[Lantern]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Spoiler for length:

Valid points, but I react differently. The subtlety is underneath, in the ideas and feelings themselves, which are so much stranger and more interesting than in most other anime. Showing all this would (a) take a long time, and (b) make things grosser and heavier, rather than as delicate and intriguing as they are here.

What is being actually shown is the characters themselves, in their moods and expressions and reactions. And those are being shown with some subtlety and complexity, it seems to me. For instance, even after telling Taichi about herself, the next day Iori still behaves as if she is conveying the happy Iori image, rather than "being herself." Or is that "herself?"

Of course, one of my favorite films is My Dinner With Andre, which is ninety minutes of two guys talking....

As for the fact that it is very unlikely for a male to admit what Taichi did, well, sure. But what if he did? The feelings around that -- in ourselves and in the characters -- are pretty interesting. Or do we want people only to do what is normal? In any case, this is still anime entertainment, and the VN-like aspects are part of the deal. And it's a deal I'm happy to accept, right now. I certainly have no trouble with this not being in the same intense mood as Inaba's confessions. Anime is like music: the images, feelings, and events can flow and change.

Something completely different: I really don't like the translation of "Heartseed" for "Fuusen Kazura." Yes, that's the English name of the same plant, but the impression it gives is totally different. The Japanese name means something like "balloon vine": floaty but entangling. I'm not sure what translation to use, but "Heartseed" just gives such a different feeling from the Japanese.

I have a feeling the author might have chose that name for both its Japanese and English meaning. I think both names connect to the theme of the story both in their own ways and make sense. Balloon vine, the Japanese name as you put it, floaty but entangling, just like the main cast's relationship. While "Heart seed", seed of heart (in Japanese the meaning kokoro expands into "feelings") that sprouts, which is another perspective of relationship. So I think it works either way. I mean it can't be a coincident that the author chose a species of plant of seeds that look like orbs with heart shape on them.