[Mai Otome] Episode 16 Discussion/Poll

[KiraDouji]

Does this shape (nabbed from screencaps of 16!)

http://i1.tinypic.com/mlm6nb.jpg

seem familiar to anyone else? man, really need to see this raw...

- Kira

/mod edit: fixed link so image would show.

[Ansa]

Originally Posted by imperialmog

Maybe Rena has that Jedi trick of appearing as some force spirit or something. Also is there anyone missing in the OP? That could be a hint as to if they off someone.

No Ers, or any of the normal classmates of Arika's. You don't see Takumi or Akira either, although I don't get the feeling that they will be killed off XD

[Matrim]

Seeing Nao's new robe just confirms my opininion that the one who came up with the design of the clothes is either a talentless moron or does it intentionally to annoy the viewers.
Maybe there is a hope for this episode, I wonder if I should read all the spoilers...

[ShinigamiRukia]

that would be just plain mean if they got killed off =(

[BlackWidow]

Originally Posted by Souten no Seigyoku

Spoiler:

go back to ep7 and look at the harmonium. The organ keys were divided in 3 sections, each with its own seat One seat for each? A seat for the protector, the player, and the singer? The Protector is Arika no doubt. So who would be the player and the singer?

Spoiler:

when the harmonium got opened, there was 2 out of 3 circles glowing, white and blue, meaning there one missing...maybe RED (Mai !!!). we know how much Mai love kareoke, she could be the singer

[Catgirls]

Originally Posted by KiraDouji

Does this shape (nabbed from screencaps of 16!)

http://randomc.animeblogger.net/imag...6%20-%2007.jpg

seem familiar to anyone else? man, really need to see this raw...

You might want to Right Click and save that image to your hard drive and then upload it to ImageShack.us because he blocks "hotlinking" images off his site:



Edit: never mind. I found the image and will replace your URL.

[Mentar]

This "blue-white" robe Arika is briefly wearing in the OP looks very much like a formal "Meister graduation" robe. It's the same Akane was wearing too.

[ArchDragon]

Originally Posted by Mentar

This "blue-white" robe Arika is briefly wearing in the OP looks very much like a formal "Meister graduation" robe. It's the same Akane was wearing too.

I think it's a standard Meister uniform, not just for the graduation ceremony, think military uniforms.

Most Meisters wear their uniform all the time, except for Garderobe's pillars (sans Shizuru).

[Pazu]

Originally Posted by Diodati

Ohhh new opening. Ohhh Shizuru and Midori...

Hmm Natsuki's hairclip has turned into an antenna, I'm not keen. Like the colours on her robes though.

She is not happy about it. Look at her expression.

[Mentar]

Originally Posted by ArchDragon

I think it's a standard Meister uniform, not just for the graduation ceremony, think military uniforms.

Most Meisters wear their uniform all the time, except for Garderobe's pillars (sans Shizuru).

Sans Haruka, sans pretty much all other Meisters shown in episode 3...

Where do you have that from?

There doesn't seem to be a "standard" Meister uniform, because pretty much all Meisters we've seen so far have their own personalized outfit, at least in their coloring. The closest match I could see was during Akane's graduation. Though - now that I've rechecked it - it's not quite identical, only very very close.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Mentar

There doesn't seem to be a "standard" Meister uniform, because pretty much all Meisters we've seen so far have their own personalized outfit, at least in their coloring. The closest match I could see was during Akane's graduation. Though - now that I've rechecked it - it's not quite identical, only very very close.

No. Arika is definitely wearing Rena's Meister robe. You can check the first OP for that. The top is identical. And judging from other official art, the bottom is too.

The graduation robe is blue also, but its not the same.

[Diodati]

Originally Posted by Aidan

So she might be back from the dead. Oo?

edit: I'm starting to get confused now.

Based on this new opening, I'm inclined to think Rena isn't dead. That pic of her in a pool of blood would seem a bit too spoilerish of the manner of her death - and the fact Sergay comes into the shot (and the art there looks a bit weird on him but anyway) makes me even more dubious.

Plus with all those wallpapers on the character-designers website of Mai and Rena (together - with Rena looking EXACTLY how she does in this new opening) - it would be strange if only one of them came back but the other turned out to be literally dead. What's the point of plugging a character so much in additional art pieces when she's never going to appear alive in the present.

Additionally about the opening: they really are going to milk this Arika vs Nina thing dry - I hope it doesn't run out of steam. I like the idea of Mashiro spending time with Aswald, it's so 'odd' that it would probably do her the world of good (in terms of how she seems to want to get out of her previous ignorance)

Originally Posted by Souten no Seigyoku

Im sure she gets good reception

It looks kinda dangerous to me - she'd could ram her head in someone's gut and kill 'em with that ''thing''! Maybe that will be her special attack haha - just you watch, the antenna will channel her power.

Heh this sort of stuff would only happen to Natsuki.

Originally Posted by Pazu

She is not happy about it. Look at her expression.

If looks could kill....
Actually Midori's expression is pretty priceless as well heh. Aww bless them, I hope they both now play a much larger role.

[ochibi-san]

just saw the new OP and its...very gundamseed-y....
the meister outfits r pretty good and MAI! NATSUKI!

strange to see everyone so angsty and serious...
ill hav to get used to it...

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Diodati

Based on this new opening, I'm inclined to think Rena isn't dead. That pic of her in a pool of blood would seem a bit too spoilerish of the manner of her death - and the fact Sergay comes into the shot (and the art there looks a bit weird on him but anyway) makes me even more dubious.

