[Balzac]

(I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post so if someone could point me in the correct direction, please feel free.)

Okay, I bit the bullet. Slightly. I asked for a Skype mini-stream of part of an episode, to see how it was. Now as I stated in my Clannad anime review, I'm not too keen on perfect adaptations. This particular instance I'm highlighting below is a decent example of how one doesn't perfectly adapt.

Now to game veterans, think of this scene as something you view without having ever read the novel at all. Put yourself in the shoes I crafted in simulacrum for myself, and let us walk through the scene.

Spoiler for Blatantly long post:

The scene I refer to is the room scene after the baseball locker-room. Audience sees Riki and Masato. Masato is doing exercises, thus establishing an aspect of his personality. Okay good, he's some sort of jock. Riki is doing homework, comically being interrupted by Masato. Riki asks about Masato's homework, but the latter brushes it off. They talk about Kyousuke's outrageous plan. Masato says something to the point of "It's just like him". Kyousuke enters right on cue.

Let's pause, and consider what we've just seen. We have an idea Masato considers his exercises his homework. Riki seems to be diligent in this regard. Kyousuke's spontaneousness is reinforced by the characters' conversation.

But in my opinion, as a first-time viewer, the scene hardly impresses that kind of effect on me. Veterans will know that Masato considers all but his cranial muscles his constant homework.

But does the first-time viewer? We do see Riki doing his, but the dynamic is severely missing something, in my opinion lacking the depth of the relationship between the two room-mates which in the game is firmly established within the timeframe of that one scene.

Riki and Masato return to the room. Masato complains about Kyousuke, again also saying "It's just like him". Masato starts to complain about having to do a sport like baseball. "He wants to grow stronger." Riki suggests he do some sort of throwing sport I don't remember. Masato does his first of many self-ripostes. Here, at this point, this aspect of Masato is established. Masato decides to go jog, and then Riki asks if he's done homework. Clueless, he leaves it all up to Riki. Riki complains, saying something like why he's doing this thing again. Again - so this kind of thing is being done before. Riki is adamant, and forces Masato to sit and study. Masato tries to hide copying Riki for the second time, and here Masato goes into his second self-riposte in twenty seconds of reading. (well in the end, he really does mooch off of Riki) It is then that Kyousuke comes.

Now, one gets that it's hard to fit all of the above paragraph without allocating resources and time to do it, which may be understandable. But there are some pretty deep details being missed by pure-anime watchers here. You all might or might not see the roommate dynamic down the line, but I believe it'd have been better to establish it earlier. big example is the first (I believe) spoken desire to "grow stronger"

Back to the animation, let's take a quick hop forward. Straight to the middle of famous quotations. Alright it seems the animators decided to reuse that particular joke. It's fine, I loved it, other readesr may or may not have; there are different tastes in humor. What we're interested here now is the dynamic of interaction between characters.

After catching the "cat off the pole", Rin and Kengo are suddenly there. It is assumed they were dragged inside, as implied with Rin and Kengo's words. Then there's the "this guy's such an idiot" quotation, followed by "nma...chogi" one. And stop.

What was seen here? Kyousuke can turn the mundane into the gloruous, Kengo seems rather cold to his friends, Masato's a bit of a show off, and Rin seems snappish, abrupt and violent. How are these guys friends?

Now back to game. My memory is sketchy, so bear with me. After fearing that his stupidity will be exposed, Masato calls for Kengo and Rin. Rin complains why she has to go all the way to the stinky, dirty boy's dorm. Masato fires back that the room is spotless, because Riki's cleans it. Oh, so Riki seems responsible now - he does homework, cleans up a room that Rin seems to deem dirty, and Masato seems to rely on him in those aspects. Aphorism. Kengo seems unimpressed, and moves to leave. Masato stops him, asking if he's running away. Here, their rivalry is reinforced. Kengo asks if he wants to go again, considering he lost to Rin of all people. Masato defends himself by saying it's because he had the unagie pie. Kengo haughtily claims that Masato could have done something even in spite of that, and ends with a highbrow statement, that unfortunately Kyousuke catches. Aphorism! After, Kengo isn't displeased, he looks shamed - a good-natured kind of shamed. "Fukaku!" Masato tries to "console" his rival. Their jabber seems to have pissed of Rin, who screams for everyone to shut up. I remember another aphorism but I'm not too sure about complex. I do remember "he's an idiot" afterward. Perhaps feeling he's satisfied his friends by being there, Kengo tries to excuse himself. "Nma...!" i believe what the animation missed here is Kyousuke's subsequent translation, which also elicits another positive response from Kengo. "And see...he looks like he's even holding the jar up..." "How profound..." Kengo's playing along, and he rather doesn't seem that cold anymore.

Whew, that was certainly a long thing to type up. And it's probably what the animators thought of when they considered animating the scene, it's too long. But in watching the anime part and comparing the scene, there really are some things missing. Kengo is markedly warmer in the game, though he still refuses to join the baseball team. During homework writing, he wants to leave several times, but afterward as they discuss the baseball match, he's still there. So he seems to enjoy his friends' company. He's still overly serious, but screws up sometime - though even after screwing up he plays along. Their rivalry seems to be a bit playful, as readers are shown, which forms a foundation. So that's why they fought like that at the very beginning.

Now again, I'm a person who dislikes the concept of adaptation from one form of media to another. But it's important, in this case, for game veterans, to know how much of the original spirit has been preserved.And it's also important for first-time viewers, considering the not-so-small difference in presentation between the two formats of the same scene. They may, through some sort of adaptive mishap, greatly misinterpret something about the characters or their personalities. The anime version of "Quotations" barely scratched the surface of the group dynamic that's crucial to the whole overarching story of Little Busters! It's just a tiny part of the foundation, but in order for the rest of the story to stand firmly and surely, not much should be missed.

I stand by my decision not to watch the animation, but game veterans should be a bit watchful from now on. this is especially if you want "perfect" adaptation; I've already seen the little fragile chinks that make it not so. Leastways, they might cover it with much detail later, but it makes the game superior for masterfully establishing such tiny details earlier on than later. Later should be for the big "surprises". *wink wink* Whether this animation sinks or swims is not a concern of mine, as my little love affair with Little Busters! was long consummated five years ago (four years if EX)