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Old 2012-09-28, 21:26   Link #273
ahelo
Criminal Unrequitor
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Quote:
Originally Posted by relentlessflame View Post
I already discussed this in the thread earlier, but I think that definition isn't really complete/sufficient, because then any surprise or plot twist in a story could be called "Deus ex Machina", and that was never the intention of the term. The key point is that the "new event, character, ability, or object" has to be external/tangential to the narrative. But Yui's mysterious identity was at the very center of the plot in these two episodes. The conflict with the reaper was a small plot point in the context of the overarching story about Yui, and the key revelation was indeed the fact that she's a god (even though she didn't realize it). The only thing that makes it convenient is that she realized it in the moment of their need... but that's just a question of sort of "dramatic convenience" more than anything else.
It feels like we're two old cranky english teachers debating on if there was a literary technique or not -__-. If you explain it like that and in so much detail, maybe it really wasn't intended to be a deus ex machina but for a casual viewer like me, it certainly FELT like it. Whether or not my terms are correct or incorrect the point still stands, Yui pulled out a goddamn fire sword out of nowhere at the most convenient time. If you say to me "well that was expected, it was hinted already an episode before that she was an AI so something like this shouldn't come off as too surprising" well sorry for being surprised (and not in a good way); but then again I'm sure most people here were surprised to at that turn of development.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adigard View Post
Not defending the episode... it's got issues, but if we assume from what was said in the episode (that she can come back), why would you assume one second of her character development was wasted?

That's like having character's part... and complaining that all the development that character recieved was wasted because they're not around 'now'... even our character's in the show believe they'll meet again.

Dunno, again, not defending the episode, just pointing that bit out.
I never said her development was wasted-- it was more of that it totally wasn't enough for them to pull something like this. Yui getting resurrected or not later on is completely beside the point. My complaint on this episode was not just that Yui died; I'm complaining that an episode like this needs way more buildup for it to work.
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