You're not very familiar with Sunrise OPs, are you? Nothing is "too spoilerish" in them, especially since this OP tries so hard in imitating a Gundam OP (which tends to be as spoilerish as they get)

Plus with all those wallpapers on the character-designers website of Mai and Rena (together - with Rena looking EXACTLY how she does in this new opening) - it would be strange if only one of them came back but the other turned out to be literally dead. What's the point of plugging a character so much in additional art pieces when she's never going to appear alive in the present.

Because most of those art are of Rena Yuuki, from Cyber Formula, not Rena Sayers from Mai Otome.

[Mentar]

Originally Posted by brightman

No. Arika is definitely wearing Rena's Meister robe. You can check the first OP for that. The top is identical. And judging from other official art, the bottom is too.

Hmmm, you're right. The stars on the shoulder sides seem to be exactly the same. Even though the blue seems to be alot lighter in the new OP, but this might be an issue of my raw.

And I seem to have been wrong in one other issue too: (Careful, spoiler)

Spoiler:

As Omniscient pointed out, Nao gets chosen to become a pillar!! Nao!!

This of course lends some extra credibility to the 5-girls-5-pillars theory. Let's see where all this goes.

[sytyue]

Originally Posted by ochibi-san

just saw the new OP and its...very gundamseed-y....
the meister outfits r pretty good and MAI! NATSUKI!

strange to see everyone so angsty and serious...
ill hav to get used to it...

Agreed >< i miss the cheeryness

[Diodati]

Originally Posted by brightman

You're not very familiar with Sunrise OPs, are you? NOTHING is "too spoilerish" in them, especially since this OP tries so hard in imitating the Gundam Seed OPs (which are as spoilerish as they get)

Yes well not only would it be spoilerish but it tends towards a pointless clarification - why would you put a shot of Rena 'dying' in the opening - unless it pertains to some new discovery in later episodes (about Rena 'dying') or it's simply to throw the direction into an apparent spin. Or we take it not so literally when noting its blatant decoloring (which is comparable, or rather contrasts to the later Rena moment in the OP) and the whole imagery which relates incredibly obviously to the injury of episode 1, but taken to a rather large extreme.

Because most of those art are of Rena Yuuki, from Cyber Formula, not Rena Sayers from Mai Otome.

Yes they've included her prior-equivalent but her appearance, of either, is still being hyped to the point of it being rather overkill for a character who is going to stay dead in Otome. Essentially there are many works on that website that look exactly like the Rena in this opening - not that it proves anything, I never said it did, but the whole construction of it seems to plug this character in general.

It could all be a spoiler - and Rena is dead, and the second image was just a flashback. I won't cry if that happens. Well not much.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Diodati

Yes they've included her prior-equivalent but her appearance, of either, is still being hyped to the point of it being rather overkill for a character who is going to stay dead in Otome. Essentially there are many works on that website that look exactly like the Rena in this opening - not that it proves anything, I never said it did, but the whole construction of it seems to plug this character in general.

Well, I guess you need to understand Rena's situation... She was created by Hirokazu Hisayuki (the character designer of Mai-Otome) for a Cyber Formula game, and never appeared in an anime save for a brief moment in the end of Cyber Formula Sin. Judging from the amount of unofficial art that Hisayuki draws of her (even BEFORE Mai-Otome was released), she definitely appears to be one of his favorite characters.

So IMO her appearance in Mai-Otome is meant to be just a cameo due to Hisayuki's preferences, though she did get a bigger role than expected. And since there is a chance that she might be used again for a future CF anime, I think it makes sense that they don't give her that big of a role in Mai-Otome other than being someone "from the past".

The same is true for other Hisayuki creations that weren't really used, like Sarah Gallagher (a Rena contemporary in the CF world), who made a cameo in Gear Fighter Dendoh and looks VERY MUCH like the masked character in the OP2 shot with the five pillars (I guess we know her name for now).

[Matrim]

Originally Posted by Mentar

Hmmm, you're right. The stars on the shoulder sides seem to be exactly the same. Even though the blue seems to be alot lighter in the new OP, but this might be an issue of my raw.

And I seem to have been wrong in one other issue too: (Careful, spoiler)

Spoiler:

As Omniscient pointed out, Nao gets chosen to become a pillar!! Nao!!

This of course lends some extra credibility to the 5-girls-5-pillars theory. Let's see where all this goes.

Spoiler:

Talk about a hilarious twist of events. Why would they choose her when she deosn't care much about Garderobe? Maybe the role of the Pillars is different from what we thought?

[Souten no Seigyoku]

Originally Posted by Mentar

Sans Haruka, sans pretty much all other Meisters shown in episode 3...

Where do you have that from?

There doesn't seem to be a "standard" Meister uniform, because pretty much all Meisters we've seen so far have their own personalized outfit, at least in their coloring. The closest match I could see was during Akane's graduation. Though - now that I've rechecked it - it's not quite identical, only very very close.

No no. The uniforms are the same. The main color changes from meister to meister depending on their gem color. Their battle robe colors also depend on their gems too. Shizuru's uniform is the same color of her gem. Her battle robe also has similar colors. Natuski's battle robe also is similar in color to her gem. Haruka too. Even Nina when she becomes meister is the same. Look at her earring and compare it to her battle robe color.

Gem=Uniform (plus some white) & Battle Robe color.

Only one thing contradicts this. That being that Akane was wearing a standard blue uniform during her graduation and so was Natsuki. Akane was going to get the Malachite gem which is dark green instead of the color she was wearing. However that could be a standard uniform for graduation before they get their personalized uniforms based on their gem color