's sister? (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/e6449cc1.jpg) Keiko looked so funny with her Stan Claus (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/0400b31c.jpg) dress up, particularly the beard. Then again Sae here (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/79b0f523.jpg) looked more :love: with that Santa Claus robe!BTW who is the girl all the way to the left of her? Junichi with Ai (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/4b10c3c0.jpg) looked truly a nice couple at the food stand. Did Rihoko's tea mates (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/e90052cf.jpg) did a drama stand at the food stand. Oh no! :heh::heh: The teacher really showed up drunk! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/6bb75502.jpg) Ah ha! The culprit of getting the teacher drunk (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/9d5c6208.jpg) was none other than Rihoko! Just giving her some alcohol! OMG that was incredible. I think it was some alcohol given part of the occasion. It was shown to me in Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu season 2.

Good thing Ayatsuji came with her 2 bodyguards (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/567d609f.jpg) from the discipline committee to put things right with the teacher. Teacher's first name Maya is nice still to know. Oh ROFL! :heh::heh: The robot started to walk on its own! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/f3054955.jpg) Umehara looked splendid here and a gentleman (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/ebdf2cfe.jpg) in his clothes! Poor Sae here! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/cf7ceec2.jpg) she was too shy and hide away from Miya! Too bad really! Well that got solved with the teacher well.... (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/9ca2b5d2.jpg) she got sent to the infirmary to sleep off her drunk state! Ai on the other hand nicely helped the kids here (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/fa9c8fcb.jpg) with giving them another bowl of food after dropping their first one. Very nice gesture! Now why would Ayatsuji be all alone in the dark here? (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/49243c92.jpg) Hibiki showing up with her Stan Claus getup here (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/12056234.jpg) was nice but I also like the girl on the far left of her! Seeing Miya with Sae here (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/0c6e40b9.jpg) was nice and I suppose it was meant to show that Sae would spent the Christmas with Miya at that time.
Hot Spring Excursion
The moon looked magnificent here! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/167c4c2d.jpg) Junichi's imagination knows no bound! Ai looked rather scary here (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/26d2fc60.jpg) due to Junichi's imagination of things. Beautiful scenery here=>http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/6ba11073.jpg
Beautiful Ai with bath-towel here=>http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/722acd64.jpg
just looked mighty fine! During her confession Ai looked some wonderful here! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/80a97ac8.jpg) Wow! Nice fan service for girls of Junichi's body! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/7eedee8c.jpg) Wow! That was bold of Ai to do the sudden jump at Junichi here! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/8c0266bb.jpg) Ai's hot body from behind here=>http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/a5e04424.jpg
Was so extra nice and :love:! Bold kiss was bold (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/57f4e82c.jpg) and Junichi saw her ass and breasts not to mention curves! Lucky guy! I think other than Haruka...Ai is the second one to do this to him....remember Haruka did it too with only a bath-towel! So it ends with a nice prediction! That of a animal family of deers.... (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/685b40ed.jpg) that might predict them being a nice family! Afterwards the lap pillow part was nice too and Ai looked so mature too! Zettai ryouiki was good too!
Easy 10/10 for me!

Kanon

2010-10-22, 05:21

10/10 for the second half. That was my favorite confession scene in Amagami so far, simple but very sweet and heartwarming. I loved the final scene as well.

I have to agree the first half did feel awkward, especially the scene at the stand. The storytelling in this anime can be so weird at times, I don't know if this has to do with the original material or this is purely the anime's problem but it'd be great if they could fix it. That said, it was still enjoyable to some extent, and seeing the teacher behaving this way was very entertaining. She needs her own arc, damnit!!

Not every relationship needs unwanted drama, which is why I liked Ai's arc so much. From the very first episode, Ai and Junichi just hit it off. Because of this, I expected a simple yet sweet ending to wrap up what was a very natural and beautiful relationship.

I couldn't agree more. Sometimes, simple is best. I'm glad they didn't try to include any needless drama like in Kaoru's arc. Sure, there was a bit of drama in episode 3, but thankfully they didn't dwelve on it; Ai cheered up and went back to her lovely self very quickly.

ID555

2010-10-22, 05:31

Ah, they went a little overboard again with the Tea Club taste test scene, but good thing Katahashi sensei saved the day. Hotspring scene was, needless to say, hot; final scene with ultradere Ai topped it off nicely.

I want to say I'm a little peeved at how much time was spent on the festival/other characters, but since Sae's arc it's been obvious that they're aiming for a straight adaptation/unwilling to come up with some original material to beef up the story, so I'll live with it.

So, the only blemish on this arc, IMO is the hallucination at the horror house + the tea club challenge scene, which were unnecessarily overdone. Overall though, great job on developing their relationship gradually and believably.

EDIT:

Almost forgot, another instance of going overboard - the Gundam... WTF?!

Kusa-San

2010-10-22, 05:43

Okay, I rewatched the second part of the episode and it's true it was good. So I give this last episode a 7/10 : 6/10 for the first part and 8/10 for the last part. What I don't undertand is why Ai still call Junichi senpai in the last scene ? it's strange.

MeoTwister5

2010-10-22, 05:47

Arc Review: Ai Get! (http://meotwister5.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/amagami-ss-arc-review-ai-get/)

I honestly wanted more out of the first half, considering that this is the first time in the arcs that Junichi actually did something productive for the Founder’s Festival aside from frolicking on the stage with Sae. Lots of time and space for him and Ai to bond over the steaming pots of Oden broth, but instead we get a food challenge, a freeloader named Haruka and a drunk teacher. So the show decided to go the silly path for the first half of the episode like they always do. And I mean always.

On the other hand, the final half of the episode towards the conclusion is probably one of the more memorable confessions I’ve seen in months, and so far the best for the series. She clearly planned all of this, the cunning young lady. A perfect spot for a perfect scene to end with a perfect confession. Ai again shows some uncharacteristic embarrassment considering she openly flashed Junichi more than once already. Junichi, as generic as he is, despite his usual fantasies actually managed to hold together in the hot spring and not fall apart into a perverted delirium.

Yes, the bathing suit was a lie!

It again shows just how much Ai was in control. This arc, for the most part, has had her in the driver’s seat rather than the guy. It’s not bad of course, and after this episode it makes nearly perfect sense to me why Junichi shouldn’t have been setting the pace for this arc. I’m already willing to concede having Junichi take the helm, because Ai shows she’s perfectly capable of handling guys like him.

My favorite scene in the entire episode, and probably the arc, is the epilogue (if you could call it that) of Junichi lying on Ai’s lap like a sleepy little child. Some might call it strange, but it does represent perfectly just how their relationship is about. Ai’s been the rather mature figure in the relationship while Junichi’s sort of… the one who’s still learning, and the lap pillow does accurately portray how Junichi does rely a lot on Ai. That doesn’t mean of course that it’s a one sided relationship because, he might be an perverted idiot, but the episodes did show he can really be an active member of their pairing when he has to.

There is of course the suggestion that uh… the way he suddenly wakes up in the epilogue from a haze sort of makes me consider that the entire episode before the epilogue, hell maybe even the entire arc, was Junichi dreaming and remembering how they met, got together and fell in love. That’s not such a far fetched idea when I think about it, and actually puts more depth into the final scene rather than simply him falling asleep on her lap. It perhaps shows that the story we had witnessed was more a recollection than an active watching, and maybe sort of explains all the ridiculous scenes in the arc as… tricks his mind is playing on him.

Maybe.

Kusa-San

2010-10-22, 06:06

There is of course the suggestion that uh… the way he suddenly wakes up in the epilogue from a haze sort of makes me consider that the entire episode before the epilogue, hell maybe even the entire arc, was Junichi dreaming and remembering how they met, got together and fell in love. That’s not such a far fetched idea when I think about it, and actually puts more depth into the final scene rather than simply him falling asleep on her lap. It perhaps shows that the story we had witnessed was more a recollection than an active watching, and maybe sort of explains all the ridiculous scenes in the arc as… tricks his mind is playing on him.

Maybe.

Oh that's an interesting theory :) I didn't think about that but come to think of it it can be the case. I like this theory :D

Francismeunier

2010-10-22, 06:07

I have to agree the first half did feel awkward, especially the scene at the stand.
Sure it was awkward but that's what made it funny in the end.
Oh that's an interesting theory :) I didn't think about that but come to think of it it can be the case. I like this theory :DI will agree with that too and I think too it might have been the case in the logical field. The mind might have distorted some views like the ramen eating might have been Junichi recounting how sexually he liked you know Ai's well I won't mention the word but surely sex can be implied in that hot spring easily. Just it was with Haruka in the hotel room.

Shiroth

2010-10-22, 06:11

Second half was indeed very sweet, and probably the only part of this arc that i said would match the contents of Love Goes On. Still Ai's arc was worth it for Yukana alone.

Nice Mech. Can't really say it's a Gundam, though that's obvious what the aim was.

Next is Rihoko. <333333333

MeoTwister5

2010-10-22, 06:15

You know they did. You know they did oh so well.

Also yes Rihoko <3

Kusa-San

2010-10-22, 06:19

l I won't mention the word but surely sex can be implied in that hot spring easily.

Oh I think we can say they surely did it :p

Still Ai's arc was worth it for Yukana alone.

Yeah, Yukana did a really great job as always with her :D

Personnaly, I like the anime's version better than the manga's one. The pace is better (except for the festival part) and the last two episodes was better than the end of the manga. And even if Junichi was not so great in the first two episodes, in the last two, he was good.

Francismeunier

2010-10-22, 06:29

Oh I think we can say they surely did it :pThat deer family must have been like :twitch: watching them.

Kusa-San

2010-10-22, 06:37

That deer family must have been like :twitch: watching them.

Or maybe like that :naughty: ...:heh:

Francismeunier

2010-10-22, 06:50

Well that is my effort for this episode of GIFs!
Freebies first!
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/ebc977be.gifhttp://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/c4a9a6dd.gifhttp://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/43526206.gifhttp://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/569ffd91.gifhttp://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/f7e27823.gifhttp://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/339b3f7d.gifhttp://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/df25b0a6.gif
Ai with her white blouse is sexy!
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/86170527.gif
Haruka stealing food was just ROFL!
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/140b7009.gif
A very good show of how Ai changes Ayatsuji's expression!
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/db935b0b.gif
Now can someone answer me who is that girl below who won the Santa Claus contest?
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/ed0d1491.gif
Rest with originals are on my BLOG below!
http://francismeunier.blogspot.com/2010/10/amagami-ss-episode-16-gifs.html
Well that's it! Maybe more on my BLOG later on.
Or maybe like that :naughty: ...:heh:Oh ROFL! That was a good laugh!

karuroso

2010-10-22, 07:44

Francismeunier

2010-10-22, 07:53

Gault

2010-10-22, 08:14

the ending scene was too short really , but im glad Ai is over , On with Rihoko!

justavisitor

2010-10-22, 08:51

wow a perfect episode for me 10/10 !!!

Basically this arc is about teaching a girl how to chase her "dream" guy...(of course, whether our hero is really the Mr.right is another issue :heh:)

2 more girls to go, Junichi!!!

DJLowrider

2010-10-22, 09:11

Basically this arc is about teaching a girl how to chase her "dream" guy...

There are many, many words one can use to describe Ai's arc. "Educational" isn't one of them. :heh:

MeoTwister5

2010-10-22, 09:13

Not really. I learned a few things here and there.:naughty:

DJLowrider

2010-10-22, 09:22

Not really. I learned a few things here and there.:naughty:

What you did there, I see it. :heh:

Also this made me think of this Monty Python skit:

jT3_UCm1A5I

serenade_beta

2010-10-22, 10:07

The first half of the episode felt rather unnecessary, like the entire thing with the Tea Club.
Sensei was forgivable though, un.

The second half was great, at least, going back to the usual Amagami.
The end was... *shrug* At least it was less abrupt than Kaoru's...

Haruka... To be able to eat something that has been cooking without the need to cool it down or flinching...! How fearsome!

Mairsile

2010-10-22, 11:00

What I don't undertand is why Ai still call Junichi senpai in the last scene ? it's strange.Because she occasionally teases Junichi about acting like a little kid despite him being older. That's why she emphasized senpai when she happily agreed to pamper him a little bit longer.

It perhaps shows that the story we had witnessed was more a recollection than an active watching, and maybe sort of explains all the ridiculous scenes in the arc as… tricks his mind is playing on him.I think most of the arcs are actually Junichi's recollections with each girl, thus they are told from his point of view. If you recall the opening dialogue for this arc, Junichi is talking about the past: "Christmas Eve, two years ago. After being stood up for my date, I was walking home alone in the snow." Based on his personality, it also explains how random some events may seem. In fact, listening to the preview for the beginning of Rihoko's arc, Junichi is oblivious to her being the protagonist because this arc will be told through her point of view and not his. Rihoko seems to have a very wacky, off-the-wall personality as well, so I expect her to do lots of silly things like Junichi.

There are many, many words one can use to describe Ai's arc. "Educational" isn't one of them.If you compare it to how most romances develop, I think its more realistic and natural. Ai was very straightforward throughout the arc as she was the one in control and planned many of the events that brought them closer. Likewise, Junichi responded well by taking the opportunity to create moments for them to come together during several segments. If something was on her mind, she expressed her wants and thoughts clearly to Junichi while leaving just enough to tease him and the audience for future episodes.

The opposite which you see in most series is childlike behavior by both parties which includes them misinterpreting the others verbal and non-verbal communication and them avoiding the issue while acting like immature kids until the last episode where they finally understand each other. Way too much stupid, needless drama for my tastes, and certainly not a representation as to how a good, healthy relationship should be attained.

Shadow5YA

2010-10-22, 11:09

Overall i think this arc almost surpassed Haruka's, if only this arc had used more properly the events, for example, the first half of this ep was almost unnecessary and by the end of the arc left me thinking a little that Junichi really didn't deserved all this =X unlike from the others arcs.

And after seeing the ep i remembered this pic
http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z421/karuroso/moe108212amagamidress_shirtnanasaki_aiscanning_dus tscreeningtakayama_kisai.jpg
and then i looked into the cg set of the VN and didn't found this pic there,someone knows if that did happened in the VN?If it indeed happened then i'm feeling that i was really cheated (like when i saw the cg for Sae's ending, and there she's pregnant )D= i mean if they had cut off some scenes from the first half ,i think this probably could have been included.

In the game, after the steamy confession in the hot springs, Junichi and Ai sleep over together for a night. I can't say whether it's Junichi's or Ai's since I can't undersatnd Japanese, but later they're seen looking out of a house window and watching fireworks together, presumably for New Years.

Anyway, I do agree that this episode is sort of weak. Junichi working with Ai at an Oden stand for the festival was a bit unnecessary, though I think this is just one of those cases where the studio had no idea what to do and made their own event. I've listened to and read Ai's monologue translated by UTW, and just about everything in the first three episodes was mentioned by Ai: the park, Junichi picking up trash at the beach, Ai's first kiss at the swings, and even the trippy amusement park scene was mentioned.

It's like the animation studio knew about the hotsprings, but they didn't know what to fill the first part of the episode with... or they did, and decided to use it to give cameos.

The last thing that thing that bothers me is the theme music choice for certain scenes. As Ai started kissing Junichi in the hotsprings, the light hearted "Sweet Actually" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMagNFAA_iE) played. It made the scene seem less serious than it actually is, considering how this is a girl and a guy kissing and together naked. Two people of the opposite sex togethe nude without intercourse is almost like Adam and Eve before they ate the fruit from the tree. The deer peeking on their kiss symbolizes how pure and natural Ai's love for Junichi is. I expected more serious and heartfelt song to play, like Yukana's minamo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fudgtOq9lqM).

Kaoru Chujo

2010-10-22, 11:15

Can't say I was overwhelmed by this arc -- or by anything since kissing behind the knee, lol. But the hot spring was a nice idea. And Yukana's voice is just wooonderful.

Of all the girls I like Morishima-sempai best. She is the most natural and bold and unusual. Of course, imouto is pretty good, too. But the protagonist just seems to get wimpier and wimpier, to me.

Mairsile

2010-10-22, 11:24

The last thing that thing that bothers me is the theme music choice for certain scenes. As Ai started kissing Junichi in the hotsprings, the light hearted "Sweet Actually" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMagNFAA_iE) played. It made the scene seem less serious than it actually is, considering how this is a girl and a guy kissing and together naked. Two people of the opposite sex togethe nude without intercourse is almost like Adam and Eve before they ate the fruit from the tree. The deer peeking on their kiss symbolizes how pure and natural Ai's love for Junichi is. I expected more serious and heartfelt song to play, like Yukana's minamo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fudgtOq9lqM).I understand what you are saying, but I think that song choice was an accurate representation of their actual relationship - simple, light-hearted and sweet.

Used Can

2010-10-22, 12:59

You know, after this arc, I wonder if the anime cast has got something against kisses. They've taken away most of the kisses from all the routes. In fact, other than Ai's, there's only one kiss at the end of every arc in the anime, when there's supposed to be many kisses on every route.

Personally, as for the anime, I still believe Haruka's arc has been the best. It had the best pacing and was the most entertaining. Ai's arc didn't deliver half as much as it could have, but it was okay. Sae's arc, for what I expected, was okay. I think Kaoru's remains the worst arc so far (along with the worst adaptation).

I don't know about Rihoko's, but I hope they don't screw Tsukasa's route.

christinemarie

2010-10-22, 13:00

Nerroth

2010-10-22, 13:18

This episode only reinforced the feeling of... I'm not sure how to put it.

I guess it's part of the problem with the format, with it only covering a certain period of time, and only from the perspective of one guy dealing with a single girl at a time, but...

...when you see how the other girls are doing (or, at least, some of them) it's kind of a bother to be left with the impression that their lives are so badly disadvantaged to not have the Male Protagonist involved in them.

Haruka seems fine enough, as does Rihoko (though I guess her arc will tell more as to what she would be 'missing'); Sae has Miya there to have fun with, and I don't recall seeing much of Kaoru at the festival, now that I think of it.

But even then, Sae has that shyness which stopped her from being involved in the contest. But on the other hand, I suppose Miya's friendship would have more of a lasting impact, I guess.

It was really troubling to see Tsukasa left all alone, though. Sure, you could say that at a later point in her life, she might find someone who can do something about that; but given the way the story is told (where things cut off at a certain point) there'd be no way to say one way or another what would happen.

(Unless you write your own story, that is.)

I dunno, maybe I'm thinking about it too much; but while I like the show, it's not always easy to overlook the issues I have with the way it's set up.

Mairsile

2010-10-22, 13:33

I think most people who read Love Goes On! would agree that a few of the scenes which were left out and replaced by original material could have added a bit more impact. In the end, though, everyone will have their own idea as to which they preferred - the manga or anime material.

Edit: I was re-watching Haruka's arc and Junichi notices a few guys working on a robot foot. lol. I completely forgot it was in that episode.

Also, Ai and Hibiki were stationed at the oden stand. So it made sense to have Junichi join Ai because she enjoys volunteering so much.

scarlet512

2010-10-22, 15:25

My favourite arc so far. :)

Knightrunner

2010-10-22, 15:36

Ai is a bit to bold for me but at least they are moving to the right direction

Shadow5YA

2010-10-22, 17:52

OceanBlue

2010-10-22, 18:03

My favorite arc. Really, Ai and Yukana's voice are too cute. I personally liked the progression in this one the best, although I wish they wouldn't have kept doing those strange filler scenes in the beginning of the episodes.

nogamo

2010-10-22, 20:05

Himeji

2010-10-22, 20:51

First half had some nice elements:
Hungry Haruka snatching some food from the Oden stall and then being dragged away.
Teacher getting plastered... again. I wonder what crazy things she did last year? :heh:
Sae wearing that Santa outfit - too bad she skimped out, she would've had a chance there.

Hot Spring Excursion
Beautiful Ai with bath-towel here=>http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/722acd64.jpg
just looked mighty fine! During her confession Ai looked some wonderful here! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/80a97ac8.jpg) Wow! Nice fan service for girls of Junichi's body! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/7eedee8c.jpg) Wow! That was bold of Ai to do the sudden jump at Junichi here! (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/8c0266bb.jpg) Ai's hot body from behind here=>http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/a5e04424.jpg
Was so extra nice and :love:! Bold kiss was bold (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/57f4e82c.jpg) and Junichi saw her ass and breasts not to mention curves! Lucky guy! I think other than Haruka...Ai is the second one to do this to him....remember Haruka did it too with only a bath-towel! So it ends with a nice prediction! That of a animal family of deers.... (http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/685b40ed.jpg) that might predict them being a nice family! Afterwards the lap pillow part was nice too and Ai looked so mature too! Zettai ryouiki was good too!

Onsen scene was absolutely great indeed, especially with Ai confessing and then jumping naked at Junichi :D ("Surprise, I don't wear anything under my towel!")
Then a wild kiss... and probaly wild sex as well. You can vividly imagine how thing go on from now on with Ai being so daring :D :D :D

Anyway, that great onsen scene with daring Ai convinced me to give it a 10/10.

Mairsile

2010-10-22, 21:10

Then a wild kiss... and probaly wild sex as well. You can vividly imagine how thing go on from now on with Ai being so daring :D :D :DI'm sure she is one open-minded girl, but Haruka and Kaoru seem rather frisky, too. Sae on the other hand, not so much. :heh:

Khu

2010-10-22, 21:39

Implied sex was totally implied.

Only.

Francismeunier

2010-10-22, 22:18

I'm sure she is one open-minded girl, but Haruka and Kaoru seem rather frisky, too. Sae on the other hand, not so much. :heh:Also know that Ai is the only one who kissed Junichi twice on the lips!

Gault

2010-10-22, 23:08

I just couldn't get into this episode, no make that this arc. Something about Ai and the way the episodes played out just didn't sit well with me, so I'm rating this one the lowest so far.

Kaoru > Sae > Morishima > Ai

Agreed with ^

but Kaoru = Morishima > Sae > Ai

Knightrunner

2010-10-22, 23:17

DragoZERO

2010-10-22, 23:49

First off, Haruka is awesome - no matter what.

Now then, great episode. Really did enjoy Ai's screen time. My only complaints with this arc is there wasn't really any romantic feeling development on Junichi's part. And they could have been more consistent with the tan lines as well. Yeah, that's another complaint...it's been one of those days, lol.

Hypernova

2010-10-23, 07:29

Hm... some happened between the two frames ? ;)
http://i.imgur.com/6e4GH.jpg

eplipswich

2010-10-23, 07:32

I just hate Enterbrain for not including the part in this final episode where Junichi encounters Ai when they are still young wayback the first episode of Ai Nanasaki Arc. If only they have used it this arc may have go beyond Haruka's arc.

The redeeming factor here is they included a Yandere version of Ai Nanasaki which I truly love and Miya takes home Sae-chan.

Just so you know, Enterbrain isn't the one behind the anime. AIC is the one behind. Enterbrain is the one behind the game and manga only, so you should be blaming AIC, not Enterbrain ~ ~

By the way, the end scene was definitely great, and we get to see Ai bold as always. Unfortunately, i find the way it ended was a bit too abrupt, even though it was decent...

nogamo

2010-10-23, 07:36

I'm just wondering why you guys put Ai as the bottom arc?

Well what I have to complain about may not be valid in your opinion, but I'll tell you anyway. I did not enjoy the straightforwardness of the encounter and the dialog in certain places. For instance, when Tachibana is found sneaking into the girls swim team practice he goes through this weird encounter with every other member of the team where he expresses his, well, fascination with Ai's chest (as an apology for earlier). I just couldn't take this arc seriously after that, because in my opinion this entire relationship relied on that fact alone: physical attraction. I'm not begging for drama, but I come to expect a degree of it in any romance series. Kaoru, in my opinion, was excellent in this category.

Another thing that bugged me--and this may just be Japanese culture--but despite being a couple, the younger partner always refers to the other as senpai. They didn't feel like a real couple because only one called by the other by their name, and I thought that if two are in love that maybe they would call each other's name like "Ai-chan" and "Junichi" instead of "Ai-chan" and "Senpai."

It's early so if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

DragoZERO

2010-10-23, 10:18

Hm... some happened between the two frames ? ;)
I guess I wasn't the only one who thought of that...it pains me that I actually did too. :mad:

By the way, the end scene was definitely great, and we get to see Ai bold as always. Unfortunately, i find the way it ended was a bit too abrupt, even though it was decent...It may have been a little abrupt, but everything that we needed to be done, was. And we got a nice little epilogue where he called her Ai. I just wish she had dropped the "senpai" bit.

Ricky Controversy

2010-10-23, 10:35

I echo DJ Lowrider's sentiment that Ai, as a character, is far better than the arc she ended up with. Excepting Kaoru's arc, Junichi has been a tool in every one; since he forms the other half of each arc's leading cast, this basically condemns the arc to fail. It was--like Haruka's arc--mediocre, and that bothers me since I prefer Ai over Haruka in terms of character concept.

Ai's arc takes a moderately distanced second behind Kaoru's arc, is the tiniest cut above Haruka's arc, but thankfully is still miles ahead of Sae's abortion of an arc.

kk2extreme

2010-10-23, 13:19

Who won the Miss Santa contest? I dont recall that I have seen her before...

Sprite_Coke

2010-10-23, 15:04

^ Rihoko's friend who I do not know the name of. Recall Kaoru arc episode with the kids and the tree climbing. She was in that episode.
Voiced by Matsuoka Yuki.

Shiroth

2010-10-24, 03:56

I hope people know that this is a thread to discuss the episode content, though everyone's thoughts on the arcs. There is a thread for that. (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=96848)

Pellissier

2010-10-24, 04:37

As Shiroth says, the recent posts discussing the various arcs were off topic, if we consider this is "episode 16 discussion thread". If you want to compare Ai's arc with the others, we have a specific thread:

Amagami SS - Arc Comparison/Discussion (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=96848)

The aforementioned posts have been moved there.

liquidmetal

2010-10-24, 17:47

Bit dissappointed, time could have been better spent imo. First half was alot of randomness to me :eyebrow:

Francismeunier

2010-10-26, 23:08

^ Rihoko's friend who I do not know the name of. Recall Kaoru arc episode with the kids and the tree climbing. She was in that episode.
Voiced by Matsuoka Yuki.I had a feeling it was her. Well she looks splendid!=>
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/francismeunier/number%20two/number%203/number%204/number%205/79b0f523.jpg

Midonin

2010-10-26, 23:10

^ Rihoko's friend who I do not know the name of. Recall Kaoru arc episode with the kids and the tree climbing. She was in that episode.
Voiced by Matsuoka Yuki.
Kanae Itou is her name. You may know her as the voice of Amu in Shugo Char- and, wait, no, that's someone else.

Frailty

2010-10-27, 01:53

Also know that Ai is the only one who kissed Junichi twice on the lips!

Kaoru kissed Junichi a couple of times on the lips too you know?

Gault

2010-10-27, 09:56

I'm just wondering why you guys put Ai as the bottom arc?

Theres just something about Ai I just cant get into or like at all , she seems too.. plain. I didn't see anything interesting at all during her arc.. I was more interested with the fillers of her arc to be honest , maybe I'm too Ayatsuji focused , also abit more personal but Ai resembles my ex alot which I don't regret leaving ,

other than that , Ai doesn't have that joyful/playful Aura Haruka and Kaoru had

Vexx

2010-10-27, 11:17

Okay... I've seen enough stories in this omnibus format to have an opinion on the concept. Basically, it has potential to "satisfy everyone" and guarantee that at least a FEW blu-ray/dvds will be sold to each fan but OTOH... this particular format is too rigid -- briefer simpler stories get too stretched and more complex stories get shafted all in the name of forcing them into "4 episodes for 2 disks in Japan".

In the *big* picture though, I hope this doesn't become 'the standard' as I still prefer a well-written integration that makes changes as necessary to present a compelling storyline (e.g. Canvas 2, Lamune, KyoAni Key adaptations, etc). Those interested in a *variation* on this idea should check out Yosuga no Sora and the way it handles the different routes -- it isn't integrated but yet it isn't parallel reality either.

I suppose its good that the companies are experimenting instead of sticking to the "usual rut" (though the source material fans punished the makers of KKPR's anime for their interesting early attempt to solve the integration problem).

The matter of HOW they adapted each story is a separate issue (some good, some less well).
As for this specific short story (Ai).... I'm finding it less compelling than the manga adaptation of her story. So far the score is -
1) Haruka's tale - silly and absurd at times but pretty satisfying as a short story in terms of a complete romance.
2) Kaoru's tale - probably the most *mature* story theme but suffered from both the time budget and some disappointment in not getting an epilogue like Haruka got.
3) Sae's tale - the goofiest story with the simplest plot textures, probably used one more episode than needed to tell the story. OTOH, entertaining and light.
4) Ai's tale - unusual character and it isn't terribly clear why they connect as they do but the story does show fairly how people sometimes connect when it doesn't seem obvious that they will.
And the rest are yet-to-come.

My only real disappointment with the series is that they re-invent the protagonist's personality in each story. The character should *evolve* to a different sort of person because when you're around different people that's how you change. But he *starts out* substantively different in each arc. I view that as a bit of a writing failure that makes the omnibus less interesting than it could have been. Think about it - how would *you* be different if your friends were a different group of friends. Attitudes and personality are not really fixed, they evolve based on what kind of connections you make with which other people.

Kusa-San

2010-10-27, 11:33

that briefer simpler stories get too stretched and more complex stories get shafted all in the name of forcing them into "4 episodes for 2 disks in Japan".

I'm not so sure about that. I think you can have interesting stories with only four episodes (after all, 23*4=92min) but the anime staff don't exploit these four episodes well at all. There are many parts which are "useless" for the story. For example, the first part of this episode.

pikachuwei

2010-10-27, 16:34

this arc was promising at the start...

overall its still a decent arc, maybe second or third in my tastes

i laughed at haruka eating food straight from the oden stand. She must be fearless or highly heat resistant or sumthing o.O

Hooves

2010-10-27, 19:39

Noctis Lucis

2010-10-30, 09:38

Speedrating this, I will likely come back later to add more stuff.

Having seen 4 arcs already, I might be inclined to disagree with all of you in how they stack. Unfortunately, I seem to get to feeling that Haruka or Sexhair (I seem to see this as reference to her more than her real name, so it sticks.) is highest in most people's minds.

Well, I come to such genres looking for passion and feel. Well, Sae is already in basement-bottom. It's just hahaha all the way. I think that's dumb. It feels worse than any Shuffle! arc.

Then there's Sexhair. Uh. Nice boat? There's a tense mood sometimes that works for and against the arc at the same time. Family problems make it realistic, but her wildness seems impossible in a typical Japanese high school. Just saying. It's in the middle, I suppose.

Haruka looks a little like a kink-fest. Then again, it's NOT the worst. In fact it's pretty good, and I think I like it. Better than Sexhair and Sae, especially comparing endings. Sexhair's is especially odd.

Where does this leave Ai?

She's pretty much in a league of her own. I hear the Singapore government is looking for foreign talent like her (aquatic champ, caring and kind, not wild but brave, and generally being a outstanding citizen.) Divisive. Some people don't like that. Fair.

But I like it that way.
And I know many do, right?

So.

1 Ai
2 Haruka
3 Sexhair
4 Sae

The next two arcs, I don't hold up much for Rihoko, BUT Tsukasa seems explosive. To me that's divisive.

But Sae's still at the bottom for me.